Kingdom Hearts [II-II]-- Keybearer of Love

[Shadows Fall]

Derick saw that Sakura had taken care of the creature that previously attempted to harm her, making quick and easy work out of its defeat. She then grasped onto his hand and then dragged him through the Heartless infested Shoreline as the two were now on a search for their friends. But something seemed awfully wrong with this picture. As they ran through the horde of Shadows, they didn't bother to attack, not even once. However, they did appear to be rather taken aback by the sight of Sakura's Keyblade, looking almost as if they were afraid of it but at the same time, lust for something that she had at her disposal.

When Sakura had finally let go of his hand, Derick just trailed behind by running after her. They had managed to find Sora and the rest of the gang as the appearance of another figure caught all of their attentions. Howeve, deep down inside, Derick felt useless once seeing that Roxas, Sora, and Sakura all had a weapon unlike he did so what good was he for?

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Sora hacked and slashed his way through the many Shadows that stood in their way. He dealt with them before in his life so this was such an easy task for him. With various horizontal and vertical strikes, he noticed that they began to refrain from fighting back which left the Keybearer in a state of confusion. Despite the fact that they did not fight back, Sora did not want to take any chance as he remained in his defensive stance. When he had saw the figure, he shot a glare at it from where he stood.

"Are you the one in charge of this?"

[Sora_Rox_My_Sox]

Roxas stood in her way, protecting her from the heartless. Their numbers were alarming, and growing rapidly. Roxas, look! Namine said as a tall, dark clothed person appeared from a dark portal. She grabbed onto his hand and pulled him towards Sora and Kairi, who were also battling heartless. "Sakura, over here!" She yelled at her while beckoning for her to come over near them.

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Kairi saw the man enter from the darkness amidst all the fighting. Everyone seemed to stop and look at him as Sora spoke. She backed away from the man, and stood back by Sora. The man reminded her of somebody from the Organization, but they were all dead, except for Roxas. Besides, Nobodies couldnt control heartless. Who was this guy?

[Namimaru]

[This is going to be diffaccult to continue without Sephiroth. Hmmm. Maybe I could do something for now. Yes, and I'll clue Sephy in later. XD]

Sakura suddenly felt something inside her. Rage. It blinded her and she couldn't think, nor did she even want to know what he wanted. She grabbed her keyblade and ran at the figure, not caring whether or not anyone was providing backup. The man looked unconcerned with this and didn't flinch as he watched her run at him.
"Novice keybearer, do you really think you could fight me?" He asked in a deep, grim tone.
Saskura stopped in her tracks and looked at him with an angry but defeated look. He was right. She couldn't even beat Sora in a spar he wasn't trying in. She shook her head and gripped her weapon tighter, and tried at running again.
"Maybe not, but I'll try!" She launched herself at him, but felt something hold her back. It was a hand on her sholder.

Roxas sighed and panted, watching Sakura's angry rampage at the man that was infront of them. She wasn't a match for him, but she had better learn it the hard way if she wants to fight him so badly, he thought. He didn't even try to stop her, but he watched as someone did.

[Shadows Fall]

"Derick, stop her!" Sora shouted over to his sparring companion which snapped him out of his trance-like state.

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Shaking his head, Derick looked over at Sora and simply nodded as he then ran over to Sakura in order to stop her from attacking the figure. All though she had a Keyblade, it seemed that she wasn't ready to fight someone like the figure who may be the one in charge of the Heartless attack. As he managed to catch up with her before confronting the figure, Derick grabbed onto her shoulder and held her back from doing so. That's when Sora began to speak once more.

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"Sakura. . . don't even think of attacking when you barely have any experience. I know we trained and all but you're still not ready to handle something like this." Sora started out with, keeping his hazel eyes on the figure. "I'm not trying to be harsh or anything on those lines but this isn't any regular training anymore. This is a real battle, you can get seriously hurt or even worse, you can be killed if you were to just jump into action like that." he explained. "You have no idea what he may be capable of so I suggest you stand down. . . for now at least."

[Emorene]

As darkness overwhelmed Destiny Islands, and the Keyblade Bearers fought the Heartless that were invading, a dark vortex appeared away from the Keyblade Bearers. From the vortex came a man clad in black and red, his face shrouded by a hood. The man wore a black tattered robe over a black shirt and pants. He wore a blood red cape, a black version of the Nobody insignia on it. On the man's shirt was the Heartless insignia, which was glowing a bright red. Drawing a dagger from his sheath, the man slowly walked forward and scanned the people around me. His eyes widened with interest upon seeing the Keyblade Bearers, especially Sora. "So he is here," said the man as a smile curled on his lip. The man then ran forward and approached Sora and the others. He said not a word, but instead sent some of the Heartless away with a wave of his hand. His powers over darkness had been enough to convince some of the Heartless to flee, but most were resiliant to his efforts. These Heartless obeyed only the man before him, a man he did not recognize. He stood behind Sora, and said in a voice void of emotion, "Sora, I presume? I have come to fight for this world, as I assume you have as well."

