Reach For The Moon [Open]

[kirux]

A large blue portal appear on the top of the spiral hill, it's shape was in the form of King Mickey's symbol. It remain there for a while before three people drop from it, Seifer was first then Kirux and last but not least, Vincent.

Without warning the portal disappear once the three was out, laying there on the top of the hill.

Kirux some how ended up unconscious, her cheek still had the cut and was bleeding fresh blood. Her clothing even change too, a mask was even beside her head that had seem to had fallen of her face, which look like half of a cow's skull.

Dream State

"Hey...Hey!!" Kirux gave a groan before sitting herself up, rubbing her head but heard chains rattling also. Looking at her wrist, she saw shackles around them and began to panic. "Hey! It's alright, I'm going to get you out of here, your father seem to have lost it." A boy sat in front of her and his face was in view, his eyes were soft but his eye color was bloody red. He seem to have shoulder length hair, only being held by a black headband that went around his forehead, guessing to keep his bangs out of his face, failing so as some had fallen.

"What's wrong?" He spoke again, placing his hand on her forehead to check if she had fever. Shaking her head, she ignore him for a while as he free her from the chains before forcing her to stand up.

"Let's go, your father might have realize that I'm gone once he wakes up." As if on cue, a sound alarm went off around the building. "Hurry!" He command as he grab her by her hand before running out the cellar's door.

Force to run with him into the hallways. The hallway was full with hi-tech stuff, the walls were even made of metal. "W-wait! I don't even know you! What's going on?!" He stop rabidly before turning to face her, he was at least a head taller then her.

His eyes sadden once Kirux had said that before placing his hand on her shoulder. "You...don't remember me?" His voice was cracking a bit and he look hurt also. Kirux shook her head in response for a no.

"I see... It seem I was too late... no... I'm not too late!" It seem he was struggling with something in his mind before he spoke again. "Listen, you have to get out of here. You're not safe if you stay here! We knew each other for a long time and... I'm afraid your father might have erase those memories from you. Do you remember your name?" His grip on her shoulder became tighter as he speak.

She only shook her head for a no once more. He bow his head, cursing then lifting his head once more to look at her. "I see... Listen. You're name is---"

There they are!

Large amount of soldiers dress in strange armor and breathing tank came through from the side entrance of another hallway, surrounding Kirux and the boy. The boy pull Kirux into a hug like a protective lover would do before pushing her behind him.

"Run!"

Her eyes widen at his word. She couldn't move even has he said it, like she had lost all feelings to her leg.

"Run! I'll take care of them..." He gave her a quick shove into a nearby elevator before pushing a button to close it. Kirux bang on the door and try to open it from her side, but it was disable already. "Wait! Don't go!"

She fell to her knees as on the other side she heard large amount of gun fires. She couldn't help but cry in her hands as the elevator took her up.

End of Dream State

Kirux quickly gasp for air as if wanting it for dear life, breathing heavily as her eyes were lock on to the moon above her. She lay there until her breathing slowed down, though she still didn't move.

[Eh...yeah..extension of the flash backs during Deep Jungle. o.o; ]

[shinra]

Seifer dazed as all he could see before him was a blue tunnel. Seifer closed his eyes as the daze back came unconforting for Seifer giving him a head ache. He groaned as he felt a shock of cold air. His eyes shot open and he found himself in mid air falling down from the sky.

"Ah!" He screamed before landing on his bum, hurting his back. Seifer stretched on the floor before standing up, it felt like his head was spinning he couldn't see a thing. He grabbed his forehead wondering where they were. All he could see was dark colors and he suspected that they wasn't in Twilight Town. His eye sight soon returned and he noticed they was in a graveyard.

He turned to find Kirux lying there by a grave stone, he jumped slightly as she gasped and noticed what she was wearing. It looked like she had stopped at a Halloween store before she arrived here. He blinked a few times before scanning around for Vincent but he found no one.

It took him a few moments to find he was black and white, his skin was pale white and all his clothes were black and he wore a witches hat instead of his winter hat that he usually wore. He blinked a few times wondering where the weird clothing had came from. He turned to Kirux and laughed before asking, "Where did these clothes come from...?" He asked with a curios expression.

