First Meetings: A False Beginnings Spin-Off (1X1)

[X Accelerando X]

This was it, the power he had been searching for all this time, the power of an entire world covered in darkness—more than enough power to put Maleficent in her place if he so chose.

But why bother with that insignificant worm? We can achieve so much more then she could ever dream of in a lifetime of plotting.

Within the darkness, alone at the very heart of his home, Vincent could not feel so very alone—there were indeed the hearts of everyone that had been lost around him, all of them sleeping the dark, waiting to be awakened again…

Or consumed…

There was the voice once more. It was so very cold and yet so familiar, as familiar as his own voice and yet far more ancient. You know what it is that you want, and you take it without remorse. I can appreciate that powerful and dominating mentality. It is the mark of a ruler, not a boy that remains on an island or under the thumb of an incompetent sorceress. You are destined for far more—your heart is so grand that it encompasses far more then hers or Seifer’s or anyone else’s. See now what I mean…

Within the darkness, away from every other influence and for hours upon hours, Vincent’s heart was filled with images, memories emotions; those hearts that were within the darkness brushing his own, sharing their hopes, dreams and pain. He saw the destruction of the island through the eyes of those that had been there, heard their cries. Zidane crying out as Seifer’s mother was struck down by the Heartless, heard him telling himself to kill all of the bastards, his reasoning that it would bring her back if he did and the crushing disappointment that swallowed him up
when it did not work.

Do you see the pain that her greed has wrought? You already know this is true, but now--now you have tasted of the fear that Maleficent has laid upon the countless hearts of so many worlds. But you and I have a chance to amend all of that, Vincent.

"The last time I made a deal with someone in the dark, I found myself regretting it deeply. Why should I trust you?" Vincent was certain he need not question the voice--it was his own after all. A power within himself given form by the power around him. He could rely upon this voice; there was really no one else to trust beyond himself. Not even Seifer, his heart so pure and filled with light. He could never understand--would never understand. Vincent was alone in the world now and he would conquer it.

Because I want exactly what you want, Vincent. You wish to be rid of this, do you not? You do not wish to lord over the world, but to instead guide it with a firm hand. Pull it away from the precipice it hangs over, the destruction that will be wrought by it ambling onwards on the path it has chosen. Vincent listened, and as he listened he saw before his eyes the image of the stars above each blinking out one by one by one until there was nothing left. No sound. No life. No Light. There was simply nothing on and on. What you are seeing is the Void. It is an all consuming force and no one knows that it exists. No one but you. You must safeguard the worlds from this threat alone, for you are the only one that could ever hope to comprehend the vastness of this monstrous presence.

Of course he was. Seifer was clever but so very short-sighted in everything. He never looked ahead, never prepared. It had taken all of Vincent's pushing to get him to actually prepare for college, to want to even think about going to a university on something other than a simple football scholarship. And everyone else was like him. Just like him. Dense, short-sighted and stupid. Embrace the Darkness within you completely. Let it flow through you with all the wisdom of this place, the knowledge of a world full of hearts. Take all of the darkness into yourself and subdue it! Become its master! Once you rule this heart, be it through darkness or not, this world will be reshaped in the image you wish for it to be, the image you longed for it to take for so very long!

It never crossed his mind to ask who this was that spoke with his voice and reflected his desires. He never once considered the results of what this may do, taking in so much darkness all at once; he could handle it, he knew he could. Such things were beyond the near-ascended being that he had become with the power of darkness. He could feel it around him, pulsing as it fought to devour him completely. Oh, but he was too strong for even a whole world worth of darkness to take him now. “Pitiful Hearts, mindlessly floating in the darkness. And yet you know not the true power of what you hold. You gather in darkness, masterless and free... until now. Now you shall weave together to make my world. And when it is complete, I will be master of you all!” With this declaration, he allowed the darkness within him to flow forth, creating a hole that drew in the hearts around him. Everything was drawn into his self-made vortex, the darkness that beat at the center of the destroyed world, imploding inward.

Outside of the barrier that cut Seifer off from Vincent, his actions were just as visible, the black orb shrinking silently, a force exerted on everything around it not unlike a black hole—and then just as quickly as it started, it stopped pulling in everything, the barrier shattering like glass as a wave of inertia rocketed outward again, sweeping over everything in its path, blasting over the shattered remains of the island in a raging wind of darkness. Finally, when everything had gone still a few moments later, Seifer would find himself on the beach of the newly restored play island, the sea coming and going just as it always had in the same quiet rhythm of the tide. On the distant shore the town had been restored as well, though it was devoid of life. There were only two things that marred what would have been a normally peaceful night on the islands; the first was the moon. In its place high in the sky was a moon of a different sort—rather than being the round shape it normally held it had taken on something much more unusual.

There, hovering above the world was a full moon, shaped into what could only be considered a heart, the center missing a large chunk, allowing one to see straight through to the black sky behind.

-----------

Reno hurt all over. And not the kind that you got from running track or something in gym for the whole period and you’re waking up the next day ‘sore’. No, this was like, ‘Got a really bad fever and your aching all over and your skin is incredibly sensitive so even the blankets hurt’ kind of sore. He shifted in the bed, groaning at the pin-pricks of pain on his skin as he opened his eyes. The hell was he? The last thing he could recall was darkness; a whole lot of hot, sticky and burning darkness all around him. He couldn’t breathe, he’d been panicking and everything hurt, he could feel himself getting cold from all the blood and—! That dragon! That was right. That thing had him in its mouth; it had chewed on him too for a bit before swallowing him down alive and kicking. It was the most terrifying experience of his life, being turned into an entrée and he really did not want to think about it again. The suffocating walls around him had been crushing and he wouldn’t be surprised if he never wanted to be put in such close quarters ever again.

Groaning again, he made to sit up, stopped as a voice, a familiar one, told him to lay back and rest. He blinked his squinting green eyes up at the owner, trying to see who it was. It sounded like Cecil, though his voice was a hell of a lot more clearer then it usually was, not muffled and sounding like he was talking into a pot like he was used to hearing him. But the face wasn’t one that he recognized. Rubbing his eyes and ignoring the sensitivity of his skin as he wiped the sleep from them (his head pounding like a drum under the bright sunlight streaming through the window), he mumbled out, “Hey, buddy. You see a knight come in here? All in black, looking kinda grim?” He didn’t see hide or hair of the dark knight, just this guy— or maybe girl. Looked kinda like a guy but he was the prettiest Reno’d ever seen—wait, scratch that. There were those two girls, Haruhi and then that crazy captain, they were both girls but they looked like boys so did that count? Whatever, wasn’t important.

“Ah, you don’t recognize me?” the man-woman asked in Cecil’s voice, and Reno rubbed his eyes again, his vision finally clearing enough for him to see the man completely. The guy’s hair was a shiny white color, and it was wavy and dotted with beads but the eyes and voice were unmistakable. “It makes sense, I suppose. Last time we saw each other, Reno, you couldn’t even see most of my face. It’s me, Cecil.” The red-head’s eyes went wide as he stared at the transformed knight, the brilliant blue and white armor, flowing cape and slimmed down form. The guy was like an entirely different person, and if it weren’t for his voice, Reno wouldn’t have believed it was him. He stared for a few moments of silence, Cecil’s face wearing an increasingly awkward look as the seconds ticked by until Reno finally spoke again.

“Why the lipstick?”

Yeah it was a weird question to ask, but hey, it was a weird thing to be wearing. Cecil blushed brightly at the question, opening his mouth to speak there was a knock at the door. It opened slowly to reveal a man all wrapped up in white; turban, robes and even a face mask. Only thing that wasn’t covered, oddly enough, was his stomach—kinda strange that, but Reno wasn’t from this world so who was he to judge their fashion sense? “I am glad to see you are awake, though you should keep from moving about too much, child.”

“I’m sorry Master Minwu. I should have told him as such, but I was so relieved to see he was awake,” Cecil interjected apologetically. He turned a worried eye to Reno, who was still staring at the man named Minwu. Was this guy a doctor? As if on cue, his chest began to spasm slightly in pain. His hand went to the sore portion of his torso. Feeling gauze under his fingers, he looked down at the expanse of white wrapped around him. “You were badly wounded. Your companions explained that you ran afoul a dragon. I sense a strong life force within you—a will to live that is not just your own. It is fascinating, truly. As far as your wounds they were numerous and it was only that will to live that you survived; beyond the wounds from the fangs of the beast, there were the extensive acid burns along with the damage to your lungs from the gases within its belly. Truly it is a miracle you are awake at all.” He moved to the bedside as he spoke, sitting on the spare chair by the bed as he looked directly at Reno, and holding up a finger continued, “Follow my finger with your eyes.”

“So—am I all patched up?” Reno asked a bit somberly, his green eyes following the finger as it moved back and forth. It sounded like he really got a beating—or eating as the case may be. “Will I ever be able to play the violin again?”

“You will, though I strongly recommend that you avoid fighting anything any time soon, especially dragons. As far as your body is concerned, the damage will mend but I cannot speak for your psyche. I would like for you to take it easy for the next day or two. You are likely to feel the mental repercussions of the shock your body experienced—you can expect anxiety and nightmares at the very least. If they persist for more than a month you should perhaps seek out a means to relax your mind.”

