damned_institute | Nightshift 25: Courtyard

Entry tags:

Nightshift 25: Courtyard

[From Here]

It was almost a relief to find his bare feet landing on dirt again, and Cloud stopped as he allowed the door to swing shut at his back. He found a gentle sigh leaving his lips as he felt the coolness of night press down on him, so natural that he could not help but take a moment to enjoy himself. This was familiar, even in its foreignness.

He slowly moved over until he was walking across the grass, his gaze moving around the courtyard with a sudden renewed sense of determination. He took a little more time than he had in the previous locations to just explore the new surroundings, finding the trees and benches something of a novelty from compared to what he normally saw.

Sighting the pond, he approached and stared out over the silent waters. It reminded him of Aeris, but he told himself instantly that she had forgiving him for his past sins. It still reflexively brought a pain to his chest, even if his expression failed to alter with the feeling. The pond felt like both a blessing and a curse to look over.

“I never said thank you for what you did for me,” he murmured softly. “I have forgiven myself too... you would be proud of me for it, I am certain.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/156364.html?thread=10243532#t10243532)]

Kadaj couldn't help but smile as he stepped out into the cool night air. It was the first time he'd been outside at night since he'd arrived at the institute, he realized. How long ago had that been?

Frowning, he began to walk slowly down the path, looking around for anything that might prove to be useful. Again, he didn't actually need anything, but sooner or later he was going to need to return to his room and if he ran into Sephiroth along the way and didn't have the tale of River's defeat to offer him, he was going to look incredibly stupid. Wasn't there anything else...?

He'd just have to keep looking.

The smile Kadaj wore was mirrored on the young man's face, but it was over a more perverse pleasure. Finally, a rat had come scurrying near his foot. It was about time. Although the courtyard had already seen a figure come and go, this time they wouldn't be so lucky.

The King of Heroes, lounging on a nearby bench with his eyes closed, and arms crossed, only smiled wider.

"Where do you think you're going, mongrel?"

It was the insult more than the voice that stopped him in his tracks, and once Kadaj had spotted the offender, he shot him a poisonous glare. The fact that the young wasn't wearing a Landel's uniform should have been enough on its own to set off little warning bells in the remnant's head, but he was already charging past that. He was not going to tolerate insults, and even though it was incredibly ill-advised, he had been waiting for a fight all night and here there finally seemed to be someone tangible enough for him to cut in half. Perfect.

"Through the courtyard, of course," Kadaj replied smoothly, giving the young man on the bench a confident smirk. "Where did you think I was going?"

It was strange, though; like he'd told Sephiroth, he'd never come across an enemy in this place that was actually humanoid or had a human level of intelligence. This made the second he'd run into in a single night, and since he was sure it wasn't Special Counseling night... what was going on?

Gilgamesh had no qualms about entering into battle in the human clothes he now wore rather than his grand golden armour. It really made no difference, as either way he would win against any opponent, and in this exchange he was not certain it would engage his interest. Transforming into battle attire was something of a courtesy, and he did not think this one deserved it.

His right foot hit the grass as Gilgamesh uncrossed his legs.

"I was thinking of going easy on you, but your insolence makes me reconsider." He stood, then, putting his hands into the pockets of his jacket. With a simple toss of his head that spoke volumes of his own self-assurance, the Servant said, "I think you will walk away from this place and return to your bed." The smile twisted into a cocky sneer. "And dream sweet dreams."

Ohh, this one was fun. It almost made him disappointed, really, but he didn't have the time to devote more thought to it than that. His time was much better suited to more interesting things, like laughing in this person's face. He waited a few more seconds before doing precisely that, just to see his enemy would react to even more "insolence."

But that was hardly the end of it. Ceasing his laughter abruptly, Kadaj sneered right back at him, "'Dream sweet dreams?' Do you honestly think a line like that is going to work? And here I thought the Head Doctor had you all trained better than that." He shook his head in wonder, then eventually sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well. There's only so much he can do with 'mongrels,' right? Better luck next time."

By the time Kadaj shrugged his shoulders, Gilgamesh had raised his right arm, twisted his wrist, and closed his fingers around the blade of the sword that materialized at his call; the only sign of the impending attack came with the crackling of the Servant's immense mana. Then the blade was released from his hand, aimed squarely at Kadaj's sternum.

