Utopia

[Reno]

Runa looked down at the boy's back, all of them knowing what they usually do in these cases. But to a Divine? She lent down talking with Riku gently for a few moments. It was a short and very quiet conversation the other ladies not quite catching most of it before she straightened and nodded. "Let's bring him near the fire."

"I-I don't know... I think it's the heat." Sora said, his eyes darting past Axel, seeing the women were helping Riku stand from his bed and taking him across the room. "He has scales on his back, like a dragon. He lost one the day before the spell but..." They were laying him down, "he told me it was normal and now..." Lilo was making sure he was comfortable as she shifted away his robes so his back was exposed. "Now he's telling me that it's not and-" His mother was grabbing a knife.
"No." Sora said his eyes widening, seeing the metal side going into the fire. They were going to seal the wounds. Now, here?! "NO!"
"Sora?!" Axel dived just in time to grab him, holding him back, trying to see what had suddenly panicked him.
"NO! NO DON'T!!!" Sora continued to yell. Runa called for Jet and the other boys to hold Sora back while they worked.
"NO! NO STOP!"
"Sora, quit it!" Someone yelled as the four men easily overpowered the little brunette and pinned him down. That's when the screaming started. Sora's eyes filled with tears.
"NO! YOU'RE HURTING HIM! STOP! PLEASE!!!"



"I know..." Terra said softly, his eyes darting away for a moment then looking down at Ven, "Ven, you know... that what happened then isn't your fault, right?" The blonde looked away and he reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder, "It's not. Blaming yourself for that... it won't help you heal. Trust me."

He looked up when he heard footsteps approaching and voices and let his hand fall, nodding towards the den, "Come on." But from the way Ven looked, he knew he didn't believe him. Maybe he still didn't trust him.


The day they saved Riku, they might as well have killed Sora. The brunette was by his side constantly, just staring at him with this dead look in his eyes that worried all of them. He hardly moved from the spot he sat by him, and some of them were wondering if he was even sleeping.
The silverette however certainly was sleeping, had been for awhile now. His back was all wrapped up, spots of it bloody but for the most part they had been able to burn out the infection and close the wounds. What was left of his back and scales they were doing their best to keep moisturized - but they were also wasting a lot of water that they needed to drink. Sora told them dimly, voice raspy and weak, at one point, just to use his supply too.


On one walk, they talked about Xehanort.
"He was a philosopher I suppose you could say. Thought he could predict things. And he also liked to create these things he called potions but I think it was really all just colored mud. Most of us thought he was rather mad." Terra said, "I never liked being around him. He always gave these weird looks to me. Never helped he looked just downright creepy either - he was balding and a lot of his teeth were gone and he had yellow eyes..." He grimaced, "Anyways... it was a little after my eighth spell when it happened. He just called me into his room one day - and you know at that age I had to listen to all the Elder's. He told me he had made a type of potion that would make someone run really fast and said he wanted me to be the first to try it. I thought it was kind of cool and said sure."

He stumbled a bit on his words, then swallowed and continued, "He told me to take of my pants so he could put the potion on my legs... and I did because we were both guys so what was the big deal? He started touching me. Just my legs at first but well... he went higher, asked me if I felt different. I didn't really understand it, but it was making me tingle. I told him I didn't like it.... Next thing I knew I was in his bed and well..." He frowned, eyes lowered in shame, "Well, you know what happened."
The blonde didn't comment, so he continued. "I hated it. I hated him. I was scared of him. I told my mom I didn't want to be around him, but when she asked why I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what was going on really. I thought at one point he was trying to, you know, make a baby because I understood it was sex at least. I sort of made the mistake of asking my dad if I was a girl at one point, he laughed, slapped me and told me I was an idiot. I felt alone... I hid from him as best I could. But somehow I always got back there, no matter how many sun rises later it took. Where could I really hide? I didn't have a dragon I only had my family to hide behind and they weren't always there to watch me."

He trailed off again and took a deep breath. "After awhile he stopped giving any pretense to it. No questions about what potion he had for me today - sometimes he didn't even give me a chance to even realize it before my clothes were off and he was on top of me. And I hated him more than anything. ...Then after my 12th spell, we found Atteris."

He hesitated, then told him the story of the dragon who terrorized them for awhile after they discovered his den, and what he decided to do about it. "When I swallowed his heart... I don't think you'll understand this but we're connected now. He can't die without me dying. And every thought he thinks is mine and every feeling I get is his. Ienzo never understood, hell he wouldn't-he wouldn't even let me talk about him! I didn't how to tell him Atteris never felt guilt before for anything he did - that his kind just weren't capable of some emotions. Killing and torturing every living thing in sight was just what he did before I came around and bonded to him. It's his nature." Realizing he was getting off track he glanced at Ven, "Well anyways... I think you kind of get the idea though right? The second we were connected, we knew everything about each other. Everything."

He looked away and said, "It was my idea actually. Well, maybe both of others slowly together... to kill him. Before anyone knew we were connected even. It was his last 'deviant act' so to speak until I 'tamed' him. No one ever knew I was the one watching with glee as the life faded from that fucker's eyes as Atteris tore out his heart."

[Rikugurl]

OOC: I'm not feeling well, still haven't slept well for days either. *wants to see that gift on the community* I will see you tomorrow my dear, I am just too tired to stay up later tonight.
Had idea for next rp though:
Ventus - Jockey
Axel - Dance Instructor
Riku - ... Business Man? (Riku: She was going to make me a lawyer again)
Thought it would be cute if Runa was a children's novelist and not sure about Jet. He'll own race horses though hence Ventus's career.
botjira.deviantart.com/art/Eeveelutions-252711371?q=boost%3Apopular%20meta%3Aall%20max_age%3A24h&qo=42


Lilo carefully pulled close Sora's bucket of water from where it was resting, placing it gently next to Riku before undoing his bandages. She grimaced only for a second, seeing his burned yet closed back, some of the scales being burned as well, the shimmering shine they once had now dark and foggy. Her gentle eyes watched as the darkness swirled in them, finding it mystical and only hoping that it wasn't a bad sign or a curse. A rag was dipped in the water that was offered and just as she was about to pat the scales, she paused, blinking some when she felt the cloth move in her hand. Looking down, she gasped, seeing that the water was pulling from the cloth itself and piecing together, just a small mount flowing down from the rag and onto the man's skin.

