KINGDOM HEARTLESS [Begins]

[Crystal Tears]

Ryou Saito .: + :. Day II .: + :. 1463

The word destiny with any of these people made Ryou want to cringe.

‘It was a mistake,’ he noted mentally as Karen approached the group after her little comment, ‘to come here. I should’ve stayed at home, or went…’ His eyes scanned the familiar group and stopped.

Rounding the corner were three more people. The girl, who had been attacked last night, the brat and Katsumi, or at least, Ryou thought that was her name. He couldn’t quite recall, that night on the train had been such a blur, all he wanted to do now was avoid any reminder of it.

Of course, his luck being the way it was, he had ran into everyone.

Abruptly, Ryou found his arm taken hostage by Kurosawa-san. He frowned, looking down at her with an expression which could’ve only been that of confusion, irritated and a little surprise. The girl grinned up at him, giving him wink before pointing towards the shop.

“Are we going to head in now?”

Ryou blinked. “Are you all here for the shop?”

Most, except for Sanya, nodded.

‘Joy oh bliss, please God; let this not be fate, destiny or anything in between, just a cruel joke.’ He mentally prayed as Yuki tugged him forward.

“Come on Saito-kun!”

‘Oh great…’ He gave her a sideways glance. ‘Now I have a suffix. I’m doomed.’

“Karen-chan!” She stopped and pointed at the shy girl. “You didn’t even notice I was here?”

“W-what?” She began to blush. “N-No Yuki! I noticed, I was just-“

“Staring at Ryou~”

She flushed red, and looked down, hiding her face. Ryou let out a sigh of annoyance.

“I’m sure she was just surprised to see us all.” Came a voice from behind. A couple of people turned, including Ryou, to see Birgitte standing there, a small, soft smile on her face. “Anyways, if we’re all here why I think we are. Let’s go inside.”


The shop was sketchy at best. Inside looked like an old book store, lacking the books. The lightning in this place was dim and all sorts of odds and ends were everywhere. Ryou frowned, gently tugging his arm free, Yuki and him parted, interested in opposing sides of the store. Dust gently fluttering in the beams of light from the dying bulbs in the ceiling, and one of the shelves wobbled when Kutsuu touched it.

“Do all shops look like this?” Sanya questioned from behind.

Ryou frowned. “No, most are…” He ran a finger on the shelf and noted the dust on his fingertip. “Clean and modern… Not like this.”

‘For a new store…’ The man thought. ‘It looks like it’s been here for ages…’

As he rounded the corner, Ryou spotted Karen, who had seemingly found one of the few books actually in this place. He moved up beside her as she examined the worn-out, peeling cover. The picture it had was faded, but both of them could just see the faint outline of a heart. He tilted his head somewhat as she opened it to the middle, perhaps maybe just to get a feel for it.

Only neither of them could, because it was written in strange symbols. It wasn’t any language as far as he could recognize, maybe it was ancient and was left over from the last shop that had been here.

“D-Do you recognize the symbols?” She asked nervously.

“No.” He replied, and changed the page to more towards the end. The symbols were there, along with pictures that made absolutely no sense. “… I don’t think anyone will.”

Suddenly though, the book was plucked from her hands. Both of them looked up to see a rather shady looking man holding the falling apart reading material. His suit was a dark grey, along with his eyes. His smile was something capable of sending shivers down the spine of children, and his hair looked a tad greasy, making it shine in the dim light.

“That my dear customers, is not for sale, I’m sorry to say.” He pivoted easily on one vote and moved behind the warped desk at the back. Gently he placed it on the counter. “I’m surprised to see so many here, and so many young. What brings you my lovely little shop?” His eyes shot to Yuki, and a sly smile appeared. “Destiny, perhaps?”

Ryou blinked. ‘Alright… That’s creepy…’

“What exactly does this shop specialize in?” Katsumi questioned, coming up behind Birgitte and moving past.

“Nothing.”

Everyone was quiet.

“Nothing?” Naomi asked, though Ryou believed it was more to herself.

“Yes, nothing.” The man grinned. “Call it a shop of chance and delight. You roll the die and see what you get here, sometimes it’s good.” He gestured to the book. “Sometimes…” His eyes scanned the group and then focused at the darkness behind him. “It’s bad.”

Ryou rolled his eyes and turned to leave. Not interested in this crap in the least.

“My dear sir, are you not interested in what my shop has to offer?”

He was nearing the door now. “Nope.”

“Even if what I had was the cure?”

That made him stop, abruptly, the words echoing in his head. ‘Cure?’ Ryou thought, narrowing his eyes. There was no way on Earth that this man could know anything about that.

“A cure for all your problems.” Came the man again, as if answering his mental query.

Slowly he turned, glaring at the man. “What then?”

The man almost seemed to dance in happiness at the renewed interest. He reached into a drawer of the desk and brought out a piece of rolled up black fabric. Ryou moved to the front, watching as the clerk unrolled the fabric and revealed a set of very odd keychains.

“A keychain?” Came the voice of the brat, who Ryou had to agree with. “How does that cure anything? How stupid do you think we are?”

“Now now,” The clerk smiled. “These keychains are lucky.”

“Lucky?” Hotaru-san questioned a note of disbelief in her voice.

“Yes.” He held up one of the keychains, which ended in a small, old fashion lantern that had a dim glow to it. “A light in the darkness; when you need it most.”

Her expression seemed to change to distant, as if recalling something as she stared at the chain.

“It won’t hurt to pick one will it?” He smiled, it had a sort of warmth to it, but Ryou still didn’t trust him. “You may all pick one for free, as a show of good faith. If they do nothing for you, then nothing lost. But on the off chance they do manage to bring you luck; I believe I’ll be seeing all of you again.”

Hotaru-san picked first, she took the latern from the man and stared at it with that same distant expression.

“Are you okay?” Ryou questioned, as the others went to pick.

“Hm?” She looked up at him and then back at the keychain. “Oh, fine. Just something he said.”

“Yeah…” The man shot a glare at the creep behind the counter. “He has a way with words.”

She smiled a tad. “Aren’t you going to pick one?”

“I’ll just take the one that’s left over.” He shrugged. “I don’t believe a word this guy says.”

“Saito-san,” Came the voice of Karen. “Y-You haven’t picked yet.”

He turned and looked at the fabric. There was only one left, one with a black chain and a large sort of dark eye on the end with a snake like pupil. Ryou shrugged and plucked it off, twirling it in his hand for a second before connection it to his keys.

“Happy?”

The clerk smiled. “Delighted.” He glanced at the odd, rusted clock on the wall. “Oh, time flies it seems. It’s lunch time for me, have a nice day!”


Outside the store, Ryou shrugged and looked around. He was hungry, and there were shops all around them. The man turned to Sanya, who was staring at her keychain intently. “You hungry?”

She looked up at him and almost beamed. “Yes! I haven’t eaten since…” She trailed off. “I’m just really hungry…”

He smirked but it faded as he looked down to see Yuki once again clinging to his arm. “Food you say?” She smiled.

“Hn.” He grunted in response, and noted the small smile growing on Sanya’s face. She was finding this far too amusing.

“Kutsuu! Karen! Come on, we’re getting something to eat with Saito-kun.”

Slowly, the idea of food transferred to everybody, and Ryou found his irritation level at a new found high for today. With a heavy sigh he moved, unintentionally becoming the leader of a rather large group of odd-balls and misfits.

‘It’s going to be one of those days…’

.: + :.

Lunch time. :3 Time to eat peoples, carry on and have fun~

[Samchu]

