As some of you may know, Peanut and I are crazy about Roleplaying, and it's clear, since this is the second one on this site that belongs to us. And we aren't even done with the first one! Regardless, that won't stop us from starting this new roleplay, Rude Awakening!

 

Kinda dark and mysterious title, eh?

 

As stated in the title, this RP is one on one, no exceptions. Please refrain from posting in the RP. Instead, follow us on this new journey!

 

Peanut, my amazing friend, let's begin!

"What are you doing here?" Zack growled, ignoring the countdown that Phil gave to start the fight. He had no intention of fighting Sephiroth until he knew what he was doing here? Zack had his own reasons for fighting in this arena, but those were personal. Sephiroth never did anything without purpose, so he definitely had a reason for being here.

"To remove the people of my past from this world," Sephiroth declared lowly. He moved his sword and pointed it at Zack swiftly. "Starting with you...and then Cloud." The two he had the most problem with would be defeated first.

 

Riku furrowed his eyebrows, trying to use his trained hearing to pick up on the words. But he couldn't with all the commotion from the crowd. "This is bad," he said to his friends. "We have to stop this." He could already tell by the amount of Darkness coming from Sephiroth, not to mention that he was a Darkness, that Sephiroth didn't have good intentions. Not that he ever did.

"You've haunted Cloud long enough," Zack claimed. "Sephiroth...I'm putting an end to you!" He charged forward and swung his hefty sword, fighting in a different manner than he had in the other matches. In those, he had been lighthearted and carefree. But with Sephiroth around, those emotions disappeared and were replaced by anger and sorrow. 

Aqua heard the shout from Zack, and she blinked in confusion. What was going on here? Clearly Zack and Sephiroth knew each other...but how? Zack looked as if he didn't just want to defeat Sephiroth, he wanted to kill him. This wasn't going to be a friendly match. They had to intervene somehow, before things got ugly.

Ven and several others pleaded with Phil while the fight raged. There were invisible barriers set up around the fight to keep it contained and to keep the audience safe, but those walls also prevented anyone in the crowd from jumping in. He and the others all knew that they had to break through and fight Sephiroth; he was one of Xehanort's Darknesses in the past. The problem was, the barrier took a while to be put down, and Phil could only do it to a small area so the rest of the crowd wasn't hurt by any of Sephiroth's huge attacks. But finally--finally--the shield was brought down before them, just as Sephiroth cast one of his worst attacks on Zack: Heartless Angel. 

Aqua's eyes widened, and though she tried her hardest, she didn't cast her spell quick enough; her Reflega barrier spell reached Zack too late. She witnessed Riku run in and attempt to stop the fight by firing Dark Aura spells at Sephiroth. Regardless of who tried to stop him, Aqua sprinted to Zack's side, standing in front of him with her Keyblade in hand. This fight was over.

Edited March 28, 201411 yr by Forever Love

Zack stabbed his hefty blade into the ground, that being his only physical support after that attack. He already used up all of his potions, and as soon as he saw Sephiroth prepare that attack, he knew what was coming. He knew that as soon as Sephiroth weakened him, he'd deal the final blow. But suddenly, Zack was surrounded by Keyblade wielders. He was surprised and glad for the interference, but also angry. I have to be the one to end this... he thought, picking up his sword again. He had to kill Sephiroth.

Sephiroth only smiled crookedly, his eyes darting around the arena to see Sora, Riku, Roxas, Ventus, and Aqua standing in his way. Zack was the one he wanted, but a few more deaths wouldn't hurt. "I highly doubt Zack can depend on all of you to save him," he told them darkly. "He certainly doesn't appear to be enjoying your assistance."

 

Aqua's eyebrows furrowed at the words, and she glanced behind her to see Zack back on his feet. He was sweaty, tired, and covered in blood, but he was going to try to take on Sephiroth despite it all. "Zack," she tried, stepping up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder, making sure to avoid any wounds. "Zack, you have to stop."

Zack winced at the touch, in pain everywhere. But he wasn't going to let that stop him. "He's my problem," he said, stepping past Aqua as he raised his sword in front of him. Sephiroth was a menace from his past; he had nothing to do with the Keyblade wielders, or so he thought. 

No, he's our problem too, Aqua wanted to say, but all she did was step forward when Zack went by and grabbed his arm to try and stop him. She doubted that would work, but it was worth a shot. Her eyes went from him to Sephiroth, who simply smiled at Zack before disappearing in a portal of Darkness. He...was gone, just like that.

 

Riku lowered his Keyblade once the Darkness disappeared, the arena lighting up with Sephiroth's leave. He glanced at Sora, confused. What was that about? 

