Of Fairytales

[Reno]

Terra continued to try and rouse the blond until he awakened - which turned out to be much harder then he anticpiated - and when he did only showed him the watch. He chuckled however at Ven's overreation - it was kind of... well cute. He hoped he was using that term correctly.

He watched the other struggle to stand only to nearly fall over and Terra reacted by instinct, shooting to his feet and wrapping secure, strong arms around the other, bringing him close. His mate... his mate! He couldn't explain the happiness he felt which only increased as he got a sweet kiss and even sweeter words.

"Love..." He repeated a little dazedly, a smile (that was not love-sick or goofy and doopy or anything fucking romantic like that!) spread on his face. He waved back as the other disappeared, his eyes squinted at the light - and Ven was gone.

"....." Terra looked down at the pile of clothes left behind... and blinked. "Hey wait!" He looked up but of course, Ven was already gone. ".... Well, he'll figure it out soon enough."


Soran was so surprised that everyone was outside and awake that he barely even had time to register the fact that his father was in front of him, eyes full of concern or that his mother was coming towards him as well.

However a second flash broke him from his trance, only to have his eyes widen at the sight of his brother in the nude. He hurried over to his twin's side, trying to hide the limp and helped him into a sitting position. "Hey... hey Ven are you-" He paused however, seeing the chucnk of flesh missing - and unlike the panicking Shee around him his mouth only gaped and his cheeks flushed at the knowledge he and Roxas and Ven would only grasp.

He knew what that was - and now Ven's sight of undress made a whole lot more sense. Heh looked like he wasn't the only one doing the do.

Snapping back to attention he remembered he was still holding onto the towel Riku had thrown at him, and quickly threw it over his brother's lap. "Heh, nice going Ven. Couldn't even DRESS first?" He teased softly, before looking around.

He could hear his mother calling for everyone to remain calm while their dad was just looking at them, his face demanding answers. Soran's brows furrowed, noticing something between all the fear and disorder. He turned to look at his father. "Where's Roxas?"

This made the Shee fall almost eerily silent, and from the grim looks on their faces Soran couldn't help but feel the hair on his body stand on end.


Latium stood in his study, looking at the medical Shee inspecting Roxas silently. The blonde was hovering on nothing but air in the middle of his study - brought on by nothing but clever magic from a purple-winged Shee he had called in. He was the same Shee, named Artios, that had trained Roxas to become the great magican he was today.

Gin had already taken leave and was most likely making his way back to King Jet and Queen Runa where the meeting was taking place.

"Nothing." The green-winged Shee, Riri, announced. Roxas wings were gone, forcefully retracted by a combination of Riri and Artios' magic. "The only thing that has changed is his eye color - and they are still responding. He is fine physically, I can not understand his current form of unconciousness." She admitted, her head bowing in shame.

"I see." Latium stated. "Thank you Riri, go ahead and deliver that news to Jet."

The doctor nodded and left the room. Artios frowned, his expression filled with concern for his old apprentice. His eyes, also a dark shade of violent, looked at Latium beneath black bangs. "What do you think is wrong Latium?"
The yellow-winged Shee sighed, none of his usual cheerfulness left in his aged face. "If nothing is wrong with his body... then I fear either his mind or his soul is missing."
"Hn... that is grave news. I feared that is why you called me here."
"Yes, if you could please perform a Sala spell."

Artios was silent for a moment before he nodded, stepping closer to the hovering body. He placed one hand over Roxas' heart, another atop his forehead and shut his eyes. He whispered some words of the ancient tongue of Shee. His eyes opened suddenly and they had slit like a cat's and changed to a shade of green.

He saw this: an inner world almost completely black and white, full of trees and grass and a small brook that was eerily silent, and doves that fluttering through the air. It would not be the first time at seeing Roxas' inner world - however this time it had changed. The sky - which had been white with black clouds, was now full of gray smoke and lit with oranges and red and yellows as if an unseen sun was setting. To Artios, it looked like it was on fire.

The spell broke and he shook his head sadly. "His soul is gone. Yet... it puzzles me. It does not seen to have been taken in any way by a demon or otherwise. There are no marks on his world to inticate a struggle. It is almost like... he left of his own free will."

"Left... of his own free will..." Latium repeated, ebfore suddenly he turned on his heels, racing for his books.


The voices, so loud and unending, echoed into his head. It was nothing but gibberish to him. His mind was starting to whirl with the overload, and he started to back away, further into the Shadows.

And then suddenly he stumbled over his own two feet and fell back with a cry. His wings - wait when had they returned? - flapped wildly on his back to try and catch him.

They were useless however and he fell like dead weight - through the Twilight.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed, suddenly surronded by nothing but black and white. His wings beat voraciously - but for some unknown reason he could not fly. And the voices still suffocated him. What did they want to tell him?!

"Roxas you-"

The blonde's eyes opened suddenly as he caught the hint of something he recognized, something familar and safe, and he reached out towards the nothingness. "Kusa... Kusa.... Grll me!"

... It was back! "Tell me!" He repeated. [/i]

[Rikugurl]

The kingdom slowly went back to the ways it once known... only it was much quieter than usual. The Balance was tilted, pulling and pushing in waves that made everyone feel weak in the knees. It had been so long since the Balance had been disrupted. Ever since Jet and Runa married, the Balance had never been so calm... and then the birth of the Trinity only put it in cement.

As the boys grew though, the Balance shifted, finding a new place to steady as the boys differed in their own way.
Now that a rare Shee was in great danger, the Balance didn't know what to do...


The black wolf whimpered as he laid on the white brick. He too could feel the change in the air and yelling filled it. This was very uncommon... Shee never yelled...

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?"
Yellow eyes beamed down at the two in front of him, one standing and one sitting. His cloak shifted as his extremely long hair flowed from under it.

Ventus looked down, his wings flapping slightly. He frowned though, looking back up at his father with his own yellow eyes. "We wanted to prove to you that we could DO something!"
Jet growled as he shook his head. "All you did was cause more trouble!"
"That's not true! We did something that no other Shee could do!"

[Reno]

Demyx sighed, sitting beside his wolfen buddy, petting him soothingly. He trembled a little however at the sounds of yelling that was practically reaching every end of the palace and even further.

"It's okay puppy." He murmured. He had no diea... what it felt like to be yelled at by a father. He had never experienced that kind of... 'love' before. But ti soudned pretty guilt-inducing. He could already feel his own stomach twisting in shame.


"By what?!" Runa snapped to her second-eldest. Her own eyes were a brillant orange. Her voice was shrill and full of fury their mother hardly ever experienced, yet was passionate when she was. "You think you did something wonderful? Sneaking out at night without telling a soul? Lying to us all by day? Putting your lives at risk by making us unaware?! Disrespecting the name of the Shee by lying to every person you probably stumbled on upon?! You think these are things to be proud of?!"

