("you carry the greatest weight of all of them," she said in a hoarse voice, her body fighting off the fatigue the healing magic was trying to force on her mind.)
Arick sat on the rooftop overlooking the plaza where the burned memorial of old midgar was surrounded by a circle of young children and an angry crowd that shouted protests and demands to stop at the two men attaching chains to the top of the shattered mass of stone. In the middle of all of this, Riku stood in front of Kinno, his eyes glowing that eerie yellow, his sword in hand and glaring out at the mob, waiting patiently for Arick to come to her rescue. The young girl was unconscious, her skin pale against the bright sun as she laid on the ground, chains bounding her legs and arms together.
("whatever side has their influence over you is what will determine the final victor of this ancient battle," she told him. His heart felt like a huge weight had just sunk the muscle into his stomach. In other words, she had just told him the fate of thousands of worlds were resting on his shoulders.)
Arick sighed, repeating a mantra in his head that Riku wasn't Riku anymore, and in order to keep Kinno alive, he would have to fight him, whoever he truly was. And if it came down to life and death…he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to truly kill Riku. He glanced to the far left, seeing Cloud staring back at him with ready eyes. He looked to the far left, getting a glance of Cid's blonde hair and the flash of Squalls gun blade behind a wall, all of them waiting for his lead to attack.
("Riku..is no longer himself.." she admitted sadly, a tear coming to her eye as she felt pity for her son. "He is possessed by the spirit Ansem, whose planning to use him to get to you.")
We would have to make his first strike swiftly and precisely if he wanted to keep the advantage of an ambush against them. The moment he would power up, Ansem was sure to sense it and dodge before he could even have a chance to touch him. He looked directly at Cloud, bending his knees as their eyes met, adjusting his feet so they clung to the very corner edge of the roof, nodding at the blonde warrior before launching himself like a rocket straight at Riku, activating his flame stones and becoming a missle of fire that collided with the possessed Riku, catching him completely off guard and driving him into the ground for several feet, the concrete breatking into a jagged trail of rubble in their wake until Arick lost control of his speed and tumbled off Riku, rolling a little before gaining his balance and jumping to his feet, running back through the dispersed crowd that was now screaming in panic from dark panther like creatures that were running rampant through their numbers.
("you MUST rescue Kinno before her father can reach her," she said urgently, as if )
Arick slid under one such creature as it tried to pounce him as he made his way to Kinno, his first priority if Cloud and Leon were unable to rescue her, which at the moment was being prevented by Loz and Yazoo, who fought skillfully against the two swordsmen. Somehow he was thankful that she wasn't conscious as he hacked at the chains with heat, hoping he had stunned Riku long enough to cut through her chains, but that was soon proven wrong as heard a foot step and a swing behind him, and he threw his arm up above him just in time to block Riku's batwing sword from descending fatally into his shoulder, and with his other hand, he pushed against the ground, spinning his lower body with a battle cry and kicked Riku's feet out from beneath him, adding a snap quick with his other leg to Riku's chest as he fell sideways, kicking him a few feet away. Riku tumbled across the ground, but got up again with an angry glare, his yellow eyes flashing and his clothes suddenly changed to a darker uniform that symbolized his allegiance to the heartless.
"Get out of my freinds body!!!" Arick screamed, feeling his rage fuel his magic as he charged head onward into Riku, raising a fist in preperation to pummel and bruise every bit of Riku in oreder to beat out the evil spirit within.
Slash! Arick's chest erupted with pain as the large cut formed across his ribcage and sternum, and he stumbled to the side, throwing up his other wrist blade to block another swing from Riku, and the resulting clash from the metal throws him back and off balance, giving Riku another open shot at his chest.
"Noo!"
Their was a bright flash after Kinno's scream, and suddenly, Riku and Arick reappeared in the middle of the destroyed remains of Old Midgar. Both blinked in surprise, looking around their new surroundings with confusion, but both soon realized whoever moved first would have an advantage, and Arick stomped hard onto the ground, creating a series of explosions, one after another after his enemy, who tried to roll out of its way.
