TRACES OF CHAOS [a kingdom hearts roleplay]

[Key Wielder]

~*~

A brief spasm of pain seemed to flit over Riku’s face, but before Sora could say anything about it, his friend cut off his train of thought.

"Do you know anything about the one guy that's emitting so much darkness?"

Tch, which one…

It was hard to differentiate between all the darkness around them in this world, and it was beginning to give him a headache. Honestly, he didn’t think he’d felt this much pure darkness since… Well, since he and Riku had been stuck on the edge of it for just a short amount of time. Now he was surrounded by it again: Sleif, Riku, Heartless, Nobodies… He felt like he was drowning. His shrug must have passed Riku’s notice, but the platinum blonde didn’t seem bothered by it, directing his attention back to Sleif after a moment of thinking aloud. Sleif’s presence vanished after another moment, however, only to be replaced by even more Heartless that appeared more aggravated than Sora thought he had ever seen them.

"Note to self: Do not joke with that guy ever again."

Snickering wearily, Sora summoned his Keyblade once again. “Yeah, not much of a sense of humor.”

”Do you usually tend to deal with entertaining bad guys?”

“You never met Pete,” Sora muttered, blinking at himself and glancing over at Riku, hoping he hadn’t heard him. He hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but it was getting difficult when it felt like Gaien was standing right next to him when he spoke. The last thing he needed was for Riku to find out about the voices in his head, whoever they happened to belong to. He could just imagine how that conversation would go…

~*~

"Lea, I'm counting on you, okay?"

Tora’s voice pulled Lea back to the present, and he swayed slightly, putting a hand to his forehead until the sudden wave of nausea subsided. He had no idea what was happening to him recently, but these memories were turning out to be both a curse and a nuisance. Most people thought it would be a blessing, no doubt, but who he had been was someone different from who he was now. He knew more, had seen more than his previous self could ever have imagined. There was no going back, no matter how many memories happened to come back to him.

“Yeah, I’ve gotcha,” he managed after a moment, shaking his head to clear it as he felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end. Frowning, he looked down and could practically see the magic filling her. It was yet another of the strange side-effects he had experienced since becoming a Somebody again: his own magic wasn’t the only kind to make an impression.

Gathering his own magic to him, he felt the familiar, comforting heat as flames licked at his hands. The chakrams appeared instantaneously, ready for a fight even if their wielder was ready to take a breather. Heartless, Heartless everywhere, but not a chance to sit…

~*~

This situation was getting out of control. It had certainly been out of control for a while now—totema, Nobodies, Heartless, general mayhem—but it seemed that everything was just going to get messier until they were all either dead or forced to retreat.

The Master had never approved of retreating from forces of darkness. But the Master had been wrong about a lot of things.

Running forward quickly, Aqua summoned her Keyblade and stopped just outside the circle of Heartless that was rapidly forming around her friends and their allies. It was necessary. If she was going to save all of them, it had to be done. It didn’t make her any worse a person, any more of a failure. It would mean their lives, whatever it might cost her. If it meant saving the others, it would be worth it.

Aqua gathered her energy and unleashed a burst of magic around herself, knocking the Heartless surrounding her off their feet. While they were temporarily incapacitated, she knelt down, placing her palm flat on the ground and closing her eyes. If it worked the same as it had in the realm of darkness…

She knew it had worked before she opened her eyes. The darkness spread outward from her hand, gathering beneath her like a black puddle—no, a lake. As her knees sank down into the murkiness, she saw it covering the ground around her, passing the Heartless without seeming to touch them. Just a little further…

There!

A small smile tugged at her lips as the darkness congealed on the ground under the others’ feet. Surprise registered on most of their faces as their feet sank into the same quagmire she was slowly fading into: Riku, Lea, Tora, a brunette boy with a hawk on his shoulder, and both wolves. As the darkness closed around her, she didn’t feel afraid as she had the last time. She was at peace, satisfied for the first time in a long time…

* * *

High above the city, pale yellow eyes widened, and a dark purple eyebrow raised in interest. This was perfect. As the mass of darkness vanished, taking with it all of the heroes of the hour, Gaien nodded, opening a dark portal of his own. Before walking through, he glanced once more at the Parasite on the ground. Aoi was letting the boy chase the Heartless, once again allowing others to do his dirty work.

That was fine. Let him watch.

Gaien stepped through the portal, leaving the chaos behind him.

~*~

When the light reappeared, it was blinding. Lea felt an instant of falling and then landed on his back, the air rushing out of his chest as he fought to cover his adjusting eyes. For a moment, he hadn’t known what was going on, but it hit him like a sack of bricks as he glanced over to see Aqua pushing herself onto her feet, brushing the dirt off her leg and looking around them. She wasn’t the only one there, but it was obvious that she was the reason why.

Doesn’t look like she knew where she was going, though.

Eh. There are worse places to be.

They were in the girliest field of flowers Lea had ever seen in his entire life. Sure, it was beautiful, but still. Green grass and flowers spread as far as he could see in all directions, the sky a bright and cloudless blue above them, all reflected in the lake they had arrived on the edge of. Away to his right was a small cottage, not large enough for all of them but certainly enough for one or two people to live in quietly.*

“Whoa…”

Lea smirked at Sora’s rather appropriate reaction to their current situation before the world swam before his eyes and he clapped a hand over his face again, groaning and lying down in the grass. Images flashed through his mind, some that he could identify and others that he could not. What was wrong with him?



*Howl’s getaway from “Howl’s Moving Castle”

 

[Eternal Dream]

~- A Quiet Lie -~

Whispers hissed all around him, but none of the words were able to stretch through the filter between Vesper's ears and his mind. He kept his eyes locked on the collie standing between him and the human Heartless, instinct and rationality pulling him in a million directions at once.

But it seemed that the Heartless was just using this opportunity for a very effective mind screw. After a moment of looming tall and menacing over even Lea and Riku, the demon vanished, leaving behind a number of very real Shadows and Neoshadows in its wake. Tensing, Vesper started growling, a low sound so deep it was more vibration than noise. His hackles standing on end in a stiff ridge, he curled his lip back in a snarl as he glared down the panther like Heartless that had appeared in front of them. Hostility was thick in the air, neither side willing to make the first move, but both ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation.

Seeming to come to a decision, Aqua summoned her Keyblade and rushed forward, the sudden movement pulling the attention of the Heartless to her. With a snapped bark, Vesper leaped into the circle of Heartless, landing square on one of the felines in an attempt to draw the beasts attention away from whatever Aqua had up her sleeve. It worked; having established himself as a threat, several Heartless turned to pounce on Vesper as, using the surprise attack to his advantage, made short work of the panther by clamping his jaws around its throat and crushing its wind pipe.

A burst of magic swept over Vesper as Aqua used her power to knock the Heartless off their feet. Shoving magic into the earth himself, Vesper kept himself firmly planted as the ground rolled just enough to keep the Heartless further disoriented. The combined tactic kept the Heartless distracted long enough for Aqua's true plan to be made clear; soft, inky darkness formed beneath his feet as a corridor opened up right beneath him. A sickening lurch twisted in his chest, but even so, Vesper let the corridor carry him away from the Heartless and to another world instead.

~-~-~-~

Flowers. There were flowers all around, surrounding him, their scent mingling with the smell of grass and sun warmed earth. Looking around, Vesper saw a lake off in the distance, the sun's rays glittering off the surface. It was beautiful, but he couldn't think of that beauty. All he could think about was Aqua summoning that corridor, of the darkness she'd called to do so.

She cursed you. She let her resentment for your betrayal, her hidden anger of your actions consume her, allowing her to summon a dark corridor. She's a creature of the night just as much as you are, and she despises you for it...

Great wolf, great wolf,
What’s her life?
Sacrificed to Realm of Night.

Head bowed, Vesper limped away from the others, bitter loathing suddenly filling his chest; just what the hell had he been thinking, anyway? That he'd be able to find Ven and Aqua, fix the mess he was in with their help, and then things could go back to the way they'd been before? Right, in a fairy tale, maybe, but in reality? Vesper still had no clue where to find Ven, Aqua was messed up, and that wasn't even taking into account his own problems.

Great wolf, great wolf,
Free no more.
Strength for none when shackled so.

Vesper clenched his teeth, frustration moving through him like poison. The witch had been right. He lost to Rae, he almost hurt Aqua, he'd lost to Liquid Flame both times... Vesper just couldn't seem to find the necessary angle for holding his own anymore. Oh wait, he knew what it was.

He needed his old body back.

The memory of leaping at Aqua, of trying to crush her throat, flared into his mind again, causing Vesper to spat at the ground. That's it; he couldn't stay. He wouldn't risk someone hijacking him again so they could try hurting his friends. He was done.

Gritting his teeth, Vesper started walking again, the limp impossible to miss as his left leg refused to take even the slightest bit of weight. With each step, his heart grew heavier. He'd expected this to hurt, but he thought it'd be closer to what happened in Radiant Garden; biting, but manageable. Instead, he felt like someone was taking a knife to him, twisting and carving his heart up bit by bit with the pain. After a moment, he realized that it was because there was no sense of anger or betrayal to filter the pain, there was just the hurt of having no other way to protect his friends except to leave. But did he deserve to feel even that?

Did a Fragment of a broken heart have any right to any of the feelings it had stolen?

~- Can't Catch a Wave -~

"Such unnecessary emotion... and yet, so essential to life, it seems. Ah well, I suppose I have no choice here. I dislike unnecessary fighting, but..."

Kairi sneered, already moving to defend herself. "Unnecessary? Maybe. But I'm sure it beats being numb..."

Jumping to the side to avoid the arrow, Kairi used the forward momentum to move into an impromptu cartwheel. Landing on her feet again, she swung around, firing rounds of ice in the direction that the Nobody had dove in preparation for Kairi's return attack. Residual frustration from earlier creeping into her bearing, Kairi let a ray of her light through, lancing a shaft of brightness into the shadows that the Nobody had been angling for.

Her eyes blazing, Kairi never the less was able to keep her voice calm and level when she spoke. "What's the matter? Can't fight fair? I'm not sure what you heard, but you're not taking me easily. So, last warning. Leave me alone!"

 

[Story Keeper]

~- Moment's Reprieve -~

Riku didn't make a move to strike the heartless, but he wasn't leaving himself defenseless either. Hearing the sound of flapping, Riku remained quiet as he sensed Hawkeye land on Sora's shoulder; even if it was a rough landing. Smiling slightly, he didn't say anything as Sora snickered, “Yeah, not much of a sense of humor.” Tensing at the sound of Sora summoning his keyblade, he quickly called Way to Dawn to his hand, relieved ever so slightly that it was his keyblade and not Soul Eater. Go ahead, make the first move, he thought toward the Heartless, not that it'd do any good, 'cause they couldn't read his mind.

“You never met Pete.”

