Voices from Heaven (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thespaceopera) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
driftfleet2015-10-20 11:18 am
thespaceopera) wrote in driftfleet2015-10-20 11:18 am
Entry tags:
- !event,
- ahsoka tano,
- coil lenn,
- margaret "peggy" carter,
- nami,
- natasha romanoff,
- nelkeila tarid,
- nyssa al ghul,
- octavia blake,
- one,
- phèdre nó delaunay de montrève,
- r. daneel olivaw,
- rapunzel,
- remy lebeau,
- riku,
- robin redbreast,
- rogue,
- santanico pandemonium,
- shawn hunter,
- sokka,
- stefan salvatore,
- steve rogers (ou),
- steven quartz universe,
- stiles stilinski,
- syeira,
- tadashi hamada,
- tekhetsio,
- the vision,
- vash the stampede,
- vima sunrider,
- wanda maximoff,
- wrath,
- yamanaka ino
...And also these.
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no subject
[Of course they don't come, and Riku is still advancing, the strange Keyblade in his hands, the eerie shadow of Xehanort's Heartless arced over his back. Axel tries to call a flame to his hands, to act as a distraction, but his fire won't come, either.]
Oh come on, you have got to be kidding me! [He grits his teeth and gives Riku a frantic look.] Gimme a break, man! I know you--you wouldn't hit a guy with no weapon! I call foul!
[Riku doesn't seem to care about the rules of the engagement at the moment, though, because he lunges forward again, bringing the Keyblade down, and Axel barely dodges. He leaps to the side, tucking himself up and rolling out of the way. Scrabbling back to his feet, he dashes back toward the circle of Keyblades. If he was able to hold one, maybe he can hold another! If his own weapons won't come, then this is the only chance he's got.
[The ethereal pearly white Keyblade is closest to him, and he reaches for it with a grunt, closing his hand around the feathery hilt to pull it from where it spins aimlessly in the light.]
1/2 (memory)
It feels like it’s been months without seeing Kairi’s face.
Once she’s found, you huddle up near where she’s placed, wondering what exactly could be going on. Maleficent said she was in some sort of comatose state—that she would be asleep until they could fix it. To help her, you needed to get stronger. You can feel the Darkness fester in your chest like a dull ache, like fire eating away at paper. It makes your head hurt and your breaths shallow.
You figure it’s a little better than being unable to even react, like Kairi.
You look over your shoulder, a little nervous and cautious. Maleficent’s friends seem to have disappeared. Can you even call them friends? Really, Maleficent doesn’t know how to keep company—that Jafar guy was especially creepy.
Even so… you have to keep on your toes. Sora’s already betrayed you, after all—who knows who else will? You don’t trust any of these people any farther than you can throw them, and you can’t throw adults, anyway. All you have left is—
“Kairi?” you ask, your voice quiet and soft, almost like maybe she was playing pretend and just… asleep to make sure she was safe. No such luck. You hesitate, reaching out to touch her shoulder, then to make sure she still has a pulse and is breathing. She’s still alive. She’s just lost in slumber.
For a moment, you’re not sure what to do, standing there listlessly before you clear your throat. “You know—you remember that time Sora got hit in the head?” you ask, your voice laced with pain as a lump grows in your throat, but you force a smile anyway. “He blacked out for ten minutes, and you kept yelling for the teachers. We stayed in the nurse’s office for a half hour, y’remember?”
She’s not opening her eyes, and you hesitantly rock the arm closest to you, just—just once, this is your last time of checking if she’s really asleep…
And you breathe in very slowly, calming the harsh beat of your heart.
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” you venture, your chest feeling hot and your eyes stinging. “We were supposed to go together. I wanted you and Sora to come with me, not for us to be separated, but somehow…”
Had you been too hasty?
You shake your head. “Now he’s just leaving us behind.” Your shoulders stiffen, and then you feel aglow with new determination. “If he’s gonna find new friends, then we don’t need him! I’ll find a way to bring you back on my own—who needs Sora, anyway?!”
You do.
You clench your jaw, squeezing your hands into fists before you look around.
You didn’t want to be alone. Sharing this adventure had been the whole point of leaving. Even when you didn’t mean for any of this to happen…
“Maybe my parents were right,” You say, defeated for a few brief moments, all of your adrenaline leaving you. “Maybe I can’t do anything right, but… no matter what happens, I’ll protect you, Kairi.” You have to. She doesn’t have anyone else, and neither do you.