Zack didn't notice Sora shrug to Riku and the others; he was too focused on Sephiroth's last expression as he stood where Aqua stopped him. Sephiroth didn't smile often, yet he smiled twice today. He must have fallen into deeper insanity...But that wasn't his primary concern; Sephiroth vanished because he saw it would be too much effort to cut down everyone in his way. He'd be back.

Aqua's eyes danced over her friends, but then she looked to the man beside her. She silently flicked her Keyblade upwards, calling to a strong Cure spell. It washed over Zack while he stood there. She released him, not speaking due to the tension in the arena. What just happened?

Edited March 28, 201411 yr by Forever Love

Zack only briefly glanced at the young woman who held onto his arm a moment ago. "Thanks," he said, referring only to the cure. He wasn't thankful that she stopped him though, even if it probably did save his life. Sephiroth... He put his sword on his back and turned around, hearing a outraged audience boo either him or Sephiroth's hasty exit. It didn't mater to him right now.

Edited March 28, 201411 yr by Peanut

Namine wasn't part of the booing crowd. Instead she looked over the people on the battlefield, confused much like they were. Even as Zack walked away, none of them did anything to stop him. Perhaps they believed, just like she did, that he needed time alone. Sephiroth was clearly someone significant to Zack.

A little while later, Zack was sitting in a secluded part of the city. There was a bench by a pond, and he was skipping stones across it. A backwater kid like him was great at those types of things; there was nothing else to entertain him growing up except his dreams of being a hero. Dreams of being like Sephiroth. He wasn't afraid of the foe coming back immediately; he'd bode his time. And he wouldn't go after Cloud, not until Zack was dealt with. Zack knew Sephiroth well enough to know all that, but he didn't know how to bring him back to rationality. 

Once things calmed down at the coliseum, everyone decided to split up and look for Zack. Something wasn't right with him and Sephiroth, especially if Darkness was involved. Keeping that in mind, Aqua wandered one part of the city in search for the man, eyes darting every which way. It was when she reached a small pond that she found him, and her eyes softened. She could tell from behind that his posture screamed defeat, and disappointment. Even so, Aqua figured she could try talking to him, so she silently approached him, stopping next to him as he sat on the bench. "Zack?"

Zack let off a stone as Aqua spoke to him, seeing it skip lightly across the top of the pond. It was one of his best yet, so he couldn't  help but feel a little proud Aqua saw him do that one and not a dud. "Hey Aqua," he greeted, his tone almost back to normal in cheerfulness. "You know how to skip stones?"

Aqua lifted an eyebrow slightly at the question, watching the most recent stone sink into the water. "Uh...no, can't say I do," she admitted. She noticed his tone. It was close to normal, but...why would it be? She could see the devastation on Zack's face back at the coliseum. Was he putting on a facade?

"Maybe on our date, I can teach you," Zack suggested, flicking his wrist and sending another one to the water. This one, however, only got two skips before it sank down. "...Not that I'm the best there is." He was out of practice; he really hadn't flung stones for a while.

Aqua felt a blush rise to her cheeks at the mention of their date. Right... She had forgotten about that with what recently happened. "Right, our date..." she said, stepping over and taking a seat beside Zack on the bench. She gazed at the water, slightly nervous. "...You still want to go?" Aqua wasn't sure it was appropriate with Sephiroth around now.

"Of course," Zack said, picking up one of the small pebbles that was sitting on the bench beside him. He tossed it a few inches in the air before he caught it again, flicking his wrist and sending it flying. "After waiting over ten years for your answer, there's no way I'm cancelling now."

Aqua bit her lip at the words, lowering her gaze to her hands in her lap. He actually waited? Aqua figured Zack simply recalled their date upon seeing her again, but he actually waited over ten years for her to say yes? "...I'm sorry," she said softly. "Things got...complicated." But that was no excuse. Especially for ten years.

Zack smiled softly, shaking his head. "That was a joke," he told her. "I kept busy while you were gone." He went to the Underworld to settle his score with Hades, somehow lived through that, trained with Phil for a while, returned home, joined SOLDIER, and then...well, Sephiroth. That was his life in a nutshell.

Aqua turned her head, blue eyes resting on the side of Zack's defined face. "What'd you do?" she asked out of curiosity. There was a lot he could have done to pass the time, especially more than ten years. While she was waiting in Darkness, what was he doing?

"Crazy things," Zack said, smiling faintly in fond remembrance. "Embraced my dreams. I became a hero in another world." But that world, Gaia...It didn't have anything left for him. Sure, his parents were still there and he stopped in to visit them, but the girl that he fell in love with, Aerith...died. He didn't know how it happened, but she died.