Kingdom Hearts: Chasing Shadows

\^/-Mark-\^/
Mark growled lightly, still gripping his keyblade with his mouth. He backed away slowly until he was crouched next to Sora, his tail flicking back and forth. Tongues of flames licked along the chrome edges of his keyblade.

<3-Kairi-<3
Kairi turned her back on Genji, and strode away before the strange man could change his mind and attack her. Jogging up the stairs, Kairi paused once she reached the large doors to the ballroom, she glanced both ways, trying to decide which wing of the castle she should visit first. "Verius, do you have any idea where the princess would be?" she asked her fox-like companion.

 

Sora reacted by summoning his Keyblade into his mouth. He saw Mark crouching near him, slightly shocked. Sora had fought in this form a few times before, but Mark was just used to this kind of fighting. He didn't want his new friend to risk his life for him. He wasn't going to let Xigbar get away though. He learned from his mistake in Agrabah. He attacked; shooting bits of ice magic at him.

 

\^/-Mark-
Mark growled and tilted his head so his keyblade was aimed at Xigbar, and let loose a torrent of flame after Sora's ice blast, just far enough away so the ice magic wouldn't be dampened by the fire. Mark's tail lashed, hopefully the harebrained stunt he was trying would work, the ice would freeze the air around Xigbar, then the fire might cause it to instantly superheat, making an explosion of steam that would burn Xigbar. Of course, this was all a very big if.

 

Xigbar warped out of the way of the ice and fire and rolled his....eye. "Man, the Keyblade has been picking a lot of duds lately. You think I'm gonna fight you here? Like this isn't the highlight of my day...err... As if!" Lucien shook his head, "Idiot you just contradicted yourself. Xigbar pointed towards Pride Rock and yanked up his hood. "Shut up and go! You're gonna fight Nox or our Lady Queen will never welcome you home!"

Verius lifted his nine tails and closed his eyes, "Just a moment." He opened his eyes and scratched at his ear, "I'm sorry Princess, I cannot locate her." Verius nosed the ballroom door, "Perhaps we should start our search here."

 

\^/-Mark-\^/
Mark growled, shifting so that he was facing Xigbar again, Who the heartless was this guy? How the Fenrir did that guy make thoose portals? Fire lanced up his keyblade, but Mark didn't release it at Xigbar, yet.

<3-Kairi-<3
Kairi nodded, and dropped her keyblade to her side, the tip resting against her ankle, while her left hand lifted itself and planted open-palmed on the door. Kairi stared at her hand against the ornate door for a moment, almost as if she somehow knew that this would change things, here she was, on one side, the other side led to adventure, danger, and death. If I don't do it now, I never will, she thought to herself, Can I really be like Sora and Riku? Then she set her face, her determined blue eyes starred forward, and she PUSHED.

 

Nox slowly entered Pride Rock. It appeared to him the it was completely vacant. He figured that they were all out to hunt food. He had hoped that at least the leader of the lions was there. He found a passage way that lead to the top of Pride Rock. He felt he needed to be thorough in his investigation.

"I wonder what that idiot Organization member is doing," Nox said to himself. "All he does is poke ass."
---

Sora remembered the last time he fought this guy. He knew that it would be much harder in his body. still, summoning ice magic to the tip of his Keyblade, he shot the entire weapon at Xigbar, making it a Blizzard Raid.

 

Xigbar warped further away, goading Sora, "Whoa, whoa...I ain't here to fight you. I'm just here to collect our little friend. Our Queen ordered us to do it, see? You wanna meet her in person? Like the last time? Come on to that big rock over there," he gestured to Pride Rock with his hand in a broad movement, "And see her for yourself. Ask a question or two. Not like she has any secrets." Xigbar opened a dark corridor behind him and bolted into it.

Riku and Lucien were left glaring at each other. "So he's a friend of yours. And you're with that Xenree woman that's been destroying the worlds." Lucien didn't respond.

Verius pawed into the ballroom with Kairi, sniffed the air and glanced upwards. Bristling immediately, he jumped backwards, further towards the center of the room. "Princess, look out! Above you!"