Curiosity peeked, Riku didn't say anything in response to Sora's mumbled comment; he didn't even give any indication that he heard it. Remaining perfectly still, Riku didn't react too much to the snap of jaws; especially since it wasn't close to him. Shifting his weight ever so slightly, he felt his mind begin switching gears on him yet again; once more slipping into a battle ready state. Tensing as something slithered under his feet, Riku nearly shouted until the scent register. It was a portal, but who'd summoned it? Willing it to swallow him, Riku heard a startled cry from Tora; and he almost reacted to it but hesitated as her presence faded. Clenching his teeth, he felt the darkness pull him under and away from the threat this world possessed.

Where will it take us though? Will it take us to somewhere safer? Will we all even be together or will we be on our own? He mused to himself, sensing that Aura was close by; Riku felt a small twinge of comfort at the idea of not being by himself. The feeling was reassured when he finished sinking through the portal and into the next world. Now, his welcome to said world? Could've been oh so much better....

Splash!

Grumbling quietly as his head broke the surface, Riku sniffed the air to try to figure out which way was the shore. Wrinkling his nose at the heavy floral scent that stung his nose, he shook his head before picking a direction and swimming in it; hoping that it was the correct way. A weary smile spread across his face as he caught pieces of conversation; and he would have laughed, had there not been a risk of him swallowing water.

“Whoa…”

"Where's Riku?"

"There he is..."

Pulling himself out of the water, Riku shook his head to get rid of some of the extra water. Walking over to them, he said jokingly, "Thanks for the bath, but there are easier ways to do it..."

Then, feeling impish, Tora giggled, "You mean like this?" Before she shoved him backward, and straight back into the water. Resurfacing, Riku shook his head before re-pulling himself out of the water; this time well out of Tora's reach; listening to Hawkeye and Aura laughter at his expense; Riku snapped, "How about a little more warning next time!" Pulling himself out of the water, Riku noticed Vesper's absence in the good nature teasing; throwing his senses out in an attempt to pinpoint the wolf's location.

Finding him easily, Riku quickly sprinted over to try to calm him down...again. Reaching him, the boy reached out a hand and touched the fur between the wolf's shoulders. "You okay?" Riku asked quietly, trying to give him as much strength and reassertion as he could through contact alone. Sensing some of the tension leave the wolf, Riku continued just as quietly, "If you want to scold me, you're welcomed to, but how about we head back to the others?" Riku knew that Vesper didn't want to do that, but he did submit to the idea because Riku felt Vesper turn around and limp back to the others.

Trailing behind the wolf, Riku remained quiet as his thoughts played tag with one another; never slowing down long enough for him to pin one down. "Sora, are you here?" He asked, concern heavy in the words. Sniffing the air, Riku tensed as a scent he didn't recognized drifted to him on the breeze; and it was painfully clear that the person was strong and mage. Whipping around to face them, Riku took a step back toward his friends, fear gripping him at the idea of being left to deal with someone he didn't know even the slightest bit about.

"Whoa, easy there, I'm not going to hurt you."

Well, that answered Riku's question, it was a guy. Taking several steps backward, Riku only stopped when he was by his friends. "How do we know that you're not here to hurt us?" He asked quietly, not trusting his voice to not betray his emotions at a louder volume.

Riku didn't flinch as the man chuckled in answer, "Because I'm here to help? The name's Howl, and from what I can tell, you're all skilled witches and wizards." Noticing the hesitation, Riku remained quiet as Howl tried to gather his thoughts. "Besides, from what I can tell, at least half of you are under some pretty powerful spells. It seems the animals in your group are under the strongest spell."

Curiosity getting the better of him, Riku asked cautiously, "What do you mean by us being under some powerful spells?" Hearing a chuckle from Howl, Riku took another step back as he explained kindly, "Easy, some of you aren't exactly who you appear to be. And your animal friends seem to be a lot like my friend Calcifer; but then again, maybe I'm wrong."

Riku didn't say anything in regards to the cryptic words, despite desperately wanting to snap "that riddles weren't his thing" like he'd done to Vexen during his first visit to Castle Oblivion. Hearing a nervous laugh, Riku could almost picture the other man scratching the back of his head as he chuckled nervously, "Where are my manners? You guys must be exhausted from wherever you just came from, follow me and you can get some rest and food; I promise."

While he still wasn't sure about the idea, Riku remained quiet to see what the others would do in regards to his offer. A weak smile coming to his face, Riku chuckled mentally, I'm sure that things aren't fixed entirely, but maybe now Aqua could convince Vesper to stay with us. Or maybe he's just tired like the rest of us, so some rest and food should help him feel better, right?

 

[sephiroth2]

~~~~Silently Watching~~~~~

The numerous large screens of the circular shaped room continued with their work, whatever that was exactly no one would know, except for the machines that were doing it. The massive metal shape in the centre of the chamber was once more moving, its two glowing eyes watching unblinking at one handful of monitors grouped together. Though two or three of the screens showed nothing but static and occasional glimpses of some kind of image from time to time, it was clear the machine was more interested and focused on those that were showing a constant stream of images.

The sight of Heartless and Lost scurrying around the white but still supremely designed hallways of Arcay, was a nice contrast then just the simple machines that worked throughout the ship, their own bodies made of the same material and causing them, in some cases, to blend in with their surroundings, which was one of the chief ways Monte used to try and fight off the invasion of Sleif and Cecelia.

As she strode down one such hallway and turned the corner, Ceci disappeared out of the viewing of one such camera the monitor showed the machine and soon stepped into another’s line of sight, it appearing to be she just passed through one screen’s frame into another. Marching throughout the hallways of the ship, the metal shape continued to watch the human Lost, especially as its mind already had worked out where she was heading for, even if Ceci didn’t know it herself.

Her light pawing at the doors showed the Lost they were firmly sealed, having been so when at the time of herself and the human Heartless forced their way into the flying fortress. Still, the figure of metal watched until even Ceci herself realised something wasn’t right and formed a pair of knifes from her necklace, while subtly glancing around for some unseen figure.

"Who's there?"


~~~~Voice of the Creator~~~~

"Who's there?" Ceci asked as she continued to scan the seemingly empty hallway, the silence of everything being much more nerve racking than if there was a fierce battle going on all around her.

Appearing at first as one of the numerous camera’s that hung from the ceilings of the many hallways, the small device slowly turned, aiming towards Ceci as a voice soon appeared from some unseen speaker.

“Undesignated travellers are prohibited from entering secure sections of Arcay. Please return to designated area.” Though the voice was cold and monotone, and clearly more sounding to that of a computerized recording than anything living, it was still an entirely new voice for Ceci to speak to since arriving on the ship.

 

[Aphex]

His maneuver was cancelled out but the Heartless ended up latching onto the weapon itself before reeling in for a Dark Firaga. Derrick was forced to whip around in order to avoid a burst of flames to the face but despite the dodge, he still was kicked right at the chest in which Rena used him as a support to kick off of. The boy quickly regained his balance after staggering back a bit and upon doing so, he could only give a sly grin.

"Now how come you couldn't do all of that flashyness before you were a heartless, huh?" Of course. More taunting. What else was new at this point?

"Normally I'd go easy on you only because I care about you but not this time," Keyblade now twirling in his grasp, Derrick took a step forward and proceeded with a slow pace. "But Rena's heart is in there somewhere and if I have to beat it out of you then that's something I definitely won't have a problem with this time." As his pace quickened, the blade of his weapon began to emit a tiny glow which grew brighter with each step he took. Eventually a dark purple aura engulfed it entirely, almost resembling a dark flame as he then lunged towards Rena. Derrick swung in several directions towards the Heartless and with each swing, a curved flame would release.

There was no way that the boy was going to let this thing consume Rena's heart. If he had to do it this way then he'd have to go along with it even if it meant putting everything on the line.

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

Just as Vitani was about to speak, a rather large and bulky creature stumbled passed them. In fact, it bumped right into the girl and actually knocked her over.

"Whoops - sorry 'bout that!" it said while struggling to put on with what appeared to be a helmet. Come to think of it from what Vitani saw, the helmet seemed to be a bit. . . small. She continued to eye the creature and after a while became evident that it was a large man instead, watching as he tugged away at his armor out of discomfort.

"Y'know you could just say excuse me!" the girl shouted back as she stood up but the man quickly retorted with a, "Can't hear you over the sounds of me gettin' a medal!" Ironically enough, this guy was rushing down towards the tunnel that led to "Hero's Duty". "Looks like we got our answer," she pouted as she lifted up Gigimon from the ground and stomped angrily after the man.

 

[Kingdomkeylight]

*Unexpected Answers*
"Its alright Metallum's interface is connecting with Arcay systems the voice your hearing right now is the main entity that is the laboratory Metal Tree also known as Metallum," Astral's voice cracked behind Ceci as the as the half heartless half Totema walked behind Ceci entering the room right after her as she pawed in area's she didn't belong, or better yet she should be kept away from.
.
"Don' try arguing with it unless Sleif informs her you have permission to enter the facility sections of the ship you will not be getting through that door besides trust me you do not want to see the things behind that door..... it will make words like holocaust seem like a pleasure," Astral chuckled darkly meaning every part of it.
.
"Now entice me little one why are you here really? I doubt you don't have some sort of agenda that would make you want to team up with the master?"
.........................................................
♣White & Black♣
Hazoc buried his sword into the ground as he was rammed wildly backwards from his collision with Sliefs demonic gloves. As soon as he halted though the situation went even more insane as Sleif sent numerous tendrils of what appeared to be darkness right after the totema. The totema swirled the long sword in his hands before slashing away the two fastest tendrils before jumping unto a third that pierced the ground. With his bridge made Hazoc started to mad dash straight for Sleif dodging and leaping unto numerous tendrils as he separated the long sword into its original two short sword forms wildly hacking away at any tendril willing to near the totemas range.
.
"So this is the extent of a gods vessel... how disappointing," Hazoc sneered insultingly at Sleif before slashing at the tendril he was currently walking on and diving right into it causing quiet the sight as the rest of the tendril started to bloat up before exploding into a missive collection of light as Hazoc rode the light wave slashing wildly at the darkness being threatening to cut off anything that neared him or anything he could reach apart of Sleifs body.
.................................................................
~Never Falter or Face Annihilation~
"Hehehe I wont lie you got me well begged yet I don't deny or regret any of it little one," Harm chuckled as the cartwheeling harm jumped into the way of the thunder spell exploding into a smoke screen as Ienzo choose his opponent yet as the smokescreen cleared his target had yet again disappeared as right above the book user dozen of large ice shards formed into a terrifying wall of ice shattering into millions of pieces as they fell down threatening to tear away at the boys very existence.
.
"Don't die to quickly," a voice chuckled lightly into the empty air.

 

[Eternal Dream]

~- Light the Fuse -~

"Hm, dancing with a gun? You must know Savannah."

