Time wears a mask

[fusedstars]

 Characters: Hei and YOU
Setting: anywhere around the tower
Format: Prose, but I will match with anything.
Summary: Hei is 20+ years older, and his life is, well...crap. Will attack all potential villains with enhanced abilities.
Warnings: Hei has gotten stronger from absorbing the Materia over the years and training. And he has a goal to kill those that ruined his life, villains mostly.

They took it all away from him.

He could never forget. Despair had settled in over the years, unable to find himself to move on from her. Years passed before the light shined upon his heart, his love and those he could call friends and family returning. Everything he could have wanted, finally his once again. Happiness, the one thing neither of them seemed to be able to keep, was finally his.

And then they came.

Memories were fresh, the sound of her screams never ceasing. One after another they fell, he forced to bear witness to everything. Lucy, Kirika, Elena, no one was spared. Everyone that mattered to him perished. Least it felt like everyone. Finally, he trusted Elena. Finally, he and Kirika grew far more as siblings. And finally...she was there with him. To die, to never be able to be brought back.

Those roaming the halls and floors can find Hei, a mask on his face. Beneath it was a glare, walking past people in a hurry. Day or night, he was out there, moving with no loss of energy. He needed to find them, those responsible, and make them feel the pain he had in his heart. Only then could his heart find some solace. This was the man who hated to kill, but now? Now it was the only thing that could calm him down. One man was definitely the number one target for him, one above all else.

Sephiroth.

Comments

[carrythesin]

It has been ten years for Kirika. Her hair grew quite long just pass her shoulders but kept it up on a ponytail mostly. Some of her bangs were at chin length and the rest cut just above her eyebrows. She grew a couple more inches, just about 5'5". If anything, she tried for a different appearance than her original self.

During the years, she considered Hei as a brother she never had. Someone was added to her life too, Rolo. Little by little, it felt as if she was putting a puzzle together with a clear picture, a family. There was also Chloe too, she couldn't forget her. If anything, she tried to keep her inner circle small for her own reasons.

In the halls, Kirika had a small digital camera in her hands. A gift she received from Rolo. Kirika would take random pictures of almost anything from people's expressions to objects either hanging on the wall or on a table. She had a weird tendency to remember the strangest things. But when she say Hei from behind, his appearance wasn't only different. The way he moved, and was he wearing his mask too? It was very rare to watch him wear it. Kirika lifted her camera and focused before she had taken a shot of his back with the flash on purpose. She would do it again after he turned around.

"Is it okay to wear that anywhere?"

[fusedstars]

When he was walking, he heard the flash. Hands already went around the knife, and he turned around. If this was someone just being annoying, he might just scare them off. However, what he saw made his eyes widen under the mask, stepping back in shock. Kirika was...alive? His hand reached out towards her, shaking at the mere thought. This was real, right?

"Kirika?"

[carrythesin]

Even though Hei's face was covered, she could tell he was in disbelief. Kirika tucked away her camera as she stepped forward. Gently one of her hands touched Hei's reached hand to rest assure him this was real. Kirika's other hand reached out for his mask and removed it. Hei looked very different from last she remembered. His eyes the most, she knew those eyes so well.

"Brother..." She spoke softly followed with a nod.

[fusedstars]

It only took a second to accept this. She was younger, yes, but she was real. He embraced her, falling to his knees. The woman he knew as a sister was still alive! There was hope yet...

"You're alive..."

[carrythesin]

"Brother!"

She clung to him as they both descended to the ground. Alive? She had a questionable look but now wasn't the time. She stroke the ends of his dark hair. She didn't understand why he thought she died. Could it be from patrolling? "Did you have a nightmare?"

[fusedstars]

"You...Lucy..."

He hugged her tighter. She didn't know. She had to be from the past then. Regardless, he didn't stop hugging his sister, the memories forcing those tears from his eyes, voice strained.

"Everyone close to us...they all died, for good."

[carrythesin]

Everyone? Even the thought of death never phased Kirika. Perhaps was because she would simply be brought back to life. And the 'other' Kirika didn't fear it either knowing it would be permanent. But, it was a dream and nothing more right? She didn't convince herself good. Kirika continued to hold him.

"Brother... we're still here. Lucy isn't here yet but still..." She didn't want to make false hopes. "Come on, I'll make something this time."

[shikiller]

Nanaya has defined himself through remaining the same for twenty years, his nature forbidding him from aging. Nothing but mindless killing, day after day; year after year.

"Halloween so soon?"

[fusedstars]

"Nanaya."

Hei recalled this being. A murderer, but not the one he wanted to kill, not yet. He glares from underneath the mask of his. Of all the times for an annoyance, it had to be now.

"Get out of my way, now."

[shikiller]

"'Now'? However long this is going to take, it can't be that much compared to the time we've already been here." Nanaya almost treats the order like a joke. Like he brought him to the fair just to tell him to go home. The knife has not had its blade drawn from its hilt, and is simply dancing around Nanaya's fingers.

"And it's so unusual to actually find some conviction from anyone here anymore... so please don't mind if I help myself."

[fusedstars]

"Nanaya, tell me, why do you kill?"

He wanted to know a reason. Eyes noted that knife. This man has abilities connected to death. Even with the power upgrades, he needed to be careful. Still, someone should have told him not to bring metal around lightning.

Nighttime - Floor 45

[neverbeamemory]

It was a long monster hunt to end up on Floor 45 but on the more sleepless nights Sephiroth found it worthwhile, in fact sometimes it was the only way to settle his mind before retiring back to the Dormitories for the evening. To have to be on alert through all of the stairwells up from 41 and dispatch monsters as he came across them.