Above her, Marluxia grinned silently and jumped from the balcony with scythe in hand. "Good evening and good night!" His intent to completely slice Kairi in half.

Inside Pride Rock, Simba lifted his head as he smelt another lion entering his den. "And you are?"

 

\^/-Mark-\^/
Mark growled and rolled to the side, still keeping the flame energy pouring up his blade, now forming a large ball of fire at the tip of his keyblade. Roaring he dissapated the energy and the keyblade, glaring at the space the Xigbar had vanished into. "That coward!" he growled, his tail flicking back and forth.

<3-Kairi-<3
Kairi jumped back, looking up and swinging her keyblade into a guard position, setting her face with feirce determination as her red hair swirled about her head from the quick movement, obscuring her vision for a second so she couldn't quite see what Verius had been warning her about. By the time she could see Marluxia, it was almost too late.
Kairi threw herself backward, landing on her butt on the other side of the half-opened doorway, keyblade held above her.

 

"I think that's the least of our worries right now," Sora said, his keyblade disappearing from his moth. He ran to the front of the group, Alexander and Kirra standing at attention. "Follow me to Pride Rock. We have to stop them!" Sora began running without waiting for a response.

"Sora, it could be a trap!" Kirra yelled, running after him.

"Think for a second man!" Alexander followed.

Sora didn't care though; he wasn't going to let this world disappear too. He had to stop their plan.
---

Nox stood at attention, shifting into his battle stance. He could tell that the lion in front of him was a strong being. "The darkness who has come to deliever this world as a gift to my Mistress of Darkness," he spoke, his voice in a monotone. "Tell me, who are you? You may live if I hear the right answer."

 

\^/-Mark-\^/
Mark dashed after Nox, using his Cheetah speed to keep up with the Lions, even though it took him a couple tries to get underway. His tail stiffened straight behind him to increase his areodynamics, and he growled, "so what if it is a trap? There are enough of us to overcome anything!" he shouted to Kirra and Alexander

 

Riku snatched Akii up and dashed after Sora. Growling at Lucien as he kept pace with him.

Sei followed after them, a bit reluctant to see whether or not his mother would show up in this world. He wasn't strong enough for her....he wanted to prove to her that he was able to protect himself and her just like Father did.

Marluxia's scythe crashed into the floor and Verius growled at him. "Marluxia...the Graceful Assassin, number eleven." Marluxia bowed, "I'm honored you know my name and rank already. Hello, dear Princess of Heart. It's been a long time since I've tried to use your hero to do my bidding."

Simba growled and raised his hackles, "I am Simba, the King of the Lions. (ooc: lol King of the Red Lions)"

 

<3-Kairi-<3
Kairi scrambled to her feet, bringing her keyblade back into a guard position and flicking her head to the side to get her hair out of her face, "leave Sora out of this," she snarled, "I don't care who you are, or what your rank is, you aren't going to harm him!"
With that she jumped backwards and backflipped down the staircase, using her left hand to propel herself into the air again so she could land on her feet at the bottom. Her keyblade glowing with a pink light she glared up at Marluxia, trying to quel the fear that was rising up inside her, "c-come and get me," she stuttered at first, but that quickly changed into another snarl as she got a grip of the fear within her.

With that she took on her fighting stance again.

 

Carrie followed the group and but her tail on Sei's shoulder. "Don't worry aboout your mom. Everything will work out in the end" she said softly.

 

Nox stood proudly before the "king". He was ready to summon his Keyblade at a moment's notice. "Well, your majesty, I have not come here to take away your thrown; not today at least." Nox starred at him with a cocky smile. "In fact, if you give me some information, maybe I'll leave you in peace."
---

Simba had made his way towards the base of Pride Rock. "SIMBA! Where are you?!" Sora summoned his Keyblade and continued running.

 

Simba backed, lifting his head higher, "What kind of information? Ah, Sora!?"