Forseeing this move, Arick shifted its direction to follow him with simple though of his mind and Riku's body suddenly flailed in the air, being pelted by dirt and rock. Suddenly, he span to create a whirlwind, blowing away the attack, leaving him bruised and angry, his eyes flashing that moon lit yellow.
He slashed the air several times in an X pattern, sending blades of green energry flying at the temporarily weakened elemental. Aricks eyes went wide as one caught him on the chest, blowing him back and skidding through the rubble. Before he knew it, Riku was on top of him, and he barely jumped back in time to dodge a crushing blow.
The shockwave of Riku's strike hit him though, throwing him further away, but he quickly recovered, pushing his feet against the gravel and leapt up, crossing his wrists in front of him and colliding them with Riku's sword as the charged each other, bringing them both to a grinding stop, a battle of raw strength between them as both tried to push the other.
"Your not gonna win this...even with your enhanced power," Arick hissed, their heads at eye to eye. Riku grinned that evil grin, and kneed Arick in the stomach, forcing out the air from his lungs hard enough to stun him, and Arick fell, grunting as the hilt of Riku's sword crashed into the top of his skull.
Dazed as he lay flat on his stomach, Arick blinked upwards to glance at Riku, who had pointed his sword downward, gripping the handle with both hands, ready to plunge the point deep into his heart.
"With your death, i can take over this universe," the voice of Ansem declared with a long cruel laugh, and his sword began to descend...
BAM!! Kadaj's body collided Riku's as Cloud Chased after him, kadaj flipping backwards off of him as their battle continued between the bitter rivals. Arick took this moment to jump up, his wrist blades shining readily as he glared at Riku as he got up, and soon, their we were entangled with eachothers blades just as Kadaj and Cloud were.
Back at the main plaza, Vincent and Tifa were treating Kinno, who moaned loudly where she layed. The disease had spread further down her neck and and began to leak over her back and shoulder blades, a mass of infection neither had seen before.
"She's at a critical stage," Tifa said sadly as she gazed upon the marks, feeling pity for her, knowing the painful attacks the stigma brought were intense for her, maybe enough to kill her.
Vincent nodded slowly, his dark eyes looking to the horizon towards Old Midgar, seeing multiple dust clouds rising through the air. "Its on his shoulders to bring the cure," he said simply. "get her on to the highwind, we must take her close to Arick."
Tifa looked up at Vincint, her eyes confused. "Itd be dangerous to mover her into the air," she said warily.
"Her heart is a part of his," Vincint replied. "The closer they're together, their powers increase phenomenally. If he stands a chance of defeating the possesed one, they must be together."
Tifa tilted her head a little, not understanding the man completely, but she had never had a reason to doubt him, and she nodded slightly before scooping the still groaning Kinno into her arms, calling out to Cid as she ran towards the tall pilot.
Once they were in the air, Tifa took Kinno to the medical wing, now able to properly treat her with the equipment Cid had stocked on board. As they flew off toward the deserted waistland, Kinnos eyes fluttered open as she whimpered, struggling on the bed in a sudden panick, her senses a little distorted from her days in imprisonment, and she had no idea where she was.
"Kinno, Kinno, calm down!" Tifa said to her loudly, holding Kinno to prevent further harm to herself.
"Where am i? Wheres Arick?! Riku!" She cried desperatly, her eyes instantly filling with tears.
"Your safe!" Tifa yelled, trying to calm her. "be still!"
"I wanna see my brother!" Kinno whimpered, laying down as she obeyed Tifa's word.
"Were on our way to do that now," Tifa explained to her, sprinkling some healing solution on her wrists where the shackles had cut into her flesh.
Several minutes later, Tifa carried Kinno out to the window, a blanket draped over the young girl to help with her quivers. The wide sphere of glass gave a crystal clear view of the two battles taking palce below. At one end, Cloud and Kadaj fought across the ground near the church, while Riku and Arick fought similiarly closer to the old Shinra factory, exchanging harsh blows and the occasional blast of magic caused explosions around them. Kinno's eyes widened in shock, seeing both her brother and the one she had started to fall in love with cover eachother in deep wounds. Arick's chest had been carved out like a holiday ham at Christmas, his face bleeding in multiple places along with his left arm. Riku's side bled heavily, dripping out as he fought as if the injury didn't exist at all.
