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 Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 1:41 am
Elena feels herself shrinking as Tseng called out for her to go over and help Kairi and Sora. Her being the only girl in the group, she cannot expect anything other than that coming from her boss, and yet she cannot help but feel a slight tinge of dread over having to console two very distraught people instead of checking supplies or talking to Rufus. She'll talk to Rufus for as long as it takes instead of having to go and console them. It's not that she does not care about them, but she feels awkward at trying to console people who were but strangers a little while ago. She does not even know the whole story, and she hates feeling like a busybody, snooping into everyone's problems. Despite that however, Elena nods at the order and swiftly walks over to Sora first, noticing how his hands are starting to bleed from clenching too hard. "Sora..." it is strange that the first time she uses his name is to try and snap him out of his thoughts. Kneeling in front of him, she puts both of her hands upon his clenched ones. "Sora, please stop, you're hurting yourself," she whispers anxiously. Elena feels at crying over how helpless she feels about the whole thing, but Turks must never cry on duty. She turns to Kairi who is sobbing heavily, her hands still upon Sora's in an attempt to make him unclench it. "Kairi..." she hates feeling so helpless.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 6:16 am
Port Royal - Docks
It was almost too overwhelming for the Turk and he was used to staying hot on his feet. Who did this guy think he was? At first Reno thought little of him, just another freak from another world who was picking a fight with all the wrong people. And oh the fight he would’ve given him… if he didn’t continue with the red-headed girl and Spikey, whose names were apparently Kairi and Sora.
His training as one of ShinRa’s finest taught Reno to analyze situations to their finest detail. He was sure that both Elena and Tseng were picking up everything too. This guy was a stranger yet they knew him well. Then it hit him. The kid from before… the one Reno yelled at… the one with silver hair… Sora said he had left. This person before them could not be the same person, could it? And—
Woah there! That was… unexpected. Apparently this new person had a thing for Sora? Or was it because he was Riku? Now questions swam through Reno’s head faster than he could catch them.
Once their visitor left, Rufus gave his orders. That was very much like the Boss. He was picking up the pieces that this person, Xeryim, had left behind, those pieces being Sora and Kairi. The Turk nodded and sprinted to the ship only to heard the voice of Xemnas. His mind, however, was too set on his task.
“Ask Rufus,” he murmured, running into the copter. Reno wanted to leave the world, everyone knew that, but not with half of their people in this demoralized state.
Good grief.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:01 am
Docks
Sora had seen.
The emotion that rose behind merciless teal-green eyes, softening them so much so that his gaze branded itself into Sora's heart. In the instant before Xeryim kissed him, Sora had seen Riku. He was back, but he was gone again, like a cruel apparition dangling before him and vanishing before the Keyblade Master could make a move.
In that mere instant, Sora knew that he had never hoped for anything more; that Riku was there, behind those eyes, and that somehow, he was going to return and everything would be all right again.
But the world would never work that way, would it? So much hope, then so much despair. It was crushing him, and perhaps, just perhaps...
...it had been the hope he could not begin to deal with.
His teeth clenched, Sora's shoulders shook as he tried to keep from falling apart entirely. Xeryim had won this round, he knew. And he didn't even have to fight anyone to carry off this victory.
With Riku's eyes, Riku's touch, the Prince of the Heartless had hurt Sora - had inflicted even more pain than even Xemnas at his worst. At least Xemnas didnt--
At least Xemnas wasn't Riku.
It's all my fault, he realized, with devastating clarity. Saix was right, this entire thing...it fell on his shoulders. He let Riku leave, he allowed this to happen, and in doing so...he wounded the girl he had always sworn he would never, ever hurt.
Two of his best friends, the ones who were his support, the ones he loved...One, the one he was in love with, was gone from him, and the other...the girl he loved was shattered even despite Sora's best intentions. The world had collapsed all around him in the space of minutes, and how was he to fix it? How could he?
I'm sorry. So, so sorry.... The chasm in his heart yawned ever wider, torn by Xeryim's cruel kiss, reminding him of what was gone from him, sending him into a despair unlike anything he had ever known. Riku was gone, and he ddin't know how to get him back. His fault, always, always his fault.
