Reverse Eclipse
The Jackalope

Dedicated to: The Writer you Fools, because her stories put smiles on our faces, and we dance in anticipation for the next chapters. She was so kind as to read the first chapter of this when asked, reviewed, and even added it to her favorites because she liked it.. We also dedicate this chapter to Nickel, who's a good friend and dedicated reviewer to all of our work. She's been ill recently and we hope that this chapter cheers her up! Get well soon, Nickel, because only you can deliver that gay spaghetti joke with such finesse! So this here's to both of you, because you are full of win and awesome.

Traverse Town was once a place constantly bustling with activity. The nights filled with music, flashing lights and exuberant men and women looking for a good time. The first few months that Axel had arrived, it had been like that. Most of such late-night activities were kept to the Fourth District, (where no one under the age of eighteen was allowed to enter) but when the heartless came, it had been boarded up- much like the Fifth District and over half of Third District. Most of the people who had come had either left or learned to work their lives around the heartless. Apartments that were once older shops started to open up in the Third and Second district, each one housing at least one man or woman who could hold their own against the shadow monsters. This helped to generate a bit more spirit in the townsfolk as life became a strict regimen of waking before eight, going about one's activities and closing shop before nine that night, whenever the heartless would become overwhelming.

The First District was constantly void of Heartless, most likely pertaining to the plethora of lights huumming and magic shields thriving in every lamp pole. Before a wizard by the name of Merlin had appeared one night and had immediatly set about designing magical wards inside each lamp, things had been much more hectic than they currently were. The Second and Third District, however, contained a handful less of the magic needed to ward off the heartless, considering there weren't nearly enough lamps to keep the entire square lit up and shielded with Merlin's spells.

Axel still vividly remembered the night that he, Yuffie, Cid and Aerith had arrived. He still remembered the blood coating them- how Cid had lay on the floor of the ship, nearly dying as Axel vainly tried to stem the blood flow that seeped from deep claw mark's in the older man's chest. Their world was being ravaged by a series of monster-sized heartless, and barely any had been able to escape. Axel had planned on staying back home with his brother to help stop the heartless- loyal until the very end.

That all had changed whenever his elder brother had snatched him into a crushing hug before throwing him at Cloud, a former SOLDIER that had befriended the siblings years before, with a plea to keep the younger redhead safe. The blond man had disregarded Axel's sluggish struggles (a large gash in Axel's side accompanied the slash along his jaw and his torn and bloodied clothes) and dragged him onto the ship with the rest of them- purposefully ignorant to Axel's agonized scream of Reno's name when the ship took off. Sure, Vinvent had stayed behind to keep him safe, but Vincent was only one man- a retired member of the Turks who had once been the source of ShinRa's experiments.

Turks had been what had saved Reno and Axel from life in the slums, but it had also been what destroyed their world when Reno's employer, a man referred to simply as President ShinRa, began trying to manipulate the heartless into their own creations. It had started with fusing the energy of a heartless into that of an ancient- a creature by the name of Red XIII. It had torn the lab apart, able to devour hearts by the dozen and create chaos with a single swing of it's blackened paw. Reno had been there when it began- he'd witnessed how the monster lunged first at Rufus ShinRa, son of the president, and had wrenched the young man's throat from his neck without skipping a beat. Reno's partner, a tall, strongly built man by the name of Rude, had no time to procure it's gun when the heartless creation had leapt upon him, claws ripping open the stunned Turk's chest and tearing out his heart in a flurry of blood and glowing light.

Stricken, Reno had lunged at the monster- though his fellow Turk, a Wutaian man by the name of Tseng, had snapped him back by grabbing onto the younger man's hair and wrenching Reno away from the monster, ordering for him to retrieve reinforcements. Wracked with grief, Reno had launched himself out of the lab, attempting to drown out gunshots, crashing, and a terrorized scream from Elena, a girl who had recently joined their ranks not two months before.

None of them had survived, Reno had said. The lab had been all but decimated- the President and his son dead along with three of the four highest ranking Turks in ShinRa. Reno had been bedridden for nearly a week afterwards in sheer despair while the heartless began to multiply twice as fast as before and slowly destroy the city and it's inhabitants. At the time, Axel had been aware that Reno's heart was set on Cloud- Axel was sure it had always been. Cloud had been the only one to pull Reno from his mourning. The blond man had forced himself into the apartment against Axel's protests and had wrenched the covers from Reno's bed, exposing Axel's brother to the world for the first time in a week.