She gasped as Arick suddenly leapt onto Riku, grabbing him tightly and closing his eyes as he pulled a desperate move, and a ball of flames exploded from his body, enshrouding both in a firey blaze. Arick and Riku flew in oppisite directions, Arick's clothes sizzling slightly as he floated toward the tall tower that still held a faded image of the Shinra company symbol.
He dragged and skidded across the ground, sliding slowly to a stop just twenty feet from Riku. He struggled to get up, pain wracking his body completely alongside a draing weakness. That last attack had almost taken out his magic reserves completely, and it was hitting him like a drunken hangover. He rested his body weight onto his elbows as he tried to force himself up, spitting out another broken tooth. the whole bottom line of his jaw ached, probably broken judging from how hard Riku's kick had connected so perfectly with his face. He looked up and glanced, his foe laying flat on the ground, his dark uniform now in burnt tatters, parts of his skin a deep warped red and others a complete ashen black, which included the entire left side of his face.
Arick cursed as he fell, and swore even more when Riku began to shakily get to his feet again. He was alot tougher then Arick remembered from the island, giving him unseen difficulty. He was going to louse...
At that moment of doubt, Arick felt something tingle through the stones in his hands, resinating through his body. He blinked, finding his energy returning slightly. He closed his eyes, trying to sense what was feeding him this power, his visions tapping through the black earth stones.
Riku grinned to see Aricks painful struggles, knowing the boy was at his limit. His sword scraped as he stood up, his hand gripping it somewhat loosely, his broken knuckles making it hard to put any hard pressure on the handle.
"No!! Riku, Don't!!!" Kinno screamed from inside the cockpit, struggling wildly against Tifa, who only held her tighter. Her cries went unheard as Riku limped slowly toward the fallen Arick.
"Your done!" He cackled, chuckling in assumed victory. "Your all mine for the taking..."
There it is, Arick said to himself as a feeling of warmth washed over him as he connected with the lifestream of the planet. The mined underground of the destroyed Shinra factory had slowly regenerated its supply of Mako, laying untapped for two years, and now was giving Arick reknewed energy and determination. Slowly, he stood to his feet, his hands sparkling with a strange misty substance.
"I'll never be your vessel..." he growled, spitting out more blood.
Riku laughed, consumed in his thoughts of finally achieving his goal. "Your destiny is darkness," he told him with absolution, brining his sword up to strike. "and I am its begining..."
The lifestream thickened around his hands, swirling and spiraling upward his arms as it was Arick's turn to smile. "I've chosen our destiny," he says with a chuckle of his own. "Its my own to take," and with those last words, he raised his arms parallel to the ground, grinning wider to see Riku's eyes suddenly flash with fear.
"You can't...its impossible.." Riku stuttered, stepping back.
"With destiny...its never impossible.." Arick muttered, and released the buildup of magic he had gathered, a spiral of bright green energy shooting straight into Riku's heart. The boy dropped his sword, screaming in agony, his body paralyzed with his arms spread out in surrender, the light foceing through every part of his flesh until both spirit and body were destroyed, and disappeared in a few twinkles of light.
Riku dropped to the ground, his eyes closed in relief, his normal clothes now back on his body. Arick stood frozen, his arms still out as he breathed heavily, the reality of what he had just done settling into his mind as he felt the absence of Riku's life. The brother of Kinno, who now screamed hysterically on the ship above, struggling wildly against Tifa, who released her as Kinno's mental powers started to explode out randomly, striking a few of the members on the ship, luckily missing Cid.
A tear burned Aricks eye, knowing that Kinno would never speak to him again...
A familliar feeling of cold steel slicing through his flesh suddenly eminated through his stomach, the long sword masamune making a squelch as it penetrated through his back and out his abdomen.
"This is my thanks, for killing my son," A deep voice said behind him before the sword withdrew and Arick collapsed to the ground, cluthcing his stomach as it bled freely, seeing a tall figure in a black trench coat walking towards Riku's dead body before he blanked out.