Glimpses of Darkness *rp thread*

[KingdomKey]

Cam rubbed the back of his head casually, offering Reforge a playful grin. "Sorry, some what you said went over my head earlier." There was something about Valhalla that made it harder for Cam to breath evenly, that he broke out into a light sweat. The atmosphere itself felt different, that he wasn't sure what to make of it with Reforge standing next to him; who looked comfortable and at home.

"I can do that much damage? I find that hard to believe." Cam placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating steadily in his chest instead of racing just mere minutes ago. Which was a bit of relief, considering he didn't want to kneel over and empty his stomach anytime soon. That'd be embarrassing. Thinking back to Midgar, Cam knew Reforge was extremly strong, but strong enough to destroy a whole planet? "If that's true, how will I be able to show so much restraint?"

A flush of heat went up Cam's neck at the low tone of Reforge voice. He averted his gaze, feeling ashamed for being so eager to become something more than he already was. Reforge wasn't wrong. Humans were just as dangerous, but he wanted to do something more with his life and make a difference. To unravel the path he was on, fully aware that he had to find the string first, and start unwinding the ball of yarn to figure it out. Cam swallowed, choosing not to make excuses for himself and met Reforge gaze head on.

Somewhat alarming, when you hear a former deity laugh. Makes you wonder if, you should be worried. Cam gritted his teeth at the excruciating weight bearing down on him, feeling like a ton of invisible bricks were atop of him; making him hunch over and grip his knees till his knuckles were white from holding onto them so tightly. How was it possible for his soul to be so damn heavy? "Reforge, what else exists in Valhalla? Are we the only ones here?" Cam knew he should save it for later, but he needed something to distract him from the weight of his soul.

Upon hearing his task, Cam wanted to roll his eyes at Reforge and let out a sarcastic retort at the man. Instead, he gazed at the clunk of rock thoughtfully, ignoring the ice around it. "Let me guess, this is the easy part. What comes next, will be much more harder. Am I right?" Without waiting around, Cam moved over to the rock one step at a time and bent forward, taking it into both of his hands and tired to lift it.

The ice covering the rock made it harder to lift, because some it was stuck to the ground. Plus the ice was sharp, that it was near impossible to not cut himself. As Cam lifted with his back, the rock gave way off of the ground, and he held half of it up to his waist. "What happens... When I... Get it over my head?" Each intake of breath, made Cam feel a little better as he continue to push through the pressure of his soul and lift the rock up inch by inch. Before too long, he had it over his head and the tail of the rock was swaying behind him.

"How long do I keep it over my head?" Cam asked, feeling his arms begin to burn from holding it up.

"What was your time as a human like, did you have someone important to you?" The questions kept piling up, and Cam wanted to know more. He wasn't sure if this was a side affect of changing into something other than human, but he wanted to know all he could. Knowledge was power after all.

 

[Lunarmaster54]

~Stunned by Events~

Sora wiped the sweat from his brow, more than a little disappointed by how much of an effort the fight had been. Turning back around, Sora shook his head and instantly headed for the heart of the rally; taking the time to stop and try and help those that would let him; only for the people in the uniforms from before to shove him aside. Frustrated at the turn of events, Sora scowled at the figure's back; only to brush it off to the side a moment later and returned to making his way to his original distance.

Slowing down to a leisurely walk, Sora reached the edge of the rally just as another person in a SOLIDER uniform was leaving. This resulted in the man (or Sora believed the person was male) shoving Sora roughly aside; stumbling slightly from the force of it, Sora spun around and shouted, "You could at least say sorry or excuse me!" He hadn't expected an answer, the jerk probably did it because of the fact Sora had a keyblade. Looking down at the aforementioned weapon, Sora sighed, "Why do you have to be so troublesome all the time?"

Haha, great, you're making us sound crazy!

Sora clenched his teeth, more than a little frustrated by the snide comment that went through his head. Forcing himself to get not too worked up over it, Sora picked his away through the crowd until he found Riku and the others; Riku looking like he'd seen a ghost or having one of his rare panic attacks so he was going to pass out on them. "Lily, boyfriend control," Sora hissed, his eyes locked on the stage as Sazh gave a speech; ignoring Anise's outburst.

After a few minutes of Sazh's speech, Sora wasn't sure if the leader of Hikari had ended it or if he'd just been interrupted...again; a noise came from the direction he'd seen Cloud. Turning his head to look in that direction, Sora felt his heart come to a screeching hault because of the dark shadow that had formed above and behind the blond haired warrior.

Fear and silence kept Sora from calling out to the blond, but that didn't stop his mind from screaming, Move your ass and get out of there!

~Regroup~

Sazh turned around, back to the crowd. Attention was off of him for a moment and it was time to move.

As much as he hated the idea of it, it was time to put his speech on hold for the moment. There would be several more opportunities for him to spread hate of the keyblade to hundreds of willing listeners. The troops and lower members all knew to capture the keyblader responsible for the heartless and handle her as they saw fit. The man scowled. It was easy to blame her for this failed rally, a seemingly golden opportunity that instead drew out..

Sazh slipped off the stage and to a dark corner where he had been originally, deciding on his destination, sorting through what had happened in his mind. The skunk that never should have been there to start with, along with a keyblader falling from the sky and bringing with her heartless that had never been seen before. Not to mention that red skinned character who talked to him during his speech. When plans had been made about the rally they had never included him, hell Sazh hadn’t even known of his existence and he had made sure to get tabs on each and every single person Sora associated with who might come to his aid. But now he was paranoid. Because something wasn’t right, every instinct he had was telling him that. Now he had to go and try to do some research and ask questions about who this was, what allies and enemies did he have? What his story was and what were his plans. Such a powerful piece on the board couldn’t just be left to it’s own devices. He was going to have to confront him.

In private.

Probably with some help. Not that Sazh doubted his own abilities, but playing fair wasn’t in his job description.

“People like you are simply foolish, your hearts aren't made for the strain that wielding a keyblade could even put on it but alas I'm not going to stand here and argue."

He would also be able to properly respond to THAT comment. In fact, Sazh decided, forget confront. He was going to capture him. To SHOW HIM just what the hell he was fighting for, what he was doing this for.

He’d make him eat those words.

Destination finally in mind Sazh watched disinterestedly as the shadows began to creep up his body, hating that familiar cold feeling as the darkness took a hold of him. He wouldn’t use it at all if he had his way but the quick transportation and power boosts it provided were too convenient to be ignored. He had to move quickly anyway. Since everyone and their mothers had decided to show up at the rally that meant they were all distracted from other places.

He still had a few plans he could kick into motion before he headed home and started his inquires after all.

