Out of the Darkness [Emi/Open]

[Cheza]

Dusty Memories

Once Cheza had gotten off the gummi ship she headed towards the town center. She had done a lot of thinking on her way back to Radiant Gardens/Hallow Bastion. She still wasn't really sure about how she was going to find the answers she needed about her mother's suicide. She did, however, come up with the idea that maybe, just maybe the house that was full of all the bad memories that she had tried to forget over the years would hold the answers she sought. She wasn't sure if there would be anyone living there or not, but she knew it was really the only idea she had so that was were she would start. Cheza noticed for the first time that Hallow Bastion was very quiet. It seemed that most of the people were holed up in their houses. At least there aren't any heartless running around, Cheza thought. After her examination of the changes to her home world, Cheza began to go towards her first home. As she got closer and closer to the house, Cheza couldn't help but notice the butterflies in her stomach. She didn't think she would be this nervous. What am I so nervous about? It's not like Dad is still there. I have nothing to fear, I have nothing to fear. Cheza was finally in front of the horrible house. It looked pretty much the way she remembered it except she could barely see the house for all the weeds and the tall grass that had grown up around it. It appeared that it hadn't been touched since that faithful night that her dad had that horrible accident. Well, I guess this is it. She thought as she headed through the wilderness that once was the manicured front yard.

Once she had finally made her way up to the house she tried the doorknob and was surprised that it was unlocked. She opened the door with a loud creaking noise, but she doubted that anyone would notice. Once inside she stood in the middle of the living room and noticed that no one had really touched anything since she left. It had a been a little about 12 years and the house was basically the same. The only difference was that all the furniture had been covered with sheets and there was a thick layer of dust over everything. Cheza headed towards the rear of the house and stopped in front of her bedroom door. She took a hold of the doorknob and slowly opened it. Everything was the same as it had been when she was 7. She only looked in the room, because she couldn't stand the sight of the place where all the abuse had taken place so after only a few minutes she closed the door and headed down the hall to the master bedroom. The door was still open and despite a decade of desolation, she could still smell the aroma of whiskey hanging in the air. She did her best to fight back the memories that came along with the scent and headed towards the dresser. She started pulling out the different drawers and emptying them of their contents. She didn't know what she was looking for, but she didn't really know where else to look. After a few minutes she found a leather bound notebook. She flipped it open to discover pages filled with her mother's handwriting. She knew that this would hold the answers she needed. She sat down on the dusty hardwood floor and read all the contents of her mother's diary. Once she had finished she had discovered some interesting facts. Fact #1: Her mother had also been abused by her father. Fact #2: It seemed that her mother had no idea that Cheza had been abused by the horrible man that claimed to be a loving husband and father. In fact, in several of the entries Cheza's mother had wrote how she hoped that Cheza would never be abused by that horrible man. Thanks Mom for your concern, but he couldn't wait for you to get home from work to hold in his rage so I got to be his own personal punching bag. And Finally Cheza found the last fact she needed, Fact #3: Cheza's mother committed suicide because she couldn't get past the depression that the abuse caused. Ultimately, Cheza's mother just couldn't take it anymore.


After a few more minutes of contemplation, Cheza decided it was time to go visit her second home, the orphanage. She took the diary with her as a memento of her mother. After twelve years of wondering, she now held the answers she had been looking for, and now she felt closer to her mother than she ever had. It was almost too easy, but I'm glad I finally know the truth, Cheza thought as she headed to the place that had been her home for only a year. Once she rounded the last corner she saw three people standing outside the house. She could tell by the girl's wild hair that the only female present was Emi. The shorter of the two males looked very familiar. After closer inspection Cheza realized that the boy with the streak of blue down the left side of his hair was Hyou and for some reason that realization made her heart skip a beat. The last of the group, Cheza didn't recognize. Cheza guessed that the only thing to do was just go up to the little group and say hey.


