Mamoru ...
The wind whipped wildly through his jacket, wreaked havoc of his hair, and sent his quiver tumbling to the ground. He didn't bother to retrieve it as he climbed, throwing the crossbow to the side after barely a moment's thought.
Mamoru ...
It fell in a spark of silver as the moon caught it in a frozen tableau for a moment, the very instant it clattered to the ground so far below, shattering into a thousand pieces.
What are you doing, Mamoru?
The boy vaulted over the ladder to the roof, crouching for a moment, as if to listen to some inner voice, "Out."
He giggled quietly to himself, a tilted smile slashing like a knife wound across his face. Blood dripped from a set of claw scratches along his cheek. Absently, he licked some of it away as it slid over his lips
You can't do this. Not yet, you have to stay.
Slowly, with easy, confident grace, he strolled out into the moonlight, considering only as a side note that the sword had cut deeper into his clothes than he had first believed. It didn't matter now, but someone would wonder. Not today, or tomorrow, but maybe yesterday ...
He giggled again. If only the man in white had known ... but maybe he did know. Didn't matter.
With the others. If you die ...
He stepped up onto the parapet, brushing a clinging strand of metal off his shoulders.
"If I die?" The boy raised an eyebrow and giggled, "I'll never die!"
The giggles died to an amused, contemplative whisper as the blue eyes stared into space, starlight glimmering in his darkened eyes, "Never, ever ... die."
And with that he threw himself off into darkness.
Mamoru!