The grave hard was dark and mysterious and was lit by the large round moon that was blocked by a Spiral Hill. It was a unique area and far from where Seifer originally wanted to go. He walked over to Kirux and offered her his hand to help her up.

[Vincent Valentine]

Darkness.

Then a burning pain.

Vincent awoke, his body collasped over black and white ground. It was night. How long had it been? He groaned and picked himself up, reaching a hand towards his head to rub it. His vision cleared, and suddenly he stopped, studying his hand in the pale moonlight.

His outfit had changed. The others hadn't noticed, since he had landed in a way his curtain of black hair and his cape were draped over him. He wore a pronounced and taylored Victorian black and white outfit, consisting of a puffy white button-up shirt with a black formal collar and black dress suit pants, which made him look like a vampire lord or even Dracula himself. He even had longer fangs which were more pronounced and visible when he opened his mouth. His red tattered cape remained, as did his weapony, with only a tri-cornered hat - adorned by a sall decorative red and black demon wing - atop his head.

Seifer went to pick Kirux up, so he tended to himself, looking at their surroundings. Well, at least there wasn't any Heartless - yet. Where were they? They were near buildings, which meant civilization. They should go check the town out, get their bearings.

"Are you two alright?" he asked, sauntering up next to them silently, suddenly remembering Kirux's cut cheek.

[kirux]

Kirux sat herself up before pausing once more, rethinking about what had just happen in her dream. Was it real or fake? Which one was the dream world? This or that? It confuse her even more just thinking about it.

"Where did these clothes come from...?" With that said, she look down at herself and notice for the first time she was wearing a different set of cloths. It really didn't surprise her since in most worlds, they change on their own. But this was more dark and she like it too.

"Thanks..." Noting that this was the first time, Seifer shown any hint of kindness towards another. She took his hand before pulling herself up, dusting dirt off her clothing before pausing to search the area, it was night time already in this world or... will be forever... seeing the hint of gravestones and a new by town full with black houses. This place enjoy the dark.

Taking a step forward, her foot touch something, staring down to a half mask of a cow's skull. Knowing automatically that it belong to her and pick it up.

She turn to Vincent about to answer his question until she took full detail of his clothing. Her eyes turn to Seifer and took detail of his clothing, she couldn't help but let out a smirk a little. "oh..." Kirux touch her cheek but didn't make it all the way when a sharp pain hit her shoulder, bitting her bottom lip slightly. Remembering that lizard attacking her, slamming her into a tree, where she might have injured her shoulder.

"I'm fine. Just a scratch." She use her left arm instead and place the half cow's skull mask on, covering the wound that was on her cheek. Ignoring the sharp pain that continue to give out on her right shoulder blade. "Have you guys receive any injures during the fall or before we enter the portal?" she question them both, ignoring the fact that she was injure herself.

[shinra]

Seifer pulled Kirux up and nodded when she thanked him. He noticed Vincent landing safely to the ground, the first thing that came to mind was his clothing, the suit he was wearing reminded Seifer of a Vampire and it seemed Vincent matched the part.

He answered Vincent's question with a quick nod not really knowing what to say. He then turned to Kirux as she explained her injuries and asked them if they had any and answers slowly, "Now that you mentsion it my bum is hurting from the pain." Seifer was hitting on Kirux, he had his leaned back look and he had a cool expression that he obviously had practiced many times.

He then thought it was best to pay a bit of attention on Vincent but his attention was soon drawn away by a white ghost like figure standing above one of the graves, he decided to go with a quiet approach so he nudged Vincent and pointed to wards the ghost. "What is it...?" He whispered, he had by now crouched and attempted to pull off a stealthy ninja stance.

He began to creep to wards it expecting the others to follow him. As he got closer and closer the ghost's features were easier to see, it was what seemed to be a dog ghost with a red nose. Seifer freaked out by this quickly jumped and fell over making a loud clash, scaring the see through dog away.

He pounded the ground as he realized he had scared the dog away. "Aw, man... What was that thing!?" He growled, frustrated with himself that he let the dog get away without Seifer inspecting it. He stood up again and noticed recently Seifer had been losing his balance allot, he wondered if it was because he was using a different body.