“Hi, I'm Cheza,” she said as she approached the group. She was slightly aware of how softly she spoke, but that was just how she was. Cheza was very shy so going up to people and starting a conversation was not normal for her, but she didn't want to seem rude so she decided it was the best thing to do.

[Fate]

When We Were Young
We Spoke in Tongues
(Have We Lost by Flyleaf)

Emi seemed to recognize this Hyou person, leading Zexion to surmise that Hyou was from the orphanage as well. There would not be another reason to visit this place otherwise; Radiant Garden was full of other places to see. Though, with Emi knowing who he was, most likely old friends, his plans for what he wanted to accomplish today were now rendered slightly skewed. He could not, by any means, teach Emi to use the Corridors of Darkness with another presence; Zexion knew all too well how people reacted when they found out they were lied to and he did not doubt Hyou would appreciate it. There weren't many who were on good terms with the Nobodies.

Another scent started approaching the orphanage, one that he also did not recognize. Instinctively, he took a step back and planned a quick escape route if he needed to take one. However, that plan quickly changed when he found a rather shy girl approach the group. Perhaps another orphan? Zexion was starting to become slightly paranoid now. Was someone watching his plans, where he was going? Maybe they were watching Emi? Coincidences like these were rare, after all. If someone was watching either of them, he would need to leave soon.

"Did you arrange all of this without me knowing?" he asked as he turned to Emi, speaking purely in jest. There was no possible way for her to have arranged all of this and he knew that. He turned back to the one who introduced herself as Cheza. "A pleasure to meet your acquaintance. I am Noize." He glanced back to Emi, a serious look in his eyes for a minute. He then changed back to his slightly 'jovial' persona that he was portraying. "I assume you all know each other then?"

There was a positive side to all of this: the more people there were, the easier it was to remain inconspicuous. Zexion had made sure that he didn't stick out and it would be easier now that they were a group instead of a pair. He could easily be overlooked, especially with Emi's wild hair and Hyou's aura. People would not think twice looking at him; at least one thing worked in his favor today, he supposed.

[/size]

[Oathkeeper Emi]

"Nothin' I hate more than a couple of party crashers..."
--

Emi scratched the back of her head and scowled a little harder. That was just her thinking face.

"Yeah, I know 'em.[/color]"

The truth was that she recognized them. Cheza was so painfully shy and Hyou was so painfully... anti-social that the three of them had never really crossed paths too much. That and the fact Emi was several years younger than them and she didn't play fair. She didn't really know them, but she could put names to face. Which was surprising, given how much all of them had changed, physically and emotionally.

Emi herself was far from the leggy little kid with chopped off hair and perpetually skinned knees. She'd grown up, although she was still flat chested and still cheated in checkers. Strangely enough, ever since Zexion's illusion (had that really been such a short time ago, it seemed like ages) she could see see her child self clearly, like looking in a mirror inside her mind. There were a lot of images she saw clearly, too clearly, since she'd met Zexion.

She regarded the two newcomers, Cheza and Hyou, still wearing her ugly thinking scowl. Well, there went her warm reunion with the old lady, maybe with some comical swatting with a fly swatter and a cup of coffee just the way she liked it, totally black. She would have to share with these two. She sighed and it was a sigh heavy with regret.

"Don't just stand there, people. Let's go see if the old lady croaked yet.[/color]"

She turned sharply, the kali sticks on her belt clanging together loudly, and dashed up the stairs. She beat on the flimsy door with her fist.

[Matt]

Nothing in the Shadows

Dark tendrils began to emerge from the ground, joining together to form a swirling portal of purple and black. From the corridor of darkness stepped a man in a long black cloak. Clearly a member of Organization XIII, the sight would have been an alarming one to the citizens of Radiant Gardens had there been anyone around to see it. But fortunately for him, the man stood alone in the dark ally in which he had appeared.

It was the next day since Vexen had returned to the Organization. And also since Zexion had brought Emi to the World That Never Was, resulting in quite the predicament. Upon noticing the disappearance of the two, he became additionally skeptical of the other nobody's intentions. And when he had still yet to return the next day, it became clear that the situation was in need of investigation and amendment. And as would be expected, the job fell solely to Vexen. No matter. At least this way there would assuredly be no mistakes.

