This Will Be Awkward

Jacob sighed and silently cursed Stephen for not at least coming along now he was stuck with Zero who now had just had a whole moment with this girl who's identity was apparently unknown to himself and Zero, but Jacob highly doubted it by her reaction and Zero's sign language. Everything was just so awkward.

Zero watched as Neona walked away, rubbing his forehead as he thought about it. Had he made the right decision to lie to her about that? Probably. Didn't mean that he couldn't doubt it though, after all, he wasn't completely sure on it. Being left alone with Jacob, he stood there for a few seconds, staying silent as he thought. ...well, this is getting to be a bit awkward.
"So..." He simply muttered, wanting to strike up some sort of conversation but unsure of what to talk about. He didn't really care what they did, anything else would probably be better than the silence going on.

"Neona, Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have you're own voice. Not like with drawings, writings, or sign language, but to actually talk." Stephen turned to face Neona. "I've heard rumors about an amulet type thing that can turn your thoughts into words so you can speak." He continued as he pulled out a ragged piece of paper. "I found a map while looking for it. I didn't know what it was at first, but I took it to friend of mine, and here we are." He unfolded the map and held it out. The map had a trail to an island. "We'll have to go to a different world though." Stephen added and he put the map away and looked Neona in the eyes. "So what do you say?" Stephen did his trademark smirk as he saw a new adventure unfolding.

Neona looked at Stephen curiously. "Are you sure you want to-" she began to sign, but realized that Stephen was probably still unfamiliar with sign language. She reached into her dress pocket and fumbled around for her notebook and pen. "Are you sure you really want to go to all that trouble?" she wrote, "It sounds.... well, it sounds amazing. But also dangerous; I don't want you to get hurt because of me." She looked at her feet before continuing to write. "I'm not all that useful because of all my health problems, I'm afraid I might just be a burden to you." She looked up at him for a moment and smiled. "But... if you're willing to give it a shot, then I am too!"

Jacob kicked around sand with the tip of his shoes. The comfortableness of the situation getting to him, he was clueless about it all. There were pieces he understood, the nobody he had just met and fought heartless with had some connection or lack there of a connection to this girl tat was making the relationship between them seem like some kind of supernatural sopa opera. (twilight?) Not only that but his childhood friend, his best friend, for some reason also knew this girl and was trying to comfort her now by the looks of it.
"So...." Zero muttered.
"So you wanna tell me what's up or continue to be the weird couple no one likes to be around?" Jacob asked attempting at humor, he wasn't accustom to such social conflict. Even before his year of sleep he hadn't liked them having the defense mechanism of humor as his ultimate barrier between himself and problems only with Stephen did the barrier shatter.

The nobody looked over at Neona and Stephen, watching them with a completely neutral expression on his face. It was strange, watching someone he had been such good friends with talking to someone else. He wanted to be happy for her, or maybe even jealous, hell he just wanted to feel something. But nothing came. All that he could do was watch and not feel anything towards it. Hearing Jacob begin to speak, Zero turned to look back to him, shaking his head.
"It doesn't matter. I knew her. Well, he knew her. Whoever he was, he isn't me anymore. I can't say I'm someone I'm not, things have changed. And I'd rather stay out of things." He explained quietly, looking down at the ground blankly as he spoke.

Stephen smiled at Neona. "I think you should come with, after all it could make you stronger." He looked over his shoulder at Jacob and Zero. They seemed.... awkward over there, alone like that. Not that it really mattered to Stephen. He turned his attention back to Neona and said, "There's something I have to do before we leave, we can just meet up somewhere." Stephen didn't want to tell anyone about what he had to do, not even Jacob. Before Jacob went missing Stephen had to help keep his family in their house. No one knew that though. When Jacob went missing Stephen dropped everything to find him. He never once thought about his family. He just up and left them. After he spent a month tracking him down, he got to Castle oblivion. He hadn't realized it took him almost a year to get to the top. I'm so stupid. Selfish. What was I even thinking. He beat himself up mentally. "So are you ok with going on this adventure with me?" He asked Neona for verification before he just assumed she was going.