[Vincent Valentine]

Kirux asked if they had any injuries, detering attention away from her own. Smart girl, and tough too. She could look after herself without needing sympathy, which put Vincent's mind more at ease. And he wanted to put hers at ease as well - which is why he remembered the burning fallen trees that had collasped on him when he was the Galian Beast, and didn't mention at all in the slightest about the burn marks on his skin at the base of his neck and shoulders. He was a rapid healer. Flesh wounds were meaningless to him. It was pain - physical, mental and emotional - that got to him. Shaking his head slightly from side to side was the only answer he gave Kirux.

He was still looking away from them, still taking in their new surroundings including the strange twisted moonlight hill, when he overheard Seifer explaining his injuries in a place he didn't need to hear. He turned their way a slight fraction, still not completely facing them, and looked at him out the corner of his eye. He seemed to be acting strangely around Kirux and couldn't pinpoint the strange behviour of Seifer's at first, until he started smelling pheromones in the air. He rolled his eyes, now he knew what Seifer was doing. What, did he tell Kirux about his sore behind, in the hopes that she'd offer to kiss it better? How unattractive. He doubted that would happen. He chuckled silently to himself at the situation. Doesn't he know that she's a Nobody? What a feeble attempt. Even if she was vaguely interested in him that way, she had no heart. She could never truly feel love toward him, or anyone for that matter until she got it back.

He ignored Seifer's pick-up attempts, still continuing to scan their surroundings, this time for danger. He only drew his attention back towards the blonde youth when he nudged him, and followed his full-moon eyes after him as he mentioned something about what something was that he was looking at. His eyes scanned from him to the grave he was looking at and reacted instantly.

"Stay back!" he boomed, whipping out a new weapon, his Hydra Rifle. He had it leveled at the ghost canine, but before he could make a shot, Seifer got in his range of sight and scared it away, falling over again like the clutz he was. He sighed. Was he ever going to get over the fact Seifer was a liability outside of battle?

"That was probably a Heartless." he said coldly to Seifer. "It will bring back more Heartless here. Let's move." he ordered them. He looked at Kirux in thought, thinking about her Keyblade and the Nobodies she could summon. Were they coming after them because of his and Seifer's hearts... or for her?

[kirux]

Kirux nodded at Vincent as he respond with no injuries. Though... she highly doubt it, if she remember correctly... he had been attack a few times by that strange lizard. If Vincent could bare his own pain, then she wouldn't need to worry. As long as her 'interest' doesn't die so soon. Her attention return to Seifer, only to give him a disguised look.

"Eh?"

She couldn't help but twitch at the stupid answer that Seifer was giving her. She remember that same lean back look that another person had given her when she was walking pass a bar. Only... that person receive a punch to their face as Seifer just receive a deadly glare from her. "Put ice on it or cut off. That should make you feel better." She couldn't help but give him a cold response to his stupid remarks. She actually wanted to pull out her keyblade and shove it up his... well... his so claim to be wounded area.

She wasn't that type of person to fall for someone so fast. Plus... if she did fell in love... how would she know? She doesn't have a heart and wouldn't remember the fake emotion. Even if she did... she could never truly feel it. This made her frown slightly, knowing that she couldn't feel an emotion when wanting to feel something on her own... feels pretty sad. An image of that boy again pass her head. That boy did look like Vincent.

Her eyes wander to stare at Vincent, seeing how he was dress like a Vampire. It fit him really well. Though... she still couldn't see why that boy look so much like Vincent. It must of been the hair and eyes.

"What is it...?"

What? She snap out of her daze away from Vincent as she search the area to see where it came from, landing it at Seifer's back. Only to see him freak out by the dog he found. What? She could see from where she's standing with her long range sight. She took note that Seifer was a pretty clumsy dude, which made her roll her eyes.

"Stay back!" Hearing Vincent's booming voice almost made her jump, along with his newly pulled out weapon that she hasn't seen before. Kirux just gave off a small laugh before turning to look at Vincent. "I don't think-" She pause as she notice Vincent staring at her, seeming to be lost in thoughts. She gave a small wave to his face before proceeding to talk. "Something caught your interest?" She question him. "Anyways... I don't think that was a heartless... I mean... As much as I know about heartless... they would attack Seifer even if they were by them self. Group or not."

