itsjustagamerp | Future Tense - [Active / Semi-open]

Really, it would have taken far too much time to find everyone, considering how scattered they got during the course of the day and how big the satellite was. Once Xion saw the message about the meeting place, she hurried to find Namine so they could go together. The media deck could be difficult to navigate, and she knew it better than Namine.

She hoped that everyone would be there. It wasn't that she hadn't understood Riku's reasons for wanting a small group at first before telling some of the others, she thought it was a bad idea to start making divisions like that in their group from home. Not to mention that the idea of withholding information didn't sit well with her--it certainly hadn't ended well the one time she'd tried it.

That was thought for later, though. First they had to actually get to the meeting place. Finding the room had been easier than thought, though, and it looked like they were some of the first to get there. "Hi, Sora."

Sora figured it was up to the others (particularly Lea, Isa, Aqua and Ven) if they wanted to show up or not, but if they did, he wasn't going to turn them away. Yeah, there was the big chance that this information could mess them up in the future...he'd been a little worried about that with Riku, after all. But he mostly hoped that even if things changed, they could fix it so that everything turned out all right. That was what he intended to do, regardless. Maybe in the end, this would help.

Sora waved to Xion when she entered, glad that she'd found this strange place well enough. "Hi, Xion!" He figured she at least should know what had happened. "I guess the others will be here soon enough."

Roxas wasn't sure if it was a crazy coincidence or brilliant that Sora had found this room, but it looked like it would suit their... so long as whoever was trying to get information from them did manage to sneak in.

"This is weird," he muttered as he approached Sora and Xion, though he supposed he making too much of it. Frankly, there were bigger things to be concerned with. Chief among them was what issues might come up now. He hadn't been too worried before about informing Sora and Riku that they'd gotten home safely when he had been the one furthest ahead in the time line because it was a fairly short period. He still wasn't so sure that Lea and Isa should know more than they already did nor did he even know what Ienzo might have known before he went home.

"I hope so. It'll be nice to have everything cleared up." If anyone didn't after what had gone on over Cambot, she and Namine had discussed possibly finding them and filling them in if they wanted to know. Lea might not want to know, but...well, they'd deal with that if it happened.

There were always worries about what might happen in the future, and what impact their actions here might have on it. While Xion was more cautious than Sora in some ways, she had inherited some of his "deal with what's going to happen when it happens" philosophy. Mostly in a "do the right thing and whatever results from that will be dealt with" way.

She waved to Roxas when she saw him. "Hi Roxas. What's weird?"

"Yeah, I hope so," Sora replied. He really hoped this exchange wouldn't just confuse everyone, too. But if it did...again, they could only deal with things one at a time.

Sora waved to Roxas as well when he entered. He was glad everyone was finding the room okay; he'd been worried that they'd get lost trying to locate it somehow. It was kind of hard to describe it when he'd just stumbled across it.

He assumed that what Roxas thought was weird was this room, anyway. Sora shrugged. "I figured it'd actually work better just the library, the way it is right now!"

"I see," Roxas replied, looking around the room, "Yeah, it might, as long as whoever's stalking us doesn't find it." Which seemed unlikely, but he knew nothing of the properties of this room other than it had appeared randomly while looking for a relatively private meeting area.

In the meantime, Roxas was starting to think he should have grabbed Riku or Sora (more likely Riku) to discuss this privately first instead of calling for it over Cambot. His own timeline point was a bit behind theirs now. Last thing he remembered was sharing his memories with Sora, which had come after saying a few things that must have confused him. He hadn't overheard very much through Sora up to that point, but he knew it had involved Xehanort and it had seemed that Sora was a target.

"Are we discussing anything before anyone else gets here or are we waiting?" He would prefer the former. Specifically, he wants to know just what happened to Lea and Isa, if anyone knew, so they could work out whether or not that should be shared. He really wished he'd thought of it sooner...

"I think it would be difficult for someone to hide in here." The room was smaller than the main library, so they should be able to see anyone who came in. It was a great room for this kind of meeting, or when you just wanted to read quietly. Xion was surprised she hadn't found it before.

Maybe it would have been better for a small group to meet first and then share what they knew. There might have been less chance of confusion. Still, the idea of what information got passed on being managed, and some people possibly not being told something that could be important, didn't sit well with her. Granted, she saw the wisdom in keeping some things private from others not from their worlds, but at least among themselves they could be more open. "I think we might want to wait for the others...."

Then again, she had no idea of what had gone on for those who had returned while they'd been away. Sora hadn't wanted to talk about it much, Riku was worried about giving away too much information, Roxas had only been slightly aware of events outside Sora's heart, and Aeleus and Ienzo seemed to have been away from the main action.

"It was empty when I first got in here," Sora said, although admittedly he hadn't searched it that hard. "And I think we'd notice if someone came in while we were talking about stuff." As far as he could tell, after all, this room had only the one door.

At first, Sora mostly assumed that whoever was going through their stuff was just doing it to mess with them, as was usually the case up there. It was like the Bots said...you couldn't take anything too seriously. But what if, in this case, it was something a bit more serious? What could their reasons for this be?

"What did you want to discuss, anyway?" Sora asked. He figured it'd be easier to tell things to everyone instead of having to repeat himself. But maybe what Roxas wanted to talk about involved something else.

