[center][h3]A Reunion in Scarlet[/h3]
Raz’ [@Truthhurts22] | Roxas [@Double]
[b]Word Count: 5,573[/b] [/center]

A general mood of casual serenity permeated the verdant shrine, sustained by those in search of a moment of peace and quiet from all the stimulus and hubbub of effervescent Suoh life. Those subjected to cramped confines could stretch their legs, and those whose minds buzzed with color and light could drink deep of a little fresh air in the midst of the city, then let their headaches slip away. Children played and laughed, small carts offered lovingly handmade crafts and charms that would be laughed off the shelves of any five-story department store, and all could feel at ease in a little pocket of tradition beneath the gaze of departed ancestors.

That’s why when Raz ran across the area yelling, he drew more than a little attention. Cityfolk glanced his way, and a few even laughed, but none matched the expression of wide-eyed surprise that plastered itself across the face of Lily Zanotto. “Raz!?” As he barreled toward her she left her nonplussed-looking friend behind and ran to meet him, and the two came together in a spur-of-the-moment hug. “I can’t believe it’s you!” she practically cried, only to realize people were staring, including the rest of her teammates, who already seemed a hair’s breath away from poking fun at the girl who never lost her cool. She instantly composed herself and drew away from him, her facade of sarcastic nonchalance hastily reconstructed as she smoothed off her outfit.

[color=FF8c00]”I can’t believe it either!”[/color] Raz smiled, understanding how important it was that Lili kept her ‘cool’ up around others. [color=FF8c00]”I mean, I can believe I’m [i]me[/i]. I’ve always been me. But I can’t believe it’s you too!”[/color]

 “Just…just where have you been? We’ve been trying to find you for months and months!”

Already there was a small hitch in their heartful reconnection, as Raz floundered for a moment to come up with a good answer. The truth was way too impossible, and he could never lie well enough, so it was a good thing someone else butted in to fill the silence.

“Well, some of us.” Norma Natividad approached, her arms crossed with a smug look fixed on Lili, as if to say, [i]not so above it all, huh?[/i] “I mean, I could care less, but a certain someone’s been so worried she even sent out missing-person Visions…”

Lili flashed her an angry look. “Shut up! It’s just ‘cause he’s part of the team, and we don’t leave anyone behind!” Annoyed, she crossed her arms. “That’s the theory, anyway. You’ve always had it out for Raz, Norma.”

“Have not! I’m just razzing him, come on.” The curly-haired girl looked offended. “And even if I was, it’s only because I was sure he was the mole.” She put up her hands. “But hey, I was wrong, and I can admit it. When’re you gonna get off my case about it, that’s the real question.”

By now the cityfolk had stopped paying attention to the disturbance, but the argument that followed proved that it might be a bit before serenity returned to the place. Over on a nearby bench, the boy with a topknot sighed to himself, his eyebrow twitching. “Never a dull moment,” he murmured in resignation, before standing up to head over to his squadmates. “Please, you two,” he chided the girls gently. He clasped his palms together. His gi-like garb, dark gray in color beneath a sleeveless black coat with red lining, gave him the appearance of a martial artist. “This…is a place of tranquility. And is this not a most fortunate reunion? Let us put aside our petty grievances.”

“Oh, well…” Norma averted her gaze as the ascetic approached, twirling her hair. “If you say so, Poo.”

[color=FF8c00]”You’re right… uh, Poo,”[/color] Raz said, trying to move pass the kid’s name. He looked from Lili to the taller, lankier pyrokinetic. [color=FF8c00]”Believe it or not Norma, I missed you too, a little. So let’s call it even, okay? Everything from before, water under the bridge.”[/color] Things had gotten way too big to be bothered by Norma, really, so Raz was fine letting it go.

While they were talking, the other two boys arrived from the direction of the fortune cart, and Roxas showed up as well. The brown-haired one wore a teasing smile, while his friend seemed both serious and polite. “Well, well,” the former began. “Not like you to lose your composure, Lili.”

“So you’re Raz?” the black-haired teen greeted before the girl could berate his friend, giving the newcomer a friendly smile. “It’s nice to meet you at last.” His gaze then shifted to Roxas. “Hello. We’re based here, so yes.”

