Dark Wanderer [Closed, Kats]

[III]

The sandstorm was said to be the largest of the decade. It speckled the horizon from one end to the other, looking every bit like a dusty yellow mountain-range. The morning sun turned it golden, almost angelic. None were fooled. Residents boarded windows, reinforced mudbrick structures, turned off palatial fountains and fled the Great Agrabah Bazzar, leaving it empty and ghost-like for the first time of the current Sultan's reign.

By noon, the city was covered in sand.

The grit and dust was everywhere. In a city of little water and less wood, it was all but impossible to create a proper barrier against Nature's fury. Dozens if not hundreds should have died, suffocating to death beneath the layers of sand as it crept into their homes. Thankfully someone in the Palace had a genie and had set him right to work with cleaning and dusting. He was big, blue and wearing one of those foreign maid dresses while using a thing he called a 'vacuum' but whatever the vagary of magic, it worked. And that's all anyone would have asked for.

________________________________

Far past the oasis that Agrabah had built itself upon, the desert itself loomed. With a grunt, someone who was definitely not dressed for the weather exploded out of the ground. Shaking dirt out of his hair he nodded grimly at his handiwork. It'd taken him ages to nudge the storm, pushing it ever so slightly so that instead of whipping past Agrabah, it'd whip right into it. Good. It'd keep that darned Genie occupied.

He coughed, expelling more sand. Even after engaging a protective Aero, the damn stuff had still gotten through.

Winds whispered. The crisp fragrance of ice and snow was significantly weaker. But that underlaying stench of nothingness, like a blot on existence, was still around. It was time that the Organization became whole once more.

[ooc: Sandstorm! Xaldin will find ya next post so feel free to be anywhere.]

[♥ kats KAT kats ♥]

[*Stretches fingers*...Playing a Nobody is kind of hard, cause they don't have emotions. Plus I haven't Rp'd with her in awhile..]

Heat. That was all that went through the young Nobodies mind as she tried to transverse through this grainy, yellow stuff. Through the glaring sun and heat, and there was nothing her abilities could do to help her. They were completely and utterly useless in this heat-hell-hole of a place.

She didn't, couldn't really, understand how someone could live here (especially since Nobodies do not, can not understand emotions, though this one tries). And to make it worse, there was some kind of storm (though this one didn't really understand what a storm was). And, it blew right past her, well not right past her for it lingered awhile and then blew her down, got sand in her face and all over her body. Thankfully though, she had her red cloak and covered herself with it. Kneeling into the sand, into a ball. It was complete instinct to cover herself up.

She was already pretty weak, since there was no water in this place and a person needed water to survive. She was drained of both energy, physical power as well as her ice powers, which would have been her defense. Now she was completely helpless and her Master was not there to help her. He had abandoned her, she felt abandoned, what ever that was. You see, she cannot comprehend what the feeling of abandonment is.

The Nobody lay beneath her shelter of a cloak, lying in the sand as a storm brewed past her. It created layers of sand on top of where she lay, squished between sand and sand. The only air was the air between the layers of sand, which would not hold out long. How long could she survive? Instinct took hold and she breathed softly, not wanting to waste precious air.

[III]

His lances disliked being used as mere dowsing rods but as skilled as he was at reading the wind, Xaldin was not a mage but a fighter. His readings were done through just as much instinct as skill and though he had managed to narrow down Xemnas’ lingering presence to a square kilometre, the shifting dunes afforded him no clues beyond a vague understanding of ‘around here’.

Out then came his Ryugasen. Strictly speaking, dowsing shouldn’t have worked but in such an arid clime, even a hint of moisture would have changed the quality of the air enough so that he’d be able to detect someone. Or something.

The first three attempts were duds. Though the lances shivered, he just found sand and more sand. There was the possibility that a faraway subterranean water source had triggered the lances; Xaldin was more prone to believing in his own lack of skill. His next find was a bit more promising but while the cactus was an interesting examples of native plant life, it was decidedly not Xemnas. Ripping needles out of his palms the lancer bit back curses as he continued to probe the ground.