He felt someone place their hands on his clenched fists, soft and warm but not Riku never, never Riku... Unlike Elena and the Turks, Sora had never learned how to hide his emotions; he had never needed to. Anguish and devastation was written on his features, etched there for the whole world to see. There was no strength left inside for him to hide anything anymore.
Sora, please stop, you're hurting yourself,
Hurting, hurting....it was always hurting. Sora didn't remember when it hadn't hurt in one way or another, or when he'd started hurting people, even despite his well-meaning intentions.
"I'm sorry," he croaked, barely audible even as he swallowed his own grief and hopelessness. "I'm so sorry..."
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:13 pm
Docks
The older man tilted his head slightly to the side and nodded upon hearing what Reno said, but he couldn't go directly to the other man... Not yet. It didn't matter that he didn't know what Rufus looked liked, no, what mattered was Sora.
His friend was in a horrid state, Xemnas could feel it. He turned on his heel and then walked over and stood in front of Sora, kneeling down onto one knee and putting his hands lightly on the boy's shoulders.
"Sora? I do not understand what has happened, but you are not alone. I will be here for you if you need me to be," He said softly, his voice filled with a compassion never heard when he was a Nobody. Now he had a heart and now that heart was being put to use. He had heard the boy's apology and shook his head upon thinking of it.
"Do not be sorry. Whatever it was... It was not your fault," Xemnas whispered as he reached out and rubbed away a tear. He continued, "Like I said, I may not understand... But I wish to be here for you."
And with a heart, these words finally meant something to the former leader of the Organization.
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:15 pm
Elena now downright hates being the only female Turk; the rules mostly disregard women! What is so wrong about showing your emotions on duty? She bets that even Rude cannot help but shuffle around nervously at this kind of situation, so Elena, as a girl, should be allowed to cry. She gulps down her saliva in an attempt to keep from crying anyway, "Sora, look at me," she tries to say as softly as possible. Tightening her hands around Sora's clenched ones, she tries to look into his eyes. "Let go, Sora, you're hurting yourself," her voice is starting to crack, but she swallows again to keep the tears at bay. She looks beside her at Kairi, wishing that she has two pairs of hands so that she can hold Sora's hands and give Kairi a hug at the same time. She seems to need it desperately. She will go to Kairi once Sora lets go of his clenched fists, but she really needs to say something to make the both of them feel better. "I-It's not your fault," she stutters, unsure of what to say, "don't blame yourselves..."
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:51 pm
I-It's not your fault...
Lies. They were all lies. How could they understand how he felt? He had the power to stop Riku. One word, and he knew that Riku would still be with them. Instead, Sora had let him go with Pride into the darkness; it was his fault that Riku had lost his heart.
Yes, yes it is, a deceptively gentle voice brushed across his mind. Everything falls apart because of you, Keyblade Bearer. Riku's heart, Kairi's tears...you're responsible for them all.
And Sora didn't register Elena's touch, nor Xemnas' anymore. He knew who was really speaking to him, and he was too weak to fight against Aros' renewed attempts any longer. The kiss with Xeryim had been the last straw, and he knew that his shadow self had steadily been growing stronger, feeding greedily on his immense despair, taking advantage of his heartbreak...
Let go.
Let go, Sora...
Sora remembered the last time someone had told him that, when he had told himself that, and he bit his lip, so hard that he could almost taste blood. If he knew that Riku was going to be gone, that he was going to be a Heartless, what would he have done?
He felt Xemnas' touch, then Elena's, sliding over his hands. She was warm and nice, but Sora was too numb to properly register them. Letting her unclench his fists, feeling the strange stickiness of blood staining his fingertips, Sora backed away from both Elena and Xemnas. Empty words, they were all empty words...
