Kingdom Hearts - Blades of Three Realms

[[XIII] Roxas]

"Not to mention it's even more unusual for Shiro to be murderous toward Roveth," Crystal would add as she and Roxas also arrived in the dining area. She would have raised an eyebrow at Izanagi taking wild swings at Roveth only to have him dodge every single attempt and hadn't immediately started laughing in response to Shiro's apron on account of that fact.

"Yeah, during breakfast he usually only has to swat down Riku for his annoying commentary," Roxas would have pointed out as well. "Well, him and Sora when he's down here visiting, but that's usually for completely different reasons."

"Well then, I guess this means I'm off the hook for today," Riku chimed in from behind Roxas and Crystal with his patented smirk.

"With Shiro as unhinged as he appears to be, not for long with that attitude," Crystal warned him. They would work their way around the table, avoiding the part of the room where Roveth was evading Izanagi, so they could all sit down in any case. "Anyway, me and Roxas are going to be heading up to Master Yen Sid's tower for today because I need to consult with him about what I intend to do next with my own training."

"In that case maybe I'll tag along with you," Riku spoke up. "It's been a few days since I last saw Sora and Kairi too so it's about time I pay them a visit and make sure Sora isn't slacking off too badly anyway."

"Training, huh?" Roxas hadn't really thought about it until now and he knew that Crystal wasn't telling everyone the whole truth when she said that, but it did occur to him that at this rate he was going to have a tough time keeping up with the rest of them if they just kept getting stronger and better with their own skills and all he'd really done was stay more or less the same. "Maybe I should think about doing some of my own training. Although, I'm really not like you guys with how you can just make up a training regimen on the fly. I think I might need a little instruction. And I think I know just the place," he shot a meaningful look at Demyx when he said this last part because Demyx had been sent with him on more than one mission to said location, although in almost every instance that had meant Demyx ditching Roxas at the first opportunity and Roxas being left to fend for himself against the overeager trainer of heroes himself. "Olympus Coliseum," Roxas nodded to himself. "I guess it's been a while since I've gone there. Wonder if those guys even remember me."

"You know, I've been thinking, I could probably stand to do a little training too," Xion would comment as she also entered the dining area to find Roveth still being subjected to Shiro's wrath at the hands of Izanagi. "Um... did I miss something?"  

[Kuukyo_Fushichou]

Roveth seemed to be all too amused even as he dodged Izanagi's wild swings, since it was obvious Shiro wasn't fully aiming to kill him, before settling into a slightly serious state of mind as he took one step back to dodge once more, slip around the blade much like a shadow, and looked ready to clothesline Izanagi in the face when he -barely- saw Izanagi's free hand glowing with yellow lightning "aw Shi--" and cue Roveth being blasted away with a point blank lightning blast piercing him and electrocuting him in Zio, and sent flying back into a wall near his usual seat at the dining table "Geh! okay... i deserved that." he muttered, pulling out a card and summoned a bottle of red potion as he began drinking it to replinish his health (Red Medicine) as Izanagi straightened himself, before fading into the background and a small pale blue flame as it returned to card form in Shiro's hand and was put away, and Shiro resumed cooking.

Shiro of course just continued cooking, and started having Apocalypse appear, and take the dishes out of the kitchen to the others, passing them around, and doing so at a more efficient pace than switching between plating things himself and cooking at the same time, of course, it probably looked weird especially when Apocalypse changed his look to wear an almost waiter-like top while passing along dishes and the like for everyone, thankfully, it would only take a good 15 minutes to finish up the cooking and setting some of the food aside for those not yet awake in a bounded field which inside rejected the concept of 'decay' and 'age', so that the food would still be good and fresh, even if it wasn't immediately warm, well, if not for the slight fire elemental based rune on the plates which kept the plates and anything on them warm.

Demyx had raised an eyebrow while looking at Roxas, before realizing where he meant that he wanted to go "oh yeah~! that'd definitely be a good place for you to train, though it was too intense for me, that's for sure. he said while sipping his coffee and began to eat with a hum as shiro came out, of course, he snickered upon seeing the apron, which had Shiro raise an eyebrow, before Demyx continued speaking "you know, why not take Shiro with you to there Roxas? i bet he'd fit right in training there, plus it'd get him away from Roveth for a while." he said, while Shiro narrowed his eyes at Demyx a bit "Oi... where are you two talking about anyway? and Xion: let's just say -never- get on Roveth's bad side and then ask him to set up a training program for you. EVER."

