[closed]

[cardfortress]

Characters: Mello, Near, and then Amateratsu later on
Location: Kiev and Death City
Rating: PG
Time: Aug 7th
Description: Just outside Kiev, Ukraine, people are reporting sightings of The Imps of Misfortune, who follow travelers and cause them bad luck and accidents until they're driven mad. Madness levels have been spiking in the areas the imps have been spotted at, so Shibusen's eastern European branch has asked for help.
After the mission and its very high madness levels, which affected them far more than they were expecting, the pair stumbles upon their furry friend on their way back home.



[The drive from the Kiev branch of Shibusen to the woods the imps were last spotted at isn't a long one, but it's enough to make Near feel slightly aprehensive, because the first signs of madness wavelength start to make themselves known only halfway there. Near reaches for his and Mello's resonance to chase away the unpleasant chill down his spine, as well as the uneasiness that comes with it, and the closer they get to their destination and the stronger the madness grows, the more he holds on to their resonance, wanting to anchor Mello's mind like he always does.]

Ready?

[He doesn't wait for an answer before transforming into his Weapon form, knowing with the same certainty as always that his partner will catch him before he falls.]

Comments

[want_the_world]

[Reaching out to catch the Rubik's cube as it falls is pure instinct by now, as automatic as breathing, and Mello unconsciously curls his fingers more tightly than usual around his partner's Weapon form in response to the Madness that already feels like gusts of warm wind buffeting him.

(But it doesn't feel exactly like wind, and Mello knows it. It feels like the swirling heat of a fire large enough to make its own weather patterns, and close enough that he can already hear the crackling.)

He reaches for their resonance, too, finds Near already there, as if he's been waiting with his hand outstretched. It helps steady him, as it always does, though Mello has to push away a flicker of unease at still being able to hear the flames he knows aren't there. If he doesn't get a grip, they'll mutate into the roaring of the wind at the edge of the floating island, the scream of a witch swooping down to catch a cube flung back upwards...

No. He's not going to think about that.]

The bastards have to be close.

[cardfortress]

[Mello's fingers curling tight around his Weapon form make the unnatural chill go away, and although Near notices how he's holding on more tightly than usual, he doesn't let his mind focus on that fact for too long, knowing very well why his Meister is doing it.

He doesn't need their resonance to know that the madness will bring the fire back to taunt and torment Mello, but he picks up on it all the same, notices how the effects of such a strong kishin egg are already taking their toll, and they haven't even begun fighting it.

Near thinks of snow, thinks of a blizzard enveloping both of them, snow and ice melting in the heat to extinguish the roaring fire, and holds on tighter to their resonance.]

Yes, [he agrees, focusing on their surroundings and trying to detect any signs of kishin egg activity other than the unnerving level of madness already surrounding them.] We have to remain focused at all times. This level of madness wavelength is higher than what we're accustomed to.

[want_the_world]

I know that, [Mello snaps.

Then the mental sensation of snow washes over him, cooling his irritation, putting the imagined flames out with a hiss, and tension he didn't realize was gripping him leaves him feeling almost dizzy when it flows away.]

I didn't mean that. Thanks.

[He knows Near will recognize the apology for what it is.

Dark shadows are moving in the woods, impossible to tell how many creatures are casting them, but it looks like a hell of a lot. Mello starts to walk toward the trees, and immediately trips over a root hidden under fallen leaves.]

Fuck.

Now I know they're close. Have you got a read on them at all?

[cardfortress]

[Near knows that the irritation in Mello’s voice is as much of a sign of the madness wavelength as the unnatural chill is, so when his partner apologizes through other words, he holds on tighter to their resonance and lets his walls down even further instead of saying you're welcome in return.

He can’t tell how many creatures there are-- the madness wavelength in the woods is so strong that it’s almost as if he’s trying to look through a fogged up glass-- but he can tell that there’s something not very far from them, and that the more Mello walks, the closer to it they get.]

Not yet, the madness wavelength is too strong, [he begins, pondering more destructive measures. Mello solved four sides of the cube as soon as he caught him moments ago, like he always does, so maybe they could use that ability right now; or they could use their resonance attack to make a small clearing and let the creatures come to them instead of seeking them out, because the woods are too thick…

He uses their resonance to draw that plan out, showing his thoughts to Mello while he remains focused on their surroundings.]

What do you think?

[want_the_world]

[Mello nods without answering aloud, sending silent agreement through their resonance instead.]

They'll probably try to get us to follow them, but it's worth a go.

[They've practiced with their resonance attack enough by now that they have good control over it, and Mello finds it relatively simple to use it to hollow out a clearing a little way within the trees, even with the Madness at the edges of his awareness, as if it's still beating on his mind, trying to find a way in.

It grows even more insistent when he makes his way deeper into the forest to the clearing they made, and he tries to think again of snow and cool, steels himself for the madness to spike up even more, as he's sure it will once he makes his challenge.]

All right, you bastards, come and get it.

[He's ready to finish the last two sides within seconds if he needs to, fingers poised on the cube.]