Draconai: Alright, my technology officially hates me. This thing has shut down on me three times in the middle of my writing. {sigh}. Well, I've tortured you guys long enough. Here it is! Kairi is once again a real character and not a corpse anymore!

I feel like you guys specifically avoided reviewing the previous chapter because of the opera. I don't know if that's my horrible custom songs, or if you guys just don't like opera, and I don't care. I just thought I'd point that out, because you might not have done it consciously.

In addition, I am so sorry for doing two straight Maria and Draco chapters, but I do not have enough time-kill material sitting around to put a chapter in between. Besides, I kind of wanted to do the opera from the audience's view. Again, ignore the lying size of your scrollbar, it's mostly music breaks.

And yes, whenever I bring up asymmetrical clothing (and a bright red convertible with an ocean-blue-flame paint job), I'm talking about Tidus. He's kind of the Yokai-encounter butt monkey.

Characters, weapons, origins © Square Enix and Disney. Monsters, setting, and encyclopedia © Akihisa Ikeda.

Chapter 37: The Princess Wakes

"Morning, Kairi."

Kairi gazed blankly for a moment at Sora's upside-down face before smiling softly. "...Morning, Sora."

He pulled away as Kairi sat up, finding herself in an unfamiliar room. "Where am I?"

"Cloud's office, in Edge," Sora replied. "Don't worry. A day hasn't even passed since we spoke."

Kairi set a hand on her forehead and found the arm wrapped in chains. "What the... what are...?"

"The holy chains," Sora answered before she could finish. "Shinra rearranged the seal. Remember, we've got four days. Come on; Reno's got a lead."

He helped Kairi to her feet - she felt kind of weak after nearly five days of sleep - and led her out into the main bar area, where they found Tifa, Cloud, Shinra, the Turks, and Xion talking. Upon seeing Kairi, Xion shot to her feet and shot towards Kairi, wrapping her arms around her in a sisterly hug.

"Kairi, you're awake!"

Sora blinked repeatedly. Glancing around the room, he wasn't the only one who found this to be strange.

To his surprise, Kairi returned the hug. "Hey, Xion, long time."

"No kidding," Xion murmured. "I was scared you were gonna be stuck here!"

"Which is precisely why I told cloaky wheelchair to let me help," Kairi stated. The two pulled away, and she turned to the crowd. "Can I get names?"

The spiky-haired blonde with the sword on his back raised his hand. "I'm Cloud," he prompted. "I hear you're the one who's been using my swords."

Kairi nodded. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry," he insisted. "I'm told you're pretty good with them."

The bartender-esque girl stepped forward. "I'm Tifa," she prompted. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Reno," called a guy who looked a lot like Axel. "This is Rude," he added, beckoning to the guy in sunglasses. "And... I think you know the boss?"

Kairi nodded. "Rufus Shinra, second President and CEO of Shinra Electric Power company, complete and utter manipulative bastard, one-handed shotgun slinger. Apparently also a sorcerer to back it up."

"You're insulting me," Shinra mused.

Kairi ignored it and turned to Reno. "So, I hear you've got a lead on where to find a... lock for this seal?"

"I know a guy who might be able to help," Reno replied. "Zest Kessho. He's in Altair. You know how to get to Altair, don't you?"

"Yeah, we can get to Altair," Sora replied.

Shinra's chair hummed forward. "The chains around you mark your time," he warned. After twenty hours, one of the binds upon yours limbs will break. Once all of those have fallen, you have sixteen hours to get back here and let me seal it properly, or the ghoul will be unleashed. Understood?"

"Understood."

+x+x+x+

"You're gettin' soft, Yazoo."

Yazoo brought his bike to a halt as he turned towards the tunnel again. Loz was sitting on his own bike, ready to roll, and his Dual Hound was locked in place, handle in his grip. His other hand was on the tunnel wall as he turned towards his brother. "Chicken out already?"

"I nearly got starved to death in an office closet in Midgar," Yazoo stated. "One of Kingdom's old girlfriends saved my life and told me to get back here. I complied. Sue me."

"I haven't got the cash for a lawsuit, right now," Loz admitted. "Plus, I'm not nearly smart enough to figure it out myself. There's probably a whole lotta formalities I gotta get used to, first."

He pulled his hand off the wall and revved his bike, taking off into the tunnel.

Yazoo sighed. "How the hell he's the one who did it, I'm not sure."

+x+x+x+

Kairi was holding on to Sora with all her might. They were headed straight for Midgar at double highway speed, barrelling towards the ruined building. Cloud hadn't taken his blades back out of Fenrir - said he wanted to 'get back into shape' with a more traditional blade before moving to his six-piece combo. When they arrived, Sora slowed down - if only to highway speed - as they weaved around the buildings.

"Where are we going?" she called to Xion behind her.

"Back to Yokai," Xion replied. "Once we hit the Four-Dimensional tunnel, we can turn right around and head for Altair."

They were nearing a dark tunnel now, and Sora revved the bike again and barrelled into the darkness.

There was a headlight coming at them.

Sora's Keyblade flared into his hand when he saw a punch wrapped in silver.

The bike was arced into a skid as the strike flew over them, and Kairi caught sight of a familiar short style of silver silver hair, with a pile bunker strapped to his arm. The two bikes skidded to a stop in complete darkness, their riders facing each other.

