Jason Highsmith stood in the Guillotine Square, named after the macabre instrument of death that stood in the center of the town. Some said it had never been used, and was merely there as a decoration. Others said that it had been used long ago in Halloween Town's dark past, but when you lived in a town that was famous for trickery and mistaken appearances, who's to know what to believe? Jason himself found the instrument of death rather amusing, as long as it was not his head that might get chopped off by it. But, today was much too bright a day for thoughts such as these. For today, he and his friend Shien were being awarded the Key to Halloween Town.

Exactly a year ago, he and Shien had come to Halloween Town, following coordinates that were spat out by his ship, the Eliminator X. When they arrived, the town was attacked by Xeynar, a Dark Heart who had once been one of his friends, Rayn. A battle ensued, and in the chaos, Shien wounded Xeynar and forced him to escape. In a risky maneuver, he had exhausted himself, and had been vulnerable to an attack that surely would have finished him off had Shien not bee there. After that event, they met Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, and pledged their help in fending off the onslaught of Dark Hearts invading the planet. It had taken them an entire year to do it, but at last, they had wiped the last stain of those dark creatures off the face of Halloween Town.

Jason looked down at the fancy clothes he was wearing, all handstitched by Sally the rag doll, who was also Jack's wife. She said that he looked rather dashing, and he could not help but blush as he remembered Lola in those moments. He wondered how she had been faring the year he had been gone from Darmell, and if she missed him as much as he missed her. However, he was all smiles today, and he looked out at the throng of weird residents who had turned out for the ceremony. He gently pounded Shien's shoulder, his way of saying 'congrats, buddy'. The two were all that was left of their little group, and he'd like to think that they had become close friends on their journey together.

The Mayor took the stage with all the pomp he could muster, for he had to make the ceremony look good. The Mayor was truly a two-faced individual, one face in the front that was happy, and one face in the back which was sad. The faces changed depending on his mood, and they were known to change often. The Mayor's smiling face was on, and he took the microphone.
"Quiet! Quiet! How am I supposed to get anything done with all that noise going on out there?!"
Jason could not help but laugh, since the crowd had been completely silent until the Mayor started bellowing into the microphone.

"Today, we are here to honor Jason Highsmith and Shien the Mage, who risked their lives to purge Halloween Town of the insipid scurges known as Dark Hearts. From this day forward, both of them will be allowed unrestricted access to any part of the city and will be given a special place of honor alongside other heroes in the Halloween Town Museum. Sora would be proud of you boys for following in his path, and certainly, we all are. Let's give them one last round of applause!"
Every Halloween Town citizen clapped, and the Mayor placed medals around the necks of both of them. He then brought out a plaque with a key inside, which could open any door in the city. Since it took a year just to make one, Jason and Shien would share the award.

A picture was snapped, and Jason turned to his friend as all filed away. Jason made a mental point to come back after the quest was over and see the exhibit being put up in their honor, but for now, he turned to Shien.
"I suppose we'd best get changed in the Eliminator X. I'd hate to rip these brand new clothes Sally made for us in the heat of battle."
Jason walked to his ship and pressed a button to open the cargo hold. Once inside, he placed the award in a protective chest and pressed a butto to act as a partition.

Initially, it had been a second protective shutter in case the first one was breached, so it would serve the purpose of protecting modesty. Jason took off his ceremonial clothes and placed them in the chest, then changed into some battle clothes. Moving into the cockpit, he summoned Oblivion and started the ship like a car. He pressed a few buttons and it spit out some coordinates. He would give the engine a few minutes to warm up before he began lift-off. He then turned around, reasonably certain that the shutter was not soundproof.

"We'll be lifting off in five minutes, man. I'm sorry to spring this on you now, but before we resume our search for Rayn's Heartless..."
He took a deep breath.
"I'd like to go home for a little bit. I need to see how my parents, friends, and Lola are doing. Then, we can resume the hunt."
Jason turned and looked out his windshield as he listened to the hum of the motor.

"Worthless little parasites!" grumbled Xeynar, easily dispatching a group of heartless that made the mistake of thinking they could ambush him, "Look at you!" more heartless were appearing around him. He was deep inside Hollow Bastion (the name of the castle that loomed over Radiant Garden), basically the Heartless Captial of the whole world he was on. The more he had to look at these eyesores, the more sickening it made him feel. He couldn't explain it, but he absalutely loathed heartless more than any other creature in existence.

"You're time is past! You had your chance at destroying worlds and failed!" he dispatched another group that lunged at him, "Not just once, but twice!" he cast a Firaga in order to burn away 3 other Heartless. Most of them were either Shadows, Balloons, or Shields (the armored ones with the large shields). These annoying pests were nothing but a waste of existence. All they did was skulk around the shadows and prey on unsuspecting victims. What use were they to anyone anymore? Xeynar became angrier as he defeated more Heartless.

