Kingdom Hearts: The Apocalypse {Rp Chapter 2}

[Eternal Dream]

~- Big Brother -~

She was rolling along the ground, the breath knocked out of her even though she'd tucked and braced for the assault. But then again, had she truly been prepared for the strike? Had she ever thought in the darkest of her visions that they'd be attacked by one of their own?

Her eye's darted around, looking for the others. Just a few feet away, she saw Light touching back down, the small mouse made even more diminutive by the white wings fanning out from beneath her cloak. Light looked stricken, heart sick and pale as the struggle to understand played out in her eyes. The one lying in the dirt could sympathize with the mouse. Never, ever had they thought to have to fight one of their comrades. But they had; they'd fought their mentor, and lost one of their rank to Death's embrace. And now, it was happening again. But now, it was so much worse.

Now they were fighting their brother.

Her eyes moved from the mouse, and she felt the icy grip of fear seize her numb heart. Black wings, so recently sleek and feathered, now leathery and nearly devoid of plumage... these wings cut across the sky, blocking out the light of the moon. Darkness was descending from the sky, dead despair blazing coldly in his blue-grey eyes. Following his gaze, she felt that frozen hand wrench her heart into her throat as she watched him bear down on Dawn. The girl just stood there, her wings at her side, disbelief rooting her to the spot. She couldn't understand this either. After everything that had happened, Darkness wouldn't really attack them, attack her, would he?

But while some small part of Dawn seemed to pray that his inner light would change his course, the numb one wasn't willing to take the chance; especially once she saw the flash of dark light fill his hand. Lifting her own wings, she shot forward, her arms extending as she let her power pool under her skin. Shoving Dawn aside, she had just enough time to twist around to face him, an arcane blade forming in her grip, before Darkness descended on her, striking out with his dagger pistol. She heard Dawn give a small cry, but she couldn't pay attention to the fear in her twin's voice. Ocean green eyes level, she met the blue-grey eyes before her, so reminiscent of a similar set of eyes that it made the wound in her heart bleed fresh.

He must have seen the pain in her eyes, because his own softened just the barest fraction, and for a moment, she could have sworn she saw the man that she'd known. Hoping to reach him, she said softly, "Please, Dark, don't do this. This isn't you."

Despair hardened his eyes again, and he pressed harder, trying to break through the defense of her manifested Angel Blade. Bracing the blade with her other hand, she pleaded, "Please, the Throne..."

"Doesn't give a shit!" He roared, shoving her back. Falling to her knees, she felt the blade knocked from her hands just moments before she felt the tip of his dagger press against her throat. Looking up, she watched Dark as he gulped air, shaking so hard he looked on the verge of convulsions. His eyes blazing, he hissed, "We've been fooling ourselves, Twilight. There's no way in hell to keep the Balance, the nature of all worlds is to be eternally fu.cked up, and the Throne doesn't give a damn about those that have served faithfully. If the Throne cared at all, Death wouldn't have come... he wouldn't be...

The reminder of what they'd all lost burned through her, and she felt the hole in her heart rip further open as Dark's eyes blurred in pain for his lost brother. The ever present exhaustion swallowed her flagging strength, and Twilight sagged, the tip of Dark's dagger drawing blood as it was drawn up her neck. "Be swift," she whispered, her voice so soft only he could hear her. "Be swift, and grant me this mercy. My pain will be over. I'll be with him again. But if you do this..." Some of her old fight glowed in her eyes, warring with the desolation that had taken up residence in their depths, "If you do this, he'll have claimed both of you. Do you really want to do that? Do you really want to give Death the victory?"

A soft snarl rumbled from Dark, a sound more animal than human. "Don't you get it, Twilight? Death's already won." He pulled the dagger back, his face unreadable...

"Who the hell is she?"

"What's this girl doing with you, Cutter?"

"Will you boys just shut-up and give her some space to breath?"

"Leyla? Come on, open your eyes!"

Leyla felt like she'd been run over by a semi. The girl groaned, squirming slightly at the grip that held her in a vice of gentle steel. Finding that that didn't work, she slowly opened her eyes, squinting against the too bright sun. The barrage of dreams, visions, or whatever-the-hell they'd been, had left her disoriented, and it took her a moment get her bearings.

First, Leyla saw Kit, and the ninja released an obvious sigh of relief when Leyla met her eyes. Standing just behind the other girl, Leyla saw two boys, one of which had pale blond, almost white hair, while the other one had obviously blond hair, a gorgeous set of blue eyes, and was slightly taller than his friend. Both of them wore armor, although the way the taller one seemed to be standing, Leyla had the feeling that he was suppose to be some kind of guardian for the other boy. Seeming to guess what Leyla was thinking, Kit pointed to the light blond and said, "Leyla, this is Ceodore, the other blond is Lance, and he's..."

"Rhys!"

Having seen who was holding her, Leyla forgot about Kit and her introductions momentarily as she drank in the sight of the oldest of the Hunter brothers. Launching herself up, Leyla knocked Rhys over, laughing and tripping over herself as she bubbled, "You're okay, you'reokayyou'reokayyou'reokayyou'reokay...."

Leyla distantly registered that Kit had given a surprised giggle as Rhys' low laugh gave a counterpoint to both of the girls. She felt his arms squeeze around her again as he said softly, "Yeah, I'm okay. God, it's so good to see you again, little Rozen."

~- Chains -~

The valley passed far below him, a patchwork of greens shading from emerald to jade to light green and finally the deep green of the jungle. Further on past the tangle of jungle foliage, he could see the rows of fields that made up the farms of a small hamlet, llama drawn carts going back and forth between those fields and the huts that the villagers called their homes. Home... when was the last time he'd been able to claim having something so simple as being his?

Rain pounding against the glass. They raced inside, soaked to the skin. Shirts came off, the chill of the house and the rain a sharp, yet pleasant contrast to how humid the island air had been just moments before. Four of the girls opted to let their clothes dry on them, while the two that had gone to change out of their soaked white shirts came back moments later. He felt his eyes travel over the younger of the two, and a flush of heat crept up his cheeks as his thoughts...

He shook his head, banishing the scrap of memory. That life, that realization that had dawned on him, was four years in the past and dead. The hell he found himself in was his reality now, and he had no choice but to accept his lot. Turning his eyes toward the ground and his thoughts away from that half forgotten afternoon, he spotted a young woman emerge from the jungle and into a clearing just off the village.

She was his contact.

Angling his wings, the eagle spiraled toward the ground, keeping the woman in his sight as he circled lower. Braking as he came level with a tree just over her head, he grasped onto a sturdy branch with his talons. Settling his wings at his sides, he fixed the woman with a steady azure gaze, and waited.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- I Hear Them Calling... -~

Kitridge heard a noise behind her, and she almost glanced over her shoulder to see what was going on; but she stopped herself from doing it. She listened to Palom's words, vaguely amused by his word choice. Looking over at Porom and Leyla, she didn't say anything as Palom carefully pushed the door open and held it open long enough for all of them to get in. "Mighty fine mess you've gotten yourself into ----"

Throwing a glare in his direction, Kit smiled sweetly as he sputtered to a stop; obviously deciding against finishing the rest of the sentence. "Palom, help me get these two situated!" Porom snapped, anger flashing in her eyes at her twin's slacking.

"Lady Porom, is there anything I can do to be of assistance?"

Kitridge felt a rush of energy hit her at the voice, laughing weakly she called, "Izayoi, is that you?" Her question was answered at the shock gasp from fair skinned woman that stepped into the room.

Izayoi's blue eyes widened in shock, and traded typical of her; Izayoi's brown hair was tied back in a ponytail. The other kunoichi had her trademark blue robe over her uniform, the blue bow a strong sign of comfort for Kitridge. Smiling weakly, the younger ninja carefully untangled herself from Palom and practically ran over toward her teacher. Tackling the older woman, Kitridge wasn't surprised when she was pushed out to arm's length and looked up and down. Tapping her foot impatiently, Kitridge waited until Izayoi was satisfied before she hugged her again. "You're okay!"

"I am, and you look like you're ready to drop where you stand, princess."

An annoyed huff escaping her, Kitridge wasn't surprised by Izayoi's statement. "What---?" Swaying slightly, Kit shakily nodded her head in agreement; so maybe she was a little more tired than she originally thought. Letting Izayoi guide her to one of the beds, Kit curled up on it and asked sleepily, "Will you let me know when they're done healing Leyla?"

