Oh Dear...[III]

[III]

Well, well, well[/b]. That cinched things. And changed the nature of the game.

"Not so quick," Xaldin said calmly. Kicking a foot off the ground he leaped forwards, easily landing several feet front of the misplaced Nobody. The lancer turned. The awkward, unfamiliar grin that had been chiseled into his features was gone. It was replaced by something far more ruthless and...

...happy.

"Tell me, how is it that you were separated from Kairi?" Xaldin asked, darkness curling around his hands. A lance appeared in each, eliciting sharp cries from the local populace. "No one will tell me how the Key got rid of Sora and I am most intrigued..."

[Homac]

Namine stopped short, before running into Xaldin. She kept her hands by her side, more out of not wanting to give him a reason to stab her than anything, and answered his question.

"I-I'm not exactly sure. There was a flash of light, and then here I was. That's all."

She touched an item she had in her pocket slightly with her left hand, "It was kind of like this one!"

She used her equip, Ragnarok, and the light orbs appeared around her and flew at Xaldin.

As they did so, Namine started moving back, trying to anticipate the larger Nobody's next move.

[III]

"A flash of...?"

Xaldin's eyes narrowed. Was Traverse Town... attempting to stay intact? The process by which a World chose a Princess to be its messenger was convoluted and exceedingly opaque. None knew how it was done, or why females were always chosen and never males. He mulled possibilities over in his head, ignoring the little Nobody's attack as inconsequential. He could feel it. He was close to an epiphany of some magnitude-

The gadgets whirred, hummed as they gained strength. Irritably, Xaldin skewered two before the rest opened fire and he was forced to put his arms up protectively over his face. Beams ripped into him, shredding his cloak, laying waste to his limbs and back -

But -

"Did you do it?" Xaldin hissed. The smell of burnt meat wafted off him as he moved forwards, seemingly not inconvenienced by the painful nature of his wounds. His eyes appeared ever so slightly crazed. "Did you gain your own Heart?"

[Homac]

Namine was seriously worried now. The Ragnarok hadn't had any effect on Xaldin other than angering him. She knew that the, pardon her language, crap had hit the fan now.

Backing away from the burned and pissed off Nobody and said, "I don't think I got my heart back. I just have my emotions like I always have. Or if I do have my heart, I didn't know I had it! I was just trying to find Sora and Roxas!"

She highly doubted that Xaldin would go easier on her when she told him this, but maybe...

[III]

"Don't lie," Xaldin hissed as he approached. His lances dissipated into Nothingness. Far away, he heard shouts - there would be reinforcements soon.

Distractions. He'd butcher them. This was more important.

"You didn't have emotions. You gained them." By now he was close enough to grab her. "You gained a Heart. How?!"

[Homac]

The little Nobody was shaking in her shoes now, since Xaldin had obviously lost it, and was stammering, trying to answer his questions.

She could also hear the people approaching, and knew that if they got here, they'd be massacred.

"B-but I did have emotions, back when I was in C-castle Oblivion! I know I did! I don't know how I would get a heart if I had one, I swear I'm telling the truth!"

[angelous]

"Leave her alone!" a voice familiar to both Namine and Xaldin would cry out. A portal of darkness would appear between the two, and out of it would step Roxas, in his non-organization clothes. He held out his hands and his Keyblades appeared. He took his stance, ready to fight.

"If you want to hurt her Xaldin you'll have to go through me." Now Roxas wasn't planning on betraying the Organization anytime soon, but he wasn't about to let one of his so called comrades attack his friend. He glanced back at Namine, smiled, then nodded. After which he would look back at Xaldin.

I just hope Namine will get out of here in time if Xaldin attacks me.[/color]

(Homac asked me to join. If you want to see his non organization outfit, look at Roxas' profile.)[/size]

[III]

"Thirteen." Xaldin noted. His voice had gone flat. The scientist part of his brain, never very active, was working at triple pace now that a hint of a clue towards artificial hearts had surfaced. Ever so slowly his head turned to the side, breaking eye contact with the Princess nobody and establishing it with the new arrival.

This wasn't a coincidence.

