Kingdom Hearts: The Keyblade War

[Smoofy]

Tia froze as the woman addressed her. She wasn't expecting to be talked to directly at all. She spoke to them as a group, explaining her non-intentions and how she came to conquer China, but when she spoke to Tia personally, it caught her off guard.

Tia took her attention off the Heartless and turned to face the woman. Her eyes were obscured from view and with that, so were her intentions. What did she want with them?


From the corner of her eye, Tia spotted Rika checking the guards with a grim look on her face. Did she slaughter all of them herself, or did her Heartless do it? Could this woman fight? Tia gazed straight at the woman. She was nervous, for sure. What if she said the wrong thing? What was she supposed to say? She stepped forward away from the group, so she could speak without influence from the others. As she began to speak, her eyes never left the woman. She spoke with complete confidence.


"Well, you've killed countless people, laid destruction on an entire country and dethroned it's leader. You've absolutely destroyed anyone who has opposed you so far without even breaking a sweat, and on top of that, you seem to possess control over a never-ending swarm of Heartless. You punished this man by usurping his position and slaughtering his people for disregarding your power and your challenge. Someone who exerts that kind of power just to be noticed or acknowledged must have some serious issues." This woman made her angry. Tia clenched her fists She toppled an entire country and when she was approached by the only four people who actually took her presence seriously, she simply invited them in as if they were dinner guests. Tia felt like this woman really enjoyed attention. Specifically, she enjoyed it when people feared and submitted to her. When the Emperor did neither, she forced him to submit. She was like a child, when they don't get their attention, they throw a tantrum. That is what she did. She threw a country wide tantrum. When a child throws a tantrum, they needed to be scolded, just how Tia did. But Tia was a young girl, and this was a grown woman. Tia wouldn't be able to have the same affect on her like Rika did to Tia. Unless... Tia moved into a fighting stance, ready for an attack from any direction.


"You ask me if I'll let you walk away. How about I give you the choice? You can kiss my ass and leave, or I kick yours and MAKE you leave!!" Her voice elevated in volume with each word, until she was shouting the last couple of words at this woman. She slammed a fist into her open palm, the force of which actually created a gust of wind, blowing her hair slightly. The gust of wind was forceful enough to be felt by all the women in the room, and the only conscious male. This woman had no right to punish these people and take their lives just because the Emperor refused to confront her.


Tia was ready to fight this woman as long as the others were. She was right there. The woman that caused all this destruction... the woman who killed so many... if they let her escape, they would be no better than this woman if they allowed her to walk away free.

[darkmagewolfe]

That went as well as Minami had expected. But what could she expect from a child? It was too much to put on her shoulders. Tia had a nasty habit of running her mouth for a while, and the more she spoke the more and more Minami was regretting bringing her along. Sure, having an extra teammate along would be helpful, but so far Tia has only proven to be hot-tempered, quick to act without thinking, and talkative. The benefits were slowly being outweighed at this point.

When Tia had single-handedly declared that she was going to fight this woman, Minami needed to silence this girl. She’s puffing out her chest and trying to show off, when the sake of an entire world filled with innocent people is at stake, arrogance shouldn’t be exercised. This woman definitely won’t respond to empty threats like this, not when she has exercised an incredibly amount of control over these heartless and has even shown restraint in attacking these women.

Tia’s little threat definitely won’t work and if anything will make the situation worse.

Before Tia could say anything else, Minami stepped in, as quick as thought, with her foot in front of Tia’s, she gently shoved Tia forward. The resulting momentum would, very quickly, weaken Tia’s balance for Minami to take advantage of. She slid her foot back and tripped up the reaction of being pushed forward and with the swiftness of a master yet with the delicacy of a mother, she pushed Tia down to the ground.

Next, with the girl faced down, she placed a single hand on the middle of her back to keep her permanently detained. It may not seem much, but to anyone fighting against that strength it would feel like being under a mountain of steel.

Minami looked up at the woman, unafraid yet her eyes had a rebellious flair to it, as if respecting Aeva.

“She does not speak for us,” Minami admitted, “Nor does she speak for this entire world. The lives of millions of innocent people shouldn’t depend on the rash words of the ill-tempered. Those who speak without thinking are ineligible for gambling millions of lives.”

She looked at the Emperor briefly. This is extended to him and to all of the arrogant leaders of the world who needlessly gamble the lives of innocent people, those who put their pride ahead of the governed have no right leading.

Then, she looked at Chizuma with a warning look, any other stupid remark would be rewarded with a good knock on the head.

[Keyblader!]

"WHAHAHA!~" Chizuma was on the floor of the throne room, rolling about with her hands firmly on her stomach. For some reason she found Tia's outburst positively hilarious. Either she was really dumb, or had some serious guts. She continued laughing, right up until Minami went over to pin Tia down. She had somehow rolled all the way over to the throne in which Aeva was seated. Slowly getting to her feet she stifled her laughter. Taking a deep breath she walked to the side of the extravagant chair. She leaned in close, resting her shoulder to the side of the chair's back rest. "Now that was funny... But seriously, Empress..."

She leaned in closer to Aeva, making her voice a loud whisper. "How about we just get out of here eh? You made your point here, right ya old codger!?" She motioned her head to the Emperor for a moment. "Honestly, the old man looks like a puppy that's been put through a 'kick em' while their down' machine." Chizuma stopped leaning on the chair, then walking to the front of Aeva. She flashed her a wide toothy grin. "Sound like a plan? I know this really nice ice cream place in Radi.. no wait never mind..." She just had to remind herself of home didn't she? Suddenly a bit of the pep in her voice was gone. Not quite enough to make her sound sad however.

"A-anyway, It'd be pretty unfortunate to just ruin this place right? What do ya say, peace?" She held out her hand for the woman, her senses were screaming at her to stop this, clearly it was a bad idea.. Too bad she had trouble listening to her own advice.

[darkmagewolfe]

Port Royal certainly had a… well obvious motif around it. Aiden liked pirates to a certain extent, he just didn’t enjoy the prospect of Mayuka being near those nasty thieves. It wasn’t for the safety of Mayuka, he knew she could take care of herself, it’s just those pirates weren’t exactly the most hospitable. Trust him on this, after meeting with the ghost of Blackbeard, he’s had enough of pirates and of the like.

But the place looked nice. Aiden had a deep adoration and respect for the ocean, after all he had attended an immeasurable number of beach trips with little Mayuka. That thought made him nostalgic, he had missed his little sister a lot and seeing this world, a place that she would probably love, just made him sad but more determined to find her.

Though, the idea of getting a cottage here wasn’t very appealing.

Aiden chuckled, “I dunno man, getting scurvy doesn’t sound like a lovely prospect. Rent might be low as hell though.”

“It might improve your attitude though,” suggested Inori.

“Surely you can’t have anything better to do other than insult me?”