She didn't have to look to know Izayoi had bowed to her, the gentle "Yes little sister," was confirmation enough. Drifting off to sleep, she sighed happily as she felt Izayoi brush some hair out of her eyes and the older kuniochi started humming an all too familiar song.

The sun hung low in the sky, just low enough that the ocean was able to reach up and brush against it. Laughter drifted on the breeze as a four-year-old girl ran away from her mother. Stumbling in the sand, the child fell and took only a moment to scramble back to her feet; but in that moment her mother had caught up to her and scooped her up.

Giggling, Kitridge squirmed to try and get free, but her mother held fast; preventing her from getting down and running again. "No Little One, you can't run off; it's getting dark. The monsters come out when it gets dark, remember?"

That made Kit stop squirming and twist to look at her mother; confusion clear on her face. Sure, they both had the same white hair and fair skin; there was even times when her mother's eyes would flash to Kit's same blue-violet shade, but her mother was older and so shouldn't be afraid of the dark; so why was she? Opening her mouth to ask that question, Kitridge felt a rush of cold as something invisible slammed into her. Whimpering slightly, the girl clung to her mother's clothes and watched as her mother's eyes snapped with cold fire.

"We need to go home sweetie, now."

Nodding her head, she clung to her mother and didn't say anything as her mother quickly hurried home. Closing her eyes as her mother started humming, she drifted away into sleep as her mom continued humming the lullaby she always did to coax Kitridge into sleep.

Stirring as someone gently shook her awake, Kitridge rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked at Izayoi; feeling a rush of emotion she couldn't place for the woman in her dreams. Who was she? Why did she leave Kit to be taken care of by a bunch of strangers? Where was she now? Kitridge shook her head to dismiss the questions, looking at Izayoi she asked, "Is Leyla awake?"

"Not quite, but she can have visitors. Do you want to see her and tell me everything that's happened?"

Kitridge almost started talking, before shaking her head and getting up to go find Palom and Porom; along with to check on Leyla. She didn't even pay much attention as Ceodore and Lance came running up to her; raising a hand up to keep them from asking any questions Kitridge kept moving toward the infirmary. "Kitridge!"

The shout made her stop in her tracks, looking at Tsukinowa, she felt her heart race as an easy smile spread across her face at the sight of her childhood friend. "Are the other two---?" She started to ask, only to fall silent as Tsukinowa laughed and ran ahead of her. A laugh slipping free, Kitridge bolted after him as the sound of three sets of footsteps raced after her. Shoving the infirmary door open, Kitridge felt an arm around her waist causing her to squirm and reach for her ninja tool pouch that was strapped to her leg.

"Whoa, easy there princess; there's no reason to get violent, is there?"

Relaxing just a fraction, Kitridge elbowed the older ninja that was restraining her. Falling to the ground, she landed in a crouch and glanced at his feet. Bare, lightly tanned feet with dark pants that had the cuffs rolled up; there was only one ninja she knew that dressed like that and had a warm rumble to their words. Leaping to her feet, she spun around and hugged Gekkou tightly, before she was brought back to reality by Ceodore's and Lance's questions.

Sighing in annoyance, Kitridge turned to them and laughed, "Will you boys just shut-up and give her some space to breathe?"

She watched Rhys's concern for Leyla, which had her both worried and curious. She met Leyla's eyes and sighed in relief, a little shocked about how worried she'd been. Kitridge attempted to introduce Lance and Ceodore to Leyla, but Leyla got distracted upon seeing Rhys, earning a giggle from Kit. "I thought you were back Cutter, what with all the noise...."

Kit spun around to see the dark skinned, elderly ninja that wore mainly yellow and black, his sword strapped across his back. Launching herself at him, Kit wrapped her arms around the man she considered to be her grandfather and cried happily, "Zan-Zan!" She heard the surprised "Oof" from Zangetsu, but that didn't matter to her as the elderly ninja hugged her back and laughed, in her happiness in knowing he was okay, Kit didn't reprimand Zangetsu for calling her "Kitten", something that she only allowed her little sister Cuore to say.

"Have things really been that rough, Cutter?"

The question from Palom was a slap to the face, bringing Kit back to reality and made her step away from Zangetsu. Turning to look at the black mage, her eyes cold and closed off, Kitridge said coolly, "Well, it's a long story...."

~- Hello, Hello, Remember Me -~

Riku looked down at the two kings that lay at his feet, glancing over at the summoner; he scowled behind his helm. He knew that they were still breathing; but they weren't any kind of challenge, and quite frankly, that made him feel bored out of his mind. Flexing his wings, he launched himself into the sky and took off before any other irritations decided to show up. He didn't know where he wanted to go, but he knew he couldn't stay there anymore.

A noise briefly catching his attention, his eyes darted downward to see a woman come running over to them. Dismissing the girl, he flew away and headed toward a different town; but where he was going, he wasn't quite sure. He distantly registered the town he was flying over as Mysidia; but that was about it. Seeing the mountain range rising up in distance, Riku felt the toll of the fight start setting in. When was the last time he'd really had fought against a summoner?

Feeling his mind start fogging, he dropped to the ground and felt his wings disappear. Panting slightly, Riku shook his head and looked around; searching for whatever had been calling him there. It was something dark, something familiar; but what it was exactly, he couldn't place. Exhaling in exasperation, he spun around and continued to search for the source of dark energy. Snarling angrily, he spat, "Look, if there's someone there; you'd best show yourself now, because I'm in no mood to play games!"

~- Survival is a Must -~ ((OOC: KKL has given me permission to power-play Green))

Rixue held onto Green's hand, not even thinking about any possible implications. She dodged the usual obstacles that had a habit of being in space, trying to catch onto any kind of energy reading that she could. Watching as first Kit and Leyla got pulled into the atmosphere of one planet, and then two of the other combatants got pulled down into it; she glanced at Green in curiosity. Think we should follow them?


What do you think, Rixue!?

Flinching at the snappy response, she followed Green down onto the world and tried to be understanding on why he was so irritable. Green hated taking orders from anyone other than White and Master Sononea, so Brown giving them orders to follow Kitridge didn't sit well with the planner and healer of the group.

Dismissing her glider when they were close enough to the ground, Rixue looked to the right to see that Green was doing the same. Nervous at how irritable he was, she rubbed her arm and kept her gaze downcast; unsure of how to start a conversation when Green got like this. Rixue did a quick scan of their surroundings and noticed two people from the battle, the male being familiar from Machinken, but she couldn't remember their names. Still on edge, she asked, "Do you want to talk to them and see about getting some information?"

 

[Keyblade Seeker]

Part 22: So Soon?

Siaowe was a bit irked that her and Gale's arrival went unnoticed, especially when she wasn't trying to be stealthy. However, her cat senses detected two new arrivals behind them. She motioned for Gale to turn around and they both did so at the same time.

In front of them was a figure in purple and a figure in green. Both seemed to bear a connection with the white one they had encountered before. The two were instantly on edge and they summoned their weapons, Siaowe opting for her ZF-1.

[OOC: Apologies for the short post. It's been ages since I last posted here.]

