chance encounter (INVITE)

[cyclone]

Ven had never seen a sunset like this.

For whatever reason, he'd had a bit of a fascination with astronomical objects for as long as he could remember (which, to be fair, was not very long.) Running off to the cliffs at the Land of Departure had been a common occurrence for him at home. Sunsets had been fun; not as fun as stargazing, but still amazing to watch. This one, however, was something different. It seemed a bit longer somehow, stretched out across time and it was so bright… The whole town was lit up in shades of orange and red, and it was all Ven could do not to stare at everything and everyone that he passed as he walked through the quiet place.

He couldn't say what had brought him here to this place. It felt… similar to where he'd woken up in, and even the place he'd encountered Vanitas at. It wasn't anything he could really place, but there was something about the atmosphere that made him think it was a good a place as any to stop in. He couldn't fly around forever. He had to try and find news of his friends and everything that had happened while he was gone, and if he was honest sometimes he just needed a break. Everything was slightly overwhelming to him and he was sick of being stuck in the dark. He supposed it was a good idea he stopped somewhere so bright, then.

Shaking his head at his own bad joke (had it truly come to this?) Ventus paused briefly at a crossroads. He'd been wandering pretty blindly after coming to the conclusion that no one he'd encountered had seen Aqua or Terra or, well, anyone he knew or was looking for. He felt like he'd been searching forever. The best idea was to try and find another world, maybe one that he'd been to before, but… it couldn't hurt to get a better view of the sunset first, right? Making a decision, Ven headed up the incline towards the higher part of town, starting to speed up before breaking into a full run in an effort to catch whatever view he might be treated to.

It didn't take long to reach the perfect spot.

He had come upon what seemed to be a clock tower, but more important was the plaza in front of it. A huge open space overlooking the whole town, still bathed in the dying light of the sun. "Wow!" Immediately heading over to the edge, Ven leaned over and in spite of everything, he smiled. It was truly beautiful. Strangely, he was filled with a sad pang of a combination of nostalgia. Why? He was pretty sure he'd never been here before. Maybe it was somewhere he'd been… before Vanitas, before, when he'd been an apprentice of Master Xehanort, or maybe even before that. He wasn't sure. Maybe he was just missing the nights he'd spent with his friends at home. Yes, that was probably it. How long had it been since they'd stood under the same stars together? Clinging stubbornly to a hope spot inside of him, Ven told himself he would have to take them here someday, once they were together again.

(remember: it's your own fault you have to deal with a starting post so bad!! c:< and short!!!
okay so if you are in this thread you will know it, etc etc, fun times, whoohoo.)

[Master Xehanort]

The Realm of the Interstice, better known as the Realm of Twilight, the space of the In-Between.

It was a division between that of the realms belonging to light and dark, and essentially was the only real sense of neutrality in the worlds. It was where oblivion sat in an endless expanse of time, and it was also where a sunset remained endless; where a town frequently saw itself traversed by those whose worlds were lost to the effects of the Heartless. While the Nobodies had claimed themselves to be the masters of the in-between, solely because they teetered on the thin line of existence and non-existence, these worlds that belonged to the Realm of Twilight were truly immune to the effects of any individual's rule. They too teetered on that same unseen line, wavering in the rays of light, and frolicking within the shadows of dark. They were the true definition of neutrality, as they did not give in to either side of this ongoing, purposeless war of altering alignments of worlds to a different faction. No matter what tide of the war swept over the worlds in Twilight, they remained unaffected from the influence of the blind, and misguided warmongers.

Master Xehanort continued to observe the endless sunset from the top of the Station Plaza Clocktower, his form hidden from view by the shade that was cast from the structure's peak. With a deep sienna gaze he watched in silence, and observed the serenity the glowing sun cast, just as he had done many years before upon the shores of Destiny Islands. To a heart seeking freedom, that world provided such great limitation, and yet its influence could be felt through his own heart with the similarity that this landscape provided. It was much to ponder, how these worlds of the In-Between seemed to possess the most fortitude when it came to physical and noticeable change upon the alteration of the world's alignment. While many worlds turned into darker counterparts of themselves when held under Discord's sway, and while many returned to their natural states when in the light of Harmony, Twilight Town and its sister worlds of the Interstice remained as they were despite what influence held sway over them. Castle Oblivion had been another example not but a few moments prior, for the damnation of its endless abyss of chain breaking power proved too formidable and foreboding to allow any simple minded combatants of this war to dare take on the heart that remained deep within its labyrinth-like structure.

Xehanort knew all too well that while the Masked Man turned worlds to his own favor, out of some sick, delusional master plan, the effects of the war this individual continued to wage were tedious, and costly. Whereas most worlds affected by the influence of this enigma's power, the inevitable return to the Realm of Sleep for these worlds could not be stopped. Whether by the darkness of the Heartless, or by this new infection of 'neutrality', Xehanort could only smile at the ignorance of the many who continued to fall helplessly, and carelessly into their respectful purposes. Everyone had a part to play for the coming maelstrom of inevitable darkness, and so far, they were accepting their parts with little question, little resistance to the turbulent wheel of fate that guided them toward another Keyblade War. It would not be stopped; it would only progress with timely haste.

(OOC: I'm just biding time until everyone shows up.)

[kairi]

Rather than sitting properly in the train seat, Kairi was on her knees on the seat cushion instead, and looking out the window at the passing scenery. She'd been on the train before of course, the "mystery" train that traveled back and forth between Central Station and the isolated tower which belonged to none other than Master Yen Sid. Each ride she couldn't help but keep her oceanic eyes trained on the passing scenery; she waited, watching for the moment where the quaint hills and horizon of Twilight Town vanished in a bright flash of white, and the ethereal green lights appeared. And now, the Princess witnessed the entire ordeal in reverse as she was instead making her way back to Twilight Town after departing from Master Yen Sid's tower.

Thinking back on the events that happened less than an hour before brought a smile to Kairi's lips. Perhaps if she'd known what awaited her at the tower, she might or might not have changed her mind on visiting that day. Not that she encountered anything or anyone unpleasant, simply more like unexpected. Today she had made the acquaintance of three good fairies by the names of Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. She entered the tower in her usual attire, her pink dress with zippers, lilac shoes, and black bag attached to her belt. However, as a result of the kind nature of the three fairies, Kairi exited the tower donning a new outfit not completely different from her original one, which supposedly represented something she would find out eventually. Now, her dress was blue as well as her shoes, and the two as well as her bag sported a flame-like design.

"Ooh, yes! She does look very pretty," Merryweather had said, "And look at the blue!" This seemed to be a vital part of the clothes, Kairi remembered, as the fairies had fussed over finding the perfect color.

"All right then, dear. Tell us what you think!" Flora had encouraged, and Kairi, as she was still amazed by the sudden alteration to her dress, simply smiled up at them in reassurance.

"It is rather pretty," she agreed, "But what about my other dress?" Her voice was soft and kind enough that the fairies were not insulted by the question, or they had not appeared to be offended.

"You mean you don't know?" Fauna asked, surprised.

"Gracious, how silly of us!" Flora said, motioning with her arms to the other two fairies. "She doesn't have a clue!"

"Well how were we gonna know that? She's one of Sora's friends!" Merryweather exclaimed, and Kairi giggled, amused by the blue fairy's pouting expression.

"So I am," she said, smiling at the three fairies. "Do you mean Sora's got something to do with the color of my dress?" She giggled again, as Sora having some sort of influence over the color of her clothing was rather silly.

"Of course not, dear!" Kairi couldn't be sure if Flora had laughed at her question or something else entirely. "But, you'll find out sooner or later --"

"Maybe sooner if you ask him, you know!" Merryweather interrupted, still pouting.