“Insulting you is my life’s purpose. And don’t call me Shirley.”

~--~

“Eh?” Kodaka muttered, glancing over to Junichi with a wide grin, “What’s up Jun?”

It would be very interesting to see what Junichi would want with Kodaka. He was much too unpredictable and looked more like insurance if things went wrong, as he was the closest one in the group to a reality warper.

“You should know this already, bro, I may be a reality warper but I can’t see where Ayumi is. Usually I can sense others pretty well even if they’re on different worlds, but she’s clouded. Might be our goddess’s influence, who knows.”

He snickered, hoping that his guess about Iwasaki purposely hiding Ayumi was true. After all, it would give him a reason to go after that eccentric god.

~--~

Raphael thought it was strange that allies would laugh at one’s injuries especially considering the extent of the damage that Jayden had underwent. He didn’t choose to question the morality of mortals, but it made him wonder if they were the monsters and not that robot.

But, as calmly as possible, he strode over to Neku. He was pretty quiet but wasn’t employing any stealth techniques as to not surprise Neku or anything.

He stretched out his hands over to Neku and a white light glowed in-between them. It was a healing spell, much stronger than anything magicians could produce.

“Your injuries must be tended to,” Raphael explained simply, stretching out his left arm to Jayden, employing the same spell, “In my youth, I was called Saint Raphael The Healer.”

[Key Wielder]

The end of the battle was certainly anticlimactic, and Llyndellia found herself rather disappointed as her feet hit the ground and her second Keyblade vanished as Pepper had. She wasn't sure why: her legs felt like jelly and she was fairly sure she would collapse at any moment. Still, it felt like Jayden's ploy was for nothing when its target disappeared rather than actually face the attack like... Well, face the attack like whatever the robotic equivalent to a man was.

Oh no, Jayden.

Thinking about him suddenly made her remember that he was, in fact, actually here. While she had landed on her feet, he hadn't been so lucky and crashed right down to earth with a resounding thud. He didn't even have the luck to land on something other than his head. It was a good thing he was unconscious.

Before Llyndellia could even make a move toward him to check his pulse, Neku was there. Part of her was surprised; part of her didn't know why she should be. Neku had called her a friend after a bunch of callous comments and less than helpful conversations. He had actually fought alongside Jayden, was welcomed into the latter's band of righteous fools. She hadn't spent enough time with him to get a read on the light wielder outside of battle, but he seemed to be at the very least a great deal more friendly and less standoffish than her. If it had taken Neku a trip to the castle, a battle amongst and against freaks, and escaping death in the nick of time to call Llyndellia his friend, he must have befriended Jayden like a puppy takes to its chew toy. The thought actually brought a slight smile to her lips.

"Man, for a military leader, you sure are stupid, even I wouldn't have tried that! Llyn, I'm thinking a potion or two is in order here!"

Pulling a potion out of her pocket (Last one. They go like water...), she knelt down and tried to battle herself as she awkwardly pulled Jayden's head into her lap, moving him slowly in case he had more serious injuries. It was hard not to blush at being in this position as she tipped the bottle down his throat until the last drop was gone, but thankfully it was her lucky night and he didn't open his eyes to see her face only a few inches from his. Now that would have been awkward.

"He's not stupid," she said in reply to Neku's comment, grinning. Grinning? What is with me today?! "An absolute moron with a few self-destructive, heroic tendencies, but not stupid. It's what--" --my Master would have taught us to do. Sacrifice yourself to give everyone else a chance, even if the hope of survival is nil. Clearing her throat and looking away, she finished lamely, "--light wielders do."

"You are gonna be so pissed when you find out our enemy left right after you took that hit!"

Llyndellia couldn't help laughing at that as well. Jayden had probably thought that they wouldn't really win in this battle, but at least his actions would have given them a better chance to push her back. The fact that she vanished almost immediately after his stunt, though, would definitely grate on his nerves. She made a mental note to remind him of it at every turn.

Every turn? As if you'll actually stick around. You've got a door to find, one that hasn't been found since the beginning of time. This isn't the time to play nice and make friends with light wielders who would kill you as soon as look at you if they knew what you were planning. You need to focus. Why can't you ju--

Shaking her head and silencing her better judgment, Llyndellia extricated herself from being Jayden's pillow and stood, hands on her hips as she looked down at him. "We can probably move him back to the palace now, but I'll need your help. Oh, and--" She looked up to see Brooke and the other boy nearby. She vaguely remembered them helping people to safety during Pepper's last attack and returning to enter the fray again. "--you know you'll get yourself killed trying to kick robots in the head, right? You should leave the fighting to..." The more experienced? The less impulsive? "...the idiots who know how." Oh, much better.

Before she could do anything else, footsteps caught her attention and she turned back, summoning her Keyblade once more. Him again?!

. . .

Darien waited for all of his men to make it through the portal, still trying to figure out what their next course of action should be. Getting anyone involved was a bad idea, and he knew that the inhabitants of this world would be ignorant and therefore unhelpful in his quest anyway. They would need to start looking quickly, but how could he tell them what exactly they were looking for when he wasn't quite sure himself? He'd seen them from the other side, of course, but they would be entirely different out here. All this stupid light...

"Sir, Voideus claims there is a pair of people with sizable energy behind the gates. They appear to be hiding from us."

Oh yeah, definitely going to like having him around now. Nodding, Darien looked toward the coliseum gates as they opened to reveal...two girls? Those were the people with such sizable energy? It was like Llyn was standing in front of him again, weak and insignificant, and he fought a laugh. He lost. The laugh escaped him and he nearly doubled over at the sight: two girls, yet Voideus thought they were of particular interest. They had better wield Keyblades at the very least, or perhaps this dark "god" really isn't worth the time.

Once Darien had control of himself, he moved toward the girls and gestured for Kataki to accompany him, indicating that all of his men should wait further behind. He didn't want to frighten them, after all. Still, he was too curious not to approach them, and as he still didn't have the plan worked out in its entirety, they had time to kill.

"Ladies," he said in greeting, inclining his head slightly. "You don't seem to be from this world. Just visiting?"

. . .

If he hadn't been floating upside down, Jayden could have kicked himself. It would also have helped if he'd had legs, but his tail really wasn't made for that sort of thing. What a mess he'd made of things. Failed in one battle just to go to another world and fail again. Seriously, what kind of commander was he? They had trained him for years, had taken him away from home to turn him into a formidable Keyblade wielder, yet here he was, the worse for wear and on the losing side. Again. With a bunch of idiots spitting in his face like he was nothing.

Flipping over, he looked down to see a stained glass pillar below him, and he swam toward it purely for something to do. The dark water allowed him free movement, and the soreness he would have felt after what he remembered of Pepper's attack should have had him curling up into a defeated ball. Either this was a dream, a delusion, or he was dead. It was really a tossup on all three.

"You've been reckless."

