Gaia: Wutai [OPEN]

[RowenaIsolde]

Yuffie's House

Elizabeth could see Will's embarrassment at the situation. She smiled at him, hoping to relieve him of his humiliation. Elizabeth stepped forward, walking over to him and kissing him on the cheek.

"No harm done, but we need to get this fixed," she whispered. Returning to his question, she took a seat trying to rethink what exactly had happened..

"I honestly don't know...the moment I'd arrive here...in Wutai I felt dizzy and light headed. I know it seems odd but I cannot really explain what happened to me. It's unusual, I'm not usually this dainty or delicate when it comes to travel. I'm sorry Will...I can't explain it..."

Elizabeth turned to Sora, looking around for the girl. Not seeing her, she spoke solely to Sora.

"Do you have any idea what may have happened?" For all she knew, Sora had the best idea of how it had happened. He'd traveled this way many times...she hoped.  

[ll EmoShane ll]

((*cackles* This is going to be fun, kids~ *cue the One Winged Angel*))

Wutai~

Somewhere...somewhere....Where is he Mother? Or am I here for a terribly different reason?

Lids fluttered open, revealing shocking green hues as Sephiroth examined the surrounding area. It was familiar...The name scratched persistently in the back of his unstable mind, slender eyebrows furrowed in attempt to draw it out. Wutai. Yes, that was it.

Wutai.

A maniacal grin spread onto the man's lips, the murmurs of Mother in constant flow as he expanded his one wing and took flight. He felt as if there was someone who held more importance for him than simply entertainment...like dearest Cloud.

He was only but a few moments in the air when Mother's muttering increased rapidly. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed dangerously as he landed with lasting grace at the side of a normal sized house. It was on the outskirts of the town he had drifted over (quite subtly, actually) and somehow shouted significance....or rather, Mother seemed to shout that significance out for him. The silver-haired man lowered his eyes, a shadow casting over his pale face, and allowed the uncanny whispers of Mother to engulf his inner thoughts.

Here...here...she is here...Go now. Seek...her out.

Sephiroth did not bother to wonder who he needed to seek out, for he already knew.  

[Skwinky]

Wutai; Yuffie's Home

"R-Roxas?? What are you doing here? Aren't you in the World That Never Was?"

Startled, Roxas whipped around, finding himself face-to-face with Yuffie. This was her hometown… It certainly was interesting to say the least. Maybe after everything was said and done with, he’d be able to ask her for a tour of the town. He would’ve asked now if Yuffie didn’t seem to be in such a rush. Right now, he was looking for anything to get his mind off of what happened in the World That Never Was.

The boy smiled and waved as Yuffie bounced off, full of energy as always, and took head of her advice and head toward the house. Roxas paused before the door. This was the last time, right? It was the last time to really relax before their big break, his and Sora’s. With a deep breath, he pulled the door open only to find a room filled with people. There was Sora and Demyx, just like Yuffie said, and Will and Elizabeth. ‘Guess they did go with Sora…’ he noted.

Erasing all recent events, Roxas forced a grin. “Hey guys.” He made his way into the room standing by Sora. A strange feeling then flooded through his body. It was a rejuvenating feeling, as if all wariness had been washed away. Was this… the power Aros had given him? The power that could only be used when he and Sora were close? … Ultima Form.

Soon, however, Yuffie returned with another woman. She was dressed in a dark suit and had trimmed, dark hair. The suit was what struck Roxas’ mind though. He had seen it before. Gears turned within his mind until he could place the pieces together. The Turks! He had seen them in Port Royal, though there had only been a few. Did they span across the worlds? Or maybe… this was their homeworld too? Yuffie seemed to be very familiar with them, just like Cloud and the others.

But this woman… she seemed troubled and travel worn to say the least. Turning to Yuffie, he asked, “What’s going on?”  

[xX_Kana_Xx]

Slender fingers danced over the keyboard of the macro laptop, producing a rapid-fire staccato. Every stroke was of great importance to the Turk who, despite the growing weight of the burden upon her shoulders and the strain placed upon her up to date, was determined to find some way to effectively counter the threat. There were so many places to look; and yet, her sight was limited to a single connection: The .networK.

