sirenspull_logs | falling in the black, slipping through the cracks

Entry tags:

falling in the black, slipping through the cracks

Who: Riku, Xigbar, and then two others.
When: Night. (Actual date will be when the log ends.)
Where: Sector 3.
Summary: Riku goes out to train and encounters something (and someone) he should not have.
Warnings: SPOILERS FOR KH3D. Violence. Fridge horror. Will update as needed.

[It's not so often any longer that Riku has the time to go out into the Darkness to fight. His job and providing for his friends always takes priority. Still, it's nice to get out, to stretch his legs, and to put his power to good use. He can make sure he's still on top of his game and training hard, even if he doesn't have the time to go to Terra's dojo.

He makes his way out through Sector 4 and then into Sector 3, fighting monsters as he goes. They aren't too much trouble, just enough to work up a sweat and to flex the muscles. He hasn't even tried to use his magic yet.

Riku continues on, unheeded by the dark. He's almost comfortable, having grown used to wandering on his own in the deepest of darknesses. He's still wary, however, and even more so when he thinks he sees someone in a dark coat head down a side street.

He frowns. Who's that? It's too tall to be Roxas or Xion. He hurries after them.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He watches him recoil in pain and he practically revels in it, knowing he's finally gotten Xigbar where it hurts. His stare is cold, eyes boring into the man's flailing form as he staggers back.

Released, he rises and grips his blade even tighter, the pain of the darkness in his cuts receding. He doesn't bother with a Cure spell, not this late in the game.

Space shifts again and darkness comes with it, but he's prepared for it this time. He rushes Xigbar and follows his movements as he falls back. He needs to catch him and bring him down before he disappears again into the darkness and recovers.

And he does. He bounds inside Xigbar's defenses and lets the dark wash over him; it burns and it stings, hurting him, but he couldn't care less. His blade is out and another curl of his power licks his fingertips. He goes for the final strike, hurling the ball of dawn-dark into him, his eyes alight with fury.]

[ He doesn't see it coming.

He can only sense it, and his ability to discern things now is fragmented at best. He manages one more violent wave of spatial slicing before the assault slams into him.

The darkness evaporates then, and there's an abrupt sense of vertigo as the two of them drop unceremoniously back into the office.

Xigbar is down for the count. ]

Edited 2012-08-15 16:17 (UTC)

[Riku drops out of the vortex and back into the office with a stumble and little grace, his legs wobbling once as he attempts to readjust to the shift. He doesn't allow it to give him a disadvantage, however; even with his arms lightly burned by the darkness, his sense of space skewed, he still manages to lock his gaze on Xigbar.

He debates for just a moment whether he wants to impale the man and end it now. But with this new revelation, now knowing he has a heart, he can't bring himself to. Not now.

The Keybearer turns and fixes his gaze determinedly on Xemnas, the grip on his blade tightening.

There's no taunt or sneer, or brave jibe. Instead, he simply launches himself at the Superior with little care to his defenses. He wants this over and he'll be the first to strike, hoping it'll take the older Nobody off guard.]

[What seemed like hours trapped in another space is merely minutes passing. Xemnas is left looking at the spot where both Riku and Xigbar vanished from sight, his gaze falling from the glower to a more neutral facade.

The ripple in the same area begins to tear open. He knows the Second is in his element. Dealing with the teenager should not take too long on his end. And, without fail, it appears things have gone well.

...

No.

No.

This is not what he is expecting at all.

Several degrees of an expression, something close to a real reaction, barely cross his features as Riku rushes him. An arm comes up to block, but the force of the attack sends them both back, crashing into the other side of the room. Crude execution or not, it does what is planned effectively enough.]

[At the first display of power, the huge spacial distortion, Xehanort's attention had been piqued. However, the darkness that had soon followed had been more than enough to rouse him, and he'd come, lurking in the shadows in his Black Coat, staying well out of the way and simply observing.

It should have been a simple enough matter. There should have been no question as to who would come out on top. It was glorious, utterly glorious, as Xigbar finally tapped into the power within, the sign of just who he was becoming. It really shouldn't have been an issue at all.

When the two are finally ejected from the vortex, however, it's more than apparent that something is wrong. Things haven't gone the way they should have... Xigbar has been damaged. Broken in some way.

His vessel. His vessel. The first one he'd chosen...

His hands clench into fists for that moment and the darkness beneath his skin boils up in fury, wreathing him, broadcasting his presence - the same darkness that Xigbar was using just mere moments ago. A step forward, out of the security of the shadows, reaching out with one hand--

--that was a bigger step than perhaps one would have expected, as suddenly he's across the room, hand still outstretched. The desk that only a little while ago Xemnas had been working at shifts, before lifting itself up from the floor and hurling itself at Riku's back.]