“Great. I was nearly dinner for a dragon and now I’ll just be going insane because of it too…” the Keybearer grumbled under his breath as the white mage gently undressed and redressed the bandages over Reno’s numerous wounds. Cecil, meanwhile, had risen from his own seat, bowing to Minwu and then to Reno, giving a kind smile.

“I will tell Locke and Farris that you have awakened. Both have been incredibly worried about you.” With that he turned and made to find the rest of their merry little band.

[Mssr Miles]

“That’s all of ‘em!” Locke cried, sending a grin to the boy that had come along with him to scout the area, jogging up to him as he picked himself up off the ground. It had been a bit of a close call, but all he had gotten from that Heartless was scratches. “You’re getting better at this,” Locke said with a wink, his gaze looking back through the forest with a bit of a squint, shielding his eyes from the sun before nodding towards the path they had left behind in the battle became clear to him. “C’mon, let’s go. Don’t want Cecil to scold you for being out playing with me for too long, do you?” Locke asked with a wide grin, breaking off into a jog towards the path, Hope close on his trail.

Hope had a smile on his face as he put his boomerang away, into its holster behind his back, watching Locke dismiss his Keyblade. “Wish I could get one of those,” Hope called out, which brought a laugh from the dusty haired Keybearer. “I wouldn’t have to carry my boomerang around all over the place!”

“Yeah, well, that’s true. But carrying a weapon’s always a constant reminder. Even if you can’t see it, the person who carries it can always feel it.” Sending a look back at Hope, he smiled, tugging at the strap of his holster. “You feel the weight of it, no matter if it’s your boomerang, Cecil’s sword or my Key. You feel it here,” Locke said, tugging again before letting the strap fall away. “I feel it here,” he stated, patting the left side of his chest, right over his heart. “No matter where the weight is, it’s a constant reminder that you’re here to protect people, Hope. That you have the strength to make sure that those you love don’t hurt anymore.” Hope opened his mouth to protest, and Locke hushed him. “I know you’re just a kid and you’ve been through a lot and you feel a little hopeless right now. I know you don’t think that anyone knows where you’re coming from, but just try and believe me when I say that I kind of do, y’know?”

Hope looked to his feet, kicking a stone that was upon the road, before looking back towards Locke, hurrying his step to catch up as they traveled, a small sniff coming from Hope’s direction. “I just wish I could’ve been stronger so that Snow and Mister Magus didn’t have to... to die.” This was why Locke had stolen away the boy from Cecil’s care, taking him out with him as he scouted the area, fighting Heartless and finding any lost refugee’s from other towns and pointing them towards the South Figaro, which had become Locke and Hope’s home for the last couple weeks. Stopping in front of the kid, landing a hand on his shoulder, Hope looking up at him with teary eyes filled with barely contained anxiety. Locke and Hope had never been friends at school, but out here in the middle of a forest that turned to sand the further north they traveled, fighting Heartless and waiting for certain companions to wake up... stuff like popularity and who one was friends with and what it would mean to their reputation if they spoke to the young member of the Aurochs or the sticky fingered new kid seemed like a distant pipe dream. Shaking his head, Hope’s face fell, his eyes covering with his fringe. “I couldn’t stop Snow from being hurt. I couldn’t keep the silver haired man back. I couldn’t get to Strago! I couldn’t protect anyone, Locke! They died and it was my fault!”

Locke’s grip increased on his shoulder, leaning over to look Hope in the eye, catching and holding his teary gaze. “It wasn’t your fault, Hope,” he stated, hushing the boy again once he tried to protest. “From what I’ve heard, they wouldn’t have made it that far without you. You’ve saved them so many times I doubt you even remember how many times that you saved their asses. But believe me, Hope; it wasn’t your fault.” Wiping a tear from the kid’s face, Locke smiled at him, his expression softening. “The guilt is going to kill you if you let it.” Locke had come to an understanding with himself as he had stayed by Reno’s bed the first two days that they had been here in South Figaro; he had to man up and do something. If not, then everything really was all lost, just as he had felt. “Bad s**t happens and sometimes there’s nothing that you can do about it. Nothing except take your weapon, hold it in your hand, and swear that you’ll not let it happen to others.” Locke had done some asking around town, and he had found that Kohlingen, where he was originally from, had been overrun early in the Heartless invasion, and of those that he had talked to, none of them knew what had happened to Locke’s family. “Swear that you’ll do all you can to grow stronger so you can protect all those that are left. It’s hard, Hope; it’s very hard. But it’s what we can do.”

Hope sniffed loudly, nodding before he broke away from Locke, walking down the path in front of him, Locke hanging back a little. He was hard on the kid but it was better then what Farris had said to Locke, and it had been obvious to the pickpocket that Cecil’s approach hadn’t been working on Hope. Locke could see the broken looks that Hope had fallen into as soon as Cecil had walked away, and he knew that he had to say something to him. And hey, at least Locke hadn’t hit him like Farris had done to Locke; he still had the nearly faded bruise beneath his right eye to remind him of that little chat. Locke had used his own speech as well, since Farris’ had consisted more of, ‘People are dying while yer sittin’ in here like a whimpering idjit!’ Same message, different tactics, Locke figured, shoving his hands in his pockets, staring straight ahead, ever diligent for the signs of the Heartless.

Breaking the silence after a long while, Hope looked back at Locke, the tears dried from his face. “Thanks for bringing me out, Locke. I kind of needed this.”

“’Bit of exercise and some amazing company with yours truly is all anyone needs to make their lives a bit better,” Locke grinned with a wink, which earned him a smack from Hope, but not before Locke saw the smile that it had brought to the kid’s face.

“You’re an idiot,” Hope laughed, shaking his head with a final sniff. “But you’re a good one. Reno’s lucky to have a friend like you.”

Throwing an arm around Hope’s shoulders, Locke messed up Hope’s hair with a gloved hand. “Oi, I’m your friend too now, Hope! Now c’mon; if we make it back before noon, Cecil won’t even know you were gone!”

Hope took off after Locke as he sped ahead down the path, his weapon bumping rhythmically against the small of his back as he ran after the excitable Keyblade bearer, keeping up as best he could. He was a lot different from Snow, a lot smaller and he wasn’t as strong... but he had the same kind of attitude towards Hope, and it was one of the reasons why Hope had found a friend in Locke. Locke didn’t treat him like a kid that couldn’t do anything. He didn’t treat him like someone that needed to be protected and trusted him enough to stand with him in battle.

--

“I told you that wasn’t a good idea to try for that short cut,” Hope grumbled as they finally found the main path once more as the sun was setting on the day, in sight of the main gate thankfully. A smirking Farris standing at the gate to the town, eying the two young men as they walked up the road, both thoroughly exhausted and starving after a day in the woods, fighting Heartless all day and getting a little lost. Not that Locke would admit that he had been lost, but Hope had known when they had past the same waterfall for the third time that they knew not where they were; it had been about then that Hope had demanded that he carry the map and Locke could follow.

Locke just shrugged at Hope’s statement, grinning down at him, both a little dirty with leaves sticking out of their hair. “Aw, c’mon, it wasn’t that bad, was it?” Locke asked, expecting the exasperated sigh that came from Hope’s lips, his smile widening.

“We went into a cave filled with bats because you wanted to ‘see if there was any hidden treasure’! Thank the Spirits that the bats weren’t heartless, but they attacked us anyway because you decided that you wanted to SEE IF THEY WERE AWAKE! I thought I was going to die!” Hope complained loudly enough for Farris, at the gates, to hear, who snickered softly under her breath.

As the two got closer, acting more like brothers then they had when they had left, the youngest of the two looking much happier then Farris had last seen, the Captain smiled at the two. “Ahoy there. Successful run?” she called out, raising an eyebrow as they slowed, Hope looking a little awkward and Locke just grinning his face off.

“Yeah! We nodded a three people towards town. They got here alright?”

“Two guys and a gal on a wagon? Yeah, they’re here now. They said they’re both impressed with th’ young lads tha’ saved their lives.” Locke and Hope looked at each other with relieved, happy looks, and when Farris had decided that they had enough of those looks, she continued to speak. “Cecil’s been lookin’ for yah. Both o’ yah. Better head to th’ Inn and apologize before he finds yah and yells at yah.”

Hope and Locke hung their heads and nodded. “He’s really mad, is he?”

“Furious as ah wild pig,” Farris stated, though Cecil had been more worried than anything when he hadn’t been able to find Hope, and he had almost stormed out of town to go look for him before Farris caught him and told him that he had wandered off with Locke. “Oh,” Farris called from her post, looking over her shoulder at Locke, her lips smirking. “Yer dragon-chew-toy woke up.”

Locke nodded, sending a smile towards Farris as he jogged past. “I know. Hurt like a b***h ‘til he went back to sleep,” Locke said with a grin, it being the reason why he had tried to take that short cut and why he had downed three potions to try and numb his senses, because every moment had hurt. The keybearer sped off towards the Inn, Hope close on his heels, but losing ground because he wasn’t quite fast enough to keep up with him. Hope didn’t mind; Reno was Locke’s best friend. Hope knew that if his best friend was just waking up from being asleep for so long, he’d want to be right at his side as soon as possible.