"What the--?" Jayden looked down to see someone standing on the pillar, looking up at him with a stern gaze set on his fatherly face. The familiar sight sent a shudder through Jayden. I'm in trouble.

"Chief Odai." Bowing was difficult when you were floating, but the older man waved him off impatiently. It was amazing that he could breathe underwater, but that was just more proof that this couldn't really be happening.

"Save the formalities, Commander Merton. We've received reports, and the fact that you are...well, like this at all speaks volumes."

Avoiding his eyes like a berated child, Jayden answered, "Things have escalated, sir, to much higher levels than you originally anticipated. New World was lost, and strange creatures roam the worlds. Monsters and robo--"

"Which is why commanders like yourself are trained and sent into the field: to handle such escalations. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, sir." Damn you.

"Yet here you are, foolishly throwing yourself at a brick wall and forgetting all your training. For what? Because you are ashamed? Because you are afraid?" Before Jayden could deny it, Odai raised his hand again to silence him. "You were trained better--trained to be better than that, Jayden."

"What would you have me do?"

"I would have you be the Master who left Traverse Town two months ago," he snapped. Odai immediately seemed to realize his tone and it softened significantly as he continued, "I would have you be the boy whose strength outmatched all others. The boy who took no criticism and fought both valiantly and victoriously."

There are those who would deny I even have such strength. Just look at that stupid angel and the robot...

"Do not lose hope."

"Huh?" Jayden looked back up at Odai, frowning. The older man smirked, glancing over Jayden's shoulder a moment before answering.

"There are other great fighters from around the worlds whose strength may even rival your own. Strength of will and muscle is not all that marks a great warrior, however. You wield a Keyblade, which should be more than enough indication of the strength you possess."

"Yeah, strength to get myself deep fried by some chick," he grunted, humiliated just saying it out loud.

"Undoubtedly." There was a wealth of amusement behind just that one word. "But also strength of other kinds that they do not possess, and most likely never will. Have faith in that."

"Yes, sir." Easier said than done. "Anything else?" he asked, beginning to feel spasms of pain in his neck.

Odai nodded. "Yes. Get your sorry ass back to Traverse Town once you're well enough to walk, won't you? There's still a lot to be done, Commander."

Jayden's eyebrows flew up to his hairline. "Wait a second. This is only a dream, right?"

"Well, you are unconscious."

"That didn't answer my question."

An arrogant smirk, just like the old days before Jayden had become a commander. "Strength of heart, Jayden. You're not the only one who's got it."

Chuckling, Jayden watched as Chief Odai faded into darkness, and suddenly the brief spasms became a continuous throbbing, although he knew it should have been much worse and assumed someone had had a potion handy. Lucky me. I only have to suffer with a fraction of the pain.

There were voices somewhere near his head, but he couldn't make out what they were saying clearly until he heard Llyndellia calling them idiots. What a nice sound to wake up to, he thought. Nonetheless, he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips, groaning a moment later in agony. It really had been a stupid idea.

“Your injuries must be tended to,” a voice said, something warm spreading through Jayden's body. “In my youth, I was called Saint Raphael The Healer.”

His eyes snapped open, taking in Llyndellia's narrowed gaze above his head and then Raphael. "Ugh, not you again," he moaned, closing his eyes again and not caring that he actually did feel better. Hating it, really, but only given the circumstances. The only thing the magic didn't cure was his headache, and it was bad enough without adding even more confusion to his already messed up thoughts.

[ThePromise]

Having received Pepper's confirmation, Aeva was free to continue her conquest and manipulation of China. One thing Pepper mentioned struck her though, the mention of a world known as Arcadia. The world didn't sound familiar in mind, but she felt as though somehow she knew it. It sounded significant, powerful ..yet it wasn't anywhere she could find, and it wasn't on her list of worlds to assault. Sooner or later she'd run out, but she didn't plan on overwhelming every world. Some, such as Twilight Town, weren't worth that sort of effort. Radiant Garden would have been fun as well if someone didn't beat her to it.

I have not. Maintain silence for now unless your situation is dire.

Knowing Pepper wouldn't dare intentionally go against her orders, Aeva was at last free to continue this conversation. She had other questions to ask the other two, but Tia was up first, and she couldn't wait to know more about her. Perhaps she was more interesting than she was giving her credit for, a real challenge, someone who could keep her interested. She waited for this ..with high anticipation.

"Well, you've killed countless people, laid destruction on an entire country and dethroned it's leader. You've absolutely destroyed anyone who has opposed you so far without even breaking a sweat, and on top of that, you seem to possess control over a never-ending swarm of Heartless. You punished this man by usurping his position and slaughtering his people for disregarding your power and your challenge. Someone who exerts that kind of power just to be noticed or acknowledged must have some serious issues."

She's very much mistaken ..but I suppose I can't blame her for those assumptions. Whether Aeva did have 'issues' didn't change the fact that what was happening now, was happening. No amount of cocky little insults would undo what she had already set in motion, and this sting wouldn't heal so easily. This girl, whatever her name was, wasn't getting to her at all. In fact, Aeva liked her spunk, liked the way she thought she was strong enough to measure up to her. It just made her plans that much sweeter.

"You ask me if I'll let you walk away. How about I give you the choice? You can kiss my ass and leave, or I kick yours and MAKE you leave!!"

In the midst of all the checking, she found bodies alive, and not a single one dead just yet. She was moving to her fourth, and didn't exactly take her addressing of Tia very seriously until she gave her the floor. Rika watched in utter shock as Tia completely disregarded the situation and thought that by talking to her that way, she could win. "Idiot!" Rika sprinted towards Tia in order to paint the situation they were all in for her, but Minami had beaten her to it and effectively did her best in keeping her quiet. That was the last thing they needed, this woman in a bad mood. What did insulting her and threatening her prove? Nothing.

"Damn it." Rika whispered her frustrations. That wasn't intelligent at all.

And so, it was due to the following manner in which Tia addressed her that Aeva had decided to overwrite her plans. Not even the intervention of her golden-eyed comrade would be able to change her plans, but how quickly she was to reprimand her comrade and get her to silence herself made Aeva even more curious about her. She, like the blonde girl, seemed to know exactly how dire the situation was and didn't seem to laugh this off like the smiling girl currently was.

“She does not speak for us,”

Aeva nodded her head once in response.

“Nor does she speak for this entire world. The lives of millions of innocent people shouldn’t depend on the rash words of the ill-tempered. Those who speak without thinking are ineligible for gambling millions of lives.”

"Yet you bring a couple Jesters to my court and expect me to take you seriously? Reevaluate your company next time, you seem a little too ..mature for this." And by this, Aeva had meant that as of now Chizuma was right in her face and acting as if they were pals and Aeva wasn't terrorizing China on its very own throne. Aeva watched the foolishness Chizuma displayed, and she was actually amused. It wouldn't help her take them any more serious like this. Aeva didn't act with how close Chizuma had gotten, and instead she kept still, her unseen eyes on her. That only made the situation more frightening..

