I am Not Myself You See (Open)

[aliceinwonderland]

Maggie pushed on the door to the third district with all the strength she could manage, but it refused to budge. It must have been locked she was sure. Maybe there was an unlocking spell in her book. For a moment she considered looking, but it was probably best she avoided new spells in a public area. The new spell she'd tried this morning ended up lighting the bed sheets in her hotel room on fire. Thankfully her blizzard spell took care of the flames before they spread. It could have been very, very unfortunate. She hadn't been in this new place long, but she was quickly learning her way around. It wasn't as confusing as the passages in the castle, she didn't think. Remembering which district she was in and which one she was headed too was a little more tricky. The hotel was in the second district, she remembered, and her room had a balcony that over looked the alley. That's right she wanted to explore the ally a little later as well. Giving the door one more good push to no avail, she gave up. She didn't really want to fight all the way through the second district and knew she wasn't fast enough to run it, but she had to know exactly what was in the third district.

With a sigh, she turned and ran up the stairs towards the door to the second district. She summoned her bow fitting an arrow to the string as she pushed open the large wooden door. Hardly two feet in to the second district there were heartless. Her first arrow found its mark, just barely. One hand extended towards a second shadow she called "Blizzard" which effectively took care of the second heartless. Her adventurous spirit was slightly dampened by the constant battle. She wasn't really built to fight, she was supposed to protect and heal, not cause damage. She had only barely touched combat skills in her training. Other than the little she knew from Ivy needing someone to practice on Marigold had zero combat experience prior to the heartless. Her second arrow missed the heartless, but only by a little. At least her aim seemed to be getting better the more she did it. One of the little bugs hit her making her stumble back and trip over another that had just popped up behind her.

Her bow slid away from and tumbled down the small stair case. "Come back!" She called. But it was a bow and incapable of self propelled motion, and it just stayed there. She scrambled for it, pushing herself up to her feet, and kicking one of the shadows in the head. She ran for her bow, but as her fingers closed around it two of the dancing nobodies appeared. The door the the hotel was only a few steps beyond them, but they were already bobbing towards her, the shadow bugs creeping up behind her. She pulled another arrow from her quiver.

Some guardian she was, a handful of enemies and she needed help.

[Ellie who has 0%]

Daichi

After dining in the First District, which was really lounging about and observing the inhabitants to pick a new host, Daichi left disappointed, while knowing deep down he wouldn't find anything worth finding in a local pub. There was nothing but gossips and drunks, which weren't favorable company of an irate anti-social. His inner aggression was forced out on the district's door with a harsh push causing it to boom against the bricked walls.

Looking towards his right, he was able to witnessed a hunt. Personally it was rather pathetic for one to catch themselves in a corner with weak heartless and pesky nobodies. The replica had concluded that he was just going to walk the opposite direction; one shouldn't roam if she wasn't going to fend for herself, but his eyes rolled in annoyance seeing the damsel in distress. It beckoned a memory of a docile blonde who was pushed around by dominating manipulator.

A blur of purple illuminated behind Maggie as the bright chakra slashed the shadows in the mid section. Increasing his pace, he pushed her to the side lacking skill and definition of gentle. His hand raised to grab the purple luminous chakra again, which brightened his cold gaze and white frost hair in a purple tint. Swiftly his arm let it free aiming towards the dancers' necks. Hearing the sounds of slices, he inhaled peacefully.

Daichi spared a moment to look over the maiden; his azure eyes ran up and down her frame, expressionless. His long white hair rustled with a cool breeze standing out from his dark color coded attire. The purple light vanished with a surging cackle.

Ellie: >> << *eats charrie* >> num

[Charme]

The girl in white trailed like a ghost in the dark streets of Traverse Town. Her blonde hair trailed lazily behind her as her footsteps echoed around her. Her expression drifted lazily between wonder and boredom as she swept through the city of eternal night. Namine, Namine... she thought as she wandered. What now? Her blue eyes were on the ground, watching the cobblestone. Where was she supposed to go?

It seemed as though nobody needed, well, a Nobody. Namine, a witch who controlled memories, had fallen out of existence. It was her purpose, after all. All Nobodies fade back into darkness eventually.