 

[sephiroth2]

--------------------------------------------------

~~~Past Nightmares~~~

The massive Mountain of Ordeals stood towering over everything, the landscape seeming to purposely draw out its immense height even more. All knew of the dangers that came from the mammoth slab of earth, and there were even fewer who dared to find out these dangers for themselves. It was why the mountain had also become known as the graveyard, littered with the bones of those who tried to climb and reach its peak before failing. Riku’s own arrival seemed to cause a ripple within the surrounding aura, the heavy and much denser sense of decay and darkness grew only stronger since the man’s arrival, as if something had suddenly been stirred.

"Look, if there's someone there; you'd best show yourself now, because I'm in no mood to play games!" Roared Riku as he wildly spun from side to side, trying to catch even a glimpse of whatever was near him, not yet realising the slow disturbance in the barren rock beneath him.

Erupting from the ground, the claw like bones stretched before grasping at air for the Keyblader’s ankles. More of the same quickly appeared from every known split in the rock and soft patches of soil, while the more revealing of openings dared to show even more to Riku, the wiggling masse of tendrils within the rocks depths showing a dangerous realisation for the man.

“If it isn’t the little wielder of darkness. Quite the time since we last met. That was, if time meant anything to me.” The distorted voice appeared to come from everywhere at once for Riku.

All around him, from a distance, inside his own head, it was impossible to figure out exactly where the voice was coming from, except that he knew it came from the towering figure before him. The once emerald mask was covered in what appeared to be centuries of dirt and grime, matching the other pieces of metal that dotted the tall feminine being, including that of the very large and imposing staff.

The strange wriggling tendrils that covered her body seemed to replace and take the form of some sort of dress, though the moving large eyes that ran along the surface showed this was more than it appeared to be.

“What’s the matter? Nothing to say to your queen?”

 

[Kingdomkeylight]

As they landed on the unknown planet Green was clearly a still little annoyed with Brown trying to give them orders... he wasn't exactly one to be told what to do by a such a childish ally yet at the same time that had already been the obvious next step... to follow the escapee's and drag them back or to their deaths. In his annoyance he had growled a response to Rixue, and now... he was beginning to regret it. With a sigh he turned to his purple ally, and thought a bit on the matter. Almost immediately the two girls Purple had pointed out got into a offensive stance clearly recognizing what they were, and what side they were on.
.
"A little late for that I assume... I don't know who you two are... but you might as well lay down your weapons. I doubt you know anything about this world and neither do we wasting energy in a tussle serves no purpose if it gets us all killed later on by the inhabitants of this world," Green pointed out to the duo of female keybladers as he had yet to summon his weapon it held he was not trying to deceive them. Ignoring them for a moment he turned to Rixue.
.
"Or main target is the keyblade group and friends lead by Timmy anyone added in after the assault before this battle is not necessary to fight... however that female ninja girl you were fixated on she definitely landed here, and if that's so more of ours targets are definitely here," Green spoke to Purple in a volume only she would be able to hear.
.
"Besides we are already well known it seems might as well ditch the helmets," he shrugged removing his as his hair swayed out freed from its bind ruffling his brown lock his silver eyes darted to Purple again. It seemed he was about to say something... else... yet he wasn't good on the topic he was about to bring up.
.
"Also... I apologize for snapping at you Ill redirect that annoyance on Brown later."

 

[Keyblade Seeker]

Part 23: A Short Reply

"About that Keyblade group…" Siaowe started as she glanced at Gale, who had his Keyblade in his hand. Uh oh. Hope they don't realize it too soon. "I do remember seeing them enter this building behind us." She nudged her head at the large door behind them. "But I don't think the guards will allow us to enter." She kept her grip on her gun steady, then whispered to Gale. "Be ready to run."

 

[Story Keeper]

~- Some Have Died, Some Are Alive -~

Riku stood there, waiting for something to happen to let him know he wasn't losing his mind. The mist rolled across the ground, casting the "graveyard" in an even eerier light. He didn't even remotely think about it as his mouth started forming silent words; words to an old song for the ones that were frowned upon and cast aside because of their choices. He also heard it used a summoning song once before; but the caster's name and face evaded him. Pausing for a moment, Riku cursed himself for not noticing the warning trembles before hand.

Leaping into the air, Riku spun away from the clawed bones that had tried to capture him via of his ankles. "Really? You're playing games like this!" He roared, furious at his opponent's cowardice. He barely had the chance to shoot off the angry quip before more bones came flying at him, calling Soul Eater to his hand he slashed at them; thus preventing them from latching on and dragging him down. Or so he thought he'd been able to prevent it...

Feeling something slam into him from behind, Riku slammed into the ground. Groaning from the impact, he blinked a few times even as he sensed claws dig into the dirt, pinning him down by his ankles and wings. “If it isn’t the little wielder of darkness. Quite the time since we last met. That was, if time meant anything to me.”

The voice came at him from every direction, including from inside of his head. Riku writhed against his restraints, but the bony hands held firm. The split in the ground was anything but welcoming, between the fall and the mass of tendrils that stretched from one place to another; and even beyond, Riku held no desire to fall into it. Then to add to his embarrassing situation, Riku watched as a woman rose up out of the ground, she was tall (or maybe that was because he was flat on the ground) and wore an outfit that had gathered a lot of grime and dirt, a centuries worth at least. “What’s the matter? Nothing to say to your queen?”

His mouth turned up in a smile, bowing his head in respect, Riku said sincerely, "My apologizes Your Majesty, I meant no disrespect." Releasing a quick blast of darkness, Riku smiled in satisfaction as his restraints fell away. He climbed to his feet, doing a quick once over to see if he was presentable, he nodded and then bowed to Danu once more. Straitening to his full height, he felt a little unnerved once more as he remembered that she had a foot over him. He forced his unease aside and asked politely, "What brings you to these parts, milady?"

~- Rocky Start -~

Purple scowled at the two familiar strangers from behind her helm, irritated at how fast the female jumped to conclusions. She sized them up for a few minutes, listening as Green said loud enough for her ears only, "Our main target is the keyblade group and friends lead by Timmy, anyone added in after the assault before this battle is not necessary to fight. However, that female ninja girl you were fixated on she definitely landed here, and if that's so more of ours targets are definitely here."

She smiled slightly as he made an offhand comment about there being no reason to hide their faces; since they seem to be well known around here. Reaching up, Rixue removed her helmet and laughed slightly as the gentle breeze tugged at her purple hair, she held the gaze of the female that had originally confronted them. "Also... I apologize for snapping at you Ill redirect that annoyance on Brown later."

Keeping her voice low enough that only Green could hear her, she answered, "Apology accepted, and I take it Brown's in major trouble for the stunt he pulled?"

"About that Keyblade group..."

Rixue looked at the female, tilting her head to the side, a quiet note about how cute the other girl was. *not that she was as cute as a certain coworker that Rixue was standing next to or that ninja girl* It took a moment, but the other girl continued with, "I do remember seeing them enter this building behind us, but I don't think the guards will allow us to enter."

Rixue looked over to where the other girl was talking about, spotting the two mages that stood guard at the door. A brief flicker of annoyance passed through her golden colored eyes, before she snuck a look in Green direction and asked quietly, "Now what do you suggest? Do we head for the building that the keybladers went in? Or do we say forget it because of the guards at the door and just wander around town and try to gather information?"

~- Shadows Lingering Close Behind -~

The hawk didn't look at his wolf companion, both were standing there and keeping guard in silence. So it almost startled the raptor when the wolf whispered in his mind, It's time for you to get going Hawkeye, everything's about to come crashing down and the pups could use a veteran of this war that's on their side. Hawkeye didn't flinch or say anything when the wolf turned to look at him, trying to urge him into action and to hop straight back into battle.

Stretching his wings to full length, Hawkeye retorted mentally, Fine, but look after her, will you? He didn't stick around to get any sign of affirmative, he already knew that his canine friend would look after their sleeping friend. It took Hawkeye a few seconds to remember which direction he had to fly in to get out; but after getting out of the forest, Hawkeye directed himself toward Mysidia, already sensing that there was trouble brewing on the summit of Mt. Ordeals.

You can't fight it, you have to submit to the darkness and let it consume you!

