who do you think you are

[theprobator]

Who: theprobator and you!
When: Late June 13 through early afternoon June 14
Where: Starting in Sector 7, ending on the line between Sectors 2 and 4.
Summary: With their original purpose fulfilled, Ventus and Vanitas move forward on fulfilling their second, and last: opening the way to Kingdom Hearts and perpetuating a war.
Warnings: Violence. Feathers get

Comments

early afternoon; one thread only please!

[theprobator]

Sectors 2 and 4, early afternoon

A bruised and broken boy has finally arrived at his final, and ultimate destination. In the middle of Siren's Port, his arms shaking, the monster lifts the χ-blade in the air, the end of the weapon raised toward the sky. A brief chink of light.

And you are the only one who can stop him.

/s-sneaks in

[createsoblivion]

[She can't stay in any longer. She can't hope to recoup and wait for her heart to mend itself- if it ever would. She cannot sit back and watch as Vanitas tears through the city, knocking down innocent people without thought or hesitance.

It really isn't hard to find him, to track him to Sectors 4 and... Who could miss the X-Blade. He won't get very far in lifting it to the skies, either. Rainfell will see to that with a mighty strike from above. She won't let him summon Kingdom Hearts.]

DING DING DING WINNER

[theprobator]

[No-- no-- the blow knocks him nearly clean off of his feet, and his boots skid across the ground in an attempt to regather his balance. his strength sapped, he slowly pushes himself to his feet, the χ-blade held tightly between both of his fists.]

[he has to hang on a few minutes longer. distract Aqua long enough so he can fulfill his purpose. so he can stay alive in this body.]

[darkness gathers at the sides of the blade-- he only has one or two shots left in him, so Vanitas has to make this count.]

[createsoblivion]

[Aqua has only a little less trouble getting back to her feet from the impact of knocking him back, the recoil having almost shoved her off balance. She was fighting with a crutch, favoring no specific place of her body and it was hell to work with.

As sickening as it was to see Ven's face with those horrible golden eyes, she didn't flinch. Instead she lifts her Keyblade level to Vanitas' own gathering Darkness. He can make the next move.]

[theprobator]

[there is a brief lull and a staredown as he simply stands there-- Vanitas is silent save for his struggling to catch his breath. somewhere in his exhale following a strained gasp, he lets loose a laugh, uncontrollable and hoarse and on the far side of maniacal.]

[like he's going to let Aqua stop him. not when Kingdom Hearts is just within his grasp. when he shoots that blast of darkness, Vanitas immediately hops back, raising the χ-blade to the sky once more.]

REPORTING FOR DUTY o7

[lockandkeyblade]

[The wave of darkness never reaches its target.]

[Sora is suddenly in front of Aqua, taking the brunt of the attack. If the darkness isn't warded off by a sudden pillar of light erupting underneath the boy, it certainly will be from the reflect spell he has cast around himself.]

[He takes the hit hard, skidding backwards on his feet. Other than a lingering fatigue, Sora comes out of it relatively unharmed. Today, Aqua isn't fighting alone, and the precautionary Curaga that Sora intends to use on Aqua is proof of it.]

[Vanitas is about to learn very soon that Sora and Aqua aren't the only one he has to contend with either.]

JOINING HIM 07

[pullsheavendown]

[Roxas has never used the light this way, as a shield that protects Sora even as it sears everything around him, but here and now, it seems perfectly natural as they move in sync.

Good. Sora's got Aqua covered. Satisfied that they're all right Roxas is on Vanitas in a second, Keyblades whirling in a deadly pattern. He can't think of this as fighting Ven, because if he doesn't know anything else, he knows for sure that Ven would want this. He'd said so. Vanitas cannot be allowed to use the x-blade for its ultimate purpose.]

YAY MY BACKUP DANCERS ; w;

[createsoblivion]

[There's a brief moment of panic in her eyes as the shot of Darkness comes crashing towards her, even if that's not what she's worried about. Can she get to him in time without letting him-- Aqua jerks back as the shot is deflected, as Sora drops out of nowhere and into it's path. And to top it off, Roxas is keeping Vanitas from getting that Keyblade in the air.]

Sora-- What are you doing here?

[Don't be fooled- she doesn't sound ungrateful in the least, even back on her feet and ready as she is. She's.. Not exactly confident she can win this one on her own, anyway.]

