A/N: Yo! I really need a life outside of anime and video games O.o''' I
decided rather than posting my old Yu-Gi-Oh ficcy, I'll put up my Kingdom
Hearts ficcy (Well, this is the prologue fic for it, but... yeah.)! For a
heads up, this IS an OC fic, so if you don't like 'em, go ahead and leave!
^_^ I'll have pics up of Lilith when I get a website.... Oh, this takes
place in the very beginning of Neverland, and will have spoilers! And
another thing, I know I say Lilith has a Brooklyn accent, so thus her words
would be cut off and/or spelled weird, but I'm leaving them normal... get
the idea? This is very Riku and OC based; Sora doesn't show up very much,
due to the fact that this is a prologue.
This note was written 03/20, about 6 minutes after beating the game.... wee.... the "The End" screen is still on my TV, with the music playing...
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Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts ain't mine. I own a copy of the game, but it's still ain't mine. This twisted plot line is property of me, Naryssa, and Lilith is mine too!
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What goes around usually gets dizzy and falls over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Desu no Yami|Death of the Darkness
**
"Riku!" Sora shouted, and the silver-haired teen grinned.
"Captain Hook!" Smee ran up to his superior, and nearly skidded past him. "We have a problem, A HUGE problem!!!" He panted.
Hook sighed, "Mr. Smee, WHAT is the problem?"
"Ship... BIG ship.... cannons.... LOTS of cannons.... Captain.... WOMAN!!!!" He cried in exasperation. Before the argument could progress, a shadow shifted across the deck, plunging Sora, Riku, Hook and everyone else into darkness.
"Eh?!" Riku's voice yelled in surprise, and then Sora felt the wind of a form being thrown past him. With a sickening crunch, Riku smashed into the mast, and Sora jumped back, swinging the Keyblade towards the direction Riku was thrown.
"Bastard... Where's Maleficent?" A sharp voice snarled. Riku growled back, "What do you want with her?!"
"I asked you first! Where the *hell* is she?!" The fist belonged to a teenaged girl, her skin milk white, fire truck red hair pulled into a bun, her bangs cut to frame her face and brush her cheeks. Her eyes were a deep turquoise-teal and expressed her emotion perfectly - rage.
A pirate Heartless appeared from near Hook, and leapt forward, smashing her waist with the flat of its blade, knocking her to the ground.
"Brat!" Hook walked forward, and stepped on her, foot in the small of her back, crushing her petite frame to the ground.
"Hey!" Sora shouted, bringing the Keyblade forward and preparing to strike. Before he could however, several more Heartless appeared, and attacked Donald, Goofy, and him.
"Riku, go ahead and teach this brat a lesson." Sora glanced over at Hook, who had pulled the girl to her feet, and had his hook curled around her neck. His hand held her thin wrists tight. Her head was bent back, throat exposed to the wicked sharp hook, but she still growled defiantly.
"Do what you need to teach her some respect for Maleficent and the Heartless!" Hook tossed her into a small room beside him, and Riku smirked, "Keep Kairi away from Sora until I'm done."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Riku walked into the room, a wooden pole resting on his shoulder. He would have used a sword, but he felt it wouldn't be right on a girl. She was sitting on the floor, staring at the floor, and he noticed to oddity of her clothes.
She was dressed in an extremely short pleated slate-color skirt and a forest green shirt that was off the shoulders, and would have slipped down if not for a band of extremely tight slate-colored spandex wrapping around her upper chest. Her sleeves were belled, and another strip of spandex tightened above each elbow. The strangest of all was that she wore no shoes, yet her feet weren't red or scratched.
She growled at him, scooting backwards, as Riku noticed the sheathed sword tied on her back. She looked up at him, her eyes daring him to mess with her.
"Hey..." He started, and she narrowed her eyes.
"What's your name?"
She blinked twice, slightly surprised, before frowning, her cherry red lips pouting.
"Lilith." She stated, her voice holding a distinct Brooklyn accent.