Even if he had still possessed a heart, it was doubtful that there would have been any feeling of nostalgia in returning to the world. For claiming that the place even looked close to what it once had would have been a lie. It was a pathetic remnant of what it had once been. It wasn't even fit to claim the name Radiant Gardens. The name Hallow Bastion would have served the world much better. One thing was obvious from a mere glance of the town: the so called "Restoration Committee" wasn't doing a very good job. And they were only fooling themselves to believe they could ever return Radiant Gardens to it's previous magnificence.

Vexen shrank into the shadows as he saw a girl walk by, studying her appearance as he typically did. She was short, with long brown hair, wearing black pants, purple shoes, a black and purple top, and a black cape. He watched as the girl passed, and headed towards that lay to the left. But it wasn't the building that caught his attention. It was the girl standing in front of the building. Her dark skin and wild black made her quickly recognizable as the girl, Emi. Although this time she appeared to actually be wearing cloths. There were two boys standing with her. One of which was unquestionably Zexion. One's appearance was rather unusual, while the other's was quite insignificant. And Zexion wouldn't choose to take on an appearance that would attract much attention. So Vexen had found his target already, unsurprisingly.

The other girl was apparently talking to them now as well. Who were those other two? This situation seemed to be getting more perplexed by the moment. However unlike Zexion, he couldn't come up with a convenient little disguise out of nowhere. And one thing that did not need to happen was a big scene, especially if it could be avoided. Radiant Gardens was very much aware of the Organization, and likely very wary. For now, Vexen supposed the best thing for him to do would be simply to observe.

[Nothingness]

Up For A Game?

Luxord stepped out of a Corridor of Darkness in Radiant Garden. Standing on top of the Bailey, he had a pretty good view of the town--all of those little pieces moving about their daily lives. Maybe some day he'd come here at night and find an out of the way card house to whittle away the hours in. But that wasn't why the cards called him here. Having awoken a short while ago, he wanted to see where the other members were. Checking the cards, he found both Zexion and Vexen were in "a place of Light." As any good gambler knows, a pair is better than an ace-high, and so he had taken a Corridor to Radiant Garden, the only place he knew that could be considered "a place of Light" that they would both be at.

"The game is afoot." Calling one of his cards behind him, he stepped backwards into it, immediately flattening into a 2D image. Shrinking into a regular sized playing card, he let the wind carry him away over the town. Seeing the town unfolded beneath him, he looked about for either of the two members. He knew that if he didn't find them now, then he'd simply try again later: you can't always win, even when you have a good hand. However, it appeared Luck was on his side today.

Flying over what appeared to be a rather old building, he saw Vexen in a nearby alleyway, listening in on a small group of youths standing outside the building. Turning himself so thw wind carried him downwards, he gently descended into the alley, and stuck himself face-up on the wall across from Vexen. "Well, I'm not surprised you feel the need to look over his shoulder. He does have quite the nice hand."

[allacar]

Sometimes It’s Best To Just Go With The Flow And Fall With The Rain

Not even seconds after he introduced himself Hyou sensed a spiritual presence approaching from behind him. Hyou turned around to see who he recognized to be Cheza, another orphan mate. He thought to himself “Wow she looks different, different in a good way though.”She seemed to be as anti-social as he was something that caught his attention. She walked up the stairs and introduced herself as Cheza, a name he had already tied to her face. Noize’s reaction was quite surprising, though the look in his eye and his spiritual pressure changed for a quick second and was hardly noticeable. Either the sight of Cheza had affected him emotionally, which directly affected his powers, or there was something more to this Noize character.