And did she really roll all the way over here?

Childish.

"Now that was funny... But seriously, Empress..."

...

Empress? My, these two really didn't get the big picture after all. It was only out of minor amusement that Aeva let Chizuma continue her rambling, motioning towards the Emperor who kept silence and head low, reflecting on how his poor choices have led China to this point. He wasn't saying much of anything, knowing that all of this was a result of his failures as a leader. Aeva found his depression very satisfying. Chizuma's hand was forward now, and from the look on her face she actually expected her to take it.

"A-anyway, It'd be pretty unfortunate to just ruin this place right? What do ya say, peace?"

"...Peace? Well, it was possible for me to leave this place with no further harm to anyone but ..." Unfolding her leg, she placed the middle and forefinger of her left hand against Chizuma's forehead and gently pushed her backwards as she stood herself up. Moving herself forward she continued to press Chizuma backwards, further and further, until she reunited her with the girls she had come here with. Lowering her arm, she looked to Rika, then to Minami ..then Chizuma, and lastly, Tia. "Two of you seem to understand what's at stake here ..and the other two, seem to think this is a game, a cartoon in which good always prevails. I believe it's time I woke you up."

Kneeling down, she would (assuming Tia did in fact get swept off her feet and pinned) face Minami for a moment and then back down to Tia. "Release her, but don't bother standing all the way up." Minami had released Tia from her hold and allowed the girl room to move freely, but if she knew what was good for China, she wouldn't try anything again. "As you can see, if it's for the good of the people, at least two of these girl's will turn on you in an instant." Shaking her head very slowly, Aeva would stand herself back up once more, getting a good look at what she was working with.

"I should kill a quarter of China's civilian population because of you, but I do enjoy putting people in their place personally. Two conditions, and I will take my leave from China." Neither of the more professional girls seemed to question it, but in fact seemed to listen harder. "The first condition is this; Get on all fours ...and bark, bark like the disobedient and ignorant dog that you really are."

Rika wasn't happy with Tia's remarks, but thought that what this woman requested was humiliating to the highest degree. This was it. This is what she did to people who stood up to her. When she had the power, she made the rules, she called the shots, and because Tia didn't show her any proper respect given the situation, she only made things worse for not only China, but for herself too. Rika, with the good in her heart, desperately wanted to intervene, but there was nothing that could be said. Tia was digging her own grave on this one, and this conqueror wouldn't take no for an answer.

It was regrettable, but ...

"...What if I do it in her place..?"

Cocking her head to Rika, Aeva was surprised that she was willing to endure that kind of humiliation after having not done anything to provoke her. It was immensely kind and selfless of her ..but unfortunately, it wasn't enough. "Very kind ..an expert willing to take the fall for a beginner's mistake. I'll have to refuse." One last time, Aeva looked down at Tia from where she belonged; above her. To her, Tia was scum on her feet, the type of trash she'd deliberately step on to remind her who was at the top, and who was destined to remain at the bottom. This was what she'd always be in comparison to her.

"Or, if you're feeling lucky ..attack me. I'd like to see if you'll do it, knowing that none of these people you came here with will assist you. In fact ..maybe they'll bring you down instead. You appear to be a burden." Aeva much liked the idea of that, having her own comrades turn against her in an instant for her stupidity and mock bravery. This wasn't a place for heroics, and she was certainly not a saturday-morning villain who was beaten out of guts alone. Facing humiliation, and the possibility that her friends here wouldn't support her ..Aeva wondered if this would be her breaking point, if she'd break down and cry right here in front of her. Not many could endure that kind of thing. No one was going to help her. No one could help her.

"What will it be, mutt? Bark ...or bite?"

There was no third option, no none of the above.

Entertain me...

[bladewarrior13]

Johnny slashed the air and his blade made it through the slash before the Keyblade boy made it to the ground. That wouldn't have ended well. He looked around trying to find Pepper was, but she had disappeared. That angel was floating around a few yards away. What is it about that guy he thought before looking back at the Keyblader that now laid on the ground unconscious. The ninja and the woman were attending to him.
"Man, for a military leader, you sure are stupid, even I wouldn't have tried that! Llyn, I'm thinking a potion or two is in order here!"
The ninja said. Apparently, this boy was some kind or commander or something. And this woman's name was Lynn. She took a potion from her pocket and bent down to pour it into his mouth. Johnny noticed her face turning slightly red which made him smile and let out a soft chuckle. Johnny thought about the ninja's comment and he had to agree with the boy's logic. Electricity and water don't mix very well.
"He's not stupid." Lynn grinned while saying. "An absolute moron with a few self-destructive, heroic tendencies, but not stupid. It's what--" She paused for a moment ad then spoke back up, "--light wielders do."
These people were a little odd. Johnny liked it. His face then turned serious as the ninja started laughing about something. He remembered Brooke had that water ball. He then shot a large fireball up toward the ball of water which had begun soaring down toward them.

Brooke was sweating trying to hold the water ball and finally let go sending it to the ground. Before it had made it even close to the ground, it exploded into vapor and she looked down to see that Pepper was gone and Johnny had shot a fireball toward her attack. The battle was over. "Thank God." She said as she jumped off the wall and walked on over towards the rag tag group saying, "Hey guys." She looked over at the guy lying on the ground and said, "He doesn't look too good." She then whispered to Johnny asking, "Was he the one in the water?" He just nodded his head as they walked closer to the group.

Lynn then said, "you know you'll get yourself killed trying to kick robots in the head, right? You should leave the fighting to... the idiots who know how." Johnny looked at Brooke and she just shrugged. "Don't look at me. I kicked at that woman's legs. I guess she is talking about one of the idiots." As she held one hand in front of her pointer finger that was pointed at the Keyblade Commander.
All of a sudden, the angel came back over to them and healed the Keyblader and the ninja. He revealed his name was Raphael. Johnny didn't like this guy, but tried to hide is suspicion with a smile. So far, he had been helping them against the robot so maybe he isn't too bad. Still, Johnny had an itching feeling. He looked over to Brooke who was smiling and had a look on her face that was like "Ooo look angel." Johnny looked back to the group and saw that the commander was waking up. He moaned and then finally spoke saying, "Ugh, not you again." He was talking about Raphael.
Johnny bent down next to Lynn and the boy and said, "You can say that again." He smiled and extended his hand to the boy before introducing himself, "That was an impressive move. Kinda backfired, but whatever. "My name is Johnny Hendo. And this Brooke Shus. Nice to meet you all." Brooke smiled and waved to everyone.

[Smoofy]

Tia felt the weight of Minami's hand upon her back, and though she had her ways of escaping her grasp, Tia remained motionless. She didn't understand why the rest of them didn't see how this woman needed to be stopped, if they let her leave, she'd kill all over again. Was it better to let more die right now to potentially save people in the future, or save a few and risk even more down the road? Everyone had their own methods she supposed.

