Utopia

[Reno]

Sora's fingers gripped the reigns tightly, so tight his knuckles were white as they dived down, but there was no exhilaration this time, only fear and panic, his emotions traveling straight to his dragon who was turning from black to gray. All the while his mind was running in circles, wondering what in the world was he going to do. He couldn't speak to a Divine - it was just something you didn't do. It was not allowed because no one but there own were worthy to do such a thing, and if you did, Divine would strike you dead instantly.

But he couldn't just let him die either.

He pulled the reigns sharply, enough he accidentally hurt Iris so she gave a yelp of pain. They hovered there, wide eyes looking up at him and Sora looking down. Then he started to flap his arms, wordlessly trying to tell him to fly.
But the Divine just continued to stare at him, wide-eyed. And worst of all motionless. The dragon behind him seemed to have no bravery either - of course they didn't; they lived in paradise, they didn't know how to handle fear!

So, in a last ditch effort, he leaned over and whispered something hurried to Iris. She gave another roar of complaint, but then dived the last few feet her claws grabbing onto the Divine's shoulders and with a hard flap took off to the sky. It took the windwalker another moment, but then she was after them, giving a screech of her own.


A piercing whistle filled the tunnels, echoing down them with a strong vibration and Terra, the one who made the sound, was the only one who didn't flinch. As they came to another junction, his feet skidded to a stop where a large dragon suddenly stepped out. He was all-black and quite ferocious, his claws like scythes. Deep golden eyes narrowed down at him and Terra gave him a smile, jumping onto his back without fear though to anyone else, he was much to fear. A Murderous Dragon - one of the strongest of all and one of the most impossible to tame. They lived to kill, doing so more for sport than for meals. It was a dragon everyone knew well to stray from.

And it was like a nightmare when, years ago, they had accidentally uncovered this dragon's den. For a terrifying time, when there was nothing but death after death and fleeing from tunnel to tunnel as this dragon took them down one by one, they were sure it would be the end of their legacy. Terra, young then and foolish always, wasn't about to give up his life though. He found his way to the den that was often now empty, the murderous dragon roaming their tunnels freely to find more landchasers to kill. He looked around the den, hoping to find anything to stop the senseless killing, when he found it under a collection of bones. It was a piece of meat, small enough to fit into his palm, still warm and pulsing. The smell was tantalizing and, having been unable to hunt since the dragon had been released, his starvation drew him to gobbling it up in one swallow.

And then a voice not his own filled his mind.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
He had eaten the dragon's heart. It was the reason murderous dragon were nearly impossible to kill - they could remove their own heart and keep it somewhere else for protection while they went out to kill and pillage. They were invincible.
Almost.

But Terra had eaten it, and unknowingly bound them both together - forever. Now, if he died, so would the dragon. The dragon whose name was Atteris. And, holding a sword up to his throat in a clear threat, he told the dragon if he did not stop killing his people, then it would be the end of both of them. A truce was formed. Maybe even a friendship. After all, now the only carnage he got to relish in was that of skyfliers.

"You just need to call for me. Not whistle." The dragon;s voice, dark and growling, echoed in his mind.
"Ah, and what fun is that?" Terra laughed as he guided him down the tunnel after his uncle. He reached down and Ienzo took his hand, pulling him up behind him, a fact Atteris begrudgingly allowed.


"Shut up Ven," Van snarled as he dragged him into a different, smaller room. One not used because most dragons weren't so tiny. Verrill would not no hope getting inside. He pressed Ventus up against the wall, snarling down at him, "You're so weak you know that? Can hardly stand the hunger for a couple days. And yet Roxas and Sora," He spat their names like they were curses, "Are too stupid to just let some useless worm like you die."

He leaned in close now, eyes glimmering with malicious intent. "You won't live much longer Ven. But as long as you're breathing," He grinned, "I might as well make use of you."

Then he slammed their lips together, so hard Ven's head hit the back of the wall with a sound crack.

[Rikugurl]

"A-AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" Riku cried as he was pulled up, off the earth, and was dangling from the grip of the color changing dragon. He had never seen such a thing and---- wait, where were they taking him!? He glance back, having a hard time seeing through his whipping silver hair at Yue who was following behind. She was larger than the dragon pulling him and easily caught up, flying next to them in fact. Her crystal eyes narrowed at the rider of the mood dragon and chirped, revealing that she had no teeth at all, much like a bird. She pulled her wings up and dove some, smashing into the smaller dragon and rider, trying to get them to release her brother this instant. She continued again and again, knowing that this was the only way she could help him since she couldn't breath fire or anything at that manner.

Still, the rider wouldn't budge, guiding them to a large ruin before diving down just a half a mile short. The Divine touched ground and was released, the silverette pulling away, rubbing a shoulder and feeling how the cloth was ripped from the claws. He frowned some, seeing his sister land next to him before walking over, pusher her snout against the other rider so strong that he fell off.