Eventually, the Heartless grew to fear him and finally backed off, realizing it was pointless to continue attack such a foe. Xeynar dispersed his keyblades and angrily slammed his fist into he wall, "The hell am I doing here? This is pointless!" he'd pretty much given up on trusting Zen by now. Over the past year, he'd grown to hate the over-zealous windbag more and more. Xeynar had long ago discovered that there was something about himself he didn't know. He now knew that he had lived some sort of past life as a human. To make matters worse, Zen probably knew all about it, but the bastard was just trying to keep it secret.

"What were you trying to hide from me?" questioned Xeynar, now storming around and about the castle, killing anything that dared show its face to him, "I don't know what your game is, Zen, but I'll find out sooner or later." he then summoned some of his Dark Hearts. Despite the fact that he was more or less a traitor to the Guild, he was still Dark Heart, and could thus still summon his weaker cousins to do his bidding, "When I do..." for no apparant reason other than rage, he killed his own summoned Dark Hearts, "...you'll wish you never crossed me!"

Xeynar knew what he would have to do. He wasn't going to learn anything about himself from Zen, not snowball's chance in hell. No, he'd have to get the information he needed from another source. Thinking about this made Xeynar scowl, because he knew there was only one other source he get information from: Jason Highsmith, "That punk... when we fought a year ago, he recognized me in some way." he said, clenching his hand into a fist after staring at his palm for sometime, "I'll find him... and he'd better tell me what I want to know..." he summoned another Dark Heart.

In another fit of rage, he dispatched the summoned creature, "Or he'll face the wrath of a dragon!" he growled, walking through a dark portal he opened to enter his ship, "Use the long range scanners to search for the Eliminator X." he commanded the computer, sitting in the captain's seat, "You can run, Highsmith, but you can't hide." for some reason, the Dragoon already had information about Jason's ship, which for the past year proved crucial for Xeynar (because he constantly kept tabs on Jason's movements). So far, Jason stayed on Halloween Town, but the moment he left, Xeynar would again go on the prowl.

"You'd better watch your back, Zen." Xeynar said to himself in a life threatening tone, "When I'm done with Highsmith... you're next."

She traced her fingertips over the stone ridge, pressing her violet nails through the thin layer of pollen there. She stared out, endlessly, like she did most days now that she had returned. It had not even been a whole month since Azriel returned to her birth-place, Radiant Gardens. And it only took her a matter of hours before she came running to the Bailey, staring at the empty stone wake, as if someone was supposed to be there.

Someone is supposed to be here... was.. supposed to be...

Sometimes Azriel felt as if her memories were fading away from her. Other times, she felt like she was willingly letting them slip away. She couldn't blame someone for leaving her behind. She did the same to all family and friends on Radiant Garden, once he was gone.

Azriel stopped moving her nails across the stone, and looked up, staring over the horizon. She heard the breath of another behind her, as if they were trying to be invasive. She raised her hand- held in a fingerless glove of dark brown leather with satin ribbons of purple along the wrist, knuckles, and thumbs.

"Jeez, you freak me out sometimes." The voice came from behind her, the voice of a male around her age. It was a goofy voice, a joking and friendly voice. The voice of one of her old friends who was actually quite the dumb little bastard in his day, but had his reasons for being mean (stupid little boys and their dumb methods of getting women to like them). Kent moved to her side, putting his hands on the stone edge of the Bailey, and staring out. Kent turned his blue eyes to Azriel, peering out from behind a set of framing red bangs, the rest tied back in a low ponytail. "I ought to call you Sp-Azriel." He chuckled. "Because you spaz out every time I try to come and do the whole caring good friend thing. You ought to be thankful, a lot of people feel betrayed by what you did."

"What did I ever do?" Azriel said, her voice having matured quite a bit in the years she was gone. A strange accent had managed its way into that tender female tone. But then again, her once unnatural characteristics had been consumed with her growth, turning her into a strange, yet interesting, young woman. Her hair had shifted colors with length. Her hair had once been pitch black, and then it turned purple, then blond. Why? She had no idea, but she had a feeling it had to do with all her experimenting with magic. It wouldn't be unusual seeing as she had tasted all kinds of unlabeled potions and tried many unmarked spells. Hell, if Azriel sprouted a tail and ears, it wouldn't be unexpected...

"You left. Remember?" Kent turned his attention out to the horizon, staring at it and shrugging. "What are you looking at Azzy?" She winced at that nickname. When she was little, they called her Azzy- she didn't really prefer it anymore.