And then Tia was baffled at Chizuma's approach. She talked to the woman as if she were a good friend and no one stepped in to stop her. Why does she get special treatment?


This woman didn't take Tia's or Chizuma's statement well at all. She approached the group and asked Minami to release her grip. Tia stood and listened intently to what she had to say. Her face was so close... she could just punch that and her damn ego off of the face of the earth...


... but she didn't. She acted against everything her mind was telling her to do. All it had done was royally screw things up so far. This lady would destroy a quarter of the China's population unless she...


... barked like a dog? A disobedient dog? What did she mean by that? Did she have to run around the room and chew furniture too, or just bark?


Really?


That was it?


Tia just... had to get on all fours, and bark? Like a dog? THAT is what it took to save China? She could either try punching this woman and all these heartless into a messy pulp and potentially put herself and her allies in more danger than she already had or... bark like a dog. Was that even a question? Was it supposed to... scare her? Intimidate her? Humiliate her? She just didn't get it. This woman seemed serious though, so Tia kept a stern look on her face. Before Tia could get a chance to reply, Rika volunteered herself. She was about to object but the evil lady already declined. It sure was an odd request to ask of Tia.


Apparently Rika was heroic or something for taking the fall for a beginner's mistake. It wasn't that big of a deal was it? If anything Tia thought this was the greatest opportunity to appear for the group since they got here. Literally all she had to do was bark and no more people would die. Aeva tried goading Tia into attacking her, claiming that her allies would simply turn on her. This did piss Tia off and caused her to clench her fist and narrow her eyes at the woman, ready to punch her through a wall, but she didn't. If she did that she might not get another opportunity like this again. Usually these choices were life changing like "SAVE THE PEOPLE OR YOUR LOVE" or something, but it was "fight or bark". She looked at her three "comrades" one after another, and then turned to Aeva.


"I bark and you leave, taking the heartless with you too?" She asked inquisitively. The woman said that she would leave, not the Heartless. It was all well and good if she left, but if she kept the Heartless here, they would have no one to control them. Though... the Chinese WERE holding their own on the field, and Tia was more than confident that they could contain the Heartless here too. Might as well give it a shot. If she went against her word, they'd be right where they started so no harm, no foul really. Well, slaughtering a quarter of the population was a foul but that's not the context she was using it in.


Tia looked up at the woman, trying to see her eyes. Did she even have any? Tia couldn't tell because her eyes were covered by that damn cloak. Whatever, it didn't matter. Her allies wanted China kept safe, so although Tia wanted to punch the ever living hell out of this woman, she'll keep her teammates' best interests in mind.

So Tia once again looked to Rika, Minami and Chizuma, one after the other with a raised eyebrow as if to say "Is she serious?"

She then looked to the ground and shrugged. She bent down, placed her hands on the floor and did her best imitation of a dog sat on it's hind legs. Then... she barked as well as she could.


She went on for around thirty seconds or so, unblinking, staring straight ahead. She paid no mind to the others around and her and did her darnedest to put on a fantastic show of barking like a dog. For good measure, about halfway through her performance, she moved forward onto her knees. When she was finished, she stood up again as if nothing happened. She just stood back up completely unabashed and shamelessly as if her little display never happened. Tia kind of wished that barking could solve all her problems. Everything would be soooo much easier if it was. She cocked an eyebrow as if to say "What now?"

Well, at least she didn't have to put herself or any others in danger because of her show! They didn't have to fight or potentially get injured or anything! Awesome! Tia was actually quite thankful of this turn of events, it's not like it's the weirdest thing she's ever done or the strangest thing that has happened in her life or anything.


That poor canary... she thought to herself.But that was a long time ago, she has to look to her future now. Again, she looked at the three of her allies and smiled. It was probably the easiest thing Tia has ever had to do to save a world.


She looked up at Aeva again, extending her arms slightly, palms open in front of her, facing the woman. She cocked her head slightly.


"So we're good now right? You'll leave China and stop the killings?" She asked in a hopeful tone.


Easiest boss fight, ever.

--

It wasn't before long that Llyn jumped in to help heal Jayden. She awkwardly shuffled around as she laid his head on her lap, and Neku kept his head low pretending not to notice. Secretly, he was seconds from bursting with laughter. She just looked so embarrassed!


When Llyn spoke to him, a fanfare could have spontaneously burst from the back drop singing a jolly tune and handing everyone candy, for Llyn was grinning! Neku was actually really happy to see her smile. She had seemed so bummed and angry the whole time he had known her that Neku felt really happy for her. Neku was glad that he asked Llyn for directions for what seemed like a forever ago. Despite her standoffish manner, she was actually a really cool person who, although she didn't like to admit it, did care for those around her. With Llyn grinning like that, it was almost as if he was seeing the real Llyndellia. When she wasn't frowning and wishing doom and gloom on everyone, she looked like a sweet and pretty girl. Neku smiled back at her for a moment, it wasn't one of his stupid, goofy grins, but a genuine smile. He averted his gaze and then continued tending Jayden's wounds.


Llyn went on to explain that Jayden's actions were characteristic of a light wielder, but she was totally going to say something else. That cough wasn't because of dust or an itch in her throat. Ooooh no way, she changed what she was gonna say! He'll press her later about it though, right now, his friend needed help...


WOAH CAN SOMEONE CALL THAT FANFARE BACK LLYNDELLIA LAUGHED.


Today must just be a good day for Llyn. Was it because she was back at a place where she felt comfortable? She certainly was here before, that much was clear, but what this place really was to her would be a discussion for a later time.


Llyn soon stood up, declaring that they should move Jayden, but just as Neku was about to respond, Raphael came back. He moved quietly but Neku could hear him perfectly fine approaching from behind him.


Great, I really missed him. Neku thought to himself sarcastically.


The birdman cast a cure spell of higher effectiveness than Neku's, but whatever, Neku wasn't one much for magic anyway. Apparently this guy was a saint? He seemed too creepy to be a saint to Neku, and he certainly never heard of a saint called Raphael the Healer or whatever. At some point in time, Jayden had woken up, but Neku was too pre-occupied with this man's outlandish claims and the other man from earlier jumping in.


"I'm Neku." He commented to the man off-handedly. So much was happening at once that it was starting to give him a headache. He placed a hand on his forehead and turned to Raphael. "Thanks for helping me heal him." He said this absent-mindedly, too preoccupied with the pain in his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Llyn draw her Keyblade. Neku raised his free hand in her direction and waved it a little bit, like he was trying to dismiss his concern.


"It's ok Llyn." He said, squinting slightly. Man, his head ached. There was just so much noise...


Just calm down. It's no big deal. It's just the stress from a crowd. Calm down and it'll go away.

