Link to the OOC and Signups: http://kh13.com/forum/topic/64921-light-fall-ooc-and-sign-ups/

 

Lets Get This Show On The Road

Roaring wind and swirling blacks and purples blanketed everything, eyes squeezed shut as the world stretched and tore; pulled backward through the Space Between, there was nothing that could be done as the island was ripped into infinitesimal pieces in the darkness beneath his feet. His brown hair was matted down hard against his head, damp and cold against his forehead. His arms were pressed to his sides as he traveled, though he wouldn't have had the strength to fight whatever was pulling him along if he wanted to. He ground his teeth, pulled faster and faster through the darkness, feeling as though his legs might be left behind if it didn't slow down.

Bright white light suddenly burst through the tiny gap in his eyelids. The blue eyes snapped open as the urgent pulling sensation gave way to gravity; his arms and legs came free, his neck snapping up to see what he was flying toward as he was blasted from the portal, long black claws raking out after his body, snaking through the air toward him, as if it were going to snatch him like a fish on a hook and send him whizzing back the other way. Arms came up to shield his body unnecessarily; the short-lived portal snapped shut only moments after his exit, the shadowy claws bursting into wisps of smoke before his eyes. His moment of relief was cut off by the wall. Sneaky buggers, walls.

His body clung to its yellowed surface for a moment, leaving the former Keyblade Master to slowly peel off and fall to the dirt with an unceremonious 'flumpf'. Pain reverberated through all his limbs, spreading from the back of his head. His bare hands were scraped and already covered in dirt and sand, and shaking as he tried to bring his arms under him to bear his weight. "No... No no..." He coughed, his whole body shuddering once as his arm slipped, bringing him back down to the earth.

Lying on his stomach for minutes that felt like lifetimes, he closed his blue eyes once more, silently wishing himself away from his dirty resting spot, his mind forcing him to relive the incident once more.

He'd been sitting on the floor of his house, back against one of the couches in the living room, that silly ear to ear grin spread over his face, his hands wrapped around a spiky auburn haired young boy, both of them laughing as they wrestled on the floor. A typical summer night, it seemed; roughhousing on the floor, shooed inside by an oncoming storm. As twilight wore into evening, and his son was ushered on to bed by his wife, the retired Keybearer took the moment to relax, letting his head sink down into the cushions of the couch, staring up at the ceiling fan as it spun hypnotically slowly. The smile still on his lips, he pushed himself to his feet. "Dad?" A shaky voice of a younger girl, echoing down the stairs to him. As she asked him to come up, he was already taking two steps at a time, for no particular reason other than he could! He hopped around the corner, poking his head into the room. Another auburn haired kid was kneeling on the bed in her pajamas, pointing out the window to something. Sora chuckled, pushing some of his own light brown locks out of his eyes as he walked over to the window to see what was so startling. "It's just a squall; you remember how they turn the sky funny colors." He took a look for himself, despite his own assurances. Blinking a few times, he pushed off the window sill, standing frozen in the middle of the room for a long moment.

Before he'd fully registered what he was doing, he'd thrown on actual clothes and was beating feet out the door; just a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt, as his old adventuring outfit didn't really fit him anymore. The Keybearer was in a hurry in any case. He never would have been any the wiser if he hadn't looked out the window... Just woulda gone to bed...

He skidded to a halt in the grass in front of the mayor's home, fists clenched tight as he glared up at the figure. It was as black as the sky all around it, like a shadow in a dark room, and the only thing lighting it up was its hands held up to the sky: thin white bolts of lightning were arcing up every few seconds, becoming more and more frequent until the moment Sora arrived. The man on the rooftop lowered his arms to his sides, the hood peering vacantly downward; its contents were a mysterious void in the shadow. As they stared each other down, the skin on the back of his arms was crawling, spreading slowly up to his neck and then spreading down his spine. How he'd managed to miss such overwhelming darkness...

His bright blue eyes snapped open again, bringing him back to the bit of dirt he was recovering on. His head was still aching, pulsing throughout the rest of his limbs, but he managed to control his arms enough to bring his body upright, leaning back on his wall, blinking slowly at the world he'd arrived in. "The Land of Departure, huh...? Aqua..." he murmured to himself, pushing off the wall and stumbling up the hilly path that led to the main building.

He was back on the grassy field in front of the mayor's house, golden flashes all round his hands as the paired Keyblades appeared. The hood jerked backward, as if the person underneath had let out a chuckle. Leaning forward, the cloaked figure was off the rooftop in an instant. Gloved fingertips, arcing white sparks, were centimeters from his face before Sora realized he needed to move. Leaning back, he swung Fenrir hard, connecting awkwardly as he fell to the ground. The hooded figure vanished into a puff of smoke, leaving the Keybearer to stare at it for a moment, wondering what had just happened before white light lit up everything above him. His head snapped forward; the man was suspended in the air in a spin, hands pressed together, wild arcs of electricity shooting off to nothing around him as he brought the hands to bear. A sudden release of pressure in the air for a split second, and everything went silent... Just for a second.

Sora was skidding backwards over the grass, his heels catching on something as his momentum carried him along, sending him spinning and tumbling back until he finally rolled to a stop on the edge of the beach. Water rushed through his fried pant legs, two still-smoking handprints on the back of his calves where the connection was made. The remnants of the attack were still making him twitch and spasm when he heard slow, deliberate footsteps moving steadily closer. "To think... that this is all the force to be mustered... by the strongest of the Wielders."

He reached the interior of the keep, still supporting his sore body on door frames and walls as he staggered his way up the hill. His soaked jeans weren't helping at all, as the slightest breeze sent chills up his spine, making him feel even more lifeless than Sora thought possible. He called for anyone, receiving no reply as he tried to make his way down corridors and up staircases. It seemed the masters in training had already fled, and Master Aqua was gone with them.

As he mounted the final spiral staircase, he was leaning heavily on the banister, and nearly toppled back down when he finally came to the landing. Doors up and down the dormitory were left wide open, the contents of some strewn out into the hallway; one door looked like it had been blasted or torn off its hinges. The heavy oak doors at the end of the corridor was barely cracked open, but scorch marks marred every inch around it. His voice was caught in his throat, reaching out to push on one of the handles, which looked as though someone had tried to melt it away, the barrier creaking slowly as he entered. "Empty... What could have happened here..." His mumbled words gave away his despair, as he sunk down inside the Master bedroom, his back pressed to the door.

The points of his Keyblades were digging hard into the sand, as Sora used them to prop his body upright, two more scorched hand prints on his back. He was panting hard now, his whole body weighted down with water, long brown locks sticking across his face and forehead as he stood at the edge of the island, his bright blue eyes just barely able to make out the curved tree where he and his friends had spent so many carefree days and nights, wondering up the unforgettable experiences they might have on other worlds. Half-lidded and trying to wipe sweat and a sticky crimson substance from his eyes, he heard another boom of thunder from across the main island, bringing up his Keyblades as he waited for the shadow to strike once more, hoping to catch it off guard and land a lucky blow. A hefty gust of wind rushed past, a precursor to the danger that was causing it, Sora gritting his teeth hard as he waited for sudden pain. "What good are you?" The voice was hard and hushed, the sand around the shadowy figure's feet swirling around him as he came to a sudden halt, making the Keybearer stumble backwards as he tried to figure out where his opponent was coming from so quickly. "Well... No use wasting time... Hardly worth the effort... Doubt you're going to save anyone..." The hood turned, looking down along the dunes, catching sight of the woman with her long auburn hair flowing in the breeze. "Least of all, your friends..."

Another boom broke the clouds above them, and everything started to swirl. Pieces of houses were already being pulled in, ripped out of the ground as winds immediately started to gust over the islands. Sora took off down the beach toward his home, all thought of the battle gone, only wanting to reach her before everything was ripped apart again. The ground shifted, a column of earth shifting up in front of him, leaving his section of beach to sink below the raging waves, foaming as they rushed in toward him. He leapt up, managing to drag his worn out frame onto the section of land above him.Almost there... Just a bit more...

His feet sank into the sand as he ran, hopping over fractures that were appearing all along the island, yelling for her to grab the kids and go, to run, to get away... A palm wrapped around the back of his head, pushing him forward into the sand. It wrenched his head back, holding him down to watch what was going to happen... "Ahh... my favorite part... the sappy goodbyes..." Twisting and trying to fight away from the grip on top of his head, he felt a knee crushing down on his back, and the hand, bunching up in his head, yanked hard. Pops issued all along Sora's spine. The earth shifted again, the house suddenly dropping down several feet, before the whole piece of land started to shift. The swirling clouds, glowing bright yellow in the middle and turning purple along the outside edges, were a sickening whirl of color overhead as they drifted toward the eye. The movement was enough to unbalance the shadow, Sora's arm wheeling around over his head, actually feeling the connection this time: Sleeping Lion managed to catch right along his attacker's chest, knocking the shadow of a man flat on his ass. The Keyblade Wielder jumped to his feet, ready to try and jump the gap, but he saw the look on his wife's face... she'd made it outside again, his son and daughter holding onto her tightly, both of them calling for him to hurry. It was the sad little smile, the sort she hadn't worn in years, and that slight shake of her head, that kept him standing right on the edge of the abyss. "Remember what I said?! I still mean it!..."