The change only lasted for a split second so Hyou overlooked it, making it a mental note he focused back on Emi who was currently talking at the moment. It seemed she was finally ready to go in, which was exactly what he was thinking he was tired of standing still and wasn’t much into sappy emotional stuff. He came here out of curiosity to see what had happened to his old home and that was pretty much it. Seeing how things had change, and not necessary for the worst Hyou thought it was better to just go with the flow. Hyou, not feeling like waiting anymore, walks up the stairs next to Emi turns the knob and just goes right in. What awaited him when he walks in confirms the creepy feeling he was having and why he chose to walk in first…

[Cheza]

Well that was unexpected...

The strange male seemed rather confused about Cheza's sudden appearance, as she was shocked to see the crowd that was formed around the front door of the orphanage. She was not expecting such a sight at all. After the stranger and Emi talked a little Emi seemed to be ready to see the old lady that ran the orphanage. Emi ran up the front steps and beat on the front door. A few seconds later Hyou ran up beside her and just opened the door. Cheza didn't know what to think of all this and looked up at Emi and gave at slight shrug. “Should we follow him?”She asked and walked up to the top of the stairs.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

"Ladies first, obviously."
--

Emi growled. It didn't take much to set off her temper, and certainly the way Hyou had just pushed past her and walked right into the house was enough to thoroughly piss her off. Her breathing got a little more ragged, her heart went a little faster and she had to restrain herself from grabbing him by the back of his shirt and haul him back onto the porch for a good old butt whuppin'.

Honestly. Some people have no manners.

"Yeah, might as well since he just kind of invited himself in, there,[/color]" Emi answered to Cheza's question. It wasn't like this was their home anymore. They couldn't just barge in whenever they liked.

Emi shoved her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket and walked into the house. The foyer was empty. There was the stair case in front of them, dark wood and a terribly tacky runner with an ivy design running up it. The foyer led the way to the kitchen on one side, and the kitchen wrapped around the back of the staircase to the great room where they used to play games as children. The whole house was dark and old fashioned, decorated with gawdy old lady things like doilies and cross-stitched scenes in gold colored plastic frames. There was even a cuckoo clock even though it had stopped working years and years ago and was permanently stopped at 6:30.

Emi wondered if that was morning or evening.

"Hello?[/color]" she called to the house. It replied back with eerie silence and the occasional creaking of old wooden walls. Something was not right here. She looked around and saw that a fine layer of dust had formed on everything. The banister, the pictures on the wall. Everything.

Her thick eyebrows furrowed together. Besides the dust, the house was too well kept to be abandoned. She smelled no mildew, none of those other smells that you found in old abandoned houses. Everything, besides the cuckoo clock, was in perfect working order. She could hear the radiator rumble to life.

But the house was too quiet to be inhabited. Sure, the residents could be out. Kagabu might not even still live here, or even any more children. But this was a different silence. Emi could feel down in her heart that there was something wrong here.

She abandoned Hyou and Cheza, walking slowly forward into the kitchen. She stopped and suppressed a gasp. There was Kagabu, next to the stove, mixing something in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Emi would have recognized the old lady anywhere. She couldn't have been much more than four and a half feet tall and almost white hair pulled into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. She was ancient by now, and her face was deeply rutted with lines and winkles. She wore a loosely fitting floral dress and house shoes, and large round rim glasses that made her watery blue eyes seem very big and buggish. All in all, she wasn't an entirely intimidating woman until she came after you with a spatula for trying to sneak cookies out of the jar at one in the morning.

"Well, girl? Are you just going to stand there with your mouth hanging open like an idiot or are you going to help me in here?" said Kagabu, brandishing a dripping wooden spoon at her. Emi shook her head and took a double take.
"Kagabu... I've been gone for almost ten years, and you want me to do dishes?" she finally stammered incredulously. The old lady nodded as if that was a reasonable request, and pointed to the sink. Emi eyed the little old lady quite warily and walked to the sink. She took off her leather jacket and laid it over a high-backed kitchen chair. She turned and flicked on the hot water and while she waited for it to heat up, she pushed up her sleeves.

She wondered where Cheza and Hyou had gotten off to and shrugged. They were probably exploring, or standing aroung with stupid looks on their faces and being antisocial. She squirted some dish soap onto a sponge and went at a plate.