It wasn’t long before Locke was at the inn, pushing his way inside after he had dodged through the small crowd of refugees, running up the stairs before getting to the floor where Reno’s room was, his maddened run relaxing to quiet walk towards the closed door, opening the door inaudibly, peeking his head inside, smiling quietly at Cecil who was at Reno’s bedside before quietly entering the room, feeling nervous all of a sudden. The healer in town, Mister Minwu, had told Locke that there might be some night terrors that would come along with this kind of thing; not that Locke could blame Reno. Locke had already had many nightmares about what could’ve happened if Farris hadn’t been there to help them.

Sitting carefully at Reno’s side on the bed, looking down at the skin he could see beneath all the gauze, he was glad to say that Reno at least didn’t look like a ghost anymore. Before, he looked like he was going to die, and Locke had been terrified for Reno’s life; they had saved him from the belly of the beast just to lose him to the fever that had taken over his form from his wounds. It was lucky that Minwu had been in South Figaro, otherwise Reno might not have made it. Grasping Reno’s hand, he squeezed it, getting a twitch back in return, which made him smile slightly. So lost in his thoughts, Locke barely felt the touch on his shoulder as Cecil left the room. Hope stepped back to let Cecil past, looking towards the two men in the room before turning wide eyes up at Cecil. “Did Reno really wake up?” he asked, just as Cecil closed the door behind him, leaving the two alone for the moment.

Feeling the telltale pain that came from Reno’s various wounds as the guy woke up, Locke winced slightly but kept his smile on his face; he couldn’t let Reno see how upset and worried he’d been. As green opened to the dimly lit room, Locke squeezed his hand, his smile growing. He had thought a lot about what he would say to Reno when he first woke up. Words of friendship, maybe promises that he'd never let Reno get hurt ever again... or maybe he'd tell Reno of the crush that had he had been cultivating for him since they had started on this mad journey? All that fell from his mind as soon as he saw Reno's eyes focused on him, figuring he'd break the ice with an introduction to his cheeky attitude that Farris had secretly been encouraging over the last month and a bit.

“I’d been wondering when you were going to finally going to wake up,” Locke stated, grinning down at his red headed friend. “I know you like your beauty sleep but I’m glad you finally realized that you weren’t gonna get any prettier, no matter how long you slept.”

[X Accelerando X]

Cecil felt nothing but profound relief the moment he saw Locke return—it meant that Snow was not far behind him. He had been incredibly worried after the boy ran off with Locke, and even though he knew he should know better the anxiety was still there. He’d nearly lost the boy once to Sephiroth and even though it was the same man that had taken him that brought him back that did not mean that the Heartless would be as merciful with a child. And regardless of what Farris might have insisted, Hope was indeed still a child. He may have been able to fight in a pinch but he was still a small boy and needed others to mind him. Cecil would do just that. That was what he had promised Snow he would do and he meant to follow through with that promise to the end.

Moving out into the hall with the young man, he nodded with a hopeful smile, his mind moving from being a guardian to that of Reno’s recovery. “He did wake up, yes. He was in a great deal of pain but he did wake up for a few minutes. Master Minwu says that it will be some time before he’s fully recovered but the fever finally broke and the worst is over.” And the fever had been terrible. Reno had cried out in the night on several occasions and Minwu had needed to reinforce the Sleep spell to help him fall into a deeper and more peaceful slumber. And while he would be on the mend for a while at least he would mend. “I think it best if we see about getting Reno something to eat. He hasn’t eaten since before they arrived here. He’s likely to be very hungry,” the paladin nodded to the small boy, patting his head fondly before moving towards the sitting area below. The place was crowded with refugees but it gladdened Cecil’s heart to see them; it meant that people had escaped the havoc brought on by the Heartless.

“Sir Cecil, your help is needed,” a woman called from across the cramped room, squeezing her way through the door between two elderly couples trying to hear each other talk. “The gate is under assault and General Leo is not available at the moment.” Cecil nodded in response, his face turning grim. He’d used his break time to visit with Reno but it seemed their work was never done. “Very well General Beatrix. I will take to the western gate. Please have Flynn meet with myself and Farris there.”

Over the course of their stay in South Figaro, a group of paladins had arrived to help move refugees from the World of Ruin to neighboring worlds that were protected. They had come in response to Cecil’s own ascension to knighthood to inquire after him joining into their group, which Cecil readily agreed to given the circumstances. They were all people like him—knights that worked for the peace of the worlds. Cecil was more than honored to join their ranks, though it would mean that when all was taken care of on this world that he would need to part ways with Locke and Reno. Hope was permitted to come with him if he wished due to his white magic abilities but Cecil hadn’t asked or mentioned the Keybearers.

--------------------------------------

“An’ you’re not gonna get any prettier no matter how much you sleep period,” Reno croaked out through a pained grin, his throat dry from disuse and thirst. “But if you’re gonna stand around an’ be a wise-a**, could you at least get me some water or something from the bathroom while you’re doing it? Hard to insult you when I sound like a dying cactuar.” He snickered, pushing himself up into a sitting position, his face wincing in pain from the effort, his body heaving for a steady breath that didn’t hurt while he took it in and stared over at his friend, just watching in silence for a few moments. “You’re definitely a sight for sore eyes though, beauty rest or not, Locke.”

He’d had dreams while he slept, bad dreams that made him sick with worry for his best friend. Things like Locke getting eaten too, or getting tossed into the lava within the volcano, or crushed under the dragon’s claws; yeah, Reno’d had some real good sleep that first week. But that was over now and he was awake and Locke was fine. Apparently had become a cheeky a** while Reno was unconscious, more so then he had been but that was fine by Reno. He was just happy to see the guy alive and well. Reaching his hand out, shaking with the effort, he put a hand on Locke shoulder just to make sure he was really there before nodding to the blond. His green eyes caught Locke wincing in time with his own pain and Reno recalled their connection, frowning at the idea and feeling more than a little guilty. What had Locke gone through all this time? Especially when the whole mess happened and Reno’d been crushed and chewed on by that dragon?

“I’m sorry if I hurt ya during all of this, Locke. I don’t mean to, really.” His hand moved slowly down towards Locke’s chest where his half-a-heart lay. “We need to get this fixed like yesterday, you know?” Reno wasn’t the type of person to dwell on guilt and even now he wasn’t thinking about it too much. He only knew that he needed to fix this so that if he decided to be stupid again Locke wouldn’t have to pay the price of his stupidity as well. “Not that I mind sharing a heart with you. You’re a real good landlord an’ my half a heart is getting cozy but it’s time I got a move on and cleared out. I bet you’re tired of renting out to a free-loader like me, huh?” He let out a quiet laugh that ended in a dry cough, shaking his head. “Damn that still hurts…”

As he stopped coughing, Reno looked at his hand and realized where it was, quickly withdrawing it as he looked down at his palm, blushing slightly despite his pale visage at the moment. He’d—well, he had weird feelings for Locke. Like really weird feelings. Maybe it was because of their connection or whatever but he felt funny whenever he thought about Locke, butterflies, that kind of thing. But it definitely wasn’t the kind of thing that happened between guys, right? Or was it…?

[Mssr Miles]

A smile grew itself onto his lips at Reno’s insult, winking anyway. “I’m hot no matter what way you look at me. We’ll get Minwu to look at those eyes of yours later since you can’t see it,” Locke stated, sticking his tongue out quickly. “I suppose I could get you something to drink, though. I know I don’t want you trying to get up yet,” Locke stated, rising to his feet with a thoughtful look. “Though I kind of like the new, gruff voice. Makes you actually sound older then me. You know that your voice usually sounds like a ten year old girl, right?”Locke teased, but he did as he was asked by his bed-ridden, red headed companion. Soft thuds followed Locke as he walked to the basin near the door, pouring some water into a cup and returning to his friend’s side. Setting himself down gently, being sure not to shake the bed or Reno much at all, Locke returned just in time to have Reno’s hand fall onto his shoulder.

A smile spread over his face, shaking his head as Reno apologized. “I didn’t think that you really tried to get gobbled up on purpose. If you did then I’d have to worry about your mental state more then anything. Get you all set up with a padded white room so you wouldn’t go tossing yourself towards every dragon that we came up against, all dressed up in a nice layer of barbeque sauce.” Laughing softly, Locke wondered if he maybe shouldn’t think the mental image of Reno running at a dragon covered in nothing but sauce was so funny… but he figured that they both had to start laughing about this if Reno was going to get over it. Minwu had told Locke that he would need some help to put the whole situation behind him. What better way to help him then through laughter? It was the best way that Locke could think of, really.

Wincing in time with every time that Reno coughed, he nodded finally, placing the glass in Reno’s hand, helping him bring it to his lips so that he wouldn’t spill any. “If it hurts, then don’t laugh,” Locke stated simply, grinning, knowing that it wasn’t going to happen and that he might get a smack from his friend. “I know it’s a little painful, but it doesn’t hurt as much as it used to. On the way here it was a lot worse. But you’re getting better now, so that’s all that really matters, y’know? You’ll be outta this bed in no time, running ‘round with me and helping me to look for that damn half-heart of mine in no time. Wonder where we’ll find it… probably in the last place we look, I guess.” Shrugging his shoulders, putting the glass aside now that it was empty, having made sure that Reno had taken all of the liquid from the glass.