This type of hunt always ended up with his gazing out of the windows, occasionally looking over one of the humanoid figures as if it might be able to speak to him. Occasionally monsters would appear from the impenetrable shadows but so far there hadn't been much that the Tower produced that could cause him to struggle.

Re: Nighttime - Floor 45

[fusedstars]

Hei spotted Sephiroth, and his blood ran cold. Every memory came back at that moment, how everyone died, how Lucy was stabbed and maimed before his very eyes. Now...now he was going to make sure every last one of them would receive their vengeance. He holds up his hand, lightning ripping through the air and at Sephiroth.

No fairness from Hei. He was going to enjoy ripping him apart.

Re: Nighttime - Floor 45

[neverbeamemory]

By no means was Sephiroth standing around with his guard down, it would indeed be down to Hei's improved ability that Sephiroth had just time enough to register the bright blue lightning reflecting in the window before it hit him square in the back. His heart stopped from the high voltage in the second before it threw him forwards into the window, though it was as if the impact started it again.

He was never more thankful that the Tower had such strong windows or that would have been over quickly. Under the charge and the tingling that followed it, it took everything not to lose his grip on Masamune, and to be sure he flexed the feeling back into his grip around the handle. The tip of the great sword scraped on the floor as Sephiroth forced himself away from the window and to turn around and face his attacker. He had a firm guess whom it might be already based on the lightning alone; it seems Elena's would-be rescuer wanted round two.

The shocked, excited sound of his own pulse rang in Sephiroth's ears as he raised Masamune defensively - waiting for Hei's next move.

Re: Nighttime - Floor 45

[fusedstars]

"You're getting weaker if you couldn't avoid that."

Hei's hands charged with lightning, and he stepped closer, unfazed by that sword of Sephiroth. No, he could win this now. 20 years of absorbing the mako energy and combining the magic with his abilities, he was going to tear him apart, one molecule at a time.

"Now pull yourself together. I haven't begun to play yet."

Re: Nighttime - Floor 45

[neverbeamemory]

Sephiroth took the pause to take the needed assessment of Hei. He seemed older - what was it with some people having gained a few years all of a sudden? Hei now looked formidable to say the least, none of that merciful boy that had spared him when he'd had the opportunity last time. Even the way that the lightning crackled across his hands foretold of the vengeance that Sephiroth could glean from his presence here. Hei even felt more powerful to be facing off against.

Finally, a challenge.

"Oh, and when did you decide that you could play with the big boys?" Sephiroth taunted, unable to help himself. Green eyes glinted in the gloom as he shook off the last of the aftershock from Hei's first charge and then waited around no longer. Masamune dropped a fraction and then came in swiftly towards Hei, from the side as Sephiroth lunged into an attack.

Re: Nighttime - Floor 45

[fusedstars]

"When you murdered the people I loved."

Hei's body molded, changing into pure electricity. The metal came into contact with it, and he made sure all of that power was sent. But it wasn't much, just a fraction. Hei wanted him to suffer.

"And that won't work, but it's fun seeing you try."

Re: Nighttime - Floor 45

[neverbeamemory]

There wasn't any time for Sephiroth to really process Hei's response, let alone answer back. His attack was executed too fast.

Masamune didn't even have to make much contact for the electricity to charge it's way up the great length of the blade and right up through hilt onto and into Sephiroth's body. The sheer voltage froze him in place for a second, then it crackled across shoulder armor as Sephiroth was forced back a pace before the shock earthed itself and left that sizzling feeling behind. His sword dropped from the connection though still firmly held out to the side.

That tingling told Sephiroth that his cells were still inexperienced at dealing with such attacks; or more likely it was much more powerful than the charging he'd adjusted to during that incident with Elena. Hei was much more powerful than he remembered - was this another who he'd had history with that he didn't remember? As Sephiroth recovered again from the aftershock he raised his gaze back up to Hei's mask, already this guy was getting on his nerves - but there were other ways to fight.

"What are you talking about?" He growled at Hei, for the moment Masamune swept it's tip just shy of the floor out to Sephiroth's side. He wasn't stupid enough to try that again right off the back of the last attempt.

[stopsyourtime]

Why, hello there, his brother-in-law? Rolo is 10 years older and hasn't really changed much appearance-wise part from being taller. His personality has changed a lot though and he cares a lot about his 'family' which he considers Hei a part of, since he is his wife's 'brother'.

Rolo frowns slightly at how strangely the older man is behaving.

"Hei? ... what's doing on?"

[fusedstars]

Hei stopped in his tracks. That voice, the young man he accepted as Kirika's husband. There was a change in his voice, hesitating at what he was now seeing.

"Rolo?"

[stopsyourtime]

"Yes? It's me... What's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost." He laughed a little at that.

[fusedstars]

"But you...you died."

Sudden reveal was sudden.

[stopsyourtime]

Rolo blinked a bit then laughed. "But... everyone dies here once in a while and just comes back, Hei. You know that. I've lost count of how many times that has happened to me in the past 10 years!"

Really big brother-in-law, what's gotten into you?

[fusedstars]

He shook his head, brushing aside Rolo's attitude. "It was 20, Rolo! And I know what I saw!" His voice was raised, clearly serious. "I spent those years, waiting for everyone to return, and no one came! Not you, not Lucy, and not even Kirika!"

[stopsyourtime]

"20...? No, it wasn't. It was just 10! Hei, calm down!" Rolo reached out to hold the older man's shoulder's lightly. "But I am here now and so is Kirika."