Neku then looked at Jayden, remembering what had happened made him start to laugh, but he stifled it before he could cause a racket. He spoke to him, letting out a chuckle every few words or so.


"Oh man Jayden... when we get you inside..." Neku paused, controlling himself. "We have a story to tell you. And let me tell you, you're gonna love it! I gotta tell you though, what you did was pretty admirable!" Neku stopped again and took a quick look at Jayden's condition. It didn't seem like his bones were broken anymore, but you never can tell at just a glance.

"I'd suggest not moving. Sure we cast healing spells, but there's only so much even the most powerful spell to do. Unless you plan on being a badass again by walking the pain off? Especially since..." Neku stopped and began laughing again. Why was it so funny? Neku was imagining his reaction more than anything. He'd be so mad to find out his great sacrifice was basically rendered null. Oh the irony.


"Alright, let's do this. We gotta carry him up alllll those stairs!" Neku was pretty pumped to carry Jayden all the way to infirmary. It would be a good way to build strength and stamina. Neku stood by Jayden's feet, ready to grab him by the ankles. "Someone grab him so I can pick him up by his legs or something. Unless... you feel like you wanna walk?" He asked slyly, a devilish grin on his face.


Actually, Neku thought it would be hilarious (albeit painful for Jayden) if he could just drag him by his feet up the stairs. The image was so comical that Neku almost started laughing again, but he thought better than that for he feared looking insane, laughing at the prospect of carrying his friend up the stairs.


--


Kataki smirked at Darien's reaction, almost laughing himself. When Darien was done with his little outburst, Kataki quipped in:


"I might like to add, that I said sizable, not powerful. They seem to have more potential than most other inhabitants here, but that remains to be seen."


Soon after, Darien addressed the two girls. Kataki turned around to face them as well, his hood obscuring his face. They didn't look particularly remarkable.


I swear, if you're messing with us.

I'm not! Hand to G- uh, Zeus, I'm not telling a lie! They seemed interesting so I felt obligated to help you out!


Oh you are such a saint.

Kataki continued to examine the two from behind his hood.


This heat was unbearable.

[ThePromise]

"I bark and you leave, taking the heartless with you too?"

Not only idiotic, but a bad, bad listener ...she's the weakest link, by far..

Aeva hated to repeat herself, keeping silent and letting Tia choose to believe what she'd like. If she was really so stupid she couldn't follow what she was saying at such an average rate, then condition two was going to be a lot of fun for her. With the most moronic of the group getting in position, Aeva watched Tia get down to where her place truly was, and serve as cheap and trashy entertainment. Her performance wasn't too bad actually, it was as if she had done this before.

Wouldn't have surprised her.

Rika, all thing's considered, thought that this was an easy and effective way of getting one condition out of the way. Tia didn't seem to listen well, but that was all right, she wasn't here to listen. What was noticeable about this was that Tia didn't show any regret or unhappiness at all. Either she had no shame, or she really didn't understand what was so significant about this act. Being regarded as trash, being forced to humiliate yourself like that, it was all cruel to do. She took it well though, continuing to do it despite how ridiculous she was. The assassin was forced to look away for the remainder of that little performance, disgusted, and feeling almost a little sympathetic to Tia. The girl didn't even seem to realize what the meaning behind it was..

...

That, was funny. Aeva was almost embarrassed for her. Did she think so low of herself that she did it with no problem whatsoever? No matter, what was done, was done, and Aeva chuckled at the end and gently clapped her hands at the best performance Tia had likely ever given. She saw nothing but impatience and brainlessness, but perhaps Tia had found her calling. If she didn't have to worry about house training, she would've made the second condition keeping her on a leash.

What a bad individual she was.

"Hmhmhm." Aeva laughed silently behind her lips, ceasing her clapping and bringing both arms back to her sides. Tia had done her part of the condition and that was one down. The second one would be just a little different, and if completed, she'd remain true to her word.

"So we're good now right? You'll leave China?"

"You're hard of hearing ..and I don't like repeating myself." Dismissing Tia for the time being, Aeva had moved on. By now, her Possessor's had done exactly what she asked of them, and that meant that her secondary objective was completed. All she had to do now, was wait for the signal. It was her first time attempting such a thing even with the Heartless backing her, but she was confident that with her power, this move could be made possible.

"Condition two has two parts. The first, she fights me." Aeva gestured to Tia, though she hoped Tia fought better than she did using her brain or lack of. This not only freed her comrades which appeared much more capable than her, but also gave her the opportunity to do what she came here for; be a hero. "The second part of the final condition will be known shortly, but for now ..spectate. No interference ..or all bets are off." Aeva backed away from the brute and as she did so, the Defender would step aside from behind the girls and back into the corridor.

Snapping her fingers, a transparent barrier of some sort was formed behind them, keeping them inside. That seemed to be another part of her new array of powers given to her by dark forces, but she preferred her own method of keeping her targets within her field. Looking to her left, and to her right, Aeva enjoyed the room's dark tone but felt it needed more intensity. Not that it really mattered in the end, because she expected little from this to begin with. All it was, was buying a little time to display what she was capable of. This entire room was her advantage, and Tia, was the mouse caught in a trap.

"One moment."

Snapping her fingers one more time, large walls of black flame erected themselves on all four walls within the room, even the front of the doorway was no exception. Slowly, the temperature would become increasingly warm, and then, if prolonged, unbearable and blistering hot. This was not an ideal place to fight in for too long. Eventually, she'd falter.

"Ready?" Aeva beckoned Tia forward to her, as she was the one who intended to 'kick her ass', it was only fitting he let the girl stretch her legs and display what she was truly worth. This fight was not only the opportunity she'd want to redeem herself slightly, but it was also the chance to attack her, something she no doubt desperately wanted all this time. Perhaps Tia had some worth in combat, but there was only one way for one to determine that.

[darkmagewolfe]

Raphael barely registered Llyn’s threat and only continued his spell on Jayden, hoping that the indication that he isn’t bursting into flames from his spell would be enough to spell out that at the moment he doesn’t intend to kill anyone. What right does she have to suddenly be offensive when someone approaches will no ill-intentions?

How amusing.

Her sense must be dull though, it took her ages to react to Raphael who had been there the entire time. Eh, whatever.

“Do you think it smart to invoke another battle while two of your group remains too weak to battle?” he asked, not looking at her, “Unless you plan on making them die over your misplaced sense of justice.”

He shrugged and finally turned to look at her, “Remain concerned over him, rather than on your suspicion on me.”

Then he glanced down at Jayden who was, unsurprisingly enough, not happy to see him.

“Sorry for healing you, I suppose, maybe in your vast wisdom and power you could have self-regenerated.”

Two more children introduced themselves as Johnny and Brooke, at least they were subtle in their mannerisms. Everyone else was so irritatingly transparent that he would’ve bet another angel would be knocking them on their asses.