Axel had watched in awe as Reno shrieked at Cloud- only to have the blond ex-SOLDIER wrap strong arms around the thin man's waist and lift him up onto a shoulder. Cloud had approached Axel, stating the words "we have no time to mourn when lives are being lost every day. Find whatever materia you have and stock it while I knock some sense into your brother." with a cold and stern voice that left no room for protests. Axel had answered with a numb nod and watched Cloud leave with a wildly kicking Reno slung over a shoulder.

Cloud. Axel's heart leapt into his throat. Their ship had been attacked by heartless during the escape. Cloud had leapt into the small fighter ship that had been tucked underneath the belly of the Gummi ship, hoping to minimize the level of heartless. In the end, a meteor shower had struck during the battle and Axel had watched in horror as Cloud was hit repeatedly without time to recover before his ship was batted away. He'd dissapeared, leaving Axel and the others nearly defenseless and with another grief-filled hole in their weary hearts.

Their landing in Traverse Town had been more of a crash straight through the gates. Yuffie had slumped unconscious against the controls less than a half hour into their flight, leaving Aerith to try and maneuver the shp whil Axel tried to keep Cid alive, talking quietly to the man in undertones that bordered on desperation. The crash had been enough to cause extreme alarm in the townsfolk. When Aerith opened the hatch, a tall man with brown hair and a jagged scar driving from his brow and across the bridge of his nose stormed onto the ship, weapon drawn and a scowl on his handsome features. One look at the half-dead crew and he quickly leapt into action, running first to Cid and lifting the man up, telling Axel to grab Yuffie and follow him out of the ship.

Upon exiting, Axel was overwhelmed with the bright lights of the First District and the small crowd that had huddled around the ship. There were gasps from a few who had most likely caught sight of Cid's bloodied body and the copious amount of vicious wounds coating the rest of the passengers. There were hands helping Axel when he stumbled- a large set taking Yuffie out of his arms as two more helped him to walk when his already weakened body dropped to a knee.

Axel's eyes had sought out Aerith's thin frame being assisted by a young woman and Yuffie being carried by a large man, both of them following the brunet man towards a small shop that resided up a set of stairs. The two sets of hands grasping Axel began leading the lethargic redhead in the same direction before everything faded to black.

That was how life in Traverse Town had really begun.

Axel shoved his hands into the pockets of his black jeans as the heels of his boots tapped along the stone walkway. He nodded to the guard standing next to the large, thick wooden doors that lead to the First District before the man turned to push them open. Murmuring a 'thanks', Axel wandered from the Second District and into the First.

A scrabbling of animal claws caught his attention as Pluto bounded past, tongue lolling out and ears straight up. Axel lifted two fingers to his lips, whistling to the canine and catching its attention. Pluto whirled around, and with large strides of his paws, jumped onto Axel and knocked the redhead to the ground with a loud bark.

"As touching a reunion as this is, Pluto, get off of me." Axel groaned, enclosing his hand over the dog's muzzle to prevent slobber from being rubbed all over his face. He pushed the dog off of him, only to be nearly bowled over when Pluto jumped on him again. "Dammit, Pluto!" Axel pushed the animal more forcefully, and the mutt yelped as he tumbled backwards.

Recovering quickly, the beast ran around Axel in a wide circle, yips and barks accompanying the movement. Axel stared at him incredulously, a hand on his hip, the other attempting to smooth out his roughed up hair. "The hell are you- Hey!" Pluto shot off through the marketplace, and Axel gave chase. "Pluto!" The dog disappeared into an alleyway and Axel near tripped over himself in an attempt to turn fast enough.

When the redhead entered the back alley, he froze, eyes wide at the sight before him. A blond-haired kid lay slumped on the ground, eyes closed and body unmoving.A puddle of water surrounded his soaked frame, damp hair covering part of his face and causing droplets to patter gently to the ground in a small pool.

Axel's heart stopped for a split second and he rushed to the teen's side, kneeling down to place a hand on his shoulder. "Hey- kid." He gave the blond's shoulder a gentle shake. "Kid- wake up."

-

As Roxas's brain slowly phased back into consciousness, the first thing he noticed was a warm hand on his shoulder- that stood out the most, because the rest of his body was freezing and wet. Momentarily disoriented, Roxas's eyes squinted open as his shoulder was shaken and he immediately regretted it- his head swam and he doubled over, hands holding forehead, wet hair dripping rivulets down his face. Why was he wet? There was a storm- and something else. Sora and Riku... The water- they disappeared- and then- no. That's ridiculous.

