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Writer's update:Hey I did it P Portcon was awesome, even if on Sunday we were somewhat slacking in our display... My accquisitions this weekend consist of FMA Box Set 1, (the first dvd and the soundtrack); FLCL dvd 3 hug; a new manga taste test, Tsubasa vol. 1 am liking it; 2 posters, AC-Sephiroth, and the Silver haired men; a free Card Captor Sakura pin, and another free pin I have no clue what it is; Inuyasha playing cards; and a Capsule Corp sew-on patch (i just HAD to get that P), and I'm in the hole $130, but it was a blast. The auction was disturbing...and we had to beg people to play in our Halo tournament (I understand, but don't believe).

Sadly however, I am ashamed to report I did not see a SINGLE Kingdom Hearts Cosplay is sad. It is definitely the year of Naruto...

Now that my much-needed-anime fix is satisfied (but not saturated!) I can come back to writing, and after the fun Fanfiction panel on Sunday afternoon.

This is a little short, just getting back in the groove.

Lexaeus

Zexion and I toasted with Vexen. I heard the little clink as our glasses tapped each other. Although there was an empty, cold sound to it. It was frozen, very much like our will. See this wasn't exactly a celebration, but it was an important anniversary. An anniversary that Zexion and I hadn't been at in the begining, but this was something Vexen did every year. The others didn't come, they were resting. Normally there was time for all of us to do that, but things weren't the same anymore.

Vexen took a long sip from his glass, and stared intently at the table top. "Four...years..." He sighed heavily and took another, smaller sip, and put his glass down empty.

"Has it really been that long?" Zexion asked, also focused on the table, it was like he and Vexen could see something I couldn't, and were watching its movements intently, making sure it made no sudden moves. Vexen and Zexion were quirky that way, very similar, but their approaches to that quirkiness were almost polar opposites. Still, they'd become good friends. We all had, I've heard war does that to you.

I yawned. And it's a funny thing, in that yawn, I had proven DiZ correct.

He had asked us if we wanted to add members. The six of us were having trouble. The past two months, Ansem and Maleficient had upped their attacks. And it wasn't quick. We had felt overwhelmed at first, it was the largest attack yet, ten worlds, all at the same time. But we knew, when the Heartless devoured some, and it was inevitable that they would, the pressure would ease, fewer battlegrounds, though more Heartless, but when we were able to distribute ourselves among the worlds it was easier, five was a good number. Though between all our weapons, they were onto us. They had figured it out. Five was the magic number.

Since that major first wave, the invasion was perpetual. Constant warfare, across too many worlds. Right now it was sitting at a very disturbing seven. We had given up trying a constant battle, we'd been doing that for two solid months, maybe a little more. DiZ ordered us to come home, he said it was too much, draining us. While we were here we'd been offered a proposition. DiZ wanted to take more members into the fold. We were against it. Sad to say, we were too prideful to let it happen. Though there were legitimate concerns, like what if we took in too many members? Then it would be easy for Ansem to track us. And the talent of these members might not be up to our own. Though I was the last person who should talk about things like that. Still...none of us wanted to admit a bunch of mindless, puny weaklings were beating us. But we'd come to a compromise, DiZ agreed to allow only those who passed a thourough examination of their darkness and strength, new members would be elites only, like Zexion had been when he joined, albeit not quite to that scale. DiZ said he'd already had someone in mind for the post of Number 7, and was gone right now to see if she could be recruited. It would certainly be odd having a girl among us, our non-interference policy had seen to it that none of us had outside contact for these three years or so we'd been together. It would be an experience.

Zex raised his glass to the air, toasting to himself, "Here's to old times, and old friends," and he drank his glass empty, I followed suit. Vexen had nothing left in his glass, but he raised it trying to drink the last drops. We set our glasses down and sat there for a long time, it was tension, embodied by that kind of self-induced humidity. Ansem was going to defeat us, in the end, unless the Keyblade master showed up soon. I was depressed.

Suddenly Zexion twitched, and sniffed deeply. "He's back."

"Well..." said Vexen, standing up, sighing heavily, "Let's welcome the new girl..."