The cold mockery of his words made Hawkeye cringe, he didn't like the way that voice mocked him whenever he left the Crystal Forest; it was nerve wracking to tell the truth. Flying over town, he shook his head, trying to clear the hazy fog that shoved its way into his head. Hawkeye caught a quick glimpse of what looked like a tense standoff, looking around for a place to hide so he could eavesdrop and piece together the scene from the information he gathered.

It took him just a second to spot a tree, it was full of dark green leaves and nestled next to the water; and it was just close enough that he could listen in and not be seen. Angling toward it, Hawkeye was careful not to be seen, or if for some reason one of the people looked his way; to appear as an ordinary bird. Flying through the leaves, he landed on one of the middle branches before he twisted to look at the people. He didn't look down until he cast a spell to keep the leaves from rustling, then he glanced down and smiled as he saw that there was enough space between the branch he was sitting on and the one below it to allow a human, even a full grown man, to comfortable sit on the branch without risk of hitting his legs on the branch below.

This led to Hawkeye checking the branch above him, up there was enough head clearance, and then he turned his attention to the branch he was perched on. A smirk of satisfaction drifted across his eyes, it was just sturdy enough to support someone of his build. Shifting to human form, he chuckled slightly at the clothing he wore, mildly amused that it was still in good shape since the last time he'd been in human form. Banishing his amusement, Hawkeye focused back on the task of trying to gather information from the conversations that were within close enough hearing range of his hiding spot.

 

[Lunarmaster54]

~And now for someone completely different~

Nick touched down on Olympus and sighed as Lindsey entered the room.

“You okay?” she asked “Worried about what we’ll find here?”

Nick shook his head. The place had always been known for having a large amount of heartless roaming around to be captured and used in tournaments. The fact that some of them seemed to have gotten away and were now causing a ruckus in town really wasn’t anything to drop your jaw in shock about.

He wasn’t really concerned about his cousin either. Timmy was strong and could deal with anything his ex best friend could throw at him.

“I’m concerned about a intruder on the ship” he replied, standing up and facing his girlfriend. The girl raised her eyebrows as the door behind them opened and inside stepped a figure in a red coat, face covered with a golden mask.

“I’ve never understood people’s fascination with those long coats” Nick commented, keyblade appearing in hand while Lindsey took up a fighting stance of her own. Bahamut was in range behind the figure “Don’t they know it just makes them look like terrorists?”

“I’m not a terrorist” the figure snapped, offended. A girl by the sounds of it.

“You still dress like one” Nick replied “and teleporting on my ship without my permission
doesn’t really do you any favors either”

“I’m just here to talk to you” the girl said “You are Nick Scyrio are you not?”

“That’s what it says on my card” Nick nodded “In fact how’d you even teleport on here anyway? I have wards against that you know”

“I didn’t..it’s..it’s a long story” the figure was flustered “You don’t know what your getting into on Olympus”

“I have a dragon” Nick said “I’m pretty sure I can handle anything that this place has to offer”

A giant fire breathing dragon would be the death of anyone who happened to try and pick a fight with him or were engaged in hurting innocent people. If that didn’t work Nick was sure he’d find some way to improvise.

“Haven’t you ever heard of the cursed weapons?” the figured asked urgently

Nick had heard a rumor here and a story there but hadn’t ever seen one up close, but this figure wasn’t to know that.

“Of course I have” he said, sounding apathetic “but I dunno what this has to do with Olympus terrorist girl”

With his luck there was probably one of them on world and it would be his job to keep it out of the hands of people who’d want to use it for evil. Because cliche.

“Someone on world has found it and is using it to create super hybrids” the figure said “and i’m NOT a terrorist!”

Nick blinked. Well shit. That was his second guess. But wait..

“How is that even possible?” Nick asked “I thought artifically creating hybrids was a long, mysterious process that no one really knew how to do correctly?”

In his time as a mercenary he’d fought several people trying their hand at making heartless like Ansem (or whoever he called himself) did long, long ago. None of them had ever really succeeded and had done nothing but get themselves killed and create a big monster blob that Nick had to take out. It was irritating, but really nothing that needed a cryptic warning attached to it.

“With this object they can create a homunculus, which can be used as a stable base to make a fake hybrid out of once crossed with a mutated heartless” the figure said flatly “This person is creating an army”

Homunculi were another thing Nick had seen a lot of over the years. Typically made by crazy alchemists and irritatingly hard to kill. The idea that one could be used as a base for a hybrid (which is also irritatingly hard to kill) disgusted him. Taking care of this threat was really.. REALLY going to be a pain in his ass. Especially since he only had Lindsey as backup. A dragon and one squad mate weren’t enough to handle a threat like this. Plus.. aww hell this was Olympus. He’d probably have to fight a few in a tournament too!

“Are you going to help me take these things out?” Nick asked “Maybe show me your face..”

“You don’t know me” the figure said “Showing my face would do nothing. and no, I won’t be helping you. However my apprentice will”

Nick took a breath, sensing another person appear on his ship “Seriously how are you people doing that?”

A girl stepped up beside the red figure, this one’s hood was down. Her hair was pink and her eyes were blue, looking Nick and Lindsey up and down and clearly not very impressed.

“These two are going to help me find the black star?” the girl asked, sounding very unamused

“That little girl is going to help us find.. whatever the hell you just called it?” Lindsey asked, also very unamused.

Nick pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated.

He sure hoped Timmy was having a better time than he was.

 

[Eternal Dream]

~- Hunter -~

"Seriously dude, I think we're lost."

"For the last time..."

"We've passed the same llama-esque rock four times in a row. I think that diner woman gave you same bad directions."

Zack gave a low, warning snarl, his blue-violet eyes flashing the briefest flare of gold in warning. A smirk sliding across his face, Tony decided to drop the baiting tactics; a little bit of fun helped to liven up the day, but a missing eye just made it hard to see. Deciding on a placating gesture, Tony said, "Tell you what. How 'bout a five minute breather? That pack of leopards back there just about took my arm off!"

Zack rolled his eyes at the comment, not exactly in the mood to put up with Tony's antics, but he nonetheless dropped his pack to the ground and took the moment to inspect his bracers. Kneeling in the soft grass himself, Tony pulled one of his pistols from his belt and started inspecting it, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. The nice thing about being twins was that Tony knew just how far he could push Zack before his brawler brother decided to lose his temper, and Tony figured he'd pushed it far enough for now.

He'd test the boundaries further in about thirty minutes.

Glancing over at Zack, Tony let the ribbing drop as he said almost seriously, "So, tell me again why we're here? I know we promised Rhys we'd poke around, but humor me. Why this back water world? I don't think it's for the llama wool sweaters."

Zack threw him a look that would have incinerated lesser men, but Tony had put up with twenty-six years of his twin's sullen moods, and thus was immune to the death glare. Waiting him out, Tony's patience was rewarded as, in a tone bordering on the insulting, Zack said, "Just a feeling, okay man? And since my hunches are helluva lot more accurate than your directionally challenged ass, we're going the way I say. So, next bit of smartassery?"

At the reminder that he wasn't the only one immune to his twin's tricks, Tony held up his hands in surrender, that glint of mischief still in his eyes. "Okay, okay. Yeash, give me a cute, blind oracle over you any day, bro. I swear, you..."

The rest of his words were cut off as a long, freaked out howl split the air. Zack glanced over at Tony as they both swung their packs back onto their backs, Zack's mouth set in its characteristic scowl as he stated, "Well, break's over mate. Time to find out what the hell that was."

Tony's curiosity didn't have to wait to long to be appeased. Ten minutes of walking brought them to a clearing occupied by a girl and a boy who was somewhere in the middle of being turned into a wolf. Unable to help himself, Tony laughed at the kid's lot. "No permission to get the shape shifting shoved on you, huh brother? And here I thought this place was just jungles and llamas. Man, oh man, this backwater world might actually be some fun after all. Name's Tony. What're yours, young lady and wolf-boy?"

 

[Lunarmaster54]

~Cackling Minions~

“I’m going to GUT HIM!!”

“Timmy I think your over reacting”

Timmy stomped down the forest path with murder in his eyes while Astoria jogged behind him, barely keeping up with his anger fueled pace. His plan was to find Aaron and hit him until Timmy was fully human again. Astoria had pointed out that doing such a thing would do nothing to reverse the effects of the spell but Timmy countered that he had never came across a problem that couldn’t be solved with violence.

Well, not too often at least. Though normally when he came across such a situation he had Shiki to help him back out of it but there was no need to tell Astoria that. It would simply lead to discussing his best friend and Timmy knew doing so would calm him down. He didn’t want to calm down.

