Of Fairytales and Blood Bonds

[Reno]

Terra glanced over at Ven in surprise when he laughed. Akbarians really were simple weren't they if they were amazed by little things like that. At least he wasn't sad anymore.

He loked up when the door opened, his lips pulling back at the sight of the... walking skelton, feeling Ven edge behind him unsure. But the minute the other began to talk they both relaxed. Terra blinked when his horn was touched. what was with the fascination with them?! "H-Hey!"

He looked at the skelton, tilting his head when he called him a lovely creature. A... lovely... If wolfs had the capability to blush he would have been. That was certainly the first time he ever heard those words.

He was shocked when the skelton seemed to know exactly what they neeeded, neither of them every opening their mouth before the large man walked over them and led them down. Having no choice, the two followed him all the way to another house. He caught the notion of moving to another holiday but and tilted his head. how did his life go from no holidays to suddenly being in the middle of them ALL?!

He looked around the house as it was revealed, but a suddenly deepening of the skelton's tenor drew his attention. He turned, seeing him making a scary face, terrifying the blonde witless and reacted instantly. He got between them, baring his teeth and snarling at Jack, fur bristling. How the hell would he fight a skelton?! Bury him in two hundred different places?!

The skelton only laughed, commenting on his scary look saying something about him being in the next Halloween before he turned and left leaveing the two to their own devices. Wha...?

Oh right. they liked to scare one another. "I have a feeling... this is going to be a... interesting trip." Terra supplied, straightening. He shook out his fur. "I guess this world is connected to all the other holidays somehow. Thrilling." He rolled his eyes, wandering into the house. that probably meant there was a thankgiving land, some easter meadow... and... oh Christmas.

Oh joy.

He looked around, seeing spiders and webs in the corners of the house, knowing that they were probably directions. Mice scurried about running inbetween holes. He licked his chops. He had walked into a buffet. The house was full of all sorts of strange items and knicknacks and strange noises came from all around the house. "Well it's not paradise... but is it suitable Ventus?" He asked the blonde. Hell if he didn't like it they could just... move to ANOTHER holiday he supposed...


Roxas was walking to the dusty mattress when Axel asked the question. He glanced back and shrugged. "It's fine it just needs..." He patted on the mattress, plumes of dust rising. "A little sprucing up." He chuckled, straightening. "It;s a good thing i'm the clean triplet." He joked lightly. It was true though. While Ven and Sora could live in their disorganized messes Roxas couldn't. Which meant Ven wasn't ALLOWED to.

He was glad his parents had told him to pack a blanket now. He weas pretty sure the deserts uncomfortable heat would be gone once the sun went down. Deserts were notrious for having extremely cold weather at night. Planetlife was what kept the warmth in the ground and without it... well...

"We'll have to go down and get my things and get some food and water." Roxas stated, straightening. "I dunno about you but this heat's making me thristy as hell."


"Aye aye cap'n." Sora responded when he was told to lock the door. He did so, watching Riku wander about the room. He was about to protest to riku sleeping on the floor - that wasn;t fair! - when the other... pulled otu a mattress. Well... that was convenient.

What would he pull of next?

Uh maybe that was a thought he didn't want to get into.

He waited as Riku got situated before he too wandered over to the bed. It was funny he had only woken up hours ago yet... maybe it was just the fact that it was dark but he did feel tired. He sat on his own bed, tugging off his botos and setting his hat on the nightstand.

At the question he looked over. "Ya know... I dunno. It's all still a little... weird." He sighed, looking up towards the ceiling. "Last night I was writing stories about fairytales and this morning I wake up to find I'm IN one." He frowned a little, reciting some of his own words. "Sometimes fairytales just begin... and this is one of them." He grinned, laying down glancing voer at Riku even if the other didn't look back. "I think it's gonna be exciting..."

"Hey Riku... when you sleep what do you dream about? I'd always kinda wanted to know what blind people dreamt." He admited shyly.

[Rikugurl]

Ven's eyes widened as Terra stood in front of him... and growled. Like a watch dog of some sort. He smiled softly but blinked when Jack stood up, a large smile on his face. "My boy, you are absolutely frightening! You MUST be in the next Halloween!" His smile only grew wider as his... eye sockets... closed together, as if thinking of something splendid.

He opened his... sockets though and scratched his... skull. "Well, like I said, it is getting late! Must get sleep so we can wake up and start a day of spooking! You should visit the mayor tomorrow, he can show you around. Bye for now!" He smiled and waved as he walked down the stairs back to his own crooked house.

He walked in with Terra, pulling his luggage inside and.... to his surprise, the door creaked closed by itself. It sent a chill up his spine then looked back. His eyes widened as he saw the cobwebs all over... and the large spiders around. Rats squeaked as they scurried around in and out of holes. All sorts of odd ends were placed everywhere. A crooked bookshelf was full of large text books, the places that didn't have books were filled with green liquids.

He looked around more, not able to really.... grasp that this was.... all real.
He looked down at the beast when he asked the question. He swallowed and looked around again. It was pretty spooky... but... he knew he could warm up to it. At least... it was natural NOT to clean!
"Yea! I love it!"


Axel smiled and nodded. "Of course!" He looked back out the window, seeing... there was no more ply wood to help them cross the tops. Guess they'd just have to jump. Roxas was going to be as skinny as him by the time they mastered this place like real street rats!

He stood and jumped down onto the roof below. "Hmmm... I don't suppose I can help you with your bag... But I can get the food and water!" He smiled happily and clapped to himself.


His hat too came off his head and placed on the floor next to him. He sighed softly, laying down on his jacket that acted like a pillow. He listened to the other, couldn't help but smile.
"This... really isn't a fairytale. I suppose you could think about it that way... but it's much more dangerous." He turned to face the bed, still listening.

When the boy asked the question about dreaming... he sighed. There was some silence before he started. "I wasn't always blind. You see... I'm cursed. So aren't the other two guardians. When I was a teenager, I use to live on a beautiful, tropical island. There was a mainland... but I didn't want to go and see it. I didn't like people.... and hated them. I hated everything. That hate.... took over me... and I was cursed to be blind until I can see the light in people's hearts."

He sighed again. "I don't dream either.... all I can see is darkness."

[Reno]

Terra couldn't help but smile at the other's enthusiasm, though it seemed a little forced. "Good." He stretched out, not feeling tired at all. He was a nocturnal creature. Staying awake at night was no problem. It was the day time that got to him and made him feel lethargic.

He watched some of the rats scurry and pounced suddenly, watching them rush around for their lives. He chuckled swiping a paw playfully, sending one tumbling. Hey they make a fun game!

Too bad they'd probably also be breakfast.

He leaned down, growling at them and they squeaked and rna off into their holes. He chuckled straightened and glanced at Ven who was giving him a strange look. "what?"


