[size=1][center][justify]Keyblades clashed, locked in a struggle between their wielders. Gold glared into blue as they each tried to overpower the other. Roxas jumped in to help, but the dark haired version of Sora dodged easily.

“Roxas!” Sora shouted in warning as the man appeared behind the blond. Roxas failed to react fast enough. The man swung his Keyblade into the blond’s back. Roxas hit the ground with a wince. Sora moved to stand between the man and Roxas. “Why are you doing this?” Sora demanded, watching the man carefully in case he did that sort of teleport like move that he seemed fond of.

The man glared but a cruel smirk cut across his face. Roxas hadn’t known Sora for even a day, but it was still weird seeing that kind of dark expression on a face similar to Sora’s face. “You’re no better than I am. Just a cheap imitation!”

Sora looked stunned. “Imitation,” he mumbled in shock.

Roxas got to his feet and stood at Sora’s side. “He’s just using mind games to throw you off your guard.”

“I don’t need to play mind games,” the man shouted furiously. The Heartless gathered behind him. Roxas paled when it looked like the Heartless were melding into one being. “If he needs to team up with [i]you[/i], then he’s far weaker than I thought.”

Roxas gritted his teeth as he glared at the man. Sora moved closer to him. When he spoke, Sora’s voice was a hushed whisper, too low for the man to overhear. “There’s something off about him.”

Roxas stared at the man. He agreed there was something different about the man, an almost crazed look about him, but that didn’t change how dangerous the man was. In fact, this crazed state he was in probably made him [i]more[/i] dangerous. “We can’t just run away,” Roxas whispered back, equally quiet. “He’ll hurt innocent people.” And that meant more Heartless for the masked man and Xehanort to control. And now that his mind was on Heartless again, Roxas noticed how big the combined Heartless behind Sora’s lookalike was becoming. That fact made him grow more worried about the current situation.

“I’ll make sure every last one of you disappears,” the man shouted. He darted toward Sora. His Keyblade flew with blind fury, pushing Sora back as he attempted to block each attack. Their Keyblades locked again for a moment. But the man’s rage gave him an edge, and he knocked Sora back, sending him flying. Sora hit the ground, slid for a bit, then rolled onto his knees. He managed to leap away and avoid the downward slice by the man’s Keyblade.

Roxas felt sluggish watching the speed of their attacks. He moved to help Sora fight the man but had to jump back immediately as the arm of the growing Heartless reached to grab him. This situation was quickly spiraling out of his control. Roxas thought they would have more time to talk, plan, prepare, and train before having a confrontation with Xehanort or his masked minion. The man continued with his fast paced attacks. But Sora slowed, losing stamina in the prolonged fight. He took more hits than he could block. If this continued, Sora would lose! Roxas dodged past the arm. He slid between Sora, who was on the ground, and the man. He brought his Keyblade up to block the man’s attack.

“Annoying pest,” the man growled, his eyes blazing with rage. “You will [i]not[/i] get in my way.”

The ground shook beneath his feet. Roxas couldn’t move fast enough. The giant hand of the Heartless shot up from below, and its hand wrapped around his body. Roxas shouted as the fingers curled, squeezing him tightly. He struggled but couldn’t free his arms enough to use his Keyblade.

“Your beef is with me, isn’t it?” Sora shouted.

The golden glare landed on Sora, and the man sneered. Roxas could only watch as the two men fought each other. His struggles to free himself resulted in the Heartless squeezing him to the point where he thought his bones would break. Sora thrust his Keyblade at the man. But the man blocked the attack. He grabbed hold of Sora’s Keyblade and pulled on it, yanking Sora forward. Sora stumbled. The man took advantage and slipped around behind Sora. He wrapped his arm around Sora’s throat, strangling him. Sora gasped and tried to pry the arm from his neck. Darkness swirled around them in misty wisps.

“I’ll send you into the deepest darkness,” the man growled, the darkness rising up to consume them.

“Sora!” Roxas shouted and struggled desperately against the Heartless. His breath caught as the darkness swelled suddenly to engulf both Sora and the man.

