(Shall we begin?)

(Sign-ups still open here: http://kh13.com/forum/topic/65968-kingdom-hearts-ragnarok-ii-sign-up-and-disscussion/ )

 

 

{Xoctts}

The sound of crashing filled the old Castle in the remains of Radiant Garden. The dim light that remained in the former world was fading as Xoctts pushed through the wreckage at one of entrances to the castle. More damage had been done to the castle since the attack on Destiny Islands by dark forces.

And the Betrayal.

Once again, Xoctts cursed the Witch's actions. Why had he trusted her? If he found the Void Witch again, he would avenge the fallen.

Feeling alone and hopeless, Xoctts leaned against a wall and slowly slid down into a sitting position.

 

{Xion}

Sora pushed himself up to his knees, the pain of his wounds nearly causing him to blackout. He looked around as his friends were being hunted down by a laughing figure.

"I'm not going to make it, am I?" He thought.

He looked down to see his wounds. He felt soo tired. But he had to do more.

"Roxas...Xion." He murmured. "This is your fight now."

Sora summoned his Kingdom Key. He turned it so that the blade was pointed towards himself and, like he had done to free Kairi's heart, he stabbed himself.

The point of view seemed to rise up as Sora slumped. He looked up in time to see a grinning face and red blades slashing for him.

"SORA!" Xion screamed as she shot up into a sitting position.

She pulled her legs to her chest and sobbed as the loneliness and sorrow filled her as she sat in the ruins of Twilight Town's Train Station.

Edited November 25, 201311 yr by rikunobodyxiii

-Zion-

 

She wrapped her wings around the shivering girl, pulsing light to try and warm her up. Standing with Xion, Zion de Wynter then just picked Zion up bridal-carry, wings flaring out as she rose into the air.

"As your wish, m'lady." She said softly, smiling.

 

She then flew to the others with haste, even if it was only ten feet. Because Zion.

{Ventus}

The first few shakes Ven received didn't seem to do anything, but with a groan, he eventually started coming around. He looked up at Tyler and Karen, blinking a few times before speaking.

"What happened?" He asked, sounding groggy.

 

{Mercy & Xion}

"Well, maybe our problems can kill each other." Mercy stated, though she was worried about what Master Thomas was sensing.

Mercy felt a little better with the arrival of Xion and Zion. Xion was a little red from how Zion was carrying her, but she didn't complain.

"You alright?" Mercy asked, sounding worried.

"Yes." Xion answered with a nod. "Though I don't know how much I can do without a Keyblade."

"So, the puppet has finally lost its key." Saix's voice echoed around the beach for a moment.

The Berserker himself appeared in a swirl of darkness a moment later.

"Surprised you lasted this long." He added, in atone Xion was sure had a hint of venom in it.

"What do you want?" Mercy demanded, sounding displeased.

 

{Xemnas}

"Xeroz?" Ansem repeated, then chuckled. "Your true name must be 'Zero.' Fitting."

With Kopiu going high, the Seeker of Darkness went low, using his Guardian to try to keep the dragon's front claws from going for the Replica. From behind the Guardian, Ansem launched a few bolts of Dark Firaga at Xeroz's chest.

Xemnas remained busy on a computer. The data he was getting on Xeroz was being encoded and sent elsewhere.

 

{Auron}

The Phantom flinched as Enno began his Dark Zantetsuken Attack. The orb seemed to stay intact after Enno blinked past it.

"Oh, sh-" the Phantom began to say, but Enno had just uttered his final two words.

The orb exploded in a spectacular fashion, sending the Phantom flying. After the light show died away, Auron lowered his good arm, which he had used to shield his eye. He saw the Phantom laying a few feet from where he had been, a slight green glow around him.

"Well, it looks like you won't be needing a guardian." He commented to Enno dryly.

He stepped over to the Phantom. Now that the orb was destroyed, the Phantom looked like just a guy in black robes rather then something otherworldly.

-Zion-

 

Setting Xion down, she summoned not just Oathkeeper's Dawn...but in an instant, one golden eye turned cerulean blue...and the dark Oathkeeper's Dusk appeared. She offered it to Xion.