A groan escaped his lips as he murmured, "It was a dream," he removed his hands from his forehead, opening his eyes to observe unfamiliar cobblestones. Wait- why was he sitting on a road? There weren't any roads like this on Destiny Island either. He brought his face up, gaze shifting to the guy crouched down next to him. He had a wild mane of bright red hair and two tear-drop tattoos underneath his eyes- he could never forget someone who looked like that- and he'd never seen them back home, either.

"Where am I?" he glanced back down at his soaked body- no, there had to be a more logical explanation for this, "...was it raining earlier?"

The redhead quirked an eyebrow, raising a hand to push away locks of blond hair from the teen's forehead, feeling the skin there for fever with the back of his hand. "Raining? Sorry kid, but if you hadn't noticed, you're in an alleyway in the first district, even if it did rain, the roof of the building you're lying against would keep you from getting wet." He tilted his head to the side, examining Roxas further.

Normally Roxas would have flinched away from a stranger's touch,but the sudden schock of information he was being hit with temporarily stunned him into silence. For once, his logical explanation wasn't going to work; there was no reason for what had happened- what was happening. Suddenly, Roxas couldn't focus on anything but the memory of Riku and Sora grasping hands a split second before they vanished into the darkness of the storm.

Roxas's lips downturned into a frown, his head swimming with memories and the question of what 'The First District' was. He'd never heard of it before.

"Talk about blank with a capital 'B'," the guy muttered, shifting his weight as he retracted the hand from Roxas's head, waving it to and fro habitually whilst giving his head a slow shake. The redhead's gaze returned to Roxas. "Can you stand?"

"I... think so..." Moving a hand to the crate sitting next to him, Roxas used it to pull himself up. His head gave a dull throb and the blond teen pressed his palm against his brow, teeth gritting. However, the pain only lasted a moment, and he turned to the boy next to him, "I... you haven't seen my twin brother anywhere, have you? He has brown hair."

There was a pause from the redhead as Roxas's question was thought over, before he shook his head slowly. "Sorry kid, haven't seen anyone who looks remotely like you since I lived back in Midgar, and he had a good four years on you." The taller male's hands hovered over Roxas's shoulders in case the blond lost his balance, there was concern in those green eyes, and it momentarily surprised Roxas that a complete stranger could worry about someone they had never met before.

"So you're standing, you think you can walk? It's pretty damn chilly out here, and I doubt you're roasty toasty in those sopping clothes." The guy made a sweeping motion with his hand at Roxas's outfit, which had started clinging to his body, making him even colder than he had previously been.

Blue eyes became downcast- more than anything right now, he wanted to search the streets for his brother- they couldn't have ended up too far away.

If only he knew.

"Chilly? You mean freezing, right?" wrapping his arms around himself, Roxas found that standing exposed himself to the gentle night wind, and he shivered violently, "I don't think I hurt myself... so I can probably walk. I'm not sure where to, though..."

Roxas watched the redhead speak while unzipping his jacket. "I'll take you to Cid's shop for now, it's the closest, and he's got a fireplace. Once you've warmed up, I'll take you through the city to my apartment. It's over in the second district." The guy slipped his jacket down his shoulders and shrugged it off, reaching forward to drape it around the smaller teen.

"Thanks," shivering, Roxas pulled the tall boy's jacket around him tightly and had to stop himself from following those hands as they retracted- the redhead just seemed to radiate heat somehow. The guy lifted one of his hands, scratching his head for a moment before he ran his fingers through his bright hair, a shaky sigh of relief escaping him.

"Man kid, when I first saw you, I thought you'd already lost your heart. Scared the hell out of me for a second. Ya got a name?"

Confused, the blond frowned. Lost your heart? What was that supposed to mean? Lingo like that was most definetly not used back on the island. Exactly how far had the storm taken him?

"I'm Roxas... who are you? And..." he bit his lip, finally taking a step to accept this unreality, "this isn't Destiny Island, is it?"

The redhead's face contorted into an odd look. " Destiny Island? Sorry kid, you must have hit your head pretty damn hard to think we're anywhere near an island." He caught sight of the boy's shivering and held a hand out to him, forefinger and thumb snapping to create a small ball of flame that hovered over his index finger, an action which startled the blond.

"The name's Axel- commit it to memory." He held out the small flame to Roxas, signaling for the blond to place his hands around it to warm them up.

Reeling back, Roxas swore, bumping into the crate and falling back down onto his ass, "What-- what the fuck?!" he pointed at the flame, hand shaking, "What-- what is that?! How'd you do that?"