She looked up towards the Victorian structures that towered above her, and finally looked to the moon. A perfect sphere. It had been a long time since it had been Heart-shaped. Kingdom Hearts was safe for now, wasn't it? The Keyblade masters weren't destroying Heartless, and the Nobodies weren't active.

In the end, her eyes met the horizon, hidden behind the dark buildings that made Traverse Town. I suppose I'll just fade here... she thought.

A flash of silver-

Her eyes opened wide. Riku. In Ansem's uniform. No... That couldn't be. Riku had given up the Darkness right in front of her, when she was within Kairi. She scrambled forward, her sandals flapping noisily. She stopped a short range away. He's dark. I shouldn't get too close...

"Riku!"

[Ellie who has 0%]

Looking at the archerer, he wondered if she was worth absorbing into his being to be one with him. With a calculating gaze, he weighed the odds; there should be a benefit for his assistance, but was she worth the price? He snorted already making his decision; Heartless and Nobody food wasn't worth his appetite. Daichi hummed to himself accepting his conclusion, but with a foot stepping forward, he tensed up at the forsaken damned name.

Normally, he's quite cool and hardly reacts to the world around him, but the blasphemy had stimulated and fired his veins making his blood boil. Darkness wavered from his hands as he wipped around with an unpleased glare on his face. Dark Fires burned brightly, "That is not my na-"

His tone was rising to a shout before hitching in his throat. Her face...her eyes...her yellow hair familiar, yet distant, but familiar. Daichi can connect her face with the ghost in his memories to the point he believed it was only a dream standing before him. He found himself relaxing, while not comprehending why, which startled him the most. The flames in his hand died down as he simply...stared at her.

[Charme]

Namine stopped. The Riku staring at her... He wasn't the same. His eyes were different. They were harder, more focused than Riku's. This man had seen Darkness in a different way, she could tell. He surrounded himself with it because it couldn't eat his Heart. The Heart she had made.

Namine stepped forward slowly, her mind buzzing. The tips of her fingers went numb, and that numbness crept up her limbs. The ghost moved closer, her eyes wide. Her mouth opened slightly. She thought he had died. He never came back from Castle Oblivion. Had he returned from the Darkness?

"It's you," she said, barely audible. "It's been... A long time." The awe of the situation began to ebb away and Namine remembered everything she put him through. She had made him battle with Sora for Marluxia's evil intentions. Not only that, but she had lied to him. She hurt his Heart enough to break him, if only for a little while.

She dropped her head. "I want to apologize for everything I put you through..."

[Ellie who has 0%]

"Y-you know me," it was the first in a long time that he felt disblief that was truly his own. Like a shotgun, his mind started to move rapidily and turning like a mad clock. How would he know that she knew him for him rather than knowing him as Riku? Also was she from Riku's memories or his own? Still he had seen her multiple times in his head, which concluded one thing, "Y-you...are real."

His fingers twitched to touch her whether it was to touch her cheek or poke her frame to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. He frowned when she looked down away from him, but he wanted to see more of her face to remember it entirely. The replica took a step forward lifting up her chin only to be more confused by his actions and what she said, "What are you talking about?"

The words flowed out of his mouth quicker than he thought them as they came out blunt. He began to think again and withdrew his hand away; his fingers curled up tightly in a fist, while stepping away from her. He had no recollection how what was spewing from her mouth. Also the fascination of seeing this reality had faded. She must be referring to Riku. "If you're looking for Riku, you got the wrong guy."

He forced himself to rip away from her despite the inner polarity to hug her. She was seeking out Riku; she didn't know him at all. All of the anxiety was for nothing; the feelings that was his were just a sham towards something that wasn't for him. With those thoughts hardening his heart, he began to walk past her.

[Charme]

"R-Riku? No... You're not Riku. You were never given a-" A name. No... That was rude, wasn't it? It was almost like what she said to Roxas. "You're not Riku. You have your own memories, and your own heart," she continued. "I'm not looking for Riku. I was worried about you. But I don't know what name you have now."

Her gaze, once soft, was now adamant. This wasn't Riku- He was a different person altogether, no matter what face he had. And how could he say he didn't recall the times they had been through? Namine guessed that it was to make her feel better, but it didn't. She hurt him. Or... Had he forgotten it all, like the rest of the world?