Roxas walked over to the window, looking down with wide eyes. "Alright... tehn i guess I'll go get my stuff and start cleaning the place." He motioned at the dirty... home. "Try not to die alright?"


"Oh..." Sora murmured sadly, tugging at the threads of his blanket, sounding dejected. Hey Roxas had been right... they WERE a crowd of misfits!!!

But then suddenly Sora perked right back up as a thought struck him. "Hey!" He grinned leaning over and poked Riku on the forehead lightly. "Tell you what... as repayment for protecting me... I'll try and teach you how to see the light again!"

[Rikugurl]

Ven was slowly walking around, looking at everything... and a bit uneasy on touching anything. He stopped though when he heard some... not so graceful thumping behind and looked back, seeing Terra playing with a rat. He blinked, slowly tilting his head.

He could only chuckle when the beast looked back. "Oh.... nooooothing, poochie."


Axel blinked, hearing the warning. Die? Who said anything about dying! He looked a bit uneasy but nodded, quickly rushing off.
He jumped down to the sandy street alley and looked around, seeing darker skinned people walking by and grinned.
He had a grew... and devilish idea.

He quickly got into the crowd, being careful not to touch anyone. He quickly found what he was looking for and grinned, backing behind a booth.... careful not to touch that either. His exotic eyes narrowed as he looked over the way at a camel who was just sitting there peacefully. Not for long!

Grinning, he pointed at a box next to the camel, and it suddenly went up in flames. The beast stood quickly and started to make all sorts of noises. People started to rush to aid the beast... and quick hands picked up apples among other things. A jug of fresh water was taken and quickly the figure disappeared into the alleyway again.


Riku flinched when he felt the poke, not able to know it was going to happen. His blind eyes looked up at him and smiled softly.
"T...thank you Sora."



It wasn't long... until suns rose and set.
Actually... they didn't on Halloween Town. To the two new members of the world... it was a bit shocking... that it was ALWAYS night on this world.
Ven didn't just leave his parents... the balloons.... the windmills..... and his brothers. He left sunlight to.

It was a bit disappointing at the start. It threw both of them off. Terra was use to sleep at night... but it was always night! He couldn't sleep all the time... and time... well, it was hard to tell when it was morning, noon or.... night!
They worked it out though... and things seemed to be going well.

They did speak to the mayor of Halloween Town, and was welcomed full heartedly. The people around the town were actually very nice... but spooky in their own little way. The only person who really wasn't too spooky was Jack... and the woman he liked, Sally.
The best part of it all.... was that Ven had made a couple of friends. Their names... Lock, Shock and Barrel.
Mischief always was able to find friends.

Then... there was Sandy Claws, which they both found out was Santa Claus. Ven didn't believe it! Santa lived in the North Poll... but... Jack claimed that he lived through a tree door! "What a load of crap!" The tall man walked the two into the forest and showed them the trees with the odd shaped doors. There was one with an Easter egg, one with a big red heart, one with a big green four leaf clover, one with a picture of a turkey, and one of a Christmas tree.
"That's where Sandy Claws lives!"
Ven looked at the tree shaped door and frowned. "Well... I don't wanna see him anyway! He always gives me coal for Christmas!"

It had almost been a year since they came to this world. The full moon shown brightly over the land as always.
In the graveyard, something odd came out of the Hinterlands. It was a... tub... that was... walking. It walked down the small hill, its strides calm.
Inside... was laying a boy, sitting comfortably in its holdings.
"This is Halloween, this is Halloween, pumpkins scream in the dead of night. This is Halloween, everybody make a scene, trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright. It's our town, everybody scream in this town of Halloween..." A small tune carried out softly from his lips.

His blue eyes looked up at the moon and sighed. "Let's go to Moonlight Hill." He said, as if talking to the tub... which he was. The tub slowly changed its course to the town towards the iron gates.

When they got to the base of the so-called hill, the tub stopped and the boy stepped out. He yawned softly before walking up to the peak. He sat down, the moon covering his whole body.
Blue eyes looked up at it again and sighed.

Today started out like all the rest. He woke up in his crooked bed and said good morning to the monster that lived under it. He got dressed and walked down the dangerous crooked stairs and started to make breakfast.
It was pumpkin soup with an addition of bugs. He sat at the crooked table and started to eat with his crooked fork and spoon. He blinked when a bug started to crawl out of the soup and onto the table... but a fork slammed into its middle and picked it up. It squirmed as it came for a fanged mouth and then... CRUNCH!
"Mmmmm" The boy smiled and continued to eat down his breakfast.

But... the rest of the day was more gloomy than usual... and pretty quiet. Something was on Ven's mind.

And only he seemed to know.
It was his birthday... and not just his birthday... his brother's too. And... this was the first birthday that... they wouldn't celebrate together.


Far away on another planet, the hot summer sun was going down over the palace of Agrabah. The Bazaar was becoming quiet as people started to head home.

On the window sill on top a taller building, a redhead looked out towards the sunset. He had told Roxas about how... red was the first light to be seen... because it went the greater distance. Roxas just thought he was showing off.

Green eyes were soft as he tilted his head lazily, his body relaxed as he laid out over the whole window top. Slowly he looked inside, seeing Roxas there. "Today's your birthday huh? You think I forgot?"

The year passed pretty eventful. Him and the Shee learned how to steal fairly well... and got some tips from a man named Aladdin and his pet Abu. They also got to fly on a majick carpet... and fly towards a scary looking place called the Cave of Wonders. They made sure not to touch anything... no matter how tempting it was! They also walked through the dunes of an old palace that was once great... but now buried under sand.
They also visited an oasis and spent a day swimming around. It was more like a hot tub by nightfall since Axel had heated up the water.

What else started to grow... was their friendship. Axel still only got to hear a little bit of Roxas's singing... seeing that the blonde still didn't like to sing in front of people. But... they really enjoyed their time together.
And another thing that was changing was... well... puberty was starting to hit the boy. It seemed like he was having problems in the Bazaar when he saw pretty looking girls. He sweat a lot more than he usual did, that was for sure!


In a more... realistic world, a ship was obtained.

"You pick out a ship." "W-what!? Any one?? But... maybe some aren't for sa--" "Piiirate." The silverette reminded. Sora seemed a bit bashful, looking around the port. He would have to choose of course... Riku couldn't see!
So... he chose one that looked nice... and somewhat new. It wasn't beaten or ragged like some of the other ship around.
"This one!" He pointed out and they soon walked towards the plank that brought them into the ship.

Riku easily just walked up it and into the boat, Sora a bit more hesitant to just climb aboard.
Suddenly the silverette pulled his sword and started to cut the ropes that held the ship to the dock... and slowly they started to float away. "Open up the sails!" He called to the brunette and he heard some large feet padding away.