The fighting continued, loud and unending, painful to ehar.

"WHY ARE WE FIGHTING?!" Soran suddenly screamed, breaking into the verbal arguement his family had begun. The three couldn't help but stop and look at their abnormally quiet first born, seeing the swirling blue eyes staring back at them.

"Screaming at each other isn't fixing anything." He spoke, his whole body shaking in an effort to remain in control. He never had such a problem holding in his wings before but that was only because he was completely terrified for his little brother.

"Roxas is unconcious and his soul is lost and he's probably scared whereever he is!" Artios had given then the update moments before they had retired to the throne room. "Yet, instead of uniting like a family should all you guys can do is ARGUE?!"

He looked at his parents, his eyes unnaturally cold. "I don't care... if you ground me for the rest of my life. I don't care if I have to walk around with a collar and a short leash on! But I'll tell you this until today nothing seriously bad has happened to us, nothing that we couldn't handle at least!" Ven nearly got eatten, he'd drowned twice and Roxas had had his heart ripped to peices a dozen times but STILL they handled all that all on their own. They had survived.

Yet, nothing compared to losing their soul. Now that... was scary. "But now that something HAS happened, something really, really bad, we should be there for him." Sora said, suddenly turning his back on them, his fingers curling around his crown charm. "I mean... Roxas wouldn't be very happy if he found out we were getting punished and he was asleep through it all."

The brunette glanced back at them quietly, before walking towards the doors of the throne room silently. and from the way he held himself it was obvious that no matter what anyone said he was going to go to his brother's side, even if it cost him his freedom.

And such was proven when his mother called for him. "Soran!" Yet he didn't stop or even look back, determinedly heading for the doors.


Latium sighed, sitting atop his desk, Roxas laid out on the ground. He frowned curiously as he read over a book he had only ever glanced over before. It was an old chinese text found on the Land of Dragons about religious practices - a sort of How-To book. Astral projection was what he was studying. He was pretty sure... that it was the only explantion.

Artios was drawing something in black chalk around the blonde. Symbols and such, an intricate design of celtic knots and fancy swirls and shapes. On open circles of the design where wax candles held in brass holders. Each flame a different shade - red, blue, green, purple, orange, and yellow.

"Will this work?" Latium asked the magician, looking up from his book.
"I've never actually done a soul retrival spell before. It was a practice Yen Sid created." The purple winged man spoke. "But I promised King Jet I would do whatever I could for his son."


The voices suddenly stopped.

Roxas descent suddenly stopped and his body twisted in the air without his consent, feet slowing as they touched down on nothingness. He looked in all directions, seeing the black and the white swirling around him in a perfect unity.

"Hello?" He whispered, to the unending silence around him. But then he saw a spark of something and he turned to face it. Something began to materilize, like a persom walking through a desert haze, coming closer and closer until you realized it wasn't a mirage, that someone really was there.

Roxas breathed in sharply, eyes widened in shock. The man was tall - much taller than himself. His eyes were unnvering to look at - swirls of black and white thatw as unatural and unheard of. His hair was the same, strands mixed with the two colors in a charming perfection.

But what made Roxas lose all his breath... where the wings on his back - exactly like his own. Every black swirl, every white pattern, every inch of symmtry... alike. He was a... a Shee.

"Hello, Roxas. My name... is Xan."

"... XAN?!" Roxas eyes widened even more incredulously, and his couldn't breath - or well he probably never was in the first place. "No, No... it can't be. If YOU'RE here... Then I... I really am-"

"No, you are not dead Roxas." Xan announced, his smile kind yet serious. "You brought yourself here."
"B-But you!"
"Yes, I am dead. In fact... this is only an echo of me that you are seeing."
"Wha... huh... oh god!" Roxas fell to his knees, form trembling so much he started to faze in and out of existence.

Xan... Xan was the first black and white wing to ever live - at least that what the records said. Legend had it that back when their community was first birthing itself, the Shee found that their powers were too great to live in large groups upon one world successfully without killing it's heart. So they seperated - making it hard for Shee to find lovers and people to live peacefully when divided.

Then two people were born. Xan, the first black and white wing, and Isu the third orange wing. They were best of friends. As they grew older however, so did their people. Families were being born all across the universe - Shee's living divided and unprotected. Their blood was being harvested by those with black hearts and dark intentions.

Isu, wrecked at seeing his fellow Shee in such a state, started to travel from world to world, helping them one at a time. Xan went with him. Though their method was useful - it was not effective. Their was just too much darkness and too much risk involved.

So Xan came up with a new plan and he and Isu traveled to find an empty world - one that was beautiful and full of life. They found one... and called it Norn. Xan told Isu that the only way to truly ensure peace for their people was to bring them together. Isu however was skecptical and stated that that was impossible soemthing they both knew.

Xan only smiled and nodded, stating he understood that - but he told Isu to gather them anyways... and bring them to Norn.

And so Isu did. He brought every Shee he could find and brought them to Norn. The world trembled under their power and threatened to give way - the Shee started to panic and cry, but Isu told them to remain calm and relax - to hold on and that everything would be alright.

It was said that Isu had had a moment of doubt back them, thinking he had been tricked into killing his one people - but the minute such a thought came to him a shot of light came from the center of the world - and suddenly the earth stopped shaking and everything was calm.

Confused yet pleased,. the Shee began to emet and greet one another, began to find old friends they hadn't seen since they were little, or make new ones right on the spot. Children began to play happy to have others their age with them.

Yet Isu and some other Shee stepped away and towards the light's origin. They eneded to know what had happened. There... in the very spot the fountian of Norn was at, they found a large key shimmering beautifully under the sun.

And Xan, dead at it's side.

Isu later married and was named king - because without him and his large heart, the Shee would have never come together like they had. He was Roxas's great, great, great (and so forth) grandfather.

In honor of his best friend, Isu decreed for the first letter of Xan;s name be taken and became the Shee's symbol - the symbol of balance. The fountain was later resurrected as well. He was forever respected for the sacrifice he had made, and every time a white-and-black winged Shee was born, people would cheer in happiness knowing that great things were to come from him or her and they had never been proven wrong before. Since then it had also become customary to put X's in black and white winged Shee's names, to forever live out Xan's legacy.

"Calm yourself Roxas. We are all bound for greatness if we search for it - what I did was not so great." Xan murmured softly. "I don't have much time, so you must listen-"

[Rikugurl]

Ventus growled. Why weren't they listening! They didn't even know all that they had accomplished! That this weeks weren't just for fun... well... maybe a little bit... but that they had a goal.
All three of them had done something that no Shee ever did before... at least he was sure that Sora did... that gleam in his eye telling so. He sure knew HE did something that no other Shee had ever done.