Axel just would walk down the stairs, yawning and a bit zombie-fied as well, heading to the kitchen to get his first cup of coffee, as well as some of the saved for those just waking up food before joining at the table to get some food in his gut so he could get some focus, though he did seemed surprised seeing the singed/charred Roveth and the not-so-murderous Shiro "... i don't even want to know. i'm just going to sip my coffee, and just go with the flow."  

[[XIII] Roxas]

"That looks like it hurt," Riku would comment at Roveth's electrically charged punishment from Izanagi.

"Oh yeah, Shiro would fit right in, wouldn't he? He might even be a match for Hercules," Roxas nodded at the suggestion from Demyx. Of course, he wasn't thinking about it so much in terms of getting Shiro away from Roveth for a little while as much as he realized it was probably the most subtle way of getting him away from Crystal so she could do whatever it was she needed to without Shiro finding out about it. "How about it, Shiro? You feel up for a little training trip to Olympus Coliseum?"

"That's really not a bad idea," Crystal chimed in. "You guys might even run into some of our friends from Radiant Garden while you're there. I know Cloud and Leon like to relieve stress by fighting in some of the tournaments. Just watch out for Hades."

"It sounds like it could be fun," Xion also considered tagging along. "Plus, I saw what happened when Shiro was sparring with Cloud in Radiant Garden. Someone needs to be there who can focus on healing you guys if you get in over your heads."

"Hey, don't lump me in with Shiro!" Roxas protested. "I'm not that reckless!"

"That's good because someone needs to be responsible for that idiot while Roveth and Crystal aren't around," Riku commented with a smirk.

"Although I will admit it might be interesting to get to fight against Cloud or Leon," Roxas continued. "I mean, Sora and Crystal have both beaten them so they can't be all that tough, right?"

"Oh, they're tough alright," Crystal assured him. "It's just that as far as weapons go, Keyblades have an advantage over more conventional bladed weapons. Not to mention once you figure out how they fight, both Cloud and Leon are kinda predictable."

"Then I guess fighting them could be a good way to test my progress once I get through with the actual training," Roxas acknowledged with a nod.

"Now there's an idea," Crystal agreed. "Just keep in mind you might have to contend with Yuffie too."

"You know, maybe Axel should tag along to keep an eye on you guys after all," Riku suggested. "You know, just to be on the safe side."  

[Kuukyo_Fushichou]

Roveth snorted, and was about to mention something when he saw a pixie fly by his face before feeling refreshed and actually not looking as singed as he looked over to Shiro, who looked at Xion with a bit of amusement "while you can come if you'd like, i -have- been polishing up on my personas.. and apparently i found a nice summonable one that can heal wounds, though it'd be only about on par with a cure spell, as i'm not yet strong enough as a persona user to utilize higher tier personas." he said, while looking at Riku with a clear look of annoyance "you -really- seem to be asking for pain by saying i need a babysitter." he said with that deadly cold tone, showing he was about a few seconds off from siccing Izanagi on Riku next. either way he would calm down and then look to Roxas with a smile "taking on Herc huh? not to mention Leon and Cloud... yeah, i could go for going to Olympus Coliseum. granted Wolfwood was trying not too long ago to get someone to help me out when i was clueless about what to do about training in general, before we got caught up in dealing with Kefka, and subsequent events after." he then glanced to Crystal, and winced, looking aside a moment "ugh... did you have to -remind- me of Hades Crystal? last time i went to the coliseum was bad because the guy wouldn't stop stalking me as if he -expected- me to keel over any damn second!"

Roveth sighed, feeling better from Pixie's help while giving off a slight clearing of his throat a moment to at least get Shiro focused away from his whining about Hades in particular "i think its a good idea, personally, for Shiro to go to Olympus anyway. as for me, i think i will hold the fort with Demyx and Isa, given there's still a -lot- of things i have to sort through and make, as well as understand, before i feel confident in leaving Twilight Town again." he said, resuming his eating while watching as Pixie flew around the room in curiosity before moving to land on Shiro's head as he ate, eventually fading from view much like Izanagi did, and Shiro, under the table, put the pixie card away for now. "in fact... a couple of the projects i have in mind will give possibly Shiro a new sword to play with, and maybe other good fun things if someone wants one too." he said, scratching his chin a bit lightly.

Axel looked to Roxas, a bit surprised in including him in possibly going to Olympus, but at the same time he looked towards Crystal and Riku a moment, before giving off a thoughtful hum, as if pondering the option and figuring out -why- people were conspiring to keep shiro away from Crystal... either way he'd take a sip of his coffee and grin a bit lightly "eh, why not? might be fun to see Shiro get punted around the coliseum by Herc." he said with clear amusement, and inciting a clear 'Oi!' from Shiro, who was- not- happy in having his skills underestimated by Axel "also would be amusing to see you and Shiro team up to take on Leon and cloud, though i think Shiro could probably out-fight them in sword skills alone." he said while glancing to roxas "but you two together? that's going to be a -rough- fight for them that's for sure."  