She watched before her very eyes, the clean water trickling up the man's spine on it's own, some of the water stopping at each scale that was left and surrounding it, making it look like some sort of protection. "Sora!" She called and the brunette who was numb against the man shot up in worry, looking at what she was pointing at. Even he had to stare in wonder as another force, some sort of magic, was protecting the last of Riku's scales. Before words could come from the Flyer's mouth, they both watched as a mile crossed the sleeping man's lips.
"Mother..."


Ventus was silent, even after the story was told, his eyes adverted to the brown, muddy ground. Finally, he sighed and looked straight, knowing that he would feel better if he too told someone what had happened to him. "My brother... his name is Vanitas. H..he was actually born right after me, being a child of four. How my mother survived that, I'll never know but... it started when I was... perhaps 15 years old. I can't remember how it happened but all I can remember was that it hurt and I hated it. I remembered that he kept telling me that he loved me and that he was going to have someone before my eldest brother, the one he looks a lot like. Sora... his hair is the color of this very dirt and his eyes that of mine, though a bit darker even though they've always had more light in them."

He sighed, wrapping his arms around himself. "And he never stopped. Sometimes, it would get so bad that he'd do it every night but sometimes I was lucky and did it every other sunset. I couldn't tell anyone because I was the older brother. I didn't tell anyone because I was the weakest of my brothers. I didn't get as much food as my brothers because I was either in my room working on the next invention or just didn't have the energy. I wasn't strong like my brothers, my mind having more power than my body. Van, he wanted me to die so bad. He said everyone would have more food if I would just waste away so he always took my portion before I could get it... yet he said he loved me? What a sick fuck..."

Now he swallowed hard, closing his eyes. "Now, years later, when the last raid happened... I knew that the only way I could stop him was to kill him. I had to make it look like an accident so I came up with a plan that my weapon would malfunction and instead of hitting a... a Chaser, I would hit him instead. I guess... that didn't work out so well." Ven shook his head, reaching up to tug at his small bouts of long hair in the back. "I guess what really stumps me though is... how did you learn to love someone after something like that happened? I mean... you must have... touched each other..."


In a cave where the walls glowed and shimmered, the sound of water dripping into the pool truly the only sound echoing throughout, a man glanced other his shoulder to look up at the great beast who inhabited the room. She was still and quiet, which wasn't necessarily strange but when he saw a muscle of hers working, he looking down her arm, seeing her swirl a single talon in a nearby pool. "What are you doing, Mother?"


Hours later, when all were asleep, silver hair fluttered as the man sat up, being careful and slow in his moments so it would no disturb the man next to him. The drawing rock was taken with care along with the scales he had hid under his bedding and the man walked over the sleeping bodies as if he was a ghost, silent and whimsical in his steps. He came to the far end of the cave where the wall was flat and wide before pressing the rock against it and started to draw an arch. He then drew as smaller one under it and repeated this until there were eight arches over the wall. He then took a bowl and poured just a little bit of water in it before placing his scales within, crushing them down with a mixing rock until they dissolved in the liquid.

The Divine ripped off a piece of his silk robe and dabbed it into the bowel, soaking it with the water and gently started to dab it against the spaces between the arches. As he did so, instead of the water dampening the walls and ruining the calk, colors started to appear, the first one red, the next one orange, the next yellow, then green, teal, blue and purple. When he stepped away, the wall glowed of these colors, sparkling with a magic as the colors dimmed and brightened like a living thing. It was something that these SkyFlyers or anyone else in the Forbidden Lands had never seen before. A rainbow.

[Reno]

Like Ven had, Terra just listened, his own eyes darkening as he heard of the trials this boy had been through. He wasn't sure it was better or worse that the blonde beside him at least had been of sexual age or not. Or maybe it was all the same; regardless how many spells you'd been through. no one should be treated like... like that.
When the other asked his question though he blinked, glancing at the other, "Ah well..." Like he usually did when he got contemplative he stopped walking crossing his arms and frowning peculiarly at Ven. "It wasn't easy at first... but the big difference between Ienzo and Xehanort wasn't love. It was trust. What happened didn't kill my ability to care about someone else, it just made me scared to. It took... took a lot of willpower not to flinch at any little kiss or touch or something."

He looked at Ven then smiled faintly, "In the end it was worth it. To be loved, to actually be loved by someone, the kind of love where someone treats you like you're more precious than water and more fragile than a divine is amazing Ven. I... I guess it's something you need to experience yourself but," He placed a hand on his shoulder, "I hope for your sake it happens to you too."
Ven looked away from him, mumbling something along the lines of how could he say something like that if he was the one who took away that happiness.
"Because Ven... at least I had Ienzo. I had something good even if it was taken away from me. I would never wish I didn't have it because now I know what love is and how precious it is and no matter what, I want to go and find that feeling again. But all you've had is suffering and pain. You've never had something like that - not yet at least." There was a soft chuckle, then the brunette responded, "You remember when you asked me who doesn't want to die when we live in a wasteland like this? Well... getting out was never my full answer. Love makes life worth living. Even in a wasteland."


"I am just studying the predicament of the spell." Divine said in a light tone, giving away nothing though her eyes were intent on her pool, seeing the reflection of one of hers boys there. A pleased smile came to her face when she watched him stand and walk with more strength then before around the room. Her head tilted curiously, however, at what he was doing.


And he wasn't the only one watching.
Riku didn't notice his audience until he heard a gasp, making him look around. There were two standing there. One, the one who has made the noise, was Roxas who had stirred to the sound of the scratching. Dunno how he could sleep through Axel's snore and the spell wind, but not the tiny, in precise sound of Riku's drawing. "It's gorgeous." He said, staring at the colorful piece in true wonderment.
And beside him, the other boy with wild brunette hair, his eyes were trained on the artist, not the art when he spoke. "It really is." His smile was back, a little glow of his own seeming to emit from him that only Riku could see.