"I'll ask Sora next time I see him, I promise." the Princess said, glancing back down at her altered clothing. "Thank you."

From there, the fairies eventually bid her farewell, and Kairi departed with the hopes of seeing the owner of the tower next time she visited. She didn't know where Master Yen Sid had been, but decided all she had planned to discuss with him could wait as it was nothing of the utmost urgency. Thus, she found herself on the returning train to Twilight Town. Moments passed, the time short and spent in silence aside from the sound of the train running along the tracks, and she arrived at Central Station. She stepped out of the train and made her way to the front doors which led to the station plaza just outside. No one was running the ticket booth, she noted as she passed by, but given the time she wasn't too surprised. What she was surprised by, however, was the boy she saw from across the plaza. His golden spikes caught her attention, and her oceanic eyes widened as she watched him lean over the edge of the plaza wall.

"Roxas!" the Princess exclaimed, running over to where the boy was, not even pausing to think of whether or not she had called out to the right person. "Be careful or you're going to fall!"

[ooc: so this is late and not quite what I was planning, but here's my post! c: and Kairi's outfit is inspired by this lovely picture. yay, ventus! look at the fairies c:]

[Sora]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,480px,true][atrb=cellpadding,3px,true][atrb=cellspacing,3px,true][bg=939d8f] So sacrifice yourself, and let me have what's left I know that I can find, the fire in your eyes It was good to see Twilight Town was the same way he had left it, since he had last set out from the small world, and Sora walked through the streets as he tilted his head towards the sky. The sky was always it's brilliant vermillion, raced with pinks and lavenders lining along the broken-up clouds, trailing off towards the horizon. That was as much as Sora could see from above the rows of houses and shops, with roofs of azure and cinnamon terracotta; the weather otherwise was colder than Sora could remember it from the world eternally locked in the bathing rays of the sun. There was actually a cold wind, which seeped not only in his hair and across his clothing, but seemed to seep into every crease and fold of his tanned skin. He shrugged off a involuntary shudder at the usually unseasonable warmth, which may or may not had to do with the sight of two familiar figures walking towards him, one of a muscled teen male with even more tanned skin in warm-colored clothing and a shorter female with much more paler skin with cold-colored hair and attire. "Yo! Strongest guy in Twilight Town. Been a while since you've been here. You seen Seifer?" Raijin asked, crossing his arms. "Missing." Fuu coldly agreed. "Hey, it has been a while... but no, sorry, I haven't seen that guy." Sora admitted, recalling the guy that had given him the Struggle Tournament trophy because he was the 'strongest guy in Twilight Town' after walloping the Nobodies that had smacked down the Discipline Committee. "But if I see him, I'll come back and tell you to as soon as I can, okay?" "Yeah, don't take too long. You've been gone for long, but he's been gone like... fourteen, fifteen, uh... just a really long time, and we're gonna look for him away from here, y'know?" "Offworld. ASAP." Fuu summarized, and she moved past Sora, Rai quickly following after her. Before Sora could do anything else, three people this time moved in after the stormy personifications of Wind and Lightning blew out; a average blond male with camo gear, a heavy-set boy with a large red basketball singlet, and a girl entirely colored in mostly orange. It was the bunch from the usual spot, and while Sora hadn't seen Olette for a while, he hadn't seen Hayner and Pence for even longer either. "Hey, Sora. Been a while." "Welcome back!" Pence added. "You got new threads, too. Sweet!" "I told them I saw you with Donald, Goofy and that girl Naminé a while back, but I never got to ask what we'd all been wondering; did you manage to find Kairi?" Olette eagerly steered back on track; Sora remembered she had looked so eager to join them last time, but Sora couldn't for obvious reasons... he had gotten into a lot of danger since then. "Oh yeah, that's right, we never got to tell you guys." Sora remembered, recalling how they told him the time they spent with Kairi, and how they admirably tried in failure to rescue her when Axel took her by force. "Yeah, she's been okay, everyone is." "So, where is she now? You should tell her to come back sometime." Olette seemed to insist, as if she seemed eager to talk to another young woman for the longest time. Sora bowed his head a bit slightly; he really had no idea where Kairi went after he personally trained her. "I don't know, but... I trust her, I know she knows how to take care of herself now. Next time I see her, I'll let her know, okay?" It seemed like everyone had come to accept him as the delivery boy for messages, and he realized it was probably because while they seemed to hunger for adventure outside this quiet town, they seemed to understand that they weren't prepared just yet to face what the outside world would bring. "Just what we need, another girl." Hayner laughed, joking around. "Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" Olette sounded like she was mock-offended. But then everyone started laughing; and it was one of those rare moments where the tension was lifted, and their connection in their hearts was strengthened just by the excitement and the familiarity that Sora seemed to bring. "So Sora, what's it like travelling the other worlds out there? Where did you go, what's it like?" Hayner pressed. "Well... we stopped the bad guys, the ones who got Kairi... well, not the exact guy that got Kairi. It's a long story. And... it's good, I guess. Kinda dangerous, but fun. Everything okay in this town?" "Okay? It's boring. When we're not in school, it's dull as dishwater." Hayner admitted, running the back of his hair. "But the summer vacation just started for us again, so we were hoping to see something not from around here... like you again." Pence admitted. "Hey, guys, that's right; we're on our way to our new summer jobs and we're going to be late!" Olette reminded them. "Aww, jeez... Sora, you're going to be around more, right? Come visit us again, you hear?" Hayner seemed to demand in a friendly manner. "Don't be a stranger!" Pence chimmed in. "It's really great to see you, Sora, we all want to see you again during the summer." Olette finished nicely. "C'mon boys, let's go." They all exchanged intrigued glances to Sora as they passed him by, before heading for the Tram Common down the street, and the Roxas in Sora seemed to wonder if they all knew his Somebody while he had been asleep as if in a unspoken bond. He smiled; even if they lead unexciting lives, he was glad they were safe, and hadn't gone through all the strife that he, Kairi and Riku had anguished when their island had fallen apart before scattering to the corners of the worlds. "Don't you worry, guys. I'll be around." he called softly after them, smiling. The cold wind made his hair stand up on the back of his neck, and seemed to sweep down the collar of his shirt and down his broad, muscular back, as if in reminder the warmth of friendship had faded a little and he needed to continue pressing on. He hadn't checked out the station at the top of the street yet, and once he was sure that area and beyond was clear and safe, he would move on. He pulled up his hood on his the back of his neck a little to snuggle around it, continuing on his way now the residents of Twilight Town he knew had caught up with him, until the sunlight of the continuous dusk flickered over the top of the hill. As the Station Plaza came into view, he came across a sight he wasn't expected but was pleasantly and genuinely surprised to; not only was his Nobody there watching the horizon from the familiar blond spiked hair not too much different from his own, but his most important person was, too. "Hey, Roxas... Kairi! You guys have new outfits now, too?" he grinned, having overheard Kairi's comment to Ven as he had come in right at the moment her sweet, innocent voice spilled over her lips and into the warmth of Sora's fervently beating heart. He wanted to hug her, but resisted the urge to and just stood their patently to let her do whatever she felt was appropriate considering their feelings for one another with Roxas around. Space, Sora, remember space. He glanced at Roxas in humor instead to take focus off and be indifferent, only able to see the back of his head for the moment, but Kairi had confirmed it was the embodiment of his body and soul in another person. "Yeah, Roxas, you wouldn't want to get as badly hurt as last time we met. Does this place mean something to you from the last time you were in town? I wasn't expecting you see you so soon." he said sincerely, brightening up with a smile, also turning to look at the girl he appreciated more than any other in his life. "You either Kairi; but, I'm glad you're here. I really like what you did with your hair, and the new clothes. Both of you. Except you Roxas, your hair is always the same mess as mine is." he laughed as he chided playfully, although honestly really glad both of his friends were with him right now. --- (And by the way, Sora's new attire looks like this. Now with new and improved mature Sora, look at his cool clothes guys, CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE? TAG Ventus, Exie the Mater Xehanort, Kairi SONG LYRICS Breathe by Breaking Benjamin NOTES None

THIS TEMPLATE WAS MADE BY COMATOSE OF ON THE EDGE!