As for Roxas... something... something wasn't right. DAMN IT! He should go to Tarsa the next chance he got and strangled that imp for doing this to his brother! What... what curse had he put on him...? AND... and the HEIR to the throne no less! Damn it... why didn't Roxas listen to him and Soran when he told him not to go back...?

Maybe... because of the same reason why... he went back to Atteris when the others told him not to...
They were all in love with their 'subjects'... but Roxas had had it harsher... and that made no sense! He should of had the harsher... experience...

Sadness ran over his features before his eyes shot opened and he was SCREAMED into reality. He blinked, looking over at his brother. His yellow eyes slowly faded, becoming the swirly blue once more. Soran... Soran was right. He blinked as watched his brother stand, wishing he could stand by his side... but that was pretty impossible...

Jet gasped a bit as his son screamed them all out. Like any good father though, he stopped and listened to his boy... seeing that strength in which he didn't need to call his wings.

He watched his son walk off towards the doors that went out to the hallway that held the room where Latium, Artios and Roxas.
His eyes slowly turned blue as a... smile ran over his face. His own matching wings as his son's flapped as he heard Runa call out but touched her arm gently. They looked at each other and Jet gave a soft, happy nod.

The king looked down at his blonde son and leaned over. "Let's go." He held out his hand and Ventus looked up, now fully dressed... thanks to some help from Soran. He took his father's hand, getting some help to walk. Jet reached out, taking Runa's hand as they all started to follow Soran to the room.


There was a loud noise that rang through the small roost. Narrow eyes widened as the imp looked back, seeing not who he was expecting. His heart had pounded, wondering if Roxas was ok... and had returned but... it was.... Reno.

Shock ran through him before shaking his head, trying to dry the tears as his brother walked in. "Zotto..."
Axel slowly stood, his limbs feeling a bit weak. "Wh-what are you doing here...?" He muffled as he slowly looked over at his brother who was now perched on his bed.
The other redhead looked up, a gleam in his eyes. "Why are you crying? Imps don't cry, zotto..." He snickered, only to blink as his brother didn't flare out but instead.... looked away.

"I... I think I hurt Prince Roxas...."
There was some silence between the two before the older leaned back a bit, his larger wings flapping. "You didn't do anything, zotto."
Axel looked back, frowning. "How do YOU know?"
A cocky smile ran over the other as he shook his head, a red rat tail following with the movements.

"You still don't understand... do you?" Reno tilted his head as Axel looked back at him again. "Under...stand?"
Reno nodded, closing his eyes and sighing impatiently. "You're not an outcast because you can't measure up... You're an outcast because you're better than everyone else, zotto..."
Axel growled, turning to his brother and making a fist. "I don't have time for games! You know I'm not better than anyone else! Got that memorized!? What a lame try to make me feel bett---."

He cut himself off.
Make him... feel better? Imps... didn't do that...?
"Who said I wanted to make you feel better, zotto?" The redhead replied. Axel looked down... Why would Reno say something like that... "What... what do you mean I'm better than anyone else..."
Green eyes looked into green, staring each other down. Suddenly Reno shook his head, getting up and walking towards the window. "Tch, you'll find out, zotto."

[Reno]

Runa sighed, seeing her son's stubbornness - but he was only followed his heart. She paused, glancing at her husband when he brushed his hand along hers and she sighed, relaxing as well. Her eyes also went back to their normal sky blue. She looked at Jet, seeing him nod and a smile graced her lips as well. Her first born was right... and she too was worried about her youngest son.

Soran glanced back when he heard footsteps, smiling faintly. That was more like it! He hurried to Latium's study and hesitated before knocking.

"Yes?" Came the voice of the old professor. Soran pushed open the door, poking his ehad in. "May we come in? And don;t just say yes because we're royalty."

Latium looked up, seeing the young prince, his eyes full of worry then at Artios, who would need all his concentration. The purple-wing looked up at the brunette then smiled kindly. "Of course."

The brunette opened the door wide, stepping in and looking in wodnerment at the different colored flames. He wished he could do that... but his magical skills, while much better than his physical strenght, was nothing compared to...

To the brother of his who laid silently in the middle of a black chalked on circle. His enthusiasm fell a smidge and he stepped out of the way, taking a seat against the bookcase. Moments later the rest of his family stepped inside. His dad led Ven next to him while his mother shut the door, shrouding them back into darkness only illuminated by the candles and a small light on Latium's desk he was using to read by.

Runa hesitated, looking upon her son's ghostly pallor, her eyes full of worry. It was like the life had been sucked right out of him. It was painful for her to see. However she attempted to remain strong while she walked over to her sons, falling to soran;s side while Jet stayed by Ven's.

Soran shfited a little closer to his mom, trying to give her son reassurance while Jet grilled atium with the typical questions any concerned father would.

And Latium did explain. "Well sire, as Artios said before, Roxas' soul is vacant from his body. However, the last time any such thing as a split of soul and body came to be was when the darkness raged at it's strongest." He frowned a bit. "But from Artios' inspection he states that it did not seem like Roxas was taken or cursed or evern harmed in any way. I therefore surmised that Roxas left of his own free will."

"But how could he do such a thing?" Runa asked, her voice shaking.

"Astral projection." The yellow-winged Shee said. "It is an old chinese practice of splitting the body and heart with the soul and mind deliberately to achieve greater understanding of one's self and the world. It commonly included trips to the spirit world - a place caught inbetween death and life. However, from my reading I've discovered that though this was often practiced no person had ever truly achieved true astral projection. When looking at Roxas however... his soul actually is missing. He's achieved what thousands of years of practice never could in just one day."

"But why... would he leave?" The queen murmured softly.

"That... I can not answer." Latium said. "I can not answer how Roxas even knows of this technique when I had never openly shared the information either. I can only guess that it might have something to do with his wings, and that his departure will be used for a greater good." At least he hoped that was what it was for.

He heard Ven murmur quietly and ask what was to be done now. It was not Latium who answered this but Artios.

"When the darkness raged at it's peak, many wwere splti from one another." The purple-wing explained, the stroke of his chalk never ceasing. "When I studied under Yen Sid, he taught me many things of those dark times. Many believed that once the soul was lost from the body that it could never return to it's original home. My master did not believe that was true, and created a spell dereieved from many ancient practices. In this spell, the heart calls for the soul, and the body for the mind and forces them to unite once more. It saved many lives that would have otherwise been lost."