[Rikugurl]

Ven pulled his lips in a bit, his eyes looking down, the blonde lashes shielding that look in Terra's eyes. He seemed so sure about everything, didn't he? Fearless perhaps? Smart? Whatever it was, he sure was a completely different person than the one he met when he was first taken, ripped out of the skies. "Tch, like anyone would ever want to love me." He pulled away, feeling Terra's hand slip from his smaller shoulder as he left, walking up towards the large den where they all slumbered. As he stepped into the room and walked towards the bed that was his, he looked around, spotting the LandChasers in various locations.

Aqua was sitting up in her bed, holding onto little Caleb who was sitting on her lap, looking through a small book while Xigbar watched beside them, his hand rubbing the bluette's back. He then looked at the rear of the cave, seeing a pale woman leaning up against the only dragon in the room, a quaint smile on her lips as the man next to her held her in his arms.
Love?
Perhaps it wasn't just love that made people fight to get into the Crater. Maybe it was the thought of loving someone without all the worries in the world, to see the person they love pain-free and healthy. Maybe it was both.

He gave a sigh when he finally reached the bed and started to pull off his dragon hide, not even hearing as Terra walked up behind him. Against the blonde's back, the whip marks had become gruesome scars and when he pulled down his pants, now only in his loin cloth, the back of his legs were scared too.


"It's called a rainbow. It is something that appears when water comes from the sky while the sun is still out. Someday, I hope to show it to you all." Riku offered as quietly as possible not to awaken the rest of the sleeping Flyers. Carefully, he walked over to the two men, particularly towards Sora until he was only a foot away and before the blonde, leaned down and pressed his lips against the ones he loved. He heard another gasp but he didn't stop and their lips continued to move. It had been so long since they kissed...
Pale fingers ran through the gritty brown locks, his lips pulling away and their forehead's touching, their eyes just staring into one another.
"I'm sorry I worried you... Please, don't stop smiling, Sora."

[Reno]

He wasn't sure if it was just male instinct or real curiosity and interest as his blue eyes swept over the skin, eyes darting away before he got caught and cheeks flushing a little bit. the scars, though to many eyes looked awful, were kind of... attractive to him. He blamed Atteris for it. For making him... a 'Sadist'. You could only be connected to a gory-loving dragon for so long until you started loving it to!

But it was more than the scars; all of Ven was kind of fucking attractive! His damn blue eyes, and pretty pale skin, and cute little smile he got so rarely. He shook his head and went over to his one bed, falling into a heap atop it and grunting a little when it kind of hurt. And yet he couldn't stop thinking about Ven's ass!
Hehehehe, bunnies have the cutest little asses.
SHUT UP!
He wrapped his arms over his head and groaned a little, wondering if life was becoming hell.



There was a soft chuckle from the brunette that Riku could feel, "Well, I suppose I can do that... on one condition. You don't lie again." When the elder agreed, his arms came up and around him, bringing him close to him.

And, beside them and totally ignored, Roxas continued to stare with the widest eyes possible, wondering if Divine would strike his brother dead for this. But when the spell didn't instantly tear apart the ceiling and sweep his brother away, he relaxed - a little. Now, perhaps, it made more sense why Sora had been the one Riku chose to... to speak with first.


It was the day after they saw the 'rainbow' that tragedy occurred. It was Lilo who found her one evening, curled up on the bed and motionless, was Olette. Though horrified, Riku was always satisfied, never quite used to seeing the dead. He also seemed to harbor the guilt of it, as if he had caused her death himself.
"Sometimes," Sora explained softly to the silverette later, "It's not lack of food or water; grief kills us too. Losing Seifer was hard for Olette. She lost her daughter and her son too, you know? Their daughter got sick when she was really young. A fever that just wouldn't break. And then their son... he was a toddler when Unbroken raided our home. I heard the Flyers fought with everything they had but... they managed to take him. Olette and Seifer never saw him again."

He trialed off, his eyes sad before he looked up at Riku and gave a smile. "Even if we made it to the crater... she lost everything she ever loved out here. Her grief and loneliness would be something that wouldn't go away, even with paradise." He reached up, brushing away some strands of hair from Riku's down turned face, "In ways we sometimes don't understand, Divine's mercy can come in death too."


Three days later, it stopped.

Roxas remembered jerking awake at the sound of scratching, sitting up too quick and ending up sprawling back into the bed beside Axel, darkness clouding his vision for a few moments from the head rush and dizziness. It cleared slowly - and now he could clearly hear no wind... and whining of a dragon.
"Axel..." Roxas whispered, reaching out and shaking the other, "Axel. Axel, wake up!"
Their was a grumble, the red-head a hard sleeper, but slowly, his green eyes slit open, grumpy as usual when first awakening. When he saw Roxas was crying though, he almost looked ready to jump out of bed to defend his honor - or something like that. But Roxas was smiling too as he mumbled, "The spell's over."



It's over.
Terra's fingers froze, the music abruptly cutting off and leaving silence in the wake of his listening audience.
"Uncle Terry, why'd you stop?"
Ugh, he was gonna kill Aqua for that nickname. Even still he lowered the flute and smiled to his nephew whose little Terror was sleeping atop his head. "The spell is over."

[Rikugurl]

The...?" Axel, his head still fuzzy from sleep and starvation, looked up at the wall, hearing no howling of the wind or sand. When the Spell first comes, one thinks it's almost impossible to sleep with all the noise but after awhile, one things it's almost impossible to sleep without it. Axel calmed himself, hearing the scratching now of their dragons and slowly walked towards the ladder. "Heh, it has..." He chuckled, some tears in his eyes too. Though he knew he was always the first out, to make sure that the winds didn't carry dangerous animals into the ruins, he was thankful that he survived, now along with Roxas because after the spell, well, it was simple to find food.
"Quick, hand me my Wheels." Axel called, the blonde swift and handing the man his weapons. Just as the redhead was about to open the hatch, he paused and looked down at the blonde looking up and him and smiled.
"Let's go... warrior."