He began to walk away. No! "Please don't leave." she muttered as she ran towards him. "What happened? Where did you go?" At this point she remembered the confusion at the end of their journey. She remembered DiZ when he visited the Castle not long after everything ended. He drug her away with promises that she could help him fix everything, and Namine was forced to leave the place that she had hurt this replica.

"I... want you to be my friend again." If that was okay. If he didn't hate her for her actions, of course.

[Ellie who has 0%]

Each step was at first easier to take, but the more she talked to slower his stride became as if there was a string tugging him back. His muscles tensed as he strained against himself; she did knew him atleast enough for him to ponder on the oppurtunity. He mentally yelled at himself to go on, but to hear that she was 'worried' about him made him stagger. Daichi groaned in dismay once hearing her plea and her sprint to catch up with him; he stopped moving with his back still at her.

She asked him questions that he didn't really didn't have complete answers about. His memories only contained so much with a lot of glitches in between, but at the moment, he was focused on answering her or recollecting the past. Now he was staring down at the single fact that proved to be shinning; she knew him for him...not Riku.

She wants to be friends...with me...again, the thoughts rang through his head and looked back at her. So she truly was something to him. Sighing he turned around to face her, "So you really do know me...for me."

Slightly embarrassed by the situation, he combed his fingers through is long white hair, "I don't remember much...in that forsaken castle; enough things are unclear, but I do remember you...vaguely. Your name...it's starts with an N right?"

[Charme]

The touch of a smile. Her expression softened. Starts with an "N"... Yeah, it was her. Even though the memories around them were fading, the bonds would never go away.

"It's Namine," she said. She laughed a bit and held a hand to her lips. "And don't worry. I won't let you forget it again." Her far-away gaze seemed to smolder, its depths hidden by the blue of her eyes. "In the end, everything changed. Marluxia died, but Sora lost all of his memories. He... I told him to choose his old friends over me and you so that he could recollect his memories." She stared into the stars, remembering what he told her, the promise that echoed in her own memories.

"So that leaves us without purpose. He doesn't remember us at all. Everything that happened there, so long ago... It doesn't exist anymore. We righted everything in the end, but at the cost that we lost all existence. DiZ is dead, the Organization has no use for us..." She looked up to him. "Nothing's happened since we left Castle Oblivion."

"But what happened in that place... I'm not proud of. I hurt a lot of people, including you. But if you want to know, it's your right."

[Ellie who has 0%]

Daichi repeated her name in his head repeatedly and nodded once it was efficiently memorized. He then just absorbed himself in her voice not really comprehend what she said connected to everything else including this kid named Sora. He remembered his face in Riku's memory, which he began to take advantage of when he permitted himself to drown in them and remember what his originator knew. Instead of trying to understand more strains of memories that will only confuse him more, he just listened to the rhythm of her voice.

The Replica did hummed and payed attention to one face, nothing happened since she left Castle Oblivion; so it seemed everything had moved on without him, while he dwelled in the darkness and cultivating his strength in the white abyss. He had already made it a priority to intercept Riku again and seek out the Organization. He may as well repaid them for making him, something that wasn't meant to be exist. Atleast they aren't looking for Namine; he remembered Marluxia somewhat and had an itching feeling that there wasn't something unlikable about him...including Larxene. He rather not have individuals he could honesty wield negativity towards be close with Namine, who seemed to have brought a warmth to him.

"I just...found you, Namine," he finally uttered the name after what felt like years. "I perfer a day without confusion and not hear you sound like that, sad."

Looking at her too long was starting to cause a burn in his chest, so his eyes scanned around to look out for heartless and nobodies.

[Charme]

"I prefer a day without confusion and not hear you sound like that, sad."

Namine stopped. Oh... Of course. She looked to her sandals and spent her time examining the white flowers etched onto the side. He had just found her. The past could be remembered later. Right now, she should celebrate finding her guardian.

Her lips trembled slightly and she nodded. "Of course. I'm sorry." The moon, shining brightly above them, turned her into more of a ghost than normal. "I don't really have any friends, so I don't really know what is considered an enjoyable activity..." Her luminous eyes rose to follow the waves of his hair, and brightness of his eyes. It really was him. He'd been gone for so long. "I suppose I should let you rest before I explain things."