Riku jumped in front of Sora, growling. Though it didn't look as intimidating as he wanted it to be with Akii mewling at his feet. "Think about this for a second Sora. Do you really think charging in there will make...." he trailed off as Lucien charged around him and into the cave. "You! Put away your Keyblade and face be fairly. I don't know what Xigbar has told you, but this world is..." he stopped when he realized he didn't know the Keyblade weilder in front of him. Xigbar stepped out of the dark corridor beside Nox and grinned, "Hey buddy, you should be happy to know our Dark Queen is coming real soon. She said the second impact won't take place here but it'll fuel the coming of it. You ready?"

Corrine snarled at Marluxia, barring his way to Kairi, "My Princess, leave this place at once!" Marluxia chuckled, "Hmph, you think I'll let her leave that easily?"

Behind Kairi three people dropped down to the floor. Genji from earlier, carrying his scythe on one shoulder, a woman with red hair and a large gun and a man with glasses and a sword. "Nice to see you again, Genji and Tooi. And it's always a pleasure, ma'am. Where's Senri?"

 

-Kairi-

Kairi glanced back at Genji and the others, eyes narrowing. I can't win... against all of them, she thought, I'm not even sure if I could be Marluxia by myself! Kairi quelled her fears and looked up at Verius, "I'm not leaving without you!" she shouted, keeping her guard up, slender hands clutching her keyblade in a guarding position.

Kairi turned her head to glare at Genji, "I thought you said you weren't here for me," she snarled, her keyblade glowing a bright pink.
​

-Mark-

Mark growled and raced up to stand alongside Sora and Riku, "what now?" he asked, tail lashing, the air around him growing warm as he built up some fire magic. "whatever those freaks are planning can't be good."​

 

Corrine growled and slammed the doors to the ballroom shut with magic. Locking himself inside the ballroom with Marluxia. "The Princess is needed. Why must you be so persistent? Queen Xenree's orders did not include you destroying the Princess." Marluxia relaxed and leaned on his scythe, "No...but it seemed fun. After all, she'll be here in a moment to initiate the Second Impact."

Simba, Riku, Sora, Akii, Sei, and everyone else felt the ground below them tremble and shudder before it cracked under their paws. Xigbar stepped out of his dark corridor and started laughing in his annoying way. "I told you she'd be comin'!"

 

Sora didn't like the feeling of the ground shaking underneath him. "Everyone, get away," Sora yelled out. Sora and his friends were stuck on one side of the gash while looking at his enemies on the other side. He didn't dare use any of his magic, it would only lose it's sting once it reached them. He tried to think, but it had been so long since he had been to this place.

"Simba, do you have any ideas?"

 

The clouds darkened in the sky and each lion fled into their dens. A single cloud appeared darker than the rest and out from it dropped Xenree. Her black boots angled to meet the ground and absorb the shock. Her black coat flapping against her legs as she free fell down to the ground. Spreading her arms out, Xenree landed, bending her knees slightly. Her black hair fell around her shoulders and she straightened. Xenree's face held only one emotion, contempt. She narrowed her eyes on the growling Simba and a magic field spread out from under her feet, covering the large cracks in the ground with a magic force field. "Lucretia...the Heart of this World..."

Riku snarled in confusion. Who was Lucretia?

Out from Xenree's shadow, a woman wearing a white kimono and white knee-high socks and japanese style sandles with white hair and red eyes slid up from the darkness. "But of course...you must fight the strongest this world has to offer and then claim the Heart." Xenree flicked her hair back over her shoulder and summoned her Keyblade, Dark Void, into her hand, "Alright then...only because you said I should, Lucretia. So, what'll it be Sora? Who do you judge as the strongest in this world currently?" She cracked a sadistic smile and held her free hand out towards Sora as if inviting him to challenge her himself.

 

Sora jumped back when he saw Xenree appear in front of him. When she pointed directly at Sora, he became offensive. He was ready, in case he needed to summon his Keyblade. He wasn't going to let this world fall like it did in Agrabah. He knew that the only way to take her out of the equation was to finish her himself. "I say you're looking right at him," He taunted as he summoned his Keyblade.