With that, he saw the smile on the man's face who quickly grabbed his twin blade and the top was opened, groaning from it being moved echoed through the cavern, awaking most of the people.
"Ah? The Spell? It's over?" Jet murmured, rubbing some sand from his eye.
Axel climbed through the hole and scanned the area, seeing nothing but sand and bricks. It was a rough Spell but the foundation held up quite well once again. "We have to hurry. Let's scout all the rooms and check the Well. You put up the inner rags and I'll do the outer then we must fly to find us some food." He saw a nod and together, they were off, pushing through the dragons, only saying small hellos to theirs.

"Riku?" Lilo called as she saw the silverette walk up towards the open hole above the ladder. "You can't go up there yet, it's too dangerous. We have to wait until Axel and Roxas returns." She warned, coming up to his side.
"But Yue... I have to see if she's alright..."


Everyone in another cave paused, eyes looking up and the ceiling. Ida closed her eyes, some tears falling down her cheek when everyone suddenly shouted and cheered.
"FINALLY!"
"WOOOOOO!!!!"
"AT LAST!"
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!"
Everyone hugged one another, making Ventus's eyes widened that such rough people would do such things. He had to smile though when he saw little Caleb hug one of his uncle's legs before dancing around his mother. He was the only one just standing there, watching as the people celebrated, too shocked with what he was seeing that worrying about how his family was now, if they too were celebrating, having their feast or at least getting ready for it. What did the Chasers do to celebrate.

"Now, let's go fix those fucking tunnels." He heard Xigbar say, patting his nephew on the shoulder and the two headed out, making him blink.
Well, that wasn't very festive. At least his people cleaned up over a few sunsets. Still, he watched everyone from afar, giving people who looked his way a plain smile. This was the first Spell that he went through where he was warm and full. That was something worth celebrating...

The blonde Skyflyer, or perhaps now LandChaser, learned quickly that only the tunnels to the other dens were cleared so people could sleep in their own beds. That was the celebration. It only took awhile for the dragons to burrow back towards them, allowing them to use the paths as new tunnels and in the morning, they would be rebuilt and shoved away. But for now...
Blue eyes looked around the room as he sat on the bed that wasn't disturbed at all thanks to the disc that was placed before the mouth of the den. It was really a brilliant idea. His head turned, watching Terra place some of the books away, seeing how his muscles flexed when putting the pieces on the top shelf. "So, what do you and your people do to celebrate?" He finally asked out of curiosity and trying to change his mind from the course it was going.

[Reno]

Roxas nodded, taking the job - a job Axel used to do alone - very seriously. He knew the danger of the empty ruins just like Axel did - when something seemed abandoned and provided some shelter from the winds, animals would come to take temporary home here. Sometimes it drove him crazy underneath the ground to think food might be scampering just above his head and no matter what he could never reach it. And, usually, by the time they checked the rooms, the dragons had already eaten their easy to get to food.

He walked down the halls as quietly as possible, all the sand that had swept and piled into the halls and deposited into little hills in the corners made it a little difficult to tread lightly. He glanced in each room, eyes roving into every nook and cranny and, when he saw nothing, moved on. He reached Riku's tower room just as Axel was reaching theirs on the opposite side of the ruins. Then he heard it, a scuffling that made him tense. He stepped closer, peeking in and looking around rapidly - but it wasn't hard to spot.

The sight of it made his throat close up and his heart hammer.

He'd never seen anything like it. Axel had made many catches, had told and taught him of ever prey he knew of. None of these even came close to describing what he was seeing. It stood on two long, gangly legs with ugly black claws. On top of those legs, it's body exploded with black and white fluff and magnificent tail. It had wings too, and they were open and fluttering to, probably, keep it's balance because held never seen anything with quite such an impressive of long neck. It's eyes were beady and it had a pinkish beak. He had never seen a dragon with feathers before - Yue not included of course.

Even still he just sighed and stepped into the room, opening his mouth and starting to sing to tell it to get lost. The dragon straightened up, turning towards him, easily tower over a foot taller than him.

And then it squawked and charged.

"Riku..." Sora walked over and smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I'm worried too, but don't worry. Rissy took good care of her and Axel and Roxas will be back before you know it."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
...Or not.

"Was that Roxas?!" Runa cried.

It was. And Roxas was currently running down the hall as he was being chased by this mad dragon. His song never failed before - except against Skullions! Did this thing not have ears?!
He desperately dodged into a side room, the thing tromping past him and down the hall some, almost having trampled him. He breathed nervously as he slumped against the wall, ribs heaving as his mind spun some but he started to back away, an idea forming in his mind. He started to sing as he drew close to the adjacent side of the door.

Just as he hoped, the song drove the dragon mad again as it gave another weird cry and came charging into the room. Roxas, arm already poised and ready, threw Oathkeeper. It swung, just like Axel's wheels, and crashed into the dragon's legs and it gave a cry as it stumbled, it's perch on it's feet precarious like he was hoping as it fell to the ground. He didn't think as he charged forward and lifted Oblivion and swung it down like an ax.
Chop! The things head came off cleanly and then it was there, dead.

Roxas stared down at the catch he managed to get, panting some. He killed it... he killed it! His eyes widened in realization, gasping in shock.
"ROXAS?!?!!"
He heard the yell echo down the hall before he yelled, "AXEL! I'M IN HERE!" The red-head appeared moments later, only for his own green eyes to widen at the creature laying dead at his feet that was easily twice as wide as the two of them. Roxas straightened up, showing him his bloody sword and a wide grin as he said, "I killed it..."


"Well," Terra said as he set his last piece, his flute, in it's place before turning to Ven. "For those who became men or women this year go for a hunt." Ven knew, unlike his people who were given this passage through a certain deed, a woman grew from being a girl through child-bearing and a man grew from a boy by taming a dragon. Not a terrible Terror of course, but an actual dragon. "But for all of us? We go for a night flight around the crater. It's tradition. Sort of like... sealing a resolution that we'll spend another year of trying to reach Paradise."

