Of Starlight and Dawn [completed]

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

Character(s): Mao and Riku
Content: Two people who have faced similar circumstances meet
Setting: Destiny Islands Treehouse
Time: 2 PM
Warnings: Possible angst?

Mao hoped this was worth it. This Destiny Islands placed was way brighter than he thought it was going to be--both in sun and in colors--and he already had sand in his shoes. It was uncomfortable all around. At least they weren't going to go meet by the water. If that had been the case, Mao would have called this stupid meeting off immediately.

Although... he guessed it wasn't completely stupid. Completely.

Mao didn't understand this guy... whoever he was (now that he thought about it, he never asked that guy his name, did he?). Talking about that kind of thing so easily... Or... Maybe not "easily," but easier than Mao thought he ever could. Why did their circumstances have to be so similar? Why did this guy have to have some idea what Mao was talking about?

And why did he have to tell him about that whole heart eroding thing in the first place?

He almost wished he'd never been told. Mao had been fine before. As far as he'd known, his evil mind had been connected to feelings toward the Super Hero. That was when it would try to take over, anyway. Even when that guy had talked about the Heartless, even when that octopus-woman had said he had more Darkness than one of his kind should... He was still fine. As long as he kept it far away, it couldn't do anything to him. That was what he had thought. But if the heart could be eroded by that darkness... What if that had happened? Over two-hundred years of erosion... It would be so easy to push those thoughts out of his head if that guy hadn't mentioned something like that happening to him too, damn him.

Mao wasn't afraid of course. He couldn't be afraid. Something like that was in his heart, wasn't it? That meant he had control. There was no reason for him to keep thinking about it beyond this meeting. And yet... What was with this strange uneasiness? Why wouldn't it go away?

Mao climbed the ladder to the treehouse that guy had told him about and looked around. He had better not have come all this way for nothing.

Comments

But... But... Where are the eggs?

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

Mao watched the demonstration, sort of getting the idea. But isn't wasn't as though he could stop using it altogether. Sure, there was that darkness inside him, his evil mind, but he still needed to defend himself and physical attacks and ice spells couldn't always cut it. Maybe if he were more careful... He already knew to be economical about spell usage in certain situations anyway. He'd just have to add to his list of those kind of situations. "So the more it's used, the more it gets rid of my defenses?" he asked, just to make sure he was understanding the description right. And, since he was asking questions... "Is there anyway to use it without it doing that?"

Mao took a step back as Riku continued. "S-Slave!" he was quick to correct. "You've got that part wrong! All wrong! Completely wrong! It's 'slave,' not... not 'friend!'" Sure, everyone else around him seemed to think it was the same thing, but that was only because they didn't realize the intricate differences between the two. And there were! It wasn't just how he was using the word! He knew exactly what he was doing, using it.

But there was another thing wrong with that statement. "And... Dad died first," he said, voice quiet. "The Super Hero killed him and I... I forgot about it for awhile." It was better to leave out the circumstances of his forgetting (repressing something reminded him). His father hadn't blamed him, sure, but that didn't make Mao want to think about his role any more. He had been so stupid. "That was two hundred years ago. Everything else was more like months."

THE EGGS ARE NOW DIAMONDS *Shot*

[halfdarkened.livejournal.com]

At Mao's question, Riku again looked away, taking a deep breath that made his shoulders slowly rise. "I think..." He sighed, propping one arm up on his knee and holding up his palm. "I'm not sure." A small blue fireball, smoking black yet smelling of nothing to most people, appeared in his hand. "I use darkness, too." He dismissed it, holding out his arm as his Keyblade appeared in his hand, momentarily lighting up the dim tree house in a blue glow. "But you know, I use light now, too. ...Maybe that's why I went so far down that path. Because I only used darkness, then. Well. Part of why." The subtle look of guilt was washed away by a deep breath. "Your heart probably recovers, or else I'd still be in big trouble. Though..." He looked back. "I only have the heart of a human. Can't say I know if a demon's heart is any different regarding darkness."

Riku's eyes widened a bit at Mao's quick reply. He wrinkled his nose a bit at the word, "slave," but then raised an eyebrow. Mao was awfully defensive. After a coming to what he perceived to be an understanding, he continued, "Okay, your... slave. Obviously he was very important to you. Almaz, right?"