[[XIII] Roxas]

Obviously, the training trip wasn't going to happen straight away as shortly after breakfast Roxas would still be going with Crystal and Riku to Master Yen Sid's tower to find out more about what exactly it was that Crystal was going to be getting up to that Shiro couldn't be a part of.

"Hm, yes, I see," Master Yen Sid nodded while he listened to Crystal's intention of traveling to the Keyblade Graveyard. "You have remarkable insight to know it is wise to keep Roxas from venturing to that place as well as keeping it a secret from Shiro's other self. Master Xehanort still seeks thirteen vessels fit to house his twisted heart so naturally if Sora is a desirable candidate that means he will likely settle for Roxas as well if the opportunity presents itself."

"And the Keyblade Graveyard is definitely on Master Xehanort's radar," added Riku. "So going there would place Roxas under unnecessary risk."

"Right, because my heart might not be strong enough to block his out," Roxas sighed in frustration. He knew they were right to be concerned, but that didn't make him feel any better about the thought that Crystal was intent on going there even if she had to do it alone at this point.

"You've come a long way and your sense of self has grown tremendously, but unfortunately that doesn't mean you won't still be vulnerable," Master Yen Sid confirmed to Roxas.

"It'll be alright," Crystal reached over and gave Roxas's hand a light squeeze. "I'm not planning to do anything reckless, but it is something only I can do. I need to set their spirits free. All of those fallen Keyblade warriors who lost their hearts and their lives to the Keyblade War. I need to put the past to rest so that they can finally be at peace. And once that's done the ominous air of negativity that surrounds the place should disperse as well. Heck, it might even put a damper on Master Xehanort's plans too."

"That'll be some trick," Riku commented with a note of interest. "Have you given any thought to how you're going to do it though?"

"I might not look it, but being a summoner basically makes me a priestess," Crystal explained offhandedly. "You have to be able to commune with spirits and connect with the spirit world in order to become a summoner. Plus, in this case, I have a couple of friends on the inside who should be able to help me to guide the wayward souls to where they belong. Other than that, I just need to apologize for making them wait for so long."

"But that doesn't mean you should have to go alone," Roxas protested very openly on that point.

"Which is why Riku shall accompany Crystal as her escort," Master Yen Sid recommended. "That will also make this arrangement more suitable for our determining whether or not she possesses the Mark of Mastery."

"Well, I guess that's fair," Crystal awkwardly agreed while scratching behind her ear looking slightly embarrassed. "At the very least, I'll find out what my old Master has to say about it."

"Count me in," Riku smirked with some amusement. "It sounds interesting."

"You'd better not let anything happen to her," Roxas turned a harsh glare on Riku. "I don't like that I can't be there to protect her... although I have to admit I don't know that I could the way I am now... but I'm trusting you so you'd better not blow it."

"Don't worry," Riku waved him off. "I promise I'll do everything I can to keep her safe so in the meantime you can focus on keeping Shiro out of trouble at Olympus Coliseum."

"I'm going to hold you to it," Roxas's expression softened a little. "But really it isn't me you need to be concerned about. Shiro's the one who will murder you if anything goes wrong out there and I know he'll have plenty of help from Roveth. Something to keep in mind."

"Yeah, don't remind me," Riku shuddered at the thought. "But we both know Crystal can take care of herself. She just needs someone else there to pull her out of the fire if things get too intense. I promise she'll be fine."

"Anyway, once we get through this I think we should all regroup on Radiant Garden," Crystal decided to break the tension. "I have lots of catching up to do with everyone there so it will be a good place to take a break after all that training."


Once they had agreed to those terms they left Master Yen Sid's tower to make the necessary preparations for the trip. Crystal would go with Roxas to the clock tower to help explain everything to Axel and Xion so they'd both be in on why Shiro was being kept out the loop. After that it wasn't long before Crystal would leave Twilight Town with Riku so they could begin making their way to the Keyblade Graveyard. Even once they got there it was going to be a lot of ground to cover so the plan was to give them about a week to get it over with before regrouping back at Radiant Garden. In the meantime, Roxas and the others who were inclined to do so would be leaving for Olympus Coliseum to get on with some training of their own.

*~Olympus Coliseum~*
A Few Days Later...