 

[Kingdomkeylight]

"Ah took awhile to find you, but none the less here you are," as Aqua mostly kept to herself keeping her apparent anchor a calm voice started to speak to her from behind like a ghost in the night appearing at the most fearful, and crucial of times. As she would find no one behind her the sudden sounds... of a clog dancing rhythm would fill her ears revealing someone to not be to far away right in her front appearing out of thin air. The man was dressed like a gambler with a v-vest and a stylish hat dancing the night away with a magic pulsing green cane. The stranger with blonde hair who hid his eyes behind the tip of his hat continued to dance around the keyblader whistling all the while dancing with his feet creating sparks with each step. Spinning his can around between his hands like a street performer the male halted all together before flicking the can in the air as it exploded into a firework display of blooming flowers before bursting into a flurry of petals. The weird stranger held completely still as the petals were carried away a soft amused grin painted thinly on his face.
.
"Then again I knew you would be right here. A pleasure to finally meet you face to face," he said with a courtesy bow still hiding his eyes yet clearly highly aware of her moves, and where she stood. His gloved hands tinkered about for a moment before he stood up straight still keeping his eye's hidden.
.
"I see your puppy is nowhere in sight hopefully he's not lost. Quiet a lovely mess your friends are escalating so far... it can't be helped though when your surrounded by people who hate you, and the weapon you bare... please don't be so tense around me I am definitely not one of those Hikari fools dropping the blame where it seems fit at the time," he spoke causally as if they were long time friends. With another lulling hum the stranger started to get closer until he was only a few steps away from Aqua.
.
"Oh my~ I am getting Goosebumps from the excitement down their heh its quiet festive," with any sight or sign suddenly a strange arcane like card appeared in the mans left hand spinning around his fingers as he kept a eerie air directed at Aqua... whatever he wanted or was doing he acted like Aqua would know.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- You'll Never Let Me Be -~

Zidane watched Vento cautiously, but just because it seemed as if he was focused on Vento; didn't mean that he wasn't letting Irritum slip out of his focus. He could tell that Serah felt comfortable with Irritum, and he didn't mind that; but he felt protective of the girl at the same time. It took Zidane a second to recognize it, but an ancient, powerful magic lingered just under the surface; granting Serah with enough strength so that she wasn't completely defenseless. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other and back again; Zidane glanced around them in a nonchalant fashion.

The fire raged across town, devouring everything in its path. Buildings, flowers; shops, the cemetery and even people that weren't fast enough to get out of the raging inferno. His shoes slapped against the stone, shoving his way through the crowds so he could try to reach the castle. He knew what had started the fire, and he knew that it began in the castle. Zidane ran faster, trying to outrun the darker thoughts that kept whispering to him.

She's dead, they're all dead. You can't save them, you can't save her.

Shaking his head, Zidane pushed himself to run faster; fear and anger giving him the extra push that he needed. Yeah sure, Zidane knew he was supposed to be working, harvesting souls and the like; but Dagger and the rest weren't dead. Feeling someone run into him, Zidane went with the fall, rolling before he jumped back to his feet and started running again. Reaching the dock, Zidane nearly jumped in when a spell halted his progress.

Writhing against it, he watched as Kuja drifted down. Glaring daggers at his brother, Zidane tried to ignore the dark, sad look that stared out at him from light-blue eyes. Screaming in frustration, Zidane focused on the castle; numb to the world around him until the flames died and Kuja finally shook his shoulder. "I know you don't like it, but it's time to get to work; there's souls that need harvesting after all."

There's souls that need harvesting after all.

Zidane snarled at the words that whispered through his mind, furious with both himself and Kuja. He met Irritum's eyes, since apparently Vento had disappeared while he'd been spaced out; and asked coolly, "So Irritum, can you help us?"

~- The Miles Just Keep On Rolling -~

Rinoa watched the efforts everyone was putting in, her hand constantly hovering near the holster for her gunblade. She knew that Kuja and the others would have the restoration taken care of, turning to walk away she let her feet take her wherever they wanted to.The crunch of gravel distantly registered in her mind, but it wasn't enough to draw her attention back to the world around her. Her mind briefly drifted to Laha, the little girl that had set foot into her life seven summers ago; and straight back into the fight she had with Squall to keep the child.

"We can't just leave her Squall!"

"I know that, but we also can't keep her; think about the danger we keep getting into! Does she really need this kind of living environment!?"

Rinoa took a step back, surprised that Squall had raised his voice to her and he was so against keeping the little girl they'd found. Rinoa couldn't stop herself from glancing in the direction of the baby, worried that the argument would wake her from sleep. She didn't look at Squall as he rubbed his forehead, probably more than a little agitated by how stupid the argument was. "Rinoa, I'm---"

"Sorry about what? I don't know what you're talking about." She said softly, cutting the gunblade wielder off even as she turned and headed for the kitchen. She hadn't told Squall the major reason she was so determined to keep Laha, after all, Rinoa knew the kind of grief it would inflict on him. The little girl was already showing she had sorceress powers; and Rinoa knew all too well how that could effect someone's life.

She shook her head, stopping in her tracks so she could try and sort things out in her head. Rinoa clenched her fists, furious that Radiant Garden had fallen under attack..again. She caught a glimpse of a familiar head of hair and smiled slightly, turning in the direction of it; Rinoa started to pick her way toward the person over the rubble that had been knocked loose from the fighting.

~- Multitasking Masquerader -~

"How did you-"

Kari's mouth turned up at the corner, amused by Renn's question. Her hand shot down toward her gun holster, eying Anise in the off chance intervention was needed; and she could tell she wasn't the only one tensed and ready for the fur to fly again. Riku looked ready to bolt over and stop Anise in her tracks, and multiple members of Hikari were on guard; several of them sneaking glances in her direction to see what they should do. Carefully signaling to them to stand down, her eyes snapped to Renn to see if he'd caught the gesture.

"It's not over? Better use this..."

Kari sighed softly, relieved that Renn hadn't noticed it. Focusing back on the stage, she whispered quietly to Renn, "No, I can't help but feel like this is far from over. You'd best stay on your toes, and don't let your guard down for a second." Even as she said this, Kari's eyes scanned her surroundings; searching for the tiniest thing out of place. She wasn't at all surprised when Sazh decided to back out of the rally and call on some dark powers to get himself out of dodge. Kari shook her head, mildly disgusted by the display that Sazh had just done; before she carefully motioned for the other members of Hikari to fall back and to retreat for the time being.

Focusing back on Renn, she said calmly, "It's alright, I think the fighting's over for the time being, so you can let down your guard in regards to Hikari. Although, I wouldn't fully suggest it; there's still too much of a chance of trouble brewing." Even as the warning left her, Kari found her eyes locking with Cloud causing a crashing wave of dread to wash over her.

~- Divides Me Somewhere in My Mind -~

Ventus looked around him as he waited for Aqua's answer, knowing just how her or Vesper could get when she spaced out and took so long to respond. It was never a good sign for her mental health. Carefully tugging at her emotions, Ven frowned as he got the usual turbulence that consisted of Aqua's emotions. There were several things that this bout of turbulence could be from and Ven wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know. "Ven?"

Eyes darting back to her, he waited quietly for anything else to be said. Ven sat down next to Aqua, he looked down at the patch of earth under Aqua's hand. Curiosity getting the better of him, he nodded at it and asked, only slightly sarcastic, "Your anchor point?"