Raz greeted the others with a firm nod, glancing between the three of them. [color=FF8c00]”Same here! I guess you’ve heard about me, huh?”[/color] He shared a glance at Lili. [color=FF8c00]”Yeah, I’ve been, uhh…”[/color] With no better idea for an explanation, Raz went with the classic: [color=FF8c00]”It’s a long story. To put it plainly, I’ve been kinda lost for a while. I met with some other great people, though, and they’ve helped me make my way back here!”[/color] Raz looked at the OSF team, and then back towards the Otherlobe. [color=FF8c00]”Things look a little different now, though,”[/color] he prompted.

“No, really?” Lili looked over her shoulders, past the trees that surrounded the Sumeragi Tomb, and all the way down main street toward the stronghold crowned by a red-tinted brain. “Ever since the Psychonauts and the Other Suppression Force merged, it’s been crazy. Everything got reorganized, and they’ve been putting us through hell with the new Basic Braining. Makes the stuff we went through at camp look like…well, kid stuff. And the SAS aptitude test! Ugh.” She put a hand to her temple and shook her head. “My head never hurt so bad in my whole life.”

Poo bowed his head in sympathy. “We certainly weathered a lot of hardship together, but we’re all the stronger for it.”

“Yeah! And as of yesterday, we’re all officially Private, First Class!” The brown-haired boy pumped his fist, wearing a wide grin. “I’m Nagi Karman, by the way. Any friend of Lili’s is a friend of ours, right?”

The stranger with a sword across his back nodded. “For sure! My name’s Yuito, by the way.”

“Yuito here’s kinda a big deal, you know!” Nagi reached an arm around to clap his bud on the shoulder. “Just one mission under his belt, and the Crows are already all over him, singing his praises!”

Looking a little bashful, Yuito brushed the hand away. “Aw, knock it off, Nagi. Everyone did great on their first mission. People just have all these expectations of me since I’m a Sumeragi, is all.” He extended a hand to shake that of Raz. “But I’m happy just to be doing my part like anyone else.”

“My name is Poo,” the boy with the topknot said once his turn at an impromptu introduction came around. “I am a humble scion of Dalaam, here to aid in quelling the Other threat.”

Lili nodded. “There you have it. Hey, Raz, you should enlist in the Psych-OSF! We could use the help, and if you stay here you’ll probably be scouted the minute you get examined, anyway.”

[color=FF8c00]”I’m guessing that me already [i]being[/i] a Psychonaut doesn’t grandfather me in, does it?”[/color] Raz scratched his cheek as he looked back at the Otherlobe. [color=FF8c00]”Doing a new version of Basic Braining sounds like fun, though.”[/color]

“Yeah, but it’s not like he’d be put on this Platoon. We’re already full up!” Norma remarked.

Narrowing her eyes, Lili looked at Norma like she might a pest in her garden. “Not if someone happens to get transferred out…”

“HEY!”

A loud, raucous voice cut through the shrine’s atmosphere, drawing the cadets’ attention to the stairs that led up to Sumeragi Tomb. Down the steps swaggered a squat, almost bullet-shaped man in a decorated black suit, gray shirt, and red tie beneath a black trench coat riddled with the same orange wires as the teens’, plus a black beret. “What’s the big idea, cadets?” [url=https://i.imgur.com/EVc3aeF.png]Morceau[/url] questioned in his growly voice. “Are we on patrol, or on a date?”

“Ahaha, not without Naomi here, Captain!” Nagi laughed.

Yuito held up a piece of paper, as well as a small, rotund pink figure separated in half. “We were just getting our fortunes told by Baki!”

“Oh, yeah?” Morceau rubbed his chin as he approached. “And what does Baki have to say?”

With a dejected expression, Nagi crumpled up his paper. “Great misfortune all around! Talk about a bad start to our OSF careers!” He tossed the wad over his shoulder, only for a purple glow to surround it. It unraveled and splatted against Nagi’s head. “Wah!”

He clawed it off and looked at Yuito, who had extended his hand with a mischievous smile. “Can’t run from fate!” his friend joked. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it!”

“Enough fooling around! It’s time we…” By now Morceau had reached his platoon, and he got his first good look at Raz, which prompted a less-than-thrilled expression. “...You.”