[cyclone]

In spite of himself, Ven turned around as he heard a girl call someone else's name. The name didn't quite match up, but he still felt her words were meant for him. Besides… Roxas. He'd heard that name before. People called him that name, sometimes, but even before it had become a habit for them he'd felt as thought it was a name he should know. Like someone he used to know when he was younger, but forgot about.

Turning, Ven smiled and raised his hands in the air as if in surrender. "Ah, I'm fine! Really. I just wanted to see the town all lit up." He'd reacted faster than he might have because for some reason her words reminded him of Aqua. It seemed like something she would similarly admonish him for, especially when he'd first come around. Later on it didn't step them from sitting at the edge of cliff faces nearly all the time, but he felt it would be rude to argue with a well-intentioned stranger.

That is, if she was a stranger.

The girl nearing his location seemed like someone he should know. Tilting his head and looking at her, he couldn't quite place his finger on it. It was as if she was someone he'd passed by every day on a daily walk, or someone he had heard a lot about from someone, enough to know her on sight. The feeling was strange, but he was struck with an inexplicable warmth in his heart upon seeing her, as if she was already a good friend of his by simple virtue of being a good friend of someone else. A smile appearing on his face, he bounded over to her cheerfully.

"My name's not Roxas! But you're not the first person to call me that. It's Ventus, Ven for short! What's your name? Have we met before?' He bombarded the girl with questions, still studying her with a curious smile. Something about her felt similar to himself for some odd, unknown reason to the boy, but it made him feel a little better despite all the strange things happening. At the sound of another's voice, however, his smile grew even further.

Roxas again… It didn't bother Ven, but he did find it interesting. Someday he was going t have to meet this Roxas, to see if they really did look that much alike. He wondered if anyone ever accidentally called Roxas "Ventus," but he doubted it. He'd been gone so long… Was there anyone around to remember him? The thought was disconcerting, so instead he focused on Sora's appearance at the scene. He was continuing to talk to him like he was Roxas, so with an apologetic look, he reminded him. "Uh, Ventus! Ven! Sorry, you've seen Roxas longer, so…" He scratched his head in embarrassment, trying to break it gently in a way to show he wasn't insulted. "But, uh, I've never been here. At least, I think I've never been here. It's really pretty, though." He glanced almost wistfully over to the town below once more, appreciating the warmth with which it was lit up.

At the comment about his hair, Ven gave a sheepish grin and raised a hand to his mess of hair, ruffling it a little as if he thought that would help it. "A friend of mine used to say my hair was a mess because I never sat still and kept running around. You must be the same way, Sora!" he laughed, smiling at the two before he realized maybe he was smiling too much.

He had never really met the girl before- he knew now that his feeling of knowing her likely came from his time in Sora's heart. They were clearly friends, and her name send another wave of recognition through him. Feelings that that might have been something he'd remembered when he regained his body, just as he had felt strange echoes of familiarity to other places and people in much the same way. Ven didn't understand it, but feeling like someone was a friend to him was a feeling he'd felt long before and he wasn't going to question it too much now. Friends could only be a good thing! However, he might have been coming on a little strong, but it was hard to stop.

Sora, on the other hand, Ven felt like he knew. He'd come into contact with his heart many, many years ago… The details were fuzzy. But even if he didn't know the specifics about his life, Ven knew that he was a good person and a good friend, and that was something he wanted to experience now that he had his body back. Having Sora as a friend. He had saved him from the Unversed Vanitas had left behind, for which Ven was grateful, but they had been separated not long after. It was good to see the boy again, and Ven found himself almost ridiculously happy to be in the company of these two people. He'd been looking for his friends, only to run into Vanitas and a commotion at the Hundred Acre Woods… This was much, much better than that.

(YAY FAIRIES. YAY FRIENDSHIP. also ven and kairi were basically roommates in sora's heart shhh this is canon.)

[Master Xehanort]

Taking a calm stride to the edge of the Clocktower, Master Xehanort observed the identities of three powerful hearts sensed in the immediate vicinity, letting his sienna gaze rest upon three very familiar figures moving into a tight crowd upon the terrace below. While the first, being blond and full of an unmistakeable light within, sought the comfort of the sunset, the other two sought out the company of a long lost friend, purely out of a mistaken identity. In silence the Dark Master observed, taking in the conversation that seemed to drift into the air; a side effect granted by the trio's careless nature, and their mistake of thinking that danger and strife had eluded the town of Twilight, simply by the ruse of peace that continued to sway the town. The remnants of a calming effect that held a grip over this world's demeanor and feeling, was truly a sign of how bad the state of the worlds really was, and it easily put the spectrum of it all into clarity when anyone stopped to examine it further.

Master Xehanort was one of these somebodies who had taken the time to glimpse into the sights of peace, and look upon the veil that prevented many from seeing the true carnage and turmoil that persisted in the Sea of Stars, even at this very moment as his eyes returned to the sunset, parting from the examination of the three Keybearers before the Station Plaza. This eternal sunshine was a significant tribute to the ongoings of the war, as the sun continued to fade, so too did the light of the hope that was dying within all who continued to prevent the coming of another Keyblade War. The conflict of ages would come again, and stopping it was utterly futile in the eyes of Xehanort, for there remained too many ploys already in motion. There were too many plans coming to completion, all while this boy with the Kingdom Key decided to continue aimlessly without a proper course in mind. What was the drive that filled this boy now? It was a curious thought to ponder in Xehanort's opinion, for there could be any number of given things that Sora could be searching for. Though despite all of the possibilities, one thing remained certain in the mind of the elderly Master, which was that Sora remained blind to all the actions Xehanort continued to control and orchestrate, and knew not where to begin.

Perhaps it was time for some enlightenment?

The Masked Man and his lackeys had done enough to confuse and blur the vision of these young Keybearers from the true path which they were to walk. He had succeeded in blinding them from their true purpose, and so these delusional young Masters in training all needed to have a course correction, for they needed to be reminded just how dangerous the state of the worlds were for the careless. Xehanort looked once more down to the trio experiencing their heart felt reunion with each other, despite neither party knowing the true identity or the true nature of how they were all linked to each other. It was fascinating to see this group together, given after all the variables of change that the Dark Master himself had provoked within their lives. It was like observing the results of a various series of experiments, and each subject had survived the tests with a remarkable amount of change within their hearts. Though a question remained within the ever calculative mind of the Master; did each of these hearts possess the strength to continue? Riku's heart was already failing its trials, so it remained to be seen what effects would present themselves from these three, when the power of the trials began to react against their hearts.

Time would tell, though Master Xehanort would continue to observe, and decide when to make his move to begin this test.

[kairi]

As soon as she spoke, the boy turned around with his hands held up in the air, a sight that made the Princess softly laugh. "You may be fine now, but you're also silly! I mean, haven't you seen the town lit up before?" Kairi asked, stopping in place so the boy was still between herself and the edge of the plaza. Her hands were clasped behind her back as she took a moment to let the view of the sunset sink in. It truly was beautiful, and she smiled, glancing over at the boy. "I guess I can see why you wouldn't mind seeing it again," she said, the emphasis on her words making her teasing mood more obvious than it would be without. "I used to watch the sunset too, back on the Islands." She nodded, and looked back out across the town. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as he bounded over; his obvious cheer spread, keeping the smile on her lips.