Kutsuu
~~~~~

I was never comfortable with the concept of fate. I didn't know what it was but the idea of having my life aimed in some kind of direction left an uneasy feeling in my gut. Maybe I just never liked the direction it seemed to be pointing...either way, it goes without saying that arriving at Hollow Bastion and finding Saito-kun left a bitter taste in my mouth; a taste that worsened as the rest of last night's "group" appeared and we made our way into the mysterious shop.

It was, as the shopkeeper explained to Ryou, a shop of nothing. I browsed, ignoring the conversation behind me. It was a glorious mess of everything you could imagine and yet, just as the man had said, there was nothing. There were dust-covered books with torn covers and missing pages, clocks without hands and incomplete paintings of strange doors; some opened, some closed. “Nothing,” I mumbled, “but junk.”
I looked back and saw the group gathering around a collection of items too small to make out from a distance. As I neared them I heard the man speak to Saito-kun of a ‘cure’. For a moment I froze, throat aching as the breath in it caught suddenly. He had looked at me. It had been so fast I almost didn’t believe it had happened but I could see him in my memories, his eyes – or perhaps just the one, single eye – directed at me at the moment of that word: “cure”. I forced an exhale and approached the others, seeing them eyeing up a collection of small key chains that appeared to resemble keys. I wondered if they were supposed to match the unfinished doors of the paintings I had seen earlier but there was something about them that was so captivating that I couldn’t pry my thoughts, nor my eyes, far enough from them to get an answer.

Others were beginning to pick from the pile. From the way some of them pocketed the new item I figured they were free, so I didn’t have issues with picking one up for myself. The problem was picking one. If my thoughts weren’t betraying me and this man had intended to pass on the message that one of these things would bring about a cure to my problem then I needed to be sure that I was choosing the right one. My troubles with Yuki – no, with myself – had been plaguing me for more years than I allowed myself to admit. I wanted to bring an end to my own suffering. I wanted answers.
I closed my eyes and rummaged through the pile until I felt the urge to grab something. I opened my palm and saw a key that looked like it was in a cocoon. I couldn’t explain it better than that. The irony of it forced me to grin. It didn’t know what it was supposed to be; just like me.

Once we had picked our…I guess you could call them ‘gifts’, we were ushered outside. I slipped mine into my pocket and felt its smoothness as I spun it between my fingers. There was talk of food and Yuki latched herself on to Ryou, much to the amusement of the girl who I hadn’t taken the time to notice before. She wasn’t one of ‘last night’s group’ and she didn’t look like she belonged there either but now that I’d seen her and noticed her, she was interesting and, I decided, it was better for my mental state if I tried to make polite conversation with this girl than watch my best friend succumb to the undeniable crush that she had on Ryou. That; and I didn’t want to admit that it hurt me to see it. It hurt every time I had to see it.

“Hi.” I guess she hadn’t heard me approach because she jumped. I held up my hands to apologise. “My name is Kutsuu,” I held out a hand for her to shake but she didn’t accept it, “I’m Yuki’s friend. The one who’s…draping herself over your friend.”

“He’s not my…I mean…that is to say…I’m Sanya.”

“Nice to meet you Sanya.”

“Kutsuu! Karen! Come on, we’re getting something to eat with Saito-kun.”

“She’s almost unbearable when there’s a guy involved,” I said with a sigh. I turned to Sanya. “I guess we’re eating. Better start moving or she’ll find a way to embarrass the hell out of both of our lives.”

~~748 words~~

[Kurosakura]

~*Yamaguchi Katsumi*~
Suspicious

Beep, beep, beep!

Beep, beep, beep!

Beep, beep--!

Jingle.

Click.

I woke up with a start at around four-thirty the next morning and fumbled around for my phone. Stupid alarm. “Ugh, what a night...” I thought to myself as I finally opened my eyes and slipped out of bed, taking a look around my candlelit room as I shuffled around for my kendo uniform. Everything seemed in order: books put away neatly on the shelf, homework done and stashed away in the bag, school uniform laid out on the chair. I tied the belt around my waist and moved to turn my lamp on before blowing out the strawberry and vanilla-scented candles and grabbing my shinai. I definitely didn't want to take my chances with those... things again and walked to the training hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Swoosh!

“Four hundred ninety-seven.” I heard the toilet flush from about a hallway down. Seems like Akira-chan and Itsuki Naomi-san were up.

Swoosh!

“Four hundred ninety-eight.” I strained my ears. “It sounds like they're talking about something. I wonder what.”

Swoosh!

“Four hundred ninety-nine.” I could hear footsteps coming my way.

Swoosh!

“Five hundred.” The paper door slid open and I looked over.

“Ohayo gozaimasu!” Naomi greeted and bowed, a faint pinkish tint could be seen across her cheeks in the dim morning light. “Thank you for taking me into your home.”

“She's a polite one, unlike a certain someone I know,” I smiled to myself. “No problem, we rarely have guests, so it's a pleasure to have you and Akira-chan over. Seems like we scare most of them away,” I replied and then stopped mid-swing at the sound of the door opening again.

“Morning...” my cousin yawned and stepped in and leaning against the doorway.

“I had the maid set out breakfast for us,” I replied, finished my swing, and wiped the sweat off my face with a towel.

“So why did we end up staying in a house belonging to criminals?”

"Oh Akira, you and your misunderstandings!" I laughed to myself. "Believe it or not, the Yamaguchi-gumi is a legal group, we're not criminals, per se," I responded with a smirk. “He gets annoyed SO easily...”

I smiled again as he grumbled. “So we get attacked by monsters, and now we have to worry about the police raiding the house for drugs or porno or what ever you’re family traffics in.”

"What the heck has he been watching lately?" I wondered. "The police can't do that without solid proof, Akira-chan."

“Let's go get breakfast.” I could see that he wanted to punch me really badly, but I know he wouldn't be able to do much about it. Instead, he dragged Naomi away and sniffed around for breakfast. Apparently he was impressed with the spread since he couldn't help but load stuff onto his plate while having what seemed like a polite exchange with his lady friend.

“Sigh. They grow up so quickly.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Oi, Itsuki-san,” I rolled the window down on the black Benz and called out to her when Akira was out of earshot, “Mind doing me a favor?”

She turned to face me and walked toward the car with a puzzled expression which turned into a shy smile. “Please, call me Naomi. What did you need?”

“Naomi-san, then. Do you mind trading numbers with me? If Akira gets out of hand, gimme a call, I'll straighten him out. Of course, you can text me anytime for the hell of it if you want,” I smiled slightly in return and fished out my cellphone from my bag, the little bells tinkling.

“No problem!” She seemed too nice to waste on that muscle-brained cousin of mine. She brought out her phone as well and within a few moments, the numbers registered. “So, I'll see you around, then?”

“Yeah, take care.” I responded and rolled the window back up.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Math. One of the most useless subjects ever. I rolled my eyes and took a look at the clock, my head resting on my fist, and my workbook already completed ages ago. I heard my phone vibrate and flipped it open. I knew my classmates and teacher heard the bells jingle, but they disregarded me, as always. Being part of the Yamaguchi-gumi had its uses sometimes.

1 new message(s)
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“Finally, something to keep me occupied.”

Click. Click.

From: Itsuki, Naomi
Subj: (none)
Open Cancel

“Well, that was sooner than expected.”

Click.

I'm leaving school early, mind meeting up somewhere?

I gave it a thought and quickly tapped out out a response.

Meet me a block away from campus. Don't tell Akira.

“Sensei, something's come up, please excuse me!” I called out and gathered my belongings.

“Alright, Yamaguchi-san. Remember, to study for your exams. Please take care,” was his nonchalant reply. It was nothing new, no questions were asked whenever I decided to get out of class early. It was just how things worked around here.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Yo.” I grinned and waved at the two. One of them was definitely not happy to see me.

“What the hell? What psycho released you from your prison?” Akira demanded.

Seemed like Naomi and I were thinking the same thing at the moment when she disregarded Akira and spoke up. “So I just got this text about this new store called Hollow Bastion... seems like they sell random knick-knacks.”

“We could check it out. It sounds very interesting,” I offered, feigning innocence.

“I'm not shopping with girls!”

“Aww, but you'll make Naomi cry,” I smirked and took her by the arm, much to his dismay, and commenced with the shopping. We went perusing through some random “girly” stores and piled the bags onto Akira. This was waaaaaaay too much fun...

I spotted him taking a break on a bench and looking up at the sky. “If I were a girl, I would never drag my friends on stupid shopping adventures. And I wouldn’t…”

“Oh? That brat sure is cheeky. I think he needs to be taught a lesson.”

“Ow! Damn it!” I leaned over and pinched his nose, grinning from ear to ear. “Get away from me criminal, I don’t want to be around when the police arrest you and your family.”

I smirked again. He was just way too easy to tease. “Just try. The yakuza are a legal organization, and you don't have any proof on your side. Give it up, silly otouto,” I replied, pinched his nose again, and pulled my hand back before he could bat it away.

“Why don’t you go and…”

“Oh, please.”

FWACK.

I hit him on the head with a quick strike and smiled knowing he was going to start spewing nonsensical obscenities.

“It’s rude to say such things in front of women,” I warned him playfully and wagged my finger. “A-N-Y way, I haven’t had lunch yet, so I am going to grab some before I start chaperoning you.”

“I don’t need a chaperon,” he retorted.

“With the way he acts, he seems to need more than one!” I laughed to myself and waited on line and looked over as Naomi slid in to the seat next to Akira. Seemed like they weren't getting along too well. I thanked the vendor and paid for my strawberry crepe, grinning childishly at the acquisition of my treat and walked back over to the two.

“Are we going to this Hollow Bastion place or not?” my cousin demanded impatiently.

“What? Too tired to shop already? I thought you were the star of the football team! I guess I expected too much from you,” I teased.

"I'm not...!" he caught himself before finishing that thought, "I just want to see something else than clothing stores!"

“Well, let's go to the Hollow Bastion then, baka otouto. Naomi-san, what're your thoughts on this?”

“I think--”

“Enough talking, let's go!” Akira butted in irritably and cut her off.

"Hey, I wasn't finished! I was going to say that I wanted to go to the Hollow Bastion too!"

“Well, stop arguing and let's go, kiddies!” I cut in and slung my shinai onto my back before grabbing their arms and dragging them down the street and slowing down near what looked like a run-down shop with a large blinking sign. There was a parking lot to the side, but the store itself didn't look like much. I took a quick glance around and spotted a sleek red lancer; I was almost positive I'd seen it somewhere before.

My suspicions were confirmed as we neared the store. I could've sworn we met or saw quite a few of them last night and the words “destiny” and “fate” popped into my head for some reason. I locked eyes with the young man Akira was arguing with last night and shrugged.

Naomi blinked in awe. "This is quite the coincidence."

"This is where her family makes all the illegal deals," my cousin whispered to his friend and I rolled my eyes, letting go of them and stepping into the store, eying the wares and customers warily, just as I knew they were eying me with the same apprehension.