"Lilith...?" He asked, and she smirked, her eyes holding a cocky gleam.
"Aren't you supposed to be 'teaching me some respect'?" Riku was surprised by her attitude.
"You're quite the rebellious brat, aren't you?" He asked, and she snorted, rising to her bare feet. The ship lurched, and they both nearly lost their footing.
"What the-?" Riku glanced at the ceiling, and turned to the door. "Come on you!" He grabbed Lilith's wrist and yanked her out the door. The source of the lurch was a huge black wolf, standing in the middle of the deck, wooden beams under its feet cracked and splintered from its sheer weight and force of dropping from above.
It was biting Heartless in half, knocking Air Pirates from the air with its two tails. A Battleship flew in from behind, and the wolf reared up, and struck with its front paws, shattering the flying ship.
It turned on Riku, and began inching forward, hunched over and growling deep in its throat.
"CHEMUK!" Lilith's recognizable voice came from behind Riku, and she skid in front of Riku, arms stretched to both sides. "Back off." She commanded, and the wolf yipped and sat down.
"Good girl." Lilith said, walking up and patting the enormous beast. The wolf nuzzled her mistress's neck (Nearly knocking the girl over), before bunching up its powerful hind-leg muscles, and jumping to the hovering ship above.
Everyone aboard, save Lilith, stared at the wolf, than turned on the girl. "Heh." She laughed, before backing up. "I'm going..." Before she could jump to her ship, Riku grabbed her shirt and pulled her back. "Oh no. As of now, you're under my custody."
Lilith's temper flared through like a beacon, "THERE IS NO *FREAKIN* WAY I AM GOING TO BE PUT UNDER THE CUSTODY OF SOME KID MY AGE WHO WORKS FOR THAT WENCH MALEFICENT!!!!!"
Sora stared, surprised by the outburst. Most people weren't THAT outspoken...
Riku released the back off her shirt, and glared coldly, "I don't work for her, brat. She and I have a deal, that's all."
Lilith glared back, "Yeah, you still trusted a wench like her! That's pretty much the same by my book!"
It quickly became a heated argument.
"By your book?! Who cares?! Those are your own screwed-up rules!"
"Common sense tells you not to trust a loser who was exiled from the rank of high priestess, and then turns to the heartless for power!"
"The heartless are stronger than you'll ever be, brat!"
"You wanna try me?!"
"Yeah! Bring it on, runt!"
..................................
"WHAT. DID. YOU. JUST. CALL. ME?!?!?!?!?!"
Riku inched back, the sheer force of her rage-powered aura crunching beams beneath her feet. "Wow... she's worse than you are Donald!" Goofy exclaimed, looking down on the Court Magician.
"Oh be quiet!" Donald frowned, leaving Sora, who stayed quiet, watching intensely.
"Hey wait a minute!" Riku turned on Lilith, who sneered. "You said Maleficent was exiled.... how do you know that?"
Lilith turned her back to him, aura faded, her voice quiet but firm, "I have my ways." Her turquoise eyes shifted over her shoulder sadly. "She... used to work for my mother."
"WHAT?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy all shouted at once.
Lilith sighed sadly, before grabbing the open hatch of her ship, which was hovering above. "That won't stop me from killing that bitch... and Ansem!" She smiled at Sora malevolently, before swinging into the ship.
"The brat's got the girl!" Hook shouted, and Riku growled, "Kairi?!" Hook nodded, and Riku slipped inside the hovering black ship. Sora turned on Hook, and the fight began, as the hatch shut and the ship began to ascend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hmm.... where would she..." Riku slipped farther towards what appeared to be the cockpit, and grinned when he came to a railed ledge above a lower level where the red-head stood, Kairi resting in a chair to her left.
Riku didn't hear it approach. WHAM! The wolf knocked him forward, right over the rail, and about 6 inches from Lilith. He glanced up from the floor, and was greeted by Lilith's pissed face, her hand on her hip.