"HEY! HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
There was a sudden yell from the dock and Riku looked over. He couldn't see who the figure was... but the voice was of a woman.
Sora could see he though. She was dressed up in a fancy... yet masculine wear. She had blonde hair, two odd twigs poking up in the front.
"I AM LADY ARLENE AND I DEMAND YOU BRING MY SHIP BACK TO THE DOCK!" She called as he continued to chase her ship down the boardwalk after them.

"Sorry lass! I promise ye I'll be bringing her back to ye!" The silverette called.

It was nighttime now... almost a whole year since that day. Black gloves held onto the helm, moving slowly as the sound of the waters filled his ears.

[Reno]

When Terra had seen that a full moon stayed in the sky all year long, he had that he would start changing into a human every other day. a blue moon. came twice in a month and one that shown every other day meant he SHOULD have been human for 182.5 days. Of course since the moon didn't go throw PHASES... he supposed it was moot at this point.

There was a shadow of the moon... but it was an alive shadow that crept around on it, scaring the others with random eclipses and whatnot. But it was no blue moon.

There was no easy way outta this curse was it?

Unlike Axel who had told Roxas, and Riku who had told Sora, Terra had never told Ventus that he was cursed. Mainly because the blonde never asked. He wasn't sharing a sob story with someone who didn't care.

Well that wasn't true. They were... tentative friends. Reluctant companions at times. They fought more then was probably healthy and Ven had a thing about personal space. And that temper... when Ven wanted tp be left alone though Terra gave him that wish.

But today was a day that Ven didn't even need to ask. Terra had sensed it. And he knew why.

"Your not looking too good Terra." The doll-like woman said, her needle never ceasing it's movements.

The wolf just laided on the floor. She was right. He was having a pretty shitty week on top of being the worst guardians in the world. It had started Friday when he had an itch that just wouldn't go away...

"What the HELL are you doing?" Ven asked, tilting his head.
"I ITCH!" The wolf howled rubbing his head against the wall, horns scratching against the rotten wallpaper. "Behind my EARS damn it!"
The Shee was already laughing.

Then on saturday his legs and tail had tingled all over. He couldn't stop biting at them. Ven had once again gotten the luck of seeing him as 'comical' relief when he started to chase his tail.

On Sunday his whole body had felt too warm and he had had to make a quick trip to 'christmas' land to jump into the snow. even after a whole day of playing the uncomfortable fever hadn;t left.

On Monday he had an insane appeitte and was eating anything in sight.

Ironically on Tuesday he had a stomachache. At least their had been grass to chew on.

By Wednesday he was too cold - and Ventus had been pissed when he woke up with the wolf sleeping at his side... IN his bed. The strange behavoir had been getting on his nerves quite quickly yet had kept his temper for the most part.
But the one boundary Ven had tried to keep was 'stay OFF the bed'. Bad feelings of the upcoming holiday though was what really made it happen... It all just exploded. Terra, meanwhile, hated feeling like a pet and had been highly irritable on top of being FREEZING, so they had gotten into one hell of an arguement.

By Thursday they had forgotten all about it. But Terra's mind had felt cloudy and light-headed the whole time anyways. He hadnlt been able to concentrate on much... just eating and walking around mechincally.

And now, back on Friday - practically with a whole WEEK of distraction from his guardian duties - he felt at his worst. His golden eyes that had glowed so deeply were a pale yellow the color no one would recognize unless they had been their when he had had his spikes removed. He felt like he was in agony, little shots of pain running up and down his body. everything was like one big ache. Even the breakfast Ventus had kindly remembered to leave out at for him had been left untouched. His friends, the rats, had eaten it instead.

Yeah somehow he never ate the rats. The house just wouldn;t be the same without them.

"Are you sure your up to this?" The doll, ever concerned, asked.

The wolf looked up at her. She was incredibly kind and selfless. He'd never met anyonequite like her and she wasn't even human. "Yes. I'm going to make this day good for him."

Riku had said... they had to make it bearable. Axel said... that it would all be worth it. Mickey said... to make them happy.

And his head told him... that he couldn't live with the guilt if he let the other just wallow in his self-pity.

Sally only nodded, finishing up her work. Once she was finished she allwoed Terra to take his leave from her room, jumping fom the her window and taking off after Ven's scent. By the time he found the blonde he was out of breath - soemthing unuseual for a runner like him. his muscles were stronger then that!

He wasn't surprised when he saw the tub lolly-gagging about, two long legs sticking from it. On the faint breeze he could hear the sounds of a tune. It was something he had noticed a long time ago. The blonde had... picked up qualities of the other two. Sometimes he sung like Roxas... sometimes he smiled like Sora...

He watched the other quietly, slowly laying out on his stomach, waiting for the right moment the spring his little surprise out on the blonde.


The scratchings of a pencil on paper were the only things that filled the stone-home. a blonde lounged against the wall, legs spread out on his mattress as he wrote. His passion of singing hadn't died out yet, but his shyness seemed to have icnreased tenfold.

The blonde had gotten taller, inch by inch his growth spurt took over. His hair became a little more wild, and thanks to the hot Arabian sun it was even blonder. His skin was darker with it's tan but the body was lean and strong with runner's legs. The legs of a thief.

However, the blonde's scratchings paused when he heard the red-head;s voice, and slowly he bowed his head. "I didn;t even know you knew it." He admited softly. Yet he wasn;t surprised. Axel had known him for three years. He had only know him for one. but yes strangely enough... they had become companions. Axel's wild nature nearly fit perfectly with Roxas' prim and proper attitude.

"Here!" Roxas snapped, holding up a napkin. "You use it to CLEAN your face after you eat. Don't be a slob."
Axel swallowed his food down, face smeared in sauce as he reached out, taking the napkin. the moment roxas let go, it burst into flasmes, the ashes falling down ot pile on the table.
"....Uh...." Axel looked at him.
"Argh NEVERMIND!"

Yeah and neither of them had changed much. Well... no that wasn't true. Roxas felt like he had changed a lot. he felt... less withdrawn. The sudden freedom of the world gave him... a freedom of heart Sora would call it. He acted in a way he felt like he had never been able to before. Like a kid...

He smirked, "So, what'd you get me?" He said excitedly.


Sora felt the ocean breeze go by as he stood on the bow of the ship. His hair, wild and messy as always, was colored by grime and dirt. No showering for him! how awesome was THAT?!

Okay well He and Riku kept cleaner then most pirates. But it didn't take long to get dirty again. Though, when his hair WAS clean, it showed the blonde streaks of bleaching air. countless hours under the hot sea sun had changed his complextion to a few darker shades... or maybe that was the firt... and had lightened his hair.

Riku was at the helm guding the boat, probably thought sora was asleep or something. He hadn't been able to. By his calculations it was midnight. The first minute of his sixteenth birthday had begun.