Her lips curling up sweetly into a smile, Rae said, "Who's Savannah? I don't know anyone named that. But haven't you ever heard the music created by the bullets? Haven't you ever heard of someone being told to dance when their feet are being shot at? How can you think of this as anything less than an art form?"

"Dead is an interesting threat to throw out there when, as you already know, I am already exactly that."

"We're all dead or dying," she whispered, watching him with the eyes of a wolf; "We just don't realize it. Or, if we do, we're too prideful or too scared to admit it. But, I can still end this non existence of yours, just as easily as you could end mine, now couldn't I?"

Rae shifted her stance slightly, her vision graying around the edges as anticipation filled her. Though she made light of the situation, she knew he was old; the man was a legend among Nobodies. But even if she did admire him slightly, that didn't mean much; all it meant for him was that he'd get a little more respect than what she usually showed her opponents.

"It sounds like you're the true admirer here though, missy... a bit jealous she has a stable relation with someone who isn't you?"

Rae threw her head back, laughing in open disdain. Once she'd had her fill, she leveled a cool glare at him, the summoner snarled, "Ooh, is that suppose to hurt my feelings? Please, the little bitch is such a shut in. She's useless except for that power of hers; it's the only reason I've been sent to fetch her."

A steely glint in Rae's eyes was the only indication that there might be more to the story than she was letting on.

"Though please, don't get yourself wrong, I am very familiar with ectoplasm; yet it's simply one of a few secondary traits next to me true alignment. But as you said..."

Castex disappeared, briefly, moving so quickly that even Rae's sharp eyes couldn't track him. It was only once he'd reappeared, an almost apathetic smile on his face, that she could pick up on his movements again. Seemingly before she could react, she was surrounded by a swirling, twilight cage.

"Dance tell you're dead right?"

Rae was caught square in the belly with a burst of ectoplasm. Her eyes widening, she released a soft exhale of air before she went flying. Landing with a soft thump about thirty feet away, she just lay there for a moment, motionless.

"Really now, is that the best you can do?"

Rae pulled herself from the shadows of an overhang to Castex's right, a bored look on her face. She'd taken the brief opportunity to extract the darkness from Castex's twilight cage, allowing her to meld with it while leaving behind a dark double to take the fall for her. A moment later, the Rae on the ground disappeared into a swirl of darkness.

"My turn!" Rae almost sang as she dropped her guns. For a moment, they were in free fall; but then Rae's magic caught them, levitating them to the point of being eye level. A smile twisting at her lips, she fired several rounds, each charged with a different element.

Her turn to feel out her opponent.

~- She Gets Crazy Sometimes -~

The arrow was blocked; pretty much what Illyx had expected to happen to her decoy shot. What she didn't care for, though, was when Xart formed the broken chains into a shield and then sent some of them to attack her. While the thought of finishing her attack, and thus letting the chains finish her, did cross her mind for an instant, she dismissed it even quicker. She might not be attached to this half life, but she wasn't fond of the idea of it being extinguished, either.

Calling up a barrier of spiritual energy, Illyx jumped backwards, disengaging her attack and instead focusing on a different angle. She could hear the whispers of those that had fallen, a soft wave of voices in her mind. They were ready and willing to aid her; all she needed to do was ask.

"Tell me something," Illyx said quietly, the first words she'd said to Xart; "What do you know of souls?"

Tapping into the power crackling around her, the Nobody watched as the spirits became visible, a hazy, white mist that surrounded her and Xart. The whispers still shushing through her mind, she directed the spirits to converge, then rush Xart, directing their energy into and through his body. With any luck, one of them might be able to stick and possess him.

At the very least, the constant barrage of souls should wear him down.

~- Rage Awakened -~

Cuore groggily came to, her head swimming and her spine aching from the contact with the unyielding stone. Peering out, the first thing the Heartless realized was that she was inside of a healing barrier; a faint, iridescent sheen distorted what was happening outside of her little bubble. The next thing she knew was that someone had upped the ante; there was a near blizzard out there, and only her sense of the position of their hearts let her know where Ienzo or Isa were, and only the absence of a heart told her where the Nobodies were.

Her head slowly clearing, the Heartless was soon able to pick up on parts of the battle being waged between Isa and Glaxsudo, and Cuore realized that Isa was falling back on one of his favorite tactics: words. He'd pick and chisel at his opponent's defenses, undermining the Nobody's confidence, then go in for a blow at an unguarded area before melting into the blizzard again. This tactic didn't work against all of his opponents, but Cuore could tell it was working on Glaxsudo; the Nobody's scent, already unstable because of his lack of a heart, was acrid with fear, despite the bluff he was trying to put on. Cuore could tell; and she knew Isa would be able to as well.

Rising to her feet, the collie did her best to hold back a whimper of pain; she knew Isa was riled up enough as it was, and there was no need to add more fuel to that icy flame of his. But even with biting back the noise, she knew he'd know, and that knowledge would affect him. Isa might be aloof and distant at times, but he was also fiercely loyal, protective of his friends and family to the point that he'd eliminate any that showed themselves to be a threat to those he regarded to be in his closest circle.

So it didn't really surprise her when Cuore felt the subtle shift in his mind that told her Isa had chosen to exact proper retribution on the Nobody for his insinuations. Softly, she let the thought slide across the link she knew to be between their minds. Isa... be careful.

Don't worry; I've got this under control.

The clarity of his thoughts soothed her, but Cuore knew Glaxsudo was in trouble now that Isa had chosen to forgo his claymore. Watching the dark shape prowling through the blizzard, stalking ever closer to the Nobody, the Heartless recalled what she had heard of Saix. It had been said that the Nobody had been deadly in battle, whether he was fighting calm or in the grip of blood lust. But as Saix hadn't had a heart, he'd been cut off from his most powerful magic, and thus had only a shadow of his old abilities.

Isa was practically lethal.

~- A Thief I Let Into My Head -~

It seemed that Terra's sleeping mind had one last surprise in store for him. The memory was of a bright summer day, the scent of flowers heavy on a warm, playful breeze. But then again, they were in the Outer Gardens, so why shouldn't the air be perfumed by roses?

Terra saw a young man sitting on a bench, his back to Terra as he watched over a young girl. The girl had short red hair and the biggest, sweetest smile on her face that he'd ever seen on someone her age, and that was saying something. At the moment, she was chasing a butterfly, the sunlight glinting off the pendent she wore. After a moment, the girl laughed, the tinkling sound mixing with the low, soft chords of the guitar that the young man was picking at.

Terra remembered this; it was one of many similar scenes he'd experienced during his time in Radiant Garden. Ansem the Wise would often task his newest, yet greatly trusted apprentice to keep an eye on his granddaughter Kairi and Ienzo, the boy that he'd taken in. The memory was a pleasant one, one of the few that were.

"Is that why you keep coming back to this? Because of how simply and quietly those hours passed?"

The brunette spun around, horror thrilling through him. No, it couldn't be. Terra had defeated the bastard and gained his freedom again; Xehanort couldn't possibly be here any longer!

Except he was. True, it wasn't Master Xehanort, which Terra was immensely grateful for, but that didn't make the shadow any easier to accept. Blue eyes met gold, and Terra felt like he was looking into a fun house mirror straight out of a horror flick. The man standing before him was a spitting image, but almost like a photo negative. White hair, gold eyes, deeper tan, and that accursed black coat. It was Xehanort as Ansem's apprentice, sporting the fashion of the Organization.

Jumping away, Terra felt his Keyblade form in his right hand as he charged a fire spell with his left. But before he had the chance to release the magic, Terra felt his arms get pinned from behind. Looking over his shoulder, the brunette felt his dread mount higher as he recognized the Guardian that had grabbed hold of him. He struggled briefly, but the Heartless just squeezed tighter, causing Terra to become momentarily light headed. Forcing himself to relax, Terra quieted momentarily. Xehanort's mouth hitched into a lazy, cocky grin. "It seems you can learn after all."

Venom blazed high in Terra's eyes, but he forced his voice to an icy calm. "Cut the bull shit, already. I beat you. Why the hell are you still here?"

Xehanort tutted softly, slowly moving closer to the restrained Terra. "Really now, I haven't seen you in months, and this is how you greet me? With vulgar language and the intent to do violence? Your manners have suffered greatly in exchange for your freedom, it seems."

Refusing to dignify that with an answer, Terra instead served the man a stony silence.

"And now, here we are, playing the stoic. Really now. Do you think I can't read you?" Noting the brief flash of surprise from Terra, Xehanort let his grin spread further, a touch of poison in it now. "Oh, there was a time when I wouldn't have been able to, but that was years ago. I know you better than you know yourself, Terra."

Feeling the slightest looseness in the Guardian's grip, Terra took his chance. Putting as much force into it as he could, he shoved his elbows into the beast, breaking its hold further; then, reaching behind his back, Terra grabbed the monster around its neck and threw it as far from him as he could. Rushing forward, Terra raised his Keyblade over his head, ready to bring it down on Xehanort...

Except the man had disappeared.

Landing lightly on his feet, Terra spun around, trying to locate Xehanort in the now vacant garden. A soft chuckle was the only warning Terra had before Xehanort appeared right in front of him. Reaching out, Xehanort, wrapped his hand around Terra's throat and shoved him into a pillar. The unpleasant comparison to Terra holding Aqua in the same way flashed through Terra's mind, right before his head cracked against the pillar, causing pain to explode behind his eyes.

Letting the dazed Terra drop to the ground, Xehanort scoffed, disappointment clear in his bearing. "You're pathetic. You cut yourself off from power that's rightfully yours and turn your back on the few people that can help you almost as soon as you meet them. Your judgment is gone; it has been since the best parts of your character were broken off years ago."

Planting Earthshaker, Terra used it to help him climb to his feet; but then he had to keep a tight grip on the hilt as his vision swam from the blow to his head. Despite how sick he felt, Terra did his best to keep it under wraps as he growled, "Right, so you say. But it's my choice, so you can just fuc..."

Cutting across him with an almost perverse smile, Xehanort called, "Language."

"English!" Terra snapped, lunging at Xehanort. Stepping to the side, Xehanort easily dodged the sloppy strike, and instead tapped Terra between his shoulders as the brunette passed by. Waiting until Terra had turned and focused on him again, Xehanort made no attempt to hide the sneer at the horror on Terra's face. "You're broken, boy. You're running scared, and you don't even know why."

"What did you do?!" Terra could feel the Darkness roiling just under his skin; except this time, he knew he could use it again, just like he had before.

"Just broke the barrier you'd put around your magic. Really now, you should quite cutting yourself off; all you'll do is make things worse on yourself by denying who you are."

Control forgotten, Terra wound up for a punch, snarling, "Son of a..."