He completeled the circle setting the chalk down with finality and finall looked at the worried family. "Yen Sid however had gone missing, as you know leaving only those who were taught udner him with his knowledge. I have never performed this spell on another, only learned it's practice and it's words..." He sighed bowing his ehad, "And I do not know how much time or many chances I will be given before it's too late."

"Too... late?"

"Without the soul, the body no longer has balance, slowly rotting it from the inside out. And Roxas, where ever he is wandering... if he accidently stumbles from the realm of life to the realm of death... he will never be able to return."

Silence fell upon the family, faces turning grim.


"-so you must listen," Xan spoke in that soft way of his but suddenly he jerked his hand out and the black and white space of uncolor faded away and suddenly burst into life...

and destruction. Screams echoed across the skies as bodies fell from the graying sky, smacking into the ground hard and rolling limply to a stop. Orders were screamed but unheeded by soldiers. Buildings crumpled to the ground, fire raged in a nearby forest, withering the trees and multilating flowers.

Roxas eyes widened as a dark ball of energy smacked into the structure right in front of him, a fountain, and pieces of the ancient stone exploded, passing harmlessly through him. "What... what is this?" He choked watching as his people fell around him. Dying. Dead.

"A war is coming Roxas." Xan said. "And if you do not choose wisely, this will be the outcome."

A cry of pain made him turn, only to widen in horror as he saw powerful jaws of a large wolf clamped around his identical twin's neck. Ven's body jerked, before his spear slipped from his figners, clattering uselessly to the ground. "...Why?" He heard his brother utter before his eyes grayed as the life went out of them.
"Ven! VEN!" A new voice screamed, a brunette with blazing orange eyes rushing down the steps.

"Sora NO!" Roxas cried - but his warning went unheeded. He tured his eyes away shutting them tightly as he heard a scream as bones crunched and blood splattered onto white stone. He shuddered all over. "Stop this... Stop this please!"

The noise stopped, and Roxas tentatively opened an eye, seeing the blank universe he had previously been in staring back at him. He shook all over, hands clenching at his sides as he shot an accusingly glare to the dead Shee. "My decisions... will cause that?!"
"Yes."
"What... what could I... how could you say such a terrible thing!?"
Xan's eyes searched through him, unnervingly omnipotent. "You have knowledge that others do not. And with your dying balance you will become foolish enough to share it."
"My... dying balance...? What do you mean?"

Xan turned away. "Unimportant."
"UNIMPORTANT?! You just told me I'm DYING. That's pretty damn important to me!"
"Life is only as great as one perceieves it."
"What are you talking about?!"
"Unimportant."
"Uni-" Roxas growled, tugging at his hair frustratedly. "Why am I here?"
"Because you brought yourself here."
"Why?"
"That isn't relevant, nor should we be wasting time."
"Why not?! You're dead it's not like you have anything to watse!"
Xan sent him a scathingly glare. "These things are insignificant to discuss!"
"WHY?!"
"Do you want Hades to collect your soul? Or worse a soul-eater to swallow you up so their is nothing left of you to pass?!" Xan shook his head, wings fluttering. "And every minute we wait, a body-snatcher could come and take your physical form away from you - and then you would be stuck in limbo, never dead but not alive either and you'd never be allowed to pass to the realm of death."

Roxas grit his teeth, bowing his head. He didn't understand anything! What decision? Why him? What did he know?! And why... had he not been there to save his brothers? "Alright... go on."

[Rikugurl]

Ven limped as he walked down the hallway with his father and mother. Luckily... they didn't understand this limp. Soran had luckily covered his bite mark. That was the last thing their parents needed to see.
They stopped behind Soran as he opened the door... and they all slowly moved in.

They sat around the circle that the purple wing had made. Ventus really didn't know this Shee all too well. Firi however did and said that he was the best magician in all of Norn. Her mother had been quite attracted to him... but he then went away fro training, and that was when she had met Latium. The rest was history.

He felt his father's hand rest on his mark, wincing silently not to give it away. Even if he did... he was sure everyone was more concerned about Roxas...

His blue eyes looked out, seeing his twin just... laying there... so... emotionless and.... and dead... His eyes narrowed, listening to everyone.
This....didn't make any sense... why would Roxas...le---
Axel.
His eyes narrowed more. Axel must of done something mean again. Something so mean... that it made Roxas... want to just leave. His fist tightened but frowned as he looked up.
"So... how will you bring my brother back?"
He listened and nodded, sighing softly. Great... his brother might die because... of that fucking imp.


"My dear friend... do not get yourself in a bundle of wings." Another voice came from behind the prince, making the blue eyes focus on yet another Shee.
He too had black hair that contrasted with his bright orange wings. He wore ancient clothing much like Xan, some beads in his hair as it laid softly over a gentle smile.

From the little bit of his forehead that was shown, two scars were on either side, circular in shape.

"Do not worry about the small things. You see... your father didn't claim you as king, your wings did." He explained as he walked around the boy. "Roxas..." He smiled softly, blue eyes looking down at the boy. "I never dreamed that I would see this generation." He gave the boy a soft smile before looking back at Xan. "Roxas... as a Wing of Balance... you are connected to Norn more than any other Shee. The Balance isn't a gust of wind... or some thought in your mind. It's a power that radiants over Norn as a shield. Shee have forgotten that the shield is not to protect them... but to protect Norn as a world."

He tilted his head as he explained. "The Balance comes from within Norn itself... and the only way for it to survive is thanks to a single key. A key that Xan himself made from his own power. A sacrificial key... so that all Shee could live in one place in harmony. I was crowned the first king... because I wanted to keep this goal. This goal passed down from centuries to centuries. I am glad that the Shee have become one of the most peaceful people in the universe."

He sighed though, leaning back. "But being a king isn't always about keeping peace... its to protect it too. When your grandfather was growing up, there was a major threat to the world. A man who called himself Master Xehanort arrived on Norn. He was a power hungry man... who didn't think that Shee had any authority to go around, being the best at everything. He had mastered the power of Dakrness... and wished to seek out this key... to lock up the balance so that the Shee would have to flee once more."

He looked back at Xan before looking back at Roxas.
"He threatened the new king that he would return with an army made out of Darkness Creatures and Atterians. That if he couldn't get the Shee to disburse, he would just have to kill them all. Before Master Xehanort could leave to gather this army, Sorias put a curse on him and banished him into the dimension of Twilight and Shadows." He pointed above to show the place that Roxas had just been. "The curse was that if the blood of three Shee spilled on different worlds, the spell would be broken. This would prove to Master Xehanort that Shee weren't as nosy as they seemed."

