50

By: Aviantei

Act I: 50 Minutes/Abandonment

Scene I: "Looks like most of the floors are pretty clear today."

"Heartless," Reah murmured, her feet positioned on Roxas's dashboard. He hated it when she did that, but he was too nice to put his foot down for the necessary amount of time to actually convince her not to. So, using the dashboard as a footrest remained a habit. "And Nobodies." Sighing, Reah crushed the pop can in her hand, dropping it to the floor. Bless his heart, Roxas played the good driver and didn't look away from the road. "Don't you think those names are kind of cruel? I know they're not perfect beings, but still."

"What I think," Roxas said, his voice utterly even, "is that you're going to clean up the car once we're done here." Reah pouted, but ended up glancing at the pile of take-out trash and empty Ziploc bags that pooled underneath the passenger's seat, like a very sloppy dragon's horde. The car slowed down as they approached a red light, and finally Roxas looked to scowl at his partner. "Seriously, this isn't a dump, you know. And get your feet off the dash!"

Reah dropped her legs down, the sound of paper and cardboard crumbling underneath her soles following. "Eyes on the road," she quipped, noticing the light changing back to green. The sky was cloudy, like it was going to rain, but it never did. Roxas obeyed, turning to the right. Knowing that she'd just get lost, Reah went back to ignoring the car's progress. "Besides, I feed you, too, you know. It's not like I'm completely heartless."

Roxas grimaced. "Did you just…?"

Reah snickered, folding her arms behind her head to stare at the ceiling. It was the same as every other time she decided to look up in Roxas's car, tan and synthetic fabric all the way. "You know, you could just tell me when I make a lame joke."

The boy only sighed, his eyes intent on the road. Reah couldn't see things the way he did, but she knew he was scanning the surroundings, trying to find an opening. Somewhere, there was a sign that signaled a spot where people could slip, and that would take them to where they needed to go. Still, they had been driving around for at least thirty minutes, and there hadn't been any luck so far.

Reah was getting antsy, and she didn't like it.

"Is it not going to show up today?" she asked. In all the time she had been with Roxas, it had never happened, but there was a chance. Roxas's grip on the steering wheel tightened, and creases appeared in the fabric of his gloves. "I'm sorry," Reah immediately apologized. "I know that the clouds make it hard to see."

"Did you check the gear?" Roxas asked, his voice clipped. He always got like this when it was time to go, but Reah didn't like it. In fact, she hated it. When people got cold and distant…that was the sort of behavior that she had wanted to escape. And to see someone like Roxas—who was normally so cheerful and kind—act like that just hurt all the more.

Reah settled her hands in her lap, avoiding Roxas's eyes even more than before. "Yeah. I had a free period earlier, so I—Jesus Christ, a little warning!"

Roxas had pulled the car into a sharp turn, and inertia had done its work in smacking Reah's face against the passenger window. In the backseat, the bags of gear made a thump as they hit against the door. The girl went to protest more, but for a moment, the air was sucked out of her lungs, and by the time Reah got it back, she knew there was no point in continuing.

The car braked to a stop, and Roxas practically threw himself out the driver's door. Reah took a moment to make sure she could stand properly, then stepped out as well, a hand on the top of the car door. The familiar clatters of zippers and metal clinking as Roxas armed himself up with gear sounded as Reah stared at the challenge above them.

The castle towered up into the sky, looking positively gothic, its shadow sticking out against the night sky. Almost comically, the ever full moon peaked out from behind a tower, looking skewered, and the illumination it provided was the blood. The only thing missing from the scene was some vampire bats, and then they'd be set.

Not wanting to get on the bad side of Roxas's temper, Reah opened the door to the backseat, preparing her gear as well.

The inside of the castle was just as stereotypically black and white horror film as the outside, the walls, floor, and ceiling composed of large concrete bricks. Spider webs were in all the right corners, and even torches lined the walls. Torches! It wasn't like electricity wasn't a proper option. The town just down the hill had just as good and sometime better technology as the dimension Reah and Roxas had just crossed over from.

Yeah, the damn thing was even on a hill. Overshadowing a small town nonetheless. Thinking about it critically, Reah wanted to cry.

As always, Roxas took point, his keyblade at the ready. Reah didn't quite understand how the weapon worked, even after watching Roxas defeat enemy after enemy with it, but she didn't complain. The strange sword(?) had saved her before, plus it made the idea of conquering the castle actually seem obtainable, not just some offhanded dream.

The castle had never done anything to the villagers, but that didn't make it any less harmful in the world. Each floor contained its own myriad of monsters, and, even if defeated, they would eventually come back. That alone was suspicious enough, but the monsters were tough, too, so no one in the town ever made it past the first floor.

Roxas could beat the monsters with ease, and he could make enough progress before the respawn period kicked in—randomly ranging from a few minutes to a few days. Reah didn't know exactly how many floors the castle had, but she did know that whatever or whoever Roxas was trying to get was at the top.