"What the hell are you doing on my ship?" She questioned, her voice sharp with irritation.
"You've got Kairi!" Lilith rolled her dark eyes and squatted down. "I'm gonna kill Maleficent, kill Ansem, find the door to Darkness, and harness its power! And in the process, I'll find whoever or whatever has her heart!"
Riku stared, 'Though she opposes Maleficent, she still wants basically the same thing... that's weird.' Lilith offered her hand to him.
"So... Where are you headed?" Riku blinked twice, before taking her hand and rising to his feet.
"Uh... Hollow Bastion." He answered, and Lilith frowned, looking extremely childish. Riku had noticed earlier that her face wasn't the only childish part of her - She was very petite, very thin, and barely reached his shoulder in height. However, the throbbing in the left side of his face reminded him that appearances could deceive.
"Well, I've got to go to Traverse Town first... The talking Teddy Bears are making a special collar for Chemuk." The wolf leapt silently from the higher platform, before sitting down and looking down at Riku.
"I don't think it's that smart to let him onboard, mai' lady." A raspy voice escaped the wolf's mouth, and Riku jumped. "Chill. She won't hurt you unless I tell her to." Riku looked at the wolf, meeting her acid green eyes.
"This is Chemuk." The wolf sat down next to Lilith, and her shoulders were equal with Lilith's head. "And I never got your name...?" Lilith cocked her head to one said, cropped bangs sliding across her cheeks.
"Riku." He replied, looking around the large cockpit.
"Mai' Lady... I believe that Cloud also needed to speak with you, did he not?" Chemuk turned to Lilith, who was already inputting coordinates.
"Ooooh yeaaaah. Hmm.... where is he anyway? How am I supposed to talk to him if I can't find him?" Lilith frowned again, before turning to the control board. "Best bet is to start with Olympus Coliseum..."
"Cloud..." Riku started, walking up beside her.
"A friend of mine." She answered his unspoken question, before the entire front of the cockpit glowed a eerie blue, before fading and showing the outside perfectly. Hook's ship bobbed on the water, hundreds of feet below.
"Hold on or sit down... or get launched across the room; your choice." She looked over at him, before cocking her head at the seat next to Kairi.
"No, I'll pass. Just get me to Hollow Bastion." Lilith shrugged,
"Fine, but don't whine when you hit the wall." She pressed one button in the middle of the controls, and the ship started to hum with the starting of the engines. A 'whoosh' noise was all Riku heard, before the sheer force of velocity hit him, and he was thrown right into the black steel wall 30 feet behind him.
"Ehhhh.........?" He moaned, rubbing the back off his head.
"I warned you..." Lilith said in a singsong voice, still standing.
"How'd you stay standing?" Riku climbed to his feet and walked past Chemuk, who snickered.
"I'm use to the acceleration." She dropped into a spinning chair nearby, and grinned, "You might as well wash your face... I made you bleed." Riku hadn't noticed the trail of blood running down his right cheek. "Sorry..." She flushed slightly, a pale pink tingeing her white skin.
"I'd love to... but I'd get lost on this flying tin can." He remarked.
"Oh shut up! Chemuk show him where the bathroom is." She gestured at the wolf, and Riku say what had made him bleed. On her middle finger was a platinum ring, inlaid with a row of five small rubies.
The wolf walked over to him, two long tails swinging nonchalantly, before grabbing his wrist gently between steel-sharp fangs and pulling him out of the room.
~§~
"So how'd you get this flying tin can?" Riku asked, curious as to how far the girl's nerves would go.
She puffed up her cheeks, before whining, "Stop calling the Hellbringer a tin can!" She gave him an indignant glare, before turning back to the control panel and grabbing a black knob and cranking it.
Riku flinched expecting the ship to do something wild, but instead, a heavy bass of a song cut in, and Riku nearly fell out of his chair. The black knob with the words "DO NOT TOUCH" below it was volume control for a surround sound speaker system.