She finish off before walking a bit towards Seifer, but stop again. "Also, I seen that ghost dog before... didn't really do any harm to anyone." As she said this, she allow the other two to take note that this wasn't her first visit in Halloween Town. She let out a loud sigh, though even if that thing wasn't a heartless... they would appear sooner or later to get Kirux because she wields the Keyblade.

Her head turn to Vincent as she stare at him. "Don't put your weapon away though... Oh and... Vincent... you kinda... look like someone I know..." And with that, she walk in Seifer's direction, giving Seifer a pat on his back before standing on his side, offering a hand for him to take to help him up.

[shinra]

Seifer shrugged and turned, "if its not a heartless, what is it?" He asked them. He dusted himself off. He scanned the area with his eyes before he began to walk pass the rows of grave stones. He began reading them but the people that own these graves had really strange names. He didn't say anything out of respect though.

"I'm going to be late." A small voice came from one of the graves Seifer was standing near. He quickly jumped back wards. "C'mon mum... I want to see the pumpkin king." Another younger voice came from the beneath the grave. He looked up at Vincent and Kirux to see if they was playing a prank on him. "Get your coats its a cold night." Someone nagged coming from the grave.

The noises soon stopped, Seifer grew curious and stopped backing off and began to walk forward. He was about to place his ear to the grave when a white transparent woman shot out of the grave going straight through Seifer. Seifer's back grew cold, the hairs on each end of his body stood up, he was screaming inside at this point just too scared to scream out loud.

"Excuse me?" The ghost said, as Seifer's face was straight through the woman's stomach. "Uh... Get away!" Seifer screamed as he pushed himself back wards and began stepping back before another ghost, a young boy and then another two. "What...? What are you!?" Seifer quickly pointed his blade at them and roared, "If your heartless's your going down!"

The young boys began to cry and hid behind there mother.

[Vincent Valentine]

"You are a keyblader. And you summon Nobodies. With strong hearts around you, we are bait for the Heartless." Vincent curtly said to Kirux as she inquired about his sudden interest in her. It was sincere, as he didn't have any other reason, nor nothing in his eyes or face indicated he was contradicting his words. He listened to Kirux as she explained how she had seen the ghost dog before, and nodded in silent reply as he kept Hydra in his grip.

"You've been here before." he simply realized. "The dog is not a Heartless, like you said, and you would have said so if it was a Nobody, either."

Kirux interupted him from any further trail of thought. "Someone you know...?" he repeated back to her. Suddenly his crooked smile returned, and his body shook slightly as he chuckled. "Who?" he asked her, and yet again was interupted by Seifer's new discovery.

He sighed. "Easy, Seifer. They're the civilians of this world." he came upon a conclusion, going back on his earlier hunch before Kirux had interupted him. It seemed to fit. The world had a haunted, ghostly theme to it, and the ghosts were not attacking. They also couldn't be Heartless or Nobodies, as he had summarised before.

Since Seifer was too immersed in exploring the world rather than take role of the leader, he turned to Kirux. "You've been here before. Care to lead?" he offered her, prefering to be the supporting figure hanging back in the shadows. Ladies first, after all. They needed medical attention, so perhaps Kirux could lead them into town.

[kirux]

"A ghost dog... you know... the ones that die..." She stated to the seemingly thick headed Seifer. Guess where he is from, they don't have ghost stories or just rarely hear about them. Her attention was stolen away by Vincent as he stated her being a keyblade bearer.

"True... I guess... I should have stated that it's dangerous to hang around someone who wields a key blade." Taking note of the whole Deep Jungle thing. "I'm guessing... in my previous life... I just didn't have that strong heart..." She mumble this mainly to herself then to Vincent. Wondering if it's even possible for a nobody to be a key blade wielder.

Kirux made a deep sigh as she listen to Vincent's self thoughts. She found it a bit amusing at first. Until he realize Kirux had said that he did look like someone she knew. "Well... " She pause as he rmind with into deep thoughts. Picturing the image of the boy she had met. "Bloody red eyes, the same hair style like you. But he was younger and he had a black headband around his forehead instead. He pretty much look like a kid version of you right now."

Kirux turn her back against Vincent, a bit awkward on how the boy and Vincent look alike. "Seifer! Put away your blade!" Automatically, she picture Seifer acting like this around everything he didn't know about. "They're only civilians of this world. They mean no harm..." Well... a few...