Kairi hadn't taken the time to truly look at the boy, as she was convinced she already knew his identity; blond spikes with blue eyes, as she could see them now that he'd turned to face her, and his cheerfulness reminded her of Sora's, who she knew to be the Somebody of Roxas. But as the boy before her spoke, correcting her on his name while commenting on the previous occurrence of such confusion, she simply blinked; with a sheepish grin, she realized his attitude was too cheerful to belong to the blond Nobody she'd met before. Not to say Roxas was incapable of appearing cheerful, but he'd been the more solemn of the two from what she could remember from the last time she'd seen Roxas and Sora. "Oh!" She exclaimed, surprise evident on her face as Kairi mentally shook her head at her earlier lack of observation. "I'm sorry, Ven," she said, giggling at his enthusiasm, "You look an awful lot like a friend of mine, I guess. My name is Kairi!" The Princess smiled brightly, and one hand came up from behind her back to tuck a lock of her hair behind one ear. "I'm not sure if we've met before," she told him, oceanic eyes narrowing slightly in playfulness while her thoughts raced, attempting to place his name and face with any of her memories. "But it feels like we have, doesn't it?" She giggled, amused by the situation nonetheless.

"Sora?" The name slipped from between her lips before the Princess could think of what she was saying; the newcomer's voice however was too familiar to not recognize. She turned to face the direction from which the voice came, and smiled brightly as her eyes caught sight of one of her two best childhood friends. At his observation of her new outfit, she giggled and flipped her hair over her shoulder; the lock of hair was no longer tucked behind her ear then, but that didn't matter in the least. "So you noticed," she said, teasing. He continued speaking, and at the mention of Roxas being hurt as badly as last time they'd met, she blinked in confusion. "Are you okay, Sora?" Her question was asked before Kairi could really think on it, and she felt her cheeks turn a light pink in her sheepishness. Sora said as bad as Roxas had been hurt, not himself! And yet, she couldn't help but let her oceanic eyes scan over him, checking for any consequences he wouldn't mention on his own. It didn't matter that out of the two, Riku would be the one most likely to hide injuries from her. "And Roxas too, I mean."

She watched in silence as Ventus spoke up, correcting Sora on his identity as he'd done for her only moments before. Kairi smiled sweetly at him as he too appeared to be embarrassed, the soft curl of her lips echoing her silent thoughts of support. She thought of Ventus as a friend already, she realized, and wasn't too surprised in the end. Before she realized, the Princess moved to stand by Sora; giggling at his compliments on her hair and her clothes, she glanced at him and brushed non-existent dirt off her dress. "Thank you!" Kairi said, and suddenly, her promise to the three fairies came back to her. "Speaking of my new clothes," she started, turning to face Sora now as she put both hands on her hips. "I happened to meet three very nice fairies today, and they made me promise to ask you why they gave me this." The Princess waved her left hand, motioning with one long sweep of her arm through the air at her new clothes. She quirked one eyebrow and put her hand back on her hip. Her mock displeased expression crashed and burned brilliantly at Ven's reply to Sora's comment about his hair, and she laughed, glancing at the blonde then back at Sora. "Your friend is very wise, Ven," she said, nodding in agreement with the statement. "But your hair," Kairi started, this time reaching up with her right hand to gently tug on one of the brown spikes. "It's a mess from moving around all the time, or you snoozing! Isn't that right, So-ra?" She giggled, and hardly noticed the way she spoke his name when she was teasing, just as she used to do when they were children. It was familiar, and sent a warm feeling all the way to her bones.

Looking back over at Ventus, she smiled. Piece by piece, who he was or at least why she felt as if recognized him fell into place the longer the three stood, chatting as friends tend to do. In the back of her mind, the Princess couldn't help but also wonder where she'd heard his name before, sometime recently as well...

[Xion]

All was quiet on the road that led to Central Station. Suddenly, a portal of Darkness opened, swirling as it waited for its traveler to depart from its black depths. A hooded, cloaked figure stepped out, looking around before dismissing the Corridor.

Xion took a deep breath, and started to walk around the corner toward the Station, her mind traveling to the one place she wanted to be. The Clock Tower top..where she used to sit with two friends in the past, eating sea-salt ice-cream and watching the sunset. This was familiar..this was a place she knew. It was good to be back, but she was still wondering, asking questions she had no answers to. Why was she back? And if she was here, where were Roxas and Axel? What had happened to them? She had nothing..

She stopped walking, sensing someone was nearby. Someone unknown..but at the same time, familiar. She stepped into the main area of the Station Plaza, and stared. Three people....who could they be? The sense she was missing something nagged at her, and she glanced around quickly, trying to locate the last presence she was feeling. But it was farther away...her focus went back to the three people. The one....he was strongly familiar..

It hit her.
"S....Sora?"