She glanced over her shoulder and gave him another defiant look, before snorting and pressing a few buttons on the controls panel. Soon Olympus Coliseum came into view, and Riku moaned as the ship landed, "I thought you were taking me to Hollow Bastion!"
Lilith growled and marched over to him, before kicking him sharply in the shin, (Which hurt, in spite of the fact that she wore no shoes) "Bastard! I told you! I've got to talk to Cloud first!" She snarled, and walked out the now-open hatch.
"What's her problem?" Riku asked to thin air, only to have Chemuk respond by walking up and sitting next to him.
"Forgive her." The wolf started, "M'lady holds grudges... and tends to implement revenge in an over-extravagant way."
"Ahhh.... Whatever." Riku shrugged and walked out the hatch, Chemuk following.
~§~
"Heeeey! Phil-man! Have you seen Cloud?" Lilith shouted upon entry to the Lobby.
"Who?" The trainer looked over his shoulder from reading a random tournament list.
"Tall. Blond hair, spiked, carries a big sword wrapped in bandages, wears a burgundy-colored cloak..." Feeling she didn't go into enough detail... "Hates Sephiroth, is deathly afraid of my mother, refuses to answer if -kun is added to his name, still blames me for-" She was silenced by a gloved hand, and Cloud hissed in her ear.
"Will you be quiet?!"
"Ah! Cloud-kun! There you are! I was about to go and ask Sephi-" Cloud gave her that look, and she decided to stop there. "Any~waaaayyy... you needed to see me?"
"Yeah." Cloud replied, leaning against the wall. "I need to asked you about..." He glanced over at Phil and Riku, before looking at Chemuk and cocking his head.
Chemuk yipped once, and shoved the two from the room, leaving just Lilith, Cloud, and the wolf.
"As I said, I needed to ask you about project "fiend"." He gave Lilith a cold stare, and the red head looked to the ground, bangs hiding her expressive turquoise eyes. It had become a habit to hide her eyes, so she could, if necessary, tell a lie without her eyes betraying her.
"Yeah, what about it?" She replied, her voice dead serious.
"What exactly was *it*?" He asked, he eyes giving off a dark look.
"The process of taking a human's heart, allowing them to become a heartless, and then giving them just enough of their heart back to give them a human form with their heartless powers. These super powered "fiends" strength would depend of the darkness in the person's heart."
"Did it work?"
"No." She replied coolly, turning her back on him and starting to leave.
"Really?" He questioned in that annoyingly calm-but-assertive voice of his.
Shock registered in her eyes, before they narrowed to wicked slits, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
"Nothing, just go back to whatever you were doing..." And he walked out, cloak fluttering silently behind him.
"Why that... Grrrr." She growled, before dropping to the ground and snarling, "He has some guts, calling me..." She rose to her feet and started pacing, "Down here to ask me about some stupid..." She kicked the wall fiercely, "Project... *kick* my sick freak of a father... *kick* started!! *kick* SHIT!!!" She hopped on one foot for a few seconds until the pain died down, before groaning and flopping back to the stone floor.
Riku and Phil returned shortly, and caught sight of Lilith, sitting on the floor, arms and legs folded, scowling deeply.
"What's the matter with you?" Riku asked, looking down at her. She frowned at him, before making a "humph" sound and starting to walk out the door. However, for good measure...
"OUCH!" Riku shouted, his shin now definitely going to have a bruise. "Humph." She replied, walking out the door angrily. "She has some serious mental problems!" Riku voiced his opinion, before sighing and following her out the door.
Chemuk shook her head, before trotting out after them.
~§~
"Could we please hurry up here? Sora tends to come back here a lot..." Riku glanced around the streets of Traverse Town, as Lilith grinned. "... Too late." Riku moaned, noticing Sora talking to the small bunch that resided here.
"Ah!" Lilith suddenly squeaked, dashing away behind the café, before coming up behind the tall brunette. "Squall-kun!" Lilith shouted, making the entire group jump, and Lilith smiled, perched atop the wall behind them.
