Knight's Title: Book Two~ The Dark Side of His Heart. Finished redecorating {Updated 5/28/10}

[.:Abarai Renji:.]

That is epic as always, MT ^^

 

Hope ya find use for my Shadow idea ^^

[ragnarok1945]

All right, but you did say before Aug is out, so hopefully you'll keep your word

[Fen.]

Ha! I finally got it up!

 

[align=center][spoiler=[b]Chapter 21:Lies[/b]]

Chapter 21

Lies

 

Edward put the diary on his lap with a sigh. He looked to Hermione, who had a dreamy smile on her face. She had a hand over her chest passionately.

 

“I had no Idea Edward……” She said leaning in to him, her head resting right on Edward’s chest. He blushed slightly, his temperature rising. His pulse raced erratically.

 

“Kellach was such a sweetheart! Oh it just makes me remember him so clearly!” She swooned, getting off of Edward.

 

“And here I thought she was talking about me…..”Edward sulked to himself. But he brushed it off and just looked into Hermione’s sapphire eyes. He held the book gently in his hands now, the tips of his fingers feeling the engraved cover. Edward then made an attempt to get up.

 

“Well we had better go to-,”

 

“No. Read one more entry, please.” Hermione said swiftly, placing her hand on his knee, stopping his action. Edward hesitated on her action. Reading more into Kellach’s secrets could scar her mind of him.

 

“But aren’t you trying to get her to fall in love with you?” Edward’s mind told him questioningly. He had to think this one over for a bit. Without warning, Hermione then wrenched the diary from Edward’s hands. He gasped and looked at her with frightened eyes. She had frenzy in her face as she tore open the book, flipping through the pages. She suddenly stopped with a gasp. She looked at the date entry. It made her do a double-take.

 

“August 7th…….the day before he was….killed,” She said wearily, her hands shaking as she held the book. Edward looked over Hermione’s shoulder. He put his hand on her shoulder. It made her take her glance off the journal entry and into Edward’s eyes. Her eyes were talking to him. “Should I read this?”Her eyes told him.

 

“Do whatever you feel will ease your pain,” he answered her with a smile. Hermione answered with a nod. She then took her eyes back to the last sign of Kellach’s existence.

 

“I have to know…….why he died,” she said sadly, holding back tears. She began to read the entry out loud.

 

August 7th, 2009

 

It’s official. I will die tomorrow.

 

Just by reading that, Hermione froze. A horrified look was planted on her features.

 

“He…..he knew it. He knew it, knew he was going to die….and he never told me,” Hermione muttered with a shudder. Edward held her by the shoulders to comfort her.

 

“Hermione, stop. Put the book down and just st-,”

 

“NO! I HAVE TO KNOW!” Hermione shouted, pushing Edward out of the way with a force he never thought she had. He landed on his stomach in a tower of dusty tomes. The towers crashed down upon Edward, sending a large plume of dust in the air, masking his vision and his other four senses.

 

“Now with him out of the way, I can find out the truth,” Hermione said with new determination. She continued from where she left off.

 

It’s official. I will die tomorrow. I have known this for about two weeks now. My condition has been slowly getting worse since my incident. The medicine isn’t even helping me anymore. I’ve been trying to keep this hidden from Hermione…..but it’s getting harder with each passing day…..

 

“Hih…hih….hih….H'kSCHh!” Kellach sneezed into a crumpled Kleenex. His head was throbbing as he sat in the meeting room. He had a hand on his head, elbow resting on the table he was sitting at. His fellow Knights looked concerned for his health. Some backed away, hoping not to catch whatever their leader was infected with. Hermione put a hand on Kellach’s back and rubbed it for comfort. Amy and Shadow looked at him as if he were an alien. Aang and Neji had a wise concern on their face. Arya and Knuckles were making out in the back, their legs and arms all over each other. Sasuke just “humph”ed. The knights were discussing motives to track down and find Dartz and his party. They had been missing and AWOL for almost half a year. Kellach and Neji were leading the cause. But now Kellach looked too sick to lead the knights. He sniffled and wrote something down on a large map rolled out on the large table.

 

“Kellach, please just get some rest,” Hermione pleaded her boyfriend. She looked at him straight in the face. He looked terrible. His eyes were red and watery. His nostrils were beet red and his face was contorted in a melancholy frown.

 

“Hermione, this happens every year. It’s just my hay fever acting up again,” He muttered with yet another sniffle. Neji tapped Kellach on the shoulder to get his attention.

 

“The witch is right Kellach. Take some medicine and get some rest. I can take over from here.” He insisted upon him, taking the pen from Kellach’s hands. The wizard then gave Neji a disgusted look.

 

“Look, just because I’m under the weather doesn’t mean that I’m not fit to lead the team,” He said quickly. He stood up with a huff, “It’s been like this every summer. Give me a freaking brea…….eh….ih……” Hermione groaned and quickly handed Kellach another tissue. He swiped it out of her hand faster than she could pick it up.

 

“Ahhktchuu!” Kellach sneezed violently into the tissue and to everyone’s astonishment, the tissue suddenly morphed into a wave of fire. It blew outward, toasting all of the Knights but Kellach. Kellach sniffled, putting a hand behind his head. His voice came out garbled.

 

“’Scuse be,” he chuckled lightly. Sasuke looked at Kellach angrily. Sasuke along with the rest of the Knights were charred black. They also mimicked Sasuke’s glare.

 

“GO TO BED!” They all shouted, pointing to the door. Kellach put his head down. The rest of them sat down. Kellach suddenly had a plan. He turned to Hermione, his last hope.

 

“Herbione, go ub du by broom abd ged by bills,” Kellach asked her, congested. Hermione understood him though.

 

“What color are they?” She asked him, heading for the door to the hallway leading to the stairs.

 

“Bingk!” Kellach shouted back.

 

“What?!” She asked, not getting that last part. Kellach slapped his forehead, reaching for another tissue. He blew his nose and tossed the gunk into the trash.

 

“PINK!” He shouted to her yet again. But Hermione was already out of the room.

****************************************************************************

 

Hermione was then in Kellach’s room. She knew what she was looking for. She began her search for Kellach’s Allergy Medication on his bookshelf. She pushed books to the side, only finding piles of old dust and rotting pages. She moved to another shelf. This didn’t pose very promising. Just a bunch of vials, some empty and some with multi-colored fluids. She brushed her hands through the shelf to clear things out of the way. Her hand accidently knocked against one of the vials. It tumbled to the carpeted floor, spilling its contents. The red tinctured potion mixed with the blue carpet, leaving a purple stain. She groaned, ignoring the mess.

 

“You’re just going to have to freaking deal Kellach,” she muttered to herself. She then walked to Kellach’s headboard bedpost. On the shelf were two bottles of pills. Hermione picked up the first one. It was Kellach’s SingulAIR pills. She unscrewed the bottle’s lid and shook out a couple pills. Sure enough, they were a hot pink color. Hermione looked pleased with her work. But upon a second glace. She saw that there were two bottles of pills. She had spilt it onto the floor while quickly grabbing the first bottle. She looked at the floor, and saw a scattering of blood-red spherical pills. They almost looked like marbles. Hermione bent over and picked up one of the pills. She was right. It had the texture of clay, flaking bits of red powder onto her fingers as she rolled it between her fingers. This was when she noticed the bottle on the floor. She took a look and examined it.

 

To a mister Kellach Masons.

