AN: Another one just to get this out of the way. Aqua's scenario coming up soon.

*****

Terra glanced at the crowd streaming at the streets of New Orleans, watching curiously as musicians paraded past, people merrily dancing to the music. It was a busy place, and he had almost gotten lost in it all. It was certainly a curious place, but something new compared to the worlds he had visited so far.

Trying to ignore the looks he was getting from the passerbys, he leaped out of the way as a gaggle of girls brushed past him.

"Come on! He's at the dock!"

Dock? He redirected his eyes toward the direction the girl had giggled, noticing the forming crowd of photographers and women. He would have ignored it, hadn't there been a sudden movement of blue at the corner of his eye. Doing a double take, he looked back and saw the unmistakable shadow of Unversed heading for that way. Mumbling a curse under his breath, the Keyblade flared to life in his hands, rushing towards the crowd.

Terra hated large crowds, and add that to the fact that this crowd he's stuck in was full of screaming and giggling girls, it was practically hell. The flash of photography exploded in his eyeballs, and at the right minute, he saw one of the small Unversed slip between the legs of several people and down to an alley. Quickly mumbling apologies to the people he collided into, he gave chase, ignoring the screams of "Prince Naveen!" behind him.

As he turned the corner to an empty alley, he caught sight of the Unversed surrounding a tall, gangly man in a tall hat. Without thinking, he rushed forward, Keyblade at the ready.

"Be careful!"

The dark man spared a glance at him, his hand halfway to reaching into his coat pocket, and Terra didn't need to think twice once he saw one of the Unversed leap. He quickly threw his Keyblade at a Strike Raid, catching it when it rebounded from killing one of the Unversed. He ushered the man behind him.

"Stay behind me, sir." he ordered, quietly calculating which ones to take out first as they increased in number.

"Well, now, if you insist." the man grinned, tossing a coin up and down, not looking the least scared. If this was any indication that this person was suspicious (not to mention that the man's shadow moved to seemingly whisper to his owner) Terra didn't notice, halfway through making his way through the crowd of monsters. The man continued to watch, a small, knowing smile forming on his lips as he watched the young man battle. Hmm...

As the last of the Unversed disappeared, Terra felt a hand clap him on the shoulder heartily. "Well done! Some fine fighting you got in there, boy. I am entirely in your debt."

Terra glanced at him, finally getting a good look of the man. Dark skinned, tall with that tall hat on his head. He moved fluidly and smoothly as if he was a shadow. The man draped his arm lazily over Terra's shoulders (something Terra didn't appreciate), pulling out a card from his jacket. "Pleasure to meet you, name's Dr. Facilier. Tell me how I can be of service to you, mister...?"

The card was decorated with a skull. It read; Dr. Facilier; fortune telling, charms, potions...

Dreams made real.

Terra had been staring at it that it took him a while to realize that Dr. Facilier was talking to him. "Uh, Terra. My name is Terra."

"Terra, wonderful! Tell you what! How about a little fortune telling session with me, free of charge? Just to thank you from saving those... monsters." Dr. Facilier shivered visibly, clapping Terra's shoulder again. "My office is right there."

He pointed to a door not to far with his cane, with the voodoo masks hanging from the door, and brightly lit torches. It looked ominous, and Terra glanced back at the card again, the last few words jumping out to him.

"Oh come on, it's the least I can do. I insist. No harm done, really." And before he knew what he was doing, he was allowing Facilier to push him into his "office". "Is it big dreams you have? Because I have friends who can help out with that."

The door closed behind them ominously (the tail of Dr. Facilier's shadow having slammed it shut). Inside, the room consisted of various dolls, masks, and a single circular table. Facilier pulled the chair out for Terra, practically shoving him into it before taking the seat opposite. Cards came out of his sleeves, and expertly, he shuffled them in various ways, studying Terra. Terra frowned, just as the whole fanned deck was held out to him.

"Let's have a test run. Pick out three cards."

Looking at Facilier dubiously, Terra took three, before quickly glancing behind him. Something told him this was a bad place to be. He felt the cards leave his grip and be set out on the table as he studied the masks above him. Something was not right, definitely. Turning his attention back to the voodoo master, the oldest Keyblade apprentice watched Facilier flip over one card, which, to Terra's surprise, was an image of him and Aqua together with Master Eraqus. The detail was uncanny, down to the background detail of the Land of Departure.

"You were an apprentice of his for as long as you can remember. Old man here loved you like a father would to his own child." the doctor's bony finger pointed to Eraqus, and Terra frowned a little, remembering his Master. "And you like a son to his pops, huh? Too bad one event changed all that."

Facilier flipped over the next card, showing him and Aqua holding her Keyblade in front of her.

"You were destined to be the Master. Even Master-dear told you that. But one little slip up and--" he spun the card around, and it changed to Terra backing away, arm engulfed in Darkness. "So much for that." he gave Terra a sympathetic smile.

Terra glared at the offending image, glancing back at Facilier. "How are you doing this?"

"It's all in the cards, boy. Past, present and future." Facilier smirked, gesturing to each card in turn. "Though you're probably dying to know what's this, hm?"

Facilier tapped the last card, and in all honesty, now Terra's interest was really piqued. He leaned in a little, just as it was flipped, showing him in armor form on top of a high cliff, light shining down on him majestically. He was in a kneeling position, Keyblade in front of him.

"Now ain't that the sight. The you in the future is someone that has.... mastery of metal." Facilier emphasized the last words, his shadow discreetly moving behind Terra and watching the young man's expressions. Terra hesitatingly picked up the card, studying it with some sort of longing as Facilier continued on. "We can make that happen faster, hm? One thing I can do for you."

"You can?" Terra found himself blurting the words out, and Facilier smiled shrewdly again, shuffling his deck in the air.

"I got Voodoo like you won't believe. All you have to do is believe in ol' Facilier here. So what do you say, Terra? Won't you shake a poor sinner's hand?"

Facilier held out his palm, and Terra stared at it. His blue eyes glanced back at the card in his hand. Seconds ticked by slowly, and something in the room made him think he should decide as quickly as he could.

Sorry, Aqua, Ven.

He grasped the outstretched hand, shaking it. After all, what harm could it do?

Or, that's what he thought, until the room flared to life. The masks above him suddenly became animated, and the room was suddenly filled with a bright green light, as if it wasn't the quaint little room in New Orleans.

ARE YOU READY?

The voices echoed around him, drums sounded, and Terra leaped back, instinctively summoning his Keyblade. That is until his own armor summoned itself.

"What--"

TRANSFORMATION CENTRAL!

Voodoo dolls latched on to every part of him, clouding his visor, prying his Keyblade out of his grip. The chanting continued as he felt something engulf him, barely hearing Facilier's sinister laugh in the distance.

YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED! YOU LOST WHAT YOU HAD!

As the darkness settled in, the third card he picked landed on the floor, shriveling in flames.