"I wanted to talk about some of the stuff that's gone on back home," Roxas replied, figuring he might as well be up front about it, "I forget whose it actually was, but I think it's a good one."

He supposed they could discuss the stalker too. It was entirely possible that the two topics were related.

Aeleus went down as soon as he heard the message; he could trust Ienzo to come on his own. It was odd, at this point, to have to adjust to the idea that Ienzo was a young adult again, but he felt he was managing well enough. Hopefully, Riku and Sora would be able to clarify a few things for everyone else, though that was contingent upon their choosing to do so.

Aeleus nodded to Namine and Xion when he entered the room. "Hello, ladies."

"Hello, Aeleus." Both girls greeted him, but then Xion excused herself to look around the room while they waited for everyone else--maybe even go back into the library and find a few books to take back to her room, if they'd let her.

Which left Namine to continue the conversation. "It looks like we're some of the first here. I hope everyone else makes it."

She really did. It didn't seem right that some of them would have all the information while the others only had some, and trying to control who knew what...well, that just led to secrets, which she didn't want to be a part of in this case, or lies, which she was against on principal.

"I suspect everyone who gets the message will come," Aeleus replied. "I hope that Riku does not decide to be overly cagey with others. Clearly he's worried about changing the future in some way for the worse, but it doesn't seem that our actions and knowledge here change events at home." Riku seemed a bit overly worried about it, in Aeleus' opinion. Still, it was good that he was thinking through the implications of what they were doing here.

On the other hand, Riku wasn't entitled to decide who gave information to others, and Aeleus suspected that at least part of his feelings on the subject stemmed from a need to justify Sora's not telling him things previously.

"I hope I'm not overly cagey, either." Riku appeared in the doorway, carrying a small stack of supplies. His expression was a combination of mild annoyance and regret, but the annoyance faded quickly. He couldn't blame them. He didn't like the idea of keeping information from others. But in this case... He wasn't sure what was best. He gave Xion a slightly guilty look. "I don't plan on holding back anything from anyone who comes." And hopefully if anyone wondered if he'd try to run anyone out, that fear would be put at ease with that statement.

"I brought some drawing supplies. I'm not very good at drawing, but if any of us can't describe something, we've got an alternative." He gave a little nod to Namine as he set them down.

Aeleus inclined his head to Riku. "I hope we can all share what we know. I don't know how much will be useful to you at this junction, but I hope that Ienzo and I can contribute to the discussion. I understand your concern; considering what has happened to our worlds in the past, risking them again is unacceptable.

Aeleus had to be willing to reserve judgment regarding Riku's feelings; particularly with someone's going through their things, being nervy was natural, he reminded himself. It wasn't as if Ienzo didn't tend to be secretive as well.

Namine's attention was quickly diverted by the art supplies. After thanking Riku, she began looking through them to see what he'd brought. It looked like there were all the right colors to draw everyone if she needed to...

While Namine was occupied, Xion moved back towards the discussion. "I think we all have something we can add--none of seems to know everything." She offered Riku a small smile. "Let's see who's here before we worry about that."

Some of the others might decide not to come, after all.

Edited 2012-09-29 05:29 (UTC)

Much like the others, Ienzo didn't waste much time in heading to the appropriate place once he heard the message. True, he hadn't precisely expected to find what looked to be some manner of secret room, but it served the need well enough and that was as much as could be expected. Anything else would come later and for now he was content enough to simply observe the people who had already begun to gather.

Some habits really were hard to break.

Habits truly are hard to break. Riku still tensed a little when Ienzo came in, but the tenseness faded mostly with a silent sigh. Ultimately, he never became a vessel. And that meant he wasn't their major concern right now. And who knows? Riku was able to get along with Lexaeus. Perhaps out of the Organization, a former-Zexion could be an ally or friend. It was something Riku came to terms with not long after they'd spoken on Cambot.

As such, he gave Zexion a nod.

Edited (WHOOPS, realized that was something Sora would know but not Riku.) 2012-09-29 09:08 (UTC)

Ienzo wouldn't have blamed Riku a little tenseness, all things considered. They hadn't precisely parted on the best of terms the last time they'd met, and while he certainly wasn't going to be going for a repeat of that any time soon, it had been more than reason enough for caution. Similarly, it was all the more reason to offer politeness in kind.

He didn't speak up - there wasn't much he could think to say - but he did offer a polite nod in return.

Isa hesitated at the door to the meeting room. Aeleus's advice was still fresh in his mind, he was right about the fact that, if he didn't go, knowing that people wanted to withhold information from his would continue to bother him.

And at this point, for Isa, it wasn't really about the information anymore. They could be talking about Pinkie Pie's cupcakes, for all he cared, he just refused to be knowingly left out of something.

At the very least, Aeleus would back him up on his decision.

He shook away the thoughts of hesitation and entered the room. He could always leave early if he decides he doesn't want to be a part of this.

He had more people than Aeleus who would back him up. Xion noticed him enter and waved to him. "Hi, Isa."

She was glad he'd come after all. While there might have been a time when she'd thought that not letting someone know about something might work out for the better, she'd changed her views since then.

The lack of Lea concerned her a little. If he didn't want to, they couldn't force him to come, but she'd hoped to see him, too.