It was a good thing she just happened to look down and see a reflection in the shiny finish of the faucet. She dropped the plate and it fell into soapy water with a bloomp. Emi went for the sticks on her belt and whirled around, shrieking furiously.

Behind her, Kagabu was no longer anywhere to be found. Instead, there was a hulking, hideous Heartless. It had an oversized head and tiny nubs for arms, and the stereotypical glowing yellow eyes- overly large, giving it an almost comical appearance. What was not comical was the rows of terrifying needle-like teeth, poking out of its mouth at odd angles and similar spines coming out of its body. A single antennae protruded from its bulging forhead, swinging back and forth obscenely.

Emi gave a disgusted wail and held up her sticks in an x formation in front of her as if to ward off a demon. Or protect herself from its teeth. It had been a trap all a long. Emi decided to slaughter now, ask questions later. The Heartless lunged at her and was held off by her defensive stance. Around her hands, shimmery shields flickered into existence just in time for the monster's teeth to bounce off them. She shoved hard, sending the Heartless flying backwards. But the creatures first attack had been half-hearted. It had expected Emi to go down with one hit but this was not the case.

To her horror, the Heartless changed. No. Grotesquely mutated. She took a step back and let out a startled shout, looking up slowly as the thing got taller. Its antennae brushed against the low ceiling. The Heartless now towered over her which was intimidating. It opened its mouth and let out a slow hiss, made even worse by its pupiless and unfocused eyes.

Apparently this creature was not capable of too much sentient thought. Otherwise it would have observed Emi's confident stance and rethought its battle plan. Emi was not intimidated. No, she did the intimidation.

--
Battle Report: Emi used 'Broken Silverdrop'
2 uses remaining.
2 posts to next use.

[Matt]

No Time for Childish Games

Vexen was surprised to hear a voice from behind him, though he didn't turn turn around, not immediately. It was a voice he was familiar with, though what really gave the speaker away was their ridiculous manner of speech. Only one person felt bizarre urge to incorporate card game references into every pointless sentence that was uttered from their mouth. Number ten of Organization XIII. "Luxord." Were it not for his unique dialect however, Vexen might not have recognized the voice at all. He had never truly regarded Luxord as a very important member the Organization. Being tenth, there were only two members below him in rank. And their treachery at least made them notable, even if in infamy. The only member that could really be considered less competent would be that lazy oaf with the sitar, Demyx.

Turning around, he was momentarily puzzled by the lack of anyone actually standing in front of him. But upon closer examination he noticed a small card stuck to the wall, with the image of the the Gambler of Fate printed on it. How typical. "Isn't this a surprise." And a surprise it certainly was. As of only yesterday he had still yet to return. But now here he was, showing up in at about as inconvenient a time as possible. A pleasant surprise it was not.

"I fail to see what is 'nice' about his about this situation." he replied with annoyance, glancing back at the group before sharply returning his stare. "And as you are completely oblivious to the current circumstances, I would not expect you to understand. Zexion has created quite a predicament, and it now falls on me to fix it." Once again, Vexen looked towards the orphanage, this time to discover that the foursome had gone inside.

[Fate]

Always Use Discretion
Music

He stayed quiet as everyone got acquainted with each other, his eyes serious. This cover was not one he was particularly fond of doing. It required a display of emotion that was unbecoming of him, below him even. He did not believe in pretending to feel emotions when he was truly incapable of feeling the full emotion. This entire escapade to Radiant Garden with Emi was not just for her benefit but his own; it fed his curiosity about how the world was fairing. His conclusion was that while the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee was working diligently at restoring the world, it would never be what it was-- never. Though, he would not doubt that its citizens would try to bask in the light again, just as they foolishly did before.