"That was bullshit, Kadaj saying the bus driver brought him to Midgar," Sora snapped.

"Eh, Kadaj tends to bullshit once in a while," Loz admitted. "You get used to it."

Streams of light flowed from Xion's palm as her Keyblade appeared in hand.

Loz's back tire screeched, rubber burning as he skidded in place before launching forward like a slingshot.

Fenrir had more grip than that; the bike howled, shooting into motion more akin to a firearm as Xion beat the strike away. The two bikes wheeled past each other and were half a kilometer away from each other before Loz arced into a round-turn skid, roaring after them.

Somehow, Sora managed to whirl his Keyblade in hand at double highway speed and grip it by the shaft, near the teeth; then he held it back towards Xion. "Take the Key."

"I can't Synch Blade! I told you!" Xion protested.

"And I can't focus the arcana if I'm trading blows with him!" Sora shouted. "Take the damn Key!"

Kairi got sick of this fast. "Give me that," she snapped, grabbing the weapon. It was lighter than she expected for its size - after using the side-blades out of Cloud's six-piece, she had expected a heavier weapon in that much more room - but she only braced it in hand so that she had a Key on Fenrir's left and Xion had a Key on its right.

Loz was approaching fast behind them. His pipe-bike roared up on the left, but Xion swung at him with her Keyblade, striking him away. He arced to the side on the right and ended up trading blows with Kairi, who kept clashing the silver Key against his Dual Hound. The silver-haired brute pulled away, aiming to drive the side of his bike right into Fenrir, but the snowgirl raised a hand, already covered in icy claws, and started blasting icefire at him that caused him to pull back.

"Come on, come on, come on..."

The brute arced around behind them, gaining as much momentum as he could before skidding so his back tire would run into the back tire of Fenrir; Kairi stopped him, skidding Sora's Key against the wheel and causing him to lose speed. Kairi turned in her seat as much as she could, careful not to strike Sora with the Keyblade, and hurled the silver weapon after Loz; as the brute tried to turn straight, the Keyblade flew right across his shoulder.

He picked up speed again fast, flying right past them on the right and arcing into a skid ahead of them - and blotting out the light ahead before he shot forward.

Xion saw one way to stop this.

She kicked off the bike and leapt forward, catching Loz's pile bunker between her Key shafts.

The light vanished the moment she left Fenrir's seat - for her. Sora and Kairi were nearly out before Sora saw them shoot by him. "Shit!" The Keyslinger arced the bike into a skid, the light vanishing from the end of the tunnel as Fenrir and Loz's pipe monster skidded circles around each other. They ended up flying by the other close enough to grab more than once, but their mayhem and speed meant things were too fast for Sora to close his fingers on Xion's cloak and pull her back onto Fenrir.

Loz forced Xion onto the hood and slung forward with his front tire lined right up with Sora's.

Sora's eyes gleamed gold.

He reached forward and twisted Fenrir's left handlebar.

The bike howled; but the momentum was suddenly backwards, keeping him and Loz facing each other and still going the same way. He focused on the tunnel's arcana again, gauging his speed against Loz's as he waited for the right moment.

Xion managed to pull her Keyblade off of Loz's Dual Hound, but the brute grabbed the lower shaft as he kicked a pedal on the bottom; then he surged up onto the seat as the bike kept going. The two clashed strikes for a moment, trading weapon and hand blows. Loz tried to lash at Xion's foot. When she stepped back, her foot brushed against the tire, and she stumbled on the edge of the hood as Loz grinned.

Sora twisted Fenrir's right handlebar.

The blade slots flew open.

His hand closed around a blade with a jagged edge.

Loz raised his arm for a punch as the pistons of his Dual Hound drew back.

"Xion!"

Sora drew the blade and hooked the jagged edge of his weapon against the twin shafts of her Keyblade, pulling her off the pipe-bike.

And they were gone.

Loz's punch hit air - and the next thing he knew, he was alone in complete and total darkness. His menacing grin turned into a confused grunt as he looked around the shadowy tunnel. With an angry curse, he kicked the back wheel of his pipe monster, causing the thing to arc into a spin as he leapt off. He hit the ground with a roll and drove his Dual Hound into the ground.

His bike rolled across the darkness until its momentum was lost.

+x+x+x+

Kairi, Sora, Xion, and Fenrir were roaring backwards across the highway at double highway speed. Directly ahead of them was not Loz and his pipe monster, but a familiar-looking figure in completely asymmetrical clothing and a bright red blue-flame convertible. The rubbish-bin customer hammered on the brakes as Xion tumbled through the air, over Sora, and landed sideways on Kairi's lap. Sora managed to bring Fenrir over to the side of the highway, coming to a complete stop and setting the flat edge of the blade against the ground.

"Everyone alright?" he gasped after a while, turning on the seat.

Xion and Kairi panted in place for a moment, the snowgirl's Key and claws fading. "Yeah," Kairi assured him, "we're good."

A grin rose on Xion's face as she pulled herself off, tumbling into the grass. "Let's do that again," she murmured.

Sora chuckled. "Maybe later," he replied, sliding the sword back into its slot as the compartments closed again. He reached into his pocket and tossed Kairi a smartphone. "Here, call Roxas. Tell him where we are."

