Something's Not Right...Or maybe It's Getting Righter

Something wasn't right. The very moment he'd laid his hands on that lacrima in that temple, a pulse went through him. It wasn't a good pulse, like one of those warm hugs of power that lets you know you're gonna rend every enemy within 100 meters in half and make a heroic comeback. No, this was more violent, like he was being torn apart at a molecular level. Hiding it from Leona had been a torture he would wish on no one, and he made up an excuse as to why he had to get off the train as soon as it crossed from Bosco into Fiore. "Exploration waits for no man!" he'd laughed, but even that had his heart leaping into his throat. What was happening to him?

Along the way, he managed to sneak off and call Ikumi, his mentee and new friend. "Hey, chipmunk," he greeted, though the strain in his voice was obvious. "D-Do you think you make it to the last stop before Bosco's border? I...I'm in trouble. I need your help," his voice wobbled as he spoke, and once he was sure she'd come, he returned to his seat and resumed his charade.

Once off the train, he heaved out a heavy breath of air in a long groan. Tired red eyes peered around, hoping he'd be alone. The terrain was still mountainous and arid, but it the incredible skyscrapers from the technologically advanced county were merely tiny spikes in the distance. No worries about giant, city-wrecking monsters here. It was just dry, but nothing compared to Desierto. He'd take it. Once the train pulled away, he shambled over to the dilapidated station out in the middle of nowhere. It was clearly almost abandoned. There weren't many that lived or traveled out here other than for odd jobs or maybe some exploring. Not another person was in sight, so he allowed himself to ease into a dusty bench and slouch. His skin was covered in a layer of cold sweat, and Ike wondered if he'd survive until Ikumi arrived...if she arrived.

The color drained from his face a bit more as he imagined his hapless mentee buying a train ticked and proceeding to sleep through every stop until she either reached Sin or all the way back home. Perhaps she was not the right person to call for this...but he had no one else to really call. He didn't want anyone to see him like this. If he kicked the bucket, he'd rather do so with the bare minimum present. What would Ikumi even be able to do once she got here? Ike hadn't thought this through, so much so that even he was laughing at himself. It was a long, painful laugh, but he laughed all the same. If only he thought ahead sometimes! But alas, only hindsight was 20/20. He'd gained a magnificent treasure, but at what cost? And yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew what to do with it and that all hope wasn't lost. It was all very confusing and he couldn't think or get through this alone.


[521]

And so she did. The poor little narcoleptic girl had slept through almost every stop there was. Luckily, though, she had managed to wake up just one stop before her desired one... Even though it was her second time riding there. She was completely oblivious to this fact, though, just like she was with most things. "Ah! Looks like I woke up just in time! That was pretty lucky!" She giggled to herself. Stretching and letting out a thunderous yawn, she waited patiently for her stop to come. Ike had seemed quite urgent when he had called her, so she was glad she had gotten there as soon as possible. (At least in her own mind...). Her mentor was usually a pretty chipper person, so hearing him so upset was heartbreaking to the young woman. She wasn't exactly sure what was wrong, or how she was going to help, but she knew that she was going to try her very best.

As the conductor of the train called for her stop, the white haired maiden rose from her seat, letting out a strangled groan as she stretched even more aggressively than she had before. It really seemed like she had been sitting for a long time! Surely this station wasn't that far! Oh well! Now wasn't the time to be thinking about it! She had to go find Ike and make sure that he was okay! Following people to the exit of the train, Iku messed with her iLac, checking to see if her mentor had messaged her or attempted to call her again. Probably wasn't the best idea to be distracted, though. "Ah- Oof!" There she went. Face first onto the hard concrete of the train platform. Forgetting that she would have to step off onto it, she tripped on it like a clumsy baby giraffe. "Owwwwww..." She whined, rubbing her face that was now red from it's impact with the ground. Well, at least Ike would know where she was now.