His attention drifted as the group decided to go inside the orphanage, an endeavor that he was not going to partake in. Two scents floated into his senses, one that he recognized more than the other. It seemed that he had been followed here by not just one member of the Organization, but by two; Vexen and Luxord were an odd pair to put together, Zexion deduced. The former's reasons for why he was here were readily obvious: he suspected the Schemer was up to something and felt that he needed to fix whatever wrong he was doing. The latter was a more intriguing case, though Zexion had an idea; he preferred to observe the game that was laid out in front of him.

Another scent invaded his senses as he stood outside, glancing around warily. A Heartless seemed to appear in the orphanage, which did intrigue him slightly; at least one creature of darkness had made it past Ansem's security system. He paid it no further heed; he did not need to nor did he desire to. For now, he looked in Vexen and Luxord's direction, his eyes narrowed. They were currently hiding at the moment, knowing full well that if their Organization cloaks were seen, Radiant Garden would find out soon enough. They had to be cautious. He had the ability to make an illusion of himself in broad daylight; they did not.

"Vexen, Luxord, how nice to see you here," he said to them, his words casual yet empty. His illusion dropped for the most part as he changed to his original form, though he created the illusion of a cloak covering him as to not gain further suspicion from Vexen. If Number Four suspected even more than he already did, then things could get a tad difficult. Though, there was one thing he still held in favor that Vexen could not question; he was still extremely loyal to the Organization. That was a fact and the scientist could not disregard it.

[/size]

[Nothingness]

Don't You Know the Rules?

Luxord audibly sighed. Even after all this time, Vexen was still as arrogant as ever."If it would please you, I'll check to see whether a "10" is higher than a "4", and if that "4" ever beats a "10." But, until then, it seems you need to work on your poker face." Putting his hand to his lips and smirking for a moment, he enlarged the size of the card until he was normal height again. "And you seemed to have misinterpreted me--I simply meant that it was interesting to see Zexion surrounded by so many women. I never expected him to be such a high roller." Looking over to see that Zexion and the others had left, Luxord felt it best to add one last thing to his speech. "And while I may not be one, every hunter knows to keep his eye on the prize."

He knew that he was straining Vexen's nerves, which he thought to be all for the better. One always tips their hands when their focus breaks, and he never minded taking a peek and any of the other members' hands. Regardless, he had had his fun with the "Chilly Academic" and it appeared that Zexion was aware of their presence. "Perhaps you will be slightly more amicable than this icy man, my dear Schemer. Your hand never seems to lower from your eyes--as does your book, also."

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Battle Music: THE DEEP STRIKER- L.E.D-G
--

Emi did something quite contrary then. She turned to her left and ran straight for the wall. The Dark Baiter (that's what she'd decided to call it, wasn't sure if that was its actual name but what did it matter) lumbered after her with some raspy grunting. She jumped a little and planted her foot against the wall. She ran vertically up in for a few steps and then threw herself backwards. The back flip was a bit hard to execute in the cramped space but it was necessary to gain the height she needed to defeat the Heartless. Perhaps a bit flashy for such a battle, but again, necessary.

To her pleasure, her weapons clipped the monster right in the face. It shrieked and shuffled backwards. This was perfect, it left Emi plenty of room to land pertly on her feet and spin around. She ran full speed towards the thing again, this time using the counter top to gain height. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough space. She narrowly missed the slowly turning ceiling fan and the Heartless butted her with its head. She fell, prematurely, to the ground and stumbled to her feet.

There wasn't enough room in here to try another aerial attack. She didn't think trying to attack it from the ground was a good idea, not with those teeth. It had pretty short range attacks as far as she could tell, mostly charging and snapping attacks, but once she got close enough to attack it, it would snap at her. There were a few options. One, get the stupid thing turned around so she could attack the back of its head. Two, chase it out into the open so that she could get properly airborne and attack it that way. Sadly, it didn't look like the thing could even fit through the kitchen door. The third option was something Emi usually would never resort to, but the thing literally had her backed into a corner.

"HELP!" she screamed, wondering where in the heck the other two were and how come they hadn't run in when they heard all the screaming and growling and battling earlier. Was it possible they were dealing with Heartless of their own? She assumed so, these things rarely came one at a time and when they did it was usually a huge battle.