[Rikugurl]

The tall man walked around the creature, staring down at it's ugly form. Never in his life did he see something like this. The winds must have brought it here from far away. But none of that mattered right now because even though it was dead, it was who KILLED it that mattered. The warrior jumped over the carcass to come up in front of the blonde and took his face, giving him a forced kiss. Roxas didn't reject it, actually making it deeper and if they hadn't remembered that there was precious meat on that thing, just waiting to rot in the sun, they would have stayed their for longer. Instead, the men ran around the ruins once again, now knowing it was safe and together, put the rags up to keep the sun out.

It was green eyes that met the Divine's first, making the unusually pale man smile. "Everything alight?" He asked, seeing the redhead nod. "Even better. Come out, it's all safe and sound." Axel didn't have to say that twice, the silverette being the first one out and instantly laughed and smiled when he felt something nudge his shoulder, looking back at Yue. "Sister..." He whispered, holding her head close and rubbing her scales which too had become frail and slowly falling off along with her feathers but she was alive. When Jet surfaced from their small haven, he blinked when something was handed over to him, making him look down at something strange and quite disgusting. "A head?"
"Indeed. Jet... your son... has become a man."

The leader stood them motionless for a moment, his people looking at him before their heads turned to look at Roxas, seeing a heap of feathers by his side.
"A man...?" Jet tried out the words, his eyes slowing raising to look at his youngest son. They all stood there, silently, only hearing the sound of some leftover winds outside of their rags. Finally, Jet smiled, some tears welling in his eyes. "Well, what are we all waiting for? LET'S CELEBRATE!"


"Heh, sounds nice..." Ven smiled, looking down at his dirty bare feet. "I stopped looking inside the crater a few years ago, actually. I figured it would be easier not to see what I would never have." He knew it sounded depressing but it helped him. "I guess unlike everyone else, I didn't think how life would be in the Promised Land but how I could make life better where we were. I guess that's what really got me started with inventing things." Suddenly, the blonde laid down on the bed and sighed, looking up at the ceiling. If anything, he should be excited that he would be getting out of the ground for who knew how long, if he was even invited to this tradition, but here he was, laying in bed, a place where he lounged around for days on end. "Have fun out there huh?" When his eyes rolled back, he paused, seeing the disappointed look in Terra's eyes.

The younger male rolled onto his stomach, giving the brunette a gentle smile. "Hey, don't look like that. Besides, it would be a bad idea for you to bring me above the surface, you know. I'm sure my people haven't forgotten about me and if they spot you all leaving, which I'm sure someone has by now after a Spell, they'll see me on your brute. I'll just stay here. It's not like I'll try something. I'm a LandChaser now, you know?

[Reno]

The feast and celebration was amazing. As was customary, it was Roxas who prepared dinner, ripping off the feathers of the great beast before roasting it whole. And instead of sitting beside his brothers, he would now ceremoniously sit beside Axel - the change small and subtle but one that had him glowing with pride.

There was plenty to go around, bellies full for the first time in two weeks and the meat was different, tasty in a new way and, from experience, they all knew it was no dragon. It was Riku, surprisingly, who enlightened them. It was a bird. They had many in the crater - they flew like dragons could, but were mostly bug eaters. They could not breath fire but they could sing and did so at the sun or to find a mate. It was possible that Roxas' song had actually made the bird fall 'in love' with him.

But for all they cared at that moment it could of been their own feet. Food at that point was food and even Riku had little qualms digging right in. Food had never tasted better.


At the last part, Terra looked up in surprise, before a smile grew on his own face. "Yeah... you are." He walked over, sitting down beside Ven, "I'm glad you are you know. And not just because you can make things. I feel like we're friends." The blonde looked away, chuckling and telling him to stop sounding like such a sap.

"Hah, I guess I can't help it." Terra's eyes darted away, then admitted, "You always speak with your heart so you're sort of teaching me to do the same." There was silence between them that might or might have been uncomfortable - or maybe it was just a little embarrassing due to lack of masculinity, then the elder chuckled again, "Sure you don't want to come along? I bet I could find something to hide your features. Then again," He reached out, ruffling the insane little do and making Ven squirm. "I dunno what could possibly cover up all this hair!"
The blonde laughed, pushing away his arm and telling him to knock it off and yes he definitely did not want to come. Terra looked down at him, at those bright eyes that shined just a little bit and the joy there he'd not quite seen before.

And he felt his heart jump.

He didn't have time to wonder - well, rightfully deny - what it was he just felt. Because luckily Aqua stepped in the den, little Caleb on her hip. Her presence was fairly familiar, as she had joined them every so often on their walks. It was nice to be able to talk freely and being a female presence put Ven at ease - perhaps because she was so motherly."Well you two seem to be having fun. Come on we're gonna be late!"
Terra looked over, both annoyed and relieved she'd come just in time to ruin the moment. "Hahaha." He stood up, walking over, "Ven's not joining us."
Caleb was the one who pouted, stated he wanted uncle Ven to come too, a huge pout coming to his face. So to cheer him up, Terra asked him if he wanted to ride on Atteris with him this year.
He was rewarding with a screaming yes, the boy practically hopping out of the room and down the hall, Terra having to chase after him.

Aqua looked over at Ven once they were alone, looking a bit concerned. And not because he was staying behind. She had a lot of faith and trust in Terra; she believed he knew what he was doing. "Everything all right Ven?"

[Rikugurl]

The feast was a success and the Flyers had no one to thank but Roxas for his bravery in slaying the creature to grant them the meal of their lives. It was quite different, juicer and white. Strangely enough, everyone felt quite exhausted after the meal, though it was a pleasant feeling. The sands in their towers and halls would have to wait for the next moon to be pushed outside because most of the people found themselves heading to bed. Tonight, they would sleep well.
As Riku entered the high tower, along with Sora by his side, he looked out towards the Crater to see the glowing from its core. He truly missed his home, the sight of it calling him back but he smiled at it weakly, seeing a strange motion around the top of it. “What is that?” He had to ask, making Sora look where he was before explaining that like the SkyFlyer’s celebration, the Landchasers had one too. They flew around the crater after a Spell. The Skyflyers were always so tired and worn that they would never attack during this time.

“Speaking of which,” The Divine interrupted, looking down at the younger, shorter male, “are your people still thinking of doing a raid, even after the Spell?”

