Edge of Purgatory [Clive, Jericho]

[Slash]

Huh? ...Wait! Do-over!

[/center]

?[/color]

Jericho watched Clive walk away, slightly confused. Well, that was an interesting reaction. He felt really out-of-sorts for about two seconds.

Life is so frequently absurd. It is good to be reminded of that, right? Still, that's really anticlimactic.[/color]

Annoyed, Jericho cancelled out the Amplification by using his newer ability, replacing Clive's insane happiness with a rather acute irritation boiling over into anger. While doing this, he also aimed straight for Clive's back with a powerful stab.

Honor? What was that?

"Dear God, I can't do anything with you, can I?" Now he actually did want to kill Clive, simply because of how much this whole situation sucked. Clive was really no fun at all.

[Jericho used Empathy.]

[Nothingness]

CLIVE SMAAAASH!!!

"What the hell? Jericho's manipulating my emotions?" Clive couldn't really believe that until he felt an enormous amount of rage begin to burn inside him. That was the tip-off, but he probably wouldn't realize it until the effect wore off. For now, he would make sure that Jericho wouldn't take a step closer.

He could hear Jericho's footsteps, and the sudden silence after. He immediately turned around and dodged, closing the distance between Jericho and himself. Pushing the sword away with his left forearm, he shot his right palm upwards, aiming to break Jericho's nose, while at the same time sending a kick towards Jericho's knee.

[Slash]

This is fun, even if I am getting the hell beat out of me.

[/center]

There was some anger. Finally! The first time he'd seen real anger in Clive, and even then it was artificial, an echo of his own.

That didn't matter. He was going to have fun with this while it lasted. The best battles were those that were quick, angry, and brutal.

Jericho turned his head to protect his nose from being broken, taking the kick to the knee. He didn't retreat, but instead grabbed the hand that had tried to hit him and used the resulting few seconds to his advantage, returning a kick of his own to Clive's leg.

"Controlling yourself during a fight is such a bore. Isn't this better?"

[Nothingness]

This IS Control

Clive was deaf to Jericho's taunts. He didn't have time for them, and he'd make sure Jericho didn't have the ability to say them soon enough. He didn't bother trying to fight Jericho's grip--it actually made things easier.

Twisting his body to avoid the kick, Clive jumped off to the side and grabbed Jericho's wrist with his restrained hand. While he could feel the pressure of twisting his right arm like that, he quickly shot his left elbow up in an attempt to fracture Jericho's forearm and release his hand.

[Slash]

Now.

[/center]

Jericho pulled back his hand just quickly enough to avoid a fracture, although Clive's elbow still made an impact.

Now. He's close enough to be within the aura. Spider, kill him. Quickly![/color]

The transformation came quicker than ever, in one horrible bolt of pain that was somehow worse than the more drawn-out process. His body felt like it had torn itself apart all at once, and he quickly receded into the unconsciousness numbness that rose to meet him when the spider took over.

The spider was very close to this new one, close enough for its aura to reach him. It enveloped him with greedy hunger, sapping his strength through his body.

This one had a bad heart. Too much light, too much strength, too much order. Not fun at all. But the spider could get those connected to it, yes? Yes. Its legs sought to skewer him as it darted around him, now able to match his speed and then some.

"The girl," it said in that voice that was both Jericho's and that of an inhuman thing. It's voice was calm, detached from the rest of him as he attacked again and again. "Aerith, is she? You are strong, but she is only strong in terms of the light. Not a fighter. She can be torn apart. Would you like me to tear her apart, Clive Arron? Would you like her to die as your wife did?"

Jericho would never kill Aerith, but the spider had no qualms with such an action. The only thing it would not kill was Nadia, and even then it would if she was to attack first.

The spider slashed at Clive relentlessly, the aura seeking him all the while.

[Jericho used Anti-Form. Two posts remaining.]

[Nothingness]

Spider and Fly

Clive's mind was his own again. The anger vanished, but in return his "awakening" was a rude one--being face to face with Jericho's monstrous form. He immediately felt the strength being drained from his body, and instantly sped away, watching as the spider flailed its legs in slow-motion. His first jump took him to the city gate, the second into farther down the street, and the third was a feint--the street curved, and there were two alleys he could take.

He took the main road, obscured by the buildings, and took to the maze of alleys there on. Clive figured the spider would follow him, and that he would lead it to Aerith. And that's exactly what Clive was going to do.

[Clive used Fade,two posts until next use]

[Slash]

A runner. How annoying. Didn't he know it was almost impossible to run from him? The maze of alleys meant nothing to him, as it could scale over it all, keeping its eyes locked on Clive's presence.

When Clive entered a particularly thin alleyway, the spider sped up, landed in front of him, and attacked.

How annoying he was. He should fight.

[Nothingness]

Cat and Mouse

Yes, he was getting closer--damn! Well, he knew that this was going to happen. The spider was going to find him. Still, an alleyway this thin meant that it could only move up and down quickly, not across. Turning around, he avoided the stabs and took another way, running as fast as he could. The effects of the aura were a bit more potent than he'd expected, but he wasn't going to allow that to slow him down.

Breaking into the open air, there were plenty of people around on the streets. Running through the crowd, he accidentally shoved a few people out of the way, knocking some down. He got into another, much shoter alley and kept running, heart racing all the while. Fear? No. He'd been around death too long to fear it. He was amused that for once, he felt what it was like to be the hunted. How thrilling.

