Her immediate distrust of him despite the fact he had just saved her sorry ass was enough to slightly irk him, and he let it show in his voice. "Already starting an interrogation, are we? Can I at least get a 'thank you', or do they not teach manners where you're from?" It took the man only a second or two to remember he was still holding his weapon, and he then noticed her eyes were fixated on the Arrowguns in his grasp.

"Oopsy daisy. No wonder you're on edge!" He seemed to understand her unease as he finally made his firing devices vanish into thin air, just like she could do with her own weapon. "I suppose it's only expected for a little lady to be suspicious of a tall, dark, and mysteriously dressed man carrying around something as dangerous and badass as my Sharpshooter. But you can relax; I'm not like those things." He nodded his head to where the army of Heartless Soldiers had once been standing before he had so graciously exterminated them for her. "If I wanted to see you dead, I'd have just let the Heartless have their way with you, so there's no need to be scared of me."

He certainly did deserve a thank you, and as soon as he unarmed himself, Reina felt like she could relax her tensed muscles. Although it didn't look like he intended her any harm, she still thought it would be wise to stay sharp just in case he had some other agenda.

"Sorry about that. You just kind of surprised me by showing up out of the blue like that. But I really should thank you. You didn't have to save me, but I really am grateful. So…Um…Thank you. Thank you very much!" She stumbled her way through a complete sentence before bowing her head to him in gratitude, but she must have said something funny since the man in the black cloak immediately burst into laughter as if she had just made a ridiculous joke.

"Didn't have to do that? As if! If I hadn't stepped in when I did, you would have let those Heartless munch away on you for lunch. I've seen a lot of freaky shit over the years, but I don't think even I could have stomached to watch something as gruesome as that. Seriously, though. What the hell were you thinking? You just might be the lousiest fighter I've ever seen. You made a good effort in the beginning but gave up halfway through and just stood there waiting to be killed. Who even does that? Do you want to die or something? Sounds kinda' whack, if you ask me."

Every time he had something to say, he used wide, dramatic gestures with his arms and hands to add emphasis to each of his sentences. If Reina didn't know any better, she might have thought he was into the theatrical arts since every movement he made was a bit overplayed. She wasn't sure how to respond to him, and instead continued to just give him a confused, blank stare. Was this man a resident of Wonderland? She had seen many colorful characters that day, but none were as suspicious as a man in a black, leather coat that kept his face concealed by the shadows of his hood. He might have just saved her life by blasting all those Heartless into smithereens, but there was something incredibly off about him, and it wasn't just his unusual manner of speaking, either.

"Were you watching me? Just who are you?" She asked, repeating her initial question from earlier, her throat tight with concern. He had been watching her during her battle, that much he had divulged already, but had he been following her around Wonderland all this time? He had come out of nowhere to save the day, but he had waited until the last minute to step in. Something about the way he was acting made her feel uneasy, and every fiber of her being screamed at her to remain alert and on guard.

"Apparently I'm your knight in shining armor, princess," he teased her, an amused chuckle ringing out from underneath his hood again. "But I'm more interested in knowing who you are, though. A Keyblade wielder who can't even properly use a Keyblade? Can't say I've ever seen something as pathetic as that before. I swear, it's like anyone can be the Chosen One these days. Where is everyone even getting their Keyblades from? Are they carnival game prizes, or can I just find a vending machine that sells them?"

He was obviously insulting her, but Reina was more interested in what he had called her weapon than anything else he had to say. "A Keyblade? Is that what this is?" She held her key-shaped weapon up to her face so she could inspect it a little closer, having not let it revert into its smaller version just yet. "This whole time I've been calling it a Keystick. I guess it does look more like a blade than a stick…"

"Keystick?" The man repeated. "That. Is. Hilarious." He didn't laugh out loud this time, but Reina could tell he was controlling himself. His sarcasm was already wearing on her nerves, and she shot him a defensive glare before lowering the Keysti—Keyblade—back down to her side.