FUUUUUUU

[theprobator]

[somewhere in whatever depth of his heart he's capable of feeling right now, Vanitas is panicking-- and it's displayed as he jerks back with a pained yell when a swipe connects. no, no, he has to do this. if he can't do this, there is nothing left for him. he will be nothing more than a useless husk of a human.]

[his entire body crackling with darkness, Vanitas switches the χ-blade to his right hand, and lifts both arms to the side. this burst of dark energy is intended to serve as a shield, to push away Roxas and anyone else who tries to get too close. it is nearly all of the strength he has left.]

DONT YOU LIKE OUR TASSELS VANIPANTS?

[lockandkeyblade]

[He turns to look over his shoulder at Aqua. Both he and Roxas show signs of fatigue and Aqua would be hard pressed to notice they've already been in a scuffle prior to this. Still, Sora's more than ready to fight, ready to offer assistance with that curative spell. What ails Aqua right now has less to do with injury and more to do with her heart, but if it works like he hopes it does, it just might give Aqua a second wind.]

Here to back you up, Aqua.

[Another burst of darkness between Vanitas and Roxas prompts Sora immediately into action, attempting circle around their enemy from the opposite side. The moment that barrier is down, Sora's going to be ready for it.]

THEY ARE BLUE AND LOVELY

[pullsheavendown]

[The darkness Vanitas wields is powerful, possibly more powerful than any he's thrown around before, despite the fact that this time he's got Ven's light, too.

It doesn't matter. Roxas fights right back with his own wall of light, because this is what Ventus wanted, even if it's the last thing he wants.

If anything happens, if something goes wrong and I lose... help me by... putting an end to me. Please.

That knowledge drives him, makes push harder against Vanitas' barrier. They've got to give Aqua her chance and end this once and for all.]

NO YOU BOTH SMELL

[theprobator]

[one split second is all Aqua gets, when the darkness dissipates and there is a brief opening where, before the energy fully recedes, that Vanitas stands there, fatigued, quite to the point where he may as well be unarmed.]

[but only one second.]

DOWN BOYS

[createsoblivion]

[One second is all she needs. A tap to her forearm morphs her armor back onto her frame, leaves her protected against the residual darkness swarming the outskirts of the opening. With Roxas and Sora keeping the brunt of his attacks away from her, it leaves the Vanitas wide open for attack and she's taking it.

She's already lost Ven once, already defeated Vanitas plenty of times. Defeated him for good once and for all before too-- How lucky he was to standing there at all. She's on her feet before Sora or Roxas have even started attacking again, dashing past Roxas' light, Sora's light, Rainfell tilted, pulled back in such a way to strike from the ground up. He'd have that split second to stop her- to block or try and fight it off... But she's putting every ounce of power she has left into this. Vanitas will not be summoning Kingdom Hearts if it's the last thing she does.]

late, tl;dr and multiple comments, please bear with me!

[theprobator]

[You're awful.

Her strike hits its target true, crossing down his front and shattering the blade forged on one heart-- one heart, not seven-- and somewhere in the crumbling of his being there's a terrified gasp and a cry and perhaps he even spits out those two judgmental and familiar words in Aqua's direction, just like the lighter half once before him.

a body falls, but Vanitas is already long gone-- drifting off into a hazed mist of thoughts and faded blips of memories and

[he's standing in the middle of a clearing. concrete carpets the ground and sleek buildings climb toward the sky, but when he looks up all he sees are the hearts of other worlds. so much light. the ground roars and shifts beneath him, blades of grass sprout beneath his feet. a creature who was once Ventus stares up at the flickers of other worlds, barely registering the noises around him.

Vanitas smiles. in this memory... tomorrow is a big day for his two best friends- no, his brother and sister.]

[theprobator]

[and then four years ago, he's standing before the almost corpse of his former self, a newly formed void, a darkness monster. he feels nothing. he reeks of darkness. he sees nothing but Ventus. Vanitas tilts his head down, and briefly, the broken boy before him flickers. he sees black spiky hair. a black suit clings to his skin.

he sees himself, a weak, pathetic little thing.]

[theprobator]

[dirt turns to stone turns to a bright day with small fountains and a bed of flowers, and he's watching his brother and sister walk away from him. indifference is not an option, it swells up in what's left of Vanitas' being and he curses himself for feeling, for worrying that he's somehow lost them-- they aren't even his, they're Ven--

he wants to scream. he wants to rip them to shreds and tear apart his love for them. he isn't Ventus. he isn't.

he is. there is no Vanitas. only Ventus. only his darkness.

and so he can't help but resign to worry.]