"Leon." Leon corrected, and Lilith grinned, "Awww... Whats'a matter with your real name? I think Squall is a better then Leon!"
Leon rolled his eyes, "No one asked you, now did they, ISIS?"
"It's Lilith. I don't go by my middle name." She said coldly, sneering at him.
"Well I don't go by Squall. We're even."
"Um?" Sora finally spoke up.
"Oh! It's you! Yeah. Um... Riku says 'hi'!" She grinned at him, leaning forward just enough to show the long blade strapped to her back.
"Where is he?" Sora asked, "And what about Kairi?!" He pulled out the Keyblade and pointed it at her.
"Eh? Eh heh heh heh heh... Chill pal, they're both fine... " She put her hands up in front of her, palms facing out defensively. Sora glared at her for a minute, but then put the Keyblade aside.
"So what are you doing here?" Aerith asked the redhead, who rocked back and forth on her heels for a bit, before pointing towards the top of the accessory shop.
"Ohh... the moogles, right?" Yuffie smiled, and Lilith cracked a grin, before whistling. Chemuk came bounding over, scaring several bystanders who mistook her for a heartless. The wolf nearly tackled Leon, before licking his cheek and dashing off to Yuffie, who she happily pinned and licked, before yipping and nuzzling Aerith's neck.
"Chemuk, osuwari!" The wolf complied, sitting calmly next to Aerith, who scratched the top of her muzzle. "So, how are things with you?" Lilith glanced around the group.
"Busy. The Heartless just won't stop." Leon declared, and his two companions nodded in agreement. Chemuk yawned, and got up and left.
"Well, once I get my hands on Maleficent..." She made a vicious growling noise, "That'll all stop!"
"Who says I won't get to her first?" Sora questioned, smirking. Lilith frowned,
"Because the Keyblade is only so useful. Plus you're stopping at every world along the way and clearing out the heartless, as well as sealing the keyhole. Me; I couldn't care less what happens to other worlds. It's not my job to handle their problems. If they can't defend themselves against a few little pests, then they deserve to have the Heartless destroy them!" Lilith's voice was now strong and assertive, as she was a passionate person towards her beliefs.
Sora, as well as the other's stared. "You c-can't possibly mean that!" Aerith stuttered, "Only people controlled by the darkness can stand by and let world be destroyed!"
"Plus, your mother taught you differently." Leon said, and Lilith's temper flared beyond control.
"DON'T YOU SAY A DAMN WORD ABOUT MY MOTHER!!!!!" She drew her sword, and the tip was pressed against Leon's neck in an instant. The blade, rather than metal, was made of a strange red crystal that looked a lot like ruby. However, ruby wasn't strong enough to made a good blade, so it had to be something else.
"Hey, I'm sorry! Calm down!" He pushed the blade away from his neck, and rested his hand on the short girl's shoulder.
"What's going on over here?" Sora turned, to see Riku standing behind them, Chemuk at his side.
"Riku!" Sora shouted, but Lilith walked in front of him, and then up to Riku.
"I'll be done in a minute, just hold up." She grinned, "And if you start trouble, I'll give you another bruise." Riku winced, the throbbing in his leg enough as is.
"You've hurt me enough in the past 6 hours, between my face and my leg, I think I'm good." He looked down on her, and she shrugged.
"Whatever."
~§~
"Well, I'll see you guys later, k?" Lilith smiled at Leon, Cid (Who had come to say hello), Yuffie, and Aerith.
"Alright, just don't kill the poor kid!" Yuffie waved as Lilith, along with Riku and Chemuk, exited the gates.
"I'll try my best!" She shouted back, smiling.
~§~
"Here." Lilith held out the collar, and Riku gasped. It looked almost like Mother-of-Pearl, but it was diamond-hard. Lilith slipped it around the wolf's neck, and grinned.