"You knew where she was." He said, with some wonder. He had never thought very highly of the key of destiny. All that kept him from slaughtering the traitor was the vague knowledge that he was essential towards the completion of Kingdom Hearts. Lances flashed into existence around him.

"You were hiding her." He said, in that calmly shocked tone. "Why-?"

[Homac]

Namine's jaw dropped as Roxas appeared in front of her from a corridor of darkness.

"Roxas!? W-where did you come from?"

As she heard Xaldin address Roxas by number, rather than name, a traitorous thought wormed it's way into her head: 'Is Roxas working with the Organization again? Is he going to take me back too?'

She managed to push that thought down though, she knew that Roxas wouldn't hurt her.

As Xaldin continued, she interposed her own question to her savior, "Roxas, you knew where I was? Why didn't you say anything? I'd been looking for you..."

[angelous]

(Hey Dei, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to fight Xaldin for a chance to gain some upgrades here)

"I didn't. I just picked a world and started looking. When I came across Xaldin's scent I figured I'd see what he was up to."

Flashback:

Ten Minutes Earlier

Roxas had just appeared out of a portal of darkness, and a familiar scent had garnered his attention.

Why was Xaldin here? He didn't have any orders to come here. Better go check it out.

He had made himself invisible using his manipulation of light, then proceeded to follow the "stench" that was Xaldin. And that's when he saw Namine desperately trying to flee for her life.

End Flahsback

"You see, it was just a matter of dumb luck I guess that I found Namine." He didn't let down his guard however. Xaldin wasn't always the type to attack you straight on. If you let down your guard, he'd attack then. Some would call that cowardly, but Roxas wasn't of that opinion. It was simply Xaldin's way of fighting, and he was pretty sure that all of the members of Organization XIII had done this at one point or another, including himself.

It was only a battle of will right now, but if a real fight broke out, Roxas wasn't entirely sure who'd win.

[III]

[ooc: uh, small retcon. Xaldin was already like really close to Namine (within grabbing distance, as was stated). If you're between us, we're basically an unholy Organization sandwich. Apologies, for some reason I assumed you appeared behind Namine. Anyway, I hereby declare that the silly portal moved us at least five feet away from each other if not more just so it looks reasonable. Also: sure. You're going to have to be better at provoking Xaldin though.]

ic:

"You expect me to believe you?" Xaldin asked, quirking an eyebrow. Though he had broken eye contact with Namine, he could still feel her presence: she had yet to run. Foolish thing. Now that her 'savior' had come, she had blissfully assumed that all would be okay. The little idiot probably did have a Heart. No Nobody would be half so trusting.

"I just so happen to take a stroll - just so happen to bump into Namine - and here you are, having done the same?" At this the lancer's eyes widened fractionally as he made sense of what he was saying. Was the new Organization hierarchy keeping tabs on him...? The lancer shook his head. No matter.

He could feel the natives gathering. Someone was planning something foolish on one of the rooftops. Excellent.

"Forget it. We found her." His voice turned silky. "Will you be escorting her back to her old Master...?"

[nothito]

"FIRAGA!"

The shout echoed across the square as a bowling ball shaped orb of fire arced through the air from one of the nearby rooftops. The likely unanticipated fireball soared at moderate speeds toward the Whirlwind Lancer at about chest height, possibly winding him from the force of the blow if it hit. Perhaps the first thought to run through the minds of those assembled would be whether or not the villagers who had been plotting some ill-conceived attack on the dread-locked nobody had actually managed to cast a magical spell. Unlikely, though it would certainly be useful. So then, what being had dared to strike against an Organization member?

A portal popped open behind the memory artist rather suddenly before a familiar figure, in one form or another to the nobodies assembled, stepped free of the corridors of darkness. White hair, a piercing pair of blue eyes, a scimitar-like sword, a red, blue, and black full body suit, and an overwhelming sense of darkness leaking out of his every pore. A scowl was firmly set on the boy's face as he glared at the two other males in the area. Why couldn't they both just go away? After all, Naminé was HIS to protect so one of the nobodies was unnecessary, and he wouldn't need to protect her if the other nobody was gone. Bothersome.