[sephiroth2]

OOC: Sorry about not posting! Also Namimaru if I'm not here, I give you permission to use my character to help the story move on!

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The figure watched as Sakura ran at full speed towards him while wielding her keyblade. A slight grin appeared on his face as he noticed the rage welling up within her.
This however changed, once he noticed some of the shadow heartless being dismissed all of a sudden. "I didn't do that!" the figure thought, before he realised the person who did it.

A man wearing a black tattered robe over a black shirt and pants, blood red cape, with a black version of the Nobody insignia on it. A shirt with the Heartless insignia, which was glowing a bright red and holding a dagger, appeared beside Sora and the rest.

"Sora, I presume? I have come to fight for this world, as I assume you have as well." the mysterious man said from beside Sora.
"Well, you must be the one who controlled some of the heartless!" the figure said to the man. "I'm sure you've noticed, but they won't listen to you!" he said to the man, before slightly turning his head towards Sakura.

"And as for you!" the figure said to Sakura, while raising his right hand at the same time. At that moment, a swirl of white appeared from infront of him, just as Sakura got within range, a large sword like spear pierced through the ground blocking Sakuras keyblade.

The sword didn't act like a normal weapon however, as it seemed to be rather stringy and rubbery, and after a few seconds, it reverted back into it's original form, that of a Creeper Nobody.

[Namimaru]

[Thanks. =D ]
Sakura sighed at Sora's words. She knew that she couldn't fight him, but her stubbornness and rage had blinded the truth from her. She relaxed and was about to withdrawl when a large sword sliced down infront of her, skimming her arm. Te girl didn't realise the pain, however, because pureshock was all that she felt. The sword was rubbery, and transformed again into a strange white creature that walked on all fours. She grabbed her keyblade with both hands and swatted the white monster, but it merely flew back onto the ground and recovered. It was harer to fight than the heartless. It's rubbery, almost liquid physique made it easily missable.

She jumped forward and slashed it again, this time destroying it. It may be stronger, and it may be tougher, she thought, but it was easily beatable, all the same. She ran back to the beach, cautious of any heartless or white creatures along the way. She than noticed a man make away with the heartless in his path with ease, and she swallowed hard. Was he also evil?

Roxas swiftly turned his head to see the man who had just spoken in a barely audible vice. If it wern't for the fact Roxas was right next to Sora and had all alerts up, he wouldn't be able to hear him.
"Sora, I presume? I have come to fight for this world, as I assume you have as well." Was all the strange and creepy man had uttered. He made sure to keep his senses sharp, incase the man was actually out to do harm.

[Emorene]

The man behind Sora watched all that was happening, his interest in what was happening around him increasing with each event that had occured. "Master of Heartless and Nobodies, who are you?" Shouted the man as he lowered the hood that shrouded his face. The man's eyes were yellow, his skin as white as the skin of a Nobody. His "hair" was actually a large clump of long black antennae similar to the kind Shadow Heartless have. The creature, appearing to be part Heartless, part Nobody, and part human stared into the eyes of the one before him before looking towards the others near him. He was not suprised when he saw the look of suprise and fear on the faces of some of those near him. "You have no reason to fear me, Keyblade Wielder," said the man to one of the girls nearby who seemed to question what his intentions were, judging by the look of her face, "I may be a monster on the outside, but I am not one on the inside. I have come to save this world in its time of peril, you see. I go by many names, but my true name is Emorene. Don't fear me- I am on your side. Just think of me as... as a friend from the darkness."

[Namimaru]

Sakura raised more alarm when she realised that he was talking to her. Maybe her face betrayed how fearfull she felt. She sighed and relaxed, than advanced towards the man.
"Well, while your here, mind helping out?" She asked, turned towards the man who posed as the current threat. Once they wiped him out, the rest of the heartless were a cakewalk. Still, she felt concerned about the white creatures. Could they possibly be the other horrid creatures Sora described?
The Nobodies.
While such a name was very harsh, it fit the creatures well. They were nasty and destructive, and such monsters didn't deserve a place in the world.
The Nobodies. Made sense.

Sakura breathed in and swallowed down all of her fear. With the help of her freinds, and now the morale of Emorene, they had the job down pat. She swung her keyblade to her back ina more comfortable position and looked back at the group.
"Ready?"

[Sora_Rox_My_Sox]

Not more nobodies! Kairi thought, but instantly regretted it. Namine and Roxas were once Nobodies, as was Axel, and many other people, but not all where kind. She looked around her, stopping and pausing at the stranger called Emorene. He called himself a monster, but Kairi didnt believe he was. She stepped up beside Sakura, and replied "Well, I sure am." She wasnt going to be left out of the action, like usual. She wanted to prove herself among her friends.

OOC: can she not wield her own keyblade, unless Riku gives her one? jw
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Namine stood at the back of the group, not daring herself to look forward. She knew Emorene...Perhaps, not acutually "knew" him, but somehow she had already known of his existence. She remebered back to her days when she carried a sketch book with her, constantly filling it with doodles and drawings of people and things she didnt even know.

