[I]If I leap now, I can cut them down both.[/i] Kire trembled, her body barely containing her rage, her anguish, the impulse to spring and kill the woman that mirrored her face. She was back, over six months ago, to the beginnings of her hellish hunt for Ikegai. She could almost feel her own abdomen splitting open, the foul smell of his caverns. The [i]dolls[/i]. The murderous urge she had done her best to stifle earlier came rushing out, and any moment now her body would give in.

Except she found her hand gripped tight and pulled, right before they plunged into icy darkness. A few heartbeats later, they emerged in the oasis. It looked different now under the light of the late afternoon. A part of her wanted to cry out at him, ask him why he denied her the opportunity to strike, but the cold had also partly turned her sharply from the impulse. That, and seeing Ruli's expression, feeling the way he gripped her hand, a silent plea to keep her there. It would be an easy thing to rip herself out of his grip, and he should know that, but Kire pursed her lips instead and stayed. She only realized how much she was still trembling then, now that someone else was touching her. 

She heard his whisper, and she felt the fear in him, knew it would be like waking up to the worst moment of his life. They were both relieving nightmares. There was something else too that was peculiar about his touch, but right now other things took precedence. Firmly, but carefully, she squeezed his hand before tugging herself free, standing in silence beside him for a while afterward, looking at the water just as he waz. "Ruli," she said softly, breaking the silence, "I have to finish this." She turned to him, solemn. "Both of them together, this is my best chance of finding him and ending them all. I made my promises, and I need to keep them."

She stepped towards the water, took off the silver ring to pocket safely, and crouched down. She needed to see her own face, reassure herself, ground herself in her own personhood. She was here, she was herself. Kire scooped up some water and washed her scarred face, staying there a few moments. She turned, still crouching, towards Ruli. Her real face may not be what he needed to see, but she needed him to see her without illusions, if for nothing else but her own reassurances. Ikegai had succeeded in making her fear her own appearance, make her feel alone and hated for the look of her alone. She was used to being disliked or hated for her actions; she could take that. But he had taken away a part of her to use. It was a different kind of violation, but violation it was. 

"I had to fight them, you know. The dolls. Like her, but with some flaw or other. They were more like the dead Kartaian doll, just puppets. Not like--her." She breathed deeply, rubbing her face. "Over and over, I cut them down when he sent them after me, or ended their twisted, miserable existence when he left them for dead because they came out too wrong. They aren't particularly difficult to fight. But I had to watch these bodies fall to my sword, all of them echoing [i]me[/i]. Like killing myself over and over. He had trapped me, once, came close enough to open me up and try to make me his. Like what almost happened to Ysaryn. I fought back before that could happen, but again he had blood magic at his side to help him escape." 

She looked back down at the water, touching the scar on her left eye. "You're right. She's flawless." Kire spat out the word.