"Give me a break! It's not like this thing came with a manual! And, no, for your information I did not get it as a carnival prize. My Father gave me a necklace a few years ago as a present. There was nothing unordinary about it back then, but when I was in danger earlier today, it magically turned into a Keyblade. But I don't see how any of that is your business, though. If everyone has them these days as you said, then where is yours?" She finally retracted her weapon, making it transform back into the tiny, three-inch pendant. Although she still didn't really understand how this fascinating blade worked, she at least knew how to make it change from a necklace to a weapon just by envisioning its shape in her head. It looked like she still had a great deal to learn about it, though, but at least now she knew its proper name: Keyblade.

"I don't have one. Yet. But the time draws nearer every day."

There was a hint of bitterness in his voice, but it didn't last long as his demeanor quickly flipped back to being lighthearted. "But enough about me. I'm more interested to hear about you. So your daddy gave you a Keyblade but didn't tell you anything about it? That sounds incredibly suspicious, sweetheart, especially since you have to be chosen by the Keyblade to even use it."

"The only thing that's suspicious here is you, buddy!" The brunette retorted with a layer of irritation in her tone. "Seriously. Cut the crap. How long were you watching me fight those things before you finally decided to step in?"

"Long enough," he responded before holding his hands outwards and pretending to clutch an invisible weapon, imitating her gestures from earlier. "Oh, mighty and powerful Keystick! I command thee to save me!"

"Oh, god…" Embarrassed, Reina buried both of her hands in her face, wallowing in shame as her stomach dropped. It was beyond mortifying to know that someone had been watching her during that whole fiasco, and it was even worse knowing she had nearly died by attempting such a foolish stunt. She felt like a first-class idiot and couldn't even bring herself to snap at him for his cheap imitation of her. "Did I really say that out loud?! I was just panicking and didn't know what to do! I figured anything was worth a shot…"

"I won't lie, it was kind of hard to watch," he added flatly. "But I bet you'd make an impressive golf player."

The hands covering her face dropped to her side. Her embarrassment was rising even further with every rude remark he made, but it was also making her more pissed off. Just who did this guy think he was?!

"Well, I'd rather be a golfer than a stalker! What kind of creep watches a poor girl humiliate herself like that in the face of battle? You sure took your sweet time to help me, too. What were you waiting for?! This actually really hurts, you know!" She gave him a childish pout before pointing down at the slash marks on her thigh, the pain finally starting to settle in. The adrenaline rush of the battle had numbed her pain receptors, but now that she was just standing around engaging in light, pointless banter with a stranger, she was starting to remember that she didn't exactly come out of the fight unscathed.

The man feigned a sense of hurt by dramatically clutching his chest. "Is that any way to speak to someone who just saved your life? I didn't have to step in at all, sweetheart, but you should feel grateful that I did. If I had waited one second longer, you may have even had your entire leg sliced off. Don't worry, though. I'm feeling extra nice today, so I won't charge you for my services. The first time is normally free for cute girls, anyways."

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied curtly, rolling her eyes. She wiped at some of the blood on her leg, but more trickled down in its place as soon as she smudged it. "Ugh…This actually does hurt a lot. That really was super stupid and careless of me, wasn't it?" Her question was more directed to herself than it was to him, but he could still see the pain reflected visibly on her grimace.

The man paused for a moment, all hints of laughter diminishing from his voice as he studied her injury from where he stood a few feet away. "Are you okay, kiddo? You should probably use a healing spell so it doesn't leave a scar."

She lowered her head in shame at his suggestion. "I…don't really know how to use magic very well, and I was never taught how to use a healing spell. I know a few spells like Fire and Thunder, but I always tend to miss my targets."

"For someone as clumsy are you apparently are, healing magic should have been the first thing you learned." The way he casually made jabs at her every chance he got made Reina want to scoff at him, but the man ignored her obvious annoyance and continued on. "I won't lie. Everything about you is weird as hell. A Keyblade wielder that doesn't know how to fight or use magic? You're in way over your head, dollface. You can't just waltz around different worlds swinging that thing around like it's a toy. You really could have been killed."