"I don't know."

"Wrong answer." He said, patting her on the back, smacking his open hand against the dark brown sleeveless trench-like coat that hung down to the her ankles. Azriel turned her head quickly, her pale lavender eyes throwing metaphorical daggers at him. Kent immediately raised his hands, as if to say 'don't hurt me'. She turned her head back, and stared out again. It wasn't what she was seeing in the distance; it was what she wasn't seeing all around her.

"I need to find other Keyblade Masters." She said quietly. "What have I done with this skill, but waste it? Swing it around like some idiot, wasting my time as well as others. I need knowledge, knowledge that I thought I would find here."

Kent began to smile, putting on a goofy and asinine grin, as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a rolled up newspaper. He stuck it out in front of him, and Azriel stared at it a moment before wrapping her nimble pale fingers around it. She unrolled it, and read the title.




Azriel looked past the words and to the hazy picture. Two figures, and one looked... Familiar? She blinked, and dropped the paper.

"Keyblade wielders." She said, turning away. Kent stared at her with wide eyes as she turned to leave the Bailey, the sound of her matching heels clicking against the stone walk. He looked then to the paper, and muttered something about women and littering, before bending down. He picked up the paper, and chased after her... But what good would it do? Kent could fly Gummi Ships, and Azriel had just decided that she needed to find the Keyblade boys. Because, if she could, it would mean that she could possibly figure out what this weapon was, and what she was meant to do with it...
But secretly because...

He looks like Shien- just... all grown up.





Kent had kicked his feet up onto the table, while Azriel re-packed her things. He stared at her, scratching his long callous fingers into his red hair.

"You know, I don't know why I ever liked you. I was a dumb little boy, ya' know?" He said. Azriel stopped and chuckled, looking over at him with a slight excited feel deep in her bones.

"Actually, I did know. Why do you think I avoided you?"

Kent scowled quietly at her remark, as she tossed her bag to him, before moving into the bathroom. She stared up at the mirror, and sighed. She combed her hair, the smooth mess of blond, purple, and black, falling smooth down to the center of her back. She adjusted her jacket's once broken pin, and fixed it with a new clasp between the breasts that drew the two collar pieces together with a loose lace of black and a simple heart-shaped silver pin. Beneath the long dark brown jacket, she wore a V-neck tank top, one of black with a faded gray print along the right side that mimicked roses. The bottom edge of her shirt was hemmed in white lace, as was the top. Her neck bore a choker of black satin, with a tiny heart locket hanging from it- it matched a locket she wore on her wrist as well. One bore an A, another an S. Her shorts came down a few inches above her knees, a shade of coal-gray with her left leg bearing white lace against her pale and barely sun-kissed skin, before diving into her boots- which came up to her shins and adorned several violet ribbons that wrapped down the boot and came together over the toe. Her jacket adorned the same pattern of satin ribbon, with the violet outlining the collar and trims, before criss-crossing up the back. Along the very center of the back of her coat, was an embroidered red rose that Belle had sewn on for her before she left.

Azriel sighed. She had just come home, and for what now? To leave again?

She turned and headed for the door, opening it and stepping into the street of Radiant Gardens as Kent tagged quickly along.

"You are so ungrateful!" He bickered, following after her.

"Then why are you following me?" She said sternly, chuckling shortly after as she moved towards Kent's Gummi Ship- Minerva. She watched the cock-pit open and stepped inside, listening to Kent's faint grumbling as he tossed her bag inside and jumped inside himself.

"Pain in my ass..." He muttered, shutting the cock-pit, and getting ready for lift-off.

Zant looked out the window of the ship he was currently sitting in. He had payed the owner of the ship to take him to Halloween Town. News had spread to him that a group of Keyblader Weilders were staying there. "Faster." He mumured to the pilot who nodded quickly and sent the ship up to its fastest.
"So, why ya headin' to Halloween Town?" The pilot asked trying to start a convosation.
"Buisness." Was all Zant said still looking at out the window. He saw the small dot of the world getting closer. Soon he would be there. He stood up from the chair and summoned Fatal Crest to him. He adjusted his grip and began to swing it around.
"Your pretty 'andy with that weapon boy." The pilot mentioned sweeping a hand through what was left of his white hair. He turned back to face the controls and his eyes widened. "We got ships coming in fast kid." Zant turned to look out the front window and saw it was true. There were five ships in total, each with the Heartless Insignia on the side.
'Dammit I should've known better than to summon it!' He mentally slapped himself before sending Fatal Crest away and sitting down, leaving his trust in the pilot. The ship suddenly rocked as the fire of the enemy lasers (I guess?) tore into the hull. The ageing pilot was moveing the controls around in every single direction trying to avoid the incoming fire. They were almost to Halloween Town now and Zant noticed only two ships were still trying to follow them. A large explosion was heard as the back of the ship blew open from the lasers.
"WE'RE GOING DOWN!" The pilot yelled as the ship spiralled out of control towards the ground. The next thing Zant saw was the front of the ship hitting the ground with a crash before he blacked out.