[Later, Riku will replay this moment and think about the emotion he sees in Xemnas' eyes, in the way he moves, and he'll begin to wonder why he had always just assumed the man had no heart. If he had hoped that Roxas, Namine, and Axel all had them, then why wouldn't Xemnas himself? The raw emotion he sees flit across the Superior's face should be enough of an indicator that it's always been there, just beneath the surface.

But right now, he doesn't care about emotions. His own are raging within him, his anger at war with his sense of duty, and it takes every ounce of willpower to keep himself from potentially throwing his blade into Xemnas' chest.

It's that hesitation, of course, that distracts him from realizing that there's a fourth occupant in the room.

Xehanort's darkness doesn't even register until it's too late; Riku turns only in time to see the desk block his vision before it hits him, slamming him backwards and into the wall. He doesn't even have the time to cry out before he drops and hits the desk itself as it drops to the ground. Stunned, he nearly even loses his grip on his Keyblade.

Through a haze of pain, he tries to get back up, blinking at the man in the dark coat.]

[There isn't even a moment of rest. The desk clatters to the floor and the boy with it, and it isn't even remotely satisfying.

No. Riku broke his vessel. It only makes sense that Riku should be broken as well...

The darkness flares again, and suddenly he's right behind Riku, his hand on the other boy's neck just behind his jaw, and he lifts... fingers dig in to the sensitive skin, nails dulled by the fabric of gloves as he raises Riku literally by the skin of his neck, not stopping until his arm is extended and he himself has straightened up to his full, imposing height.

The free hand gestures idly to the side, fingers pointing at where Xigbar lies crumpled on the floor. Words come, finally, low and angry and oozing with malevolence.]

I believe that [and he tilts his hooded head towards Xigbar] belongs to me.

[A flash of blue, and suddenly extending outward from where Riku is being held grows a thick layer of paralyzing frost, spreading out to cover him entirely...]

[He doesn't get the chance to see his opponent before he's lifted like a small animal and dangled, his body feeling dwarfed in comparison in the older man's grip. His blade stays barely held in his fingers as he grasps it as tightly as he can, his body spiking with pain.

In the midst of all of that, he dimly realizes he recognizes that old, gravely voice behind him. It once belonged to a man who tried to entice him with darkness beyond his dreams before plummeting the island into mayhem.

He grits his teeth in anger, body tensing and beginning to struggle.

It's then that he feels the sharp lance of ice spreading across the back of his neck and down his back, paralyzing him. His eyes widen in horror and his struggles increase exponentially, his arms twisting. He manages to take a firmer hold of the blade in his hand.]

Stop! Stop it!

[His cry is hoarse, stuck in his throat, and he twists his Keyblade back to brandish it against the older man in a bid to stop the ice from encasing his body.]

[Such ferocity. Had Master Xehanort not been there, Riku would have been (perhaps) the last person he would see. But that opportunity had been taken, causing him to brace himself as the young keyblade wielder gets knocked off of him. Most of the items are strewn across the floor, papers fluttering every which way as the old master goes to finish the job, taking the time to watch every second of what takes place.

In a way, seeing Xehanort approach the situation in this particular manner is...gratifying.

He eases himself back onto his feet, the smirk fading as he looks over at the other end of the room.

The desk can be replaced. The Second, on the other hand, can not.

It wouldn't do any good to leave him there, either. Xemnas takes his time during the unfolding resolution of the drama, walking over to where Xigbar was left alone. He kneels down next to the other Nobody, checking him over.]

...The damage is not dire.

[Riku's voice falls deaf upon his ears.]

He's salvageable.

[Riku is a writhing little worm, and his attempts to attack behind his back while being frozen are rather sad. It takes no effort to call his blade to him, deflecting and parrying the pathetic attempts at strikes, attempting to wrench the blade out of the boy's hands.

At Xemnas' assessment of the situation, however, some of the anger lifts. The situation is not dire. However, Riku's temerity will not be brooked by any means.

With the flick of his wrist he hurls Riku, half-frozen and fighting, at the wall - or rather, through the wall as now the young bearer is quite a bit of dead weight. Perhaps some brittle frozen pieces will snap off, it's difficult to say. He strides after, still at his full and proper height and blade in hand... hood finally blown back from the motion of throwing. His golden eyes fix on Riku, mouth pressed firmly into a rather displeased line...

The instant Riku hits the floor of the next room, Xehanort raises his free hand. The floor rumbles ominously, rattling the walls and ceiling, before erupting into a pillar of earth beneath Riku that shoots upward, threatening to crush him against the ceiling, or however many ceilings it goes up. A split second after and a second one, raising himself up after Riku, fist clenching as he shields himself from the coming impacts.]