 

Kimitrex. Take one daily in the morning.

 

Uses: Relieves

 

Coughing, tightness of chest, buildup of blood in lungs, intense headaches, fevers.

 

WARNINGS

 

Ask a doctor or pharmacist before use if you are

 

Nursing, Pregnant or about to become pregnant. Frequently being intimate, experiencing a high or low blood pressure.

 

SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDE

 

Vomiting, Weakened Immune System, Dizziness, Bouts of Anger, Abdominal Pain.

 

STOP USING IF

 

Bloody phlegm persists; you begin to vomit blood as this could be signs of a serious blood disorder.

 

Hermione dropped the bottle and backed away from the pills. She had tears welling up in her eyes. Her hands were running through her hair viciously. She was shaking madly.

 

“Why the hell are these in his room?” She thought, her imagination going into overdrive. “He could die tomorrow,” She thought, still freaking out at the possibility that she could no longer be in his arms anymore. No, she wouldn’t let it happen. I mean…they never had even had……well; she had to do something about it. She snatched the Allergy Medicine off of the bed shelf, put the red pellet pills back in the other bottle, and ran for her own room faster than her smooth legs could carry her. When she got to her door, she wrenched it open without a thought. Quickly she tore for her notebook and a pen. With steady fingers she tore out a blank page. Still moving quickly, she took out a thick colorful scrapbook from under her bed. She placed it on the desk in front of her. She then scribbled quickly and nimbly on the Notebook paper a little message.

 

MEET ME ON THE ROOF AT MIDNIGHT. PLEASE DON’T BE LATE. I’LL BE WAITING.

 

HERMIONE ^_^

 

When she finished, she took the note, folded it, and placed it in the middle of the scrapbook. She made sure to stuff it deep near the binding too. Kellach was going to tell her everything. All the lies he had been throwing at her face. She had to know.

 

Was her boyfriend going to die on his birthday?

 

Later that day, I went up to my room to discover that my pills had been moved. Hermione had found out. It tore me apart to know this. She didn’t need my burden on her shoulders. I knew I would then have to face her. But when?

 

Hermione had to stop reading this for a second.

 

“So I was right. Either way……even if they didn’t come, he would have died. Right in my arms,” She said solemnly. Her heart was slowly being opened up to the truth, and she didn’t like it. But she had to know more. It wasn’t enough for her. Hermione then heard coughing and sputtering from behind her.

 

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Edward blared, is fists in the air angrily. He dusted himself off. “Girl has the power of a bulldozer,” He thought while wincing.

 

“Oh have your temper tantrum somewhere else,” Hermione shot back to him, hiding her despondency from him. Edward yawned, stretching his arms out wide.

 

“I don’t know about you, but I’m going to bed…..” Edward said walking for the closet exit, “we have a huge day tomorrow and we need our rest if we’re going to find Twilight Town.” He said yawning again.

 

“No!” Hermione gasped suddenly, shocking Edward. He was sort of taken aback, “please, stay.” She asked him, with no one else to turn to. He had done the taboo of his people. He had brought her back from the dead. And she was forever grateful. Edward shrugged and walked back to Hermione and sat beside her.

 

“Alright, but just a little more, you seriously need some rest girl,” He pleaded to her, bags were already drifting on his eyes.

 

“Yeah, just one more page. That’s all I need,” Hermione said confidently to Edward. With her determination, the two turned the page. She looked at the page, and held back a scream. The whole two-spread of paper was spattered with blood. It was as if someone had dipped a paintbrush in a can of red paint and flicked it at the pages. The words written were still visible, but she could not keep her eyes off the spots of red. She knew what it was.

 

“Read. Now.” She commanded Edward. She couldn’t look at the diary anymore. Edward gave Hermione a look of concern. He paused for a moment.

 

“Are you sure you want to-,”

 

“YES! I want to! Read now!!!” Hermione snapped quickly, her stomach queasy.

 

“Alright. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Ok. Where did we leave off?

 

I knew I would have to face her. But When?

 

It is 11:56. I’ll be fifteen years old in four minutes. The tower is asleep. All but me. I can’t stop coughing blood. Alas, some of it has spattered my pages of writing. It is just a confirmation of my doomsday. Even today the signs arose…..

 

Kellach was staring at the mirror in the bathroom; he was in a blue robe, his hair damp from just getting out of the shower. He checked himself out at his reflection. His eyes were still a bit red, but not as bad as earlier today. He had color back in his face and he could breathe again. The pills had worked. His chest had been burning ever since he got out of his shower though, an uncomfortable feeling whenever he breathed. He looked healthy; he looked fine actually, better than he had in days. He grabbed his toothbrush and began to brush his teeth. Kellach then heard a sudden knock at the door.

 

“Occupado!” He shouted out, continuing to scrub at his teeth.

 

“It’s me Kell,” Hermione said sweetly from behind the door. She was hiding her concern about her discoveries behind her face smile.

 

“Oh hey Mione,” Kellach responded. He continued with his duties. Hermione had plucked up the courage. She had to tell him now. What if he didn’t survive through midnight? But she chickened out.

 

“Hey a bunch of us are going to watch “I Love You, Man” downstairs. Wanna come down?” She asked him, still behind the door.

 

“Sure dear, I’ll be down in about a few,” Kellach said with a smile, opening the door and receiving a hug from Hermione. He kissed her back on the cheek.

 

“Thanks. See you soon!” She said with a wave, and headed downstairs to join the others. Kellach waved back, closing the door to the bathroom. The burning in his chest reached a fever pitch. He then lurched forward, his hands on the sink counter. He then coughed violently into the sink. Blood dripped from his lips and landed like deadly rain in the sink. He continued to retch and cough crimson in the bathroom sink. He used his right hand to reach for the faucet handle to rinse out the blood from the sink. He continued to cough. Still spewing blood into his hands and onto the floor. It was worse than usual, lasting a good three minutes. Usually it was thirty seconds. His condition was getting worse. He cleaned up the stains on the floor with a paper towel. He grabbed a swig of water to clear out his mouth. He was sweating heavily, his heart pounding painfully. He had an angry look on his face.

 

“AGH!!” Kellach growled in sad rage, pounding his fists on the bathroom tile. The tears ran from his face without warning. He was dying. He couldn’t, he needed to stay with Hermione, with the Knights. He would never see his brother or family again. Life was fading away before his eyes.

 

“Damn you….Kimimaro,” Kellach muttered, the tears slowly going away. He then remembered why Hermione had come to him not too long ago. He cleaned up his tears, and headed into his room to change into PJs. Once he was dressed, he went downstairs to be with his friends one last time.

 

That was the moment I knew I wouldn’t live to see sixteen. It’s a crushing feeling. I would never drive a car, I would never taste alcohol. I would never be able to bring pleasure to the one I truly loved. I would be gone from the world before my own father. It just shows how suddenly life can be taken away. Hermione, If you are reading this. It means that I am dead. But I have one favor to ask of you. Please…..please stay strong. It is not your fault that this happened. I never wanted you to even know of this burden, but I’m guessing you caught on. Just please, remember that I will always be with you in your Dreams, chasing away the sorrows from your Nightmares. Don’t forget me Hermione, but be brave. I know this has probably taken a horrible toll on you, but please...keep your joy. Keep that smile that always brightened my day. Keep the smarts that set you apart from others. Keep that humor that made me laugh. Keep your sanity, it will keep you safe. And most of all, Keep your Friends, for they are the greatest gift you have of all. Keep that, and I will keep you in my heart. I love you Hermione.