At this point, Locke’s gaze turned a little more serious then it had been, his fingers capturing the hand that Reno had pulled away, pressing it where it had been, his strength enough to keep it there, Locke noticed with a slight frown. Locke’s heart beat against his
chest rhythmically, and he looked at Reno, being sure that he felt it before he started to talk, trying to push his point home. “The only reason that my heart’s still beating is because of you,” he stated, his eyes shining with gratitude. “You might be a bit of a freeloader, sure, I won’t deny that, but I need to thank you for what you did. Because of you, I can still be around to help you find the other half of my heart.” Squeezing the hand, holding it a little longer than necessary, Locke finally put the hand down on his lap, not yet letting the hand go. “You’ve done so much for me since everything’s started, Reno. Hell, you gave up all the memories of your family to make sure that I’d be able to stick around, and you didn’t even know me all that well. We’ll get my heart back so you can remember then I can start to make it up to you.”

Light brown eyes looked away from Reno’s bright green gaze, looking at the hand that he still held captive, a small blush reaching his cheeks. “So much’s happened since the caves… hell, so much’s happened since home. We’ve been in so much danger and with everything that happened in the caves, I—" Locke choked himself off, looking away, betraying the worry that he had felt over the last while, his fingers tightening around the hand he had in his grasp. “I was scared I was gonna lose you,” he said finally, swallowing thickly before continuing, feeling uncomfortable, but... Reno needed to know this before he got all eaten by another dragon and Locke wasn’t able to tell him. “I kept on thinkin’ that you weren’t gonna make it and it would’ve been all my fault that you didn’t make it and... I didn’t want to be alone. Though, now that I’m thinking about it, I prolly would’ve just gone and died with yah. But... I wasn’t really thinking about that. I came up with so many things that I wanted to tell you when you woke up--if you woke up.” Laughing slightly, he remembered the nights when Reno wasn’t doing very good and he just sat at his side, holding his hand like he was doing now, just talking at him softly about how his day had gone or things that he wanted Reno to see... but there had always been something that he had been too nervous to talk to him about, even when Reno was rather dead to the world. Swallowing, he figured why the hell not? He’d go for it. If something came out of it, then awesome; but if Reno hated him because of it... Well, at least Locke would know and then he could work on just being Reno’s friend.

Sniffing slightly, he cleared his throat of the nervousness that he was feeling and just went for it. “Thing number one is—I care about you. As in.. I like you, Reno. Took me just about losing you to realize it, y’know?” Looking away shyly for a moment, he muttered, “I’ve been doing some thinking while you’ve been asleep and I think I have since Destiny. You were the first person in a very long to really give a damn about me and I can’t help but have these feelings for yah. I know you’re probably freaked out right now...” Locke’s voice trailed up, looking up to see that, yes, Reno was freaking out. His eyes were large and mouth hanging open and he almost looked like he was going to faint and Locke did what he thought was right and let his hand go. “Right. Okay, well, I wanted to let you know. I’ll.. go send someone up with some food for you, okay?”

Any answer was cut off as a large explosion shook the floor and sent the windows rattling in their frames. Locke shot to his feet to look out the window, trying to see where it had come from, and his eyes widened. A large hole had been blasted in the city wall not far from the Inn. The Paladins were stuck at the front gate, Cecil’s shining form included, but there was only a lone man in armour running towards the hole. They needed help.

Locke bolted for the door but was intercepted by Hope, had a tray of food and a worried look. “They bolted the doors downstairs!” Hope said, looking nervously towards the window. “The Paladin that was downstairs told us to lock up and not let anything in and then he ran away and--“

Taking the tray from Hope’s hands, he placed it on the table near Reno, putting his hands on Hope’s shoulders. “Hey, it’s alright, okay? But I want you to do me a favour, alright Hope?” The boy nodded, eyes shining up at Locke; it was obvious that he would do whatever it was that Locke wanted him to and the older boy smiled softly at that. “Keep an eye on the door downstairs, alright? If anything breaks through on the ground level I want you to fight it.”

Hope nodded, setting a stern expression on his face, which melted into fear as soon as Locke ran for the window, throwing the glass open wide, the scent of burning rubble and scorched wood filling the air. The half-hearted boy couldn’t go out the door downstairs, since they didn’t want to chance anything getting in... so the second floor window would have to do. He was getting good at jumping from second floor windows. He could roll now to break his fall, something that Farris had taught him. When he was halfway out the window, he looked to Hope, stating, “I’m going to just go help Cecil fight off the beasties a little; if the windows or doors get breached, put up a barrier around the hole. It’ll buy you a little more time and it’ll be easier than having everyone fight.”

Nodding, Locke was about to duck out the window when he heard his name spoken by his red haired friend, and he looked quickly to the bed as Hope dashed from the room to do as Locke had asked. “Yeah, Reno?”

--

Alistair knew he shouldn’t leave his post. He’d been told very firmly to stay where he was when the others had stormed out the door, with Cecil in tow no less. It wasn’t really all that fair; Alistair wasn’t the junior member of the team anymore, but they were still treating him as such. But when he had heard that explosion, his attention going to the break in the city wall that had just been made by a fireball that had seemed to come out of nowhere, he knew that he had to do something. The other paladins were at the gates and they were only just holding back the tide of the heartless there… but if they allowed the breach to be uncovered for long, the heartless would overrun the town and they would lose their stronghold on this nearly lost world.

Without a Keyblade bearer, there wasn’t much that they could do to save the place, Alistair had learned in his six months in the order, but… If the town fell to the heartless then the people here would suffer. No one from the battle at the gates were going towards the breach… did they even know that it was there? Alistair spied dark creatures start to bleed through the wounded wall and he made up his mind; he’d do what he thought was right and screw whatever the others had told him. He had people to protect. “Lock this door! Everyone that can fight, stay down on the bottom floor. Everyone else move up to the rooms upstairs! If anything breaches the door, don’t let it get up the stairs, got it?” The door was bolted behind him and he drew his sword, his shield held upon his arm before he charged towards the wall.

There was already a hoard of the dark beasts coming through the wall, their gold eyes focusing on him. “Makers breath…” he muttered, setting his shoulders before he raised his sword, a determined look on his face. He hadn’t been up against such a large number of the beasts alone in a long, long time… “Attaaaack!” he cried, shouting a battle cry to get himself pumped for battle before his blade sliced through the first beast’s head, the creature exploding into a burst of soot. He hoped that someone came to help soon… from the main gate or from anywhere else. He’d hold them off from here as best he could… but already he could see beasts that were slipping past, heading towards the place that held the largest concentration of hearts; the Inn.

[X Accelerando X]

“Incoming fire! Shields!” The order was obeyed immediately, every armored form taking up their weapons and using them as a means to create one, massive wall of protective energy. The shower of burning stones came rocketing down on the group, smashing into fiery rubble onto the barrier before disintegrating away harmlessly.

“That was not Heartless magic!” the knight beside Cecil growled, drawing out his blade from the ground, his scarred face set with stern resolve. This was a losing battle and they all knew it—they may be overrun today but eventually they would in this world. This place was lost to them and they needed to fall back and regroup. Cecil could only nod in agreement with his fellow paladin, turning his eyes towards the source of the magic with a look that was just as hopeless and equally resolved.

“We fight against man and Heartless. All the same we cannot back down now, Siegfried. Alistair is alone and I’d sooner fall then see him face this horde alone.” He had come to see them, all of them, as his family in what short time they’d been together. Certainly there were those that were very serious—Siegfried, Light and Beatrix to name a few. Some were warmer but quiet, like Kaim and Marth and still others were full of good humor like Alistair. They were all different than what he’d expected from Paladins (except perhaps Light who was aptly titled Paragon as their leader) but he’d not have it any other way and he certainly did not wish to see harm come to a single one of them. And despite the issues that lay within the group, such as the obvious push to find the ones that had Keyblades (and a falling out with a few members such as a friend of Flynn’s) they all seemed to be genuine in their work. This was something that Cecil could appreciate greatly, along with the guidance that they provided for him in this new path in his life.

“I was hardly suggesting a retreat, Brother Cecil. I only meant that if we are fending off the very beings that we are also fighting to protect, there is little hope for our situation,” his fellow paladin retorted if a bit coldly, swinging his massive, crystalline blade in a sweeping arc, dispersing a swarm of the beasts with little more than a thought from Siegfried. “Despite that, I see no sign of our human assailant.”

Another blast of Meteor magic crashed down on the two of them, and it was only a well-timed wall of crystal summoned by Siegfried that saved both him and Cecil from being obliterated by the astral rock. As the transparent screen fell away, both would find that the flow of Heartless had been stemmed for the moment, leaving nothing but a ruined wall and a group of victorious holy warriors. Cecil let a smile grow on his relieved face. They had won for the time being but for how long? “We need to return and continue helping the refugees escape--”

“Ataa-ack!”