Again, Riku gave Mao an odd look at first. How do you forget someone who kills your dad? But then again, had it not been through the constant reminder of Namine and DiZ, Riku knew he'd have forgotten Sora completely, though that was under strange circumstances. And for Mao, it had been two hundred years, though even so... Note to self. This guy is older than he looks. Careful not to cross him.

"...Super heroes don't just kill people. Why'd he kill your father? Or is he not a hero at all?"

Riku kept pondering the term, "rival." As a word that had many connotations, he couldn't help but think of his own rival. And thus Riku wondered, was Mao referring to a best friend?

*...USES DIAMONDS TO POWER DEATH RAY... OR PSP. OR PSP DEATH RAY*

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

Mao stared into the flame, occasionally glancing over at the one who created it. "I can't do that--the light magic." He could use some Star elemental attacks, sure, but that wasn't the same. "Light" was more of an angel thing. But if what Riku said was true, maybe he wouldn't have to worry. And Riku was right. He did only have the heart of a human. If a demon's heart was different, maybe Mao would be fine. He had been worrying over nothing. ...Which was good, of course, but he couldn't help but feel more than a little annoyed at himself for worrying so easily.

"Important...?" Mao echoed, giving Riku an odd look. "I guess." It didn't feel good when Almaz had died, that much Mao was certain of (and that was understating it). It was weird, imagining what life would be like without that Ex-Fake Hero and Princess. It just seemed wrong. Important... "Important" sounded okay.

"Mm. Almaz is right. He came to the Academy chasing after Princess--Sapphire." He was quick to add the name, having calmed down enough to finally remember that Riku didn't know a thing about what had happened. "He was trying to 'save' her," Mao explained, sounding less than impressed. "Not that she needed it." Who would have thought a princess could be that terrifying? Between all that blatant love between her and Almaz and the chainsaw...

Mao went quiet again. Had his explanation before not been enough? It didn't sound like it needed a lot of elaboration to Mao, but...

But there was more to it, that Mao couldn't deny. And as long as he stayed away from certain parts, maybe that would be okay. "He might as well not have been. The Super Hero... That Aurum. He went around defeating Overlords and evil gods." Supposedly for "justice," but when Mao thought about everything the Super Hero had done, he really wasn't so sure. "Dad, he... He was known as the Strongest Overlord, so it wasn't long before it was his turn. That bastard killed him and I... Everything was a blur after that, but I remember him saying 'The strongest Overlord is you.'"

Mao shut his eyes, a hand balling into a fist. "He wanted a villain to fight so he could stay famous. So he, he decided that it would be me. That he would 'raise' the strongest, evilest Overlord he could."

[halfdarkened.livejournal.com]

"Light doesn't just come out as magic. Without help, I can't use it just by itself, either." Riku motioned with his Keyblade, holding it so the angelic wing at the tip was in clear view. "My weapon is magic, but I have it because of the light in my heart. Or... At least because of the strength of my heart. It's a reminder of that..." His eyes ran down to the red membranes of the main body. "...And of what's still there." A short sigh escaped him, and a thoughtful look came over him. He looked a little pained as he concentrated on the nothingness immediately before him. Something was very obviously being unsaid as the youth sat there, thinking something over and growing silent.

"You guess?" What a weird guy. Riku gave him a look to match.

Girls who could hold their own. Riku could understand that, and he smirked a bit. "She sounds pretty tough. So then was he chasing after her to save her, or mostly just doing the chasing?"

Riku listened carefully, his expression again quite serious. This explanation wasn't quite enough either, but Riku would have inquired anyway given how much was unclear originally. "Well... An evil god I can get. I've met one of those. But from what you've said, Overlords aren't inherently evil." His eyes narrowed as he said that. "So... Aurum told you that you were the strongest. And then he... Raised you?" How does that even work?

"Here's a fact for you. Heroes aren't in it for fame, and they don't make their own home-grown villains, either. Or kill people for the sake of looking like a good guy." Can I assume Mao's dad was a good guy, though? "If all that's right, then Aurum doesn't deserve that title."

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

Mao turned his attention to the keyblade next. It was a weird weapon with a weird theme, but with everything Riku had said, it did kind of fit him, didn't it? But all that light stuff... "You're not making any sense. How is it supposed to come out then? ...What's with the sudden silence?" It had taken him a moment to realize it was there, but it wasn't too hard considering how Riku seemed to have had a lot less of them than Mao.