 

Stay strong.

 

And goodbye.

 

“It ends there,” Edward said, closing the book. Hermione did not know what to say. Kellach had left a death note in the diary, just for her. She had been a mess since he had passed on, angry, distraught. She pushed her friends away, and it was wrong of her to do. From now on, she was going to treasure her life. It would be what He wanted her to do.

 

“Alright,” Edward said quietly, “now we should really go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us and-,” But he was interrupted by Hermione. She had knelt beside him, and embraced him. Tears struggled to escape her eyes, but they did not come. Edward didn’t know what to do, let alone what to say. He accepted the hug.

 

“Thank you Edward, for giving me back my life,” She said smiling. She still hugged him, not letting go. When she finally let go, the two were smiling. Now knowing the truth, their hearts were a bit lighter. Hermione had newfound strength. Edward had a new determination to save the Knights and his brother.

 

“Well, it’s time to go to bed,” Hermione said, getting up from the stone floor. She helped Edward up by holding her hand out. She stared at Edward, and he stared back at her. Maybe it was because of her lack of sleep, but when she turned to look at the Alchemist, she found herself staring at Kellach. He was smiling at her with those sapphire eyes and straw blonde hair.

 

He actually opened his mouth to speak to her.

 

“Hermione,” He said. It was really his voice, sweet like strawberry sunshine. She kept her gaze on Kellach, “Hermione, It’s me, Kellach. You can still save me. Trust Edward. He knows what he is doing. He wants to help you. Just trust him, and please…….save me. I love you, and I know you will do the right thing. Hermione, my dear. Hermione, my sweet. Hermione……..Hermione…..Hermione….”

 

“Hermione….Hermione……Hermione!” Edward had shouted at her, bringing her back to earth, “are you going to help me up or what?” He asked her.

 

“Oh, yeah. Right, sure.” Hermione responded, a bit flustered from the sudden hallucination….at least, she thought it was a hallucination. She helped Edward off from the floor. And holding hands, the two made their way out of the closet. They were both exhausted, and had no Idea of what was in store for them in the next days. But whatever they faced, they knew they had hope.

 

The book had been left propped open on the stone cold floor. The room had a presence of serenity, renewal, and clarity.

 

“Thank you Hermione, I hope to see you soon,” Said Kellach with a lighter heart and brighter spirit. And with his leave into the beyond, the diary’s pages flipped slowly, closing. Ending the chapter on a good, happier tone. All was silent.

[/align]

[ragnarok1945]

Now Hermione will say she wasn't hallucinating, and that Kellach really was there.

 

Not to sure why Kellach predicted his own death, oh well

[Fen.]

Now Hermione will say she wasn't hallucinating' date=' and that Kellach really was there.

 

Not to sure why Kellach predicted his own death, oh well

[/quote']

 

 

Haha yeah. Edward is going to think she's crazy.

 

I wanted to let the readers know tht he was dying no mater what. Hey remember when he did that blood coughing thing at the end of book 1? I wanted to tie it together. He didn't die the way he predicted though. And there's the irony.

[ragnarok1945]

that's true. I thought Edward has been thinking she's gone mad for quite some time now

[Fen.]

Well yeah he probably did. But he was facinated with her at the same time.

 

So was it a good chapter? Be honest.

[ragnarok1945]

obviously, but you're not getting the best chapter ever trophy over this, you're only getting "One of the best chapters ever" medallion over it

 

*gives you the medallion*

[Fen.]

obviously' date=' but you're not getting the best chapter ever trophy over this, you're only getting "One of the best chapters ever" medallion over it

 

*gives you the medallion*

[/quote']

 

*accepts the medallion. Thinks it's cooler than a trophy.*

 

I wanted to pull all the stops and tie things up. I think I did a good job. There's still some more tying up to do. Later in the story you will get Kellach's birthday from Kellach's point of view.

 

But I'm sleepy now. I'll type later.

[.:Abarai Renji:.]

Holy sheet!

 

Didn't know that you can PREDICT your own death! That's awesome!

 

As always, nice chapter MT. You know what? Forget what I said on MSN yesterday! I am SO reading this, and Book 3, and 4, and so on.

 

Also, HOORAY for mentioning Kaguya Kimimaro! ^^

[ragnarok1945]

oh that's just oracle abilities to predict what will happen, it includes yourself. It's nothing new.

[Fen.]

Haha, glad you liked it guys. Yeah I read something about people who can predict their death and that's where I got the idea.

[ragnarok1945]

out of curiosity, where did you read that from?

[.:Abarai Renji:.]

Won't let this die! ^^

[ragnarok1945]

oh this was never dead to begin with. Midnight Thief knows to bump it if it reached later pages

[Fen.]

I have no excuse this time for being almost a year late in updating. So I'm just going to post this chapter, and leave it at that.

 

NOTE: I have been told it is not called Necrobumping if you are contributing to the topic. So this is perfectly YCM legal.

 

[align=center][spoiler= Chapter 22: Xellhack]

Chapter 22

Xellhack

 

As Larxene stepped over Kellach's rigid back to her allies, they slapped her high fives. She then scoffed, putting her gloved hand to her mouth in a giggle.

 

"Try to dumbfound me now, you little insect!" Larxene cackled evilly, giving a kick to Kellach's gut. He responded with a guttural choking groan. He could not move a single muscle. He had lost the fight just there. How could he have been so thoughtless? He growled angrily. But it came out as a purr. Larxene continued to chortle as her partners looked over Kellach's body.

 

"Well it wasn't easy, but we finally got him," Axel said, looking at Marluxia. There was an awkward tension between the two. They just stared at each other, stealing glances at Kellach every few seconds.

 

"Well are you going to pick him up or what?" Axel asked him, his hands on his hips in annoyance. The two nobodies once again stole glances at each other. Marluxia was still stunned by the fact that he almost had died from the same thing his attacker had been killed of….by his own gloved hands. Axel was afraid that Kellach was faking his whole paralysis like before, waiting to strike again.

 

"Oh for dusk's sake!" Larxene growled, pushing the two babies aside. She strode over to Kellach and looked in his eyes. He stared back, for once looking frightened. Larxene showed no compassion for this monster. Instead, Larxene raised the heel of her foot, and smashed it into Kellach's temple. The effect was instantaneous. His eyes flicked closed, body going limp. The second his eyes closed, the bluish haze of the barrier evaporated. No souls had been taken. He wasn't getting up for a while. Larxene then bent over, grabbing the unconscious nobody by the legs. With brute and surprising strength she slung Kellach over her right shoulder. Axel and Marluxia stood open mouthed.

 

"Wusses," Larxene scoffed, "I have more balls than the two of you put together," she laughed. She then turned to face her fellow nobodies.

 

"Let's take the bounty in," Axel said with a sigh, he wanted out of this creepy place. Marluxia and Larxene agreed with him. A dark portal of black materialized before the three, the gateway to HQ. The three took one more sweeping glance at the cavern, seeing the vast battle scars the four nothings had created on the desolate spit of earth.

 

"We're done here," Marluxia muttered while taking a step inside the dark portal, "let us return as we do not want to keep The Superior waiting," and with that, Marluxia and the two others entered the portal.

