Word Count: 1849
Ships?: Absolutely not, unless you think fighting=love?
Characters: Saix, Marluxia
Rating: PG - there's fighting, but it's not explicit
Spoilers: 358/2 Days... secret sort of things? But it's only really noticeable if you already know what's being spoiled… so it's not really a spoiler. ;P
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything related to it. This was written entirely out of my fangirlish love for Organization XIII, and absolutely no profit is being made.
Author's Notes: So I wrote this when I realized that it was 07/11, which is Saix/Marluxia day! And I decided an EPIC FIGHT SCENE was in order. Plus, my friend and I had this insane 25-page-long (I'm seriously not exaggerating here) argument over who was stronger, Marluxia or Saix. So this is sort of a gift for her as well as a way for me to write something OTHER than my Xaldin/OC adorable fluffiness of DOOM which I haven't posted here because it's not done yet and I'm also kind of scared to do so. *gaspofbreath* ANYWAY... I hope anyone who reads this enjoys it. :)
End Author's Notes
The moon was full. Or rather, it would have been if Saix were on his home world. If Saix' home world still existed. It didn't anymore, but the effects born of many years' experience still held sway over him. A "muscle memory" of sorts. Of course, Kingdom Hearts was a poor excuse for a moon at best, but he could still draw some power from it. And when his moon would have been at its fullest, he found he could draw more power from the heart-shaped thing hanging in the sky of The World That Never Was.
His technique was, perhaps, less refined than others. It did not require the finesse needed to guide elements with magic, nor did it call for imagination, as Illusion did. But it suited him, because it finished the task. And the lack of beauty could hardly be considered a loss when one considered the immense power it provided. Especially now.
And so this time, the time of the Full Moon, was therefore perfect for the administering of punishments, as was the right given him by Xemnas.
His fighting style had earned him many different names on the various worlds he had visited. Moon Elf, Werewolf, and Beast by all counts. Ruled by the lust for destruction, they said. Good for nothing else, they said. They rarely said anything else after that.
Perhaps he was foolish to challenge his victim in the latter's own domain... but he was confident. The moon was full, and so was he, power-drunk with the strength he could feel flowing through his very being, just waiting to be called forth. He could not lose. Not tonight.
"Well well, to what do I owe this pleasure, Number VII?"
Saix did not answer; there was no need to, for the other Nobody was no fool. His narrowed eyes and tensed muscles screamed out the guilt that he expertly kept from his voice. He knew Saix' purpose... or thought he did. And his assumption was close enough, judging by how he shifted slightly as Saix stepped further into the room, no doubt moving into a stance that would provide stronger defense.
"So Xemnas knows, then?" he queried, a smirk twisting his features. Saix scoffed and laughed, softly.
"Is that even a question, Eleven? Of course our Superior knows of your half-baked, traitorous plot for domination. He is also confident it will be as utterly fruitless as it is pathetic." A muscle twitched in Marluxia's jaw; ah, that remembrance of Pride was strong. But his expression remained an irritatingly smug mask.
"That is because he does not know all of it."
"And that is because you don't even know the entire plan yourself, Marluxia. As I said before... it is ill-planned and arrogant, whatever it is. You cannot win."
"And so now he has sent his loyal pet," he spat the insult out with all the remembered disdain he could summon "to punish the wayward minion, I suppose." The scythe appeared in his hand in a whirl of quickly-fading petals and he crossed it in front of him, poised and waiting for Saix' move.
"That is not why I am here." The look of surprise was short-lived, but Marluxia's guard never wavered and the shock soon faded back into his usual leer. It would be an infuriating expression, if the Diviner had the heart for such useless feelings.
"Oh, no? Then I'll ask again: what in all the worlds convinced you it was wise to enter my room with a threat on your lips?"
There was no answer save for the sshhink of a summoned claymore as Saix lunged toward Marluxia, dodging the vines that snaked out to catch him as he released a roar, tapping into that vast well of raw strength that lay readily available to him at any moment here in this world of endless night. But Marluxia lived up to his nickname, and even as Saix moved, faster than any human, he saw Marluxia dodge nimbly to the side and swing the scythe down in a powerful stroke at Saix' back. He missed the skin, but managed to catch and tear a gash in the coat. Saix' swing, on the other hand, struck naught but the empty air. He landed a mere dozen feet away and immediately turned to pursue the Assassin, but just as he caught sight of him, the latter brought his arms up in a sweeping motion to cross over his chest, and a dome of vines curled around him, hiding him from view. Each vine was impossibly thick-impossible, that is, if it weren't for magic-but every one fell easily with two strokes of Saix' weapon.
But just as he cleared a hole through the barrier, a sound coming from above him caught his attention. He moved aside just in time to avoid greeting Marluxia's scythe with his face and instead received a glancing blow to the shoulder. The cut was not deep, and he merely cursed himself for being so foolish as to think that the Assassin would remain within his cage. He would not forget the man's powers again...