“Are you all here for the shop?” I think Ryou was his name, I wasn't so sure, but I nodded anyway and went in, glancing over at the dust-covered shelves with all sorts of little things, most of them looked second-hand and quite worn.

“That my dear customers, is not for sale, I’m sorry to say.” I heard the shopkeeper say, “I’m surprised to see so many here, and so many young. What brings you my lovely little shop?” His eyes shot to a girl with Ryou, or whatever his name is, either way, he seemed like some sort of pimp or ladies' man to me. “Destiny, perhaps?”

“What exactly does this shop specialize in?” I asked and came up behind one of his other female companions and moving past her. “This place seems like more than your average second-hand knick-knack shop.”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing?” Naomi asked as if she were saying it more to herself than anyone else.

“Yes, nothing.” The man grinned. “Call it a shop of chance and delight. You roll the die and see what you get here, sometimes it’s good.” He gestured to the book. “Sometimes…” His eyes scanned the group and then focused at the darkness behind him. “It’s bad.” The gestures sent chills down my spine, it seemed as if he knew all too well. “My dear sir, are you not interested in what my shop has to offer?” he asked Ryou.

“Nope.”

“Even if what I had was the cure?” That caught my interest.

“This is suspicious, there's definitely something up with this man, and this place in general, but what?”

“A cure for all your problems.”

“A panacea, huh? Sounds like a ton of bull to me.”

The clerk seemed to be drunk on happiness as he brought out rolled-up piece of black fabric and unrolled it to reveal a set of mismatched keychains.

“A keychain? How does that cure anything? How stupid do you think we are?” came Akira's snide tone.

“Now now, these keychains are lucky.”

“Lucky?” the girl I pushed past questioned with a note of disbelief in her voice.

“Yes.” He held up one of the keychains, which ended in a small, old fashion lantern that had a dim glow to it. “A light in the darkness; when you need it most.”

Her expression seemed to change to distant, as if recalling something as she stared at the chain.

“It won’t hurt to pick one will it?” He smiled warmly, but suspiciously. “You may all pick one for free, as a show of good faith. If they do nothing for you, then nothing lost. But on the off chance they do manage to bring you luck; I believe I’ll be seeing all of you again.”

“I guess it wouldn't hurt. Nothing really gained, definitely nothing lost.” The girl took the keychain with the lantern and everyone else seemed to do the same. A black and red keychain caught my eye, and I picked it up quickly, examining it and tuning out everything else around me. It seemed to look like some sort of emblem, but there there was no definite shape to it.

“Hey, I wanted that one!” Akira complained to me and brought me back to reality, but I ignored him and linked this one with one of my other keychains.

“You snooze, you lose,” I stated simply and tucked it away into my bag.

I could make out the clerk saying, “Oh, time flies it seems. It’s lunch time for me, have a nice day!” and thanked him quietly.

“So, where are we going next?”

~*2346 words*~

Phew, it's been a while, so that's why my post is so monstrous. >_> Anyways, went from third person to first person, since CT's using third person in her KHless fic.

[Roy Karrde]

Saotome Akira
Heart: Corrupted

”KICK IT!” I could hear his voice scream to me through the roar of the crowd of parents, I stood frozen on the field the seconds ticking down to the end of the game, the ball at my feet, I could see the goalie tense up as my father screamed from the side lines. I took in a deep breath, shuffling my feet and the ball to the left, I needed a angle. As I moved the goalie moved with me, his eyes never off my feet. I kept side stepping, side stepping, side… ooff. My feet tripped up underneath me and I was sent falling to the ground, the ball rolling away and easily taken by one of the other players as the whistle blew.

“That was pathetic.” He uttered, his voice dripping in disgust as I remained curled up in the chair in the living room after the game, my face buried into my legs as blood dripped from the scrape on my right leg. “I would ask if I have raised a daughter but even a girl could have played..” He stopped and lifted my head “Are you crying..” His voice went lower.

I shook my little five year old head, tears dripping down my face as he slammed my head back down into my legs, my forehead bouncing off my knee. “That’s it..” He walked off, leaving me for what felt like hours, inside my head I replayed the game, mentally beating myself up for my mistakes.

When he came back my eyes were dry, but I still felt like sobbing on the inside. He had a small pouch in his hands which he slowly unzipped revealing two small vials and a shot inside. “I have a cure for all your problems.” He pulled out the shot, tapping it twice before sticking it in one of the vials.

“What did he say?” I asked, raising my head, having been lost in one of my memories as I leaned against a bookshelf, not really paying attention to the events around me. No one answered but I kept my eyes focused on the weird man who’s words seemed to echo in my head.

The man reached into a drawer, I half expected him to pull out a gun just by how weird he looked and seemed to act. Instead he unrolled some black fabric, revealing a set of very unique looking keychains.

“A keychain? How does that cure anything? How stupid do you think we are?” My tone had a bit of an edge to it, but I was kind of in a pissy mood thanks to that criminal.

“Now now, these keychains are lucky” The main replied.

“Lucky?” Some one asked

“Yes..” He held up one of the keychains which looked like some freaky lantern or something. “A light in the darkness; when you need it most.”

“Great, another one of those flashlight keychains.” I grumbled under my breath, only to my foot stomped on by the criminal. Stupid heels.

One by one everyone seemed to choose their own keychain. My eyes focused on one that was black and red, my hand moved for it only for it to be scooped up by the criminal. “Hey I wanted that one!” I complained as she linked it with all the other keychains she had.

“You snooze, you lose.” She taunted as I grabbed a random one, not really paying attention to it until I looked down at the object that was clasped in my hand. It was a weird contrast between black and silver, making an interesting duality.

“So where are we going next?” Katsumi spoke up, dragging my attention away from the keychain, it seemed everyone was ready for lunch.

I opened my mouth to say something about how I wanted to stay far away from her house, and the criminal element within. Yet for the first time in a while I shut my mouth and remained quiet.

665, not the tour de force that Kuro made.

[classy_cat18]

Itsuki Naomi
Entranced by mystery

The Hollow Bastion was filled with nothing in particular. It was like the owner had his own building for a garage sale and decided to sell all the clutter in his house. After staring at a pretty piece of what looked like rose quartz, my eyes traveled down to a potted plant. “Star-shaped flowers,” I whispered in awe. I couldn’t find a price but I was afraid that it was too expensive for me.

I glanced at Akira who was leaning against the bookcase and glaring at the strange shopkeeper. The shopkeeper was keeping an eye on all of us curiously, his face lighting up whenever someone picked up an item. “What exactly does this shop specialize in?” Katsumi asked him.

“Nothing,” the man replied with an innocent grin.

Katsumi raised an eyebrow. “Nothing?”

I looked over at the rose quartz again. “Nothing?” That’s kind of what it seemed like.

“Yes, nothing. Call it a shop of chance and delight. You roll the die and see what you get here, sometimes it’s good.”

Like the rose quartz or the flowers. I smiled a little.

“Sometimes… it’s bad,” he continued. He looked in the darkness behind us, and I felt a chill. Maybe he knew about what happened last night.

He turned to the guy from yesterday… Ryou. “My dear sir, are you not interested in what my shop has to offer?” the shopkeeper asked him.

“Nope.” The guy looked bored, and maybe a little annoyed.

“Even if what I had was the cure?”

My eyes widened. The cure to what? Cancer? The common cold? Bad acne?

“A cure for all your problems.”

Maybe he does sell illegal goods here.

The strange man was practically bouncing with glee as he pulled out a rolled-up piece of black fabric. I walked closer as he unrolled it to reveal several keychains, one for each of us. They were so varied, as mismatched as the rest of his inventory. “A keychain? How does that cure anything? How stupid do you think we are?” Akira sneered. I tried to keep from rolling my eyes.

“Now now, these keychains are lucky.”

My heart jumped. That was what I needed! Those keychains looked very lucky!

“It won’t hurt to pick one will it?” He put on a strange smile, warm but almost shady. “You may all pick one for free, as a show of good faith. If they do nothing for you, then nothing lost. But on the off chance they do manage to bring you luck; I believe I’ll be seeing all of you again.”

I grinned and gently pushed forward to get my pick. My eyes were drawn to one that didn’t look like a key at all, but a bird’s wings. Two of the feathers, however, were elongated to give the impression of a key. “This one,” I said to myself.

“Hey, I wanted that one!” Akira whined when Katsumi got a keychain before he could get to it. The girl just snubbed him, and he just settled on the one remaining.

I attached my new keychain to my necklace and followed the group out of the shop. “So, where are we going next?” Katsumi asked us.

I cleared my throat before Akira could say anything. “Everyone else wants to go for lunch. I know this place that’s great!”

“So tell them!” she told me with a smile.

I blushed and hurried to the lead person in the group, Ryou. “Ano… I know this nice café near here. They have nice food, and their parfaits are the best! How about everyone eats there?”

604 words. Even less than Ryan.

[Kuro Espeon]

Sanya Halvacor:

A short while later Sanya found herself somehow immersed in a throng of people as the entire group from the shop (who strangely all seemed to know each other) crowded around several tables in a small café. There were several conversations going on at the same time and Sanya had trouble concentrating on any one specifically. Instead she stared down at the strange concoction that sat on the table in front of her. Naomi had called it a “par-fay” or something. She knew it was supposed to be food but she had never seen anything like it before.

After staring for several minutes straight she began to space out, no longer looking at the parfait directly, even though her eyes were still on it. Her mind wandered and she began to wonder how she managed to get herself into this mess.

‘Oh yeah… I’m only here because this is where he wants me. I’m supposed to be looking for---’

“What’s the matter?”

Sanya jumped when she was suddenly addressed. She looked over to see Ryou looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Don’t have a lot of parfaits in Russia?”

“W-what? Oh…oh, yeah. No…no there aren’t.” She quickly looked away, uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze. This guy seemed to know more than he was letting on and it was starting to make her uneasy. She tried to think of a way to change the subject. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the keychain she had received from the strange Hollow Bastion vendor. She hadn’t really examined it too closely when she first got it, having just taken the one that her hand seemed automatically drawn to, and she had looked at it again briefly outside the shop. The one she had chosen was in the shape of a heart, half black and half white, with a crack down the middle. ‘A broken heart. How fitting…’ she thought, a tad amused by the analogy. She ran her finger over it thoughtfully.

“So what did you think about that guy?” She asked, “All that talk about cures and luck and what-not. Seemed a bit odd to me.” While it was true that she had found it strange, she wasn’t about to admit that his speech had actually intrigued her. A light in the darkness; when you need it most.

Ryou shook his head. “It’s a load of B.S. if you ask me. Probably a scam. He’s playing on some people’s superstitious nature in an attempt to get them to buy a bunch of worthless crap.”