Her attention was once again stolen by Vincent as she turn back to face him. "I'll try. Though, my first and last visit here came short due to things taking me away." She grumble as she took note that her portal back then still had a mind of it's own. She was only allow to explore the graveyard and the town square until her portal open below her and took her away.

"Oh... take note that this is Halloween Town. Most things here are made to be deadly or scary. But most of the civilians are pretty nice.... if... that is... you meet the right one."

[Vincent Valentine]

(OOC: PMed Seifer, he said to go on ahead; he's going to be away for a week or so.)

"If you did not have a strong heart, you wouldn't exist now." Vincent reminded Kirux, acting stoic to hide the fact he was reassuring her. "Aren't Nobodies born from someone who was strong in their previous life? Perhaps that's why this 'keyblade' chose you still, even after death."

He continued to look at her as she explained. "Hmm. I see." he commented after a while, at the mention of someone in her past life looking strangely familar to her, even to the point of matching hairstyle and clothes. Maybe it was him... after he was revived by Cloud and the others, and Kirux's memory was messed up. It bothered him a little, he thought to himself, that Kirux could potentially be a literal 'ghost' of someone from his past he did not remember. "Well, if it helps your memory, perhaps I could hang around for a while." he suggested off-handedly.

Kirux mentioned she had briefly been here before and that things had 'taken her away', thinking that it was a saying of sorts and dismissed it. "Fine. I'll lead." he sighed, and stepped forward towards the town when Kirux didn't take the initciative to lead when he prompted her. "Try not to fall too far behind." he spoke to Kirux over his shoulder, but still his movement betrayed his words, his footsteps slowed down from his usual fast pace.

He held Hydra at the ready, scouting around for the Heartless...

[kirux]

[OOC: Cool. Cool. I was about to ask him the samething over MSN. o.o; ]

"..." Kirux remain silence at the thought of it. Knowing what Vincent said might be right. With a small sigh, she gave a shrug. Knowing what was done was done. "Well, if it helps your memory, perhaps I could hang around for a while." Kirux's face show her expression of a little shock and joy. She didn't understand the emotion at first, but allow it to pass for now.

The idea of Vincent actually being the boy in her memories made her twitch slightly. If he was, he might have already inform Kirux that it was him, but then again... she did remember reading a book that there's at least four other people out there that would look just like you.

"Thank you, Vincent."

Thanking him for allowing himself to stay a little longer, even it was a tiny bit, to help her remember at least somethings.

Kirux nod as Vincent agree on leading the way instead of her. It might have been easier since she wasn't much of a leading type, just a following type. That would explain a lot through her action, following the smallest thing that caught her interest until it leads to something bigger.

"Try not to fall too far behind." It was amusing a bit on how his movements betray his own words. Noting that he seem to be walking in a slower pace to allow her to catch up. She smile slightly before closing her eyes to return to her expressionless face. Noting that Vincent help his gun close to him, guessing it was best not to summon her keyblade now. If she was to summon it, it would be like calling a pet for dinner.

She rush to catch up until she reach Vincent's side, slowing down after she had reach him. Something cross her mind, picking she should share it before it was too late to even share it. "Vincent... When we came to this world, I became unconscious. I had this... 'dream'. In it, I was someone else. Guessing my 'somebody'. That boy that looks like you, save me from some short of prison. He mention my father only once, but it was good enough to give me a mental image of him. Evil most likely..."

Kirux nodded at her own statement, seeing on how she was lock in a prison during that time and might as well guess it was her own father that had lock her up. But for what reason? "We almost escape... until we were corner by strange men in some short of armor with breathing tanks attach to their backs, just when he was about to mention my somebody's name. He shove me into a nearby elevator, close it and disable it's option to reopen on the other side. Gun fire was heard on the other side... and... the dream ended there..."

Kirux didn't realize her voice crack at little during the speech. She might have felt some short of emotion of sadness towards the mention of gun fire, but just didn't recognize it completely.

[Vincent Valentine]

He continued to look out for Heartless as they walked into town, passing gravestones as they walked, and Kirux thanked him. "Don't mention it." he humored, a wisp of a smirk forming at the corners of his lips.

