HEY YOU WITH THE FACE. [C][MIKHAIL]

First district. Strings of white Christmas lights glittered between distant buildings. A tower with a great clock lit from behind glowed like a reflection of the golden moon overhead.

Mikhail stood in the street with his hands in his pockets. After that fight, a pause to admire the evening was a welcome change of pace. The air smelled cool and sweet. Sighing, the keyblader rolled his shoulder to get the stiffness out; this patrol had been tougher than most. When the Keyblader worked his way across the Third District, he found the shadowed alleyways and back courtyards swarming with Heartless. A few of his encounters put him in a cold sweat. The invasions came more often, more intense. And the Heartless had become more bold.

Well. Nice to be out of there. The rest of tonight should be uneventful; just head home... report to Rose... get some sleep...

"Hey! Mikhail, was it?!"

Huh? Mikhail turned around, only to see a kid in a gas mask coming towards him. Light glinted off the creepy round goggles hiding his eyes. The mask completely covered his face, but even with his features hidden, Mikhail knew that this was a complete stranger. His hair, his build, his walk. None of it was familiar. Not even the voice. Who was this guy? How did he know his name?

Mikhail kept his hands in his pockets and looked at the newcomer through eyes a little narrowed. "Yes, I'm Mikhail. Who are you?"

Mikhail waited as Carmen paused for breath. Then the words came spilling out. "We didn't really meet last time I saw you... I'm from the labyrinth... Sorta."

The labyrinth. Gas-mask Kid was from the labyrinth? Mikhail stared with a quizzical look on his face. Maybe he escaped after they opened the world?

"I wrote the note... And left the potions... And followed the two of you most of the ti-"

Mikhail's mouth fell open. This? This was the Kid? The freaky-note Kid? A surge of cold anger filled Mikhail's chest as memories of the fear and pain came flooding back. Eyes glittering, he slipped one hand out of his pocket. Tapped the side of his leg with his index finger. Gasmak-Kid scratched the back of his head; he seemed a bit sheepish.

"This is all... Creepier than intended."

This kid... wasn't as freaky as Mikhail had imagined. Now that the answers came, now that he knew this little twerp had just been watching them the whole time, the Note lost that particular eeriness that comes with the unknown. All the same. Despite Carmen's obvious embarrassment, Mikhail's attitude was anything but friendly.

"Well, I don't know why you'd be surprised. If leaving demon-scrawls and stalking my friend and I isn't a problem to you, why wouldn't your conversation be 'creepy'?"

Reaching up, the Kid fumbled with a few straps and pulled the mask off. Thick white bangs framed a nervous, boyish face. "I'm Carmen..."
Carmen. Mikhail had two images of this person in his mind. The mysterious, sinister Unknown from the Labyrinth. And the un-intimidating, awkward kid standing right in front of him. Yeah. So much for a malicious presence watching his and Emilio's every move. Well. Or maybe Carmen was just a good liar. But oh, Mikhail had the Kid right here: and he wasn't leaving without answering a few questions.

"Okay, Carmen. You owe me a few answers. Why were you following us? What did you want? And where the hell WERE you that whole time? Did you just stalk us for fun? And that door. Your cryptic riddles almost got us KILLED."

Mikhail clenched his fist, restraining himself. The more he thought about this, the more he wanted to wrap his hands around this kids' neck and strangle him.

"At first is was curiosity. Then I realized neither of you were from there. And then I thought I could use the two of you to get out of there. I was desperate, okay." Gaskmask Kid sighed.

Mikhail crossed his arms and bit his tounge, staring at Carmen. Images of bloody corpses and nightmare monsters flashed through Mikhail's mind as his anger began to ooze away. Fine. He could understand Carmen being desperate to escape that hellish maze. And he was right about one thing. As close to death as Mikhail and Emilio had come, they were both still alive. Carmen had provided them with hi-potions, and a tip for killing Ruth. In a place like that, giving potions away was a risk, a sacrifice. Or just a way of getting out. After all, what good were Mikhail and Emilio to this kid dead?

"The riddle was a mistake. I should've just given you the answer instead of trying to be mysterious... It was rushed and messy, and anything but helpful. But I didn't force your hand. I didn't tell you to go through that specific door. That was your choices."

Carmen glanced at Mikhail as if he were a bomb about to blow. Annoying. But understandable. Mikhail closed his eyes and let out a gusty sigh. There would be no apology from him for his heated questioning: after all the crap they went through, why wouldn't he be angry? At the same time, though, Carmen's answers took the edge off his bitter response. This kid didn't look like someone to fear. He was nervous. He had approached Mikhail, not avoided him. The riddle had been foolish (at the very least), but he admitted it. Why had he called out to Mik anyway?

"Alright. Fine. You weren't out for our blood or playing some sadistic game. And I suppose someone other than me might thank you for those hi-potions. Two more questions. Why did you call out to me, after all that? What did you want?"

His hands slipped into his coat pockets. Relax your shoulders. Try to look a little less pissed off.

"I just, got caught up in the excitement of seeing a semi-familiar face again... Just wanted to make sure you were real... I think."

You think. Mikhail pushed his bangs away from his eyes. The more Carmen talked the more his anger faded out. Who gets excited just to see a stranger? Someone lonely. Even that urge to see if Mikhail was real made sense: that labyrinth messed with your head. Mikhail started to wonder how many days, weeks, or years Carmen spent in that nightmare world. Mikhail watched without blinking as Carmen bit his lip so hard it nearly bled. Was the kid stressed or embarrassed or what?

"Nothing important... Really. But, I do have to ask... Why? Why did you two go there anyways? You weren't looking for someone too right?"

"Too. So you're looking for someone."

Mikhail watched Carmen, eyes slightly narrowed. This was a strange one. Nervous. Jumping to greet someone he knew barely anything about. Guilty. Though Mikhail wasn't about to put his arm around the kids' shoulder or offer any handshakes, his resentment cooled like a dying ember as Carmen twisted that eerie mask in his hands. Again, Mikhail sighed. "You can relax... I'm not going to yell at you. If you meet my partner, though, you might want to pick an escape route before saying hello. Maybe a manhole to hide under."

Whatever else he might be - pitiable, foolish, cunning - Carmen was intriguing. He wouldn't mind learning more about the boy in the mask. Best way to do that might be giving a little information. Just to start an exchange.

"My partner and I were sent to Unlock the Labyrinth. If you ever go back, you'll find we succeeded. Thanks, in part, to you." Mikhail eyed him coldly. "Although, I wouldn't be surprised if you never set foot near that Pit again. Heaven knows I won't go back on any pleasure trips." He waited for a moment. Then he asked, with a softer expression (calculated, but convincing), "How long were you in that place? That where you got the gas-mask?"