Raz, for his part, straightened his back and gave Oleander a little smile. [color=FF8c00]”Hey there, Coach!”[/color] His greeting was cheerful, oblivious to Coach’s more somber reaction to the reunion. [color=FF8c00]”I hope you didn’t miss me too much. I’m back now though, and itching to get back to it. Oh! I’ve also got some potential new recruits with me today. You’ll love this one guy, Goldlewis, he’s really big and he’s some sorta government agent, oh and he carries around this huge [i]coffin[/i]--”[/color]

“That’s Captain to you, civvie!” At the mention of new recruits, Morceau seemed to perk up a little. A remnant of the drill sergeant he once affected, maybe. The name Raz supplied, however, made him frown in consternation. “Goldlewis…Dickinson? The old secretary of defense?” He rubbed his chin. “He’s a dud, isn’t he? What in blazes is he doing in Suoh?”

Norma crossed her arms, looking thoughtful. “Maybe he shacked up with the Turks,” she suggested. The others looked between Raz and their platoon leader for affirmation or denial.

Morceau scoffed. “You’d better hope not! We Psych-OSF are taking care of Suoh just fine, thank you very much!” He adjusted his tie officiously as he treated Raz to a probing look. “You said you got now recruits, but I sure don’t see ‘em. Where are they? Who are they?” He leaned forward, one eye wide open as if its stare could lay bare all the boy’s agendas. “They’re psionic, right?”

Raz shook his head quickly. [color=FF8c00]”No no, trust me, he’s cool! And they’re all, uhh… I might’ve skipped a few steps.”[/color] Raz cleared his throat and tugged at his collar. [color=FF8c00]”They’re not, uh, ‘psionic’, no, but they’re really capable fighters. You should see the sorta stuff they can do! And from what I heard, Psych-OSF is best against those Other monsters, right? My recruits can handle anything the Ever Crisis can throw at them.”[/color] Raz might be puffing up his so-called recruits a little [i]too[/i] much, but he really needed to get the wedge in. He took a step back, raising his arms with hands palms-up, as if he were presenting Oleander to a crowd.

[color=FF8c00]”Just think, how much of a chip you’d get on your shoulder hiring them on. [i]Captain[/i] Morceau Oleander being responsible for putting the Scarlet Guardians a step above any of the other organizations in Midgar! And if you won’t take my word for it, you can give them a test yourself. If you can turn [i]this[/i],”[/color] Raz gestured down to himself, a bit of self depreciation to pump up Coach’s ego a tad more, [color=FF8c00]”into a prime psychic fighting machine, you’d totally be able to lift some ‘duds’ up to the same level. Now [i]that[/i] would make headlines.”[/color]

While Lili and her other squadmates spectated, mildly curious but mostly just chilling, the platoon leader narrowed his eyes. “It’s true, if anyone could raise ‘em up, it’s Septentrion Fifth Class, [i]Captain[/i] Morceau Oleander,” he mused, ruffling his trench coat like someone important. “But the fact is, there’s no duds in the OSF. Psionic aptitude is a must-have. Can’t survive hooking up to SAS without it, and that’s what makes us a cut above!” He puffed out his chest, proudly displaying his medals, then shook his head. “But even if they could, I’m not the one making these decisions, kid. Our job is making mincemeat of Others, not pushing around paperwork.” 

“Sorry about your friends,” Yuito told Raz, his face apologetic. “That’s just the way it is, I’m afraid. If you’re not scouted, you’d have to go in as part of the volunteer faction like the two of us, and the tests are…rigorous, to say the least!”

Nagi hung his head. “Ohh, don’t remind me. We worked our butts off, and we still barely made the cut!” He then straightened up and put his hands on his hips with a smile. “But what’s important is that we made it!”

“What’s important is that as long as they’re willing and able to help people, I’m sure there’s a place for your friends somewhere,” Yuito said by way of reassurance. “That sort of resolve is a wonderful thing.”

Lili rolled her eyes. “That’s our Yuito, always trying to make people feel better, even when they’re not here.” She reached out and beckoned to Raz. “Come on, you should join up! We’re not saying to forget your friends, but your place is with us! You always wanted to be a Psychonaut, right? And now, the Scarlet Guardians are all that and more! I bet you could even become a famous Septentrion!” She turned a dismissive look at Morceau. “I mean, you did beat [i]him[/i] that one time, after all.”

“Watch it, young lady!” Morceau grumbled. “I’ll have you know I learned a trick or two since then.”

