towerofanimus | In which the entire tower collectively goes OH SHIT

[Well, it's where Riku usually is to make sure that everyone else doesn't have to be... except that it's not really working this time. He blames the setting.

He is focusing on the Beserkers, trying to figure out how to best fight the three of them and get out somewhat unscathed at the same time when Naminé's magic hits them, blinking when he recognizes her scent mingled with the power.

He wants to give into surprise and turn his head, wants to ask just when she had learned magic like that, but he knows better. Instead he slips through the darkness, teleporting himself to behind the Nobodies, making use of the time she had bought him by attacking relentlessly.

Question can wait until later.]

[Naminé comes to a halt nearby, careful to keep herself out of range of both the power-dampening effects of the monsters and their more direct offensive attacks. She's relieved he's taken her interference in stride, even if she did already have faith in his ability to do so. She casts a glance behind her to make sure she hasn't been followed, then returns her focus to him. Normally she'd probably be keeping more of an eye on a few of the Heartless that are just a bit too close for comfort, but none of them seem focused on her or Riku just yet and they're not quite close enough for a Stop. The spell she cast on the Berserkers won't last long, and she intends to be prepared to back Riku up with a Reflect when the Stop wears off.]

[By the time the spell wears off, Riku has inflicted enough damage on the first of the Berserkers for it to tense and fade away into Darkness. He slides back until he's just out of range of the power-dampening, dismissing Soul Eater for just a moment to conjure Dark Firaga and blasting it at the remaining enemies.]

[She'd have been happy to help making aiming a little easier with another Stop if she'd been ready for one~~, stupid cooldowns~~. Truthfully, she's glad he has no need for Reflect at the moment, since using it on someone else is always a bit precarious as far as timing goes; will it get there in time to help? As it turns out, though, she's going to need it herself, since one of the nearby Wizard Heartless appears to have taken an interest in what's going on over there.]

[Pretty much the only reason she doesn't get hit with the Thunder spell suddenly coming from behind her is because she's already been shocked today, and she recognizes the feeling of the moment before the spell takes effect just in time to use Reflect.] --!!! [And after that, it's just a matter of holding it long enough to avoid getting electrocuted again.]

[The second Berserker had already been worse for wear from his previous attack; the Dark Firaga thankfully finishes it off.

There is still the third Nobody to be dealt with, but Riku is reasonably confident that he won't have too much trouble with it especially with Naminé backing hi- It's in that moment, that he tastes the spark of thunder magic in the air, turning his head in time to register the Wizard and Naminé's reflect spell.]

Naminé!

[He doesn't even think about leaving the Nobody behind in favor of helping her instead, Soul Eater re-summoned and raised high as he attacks that Heartless.]

[Naminé only dimly recognizes that her name is being called, since her focus is on maintaining that reflect - it's a considerably longer period of time than she's used to, and when the thunder spell finally stops and she can let her own spell go, she does so with a heavy exhale. Her eyes open again - she'd unintentionally squeezed them shut, and the first thing she sees is the abandoned Berserker.] ?! [Twisting quickly in an effort to find both the Wizard and Riku, she discovers that the latter has gone after the former. She's both grateful and relieved, because nothing happened to Riku and because he's taking care of that Wizard. It teleports out of his way, but it doesn't go far, and if he's quick about it it'll be no trouble to get close enough to put an stop to any further magical shenanigans from that particular Heartless. In the meantime, Naminé will be returning to backing him up.]

[Being 'quick about it', is what Riku does best, at least in this kind of situation. He wastes no time doing rushing at the Heartless and with her help, it probably won't take long until the Heartless fades away.

However, ignoring the Berserker comes to a price,as it now sneaks up on them and suddenly starts crashing down its claymore.]

[Naminé's nothing if not diligent, and between the two of them, it's not long before the Wizard is dispatched. Unfortunately, she's entirely too distracted by that to notice the Berserker until it starts crashing down entirely too close for comfort. It catches her off guard, and even if it hadn't, it would still have brought the Berserker close enough to nullify her magic. The end result is a startled Namin&!eacute; freezing in surprise for just a moment before attempting to move out the Berserker's range, but given her lack of speed and the delay, her chances don't look so good.]

[Riku turns his head when he hears the Berserker approach, surprise and fear flickering over his face as he watches it going after Naminé. He doesn't think twice about jumping after her, tackling her away from the Nobody and tacking the brunt of the damage it unleashes.]

[Farther back and obviously the less skilled fighter, Naminé makes the best target out of the two of them. The instant she realizes she's not going to get away, a cold chill creeps through her--] Oof! [The tackle catches her even more unaware than the Berserker's arrival. At first, she doesn't even realize what's happened, only that being crushed by a Berseker didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. Once she actually opens her eyes and sees him, though, everything clicks into place.] Riku--!