"Happy Birthday Guys." He whispered into the air softly, his voice being carried away by the wind. He curled his hand around his crown, holding on and never letting go.

for the first time since this whole adventure had begun... he felt tears filling his eyes, silently making tracks down his dirty face, feeling the pain of homesickness like never before.

[Rikugurl]

Ven didn't happen to hear Terra at all. He was... sort of lost looking up at the sky. The moon was always shining... and the sound of the ravens and howling filled the night sky. His added sigh made the footsteps untraceable.
The bat wing on his back seem to lower as his head did.

The moon reflected off the pendant that was now clipped onto his outfit, bone wings coming off it.
Sure... he had been here for a long time... and he got along with everyone in Halloween Town... and even some people in the other holidays... even if he didn't like visiting them that much.

Halloween Town... was his.... well.... little safe haven.
Nothing could honestly scare him now... no matter how hard Jack tried.

But tonight...
He wrapped his claw gloves around the pendant and he too, felt water started to pile under his eyes. No... he had to hold them back... but...
Suddenly he hunched over himself, wrapping his arms around his legs... and started to sob. His shoulder shook and his fangs pressed against his lips, letting the noises of sadness escape his mouth.
Tears dropped onto the back ground of the hill, the hill itself seeming to lower itself from the boy's hurt.

He continued to cry, his hands clutching on his stockings.
Suddenly, a light glowed around his body and then a string of it shot out towards the sky. It dimmed and disappeared... and as Ventus cried, shooting stars rushed across the sky, lighting up everything even more.

A broken, wooden shutter opened, Jack poking his head out and looking up at the sky. "What's this?"



Axel leaned up, now sitting upon the sill. He blinked, watching the boy. "Of course I knew!"

Yea... it had been a fun year. They had both gotten a darker shade and muscles where needed. They had gotten skinnier... except... well... Axel couldn't of gotten much skinnier, but Roxas never went starving. Axel always made sure Roxas always got food.

He jumped off the sill and walked to the corner, grabbing a cloth quickly and dipping it into a jar of water. He rinsed it out. They learned that if something had water on it, Axel couldn't burn it. They kept a jar pull of water in the one room home for the... imp so he could hold things with a wet cloth.
He walked over and took the shutters, closing them then smiling back at Roxas.

"I got ya something special!"
He wet the cloth again, making sure it wouldn't go dry when he walked to a pouch he carried. He reached in and pulled out something already wrapped up in silk.
He walked over to Roxas and knelt down on the floor in front of him, handing him the item.

When Roxas pulled away the silk, purple irises laid around the main gift. It was a beautiful hand carved bottle with a golden brush sticking out of it. The bottle was made of expensive metal... and hand painted in a rich blue.
"It's for your writing. I knew that pencil of yours will run out... and they don't have stuff like that here."

He smiled softly, his green eyes looking into the blue. "I didn't steal it either. I bought it from a caravan that went by here." He clenched onto the cloth, some water dripping onto his hand and he slowly let it drop. Slender fingers reached up brushed over the sanded blonde hair. "And... the blue reminded me of your eyes..."


Riku continued to shift the helm a bit. A blind man sailing... that was something else. It made sense though... there was... no where to really go. Riku and brought him to the caves that had treasure in it, grabbing a few coins that other pirates had forgotten.

The night wind blew through his hair... and carried something with it. He stopped, hearing the boy down below. So... he was awake? Slowly he let the helm go and turned, walking across the way and down the stairs. He head the sound of sniffling and walked towards it. When he felt the boy's presence, he stopped, only a few feet away.

Slowly he pulled the glove off his one hand and stuffed it in a pocket. His face too was dirty and smeared with gunpowder from a recent cannon fight. Gently, his blind hands reached down and caught Sora's face. A thumb rubbed over the tears, wiping them away. "Don't cry..." He pulled away and looked down at the boy some before suddenly taking his shoulder and pushing him close, into a hug.

[Reno]

OOC: HAHAHAHAHAHA
Jack: What's this? What's this?! There's color everywhere!

Unlike Ven, Terra loved seeing all the holidays. It was like he had some sort of deprieved childhood he finally got to explore. Then again Wolves weren't supposed to have holidays...

But come on. Who could pass up free eggs, chasing around little men, terroizing 'lovebirds', chasing turkeys, and knocking down colorful trees with lights strung on them? Terra sure couldn;t!

That was probably why he had been kicked out of each and every single world at one point.

Terra watched quietly as the boy got to the top of the hill, lowering himself down to the ground, his whole body tensing in readiness - but then he froze. His ears twitched suddenly and he rasied his head, hearing a strange noise. Sort of a choked up gasp mixed with a keening wail. Sobbing.

The wolf's ears flattened at the sounds, not altogether unfamilar with it... just not accustomed to dealing with it... and he didn't even begin to know how.

He never wished more that Riku was here. Or hell... the kid's brothers was who he really wanted. Unfortunetly all he had was him.

He looked up, nearly in panic when the light shot up. W-what... He loked up, seeing the brillant display. It appeared deep sadness... also brought powerful results. For something so painful... the Shee had nothing but beauty to share.

The wolf painfully rasied his body up from the ground, sighing a bit, tail between his legs as he began to hike up the hill. It was so much harder then the last time he did it...

The lights of the shooting stars illuminated him clearly and his... getup. He looked nothing short of... hilarious. From his horns, rather than ornaments dangling down, where two plastic bats stuck on by springy wire that bounced around on his head as he moved it. Around his tail and around each 'ankle' if you will were orange and black ribbons that acting like streamers (it was the best he could do! This was still HALLOWEEN town). And what really topped it off... was the fact he was wearing a very raggedy sweater (okay it WAS made of rags). It looked shabby and silly and in bright orange in a cursive print were the words: 'happy birthday'.

If there was one thing he learned gift giving was the most important part of the holidays. It brought about this strange aura of... sickening happiness in Akbarians. He had watched as husbands gave to wifes, boys gave to mommys, sons gave to fathers, brothers gave to each other, family gave to family. And then it all ended in this... disgusting display of hugging and chipper 'thank yous' and... too much holly-fucking-jolly cheer if you asked him.

But Terra, for once this week, vowed he needed to be a good guardian. He had been nothing but terribly distracted, horribly absent, reluctantly neglectant... and well a lot of things. And seeing as how he could neither make a gift, find one or buy one... he figured he had to become one. Well... Ven seeing him act or look like an idiot always brought a smile to his face before, he had been counting on that to happen again.

But Terra realized now... the only gift he could give Ventus that would truely mean anything at all to the Shee would be to be with his brothers if only for just one day. And it was the only gift... he could not give.