Kairi nodded. "You got it."

Xion blinked. "You got three Rugbys from Slasher?"

"I never said that."

"What's his number?" Kairi asked.

"It's registered."

Xion reached into her pockets and found them empty. "You sneaking bloodsucker," she mused, a smile rising on her face. "I can't believe you-"

"Get on the bike, snow fairy," Sora chuckled.

Kairi raised an eyebrow at him as she held the phone to her ear.

Sora rolled his eyes. "You're allowed on, too, snack tray," he joked.

+x+x+x+

"So how's the real fire doing?"

Roxas sighed irritably. "Give Shi-oh the phone back, Kairi."

There was a moment of silence; then he realized what he just said.

"Wait, KAIRI?"

Everyone reacted as the human girl giggled on the other end of the line. "What, were you expecting growls and snarling?"

Roxas shook his head. "No, I mean, you're supposed to be under six hundred and sixty six links of holy chain! How are you conscious without growls and snarling? Hold on, I'm gonna put you on speaker!" He lowered the phone before him and hit the appropriate button.

"I'm looking for a wolf and a witch?"

"Kairi!" Riku exclaimed.

"Glad to hear you talking!" Naminé cheered.

"Really glad to be talking," Kairi agreed. "Hey, we've got a lead on where we might find a fix on the whole blood scenario. How's things at Yokai?"

Riku gave a single hearty laugh before covering his mouth. "Sorry. That was rude."

"We're not at Yokai at the moment," Naminé admitted. "Apparently, Setzer has a freaking airship and isn't exactly a high school student. We're currently in the human world. Where's your lead?"

"Reno said he's in Altair. Can you meet us there?"

Naminé burst into a fit of giggles. Roxas had to stiffle a chuckle for himself. "What?" Kairi demanded. "Did I say something funny?"

"No, no, nothing funny." Roxas had to fight to keep the laugh out of his voice. Kadaj had been an easier battle. "Hey, tell you what, Hilda Fynn Theatre is hosting a rock opera performance of Maria and Draco. We'll get you guys reservations. Watch the opera, and we can talk shop after the performance."

"Wait a sec," Xion's voice cried into the microphone. "Rock opera? Aw, baby!"

"Just be there, got it?" Naminé snapped into the mic. "The performance starts at seven o'clock. Seats open at six."

"Wai-"

Naminé tapped End, causing the call display to vanish.

Roxas raised his gaze. "That was rude," he mused.

Floe, who had been hiding in the corner, stepped forward. "What's this about... holy chains?" she asked.

"Oh, Naoru!" Roxas turned. "Sorry. I... I forgot about you. Sorry. Chikai's..."

"A blood scenario," Floe murmured. "Holy chains. That... that sounds kind of familiar."

Roxas glanced at his phone again. "I wish she could have given us the name of that lead," he said in an accusing tone.

Naminé perched her hands on her hips. "So, let me get this straight. You're going to get the three of them reservations for our rock opera, and you plan on telling them... when?"

"After the fact," Roxas admitted. "I thought it would be kind of a... pleasant surprise."

"Alright, let's focus," Riku prompted, clapping his hands between the two. "The Impressario said we've got a little extra work to do for the rock performance. The electrics have got a little more lyrical than the classical, and we need to figure out how we're going to play it."

He and Naminé took off towards the work room. Roxas started after them when Floe set a hand on his shoulder.

"By the way," she prompted, "you can drop the formalities. You're not fooling anyone anymore."

"Sorry," Roxas admitted, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I just... didn't want to..."

"Look like a total rookie who can't even do a good tenor?" Floe prompted.

The yoko snapped his gaze at her, his eyes blazing. "Not that," he growled. "I... Naminé said she told you about us."

Floe nodded.

"Well, she didn't tell you before I was passed out over the work table, which means you didn't know when I was checking through the stage cast. I deal with secrets a lot better on a surname basis."

"I understand," Floe assured him. "But you've got no secrets to hide. Just... call me Floe."

Roxas took two steps away, and stopped.

"...Is my tenor really that bad?" he prompted.

Floe smiled at him. "If your tenor was really that bad," she prompted, "I wouldn't have been crying white magic at the finale."

+x+x+x+

"So we're going to watch an opera?"

"Rock opera," Kairi corrected Sora. They were sitting in the frozen snacks shack that Sora and Xion had visited during the Saïx incident. "Naminé said the seats open as six. They should have reservations for us by then."

Sora took a draught from his milkshake. "So, what, we get rooms at Castle Baron Hotel until we can find this Zest guy?"

"Hey, I'm running on borrowed time, here," Kairi snapped. "I don't want to be batshit bloodthirsty and you don't want me to be batshit bloodthirsty. We need to find him today. We should start looking before we go."

"Um, hate to rain on your parade, chain girl," Xion corrected, "but it's five-thirty. We don't have time to find someone that we don't even know what he looks like. Let's just go get our tickets, alright?"

Kairi glanced at the clock. "Five-thirty already?"

"Hey, that's what happens when I can only go fifty clicks so you can chat," Sora muttered. "Look, let's just get reservations at Castle Baron, alright? We might as well have a place to spend the night if we need it."

+x+x+x+

"Hey, gambler!"

Setzer, who had been busy checking over all the props and costumes for the night performance, came to a stop on the 'castle balcony' prop and closed his eyes. "You're going to get arrested," he reprimanded, "breaking in like some sort of thief."

"Treasure. Hunter."

A laugh passed through the gamblers lips as he turned to face the not-thief. "Always good to see you, Locke."

Locke nodded, pushing himself off the staircase roof. "Hey, you were supposed to meet me in Gatrea. I found the Blackjack and Shadow, but what are you doing here?"

"The Five Mime Theatre group is performing Maria and Draco. Their head actors walked out because of Floe Naoru taking the role of Maria. Next thing I know, the Yokai students are performing."

"Hey, I hear you talking about us."

The two turned towards the stairwell as Naminé, Roxas, and Riku stepped up. "What're you up to?" Naminé prompted. "Hey, you're Stock Barrel!"

Locke nodded. "Memory Witch, right?" Naminé nodded. "Which means your boyfriends must be Fire Chill and Moonlight Black?"

Naminé and Riku's faces turned red. Roxas' started sparking.

"Guys, this is Locke Cole," Setzer explained, beckoning to the treasure hunter. "Locke, this is Naminé Kioku, Riku Kurai, and Roxas Kaigara." The Yokai students raised their hands as their names were spoken.

"Alright, so I guess you guys are still roped in for the rock round," he mused. "Just got myself a ticket. I'm stuck on one of the high balconies."

Roxas turned to Setzer. "Hey, Sora and Shi-oh managed to get Kairi awake. They're on their way with front-row reservations. I got you one so you can debrief them before the performance starts, but don't tell them about the opera. I want it to be a surprise."

Setzer raised an eyebrow. "And you're sure Xion isn't going to kick your ass when she finds out you were dancing a opera with Naminé?"

"Her problem," Naminé muttered. "Come on, let's go. Setzer, are all the props still good?"

+x+x+x+

"Miss Farrell?"

Rosa looked up from her book to find a familiar trio of high schoolers walking up to the desk. "Oh, hello! You were with Mr. Leonheart's group, correct?"

Sora blinked. "You actually remember us?"

"Of course," Rosa assured him. "I never forget a face. That's why I'm here. Let's see... Sora, Kairi, and Xion, correct? How can I help you three?"

"We need a room," Xion prompted. "Maybe two. I don't know. Do you have any rooms for six?"

Rosa sighed. "I'm sorry," she insisted, "but a reservation is required if you want to stay the night."

The three of them looked dejected.

"However..." The receptionist glanced through her room listings. "Business has been awfully slow, lately. I should be able to make an exception... assuming you can afford the room?"

"I can pay," Kairi insisted from the back. "Do you have any rooms for six?"

"No, sorry," Rosa replied. "We have rooms for four at the most."

Xion set a hand on her chin. "Um... get us two rooms for four, just to be on the safe side."

Rosa nodded. "You got it. And... because of the circumstances, payment in advance, please."

Kairi stepped forward and held out her fistful of hundred dollar bills. Rosa accepted, glancing over the chains curiously but not saying a word, then pushed the button on her countertop to call in Rydia.

"You guys again?" Rydia mused. "Well, at least your other cloak isn't around to piss me off." She looked at Kairi. "Woah, Chikai, what's with the bondage?"

"This, coming from the girl with a whip over her shoulder," Kairi retaliated.

"Touché."

Rosa interrupted the argument. "Rydia, could you take them to room 721 and 722? They've got more people coming."

"You know I got it, Rosa," Rydia assured her. "Right this way, sir and madams."

+x+x+x+

"No no no! Shit!"

Naminé and Floe were getting changed for the performance. "What's wrong?" Naminé asked, turning to Floe, who was halfway into her faerie priestess outfit.

"The fly-in! That was you and your magic chain! How am I going to pull that off? We didn't set up the wire rig, and I can't do that kind of arcana! If-"

"Relax," Naminé insisted. "I can help you. That's not just a personal spell. I'll fly you in when we need to."

Floe relaxed, if only slightly. "You're sure this isn't going to blow up in my face?"

"Worst-case scenario, it's going to blow up my face," Naminé assured her. "Just leave your body limp when I need it, alright? If you're fighting it, it's going to look weird."

+x+x+x+

"Double highway speed on that thing, and we're almost late."

Sora, Kairi, and Xion were racing towards their front-row seats. After setting things up in the hotel, they'd had ten minutes to get here. It was currently a minute to curtains, and they had just made it to the front row.

"It's not my fault you two were arguing over the bedroom plans," Sora muttered. "Mulch, which seat were we in?"

They glanced over the seats, looking for their reservations. "Over here!" a voice called in a loud whisper.

"Setzer?" The three of them rushed over to find him sitting smack-dab in the middle of the row, with one seat on his left and two seats on his right. "Where's Rokusasu and everyone?" Xion asked, she and Kairi sitting to his left as Sora sat down at his right.

"They reserved seats for us without thinking to get good seats for themselves," Setzer explained. "Shh, its starting."

Rock music began to blare from the usual orchestra position, a heavy series of electric guitars. Somehow, this rock band managed to make rock and roll into a beautiful orchestra synchronicity. It eventually faded into what sounded like choir girls and a synthesizer emitting a wordless melody as the opera's impresario stepped up. Armies rose on either side of the stage, led on the right by a soldier atop a chocobo, wrapped in silk cloth with his face shrouded, and on the left by a man in sharp armour.

"The war between the East and the West
Was growing more violent, day by day.
On the battleground during a fierce skirmish,
The soldier Draco of the Western army
Thinks of his love, Maria,
back at home..."

The synthesizer and choir fell quiet as the leader on the right called out to his soldiers, "Charge!"

"Do not let them near the castle!" retaliated the armoured leader on the left.

Setzer passed each of them sheets of paper. "Here," he prompted, "you'll need these to make sense of it. The guy on the chocobo is Ralse, leader of the Eastern army. The Western leader is Draco, the guy in armour.

Ralse shot forward, circling Draco and clashing blade with blade, each clash launching a thousand sparks. "Blaze archers, fire!" Ralse shouted.

There was a twang of bowstrings, and Draco raised his gaze to see flaming arrows flying towards him. He lashed his sword down, beating the first arrow to the ground, still burning; then he beat one to his left, impaling it in the background, and snapped in half the one on his right before a fourth fire arrow impaled itself in his armour.

His blade fell to the ground.

He tried to step forward, but his knees buckled as the flames enveloped him; and he turned towards the crowd as his voice echoed out.

"O~h, Maria~!
O~h, Maria~!"

Draco gripped the arrow in his chest, and the flames burnt it to ashes within moments.

"My belo~ve~d, do you he~ar?
My words whi~spe~r'd in your ea~r?"

He raised a hand skyward, and the flames rose, forming a woman's figure above him.

"As though I we~re..."

His fingers closed around the figure's hand.

"By~ you~r si~de..."

Then the figure vanished, and Draco fell to the ground, the flames burning around him as Ralse brought his chocobo up over the body.

"Onward! Princess Maria awaits us!"

The lights when dark as Ralse and his army charged forward, and the flames went out when the dark was complete.

"Holy crap," Kairi murmured.

"No kidding," Sora agreed. "That was amazing."

Xion sighed. "I'm gonna kill Rokusasu for this."

Setzer glanced at her, shocked. "Wh-why?"

"Front row opera seat reservations?" Xion pointed out. "That's a lot cash. We don't have a lot of cash. Unless Riku and Naminé were hiding fistfuls of hundreds like Kairi-"

"Don't worry about it," Setzer insisted. "Roxas didn't spend a dime."

"You and your airship?" Kairi accused.

"Shh."

+x+x+x+

Ralse's wordless seduction went off brilliantly. Maria was in a dress that must have been an absolute nightmare to get on, with long blonde hair arrayed with ribbons. She had her right arm wrapped in bandages - whether that was part of the script, or if the actress had been wounded, they weren't sure, but it definitely didn't affect the performance.

"His army is fallen...
His castle, lost...
But what has happened to Draco,
Left for dead on the battlefield?"

The next scene was a beautiful forest. Draco stumbled in from stage left, his armour soaked in blood and his chestplate missing, and he only took two steps before tumbling to the ground. One, two, three, five, ten faeries - covered in green fur and with massive, fanning blue hair, all in white shorts and t-shirts - danced onto the stage as what sounded like an electric pipe organ kicked in with fast music.

"What is this?
What is this?
For the wounds, they are bliss
They have brought him
To the forest
In which men cannot resist"

The dancers began to run their hands over Draco, the soldier twitching in his unconscious as they brushed the scars on his arms and legs, one turning him over so his gaze faced the heavens.

"We are free!
We are safe!
And now he shall be the same
He shall bathe in
Sacred waters
Until war is not his name"

Four of the faeries picked up Draco as the others danced around them.

"For the woods
For the trees
They are home to us and we
We are faeries
From the forest
For the land of heaven be"

Suddenly, the entire forest seemed to move as the faeries danced forward, taking them and Draco further into the woods as a massive tree came into view. Lying at the base of the tree was the faerie priestess, bright pink rather than green and blue, a soft look on her face.

"Our home!
Our life!
Our love is as we say!
When the warriors
They come here
Well they always always sta~y"

The music slowed down at that, and the faeries set down Draco before the priestess.

"Priestess please!
Priestess please!
See this soldier in his blood
He is weakened
On the battlefield
He's little more than mud

You decree?
You decree?
What is it you have us do?
Should we take him
To the waters
Or do we leave that to you?

Is he good?
Is he nice?
Does his pretty pretty face
Hide his heart
A-black with darkness
Or is it as white as lace?

Is he worth
Saving now?
Should we put him in the earth?
He might be nice
On the surface
But what is he really wo~rth?"

The faerie priestess closed her eyes; and her body lifted off the tree's base like some kind of flying beauty as she arced through the air, flipping once and spinning five-fourty before touching down before Draco. She lifted the visor on his helmet and set her fingers upon his face, her voice rising in beautiful song.

"His face is alight with the shado~ws...
Only those on the fi~eld of wa~r...
His inten~tion~s are noble,
And his he~a~rt is pure;
In the forest springs he will be
One to~ a~do~re..."

The priestess raised her gaze to her faeries. "Take him to the forest springs, let him soak!" she called. "Cleanse his body of blood, of the stains from the battlefield, and his true purity shall be seen for all!"

The music broke in fast once more.

"She has chose!
She has chose!
She will let him live a day
It won't take him
Any longer
Until he will choose to stay

To the springs!
To the springs!
Get it off the dirt and grime
Then he's pretty
And he's fancy
So that she might have it rrri~ght!"

The lights dimmed again.

"That was awesome," Sora mused. "You'd think a wire rig would get tangled up with something like that."

"Must've been a custom build," Kairi observed. "Or maybe they had stagehands just holding the strings?"

Sora laughed. "Like puppeteers."

Xion didn't say anything, only holding her gaze on the stage with a concerned expression.

When the lights rose, Draco was lying in the springs. The faeries had pulled the armour from his body, leaving him in torn silk leggings that looked like shorts and a pair of sleeves. His helmet was still over his head, and one of the faeries reached to pull it off when the faerie priestess flowed through the air, approaching them. The dancers all got to their feet to face her.

"Priestess!"
"Priestess!"
"Priestess!"
"Priestess!"

As one, they called, "He is clean!"

The faerie priestess knelt next to Draco as he began to shift in the spring, lifting the visor on his helmet.

"O~h... Maria~..."

A hand on his face felled him quiet as the faerie priestess spoke. "Calm your body, brave warrior," she insisted. "Nothing in these woods will do you harm."

Draco started - his eyes must have opened - and he shot to his feet. His leggings started to fall, eliciting a few giggles from the faeries, and he grabbed the waistband and held it up to maintain his modesty. His torso was covered in scars, and there was a wicked bruise over his heart where his armour must have buckled to the flaming arrow. His left sleeve fell off his arm; the right almost followed suit before he supported it with his other hand. His visor passed over his eyes, having buckled against the rim of his helmet, meaning he now looked like it was covering his mouth.

"Who~ yo~u be~?
Witch of the forest and the se~a?"

The faerie priestess held back a light chuckle of her own.

"You need fe~ar
No thing he~re
I am ruler of this forest
This here haven it is mi~ne
You arrived wounded for us
We have cleared the blood and gri~me..."

Draco glanced around him before holding a hand over his heart. His leggings fell, revealing bright pink boxer shorts covered in angel wings. The crowd howled with laughter, and the band paused to accommodate the reaction before continuing for Draco's part.

"Why I must have fallen
Further than I beli~eved
For I've now reached the heavens,
And you must be their que~en..."

"We are faeries, brave warrior," the faerie priestess assured them. "Beings beyond your kind. I have allowed your wounds to be healed, in the sacred forest springs. Come - live your life here, away from the world."

She held out her hand to him.

"Away from the war."

The lights went dim as Draco accepted that hand.

Sora glanced past Setzer to Xion, who wasn't talking a lot. "What's wrong?" he called. "I thought you were the one who really wanted to see this."

"Something... seems off," Xion murmured.

Kairi turned to her. "How so?"

"Those flames from before were not natural," she replied. "And no human creation can make flames that won't wound. And the faerie priestess, her flight was too... natural. It's... suspicious."

"This is Five Mime Theater," Setzer reprimanded. "They specialize in impossible effects. I'm not even sure this is their best performance, as far as visuals go."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"I heard the reviews for the traditional opera earlier were incredible," the gambler explained. "This is a new set of main actors. The only complaint was how different the special effects were, and most of them were kind enough to dismiss that on their lack of experience with Klauser's group."

The lights rose up again after a while, revealing a massive tree hollow with furnishings befitting royalty - the faerie priestess' home. Draco was standing there, in a brown cloak that embodied all to well the image of the 'robe full of shadows' from Yokai. There were three key differences - Draco's hands could be seen from the sleeves, and the hood cast shadows only over his eyes. He had a bag across his back that was brimming with food - was he preparing to leave?

The faerie priestess floated in carefully.

"He~ro~, is there something you've lo~st?"

Draco turned towards her, surprised, and bowed his head.

"My apologi~es, Prieste~ss
But I'm afraid I must go~
My belo~ve~d
She awai~ts, in the a~rms
Of my fo~e..."

The priestess looked taken aback at that, but only lowered her gaze with a depressed expression.

"So it i~s, the~n, another holds your he~art..."

She turned and stepped away, reaching to the wall - and then, to everyone's surprise, reaching through, the wall rippling as she passed through it before she drew out a weapon - a thick broadsword, perhaps, wrapped in black. She turned towards Draco, holding the weapon out as a light reprise of Draco's first song emerged from the orchestra.

"This bla~de, it is you~rs
On this jou~rney of wa~rs...
When I cra~fte~d, it was bri~ght
But my sor~row took it's li~ght
Let its shado~w ke~ep yo~u sa~fe..."

Draco accepted the weapon - and in a flash of light, the faerie priestess was gone, leaving only a small collection of falling sparks for Draco's company.

"I thank you, priestess, for this favour..."

+x+x+x+

"The West was defeated, and Maria's castle
came under Eastern control.
Maria, forced into marriage
by the Eastern Prince Ralse,
does not abandon her feelings for Draco,
but thinks of her lover each night
as she watches the skies..."

As the lights rose, Maria stepped out onto the stage - a castle balcony, with an open staircase leading to the roof, all in dark brick. As her first steps landed upon the balcony, however, a light flared under her feet - and slowly, the shadowy stone pulsed, brick by brick, until she arrived at the edge - and the entire castle had been turned to shining crystal, even the pillar as she set her arm upon it.