Down below, another couple walked into their room, seeing everything astray but pulled the rags away and dusted up the bed. “Even if I feel like I could fall right over to sleep~~” Axel purred, suddenly wrapping his arms around the blonde. “We need to keep celebrating your manhood~” A long, wicked tongue lapped around the man’s ear before pulling him down onto the bed.


Blue eyes looked back at the woman whose hair reflected the color before looking away, his fingers slightly playing with the fur skin. “You promise you won’t tell?” He asked, wondering when he gained the trust in her to ask in the first place.
“Depends.”
“I mean it, Aqua…” The blonde gave a sigh and closed his eyes. “I don’t want to go because I’m afraid of what might happen up there.” There was some silence, the woman obviously not understanding at first. “With us. Him and I together up over the most beautiful thing our eyes could ever lay on? Tch, for all the shit he put me though I can’t believe… I can’t believe that I… I’m…”

He looked back again over his shoulder, his expression a little panicked. “Do you love Xigbar?” A blue eyebrow went up, the question making her feel a little off guard. “I only ask because I know that people don’t need to love each other to breed, that sometimes it’s just for the good of our people to stay alive. But… if you love him, in a different way that you might have loved your parents or siblings or whoever you loved before… w-what does it feel like? B-because I have to know… if that’s how I feel… about Terra.”

[Reno]

"If we are... not immediately." Sora announced. "In general, the moon cycle after the spell has always been quiet among all of us, perhaps out of respect of each other for surviving. It's like an unspoken truce." He glanced back, seeing Iris already sprawled on the dusty floor of the tower next to Yue, the two of them dozing. He noted how leaned down she had gotten - but dragons had a much higher tolerance for hunger than humans. "And, even if we wanted to, even the dragons need to recover. Finding food for them and us to get our strength back is more important right now - if we started the raid before even our dragons were ready, it would be suicidal." He glanced at ther man before him, seeing his troubled frown, and asked, "Do you not want it to happen?"
"Do you?"

Sora blinked, then frowned, unable to even look at Riku and instead just stared his toes in shame because somehow being with him made everything he seemed to do feel wrong, before giving just the smallest, subtlest nod. "Ven's death was my fault." He whispered. "He was doing my job while I pretended to be sick... I-I was actually thinking of telling him. A-About you. If I just had maybe he'd still be here." The brunette bit his lip which had started to tremble. From the other side, Iris gave a whine, turning a deary and sad color. "I have to avenge him... I owe him that much at least."


"I love him. I love him and my son more than anything." Like Terra had, Aqua crossed the distance over to the blonde, settling down on her knees beside the bed though, rather then getting into it. "Well, it might be different for you since you're a man," She said, "But for me, love feels like... my heart skipping, or wanted to laugh just because I never felt so happy before. It didn't start like that of course; I was scared too. But love is something grows. You probably won't quite be able to grasp this, but it's like the child growing inside me. I start off scared, wondering if I'll have the strength to care for it, to give it the skills it needs to survive here, that I can protect it. But every day I love it more and more and some of that fear goes away."

She rubbed her stomach, which was indeed starting to feel just a tad different. Then she looked up at Ven, smiling. "Once it's here though, I won't have anything to worry about. And there won't be any more fear. Love to me at least also feels like strength. Like you'd do anything to take of that person. Like... you'd face Divine herself to keep that person alive, even one more day."

She straightened, announcing that she had to get going, but she paused at the threshold, glancing back at the blonde whose eyes were contemplative. She added, "Terra won't hurt you again Ven. I shouldn't say this but, he told me he wants more than anything for you to forgive him. I asked him how he could feel like that after everything that's happened. You know what he said?"
When she trialed off, Ven looked towards her, raising a brow curiously. She licked her lips and continued, "He said, 'If I could start all over but know everything I do now, I would of kidnapped him to join us years ago.'" She smiled some, then turned and left.

[Rikugurl]

"Sora..." A hand rubbed the back of the man's head, pulling him close so that their bodies touched. "Don't feel ashamed for how you feel. Like I said, if it was one of my brother's, I too would want someone to pay for what happened. And him being taken, well... it wasn't your fault, you didn't know what was going to happen. No one knows what will happen. Not you, or me, or Mother even. And even if we knew the future, it wouldn't be the future if we changed it so that we could prevent something from happening. Then we wouldn't live life. Life isn't perfect and I believe Mother doesn't believe that. She told me... that she made the Crater what it is today to keep us safe and happy but she forgets that... we have a little bit of human in us. It's only natural to be curious and to foolish, even if we don't know it right away."

He leaned down, kissing Sora's forehead. "You can't save everyone, Sora, not even your brother if that is what's suppose to happen. You can't change the past but you can make a better future. I wish I had the power to save everyone but I am not.... I am not my Mother. I am not.... truly Divine. What makes me divine though... is you."


Ven took a deep breath and watched as she left, just staring at the emptiness of the room then laid down. Aqua wouldn't be the only one who needed to thank Sora for sparing her life but he did too. She was really a wonderful person.

Hours passed and when Terra returned, his chuckle booming through his den and he walked up the small opening, he had to pause, seeing the blonde in bed, under the fur blankets. The Chaser was quiet and he stripped and carefully got into the bed beside him, giving the boy some room but to his surprise, the blonde turned to face him and wrapped an arm around his waist and buried his sleeping face into the nook of his neck for warmth.


"VEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!"
A cheerful cry ripped through the open space where the blonde was working on the last few touches of the drill, the tunnels being shoved out the best they could to reach the tunnel with the 'shielded' end. Blue eyes blinked as he looked around the massive hunk of metal that FINALLY looked like a drill now, seeing the young Caleb come running. "What is it?" He asked, seeing the huge smile on the boy's face. "Mommy and daddy told me last night after the Flight that I AM GOING TO BE A BIG BROTHER!" The little Terror by the boy's side squeaked, sounding quite happy too. "Oh! That's great! I bet you're pretty excited." Ven smiled, slowly getting back to work. "You know, I am a big brother too..."