Riku looked up and his eyes widened slightly. But that was that. Isa was here, and Riku wasn't going back on his word about not withholding information. He knew, however, that the information he had would likely affect Isa for as log as he remembered it. Well, here goes nothing. I hope.

"Hey." He didn't quite look happy to see him, but there was no hint of anger or guardedness. Riku had no reason not to trust young Isa. It was his older self that Riku was wary of, and that concern showed.

It seemed everyone who would arrive now had, and as such Riku took a pen and a sheet of paper. “If everyone’s here, let’s start this.” He gestured with an elbow on the table. He wasn't one to let fear stop him in the past, and this would be no different. Riku took in a deep breath and sat up tall. He looked serious and undaunted despite the uncertainty hanging over his head, and he assumed a commanding air of determination. “You all deserve an explanation for the way I’ve been acting.”

“In the future, a man named Xehanort is trying to create a super-weapon called the ‘χ-blade.’” To clarify, Riku emphasized the word, “chi,” and wrote on the paper “χ-blade” and held it up for all to see. “A long time ago, the original χ-blade was shattered into 20 pieces, 13 of darkness and 7 of light. Xehanort believed that a clash between that light and darkness could reforge the weapon. To do this, he created Organization XIII to be those pieces of darkness.” He looked to Ienzo and Aeleus. “To ensure their darkness, every one would become a vessel for... Honestly, I don’t know if it was for a copy of his heart or a piece of it. At the end of the day the result’s the same. He would possess them. Obviously, not everyone in the original Organization became a vessel. But...”

His attention turned straight to the blue-haired youth in the room, and suddenly he didn’t seem to be sitting up so straight. “Isa. I tried to keep others from coming so our crew mates wouldn't wonder why I was specifically singling you out. I’ve been possessed by Xehanort’s Heartless, and I honestly don’t know how much knowledge we shared. He at the very least knew how to push my buttons. But I fought back. And with the help of my friends I gained the strength to defeat him once and for all. In my time, you're a cold individual and your friendship with Lea has crumbled. You worked closely with Xemnas, Xehanort’s Nobody, and now you’re loyal to Xehanort himself.”

“Isa, if you remember only one thing when you go back, hopefully it’ll be to fight. If you remember more than that, keep this information from Xehanort. His plans are complex and well-calculated, and it’s hard to know how it’ll affect things. Not just to the point I came from, but past it.” There was no sense of hatred, nor was there distrust in the person Isa was now. But there was a clear look of concern along with the typical intensity in Riku’s expression. In addition, he looked sorry, though whether it was in the sense of pity or apology, it was hard to tell.

Edited (Originally written at stupid-o-clock, a.m.) 2012-09-29 18:48 (UTC)

Getting named a Keyblade Master had really rubbed off on Riku! He definitely spoke with a sense of purpose and authority...although Riku had always had a little bit of that in him anyway.

He figured that he may as well expand on some of the stuff that Riku mentioned, since he didn't think he fully explained the nature of their Mark of Mastery exam to anyone like Isa, Lea, Aeleus and Ienzo.

"Xehanort had all this stuff planned out so thoroughly because he's been time traveling all this time...he was able to get his heart to leave his body, and that way was able to travel back to when he was really young and set all this bad stuff in motion. He knew everything that would happen up until he almost got all of his thirteen darknesses together..." Here, Sora trailed off a little and looked downward. He really didn't like thinking about the fact that he almost ended up as one of those vessels. "But Lea stepped in at the right time and made sure that that didn't end up happening." Maybe that would also give Isa some kind of comfort, although he didn't know for sure.

"All the stuff with splitting into a Heartless and Nobody, and then making Organization XIII...it was all just a ploy to make thirteen dark versions of himself! And then when Riku and I got back home and started our Mark of Mastery exam with Yen Sid, he ended up hijacking that too, just so he could try to get to me. He'd already tried with Riku back when I first got the Keyblade, and then when we wound up in Castle Oblivion."

He looked more determined. "So no matter what happens here, we just have to make sure that we can get back and stop Xehanort from what he's planning! If he can time travel like this, then he knows a whole lot, but maybe everyone knowing all this can also put a wrench in his plot."

Aeleus had to take a moment to process things. He'd been aware - it had been impossible to be unaware - that Xemnas wasn't being honest with them. Still, finding out that all of it had been a structured, meticulous plan was more painful than he would have expected. And yet it explained at least a few things. "Braig is with them, isn't he? Xigbar," Aeleus added.

"Given that he has yet to return to Radiant Garden, I would assume him to be so," Ienzo answered. Regrettable as it might have been that they would all be able to stand together once again, it certainly wasn't like it was any surprise either. Braig always had seemed to be far more devoted to Xemnas than any of the rest of them.

The real problem, however, was likely the plan that Xehanort had apparently been planned. Like Aeleus, he'd been more than aware that there was something Xemnas hadn't been telling them. But to hear that it had such far reaching goals was almost more disturbing then he'd imagined it would be.

Aeleus sighed and spread his hands. "I hope that my contribution will be of some use to you now, though some of the discoveries Ienzo and I made are clearly in hindsight. We awoke as our human selves again in Radiant Garden, in the place where we had lost our hearts. This we knew already; once one is recompleted, they wake again in the place where they were first formed. Should the world they originated from be destroyed, they should appear in a place such as Traverse Town." Ienzo had tried to explain this to Lea but Aeleus wasn't sure whether to hold out hope that Lea had actually remembered or passed it on to Sora and Riku. Though perhaps that was being too hard on Lea; it was only expected that one would be giddy to be whole again.