His eyes open once more, still sitting alone in what had been Aqua's bedroom, his back resting on the door and his legs sprawling out across the tile floor. His body no longer shook as he rose once more, testing his grip as he turned to a wardrobe next to the entryway. He pried it open, finding nothing but a burnished plaque inside: "Step right up." He pulled off his tattered clothes, the hand prints on his back and chest making the shirt flimsy to the point of almost disintegration, and did as he was told; his last words to Kairi were ringing in his ears as he shut the door, feeling warmth surround his body.

 

Being electrified and shot through space can make it easy to forget who you are sometimes...

The doors sprung open again, giving him enough light to see what had been done. He flexed his glove-covered palms, looking over the scuff marks on his fingertips, the only visible reminder of what had just happened. "Remember... I'm always a part of you, too. And I'll come find you; always will..." The glove squeaked as he clenched his fist, the grin slipping back onto his face as he straightened out his jacket, throwing the doors open and strode back down the mangled corridors. "Kairi... Riku... I'm coming to get you... Seems like our war isn't over yet..."

Edited November 2, 201311 yr by PaperWeight

Ventus was strolling by when he noticed a young man with brown spiky hair fall from the sky and land hardly on the ground. He rushed over to this man. "Hey there, are you ok?" He then recognized that man as Sora, the keyblade wielder who Ven's heart had previously resided in before he was rescued during the war against Xehanort.

 

"SORA?! What are you doing here? What happened?"

Edited November 2, 201311 yr by spiderfreak1011

For years the Avalon Defense Initiative had an ongoing secret program codenamed ARCTURUS. Working closely with Dawn's Overwatch, the conglomerate of the de Wynter family, Xion, the mages and creatures of Summoner's Spring, the last of the race called The Snow, as well as one Nocturnal Guardian by the name of Luna and Etro's Champion, Lightning Farron,, ADI (Addie) chose a small fleet of their finest vessels and, with Dawn's Overwatch's flagship, the Forward Unto Dawn (they liked the word ans concept of Dawn - blame Zion), ADI hide away, in the darkness of Valhalla's oceans, in the event another war broke out and they would be needed.

 

Every decade people were woken up, so no one spent the entire three decades frozen in Stopga crypods. But at the current moment in time, as Destiny Islands was being consumed, one hundred people were awake, one of them Vice Admiral Isabella "Izzy" Summers, the leader od the fleet. ARCTURUS always waited upon the signal from Lightning, but...it came too late.

 

Izzy watched as worlds fell, and as she initiated the RESURRECTION Protocol, she watched as The World of Gummis entered it's second Siege.

 

ARCTURUS had failed to initiate in time. They couldn't stop this next outbreak.

As everyone began to wake up, Izzy contacted her aunt.

 

Secretary of the Navy, Sarah Aether was the Navy's head. Distinguished from the Four Horsemen conflict, she was catapulted to her position, where she championed the conception, creation, and implementation of ARCTURUS.

But as she stood at the command platform, looking at Izzy's alert face, feeling her own wife's arms around her waist, she felt like the Commander she once was.

"Initiate Protocol Seven: TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION." Sarah said. "Rendevous to Departure. Avalon Actual is under atack from sea to space." Yggdrasil shook badly, causing Sarah to grip the railing. "Izzykins." She said, using a childhood pet name. "Night must end. Bring the sunrise."

Izzy nodded. "Sarah..."

Sarah smiled encouragingly. "I got Eris. I'll be fine."

 

As the screen snapped off, Izzy's fingers flew across the keyboard, swnding the sonar message to the ship at the deepest depth.

 

Kelsi was deep in meditation when the sonar message was recieved.

She read it once, then waved her hands. The holographic displays shifted and moved, until the diagbostics of the stopga bay game up.

"Verification code: Vermillion. Begin defrost process. Command code Destati." She waved her hand.

"Unseal the hushed casket."

 

Down, deep within the Forward Unto Dawn, the cryo bay lit up. As the massive vessel began to wake up, a block of Stopga Cryopods slid towards the center. A trio now surrounded the central pillar.

Lit up, they began to vent cool air, and soon began to warm up.

 

"Stopga Bay One online. Defrost procedure in progress. Identification code for Pod One: AKATSUKI. Identification for Pod Two: REMEMBRANCE. Identification for Pod Three: MOONRAKER."

Kelsi's hand hovered over the final button.

"If you must wake now...after...all this time..."

She pressed the button.

"Tremble before dawn...isn't that what you say, kiddo?"

*cracks knuckles* ok.... Here I go.

 

The calm, soothing sound of the ocean waves gently crashing onto the shores of Destiny Islands were barely heard through the walls of the gummi ship as the Nocturnal Guardian was getting his much needed rest. At least, he was until the familiar sound of an annoying alarm clock abruptly woke the peaceful looking Guardian back into reality. The alarm clock met its swift fate as a keyblade came crashing down, obliterating the faithful machinery into pieces as the hand holding the weapon instinctively retreated back into the cozy, warm alcove of the blankets. A groan, and then a head popped out of the covers as Cody struggled to wake up the rest of his body. He was laying on his side, and for the most part paralyzed as he gazed out the window rather helplessly. The skies were a dark purple and clouds were billowing ominously fast as he continued forcing his body to wake up.

 

The flashes of white thunder that were trailing from the ground up towards the sky filled his window and jarred whatever feelings of sleepiness and paralysis away as Cody instinctively jumped out of his bed. "Oh crap!" he yelled, now fully awake as he started running out of the bedroom, reattaching his armor pauldron as he quickly made his way towards the cockpit. "That lightning wasn't the weather!" he screamed aloud, slamming his only pauldron to summon the rest of his armor. The memories of an all too familiar nightmare turned reality were overwhelming his thoughts as he made his way to the gummi ship bridge, where Cody went through the all too familiar start-up procedures.

 

"Of all the situations! Another Crimson Contingency in progress!?" He looked out of the glass cockpit, the ever darkening skies looking more and more hostile as the gentle pitter-patter of the raindrops made way for what sounded like a hailstorm. Instinctively, he summoned his keyblade then promptly turned it against himself. The all too familiar pain of his actions resonated throughout his body as Cody became the Lingering Shielder, his Nobody and weaponized Heartless materialized on his flanks. 

 

"Man oh man, does it feel good to be separate once again!" his Heartless Striker exclaimed, making a mad dash to the loading ramp below and shouting "Freedom!" The nobody Sentinel briskly followed suit, twisting his head to the sides and hearing the satisfying pops in his neck. "Once more into the fire, huh?" he remarked aloud as he exited the cockpit. The Lingering Shielder was already on the controls, the gummi engines roaring into life as digital dials and system statuses danced on the all-glass consoles scattered in front of him. "Here we go again." he calmly remarked, the distant horizon appearing to disintegrate at a point. He pulled on the control stick, sending the ship's nose straight up as the metal dragon surged forward with an intensity the made it hard to breath. The Shielder gently tapped a conveniently within- reach digital big red button, and the dazzling arrays of information and hypnotic holo-gauges and output bars flashed red, the words "Crimson Contingency" emblazoned in red against a yellow background appearing at the top of every single console display screen. The unmistakable whine of the engines got louder and higher pitched as it dumped more and more thrust specifically for emergencies like this, the loading ramp firmly locking itself into the open position as it made a satisfying muffled 'clunk' sound beneath his feet. It became harder to breath for the rapidly responding Guardian, but thought nothing of it as he aimed the hunk of gummi towards the coast of the mainland. The rain intensified as he stared out the cockpit, the sea quickly blurring ahead of him as the dark beige coastal sands were rapidly approaching. In an instant, the Shielder slammed the throttle sticks back, viciously changing the ship's momentum as the engines snarled to obey its command of reversing its thrust and hover. The heartless Striker was seen being sent flying forward from underneath, screaming every bit of colorful profanity their whole counterpart could never thought of as he faceplanted the fracturing ground below. The nobody Sentinel appeared in view moments later, keyblade wings flared as he promptly flew over to Kairi's home. 

 

Impacting the sands, the Striker quickly spat out the bits that actually found its way into his mouth. He looked up and saw the world around him fracturing into giant pieces, then floating up to a black hole in the sky. "Aw nuts!!!" he screamed over the howling winds, looking in the general direction of Kairi's home and spotting the winged Sentinel landing on the front porch of the house. The Striker ran as fast as he could, fighting the wind and wet sands as he tried to regroup with him, strength and determination being the only reason how he managed to make good progress on the rendezvous. He saw the door to the house thankfully open, the Overwatch gummi ship landing right besides the house as he saw the Sentinel urgently guiding the scared children and their mother into the ship. "We have to go now!" The Striker heard the nobody scream over the wind, "We can worry about your dad later! You're in danger!" The Striker looked around as he finally got to the loading ramp, pulling security as the Nobody followed the last person to enter: Princess Kairi. He could have sworn hearing Sora's concerned voice over the screaming winds, but couldn't confirm as the ground beneath them started to give way. "Get in! Get in! Get in!" The Sentinel screamed, running up the ramp and inside the ship. The Striker ran inside as well just as the hydraulics started to seal the safe haven from the hostile environment. "Princess Kairi! Secure your kids, we're on Contingency protocols!" the Striker heard the nobody scream. Kairi's daughter was crying as her mother strapped her into an emergency jumpseat, the nobody securing their son. Finished with their safety, the Princess quickly sat down and held on to her jumpseat for dear life, the nobody dropping to one knee as he yelled "Geronimo!" at the top of his lungs.

 

The Striker couldn't react fast enough as the ship listed to the right, making him fall onto the nearby wall as he tried desperately to secure himself. The next moment, he was screaming as he flew across the main galley of the ship, the gummi engines roaring into life and making a great example for the kids. "This is why you always wear seatbelts kids!" he screamed to the children as he flew by, impacting the rear wall and knocking the wind out of him. 

 

Up in the cockpit, alarms of various sounds and intensity were blaring as the Shielder was staring at the orb of darkness swallowing up the world. Engines already at overmax output, multiple screens of displays flickered red as the metal dragon was being pushed over its limits. He pulled hard on the joystick and threw it to the right, the ship listing at an extreme angle as he slammed the throttle controls forward, trying to escape the disintegrating world. "C'mon! Don't let me down!" the Shielder screamed, jamming the throttle controls forward and trying to move the ship out of the danger zone. The whole ship was shaking rather violently as the dark clouds above soon enveloped the outside of the cockpit, essentially blinding the Shielder as he now relied on the instrumentation to evacuate the world. Punching through the clouds, the starry sky finally came into view as the Shielder kept their heading, speed and power output. Glancing up at the rear-view mirror, he watched in horror as the beautiful world of Destiny Islands break up into large chunks of worldly pieces before being consumed. "Not again" he whispered as the world got smaller and smaller until it was covered by the glowing afterburner of the gummi ship.

 

The imminent crisis now over, the Shielder pulled back on the throttle controls, silencing some of the alarms that were still blaring as the ship stopped shaking. "Report!" he screamed to the door behind him. "Princess, Secured!" The nobody yelled back, shakened by the high stress, high speed response of the entire ordeal. "Children secured, ow!" the heartless Striker yelled, trying desperately to peel off the wall that he had become slightly embedded in. The Shielder breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the evacuation was successful. Setting the controls to autopilot, he unbuckled his seatbelts and made his way to the main galley below. 

 

Princess Kairi was still holding onto her jumpseat for dear life, her knuckles whiter than normal and her eyes wide with shock. "You're safe for now, Princess." the Shielder notified her, trying to keep his voice calm. Hearing someone rummaging in the back, the heartless Striker was stumbling towards him, then fell to his knees and continued his efforts to reach the Shielder by crawling. The Sentinel was breathing heavily, looking at the three passengers aboard to make sure no one was left behind. "We're mis-"

 

"We know!" both the Striker and Shielder replied. The Shielder looked over to the shocked princess and speechless kids. "Just... everyone calm down, get your heads back on. We're out of the danger zone and following the Crimson Contingency plans right now. I know this is all happening too fast for some of you. Take all the time you need, and relax. You're all safe now."

Edited November 3, 201311 yr by Javelin434

In the main hall of the Land of Departure's castle, Aqua sat cross legged in the middle of the hall, her head bowed in meditation. Her Keyblade lay across her legs and she sat rigid, ready for something. She opened her eyes to observe the hall, remembering the students that had practiced and lived there. Her thoughts soon drifted back to the time she had been an appearntice, with Ven and Terra with her. But now, only she and Ven remained.

Aqua sighed. She wasn't going to be able to find calm in meditation today. Darkness was returning and she had work to do. She stood up, dismissing her Keyblade as she rose. She looked around the hall, a determined look on her face. The others would be coming. Then they could see about banishing the Darkness again.

 

 

All around him was black. He felt like he was being burned and frozen at the same time. Then came the claws. They tore and stabbed at him. Words repeated themselves over and over.

"Vengeance had come"

Racked with pain and fear, he lifted his head and screamed.

Caenum jerked awake, immediately coming up into a sitting position. His body was tense, ready for battle and his right hand was near the hilt of a blade. He strained his senses, but no one was there. Tension eased in his body and he slumped slightly. He breathed heavily, noticing for the first time he was sweating profusely. He whipped some of it off his forehead, though his hand remained there to support his head.

This had been the third night with nightmares like this. He had been willing to dismiss it as old ghosts, but then stars had been disappearing. An old feeling, like a smell of a sweet candy smelled too often that it made a person sick, Caenum felt darkness.

He pushed himself fully off the pallet he slept on and stumbled over to a sink on the other wall of his room, flicking on a light as he went. The light stung his eyes, forcing him to keep them squinted as he reached the sink. He ran cold water for a few seconds, then splashed it on his face a few times. He shut off the taps and rested his hands on the sink, his head bowed down, letting water run off his face.

He looked up at at the mirror to see his face in the mirror. His long brown hair, with a growing number of grey streaks running through it, was sticking up in odd places from being slept on, his beard was matted to his face from sweat and water. Dark bags under his eyes betrayed how much sleep he had been getting lately.

Caenum snapped his head around as he heard a tentive knock at the door to his room.

"Come in." He said, winching slightly at how hoarse it sounded.

A girl of about 14 years of age opened the door and stepped shyly in. Caenum inwardly cursed himself. He must have cried out for real.

"You alright, Kaylee?" He asked her.

Kaylee shock her head.

"Heard you cry out, like before." She said in a scared tone. "Something bad's gonna happen, right?"

Caenum walked over to the girl and rested a hand on her shoulder. Kaylee was one of the newer residents at the old church Caenum had turned into a sanctuary for the wayward and strays. She had an artists soul and could sketch things Caenum would sware were photos. He managed a smile to help ease the girl's fears.

"Not if I can help it, Kaylee." He assured her, his voice soothing. "Here, we can keep each other safe. Now, go back to bed. Tomorrow will see us."

Kaylee smiled at Caenum, gave him a hug around the waist and headed back to her room, leaving Caenum to wonder how many of the others he had woken up by his yell and if he could truly protect any of them.

A calm wind rustled the leaves. A building collapsed in on itself in the distance. Milo sat on a burned out stump, on the edge of the forest, watching as his home continued to be destroyed. He summoned Lionheart, and looked at it. All he saw in the Keyblade meant for the bravest of wielders, was his own failure. He threw it to the ground, where it stuck into the dirt. It soon returned to his own hand. 'I can't even rid myself of you.' Milo thought to himself, glaring at the weapon in spite. The lion simply looked back at him, as if expecting him to do something about it. Milo dismissed Lionheart. The failed wielder stood, and hunched over as he began to walk. He walked through the still burning village, the families that had resided there, long gone. A burning piece of lumber threatened to fall on him, but Milo quickly eliminated the threat by freezing it without another thought. He soon came to the place where he had fallen, and next to it, the girl he had failed to protect. Milo grimaced at the thought of the darkness destroying her. Destroying it all. Milo kicked the dirt where he had been too weak.

Once more, into the fire...

 

Cody's heartless Striker was speechless as he eyed the princess' children, his mouth slightly agape as he tried to offer comforting words to the children. The nobody Sentinel sharply exhaled as he stretched, then did an about-face and headed to the kitchen in the corner of the main room. Their Lingering Shielder just stood there, leaning against a nearby wall as he stared at the Princess, the green visor and light tan helmet showing no emotion to the recovering Princess. "Mommy?" her son shakily asked, "What's going on?" Her daughter was shaking, softly whimpering as she nervously eyed the Shielder. She looks just like Kairi when she was younger... the heartless mentally remarked, 'cept her hair isn't as red. Oh, the memories... He slowly approached the girl, kneeling down as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Something has happened to your world." the Striker calmly started, "Something bad. We don't know what's going on, but at least we know you're safe. That's all that counts for now." He felt her shaking a little less as she embraced him, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "That man over there is scary." she whispered into his ears. 

 

The Striker formed a wide grin on his face as he started their usual mental communications, absolutely loving the ability to talk with the other entities in secret.

Oi! Shielder! You're scaring the Princess' daughter! Quit being a dick!

The Shielder glanced over to the Striker, then back to the Princess. "Ma'am. As per Crimson Contingency, protocol dictates that we evacuate to Disney Castle for your safety and protection by the Royal Guards."

Kairi, now calm and collecting her thought, slowly exhaled as she digested everything that had happened. Her deep blue eyes then met the cold gaze of the green visor of the Shielder. "Then what?" 

The Shielder looked at her, then at the nervous children. "Our next directive will be Winter Reconciliation."

"And that is?"

"A search and reunion operation. Find your husband, get him back to you."

"So, then where are you headed after you drop us off?"

"First place would be the Land of Departure. Find the other keyblade wielders and see if some can assist us in the search operation." 

"Then I'm coming along with you."

 

The Shielder and Striker looked at her, shocked. "Ma'am?"

"I can wield a keyblade now. You don't have to go on my behalf anymore. This time, I'll fight alongside with you."

"But-"

 

"Directive override, Shielder." The nobody Sentinel interjected, appearing with two hot and hearty meals for the kids. "You know the drill. Whatever she says, you gotta work with."

"What of the children?!" The Striker cried out, now hugging both the son and daughter. "Are you just gonna leave them at the castle?!"

The entities hadn't even thought of how they would feel, rendering them all speechless. "We can't just drop them off and whisk away their mother!"

"But we can't bring them along with us either." The Shielder remarked, "Could put them in too much danger for my tastes."

"And their mother is set on coming along with us, so..." the Sentinel added, "What're we gonna do?"

All three entities focused on Kairi, awaiting for her response. The room became dead silent.

 

The Sentinel broke the eerie tranquility. "We should give her some time to think this through. For now, let's focus on the kids."

The Striker happily obliged, nodding as he motioned the kids to the table in the main room. "Ya know, I once had a crush on your mother." he told the kids, trying to get their mind on something else. "Oh the memories. Cutest girl I have ever seen! Then I got frozen in time like a Popsicle in a freezer... I think I turned blue too."

 

The children giggled as the Shielder snapped. "Striker, don't make me-" he noticed the kids who were near him. "... put you in the time-out chair. Behave yourself." 

"He's a meanie." The Striker whispered to the kids with a calm smile to his face. "I think someone needs a lollipop." As the Sentinel and Striker tried to take care of the kids, the Shielder was still leaning against the wall, waiting for Kairi's final decision....

 

-------

 

Nocturnal Guardian Zero-Five "Luna" awoke from her cryostopga stasis aboard the Forward Unto Dawn, extremely dazed and dizzy as the effects started to wear off. Training taking over, she stumbled out of the pod, not really understanding the effects of the different pods as she collapsed onto the cold metal floor. Several minutes passed as she collected her thoughts, her vision starting to return to normal as she finally differentiated the individual fingers on her hands. She looked up and spotted a mirror, where she quickly realized that she wasn't wearing any clothes. "W...wha?" she shakily breathed, the effects of the stasis sleep still wearing off on the girl. "Where.... a-am I?"

Edited November 6, 201311 yr by Javelin434

A voiced echoed the cryobay.

"MOONRAKER defrost complete. REMEMBRANCE Defrost complete."

To Luna's left, Xion mimiced her, now kneeling on the ground, coughing fluid. She blinked, looking around. "Luna?" She asked carefully, standing. Not caring she was naked (considering what she's done to Luna before) and rubbed the girl's back. "Forward Unto Dawn. Remember? ARCTURUS. We were frozen."

 

"AKATSUKI defrost complete."

 

Zion de Wynter fell flat on her face. Like a boss.

Xion facepalmed and decided to have fun. Straddling Zion, she began a somewhat decent but not at her best massage. "Wake up babe."

"Five more minutes..."

"Luna's naked."

 

Xion did a graceful cartwheel as Zion shot up. "Where."

Zion blinked, realizing where she was. Rubbing her eyes, she covered her breasts out of instinct. "Ok, uh. MOM! I WANT MY CLOTHES NOW!"

 

Helping Luna up, the two kissed her cheeks before helping her into a locker room, where three lockers opened, revealing their preferred outfits. Zion began to get dressed while Xion helped Luna get her senses back before dressing. Zion finished first, and, leaving Luna in Xion's expert care, walked, then jogged as she got feeling back, to the bridge.

Sliding into the captain's chair, she looked as the screen displayed Izzy.

"Gime a sitrep Iz."

"Worlds just were blotted out. Auntie Sarah just initiated every single protocol in existance, essentially. ARCTURUS is deplyoed."

"Great." She rubbed her eyes. "Galactic war. No intel. No wake up sex. Izzy, can this get any worse?""...really?"

"No, that was a joke. I'm not a sex addict." She finally stopped rubbing her eyes. "Ok.You' -"

"I said I wasn't sure of myself as overall. She's informed me Dawn's Overwatch has tactical command of the Third Fleet and are awarded the rank of Admiral."

"...I didn't have sex with her. I swear."

"Yeah, she'd never do that either."

 

Kelsi smacked the back of Zion's head. "Hormones in check."

"Yes mom." Zion got serious. "Initiated ATLANTIS Protocol. Inform Lightning we'll need her help."

"Already done." Lightning herself was walking into the bridge with a clothed Xion and Luna. "I've already had the armies of Valhalla on standbye. The Goddess' throne will be fine - but we must find the cause."

"Izzy?"

"Rendevous at Departure. Third Fleet! Rise!"

 

The Third Fleet began to rise from the bottom of the ocean. As they broke the waves and came skyward, Lightning opened up the Historia Crux. "I've set our destination. We'll arrive..." The ships entered.

"Now."

 

The Third Fleet exited the Historia Crux in orbit of the Land of Departure, setting up a defensive formation. Zion, Xion, and Lightning took Luna to the armory, where they started to ensure their powers were untouched by their freeze.

From the lack of targets, Zion and Xion were good. Lightning was good.

Once Luna was done, Zion opened up a Dawn Gate, and they teleported...

 

Well. Xion, Luna, and Lightning would appear in the middle of the room. Zion ended up falling right on Aqua's head with a comical thud.

"Ow..."

 

________________

 

Kaze frowned, hugging Iruka. "Mom?" He looked over. "What's going on? And who are these people?"

With everything happening at a blurry pace, Luna soon found herself floating about five feet above the grounds of the main courtyard at the Land of Departure. Despite the still lingering effects of the cryostasis, she managed to land feet first onto the solid ground. She let off a giggle as Zion crashed onto Aqua, then helped them both back onto their feet. "The Land of Departure..." Luna sighed, taking in the sights. "I... I've only heard about this place. What are we doing here, Zion?"

 

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

 

Cody's nobody Sentinel relieved the Lingering Shielder from his current post, trying his best to comfort the Princess as the Shielder made his way back to the cockpit. At least the Sentinel looked friendly which sorta helped given the current situation that the family was in, save for their missing father. The winged Sentinel was careful about the whole ordeal, keeping his voice soft and comforting to the best of his limited emotional abilities. "Princess... I hate to pressure you at a time like this, but... what should we do with your children?"

 

Kairi looked unsure, then her face lit up as a realization occurred. "You've already split yourself into three right?"

"We have, Princess Kairi. Anything to minimize the risk of losing you at a critical time like that."
"How long can you stay this way until you have to remerge as a single person?"

"As long as needed. We can do extended operations as separate units. We've done it in training, we can do it again."

"So... Would it be ok for one of you to watch over the kids while the other two come along with me to find Sora?"

"Just say the word Kairi, and it shall be done."

"Ok then. We're bringing the kids along, but they'll stay in the ship. Have one of your entities watch over them. Which one is the best at defending?"

"We're all Guardians, so technically we're all suited for that role. Can you be a little more specific?"

"If... if something was to happen and someone bad tries to hurt them, who would be best suited to protect the kids while attacking back?"

"Then that will be me. I have 14 keyblades under my command, best for the job. I can send my wingblades to surround your kids. No one will be getting close to your kids unless I allow them."
"Then you watch over the kids."

"Yes, ma'am. What of the Contingency?"

"Skip the Disney Castle bit. Where were you gonna visit next?"

"We were gonna go out and find your husband. Our first stop would be the Land of Departure so we could find others to assist in the search."

"Then lets head there."

"Orders acknowledged, Princess."

 

As the Sentinel mentally relayed the new information to the others, the heartless Striker was carefully monitoring the children for any sign of permanent distress. The initial diagnosis didn't look good. "Mom?" the son asked, looking at her. "What's going on? And who are these people?" The Striker realized that no one except for the princess knew about their whole counterpart, much less a third of one. He kneeled next to Kairi's son as he tried to dodge the fact that their world was torn to shreds and they have no idea where their father is. "I technically don't have a name" the Striker calmly and quietly started, "But the others call me Striker. Look, I can't say much about what's going on, we're uh... still trying to figure it out. All that we know is that something bad has happened, and in the meantime us strangers are here to make sure nothing bad happens to you two as we're all uh... going on a little field trip of sorts." He rubbed his neck, trying not to break the kids with the news on the severity of the situation. "If you wanna go sightseeing, head through that door to the cockpit. Otherwise, stay with your mother."

 

Up in the cockpit, the Shielder was busy bringing the gummi ship back from its emergency status. As his fingers danced on the glass screens of the engine and internal camera consoles, a familiar voice popped in his head.

Sentinel to Shielder, Kairi wants to tag along as we go to the Land of Departure.

Overriding the ship's autopilot controls, he pulled on the joystick until the nose of the ship pointed at a familiar and distant star.

What of the children?

I'm being assigned to watch over them while you and Striker accompany her on the search for Sora.

Sounds like a plan.

 

Kairi made her way over to her kids, giving them a comforting hug as the full scope of what had happened finally clicked. "We're going away from home for a while" she told Kaze, "And these people are sworn protectors of us. Don't worry about them, they're here to help you."

Edited November 6, 201311 yr by Javelin434

Aqua groaned from underneath Zion.

"Please try the door next time." She managed as she pulled herself out from under Zion and got up.

She looked at Zion, Xion, Lightning and Luna, smiling slightly.

"You are hopefully here to help with this crisis." She replied to Luna. "It is good to see you all."

 

Knowing that he would not be able to go back to sleep, Caenum got dressed and left his room, heading out of the dorm wing. He found the flight of stairs down he wanted and followed them to the gym/training room. He walked over to a rack filled with wood training weapons and pulled out a wooden long sword. He swished it through the air a few times to get a feel for it, then walked over to a padded section of the floor.

Taking a deep breath, he began some sword drills he had learned long ago, in what felt like a different life. It had been so much brighter then. His he and his training blade weaved complicated patterns, he became aware that some one was watching him. He stopped, then whirled around, bring his wooden sword in for a strike. There was a loud crack sound as wood struck wood.

"Good firm defense." Caenum said approvingly as he smiled.

A boy of about 16 wearing what some would describe as "punk rocker" grab was holding a wooden ax in front of him, blocking Caenum's sword.

"It's not like you haven't hit the ax out of my hands enough times." Said the boy, jokingly.

 

Link to the OOC and Signups: http://kh13.com/forum/topic/64921-light-fall-ooc-and-sign-ups/

 

Lets Get This Show On The Road

Roaring wind and swirling blacks and purples blanketed everything, eyes squeezed shut as the world stretched and tore; pulled backward through the Space Between, there was nothing that could be done as the island was ripped into infinitesimal pieces in the darkness beneath his feet. His brown hair was matted down hard against his head, damp and cold against his forehead. His arms were pressed to his sides as he traveled, though he wouldn't have had the strength to fight whatever was pulling him along if he wanted to. He ground his teeth, pulled faster and faster through the darkness, feeling as though his legs might be left behind if it didn't slow down.

 

Bright white light suddenly burst through the tiny gap in his eyelids. The blue eyes snapped open as the urgent pulling sensation gave way to gravity; his arms and legs came free, his neck snapping up to see what he was flying toward as he was blasted from the portal, long black claws raking out after his body, snaking through the air toward him, as if it were going to snatch him like a fish on a hook and send him whizzing back the other way. Arms came up to shield his body unnecessarily; the short-lived portal snapped shut only moments after his exit, the shadowy claws bursting into wisps of smoke before his eyes. His moment of relief was cut off by the wall. Sneaky buggers, walls.

 

His body clung to its yellowed surface for a moment, leaving the former Keyblade Master to slowly peel off and fall to the dirt with an unceremonious 'flumpf'. Pain reverberated through all his limbs, spreading from the back of his head. His bare hands were scraped and already covered in dirt and sand, and shaking as he tried to bring his arms under him to bear his weight. "No... No no..." He coughed, his whole body shuddering once as his arm slipped, bringing him back down to the earth.

 

Lying on his stomach for minutes that felt like lifetimes, he closed his blue eyes once more, silently wishing himself away from his dirty resting spot, his mind forcing him to relive the incident once more.

 

He'd been sitting on the floor of his house, back against one of the couches in the living room, that silly ear to ear grin spread over his face, his hands wrapped around a spiky auburn haired young boy, both of them laughing as they wrestled on the floor. A typical summer night, it seemed; roughhousing on the floor, shooed inside by an oncoming storm. As twilight wore into evening, and his son was ushered on to bed by his wife, the retired Keybearer took the moment to relax, letting his head sink down into the cushions of the couch, staring up at the ceiling fan as it spun hypnotically slowly. The smile still on his lips, he pushed himself to his feet. "Dad?" A shaky voice of a younger girl, echoing down the stairs to him. As she asked him to come up, he was already taking two steps at a time, for no particular reason other than he could! He hopped around the corner, poking his head into the room. Another auburn haired kid was kneeling on the bed in her pajamas, pointing out the window to something. Sora chuckled, pushing some of his own light brown locks out of his eyes as he walked over to the window to see what was so startling. "It's just a squall; you remember how they turn the sky funny colors." He took a look for himself, despite his own assurances. Blinking a few times, he pushed off the window sill, standing frozen in the middle of the room for a long moment.

 

Before he'd fully registered what he was doing, he'd thrown on actual clothes and was beating feet out the door; just a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt, as his old adventuring outfit didn't really fit him anymore. The Keybearer was in a hurry in any case. He never would have been any the wiser if he hadn't looked out the window... Just woulda gone to bed...

 

He skidded to a halt in the grass in front of the mayor's home, fists clenched tight as he glared up at the figure. It was as black as the sky all around it, like a shadow in a dark room, and the only thing lighting it up was its hands held up to the sky: thin white bolts of lightning were arcing up every few seconds, becoming more and more frequent until the moment Sora arrived. The man on the rooftop lowered his arms to his sides, the hood peering vacantly downward; its contents were a mysterious void in the shadow. As they stared each other down, the skin on the back of his arms was crawling, spreading slowly up to his neck and then spreading down his spine. How he'd managed to miss such overwhelming darkness...

 

His bright blue eyes snapped open again, bringing him back to the bit of dirt he was recovering on. His head was still aching, pulsing throughout the rest of his limbs, but he managed to control his arms enough to bring his body upright, leaning back on his wall, blinking slowly at the world he'd arrived in. "The Land of Departure, huh...? Aqua..." he murmured to himself, pushing off the wall and stumbling up the hilly path that led to the main building.

 

He was back on the grassy field in front of the mayor's house, golden flashes all round his hands as the paired Keyblades appeared. The hood jerked backward, as if the person underneath had let out a chuckle. Leaning forward, the cloaked figure was off the rooftop in an instant. Gloved fingertips, arcing white sparks, were centimeters from his face before Sora realized he needed to move. Leaning back, he swung Fenrir hard, connecting awkwardly as he fell to the ground. The hooded figure vanished into a puff of smoke, leaving the Keybearer to stare at it for a moment, wondering what had just happened before white light lit up everything above him. His head snapped forward; the man was suspended in the air in a spin, hands pressed together, wild arcs of electricity shooting off to nothing around him as he brought the hands to bear. A sudden release of pressure in the air for a split second, and everything went silent... Just for a second.

 

Sora was skidding backwards over the grass, his heels catching on something as his momentum carried him along, sending him spinning and tumbling back until he finally rolled to a stop on the edge of the beach. Water rushed through his fried pant legs, two still-smoking handprints on the back of his calves where the connection was made. The remnants of the attack were still making him twitch and spasm when he heard slow, deliberate footsteps moving steadily closer. "To think... that this is all the force to be mustered... by the strongest of the Wielders."

 

He reached the interior of the keep, still supporting his sore body on door frames and walls as he staggered his way up the hill. His soaked jeans weren't helping at all, as the slightest breeze sent chills up his spine, making him feel even more lifeless than Sora thought possible. He called for anyone, receiving no reply as he tried to make his way down corridors and up staircases. It seemed the masters in training had already fled, and Master Aqua was gone with them.

 

As he mounted the final spiral staircase, he was leaning heavily on the banister, and nearly toppled back down when he finally came to the landing. Doors up and down the dormitory were left wide open, the contents of some strewn out into the hallway; one door looked like it had been blasted or torn off its hinges. The heavy oak doors at the end of the corridor was barely cracked open, but scorch marks marred every inch around it. His voice was caught in his throat, reaching out to push on one of the handles, which looked as though someone had tried to melt it away, the barrier creaking slowly as he entered. "Empty... What could have happened here..." His mumbled words gave away his despair, as he sunk down inside the Master bedroom, his back pressed to the door.

 

The points of his Keyblades were digging hard into the sand, as Sora used them to prop his body upright, two more scorched hand prints on his back. He was panting hard now, his whole body weighted down with water, long brown locks sticking across his face and forehead as he stood at the edge of the island, his bright blue eyes just barely able to make out the curved tree where he and his friends had spent so many carefree days and nights, wondering up the unforgettable experiences they might have on other worlds. Half-lidded and trying to wipe sweat and a sticky crimson substance from his eyes, he heard another boom of thunder from across the main island, bringing up his Keyblades as he waited for the shadow to strike once more, hoping to catch it off guard and land a lucky blow. A hefty gust of wind rushed past, a precursor to the danger that was causing it, Sora gritting his teeth hard as he waited for sudden pain. "What good are you?" The voice was hard and hushed, the sand around the shadowy figure's feet swirling around him as he came to a sudden halt, making the Keybearer stumble backwards as he tried to figure out where his opponent was coming from so quickly. "Well... No use wasting time... Hardly worth the effort... Doubt you're going to save anyone..." The hood turned, looking down along the dunes, catching sight of the woman with her long auburn hair flowing in the breeze. "Least of all, your friends..."

 

Another boom broke the clouds above them, and everything started to swirl. Pieces of houses were already being pulled in, ripped out of the ground as winds immediately started to gust over the islands. Sora took off down the beach toward his home, all thought of the battle gone, only wanting to reach her before everything was ripped apart again. The ground shifted, a column of earth shifting up in front of him, leaving his section of beach to sink below the raging waves, foaming as they rushed in toward him. He leapt up, managing to drag his worn out frame onto the section of land above him.Almost there... Just a bit more...

 

His feet sank into the sand as he ran, hopping over fractures that were appearing all along the island, yelling for her to grab the kids and go, to run, to get away... A palm wrapped around the back of his head, pushing him forward into the sand. It wrenched his head back, holding him down to watch what was going to happen... "Ahh... my favorite part... the sappy goodbyes..." Twisting and trying to fight away from the grip on top of his head, he felt a knee crushing down on his back, and the hand, bunching up in his head, yanked hard. Pops issued all along Sora's spine. The earth shifted again, the house suddenly dropping down several feet, before the whole piece of land started to shift. The swirling clouds, glowing bright yellow in the middle and turning purple along the outside edges, were a sickening whirl of color overhead as they drifted toward the eye. The movement was enough to unbalance the shadow, Sora's arm wheeling around over his head, actually feeling the connection this time: Sleeping Lion managed to catch right along his attacker's chest, knocking the shadow of a man flat on his ass. The Keyblade Wielder jumped to his feet, ready to try and jump the gap, but he saw the look on his wife's face... she'd made it outside again, his son and daughter holding onto her tightly, both of them calling for him to hurry. It was the sad little smile, the sort she hadn't worn in years, and that slight shake of her head, that kept him standing right on the edge of the abyss. "Remember what I said?! I still mean it!..."

 

His eyes open once more, still sitting alone in what had been Aqua's bedroom, his back resting on the door and his legs sprawling out across the tile floor. His body no longer shook as he rose once more, testing his grip as he turned to a wardrobe next to the entryway. He pried it open, finding nothing but a burnished plaque inside: "Step right up." He pulled off his tattered clothes, the hand prints on his back and chest making the shirt flimsy to the point of almost disintegration, and did as he was told; his last words to Kairi were ringing in his ears as he shut the door, feeling warmth surround his body.

 

Being electrified and shot through space can make it easy to forget who you are sometimes...

 

The doors sprung open again, giving him enough light to see what had been done. He flexed his glove-covered palms, looking over the scuff marks on his fingertips, the only visible reminder of what had just happened. "Remember... I'm always a part of you, too. And I'll come find you; always will..." The glove squeaked as he clenched his fist, the grin slipping back onto his face as he straightened out his jacket, throwing the doors open and strode back down the mangled corridors. "Kairi... Riku... I'm coming to get you... Seems like our war isn't over yet..."

 

(-__- Uh paperweight i had Ventus FIND SORA AS THE SECOND POST OF THIS RP AND YOU HAVENT RESPONDED. COME ON MAN, YOU'RE THE CREATOR OF THIS RP YOU HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE.)

Aqua groaned from underneath Zion. "Please try the door next time." She managed as she pulled herself out from under Zion and got up.She looked at Zion, Xion, Lightning and Luna, smiling slightly."You are hopefully here to help with this crisis." She replied to Luna. "It is good to see you all."Knowing that he would not be able to go back to sleep, Caenum got dressed and left his room, heading out of the dorm wing. He found the flight of stairs down he wanted and followed them to the gym/training room. He walked over to a rack filled with wood training weapons and pulled out a wooden long sword. He swished it through the air a few times to get a feel for it, then walked over to a padded section of the floor. Taking a deep breath, he began some sword drills he had learned long ago, in what felt like a different life. It had been so much brighter then. His he and his training blade weaved complicated patterns, he became aware that some one was watching him. He stopped, then whirled around, bring his wooden sword in for a strike. There was a loud crack sound as wood struck wood."Good firm defense." Caenum said approvingly as he smiled.A boy of about 16 wearing what some would describe as "punk rocker" grab was holding a wooden ax in front of him, blocking Caenum's sword. "It's not like you haven't hit the ax out of my hands enough times." Said the boy, jokingly.

A dark mist flowed through the doors into the training room. An eerie feeling would course through Caenum. A scream was heard elsewhere in the building. "I didn't want to do this..." A voice hissed from the darkness. It was vaguely feminine, but definitely evil in nature. "I have been told by my master that you will stand in my way." The voice repeated. As the darkness filled the room even more, a flash of black was seen out of the corner of Caenum's eyes. "And I cannot have that. No... No one may be able to stand in my path..." The voice seemed to grow more determined, more intent upon her path. Another scream echoed through the orphanage. Another flash of black, this one a bit more visible. It appeared to be a human, a teenage girl almost. The dark mist had fully enveloped the room. "You can make this easier on me... Stand down..." The voice whispered in Caenum's ear.

HIkaru wandered through Traverse Town When he sensed something was...wrong. Like that time...Those things attacked. I-I cant leave  that place alone..He thought That power... may lead me to more answers. All of a sudden, an oval shaped object opened up out of nowhere. It called out to  him. Is it going to take me somewhere?  to that power? He stepped closer and closer, until he was...in a place he had never seen before. Wood weapons lined on some of the walls ​Training hall....He sensed the power was closer now.  With chills on his  spine, he ventured forth.

Caenum whirled around and stared at the dark figure of the girl. He gritted his teeth as he heard the screams.

"Joey, get people out." He ordered

"But-" Joey began.

"Do it! No time to explain."

Joey nodded and ran out of the room. Caenum threw the wooden sword away from himself, then raised his hands up to show he had no weapons.

"If you want me, fine, but leave the others out of this. You don't have to hurt them."

His eyes narrowed as he tried to get another glimpse of the girl.

"You don't have to do this at all. Please, let me help you."

Caenum caught sight of someone else. A boy, but none of the residence. He hoped he had the sense to get out.

Hikaru hid behind a wall to observe the figures.  He saw the other figures leave from the girl, who seemed to be the source of the power he was searching for. Is she.. going to hurt them.... he thought. For what purpose? I'll wait this out . 

The gilded hem of the long, taupe coat trailed along at his heels as room after room went by again, the flames embroidered along the back flicking and shining, near enough to make them look alive, as his freshly gloved palms ran over the burn marks that were scattered throughout the dormitory hallway. Under the scuffed and sore tips of the spiky brown haired Keyblade Master's fingers, the stone felt so brittle he thought he might have been able to break a piece off. It looked as though a dozen or more explosions had rocked just this part of the castle, leaving everything blasted and broken in its wake, having made its way up the stairs to the Great Hall, and leaving a pile of debris and kindling resting at the foot of the stairs. The fingers curled into a fist, slamming it down on the center of a scorch mark. Shafts of light filtered through a hail of dust and debris that shook loose form the wall, coating Sora down to the shoulders, blowing off swiftly as he rushed back out the lower door to the training yard.

 

Resting his palms on his knees, racking for gasps and letting his head sink down, he felt the remnants of the palm prints tingling on his chest, parting gifts from his opponent, the one who had destroyed his home... Taken him away from his family... It was him... His watery blue eyes stung as he looked back to the castle, looking over the door bar, snapped as cleanly in two as if someone had gone to it with an axe, the burn marks left all around the outside...

 

Of course Riku had been right...

 

Wind ripped through his hair again; fingers dug hard into the collar of his shirt, yanking him back down to the ground. Sparks arced across every one of the man's free fingers, the deep black cloak whipping around his waist as he stood over the fallen Keyblade Master. Without hesitation, the hand came down, and lightning cracked the sky once more, illuminating everything in terrifying relief for the briefest of moments. The man straightened up, leaving the spiky brown haired man to lie battered and beaten, finally beaten in the sands of his home. The earth creaked and groaned beneath them, waves lapping up to them suddenly as they sank a foot, but then their sundered bit of land started to lift away from the rest, moving up toward the bright yellow clouds, swirling furiously with reds and purples as bits of the Destiny Islands were finally swallowed up into the pitch black at the very center. Tipping his head back to the rain, the Man in Black spoke softly again, rousing the broken Keybearer from his shocked stupor. 
 

"Honestly... How you managed to save anyone... It's a bit of a mystery."

 

The hood twisted down to look at its target, the rush of movement still pulling at the hem of his cloak as they made their way skyward. His whole body felt stiff as he lay on the ground, pain pulsing across every frayed and shocked nerve ending, barely able to shift his body as the man in black peered from the shadows of his hood. "Look at your home. Broken... Destroyed... And never going to return. And those poor people... Think of it... You couldn't save a single one... Not even your own family." There was a scoff, and a gust of wind nearly took the hood away from his face, a tuft of brown hair the only piece of his head that became visible before gloved fingertips caught the edge and pulled it down tight once more. "'Keyblade Master Sora'..." The gloved hand reached down, pulling him up to his feet, letting them look at one another for a moment, with the spiky haired man struggling at his challenger's wrist, trying weakly to free himself, freezing as the man in black hissed his last words, "You should have listened to Riku."

 

Suddenly he was in the air, the shadowy figure standing on the hunk of earth far below him, hands pressed together and sparks building all over his fingertips, arcing like some kind of Frankenstein machine, a tiny glowing orb suddenly pushing his palms apart, and sparks shot out into the air all around his hands. Even as Sora was hurtling away from the man, he could feel the tingle of static in the air, as if a massive bolt of lightning were about to strike. There was a whisper of air unlike the rushing wind all around him, looking up just in time to see a dark portal split open above him, and to hear the man in black below him bellow his displeasure.

 

His spikes rustled as his head came up again, peering out over the unharmed hills that rolled to the horizon, where he knew the waterfalls poured off endlessly. The verdant grass beneath his feet whispered safety in the calm breeze; a lie, he supposed, glancing back at the breached doorway. Taking one last deep breath, he rose to his full height again, feeling a bit more like himself finally as he started to walk. Where he was going, he didn't know yet, but this world was still here, and that meant someone could be as well.

 

His confident strides didn't take him far, however, as his third step took him down over a ledge, a ledge that was much higher than one would normally step off confidently. Falling long enough to whoop his surprise, he landed facefirst in the dirt with a mouthful of that damn stupid lying grass. Propping himself up once again, he heard the voice, imagining it for a moment to be his own, until the other man came around in front of him, kneeling down, a worried look on his face. "V-Ventus!" His words were immediately succeeded by a coughing fit, as he brought up some of the dirt he'd managed to swallow in his brief debacle with gravity. "You're here... You made it."

 

His brown spikes rustled as he pushed himself up rather ungracefully to wrap his arms tightly around the other Keybearer, if only out of relief that not all of his friends were lost. "Aqua!" He said suddenly, pushing the blonde man way and holding tight onto his shoulders. "Did Aqua survive too?" The silence between them was broken by an echoing crash and a flurry of shouts and squeals coming from the Great Hall. Sora's head snapped around so fast he might as well have broken his own neck, taking off toward the massive doors that lead into the Master's Hall. "Come on, Ventus! Sounds like more than one person might need help in there!"

 

He threw his shoulder against the seam of the double doors, flinging them aside so hard a boom echoed along the massive ceiling and made the stained glass windows chime in their elegantly formed frames, and bringing his steely Keyblades to bear, pointing them at the two closest figures, which just so happened to be the woman with light pink hair and the short raven-haired girl, his blue eyes narrowed and ready to strike at the first foul move.

 

 

 

The fragments of the Destiny Islands swirled around his head, each piece breaking apart as they drifted closer and closer to the pitch black pinhole at the center, where his pale blue eyes were focused. Despite feeling all of the wind rushing around him, the man in black heard none of it, far too busy recounting just what had happened. The foolhardy Keybearer had been his, mere moments from death, and then the portal... Not exactly a common tool for those of the Light. Only one, really, but he knew that to be impossible. Even his shadow, which was barely a wisp of his form as it had been cut off by the portal snapping shut, had failed to retrieve the man. Humming quietly, he turned on the spot, facing out to the blanket of darkness that had once been a starlit night sky. As he started to steadily sink down into the remnants of his shadow, there was a weight upon his mind: the Keyblade Masters might yet prove some trouble.

Edited November 8, 201311 yr by PaperWeight

Zion rubbed the back of her head as she got off of Aqua. Xion patted her head, smiling softly.

"Something's wrong. The World of Gummis is under attack after suddenly dozens upon hundreds of stars went out." Zion looked troubled. "We were given the RESURRECTION Protocol. That was in case everything was going to hell. I'm scared it really is going to hell now."

 

Lightning slipped up. "And it happened fast enough even I could not warn them. that alone tells that something bad is happening."

Pressing several holographic buttons on a glass console, the lonely Shielder was busying himself as he assessed the ship. His beaked golden-tan helmet showed no emotion as the cold gaze of the emerald visor reflected the cool blue glow of the all glass displays. Satisfied that the ship wasn't in any danger of mechanical failures, the masked entity let off a sigh of relief just as the Princess walked up next to him, then promptly sat down in the rather plush hot-seat next to him. "ETA to Land of Departure, 5 minutes" the entity calmly informed, looking outside the crystal canopy to soak in the deceptive beauty of the stars and space in the Lanes-between. He glanced over to the auburn haired princess, and noticed the subtle signs of lingering distress. "If you need to rest and recover, the bedroom in the back is all yours, ma'am. LoD is a relative safe haven, so if you need more than 5 minutes you're more than welcome to take as much time as needed to fully recover."

 

"I won't recover until I find Sora." Kairi's voice was a gentle whisper as she glanced at the distant twinkling stars, pressing her soft right hand against the cold hard glass of the canopy. "I won't rest until I find him. For all we know, we may have lost him back at the Islands." The silent entity could only stare at the woman as tears formed in her eyes, being specifically informed long ago by their spontaneous heartless that condolences and offering comforting words wasn't exactly his strong suit. The gentle hum of the twin ion engines aboard the gummi ship Overwatch was the only sound combating the eerie stillness as the world where keyblade wielders train got closer and bigger in view. Kairi could only look as the stoic entity started a well rehearsed dance with the controls, going through an all too familiar procedure as the ship started to shake rhythmically. "Commencing re-entry procedures" the entity said aloud as the others formed up besides him. All they could do was stare as the pristine and wispy white clouds quickly enveloped the black and white mechanical dragon, blinding the pilot yet again as the emerald green visor quickly looked down at the instrumentation. "Waypoint set. Landing zone confirmed: Courtyard. 5 miles and closing." As the shaking became less intense, their lively heartless had a realization. "Hey, if we're doing extended operations as separate entities, we should consider remerging whenever we get the chance. Minimize the side effects of staying apart too long, ya know?"

 

Their winged nobody couldn't agree more. "Best idea I've heard in a while. Lets do that once we land." 

"2 miles and closing."

 

As the drone of the engines got more higher pitched with the task of slowing down the hunk of flying gummi, the reserved Shielder pulled on the joystick, flaring the ship  as they approached the pristine cobblestone landing zone. Engines in full reverse and vertical thrust, the ship gently coasted to a standstill directly above their final destination. "75 feet, beginning final descent." The sound of the landing gears solidly locking into place beneath them was music to their ears as the ship began its controlled fall, kicking up a respectable dust cloud as the rubber tires made contact with the pavement below. Immediately idling the engines, as soon as the quiet pilot released his hands from the controls, the other entities started their merge. Placing a hand on either side of the Shielder's shoulders, the trio glowed as the nobody and heartless started to fade away. Their merge complete, Cody now held his armored head in slight pain as the individual memories of the trio seamlessly reintegrated with their whole counterpart, their collective experiences akin to a paranoid kid imagining all the different solutions to a fake scenario. But the memories were real, and as the headache died away Cody took a good look at the auburn-haired princess. The emotions of infatuation towards the woman were quickly repressed as he examined the surroundings outside the glass windows of the cockpit. "Consider taking your kids outside, Kairi" the armored Guardian suggested, "let them have some fresh air and stretch for a bit. The scenery here should take their minds off what has happened so far." 

 

The Princess gently nodded. "Ok" she whispered, "I'll go inside then and see if I can find more keyblade wielders."

"I'm coming along with you."

 

She turned to face him as the vigilant protector once again turned his magical weapon against himself, splitting his heart into three and reforming the trio of defenders. As the quiet sentiment stretched his legs and the nobody went over to the kids, the rather flamboyant heartless was already making his way outside. "Let's go princess! It's showtime!"

Edited November 9, 201311 yr by Javelin434

The gilded hem of the long, taupe coat trailed along at his heels as room after room went by again, the flames embroidered along the back flicking and shining, near enough to make them look alive, as his freshly gloved palms ran over the burn marks that were scattered throughout the dormitory hallway. Under the scuffed and sore tips of the spiky brown haired Keyblade Master's fingers, the stone felt so brittle he thought he might have been able to break a piece off. It looked as though a dozen or more explosions had rocked just this part of the castle, leaving everything blasted and broken in its wake, having made its way up the stairs to the Great Hall, and leaving a pile of debris and kindling resting at the foot of the stairs. The fingers curled into a fist, slamming it down on the center of a scorch mark. Shafts of light filtered through a hail of dust and debris that shook loose form the wall, coating Sora down to the shoulders, blowing off swiftly as he rushed back out the lower door to the training yard.

 

Resting his palms on his knees, racking for gasps and letting his head sink down, he felt the remnants of the palm prints tingling on his chest, parting gifts from his opponent, the one who had destroyed his home... Taken him away from his family... It was him... His watery blue eyes stung as he looked back to the castle, looking over the door bar, snapped as cleanly in two as if someone had gone to it with an axe, the burn marks left all around the outside...

 

Of course Riku had been right...

 

Wind ripped through his hair again; fingers dug hard into the collar of his shirt, yanking him back down to the ground. Sparks arced across every one of the man's free fingers, the deep black cloak whipping around his waist as he stood over the fallen Keyblade Master. Without hesitation, the hand came down, and lightning cracked the sky once more, illuminating everything in terrifying relief for the briefest of moments. The man straightened up, leaving the spiky brown haired man to lie battered and beaten, finally beaten in the sands of his home. The earth creaked and groaned beneath them, waves lapping up to them suddenly as they sank a foot, but then their sundered bit of land started to lift away from the rest, moving up toward the bright yellow clouds, swirling furiously with reds and purples as bits of the Destiny Islands were finally swallowed up into the pitch black at the very center. Tipping his head back to the rain, the Man in Black spoke softly again, rousing the broken Keybearer from his shocked stupor. 

 

"Honestly... How you managed to save anyone... It's a bit of a mystery."

 

The hood twisted down to look at its target, the rush of movement still pulling at the hem of his cloak as they made their way skyward. His whole body felt stiff as he lay on the ground, pain pulsing across every frayed and shocked nerve ending, barely able to shift his body as the man in black peered from the shadows of his hood. "Look at your home. Broken... Destroyed... And never going to return. And those poor people... Think of it... You couldn't save a single one... Not even your own family." There was a scoff, and a gust of wind nearly took the hood away from his face, a tuft of brown hair the only piece of his head that became visible before gloved fingertips caught the edge and pulled it down tight once more. "'Keyblade Master Sora'..." The gloved hand reached down, pulling him up to his feet, letting them look at one another for a moment, with the spiky haired man struggling at his challenger's wrist, trying weakly to free himself, freezing as the man in black hissed his last words, "You should have listened to Riku."

 

Suddenly he was in the air, the shadowy figure standing on the hunk of earth far below him, hands pressed together and sparks building all over his fingertips, arcing like some kind of Frankenstein machine, a tiny glowing orb suddenly pushing his palms apart, and sparks shot out into the air all around his hands. Even as Sora was hurtling away from the man, he could feel the tingle of static in the air, as if a massive bolt of lightning were about to strike. There was a whisper of air unlike the rushing wind all around him, looking up just in time to see a dark portal split open above him, and to hear the man in black below him bellow his displeasure.