The boy sat on a nearby rock, watching the blonde work. "Really? Where are they now?"
Ventus paused and gave no one in particular a faint smile. "In the sky, where I use to be."
"Oh... do you miss them?"
"I do... but... It's not so bad down here either."
"Then why don't you go visit them?" The little boy asked as innocent as ever.
"Haha, well... I can't. And besides, I would miss you and your mom and TerrAAAAAAAH!!" The man jumped when he felt a pinch and whipped around, his wide blue eyes looking up into another pair. "Oh, Terra! You scared me!" He laughed, a blush running over his face. "I-I know I'm not suppose to leave the u-uh den without you or Atteris but I wanted to get an early start on the drill. It's almost finished."

[Reno]

"Ah, but you left me all cold." Terra said crossing his arms and feigning unhappiness, but when Caleb practically came over and hugged his leg, yelling about his soon to be brother or sister, he couldn't keep it up. "Shouldn't you be asleep squirt?" He chastised, ruffling his nephew's hair fondly. The boy loudly intoned no and that he snuck out and went running around the flame with way too much energy for this time of night. Terra watched the little terror with his, heh, Terror, glancing sideways at the blonde. "I think we're teaching him bad behavior."
"We?!" The blonde affronted.
"Actually no just you." He said, poking the blonde's cheek, smirking triumphantly. "Since, you know, you snuck out too."


But the peaceful air the 'night going' Landchasers had wasn't going to last long. Around the table sat the male Sky Flyer's; they were finally planning the raid. Jet, still dragonless, was still directing his people though and Riku was only there to listen. It was to take place... tonight. It was Vanitas' thought that perhaps it should be a silent raid. Unexpected. Except one of them didn't agree with this plan.

No one was quite prepared for it to be Sora. "We can't just give them no warning. We're Sky Flyer's, we have more honor than that!"
Beside him, Van scoffed, "And did Ventus get any warning before he was killed? They have their sensors. But at least we can crush at least four tunnels before they're ready for it!"
"We could kill them all doing that!!" Sora felt his stomach twist, unable to get the eyes of that woman out of his mind.
"Well, all the better! Takes care of one problem out here!" Van snapped.
"No! They're a potential food source!" The brunette counter. "And..." He hesitantly added, truly sickened by the very idea but if it was a good enough argument to convince everyone... "A female source."

"Tch, that's what we have Lilo for. And with them gone we'd HAVE more food." Vanitas eyed his elder sibling critically, "And besides, whose side are you on?"
Sora scowled and even for him it was fierce and slightly terrifying. "I am a Sky Flyer. Not a brute or a bully. And I WANT to avenge Ventus. But not like this."
"Well I think you're a-"

"ENOUGH." Roxas snapped, slamming his hand down and glaring at the both of them. "You two are bickering like the children you are!" Only two weeks a man and already his 'high and much mightier than thou' attitude was really grating on the brothers' nerves. The blonde looked from one to the other, giving a practically poisonous look to Van, before saying calmly, "It is the leader's choice." He looked to Jet. "We will do the raid however you would like us to Father."

[Rikugurl]

Jet sat there in silence while his three sons talked, or should one say, argued over the raid. Axel himself seemed to favor the silent raid, the raid meant to be silent from the start but the horn was too loud, alerting the LandChasers.
Finally, he looked up and gave everyone a faint smile. It was Sora who he turned to though and his face twist some, indicating that the words he was about to speak weren't his easiest to say. "Sora, I know you mean well but the word 'raid' itself means 'a rapid surprise attack on an enemy.' We have been kind enough to give those LandChasers time to ready for our attack and... Sora, w-we want to kill the Chasers. That is the whole point of the raids. It's not a tango or a game. And though yes, they are a female source, I could not stand capturing them and having them.... raped for the sake of our people."

He sighed and looked around the table again. "This time, we will do a true raid. A 'silent' one. It is coming down to the line, neither of us having many members now and our dragons aren't making many eggs like we aren't making enough children. So... a silent raid will happen, tonight and... after the raid, I want one of you... to bed Lilo. She is the only female we have and we need to start having children. Until we can rescue a female Unbroken, we will have to use Lilo as our only source as your mother is too old to bear any more children. She has given me four, beautiful smart boys and they all lived to becoming of age."

He turned to Riku, whose light was near gone now. "Divine, you will not be joining us. You must stay here with the women to---"
"I am sorry but I am going. I am going to fight alongside Sora, alongside you all. I may not be a warrior or know how to battle at all but I will protect the people I care about."
Axel stood there, watching, his long, thin fingers tapping on his forearm, his eyes watching Roxas closely. He knew exactly how the Divine felt. "Then no more discussion. Let us get ready."


"Daddy, what's going on?"
"Probably nothing... OW!" The man growled, having been hit in the ribs by the bluette standing next to him as the small family and the whole LandChaser clan stood around, all eyes on the strange hunk of metal before them. The end of the drill was facing the wall that the Chasers wished to drill through and the butt was facing everyone, Aqua's dragon standing before it. Ventus was standing alongside, his face glowing with pride but he still had to let Terra talk... after having to explain how everything works about a million times. The drill that he made was powerful enough to go through solid ground and required no manpower whatsoever. All the Chasers would have to do would be to 'steer' the drill in the direction they wanted to go by using a handle on either side of the butt.

The drill was called a Steam Drill and was powered by steam, or water, that Aqua's dragon could provide. Ventus had explained how the innards all worked but much like Ienzo's ideas, Terra couldn't wrap his mind around it so no one else would understand it either, let alone would they care to learn. All his people wanted was to know that it worked. A simple command was given and a shot of hot water was spit from the dragon into a little hole in the back and suddenly, the drill started to move, drilling through the dirt and rocks for a good 100 feet.
Everyone watched in awe, including Ven who smiled from ear to ear, seeing that his biggest and most complex invention worked.
"OH DIVINE!"
"HOLY SHIT!"
"YAY VENNY!!"

[Reno]

No one noted the way Roxas violently flinched at the word 'Rape' or the way Van's lips curled in a smirk. Sora also looked ashamed, but if there was one thing the brunette was good at it was talking. Usually he could convince anyone of any idea. But something like this... it went to deep. Too personal. He should of known better.