Phil wasn't taking it lightly that Roxas had cut back on his training these past few years, not that Roxas had ever been serious about his training or even the idea of becoming a hero in the first place. But since he had come to train he was being put through the gauntlet day in and day out since they arrived at the coliseum. He was tired and aching from all the exertion of smashing urns, lifting huge barrels and boxes, performing precarious balancing exercises that made him question Phil's sensibilities and his own safety at times, but Roxas kept at it because that stubborn determination was literally the only thing keeping his mind off of worrying over Crystal and how very far away she was right now.

It was obvious that Roxas was pushing himself way too hard, helped along by rigorous training regimen he was allowing Phil to rope him into. Xion knew why he was going at it so hard and wanted to call him out for overdoing it like he was, but she didn't want to say anything too revealing in front of Shiro because he was the only one still oblivious to the fact that Crystal could be in any sort of danger where she was at. It was a little surprising that Shiro didn't even remotely question it, but his lack of prying made it easy for them to keep it from him.

Roxas couldn't keep at it forever though. Eventually, thoroughly winded, he collapsed on his back staring up at the harshness of the bright sky in a slight daze.

"Roxas, you can't keep doing this to yourself," Xion scolded him while passing him a water bottle so he at least wouldn't get himself dehydrated and make his condition any worse than it was already.

"She's got a point," Phil actually agreed. "I admire your passion, Kiddo, but part of training is knowing when to get some rest. I'm calling it now, you're on a time out."

"Wait, what?" Roxas snapped out of his daze almost immediately and struggled to get back on his feet. "No, I'm fine. Just tell me what I should do next!"

And that was pretty much how it had gone again and again over the past few days. Unbeknownst to Roxas or Xion, in that time a certain swordsman well acquainted with Sora had taken an interest in Shiro and things were about to get even more complicated.  

[Kuukyo_Fushichou]

Shiro thankfully had been under the eye of Axel as had Roxas, but he had to keep an eye more on Shiro than Roxas since it seemed Phil and Xion had Roxas handled easily. meanwhile, shiro had been using Madoushi's Mist Sword in conjunction with his mist attacks to fight Izanagi, who had become Shiro's sparring partner for the moment, since he was pretty much winging it and taking it easy compared to Roxas's working himself to the ground, thankfully, his kind of training was only tough because fighting Izanagi was in a way, fighting himself, so he had to not only block out the link from Izanagi, but also fight Izanagi on his normal usual level, without relying on tracing at the moment. of course his sparring had caught the interest of two people: Hades, Lord of the Dead, and a graying black haired red coat wielding swordsman who seemed rather intrigued another swordsman would be there, especially with what he felt from Shiro. of course, Hades saw something different but he stayed back watching with a malicious grin on his face, but once auron stepped out he would raise an eyebrow and wait and saw what happened.

Shiro had just finished sparring with Izanagi, both of them looking alright with minor cuts to each other, though Shiro did de-summon Izanagi to rest, he did summon Pixie for a quick refresh using Dia as the swordsman stepped over "that style you wield... it looks awkward on you." Shiro raised an eyebrow while wiping some sweat off his forehead "yes well you look socially awkward, your point?" he snarked back causing Auron to actually smirk under his coat collar before continuing "you seem to rely on power, yet focus on speed more than power is what i meant, if you're going to rely on power, shouldn't you rely on defense?" Shiro hummed a bit, before shrugging lightly "not my style, i'm a fast paced hard hitter. so i need to more work on my endurance and stamina more than anything, besides, you don't look like a teacher to me." Shiro shot out, while auron snorted a bit "me, a teacher? how absurd of a notion you have in your head." Shiro of course rolled his eyes and idly let go of the mist sword as it floated up and attached itself to Shiro's back "just as absurd as your coat is in combat, i mean seriously, anyone worth their salt in speed and power could take you out by using that coat as a leverage tool." Auron raised his eyebrow again and looked down at his coat, then looking at Shiro lightly "and you look like a scrawny swimmer more than an actual swordsman." Shiro turned, shrugging lightly as he drew Einlanzer and begun working on his own Katas a moment "better for speed really, and at least i don't look like some tacky samurai who thinks he's cool with a few scars and has an aura of death around him." of course, this actually got Auron to blink a moment, before chuckling a bit, just as Hades decided to put his two cents in "hiya! by the way, that death aura on him is because he's dead actually, but i have a--" Shiro and Auron both turn to Hades and look at him with a deadpan "stuff a sock in it Hades, you two bit has-been of a god. no wonder why people want to avoid death as soon as possible if they have to look at your delightfully yet dishonestly ugly mug." of course, this actually floored Hades a moment and allowed the two to move away and continue sniping out their comments at each other while Shiro worked on his sword Katas and all.