He frowned though, looking down. "Two chains have already broken Roxas... and all that is left before the war to begin is one last drop of blood."
He looked up at Roxas and frowned. "Seeing that Xan and I are now dead... we can see what can and can't happen in the future. Your brothers... Soran and Ventus... had shed two drops of blood. One on Atteris... one on Destiny. Your irresponsible actions on Tarsa were becoming too threatening. That's why we brought you here... to issue you a warning."

He walked closer and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Grandchild... as the future king of Norn... and a Wing of Balance... you automatically know... where that key is. If Xehanort is awaken... you will be going after you first..."

[Reno]

Runa frowned a bit, the heaviness of the situation falling over her in an almost choking grasp. She shut her eyes, bowing her head, whispering her son's name.

Soran glancing around at his family, seeing the dismaying looks covering their faces - as well as the lack of confidence Artios seemed to herald. He straight up, eyes gleaming with enthusiasm and face set in grim determination, much like he had faced the idea of swimming only this morning. "Roxas isn't going to die." He commanded. "He wouldn't give up like that, spell or no spell he'll come back." He looked at Artios and smiled suddenly. "You're being a lighthouse."

"A... lighthouse my prince?" The purple-winged Shee asked, raising an eyebrow at the strange comparison.

"Uh huh, just like how sailors followed the beacon of light when they were in the middle of storms to find land. It's like you're sending a signal out to Roxas and bringing his soul back home." He explained, as if the spell was the easiest thing in the world and smiled confidantly. "Roxas always spoke really highly of you when you taught him, so I know you can do it Artios."

The man couldn't help but blush modestly, looking away. But the words... had actually lifted his spirits."Thank you Prince Soran. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to begin now." He stood, wings fluttered as he walked around the cirle - careful not to smudge a single line, before falling to his knees at the top of the circle where Roxas' face lay. He placed his hands down inside the intricate design onto two open circles, black lines winding around him like snakes.

He looked down at the prince's apathetic expression for a moment, never having seen his student in such an awful state. Roxas might not of been as excitable as Soran or as passionate as Ventus, but he had a life all his own. A nature of curiosity and understanding and compassion that made him see hints of the leader he could become. He was going to try and bring him back - but his brother was right. He was only a lighthouse. If... Roxas did not wish to return, then he would not. The Shee shut his eyes, purple wings shining with magic as he started to murmur in a foriegn tongue.

The family watched and the brunette reached out, placing one hand over his mother's and another over Ventus' upper arm, watching closely. "He'll come back." He said softly, sounding so sure of himself it was like no evidence - like the dozens of things that could go wrong or already has gone wrong - that proved his statement false could possibly exist.


Xan looked up when a voice interrupted he sighed, straightening. "Isu..."

Roxas head jerked sharply at the utterance then he stared at the apporaching man with wide eyes, jaw dropping. This was becoming even more unreal by the moment.
However he quickly snapped his teeth together, lips pressing in a firm frown as the other started to share his wisdom.

'Your father didn't claim you as king, your wings did.'
At first he misunderstood the statement, and hot rage boiled in his veins. Of course his father had chosen him because of his wings that was why he hated them so damn mu-

But as the other continued to speak he slowly realized his first thought was wrong. no, his grandfather had meant, that despite that his father was handing him the crown, his wings were giving the decree. Did that mean it was his destiny to become a king?

'This goal passed down from century to century' Just like the knowledge of where the ancient key was. That knowledge was soemthing Isu had hid until his child was born - and then he passed it down to his son, and so on and so forth until it came down to himself. He and his father, the only living people who knew the secret of it's whereabouts.

Roxas looked at his ancestor, listening quietly to the story. his eyes narrowed at the mention of Master Xehanort, his eyes darting towards the empty space he had fallen through. He had known that that man was not a good person, he had known the minute he had seen the Shee's ancient writing...

But to think he had only been around two generations ago. Why... had he never heard this story before? Did his father not know of it?

He snapped to attention at the mentions of his brothers bleeding, the wings on his back tensing with worry. Then they narrowed at the mention of the chains, remembering the sight of them - broken.

'Your irresponsible actions on Tarsa were becoming too threatening. That's why we brought you here... to issue you a warning.'

Irre.... sponsible?

He looked up at Isu just as he finished his speech, eyes cold as ice as he stepped away. "So you're telling me all this why?" He hissed. "So I can stop the inevitable? Sacrifice my happiness and my life for my people like he-" He jabbed his thumb towards Xan, "Did?!"

He growled. "And where do you get off telling me what I'm doing on Tarsa is bad? I'm HAPPY there. Happier then I've been in a long while. There I'm not judged by my wings, there I can be who I want to be, be appreciated for who I am and not who I'm SUPPOSED to be." His wings beat hard, though they created no air, nor even shifted his form. They were powerless in this state.

"You've spent too much time there." Xan suddenly spoke up, shaking his head gravely.
"Excuse me?!"
"Roxas, for us, we are the epitome of balance. But it is also the greatest of burdens. Our inner balance is a fragile thing, and if it tips, it can be hard to maintain control. Tarsa has corrupted yours."
Roxas snarled glaring at the man, ready to snap in defiance.
"You do not believe me? Have you not seen the changes you have been through since this has begun?"
"I'm in love! How can that POSSIBLY be bad?!"

[Rikugurl]

Ventus blinked as his brother got up. With his words, his wings started to flap. They became bright as his confidence boosted. Soran... was so good at giving people hope... he was a lighthouse himself... showing people the way of hope and light...

He would become a great Speaker of Norn...

They all quieted as the purple wing started to walk carefully to his place. Dark blue eyes looked up, feeling the touch that his brother gave for extra strength. He smiled, nodding was strength as he looked over, watching what was going on. He tilted his head a bit, hearing the ancient tongue. They too were going to learn this when time was right... when they all moved ahead in life.

This language held its own power. Majickal in is own way. A dark majick that was above all others. A majick that could hold a curse that could never be broken unless it was fulfilled.

His eyes shined, looking down at his brother for any sign of movement. "Come on Roxas..." He whispered.


The orange wing stood silently as he watched the boy. The shade of his wings shifting as he cried out.
When it was utterly quiet, Isu spoke up.
"That's the exact problem. Roxas... if you ask anyone... from anywhere who know of the Shee... who is the most powerful of them all. They will tell you... the King and the Shee are the most powerful." He leaned in, his blue eyes matching Roxas's. "They're wrong."

He straightened and frowned. "The true answer.... is love. Love is the most powerful thing of all. The Shee, nor King Mickey could fight this. Like all powerful things... it is the way you use and takes its power. Love can create beautiful things... and it also can destroy. It is up to the one who is using it to determine what will happen."
He slowly stepped away, walking backwards towards Xan.