"We'll come to your windows when it's time." Roxas added as the order was given and then the five split up, two pairs hurrying to either tower and Vanitas looking practically giddy as he rushed to his room too.
"Riku..." Sora said, looking unhappy at this new development. Even still, he found him clothes to wear and to protect and hid his hair and face so no one could tell he was a divine. "Yue's not a fighting dragon... please re-consider."
As an answer, Riku ripped the mask off enough to reveal his lower face and grabbed Sora, almost violently, as their lips smashed together passionately. He toned it down a moment later, turning it loving and sweet. It sent shivers all through Sora's body and when they broke apart he was swaying a little bit. "O-Okay... but at least stay near me."
"I never planned to be anywhere else."
Sora smiled then went to get their dragon's ready, giving Riku a quick lesson on how the weapons worked, jittery and full of nervousness.

In another tower, Roxas too was feeling a little nervous. With any luck, their silent plan would kill them all before Axel even had to face the murderous... but in case he did... "Axel... promise me you'll at least be careful?"
Like Riku had, his response was a kiss. A fiery, passionate, dominating one that too made him shiver. And it only became more wild as arms wound around his neck and deepened it.


It seemed like no time at all thought that Axel was flying to Van's room and Roxas curving over to Sora and Riku's, giving the signal to start the raid. Silently, the five flew outwards, high in the air. Axel started to give orders and as he did Sora suddenly realized a huge problem. Riku didn't understand their language! So, he flew close, translating what the red-head was saying - but when Axel gave another part of the order, Sora called back in his own tongue. "Yue antc pits iref!"
Axel paused then nodded and gave a different order.
"We're gonna go down. You're to stay high in the air Riku and drop these once we come up." He pointed to the mechanics that were holding the buttons to the boulders the dragon were carrying. Sora said, glancing at the other. "I'll be right back with you after the dive."
The silverette nodded in understand and then they got into formation. Riku in the back, Roxas slightly ahead. Axel in front of them and then Van and Sora flying neck and neck in a V formation in the front. They were the fastest divers - so they were to go the closest forward.
Axel gave another order and then the four started to descend, Sora and Van rapidly approaching the ground.


Aqua just applauded, looking quite pleased.
"Yes!" Terra cheered, pumping a fist in the air like it was his victory, smiling at Ven.
"Now that's what I'm fucking talking about!" Hatori said, slapping Ven on the back, making him stumble. He probably would of ended up on his face if Terra didn't reach out to steady him. "Good job you fucking brat!"
There was laughter and celebration and cheers - so much so a lot of them didn't catch it at first. But then the echoing beeping started to sound from all over. Something was getting close to the ground!


"IreF!" Xiu turned into flames.
"parkS!" Lyx and Nyx opened their mouths and together burst a flame straight into a hole.
"OWN!" Iris burst fire down.
"Urnb hemt ot ellh." Keir let out a stream as well.


The explosion rocked the tunnels and suddenly their was screaming, stumbling, everyone catching onto something. Caleb started to cry and Aqua scooped him up.
"WHAT THE FUCK!" Hatori yelled as he hurried to help his wife up. They didn't have much time to recover. Boulders were flying from the sky and landing heavily, making the tunnels rock more and Terra, unconsciously, wrapped his arms tighter around Ven, both of them kneeling in the dirt.
SKY FLYERS.
Terra took the information running through his mind quickly, lifting his head and yelling, "It's a FUCKING raid! There's five Flyers and they destroyed the entire west side!" Aqua's eyes went a little wide. The west side was where her and Xigbar and Caleb slept... Terra paused, then nodded, almost to himself but it was to his dragon's words. "Atteris is going up. He'll hold them back!"


"Hatw own?" Rxoas called.
"Gaina!" Axel called, hoping to get in another shot before the landchasers possibly recovered. Everyone nodded and they drew the formation again and then they dived.
But no one got too far. Flames burst upwards out a hole, straight for Roxas. The blonde's eyes widened and he yelled a call. Nyxyin opened her mouth and gas shot out.
Flame and gas met and exploded. Roxas cried as they were shot up into the sky, just barely able to control the dragons into a loop to right them. Everyone else pulled up as well not sure what to do with this development.
And everyone watched in some amount of horror as the murderous climbed out of the hole, looking up at them with a snarl. Van circled overhead, staring down.
"Ti ash on iderr!" He called. Was that a good sign? Was his rider dead then and they just pissed it off?
...A pissed off murderous could be a disaster.

Golden eyes swept over them, noting the way they were formed and smirked cruelly as he saw the way two flew very close, then it's wing spread and it charged up. Axel gave an order for the rest of them to keep attacking the tunnels and went down for it, but the dragon, rather than confronting his opponent, just spun around the Nightmare in an artful dodge and kept going up. And Sora's teeth grit as he realized it just as the rest of them did. "RIKU, WE NEED TO FLY AWAY!" He yelled.
Roxas' eyes widened and he cursed. "EW EEDN OT ISTRACTD TI!"
The plan worked perfectly for Atteris, noting how three of the five dragons came upwards for him to attack him and the one on the mood dragon directed the panicking windwalker away. They had a weakness...


"Let's go then!" Aqua was ordering, rocking her sobbing son.
"NO!" Hatori snapped and everyone stopped. His eyes narrowed on Aqua. "You aren't going."
"What?!"
"We can't risk you losing the child and your dragon is too valuable now!" Xigbar nodded, speaking his mind on this matter.
"Well you'd agree!" Aqua snarked at her husband.
"No arguments!" Hatori snapped. "Braig, Terra and I will take care of it. Now move people before they get any more tunnels!"
There was a scattering of feet and curses and a bit of fear. A quick kiss shared between Aqua and Braig before he went off to fetch his dragon - luckily in the east wing, eating his supper instead of buried alive. Hatori was leading Ida down the tunnel to go and get his Skullion. Aqua followed behind, holding Caleb close as Regole trailed after.
Terra... he hesitated, grabbing Ven's arm before he could follow and looked deep into his eyes, leaning over and saying quickly and quietly, "Ven, I can't promise much the rest of my family, but I won't kill anyone you don't want me to. I know your brothers are up there. Tell me what dragons not to harm."