A slight smile and chuckle escaped Aqua as she teased, "Did you hit your head on the way here, Ven?"

Feeling strangely cheerful and childish despite the situation, Ven closed one of his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her; causing both of them to start laughing at his childlike silliness. Ven glanced over his shoulder as the spell flared rest of the way to life; before it died down and the heartless faded away. He held his hand out so Aqua could pull herself up; only for someone to join the fray. Ven glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, more than a little irritated at the guy's timing. Despite wanting to be rude, Ven remained quiet until the guy finished talking and came to a stop in front of Aqua.


"Oh my~ I am getting goosebumps from the excitement down there, heh it's quite festive."

Irritated at his chatter, Ven scowled at him even as he noticed the confusing turbulence that was the guy's emotions. "Excuse me sir, but can we help you with something? What's your name anyway, if you'd be so kind to share it?" He asked with forced politeness, not wishing to upset Aqua even if Ven didn't trust this newcomer as far as he could throw the weirdo that now stood in front of them.

 

[Shinra]

~Tension~

"It's alright, I think the fighting's over for the time being, so you can let down your guard in regards to Hikari. Although, I wouldn't fully suggest it; there's still too much of a chance of trouble brewing."


"That does seem pretty obvious doesn't it? Now let me finish my question..."
His eyes honed and then his voice reached a harder tone as he looked at Kari.
How did you know about Cloud and Deadpool? The last time you saw me was just before I left with Aqua for good, and they didn't come out until after that point. Have you been watching over me all this time?"

 

[Ebikyou'gami]

As Serana fell she was able to make an ice slide and slide to safety. As she was sliding down she heard an ear piercing shrieking sound. She looked up and saw another hawk heartless. "REALLY COME ON!!"

She stood up on the slide facing backwards, while doing this her heels made the sound of nails on a chalk board. The hawk then stopped mid flight and screeched. "HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT!! NOW LOOK AT THIS!!"

She turned the Hawk into a ice sculpture. Doing this caused the hawk to fall to the ground and shatter. "Now to turn around."

She turned around on slide, still standing she noticed that she was nearing the end of slide. At the end of the slide she jumped into the air and flipped twice before landing on the ground.

She had to tend to her wounds on her shoulders. I should have killed that hawk before it did this to me. Serana did not know what was going through her head when the Hawk grabbed her like that. Her mind was not in the right place and she definitely did not want that to happen again.

After wasting time she ran, even in her heels she was still able to run over to where Irritum and Vento were. When she got there she looked at Irritum and said "Thank you, my mind was wandering, but it will not happen again."

She then felt bad about what happened and became more aware of her surroundings. "So uh...who are these guys anyway?"

 

[I<3Kiari]

~Alarming Reunion~


Leon stood at the bottom of the embankment that lead to the Hollow Bastion castle, searching the area for the source of the sound he had heard. It sounded as if someone was walking toward him. He looked a little to his left and saw Rinoa climbing over a pile of rubble.


Leon ran over to her and embraced her. “Where have you--” He was cut off when he saw a fireball flying at them from the top of a building, “Watch out!” Leon cried, pulling Rinoa down using himself to cushion her fall. The fireball impacted behind them and he got up feeling it was safe now. “Wait here a moment,” He scanned the area even as he talked, then he noticed the Familiar silver jacket on the building where the fireball came from.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- Reunion with an Old Friend -~

Rinoa smiled slightly at Leon, he'd warmed up a lot since their first encounter. The smile to fall away as he pulled her to the ground, using himself to break her fall. Trying to sneak a look at what was happening around them from under Leon's arm, Rinoa caught a faint glimpse of someone shedding his coat and trying to take off. Climbing to her feet at the same time as Leon, she let him stand in front of her to make it a little harder for their assailant to get a clear shot at her.

Rinoa felt the barest hint of a smirk start to form as her mind slipped into the warrior mindset that Leon had given her. “Wait here a moment," Leon said even as he continued scoping out anymore threats to her. Bristling slightly at the command, she walked out from behind him as she countered, "Why? You and me both know I'm fully capable of taking care of myself."

Holding his gaze as Leon spun around to look at her, she raised an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip; an obvious challenge in her stance. She knew that he was aware of her stubbornness issues, after all how many times had she nearly cost them the mission they were on because she was being stubborn? Even past that, her eyes were pleading, begging Leon to let her join in on this one. Watching the way his stance softened ever so slightly, she grinned and said in a low voice, "You check to see if there's any stairs leading up, and I'll fly up there to try and slow 'em down, 'kay?"

Rinoa knew that Leon would be anything but okay with it, or at least fully okay, but he'd let her do what she had to do. Calling her wings, Rinoa teased, "Last one up is a rookie SeeD!" Without another word, she took off flying toward the assailant, even though she was sure she knew who it was already. Scanning the ground for the person that matched what she could see of them, she recognized the familiar head of blond hair as both an old friend and their attacker. Pushing herself so she could get ahead of him, she spun around and quickly dropped to the ground. Rinoa braced for the landing, which led to her distributing it enough to avoid serious injury.

She looked up to see that Seifer was running toward her, and even though she knew it could be dangerous, she held up her hands in a nonthreatening fashion and called out, "Seifer, please stop!"

~- Answers? -~

Kari knew that Renn had legit questions, who wouldn't have them considering the circumstances the kid found himself in? She didn't look away from Renn, nor did she let any emotion show that she didn't want to show. "I did show up once in a while to see how you were doing and to make sure they weren't training you too hard. It was during one of these visits that me and Riku were talking about your development. I guess he never mentioned it because he didn't want you getting sidetracked, I'm sorry about that fact." She answered carefully, still not fully sure about what was going on now that the rally had finished.

She didn't quite feel comfortable with having the conversation focused on the last couple of years, so she asked in an offhand manner, "Have you heard anything from Lea or Ienzo? Or any of the others for that matter?"

 

[Shinra]

~playing catchup~

"Have you heard anything from Lea or Ienzo? Or any of the others for that matter?"


"Sorry no. Aerith has been sending me letters about life in general every two months or so... she sometimes gives me updates on some of them because I cared for everyone there who helped raise me, including you." He turned his head.

"But why didn't they tell me that you came by? I know I'm supposed to be a keyblader but you and the others are family to me... That's why I was so glad whenever I got a letter from Aerith and to see anyone I knew from those days would've given me a bit more drive."

He looked at Kari again. "But there was always this odd thing I notice about you... you have the determination to do something... I reckon it has something to do with Ienzo but I'm not sure what... Would you mind telling me what your goal is?" His intentions were clear... He wanted to find out what Kari was finally up to...

 

[Lunarmaster54]

~Tacos, Scapegoats and Fear~

Sazh walked down the path and allowed himself to relax. In ten minutes or so he’d be standing in the office of the Emperor of China and the two would have..a polite discussion.. about who his replacement would be. The man was getting on in years and wouldn’t last too much longer. He had also neglected to select a heir. Several different parties were lining up and doing what they could to look good so they could be the next ruler of the world and that damnable Shang was allegedly the most likely to be chosen.

