Edge of Purgatory [Clive, Jericho]

[Nothingness]

July 30th

It was different this time. Clive saw not blackness, but an endless field of gold, with a shining sky above. And there they were--Claire and Rachelle--smiling at him. Picking up a jog, Clive ran over to them, but unlike every dream from before, he reached them this time, and as soon as he did the three of them embraced one another. "Sorry it took so long." "It's alright," Claire said, kissing his cheek, "You made it."

The three of them stood there; for how long, he didn't know. They didn't move, and didn't say anything. Nothing needed to be said. At last, Clive spoke, sadness punctuating each syllable. "I've got to go." They released one another, Rachelle being the first to find her voice. "Don't say it like that, Dad" she shook her head, smiling, with tears in her eyes. "We'll still be here, just somewhere else." She walked up and kissed her father on the cheek: Clive's eyes began to water.

"It's still sad." Clive whispered, smiling faintly. "We'll be together again before you know it." Claire wrapped her arms around his neck, and they kissed. Tears began to roll down Clive's cheek as their lips parted. Rachelle ran up and the three of them hugged once more, Clive barely able to say, "Goodbye."

His wife and daughter disappeared, fading from his very arms. And he still smiled, yet. They didn't need to worry about him anymore. He was alright. Everything would be alright.
---
Clive opened his eyes, finding himself in Aerith's room. He didn't realize that he'd fallen asleep as soon as she left. Sincerely hoping he didn't make anything awkward, he left the room and headed downstairs, but not before wiping the tears off his cheeks. If Jericho was down their, so be it. If he was to die today, he would do so with no regrets.

[Slash]

Hello, Clive.

[/center]

Jericho was getting ready to leave. Predis was off eating, but he had been doing well at keeping an eye on her and keeping Clive from planting any ideas into her head. He needed to keep moving, or else his inability to leave the world would eat him up inside.

Hm. Perhaps that was a reflection of his chaotic nature, his need of constant movement. He didn't give the idea all that much thought before Clive himself walked downstairs.

"Hello, Clive," he said coldly. "Do you mind coming outside with me? We have a few things to discuss."

[Nothingness]

Good Day, Jericho

So, Jericho was here. It didn't take much for Clive to assume that Jericho had worked to undo what he had tried to fix last night. "Good day, Jericho." Clive replied, his voice void of emotion. "Neither of us needs to mince words, you know." He walked straight to the door and held it open for Jericho. "It's a disservice to us both."

[Slash]

Let's go.

[/center]

"I agree that we should get to the point, but it would be best to do so somewhere away from here." He begun to walk in a direction that would get them out of the town, talking while he moved.

"Tell me, Clive, what do you think of Nadia? She is lovely, isn't she? Obviously you must agree somewhat, since you chose to interfere so. And I've worked so hard, too..."

[Nothingness]

How Have I Interfered?

"Whether I chose to interfere or not, for that reason, is none of your concern. You're just upset that I tampered with your project. Though," he turned to give Jericho a mischievous smirk, "You certainly care deeply for your project."

As they turned the corner, Clive continued. "Frankly, if my interference keeps her alive longer, then, please, tell me, why are you upset about that? You can ask her yourself when we're done--I never once told her to leave you. I encouraged her to stay with you, in fact."

[Slash]

A misunderstanding?

[/center]

"Well, of course I'd be upset. She's important. Very important, in fact." He smiled right back.

"It's not that I think you told her to leave- I don't think she would have listened to you. She couldn't have done anything even if she had considered it- I'm not a person who leaves escape routes for others, especially not ones so obvious. I believe all of the possibilities have been killed at this point." He shook his head. "She's in a delicate stage right now. It's not a good idea to tamper with her thought process. She's too far gone to fix, of course. She's already damned. The most you could do is make a desperate, self-disgusted monster out of her. But I'd rather she not be miserable."

[Nothingness]

Better Than Nothing

"There's nothing more elusive than an obvious fact." If Clive didn't already know the ending result of this conversation, he'd say that they were being completely civil about this all.

"It would take time, but I've no doubt she could be fixed. And the more she hates herself, the more she will come to fear and loathe you. The sculpture is nothing more than the artist's expression, yes? As far as being damned, well," Clive smirked, "I've managed to step out of Hell. Whose to say I won't just pull her out of the Pit?"

[Slash]

I had no idea your expectations were so low.

[/center]

Jericho laughed with a mixture of surprise "Ha! You think far too little of me, Clive. And too highly of your own abilities concerning this matter, I speculate. Not even you know the depths that I can go to- you left too early for that- but she knows. And she'll stay. She's got abandoment issues rooted quite deeply in her psyche, and why not? Her family saw her as a tool to be used and thrown away if it is faulty. Thanks to those, she's connecting things at an unprecedented rate. Freedom is to cast away all moral values. Happiness is equivalent only to power, and the greatest power one can gain is that over another's life- in other words, breaking and killing.'

'And it'll be harder for you to break her away from me than you think. I was never cruel to her. I never hurt her, but plenty of others have tried. If she recovers, it will take me about two or three days to push her past the point of no return."

He walked a bit farther, then stopped with an expression of deep thought on his face. The sarcastic amusement he had supported was now replaced by quiet reflection. Here was what the big difference between him and Clive had been.

