paixaorpg | Lingering (Active, Closed)

Entry tags:

ansem,
riku

Lingering (Active, Closed)

Character(s): Riku, Ansem
Content: Ansem gets to get in some quality trolling time with Riku.
Setting: Near Niflheim. Riku's heading home of all things!
Time: Night
Warnings: Trolling?

Riku picked a jack out of his long hair along with two cotton balls and an ink pen. His latest attempt at exploring Wonderland had been... unique to say the least. He smelled of sweat, mown grass and cantaloupe as a result, and frankly was glad to be on his way "home." It never quite felt like home, but it was a place to rest in semi-relative safety. And ultimately, it was a place to retreat when he finally wanted some form of normalcy.

At least the station wasn't far. He could relax a little on the train before he could enjoy a nice long shower. It was quiet, and he had dismissed Way to the Dawn when he'd snuck back in. Now it was a matter of sneaking on the train, though that was never too hard either. Then it would be downhill from there.

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Downhill was a very apt term, this time. Despite the fact that Riku had dismissed Way to the Dawn, there was still one surprise waiting for him - and one he could likely pick out of the crowd even before he finished drawing near. Ansem had never been able to truly hide his scent from Riku, and even if he'd known of that same fact he wouldn't have bothered to hide. There was no reason to, and less shame in what he was.

Besides, Riku had gone far too long without some manner of confrontation. It was time to see what had come of his vessel.

With the train station in view, Riku smiled and drew in breath for a sigh. But as he breathed in, he paused, eyes slowly widening and smile fading. He sniffed a little, before closing his mouth and inhaling deeply through his nose. Riku's eyes narrowed.

His sense of smell wasn't nearly as strong as it had been before the Kingdom Hearts Encoder exploded, but this scent was impossible to miss. It was a bad memory. What's he doing here? He held out his hand, ready to resummon his Keyblade, but he stopped short. Panicking the citizens or starting a fight where they could get hurt wasn't going to make outsiders look any better. The question was, why was Ansem here?

He's probably here for me. Still, he paused a few seconds before starting to move to a less-crowded area. Riku continuously sniffed the air, trying to determine if the Heartless was following. Regardless, he reached a side plaza with only a couple strolling through. That was the advantage of it being late, at least. Most people had gone home for the night, unless they were still traveling via train. There Riku waited, sniffing to keep tabs of where Ansem was. If his guess was wrong and the scent faded, Riku knew he'd have to chase it.

Riku needn't have worried. Had Ansem meant to go anywhere that the train could go, he would have gone himself, and by his own means. Skittish though the citizens could certainly be, he cared nothing for their enmity. Their only use was in providing additional darkness should the city require further darkness. Perhaps he would need to attempt it one day, if only to see how the Lumens reacted to their darker counterparts.

But that was for another day. For now, he did indeed keep pace with Riku. The other citizens were less interesting. Especially when he could tell that Riku had changed since they'd last met. Surely there was something interesting behind that, and he meant to see if he could learn something of details as to how.

It wasn't until Riku finally came to stop that Ansem finally stepped out of the shadows. There was no sense in hiding. Not now.

As the source of the stench came into view, Riku narrowed his eyes and took up a defensive stance. Still, Riku couldn't ignore the slight chill that ran up his spine. Ansem was the thing he wanted to see least here. Still, he'd been rid of him once

"If you're here to try to play puppetmaster again, we both know how well that worked out for you. BOTH times." Still, he couldn't help but smirk with a bit of guarded confidence.

Once, yes. But being rid of him had hardly ended any of the plans he'd had. It had merely changed matters, and conveniently left him with a solid form once again. Details, really, nothing more - and he could tell that matters had certainly changed in Riku. Interesting indeed, and only slightly less so than the mention of him having made two attempts. Something to look forward, no doubt.

"You are no longer suited as a puppet. I merely came to speak to you."

"Just speak. Why do I seriously doubt that?" Riku's posture didn't change. "Fine. If I'm not going to be your puppet, what do you want with me anyway?"

His gaze flicked to the side. The couple was leaving the plaza. At least they'll be out of the way if this gets bad. Frankly, the last thing he needed was a fight in the middle of the city.

"I came to see what had become of my gift to you," Ansem answered. "Surely you cannot fault me for that, when I have offered you so much already. It would be a terrible thing to waste."

Even if Riku had learned to control the darkness, it had still belonged to Ansem first. It was still something by which he could control Riku, if he had any sort of inclination to. For now, however, that was not really among the things Ansem was considering. There were other options, if he truly needed someone to act as Riku had.

Riku's eyes narrowed. That "gift" was still a part of him, and much as the youth hated to admit it, it had served him well. However, it was only because he balanced the power of darkness with acts of light that darkness hadn't consumed him.

"Here's my answer." Riku held out a fist in demonstration. Before him condensed blue sparks into Way to the Dawn. A Keyblade. The teal eye staring out was a trait very common to darkenss, and the demonic wings didn't help. That being said, for both of the two demonic wings was an angelic one. Literally half the hilt he held was wrapped in pure white feathers.

Oh, now there was a sight indeed. Not something he'd ever expected to see out of someone who had been so thoroughly dark, but something interesting all the same. A Keyblade of balance. It was almost amusing, to think that someone who had once been his host had come as far as all that.

"Very well done, Riku."

That wasn't quite the response Riku had anticipated. He lowered his Keyblade, but still held it at the ready by his side. Why was the Seeker of Darkness complimenting him?

"I don't walk that dark road anymore. And I never will again."

Why did he do anything? But he had his reasons for what he'd said, for all that they likely came as something of a surprise. True, it meant that there was yet another keyblade he would need to take into account, but that was nothing that he hadn't had to deal with before.

"I wonder, though. Can you save all those who have walked into this world?"

A slow smirk crossed Riku's face. "I don't have to."

"All I have to do is save the ones who Sora can't. That narrows it down a lot. And you've been in my heart. You know I'll do whatever it takes to save everyone I can. I'm not afraid."

The ones the Sora couldn't. It was a simple enough statement, but one that Riku might find to be more difficult that it first seemed. He certainly knew Riku's heart to know he would try, but surely Riku knew him well enough to know he wouldn't let Riku stop him.

"Can you truly save them all, Riku?"

The smirk faded. "...No. I can't." Riku balled a fist. There were far too many. "But I'm not the only one fighting. And it's more than Sora. If I knew I could, I wouldn't be standing here talking with you. We'd all be free. And people like you and the Organization wouldn't be around to threaten anyone anymore."

"So no. I can't. But I will try. And nothing can stop me!"

It wasn't much, but it was a start. It was enough to tell Riku that he still had every belief in his friends, be it for good or ill. Though Riku had found his way free of being his vessel, there was nothing saying that his friends would not make for at least decent potential vessels. Besides, with such belief in his friends that would be the best path to wounding Riku's heart. He'd let in the darkness once before. Surely it wouldn't be too difficult to force him back into that state.

"Try as hard as you're able. It won't make you the hero you long to be."

Riku looked down and shook his head. "You don't get it, do you? I don't care about being some hero anymore. I blew that chance along with several others." He looked back up to the Heartless, and then lifted his Keyblade to look at it instead.

"It's time to set things right. It's a hard road, but I've walked it a while now. And I've never been one to quit."

That much, Ansem could agree with. Even when Riku had been working for the darkness he'd never been inclined to back down. It was, of course, something of a pity that he had gone and given that determination to another side, but it was no great inconvenience. Something so well proven could still be of use, after all. For now, however, Ansem would let Riku believe he had the advantage, so to speak.

"I look forward to your efforts."

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Lingering (Active, Closed)

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