Zant's eyes flickered open as he began to cough. He looked around the flaming wreckage of the ship to see the burnt remains of the now dead pilot. Struggling to his feet he looked around the area and then to himself. Ironicly he hadn't changed appearance at all. "Typical." He muttered before stumbling out of the wreckage and looked at where he was. He noticed he was right next to a town which looked deserted but that wasnt the thign which caught his attention. What caught his attention was the large ship 'parked' right by the town he noticed what seemed to be two men/boys in the windsheild both matching the describtion of the Keyblade Weilders he had heard about. "Well that was easy."

Jason nodded his head at one Shien said. Over the course of the year, Shien had discussed with him the secret of Digen, his alternate personality that withheld the majority of his power. Apparently, Shien had been kidnapped as a boy on his home planet, though the experimentation done on him had wiped those memories from his mind. He couldn't remember anything about his hometown or before the experiments, and in that regard, Jason felt bad for him. Nevertheless, Jason had resolved to help him out in any way he could, using the Light to keep Digen at bay and promising to help him search for his memories. It was the least he could do after Shien had saved his life...twice.

"You're right, we won't be able to stay long. It's just that I really miss home, and if nothing else, I want them to know that I'm still alive."
There was much more to say, but he didn't want to make Shien feel bad about his own lost memories. Jason's next question struck him deep, and he nodded with conviction.
"Of course, I do. Usually, I'll catch myself thinking about her, too."


He was just about to push the asceleration lever up when he noticed a ship barreling towards Halloween Town. The back of it had exploded outward, and black smoke was billowing out of it. It appeared that enemy ships had shot it down. It slammed into the ground and the flames started to overtake it. Without a second thought, Jason bolted out the cargo hold and rushed to the ship, using Light Speed to reach it there in double time. When he arrived, a young man about his age was standing there.

"Are you all right?" Jason asked as he moved over to the ship to examine the wreckage.
Apparently, the pilot had been killed instantly by the crash and was now too engulfed by falmes to be saved. Jason turned back to the young man.
"You were shot down by Heartless," he said without question.
Jason had been in the same situation himself, but was able to fend them off with the Eliminator X's weapons. Jason then invited the young man over to their ship so that they could talk in relative comfort.

Kent put the ship in space, and didn't waste any time to think about it. Minerva was his famous little toy, his precious lover. If the ship were capable of reproducing, they'd have Gummi babies. Kent had spent many years working hard to put Minerva together, and now that ''she'' was complete, he traveled like a true roadie through space.

But Azriel was distant. She stared out of the glass cockpit at the space that surrounded him. She liked this peace; being away from people and worlds. Being stuck in the middle. Sometimes she felt like Beast's Castle would've provided a perfect home for her. Dark, eerie, lonely. She stared out, and after a short while, began to close her eyes. She was so tired, and had not slept in her time on Radiant Gardens. It was hard to sleep in the bed she had used so long ago. Thus why she had contacted Kent about the Radiant Inn. She couldn't go to the library, for the memories it had bound not by books. Flickers of being chased by Shien through the tall towers of books came to mind every time she tried to face the heavy doorway. She just... couldn't.

Once upon a time, I saw a light- a light just like yours. Beast's words rang softly in her mind, and she bowed her head. But you are strong, unlike the others. You can do it. Dig, Azriel. If you search, then you will never stop finding...

"If I search..." She began, when suddenly turbulence ripped her awake from her shaky slumber. Azriel gripped the arm-rest of her seat and brought her head up, lavender eyes snapping open to see what was going on. Kent hissed as he jerked the ship around, sending it twisting about.

"What is going on?!" Azriel demanded, as just when a flicker of a shadow danced into view, the ship spun. In the distance, she could see a glimmer of a world; Halloween Town, so near. But there were heartless in these airs! She knew when she saw the tiny clamping orange and black Heartless, firing off laser-like attacks at Minerva. A hit was taken, beneath Azriel's foot. The metal beneath her leg seared hot, and caused her to whimper and struggle, trying to get out. Her boot was going to catch on fire or melt, whichever came first, because of that fiery heat from the blast! She then had the quick idea come to her, and raised her gloved right hand. She curled her fingers back, fingernails still rigidly curved to face the attack. Her palm protruded, as a sweet pale energy began to form, the glyph of a snowflake on her hand when suddenly an icy blast danced forth, mending to the hot metal and cooling it.