Shang, husband to Mulan and vocal supporter of Sora and anyone allied with him. It would be a real pain in the behind if he became the new big cheese. He was the kind of man who wouldn’t buckle when the pressure was heaped on his back and he didn’t negotiate or have anything to do with terrorists. Not to mention the man had already survived seven different assassination attempts! Some of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy and Shang (with some help from Sora) had thwarted each and every one of their plans. The man even got Sora some good publicity in China!

He was the LAST person who needed to be in charge as far as Sazh was concerned.

The old man on the other hand would indeed buckle to pressure and had already made plenty of under the table deals with Hikari in the past, including pass a nice little law that restricted the rights of anyone with a keyblade (there were now certain areas, like the palace, that they couldn’t enter, nor were they allowed to buy things from shops). He wasn’t quite as prejudiced against them as King Triton from Atlantic was (now there was a king with a good head on his shoulders) but he was easily moldable and could be made to do whatever Sazh needed him to do.

In this case, publicly announce that a trusted Hikari member (whom Sazh still needed to pick from his inner circle) was going to be the new ruler of their planet.

As well as arrest Shang on false charges that would get the upstart out of the picture long enough for the elderly man to die of natural causes (poison in his morning tea) and Sazh’s handpicked replacement to enter power.

Smiling, Sazh continued his walk. He’d be in and out with enough time to get home for dinner with his lovely wife and sister in law. It was taco night!

Pleasant thoughts of tacos and world domination were pushed out of mind when Sazh felt an icy chill travel down his spine. He sensed something, something dark and cold. A presence of some sort. The brown man topped walking and looked around, seeing nothing but the swirling colors of the corridor he was traversing.

Maybe he just imagined it? Paranoia was common if too much time was spent in the darkness without proper protection. In fact it was the first sign that you were about to lose your heart. Sazh placed a hand over his heart and continued on his way trying to fight a sense of nervousness.

A sense that maybe he wasn’t alone here after all.

 

[Eternal Dream]

~- The Value of My Life -~

Pain lanced through Anise's head, but she pushed the impending headache to the side as she focused on Sazh. That no good, egotistical sonofabitch... she'd flay him alive for turning Midgar into a hornet's nest of hate for Keybladers. Her fists clenched at her sides, it took everything in her to keep herself from summoning her Keyblade; yet even with this Herculean act of self-control holding back her power, it couldn't hold back her mouth. Her temper near to overflowing, Anise all but screamed, "Bullshit!"

A presence crossed over her mind, and for a brief moment, Anise let her eyes flick skyward. Though she could have sworn she'd felt someone watching her, Anise couldn't see anything, aura or otherwise. Turning her attention back to the stage, the brunette felt her temper flare again as Sazh, completely ignoring her challenge, turned his back on the crowd and slipped through a dark portal. Refusing to let him go, Anise took a step forward, her Keyblade beginning to materialize as she snarled, "Get back here, you filthy...!"

The rest of her words were lost as Anise screamed, molten heat filling her head as white-hot light punched through her eyes. Her half formed Keyblade vanishing in a brief flash of light, Anise's hands flew to her head as she dropped to her knees, the blinding light slowly fading as blackness crept over her vision. Her eyes glazing over, the girl barely had time register that someone had caught her before she was pulled under, caught in the grip of the Future Sight.

She was walking along an ally, her heels clicking sharply against the cobblestones the only sound as night fell over the town. Her senses were tuned sharply to the oncoming darkness as she continued her patrol, yet her stance was relaxed. The attacks had been very infrequent lately, a thought that gave her hope that she could leave for just a while and Traverse Town would be safe in her absence. She had a promise she needed to keep, one that required a new search to begin...

A dark form near the fountain caught her eye, and the woman was instantly alert, the tension of instinct thrumming through her as, softening her tread, she crept closer to the inert figure. Her eyes flicked all around, checking her surroundings for a trap that wasn't there before finally concentrating on the figure once more. Realizing it was a girl of no more than sixteen years, the woman rushed forward, her eyes trained on the injuries on the girl's back that were visible even through her shirt. Reaching the teen, the woman very carefully turned her over...

And her vision went dark after that. Anise felt the frustration creeping up on her; she hated it when a vision hit her during a fight, especially when it was cryptic mumbo jumbo like this crap. But before she could start to force herself out, she realized that the vision wasn't over yet. It was just the visual that got cut; the audio still worked fine. Suddenly, she felt her anger fall away and, as words from unknown speakers began flowing through her mind, Anise felt another emotion rise up.

Fear.

"What are you doing?!"​

"Allow me to introduce myself. Adrian Noctis, Angel..... at your service."​

"Shut-up! Do you really think I'm perfect all the time because I want to be? It's because of people like you that..."

"Why? Why do you do this? You're always chasing after the past, trying to recapture what your memory tells you you had, while you ignore what's right in front of you! We're right here! You stupid, blind, sonofabitch! Open your eyes, Timmy!"​

"Could you do it? If it was the only way to stop her, could you really sacrifice the life of a friend? Could you let me go?"​

"Because, she gave me what you couldn't."

"Timmy!"​

"Two years. That is all I can give you. I'm sorry, but it will have to enough."​

"Please! You owe me!"​

"Don't let him stop her!"​

"Well, thank-you for finally letting me know your honest opinion. I appreciate the honesty.

It's the only way...​

You understand...

Right...?​

"Sephiroth!"

The shout from Cloud tore Anise out of her trance as it ripped through her pulsing skull. Bolting upright, she finally registered that it was Lily at her back, but the woman wasn't looking at Anise any longer. Like the rest of the crowd, Lily's eyes were locked on the 1st class SOLDIER where he hovered in midair, held in place as if he'd been crucified. The man had been through hell, barely hanging on by a thread as the wound on his chest continued to just barely bleed. Hearing the cry from Cloud, Sephiroth struggled to lift his head, eyes all but dead as he hissed a final word.

"Run."

Anise struggled to her feet as Sephiroth disappeared, no longer able to maintain corporeal form. Turning to look at Cloud, Anise felt her heart lodge somewhere in her throat as she saw, not only how pale the blond had become, but how broken his aura was. The deep red and softer blue she'd come to associate with Cloud was fading, becoming eclipsed faster and faster as black ate its way through. Anise could sense Cloud becoming weaker and weaker, and a thrill of fear raced up her spine as she came to a horrifying realization.

Cloud was dying.

"Really now, is that anyway for one of the elite to go out? With a whimpered warning for a washed out light to turn coward?"

All eyes returned to the stage as a cloaked woman stepped onto the dais. Tilting her cowled head, she disdainfully regarded the assembled crowd from behind her hood before turning her attention to Cloud, malevolence radiating so powerfully from her that even those without the aura sight could feel it. Ripping her attention from the woman, Anise watched as Cloud fell to his knees, his hand clawing at his chest, his breaths coming in shallow pants as he fought for each one. A low chuckle drawing Anise's attention again, she heard the woman speak in a silky smooth voice, "Oh, it hurts, doesn't it? Having your heart's darkness destroyed in such a manner must be unbearably excruciating. But I thought that's what you wanted, wasn't it? Didn't you want Sephiroth out of the way, unable to hurt anyone?"