The bandages upon the princess' arm had turned blue.

Then her voice echoed out into the crowd.

"O~h my~ he~ro~...
My belo~ve~d...
Must we sti~ll be ma~de to~ pa~rt?
Though pro~mises o~f
Peren~nial lo~ve
Yet si~ng he~re in my he~a~rt?"

The voice was like nothing the crowd had ever heard - it was drawing, unnaturally so, begging the crowd to come closer as Maria began to walk along the balcony - and as she raised her right hand above her, the castle seemed to dim as the night sky glowed.

"I~'m the~ da~rkne~ss
You're the sta~r li~ght
Shining bri~ghtly fro~m a~fa~r
Through ho~urs of despa~ir
I o~ffer this pra~yer
To yo~u my~ evening sta~a~r"

Maria started to make her way up the open stairs as one of the stars descended from the night sky - not as a meteor, but as a flowing beauty, synchronized with the music perfectly.

"Must my fi~na~l
Vows excha~nge~d
Be with hi~m and no~t wi~th yo~u?
Were yo~u only he~re
To qui~et my fe~ar
Oh spe~ak, gui~de me ane~w..."

She stepped onto the roof as the star appeared before her - and in a flash of light, it was a much different figure - a warrior in a cloak blazing fiery red, ice-white flames across the sleeves and coattails. The hood was raised, but only enough to obscure his hair - his face was still very visible.

A pale face, with eyes of ocean blue.

"Dance with me, Maria!"

His voice called out over the crowd, and slowly, Maria stepped forward - and Draco caught her hands in his own, the two of them slowly moving to the music. It seemed to go on forever, and yet it ended all too soon; a sad laugh passed through Draco's lips, and flames licked around his sleeves and coattails, slowly rising over his cloak until his body was consumed in flames.

Then it faded, leaving only a bouquet of cherry blossoms.

Slowly, Maria picked up the flowers, making her way to the highest balcony, and she began to sing again.

"I am tha~nkfu~l, my belo~ve~d
For your te~nderne~ss a~nd gra~ce
I se~e in your e~yes
So ge~ntle and wi~se
All dou~bts and fe~ars era~se~d

Though the ho~u~rs take no no~ti~ce
Of what fa~te might ha~ve i~n sto~re
Our lo~ve, come what ma~y
Will ne~ver age a da~y
I'll wa~it fo~revermo~re..."

Maria raised the bouquet to her face, taking in the scent, then she swept her hand back and tossed the roses forward. She seemed to stumble as she did so, though - the flowers tumbled low out of her hands - but she improvised beautifully, collapsing on the balcony with her hands against the edge and letting tears run down her face.

The bouquet ran into Sora's head, and he - as did everyone else in the crowd, mesmerized by Maria's performance - drew back into his seat. The castle chancellor stepped up behind Maria as the castle faded from crystal back to brick. "Prince Ralse seeks his partner." His voice was nearly as sad as Maria's. "He waits on the dance floor." When the princess made no move to acknowledge it, he pleaded, "Please, come! To hold on to the past will only bring you sorrow! Our castle, and our kingdom, belong now to the eastern prince..."

Sora glanced across his friends - he and Setzer had traded seats between scenes - to see Xion gripping the arms of her chair like they were trying to strangle her. "Still stuck in her voice, Xion?" Sora joked.

"I am going to kill Rokusasu for this," the snowgirl growled.

"Why?" Kairi asked. "Setzer just said, he didn't spend-"

"Did you not just see-!" Xion cut herself off, trying to stop from shouting. "Did you see Draco leave the stage?"

Kairi blinked. "Um... no? He probably took the back curtains."

Xion grit her teeth. "I saw him - he froze over red and shattered when the flames covered him."

Sora turned to her. "What?" he whispered. "You mean there's a yoko in the cast?"

The snowgirl shook her head. "That's not a normal yoko skill - that's Rokusasu's secret technique!"

"Wait a shit," Kairi muttered. "You mean to tell me-"

Xion glanced past Sora. "Where's Setzer?"

"What?" Sora turned to find Setzer's seat empty. "What the hell...? Oh, that gambler is finished for this..."

"Never mind him," Xion insisted. "Rokusasu's here somewhere. When this finishes, I'm going to find him and kick his-"

+x+x+x+

"Did you see Xion's face?!"

Naminé's excited whisper caused Roxas, who was still backstage with the faerie escorts for the war sequence, scratched the back of his head with a worried grin. "She's gonna freeze my ass when we're finished here," the yoko muttered nervously.

"No kidding," Naminé chuckled. "Nice job with that, though."

"No problem," Roxas insisted. "Hold back, it's time for the journey scene."

+x+x+x+

Draco's journey from the forest to the castle was beautiful. His red-cloak-with-white-flames had his hood up proper this time, the shadows obscuring his face, and his ragtag army started off with a few faerie escorts - it was soon joined, however, by fallen soldiers from the West, betrayed warriors from the East, and even a few Western concubines that had been abused and become ladies of war.