Azriel sighed in relief, but they weren't out of the frying pan just yet. She looked up and saw that Kent was literally on the edge of having a cow. He was gripping the handles and controls until his knuckles turned white, his wide eyes set on them as he weaved away. Kent was a fantastic pilot, but another hit caused him to finally lose his cool for good.

"WHAT THE SHIT MAN!?!" He yelled in a womanly pitch. Azriel stared at him in awe, then began to question quickly what happened. "What what" was her response, as she continued. Then, he pointed to the dash, a blinking series of lights. His fingers shakily aimed at one.



It blinked over and over, and more Heartless were showing up.

"We've come to a friggin' field of baddies!" Kent began. "We're doomed, there is no way we can even hope to land in this mess!" Kent turned and steered for Halloween Town, noticing a previous ship crashing into the surface. "We're going to die!" He cried out. Suddenly, Azriel felt the same sudden fate.

Another blast tore into Minerva. He pushed a few buttons, and a field came up. A shield, to protect them. He crossed his fingers and prayed, weaving out of the Heartless and heading to land on Halloween Town. But Azriel kept her eyes closed.

One last shot almost did them in, as the shield broke down. They were only seconds away now. One shot came in, and the ship shuddered. Kent guarded himself by grabbing the dash in front of him. But Azriel reached to grab the dash and her hand slipped; and with a soft 'thud!', her head hit the glass and she was out like a light, as Kent tried to keep enough control to land Minerva and begin repairs.

Kent felt a sudden wind take the ship, and it whipped around wildly, soon landing as the ship spun on the ground like a dull top. Finally, it stopped. And hot steam rolled off the broken shield and ship where fiery attacks had laid into Minerva's metals. Suddenly, the cockpit opened up, and a billow of smoke came up, as a cough erupted from it.

"I swore I wouldn't kill her! How am I gonna' go back, and tell 'em I killed her! I mean, she's not the nicest Miss Daisy I've driven around, but I didn't have to kill her!" Kent was repeating to himself in a daze, as he carefully maneuvered out of the smoke. When he did, he had a slumped-over figure hanging over his shoulder like a sack of sand. All that could be seen was the dark brown trench covered in violet satin with rose embroidery, and the matching boots. He had his arm hooked around the legs as he looked around, calling for help.

"I killed this woman.." He muttered. "Someone, CPR, resuscitation magic! Anything?!"

Finally, a hand prickled into his back and he yelped in pain. Azriel had pinched him along his love handle.

"You bi-!"

"Put me down." She whispered, a trickle of blood from the corner of her head. The man obeyed, and pulled her off of his shoulder, setting her next to the Gummi Ship, crouching next to her and combing her hair back, trying to wipe the blood away. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a rag- that was thankfully not oily- and held it to her head.

"I'm really sorry, so so so sorry, like- I owe you a lot.. Ya' know, 'cause I'm sorry and stuff.." He kept on, scratching his head as he looked at Minerva. "Gah, do you know how expensive it will be to repair my baby?! You owe me more than your life, you owe me your pockets' worth... Friggin' made me broke." He muttered. Azriel raised her hand and touched his lip.

"Please... shut up... for goodness sakes." She muttered, cracking open a lavender eye and staring at him. Her vision was blurry, but she would be alright for now. "Do you have a potion?" She asked.

"Yeah, yeah... somewhere." Kent then stood up and jumped back inside the cockpit, leaving Azriel settled against the wing of the ship, as he searched for her things and his, and a potion to help her throbbing headache and few possible fractures along her wrist and shoulder.

Azriel leaned her head back, parting her lips for a cool breath, staring up into the sky and twisting her sight about, her hazy vision catching the sight of one figure. But he was so blurry; and she could not tell who he was.

"Hurry up." Was all Azriel mustered up, closing her eyes as she waited.

Jason nodded and rose his hand to the side. Using the power of the Light, he blasted the fires on the first ship that crashed and doused them like water. He knew that the pilot was dead, so he lifted the charred remains out and placed them near his ship. As soon as he had done that, he raced over to the ship. Shien had successfuly guided the ship to the ground, but now, medical attention had to be administered.
"Stand back!" he told the man with her.

Kneeling over the woman, he held his hand over here, spotlighting her with his power. The Light successfully healed the wounds and any brain trauma within a matter of three minutes, but she would still need time to recuperate on her own.
"Ma'am, can you hear me?" Jason asked as he cradled her up. He knew that her head had to be up, so that blood could begin moving back into the brain. As he did this, he ran his hand above the parts of her body, healing the fractures along her wrist and shoulder.

