Fics: Assassin's Waltz, Into The Abyss (Riku II, # 9, 10)
Title: Assassin's Waltz
Author: taichara
Claim: Riku II
Characters: Riku II, Axel
Theme Set: Darkness
Theme: 9. Dance
Disclaimer: Not my characters, alas ..
Notes: Threat can be elegant, anger can be graceful; and both can be deflected, if one knows the trick.
The first of the lost ones he found lurking near the portal to the soft dungeon-darkness, with its hair of bloody flame a brilliant blaze against blackest velvet and the colorless shine of Oblivion's veneered marble.
Anger like frozen flame choked him nearly senseless as he stalked slowly closer, and the silver shadow ground his teeth, called the black-winged razor to his hand; and with neither cry of warning nor the merest whisper of his passage, he flew arrow-swift against the fire-caller --
-- who whirled, and turned to face him; and flung one bone-slender arm outwards in an arc of burning crimson to catch the spirit-eating wing in a fiery ring of shining silver thorns.
With a weary, wicked smile, the hollow creature backed away, flickered out of then into existence out of reach of the darkling blade -- then circled warily about the moth-pale twin, his face a mask of false innocence.
“Now, what did I do this time to deserve this, mm?”
“You used me.”
He advanced in a slow hypnotic spiral, midnight flames burning night-violet against the fire-caller's crimson, his sea-fire gaze locked on the hell-jade eyes of the hollow shell before him.
Watch the eyes, always the eyes -- they give all the warning that you need --
“They used you. Not me.”
Blood-flame and blackest velvet advanced slowly, soft footsteps measured and delicate as a dying ember. For a moment the moth-twin's thought was left hanging in a question, and he allowed his own burning corona to ebb low as the fire-caller spoke ...
“I did what I had to do to uncover their treachery.
“No more, no less.”
“Why should I believe you?”
-- And with that he erupted in the brilliant black fires once again, as he descended upon the hollow king's bright pawn with a fury born of betrayal.
But Axel was swift, swift as hell's own fire.
Once, twice and again he flickered out of reach, a curtain of burning scarlet his own response;
and razored discs of crimson flame his answer to the onyx blade that quested for his empty heart, singing through the still dead air like sharpened fangs.
Thus it went, as silver shadow and burning darkness now wove silent rings past one another in careful, measured steps; now whirled and clashed in a blaze of blood-scarlet and midnight-darkness, as the fires roared around them and the pale purity of marble cracked and cried in the wake of their passing.
Crimson teardrops and fine mist of blackness stained the immaculate flagstones that lay beneath their feet, and still they circled, circled --
Til the fire-caller flickered once, twice; felt night-keen wing grate hungrily along one hollow flank, prick at his harrowed soul;
The silver shadow bared a killer's smile, then; ignored the bite of a burning ring of blades that came crashing down, threw off the scarlet flames to twist and drive home the night-dark wing into the hated hollow husk --
And froze to listen -- black blade tearing free in a spray of ink-dark mist -- as crimson mane filled his vision, bone-thin hands closed painfully onto his shoulders, and bloodless lips murmured a darkling secret into his ear ...
Title: Into The Abyss
Author: taichara
Claim: Riku II
Characters: Riku II, Axel
Theme Set: Darkness
Theme: 10. Gamble
Disclaimer: Not my characters, alas ..
Notes: .. and the trick continues; and perhaps each shall achieve his goal yet ...
“I'm listening.”
He spat bloody froth onto the tortured, blackened stone of the once-pure marble beneath his feet, and waited for the empty shell now pacing fever-swift before him to speak his piece and explain his whispered words before he lost what patience remained to him.
Axel wiped away the stain of ichor from his mouth, fingered the ragged gash torn along one hollow flank; then turned a falsely-friendly gaze of emerald fire upon the silver shadow.
“I'm not the enemy here, Riku --”
“I'm not 'Riku'.
“And you always knew that --”
The fire-caller narrowed his eyes, and the dead air around him shimmered briefly.
“What else should I call you, then?
“He made you to be Riku -- but he's gone now,
“and the last one left who made you in the dark is in the lower levels.”
