In for the Kill [Emi]

[Castle]

The damn suit jacket was too stiff. He ditched it somewhere on the road behind him, leaving only the white shirt that he had on beneath it. His usual, purple shirt was on underneath that, but the other shirt was light enough that he could settle for keeping it on, though he did undo the top two buttons so it would be less irritating.

He'd stopped running a while ago. Now, he was moving at a fast walk through the quiet streets of Radiant Garden. He was somewhere between trying to get his thoughts straight and just trying to cool off. He didn't want to think about what he just did, or the consequences, or where he would go after this.

Laughter rang from the path ahead of him. A group of boys, maybe around his age, were sitting around on someone's porch. They quieted down as he began to pass them. He sensed their silence and knew what it meant even before one of the boys called out to him,

"Hey, you look sort of lost. Prom was, like, a few months ago, wasn't it?"

The other guys snickered. It would have been smart to just keep walking, but Castle stopped where he was and turned toward them with leftover venom in his glare. Some of the grins faded.

"You really don't want to fuck with me right now," he warned bluntly.

The boy who called out to him, a tall kid with sandy blonde hair, put on a tough face and stood up from the lawn chair he was sitting in. He walked down the porch steps with his hands in the pockets of his black slacks. A couple of the other guys followed suit.

"What's the matter? Your date run out on you?" the kid sneered.

Castle said nothing, but his hostility went from "leftover" to "renewed." The kid strolled up to him and raised a hand to shove his shoulder, saying, "Speak up, shorty, I can't..."

Before the hand could make contact, Castle's had a vice grip on the corresponding wrist. The guy's sneer fell off in surprise. When he tried to pull away, the slight motion was mistaken for a counterattack, and the young blonde soon found himself bent double over Castle's fist.

One of the kid's friends, a quieter, more serious teenager, rushed into action, and so the fight began.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

I'm gonna find you.
--

After several minutes of searching the surrounding area, Emi got frustrated. She kicked a wall and then leaned against it. Where was he? She wasn't mad that Castle attacked her father. Nikolas deserved it, and if Castle hadn't, she would have. She wasn't mad, at all, actually. She was scared.

There was something going on with him. She hadn't noticed it before, not really. Had this happened when she was gone? An even more sickening thought occurred to her. Had Jericho done this to him? She put her face in her hands. This was getting out of control really, really fast. Okay, get a hold of yourself, she said. Just find him and make him explain.

She pushed off the wall and started walking again. She would feel so much better once she found him and he was okay. And she would shake him until he told her what was going on.

[Castle]

The guy who ran at Castle after he punched the pack leader was actually putting up a fight. He was the only one, though; the blonde and two of the others had long since backed off. One of them had a broken face, another was slumped over the porch steps, favoring his ribs, and the third had his arm pressed close to his body. The only uninjured one had never left the porch.

The tough kid was getting winded. Blood was pouring from his nose, and his techniques were moving slower. Castle, by comparison, hadn't a scratch on him, at least none that he could feel.

"Cut it out!" the timid, uninjured boy shouted from the porch, "What the hell is wrong with you? Cut it out already, you guys!"

Finally, Castle's foot connected with the side of his opponent's head. The young man fell to the ground and didn't get up. Alarm swept through his friends. Castle turned to snarl at them,

"And that is why you shouldn't fuck with me. Got it? Don't ever talk down to me again!" he threatened, pointing at each one of them.

"H-He was just messin' with you. He was just messin' around..." the timid one stammered.

"Shut the fuck up!" Castle spat, rounding on him, "Didn't I just say you shouldn't mess with me? Isn't that what I just said?"

"Dude, okay. You made your point," the blonde, who's face was now severely bloodied, said hoarsely.

Castle turned his head to face him.

"No," he said flatly, "I'm not sure I did."

At that moment, a hand closed over his shoulder. Without hesitation, Castle whipped around, swatted the offending arm out of the way, and plowed the heel of his palm into the person's face.

Melina Carmindy fell back into the dirt. A sharp whimper of pain escaped her as she cupped her hand over her broken face. Tears streamed from her eyes, squeezed shut, as blood poured between her fingers.

Castle froze. The action was almost literal, as a fierce, cold feeling gripped him from the inside.

"Wh...n...h..."

The pathetic series of almost-words was cut off as his throat closed. He took a shaking step back, and then turned and ran. He didn't even bother to think anymore. He just couldn't do it.