[Panic rises like a choke hold on his throat, closing off any chance he has to breathe or focus. The cold would be making him tremble if his limbs hadn't already been frozen enough that he can't move some of them. He holds his Keyblade like a lifeline as long as possible until, at length, it's thrown to the floor and disappears into a flash of starlight.

His blood roars in his ears and keeps him from hearing whatever it is Xemnas is saying, his eyes unfocused and wild. He has to get away, he has to fight, he has to run, and all of these options seem next to impossible when he's suddenly flung through the wall.

Half of the ice cracks, lancing agony through his spine when he lands awkwardly on his back and then his side. The floor rumbles beneath him and he stretches out one hand to call on his own shield just moments before he's thrust through the ceiling. The shield shatters just through the wood and he rolls out of the way, forcing himself to his feet with whatever strength he has left. One hand summons a simple fire spell to melt the ice while the other summons his blade once more, determined to defend himself until he's struck down permanently or, hopefully, when he escapes.

When Xehanort emerges, Riku isn't all the way finished melting himself free. He directs the fire spell onto him instead, putting more power in it. His mind is working in overdrive, desperate to find an exit.

One idea forms when he catches sight of a window close by. Now he just needs to get a single opening.]

[Following hot on Riku's heels, the trip through the floor doesn't even faze him. He steps forward, then teleports to the side to avoid the errant spell before dropping into that familiar stance - one Riku should recognize all too well, in fact.

Play time is almost over. He's already winding down, planning the final stages of the fight. Even if deaths aren't permanent here, it should give an appropriate statement to the young beaerer... especially now that his return is known amongst more than simply his inner circle. He stalks closer to Riku, grinning darkly, eyes never moving from where he's trying to rapidly defrost himself...

So the boy wants to play with fire... well. That can be arranged. It only takes an instant to gather the explosive energy at the tip of his blade before igniting it, filling the air with flames and molten heat. He takes careful aim before unleashing a slow moving Barrage Fire at Riku, letting it flow towards in him a burst of heat and napalm... a distraction however, as in the next breath he teleports directly behind Riku and fires off a Dark Firaga at his back.]

[His anger spikes when he sees the battle stance, the emotion fueling his muscles into a stance of his own. If he's going to challenge him to a real fight, then so be it. He'll make his stand here for as long as he can hold out.

But that's not what Xehanort really wants and he knows it. The other man is playing to kill or to, at the very least, harm Riku enough to finish what Xigbar started. He won't let that happen.

The barrage of flames doesn't surprise him. He braces himself and draws up his shield to deflect the spell. The heat licks past his shield enough to make him uncomfortable, but that matters little when Xehanort disappears. He only has time to realize the man is gone before he feels the darkness behind him. He has so little time to react that the familiar spell burns into his back and gets him shouting at the top of his lungs. The shield falls, fire licking dangerously at his fingers before it sputters out, and he staggers forward.

His body threatens to crumple beneath him from the pain and fatigue but he stays up miraculously, breathing raspy. He's not fast enough to fight Xehanort like this, not when the man's close to murdering him. It has to be now.

A Thunder spell forms in his hand and he lets it loose, the strikes bouncing between them. He doubts Xehanort will be touched; it's only meant to buy him precious seconds while he pulls forth his own darkness to form an attack, one that will be aimed for the window.]

[It doesn't look like Riku can take much more... good. Bringing the young bearer to his knees will be the ultimate satisfaction. The spells Riku throws at him are almost absurd, pointless distractions... once more he teleports to the side to avoid the strikes of lightning. It's clear that in this case, the light simply does not have the strength to withstand a full assault. As it should be... soon enough, with the coming storm and the ride of the thirteen to seek the X-blade... there would be no question of ownership, in that case.

It seems as though they're completing the elemental trio, and he's all too happy to oblige, the crackling energy of a Thundaga Shot unleashed within close proximity along with a backup barrage of Seeker Mines winding their way towards the boy. So many high-powered spells... the kickback comes swiftly, and he draws on it. Flames leap into existence along the edge of his keyblade, racing along his arms and wreathing his torso as he shifts to the Fire Blazer style...

And then he's right behind Riku once more, raising his blade in what is clearly meant to be a finishing blow.]

[But the point was never to really go for him, not this time. The darkness gathering at his fingertips flies outward and into the window, shattering it effectively. The decay begins to creep in immediately but he knows from real experience that it will still take a few more minutes before the room is covered in rot and the monsters get access to the building.