"He wanted to save her," Mao explained. "She wanted to stay. Not that he didn't keep trying anyway." Not that he didn't stop trying now.

Overlords... not inherently... evil? Mao could only stare at Riku blankly at that comment. Sure, that teacher had said those tales of kidnapping princesses and his dad being evil had all been lies to keep people away from the Netherworld, but did that mean other Overlords did that too? But most Overlords were supposed to be... And what about Mao? No, of course Mao was evil! None could compare to his evil genius! The mounds and mounds of borrowed-and-never-returned umbrellas he had in his possession were a testament to that. He just wasn't scum, and there was a big difference between regular evil and scum evil. Scum evil was probably what Riku was talking about now that Mao thought about it. Maybe with a few in there who just had enough power to be less than optimally evil. It was easier to think of it that way.

"He stuck around, disguising himself, and tried to push me into becoming something totally evil. He was hoping I would try to destroy the human world and he... He was the reason Almaz died." Mao swallowed. Well, he'd actually managed to spit that out, hadn't he? It didn't feel like much of an accomplishment. Not one he particularly liked. "And of course he's no Hero. He's got the title, but he lost any Hero qualities he would have had a long time ago. Almaz is a much better candidate." There was no hint of doubt in Mao's voice, and why would there be? He was a hero expert. His research the greatest, most in-depth anyone could ever ask for.

NOW I can justify a TL;DR from Riku! (Sorry, I wrote up this long thing and it was too long for him

[halfdarkened.livejournal.com]

"Just... thinking." Riku took a deep breath, not happy with what he was saying but knowing it would help him work things out, especially if he spoke aloud rather than trying to explain all the at the end. He closed his eyes as he did so. "When... When my darkness was at its worst, I remember being obsessed with trying to get stronger to save someone. I'd started hating my best friend. For replacing me. For playing around when we needed to get Kairi's heart back. Everything he got he deserved, I thought, right down to... ...To me taking his Keyblade to save Kairi. I didn't get it. I was blinded. ...I let myself be blinded."

He blinked his eyes open, seeming to remember that Mao was there again. "Anger, hate, a drive for power and arrogance. That's about all I felt back then. ...I wonder if those emotions are how most people know darkness. If so... Then that's why darkness isn't just bad. Or why it hasn't taken either of us completely. It's normal." He dismissed his Keyblade. "Which means that because I didn't let those emotions control me, maybe that's why darkness didn't either."

He looked back to Mao with a somewhat enlightened look in his eyes, or at least, the perception of enlightenment. "Light shows itself by what we do. Not how we do it. Doing the right thing." He clenched a fist. "It's gotta be."

"Why would she need to be saved from an Academy?" Riku raised his brows.

"Is? That's... Very respectful to his memory." He continued without skipping much of a beat, but he looked somewhere between determined and angry. "Who cares about a title. Titles only hold as much power as others give it." He leaned forward. "If Aurum's as bad as you say, I'm not going to call him that. Because he's no hero."

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

Though he didn't say it, Mao understood. The drive for power had sent him deeper and deeper into his heart, getting rid of the subconsciouses that had held back his memories of his father's death and had forced him to shove away those who had cared for him. Pushed him to extremes of hate and hurt. To exorcise his father's ghost, to get revenge on the Super Hero, to just become stronger... All the motivations swirled into one, making it impossible to tell where one began and the other ended. Even for the sake of something not inherently evil, did that mean it was dark? What was that phrase... The ends justifying the means?

And not giving into hate and anger (arrogance Mao discounted, as that was to be expected of a demon and no one could ever tell him otherwise), was that why his darker half couldn't take hold of him then? That and the voices of his slaves--his friends--and rival calling out to him. "It makes sense," Mao said with a nod. Angels were all about doing the right thing and justice, so of course they would be better with light. Did that mean Beryl would have a lot of it, too? Beryl had always been weird like that. "Not that I'm going to start doing good deeds so easily," he was quick to add. Those times before that in some light could be considered good deeds were for completely selfish reasons. It didn't matter what everyone else thought. And if he could keep doing totally selfish things for something to hold off that darkness, then that was just fine with him.

Mao seemed unfazed by Riku's confusion. "It may be a school, but it's still a Netherworld. Classrooms constantly appear and disappear, people get lost and never return, sometimes you find mummies in the closet... Beryl and her lackies are better people to ask about that kind of thing. For a bunch of delinquents, they sure are interested in rumors."