--
Battle Report: Emi used 'Wall Run'
Passive use
3 posts to next use

[Matt]

Time for Answers

"Oh, so I suppose that a ten is higher than a one as well. Are you suggesting yourself to be above the Superior?" It was practically a rhetorical question. For no member, not even the most impudent, would dare challenge the Superior. Not even Marluxia, in his infinite vanity, had the nerve to go against him personally. He first had to have Sora, to do what he was too cowardly to do himself. But unfortunately, Xemnas was the only one in the Organization to merit such respect, or at least fear. None of the other senior members were hardly ever given the courtesy they deserved. A deplorable fact.

At the next comment, Vexen merely gave a look of disgust. If it was supposed to be amusing, it most certainly wasn't. A nobody, Zexion no less, did not behave in such an unsuitable manner. Of course, Luxord hadn't even been there when the girl had come waltzing out of Zexion's room without her clothes on. But regardless that obviously wasn't what it may have appeared to be. The observation was irrelevant, not to mention inaccurate if he actually thought all three of the humans were female. Vexen was about to to reprimand the statement, when he was suddenly interrupted by Zexion addressing the two.

Due to the illusionist's abilities, it was not surprising that he was aware of their presence. He likely sensed them immediately upon their arrival, and had simply been waiting until he could slip away from his little group. Vexen turned around to face the Schemer. He heard Luxord say something, but chose to ignore him. It was more nonsense, no doubt. "Zexion. It is time you gave explanation for your peculiar behavior."

[Fate]

Unquestionably and Arguably So

"You forget that the Ace is always counted as the highest, despite it having the lowest number," Zexion told him, sauntering over to the two and ignoring the stench of the Heartless coming from the orphanage as he made sure to stay out of sight. He then cast his gaze away from Vexen as he turned to Luxord. "Indeed. Vexen seems to have forgotten proper manners. It is good to see you again. You know better than I that one never reveals their hand until the end of the game." Luxord was indeed one of the only other members Zexion generally got along with. Number Ten was always polite and formal, something that many of the other members seemed to lack.

Vexen was an entirely different story. The two had a faint rivalry between them, the reasons for which Zexion already guessed about. It possibly could have gone back to their days when they were whole; Even most likely was not pleased with having the responsibility of dealing with the orphaned Ienzo most of the time and that could have passed on into their current Nobody existence. There was also the fact that Zexion typically thought of himself as more competent most of the time; Vexen was no fool but often enough he did not seem practical to the Schemer.

That was what made answering him a tad interesting. "You do have an exceptional knack for following me, don't you Vexen?" he said to the other Organization member, turning to him with his words in complete jest. He then turned slightly serious. "I do see a need to explain my actions to you, for they do not impede my loyalty to the Superior and the Organization. Are you daring to question my loyalty? I doubt the Superior would be fond of the idea of you questioning a loyal member as you are." He then glanced back at the orphanage, not particularly caring that those inside were being attacked by a Heartless. They put themselves in harm's way and it was their responsibility to get themselves out of it, not his.

"Tell me, what is so peculiar about my actions that you find it necessary to follow me?" He went into a thinking pose with his hand to his chin, studying the Academic for a moment before briefly glancing at Luxord. He was left observing as the Schemer dealt with Vexen's squabbling; at least he got a bit of entertainment out of it, he supposed.

[/size]

[allacar]

“Boys And Girls Of Every Age Wouldn’t You Like To See Something Strange”

Bursting into the house Hyou could tell something wasn’t completely right, a quick look around showed him that everything is the house was completely preserved the only thing different was the blanket of dust on everything. “How is this possible?” He thought to himself, after everything that Radiant Garden had been through how could this house be left in almost perfect condition, everything was still the same. Hyou’s tingling common sense also allowed him to realize that he had really pissed off Emi which wasn’t his intent but he had problems with expressing himself. Deep down Hyou was glad he wasn’t alone and would like to keep it that way. Even though Cheza and Emi weren’t exactly friends yet he wanted to protect them even if they probably didn’t need it. Hyou decided the best thing to do was just apologize which would have to wait since Emi was already heading off towards the kitchen.