"Ven." The wolf whispered softly, nudging a cold nose against a hand, being mindful of his horns and making sure not to impale him or something. He twisted his head a bit, a warm tongue licking across the other's cheek. He slowly lowered his body down and around the suddenly very small blonde, offering comfort in the only way he knew how.


Roxas had a feeling the imp-ness of Axel was rubbing off of him. Odf course... the fact that he demanded as much detial about every little aspect of Axel's life really helped too. Once he had gotten a little more comfortable with all this... MAGIC stuff... he couldn't stop walking into the suddenly very open door, the mess inside cluttered but fascinating.

He had been, in short, insanely curious. Hearing Axel's cursed lifestyle was hard but... at the same time incredibly wickened. "Well look at the bright side... you got cool wings?" Of course he sorta sucked at being the type to cheer people up. That was Sora's territory. But...

But Axel wanted to be normal again. In fact, from what he heard. Riku and Terra had their own lifes of hell to deal with too and all they wanted was a normal life too. He had been right. They really were all misfits. And he still didn't know how a blind guy was supposed to protect his eldest brother but well... maybe he didn't want to know.

He grinned devilishly as Axel automatically told him that yes, he did indeed get a gift today. He set aside his paper and dulled pencil. His last one in fact and sat on the edge of the edge, legs crossed in front of him. He watched excitedly as the other moved through the motions, smiling when the water and clothe were used with care. It was a good thing they had figured that out, or he and Axel would of had a hell of a lot more problems then just a few burnt napkins!

He wanted to say the cutomarily 'You didn't have too' when Axel came over but if he did that Axel would etase him and try to take it away and damn he wanted it!

But when the gift was actually revealed... he gasped in surprise. He knew what it was - Axel didn't have to explain. It was ink and a writing utensil. He had been starting to worry about that himself. But... this was... it was... it was beautiful. His hands took it carefully, letting it rest in his hands, holding it gently like one would a newborn kitten. It held no magic but it felt empowering. "A-Axel..."

He looked up when the other mentioned it reminded him of his eyes, feeling the soft fingers . His cheeks flushed suddenly, but even more striking was the way the blue eyes shimmered. And slowly a tear worked it's way down his cheek. Axel gave a look of surprise, and Roxas blinked, slowly lifting his hand, feeling the wetness, He was... crying?

He sniffled, rubbing at the sudden tears. "I... Axel... this..." He smiled reassuringly. "This is... one of the best gifts I've ever been given."

"You know what sucks though?" The blonde murmured and the imp gave him another confused look. "I can't even give you a hug to thank you..."

An idea suddenly struck the blonde. He bit his lip, a little unsure. But the imp... loved his voice. He had made that apparent a long, long time ago whenever he was whispering lyrics udner his breath the sing them louder and louder and LOUDER. And Roxas could never even get through half of a song before cutting off in embaressment.

But this time... "I know it's not complete compensation but how about a thank you song?" The blonde said with a smile. He could already see the overjoyed look in the other's eyes and chuckled, his free hand rasing to tap at his charm, fingers caressing the silver X in an almost nervous habit.


No matter how much he tried, Sora couldn't hide his own sorrow. It was the first time he had felt such a strong feeling of nostalgia...of just wnating to go back home. No matter which was someone looked at it, he was still only just a fifteen-turned sixteen year old boy who had been thrown a little too much a ltitle too fast and despite all his bravery...

No one could blame a boy for missing his family.

"I'm sorry." The brunette rasped, shoulders shaking under the other's embrace. Later he'd be amazed on how Riku was not only able to hear him, but also manuveur himself into this position without his sense of sight. He reached out, clutching onto the silverette's coat, fingers clenching down instinctively.

He wasn't TRYING to cry. In fact all his life he'd heard those words. Don't cry...

The little brunette sobbed in his hands, sitting on the brick road, knees skinned from falling down. His father running comforting hands through his hair. "Now Now Sora don't cry. Yuor a big boy and big boys don't cry. You gotta be tough. Understand?"
"Y-Yea..."


"Oh Sora..." The soft voice of his mother said, hands brushing his forehead as he cried. "Don't cry. You'll only be down the hall from them."
"But mom I don't wanna move out!"
"Shhh it'll be okay. Now no more crying, okay?"
"O-Okay."


"Idiot don't CRY about it." Ventus snapped at his elder brother shoving him in the bathroom so no one would see "What the fuck kinda guy cries about getting rejected?" He grabbed a bunch of paper towels, shoving them into Sora's face. "Got it?!"
"R-Right."


The paper was flung onto the ground, the F big and red and bold on an essay that took hours to complete. It was then stepped on turthlessly. The brunette cried, tears of frustration working down his face.
"Come on Sora, it's just one bad grade." Roxas said placatingly, slinging an arm across his anger brother's shoulders.
"One?! No matter what I do... even when I write straight A stuff she just shoots me down!"
"Yeah okay she's a bitch... but don't cry. She doesn't know what she's talking about but that doesn't mean you have to cry about it. Alright?"
"G-Got it."

But sometimes... no matter how many times the words were uttered and no matter what words were shared... sometimes the tears couldn't be stopped.

[Rikugurl]

Ven continued to sob as he shook, not even noting the shooting stars that he had caused. If he had, he probably wouldn't believe that he was the one who caused such a beautiful display.

He stopped and sniffed, feeling the cold wetness on his arm. His reddened eyes looked up, then felt the rough tongue over his cheek. He felt the warmth around him and continued to sniff. Slowly he reached out for the horns and grabbed them, the funny looking bats falling off as he pulled them closer for Terra to come closer.

Suddenly, arms wrapped around the wolf's neck, holding on gently as he pushed his face into the fur. He continued to sob... but his fingers slowly ran through the bristled fur, his hand majickly making the fur soft once again. He hugged Terra tighter and sniffed, pulling away softly, only to nuzzle his face in the fur more, petting Terra softly under the moonlight and stars. This was... actually the first time Ven pet his guardian...


Axel's eyes brightened as Roxas seemed to like his gift... and brightened more as the other offered to SING FOR HIM. He could of fainted from happiness. Imps didn't live to give. They liked to do and GET... but... Axel really liked Roxas... and day by day, his impish ways were decreasing to help the boy out.

His eyes softened as Roxas touched his charm and frowned, knowing what that meant. "Uh.... well.... no, you don't have to sing if you're still not ready!" He smiled happily and nodded. He really wanted to hear the boy sing... but... not if he wasn't ready.


Riku frowned as the boy reacted warmly to the embrace. Sora really was something else. Slowly dirty fingers reached up and ran through the brunette hair. "There's nothing to be sorry about..." He said softly before taking the boy's shoulders again and pulled him away gently.
Blind eyes looked down at him, a small smile on his face.
"You've been doing a good job so far. I'm sure your brothers miss you as much... and don't worry... you'll see them again sometime soon."