Respectful to his...? Oh, he must have left that part out. "He came back to life... somehow. Don't ask me to explain it." Mao didn't entirely understand it himself. He'd ordered Almaz to come back to life, then amidst all those feelings swirling around inside him at the time, there was something completely different and the next thing he knew Almaz was alive and both he and Almaz had the titles they were supposed to have. Mao didn't understand the exact mechanics of it, though he wouldn't mind examining Almaz sometime to see if he could find any clues. He'd have to make a note to himself about that.

Mao cocked his head to the side slightly. Riku just didn't seem to understand titles, did he? "Of course they're important. His was 'Evil God' by the time we fought. He probably didn't even realize it." Mao grinned, shoving his glasses up his nose. The light coming in from the window reflected off the lenses, temporarily hiding Mao's eyes. "And by the time I'm through with him, it'll be 'lowly butler,' just like it should be. 'Geoffrey X' has a nice ring to it."

"I'm almost impressed with that reaction of yours. Even with that weird key weapon and your obviously antihero nature, you seem to have some sort of understanding of heroes."

[halfdarkened.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure it's not all about doing good deeds for the sake of doing them. But when it comes time and you've got to choose, the reasons why you choose I'm sure influence the control darkness has on you." Riku fell silent a moment. "...I started to lose sight of my goal to save Kairi. That was it. I started choosing for the wrong reason. And then on top of that, I made one stupid choice. ...No. I made a bunch, who am I kidding." He took a deep breath. "And that's when I practically let myself be possessed." With a glance to the light shining across the floorboards at the entrance, he continued, "So once I got free, I knew I had to fix my mistakes. Simple as that."

Riku gave Mao another odd look. "He... Came back to life." He just stared at the demon a few seconds looking like he just said he'd caught Moby Dick and stuck him in his private swimming pool. "Okay, I won't ask." He wasn't sure if he could believe that. People don't just come back to life.

"But why are they so important?" Riku shook his head and shrugged. "I'm a Key-bearer. Teenager. Technically still a student. NONE of that really tells you what kind of person I am, or if I'm worthy of any of it." ...Well, a Keyblade means I have a strong heart.

"Sounds good. I'm not calling him a god, ever, though." He flicked the hair from his eyes rather ineffectually. "...Why Geoffrey X?"

"Antihero?" As he furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes, he looked away. Never thought of it like that. Even if it is true... He glared at the baseboards a moment before cocking his head a little. A small smile slowly came over his face. "Yeah. I do. It's not hard when your best friend is one."

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

Mao frowned. It was still confusing. Not too confusing, but enough to make him think again. It was hard, being able to tell what motivations led where. Especially when it was a little confusing for him to tell just what his motivations were half the time anyway. There were the things he told himself, and what another part of him knew what he was doing. He hated being able to acknowledge the existence of that part of him sometimes. It made things so much more complicated. "I still don't understand," Mao admitted. "But I think I've got it." As much as he was going to.

"Worthiness doesn't have anything to do with it. You can make up your title and it would still be your title. Why do you think I call Almaz and Ex-Fake Hero?" Mao crossed his arms and looked down at the floor in thought. He never thought something so simple as titles would be so difficult to explain to someone who didn't seem to know about them. No wonder most of the teachers in the Academy tried to avoid their jobs.

Suddenly, Mao nodded, an idea coming to him. "For example. A human who gets a certain title may transform into a demon."

Mao stood a little straighter. "What do you mean 'Why Geoffrey X?' What's wrong with that name? Perfect for the ultimate butler. If there were ever a butler-off, I'd make sure he cleaned house! Or, even better, dirtied it up."

What, did Riku not like being called an Antihero? Weird reaction. Antiheroes were rare. Mao had managed to read about a few of them in his research, but he had always found more about Heroes than Antiheroes. "Beryl will probably ask for an autograph from both of you either way," Mao said with a shrug.

[halfdarkened.livejournal.com]

"We're here so we can understand. We're obviously coming from different views on this. I'll explain it as many different ways as I need to." Riku leaned further forward, picking up some small wood scrap and beginning to play with it idly. After all, he really did have all day. "What don't you get?"