<Until we find yours, Xion...use ours.>

 

Zion/Sione's dual voices melded, the British voice very distinct against Zion's normal tone. One golden wing turned black and bat-like, showing that she had achieved Balance Mode.

<Because you deserve to beat his face in.>

 

Zion's Keyblade raised to point at Saix. <She's my girlfriend now. So you answer to me you bastard. You have no power of my Xion, and I swear - you'll never get her heart entrapped by your prpogated misery.>

Tyler and Karen looked at Ventus, sighing of relief, and looked at him worried faces. Tyler knelt beside him, and placed his hand on his shoulder. He let out a sigh, looking at Ventus. "Ven... I will tell you the good news first... Lara and Ken are now free and safe, the Darkness has no hold over them anymore... The bad news is... Well, a guy with black hair took your place, you transformed into him, with gold eyes, after getting so angry... We were worried about your well-being... Is that guy... Your Darkness? What happened ever since I was separated form you, when I somehow ended up being dragged into that other reality? All I've learned from Xoctts, you know... Before he died, he told us that most of the Heroes Of Light perished, because of what Lacuna did... Did something happen?" Asked Tyler, asking Ventus a question. Xeroz looked right at Ansem, as he shot out two big  orbs of Darkness from his body, which then shot out lasers of Darkness at Ansem, Xemnas, and Kopiu nonstop. Xeroz let out an evil laugh, while roaring evilly. "This is our combined form... We may be the Heartless and Nobody of "Him", but so far, only "We" can perform a feat like this, a sign of the Heartless and Nobodies' true power... You all shall die in this battle..." Said Xeroz, talking to Ansem.

Edited October 15, 201510 yr by KHLegendIII

{Astra, Yuri and Aina}Astra was watching Xion and Zion, no emotion could be seen in his face."Intense." Yuri said while listening to Zion/Sione's speech. "But hardly necessary.""Yuri! Don't say that!" Aina yelled at her friend.The girl just shrugged and looked away."I was just saying, Aina. No need to get like that."While Aina and Yuri had their little squabble, Astra looked at Saix."Whether Xion lost her Keyblade or not, is not relevant." Astra said to the Berserker. "Not if she still has the will to keep fighting."The boy in the black coat glanced at Xion and Zion."And I think she still has that will." He said flatly. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we?"Astra then crossed his arms and his voice sounded somewhat cold."We have a few Princesses now, and while it is obvious that Xemnas would tell us of another princess, he must be unavailable if you are here. What is going on with the Superior? We can sense something is wrong. Something big is happening somewhere else."