“Sora!” Someone darted past Roxas. Too fast, nothing but a blur. His disappeared into the darkness before it vanished.

“Reckless kid,” grumbled another man. Roxas tried to look around but couldn’t turn his head far enough to see who was speaking. Then suddenly the arm of the Heartless vanished. Roxas hit the ground and fell onto his back with a groan. He stared up at the man looming over him. The man stared back with a look of shock. “Ventus?”[/justify][/center][/size]

[size=1][center][justify]Vanitus ducked behind a tree along the path when Sora paused to look around. He couldn’t possibly have noticed Vanitus’s presence! When the pair continued walking, Vanitus left his hiding place and followed after them. Why was Xehanort so interested in [i]him[/i] anyway? From what he had seen of Sora from spying on him, Vanitus saw nothing special about the man. Sora, in fact, seemed like an idiot. Vanitus ground his teeth in frustration. His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles hurt. He was better, stronger than [i]Sora[/i]. So why did Xehanort continuously look toward another Keyblade bearer?

“Frustrating, isn’t it?”

Vantius leaped away, his Keyblade automatically appearing in his hand. He glared at the woman, and his expression darkened when he saw the pity in her gaze. “You can’t be here. I got rid of you!”

The woman sighed, a stray lock of blue hair falling in her face. She reached up and brushed the hair behind an ear. “You really are a sad existence.” That infuriating pity remained in her gaze. “Blindly obeying Xehanort’s orders. Haven’t you realized the truth yet? As soon as he finds the right Keyblade bearer, your role is over. He won’t need you anymore, and you know how he doesn’t like to leave loose ends.”

“Shut up!” Vanitus shouted as he brought his Keyblade down upon the woman. But the Keyblade passed through the woman, and her image wavered before fading away. Her mocking smirk remained burned into his memory. Vantius roared out his frustrations.

[center]---[/center]

Sora and Roxas turned around when they heard the shout coming from behind them. Roxas’s brow knitted as he debated summoning his Keyblade or waiting to see what caused the shout. Sora frowned with concern. But he didn’t pause to think. He raced back the way they came.

“Wait! Sora!” But when Sora didn’t stop, Roxas grumbled and chased after him. They needed to plan before jumping into a fight! Didn’t Sora know that? Didn’t he know this could be a trap? Apparently, that never occurred to Sora. Roxas skidded to a halt beside Sora. A dark haired man stood before them and slashed at the empty air with a Keyblade. Roxas’s eyes widened when he saw the Keyblade. It was the same Keyblade wielded by the masked man. Dark waves radiated from the man. Eyes darting about the area, Roxas noticed Heartless climbing out of the shadows. “This is bad, Sora,” he mumbled.

The man halted his actions, becoming very still. The Heartless quivered, waiting for instructions. Roxas gulped nervously.

“Sora?” The man’s voice was tinged with something akin to madness. Even before the man turned toward them, Roxas felt a sense of dread settle inside him like a brick of ice sinking into his stomach. There was a vast difference between Sora’s chestnut brunet and the man’s ebony hair. But the style of their hair was exactly the same. A maniacal grin broke across the man’s face as he narrowed golden eyes at Sora. Roxas almost thought he was in some bizarre dream, a nightmare. Roxas shot a look to Sora. But Sora didn’t react to the practically identical look of the man. Sora merely stood there with a serious look on his face and a tight grip on his Keyblade.

