~- Weather Man Called for a Twister -~
Par for the course, the plans to travel by gummi to the rally were derailed as a girl fell into Sora's lap from out of the blue. After a panicked request for help, the girl hauled the Keyblader through a portal with her, and Lily was nearly certain that the passage led to Midgar. After a quick quip from Ven about backup for the backup, the blond darted through after the other two. Looking back to Aqua, Lily said quickly, "Stand by to shut this thing down while I check how bad things are; I'll keep the portal open for when you guys need to come through."
Yeah, she just loved how them coming through wasn't 'if', but 'when'.
It took Lily only a moment to bolt through the tunnel, the darkness caressing her like an old friend. But where the portal's darkness felt like a summer night, what greeted her on the other side felt the stinging bite of winter night. Her eyes darted about, taking in the bedlam caused by the Heartless. Ven, Sora and the girl Harmony dove straight into the fray, varying degrees of resentment and agitation in their eyes, but Lily hung back a moment, assessing the situation. Her suspicions confirmed, Lily sent the message to Aqua, her thoughts traveling across the link that the Pack and those connected to it shared.
Shut the bird down, Aqua; we need you guys now.
Understood. Be there in a moment.
"Really Ven? I thought you were stronger than that!"
Lily felt Riku come out of the portal behind her before she'd heard him speak. Leaning back for a moment, she let her back rest against his chest for a brief instant, gathering strength from the small contact. She felt him exhale into her hair, acknowledging the touch before she pulled away, her shoulders set. "Is there any chance of asking you to do this?"
"Yeah, I think I can, but I need you guys to take up points." Turning around, Lily saw the others come streaming out of the corridor; Crowley rushed off, no doubt eager to vent his too many people frustration on the Heartless. Looking around the group, Lily singled out Riku, Aqua, Vesper and Anise. Turning back to Riku, she spoke quickly, silver already creeping into her eyes. "You know how this goes. Find your point and anchor it. I sense Zack and Cloud here; get the message to them and have them take the last two points. Tora, Ari, get whoever you need to together to help you distract the Lightside and the other Heartless until we're ready. Hurry!"
Everyone bolted off in opposite directions, intent focus clear on their features. Letting a gust of wind magic tear through her immediate vicinity, Lily cleared the Heartless that were around her away before setting up a barrier in a five foot perimeter around herself. Reaching into the pouch at her side, she pulled out a piece of chalk; kneeling, she drew a six pointed star, then etched a circle around it. Placing her hands on either side of the circle, Lily heard the whispers start up in her mind as she pulled on that familiar vein of black magic. Softly, she started singing under her breath.
Dry lightning cracks across the sky...
~- See Your Face at Every Turn -~
Aqua raced off, sharpening her focus until she entered into her Spellweaver command style. Feeling the light form around her Keyblade, she threw it out, watching as it spun into one of the lion Heartless. The beast let out a roar, whipping around with a paw raised, ready to retaliate, but Aqua was ready. Pulling on the arcane thread, she snapped her Keyblade back into her hand, then threw it out again, the magic along its edges practically singing. The teeth of the blade met with the monster again, but this time, she forced light magic into the beast, causing it to twist in a convulsion; with an agonized roar, the lion disappeared, the brilliance of the light too much for it.
Do you still have the same dream?
Pain threatened to bubble up, but she kept it tamped down. She couldn't give in now; soon, yes, but not yet. Aqua squinted, the glow from the Lightside dazzling her as she ran past it. She sensed a powerful energy coming from a source that wasn't the Lightside, but for the moment, she didn't investigate it; there'd be time enough for that later. For a brief moment, she thought she saw Renn race past her in the direction she'd just come, but Aqua let that thought slide from her mind; she had a point of power to establish, and she knew Renn could care for himself. After all, she'd taught him well.
Hadn't she?
Aqua stopped in her tracks, a distinct, vibrating hum traveling up her legs from the earth. Recognizing the signal of the point, she knelt down, placing her hands against the paving stones. Calling up her magic, Aqua readied herself to anchor the setting. Closing her eyes, she let the trigger memory that she needed drift up.
Six months. It had been six months since the final battle with Xehanort. You'd think the pain would begin to fade by now, right? That's what she kept telling herself, anyway.
She didn't think it was working.
Aqua heard wolf song at her back as she walked toward her destination. The Pack still mourned those they'd lost to Xehanort, just as she did; but tonight was one of the last nights that they'd all sing for Isa, Amaranth and Terra. Tomorrow, Riku and Lily would be made the Alphas, and the former Alphas memories would finally be laid to rest. It was their tradition to hold the ceremony where the last Alpha had died, so that's why they were all back in the Keyblade Graveyard again, even though it was the last place any of them wanted to be ever again.
Reaching her destination, Aqua stopped, her heart freezing in her throat. She couldn't do this; how had she thought she could? She was almost ready to turn back when she felt a soft brush of fur against her side. Looking down, she saw Vesper looking up at her, sadness and a deeper, hidden pain haunting his eyes. That peek into his heart brought her resolve back. He needed this as much as she did.
