abyssdressing | Nightmare Fuel: The Post

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characters: betrayalsquared

Nightmare Fuel: The Post

[On the outskirts of town, a familiar figure can be seen kneeling beside a small stream. But this is certainly not the Fon Master most people are familiar with: the hem of his robes are stained red with blood and his eyes are empty, as though no light is reaching them.]

[Leaning over the running water, Ion reaches down to cup a handful to drink. He remains like that for a few moments, almost as though he was considering going into the running water himself...]

[But before he can make that decision, a pair of dark, ghostly hands shoot out from his own shadow and gently pull him back. Then, just as quickly as they had appeared, they fade back into the darkness. Ion doesn't even bat an eye at what had just occured, simply staring down at the water.]

[That is, until he notices you.]

[ooc: From the same universe as

replicasquared I give you yandere!Ion! AU information can be found here. He's not going to lash out right away, but he might be a little traumatizing for certain characters, so watch out for nightmare fuel! ~~And yes, I know I'm a horrible person for this.~~]

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[That sound is like nails on a chalkboard, and Anise winces the moment it reaches her ears. But her eyes widen within the second that she sees her precious Fon Master down, in pain, and looking at her the way he was. Tears began to fill her own eyes, but from a different sort of pain. That wasn't supposed to happen! She had marked Ion, she shouldn't have gotten hurt at all!

And his words...it was like being stabbed through the heart. Was this some kind of bad dream? Punishment for what she did in the past?]

Ion... I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean to! I wasn't trying to hurt you, I--! Ion, what's happening? What are those things?!

[Sorry.]

[Anise was... sorry? Sorry for what? Sorry she hurt him? Sorry she made him? Sorry she killed him and had him buried in secret? Sorry for leaving him all alone? Maybe it didn't matter.]

[It's small, but it's something. And somewhere deep in Ion's mind, he grabs hold of it and fights to the surface. She apologized. She apologized. The strange glow around him intensifies as he brings a hand to his chest and starts shaking his head.]

No... no, I don't want... A-Anise, I... I-I...

[With a gasp, the glow disappears as the strange shadows are gone. For a moment, Ion just stares down at the ground.] ...they're gone. Th-the voices, they're, I... I'm back.

[But the relief doesn't last long as he looks up and sees Anise. He hadn't seen her in so long, and to see that look on her face... oh, Anise. As much as he wants to rush up to her, to comfort her and stop those tears, he knows he can't. This moment won't last long; he knows that all too well. Hesitantly, he takes a few steps back.]

A-Anise... p-please, stay back. I don't... want to hurt you.

[Something happened just then. Those things were backing off and--...and he was there. Ion was really there. For a few seconds, time seemed to slow to a screeching halt as Anise realized that those things were somehow controlling him. This wasn't a dream, this wasn't some kind of horrible punishment for what she did in the past.

This was really happening, and her precious Fon Master was being controlled by whatever those dark shadows were.]

I-Ion...? [Is it really you?]

[What? Stay back?! No...no, way! Anise snaps out of her stupor and it looks like something ignites inside the young guardian. ...That's right. guardian. She was a Fon Master Guardian, meaning she had to protect the Fon Master - she had to protect Ion.

So, even against his warning, she approaches with a fierce sense of purpose and determination. She won't lose him again. She won't watch him suffer again...!]

No! Ion, you're...you're in danger! Just stay calm, whatever this is....I-I'll--...I promise I'll help you! I-I'll take you to the Colonel, o-or the hospital! You'll be okay....y-you'll be okay, I promise!

[With every step Anise took towards him, Ion felt his heart pounding in his chest as his eyes widened. He tried stepping away from her, but stumbled on the rocky stream behind him, landing in the shallow water with a small splash. The water already began to run red from the blood on his robes. So much blood... so much fresh blood... it was too much. He began shaking his head once more, bringing his arms up as if to shield himself from Anise.]