 

Blood. Spit. Poison. That's all he tasted. He looked to his side, seeing black. Surrounded by shadows, so much he swore he could hear silence. Was he dead? No, he heard a scream. The dead don't hear. But there was a pounding in his head. He still couldn't see. There were still senses present to him though. Cloth nestled against bare knuckles. His gloves had been removed. He wondered how little clothing he really had on. He got his answer when he finally tried to move, a stroke of silk caressing his bare back. So he was naked aside from some sort of cheap material for legging warmth. He gained some more sense. He realized his tongue was slit.

 

"I must have bitten it when…..when I fell, that explains the metallic taste," Kellach thought. His memory was blurry, pieces floating around on a fogged lakefront. More sense, his nose twitched at the smell of something sweet. So sweet it made his nostrils burn. He moved his hand to rub at his nose. The attempt was grueling. He realized that he had probably been pretty hurt. One more sense.

 

"So you have done it?" a commanding voice from afar said. He sounded leader-like. As if he knew he was the boss.

 

"Yes, Superior. We have captured the rogue Nobody." Said a man. This one sounded a little more laid back, although Kellach could still hear daggers in his tone, "You should see him in his, confinement."

 

"Oh will you stop calling Mansex Superior before I puke a lung? Christ, Mar Mar, sometimes I think your genitals don't hang," said a girl, vindictively, as if her voice was a weapon. Kellach shuddered as the conversation he was eavesdropping on continued.

 

"Larxene, you hold your tongue," said the commanding voice, "now be gone you two, get the ritual ready for our special guest," Kellach heard two pairs of boots tap away to the left of his peripheral.

 

"Seriously Mar, enough perfume?" Larxene muttered with a cough as the two left the area. Kellach rolled over to his side. He was starting to get his vision back. He was in a metal containment area. The walls were a metallic purple, with silver etchings carved along in lines. He didn't dare lift his body, the pain it induced before was unbearable. His eyes glazed over to his right. Metallic bars locked him in the violet vault. He could vaguely see through the bars, all white. There wasn't a single detail ahead of him, almost like a void. It made his head hurt, throbbing so much he had to lie back down on the cold metal floor of the container. He suddenly beat his fist against the hard container's floor, causing his already sore knuckles to ache. Now even more hurt than before, physically and mentally, Kellach crawled into fetal position on the cold metal floor, and attempted to get at least a little sleep.

 

With a rough stab in the back from an unknown force, Kellach was roused from his fitful sleep. He turned around quickly to retaliate, but was silenced with a vicious flow of electricity through his body.

 

"That'll put you in your place, you little pest," Snarled Larxene, taking her fingertips away from Kellach's forehead. She was flanked by two other members of the Organization, as Kellach put together in his head easily. One was tall, and well built. He had a mess of orange hair that stuck out mostly in the back. In his right hand, he held a cruel looking weapon. It resembled an axe, and yet at the same time it was a sword. He was snarling at Kellach, contempt on his face. On Larxene's other side was a slightly older man than Kellach would have expected. He had long blonde hair, and a wrinkled face, no doubt from age. But what stopped Kellach dead in his tracks was a pair of icy blue eye, which drained any attempt to flee or even fight back. This man was without a weapon though, and it surprised Kellach. Larxene then grabbed Kellach's right arm, and yanked forcefully, causing him to lift off his feet and right into the burly cloaked man. It was as if he ran into a brick wall.

 

"Move it twerp, you're being moved." Larxene barked, walking away down a metal lined hallway. Kellach could only nod and obey, as to not be sliced to bits by the strong man's weapon.

 

"We must prepare you for the ritual," said the elderly man, as the four of them walked through hallways and rooms unfamiliar to him. Larxene had the butt of her kunai jabbed against Kellach's skin, reminding him yet again how escape really was hopeless. Then they came to the sight of a single double-door elevator.

 

"Get in, runt," the tall one growled. Larxene shoved Kellach into the elevator. The other two let themselves in.

 

"Verification, please" said a disembodied voice through the speakers of the elevator.

 

"Larxene, Xll"

 

"Lexaeus, V" said the tall man.

 

"Vexen, lV" Said the elderly man.

 

"And this one too," Larxene chuckled, karate chopping the back of Kellach's neck, sending him to the floor, unconscious. He couldn't hear much, or really see at all. He just heard bits and pieces.

 

"Where nothing gathers…..superior better pay me for this……is he dead?"

 

When Kellach reopened his eyes, he couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. He was in a circular room, surrounded by chairs. These chairs were huge, raising way up into the sky. A cloaked black figure sat in each seat staring directly at Kellach. He tried to run away, he tried to fight back, but he was chained by an invisible force. His arms spread out, as if he were hung on a cross. He was outnumbered. After he could see only eight people, the other six must have been behind him. It was silent in the circular room, save for quiet murmurings from the crowd. Finally, Xemnas emerged from the throngs of the dark portal, holding a book in his hand. The rest of the organization fell silent. Opening the large tome, Xemnas walked forward, striding towards Kellach.

 

"Great members of our sacred organization! Today, this nothing of the world shall breathe again!" Cheers echoed around Kellach, making his skin crawl. What the hell was going on?

 

"His heart is foregone. His soul, cold inside. The cloaked black of night will clothe him and make him one of us!" At this, the room exploded with more cheering. The room was alive, and Kellach heard everything. His head was pounding faster than his heart. He was unnerved for what would happen next. Xemnas then began to read the tome.

 

"Bring forth the dark from the light. Purge the pure, and imbue with shadows. Darkness is eternal. There is no radiance." Xemnas continued to chant from the grimoire, as the others in the crowd began to chant with him.

 

"Dark, light. Purge, imbue. Darkness is eternal. There is no radiance!" Their words were sharp and powerful, each one a knife in Kellach's back. It was then, when Kellach began to see threads of black in his vision. They were like long, twisted threads, like a raven's feather. The threads weaved into one another, creating patches in his eyesight. It was as if a choking fog was seeping into his vision. All he could hear was the incessant barking of the organization.

 

"Bathe the boy in blood! Send him to the night! Once was dead, now reborn," Xemnas reached out his hand, his fingers reaching for Kellach's skull. He could barely see a thing from the threaded fog that only he knew was there.

 

"Once was dead…" His finger was inches from his forehead. No one was chanting anymore. Kellach wished for a sound, a cough, a chuckle, a breath. It could drive him insane.

 

"Now reborn…" Xemnas' finger touched Kellach's skull. It was as if a gate from within was thrust wide open, with the iron-wrought doors bursting off its hinges. The symbol on Kellach's forehead burned alive on his skin as if he were being branded. Xemnas took a step back in surprise; this was obviously not supposed to happen. The floor began to crack, chips of marble levitated off the ground with pure power and cosmic energy. Kellach was screaming in pure agony, every part of being searing with unimaginable pain. Suddenly, out of Kellach's wailing mouth, came a black, smoky fog. It enveloped his being like a dense shroud. Blue energy crackled around him like a storm. He was dead; he knew it, too much pain to bear. It was over, he was done for. And then it was over. It was done. No more screaming. No more fog. Nothing. Nothing fell to the cold marbled floor.

 

"Welcome to Organization Xlll, you will now live again. You are number XV, Xellhack." Silence, everyone watched the mass crumpled on the floor, waiting for a response. Then he slowly got to his knees, standing steadily on his feet. He was no longer underdressed, but cloaked in a black garb. His ebony hair with ivory highlights still was unchanged. He stood, smiling, his blue and yellow eyes glinting in the light of the room. The mark of the Orichalcos was incised across his forehead.