Just how had the boy found them so easily? Unlike Roxas, he could not smell the darkness of others. Rather, a gift from a 'friend' had given him the ability to sniff out things that are not real, and a concentration of three nonexistent beings was something that required the vengeful toy's attention. "And just what is going on here?" the boy growled in a slightly angry tone, moving between Naminé and the two male nobodies.

As soon as the girl was safely behind him, the boy raised his sword aggressively and stood at the ready, daring either of the nobodies to come after him. "Naminé isn't going anywhere, especially not anywhere near her 'master'," the toy announced simply as though no one of the assembled group had any say in the matter. Shooting another threatening glare around, the toy's hand gripped his weapon more firmly as he entered his common fighting stance, sword held over his head with the tip facing both his opponents.

"If either of you make any move toward Naminé, I, Replica, will personally rip you to shreds."

(Btw, I asked Homac and was told I could join.)

[angelous]

Roxas watched as a fireball flew at Xaldin. He watched as Replica made his way into the picture. Heck he even listened when he was talking. But when he threatened to kill him for going near Namine, Roxas was not happy. Sure he figured he'd have an ally at first, but now, he wasn't.

"Replica? Another one of Vexen's experiments?"

Well that was just dandy. If this Riku copy was truly the fruit of Vexen's labors, then this was not good. It would mean that not only is this version of Riku insane, but it would also mean that he wasn't a pushover either.

"Trust me Replica, I don't plan on taking Namine to Marluxia. And I don't plan on letting Xaldin here hurt her."

He smiled at the two.

"I'll deal with Mr. Sideburns here, you get Namine somewhere safe. And stay near her. I'll find you guys later and explain everything."

That is if I don't get branded a traitor for this.

He turned back toward Xaldin, and charged, all while spinning his Keyblades. It was game time, and he had no intentions of letting Namine get caught in the cross fire.

[Homac]

[Org. sandwich? I'd eat that. XD]

"Replica!? You're here too?"

Namine was now wondering, not without warrant, if she was being followed by anyone else without knowing it. It would explain how both Roxas and Replica knew where she was.

As Replica stood between her, Roxas, and Xaldin, she allowed him to softly push her behind him, but her mind was racing a hundred miles an hour.

As her two self-proclaimed, and now seemingly opposing, protectors drew their weapons, whether to fight Xaldin, each other, or both, she made her own decision.

"Roxas, Replica, I'm glad you two are both here, but I can't just sit back anymore. I promised myself that I wouldn't be a burden anymore, as long as I'm still outside Kairi's heart. I'm not going to just sit back and let others fight for me anymore. You can fight, but I'm going to help you."

[III]

"She hurt me," Xaldin felt compelled to point out, if only for the sake of accuracy.

The fireball had been surprising. An excellent tactical move - the lancer had turned to meet the fireball head on (he'd thought it was something small and living - a moogle, or a suicidal duck perhaps) - only to have it slam into and through his spear, setting his already damaged coat ablaze and him with it.

The coat now lay upon the ground in darkly steaming ruin.

Beneath it, Xaldin wore denim. The jacket had all but dissolved through the furious onslaught of the Ragnorak equip as well as the Dark Fiagra, but somehow it managed to hang onto its precarious existence, red and black marring the dark blue, showing through where the Ragnorak had cut and the fire burned. Blood dripped steadily off the collar.

Twin goals: retrieve Namine. Destroy Roxas (and company). Neither was... unpleasant. Sadly, retrieving Namine was the priority. Her 'Heart' had clearly developed.

"Wind." Xaldin ordered, engaging a protective Aero. Grabbing two lances out of the air, he waved the other four off in the Replica's general direction. If Namine got caught in the crossfire... ah well. Hopefully the Replica would offer a spirited defense.

And then he met Roxas' charge head on. No need to call the traitor, traitor... by now it was obvious that Roxas had chosen sides that did not coincide with the Organisation's own.

XIII would die for that, of course.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Action recap:

Boreas: 4 lances went off to bother the Replica. Passive.
Aero: 50% damage, lasts for 4 rounds, weak wind damage at close range 2/3 uses left. Equip.
God of War: Xaldin has passive 3x attack speed. And I mean it. If you plan to get in two, Xaldin gets enough time for six and so on (unless you've got fancy-smancy enhancements too). No one messes with mah munny-purchased abilities.