melodiesoflife | Event || The Answer

Event || The Answer

Characters: All characters who signed-up for the event.
Where: South Continent of Balance (Imperial Territories)
When: April 20th to April 30th.
Summary: The Heroes of Light have lost consciousness and now find themselves in the middle of nowhere, without their Moogles and away from everything they know. They will have to get back home, but what awaits them on the path? For more information, please check the First OOC Post and Second OOC Post.
Warning: Bad things.

Group 01: Team Hijinks House
Group 02: Team Brigands
Group 03: Team Discovery Channel
Group 04: Sephiroth's (In)Sanity Squad
Group 05: Team (Bad) Shipping Advice
Group 06: Team Blue-Haired Lords on Fire
Group 07: Team Mom and Late Sleepers
Group 08: Nothing Bad Will Happen
Group 09: The Hellhounds
Group 10: Loftwings, A Working Title
Group 11: Team Oni
Group 12: Team F.N.T.I²
Group 13: Team Name-In-Progress
Group 14: Team The-Mods-Couldn’t-Brain-A-Name
Group 15: Seraphim Shenanigans

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Chiaki this, Chiaki that. I'm sure you won't regret listening to her every word and end becoming her disciple just like you became Junko's.

[He stops about two feet away from Hinata, though that gaze makes the distance feel a lot smaller. The air around the original Hinata appeared to be getter darker the more he denied what his shadow says.]

Why do you keep lying to yourself? Did you really forget everything you did in order to feel special?

She's not like Enoshima! And I'm not. . . I'm not going to be used by anyone.

[ If he sounds pissed off and hurried to try and get this over with, it's because that's exactly what he's trying to do. ]

And- [ He swallows hard, narrowing his eyes at the duplicate. ] I'm not lying. And I haven't forgotten. I'd never forget again. But you should know as well as I do that there's no need for me to feel special anymore-!! As long as I'm Hinata Hajime... as long as I remember who I am... there's no need for that! And everyone else will agree with me!

[Mary was ever so briefly relieved as the first Yugi vanished. Even if it hadn't been something so satisfying as telling him off entirely she felt like they had reached something there in that moment. The Shadow had gotten what it wanted, at least a little, but she couldn't tell just yet if that was good or bad. At least Yugi seemed relatively okay. But the poor lad would surely have a lot to think about.

But this new one, also throwing jabs and barbs at Hinata. The words being tossed around were largely unfamiliar, save for the mention of Chiaki. But as Hinata seems to rally she gives him an approving nod.]

I can't say I understand all of that, but you are right about one thing. Knowing yourself counts for more than the image you try to craft for others. The two may not match, but what matters is that you know where you stand. And your deeds are what make a difference, regardless of the talent you may or may not have.

[Odd words perhaps from the crossdressing pirate, but she was always clear on her own identity. The mask she wore of James Kidd was one she used to exploit her world, but it was by no means a rejection of Mary Read.]

[The Shadow is silent as Hinata refuses to give into despair. And for a moment, the darkness around Hinata retreats and the air clears.

Then he smirks.]

"Hinata Hajime." I wonder how long that will last. You really think you'll be okay with being the most mediocre student ever, or are you going to snap again? There's so many ways you can become special in this world...

[He's not going away just yet.]

Stop it!!

[ Is Hinata angry again? Yes, of course. He can practically hear the quotes when the shadow says his name, the implications of it all. ]

I don't care about that crap! I just want to be Hinata Hajime! Being special... it doesn't matter anymore!

[The brief moment of the air clearing gave Saori some comfort but she had wonder about these boys and their histories. She makes a mental note to check on them after they get back to Aqures Ixen. Now's not the time to ask them for details.]

Finding your real self is no simple task. It's easy to let other influences cloud us. I admit it took me a hell of a long time to find myself but do I regret it? Never. There are times where the suffering almost suffocated me but they did pass and I picked myself up and went on. I did my best at what I thought was right and that's all that mattered. I believe Hinata can do the same.

[Yugi had just been listening the whole time, during this whole thing and even though it had nothing to do with him, this whole situation made him wonder why it was happening in the first place. But as he listened to everyone else talk, he wondered if he should say something.]

Yeah, I mean there are things we don't like about ourselves... As I've just proved. But that is also what makes us who we are.

[The shadow's face become one of complete indifference again.]

So you're saying I'm nothing like you?

No.

[ A simple answer, but he chooses to elaborate, gritting his teeth in frustration. He understands what the shadow is trying to do here, but... ]

You're like who I used to be.

Who you used to be?