Please... p-please, no...! Anise, you have to... [She's too close. She isn't safe. He's going to hurt her. He can see it, he can sense her heart beating, the sound echoing so loudly in his ears as if to drive him mad...! He had to stop it. No... he had to put a stop to this before he did something even more unforgivable.]

If you come any closer, I'll kill you, Anise!

[By the look on his face, it's still a warning. But that warning could very well be a threat in the next few moments if she didn't leave.]

[Ion's words make her hesitate, though it's the look in his eyes that really makes her stop for a brief moment. Her own heart was indeed pounding in her chest, but mostly out of fear for her most cherished friend and person. The one she... No. Come on, Anise, keep it together! Ion is counting on you! You can't let him down this time. You can't--!]

You won't...Ion, I know you'd never do that! [This was still Ion. And no matter what, e-even if he was really possessed by some crazy thing, he wouldn't hurt her. He wouldn't hurt anyone!] You wouldn't Ion. Please...please, just let me help you. I-If you're hurt, if you're scared, I...I'll help. Please, I can't--...I won't leave you, Ion! I won't!

[And, with renewed vigor, the little guardian approaches again, but this time at a slower pace. She didn't want to scare her friend more than he already was. But why...why was he so scared? What had happened for him to get like this? And what were those things controlling him?! If only the Colonel were here. She didn't like being on her own. Anise always had her friends by her side, but here...everything was so inconsistent. They always just drifted in and out. But now wasn't the time. She had to focus on the friend who was here, the friend who needed her. And she promised herself she would not let him down.

Not this time.]

Edited 2011-03-23 02:21 (UTC)

[Ion is frozen. He can't move, only staring in horror as Anise continues to come closer, continues to put herself in danger. At this rate, Anise will...!]

I-I... I can't. I can't...! [The dark ghostly hands behind him start creeping out of his shadow again, one flying high up into the sky before slamming onto the ground, shattering the rocks in the stream like they were made of glass.]

[He wraps his arms around his stomach and leans forward, almost as though he were in pain. But the hands are uncaring, two more coming out to pull him back to his feet. When he looks up at Anise, his eyes are dark. He's gone.]

It hurts... it hurts, Anise... I told you to go away. Why? Why would you do this to me?

[His head tilts limply to the side, as though the hands were the only things keeping him from falling to the ground like a lifeless puppet.] It's too late. You can't... you already killed me.

[Anise shielded her head when the water and rocks began to fly, ducking down in hopes of avoiding any damage. She grit her teeth almost angrily, cursing those things that were harming her precious Ion, changing him into someone, some...thing he wasn't.

She was just a few feet away, splashing through the ankle deep water, when she slowed to a stop. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and took a deep breath. Those words, all of them, hurt so much more than she wanted to admit, but...but she couldn't stop. She had to help him! Even if it really did mean she'd get hurt somehow, Anise had to help him this time.]

I...I know, a-and it the worst mistake I've ever made. But I won't let the same thing happen again! Ion, please, just let me help you this time! [And she steps forward again, reaching out a hand.] Please, Ion...I won't hurt you. I-I just want to help. We can find the Colonel, and you'll be fine in no time.

[For a moment, the hands stop. Ion's face turns to the ground and his shoulders shake. For a moment, he looks as though he's regained control.]

...I know you won't, Anise. You would never hurt me. [His breathing becomes shaken and it sounds as though he's beginning to cry. But the longer one listens, the more those tears begin to sound like laughter... and not the sort of laughter Anise has probably ever heard come from Ion.]

[When he finally looks up, there's a grin on his face and his eyes are emptier than before.]

But it doesn't matter. I'll still die... and you, too. Then we can finally be together... and it won't hurt anymore. Nothing will... nothing... we'll be nothing together, Anise.

[Anise, against her better judgment, kneels in the water beside her friend, even though she, too, is shaking. Something wasn't right about him. Her mind was telling her this somehow wasn't the Ion she knew, and she should get away, but she couldn't. Anise kept thinking back to when he was normal - normal and suffering - and the more she thought about that, the more her reasoning and self-preservation began to ebb away.

Anise reached out, and touched Ion's shoulder gently, reassuringly.]