"You call it hell, but is it so bad as that? It is good to me, and to her, and her descent was not so traumatic. I don't think you'll ever really know what I mean. You were a different sort of monster, almost equivalent to a machine. To you, the corruption was simply there. To us, it is a sanctuary, a refuge. The abyss is not so bad, Clive. As soon as it permeates your being completely, everything is...nice."

He stared up at the sky. They were on the outskirts of the town now, but there were still walls he could use.

"I think the only way you can pull her out of that is by killing me before it's too late. And I've been meaning to show you the powers the darkness gave me. You might think that I have some humanity left within me, but you'd be wrong. Monsters can care for other monsters, or that which will be a monster. Ah, she'll be so beautiful. If we're both still alive when that happens, I'll be happy to bring her back here."

He waited patiently for Clive to speak or strike.

[Nothingness]

You Don't Know Anything

"I know very well the depths a human will go. I was surrounded by them for two years on a ship. Two more in the darkest corners of Agrabah. Your time in Hell may have been infinitely longer, but you gave in to it all, letting yourself become this way, and comfortable in its numbness. I had to watch myself everyday and suffer."

They continued walking, and Clive laughed at Jericho's claim of him being a machine. "Only in my actions, was I a machine. I never allowed myself to enter your 'sanctuary', but I still suffered silently in that abyss. The only difference is that I was strong enough to step out of it."

The two of them were standing outside town now. "Unfortunately, I won't grant you the release of death, Jericho. Nor will I let you grant me mine." He looked to the side and laughed a little. "Funny, isn't it? I look for death for years and it eludes me. Now it comes to meet me when I no longer wish for it." Clive shook his head. "But, enough philosophy. Shall we?"

[Slash]

Then let's begin.

[/center]

Jericho would have liked to speak further. Clive and he both had far different perspectives on things, and operated on such different levels that he believed that they would never find any common ground, even if they were actually interested in doing so. Clive, even though he had been a killer, had never truly been of the darkness. Jericho was and would always be.

What was the big difference? Perhaps it was their respective attitudes towards killing. In his earliest days, he had only killed for revenge and for survival. Maybe Clive had done the same. But Jericho had a capacity to enjoy it, something that had dismayed him less and less as he took his revenge. Clive, if Jericho was correct, would never have been able to find that joy.

"Ah, it is more than just numbness to be found in the absence of light...but, you know, I don't think either of us can ever really understand the other." He smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way." Jericho bowed his head slightly. "Let us begin, then."

Jericho knew how skilled Clive was. His first slash with Corruption was conservative, easily blocked but allowed him to quickly pull back and defend himself should Clive attack.

[Nothingness]

Let's Get This Over With

Blu-Bird: Hansel und Gretel (Remix)

"No, I doubt we will ever understand one another." Clive knew that their conversation was just a precursor to the fight--a way to pass the time. Neither could be convinced by the other, and neither would seek a compromise. Clive figured that Jericho was also aware of just how pointless this fight was, but there was no need to say it.

Clive bowed his head in return, waiting for Jericho's move. It was a simple attack, one which Clive dodged before the blade even got near him. Knowing that his greatest asset right now was his speed, he was making sure to refrain from exerting more than the minimum of any movement. As such, he waited for Jericho to make the next move.

[Slash]

The essence of control, aren't you?

[/center]

Jericho backed up. Clive was being very careful. Of course he was. This would go nowhere, but Jericho was keeping the spider hidden until the very end.

This fight was pointless on one hand and on the other, incredibly important. It would kill neither of them, but something told him that this would ultimately decide what would happen to Nadia. Did Clive sense that? Perhaps he did.

Jericho struck again, putting slightly more strength into this hit.

[Nothingness]

Just as you are the essence of madness

Another easily telegraphed move that was dodged with just as little effort. Though this time he opted to counter with a kidney shot before quickly hopping backwards.

The fight was going nowhere fast. And yet, Clive knew that no matter what the other did, the other would counter it with ease. Even if Jericho should use his "powers of darkness" Clive figured that his control over time would balance it out somewhat. In normal combat, despite having no weapon, he could move in and out of Jericho's range quick enough, though Jericho's attacks would hurt him much more than his own punches. And irksome balance for them both.

[Slash]

This is boring.

[/center]

Jericho jumped back from the punch. Fast as always. God damn it this was boring. "Man, one of us needs to get better or start sucking at this. I might as well just sit on that wall."

Annoyed, he backed up. What was Clive feeling? It was still hard to tell with the blank. Maybe annoyance? All he knew was that he was seizing on it and amplifying it as much as it would go. Even it was just apathy, then he could make him too apathetic to put effort into anything. SOMETHING. THIS SUCKED.

[Jericho used Amplification.]

[Nothingness]

Aw, Why Thank You!

"I'm glad we understand each other on that." For whatever reason, the moment after he said it, he felt this massive wellspring of joy burst inside of him. He was ridiculously happy--ecstatic, even. Probably somewhere, way back in the darkest corners of his mind, he knew that all of this was Jericho's doing, but he'd figure that out later. Right now, he was just so damn HAPPY!

And since he was happy, he was going to leave--fighting like this was such a drag. "Well, Jericho, that was a really nice talk we had. Maybe we can do it over some coffee later. Bye!" He waved good-bye and started whistling an old sea-shanty as he mildly-strutted back into town. If he knew the lyrics, he'd probably be singing it.