On their last raid two days prior, Reah and Roxas had successfully conquered the thirty-seventh floor for the first time. Of course, leaving the castle meant they had to start all over, but at least they had gotten to the point where the first fifteen floors were a cakewalk for them, no matter how many of the monsters had respawned.

Reah gripped the two daggers between her hands. They were at a severe disadvantage in terms of the reach Roxas could manage, but they were the only weapon she could even manage to somewhat use. If anything, physical combat was more her expertise, but she didn't have the strength to even cause damage to any of their enemies. She couldn't even use magic either, but she wasn't exactly there for the sake of being a powerhouse.

"Raaah!" Roxas shouted, swinging his blade. Reah shot back to the present, the impact of the few surviving monsters hitting against the opposite wall echoing with the remains of Roxas's voice. "Alright, switch out!"

Reah dashed past Roxas, towards the three monsters—Heartless. They were some of the bulkier builds, even if Reah didn't know their names. Regardless, they had made it to the tenth floor, which meant that she could handle them without too much damage and still get her job done. When the Heartless stood up to resume their attack, Reah countered, blocking their strikes and leaving an opening.

"Firaga!" Roxas called, his spell complete. While his magic was powerful, it took way too long to cast to be useful in a solo fight. A partner was necessary for it even to be worthwhile, and while Reah wasn't worth much else, she could still leave enough time for Roxas not to worry about taking any heavy damage.

Reah moved just in time to see the flash of flame at the tip of Roxas's keyblade, and then balls of fire burned the rest of the enemies into nothing. The Heartless disappeared, not even a burning smell left behind them. Reah checked her daggers to make sure they didn't sustain any damage, and Roxas slung his blade over his shoulder.

"Looks like most of the floors are pretty clear today," he said, sounding distant. "Let's keep going."

All Reah could do was nod.

Fighting the Heartless was a pain in and of itself. The Nobodies were even worse. Still, Reah didn't know exactly what they were, and no research from either the school's library or the internet had yielded any results. Asking Roxas was even less helpful, because he didn't talk while they were in the castle, and trying to talk about things inside the castle while they were outside of it only made him cold. Reah preferred it if she could keep him friendly at school, so she gave up, instead focusing on the things that would help her in a fight.

Heartless generally had less durability than their same-sized Nobody counterparts, and they fell to Roxas's keyblade much more easily. Reah had a better chance of fighting them off, too, and had even defeated a few on her own. Roxas had said it was better for him to make the finishing blows, and Reah didn't question it. That just meant she had to go easier on them.

Roxas making the kill when it came to Nobodies was a better idea, too, but Reah didn't have to worry about holding back against them. If she did, it only made matters worse, and she had gotten hurt pretty badly in more than one fight because of taking that course of action. The Nobodies were way out of her league, and seemed to go after her with way more vigor than they did towards Roxas. And, like always, Roxas could handle them easily, so long as there was enough time for him to prep some of his more advanced skills.

The higher the floor, the more the Nobodies outnumbered the Heartless, and Reah didn't like the thought of what would happen once they made it to the top. There would probably only be Nobodies there, and her usefulness would be limited.

Still, she had to try. It was the least she could do.

That day, most of the lower floors were clear, making their ascent easy. Once they had reached the thirtieth floor, that progress had grinded rather substantially to a near halt, and Roxas's actions seemed to get more forceful with each fight. Reah made it to the thirty-third floor before she started lagging behind her leader, and even walking at a normal speed made her breaths come out ragged.

"Oi," she called. She hadn't breathed properly, and her voice didn't cover any helpful area, meaning Roxas continued on at his usual space. Reah took a deep breath, and tried again. "Oi!" This time Roxas stopped, looking over his shoulder. "We've been going nonstop since we got here. Can't we take a break?"

Roxas blinked, for a moment the usual bright look in his eyes coming back. Reah relaxed immediately, sheathing her blades as the boy dug into one of his pockets. Finally pulling out his cellphone and assessing the screen, Roxas said, "Sorry about that. I completely lost track of time." Taking a quick look around to make sure she didn't set off any combat triggers—the monsters were fairly consistent with the areas they guarded—Reah sat down against the wall. "I'm gonna go scout ahead a bit. Why don't you rest and I'll come back when I clear a path?"

Reah bit the inside of her cheek. She didn't like the idea of splitting up from Roxas. At all. Still, this was the castle, so there would be no convincing him otherwise, and she nodded. "Just don't go too far," she warned. Roxas could handle himself in a solo fight, but Reah couldn't. If he went too far, she really would be all alone. "You know I get antsy having you out of sight in here."

"I know," Roxas said, giving a reassuring smile. It was so warm, Reah could have believed they were back at the school, talking about homework. Only the blaringly obvious setting made it difficult for such a thought to be convincing. "Don't you worry. I'll just clear out the next corridor, so I'll be in earshot distance. Call if you need me, and I'll call if I need you."