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 12:19 pm
Port Royal - Copter/Docks
Good. Everything was safe and secure. Solemnly, Reno checked the equipment, fuel, and baggage within the copter. It was a little messy but Reno was neither in the mood to clean up nor would he ever be since he never cleaned his own room either. More likely than not, the others would be coming with them. Rufus would want to split everyone up into even teams between his own copter and Elena’s. Sora and Kairi were too distraught to fly the gummi ship and would also need a ride. Reno, as he already knew, would be flying this copter. Tseng and Rufus would probably split up in order to have someone to lead each copter.
Heh. Looked like his years as a Turk were getting the best of him. He was starting to worry too much about his job. He needed a vacation.
The red head rejoined the group only to find that Elena was only half as successful with her job as Reno was with his.
“Hey Spikey,” the Turk shoved a hand into his pocket. “Things like this happen so you just gotta keep moving. I’m sure your little friend is fine or whatever. We just gotta go. There’s no reason to hang around here of all places.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 9:21 pm
Docks
The Keyblade Master wasn't listening. He couldn't. The previous...talk with Xeryim, his newest, cruel tricks had succeeded in tearing him down once again. Using Riku's voice, saying what he had wanted to much to hear...it was too much.
As if replaying the conversations he and Riku had weren't enough, Sora had to hear them from him once again. Hurting and exhausted beyond all comprehension, he was too tired to reject Aros' push -- he hadn't recognized it in all his grief... The fights, everything had been piled onto him, and as optimistic as the boy had been, there was no way to muster anything up at a time like this.
A little rest would do, right? Just rest a little, and everything would be fine in the morning... that was how it always seemed to him, although it evidently wasn't exactly true.
That's right, take a little break....Rest, Sora.
And there was that strangely gentle voice once again, smooth and soothing in the depths of his despair. It sounded so nice, so comforting, and he was tired, so, so tired.....
Slumping forward, Sora closed his eyes, giving in until he wasn't Sora anymore.
What a smooth transition, Aros mused to himself as he rose to the surface, stronger than ever. Despair was such a wonderful thing; it weakened the precious little Keyblade boy, so much so that he didn't even put up a fight when he moved in for the kill, so to speak.
He really did have Xeryim to thank for this.
Straightening and getting to his feet with relative ease, Aros stretched, as if he was waking from a long slumber. His skin was not as dark as before, perhaps it was because of the way he had melded into Sora's body seamlessly. However, cold, inhuman amber bled into lapis lazuli eyes, light gray skin the color of winter morning.
"Ahh, this feels good." A smile twisting on his lips as Aros tested the body out once again, he turned to face the others, almost leering.
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Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 7:21 pm
After talking to Seifer and Roxas, Kairi felt much better. The young princess lifted herself off the ground and dusted her skirt off. She looked at Sora, still on the ground...still upset about Xeryim.
Kairi went over to him, trying to comfort him.
"Hey...Sora...it's--"
A gasp escaped her lips as she saw Sora slowly get up and turn to face them, grayish skin now coated once lively tan. Amber eyes seemed to burn holes into her.
She had heard Roxas talk about Aros...
was this Aros...!?
"S-Sora..?" she whimpered, cowering away slightly from his presence.
Just when things were starting to get better....
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:53 am
Docks
S-Sora?
Ah, the familiar dulcet tones of the seventh Princess of Heart. The pesky little girl had had a hand in him being 'exiled' more than a year ago, which really annoyed him.
However, she had a hand in creating him, too, so that probably made things even. However, sad thing was, Aros had never once believed in fair play. Only weaklings did that, he supposed.
Kairi's blue eyes - the color of the sea - seemed afraid; or perhaps more than afraid, and a part of him felt a tad bit disappointed. He could feel Sora fighting against him, but it was too weak to really matter. The Keyblade Master - although he had been in love with Riku - had loved Kairi, and that, was one thing Aros was truly willing to exploit.
Hm, maybe he should start by ripping out her heart, then work around to the rest of the Princesses, all those pretty little ladies all in a row... how ironic would that be, Aros destroying every single person Sora had helped? It was a long list, but still. An excess of people to torture, maim, and destroy wasn't such a bad thing.