Axel glided closer, one pace, two; and Riku lifted the black-winged blade warningly, razored edge flickering with the midnight flame that answered his call.
Heaving a sigh, the fire-caller stilled again, slender hands held wide and empty.
“Hey, hey ... last thing I need is for you to tear me apart.
“I've gone and done my bit; what you do now is your own business.
“But --”
-- he gave Riku a long and sidewise glance through lowered lashes, as the silver shadow glared and began once again to circle slowly --
“I can show you where to find him.
“I can also tell you how to be rid of him forever,
“Take his power for your own ...”
“Why?”
“You think I owe them anything?”
The hell-jade eyes burned with hunger then; and Riku watched phantom anger flicker, like brilliant embers, across the fire-caller's bloodless face.
“They made me what I am, Riku.
“But you, you can make him even less than that ...”
“Give me one reason why I should believe you now, Nobody.”
The devourer of souls was raised now in wordless threat, but Axel only shrugged and smiled.
“Believe what you want to believe.
“You're just going to have to take the chance, aren't you?”
In his darkened mind's-eye the ghost-flame flickered to life, calling, calling;
and the moth-pale twin stood silent, statue-still and lost in thought, as blood-flame wrapped in torn and black-stained velvet crossed his arms and waited in his turn, inky tearmarks stark and glittering against bloodless flesh and hell-jade eyes.
The first choice: to end this here and now and tear this hollow mockery asunder, then search out the thought-weaving phantom and cast him likewise into the void;
Or, the second choice: to listen to the silk-soft words, and somehow become something other than a toy, and be the only ...
:: I have no reason to betray you. I want him -- need him -- gone. ::
The voice was bright and sharp as flame, soft as embers in his mind.
:: Trust me, Riku. ::
:: I can give you something he can never have. ::
:: Trust me. ::
The darkness sang down deep within, and coiled serpentine through the silver shadow's heart as if in answer to a desire he had forgotten in himself;
and Riku lowered the destroying wing again, sent it shimmering into the dark as he inclined his head the merest fraction.
“Bring me to him.”
Author: taichara
Claim: Riku II
Characters: Riku II, Axel
Theme Set: Darkness
Theme: 9. Dance
Disclaimer: Not my characters, alas ..
Notes: Threat can be elegant, anger can be graceful; and both can be deflected, if one knows the trick.
The first of the lost ones he found lurking near the portal to the soft dungeon-darkness, with its hair of bloody flame a brilliant blaze against blackest velvet and the colorless shine of Oblivion's veneered marble.
Anger like frozen flame choked him nearly senseless as he stalked slowly closer, and the silver shadow ground his teeth, called the black-winged razor to his hand; and with neither cry of warning nor the merest whisper of his passage, he flew arrow-swift against the fire-caller --
-- who whirled, and turned to face him; and flung one bone-slender arm outwards in an arc of burning crimson to catch the spirit-eating wing in a fiery ring of shining silver thorns.
With a weary, wicked smile, the hollow creature backed away, flickered out of then into existence out of reach of the darkling blade -- then circled warily about the moth-pale twin, his face a mask of false innocence.
“Now, what did I do this time to deserve this, mm?”
“You used me.”
He advanced in a slow hypnotic spiral, midnight flames burning night-violet against the fire-caller's crimson, his sea-fire gaze locked on the hell-jade eyes of the hollow shell before him.
Watch the eyes, always the eyes -- they give all the warning that you need --
“They used you. Not me.”
Blood-flame and blackest velvet advanced slowly, soft footsteps measured and delicate as a dying ember. For a moment the moth-twin's thought was left hanging in a question, and he allowed his own burning corona to ebb low as the fire-caller spoke ...
“I did what I had to do to uncover their treachery.
“No more, no less.”
“Why should I believe you?”
-- And with that he erupted in the brilliant black fires once again, as he descended upon the hollow king's bright pawn with a fury born of betrayal.
But Axel was swift, swift as hell's own fire.