Oh, wait, sorry God, no swearing right?

This Neku character was starting to get on his nerves. It is understandable that even an evil person like Raphael would have no concern over mortals who squabble amongst themselves, but he wasn’t lying about his nickname. When he was a full-fledged angel, he was considered to be the most powerful healer to ever exist anywhere. They jokingly called him God’s Doctor. As a result, even he gets annoyed when people play off injuries of any sort, it’s the habit of a doctor. Even evil has its standards.

I mean, seriously, it was disgusting just watching them converse. Some of them with concern overthrown by suspicion, others with just a complete lack of empathy towards another, why were people like this? Raphael wanted to rule over these people not simply because he’s evil, but because these people are destructive monsters who destroy nature, war amongst themselves and carry horrific sins in their hearts.

If he hadn’t the calm nature of an angel, he definitely would have helped Pepper in her “mission”.

“I do have infinite strength,” Raphael remarked, “If we, oh sorry, you are to carry him, I would do so. Or, alternatively, I could just teleport him.”

[Keyblader!]

Chizuma's peace offering was flat out refused. The hand that she wanted to be shaking right now was instead pushing her backwards. "Ya know I could just back up.... Y-you don't have to push me... Ohh alright~..." She crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks, acting like a small child reluctantly going along with a parent's orders. Back with the others she stood silently as Aeva addressed them. Her attention was now on Tia, who had spoken out just a moment ago. She was offering a deal of sorts under the pretense of two conditions. The first condition was that Tia... Bark like a dog? Chizuma flashed Aeva a sly look, she was about to make a comment to match however it would hardly be quaint. Instead she looked to Tia, who seemed to be looking to them for some sort of back up. Chizuma simply shrugged her shoulders. This was an odd request for sure, however the reason was clear. This woman was prideful, however she did not express it herself. If pride was a sin then Chizuma wondered where compromising the pride of another sat, because that was certainly this woman's specialty. Rika offered to take her place, a valiant effort indeed... She was denied.

Tia... oh poor Tia, the girl actually got down on all fours and did her best to imitate a canine. She did it without any hesitation, her movements void of any timid behavior. Chizuma tired not to stare, but frankly it was like watching a truck full of fireworks collide with a gas station. A ping of pity hit her, she would have to remember this, for this girl's sake and for Aeva's 'sake'. Her little act came to a close after what felt like forever, she naively asked her if this was enough for her to stop. It wasn't of course, there was the second condition. Tia had to fight this woman, alone. On her whim Aeva sent the large hulking heartless out of the room, then erecting a barrier. Chizuma tapped her fingers to it, causing ripples of luminescence to form. They were trapped inside here, before it was under her word, now it was under her power. She had to jump back as black flames erupted to life along the walls, the other part of the condition it seemed...

Reaching inside her utility belt she handed a canteen of water to Rika. "It should still be cool, you may need it in a few minutes if it keeps getting hotter in here... What's her name by the way?" She tilted her head towards Tia, she wanted to know the girls name, not only for convenience but because she knew they were all in this together, even if they couldn't help her right now. Chizuma's smile was nearly as it always is, however her eyes were slanted in concentration, her mind was racing, thinking.

[darkmagewolfe]

Minami couldn’t bring herself to watch Tia’s pitiful performance. Instead, as she carried out her task, she walked away, averting her eyes and, when close enough, looking at Rika. This situation may have appeared to be under control, after all, there was little to no bloodshed occurring between the heroes and Aeva was deadly calm. But to Minami this was the worst possible position to be in.

She knew for a fact that it would never be this easy, Aeva was letting them live to witness this humiliation because she could. She’s controlling the entire situation, if anyone would act out of place then at a simple whim this world would fall. With all of her strength and power, Minami was useless, just stationed to watch this embarrassment go on, to be constantly reminded that no matter what she could do, she can’t do it.

And the fact that Rika would selflessly put herself in Tia’s situation despite not knowing the girl and not being involved in her stupidity made Minami’s blood boil. Rika shouldn’t have done that, it should have been Minami’s job to do so. She knew what would have happened if she brought Tia along, she only did so out of some misplaced sense of security for the reckless girl. But, if Minami had steeled her heart and focused on the cold hard facts and divorced herself from those nagging feelings, things wouldn’t have gone down this route.

Gritting her teeth from anger, Minami needed to calm herself down. So, she just focused all of that frustration into her fist. She clenched her hand so hard, her nails began to dig in and cut her palm, she gave Chizuma a sparing glance and tried her hardest to not sneer while saying her name, “Tia.”

The heat didn’t bother her too much, after a while, of course, it would overwhelm her. The heat just gave her another outlet to help her forget about the pain in her hand.

[Smoofy]

Oh, Tia had to punch her anyway.

That was fine with her, she had some excess energy she had to get rid of anyway. She would have liked to avoid a fight but right now, it was unavoidable. She guessed that this wouldn't be so simple after all. Not only this but she commanded Tia to fight with her one on one, with no interference. Well, that worked too. Tia didn't have to worry about accidentally punching one of allies' head off, so that made things a little simpler, but then again, Tia had no idea what this woman was really capable of. It didn't seem like she was suited for close range combat by looking at her outfit, so Tia would have to be careful for any tricks up her sleeve. That would mean constant battle awareness, she would have to examine her surroundings and her opponent constantly to ensure her safety.


As Tia gathered her thoughts to prepare the upcoming battle, the woman dismissed the Heartless from the room and erected an invisible barrier. Chizuma approached the barrier and gave it a little tap. There didn't seem to be any escape. Moments after, walls of flame circled the group, slowly heating the area. This could potentially prove beneficial to Tia. As the room warmed up, so did she, and that increase in temperature would cause all the tiny molecules that make up her being to speed up. The thermal heat would become kinetic heat as it moved her molecules and with that, she could channel that energy into her gloves, keeping her temperature constant and increase her attack power, speed, and defense.


The woman beckoned her to strike. Oh, Tia most certainly would. Before she began, she turned to her allies once more. This woman was giving Tia all the attention! Why? She wasn't special or anything. Oh well. She smiled at each of them in confidence, but her smile waned when it fell upon Minami. She looked frustrated and angry, and that worried Tia. She turned to face her opponent, still with her confident smile. She squatted slightly, bent on one leg, and stretched the other, loosening her limbs. She did this with both and then stood up. After, she bent down forwards and touched her toes. Finally, she cupped one arm in the elbow of the other and stretched her arms. A little increase in movement, a little more energy. She channeled the kinetic energy inside her into her gloves, ready to strike.


Tia continued stretching her arms for a couple seconds more, but in reality, she was already behind her opponent, descending from an angle. This was one of her techniques, she could move at an extreme, blistering speed and leave behind an after image that lingered and was capable of actual, physical damage. With the woman watching Tia stretch, Tia moved around to attack from above. As she descended on top of her opponent, her gloves grew spikes on each knuckle, two inches in length. The more she moved, the faster she could. Tia would have to be careful to not overload herself though. Unfortunately, her afterimage would only last until she landed on her opponent, which was only about a second from when she actually moved.


