paixaorpg | The unsought [Active]

Entry tags:

The unsought [Active]

Character(s): Ansem, Yorda, Mao, the Master, and Urd.
Content: Ansem has plans for Yorda... and those who know her aren't happy.
Setting: Spira, the Calm Lands
Time: Late morning, late in Week 37
Warnings: Violence, darkness and a case of mistaken identity.

Yorda had quickly learned what to expect whenever Ansem had summoned her. The questions, not all of which she could answer, the doors she'd been made to open, and worst of all, the subtle reminders of her delicate situation. She'd stay with him in order to protect Mao - she had to, or Ansem would hurt him. So the glowing girl had been wholly compliant, bearing her situation without complaint - though meeting Kuja had helped. Arrogant and dismissive as he was, at least he wasn't Ansem, and she'd taken to bringing him tea whenever she saw him lurking about, listening to him talk about himself. It was company, at least, and although she didn't know how long she'd been locked away in the building, she'd found herself growing fond of the odd man, even if she didn't know what he was doing there.

The princess glanced nervously at the windows of her quarters and repressed a shudder. It was always dark in here - she always had to light the lamps or go by her own glow in order to find her way. She'd kept the curtains closed, not wanting to see the strange, sharp shapes hanging over the glass. Yorda tried to push it from her mind and went back to reading the book in her lap - a tome about the history of Paixao. At least Ansem generally allowed Yorda to do as she wished here, as long as she obeyed him.

Threaded | Flat

Even though he generally hadn't been one to limit where Yorda could go, he'd kept enough of an eye on her to know that she'd spoken to Kuja. But as long as the other didn't interfere in what he was intending it didn't bother him much. He might have found a way to keep Yorda from leaving but he didn't mean to be cruel, beyond the various experiments he'd been doing. She was quite the useful tool, really. A heart that was better than any key. He'd need to remember her abilities, the next time he had something that needed to be unlocked.

For now, however, it was time to take her on another test of those same abilities. The city was certainly a decent enough place, but there were things he could do better elsewhere. For now, it would be far better to take her elsewhere, and so with no particular warning, a portal opened up in Yorda's quarters. Time for another round of what she'd already grown all too used to.

Yorda gasped when she heard the all-too-familiar sound, however soft, of Ansem's portal opening in her quarters, thin shoulders tensing and a shiver running up her spine. Immediately, she closed the book she had been reading, setting it down, and stood to face him. The ache in her chest, though dulled, had yet to quite go away - Ansem had been ruthless in testing her abilities. And more than that, she missed her loved ones and worried for them. Were they safe? Were they unhurt? She didn't know, and she couldn't even so much as contact them to find out.

She didn't look Ansem in the face as he arrived, merely lowering her head and waiting for his command. Though she didn't like what he was doing with her, she dared not fight back, else he'd go after Mao in revenge. She had no choice but to obey him.

For now, yes, her loved ones were safe. Or rather, they were safe from what Ansem would have done to them. Of course, he was hardly the only danger in the city, but he hadn't gone back on his word. That much he was good for. Besides, why would he risk turning her against him now, when he'd finally gotten her properly acclimatized to the life he asked of her? Not, of course, that it had been particularly hard. But effort was effort and he was loathe to risk anything just now.

"Come," he spoke into the silence. "It's time we went elsewhere for a change."

Yorda stepped closer to Ansem at his command, mentally steeling herself - whatever he had planned for her, it wasn't going to be pleasant. She gave no complaint, however - and who would listen to her anyway, if she did? - and merely chose to look up at him, calm despite her inner anguish and turmoil. "Where are we going?" she asked simply, even paler than usual due to the constant testing and pushing of her powers. Despite her questioning, she wasn't certain she wanted to know, but what could be worse than this?

Still looking up at him, she waited for an answer, as well as for her captor to lead her into the shadows.

"Another of the worlds present here," Ansem answered. There wasn't any reason to hide the truth from the girl. "The Calm Lands, if you must know."