"Okay, that's fine by me!" Neona wrote with a smile. "Of course I'm okay with it!! I haven't really traveled long-distance with another person before; I've been jumping worlds on my own since I was little. Having someone with be would be so much better.~" She touched his shoulder lightly and smiled.

A sparkling in the water suddenly caught her eye. Her boots were waterproof, so she went ahead and waded out to ankle-deep water to investigate the strange glistening with no fear of getting her shoes wet. She bent over and produced a golden keychain from beneath the water's surface, one with a small seashell on the end. It was so pretty... but why was it there? Troubled, Neona ran back to Stephen.

"Hey, is this yours?" she wrote with a questioning look, showing him the notebook and the keychain.




(awkward)

(y u do dis to me)

Memories huh? Why are they so fleeting from us? There suppose to be things we hold on to treasure but now I've lost a portion of mine and he only has some of his too, guess the universe is showing us the meaning of you don't know what you have till it's gone. Jacob though he wasn't looking at any of them now just out into the horizon and the blue sea. " Do you remember everything with him? The old you? " He asked he awkwardly kicked sand around with his shoe. " I don't remember a lot from a time too some flashes some moments. I want to get them back I don't know about you but I'd be wiling to go and search for them if I can, I wouldn't be against you coming too to find some of yours." He added now looking to Zero waiting, hoping.

The nobody blinked for a moment, looking back over to Jacob as he made his suggestion. Going out and finding their memories? How would they even begin to start with that? Zero had no idea how they would go about that task, but the more he thought about it, the more he figured it was better than standing around doing nothing.
"I remember almost everything, like I said." He said, shaking his head. "But there are a few blank points in there. Pieces that are missing. It's hard to explain, but it's kind of like I just know something used to be there that isn't anymore. They probably aren't even that big, or important." Zero hesitated a moment, thinking about the proposal.
"But, I have nothing really to go to at the moment. And I might as well see if I can figure out what's missing. I guess we can go have ourselves a look around for our memories." He finally came to a decision, agreeing to go search for them.

Stephen looked at the keychain that Neona picked up. He looked at it for a few seconds, but he'd never seen it before. "Things wash up on the shore all the time. You can keep it if you'd like, finders keepers I guess." He smiled at her. The breeze picked up and the sky filled with more clouds. Stephen looked out at the sea and saw a few birds. The waves were beginning to pick up with the wind. "It might storm soon, but I'm not sure." Stephen spoke as he turned back to Neona.

Neona gave a wide smile in response to Stephen. "Keychains are one of my favorite things." she wrote happily before setting the notebook down. One burst of lunar light later, she had summoned her Keyblade in order to add the keychain to her collection. It was a rather impressive collection, one she had been amassing for years upon years of nomadic living. It was one of the only constant joys she had ever had.

"Perfect~" she signed with a small, content sigh. Stephen drew her attention to the clouds and she frowned with concern, completely distracted from the need to put away her keyblade. She tucked the keyblade under her arm and picked up her notebook so she could write, "What now? Do you think we should seek shelter?"

In the instant Jacob almost missed it, the glint of light while the sun was tucked behind the clouds. He turned following this presence and knew even before he saw that it was the girl it must of been the girl. His suspensions confirmed, there was only one thing left to do. In that moment Jacob's keyblade formed in it's shadowy mystic sense the massive crude club being the perfect representation of the only emotion he felt right now: rage. In a single bound he closed the distance to Stephen and Neona. With a mighty swing he brought down the Ends of the Earth. " How could you Stephen she's with them!" He shouted at the top of his lungs crying out like a wretched animal.

Waiting for a response from Jacob, Zero glanced away and crossed his arms, looking out at Neona and Stephen as the sun went back behind the clouds in the sky. He wondered for a moment what exactly they would end up doing afterwards, before catching sight of Jacob summoning his keyblade in his peripheral vision.