"There. It emits an aura that surrounds the entire body of the wearer, protecting it from both physical and magical attacks. Quite useful."
"So NOW are we going to Hollow Bastion?" Riku questioned, and Lilith grinned.
"Thank god." Riku leaned back in his designated chair. Lilith rose silently, and walked out of the room. "Hm?" Riku took a quick glance, and was surprised by the melancholic look on her face.
"M'lady?" Chemuk asked, rising to her feet in case anything was wrong.
"Nothing, nothing, don't worry." The teen replied, sighing.
~§~
"So this is Hollow Bastion." Chemuk growled, standing at the base of the floating chunks of ice that leads to the gondola to the castle gates.
"Kinda cold..." Lilith shuddered.
"That would be because you're barefoot and wearing a extremely short skirt." Riku stated, and Lilith went to kick him, but he avoided it.
"Would you two stop acting like children and clue me in as to how we get up there?!" Chemuk growled, and Lilith stuck her tongue out at the wolf.
"We jump." Riku stated as plain as day, before Chemuk rolled her acid green eyes.
"You weak humans would barely make it." The wolf remarked. Lilith smiled sweetly at her guardian.
"So you're going to give us a ride!" Chemuk nearly fell over at her own stupidity.
"I should've kept my mouth shut..." The beast whined as Lilith scrambled onto her back, before offering her hand to Riku, who accepted reluctantly. He still didn't like the talking Canis Lupus. The wolf bunched her back legs, the muscles in her sides rippling with the tension, before she pushed off, shooting 50 feet into the air.
"Woo-hoo!" Lilith shouted playfully, before looking over her shoulder. "Hold on, this is gonna be rough for a newbie."
There was a sound of breaking glass as the huge wolf hit the ice with her front paws, sending a spider web of cracks in every direction, before launching off again. "Aye." Riku almost squeaked in shock.
"I warned you..." Lilith chanted in a singsong tone once again, before bending forward, lacing her fingers deep into the thick fur around Chemuk's neck. "Faster..." She whispered, and the wolf's face split into a canine grin. She bunched the powerful muscles beneath the coat of black and skin, before releasing them like a spring, and flying forward.
"Yeaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" Lilith shouted, releasing her grip and tightening her legs to hold on. The wolf skid to a stop at the place with the pool of water. "Che-chan?" Lilith asked, leaning forward. The wolf snarled wickedly, baring fangs that, to Riku's horror, were blood stained.
"Something approaches. Something that smells of both beast and human." Chemuk warned, and Lilith growled. She slid off Chemuk's back with remarkable agility, before reaching behind her and removing her sword from its sheath.
"No, I'll handle this." Riku stepped in front of her, his bat-wing like blade clutched in his right hand.
"You!" A voice raspier then Chemuk's shouted, and Lilith dashed to the edge of the platform, only to have a brown form knocking her backwards, and send her skidding into Chemuk.
"Ouch! That was my ass, you bastard!" Lilith shouted at the huge brown monster, with its back hunched, and fangs bared.
"Ah. It's the beast. Come to get Belle, no doubt." Riku smirked, the blade resting on his shoulder.
"Where is she?! Give Belle back!" He lunged at Riku, who swiftly dodged it, before striking the beast in his back, knocking him to the ground.
"Wow! He's a lot better then he acted like! So then...Why didn't he stop me...?" Lilith stared at her ally, who was about to deal the final blow.
"M'lady, watch yourself. The Keyblade master approaches." Chemuk said, and on queue, Sora, followed by his comical friends, leapt to the platform the 4 stood on.
"Riku!" Sora shouted, and drew the Keyblade.
Lilith rolled her eyes, 'That kid ALWAYS says that when he see Riku-kun... Aiee?! Where'd "-kun" come from?!' She mentally reprimanded herself, before resuming her tie to reality.
"Sora, why did you follow me? You know you're destined to lose." Riku turned to his best friend, who blinked in simple-minded confusion, "What?"