[Sora]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,480px,true][atrb=cellpadding,3px,true][atrb=cellspacing,3px,true][bg=939d8f] I'm going all the way Get away; please The smile from the joke he had made died down when Roxas had fully turned around, and Sora did a slight double-take when he realized that Roxas wasn't Roxas, but someone that looked a lot like him. "Huh?" Sora couldn't help but verbally utter, perplexed, before the boy's name that he gave him sunk in. He blinked a few times, before running bare fingers from fingerless gloves through his own hair, until his palm rubbed the back of his head in a subtle piece of body language that showed embarrassment. "Oh... sorry about that. It's just... he looks a lot like you." he explained, letting his hands rest by his sides. The blue eyes and the blond short hairstyle was a spitting image if he were Roxas and looking into a mirror, of course the clothes and armor being the obvuous key difference, which Sora hadn't really taken notice because he couldn't help but stare at how strikingly familiar he was to his Nobody. "Uh, right... nice to meet you Ven, it's Sora, by the way. Did we... have we met somewhere before?" he wondered, the dejà vu of seeing Ventus again triggering his memory from elsewhere, but he couldn't remember where it was. He stared out at the setting sun though as the blond boy mentioned it, and he started to recall that looking identical to his Other was about as far as the similarities went, as the guy that looked just about his age seemed to be vibrantly cheerful and enthusiastic as he was unlike the polar opposite in mood the Key of Destiny seemed to be. His thoughts shifted back to the dusk that sat in the sky, and valued how the other male saw the appreciation in the small everyday things that people sometimes overlooked but were pretty like this sunset... or was it sunrise? "You know, every time I pass through this world, catching up with all the townspeople and making sure they're safe, I've always noticed that the sun here never sets." he told his two friends, standing behind them as they all looked out towards the brilliant dance of the nearby star in it's waltz of conflicting colors between the earth and the sky. "It is never day, never night... you could sit here for hours, or even all day, and you can see the sun just sitting on the horizon splashing colored light everywhere for as long as you like." he finished his illustrated explanation, and exhaled slowly as the glowing landscape along with being accompanied by friends seemed like a perfect end to a perfect day. He didn't look away from the slowly setting sun until Roxas moved out of his peripheral mission and roughed up his hair at Sora's words, also reflecting on a memory from the past about something a friend had said once. He laughed, but in hindsight the word 'friend' uttered by Ven made him remember of someone long ago with one of the kindest hearts he had ever met, whom he had rescued a long time ago that spoke of him. "That's right... you're friends with Aqua, and Terra, right?" he remembered, recalling of all the information Aqua had chosen to divulge him about her adventure. And then it clicked with him; Aqua had said long ago Ventus had lost his heart, and he felt he knew just from the presence of the warmth in his heart that this guy was the same presence he had mistaken for Roxas that had left his heart a short while back. There was more he wanted to say to Roxas, but he realized he hadn't answered his question yet while he had been lost in his thoughts, and only muttered aloud a "Well, I, uh..." before Kairi spoke up, looking out towards the beautiful glow of the sun and the warm-colored patterns of daylight it shed. Speaking of warm, and beautiful... she had called his name in surprise when he had entered, which he had greeted with the warmest of smiles and uttered her name breathlessly back without realizing it before Ventus had begun to speak. His face flushed slightly red when she giggled at him, and he laughed it off to attempt to drain away some of the nervousness as well as the increased rhythm of his beating heart in his chest. He let the answer to his compliment as it was, feeling he'd ruin the moment by following up with Kairi's teasing, and didn't want to give her the satisfaction that she had provoked him just yet. Then it was her turn to have red creeping up onto her slender features of her pace, and Sora couldn't help from laugh silently under his own breath from having noticed. Adding to his joy that she still felt the same way about him as he did for her, there was a look on her face as she spoke before she thought in confusion at his words, and Sora felt obligated to explain what he meant in clarity as she looked over his body in examination. "Oh, no, I mean that was the last time we were together by ourselves. The last time we were all together was when we were both standing next to each other facing him and Naminé, before we went before we went back to our island. I'm sorry... I didn't mean to get you mixed up." he simply answered in clarification, the latter meaning the time when Naminé and Roxas had stepped out of hers and his body respectfully, as if to say goodbye one last time in case merging with their Somebodies meant they could not be themselves anymore. Saying anything about merging, Nobodies, Xemnas and the Castle That Never Was would probably only serve to completely confused Ven, so he left those references out as he described the memory. Before that, Roxas he remembered had pulled Sora into what he could only describe as the dream world in his own heart, fighting atop a tall stain-glass pillar when Roxas had found the will to rebel back after Axel had faded to darkness. "Yeah, I'm fine." he continued to smile warmly, to mollify her, even though she covered up putting her heart out solely for him by mentioning Roxas to save face. "I haven't heard from Roxas since he left... like when Naminé did with you, that's why I was excited when I thought I saw Roxas. But... Kairi, I'm glad you're okay." he changed the subject, remembering what had happened back on Archepelago. "Leon told me that he managed to get you out of Radiant Garden before an attack? I'm just... I'm so glad you're here, Kairi." he breathed out a little in relief at the thought she was safe and happy, and he smiled back at her a little sheepishly in the sentimental moment. The Key That Connected to Everyone watched as Kairi looked to Ventus, and in that moment as he watched the connection further between Kairi and Ventus... he felt that odd familiar sensation from before. The feeling of recognition, but this time the feeling of his two friends before him had once taken place somewhere else, only... inside his own heart. It was very hard to put into thought let alone words, and Sora just felt lost as it was just thinking about it, but his mind at least wrapped around the concept that Ven's familiar presence had been with him long before Kairi's own precious heart found sanctuary within his. He wanted to try to put the connection together by speaking it out loud, but his thoughts were interrupted and perhaps lost in a fuzzy haze of euphoria as Kairi giggled again and came to stand next to him, and he tucked that thought away for the moment in consideration his earlier question concerning if Ven knew him would be answered. After her appreciation in thanks, she turned to him, and watched both with a mixture of befuddlement and amusement at her hands on her hips as she asked her question. After she motioned at her new dress and accessories with emphasis in what she meant, he couldn't help but have that brilliant trademark of a shiny white grin beam from his features. "I won't tell you. I think it would explain what they meant if I showed you." he humored her, and having done this in the heat of battle next to Donald and Goofy countless numbers of times, he concentrated for a moment as he closed his eyes and scrunched his hands into fists before a brilliant flash appeared to make light shatter like glass off of his clothing. They lost their red, black and yellow scheme within the prism-like fragments of light and colored itself in as if by the many colored chalks he and Kairi used to scribble on the walls of the Secret Place, until the light faded away to reveal his clothing in a flame-decorated blue scheme that co-ordinated with Kairi's. "I think they wanted us to match up together." he laughed sheepishly once again, comparing his Wisdom Form's clothing next to that of Kairi's dress and bag. It didn't take long either for Kairi to join in on his chiding of Ven either a moment later, turning on him in mid-sentence as if in afterthought, and he was comfortable with her reaching up to pull on one of his spikes of brown hair even while she teased him about their childhood lazybum joke again. "Yeah, I guess you're right Kairi; it must be that." he finished on, as if alluding in a mysterious hint to something else as he expectantly looked at her with a raise of an eyebrow and a mischevous smile, muffling a laugh along with her giggling. He missed this while he was travelling, just being with friends in which to share funny and endearing moments like this that bonded them all closer in memory, reminded of those days from the way Kairi had spoken his name. The sun didn't even have to be there shining down upon them all; just the warmth of their hearts, and their smiles and laughter of making each other happy was all they needed. As Kairi looked back at Ventus one last time, Sora catching the look in her clear azure eyes oft the same way he must have felt that Ven somehow felt familiar to them in a way they couldn't describe, Sora's attention was yanked away as a new voice spoke his name. "Huh?" he asked no-one in particular quizzically as he turned his head to look over at the entrance to the plaza he himself had come through, and spotted the hauntingly familiar sight of someone in a black-hooded cloak. For a moment, Sora's heart betrayed him again as his mind played tricks that this could be Roxas; but he would be lying to himself that he didn't notice that the voice that called out to him was distinctly feminine in tone, as well as the high-heeled boots sticking out from the bottom of the cloak that he didn't think he ever saw on a Organization member before. Much less, one that was Roxas' size... or even shorter, he couldn't say. "I'm Sora, but... who are you? Are... are you with the Organization?" he wondered aloud more than questioning it, the black-hooded cloak considered an omen considering six of the eight Organization members he recognized were last hostile towards both him and Kairi, but the voice and her body language as well as what he could feel from her as easily as Kairi or Ventus suggested otherwise... but, he couldn't reminisce in the slightest there being a ninth, female Organization member at all. Who was she, and what did she want with Sora? --- Wisdom Form: Will last for three turns, three-post cooldown. (SORA HAS SPIKY HAIR BECAUSE HE RUNS AROUND AND IS A LAZY BUM, ACCORDING TO KAIRI'S RESEARCH. AND ACCORDING TO VENTUS' RESEARCH, IF KAIRI AND VENTUS WERE ROOMMATES IN SORA'S HEART, SORA IS A HOUSE. xDD ROFL) TAG Ventus, Exie the Mater Xehanort, Kairi, Xion SONG LYRICS Breathe by Breaking Benjamin

THIS TEMPLATE WAS MADE BY COMATOSE OF ON THE EDGE!

[cyclone]

"Nice to… meet you, Kairi!" Ven found himself nodding in agreement to her understand the feeling of having met before, relief flooding through him. It wasn't just him, then! That was a relief. "Hmm… That must mean we have met before, then. Even if we don't remember, we must be friends." Simple at that, Ven had locked onto this girl as a friend already. She seemed like the kind of person he'd want as a friend; she was nice, and she reminded him of something… He couldn't place his finger on it, but he could feel something similar emanating from her as he had felt somewhere else.

Turning his gaze to Sora, Ven tilted his head, a knowing smile on his face. "Oh, don't worry. I'm getting used to being called Roxas, I think." It was certainly weird to think that there was someone out there that looked just like him… Someone related to Sora, somehow. The thought was a little worrying, but before he had a chance to inquire more about this mysterious "Roxas," Sora had asked a question. "Well… you helped me out with a battle a little while ago. But, that's not where we known each other." How did you explain to someone that they might have barely met, but they knew each other in their hearts? He looked thoughtful, putting a hand to his face as he tried to find the right words.