"Thanks?" Enno replied to Auron hesitantly, beginning to walk over towards where the Phantom lay. He tried his best to control his dark instincts, but he knew that if he was provoked again within such a short plan, he would likely fail in that endeavor. But thinking about the potential bad would do him no good. He stood next to the Guardian, over the Phantom that lay, still covered completely by a black cloak. "Who- No, what do you think it is?" Enno questioned, still rather perplexed over the entire encounter.

~~~~

"You keep saying that we'll all die, yet I don't see us even close to dead? Am I missing something?" Kopiu commented, as he kicked off the dragon's body. He skidded to a stop nearby Xemnas, and spun his staff quickly. He used dark magic to create a shield around the spinning weapon. His move deflected the bolts of dark energy shot towards both him and the Superior. "Hey boss, just give us a heads-up whenever the situation changes and we're supposed to do something other than stall." Kopiu commented before rushing forward again. He chucked his Soul Consumer right at Xeroz's chest, then leaped up himself, assisting the projectile with a few balls of his dark flame.

{Mercy & Xion}

Xion hesitantly took Oathkeeper's Dusk. It felt alright in her hand and didn't disappear when she took it, but she could tell it wasn't hers. If she dismissed it, it wouldn't reappear for her. But...if she could still hold one, maybe there was hope.

Tightening her grip on the borrowed Keyblade, she glared at Saix, remembering all the insults he had used against her during her time at the Organization and afterward. It would feel so good to wipe that imperious look off his face. But what was the point? Yes, she'd probably feel some satisfaction, but the Lights still needed those who Saix represented. No, she wasn't going to just attack the Berserker. She wouldn't give the cold bastard the satisfaction.

"He's not worth it now." Xion said softly to Zion/Sione, resting Oathkeeper's Dusk on her shoulder. "He's just an errand boy."

Despite her words, Xion still gave Saix a look that dared him to do something to give her a reason to go after him.

"Interesting." The Berserker noted, looking from Zion to Xion. "Has the copy made a real connection? Unlikely."

He pulled out a scroll from his coat and tossed it to Xion, who caught it carefully.

"But if you think what you have and what you are is something real, you can prove me wrong by going to an old training ground at the edges of the Keyblade Graveyard." He said. "If you prove worthy, you might earn a new blade for yourself. If."

Saix glanced at Zion.

"You can also take your 'girlfriend' here along, if you want." He added.

After a moment of silence, Mercy spoke up.

"So, about Astra's questions." She said.

"Ah, yes." Saix said, turning his attention to Astra. "Lord Xemnas is dealing with another group looking to claim the position of the 13 Darknesses. If you want more details on them, Thomas over there should be able to provide answers. Rest assured, we have a plan. Your next princess has turned up in the ruins of Radient Garden. The defense systems there are keeping her from being over run by Heartless, but I wouldn't delay long."

 

{Ventus}

Ven gave a thumbs up when he heard about Ken and Lara, but frozen when Tyler described what he had been doing.

"Vanitas?" He said, sounding shocked. "But I beat him how did he-"

His eyes widened as a piece of memory unlocked in his mind.

~*Flashback*~

Ven rushed to where Aqua had been standing, but now she lay on the ground with a shocked look on her face as she faded away.

"No!" Ven screamed, trying to grab his friend, but failing.

Hearing something behind him, Ven rolled forward to avoid Lacuna's blades. He whirled around, summoning his Keyblade.

"You!" He spat.

"Me." The Void Witch confirmed jovially.

Ven rushed at the Witch, but she was suddenly not there. Reappearing behind him, she slammed a glowing fist into his back. The hit left Ven feeling drowsy and weak.

"Enjoy oblivion, Venny." Lacuna chuckled.

Ven fell to his knees, feeling himself fading from the world. He was dimly aware of someone shooting light at the Void Witch. Was it King Mickey? Then Lacuna left to fight who ever it was, cackling.

"No." He muttered. "Can't go out...like this..."

He felt like he was falling in a bottomless pit.

"I have to fight for my friends. I have to...survive."

"Then focus, idiot!"

The other voice came from inside him, but the last word was yelled from his lips. Darkness swirled around him, and Vanitas was reborn. The Dark Soldier roared as he let lose a blast of darkness, pushing away the effects of the power of Nothing. Getting shakily to his feet, Vanitas opened a portal away from where the Betrayal happened. Once on the otherwise, he gave into fatigue and fell asleep, to awaken back to being Ven and with no memory of how he escaped.

*~End of Flashback*~

"Vanitas saved me." Ven said in the present, shock in his voice. "When Lacuna came after me, Vanitas, the dark half of me Master Xehanort made, woke up and got us out of there. But...I thought I fully absorbed him back into my heart. How could this have happened?"

 

{Xemnas}

Ansem hid behind his Guardian from the dark lasers Xeroz had used. He reached around and fired a few blasts of Dark Fira at the orb, trying to destroy it. Xemnas turned and erected his own barrier after Kopiu charged forward.

"You're not trying to stall, you are surviving." The Superior called after the newest Darkness. "The creature might be pompous, but that does not make it less dangerous."

Xemnas reached down and took out a small thumb drive from the computer and stuck it in his coat. He then teleported from that position, and onto Xeroz's back, stabbing down with his Etherial Blades.

 

{Auron}

Auron embedded his sword into the ground, the knelt by the Phantom. He pulled off the hood the figure, revealing a young man with short, light brown hair, a goatee and mustache.

"Someone playing on fear." The Guardian said, a tactic he was well familiar with.

He looked up and around at the crumbling world around him.

"But in this environment, why bother?"

"Beats me." Lacuna said as she came out from around a half fallen column.

She walked up to join Auron and Enno.

"It's just a shame what some people will get up to in a crisis." She said in a fake solemn tone, shaking her head.

Xeroz growled in pain, as he tried to shake Xemnas off, and grabbed the two orbs of Darkness, now sparking with electricity in his hands. "Fools, can't you see that you are at a disadvantage?" Asked Xeroz, asking Xemnas and Kopiu a question with a Dark and malicious tone in his voice. Xeroz combined the orbs together, and throwing the now fused, large orb of Darkness into the ground, creating a powerful explosion of electricity and Pure Darkness. Tyler and Karen looked at each other, and at Ventus in sorrow, with guilt shown in their eyes, as Tyler hugged Ventus. "Ven... I'm sorry, whatever happened must've been really bad... I don't know how he survived, but it seems to me that he left a part of himself inside you... If only... If only I didn't fall into that portal, I could've helped to try to stop her..." Said Tyler, talking to Ventus.

Edited November 10, 20159 yr by KHLegendIII

{Astra, Yuri and Aina}Aina was hiding behind Astra, for some reason she didn't wanted to be close to the Berserker."We have our next objective." Yuri said. "I think we better hurry up or we could lose a princess in the process."While Astra's attention was with the Berserker his mind was going through multiple scenarios. They could take the detour for Xion, but that would mean the princess would be in more danger. They could go to Radiant Garden and Xion could be useful while Zion/Sione let her borrow their Keyblade."In any case..." He said. "Instead of waiting for answers we should leave. We need the Princesses, all of them."

"Ugh, drag down the mood a bit more will ya?" Kopiu commented to Xemnas, scarcely managing to use Dark Barrier to defend himself from most of the explosion. He was still sent sprawling, and the dark energy stung his skin. He recovered, standing back up to his full height. He called Soul Consumer back to his hand, and looked at the Dragon... This kind of enemy required something different than what he had. If he had any light magic, then this fight would be going much better. Unfortunately, he had only darkness. Kopiu shook his head, these thoughts would do him no good. The Replica surged forwards, and sliced in a spinning motion with his staff.

