| The Twenty Eighth Aura • Video |
[ - Forward Dated To Saturday Morning | Filtered From Bubbles - ]
[There's a stillness that fills the room as the PCD turns on, the camera aimed directly at the bed located in a room at the clinic. The sheets are stained and bloody, an obvious sign that someone who had been gravely hurt had once laid there. However hurt they might have once been, ( Read more... )
[There's a stillness that fills the room as the PCD turns on, the camera aimed directly at the bed located in a room at the clinic. The sheets are stained and bloody, an obvious sign that someone who had been gravely hurt had once laid there. However hurt they might have once been, ( Read more... )
The smile faded at her next words, however. A promise. How many of those had he made knowing he would never be able to follow through on it? How many times had he said those words when he knew that he would fail? He had promised Sora that the day he left, he would go with him. He had promised Hanna that he would never leave him. What impossible promise could she possibly want him to make, knowing that he would never be able to keep it.
His eyes closed, slowly, and he took a deep breath. What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? These questions kept repeating themselves, coming up over and over in his mind. And all he could say was:]
Right.
[He nodded slowly, eyes opening. Whatever the price was, he was ready to pay it.]
Just tell me what it is.
[No matter how much he wanted to tell her he couldn't promise her anything, not in this world. Not here where nothing could be guaranteed. Where he could be forced to break the very promise he made to her to day tomorrow. He couldn't. He had already hurt her enough by dying.
Maybe this would finally be the one he'd be allowed to keep.]
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[She can already hear the no she's going to receive. Because that is definitely the answer she would give. But she has a bargaining chip--one she'd rather not use if she doesn't have to--but still, leverage all the same.]
[Promises are dangerous things and she knows it. Especially when they're made to be broken. But that doesn't matter so much.]
[This is what matters. And Riku had told her he'd wanted to protect the things that mattered. He can't blame her for wanting the same thing.]
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And for a time, it seemed as if the answer truly would be the no that she was apparently expecting. After all, he wanted to protect the things that mattered, and she was one of those things. How could he protect her is she was by his side?
But he let Sora fight by his side, often allowing the other to stand in front of him. Why couldn't he do the same things for her?]
Answer something for me first.
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[And truthfully, as strong as she tries to be, something like this--watching helplessly, powerless to do anything--hurts her more than any physicality ever could.]
What is it?
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[It's said calmly, as if they're discussing what they should have for dinner. But he needs to know. Before he can answer, he needs to know.]
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[Between Madara, Sephiroth, and Riku's death... well, it's been more than a week since his question, but she hasn't had time to really think. She's spoken with Raven, it's been sitting in the back of her mind...]
[And one thing his death made her realize is how much she doesn't want to lose him. And how much she could want this, if she only let herself. But it also made her realize how devastating it would be to see him hurt on her behalf, again, and that being with her could make him a bigger target than he already is... for anyone, really, but Naraku especially.]
...there were some things I wanted to... discuss with you, first.
So you know exactly what you'd be getting into.
Because... there's more than just what we want to consider here.
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[He knew so much much than she would ever know. He knew how much this could end up hurting either one of them. She wasn't the only one with enemies. The only difference was her's were here and his could show up at any moment.
But he wasn't even sure what he wanted anymore. He had thought, before this, that he had wanted to move on, to get over what he had been through. That he had wanted to move on with her. Now, he wasn't so sure he wanted to put her in that position.]
Start talking. Tell me what I'm getting myself into. Because there's somethings you should know too.
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I've told you a lot about Naraku and what he can do. One thing, among several, that has not been discussed is the fact that instead of hurting people directly or even physically, he prefers to use emotional torment to accomplish his ends. [A pause.] Given the chance, he will do anything and everything to hurt you. He knows that my biggest weakness is the people I care about--he's used them before, and he will do it again. Being with me would be like painting a target on your back--one that he is fully qualified to hit.