[344]

"I was right..." a weak voice came from nearby, warbling from the prone form of a man on a bench. "You...you slept through my stop...heh..." At least she was consistent. Mustering up what little strength he had, Ike raised up on his elbows, peered at Ikumi as she pulled herself from the concrete. "Are you ok?" he asked, odd coming from someone that seemed to have one foot in the grave. He did care about his mentee, though, so seeing her faceplant so hard on the rough ground made him cringe.

It was good she made it before it was too late. He wasn't sure what could be done, but it was better not being alone. "I-I'm glad you...made it," he smiled the best he could. "I think...I think I'm dying. You can have all my stuff, okay?" Ike said dramatically, though his crimson eyes pleaded her to take him seriously. He really was certain something was very wrong. "There was this temple in Desierto. A lot of weird stuff happened, but ever since I feel like my body is trying to tear apart. Maybe I'm cursed. People put curses on tombs...ancient tombs especially." There was a grimness in his voice that wouldn't let him joke too much, but he was incapable of being ultra serious. He was scared, but didn't want to make Ikumi miserable or anything.

[post WC: 229 || Ike's WC: 750 || Group WC: 1094]

"Ughhhh... Y-Yeah, I'm okay, pookie bear. My face just hurts a little bit, but I'll be okayy!~" She responded in a chipper tone as usual. Nothing seemed to phase the airheaded woman. Even in the strangest of situations, she seemed to keep her cheerful attitude and goofy smile. Though, that would soon change with the news she was about to receive.

As soon as the words had left her mentor's mouth, she giggled lightheartedly, assuming that they were a joke, but when her laughter wasn't returned, her face suddenly took on a very stern, concerned expression. "Wh-What do you mean?" She managed to stutter, her heart beginning to beat at a quicker rate. This couldn't be happening. "W-Well, if it is some sort of curse, then there has to be a way that we can reverse it! Yeah! There has to be a way to reverse it!" She tried to assure him, but at the same time, she was trying to assure herself. "I-I'll just go to the passport office, pick up a passport, and then we can head to Desierto to figure out how to fix this! Everything will be back to normal in no time! So, don't worry!" Forcing a smile onto her face, she placed her hand on her mentor's. "You still have so much to teach me, so you can't kick the bucket yet!" She teased, attempting to lighten the mood.

[Post WC: 263 || Iku's WC: 607 || Group WC: 1701]

He gave her a dubious expression, though he was amused with her attempts to figure out a way to help him. That's right. She'd never gotten her passport. He never took her. Now she might never stay awake long enough to get one because he certainly wouldn't survive long enough for her to go get one and them go back to Desierto. It'd be pointless anyway. "There's nothing in Desierto that can help me," he grunted, his hand and subsequent body going rigid under his hand as his muscles spasmed in pain. The veins in his neck and forehead started to pop up under the reddening skin from the effort of not full on screaming.

Ike's mind raced as consciousness tried to ditch him. No, he couldn't call her here just to pass out or die right in front of her. There had to be something, some way to either solve this or temporarily relieve it. He just couldn't think of anything! However, there was a gnawing in the back of his mind, the same weird voice and urge that thought things he didn't think and hinted at stuff he couldn't know. The lacrima..

"Ikumi!" Ike burst out suddenly as if the force of speaking instead of screaming was nearly too much. "My bag! In my bag, there's a lacrima. Please get it!" he urged her with desperate urgency. It was worth trying, even if it didn't make any sense to him. He was too afraid to die, and he despised pain. He couldn't take it anymore. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes as small cries of pain forced their ways out. "Once you get it, jam it into my heart!"

[post WC: 283 || Ike's WC: 1033 || Group WC: 1984]

Startled by her mentor's sudden displays of pain, Ikumi's eyes widened in fear. What was she supposed to do? She felt so helpless in this situation. If there was nothing in Desierto that would save him, then what was left? She couldn't do anything for him in this state. Was she just about to sit here and watch as her friend died? Tears began to stream from her eyes, and pained sobs rattled her chest. This wasn't fair at all. Why did the world have to be so cruel?