Besides, he probably had help now. Licking his lips at the thought of the Prince of the Heartless - not that Aros would ever recognize him as such, really, even though Xeryim was pretty good at what he did with him earlier. Quite the lover, he was. - he turned back to Kairi, a smile slithering over his deceptively boyish features.
"Why hello, Princess. How are you today?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 4:13 pm
"Why hello, Princess. How are you today?"
Kairi took several steps back, tripping over a small rock and falling backwards with a loud THUD a sudden pain shot through her ankle, right where she collided with the rock. Kairi rubbed it in pain. "Ow..." she groaned.
The princess really hoped she didn't injure it, she couldn't get away from the heartless by limping, but...She needed to stay and be brave, if she was ever going to get Sora and Riku back...she needed to be brave.
She couldn't run away.
Kairi looked the heartless in it's amber eyes and swallowed her fear, "W-What did you do with Sora!? Where is he!?" she choked out, tears once again, returning to her eyes. She glared at the heartless, trying to keep the tears from falling.
One lone tear did manage to slide down her cheek...
Bring him back....
Bring Sora back....
and Riku too....
I want my friends back...
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 7:04 pm
Port Royal, Docks
After Rufus had spoken to Tseng, the blonde found it much easier to think about what had to be done. However, it seemed his movements were much too late to stop what happened next. Sora had turned completely around in a matter of seconds, features shifting from miserable self-loathing to pure evil. At first, the white cloaked man stood, a vague amount of digust and shock written across his features. After seeing the look on Kairi's face though, he snapped quickly out of it, eyes narrowing. With a click, he released the lock on his gun, holding it cautiously in his hand. If this Aros decided to go for the leap, Rufus had to be ready.
After all, there was no telling what it could do.
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 10:01 pm
Docks
With hands stuffed into his pockets, Aros felt Sora stir deep within him, and the mastered the urge to snarl. His disgusting little friends, and that loudmouthed little girl had tried to call the Keyblade Master back out, which was more of an annoyance than anything.
And perhaps he had made an erroneous calculation; Sora shared an inexplicable bond with Kairi, and the valiant little protector that he was, the damn child had managed to keep his heart away from Aros' reach.
Even worse, that same damn heart seemed to control him, too. It was weak, subconscious, but it was there. Especially when he had wanted to kill Roxas before something stopped him. It was there for a moment, then it was gone again, much to Aros' annoyance.
Damn the Keyblade Master and his little group of friends. And that ******** heart.
Kairi was crying even as Aros pushed Sora's consciousness down with all his might, sending him back into the nothingness. No. Not ******** now; not when he had things to accomplish.
He saw Kairi's tear, and it amused him to no end. It was too bad that Sora wasn't present to see this; he knew that it was sure to trigger the boy's stupidly brave fighting spirit, or something just as irritating.
Taking a step towards her and ignoring the white-clad ex-President for the time being, Aros spread his hands in an expansive gesture as he chuckled. "You're looking at a new and improved version of the boy, little Princess." Reaching down to her, he pulled her back up less than gently, with a hand around her neck. He didn't tighten it; no point cutting off her air supply and killing her prematurely.
"In fact," he continued, very much pleased. "I have to thank you, Kairi, for making me the man I am today. I am Aros, Sora's Heartless, and Sora's master. It's a pleasure."
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 6:19 pm
Port Royal - Docks
At first Spikey’s little transformation was just too weird. It was like he decided to become some monster of the wild on a mere whim. And then, of course, Reno had spoken to the little beastie on the network. He was a little brat, if you asked him. Some one certainly needed to learn to respect their elders if anything. The Turk crossed his arms and examined the situation for a few moments.
One thing was certain: Spikey definitely changed. This wasn’t the normal him.
And then the girl… a Princess? Well, Reno highly doubted she was anything of the kind but then again they were dealing with different people from different worlds and blah blah blah and---
“Wait what?” Reno’s eyes narrowed as he pulled out his weapon, the teizer, a retractable electric rod. “If your some Heartless, why don’t you get the hell outta here just like your lover buddy from earlier?”
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