He was shaky, and fading fast, but Anise saw the moment that Cloud made his decision. The light in his eyes calming, the warrior lunged forward, raising his blade for the blow. Determination bright in his eyes, Cloud swung.

"Sorry dear, but I don't think so."

Leaping clear into the air, the woman waved her hand, causing row upon row of energy bullets to appear in front of her. Waiting until Cloud had turned to face her, the woman tilted her cowled head as she said coldly, "For the crimes of allowing the darkness of Sephiroth to run rampant for far too long, you are found guilty, Cloud Strife, and your justice will now be carried out."

Clenching her fist, the woman released her hold on the magic, and the bullets instantly shot forward, finding their target in Cloud's body. For a moment longer, he stood tall, his hero's spirit keeping him unbowed. Then, slowly, the light faded from his eyes and the Fusion Sword fell from limp fingers. He staggered a moment, trying to maintain his balance. Anise's breath caught in her throat, hoping. Praying. But it was no use. Slowly, Cloud, one of the heroes of the War, crumpled to the ground.

Cloud was dead.

 

[Endless Warrior Sora]

[OOC: My reliability rate on this site is dwindliing, but I think I can jump back in here? Maybe? If I'm allowed?]

- Rumbling Thunder -

The pinkhaired girl couldn't believe her eyes. She saw it, but she didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be. She saw a streak of golden hair, gracefully descending through the air, like the sun going down for the last time. Aqua green orbs followed the pattern in horror as Lightning watched Cloud crumple to the floor. She felt terrible. How could she have missed that? She had been so caught up in the recent pandemoneium of Midgar that...that...

Anger welled up in her chest.
"You...YOU...."
Aggressively the girl ripped the Blazefire Saber from it's sheath pointing it recklessly at her target. an unknown figure that stood before Cloud seemed to be the culprit. This was analyzed because she recognized the other girl. That was Anise, correct?

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" Lightning spat, Firing several bullets at her target. What was she doing? This wasn't like her. She needed to be calm and collected. She needed to be strong. Ever enduring. Whatever this was, this was NOT strong. It was recklessness. It was weak, emotion filled recklessness. She had watched one of her idols, fall before her. Someone she admired and looked up to. Why? WHY?

What was she going to tell Cid?

 

[Shinra]

~a sudden interruption~

Renn's eyes filmed over with tears as his focus was drawn to the startling occurrence nearby. one of his extended family, and his most powerful persona's namesake, was struck down in front of his unwavering gaze. He screamed in a wordless dialect as he beheld the set of magical projectiles piercing his reduced state. He drove his weakened body forward in a jump he could barely manage landing right beside Cloud's corpse. He called his magical capabilities as he poured everything into his most powerful healing spell. "CURA!" But as he felt the energy pouring out of him a triage of bells cascaded golden sprinkles upon the body. Cura... In Renn's own grief, had evolved into Curaga and within Renn's split consciousness the emotions pouring through Renn were absorbed by Cloud and in the wealth of feelings given, He seized control of the body they shared again. But instead of his determined, almost arrogant glare... His eyes drooped as Renn's naturally blue eyes darkened.

Cloud's eyes still contained an unflinching focus, but his eyes were drooped like he was about to fall asleep. He went down on his knees and felt over Cloud's heart... Undoubtedly, his efforts were all for naught. But there was still one thing he could do... Claim the life of his killer. He stood up as he saw Lightning recklessly trying to attack, shooting off rounds from her blazefire saber... He began pouring his newfound talent into a spell he had just conceived, He saw it performed by Aqua once but as he concentrated, his emotions imbued it with the despair he had experienced. The result was a condensed black fireball that flew straight at the same target as Lightning's bullets. The technique Aqua had performed was Fission Firaga... But this technique was different, borrowing the extra effect of Terra's technique Dark Firaga... It would incapacitate the sight of the target for a short time, limiting the foe's awareness. So Cloud named it Fission Dark Firaga. It would also strike multiple targets if need be as the condensed flames breach outward in an explosion upon impact and spreading the blinding talents of the spell as well.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- So It Begins -~

"Sorry no. Aerith has been sending me letters about life in general every two months or so... she sometimes gives me updates on some of them because I cared for everyone there who helped raise me, including you."

"But why didn't they tell me that you came by? I know I'm supposed to be a keyblader but you and the others are family to me... That's why I was so glad whenever I got a letter from Aerith and to see anyone I knew from those days would've given me a bit more drive."

Kari grinned as Renn rambled on for several minutes, she forgot how cute he could be during times like this. She was just trying to figure out how to respond, when he cut across her with another question, slightly more demanding than usual, "But there was always this odd thing I notice about you... you have the determination to do something... I reckon it has something to do with Ienzo but I'm not sure what... Would you mind telling me what your goal is?"

Raising an eyebrow, Kari looked at him with a calm expression; trying to figure out just how much to tell him. Before she had the chance to explain though, the remaining citizens exploded into an uproar and Renn practically flew to Cloud's side. Kari stared after him, not quite registering what had happened to cause the uproar. Blinking slowly, Kari picked her way through the crowd toward Renn, kneeling down next to him, she patted him on the back as she watched the exchange between Riku and the cloaked female. Keeping her voice as steady as she could, Kari spat, "You know, that was low of you to do a sneak attack like that."

After a few more words were exchanged, Kari moved so she was in front of Renn and placed her hands on Renn's shoulders. "Renn, I need you to focus and calm down. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Temporarily tuning out the rest of the world as she tried to help the young keyblader out.

~- Bubbling Up and Festering -~

Riku stood in stunned silence as first Anise was taken over by a vision and then Sephiroth appeared, a cold sweat breaking over his skin; Riku's eyes darted over to Cloud to see the blonde swordsman clawing at his chest. He didn't have to inhale to know that Cloud's aura was slowly coming undone; he could tell from Anise's shocked expression. Clenching his teeth, Riku remained motionless as the rest of the execution took place; it only took a moment of after Cloud's body hitting the ground for the anger to slowly start unraveling through him.

"You bitch," he hissed softly, the silver of his wolf starting to bleed into his eyes before Riku shoved it back into its cage; along with his anger. Watching as Lightning and Renn both lashed out with attacks, Riku quickly called up a barrier around the civilians so the attacks didn't wind up hurting them.

"Bullshit!"

His head snapped in the direction of the sound, spotting Raine he felt his heart break at how much the blond was trembling with rage; the tears brightening her blue eyes as she stared at her brother's still form. It didn't take too much for him to figure out what Raine planned to do, calling up another barrier to stop her attack in its track, he cringed mentally as the woman glared at him through her tears. Steeling himself against her ire, Riku announced calmly, "You have to control yourself, Raine. At the moment with your current mood, you're not going to avenge Cloud's death; you'll get yourself killed. Do you think he'd want that, Raine?"

