In Your Darkest Hour, Call to Me

[theheartofdarkness]

Character(s): Ansem and Emizel
Content: A Heartless comes to do what he does best
Setting: Wherever Emizel is
Time: Midday
Warnings: Ansem :|b

Ansem was no stranger to loss. It was part of that which was life, and one of the things that most people could expect to experience. Of course, it hardly bothered him - why be bothered about the loss of one particular heart - but for those who still lived in the light? Oh, there were many ways to injure a heart and none of them more so than loss.

Thus, it should hardly have been a surprise when he came to Emizel. He knew darkness, and anger, and this was so clearly both, for all that he didn't announce his presence. He didn't see a need to, when he was fairly certain that Emizel would notice his presence in due time.

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[trademark_skull]

While there may have been an array of possibilities to what could have happened, Emizel was only set on one: He took her. That god damn bastard took her. The timing was all too perfect for it to be nothing else. After all the Nobody made it quite clear he was going to take everything dear from him. Starting with Urd made perfect sense, but how far would it go? Was Valvatorez going to disappear next?

No, he wasn't going to allow that. No more people were going to get hurt or captured just because of him. As soon as Emizel got over the pain of--

"..." the demon felt it. It sure had been awhile the last time 'that' was around.

"You again," Emizel turned to the side. His voice sounded a bit dry, that strange blend of sorrow, anger, and hurt that some used when failing to hide all three.

[theheartofdarkness]

There. Just as Ansem had expected. The boy always had been able to recognize his darkness. It certainly made things far more convenient, and Ansem offered a smile in response.

"Did you expect anyone else?" If there was one thing he knew, it was darkness, and just at the moment, Emizel's heart was all but steeped in it. It was even in his voice. How things would truly proceed was still anyone's guess, but the darkness alone was enough. It would merely need to be given a proper form.

And who better to do so than Ansem himself?

[trademark_skull]

Emizel glared at him. It always did seem like Ansem appeared at the worse times, but even this was more than usual. But then considering what he was selling, there was no doubt it was all intentional from the start.

"Maybe," he snapped at him. He could already assume what Ansem was doing here, so he might as well cut more to the chase. "What did you want?"

[theheartofdarkness]

Now wasn't that just the question. Not that Ansem cared to mention it, of course. Though he was certainly here because he'd chosen to be, that didn't mean he couldn't leave matters to Emizel. It made things so much more interesting.

"You called to me, did you not?"

[trademark_skull]

And there is where Ansem lost him.

"What? No I didn't," as far as Emizel was concerned he never asked for him at all.

[theheartofdarkness]

Not directly, no. But Ansem had never required directness. It would, after all, have been a poor darkness indeed that couldn't recognize moments like this for what they had been. Yet for all that, still Ansem didn't make any attempt to offer an explanation. What need was there, when there was already darkness aplenty?

"You were wondering about a recent loss, were you not?"

[trademark_skull]

Emizel might have been a little more surprise if it weren't that others were apparently going through losses too. Perhaps there was something even bigger going on that he didn't realize. Though still, he didn't really want to answer that.

"What it is is none of your business," ... not unless he was involved somehow. But no, nobody was that stupid to kidnap someone and turn around to brag about it... were they?

[theheartofdarkness]

No doubt there was. After all, it would have very much been in keeping with his other self's nature. But this too was something that was hardly worth mentioning. What had or hadn't been something his other half had meant to do was of no consequence, and Emizel was quite correct that Ansem was hardly the sort to kidnap someone and then brag about having done so.

"And yet you do nothing to change your fate. How very foolish you are, or is it simply that you yet lack what you need?"

[trademark_skull]

Oh there it was, just what he was waiting for. What this whole encounter was all about.

"I don't want your help," Ansem wasn't the only one avoiding explanations. Emizel didn't even need to back up what his reasons were so long as they were legit. It didn't even bother him if it did seem a bit foolish. Or at least, not too much.

[theheartofdarkness]

In that, at least, Ansem was of no mind to so much as attempt to correct. It might have been foolish, but the world was full of fools. What was one more? He could hardly stop Emizel from walking into what could very well be his doom. Then again, that alone had never been enough to keep him from make offers.

"You would shun my offers even now?"

[trademark_skull]

It may be foolishness due to pride more than anything. But no doubt Emizel had a few other concerns than just that.

"Of course I would."

[theheartofdarkness]

"Then so be it," Ansem answered. "If you are determined to play the fool then you shall truly come to know darkness."

Not by Ansem's own hand of course. He wasn't about to show Emizel the folly of his assumptions. This time, he would simply wait and watch as life itself did so. Not all ends were happy ones, and even then, there was still room for the darkness to unfold, hidden away in the corners where no one thought to look. Such was the case here, and though a lesser man might have be loath to take such a direct method, Ansem was hardly a lesser man. The darkness was his to command, and there was no shame in it.

As such, there was barely a flicker of a pause before he raised a hand in Emizel's direction and called the darkness he knew was there.

[trademark_skull]

Well that was new. That black aura flaring up a bit and the horrible feeling that went with it. It brought back from unwanted memories of what Xemnas had done prior and that was more than enough to want it to stop.

Emizel clenched a hand to his chest and attempted to use willpower to hold the darkness back. Enough to lighten the aura, but he would have to do more to stop it completely.