"Prince Roxas... we all much make decisions in life. No one should have a say in it... but for what Xan and myself went through... for what all kings and queens and all normal Shee alike have went through to keep the Balance... this decision is not yours. You are not king material, at least not yet... the blackness in your wings have sucked in the selfishness of Tarsa. If you don't find your destiny fair... or doesn't suit your Darkness need.... I advice you hand over your burden to someone else. Someone who you find fit to be the king of Norn."

Slowly, he started to fade as he spread his arms open. "But remember Roxas... there is much more behind the word....of the title 'King'."

Suddenly a light shot through his disappearing body. A light... of a lighthouse.

[Reno]

Artios continued to chant in that foriegn tongue. No body in the room could comprehend that garbled words except the speaker himself.

'Divided this body is,
soul and body cruelly split.
Lead the spirit back to it's home,
the body of which unifies a whole.
Fire rage and light,
return the color back to this man!

The six candles all flickered and then their flames grew in size, becoming. The flames twisted in the air and before falling onto the blaze chalk. Like gasoline the flames dashed across the chalk lines, six colors joining around a carefully crafted circle, dancing safely around Roxas in a rainbow of fire.

Soran watched the blazes licked at the edges of his brother's clothes and the slevves of the magican's hands, seeing that nothing was catching. Warmth hpwever, spread around the room. "Rox..."

"Roxas please..." Runa whispered moments later, her eyes full of fear as she watched the fire appear to devour her boy.


Roxas looked at his relative quietly, before bowing his head appearing a tad sheepish and ashamed. Had he really said that all in front of the first king of Norn? And what of the things he had admitted to Axel?

Was... Was Xan right? Had he really changed so much?

He looked up as the other retreated to his friend's side. The parting words sent a chill down his spine. "Wait!" He cried, but it was too late. Isu was gone. His eyes darted to the right seeing Xan fading as well. "What am I supposed to do with what you've told me?!"
"You must decide that for yourself." The Shee whispered, before he disintergrated into the light. Roxas felt it pull at him and he grunted, sliding across the floor.

'Come on Roxas...' Ventus?
'Rox...' Soran!
'Roxas please...' Mom...
'Son, come back.' Dad.

Roxas started to walk forward, a drum beating in rythmn around the empty area. A ba-dum, ba-dum. No not a drum... a heartbeat.

He paused, looking at the light, before stepping forward.
"Roxas." He heard Xan's voice murmuring to him from an unseen force, "Remember: Your wings do not determine how great you will be. Your heart is what should pave your way. Listen, not to the echoes of the past, but the words of your heart."

And suddenly he was falling. Faster and faster the nothingness spread, until the realm broke away, bursting into a dark sky full of stars and brillant galaxies. He continued to plummet, hair plastered to his head and wings threatening to tear as he spotting a dot of a star. It got bigger and bigger until he could see greens and blues and browns. Faster, faster, through the atmosphere, flying through fluffy clouds and encased in a brillant blue sky lit by a morning sun. Trees and buildings and a stream all started to take shape. A large struture, a palace, came into focus, whitequickly filling his vision - until he screamed as he smacked into it. He saw black, then a pleathora of brillant lights as he came crashing down... into himself.

When roxas soul came crashing back into his body, a wave of wind swept the area, chilling it instantly. The flames ceased to exist. Books fluttered and some crashed from their precarious placements. The black chalked c ircle was gone, eaten by the flames. Silence reigned.

Then a groan quickly filled it, the form on the floor twitched, before blue eyes slitted open. He squinted, looking up at the face hovering over his own as it came into focus. "...Master Artios?"

"Welcome back Roxas." The man said, a revealed smile spreading across his lips.

[Rikugurl]

Jet leaned closer to Ventus, rubbing his hand on that wound..."Son, come back." but the blonde hardly noticed. His eyes were on the dancing fire. It heated his body. The purples, greens, reds, pinks...
The fire... the light.... the.... the passion.
Blue eyes widened, seeing everything suddenly crashing.

He yelped as a book fell on his head and then onto the floor. A book about Atteris. He shook his head, rubbing the bump but not knowing what hit him until he looked down. A frown ran over his face but his attention was drawn as he heard a moan. He stumbled to his feet, not getting up quick enough as he raced to his brother's side. He didn't care that he stepped on some books or the remains of some chalk as he fell to Roxas's side. "ROXAS!" He cried happily, feeling his brother coming over too.

The two brothers helped Roxas sit up, bringing him into a tight hug. Bright smiles filled up the room as Roxas was well.... back.


The day passed like everything was normal... however, there was an undying silence. The Balance however... went back to the way it was, calming the Shee.
Ventus trained with Gin while Soran was reading some things with Latium.
Roxas spent the day with Artios, learning some new things.

That night went as smooth as possible... except... they were all grounded... again...and this time, pretty bad.
They weren't allowed to leave Norn for two months... and now guards were stationed for a 24 hour watch on all the portals.

Everyone was tucked into bed and the palace went quiet.

A sigh admitted as the blonde laid in his overly comfy bed, looking up at the white ceiling. Slowly he looked over at his bare shoulder, seeing the mark that was well seen in the moonlight. He touched it softly, sighing more. "Terra..." His eyes closed, shifting in his bed. God... how he wished he could get out of bed again and fly out the window to join his brothers at the portal.

How he... craved those lips.
He clenched his teeth, shifting again and burying his face in the pillow. "Terra..." He choked softly.

[Reno]

Soran gave a happy cry as well, practically scuttled over to Roxas' side to help him out.

Roxas was dazed and confused - until two pairs of hands grabbed onto him and helped pulled him up. he took a deep breath, smelling in the scent of smoke, aged wood and crisp, worn pages of books, knowing he was in Latium's study. He was home.

And then suddenly he was being crushed in between two very enthusiastic bodies. "Ut..." He blinked, glancing from one smiling face to another, surprisied at how... overjoyed both his brothers seemed to be. Had... he been gone that long? He hadn't even felt any time pass.

He squirmed between them, hugging them loosely. "Nice to see you guys too."



On Atteris a male sighed as he dipped his feet in the water of the stream, toes wiggling as fish nibbled at his toes. He looked up at the sky, his blue eyes dimming with disappointment. The position of the sun told him how late in the day it was. Ven was not coming toward.

"Ven..." He sighed, stepping out of the water only to turn and wander back to a smooth rock with branches above shading from the harsh glares of the sun. A small bed had been made there out of clothes. He laid down atop them, sighing as the Shee;s scent surronded him pleasantly.


Soran sighed, head hanging over the edge of the bed as he held a notebook in front of his face, looking over the written words. He pouted a bit. "Something is missing..."

His toes curled before he sat up, grinning. "Got it!" He wrote something down hastily. He set down his pen before walking across the room were his stationary was, opening up a drawer.

