xD Thanks, Oathy. Also, I shall PM you my MSN address. I don't have it anywhere on this site. n_n
I know, I was all "Damn you, MSN Messenger!" ;~; It kept doing that stupid 'cannot send message to recipient' thing.
Also, Mikado needs lots of walks. But don't let him off the leash. He'll run away, into the woods. And the megalomania will ensue. Hehe, thank you ^.^
My goodness, I think I spy a chapter.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Increasingly heavy, leaden limbs pinned Ikawa to the ground, his able mind attempting to summon some sort of strength from his body. All of the sounds around him blurred into one, long drone, buzzing around in his head, before a sudden shout, louder than all the rest reverberated within the confines of his mind.
It is calling my name. They are calling my name.
He tried to respond, but a mere gasp escaped his quivering, bluish lips. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing, praying for some way to communicate. He felt the sting of the poison running through his veins, patches of his body burning with an intense agony, heart furiously palpitating as he lay there, motionless. Sweat beaded his entire form.
Sora’s eyes darted over him, frantic as he noticed the mottled, purple colour beneath his skin, obviously an effect of Ivy’s venom. His eyes found Ikawa’s neck. There were a number of puncture wounds, each one dribbling with a slight amount of warm, red blood, trickling down onto the ground.
“Ikawa!” he shouted again, trying to get some sort of response. But, nothing. However, noticing the movement of Ikawa’s panicking green eyes, Sora knew the man could hear something. His pupils dilated slightly, then contracted. Sora knew that he was suffering badly - and, worst of all, it was becoming more and more obvious that there was nothing they could do.
Before he knew it, Donald was at his side, racking his brains for something - anything - that might slow down the effects of this lethal poison. He fumbled around in his pockets, mumbling words of various spells.
Ivy laughed, stalking around the sidelines with a smug smirk upon his battle-scarred face. He’d taken a few punches, but, he’d won. And now, Ikawa was paying a great price for his loss; something he found incredibly amusing indeed. One clawed hand found his slender hip, while the other ran loosely through his sleek hair.
“I hope you know that you are wasting your time,” Ivy purred, with a self-satisfied look. He peered down his nose as they tried everything they could to help Ikawa. By now, they were all gathered at his sides. “There is nothing you can do for him. You are wasting his final moments away.”
Sora did not bother to respond, too busy trying his very best to help Ikawa. He wouldn’t give up this easily, even if Ivy told them it was pointless. He had to do all he could to give Ikawa a chance of survival - even if this chance was very, very small.
He felt a rush of panic as he saw Ikawa’s eyes roll into the back of his head. Sora’s hands found Ikawa’s cheeks, cold and clammy beneath his touch.
“No!”
Ikawa felt his vision blacken into nothing, his entire body now stinging with a hideous, agonising sensation. It felt as though his insides were smouldering. He knew there was no stopping this now. With each, fleeting thought leaving his mind as quickly as it came, he felt quivers of emotion within his pounding chest, distant memories coming into regretful clarity with the onset of his demise.
”Ikawa, don’t go!”
Her voice rang resonant in his mind as he thought back.
Pacing down the sandy pathway, his determined footsteps echoed like thunder as he paced on towards the mountain pass. The thick, frost-laced, brushy grasses swung heavy in the evening wind, cold and unforgiving as the light of the day died out, disappearing behind the majestic peaks of the stony mountains. Looking forward, the path led up, through the looming pine trees, and towards the rope bridge. It lay across a treacherous crevasse.
“Stop it!” her voice called again, muted slightly by the winds. He heard her footsteps tapping behind him now, but did not bother to look at her. “This is stupid, Ikawa.”
“I was stupid,” Ikawa grumbled bitterly, clenching his fists as he strode, “stupid for not noticin’ what was goin’ on behind my back.” A shout of frustration met his ears.
“That’s not the issue here,” she retorted. Her footsteps stopped, and she breathed a leaden sigh. “Look, I know what I did was wrong, but you can’t respond to it by doing this!”
“Yer damn right it was wrong,” he responded, continuing to pace, the sand scraping against his boots. “There’s nothin’ for me to stay here for.”
“Your son?” she replied, folding her arms. “I’d say that was a good reason.” Ikawa released a bellowed laugh from his chest as he stopped. He rubbed his increasingly furrowed brow as he turned his gaze to meet hers, blue and anxious in her white face.
“Ya said yourself he wasn’t mine,” he replied coldly, the wind running wild through his blue hair. He narrowed his green glare further. “The way I see it, there’s no point in carin’ for him if you got that other guy to. His real
father.”