She had been waiting in silence when she heard a voice say 'stand back!'. Well, who was there to stand back? A creepy crawly someone come to stick their nose in her business, surely. She was about to open her eyes when she felt the light shining down on her. Her head began to fuzz up a bit, a soft and warm feeling invading her. It was so wonderful, this power. As it swam into her head, she kept her eyes closed and relaxed. All of her muscles and pains relaxed, as soon she was healed. Hands seemed to pull her up, and she shuddered a bit, feeling the sudden nipping cool of the night. Azriel opened her eyes slowly and was about to shoo Kent away when she realized that it wasn't a potion, nor a Curing spell from her magically disabled friend. Instead, it was a stranger. No!-

It was Jason, from the Gardens' Gazette. Well, Halloween Town in other words. The Keyblade Master.

"You-" Azriel said quietly, blinking as she pushed herself up and stood, her head spinning for a minute before settling once more. "You are the Keyblade wielder. I've been looking for you." She said, her voice gentle. Kent seemed to be jealous of this as he sat in the background with his arms folded; the potion resting in his palm's grip.

Azriel pushed her fingers back into her long blond, violet, and black hair, pushing it behind her shoulders. She fixed her jacket's clasp in the front of a heart, undoing it and shoving it in her pocket, letting the jacket part open. She pressed her fingers against her side, where she thought she'd felt a bruised pain. But it was not a bruise. Maybe some kind of cramping pain from just bumping around inside the cockpit during that turbulent landing.

"I have come because I too-" Suddenly her voice was halted, stopped dead in her throat, as she found her glance to the side filling her vision with a figure that she didn't want to recognize. A fire symbol instantly lit to the bottom of her hand as she readied a simple fire spell. As, of course, she wanted to destroy the illusion. She had somewhat convinced herself that he never existed, but who was that?

"Shien?" She muttered quietly, curling her fingers back to keep from casting a fire spell at her feet. No, it could not be. But... It looked just like him. Except, well, he was a man now, and not a child. Neither of them were children anymore... "What kind of night scare is this?" Azriel then said rather coldly, wanting to tear her eyes away, only to find she was unable to. She stared until her fingers had come to her throat, wrapping around the tiny locket with the S carved into it.

"Impossible."

Jason smiled warmly as she was successfully resucitated. Thankfully, only one person had perished so far in a crash. He was a bit surprised when she mentioned that she was looking for him, but the surprise did not linger long.
"Well, you found me," he said in a matter of fact tone.
"Is there something that you wanted from me?"
She was answering when her gaze was suddenly drawn to something else.

Then, all of a sudden, fire appeared in her hand. His first instinct was to smother it, but he waited a minute, not wanting to act too rashly. When she asked for Shien, he was again surprised. He was sure their pictures had been in every paper in the nearby galaxy, but the way she said it implied deeper meaning. Almost as if she was struggling to recognize him...
When her voice became sharper, he decided to answer her.

"Miss, this is no night scare, despite the fact that you are in Halloween Town. Shien over there is my friend and teammate. Surely, if you came looking for me, you must have known that he was with me?"
Deciding to lean her against the wall, he stayed kneeling and looked at her, silently asking for some answers. To have come looking for him and then be surprised to see Shien, that was highly suspicious. He motioned for Shien to come over, so that he could ascertain exactly what kind of relationship the two had, if there was one.

What the hell was keeping Highsmith on Halloween Town? He'd been there a full year for God's sake! Did he decide to take up a permanent residency? Xeynar grew impatient as he watched the tracking system moniter Eliminator X's movement. Getting bored, he decided to bring up any news on Keyblade Wielders, when an article from the Garden's Gazette came up on the computer terminal.

"Keyblade Wielders save Halloween Town from darkness..." Xeynar read aloud. For a moment, he simply trembled with rage, before suddenly slamming his fist on the input keys, activating the failsafe reboot on the terminal, "I'm the one that should be in the Gazette! 'Dark Heart proves more than a match for universe's last hope!', Highsmith should be DEAD!" he screamed, angrily storming from his chair and knocking a Dark Heart out of his way.

"If not for Zen's worthless little pet!" again, it all came back to Zen. Zen was someone Xeynar should have been loyal to. And yet, the bastard managed to somehow be the cause of everything at the same time. Xeynar then swore he'd kill both Zen and his pet, "Nobody crosses me! I am a dragon! And I am invincible! I command the Demon King and God of Dragons!" It was here that a different Dark Heart, not one of his own, appeared before him.