Once, twice and again he flickered out of reach, a curtain of burning scarlet his own response;
and razored discs of crimson flame his answer to the onyx blade that quested for his empty heart, singing through the still dead air like sharpened fangs.
Thus it went, as silver shadow and burning darkness now wove silent rings past one another in careful, measured steps; now whirled and clashed in a blaze of blood-scarlet and midnight-darkness, as the fires roared around them and the pale purity of marble cracked and cried in the wake of their passing.
Crimson teardrops and fine mist of blackness stained the immaculate flagstones that lay beneath their feet, and still they circled, circled --
Til the fire-caller flickered once, twice; felt night-keen wing grate hungrily along one hollow flank, prick at his harrowed soul;
The silver shadow bared a killer's smile, then; ignored the bite of a burning ring of blades that came crashing down, threw off the scarlet flames to twist and drive home the night-dark wing into the hated hollow husk --
And froze to listen -- black blade tearing free in a spray of ink-dark mist -- as crimson mane filled his vision, bone-thin hands closed painfully onto his shoulders, and bloodless lips murmured a darkling secret into his ear ...
Title: Into The Abyss
Author: taichara
Claim: Riku II
Characters: Riku II, Axel
Theme Set: Darkness
Theme: 10. Gamble
Disclaimer: Not my characters, alas ..
Notes: .. and the trick continues; and perhaps each shall achieve his goal yet ...
“I'm listening.”
He spat bloody froth onto the tortured, blackened stone of the once-pure marble beneath his feet, and waited for the empty shell now pacing fever-swift before him to speak his piece and explain his whispered words before he lost what patience remained to him.
Axel wiped away the stain of ichor from his mouth, fingered the ragged gash torn along one hollow flank; then turned a falsely-friendly gaze of emerald fire upon the silver shadow.
“I'm not the enemy here, Riku --”
“I'm not 'Riku'.
“And you always knew that --”
The fire-caller narrowed his eyes, and the dead air around him shimmered briefly.
“What else should I call you, then?
“He made you to be Riku -- but he's gone now,
“and the last one left who made you in the dark is in the lower levels.”
Axel glided closer, one pace, two; and Riku lifted the black-winged blade warningly, razored edge flickering with the midnight flame that answered his call.
Heaving a sigh, the fire-caller stilled again, slender hands held wide and empty.
“Hey, hey ... last thing I need is for you to tear me apart.
“I've gone and done my bit; what you do now is your own business.
“But --”
-- he gave Riku a long and sidewise glance through lowered lashes, as the silver shadow glared and began once again to circle slowly --
“I can show you where to find him.
“I can also tell you how to be rid of him forever,
“Take his power for your own ...”
“Why?”
“You think I owe them anything?”
The hell-jade eyes burned with hunger then; and Riku watched phantom anger flicker, like brilliant embers, across the fire-caller's bloodless face.
“They made me what I am, Riku.
“But you, you can make him even less than that ...”
“Give me one reason why I should believe you now, Nobody.”
The devourer of souls was raised now in wordless threat, but Axel only shrugged and smiled.
“Believe what you want to believe.
“You're just going to have to take the chance, aren't you?”
In his darkened mind's-eye the ghost-flame flickered to life, calling, calling;
and the moth-pale twin stood silent, statue-still and lost in thought, as blood-flame wrapped in torn and black-stained velvet crossed his arms and waited in his turn, inky tearmarks stark and glittering against bloodless flesh and hell-jade eyes.
The first choice: to end this here and now and tear this hollow mockery asunder, then search out the thought-weaving phantom and cast him likewise into the void;
Or, the second choice: to listen to the silk-soft words, and somehow become something other than a toy, and be the only ...
:: I have no reason to betray you. I want him -- need him -- gone. ::
The voice was bright and sharp as flame, soft as embers in his mind.
:: Trust me, Riku. ::
:: I can give you something he can never have. ::
:: Trust me. ::
The darkness sang down deep within, and coiled serpentine through the silver shadow's heart as if in answer to a desire he had forgotten in himself;
and Riku lowered the destroying wing again, sent it shimmering into the dark as he inclined his head the merest fraction.
“Bring me to him.”