The lights against the walls were flashing now, the two dragons flying through the tunnels to reach the weighted area and just as they were coming to the last intersection, the lights all turned dim again. The stealth dragon stopped, nearly getting trampled by the murderer. It huffed and grunted, glaring back at the large creature before getting snapped back to attention.
"Something tells me that we need to get smaller, faster dragons or you need to tweak your lights." Xigbar growled, looking up at the tunnel ceiling. "Maybe like having them go off when something is too CLOSE to the ground."
"Tch, those Flyers sky bomb, those things would be going off all the time!" Ienzo snapped back behind Terra's large frame.

A golden eye looked back, catching the blue. "Then maybe you should find a better way to alert us. How about we stick you up there for real time surveillance?"
The young man narrowed his eyes, not liking Terra's uncle one bit. "Why don't you come up with something for once then!?"
"Cause that's not my job, little girl." Xigbar hissed and pulled the reigns on the dragon he was mounted on, the beast giving a huff before slithering down a tunnel passage.
"Asshole..." The other growled shaking his head. If they weren't all in bed... "Let's go back... there's no way we can find whatever that was at night."


"MMMMMMMMGH!!" The blonde cried into the other's mouth, the pain in the back of his head just something to keep his mind occupied on while a dirty hand wandered down his body, rubbing between his legs. He tried to pull his face away, but as he gasped for air, his mouth was only filled with the wicked taste of his brother's tongue, searching his whole mouth, leaving nothing untouched. He wished that his loyal dragon would have eaten him the day before like he had asked, finding this worse than death itself. There were no rules against it but for some reason, he felt that his was so horribly wrong.

When he finally managed to slip away some, his mouth too far for his brother to take, he gasped. "W-why!? Why do you do this to me??"

[Reno]

"Ah!" The brunette flailed and he fell off, grunting as he hit the ground. Luckily Iris wasn't too large or such a fall could of really hurt! The mood dragon growled, turning a brilliant red as she lowered on her haunches, looking ready to pounce and start a fight, and only Sora, quickly getting up and hands grabbing her reigns and pulling her back halted her. She huffed and circled back behind him her form curling close so she could could still snarl at the other dragon.

He gave her a look, then looked over at where the Divine was eyes wide and confused as he practically was trying to make himself one with the side wall. He frowned some and lifted him hands, pointing to himself and shaking his head then smiling.


Can I eat him? Atteris asked, feeling the instinctive anger his rider had. Terra only smacked him in the ear before looking back and nodding. "Right." He turned them around, having Atteris walk them all the way back to his den, doing his best to ignore the mental images Atteris was sending him of his uncle's twisted form and his dragon gutted and dead and the sick sense of pleasure those thoughts were giving him.

"And don't listen to him." He told Ienzo, "Your invention is great." It truly was; he guaranteed they were eating better than those skyfliers! "Besides, he's just in bitchy mood because dad got in his case about passing up food." Of course everyone knew about that now - it was such a shameful thing to do.


"Because I want too." Van hissed back squeezing around the length in a way that made Ven squirm and gasp, rubbing harder as he felt the budding erection forming, "Don't act like you don't like it either. Your body betrays you."

He lent forward, nipping on an ear, there bodies pressing together now, rocking his hips against Ven's. He whispered in his ear, tantalizingly sweet like a siren promising something good, only to cruelly take it away in the end, "You want it too."

[Rikugurl]

A silver brow rose at the strange hand gestures. What was he doing exactly? Yue wasn't so interested in the show, nudging her brother to get his attention. They needed to get back to the Crater and NEVER leave it after a night like tonight. Never in her life had she felt so defenseless, knowing that the brother who picked her had wanted to share his life with her and if she couldn't even protect him...
But he continued to pat her and rub her nose, no signs that he wanted to hope back on her and leave. Instead, he watched as the brunette started to make some more hand gestures that were truly strange. Finally, he made the other pause when his mouth opened and he spoke. "Who are you? And why did you bring me here?" He asked, his handsome voice easily being carried by the still air around them, as if they were talking inside and not out here in the dunes.

Now it was the brunette's turn to stare at him with wide eyes, the dragon behind him not looking any happier. Slowly the brunette pointed upwards, making the silverette glance at the night sky, seeing nothing but the moon and stars above. When he looked back at the other, he was pointing down at the sand then spread his fingers and moved them around before pulling one up, making it look like a mouth opening and then closing. This was all very strange to the man in the white robes until he finally figured it out, or so he thought. "You.... can't speak?"


As the two came closer to their den, the younger man slid off and walked the rest of the way, deep in thought. Perhaps he should find a quicker way to alert everyone. He thought this would be perfect but perhaps he could make it so that the lights stayed on a bit longer, or turned another color when the weight was lifted, just so they could still find the point and perhaps have an easier time getting to them by flight. That was perfect! First thing in the morning, he would tweak the lights to do just that and let Hatori know of his new idea... with some thanks to Xigbar. The man was at least right that the current system was good but not quite perfect.

Though Xigbar wasn't likable or kind in any way, he was an elder and he had some wisdom behind him. Of course, he also had a family who he loved and took great care of and that deserved respect if nothing else. Terra stepped inside the den first, followed slowly by the man when he stopped, glancing back to see that the dragon was going to walk right in too. "Hey! HEY!" He pushed on one of the might legs, making the dragon growl and glare down at him. "What makes you think you can come in? You have your own, don't you?" Ienzo snapped, slowly stepping around the dragon to get inside the den.