A wide open space, surrounded by nothing of great importance. A world perfect for what he'd planned, especially in light of some of the more interesting structures he'd already found there. As for the natural Heartless of that place, they were simple enough to shoo away, and from what he'd found the rest of the monster population seemed less than inclined to step foot inside buildings. There were certain advantages to not needing to keep an eye on his chosen subject at all times.

He was not, however, going to wait any longer than that, as he gestured Yorda towards the still-open portal.

Yorda remembered the Calm Lands, having traveled through them in order to reach Mt. Gagazet. She remembered the fayth there - whatever it was - and how sad she'd felt at seeing all of those people embedded, for lack of a better word, inside the walls. She was thankful they weren't going there, at least. Repressing another shudder, the princess shifted into her shadow form, wishing to protect herself against the sort of darkness Ansem used, and stepped through the portal without another word.

She didn't know why, but this darkness felt... wrong, somehow. She waited for Ansem to lead the way, too frightened to lead on herself, especially as she didn't know how to navigate another being's darkness, for all that she knew her own.

And lead he would. No sooner had Yorda stepped into the portal than he followed, allowing the darkness to close behind them. It wouldn't do to leave it open and have unwanted guests follow along in their trail - assuming they could even manage to safely traverse the darkness. Either way, he had no intent of leaving even that narrow a margin of error and so the darkness they walked through was complete. No light here, save for the twin points of yellow that were Ansem's eyes... which Yorda wouldn't have seen, with his back being to her as it was.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination, the darkness opening out to light at least and leaving them standing inside a great temple. Perhaps it wasn't quite what Yorda might have expected, given his declaration of where they were going, but it was large and spacious and perfectly suited to the sort of 'locks' he could create.

As soon as Yorda stepped out of the portal and into the Calm Lands, she changed back to her normal form, leaving her glowing again. She tried not to think of the frightening, though short journey - the occasions when Ansem had her follow him into the darkness were unpleasant (and, as always, they felt wrong), and that had been before he'd decided to take her elsewhere. He'd tested her shadow form in it before, at least, and so she knew that keeping herself in that form while in the tunnels of darkness would protect her.

She said nothing as she waited for Ansem to begin, sure that he intended to test her abilities again. She held her hands to her chest and focused on breathing, dizziness already tugging at her.

The darkness always was kinder to those who bore the darkness within them. It couldn't abide by the light, but it could be tricked, and truth be told if it hadn't been for Yorda's dark form he would have had to work a good deal harder at turning the Heartless away during trips like the one they'd just undertaken. As to Yorda's assumptions, those were entirely correct. There was no reason to not test the full boundaries of her powers. This time, he was not going to simply give her a door to test though. No, he had quite enough of bearing the brunt of the side effect of her unlocking mechanism and so without a word, he summoned his Guardian to his side.

"If you would wait here?" he asked. Normally he would have been loathe to leave her unwatched, but Guardian was as good as a second set of eyes. It would do, and it was the matter of but a moment to ask it to remain at the girl's side before he stepped through the door of the temple. Once he was safely inside, he called up the barrier of darkness that would serve as today's experiment. It was time to see how far he could push her.

Yorda nodded silently, obediently waiting as Ansem stepped into the temple. She backed away a little bit, knowing and dreading what was surely going to happen next. And that strange creature Ansem summoned, with its eerily glowing eyes, certainly didn't help. It reminded her of her mother's shadows, or the Heartless she had seen a rare few times before in the city of Paixao. Thankfully, someone had been there to save her the last time, but there was no one here now. Even so, it didn't appear to be making any moves to hurt her at the moment; it was surely under her captor's control. As long as she obeyed him, he wouldn't hurt her more than what he deemed necessary.

The princess shivered at the sight of the barrier, which seemed much stronger than the others he'd been testing her with so far. Normally, it wouldn't have been much of a problem, but Ansem had already pushed her hard, and as Yorda stepped forward, bolts of energy crackled from her, some immediately destroying the barrier, some arcing towards the Guardian in an instinctive attack. The glowing girl gasped in pain, swaying where she stood as she winced - and then fell, collapsing in a heap on the ground.