"Jacob, what-" The nobody managed to get out, watching as the boy leapt towards the other two, weapon at the ready. As much as he didn't want to get involved, Zero felt himself reach for Fate Embracer and drew the blade, charging out after Jacob. He wondered what he was even doing for a moment, rushing into things, before coming to a rationalized conclusion. He didn't care about his old friend, like he had told himself. But the person he used to be had, and so obviously the nobody would take a bit of action based on memories. Just memories, though. Nothing more, he told himself as he lunged towards Jacob from behind, hoping to hit the hilt of his chokuto blade on the back of the other boy's head.

Stephen turned in shock as he heard Jacob scream. Without a single thought Stephen turned and stepped towards the outside of him, catching his arms and stopping his Keyblade. Stephen reached around and summoned his keyblade to protect the back of Jacob's head from the Zero's hilt. "Jacob, this isn't the time for your drama." Stephen said.

Neona was so startled that she suddenly dropped her notebook and flinched with a raspy gasp. Before Jacob could finish his swing, Neona pushed herself off the ground as her keyblade light up with a crackling spark. She shot gracefully into the air as if her body weighed nothing and drifted tens of feet above Jacob's head before landing slowly behind him as he finished his attack. Once her feet touched the ground, she took a few nervous steps backwards and his herself behind her keyblade in an action that was both defensive and shy. All of a sudden, everybody had weapons out and the air became frighteningly tense. The blonde put away her keyblade and held her hands up to her shoulders with her palms open and facing outwards in a nervous surrender as she looked around the scene, trying to make some peace while she was still startled and dazed.

"Huh? Wha? Who's with who? Who's on first? What's going on? Is something happening?" Neona signed frantically in her confusion. She looked around warily, taking a few timid steps

"Drama!" Jacob snarled back in frustration. " Look at her!" He yelled pointing with his chin being in an akward position to move away from Stephen's grip as he turned to point he realized that Zero had been taking a swing at him and Stephen blocked it and he felt annoyed by this he scolded as he continued. "Did you forget your job! Before you even think you can say that shit to me look at yourself she's a light keyblader!" He spat the words like venom as he saw he franticly moving her hands trying to communicate with them. In a quick move Jacob pushed Stephen's keyblade out from behind his head and jump aside so that Zero wouldn't fall into him as he had been leaning his weight into the attack. " If you won't do your job I will." Jacob said with finality as he raised the hulking mass of Ends of the Earth to point up to the sky and cast his best magic:"Aeroga!"

Once he heard what Jacob's problem seemed to be with Neona, Zero rolled his eyes at the thought of it, almost too distracted to notice that Stephen's keyblade had been pushed out of the way. Feeling himself fall over, the nobody tucked and rolled once he hit the ground, moving past Stephen and standing up once more, turning his back to the Light Keyblader so he could keep his eyes on the two others.

"Really now, light, darkness? None of it matters in the end. Everything fades eventually." Zero brought his blade up in a readied position, keeping his eyes on the two dark keybladers. Having spent so much effort thinking of something fancy sounding to say, he almost forgot to finish his initial thought, finding his way back to it.
"Translation: Stop trying to kill random people you've just met. Seriously, what is this, twice now? Me, then her? Do you even know how to socialize?" The nobody deadpanned, taking a few steps back towards Neona, keeping his blade up and eyes on Jacob. Of course, the remark was hypocritical, though he didn't realize it himself. After all, Jacob hadn't technically been the one who started things between the two beforehand, back at Radiant Garden.

Stephen looked back at Zero after watching Jacob. "Of coarse you wouldn't understand," Stephen retorted, "It's not about the end it's about what gets left behind. In your case it was a shell and some memories, probably gonna be the same for me, but until that happens I'm going to leave my mark." Stephen turned back to Jacob the wind from his Aeroga was strong and violent. "Jacob just let it go and move on, fighting against each other isn't going to end well at all." The end of Abyssal ruins lit on fire and swirled upwards towards his arm. He glanced back at Neona and made sure she was okay. She was signing to fast for him to comprehend, but she seemed worried and confused. Fire was now swirling completely around Stephen and Abyssal ruins glowed a faint red color instead of it's regular black color. The sand surrounding Stephen's feet started to glow red as it heated up and turned to glass. "Just walk away and be done with this 'J'." Stephen tried one last time to reason with his friend.