Originally, the .networK had been created by ShinRa Corp.’s…’Underground Management’ team (UMT). It began as a small project and grew into an organized system of files and information, a full database containing all sorts of information in regards to Wall Market and the Underground, as well as the Underworld itself in Midgar. It housed valuable information about ShinRa’s material orders, shady partners, local powers, economical information, and also contained a database of persons. The UMT also had its own personal company to serve as a front. More importantly, the .networK had continued to serve the UMT when they began operations after WEAPON. It still did.

The .networK could also serve as a crucial means of communication between members of the team and their field agents, a fact realized early on. So, programs had been developed with that in mind. As the single constant – the only Turk working with the group – Hart had unlimited access to the information contained within the very same system she had helped build. After all, she had brought numerous contacts to the team, built a good portion of the UMT herself.

Fortunately, a few of the members had been among the ShinRa personnel within the Resistance…so she had been able to establish contact and inform the group of her whereabouts. She had offered reassurance in the form of the Turks’ scheduled arrival in Wutai and in her willingness to return to the hellhole that was Edge for their sakes. She was not oblivious to how the people had looked to her, nor to the enthusiasm she picked up from the unlikely band. Marco was merely holding down the fort for her. He had used her disappearance to motivate the people, but both knew the people would only maintain a positive attitude for so long before lowering their guard again. They suddenly seemed so fragile, so easily broken…and it was for that reason she omitted the barest hint of the dire situation pertaining to Sephiroth. They didn’t need to hear that.

It was only after formalities were accomplished that she had been able to have a full, private talk with the techies – namely, Miranda and Kraig. Like all programs, the .networK was fully capable of linking to the ShinRa database. She had made inquiries about it, but the answers she received were far from pleasing. While the .networK was fully capable of linking to the ShinRa database, Hart lacked the means to establish a direct link from her present location. Even more discouraging was the probability of being able to link to it considering ShinRa Headquarters current state. To obtain the information she needed, she would have to return to Edge, infiltrate the ShinRa building, and access one of the main terminals…which wasn’t exactly possible at the moment.

A tired sigh fell from her lips as she fell into the final social trivialities, promising to discuss plans at length with Marco and the others at a later time. It was while she was in the process of finishing this, approving a few lighter motions, and gathering some general knowledge about conditions, movements, and the security system, that something forced her dark eyes from the screen, caused her to look up.

Something’s wrong.
The staccato rang out, ending the cheerful session: I have to go.

Apprehension cloaked the Turk as she slowly stood, using the side of the bathtub to support herself. She took a few wary steps towards the curtains, nearly jumping as she bumped the ironing board. A hand found the wall, enabling her to support herself.

Her pulse was racing. Her heart was threatening to jump through her chest. Her stomach was turning into so many knots. For a moment, she didn’t hear anything. It was quiet…? Since when had it been quiet in her head? And then…everything came flooding back. She could hear it: That voice..!

“NO!” Hart pulled the thicker curtains together furiously and slid back to the counter with a start. “No, no, no…!”

She whispered the word defiantly, almost frantically, determined to block out the voice within her head, the pull, as she gathered her knives and dawned her suit, re-equipping her extensive arsenal as she did. Knife after knife, a holster here and there – she felt like a very stupid child, finding it perfectly appropriate to scold herself for her carelessness. Had she paid attention, she might have noticed that silence rather than subconsciously basking in it. Had she paid attention, she might have picked up on his approach.

“Yuffie!” The Turk threw the door open forcefully, sliding her suit jacket on over her holster. The macro laptop was nowhere to be seen in the bathroom, nor was there any trace that she had ever been there. It had taken her valuable moments to make herself decent and she was still shifting her knives into place, the long dagger and spike vanishing beneath her pant’s legs as she rushed out, a few knives already tucked between her fingers. “Get everyone out of here, now! It’s S...Sephiroth!”