He wanted to be in a towering temper when he came across the boy responsible for this. He had a TAIL damn it and it was creepy.

Ten minutes of walking hadn’t gotten them out of the forest however. They did come across a bunch of creatures that Timmy gleefully slaughtered like the animals they were, but it seemed that they were even more lost than they were when they started.

Timmy hadn’t seen fit to tell his new companion that he had a terrible sense of direction.

However just when Astoria looked like she was going to comment on their increasingly hopeless looking situation two men came out of the bushes. Astoria recoiled, never having seen the strangers before, and Timmy took a step in front of her, ready to defend if the need arose. Defending pretty girls he’d just met (Shiki had called it some sort of D word effect) was becoming practically instinct.

The duo seemed rather easy going however, one of them laughing at Timmy’s new look.

It didn’t score him any brownie points with the boy either.

"No permission to get the shape shifting shoved on you, huh brother? And here I thought this place was just jungles and llamas. Man, oh man, this backwater world might actually be some fun after all. Name's Tony. What're yours, young lady and wolf-boy?"

“I’m Timmy” Timmy replied through gritted teeth. Astoria stepped out from behind him, relaxing a little as she introduced herself.

“So your other worlders? What brings you here?” Timmy asked. He was actually a tad suspicious. Lately every stranger he met (Astoria and Mei didn’t count) tried to kill him on sight and this WAS a world where Aaron ran the show.

It would be just like him to have minions. Besides. Tony LAUGHED at him!

The young hybrid sighed, he sort of wished his friends were here. Nick, Leyla or Kit would know what to do..

But for now he was on his own.

 

[Kingdomkeylight]

☼Jump Start☼
"Yes Brown will be highly punished for that damn stunt later for now though we will concentrate on our current targets which seem to be in the castle as our new "friends" have politely pointed out. We are already at war with this world anyways so no reason to hold back or negotiate I believe. Besides its about time I get into the frontlines I believe," with that said Green started to walk towards the castle specifically to the two guard mages. A few words were exchanged before panic clearly presented itself in both guards as they took up a defensive stance. Yet a few seconds later ended with one guard running into the castle while the other stood their a bit scared as Green walked back to Purple.
.
"I hope you can behave in front of a king cause w are soon to be in the presence of one. Told them we were ambassadors of lord Soneana, and that we wanted to speak to the king funny how easy it was," Green spoke as he desummoned his helmet completely while considering if he should summon some hybrids to make the request a bit more force... yet their was no real sign that it was a necessary thing.
.
"If we see the targets don't attack while we are at war striking near the king will cause quiet a bit of a tussle that we could probably not handle even with the hybrids aid. If we had another two or even one of our brothers, or sister I would suggest a simple storming tactic yet for now we stick to words alright unless we of course are pushed."

 

[Eternal Dream]

~ Kingdom of the Sun ~

~- Another Dead End... -~

Zack couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor bastard sporting the new furry look. He seemed like he had some experience with other worlds, but the fur was clearly new to the guy, and therefor, had his literal tail in a damn kink. Tony cackling like a hyena high on crack didn't help the situation either, and Zack could sympathize with the boy's annoyance; Tony had been in a borderline psycho mood recently, pushing Zack to the edge of throttling his dumbass twin, but he managed to keep the urge in control.

Maybe Tony was finally on the mend.

“I’m Timmy. So you're other worlders? What brings you here?”

Zack's mood turned stormy though as he saw the look in Timmy's eyes. The brawler heard Tony chuckle again as his twin saw Timmy's opinion written quite plainly on his face as well. It wasn't the kid's suspicion about the twins that tanked Zack; he would've thought Timmy out of his damned mind if he'd trusted them right off the bat. He didn't even fault the guy for blacklisting Tony just for laughing at him; again, there were times Zack wanted to bitch slap that goofy grin right off Tony's face himself, so again, he could understand.

However, Timmy thought that both Tony and Zack were easy going? Yeah, the little bastard just lost all sympathy points. Glaring pure venom at the kid, Zack was just about to correct Timmy's erroneous assumption when Tony cut in, "Well, besides adventuring? We're looking for someone, and we thought we might have a solid lead that lead us here. However, it's looking to be another bust. I think your sniffer's broken, Zack."

Zack growled low in his throat, his eyes flashing gold as his temper slipped. Rounding on Tony, Zack snarled, "This close, dumbass. You are this damn close to me knocking your head off your fuc..."

Tony's laugh button seemed to have gotten stuck in the "on" position. Jumping out of range of Zack's fists, Tony held his hands up in the universal sign of surrender as he crowed, "What else can you call it? We're suppose to be on the trail of a green eyed angel, and instead we find these two. Not that there's anything wrong with you guys; I'm sure you're both model citizens. However, unless you're hiding our friend somewhere, you're not the one we're looking for. So, I guess we'll keep looking for Leyla somewhere else, then... Hey!"

Tony just managed to dodge the swing Zack aimed for his head. Scampering out of the way, Tony finally lost his goofy grin, but Zack didn't care. First, he was gonna put Tony in his place. Then, he was gonna put that pipsqueak Timmy in his. Zack really wanted to bust a couple of heads, and if they were busted against each other?

So much the better.

~ Halloween Town ~

~- Hanakotoba -~

It seemed to take Sasha a moment to realize that Cheza had started walking off without her. Scrambling to her feet, Sasha wailed, "Hey, wait for meeee!" Cheza slowed her step a little, just enough for the young teen to clamber into step with her, but then the woman picked up the pace again, determined to find that girl and get some answers out of her.

Passing through the grave yards, Cheza sensed Forget-Me-Nots hidden among the headstones, and she couldn't suppress a smile. Forget-Me-Not was a flower that symbolized true love, a romantic notion if ever there was one. And yet, there were small examples of that flower on her locket, surrounding the heart and its tiger guardian. Her fingers sliding up to her throat, Cheza rubbed the locket between her thumb and forefinger. As always, she felt a bittersweet hope in her chest, hope that she'd be able to find her friends, her family, and the one who held her heart.

It was all she wanted.

"Cheza, were are we goi...AIIIIIII!"

Hearing the scream, Cheza turned around just in time to see Sasha's aura disappear through a dark vortex. Before the woman could take a step to try and help the girl, she felt a portal open beneath her own feet, causing a gasp of surprise to escape Cheza's lips before she fell into darkness.

~ Kingdom of the Sun ~

Cheza slowly blinked her eyes open, dazed and a little disoriented. Slowly, she pushed herself into a sitting position, taking in her surrounding as she got her bearings. The cool autumn air of Halloween Town had been replaced with a humid jungle heat, and she could hear all sorts of insect noises amid rustling leaves. Climbing to her feet, Cheza extended her senses out as far as she could, using them with her Sight to get as complete a picture as a blind girl could. Reaching up to her bun, she extracted one of her hair picks so she could extend it to its full length. Holding the bo staff firmly in hand, she began walking, cautious of what she might encounter.

 

[Keyblade Seeker]

Part 24: Time To Run

"Now what do you suggest? Do we head for the building that the keybladers went in? Or do we say forget it because of the guards at the door and just wander around town and try to gather information?"

"Yes. Brown will be highly punished for that damn stunt later for now, though we will concentrate on our current targets which seem to be in the castle as our new "friends" have politely pointed out. We are already at war with this world anyways, so no reason to hold back or negotiate, I believe. Besides, its about time I get into the frontlines, I believe."

Siaowe caught what the two said to each other thanks to her enhanced hearing, and knew it wasn't good, but she made sure her face didn't show it. As she advised Gale to discreetly dismiss his Keyblade, they watched as the green figure approached the guards. She caught what they said, and the guards began to panic as they took a defensive stance.

A few seconds later, one of them was running into the castle, the gates open, while the other just stood there, a bit scared. The green figure then walked back to the purple one. "I hope you can behave in front of a king, 'cause we are soon to be in the presence of one. Told them we were ambassadors of lord Soneana, and that we wanted to speak to the king. Funny how easy it was." The green figure then dismissed his helmet completely, revealing a face that signified his being an intellectual type of fighter, a pair of silver glasses with a Nobody symbol on both sides, and a small scar near his left eye. "If we see the targets, don't attack while we are at war. Striking near the king will cause quite a bit of a tussle that we could probably not handle even with the Hybrids' aid. If we had another two or even one of our brothers (or sister) I would suggest a simple storming tactic, yet for now we stick to words alright, unless we of course are pushed."

