Wow…you guys are really on top of things. Eight reviews by the time I started writing this chapter…you guys sure are cool.
Sorry that my disclaimers aren't cool…I used up all my wit and witticism in Shadow Feather…I don't own any of the characters or places mentioned below.
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Angel Memories: Chapter 3
Dark Hands
(what's your plan?)
The orange eyes stared intently at Riku, boring a hole into him. Riku began to sweat from the gaze that was placed on him but he never turned away. Ansem's eyes remained stationary but the rest of his shadowed body flowed and undulated into various forms. He grew tall and then shrunk until he was simply a single line of shadow that wrapped around the two orange glowing orbs.
I gripped the handle of Masamune harder and looked from one figure to the other. Riku's eyes were fading to a dark shade of turquoise. His lip curled slightly and he bit down gently upon it. I flipped my gaze to Ansem's eyes. They remained impossibly stationary, not blinking because he seemed to have no eyelids to do so. Instead his malicious eyes stared directly into Riku's dancing pupil.
"How can you be here?" Riku asked the coiling shadow of Ansem.
Ansem's eyes whirled with glee. "How? Come now…that light was not so bright that it would eradicate me! Do you really think me so weak that I could be subdued by an overbearing flashlight?"
Riku shook his head and pounded the ground with a clenched fist. "Dammit…why are you here then?"
Ansem's shadowy lips let out a terrible howling laugh and his eyes widened in a look of madness. "Why…for you, my boy." His dark body solidified into two outstretched arms and he let loose a wide smile of confidence. "I have finally become one with darkness; we are one in the same. But I am on unsteady ground here. I need a host to let my powers mature. You did so well last time…"
I took a step forward to stand in front of Riku's kneeling form. Ansem's eyes flashed in confusion and then panned to gaze into my own. He stared for a moment and then glanced at King Mickey as well. He returned his intent look to me as if he hadn't notice that either of us had been there.
"Kings and wings, eh? Tell me Sephiroth, what do you plan to do this time?"
His voice sent a violent chill through my spine and into my feet. I gripped Masamune who quivered warmly in response. "I defeated you in this place before."
"And you plan to do it again?"
His matter of fact tone caught me off guard. He seemed not to care at all that I was willing to do battle with him. He sounded wiser than the last time we had met. And I could not forget how he bested me last time. I nodded slightly in response to his mocking question.
"Then what are you waiting for? I grow bored and I had wanted to test out what powers I have at this point."
Ansem's shadowed body shivered slightly and then bust apart. A small glob of shadow remained around his eyes. Slowly the ground began to flow upwards to meet the floating orange eyeballs. The floor connected silently with the slowly rotating glob of shadow and began to fan out slowly. Two thin arms became apparent and were quickly followed by the head and torso. The darkness near the floor began to melt slowly away from two vaguely leg shaped objects. Ansem looked down on his dark form and smiled with newly formed lips.
"Not too bad for my first try. What do you think?"
By the time he finished his sentence I was raising Masamune in an upward slash that would cleave the entirety of his work in half. The blade cut outwards faster that the eye could follow, leaving traces of silver light in surrounding darkness. Riku let out a small gasp as he beheld my attack and Mickey let out a low whistle.
Ansem's eyes widened at the approaching metal blade. Masamune shuddered in my hand as it neared Ansem's dark thigh. In a split second, Ansem danced away lightly and Masamune cut through nothingness. Without pausing I followed after Ansem. Masamune flipped over in the darkness and I brought it sharply down on the retreating shadow. Ansem ducked and rolled under the oncoming blade. As the Masamune passed the rolling figure I strained my muscles and changed the blade's direction. The reversal of motion caused my arms and wrist to groan loudly in protest.
Ansem regained his feet just in time to notice the silver blur approaching at a low altitude.reversal of motion caused my arms and wrist to groan loudly in protest.
Ansem regained his feet just in time to notice the silver blur approaching at a low altitude.reversal of motion caused my arms and wrist to groan loudly in protest.