~~~

Enno clenched his blade as he looked at the woman. Her very presence was setting him off, making him feel like he was losing his grip on the control he already had very little of. "And who are you? And why didn't you help defeat it? You certainly seem capable, anyone still alive has to be." Enno interrogated the scarily pale woman, also keeping a spare eye on the fallen Phantom body.

(Alright, here we go again)

 

{Xemnas}

Xemnas used the dragon's body to protect himself from the blast. Ansem was thrown against a wall and went through it.

"Just shut up and die." The Superior growled as he went back to stabbing the dragon in the back.

Ansem managed to pull himself out of the rubble, but he was looking a bit rough.

 

{Ventus}

Ven was silent for a moment, then he shook his head.

"Don't worry about it." He told Tyler. "Right now, we have to keep going."

A tear rolled down his cheek.

"For those we lost."

 

{Mercy & Xion}

"You're right." Mercy said, nodding to Astra. "Anytime we waste will make it harder to save the other princesses."

"Good." Saix commented, scanning the faces of the heroes.

His gaze lingered on Xion. She expected to see contempt in his eyes, but his eyes have nothing away.

"I will contact you when you have completed your mission."

With that, Saix disappeared in a swirl of darkness.

"Is everyone in the Organization that...unpleasant?" Mercy asked.

"Yes." Xion answered, sagging a little.

She felt a lot better with the Berserker gone.

 

{Auron & Lacuna}

"My name is Lacuna." The Void Witch answered Enno. "And I didn't act because I wanted him to 'reap' you. That it would be fun."

She kicked the Phantom's leg, none too kindly.

"Fun?" Auron asked, distaste in his voice. "The world is in ruins around you, and you worry about fun?"

"Hey, gotta protect natural resources, cyclops." Lacuna replied with a shrug. "So, if y'all could just mosey on and leave Mr Mysterious here with me, I will leave you alone. Well, for a bit."