He glanced back when he hear Terra chuckling, asking him what the big deal was? The dragon was harmless to them now...
"Harmless? This dragon killed both my parents and chased my elder sister and brother to the surface. You forget that..." Deep blue eyes looked up at the other's, he face hurt and pissed before he pushed passed the brunette, heading to the bed they shared and getting in, pulling over the furs and facing away.


"H-aaah...." The blonde's body arched, his length already wet from the hand along it. His face flushed when their bodies came closer and another erection was rubbing against his own, the feeling absolutely amazing. The blonde's vision was already becoming dark now, though the shame in his eyes won over his pleasure. "I... I want to be strong.... na-aaI want to g-go to the c-c-rater... I w-want to sssssnaahh! my people happy..... I.....I don't.... want this...."

[Reno]

He had no idea a Divine could speak his tongue - or well the common tongue that is. He was sure he didn't know their mixed language, created to fool the deadly Landchasers who believed they too were not understood. And his voice... was just like his looks. ethereal and perfect. This man in his presence was like nothing else; was something he did not deserve to be around.

But evens till he tried to answer his question, pointing upwards to indicate the sky; as Sora was his name and it came from there. Or perhaps he would understand he was a skyflier. Then he started to indicate the sand and the danger he had been in, trying to mimic the dragons that pop out of the sand and clamp down on pray to drag their catch back into their dens.

"You...." Sora looked up hopefully. "Can't speak?"
Sora smacked his own face, ignoring Iris snickering in amusement behind him. He sighed slowly, running a hand through his hair in agitation and shook his head, waving his arms as well to indicate No.
"You... can speak?"
There! They were started to understand each other. He nodded eagerly.
"Then... why won't you speak to me?"
Sora stared at the other, hesitating before he pointing slowly to himself then raised his hands up in a X, then raised his hand to his mouth fluttering out his hands, and finally pointed at the Divine, shaking his head. The other started at him clueless. He mouthed it slowly, as he made the motions, pointing to himself, 'I' then he made the x, 'can not', then did the little hand motion, 'speak', and then again pointed to him, 'to you'.
He wasn't sure if he read his hand motions correctly, or was just good at reading lips, but slowly, words jarring and hesitant he repeated the sentence and Sora was nodding, practically ready to bounce on his heels in excitement that he was getting through.

And then Riku had to ask, "Why?"
HOLY SEVEN SUNS! Sora threw his hands up and yelled, "BECAUSE IT'S FORBIDDEN!"
Then he realized his mistake, his hands slapping over his mouth quickly as if he could suck the sound back up, but the damage was done. His heart started to race, ready for death to come at any second as he started to back away from the other - and of course forgot about Iris so instead he went toppling over her with a cry and a grunt as he landed on his back on the cavern floor of the old, abandoned well room.

It hurt, enough he was sure his head would have a bruise on it come morning - if he made it there. But he was up and scrambling back anyways until he was against the opposite wall, as far as possible from the other his dragon coming to his side. But his eyes were on Riku, this time he being the one to show true fear, the blood racing in his ears more fierce than his and Iris' dives. "P-Please don't k-kill me..."


Terra watched the other with a peculiar frown and then, in his mind, said "You better go..."
Atteris gave a snorting growl before turning and heading off down the hall, but not before giving Terra a lovely parting gift of just what Zexion's parents looked like dead, the mother's eyes ripped out, the father's intestines all over the floor. He shuddered, but his stomach held up against the nausea, having strengthened over the many years, used to his dragon's tricks and sick sense of humor.

Instead he brushed it off, walking over and settling down in the furs, not quite getting under the covers yet. He murmured softly, "I'm sorry... you know I did not mean to offend you. I know just how dangerous that dragon was and how many he hurt; it was why I did such a stupid foolish thing as to get bound to him." Never mind that was purely accidental.

"I just..." He hesitated, thinking over his words with care, "When he is in a foul mood I can feel it too. It is better to try and appease him in small ways because it is better for my own state of mind as well."


"But you want me happy too, don't you?" Van whispered like the true snake he was, his hands gripping his pants, pulling them down... down...
And then Ven's face was in the wall, Van's chest against his back a clothed erection rubbing in the crack of his bare ass. "This makes me happy." He hissed, the sound of clothes moving, pulling, going down.
And then something hard and wet was pressing against his entrance, a hand pulling his cheeks apart, hips jerking upwards until there was nothing but burning and stretching as Van entered him, a stifling moan drowning out his sudden cry. A hand wrapped around Ven's lips, muffling his screams as he jerked up again, and in two more tries was fully in the other, that tight heat and perfect cheeks wrapped around him completely. He loved ever second of it, the way Ven trembled under him, trying in futile to jerk away, the way warm tears ran along his fingers and harsh breathes dampened his hand. "Mmm... fuck Ven... you feel so good. And you're all mine..."