 

His spikes rustled as his head came up again, peering out over the unharmed hills that rolled to the horizon, where he knew the waterfalls poured off endlessly. The verdant grass beneath his feet whispered safety in the calm breeze; a lie, he supposed, glancing back at the breached doorway. Taking one last deep breath, he rose to his full height again, feeling a bit more like himself finally as he started to walk. Where he was going, he didn't know yet, but this world was still here, and that meant someone could be as well.

 

His confident strides didn't take him far, however, as his third step took him down over a ledge, a ledge that was much higher than one would normally step off confidently. Falling long enough to whoop his surprise, he landed facefirst in the dirt with a mouthful of that damn stupid lying grass. Propping himself up once again, he heard the voice, imagining it for a moment to be his own, until the other man came around in front of him, kneeling down, a worried look on his face. "V-Ventus!" His words were immediately succeeded by a coughing fit, as he brought up some of the dirt he'd managed to swallow in his brief debacle with gravity. "You're here... You made it."

 

His brown spikes rustled as he pushed himself up rather ungracefully to wrap his arms tightly around the other Keybearer, if only out of relief that not all of his friends were lost. "Aqua!" He said suddenly, pushing the blonde man way and holding tight onto his shoulders. "Did Aqua survive too?" The silence between them was broken by an echoing crash and a flurry of shouts and squeals coming from the Great Hall. Sora's head snapped around so fast he might as well have broken his own neck, taking off toward the massive doors that lead into the Master's Hall. "Come on, Ventus! Sounds like more than one person might need help in there!"

 

He threw his shoulder against the seam of the double doors, flinging them aside so hard a boom echoed along the massive ceiling and made the stained glass windows chime in their elegantly formed frames, and bringing his steely Keyblades to bear, pointing them at the two closest figures, which just so happened to be the woman with light pink hair and the short raven-haired girl, his blue eyes narrowed and ready to strike at the first foul move.

 

 

 

The fragments of the Destiny Islands swirled around his head, each piece breaking apart as they drifted closer and closer to the pitch black pinhole at the center, where his pale blue eyes were focused. Despite feeling all of the wind rushing around him, the man in black heard none of it, far too busy recounting just what had happened. The foolhardy Keybearer had been his, mere moments from death, and then the portal... Not exactly a common tool for those of the Light. Only one, really, but he knew that to be impossible. Even his shadow, which was barely a wisp of his form as it had been cut off by the portal snapping shut, had failed to retrieve the man. Humming quietly, he turned on the spot, facing out to the blanket of darkness that had once been a starlit night sky. As he started to steadily sink down into the remnants of his shadow, there was a weight upon his mind: the Keyblade Masters might yet prove some trouble.

Ven heard the clashing sounds from the g reat hall as well. "AQUA! Ok Sora, lets go!" Ventus dashed to the great hall and summoned his keyblade for battle. He rushed in through the doors after Sora and pointed his keyblade at the 2 women. "Who are you, and why are you here?"

Edited November 9, 201311 yr by spiderfreak1011

Aqua moved in between the two groups, Sora and Ven on one side, Xion, Zion and Lightning on the other.

"Don't you recognize Xion?" She scolded Sora and Ven. "She went off with a member of the Gummi fleet, Zion. I have only heard of their friend, Lightning, by reputation, but they are all friends. We can't be jumping at each other throats."

She held out her hands to both groups, trying to make sure they would remain calm.

Hikaru had barely made it out of that battle alive. He also couldn't deal with the fact that he flinched, and decided to run away. He had managed to find another one of those dark hole things. Severely injured and tired, he walked, not knowing where he was. All he saw was a a peculiar brown haired person, making with what seemed to be his friends. "H-help me..." he said with struggle in his voice."I-I don't want to die..."

Edited November 9, 201311 yr by DEADACCOUNT2333

Aqua moved in between the two groups, Sora and Ven on one side, Xion, Zion and Lightning on the other."Don't you recognize Xion?" She scolded Sora and Ven. "She went off with a member of the Gummi fleet, Zion. I have only heard of their friend, Lightning, by reputation, but they are all friends. We can't be jumping at each other throats."She held out her hands to both groups, trying to make sure they would remain calm.

"Oh right, sorry. It's been so long since we fought Xehanort, i forgot her appearence." Ven looked at the pink hair girl called Lightning. "And who is this woman? Do you know her Aqua?"

"Striker, you take point."

"Yeah, yeah I'm on it, geez."

 

The Nocturnal Guardian's bubbly heartless was the first entity out of the gummi ship when the loading ramp touched down with an unceremonious 'thud'. As the thick rubber sole of the Striker's armored boot made contact with the rather pristine pavement of the courtyard, he was running off to secure the area. Their precious Princess followed not long after, being escorted by a heavily armed, armor clad, arrow-subrifle and keyblade wielding defender who also has another sub-rifle floating directly above his left shoulder. The innocent yet weary blue eyes of the Princess slowly examined the surroundings of the Land of Departure as the heartless defender finished checking up on the place. He was at the base of the stairs that led up to the pointy structures directly ahead of them when he noticed a rather obvious sign. "Be advised!" the entity yelled to the just out-of-earshot princess, "it looks like there's been a struggle of sorts!" He pointed to the open door of the main building behind him as the cold, emerald gaze of the Lingering Shielder stared in his direction. The forward defending entity then saw three shadowy figures exiting the parked gummi ship, and soon realized that their nobody Sentinel had let them out to ease the trauma on the poor children. He felt his heart fragment sank as the confused and frantic eyes of the children looked everywhere, realizing that they're no longer home and wondering if their beloved father was anywhere. "By Kingdom Hearts, please let something good happen" the emotional heartless whispered under his breath, "these children don't deserve this, nor the princess..."

 

Kairi was slowly taking in the scenery as she took a deep breath. The misty scent of the distant waterfalls and clean, pure air from the sea of pristine green grass greeted her senses as the moist, calm breeze gently caressed her creamy cheeks. She slowly exhaled, putting the nearby silent Guardian at ease as he looked up towards their heartless counterpart. "This doesn't look good" he calmly remarked, noticing a giant dark hole where an impressive door should be standing.  "This place was supposed to be a safe haven." The calm voice of the reassuring protector turned into a seething growl. "I don't need any more bad news." The armed princess looked where the heartless Guardian was pointing. She felt a tug at her heart. "Sora..." she whispered under her breath, her legs slowly taking steps towards the ominous omen as her eyes stared blankly at the hole. "Ma'am?" she heard the Shielder behind her asked, "What are you doing?"

 

Meanwhile, the winged Sentinel had invited the children outside. "You can use the fresh air" he coldly informed the Princess' son, absolutely forgetting to emulate the emotion known as compassion. He gave himself a well deserved facepalm as the realization occurred to him, then cleared his throat as he tried to copy their heartless' happy-go-lucky attitude. "No point staying in a tin can all day!" As the children cautiously exited the safety of the gummi ship, a genuine and heartfelt smile formed on the nobody's face. I can't believe I just said that... he mentally remarked to himself, then remembered that the other entities should at least be informed of his decisions as he started a mental message to the others.

 

Sentinel to others, be advise the children are outside the ship.

Shielder, gotcha. Get ready to move them back in on command. I got a bad feeling about this place.

Striker here, understood. Don't scare them too much ya lunky-headed fuzzbrain...

Lightning turned slightly, not really worried. Xion turned fully, looking to Sora.

"I haven't changed a bit, have I, Sora?" Xion said softly. "Barely a day since your heart gave mine a body. Or have you forgotten?" Xion spun, twirling like a dancer, and her organization coat appeared on her, covering her outfit. "Now do you remember me?"

Zion tucked Luna behind her before stepping forward, unthreateningly. She observed them cooly as the two were told down by Aqua.

"I would prefer if you all did not threaten my wife." She said evenly. "I'd rather not hurt you. There already is enough grief."

 

Lightning rested a hand on Zion's head and ruffled her hair. The girl closed her eyes and slightly...nya'd.

"Calm down.: she said impassively. She then looked at Ventus. "I am Lightning. Champion of Etro and Guardian of Valhalla. I am part of the Four Horsemen, encompassing my friends here." She morioned to Xion, Zion, and Luna. "While you fought Xehanort, and before Xion joined you, we fought Heartless and helped make your job easier."

She ruffled Zion's hair again, Xion laughing softly. Zion had two weaknesses to her friends and wife: hair rufdling and neck nuzzling. The former which Lightning was excercising.

 

Zion had a quick temper when it came to Xion - a temper easily controlled by affectionate and intimate gestures.

Xion glanced at the scene and reached out, taking Zion's hand in her own. "Do you know what has been happening this time, Sora?" She asked.

Ventus looked a bit confused. "Uh, Etro? Valhalla? What is this about? You must be from another world, i'm guessing. Well either way, i'm glad to meet you. My name is Ventus." Ven held out his hand towards Lightning, offering her to shake it.

The voice could heard again the room now cloaked in darkness. "You can only help me by dying a death, quietly and easily." Darkness pulsed out, like a strong, blunt push. The figure appeared again, clearly in front of Caenum. The figure was a young girl, as had first been figured, but not much could be told besides that, due to the black cloak and hood. She spoke again, this time her voice clear with no darkness infringing upon it. "Sorry." A glint of metal could be seen for an instant, as the figure sliced outward with a sword of black steel. The darkness responded to the blade's presence, condensing into the sword, lengthening the lade, and soaking it in the darkness.