Axel curled his finger inward, allowing the flame to dissipate. "It's magic- if that wasn't obvious." He placed a hand on his hip, reaching the other out to the blond to help him back to his feet. "It's just a little fire, don't get your panties in a twist- I won't do it again if it freaks you out that much."

"Magic?" Roxas's hands gripped at the back of the crate, knuckles white, desperate to hold onto reality, "Magic isn't real- that's from fairytales. Little kids books. No, seriously, what did you do?" He wasn't sure whether to stare at Axel in awe or in fear- either way, he was doubting whether he was even awake or not again.

Axel let out the laugh that bubbled in his throat. "A world with no magic?" It seemed like Roxas's statement had hit a funny bone in the redhead, whose laughter soon died down into a chuckle. "Now that sounds like a fairytale." He tapped a fingertip to his temple.

"Magic is as real as you," Axel prodded Roxas in the chest with an index finger, before pointing to himself, "or me, so commit that to memory. Now," He leaned forward, fingers encircling the blond's biceps to lift him up. "Let's get you some place warm so we can heat some sense back into that frozen brain of yours."

Continuing to shiver violently, the question on the tip of his tongue was about what exactly Axel was suggesting by "a world"- but with the boy's hand on his arm leading him to somewhere dry and warm, the mere thought of stopping in the cold alley to ask more questions exhausted him.

"...A...alright. Lead the way."

Axel grinned. "I knew you'd come around eventually." He slid his arm around the blond's shoulders and directed him out of the alleyway and across the street to where a quaint accessory shop was located. The door opened with a small ring of a bell connected to the frame.

"Hey- old man. You got any spare blankets in stock? This kid is colder than Leon's glare." The redhead called out. A middle-aged man, standing behind the clerk's desk, gnawed on his cigarette, eyebrows bunched together.

"The name's Cid, punk, I ain't old yet. Where'd you find the little bastard?" Feeling the hairs rise on the back of his neck at being referred to as a "little bastard", Roxas had to avert his eyes to the floor and clench his fist to stop himself from biting back. Cid ducked under the counter for a moment before coming back with a plain white thermal blanket. "He looks like shit." The man rumbled. Axel chuckled.

"Found him in the alley- Roxas, go sit on the couch in front of the fireplace, alright?" Axel gave the blond a light push to the middle of his back to get Roxas walking in the direction of the over-cushioned couch that sat in front of an unlit fireplace just at the other end of the store.

Roxas had to remind himself that this guy was letting him into his shop- was even giving him a blanket- and that was much better than sitting outside in the cold. A part of him decided that he didn't like this Cid guy anyway. He headed over to the couch, sitting on the edge of it somewhat awkwardly, not really feeling in the place to be relaxing too much.

"An alley? Is he another survivor?" The elder blond asked, blowing out a puff of smoke when Axel took the blanket from him. Axel shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"I'm thinkin' so- he talked about an island. I'll find out more later." And with that, Axel turned to approach Roxas, blanket in hand. Roxas was pretty sure that blanket or no, he'd still resemble something akin to a drowned rat. He had appreciated Axel's warm arm around his shoulders earlier and his kindness for showing him here, but he was still a bit paranoid about that earlier display of "magic".

"Here, squirt." Axel draped the blanket over Roxas's legs.

"Thanks," Roxas took the edge of the blanket and arranged it over himself, gaze following Axel as the redhead stood straight and approached the fireplace, palm outstretched towards the logs. Calm green eyes rested on Roxas's shivering frame.

"I'm giving you a heads up this time." At first, Roxas didn't realise what Axel was about to do, but the split second before the older boy lit the fireplace, he knew that he wanted to observe. Like an audience watching a magician for the second time, he wanted to learn the trick involved in this "magic". However, despite expecting the logs to burst into flame (which they did), the suddenness of the act still surprised him and he jumped a little in his seat, however didn't react nearly as violently as the last time.

Axel sighed when Roxas jumped, standing straight and approaching the couch. "It's not going to hurt you, and you're gonna have to get used to it. So you might as well learn to now instead of later." He held his right palm out, bobbing it gently to get Roxas to grab onto it.

Roxas stared at the outstretched hand for a moment, before pushing the blanket off to the side and standing up, still giving Axel's hand a wary look but not taking it, as he did not know a reason why he should, "It's just... I've never seen this before. It's weird. But a lot of other weird stuff has been happening, so... I suppose I just have to accept it eventually, but..." he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Take my hand." Axel insisted softly. "Once you get used to what you're unused to, things will make more sense." If he could get Roxas adjusted to the idea of magic, then explaining the worlds, heartless, and everything that came with, would be even easier. Judging by what he'd seen of the blond so far- his down to earth personality was getting the ride of its life.