 

"The Blue Flash," at the mention of his title, he flicked his eyes to the Superior, "so how do you feel?" At that, number XV raised his right hand in the air, and made a strong fist. As he did so, the seal flared on the cracked marble floor, energy sparked around the symbol. His eyes sparkled with the same intensity. For the first time, Xellhack spoke.

 

"I feel, reborn."

 

[/align]

[.:Abarai Renji:.]

Good thing this is legal, lol.

 

Anyhow, I still forgive ya, even if you don't have an excuse. It's perfectly understandable if you have things bothering you in real life. :)

 

As for the Fic, I can't wait for the next chapter, as usual! But my patience will be put on overdrive, once again, so I CAN wait for it. xD

[Fen.]

Haha, thanks buddy, much appreciated. My downtime is a lot more flexible these days, and it gives me more time to write.

[Fen.]

I have updated the first post of the Fanfic. It is now much easier to find previous chapters, and it is overall a whole lot less cluttered.

 

I am working on chapter Twenty-Three as we speak, so stay loyal YCM!

 

~MT~

[CrabHelmet]

The world of Fan Fiction is a wide and varied realm. You have your adventure fanfics that flesh out an amazing and colourful world. You have your character study fanfics that explore the protagonist in ways the original author never imagined. You have your tender romantic shipping fanfics that depict a warm and fuzzy relationship between two characters that make an excellent pairing. And you have your comedy fanfics that can make the reader laugh out loud.

 

Unfortunately, that's not all you have. You also have your fanfics that grasp the English language so badly that you begin to wonder what language they are actually written in. You have your fanfics in which a new Mary Sue appears and destroys the entire actual cast. You have your fanfics in which characters' actual personalities and histories are completely mangled to the point where they may as well be someone totally different with a similar name. You have your fanfics with totally nonsensical relationships, where the author suddenly reveals that McCoy and Snape are secretly lovers. You have your fanfics where so little follows logically that it can barely be called a story; where flat and bland characters perform mundane activities that nobody cares about; where the canon story is rehashed so directly that one wonders what the fan actually contributed; and where mediocrity is so omnipresent that one cannot find the interest to continue reading.

 

If you are a fan of quality fanfics but you are a foe of mediocre-to-bad fanfics, then you've come to the wrong place - because today is a day for Foe Fiction.

 

It seems like this story is the second in a series, if the "Book Two" in the title is any indication, and it is itself already 22 chapters long. I am thus coming in right in the middle, and I'm not even familiar with Kingdom Hearts canon. As you can tell, I have all the necessary background information and am well-qualified to review this story. Let's begin the first chapter.

 

There is a place where time stops, where no one exists. Where everywhere you look is oblivion.

 

This looks familiar. A previous Foe Fic called Kingdom Hearts: A Forgotten Tale began with this opening line:

 

A long time ago, in a world that never was.

 

This sort of thing seems to be a common opening. It also sounds incredibly stupid. I'm sure it's intended to be epic and awesome or something like that, but in practice it just comes across as being idiotic and pretentious. At least, that's how it comes across to me; I'm sure some of you out there reading these stories will be screaming about how cool it is.

 

If my secondhand understanding of the Kingdom Hearts mythos is correct, these refer to the same place, a canon location called the World That Never Was. That explains the similarity, but in a way it also makes things worse: if this is a real, canon setting that everyone who has played the games (and thus everyone actually reading the fanfic, myself notwithstanding) is already familiar with, then dressing this up as something mysterious and epic is bizarre.

 

Imagine a Super Mario 64 fanfic whose opening line is something like "Legend speaks of a mysterious castle. In that castle, say the legends, are mysterious portals to other realms, cunningly disguised by a figure as paintings. What lies beyond those portals? It is a mysterious mystery." It's not mysterious and epic if we're already familiar with it.

 

Anyhow, back to the story.

 

In this place is a city.

 

Since no one exists in this place and the city is in this place, I can only conclude that this city is empty. That makes it a rather pathetic city.

 

A city that you would probably not find on the map.

 

I don't know about you, but my map shows the exact location of both the Timeless Void of Oblivion and of the city contained within it. (It's several miles north of Toronto.)

 

This city is illuminated with neon colored lights dancing in the streets and on the buildings. In this city is a skyscraper. A skyscraper so high, it has been legend to touch the very heavens.

 

"Legend"? I'm guessing the author started with "rumour" used frequently, then changed his mind and did a Ctrl+H to turn all instances of "rumour" into "legend", and then decided to finish up by Not Proofreading.

 

Incidentally, how relevant is height in a limitless empty void? And if the heavens touch the skyscraper and the skyscraper's in the city in the void and no one is in the void, does that mean that no one goes to heaven?

 

The skyscraper is said to contain all the lost memories of the world. Good and bad. No wonder this place is located in a void.

 

I don't quote follow the logic here. "It contains all lost memories, therefore it obviously must be in a void"? Maybe this is one of those weird things that I'd need to play the Kingdom Hearts games to understand.

 

Below the skyscraper is a little town square. No one knows what it is called,

 

In that case, no one calls it what it is called because doing so would require them to know what it is called, so obviously it isn't called anything at all. But even ignoring the paradox there, who cares what the name of this little town square is? There's a reason Lost's mysteries tended to be more along the lines of "Why is there a polar bear on this island?" and less "What was the name of Jack's hospital?" - mysteries aren't intriguing if the answer is of no interest to anyone. Sure, maybe it's relevant in the Kingdom Heartsverse, but any story that hinges on a town square's name is probably terrible.

 

but it has been known to be very silent in the area. So quiet, that it would drive any calm person into madness. Where is this city? No one knows. . . . . . . .

 

Let's recap: This city is in a place containing no one that is listed on no maps that no one drew and has a town square whose name is known to no one but is so silent from the lack of people that anyone there (if anyone was there) would be driven mad (but wouldn't they themselves be able to make sound and avert the madness?), and no one knows where this city is because no one is there or has ever been there or will ever be there.

 

This sounds like the second-most boring city ever, just behind Charlotte.

 

In the town square, something was actually happening.

 

I'd like to complain about the nonsensical use of the progressive aspect here. As previously highlighted in my The Forbidden Seal review (my goal for this Foe Fic is to include callbacks to all fourteen that preceded it), it sounds bad to say that something "was happening" rather than that something "happened" when it happens suddenly and we have no other concurrent event occurring with which to compare the time of its occurrence. It's either awkward or wrong or both; in any case, it's terrible.

 

However, in this case it's worse than that because we've previously been told that all of this takes place in a place where time stops. Have fun figuring out how chronological events work in a world where time doesn't exist.

 

A black portal was opening out of thin air in the town square around the skyscraper. Nothing really exciting happened really.

 

Really? The really empty city's really quiet and boring really town square had really something really happen in it really with a black really portal appearing out of really thin air around the really tall skyscraper really full of really lost memories, and despite really this nothing really exciting happened really? Really?

 

But then out of the portal walked a person shrouded in a black shrouded hood. Silver chains hung from its black garb.

 

It's a black-cloaked mysterious shadowy figure! Foe Fic flashback montage time!

 

A dark figure in a black cloak announced

"we must complete the goal that they could not finish".

