Intertwined Paths [Emi, Nadia]

[Slash]

I see.

[/center]

It didn't take a genius to know that she was talking about her parents when she mentioned how fickle people were.

Do you want to kill them, Nadia? Someday you will. Someday you'll want revenge for what they did to you. And I will gladly let you spill their lifeblood onto the desert sand when it becomes your wish to do so.[/color]

The next part interested him greatly. He stood up straight and turned his head skyward.

And thought.

"Hm. If you're worried..." He glanced towards her. "Then I could help...if you'd accept it."

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Inspiring...
--

Emi found herself sneaking around the upper levels of the cathedral trying to find a way onto the tower. In her snooping, she discovered evidence that someone probably lived up here. She left their belongings alone. She wasn't here to steal things. But then what was she here for?

The bells were silent. As she passed under them, she wondered what it would be like to stand underneath them while they all rang. She figured the sound of it would be deafening. Somehow, the girl didn't think she'd ever get the chance to find out.

The entrance to the top of the bell tower was just a small spiral stair case and an archway. As she came out into the open air, she stopped and listened. Did she hear voices? Certainly not. Who else could be up here? Whatever it was, it wasn't there anymore by the time she'd walked to the railing. Her back was turned to Jericho and Nadia, who were on the opposite of the tower. If she had looked in that direction, she would have noticed them. She didn't.

Just as she expected, the view from up here was even more spectacular. She could see the river, and all of the little houses and buildings that spread for miles and miles. She leaned over, putting her chin in her hands. She didn't know why, but she liked this place. She felt like she could settle here... but she knew that wouldn't last. She had begged and pleaded for Zexion to take her home to Radiant Garden and she hadn't lasted long before she wanted to leave again. Not because she hated the place but she just felt...restless. Wound up.

"I'm tired of this,[/color]" she finally announced. Ever since her birthday, that whole ordeal with Jericho in the street... she was getting sicker and sicker of herself. This was just one more reason why maybe he was right and... she pounded a fist against the stone barrier. "Sick of this![/color]"

Emi had been thinking about this ever since Traverse Town. Maybe even before that. She didn't want to hurt people anymore. This was the only way she could keep herself from doing that.

She couldn't have picked a better place.

Emi climbed up onto the railing and looked down. She knew that Castle would probably wonder where she was. Would he be upset when he found out what she'd done? More initiative to just jump... she was going to hurt people no matter what she did.

Arc... she'd never get to thank him. Another debt left unpaid. And Zexion... she just shook her head. At least this would be the last time she would ever hurt anyone...

[Aerith]

I'm no saint, but there's no way you're killing yourself on my watch.
--------

Accepting help from someone she now knew was filled with such hatred should not have been a viable choice. But at least Jericho was honest about his feelings. That was more than she could say about everyone else she had ever known. People were always hiding their true selves just out of sight, afraid of being labeled as too different. She could never go back to living that way. Not now.

"I think I would like that very..."

She trailed off, her attention suddenly captured by the appearance of someone else on this tower. Most of the people they had seen on their way up here were content to stay on the ground level, admiring the trappings of the sanctuary. From here, Nadia could tell it was a girl at least a few years younger than she was. And she was alone. What could she be--

Nadia's eyes widened, and for a moment, her protective instincts flared into existence.

Words would have been a waste of time. She pushed off the railing and sprinted to the other side. Even though she didn't want to startle the girl and cause her to fall, she was left with few options other than to latch onto as much clothing as she possibly could and pull the girl off the railing. She was tall, and Nadia almost toppled over as she tugged. What was it with all these tall people? But she did successfully keep the girl from jumping.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Protective instincts came packaged with almost motherly concern. Almost.

[Slash]

Who is tha-God damn it.

[/center]

They were interrupted by someone who walked onto the roof, taking no notice of them. She climbed up onto the railing and was about to jump. Jericho was going to let her, whoever she was, but Nadia stepped in to save her. When they both fell over, Jericho got a look at the girl's face and it was...

...

...Oh, come on.

Why did Nadia have to save her? Seriously? She was about to jump! Damn it-

Jericho mentally reprimanded himself. It wasn't her fault. She didn't know Emi. She had no idea who she was saving, poor girl. In fact...

In fact, this might be a good thing. Not because Emi got to live...no, another reason.

Jericho didn't say a word, nor did he move. Emi would probably focus on her unlikely survivor before even noticing him. He wanted to see how she'd react to poor Nadia.

But if Emi even laid a hand on her...