"Come now Sora, let the Keyblade decide... Let it decide its true master!" Everyone but Riku and the beast wore shocked expression, even Lilith and Chemuk.
Riku extended his hand, and narrowed his icy blue eyes. Sora felt the Keyblade tug at his grip. "What?!" He shouted, as the Keyblade disappeared from his hand in a blaze of gold, and appeared in Riku's.
"See? The Keyblade has chosen who is best to wield it... It obviously found you too weak... This will be a better weapon for you." Riku tossed the cheap wooden sword at Sora's feet, before turning to leave.
"Goofy? Come on." Donald gave Sora a sorrowful glance, before following the Keyblade holder.
"Riku?" A quiet voice asked, and Chemuk trotted up, Lilith on her back. "Need a ride?" She smiled, and Riku returned the smile, before climbing onto the wolf's back, and leaving Donald and Goofy to jump for themselves.
~§~
"Maleficent!" Riku shouted as he stood in the Grand Hall, the six princesses incased in crystal making it colder. Lilith placed Kairi on the floor, before walking up beside Riku, with Donald and Goofy behind him.
"Yes my boy? Do you have it?" Maleficent glided down the stairs, the room almost freezing upon her entry.
"Maleficent...." Lilith snarled, her eyes glittering dangerously.
"Yes, I have the Keyblade... and the king's lackeys." Riku said, holding out the "key".
"So Maleficent, making quite the living for yourself, eh?" Lilith's voice was beyond cynical - it sent chills down your spine.
"Y-you!" Maleficent stuttered, pointing at the teen with her staff.
"Didn't expect to see me alive, did ya? No, of course not... After all, you sent a huge amount of heartless to my home to destroy us all. You thought you had at least killed the two strongest mages, didn't you? Heh, sorry. The only one you took down was my mother, and ya know what? You'll be taking her place in HELL!" Upon the last word, she dashed forward, and slashed at the woman, who barely blocked with her staff.
"Your moves are a lot faster." Maleficent smiled, and Lilith sneered, Chemuk coming up behind her, snarling venomously. "And will you look at little Chemuk! When I last saw you, you weren't anything but a little pup!"
"No kidding Maleficent, it's been 8 years, a lot has changed." Lilith sheathed her sword, and turned away, surprising Riku.
"Riku, you have yourself an incredibly powerful ally. Do NOT force her to leave. She will be unbelievably helpful in the quest..."
Lilith's temper flared, and she spun, grabbing Maleficent by the front of her cloak. "You honestly think I'll help you in your little quest for world domination?! HELL NO! You killed my mother!"
Maleficent took Lilith's small hands in her own, and smiled, "But I did you a favor, did I not? With your mother dead, her power was placed on you, her rank, her command..." Riku was wondering what she meant by rank and command...
"With your mother's death, the title of Imperial Empress of Meirei was handed to you! You control the most powerful army in the known universe! And yet what do you do? Set off, seeking revenge, with your mother's blessed sword and a wolf pup for a spirit guide!"
"Empress..." Donald started,
"Of Meirei?" Riku finished.
"It's a rather large planet, with a large amount of natural beauty. All inhabitants are natural fighters and mages, with the Empress usually being the best of them..." Maleficent smirked at Lilith, who frowned.
"I swore I wouldn't go back until I was ready to accept the throne... or accept my mother's death." Lilith murmured, leaning against Chemuk.
"So stay here! Work with Riku to regain his friend's heart. Develop new skills. I could even teach you a spell or two..." Maleficent smirked, and was surprised when Lilith smirked back,
"Okay, auntie Maleficent."
Maleficent blinked. "It has been many years since I've been called that..." Maleficent sighed. Chemuk's ears went up, and she stepped forward, growling.
"Che-chan?" Lilith asked, wrapping one hand around the new collar.
"The boy... and the beast... they're in the dungeon." Chemuk growled, before turning to Maleficent.