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[He had known that the moment one of Naraku's pest had invaded his home and had come after Bubbles. Why else would he had sent one of his spies there unless he had figured out the connection between the two of them?]
That doesn't scare me, Sango.
[Nothing scared him anymore. Even before this, before his death, nothing scared him. Living in fear would get him no where, not in a place like this. And he wouldn't do so now.]
You want me to promise that next time I have to fight, I'll let you fight by my side. And I will. On one condition.
[He moved forward, bright eyes meeting hers, his hand lifting the, the back of his fingers brushing over her cheek softly.]
That you let me do the same for you.
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[She knows it, too. The moment she saw the Saimyosho in the house, she knew, just like he did. It's the reason she told Bubbles to apologize to Riku. Not for the bug, because he could take care of that (hell, Bubbles could take care of that given the right instruction), but because they--all of them--were already hopelessly entangled in the web of lies and hurt and broken of Naraku.]
[And it is all her fault.]
[Traveling with Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippou, Miroku--it had made her forget. When she was with them, the burden she carried wasn't just hers. It was one they all shared, because they'd all been hurt by Naraku. They all had a reason to be where they were... they all had the same shackles, and in an environment where that was normal, she had forgotten that said shackles even existed.]
[In Adstring, it's different. But she forgot. And then, when Naraku came, it was too late. Everyone she loved was already infected; without even realizing it she'd looped her chains around her friends like nooses around their necks. She had as good as marked them for the slaughter.]
[It's too late to change a thing. There's no way to unlove them, and vice versa; and it's not like they'd go away, even if she told them to. She both loves and hates them for it. She's not strong enough to push them away, to force herself to be truly alone. She's never strong enough.]
[But the hole's already been dug. The shackles are closed around her, around everyone she cares about. There is no turning back, not even if she wanted to be alone. She can revel in the guilt all she likes, but it won't change a thing. It won't stop them. Raven was too right.]
[If you love someone, it's already too late.]
[Her eyes shut. Squeeze shut, because she doesn't want to make this decision, she doesn't want to have to play this card. Without even realizing it, she reaches up to squeeze his hand with hers.]
[It's a lose-lose situation. Because she can't, she won't let him fight alone, not again. As much for herself as for him. But agreeing... is basically signing his death warrant.]
[But she knows, of course, that it's already been signed.]
[She slumps a little, but looks up at him.]
...alright.
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[And he didn't. He had already had his death warrant signed a long time ago, by someone else in another world in another time. It had taken this long for it to be carried through. And if it meant that another one had been formed and signed by someone else in yet another world and yet another time then that was the price he was willing to pay.
He had been left alone here so many times. He was the only one left from his world. Sora had come and gone twice. Kairi had come and gone twice. He had seen Roxas, if only over the device, knowing that he was only a city away and knowing that at the end of that week, he was going to be an impossible distance away.
And that might very well be what ended up happening at the end of this. He might be left alone again. She might be forced to return to her world and leave him there. Or he might finally be forced to go back to his own and she would be the one who would be alone.
But if he had never come here, he never would have met her. And if that meant having a permanent target painted onto his back by an enemy who wasn't his, but who he would fight willingly in order to protect those he loved, than he would take it. Raven's words rang in his ears as her eyes met his, the deep swirling pools of color boring into his own as if they could see into his heart and know what he was thinking, what he was feeling.
Is is worth it?
And it was. And he had a feeling it always would be.]
I trust you. I know you can take care of yourself. But... we're be stronger together. Maybe then... we really can protect everyone.
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[But his last words stop her, because--how did he know? Except for that it's completely obvious, and that they're the same, and for a moment all she can think is that in a sick, twisted way, it's a relief to have someone with the same impossible goal.]
[She is this close to losing it because that's all she's ever wanted. And he knows it, and to hear that quiet hope (not even a promise, not even a probability) expressed is... indescribable.]
[But it's not a realistic hope. And she knows it.]