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Why can't anything ever go right?
--

Emi had closed her eyes and was about to step off the railing when somebody grabbed onto ther and quite forcefully pulled her down. "No![/color]" she screamed, fighting against the hold Nadia had on her. No! She had been so close to not having to hurt anyone ever again... she had been so close to freedom. Now that it had been stripped from her, the girl burst into tears. "I was so close. Damn it! You've ruined everything...[/color]" she screamed. To demonstrate just how Nadia had ruined everything, Emi reared back and slapped Nadia across the face.

Emi gasped. Even she hadn't been expecting that reaction. It just went to show how badly she needed to just... just... she and this woman were not the only ones on the roof. Her gaze fell upon the man that was there with them too and Emi's eyes darkened.

"You... you won't even let me have this, will you?![/color]" she screamed at him, pushing Nadia away. "What are you even doing here? Did you come to watch me kill myself, is that it?[/color]"

She wasn't crying anymore. "Well, I hope you've enjoyed the show so far.[/color]"

[Slash]

...!

[/center]

Emi slapped Nadia across the face. Time seemed to stop.

Even in all his hatred, Jericho's anger was mostly confined to words. He killed, yes, but there was always a control behind his rage, something that kept him from lashing out and killing everyone he saw. He had never really lost his control, at least not in a decade.

Until now. For the first time in a decade, Jericho was furious. His pulse beat like a drum in his ears as he ran over and grabbed Emi by the neck.

"Let me tell you something, bitch," he said into her ear, leaning close as his grip tightened. His voice had lost its smoothness and eloquence, and had gained a frantic speed as he practically choked on his own venomous rage. "I didn't follow you. Why would I? No point. As always, you showed up in a place that I was already. I would have let you jump. But Nadia saved you. Nadia condescended to save a pitiful life such as yours, ignorant of who she was saving. And you. Hit her."

He moved his head back and locked his eyes with hers. His eyes no longer seemed human, but demonic. It was as if the devil himself was looking through him, so malignant and horrible did they seem.

"You may think otherwise, but I really don't give a fuck about you. If you're around, I'll hurt you- why not?- but I've never followed you anywhere. But if you so much as touch a hair on Nadia's head, I will destroy you. I might not take your life, but I can take your mind. I will haunt you, you little whore. I will follow you and I will rip apart every little bit of sanity you have until you're either a screaming wreck or a drooling vegetable."

He shook her a little. "Do you hear me? You will not hurt her again. You will not even touch her. You. Will. NOT."

His sanity began to come back to him, and he let her go. His hands were shaking- not with fear of himself, but with rage at her.

She could fight him- he didn't care- but she would not hurt Nadia. He was just a person, and his death would amount to little. But Nadia was the beginning of something greater and more terrible than both of them. And Jericho would die to ensure that what she would start came to pass.

[Aerith]

I only have words for one of you right now.
--------

Nadia had been hit before, but this was different. This came from a person she had just snatched from certain death. The ungrateful little--

Jericho was suddenly there, leaving Nadia in a state of shock.

The ferocity with which he grabbed the girl made Nadia take a step or two back. He was yelling somewhat disjointed words at the girl, and Nadia could practically feel the fury rolling off him. The look in his eyes was more than angry. It almost seemed like something else was lurking beneath, some rabid monster screaming to get out. She was transfixed. It was amazing and terrible all at once.

She had never seen him like this, never even suspected such fury could come from him. Oh, she had learned only moments ago that he bore a vast hatred for mankind. But he had struck her as someone possessing more of a subtle anger. This... this was unadulterated rage.

Part of her was completely enthralled by it.

Rubbing her stinging cheek, she cautiously made her way next to Jericho. She had managed to tear her eyes away from him and was now focused on the suicidal girl. Nadia would add her two cents, though her words would be like honey compared to the venom Jericho's had been.

"Let me tell you something before you throw your life away. I don't know how old you are, but if behavior is any indication, you're probably about twelve. I don't care how badly you think your life is right now. Killing yourself is cowardice, plain and simple. Find a backbone and stop feeling sorry for yourself."

Perhaps she should have let the girl jump.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Time
--

When Jericho grabbed her, Emi felt relieved. Maybe he would kill her and her plan could be salvaged. This is why she didn't fight back. If she fought back now, she would just be hurting people again. Even if it was Jericho, she had already screwed up by slapping Nadia. If she fought back now, she knew she would lose. She wanted to die with some dignity and what Jericho would do to her she knew would strip her of whatever of it she had left. The names he called her meant nothing. The threats of destroying her mind were the only thing to coax a reaction from her, and that reaction amounted only to her tearing her gaze away from Jericho's.