“How can you say that?” she cried, her bleary eyes wide in bewilderment. “You took care of him since the day he was born!” Ikawa paced towards her with heavy, angered footsteps. Drawing away from him, she fearfully held her arms close to her chest, his shadow increasing as he loomed over her.
“Then I been takin’ care of someone else’s kid for two years,” he hissed cruelly, his face furrowed in anger. “I’m not waitin’ around for him anymore. His father can take care of him, not me. He’s not my responsibility now.” Her expression fell into a deep frown at his words, her blonde hair rippling in the strong winds. She simply could not understand why he would disregard an innocent baby.
“There’s no denying you have a relationship with him,” she whispered, quickly wiping a tear from her eye. “You loved him, Ikawa, and I don’t believe you can forget that so quickly.”
“You sure forgot your
love for me
quickly,” he muttered sourly, mouth curling in anger. Her sharp face found the ground as she tried to think of a response, but nothing came. He heard her sniffling as she cried, even saw a tear drip to the sandy floor. Ikawa rolled his eyes. “Oh, that’s right. Because you’re
the victim here.”
“There’s no need to be sarcastic,” she whimpered. “This hurt me, too, y’know.”
“Then go cry to him
about it,” he hissed, his eyes smouldering with rage. “’Cause I don’t care. Go play victim somewhere else.” Wiping her eyes, she bridged the gap between them.
“Look, I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m sorry for everything I did. Just… don’t go.” Ikawa feigned a smile, his hands finding hers.
“No,” he smiled, gently caressing her hands. His frown reformed as he threw her hands backwards, away from himself. “I’m
sorry.” He roared with anger. “I’m sorry for not noticin’ any of this sooner.” She gave a cry as he ran towards her, his face blazing with a fiery rage. “Three years ya were with him behind my back. Three years I busted my ass workin’ so that I could take care of ya. An’ the baby. Then another two years thinkin’ he was my son, when I was takin’ care of that slime ball’s kid all along.” She looked at him, her entire face devoid of emotion.
“What more can I do than apologise?” she replied, her voice quaking with fear. He was an entirely different man; part of her feared he might lash out at her.
“Nothin’,” he hissed, turning away from her, calm all of a sudden. “There’s nothin’ ya can do now, Hari.” He proceeded to continue his walk. “I’m leavin’, and there ain’t nothin’ you can do about it.”
She made a run at him, grabbing onto his arm as he paced.
“Don’t!” she cried, tugging at his huge arm. “Ikawa, don’t leave!”
“I thought I told ya!” he shouted, flinging his arm back. Hari fell to the frosty ground, her hands and knees stinging with the impact. He loomed over her once more, eyes narrowed as he shouted. “I got nothin’ to stay for now! Everythin’ I thought I had is gone. At least if I leave with these guys, I’ll have a future.”
Hari wiped fresh tears from her eyes, painfully raising to her feet as she shook her head. He wasn’t the man she remembered. Guilt rippled deep within her heart; if she hadn’t done this to him, then he never would have changed. Now, Ikawa was disillusioned. There was no getting him back.
“Please,” she whispered, her voice a whimpered tremor, “you can’t leave with Jinn.”
“Why not?” he responded, clenching his fists.
“Because I still care about you,” she mumbled, eyes finding the floor. “I loved you. That’s not gonna disappear overnight. I care for you, and I know that…” She folded her arms over her chest. “I know that if you leave with these guys, there’s no telling what might happen to you. You could die, Ikawa.” The wind howled ominously, whirling around them as they stood upon the sandy path, sloping up the hill. Ikawa heaved his shoulders as he turned away from her one last time.
“So be it,” he replied, his voice caught in the wind. “It’ll be better than livin’ this way.”
Ikawa felt his aching heart slow, but couldn’t help feeling a wave of relief as this sensation filled him. The pain would end, finally. It would be gone, once and for all. The darkness slowly crept over him, until his final thought was gone, fading into obscurity.
Sora looked down at him, breathing a long, pained sigh. Ikawa was gone. There was no bringing him back. They did not even have the chance to say goodbye, to thank him for all his help.
“Is it dead?” Ivy broke the poignant silence with a hopeful purr. Sora looked back at him with empty eyes. “Oh, good.”
Throwing himself forward, about to explode with anger, Sora lunged at Ivy. He would not get away with such a disrespectful comment.
