~- Here We Go Again... (OU) -~
Ventus hopped down, landing in a crouch for a moment before returning to his full height. Looking around him, the blond frowned as he called out, "Vanitas!" It took only a few moments before he realized that the dark haired boy wasn't in the area, which meant Ven needed to look somewhere else for his...twin. Exhaling in frustration, the blonde spun in the opposite direction, facing away from the ruined remains of the castle; and started the walk down to the hidden path that would take him into the valley. Blue eyes darting from one side to the other, Ven kept his senses on high alert as he walked along the stone path.
When was the last time he'd been here?
Wait, scratch that, Ven really didn't want to think about that question.
He stopped as he reached the valley that had once been filled with heartless, but that wasn't the only thing it had been filled with. Shivering slightly at the memory, Ven pushed it off to the side and kept walking, even as his eyes darted to the sheer rock walls on either side. Focusing in front of him again, Ven called out again, hoping since he was in a more isolated area maybe, just maybe Vanitas would answer this time.
"What?"
The angry question made him jump and spin around, before his blue eyes locked with the piercing gold-amber that belonged to Vanitas. Ven ignored the trademark scowl that was on Van's face, instead he focused on what the other boy was wearing. Apparently Vanitas decided to ditch that red bodysuit he normally wore (Ven didn't mind though, the suit gave him the creeps), and instead decided to wear a short sleeved black shirt that (naturally) had a silver skull on it and a pair of mildly torn black jeans.
"Hello? Earth to Ven! Have you gone deaf since this morning?"
Ven, again, ignored the eye roll and sneering question, knowing that it was both to get on his nerves and how PO'd Vanitas was at being tracked down. Keeping his temper about him, Ven slid his hands in his jeans pocket and answered calmly, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, that's all."
Ven took advantage of the shocked silence, walking over and grabbing Vanitas's hand, the blond started heading back into town. "Besides, I don't need you setting anything on fire again brother." He added after a little bit, knowing that the truth of that statement would keep Vanitas quiet until they reached their destination. Reaching out with his other hand, Ven turned the door knob and shoved the door open and then followed it up by pulling the raven haired boy behind him over the threshold.
Letting go of Vanitas's hand, Ven shut the door behind them and locked it, before he turned his attention to the wards written on the door. The exact same ones that were smudged. The same ones that were designed to keep Vanitas under control. Setting to work on fixing them, he'd barely finished the last one before Vanitas realized what he was doing and howled with rage, "You can't do this to me!"
Whipping around, Ven slammed his hand on the counter and spat, " Don't you dare tell me what I can and can't do. Now do me a favor, shut up and stay put!" He snarled, before Ven spun around, yanked open the door and and stormed out of the apartment. Slamming the door behind him, Ven hurried down the hall, trying to put that confrontation and everything else out of his mind. Taking the steps two at a time, Ven made a beeline to the fountain court.
After a little while, Ven heard the sounds of running water before he stepped into view of the fountain and collapsed to the ground. Breathing deeply, Ven leaned his head against the wall and listened to the wind, listening to what it had to say and what he had seen. Turns out several interesting things had happened that day, but as it had been doing the last few days, the wind kept whispering of things to come.
Even that there was a war brewing.
The wind was his element, and yet Ven had no idea what it was the wind wished to tell him. Wrapping his arms around his legs, Ven sighed and rested his head on his arms. Turning the warning over and over again, Ven groaned as he came up emptied handed once more.
~- Don't Get Too Close (AU) -~
“She’s so cute! What’s her name?”
Riku smiled shyly at the pink haired girl, only for the smile to turn into a look of horror as Ivy bit her. Carefully pulling her away, Riku looked at the stranger and blurted apologetically, "I am so sorry about that! Ivy's never this misbehaved, she's normally a very good girl. I think it's my step brother's, Ares's, fault on why she's acting this way." He absentmindedly motioned to Ivy during that, a slight flush of embarrassment on his cheeks; he shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he tried to think of what he could do to make up for the rude welcoming.
Bowing slightly, Riku straitened to his full height and stammered, "I--I truly a-am sorry about that, is there anything I can do to make it up to you? There's a library just around the corner and there's a pretty good restaurant on my way home. I could even see if my mom would be okay with you staying there until you can find a place to stay."
A thought going across his mind, Riku held his hand out and said, "My name's Riku, what's yours?"
~- It Was Always You I Despised (AU) -~
Auraya wove her way through the base, being careful not to bump into some of Monte's more irritable and dangerous experiments. She knew that was certainly saying something, because it seemed as if they were all dangerous. She pressed herself against the wall, being careful to stay out of the way of some of the passing patrols; which just happened to let her eavesdrop on Monte's conversation, "Ill hear the rest later Yoyo keep the other deployed totema in check and on their targets... their are few things left that can obstruct my rule over everything."
A scowl coming to her, she shook her head and quickly scampered away so she wouldn't be caught. After she was a safe distance, Auraya glanced over her shoulder to make sure she hadn't been followed. She tensed slightly as something brushed her leg, until she remembered about her feline tail that didn't like staying put. Flicking her ears, she didn't pick up on any indication that her new master had heard her; or even that any of his underlings had. After making sure that it was clear, she called a portal and stepped through; not quite caring where it took her as long as it took her away from the mad scientist for the time.
~- Prisoner (AU) -~
Day --- Whatever it is.
The cell was dark and cold, the only light came from the lamps scattered throughout the prison. The light that the lamps gave off did nothing to penetrate the dust that floated through the air, not even the tiny bit of warmth it threw off could chase away the chill. The dust was just heavy enough that it made it difficult to see, but it wasn't so heavy that it was truly hazardous to those trapped in the dungeon.
Curled up by the wall in the cell was a boy with blond hair, his eyes a dull blue as he stared absently at the wall across from him. He wasn't sure when the last time was he had had a proper meal, all he did know was that he wasn't as strong as he should be and he was too thin. Fidgeting a little, the boy flinched as pain shot through him in time to the rattle of his chains that kept him from leaving the cell. Well, there was that and the fact his warden kept locking the door whenever he left.
Shifting again, the blond cringed as his chains rattled once more with his movement. How long had he been in here? Who knows, I told you not to trust him, didn't I?
Oh great, the other inhabitant of his body was back to taunt him. His head pounded with each syllable, leading the boy to groan and rest his head against the wall. Life could be such a pain in the rear, and he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with it anymore. The soft sound of footsteps on the cobblestones drew his attention, leading to the boy staring at the entrance to his cell with feverish eyes. It was only a moment later that a young woman stepped into view; her black hair falling to her waist and in her hands was a tray that contained the usual meal; which consisted of just the bare minimum to keep him alive. Scowling at the woman until she averted her eyes, the boy scooted closer to the wall; not removing his icy stare from her as she placed the tray down before she retreated from the cell; no words being exchanged.
Don't tell me you're going to eat it, the voice inside his mind hissed.
Rolling his eyes, he turned his head so he was staring at the wall; ignoring the smell of the meal as he answered back, "No, I'm not that stupid." He tuned out the snarky answer, before he closed eyes and rested his head against the cool stone; trying to reduce the "slight" fever that he had and questioning why he wasn't dead already yet. Hey, I have a question?
Groaning inwardly, he asked in a irritable tone, "What?"
How much longer do you think we're going to be in here?
He paused at that question, not quite sure how to answer it even though he'd wondered that himself. "I don't know, I guess it depends for how long our host decides to keep us around." He whispered softly, even though there was no one else around to hear; his mind going back to that same old question.
How much longer did he have?