"What are you going to do?" biting his lip, Roxas lifted his hand slowly before finally taking Axel's, his warm fingertips sending a small shiver down his spine. He felt he shouldn't trust a stranger so readily, but he figured that you couldn't be that bad if "roasty toasty" was part of your daily vocabulary.

Axel gave Roxas the most reassuring smile he could muster before gripping the blond's hand tightly and using enough fire magic to heat his palm and send warmth through his fingertips and into Roxas's hand. It was the first step into getting the boy accustomed to magic- a simple heating spell. It would do, for now.

Roxas instinctively pulled back at the first burst of heat- embarrassed, he murmured an apology before returning his hand, gripping Axel's palm tightly to stop himself from retracting. He trembled slightly, but clenching his free hand into a fist, he willed up the courage to lift his head and look Axel in the face, giving him a determined stare. He would get this.

Axel's face lit up in a grin, "You've got it, Roxas." The redhead's voice was full of encouragement as his other hand placed itself atop their clasped ones, adding to the warmth. It would only take a few minutes of standing like this to completely warm up the blond.

A small smile touched Roxas's lips at the compliment and he murmured a small, "Thanks."

"Hey! Don't do anything illegal in my godamn shop!" Cid snarled, and Axel shot the man a look that promised utter hell upon he who interrupted his first moment of teaching towards the newcomer. Embarrassed, Roxas retracted his hand from Axel's, only to find that the heat generated was quickly fading. He sighed, sitting back down on the couch.

"I've got a lot of questions to ask..."

"They'll be answered at my place- Are you warm enough to go back outside? I'm no good at dealing with fevers if you catch one from the cold- frankly, I fucking hate the cold." Axel waved a hand at the fireplace, causing it to snuff out. Roxas's eyes widened at how easily Axel extinguished the flame, but he shook the feeling off quickly.

"I should be fine," It was a lie, he was still freezing, but there wasn't much he could do. Roxas tugged at the jacket still around his shoulders, standing up. "Do you want your jacket back?"

Axel shook his head. "Not really- you still need it. Come on, It's a bit of a walk, and the longer we wait, the colder it gets out. If you start to freeze up again, feel free to use me as your walking, talking, beanpole of a heater." Axel turned, giving Roxas a curt wave of hand to get the blond to follow him out the door. Roxas complied, quickening his pace so that Axel wouldn't have to wait for him. They both paused in the open doorway as the redhead chanced a look back.

"See ya later, old geezer." He called out to Cid.

"Get the fuck out of my store." The blond man growled back. Axel laughed, digging his hands into his pockets and meandering out into the streets with long, lazy strides and a grin on his face.

Roxas shifted his feet uncomfortably, pausing to give a final glance to the ever-grumpy Cid. "Um- thanks for the blanket," not waiting for a reply (he was a bit scared to), he quickly followed Axel out the door, immediately starting to shiver again as the cold night air seeped into his damp clothes. Roxas bit his lip, following behind the redhead with his gaze concentrated on the ground

He missed Sora.

-------------------------------

Weightlessness-- floating.

Sora felt his body hit the earth with a thud, eyes snapping open and a gasp permeating his lips. His body snapped forward into an upright position. There was darkness all around, his eyes straining to see anything, but finding nothing.

"Riku? Roxas? Is anyone there?" His voice was an echo, the black abyss absorbing his calls. It was cold, the air around him empty, his shallow breaths sounding all the more louder in the utter silence. The room lit up in a flash of light, and Sora jumped, his head whipping about.

Beneath his feet was a large stained glass painting of a boy smiling, his hair spiked up in a wild mullet, his lower body encased in a fin and twisted to circle the perimeter of the large sphere that Sora stood upon. He stared down, stepping back with wide eyes and taking in the sight of the smaller faces etched into the giant mural. A boy with violet hair draped across his right eye, a girl with bright red hair with a yellow and blue fish floating next to her head, their gazes directed to the black above.

"So much to do... so little time." Sora gasped sharply, whirling around so fast that he tripped up, falling down onto his backside before scrabbling back to his feet, fingers trembling. The deep voice echoed in his ears, but there was no direction of where it had originated from.

"Wh-who's there?" He wished he had something, anything, to hold onto to protect himself. His gaze darted about, searching for any form of an object on the empty surface of the large glass flooring.

"Take your time. Don't be afraid. The door is still shut." Goosebumps rose on Sora's skin, "Now step forward, can you do it?"

