Welcome to Gaia! ::

[Joseph: HT/BC: Outside Train]

It...it seemed so slow. Watching her heart escape her chest like that...it was like everything was in slow-motion. Like his brain HAD to slow it down so he could comprehend it.

And then it all sped up as Rae's 'body' was shot at him, knocking him on his back with Rae on top of him.

He was hurting...hurting in body, mind, AND soul. Joseph layed there, trying to comprehend what exactly happened, before sitting up and grabbing at her, gently shaking her.

"...Rae?"

Some more shaking.

"Rae?"

Some more, a pulse check, a breathing check, his movements getting faster and more frantic.

"RAE?!"

And as her hand limply fell to the ground, he let out a loud, wordless, strangled cry. Hot tears burned his eyes, his throat straining, his hand clutching....

How could he let this happen...?

[Alan :: LoD :: Throne Room]

Getting captured had been the punctuation to one of the longest feeling weeks in Alan's life. For days, he had been lost in the wild, surviving by adapting his newfound magic to the task of hunting. He hadn't had a solid roof over his head since the Heartless came. And then, right as he was getting into the rhythm of wilderness survival - establishing a sort of routine - the Emperor's guards found him, and he was captured and brought to the capitol.

As he was brought into the room, Alan looked around, taking stock of his situation. This place bore all the marks of an area that was until recently engulfed in battle. He wondered if this land was at war, and if he was being held in suspicion of being an enemy spy. The guards who had captured him never did give him a straight answer.

Some of the people standing around also looked familiar: Seymour and Cloud, obviously, were unmistakable even from a glance. However, Alan was careful not to stare. He didn't know what situation he was in, precisely, and was concerned that rudeness might be fatal here. And so, uncertain of what he should say, he stood a while in silence.

Then, he felt something poke his foot. Looking down suddenly, he saw the small dragon. Mushu . . . ? He considered contesting the description of himself as 'strange', but realized that, in this land, he probably was.

He smiled politely at Mushu. "'Another one'?" he asked, breaking his silence. "Are there . . . others from Earth here?"

[Kichi :: LoD :: Throne Room]

Kichi sighed a huge sigh of relief to see the emperor was okay...and judging by his okayness with the earthlings being there, and seeming lack of memory...Jafar had probably hypnotized him. As bad as it was, it was a relief knowing that the emperor had not willingly ordered them to be apprehended, and that he was okay now.

And the...speak of apprehending, the guards had just brought in another earthling. Kichi sat there dumbfounded for a second. Then his roommate from before the destruction of earth asked if there were others. Kichi snickered...then chuckled...then laughed...then outright cracked up. "Heh....hah...heh heh....HAHAHA....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAH!!!" Alan would easily recognize this laugh, but nonetheless, he calmed down enough to say "...hah... There sure...heh heh...are."

He didn't know why he was laughing, but it was probably from the huge sense of relief he had gotten out of it.

Bahamut sat quietly in Kichi's mind, allowing him this moment of happiness.

[ Kyle ; Sora : HT/BC : Outside Train ]

Kyle watched with a look of restrained shock as the events unfolded. He was never particularly close to Rae; he could probably count on one hand the times the two had spoken. However, she was an integral part of the group long before he'd ever joined them. She'd been like a sister to them.

A sister he couldn't save.

"Kyle, I can't find mom, I can't find her, she's not in the house, the shadows, it's just like Kingdom Hearts, but mom, mom's not-"

"Just calm down and get in a corner, Josh, try to keep'em back, I'm almost there-"

The spear fell from his hand somewhat before vanishing in a flash of light as he gripped the side of his head. Ignoring the resurfaced memories, he focused on the here and now, and found it just as hard to fathom. There was nothing he could have done. There was no negotiation. There was no 'this is what I want'- they wanted her dead, and she died.

Why? There was no reason. Sure, the Replica gave one, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to realize it was bullshit. They didn't want them to improve. They wanted them to suffer. That was the only goal; there was no ulterior motive.

"She... she's still," Sora tried to speak, kneeling down to the side with a desperate look on his face. "Her body's still here. That means- that means her heart hasn't drifted into the Darkness yet. They're holding it, we can still get it back-"

"Just get her inside already, we can talk there," Kyle seethed, glaring at Sora, who merely nodded in response as he tried to take the limp body from Joe, who Kyle immediately knelt down beside. "Joe, listen to me, I need to you to get inside, okay? Get into the train."

"Everyone needs to get inside now," he demanded. The sense of frustrated urgency in his voice might have seemed misplaced, as if he were angry at them for some reason, but he wasn't. Standing up and taking a quick step over to Cory's head, he kept talking as he knelt down next to Cory and tried to remove the vine-gag. "We don't know if there are any more of them around. Someone get Kuja- our only actual Earth mage just left the building."

[Nick :: Tortuga]

Nick nodded solemnly; he would be losing a teacher but gaining allies. His emotions were caught in the middle, as on one hand, he would be meeting other Earthlings like himself, maybe even people he knows. On the other hand, they're most likely random strangers that he'll have to end up fighting, dashing away the hope that his family and friends survived the attack on the Heartless.

"Teacher, I do not feel that I can choose properly at the moment. I wish to see these groups, if that is at all possible. If not, I will chose one that will grant me power, as I need more power to complete my own goals."

[Joseph: HT/BC: Outside Train -> Train]

Buzzing. All around him there was buzzing. Annoying buzzing. Why wouldn't the buzzing go away? He just wanted to be left alone...

The cries had seemed to weaken till they were gone, and Joe had just sat there, holding Rae. No, holding her body. That's all there was left, after all...

Someone tried to take her away, and without even seeing who, he growled at them. NO. THEY WON'T TAKE HER. No...not yet...please...

"-need you to get inside, okay? Get into the train."

Kyle was talking? Train? Oh, right, train. Train was safe. Train was temporary home. Safety first.

Getting up, with Rae's body still in his arms(refusing to let anyone, even Sora, take her), he got up and walked toward the train. That happy smile was gone, the frown of worry was gone, the knitted/furrowed brow of concern and thought was gone...nothing but that blank, numb, stoney mask...

Walking by Cory, the male looked at Kyle, then Cory. Looked hard at Cory, like trying to figure out why Cory was still here. Three small, quiet words left his mouth, then.

"Cory? F*** you."

No inflection, no anger, no...nothing. Just monotone and numbness...before climbing into the train and setting Rae down on the seats of the lounge car, sitting on the floor beside her and leaning his forehead against an empty seat by her head.

...How could I have let this happen?

He was so out of it...he didn't even realize Jenny had offered any advice, let alone had been near him. He just sat there, head against the cushion, eyes closed, face still blank, tear streaks still present.

[[Louis : HT/BC : Outside the Train -> Inside the Train]]

Louis had stayed silent and still throughout the entire ordeal. He couldn't have done anything for the white mage. He was far too weak to take her on, let alone move faster than a hobble. The explosion had left him alone for the moment part. He was sitting, low to the ground and farther away than the others so it only put pressure on his chest for a split second. When the call for everyone to get onto the train went out, Louis followed it as well, whether he was invited or not.

What monsters did I help create? These abominations with no light, they have no sense of right or wrong, they only know destruction, pain, and suffering. What have I done?
...
Well... I guess there is always some good... they took care of the white mage so I won't have to... guess the failures still have their uses.

Louis leaned against the train side until he reached the door and climbed on. He got inside, passing up the chance to observe the inside, heading for the closest sat he could find where he plopped down with a slight sigh. He shook his head a bit, trying to rid himself of the exhaustion, but it wasn't working too well. Things here were going horribly... he wondered how things were going with his other plans.


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[[??? : LoD : Throne Room]]


A dark portal opened up in the rafters of the large throne room. An armored figure stood, hidden by the shadows of the roof. He wasn't alone on the rafters though, guards who were stationed even in such a out of the way place. The guards stepped forward to size up the sudden intruder. One opened his mouth to shout, but found himself unable. The guard brought his hand to his mouth, his eyes widening, realizing only then... he was doomed. Darkness swallowed him and he was gone. The others suffered the same fate until none were left. Now the figure stood looking down at the large group of misplaced individuals, watching, observing, and listening.

Several were out and down for the count. Others lay in scattered places, disorganized and weak. There was damage everywhere, guards leaned against the walls, battered and bruised, countess priceless decorations shattered and torn to pieces all over the palace throne room. The marks on the walls and scorch marks on the floors spoke of a great battle. Finally, the earthlings. Most were still standing, besides one. The others seemed to be conversing or recovering their own wounds. What ever had happened, it must have been something big... all the better.

The armored figure stepped out from its place in the rafters and fell to the floor, landing on its feet. The figure, now obvious to those who had encountered it before, stood before them. Nameless even to those who knew him from Halloween Town, Louis stood there among them, fully armored, coated in an icy mist that flowed off like smoke off a fire. With the helmet drawn over his face, he looked around the large room through the ruby eye slots that disguised even his glances.