2/2
as soon as he can, he comes down on axel again, ready to thrust right against his chest. ]
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[He doesn't really have time to contemplate this. He gasps sharply as Riku thrusts the Keyblade toward him, and he staggers backward, barely avoiding impalement. He's fought Riku before, he knows how he moves, but this... is wrong. He knows Riku's stance--his Keyblade in his right hand, drawn back, and his left hand extended forward, almost as if beckoning his opponent to strike. He's not fighting like himself at all!
[Fantastic. Axel can't beat Riku when he is fighting like himself! How's he supposed to fight him when he's being completely unpredictable?
[Snapping the pearly white Keyblade up, he knocks Riku's blade aside, swinging it around to try and pin the weapon against the floor.]
Riku, stop! I'm your friend, remember? [He stumbles as Riku breaks free of the pin, and it's all he can do to bring Oathkeeper to bear to block the next strike. As the blades crash together, Axel bears his teeth and looks at him over the crossed weapons.] I know this isn't you! I won't attack you!
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for a moment or two, it's almost as if he considered axel's words--at least before his hand reaches up and flexes. it's back in his grip in a second.
axel blocks, and riku presses on him again, trying to give weight to his strikes now. almost idly, xehanort's heartless speaks again: ]
He belongs to me.
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[The words come out before Axel even really thinks about it, and he surprises himself a little. Since when does he actually care so much, anyway? He realizes belatedly that he hasn't just been trying to defend himself this whole time, he's been trying to bring Riku back. He doesn't want to see him this way!
[He knows he's still in there. He was almost there, for just a second. He can't just leave him like this. Whatever this place is, whatever he's being shown these memories for, it's all got to mean something, right? He meant what he said: Riku is his friend, and somewhere in the back of Axel's mind, there's an echo of a voice that sounds oddly like his own.
['Go on, you just keep running, but I'll always be there to bring you back!'
[His grip on the Keyblade tightens, and he takes a step back to bear the impact of another heavy strike. He's hitting harder now--maybe he pissed him off. Axel glares at the Heartless where it looms over Riku's back.]
Haven't you screwed up enough? He isn't yours--give him back!
no subject
he only makes it to three strikes before riku just--freezes.
he's tense and pulled taut like a string on a bow, face contorted in frustration and pain.
although riku can't say anything, it's an obvious opening for axel to run or strike. ]
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[Ugh, he's really too soft for his own good.
[He shifts his grip and braces for the next hit, then hesitates when it doesn't come. Riku's frozen in place, poised to strike, his face twisted up in unmistakable pain. Is he... holding Xehanort off?
[Axel's first impulse is to run. He's always favored flight over fight, and this is a fight he knows he can't win. But his feet won't move. His head is screaming at him to get out of there before Xehanort takes over again and Riku just smears him into the glass, but he can't do it. He can't just abandon him and run away.
[That isn't what he's about anymore.
[Besides, he knows Riku would never turn tail and run if he were the one in trouble.
[Riku's body quakes--no doubt Xehanort trying to regain the upper hand--and that's when Axel sees it: a string, thin and clear, pulled taut like fishing line, running from Riku's wrist up to the Heartless' thick hand. As he looks closer, he realizes there's dozens of them, threaded between them like a spider's web, pulling every muscle in Riku's body and contorting it however Xehanort wished.
[Suddenly Axel knows what he has to do.
[Before he loses his opening, he shifts his weight and pivots on one foot, twisting and bringing the Keyblade down to his side. He's not confident enough with a blade to take this swing down--what if he misses and chops off Riku's hand?--so instead, he slides back and flings the Keyblade up and across, aiming for the space between Riku's back and the Heartless controlling him. Hey, if there's one thing Axel knows how to do, it's throw a weapon.
[He's not sure if it'll get all the strings, but maybe it'll get enough of them that Riku can regain control. He sure hopes so, because if it's not... he just threw his weapon away.]
no subject
it nicks around five strings. definitely not all of them. even so, just those strings cause a chain reaction. riku's tense, strained stature suddenly falls away as xehanort's heartless scowls and disappears in a puff of smoke. riku himself just falls to the ground, collapsed and breathing hard, his eyes glassy. ]
I can... barely... breathe...
no subject
[His eyes widen then as Riku's contorted posture breaks, the Heartless vanishing in a shimmer of smoke. Riku collapses to the glass floor below, gasping for breath, and Axel exhales, letting the tension sag out of his shoulders. It was a long shot, but it worked, and he's a little surprised by just how relieved he is.
[He takes to a knee in front of Riku, reaching for his shoulder and then recoiling. Instead, he offers his hand, palm up.]
Easy, champ. Are you okay? You... [He hesitates, then averts his eyes a moment.] You had me a little worried, for a minute there.
no subject
riku just stares at him, still breathing hard, before he pushes a hand through his hair, raking his bangs back. he carefully--hesitantly--reaches for his hand and rights himself. his knees are wobbly. ]
I dunno if I'd say I'm okay, but... at least he can't control me now.