[The shadow Hinata breaks out into laughter. The area around his feet turns black, and the darkness crosses the space between him and Hinata, who would be feeling lightheaded, as if he weren't really living in the real world.]

Is that your answer?

[Its feet leave the ground, and it drifts towards the group, one hand reaching towards its target. As it gets closer, it becomes more transparent, like a ghost.]

You keep talking about how everything's in the past, how you'll never fight for despair again, like it's long gone and not an issue anymore. Don't you know how darkness works? [His face is now in front of Hinata's; thin lines form across his pupils.] It's still in you, no matter how much you blind yourself to reality.

[With that, the shadow merges with Hinata and the darkness surrounding them flares up, hiding them from the rest of the group. When it clears, Hinata has disappeared, and will not be anywhere nearby.

In fact, he will wake up from crystal stasis in Aqures Ixen at the end of the event, and he won't remember what happened between today and then.]

Hinata!

[Saori tried to reach out for him but it was too late. She clenched her fist and punched the ground. Oh it hurt but to as much as losing one of them. ]

Damn it. We have no idea where the shadow took him.

[Mary curses as the shadows swallow up Hinata. She tries to expand her senses but there's only so much she can do right now. Her eyes go to Saori.]

Saori. You're an Assassin right now, right? Can you sense anything? Anywhere he may have gone? He could still be nearby.

[Furrowing her brow, Mary chews on the tip of her thumb as she thinks things over. There was something that Yugi did that Hinata didn't Something that caused one to react like that, even as they both remained hostile.]

Damnit. What's going on here...

I can't say I understand what is going on still, but maybe moving would be a good idea.

[It was better than standing around after all, right? Would help them try and find him. Which is what he hoped.]

[Saori looked around and sadly shook her head. ]

They're gone from any human range of sight as far as I can tell. I don't know of any way to track them through magic either. I'm sorry.

[Then she looked up at them.]

Though if something did happen to him, he would be sent back to Aqures Ixen, right? The question is when will he be back after that. But you do have a point, Yugi. We should get moving or at least get out of this forest now.

[Mary utters a long curse at Saori's assessment. One can hope that their companion will be well, or at least revive in the way fashionable to Heroes, but it's not something she at all likes hedging hopes on.]

Perhaps, unless it was one of those clever little tricks that actually can destroy us.

[She frowns, not ready to leave this place with so many questions unanswered. Still, she nods in agreement with Saori before turning to Yugi.]

There was something different between you two...what was it?

I hope it wasn't.

[Because the thought that it could have happened to him. He really didn't want to think about it anymore than he already was. Just as he was about to move, he found himself stopping again.]

Different... You mean apart from what they were talking about? [He paused. It was soemthing he should try and figure out.]

I assume you are trying to figure out why he vanished and I didn't?

That'd be it. Both of them seemed to be attacking you for the way you live. For the way you deal with the troubles you come against.

[She frowns, rubbing her chin as she thinks.]

And in the end you admitted it might be right, didn't you...

[He looked to the side, briefly.]

Yeah... I knew what they were saying was the truth and I just accepted it no matter how much I wished I didn't have to.

Hmmm...while Hinata kept raging against him.

[She thought that Hinata was admitting the words thrown at him were true, at least in part, but perhaps 'truth' wasn't the key. Perhaps the actual acceptance was. A person could say one thing and not mean it, or not feel the same feelings behind it.]

Is this what Kalki meant about conquering ourselves? It seems....almost too easy.

[She's sure that this wasn't an easy moment for Yugi, but even then to know the trial going in may help this...possibly.]

Sincerity maybe key to that. It's easy to forget that words and the tone we use carry weight.

[Mary did have a good point. While in theory this seemed easy, Saori was sure there was more to it.]

It's more than likely but if that's the case, why hasn't a past hero succeeded in that scenario? I mean, given how many have come before us, there should've been at least another hero who accepted who they are entirely.

I don't know.

[Yugi didn't really know a lot and he wondered if he should pay more attention instead of focusing on other things that he thinks might help, but might not. Never the less he finds himself walking in the hopes that they can find a way back home. That was important to after all.]

But maybe it can be something we can discus in more detail once we know where we are and know where to head.

Aye.

[Mary frowns, looking around. She doesn't want to simply leave their fellow Hero behind, but with no trace of him there's not much they can do.]

The boy and the moogle back at the forest entrance. They're the one's Cloud mentioned in his letter about the Chocobo Forest, right? That at least puts us on the right track.

[She just hopes that the blonde hero is wrong about this forest being completely devoid of mounts for them to use.]

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Event || The Answer

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