Why did they keep running into each other? It was like with her and Zexion. They weren't following each other, they just happened to meet at the most unlikely times and places. With him, she had counted it as destiny but that seemed too positive a word to use for Jericho. She wasn't sure what to call it. Punishment, perhaps?

"I won't touch her,[/color]" Emi muttered. Jericho dropped her and Emi almost cried again. He still refused to kill her but threatened to do even worse. She would have let him do it if she could be guaranteed that it would be the end of her... which wasn't likely. In a state like that, she would only do more damage. She was sure of it.

She leaned against the barrier, staring out into the city of Paris while Nadia continued to speak. The words the woman said changed everything. Maybe they noticed her jaw clenching, maybe they noticed her digging her fingernails into her palm. Nadia just didn't get it. She was just like everyone else who saw her arms and looked at her past and automatically assumed she was just an attention-starved whore. No one ever bothered to look deeper, past the stereotypes and first impressions.

For the first time in a week, Emi was angry at someone besides herself. She pushed off the barrier and walked a few steps over to Nadia. Emi was taller, which gave her a little boost of confidence. A sense of superiority.

"I'm not going to thank you for saving my life,[/color]" said the younger girl bluntly. She held up a hand to silence any protests. "I didn't want to be saved. You need to think about what you say before you say it. You think I'm jumping because I'm a coward who can't stand the hardships of life anymore? If that's what you think, then I need to tell you a little story.[/color]"

She took a deep breath and looked at Jericho. She didn't know what this woman was doing with him, but Emi hoped she knew what she was getting herself into. It wasn't any of her business, so she didn't say anything but she couldn't help but wonder why. Did Jericho like going around to all the different worlds to find girls to torture? Emi may have agreed with him in that she was a terrible person who only hurt people... but that didn't stop her from being utterly disgusted by him. Hatred flared in her chest. She settled back into it easily.

"This was your idea,[/color]" she told him. "I thought about it and, you know, you're right. Maybe the world is a better place with out me. Two years ago I left Twilight Town hoping to become a better person. Make friends. But then I realized this is impossible for me. That's why I slapped you. All I'm ever going to do is hurt people I'm close to, and I can't stop it... so I wasn't being cowardly. I was doing the most selfless thing I could, which was to just take myself out of the picture. I'd rather hurt everyone one last time and it be over than continue to go through life like this... I'm not even sure if my death would really affect anyone. Maybe Castle? I don't know. We're not as close as you think. You were wrong when you said I was parasitic. I don't cling to anyone. That's because I hurt everyone I manage to get close enough to.[/color]"

She turned and walked back to the barrier, sighing. There were still two more reasons she had wanted to do this, two reasons Jericho hadn't been the one to plant in her head. Well, in a roundabout way, he had. She would have never gotten this far if they had left each other alone in Beast's Castle. His amplification there had left her even more mentally unstable. She looked over her shoulder.

"There were other reasons though, ones you don't know about. I don't want to live life never being able to settle, always feeling tense. I couldn't even stay in Radiant Garden after I worked so hard to get back. I'm constantly having to move and its sickening... how was I even supposed to make any lasting relationships if I can't sit still long enough to talk to people?[/color]"

Talking in the past tense meant she was still thinking about doing it. She already considered herself dead. As she leaned against the railing, she realized it was almost dark. Castle would probably be looking for her. She rubbed her face. Everything had changed. She was thinking about going back and wondering if she would try this again. She wondered if she even should try again. If there were three reasons for dying, there had to be that many for living.

"And the last reason is,[/color]" she continued, lifting her head and turning to face Jericho and Nadia once again. "I saw myself heading down a path and I couldn't stop myself. I saw myself becoming just like you and I didn't want that. I couldn't keep my feet from moving, so I decided to start running, right over the edge.[/color]"

Three reasons to live. She'd already thought of them. Castle; she owed it to him to at least get him safely home. Arc; her debt to him still had not been repaid. Zexion;...she couldn't explain why, but she felt there was unfinished business between them. They didn't keep running into each other for no reason... and that logic told her there had to be a reason for continuing to meet up with Jericho.

"I've decided, though, that I have some unfinished business to attend to,[/color]" she announced. And then, she smiled. The first real smile in weeks. Months. "I think I can do better than you, Jericho. I think I can stop while I'm still ahead.[/color]"

[rand=559971271082758995402389578521251119252296630293122760880505666137]

[Slash]

...Okay.