[Rikugurl]

OOC: I won't be on tonight. My internet is wonky :/

Riku watched the display with wide eyes, his hand reaching out some when the brunette fell over his own dragon but the boy was back on his feet and heading for the far wall. His head tilted, never seeing such a display before in his life. However, when the other spoke again, he frowned, and honestly, was a bit flabbergasted. His mouth opened and moved but no words came out, his eyes slowly closing, catching his thoughts and shook his head. Slowly, he opened his eyes again. "K-kill?" He finally inquired, the brunette pressing close to the wall, waiting for something terrible to happen. "Why would I kill a person who has done no harm to me. My robes might be a little torn but they can be mended. I have no desire to ever kill a human or animal. I enjoy..." He paused, looking around the waste land stretched out before them. "Fruit and berries that grow... on our trees and bushes..." His voice was low, realizing that the brunette had no idea what those things were.

When he looked back into the dark blue eyes of the dirty man, he ran his hand over the silver scales of his sister. "Why would I kill you if you speak to me?"


Ienzo glanced back through his hair at the man who held him every night and showed him love and compassion, something that seemed lost to the rest of the Landchasers. "It's not like you didn't save us all when you did it... it was a blessing and a curse from Divine. But remember Terra," He started, turning in the bed to face his lover, "just because you have learned how to deal with him, not everyone else has. If you wish to do 'nice' things with that monster, do it on your own time. I can never forgive him for what he did and I never plan on doing so." The younger reached up, running his fingers gently through the other's dark locks. "I love you... that's all that matters and even if a bit inside of him is inside of you, that's never going to change my love."

He leaned up, pressing his lips against the other's. "Come on, let's get some sleep... we have a lot of mining to do tomorrow if we're going to make it to the Crater in time."


"G-aaaah!!" The blonde's eyes closed tightly, feeling his brother push himself inside of his body, violating every inch of his channel. He gripped onto the old, dirty bricks that made the fall he was forced on, trying to push away the tears as they fell down his face from shame and pain. It wasn't like this was the first time, or even new. This had been happening for years and still, he was not use to it. Still, he never told his other brothers or parents. Why? Maybe because Van said he would kill him if he did and he knew Verrill would go after his brother, making his people kill his closest friend. Because, until now, he didn't want to die.

The thought of no longer living didn't seem so bad anymore.

After awhile, the rushes of pain coursing through his body subsided and that hated pleasure kicked in. His length was pulsing and dripping now, the precome saturating the dirty floor below his legs. Instead of cries of pain coming between his brother's fingers, it was moans of pleasure and lust, his hips betraying him as they moved back against the jerks, the ride easier. "V-vaan..." He moaned, feeling his brother's kisses along the bare back of his shoulders. "T-this is such madness...."

[Reno]

Sora considered not speaking anyways, to go back to his hand movements and struggles to make the other understand him, but he was so baffled by all this. He lowered his hands slowly, his voice whispering loud enough to echo on the walls, "You really don't know, do you?"

There was a slow shake, the other's magnificent hair moving with him and it made him shiver a little bit, wondering at it's clean, soft appearance before shaking his mind of devilish thoughts. "I'm a skyflier... you're a divine... laws state we're not even supposed to look at each other, let alone speak! It is something that is... well... it is just something that is not done." He waved his hands out then sighed. "The punishment is meant to be death."

Before the other could respond to that though, he gave the other a sharp look and a frown, but their was something concerned in that gaze as well "Speaking of which, I did not carry you off for no reason! You almost got yourself killed!" Pretty - no, no they WEREN'T pretty!! - eyes blinked at him. He pointed outside, saying, "Never, ever land on the sand. Landchasers live underground and they have these... detectors that tell them when a weight has landed on the ground. Their dragons were seconds from popping out of the ground and snapping their teeth you or-or her," He waved towards Yue, "And dragging you down to their den to kill you... and then eat you."


After they broke apart, Terra let out a small sigh and nodded, "Right," He said gently, laying down beside the other, the two of them getting comfortable. But long after Ienzo had drifted off, Terra lay there, staring at the far wall, troubled.
He did not expect his lover to understand. How could he explain such a thing? Without sounding mad or as if the walls constantly surrounding him had driven him mad? How could he tell Ienzo that Atteris was more than just a dragon but like an extension of himself?
'Simply he does not wish to understand.' Came a hiss in his mind.
'Shut up Atteris.' He growled right back.
'Your kind is so self-oriented.' He continued anyways, because he honestly couldn't stop him even if he wished too. 'Love can only look past so many things.'
'But love... is meant to look past everything' There was a frown marring his face, so much his dragon felt it and he sighed, the unpleasant feel of sadness not one he preferred from his 'other' half. It was such a low emotion and it made him feel bad; which was disgusting!
'I would not know. I have never been 'in love'.'
This earned a quirked eyebrow, then a wondering query 'Can you fall in love?'
'Naturally. All creatures feel it to some extent. You see it when a mother protects or cub, or a father guards his family.'
'But you just seem so... evil.' He couldn't help that thought, already begun before he could guard it.
'Perhaps.' Was the only answer, amusement flickering through their bond. Terra shook his head and sighed, still disturbed and troubled. 'Sleep. As you say, things are better in the morning.'