When he yelled out to her, she jumped in surprise, not expecting him to call to her in such a manor. But as soon as she received the request, she leapt for his bag, searching through it's contents to find what he had asked for. She had never seen a lacrima before, so she wasn't sure what it looked like, but she figured that as soon as she saw it she would know what it was.

"H-Here! This must be it!" She declared, pulling the object out of the satchel and showing it to her mentor. What he had instructed her to do after that swirled within her mind. Plunge it into his heart? But that would surely hurt him! And possibly kill him! She would never be able to live with herself if she had hurt or killed her own mentor. "B-But Ike! I... I don't want to hurt you! I..."

What other choice do you have?

A voice in her mind snickered at her. Ikumi would hear this voice every now and then... There was no solid explanation for who or what it was, but for some reason, she found herself agreeing with it this time. There was no other option... It was either let him die from doing nothing, or taking a chance. Taking a deep breath, she looked Ike in the eyes, fearing that this might be the last time she would get to stare into them like this. "Okay... Here I go..."

And with that, she plunged the lacrima forward, straight into his chest.

[Post WC: 376 || Iku's WC: 983 || Group WC: 2,360]

Perhaps shoving it into his chest was easier than it should have been, but he'd managed to help her a little by turning his torso partially jello. The golden lacrima sank in and disappeared into a slightly translucent cavity showing a frantically offbeat heart. However, his body abruptly jerked and the healthy looking heart that had been there was now nothing more than a raggedly beating partial muscle that was missing an alarming amount but still managing to beat within a haze of demonic magic. Well, sorta beating. Ike's body was nearly vibrating it was shaking so hard. His body reverted to flesh and blood as the lacrima was seemingly absorbed into his human body. Unable to contain it any longer, a deep scream erupted and stretched into the endlessly empty terrain around them.

The scene that followed was probably horrific, or at the least alarming. Ike jumped up off his death bench and ran out onto the sandy plateau, gripping his chest and jerking about. The feeling of tearing apart was even more intense than it had been earlier. Maybe inserting the lacrima had been a mistake after all. This was not an improvement. In fact, he could swear he felt deaths icy cold clutches dragging him into the grave. Yet he was also on fire as if every cell was splitting simultaneously and the friction was combustible. Tears streamed down his terrified face. Veined arms wrapped around himself as if that would help keep him from flying into human chunks, but it didn't help.

Strangely, while he wasn't flying into chunks, he did seem to be tearing in half. Or doubling. As Ike leaned backward, another figure seemed to be leaning forward. An icy-eyed someone. He was screaming as well. After a back and forth struggle that seemed to rend their very souls, impossibly Ike split into two different people. One was none other than Theo Silversong, back from the grave for the third time. Third time's a charm, right? The other was unfamiliar, a redhead with black horns sprouting from his forehead. The two staggered about while trying to get their bearings, but at least the screaming had stopped.

"...Where am I?"

[post WC: 365 || Ike's WC: 1398 || Group WC: 2725]

Ikumi’s eyes widened in horror as the lacrima sank into Ike’s chest. What came shortly after was even more horrifying. As her mentor began to scream in what sounded like agony, the white haired girl covered her ears, trying to block out the repercussions of the decision she had just made. Did she just make it worse? It seemed like that was the case... Tears flowed from her eyes like never ending streams, staining her cheeks. “P-Please... I-I-“

Her words were interrupted when Ike stood abruptly from his spot on the bench, and ran somewhere into the emptiness around them. “I-Ike!” The startled woman managed to squeak before finally running after him. She has almost lost her footing in the squishy sand, but the adrenaline that ran through her veins kept her from doing so. The scene that was before her was even more horrific than it had been before, though. She hadn’t thought it could even get any worse. It was like he was tearing apart, and all she could do was stand there and watch, helpless. Dropping to her knees, Ikumi closed her eyes and covered her ears, trying her best to block out everything that was happening in front of her.

