TITAL 2: Why did It Take Me So Long To Do This?

Aleri clutched his head for a second, the sensation Lei experienced leaking into him a little. Once he got his bearings again, he looked at Lei with a sour face. "I've never seen this before... but it feels like something's sucking the life out of him. I'm having trouble tracing where it's being sucked to, which might just mean the person is so close by that it's screwing me up, but I can't be sure with something this strange."




Rekoka put a hand against her head, clutching it in pain. "There goes the mood...!" Break's over, Rex!

Wait, what-?

The girl disappeared into a Dark Corridor, shoving the reins back into Rexial's hands and dumping him out the other end: just around the corner.

"God DAMMIT!" He yelled, storming toward Ienzo. "What the hell is going on here!?" It hurts just looking at him right now, but there has to be something I can do. ...Wait... darkness? Rexial knelt next to the boy. There's a strange darkness within him. I bet I can stabilize him... it should be an easy task for me. Extending a hand and placing it on the child's head, he called out to the darkness.

Obey me. Obey me, dammit! As God of Discord and master of the darkness' hierarchy, I demand that you F*CKING LISTEN TO ME! Stop draining the kid of his energy right this damn instant, or you WILL be forcibly expelled! You have five seconds to comply before I do that anyway.




Xeromus, sitting on the second floor of the House, had the strangest feeling that he really should be killing any Organization XIII members in sight. Too bad he still had no leads on any of them so far. "Sons of... Why am I still here!?"

One of the most ironic things Blake hated was human suffering. That easily topped being forced to express feelings. Granted, his newfound friends wouldn't judge, but it was still hard. He got up, ready to strike and protect at a moment's notice.

Ienzo...


Blake, through all of the internal fighting with himself, felt a single tear fall down his cheek. He then turned to Rexial,"If you need anything done, t-tell me."

Rexial glanced at Blake. "Relax. There's no way this won't work; I'm too high up on the universal chain of command for this to fail. And besides..." He smiled faintly, a rare sight for the grumpy swordsman. "...I can't let anything ruin things for my guests. So I'm personally obligated to murder the hell out of whatever is causing this as soon as I've finished helping Ienzo."

...Why hasn't it been five seconds yet!? Damn you, cinematic time!

"Move it! Out of the way!" Yukari grunted indignantly as she shoved people aside making her way to the pained Lei on the floor. She sat on her heels beside him as she withdrew her evoker making short work of the summoning process as she attempted to stabilize the young man, "Someone, find Minato! And Ven! I need a scanner!"

Namine burst through the door of the kitchen dragging a weakened Aerith by her shoulders. The young blond played her down gently on the floor as she set about working her white magic in an attempt to alleviate the pain and find the source of the injury, "I need Ethers! Who's got them?" Namine cried impatiently as she attempted to stabilize Aerith.

"Just who the hell are you, big and ugly?" A young woman's voice penetrated the blackness as Gaige stepped forth from the depths of the basement. Wearing a protective mask over her face, the young woman's voice was muffled but still audible, "I come down here to explore while the hell beast is down and out. And I find you? Sheesh, today is not my lucky day..." She loaded her revolver while calmly waiting for Zexion to respond.

Aleri wasted no time handing over the three Ethers he was carrying, scratching his head trying to remember where Minato and Ventus had gone. Weren't they out eating somewhere...? He didn't know where exactly, so his best bet was to lock on to their energies and try to open a corridor to their location.

Nodding to the healers, he made his best attempt, opening an LC to - hopefully - wherever they were. Hopefully neither were in the middle of anything important. Hesitating for a second to note the strange smell in the air, he dismissed it before rushing through.

Riku pulled out an Ether of his own and handed it to Namine. Without a word, he tied his blindfold around his eyes; it would be easier to smell out the ultimate source of the darkness if he couldn't see.

And yet...it seemed to be coming exclusively from Lei and Aerith. No good...nothing, he thought to himself. Then what could he do? Riku left the room to think it all out, but as he passed the basement door, a tremendous pain shot through his heart.

"Gah!" He collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest and sweating with the pain. And out of seemingly nothingness...stepped Xiruk.

"Oh, would you ever get up?" he said.

Panting, the pain gone with the Nobody's appearance, Riku stood. "What was that?" he asked.