Neona frowned. Clearly the situation wasn't getting any better.... and she couldn't help but feel like she was the one to blame for the whole catastrophe. She still didn't quite understand what was going on or why, but she could tell at the very least that she and quite possibly the others were in quite a lot of trouble. She wasn't confident she could win this fight alone, and she grew nervous and even afraid, but she didn't budge. She just stood, stone-faced.

As Neona realized she wasn't going to have to fight this fight alone, her brow raised and her heart swelled a bit with gratitude. Her brow quickly furrowed as the wheels in her head began to turn. She was still a little sore from earlier shenanigans, but she figured she had enough strength in her for some upper-level spells. She still wasn't interested in any direct roughhousing, but that certainly didn't leave her with no options.....


"I'm not gonna fight you," Neona signed, "but I know someone who will!" As she spoke, Neona performed some impromptu slight-of-hand, making two cards appear out of thin air with a flick of her hand. One card she let flutter down into the sand before stepping onto it, the other she held above her head with two fingers. The card glowed with a bright magic and then shot up into the air, disappearing into the sun. Colorful magic rained down from where the card had disappeared like comets onto the card that Neona was standing on, engulfing her in a painfully bright explosion of magic. The sun began to become eclipsed. First a quarter of it was eclipsed, then half, then the entire sun. It still glowed with an ethereal light however, as if the moon that had eclipsed it was still glowing. With the moon fully eclipsed, the light that had bombarded Neona faded and revealed a female figure with what seemed to be magical cards rushing up endlessly from her toes to the tip of her head. The cards began to reveal the figure, first a pair of high-heeled dress shoes, then yellow and lavender vertical-striped stockings capped off by mid-thigh garters, black pants covering everything between the garters and the hips, lavender sleeveless form-fitting top wit yellow suspended straps attached to a moon-shaped broach at the base of the neck, along with a white tie. Behind the female, cards fanned out and became a satiny lavender cape. Her face was painted with the same symbol as her broach. For the finishing touch, she reached out with a gloved hand and grabbed a card mid-air, and with a shake of her wrist it was a top-hat. She placed the hat on her head and opened her eyes, looking out at her tiny audience. The shady, mysterious female's luminous blonde hair was mostly pulled back into a bun, save for her wavy bangs and a tiny wavy ponytail peeking out of the top of the bun. There was also a hairpiece made of a pin, four cards and a crescent-shaped gold peice supporting the bun.

"Welcome to the show, boys," 'Neona' signed. "Please leave as little popcorn and blood behind as possible, for the custodian's sake."

Neona's Keyblade had seemingly vanished and was replaced with a staff about half her size capped with another golden crescent and a light blue translucent sphere. 'Neona" gripped it's top and leaned on it with all the Willy Wonka swagger in the world.

The whipping of the wind in Jacob's ears nearly drowned out the speech from Zero . But from his stance and tone Jacob discerned he should listen but found it less important than annoying. He figured that he couldn't ignore Zero after all he had held his own fairly well in their little spar earlier and he couldn't ignore the one with the Light but right now all his focus geared towards Stephen as he used his favorite magic fire in that way he found so creative. He watched as the color of Abyssal Ruin altered to a red glow a grin covered his face. " J? What am i the Joker, huh Harely?" He taunted as he made the dash at Stephen, the light of the area started to alter slightly in the midst of his attack Jacob was reminded of the many times storms had rolled in unexpectedly, all the hours him and Stephen had spent in their tree house hiding from the howling wind and the cracking thunder, He started to close in his over head smash of Ends of the Earth it was large enough to completely crush Stephen.

Things were heating up, literally. Stephan's keyblade had some kind of fire thing going on with it, and the ground around him had crisped up to a nice glassy material. Jacob was ready to smash, and luckily, he seemed to be paying more attention to Stephan than himself or Neona. Speaking of, Neona had completely changed into another form, one that completely confused Zero. Had...had she done that before? Was that one of the missing pieces in his memory? Or was this something completely new? He couldn't tell for sure.