There she remained, unmoving, her breathing shallow and uneven.

The Calm Lands… That was what that anonymous guy on the message board had said. Mao wasn’t entirely sure he could trust whoever that was, but they didn’t have any other leads. There was still a lot of ground to cover, but at least it was more of a definitive location. And it wasn’t as though there were a lot of places to go. For how big this place was, there weren’t too many landmarks. Mao had tried the Travel Agency first, but it didn’t look like anyone besides the people running it were there. But he had interrogated and he had demanded and he had shouted and eventually he had learned of the temple’s existence.

Mao cursed to himself as he ran across the bridge, occasionally having to stop or slow down, clinging to the ropes as the bridge started to swing just a little too much. He grit his teeth, knowing that every second he wasted was one he might not ever be able to get back. He could see her. She was right there. If he could just get there in time maybe it could all be fixed. Everything would be taken care of, everything would go back to normal. All he had to do was get there.

As he got closer, Mao noticed the large wall of Darkness in front of her, as well as the strange, dark creature (a Heartless?) nearby. What the hell was going on here? What was going on? What was she doing? Just who the hell had Geoffrey gotten to kidnap her?! Then suddenly there was lightning everywhere—off of her, attacking the barrier, attacking the Heartless, striking the ground—he had to squint to see her through it all. “Yorda!” he called, shouting over the crackling thunder.

It was stupid to think she’d respond immediately what with everything going on, but still Mao hoped, and he began to worry as there was no reply, even though the lightning had stopped. Mao squinted again to try and clear the spots from his eyes, and through it all, he saw her body go limp.

His eyes went wide. “Y, Yorda…?” his voice hitched a little and came out as barely more than a whisper, his hand reaching out almost automatically and grasping at air. He was too far away to touch or catch her. Too far away to do anything.

Mao’s hand shook and his mouth hung open, each breath taken in small, shuddering gasps. In an instant her body transformed to the vision of a young human in a red scarf, a large demon lying still. Dead. She was…. She was dead wasn’t she? And just like those times before it was all his fault.

Edited 2012-01-16 04:42 (UTC)

She knew it had to be Spira. Where else? All other floors had been combed over again and again, but Spira was so large, things could be missed. It enraged Urd to think of all the times she must have passed over Yorda and not even known. But this trip would be different...surely.

And as she honed in on Mao's energy signature, she immediately knew it would be. The sheer amount of Darkness in front of them was almost overwhelming, and to Urd, like a magnet for the shadows in her own soul. She couldn't take her eyes off the display, even as she slowly lowered herself to the ground behind Mao. At the demon's outcry of Yorda's name, Urd snapped into focus just in time to see her collapse.

"No..." She was frozen now, unable to move at the sight of Yorda curled up on the ground. Memories flashed in her mind -- Yorda asking too many questions, Yorda eating ice cream for the first time, Yorda helping Genie cook, Yorda's smile... Urd gasped at the pain in her heart and very well might have exploded outward from it all, but a quiet, broken voice broke through her own despair.

"Y, Yorda...?"

Urd snapped her gaze down to Mao before holding out both her hands, palms facing out. Behind her, bright light formed and two wings unfurled, followed by the figure of her ethereal angel. When Urd spoke, her voice was like a sped-up recording, speaking faster than normal ears could comprehend. A blast wave of power came off her then, sweeping towards the Darkness in an attempt to dissipate it.

"Mao! Snap out of it! She's not dead!"

"Get out of the way."

The Master's hands gently wrapped around Urd's shoulders after her shockwave of power had swept toward the Darkness. There was no electricity in his hands generated by his dissolving life force, but there was a static feel to his touch that sat in the valleys of his fingertips. Had Urd turned to face him, she would have seen him undeterred by the majesty of her angelic wings.

Instead, his face only spoke of the miles he traveled through Paixao and Spira, following a collection of scents that would not leave his memory, to come to this scene. His ratty clothes had grown more shaggy as the cuffs of his pants were shredded under his worn boots. The collar of his hooded sweatshirt was glistening with sweat, even if he could move at incredible speeds with relative leisure. What drew him to run and search to dilapidating ends was now on the ground before him, seemingly immobile and helpless.