"Gather information?" Xeynar just laughed after killing the messenger, "Who the hell does he think he is! I quit taking orders from that bastard long ago! Doesn't he realize when he's been betrayed? Hmph, well then, I guess the moron's in for quite a shocker, isn't he?"

Although he had no intention of returning to Zen, Xeynar was, admittedly, curious about these so-called Harbringers of Darkness. Who were they? Why did they care so much about killing Dark Hearts? Not that Xeynar gave two shits about the Dark Hearts or the Guild. Still, these guys were either bold or stupid. Maybe even both. Keyblade Masters or not, they'd regret it if they got in the way of Xeynar's goal.

Rord had liked his new life as an assassin. He'd gained the element of ice, a power that was perfect for a cold hearted assassin like him. He'd been training his power like crazy over the past year. He remembered the day he met Zen swelled in darkness, his boss saw the chaos within him and allowed him to join the Guild of Darkness. Rord had been with them for several months know, and had grown to enjoy his murderous agenda Zen gave him.

He wanted to go after the Harbingers, these were the beasts that killed several of his comrades. He did not care for anyone in the GoD except for Zen and his secrete crush. He was going to seek out Zen and find out what his next mission was. If he was lucky, it would involve him getting involevd with or causing bloodshed.

He searched for Zen and suspected he heard his boss talking to himself. He entered the room and briefly bowed. "Master Zen, I completed my last mission and now I have come... again ready for my next mission? What do you need me to do Master?

He called Shien over, and the man came. He looked at her, eye contact holding for that split second. But there was no gleam of recognition. Only the dull stab of confusion. She felt her stomach twist into a knot and her heart hammering behind her breast, ready to explode.

I shouldn't have come here... I shouldn't have come at all...

When he arrived, he mentioned a tear in his sleeve. Azriel couldn't even smile, although she had the urge to mention how clumsy he was as a little boy. She felt the words catch in her chest, as Kent whispered an 'Oh shit' in the background. He didn't know, but he knew at the same time. He'd never met Shien; he'd actually made a few behind closed doors jokes about the boy. But he knew by the way Azriel was looking at him, that it had to be that kid she kept looking for back home.

"I..." She tried to avert her eyes, and she might as well have ripped them out of her sockets and given them to Jason. That would explain at least a third of the difficulty of looking away from Shien.

He grew up, got tall, thinned out. His face has grown more mature, his eyes bearing a heavy burden... I wonder what happened, I have so many questions, but he doesn't even remember me... How could he not remember me, and all this time, all this time I've searched!

She pulled her fingers heavily away from the locket, dragging her nail over the "S" in it as she curled her fingers into a fist. She held out her left hand and tried to find some summon, as a light danced into play, creating the soft blue Dae Crescendo Keyblade.

"I have come to find you, and join your ranks." Azriel said quietly, almost mechanically. She turned her eyes down to her feet and blinked a bit. "Sorry about the confusion. I must've just hit my head really hard on our way down..." She rubbed her forehead, and the only pain was that of heartbreak. They were once best friends? How could he not? She even wore his locket- the one with the "A" carved into it, from her. She'd found it left behind in the Bailey when he disappeared... That was just it, she finally decided. Shien had left her behind, for good. Even in his memories. She tightened up a bit, and stiffened, releasing the Keyblade and dismissing it.

"I have no purpose, and with this, I know there exists one. So I decided to come find it." She said softly once more. "I am predominantly a mage, but learning to fight should be no problem as I am a progressive learner. My name is Azriel Anansi, from the world Radiant Gardens. My pleasure to meet you both."

Zant watched the people conversing trying to get his head straight. The two boys were deffinatly the keyblade weilders he had heard of. "I to have come to join you." He finally said after a moment. "I'm Zant." He then began to examine the weilders. All about his age but slightly smaller than he was. The corner of his lips curled up slightly. This will be an interesting adventure.

He looked at the girl who said she was from Radiant Garden. He'd never seen her before but that didn't matter. He then looked to Jason. The fabled Keyblade Master. "Your leading us?" Turning to Shein he examined him quickly before waiting for any reply from the two. He then felt a stinging pain in his left knee but he ignored it summoing Fatal Crest for a second to show and then sending it away.

((Had a busy day today so thats why i'm only just posting. Sorry about that.))

~Xenobia~

There was a radiance to the silence; to the darkness, she thought. Especially when the depth of this silence was purely by her choice...