The afterimage would shimmer and fade from existence, and as it did, her fist would come crashing down onto her opponents head. With her free hand, Tia would shoot a ball of energy at her opponents feet. The explosion would launch her opponent backwards and launch Tia forwards. Whether or not either attack struck, Tia would fly through the air from the force and flip multiple times and as she did so, her gloves would extended to cover her arms. She did a quick 180 spin to face her opponent as she landed. Where she stood near the entrance of the chamber now, the flames would be a fair distance closer to her than before. She would stay on the defense for the most part so he could do figure out her opponent's techniques and skills, so that when the others joined in, they would have a good idea of what she was capable of. But then again, Tia didn't understand why they didn't just jump in and strike. If they all felled her right now, there wouldn't be any trouble anymore and no one else would have to die regardless.


Tia hopped back and forth on her legs. She would be ready to move any time, and again, a little bit of extra kinetic energy doesn't hurt.

[Skitty Cat]

~- Hit Me With Your Best Shot -~

"Ladies, you don't seem to be from this world. Just visiting?"

Lumie summoned her keyblade and pointed it at the man, a frown touching her face she growled, "It's none of your concern, dark wielder." She knew she was possibly being unreasonable, but was that really important right now? Her eyes snapped to his hooded ally, sure he hadn't said anything but a strange energy leaked from him.

She nodded curtly to the ninja, that or he was an assassin; based on the secrecy. Focusing back on the keyblader, she made Aries back up, hastily silencing her sister's protest at being forced backwards. Remembering his laughing fit, she frowned again and switched her stance into a more defensive one, glaring at the guy; she asked sarcastically, "And what are you doing here? Getting ready to destroy the world or something?"

Darkness crackled between them like a wood fire, she didn't dare move a muscle, in fear for the girl behind her. She smirked slightly, reaching backwards and grabbing Aries by the arm, she started to walk away only to come to a stop. The cause? Aries had stopped walking and twisted around to look at the one that had deeply unnerved Lumie.

Lumie didn't have to look back to know that Aries was staring at him, innocent, curious red eyes focused on his face; the tilt of the younger girl's head. She knew it all based on the three, soft-spoken words that sang with her sister's curiosity.

"Who are you?"

~- Displaced Teenagers and New Locations -~

Squall pushed himself up from the ground, seemingly dazed by the impact. Shaking his head, he climbed to his feet, raising a hand to his head and briefly checked to see if there was any injuries. Nope. The only one was that healed scar, and even that was a dull ache. A sharp stab of pain ran through him, nearly sending the brunette back to his knees.

Scratch that, his chest hurt too.

He shook his head, staring at the soft, undisturbed green grass below him. He almost felt bad for lying down on it. Squall's eyes snapped around, taking in the scenery around hearing some chatter to the right. Walking toward the source, his feet soon hit gravel the closer he got to town; the soft sigh of water retreating backwards tore his gaze to the right.

The ocean water winked back at him, light bounced back off of the surface. It was a peaceful sight, if you could just ignore the ships that floated near the wooden docks. Tch, what's the point of me being here? Where am I anyway?

[Key Wielder]

“Do you think it smart to invoke another battle while two of your group remains too weak to battle? Unless you plan on making them die over your misplaced sense of justice. Remain concerned over him, rather than on your suspicion on me.”

"Keep your pants on," Jayden mumbled, irritated. What the hell did Raphael think was going to happen? They'd all come out of battles and barely had a moment's rest before something else caught their attention and forced them to act. If all he wanted to do was flaunt the fact that he believed his intelligence was greater than Llyndellia's, Jayden didn't want to hear it. Between the worlds he'd been to and the dark wielders he'd fought, he had had his fill of arrogant worms. "You're lucky she didn't try to blow your head off like I would have."

Llyndellia glanced down at him, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly, and the Keyblade vanished from her hand. The truth was that she really had been about to shoot first and ask questions later, but had stopped herself just in the nick of time. She was well aware of the fact that whoever Raphael was, he didn't want them dead, at least not yet. He seemed curious, as though he was testing them; he wasn't about to finish them off when they had yet to show him what they were truly made of. The Keyblade had been a precaution--how was she to know he had come back?

“Sorry for healing you, I suppose, maybe in your vast wisdom and power you could have self-regenerated.”

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Jayden glared up at him without answering. What he wanted to do was put a Keyblade through his heart, but he forced the inclination aside. Not only was he still too sore to move that fast before being stopped, but he also wanted to know why someone so bent on insulting them cared to hang around. Either way, he wouldn't be thanking this guy anytime soon. It was highly doubtful that he had healed Jayden out of the goodness of his heart.

"Alright, let's do this. We gotta carry him up alllll those stairs! Someone grab him so I can pick him up by his legs or something. Unless... you feel like you wanna walk?"

“I do have infinite strength. If we, oh sorry, you are to carry him, I would do so. Or, alternatively, I could just teleport him.”

"What are you even doing here?" Llyndellia blurted out, biting her lip a moment later. It probably hadn't been the best reaction to have, but she didn't think it was altogether unexpected. There were robots, dark wielders, and a...thing wandering around making everyone's lives miserable. It had been a long day, and he wasn't making this any easier.

Jayden threw Neku a dirty look in response to his smirk and got to his feet, slowly and agonizingly, but he managed it. Strength of heart. Right. He looked at Raphael, frowning.

"I would say I can manage just fine, but I'm sure that would only invite some sort of conceited criticism since that's all you seem capable of," he replied coldly. Nodding in Llyndellia's direction, he continued, "Now answer her question or find someone else to toy with. We're not in the mood for games."

. . .

Finding a Keyblade inches from his face wasn't exactly unheard of for Darien, but it certainly wasn't pleasant. He couldn't help feeling slightly amused this time, however. All he'd done was put on an air of friendly curiosity and she reacted like this? Wow, talk about a girl on edge. She's worse than Llyn.

"Let's not get violent," he said, putting his hands up, palms toward the girl. Darien sensed a deep darkness in her heart, yet she called him a dark wielder as though it was something disgusting. Oddly ironic. "I won't deny I err on the side of darkness, but surely you know that doesn't automatically make someone bad. I didn't mean to get too personal, if that's what's troubling you."

He ignored her only half sarcastic question. That one would be complicated to answer.

"Who are you?"

Fair enough. "Darien," he replied, sweeping into a bow. "And this is Kataki. We're refugees. Light wielders attacked our home world, so here we are." He left out a couple of details, but it was technically exactly what had happened. Raising an eyebrow, he cocked his head to the side slightly after a short pause. "It would be a bit rude not to introduce yourselves, wouldn't it?"