[175] Despair

[wanderinghiatus.livejournal.com]

Challenge: [175] Hope
Title: Despair
Word Count: 416
Notes: Rated PG for violence. Cookies to the first one to figure out who the two characters are.
 

"Damn you." He hissed through clenched teeth. The black-cloaked woman spread her arms wide, especially unafraid now that her opponent was unarmed and wounded.

"And how accurate! For we are, as you say, the damned ones." She took a step forward. "Won't you join us?" He retreated a step, a trembling hand clutching his slashed, bleeding face. She laughed; a hysterical, slightly insane sound that sent sent chills down his spine, and echoed darkly in the narrow alleyway.

"You know what they say! Join--"

"--or die." He finished, swinging his leg up in a surprisingly powerful kick towards her hooded head. She reached out and caught his boot in a single gloved hand, inches from her smirking mouth, which was all he could see of her face.

"Well, then." She sighed, and with a horrifying crack, twisted his leg into an unnatural position and swung him into the cement ground, where he lay immobile, gasping for breath. She knelt beside him, and leaned in close, whispering to his closed eyelids.

"Such spirit. But I could smell your despair from across worlds. Whatever could fuel such darkness in you, hmm?"

He flinched at her words, and took a deep, pained breath. "I need to find... her. Where is she? You know where she is!" He struggled to stand, his valiant effort marred by a severely broken leg. His blue eyes opened and glared at her with distrust. "You've gone and turned her into a nobody, just like you, you stinking--"

With a sickening 'thud' he found himself back on the ground, an assortment of throwing knives buried deep in his chest. He fought to hold back a furious, pained scream.

"So your love life fled from you. How very tragic." Her voice dripped with sarcasm and deadly malice. "But I have to wonder... are you just in denial, or is there a larger variable here you're cleanly passed over, in your pathetic search for the only 'truth' you're willing to find? What if this girl of yours went running willingly into the arms of darkness? And what if, in doing so, she wanted you to follow? Yet, in your self-righteous quest for chivalry, you've failed to see..." She ripped off her hood and gazed down at the bleeding man, who could no longer hold back his scream.

And with that scream, the tiny butterfly of hope that was gently resting on his heart was savagely consumed, its once-beautiful wings shredded to bits by the demon called Despair.

Comments

[suddenchangeofh.livejournal.com]

That's a very nicely envisaged and written scene. I really like the way you've written Larxene (assuming that it is Larxene...) - her dialogue is just great; she wins the battle with words as well. I'm less sure that I know who she's fighting... perhaps Sora?

[wanderinghiatus.livejournal.com]

thank you ^^ And yes, the first character is Larxene. But I think I was way too vague with the second character. Hmm. Perhaps I will let the reader interpret the second as they so choose...

That would be fun, and very interesting, But oh-so-mean XD

[crystalreport.livejournal.com]

I think it's the part where Sora's fighting Larxene in COM? Am I right?

But wow, nicely written. You really captured Larxene's personality, right down to the sppeech. Nice job!

[wanderinghiatus.livejournal.com]

Thanks ^^ The 'speech' was fun to write (in a soul-crushing, sadistic, Larxene kind of way, of course!)

[ice-kestrel9.livejournal.com]

I love the last two paragraphs. Especially the butterfly metaphor, and despair. Also, the bit on facing the facts that we refuse to believe, no matter how true? :D

I'm totally out of it, but could the man be... Axel? Consumed by despair when he realized that his lost love is in fact his adversary- Larxene?

[wanderinghiatus.livejournal.com]

Ahh, yes, too often we will not allow our 'search for truth' to end until we find the outcome we desire.

Axel? That would be very interesting! I'm going to just let you decide for yourself who it is; I made it too vague and your ideas are often better than my own ^^

[roterhimmel.livejournal.com]

I also wish I knew who she's fighting. But you've got Larxene's character down on spot, so - chilling and psychotic and amused at pain and horror and despair. It goes very well with the canon Larxene, I think. And the imagery is really good, and the meaning of the story very powerful.

Well done!

[wanderinghiatus.livejournal.com]

Heh, thank you. ^^ Glad you liked it!

[spoke.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, very nice. Larxene can be so much fun! >:)

I thought it was Riku? That maybe he was looking for Kairi.

[wanderinghiatus.livejournal.com]

She can be XD

Well, Kairi is always getting herself into trouble, isn't she? ^^

[iki-teru.livejournal.com]

absolutely lovely. Larxene was easy to pick out. but MAN you made that other chara. a killer.

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absolutely lovely. Larxene was easy to pick out. but MAN you made that other chara. a killer. <and I don't know why but I thought of Aladdin...>

[moni45.livejournal.com]

I like it when you don't know who the characters are when reading ^^ (But it's always great to know who they are after :P)

I can't think of anybody else than Leon though for the male character.

[wanderinghiatus.livejournal.com]

You nailed it! Leon is correct!

Wonderful job, I'm so glad someone guessed right! Never thought it was gonna happen! Was it the slashed-and-bleeding face part that gave you a clue? XD I'm so vague...

[moni45.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was the slash-and-bleeding (I actually thought it was a big giveaway XD) And after that, the blue eyes help too, but there's actually a lot of blue eyed characters from square enix XD