"You've been a really big help to me." He finally settled on, looking Sora in the eyes. "I was… lost. I had no where to go, nothing to grab onto." He closed his eyes, trying to remember the feelings he had felt both times his heart had been shattered. "You probably don't even realize it, but thanks to you, I'm able to be here now." He didn't think he was doing a very good job of explaining things, so he opened his eyes and allowed an embarrassed look to cross his face. He hesitantly held out his hand as if to shake Sora's. What did you say to the person who had saved your life not once but twice? Someone's whose heart you'd been connected to, who'd helped so much. Really, he just wanted to say thank you, but he didn't think that was enough and it caught in his throat as he looked at the boy.

He looked like Vanitas.

Why? Was it Ven's fault? When he'd connected with Sora's heart- not the second time, but the first time, so long ago Sora had hardly existed- had he done something? Messed with something along the way? Hearts were… confusing things, he guessed. Still, when he looked at Sora despite the similarities and how much he had freaked out when he first realized them when they met in person last time, he couldn't help but notice the differences as well. Sure, there were some superficial changes, but it was more the feeling he got from him. Vanitas had… never given off this much light. He was incapable of giving off any light, being only darkness. Therein was the greatest and simplest difference to find.

Surprised, Ven's eyes flew back to Kairi, and he nodded vigorously. "She is wise! She's one of the nicest, smartest-" Whatever she was, the rest of the sentence trailed off as Ven heard Sora's words about Terra and Aqua.

Simultaneously, everything around him fell and only a sort of desperate joy rose up in it's place.

"You know Aqua and Terra?!" Eyes wide, Ven looked at Sora almost open-mouthed, before the boy almost jumped in excitement. "Are they okay?! Where are they?! Are they close?!" Ven spun around in circles, as if expecting Aqua and Terra to jump out of nowhere and yell "surprise!" He didn't see them, but there was still the hope that Sora seemed to know of them. "Of course I know them! They're my best friends! I haven't seen them in…" He trailed off, a hint of sorrow appearing in his voice. He still didn't know how long it had been, but Sora's current age was starting to clue him in. Sora's heart had been much, much younger when Ven had first fallen asleep. What had befallen his friends since then? Were they much older than him now?

Lost in his thoughts, Ven had zoned out a little as the two spoke about clothing, but came back into the conversation with a start as Sora's clothing changed. "Wow!" Studying the two of them, he blinked in awe. "Is that something like keyblade armor?" Before he'd gotten an answer, another voice made him turn towards the entrance of the area.

"Another.. friend of yours?" Ven asked Sora and Kairi as he studied the strangely familiar (he should be used to this, by now) newcomer.

[/justify]


(wow this is all over the place, sorry yo)

[Master Xehanort]

The time had come.

The sienna gaze of the Dark Master remained fixated upon the group that gathered before the Station Plaza, unaware of the fact that the greatest threat to the peace in which they relished in remained so very close, and so very attentive of their actions and conversation. The unusually warm breeze that drifted through Twilight Town, billowing the coat and shirt of Master Xehanort in its influence, was enough to carry the sounds and voices of the Keybearers far enough for the elderly man to eavesdrop with sufficient ease. It was truly wondrous the effects and nature of the heart, for given the subject of their carefree banter revolved around a case of mistaken identity, which no doubt surrounded the former apprentice of their observer. It was wondrous in the manner that surrounded the origin of the parallels that coalesced about each of them, for through Sora's heart, each of these wielders of the Keyblade held a common bond, and more enticing, a common fate. They knew not how close each of them had actually been to one another, despite two of them harboring space within the Key That Connected Everything for a given amount of time. Through the eyes of both Ansem and Xemnas, Xehanort had gathered and held onto the memories from his experiences with each of these prosperous and naive youths, having retained the Chain of Memories from his other selves within the deep recesses of his heart. He recalled the dormant heart of the Princess lurking within Sora during the latter's first journey, as well as the significant resemblance to Ven that had been produced in Sora's Nobody. It provoked many curious thoughts, and yet, under the hypothesis and experimentation of his endeavors, Xehanort had come to understand many intriguing aspects and occurrences that had come to exist, solely through the power of this lone boy's heart, and his connection to others in his life.

Sora was indeed powerful, yet despite his triumphs over past ploys, the boy was truly ignorant to the truth and ways of the heart. Such knowledge was required to obtain the full spectrum of the heart, and possessing a Keyblade only instilled that obligation within its wielder. However unlike himself and Eraqus, and perhaps the ever vigilant girl Aqua, many of these younger Keys knew not the true power they held, and continued to traverse the worlds blinded from their true purpose. Believing that somewhere among the Sea of Stars, these individuals sought answers from every crevice and every hole they stumbled upon, and yet despite all their supposed efforts and achievements, they all knew so little, if anything at all. It was most unfortunate that the playing field had changed into what stood before him now, and Xehanort reminisced about the old days when under tutelage of his own Master alongside Eraqus. The man had been highly knowledgeable, and sought to fill his apprentice's hearts with all he knew about the heart and the Keyblade, and so produced two of the most powerful and wisest of Keybearers to have walked the worlds since the last Keyblade War.

Xehanort was certain that he would be the last who possessed this knowledge, and for the last fifteen years, only sought to broaden the horizons of such. Through the manipulation of many, he had grown immensely in his awareness of the heart's true power, and had sought and received the understanding of the true balance between light and dark. It was his quest for information that had ultimately brought about his greatest endeavor, to create a new Keyblade War, and witness the Genesis that would be birthed from its Exodus. Through ruination became creation, and so Xehanort sought to further extend upon this theory by beginning a hasty attempt of forging the X-Blade. Through a younger vessel he became the true catalyst of all chaos that wrought the worlds, and had given birth to four new species with his actions. The Emblem Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, and the Dream Eaters residing in the Realm of Sleep were all brought into being due to his research, and his endless stride toward creating the next Keyblade War. These simple youths before his very eyes were but pawns, variables and tools in his grand experiment; a means to an end, with each of their sole purposes to bring forth the legendary light, from an apocalyptic darkness. What would await at the end of this lengthy and winding road, what would the last light within the dark ultimately hold for a man such as Xehanort?

A Corridor of Darkness overtook the form of Master Xehanort, rising from the brick and mortar of the Clock Tower in black and violet serpents to embrace the Dark Master within its awe inspiring power. Within seconds he had disappeared from his perch, leaving behind a wake of fading tendrils of darkness, which soon became nothingness with the passing moment. Without warning another opened up before Sora, temporarily barring his vision from that of the cloaked figure, before the darkness dissipated to reveal Xehanort standing in its place. His arms remained interlocked behind his back, yet his gaze remained fixated upon the Key of Destiny Islands, sienna locking with that of oceanic blue. A smirk was evident upon his face for a moment, before he nodded with a sense of calming contentment, then outstretched a hand in a wide gesture to the girl in the Organization cloak but a few feet to his right, standing at an angle where she remained in his peripheral vision. "I am surprised you would not remember her, Sora, given your past tenacity. Though the circumstances of her existence would have made it impossible. You see boy, Xion is nothing more than a fallacy given purpose, created by Xemnas from your memories. Her sole purpose to become one with your Nobody, and prevent you from awaking from your memory induced slumber," began the Dark Master, returning his hand behind his back to become gripped by its other once more. Xehanort took the time to shoot a casual glance to Xion over his shoulder, his smirk growing more wide before returning his sights to the trio in front of him. "Now nothing more than a paradox created from this war. Intriguing, at best."