“I know, right?” said Kutsuu, jumping into the conversation, albeit in a quieter voice than Ryou’s. “I mean, it’s ridiculous, isn’t it? How could a keychain possible solve anything?” He was looking down at his own trinket, a smooth, glass charm in the shape of a cocoon, with an odd sort of expression that made Sanya think he was of a similar mindset as herself.

“I don’t know,” piped up Birgitte Hotaru from across the table. She had a piece of what looked like a lump of white grain with a strip of something pinkish-orange perched on top of it held between two thin, wooden sticks ((Sushi, for those of you playing the home game)). “It doesn’t seem that far-fetched to me. Having faith in something, even when you can’t see it right in front of you, gives people hope. And hope is a powerful thing. Even if it’s symbolized by something as simple as a locket, a picture, or even a keychain.”

Sanya couldn’t help but smile. The way Birgitte spoke sort of reminded her of her mother. She had died when Sanya was only 5, about a year before she had first had her encounter with the Shadows, but Sanya could still remember her voice. It was one of the few things that brought her any comfort these days.

“An excellent point, Hotaru…san,” Sanya replied, having picked up on the polite suffix from listening to the others. “You have a quite a way with words.”

“Oh, no! I’m no Shakespeare!” she said humbly, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. Sanya wondered briefly what a ‘Shake Spear’ was, but quickly moved it out of her mind when Birgitte continued. “I just say what I feel, that’s all. I’m just a incurable optimist, I suppose.”

Her heart must be quite strong. And pure as well. In fact, this whole group seems to have strong hearts.

The thought was one of admiration, but it quickly gave way into a twinge of guilt as it made Sanya recall why she had come to Earth in the first place. Why was she making friends with these people? Why was she letting herself connect with them when it only make things harder in the end? Why couldn’t she just…forget the whole thing and just run away? But that was impossible now. There was no way to get away from it. She should just forget about making friends… forget about caring.

But that, she realized, was going to be impossible as well.

Word count: 848

I've noticed that there two people being called 'Kuro' in here. Myself and Kurosakura. It's starting to confuse me, lol. XDD

[ChobiChibi]

Kurosawa Yuki

Despite the fact she knew she was annoying a couple of people in the group, Yuki couldn’t help but smile as she held onto Ryou’s arm. She didn’t understand why, but there was something about him that made her feel safe. In fact, so did the rest of this odd mixture of people. Even the little bratty football playing kid that seemed to spend every waking moment being pissed off about something seemed to settle the little unease she was masking.

That shop keeper had been very weird, speaking about fate and destiny in the way that he did. Yuki had only really been joking when she had mentioned it before going in the store, but since they’d left, the idea wouldn’t stop popping up in her mind.

“The cure for all your problems” also surfaced frequently in her thoughts. What did he mean by that exactly? As far as she could recall, she didn’t have any major problems. Nothing that a keychain could solve anyway...

Except then the fate and destiny would crop up again...

She didn’t have a problem that seemed that wide scale. Nothing that could involve destiny, but as she took the feathery keychain from her pocket and ran her thumb along the soft wing shape that it made, it began to convince her of something more.

The biggest problem I have is Touya. She thought, only half joking.

At the cafe that the girl called Naomi suggested, they pushed a few tables together and all sat around them. She sat between Ryou and Kutsuu, with Karen on Kutsuu’s right. In order to make an attempt at staying in the group’s good books, she had let go of Ryou. Sitting next to him would be enough. She sat quietly, listening to the conversation whilst she tucked into a rather delicious looking chocolate cake.

“So what did you think about that guy?” Sanya asked. “All that talk about cures and luck and what-not. Seemed a bit odd to me.”

You seem a bit odd to me... Yuki thought, taking a forkful of her cake to stop her from saying it out loud. She certainly looked foreign, but her accent was no where near what she thought a Russian speaking Japanese would sound like. To be honest, she was sat around a table with a bunch of almost complete strangers that could see the monsters, so she was pretty much willing to accept any explanation Sanya might give. But now wasn’t the right time. She didn’t get a chance to ask anyway.

“It’s a load of bullshit if you ask me. Probably a scam. He’s playing on some people’s superstitious nature in an attempt to get them to buy a bunch of worthless crap.” Ryou commented, obviously not impressed by the tone of his voice.

“I know, right?” Kutsuu added. “I mean, it’s ridiculous, isn’t it? How could a keychain possible solve anything?” He was looking down at his keychain as he finished speaking.

She knew what he was thinking about. At least, she hoped she did. She placed her hand on top of his and gave it a gentle squeeze. He looked up at her, a little surprised expression on his face.

“Don’t worry...” Yuki told him quietly, smiling softly at him. “One day you’ll remember...”

“Remember?” Now he looked confused. After a few seconds, he realised what she was talking about. “Oh, yeah... That...”

Kutsuu rarely talked about the coma. He had no idea what happened before hand, he just remembered waking up one day. He was missing four years of his life that he could never replace. Who knew if this was a good thing or not? She knew it would bug her if she didn’t know, but she couldn’t imagine what it must be like to actually have that blankness.

“I’ll be there for you when you do, whether it’s good or bad.” She promised, letting go of his hand and turning back to her chocolate cake.

“Oh, no! I’m no Shakespeare!” Birgitte said, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. “I just say what I feel, that’s all. I’m just an incurable optimist, I suppose.”

Despite this being completely out of context, Yuki decided that she quite liked Birgitte’s attitude towards things. “It’s good to know that there are a few optimists left in the world.” Yuki commented, digging her fork into her cake as she joined back in with the group conversation. “A glass half full is much better than a glass half empty.”

“But it wouldn’t be half full, would it?” Ryou asked, smirking. “Since you’d been drinking from it, you would be emptying it.”

“Not if you were pouring the drink, then you’d be filling it and the glass would be half full.” She smirked back as his turned into a little frustrated frown. She laughed a little as she caught a glance of Karen trying not to. “Anyway, it’s pointless-”

“Arguing about something that doesn’t even matter.”

Yuki jumped, the voice startling her. It wasn’t anyone around the table, she knew that, and it was only Kutsuu that seemed to tense up a little with the new presence. She refused to turn around, knowing full well who was stood behind her and blushed as she felt the gaze of everybody around the table focusing on her and the man she had to call her brother.

He was tall, but not with a particularly strong looking build. His hair was messy and untidy, obviously not that well looked after and the same colour as Yuki’s. His eyes matched hers too, but that was where the similarities ended. He was very pale, with dark circles around his eyes due to lack of sleep. His clothes looked old and not particularly well fitting, with rips in his jeans. Dark rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose and his shoes seemed like they would fall apart at any minute.

“Not going to introduce me?” He asked, only a hint of irritation in his otherwise smug tone. “Who are these people, anyway?” She flinched as he placed his arms on her head, leaning on her. “Oh, that one’s cute though.” He added, pointing at Birgitte, whose cheeks flushed a bright red colour.

“Touya, please go away...” Yuki spoke quietly, unable to move.

“Who is this creep, anyway?” Ryou asked, glaring a little. “An ex of yours?”

With that comment, Touya burst out laughing. “Yuki’s ex? You really think she’s ever had a relationship? This geeky bookworm?”

“He’s her brother.” Kutsuu informed him as Yuki remained quiet.

“Oh, unless you count Kurushimi-kun, of course.” Touya mused, having now noticed his little sister’s best friend. “You asked her out yet, Kutsuu?”

“What do you want, Touya?” Yuki asked, grabbing hold of Kutsuu’s arm before he could do anything.

“I’ve just come back from Hollow Bastion.” He informed her, dangling a keychain in front of her face. “The shop keeper was kind enough to tell me you got one too. Apparently it looks a lot like this one.”

Yuki reached out and stopped the chain from swinging, studying it. He was right, it looked exactly like her own, only instead of being the brilliant white that hers was, it was black and cold to the touch.

“But... You don’t believe in-”

“Monsters?” Touya snatched up the keychain as he smirked darkly. “Neither do you, right, Imooto-chan?”

She shuddered as he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Right...”

“Later, weirdos.”

Yuki sighed in relief as her brother walked away, a small smile returning to her lips. “Sorry about that...” She began, picking up her fork again. “So... The weather...”

Wordses: 1200 or so
Will happily do a sign up for Touya, for NPC purposes, but I can't see him popping up too often... Not yet, anyway :3

[Roy Karrde]

Got permission to move the plot forward!

Saotome Akira
Heart: Corrupted

Back and forth, the ball rolled up the table, curved, and rolled down the slant back down my feet. Which in turn would guide it down to my waiting hand, which then rolled it back up the table to start the whole process again. We were stuck at some café or something for lunch, one of those places that only dorks would go to, and I wouldn’t be caught dead in. So why was I sitting here, dangling that weird keychain in front of my eyes with one hand, playing with a small ball I had found with the other.

I kept asking myself that, why was I here, why did I end up following them to this café after Naomi pretty much ditched me at the shop, and I wasn’t sticking around just for Katsumi’s lovely company.

“This is stupid” I grumbled under my breath allowing the ball to roll off the table and onto the ground as I swung my leg off in a wide motion to get up from my seat. As I did this something slipped from my left pocket, the sound of plastic and glass clattering on the stones that made up the ground drew my attention as I rose up. “Shit..” I quickly bent over to scoop up the syringe and two small glass jars, pocketing them as I rose up again to find myself at eye level with Naomi.

Naomi glanced down at my pocket “What was that you dropped?” She asked her voice quiet as if she had seen the whole thing.

My mind raced for answers, what could I use as a possible excuse. “N-Nothing” My voice was shaky at first as I struggled to regain my composer. “It’s just a game system I use on those long train rides to a game” My eyes narrowed as I look right into her’s a tactic I learned usually caused people to look away instead of confronting me any further.

She quickly looked away as they all did, and I did feel a bit guilty for confronting her like that. “Oh, that is what it looked like. Never mind.” She quickly stammered out as I turned my back to her and began to leave the café.

After a few steps I could hear the faint sound of her following me “Where are you going?”

I turned gazing around for a excuse, we were in the middle of the shopping district so nerd stores and clothing stores were out of the question, and she would never believe me if I said school. “There” I pointed out, pointing toward the old abandoned baseball stadium toward the end of the shopping district. “Looked more interesting than the crap around here.”

“Doesn’t look like there is anything to do over there” She stated bluntly as a small smile crossed my face. I took her by the wrist and began to lead her toward it.

“We wont know until we get inside and poke around, besides its better than hanging around here with these dorks and the criminal” I glanced at Katsumi to punctuate my sentence.

She gave a sigh in response “You should talk about your cousin like that. Why can't she come along?” But instead of arguing I just dragged her along, we were already half way there and I didn’t want to argue when there was much more interesting things to do than listen to my criminal cousin talk about how I should stay with the group.