The man’s face twisted with rage. He released the most awful cry of anger, hatred, and pain that Roxas had ever heard. Then he shot toward Sora, his speed making him look like a blur.[/justify][/center][/size]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid][SIZE=3][B]Lexi Martin[/B][/SIZE]
[/COLOR] [B][IMG]http://ui07.gamespot.com/2246/animewallpapers1_2.jpg[/IMG]
[COLOR=DarkOrchid]Played by: [/COLOR][/B][COLOR=DarkOrchid]blueblackrose[B]
Age: [/B]16
[B]Sex: Female[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkOrchid]
[B]Hometown:[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkOrchid] Timberville, Virginia
[B]Bio:[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkOrchid] Lexi grew up in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley near one of the many tourist hot spots. All of her life she has been an outcast, but she could never figure out why. She has always had a fascination with the paranormal and strange. When she learned about the fairy stones she just had to check them out. So when summer break rolled around she talked a couple of her friends into going on a trip to Patrick County to see if they could find the fairy stones.
[B]Fairy Stone Type:[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkOrchid] Maltese
[B]Power:[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkOrchid] Divine Protection (She can protect herself or others, but each time she uses her ability her life is shortened)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=DarkOrchid]
[/COLOR][SIZE=3][COLOR=DarkOrchid][B]Viatrix[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[RIGHT][LEFT]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=DarkOrchid][B][IMG]http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0mbKhqrvEgM/Sm92KTVJnwI/AAAAAAAAI9Q/WSx1HidNUkQ/NeneThomasFlamenco20Print_thumb3.jpg[/IMG][/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=DarkOrchid][B][SIZE=2]Played by: blueblackrose[/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=DarkOrchid][B][SIZE=2]Age: 400, looks mid 20s[/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=DarkOrchid][B][SIZE=2]Sex: Female[/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=DarkOrchid][B][SIZE=2]Bio: [/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][COLOR=DarkOrchid]She is one of the few fairies that still live in Patrick County. As being one of the last fairies living in this areas she has taken it upon herself to act as a guide for those who find the fairy stones. From time to time she likes to cause mischief.[/COLOR]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=DarkOrchid][B][SIZE=2]Power: [/SIZE][/B][SIZE=2]She has the ability to identify the gifts that has been bestowed upon the finders of the fairy stones. She also can control birds and butterflies and has some air and wind manipulation abilities.[/SIZE][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=DarkOrchid][B][SIZE=2]Why you are helping: [/SIZE][/B][SIZE=2]She is tired of seeing humans being hurt or killed by monsters, ghosts, other fairies and other humans all because of greed.

[/SIZE][/COLOR][/SIZE][COLOR=Red][B]
Alemi Fitzgerald
I am a:[/B] Virtue
[B]Nickname:[/B] Kindness/Love
[B]Age:[/B] 600, looks 24
[B]Personality:[/B] He is light hearted and kind. Sometimes he is too kind to people he doesn’t know. So he ends up getting hurt. He’s been told that he is too kind and honest for his own good.
[B]Bio:[/B] He was born an angel. At first he was scared when he learned of his power because by using it he was shortening his own life. He wasn’t able to come to terms with his power until after his parents were killed in the war between the Sins and Virtues. Left an orphan the previous virtue of charity took him in seeing as his power could greatly help others in need. After the last virtue of kindness/love died in battle he was given her place. He wishes for peace, but knows that if things stay the way they are this war will continue and never end. Right now his only fear is dying before being able to help the ones that need it the most.
[B]Appearance: [/B][/COLOR][COLOR=Red][IMG]http://www.menewsha.com/forum/images/statusicon/wol_error.gif[/IMG][/COLOR][COLOR=Red]This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 780x500.[/COLOR][COLOR=Red][IMG]http://i7.glitter-graphics.org/pub/517/517037sa7tow4cy1.jpg[/IMG]
[B]Other:[/B] He has the power to heal people. To heal someone he must transfer the person’s pain and injury to himself. If he has a strong enough connection to a person he can do this unconsciously so the effect is instantaneous. Using his power leaves him weak. His weapon of choice is his katana.[/COLOR]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]
Günther “Gun” Abendroth
[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]I am a:[/B] Virtue[/COLOR]
[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]Nickname:[/B] Zeal[/COLOR]
[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]Age:[/B] 650, looks mid-20s[/COLOR]
[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]Personality:[/B] He is outgoing and works hard towards the things that he wants. Sometimes he can come off as cold and a little uncaring because of his work hard and do your best attitude, but he is a kind person once you over look that.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]Bio:[/B] When Gun was young he was shy and not very outgoing until he met Maiara. She encouraged him to work hard and to do his best because if he did that then people would like him for who he was. He took her advice and the two of them became close friends. As they grew older he realized that he loved her and she felt the same way, but before they had a chance to start a life together Maiara was killed by the sin, Envy. After that he worked harder to improve his fighting skills to protect others. He became the virtue Zeal, because of his never give up attitude. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]Appearance:[/B] [IMG]http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q210/aku00sbff/anime%20boys/FinHot.jpg[/IMG][/COLOR]
[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][B]Other:[/B] He has air/wind manipulation abilities, but he hasn’t mastered them yet so he can just do small and medium attacks. He is a master swordsman.[/COLOR]
[/LEFT]
[/RIGHT]

[size=1][center][justify]“I expected him to have come to me by now,” Xehanort said with a growing impatience. His fingers drummed upon the unforgiving wood of his desk. Golden eyes narrowed coldly at the man standing before him

“There was an, um, unforeseen complication,” the masked man explained hesitantly. Xehanort’s fingers stopped in mid drumming. The silence unsettled him, but the masked man remained neutral in appearance.

“How many times do you plan on disappointing me?” His words were slow, calm but with a heavy angry undertone. “You had a simple task. Use the Heartless to attack some pathetic student to draw his attention. If he’s anything like the others, he would come running to defend the innocent. Afterward, he would come to me for answers. How could you possibly have failed this plan?”

The man was silent, recalling the events that transpired that night. Like Xehanort predicted, Sora jumped in to save the random man from the attack by the Heartless. But neither of them could have planned for the interference of another individual. That [i]Roxas[/i] should have been dead! But his shock wasn’t what stopped him from attacking. Roxas would have been easy to take down, especially while he had to protect Sora’s unconscious body. But he hesitated, and Roxas made his escape unhindered. Why couldn’t he attack?

His attention came back to the present when he found headmaster Xehanort looming before him. Xehanort moved faster than the masked man could react. The Keyblade appeared in Xehanort’s hand, and he swung, smashing the dark visor of the mask with the Keyblade. The masked man stumbled back with his face hidden by his hands. Golden eyes stared out between parted fingers. Blood trickled slowly down his face from where the glass cut into his skin.

“I won’t tolerate any more of your failures, Vanitus,” Xehanort warmed darkly. Vanitus only nodded before he exited the office.

[center]---[/center]

“So what’s the plan?” Sora asked as they walked down one the pathways that didn’t look like anyone had used it in years. His clothes had been pretty well shredded during the fight against the Heartless. But Roxas lent him some of his clothes, which were oddly a perfect fit on Sora. “Do we just go to his office and attack him or something?” Making plans had never been Sora’s strong point.

Roxas frowned and adjusted the glasses he wore again. He kept the hood up on his shirt, keeping his hair hidden. Apparently, this kind of style had been enough to keep him under Xehanort’s radar. “I don’t think the direct approach is the best option,” he replied, his eyebrows drawing together in deep thought. “We’d have to get through that masked man first. And Xehanort won’t be anymore of a pushover than his little pawn.”

Sora sighed. Of course this wouldn’t be easy. He only wanted to get back to a normal life without all this craziness of Heartless. “Can we really defeat them by ourselves?”

“We don’t have a choice. There were probably others before us, but I don’t know what happened to them. We can’t just wait around, hoping for another Keyblade bearer to appear. It took Xehanort a year just to find you. We can’t risk him turning someone else to his side.”

Sora nodded. But he still couldn’t understand what exactly Xehanort wanted with Keyblade bearers. Didn’t he already have that masked man to do his bidding? Why was he looking for another Keyblade bearer? Sora frowned as he paused. He glanced back the way from which they came.

“What’s wrong?” Roxas asked, following Sora’s gaze.