Tyler remained silent from hearing this, as he nodded slowly. He looked on ahead towards the North, and then back at Ventus. Karen put her hands on her chest, silently thinking of those who had fallen. Suddenly, a priest walked out of the bushes, and bowed. "Greetings, fellow friends." Said the priest, talking to everyone around him. Tyler and Karen looked at the priest, startled. "Huh? Who are you, mister? Don't you know it could be dangerous out here?" Asked Tyler, asking the priest a question. The priest simply smiled at Tyler. "Ah, you may have a point, but even though I am a mere priest, I am capable of fighting, and even though I fight, I only do so if provoked. My name is Yol, I've been waiting for you boy, and the girl, too, for a long time." Said Yol, talking to Tyler.  Xeroz screeched in pain, as he tried to throw Xemnas off his back, and he laughed evilly. "Those words sound great... As the title of your grave, man... Admit it, you cannot beat us." Said Xeroz, talking to Xemnas. An Aura of pure Darkness appeared around Xeroz' body, and then, electricity of Darkness started to be flow from his entire body at every direction towards "Ansem" and Xemnas to inflict damage upon them.

Edited February 21, 20169 yr by KHLegendIII

Zion/Sione remained just as angry, their balance kept checked by the anger towards the Berserker. They turned and moved closer, holding Xion.

<Ours.> they said softly. <and ours alone. We won't let anyone hurt you.>

 

Her eyes flashed briefly, before the blue faded to gold, Zion once again taking full control. Oathkeeper's Dusk disappeared, and Zion fell on her ass, sitting in a W shape. "I need to learn endurance, balance takes a lot of concentration..."

{Astra, Yuri and Aina}Astra looked away from the rest as a pair of dark portals opened."Left to Radiant Garden." He said. "Right to the Keyblade Graveyard."As he said this his eyes moved towards Xion and her new partner."Your choice."With that Astra walked into the left portal.Yuri scratched her cheek and snorted."Ouch. That's cold even for him."She followed Astra into the portal, leaving only Aina behind."Um..." Aina said while looking around. "I know they already left, but if you choose to go to the Graveyard then...uh...I-I'll go with you. We will help you in any way we can, Xion."

{Ventus}

Ven went almost instantly into protective mode when the priest showed up. He hadn't summoned his Keyblade yet, but he was prepared to.

"Is that so?" Ven challenged. "And we are just suppose to trust you?"

 

{Xemnas}

"Let me see, who is crying out in pain in this battle?" Xemnas replied callously to the dragon's boast.

While the Superior managed to keep his place on Xeroz's back, despite its bucking, he leapt off it as the dark aura crept over it. He landed in front of Ansem, creating a barrier to protect both of them. Ansem struggled up, then caught sight of Kopiu.

"Reflect!" He called out, using his magic to cast the reflect spell on Kopiu.

"Go for it!" Xemnas called out through gritted teeth.

 

{Mercy & Xion}

Xion blushed a little at Zion/Sione's possessiveness. At least they weren't fighting with each other over her. When Zion went over, Xion was pulled down with her. Landing with an "umph", the replica stared up at the sky, her head laying on Zion's shoulder.

"Okay." She said, feeling a little giddy. "I think I'm okay with that. Just warn me when you're done being overprotective and maybe I can catch you next time."

Xion's private moment of happiness was interrupted by the choice Astra was giving her. She pushed aside a tiny speck of resentment towards Astra for ruining the moment. There was still a job to be done.

"With the blade Zion lent me" she started, waving the blade slightly as visual aid "I should be able to keep up with everyone. So, I guess we'll all go to Radiant Garden."

"No." Mercy said, looking thoughtful.

Xion gave the Survivor a questioning look.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You could keep up with us, but it's temporary." Mercy explained. "If something happens to Zion, you could lose your borrowed blade. We each need to be growing in power, not spreading what we already have around. I think you need to go to the Graveyard and get your own blade."

The Princess glanced at Zion and Aina before returning her gaze to Xion.

"Aina has offered to go with you and I doubt we could get Zion to do anything else. The three of you should go to the Graveyard. The rest of us will head to Radiant Garden."

"Splitting up could be dangerous." Xion pointed out, but the was some doubt in her voice. "Especially with things coming down to the wire."

"Yes, but if it means we get back the full use of one of our members, I think the rewards outweigh the risks."

Xion looked off in the distance with a thoughtful look as Mercy looked around the group.