Ansem regained his feet just in time to notice the silver blur approaching at a low altitude. At the last moment, both his shadowy feet left the ground in a desperate leap to avoid the sweeping cut. Instead of stopping Masamune I let myself spin in a complete turn and brought the sword upwards toward Ansem's suspended body. His eyes widened once again and his mouth opened to scream.
Masamune tore into his lower torso and left through his right shoulder. Liquid shadow spewed over my hair as it whipped over my face. Dark globs splattered across Masamune's blade and down to the hilt. Ansem stared downwards at his severed body as it parted slowly in midair. The dark lips opened wide and let out a terrible howl. I heard Riku from behind begin to vomit once again. Ansem's scream reverberated through the open expanse and caused my bones to shudder painfully. I fell to one knee.
Ansem's lower half fell to the ground and bounced, spraying the area with more liquid darkness. The upper half reached out its remaining arm toward me. The wide orange eyes flashed first with sadness, then with hatred, then with…joy? The howling ceased and the void grew silent as Ansem's upper half fell slowly to the ground. At the last moment the lips closed and widened in a terrible grin.
He didn't hit the ground. He fell right into it. His body melted into the dark ground without a ripple or splash. The bright eyes disappeared into the floor. I stood up in a panic and scanned the area. Masamune shook violently in my hand. I felt something whisk across my ankle and looked down to see two orange eyes staring up at me. A hand bubbled up from the ground and stroked my leg slowly.
Masamune flashed out and severed the dark hand which melted away into the ground along with the eyes. A deep laugh issued from all around me. Masamune quivered so hard that it seemed it would fall from my hand. A drop of sweat began to fall slowly from my cheek to my chin. A cold finger stopped the rolling droplet and wiped it from my face. I rolled out of the way and struck upwards with Masamune. Another hand bust into nothingness and the droplet of sweat dissipated in the shower of darkness.
I regained my feet and immediately took off in a stumbling run. All around me raucous laughter echoed and bounced off nothing. Hands burst forth from the ground in every direction and Masamune tore through each and every one. In front of me an enormous wall of shadow rose up and took the form of a crashing wave. I scrambled to a stop and dashed madly in the opposite direction. The wave of shadow crested and smashed down on my heels.
I fell forward with Masamune flying out of my hands. It clattered to the floor ten feet in front of me. I hit the ground which raised fands to cushion my fall. They lifted me to my feet and even as I pushed them away they brushed droplets of shadow from my clothes. My eyes searched wildly for Masamune. It wasn't on the ground. Where was it? I had seen it land. Something tapped me on the shoulder.
My hand tore out behind me and smashed a dark hand into nothingness. Behind me two large hands issued from the ground and held Masamune aloft. It was gently pushed toward me, as if it was being offered back into my hands. I took a step backwards. I was shaking roughly from my fear. The two hands once again offered my sword to me. With a scream I wrenched it from their dark fingers and began to run.
I ran through the dense jungle of limbs. Eventually they parted to reveal Ansem's original form. My eyes were wild with fear and passion. Screaming loudly I grasped Masamune and ran forward. Ansem smiled widely and raised his chin slightly, inviting me to come at him. I raised Masamune above my head and leapt high into the air.
Below me I saw a glint of gold to the right. It was moving towards Ansem who stood beneath me, waiting. He looked at me with expectant eyes. Someone screamed. Someone called my name. A golden light approached. Masamune tore downwards and Ansem melted away.
As he fell into the floor beneath, Riku's kneeling form was revealed. I couldn't stop the descending blade and I closed my eyes as it fell toward the shining head of silver hair beneath.
A loud clang issued through the darkness and I felt my arms creak under some sudden halt. I opened my tear stricken eyes to find Mickey standing beneath me. His Keyblade was raised in defense and against it laid Masamune's blade. Steel rasped on steel as I fell slowly away. I stumbled backwards to fall roughly to my knees. Masamune clattered to the floor. I let my hands grip the ground and tears began to fall freely downwards.
Mickey took a step forward and then stopped. I heard him breathe in sharply as if to speak, but only silence came. There was nothing to say. I had nearly killed Riku. The person I sought so strongly to protect…and I had nearly killed him. Not only that but I could do nothing to protect him from Ansem. I was completely powerless against the man and his dominion over this plane.