~~~~~~~

“See? Isn’t this great?” I yelled back at her, standing in the middle of the stripped field, taking practice swings with a left over bat I had found on the way in as Naomi remained in the bleachers looking bored out of her mind. “Much better than clothes shopping”

She yawned, clearly not interested in anything sportly, which I admit caused my heart to sink a bit. “You’re just saying that because you're a boy. Is this to get back at me for dragging you to that shop earlier?” Her words stung a bit as I dropped the bat angrily in the hard ground, kicking up some dust.

“I’m going to go check out what’s in here” I grumbled, looking a bit hurt as I jogged toward the home team’s dug out.

She quickly hurried over to the bleachers above the dug out, leaning over the edge of the railing as I went underneath. “You’re not angry, are you?” She asked, I didn’t reply as I went deeper into the dug out using the sun light streaming in to illuminate the hallway that led back to the players locker room.

As I rounded the corner into the locker room I was plunged into darkness, I fumbled for the light switch and found one that didn’t work. “Of course they shut off the power” I mentally kicked myself before pulling out my cell phone to provide a small flash light. “This place is huge, you could probably fit my team and another in here” I whispered walking along the edge of the locker room, my hand running across each of the empty abandoned lockers.

After a few more steps something caught on my backpack, pulling it back gently “Very funny Naomi” I struggled to pull it away from her grip but it seemed to be much more powerful than I thought. “Hey let..” I turned around finding myself face to face with two horrible eyes that looked just like the ones from the train.

“SHIT!” I cried out at the top of my lungs, dropping the backpack and my cell phone in a panic, using my memory of where the door was to race past the eyes and toward what I hoped was Naomi and day light.

“Akira?” I could hear Naomi call out as I burst through the locker room doors and out into the hallway, my eyes were already glancing behind me to see how far back that monster was when I collided straight into Naomi, sending both of us to the ground. She was already opening her mouth to say something by the time I had bounced back up onto my feet and grabbed her arm with enough force I worried I was going to yank it out of the socket.

“Don’t look behind me” I grunted, turning down to the hallway that would lead back into the dug out and back into day light. I was already too late; clouds had obscured the sun, providing enough darkness for at least two of the creatures to be waiting for us at the end of the hallway. Naomi let out a terrifying scream and I dashed for the door that seemed to be the only exit between the creatures infront of us and behind us.

I swung it open to find a small cleaning closet, barely big enough for two people to squeeze in. My hand fumbled for the over head light and I prayed for a miracle. After a few clicks the light bulb above the closet blinked to life, who ever was in charge of shutting down all the power had apparently missed a few lights.

The sound of the creatures getting closer pulled me back to reality. I stepped into the closet, pulling Naomi close to my chest and slammed the door shut. The light above swung slightly and flickered but did not go out. Now the question became how long could we stay in here.

1,250 DAMN!

[classy_cat18]

Itsuki Naomi – Owner of Songbird’s Wing
Just a little pissed

It wasn’t really a perfect way to end the day. I reluctantly watched him pretend to hit ball after ball, having a ball. I couldn’t tell him that I didn’t like the place and the creepy aura I felt from it. It was like dozens of eyes were everywhere. What is with him and sports? I know he wasn’t into shopping, but did he have to drag me to an abandoned stadium? Besides, leaving the group couldn’t be very smart.

“See? Isn’t this great?” Akira asked me. “Much better than clothes shopping.”

A deep yawn came out before I could hold it better. I didn’t want to be mean but I really couldn’t see the fun in a place like that. He wasn’t even hitting any balls! “You’re just saying that because you're a boy. Is this to get back at me for dragging you to that shop earlier?” I groaned.

Akira suddenly dropped the bat (okay, more like threw it down), looking angry. I bit my lip in regret. “I’m going to go check out what’s in here,” he grumbled as he went to an unseen area under the bleachers.

I looked up at the sky and the clouds headed for the sun, my panic rising. I wanted to get out of there right there and then and return to the safety of the group. I hurried to the section of bleachers over the area Akira walked to and leaned over the railing until it felt like I would tumble over. “You’re not angry, are you?” I asked shakily. He didn’t answer, just kept going.

Being there alone was a lot more unbearable, but at first I stayed out there. A grumpy Akira wouldn’t have been fun at all. But as the clouds got closer to the sun, I panicked. I jumped the railing without thinking about the consequences of doing so while wearing a skirt. Luckily, it didn’t rip or send me to the ground in a painful way. I cautiously walked into the dugout and then to the hallway, but stopped halfway. It got so dark further in that I couldn’t even force myself to walk any more. “Akira?” I called out although it was probably too low for him to hear it.

It didn’t matter, because Akira heard it as he bolted out of an unknown room and straight into me. We crashed to the ground. I opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong, even though I had a good idea what it was. “Don’t look behind me,” he grunted as he grabbed my hand and went back to running.

Please don’t let it be—

What was supposed to be a blessed exit was now clouded. Two black creatures stared hungrily at us and reached for us. The scars on my back tingled. I let out a scream and clung to Akira tighter. He pulled me away from them and into a small closet.

A dark closet.

Akira pulled at the light’s cord until it flickered on. He pulled me close and closed the door. The creatures clawed at the door, but they wouldn’t come in while the light was on. “What now?” I asked him quietly.

He grunted in frustration. “I don’t know. I left my phone in the locker room.”

“Cell phone!” I shouted with hope. I pulled mine out of my shirt pocket. “I can call Katsumi!”

Akira growled in frustration. “We don’t need that criminal—“ he started angrily.

The dam to my anger, usually barely cracked, finally broke. “If you want to live through this, I suggest you let me call! Otherwise, my ghost will haunt your ghost for the rest of our afterlives!”

He paled and nodded slowly. I opened my cell phone, sighed in relief as I saw that I had bars in this little room, and dialed Katsumi’s number. She answered it almost immediately. “Naomi, where are you?” she demanded.

“We’re at the abandoned ballpark—“ I started to explain.

“So Akira is at fault!” she interrupted in rage.

“Don’t be angry at him,” I whimpered.

“He should know better than to separate from the group at a time like this! When I get my hands at him, I’ll put him in the emergency room!” She hung up before I could get another chance to explain.

I gulped and glanced at Akira. “You may be in more trouble when this is over,” I said to him shakily.

752 words.

[Kurosakura]

~*Yamaguchi Katsumi*~
Losing sanity

I've always liked cafés. I liked them because of their relaxing ambiance, the fact that you could eat and drink in peace, and everybody would keep to themselves, immerse themselves in a book or work or whatever.

Except... not right now.

The moment we walked in, I had this... vibe that something was off, and I was never wrong. After ordering a parfait, I sat down in the furthest corner of the establishment, perfect for people-watching. Even though I was comfortable with talking freely to Akira and Naomi, I assumed that I wasn't welcome with our new acquaintances. I was well-aware that I came off as cold-hearted and hard to approach, so I saved them the trouble.

My eyes found Ryou and his group of female friends (plus one guy, apparently, but he's too grumpy-looking and seemed too unpleased with his circumstances, so I figured he wasn't exactly a friend) all clumped together in a booth, talking and laughing. I smiled to herself sadly and sighed, stirring my parfait with a spoon and grazing at it from time to time, wondering about “what ifs” again. What if I got along with the rest of the kids in kindergarten? What if I made myself easier to approach in the first place? What if I wasn't going to take over the Yamaguchi-gumi?

“What if?”

I could catch bits and pieces of their conversation. It seemed like they were talking about the shopkeeper from earlier, and the guys seemed to have a cynical outlook on this whole keychain and apparent scam thing. A disheveled-looking guy came in for a moment and embarrassed the girl, Yuki, I think, she was all over Ryou the whole time. He was pretty cute, although he could've used some more sleep. My eavesdropping was interrupted by a clearly audible clacking noise, and I looked over at Akira and Naomi.

A syringe. Two glass jars. There was still some liquid in them.

“No way. Aren't those steroids?”

He picked up his dropped possessions and pocketed them quickly, hoping that nobody saw. What surprised me the most was the signature death glare that he used on anyone he didn't like. Except he used it on Naomi for some reason. I guess it was to keep her from asking any more questions, because she looked away as fast as she could.

I was a little suspicious when he took off with her, but I didn't think much of it. She was his friend, right? Plus, he obviously liked her, so it should've been alright, right?

Ichiban no negaigoto oshiete
-Anata no hoshii mono-
BORYUUMU furikireru hodo tsuyoku
Ooki na koe de sakende mite

Tell me, the object of your greatest desire
-The thing you want the most-
Let's try and shout out its name
With a voice so loud it'll break maximum volume

I was finishing up the last of my parfait when my cellphone suddenly rang. I didn't put it on vibrate since I only had it on at school, so my ringtone played instead. The screen showed that it was Naomi, so I picked it up immediately, smiling awkwardly at the rest of the customers, and excused myself, closing the door behind me. I picked it up immediately after I was outside, noting the diminishing sunlight. A violent chill ran down my spine and my voice was more aggressive and laced with panic, and I didn't intend that. It must've been bad news, and Akira must've been behind it. The song continued in my head; it honestly creeped me out.

Taiyou ga mezamenu uchi ni
Hajimeyou sekai wa
Hikari ni tsukimatou kage to odoru
Sou kimi no te wo totte

Now let's begin before the sun comes out
The world dances with
The shadow that accompanies the light
I shall take your hand (and say)

“Naomi, where are you?” I demanded, mentally punching myself.

“We’re at the abandoned ballpark—” she began, but I didn't give her the chance to finish.

Saa nani ga hoshii no? Nani wo motomeru no?
Atsumeta kagayaki sono te no hira ni
Subete sukui toru yogoreta yozora ni
Kuroi DAIYAMONDO BURAKKU DAIYAMONDO

"So what is it that you want? What is it that you seek?"
Those hands that have been gathering some glitter
They were scraping everything from this tarnished night sky
Oh black diamond, black diamond

“AKIRA! An abandoned ballpark. It's late, it's getting dark, and those things come out at this time. Even worse since that place is freaking abandoned.” I could hardly control the anger in my voice. “So Akira is at fault!”