"I don't know," replied Xiruk. "What I do know is that nothing down there can be good. So..."

"Time to go down there and get rid of it?"

Xiruk nodded, smirking and summoning Soul Eater. "On three, then?"

Riku replied, "Why wait for three?" He summoned Way to the Dawn and cut the door open.

Starblade was rather confused at this point, so he simply spoke to Yukari and Namine. "If you need me to do anything, I'm here to help as best I can."

Ienzo's screams were subdued but the child was still in immense pain for one so young, and he kept squirming and thrashing slightly. "I... I can't... I don't wanna do this anymore... papa... mama... please..." the child sobs, repeating himself in a delirious state of mind. "Mama... papa... mama please... daddy..."

Lei manages to recover slightly, though like Ienzo, he still retains his pain. "I can't... believe... this..." He tries to sit up but can't, and falls back down onto the floor. "Whatever... is doing this... is far beyond what I was... calibrated... to take down.... for Zexion." His mind races, trying to preserve his own sanity. I can't let this continue... they're close, but where the hell are they? No where I've been, that's for damn sure. "They're... close...."

Aerith nodded, confirming Lei's words. "I don't know who or how, but I can only worry for Zexion at this rate... if we're being attacked, he is too, and likely Ienzo, too... My child, where is he?" Aerith looks around, and, unable to find him, calls out. "Ienzo...! Ienzo!" Her maternal instincts taking over, Aerith tries to stand but collapses over herself, yet still tries to stand despite being too weak. "My child..."

Zexion turns and faces the newcomers. "Ah, welcome. I wasn't expecting guests, but I'm so glad you could join me." Zexion looks hard at Gaige before speaking again. "Alas, that you won't last long against me as I am. After mixing the potency of the pollen drug I helped to create along with the effects of the smoke left over from the BEAST, I have surpassed all of you and have complete control over my powers as well as your minds. You cannot combat what you cannot truly see, after all, and a pity that killing you all now and turning you into Nobodies will be far too easy. I digress. Come, and meet your end." With a flick of his wrist, Zexion summons his lexicon and summons his newfound inner strength, a glow of darkness pervading him. Once Riku and his Nobody enter, he smiles at them. "Xiruk, a favorite of mine. Join my cause, and I will spare you from the same fate that the others will share if they resist. Riku, I'm ever so glad to say, you another opportunity to die at my hands."

Riku, still blindfolded, nonetheless turned to face Zexion. "You...causing trouble again. I don't know why it is you're trying to kill everyone...or make them all like this idiot," he said, pausing to slap Xiruk and getting an angry response. He ignored it and continued, "To be honest, I don't really care. You can threaten me all you want, but I killed you once already. I can do it again."

Xiruk, rubbing the back of his head where Riku had thumped him, said, "Your favorite? Don't talk about me like some kind of toy. I don't even know what your cause is, but I ain't joining up with anyone who talks about me like that. You can't spare anyone if you're dead." He pointed his sword directly at Zexion and continued, "Piss off."

Watching the whole scene unfold before her as she cowered in the corner, Diryax silently opened a Dark Corridor behind her, and slipped through it before closing it. She knew EXACTLY where Minato had gone...emerging sitting on the floor in St. Ansems, Diryax rushed through the halls in search of Fifeyux's room... Bursting into the room where she last knew Minato to have been, she leaned over to catch her breath and panted, "Minato.....house......trouble.....Yukari....."

Gaige smirked as she summoned Deathtrap, the mechanical monstrosity slowly floating in the air behind her, "I'd like to see you try and end me." She laughed casually leveling her revolver at the Nobody, "I've fought things bigger and badder than you by the legion. What could one puny, emo punk do?" 

Namine pulled Aerith to the ground gently, "Aerith, as soon as we can, we'll find him. Right now, you need to rest. Please, stay still so I can heal you." Namine spoke sternly as her own protectiveness as a healer willed Aerith to be calm. As she did so, she tossed two ethers to Yukari.

Yukari snatched the magic items out of the air and crushed them into her palm, "Alright, Lei? I think I found the source of the problem... But, you're not going to like what I'm about to say." She summoned her persona again releasing another healing wave into the air, "There's some sort of crystal embedded in you. I think that to stop it... I'll have to cut it out or crush it from the inside... Either option isn't pretty and it will take a lot of concentration."