Two more dark figures slowly walked out of dark shadows

 

I literally whipped around, doing a full one-eighty spin, and saw a tall figure standing about twenty feet away from me. He was intimidating, that much I could tell, but he was surrounded by a veil of shadows,

 

"When are we gonna finish them off, boss?" Said the werewolf to a shadowy figure "Later," Said the mysterious strager.

 

A tall person was grabbing him, his face couldn't be seen because he wore a large straw hat, and a blue and white cloak, the flesh of his hand was a pale blue like a body left out in the rain and cold for too long.

 

Please, YCM, stop with all the mysterious shadowy cloaked figures. And I didn't even count figures who were obscured for reasons other than being cloaked and shadowy, like that Western duelist whose shadow was MANSHADOW.

 

“Where are you?” It was a man’s voice. It sounded patient, but irritated at the same time. He seemed to be waiting for someone.

 

"Then he let out a scream of pain. It sounded like he was in pain."

 

Then two more black portals opened in the air and two more people in the same black hood and robes walked out into the neon lighted plaza. They too wore hoods, so it was impossible to see their faces.

 

Please, YCM. Your fanfic isn't being televised. In a third-person omniscient story, you can refuse to reveal information without having it obscured from the camera by contrivances like LOL MOAR CREEPY CLOKES since there is no camera in written text.

 

“I’m here!” said a young girl’s voice. She sounded very excited.

 

~MT~ reached this point in the fanfic and thought, "How can I convey that this girl is excited? What is the most elegant way to do that?" He spent hours pondering before deciding, "I know! I'll just have the narration say she was excited." So he did that. Then he looked over the fanfic and said, "This is perfect. In every way. I should definitely post this."

 

“Why did you want us here?” The first man said, his voice was sharp.

 

At least the capitalized word after the quote isn't "Said" this time.

 

While it's not as bad as that of the awful Digimon restoration, the grammar in this story is rather inconsistent, even in relatively basic ways. This sentence is a good example: if you're writing a fanfic that you think is worth sharing with the world, then you should know that, as the great philosopher Morbo once said, commas do not work that way. Goodnight.

 

“Yeah, you interrupted my fun!” pouted the girl.

 

“Torturing another captive, huh Larxene?” The girl named Larxene laughed.

 

“Of course!”

 

“You and your vicious tauntings.” The first man said to Larxene.

 

Tauntings.

 

I am sorry, but when I think "torturing captives", I don't think "tauntings". I suppose they can be vaguely related, like when I'm being tortured by a terrible fanfic while I'm taunting it, but it seems somewhere between an absurdly pathetic whitewashing and an absurdly pathetic failure of knowledge of the world to equate torture to taunting in any story.

 

“They don’t call me the Savage Nymph for nothing Axel.” The man named Axel then jeered at her.

 

All of the writing here feels horribly awkward. Once a person's name has been used, there's no need to refer to them as "The man called Bob" or whatever; just call them by their name and be done with it. This is especially true in cases like this where these are canon characters with highly familiar names; in particular, most readers have Axel's name memorized.

 

Then there's other problems. Why is the "Axel jeers her" message put with the quote where Larxene responds to Axel rather than in the lone where Axel actually jeers her? Why go out of your way to explicitly state that he's jeering her in the first place when you can just show him jeering her and thus avoid violating the cardinal rule of Show, Don't Tell?

 

And why do these sentences with no technical problems constantly feel so awkward? Something about that last sentence reads very badly; maybe removing the word "then" would make it flow better, in the same way that removing the whole sentence would make the story flow better and removing the whole story would make the internet flow better.

 

“Not as much as you. I don’t find pleasure in ripping off people’s limbs as much as you hunger for blood.”

 

We've gone from "tauntings" to ripping off limbs and hungering for blood.

 

Maybe "tauntings" was inserted by a hideous misuse of the thesaurus?

 

“Silence!” shouted the third man.

 

“Yes Marluxia.” Said the other two.

 

"Said" count: twelve. Not this again.

 

“Now I brought you two here for a reason,” said Marluxia with a grin,

 

Excuse me, Mr. ~MT~, but I believe you mean, "The man called Marluxia".

 

“I’ve come up with a plan to strengthen our organization. You two are absolutely perfect for the job. What with you Axel, with your fiery strength,” Axel laughed at that.

 

“You got that right!”

 

“And you Larx, with your cruelty to your enemies.” Larxene giggled at that.

 

“You bet!”

 

“And me with my . . . . . . . special talents.” Marluxia laughed.

 

And so the characters continue to tell each other things that they already know purely for the benefit of the audience who just entered the story - except here it's even worse because the target audience already knows this stuff anyhow.

 

Also, these people have somehow just located and entered the mysterious lost city in the void that nobody knows about and landed in the town square of unknown name next to the skyscraper of all the lost memories, and all they've done is chat amongst themselves about the "tauntings" that are surely routine for them. This would seem absurd even without the opening paragraph going out of its way to try to make this place sound as mysterious and epic as possible.

 

“But sorry, why would we want to join you on this stupid escapade?” Scoffed Larxene.

 

“Because,” Began Marluxia, his voice booming, “don’t you want the glory of ruling the world?! Of being human?!”

 

This demonstrates how stupid the concept of the insanity-causing silence was.

 

But isn't it sweet how he just wants to be human?

 

what

 

Captain R, did you get a paint job?

 

Nonsense, Person Who Is Inferior To Me! I am Ann Tennyson, unspecified descendant of Ben Tennyson, chosen defender of earth, hero of the world, and lover of the green grass and the blue sky!

 

Yes, I'm sure that's wonderful. Now get out of here.

 

Your words have no effect on me, for I am pure as pureness itself and cannot be corrupted by your hatred! I know that, with a little love, both you and Marluxia can be converted to the side of goodness, and as the most perfect person in the word, I am the best qualified to do that. Deep down, you're all good people that I can heal with my goodness!

 

Why is my own supporting cast always even more annoying than the fanfic itself?

 

Axel and Larxene thought about that for a minute. The two then bowed their heads in approval.

 

With my limited knowledge of Kingdom Hearts, I thought that that was the whole point of Organization XIII. Why would Axel and Larxene suddenly forget that, then bow in complacency when Marluxia reminded them of it?

 

See how good and loyal they are? I'm sure I can easily woo them to the side of justice!

 

Anten - do you mind if I call you Anten? - they're part of an evil organization trying to take over the world.

 

That's only because they haven't seen me yet and witnessed my perfection. Everyone I meet falls in love with me at first sight because I'm so amazing.

 

You've been here for two minutes and I already can't wait for you to make a heroic sacrifice due to being too good for this sinful earth.

 

Marluxia then pulled out a faded piece of parchment and showed it to Larxene and Axel. The two read the paper over to themselves.

 

“That’s it? You take us too little Marluxia.” Axel boasted.

 

"You take us too little Marluxia"? Anten, I don't suppose you could woo ~MT~ to the side of good writing, could you?

 

I can do anything!

 

Also, he's being offered humanity and world domination. What more could Axel want?

 

...my love?

 

“But I guess we will join your mission.” Added Larxene.

 

“Good. Besides Axel, you can show them your full power.”

 

“I would like that.” Said Axel

 

"Said" count: 13.

 

as he raised the palms of his hands. Two rings of fire circled around his hands. The twirling fire then turned into two spinning disks.

 

“And Larxene, you can do whatever you wish to the others. I know how much you like to play with your food before killing it.” Said Marluxia.