Volunteer faction? That was something at least. So long as there was some way for the group to find a footing in the organization, things would work out. Hopefully. [color=FF8c00]”What does ‘all that and more’ mean, exactly? I sorta understand fighting the Others, a little at least, but what’s the OSF? What do the Septentrion do, exactly? It’s not like they have any comics for me to read… do they?”[/color]

“You’d be surprised!” Norma told him. “They’re just the strongest people in the Psych-OSF -Other Suppression Force, in case that wasn’t obvious- but they’re basically celebrities. They have action figures! Fashion brands! People even write fanfics about them!” She coughed. “Not that I’m into any of that stuff, just figured a geek like you might be.”

[color=FF8c00]”Hey, it’s not geeky! It’s a perfectly normal collecting hobby! I’ll have you know that I even got my hands on the misprinted edition of Psychic Tales Volume 325, where Milla Vodello’s dress was colored blue instead of…”[/color] He trailed off as he started to hear himself. [color=FF8c00]”...we’re getting off topic. The Septentrion might be strong and popular, but what do they, you know, [i]do?[/i] The difference between what they do and what you guys do?”[/color]

Morceau sniffed, ready and willing to self-aggrandize. “[i]We[/i] Septentrions are at the forefront of the war with the Others! Machines and Aberrations, too! We lead our platoons into battle to save the poor, helpless people of Midgar time and time again!”

“Just think of them to us as what Milla and Sasha were to the original Psychonauts,” Lili told Raz, hoping to rely on his hero worship to make him understand. “But instead of foiling criminal conspiracies, we’re killing monsters that devour human brains. Every. Single. Day.” By this point, Poo, Yuito, and Nagi had drifted away. The latter two headed toward a couple of Psych-OSF girls who’d just arrived to the shrine, one [url=https://i.imgur.com/5lDi0hj.png]silver-haired[/url] and one [url=https://i.imgur.com/dDlDEq5.jpg]blonde[/url], but both with matching accessories. Lili crossed her arms. “And when a Major Other appears, only the Septentrions can really take them on.”

[color=FF8c00]”What’d [i]I[/i] be when I join back up? After re-taking Basic Braining?”[/color]

“You’d be a Private like everyone else!” Morceau replied. “Although, you might not have to go through Basic all over again, seeing as you’re already certified. A few tests, a couple classes, some Vision sims…we could probably fast-track you.” Lili nodded with a smirk, as if to say [i]I told you so[/i].

[color=FF8c00]”The faster the better! Hang on, what was that thing you guys said before.. S-A-S? What’s that, some sorta test?”[/color]

“Man, you really don’t know anything, huh?” Lili rolled her eyes like it couldn’t be helped. “It’s the Struggle Arms System. It lets us connect our brains together with SAS cables to power each other up, and even share our powers. So the whole platoon can use Norma’s pyrokinesis, or the Captain’s forcefield!”

Over toward the side, Yuito and Nagi had met with the two new girls, although Nagi appeared to be doing most of the talking. “Well hey, if it isn’t Naomi and Kasane!” he greeted them, all smiles.

“Hi! Did you guys come to get fortunes too?” the blonde girl, Naomi, cheerfully asked.

Nagi shrugged. “Nah, I’m just hanging with Yuito.”

“And I brought Kasane!” Naomi giggled. “What a coincidence!” She glanced at Yuito’s charm, then up at his face. “You must really be a fan of Baki, right, Yuito?”

As Yuito stammered his reply, Nagi stepped forward. “Hey, here’s an idea! After you get your fortunes, how about we grab some tea? We’ve got time before we have to start work.”

At that point, Kasane stepped in front of her sister, her expression grim. “Don’t feel pressured, Naomi. It’s a good thing I came along.” 

“H-huh? What’d I do?” Nagi stepped back again, his hands held up in placation. “Let’s just get our fortunes, and have some tea!”

Morceau watched them go gruffly. “Grr…even if we aren’t on duty, there’s an Other forecast! You kids shouldn’t be messing around.” He huffed and started toward the steps down to the street. “The rest of you, c’mon.”

“Yes, sir.” Poo gave Raz a polite nod of his head, then turned to follow Morceau. Norma followed him.

Raz waved to the others as they headed for the stairs. [color=FF8c00]”We’ll catch up in a second!”[/color] Once they were more-or-less alone, Raz turned back to Lili. [color=FF8c00]”Before you go head off to set some monsters on fire or whatever, there’s something I need to talk to you about, both me and Roxas here. Something really important. Do you know anywhere more private?”[/color]

Roxas couldn’t help but look away a bit, knowing what was about to be asked of him.