Raising her hand, Aqua closed her eyes and let her heart connect to Vesper's heart and Terra's memory. For a moment, she drew on this three way link, letting all other thoughts slide from her mind. But then, she felt a heavy weight form in her hand, and she opened her eyes. She looked at Ends of the Earth, and had to hold back a sob.
Terra's last stand.
Turning the Keyblade so it was facing down, Aqua sunk the teeth of the sword into the ground, then found herself on the ground next to the memorial as her knees gave way. Moving in closer to her, Vesper put his head on her shoulder, and she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his fur as hot tears coursed down her cheeks.
She'd been crying ever since.
Tears slid down Aqua's face again, and she felt the magic reach its peak. Centering, she cried out, "Sorrowful waters!" Water rushed up in response to the command, the Flood spell taking out countless Heartless and clearing the area around her. Sending out more magic, she anchored the point.
"Your turn, Lily."
~- I Stayed Alive for You -~
One good thing could be said for this flood of Heartless. People were less likely to notice the huge wolf in their midst, allowing Vesper to keep on as straight a path as possible as he made his way to his anchor. Passing Zack along the way, Vesper used the Pack link to nudge the SOLDIER into action. Lily's got a plan for getting rid of the rest of the Heartless, but she needs a couple extra point anchors.
Hey, you know me; I live for the adventure! I got no problem helping the Alpha out with her plans. Zack threw a smirk over his shoulder at the wolf as he streaked past, letting Vesper know that he'd heard him.
Then get going; your point's in the opposite direction!
A stage soon come into view for Vesper, although only a small slice of it; the rest of his vision was obscured by the SOLDIERS that were surrounding two kids. What had happened to SOLDIER? The group had been famous in its heyday, and Zack had done what he could to preserve its integrity, but the Mako infused warriors had fallen a long way. Snarling, Vesper used his momentum to knock down four of the men, attracting the attention of the rest of them in the process. Noticing that one of those kids was the girl that had fallen onto Sora, Vesper growled, "Hurry up, will you? Get out of here!"
Having gained the attention of SOLDIER, Vesper raced off again, giving the kids the breathing room they'd need to hopefully get out of there. Racing up and across the stage, Vesper saw a man standing up there; a strong feeling that this man was responsible for the rally filled Vesper, and the wolf decided that a little bit of malicious fun might be in order. A snarling bark tore itself free as Vesper jumped at the man, every indication that he was going to attack Sazh given. Instead, the wolf sailed past him, landing on the other side of the stage. Message delivered, Vesper started running again, the magic of the mark pulling him on.
Finding his point, Vesper came to a stop and began drawing energy in. Feeling both darkness and light bubbling beneath the surface, he waited, letting the Heartless around him come closer of their own volition, attracted by the sudden surge of light. Once they were within two feet of him, Vesper released the energy, howling as the combined twilight energy tore through the Heartless around him, decimating them.
Vesper shoved magic down into the point, anchoring the power there and feeling that Aqua had already done the same with hers. His eyes roaming over the outskirts of the battle field, Vesper kept a wary eye out for Heartless as he thought, You're turn...
~- Red Line Overload -~
Zack ran past the Heartless, striking out at them with the Buster Sword as they came too close. On the one hand, Zack was surprised that Cloud had returned the sword when he'd taken up the Fusion Blades. But Zack was grateful all the same; the sword had been a gift from Angeal, the last one Zack received before his mentor had died. That was probably why Cloud had returned it. He knew how much it meant to Zack.
A Leo roared up on him, and Zack spun around, already swinging, wolf silver and Mako high in his eyes. Adrenaline fuelled the swing, adding to the man's already considerable strength. Cleaving the beast in two, he swung back to the front, prepared to continue following the magic...
"Shit!"
And he turned straight into the lunge of another Leo! With insufficient time to raise a proper block, Zack crossed his arms in front of his face, prepared to weather the assault and then dish out proper retribution on the beast. He heard a soft whistle of air, and the beast went down, an arrow sticking out of its side. Lowering his hands, Zack just had enough time to see the back of a familiar head of silver hair before the archer was swallowed up by the crowd. Hadn't Cloud said Firion stayed behind to watch over Raine and Letty? If Firion was here, Zack just knew Raine would be too. Looked like Cloud was gonna go papa wolf soon...
Finding his point, Zack filled himself up with magic, levitating slightly as he did so. He held the arcane power within himself as long as he could, letting it build up, while trapping the Heartless swarm beneath him in a large glyph.
Show me the true power of SOLDIER!
Zack smiled at the memory of Genesis' command. Unable to help himself, Zack shouted, "Mind your own business!" Releasing the energy, he let magic surge through the glyph, decimating the monsters trapped inside its barrier.
Talk about a Heartless Apocalypse!