It did not take long for a centuries-old Time Lord to piece together everything that had happened in the moments before this encounter. Instead, he took a moment to piece together the gravity of the situation. He had briefly interacted with Mao once before, but having never met him, The Master had no real clue as to his real character. Seeing him in the way he was now, retreating into a stupor, he could only imagine Yorda doing something for the boy like she did for The Master.

And here was Urd, a promise maker and a maternal angel, and even she was losing her edge to the power of this sinister plot. He came in the moment she began speaking out to Yorda and witnessed her ethereal transformation. He was finally able to see the goddess in her true form: a beautiful force protecting other beauty. There was something poetic about it, and it almost touched The Master. Still, there was one major player to the scene that drove him to where he was now.

The girl on the ground. The girl who had tempered his insanity for the briefest of moments and offered clarity in the form of a caring embrace. It was all he could have wanted, and all he would have despised if it offered to him. It was enough to drive him away in fear of losing who he had identified himself as for as long he could remember. He was a Time Lord who was used at the hands of his ancestors for the sake of a failed redemption. He was excluded from everything and all he could do was run. Finally, with Yorda, a true companion, he had something he could run to for once.

At the sight of this only refuge being driven away from him at the hands of a man he had only met for a moment yet understood the evil that lived in him, he could only manage a single sentence. "Get out of the way."

Moving just beyond Urd, he tore at his head with wiry fingers before flailing open and pouring a hideous and hurt bellow toward Ansem. At that moment, his hands were lost in the azure light of his remaining life gushing out of him.

Ansem would have been lying if he'd said he'd expected people to find him here. He'd picked an out of the way location for the particular purpose of not being found. That people had still managed to find him spoke of one thing and one thing only. Someone had overheard him and spoken to the people of the city. Someone he lived with. Clearly he had been correct in not trusting them any further than he could throw them. He had hardly been antagonistic and if this was how that gesture of kindness was received then he'd have to... not so much speak with them as arrange for matters to be taken in hand.

In the meantime, he had unintended guests to tend to. But these he could count on to be blinding by their emotions for the fallen girl. It was obvious enough to him that she was merely fallen, so he simply watched as first the young demon and then a woman with a guardian very much like his own bent to the fallen girl. Better yet, both had a suitable amount of darkness resting in potentia within them. He'd wanted more thorough test subjects and here they had come stumbling to his very doorstep. Perhaps there was something to be said about finding chances in misfortune after all (especially seeing as how if all went well he'd being coming out of this with two subjects more than he'd started with).

And then man he'd spoken to on his first arrival came charging up past the pair of stunned onlookers, light flaring in his hands as he came. It was only Ansem's innate sense of what was true Light and what was Dark that kept him from instinctively flinching away from the attack. For a girl that was merely fallen it seemed almost over-reaction but he had no time to address the matter. The attack was upon him and for all that it seemed to be little more than lightning he had no inclination to take any more damage than he had to. Not today.

Fortunately, it was but the matter of a moment's thought to recall his Guardian to his side. Or rather, to shield him from attack, as it promptly put itself between the Master's attacks and him without even seeming to care about the damage it was taking.

Mao could hardly hear Urd's words, could barely see everything that was going on around them. He was too deeply bound in visions of the past, of cold, pale, lifeless bodies laying still on the ground. The work of a hero. Mao's own work, too. Knowing what would happen, knowing the danger of what he was doing, knowing what the Super Hero was capable of, knowing the mistakes he made in the past, knowing everything and knowing only what was in front of him.

Why...? A familiar voice pierced through Mao's head. Dad... Almaz... Yorda! Mao shook, placing his hands over his ears in a futile attempt to silence the cries of his heart. Why did it have to shout like that again?! Why wouldn't they just shut up?! He thought he'd destroyed them when he went inside his heart that time, so why...?