Though a little surprised by that announcement, Lili couldn’t help but be intrigued. “Hm…that might be tough. With all the cameras around, there’s no ‘private’ outdoors pretty much anywhere in Suoh! A royal pain, too…” The bitterness in her voice suggested some sort of prior incident on her part. After a moment, though, her eyes landed on the building across the street. “Oh, how about that? Anemoiapolis. It’s a new, kinda like a weird mix between public pool and haunted house. It’s big, quiet, and empty. Perfect, right?” She raised an eyebrow at Raz. “I mean, unless you’re a wuss who’s afraid of a little liminal space.”

[color=FF8c00]”Liminal Spacial Awareness [i]was[/i] one of the first benchmarks needed to become a Psychonaut, y’know.”[/color] He nodded for Lili to lead the way, then paused beside Roxas. [color=FF8c00]”Hey… so, when we get there, think you could help free Lili? It’d make things a lot easier, and it feels weird to leave her like that.”[/color]

[color=Gold]”I can, but… we need to be careful about this. Galeem’s not just going to go quietly, his influence might make her try to resist.”[/color] he warned. He had surmised by now that Benedict’s process went relatively smoothly because he had already been tired by the previous fighting. Roxas wasn’t entirely sure how smoothly this would go for someone who was completely fresh.

Raz nodded once and moved to follow Lili as she notified her squadmates of her new plans through Brain Talk. [color=FF8c00]”I’ll trust you on this. I don’t want to hurt her too much…”[/color]

Aided by Vision signals, the three crossed the street. “I’ll cover you guys this time, as a welcome present,” Lili told the boys, jingling her gridLink. “But just this once, got it? So you better work hard once you join the Psych-OSF to thank me!” With her help the small group got admitted to Anemoiapolis. As they passed the locker rooms, Lili shot Raz a slight smile. “You know, I’m kind of surprised you agreed, considering your fear of water. You must have grown up a little while you were lost, huh?”

With everything going on, that little tidbit had managed to slip Raz’s mind. Still, he wasn’t going to admit the newly-found fear starting to bubble up. [color=FF8c00]”Oh, eheh, totally! I’m so grown now, you wouldn’t even believe it. Just ask Roxas!”[/color] At least it was only a pool… of sorts. He wouldn’t have to get too close to the water. [color=FF8c00]”Have you been here before?”[/color]

“Once,” Lili told him. Having stepped from the reception area into the labyrinth proper, things got quiet fast. The girl’s voice echoed through halls covered in pure white tile, be it on floor, wall, or ceiling, and aside from the visitors’ footsteps the soft lap of water was the only other sound. “I thought it was overrated, though. I mean, there aren’t any actual monsters or scares in here, for Pete’s sake! It’s just boring, not creepy. People just come here to chase each other around in swimsuits.”

After another couple moments the trio passed through a dark tunnel and came to a stop in a secluded part of the complex. They looked out across a [url=https://i.imgur.com/c3XcRQg.jpg]big, empty room[/url] full of water with thick central pillar that made the pool donut-shaped. “Good enough.” Lili turned to Raz. “So, what did you want to tell me?”

[color=FF8c00]”Right.”[/color] The echo bouncing around the Anemoiapolis and the ambient water noises were nearly deafening, but it sure made the place safe to talk in. He moved in close and put her hands to Lili’s shoulders. [color=FF8c00]”This is going to sound crazy, but you’re not [i]thinking straight[/i]. There’s this… big thing, controlling the world! And it’s got in everyone’s minds, making them think nothing’s weird about it! Roxas here, he can help get it out of your head. You just… I need you to really trust me on this, okay?”[/color]

Lili looked thoroughly unamused. “Okay. Great. As if I didn’t have enough to worry about.” She rolled her eyes. “If you goofballs are done, I’m just gonna head back.” With an annoyed expression she started to move. “Whoever does your psychiatric exam is gonna have a field day.”

Roxas - who had been quiet all this time - finally spoke, [color=Gold]”Unfortunately, he’s telling you the truth.”[/color] he said as the black keyblade Oblivion appeared in his outstretched hands. Roxas appeared to be hesitant for a brief moment but then closed his eyes and steeled his resolve, [color=Gold]”...May your Heart be your Guiding Key.”[/color] and then he lunged forward and suddenly pushed the tip of the weapon into Lili’s torso. Not enough to actually pierce her, but he firmly pushed the Keyblade forward anyway. Searing light issued from the point at which the weapon’s tip touched Lili’s chest.