 

“Sweet!” gushed Larxene as she held her hands to her chest. A dozen kunais appeared between her fingers.

 

“And I,” Marluxia held his left hand out in the air. In a flash, a huge, faded pink scythe appeared in his hand, “I will KILL anyone in my way with no remorse what so ever!” Spat Marluxia.

 

This city is empty, isn't it? There's no one here to kill. And if they're leaving this place to go somewhere where there are people to kill, then why would they come here in the first place?

 

You're too hateful. I shall convert you to the side of love and rainbows too!

 

Look, Anten, don't make me have my other friend escort you out of my studio.

 

Who, Captain R? My amazing beauty has already turned him into Captain Rapture toward me. He can't hurt me!

 

No, not him. My other friend.

 

You have other friends?

 

Yes - for example, the one who shoots lasers from his hands.

 

...I'll be back later.

 

The three all had deadly weapons in their disposal then.

 

You've just shown each of them pulling out a deadly weapon and saying something that was probably supposed to be really cool. Why would you then tell us that they each have a deadly weapon? Stop making these pointless statements.

 

“Well then, are we ready to go?” asked Marluxia.

 

“Ready!” shouted Axel and Larxene in unison.

 

“Then we go!” yelled Marluxia, “TO KNIGHT’S TOWER!” And they were gone.

 

Finally, in this last section, the words after quotes stopped being capitalized. But it was too late to save this story from its terribleness.

 

You really should have done more. Half the story was banter between the Organization members that never went anywhere when you could have used the time to focus on their love for me and subsequent redemption.

 

...or on actually getting to the point. Even the plot-relevant portions weren't actually revealed to the audience, so all we know is that - gasp! - Organization XIII is Up To Something. That's not worth an entire chapter.

 

What, you're not throwing me out again? I knew you would fall in love with me!

 

Actually, I let you stay because you were actually saying something useful to the review for once.

 

Better grammar is good! Your words are awkward!

 

But if you're just going to echo what I already said, Captain Repeater, then you can just leave.

 

But you can't-

 

Hands. Lasers.

 

...fine.

 

Overall, not a lot happened, and when stuff did happen, it was done badly. Meanwhile, the story is so basic that there is nothing present as of now that could possibly elevate this story above mediocrity, even were it not for its other major flaws. Maybe the next twenty-one chapters fix things up, but as it stands this is not a good fanfic.

 

But there is potential for improvement and redemption! You can be redeemed, just like everything else!

[Fen.]

Not really on YCM that much anymore. But as long as people wanna keep reading my story, I'll keep posting it. This can also be found on FanFiction.net so check there every so often for good things, yeah. Here's another chapter.

 

[spoiler=Chapter 23]

Chapter 23

 

Bedroom Banter

 

It was a dreary morning outside of Hermione's window. The pitter-patter of rainfall whispered through her panes, so quietly they haunted her dreams. She lay in her bed, thoughts of the previous hours spiraling in her head like a broken centrifuge. She knew that she had to be strong for Him, but she didn't know how to be strong anymore. Too much had happened in the events after His death. She lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, as if the answer would materialize out of the plaster. She shook away the stupid thought, running her fingers through her ginger hair. Her head lolled to the right, eyes affixed on her digital clock by her bedside. It was four in the morning; she had only been sleeping for about three and a half hours. In just two hours, she and all of her friends would risk their lives to save one man, her true love. Was it really worth it? All of those lives for just one love? She had thought so at that time, very little sleep will do that to someone. As she tried to toss back into a fitful sleep, a crack of lightning made sure she had a restless night. Every time slumber tried to pull her under, mother natures' sounds and screeches pulled her right back out. She just wanted it to end; she just wanted life to be normal, or at least next to it. She didn't want to have to go to horrific lengths and dangerous ploys every waking moment of her life. She wanted Kellach back, she wanted to sleep.

 

"Hermione?" It was a small little voice on the other side of her sapphire-crested door, but exhaustion was weighing her ears down, "can I come in?" Hermione was so tired, so sick of this agonizing insomnia, her lips formed the wrong answer in her mind, and the door opened. Her eyes glazed over his long brown hair, the vanilla-white eyes, and the green swastika on his forehead.

 

"Neji, what are you doing in here?" Hermione muttered a little slightly, partly out of fatigue, and partly out of pure disgust for him. He shrugged off the unhappy welcome.

 

"I'm here to apologize-,"

 

"Save it for someone who's awake," interrupted Hermione, pulling the covers over her head. He was the last person that she wanted to see. But he did not falter from his mission. Instead he took a seat on the foot of her bed, and just watched her quietly. She was still hiding away from the shame under the covers, not daring to look at him. Words soon bubbled over.

 

"Look, just make your peace and get the hell out of here." It was a sharp-tongued retort. Neji could taste the venom in her voice; so much he swallowed a little uncomfortably, choosing his words.

 

"We've known each other for nearly a year and a half now." Silence, he wasn't getting to her yet, "and over those two years we've fought. We've had some laughs. We've shared secrets, we've shared, more than just secrets," at this, Hermione gave Neji an icy stare. He shook it off and continued.

 

"In only a couple of hours, we're going to be walking right into the Organization's clutches. Now I know a lot of things to realize this is a trap-,"

 

"Look, is this an apology or some plea to stop me from finding Kellach, because if it is, you can go back to your room and let me get some sleep-,"

 

"I'm getting to it!" Neji snapped back to Hermione. He was really getting sick of her interrupting him, "like I said this whole ploy is probably a trap. I mean, who in their right mind would go through all this hell to just save one guy?"

 

"A girl who is madly in love with that man, along with her friends who would do anything to see the same guy." Hermione replied, nearly cutting Neji off, "I guess I'm not in my right mind."

 

"Oh shut up Hermione," Neji shot back, starting to lose patience in her.

 

"That's it, you get out of my-,"

 

"I said shut up you damn witch!" Hermione just stared at Neji, open-mouthed. He now had her full attention. Neji looked livid, unable to put up with her for another moment. His eyes burned holes into the sheets covering her bed. She had to kick herself for thinking this savage side of her friend was quite a turn-on.

 

 

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

 

A few floors below them, quite another arousing game was being played between two friends. Hands groped for something smooth to touch, fingers danced on pillows, lips were begging to be touched. Arya crawled from under her boy toy and locked lips with him, feeling her delicate hands over Knuckles' tough, burly arms. Knuckles took one of his fingers and began to tickle Arya. Her sounds of pleasure echoed off of the mauve walls of her bedroom. He then crashed into her; both melding into each other like weaved glass. Her cries of passion echoed off of the paper thin walls. The acts of lust ceased with the sound of pounding coming from above.

 

"Seriously guys, I can hear you fooling around down there. Keep it down, I'm trying to sleep! If I don't get my beauty sleep, I get wrinkles! And if I get wrinkles, I don't look pretty! And If I don't look pretty, people suffer!" It was Amy, and she sounded very cranky. Knuckles and Arya giggled at their grouchy friend's outburst.

 

"Maybe we should just get some sleep, you know, we do have a dangerous day tomorrow," Knuckles said, brushing the side of his hand against Arya's soft face. She wasn't having any of it though. Instead she flipped herself sideways and on top of him. Her wine colored hair draped on his bare chest. She caressed her own corseted bosoms and smiled deviously at her guy.