Was it guilt? Was that what this crushing feeling was? Was it sadness? Demons weren't supposed to feel sad! He hated these feelings... He hated them so much! So why did he have to feel them again? Why so soon? Why at all?! And this... This was all because of him. Always, always, always HIM! Him and his stupid Strongest Overlord obsession! When would he leave him alone?! Why wouldn't he leave him alone?!

Mao's hands balled into fists, his gaze locked on the ground, his entire body shaking.

That bastard...

A spark went off near Mao's feet. Something within him stirred. The air around him thickened.

"No...No! Stop it! You'll hit her, idiot!" Urd cried out after the Master's attack. She ran forward and fell to Yorda's side, immediately chanting a barrier spell. As she weaved her spell, she glanced at Mao, feeling her heart sink at what she saw. Looking back down at the girl at her side, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to smile.

"Yorda...hey, kid. It's time to wake up now." As the sounds of battle and the rising threats sounded, the goddess and this seemingly fragile girl were in a little bubble of their own, Urd's angel maintaining the green-hued shield around them. Urd placed her hand on Yorda's forehead, a soft white glow spreading from her fingers to join with Yorda's already luminescent glow. "Do you hear that? We finally found you...we looked so long for you. Why do you...always make me worry..."

Her voice broke and she shook her head, forcing down the wave of sorrow. If she gave into it now, all would be lost. She prayed Yorda could hear her. "It's not just us. Your friends are waiting for you back at the city. Hey, Yorda..." Urd tenderly brushed back the girl's hair. "Remember when I said you'd have to give Mao strength? Only you can bring him back from the brink."

She looked up to watch the others as she continued to speak. "There is no better time than now to show him how strong you are. Come back to us, Yorda. Please save him.

Save all of us."

Despite the desperate plea from Urd, the high tension from Mao's episode, and the sudden appearance of Ansem's beastly Guardian, The Master was unrelenting in his attacks. He drew one arm as the other recovered its energy and thrust his life force out as though pushing through an invisible barrier. Every step he took with his blasts grew shorter as it became evident he was losing his years with every new spark. With the first blast, his electric blue skeleton flashed for the briefest moment. However, as the battle grew longer, his flashes were more frequent and lasting. His exposures were frightening to many who saw him before, but it seemed to hardly faze the Guardian and its summoner.

It didn't faze The Master either. He remained focused on his own thoughts as he continued depleting every bit of himself into his offense.

TAP TAP TAP TAP there are only TAP TAP TAP TAP two who could TAP TAP TAP TAP stop the drums TAP TAP TAP TAP her TAP TAP TAP TAP and me TAP TAP TAP TAP and if I can't have her TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP it has to be me TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP

Yes. This was what he'd wanted, even if he hadn't known it. Darkness. Anger and rage and sorrow all wrapped up into the same package. It didn't bother him that the man throwing lightning was flickering away as if he would into nothing so much as the skeleton he was gladly showing, nor did the fact that there was most definitely something going on with the young demon boy. Both perfectly acceptable reactions, and both showing equal potential for further exploration. Careful exploration obviously, but exploration all the same.

For now, he simply waited. As long as Guardian kept shielding him from the blasts of lightning (something it could and would keep up all day if need be) he could neither attack nor be hurt. So instead of risking yielding first blood so soon he let Guardian remain. For now he would wait and watch, as Guardian bore the brunt of the attack.

It hurt. It hurt so much. That sharp, throbbing pain from inside his heart, constantly pushing on him, tearing him apart. He knew that feeling. The feeling of something within ready to grab onto him and drag him down as it spilled over. It hurt, all of that pain and hatred, pouring outward in a black, inky aura as Mao let out a rage filled scream.

At the back of his mind came a spark of fear. He knew what was happening, and now it scared him. All that Riku had said... Everything he knew about Darkness now... But he couldn't stop. Someone had to pay for this. Something needed to be done!

Come on, let me have my turn! Mao could hear that voice, his own but with a sinister edge, calling, audible deep within the darkness. You want it too, ze! Don't try to lie!

Mao clutched at his chest, his features twisted in pain as he let out a strangled, straining groan. No... No!