Remembering where his room was from the old days Hyou started to head up stairs figuring Cheza would either follow or do her own thing like Emi. He reached the second floor landing and looked down the hallways leading to the left and right, if he remembered correctly his room was the last one on the left. The doors in the hallway were all closed including his; reaching it Hyou turned the knob and opened the door. Sitting on the floor playing were four little kids all seeming to be no more than five or six, they stared at him blankly for a moment before saying “Hello mister do you want to play with us.”

“Heck No!” thought Hyou but being polite Hyou walked into the room recalling all the days he had spent there consumed by his problems and feelings, and kind of missed the days where he still had a family. Just then one of the kids closes the door behind him, “When did he get behind me?” Hyou thought to himself, all of a sudden realizing that his bad feeling wasn’t just him being paranoid. The child rejoined his friends and said “Come one let’s play mister.” Just as the last word escapes the child’s mouth all four begin to shift their bodies into an all black form with a head way too big for its body. The bright yellow eyes told Hyou immediately that he had willingly walked into a heartless trap. Their gaping mouths housed rows of tiny sharp teeth and seemed to be their main way of attack; no way could their tiny arms and legs do much damage. Releasing his aura Hyou readied himself for a fight but not before one of the creatures lunged at him teeth first. Hyou dodged the attack and the heartless smashed head first into the door knocking it down but also leaving him with a small cut on his shoulder. Hyou smiled at the pain realizing that these weren’t normal heartless and would serve as a good enough opponent.

Backing in the hallway, Hyou turned in time to kick the heartless that had lunged at him through the door into the room across from his, there was no way he was going to fall for a surprise attack twice. All the doors in the hallway were now open with heartless spilling into it from the rooms. Hyou worried more for the others than himself; he was sure that he couldn’t have been the only one under attack; he had to get through this to see if Cheza and Emi were ok. Hyou never paid any attention to numbers and never backed down from a fight no matter how many enemies there were at one time and he wasn’t going to start now.

With a deafening roar Hyou releases his aura full tilt and fights off the approaching heartless, cornered into a room he senses Emi’s spiritual energy below him and hears her call for help. He could tell that she wasn’t alone and the energy with her was definitely a heartless and way bigger than the small fry he was fighting. With pretty much all of the heartless in the immediate room and in the hallway taken care off he focused on finding a quick way to get to Emi. Figuring that there was no saving the house at this point and that the ceiling and floors had probably deteriorated over time a simple flurry of punches would do the trick to break the floor beneath his feet and land on top of whatever it was that had cornered Emi. Hyou smirked thinking to himself “There’s no better way to apologize to someone than coming to their rescue.” He figured Emi was a big girl and would only ask for helped if she really needed it and didn’t have any other options, so there was no time to lose.

Condensing his aura into himself Hyou hardened his blood and skin realizing that not even he would be able to pull this off without getting hurt to some extent. Focusing on the energies and the sounds beneath him Hyou pin pointed the location of the heartless and began to demolish the place he once called home, with a few strong strikes he applied enough pressure to start the crumbling domino effect of the floor. Just as more heartless amble into the room Hyou jumps through floor/ceiling of the kitchen and lands on top of the enormous heartless. Luckily landing on top of the creature’s head he grabs the antenna like thing only inches from him, uses it for support; and rams his knee into the creature’s forehead sending the heartless flying into the opposite corner of the kitchen and himself down next to Emi. Hyou stumbled to his feet noticing that he had used a lot of energy and was pretty beaten up. Looking at Emi Hyou smiled and said “Hey sorry about earlier, mind if I help out”

Battle Report: Hyou used 'Ehrgeiz'
1 use remaining.
4 posts to next use.

Battle Report: Hyou used 'Ragnarok'
2 uses remaining.
2 posts to next use.