Edited 2012-01-16 20:48 (UTC)

[Riku presses his lips together as the repeated strikes rain down at him. It eats away at his health, but he can deal with that, if it means keeping his precious people from hurting instead.

Finally he finds a moment to roll away from under it, his breath shaking as he re-summons Soul Eater to his hand and pushes himself up to his feet again.

He is going to take that Berserker down, no matter what.]

[To be called someone precious would have been a surprise to her, and one mixed with a hint of guilt; without a heart, how can she reciprocate such a thing? (Nevermind how upset she finds herself to see him be hurt, how deeply ashamed she is for having caused it, how much she wishes it was her instead.) She watches him get to his feet with obvious concern, and again she curses herself for not being stronger and learning more spells. But there's no time to berate herself. She needs to get moving, to do everything she can to help him. She gets to her feet and quickly moves to put as much distance between herself and the Berserker as she needs to throw out one more Stop spell. That Nobody won't be hurting Riku again if she has anything to say about it.]

[But she is, she is one of the reasons why he hadn't lost himself in guilt and loneliness in those months while working for DiZ. It doesn't matter that she maybe can't quite reciprocate, not when he is sure that she would if she had a heart.

They are friends after all.

A smile flickers over his face as her spell takes effect and the Berserker freezes under its weight. He isn't going to waste that effort, he thinks, sliding forward to unleash a combo of slashes that hopefully should be enough to wither away what the Nobody's health once the stop spell wears off.]

[She's never quite able to call someone a friend without at least a hint of uncertainty and a quiet guilt; what business does she have claiming such a thing when she's got no heart? ... But if that uncertainty was gone, and if she was aware she was permitted, she would happily claim him as a friend.]

[Just seeing him moving again is a relief, because it means he's not done for yet. She's not sure how injured he might be, but that he's still able to take vengeance on the Berserker, and that's a good sign. It looks, at least to her, like that particular Nobody is, in fact, done for as the spell wears off and the damage begins to catch up with it.]

[Well Riku isn't exactly saying it out loud either - he, too, considers himself unworthy of friends, even though for different reasons.

He watches grimly as the spell loses its effect, his blows rain down onto the Berserker and it finally fades into nothingness. The tension in his frame loosens just a little as he turns away and towards Naminé, a relieved smile flickering over his face as he walks over to her.

It's far from over yet, but if they are lucky they might have caught a small break. For now.]

Are you all right?

[Her exhale as she watches the last fragments of the Berserker disappear is a deep one, but her eyes don't linger on the now-empty space for long. She turns her attention to Riku quickly, the relief on her face shifting to concern as she hurries forward to meet him. The fact that he's smiling is reassuring, and she finds a similar quirk taking hold of her own mouth, but the tension in her face is still very clearly present.]

--Yes. I'm all right, thanks to you, but-- what about you? [That's the real question. She's not the one who got pounded on by a Berserker.]

[He crooks his head a little, that smile still on his face as he reaches down into his coat pocket and pulls out a Hi-Potion.]

It's nothing that can't be cured.

[She automatically follows the movement with her eyes and visibly relaxes when she sees he's come prepared. It doesn't quite put an end to her mentally chastising herself for not having learned to heal yet, but it certainly makes it easier to deal with. She exhales.]

Good...! [But that leads her to something else.] Riku, you could have gotten badly hurt. [Naminé, are you really telling him he shouldn't have saved your sorry behind?]

[For someone with so very little talent for magic and the ability at best maybe heal paper cuts, having some stock of potions and other curative items around is an absolute necessity - especially when that someone is more than prepared to walk right into trouble.

Like intercepting certain Nobodies that may or may not be the Other of his best friend.

So yeah, Riku generally carried around a potion or two. Or five.

One of which he is offering her now by the way.

He just looks at her as she scolds him - maybe a bit amused himself, because yeah, he is hurting and it could be even worse, but it's nothing the potion can't fix and to be honest, if put in that situation again, he would do the same as before. Without a second thought.

It's just physical wounds and the mere idea of not being able to protect her in that moment sends echoes of guilt and shame through him, because it would have meant failing. Again.

He absolutely refuses to.

He won't point out any of that though, because knowing Naminé, she maybe probably knows it anyways.]

I'll be fine.

[If he has any say in it, they both will.]

[The girl is aware he's usually quite well-prepared for such things, but she also knows he's been in the tower for a while, and recently, it's been one long, continuous fight - surely she can be forgiven for being afraid he might be running low. ~~Nevermind the apparently endless supply he carts around when he hangs out with Sora in the World That Never Was.~~]

[Her eyes light on the potion and then flit back to him. She wants to protest, to say that he should keep it, but she knows she'll slow him down if she doesn't do something to help herself keep up.]

[She might still have rejected the offer if she wasn't aware of just that; he doesn't want anything to happen to her. The less he has to worry about that, the better. It says more about him than it does about her. It's hard for her to admit to herself that she might have value to someone, and so she couches the idea of his consideration in the fact that she is, after all, the shadow of someone else he cares for. Thinking of saying that out loud, though, makes her uncomfortable, because some part of her knows she should have more faith in him than that (and does).]