The drums were getting weaker but so was he. The sharp, pounding beats washed under the loss of his lifeforce. All of the noise in his head was dampened to dull thuds like pebbles shifting against each other under the sway of sea water. Yet, the weakness wasn't the scariest thing to him. It was whether the sound in his head were the drums that plagued his existence or his own heartbeat. All he could know now was that he couldn't stop from here. He couldn't leave anything behind, not with so much spent.

He was still mostly functioning in the fight. Still, his energy blasts of lifeforce directed at the gargantuan Guardian were hardly considered "functional." They seemed to only reflect from the hide of the dark creature as it covered Ansem in its own shadow. Why did this seem so odd?

When his steps finally decayed into negligible shuffles, he was forced to drop to a single knee from the gravity of his own lapse. That still did not deter him from continuing his blasts, though the luminescence in his hands was quickly fading. And he's just standing right behind him. Has he moved?

The worn soles of his shoes lost all their traction and he slid to the ground. The blasts had stopped. Wait, that's it! It was in front of my face the whole time! He worked his way to his stomach and pushed out one more blast that seemed to fizzle before it could even reach the Guardian.

All at once, the drums got louder than they ever were before. The sound was deafening within his head and he drew his pale, weak hands over his head. Then, The Master felt his eyes rolling back.

Yorda awoke to the sounds of screams and rage and battle, the pain which had dragged her into unconsciousness ebbing away as she blearily opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Urd, worry written all over her face. "Urd?" the princess asked weakly, reaching up to touch her face as if to make sure she was real. It seemed like it had been such a long time since she'd seen her face that she could scarcely believe it. "You are here," she managed, relief overcoming her expression. "I have missed you."

The flashes of lightning startled the girl, however, and upon sitting up, she saw the Master, overcome by rage and - what? What was happening to him? It frightened her, and she knew she had to do something. But Ansem - where was he? No. It didn't matter. She had to do something. The glowing girl staggered to her feet, careful not to fall down or get in the way of the lightning, and stumbled over to the Master. She knelt before the worn man, laying a gentle hand on his hair and willing her healing to wash over him in gentle waves. "Please do not hurt yourself," she begged, her eyes filling with tears. But a groan and a flash of darkness caught the edge of Yorda's vision, and she looked around to see Mao, clearly in terrible pain and struggling.

Bracing herself, gritting her teeth despite her weakness, the glowing girl raced to him, uncaring as to what Ansem might do to her for her disobedience. It didn't matter how much he frightened her, or how much he'd hurt her; she loved these people far more than she could (or would) ever fear him. Upon reaching Mao, she placed her hands on either side of the young demon's face.

"Mao..." Yorda trailed off, tears blurring her vision. What could she do? What was happening to Mao? But she had to do something, and now wasn't the time for hesitation. So she embraced him and willed her healing upon the boy, just as she had with the Master, clinging to him as though trying to hold him up and drag him out of the darkness he'd surrounded himself with.

"I am here."

In the silence left by the Master's collapse, Ansem finally let Guardian retreat once more, as it took up its more habitual position behind him, looming as if it were an extension of his own shadow. It was a calculated risk, but one he felt safe enough taking for the time. The one opponent who seemed the most dedicated to attacking him had fallen and the others had yet to truly commit to any sort of attack - a fact he knew could change but wasn't overly worried about.

The fact that Yorda took that very same moment to climb to her feet was interesting - very interesting - but he had no care to chastise her at the moment. Unplanned though this had been, it was an excellent way to test her abilities in ways he had either been unwilling or unable to test. Having (partially unwittingly) driven her to the point of collapse he could now see how willingly she used what little power she still had left to her, as well as what that power good do. A trial by fire, for his key above all other keys.

So he neither aided nor abetted the scene unfolding. He didn't even speak into the silence. He had no need to. Not until someone happened to directly address him, and thus far, no one had even bothered that.

Mao held on. He held on as tightly as he could, struggling against the feelings of anger and hate that threatened to spill forth. He tried to calm himself down, but every chain of thought sent him spiraling back to the root of the problem, the very cause of the anger Mao felt deep within. It hurt to keep that power back, however necessary it was, and he just wanted to stop. He just wanted to make it end.