Terra woke with a gasp, just the slightest bit of nausea suggesting that the dream had more of a physical presence than most. Rolling out of the bed, he let Xehanort's words play back through his mind again, and Terra cursed. Now that his unspoken worst fear had come true, Terra knew he was on his own again. He wouldn't risk someone getting hurt because of Xehanort, not until he'd found a way to rid himself of that demon for good.

Bile rising in his throat, Terra tugged on that familiar vein of Darkness, letting it call a portal in front of him. With a sigh of resignation, he stepped through it, letting it collapse behind him as he traveled for parts unknown.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- The Trouble You'll Get Into -~

Cecilia spun around to face the opposite direction, searching for the presence she'd felt before she'd summoned the knives. Not finding anything with her eyes, she didn't relax even the tiniest fraction; knowing there was more to things than just what your eyes could see and tell you. Feeling the hairs on her arms and neck stand on end, she pursued her lips, unsettled by the feeling she was being watched by something she couldn't see.

“Undesignated travelers are prohibited from entering secure sections of Arcay. Please return to designated area.”

Spinning around to face the other direction, Cecilia nearly screamed at the empty hallway. Why? Why did it seem like Arcay was so determined to make her lose her mind? Curling her hands into fists, glancing back at the door she'd been attempting to open, Cecilia focused back on the hallway even as her muscles tensed for a fight she knew she didn't need. Ears swiveled around in the hopes of picking up the faintest hint of someone's presence, she sensed someone approaching from behind just as a voice called out, "Its alright Metallum's interface is connecting with Arcay systems the voice your hearing right now is the main entity that is the laboratory Metal Tree also known as Metallum."

Jolting from surprise, green eyes snapped to Astral, eyes wide and unfocused from being caught off guard. Sighing in relief when his scent reached her, Cecilia had a sarcastic retort primed and at the ready to use; when Astral reassured her that she didn't want to know what horrors rested behind the locked doors. Raising an eyebrow at the matter of fact tone in his voice, Cecilia answered coolly, "Thank you Astral, the information was helpful and nice to know."

"Now entice me little one why are you here really? I doubt you don't have some sort of agenda that would make you want to team up with the master?"

Clenching her fists to prevent herself from taking a swing at him, she looked away from the Hybrid that had just asked too personal a question for her to feel comfortable answering. Closing her eyes, she tried to pick her words carefully before she opened her eyes and focused on him again. "I seek allies for my kind, and since the Heartless are so close to the wolves; I figured you guys would be the best place to start. Besides the Nobody, Ronxu is aware of our kind just like Monte had been until Sleif killed him."

Cocking her head to the side, Cecilia asked innocently, "Why would you think I could possibly have an ulterior motive?"

~- It Might Wash Away Tonight -~

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Ienzo looked around the smoke screen, trying to see anything through the haze; which upon clearing he saw that Harm had disappeared. Hearing a noise above him, Ienzo dove to the right just in time to avoid the worst of the ice shards. Hissing softly in pain and annoyance, Ienzo scrambled back to his feet as a voice chuckled from somewhere above, "Don't die too quickly."

Gripping his arm, he looked around him even as he took several steps backwards, tentative. Sensing the shift of power behind him, Ienzo felt his lips twitch into a small smirk. Glaxsudo was in for a world of hurt, and it wasn't be a small one either. Taking another step backward, Ienzo pushed back the tug of magic that coiled just beneath the surface; after all, the spell was forbidden, Isis had told them that time and time again in her lectures about spell casting. And even if it wasn't forbidden, it was best when you had someone to guard you while you were casting it because of the amount of concentration required.

Looking at the ice shards again, Ienzo channeled his energy into it and made it start dissolving slowly, turning straight back into water. It wasn't too long before the ice had turned to water, but it wasn't enough, he needed more water for his attack. Thinking of the wall behind him, Ienzo ran away from it, heading to an area of higher ground; even though he knew it wouldn't be high enough. Glancing at Memory Skyscraper, he almost headed toward it; but that would take too long. Stopping in his tracks, Ienzo spun around to face Harm, or at least she had decided to follow him.

Holding his hand out, Ienzo sent a blast of lightning out toward her; focusing the majority of his attention on the ice wall that loomed across from him. Pricking his ears for the telltale sign, Ienzo smiled in soft satisfaction, it wasn't foolproof; but it would work even just the slightest bit. Calling on the electric current racing beneath his skin, Ienzo sent out a blast of thunder magic toward his opponent. Quickly switching it to wind, he threw some of it at the ground to knock him into the air, and then used some of the same wind arcane to stay afloat.

The roar of water rushing toward the spot would've been the final clue to what he was trying to do.

A tidal wave.

~- You Were So Scared -~

Stirring from sleep, Casper felt a steady rush of light wash over him, taking the darker emotions with it before it rushed away from him. Almost like a wave washing up on the beach before rushing back out to the sea, it was comforting if he did say himself. Carefully climbing to his feet, the feline stumbled forward a couple of steps before collapsing back on the ground. Blinking repeatedly until his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the feline looked around him to see the dust hanging in the room; especially the heavy layer on the bed.

Slinking across the floor, the white savannah cat leaned backward; judging the distance before he jumped and landed on the mattress. Sending up a cloud of dust, the feline sneezed and shook his head, continuing this until the dust cloud settled down enough that it wouldn't bother his nose anymore. Blinking the water from his eyes, he looked around and saw the plain wood furniture and the stacks of books littered around the room. The room was simple yet complicated, almost like the room belonged to a teacher. Looking to the floor by the door, it was to see a scorch mark on the wood floor. Scenting the air, Casper pushed back the musty smell and smiled to himself as he found what he wanted; despite it being so faded.

Whoever owned the room had abandoned it long ago; but the faintest trace of their scent remained. Light and earthy, but there was definitely the underlying scent of water and air too. Frowning at the mix of scents, he sat down and tried to pull it apart to find the rest of the owner's scent. Huffing slightly in annoyance, Casper stood up and stretched before hopping off the bed and padding back over to the door. Looking up at the door handle, he stood up on his hind legs and started pawing at it; trying to reach the doorknob so he could open it.

Sensing something moving just beyond the door, he dropped to all fours and backpedaled toward the bed. Bumping into a stack of books, he pressed himself against the floor even as they fell around him; hitting him once in a while as the books fell. Eyes snapping around him, the feline whined softly as he got the sensation that the darkness was closing in around him.

 

[sephiroth2]