That name…
She almost choked on it.

There was fear, but there was also anticipation. Who could have guessed, considering the strain Tschirhart put on herself to maintain the demeanor expected of every Turk, but in this case...she wasn't just a Turk. She could hear the voice, and it was calling to her...

Damnit, leave me alone!!!
Reno...where are you???  

[queen_qing]

Turning back to Elizabeth, thinking about it for a moment, Sora simply reached out and patted her arm comfortingly, a soft smile on his lips. "It's all right, Elizabeth. I suppose some people get these kinda of sensations sometimes. This is the first time you're travelling like this, right?" Sora himself had travelled often enough to be relatively immune to that, and he supposed that other people probably wouldn't be as hardy.

Momentarily surprised at the flare of power that flowed through him at Roxas' familiar presence, Sora perked up almost immediately. The rush felt almost...good, and the brunette couldn't help but smile at the boy who used to be his Nobody.

"Hey!" Sora greeted, distracted from the new arrival of the female...Turk, right? (She had looked like a Turk, anyway.) Now that Roxas was here, everything was going to get moving again, which meant that they were going to be a few steps closer to finding and rescuing both Riku and Namine.

He was about to add to his greeting when the door was suddenly thrown open, and the Turk woman who had entered the room earlier emerged, frazzled and fearful. Jumping slightly at the abruptness of the action, Sora immediately registered the words. Sephiroth? Cloud's darkness?

"Here? Where?" He asked quickly, glancing around them. His mind sped through all the available options he had, and the one that stood foremost in his mind was to protect his friends, no matter what.  

[MiwaFujiwara]

Wutai, Her House

After she showed Hart into the bathroom, Yuffie went back to cleaning house. Demyx had gotten quite a bit done while she was out getting Hart, so the only real Housekeeping item left on the list was where people would sleep. Although there was only one bed in the house, there was a guest room, containing a great number of bed mats for anyone who spent the night. At the present time, there was enough mats for the full group of Avalance to spend the night, which were more than enough for her guests.

Taking stock of the rooms, Yuffie made a decision. Two people would share her bed, while one person slept on a mat in the room. The other four would sleep on mats in the guest room. With that settled, all she had to do was divide the rooms and decide what they would all have for dinner.

At least, that was the plan. No sooner did she walk into the great room, prepared to ask who wanted what sleeping spot, Hart rushed out, in a panic.

“Yuffie! Get everyone out of here, now! It’s S...Sephiroth!”

"WHAT??" To say shivers ran through Yuffie's body was a gross understatement. The ninja was literally shaking like a leaf in the early March winds at the news. "Oh my god...oh my god." Thinking fast, she thought about each option they had. My house isn't some dainty building...it can hold up. But if things go really bad....the underground shrine. The one right across from my dad's house.....

"Okay guys, here's the plan...." Yuffie tried desperately to control the fear in her voice...but failed miserably. "If things get too dangerous....we're hiding out in the underground shrine near my dad's place. Until then...we hole up here, okay?"
 

[Skwinky]

Wutai; Yuffie's House

Everything seemed to be a little better now that he was here with Sora. Sure, he had plenty of friends but somehow it felt like the most important people were ripped away from him by the Heartless. Namine... Riku... They had to save them! There was no turning back from that resolution. It was once and for all. And there was so much going for them now. Aros and Sloth were on their side! Well... as much as a Heartess could be on your side. Frankly, Roxas felt the only reason the two supported him and Sora was because it was most convenient and easiest for them to get back at the King and Septsinian.

Suddenly, though, the Turk woman burst from the door with a look of absolute fear upon her face. As the words clicked in place, Roxas' eyes grew as round as the moon. Sephiroth? Here? Why here? Why now? If anything, this is going to postpone the trip to Kingdom Hearts for a little while. Sephiroth was Cloud's darkness. Nothing but terror followed him.

"Okay guys, here's the plan.... If things get too dangerous....we're hiding out in the underground shrine near my dad's place. Until then...we hole up here, okay?"