Minato turned on Diryax as his brow folded into an angry scowl. Without saying a word, he summoned Deus Xiphos and opened a portal to the house.

Zexion sighed, genuinely feeling pity for the ones in front of him. "A shame, truly a shame that this should come to pass... I wasn't keen on this, I'll have you know, and one final chance after everyone has been gathered shall be given to all of you. But for now..." Zexion moves the hand holding his book, the book turning open-faced towards the battlers, and suddenly splitting into twenty copies of himself which surround the perimeter of the room. Each book fires a beam of light which immediately sends the attackers into the Book Realm. One of the copies smiles and stays behind while the rest merge into the original as Zexion walks out.

Lei grins ruefully at her statement. "Really? This is the second time in a very short while that my stomach is going to have been ripped open. Ugh... just make it quick, and heal me fast." Tearing off his shirt sleeve, he wads it up and uses it as a gag, biting down on it as he lifts up his shirt, exposing his stomach, and lays down on his back. Closing his eyes, he takes a deep, calming breath.

Aeright falls to her knees, in a cold sweat. "I just need to know that he's safe... I just need... I need to know..."

<Um...Don't know much about any "Book Realm," so I'mma just sit here and wait for events...>

Rexial opened his eyes. "...Ienzo, are you alright? I think you should just rest for a while." He carefully picked up the child in his arms, turning towards Blake. "I think whatever was affecting him took the hint and left, but it'll probably be back. There's something in him that's not quite right... and I can't figure out what. I'm going to take him back to one of the guest chambers so he can take a nap in peace. You guys just go ahead and eat, alright? I'll be back with you in a minute."

He opened a Dark Corridor and stepped through, coming out in front of a bed, which he set Ienzo upon. At the snap of his fingers, a maid came in. "Could you look after this one? His name is Ienzo. While I wouldn't say it while he's able to hear me, he is still a child. Definitely impressive, though. Keep an eye on him and summon me if he wakes up or starts to worsen."

As the swordsman turned to leave, he paused. "...Oh, and sorry, I won't usually be so abrupt. It's just that this is an emergency. I'll try and see what I can do about your request to put in a karaoke machine somewhere."

Rexial exited back through the Dark Corridor, closing it as he returned to Blake and Nicole. "Blake, calm down, the kid'll be fine. Let's just focus on the tour, and I'll keep you posted if anything happens to Ienzo, alright? Let's just go ahead and eat our jerky before moving on with the tour. We'll be seeing him in the guest rooms later anyway."

Leveling her revolver at the copy, Gaige drained its cylinder into the clone, reloading while a crack of a smile spread across her face, "Oh, I wonder how many stacks I can get!" She giggled as Deathtrap leapt at the other Zexion swiping his claws at his chest.

Yukari's hand glowed with a green light. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she pressed her palms to the young man's stomach. For brief moment, they were bathed in a bright light. Lei would have felt a sharp stab of pain and then an immediate cool relief. As the light receded, Yukari finished healing the wound she had caused and levitated an ominous black crystal above her hands careful not to touch it.

Namine gasped at the crystal, "That's what's causing this?" She looked at Aerith helplessly as she tried to calm her down.

Minato entered the room with a wave of silence in his wake, "Aerith, Ienzo is in Rexial's care. I wouldn't be too concerned about his well-being." He kneeled next to Yukari as he regarded the crystal, "Here, let me try and get a trace on it."

Blake nodded as he sheathed the sword. He could ease his mind. He decided to ask a question.

"Well, ah..."

He didn't think it out enough.

"Yeah, hobbies! What do you guys do for fun?

Rexial tilted his head, thinking. What exactly WERE his hobbies...? "...Fighting, mostly. I tried to take up an instrument once, but it didn't pan out. I used to just spend my time doing whatever I felt like, but since I came to own this place, I've been spending more and more of my time managing it. So, I guess my hobby could be taking care of my castle. How 'bout you two? What do you do for fun?"

Smiling, the clone burst into hundreds of pages, each of them fluttering around in a small cyclone before forming several more tomes, which glowed with a strange light. These tomes spread out on the battle field and dispersed their glows into energy balls which homed in on the combatants.