Axel of course heard the whole exchange and actually had to laugh at a few of the comments sniping between Auron and Shiro at each other, and then that gem used on Hades just had him sprawled laughing his head off about it for a good few minutes before he'd go check and make sure Xion kept Roxas under control and tell them of the lines Shiro was delivering to Auron and that gem, oh god, what he would have given for a camera at the dumbfounded look at Hades's face after getting lambasted like -that- verbally.  

[[XIII] Roxas]

"Axel, thank goodness, maybe you can try to talk some sense into him," Xion gestured toward Roxas who was back on his feet and attempting to negotiate his way into getting more training from Phil.

"Look kid, I get it, you've got something you've gotta prove, but you've got to figure out who you're doing this for or it's not gonna cut it," Phil had lapsed into lecture mode. "You think I haven't seen this sort of desperation before? A boy your age getting this worked up, it's about a dame, right? Well I'm gonna stop you there because running yourself around in circles until you pass out ain't no way to impress the ladies."

"Huh?!" Roxas actually paused and stared at Phil. "No, it isn't like that. I'm not... I don't need to... look, that isn't what this is about."

"Hm, you sure about that?" Phil gave him a once over. "Well, I guess you don't actually got that hopeless lovesick look about you."

"That's not the problem," Roxas rubbed the back of his head looking pretty embarrassed now that Phil was probing him about his personal life instead of just giving him more training to focus on.

"Oh, I get it now, you've already got someone," Phil persisted. "And judging from the fact that you ain't been swooning over this lovely young lady here with us that she must be someone pretty special to you."

Xion might have been more embarrassed at this exchange if Phil hadn't already tried to flirt with her several times during the past few days.

"Um... well... yeah, I guess," Roxas was totally disarmed from his pursuit of further training at the moment as he found the track of this conversation to be increasingly awkward. "But I've been afraid that when she needs me to I won't be strong enough to protect her. So, somehow, I've been thinking, I need to become stronger, but I really don't know how to go about doing that on my own."

"It sounds like you've got it pretty bad," Hercules had started to overhear the conversation while taking a break from his own training since there wasn't a tournament going on at the moment.

"Not you too!" Roxas nearly lost his balance again.

"So where is this dame of yours anyway?" Phil was interrogating Roxas again and Xion was struggling desperately not to laugh as Roxas started reeling from the pressure.

"She's away right now to do her own training," Roxas started to stumble a bit as he answered awkwardly. He could feel his face starting to burn from all the prying these guys were doing.

"It's okay though," Xion interjected to give Roxas a little breathing room. He was already exhausted and this comical interrogation into his personal life really wasn't helping with the matter. "We'll be meeting up with Crystal again at the end of the week."

"Oh yeah, she's the one whose usually with Shiro isn't she?" Hercules chimed in with obvious amusement.

"That's some dame to be chasing after," Phil agreed. "A bit rough around the edges, that one." He looked back at Roxas. "I guess I've gotta admire your courage. She's a good kid, but definitely a tough nut to crack. You probably shouldn't get your hopes up."

"Huh?" Roxas stared blankly at him. "Listen, I'm not trying to prove anything and I'm not doing any chasing. I just want to get stronger so I can keep her safe when she can't do it herself!"  

[Kuukyo_Fushichou]

Axel gave off a snort hearing the banter going on between Phil, Roxas, and Herc, and just shook his head "man... i knew i should've brought a camcorder to this, given i just witnessed some red coat guy and Shiro dual-roast Hades, and now this! this is just a riot today~!" he said, chuckling a bit, but did notice the exhaustion on Roxas's movements, and sighed, walking over and picking Roxas up by the back of his shirt collar "okay okay, love interests aside, you need to take a break Roxas, working yourself nito the ground is one thing, but neglecting to give your body -rest- is a recipe for disaster, i mean, look at how Shiro looked after -Roveth's- training program, do you want to end up being so snappy at everyone? not to mention being tired at a critical juncture could cost you your life..." he would give Roxas a clear look "besides, you know Crystal wouldn't want to see you run yourself ragged for her sake, so at least listen to Phil for once, if he told you to cool off, then -take a rest and do it.-" he would set Roxas on his feet after giving him that lecture, and turned to go back to keeping an eye on Shiro "now if you'll excuse me, i have to get back to watching Shiro, since i don't know -who- this guy in the red coat is."