Now even Yuffie was scared. It was evident in her voice. But run and hide? Would that work with Sephiroth...? Well, from his, or rather Sora's, past experiences with him, the man of darkness only instigated with select people. That time it was Cloud... but Cloud wasn't here now? It had to be someone here in this room or maybe even multiple people. Either way, he came for someone right? That means they'd have to stand and fight!

Roxas glanced over at Sora, locking eyes for but a brief moment before turning to everyone else in the room. "We can't all run, can we? I'm sure some people would be able to make it away but last time we saw Sephiroth, he wanted to see Cloud and see him he did. Why is he here now?"

If they didn't run, they would have to fight. That was something Roxas was sure of. And he wasn't about to leave anyone behind and unprotected with Sephiroth around.

But Aros... he better be ready to help this time.  

[xX_Kana_Xx]

((OOC: Yay for huge posts and being stupidly bold!!!))

Hiding – it wasn’t an option, not for her. Tschirhart heard the fear in Yuffie’s voice, that fear resulting in the drawing of the Turk’s cool mask once again. She instantly knew she shouldn’t have excited the whole place with her abrupt news broadcast. The Turk looked between the two teenagers – a blonde and brunette with equally odd and vaguely similar hairstyles, and glanced at the young ninja’s company briefly. This…wasn’t their fight.

”Why is he here now?” She knew the answer to that question all too well.

Drawing in a silent breath, she closed her eyes tightly for a moment and made an attempt at assessing the situation with a clear head. She would be damned if Tseng was right, but if he meant what he had said in the chat, it honestly didn’t matter what the hell she did. Still, there were other people to consider than her superior at the moment, and it was for them that she would bite the bullet. They were civilians, friends even. She was a Turk.

She was also the cause.

Her options were very limited…

“I’m sorry.” The Turk opened her eyes and looked to the group, sincerity seeping through the mask briefly before it melted away. She took a deep breath, “The Turks and the President will be landing here soon. They’ll explain everything. Just tell them that I’ll buy them as much time as possible, alright?”

She ran to the front door, but paused in the doorway. Turning her eyes back to Yuffie, she smiled faintly. “Yuffie, you’re the best! Congratulations again, by the way. I was really looking forward to that tour, too. We’ll have to reschedule sometime.” She took a few steps off, then paused, leaning back in the doorway. There was lingering emotion in her words, something beneath threatening to overflow: “And…tell Reno we’ll…see each other again. Really soon.”

With that, Hart ran out the front door, closing it behind her. She turned and stepped back a few feet, extending her left hand, palm up. Her materia sprang to life, layers of ice beginning to line the door as a result of the circular hand motion she performed. The ice quickly thickened, securing the door. Once this was done, she turned and stepped out into the open, the voice in her head suddenly quickening, causing her to check herself.

Pull yourself together, Tschirhart. Another deep breath, and she dared to take another few steps, walking slightly right of the house and into that very open space before halting. Knives fell from her sleeves and into the nook between each finger of her right hand. Just in case. You can do this.

“I know you’re here. Holy, I feel it.”  

[ll EmoShane ll]

((*facedesks* ))

Wutai-- Outside of Yuffie's House

Panic and fear was as satisfying as it was familiar to Sephiroth. The two merged together and nearly wreaked from the building as he soon took flight once more and landed on the roof the of it. It was a silent landing, and Mother spoke again...

Wait...wait...she will be..here soon. The voice was warped yet intoxicating and alluring, something a mere human would fall to immediately. The usual sneer was replaced with a placid expression, green eyes falling upon a woman Turk.

Hart.

The silver haired man slowly drifted down behind her, once again landing gracefully and leaning over her shoulder.

"Hello, my Hart." he whispered evenly, calling her by the name rather subconciously now instead of doing it on purpose. Sephiroth was well aware of how armed she was, let alone any Turk, but it did not faze him. It was highly expected, afterall.

He didn't bother to glance at the frozen shut doorwary, for the shaken humans inside the structure were hardly interesting-- much too fragile for the mind games the psycho loved to play. Was he playing one now? Sephiroth had yet to decide.