"What? I could call myself the 'Most Powerful Warrior of All Time,' and that would be my title? Sounds like the more arrogant you are the more powerful you'd get." Riku, in turn, mirrored Mao's posture without even thinking on it. The difference was that Riku wore a doubtful look.

"You're telling me someone could call themselves a demon and they'd become one. A real demon, not like someone who acts like a monster." A simple stare was enough. "Yeah. Right."

Riku opened his mouth to inquire further about the name, but stopped himself short, doubting he'd get a straight answer. Instead he inquired simply, "Demons like their houses messy?"

"Who is Beryl anyway, and why'd she want our autographs?" He shrugged in a "what makes us so special?" way.

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

Mao was tempted to say "all of it," if only to see just how much he could get Riku to explain, but how much that would even end up helping Mao wasn't sure. "...How I could make it work." He hated saying it. he hated admitting it. But the problem, Mao was sure, lay in himself. "It's complicated."

Mao growled a little in frustration. "It's not like that! It's more complicated than that. Having the title doesn't always mean you live up to it. Like... Like with Overlords! If you defeat an Overlord, you get the title of Overlord. But that doesn't always mean you're going to be a good one or even a very strong one. You could just lose the title the next day. And sometimes there are loopholes." Why was this so difficult to explain?

"I have my room just the way I like it. I don't need my stuff being moved around just because someone wants to clean," Mao stated simply, thinking primarily of Beryl.

"The Number One Delinquent of Evil Academy, and one of its only three graduates. She and her lackeys try and pry autographs out of any hero they come across."

[halfdarkened.livejournal.com]

"Okay." Riku paused a moment to consider. "You make it work by using darkness for the right reasons. Doing the right thing. That's light." He lowered his head. As he mused, a sly smirk crossed his lips. Now that's a thrilling way to look at it. His face was still quite visible, but darkness fell across his features. Riku's hair seemed to glow, backlit from the light outdoors.

"Use the light, and you control how the shadows fall."

"Hmph. Sounds like politics." He was curious about the loopholes, but he wasn't about to ask if he didn't understand the basics. "So. To you a title is status, but it can also give you power. Physical power. That right?"

Riku smiled a little. "Wish I could tell my mom that. My room's a mess, so what?" he shrugged. "Don't make me clean it."

"So. She's evil. But thinks heroes are cool?" He gave Mao yet another odd look. "Am I missing something?"

*uses OTHER Beryl icon!*

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

Mao didn't really think that that darkness had anything but wrong reasons in mind, but kept that idea to himself. The idea, though, was interesting, and he was admittedly a little impressed with Riku's statement, but... "You're dealing with a demon. I don't do the right thing, I do the selfish thing," he said, but there was little conviction in his voice. As he continued, however, he became much more confident. "But... If light decides that my reasons are anything other that, it can think what it wants."

"Sort of. It's more like it reflects power, but it can lie, too. You get the title of 'Overlord' because you beat up an Overlord, but if the Overlord was weak, it might not mean all that much. Or you could be an 'Invincible Warrior' because you haven't lost a fight, even if you haven't participated in any fights." He wanted to say that titles didn't really give you a lot of power. He really did. But that would have meant admitting that mistake months ago.

"Why does it even have to be clean?" Mao agreed with a nod. "If it works, it works."

"She's a delinquent," Mao explained. "Volunteer work, blood donations, picking up trash, visiting the library, making other people donate. It's what she does." The more he listed off, the more disgusted he sounded. As much as those deeds disgusted him, he had to admit, Beryl wouldn't be his rival if she acted any different.

Imagining her as anything other than a Delinquent... It just seemed wrong somehow. Seeing that clone of her act like that was enough--no wonder how wonderful it was.

[halfdarkened.livejournal.com]

Riku frowned at Mao's statement about being a demon. That's a really bad sign. Crossing his arms, he asked after a moment, "Tell me. You saved the 'human world,' right? You used darkness for that?"

"Weird... But you just said giving someone a certain title could turn them into a demon, too." He narrowed his eyes, attempting to understand. "That doesn't just reflect power."

Riku gestured with a hand in the air as if he were talking to his own mother. "I know. I can still find my stuff. What's the big deal?"

As Mao listed off the string of good deeds, Riku's eyebrow began to crawl slowly up his forehead like a little meter. "She's done those things. Aaaand that makes her a delinquent." He paused, just staring at Mao like he was insane. "...I don't know what to say."