His eyes darted to Lightning and Renn and called, "Calm yourselves, you'll succeed in nothing with your current state of minds!" Riku was positive that neither of the young warriors would've been happy with that order; turning his eyes to Cloud's killer. "I don't see why you killed him, I know that Cloud made mistakes but who doesn't?"

"He could have corrected his mistakes long ago."

Agitation gripping him, he clenched his fist but leveled a calm gaze on the enigma. "Your point? You could be accused of the same thing; so how are you any different than the rest of us?" Riku retorted, and that appeared to have given the cloaked figure some amusement.

"You're a hypocrite, you tell them to rein in their grief and rage; and not to attack recklessly and yet you wish to do the same. You want revenge too, Riku."

Shrugging in nonchalance, Riku smirked slightly as he said coldly, "I never claimed to not want to attack, nor that I wasn't upset or angered by this injustice; what I said is that their current state of mind would get them killed in a fight." He could feel his shield starting to slip into place, and if he was honest with himself, Riku hated that his old self still clung to him and acted as a shield.

"If you want revenge for your comrade's death, go to other worlds and seek me and my sisters out. I'll be waiting for you, young pup."

A snarl tore free from Riku as his eyes flashed blazing silver, keeping the low, threatening sound up as the woman retreated from the area and, presumably, the world. Sniffing the air to make sure that she was gone, along with any other threats; only then did he let himself relax and move over toward Cloud. Ignoring the whispered conversations that he heard; Riku bent down and checked over a pulse, even though he knew there would be no point to it. Rising to his feet, he spun around and looked at the gathered crowd, knowing that something had to be said to try and smooth things over but unable to summon the correct words.

Looking toward the stage, he carefully made his way over and climbed up onto it. Turning to look at the gathered crowd, he said politely yet commandingly, "May I have your attention please?"

~- A Kingdom of Isolation -~

Celeste walked down the hallway, remembering that she had been summoned by someone that Sazh had trust enough to send them here to fetch her while he was busy getting something else set up. The steady slap of her sandals echoed back to her; leading Celeste to smirk as she continued to walk down the hallway as her eyes darted from side to side, searching for anything that didn't belong in the dark castle. Her mind playing the messenger's message over and over again, Lady Moka wishes to see you in the courtyard, milady. It wasn't often that Moka stopped by to visit, it was only when Sazh sent her there on an errand of some sort.

"What's the matter Princess?"

The masculine voice made her stop and turn to look at the shadows to the right; where the speaker was leaning against the wall. It was Ashura, and judging by his stance; Celeste wasn't the only one that had gotten the sudden summons and was skeptical about it. "Yes, what is it?" She didn't care that her voice sounded extremely informal, but considering who she was talking to; Celeste already knew he wouldn't care, after all, Ashura was use to her polite yet informal speaking patterns.

"And once again Young Highness, you surprise me." He said jokingly, trying (and succeeding) to get a grin out of her. Sharing a laugh, she met his eyes and was reminded yet again why her father refused to leave her alone with him. A smile spreading across her face, she watched as Ashura bowed to her formally before taking her hand to escort her out to the courtyard. After several minutes of painful silence, she listened as he asked softly, "Nervous?"

A strangled laugh escaping her, she answered coolly, "What makes you say that?" She knew why he'd say that, and it was only a beat later before she amended, "Yeah, I am nervous about this meeting." She didn't have to explain why, only those in Sazh's inner circle knew the truth of how volatile Moka could become when angered. The rest of the journay passed by in almost complete silence, it only being broken by Ashura making a few jokes here and there to try and ease her nerves.

Stepping into the rose garden part of the courtyard, her eyes easily found Moka and saw that as usual, the older woman was wearing a red and black cloak; covering her clothes but revealing her blond hair. Taking a deep breath, Celeste motioned for Ashura to leave her alone with the older woman before the eighteen-year-old composed herself and walked toward the woman. She had barely stopped in front of the older woman when Moka said coldly, "You're late, but that's not important."

"I'm so---"

"Don't apologize girl, you'll disgrace not only yourself but your kingdom." Moka snapped, rising to her feet even as she spoke. "Sazh is currently in the Land of Dragons having a word with the Emperor; he is going to see about having him pick one of us to be his heir; and when that happens, you'll be responsible for getting our man into position to take over; understood?"

Keeping her head bowed, Celeste blinked back her tears and fought back the urge to apologize; knowing that it'd just piss Moka off more. She didn't bother looking up, so she didn't see the mildly shocked and hurt look that crossed the older woman's face, instead she heard the icy reprimand in Moka's voice as she sneered, "Also, another thing, don't act so damn submissive! It'll make you, and by extension us; look weak!" Then without another word, Moka fled the world, leaving Celeste standing in the courtyard by herself until Ashura slunk up behind her.

"You okay?"

Shaking her head, Celeste lifted her head and turned to look at him, a smile on her face and it was clear (to anyone that knew her) that it was fake. "It's time to assemble the others, and make sure to start using the code names; Wrath." She said calmly, her hand sliding into her pocket and pulling out a silver symbol that she turned over and over in her palm.

 

[Shinra]

~Sadness~

"Renn, I need you to focus and calm down. Do you understand what I'm saying?"


"Yes I do understand. But a blue flame is growing inside of my heart... stronger and hotter... and since you know of me you know I'm not actually the boy you once knew... I was named after the man who lies next to me... Cloud." He grabbed a hold of Kari's left wrist and rose and he wiped the tears from his eyes with his other arm, bringing Kari up with him. "Kari... I know it might not seem apparent... but Renn misses you the most... His resonant thoughts echo through our shared consciousness..."

 

[Eternal Dream]

~- Begging Your Heart to Beat -~

Aqua smiled at Ven, grateful for his presence and the buffer it presented against the memories she'd awoken with the use of the Flood spell. Feeling him tugging at the more painful emotions that the memories brought forth, she felt the assault on her heart ease temporarily, giving her respite.

"Ah took awhile to find you, but none the less here you are. Then again I knew you would be right here. A pleasure to finally meet you face to face."

Aqua's eyes widened in surprise as her attention was drawn by the stranger. As he did a strange dance that seemed almost like a tap number, she couldn't help but feel like he was a bit of a dandy, even though he had the air of a gambler about him. Wary, she studied him closer, trying to seek out the source of the familiar she felt about him. Taking a step away from him so she could scan the area for any stray Heartless that hadn't been banished by Lily's spell work, Aqua only turned her eyes back to the stranger after she was certain they were in the clear, however brief the reprieve might be.

"I see your puppy is nowhere in sight; hopefully he's not lost. Quiet a lovely mess your friends are escalating so far... it can't be helped though when your surrounded by people who hate you, and the weapon you bare... please don't be so tense around me I am definitely not one of those Hikari fools dropping the blame where it seems fit at the time."

Aqua backed up again, this time to reestablish her sense of personal space after he'd come to stand within a few feet of her, his face just inches away from her own. The stranger's offhand comment about Vesper had Aqua's defenses slamming back into place faster than she could draw her next breath, and it was only by seeking Vesper, and feeling the familiar touch of his mind against her own, that the Keyblade Master was able to calm herself again. Training guarded eyes on the man, she asked, "Just who are you, that you think I should know you?"