He allowed his one wing to drape over her before smirking.

"You can hear Mother, can't you? I suggest listening to her..."  

[xX_Kana_Xx]

Wutai: Outside of Yuffie's House

It happened so fast that Hart scarcely realized he was behind her until he spoke. Apparently, the adrenaline wasn't enough to allow her senses to remain sharp, to override the new wave of feelings that moved forward like the gentle tide only to rush her, enveloping her very being in its power. Nothing could have prepared her for that unannounced assault, for it transcended all the previous encounters and much of the strength she needed to stand against this threat had been drained by previous assaults.

Dark eyes widened as the ridiculous pet name registered in her mind. Literally. Something clicked. Somewhere, someone screamed. A small rivulet of red began to make its way down her smooth skin, two throwing knives clenched in her fist. It was hot, an almost seering pain...or so it should have been. It dimmed, resulting in the tightening of her grip. Again, the pain surged, and again it dimmed.

Close, too close. He was touching her again. It instilled a wave of panic within her that showed only partially upon her face, for the words of her superior, many of which had been harmful, rang loudly in her ears. He really was only speaking to her...In her freakin' mind. And he was touching her. Never mind how soft those damnable feathers looked

She opened her mouth to speak, but his words cut through the air like a knife: "You can hear Mother, can't you? I suggest listening to her..."

"I told you I don't--" Hart stopped mid-sentence, her eyes flickering suddenly.

My Hart..my precious, precious Hart...

The anger stood paralyzed in her expression, the acid still lacing her tongue. It was...strange, this voice which seemed to come from...within her; yet, it was beside her, before her, and somewhere behind her all at once. Were there two? No, it was a single voice...unless there were two tones speaking in unison. It didn't matter how many tones complimented it, though. It stole her breath straight from her lungs, instilled a feeling of wonder and fear within her, making her feel so very much like a child that she moved back into the one-winged angel, 'instinct' overriding in the immense confusion which enveloped her.

It wasn't. It couldn't be. It wasn't, but then...then it was. It...was, wasn't it? Truth and lies were hurrying to scatter themselves, the thin line between the two now blotted and obscured by....something, someone.

Who..? Barely a whisper, a confused whisper as she tried to move against it.

One of the two knives fell to the ground.  

[xWhisperingxDismayx]

Gaia -- Wutai

Finally there. Raile swung his legs over the bike he was riding only a moment ago. If that conversation was right, then Hart wasn’t exactly safe. And, for another thing, Hart was in Wutai. Raile took his weapon from his belt. Shame he lost his tie on the way to Wutai. Now his shirt was opened and looked like Reno. No time to think about that.

Rod extended his weapon with a flick of the wrist, putting it up to rest on his shoulder, tapping it there gently as he made his way over to where Hart supposedly was.

And lo and behold, there she stood, in the flesh. Not far away was one Sephiroth. Raile clearly remembered the incident with Nibelheim, not to mention all of the other things. As he was closing in to the two, he saw Sephiroth wrap his black, feathery wing around her.

Just like a cocoon… Raile thought, stomach turning even as it occurred to him. The Turk forced the thought away as he called out to Hart.

”Yo, Tschirhart. What mess did you get yourself into, huh?”
 

[ll EmoShane ll]

Wutai, still Outside of Yuffie's House

The calm, even expression did not leave as Hart backed into him, the one wing still lightly draped around the girl. She could hear Mother, Sephiroth had noted, when the alluring murmur in his mind sounded rather pleased. A light smile flickered onto his lips, green hues lifting themselves to watch the female Turk.

But was she truly a Turk anymore?

If she accepted Mother, then it would be the end of all the deceit she knew and the very beginning of the truth. Sephiroth would see to that, and he was quite sure Mother would as well. A hardly audible, perplexed whisper escaped Hart's lips, one that the silver-haired man could answer with ease.

"Mother..." he uttered in her ear. The scent of blood set off instinct for him as well, one hand taking the knifeless hand of her own before a presence made him flinch.

A human's presence.

Eyes narrowed as they glanced up at a Turk, by the looks of it, who had foolishly decided to interrupt and call out. A rather...displeased expression graced his features, eyes flashing possessively and locking onto the man with utter hatred-- almost as much as he had expressed to the red head named Reno. Almost.

Sephiroth let one hand fall to the handle of Masamune, quite prepared to hack off any limbs, and attempted to drill a hole through the appearing Turk's head.

Mother was rather displeased as well.  

[Skwinky]

Wutai; Yuffie's Home

He was more than ready to fight, especially when he was with Sora now. This was the test, the moment to see if they could truly defeat the Heartless! If Sephiroth could be subdued, then so could Xeryim! The two weren't even that different. They were both manipulative... the essence of darkness... each just came from another world, even if one was from Kingdom Hearts. Roxas' fists tightened at the thought, adrenaline rushing. This was it. This was it.

“I’m sorry. The Turks and the President will be landing here soon. They’ll explain everything. Just tell them that I’ll buy them as much time as possible, alright?”

The woman-Turk spoke with Yuffie for a moment longer before rushing out of the door, closing it with a slam. But... what was she doing?! She wanted to fight him alone?

"Wait!" Roxas rushed forward, tugging the door open only to find it was sealed closed. He pulled harder and hard, succeeding only in rattling the knob. Getting no where fast, he turned to Sora and the others. "We have to get out there!"

Panicked, the boy surveyed the room. It was medium sized but well lit by the sun and... well lit! That's it! Windows! Roxas rushed to the nearest window, pulling it open! He turned back in just enough time to yell, "We can't let her die!" before leaping out of the house.

Heavily, Roxas landing on the street outside and summoned both Keyblades. Quickly he rounded the corner to find both Sephiroth and Hart (in very close vicinity, mind you) and yet another man, a Turk, in the distance. He looked vaguely familiar. Was he one of the ones in Port Royal? Nevertheless, Roxas pushed it from his mind.

"Sephiroth!" he yelled, discarding the fact that the man would have no idea of his identity and how Roxas knew of him. "Let her go!"  

[xX_Kana_Xx]

(OOC: For the record, if you don't understand what's going on in this post, please lemme know and I'll clarify. YAY LONG POST! Dark red font is thinking, by the way. Kthx.)

Wutai: Outside of Yuffie's House

The whisper registered, but the logic of the statement made no sense. Rarely was it that the heart and the mind worked together and, in this case, the two were straining against one another, adding to the immense stress placed upon the body. That word – “mother” –held so much power, so many memories, kindled so many emotions...and she wanted to believe it, to believe in that wondrous voice which spoke to her. She wanted to believe it…just like the dreams that had haunted her night after night until they became the stuff of nightmares. Once upon a time, sleep had been regarded as a hateful curse until, one day, something happened.

Something changed.

Every now and then, she would be visited by dreams of that forbidden desire, overflowing with that same raw emotion that refused to fade and die with time. Just as she was enfolded in the warmth of that loving embrace, everything changed. Every time. Tears of joy were suddenly laced with the fear of an unspoken horror as the warmth faded and that smile, that smile that could warm the coldest of hearts, was suddenly gone forever…but sometimes, they still heard her voice, and that same hopeless hope she tried so hard to kill was rekindled by one just who wouldn’t leave it alone. Alessa.

The child always ran blindly into the darkness after her mother’s voice, always searching, calling to her, for her, but she seldom heard a reply…and now it seemed she had finally found her! After all that time, she—no, they—should’ve been happy, but there was confusion within her own eyes, hesitation which caused her to stop short of throwing herself headlong into the warmth of that embrace. She was paralyzed, so much so that, were it not for the consistency of her proximity to Sephiroth, she might not have known he had taken her hand. Something about that…made it seem okay. Then, once again…

Something changed.

The noise in her head contented itself to resume almost instantly with the sudden change within that wondrous voice. Tschirhart couldn’t quite identify the owner of the voice that had called out to her, but she heard the words and knew it wasn’t…her. Her dark eyes flickered softly, resulting in a few slow blinks as she regained focus and saw…a Turk!? And not just any Turk, by the looks of it! Red hair, open shirt, messy uniform…

RENO!

Her heart nearly skipped a beat. It took the opportunity to jump into her throat, a mistake her butterfly filled stomach quickly realized as joy turned to fear. Everything came back to her at once – the gravity of the situation, the war being waged within her mind, the displeasure within Jenova’s voice, and…Sephiroth, his presence stood uncontested. The Turk stared in the direction of the red head, thoughts racing through her already cluttered mind at light speed. Despite her intense longing to go to him and the sudden freedom she had acquired merely from his presence, she stood her ground…for his sake.

Sephiroth’s expression had changed. His hand had moved to Masamune’s handle. The displeasure in Jenova’s voice, the volume…Sephiroth hadn’t harmed Reno before. It had been over the internet and that didn’t mean he wouldn’t harm him now. She would do anything to keep that from happening, anything. All it took was one look at that red head and she knew. Oh, she knew…but it wasn’t the time for knowing. The blonde had rounded the corner and seemed perfectly intent upon pressing Sephiroth’s anger.

Not that she wasn’t thankful for his willingness to go against the most feared man on Gaia for her sake, but she didn’t know him, he knew nothing of the situation, and running head on to meet Sephiroth in combat over a stranger was, well, insane! Never mind that she had done the exact same thing moments earlier, or the fact that she was worse off against him. Just a little. Besides, this key-wielding wonder was just a kid! He had passed puberty by the looks of it, but she didn’t exactly want to be the one to tell his mother he had charged Sephiroth and wasted his life for nothing.

Hart turned her eyes upward and looked at Sephiroth, giving his hand a gentle, almost affectionate squeeze. She didn’t have time to inwardly protest what accompanied that motion. It was the first part of a plea not to harm them, not to draw Masamune. For once, she was thankful that she hadn’t bought knuckle gloves, for the leather saved her from the perils of direct skin contact and allowed her to retain that precious bit of freedom to which she clung. The severity of Jenova’s voice in her head was harmful in conjunction with the noise and the clutter, despite the number of thoughts she had cast aside to be able to function. She spoke despite the resulting pulsations of her head…for their sake.

“Don’t.” Her voice was soft, a pained whisper as she looked up at him. Despite her freedom and the sudden burst of strength, she was still very much vulnerable and she knew it, felt it…but she also knew what she was capable of, what she could do. She didn’t want to do that, to show them or anyone. Fear…yes, she did fear it. She feared herself, feared what others would think of her if they only knew. “Please…don’t.”

Forcefully, the Turk tore her gaze from him and turned her eyes to the two only to find she had lost her words. How could she make them understand?

“It’s…okay.” She managed, ignoring the pulsing in her head as she raised her voice to be heard. “I’m fine. Just…” She barely masked a wince. Too loud, too much noise.  

[queen_qing]

Sora, of course, was hot at Roxas' heels, his Keyblades appearing in his hands at a single thought. The familiar tingle rushed through him, and the brunette echoed the blonde's words angrily, bright blue eyes flashing in anger and determination.

Even Cloud had quite a problem defeating Sephiroth, but Sora was not one who was intimidated by little things like that. The point was, Sephiroth was here, and chances were that he was looking to hurt people.

People who were innocent.

This was it, then. Their test; how would Ultima stand against this god of darkness? How would Aros fare against him? Even now, Sora could feel his shadow twin within him, simply itching for a good fight, and he couldn't help but shudder, just a little.

He could almost taste the power, the power that was fuelled by darkness and shadow, and the boy had to fight to not let it overwhelm him. More than ever, this was Sora's test. Would he be the King, or would he be the horse?

"Miss Hart," Sora said urgently as he saw the Turk woman go over to Sephiroth, of all things. "Get away from him!" Raising his voice in challenge, Sora continued, his words directed to Sephiroth now. "If you wanna hurt someone, come at us! Leave them alone!"