[Mssr Miles]

Locke dashed from the Inn after he had rolled safely to the ground, looking back up to the window and smirking at a certain red head, his legs nearly a blur as he called the key forth, brown eyes settled on the road ahead of him. His lips still tingled from when he had shut Reno up with a kiss, and as he thought of the surprised look on Reno’s face, Locke couldn’t help but grin, even as he shot at the first little black beastie, destroying it in three smacks with his blade, looking to the next one with a quick gesture. A certain red head that Locke had decided that he really liked in the past few weeks had just been rambling; he liked him, but he was sure that Locke didn’t feel the same, and he had to be careful so that he could come back to him and so that they could figure things out… “There’s nothin’ to figure out. I like you, you like me and you need to brush your teeth. Relax here and I’ll be back in no time, okay?” Locke had said, smirking as he had stolen another kiss from those slightly shocked lips, before running away. Someone had to keep this place safe! And if Locke hadn’t done it, then Reno might’ve tried…

Honestly, the things Locke did to try and keep Reno in bed! A slight blush flew over his face at the thought, even as he brought his blade down on another Heartless, the thing bursting into a puff of ash, Locke’s clothes getting just a little dustier as he shot towards the next… and the next and the next, his blade swinging, his muscles screaming, his mind focused on not letting a single critter past him, knowing that if he did, the helpless redhead back in the Inn wouldn’t make it past today. It was something that spurred him on to amazing speeds; speeds that Locke hadn’t even known he’d had. He needed to protect Reno… it was something that he just kept telling himself as he continued to fight, as he grew tired, his form sore and bleeding in places from various attacks. A wound stung on left arm, one that he used his bandana to staunch, even as the wound threatened to gush blood over everything. The Heartless he fought thinned, and he ran forward, finding Alistair on the ground before the crumbled wall, no other warriors in sight, the man being held down by the foot of a Behemoth, the creature’s unnatural purple hiding the muscles beneath them very poorly.

The rest of the smaller Heartless were gone, it was just this one and, to get its attention so that it couldn’t continue using Alistair as a welcome mat, Locke wound back and threw the Keyblade with a cry, the blade shooting at the creature and smacking him right between the eyes. The Key shot back towards Locke’s hand and Locke grinned with excitement as he caught the blade’s handle easily, the large Heartless stumbling back with a roar and a shake of its large head, releasing Alistair from its crushing prison.

“You okay down there, bud?” Locke asked as he ran towards the recovering Templar, both warriors readying themselves for another attack.

The blond spat out a glob of blood, and Locke was glad that he only caught that out of the corner of his eye. “Nothing a little soak in the hot springs won’t fix!” Alistair stated, and Locke grinned, knowing that he was hurt more then he let on. Well, at least he was still okay enough to joke a little about it all.

“Then shall we kick some purple heartless a**?” Locke asked, shooting a look at Alistair, who had an almost feral look in his eyes.

“After you, Ser Locke!” Alistiar cried, even as he started forward, his sword bared, his shield up front as he picked up speed, his shield front and centre, quite ready to bash the Heartless, which would give the kid (who happened to have a keyblade, the little sneak) time to get a few attacks in, at least.

“Don’t call me ‘ser’!” Locke shot back, running half a step behind Alistair, Keyblade ready to fight and to kill. “Makes me feel old. I’m only fifteen!”

“Fifteen and stealing good Templar’s wallets!” Alistair shot back as the battle commenced. “Don’t they teach you children manners on your world?” he demanded, their attacks connecting and felling the critter for a moment.

“Not a lick!” Locke laughed, jumping on the beast, whacking it repeatedly in the head as it rose to its feet. “I come from an island world full of fish and ‘bout twenty of my twins, all tryin’ to steal the most!” Locke was thrown from the purple creature’s back, Alistair running at the thing and attacking once more as Locke finally stopped sliding across the ground, his back smacking into something hard and unmoveable. Groaning, he adjusted himself slightly, cracking open his eyes and looking up at what he had hit. “Oh, hi Light!” Locke said with a lopsided grin, looking up at the intimidating figure of General Light, the big, important Paladin in the area, the leader of all the Paladin’s that were helping Locke’s homeworld. The man wasn’t looking at the Heartless, though.. he was staring down at Locke, and Locke raised an eyebrow as sounds of battle continued, Alistair attempting to keep the gigantic heartless monstrosity at bay. Getting to his feet, Locke raised an eyebrow at Light, his hand grasped tightly onto the Keyblade, looking to the Heartless, then back at Light. “I know you find my body completely attractive, but I’m underage and we’ve kinda got a bit of a problem on our hands. So let’s save the eye-molesting ‘til later, huh?” Locke asked with a smile that looked suspiciously like a smirk before shooting off towards the monster again, limping the slightest amount.

[X Accelerando X]

Light stared dow at Locke imperiously, the stunned look gone the moment the boy spoke and made a smart quip about his staring. The look became rather wry after another moment, and he reached down and dragged Locke to his feet with one hand, the man much stronger than he looked. "You have a great deal to explain. For the time being, however, you are to remain in my custody." Looking up to Alistair, the Paragon nodded in affirmation of the man's good work holding the breach single-handedly. "I am thankful for your resolve and bravery, Alistair. Very few would have done as you did, even amongst our ranks. More over, even few would have survived. You are to be commended and when we return to headquarters, you will be duly rewarded and promoted. Return to the inn and continue to escort the civilians out of this place. Minwu will help you."

Looking to Locke with a deeply fierce gaze that did not escape the confines of his eyes he started to walk away. "Keybearer. Follow me. Now." There was a Keybearer here. He had suspected as much though it was an annoyance that it was kept from him. Likely Cecil's doing; the young man was new to their ranks, did not understand that there could be no secrets among them, regardless of your reasons. Secrets lead to a lack of honor and honesty--which led to the degradation of all that a Paladin stood for in the end. He would need to speak with their recruit later about keeping secrets and the dangers they posed to everyone in the order. For the moment, however, he needed to get Locke (such a fitting name) to the Keyhole. They had found it and now they were going to seal it. This world would not fall, not while Light still drew breath. Taking Locke firmly by the arm, he pulled him along a few feet, looking back at Alistair to give him a look that said, 'Do not think of protesting'.

"You are going to be sealing the Keyhole of this world, Locke Cole. I understand that this is your home; you should want this more than anyone else." His eyes narrowed again as he looked to the small blond boy. "Why have you kept the Keyblade a secret? Do you not realize the advantage it extends to us in our fight?" Of course not, he was just a boy. Likely that was what Cecil was doing by keeping this a secret, if he even knew. Did the others possibly hold Keyblades as well? Reno was too injured to go anywhere, and Minwu would fiercely fight any man who attempted to take a patient into battle before they were ready--but what of Hope? Did he also hold one of the mythical blades? "These Keys can lock the heart of the world itself, safeguard it from Heartless forevermore. This world is one of destruction, but once it is sealed and saved it can begin to rebuild." Releasing Locke's arm, they moved to the front gate, past the inn and towards the tower in the distance. It was a mess of metal and earth, scraped together by the mad harlequin Kefka as a tower to his 'glory'. He'd lifted himself up as a god and it was from him that the rogue spells were coming. He'd not yet unleashed his most deadly weapon upon them, the Light of Judgment, but it was only a matter of time. "We go to face Kefka's menace now. You will come and stand behind my men. When he is laid low, you will seal the keyhole and then return with us, yourself, Hope and Reno, to our headquarters in the Land of Departure. From there you will be inducted into our ranks."

There was no room for argument in his statement. Locke likely would argue but Light would not listen. The only thing more dangerous than a Keybearer was a rogue one.

[Mssr Miles]

"Hey--woah, hold on!" Locke was on his feet and being dragged by an arm that had much more strength in it then he did in his entire body, he was sure, and Locke was weary of the man's reaction. The boy and a certain new recruit had a chat when they had come to this town and found it full of Paladins, and Cecil had mentioned that they should be careful of who they mentioned the keyblades too; Cecil had said that he wanted to make sure that Locke and Reno weren't pushed into anything they weren't ready for. Locke had thought that Cecil had been worried about making Reno fight before he was ready, before he was well and all that, but now he was worried it was something else. Shooting a look back at Alistair, Locke saw him turn away after a bow and start heading back towards the Inn; well, looked like Locke was all on his lonesome with Light.

"I didn't keep it a secret from no one!" Locke protested, his bronzed keyblade held in an iron grip, sputtering a curse at Light dragged him over a bit of rough ground, Locke tripping up a little; if Light hadn’t been holding his arm and pulling him forward, Locke was sure that he probably would have fallen. And then he’d look real funny… It didn't hurt, but it sure wasn't comfortable, especially since he was feeling weird all over. It was an odd burning, itching sensation all over, but oddly muted; a constant, vague ache just beneath his skin that he knew must be from Reno.

And a cold, expressionless Light tugging him over rough ground was just making him feel that much more uncomfortable. "I didn't know you knew where the Keyhole was; if I had, I could've gone when I got here!" Locke snapped back at Light, a frown clouding his usual grinning face. "I'm all for lockin' the Keyhole since you know where it is and all, but I'm just a little bit iffy about that last bit!" And who wouldn't be? There were lots of people that would make good Paladins...but Locke was certainly not one of them! Reno and Hope too? Oh, yeah, that was going to end well, he thought to himself with a contained sense of slightly dark humour. "Of course I'll help," Locke said as they passed the Inn, Locke giving Reno's window, and the red head's silhouette, a weak smile, as he followed after the paladin. His arm was released and he didn't bolt, but he did put a few paces between himself and Light. "But I don't wanna join your club, and I know Reno and Hope won't either." His frown intensified.