And then it was silent. Before, the air had been filled with agonized screams, but now, there was nothing. Shakily, Ikumi moved her hands, and finally, opened her eyes. Before her stood two men. Neither of them were Ike. Standing up in a fit of rage, the small woman marched her way over to them, approaching the black haired one first. “Where is Ike?! What did you do to him?!” She screamed, body shaking with righteous rage. Pink eyes glared up at the man menacingly. Raising her right fist, she had been about to punch him, but then, something happened that she wasn’t expecting.

Those blue eyes. Why were they so familiar?

“Theo...”

The word left her mouth without her permission, without her knowledge. Theo? Why did she know that name... Why was her head swirling with so many emotions right now...? It hurt... Her head hurt so badly. ”I... I can’t remember anything... But I remember your name... Wh-Who are you?”

[Post WC: 366 || Iku's WC: 1,349 || Group WC: 3,091]

"I'm Theo Silversong," he replied monotone to her question, though it was clear he was still bewildered. The Theo that had been surfacing recently and switching places with Ike had been mercifully cut off from all the painful memories of his past. He could remember benign things, but the devastating ones had been trapped. Now that he was properly himself again, the crushing weight of everything was hitting him like a ton of bricks. The emotional weight was so heavy that it sent him reeling backward to sit heavily on the dusty ground, staring at the girl before him. He didn't know her, but his soul bounced around like a flustered bird in a small cage. "Rin?" he asked her, even though it didn't make sense. He felt a familiar presence he'd know anywhere, but didn't see anyone he knew. And Rin was dead. Rin was dead. Why was he alive?

The simple name from his lips sent his heart racing. The lacrima was seated where the ragged pieces had been. Well, perhaps it was easier to say that the lacrima had what remained of his heart attached to it, using its magic to keep him alive, though not perfectly. Why did he need to be kept alive? Well, that was because of something that was hugely different from his post-death life. No longer was the demon Drathir inside him keeping him alive by pumping his destroyed heart. The demon wasn't there at all. It felt so empty. What happened to the annoying but familiar presence? It wasn't entirely gone...

That's because the demon was standing right beside him, looking just as bewildered. He staggered around in his ancient Midian garb, holding his head and then balking at the feel of his horns. "What...Ikumi...something's weird..." he muttered, trying to make sense of it all. So this half of the split knew Ikumi...and knew Theo. However as Drathir, called Ike in his old Earthland body, also began adjusting to his separate identity, his general countenance grew more and more sinister. He seemed pissed, but also pleased? "Ha! HAHAHA! I'm finally free of you, you soggy towel!" he cackled at Theo, pointing a black nailed finger at him. "You may have gotten me kicked out of the netherworld, but at least I'm free of you! Now I can just work on regaining what you ruined for me!" Ike declared, red eyes flaring wildly. He then faced Ikumi, more fully at himself and feeling better than he had in a long time. Being combined with Theo had been disgusting and a mess! "I'm Ike, darling," the demon purred with the voice the girl would know, though it dripped in a chaotic malice unlike before. "Your dear old mentor is standing right here. You actually helped me a lot!" At the moment he meant her no harm, though in his excitement he had half a mind to nuke a whole town just to get feeling back in his magical veins. He might not like not being a proper demon, but he could still have plenty of fun on the road back to hell.

Theo seemed relatively unfazed by the ousted demon's manifesto. Anything Drathir had to say meant nothing to him. Nothing meant anything. He'd been afraid to die when it was happening, but once the pain was over and the darkness took him, he took a small bit of comfort in the numbness. It was an improvement over the searing agony of losing yet another lover. He'd happily stay dead if it meant the suffering would stop. Yet here he was, alive once more, and this time he hadn't even fought for it! Was this some cruel joke? What more could fate possibly have in store for him? There was nothing left to take from him! Even the demon was gone! Theo's body began to shake, possibly going into shock. "I can't do this...." he whispered, bringing his hands to his face.

[post WC: 660 || Ike's WC: 2058 || Group WC: 3751]