He doesn't get the chance to run when a large Thundaga spell erupts by him. He twists his arm and takes the brunt of the attack into the Keyblade itself, spinning it and using it to keep Xehanort at bay. The electricity surges up his arm and causes his muscles to spasm, an unpleasant feeling he endures only so he can lash out with that same power to attack the Seeker Mines. He has to keep moving back and putting distance, but it's enough for now. His energy is waning from his fights; he won't last much longer against these high level spells.

Xehanort's disappearance is obvious by now, but no easier to counter. He feels the swell of fire and darkness and whips back with a raised blade to counter his attack as a last-second defense.]

[With the shattering of the window, Riku's plan of action is all too clear. A fairly wise strategy, as the boy is clearly outmatched. It's also a rather simple strategy to foil.

Their blades collide in mid-air, but it's still to his advantage. Riku is reaching over his head, holding his arm at an awkward angle. Xehanort simply bears down, locking the two blades together, preventing Riku from moving his arm. The flames of Fire Blazer lick away at him, ticking down the seconds before the magical kickback dissipates...

He reaches out a hand, resting it atop Riku's head, beginning to concentrate, darkness once more starting to wreath him and turning the style's flames purple before they die down... and he prepares what will be an all too close range assault. If Riku won't submit by blade, then perhaps he needs a bit more of a personal invitation...]

[He meets Xehanort's gaze with nothing but steely determination in his eyes, the unwillingness to back down still there despite the pain he's endured. He feels like a coward, wanting to run, but if he doesn't tell everyone else... Worse, if he dies and doesn't come back, then he'll have left them open for an attack that they'll never see coming. They need to know Xehanort is here, alive and well.

The flames are scorching, burning at his skin, and still he doesn't let up. His arm isn't at the angle he wishes it was, too much weight bearing down to the point of pain. He grits his teeth and manages still, his other hand starting another attack...

It stops before it even starts, a gloved hand (familiar gloves, ones he sees in his nightmares) resting on his forehead. His eyes go wide with realization as the flames go purple. His entire body tightens like a spring, ready to leap, to fight, to run.]

No!

[It's the only noise he dares to make. His free hand goes out, his darkness coming to his call as he goes for a close strike. He doesn't care if it barely hurts him; he just needs to get him off.]

[A moment of locked eyes. It's almost possible to see just what his Heartless saw in this boy... something as palpable as the darkness that's settled firmly in his heart. Darkness that's as familiar as the sort wrapped around Xigbar's. No, Riku, there would definitely be no escape... regardless of whether he made it to the window or not.

Riku's reaction simply makes Xehanort grin cruelly. Whatever the boy is expecting, he knows what's going to be coming. They've played with the elements in proper fashion, now it's time to get down to the meat of the encounter. Would Riku get lucky and walk away this time? If he was finally getting serious, perhaps...

The attack is weak and pitiful, but it does the job well enough, breaking contact between the two for that instant. It's no matter, though, and the darkness wreathing Xehanort peels off into arcing bullets, homing in on Riku while the elderly master focuses, keeping him locked in his vision.]

[He jumps back as Xehanort moves away, his feet carrying him backwards a few more feet. Darkness begins to come off of Xehanort like orbs of fire, hurling themselves straight towards Riku. He grips his blade tightly and stops, planting his feet firmly into the floor. He's done this once before with Sora at his side; he can do it again.

His feet move first, then his body, his entire form moving from one side to another. His blade spins in his hand, slashing into the darkness and throwing it to the side. Unlike his final encounter with Xemnas over two years ago, the darkness does not really go away. He can sense it, the stench overbearing as it flies past.

Xehanort is truly made of little else but that darkness. It's engulfed him. It's sickening.

He lets the momentum of his movements save him from most of the attacks, a few stray ones slicing his bare arms and his legs. He retains his focus even as his breath comes hard, pain threatening to distract him.

The window is close, the stench of decay roiling his stomach. If he can just keep this up...]

[Perhaps it's the distraction, but distance isn't really a factor at all. While Xehanort prefers to keep his distance largely, there's a few things that are better suited to close range... and one thing in particular. It's all too easy to teleport closer, letting the boy's own momentum bring them together, the boy almost crashing into him in apparent desperation to reach the breached window.

One hand grips Riku's shoulder tightly, the other hovers for a second, blade dismissed, fingers curving ever so slightly in anticipation. Darkness calls to darkness for that brief moment... the remains of a distant, dormant connection across time and space.]

He doesn't reach for Riku's forehead again. He presses his hand against Riku's chest, letting the darkness beneath his skin surge up and course through the bridge of fingers as he grasps for Riku's heart, unknowingly mimicking Xigbar's actions of only scant minutes earlier.]