When the lights were back up after the scene change, the audience were looking at a ballroom. The music was a bit faster and more upbeat than they expected of an opera, but there was nothing wrong with it - Ralse's soldiers were dancing with their ladies, and Prince Ralse himself was on a stage-upon-the-stage, dancing with Maira. The prince's hair was bundled within what looked like a golden dragoon's helm, befitting a warrior king - except that the dragon looked more like a snake, its fangs low over his eyes. The princess looked very disinterested, but Ralse didn't seem to notice, pulling her into the movements when she lagged on distant steps.

The two of them were whispering to each other, holding longer on the close steps than normal. Setzer had mentioned new actors - was Maria new to this? Perhaps she really was lagging on the dances out of lack of skill, and Ralse was trying to correct her mid-step? Maybe they were talking about their acts in previous scenes.

They seemed to be mid-conversation when a soldier stumbled in from stage left, his tunic stained with blood. "The Western survivors attack!"

He was grabbed from behind and thrown into the stage by a figure in bright green - one of the faerie warriors. A misused concubine leapt down from the rafters and slit one of the soldiers' throats, and as more defenses barged in, the impresario crossed half the stage and began to call out;

"The remains of the Western army
Summoned the last of their strength.
Joined by the faeries from the forest,
And those betrayed by their enemy,
They attacked the Eastern castle.
Leading these soldiers from atop a golden steed,
Washed in the sacred waters
A single hero with a fierce battle cry-!"

Ralse looked like he was ready to draw his blade when a loud "KWEH!" echoed from backstage. Ralse turned and was sent flying, his snakelike dragoon's helm knocked from his head, as a golden chocobo burst through the curtains. Upon it was a figure in red with ice-white flames, and as they passed the chocobo's talons hooked on the bandages across Maria's arm as they passed. The chocobo skidded to a stop at the edge of the stage, rearing and giving a triumphant "Waaark!" as its rider leapt off. He turned to Maria, and the princess raised her arm defensively.

There was a chain of white gold wrapped around it.

The entire crowd gave a yelp of shock.

Kairi almost shot forward out of her seat. "Wha-!?"

Sora nearly swore. "Naminé?!"

The air around Xion dropped about twenty degrees.

Then Draco raised a hand to her, and held the other to his heart, and his voice called out.

"Ma~ri~a~!"

Maria - Naminé broke out in a broad smile, and she gave a gasp of shock as she sung in return.

"O~h Dra~co~!
I knew you would
Come for me, my lo~ve!"

No one saw Ralse move.

They couldn't have.

He was moving too fast.

Draco was sent flying from the sheer speed of the blow, hurling across the stage with a shout of pain. Ralse was hunched down, facing away from the stage, his left hand outstretched from the blow, and Naminé gave a shriek of torment as Ralse rose straight.

His long silver-blue hair flowed down his back as he stood tall, his emerald eyes piercing the air.

The crowd shouted as Draco tumbled to the ground off-stage with a very painful-sounding thud.

"Riku?" Kairi shrieked.

"How...?" Sora couldn't find his words.

Xion glanced at Draco's cloaked figure. "Then that means...!"

Ralse - Riku gave an angry snarl as his body began to writhe under his cloak, his voice carrying an undertone of growls as he called out.

"Insolent ro~uge!
Knave of the western ho~rde!
You would addres~s my~ quee~n to~ be~, Ma~ri~a~!"

Some of the faerie warriors had dropped down next to Draco, helping him - he seemed to have become entangled in the curtains, for one of them was bundled around him. The faeries managed to get him out of it, and Draco glared at Riku from the shadows, pulling himself onto the stage.

A flare of black shadows surged from his hand - and a wicked black Key, spiked with kanji and guarded with demon's wings, appeared in his closed grip.

"Never sha~ll
You have Maria's ha~nd!"

He stepped onto the stage, light catching the windswept spikes of his golden blonde hair as he braced the Key in both hands at his side.

"I would die befo~re tha~t da~y co~mes!"

Xion's glare would have frozen Roxas if he wasn't already visibly sparking. "Rokusasu!" she hissed.

Riku snarled like a wolf, and shadowy lightning surged from his hand as he raised the dragon wingblade, Soul Eater spiking past his eyes as he called out with a howl:

"Then it's a du~el!"

The werewolf shot forward faster than the eye could see; Roxas braced his Key against his hand, the shaft barely in time to catch the strike. He was sent skidding backwards across the stage, raising lines of flames as his feet ground against the wooden stage. He clashed blows with Riku, looking to get a single good strike in - but Riku was moving too fast, and he had clearly stopped working on a single strategy, because he was coming from everywhere at once.

Roxas lashed out.

Riku beat his strike to the side.

Something clattered against the teeth of Roxas' blade; then he lashed it forward to catch Riku's earthward blow.

The two blades struggled against each other for a long moment, the two warriors poised in position.

Then a look of shock crossed Roxas' face, and Riku's strike sent his blade flying out of his hand.

The werewolf raised his blade to strike - and Roxas slumped to the ground.

There was a hole in the front of his cloak, and blood flowing from a wound.

Riku, Naminé, and everyone in the audience turned to see smoke being blown off the barrel of a Velvet Nightmare.

"I'm only gonna say this once."

Loz pulled back the catch on his Dual Hound, causing the handle to whirl into his hand as he raised the firearm.

"Get out."

Draconai: Because I'm evil like that.