“Don't be angry at him,” she sounded really scared and I felt a pang of guilt, but I couldn't just let him off the hook like that. Even if he was my cousin.

Furueru te de inori wo sasagete
-ANATA NO HOSHII MONO-
Ishi no nai ningyou no you jane
Namida datte nagasenai

Now say your prayers with your shaky hands
-The thing you want the most-
You're like a worthless doll, aren't you?
You don't even shed tears

“He should know better than to separate from the group at a time like this! When I get my hands on him, I'll put him in the emergency room!” I yelled and hung up abruptly. “Before those things get to him, anyway.”

Saa nani wo utau no? Nani wo shinjiru no?
Mayotteiru dake ja GARAKUTA ni naru
Subete furikitte yuganda yozora ni
Kuroi DAIYAMONDO BURAKKU DAIYAMONDO

"So what are you gonna sing? What do you believe in?"
Hesitation will turn you into garbage
So shake free from everything else in this distorted night sky
Oh black diamond, black diamond

I took a deep breath and held onto my trusty shinai tightly, walking back into the café shakily. They looked at me with varying expressions as I approached and I was visibly distressed: my eyebrows furrowed, eyes obscured by parts of my fringe freeing themselves from the confines of my bobby pins, and my bottom lip trembling. There was no way I could go alone.

Kizutsuite mo uso darake demo
Kesshite kusshinai
Honmono dake ga kagayaiteru
Mienai chikara ni sakaratt

No matter how much you are hurt or be lied to
Don't you ever give in
Only the original shall eventually come to shine
Repelling the unseen energy

“I apologize if I'm interrupting anything,” I began, taking another deep breath and facing Ryou. I couldn't hyperventilate, not now. “My cousin, he's at the abandoned ballpark with his friend. It's getting dark, and... to be frank... I can't go alone.”

Saa nani wo utau no? Nani wo shinjiru no?
Mayotteiru dake ja GARAKUTA ni naru
Subete furikitte yuganda yozora ni
Kuroi DAIYAMONDO BURAKKU DAIYAMONDO

"So what are you gonna sing? What do you believe in?"
Hesitation will turn you into garbage
So shake free from everything else in this distorted night sky
Oh black diamond, black diamond

I dropped to my knees and bowed my head, my voice shaky. Pride didn't matter at this point. Not when human lives were at stake. “Please, help them.”

Saa nani ga hoshii no? Nani wo motomeru no?
Atsumeta kagayaki sono te no hira ni
Subete sukui toru nejireru yozora ni
Kuroi DAIYAMONDO BURAKKU DAIYAMONDO

"So what is it that you want? What is it that you seek?"
Those hands that have been gathering some glitter
They were scraping everything from this twisted night sky
Oh black diamond, black diamond

~*829 Words/1193 with Lyrics*~

[VirtualPlay]

Yasashisa, Karen
~^+_+^~^+_+^~^+_+^~

I wandered the store, still a bit distracted by Yuki's little teasing outside. I wasn't really staring at Saito-kun in the way she probably thought I was, but her comment made me stop and think about it. I hadn't even known him an entire day, there really wasn't anything for me to go on besides his cuteness, and the fact that he seemed brave, and that I could tell he had some kind of nice personality under his cold shell, and...

I stopped myself mid-thought. I suppose Yuki had a point, I had somehow developed a crush on a boy I was in contact with for literally only a couple hours last night. I mentally sighed, knowing that even if it somehow manifested to something more than that, it would never work out with my track record of boyfriends.

"Karen-chan, you're daydreaming again..." Yuki's voice interrupted my thoughts. My eyes focused to see that I was staring blankly at a weird book.

"Huh?" I said, thinking quickly. "N-no I'm not, I'm trying to figure out what's up with this weird book." Admittedly it was a weird book, with a really worn out kind of look, so it didn't seem too weird that I was staring at just the cover. But Yuki's my best friend and she didn't seem to fully buy that story. Even still, she just shrugged and went around the corner to look at something else.

Now I was genuinely intrigued by the book that I had been not-focusing on. I picked it up and looked all around the outside at the worn cover. It had a bunch of other weird symbols on it, and as I turned it back to the front and got a second look, it seemed like there was a heart shape on it.

I noticed movement and saw Saito-kun come around the corner. He looked at me and the book I held, and I couldn't help but tense up; what if he said something about Yuki's comment earlier? However, he seemed more intent on the book than on past conversations. I turned the book over again for good measure, but he didn't comment on anything, just stared at the book.

Curious to see what the book was about, I opened the book to a random page in the middle. Unfortunately it was all full of the strange symbols, and it didn't look like any language I had ever heard of.

"D-do you recognize the symbols?" I asked, unable to stop from stuttering. I was still a bit wary after Yuki's comment outside, plus I wasn't sure what his thoughts were about last night.

"No," he said, then turned the book to a page near the end, adding, "...I don't think anyone will."

All of a sudden the book was yanked from my hand. I jumped back a bit, looking up at a very creepy-looking salesman-type person. He seemed to be all gray, his eyes, his suit, his hair, and even his skin was kinda grayed out. I shivered, even though it wasn't really cold; there was something definitely not normal about him.

I kinda zoned out on what he was saying, distracted by his appearance, and he walked away to the desk at the back. Without realizing it, everyone had gathered around said desk and he was talking again. I managed to focus again as he pulled out a piece of fabric and unrolled it to show some exquisite keychains. He said they were lucky or something, so I was at least a little curious.

One of the other boys yelled in protest when the girl (who I believed was his cousin) snagged one he was looking at. Not wanting to get one I liked snagged, I quickly reached out and picked up a little cloud that was attached to the ring with braided cloth instead of a chain. It was soft to the touch, and definitely felt good in my hands. I watched as the rest of them got picked, leaving one...

Trying to keep my nerves from failing, I said, "Saito-kun, y-you haven't picked yet." He turned around and walked past me to grab the last keychain, then before I realized what was happening we were all being shooed out of the store for the salesman's lunch.

That reminded me that I was hungry. Apparently others were similarly reminded, and one of the girls, Naomi I think, told us about a café not too far from here. It sounded better than standing around so we all walked there.

~~ -- ~~ -- ~~

It was a fairly quiet café, and most of us sat around a large table, eating our various food. It was pretty uneventful, save for a sudden embarrassing visit from Yuki's brother. If I had any doubts about him, they were gone now; he was pretty much a jerk. Fortunately he didn't stay long, and conversation managed to resume.

In the middle of a topic I wasn't too interested in, I heard a clinking sound from the other side. I glanced over to see the bratty boy down on the ground, out of my sight. He glared at the Naomi girl when she said something, then he rushed out. Interestingly she followed him, but I chose not to think on it; I barely knew some of these people and figured I should stay out of things I didn't know.

However I was starting to get to know the other people that were still at the table, even Saito-kun who didn't say much. The girl who called herself Sanya was still a bit strange, but she seemed cheerful enough, although I couldn't remember seeing her on the train the night before.

A phone went off in the corner. I glanced over to see one of the other people from last night sitting there alone. She grabbed her phone and walked outside. She came back in about a minute later, but she had a distressed look now. Apparently the phone call wasn't very good news. The conversation fizzled as she walked over.

"I apologize if I'm interrupting anything," she started, her voice on the verge of shaking. She took a deep breath before continuing, "My cousin, he's at the abandoned ballpark with his friend. It's getting dark, and…to be frank…I can't go alone." All of a sudden she dropped to her knees and bowed her head. She continued in a shaky voice, "Please, help them."

Most of us were too shocked to say anything, but Saito-kun scoffed, "I knew that brat was an idiot." Even still, he stood up and made for the door, "It's the park at the other end of this district, right? That's a little far to go by foot." He turned around, "Yasashisa-san, you drove today, right?"

"I, um, yes, I did," I said, stumbling over my words.

"Can you run?" he asked, catching me completely off-guard.

"Um, I can…but…" I suddenly wished I had decided on a different outfit.

"But what?" he asked, then realized. "Oh for the love of…what's more important, human lives or a little decency? Just come on and get your car!" With that he pushed out the door. Half-panicked and half-embarrased, I rushed out the door after him. Silently praying nobody was watching, I broke into a run after him.

~~** 1218 **~~

[Crystal Tears]

. : + ♠ Ryou ♠ + : .

Come out… It growled; raking its claws on the door and feeling the hearts beat a little faster. We only want to play… Come out…

They wanted to dance, to frolic, and to play with these creatures… Yet instead they were in hiding, irritation was building amongst those around.

They’re cheating… One said from behind, and slamming itself into the barrier. Unfair! Hiding in the light!

Perhaps we can force them out?

How?

One turned back towards the vast opening, towards the seemingly endless playground. There were more hearts, beating, standing on the edge of the darkness.

We tempt them…


Ryou stopped, and heard the rest of the group skid to a stop behind him. He was on the edge, his mind and soul screamed at him to run away. He didn’t need anyone to tell him they were in there, watching. He already knew, and he was becoming overloaded with fear and anxiety. The baseball diamond was coated in darkness, and in seconds it would be upon them.

“Right…” Ryou murmured, thinking quickly. “There’s no one to get to them without getting attacked.”

“Are you sure?” Katsumi questioned, obviously desperate to save her cousin.

“M-maybe we could…” Karen began, trying to think of a plan. “I-I don’t know… Find a l-light source?”

For a moment Ryou looked back at the size of the doorway. It was far too narrow to fight the car through, and that was really they’re only source of safety.

“We’re screwed.” Kutsuu called from behind. “We die if we go in there.”

“And they die if we leave them there.” Yuki countered.

“I wasn’t suggesting we leave them but- Saito-san! What the hell are you doing!?”

Ryou had walked forward, and found that his skin felt as if it had been exposed to the harshest winter in ages. It was cold in this place, unnaturally cold and far more nerve-racking then he had imagined. To be honest he had no idea what his plan was, but standing in the light, avoiding the monsters that had two people hostage wasn’t something he was keen on doing.

“Ryou!” He heard Yuki shout, but he kept on wandering deeper.

