paixaorpg | The 13th Dilemma [completed]

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The 13th Dilemma [completed]

Character(s): Marluxia and Larxene
Content: Ready...? FIGHT!
Setting: Starting at G4, moving all over (Notable stops: edge of H3 and I3 to the Train Station [J6], train wrecked at L7)
Time: Week 8, a few hours after this thread.
Warnings: Violence. Lots of it.

Marluxia could feel neither rage nor frustration. He couldn't feel fury. He couldn't feel fear. But memories of those emotions raced through his head, each one showing on his face but never reaching his eyes. Those remained cold, dead pools of blue, an unsettling effect that even the citizens out on this night could feel, and so they kept their distance from him. That he had yet to dismiss his scythe likely didn't warm them up to him any more.

He had appeared just outside of Vanaheim, pushing past the crowds and into the city. The wound in his side was slow to heal, though he had been forcing himself to push past the pain in his arm. No doubt they were after him now. He would need every advantage he could find, and pain was nothing in comparison to being erased. He wouldn't allow it.

The Graceful Assassin pulled his hood up shortly before he approached a building, resting only momentarily against it. His eyes scanned the area, scrutinizing every inch of it for any sign of an enemy.

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Larxene knew Marluxia well--the Superior might have prided himself on knowing the abilities of all of his little band of Nobodies, but Larxene's knowledge of XI was, as far as she was concerned, second to none. She knew how he thought better than anyone did. And so it didn't take long for her to find him, using the rooftops as a pathway and scanning the crowds for pink or black. She saw both.

Sneaking up on him would be next to impossible while he was in this state. But that didn't mean a frontal assault was necessary. Instead, she settled beside him.

"My, you've managed to anger our wonderful Superior, haven't you?" she chirped, her voice as silky and playful as it always was.

Marluxia immediately moved away from the wall, scythe raised to attack. It was lowered at the last minute, the Nobody recognizing the voice as Larxene's. From the tone of her voice, it seemed she was back to herself. Good. That much had been fixed. Perhaps he would have some help in this disaster after all.

"It seems a little birdie has been chirping in his ear," he spat, venom dripping from every word. "I should have destroyed that replica when I was through with him." He had forgotten who it was who had had him last. If only he could remember that, the unfortunate fool would be in his last moments.

She could attack now, but it would be more fun to rub it in a bit. And she really wanted to rub in his mistakes right now.

"You know how word gets around," she said, tilting her head. "The castle is Saix's now. The witch, too."

That was a bit disappointing, but nothing she couldn't deal with. After all, she and the witch were the only girls, and well, they needed a bit of girl time, didn't they?

This confirmed even more that Marluxia knew the replica had known about her death, and his, and everything. This entire situation was his own fault. Pity for him; she would have stayed helping him had he only told her the truth. But that was how things worked in the Organization--no alliance was permanent.

Marluxia's jaw clenched at that revelation. Of course the Superior's lap dog would be the one to receive what was his. His castle, his witch, his plan. All of it was in ruins. Someone would be sure to pay. He would make sure of it, and their ruin would be such as none had ever seen. It wasn't as though he couldn't create new puppets at his whim. He would create an army of them. The Keyblade Master, his friends--he would even pull the Resistance to his side if need be. And if they didn't join him, he would win over those in City Hall.

He deserved to be at the top. He always had. The Superior had been a fool not to give him a higher position, and he would be punished for removing him altogether.

"It won't be for very long."

There was nothing more satisfying, she decided, than watching Marluxia squirm. Well, maybe watching Xemnas squirm would be better, but that would have to wait. She tilted her head at him, smiling in her normal, vicious way. Agreeing with him, really.

She'd moved her arm in an instant, five kunai drawn and aimed to puncture the not-flesh of his chest. "You really need to realize who you've betrayed with all your little lies."

Marluxia's eyes widened in that second, and he barely managed to dodge the strike. The tips slashed across his ribs, cutting deep. He could only stare for a moment, taking time to comprehend exactly what had just happened. "What... What are you doing?!"

She had turned on him. She had turned on him. Not only had he lost everything else, but now she...

It all became clear. She had been the one to tell, hadn't she? She had to have been the one to tell it all, to give the Superior all the evidence he had needed... The Nobody's hand tightened on his scythe a moment, the leather of his gloves creaking. Then he became deathly calm, eying Larxene carefully.

She was a liability now. She had betrayed him and she would have to be destroyed. Marluxia disappeared and reappeared behind Larxene, bringing down his scythe in a wide arc.

She was prepared for retaliation, and her hood went up even as she moved forward and out of range. Electricity crackled dangerously around her. He wasn't allowed to just think that she'd decided to betray him. No, this was his fault, and she wanted him to know it.

"You lied to me," she said, and her voice dropped. Suddenly there wasn't any emotion in her voice, something she'd neveer displayed before, not even to Marluxia. "You said the replica knew nothing. But then someone told me I would die. And said that you knew." Still, not a hint of rage, even though her voice was low.

Electricity arced toward him. "But I would have forgiven you for that."

"When that possibility would have been erased, what would it have mattered? I would have fixed it all. I would have made sure everything succeeded. In the end it would have been nothing," he explained after he moved out of the way of her next attack.

Forgiven? He needed no forgiveness. He had done nothing wrong and would have continued to do nothing wrong if he had only been given more time. If she hadn't told anyone. If she hadn't betrayed him. She dared to call him the betrayer in all of this? He would have fixed everything. She could have risen to such power before he killed her! Now she would die with nothing, just like all the others would.