Back in the open, he stopped inside the skeleton of the very house he'd been building. Resting a hand on one of the struts, he caught his breath for a moment before running into a backroom and grabbing a small axe. Some of the paneling had been installed, and he took refuge behind one of them. Now, to wait.

[Slash]

I don't give up so easily.

[/center]

The spider tracked him down with growing annoyance, crawling across the top of the half-built house. Time was of the essence, and this one just kept running.

It dropped down and rushed to him, seizing the axe in both hands and striking at Clive with its other six limbs.

Time was up. It jumped back without seeing if it had hit.

Jericho took his form back, unsure of where they were. He only knew that he was tired. Very tired.

Damn it, I'm not losing that easily![/color]

[Anti-Form has worn off]

[Nothingness]

Snake and Mongoose

As Jericho landed and tried to grab the axe out of his hands, he pushed back and tried his best to avoid the stabs, but managed to get three large gashes along his right arm. He'd had worse, but that didn't stop the bleeding, nor the pain.

Clive had all but resigned himself to the void when he looked again, seeing Jericho back to his normal self, though it looked as if he were barely able to stand, let alone hold onto that axe. Walking up to Jericho, Clive gripped the axe, raising it up, and then went for a punch at Jericho's stomach. "It's over, Jericho."

[Slash]

Over?

[/center]

"Over...this quickly? Well, I've always...been...annoyingly persistent." Jericho took the punch, his stomach knotting in agony as he did so. But he didn't fall back. Instead, he put a hand on Clive's neck and attempted to push him back, trying to call the spider once more.

God knows I'm going to go to the bitter end.[/color]

Pain shot through him, but the spider could not surface. He was too weak. That didn't stop Jericho from trying, over and over and over.

He wasn't going to give in like this. He refused. For Nadia, and for himself, he was going to fight until he absolutely could not.

[Nothingness]

It IS Over

Clive barely felt Jericho's hand around his neck. The clamminess of it was affecting him more than the actual attempt. "I told you to rest, Jericho." He grabbed Jericho's wrist and pulled it away from his neck. "Now, rest." Rearing back, he threw a right hook at Jericho's jaw.

[Slash]

No, Clive, and it never will be.

[/center]

Jericho did fall back this time, struggling desperately for consciousness. Black spots jumped in front of his eyes. He had failed, and badly.

Is this it? Is this all that I have amounted to? Useless.[/color]

All he could do was rely solely on the spider, and even then only for an incredibly short time. Because he wasn't strong enough. And now, to add insult to injury, his opponent wasn't going to kill him, but was simply going to knock him out.

He would lose Nadia, and it would be his fault alone.

No, I won't let it be this way. I won't![/color]

He was going to pull the spider up or die trying. No, he was going to pull that power up for himself. If the spider would not come to the surface, then he would use his own darkness.

Jericho reached deeper and deeper, tearing through his own psyche in angry despair.

First, there was pain. Then there was agony.

Then, enlightenment.
___________________________

A cloud of blackness had descended upon Radiant Garden. Specifically, a small section of it, reaching out from where Clive and Jericho were. It enveloped everything around them, a blinding and choking mist.

Then, it condensed into one point and disappeared.

"Is that what you want of me?" Jericho asked softly to some unknown force. "Then it will be done."

He stood up, his strength back.

"I have to thank you, Clive." He smiled. "If it wasn't for this fight, I'd have probably never gone that far. And now I know things that I was never supposed to know. It's quite fascinating, it really is."

He raised a hand. Darkness swirled from it, condensed into a rod, and became solid. It had taken the form of a Keyblade, some horrible thing of metal and blood.

Now he was blessed to hold such an ancient weapon, and a fine specimen of it, too.

What will I call you? Hm...Arachnid's Symphony? It has a nice ring to it.[/color]

"I've got a new role now. And maybe I can be a bit more of a challenge? If another round interests you, that is."

Jericho laughed. He was all too happy to fill the role that had been assigned to him. The darkness inside of him swirled and writhed, unseen and unfelt by all save him.

[Nothingness]

Not Particularly

Clive wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but Jericho had gotten up yet again. However, this time he had a rather strange sword in his hand and was muttering something to himself. Well, damn. This certainly wasn't helping Jericho's messiah-complex. Whatever, it wasn't his problem anymore.

Crossing his arms and turning his head to the side to let out a stiff laugh, he said, "There's not much of a point. If you wish to fight, I'll gladly deprive you of your senses again. But you and I realize that it wouldn't be of any use." Turning around, Clive started walking back to Aerith's house. "You'll just get back up again until someone else kills you."

[Slash]

You're an idiot.

[/center]

Shadows swirled around the ground, rising and taking the form of the Heartless known as Neoshadows. 6, then 7, then 8 surrounded him, with a few Shadows in tow.

"See? I do owe you quite a lot. I'll pay you back, I think, by toning down that arrogance of yours."

He stuck his Keyblade into the ground, and immediately a great haze surrounded them. Jericho could see through it no problem, but to another, it would disorient. Sounds blasted through, some the mere suggestions of footsteps behind oneself, some the loud roar of a monster close by. Figures darted through the mist only to be proven intangible.

The Heartless would keep him inside of its range, maybe draw him into the center.

"How strange is it for you?" he asked as he moved through the mist, obscured by it. His voice sounded as if it was coming from all angles. "You have always been the one in power, yes? And to think that all of this could have been avoided if you had killed me when you had the chance."

He wasn't going to kill Clive, no, but he wanted to see how long it would take to shake that confidence from him.

[Jericho used Blinding Haze.]