There was a breathy chuckle against Ven's shoulder, permeated by a little moan when his hand rubbed along a pale nipple, causing the other to clench around him, "Well, I'm happily mad then." He pressed Ven more so up against the wall, hips jerking a more fast pace, his groans getting louder as that pool in his gut burned. "And s-ooooh are youuu~"

The head shook weakly, as if trying to deny such a think and he gripped his hair in annoyance to the small defiance, nipping his ear and their bodies pressed so, so close together in their intimate dance.

[Rikugurl]

The silverette stared at the other, baffled at the things that were coming from his mouth. He spoke like if he really knew what was going on and could grasp such a concept. In his world, his sanctuary, his utopia, there was no such thing as death or having to watch where you stepped or having to worry about the others who lived there. The dragons were kind and peaceful, their brothers and sisters, actually, and their mother was caring and wise, their father more wise than the caring part but he was always so busy with his own studies, digging deep into his ancestor's blood to create more things in their world that brought happiness and sense of peace.

"I'm sorry." He finally spoke, catching the brunette off guard. "Your rules must be different---" He was about to say out here but he knew that would only offend the man covered in rags. "I was never told not to talk to you or your people. I was only given two rules: Be peaceful and don't leave the Crater. I suppose I broke one of those but I don't think death is on the other side of that. I don't know who the 'Skyflyers' or the 'Landchasers' are but I do thank you for watching out for me and saving my life. I truly owe you, my friend." He smiled, liking the sound of that word. "I'm Riku... and this is my sister, Yue." He introduced the stunning dragon by his side.


"RUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!! IT'S COMING THIS WAY!!!!!" The panicked woman called, rushing down the tunnels, the sound of death itself coming from behind. The family of five quickly rushed through the mud and dirt covered caverns, the lanterns all going out, falling from the walls and being lost in the destruction. "AAAAAAAH!!!" Something snapped, whipping the woman in the face and knocking her down. Her lover halted and spun around. The three children did as well but their father could only look back at him, his expression already telling them that nothing was going to be alright. "KEEP RUNNING! DON'T LOOK BACK AND DON'T STOP!" The youngest child, a boy who was maybe only four, was picked up by his brother and quickly, he ran after his elder sister down the tunnel.

The walls behind them continued to crumble, the beams above their head breaking but they did as their father asked, never looking back even when the horrid roars for the dragon ripped through them. They could hear the screaming of others but they continued to race forward until they came to a fork in the path and took to the left, knowing that it would bringing them to the mining shaft. With the division in the road, it slowed the dragon down, giving the two older children some time to use their heads. Unfortunately, they weren't given enough time. They only reached the entrance of the shaft when the dragon broke through the adjacent tunnel, the red fangs flashing as they raced by. The older boy saw a few mine carts made of steel against the walls and quickly, wedged his baby brother in between two of them.

The wall continued to be ripped down, making the beams crumble and the carved earth give way. Light from the hot hot suddenly poured in from a hole created and without thinking, the girl jumped op on a cart and climbed herself up to the light, disappearing through the hole created. There was a flash of purple soaked with tears before the other boy followed, he too disappearing before the sands came in and destroyed the rest of the support from the weight, everything falling down, the tunnel completely collapsing. But there was still a cry of a little boy, still wedged and safe under the strong carts.
"MAAAAAMAAAAAAA!!!! DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! DEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! ESSSSSSSSSSSSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"
Ienzo shot up from the bed, the fur blanket being thrown from his torso, a little wet from sweat. He wished that nightmare was just a dream but he knew too well that it was a memory and he should have known that it would rear its ugly head when Atteris was mentioned or even talked about.


"Mmmmmmnnnnn...."
By now, Ventus was in his brother's room, on his knees, leaning over the bed, his head bobbing between his older brother's legs. He had to clean his brother up, having it in such a dirty place. His blue eyes rolled up to look at the golden ones looking down at him, seeing a pleased smile running across his lips as he enjoyed his service. He hated this, this power his brother had over him. How did he become so strong? And why was it that after he would abuse him, he would act so sweet and loving to him afterward?

[Reno]

He could see it, his confusion, his lack of understanding. He envied the other's ignorance. His life truly must be something else. It made a strange feeling curl in his gut as he realized where this divine was from was worlds more magnificent then he could of even imagined. Did he even know what 'starving' meant? or 'pain?'

When the other mentioned his name though he blinked then glanced at his own dragon. She tilted her head, the two of them wondering if this was truly such a great idea. Sora rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged - well, why the fuck not? - and looked back at the other. "I'm Sora, and this is my errm... dragon, Iris."

The mood dragon regarded them warily for a small time her scales changing to yellow. That was until a hand grasped her horn and tugged it and she yelped, her colors changing again to red and she growled.
"Be polite and say hello." Sora hissed.
She huffed then sat down, sitting tall as her scales again changed, this time to purple. And she gave a little growl and a nod, tail wrapped around her feet.


After a short time, arms wrapped around him, Ienzo never knowing it he stirred his bedmate or not but was only drawn in close by the brunette's arms, so used to this occurrence it was like instinct now as he hushed and shushed the other's panic and near sobs. A hand rubbed his back gently, purple and brown hair mixing as Terra lent his forehead on the other's head.