"When I was called away, Lea had just undertaken to go find Isa and Braig, though I expected that he might also attempt to contact Sora. Clearly, his decision to do so was for the best, though I'm sure it caused him no small amount of pain when he found out what happened to Isa." And hopefully Lea would accept their sympathies when he returned. They would have to plan, Aeleus supposed, as to how to rescue those who were still lost. Even if Braig had betrayed them all, he at least didn't feel that he was morally superior in that regard; if Braig could be saved, they would.

The color had drained from Isa's face. He didn't know how to react to that information, he barely knew how to process it. Maybe he shouldn't have come to this meeting. Maybe he was better off not knowing. What good would come from knowing how utterly doomed you were?

Isa buried his face in his hands, not really paying much attention to the rest of the conversation until he was able to completely processes what he had learned.

Xion sat her back in her chair, eyes wide in surprise. She, like the other former Organization members, had known Xemnas couldn't totally be trusted, had known she was being used. What she hadn't known was the full extent of what he'd been planning and how much the others were being used as well. If this Xehanort had managed to take over Isa once he'd become a Nobody, though, then it explained the differences they'd noticed between him and Saix.

Once she recovered she began to look around to see how everyone else was taking the news. Namine looked pale, but composed, looking down at her hands, and Xion wondered how much of this information might have been let on in picture conversations with Riku. Next, her gaze fell on Isa, who...didn't look so good.

Well of course not. How would you feel.

"Isa?"

The explanation of Xehanort's plan wasn't all that much of a surprise. Aqua had heard that much from Riku already, and she couldn't much say she was looking forward to the idea of having to deal with more than one of him. True, she hadn't precisely been the one fighting him, but once was more than enough as far as she was concerned. Besides, if one had caused so much trouble and sorrow, what would more be able to do?

"It can make it," Aqua spoke up, after a moment of silence. "The X-blade, I mean. He's made it once already."

Sure, she'd managed to break it, but even that hadn't been the easiest of things and she wasn't going to trust that she'd be able to do again. Besides, surely Xehanort had to know that it had been broken, given that it hadn't worked out for him last time and there hadn't exactly been many people who could have been responsible for it.

Roxas sat quiet for a time, listening. Hearing the explanation made a lot of things clearer. Seeing Isa's response to the information more or less confirmed that it was a bad idea for him to come to the meeting. Xehanort's tactics for possessing someone included bringing them close to breaking if not outright breaking them, from what Roxas could tell.

He had his own reason to be upset by this information, though. The pain it must have caused Sora when he dumped all those memories on him would have made him vulnerable. Given how thoroughly Xehanort had planned things, he might have been counting on that and it could very well be that a last minute rescue was the sole reason he hadn't claimed Sora.

At Aqua's comment, he looked up. This was something he'd heard about, here on the satellite, "Ven mentioned that, not long after he got here. Something him and Vanitas being the first ones to make it, though he didn't elaborate beyond that. We kind of distracted him with other topics..."

And he wasn't here to share any information now, but Roxas wasn't sure that was a huge issue.

"Yeah, Xigbar is there with them," Sora replied to Aeleus and Ienzo with an obvious frown. Xigbar had seemed more than fine with becoming another Xehanort, and trying to torment him in the process...even if things hadn't gone as Xigbar had been expecting. Once that far gone, it didn't seem like Xigbar cared at all about getting his own heart back. "It looked like he was completely on board with Xehanort's plans to me."

Not that Sora didn't believe that Braig could be saved...but that did require Braig to at least try to meet him halfway. How could he not see that it was nuts to just let himself become Xehanort? What would he hope to gain from that?

Anyways, right now it seemed like Isa was the more pressing concern. And right now, it looked like he was having a really hard time processing this. Sora really hated dumping this on him...he couldn't imagine hearing that news about himself, or one of his friends. But if he was here, he had to at least try to encourage him. "Isa, I know you can fight this in the future! You've got friends that are and will be pulling for you...and if you think about them, and rely on them, then you'll come out all right!"

As to Xehanort's first attempt at the X-blade, it was obvious it had fallen through if he had tried this business with thirteen darknesses. "This time, it seems like he's trying to make it work for good. But if it could get broken once, then it can again."

Lea’s back was against the wall, arms folded as he listened to Riku talk. His eyes darted toward Isa when they talked about him. Spilling the news about a man called Xehanort and what he had done. His eyes widen when he mentioned about their friendship, how it so easily crumbled. Lea’s breathe withheld, he gripped his arms closer together. All these questions started to rush in his head, who was this jerk called Xehanort? How could their friendship diminish so easily? What makes them think it can’t ever be fixed?!

Before Lea’s expression could darken with anger, his attention went to Sora then to Aeleus who mentioned what he had done or what his future self has done anyway. Lea could only look at them with wide eyes, when he opened his mouth he couldn’t think of a single word to say. Learning his and Isa’s fate so suddenly only made his heart race. He gripped his fists, trying to think straight. He looked down momentarily, taking this all in. He let out a breathe as he began to take everything in.