He turned the boy around and walked to his side, one hand on the boy's back as he led him towards the stairs to the inside of the ship. "Let's have a small celebration huh?"

[Reno]

Terra blinked in surprise as he was grabbed, willingly coming closer, even if it wasn't by a method he liked. However when the other started to pet him he made a murr of contentment. The Shee's magic was just leaking out of him today, probably because of all his rampart emotions.

But it felt HEAVENLY. The aches seemed to fall away and become a distant, almost nonexistent pain where ever the fingers ghosted. If he could purr he would have been. As it was he couldn;t help but lick at Ven's hands whenever they came in range, thanking him for the petting.

"Ven..." He murmured to the crying boy softly. "Ven I can't BRING you to Sora or Roxas... but I think I can let you see them. You won;t be able to talk to them or anything but at least you could see how they're doing. I know a spell... that is if you want to..." He never did it from such a distance before. He knew it would be draining... but it would be worth it.


Roxas swallowed, eharing the other's words and then smiled, shaking his head. "If Ven or Sora were here... they'd be telling me to suck it up already... I can't just keep hiding from it."

He reached for his song book, flipping through the pages, humming tunes curiously as he did, but none of them seemed to fit. Until he suddenly froze on one page and smiled softly. He glanced at Axel tentatively. "Ready?"


Sora sniffled as Riku pulled him away, a shaky smile on his own face. "Y-Yeah I know. Heh... I was the one sprouting all the promises and now i'm the one crying about it. what a horrible older brother I am." He murmured softly, letting riku lead him towards the cabin.

His eyes alit though at the mention of a celebration. "W-Wha? Really?!" He grinned. "Yeah... yeah I'd love that!"

[Rikugurl]

Ven smiled softly as Terra licked, his tears leaking into his mouth and giving him a yucky salty taste. For someone who ate all sorts of bugs and worms everyday, it would seem that he had no right to say that ANYTHING was yucky tasting.

He continued to pet the large beast as he looked up at the moon, the shooting stars now fading.
He blinked and looked back down at Terra, hearing what he had to offer. He though for a few moments before shaking his head. "No... that's wouldn't be fair for me to see them... and then they couldn't see me. I know they're ok... and that's all that matters."

He smiled and grabbed the fur around Terra's cheeks gently. His bright blue eyes looked into the golden and smiled. "But thank you Terra.." Slowly he leaned down and gave the wolf a kiss on the nose before pulling away and standing.
He sighed, wiping the tears away then looked down at his guardian, seeing... the rags and banners.

"..........hahahahahaha!" He couldn't help but start laughing, the tears remaining in his eyes falling. "You're something else." He shook his head and smiled, patting Terra on the head. "Come on... let's go home, I'm tired."


Axel smiled softly, hearing the bravery in his Shee's voice. He sat down on the rock floor, the rocks sizzling at his every touch. When Roxas stopped, he blinked, watching the boy's eyes seem to shine. He knew that was a good sign!

His smile grew HUGE when the other asked if he was ready. ONLY FOR LIKE THREE YEARS! The imp clapped happy and nodded like a little kid.


When they got into the cabin, the man left the other's side and walked to a cabinet that wasn't too far from the large table. He pulled out a bottle that had 'XXX' written on it. Blind hands found two glasses not too far away and slowly he popped the cork, pouring in some liquid into them.
He poured more into one than the other and handed the one with the least to Sora.

"Sixteen is a good age to drink huh?" He chuckled softly as he put the cork back onto the bottle and held out his glass. "Cheers, matey."

[Reno]

Terra nodded slowly when the other denied his iedea. That was okay. He wasn't sure if he could have done it anyways. It woulda kinda sucked if he had failed or something.

His yellow-colored eyes went wide at the kiss though. Wow... Ven's behavoir was trippy on his birthday! Actually it was kinda trippy over all the holidays but for some reason this one was the strangest.

When the blonde started the laugh he blinked then, glancing at what he was looking at and his ears lowered a little. Heh right he was still dressed like some fool. But at least Ven liked it. At the patting he finally stood, the Shee's touched already failing his body and a lethargy was sweeping over him. "Alright." He murmured softly.

They trekked down the hill together, side-by-side and a little closer then before. Terra couldn't help but feel despite how emssed up the morning had begun... that at least he and Ven had gotten closer then ever before. It was... surprisingly a very very good feeling.

Terra let Ven opened the door, seeing as he didn't have opposable thumbs, and walked in slowly. In the corner where he had carried his breakfast and lunch and dinner bowls... the rats slept around them, some even in them, the food well eaten and gone. He ignored then for now. He'd take then to the sink in the morning if he felt better.

He padded up the stairs to Ven's room, sitting down outside and waiting for the blonde to get undressed and in his sleep clothes. He bit off the streamers and got off the banner, shaking his head when it got caught on his horns until it came loose. when the door reopened he slipped inside, laying out on the carpet almost instantly. most nights he wandered the room sniffing ever corner for something suspicious, looking out windows... always alert.

Today just wasn't one of those days.


Roxas chuckled at the other's enthusiasm, blushing a little. "O-Okay... here it goes." He shut his eyes taking a deep breath, then looked down at the lyrics. He knew the majority of them by heart by he couldn't look at Axel... not yet. It was actually... the first song he wrote when he got here.

"Sloooow down
Things have been a little crazy
Riiiight now
It's time to get away-a~
You can... find out
What it is you're really after!
Tiiiiime is oooon our siiiide
C'mon we're leaving everything beeeeehind
You know that!" He blushed, looking up at Axel as he walked into the chorus.
"Sun is shiiiining
We'll keep gooooing
Doesn't matter where
'Cause we got that open skyway
Leeeeading our way
As long as you are there
We can go anywhere
Oh yeah... we can go anywhere"
He was looking at Axel, cheeks red but eyes shimmering with confidence as he sung. The words weren;t too loud, and completely monophonic bwecause he had no instrumental pick-up behind him, but the tune was upbeat and soft and happy, despite the time when he wrote it being depressing and sad.


"Aye aye cap'n!" Sora said, raising his glass to clink it against Riku's chuckling. "Don't go tellin' me mom." He added though, his words slurring like a pirate's. He had picked the skill after the many hours lsitening to Riku.

He chuckled softly,

[Rikugurl]

Ven had a soft smile on his face as they walked down the hill, the tub now gone. They walked passed pumpkins and tombstones, through the iron gates and into the graveyard. Then they turned left and started towards the town.
They walked AROUND the gates automatically and pass the guillotine. Through another set of iron gates and up crooked stairs.

The door opened and Terra was let in first. They did make a doggy door... but it was boarded up seeing that OTHER odd things came into the house... that weren't exactly welcomed. It didn't bother Ven any... but Terra thought it was best not to have unexpected guest due to security reasons.