“Nuh!” The moment a weapon appeared, Lili went on alert, and though she couldn’t react quite fast enough to stop Roxas’ initial thrust, the next moment she sailed backward over the water. A huge air current kicked up, blowing the boys back and buoying Lili up over the water. Her coat flapped in the wind as she glowered at them, her lip curled in anger. “Think you’re funny, do you? Well, I’m not when I saw.” She held two fingers to her head in a position Raz knew well, and sent forth a burst of psi-blasts, then unleashed a torrent of fire that she spread with a wave of air. “Even though I’m on my own, thanks to SAS you’re facing all of Morceau Platoon! So bring it!”

Roxas had to summon both blades in order to use them to take the brunt of the initial blast and avoid getting knocked off balance. Afterward, he had to dodge roll out of the way of the incoming fire, [color=Gold]”I told you she’d try to resist! Now what?”[/color] he asked Raz, knowing immediately that it had to be his call whether they try to go any further with this.

[color=FF8c00]”Lili!”[/color] Raz shouted over the winds, cartwheeling sideways to avoid the barrage of psi-blasts. [color=FF8c00]”Why would I lie to you about this?! Isn’t something really weird going on, that you can’t place your finger on? Have the Psychonauts been sent on any away missions lately? How long has their HQ been in Midgar?”[/color] Outright fighting was a last resort for Raz, but they’d already pushed too far to just drop the issue now. [color=FF8c00]”What about Camp Whispering Rocks? Have you heard from them at all?”[/color]

Unfortunately, talking someone out of Gleaming had never worked before, and Lili did not seem susceptible now. She could barely hear over the wind to begin with, in fact, so she kept on targeting Roxas with her barrage of psychic lasers.

Raz groaned. [color=FF8c00]”Way to mess this one up,”[/color] he chastised himself. He matched her stance, only instead of firing back with psi-blasts of his own, grasped Lili’s body with TK, hoping to hold her still enough for Roxas to finish.

“What? Hey!” Lili protested as she felt her friend’s grip close in. Quickly realizing who was attacking her, she called upon the necessary power to expand a bubble-shaped forcefield and repel the hand. A stream of flame billowed toward Raz in retribution.

[color=Gold]”Waterga!”[/color] Roxas used the spell to fling a small wave of water at the incoming fire to hopefully dowse it before it could reach Raz, [color=Gold]”I’ve gotta do something before this creates a bigger scene…”[/color] he then muttered to himself under his breath. At this point it might be better to ask for forgiveness rather than waiting for permission. And so Roxas made a dash toward the edge of the pool and proceeded to launch himself at Lili while her attention was still on Raz. Then he launched into a flurry of aerial strikes with the Keyblade against her forcefield bubble. He was hoping that it would break after taking enough damage. If it did he could follow-up by trying to grab Lili and throw her in Raz’s direction where he could then maybe more easily hold her down with his TK.

No matter what attacks Roxas landed, Lili’s shield didn’t so much as crack, let alone break down. Yet, his persistence was rewarded nonetheless. After just a few seconds, the shield faded on its own, and its creator could be attacked again. Faced with a double grab from both opponents, which would almost certainly be enough to hold her down, she went for a third option. Lili created a plume of fire straight down, which hit the surface of the pool and erupted into steam. A little added turbulence spread the steam into a cloud that covered almost a third of the room and hid the girl from sight. The wind died down, and no splashing could be heard once it did.

After barely managing to twist his body out of the way of the fiery plume, the turbulence knocked Roxas away and he hit the side of the pool, where he remained stunned for a few moments.

[color=FF8c00]“Lili?! Where’d she go?”[/color] In the steam, Raz saw a familiar silhouette, which turned out to be Roxas as he made his way closer. [color=FF8c00]“Oh, Roxas! Sorry about all this, it’s not like she was weak back home, but now she’s got a lot more power under her belt. Keep an eye out.”[/color] They moved together to prevent anyone sneaking up on them, but after a moment Roxas slowly pivoted around, a smirk on his face as a singularity of condensed wind coalesced in his palm, swelling in intensity as he prepared to unleash it into his the smaller boy’s unassuming back.

Raz’s voice snapped the Keyblade Wielder out of his daze and he pushed himself to his feet. But why was Raz talking to him when Roxas was nowhere near- [color=Gold]”Uh oh.”[/color] and he took off in the direction that he heard Raz’s voice coming from.