Slowly looking back up Lea’s eyes began to glare, his expression suddenly determined. The strength of his heart was beginning to show for him as he stood before everyone in conversation. “So this Xehanort guy… He messed everything up here did he?”

Gritting his teeth his voice began to get a little bit louder, the fire within him beginning to rise, “If he thinks he can just get away with all this, he’s got another thing coming. ‘Course I’m would go after Isa! Why wouldn’t I?! Anyone capturing my friend for their own sick plot and doing anything that’ll hurt them is no where safe near me. You can be sure of that! I’m NOT gonna let this happen to him! I won’t let this happen to him! Not to him, not to anyone who’s friends with me!”

Edited 2012-10-03 03:20 (UTC)

Riku continued to explain, fiddling a little with the pen in his hand. “The Organization was filled with Nobodies since it would be easier to possess someone who didn’t have a heart to fight back with. ...When they found they couldn’t add me to their ranks, they moved to Sora, though if they couldn’t conquer my heart I don’t know how they planned to take on his. The Xehanort from the past had said Roxas was a very good candidate.” He gave Sora’s Nobody a nod. He’d been another of the lucky ones.

Listening carefully to the others, Riku gave a slow but clear nod when Aeleus mentioned Lea discovering the truth about Isa. It was hard not to remember that tone of voice. He raised his brows when Sora confirmed Braig was one of the true Organization. Though not hugely surprised, he, like most of the other members, had their hoods up. However, it was Isa he watched most closely. He didn’t know how to comfort him, let alone know what to do now that Xehanort could potentially have useful information. Aqua and Roxas’s information caught his attention when it arose.

Riku’s eyes widened as he processed what Roxas said as Riku put two and two together. It made perfect sense. “The pure light and darkness Xehanort was talking about... Those were...” And he then looked to Sora briefly. Riku knew he'd have to bring up the fact he saw Ven in Sora's dreams. He turned his attention to Aqua. “If the χ-blade is that powerful, how did you destroy it?”

After Lea’s outburst, however Riku closed his eyes and slowly smiled. Pen still in hand from earlier, he gave it a soft tap on the table. “Isa. We don’t know what’s in store for you later on down the road. But I can tell you this. When I was possessed, it was my best friend that saved me, swinging his Keyblade either to keep darkness at bay or to knock some sense into me.” In gesture, he lightly swung the pen. “It wouldn’t surprise me if your best friend does the exact same thing. Keyblade included.” At that he pointed to Lea with the pen.

Edited (Consistency with another thread) 2012-10-03 14:05 (UTC)

"I destroyed the χ-blade because I destroyed my own heart."

With the level of seriousness in that statement, most of the people gathered could be forgiven for thinking that the blond boy already present had been the one who spoke. After all, how often was his not-twin that serious and steady? Not that he was flighty, but he kept things light, enjoyed what he could, tried not to worry about the bad.

Not this time, though. Ven turned around the corner from the door, yellow and black robes seeming almost too big on him and quite possibly the most serious expression any of them (save maybe Aqua) had seen on his face, ever. Yes, Roxas had tried to keep him out - too bad. He had to be there. He'd gotten the message late, though, but he'd walked in just when Riku had asked that question. And oh, the answer... he hated it, hated being part of it. But he was, and he couldn't change that now. He could only try to make it better for the future, and he would.

Ven didn't take a seat, though, standing near the door as he crossed his arms. Some of this would be familiar to some of them, namely his "brothers" and Isa, maybe Naminé, but he'd tell it so the rest would know exactly what they were dealing with. "Me and Vanitas... he was here. We're two parts of the same whole. Master Xehanort ripped my heart in two when I was about ten, Darkness and Light, and I'm the Light while Vanitas was the Darkness. To make the χ-blade he needed an equal Light and equal Darkness to clash and become one. Vanitas was constantly trying to hurt or kill my friends in order to make me stronger, make my Light equal to his Darkness - he let loose the Unversed, he made them, that we were chasing when I met a lot of you on Radiant Garden." His glance moved to Aeleus, Ienzo, Isa, and Lea, but there wasn't a smile on his face this time. "We were constantly fighting and constantly chasing after him, trying to stop his destruction and save the Princesses of Heart. And then when we met for the last time, me and Aqua and Terra against him and Master Xehanort in the Keyblade Graveyard, we all got separated - Terra was fighting Master Xehanort while me and Aqua tried to stop Vanitas. And he surprised Aqua from behind and nearly killed her, nearly ripped out her heart, and I stopped him - but he took me over.

"He went into my body and made it his own. I was just drifting through the Darkness until I landed on my station, and then there he was, and the χ-blade was in his hand. He said it wasn't complete because I resisted our joining - of course I did! He was trying to end everything I cared about!" He had to stop after that minor outburst, breathing a touch more heavily and shaking his head to calm down. "He wanted me to submit, to make it. But the χ-blade... it scared me more than anything I'd ever heard of. It still does. It's not something that should exist. And I wouldn't do it - so I told him I'd destroy it. He just laughed and said that the χ-blade was made of my heart, too, and if I destroyed it I'd be destroying myself. And that... was okay with me. As long as it kept Terra and Aqua safe, I'd do anything. So we fought - I won. And the χ-blade was destroyed, along with both of us."