Shiro meanwhile continued working on his Katas, while Auron watched quietly, raising an eyebrow seeing him switch from Einlanzer once he was done, to bringing out of nowhere a bo-staff, then a lance, then a pretty large hammer, even a huge battle-axe, and working to swing it with unerring grace at the moment "Interesting choices of weapons there... how do you bring them out anyway?" Shiro had been in the midst of bringing out a Scythe next when he heard the question and stopped a moment, leaning on the scythe a bit "well... let's just say it's a special skill i have. so what's you name, silent, brooding, and wandering spirit?" he asked, while Auron just snorted, and looked to the side a bit ".... Auron. and don't act like i'm the only brooding one, you look like you lost something close to you, or have seen the horrors of something uninmaginable." Shiro just raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting to be called out on his own hollowness, but shrugged "nothing i could do to save what i saw, so i work to never let atrocities like that happen again." Auron just sighed, hearing words he would've said... back then, back in... "... hmph. you may act like a fighter, but your body belies that of a guardian." Shiro stiffened on that mention and narrowed his eyes, the pressure in the area increased as he stared hard at Auron with the cold, hollow eyes. sure, he has gotten to the point where he could feel emotions again, but more to the fact that the hole in his soul while healed spectacuarly, still had left a wide vacuum for things to fill "... i am no Guardian, now or -ever-." he said with cold unfettered fury, as auron actually looked impressed, and smirked a bit "hah! there's no running from yourself, you know... but... you have... potential, much like she did... or still does." Shiro kept his eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms, Izanagi appearing beside him, and oddly enough as did Belial of his Scions as he raised an eyebrow "what do you mean by that?" Auron snorted lightly "you may be a swordsman, but your... interesting partners beside you show you have aptitude for summoning, yes?" Shiro nodded, raising an eyebrow "to a point i do, probably moreso now than i have before." he said in a clipped tone before Auron rose a hand lightly as he glanced up to the skies a bit, raising an eyebrow as if hearing something else "you sure... that's what they're telling you?" he muttered, while Shiro continued to watch before Auron spotted Axel coming closer "... i see. oi, Kid Guardian.... go talk to your friends and that demi-god if you want, but if you want -real- training... come talk to me." he said, while Shiro continued death-glaring auron as he walked away for that kid-guardian comment, but he did turn to at least get back to work on his katas, summoning Kanshou and bakuya as Izanagi and Belial faded once more, leaving axel a -bit- confused despite the presence lightening up at least.  

[[XIII] Roxas]

Roxas struggled a bit when Axel lifted him off the ground, but seemed to have calmed down somewhat by the time he was set back down again. He knew Axel was right. He just didn't know how else to deal with what he was feeling right now. He was worried and impatient and really just wanted for the week to be over so that he wouldn't have to wait anymore. The waiting really was the worst part. Of course, Roxas was also curious now about this red coat guy that Axel had mentioned and decided to follow along to find out what that was all about anyway.

"Guy in a red coat, huh? Hey Phil, do you think maybe it could be Auron?" Hercules remarked as Roxas took off after Axel to check up on what was going on with Shiro.

"Could be," Phil responded. "Haven't really seen or heard anything from him in quite a while, but maybe something's come along to spark his interest."

"He is kinda enigmatic," Hercules had to admit.

Xion wondered what this was all about too as she headed off after Roxas to catch up with Axel where Shiro was practicing under the watchful eye of the other swordsman. At the very least she didn't have to worry about Roxas pushing himself over the edge again right now as the combined lecturing from Phil and Axel seemed to have finally gotten through to him somewhat.

They would, of course, have noticed the momentary spike in Shiro's presence and were understandably puzzled when they caught up with him to find nothing apparently wrong.

"I wonder what that was about," Roxas glanced at Xion.

"Whatever it was, it must be between the two of them and they don't want anyone else getting involved," Xion wasn't sure what else to say on the matter.

It looked like Hades was still scoping things out from a safe distance, but it didn't seem like he was interested in making trouble for them at the moment, probably because it wouldn't be any fun without a tournament to boast about.  

[Kuukyo_Fushichou]

Shiro had been practicing with Kanshou and Bakuya, looking more at ease doing the katas for it, even going into some moves he utilized with the blades and their magnetic properties, though he noticed something off, even when he caught them, he'd glance over to Roxas and Xion, before smiling "hey... no, it's more like that guy..." he said, jerking his thumb back to Auron "called me something that... hits a little too close to home." he said, frowning lightly when remembering that name.. kid guardian... meh! "but don't worry too much about it." he said while continuing his work, while Hades did seem to be only watching, he was about to go see if he could borrow Shiro's attention when he felt a presence behind him glaring with ruby red orbs. "You! when did you get out of your prison!?!?!?!" he said, glaring at the blonde haired man as much as the red-eyes were glaring back "none of your business, Mongrel! now out of the way, it seems i am fated to meet the Faker's pupil again." Hades frowned a bit, starting to look a little bloodshot in his yellow eyes "you Dare!?! I Am the Lord of the Dead!" of course, all this prompted was the blonde haired man to raise a hand, and golden portals opened up, shooting out chains to wrap hades up, who tried to break free of them but found he could not "god of the dead you may be, Mongrel, but you cannot suppress me any longer, now that i see -he- has shown himself again." he said coldly, before starting to walk past Hades, keeping him tied down while putting his hands in his jacket pockets.