"Is it 'cause of the oversized key?" It probably was, so Locke just kept on chattering, ignoring anything that Light might have started to say. "If it is, then those other two won't be any help. Hope's got some magic, but Reno has problems hitting the side of a building with a baseball bat. Why d'yah think me an' Farris had to CARRY him here? A dragon ate him." Locke glowered up at Light. "I'll help; of course I will, don't give me that look! This is my home and if there's anything I can do to save it, I will."

There was a glare at the Paragon, as they called him, and the man returned the look with a steady gaze, and Locke's honeyed eyes were caught and held, not able to look away for several long moments. Locke took a moment to really look at the man, and he was once more reminded of the similarities with a certain injured friend of his that had made him want to trust the guy when he had first met him. That had been an interesting encounter…

Putting on his best game face, Locke looked Light in the eye and lied. “They don’t have keyblades.” That was mostly true. See, Hope and Reno together didn’t have keyblades. Between the two, there was only one blade, so he wasn’t lying. Not technically, so he didn’t feel so bad. “I have this, and I can help you,” Locke mentioned, nodding down to his own blade, his eyes hardly leaving Light’s. “I’m sure you’re all really awesome people, and you have lots of fun running around in armour and stuff, but I wouldn’t make a very good Paladin. I swear and steal and I’m mostly disliked by the people at my school and my moral code is probably not all that great. So, if it’s all the same, I’ll help and then you can drop me off with Reno and we’ll get out of your hair; trust me, I get annoying if I’m around too much.” Locke’s face lit up as he saw Cecil near the gate, and followed his eyes towards his hand and the Keyblade, Locke giving a helpless shrug, giving the man a gigantic smile. “Cecil will vouch for that! I’m a horror to have around, aren’t I?”

Cecil Harvey, the Paladin’s newest recruit was nice and Locke really liked him. He never demanded anything, but always had a kind word for him, and he had helped him on the nights when he was worried the most about Reno. He’d known him a grand total of three weeks, and Locke already trusted him just about as much as he trusted Reno, and if there was anyone watching his back while they went to Kefka’s tower, he was glad it was going to be Cecil.

Looking towards the structure with worried look, Locke felt his insides freeze a little with the thought of facing Kefka again. They had fought, and he suppose won, against one of Kefka’s weird monster things, but that wasn’t Kefka. Kefka was someone that Locke… wasn’t fond of. At first, yeah, he had been excited that he had seen someone from his world, even if it was Mister Palazzo, because it meant that maybe the world was still there, that it was alright, that everything was going to be just fine, right? It hadn’t mattered at the time that he had been the one that had convinced his parents to send him away, that it would be good for Locke to get some rest and relaxation so far away from home that it was on another world… It hadn’t mattered at the time, because Locke had been excited. But now? Locke shivered slightly as he stared at the tower. Something had happened to Mister Palazzo, and that something had changed him completely. Well, not completely… he had always been a little wacky, but now he was just… Well. Bat s**t crazy sounded about right.

“Well. Guess we’re crashing the clown’s party, huh?” Locke asked, looking towards Light and the rest of the assembled group, setting a smile on his face. He kept his Keyblade in his hand, his knuckles white with the pressure of holding onto the handle, and took a calming breath. Time to go be a hero and all. Good times.

[X Accelerando X]

"I would not say you were a horror," Cecil answered, more or less because he wasn't paying too much attention at first, before adding quickly when he realized what Locke had meant, "B-but he is correct, ser. He is not a Paladin. His skills lie elsewhere and I don't feel that he would be--achieving his full potential in our ranks." Cecil didn't want to outright call Locke a thief or a sneak since that might look even worse to the Paragon. "I strongly suggest that we--even if we do need to the Keyblade here--not keep Locke from leaving when it is over. I understand the importance of the blade but--but they are just children, ser."

"Children or not, we have no choice, Brother Cecil," Light replied sternly, eyes hard. He looked back to Locke, a frown set firmly on his face. "You are a wielder of a Keyblade, the only chance we have of winning. You will accompany us after we are finished here. At Cecil's behest, I will not conscript you into our ranks. However, you will remain with us. It is not a matter of wanting to; it is a matter of duty." Removing his gauntlet and holding up the back of his hand, Light stared at Locke harshly. On his hand was a brand, stylized to look like a pair of wings with a multitude of arrows pointing out from the center. "This is the brand of a Paladin, our order. This mark shows what we stand for, what we believe in and that we will fight until we die to protect those tenants. Honor before Glory, Protection before Bloodshed. Giving before Receiving. That is who we are and that is what we stand upon. If you cannot accept these ideals then you are not only an enemy of the Paladins but an enemy of all good people. If you cannot accept these ideals, then we will force them upon you."

Light was often accused of taking things too seriously. Many had said that his ideals were too harsh for some, but he could not accept that. The World needed hard lines; moral ambiguity led to chaos and destruction. It had caused more than a few issues while he was Paragon, but so far, only one person had abandoned their order completely and she would eventually be found and brought to justice.

--------------------------------

"Tch, just like the Paragon to act all high and mighty. Who died and made him Primarch?"

It was thinking like that which had caused Lightning to leave in the first place. Stuck on forcing people to do what he wanted instead of letting them decide how to live their lives. It's all well and good to have rules for your organization--it was another to expect them from people who weren't members. Looking down at her own chest, hand brushing just above her heart where her own brand was, Lightning frowned slightly. She had sworn and oath just like every other Paladin and in the end, because of that oath, she wasn't home when her world was attacked and her brother, Snow was--missing. She had been told she couldn't search for him and Lightning decided to ignore that order. Thus, here she was, on the run from the Paladins while searching for her sibling's whereabouts. "I will find you, Snow. I promise."

Turning and jumping down from the roof of the building onto a pile of rubble below, she turned and started to make her way back towards the opposite entrance to the city. She'd help that Locke kid when they'd sealed the Keyhole, but for now, she needed to aid the fleeing citizens. There were capable people here besides the Paladins. Lightning had the pleasure of meeting Faris and fighting alongside of her once or twice to help fend of a few smaller attacks from Kefka's Heartless army. Beyond that, she'd worked solo and kept to herself. Now it was nearly time to leave this world and she needed to secure passage. There was only one mage left who could do that, and so she raced back to where Minwu had last been seen within the town's inn, preparing the remaining civilians for departure.

[Mssr Miles]

“I’m not a child!” Locke whined at Cecil before realizing what he was trying to do, and correcting himself quickly. “But I’m not really an adult either; I’m at that awkward in between stage that we teenagers are stuck at. Tons of hormones and new hair and voice breaking all over the place. You know what I mean, right?” Locke asked a figure a little ways away, a tall blond man who just smiled softly and kept walking, never turning his eyes to look at Locke.

“Every boy goes through that awkward stage. I have a son about your age,” the man stated, and Locke couldn’t help but grin. Maybe he had more allies in the Paladin’s then he had thought! Cecil had suggested that it might be better for Reno if Locke just kind of stayed away from the Paladins for a while, until things settled, and that’s just what Locke had done. There was no use putting Reno through a ton of grief when he didn’t have to, right? But maybe… well, maybe Cecil had been wrong, and maybe Locke should have gotten to be these guy’s friends a little better.

Locke bit the inside of his cheek as Light showed him the back of his hand, staring at the raised flesh there, a frown on his face. That brand sure looked like it hurt… and it sure looked like it took a lot of balls to get. Even after Light had settled his hand to his side, Locke continued to stare towards it. The brand… it was a mark of how Light felt, it was a mark of his conviction, and it was so strong that Locke was sure that Light had taken the mark without a word of protest. It was raised, the scarred flesh noticeably different then the healthy skin, and it sent a small shiver down his back. Light was willing to place hot metal to himself, to scar his flesh in the name of justice and the good of the people, then he would do just about anything to keep on his calling, to never fail.

The most dangerous type of men were those with a mission, his momma used to tell him.

There was only one thing to do if he was going to keep Reno safe. ‘Time to man up,’ Locke told himself, his knuckles releasing their white knuckled grip on his blade at the decision, dismissing the blade for the moment. He could summon it again if he needed to, of course, and for this, he’d like to have his hands free. “Nah, Cec, don’t worry about it. You’re not going to stop treating me like a kid ‘til I stop acting like one. So I’m gonna stop acting like one.”

Favouring Light with a smile, his eyes not quite as filled with as much malice as he’d had before, he sped his pace up slightly to keep up with Light’s longer stride. “You’re right. I mean, I know you’re right, but I want you to know that I think you’re right too.” Locke kept staring at the red head, wondering vaguely if Light had the hot temper that red heads were generally known for. “Nothin’ comes out of having all bark and no bite; I don’t know much about honour, but I know that bravo’s no one’s friend unless you’ve got the muscle to back it up if it comes down to it.” Locke shoved his hands into his pockets for the moment, fingers brushing a few odds and ends that he had stored in his pockets. “And I gotta admit, I love to give people presents on Christmas.