But there was more to Gilgamesh's offence then just the immaculate aim of one designated as Archer. "Then show me, kid, who is the one being trained here!?" he cried, his wild exclamation exploding across the courtyard. His eyes, a deep crimson, were also narrowed into slits. Without pausing, Gilgamesh closed the distance in a heartbeat, a second blade in his hand and drawn across his chest, in preparation of a clear backhanded swing.

The first strike he had been planning all along. The second was for the slights spoken against him. Oh, he wouldn't kill the brat. But he would certainly have fun doing everything but.

While he had been expecting an attack, he hadn't expected the blond to be able to pull a sword out of thin air and throw it at him. For some reason he thought Sephiroth might have been better equipped to deal with the situation, but unfortunately for Kadaj, he wasn't there.

... Damn it.

The remnant threw himself to the side as quickly as he could, drawing his own sword in the same motion and hopefully bringing it up fast enough to deflect anymore strikes, if not block them entirely. The latter would be nearly impossible without his usual strength and speed, but if he was going to make it through the night at all, he was going to need all the help he could get.

It occurred to him then that it had probably been a bad idea to taunt the blond so much, but like almost all great realizations, this one came far too late.

The blade that had been thrown only barely missed it's mark; it disappeared into the darkness, eventually plunging deep into the grass some distance away. Unlike normal, Gilgamesh didn't let it vanish back into the void. Rather, he left it as it was. The Gate wasn't needed to kill a bug, so there was no point in opening it yet. The night was still very young - it would be just a waste, for one silver-haired dog. He could keep the sword where it was and use it later, just another toy to catch this weakling off guard with.

So in keeping with his second front, the Servant simply followed Kadaj, staying on top of the roll by positioning himself above the other. The clash of steel on steel was pleasingly loud, even if the block had been weak. Too weak. The boy had brought his arm up in too awkward a movement, and Gilgamesh bore down on him with his full weight, steadying his own blade against that of the puny gladius's. Nothing at all like his last epic battle with her -when she blocked, she at least did so with grace. This one, though...

His sword screamed against the other; already he had forged a clear advantage as he Kadaj on the ground, and was fair on top of him. If only this were a worthy opponent, then it might have been worth something. Instead, it was only a certainty coming to pass.

But a battle that led to victory was a battle worth fighting. Gilgamesh grinned. "Well? You're not laughing anymore! Why not!?"

What was it with this bastard and asking rhetorical questions?! Kadaj did his best to ignore him, but that was proving to be about as ineffective as his attempt at dodging had been, if not even more so. The blond was bigger, stronger, and heavier than he was, and with the awkward angle his arm had been left at, the way Gilgamesh was bearing down on their locked swords was leaving it in constant agony. How could he ignore something like that?

Gritting his teeth, he tried twisting himself around into a better position to throw the blond off. He didn't normally resort to such tactics, but if it took kneeing him in the groin to get rid of the bastard, he was going to do it. "Sorry," he growled, trying to distract Gilgamesh from his efforts, "but after awhile it stops being funny and starts being pathetic." He punctuated the last word with a shove, putting as much force into it as he could. With any luck, he'd win himself enough room to roll out of the way and get back to his feet, but if not, he was always willing to try again.

What happened next would not be what Kadaj was expecting.

The boy's attempt at throwing him off met with nothing but air, as the King of Heroes suddenly vanished, along with the pressure of his blade, the weight of his body, the snide grin. His disappearance was not to last for long, however; the sound of new voices had not gone unnoticed, and Gilgamesh's willingness to play shifted when face with two new rats, trying to crawl by unnoticed. How foolish. Did they think they would escape his notice? This was his area for the night - anyone who crossed into its territory would face the same consequences.

Gilgamesh reappeared standing at Kadaj's head. Stabbing down with the point of his sword, the Servant pierced Kadaj's left shoulder, effectively pinning him to the grass. "This is true, mongrel. I do not approve of pathetic displays either."

He smirked. And pushed the blade ever deeper into the ground.

"Don't worry, I won't forget about you."

With that, Gilgamesh phased out of sight again.

_{[moving briefly to head these guys (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/156663.html?thread=10281207#t10281207) off]}

[Moved down to join these guys (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/156663.html?thread=10281207#t10281207) for organization purposes.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nightshift 25: Courtyard

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject