[B]Abbadon x Grace[/B]

Cardea has been gone for several weeks and Grace is lonely but her sole companion, Abbadon, isn't interested in company.

[B]William x Grace[/B]

Grace makes a trip to the Archives one summer evening while Cardea is out of town and Abbadon is in a foul mood.

[b]Cardea x Grace[/b]

[strike]An introduction of sorts; Kindred meets mortal in a daring rescue.[/strike]

----

[B]William x Cardea[/B]

William and Cardea idly pass the time away in the Library while Abbadon is in town hunting. A conversation ensues.

[b]Abbadon x Cardea[/b]

[strike]On a whim a trip is made into town for a new member of the family - a kitten.[/strike]

----

[b]William x Abbadon[/b]

----

[b]As a Whole[/b]

A mysterious figure from the past, and the Sabbat, makes his presence known after he kidnaps Grace and holds her for ransom. Can Cardea rescue her mortal lover? Will Abbadon and William band together to aid the Elder?

On a night lit by the glow of the full moon the quartet hold a picnic at the Estate but in the surrounding darkness of the forest there are eyes staring back. What ever could they be or want?

Abbadon sets his sights on carving an empire out of North America.

[b]Three of a Kind[/b]

Grace shares a meal with Stephen and Thomas one evening while Abbadon and Cardea are in town.

[size=1][center][justify]Sora stared blankly at the unfamiliar room, ignoring the pool of drool on the pillow beneath his head. He was still too groggy to work up a proper panic attack. On the other hand, it was starting to get old waking up in some strange place that he didn’t recognize. Something hot pressed against his cheek. Sora jumped up in surprise, quickly wiping his face clean with his hands. He lifted his head. “Ri-” The name caught in his throat when he saw the blond man standing before him. The man held out a mug of something hot with the steam still rising from it. Sora accepted the drink, trying not to let his disappointment show.

“Heartless.”

Sora gaped at the man, feeling like he had just been punched in the chest. “I know I was hoping you were someone else, but you don’t have to be so cold about it.”

The man’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “No, not you,” he said in a hurry. “I meant those creatures last night. They’re called Heartless.”

“Oh,” Sora mumbled. An uncomfortable silence fell over them. The man shifted awkwardly then took a seat at the tilted table. The room was quiet small, and dirty. Piles of dirty dishes sat unwashed in the sink that looked like it could use a good scrubbing as well. The drapes on the single window in the room were ripped and stained. Sora sipped at the drink, discovering it was coffee, as he took in his surroundings. His gaze halted as it landed on the black cloak thrown over the other chair at the table. “Oh!” He stared at the man. “You were the guy last night.”

The man scratched at his cheek, a light color rising to them. “Yeah,” he mumbled, not meeting Sora’s gaze.

Sora hesitated. “You’re not in league with the masked man, are you?”

His head shot up to stare at Sora with piercing blue eyes. “No!” the man shouted defensively. He rubbed at his forehead. “Maybe I should explain things from the beginning.” He sighed, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. “My name is Roxas. Last year, I received an invitation to attend True Heart Academy.”

Sora had a sinking feeling inside him. “That sounds eerily similar.”

“I doubt we are the first,” Roxas said grimly. “Not long after I arrived, I discovered I could summon a Keyblade.” The Keyblade suddenly appeared in his hands, proving his statement. “And I met the masked man.” He stared at Sora.

“Very eerie,” Sora mumbled, not liking how similar their experiences were.

“I feared that would be the case.” Roxas sighed. “Seems that old creeper thinks he can keep using the same method, hoping it’ll eventually work. You can’t trust headmaster Xehanort. He wants to use you. I don’t know what his intentions are, but he seems to be searching for something. He sent the Heartless after you, hoping that it would encourage you to seek him out for help understanding about the Heartless and the Keyblade.”

“What are the Heartless exactly?” Sora felt sick. When the Heartless appeared last night to attack that man, Sora thought he should take Xehanort up on that offer. He hung his head. He must be a fool for nearly falling for Xehanort’s plot.

“The Heartless are born from the darkness in people’s hearts,” Roxas explained. “They seek out other people’s hearts, turning them into Heartless as well. Xehanort and that masked man control them together. But when Xehanort found out I wasn’t the one he was looking for, he ordered the masked man to get rid of me. He almost succeeded. He left me for dead, but Axel and Namine found me and saved me.” He smiled warmly when he said their names.

[i]So he knows Axel[/i], Sora thought with a small smile. That put him more at ease about the man. “And you think that Xehanort suspects I might be the one he’s looking for?”

Roxas nodded. “And if you’re not the one, he’ll try to kill you off to then start searching for someone else that can wield the Keyblade.” He stared at Sora, seeming almost hesitant. “Whatever he’s up to can’t be good. With your help, maybe we can finally put a stop to him.”

“This is so over my head,” Sora mumbled, dropping his gaze. But could he sit back while Xehanort and the masked man used the Heartless to hurt other people? After last night, he doubted he could. The Keyblade had apparently chosen him for a reason. He didn’t really understand why, but he would put it to good use helping others. If Sora didn’t help Roxas, Xehanort would just find another pawn to use. Sora nodded. “I’ll help.”[/justify][/center][/size]

[size=1][center][justify]Sora sighed as he stood from the bench. It seemed like a silly idea, but he kept thinking Riku would return there. He wasted enough time waiting at the bench for that night. With his arms folded behind his head, he headed back toward his dormitory.

A shock of silver flashed at the edge of his vision. His heart jumped in hope. Sora immediately turned course and chased after what he hoped to be his friend. He rounded the corner after the person and reached for him. But this wasn’t Riku. This man was taller, and his silver hair was far longer than Riku’s hair. His movements slowed before he could grab hold of the man’s shirt. Then in the blink of an eye, the man had him slammed up against the wall of the building. He glared with irritation in his eyes as he pressed Sora into the wall. A chill ran through Sora at the look in his eyes.

“Hey!” The shout came from a few feet away. Sora was almost too scared to break eye contact with this strange man with hair that matched his friend in color. The man broke eye contact first, but he still held Sora pinned to the wall. Sora followed his gaze and saw another man, one with blond spiky hair. He had the same intense glare as the silver haired man.

“Starting your own fan club now?” The silver haired man sneered with an almost cruel smirk. He said nothing more as he released Sora. He stormed off, giving neither Sora nor Cloud a second look.

Sora watched him leave, recalling the last time that he saw Riku. Why didn’t he go after his friend that day? Were they friends? From the way Riku left, Sora was beginning to think he was the only one that thought they were friends. He nervously turned his attention back to the other man. He stared at Sora, and his gaze slowly drifted up to look at Sora’s hair. “Ah, no, this isn’t-” Sora said, waving his hands before him. While their hairstyles were similar, Sora never saw this man before now. How could he have copied his hairstyle?

The blond man shook his head. “He gets like that when the girls try to corner him.” He followed in the footsteps of the silver haired man.

Sora started to turn, his dormitory being in the opposite direction. But movement in the blond man’s shadow made him pause. His breath caught in his throat as he watched the dark shape rise from the shadows. It was taller than the ones that attacked Sora so many nights ago. It had longer, jagged antennae. And it was stalking the blond man. Sora didn’t hesitate to act. The Keyblade appeared in his hands without him having to even think about it. He didn’t know anything about the creatures, and he didn’t even know the man’s name. But he couldn’t just turn a blind eye while some weird shadow thing attacked someone, even a stranger. Sora pushed the man out of the way as he used the Keyblade to block the creature’s attack. He thrust back, knocking the shadow being to the ground. More of the creatures were crawling from the shadows.

“What are those things?” the blond questioned, oddly nowhere near as panicked as Sora the first time he encountered them. But maybe he was just better at hiding his fears.

“I’d tell you, but I have no idea,” Sora replied. He fended off another of the creatures. He slashed through the creature. It burst into a dark cloud, and a spark of light rose then faded into the night sky. The cloud dissipated in seconds. Sora threw a quick glance at the man. “They seem to be targeting you though. Hurry and get someplace safe.” But even after saying that, he realized that the creatures had turned their attentions onto him. They lost complete interest in the blond man.

“I’ll fight.” The man was at Sora’s side in a heartbeat.

“No, get out of here,” Sora argued, shoving his way to stand between the creatures and the man. “You have no weapon to fight with.” But the man didn’t look like he would simply run away from this fight. Talking would probably do little good in convincing the man to leave. Sora growled as he swung the Keyblade down on another of the creatures. It vanished similarly to the first one. But a second one landed a hit, scratching its sharp claws down his left side. Sora winced. He had to get these creatures away from the man before he got hurt too. After ramming the Keyblade through the creature that wounded him, Sora ran.

The creatures hesitated, staring intently at the blond man, who stood ready to fight back despite his confusion. But they ignored him and followed after Sora. When he found a clear area of the campus, Sora spun back toward the creatures chasing him. He fought the mob off to the best of his ability. But he couldn’t hold off against their numbers unscathed. Every time he defeated one, another managed to cut him from behind or from the sides. He cut down their numbers, but he was losing energy quickly. Sora dropped to one knee, using the Keyblade to help keep him upright. His clothes were ripped up, and blood flowed from his wounds.

One of the creatures leaped at him. Sora struggled back to his feet to counter it. But he was too slow, and the creature was upon him. Then the creature burst like the others. Sora stood frozen in shock as the dark cloud before him faded away. What happened? Sora hadn’t even touched the creature. He turned slowly and stood face-to-face with a man in a black cloak. The hood was up, hiding the stranger’s face. But like Sora, he held a Keyblade in his hand. Sora’s mind spun. What was going on? Was this man here to fight him like the masked man? He fell into a defensive stance, even though his vision swam from exhaustion and blood loss. He wouldn’t survive in a drawn out battle.

But the man didn’t attack him. Instead, he silently slashed down the remaining creatures. Sora took down what few he could in his current state. Together, they took out the final creature. Then they stood face-to-face again. Sora tightly gripped the hilt of his Keyblade, waiting to see if the man would attack. He still didn’t. His Keyblade vanished, and Sora hesitated before letting his own Keyblade disappear as well. Then the adrenaline pumping through him during the fight seemed to rush out of him all at once. His body pitched forward, succumbing to exhaustion. The man caught him as he fell.[/justify][/center][/size]

[size=1][center][justify]Riku walked quickly away from the bench and Sora. Anger and hurt boiled through him. If he stayed, he knew he wouldn’t be able to control his outburst. He tried to take deep breaths and calm himself, but it didn’t work. He knew something was off from the beginning, but he pretended like it wasn’t a big deal. It had been years, after all.

“Didn’t I tell you?” Maleficent asked, appearing before him. Riku stopped and glared at the teacher. He had never liked Maleficent, but she didn’t seem to give up easily. “Even after all that he said, he still doesn’t remember you, his best friend.”

“You can’t win me over like that,” Riku growled. He was angry that Sora forgot him but somehow still remembered the necklace and their promise. Why did his parents have to take him away from their island home? Sora would remember him if they had stayed. But he wouldn’t let that pain be Maleficent’s why of getting him. He was no puppet for her to control.

“There is darkness in your heart.” Maleficent grabbed Riku’s arm as he tried to pass her. “I can help you learn to use that darkness.”

“No thanks.” Riku tore his arm free then continued walking at a faster pace. He knew she was right about the darkness. If he let it continue to grow, it would eventually be beyond his control. He needed help. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe that he could handle this alone. Riku pulled out his cell phone and dialed a familiar number. “You were right.” He flipped the phone shut and continued walking with one destination in mind.

[center]---[/center]

Sora wandered around the campus. A week had passed since his last conversation with Riku. He started to worry that he said something wrong. Or had he done something wrong? He replayed their conversation over and over again in his head, but he couldn’t think of anything that might have offended Riku. He asked Kairi, but even she hadn’t seen him since that day. It was like Riku had completely vanished from the True Heart Academy.

“Next time, I will turn you over to the Disciplinary Committee,” a man said, sounding none too happy. He had strange blue hair and an X shaped scar between his eyes.

“It wasn’t my fault,” Axel argued. His attention strayed from the argument when he spotted Sora walking past where they stood. “Sora,” he called out, waving an arm as he grinned widely.

Sora hesitated then turned to walk over to where the two men stood. “Axel,” he greeted with a forced smile.

“See?” Axel said, grinning as he sent a glance toward the other man, who snorted and looked bored. Axel slapped a hand on Sora’s shoulder, nearly making him stumble. “What has you so glum?” He shot another glance to the man. “Doesn’t he remind you of-” The man elbowed him hard in the ribs and glared at Axel. “Hey!” Axel argued, rubbing his side. Then he realized what had the man annoyed. “Sorry, sorry. This is Saix,” Axel explained to Sora.

Sora nodded to the man, and Saix merely grunted an acknowledgment of their introduction. He glanced between the two of them, wondering just how they ended being friends, assuming they were. Axel and Saix seemed like two complete opposites. Axel was loud and cheeky while Saix was quiet and serious.

“Saix and I have been friends since we were kids,” Axel explained like he somehow had picked up on what Sora was thinking. Then he poked Sora in the forehead. “Seriously, the gloomy act gets annoying.”

“I’m not gloomy,” Sora grumbled as he frowned at Axel. Was it really that obvious? He hadn’t even known Riku for that long, but somehow he just felt alone with Riku gone. He resisted the urge to wrap his hand around the crown charm on his necklace. This feeling he remembered all too well. He hadn’t felt this kind of loneliness since he got out of the hospital all those years ago.

Axel’s frown deepened, and he looked like he was about to say something until a voice stopped him.

“Axel,” the girl cried out as she ran up to them. She was out of breath by the time she reached them. When she looked up, Sora almost gasped. She was the girl that he remembered seeing in the cafeteria on the day of his arrival. But up close, he saw that her face resembled Kairi’s face almost exactly. If not for the blonde hair, Sora might have thought they were identical twins.

“Not again,” Axel grumbled then raced off without waiting to hear what the girl came to tell him.

“Ah, Axel! Wait for me!” the girl shouted, but Axel had already vanished into the distance.

Saix sighed. “He’s going to do something stupid.” He crouched down in front of the girl. “Get on.” The girl wouldn’t be fast enough to catch up to Axel, but he could manage it even with her weight. The girl climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms securely around his neck. Saix stood up and glanced at Sora. “See you around, Sora.”

“Ah!” the girl gasped but Saix already started to chase after Axel.

Sora stood dumbly, waving at their retreating forms. Life at True Heart Academy certainly wasn’t dull.[/justify][/center][/size]

[COLOR="Purple"]If I die tomorrow,
I will be proud of myself for finishing all those boring and horrible books we read in my Language Arts class.
I will thank all those people who tried to make me happy.
I will treasure all the memories I have since I been here.
I will also be sad that I will not be able to know the ending of the Phantom of Opera. [/COLOR]