The fifth time the lances shivered, Xaldin knew. Blowing off the top layer of sand, the lancer quickly went to work, summoning his brooms to help him clear away the layers of sand while his lances stood on stand-by. Though it was (however improbable) possible he had actually found Xemnas, it was far more likely that he had found someone Xemnas’ had strongly affected.

Or someone who had killed him.

Eyes narrowing, the lancer sent one last gust of wind, revealing…

Huh.

Well, killer or not, he’d not get much information out of a corpse. A hand disappeared into his cloak as he retrieved a hip flask. Once upon a time it contained potions of various sorts. Now it was merely filled with water though in such a situation it was perhaps just as good. Cradling the limp body in one arm, he ordered his weapons and brooms to create a shelter and waited for them to obediently line up to form a makeshift roof. He placed the flask to cracked and drying lips.

“Drink,” he ordered tonelessly. “Slowly.”

[ooc: Tis’ fine. :3 And uh, partial godmod – I thought it appropriate but if you’re against it I’ll edit]

[♥ kats KAT kats ♥]

[It's fine :) ]

There was a hint of air, though it was hard to tell. As well as weight coming off of her body, though it might be because her body felt so weightless right now because it was completely and utterly weak. W-was that sunlight she felt? I-it actually felt good to feel the sunlight upon her body. She wasn't sure if she was dead or not. W-what lay beyond Death? What was death anyway? She knew what it was, but did not understand it. Sure she had been in the brink of death before, yet she did not fully understand it. One word was such a mystery...

Someone held her, twisted her up and away from the sand. The stuff clung to her blue hair, to her pale skin. Had made its way into her mouth, making it even more dry. The sun seemed to disperse, though since her eye's were closed she couldn't tell if it was a shadow, a cloud blocking the sun (not likely, for earlier there had been none). She felt something, cold (not quite cold, but it seemed that way to her) against her (though she hadn't noticed it earlier) dry, cracked lips. Liquid, though a bit warm, pressed against them as she heard far away words (however, she knew the person who spoke them was near her). She slowly opened her lips, letting the semi-warm liquid flow into her dry, sandy mouth. I-it felt good though, having not had water for awhile.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, to reveal cold hard eyes. The color of lime green, quite an odd color. They looked up at the man who was cradling the young blue-haired woman, coldly. Emotionless, distant eyes. The eyes of a Nobody.

"W--who..." She paused, "...are you..?" She asked, callously. Her voice, hoarse and dry from the heat. From the sand. it was also stoic, for she did not feel things like other's do. She was unaffected by pain, considering the situation she was in.

[III]

Well, well. Not so dead after all. While not a medic by any stretch of the imagination, Xaldin was pretty sure that the drinking was a good sign. She would have surely died without help though. Ansem would have been proud.

Yeah. Of course. Keep on telling yourself that.

The former king of Radiant Garden would have been decidedly less proud of the fact that Xaldin had been the one responsible for engineering the sand storm that had nearly killed her, but Xaldin had long since reconciled himself with the fact that he person that he wasn't a very nice person. His old mentor's ethics were useless. They were merely an old relic of Dilan's past, not worthy of mention.

His lessons did have a bad habit of rearing their head. Xaldin half-suspected that the old man was haunting him in the form of a conscience which he usually ignored outright with little to no trouble.

"I am Xaldin." The lancer informed her. With an easy leap (makeshift shelter still following) he popped out of the hole in the ground. In his excitement at locating even hints of Xemnas, he had ignored the weather. Now the oppressive midday heat informed him what a terrible idea a thick, black leather cloak was in the middle of a dessert. He nearly stumbled when landing, sending out plumes of sand at impact like some sort of awkward and artificial desert rose.

"You knew Xemnas." Xaldin stated. He was uninterested in her name or her story. Just one fact. It was all he needed. "Where is he?"

[♥ kats KAT kats ♥]

Lime green eyes continued to search over the features of the stranger before the young blue-haired nobody's eyes. Who was he? How did he find her? She couldn't really recall anything besides the fact that there was a sand blizzard of some sort and she had been trapped in it. After that, it was just pretty much darkness and her slowly losing consciousness due to lack of air. Her body remained where it was in the man's arms, Xaldin's arms. She did not move. Was too weak to.