With a shaky nod, the brunet took a hesitant step towards the center of the glass floor. Around him, three beams of light shot down from the dark as stone pillars rose, each bearing a different weapon that hovered in the air between light and stone.

"Power sleeps within you. If you give it form, if will give you strength. Choose well." Choose? What was he to choose? One of the weapons? Sora's attention was drawn first to the bulky shield in front of him, then to the right, where a staff floated, bearing a tri-circular orb atop of it. He looked to the left, a sword.

The sword would offer the most protection, wouldn't it? Sora stepped towards it, reaching his arms up to climb onto the pedestal, his fingers closing themselves over the handle. A gust of wind and light burst from below him, blowing his clothes and hair upward as Sora was suddenly overcome with a rush of power.

"The power of the warrior's invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?"

Sora's eyes were clenched shut against the light. He looked skyward, his voice barely coming out. "Y-yes!" As quickly as it had come, the wind and light ceased, allowing Sora's hair to fall back into place, as did his jacket. His necklace fell back onto his chest with a quiet thud.

"Your path is set. Now- what will you give up in exchange?"

Give up? Sora's head twisted to the remaining two weapons as he slid off of the pedestal, sword clutched tightly in his right hand. The staff, he could still use as a club, couldn't he? Sora bit his bottom lip, brows furrowed. The shield looked too heavy for him to carry; it would end up being more of a burden than anything...

The brunet walked towards the center pedestal, hoisting himself up and reaching out his left hand to rest it atop the head of the shield. This time, the wind burst about him in a circular motion, causing his hair to whip into his face, his jacket flapping wildly and necklace constantly clacking into the zipper and against his collarbone and chest. Sora tightened his grip on the shield.

"The shield. The power of the guardian- kindness to aid friends, a shield to repel all... You give up this power?"

Indecision once again hit him at the words of the disembodied voice. He lifted his head against the wind, looking at the staff for a moment before lifting his head up once more. "I do!"

The wind cut out, everything falling back into place. The shield and staff disappeared, pedestals sinking into the ground. Sora stepped off of it, his fingers clutching tightly to the hilt of his sword. A loud crack echoed in the darkness, and the glass floor gave a violent heave before shattering.

Sora screamed as he fell through the darkness, sword nearly slipping out of his grasp in his shock. Pieces of glass were rocketing past, causing the brunet to hold the sword and his arms up to protect his face out of reflex.

Pain fired in his body and he cried out when he hit something solid with a sickening crack, his skull connecting with the hard surface and causing stars to swim in his vision, his focus blaring in and out for a moment. The falling piece of glass connected with the ground about him, shattering on contact. In a few seconds, the shards raining down grew to a halt, silence echoing, save for the chiming sounds that reverberated across the darkness from the noise that had previously occurred.

Sora rolled over, sword clanking against yet another stained glass floor as the brunet pushed himself to his feet, a groan escaping his lips. Broken glass crunched under his shoes. He clutched to the back of his head, wincing and retracting his hand just as quickly to stare at the red coating the tips of his once-white fingerless gloves.

Sora glanced down, staring at the painting below his feet of an effeminate man with faded magenta hair draped about his face and a set of moderately broad shoulders. He was garbed in an oddly intricate outfit consisting of mainly greens, pinks and blacks. It was much like a robe in the way it clung to his chest with trinkets decorating the expanse of his neck and ears. The robe tapered out at the hips to show a set of dark green pants tucked inside a pair of black boots with one leg crossed over the other- as if he were leaning against some sort of wall. Clutched in the man's left hand was a rose that was help up to his gently smirking lips while the other arm hooked a scythe over his shoulder leisurely. There was another man in the corner, a sly grin on his face with a gloved hand tipping his cowboy hat forward, a gun resting on his shoulder. Below that portrait was a younger looking male with wild blonde hair spiked upward in a way that reminded Sora of a bird's tail. An exotic black tribal tattoo curled along the expanse of the blond's left cheek and forehead, creased slightly by his wide smile.

"You've gained the power to fight." Darkness began to swirl around his feet and Sora jumped back, nearly slipping on the shards of glass and clutching tightly to his sword, so hard that it shook in his grip.

"There will be times you have to fight. Keep your light burning strong." One of the black creatures from the island emerged, followed by others as they lunged at Sora. The brunet let out a cry of surprise, whipping the sword forward and slicing it through the creature's gut. It let out an animalistic shriek before disappearing in a plume of black smoke. Shaken, Sora barely dodged to the side as another one leapt at him. His eyes wide, he stabbed at it. It too, disappeared. He repeated the action to the other three, sword trembling so violently in his grasp by the end that he had to use two hands to clutch onto it.