"Any objections?" Mercy asked.

Yol smiled at Ventus, and bowed to him. "Oh, my apologizes, it seems you don't trust me, do you? I can tell you how you cab trust me... I was once Kyle, the Summoner, warrior of the Keyblade. One of Lord Nasch's comrades... Died a rather terrible death during that War so long ago, I must say." Said Yol, talking to Ventus. Yol's eyes emanated a white-colored Light, Xeroz simply tilted his head at "Ansem" and Xemnas, and blinked as he began to fly into the air. "Oh really? Now you're trying to aim to delay your defeat? You fools, let's see how you get passed THIS!" Shouted Xeroz, talking to Xemnas. Suddenly, an Aurora Aura of Darkness emanated from Xeroz, and he let out a roar, and the scenery change dot that of a waste land, filled with an Aurora filled sky, and a big Meteor was seen falling towards Xemnas and "Ansem" at a steady pace. Xterly and Sarah appeared in front of Xion. "Sorry we were late, Master Thomas had called us back, he was trying to contact someone, he'll meet up with us when he's ready." Said Xterly, talking to Xion.

Edited March 3, 20169 yr by KHLegendIII

{Aina}Aina was watching silently at the portal while the others where talking. A small shadow heartless suddenly appearing on the ground."Tell Astra that I will be accompanying Xion," She said to the small shadow. "We will get Xion's keyblade back and then we will rendezvous with them in Radiant Garden."The shadow waited for a few more seconds before slowly making its way into the dark portal. It was then that Aina heard Mercy."Not in the slightest," Aina answered. "Better to have Xion back in top condition than losing two members for the price of one."{Astra and Yuri}Yuri was looking back to where the entrance of the portal was."It seems they are still discussing something," she said as she turned her head. "Should we go back?"The boy in the black coat shook his head."No need," he answered while keeping his eyes on two small glowing dots in fron of him. "Aina said that Xion, Zion and her are going to the Graveyard.""Is that so? What do you think about those two?"Astra kept walking in silence for a couple of minutes."We'll see," was his answer.

Zion/Sione shook their head.

~There are no arguments from us on the choice. We will accompany Xion to the Keyblade Graveyard.~

(Haven't forgotten. I just want to give Emerald a chance to post. I'll post on Monday if she can't make it.)

~Enno~

"Not a chance I'm afraid." Enno said, his tone bitter. Who was this Lacuna? Why did she want this pathetic reaper? Why did she seem so psychotic? A warm, dark glow emanated from the masked man as he stared towards Lacuna. "I'm going to need a bit more information than that before I let you do as you please. If there are going to be more like him around then I'd appreciate the knowledge so I can keep an eye out." Enno continued. "Also, I wouldn't trust a woman that wanted him to reap us with anything at all, let along a promise like that." His grip tightened on his sheath, and his other hand went to his hilt, ready to act if she continued to give him answers he did not like.

 

~Kopiu~

Kopiu looked up to the meteor. He whistled softly. That was an impressive spell, that much was certain. Legendary black magic. Kopiu pondered his options. Stand here and get crushed was one. Not a good option, but certainly an option. The Replica spun his blade slowly as he thought about it. Well... "Catch me guys." Kopiu said, then vanished from the sight of Ansem and Xemnas. He had leaped into the air, bracing for impact with his both hands on his blade. He impacted with the meteor, attempting to hold it back. That of course was not working, and the flames around the celestial object were beginning to burn him. Best act now. He surged all of his magic power through his staff, creating a huge explosion in an effort to counteract the meteor's trajectory and send it the other way. Of course, being so close to an explosion was not good for his health, and he began to fall quickly to the ground, in and out of consciousness as he came down.

{Ventus}

"You still haven't given me a reason to trust you." Ven said defiantly.

He was a little surprised by his own response. Was Vanitas making him more paranoid? And, considering the present state of the worlds, was that a bad thing?

"Know what he's talking about?" He whispered to Tyler.

 

{Xemnas}

Xemnas glanced up at the meteor momentarily before returning his gaze to Xeroz.