[He knows he's caught the moment he hits something solid. His body lurches in a vain attempt to get away, stopped only by a hand that's surprisingly stronger than it should for an old man. His heart twists immediately in his chest, the call of the darkness already strong. He already knows what's coming.

When Xigbar did it, he lacked the true power and lure that Xehanort does, the other man's darkness only so strong. Xehanort's had years to cultivate his and it reaches out to the small part of Riku that still has the Heartless' power, so recently reabsorbed in his departure. This time, the tug of the darkness is potent, like hooks in his heart that suddenly pull.

It hurts. It hurts so much that he nearly screams from that alone. His entire body goes rigid with the pain, with the command to obey that has been implanted within him since that fateful day in Hollow Bastion. The familiarity is stifling, those gold eyes boring into his.

He resists, still. He struggles enough that it should be clear that something is wrong. Like with Xigbar, the darkness can't take as firm of a hold as it once could for the moment. He twists his blade and goes for a strike while he can, before the chains can tighten.]

[There's definitely something wrong, the way that darkness seems to slide off of Riku's heart rather than adhering in the proper way. There is darkness there, his darkness, but...

... the recusant's sigil had not manifested...

... and not only that, but there was something else there. Somehow, the boy's heart was... resisting? Not just resisting in the usual way, the way easily circumvented, defeated. Resisting as though it had a tolerance...

For the second time that evening, Xehanort scowls. Another course of darkness, another attempt to force Riku's heart in line... nails digging in to Riku's shoulder in annoyance...

Riku's attempted attack doesn't dislodge him, but it does interrupt that assault by darkness, the blade cleaving a line that wells up bright red, forcing Xehanort to stop focusing on Riku's heart and bring his attention back to the young bearer directly.]

[That second surge of darkness draws him taut from the pain, his eyes narrowing further and a choked cry forcing its way past his lips. But nothing sticks and he can feel it this time; the darkness pushes and pulls and there's a response within his heart, but nothing tangible. Nothing he can grasp any longer.

The realization brings a defiant smile to his face. He's not in the clear just yet; he can still be submerged in the darkness or his heart can be taken. But for now, he has a resistance, something to keep him safe.

He won't go down this way.

Riku turns his blade again and makes for another attack, energy fueled by his adrenaline and by his new discovery. Dark fire licks at his hands in turn, his own power, and he welcomes it gladly as he shoves it through his fingers and against Xehanort's chest.]

[At this close range it's all he can do to summon his blade once more, interposing it between their two bodies in order to block Riku's attempted strikes. It's an incredibly awkward position for both of them, especially with their blades being longer, but he attempts to bear down in order to lock Riku's arm all the same.

The darkness he expects, one of Riku's attempts to use his own element against him. The way Riku's heart handles darkness is fascinating in its own way, and he would love nothing more than to learn about it in its fullness. To test, to experiment, to know, but at this particular moment such a thing is unlikely. In his moment of distraction, an assault that should have had the ultimate effect, he had left himself open and Riku had been able to strike.

It's clear the boy won't go down now. He has a seemingly natural resistance against their mutual strength... and while he could simply overbear with magic until a magically-smote corpse remained, Riku would still come back. No, his initial thought of killing the boy was a foolish choice made in anger. Xigbar was salvageable, Xemnas had said so. Perhaps something to remind Riku of just what had happened... while the recusant's sigil would not engrave itself on his heart, something more physical would leave enough significance.

The darkness burst from Riku is enough force to push the two of them apart, and he knows Riku will make for the shattered window. Already the sounds of monsters can be heard... soon the room will be overrun. Time has run out...

Darkness flares around him and his blade and he steps, teleporting behind Riku one final time. He launches into a fast-two stroke combo, searing his hallmark into the boy's back... a statement.

I'm letting you leave. This isn't over.]

[He isn't certain whether he expects Xehanort to try again or to recoil, and if he does the latter, he knows he won't allow Riku to believe he's been beaten. The stench of decay assails his nostrils and he glances at the window, knowing it's time. He has to go and he has to go now.

Xehanort disappears, replaced by searing pain in his back, enough to make him cry out. He stumbles forward and nearly falls, whipping around with a hand to his shoulder. One eye closes in pain; the other fixes itself on Xehanort.

He doesn't need to see what he's done. He knows.

Despite every part of him telling him to stay, to fight, to die...his logic wins out. He turns and makes a break for the window while he can, casting one last glance as he goes.

He jumps out and falls the two stories to the pavement. Without a sound, he continues, disappearing into the darkness.]

Edited 2012-08-27 01:51 (UTC)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject