Radiant Garden [COMPLETED]

[xWhisperingxDismayx]

The sudden realization of just how much they were alike and how much he owed Saix made Axel feel…a bit…he couldn’t even think of the word. He was almost…numb. He couldn’t feel anything, but yet he felt something. He couldn’t lay his finger on that little bit of what he felt, and that bothered him.

The redhead put the feeling aside, and waited until he was back at Merlin’s. He’d almost drifted off to sleep. Axel felt a gentle hand touch his; it was a comfort. The hand was warm, and vaguely made him think it was his mother. He knew it was impossible and that he was probably hallucinating even the touch, but it made him feel better none the less.

Axel had drifted to sleep not long after he felt a hand touch his. He was exhausted, seeing as he hadn’t sleep besides when he’d been knocked out, if that even counted. He woke up from hearing someone talk. They were right outside Merlin’s. When’d they get there?! Right, he’d fallen asleep while “walking”. He still thought he could have gotten back himself.

“Hey Saix. I think you can put me down, now.”  

[Diazu]

Watching Axel sleep reminded Saïx of how tired he was. Axel had a rough day. They all did. He couldn't help but let the smile be was struggling so hard to hide from spreading. Axel is lucky to be sleeping right now... He told himself with amusement.

He was silent the entire way back, which felt comforting, but at the same time unsettling. He felt Axel shift as he stopped walking, then looked down to see the man waking up slowly. "Have a good nap?" He grinned, then released him when he was asked to.

"How did the short nap feel?" He asked, wishing it had been him sleeping. "Once we eat and head towards the other worlds I'm going to nap on the way." He declared as he hearded for the door.

Suddenly his heart was filled with dread.

Where is that sound? He questioned with worry. That sound that had pained him and drove him to near insanity was gone. Did that mean Greed escaped?!

Saïx hurriedly entered the room, which he knew startled Tifa and Axel at his odd and sudden change of attitude and behavior. He saw no Heartless, or any sign of him anywhere. There was also an uncomfortable silence in the room. Where did Greed go? Some of them looked rather angry, and Marluxia went missing, too. "Where is Marluxia and Greed?" Saïx finally asked.

"Where is Greed? Man, you're an idiot, Saïx!" Xaldin hissed, turning to face the Luna Diviner. "You and Pinky there told the Heartless we had him! They came just a few minutes ago and took him away. They're going to kill him!" He shouted again. He couldn't control his rage.

It was Saïx who told Pride...It was his fault!

Taken away? He remembered telling Pride, but he felt no sympathy for the Heartless. Sneering at the Lancer he crossed his arms.

"An idiot? It just makes one less Heartless to worry about. Six more left to kill." He said emotionlessly. He was infact glad that the man was gone.

"What?! You're the Heartless here! We almost had him on our side! He...He didn't have to die like that...They're going to kill him." He heard Xaldin say, his tone growing drastically sad. Pathetic.

"You're too trusting, Xaldin." Saïx hissed. He walked over to the man, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "I bet if Sloth came in here right now and said that he wanted to be your friend I bet you'd listen! They're the enemy. They want that to happen so they can end your life." He growled, showing the man he wasn't going to be pushed around.

"You call me a heartless? Ha! You know not the true nature of a Heartless." Saïx mocked as a smirk spread across his face. "When you have no memory, you're very pathetic Xaldin. You always told me to trust nobody. But here you are trusting someone who would end your life. What is u p with that?" Saïx asked before throwing the ex-Nobody down. He may have considered Xaldin as family, but he was still being an idiot.

Xaldin said nothing as he let Saïx talk before being thrown down. He never even met the guy until today, and here he is thinking he said that?

But then again, he did have a huge empty spot in his head. So he couldn't deny it or accept it.

Xaldin sighed, bringing his knees to his chest. He knew he was being pathetic, but what was he to do? He couldn't fight, he was confused and scared. Scared for his life and the people he had just met. A part of him was afraid of something else...but he could not remember. The name never came up. The face was hazy. He knew the person, thought...they meant everything to him, though.

I wish I knew who she was... Xaldin thought with another heavy sigh. He wanted to remember so badly. But for now he needed to get over his depression and grief.

((HAHA XD this was fun. Saix and Xaldin fighting...totally talking to myself. I think I am insane :3))  

[queen_qing]

Tifa barely had a chance to react to Saix's sudden temper change upon entering Merlin's abode. Of course, she had been surprised to see that Greed was gone - and having never really spoken to him before, the young woman did not see very much of a problem there, but Xaldin...

Why was Xaldin so angry? Were Greed and him friends? The fact that a person killing their own comrades was horrendous, to say the least, and she was struggling to understand the entire picture.

"An idiot? It just makes one less Heartless to worry about. Six more left to kill."

Saix had made sense, right? Butm frankly speaking, it sounded a little...cold. Was he really that merciless, then, to not bat an eyelid at the fact that the Heartless was going to be killed by his comradas?

Sure, Tifa wasn't expecting him to shed tears and all, considering the way Greed had been fighting with the others, but still. Personally, Tifa didn't mind the disappearance of another heartless, especially one as formidable as Greed, but...

"Saix!" Tifa exclaimed even as Saix threw the other man to the ground. Crossing over to Xaldin, she crouched beside him, concerned. "Hey...are you all right?"

Saix, she thought silently. What's the matter with you...? I suppose the real question is, are YOU okay?  

[xWhisperingxDismayx]

Axel, still drowsy, yawn as he staggered once his feet hit pavement. He eventually caught himself, and only half heard Saix's questions. It had something to do with napping. The thought of sleep made him smile again. Ahhh, it was such a good thing. Especially when he was actually able to sleep.

He rubbed at his eyes, watching Saix run inside. There was some sort of arguement and blah blah blah, yada yada yada. He didn't care. Though something caught his attention as he entered Merlin's. There was the smell of food. Axel grinned. Food. He looked around for a drink, and found only potions, elixirs, and ethers. Well, at least it was fluid. He popped open the top of about three potions, downing them quickly.

Now that Axel wasn't near dying of thirst, and had slept enough to have energy [he was glad to be awake now and not sleepy]. But that left him really rather hungry. He ignored the arguement with Xaldin and Saix, the berserker winning. He sat down, back to the wall, not far from where Ienzo was cooking. Man, he never thought Zexion could cook! Just goes to show he didn't know him.

"Havin' fun with that?" Axel asked the "chef".  

[MiwaFujiwara]

"We're leaving??"

The announcement hit Yuffie like a bullet to the head. We're actually leaving? Are things getting that bad? Gingerly, she stood up from her corner, trudged outside to the front, and moved close to the older man. She had a thousand questions to ask, mostly having to deal with what had happened while she was in the marketplace with Aerith, but knew this probably wasn't the time to ask. I'd probably get yelled at for being gone anyway.....I'll just look on-line...

"Where EXACTLY are we all going? And are we all getting separated?" Well, that's a stupid question. Nothing says moving target than half a zillion people congregated in one place. She shyly looked up at her friend, the other issues occupying her mind screaming to be brought up.

"Hey....mind if I be in your group...?"

As soon as he got his hits in, Seifer moved over, allowing his companions to get some hits in while he gathered up his strength for another round of blows. He was sure this would be an easy battle, sure that in only a few minutes, this enemy would be begging for mercy like his friend....

....Or, at least, he was sure until One grabbed Sora and threw him like a rag doll. The sheer power of such a gesture made the teen tremble, and the realization that this was just a small dose of what the man possessed made him feel he had just jumped into a tub of ice water. He would never admit to it, but he was extremely relieved to see his adversary and the guy that surrendered go through the portal, back into the land of darkness.

"Come on, guys."

From what he had read on-line, everyone was supposed to meet up in front of someone's house. Although he couldn't remember exactly who was there to meet them, he remembered getting an odd feeling of deja-vu at reading one of the names. Now, if I could only remember who that was.... Keeping his weapon close, he followed Sora and Demyx into the borrough.  

[Xandrei]

For God's sake, did everyone always have to bicker around here? They were grown adults, and here they were, standing around arguing like little children. Ienzo grit his teeth, stirring the pasta to keep his mind off of the argument that had grown increasingly louder in the past three minutes. After a proclamation from Saix, it died down-- but that didn't mean Ienzo was any less angry.

"Are we quite done with the arguing now, kids?" He paused his stirring, turning his head to look at the two ex-Organization members. "Good. Because honestly, I'm sick and tired of hearing everyone bicker like they've reverted back to being two years old. It's completely immature, and if you haven't noticed, it doesn't solve anything." Stirring resumed for a moment before he took the spoon out, placing it on the hook nearby and grabbing the plates Merlin had stacked on the table next to him.

"Now. If you would like me to treat you like little children, then fine, keep carrying on everytime something like this happens. If you want to be treated your age--- sit down, shut your mouths, and keep the brooding to yourself." Ienzo leveled a calculating gaze at the two before turning and continuing to busy himself with the makings of dinner.

"Food's ready if you want it."  

[beautybedamned]

Leaving? Again?

"But what about the others?" She spoke up, a little louder than she might have liked. Namine clamped her mouth shut immediately, dropping her gaze as not to look the tall man in the eye. He looked fierce. It was the only word that seemed to come to mind. She was loathe to see this man angry.

Her fingers threaded through Roxas' and she tried not to look anywhere near upset. As her fingers found the paces between his, she told herself that by doing so she was tying them together, like a knot. Tight. "The others," she murmured, "I left them back there." She looked over her shoulder, her gaze turning to the way she'd come. When she looked back to the two men she couldn't help but feel guilty that she'd run away from the others, leaving them to their own devices. "There was trouble." She stated simply, her teeth closing down on her lower lip.

"We're all going together," her eyes felt like they were a little too wide. She wasn't sure though. "Right?"
 

[queen_qing]

Pausing for a moment at Ienzo's words - Tifa remembered him as the man who had more or less taken Greed out with one strategically aimed dart - her glance was drawn to the food he was preparing.

Standing up, Tifa moved over to where he was - the steaming plate of spaghetti smelled marvellous - and helped him out with the cooking: namely, with the handing of plates and the distribution of assorted cutlery. She hadn't done this in so long that the simple action had made her happy.

She'd seen on the webs that Leon had planned to gather everyone for a meeting; Saix had protested, but it was what it was: a meeting of sorts to plan for what happened next.

Oh well. They were about due for that, anyway.

And speaking of the Internet...Tifa stepped over to Ienzo a little awkwardly, her voice low and polite. "Um, Ienzo, is it okay if you can cook a portion of meat a little less? I don't think Saix likes his meat too well done."  

[Trae prodigy]

Alright, looks like the potion worked, Xemnas had looked alot better then when Kairi brought him there "Ok, we'll go back to the others then." she took his hand and led him back to the others.

It looked like alot had happened in the short time they were away. Come to think of it....it looked like Namine and Axel weren't there anymore. Kairi saw the boy and waved, "Hey Sora!" she ran over to him.

"Anything happen?"


Aerith and Cloud came to Merlin's house, still holding hands. ((FTW biggrin D)) Everyone probably knew about the new couple, thanks to the scene in the marketplace...and Yuffie. Oh well, time to face the music.

Aerith opened the door, with a smile on her face, and Cloud lagging slightly behind her "Hi guys!"

((SHORT POST x.X SORRY I NEED TO CATCH UP BADLY..AGAIN))  

[xWhisperingxDismayx]

Cloud came in to the house. He was happy that he and Aerith felt the same and were a couple, but he wasn’t quite so happy about everyone knowing about it. He knew some of his friends would tease him. Probably Leon. Definitely Tifa. She’d already interrogated him. The ups and downs, apparently.

“Hey.”  

[BasslineRaver]

Xemnas looked down at Kairi grabbed his hand, and followed along the best he could, falling in step behind her. He gazed around at the world as he walked by, finding everything was very, very interesting!

"Look at that tiny little white dog!" Xemnas let out a happy laugh as he pointed at a person walking their dog. "And that tiny creature is flying! It has a bauble on its head and I wish to touch it. Oooh! That person up there! Do you see them! They're flyi-... Now they're gone! Wow, this world is very amazing. I wish to explore it all!"

He looked over at Sora and waved shyly as well, before going back to marveling at the many things going on in the world.
 

[Diazu]

Merlin's House(FTW)
Anger turned to hunger in a matter of seconds to the sound of plates. Food? Yes...He was starving! Spaghetti slept great, and he caught the faint scent of cooking meat over the great smell of the pasta.

He smiled and nodded his thanks to Tifa as she passed him a plate, and waited for everyone to have their food before he would eat, no matter how tempting it was. He was slightly confused with Tifa muttered something to Ienzo, and having taken a hidden glance at him. What was she doing? Did it have to do with him? He would just have to wait.


Xaldin looked up as the others begun taking their seats to have dinner. Dinner? Man...food equals a happy stomach. Getting up, Xaldin also too his seat. He said his thanks to Tifa for the food, then begun to eat his share of the food. It was heaven in his mouth!

"Ienzo, this food is amazing!" He exclamed with happiness. He had never tasted something this amazing before from someone else.

Xaldin glanced about the room, seeing he was not the only one starving. It seemed like everyone who had yet to eat was hungry. It almost didn't surprise him.  

[actoratheart]

"Oogh," he grunted as he hit the pavement. "Oh. Sora. Riiiight. I knew what you meant." He coughed awkwardly, and glanced over at Xigbar.

"Listen, um... Xig?" He sighed, remembering the messages from Leon. "Xigbar, I don't think we can go back to the computer room. We need to get to Merlin's House right away." He wrinkled his nose. "And I can walk by myself, okay?"

"I know it's important to you, but Leon sounded pretty urgent. Maybe we should see what he wants first?"


((Ugh. Have to do this twice. D: *hugs Megan*))  

[ll EmoShane ll]

Merlin's House

Marluxia jerked back, making sure that those short little arms wouldn't go near his hair. Not that he was vain, but those teeth and hands would definitely be painful if they got ahold of his pink locks. Sighing, he placed the creature back down and started heading towards Merlin's House again. It could go where ever it pleased, really.

The assassin still felt very irritated at the fact that his own Heartless was going to be killed, and that he had just slipped through their fingers so easily, but his stomach screaming for food. From what he could remember, the last time he had eaten was all the way back in Destiny Islands, and Yuffie ate most of the food anyway.

Arriving, Marluxia instantly saw the giant gash he had made on one of the walls in Merlin's House. But he had only glanced at it for a brief moment before the most heavenly scent filled his nose...food. Spaghetti, to be exact. He studied each of their faces, most having a longing and hungry look, or the ones that had already received the food (like Xaldin) having the look of somebody who had just tasted heaven. The thought made his mouth water, but he let a small smirk show.  

[queen_qing]

Sora hung back a little, walking along with Seifer and Demyx until he saw a familiar sight. Brightening almost immediately, the boy quickened his pace and jogged towards Kairi and Xemnas, his trademark goofy grin firmly in place.

Well then, at least she was safe! "Kairi!" Sora called, then smiled at Xemnas. "Hey, Xemnas. Looks like Kairi did a good job, huh?"

Turning back to the redhead, already pushing the encounter with One to the back of his mind, he led her along towards Merlin's House. "Come on, we need to get to Merlin's. Leon sent out a message saying to meet him there as soon as possible!"