 

"Screw him, screw everybody. We could be dead by tomorrow for all we know. Dead as dust, my beautiful tanned skin pale as the moon. Blood rushing uncontrollably, pulse beating erratically," At this, Arya rubbed Knuckle's thighs, biting her lip, "doesn't it seem hopeless? True our friend could be in the clutches of Hell for all we know. True, the bastard could even be dead," Arya moved her hands a little higher, Knuckles gave a little gasp, his eyes never leaving hers, "so just this once, love, I only wanna care about my own needs. What I want. And what I want…" Arya lowered herself over Knuckles, draping over him like a blanket. Her head rested to his side. Her hands pinned his arms to the satin bed sheets, her legs were a tangle in his. She leaned into Knuckles' left ear, whispering sweetly, "what I want is for you to ravage me."

 

 

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

 

"I swear to god, sometimes I feel like I'm living with a bunch of Neanderthals." Amy shook her head to remove the pounding in her head. Whether the sound was her headache in full swing or her friends going at it downstairs was anybody's guess. She rubbed her sleepless eyes, suppressing a loud yawn. She looked at her reflection in a large pink framed mirror, seeing the sad, deeply stressed image of herself. It nearly made her cringe. She ran her dainty fingers through her bob haircut, this time actually yawning.

 

"You can stop now, I can barely keep my eyes open," Amy muttered, ripping off her covers and swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. Shadow sat up next to her, smiling as if he had a dirty little secret to tell. He leaned over and kissed the side of her head. She playfully shoved him aside as he fell back onto the soft mattress. Amy checked her fingers intently, examining each fingernail and the grape scented nail polish applied to her cuticles. Sasuke watcher her obsessive ritual, making a face that made Amy have to smirk a little.

 

"So are we Facebook official yet?" Shadow asked jokingly, checking his own figure out in the mirror.

 

"Don't even think about it boy, we aren't even official-official yet," Amy whispered coyly, biting the nail of her index finger. Shadow made a gagging noise.

 

"That's a horrible habit to take up," he grumbled, hoping she would take the hint.

 

"Yeah, and so is swearing like a sailor," Amy replied quickly, biting down yet another nail bed. Unfortunately she bit a little too deep, and a sharp annoying twinge of pain began to radiate from her index finger, "damn it to f***ing hell!" Amy cursed loudly and quickly stuck her slightly bleeding finger in her mouth and began to suck it like an infant.

 

"Now that's two bad habits right there Amy," Shadow laughed, enjoying the irony of the moment. Amy gave her friend a devilish look, her eyes burning into his.

 

"I don't give a damn, just get me a band-aid!" Amy yelled out loud, stamping her foot on the ground. Shadow raised his hands up in defense and stood up, wobbling a bit as he found his balance on the carpeted floor. He reached the door quickly and opened it gingerly, hoping not to make any creaking sounds, waking up even more people.

 

"If you think that's painful, just wait when Larxene tears you a new ass," Shadow joked lightly. Amy glowered at him with those same unholy eyes, apparently not in a joking mood. He ducked from a quite heavy pillow as he scampered out of her room. He was instantly knocked backwards by Neji, who was just randomly strolling the hallways. The two were then on the floor, a little disoriented. Neji was the first to break the ice.

 

"You can't sleep either?" he muttered, gently massaging his now sore head. Shadow helped his friend up onto his feet and he dusted himself off.

 

"No, I guess all this stress is wrecking havoc on my sleeping patterns," Shadow sighed as he began to walk away from Neji. He just wanted to be in his bed at that exact moment. He wanted to be gone before Neji asked the golden question.

 

"So why were you in Amy's room?" Neji tilted his head to the side, his eyes expectantly wandering around his furry friend. The first thing in his head exploded through his mouth.

 

"Band-Aids," he muttered, not meeting Neji's gaze. Neji cocked his head to the side, examining his friend up and down. Shadow stood perfectly still, feeling as if he were being frisked. Finally, Neji closed his eyes without muttering a word. Shadow stared at his friend, a little taken aback from the sudden ignorance.

 

"Can I go now?" Shadow asked Neji, wondering if Amy noticed the length of time he had been away. Neji still said nothing; however, veins pulsed and bulged around his eyes. Shadow tried again to snap his friend out of his spell.

 

"I said, can I please go-,"

 

"Shut up." Neji replied coolly, his nostrils flaring slightly to calm himself down. His eyelids were still drooped down, covering his clear irises.

 

"That's it; I'm out of here-,"

 

"Stop moving, now!" Neji whispered fiercely, and Shadow halted, stock-still. Neji tilted his head up slightly, sniffing the air. His nose crinkled in detest, as he slowly opened his eyes.

 

"It smells like . . . smoke," Neji said, looking directly at Shadow. He gave his friend a curious look.

 

"Where the hell do you smell smoke from?" Shadow questioned, but Neji had already put two and two together.

 

"Fire!" Neji gasped as he looked up to the ceiling.

 

"What?" Shadow spluttered, but his voice was drowned out by a blaring alarm, ringing strong in his ears and through each and every hallway, every floor, and every room in the tower.

 

"Fire!" Neji repeated, his eyes moving franticly around his surroundings. Shadow could tell he was searching for the source of the blaze and smoke. Sure enough, his eyes locked on a corner of the floor to the left of Shadow's foot. His eyes widened in horror, as he witnessed the blaze eating away at the stairs and burning the marbled floors of the first floor. The inferno was gaining power as it moved slowly up the stairs. Shadow ran to his fried, helping him up as his knees went wobbly.

 

"What the hell did you see Neji?" Shadow urgently asked him as he vigorously shook him to break his concentration.

 

"Our home, all of it. It's gonna be engulfed in flames," Neji stated, his voice shaking slightly. Shadow wasn't sure he heard him correctly, the fire alarm was roaring all around him, suffocating him. Amy's bleeding fingernail was the least of his troubles now.

 

"No, no that's impossible," Shadow said quickly, trying to stay calm himself. He knew if he panicked, the situation would get worse, "We were the only ones out of bed, the entire tower was placed under lock-down with the highest protections. Hermione's enchantments, Arya's booby traps, your alarm system, how did this happen?" He looked to Neji for an answer, but alas, he was ignoring him. Soon, the entire tower would be awake and alert to the fire. They had to think fast.

 

"We need water!" Shadow said suddenly, but Neji shook his head, starting to briskly walk to the end of the hallway and up a flight of stairs.

 

"No good, this fire's gonna get huge, and we need a hell of a lot more than sprinklers to calm it down. No, we need magic," Neji mused more to himself than to his friend. He needed to get to Hermione's room, and fast. To alert her. To alert everyone.

 

"Just our luck too, I'll bet the Organization is up to this," Shadow panted as the two hustled up the stairs.

 

"Why would they strike us again, they already have what they need-," But his sentence was cut off. If one of them would have blinked, they would have missed it. Something, slick, shiny and purple dive bombed from above Neji and Shadow, moving lithely down. With a quick swipe, Neji was sliced across the chest by a long, jagged spear. He crumpled backwards down the stairs, falling like a ragdoll. Shadow's mouth opened in pure and utter shock, as his friend's body lay limp at the foot of the stairs, blood seeping into a pool and staining the wooden floor. Neji did not speak. He did not move. It didn't look like he would be getting up for a very, very long time.

 

 

By The Way Crab, thanks for the rave review. I never knew the first chapter to my story sucked so much [/sarcasm]