Only the catgirl picked up all of this and it scared her such that her tail went stiff like a rod as she clutched Gale's hand. On an unspoken signal, Siaowe immediately ran, taking the near-amnesiac Keyblade bearer with her. Once she was sure he was going to run, she put away her ZF-1 and went down on fours, turning her hands into sturdy paws and changing the lengths of her limbs accordingly.

 

[Eternal Dream]

~ Blue Planet ~

~- Wait... What?! -~

Leyla could hear Kit talking softly in the background with some ninja that the girl obviously knew, but for the moment, all Leyla could focus on was that Rhys was here, alive. She wasn't the only one to survive the destruction of their islands. She let herself squeeze him tightly for another moment, then she finally forced herself to let go and look at him. A smile nearly splitting her face, Leyla repeated herself, "You're okay. I didn't dare hope, yet there wasn't anyway I couldn't hope..."

Rhys laughed, toying with an orange on Leyla's bedside table before picking the fruit up. His hands moving quickly over the fruit, Rhys made short work of the skin before he handed the orange to Leyla. Breaking it apart, Leyla bit into a wedge, the tangy bite of citrus flooding her mouth as she chewed. Yep, after all the stress of the last three days, just the small pleasure of munching on an orange was pure heaven for Leyla.

Satisfied that she was eating, Rhys started talking. "Yeah, Lily and I got out. I was a little amazed myself, to tell you the truth. Heartless I can manage, but the Hybrids... It was a nightmare straight out of hell. Zack and Tony split off to try and get to Ari and Mel, and I think Cheza was heading for your house. Maybe we should have stuck together though; it's been hell trying to track everyone down in the last two years."

Her levity from a moment earlier had quieted, but Leyla found herself unable to avoid asking the hard questions. "Have you found anyone else?"

An unreadable look passed over Rhys' face as he said quietly, "Well, Zack and Tony managed to get dumped off here about six months after Lily and I did, and they volunteered to head out again to look for you guys. I would have headed out with them, but I couldn't leave Lil and Holly by themselves..."

Spinning to face Rhys, Leyla just about fell over herself as she gasped, "Lily kept the baby?!"

Rhys' eyes sparked with pride as he laughed at her excitement. "Yeah, she did. I don't know how, considering how far along she was at the time of the attack, but Lily managed a miracle and pulled Holly through. Holly's part of the reason we were able to find a home in Baron; Queen Rosa had just had twins herself, and she wasn't about to turn me and Lily away, not after what we'd just been through."

"Oh Rhys, I'm so happy for you! I can't wait to see Lily again and meet Holly!"

"Yeah, you'll love Holly, I promise you that." The two of them shared a smile, an unspoken relief passing between them. After a moment, Rhys continued, "Ari just left a little while ago, actually, on the same mission as the twins. She'd been traveling with Mel for a while, so Ari's gonna try and track her down again, and she'd also gotten word that Cheza's been seen with a young girl. The only one we didn't have a bead on was you, Rozen."

"Rozen?" Having finished briefing the other ninjas, Ceo, Lance, and the mages on what had happened since she'd left, Kit had wandered over by Leyla and Rhys. Cocking her head to the side, Kit looked at Leyla and said, "Why'd he call you Rozen?"

Leyla looked at Kit, green eyes meeting grey as Leyla said, "My name. It's Leyla Rozen."

"I thought your surname was Terra?"

"I thought it was too." Leyla looked at her hands, confusion tugging at her features. "After my islands were destroyed, I found myself in Traverse Town. I..." Leyla shook her head, unable to face the memory of her painful first days in Traverse Town as Masquerade's victim. "I had a lot going on at the time, and I couldn't remember my name. Terra was one of the heroes of the War; I thought maybe, if I borrowed his name, it would help me be brave."

The three of them fell silent, unaware that the rest of the room had also become quiet. Finally, Leyla said softly, "What about him, Rhys? You haven't said..."

Leyla's voice trailed off, fear and hope viced around her heart. She'd heard so much good news today, she didn't know how she could get a perfect break. She knew this, and yet she felt her heart sink as Rhys said, "I'm sorry, Leyla. I haven't heard anything about Matt."

She could hear the pain in Rhys' voice as he said those words. Matt was his little brother, after all, and Leyla knew the Hunters were a very tight knit family.

Before anything more could be said, though, a mage came bursting into the room, a look of urgency on her face. Porom was the first to approach the mage, saying softly, "What's wrong?"

"Off Worlders," the mage answered, facing Porom. "They want to speak with the king."

Confusion lit across Leyla's face. "How do you know these people aren't from around here?"

Kit answered this one. "It's because they asked for the king. Anyone from the Blue Planet knows Mysidia doesn't have a king, just a Master Mage."

A troubled look passed over Porom's face as she said, "All the same, they still want an audience. What did these people look like?"

"I don't know. They were wearing green and purple helms that covered their faces."

Kit and Leyla shared a look as Kit said, "It's the Rangers. So much for ditching them in space."

Lance looked at Kit and asked, "Trouble?"

"You have no idea," Leyla said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

Kit looked to Porom and said, "Mysidia doesn't have a king, but you and your brother are the Master Mages, Porom. And Ceodore is the prince of Baron, so they'll just have to deal with you guys instead of someone like Cecil or Edge. Going out to meet with them is probably a really dumb idea, but maybe we'll get lucky and they'll just talk our ear off for a bit before they leave."

Ceodore raised an eyebrow at Kit, a sardonic look on his face. "And what about you, Cutter? You're the princess of Eblan; you're a royal too."

Leyla looked at Kit and squawked, "WHAT?!"

"That's not the point right now," Kit said, pointedly ignoring the fact that Ceo had called her out on not telling Leyla about her status. Making a mental note to get more information from the ninja later, Leyla climbed to her feet. Kit cast a dubious look at Leyla, concern written on her face. "You sure you're up for a fight, Leyla?"

Leyla smiled, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "I'll be fine Kit. Come on, let's chase those Rangers off!"

~ Arendelle ~

~- The Beast Inside -~

"Halt!"

The girl complied, spinning on her heel to face the other woman. A steady gaze of pale emerald met the blue eyes of the blond sitting on horseback, then the girl felt the corner of her mouth twitch up as she laughed. "Wow, here I am, some insignificant mortal, being visited by none other than her mighty Majesty. What do you want, Snow Queen Elsa?" The girl dipped into a low curtsy, never once taking her insolent stare off the young queen.

Elsa regarded the girl with a coolly critical eye, her cape snapping in the wind. For that moment, the only sound was the lonely wail of the night wind as it rushed down the mountain side, the two young woman one of the only interruptions as the wind rushed down the snow covered mountain. After a moment, the queen said, "Do you actually think that I couldn't sense you? That I can't see through your act? Please, let me..."

"Help you?" The girl snapped, cutting across Elsa and keeping her from finishing her own sentence. A brittle look entering into her eyes, the girl sneered, "You know, Queenie, for an ice person, you're just full of shit and hot air, you know that? What the hell do you think you know about me?" Turning away from the woman, the girl continued her trek further up the mountain, her shoulders and back hard, unforgiving lines.

Her fingers curling around the reins, Elsa urged her mount forward as she shouted, "I said, halt!"

A whirl of snow flew up in her face, forcing Elsa to tighten her grip on the reins as the horse shied back. Using her power to still the snow flurry, Elsa's temper slipped, and she called up a wall of ice to force the girl to stay put for the moment. Jumping down off the steed, Elsa shouted, "Do you think you'll be able to control your power by shutting everyone out? Isolation isn't the answer, believe me! You can't..."

Elsa's voice failed her as she found herself encased in a shroud of ice. The girl let the queen try to struggle out of the prison briefly, letting Elsa discover for herself just how powerful the girl's magic was before she said, "Your magic is powerful, My Lady, but even your ice pales to a parlor trick next to my curse. Don't assume that just because you and I are both sorceresses, manipulators of ice and snow, that we are the same. I am nothing like you."

A shadow passed over the girl's eyes, causing a shiver of fear to appear in Elsa's blue eyes as she cried out, "Just what are you, then?!"

A bitter smile spread across the girl's face as she unfurled wings that were the blue-grey of a winter storm. Elsa's eyes became huge as the nearly unflappable queen was caught in the claws of terror, and the girl knew it was because Elsa had heard of her. The queen had heard of a lone girl that left a trail of bodies in her wake. Finally releasing Elsa from her icy cage, the girl watched the queen scramble away from her, Elsa's arms raised in a defensive gesture. Disgust heavy in her voice, the winged girl snarled, "I'm no one, your Majesty, just a thief of souls."

Turning her back for the final time, the girl took to the sky, leaving the shaken queen to return to her kingdom.

 

[Lunarmaster54]

~Overprotective~

So, I guess we'll keep looking for Leyla somewhere else, then... Hey!"

So, I guess we'll keep looking for Leyla somewhere else,

we'll keep looking for Leyla

Leyla.