‘This is a bad plan…’ He mused with a small smirk on his face. ‘A very very bad plan.’


One!? It yelled, watching from the corridor, the male was wandering farther and farther into the darkness. But one would not be sufficient; one would not lure the other two out into the open. One is not the correct number!

The others are far too afraid to enter!

Silence! Another is entering!


Ryou turned and saw Katsumi approached, hand gripping the handle of her sword tightly as she looked around. She stood beside him, facing the darkness despite the fear both of them were no doubt feeling. The man took in a sharp, deep breath. He silently thanked her for having better control over her emotions then the others. His empathy had been driving him insane.

“So… What is your plan?”

“Honestly…” Ryou shrugged. “I don’t have one.”

She looked at him with a curious gaze. “You wandered in here without a plan to escape?”

He nodded.

“Brave of you.”

“Stupid is the word I would’ve picked.”

“Stupidly brave?”

Ryou looked over at her with a smirk. “Thanks.”

“Hey!” Running up behind them was Hotaru, who looked afraid but at least was brave enough to come forward. “You guys should get back- AHHH!”

Something was pulling her, and both Katsumi and Ryou ran after her. Farther and farther she was pulled into the field and the deeper they were lured into the darkness. For a split second Ryou could see it, but then it was gone. It left the girl on the ground, shivering from the cold.

“Are you okay?” He questioned, helping her to her feet.

“Yes, I’m fine but-”

“Ryou…” His name was spoken in a harsh whisper from Katsumi. “They’re here…”

Around them were eyes, all around eight feet off the ground, and slowly humanoid bodies began to meld out of the black.

“Shit…”

* * 676 * *

Alright, Roy asked for movement, so here you are. The first major challenge the chosen have to face.

A horde of heartless, without keyblades.

This isn’t as impossible as it seems, as it stands now one other person knows how to ‘defeat’ the heartless. I’m not telling you who, and s/he has already agreed not to tell the rest of you. If you read the fic, the answer is there. Hope you can get it.

The groups for fighting right now are as follows:

1) Akira and Naomi.

2 ) Ryou, Katsumi, and Hotaru.

3 ) Sanya, Karen, Yuki, and Kutsuu.


Good luck. And use your imagination before you ask me for the answer.

[Asilynne]

Time to shed some LIGHT (ahahhahaha...ahem) on what happened with the people in the truck (I think it was just firefly and salvador? if not tell me and Ill fix XD) Keep in mind I wrote the first part of this on paper, when I didnt have the internet so its a bit dated.

~~~Birgitte Hotaru~~~
No one wants to be alone in the dark...

"Salvador-san-----! If you wouldnt mind---- perhaps driving a little less erratically---?!"
I called out through the cool evening air, as my words were whipped around and nearly carried away by the wind and the rumble of the trucks V8 HEMI. I struggled to hold on tight while at the same time keeping my patient stable. I was aware of the need for speed, but also it didnt help matters if a traffic accident claimed our lives instead of the dark ones. My terror at being chased once again by those phantoms of nightmares was kept at bay only by my sense of protection and responsibility for the unconsious man which lay in the bed of the truck.

"Many apologies Hotaru-chan!" Salvador-san yelled back in accented Japanese, using to my surprise a more familiar title for my name that was warrented considering we had just met. It wasnt the time to correct him, however, as suddenly the dark, nightmarish creatures seemed to jump out of nowhere ahead of us. "Oh shit!" Salvador-san yelped in English, cutting the wheel hard to the right to try and avoid the swarm of darkness which leapt towards him from the front. Some he avoided, others cascaded upo the front of the truck and dissipated, but in a horrifying twist, melted out of the shadows ahead of us as the truck carrened sharply around a curve.

"Bastards!" I could hear a growl in his throat as he once again cursed in English. As he twisted the wheel to the left I gave a yelp as I crouched low against the floor of the truck bed, an arm holding the unconsious man tightly. My mind imagined the truck flipping over, sending those of us in the bed flying, a gruesome accident like the ones I had seen while volunteering at the fire department. Suddenly Salvador-san gave a sharp laugh as he flipped a switch, causing the trucks high beams to flip on. At the very edge of my hearing, I heard a sound -that was not quite a sound- eminating from the the dark creatures ahead. They leapt off the front of the truck, followed by a triumphant cry from the driver. His celebration was short lived however, as the creatures turned instead to the occupants of the back of the truck.

I screamed as I felt them tear at my clothes, the sound-that-was-not-quite-a-sound giving off a sense of hunger and a sickening desire, an overwhelming need covered my heart like a sludge. I flailed my arms, lashing out with my small med-bag to try and knock them away to no avail. I could hear Salvador-san shouting, "Birgitte! Are you ok?!" and through my screams of terror a silly part of my brain was thinking how inappropriate it was for him to use my first name, when suddenly I realised with a certain cold clarity that I was going to die. Salvador-san was driving, he couldnt stop the truck to save me lest it be overrun by the dark ones. I was totally and undeniably alone.

Alone....

I was in the woods at night again, that night the darkness first came to me. I was alone...and they could feel my weakness. They hungered for something I had, something they lacked.
They clawed at me, ripping my clothes and chilling, scratching my skin, as they groped at my chest. I was alone then too...until the fireflies....

Until the glow....

Unbidden, I felt the warm glow come over me, as it had done that first night in the woods. But this time it didnt stay faint, like the light of the female fireflies. This time it grew, and as my screams continued, I held onto the unconsious man with a death grip, the light growing so bright I could see it through my closed eyelids. The almost-sounds coming from the creatures seemed to grow into screams of their own, and the clawing ceased. The light did not fade, however, and the next thing I knew a hand was on my shoulder.

The light ceased abruptly as I looked around. We had made it to the parking lot of a small local emergency room. I could see Salvador-san looking at me with concern and a hint of curiousity. He looked as though he was trying to form a question, but when he spoke it was simply to ask if I was hurt.
"No..." I said, pulling my now-tattered white jacket around me tighter. "Im fine..."
While that wasnt entirely true, I seemed to be physically unharmed, and my patients needs came first. With Salvador-san's help, we carried the unconsious man, whose name was Kenichiro Iwao, into the emergency room and checked him in. I was still in a bit of shock, so he did the talking, saying something fictional about a witnessed assult, and after giving his name and number to the hospital we left.

It was quiet as I climbed into the cab and buckled myself in, watching absentmindedly as Salvador-san turned the key and pulled out of the parking lot. I felt numb, and I shivered involuntarily, still feeling the phantom hands clawing at my skin. I rubbed my arms to try and dispell the feeling, when the foreigner beside me reached forward and turned a knob. Heat began to woosh softly into the cab, and in the darkness the calm sound of the heat and the steady hum of the engine as we drove through the night shrouded streets somehow seemed to make the events of the night seem like a bad dream. I knew it wasnt, I knew they could possibly come back, but in the warm darkness, with the presence of another human being nearby, I felt safe. The weariness I had felt on the train reclaimed me, and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

~*~*~*~

I awoke to a gentle shaking on my shoulder. Jumping slightly, I relaxed as I looked around and saw that it wasnt the dark ones, but my eyes widened in surprise as I noticed where I was. The truck was idling outside my apartment building, and turning to look at Salvador-san I asked him a question with my eyes. He shrugged and pointed to the medical ID I wore around my neck. "It was on your ID. I didnt want to wake you up, after ....all that happened." He carefully avoided mentioning the creatures, and the fact that he had witnessed a human being glowing like a streetlamp. I stared at him for a moment, my mind leaping back to that horrible time in the back of his truck. Shaking my head to clear away those thoughts I bowed to him. "Thank you for the ride." It was ridiculous, I sounded as though I was thanking him for a ride around the block, or to the store, not a ride which had saved my life.

Smiling a bit awkwardly he nodded. "Of course." he spoke, sounding as lighthearted about the matter as I had. Turning around he began to walk around the truck to the drivers side, and was about to climb in, when something made me call after him. "Salvador-san!!"

Pausing, one hand on the top of his truck as he half sat inside, he looked over curiously. "Yes, Hotaru-san?" he said, finally getting the title right. Freezing in place, I suddenly wasnt sure what I had wanted to say, as possibilities rushed through my head.

"What was that all about anyway?"


"What if they came back to get us later?"


"Why us...?"




"I dont want to be alone in the dark again......"


"Good night..." I told him quietly instead, and, turning around, I climbed the stairs to the building under Salvador-san's watch until I reached the door. In the circle of light I stood and waved briefly, watching the truck rumble off into the night. Climbing the stairs with my key out I sighed, a shaky sound, and as my door swung open I set about turning all the lights in the place on as bright as they would go. I would have to count on my exhastion to help me sleep tonight, that was for sure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Word count: 1398 o.o

Ok, after typing all that up and fixing a few things that didnt seem right in the paper version (and also being distracted with 5 million other things since I have a short attention span today >.<) Im going to do the current days post later, I just had to get this out, sorry its so late (dont kill me sie x.x)
And yes I realise Ben isnt in it anymore, but my char was stuck with him in the truck so I had to use him. Also if someone could give me a readers digest version of the current events of the rpg that would help me greatly ^-^() either pm it to me or find me on msn ;D

[Roy Karrde]

Saotome Akira
Heart: Corrupted

My fingers were white, drenched in sweat, in fact it seemed as if my whole body had just turned the water taps on and hadn’t stopped. My hands were shaking, my legs were shaking, and all I could hope for was Naomi thought it was just me being scared. The truth was it wasn’t, the monsters outside the door were the last of my worries. I had missed three injections in a row, one last night, one this morning, and another at the café, now my body was telling me I needed to get back on schedule.

“You don’t look so good.” Naomi whispered as I reached into my pocket, pulling out the bag that held the syringe. The small glass bottle was broken, fluid and glass coated the plastic bag.

“Dammit..” I swore, tossing the bag onto the ground in anger, the bag sloshed as it hit the wet concrete, ripping and spraying its contents all over the tiny closet.

“Drugs? You are taking drugs?” Naomi’s mouth hung open in disbelief as I gripped my pant leg. If I couldn’t take the injection now it would be several more hours before I could get home or… I could get my back up supply at the school. Still, I would have to deal with the pain, the sweats. Just the thought of that only seemed to increase my shaking and my anxiety.

I took a few seconds to gain enough control to form words, my tongue licking at my dry lips “They are not drugs.” My voice came out husky and dry as if I had been running for a couple of hours.

Naomi bent down, picking up the syringe and holding it up to the light for both of us to see. “It’s something my father has given to me since I was a child, he wouldn’t.” I winced and shook my head. “He wouldn’t give me drugs”

“You look like you’re going through withdrawal!” She shot back, the words striking me like a cold wet slap to the face.

“Of course I am going through withdrawal” I yelled back even though we were in a small confined closet. I turned from her and gripped the doorknob, I needed to get out of here, I needed the meds, I needed them now!

“What are you doing!” Naomi cried out in shock as I pulled and thrust at the door knob, the flimsy lock holding the door in place shook, the hinges creaked and groaned, dust began to fill the air as I continued to pull at the door. “What about the heartless”

I paused, my fingers gripping the doorknob, soaking it in sweat to the point that I wasn’t sure if I could even turn it. If I opened the door I could get through the monsters, but Naomi wouldn’t, she would be left here with the monsters. “We need to-to think of something, something in here we can use as a ram or a shield”

Naomi gave a short shrug “There is a broom in here.”

There wasn’t much in there, nothing wide or big enough to block the monsters. Nothing except, well the door, and the hallways were tall and wide enough so it wouldn’t get stuck. “Get in front of me” I pulled her infront of me, not wanting to argue, pressing her body against the door and mine against her’s. I would shield her with my back and the door and we would make a run for it.

“Akira, what are you..”

“Shut up” I growled pushing both hands against the door, feeling it creak, groan, and then finally splinter and give way. The sound loud enough for anyone to hear. “Just run” I yelled, shoving our way into the hallway, using the door as a battering ram.

637 WC

[ChobiChibi]

Kurosawa Yuki

“I don’t like this...” Yuki muttered, the four of them staring up at the entrance of the baseball stadium. With the absence of Ryou, she was now clinging to Kutsuu’s arm, who seemed to tense up a little.

“We can’t just stand here...” Sanya began, glancing between her companions and the entrance, where the others had disappeared into the darkness. “We’ve gotta do something...”

“What are we supposed to do, exactly?” Kutsuu asked, folding his arms. Unfortunately, Yuki’s clinging skills were far too advanced to be shrugged off by this, so she remained attached to him. “Run in there, unarmed, into a dark baseball stadium and just let ourselves be attacked like the others? That’s sensible.”

“W-we could find something t-to defend ourselves with...” Karen suggested, picking up a small plank of wood she spotted near by.

“And then what? Flail around in the dark and hope we run into the others? It’s a big place...” Kutsuu shot her idea down in an instant.

“But we can’t just stand here, either!” Sanya argued back. “I didn’t come here to stand back and watch people get killed!”

“Neither did- Yuki?” Kutsuu stopped midsentence. She had detached herself from him, picking up a metal pipe and joining Karen.

“I really don’t like this... But I have an idea.” She spoke up, her arms folded. She was visibly shivering, goose bumps beginning to form on her arms. “We can just pretend it’s some weird zombie film or something, except the zombies don’t wander around moaning, they’re just really tall and can just phase out of shadows, but it’ll be fine!” She rambled, taking hold of Karen’s hand.

“Yuki-”

“You’re coming too, right Sanya?” Yuki smiled at her as she nodded in response. “Lets go, then!”

Yuki waited for Sanya to stand on the other side of her before setting off towards the big, dark hallway. As she expected, Kutsuu wasn’t far behind, running to catch up with them. He was like her little puppy, after all, if not a little overprotective. She was definatly glad he was here this time, though, as her shivering got worse and her skin grew colder and colder...

“Well, they’re kinda like zombies...” Yuki suddenly said, breaking the silence between them, talking over the top of their footsteps echoing around. “Except they move faster... And have those glowy eyes... And don’t want to eat brains...”

Kutsuu sighed, not that impressed. “How do you know? You hate zombie movies...”

Before she got the chance to reply, an almighty crashing noise bounced around the walls. The direction in which it came from was unclear; the echoing made it difficult to tell. They had just reached a point where they could go in multiple directions: different stands, different floors, towards the changing rooms, towards the pitch...

“It’s like a maze...” Sanya commented, reading the signs using the emergency lighting that was barely illuminating anything.

“We should head towards the pitch, there should be some natural lighting there...” Kutsuu suggested, heading in that direction.

“No!” Yuki grabbed hold of his arm, stopping him in his tracks. “The monsters are that way!”

“Why would they be on the pitch? Somewhere with better lighting than in here?”

“I just know they are, okay?!” She shot back at him, the butterflies she always felt were now fighting in her stomach, throwing things at each other like a drunken brawl in a bar. “I think we should try and get the power on, that was my plan...”

“It’s a little odd that we haven’t been attacked yet...” Karen mused, although you could tell this concerned her. She cringed as she heard a few shouts and screams in the background.

“I don’t think we should stay here, though...” Sanya added. “Which way, Yuki?”

“I don’t really know... But there aren’t any monsters this way...” She points towards the doorway with ‘stands’ written on the sign.

Quietly, the four of them headed up the stairs, the three girls letting Kutsuu lead the way. Other than their footsteps, they could hear shouts and screams in the distance, but again, not a single monster seemed to be heading their way, according to Yuki’s weird monster-radar. However, this was about to change, drastically.

When Kutsuu had said there would be more natural light on the pitch, he was gravely mistaken. As they reached the entrance to the seating areas, expecting to have to readjust to more light, they found themselves still staring into darkness. All except for the yellow eyes, who all seemed to be heading towards the same area of the pitch below them. It was unclear who was down there, but it was obvious from the shouting that they weren’t just gathering there, they were attacking their friends.

“W-what do we do?” Karen asked, her voice shaky, saying what was on everyone’s minds.

“We could run before they notice us...” Yuki suggested. Although she suggested the coward’s option, her body would not allow her to move from the spot she was cowering in.

“Or go down and help...” Kutsuu added. “Or find the power to turn on the lights, like we planned to...”

“I-I don’t think we have much choice...” Sanya pointed towards the front row of the stands, those pairs of beady yellow eyes climbing over the fencing to join them in the stands, heading up the stairs and over the seats towards them.

“Find the lights?” Yuki asked, backing up until she hit the wall, clutching the rusty metal pipe in her hands.

“Run!!” Kutsuu yelled as the monsters began to approach at a faster speed, darting off in the same direction as Karen, leaving Yuki to get dragged away by Sanya.

They didn't get attacked for ages cos of Karen's heart power thing... And erm... I don't like this post very much but it doesn't matter :3

947 words. RUUUUNNN!!!

(Just think of poor little Yoi as you hurt the heartless ;o; They have feelings too, y'know!)

[Samchu]

Kutsuu
~~~~~