[Ellie who has 0%]

Her brows scrunched up together watching her every move; Daichi had concluded that he didn't really like that saddened demeanor with her apology. His mouth opened to tell her she didn't have to apologize; it actually made it feel like he should be the one apologizing to her. To lighten her up, he chuckled at her statement; although the irony was amusing, "Well that's make two, socially awkward people, then again...I think I beat you on that."

"I suppose I should let you rest before I explain things."

"No," he held back his tone feeling that it may have came out to rough than intended," I rather listen to you."

With that said he paused, Daichi grabbed her hands and guided her away from the hotel in the Second District towards the fountain at the lower level. He glanced back at her to make sure she was still there as if she would vanish, but paused for a moment thinking he since a twinge of darkness in the area. His eyes narrowed for a second before continuing towards the fountain.

[Charme]

Namine let him lead her. The retro lights above them faded, leaving only the orange of the streetlamps that gave the city such a warm glow. That orange washed over her pale demeanor, giving her warmth and color. She followed him to the fountain, where she looked into the vibrant waters.

As he held her hand, she felt her heart burn with a warm belonging. She had moved with a purpose for the first time in too long. She had a reason to exist again... She sat down at the edge of the pool and looked to her friend.

"What's your name? I called you by the wrong name when we knew each other before."

She wanted to exist again, to be something more than a Nobody. He had purpose and willpower, things that Namine didn't. He was her guardian, and he had things to do. She wanted to be a part of that, and in time find all of her old friends.

[Ellie who has 0%]

This world smelled like it was infected with heartless, but the replica allowed his rugged tense nature to smooth out once not spotting any insight. He wasn't concerned about not being able to handle himself; his concern was towards his extra company. Why did he had an nagging feeling that he would use himself as a shield for her? He shrugged it off concluding that their past history must've been heavily tangled with one another; even with his memory being frazzed, he was able to make out her face throughout the chaotic debris.

Daichi knew he was no good when it came to forming relationships and bonds; although he had Riku's memories, those he can recall, he still felt socially awkward, and being a replica, something that wasn't supposed to exist, didn't accomodate that flaw. Although he had an different comfort zone around Namine, he still couldn't help his fidgetting hesistations. When he sat down next to her, he felt the silence drop on them and was unsure what to say. What do you say to a friend you loosely remember, but still feel something towards? Where do you start picking up the pieces? Luckily she finally spoke gaining his full attention.

"It's Daichi now," he replied, "I don't know why I picked it, but it's atleast something than nothing. I take it Vexen didn't think I needed a name."

One should expect more from a dedicated scientist; even they can be so engrossed with thier work to the point they seemed so heartless.

"So what have you been up to...after leaving Castle Oblivion?" Yet again he couldn't keep his eyes on her for too long and looked up at the bell tower. "You look good...just to say you don't have much friends and been alone."

Mentally he snorted at his word choice, but being social took practice.

[Charme]

After... Leaving?

Namine sighed. Since she left, everything had become so complicated. Life had become one big battle against good and evil, and Namine was forced into the middle of it. After she left, she lost everything she had found in her short life. She had to restart anew, and then restart again. "After I left, I met a boy who sacrificed everything to save his best friend. In the end, she died and the boy lost every memory of her..." She felt tears rim her eyes. Why was she the one who had to remember it? Even though she couldn't remember the girl's name, face, or voice, she could still remember her existence. Such was the fate of a witch.

"It was Sora's Nobody. I was assigned to return him to Sora, and he became a good friend, if only for a short while. In the end, we returned to the hearts of our original people and we were able to rest. But, in the end, we were forced apart from our people..." She stopped and rubbed her nose a bit. "But I found you again, Daichi. You are here to help me again, just like so long ago. We can make everything right, and we can all live happily." High hopes, she knew, but she had faith in him. He was always the strongest of the crew, able to handle anything and never lose his cool. Daichi was the natural-born leader... Even if he was only a replica.

"Daichi... A long time ago, I made a memory for you. I know that it wasn't your memory, but it was unique to you and you only. You promised that you'd always be there for me." She looked up to him, then up to the clock tower, a silhouette in the moonlight. "I want to travel with you, wherever you go. And in the end I might be able to repay you for everything you've done for me... If that's okay with you."