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

~~~The Corruption~~~

“So this is the extent of a god’s vessel…how disappointing.” The Totema of light Hazoc sneered as he tore through the dark tendrils all around him, displaying even more power as he made one of the largest tentacles explode from the inside out, revealing the large pulsating wave of light he now created and rode upon.

With every passing second, more of the tendrils were torn to pieces as chunks now littered the large section of the city, leaving Sleif growling and wheezing as he remained hunched over, the stubs of the tentacles that first appeared from his back the only thing left of the grown appendages after Hazoc had dealt with them.

Glaring almost with a defeated look, the human Heartless’ cold smile spread on his face as he began to laugh deeply, his purple eyes growing even brighter as the chunks of severed tentacles around both Sleif and Hazoc sprung into life. As if the cause of a sudden growth of evolution, the torn chunks ballooned and exploded in a display of violent and smaller tendrils, though it wasn’t long until their size once more not only matched their previous form, but were quickly on their way to become even larger.

Soon the entire district looked like an overgrown jungle, covered completely by the still spreading growth of tendrils, like a virus. Even the blinding light Hazoc created seemed to dwindle in the presence of the dark creations, especially when those that formed the layer of ground reached up with their wiggling arms and latched onto his rippling wave of light.

The severe heat and power was enough to burn and destroy many that grew too close, but spreading on the back of those destroyed, the tentacles soon curled around Hazoc’s wave, a dark energy soon spreading through the light exactly like the tendrils that spread throughout the district like the virus it was.

Along the building high walls of writhing tendrils, bulges began to make themselves known before eyes of many sizes tore through the leathery skin. All of the purple gazes focused directly onto Hazoz, as if a thousand beings were watching his every move now as he slowly grew weaker while Sleif and his tendrils grew stronger.

 

[saphexteni]

Saphexteni dove behind a pillar, hoping that even its small shadows could hide her. However, she found herself struggling just to stand back up. Looking down, she quickly realized the reason why this was so. Residual signs of ice from the princess's last attack had caught onto her boot and the ends of her cape. Her instincts as a fighter aren't bad. This certainly will not be easy. And I'll have to melt the ice if I want to move around better. Kairi's light had obliterated much of the shadows, so her options now were limited. I will have to move quickly. She raised her crossbow to her shoulder, and carefully leaned back against the pillar.

"What's the matter? Can't fight fair? I'm not sure what you heard, but you're not taking me easily. So, last warning. Leave me alone!"

Saph took a deep breath, not allowing the princess's words to bother her. She had to focus on the situation. As well as remember that she was the attacker- being in the opposite situation combat-wise was not a good sign. With that in mind, Saphexteni sighed, and stepped into the light for just a second. Her crossbow, though still empty, suddenly became engulfed in flames.

"Leaving you alone would only impede the Embodiments' goal. So I'm afraid I cannot comply with that request."

She suddenly darted in a straight charge towards Kairi, her crossbow raised and aimed, and her other hand inside her cloak. Though this wasn't her fighting style, she knew that dodging attacks wasn't going to get them anywhere.

 

[Key Wielder]

~*~

He opened his eyes groggily, the world swimming before his eyes as the darkness threatened to close around him again. The dream had been so vivid, and yet it hadn’t been a dream at all. His best friend, now perhaps his enemy. His longtime rival, now perhaps merely the toy of someone else’s endeavors. A hero, now perhaps a villain.

Yet here he lay, weak and powerless as he had always been compared to Riku. The soft, warm floor beneath him was slightly damp and seemed to move up and down as he simply breathed, not ready to open his eyes just yet. Reality was encroaching upon him, threatening to swallow him once more. Just one more minute, he wanted to shout. Just one minute to pretend none of this is happening…

It was happening. In hindsight, he could remember the darkness rolling off of Riku in waves. He could remember the uneasiness he had felt in Traverse Town at Riku’s near detachment, his even more noticeable overconfidence, and especially the way he had simply vanished into thin air. He had said something about knowing someone before he had left, shortly before Leon and Cid had told them about Maleficent for the first time.

But wait…he hadn’t made that connection now… He hadn’t yet seen the monster Riku was becoming with his own eyes, the way he intended to use an innocent puppet to save their mutual friend.

“So, you finally made it. About time. I’ve been waiting for you.”

This was long before they had made it to Hollow Bastion to find that Riku wasn’t there, that he had never been there—not the Riku he had grown up with…

”Let the Keyblade choose its true master.”

”To be fooled, to be unworthy, to be dirty…contaminated…”

”Only the Keyblade master can open the secret door and change the world.”

”Does it not repulse you?”

“Sora, are you here?”

The voice reached him as through from the other side of the world, and Sora found himself struggling more than ever to return to the present as it penetrated his mind, reminding him where they were and what had happened. He glanced around and saw that only Aqua appeared to have noticed his preoccupation, and he gave her a quick grin before turning his gaze back out over the water. He would never tell her, nor any of the others, what was happening now. In another time that might have been different, but no more. He was shaken to the core and could only describe the feeling as the same that he had felt in the Twilight Orb: the unreality of believing yourself to be in another place and time while knowing that the chronology was wrong. To know things beyond what you knew then but still think that you were living in the past…

To be dirty…contaminated…

Sora had been living the life of a shadow ever since he’d returned to the real world, here and yet absent, himself and yet something else entirely. His very existence felt like a paradox, divided amongst many times, worlds, and even people. Then again, he supposed that was exactly what had happened for a time there. That knowledge unnerved him to the point that he wasn’t sure where he started and the others began anymore.

Riku may have meant his question innocently, but Sora didn’t know what the answer really was.

Still unsteady, Sora pushed himself back onto his feet. There were more important things to worry about; the rest would fall into place along the way as it always had. He glanced at Lea, who finally uncovered his still narrowed eyes, and then walked over to join Riku where he was speaking to one of the world’s inhabitants. The latter seemed amiable enough and Sora didn’t think he meant them any harm, but there were definitely vague remnants of darkness beneath the surface. That didn’t necessarily mean anything, though, and Sora fought hard to remember the lessons he had learned over the last few years: darkness is only as evil as the people who use it.

~*~

Sighing heavily, Aqua shook her head to clear it as the others slowly acclimated themselves to their new environment. For an instant, the dull ache of regret which had become commonplace recently once again pervaded her consciousness, but she forced the thought to the back of her mind without a great deal of difficulty. She had saved their lives. Whatever chaos was currently raging in Midgar, she had brought them away from it and given them the opportunity to heal and organize. It seemed like there wasn’t one of them who didn’t need it, except perhaps Tora: Lea was rubbing his forehead with a grimace on his face, Riku was in the same position as before only more weary, Sora appeared to be exhausted as he stared off over the water vacantly, and Vesper…

Where is he?

It took a few moments before Aqua noticed the dejected figure trudging away, a pronounced limp marring his steps. Before she could make a move toward him, Riku was right there, coaxing him to return at least part of the way to their loosely gathered group. It was a bittersweet sight, both touching and oddly alienating. Shouldn’t she be the one to remind Vesper that his place was right here? That he was not the monster he seemed to deem himself? Yet here she was, standing and watching, letting Riku take her place.

No, she thought firmly, smiling slightly at her own ridiculousness. Whatever the wolf was, whatever part of him held that close connection with Terra—that part would certainly feel comforted by Riku’s presence. After all, she herself had felt Terra’s blessing bestowed upon this boy all those years ago. Perhaps he had just as much place as she did to try to help him through this ordeal.

Grimacing inwardly, she couldn’t help adding to herself, Maybe even more than me... All the darkness I’ve used… Who am I to tell him anything about what he should be feeling?

~*~

”Hey!”

”Ugh…what?”

”Did someone just say food?”

“Sounds good to me,” Lea said, groaning slightly as he got to his feet. Man, this was a lot easier when he was a Nobody. Even if it hurt, you didn’t really feel it quite the same way. There was a certain prideful attachment to your extremities that made physical failure and pain feel even worse with the sensation of the fact that you brought it on yourself by being too stupid to either do better or get out before you had your ass handed to you. That pride simply wasn’t there as Axel. Lea, on the other hand, wanted to smack himself as he rubbed his thigh, having landed hard on it when they got here.

Aqua looked over at him curiously, but surprisingly the Master didn’t say anything to the contrary about his sudden acceptance of the offer on behalf of everyone else. Hey, if they didn’t want food, that was their business. He’d lived two lives and was now on his third—if this puny guy was out for blood, he could try his best as long as he brought some chicken or something.

Striding over to the others, he put his hands in the pockets of his jacket and waited for their host to invite them inside, although he doubted they would all fit in there. Besides, it was a pretty clean little place; Vesper would probably have to stay outside, which would probably result in him thinking better of Riku’s encouragement and bolting before they even knew he was gone.

Almost in response to his thoughts, Aqua joined the rest of them as they gathered near Howl and Riku, wordlessly placing a hand on Vesper’s head, her thumb stroking the fur behind his ears absently. Lea had to smile a little at that: there were no words, but the gesture said it all.

 

[Mason Stark]

[HIIIII I AM ZE MASTAH AT TAKING FOREVER TO POST 8D FORGIVE MEEEE~ ;A;]

[fweeeee battle theme go!]

The girl collapsed in the centre of the dark core, she collapsed to her knees with her hands slammed against the sides of her head, her form flickering in and out as her heart, twisted in darkness, remained. She stared down with blank eyes, frozen and never knowing what was happening in the dark world outside.

With darkness unleashed, the Keyblade Conscious never gave up on the attack, but it would take quite a lot to get through to Rena. The darkness was getting stronger, feeding off all of the negativity and bad memories playing over and over again in Rena's head. Dark tendrils shot out, reaching out like claws and fighting to ensnare Azure. The Comet attack burst through the dark cage, opening a narrow opening, but it was quickly sealed up. How was Azure going to be able to get through?

"Oh, what a poor little Keyblade... So desperate to save its Master, yet it can't break through the darkness to get to her. But I would be very careful: if you attack too much, you might just shatter the poor girl's heart!"

Out of the nothingness, a figure appeared, hovering high over the air and looking as if they were seated on the edge of a wall. The figure wore armor similar to Rena's, yet it was much thinner and tighter, making the figure look more feminine. But the figure had no helmet, the dark being possessing a face just like the girl's. It had short, dark hair with two bangs that barely covered over her left eye and possessed golden eyes instead of the familiar blue orbs.

Smirking, the figure continued, motioning over to the dark cage, "That darkness is one with the girl. If you attack it too much, you'll only crush her heart. Such a pity: trying so hard to save your master that you'll only end up killing her instead. In time, it won't matter: her heart will be black and cold, never able to escape the darkness. Not even the brightest light can cut through the deepest darkness, especially not the light of that make-believe Keyblade." The figure quirked a brow, crossing its legs, "Did you really think that your Keyblade would work here, spirt? Your Keyblade isn't even as real as you are: all flash and no bang.

"But, we should be thanking you, Azure! Had you not sent the child through the trial, we would have never had a form capable of wielding a Keyblade! We would forever be trapped in that disgusting, pathetic Shadow form. You have our up-most gratitude.

"However, we are missing one last piece, though... Right now, we're incapable of wielding the Keyblade, only a shadow of it without the same powers. What we need," the figure slowly raised its finger... until it pointed at the silver-haired boy, "is you."

As the figure spoke, the claw-like tendrils started to rise.

"Why don't you rejoin with your Master and give us the power that we desire?"

The tendrils shot down, aiming for the Keyblade Conscious on the ground below.

[Just so you know, the darkness is trying to turn Rena into a humanoid Heartless, kinda like Xehanort's Heartless and such but with the power to use the Keyblade. The darkness has its own power, but also has Rena's power, too, which is why it's a LOT stronger than she ever is normally. It despises the kid now, but it will eventually become an evil version of Rena. (I'm still trying to figure out the whole thing as I go, so this may not stay super-concrete, but that's the basis right now ]

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