Shiro would at least keep going on his katas when he heard the rattle of chains, but it was a slight 'swoosh' in the air that made Shiro drop Kanshou and Bakuya almost immediately and whirl around, dodging the narrow possible beheading of himself with what looked in his eyes to be Gram, the predecessor and prototype to one of the blades within his own unlimited blade works, as he snatched it up into his left hand as he passed by the handle, spun around, and glared at the direction it came from, seeing a far too amused blonde haired red-eyed man "... must you greet me like this every time we -somehow- manage to meet, Gilgamesh?" he said with a lot of snark in his tone, while Gilgamesh gave off a condescending smirk standing there "depends, but its good to note your skills in dodging has sharpened a bit more since last we met, usually i'd have to wait for you to heal after losing an ear." Shiro of course growled, remembering the few times he -did- have his ear cut off, only to be given a few drops of ambrosia from Gilgamesh's gate "what do you want, King of Heroes... you never show up without a reason when it seems we are fated to meet, unfortunately." Gilgamesh just rolled his eyes, and just as he was about to speak, he opened up the gate and took back in the flung at him Gram, usual banter between the two as he looked amused "well, it seems your lack of respect is still the same, though i applaud that honesty in yourself." he said in a mocking tone, while Shiro eyetwitched at Gilgamesh, who seemed to be -very- vague today of all days.

Axel just shrugged hearing shiro's comments, but when the new guy came and all and nearly took Shiro's head off, he was already in the motions to bring his Chakrams and Keyblade out until he saw the almost -playfulness- in the golden haired man's eyes "... this guy... is no joke. holy cow..." he muttered, clearly unnerved, feeling the commanding presence of the king of heroes exuded naturally, but he did narrow his eyes as Shiro glanced to them "you guys might want to back up... it seems mister walking armory here is probably about to test me.. again." Axel would raise an eyebrow despite narrowed eyes and all "what do you mean test you again?" Shiro just took a breath, before closing his eyes, his own presence starting to leak out as he opened his eyes, going ice cold despite the shimmering prismatic nature they have "I am the Bone of My Sword..." of course, THAT got Auron's attention and Gilgamesh, well... he's just watching all too amused, though portals started opening behind him once more, weapons starting to poke out.  

[[XIII] Roxas]

Roxas's first instinct when seeing Shiro about to unleash his Reality Marble on this unknown person, apparently called Gilgamesh, was to step protectively in front of Xion only for his legs to finally give out again because even though he had been walking around just fine up to that point the sudden rush of adrenaline had only served to remind his body of how outright exhausted he was right now. Xion caught him by the arm and was able to support him well enough while Hercules rushed over to shield the both of them.

"You see kid, this is why I told you to ease up and take a break," Phil once again reprimanded Roxas for overexerting himself earlier.

"Yeah, you told me alright," Roxas sighed indignantly knowing he wasn't going to hear the end of this.

"So, what now?" Xion wondered.

"We should probably do what Shiro said and get back as much as we can," Roxas suggested. "I don't know who this guy, Gilgamesh, is or what he's capable of, but if he's here to test Shiro, he must be pretty powerful."

"No way!" Hercules was practically gushing. "Is that really the Gilgamesh, King of Heroes?"

"Earth to Herc, fanboy later!" Phil admonished him loudly.

"Right, let's get out of here," Hercules easily scooped up both Roxas and Xion to carry them a safer distance away from the escalating powers that were radiating off of Shiro and Gilgamesh. "Oh man, they're both packing a lot of power aren't they?"

"Yeah, that's a lot of power alright," Phil agreed. Then in a slightly more irate tone he yelled over. "Hey, don't go wrecking the Coliseum! We just got done with the repairs and no one wants the next Games to be canceled because of it being demolished again!"  

[Kuukyo_Fushichou]

Axel would also jump back himself, frowning a bit lightly "if what Shiro's about to bring out, the Coliseum will be fine, as we won't -technically- be here at all. trust me Phil... this will be a sight indeed, even if it means Shiro is actually going immediately serious... and not pulling punches." he said, while seeing the slowly rising blue embers much like soft illusionary embers at that.