Reina couldn't exactly disagree with him on that. She had known all along she wasn't cut out for any of this, but so much depended on her being able to find the Five Keys of Radiance. What if she could somehow find a way to use their power to restore Radiant Garden back to the way it was? What if there was a way to maybe even bring her father back, assuming he was still alive? It was a stretch, but maybe a weapon that powerful could do more than what her father had simply speculated. Up until she opened the first page of the journal, she had almost given up hope that things in her life could return to normal, but her father's words had given her a small ray of hope that maybe, just maybe, she could use the keys to get her family, and her home, back to the way they once were.

"Look, all joking aside, you really need to do something about that leg. Healing magic won't do shit if you let it sit like that for too long." The man spoke again but in a firmer voice this time. "If you use a Potion now, the marks should completely go away without leaving a scar. I think I have one or two to spare." He was now crouching down right in front of her, bringing up a gloved hand to ghost a finger across one of the gashes to examine the deepness of the cuts. His touch was gentle, almost feather-like, but it was enough to make Reina flinch. She had been so distracted with her own thoughts that she hadn't even realized he had moved closer to her, and as soon as she felt his touch, her whole body tensed up and she reflexively drew away from him.

"Oh, um, don't worry about it! I'm fine. Really. It wouldn't be the first time I've gotten a scar. I do appreciate the concern, though!" She spoke all too quickly in a jumpy voice. "Oh, I do have a few potions in my bag, though! I was saving them for a special occasion, but I guess this is as good of an occasion as any." She used her own fingers to trace the claw marks on her legs where his hand had once been before she wiped her now bloodied hand on the back of her shorts. They were black so it didn't really matter to her if she stained them with blood. Nothing a little detergent couldn't fix.

She watched the man stand up, and even though she couldn't see his face, she knew his eyes were glued to her, studying her body language and nervous expression. Before he could push the matter any further, Reina flipped her long, dark hair over her shoulder and gave him a bright smile of reassurance. "I promise I'll be okay. I'm not going to let something like this happen again. The only reason I got hurt is because they ambushed me. I'm going to be a lot more careful from now on. No more mistakes."

He laughed again, this time not holding back. "As if! I saw the way you handled the other ones earlier today, too. The Keyblade isn't a baseball bat or a hammer, but watching you fight was the funniest shit I've seen all day. Did your Pops seriously not teach you how to even use the Keyblade before he gave it to you?"

Reina flinched at his words, offended by his statement as her jaw tightened. "I told you already that it was just an ordinary necklace the day he gave it to me. It wasn't a Keyblade until today. Plus, he didn't get a chance to really talk to me about it. I never saw him again after my birthday all those years ago."

His laughter subsided and the air around them was suddenly heavy. He knew he had said something he probably shouldn't have, and he cleared his throat to fill the silence before speaking up again. "Damn. Sorry about that. I guess that answers my next question, though."

"What next question?" Her curiosity was piqued.

"I was going to ask if your Daddy let you walk out of the house wearing that or if you had to sneak out." He gestured to her unusual attire, already back to his mockery, and Reina couldn't hide the look of surprise on her face after hearing such a bold, direct statement such as that.

"What do you mean by that?!" A bright, crimson blush sneaked up along her cheeks as she brought up her arms to cross over her chest to conceal her body from his lecherous view.

He instantly knew he had struck a nerve and tried to make a swift recovery. "I mean, I'm not complaining at all since you've got the figure to rock something so flashy, but nothing says "Hey-I'm-Not-From-Around-Here" than your choice of clothing. I was able to tell right off the bat that you weren't from Wonderland, so if you want to blend in better, maybe don't wear something that will draw that much attention to yourself."

She didn't need to see his face to know that he was probably grinning, and his statement made her grow suddenly self-conscious. Her cheeks continued to burn as she glanced down at where a hint of her cleavage—not that she had much of any cleavage to begin with—could be seen spilling out from the top of her purple cardigan. Maybe this outfit was a little "too" much, after all. She wasn't really the type to wear things like this, but her dear friend, Yuffie, was always encouraging her to wear flashier outfits and show off her tummy the way she always did. There were always many kinds of people coming in and out of Traverse Town, and most of them wore wild and ridiculous apparel. She had always assumed outfits that showed off a little skin were at least somewhat normal amongst the various worlds.