[/center]

Jericho thought about that for a second. Then a minute. Those were a lot of words to process.

Oh, did she finish? Okay. He turned his head to the side and looked out on the horizon again.

She was a disgusting example of everything horrible to him in humanity, just as he was an example of everything horrible to her. But if she could actually improve...He wasn't out for her blood and he'd said just as much.

And really, at this point the thought of her fixing herself was a nice one. He was getting tired of running into her, and would prefer it if she was less unpleasant.

"Huh." He shrugged. "Okay, then. If you think you can. Glad I could help in a twisted, backwards sort of way. If you can fix yourself, that'd be a sight to see. Actually, I can help you on one account." He looked at her, his hatred replaced by a distant impartiality. Seizing onto her mind, he took her turmoil, the alternating feelings of rage and despair that had been boiling within her, and nullified them. Turned them down. He wasn't sure if that would counter the effects of the previous amplication, but it should.

"There." He walked past her and put both hands on the railing, looking out into the distance. "The rest is up to you. If I see you again and you haven't at least made progress, then I'll just bring you straight back to the same position you're in or worse. But hopefully we'll never see each other again."

There was a nice irony to this situation that Jericho, as a former English teacher, could appreciate. He was fixing something that he'd broken before. Good stuff.

He laughed. "Didn't expect that from a monster?" He turned his head towards her. "I can't say I'm not worse than you are in some respects- but I'm not as simply evil as you seem to think. Just as you weren't. Here's the only advice I'll ever give you." His voice seemed a little different when he spoke, then. That was explained easily- it was Carter's voice, as if he was back teaching his class. "Despite most conceptions of the light and darkness, there is no true black and there is no true white to morality. Everything is in shades of grey. Some are so dark that they appear black, and some are so light as to seem white- but no matter what they seem to be, there is always something else."

He turned back away from her, and seemed to be ignoring her- at least until he remembered something and said, "And one more thing. You couldn't have been like me. You're not the type. You could have been something worse, yes, but you and I are fundamentally different. That doesn't mean you're of a better basic type than I was. Just a different sort of evil- as I'm sure we'd both be different sorts of good, if fate had been better to us."

Sure, he had problems. But he wasn't going to elaborate on what he'd been through. She didn't care and he didn't care to tell her. Why bother someone by trying to excuse his actions?

"Good bye. And let's have this be the last time we meet." He fell silent. He had nothing more to say or do to her. The rest of her life was entirely in her hands. He had released his hold.

[Jericho used Amplification.]

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Round Here
--

Emi understood what he meant about everything being gray and nothing being black or white. It was something she had always suspected but had a hard time really accepting. Now that she was face with someone actually claiming that was the way it was, she could see it.

Was it wrong that she kind of hated him for helping her? She got this bad feeling and placed her hand on her shoulder. How was she supposed to feel grateful when he was the one who helped her get to this point? It was like he was the one handing her the razor blade and then taking it away... the cynic inside her suspected he had only done it for his own good. Especially when he said good bye. She knew then he was doing it just so they wouldn't have to see each other anymore.

It felt so strange. Under the effects of the amplification, Emi had regressed back to the way she was when she was fifteen. All of the self-control she'd built up... gone. If she could have gotten her hands on drugs, she probably would have done that too. Now, though... she felt calmer than she had in a while. That's why it felt strange because last time it had taken her two or three whole years to build up the self-control she'd needed to stop and now it was just back.

The funny thing was, she wasn't sure if the person she had been before was really who she was and this was someone else. She supposed she'd have to find out. Jericho had given her life back to her, and whether or not he had done it for himself was his problem. Now she felt like maybe she could change. She liked proving people wrong. She didn't want to be a "different kind of evil"... she didn't want to be evil at all.

She had a sneaking suspicion that no one was all good, but she was going to try as hard as she could.

"See you,[/color]" she said, flippantly. But she smiled to show she wasn't trying to be mean. "And thanks for pulling be back before I was splattered all over the street. Owe you one. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with a midget.[/color]"

She really really hoped this was her last meeting with the two of them- who was that woman anyway- but she didn't think it would be. She was getting the feeling she'd probably interrupted something, anyway, so she took that as her cue to leave. She walked past Jericho and Nadia, holding herself a little more confidently than she had been coming up. She jogged down the stairs and back out into the sanctuary.

It was even darker than it had been, so when she came to the stained glass again the shafts of light she passed through were cooler in color. She looked up at it again and decided one day she wanted to come back to this place.

She ran back to the gummi ship. There was no one on the streets at this hour. Everyone had already gone home. She wondered what kind of trouble Castle had gotten himself into. While she waited for him to return, she sat down with her back against the wall.

Boy, this was going to be rough. She would start by apologizing to Castle.

[Aerith]

I've never seen anything like it.
--------

Nadia remained quiet throughout the rest of the exchange between Jericho and the no-longer-suicidal girl. Even when she was finally offered the gratitude she thought she deserved, Nadia didn't say a word. She merely watched the girl descend back down the tower.

Now that they were alone again, she looked in Jericho's direction, saying nothing for several moments. Perhaps if she knew the entire history between him and that girl, the conversation would have been a lot less confusing to her. Of course, she had gotten slapped pretty hard. That might have been affecting her ability to process things.

At last, she moved to the railing beside him and played her fingers over the metal as she looked down first and then up at the horizon. "You know that girl?"

Really, that question was a front. She could care less how Jericho knew the girl and what had happened to make them hate each other like that. There was something else on her mind, something far more important.

After a moment's hesitation, she added, "Thank you for... defending me like that. No one has ever done that for me before."

Keeping her away from eager young men had been the extent of her father's protection, and to him, that had been a duty more than anything born out of familial affection. What Jericho had done was something else, but she wasn't sure exactly what it was.

[Slash]

Glad she's gone.

Jericho was thankful that she had left. Now that he thought about it, she really wouldn't become anything good. No, she didn't understand what he had said. She saw herself in grey, but the world around her was still black and white. She probably didn't think anything could be as complex as herself- as if she had any depth to her at all. And she'd strive towards the white, which she could never truly reach, and become a bloated parody of what she sought to obtain.

Wretched thing. At least he'd never see her again.

"She's not worth talking about," he said when she asked him.

On to better subjects.

"Well, of course I wasn't going to let her hit you after you saved her. Although, considering how much she talked afterwards, I'm wondering if it wouldn't have just been better to knock her out. Here's a bit of advice- don't hand out your life story to anyone who happens to be present during a dramatic moment. It's irritating and uncalled for...not that you'd do it, of course." Man, he was bitter about that whole thing. He took a deep breath.

"Don't mention it," he said finally.

[Aerith]

I'm finding humor in odd places.
--------

Nadia did something then that surprised her. She laughed. Not just a timid chuckle, either. She looked at Jericho out of the corner of her eye, then calmed her mirth to the point of an amused smile. Her gaze returned to the horizon.

"Are you always like that? She just slapped me, after all. There wasn't even any blood. I think you acted like she had severely wounded me or something."

She hadn't felt such amusement in a long time. Strange that she was feeling it now, especially considering the hatred that lurked beneath. She wondered if that hatred was going to be ever-present or if it was only temporary. If constant, would she eventually acclimate to it?

"It's curious to me, that's all. You're surprisingly protective for someone with so much hatred. Of course, maybe I'm assuming too much."

[Slash]

You should keep that sense of humor.

[/center]

Jericho smiled back. "Well, she certainly didn't think about hitting you again, did she?"

He laughed and begun to relax. It was good that Nadia could still laugh at things. If she lost her sense of humor, then things were going to become a lot more tedious. What good was being able to see the flaws in people if you couldn't laugh at them?

Besides, it was the only way to keep from being consumed by one's own hatred. If he hadn't kept his humor, then the way he had treated Emi would have been the way he'd treat everybody. He'd have been dead long since if that had been the case.

"True, I hate many things. But that just makes me more protective of the things I don't. They become completely irreplacable, you see."

Of course, you're more irreplacable than you know. But it's still up to you whether or not you leave. You've passed the point where I need to govern your actions to that extent.

[Aerith]

Where were we, again?
--------

Nadia looked down at the railing and laughed once more, though it was a much more subdued chuckle this time. "No. No, she didn't think about hitting me again."

She decided then that laughing at things, even if they were not necessarily humorous, was good for her. It was preferable to keeping feelings cooped up in bottle of brooding depression. Besides, there was no reason for her to be depressed right now. She was merely standing on this tower, enjoying some breathtaking scenery. How could she possibly be despondent?

"I do see." She nodded. "When you find something you like, you do everything you can to ensure its continued presence. Right?"

Looking at Jericho again, she couldn't help but wonder why he did not hate her. He had said she and one other person were the other people he had found who went against the grain of the rest of humanity. But she had been living in the same fog as everyone else before she had met Jericho. So, why her?

It was probably better if she didn't question it. In a way, she felt honored that he regarded her as someone undeserving of his hatred.

"I think I was accepting your help before that interruption."