For a moment, something tugged at his mind. Jacob and Stephan were busy. He could try and get out of there with Neona. The two of them could get away while the other two were busy, maybe head off to another world. They could go to Radiant Garden, or maybe somewhere else. They could explore, together...
No. No. That's not you speaking. That's what Tyler would have wanted. You are not Tyler. He's gone, and you're here now. The state you're in now, without emotions, you couldn't live up to him if you tried. Focus on who you are now.

The nobody sighed as he chastised himself mentally. The times he and Neona had together, the feelings they felt, laughter, sadness, happiness...all of that was gone now. He couldn't provide that for her anymore. Anything he tried to feel with her would be fake. Nothing more. He couldn't cheat her like that.

He wasn't running away with her. Which left him with the fight at hand.

Zero resisted the urge to start yelling at Stephan about completely misreading his message, that yeah, he'd said it in a way that could point to that, but his point was for everyone to stop trying to kill one another because of light or dark keyblades. However, that was pointless, and he was fairly certain it wouldn't help matters. Especially when in his point of view, Jacob was about to make Stephan go splat.

"What is WRONG with you two? Aren't you supposed to be friends or something?" The nobody yelled out, trying to raise his voice over the wind. It wasn't like he could feel what friendship was like anymore, but he knew what it was supposed to be, and he could remember that it wasn't supposed to include killing one another over something like this. Hoping that he'd caught either of the two's attention, he charged in behind Jacob and aimed an upward swing towards his wrists, making sure that if he were to hit, he'd land with the blunt of his blade.

Hopefully, Jacob would turn his attention to him, or maybe he'd even get in a hit and make him drop the keyblade while it was overhead. There were plenty of other possibilities that could happen instead, like himself getting deflected without much thought, or Jacob moving before he could reach him, but he tried to ignore those possibilities in lieu of avoiding the mental image of a flattened human on the beach.

The sky flashed with light as the wind raked through the trees. The ocean churned and started to produce larger waves. Stephen had seen the weird flashes of light, but he didn't look. He needed to focus on keeping Jacob away from Neona. What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you even fighting for her when you know nothing about her or how she feels. His thoughts swam through his head. Stephen began to hesitate as his thoughts confused him. Why stop him when now? I've always let him be this way. Dark and Light have always fought so why try defending her?

Lightning lit the sky and it's thunder shook the air around them. Do I even know what I'm doing? the fire started to die from around Stephen.

"What is WRONG with you two? Aren't you supposed to be friends or something?" The nobody's words snapped Stephen out of his thoughts. Quickly he rolled backwards and restart the fire surrounding him. He looked back and finally noticed that Neona had changed forms.

The sound of shattering glass filled the air as Ends of the Earth smashed slightly to the side of where Stephen had been. The shards danced around Jacob and Zero showing off all of their features from every imaginable angle, he raised his head seeing himself looking back at him, but not just that in one of the other shards through several other refraction he could see what he can only guess was the girl that Stephen had been with, in her new garter wearing high class stripper looking glory. He raised Ends of the Earth and returned it to it's rested position oh his shoulder. He didn't quite hear her threaten him but he turned to Stephen with an astounded look that almost said "okay i can kinda understand why your with her now."

The comment Jacob made was silly and a bit trite, but it didn't bother Neona really. It was meant to be a showy getup, it was all a big show! She felt a swell of excitement grow in her chest, a swell of excitement as her cape fluttered in the wind, however...

...it seemed, for the most part, no one was paying attention to her. It was initially a bit disheartening... but then again, that's exactly what she needed. People who weren't paying attention saw the least. And people who don't see things.... get caught off guard.

They didn't seem to notice as Neona flicked cards around them, and they didn't seem to notice the magic activating around them. Certainly, they didn't notice, until a piece of paper hit them all in the face. Each held a note that read "Look Down ^", but the arrow pointed up. Right.....? At least it seemed it pointed up, until they realized they were hanging upside-down in the middle of the air, hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh above the beach.

The speck that was Neona waved at them from the ground.

Well, now they were falling. Plummeting, even.

Neona flicked out a few more cards, setting well-placed Graviga spells for Stephen and Zero to land on. Jacob's, unfortunately...... was slightly off. She covered her mouth and convincingly mocked embarassment and horror.