"I didn't mean to stick out like a sore thumb," she muttered sheepishly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before she busied herself by picking at the bloody claw marks on her leg once more so she could avoid looking in his direction. "This is my first time being out on my own like this. I don't really know the etiquette of "world travel" or the social norms of it all. I'm just here on a mission ,so the quicker I find what it is I'm looking for, the quicker I can leave and go back home."

"Ooooooh, a mission? Sounds exciting. Why don't you tell me about it?" He rubbed his hands in anticipation.

Reina couldn't tell if he was genuinely interested in knowing what it was, or if he was just faking enthusiasm to be sarcastic.

"Sorry, but that's classified." She shook her head. "My lips are sealed."

"Ah, fair enough. Gotta' protect that 'world order' and not reveal too much, I suppose, but I'm doubtful you'll make it very far on your mission if you can't even handle a few Heartless." Before she could offer a remark in her defense, he was reaching into his pocket to pull out a Potion, kindly offering it to her so she could finally do something about those nasty scratches.

She was hesitant to take it, not wanting to be in debt to him any more than she already was, and the fact he was adamant about helping her, a complete stranger to him, was baffling.

"Go on. Take it," he insisted. "Since you don't know any Cure spells, you'll need to preserve the Potions you have. I don't think there's another Moogle Shop in this hellhole."

"Thank you, but I don't have anything to offer in return, though," she frowned. It was extremely obvious she was an amateur adventurer who hadn't been nearly as prepared to visit unknown worlds as she should have been, and even if this guy was coming on too strong with his bossiness, she was grateful for his help nonetheless. Maybe not everyone in Wonderland was as useless and full of mind tricks like the Cheshire Cat.

"Don't sweat it, princess. You should just let me help you out. You look like you could use a tour guide, or at the very least, a bodyguard. It just so happens that I'm free at the moment."

His offer was kind but also a little too good to be true. What was his angle? Guys dressed in all black always had an angle.

"Why do you want to help me so badly? What's in it for you?" She didn't bother hiding her suspicions of him. He needed to know that he didn't exactly seem trustworthy from the get-go even if he had saved her life.

The man tapped his finger against the side of his head, pretending to seriously contemplate her question. "You know, that's a good question. What isin it for me if I do help you? Keeping a pathetic weakling from getting butchered by the Heartless does seem like it'd be more trouble than what it's worth, especially since that pathetic weakling doesn't seem to be very appreciative of it."

"Pathetic weakling?!" Reina ground her teeth together so hard that she was sure her jaw would ache for days afterward.

He shrugged his shoulders. "But you know, maybe something doesn't have to benefit me for me to want to lend a hand or two. Can't a guy just want to help a cute girl without expecting anything in return? Do I really seem like such a bad dude?"

"You don't want me to answer that," she spat in a cold tone.

"Just take the damn Potion already. I promise I don't bite. I mean, unless you want me to, which in that case it would be my pleasure." There was so much sarcasm dripping with each word he said to her. It was beyond obvious that he was messing with her, but the pain in Reina's leg was becoming more prominent as a sudden breeze blew against her skin, making the open wound sting all the more.

"You yourself said the first time was free. Excuse me for thinking your other "services" won't be." Reina scoffed, reaching forward to snatch the Potion bottle from his hands. He seemed pleased that she decided to take it after all since she could hear him snickering under his breath, but she elected to ignore it and focus on healing herself.

As soon as the lid of the bottle was opened, a green aura surrounded Reina's entire body, healing all fresh wounds that she possessed. The claw marks on her leg vanished in an instant, leaving no trace of a scar behind, and even the painful blisters that had once irritated her ankles had also disappeared, making it less of a hassle for her to walk. Upon its use, the bottle vanished, and the brunette regarded the strange man with a quick nod of gratitude and nothing else.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it? And look! I'm not asking you for a single thing in return, right? You were all worked up over nothing, princess." He leaned forward until his height matched hers, but she still couldn't see any details of his face from the way it was zipped up. It was crystal clear to Reina that he had hoped his gift would be a sign of goodwill since saving her damn life was obviously not good enough.