Ven had his own queries for the man that followed right on the heels of her statement, but Aqua's attention was pulled away by an ominous silence that spread out in a wave from the stage. Turning to look, the woman's azure eyes widened in horror, the present folding in on itself to be replaced by the past as the blond slowly fell...

"Sorrowful waters!"

Aqua directed the torrent of water toward the Heartless, felling numerous ranks of the hoard. She allowed herself a ray of hope to pierce through her battle oriented mind. The demon's ranks were thinning, and Braig was dead, even if that victory had come at the price of Isa and Amaranth. The only Seeker of Darkness still standing was Master Xehanort, the master mind of this whole, mad affair, and Terra was locked in combat with him now. If Terra could defeat Xehanort, and they could avoid a resurgence of the Keyblade War...

The Guardians of Light could still be victorious.

A shadow passed over Aqua, and the woman found her eyes instinctively drawn to the sky. Terra flew above her, and she marveled again at this turn; when had he gained wings and the ability for flight? She watched him tuck the wings in close to his body as he angled down, going into a steep dive as he readied himself to swing at Xehanort.

A less benevolent shadow leaped at Aqua, forcing her to return her attention to the matter at hand as she swung her blade, cleaving the Neoshadow in two. Turning around again, she felt her heart swell with true hope as her eyes fell on Xehanort's crumpled form, Terra's Keyblade hovering inches above it. They'd done it! They'd really defeated...

Aqua felt her joy turn into horror as she saw the wound in Terra's side, the hilt of the knife still lodged between the plates of his armor. For a moment, his eyes met hers, resignation clear in his gaze as he staggered, then fell. Her Keyblade disappearing from numbed fingers, Aqua scrambled forward, crying out, "Terra!"

"Cloud!"

The combined cry from Aerith and Zack drew Aqua back from the past, though it didn't stop the tears. Her attention no longer on Ven or the gambler, Aqua rushed forward, her thoughts torn between Terra, Cloud, and the realization that Renn and Lighting were in danger. Blinded by rage, both of the teens lashed out at the cloaked woman with rash attacks. Sensing the woman had a barrier up, Aqua tried to throw one up around the teens to protect them from the ricochet of their rebounded attacks, but she was too far away.

She couldn't protect them.

"Bacainn!"

A flash of light radiated around the square, forming a translucent, golden barrier between the woman, the kids, and any allies that would strike in blind rage. Her steps slowing, Aqua barely heard the cowled woman's taunt to seek vengeance for Cloud's death by searching for her and her sisters on other worlds. Aqua's attention was on a woman with deep red hair that stood at the fore, just inches away from the barrier that was clearly her creation. Cold determination blazing in violet eyes, Kairi said evenly, "You've made your point, witch. Now begone. You're not welcome here."

The prodigal daughter had returned.

 

[I<3Kiari]

*To the Top* "Last one to the top is a Rookie SeeD!" Rinoa called down as she flew to the top of the building. Leon sighed then began to circle the building for a way to reach the top. When he had completed a full circle around the building he decided that there was no obvious way up. He began a more through search of the walls. About a quarter of the way arround the building Leon spotted a very faint outline of a door with a small Heartless Emblem at the top. He touched the Emblem and the bricks forming the outline pushed inward as the Emblem began to emit a dull glow. The secret doorway opened and as Leon walked in he felt as though he tripped and when he looked up he noticed he was in a pitch-black room and he saw one of the things Sora had described as a Dark Corridor open in one corner.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- Don't Have to Wonder Why -~

Kari let Cloud pull her to her feet, her mind cannibalizing itself as this new persona spoke to her. Pulling him away from the gathered crowd, she caught Crowley's gaze and motioned to him that she'd be just a couple of minutes before they could talk. It didn't take Kari long to get her and Cloud out of dodge, to a more secluded area so they could talk about things in private. Letting go of her former student's hand, Kari listened as he said, "Kari... I know it might not seem apparent... but Renn misses you the most... His resonant thoughts echo through our shared consciousness..."

She watched as he wiped the tears away, and without even thinking about it, Kari took a step forward and pulled him into a hug; stroking Cloud's hair as she murmured soft words of comfort, almost like an older sister or a mother would comfort a younger sibling or child. After a few moments of that, she held him at arm's length and looked him in the eye, unsure of how to say what needed to be said. Finally deciding to throw composure to the wind, she said sadly, "I know, and I'm sorry about leaving, but things have gotten more and more strained over the last decade. Also, there's a reason Aerith never mentioned Ienzo, and why I haven't been around as much as I would have liked to watch your training."

Kari took a deep breath, before she continued brokenly, "Ienzo's been bound to the castle, he can't leave it; he's basically become a ghost. I-I just didn't know how to tell you, I'm so sorry." She looked at him sadly, before she pulled him close for another hug, positive that Renn would react poorly to the information.

~- Time For A New World -~

Serah noticed Zidane's agitation with Irritum and his friends, and it seemed as if Zidane was close to attacking the three strangers. Bowing quickly, she grabbed Zidane's hand and started to pull away from the group as she called, "It was nice talking to you, but I really don't think my sister is anywhere on this world; so I'm going to head out to a different world to search for her. See you around Irritum, talk to you later!"

She wasn't at all surprised that Zidane was shocked enough that she was able to drag him away, after all, it was quite sudden with their departure. She also wasn't surprised when after a bit, he stopped letting her drag him and put on the brakes. Despite this fact, she spun around and glared at Zidane, agitated and ready to leave this world and start her search for her sister over.

"How do you propose we get off of this world?"

Serah grinned at the question, remembering that Zidane wasn't aware of what she could do. Closing her eyes, Serah held out her hand and focused on calling a vortex of light. Hearing the all too familiar whoosh sound as it sprang to life, Serah opened her eyes to see a vortex of white, light blue and pink swirling in front of them; and a rather stunned Zidane staring between the portal and her. Shrugging in nonchalance, Serah smiled at him and, totally ignoring her sprained ankle, ran through the portal to see where it'd lead her this time; Zidane right behind her so he could both get off of that world and look after in her quest.

~- Is Everything Okay? -~ ((OOC: I was given permission to borrow Seifer for this post))

Rinoa stared at Seifer, not during to say something in fear that it'd provoke him into attacking her. She took a hesitant step forward, her hand held out to Seifer before he took a step back and said coldly, "You're looking well, Rinoa." That made her freeze where she stood, feeling as if she'd been just been slapped for no reason at all; although, she definitely would've preferred it if Seifer had struck her physically instead of keeping her distance.

"I've been worried about you, Seifer." She admitted, keeping her voice low in the off chance Squall was somewhere nearby. She held Seifer's gaze, feeling the old affection she had for him come flickering back to life; the old embers refusing to stay extinguished, and judging by the way his eyes seemed sad Rinoa wasn't the only one feeling the old stir of emotion.

"Does he know we're talking right now? Won't Squall get mad about you talking to me?"