[fweeeee battle musics! ]

Now how come you couldn't do all of that flashyness before you were a heartless, huh?

Beneath the helmet, the Heartless smirked. Didn't this guy realize that it wasn't just some form of his friend?

"You thought that she could really pull off this normally?" said the Heartless, possessing a distorted, electronic voice, "I'm my own Heartless -- not some form of that brat!" Placing her hand on her hip, she watched as the boy pointed the Keyblade at her.

Normally I'd go easy on you only because I care about you but not this time. But Rena's heart is in there somewhere and if I have to beat it out of you then that's something I definitely won't have a problem with this time.

It scoffed, casting its gaze aside. It muttered, "I'd like to see you try..."

Footsteps! Its gaze shot back up, unprepared for the attack now shooting at it. It jumped away from his first attack, took the next attacks. The Heartless doubled over, as its helmet collided with the rooftop.

At first, there was nothing there in place of its head: only a loose mass of darkness and a pair of yellow eyes. But the darkness begun to take a real form, turning into a head. When the Heartless looked up, it was Rena's face that this creature possessed. It had short black hair, with two bangs that barely covered its left eye, and a pair of glowing, yellow eyes in place of blue ones.

Metal clicking, the figure smirked as it straightened into a stand.

"Now, that's more like it... Didn't know that you could actually fight, punk," said the creature, giving a small, sickening giggle.

Shrugging, the creature continued, "But who has time for a fight like this? You're not going to get to the brat's heart this way. The darkness is already turning her heart black and no light will ever be able to penetrate it. Time is running out and you're not even delaying the inevitable... But, if you want it back so badly, why don't you fight the darkness itself?"

Extending its arms out to the sides, the wind started to kick up around its, creating a whirlwind that fought to pull in Derrick as a dark force, looking like some sort of portal, appeared in front of the Heartless. If the wind pulled in Derrick, he would be able to go to the darkness where Rena's heart was trapped, but would be pitted against the same darkness that Azure was facing...

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

"Whoa..." a smile cracked on the boy's face as he stared around the massive building, looking at all of the strange and unique characters that roamed around. But, he failed to notice a scuffle that had occurred between Vitani and a strange, armored character. Hearing the scuffle vaguely, Aexrn curiously turned around and spotted a collapsed Vitani.

"Ahh! Vitani!" he panicked, rushing over. "You okay?" He extended out a hand to help her up, but she had already stood up.

Y'know you could just say excuse me!
Can't hear you over the sounds of me gettin' a medal!

The black haired youth frowned, folding his arms over his chest, "Geez, what a jerk..." The boy's attention wavered as he watched the man leave, following him up to a sign that read "Hero's Duty." His eyes lit up. He grinned, rushing past Vitani and Gigimon and exclaiming, "C'mon! Let's go check it out!" Whatever this place was, it made him really excited and curious! (Almost like it was giving him the heart that he lacked...)

 

[Story Keeper]

~- Can't Hold On To Me -~

Hawkeye looked at Sora, more than a little confused by how he'd gotten back on Sora's shoulder. Shrugging it off, he tuned everyone out as he tugged lightly at the vein of healing arcane. Looking at Sora, he frowned slightly at the vacant air surrounding his friend; squeezing Sora's shoulder gently, trying to provide a little bit of comfort even if Hawkeye didn't know what his friend was going through. He merely listened in on the conversation, and decided to check on everyone's emotional state.

He wasn't surprised by what he found, well, for the most part anyway. Everyone was exhausted, in every sense of the word it seemed; other than Tora and Howl it seemed. He focused on the former of the two, watching as she rested a hand on Riku's arm before she whispered something in his ear; but what it was, Hawkeye wasn't sure.

You okay?

Startled by the question, Hawkeye's attention snapped to Vesper, who appeared to be enjoying the contact of Aqua's hand on his head; even if his eyes hinted at something different. Shrugging in indifference, Hawkeye focused on the water, trying to figure out how to answer that question. Yeah, I'm okay, or at least as okay as anyone can be given the circumstances. he answered carefully, hoping that the wolf would leave well enough alone.

If you say so, although out of curiosity ----

Sighing in exasperation, he didn't look at Vesper as he cut him off mentally, It wasn't my idea, a movie came out about a year ago and who I use to be took to being a fan of one of the characters, okay.

Noticing the amused glint in Vesper's eyes, Hawkeye silently contemplated attacking him as Vesper chuckled, Your secret's safe with me, Hawk. This earned the wolf an annoyed eye roll, but nothing else in terms of retaliation. It was right then that the sorcerer decided to escort them in the direction they could get some food. Taking this chance to retreat from the conversation, but not before he glanced at Sora in concern, he focused back on his task of trying to find a relatively sane way to approach some pretty insane topics.

Yeah right, there's no sane way to go about that stuff. I guess that old saying about the human mind and death traps are true. he thought, not quite paying attention to if a link was open to anyone else.

~- Waiting to Hear My Name Again -~

Tora glanced at the others, easily picking up on their exhaustion; and she wasn't quite sure who was the most obvious. Looking Lea up and down, she frowned slightly as she reached out a hand toward him; before she let it fall to her side. She didn't look at Aura, knowing that she'd see sympathy and exhaustion in the heartless's eyes; she focused her attention on Riku to give her something else to focus on. Carefully moving over so she didn't startle him, Tora gently placed her hand on Riku's arm and murmured soothingly, "It's okay, I don't think he's going to hurt us. Sure, he has darkness in his heart, but it's not of the malicious sort."

Sensing that Riku had relaxed slightly, Tora smiled softly as she continued in the same tone, "You know what the darkness can do, and I know that you're tired and scared, but I'm begging you to trust me and stand down." She didn't say anything as he fully submitted to her logic; after all, she knew she'd win that argument. Letting her hand fall to her side, she felt Riku reach back and grab her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before he let go and returned his hand to his side.

Even though no one else would catch the meaning behind the gesture, Tora knew what it meant. Thank you. And you do know, that whatever you're facing, you don't have to go through it alone, correct? Turning her gaze to Howl, she watched as a knowing smile drifted across his face before it fled; partially because of the icy glare she threw him, before Howl turned his attention to the rest of the group as they joined them.

"Well, now that everyone's gathered; how about I make good on my promise?" Howl asked cheerfully, before he turned around and started walking away from them. She grinned slightly at the comment, and she almost laughed as she heard a few stomachs rumble. Hearing a nervous chuckle from Riku, before he carefully stepped forward. "Are you guys coming or what?" Howl called over his shoulder, mildly annoyed at their reluctance; causing Tora to laugh at the impatience their host was displaying.

"Come on everyone, before he gets mad enough to revoke the offer." She giggled, and yet even with saying that; she didn't move to follow him. She didn't even move after everyone else had gotten moving, waiting until she was sure that no one would see; Tora sighed softly and allowed the truth of her state to slip out with the sound. Blinking several times to force the exhaustion back, she turned to look out at the water; thinking about the times Isa took her to the fountain court so she could play in the water.

"Tora, are you coming?"

Returning to reality, she turned to look in the direction the others had gone; trying to figure out the meaning to the question. Where was she supposed to be going again? Shaking her head in dismissal, she called back, "Coming! Be there in a minute!" Taking one last look at the water, Tora turned back in the other direction and ran to catch up with the group. It didn't take her too long to reach them, luckily, and it only took her a minute to find a spot next to Lea. Keeping her eyes downcast, she didn't say much of anything; instead she just followed along as they finished making their way toward a strange door.

"Look, before you guys go through, I'm letting you know right now. Don't cause any trouble. You follow that, and there won't be a problem; but if you do decide to cause trouble...well, let's just say it wouldn't be a wise idea."

"---- Those wings too."

The soft whisper made Tora look up, eyes darting from one person to the next to find out who'd said it. Looking over at Riku, she frowned in confusion at him, had he said the words? Troubled by the origin of the words, she pushed it away and sealed the "emotion" into a glass jar for the time being. "Deal, provided you're willing to hold up your end of the bargain and you don't try attacking us." She said in response to Howl's earlier condition to them getting some food and rest.

~- To Higher Places -~

Glaxsudo strained to catch the faintest hint of what Isa was doing; and he couldn't help but feel unnerved. When was the last time someone had been able to do this to me? It's been so long that I can't remember, he thought frantically. It took him only a moment to realize that something had changed, and it wasn't for the better. Feeling his muscles tense as he took a step back toward the wall; his eyes darted around him to try and catch a glimpse through the blizzard. The ice is your domain, focus! He ordered himself mentally, drawing strength from the ice wall behind him. Or he was until the faint sound of it cracking reached his ears.

Whipping around to check on it, Glaxusdo watched in open horror as it turned to water and crashed toward Harm. He almost moved to counter it, but the crunch of snow underfoot from behind had him jumping to the left. Bringing his scythe close to him, his eyes snapped around to try and figure out which way Isa would be coming from this time. Hearing the crunch of snow again, his head snapped to the right only for his mind to fog as a very wolf-like snarl reached his ears.

You damn fool! He cursed himself mentally, only for it to be made even worse as something barreled into him. This was bad enough, and yet to make it even worse; Glaxsudo watched his weapon get knocked from his hands and get sent flying. Swearing softly, he resorted to physical violence; seeing that it had a tiny bit of effect but not quite enough, he swore again and formed a dagger of ice in his hand. Lashing out with it, he saw the pain flare in Isa's eyes before the other warrior backed off to inspect the injury. This gave Glaxsudo just enough time to leap to his feet and reclaim his scythe; taking in a brief tally of his own injuries.

Glaxsudo focused back on his opponent, quietly relieved that only just then was Isa ready for another round. Chuckling slightly, he said sarcastically, "Sorry, but as much as I've enjoyed the fight; I'm afraid I'm going to have to take a rain check on the rest of the fight."

~- Me and All I Stood For -~

Rosaline watched Aqua and the group she was following disappear, including the Flood duck through the portal before it swirled shut. Scowling at the spot where the portal had been in silent fury, she whipped around and glared at the space behind her. Frustrated and upset that she couldn't talk to her, Rosaline grumbled angrily as she stalked back in the direction she'd come from. "Honestly, this is totally not cool!" She shouted at the empty air, only to grow more frustrated at the mild release to her anger. Shaking her head, she became giddy as an entertaining thought jumped to the front of her mind.

Giggling slightly, she held out a hand and summoned a portal of her own. Throwing one last disgusted look around the area; Rosaline stepped through the portal and collapsed it behind her, preventing anyone from following her. Stepping through the portal, she called the shadows to her to prevent anyone from finding her. After she got the spell finished, she drifted through the hallways, trying to see if what she wanted was there; and sure enough it was.

"So, who's Rena and Derrick? What do you plan to do after this world?"

Rosaline felt her mouth turn up in a smile, happy to see that Ventus was here; and from the looks of it, without either of his friends. So what if she couldn't go after Aqua directly? There were always other options for what she wanted to do.

 

[Aphex]

Some of the attacks connected, forcing the being to double over, their helmet dropping to the ground as they had done so. Though Derrick didn't expect to not see a head. Taken aback he watched as it started to form one, morphing into Rena's features in which everything was pretty much the same except for the sets of yellows and the jet black hair.

"Now, that's more like it... Didn't know that you could actually fight, punk,"

Gritting his teeth, the goggle-head didn't loosen up his guard at all as he kept a firm stance in case this heartless tried to retaliate with an attack of their own. But instead, they decided to speak.

"But who has time for a fight like this? You're not going to get to the brat's heart this way. The darkness is already turning her heart black and no light will ever be able to penetrate it. Time is running out and you're not even delaying the inevitable... But, if you want it back so badly, why don't you fight the darkness itself?"

"What?" The darkness itself? What the heck did that even mean? How was he supposed to fi -

"Whoa!" A little too busy with trying to comprehend what the heartless was talking about and suddenly Derrick found himself being reeled towards a portal. The soles of his sneakers screeched, sliding along the ground as he fought to keep his balance and keep himself from being dragged in further. Unfortunately this didn't work at all and the boy found himself losing his footing, falling and now tumbling towards the portal as it swallowed him whole. Whatever was going on around him felt extremely instant as he tumbled out the other end, rolling a few feet before coming to a complete stop flat on his stomach. "Okay that really needs to change. . ."