Her stubbornness was finally subsiding now that she didn't have any lingering pain to make her crankier than usual, and she decided to loosen up and at least show a little politeness towards him. "Thanks…I actually do feel a lot better now. I don't mean to be so snappy, but this whole place has me on edge. It's hard to know who to trust. I do wish I could repay you, but I honestly don't have anything of any value on me."

"I told you not to sweat it, didn't I?" He reached a long arm out and patted her head like she was puppy, but his hand quickly retreated to his side before she could swat it away. "Buuuuuuuuut if you insist on offering me something in return, I know something you could do."

Oh, god. Here it comes. She knew he had been expecting something from her after all! Her gut was never wrong about people.

"Instead of a materialistic exchange," he began as he slowly paced in circles around her, "Why don't you answer something for me? I want to know what a small little thing like you is doing by going on a 'top-secret mission' all by herself? I don't need to know what your mission is, but it's crazy as hell that someone without any real skills would even consider venturing out here on their own. These worlds are pretty dangerous, 'ya know, and Wonderland isn't the only place crawling with Heartless. Without someone to protect you, you are going to end up getting hurt again. Why didn't you ask your boyfriend back home to come along?"

"That's more than one question," she grumbled, "And I don't have a boyfriend." She specifically chose that to be the only part of his statement that she responded to, hoping maybe that her new "friend" would take a hint that she didn't want to reveal more to him than necessary. And was it her imagination or was he suddenly being rather touchy-feely with her? He had tried to touch her leg a moment ago, and then he tried to pat her head. It was like he had no concept of personal boundaries.

"Really? That's a shame. With your looks, I bet you could hook any guy you wanted. I've only known you for five minutes and I'm already wrapped around your pretty little finger. Say, what's your name, sweetheart?" He was being more forward than before which only served to make the brunette warier of him, and even though her expression soured at his flirtations, he kept going. "I'm just dying to know more about you. I get it, though, you don't want to reveal too much to a guy you've only just met, but throw me a bone here. It'd be rude not to give a proper introduction to the guy who just saved your life, so indulge me a little."

Did this guy ever stop talking? While she was grateful he had taken care of the Heartless, he wasn't exactly the kind of person she wanted to hang around and keep talking to. Any guy that didn't want to show his face to her was automatically suspicious. His voice was deep, maybe even a little gravelly, so she could only make a fair assumption that he was older than her, but his verbal usage and casual manner of speaking made her think he couldn't be too much older since he talked like a teenager. At this point, it could have been a stretch to assume he was even human. For all she knew, he could have been a hideous monster pretending to be a friendly guy in the woods just so she would lower her guard down enough for him to strike. Then again, if he had wanted to hurt her, he probably wouldn't be giving her helpful advice, nor would he have gone through the effort of blasting away all those Heartless earlier. He knew she was weak; it'd be easy to put a bullet through her skull, but he wasn't acting the least bit aggressive towards her. Still, that didn't mean there were pure intentions behind his rescue attempt, especially since he kept bringing up the fact he was her savior. Maybe he expected her to owe him a favor, though she wasn't sure what a girl like her could even offer him. The smart thing to do would be to hurry on her way, find the First Key, and get the hell out of Wonderland before anything else happened.

"You know what? Look at the time," Reina gave him a fake smile as she looked down at her wrist despite there being no watch around it. "I really have to get going. The super-secret mission I'm on is extremely important and time-sensitive. I've wasted so much time today as it is, but I really do appreciate all your help earlier."

She had shut him down without providing a name, and he simply folded his arms over his chest as she stepped past him with a quick stride to walk over to where she had left her brown bag earlier. When the Heartless had attacked her, she had set it down out of the way with her father's journal tucked safely inside to avoid getting caught up in the throes of battle, but she had been too distracted talking to her mysterious "hero" to have retrieved it until now. After bending down to scoop up her bag, she opened it up to make sure her father's journal was still safe, only to see that it was no longer there.

Her whole body froze as she opened the bag up wider, fishing around inside to see if maybe it had gotten buried underneath her snacks and spare clothes. "Oh no…Oh no, oh no, oh no….Where is it?! Oh my god, where did it go?!"