She started to describe a dream she had when she had woken from conciousness in this world, probably to fill the silence Vincent was so used to. He was as quiet as the graves that they passed, tilting his head sightly so his ear was pointing in Kirux's direction to indicate he was listening, and waited until she had finished before he decided to speak. A long silence followed as Vincent checked for sounds while contemplating this, and before Kirux could speak again, he spoke up.

"Somebody... meaning who you were, before you became a Nobody." he assumed, from Kirux's choice of words. He supposed he felt he knew what amnesia must have been like. Some memories he had repressed in his mind when he was like a 'somebody', back when he was the Turk known as Vincent Valentine. Then he got himself shot, and became the 'Nobody', the controlled experiment to revive Chaos called Vincent Valentine. He had lost conciousness a lot as Hojo and Lucrecia modified his body, and a lot of words and images had come through his mind - things he hadn't made sense until the events of Deepground.

"So this dream... you believe it may be a suppressed memory you had as a Somebody?" he knew as he looked with golden eyes back at Kirux, feeling he could read her thoughts through her words and the way her voice cracked, which had given her away. He wondered how much of her dream she actually believed to be real, and which was false gaps to fill in her memory. He and Cloud had the same problems when they had been experimented on seperately. Vincent remembered his words about Cloud after he had heard about his past.

Escape from a world of illusions... Hmph... I wonder which is better.

He considered his own words as he awaited for Kirux's reply, wondering what she may have prefered. To stay in the dream with the boy that had saved her, or face the reality the dream had hinted at and face the brutal truth?

[kirux]

"Somebody... meaning who you were, before you became a Nobody."

Kirux gave off a nod before looking around also, though not in search for heartless but in search for anyone or anything that she remember in any kind of form. But none of the things she sees remind her of anything, it seem only Vincent was the only thing to remind her of 'that' boy. It made her sad slightly... Since it seem where ever her portal takes her it triggers a small part of her past live memories.

Not only that, she felt slightly weird on opening up to Vincent. Since she rarely does to others, only speaking when she wanted to or when she needed to answer or ask questions. She did take note that herself.. was becoming less cold... which was strange... She remember clearly on how she first act before meeting other people that seem to change herself a bit. Rude. Cold. And... Rude...

"So this dream... you believe it may be a suppressed memory you had as a Somebody?" Vincent's voice snap her out of her mind before recalling on what he said. Thinking about on how to answer it. Her mouth open slightly before closing once more, doing it again before closing it one more time. It seem she had no idea on what to say about that. During her dream, she took note that her somebody, during that point, had lost her memories about everyone around her.

Nothing that she had not remember the boy like she normally did in her other 'dreams'. "I'm not sure... I'm not sure if I'm viewing two different peoples lives or the same person. I had dreams before this, but this one was more different... my 'somebody' seem to have lost all memories at one point... seeing on how she didn't recall remembering the boy when he went to save her, most likely her father might have whip her memories. I'm not sure... if it's my somebody's memories or my very own... Either way, we share something in common. Both my somebody during that point and me now.. can't remember or memories of the past."

Silence fill the air once more, not minding on how long this would be interrupted this time. Kirux uninjured arm move so her hand would touch her half cow skull mask, touching it to take in the shape and details of it. Being lost in her thoughts slightly, wondering... what would happen if she had her own emotions and her own will instead of acting something off that has already been acted by someone? Her very own heart.... which she promise herself not to have until these memories are completely remembered.

[Vincent Valentine]

Vincent nodded only once, his eyes turning back to the path ahead of them. "Well, your memories, or your somebody's memories is not important. If you could find this boy, or the elevator, other memories may return." he suggested, remembering how returning to Shinra Manor in the Nibelheim mountains had made him think of thoughts he had considered in a long time.

They finally made it to the main square of Halloween Town at that moment, where the place seemed deserted. Then all of a sudden, Heartless began appearing. Wight Knights and Gargoyle Heartless materialised from the shadows, moving around them in preperation to attack.

Vincent sighed. This was beginning to become an annoyance. Hydra was already cocked and loaded, so he stopped next to Kirux and fired at a Wight Knight, destroying it. A Gargoyle dove past him while talking him with it's body, hitting Vincent hard while he spun around. As he did he used the recoil and stopped himself as he bent down on one knee, firing with Hydra and nailing him with a single marked bullet in the sky.

Wight Knight

Gargoyle