Once the shock wore off, the boy with the injured arm went over to Melina and knelt beside her. She was sitting upright now, but she was sobbing hysterically, though not from the pain. Not the physical pain, anyway.

"There're Potions in the house," the guy with the hurt ribs said to the one on the porch. When the timid young man hesitated, he turned his head toward him and snapped "Go!"

The other boy quickly did as he was told and emerged a few moments later with the Potions in his arms.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Well, this is going to be awkward.
--

Meanwhile, Emi was rounding a corner. Castle was still nowhere to be found. It was hot, and it was really becoming a hassle to carry his clothes around. But she didn't know what else to do with them. As she was walking, she almost tripped over something on the road. Castle's clothe ended up in the dirt after her flailed her arms trying to catch her balance. She looked behind her to see what she had tripped on and saw... more clothes. Had she dropped something? She picked it up. It was the coat Castle had run out of the house on.

She looked around. He had to be around here somewhere. Then, behind her, she heard commotion. Follow the trouble, she said, running towards the sounds after gathering up the now dusty clothing. It was a little bit of a walk, but not hard to find. She stumbled into someone's yard and it looked like there had been a fight.

Hmm. Interesting.

She threw the armful of clothes aside and ran over. "Hey, what's going on?[/color]" she asked. In typical Emi fashion, she didn't really off to help. She was concerned about the crying woman on the ground. Who would hit a woman like that?

[Castle]

All eyes turned to Emi as she approached. The Potions had been distributed, and Melina's face was repaired, though she was still dabbing at it with a bloody, tear-stained tissue. The tough guy had come around and was sitting on the porch steps with an ice pack to his head. Everyone else had been healed as well, but there was still obvious tension in the air.

The boys watched the newcomer with wary, hostile eyes, but Melina's widened at the sight of her.

"Y-You!" she exclaimed. She staggered to her feet and reached out to grab Emi's shoulders, but stopped herself. "I-I'm so sorry. Oh god, what happened? Do you know what happened?"

The guy with the formerly broken arm moved to stand between them. He looked at Emi apologetically. "Sorry. Some guy just showed up and raised hell. She got hit," he explained.

"Move!" Melina snapped suddenly, gently pushing him out of the way so she could face Emi again, "You're friends with Castle, right? Why is he so angry? If something happened to him, please, tell me!"

She was confused and panicking. It was a bad combination and she knew it, but she didn't exactly care about her own appearance at the moment. The guys just hung back and watched the scene unfold.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Forget the word count minimum.
--

Emi took a step back and held her hands up. "Whoa, hey. Who are you? And are you telling me Castle had something to do with this?[/color]"

Whoever this woman was, she looked vaguely familiar. Then, it hit her. "Oh. You're Castle's mom.[/color]" She laughed nervously. That explained why Emi didn't really remember her, considering when they met Emi was extremely drunk. She quickly sobered back up (ha, sober) and said "I have no idea why he's so angry. Well, I do but it's something more than just being angry. I've seen him angry and this... this is different.[/color]"

She grabbed Melina's shoulders. "Which way did he go? Let me go find him and make him tell me what's going on,[/color]" she said. "I think I can fix it.[/color]"

[Castle]

I've seen him angry and this... this is different. At those words, Melina withered slightly, feeling as though her fears were being confirmed. There was something wrong with her son, and she had no idea how to help him.

Where had she gone wrong?

Emi's hands on her shoulders caught her by surprise. However, a second later, new tears were falling from her eyes. Maybe this girl could help in a way she couldn't.

"He went that way," she said, turning slightly to point in the direction he had gone, "Please, be careful."

"You should go beat the shit out of that fucking runt," the blonde added bitterly.

Melina cast a glare at him that was almost as intimidating as Castle's. The guy put his hands up and shrugged, but backed off.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Oh, now I see why he pummeled you.
--

Emi let go of Melina's shoulders and pointed a finger at the rather enthusiastic little thug that Castle had beaten up. "You. Shut the hell up. That mouth is going to get you in trouble. Again.[/color]"

And with that, she took off running in the direction that Melina had shown her. She stopped and pointed to the pile of clothes. "Those are his. Do something with them, okay?[/color]" After that, she was gone.

He couldn't have gotten far. And when she found him, she was going to give him a piece of her mind. What kind of jerk would beat up his own mom? ...she slowed to a stop. No. It wasn't him that did that.