"Defeat?" He questioned. "You seem to forget that-"

Ansem patted the Superior's shoulder, then pointed up. Xemnas looked up again to see Kopiu try to counter the meteor. What could be seen of Xemnas's face tightened as the young replica used all his magic to make a dent in the legendary spell.

"Get him." He said through gritted teeth.

Ansem nodded and took off, his Guardian leading. Part way up, The Heartless and the Guardian switched places. He kicked off the Guardian, sending him hurtling towards Kopiu. His velocity was enough that it brought him gently next to the replica, and he began to fall as well.

"Hold on!" Ansem yelled, grabbed hold of Kopiu to carry him. "I've got you!"

The falling duo were enveloped in darkness and teleported else where.

As Ansem flew up to help Kopiu, Xemnas teleported on the far side of the meteor. Kopiu's counter had changed it's trajectory slightly and weakened it. Enough for Xemnas to twist it to his will. Stretching out with his power of Nothingness, the Superior used the cracks Kopiu had inflicted on the meteor to get inside of the spell itself and change how it worked. It was nearly to the ground when he was done, but by then it was his spell and it was aimed right at Xeroz.

The Superior reappeared in front of the dragon, looking a little drained, but defiant.

"You still think you're an unknown, coming to sweep the board." He said, somewhat hoarsely. "But we've been waiting. We've been planning. And, thanks to you, I know how to beat your master."

With that, Xemnas disappeared, seconds before the meteor struck.

 

{Xehanort's Heartless}

Ansem landed a little hard in the infirmary of Xemnas's secret base. He struggled up and put Kopiu on the table.

"Just hold on." He told Kopiu as he began ripping open cabinets for healing potions.

"Whoa." A familiar voice said.

Ansem turned to see Xigbar leaning against a wall, smirking.

"Gotten attached to the copy, have we?" The Sharpshooter teased. "Miss tormenting the original?"

For half a second, Ansem looked surprised, but it faded quickly, replaced with a look of displeasure.

"He is a vessel now." The Heartless said sternly. "And at this stage, losing one could be detrimental."

Xigbar shrugged.

"Whatever." He said, nonchalantly heading over to another section of cabinets and offering token help to find the right supplies.

Elsa entered the room and beelined for a drawer where mega potions were stored.

"I've got it." She said before trying to get Kopiu to drink some.

Ansem nodded to the Organization recruit, then gave Xigbar his full attention.

"Looks like you've been busy recruiting." Xigbar said with a whistle.

"A job you should be on." Ansem countered. "Why are you here?"

"The boss wants to know how this branch of the plan is doing. And if you have destroyed the weapon yet."

"It's eluding us." Ansem answered cryptically.

 

{Mercy & Xion}

Xion felt a mix of gratefulness and an awkward feeling of being a burden. Still, she had to fix this.

"Thank you both." She told Zion and Aina.

Standing up, Xion held out a hand to help Zion up when Xterly and Sarah appeared.

"Good, we'll need everyone we can get." She said. "I need to try to get my Keyblade back. Zion and Aina are going with me. Mercy is going to Radiant Garden to save another princess. You'd better follow her."

"We're heading out now." Mercy chimed in.

She nodded to the trio going to the Keyblade Graveyard.

"Y'all be careful." She said before walking through the portal to Radiant Garden.

"Come on!" Xion said playfully to Zion. "We've got an adventure to go on."

 

{Mercy}

Once through the portal, Mercy took in a breath of Radiant Garden air. She heard strange sounds from the city. She was surprised to see the defense system working, keeping down the Heartless population.

"I thought it was broken..." She murmured to herself.

Pushing that thought aside, Mercy gave Astra an expectant look.

"You got a direction for us?" She asked.

 

{Auron & Lacuna}

Lacuna gave Enno a wide grin.

"Oh, you wanna try things the easy way, huh?" She said, delight in her voice. "Well then, I ca-"

The Void Witch froze for a moment, then twitched.

"I'm busy." She hissed, anger showing in her face.

"What are-" Auron began to ask, but Lacuna held up a silencing finger.

"Yes, it's important." She said, starting to pace.

Whatever she was talking to was clearly annoying her. She rolled her eyes in response.

"If you must know, I'm picking up after the 'reaper' you just had to have."

Pause. Facepalm.