Maybe it was his new wolf senses or maybe he just had a very small attention span for some reason but Timmy had drifted, his interest in the duo in front of him waning and fizzling out as a daydream of what Shiki would think of his new wolf form started playing in his mind’s eye. She always did like cute furry things so it was no surprise that places like the Pride lands were some of her preferred worlds when it came down to doing a assignment for Mandie. In fact the only thing Shiki liked more than furry cute things was Santa himself, hence why Halloween Town was her favorite world of all to go to. Timmy was fond of it because he liked writing their names in the snow with little hearts around them. and picking snowball fights.

Normally when Timmy started thinking about Shiki and reminiscing about good times past it would take a lot to snap him out his his inner monolouge but the two men in front of him were able to snap him out of it with a single sentence that quickly narrowed itself down into the important bits that needed his attention. Punctuated for emphasis of course.

They. were. looking. for. Leyla.

His senses went on high alert and his fur fluffed out as his face went stormy, a growl in his throat. He didn’t know them, not really. He'd just met them a minute or two ago and Timothy Chance did not trust random strangers of the male persuasion.

Eventually he'd learn not to trust random strangers of the FEMALE persuasion, but that would take baby steps and time.

“and what do you want to find Leyla for?” he asked stonily. They had called her an angel so that meant that they knew of her wings. Leyla didn’t bust out her wings unless she needed to fight something. Timmy had had enough of blasts from the past making undue appearances and by jove if they wanted to hurt his friend, who he was currently scared shitless of, he was going to beat the both of them into the ground!

The idea that Leyla was friends with the two men never even entered his thoughts. He would later blame it on his new wolf like protect the pack instincts.

 

[Eternal Dream]

~ Kingdom of the Sun ~

~- Cheza's Song -~ *clickie the title for music, I COMMAND YOU*

Cheza kept going forward, her senses extended as far as they would go. Because of her aura sight and sense for life forces, she could almost see where the trees and tropical greenery were, allowing her to keep her footing as she made her way through the thick tangle of roots and jungle undergrowth. All around her, the buzzing of insects, the howling of monkeys, and the squawking of macaws let her know where the animals were, and she couldn't feel any major predators anywhere near by, which was a true blessing.

She hated hurting other creatures.

In time, Cheza's wandering brought her to the point where she could hear human voices. Pausing her step, the woman took the moment to quiet her breathing and adjust the grip she had on the thirty-six inch half-staff she held. Creeping slowly forward, she peeked through the underbrush, searching out the source of the voices.

There was a clearing below her, and four people stood in it. There was a lone girl, her aura hard to read as she kept herself apart from the fight that seemed to be in the process of escalating. One of the combatants appeared to be a teen, his aura bristling along an increasingly lupine form as he snarled, "And what do you want to find Leyla for?”

Cheza's interest peaked at the name; though not a rare one, Leyla was uncommon enough that Cheza went out of her way to track down the bearer of the name to verify if it was the Leyla she knew or just another girl with the same name. Shrinking the bo staff to its six inch hair pick form, she straightened up, giving the other two auras in the clearing a quick once over.

That's when she picked up speed.

Walking with a quick, yet calm purpose, Cheza made her presence known to those down in the clearing. Moving from her hiding place into the open, she felt eyes swing around to land on her and mark her decent, and she even heard a gasp from a familiar voice, but she disregarded them all. For the moment, the other three weren't important. Her Attention was focused on the teen's opponent, the man with the heart of a feral warrior. She could sense how close he was to losing control, how close he was to letting the Rage take over his mind. Even as she walked, she could feel his senses growing more bestial in nature, could almost imagine his eyes as the irises turned to molten gold and the pupils to the vertical, diamond slits of a cat's eyes. But still, she didn't let this sense scare her. Instead, projecting calm with a practiced ease, she began singing.

Shailoh Shailoh, yatreet ka...
Shailoh shna.. otvit ka...
Hahla Hahla.. ahlah hah....
Shailoh washnee
fortee ney...

By now, Cheza had stepped into the clearing. Still singing softly, she watched as the tension went out of the man's muscles, and she even noticed that the song seemed to be having an effect on the boy as well. But then again, the song had originally been meant to ease the tension of wolves, even though she had adapted it for a man with the heart of a tiger. However, even this little bit of curiosity wasn't enough to take Cheza's full attention from the brawler standing in front of her. For a moment, he stood still, and she watched as the tension and frustration drain from his aura. Quirking a smile, Cheza laughed softly before saying, "Honestly, your mamma named you boys right. Anthony and Zachary Hunter, nothing but trouble from A to Z."

Joy shot through Zack's aura at the same time that she was sure a smile split across his face, revealing just how much he looked like Tony. Rushing forward, Zack swept her up into a hug, lifting her off the ground as he spun her around. Cheza held on tight, giggling, as he exclaimed, "Cheza!"

 

[sephiroth2]

------------------------------------------------------

The ancient queen remained standing, tall and looming over Riku even after his display of darkness was used to free himself. While the reanimated bones couldn't withstand the sheer force of his blast, the dark tendrils that had burrowed through the rock and bone to bring them life quickly sprouted like weeds, though remained passive as the Keyblader spoke to the masked woman on top of the great mountain.

"My apologizes Your Majesty, I meant no disrespect. What brings you to these parts, milady?" Said Riku, with the bow and respect one would find fitting towards a queen. The large clasped staff within Danu's grasp stood as tall as the woman herself, its tip piercing the ground by the writhing tendrils that made up her clothes, the numerous eyes covering the leather substance all watching Riku unblinking.

"Such a good boy, you pleased us very well in the past. We do hope you will offer yourself to your Queen once more." The Queen's grim covered gold fingers reached out to stroke lightly against Riku's cheek as she spoke, the only sign of life on her face coming from the purple eyes just noticeable through the slits of her emerald mask, while her voice continued to ring throughout the man's mind and senses.

"It's time for the constellation to return once more. We desire fitting tributes for such an event. This world is to be one such tribute. Won't you find the lock of this world for your Queen?"

 

[Story Keeper]

~ Blue Planet ~

~- Oh Great, It's the Stalker -~

Kitridge knew that she wouldn't be able to avoid the questions forever, but that didn't stop her from making a mental not to try and also to torture Ceodore for putting her in this position. Even so, Kit followed behind the others as they headed outside, listening as Leyla and Rhys chatted to one another. She didn't look at Tsukinowa as her brother slipped up next to her, and she didn't say anything as he stayed quiet; obviously relieved that she was okay just by seeing her.

It didn't take long for them to get outside, and even less time to see Siawoe and Gale to go running past. Not even turning to follow them, Kit sent a gust of wind and ice toward them; not truly caring how they reacted to being attacked. "Maxchiel, since those two got away, now what are we going to do while we wait for that audience?"

Kit stopped in her tracks at the voice, turning pale in such a rapid fashion that she felt Tsukinowa grab a hold of her arm; just in case she passed out. Taking a couple of slow, deep breaths she called angrily, "What the hell are you doing here?" A glare accompanying her words, she heard the question from Ceodore about who these two people were; and refusing to take her eyes off of them, Kit answered icily, "They're Nobodies, Ceo, and that one in the purple seems to be stalking me."

"There you are sweetie, I was wondering where you went." Rixue chirped cheerfully, giving Kit the odd impression that the other girl really wished it was just them.

Keeping her disgust under control, she asked crossly, "So, what are you doing here?"

~- It Will Consume Me -~

"Such a good boy, you pleased us very well in the past. We do hope you will offer yourself to your Queen once more."

Riku heard it, but kept his head down; he made a silent note that his helm had been discarded upon his landing. He flinched away as Danu's fingers brushed his cheek, before he leaned back into her touch; enjoying the fact that he finally got some physical contact after so many years of being disconnected from everyone. He closed his eyes, banishing the sight of the eyes that were watching him and his current surroundings for the time being; only for his eyes to snap open a split second later.

"It's time for the constellation to return once more. We desire fitting tributes for such an event. This world is to be one such tribute. Won't you find the lock of this world for your Queen?"

His mind turned those words over and over, trying to piece together the meaning even though he felt as if he'd been run over by a train and then thrown into the ocean and had sunk to the bottom. Blinking rapidly, Riku eyed the taller dark creature for several moments as he tried to get his mind in order. After the request registered, Riku nodded his head as he answered, "Yes milady, I'll try to find it, but if the last few years are anything to go by, it'll take me a while to find it. So I beg your pardon for the delay, ma'am."