[Castle]

Castle didn't stop running until he was in the Great Maw. At that point, he stumbled to a halt and ran his shaking hands through his hair. He paced in a circle, trying to catch his breath as the image of his mother on the ground remained plastered to the inside of his mind.

"W-Why did that happen? How is she even here?" he babbled to himself. He growled and shook his head, "God damn it, what the fuck is wrong with me?!"

He lowered his hands and stared at them. The bandages had some flecks of blood on them, but those flecks weren't from him.

"Is this... because of the darkness...?" he wondered aloud.

As if on cue, a ring of Shadows sprang up around him. He turned to look at each of them. There weren't that many, but...

"Don't you even think about it," he threatened quietly.

They didn't advance, but more appeared behind them. Then, a ring of Soldiers jumped into being behind the Shadows. Immediately afterward, even larger Heartless made themselves visible, encasing the scene in a dark, fidgeting wall.

They wanted the darkness in his heart, and they wanted it now.

"Fine," he growled, "if it's darkness you want, I'll give it to you!"

There was no way out of this but to fight. With a determined shout, he summoned all the power he had. Black flames flashed to life around his body. The Heartless responded immediately and dove in at once.

[Berserker Trance activated]

***

Even after the first Heartless were defeated, others climbed out of the shadows to take their place.

***

The Berserker Trance had long since worn off. He hadn't been able to hold it for very long, but it was enough to get rid of the worst of the Heartless, and no more of the big ones were arriving. Now, there were only Shadows left. That should have been a good thing, and in a way it was, but the ones before them hadn't been defeated without leaving their marks.

His shirt was badly torn, the once pure white fabric now stained deep red. The multitude of cuts and scratches were visible through the gaping tears. His bandages were loosened, and some new wounds had been added on top of the old bruises and nearly healed burns. Blood streamed down the side of his face from a cut on his scalp.

He was gasping for breath, barely maintaining a fighting stance in the center of the remaining Heartless. They weren't attacking as frantically now. It was as if they knew they were wearing him down. He brushed some blood away from his left eye and some hair away from his face. His ponytail was still in, but it was loose, like the bandages.

"Damn it," he breathed. He couldn't lose focus now. He had to...

Something hard impacted him from behind, around his shoulder blades. The Heartless landed on the ground and scuttled out of range. He lost his balance and fell to his knees, a new set of scratches stinging on his back.

He couldn't keep this up. The Heartless knew it. The group of Shadows leapt in at once, greedy for his heart, and all he could do was wait for it.

The eyes of Notre Dame flashed before him.

Maybe he deserved this.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

...
--

Emi found herself on a familiar trail. There was only one place Castle could have gone, and she ran full speed until she got there. There was something horrible happening when she stumbled into the Great Maw. That was Castle, no doubt about it, but he was being swarmed by a lot... a lot of Heartless. For a moment, Emi couldn't move, just stare. But she knew she had to do something, so she snapped herself out of it and summoned Lacewing.

He might not have been able to fight them all off, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve that he didn't. Like a weapon with a little longer of a range. And magic. She didn't even bother with actually hitting the Heartless. She lifted the blade into the air and cast Demi. The spell had grown stronger and all of the Heartless overpowering Castle began to float into the air. He could get up now, if he wasn't too injured.

While the Heartless were in the air, they jumped and jerked like they were being struck. Then, they all fell to the ground, and before they could get up, she had changed weapons. With her kali sticks in her hands, she felt a lot more confident. She sprinted forward, kali sticks literally blazing.

There weren't as many Heartless as she originally thought, so it didn't take as long to fight them off. One by one, they fell. She kicked the last one in the head and it skipped across the dirt before finally exploding. She doubled over, trying to catch her breath, but she didn't take too long. She ran to Castle, hitting her knees in front of him. She was breathing heavily.

She grabbed his shoulders. "What... the hell... is going on?[/color]" she panted, shaking him. He was injured, but she was desperate. If she had a potion, she would have used it on him. "Are you okay? That's a dumb question. I need to get you back to the town...[/color]"

--
Battle Report
Emi used [Demi]!
2 post cool down
2 uses left
Emi used [Metalmark]!
3 post cool down
2 uses left

[Castle]

It was unreal. The Heartless started...floating. Castle lifted his head to watch them. In his current state of mind, he thought he might be hallucinating.

Suddenly, they hit the ground, and then they were being violently destroyed. It was Emi. She defeated the Heartless in record time, caught her breath, and then she was in front of him.