Dropping back to the ground, Zack threw the magic needed into anchoring the point. Keeping a close eye out for Raine and Firion, he said to himself, "So, that's Aqua, Vesper and me done. Who's our next contestant?"
~- Demented? Just a Little Bit -~
Leo, Neoshadows, plain old, itty bitty Shadows... Come on, these things were kiddy stuff! A Neoshadow jumped at Anise, and she dove underneath it, Crystal Light forming in her hand as she swung up; hooking the teeth of the blade into the Heartless' belly, she threw it away from her before coming to her feet again, picking up momentum as she went.
Her stride eating up ground fast, it wasn't long until Anise saw Renn bending over a girl with pink hair. Throwing out her senses a little, Anise realized that his aura had shifted to his Deadpool personality. He seemed absorbed in talking to the girl, and after a moment, Anise realized it was Lightning; she'd seen Lightning training with Cid a couple times when Riku had brought her along when he'd needed to talk to Cloud and the others.
Noting the Leo that was about to sneak up on Deadpool, Anise quickly formed a handful of red crystals. Blowing on them, she threw them at the feline, waiting until they'd landed in the inky fur before activating the magic. With a howl, the Heartless went up in flames, its sneak attack stopped before it even began. Running by close enough that she could cuff Deadpool over the head, Anise snapped, "Hey, flirt later, Headcase! We've got Heartless to take care of before you try talking to cute girls!"
Anise kept going, not waiting for his return comment. And besides, she knew it'd be some kind of good natured, sarcastic jibe anyway; they'd been training together under both Aqua and Riku for a while now, and had developed a rough around the edges combo of friendship and rivalry. She knew the nickname wouldn't get him too out of joint.
Digging her heels into the ground, Anise skidded to a stop as she found her point. Throwing out more crystals, she set up a mine field for any Heartless stupid enough to try and come near her. Slamming her hands into the ground, she funneled magic in the spot, anchoring the circle. Sensing that Aqua, Vesper and Zack had already set their anchors, Anise knew it was just Cloud and Riku that had to haul ass now.
"Two to go..." she muttered, the excitement of battle shining in her eyes.
~- Too Much? Or Not Enough? -~
Cloud felt it as soon as Lily come through the portal. He was a Secret Keeper, one who had Wild Magic in their veins, but unable to Shift because the magic was too thin. He had greater strength, speed and stamina; his senses of hearing, sight and scent were sharper, and he basically had many of the Pack's greatest strengths without their drawbacks. But he didn't have the ability to Shift, and neither did Raine or Zack; so both Strife siblings and Zack kept watch over the outskirts of the Pack, keeping the majority of Statics from discovering the identity of the Shifters.
So it wasn't any surprise to him when he heard the Alpha's voice in his mind, asking for a little help with a spell. Nodding his head, Cloud just barely registered Kari's hasty call of farewell. Just as well for him; he'd been growing tired of her little game, and he had been on the point of breaking it off himself. Turning around, Cloud was just about to go the short distance he needed to when he stopped dead in his tracks, fury and anxiety playing a cruel game of tag in his chest.
"What the hell are you doing here, Raine?"
Spinning to face him, the other blond locked eyes with him, blue meeting blue in clear challenge. When it was clear neither one of them was going to back down, the woman responded tersely, "What do you think I'm doing here? Firion and I decided to bring the cavalry, okay? Letty's with Maria at our place, but Guy and Leon came with us. Squall's down for the count, in case you hadn't noticed; and Rinoa's all kinds of pissed because of that! She's likely to tear a new one for the guy in charge of Hikari if she can get her hands on him."
Cloud still wasn't pleased. He was just about to say so when Raine used a favorite tactic of hers and cut him off. "Cloud, I'm twenty-seven. I can look after myself, and you guys could probably use the help of a Natural against these jerks. Thanks for worrying about me, but I have a right to protect your back just as much as you have a right to protect mine, okay?"
Conceding the argument, Cloud asked, "Tidus and Taiyou here?"
"Course they are; I think I saw them heading off to give Aerith a little cover for her spell work. Yuna too. Now, stop talking and get back to your mission! Don't you have a point to anchor?"
A reluctant grin spread across Cloud's face at Raine's feisty attitude. Facing the direction he needed to go, he needed just a few strides to reach the point, the magic thrumming up his legs telling him to stop where he needed to. Raising the Fusion sword, he concentrated, focusing his magic. Feeling the magic build up, he raised the sword over his head and bellowed, "Stars! Rain down!"
A gale of small meteors fell, crushing several Heartless; a moment later, a wall of flame rippled over them as Raine made good on her promise of watching Cloud's back. Acting quickly, Cloud funneled magic into the point, bringing the total anchors to five.
Lowering his sword to give his shaking arms a break, Cloud stood still for a moment, trying to catch his breath. His heart was pounding, nearly fit to burst right out of his chest, and he felt a fine sheen of sweat on his brow. Gulping air, he let himself rest for a moment, cursing his luck.
Talk about one hell of a time to catch a virus.