Sora's shaky breaths took up the new silence, his free hand holding over his heart, the other still gripping his weapon. He observed his surroundings, and his gaze fell upon a set of crystal stairs, spiraling upward and into darkness. His face set with determination, Sora began to run up the stairs. It was a continuing spiral that went on for what seemed like hours, though Sora never ran out of breath, or became fatigued.

He reached another platform, where a bright light shone down from the other end. On the glass before him was something that sent chills down Sora's spine, and the brunet couldn't help the short, startled cry from escaping him. A man, white as death itself bore a sinister smirk with pale brown hair hanging down either side of his face in two thick clumps. His dull green eyes were sunken into his head, with sallow cheeks and a pointed chin that was held between a thumb and forefinger. The man's remaining arm was tucked underneath the elbow of his left with a syringe held casually between pale fingers. A drab gray lab coat clung to the man's thin frame, hiding all except a pair ofblack boots that peeked out from beneath the hem.

Just to the right of the man's chin, was a circle that had three corpse-like children hanging out of it, all three of them grinning and holding masks. Above the trio, was an actual skeleton, dressed in a suit with what looked like a smile on its skinless face. And at the very top, a woman smiling, stitches in her face in such a manner that signified that it was all that held parts of her together. Sora could feel despair tugging at the back of his head, this repetition of glass floors and morbid creatures beginning to wear on his nerves. Taking slower steps on the disturbing stained glass, Sora approached the light, staring up at it. Where was the light coming from?

"The closer that you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes." Sora's head snapped down to where his shadow should have resided. It had begun to distort and stretch out behind him, emerging from the ground and forming a giant obsidian beast with beady yellow eyes. Sora gasped, fear gripping his body and backing away. The pressure of familiar hands enclosed his shoulders and his head snapped to the side.

Riku, though barely transparent, stood firmly behind him, a gentle smile on his face. The silver-haired teen leaned forward, mouth almost brushing Sora's ear. "Don't be afraid." He whispered. The pressure left, as did Riku. "And don't forget..." Riku's voice trailed out. Sora whirled around.

"Riku?" Nothing was there. The ground shook, and Sora almost fell over in his attempt to turn around fast enough. He panicked, backing away before turning and running. He nearly fell off the platform, his fear having taken over his sense of mind. He water wheeled his arms, balance wavering until he fell back completely onto the ground, away from the edge, his sword skidding across the ground. His heart thudded against his chest. He could feel the dark creature's presence behind him, and he shot to the side, grabbing the sword and whirling to face the beast.

He lunged, digging the sword into the shadow's calf and dragging it upward, earning an animalistic shriek from the shadow as a burst of black smoke erupted from the wound.

"But don't be afraid."

Sora wrenched his sword back and barely rolled out of the way in time when a large claw swept at him. He jumped, clutching the hilt tightly before swinging his arm out and slicing a gaping hole into its arm. Yet another black haze burst forth as the ground trembled when the shadow screamed, reaching out to grab Sora.

"You hold the mightiest weapon of all."

Sora stabbed at the claw, imbedding the sword deep into the flesh of its palm. His vision was obscured for a moment, sliding back into focus fast enough for him to use the sword for leverage and scramble up the beast's arm.

"So don't forget..." Sora's sword snapped forward, digging into the shadow's neck. It writhed, more incoherent sounds erupting forth before it burst, black smoke invading Sora's sight. His sword faded from his grasp and soon the feeling of weightlessness returned.

"You are the one."

---

With a gasp, Sora was jolted into the waking world. The ceiling above him was not his own, and he did a double-take. It was dingy, cracked, and aged. Warm arms encompassed his own body and he looked to the side to see Riku's strong chest pressed tightly against his own, the silver-haired teen sleeping quietly. Sora's racing heart calmed a few paces and he outstretched a shaky hand to run his fingers through Riku's soft locks.

"You're finally awake, yo." Sora's petting ministrations stopped when the voice of an older man reached his ears. His arms snaked about Riku's body as he glanced over his friend's immobile shoulder to see a man with bright red hair and an even brighter grin sitting in a wooden chair next to their bed. In his right hand was a long rod that he tapped against his shoulder, the other gently holding to a book, the red title of Carmine Complex being the only other vibrant thing in the desolate room.

Next to the redhead was a window that looked out into a dying city. It had surprised the brunet at first, and he had to give the scenery a second look. The majority of buildings had living shadows crawling over their surfaces, some of them near crumbling with decay. The sky was a sinister shade of gray, bordering on black as twisted smoke-clouds dotted the air. Just looking outside filled Sora with despair, and he had to avert his gaze.