The shaking and her voice brought him the rest of the way back into reality. He blinked, his eyes traveling over her face. He couldn't tell if she was angry or... no, she was just freaking out. But why? Why wouldn't she be pissed at him?

Shame forced its way in. Oh, god. What had he done? He'd messed up, that's what. He'd messed up bad, and she ended up having to save him. Again.

"Emi," he said. He put a hand on her arm, only to let go again as he took a deep breath. He couldn't meet her eyes. "I messed up. I'm sorry."

His limbs felt like lead, but he stood up anyway. He didn't want her to have to support him. Unfortunately, standing turned out to be his next mistake of the day. His head swam, and he swayed dangerously as his vision began to black out.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

You don't even understand.
--

Emi let her hands trail down his arms when he stood up. He was quite literally slipping out of her grasp. She stood up, too, running to catch him again when he stumbled. "You're explaining when we get back,[/color]" she said bluntly. He was hiding something. She could see it in the way he wouldn't meet her eyes. "Now, come on. We need to get you fixed up.[/color]"

As much as he didn't want it, she would have carried him back into town if she had seen the need to. It was sufficient just to let him lean on her. She could carry the weight easily. There was silence for a long time, except for the sound of their feet on the dirt. In Emi's case, she knew it was because the moment she opened her mouth she was going to burst into tears. She didn't want him to see her weak now. She didn't want him to know how badly this had hurt and confused her. She squeezed her eyes shut, rebellious tears falling despite her struggle to keep it bottled in. The thought of losing the one person who hadn't abandoned her, the only person she actually cared about in all of the worlds... horrifying.

She opened her eyes. Not yet. When things had calmed down, then she could cry. For now, she needed to be the strong one. But she couldn't stop dwelling on what it would be like if she hadn't gotten there right when she had...

[Castle]

Castle let her support him as they made their way slowly out of the Maw and back up the path. He felt sick, both from shame and lightheadedness.

He noticed a drop of something fall to the ground. He braved a glance up at Emi's face, only to look away immediately. Damn it. Why'd he have to make her cry? Emi, of all people. Emi, who had been stronger than him this whole time... who had stayed with him this whole time.

Even after all this happened.

It suddenly got harder to breathe. He tried to walk it off, but the nausea and lightheadedness got worse. He reached over with his free hand and tugged on Emi's jacket,

"Hey, I gotta stop... for a second..." he panted. It was simple; he just needed to rest for a minute or two, and then they could keep moving. He didn't want her to worry too much.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

The thought of losing you turns me into a blubbering idiot.
--

She stopped, rather impatiently. She was eager to get him back to safety, but if he needed to stop she wasn't going to make him push himself. "You okay?[/color]" she asked, again, quietly as to hide the fact her voice was about to crack. Again, it was a pointless question. She knew he wasn't okay.

God, she just wanted to shake him and make him tell her everything right then and right there. It was scaring her to know there was something wrong, but not being sure what it was. Somehow, he was involved with the darkness. There were so many questions she wanted to ask. She dragged the back of her hand across her eyes. She wasn't doing a very good job at hiding the fact she was trying not to cry. Dammit.

"Listen... I'm sorry. If I hadn't brought you to my dad's house, this wouldn't have happened,[/color]" she muttered. "I guess that's my fault but...[/color]"

She choked, stopped to compose herself, and continued. "This is really freaking me out. I'm... really, really scared. For you. Promise me when we get back you'll explain and not try and hide it from me anymore. We're friends, remember? And if there is something going on that's going to...[/color]"

She stopped. If she continued, she would lose it. After a few seconds, she managed to add "Let me know when you're ready to keep going. It's not much farther.[/color]"

[Castle]

He would have thrown an objection in there sooner, but he was too busy catching his breath and trying not to cry like a little girl. Normally, clinging to her like this would have been embarrassing, but it was hard to feel that way when it felt like she was his only form of... oh, wait, she really was his only form of support.

"Don't you dare, Emi," he managed finally, "Don't you dare say this is your fault. For fuck's sake, if it weren't for you, I'd..."

Now would be a very bad time to cry. He needed all the breath he could get in order to reach town. If he let go now, she'd have to drag him back, and he didn't want her to have to do that. He gathered his resolve, grimacing a little when he took some of his weight off of her. Warm blood trickled from some of his wounds.

"Let's go. I'm ready," he told her.