He folded the letter carefully and preciously again and again until it took the shape he wanted. He then sealed it with warm wax. He held the letter close shutting his eyes as his wings fluttered outwards. "To Riku," He whispered, thinking of the other's aquamarine eyes that seemed to tell the tale of a whole world in their depths.

There was a soft glow in the room - then the letter was gone.


Back on Destiny, a piece of paper fluttering threw the hair before landing precisely atop a wooden raft, getting caught between two logs. The paper was in the shape of a heart, and the seal upon it keeping the edges closed was that of a crown.


Roxas re-adjusted the pack on his should again, glass noisely clinking together within. He sighed, looking around once last time, seeing that nothing was out of place. his clothes were picked up, his bed was made, everything was in it;s drawers, everything had a place here.

Except him.

He sighed again, slowly placing a peice of paper down on the untouched bedspread before turned and with a spread of his wigns took off out into the night. He flew low, knowing that many would be looking for him or his brothers. He landed in-between two buildings and with a glance at his surrondings quickly affirmed were he was.

He walked quietly yet quickly to his left, weaving through the many buildings spread around him, being careful to not jostle the bottles in his bag. He paused at the end of one of the alleys, blue eyes peering out at the moonlit streets, where portal stood - and two guards with red wings. He shifted, a soft clinking filling the quiet air.

"Hey did you hear that?"
"Sleep." He uttered softly, and suddenly white dust flew from the sky and surronded the two men.
"Who's-" A sharp voice started, quickly dulling under the effects of the spell. A yawn. "...there..."
The guards suddenly slipped from their posts. Roxas shot forward, his wings beating hard as he reached out, grabbing the backs of their collars. He slowly lowered the two dozing men to the ground before turning away and stepping into the blue ring of the portal. "Tarsa."


Fire burned all around him, warming his cooled skin instantly. He had had the foresight to drink the blue mixture before he had come here. He breathed in ash and smoke like it was a drug, blowing it out slowly, and a content smile spread across his face.

He spread his wings and took to the sky. He flew towards a familar roost.

[Rikugurl]

Ventus suddenly shot up, looking around his room. His heart was aching every second as the minutes went by... knowing that every minute that had gone by... could of been with Terra.
He slowly got out of bed, pulling over his robe but not caring that it wasn't tied.

Slowly he stepped from the room, looking down the hall to see a guard at his post. He frowned, slowly walking down the hall towards him.
Brown eyes looked up, seeing the blonde walk by. "Price Ventus, wh--"
"I'm going to the study..." He cut the guard off, slowly walking down the brick steps. He walked down another hall and stopped in front of a familiar door.

He slowly opened it, walking into the study in which he had been that morning, hoping his brother would come to.
Slowly he walked to the bookshelf that he had been next too and noticed that all the books that had fallen... were still on the floor. That wasn't like Latium... He frowned though as he leaned over and grabbed the book that was marked 'Atteris'. He slowly walked to the wooden table, climbing up onto the chair and placing the book on the table in front of him.

A wanting sigh escaped his lips as he ran a hand over the book. Slowly, his hand reached up, holding onto his charm as he closed his eyes. "Terra..." He squeezed the charm, pushing warmth through it.

Far away, a golden charm exactly like it started to glow with warmth.


A black hoodie was wrapped around a pale figure. Of once, the day was cool as Destiny was falling into winter. Even so, it was still a tropical paradise... and only he seemed to feel the sudden change in the temperature.

A smile was on his face as he walked though the door and across the bridge, minding the familiar hole. He had been late coming down here... because he thought he was catching some sort of cold. When he took his temp and it seemed fine, he quickly got dressed and headed to the island.

Maybe Sora was already waiting for him.

His heart fluttered as he smelt the ocean breeze that seemed to welcome him as he walked over the ledge and....
Empty.
His eyes widened as his smile fell. He looked around... but... there was no sign of Sora.
"Sora?" The silverette called as he continued down to his almost finished raft. He frowned, sighing as he looked at the thing. Something flapping in the breeze caught his eye though. He climbed onto the raft and reached down between a tied up log.

A heart.
His eyes brightened... knowing that it must of been him. He blinked though as he saw the fancy seal... a symbol that he didn't know. He carefully opened it, unfolding the workmanship and started to read the very familiar penmanship.


An imp was limp on the not so cozy bed. Exotic eyes were closed as bat wings draped over him and a limp tail laid between his legs.

It had been... a tiring day.
The worry for the prince... and everything else.
Everything today... started to bother him when it never did before.
Like... who was his mother? His father? And... what did Reno mean when he said that Axel was better than everyone else?

He had sat at his window, looking at all the female imps that had walked by. Each one was a question.
Are you my mother?
Are you?
How about you?

His room was stained with a wear burn, a burn that was rare on this world.

He has escaped his cage for only a hour, trying to find something in the library. Some books that had spells on them could survive here... but not many. He had to dodge orgies in the middle of the street, block out moans as he tried to read something... ANYTHING to help him understand.

And what was worse... it was all in a language he didn't understand.

There was one note that was scribbled...that made his day even worse.
The words were faded, old and a bit hard to read.... but... he could still read them.

Imps are to become Shee,
Not the other way around.

What the hell was THAT suppose to mean!?

He eventually threw the book away violently, making the binding snap. He had vanished before he heard the end of it and back to his roost.

He felt weak... warn and scared. Confused... and.... horribly lonely.

[Reno]

Terra sighed as he nuzzled his face in a cotton shirt smiling pleasantly - but a growing warmth against his stomach just under his ribs made him raise his head.

He reached between the folds of the clothes where he had thrown his as well - what just because he was half-wolf didn't mean he liked sleeping on the ground.

His fingers curled around somerthing war m and smooth and he tugged it free holding it at eye-level. He looked at the charm - what did Ven call it again? Broken-heart passion or something gay like that? - and wrapped his fingers around the warm charm. He sighed, frowning a bit.

"Ventus..." He placed his lips against the charm, shivering at the pelasant warmth.

Back in the study an answering spark came from the silver charm, wrapping delicately around Ven's fingers and washing down his arms with pleasant tingles.


Soran sighed, throwing himself on his bed and looking at the ceiling. Today had been a long one. Between being discovered, worrying about Roxas, getting punished and having lessons he barely had time to breathe.

He couldn't help but notice however how dull lessons had been Latium had just seemed so... tired lately. Maybe dad should give him some time off. He barely even held his old enthusiasm for his books like he used to - hence the study was still a mess.

He sighed, knowing it would be awhile before his punishement was lfited, and his heart ached to see the silverette again. He hug him and talk to him and kiss him...

Hopefully... his letters would be enough.