Xehanort took two steps toward Sora before coming to a full stop, directing his attention to the blond past the hero's shoulder. "Though what entices my interest more, is how you've come to return to this state, Ventus. My suspicions about your whereabouts over the years remained questionable, though after witnessing first hand, and by example," Xehanort then gestured with a calm nod to Kairi, "I've come to learn that in rare occasions, another vessel may simply welcome a foreign heart to harbor in its care. Is it not strange how the Princess of Heart and Sora seem familiar to you, my former apprentice? Your ritual with Vanitas was too taxing upon you all those years ago, was it not? In the end you relinquished your body to cast Vanitas into oblivion, yet after all these years, here you are." Master Xehanort then brought his hands before him to give a mockery of applause for his former apprentice, stopping momentarily to resume his prior demeanor. The elderly Keyblade Master returned his attention to Sora, and gave him a solemn nod before pointing at Ventus. "A case of mistaken identity, is he not? I would assume so. Harboring this failure inside your heart became reflected in Roxas, and so the Nobody resembles him in many aspects." With an affirming nod, Xehanort turned his back on the three, then began a calm stride back toward Xion. As Master Xehanort came to stop next to the numbered replica, and merely cast a disapproving look upon the hooded figure before turning back to Sora, unafraid of anything the doll would attempt if she would dare to move. The aura of the Dark Master was unmistakable once picked up on, for it held a caliber and class all its own, and would feel strangely familiar to both that of Ansem and Xemnas.

"I must commend you for your past efforts though, Sora. Without your help and unwavering determination, I would not have had the chance to examine the heart in its many aspects. Despite your ignorance, you've come to wield the Keyblade with an exceptional amount of skill, and your Mark of Mastery has shown a great deal of valor within you. You've saved a Princess from a life of solitude in an isolated tower, helped a man with heartache reunite with his lost love, defend King Mickey's castle on numerous accounts from the forces of the silver haired man, and have even provided a road for those lost in Traverse Town to follow, simply through the ties of friendship." The speech by the Master held nothing but truth, however he was far from finished. "Though you lack the true sight needed of a Master. The heart is a force to be reckoned with, and without the insight of this power, you will remain as blind and ignorant to your purpose, as the many who continue to ravage the worlds in search of a means to stop the Masked Man. You've yet to stop this tide of Neutrality as well, and as he continues to wage his endeavors upon the world, one by one those who are connected to you continue to fall to darkness." Master Xehanort began another stride toward Sora, stopping where he had appeared when he had arrived, and looked out to the endless sunset, then gave a dark smile.

"It is wonderful isn't it, the never ending sunset? Do you even know why it continues this cycle? I sincerely doubt that you do, boy." Sienna eyes once more turned on Sora's ocean blues, and narrowed with a bitter intensity. "Yen Sid has neglected you the true orientation any Keyblade Apprentice needs, and that much can be seen easily upon your face. I suspect the tutelage of the King has only softened your disposition further, so then, what do you hope to accomplish from this Mark of Mastery?" Master Xehanort raised his hands to the sky, as if he were beholding something grand of scale within the air before him, then returned one hand behind his back to bring the other to his heart. "Even if you succeed, and are declared a Master by the senile wizard, do you believe you are worthy of that esteemed title, given what little knowledge you understand about the true nature of the heart?" A dark chuckle escaped the lungs of Xehanort as he brought both hands to interlock behind him once more, and slowly he shook his head.

"The truth is no, Sora, you do not."

[kairi]

Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. For some reason Kairi could not remember, the three names side by side sparked a fleeting sense of recognition; at first, the Princess wondered if she'd met the boy's two friends on another world at a different time, but as nothing clicked, she moved on. Perhaps the familiarity of three best friends reminded her of herself and her own two best friends? Regardless, she made sure to file the names away for later, in case she happened to cross paths with either Terra or Aqua at a later time; she could pass the message on that Ventus was looking for them, if they weren't already aware. An additional pang of sadness resounded in her heart as she also remembered a time when both Sora and Riku were out, roaming the worlds and helping those in need. Kairi knew her friends would return to her someday -- she believed it then as she believes it now -- and her blue eyes glanced over at Sora, the sight of the boy a simple yet powerful reassurance that her beliefs were still, in fact, correct. Hopefully, Ventus would have the same optimism in regards to his own friends, and if not, then perhaps he would eventually.

"You'll see them again, Ventus," she told him, smiling softly. "Bad things may happen between then and now, good things too. It's probably really easy to worry about them, because you don't know where they are or what they're doing," Kairi shrugged, looking away from both boys and back out to the sunset as her own words triggered a rush of flashbacks. "But if your best friends are anything like my best friends, I know they wouldn't want you to worry." She shook her head, then flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Worrying will only make time seem like it's passing slower." Her tone was soft and peaceful, as she knew exactly what it was like to worry about her friends. Yet at the same time, there had been a period between in which she had forgotten Sora -- of all people, Kairi still couldn't believe she'd managed to forget about him -- and it still felt like nearly an eternity before she not only remembered the boy who once carried her heart from world to world, but before she was reunited with both her friends as well.

The boy in question spoke next, clarifying his earlier comment which, admittedly, had made her a little concerned. Remembering the time to which he was referring, Kairi nodded and released a quiet sigh of relief. Not that she didn't think Sora couldn't handle himself -- she was there, with him on the island when he and the other children would spar with wooden swords, and she caught a glimpse of how he abilities had developed at the World That Never Was. But as Ventus was with his own friends, even a Princess of Heart was allowed to worry about the safety of her friends, more so when the one before her was a rather large part of her life. He smiled at her as he continued, and she couldn't help but smile in reply; Sora's bright and optimistic attitude had always been contagious. Even his simple thanks to the fact she was here made her happy; she and Leon had managed to escape the world before the next attack, but the attack was still saddening regardless. "Of course I'm safe, silly!" She giggled, and tilted her head slightly to the right. Her words were not meant to chide him for his compassion, more to silently thank the boy himself for being part of the reason why she was safe. He helped teach her how to fight, after all.

"What do you mean you won't tell me?" The Princess asked, echoing a far younger version of herself with the immediate desire to know of whatever was being kept away. It was a childish whine, but a mock one at that; for some reason unknown to the Princess, the longer she stood here with the two boys -- Sora especially -- the more relaxed she felt, thus the happier she became. Yet his next words calmed her inner child, and Kairi watched as Sora's own clothing transformed. She smiled brightly at his comment and the implication. "So maybe they did," she said, glancing down and quickly comparing the two outfits. The matching color scheme distracted her enough that she forgot to ask what effect the alteration of their clothes made, or if there were any effects at all. Ven's question regarding Keyblade armor was lost on the Princess, so she made no attempt to answer.

The conversation continued, and at Sora's reply to her comment on his hair, she simply smiled, and clasped her hands behind her back once more. "Of course I'm right, Sora!" The childish impulse to stick her tongue out at him vanished at the sound of another voice calling his name. "Oh?" The single word slipped from her lips before she realized, and Kairi too turned in the direction of the new voice. She didn't recognize it, but at the same time she had the fleeting thought that perhaps she'd heard it somewhere before. That would be possible, given the journey she was still part of, even now as the four stood in the central plaza in the calm, quiet world of Twilight Town. Sora's question echoed her own thoughts, as the Princess also spied the black cloak, trademark to the Organization. At Ven's question, Kairi's blue eyes glanced over at the boy, and she slowly shook her head. "I've...never met her before," she whispered, eyes flashing back to the stranger, "At least, not that I remember."

But then, the cloaked stranger was no longer the immediate concern.