And then Marluxia was gone, and there were more vines snaking and twisting everywhere around Saix. These were thinner vines and easily destroyed, but they were also numerous and fast-growing, and each cubic foot he cleared was almost immediately grown over again as soon as he passed on to the next area. He paused in a clearing he made, and noticed that the vines did not grow in tighter around him. They were... afraid, perhaps? He grinned and shook his head at the thought and sent out a shockwave of power, manifested in his signature blue fire, to make the clearing larger.
"I will not be led like a dog on a chase, Marluxia," he called, speaking calmly despite the volume. He waited patiently, but his only reply was the sound of vines moving, and then... a faint whistling sound that came from everywhere at once, almost as if the Assassin were...
"Come here boy!" came from off to the left…
"Come on!" came from above and to the right…
"Who's a good boy?" Came from directly behind him, and he whirled around, claymore raised to block a blow that is never thrown…
"Thaat's a good boy!" Saix' eye twitches. That time the voice came from right above him.
"Come on!" And now from far away again, but moving closer.
Suppressing the remembrance of pride and anger, Saix closed his eyes and focused, intently searching for the telltale sounds of a body's movement. He finally caught it, and it was faint from distance, but growing ever louder as the Assassin moved skillfully through his ever-changing webbed maze of vines, moving closer to his adversary. The instant before Marluxia reached the point directly above Saix, the Diviner roared, releasing a massive wave of blue fire that utterly destroyed everything within fifty feet of him. The surprised Assassin barely managed to land on his feet and was, (unfortunately or fortunately, depending on whose side you're on), obscured from view by falling debris. But when it cleared, he had not, as Saix expected, disappeared again, but was standing with his scythe held loosely by his side, watching Saix carefully.
The Diviner lowered his claymore to his side as well, but neither Nobody ever lessened his guard as each sized the other up. A mutual "time out" had been called; Marluxia's breath was slightly heavier than before, and Saix could feel that the power he had gathered from the Full Moon, vast as it had been, had been significantly diminished over the past half hour. That last blast, especially, had required a considerable amount. Once the reserve was depleted he would be fighting at his normal strength, and he was not fool enough to think that he could even hope to defeat Marluxia then. The man's control of his element was not dependent upon surges of power from an outside source; he summoned and commanded it using his very will to live (which was strong in any Nobody, since it was the only thing keeping them from fading to nothingness). The Assassin could continue fighting at full strength as long as his will held out. Therefore it was imperative that Saix end this battle as soon as possible. It was not supposed to have taken even this long.
No words were spoken, but this time Marluxia initiated the fight. This abrupt switch of his opponent's fighting strategy from defensive to aggressive threw Saix off-balance for a few seconds, but in this time he received only minor nicks and cuts. He was pushed back, though, as he fended off blow after blow from the scythe, and found himself surprised at how skilled Eleven was. He had assumed the man hid behind his element because he did not know how to fight hand-to-hand. He quickly realized, though, that the Graceful Assassin was aptly named. Marluxia's attacks were as controlled and elegant as they were powerful. It seemed almost like a dance as he whirled and spun, almost effortlessly blocking and dodging any counterattacks that Saix attempted.
The Diviner was nearly forced into a corner; he could see vines twisting out like tentacles, waiting to trap and secure him. With a feral growl, he dodged to the side and then surged forward, turning the tables and forcing the Assassin to back away in order to dodge and block the flurry of claymore strikes that rained down upon him. Finally, summoning up the last of his super-powered energy, Saix swung and knocked the scythe from Marluxia's hands, and with the backswing hit him square in the chest.
Unfortunately, the claymore got turned slightly as it struck the scythe and so its sharp points merely grazed the Nobody's chest, sliding off the tough fabric of the coat. But even the flat of the blade, with all the driving force of an overpowered backhand swing behind it, caused considerable damage. Marluxia was lifted into the air and flung back several feet, slamming into the enclosing wall of vines. He slid to the floor, dazed, as Saix stepped forward to deliver the final blow. But before the Diviner could even draw back his weapon, Marluxia threw his arms over his head and vines shot out from everywhere at once and obscured him from view. They locked together, twisting around each other and forming a formidable and impassable barricade. Saix took an experimental swing at them, but they simply latched onto the claymore and pulled it from his grasp.
Glowering at the impenetrable wall before him, Saix dismissed his weapon before it could be used against him. It reappeared a few seconds later in his hand, but he merely turned and began smashing through the growth in what he believed to be the direction of the door. He paused about ten feet away, though, and turned to speak over his shoulder.
"Stay out of our way."
And even when he reached the door, the sound of Marluxia's choked laughter was still ringing in his ears.