"Xemnas...?" She stated quite planning, asking herself. It seemed like she was somehow trying to remember something, someone. If her eyes could light up, she would have the look of surprise or some may call it happiness, because someone else knew Master Xemnas. "Master Xemnas." She said, was there a hint of excitement to her words? That, perhaps she might have looked like a dog who had his ears perked up, happy that his owner was home. That she was happy that her Master's name had been spoken. That someone else knew him. Though, in her eyes, her expression there was no hint of such eagerness. None what so-ever in her tone of voice, but the way she looked at Xaldin, said it all.

"Master." She half repeated his name. She looked around at her environment, not one but interested in what was really around her but to survey where she was, what was happening. Perhaps, to look for her Master. She looked back at Xaldin,"Take me to him." Her voice was monochrome, emotionless.

Did she feel..that she was nothing without Xemnas? That he had all her answers, to who she was. What she was. There was so many things left unfinished. So many un-answered questions.

[III]

So close. So very close. Xaldin briefly closed his eyes to compose himself as the echoes of emotions he didn't have threatened to break through the thin veneer of kindness he'd placed on his features. It was a poor, sorry excuse of a kindly face, true but-

But what?

But nothing. Xaldin let out a slow sigh. The tic above his eyebrow disappeared. His corded muscles relaxed. The pulsing pain at his temple disappeared. He still felt unbearably hot and sweaty though.

"I am afraid that we are also looking for the Superio -" the lancer paused, "errr, Master Xemnas."

Curious. Xemnas had never been one to talk about 'Masters' before. With so many of them remembering that their own subjugation at the hands of their Hearts, he'd merely called himself the 'Superior.' A wise move, indicative of skill, strength and force of intellect but not necessarily of tyranny. Why had he started to call himself...?

Ah well. He could solve that mystery after he found the Organization's primo. Xaldin gazed down at the 'rescued' Nobody once more, tracking her ashen palor and lack of real reaction to her situation. Definitely a Nobody. Finding her had been a massive undertaking, not unlike looking for a needle in the ocean in his spare time. It had been pure luck that had lead him here.

The lancer had hoped that Xemnas would finally surface and put an end to the currently on-gong charade...

No. Not hope. Nobodies couldn't hope. He had merely recognized of Xemnas' importance.

"Tell me," Xaldin asked, starting forth once more. He nodded vaguely and a corridor of darkness flared into existence before them. The genie would probably be too distracted to notice it, so far off.

"where did you meet Master Xemnas-?" He hadn't picked up Xemnas' original trail. Perhaps at the source he'd be more successful...

[ooc: You may godmode Xaldin into walking through the portal. Feel free to start the thread in the next world, I'm sorry but I may be a little distracted for the next two weeks. x3]

[♥ kats KAT kats ♥]

Was that a hint of sadness at the man's words? That he did not know where Master Xemnas was, that instead he was looking for him as well. Her eyes shifted away from Xaldin for a moment, she stood up. Wavering some as she did. Her legs weak, from lack of water. Her precious, precious water. If this was only a oasis, with a waterfall. She needed her precious water to survive, probably more so than others. She was...like an essence of water. She stood there a moment not moving, her eyes void.

Tell me, where did you meet Master Xemnas-?

"I believe..." She did not look towards Xaldin, "It was called Port Royal." She remembered. That was the place where she first met Master Xemnas. And...that other woman. She had had no answers. Xemnas had all of the answers. That was what she believed, she believed Xemnas had all the answers to who she was. She...was so naive. He had truly turned her over to his side. Made her his underling. Had lied to her.

She had seen this corridor of darkness before. This man. Xaldin. It seemed he did know Master Xemnas. She walked into the portal, knowing it would take her wherever she wanted to go. Port Royal. Why wouldn't it take her to where ever Xemnas was?

She heard footsteps behind her, the man, Xaldin had aslo stepped into the portal.

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