He paused, glancing down at the ground. "That's the last thing that happened before I showed up here."

Namine had been sitting as calmly as she could during the explanations. While a lot of the information had been implied in Riku's drawings, it was good to have her thoughts confirmed and hear what else had been going on. The implication that, in Sora and Riku's time, Lea had regained his heart as well made her smile slightly.

Then came the news about Isa's fate, and while she wanted to act, to say something, the others found their voices before her. The conversation was moving so quickly, and between so many people, that it was all she could do to follow it. Xion seemed to be dealing with a similar situation. Her gaze shifted from speaker to speaker, and while her expression shifted with each bit of news, except for her attempt to reach out to Isa, someone else spoke before she could. At least she didn't seem perturbed by it, simply thoughtful.

When Ven entered, Namine looked up, glad that he had made it. Some of what he said seemed familiar to her, though not because she'd heard it explicitly stated. Something about what he was saying seemed so familiar...The mention of the Keyblade Graveyard made her eyes widen in realization. Neither wanting to interrupt Ven, nor being good at describing things with words, she quietly reached for the art supplies she'd kept nearby. Taking a few sheets of paper and crayons and paper, she set to work.

Ochre and brown for the land itself. Silver, bronze, and black for the field of Keyblades, each standing as a memorial to its former bearer. On another paper, a picture of Vanitas in black and white (except for his eyes), and Ven in color, back-to-back. Connecting them was...Well, it must have been a Keyblade, but it wasn't like any she'd seen in Sora's memories. Finally, on the third sheet, a picture of Sora as a small child, holding a small sphere of light against his heart.

They weren't very good, detailed sketches. She took the time that was allowed to her by Ven finishing his explanation, then Lea's outburst that filled the stunned silence which followed. Listening to what was said with half attention, she finished just in time to look up in surprise at Riku's implication regarding Lea's future status as a Keyblade bearer.

In the stunned silence that followed that, she swallowed hard, took a (quiet) deep breath to brace herself for what might be coming, and found her voice. "Ummmm...Do any of these seem familiar?"

She gently slid her pictures forward on the table.

Just perfect. Part of the reason Roxas hadn't thought it a good idea for Ven to show up was because it seemed likely something he'd only guessed at might be confirmed and, as he'd told Riku, just speculating about it almost got him decked. Hopefully conversation wouldn't steer that way now and Roxas could discuss that privately with the others later. If he was lucky.

When Namine put her sketches forward, it provided a small distraction, though he was just as surprised as she was when Riku implied that Lea might acquire a Keyblade. Frankly, it seemed like a ludicrous idea. Roxas suppressed an urge to scoff and gave his attention to the sketches. He didn't recognize the place depicted. Not directly, anyway. Ven had mentioned a Keyblade Graveyard and the sketch depicted a place that seemed to fit. To answer the question of whether or not he recognized the place, he shook his head.

He did have a question of his own, though, "When did you see this place?"

The first question didn't come from who Namine had expected. That said, it was maybe just as well. Roxas already knew some of what she had to explain, so starting might be a little easier. " It was in some memories I found when I was fixing Sora's."

She turned so she was facing the others, but focused her gaze on the pictures. "Some of you don't know, but I'm...I can manipulate Sora's memories, and those of anyone close to him. About a year-no, two years ago now--a lot of things happened, and I had to take apart the memories chained together in Sora's heart. It took a long time, but I put them back together again." Here she paused for a deep breath. "While I was doing that, I noticed some memories that didn't belong to him. I kept them together, but separated them from his chain." Tapping the picture of the Keyblade Graveyard, she went on. "This was part of those memories. " Then her hand moved toward the picture of Sora. "This was...kind of a link between the two."

Even more was coming out here than Sora expected. Riku gave him a look as if he wanted to tell him something, but didn't have the time to go into it now. Was it something else from when they'd been in the Realm of Dreams?

Sora regarded the drawings that Namine presented, thinking hard. It was weird...he got a strange sense of familiarity from the images of the Keyblade Graveyard. At the same time, he knew for certain that he'd never been to a place like that. It didn't look like anything Riku had described of his missing time in Castle Oblivion, either. "I don't remember any place like that," he told her. "But...the one where I'm little, with the light…that one does feel really familiar."

So if these weren't really his memories...was Namine right, and these in fact belonged to Ven? He remembered that strange moment in the World That Never Was, when he'd seen Terra and Aqua, and they'd called him by Ven's name. And then there was the fact that Vanitas looked almost exactly like him, and was supposed to be from the dark part of Ven's heart. Roxas, who came from his heart, looked exactly like Ven. Everything fit together way too well for it to just be a series of coincidences. Ven believed that his heart had been destroyed, but what if instead...

"Then, after Ven beat Vanitas and destroyed the X-blade, his heart didn't get destroyed absolutely," Sora said slowly, thinking over all the implications of this. "It's...been with me, all this time!"

Did Xehanort know this? How would all of this affect his new plan to create the X-blade...or could they use this information to stop him somehow?

Suddenly, without warning, or any real provocation in the current flow of the conversation, Isa slammed his fist down on the table. Slammed it down hard enough to make the whole table rattle.

His head was facedown on the table, burred in the crook of his elbow. "Why!? Why me!? I don't have anything to do with you people!"