Sora shook his head. “It’s nothing.” He continued walking but couldn’t shake the distinct feeling that they were being watched.[/justify][/center][/size]

[B]Character Skeleton[/B]

1. Character Name - Kestrel Lass
2. Your (Mene) Name - Monstahh`
3. Character Concept - Telepathic/kinetic Witch
4. Age - 21
5. Age(apparent) - N/A (no real difference, perhaps a little younger)
6. Gender - Female
7. Height - 5'5'' (feet/inches)
8. Body Type - Hourglass...Large bust, wide hips. Strong legs and broad shoulders.
9. Hair Color - Chocolate brown with darker and lighter highlights.
10. Eye Color - Blue with purple rims and dark grey flecks.
11. Distinguishing physical characteristics - Small mole on her right cheek, almost fang-like canine teeth (sharper and bigger than a normal person's)
12. Style/Fashion - Vintage casual/elegant
13. Abilities/Powers -[LIST][*]Telepathy -Automatic with her cat familiar, needs to be focused and in close range with anyone/thing else.[*]Telekinesis - Ability to move light to mid-weight (approximately twice her weight) with her mind.[*]Time stop - Has the ability to pause time for a few seconds --instinctive-- she can't control it consciously.[*]Spells - General wide variety of 'spells' however most need preparation and are not "instant." Many are also very temporary. (ex; healing wounds, underwater breathing, night vision)[/LIST]14. Alignment - Chaotic Neutral
15. Occupation - Part time bartender & part time manager at a vintage store.
16. Residence type - Local (studio apartment a few blocks from the campus)
17. Strengths/Areas of Expertise - Briefly studied psychology and natural/alternative/herbal medicine/remedies
18. Weaknesses/Flaws -[LIST][*]Intense fear of heights--won't even look out a window past the 5th floor.[*]Dyslexia[/LIST]19. Cycle - Diurnal...prefers to wake up late, and go to bed later, but occasionally stays up all night.
20. Quirk(s) - She touches her face a lot and has trouble making eye contact with strangers or people she doesn't know well.

[B]Character Picture[/B]
[URL="http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d182/theaddkid/155004a7.jpg"][IMG]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d182/theaddkid/th_155004a7.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[B]Character Bio[/B]

Kestrel has lived a fairly simple life. Her parents are your typical suburban mom and dad, not really taking an active interest in her or her siblings' (two brothers, one older one younger) lives, but also not really ignoring them either. She had a nice upbringing, a small house with a small front yard.

As a child she discovered a gentle power within her--telekinesis. At first she was afraid, stunned, shocked even...but she grew to be both fascinated and ashamed--she'd tried to show her older brother her powers..and he accused her of being crazy, and just trying to mess with his head. After that, she began to hide it and practice only when she was alone with no chance of being caught--her powers were never very strong, but she was still nervous and afraid.

She fought with her brothers often, they were always trying to find new ways to torment her. One time they had dragged her to the roof of their high school while she was blindfolded (claiming they had a surprise for her)...Stood her on the edge, pulled the blindfold off, and threatened to push her over the side. Ever since then heights have made her ill...It brings up memories of the abuse they put her through, and of looking over that edge, down to the gravel basketball court, where she'd gotten teased and bullied.

She was glad to move out when she did. She started going to college for psychology at the Armitage University. She specifically chose it for the "metaphysics" and herbalism classes--they were unorthodox, but she was fascinated and captivated. She hoped she might not be alone there. She hoped she would find some who she could share her gifts with.

Shortly after starting there a few stray cats started following her around. She'd always loved cats, and they always loved her, but she thought it was strange...but soon enough she started bringing them treats and canned tuna and even sooner after one of them began to speak to her...At first she thought she was crazy, but she soon realized that it wasn't her, or the cat, but the bond they had forged in this place of mystery and weirdness.

Sadly, she dropped out 2 years into her studies because of a severe bout of depression brought on by the death of her younger brother, and the divorce of her parents shortly following...She wasn't very close to them, and at times hated them, but they were family, and it was hard to watch them fall apart.

She moved off the campus, taking more hours at both her part time jobs, and got a nice small place with the 'talking cat' she'd adopted and had affectionately started calling Keryn...an Irish name, meaning "dark" after his dark eyes and darker coat. Not that he was a "black cat" though... his belly was white and grey.

Kestrel wanted to go back to school, and soon enough she hoped she would...She wanted to finish her education in psychology with her minors in herbalism and general Metaphysics.