Roxas - Protection Stone

[the_last]

[As soon as Roxas chomps on the fruit, he will experience sudden disorientation, as if suddenly unfamiliar with being inside his body, perhaps not even knowing why he is there or who he is. It lasts for but a moment and then slowly fades... He will suddenly find himself in a place that seems unusually quiet and gray, as though the color were stolen but there remains just enough to suggest that things have been greatly subdued. There are also about three spots in the distance that seem to almost glow with gentle hues of color, soft and welcoming. Too bad, they seem much too far away to reach.

Within the gray is an expansive forest of every tree imaginable and dry, brittle grass that extends to mid-calf. Here and there, one might even spot some faded prints left upon the ground. The sky is equally gray, although not one cloud can be seen. But a dark mist seems to swirl around the forest, not too thick but clearly present.]

Comments

[unionoftheheart]

[technically we're the exact same speed. :P but there's a moment for him to steady himself, start calling the beam of light that would unlock his heart. it's not going to be possible to get between, he's got it well braced with his arms framing it, but you knock it aside enough to scrape his shoulder instead of killing him]

[and that wrenches a desperate sob out of him; he struggles, trying to get a chance to have another try, he's starting to cry] Roxas please--please--I'm begging you--don't make me do what Xion did, please--

[twilight_boy]

[Okay, that worry just turned to rage] You are doing exactly what she did. And I'm not going to let you do it. Not when there's got to be a way to solve this.

[unionoftheheart]

I know my own heart--

[faltering, a raw noise of pain wrenched out of him, one hand dropping off his keyblade to clutch his chest]

[and then a desperate animal noise, scrabbling, grappling, he doesn't care about doing this the painless way anymore he's just trying to get his keyblade somewhere fatal as fast as he can]

[twilight_boy]

And you just keep ignoring the fact that there are people here more powerful than you! More powerful than anyone from our world! The Ven I know wouldn't just give up.

[Sob, the one time having a status effect spell would have been useful... Since he can't very well cast Sleep or anything like that, he's calling both his keyblades - backward, with the hilts facing outward, and getting in there to deflect Ven's strikes]

[unionoftheheart]

[choking sob at his last words, the denial and rejection cuts deep. frantically trying to fend off his keyblade hilts with zero sense of caution, he doesn't care if he breaks his fingers doing it, this is his last chance to die as himself, he'd do anything just to die right now, even if he'll lose the last bits of human dignity and love he's got--]

[(he's wearing firebird's bracelet by the way I should have mentioned that earlier)]

[but then his keyblade disappears and he doubles over with a raw scream of pain. he's deathly pale. at his throat, at his wrists, you're starting to see black tendrils creeping along under his skin, painting him black and white, darkness and light. he's trembling violently, like he's having trouble moving. you don't really need a bond to sense his utter despair]

...p...please...

[it's one last raw croak, as if his jaw is seizing up and he can't even beg anymore, his eyes are starting to roll back into his head]

[twilight_boy]

[keyblades dismissed, kneeling by him] Ven... I believe in you. You can fight this.

[unionoftheheart]

[he's completely rigid, paralyzed, even the faint whimpers of agony fading, he can't even open his mouth to scream. his skin looks almost metallic, no living color left in it, the shifting patterns of black and white are even spreading through his hair]

[faint outlines of two keyblades are appearing in his hands, rapidly solidifying, twin kingdom keys, one glowing black and one glowing white. outlines of keyholes are appearing in the air, dozens, hundreds. his chest is glowing so brightly you can see it through his coat and shirt. the power radiating off him batters you like a hurricane wind]

[twilight_boy]

[trying to grab one of the keyblades, keep it away from the other] Ven, hang on!

[He's terrified, you can hear it in his voice, see it in the way his hands shake]

Whatever happens, just remember this: It isn't your fault. None of it is. Hold on to that.

[unionoftheheart]

[which one are you grabbing]

[twilight_boy]

[the eviler-looking one?]

[unionoftheheart]

[for a moment, it seems almost attached, like his not-quite-flesh-anymore has fused with it--]

[and then it tugs free in a sludgy stretching coil of darkness, molasses-thick and dripping. a few of the darkness-tendrils painting Ven's metal skin fade, like the balance is shifting, and the darkness keeps flowing out of his hand, dripping, pooling, coagulating...]



[sorry I can never resist boss music]

[twilight_boy]

[O snap] Okay, you I can fight... [Keyblades out!]

[unionoftheheart]

[it darts at you, weaving and dodgerolling, trailing darkness in its wake, attacking furiously in a blur of motion. despite all the darkness, it's not fighting like Vanitas in the least; it wields its black Kingdom Key backwards, it's attacking with all of Ven's technique, Ven's training]

[twilight_boy]

[...and faltering at that, blocking but not striking, looking back to where Ven is and taking his eyes off the fight]

[unionoftheheart]

[he's still kneeling, locked in place, the white keyblade firmly in his other hand. more and more keyholes are opening, you might glimpse a spectral outline of the great crystal blade of the X-blade forming over his body]

[but it's not forming very fast. just enough of the darkness is trailing out of his hand in a rope to feed the armored darkness you fight that it seems to have at least interrupted the process, the balance is just a little bit off...]

[on the other hand, you bet that black Kingdom Key is finding your unprotected back, and finding it hard. whatever this shadow is, it's not holding back, that's a deep wound]

[twilight_boy]

[staggering from that; it's almost bad enough to knock him out. But not so severe that he can't put everything he's got into the most spectacular limit break light attack ever. What time is it? Magic Hour time!]

[unionoftheheart]

[oh it doesn't like that, it doesn't like that at all. it doesn't go down immediately, it puts up a fight, darting after you even as light pillars rip into it to try to get a hit in]

[a few of those pillars glint off of the white keyblade still in Ven's hand, and it glows brighter, the outline of the X-blade is fading, keyholes are disappearing--but your limit gauge is running out fast--]

[you have enough. just barely enough, you wouldn't have made it if you hadn't been pushing yourself to the absolute limits of your ability. but it falters under the force of the last bit of light you can summon, bits and pieces of armor peeling off of it to reveal nothing but darkness underneath, darkness boiling away to nothingness in the light]

[twilight_boy]

[sending one last light strike after it... and then collapsing to his hands and knees, unable to keep standing]

[unionoftheheart]

[all around you, keyholes are disappearing. the outline of the X-blade is gone, the lines of darkness on Ven's skin are few compared to the light. the metal is beginning to crack, peel, slough off, revealing normal skin underneath. he's shaking, he can move a little, though from the noises he's making it rather hurts--]

[unionoftheheart]

[--and then he collapses too, the white kingdom key turned back into Wayward Wind and vanishing, shaking and sobbing, an utter wreck]

[twilight_boy]

[crawling over to him. If there's any metal left, he'll do his best to pry it off, though he's got very little strength left] You did it. You're still here. You're still you.

[unionoftheheart]

[there might be a few bits and bobs here and there; it's a little sticky, and he flinches, but given how much that whole thing seemed to hurt that's kind of icing on the cake]

I didn't--I didn't do anything--I couldn't do anything--

[he scrabbles his fingers in the leaves, looking at you a little wild-eyed, he isn't sure what happened, how did you get hurt, the last thing he remembers you were denying him and letting the worst thing he could imagine happen to him, did you save him after all...]

[twilight_boy]

You stayed. We beat it. [flopping onto his back]

[unionoftheheart]

[he might just. need to curl around your arm like a limpet and sob into your shoulder ok]

I-I thought...you didn't believe me...that you were just going to let it happen...I was so scared...

[twilight_boy]

But you still fought it. Some part of you refused to just give in.