They walked up the handle-less spiral stairs, use to their unevenness. The single bedroom at the top was opened and closed. Ven sighed, pulling off his scarecrow outfit, strangely, the wings came off with it too. He opened up the creaky doors to his closet, his white claw gloves reaching up and grabbing his pajamas. To his surprise, the gloves could not come off... along with his fangs. Also... all the clothes he had packed had changed... to fit the world as well.

His pajamas were black and white striped with very worn looking patches sewn about.
He pulled off his mask on the side of his head and placed it on the nightstand that he attempted to pick up once.
When he was finished, he opened the door, Terra immediately coming in and laying on the worn rug. A tattered blanket was put to the side for him to use if nights got cold. Jack once offered Terra a bed that Zero once used... but it was MUCH too small for the large beast to sleep in. The rug would have to do for now.

Ven closed the door and climbed into his crooked bed, pulling up his own torn but warm comforter.
He laid his head on the pillow, some stuffing coming out of the side.
The crooked lamp was turned off and all was... quiet for once. The rats seemed to be out of it.
He sighed.... his eyes looking out, the moon brightening his room.

Suddenly, he flipped his covers over, revealing the mattress.
"Terra..."
The boy patted the mattress, indicating that... he wanted him to jump up.


Axel's eyes went wide when Roxas started to... sing. It was very monotone at first.. but after a bit, things got quieter and louder. When Roxas was done, the imp raised his hands and clapped over his head, a huge smile apparent and the bangles around his wrist jingled.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" He cheered, so happy that he shook his waist. He placed his hands on his thighs and smiled up at the boy. "You know... you're gonna be a great singer one day. Totally gonna swoon the girls and make them melt, melt, melt!" He nodded as encouragement. "We just have to work on that stage fright of yours! We should put on a show! How about that?? Yea! We'll spend a whole week on making your feel less nervous! I bet Aladdin, Abu, Iago, Genie, Carpet and Jasmine would help too!"


Riku chuckled. Sora was a fast learner... no wonder he got so many good grades.
"Aye laddy, I won't be tellin' ye mom none." He replied and slowly brought his drink to his lips, drinking down the rum.

About a hour later, the rum bottle was empty and Sora was hunched over his chair, drooling on the wooden table and snoring loudly. Riku couldn't help but chuckle again and shook his head. "You are going to have one nasty hangover in the morning." Slowly he pressed his hand on Sora's chest, holding him firmly as he pulled the chair back. He then slowly leaned down and picked up the boy, holding him close to his chest.

He walked to the door at the side, Sora's legs dangling as he moved. He opened the door with his foot, revealing a nice bedroom with two comfortable beds. Riku laid Sora down and slowly started to pull off the boy's boots. He was completely knocked out. The boots hit the floor along with the boy's shirt. Covers were slowly wrapped around as Riku tucked the young pirate in.

The man stood over the Shee for a moment, before he reached down and ran his hand through the boy's hair again. "I wish.... I could see how you've grown." He pulled away gently... and a bit reluctantly. "Happy Birthday Sora..."
He slowly turned and pulled off his jacket and shirt as well, letting them fall to the ground. Boots came off and he got into his own bed. He reached out, blind hands finding the candle and pulled it over, blowing it out. He put the candle back on the nightstand and slowly closed his eyes.

[Reno]

OOC: HAHAHAHA I was reading an interview Tetsuya was part of regarding BBS and yeah Ven's name is a nickname XD but his full name means loner.

Terra's tail flipped uneasily as the door was shut. It never bothered him before but tonight he just wished... that it was open. His eyes watched Ven closely as he got into bed, determined to stay awake until the other fell asleep like he always had before.

He waited as they were thrown into darkness, the light of the full moon making his golden eyes shimmer and glow but they held no vibrancy or fierceness any longer. The pain was rolling back over him the farther away Ventus was from him. His frame shifted uncomfortably, his eyes shutting trying to wait and wait...

And when his name was called he lifted his head, clearly seeing the motion in the lighted room. His eyes went wide but slowly he answered the call, hefting himself up on his paws and padding over slowly. "A-Are you sure?" When the other confirmed the answer he breathed slowly, his whole body tensing before it sprung onto the bed, the whole frame shaking with the added weight, springs creaking under his feet.

He slowly got comfortable, laying out easily on the bed as covers were thrown over his body, nothing seperated the two but clothing and fur. The presence almost instantly calmed his body and his eyes dropped. He looked at Ventus, giving him a wolfish grin of aprpeciation. "Good night Ven." He murmured softly as he laid his head down, eyes falling shut. It was the first time in a long time that he fell asleep before the blonde.

Hours would pass. About six to be exact.

The quiet night was not meant to last for him or Ven. Because on a planet far far away, filled with nothing but rock and desert sand something amazing was happening. Something seen so rarely on the planet it only happen once even handful of years. A full moon was rising for the second time in one month, color bright blue.

Terra's eyes snapped open in the dead of the never-ending night, hearing the soft, even breaths of the other besides him. The wolf rasied his head, panting hard as his heart deep in his chest started to hurt, as if someone was holding onto it and squeezing harder and harder with each passing second.

He stood on shaking limbs, intent on getting up and trying to walk it off when the pain rocksed him. He gave a gaso, slipping off the bed more harshly then intended, his body crashing onto the ground loudly. He heard the blond stirring abruptly into wakefulness.

Golden eyes danced around frantically towards the door, shut and unable to be opened. Towards the window. too high to jump. towards the closet. Also closed.

He only had one choice. He crawled under the bed, hearing Ven's soft voice echoing across the room, asking for him groggily. He laid out completely, glad it had enough space. He only had a split second of rational thought, and used that second to utter out, "V-Ven!" Before the change began.

The sounds of snapping bones echoed in the room, eerily disturbing in the former quietness. "AAAAAAHHHHHOOOOOO!!!" Terra howled out as the pain swept over him. The snaps were of the bones changing and taking new shape - the itching, tingling and aching he had felt. He howled and howled and howled head arching up, horns hitting the top of the bed. It subsided, giving him enough to breathe.

He collasped onto his side, panting hard, legs kicking out as if he was trying to run away. The the second round of pain overtook him. He started to howl again, seeing blue eyes looking at him, deeply frightened, a hand reaching out for him. "DON'T!" He screamed at the blonde and the other filnched, bringing back his hand. There was nothing he could do to ease Terra's pain any longer.

Golden eyes screwed shut and he howled some more, agony settling across his body as it burned all over, the hair folicles that had made his fur burning away and receding back into him. The fever he had had.

The wolf's body twisted around, convulsing like it was in the middle of a seizure and for a few terrifying moments Terra gagged, unable to breath or swallow as the organs within him changed. His mind blanked for a few prescious seconds, and he felt nothing as it was disconnected, changing as well. He felt nothing but coldness...