Of course I won't... I-I would never...n-never...hurt you. [Not again.] Ion, I promise. I--

[He was gone. Ion was gone, and that laughter and those eyes, that face. The chill that Anise suddenly felt was icy, like she had been pushed into subarctic water. It stung, and it hurt so much more than she could describe. The fear, however, was so much more painful. Anise had never, ever, been afraid of Ion. She suddenly knew of the danger she was in, and backed away.]

Ion...! Ion, please, this isn't you. You wouldn't do this to anyone! Please, Ion, please... Why are you doing this?! If it's my fault, I'm sorry. I--...didn't know what to do. I'm so sorry...! Please, Ion, don't... Don't do this!

Anise... Anise, don't look at me like that. I'm doing this for you. For me. Everything will be... nothing. The way it should be.

[The hands behind him begin to multiply in number, steadily growing larger and dark as they stretch into the air. They rear up and begin to take a new shape, becoming narrow and twisted on the ends. One passes by a nearby branch and cuts through it as thought it were nothing.]

[Their blades are all aimed at Anise.]

The pain... I'll take it. I'll take it all away, Anise, and there won't be pain anymore because there won't be anymore.

[He takes a step closer.]

Good-bye... [The blades start shooting down towards her.] ...my most... cherished...

[But those dark shadows never reach Anise. There's a bright flash of light and a loud crash, almost like glass shattering, as a powerful arte is cast from somewhere nearby. The hands appear to disintergrate as they creep back behind the crazed Ion, pulling him further away from Anise.]

[In that same instant, someone behind Anise grabs her by the arm and jerks her back. The face is a familiar one, but probably only makes things more confusing: the one saving her from Ion was none other than Ion.]

Stay behind me and don't speak a word, understand?

[His words are rushed, in a tone he's never used on Anise before, but this was necessary. Whether it was fortunate or not, he knew what this thing was.]

Back! Get back! I won't let you harm her!

[Anise's eyes widened is horror when she saw those hands twist and coil into blades. Blades that were staring her down, blades, grinning like some kind of sick and twisted grin. Was she really staring death in the face? This couldn't be real...this couldn't be! Ion would never--...he wouldn't... Anise just couldn't believe he'd do anything like this to anyone.

But those blades were coming down, and Anise screamed, shielding her face and closing her eyes, preparing for the horrible sting of pain and death. It wouldn't have mattered if she tried to fight back, it'd take her too long to get Tokunaga ready and, even then, she herself wouldn't hurt Ion. Especially not when he said those words. The same words... Anise felt a sting in her heart, and sobbed. Did she deserve this? This was because of what she did, right? Oh, Ion...

But there was no pain, and a pair of arms grabbing her roughly, and a familiar voice; a familiar face. Through her tears, Anise swallowed hard, her voice strained. What was going on? There were two Ions now?]

I-Ion? What...?

[Although the attack injured the shadows around him, his body was still conscious and trying to cover. The dark ominous glow around him began to increase as the the hands started trying to multiply once more. Slowly, Ion dragged himself back to his feet and stared down the one who had attacked him.]

[When he realizes who is it, his eyes begin to widen.]

Why... why are you here? Are you real? Real... or are you nothing? You shouldn't exist and neither should I.

[And as he speaks, the hands start creeping out from the shadows again.]

Nothing... everything that will be... will not be. As it should be.

[The other Ion was right. And the words stung. They might share his face, but neither of them could ever truly be Ion, right? Ion died. The replica died. What did that make him? A replica of a replica, bearing the memories of events that happened before he was alive... he shouldn't exist. He probably shouldn't have ever been created.]

[But he was here now. And Anise needed him. He didn't know if she was "his" Anise or not, but that didn't matter. Anise was Anise. And with that thought in mind, he grits his teeth and raises his staff once more, this time making a direct attack on the other replica and sending him to the ground. It was only enough to knock him unconsious; he wasn't about to kill Ion, an Ion, in front of Anise.]

[Not that killing it would do any good.]