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

"S, Saved?!" Mao cried, nearly choking on the word. "That's not what it was at all! I just didn't destroy it. That's all." It was completely different. It wasn't like he took extra steps to keep it out of harm's way or anything. That was a Hero's job, not his. If anything, Beryl and Almaz were the ones who ended up saving the Human World. Maybe Princess, too.

"That's what I'm trying to say, it can get confusing." It would be a lot easier if he could just tell Riku to check everyone's status screen, but something told Mao he just wouldn't understand. Then again, it was kind of hard to find just about anyone with a status screen around here.

Even though Mao understood why some people didn't understand the whole Honor Student/Delinquent thing, he was beginning to get tired of having to explain it to everyone. "It's called 'Evil Academy' for a reason. Delinquents do all that stuff I listed before. Honor Students don't do homework, don't go to class, borrow pencils and umbrellas and don't give them back, pull pranks, that kind of thing. Beryl was the Number One Delinquent. She's done more good deeds than anyone at the Academy. I was the Number One Honor Student." He stood a little straighter. "In fact, I still am. That won't change just because I'm the dean now." He had a reputation to protect.

Look what Riku was reduced to doing. XD

[halfdarkened.livejournal.com]

Riku just stared a moment, looking less-than amused. It was becoming more and more obvious that "good was bad," all with a bizarrely dramatic flair. He looked out the doorway. There was no one, just as he thought. Well, if it would help communicate to the demon... Riku cleared his throat. "Okay, saved, not, whatever." A determined smile appeared on a darkened visage and he held up a fist. Jeez, this felt dumb, that smile was more out of picturing how he looked. "You fought that jerk Aurum and wiped the floor with his face, right? And why'd you do that?"

This wasn't light, per se, but maybe in between would work.

"You're telling me." Riku shrugged. "Whether it gives him power or not, bottom line is I'm still not going to call Aurum a super hero. I think that's what this boils down to."

"Guess that makes sense." Not that Riku exactly endorsed the idea. However, Mao went on. "...You're the dean." He kind of eyes him up and down. He seemed a little young. ...For a demon at least.

...At least it's working?!

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

What was with this sudden change in demeanor? Did he finally figure out how to explain this whole light thing? If the change in questions was anything to go by, it seemed that was the case. At least Riku was starting to get his motivations. "Revenge," Mao said simply. "He did all that to me, nearly killed Almaz, nearly ended up with his world destroyed, and nearly turned my school into a world of brainwashed delinquents. And..." for Dad. "It needed to be done. Someone needed to teach that bastard a lesson."

Mao raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, so? What's wrong with me being the dean?" Oh, that was right... The whole 'first impressions' thing. "I was the heir, so when Dad finally moved on, I was named the dean. That's all there is to it."

No, not it wasn't. XD;;;

[halfdarkened.livejournal.com]

Revenge. That wasn't the answer Riku was hoping for, and the false enthusiasm dropped pretty quickly. He'd hoped to hear something like "because he was scum and acting like it." Not even the slightest ray of light shone on the word "revenge." Still, there was something to hang onto, and he tried that flair again, but knew he was failing miserably. "And why'd he need to be taught a lesson? 'Cause it sounds like it's for more than the stuff you listed off."

Riku still gave him an odd look. "But aren't you still pretty young for a demon? Any clue how many years a demon ages to a human year?"

WHOOPS? 8D;;

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

Mao just stared at Riku, confused. "An eye for an eye. It's the rule of the Netherworld," he said calmly. "You just... can't take anyone's eye." That was what Beryl had said before, wasn't it? It sounded right. As right as it sounded then. "Besides," Mao continued. "You heard what he did. You even said he wasn't a Hero. He deserved everything he got." He crossed his arms, wondering if that was hesitation he had seen in Riku before.

What was wrong with revenge? That bastard killed Almaz, tried to raise him into something he could kill, tried to make him attempt to destroy the world, and had killed his father. For what, glory? His twisted idea of what a hero needed to be a hero? "Trash like that is just lucky I'm going to let him continue to be my butler." Instead of experimenting on him for all eternity like he had originally planned. Just experimenting on him a little more.

It wasn't like he was actually going to kill him. Though for a moment near the end, he really had thought about it.