“He was twice the man you’ll ever be!” he shouted, hurling the Keyblade forward with a particularly powerful strike. He swung his shoulders around, flinging his weight towards Ivy - landing an incredible blow. He stood over Ivy as he collapsed to the ground. “Yeah, he may have been just like you guys at first. But you know what? He saw what he was doing was wrong! He knew he had to change himself for the better!”
Ivy laughed, callous. Although, it was clear that the man shivered with pain.
“He was a fool to do so,” he replied, heaving himself to his feet. His body glistened with sweat, even smeared with blood in places. “Returning here was a stupid idea to say the least. Surely, you must admit that.”
“It was brave of him,” a voice called from behind Sora. Riku stood at his side, all of a sudden, eyes narrowed as he glared at Ivy.
Sora looked at him, bewildered. Riku had had a serious change of heart.
“He knew he would die if he returned,” Riku protested, moving forward. “But he was courageous enough to help us here. He knew you guys had to be stopped.” Riku furrowed his brow, removing the sword that lay at his side. “And we’ll be the ones to do it.”
Ivy laughed again, defiant even in the face of defeat.
“Is that so?” he purred, flexing his fingers as the two paced towards him. There seemed to be a glimmer of fear in his green-flecked eyes, but he did not let on, appearing ready for combat. “I hope you know that a victory over me means nothing. Beyond me, further on in this mansion, you will surely meet your end.” He raised his voice to a shout, even as Sora and Riku loomed closer; they could not help thinking that this was a nervous reaction. “Every last one of you!”
“Think what you like,” Riku growled, holding his blade towards Ivy, a scowl upon his sharp face. “Loki’s not gonna win.” He gave a smirk. “He’ll be joining his brother soon enough.”
“He’s right,” Sora nodded, agreeing with his friend. “The darkness won’t ever win. Not while we’re here to stop it.”
Kairi shuddered, turning away as the two began their onslaught against Ivy. The man was strong, but not against two other men. In a few moments, Sora and Riku had rejoined the group, all solemnly gathered around Ikawa’s lifeless body.
It was strange, but Ikawa looked as if he was merely sleeping, lying still beneath their gaze. He even had a slight smirk upon his cocky face. The poison that had been his end seemed as though it was gone from his system, showing no mark upon his gently suntanned skin. It pained them to say so, but each one was thinking that the man would leap up, and claim to be kidding, in his usual, playfully arrogant fashion. Sadly, it was not to be so.
“I’m sorry I didn’t do anything,” Sora whispered to the man, knowing his words fell upon deaf ears as he broke the silence. “I saw him there, but… I couldn’t move. I was too scared.”
Sora felt his heart quivering, fear shivering through his entire body as he stood there, gazing down at Ikawa as he lay. The guilt smouldered hot in his head, each breath longing, wishing he could have done something to help. Now, it was too late, and he felt terrible for it.
They had not known Ikawa for long - granted, their first meeting was nothing short of a nightmare - yet, upon the man’s insistence that he’d changed his ways, his utter conviction and heartfelt passion as he spoke was something to look up to. Somehow, he had summoned the courage to overcome the darkness that lay within his heart, found a way to let the light back into his tainted soul. It was hard to believe he was gone so soon, even after making such a drastic change to himself. There were no words to describe such a hopeless feeling, such a sensation that this, truly, was a wasted man, a hero who simply had not had the chance to prove himself. Sora sighed as he slumped down to the ground, unable to understand how he felt at that moment. It was difficult to comprehend loss.
“Don’t blame yourself, Sora,” King Mickey reassured him in a whisper. Riku nodded, placing a hand on Sora’s shoulder as they stood there.
“Try not to worry about it,” he said softly, hiding his shame in himself. “I know it’s hard. At least, he‘s at rest now, right?”
Riku, too, was plagued with guilt. He just wished he could have given Ikawa a warmer welcome, instead of being so cold, and callous. True, he had every right to act in such a manner, but a greater man would have offered his forgiveness. And now, Riku was paying the price. He had never been close to Ikawa, but never would he have hoped for something like this to befall him, not even in his wildest dreams. Looking back, he wanted to return to just a few days ago, so that things might have been different. Yet, he felt the same hopelessness that most people felt after a loss; wishing they could have done things differently while their loved one was still around.
Continuing on did not feel right. They couldn’t just soldier on, not now, not after this. They simply remained there, suddenly unsure of themselves. This was to be a long journey, indeed.
Writing about a death was harder than I thought. O.O; It's all jumbled up towards the end on purpose, I should point out. >.O
<3 <3