"Welcome to Midgar, kid." It was a sighed fact that emerged from the man's lips, and Sora turned back to stare at him, earning a cheeky, sarcastic grin that made the scars on either side of the man's eyes crinkle.

"I figure you'll want to know how the hell you ended up here-" He raised a hand before any questions could spew forth, "Actually, I don't got a fuckin' clue. You two popped up right after a heartless raid, so I'd probably get more information by asking you how you got here." He used his index finger to point to the boy, and then to the ground.

"So wake up Mister Sunshine there and we'll start the interrogation." The redhead waved his electro-rod at the slumbering teen. "Hey kid, we don't have all day, yo!"

The man's voice was loud- and combined with Sora nearly strangling him in fear, Riku woke pretty quickly. Placing a reassuring hand on the brunet's hip, he sat up, turning and giving the owner of the voice a well deserved glare.

It was then he realized he didn't recognize the man, nor did he recognize the architecture of the house they were inside. Suddenly, in a flood, all of the events of the stormy night on Destiny Island came back to him- the water, the overwhelming feeling of a rush of power, and then the weightlessness and darkness. And then bright light, and a feeling of Sora coming close to giving up, and Riku offering him reassuring words... Frowning, he turned back to Sora, checking him over briefly- he was sure the boy had gotten hurt during the battle with that giant shadow monster, but his memory of that was hazy.

He murmured to him quietly, "Are you okay?"

Sora's gaze snapped away from the man and down to Riku, his tight grip softening fractionally when he realized that the silver-haired teen was awake. "I'm fine- I guess we passed out after that storm... but I don't know how we got here..." He bit his lip, memories of his dream flashing into his mind- the falling sensation, glass floors and shadows with eyes.

His own eyes slipped shut, banishing the thoughts away with a scowl. He gazed up at Riku once more. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine as long as you are, but..." Riku trailed off, catching sight of the redheaded man once again. He looked impatient and Riku knew that they both had questions clawing for answers, so he sat up completely, removing himself from Sora and turning so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the man.

"I'm Riku- my friend here is Sora. Who are you, and where are we?"

The man shot Riku a bright grin. "The name's Reno- of the Turks." He pushed himself out of his seat, walking over to the window and pointing a thumb to it. "And this here is Midgar- the dying city."

Character biography of the week!

Sora; Keyblade Master
Home World: Destiny Islands
Currently Residing in: Midgar

Born on the second isle of Destiny Islands, Sora grew up with his mother, father and twin brother, Roxas. At the age of seven, Sora's parents divorced, and he never saw his father again after that. Horribly torn up, Sora ran out during a thunderstorm, falling in the streets two blocks down, crying. A silver haired boy approached- who lived in the house Sora had fallen in front of, and asked him what was wrong. Sora told him and the boy said that he never had a father either, or a brother. He introduced himself as Riku, and the two soon became inseperable.

The summer of his seventh grade year, Sora joined the blitz ball summer team. There, he met Tidus and Wakka, followed by Selphie. He befriended them, and would often go to them when Riku was unavailable for consolation on a negative issue.

At the age of 14, an incident with a girl in his class named Kairi resulted in Sora realizing his sexuality lay towards boys more than girls, and soon discovered his crush on Riku not long after.

At the age of 15, Sora found his father's diary in the back of his mother's closet. It held stories of the places he'd visited, and the people he'd met on his journeys. Enthralled, he showed the book to Riku, who soon suggested that they take a journey of their own, and make their own way in life. Sora quickly jumped on the idea, and the two confronted Roxas with the notion, who begrudgingly agreed to assist the two in their dreams.

Months of planning and working, and Sora had nearly finished the raft when a thunderstorm hit. Concerned, he and Riku ran out to secure the vessel when they were met with a resistance of darkness. Riku, unafraid, rushed into the waters with a feeling of exhileration and offered a hand to Sora, begging him to take it. Torn between his brother and his loyalty to his friend, Sora grabbed Riku's hand, and found himself pulled into the darkness.

And thus began Sora's journey through the worlds.

Sora's lips parted just barely, and his eyes fluttered shut. "I-" His mouth had barely grazed against Riku's when the door slammed open, causing the boy to jerk back and stare at the intruder with a wild flush and racing heart.

"The heartless are storming the building," Reno gasped.

---

Roxas pushed the palms of his hands against his eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath. Calm down, he told himself, crying doesn't solve anything.