[So all he gets is a sad smile.]
...no, we can't. But we'll try, anyway, won't we.
[It's not even a question, it's just a fact. Inescapable.]
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Then you know why I did what I did.
[It was a simple explanation, but he knew she would understand. Why he hadn't let her go, even when the energy could have been better used else where. He had cared more about her personal safety than about his own.
He knew it was an impossible dream. Here, almost every dream was impossible. But Sora had taught him so much. He had taught him to follow his heart.
And his heart told him that they had to try. Even if they fail, they still had to try.]
Yeah. We will.
[His voice is equally sad, because he already knows no matter how hard they try, they'll never succeed.
His hand slips away from her's, moving instead to intertwine their fingers, bringing their hands in front of them and examining them. His fingers were long, matching her's and fitting between them perfectly. It was a comforting fit, a calming fit, one that seemed as if it had been made to happen.]
Because... I'd rather try than stand by and watch them be hurt. [There's a pause, long and painful.] I'm sorry I made you to the same.
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[She understands far more than she should. For fuck's sake, she's seventeen years old and she's already seen and experienced things that would make hardened grown men dissolve into tears, crawl into a hole and never come back out. She has little doubt that it's the same for Riku.]
[She swallows hard and stares at their hands and wonders why he did that, wonders how one simple touch can be so comforting and heartbreaking, wonders how it can say so much without saying a single thing. Her hands are rough. Work-worn. Callused. Scarred in some places, too. But for once, she doesn't really care. At all. And the simple luxury of not having to care is in itself completely unfamiliar, just like everything else that's happened.]
I know the feeling. [She knows it inside and out. Just like he does. And even if they didn't explore it together, the destination is the same.] ...don't apologize, because I would've done the same thing.
[But they're not done talking. Not yet. And she hates to put a downer on things, not when she already feels so heavy and hopeless, but this is not a conversation that can be left hanging. He may have coaxed that one promise out of her--and she him--but it's not over, not by a long shot.]
...but... the fighting... that's not the only thing. [A pause. She swallows hard.]
...at any time... one of us could leave.
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But he was a key blade wielder, someone was used to traveling from world to world. And if they had found all of those worlds, it wasn't so hard to imagine that he could find hers. That he could come and find her, see her, fight by her side and protect her. Help her save her world just as his had been saved.
And so in the end, the answer, at least for him, was simple.]
I'd find you. Even if you leave, Sango, I will find you. [His fingers tightened around hers. They were slightly rough, calloused from hours spent in training and long battles spent wielding his weapon. But it didn't matter. All that mattered right now was this moment and the words he had to say.][He took a deep breath, his fingers loosening but keeping that contact.]
My weapon is called a keyblade. It's power is one that can only be passed on from one wielder to their chosen successor. I was chosen a long time ago, when I was six, by a man who was visiting my world.
I don't even know his name. But... he was meant to become my teacher. [He pauses, a look of sadness flashing through the bright green of his eyes.] I never saw him again.
[Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to continue on, telling her what he had already told Hanna and Juliet.]
You have to have a strong heart in order to be chosen, and even then, the keyblade has to choose you, choose your heart. The one that chose mine is Way to the Dawn.
Outside of this world, are all of our words. Yours, mine, and everyone else's. With it.... I have the ability to find them. All of them. And when we leave here, I will find you. No matter what it takes. I will find you.
[His other hand raised, slowly, pressing a finger against her lips, softly, knowing that she would want to speak, to tell him that what he was saying was silly, that there was no way that he could do what he was promising. But he knew so much differently.]
My job, as a wielder of the keyblade, is to keep the worlds safe. Each world has a heart, and within that heart is a keyhole, that only a keyblade can unlock and seal it. All I'd have to do is find it.
[His finger moved, pulling along her bottom lip slowly, his own curling into a smirk.]
So you're going to have to think up a better argument, sorry.
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