The demon’s eyes, squeezed shut, snapped open at Yorda’s sudden touch. He nearly screamed at her, not recognizing the touch’s owner at first, only knowing that someone was close, but the words died in his throat as the dots connected. “Yor… da?” The shock brought every feeling he had to a stop, the aura and the pain and hatred attached to it fading away, leaving Mao to stand in silence. She was alive? But… he hadn’t done anything. He hadn’t ordered her to come back to life. What happened?

"Yorda..." Urd murmured as the girl awoke, tears springing up all over again as relief washed through her. She too looked on in dread as the Master unleashed his rage, cringing inwardly at the sheer raw feeling of it. And when Yorda stood up and walked out of her shield, Urd stood too, stepping forward in alarm.

"No, wait...!" She clenched her jaw and turned to face their enemy, wondering when an attack would come. For the first time, she took stock of the man in front of them. Long silver hair, tan skin...it was Xemnas alright. Though...something was different. She couldn't put her finger on what.

Urd glanced over her shoulder at her fallen comrades, watching Yorda tend to Mao. With any luck, she'd bring him back from the brink. Until then, she would protect them...even if everything in her wanted to attack at this very moment as she stared up at Ansem, fire in her eyes.

Upon hearing Mao's voice, Yorda stepped back, releasing him from the hug. Whatever had been happening to him appeared to have stopped, thankfully. But what was it? What had been wrong with him? As curious as Yorda was under the mixture of fear and relief, she knew now was not the time to ask about such things. Besides, Mao often didn't like it when she asked him too many questions about himself. The girl looked back at Ansem, who hadn't moved. What was he doing? She knew the others well enough to know they would try to kill him (especially the Master), and if he didn't do something soon, he would get hurt - or worse. But Yorda was more worried for her friends than she was for the cruel man who had imprisoned her, and was immediately distracted by trying to make certain everyone was alright.

The Master, at least, would be fine, perhaps after some rest; the princess knew her healing skills would have sufficed to bring him back from the brink. And Urd didn't seem hurt at all; it was Mao she was the most worried about. Looking back to him, she asked, "I have missed you. Are you alright?"

It was a strange thing, the way Yorda's stay with him seemed to have had so little effect on her. He might have expected it of a true princess of heart, but the darkness in her alone kept her from that status. Similarly for all that she'd collapsed she showed no hesitation her actions. Clearly he had been right in threatening her friends, if this was how she reacted to their presence. But neither did he miss the glare that Urd was sending his way. He didn't truly care that her friends had been put out by his attempts. But neither did he wish to come to blows over the event. He hadn't yet made quite enough use of the girl. There were still things that she could do for him, and surely she wouldn't thank him for coming to blows with those same friends, even if it had been in self-defense.

Besides, he had what he'd come for. He knew her limits, and more of who her friends were. That was enough for now, and without so much as saying another word, he called up a portal of darkness and vanished, taking his Guardian with him. He'd leave the little group to their reminiscing, as the portal slid quietly shut behind him and he was gone.

Yorda letting go of him kept the glowing girl from being yelled at once Mao's brain finally caught itself up to speed. He thought she had been dead, but... Had he just jumped to conclusions? The memory of Almaz had been so clear in his head. Maybe he had just gotten the two mixed up somehow. Dammit... Losing control like that... He should have just checked for a pulse. "J-Just don't make this a habit!" he snapped, trying to pretend that all that had just happened had never occurred.

He said that he wouldn't lose control. It was disgusting that he nearly did. And yet his scientific mind's cogs were beginning to turn. This was the third time a hug had stopped him. What was it about this hug phenomenon that turned away the darkness so easily? Mao wasn't sure how to test it easily or safely, but he was starting to get curious.

A pool of black at the edge of his vision shook the young dean out of his thoughts, and he started forward toward the disappearing form of the white-haired man, his eyes burning with the need to punish. "Where the hell do you think you're going, you coward?! Get back here!" he shouted, but Ansem was already gone.