"What are you..." he growled and used his other hand to get a staff. When in doubt, force was almost always the first thing demons turned to.

[theheartofdarkness]

New to Emizel, perhaps. But to Ansem it was no more or less than simply part of life. It was hardly his fault that the boy hadn't known darkness on this level before. Even the fact that he seemed to be inclined to answer the darkness with violence was hardly surprising. It was a fool's reaction to the unknown and that was the same the worlds over.

"What perhaps I should have done sooner," Ansem answered. "Or is it that you still fear the darkness?"

[trademark_skull]

Fear it? Maybe. It was different to the darkness he was used to. And that kind never bothered him at all, never had the reason to.

But the hate was much more personal than that. Emizel did not like the idea of somebody messing with him. Rather than a response back, he simply answered by torching Ansem. Maybe that would do it.

[theheartofdarkness]

Unfortunately for Emizel, while it certainly wasn't particularly comfortable, it would take more than a bit of fire to keep Ansem from doing as he currently was. He did, admittedly, float gently back out of the flame, but other than that he didn't seem to be particularly inconvenienced. If Emizel wanted a fight, then Ansem was perfectly willing to give him on.

"A pitiful attempt. You cannot avoid the darkness."

[trademark_skull]

Emizel did pause, but he was still irritated. He couldn't exactly do both things at once anyway. There had to be a better way to go about this.

Physically holding back darkness probably was stupid. What was there was there and there was nothing he could do about that. At least not in that way. And going by the last experience, staying calm and focused was the easiest way to prevent it from effecting him. Which he might need.

Slowly Emizel removed his hand and stood straight. He was going to have to ignore the presence and just try to endure it, hopefully this won't take long.

"I don't need to," with both arms free now, let's try that again. Jotting some ice around Ansem as a wall and attempting that fire again. Let's see him get out of that.

[theheartofdarkness]

What was there was there, yes. But that was no guarantee that there wouldn't - or couldn't - be more than simply that. For all that there were now more things that required Ansem's attentions, the darkness would and could take care of itself will enough. Better yet, any potential anger that would come of this would only further fuel the darkness.

Unfortunately for Emizel, he might as well have been trying to cage a shadow. True, he was far more corporeal than some of his brethren, but that was no great inconvenience. It was, after all, only a moment's worth of thought to vanish into the darkness itself and so avoid Emizel's second blast of flame entirely.

When he reappeared a moment later, he was no longer alone either. This time his Guardian had come along with him, looming silently behind him. If it was a fight Emizel wanted, then it was fight he'd have.

[trademark_skull]

From Emizel's angle it looked like a direct hit, which he felt quite proud of. That should teach him. Now it was a matter of time to wait for the steam to clear to see what sort of damage was done, it was one of the downsides of combining ice and fire together like that.

Instead the result couldn't possibly be more opposite. Emizel stepped back when he saw that Ansem still looked completely unscathed. And maybe more importantly, where did that shadow come from?

[theheartofdarkness]

The question of where Guardian had come from would have to wait for another time. After all, this was no time for questions, and now that he'd had to suffer Emizel's attempts at attacking him twice, Ansem wasted no time in offering the slightest of nods to his Guardian. Oh, he could have attacked on his own, but it was quite simply more convenient to do things this way.

No sooner had he finished nodding then Guardian itself moved forward, faster than something that looking like an animate shadow perhaps had any right to, as its hands reached out to grab Emizel.

[trademark_skull]

Emizel freaked at how fast it was moving. Even when he tried there was no way he could have gotten out of the way ahead of time. It made him quite an easy catch over all.

"L-let.. GO!" he squirmed and tried to slip his way free, he was just the right size that it might've been a possibility. It was a little too unlikely though.

[theheartofdarkness]

Unfortunately for Emizel, the Guardian's grip held fast as it pulled him bodily off the ground. There was to be no getting away so easily as all that, and once Ansem was certain that Emizel wasn't about to be going anywhere soon, he stepped up behind his Guardian.

"Do you see now? You cannot escape the darkness, no matter how much you try. It's part of you."

[trademark_skull]

Since getting lifted off the ground made him completely helpless now struggling even further would do nothing but wear him out faster. Instead he was stuck listening to Ansem's words, which like usual barely made sense.

"So what?" of course he had a connection to darkness, he was a demon. It was in their nature. Just maybe not all of them like this. Speaking of which though it was doing a fairly good job by not flaring anymore. Nor was Emizel even trying to push it back still. It was simply there, calm as it might ever be. Perhaps because Emizel's rage dwindled down to just... being simply annoyed.

"Why does it matter to you what I do with it?"

[theheartofdarkness]

It might not have been flaring now, true. But that was no guarantee that it would continue to not do so. Had Ansem wanted to, it would have been no more than a mere thought to call it forward once again. But that was not his intent just at the moment. There were other matters to be addressed.

"A fool's question."

What Ansem wanted was still nebulous at best, but that didn't mean he could continue to see what could be made of Emizel.

"Your friend is gone. You cannot save her, no matter how you try."

[trademark_skull]

Aside from a low growl Emizel didn't say much of anything, the darkness didn't quite move that much either. Perhaps Emizel thought the longer he resisted Ansem might get bored and leave him.

"... I'll get her back."