"Okay," Reah agreed. Roxas picked up his keyblade, then took a turn to the right. Reah had only memorized the lower floors, but he had somehow managed to learn the whole map by now. If it weren't for the monsters, Roxas would have no trouble running up to the thirty-seventh floor with his eyes closed.

Reah leaned her head back, resting it against the concrete. It wasn't the most comfortable way to rest, but her legs and arms didn't care. Roxas was really something else, being able to keep going like that. Then again, Reah had never been trained to be a warrior, and only had a few self-defense courses that she had barely passed under her belt. School-mandatory gym classes were the only developers of her limited endurance.

But she had wanted to be like this. Not exactly a hero, but pretending to be one. A sidekick. She had a partner she could trust, even if he kept secrets and could be single-minded at times. No matter what, Roxas would stick by her and help her out.

There was the echo of a shout, far enough away that it sounded like Reah had submerged her head underwater. She sat up, and a second shout followed, except it wasn't her name. When the third shout came, she knew it wasn't Roxas's voice. Fumbling between gripping her daggers and getting back on her feet, Reah looked around, hoping to figure out what direction the sounds had come from.

Down the opposite end of the hall and at the entrance to one of the other corridors, flames licked the floor and arced into the air.

That's not how Roxas's magic works and none of the enemies on this floor use fire… S-someone else is in the castle?!

To Reah, this was nothing short of a miracle. All her years, the thought of someone being able to enter the castle was inconceivable. Roxas was the only person she had met that had even thought of conquering the castle. And yet, there she was, on the thirty-third floor with someone else strong enough to survive this far.

That's why the other floors were so clear!

"Haaaah!" This time, the sound was closer, so Reah could hear it clearly. It was a battle cry, its intent clear. A large Nobody came barreling out of the corridor the flames had been in, and crashed against the wall in a flash of silver. On instinct, Reah moved to serve as a counter, but immediately pulled back once she saw the glow of blue light flash.

"Fuck!" she cursed, before she realized it was a waste of time. Out of all the Nobodies she had encountered, this one was the worst. It was skinny and looked fragile, but it was a verdant magic user, capable of healing itself and other enemies and wasn't limited on attack options, either. The worst part, though, was its summoning capabilities, which could easily turn any battle to a nightmare by bringing forth more Nobodies and Heartless to the fight.

A capability it had just used.

Reah blinked a few more times, trying to regain her vision. When she did, she knew it was all over. She was too worn out to be of any real use in a fight, and one of the newly arrived Heartless charged at her, making a square impact with her stomach. Reah flew back, collapsing onto the floor, the wind knocked out of her. Every cell in her body was screaming for her to breathe, but she couldn't, and she wheezed for air.

From the corridor, a new figure stepped into the fray, brandishing weapons Reah couldn't be bothered to remember the name of at the moment with her lungs deprived of oxygen. If she could have talked, she would have told him to run away before he got himself killed, or maybe cursed him out for letting the enemy multiply. Seeing as she couldn't, Reah tried to focus on regaining her air.

"Man, that's a cheap move you got there," the figure remarked, voice distinctly male and far too light given the situation. "Guess that means you're scared."

Great, a trash talker. Reah would die to the soundtrack of unnecessary monologues.

The only good thing about this situation was, for the time being, that the Heartless had forgotten her, instead focusing on the newcomer. A total of five Heartless and Nobodies charged at once, and the Nobody that had brought them there was charging up another spell. Reah closed her eyes. She had seen a lot in her seventeen years, but she didn't want to see someone else die.

Except there wasn't the scream of pain she had been waiting for. Reah chanced to open an eye, and could see the newcomer's weapons brandished, all six of the enemies knocked back, vulnerable. There was a smirk on his face, and Reah could feel the heat from the fire forming before she visually registered it. Not wanting to get caught in the spell, Reah ducked her head to the ground, hood pulled over it, praying that Roxas had remembered to reinforce her gear with element resistant spells.

The fire rushed by, and Reah could smell smoke. When she lifted her head a bit, there were scorch marks on the floor. Given the fact that she hadn't been burnt to a crisp, she owed Roxas a big thanks. She tried to sit up, but failed to do so when a hand grabbed onto the neckline of her jacket, lifting her from the ground. She had regained control of her breath at some point, but it was gone all over again, fear constricting her lungs.

"Well," said the voice of the one who had saved her, "it looks like I finally found you."

Ah, this was supposed to be up last week. Well, I think I'm starting to figure out this time management thing...

Anyway, this is one of those dream-inspired projects so, that's where the weirdness comes from. I'm also not completely up to date with everything Kingdom Hearts, so I expect there will be some discrepancies. Still, this project helps me feel better when I write it, so I'm not all concerned...that's actually the main reason this is an AU.

...I don't think I've ever done multi-character shipping before, either. It should be interesting. Though the relationships are meant to be more subtle instead of the driving force of the plot.

I hope this self-indulgent little project is somewhat enjoyable! The next chapter should release on October 14!

Act I: 50 Minutes/Abandonment
Scene II: "Taking out your problems on other people isn't a very attractive quality."

[POST] 091615