She rememberd once sketch in particular, one that was quite similar to Emorene. She had drawn it after a nightmare she had, a dark nightmare. Her sketch book was long gone, along with all the drawings and pictures inside, but she could remember each and every one of them. She didnt want to fight; she didnt have a weapon in the first place. She also possesed hardly any skill in the field of comabt. She sadly realized she was helpless.

[Shadows Fall]

"Sora, I presume? I have come to fight for this world, as I assume you have as well."

Taken by surprise, the auburn teen quickly looked over his shoulder to see a man wearing a tattered black robe with a Heartless insignia on the front of his shirt. All though the appearance of the man was somewhat similar to that of the Organization he had taken care of a few years ago, the vibe that he had given off was that of an ally rather than an enemy. That and the fact that the man himself stated that he too had came to Destiny Islands to fight for it instead of destroying it like the Heartless were doing.

"Yeah. . . I'm Sora but. . . how do you know my name?" questioned Sora as he noticed that someone in the group was missing. "Say. . . where did Derick go?"

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Derick entered the cave of Destiny Islands, also known as the Secret Place among the teenagers. He walked along the path until reaching the center point of the cave itself, examining the walls of its various cave writings and sketches. But what caught his attention in an instant was the door that lied within the cave. It somehow opened on its own, a fog of blacks and purples seeping into the interior of the cave. However, instead of feeling fear Derick felt drawn to the door and found it to be a mystery. He had been so distracted that he completely forgotten the fact that everyone including Sakura were battling outside on the Shoreline but nothing mattered to him. The boy was useless anyway seeing how he didn't have any of those Key looking blades.

"I wonder," muttered Derick as he slowly approached the open door. "what's on the other side?"

[Namimaru]

[ I think she can use it like normal. Besides, where does Riku keep it? ]
Sakura smiled at Kairi. She had a weapon, and this would be great practise for the both of them. Besides, they needed every body they could. She looked at Namine, who stood helpless and sad. Sakura sighed. It was true that Namine had no obvious way to combat, but her spirit lifted their's. She gave her a reassuring smile and nod before turning to Sora in surprise.
"Derik...? Hey, yeah... where is he?"

Roxas also happened to notice the uselessness Namine felt, so he walked forwards and took her hand. "Don't think of giving up yet. I need you to stay by my side," He smiled, than blushed at how incredibley mushy that sounded. Mushy or not, he ment every word of it. He has grown fond of the girl beside him, and her mere presence lifted his spirits. Roxas had completely forgotten how nobodies couldn't feel affection or any other emotion, and defied the rule. He acted like he had a strong heart of his own.

[Shadows Fall]

As Derick grew closer to the door, the fog that seeped along the ground began to make its way up his leg and around his waist. However, it did not do any harm nor did it even constrict him at all. It almost looked as if it were calling to him a it then trailed along his arms. It had rid itself from outlining his entire body as it returned to trailing along the dirt instead. Derick, however, simply stood in front of the door and gazed upon the perpetual bliss of the Darkness that lied within its depths. Then, a distinctive voice echoed through out the entire cave which intrigued the boy with its words.

"Well? what are you waiting for. . . the Darkness is calling. . . it yearns for you to take that step and fulfill your destiny."

"It's. . . waiting - for me?" Derick replied who appeared to be in a trance-like state.

"Yes. . . you can achieve such great strength by taking that step. All you have to do is follow your Heart and you'll receive something 'great' in no time. . ."

"B - but what about my friends?"

"What about them? They won't even know you're gone. . ."

[Emorene]

Emorene turned to face Sora and said, "I am a man desperate for help, Sora, and for help I turned to Yen Sid. I had heard rumors of the man, and I thought that if anyone could help me, it would be him. Sadly, all Yen Sid could offer were guesses, but he did say for me to seek out you, Sora. He told me all about what had happened, including how you defeated Xemnas and Organization XIII. He didn't answer my question as to how he knew all of this, but merely stated that he had his ways. He left in a hurry, but used his magic to send me here first." Emorene then turned away from Sora and toward the one who had been controlling the Heartless and Nobodies. Emorene aimed his dagger forward, and his lips curled to a smile. The fight that would soon occur would be a challenging one, and Emorene had been longing for a true challenge.

[Namimaru]

Sakura felt worry pulse threw her. Why was she so worried? Purhaps Derik had run to take cover. He was, after all, unarmed. Sakura just couldn't make herself believe that. She sighed and gripped ehr keyblade tightly.
"I... I'll be right back!" She cried to them as she ran into the island more. She slashed the heartless while she did, even if they didn't fight back. The glowing hearts poured out of them as they died, returning to the sky, where all hearts did after they left their host. She made it to the center of the island and listened closely for any trace of her new friend. Luckily enough, she heard a voice come from a cave. Despritely, she ran for it, keeping her head low and her keyblade idle. Finally she made it to the middle of the tunnel.
"D-Derik?"