Grumbling, Derrick rose to his feet as for some reason, he was getting a very familiar vibe just by standing there. He could hear the sounds of fighting and it ironically enough, it was near by! When turning to where the sounds were coming from after glancing around, he could see someone fighting off what appeared to be claw-like tendrils. Not only that but the boy spotted a person inside what looked like a dark cage and after getting a much closer look, he saw that person turned out to be Rena!

"Rena!" he shouted, rushing over to the cage, Keyblade in hand which slowly raised itself the more he grew closer to the cage. He didn't know who the heck the other guy was but that didn't matter at that moment. Getting Rena out of that cage became the number one priority. The blade soon collided with the cage, creating crevices which continued to sealed themselves closed over and over again but that didn't stop Derrick at all. "I don't know if you can hear me but I'm here, Rena! Just hold on!" He continued to call out to her, hoping that maybe eventually she'll hear him out as his Keyblade proceeded to strike the cage.

 

[Tyrant Raver]

The enigma watched closely as the goggle-head clashed steel with the armored heartless. He had the urge to help but he just stood his ground and kept watch as the battle ensue. His entire physical appearance shrouded in shadow, hidden in the naked eye like a bird of prey perched on high ground.

The battle didn't last long as the boy was immediately swallowed by a dark portal that appeared just inches away from the boy. A black rift in the continuum, a plague by the darkness. With this, the figure didn't waste any more time. He knew if he let it slide, he'll be unable to track the boy down again. He went on the prowl and with great momentum, he slingshot his whole body towards the portal like a high-speed bullet fired by a high caliber weapon. He slipped in the rift just in time before it dissipates out of sight.

"I don't know if you can hear me but I'm here, Rena! Just hold on!"

As he reached the end of the rift, the boy was in sight and just when he was about to go to a silent approach, the distortion spat him out like a speeding bullet and instantly plummeting on the platform. He landed knelt down and the impact was minimal but it was loud enough to draw attention. He slowly rose up and cast off his cloak, severely torn by the anomalies of the rift travel in the portal. As he discarded his cover, his appearance was apparent.

His body was pseudo-collage of flesh and machine, melded together in perfect and nearly-twisted harmony. All his limbs are nothing but intricate machinery assembled together with an elaborate master-plan. And his entire head covered with a cascade of armor, covered with a single, heavily-tinted visor. With a cap of an enshrouded insignia.

 

[Kingdomkeylight]

(Xart)
"Souls.... a completely useless existence... and a waste of space is what I make of them, and so should you," Xart spoke still hidden behind his hood as he stood still... not moving at all... was he about to take her attack head on? The sudden rush attack converged completely on Xart as he took the blunt of the attack head on not moving as the ground behind his footing started to break and shatter apart wildly from Illyx's attack. As soon as the hostility of the assault eased Xart stood their with steam rising of his body everywhere from the souls had attacked him.
.
"So was this the result you expected? Is there to be some sort of point to this ability," Xart asked as finally he hung down head raised as if to make eye contact with Illyx as if nothing had happen though his body had definitely been damaged.

.................................................................................
(Castex)
The nobody let out a soft amused huff of air as Rae appeared behind him unleashing a torrent of spell shots as she revealed he had hit right on the mark his words were true... she was jealous someone had some sort of relationship even a small one with Illyx. With a forward slash of his hand he summoned the lance Advent as he started to deflect her assault while moving forward. Elements flied as they bashed against the lance many hues of colors shined off the weapons. When he took a step almost face to the with the woman Rae he unleash a Aeroaga spell in between her guns sending them flying in two different directions. It was followed in suit as he slammed the pole arm of his weapon against the back of Rae's neck slamming her into the ground as Castex harshly shoved a foot into her back pointing the tip of his weapon at her head.
.
"Congratulations you know how to use the most basic of nobody abilities," Castex whispered un-amused as he impaled her revealing it to be another clone Rae. The battlefield went silent as the nobody just stood their with his left hand being consumed in ecto-plasm before stretching out to his side forcing open a small portal as he grabbed onto something. With a tug the portal grew bigger as Castex pulled Rae by the face out of her temporal space back into reality.
.
"I expected something a little more worrying with your attitude...hm guess you overestimated yourself," With that Castex swung Rae into the building to his left side causing a massive series of cracks to appear where she made contact. With a thrust of the blunt end of his lance Castex pinned her completely against the wall creating more cracks against the building structure.
.
"Still think you can keep up with the tempo," Castex asked as a series of electrical wave flowed from his body into the lance electrocuting Rae as he spun his lance upward sending Rae drilling upward against the build as multiple circles of ecto-plasm started to form around Castex as he jumped backwards away from the building looking up at Rae.
.
"Dance of the Spirited Away: Phantasmal Oribital Assault," Castex spoke as dozens of orbital spheres launched off the spinning circles of ecto-plasm all converging unto Rae's body creating a massive, and colorful explosion.

............................................................................
(Astral)
"Because you wouldn't be the first in his ranks to have one.... and wouldn't be the last. I have been with Sleif since the beginning when he was actually human... when both Noraxeen and Castex were still discovering that they ha become the first nobodies in existence to have a conscious," Astral spoke as he observed Cecilia clearly still suspicious yet willing to let it go for now as he turned to the door she was trying to break into.
.
"Past this door is the main function of Arcay... the lab where Totema are created... and beyond that... the power source that fuels Arcay... both which are very dark truths of the past of the kebladers of old... are you interested in the study those who were claimed as hero's took in?"
........................................................
(Azure)
"I was wondering when you would appear," Azure hissed in annoyance at the heartless Rena who insultingly sat like a queen above Rena's cage. It was no doubt that was Rena's darkness in physical form... Azure growled as the heartless laughed at his actions, and twitched at the fact he couldn't attack the cage without harming Rena's heart. Azure was ready to combat the heartless before she pointed a finger at him revealing he was what they were missing... and currently after. All attention was diverted as two people suddenly appeared out of a dark portal... Azure's eyes went wide as he recognize the first one immediately as Derrick... that was not good. The other one Azure had felt their presence through Rena before, but he couldn't recall their name.
.
"NO DONT ATTACK THE CAGE," Azure yelled as he watched Derrick go at the cage wildly trying to get to the girl. Without warning Azure mad dashed at Derrick tackling him to the ground as they both evaded a torrent of dark tendril spikes. The keyblade conscious hissed in ager at Derricks emotion reaction before understanding what was going on....
.
"Both of you are in Rena subconscious world right now.... that cage is a heartless if you kill it you shatter Rena's heart forever turning her into a heartless," Azure spoke as he got off Derrick before pointing at the heartless Rena above them. "That right their is Rena's darkness in a self aware stat.... I myself am Rena's keyblade in physical form," Azure said poking himself with his keyblade form to reveal Rena's keyblade to Derrick along with Axern's blade currently floating behind.
.
"Under normal circumstances I would say its a honor to met you... yet right now its a very dangerous time for both of you to be here... if you want to help please don't attack the cage, and leave Rena's heartless to me. Just try to talk Rena out of her negative state that's all you can do. Seeing how she cares deeply for you I can not allow you to join this fight though you," Azure pointed his blade fore at Alt.
.
"You can keep those damn tendrils off my back I cant get near her if she keeps lugging those around everywhere," Azure spoke before jumping up into the sky before he was at eve ground with Heartless Rena. Once on even ground he started to walk mid air taking a combative stance.
.
"Sorry your cute and all, but I gotta decline your offer the only reason you cant consume Rena right now is cause I still exist... and as long as I still exist their is a part of Rena you cant consume to turn her into a puppet. Besides darkness and light have no hold here for Rena is of neither side," Azure moved quickly before slashing at both of heartless Rena's shoulders... the attack however a feint as he expected her ready for the attack instead he halted mid swing before thrusting both blades forward smashing the both tips into Heartless Rena's chest sending her spiraling backward as he jumped above her body slamming into her until both slammed back into the actual ground of the Keyblade Trials. Jumping away from the crash point Azure chuckled as he spun both blades around expertly.
.
"Sorry, but my master will be puppet to no one anymore. What's wrong got nothing cocky to say," Azure tainted.
................................................................
(Harm)
"Oh my that's a lot of water," Harm sarcastically pointed out as each spell Ienzo threw at her either hit illusion or was slashed away by her ice sword. She had to admit though it looked like he was screwed she was finding it a bit difficult to keep up with his spell casting. It was definitely a problem yet now he had given her the advantage without warning she landed in front of it letting it consume her. When it seemed like the illusionist had won the massive amount of water spurted in half turning into two new walls of ice spikes.
.
"Forecast calls for heavy rains followed by unexpected hail in the shape of spikes... hope you brought your umbrellas for the downpour," Harm chuckle as with thrust of her hands upward caused a massive roaring sound as both walls shattered into pieces into the air before falling directly above Ienzo as a hail storm of ice spikes descended down upon the poor kid.

 

[Tyrant Raver]

And queue battle theme: Metal Gear Rising:Revengeance - It Has to Be This Way (Armstrong Final Form Boss Battle) Extended - YouTube
-----------------

"I was wondering where will I be dragged next."

The tall figure finally spoke. His face visor split open and became part of his helm/head. His identity completely out in the open. "Cid, you're seeing this right? Of course you are" the Black King spoke on his built-in intercom in his head. Right now, he is in contact with Leon, Cid and the others because they were the ones who orchestrated this mission. He must watch over the kids at their behest. "---Alt, just where in the world---are you? I'm detecting massive energy fluctuations. It's almo--st messing up you--r channel." Cid responded with a bit of static crackles on the communication due to the nature of the place.

"Both of you are in Rena subconscious world right now.... that cage is a heartless if you kill it you shatter Rena's heart forever turning her into a heartless," Azure spoke as he got off Derrick before pointing at the heartless Rena above them. "That right their is Rena's darkness in a self aware stat.... I myself am Rena's keyblade in physical form,"

Unknowing and unnoticed, black tendrils began amassing behind him. Silently and sly like a cobra ready to lunge at its prey, venom dripping on its fangs. The mechanical warrior felt its presence and he stood still, he sensed that the other tendrils were going for Derrick and the other one. As the tendril lunged forth, Alt caught the assailing tendril with his crushing grip, his mechanical arm's engine fully-primed. He then twisted his stance and performed a powerful hand chop swing with his mechanical hand. He cut through the tendril's black mass like a serrated blade, effortlessly.

Alt then reached out to Derrick as the other one that calls himself Azure jumped out to Rena's side. "He's right Derrick. If we interfere here, Rena's subconscious might be at risk. And at this plane, she can't see us but she can hear us. The least we can do is prevent them from being overwhelmed by the darkness that plague her mind." He helped the goggle-head boy up and immediately, his attention turned to the amassing black tendrils surrounding them. "Oh, and Derrick. Leon wanted you to have this." Alt reached at the back of his large overcoat and pulled out a folded weapon. It was Derrick's Cypher, only more integrated, and fashioned before Leon's Lionheart Gunblade. "He said happy birthday. Though I wasn't sure if it really is your birthday today." Alt with a slight scoff. He then took stance.

 

[Eternal Dream]

~- Breaking the Ice -~

Oh, crap.

Terra cursed softly at his stupidity. Seriously, it had only been a few months, he should have remembered to keep a clear destination in mind when traveling through those corridors. The price for his lapse in memory? A five thousand foot skydive without a parachute.

Flipping so now he was in a head first free fall, Terra fought against the wind resistance to press the triggering mechanism on his gauntlet. Closing his eyes for a moment, he imagined his armor, the flash of light that heralded its arrival. He envisioned the gold, brown, and orange plates as they slipped seamlessly into place, the joints just loose enough to maintain full range of motion. He pictured hurling his Keyblade away from him, then jumping onto the glider as it returned. The imagined scene was so vivid, he was nearly certain that it had already happened. Slowly, Terra cracked an eye open.