Riku sensed more than saw the way some canine-like and feline-like heartless slunk up, hiding behind some of the rocks scattered about; to see what was going on with the two dark creatures. Swallowing a little to get the lump out his throat, Riku added, "Although, I suspect why I know there's been a delay in finding the lock for this world, milady. There are people here who can command the darkness, so I suspect that one of them has done something to conceal it from us."

~- These Faces and Places Are Getting Old -~

The cloaked person drifted through the castle, searching for their contact on this world. They knew why they'd been called here; it was to give the lunar-human king an update of how things were proceeding off the world. Hugging the shadows close, the cloaked figure watched as some guards went walking past; chatting quite lively as news circled around about the return of Eblan's princess, no matter how reluctant this princess was to be in that particular role. Drawing their cloak closer to them, the figure made sure that the deep hood was pulled up enough to avoid the slight chance of anyone seeing their face.

After all, if their face was seen; it was all over. Slipping through the shadows, the figure reached Cecil's room, and remembering the code to ask if they could come in and if Cecil was alone; they rapt their knuckles on the door, before waiting for the signal that it was safe to enter. After a few moments of tense silence, the figure heard the answering rhythm saying that was safe to enter. Twisting the knob, they stepped inside and looked around the room; a sudden pang of homesickness washed over the cloaked figure as they stared around the room, it was so familiar to them since it reminded them so much of home.

"Sorry, I'll try not to keep you too long. Please, have a sit."

The cloaked figure heard the words from Cecil, but didn't immediately respond to the king's words. Walking over to where they were motioned to sit, they sat down and listened to the King's chatter, commenting where it was appropriate. "So, tell me, what's been going on out there?"

Looking up from the cup that they had been offered, the figure smiled slightly and took the cup that Cecil had been holding; their thoughts chasing themselves as the cloaked person tried to find the best way to explain things. Sighing in defeat, they set the cup aside and answered coolly, "The Hybrids are getting stronger, they are taking over one world after another; and it seems as if there is very little things that could stand in the Hybrids way."

They watched Cecil as he mauled this over, clearly unsettled by the news. "Tell me something Your Majesty, how much longer do I have to hide from them?" They asked, successfully drawing the king's attention to them; and the shocked expression the king sent a jolt of irritation through them. "Your Majesty...?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll see about getting it arranged where you can see her soon enough. All I ask is that you wait a little longer; and I give you my word that I'll try to get things taken care of as fast as possible."

Rising to their feet, the figure bowed before calling a portal and stepping through it; not even bothering to answer the lunarian's comment with one of their own. After a few moments, the portal collapsed in on itself; leaving no trace that Cecil had ever had a guest in his bedroom.

~ Central City, Amestris ~

~- Burn for Me -~

"Come on! I saw that brat run this way!"

Fenrir crouched behind a wooden crate, watching as alchemists in blue military uniform went running past; looking for someone that had been disrespectful to them and had evaded capture. He heard the soft crunch of shoes on snow and looked up, seeing Laha standing behind him before she slid to the ground. He glanced over the top of the box, making sure that there was no one there when Laha whispered, "How long do we have to hide this time, Fenrir?"

He flinched slightly at her question, he knew that it wasn't fair to Laha; it's not her fault that they had to hide constantly. It was his fault. It was always Fenrir's fault. Fenrir looked down at his hands, trying to figure out how to answer her question, only for the military to go racing past again. Pressing himself against his female companion, Fenrir had his hand pressed over her mouth and watched the main street for several moments, being careful to make sure neither of them made too much noise.

Lowering his hand, Fenrir stood up and walked to the mouth of the alley and peeked down the road; after he was sure it was clear, did he motion for Laha that it was safe for them to go. Grabbing her hand, the boy bolted down the street and headed for out of town. Reaching the exit, he raced up a hill and turned back around to glare at the town below him.

"Fen, please I know what you're thinking, don't do it!"

The plea fell on deaf ears, because Fenrir held up his hand, his ring finger and thumb together only to quickly slide his ring finger across his thumb; causing a soft snap sound to be heard. Waiting a few moments, Fenrir smiled coldly as the military's main base burst into flames. Turning to look at Laha, he smiled a lot more warmly as he said, "Come on; let's get out of this place." Before he started walking away from the town that had started to catch on fire with his white-haired friend right behind him, looking not at all amused by what he'd just done.

 

[Lunarmaster54]

~Awake~

He’d been pretty close to attacking them just now, which sort of surprised him. With Thanatos locked away for the moment Timmy hadn’t really been having any issues with darkness and that was normally the only time he’d attack like that so suddenly.

It was the song that calmed him down, that girl that appeared to seemingly cool down the tensions before blood could be shed (and it might have been, Timmy wasn’t sure the power levels of the duo before him but they could very well be stronger or weaker than he was, plus his new traveling companion might be caught up in the insuring fight as well..) and it appeared that she was an old friend of theirs too...

"Honestly, your mamma named you boys right. Anthony and Zachary Hunter, nothing but trouble from A to Z."

Timmy watched impassively as the stranger was picked up and hugged. It must be nice to have such a reunion with a close friend. Timmy narrowed his eyes. HE didn’t get such a nice little luxury because HIS beloved missing friend was just that.. missing. Not only was she missing but the only person that might be able to help him track her down was evil and Leyla’s arch enemy who he would NOT be getting anywhere near under any circumstances (if he kept up that particular mantra than he could actually convince himself that the idea was unappealing and had to be avoided).

“I hate to break up such a touching reunion” he said, bitterness rising up inside him and sparking that same anger that was just cooled down “But I believe I asked you a question”

Anger just felt so natural these days.

Astoria was standing a little away from them, not wanting to be caught up in any sort of fight if she could help it and Timmy was glad. He still had every intention of helping her out after he forced the information he wanted out of these three.

“Oh WOW. You haven’t changed one bit, have you champ?”

Timmy’s blood froze. No. It couldn’t be..

“Yup. It can. I’m back. I’m back a LOT earlier than you anticipated” Thanatos sounded in his ear and Timmy shivered, feeling that familiar darkness start to trickle through him once again. Ice in his veins. Inferno turning into winter storm as his rage crystallized. If he couldn't be with Shiki why should anyone else reunite with who THEY want to see?

“You know, i’m really fond of your old lover” Thanatos said casually “She just gets you so worked up! The mere thought of her not being around is enough to set you off. It makes it so much easier for the darkness to find it’s way back into your heart, deepening the cracks and making things easier for me to come in and take you. Which I WOULD HAVE already done if it wasn’t for that MEDDILING child”

Shut up and go away. Shut up and go away. Shut UP and go AWAY

It would be so easy to slip back into the darkness like he had when he’d fought the blue ranger on Mackinekin. So easy to let the darkness back in.

"To run with a demon you had to become one"

Screw that.

Timmy shook his head, clearing away the negativity.

He wasn’t going back down that road again. Hybrid awake or asleep. There were other ways to find her. Making deals with devils wasn't going to solve anything and so he wasn't going to do something that he would deeply regret later on. He was going to CONTROL himself and his emotions. He was going to act his age and do the things he'd been trained to do.

So, resolve flooding his veins, he simply crossed his arms and stared unemotionally at the trio, forcing his bubbling anger down to the bottom of his heart and waiting for them to answer his question.

 

[Keyblade Seeker]

Part 25: Quick Turnaround

The instant Siaowe felt some people pass by, one of them Cutter, she instantly braked on all fours before her arms shortened and paws reverted to hands as she straightened herself. Gale was slower in reacting and he instead U-turned. Good thing too as he saw a gust of ice and wind head their direction. Being an aerokinetic himself, it was child's play to divert it from him and his companion.

"Whoa!", the catgirl gasped as Gale stopped the small blizzard. "They must've though we were the intruders. We better get back." And that's what she did, this time on twos as Gale caught up.

By the time they got back to the entrance, Cutter and another person were facing the two "Rangers". "So, what are you doing here?" said the person Siaowe was familiar with in a cross manner.

The two stopped behind Cutter and Siaowe greeted, "Hello again. This may be a bad time but we met before in the ship. Just wanna tell you that those two are no friends of ours." She then took out her second weapon; a medium-sized magical bubble wand made of iron and coated with brass. It was designed with a solar motif and has been accented with intricate designs.

Gale made a battle-ready stance, but did not draw his Keyblade yet.