A soft, chilled breeze brushed across pale skin, the page in his hand crinkling in the brreze. The words were written in blue ink, the carelessness thrown into the handwriting obvious but the message it conveyed anything but.

Hey Riku!
I bet you're wondering where I am. Sorry to say I got in a bit of trouble when I got home. My parents figured out what me and my brothers have been doing.
Ah I guess you have no idea what I'm talking about do you? I can't tell you everything in one piece of paper - but I can start.
My name is Soran. No last name. Sora is just the nickname I adopted when I came to Destiny - I really like it though, I think it fits me better you know? The world I really live on, however, is called Norn.
Anways, I'm obviously not a human Riku. I'm what you'd call a 'Shee'. I don't know if you've ever heard of our kind. We're kind of like fairies (except fairies are like the size of my palm, can't speak except with the tone of bells and are awfully tempermental!). We have wings - and thats the center of all our power and strength. Without our wings, we couldn't exist. There's all sorts of wings too Riku. Mine is just one - the wings of Peace.
In a nutshell my kind is a race who try to bring peace and harmony to different parts of the universe. Our basic philsophy is about Balance. Without balance we couldn't survive, ya know? You know, next time you're in a library go to the mythology section - you might find some stuff about my species. I dunno it it'll all be true, or any of it at all, but I'd rather bring you hear to experience us on your own. Writing it down just doesn't do it justice.
So yeah, we keep peace. In fact, when I get older mom says I'm going to be the head speaker for Norn. Kind of like an ambassdor. I'll get to travel all over the universe to keep peace among all sorts of people and creatures! The reason I came to your world... is because I wanted to find a human that wouldn't be scared of what he didn't completely understand. And I found you. And I'm glad I did, because I not only gained a ally, but a friend and a lover as well.
And yeah Riku there's lots of worlds out there. You weren't wrong. Almost every star in the sky is a new world - and I've only been to 58! I can't wait to take you to some, oh you'll love them! Of course, until I'm not ya know grounded anymore me and my brothers are stuck at home.
Oh right! My family! I told you about them before, remember? My mom is named Runa and she's the current head speaker of Norn as well as Queen of Norn, my dad, Jet, is King. They're really sweet, though kinda busy, but you know they lvoe us dearly and thats why were grounded because we worried them sick.
I have two twins, my brothers Roxas and Ventus. Ventus is the second-oldest and he's going to be the leader of the Peace Army. He's a really awesome fighter and he's creative and smart. It was actually his idea that we travel to other worlds on out own, and for once I'm glad I listened to his crazy ideas.
Roxas, the baby of us (but don't tell him I said that!) is heir to the throne. He's kinda... well tempermental sometimes but protective and compassionate. He doesn't think he's gonna be a good king but I know he can do it.
Oh right, guess that means you found out I'm also a prince. Heh, no biggie right? I know this is all really overwelming so maybe that's enough information for today.
I love you,
Sora
P.S. Tommorrow, look out for my next letter! It won't be in the same place - but trust me, it will find you.


The sound of a pack hitting hot flooring sizzled in the room before soft wings flapped and a boy touched down, walking over to the still form.

His blue eyes shimmered with something akin to worry as he knelt beside the bed, reaching out to brush red hair out of closed eyes. "Axel..." The blond murmured softly, not wanting to rouse him if he was asleep.

He eyed the room concernedly, seeing the burns that had not been their before, and the white splotches on the floor that befuddled him. He had... never seen anything white in this world before. "What happened..." He murmured, more to himself then to the pyro.

Behind him, his pack slipped and fell to the ground, the top flap opening and spilling some of the contents within. the blonde turned, cursing softly and hurry to gather the multitude of blue vials, shoving them back in even though it was obvious they didn't all fit. His face held a bit of guilt but his wings fluttered reminding him of his purpose and the look disappeared.

[Rikugurl]

Ventus sighed as he looked down, about to open the book when he felt something through his hand. He shivered at the feeling... knowing... it was Terra.
Slowly he pulled the charm from around his neck and held it on his palm, looking down at the skilled carving.

His fingers wrapped around the smooth metal, pulling it close so that his lips were pressing on it. "Terra..." He choked as his heart caught once more. Tears slowly ran down his cheeked as he pulled himself onto the chair more, crawling into a little ball. The tears ran down is face, over his soft lips and onto the charm.


Riku read the note slow. He... had to. Everything that was written... was... unbelievable.
But... he had seen those wings...and... they were real. Sora wasn't hear... and he never NEVER showed up before... except for that one day... but that didn't count.

His lips frowned.
Was he... avoiding him...?
Did he scare the brunette... scared him so much that he came up with a bogus story to get him out of seeing him. Would Sora... really do that.

He slowly folded the note, placing it into his pocket before looking out towards the ocean. A....lover...?
Aquatic eyes closed, a soft smile coming across his face.
Slowly he started to leave, not wanting to work on the raft today.
He headed back to the mainland and to the school's library. He picked up mythology books and started to go through them. Everyone he looked at... not one of them had anything about something called a 'Shee'.

However, other things caught his eye... wondering if they were real too. Like... Cerberus, The hell hound that guarded Hades gates of Hell. Or... Imps, who were tricksters charmed by music.
Were any of these real...?


A pointed tail flicked softly as some rattle was heard. Red hair shifted over black horns as the bat wings flapped slightly. The imp slowly yawned, turning and blinking as his eyes caught onto something.

"R-Roxas!?" The imp suddenly shot from his bed and rushed to the blonde who was working on something. Arms wrapped around the prince as exotic eyes looked deep into the blue. His look was soft, happy and glad. "Y-you.... You're ok!"

[Reno]

'Terra...' He heard the whispered voice that seemed to echo through his head. It wasn't a strange sensation for him, having grown up as he had, but he had still never expected Ven to be able to do so as well...

He felt something brushed across his lips, something wet and warm. He pulled away, pressing his lips together... but their was no moisture at all on them.

"Ven... whats wrong?" He whispered at the charm, brushing his thumb across it, trying to reach the other in any way he could. He could almost... feel the other's presence in front of him, coming closer and closer...


Sora sighed, turning on his side and shutting his eyes. He would have to leave everything to chance... and Riku's heart. He knew the other was probably going through a difficult time, trying to figure out if his eyes were deceieveing him or not and what forth - humans tended to do that a lot.

Their letters would be their only form of communication - and while Riku couldn't write back and Sora would only be able to guess at the questions he might ask or what he might be feeling, it would be okay. He believed that strongly.


Roxas melted into the sudden embrace, a satisfied and jpyful smile spreading across his face as he leaned back. He looked up at the other, seeing how happy he was as well. Was he really that worried?

"Oh course I'm okay silly," He murmured, chuckling. "I only fainted, not a big deal you know?"