Nope, still plummeting to his death. Note to self: steal Stark's summoning bracelets at the first possible presentation.

Be careful, Terra! What were you thinking?

I just...

Just what?

She was upset, Master. I just... I just wanted her to smile again...

A surge of emotion swept through Terra at the same time that fire erupted across his shoulders. Barely fighting their coming this time, Terra allowed the wings to unfurl their inky expanse. Catching a down draft, he swept the feathered expanse forward, stabilizing his uncontrolled decent. Once he'd regained control, he flared the wings wider, allowing him to come to a stop. Gliding for a brief moment, he finally glanced down.

He was hovering over a vast expanse of open field. Thick enough to be seen even from how up he was, Terra saw carpets of flowers covering the green for great stretches in yellows and reds and pinks. The sunlight glittered off a lake in the near distance, and the far distance offered a breath-taking view of snow-capped mountains. Near the lake, what looked to be a cottage stood, its door open as an invitation to the travelers that stood just outside of the cottage.

Flying nearer while still maintaining his altitude, Terra scanned the people that made up the small gathering. A man that seemed to have taken on the role of host was standing closest to the door, a familiar head of flaming red hair just a short ways away from the other man. Axel had survived too? It was completely possible for Axel to have survived, and maybe even regained his heart, if Terra's return was anything to judge by. Terra had liked the pyro; if any of the Organization members had returned, he was glad it was Axel. Just as long as Xigbar or Braig didn't resurface...

Silver and brown caught Terra's attention next, and he found himself shocked all over again at the realization that Riku and Sora weren't the little kids he'd first seen all those years ago. After the surprise faded, he felt a sense of obligation where those two boys were concerned. Riku's heart had seemed worthy of the Keyblade, and the boy had reminded Terra of an innocence that he himself had lost. So of course, despite his best intentions, Terra had had to give the kid the key to destroying the light that had drawn Terra to Riku in the first place, and Terra had also made it where Sora had been dragged down with Riku as well. Those kids names were red in Terra's ledger, and he knew he'd have to find some way to balance his debt.

Finally tearing his eyes away from the boys, Terra's eyes caught a flash of blue. And froze.

"Terra, you really shouldn't be doing that!"

"Relax, Aqua. It'll be fine!"

It was late March, and a particularly frigid one at that. Ven had finally recovered from his zombie hibernation, and the Master had given Aqua and Terra permission to show the kid around the grounds a little further. Terra had readily agreed to the little trip; Ven was getting restive, a curiosity that would get him into endless trouble just beginning to show itself, and Aqua had been in a funk for a couple of weeks. Terra had heard of the winter blues, but he was hoping that, since things had warmed up just a bit, maybe that a little time outside in the winter sun would perk her up again.

The trio of adolescents had just descended from the summit on their way back to the castle when a quiet cry caught their attention. Turning to find the source, Terra saw the tree by the pond just as Ven pointed and said, "Do you think the kitten's stuck up there?"

Aqua squinted, looking up into the oak's bare branches at the barely visible tuft of grey fur. "Maybe? But how do we get it down? There's no branches for ten feet..."

A blur shot past the two of them as Terra ran at the tree. Launching himself at the last moment, the fourteen year-old boy had just enough height to grab one of the bottom most branches. For a moment, he hung there; then, swinging his legs against the trunk of the tree, he hauled himself up on the branch. Taking a steadying breath, the brunette looked up, found where the kitten was, and started pulling himself further up the tree.

"Be careful, Terra!" The call came from Aqua, and Terra couldn't help but laugh slightly. The girl had the promise of being a great fighter, but she was also mega protective. Normally, she didn't say much about his tendency for the canopies, but that was during summer and fall, when he did most of his climbing. The bark was slick beneath his fingers, ice in the grooves making some of his hand holds difficult to manage. Terra cared for winter climbing about as much as Aqua did. But even so...

"Relax Aqua. It'll be fine!" He threw a quick glance back to the ground long enough to give her a reassuring smile, then he focused his attention back on the kitten. The tabby was so tiny, and he was close enough now to see the poor thing shivering violently as the wind whistled through the tree, snagging at the kitten's baby coat. "Hey," Terra said, keeping his voice soft, "How'd a little thing like you get so high up on such a cold day?"

The kitten meowed again, a thin, pathetic sound that was carried away almost immediately by the wind. Reaching a hand out, Terra was amazed by how quick the kitten crawled toward him. Scooping it up, Terra opened the collar of his coat before gently placing the tabby against his chest. A little purr vibrated against his chest, and Terra smiled. Scooting backwards on the branch, he prepared to climb down again.

He should have known where this was going as soon as he started into this venture. A sharp crack split the air, giving Terra his only warning that the tree was about to make him make a rapid decent. Crossing his arms across the small lump in his coat, Terra felt the branch give way and drop him right out of the tree. He heard a couple of cries from Ven and Aqua, then another heavy crack as he hit the ice of the pond on his left side. For a moment, Terra felt the breath knocked out of him as a sickening pain lanced out from his elbow and lower arm, canceling out the needles sunk into his chest as the kitten freaked out. For a moment, all Terra could think about was remembering how to breath.

"Terra! Terra, are you okay?" Aqua's voice penetrated the fog in his head, and Terra found himself forcing a smile even though he felt more like screaming. He felt hands at his back, helping him to sit up. Once the world stopped spinning, he felt his mouth relax into a more natural, crooked grin as, keeping his injured arm close to his chest, Terra pulled down the top of his jacket to show Aqua the kitten's grey tabby striped head. "Do you think the Master will let us keep her?"

Worry was still in her eyes, but Terra's grin grew wider as he saw a small smile slowly spread across Aqua's lips. Heaving a relieved sigh, she said, "Maybe. Do you think you can get up? Or do you need some help?"

Terra laughed, then winced as the act jostled his arm. "I'll take the help, if that's okay. I think I might have broken my left arm, and I need to hold Loki with the other one."

"Loki?" Now Ven had come up on Terra's other side. Gritting his teeth, Terra helped Aqua and Ven as much as he could, but they still had to pull him to his feet, and Terra had to practically bite his tongue to keep from crying out, stupid pride. Cocking his head to the side, Ven continued, "We're calling the kitten Loki?"

"Why not?" Terra's breathing was a little shallow, and he couldn't decide which hurt worse, his arm or his head from where he'd thunked it on the ice. "Loki's a pretty cool name, and considering that found its way up into a tree, Loki just might fit this cat."

"I like it," Aqua said, looking at the lump that gave away the kitten beneath Terra's jacket. "Loki it is."

They started walking, Terra doing his best to keep the tears in check. Rescuing Loki had cost him a concussion and three months in a cast, but it was worth it to see Aqua smile again.

He couldn't face her. Not like this. Not with these wings marking his inability to master himself. Not when he was numb to their history and she was like a stranger to him because of it. Not while he was still tainted by Xehanort and the darkness. All she'd see were his failings and short comings, and he couldn't blame her for that. It was all he could see too.

Putting as much force into the muscles as he could, Terra shot off over the mountains, never saying a word. He never saw the wolf by Aqua's side lift his head to look to the sky, marking Terra's passage. He didn't see the way the wolf's eyes narrowed as it watched him. And Terra never realized that one of his feathers had landed by the wolf and Aqua's feet. He just slipped away, quiet as a shadow.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- There's No Need to Rush -~

Cecilia listened to Astral's explanation; even still able to pick up on the hybrid's suspicion of her. Her mouth twitched up into a brief smile, only for her expression to go completely blank after a moment. She listened to his comment about what laid behind the door she'd been trying to get into before she'd been interrupted. Cecilia wasn't sure what to make of his offer, she certainly didn't want to see it; but a part of her was curious about what laid behind the door. After all, what was that saying about curiosity?

"Maybe a little bit, but I'm not sure I want to know the darker truths of this place. Although, you're right, there is a secret I have; but at the moment it's of no threat to you or Sleif, I promise. I'm afraid, beyond that, I can't reveal anything; all that you need to be concerned about Astral, is that my devotion and protectiveness toward my kin is like Sleif's towards his."

Just then Eternity decided to remake herself known and meander over, pawing at Cecilia's leg until she bent down and scooped up the black she-cat. She looked at Astral, trying to think if there was anything else that needed to be said. Caution and curiosity tugging at her, Cecilia asked in an off hand manner, "If I may ask, what do you know of the different races?"

~- Motionless in Pain -~

Ienzo gritted his teeth at the sarcastic words, of course he was foolish to think it'd work. Meeting Harm's gaze for a split second, Ienzo quickly leapt to the right; before he ducked into a roll, letting his momentum carry him away from the bigger of the spikes. Pushing himself up, he flinched at the various cuts that had started stinging, more than a little shocked and confused that he hadn't been turned into a human pincushion.

He rolled his shoulder, trying to figure out how he could get out of this situation. Reaching a hand up to his cheek, Ienzo flicked away some blood and smiled secretively. Climbing back to his feet, he summoned his lexicon back to his hand; ignoring the sting of the cuts that had started weaving across his skin. "So, tell me Harm, what exactly do you and your master plan to accomplish?" He asked sarcastically, not truly caring about the answer.

A sharp, steady throb of pain started up after he chose to stay still for too long made Ienzo fall to his knees; shocked by the intensity of it. Glancing up at Harm, he clenched his teeth and tapped into the arcane vein again so he wasn't completely defenseless. Ienzo kept eye contact with Harm, trying to decipher what she planned to do next so he could counter properly. Come on, give me a hint here; any kind of little hint. he thought to himself, being extremely careful not to let it show on his face.

He'd been called persuasive and clever before. After all, how many times had Xehanort asked him to persuade Ansem the Wise into doing something? Frequently, now that Ienzo thought about it. So, Ienzo guessed it was time to tap back into that old slight of hand tactic.

 

[Aphex]

"NO DON'T ATTACK THE CAGE,"

And just like that, even before Derrick could get the chance to rebuttal, he was suddenly tackled to the ground. What was this guy's problem? All he was trying to do was to get Rena out of that cage so why was he being told not to do so? Apparently it had something to do with the fact that if he continued with the attack, it would actually hurt the girl instead. Actually, it would destroy her heart entirely which obviously wasn't the greatest news to hear. So how were they supposed to get to her when she was trapped inside something that was technically keeping her alive at the same time?

"Under normal circumstances I would say its a honor to met you... yet right now its a very dangerous time for both of you to be here... if you want to help please don't attack the cage, and leave Rena's heartless to me. Just try to talk Rena out of her negative state that's all you can do."

Talk? That's it? Did this guy really expect Derrick to just stand there and talk the entire time? Not only that but there were several of those black tendrils that constantly appeared every time they grew closer to the cage itself. However, even more started to show up but were immediately disposed of by a very familiar figure.

"He's right Derrick. If we interfere here, Rena's subconscious might be at risk. And at this plane, she can't see us but she can hear us. The least we can do is prevent them from being overwhelmed by the darkness that plague her mind."

"Alt?" the goggle-head was surprised to see the mechanical warrior make an entrance, helping him up soon after he sided with Azure's idea. "But how can I help her out just by talkin' some sense into her? It doesn't seem like it would be enough!" Derrick insisted on trying to get her out of that cage despite the dangers of destroying her heart in the process. All though he masked it, deep down the boy was panicking considering he didn't really know what to do anymore. He truly cared for Rena and he didn't want to lose her just like that, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if something were to happen to her but at this very moment, he really didn't know how to go forth in helping her.

"Oh, and Derrick. Leon wanted you to have this. He said happy birthday. Though I wasn't sure if it really is your birthday today."

He ended up snapping out of it when he felt something being placed in his hand and upon looking down at what Alt had given him, his eyes lit up instantly. It was his Cypher but with a few modifications that made it resemble Leon's Gunblade. He couldn't help but shake his head a bit, a small chuckle coming from Derrick as he readied the weapon in one hand as his Keyblade summoned in the other. The boy took stance as he glanced over at Alt. "How about we make this quick, eh?"