"No!" Urd shot up into the portal, sparks crackling around her arms as she flew to where Ansem had been, but the shadows vanished around her before anything could be done. Finally her anger burst out of her all at once, impotent and useless, bolts of lightening crashing down in the distance as she clenched her hands and tossed her head back.

Her outburst done, she slowly drifted back to the ground, weary and emotionally drained. She watched Yorda and Mao from a distance, relief filling the empty places in her that the anger had left.

Mao really had been worried. Yorda ducked her head, looking at the ground almost sheepishly as she nodded. "I will try," she told him. However, her mother's shadows had regularly snatched her up on her island, and so she was rather used to all of this by now. She was about to say more, but Mao's sudden yelling drew her attention back to Ansem, and she breathed a shaky sigh of relief as he disappeared.

And then she saw the Master slipping away, and watched Urd sink to the ground, and she grew worried, snatching at Mao's hand despite herself and attempting to tug him over to Urd. She didn't want to be separated from anyone, not again. "Urd!" She cried out, the outburst unusual for her. "Are you all right?"

Mao stood his ground and glared at the spot where Ansem had been, his mouth drawn tightly into a thin line. How could that bastard just leave like that?! Mao hadn't even gotten a good hit in! It wasn't fair!

He felt a tug on his hand and heard Yorda's voice and he turned to look at the goddess, giving her an odd look. She must have been where all that lightning had come from. Had it really managed to take that much out of her?

Urd didn't say anything at first, instead opting to hug Yorda close to her chest. Arms tightening, she took a moment to compose herself before looking down at the girl. "...are you? What happened?" She cupped her hands around Yorda's face to peer into her eyes before glancing at Mao with equal worry...though she did her diagnosis with her eyes rather than touch him.

"Wait, where's...where's the Master?"

Yorda immediately returned the hug, burying her face in Urd's shoulder as she choked back a relieved sob. It took her a few moments to compose herself enough to be able to speak. "He made me open doors for him," she told Urd, "and turn into a shadow." Ansem knew everything Yorda could do, save petrification, and he had tested it mercilessly. Even after Urd's healing, Yorda still felt exhausted. It would take her awhile to feel up to much again, especially with the stress of having her loved ones threatened if she disobeyed.

"He is gone," she told Urd. "I watched him leave." She hoped he would be alright; he'd left without even so much as a word.

Mao gave Yorda an odd look. "Open doors?" That was all? Sure, forcing those kind of manners was definitely a delinquent activity he wasn't expecting out of a kidnapper, but it didn't seem like it should have gotten her to act like that. Maybe it was the shadow thing that had done the damage.

What was that guy after, anyway?

Doors...Urd frowned, looking back to where the kidnapper disappeared into darkness. Doors were always a key. But why would Xemnas need her to open doors? If what she knew was true, he had the ability to go whenever and wherever he wanted. She looked back down at Yorda. "Turn into a shadow? Have you always been able to do this?" She shook her head, putting her hand to her forehead.

"Wait, just...never mind. We'll talk later. Mao?" She looked over at him, eyes probing for any sign of his mental wear. "Are you good to take her home?"

Yorda had just been about to answer Mao when Urd decided they ought to talk later. Stepping back from the hug at last, Yorda gave a relieved nod. Frankly, she was exhausted, and she didn't really feel like talking about what had happened just now. Lowering her eyes once more, the princess tried not to let on just how utterly worn out she was; she didn't want everyone worrying more than they already were.

She stood in silence, hoping that Mao was at least well enough to get back. If not, she might have to carry him - something she was sure she could manage, but unsure as to how well Mao would take it.

Mao still had plenty of energy left in him, physically and mentally. He may have slipped a little back there, but it had been just that--a slip. He placed a hand on his hip, the look of confusion on his face quickly shifting back to a more normal, annoyed frown. "I'm fine. Most of the walk's just teleporting, anyway."

Threaded | Flat

The unsought [Active]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

apologies for shortness!

no subject

no subject

no subject