Could he ever explain to him that when he woke up from his night terrors, all he felt was shame and guilt because his dragon;s sin were now his own?

[Rikugurl]

The silverette chuckled a bit, seeing the way the dragon was behaving. It was a little odd but he shook it off as being something different. "I have never seen such a dragon. Very curious." He said softly but turned to his own, gently pushing himself up onto her back and patting her neck. "Again, thank you for your warning and help, Sora. I hope that someday, I can return the favor." He gave the brunette and sincere smile and the feathered wings flapped, bringing the two up into the air and off they went, heading back to the glowing light of the crater.


The next day, when Roxas headed into his brother's room to pick up his new harness that he was planning on using the day of his hunt, he was shocked to see his twin brother still working on it. When he inquired why it wasn't finished, he was met with a furious, yet pale face. "Because someone did not bring me water last night to cool the metals. They burned out and became one with the pot they were melted in. I had to set my pot outside for the heat to melt to make these." He hissed, shoving the two harnesses into his brother's arms before stomping to another part of his room, Verrill trying desperately to sleep.
"I would have gone down to the Well myself but heh," He chuckled bitterly, cleaning some metal shavings from the table. "I'm not as strong as the rest of the Skyflyers..."

Before Roxas could argue, another man stepped into the room, this one, the brunette twin. Ventus turned around, his eyes darkening when he saw his brother looking quite different, as if he was HAPPY. "What, Sora?" That slapped the look off his eldest brother's face and the brunette hurried over, handing over the strange piece he had found in the sand last night. It looked like some ancient weapon. Sora said that it would be something nice to thank Axel with and---
"Axel doesn't need thanks." Ven snapped, turning away and studying the metal. "He left us without any food for two weeks and because he finally gets a catch that saves us all, he shouldn't be rewarded. I will make a weapon for Roxas's hunt this afternoon instead."


By the time Terra woke up that morning, his bedmate was gone and the den was empty. It was only by mid-day that he was able to catch up with the other, finding him in the new tunnel that Xigbar and Hayner were working on to reach the Crater. He was up on the new beams, working on setting up the lights, a new device in between them that Terra had never seen before. When the brunette called up to the other, Ienzo didn't respond, actually ignoring the call from below as he worked on his task on hand.

"Terra!" A call came from down the tunnel and the blue eyes caught his uncle waving him over, still somewhat in the dark. When the brunette came closer, the elder pulled up a new beam, setting it in with a nail and hammer. "He's been more quiet today than I've ever seen him. I don't blame him. He's the only one smart enough to be thinking of what we'll do once we hit the Crater. I'm sure we wont be welcomed with open arms, you know? I can't imagine dealing with Divine herself..."

[Reno]

There was a moment of quiet in the room, the eldest looking back at the youngest, twin looks of bafflement on them. Roxas just shrugged after a few moments, silently waving it off as one of Ven's 'moods'. But they had been getting more frequent and even worse tempered and Sora couldn't help but feel the utter Wrong that pulsed through him about it.

So, concerned like a brother should be, he reached out saying, "Ven is everyt-" and never finished because Ven flinched so suddenly as his hand came in contact with his shoulder and he spun around, violently smacking his hand away and all but screaming to not touch him. And for the briefest, tiniest second, Sora was sure he saw fear in those eyes. A little flicker, like a spark created when trying to light a fire. And then it was gone.

But why would he have reason to fear him?

"Cool it!" Roxas was stepping in while Sora was marveling at all, his body shifting as if he were unable to decide whether he should protect Sora or Ven. "What in the heck is up with you Ven?"


"Ienzo...?" Terra's voice fell away some, frowning up at the other who was studiously pretending he did not exist. The twist that had been within his stomach since last night tightened in a knot, making him feel a little sick. And there was a growl in his mind a snap of 'Stop that!', but it was impossible to really fight feelings. It was more like... like bartering. You could trade it in, hope you get something better than you have even if it;s more misleading.

He decided to trade it in for anger and this made his dragon purr. He spun away as his uncle called, stalking over with an invisible black aura around him, frowning at the other's words. "Tch, you give him too much credit. He probably hides his other eye to make sure no one can see half his brain is turned off." He snapped quietly, his words meant to be mean. His uncle gave him a glance of surprise and a quirked brow, before making a comment - something about lack of satisfaction in bed that made him growl. "Fuck you."

[Rikugurl]

Ven swallowed hard, hearing Verrill getting up and growling at the brothers, ready to protect his friend if needed. He had felt so useless last night, not able to do a thing when the black haired twin pulled Ventus away, the blonde not returning until the dawn and didn't speak a word, only laying down on the rags and fell into an uneasy sleep.
Blue eyes looked at Roxas, the near reflection of himself and then at Sora, the near reflection of Vanitas. And his eyes slowly started to play tricks on him, Roxas now growing out a pathetic ponytail and Sora's hair burned black and his eyes reflected gold. Then, he watched 'Sora' grab onto 'Roxas's' arm and pulled him back, smashing his lips against the blonde's and his hand grabbed between the other's legs---

"Ven? VEN!?"