Rinoa shrugged at the question, at that point not caring if Squall got mad or not; and yet she couldn't help but notice how long it was taking the brunette to get up there. She did catch that flicker of regret in Seifer's eyes, almost like he was plotting something that would somehow affect her in a way he didn't want it to. Tensing at that notion, Rinoa eyed him cautiously as she took a step back; still not sure of what to say. She always hated it when this happened, her rushing into things and then being unable to figure out how to get out of it.

"You don't have to be scared of me," Seifer chuckled, obviously reading her closed expression for partially what it was.

"Where is he?" She asked icily, and wasn't at all amused with the confused look that passed over his face. Stalking toward him, she grabbed a hold of the collar of Seifer's shirt and pulled him in close, hating the fact that Seifer let her man handle him like that. "Tell me Seifer, where is Squall?" Rinoa growled darkly, each word for sounding more feral than the last as she glared Seifer down, waiting for him to answer her question or to try for something else.

~- Let's Start A Riot -~

Esperanza felt her mind go blank as Cloud crumbled to the ground, she heard the tones of phrases and words, but it made no sense to her. Watching the scene from the sidelines, Esper forced her way forward, none of this could truly be happening. It was merely a trick; a sick joke someone decided to play.

You and me both know that's a lie.

Esper clenched her fists, anger surging forward with the logic that the voice in her head spoke. "Shut up!" She shrieked, holding up her hand and sending a blast of darkness toward some random person.

Who turned out to be Riku of all people.

She heard the angry oath that Riku voiced as he threw himself sideways to avoid the blast, and then finally some words punched through the red haze that had settled over the teen. "Lily, I think you've got an apprentice." Her eyes snapped to Riku, anger surging back to the forefront. She knew that she was being unreasonable, but her parents and Cloud. An idea coming to her mind, Esper wove her way toward the center stage; climbing up onto the stage she nodded coolly at Riku before she looked out at the gathered citizens.

"Do you want the citizens to return to a neutral party, Riku?"

She watched the keyblade master out of the corner of her eye, letting her see the faint nod he gave in answer to her question. Nodding in acknowledgement of his answer, Esper raised her voice and said, "Everyone, please listen to me!"

Waiting until she had all eyes on her, she smirked icily and continued, "Sora is an old friend of this world, how many times did he help us when the world was nearly over run by heartless? Plenty of times, and by all rights, he didn't have any reason to. He did it because he could , because he cared about us and our home! How many of the heroes of the war against Xehanort were from here? There were plenty of them, including a bunch of ones that were willing to lay down their lives. How many of our friends have we lost to not only the keybladers, but to that terrorist group Hikari? It is too many of them if you ask me, but that's not the keybladers fault. The ones that are at "fault" are those rat bastards called Hikari."

She met each person's eyes individually, holding them for several moments before she moved onto the next one. Feeling the next string of words come to her, Esperanza clenched her hands and continued, "I can't just stand by and let their sacrifices be for nothing, and besides can you people honestly stand the thought of this madness continuing and your children becoming orphans and falling victim to this stupid, never ending cycle of revenge and hatred?"

Again, Esper knew that this could've been worded better, but she was relieved to see that people were seeing her point and starting to rally toward her cause. "Come on, let's so everyone that we're not weak, that we've got a strong pair of legs and we know how to use them! Let's fight back and make our fallen heroes proud, let's not let their deaths be in vain! Let's start a riot against those that would try to control us and make their honorable sacrifices be for nothing!" Esper called, watching as the crowd howled with agreement and eager desire to show just how strong they truly were; that they wouldn't just stand by and let some terrorist group, or anyone for that matter control them.

"Let's help Sora!"

"Let's honor our heroes’ memories!"

"Let's show those people from other worlds that they can't bully us!"

“It is time to take our lives back!"

Esper smiled as the citizens cried out their agreement, glancing over at Riku to see his shocked expression she raised an eyebrow in question. She waited until he walked over, and was about to ask him what was wrong when he beat her to the punch. "You know, all you need to do is polish up your speech delivering skills, and you could be a very persuasive speaker." Riku commented, watching the scene unfold in front of him, a more than slightly concerned look on his face.

"You think so?" She asked, watching the scene along with him, so she almost missed the nervous chuckle that he let go as he answered, "Think so? I know so. I also know that I don't want to be your enemy, you have quite the persuasive edge on you, young lady."

Smiling at the compliment, Esper hopped down and started to head back toward Sora as she tossed over her shoulder, "Thanks, now let's go find the others Riku."

 

[Shinra]

~A partial revelation~

Renn began struggling with Cloud as Kari hugged him. He had actually known that Ienzo was bound to the castle, never to leave it's corridors because Ienzo had told him not two weeks before his departure with Aqua. Renn's blossoming affections soon helped him overcome Cloud's will to control him.

"Kari... I actually knew because he told me... He told me not to mention it to you because he knew you would endanger yourself trying to find a way to free him... But if you knew that means... You've been doing something all this time haven't you?! No wonder I haven't seen you as much! And that could mean that you possibly know something about those people that killed Cloud!" Renn's eyes flared as he felt the anger empowering Cloud again but he took a deep breath and his emotions subsided. "And...I care about you too even though Cloud just told you... I just wanted to say it myself... I love you Kari... I know you live for your family but let me tell you something Ienzo told me before I left. 'Living for other people is a way to live but it's never truly satisfying until you live for yourself.' He knew that I was known for helping other people out without a second thought. Especially so for Leon and the others because I owed them for raising me from the time I lost my parents. But ever since I began training I only helped people when I felt like it because it was fulfilling. Please tell me what's going on Kari so we can figure out how to make the worlds safe again... This new group is turning people against me and my fellow keybladers when we don't deserve it... sure Xehanort was evil but that doesn't mean all keybladers are like that..." He tightly held onto Kari... "I won't let go until you tell me everything..."

 

[sephiroth2]

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

As Sazh continued walking through the dark corridor, the one brief chill he felt soon became the only thing the older man could feel around him. The growing sense of something watching him swiftly reached a paranoid level of fear, especially in the corner of his sight there always seemed to be purple eyes of various sizes just staring at him, though always disappeared if looked directly at.

"We are greatly disappointed, Mr Katzroy..." The voice rang all around Sazh, as if it came from the very dark corridor itself. The tone was of sadness but a growing anger could be sensed beneath the surface of every word. Standing a few feet back from where the man had walked from, the immensely tall masked woman stood silently with just the dark tendrils covering her body restlessly moving.

"You promised us this, rally, of yours would go without any problems. You promised us many vessels to take. We received only half..." While the tall woman's voice continued to echo around and throughout Sazh's own mind and senses with the same disappointed tone, it was the living tendrils which probably showed her true emotions. Flaring in anger, the once soft restless movement from them quickly gave way to growths of eyes and fang filled mouths along their skin as they began to grow and split and sprout like weeds or a spreading virus.

The dark corridor itself seemed to ripple and grow darker with the woman's emotions, the swirls of colour it normally had slowly fading into an indistinguishable black.