Shiro had continued staring, given that he heard Axel, he knew well that the Reality Marble wouldn't affect Olympus at all, as he narrowed his eyes, given Gilgamesh's gate -could-, and proceeded to bring his hand out, seven violet petals sprung out and Gilgamesh's Armory fired at least one weapon to test it, it didn't even flinch despite the great-axe clashing with the force of a bullet, before flinging back towards the King of Heroes who actually caught it and charged forward, beginning to clash hard with the petal Barrier known as Rho Alias "Steel is my Body, and Fire is my Blood." shiro intoned out as he quickly flicked out his morpher mid holding the barrier up, and using a deft hand movement, he'd dodge out of the way of another swing, this time transforming into the Red Megaforce Ranger, but without the helmet as he proceeded to summon up Einlanzer, and started clashing, small shockwaves forming amongst the duo as they clashed, but nothing seriously damaging to the area thankfully, just kicked up dust mainly. "I have created... over a Thousand Blades." Gilgamesh chuckled as he swung the axe, with shiro parrying it and returning fire with slashes which made the King jump back and use the axe to defend "you'll have to do better than that, Faker's Faker! your Mentor's reality marble is nothing but the height of hubris of a broken man's ideals!" Shiro had growled out, the presence starting to intensify greatly as he begun pressing harder with his slashes "who said it's purely my mentor's marble anymore, King of Heroes!?! Born within the Light of Creation..." he said, the images of swords floating up and about as if observing the continuing fight, a faint light starting to shine down on the area as the blue embers started to glow a bit brighter "what the... that's not the chant...?" Shiro had glared fully at Gilgamesh and swung around, grabbing onto the hilt of the axe before delivering a powerful kick to his sternum and forcing him to let go of the axe before he narrowed his eyes, and in a flash, was donning his golden armor, and his hair back up into its almost... arrogant like splendor "yet become an Engine of Destruction..." with one step, the flames encircling shiro began to grow as he gripped onto that axe handle, before charging in dual wielding both Einlanzer and the axe, using of course the Black Blood enhanced strength since his Prana was more being used to first summon the marble "Tch... seems you've gotten slightly better.. but know your place, Mongrel!" he called out, bringing Merodach, the one Sin, and proceeding to clash sword to axe and Einlanzer as the power continued to rise "just a little better? has your Arrogance gotten to your damn head again!? This very Soul... possesses Infinite Potential.." of course, with one clash, he literally shoved Gilgamesh back ,but once again took on a backpedal as the rustling of grass could be heard, along with the melodious sound of crystal tinkling against crystal, the embers now turning into a clear fire tornado starting to envelop Shiro's body rather easily "potential.... you? don't make me laugh!the only way you'll have the potential to amuse me is if you corrected the flaws in your own images!" Shiro had actually smirked, full on smirked, despite having gotten quickly sped up on the King of Heroes, and taking a good chunk of damage, which thankfully to the Ranger outfit translated to sparks and everything before shiro skidded back and went to one knee "seems... you took Mentor's words to heart.. but... i haven't been slacking either...! and these hands... were made to hold everything." he intoned, the flames starting to spread outward now into a spiral sense, slowly engulfing all in the pale blue flames, just as barely overheard by the inferno "My life has become... Unlimited... Blade Works!", with that, Shiro swung his arm, causing the flames to engulf everyone: Auron, Roxas and the others, Even Hades, and most especially Gilgamesh, within the blue-white light, before once they opened their eyes once more, they'd see the pedestals, the plaques, the weapons, those crystalline gears churning in the dawn light sky, the rolling grassy plains, and sure enough... Shiro was standing there, putting Einlanzer back in its sheath and flinging the great-axe back to Gilgamesh, who once again stored it back in his Gate, looking entirely serious "you... what is this? this isn't the graveyard of blades... this..." of course, he grit his teeth, and sure enough, out popped nearly hundreds of weapons from newly spawned portals, clearly pissed "how DARE you think you can actually you own everything, ZASSHUN!!!!" Shiro of course rose a hand to the air, just as he had summoned to his side from the marble they were all in, a copy of Merodach, and sure enough, hundreds of other weapons also copied from the Gate had appeared as well at his side, hovering in the air much like the gate's contents "I dare.... because these blades are no longer just images.. they are truely an infinite number of swords.. the finest of finest swords! now then... King of Heroes... do you think you have enough weapons!?!?!" (To Be Continued~!)