They were coming for us. That army of yellow emotionless eyes. They were unreadable but yet we could sense what they wanted, what it was that they were coming for.

"Run!"

Sanya grabbed hold of Yuki and started pulling her back the way we'd come. I started to follow but I noticed Karen wasn't following us so I stopped. She was frozen. She held the plank of wood between her hands and if she was hugging it, like it was her pillow. But this wasn't a bad dream. This was real. And if she didn't get moving they would...

"Karen! Karen snap out of it."

She was mumbling nonsense, her body quivering at the sight of those eyes.

"Karen we need to go. Karen!"

"I -"

In the darkness I caught the outline of her face as it twisted deeper into fear. I looked back at them and saw a pair of yellow dots coming towards us. One of the monsters had grown impatient and was launching itself towards us. There was no time to think. I let my instincts guide me and pray they kept us alive long enough to get out of this mess. I pulled the plank from Karen's hands and swung, aiming for the space between the eyes. I felt it connect. A vibration shook the wood and I almost dropped it in surprise. I'd always assumed they were like shadows, invulnerable to the physical items of our world. But I had been wrong. The monster was sent back, crashing into the seats with a thud. The others paused to look, as though they were surprised at what had happened. I didn't wait for them to recover. I grabbed Karen by the waist and pulled her after the others.

Sanya had chosen to wait. "Behind you!" she cried.

I shot back the arm holding the wood and found the satisfying shake of the connection. But I had only gotten one. And they were closing on us. There wasn't enough time. We needed to get the lights on. The monsters were gaining.

I threw Karen towards Sanya. "Find the lights! I'll hold them off until I can catch you up."

"But -"

"Just go."

I didn't watch to make sure they left, I just trusted that Sanya would obey my decision. I turned back to the wall of monsters and let my feet sink into the soles of my shoes. I was ready for them. I eased the grip on the wood and let my elbows fall loose, like they had taught us in gym class. Then I pivoted, pulling the wood back so it was resting over my shoulder.

"Batter up...who wants to go first?"

They wrestled one another to get to me first, children squabbling over a box of treats. I took my time, waited for the perfect moment, and swung.

Crack! Thud!

Eyes flew back into the ever-growing sea. I steadied my stance and prepared for the next monster. I was ready to go all night if that's what it took.

Something slammed into my back and I fell forward. I fought to keep hold of the wood. They were everywhere. Yellow eyes all around me. I swung and kicked but the weight on my body only increased. They were overwhelming me, suffocating me with their bodies and their black stares. My heart was pounding. In my mind I could see a distant light. A swingset. A slide. The light spread until I could see a small playground framed by shadow. A figure stood before me but I could not see who or what it was. But I knew that I knew them. Deep down, I knew that this person was someone special to me. Someone who should be helping me. I pushed through the sea of monsters, desperate to reach out to him...

"Aniki! Aniki help me!"

He didn't move. He simply stood there, watching, as the shadows at the edges of my vision grew. The playground slowly faded back into darkness.

"Aniki!"



~~~~~~~~~~~
WC: 672