Edited 2009-07-07 04:15 (UTC)

"And that is why I would have let it go," Larxene said, turning to face him again. "But as for what happened after that--" She spoke of Elenra, of course. But there was nothing she wanted to say about that. "After that."

She jumped back, to the rooftop, electricity blasting down as she moved.

After that she could never trust him, not one bit. And he would die now, rather than later. He would die never knowing the power he wanted. She wanted him to die without.

What happened after that? She meant that Elenra business, didn't she? Marluxia scoffed, teleporting behind her and leaning in close. "As you were then, you were useless."

He moved to the building across from her, after that, his words meant only as a taunt. "Can you say that that fate was what you really wanted?" Only those who would be strong should keep their hearts, and none of them before him.

The Graceful Assassin twirled his scythe, gusts of wind kicking up until they became two tornadoes, crackling with energy and circling around one another, both headed in her direction.

"Can you say that won't be yours, if you find your heart again?" Larxene asked, warping out of the way and then behind him. "Not that you'll live that long."

To pull punches here--to play too much, to underestimate Marluxia--would be to ask him to kill her. And she would not die yet, not by his hand. She forced electricity into her kunai, threw them quickly, and darted off.

No one was as fast as she was, and she'd show him why that was something to be feared.

Marluxia turned as soon as he noticed she had disappeared. He would have to be quick to find her. He knew as well as any just how fast she was. If he wasn't careful, she would kill him just as quickly, and he couldn't allow that. The crackle of electricity behind him alerted him to her presence and he moved off to the side, almost gliding away before giving chase.

Marluxia threw his hand forward, ignoring it's protest as a portal of darkness appeared near her, brambles rushing outward and reaching for her, attempting to trap her in their grasp.

Larxene's response was to thrust her hand through a wall, shattering the wood with a burst of electricity, and grab hold of a power line. She grinned, wider and wider, as the electricity filled her, ran through her and around her, crackling the brambles black and curling them away.

She was supercharged now.

Marluxia frowned and threw his hand forward again, vines lazily floating and orbiting in the air around her. He knew she'd easily be able to break free, but it gave her something to worry about as he turned and attempted to find more open ground. She knew the consequences of leaving this particular cage alone.

Larxene warped away even as she brought lightning down on top of the vines, killing them before they could do any harm. It was almost a lazy battle, if you were a casual observer. But really, she knew him and he knew her. What an interesting fight this would be.

But now she had firepower. Or lightningpower, as it were. Opting for a large strike as opposed to a concentrated one, the air growled as lightning rained down everywhere. She killed a few citizens, she was sure, but she didn't care.

The bolts that rained down on him now were much more difficult to dodge, and he was nearly hit a few times. But he soon managed to get into a more spacious area and from there he lay in wait. Two could play this game.

She stopped when she realized she'd lost track of him. She moved to the domes, along the edge where the statues were, watching for the pink-haired Nobody. He should stand out. If not, well, she could smoke him out.

She electrocuted a citizen, watched him convulse and fall over, and watched those around him scatter. There, maybe he'd show himself.

The scattering natives alerted Marluxia to Larxene's presence. A cruel smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth shortly before he dropped down, scythe glowing bright with energy. It plunged into the ground and the area around him began to blacken, cracks snaking along the ground and bursting in a bright flash of light.

Larxene slipped into a portal to watch--let him reveal himself exactly where she wanted, that was fine with her.

Marluxia frowned. He didn't see her here, which meant he had given up his position. There were few places she could hide here. Where could she be?

The Nobody moved to begin looking, only to stop, his teeth clenching as pain shot through his side. He had exerted himself a little too much with that attack, and was beginning to pay for it.

There, that was what she was waiting for. Slipping out of her portal and taking advantage of the shadows near the corners of the domes, she sent a blast of lightning down on top of Marluxia's position, and most of the area around it for good measure.

Marluxia was already hurt; she would use that to her advantage. She was already moving, running to close the distance as quickly as possible.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up shortly before lightning came down on him. His teeth clenched tighter and he could feel his muscles spasm as pain pulsed through his entire body. Spots danced across his vision as his muscles continued to twitch, but even then he could catch the silhouette of something (or, in this case, someone) charging him.

There was no time to dodge. All Marluxia could do was bring up his scythe in a defensive posture.

Her kunai were out before her, and they caught his scythe readily. He had more raw strength than her; she couldn't afford to stay in this position for too long. So she sent lighting down her arms and into her blades, and ducked to one side to strike at a different angle.

This wasn't playing, as she was wont to do. She was eager for him to fall, and she knew how dangerous he really was. She couldn't afford to play.

Marluxia kept a careful eye on the shadow before him, blinking in order to try and clear his vision. It was difficult to tell where she would strike next, and the crackle in the air told him he would have to watch where she struck carefully. He knew she meant to kill. She hadn't taunted him since she had first appeared. She had been careful in her strikes, precise, and he had had to either dodge or block in order to keep himself from dying. She was quicker than he was, true, and in his current condition, he knew it would only be a matter of time before she was able to inflict the final blow. Marluxia would have to end this fight quickly, either by her death or his escape.

But, before he could do that, he would have to survive long enough to see her. He turned and hopped backward, hoping to have put enough distance between Larxene and himself for her to have missed and slashing at her with his scythe in an attempt to make her back off. He knew it wasn't likely he'd make a hit. He could barely tell where she was.

Larxene's slice fell short, and she caught herself before she plowed straight into him, which would be as undignified as it would be dangerous. And so, at the angle she was, she heard the scythe before she saw it. Jumping on instinct she landed on the blade, and then, taking advantage of this, she ran right down the thing. It could only lead to one man, after all.

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The 13th Dilemma [completed]

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