[When he turns to Anise, he's breathless, but he knows there's no time for rest now. They had to get away while the adrenaline rush could keep him going and before the monster replica woke up.]

Anise? Anise, look at me. That isn't who you think he is. We need to get out of here before... b-before he wakes up.

[It was painful to watch. Painful to do nothing when someone who shared the face of the one she cared so deeply for was being attacked. But, perhaps fortunately, Anise was frozen with fear. Her legs felt heavy, and she was pale and shaking. Ion had attacked her. Ion had tried to kill her. And now another one, was here to protect her, to save her. It was so...surreal. Like one of her hundreds of nightmares coming true.

It took a moment for Anise to look back at Ion, the one trying to save her, and she looked like she was going to break. Her voice cracked when she tried to speak, so she just nodded. Nodded and turned her face away to hide the flowing tears.]

[Seeing that look on Anise's face just broke Ion's heart. Even if he wasn't to blame, he couldn't help but feel inklings of guilt for not arriving sooner. Now, because of him, Anise was suffering again...]

[But now was not the time for self-pity, and he grabbed Anise by the hand once more and started leading her away. Slowly at first, and then breaking into a run. It was almost ironic; the only reason Ion was able to run so fast these days was because of all the time he spent running away from Anise. And now, here he was, running with her.]

[He's going to keep running as long as he can, as fast as he can without letting go of Anise's hand, until the nearby town starts coming into view and the trees around them start thinning out. He starts slowing to a walk and eventually stops, entirely out of breath.]

I... think we... lost him...

[It certainly was odd, to have the tables turned like this. Wasn't she supposed to be the one leading Ion to safety? Wasn't she supposed to be the one doing the protecting? Wasn't she supposed to be the strong one? But here she is, being dragged behind Ion, gasping and running for her life and nearly tripping at least twice due to being blinded by her tears.

Everything...it was wrong. It was so wrong. Ion, two Ions! Why on earth was there two, and why did that other one want to kill her? Why did he even try to kill her? Anise knew she deserved it, yes, but it was still shocking. It was like a nightmare come to life, and she had no one to cling to this time. No Tear or Natalia to comfort her. Just...Ion.

When they finally stop, Anise falls to her knees. She feels physically ill, like she was going to throw up. Thankfully, she doesn't but instead she does something she will never be proud of. Something she had never done in front of anyone ever before. Not even her parents.

She broke.

Her face was buried in her hands to try and muffle her loud sobs, tears leaking from her eyes and between her fingers. She doubled over, almost like she was trying to curl up and be as small as humanly possible, and sobbed. Anise cried out only once or twice, shouting why to no one in particular - or perhaps herself, before she just dissolved into more sobs, more painful and agonized tears. What had happened to make Ion like that? Was it really because of her? ]

[When Anise falls to her knees, Ion's heart stops.]

[What if he was too late? What if Anise had already been seriously wounded? What if those things possessed her somehow? In the half-second it takes Ion to kneel down beside, dozens of worst-case scenarios flash through his mind. In the end, none of that mattered, because it didn't change the fact that Anise was still hurting right now.]

[But while the Ion Anise is familiar with had never seen her cry like this, he had. On that day, when he was "born" and her mind finally snapped... it takes every ounce of Ion's willpower to keep himself steady and not bolt away. No. This Anise was different, she had to be. His Anise wouldn't have hesitated in the face of that replica. His Anise wouldn't have cared. This Anise did, as she made painfully aware with every shiver and sob.]

[It didn't matter either way. Anise was Anise. And Ion would never leave her to suffer alone.]

[He hesitates only a moment, not sure whether comfort coming from him would even help, but eventually he sets a hand on Anise's back and gently rubs it, remaining silent just in case hearing his voice only makes things worse for her.]

[The initial touch made her tense, but after a few seconds, Anise's sobs became more and more hushed. Even so, her tears didn't seem to want to stop, no matter how hard she wiped at her eyes. Every time she tried to think straight, to rationalize, her mind went back to moments ago...to when Ion had intentionally tried to kill her.