Raz, unaware of the fake Roxas behind him, had two fingers to his temple and his other hand pointed forwards, prepared to defend himself. He also reached his psychic will out, trying to pick up Lili’s thoughts in the steam, to get a read on where she was…yet his attempt to make a connection hit a hard wall, as if forcibly blocked, and he could tell nothing conclusive.

[color=Gold]”No you don’t!”[/color] shouted Roxas as he suddenly careened into, well… himself. He didn’t use his weapons, instead just using that element of surprise to tackle the fake to the ground, [color=Gold]”I… have to… do this!”[/color] he tried to use the chaos of the struggle to summon one of his Keyblades and attempted one more time to thrust it into the girl’s chest.

When tackled to the ground, the false Roxas reverted back to Lili, rendered momentarily helpless by the true keyblade wielder a fraction of a second before she could unleash her mortal blow. “Huuugh!” she wheezed, the breath knocked from her lungs. She tried to struggle, but with her arms pinned she could no longer mount an effective counterattack. Lili flailed, her yells echoing through the steamy pool room as it began to clear, but she could not stop the stronger teen as his purgation took its course. At least, not physically. “I’m taking this, Yuito…” Gritting her teeth, she poured all her mental focus into psychokinesis, reaching for the strap that dangled beneath her hood on one side of her neck. “Brain…!”

Before she could tug it, the intense moment ended with Roxas’ success. He’d managed to isolate and destroy the power of Galeem seared into Lili’s spirit like lancing a boil. Lili jerked as if shocked by a defibrillator, then lay still for a few seconds, stunned. “Ugh…” Her eyes scrunched up as her head began to ache.

Raz watched the entire scuffle from a few feet away, stunned into inaction out of fear of messing it up, especially since he wasn’t as familiar with the process as Roxas might’ve been. When the dust cleared, metaphorically, his legs finally moved. [color=FF8c00]”Are you okay?!”[/color] He asked, glancing between Roxas and Lili, as if unsure who he was actually asking.

Roxas kept quiet for the time being, feeling winded and in need of a breather. He also assumed Raz would want a moment of privacy with Lili. So he stumbled back to his feet and took a few steps away somewhere where he could sit down and get off his feet for a moment, [color=Gold]”Well, at least I didn’t pass out this time.”[/color] he quietly told himself, [color=Gold]”But note to self: figure out a way to make this go more smoothly next time.”[/color]

“Oww, everything hurts.” Lili tried to get up on her own, but fell back into a sitting position with a wince. “Agh. What happened? Everything’s…” She held a hand to her head. “Not what I remember. When…how?” Her eyes flew open, and she blinked a few times.

[color=FF8c00]”We can explain it all later.”[/color] Raz helped Lili onto her feet, hand to her shoulder to help keep her balance. Not that he was sure anyone could answer ‘when’ or ‘how’, though. [color=FF8c00]”It’s like I said; big thing, controlling everyone, everything all squished together. The friends I tried to recruit, well, they’ve been at this for longer than me, so I can introduce you to them later. Right now we should probably head back, before your team gets suspicious. Are you alright?”[/color]

Lili looked up at him with a grimace. “Not…really?” She figured that her behavior since her awakening communicated that implicitly, but Raz could be dense sometimes. Nevertheless, she stood, and even pulled away from Raz to make sure he knew that she didn’t actually need his help, idiot. Once she got her breathing back to normal, she could at least move with the independence she insisted upon. After a moment with her eye closed she began back toward the entrance of Anemoiapolis. “I sent them a message with Brain Talk saying I had an accident, but I’m okay. Poo and Norma said they’re coming to help. Let’s get going, I guess.”

Raz nodded. [color=FF8c00]”I’m just glad that you’re yourself again. Oh, and uhh, try not to agitate anyone else too much, or they might go hurt-happy like you did just now. Some kinda side… effect… I-I can give you the rundown some other time.”[/color] As they left for the outside, Raz fell into line beside Roxas. [color=FF8c00]”Thanks, again, for helping with this. Didn’t really end up how I expected, but still, I might not’ve been able to free her without you. Next time we should do it while they’re sleeping, though. If that’s possible.”[/color]
Roxas just nodded, [color=Gold]”You’re telling me. I don’t even really know what I’m doing at this point. So far it’s all been pure instinct. I’ve really gotta find this Master of Masters guy and ask him to explain some of this to me.”[/color]