Completely forgetting about the peculiar man she had just been talking to, Reina dropped the bag down onto the ground before scanning the area for any signs of the book. If she had dropped it, it couldn't have gone far. It wasn't like books could get up and walk away! Or…could they? This was Wonderland, after all. If a deck of cards could grow legs and roam about, maybe her journal could, too.

"Oh, god, oh no…Where is my book?! Did one of the Heartless take it?!" Now on her hands and knees, Reina was scooting around on the floor and digging through the dirt, searching for any signs of her missing journal. Of all the bad things to happen, having her father's journal stolen was quite possibly the most disastrous!

"Yoo hoo, princess! Lookin' for something?"

Reina turned around to see the hooded man casually holding the book in his hand. With a shocked expression, she leaped to her feet and stormed over to him. How did he manage to snatch it up?! Did he steal it when she was distracted by the Heartless?

"Hey! Give that back!" She demanded, reaching for the book in his hand, but he dangled it above her head, his long arms stretched as far as they could reach. He was a good deal taller than her, and no matter how high she jumped up, he kept the book out of her reach.

"This must be really important to you, huh?" He laughed, enjoying the way she was practically pressing herself up against his chest just to try and swipe the book back from him. She was hopping up and down like a rabbit, but no matter how high she jumped, he held it up just beyond her reach.

"Give it back right now, you asshole!" There was more urgency in her voice this time as her fingers tugged on his sleeve, trying her best to pull his arm down to her level so she could snatch it back.

"Is that any way for a lady to talk? I asked for your name and you totally ignored me. If you decide to be a good little girl and tell me, I'll hand it back to you. Sounds like a fair exchange to me." He was clearly toying with her like a bully on a playground who liked to tease the other kids and steal their toys. Reina was clearly not in the mood for childish games; her entire mission was stored in the pages of that book, and if anything happened to it, she'd be screwed!

With an angry scowl, she withdrew from him. There was no point in struggling, he was way too tall and as unmovable as a boulder. Just what was this guy's deal?! He came out of nowhere, destroyed a bunch of Heartless with ease, and now he was picking on her in the most immature of ways.

"Fine, you win. I'll tell you my name." She had no choice but to give in, but that didn't mean she was going to play fair. She decided to give him a fake name, not only to help preserve her privacy but also to spite him since he had been so determined to hear her introduction. "My name is…Um… Mary."

He lowered the arm holding the book. "Um Mary? That's a weird name."

"It's not Um Mary! It's just Mary!" God, this guy was so obnoxious.

"Okay then, Just Mary." It was clear he was suspicious of her name, probably because she took a little too long to answer, but he handed her back the journal anyways, much to her relief.

She snatched it back a little too quickly, finally able to breathe normally again now that her father's journal was back in her possession. Even if she had gotten it back, that didn't mean she was out of the woods with him yet. Had he taken a peek at the contents inside while she wasn't looking? How did he even get a hold of it anyway?

"Did you read it?" She asked, figuring the best way to approach this situation was to ask him about it directly.

"Nope."

She couldn't tell if he was lying or not. It was hard to read someone whose face she couldn't even see.

"Seriously? Be honest with me. Did you look inside?" She pressed a little harder this time.

He shook his head. "As if. I didn't see a reason to. I normally don't read girls' diaries unless I think there's something written about me in them. You wouldn't have had time to make an entry about your valiant hero in the woods, but I'll give it a day or two and maybe check then. Maybe I'll get lucky and discover that you even wrote a sappy love poem about me!"

The heat was rising to her face again. "No way would I ever write about a jerk like you in my diary!"

Her response drew another deep laugh from her savior, but at least she could rest at ease knowing that he hadn't looked inside the journal. She'd let him think it was her own personal diary if it meant he wouldn't pry too deeply into the actual contents of the leather-bound book.

"Well?" The man cocked his head to the side, arms crossed over his chest again. "Aren't you curious as to what my name is, Mary?"

There was no getting around it. She was just as curious about him at this point as he was about her.

"Fine. I do want to know your name. I'd also like to see the face of my valiant hero, while you're at it."

That was exactly what he had hoped to hear. "I thought you'd never ask, babe."