The blonde blinked, his brothers back to normal and still in the same spot they were in before the vision. Ven shook his head and turned away, looking blankly at the metal he would make into a great weapon, he was sure. "Please.... just leave me alone... I....I can't stand the sight of anyone right now. I still feel... maddened by the starvation...."


Xigbar chuckled, the man quickly going back to work on the beams. They were made from wood of old roots that still lived deep under the ground, now fossilized from being underground so long. They were great for keeping support and easy to reuse. "I told you, Terra... a woman's love is like no other~" He laughed, getting a hard punch but barely faltered from it.


Later in the day, the two tanned men followed the driller dragon and his rider, Ienzo following far behind, hooking up and testing the lights. Xigbar caught his nephew looking back every once in awhile, scoffing when something came across his mind and got back to work. "You need to cut him some slack, Terra. That's the whole point of loving someone is to give them their own space. If he doesn't want to talk, let him deal with it. You can't say crude things about him because he's human. I'm sure you aren't always Mr. Sunshine."
Before Terra could argue, the driller dragon gave off a horrible screech, grabbing everyone's attention immediately. Everyone rushed over, including Ienzo, to see what was going on.

They could all clearly see what the matter was the moment they reached the boy and his dragon, the shimmering hard to miss. "We were just digging and suddenly, we hit this. What the hell is it? It's not metal... looks like.... like special dirt."
"It's magic." The periwinkle head stated clearly, walking pass the dirty, muddy men and came up to the wall, reaching out and running his hand over it. "I should have known... Divine is protecting the crater all around, by land, sky and underground." He suddenly pointed on the shimmering tunnel wall, seeing that no dirt, rock or sand was affected by it.
"A-are you saying that we can't fucking tunnel our way in?" Xigbar snapped, his eye dark with sudden rage.
"That's exactly what I'm saying..."


Golden eyes glared across the room at the younger man and his dual headed dragon, growling and hissing under his tongue until he heard the call of his own tamer. "Xiu...Na do di screemi beserkers..." The Nightmare shook his head and huffed, a cloud of smoke arising from his flaring nostrils before following Axel to the ledge of the highest room in the ruins. He again wore nothing but his loin cloth, the man never seen with much more on but that and Roxas was covered head to toe, not one piece of skin showing and his eyes were covered in tinted goggles, designed by Ventus to keep their eyes from being burned. None of this seemed to affect the Unbroken.

Just as the harness was placed on the Zippleback, there was a fluttering of the rags at the doorway and the blonde looked back, seeing his twin brother, something shimmering in his hand. "Here." Ven said softly, handing his brother the weapon which felt lighter than before. It was obvious that Ven had used more metal for the weapon but it looked completely different that what Sora had found. It looked more like a piece of art than a weapon, though the tips of the 'teeth' were razor sharp. It was light like silver, the tones obviously bleached and fused form the heavier color that it had before. It was almost white, though some areas looked darker but only because of the maker's design.

"I call it the Oathkeeper. Since it's silver like the Divine, perhaps it will promise you a kill every time you use it... Good luck." Ven gave his brother a weak smile before turning, disappearing behind the rags.


OOC: I won't be on tonight. Stupid tired and heading to bed now~

[Reno]

At the announcement, all four of them just stood there, staring at the wall like what was hindering them from moving on would just disappear any moment. All there hard work, years and years of tunneling... all for nothing? Could it really be true?

Would they really... always be stuck outside of paradise?

A hand ran agitated through brown locks before he spun around, uttering one sharp echoing curse, "FUCK!" Before he walked off. No one considered stopping him, since they all knew who Terra was going to and really no one wanted to be in the path of Hatori's wrath that was sure to come.

And come it did.

"What... did you say?" Hatori said his voice measured and low, but it was like being in the middle of a sandstorm. You were safe in the eye, but as soon as an edge started moving into your space of safety there would be nothing to stop the pain that followed.
Blue eyes angled away from those red eyes, looking towards the large form of the dragon laying across the floor. His father's dragon - a Skullion. Unlike most dragons it lacked wings; unlike most animals in general, it also lacked eyes and ears. But the creatures sense of smell was like nothing else and it was certainly well-equipped to kill with it's many rows of violent sharp teeth and vicious pointer claws that it uses to handicap it's pray before killing it. Ironically, he was less afraid of his own dragon than this beast.

"We can't tunnel any further. Divine's barrier is preventing us." Terra repeated anyways, though he knew his father heard him the first time. His eyes turned from the dragon to the back of the room where his mother's mournful cry echoed in despair at the same time a sleuth of curses came from his father's mouth.


"Ven...?" Roxas asked when his brother approached, but blinked at the strange weapon that was handed to him. He studied it carefully, testing the weight in his hand and finding it perfect. "Ah... thank you..." He called after his brother, not fully certain he was listening. He sighed before climbing up onto Nyx, guiding the dual-dragons out and onto the ledge too, glancing towards Axel and waiting for his instruction.