This was the end…no matter how I looked at it all, someone was going to be lost here. Riku, at the very least would be once again sacrificed in order for Ansem to gain even greater power. I heard a deep voice issuing around me but I couldn't hear the words. Mickey replied with something unintelligible and then he too left me. His feet pounded off into the distance to meet Ansem in battle.
I remained behind, staring at the slowly shifting floor. I couldn't do a thing anymore…it would be my fault if Riku was lost. It would be my fault for not being strong enough. In front of me I heard a small sound. The ground beneath me seemed to flow toward the sound and I raised my head slightly. Ansem's shadowed form loomed over the kneeling Riku. He raised one hand and placed it on the boys head. My mind was racing. There had to be something. I had to do something. God dammit there must be some way to save him.
Ansem's loud laugh began to issue through the air. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. I could barely process my surroundings let alone the thoughts inside my head. Riku's eyes were shadowed by his cascading strands of silver. His mouth was open slightly and he seemed to be staring directly downwards as the towering figure of darkness laughed above him. Behind them both, the enormous door outlined them in bright white light.
A smile formed on his lips.
There was a blur of motion. Ansem stumbled backwards. Riku was standing with his hand thrust forward. They stood, suspended in time. I watched them against the bright doorway as their eyes met. Riku was smiling calmly as he twisted his hand deeper into Ansem's dark chest.
For a moment Ansem smiled back. Riku began to pull his hand from the slowly melting shadows. As his hand tore apart from Ansem he screamed loudly with effort. When he pulled clear from the man, he held something in his hand. Ansem fell backwards and splashed into shadow. Riku stood up to his full height and raised his prize against the light of the door.
I heard steps to my left as Mickey came up beside me.
"It's called the Soul Eater."
Riku gazed at the blade for a moment and then smiled at us. Against the door a figure began to form with bright orange eyes. Riku walked towards us and held out a hand to me. I looked at it for a moment and then took it in my own. As he helped me to my feet, Ansem's body fully reformed. Hatred shone brightly from his orange spheres.
Riku gazed into my eyes and smiled wisely. "Sometimes people can protect themselves." Ansem's shadowed feet began to move forward in our direction. "So how about instead of protecting me," Riku began. Ansem thrust out a hand and a small legion of various Heartless formed from the ground. Riku paused and looked at the approaching shadows.
"How 'bout you just fight beside me?"
Our eyes locked again and the Mako swirled in a crazy dance. A small smile crept slowly onto my lips and I held out my hand to him. His own gloved hand reached out and gripped mine. We stood there for a moment and then parted. I turned away and raised Masamune into the traditional stance.
"That sounds just fine to me."
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Whew…these chapters are getting very difficult to write. I have a very hard time whenever I try and change scenes. It is so hard for me to get things like that to flow the way I want them to. Could you tell?
Erm...also anyone who read this chapter before and saw that my title said "Something cool sounding" erm...that was just what I put before I decided on my title...for some reason it didn't save right and that was there instead...i suppose thats a bit of my vanity shining through...my bad.
In any case I can't believe how may review I have already. When I started Shadow Feather I was in the fourth chapter at least by the time I had eight reviews. I am really glad you guys are interested enough to leave reviews. I really enjoy getting them and you have no idea how much they help the creative process.
Speaking of which…thank yous for Unita (of course), Lapse – Raevn and heartsoblivion who also seem to be in the groove of reviewing as fast as I write, and Emmy19 for the review of chapter two.
I might take a little while longer on the update bcause i have recently discovered a fanfiction that will take up almost all of my time...Curse of Memory by Peter J Marcroft. It appears to a bitching novelization of Final Fantasy 7. 40 chapters. Each like thrice as long as this one you just read. And I plan to leave a review for every single one. Quite the epic task. but it looks so good and I will perservere.
It is getting harder to write chapters but I figure that things will get easy once I'm in Castle Oblivion. Later. Hope you had fun reading!