"You're not helping, toots. Butt out. Oh, fine."

Lacuna turned back to Enno and Auron and gave them an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, my...business partners are a little pushy. I would love to fight this out, but I don't have time. You want to keep the reaper, you deal with my partners. And believe me, you're better off with me."

Xeroz just merely grinned, and emitted a purple Light, and split back into Xatsuno and Xetrodon. "Or so you think... Our original self is much more powerful than us, and even though we're his Heartless and Nobody, our powers cannot be compared to his. If you think he is like us, and if you think you outsmarted him, you are sorely mistaken." Thought Xatsuno, mentally thinking to himself in his head. Xatsuno and Xetrodon teleported away, just as the area that he teleported his foes into started to fade away because of the explosion, and appeared back in the Imperial Kings' headquarters, on the floor of the meeting room with the other members of the group, with Xecracus looking down at them, and they both bowed to him. "My liege, it would seem that our battle with Xemnas had gone decently, even though we weren't able to strike fear into him, I'm sure that, with time, we'll be able to take him down in no time flat. Also, he believes that he outsmarted you." Said Xatsuno, talking to Xecracus. Xecracus nodded, and he closed his eyes. "Oh, yes, that Nobody does have some belief that he has outsmarted me, indeed, admirable, truly, but at the same time, I pity him, little does he know, I have more ways than one to pursue my prey, time, my subordinates, time will eventually catch up to him, and when that time comes, we shall strike him and those 'Heroes', and when they are defeated, we shall remake everything in our image, and eradicate all of the Light, forever..." Said Xecracus, talking to Xatsuno. Xatsuno and Xetrodon grinned evilly, as they continued kneeling before their Master. Tyler looked at Ventus. "Have you already forgot what Master Thomas was saying about us and the ones that we descended from? I can tell this guy is telling the truth, those glowing eyes are proof, just like ours did." Whispered Tyler, whispering the Ventus. Sarah and Xterly nodded, and they went into the portal to Radiant garden, and went up to Mercy. "We're here with you know, Mercy, what's the situation here?" Asked Xterly, asking Mercy a question.

Edited March 22, 20169 yr by KHLegendIII

{Aina}Aina stared at the former Organization member for a little while."She seems so cheerful, but is that the truth?"Nodding in agreement Aina walked into the portal to the Graveyard."Let's do this."{Astra and Yuri}Astra was looking around the city, something didn't felt right."Interesting. Defense system is online," he said. "A good start."Yuri hummed at the comment."Aren't we lucky," Yuri said. "The place looks a little empty."The boy in the dark coat simply looked towards the castle. At that time Mercy came out of the portal, her and a couple of others."We ARE lucky," said Yuri. "More reinforcements."Astra turned towards Mercy."Perhaps," He answered. "I can feel a few sources of light, but the largest one is coming from the castle."

(Sorry for the delay. Classes have been hectic lately.)

 

{Ventus}

Ven glanced back at Tyler, feeling conflicted. With his darkness back and his memories of the betrayals in his life restored to him, he didn't feel like trusting anyone new just now. But he did trust Tyler. He wasn't sure he fully understood the whole ancestry things going on, but he trusted Tyler's belief.

"Okay." Ven finally said, dismissing his keyblade. "So, what now?"

 

{Mercy}

"Well, it looks clear so far." Mercy replied to Xterly, then frowned. "Almost suspiciously so."

The Princess looked out over the town, towards the castle Astra mentioned.

"Nice and defensible." She observed. "Still, we'd better stay wary."

Mercy led the way as she dropped down off the ruined wall the party had appeared on and started walking down the empty streets of Radiant Garden. She had been here before, back when Xoctts was running things. It was like this before, with the defenses up. But hadn't they failed after Lacuna went after the Lights? And why hadn't Xcotts mentioned that there was a Princess here? More and more, Mercy was sure this was a trick. But who was behind it?

{Astra and Yuri}

"Lets' do this."

Yuri was more than ready to kick some heartless into next week. Astra on the other hand. His eyes were following Mercy as she led the way.

"She can feel it too," Astra thought. "Something doesn't feel right."

Giving one last look to his surroundings Astra followed the group.