[Rikugurl]

"W-wait!" Came a call from behind, the Tellus family pausing their actions for a moment to see the shorter, pale teenager before them who, just this morning, reported that he had enhanced the lighting system. "I may have an answer." He only fell back in place when their leader stepped up to him, swallowing some knowing that 'maybe' wasn't Hatori's favorite word. It was Hatori's idea to tunnel into the crater and now that his plan had a flaw, he had a hard time accepting it. "I... I have plenty of books which have survived the ages. Perhaps... perhaps one might hold a spell that we can use to take down the barrier?"
There was a huff and he nearly fell when he slapped upside the head, hearing his leader grumble that you need to be some sort of Divine to use magic.

W-well, we don't know that yet." He pointed out, still getting doubtful looks from Hatori and Ida herself. The younger frowned, before looking up at his boyfriend, trying to find some backup. "


Axel gave the other a smirk before mounting the dragon bare back, the man never interested in fancy things such as saddles and harnesses. He said they only got in the way and would burn up anyway with the fire jacket attack. "Come on!" He called and the Nightmare shot off, flying into the blazing heat and burning sun. The Zippleback was quick to follow, the dragons flying effortlessly, the atmosphere not known to bother the scaly beast. Most Skyflyers flew during the night as the Landchasers were asleep, knowing that if they had to land for a moment, they would have more time on the surface before a Chaser would find them. Now, in the middle of the afternoon when the sun was at it's peak, it would be foolish to even think of touching down.

Axel knew that they would have a better chance if they flew off far away but the likelihood of them making it back would be poor. Even if the dragons could make it back, because of the heat and sand, the humans would likely die of dehydration or heat stroke. They had a limited time to find food and Roxas needed to learn how to hunt fast.
"WATCH THE SANDS!" He called back, the wind whipping through his hair from the dragon's flight. "LOOK FOR ANY HINTS OF MOVEMENT!"

They flew around like buzzards, gazing down at the sand for any signs of an animal or reptile. The redhead Unbroken warned to look away every once in awhile or Roxas would burn his eyes staring at he grains of sand.
When they had no luck on the surface, Xiu pulled up and Axel led the young blonde towards the ruins of their last home nearly a mile away. This was where he found the bear and perhaps their could be more. When they arrived, the ruins looked much the same as their current ones except some rooms had collapsed and crumbled due to the past raids. This was the Roxas's and his twins birthplace, the move quite hard with five little babies.

They flew over the ruins twice, not seeing any sign of creatures around the edge of it. "WE'RE GOING TO LAND!" The man called, Xiu lowering until he touched the base of a room, Roxas landing close. As the redhead hopped off, he smelled the air and frowned. "Dogs..."
Dogs were fast and fierce and if you didn't come with a dragon, capturing them was pretty much impossible. They were black and tanned, their teeth sharp and if you were bit, you were best off dead from infection.
From a bag that Axel carried on his loyal friend, he pulled out a bizarre weapon that the Unbroken made themselves. It was circular, like a wheel, but there were sharp spikes all around the edges. In the middle was a grip made of leather for non-slip protection. With this, he could swing from any direction or angle and still ripp through flesh.

Slowly, Axel peered at the doorway that was missing the privacy rag. "I smell a pack of them so be careful. If we can get the whole pack, we could have food for a week but all smart hunters know that if you kill all, that's all you get."

[Reno]

A brown eyebrow rose, Terra having to resist the urge to go 'uhhhh, seriously?'. Then again, he was mystically bound to his dragon - who says this couldn't work too? He finally looked to his father, saying, "We have to try." His eyes darted between him to his mother, then back again, "Even if we can't do magic, maybe a dragon can." His voice implied, thinking of Atteris who he could force to if he had to, "We didn't come this far just to give up, right?"

For a moment Hatori was silent, crossing his arms - though he definitely respected the voice of his own son, knowing he never bothered with words that were useless or hopeless. There was a snort, but a reluctant nod. "Well it sounds fucking crazy, but fine." He looked to Ienzo, "Get on it. The sooner we get out of these tunnels, the fucking better."

The two were dismissed and Terra followed Ienzo out brushing back his bangs some, glancing at him and seeing the stress in his eyes. Could already tell he was asking himself 'What if it didn't work?' "Hey..." He said, his voice unusually gentle, as he reached for his hand, "Didn't you tell me before their are countless solutions to one problem?" He smiled some when the other looked at him. "This is just one possible answer; if we fail then we'll find another way." He hesitated then grinned a little more, "And you know it's a great opportunity to teach me some more reading~ So then I can help!"

No one asked what if it was hopeless? Because no one wanted to think like that. If it were hopeless... then they might as well just die.


When they landed, Roxas sniffed the air as well, though all he really got was dust and dirt and maybe the smell of something... he couldn't really describe. He wasn't sure if that was the smell of dog or just the smell of something unfamiliar, and since he couldn't put a name to it, he couldn't ask. Instead he just jumped down, the sweat soaking through his clothing making him edgy and uncomfortable. But to take them off would probably seal his fate and even though he was urging to take at least a few layers off under the shade of the rooms, he knew if they needed to escape quickly he could, again, be in trouble.

He nodded to the bit of wisdom, knowing to pick them off one by one and give them longer - maybe three weeks - made a huge difference. Then he added, "But if they try to move on then we're in the same boat just with less meat because the Landchasers will get them, or they'll rot in the sun."