Atop the roof of St. Augusta's bell tower- a tall cathedral-like building that stretched with one brilliantly high and thin tower bearing the bronze evening bell- was a woman. She stood with her boots- black and bearing two-inch thick heels- against the edge of the bell-tower. She was on the railing, which inwardly was protecting a small hollow octagon of wood that people would walk around, with the bell in its center. She was in a crouch, staring out from in front of the large bronze bell. Her red eyes peered between tendrils of vibrant pink that swayed against her cheeks, seeking to gaze upon the bright city lights. Oh, how Xenobia loved Darmell. The lights, sounds, and so many fun victims- though she kept her toying to a minimum seeing as how she actually did attempt to behave herself at times.

Xenobia adorned a long black coat, one that swayed softly behind her, with tattered/burned edges along the bottom trim. The sleeves came down into pale blue cuffs with white tribal print along them; which rested upon her hands and wrists, availing her smooth peachy skin. Beneath her open coat, she wore a top of blue with a tie beneath her breasts. From that tie, two pieces came down, as though the shirt had been cut straight up the front and back, letting it part over her navel and back. These side-pieces were black with white tribal print along them, and blue trim at the edge. Her pants came down over a pair of black boots, and rested at her navel snugly with a belt of charcoal-gray flat-studs holding it there. The buckle was a sharp metal "X" that was decorative enough to look almost like a weapon but as well some kind of iron cross turned to its side. Her nails were long and glassy, with brilliant red tips (like french tips) that matched the piercing color of her enigmatic eyes. Loosely bundled around her neck was a long pale scarf of faded gray, that turned red as it neared its tattered ends; which hung down along her back.

She watched out over the city, reaching up and pressing her nails to the top edge of her scarf, pulling it down to reveal her glossy burgundy lips, which parted and whispered something no man's ears would hear. But in the distance, echoing like an eerie angel's cry, came that very voice. Xenobia's voice, as it managed to drift along the wind.



Xenobia then stood up, the clearance between the wooden rails and the top of the bell-tower's roofed edge being about eight feet. Her hair tussled to the side as the wind blew, and she folded her arms across her chest, waiting as a shimmer seemed to summon sharp charcoal-colored metal daggers that formed two long wings of metallic spans of nine or so feet each. She felt her lips tug into a smirk as she waited, eyes searching the darkness, and ears awaiting Zen's voice- should he come at all.

As soon as Shien approached the group, Jason could see that he did not recognize the woman. His suspicion had given way to confusion, and in that confusion, he did not hear Shien's joke. The young woman began to speak again, and with almost no emotion, said that she had come to join their ranks. She also mentioned that her recognition of Shien probably had something to do with hitting her head, but Jason really doubted that. He took special note of the fact that she came from Radiant Garden, which was Shien's home world. Although, he was not quite sure of the connection between them.


His attention was drawn elsewhere, as the boy from earlier entered the fragments of Azriel's ship. By now, it was obvious that they were both Keyblade masters, and he was grateful for the help. However, he needed to make sure that they both understood the danger they would be getting into.
"Yes, Zant, I am the team leader, and it is a pleasure to meet both of you. However, before we can discuss enlargening the team, there are a few things that you both need to know."

Jason approached Azriel and kneeled before her.
"Are you able to walk?" he asked, his business-like tone now much gentler, "My ship is just outside, and it would be much safer for both Kent and yourself if we were to go to it. I don't believe your legs were damaged in the crash, but if you need any help getting there, I'll be happy to help you."

Azriel

She looked up, staring at Jason with a curious and wary eye as he offered the safer place as his ship. Kent seemed surprised too- making silent jagged arm gestures towards his ship as though to say 'WHAT ABOUT HER?! WHAT ABOUT MINERVA?!?!'.

But Azriel wasn't complaining- no. Her head was too full of spiraling out of control thoughts to muster up a complaint, or even a question as to why. So she came to a stand, her right leg aching one single throb of pain where that fiery blast had penetrated the ship next to it. She took in a breath and reached out, barely touching her fingers to Jason's upper arm to assure she didn't fall down. About two or three seconds later, Azriel let go. I won't fall...

"I believe I will be able to manage making it to your ship." Azriel said in a more friendly tone, turning her head to see Kent lower his head in defeat and follow like a child who'd just been beaten up. He blew a kiss to his hunk of junk that had crash landed here, and began to walk towards Jason's ship with the others...


Upon arrival, which was in no way a long journey- or any more than a five minute walk at a slow leisurely pace, Azriel halted. She stared at the ship- which made Minerva look rather pansy-ish. But her attention couldn't stick to ships when so much had happened in so little time. She turned her lavender eyes unto Shien, locking them once more, before returning a gaze to Jason after skimming over Zant's figure.

"I am sure you have something to discuss with us. I am all ears for whatever you may say or forewarn. I already owe you both-" she turned her flickering gaze to Shien and again returned it to Jason, "-for having saved me and my friend. So, my attention is yours."