[Finally, she lets out a quiet exhale and smiles faintly at his amusement, and, in a way, herself. ~~Silly girl, you know better than to think he'll suddenly stop believing he did the right thing because you don't think he should have let himself get hurt for your sake.~~ She reaches out and takes the offered potion with a quiet,] Thank you. [It's some consolation that she doesn't need to use too much of it.]

[When she looks up again, it's with an attempt at a better smile and a(n intended to be) teasing,] You'd better be. [Except she really does mean it, although it's not nearly as pushy as it could be.]

[~~Well to be fair, that's more a spell than an item actually and he hasn't really mastered that yet, so she's probably right to worry. Not that he'll ever admit anything like that.~~

He is glad that she just accepts the potion instead of trying to argue about it, because she is very much right to think that he would keep insisting.

Maybe, maybe it might have been like that in the beginning - but it has been so many months since, and how can he not see her as separate to Kairi when she is so different to the girl he grew up with even if she is so very similar to her at the same time?]

You are welcome.

[He hands her the potion and pulls out a second for himself - even if she doesn't need all if it herself, she should keep whatever would be left for later - this fight is not over yet and might not be for a while.

A soft chuckle escapes him, because while he knows she is just as much serious as she is teasing, it still makes him smile.]

Of course. Wouldn't want you to worry.

[Fortunately for him, if he does run out and she finds out that it was because he was being silly, she probably won't smack him upside the head like he'd deserve. That's Kairi's job. He might get a Look, though. Just saying.]

[Why is being right never a good thing, when it comes to her?]

[He'll have to tell her that, because once she's finished with the potion, she holds it out for him to take back. She may have behaved herself about taking it in the first place, but that doesn't mean she isn't going to try giving what's left of it back.]

[The chuckle makes it so much easier for her to smile. ~~It's always easier to reflect a smile than to create it.~~ That part about not wanting to make her worry, though, causes her to hesitate. It's an excuse, she supposes, and perhaps a joking one, but she wishes he could have a better one, that there was someone more important here to worry for him. That's not to say she'd wish worry on someone else, or hopes that someone else would be brought to the tower, it's just... surely it would be better to have someone here to support him that could put their whole heart into it, someone like Sora or Kairi. That way, he could finally be with his friends again.]

... That's right. [And she manages to keep the smile, but her voice doesn't quite sell it.]

[Getting the Look from her makes him feel about as bad as getting head-smacked by Kairi. Which is why he'll do his best to make sure that she'll never ever find out, should he ever find himself in that particular situation.

No idea, some kind of weird reflected karma, that she definitely doesn't deserve?

He just shakes his head, when she hold the potion out for him-] Keep it. [And yes, that is also a point, where he definitely won't give in.

He'd probably be angry, if he'd ever hear her put herself down like that - she shouldn't, shouldn't ever believe herself to be insignificant, and while she admittedly may not be quite as important to him as Sora and Kairi, she is very, very close to it. He might have voiced this in joke, but that doesn't make it any less true - he doesn't want her to worry about him, not now and not ever.

He frowns slightly - he is not quite buying this smile - but in the end he doesn't call her on it either, because now is not the time for that. Instead he just nods towards the wall.]

Come on. Let's get away from here.

[Standing in the middle of the room, while working quite well if you are out and ready for trouble, isn't that good an idea if you want to avoid it. And with Naminé so close, Riku is definitely going for latter now.]

[~~He'd get twice the Looks for trying to hide it, if he did and she was aware of it. She does have ways of finding things out.~~]

[Or some kind of reflected karma that she definitely does deserve.]

--.... [Her frown says it all, but she keeps her mouth shut and hangs on to the potion as instructed. He'd better keep being okay, because if he does get hurt, it's a safe bet that she'll feel responsible.]

[And that's precisely why he won't hear it. Upsetting him is not something she enjoys doing. She patiently maintains the smile through his scrutiny, but even she can't stop from getting a little weaker as he frowns. Fortunately a distraction comes along in the form of his nod and she follows it with her eyes before returning them to him. She gives him a return nod.]

Okay. [She sounds a little relieved because she is, even if she is willing to stay wherever he chooses to. ~~She knows he'll look after her.~~]

[~~...That probably wouldn't stop him from trying. As said, he really doesn't like other people worrying over him, okay?~~

Does not. Good luck convincing him that she ever deserved any bad kind of karma. :|

Well then, he'll watch out not to get hurt ~~too badly~~, if only to make sure that she doesn't blame herself for that. He frowns a little more at her - she is smiling as if to reassure him of something and he isn't quite sure what she is trying to hide. It doesn't matter anyways, at least not right now, he supposes as he gestures her to go ahead.]

In which the entire tower collectively goes OH SHIT

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