But the minute his brain was reconnected the pain rushed back to him in a nanosecond. His howls suddenly turned to screams, vocal chords changing as his body did. The long tail was disappearing, reconencting with his spine, bones continued to snap as they formed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Fingers lengthened and split, no longer webbed so close together. Claws turning into nails dug into the wooden floor, scratching across it hard as the wolf's body turned. The eyes fluttered open and closed, flashing with the torture of it all, catching glimpses of Ven's scared face as he had no idea what was happening.

And then finally... FINALLY... it was over. After so many agnozing, terrifying minutes... it was over. The naked body under the bed became limp with relief, trembling all over with the aftershocks of pain. Terra was panting hard, still laying on his side, tears sliding from beautiful blue eyes, a few locks of wild brown hair resting on his cheek and fanning across the floor. He was still trying to come back to himself, unable to even see Ven any longer.

The shadows of the bed thankfully hid a lot of his self from sight, including his uncomfortably nakedness. But only just. He was now a tall man with long legs and arms, large hands with long fingers spread on the ground. His hair was wild and brown and spiky and his skin complimented it well, nice and darkly tanned from living on a desert-planet. The muscles of his body were well-defined and strong looking and, thanks to his wolfen side, very well trained. But his eyes were his most catching aspect. Bright and oh so blue like cerulean.


Once Roxas had finished off the song, singing the last of the lyrics, his blush darkened in color at the sudden prasing and cheer. It was... he was really actually good?

But the minute Axel started to mention performing on a stage his arms flailing. "A-Ah wait a sec!" He laughed rapidly, looking around uneasily. "I-I-I-I don't think... I-I mean I dunno Axel It's just I uh..." It's just he was scared to do it. Yet... maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

He bit his lip. "We'd uh... need some musciains." He finally uttered, looking at the other shyily.


Sora took his first tentative taste, the rum burning all the way down. He swallowed it a bit uncomfortably, but the more sips he took the quicker the alcohol started going.

It wasn;t long before another drink was pouring for him. The next one going down fast too. His mind became clodued by the buzz of the dark alcohol and he started laughing at random things Riku's said. By the next glass he was pretty sure he was DRUNK. After that he wasn't sure if he had any more or was really aware of anything.

He just remembered nodding off to sleep, breathing evening out as his body became limp. He was so out of it, the sleep so drunken, that he was too far gone to feel as he was lfited from his chair... or as he was brought to bed... or as some of his clothes were gently taken away and covers brought across his frame. He did however smile softly as figners comfortingly ran through his hair.

He was out like a light. But at least when he awoke the next morning with said headache he wouldn't have any questions about who brought him to bed that night.

Sora slept deeply that night, so deep he didn't even dream. Nothing but his snores filled the small cabin, drool wetting his poor pillow.

[Rikugurl]

Ven smiled as Terra asked but nodded. When the large beast jumped up, he seriously thought the bed was going to flip over from the weight. He became a bit uneasy... but when Terra settled down, he sighed softly and brought the blanket over him. Slowly, under the blanket, his arm wrapped around fur as he slowly spooned the wolf.

He could hear Terra's breathing calm, knowing that his guardian was asleep. He smiled and nuzzled his face into the brown fur before falling asleep.

Their sleeping was peaceful... until something... happened.
The extra weight on the bed shifted, disturbing the sleeping blonde. When the dog suddenly FELL off, the mattress sprang up, almost tossing the boy out of bed.
"Mmmmm.... Terra...."
Automatically, Ven thought his guardian had to use the bathroom... and was ready to hear claws at the window....

But what he heard.... was worse.

His eyes shot open as he heard the howling... and it wasn't one of Terra's normal howls. He looked down, seeing Terra truing to get under the bed. It seemed that the monster under there wasn't there tonight.
He bit his lip but suddenly shock ran down his spine as he heard more howls.

He quickly leaned over the bed and looked under, seeing panicked golden eyes and sharp fangs lashing out. It was scarier than the monster under the bed! His body suddenly started the shake as the howls continued to claw at his very soul. Slowly he reached out... his fingers shaking. Maybe... if he could....

"DON'T!"

He snapped his hand back and suddenly sat back up on his bed. His body was shaking violently now as the howls continued... and like a little child, his instincts told him to hide.... under the blanket.
The blanket was flung over his head and he held himself under it. His hands pressed on his ears as he tried to... scream out the howling.

The whole commotion of people screaming at each other woke up the whole town... but they easily went back to sleep thinking that someone was getting one hell of a scare! They all wanted to hear about it in the morning!

When the howling turned into... screaming, Ven stopped his own screaming. Tears ran down his face as he panted hard. He slowly took deep breaths, the sound of bones cracking making his stomach turn. Slowly he pulled the blanket off, his hair now a mess. He slowly leaned over the bed again and peered under, seeing a whole new sight now. Terra's eyes were still panicked... but his body... was so different.

When the noise stopped, there was a pause.
Slowly, bare feet touched the wooden floor and Ven lowered himself down close to the bed. His butt slowly lowered onto the floor and he wrapped his arms around his legs. Slowly, he pulled the bedsheets up and looked at his guardian.

He gasped as he saw.... blue eyes?


Axel grinned as he saw the Shee blush more and more, finding it awfully cute. He just watched as the other sputter out stuff and finally... said something. His eyes went wide as his grin grew. "I can find some! No problem!" He flailed happily. "We should really plan that! We can make flyers and and and!" His eyes seemed to sparkle at the thought.

He sighed happily and shook his head. "I'm sure we can come up with something... but... let's get to bed huh?? We can think about it all day tomorrow!"

[Reno]

Terra looked right back towards the other still trying to catch his breath. How could he have been so stupid to forget...? It always happened like that. But it didn't make any sense... there were no blue moons here why would it-

unless...

The eyes lids drooped over the newly revealed blue eyes. The only sound in the house was the scurring of the now very awake rats and the brunette's panting.

His twitched his figners, trying to bring some feeling back into them. At least he had no problems rememebering how to work his body. He was as natural in his form as he was in his wolf form no matter how little time he spent in it.

He grunted trying to move himself from under the bed and only ended up making himself tumble onto his stomach. You know maybe he'd just stay under here for the night. He stared towards Ven, wondering what he was thinking right now. His poor Shee was probably confused...

"Sorry..." He mumbled softly. His voice was no longer as dark or deep with the wolf's growling tenor. Instead it was... well it was different. "I never expected that to happen so I didn't think to warn you."


Roxas looked at him, his smile soft yet scared. Singing... he;d be singing in front of an audience.... And Axel was going to help.

"R-right..." Bed sounded good. Bed sounded wonderful! He snapped his book closed, setting it aside along with his gift, making sure to be gentle with them as he put them in a good place for safe-keeping.