[halfdarkened.livejournal.com]

An eye for an eye. It was a rather grim perspective, and brutal. "But balanced punishment, even like that, isn't the same as revenge." Or is he calling it that for the sheer sake of being a demon?

Trash With a sudden smile, Riku pointed to Mao as if he'd just said something brilliant and sat back. "Trash. WHAT makes him trash? He killed your dad and Almaz. Murder's evil. He tried to destroy the 'human world.' Pretty evil in my book. Brainwashing's pretty evil. And boy did he mess with you. I'd call all that evil."

The smile slid over, becoming a self-satisfied smirk. "Tell me what the difference is. Spell it out for me."

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

Mao's hands balled into fists, his head hung and teeth clenched as Riku went on. "He just is!" he finally snapped. "Everything that he did, doing all that just so he could be famous! So he could continue to be a so-called Hero! It's beyond an Honor Student level evil deed. It's just... It's not...!" He looked around the room as though by desperately searching it he could find an answer to Riku's request. But there was nothing. He couldn't put it into words. A feeling?

A feeling.

"There's a difference." Mao shut his eyes, and began saying whatever came to mind. It was still so hard to get used to being connected to his True Feelings, to acknowledge that they were there, and there were times where he wondered why he even allowed himself to let that happen at all. They could be nothing but trouble, and sometimes they got in the way. So for all that trouble they caused, they might as well help him out now. You got that?

"There's a difference between doing all that for your own glory and getting it by your own merits. He did all that thinking he was still a Hero. That he'd be praised for his actions. We do what we do knowing that it's evil. Running in the halls, not going to class, participating in battle royales for class president, stealing from others... Even if it's out of selfishness, even if revenge is involved, there's a point where it's too much."

Suddenly, a realization seemed to dawn on him. "Is... Is that the difference?"

[halfdarkened.livejournal.com]

Riku's smile faded at Mao's outburst, and he listened in silence, initially disappointed. But when Mao continued, Riku's brows raised. At one point, he gave the demon a little nod.

When Mao finally offered a question in return, Riku looked pleased. "Y'know, I think it is. Maybe not all of it, but maybe that's all you need. There does seem to be a line in what you're talking about." The teen looked out the door to the mottled shadows cast by trees and the light that scattered itself past.

"And I think you know where that point is."

Still smiling, he looked back at Mao. "I think you'll be able to handle your darkness fine."

He knows a form of right and wrong. It's not the same, but when it comes to the important stuff? Manipulation. Destruction. Murder. It feels the same to the both of us. I'm no angel of light, but I've always known those things were terrible. Looks like he may not always do the right things for the right reasons, but...

That line. That's the difference. And maybe... That's his light.

*/THOUGHT BANDWAGON*

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

Mao stood a little taller, more confident now. "Of course I know where it is. It's not like it's that hard to find out where the line is. Anyone can see it," he stated, temporarily forgetting the fact that he had come close to crossing it himself.

His expression and posture didn't change much. It was still as arrogant as it had been with his previous comment. But what Riku had said had managed to calm him down. If someone who had gone through something similar to what Mao had thought that he could handle it, then he could. Not that Mao didn't think he could to begin with, but this just put it in stone.

Light, Darkness, it doesn't matter. If I'm doing things fine now, I'll keep doing things my way for my own reasons. I'm the owner of my heart, and I won't let some stupid fraction of it take me over!

[halfdarkened.livejournal.com]

"The line varies between person to person. Or there's more than one line for some." Riku'd stepped over a few himself, and knew it, in order to do what he thought he had to do. But he and Mao shared one that they both hoped they'd never cross.

Riku finally stood up, taking up a casual posture with his thumb in his pocket, as always. "Just watch yourself and you'll be okay." Just as Riku always had to watch himself.

With a bit of a smirk, he idly commented, "You're not too bad."

[madsciencemaou.livejournal.com]

Mao rolled his eyes. Of course he'd be watching himself. He didn't plan to let that bastard have even the slightest chance of taking him over. And if he tried? Then Mao would just have to beat the crap out of him again and prove who was the real one in charge.

But... not that bad, huh? Mao hesitated to say anything back at first, looking Riku up and down. Finally, coming to a decision, he nodded. "I guess you're not too bad either." And then, almost as an afterthought, "For an antihero." Considering how Mao tended to hate most heroes, it was a compliment, really.

"You have any more advice?" he asked, beginning to move toward the window.