Isa stands up, slamming his hands on the table, "Why didn't you want to tell me!? Was I just supposed to find out on my own?"

He sends glares to Riku and Roxas, though they're somewhat mitigated by the fact that his eyes are red and puffy and his face is tearstreaked.

His eyes narrowed as he listened to Ven. He’d heard some of this from Aqua already, but not in such detail. And Riku knew what being posessed was like, but it appeared Ven had dealt with his differently. Had Riku known of a way to face Xehanort’s Heartless so directly and had the ability to do so, he would have. He understood the outburst and the anger that came with the experience, though on some level it seemed strange to have it come from Ven. It seemed, however, that Ven was like Maes. Just as he should have vanished from the world, this strange space station had taken him in. “There’s something that bothers me. If your heart was torn apart, the leftover pieces should have collapsed. How does Xehanort know a way to keep that from happening? We could be in for a lot more trouble...”

Riku looked at the pictures Namine had created, some of them probably based on when she was reading memories a couple weeks ago. He was mildly surprised when Namine said they were from memories amongst Sora’s. While none of them were familiar, each were important. Clearly one had to be the Keyblade Graveyard. It felt like a graveyard. The one with a young Sora... How long had Namine known about that one, he wondered? And was that light... a heart? However, his comment was on the remaining one. “That must be the χ-blade. So that’s what all the hype’s about.” It wasn’t anything he’d ever seen before, but there really was something about it that was bad news. The thought shone in Riku’s face.

To Sora’s later comment, Riku turned to him. “Yeah. When I dove back into the Realm of Sleep, I met three people there.” He began to look at each respective person as he said so. “One was Roxas. No surprise. Ven was also there.” He looked to Xion. “And there was a girl with short black hair that I didn’t even recognize until I got back to the SOL.” Riku turned back to Sora. “Roxas, the reason why Roxas looks the way he does, and a replica of you. They’re all in your heart. Not gone or merged, but still separate in you.”

The somewhat hopeful look of interest in regards to the status of those in Sora’s heart faded at Isa’s outburst. His eyes narrow somewhat, but he doesn’t get up. His tone was firm, but patient. Even if he had to repeat himself, he couldn’t blame Isa for the shock. “Like I said, I didn’t want to tell you because the information we share here could be used against us if Xehanort found out. What he’s done threw worlds and everyone on them into chaos. A lot more than just us in this room. And they didn’t have anything to do with Xehanort or us either.” Riku took a deep breath. “It wasn’t against you.”

Lea’s eyes widen at Isa’s reaction. His heart dropped instantly. If there’s one thing Lea did not like seeing, it was seeing his friend getting upset or hurt. Knowing this fate was painful enough, to see Isa know this, it was just agonizing enough. Lea’s eyes were wide and slightly glistened as if he himself was shot with a sudden downpour of emotions. Lea withheld his breath, as he gripped his sides, and looked away as he tried to compose himself. Then as he almost made his move to walk away from the group, he paused.

There, it happened. An anger, the fire, it was starting to burn in the pit of his stomach. Lea hands began a slight spark before they disappeared he gripped his hands again as he tried to control his anger again. It probably wasn’t good that they all gained magical abilities this week. Though from accidents that happen before when he gained flame powers, he began to learn how to control these abilities. It seemed only fitting that a few sparks were coming from him right now. Which is why Lea glared off in a different direction, breathing under his breath. Not wanting to face anyone or talk to anybody at the moment, for he wasn’t sure what may be the result, but when Riku spoke he couldn’t help it.

“It shouldn’t have been him,” Lea growled, then slowly faced the group. A cold glare came from his eyes, “It shouldn’t have been anyone! What made him think he can do any of this?! What gave him the right?!”

Neither Lea nor Isa's outburst was particularly surprising, as far as Ienzo was concerned. Honestly, if he hadn't already heard the explanation of the worst of Xehanort's crimes he might have easily been in the same boat, especially with the sudden return of his emotions. It was never easy to hear that everything had been a lie, and certainly not when the details had been kept from the people involved.

"I'd imagine for much the same reason no one told me of my own future," Ienzo commented, turning to Isa. "Even without Xehanort's unusual interests in cloning himself I can assure you that life in the Organization was hardly a picnic at the best of times." Not when it had come along with a distinct loss in ability to feel (lie though that might have been) and a set of colleagues who were often only worthy of mere tolerance.

That said, he turned next to Lea. "I do agree that it shouldn't have been anyone. Regardless, the fact of the matter is that he has seen fit to claim a few people as his own. We'll be better served trying to figure out what to do next than trying to imagine what twisted delusion made him imagine he had the right to do any of this."

Roxas hummed thoughtfully. Riku's information about what he saw upon diving back into Sora's dreams to bail him out confirmed something that had been discussed a while ago, "Not long after Ven got here, we ended up talking about a couple things. That included why he and I look alike. It was only a guess at the time, but now we know for sure. It's also possible Xehanort knows this already."

Isa's outburst wasn't entirely unexpected. Neither were his questions. Roxas doubted chiming in with an answer would really help when he'd really just be repeating the same things Riku had said. Lea's reaction was pretty much predicted... except for the magical sparks. Maybe they should have put this off until a week where they were back to being stripped of any powers.