“I’ve got people I want to protect; people I need to protect. I don’t know much about bloodshed, but I’ve busted up Heartless and I’ve hit a few people over the head with blunt objects, and I don’t really enjoy it all that much. I’d spill blood if I had to, to keep my friends safe; but I don’t want to kill anyone.” Locke’s eyes burned into Light’s, his doe-brown eyes never looking so serious to the Paladin’s eyes. “This is my home, and I will protect it. I swear to the Spirits that I will, and nothing is going to stop me from preventing this world’s destruction.” Locke sped, dancing in front of Light as they continued to walk, walking backwards up the path as they went, taking his hands out of his pockets to help him with balance. “But d’yah know what?” Locke asked, answering before Light could speak. “I’d do the same for your world. I’d do the same for Cecil’s or Reno’s or Farris’, given the chance. I’ve saved one; just one world out of three that I’ve been to, and one of those worlds is gone forever.” Well, that had been Reno that had saved it.. but Locke had helped! Locke tilted his head slightly to the side. “D’yah know how it feels to know that I had this power, and I couldn’t do nothing to save those Islands I loved on?” Locke stopped in front of the man, his eyes staring up into his. “I feel like a piece of me died with all those people. I feel like I’ve failed everyone that I grew up with, and I won’t ever let that happen again. I won’t lose another world, not while I’m standing on its beaches or beaten paths.” Locke turned, looking away from Light, face set, ignoring any looks sent his way, his feel taking away from the man he had stopped.

“But I know that I can’t do it alone. I’m not that strong, and I have no way to travel to other worlds.” That was something that maybe Locke would have to ask Yuuko for… the ability to be able to travel worlds. But what would that cost? Locke was almost afraid to ask… “So what I’m saying,” Locke continued, giving Light a wry look over his shoulder, “Is that I love giving gifts at Christmas. And if not being an a**, protecting those I love and giving things away is all I have to do to be a Paladin, well.” Locke turned his face to Cecil, smiling. “Then I guess it wouldn’t be so bad if I was a Paladin. I mean, it’s a much better career choice than what I was headed towards. Who wants to be a Treasure Hunter when there’s no one to share your treasure with once you got it?” Locke looked back to Light. “I want to help. Leave Reno and Hope out of it, and I’m yours.”

--

Hope had Reno’s arm over his shoulder, and he was helping him to walk to the main floor, where Minwu waited with the last of the refuges that were being hurried into the portal and to a ‘safe haven’, as Minwu had called it. They would be safe there, Minwu had promised the townsfolk, and in the hours since the Paladin’s had left, they had packed the town and were finally making their way to a new world; a better world, Hope prayed. Hiking Reno up a little, frowning at how skinny he seemed, as well as how light, he helped him down the stairs (amidst a lungful of complaining, of course), and helped him hobble towards the portal that Minwu was keeping open.

“We’re almost there, Reno,” Hope said, eyes looking to Minwu’s haggard face, mostly hidden behind the pale fabric of his robes. “Almost there, and seriously, stop whining. It’s starting to get on everyone’s nerves, I’m sure. Did you really want Locke to show up later and hear how we all decided to just put you out of your misery because you couldn’t take a few stairs and half a room’s walk? And before you say it,” Hope cut in as Reno opened his mouth, “I know you got eaten by a dragon. It’s all you’ve said to me since waking up. Now please, just be quiet for once.”

Looking to the kind mage, one that Hope certainly looked up to, and wanted to learn from, Hope passed Reno onto Farris’ steady shoulder. “Here’s Reno. Alistair should be the last one, but I’ll go find him.” Relieved of his burden, Hope ran towards the door, knowing that Alistair was doing one last look around the town, to make sure that they hadn’t missed anyone. Running out the door, he spotted a woman hurrying towards the Inn, and he quickly changed direction, running towards her. “Miss! Miss, this place isn’t safe!” Even as he said it, he noticed the weapon in its holster, slung about her waist; she was probably very capable, but… “Please go to the Inn; you can find safe passage there! It won’t be open for much longer, so please hurry!” Hope had to find Alistair… with a nod the woman’s way, he hurried to his search, hoping that Alistair hadn’t wandered too far.

[X Accelerando X]

Light watched Locke's face carefully, never once taking his eyes off of the young man's as he spoke and walked, laying to bare all his feelings before the Paladin. The words were resolute and the tone true, Light did not doubt that for a moment. The boy meant to save his home, but even so, he did not have the amount of dedication that Light wanted. The sought to protect the worlds and police them. This boy might fight to protect them, but he would not enforce the law. That was something that could be seen in a man's eyes--the will and determination to fight to uphold something that you may not necessarily agree with so long as it was for the law. Locke did not have that will in him--Light was practiced enough to see that much. Cecil wanted to help everyone, Beatrix was as bound to the law as Light was and even Alistair understood the concepts of ruling and maintaining the law.

"You will remain with us until this matter has been resolved. At that time, I will judge your character and worth to the Brotherhood. If you do not meet our expectations then you will be allowed to go. Until such time as the Heartless have been brought under control or you lose control of the Keyblade, you will remain with us. As for your companions, they may do as they see fit. If they wish to accompany and aid us, we will not turn down the offer so long as they keep out of our way." There were times when a Keyblade would leave the bearer--when the Bearer's heart weakened or lost their resolve. He'd heard tales of those Keybearers that fell--Lightning had been one and had resisted the task given to her by the Keyblade. She turned her back on them and now was neither a wielder of a Keyblade and scorned by the Paladins.

Looking to Cecil, he nodded firmly. "Locke is under your immediate guidance. You do not leave his side for anything, understood? As the only Keybearer within the Paladin, we cannot lose him--if he becomes separated he could be overwhelmed." Looking back to Locke, his blue eyes as hard as diamonds. "The Heartless will come after you. They will not stop because you have a Keyblade. They will keep coming until you fall or kill them and someone as inexperienced as yourself cannot stand against a hoard alone. You remain with Cecil at all times. I do not care what you need to do or say, if it cannot be done with Cecil within three feet of you, it is not worth doing."

[Mssr Miles]

“Does this mean I have to have Cecil watching my back when I’m taking a leak? Can he at least not look at me then?” Locke asked, hooking his hands into his pockets, looking Light up and down a moment, his doe brown eyes nowhere near as hard as Light’s, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “I understand. Don’t do anything stupid, stick close to Cecil, step a toe outta line and I’ll be in more trouble than I’ve ever been in.” Locke knew that heartless were going to come after him because he had the Keyblade; they had been coming after Reno since he had gotten his, and it wasn’t something that he needed to be told. He understood that he was in danger, that he was going to have to fight and fight well if he was going to survive… the knowledge was there, Locke had been in battles, he had fought and killed Heartless, but… Maybe the reality of it all was only just sinking in. He could die out here, couldn’t he? Reno just about did; his end just about came in the belly of a beast…

“I’ll kill them before they kill me,” Locke stated, his eyes blazing at the thought of his friend ever being in danger like that again. “I’ll get Cecil and anyone else that has time to train me to fight better with my Keyblade. I’m good at bashing things on the head, but it’s my speed that usually saves me; or dumb luck. I’ll get better, I really will, and I’ll lock this Keyhole and any others that I’m able to help fight myself towards. No matter what happens, that won’t stop. I’ll keep going ‘til all the world’s Keyholes are locked and the Heartless can’t hurt anyone.” Especially not Reno, Locke thought to himself, finally turning his eyes away.

He looked to Light one last moment, wanting to say more, but it kind of looked like he would just get another lecture because of it… “Why are we stopped?” he asked, turning right around, starting off again, pretending like he wasn’t the reason why they had paused. “We’ve got a world to save, folks!”

--

Locke. Was. Tired.

Flopping onto his back, Locke lay a little like a starfish on the moss of the forest clearing that they had stopped in for the night, wearier then when he had carried Reno all the way from the Phoenix Caves to town. Eyes closed, his breathing finally slowing after that last little hike up those switchbacks. They were climbing through the mountains all through today, fighting Heartless, taking only a break for lunch, and then another to resupply themselves with water, and that was it. Cecil had been tossing him worried looks for the last hour as Locke had quieted down and instead focused on putting one foot in front of the other and not keeling over in exhaustion, but Locke had refused to complain in the slightest.

Light had probably thought that the last hour was the most blissful part of the whole day. He had looked back at Locke several times during the day to give him a dirty look when Locke had murmured jokes in Cecil’s direction that made the new Paladin loose his cool and laugh, and the last few looks that Locke had caught from Light had been very neutral… almost smug, unless Locke was just going crazy, as Light had led them up the mountain and to the lip of the pass, finally calling a halt as the sun started to descend.

Now that Locke had stopped moving, well… he certainly didn’t want to move anymore. There were sounds around him, mostly to the left where the paladin’s were setting up camp and deciding watches and setting up a fire to cook… and the sounds were lulling Locke to sleep, he was loathe to admit. He had to set up the spare bedroll, and help with dinner and Cecil had promised that he would train him some tonight and—it didn’t seem all that important now that he was laying down.

It was sometime later that he felt a hand on his forehead, and Locke’s eyes fluttered open with a mumbled whine, looking up at the white hair surrounding the chiselled features for a moment, quite confused before he frowned, the smell of some sort of stew in the air. “Cec? Whaddisit?” Locke took a moment to blink the sleep out of his eyes, trying not to look too guilty. “I wasn’t sleepin’. Jus’ resting my eyes.” Lies. And you wonder why Light thinks you’d make a bad Paladin, Locke’s inner voice chided and Locke smiled. “That’s a lie. Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” Locke wrapped his hand around Cecil’s wrist and pulled his hand from his forehead as he sat up, asking a little more coherently, “What’s up?”