Coming up the stairs, Zexion quickly notices the confusion in the kitchen and, grinning, approaches it. "Goodness me, what ever is the matter in here?" Zexion asked. Aerith look up to him and gave a faint smile of relief, and standing up using Namine as support, went over to him and hugged him. "We... were attacked, somehow, and I still feel something wrong in me... Lei experienced it as well, and I fear for Ienzo." Zexion looks at her and smiles reassuringly. He passes a hand over her brow, smoothing out her hair. "Fret not, love, I will attend to matters shortly." Aerith's eyes seem to glaze over, and she hugs him firmly. Turning to the others, he asks "How were they 'attacked', and who did such a thing?" Lei smirks and says "Well, we all have a crystal inside of us, apparently, which is feeding off of our energy.

Riku warped quickly around the battlefield, using his Dark Splicer to cut the energy balls flinging themselves at the others. "You two go warn the others! I'll cover your backs!"

Xiruk briefly considered arguing, but decided against it. "Alright, on it!" he said, and made a mad dash for the door.

Namine's eyes knitted darkly as she drew her keyblade pointing it at Zexion, "You may have everyone else tricked."

She glared at the man as the glow of magic began to coalesce in her free hand, "But, I'm a Nobody, too. You may be able to control illusions. But, I have reign over memory; you aren't going to fool me with some alteration."

Minato stood stock still pondering the crystal as if nothing was going on. Yukari continued to fuss over Lei as if Zexion hadn't even appeared.

"I've blocked their minds from these events to prevent you from controlling them... Sadly, that means they won't be able to participate... But, I won't need their help to destroy you, Zexion." Namine spoke with a sense of purpose as if she had more than this singular event to hate Zexion.

"Now, let Aerith go. Or, will you be a coward like always?" She spoke with a biting edge to her words as she stared down her one time superior.

-------------------------------------

Gaige looked at the pair increduously as she swapped out Maggie for a new weapon. The shotgun glowed with a dim orange lit as she smiled wildly, "Why don't we just ping everybody at once?" She fired at one of the books and the effect released a blast of sweeping particles that collided with three of the tomes lighting them with incendiary flames.

Riku lowered his Keyblade and looked at the general area where the books had been. "Huh. I guess that works too." But this was no time for staring at allies' attacks.

"C'mon, upstairs." And with only these two words, he headed up after Xiruk.

Zexion looks over at Namine and smiles benignly at her. "Namine, whatever could you mean? Coward? Tricks? I've done nothing of the sort to the lot of you, nothing I have done is fooling anyone else. If there's a 'trick' going on, then I would surmise that you are the one causing it. I have no hand in any of this. Please, alert me to what is happening."

Xiruk, Riku, and Gaige find themselves at the stairs, but even though they try to climb them, no matter how many stairs they go up, they approach no closer to the top of the stairs. Try as they might, the stairs appear to be endless, trapping them in the basement. The papers slowly move towards them, and, catching Gaige unawares, slide up her legs, making numerous lacerations, forming trails of paper cuts and causing her whole legs to burn with pain as rivulets of blood coat the pages. The pages fly back and form Zexion, holding his book again. "Foolish young ones, you haven't finished me yet."

A giant object came flying threw the air, embedding itself in the floor next to Zexion.

"Dammit, I missed!"

It was TELOS, which immediately disappeared and returned to its owner's hands: Aleri, who was now standing in the room with them. "Did you think I wouldn't hear all that racket?! I don't think we've met. I'm Aleri. You wouldn't happen to be an illusionist, would you?" As long as he doesn't realize that I have additional senses, he won't be able to manipulate them as he pleases, and I'll be able to punch through his fabrications...

He cast Cure on Gaige. "You okay over there?"

<*Evil grin* And now everything becomes that much more complicated. Mweheheh... *Glances at Zeldaman*>

Riku spun around, finding himself at the bottom of the stairs. Rather than wonder how, though, he focused on something more important. "Maybe not yet, but I'm about to! Shadowbringer!" He spun forward, swinging his Keyblade in a circle around him. First, downward and covered in darkness, then upwards, glowing with light.

<Dammit Gregar. Gonna wait until Admin posts to actually reply, but it was hard enough as it was.>