That life was no picnic within the Organization was probably putting it mildly. Then again, for all Roxas knew, he'd gotten some of the worst of it simply for having a Keyblade and being that much more useful to one of the side plots Xehanort had going. For that, he sort of understood Lea's outrage, "Nothing gave him the right, Lea. He just decided for himself that he had it and to Hell with anyone that would get in his way."

Really there was something to be said for being considered beneath Xehanort's notice. If he didn't think you were useful, you avoided being used. Not that he cared much about those who were left dealing with the results of his plans, but it seemed somewhat better than being a pawn.

Xion had been listening quietly, trying to take in everything that was said. The idea that she, Roxas, and Ven were all connected in Soras heart wasn't as surprising as it could have been. She had a brief moment of apprehension when Riku hinted at her being a Replica, but the others seemed to have not noticed. Isa's outburst only surprised her in that she'd never seen him get that angry on his own behalf; Lea's was totally expected.

Ienzo and Roxas both had points. "He doesn't really seem to see people as anything but puppets to be used. If he's using them as toys, we'll have to find a way to take the toys away."

They had been suspecting for awhile that Roxas, Xion and Ven had all been connected in his heart, but what had happened when they returned home and their conversation here now definitely proved it. Sora just hoped that this wasn't something Xehanort knew...because knowing him, he'd try to find a way to use it against them. And Sora was determined to set everything right once they got back home.

Isa's outburst surprised him just a little, but mostly because he'd been deep in thought and hadn't been paying as much attention to him. Now he really wished that he knew some more of the future, so that he could assure Isa that everything would turn out all right in the end. But for now, he could only encourage Isa to stick by his friend, and hope this did change things for the better.

"Xion's right...peoples' hearts are just tools to Xehanort. He's too obsessed with darkness for us to worry about why he thinks this way. It's up to us to stop him, no matter what!" He looked towards Isa and Lea specifically. "We'll find a way to save everyone. And make sure that he never tries this with anyone again."

Aeleus shifted in his seat. He had participated in this, been both victim and facilitator, and there was no undoing the evil that had been done. Xehanort seemed to have a new plan for every eventuality it seemed; could they even hope at this point that he had actually told the truth and put his true cards on the table? He had lied and lied again, to everyone. It was an unsettling thought, but not one he was inclined to share just at the moment.

There was nothing to say to assure Isa or Lea. The people furthest in the future couldn't even confirm a positive ending for them. Xehanort was still working towards obtaining Kingdom Hearts, even now, and all they could do was hope for the future.

"It seems as though there are two recurring themes in Xehanort's story that we should all keep in mind. The first is that he has always attempted to control Kingdom Hearts. The second is that he has always failed, because of the determination and efforts of people who are here, in this room. He ignores that, despite its superiority in numbers, darkness did not prevail in the long-forgotten Keyblade War because in the deepest darkness there is light that cannot be extinguished. Perhaps the reason that the keyblade weilders to best him are young is because, as the tale goes, the light of Kingdom Hearts was preserved in the hearts of children. At any rate, his failure is assured because of his blindness. All that we must do is make that failure permanent. Saving everyone will just require that we acknowledge the bonds that link us to our lost friends."

Lea grew quiet as he listened to everyone. The sparks subdued and calmed, although the glare in his eyes remained as he looked toward the floor in thought. Many thoughts started rushing in his head. The one that seemed to stand out the most was how could he prevent this from ever happening? And if he can’t how could he save Isa?

Taking a moment, Lea looked back at his best friend. He didn’t want to feel useless in this, he wanted to do something, he wanted to make a difference. He wanted his friend to be safe. Lea breathed in as he folded his arms, then spoke, “Then what must I do now…?”

So, a meeting!

Granted, she'd gotten a lot of information already, but Minako could never be too cautious. The enemy in question had the power to travel through time and space, after all. What was to prevent him from coming to her dimension, to her world and try and attack it? It wouldn't be the first time someone used such a skill to covertly infiltrate Earth and destroy it!

...If only she were that skillful. Because she was wandering around trying to figure out where the heck this meeting was being held. It didn't help that there were tons of extra doors that suddenly popped up throughout the ship. So there she was, on the theatrical deck, slowly walking towards a random door that popped up...

Link wasn't particularly interested in the meeting that the others were holding, not because he didn't care, but because he sort of understood that it was an issue regarding their world... or set of worlds going by what he'd heard from them. It wasn't something that they really wanted to discuss with the others. He knew if someone else from his own world appeared and they needed to discuss events back home, he might not be all that inclined to share either. He especially couldn't blame them when someone had suddenly taken an unhealthy interest in them, as evidenced by their posts about finding their rooms in disarray.

So it was that he was minding his own business when he found Minako snooping around by the strange door that seemed to appear when someone had a need for something. That seemed strange. What could she be up to?

He approached her quietly, noting that her attention was rather firmly on the mysterious door, and paused a short distance away. He considered asking her what she was up to, but that seemed a little too forward. Instead, he simply cleared his throat and waited. If she was up to something untoward, her response to his presence might be very telling.

Future Tense - [Active / Semi-open]

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THREADJACK

HELLO

FANCY MEETING YOU HERE

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INFODUMP- I mean, MEETING START

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MINAKO'S ATTEMPTS TO LISTEN IN

So, so very late...