Just as he finished asking, there was an explosion in the woods, and he heard Paladin's draw their weapons as the evening was lit up with the light of the explosion, the ensuing shock wave of hot air blasting Locke's bandana off his head, a cackle to be heard behind them. The Paladin's, true to their training, drew their weapons and readied for the attack--something Locke did a moment later. "Oh, so that's it," Locke said with a smile, releasing Cecil's hand and drawing his keyblade with a flourish. "Right! Let's do this!"

[X Accelerando X]

Reno awoke with a start, his head pounding. It had been--how long had it been since they got here? Three years? Three years in this world and he was still having the same dream he had ever since he first arrived here. Locke was in trouble, fighting back on that world, Balance. And Reno was here, not able to help and certainly not able to leave. This was his home now, whether he liked it or not and truth be told, he did like it in some ways. It was safe here and he'd made all sorts of friends. There was Ventus and Terra and Aqua--they were Keyblade wielders just like himself. Some days, he wondered what it would have been like, living here in this place where kids were trained to be warriors with their Keyblades--those three were orphans of their worlds, just like he was. He sometimes he even wondered if he would be here the rest of his life--sure felt like that sometimes. Apparently, you couldn't leave if you were a Keybearer and they made sure of that. Reno had spent the first year under tight supervision and lock and key at times when he refused to cooperate. Eventually, he gave up trying to get out and settled into a lifestyle of training. Every day, training, training and more training.

All of it was leading to some kind of test. It was some kind of license or degree or something (Reno never much paid attention), that once he had it, he could leave, but not until then. That was when he could go out and look for Locke. His eyes glanced at the calendar, blinking. Today was his birthday. Three years and his birthday was around again. Twenty-one years old and he almost had this Keyblade thing down. "Hey Locke--another birthday today. We'll have to have a party for all the missed birthdays when we get together again, alright?" Giving a quiet sigh, the red-head looked over to the corner of his room, the mirror showing the scars from his last conscious battle with Locke against the dragon. His skin was marked in places from the various burns that never quite healed despite Minwu's best attempts. A reminder in a head full of fuzzy memories. It was something real though, solid, something he could rely on to act as a sort of anchor. He used it to remind himself some mornings that this place wasn't his home, that the Land of Departure was just a way-point and that someday he'd be leaving, even if his own lack of memories wanted him to accept the place as home. Terra and Aqua and Ventus were like a second family, and Hope like his kid brother. He'd grown rather fond of the young man and enjoyed talking and training with him and the others.

But today, he couldn't think about anyone but himself. Today he would be seeking out his 'Spirit'. According to his teachers, his Keyblade, like all Keyblades, was tied to a Spirit--one of the spirits of the basic elements and energies that sustained the entire world. The sooner he met and communed with this spirit, the sooner he could leave. The others had and now he was the only one left. Rising, he stretched and started to get dressed; birthdays weren't celebrated by the higher ups here. They were just another day. Master Eraqus was--different. He usually marked his student's birthdays and Reno honestly was looking forward to this one. Terra and Aqua's twenty-first birthdays had landed them a full set of armor and Reno had to admit, he was rather excited about maybe getting one himself. Pulling open the door as he finished, he started down the hall, feeling excited despite all. Today, at least, might be a little bit better than most others.

[Mssr Miles]

Eraqus stood at the alter of All Spirits, waiting for his student with hands clasped behind his back, eyes looking to the alter that stood erected in the Hall of the Spirits. Here, one might be able to commune with their spirit, where they might contact them, to form a pact. Once this was done, one was accepted as a Master, and could be allowed into the world. There were dangers, of course...if a spirit did not find one worthy, then the blade could be taken away. It was one of the reasons why Eraqus always waited until he felt his students were ready.

Reno...he had his doubts at times, but he felt that the boy was ready to take this on. He had passed every other test he had thrown at him, so there was only this. Eraqus would have liked to wait a few more months, to work on his self control a little more, but they had need of him on the field.

Balance had been saved, but at what cost? The 'victory' as some called it was such a huge blow to the Keybearers and the Paladins in the fight against the Heartless, it was hard to tell if it had been worth it; they had not only lost countless blades in the tragety, but a Key had been lost as well...and that did not even include the countless human hearts that had been stilled during the process. If Eraqus had only been there...

But could he have done anything differently? It was hard to say. Eraqus and Light had fought in countless battles side by side...but Balance had been too far gone, and they had been spread too thin...still, they had to try. His old friend had done this much; Balance had been such a large world, it had been worth the risk, Light had said. And now, Eraqus thought sadly, it was the man's final resting place.

His thoughts were inturupted as Hope's voice called out softly from the door to the temple. "Master Eraqus? Reno's ready. Should I send him in?"

Eraqus turned his head to study the boy who was now a full fledged member of the Paladin's, and a strong one at that. The boy was not under his own command, since he had shown no signs of a Keyblade coming to him, but he saw him enough that he thought of him as a part of their little family. Hope liked to keep an eye on Reno, and thus came to sparring sessions, and provided needed practice for his own students about fighting an opponent that did not wield a Keyblade. Hope, now seventeen, was due to ship out next week to join the fight on the front lines...and if Reno passed his exam, he would join him.

"How does he seem?" Eraqus asked conversationally, and Hope grinned.

"Scared like a little girl on a--" Reno's protests drowned out the rest of Hope's response, and he shook his head. Some things never change, no matter how many years have passed.

"Send him in." Eraqus eyed Reno a moment as he swaggered into the room before his eyes returned to the alter. "Good morning Reno; I pray you slept well," he said softly, waiting for Reno to come to his side, looking up at the raised dias that held the alter. "It is a very special day for you for two reasons. Not only are you trying for your Mastery," his eyes looked sideways at Reno, an approving smile placed upon his lips, "I hear that it's your birthday today. Some of your friends have a party waiting for you after we're done." But first... "The Keyblade is a weapon gifted upon exceptional men and women by the spirits, all of whom you should know by now; if not from my talks, which I know you've fallen asleep during, then perhaps Hope has bestowed some of his knowledge on you and our youngest member." Hope had started Reno up on a study group, one that Eraqus had asked Hope to bring Sora in on, their smallest and youngest member. The boy had been with them only a little longer then they had Reno, and he was growing up into a fine young man, and Eraqus knew that he would gain his Mastery soon; he had been trying to delay it, though. A child that young should not be made to fight, and he would keep him in Departure as long as he could stave off the Paladin's questions.

"Today, you will reach out to your Spirit, and he will judge if you are worthy or not. Do you have any questions before we start?"

[X Accelerando X]

"I am not scared! You go in and face some big--scary--spirit thing and then we'll talk, short stack!" Coming into the hall and standing by his instructor, he looked to the older man and listened (one of the few times he really tried to listen to what Eraqus was saying). Any questions? Of course he did, he had a ton of questions--mostly because he never paid attention in any of the lessons. He knew he couldn't ask those now since Eraqus was more than aware that he never paid attention and so decided to pick something else that was a little more important. "So--could I die doing this? I mean, if the pact fails?" Terra and Aqua had been fine when they did it so he figured that maybe there wasn't any danger but then, they focused in classes too. Aqua was a genius when it came to her studies and she had gotten her Keyblade from Shiva. He remembered everyone saying that Shiva was a real ice queen and never seemed to like people--or at least guys--and so it sounded like Aqua got off easy. Terra had one that sounded more dangerous--his spirit was Atomos, the spirit of Darkness. Yeah, he had to admit that he was glad that wasn't the one he had to face now since he reckoned that Atomos didn't like being bothered at all.

Of course his fears were alleviated when he thought about the party that was awaiting him after he finished. A party? Just for him? It had been--too long since he had a party and with all his friends and everything there too, it would be a great party. It was this idea that brought to mind the question he really wanted to ask. "When this is over and everything--you'll be at the party too, right, Master Eraqus?" Now that he stood beside him, Reno realized he saw what the others saw in Master Eraqus as well. Terra and Aqua--all of them saw him as a father figure. He was patient with them, even Reno when he screwed up or wasn't listening and never made a fuss about anything unless they really got out of line. They had like, an understanding with him. He wouldn't make a fuss and treat them all like adults if they acted like adults. Somehow, when parents said it, it made less sense but here, Eraqus just sort of exuded that feeling. They were his students but also his equals and--gah, Reno couldn't quite put it into words. They were family. There, that was the best way to put it. They were family and Eraqus was their father.

"I think I'm ready though. I mean, as ready as I'll ever be. Gotta say, I'm a little excited to see just where I got this from and who thought it was a good idea, you know?" Snickering, he held up his hand, summoning his Keyblade into his grasp, looking it over. Over the past three years, the thing had slowly changed, he'd noticed, becoming a bit lighter and shorter--very easy to swing and according to Terra, stung like hell when it actually hit. Reno had found he liked how it felt and Eraqus had explained that the Keyblade 'learned' from its owner, taking a shape that was easiest for them to use--and that once he completed the trial the spirit would unlock its true potential. "Time to give this thing it's wake up call, huh?" the red-head nodded to the weapon, holding it up before the alter where a large Keyhole formed in the stone. The blade came to life, releasing its familiar pin-p***k beam into the opening and then--nothing.