Kairi felt the sudden tendrils of Darkness before they uncurled and came to life before her very eyes. Possessing a heart of pure Light, she was always one of the more sensitive to the power the ink-black tendrils proceeded. A portal, this Corridor of Darkness; she had both witnessed and traversed ones before, but this sudden appearance would never fail to surprise her, and put her on edge. An elderly man stepped out from the abyss; though he neither shouted nor attacked, she could not help but feel as if, perhaps, either option would have been far more preferable than the man's true actions. His gaze seemed to be locked with Sora's from the second he first appeared, the color of which she knew she'd seen before. Her oceanic eyes narrowed, and her hands unclasped as her arms came to her sides.

This stranger, the man who came out from the Darkness, he confused the Princess of Heart.

He slightly unnerved her as well.

Listening to his words, Kairi was surprised; she had no idea who this man was, yet he spoke as if he were familiar with both Sora himself and his history. Though a name had been given to the earlier stranger -- Xion, the man called her -- she found herself insulted by how easily he could call her a fallacy with a purpose. "Hey! That isn't a nice thing to say at all!" Her voice was soft, but her opinion was strong. Created by Xemnas or not, of whom she was unfortunately aware, Kairi did not believe that anyone -- Somebody or Nobody -- ever deserved to be called a fallacy, even if they had purpose. Xion's supposed purpose was in fact disturbing, and for only a single heartbeat the Princess tried to contemplate what life could possibly be like without Sora. Even the notion hurt, and her fingers slowly curled into loose fists as the man continued.

To be called a paradox? Kairi couldn't even imagine. She wanted to call out to Xion; this sudden temptation to cry out the girl's name and bring her closer, regardless whether she was a legitimate threat or not, the Princess wanted to shield her from hearing such horrible comments. It just wasn't right! As the man's attention shifted to Ventus, she raised one hand and motioned for Xion to come stand by her, that is if she wanted to of course. If Xion did prove to be a danger to either her or her friends, well...she'd deal with that later. When the man nodded in her direction, she simply glared at him in silent reply. His words, however, sank in a moment later, and her glare vanished as her oceanic eyes widened. She hardly noticed her breath catch in her throat; somehow this man, this complete stranger, knew not only of the time Kairi's heart spent in Sora's, but of the true nature of her heart as well. How, and what profit did he gain from such knowledge? The only trustworthy individual capable of traversing via Dark Corridors she knew of was Riku, but other than her childhood friend -- Naminé too, she remembered, but she also recalled her Nobody's simple yet irrefutable claim that she needed to believe in herself -- all others who knew of the Light in her heart were dangerous. Her eyes flashed back to Ventus, watching the blonde as the man spoke of a former apprentice, and something about someone named Vanitas being sent into oblivion.

"I don't know who you are," she said, voice colder than she could remember for quite some time. "But you should really stop insulting my friends."

Honestly, the Princess would be lying pointlessly if she tried to claim she was not intimidated by the man, nonetheless his general existence. Looking at the stranger, she could easily see him being consumed by the Darkness which initially brought him here, into the central plaza. But she couldn't let intimidation keep her from defending her friends, whether they were here to witness it or not. He continued speaking, and though she followed along as best she could, Kairi couldn't help but question his purpose. Perhaps it was the direct parallel between the Darkness intertwined with his aura and the Light in her heart, but she could hardly believe each of his claims. He spoke of examining the heart, and having the insight to its power? The heart was far more than an object of power! Sure, it was something powerful, but Kairi felt as if the man viewed hearts as nothing but tools, as many before him.

"None of this is Sora's fault," she said, stepping forward. Kairi did not call upon her Keyblade, nor show any signs of aggression; she was simply speaking up on behalf of the most important person in her life. Sora, she believed, should not be forced to take on the worlds or this war alone, nor should anyone else. "And he doesn't need to be a Master to help his friends." It was true, that Sora did not know everything he would need to know, not at this age. No one could, as knowledge was gained, not simply available.

"Why are you here?" she asked, completely baffled by his sudden appearance and dissection of her friend's life as well as those connected to him. "And what do you want? I don't think being rude to others is a productive way to spend your time or ours."

[uhm wow okay here's my post, so sorry it's late D: and yeah it's pretty out there but at least she didn't try to kick him in the shins c:]

[Xion]

Xion looked at the trio, her gaze traveling from one face to the next. She knew Sora...at least mostly. She hadn't come face to face with him in present life until now, but here he was. She could see the resemblance between the Hero and Roxas. Even though the styles were a bit different, the personality seemed to resonate the same. He was, after all, Sora's Nobody, right? It made sense. She wanted to get to know Sora more, having only learned about him from Riku, and a little from Namine. But that was before her decision to end it all, to return to Sora before anyone got hurt, before she lost her friend or Riku lost his. She had returned to where she belonged...so how was it possible that she could be here? Maybe Sora had the answers.. she hoped he could help.

Her focus drifted to the boy beside Sora; Brighter hair color, same eyes, again, different outfit. What had they called him? Ventus? She wasn't sure if that was his name or not. She had almost called out to him, with the name Roxas...but he hadn't quite looked like her friend. The odd sensation, almost an ache, rose inside as she pondered what could have happened to Roxas. Was he here, too? Had he come back at all? This boy, Ventus, was not Roxas, but he had some connection to Sora, that much was plain. What was his story?

The girl next to Sora, Xion knew well, even though she had never actually met her before. Having learned that she (Xion) was filled with memories taken from a sleeping Sora, she had discovered a lot about Kairi and the relationship between the girl and the Keybearer. It was special..and Riku had explained that to her, when he told her about Sora and what the memories meant to him. She had felt a kind of understanding, maybe even a sense of connection..She felt it now, too, standing before the trio, looking at the girl with eyes as blue as her own. It was confusing, but amazing, at the same time, to be able to see the people she had learned about from Riku, and from the memories that had been returned. But how was she able to remember all of this?

Xion turned her hooded head back toward Sora, fully intending to answer his question..but something was happening...a Corridor was forming in front of Sora. What was going on? Was an Organization Member here? Enemy or friend? She tensed, watching....

The appearance of the Corridor was unexpected, but the person who came out of it was even more surprising. The man had a strange kind of aural presence around him....familiar, but not..any familiarity she sensed reminded her of Xemnas...but this wasn't him. She hadn't seen Xemnas that often, but she had felt his presence before. This man...was different..Way more than she could tell at the moment. What was his purpose here? Was he a threat? She couldn't tell...
His words to Sora about her being a fallacy, made something inside Xion almost burn...this was an odd feeling..anger. She wasn't a fallacy...she was a person. Couldn't he tell that? Her hands squeezed into fists, her arms still hanging by her sides. She watched him as he spoke to Kairi, and Ventus, then walked back toward where she stood. She wanted to do something...anything..to prove that she wasn't nothing...she mattered...she wanted to believe that. She glared at him from beneath her hood. How could he say such things..?

While it was true that her original creation was for keeping Sora's stolen memories, and absorbing Roxas, taking control, she had chosen another way..she had chosen to go back..to give up her own life, if it could have been called that, to save her friends, and to help Sora. To be called a paradox...something that shouldn't exist...

Her attention was caught by the girl...Kairi, gesturing to her. She stared, surprised. Kairi wanted her to come over to them, even after this man had told them about the dangerous purpose she had been created for? This puzzled her. While she herself knew that this purpose no longer mattered to her, she wondered why Kairi would want her anywhere near them. Surely, she would want the Nobody as far from Sora as possible...right? She bit her lip, and walked slowly toward Kairi, keeping an eye on the man as he continued lecturing Sora and the others. She had no intention of doing anything to harm the three...but the man...if he was a threat to the trio, she would always try to defend them. She nodded a silent 'thank you' to Kairi, then returned her attention to the speaker as he faced the sunset.

((apologies for it being so very late))