Why? Why did he do that? W-Was it really because she had a hand in ending his own life so long ago? Anise truly hoped not, and wanted to use the excuse that her parents were being held hostage, but...well, that's all it was - an excuse. Besides, it was right of him to hate her for inadvertently aiding in his death, after all.

She coughed, sniffling, and looked over her shoulder to the second Ion. So many questions surfaced just by looking at him. Who was he, what happened to the other one, what were those black things--]

Why? Why is all this happening?

[Ion can't look at her. He's glad she's able to calm down, even if only a little, but he can't bring himself to look her in the eyes. Especially with what he's going to have to tell her.]

[It was heartbreaking enough, having to tell everyone back home who he was, what he was. Having to tell everyone here was almost more so. But telling Anise? After what just happened? It was downright cruel.]

Anise. That... back there, that wasn't...

[He can't bring himself to say it. To say that the first replica wasn't Ion would be like saying he wasn't Ion either.]

[But right now, the last thing Anise needed to deal with was his own selfish existential issues. If she learned what he really was... no. For now, he'll have to lie. Anything to ease Anise's pain.]

That wasn't Ion. It wasn't... me. He's a replica of the seventh Fon Master replica. He was supposed to have died shortly after he was created... but whatever it is that's become of him now, he isn't who he appears to be.

[It did hurt, to hear even that clipped explanation. Not Ion... It was, but it wasn't. That person wasn't the Ion she knew, or so she hoped. His words still echoed in her head...a cruel and painful reminder of what she caused. Her betrayal to her beloved Ion...

Why are you hurting me? Haven't you... haven't you already hurt me enough?

If you come any closer, I'll kill you, Anise!

Good-bye... ...my most... cherished...

She feels sick all over again, and hugs her arms to the point of pain, but she can't feel it. It doesn't matter right now anyway. She couldn't...didn't want to believe that wasn't Ion. He was in there. He was in there! She saw him, for just a minute. He...Ion--]

...tried to protect me. [Then a thought comes to her mind, and she stares up at the second with wide, sad, horrified eyes.] I-It's my fault, i-isn't it?

Anise... [He looks up at her for a moment or two before shaking his head.] Of course not. Whatever happened to him, it could never have been your fault.

[The Anise he knew had become a monster, but even Ion couldn't blame her for what she did. She hadn't been herself. If only Ion hadn't died, if his body hadn't been so weak... maybe things wouldn't have worked out the way they did, and this Anise wouldn't be suffering right now.]

Those things he said... it couldn't be further from the truth. You didn't want to see your parents hurt, just as much as I wouldn't want to see harm brought to them. Never, not even for one moment, would I ever blame you for what happened. Just the very thought of it is so...

[Unfortunately, it hasn't occurred to Ion that it wouldn't make sense for him to both know about the details of his own death and for him to be here right now. Even though Ion's own memories of the event were hazy at best and stopped entirely immediately after removing Tear's miasma, to meet someone after their death... it had to be a strange feeling.]

I can't say for sure who he is, but he wasn't me. I would never hurt you, Anise. I would never... I couldn't even think it, I...

But...I--!

[She should have told someone! Even now it sounded so stupid to have been Mohs' spy, when her friends were so much smarter and stronger than Mohs was. But Anise had been so scared; terrified, when he threatened the two people she loved most in all of Aludrant. The two people Anise would have, and had been doing, anything and everything for. Her mama and papa needed her, and she needed them, yet she...to Ion...to everyone...!]

Ion... [His words help, somewhat. She's still aching and crying, but much of the guilt has ebbed away. He didn't blame her, he understood, he--wait. He knew?] You knew? You...you knew Mohs was keeping my parents hostage? Then...what--why would you...i-if you knew, then why?

[Why would you stay with her, believe in her, trust her, even now?]

Edited 2011-04-14 15:03 (UTC)

Nightmare Fuel: The Post

You make me use all my emo icons, you bad, bad lady.

/CACKLES also 1/2

/screw you HTML

1/2 - you deserved that.

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