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That's good enough for me.
[There's a beat of silence, and then he glances around, frowning.]
So... what is this place, anyway?
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It's my heart. Well--part of it. ... what's left of it, when Xehanort's Heartless took over.
[ the cracks and skid marks look all the more present, now, with the darkness gone. ]
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Your heart? [He rubs the back of his neck.] Love what you've done with the place. Could use some couches, though, I gotta tell ya.
[That's right, Axel, crack jokes so he won't know how uncomfortable this makes you.]
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[ he laughs, covering part of his mouth. ]
You're so transparent, it's kinda funny.
[ a silver chain drops around axel's neck now, three stars twinkling and light. a lilac door appears behind him, shimmering to life, and cracks open slightly. ]
Looks like you're done here.
no subject
[He gives a start when a chain falls around his neck, his arms going rigid at his sides.]
Where in the hell did that come from? [He's so unnerved right now. He glances over his shoulder at the door, then looks back at Riku. He frowns a little.] Guess so. [He takes a step toward the door, then hesitates.] You... you'll be okay, right? I mean... far be it from me to overstay my welcome, but I don't wanna just bail on ya.
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I'll be fine. I've survived this long.
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All right. I'll take your word for it. [He wags a finger at him.] But if you get yourself in trouble again, you gimme a call, okay? I'll be mad if you wind up being stuck as Xehanort, got it memorized?
1/2
Yes, sir, Dark Rescue.
[ he salutes with two fingers. ]
no subject
[ when you step through the door, it's almost as if you haven't gone anywhere at all. the air is still stagnant and the room itself is still dim, save for a light shining from above that shouldn't be there. the riku that you saw previously is gone, however, and the room is much more closed off—it actually looks like a large, expansive library in a mansion, but everything looks like it's covered in dust and grime. maybe it hasn't been kept up with over the years…
it's hard to miss a few silver platforms, though. they're just like the ones the keyblades floated upon—no, they are the same. yet, they're empty… for now, probably.
there is only one desk that has anything on it; there are numerous books on top of each other, dog-eared and bookmarked in several places. scattered documents litter the rest of the desk, along with pens and markers. most pages have handwritten notes—what's notable is that one is smooth and cursive and another is jagged and curt, like the writer was in a hurry. Neither look anything alike. a new sketchbook sits on the very edge of the desk with a new pack of crayons, on top of that being a small white plastic bag with filled with snacks and three bars of ice cream in white wrappers.
in a comfy armchair with linens and a pillow lies riku. he looks a little older and thinner than in the previous room. decked out in black leather, he lies on his back with a blindfold knotted behind his head. His face looks flushed and feverish, and his black coat is open to expose a black tank top underneath. Nearby there's a thermometer along with varying medicines, an empty bowl of soup, and a few feverish scribbles. he doesn't seem to be fully conscious here either, though at least it doesn't look like anything can come to haunt you. ]
no subject
[This room is old, dusty, a little eerie somehow, and as Axel steps inside, he finds himself rubbing his arms as if it's chilly. His eyes are drawn to the silver platforms, but there are no Keyblades here.
[His eyes move to the desk, and he furrows his brow a little at the scattered books and notes. He approaches the desk, curious and intent to snoop a little, when the figure in the armchair catches his eye. He recognizes Riku immediately, of course, though he seems older, here, wearing that weird blindfold he used to wear all the time, and dressed in the Organization coat. Axel narrows his eyes a little and steps closer, moving quietly.
[He takes a moment to study Riku's surroundings--a thermometer, a bowl of what was probably soup, a few medicine bottles--is he ill? He certainly looks like he's in a bit of distress, but Axel can't tell if he's sleeping or not, with his eyes covered like that.]
Riku?
[His voice is soft, he doesn't want to startle him, but he's not sure what he's supposed to do here. Obviously each of these rooms is some kind of challenge, though why he's being challenged is a bit of a mystery to him. Freeing Riku from Xehanort's strings was one thing, but Axel can't do anything about Riku being sick.
[Still, he looks awfully uncomfortable, and Axel feels a pang of sympathy--or, well, he remembers acutely what that felt like, once upon a time.]
Riku, can ya hear me?
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Wh--what're you doing here? How did you--ugh--
[ even as he tries to sit up, dizziness overtakes him--he ends up right back on his back, breathing shallowly. ]
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[ there's definitely an incredulous edge to his voice. ]
Is that some sort of riddle?
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[He puts his hands on his hips.]
Look, I don't really get it, either, but I know you well enough to know y'ain't a liar, so...