"Well, it will take them some time to solve that puzzle to get the gondolas going. For now, I will prepare you three to fight."
"Us... three?" Riku asked, looking over at Lilith, who blinked in confusion.
"Of course. Lilith is now your partner, so you two will constantly work together, understood? Chemuk is Lilith's spirit guardian, so she will accompany Lilith everywhere." Maleficent turned to a chest nearby, and pulling out a bundle. "Here. Lilith, change into these. There is a small bedroom over there..." Maleficent pointed, and Lilith nodded.
"Oh, and here." Maleficent handed her a staff, which had a large orb clutched inside a silver dragon claw. Inside the clear orb, a single, cat- like yellow iris and pupil floated eerily. "Recognize it?" Maleficent smirked.
"The Cat's Eye staff... mom's staff!"
Maleficent smiled, "You were a wonderful niece, Lilith Isis Hikage. Shadow of the night." Lilith blinked, unused to her full name, before grinning.
"The one and only!" She grinned at Riku, before dashing down the stairs and disappearing into the back room.
"And as for you, you will gain a truly mighty power. The power to control the heartless..."
Riku felt a surge of power, and stumbled slightly, before straightening up. "Heh. It's over for Sora..."
"What did she call Lilith?" Goofy asked Chemuk, whom's two tails twitched slightly in amusement.
"Oh, you mean Shadow of the Night? It's her name - Hikage Lilith (A/N: Last name first ~ Japanese custom ^_^) Hikage being "shadow", and Lilith being "of the night"." Chemuk stated in a matter-of-factly voice.
~§~
Sora walked into the entryway, Beast following close behind. Sora was in a total daze at the state of this place, but the daze was broken by the Beast's bellow. Sora spun as the door shut, before sighing. He would have to go on alone.
"So, you continued on, despite the warning? Foolish boy." Lilith's voice said from above, but Sora was unable to see her.
"Sora."
The brunette turned to face his old friend, with Donald and Goofy on either side of him. "This is the end, you know. The Keyblade chose me because your heart was weak, and will give in!"
Lilith leaned over the railing, curiosity out doing her self control. "Wow..." She and Chemuk both watched.
"My heart will never give into the darkness!" Sora shouted. Riku smirked, and the heartless symbol blazed on his chest, before he pulled out the Keyblade.
"We'll just see about that!" He launched at energy ball at Sora, who braced himself. It never hit.
"Sora is one of my best friends, and I'll never let his heart be stolen!" Goofy stated, pulling his shield to the side.
"Whaaaat?" Lilith whined.
"Hey Donald, could you tell the king I'm really sorry?"
"Wait Goofy, we can tell him together!"
Donald ran over to Sora, and smiled sheepishly, "Well, you know, all for one and one for all..."
Sora turned to Riku, and glared at him, "It's true, by myself, my heart is weak, but with my friends, and their faith in me, my heart will never give in!" A glitter of gold was all that Riku saw, before the Keyblade vanished from his hand.
"Hunh?!" Lilith leaned over the railing, the bell sleeves on her black gown dangling below. "Riku! Watch yourself!" Lilith shouted, tossing his bat- wing blade to him, and getting a better vantage point. (A/N: Okay, for those who don't get it, in the Entry Room in Hollow Bastion, you know how there's the second level, that at first you can only get to by solving the library puzzle? That's where Lilith is.)
"Sora..." Riku growled, before running forward with remarkable speed and slashing at his former friend. Sora flinched and blocked, before shoving him backwards and jumping to the side, allowing Goofy to charge him.
"Riku!" Lilith shouted, preparing to help.
"Stay where you are!" He shouted back, taking a swift blow and connecting with Sora's leg, making him stumble.
"Grrrr..." Lilith flew around to another point, her knuckles white on her staff, Chemuk dashing behind her. "Dammit!" She shouted as the dueling teenagers moved once again. "Screw it!" She bunched up the multi-layer black and silver skirt she wore, before climbing onto Chemuk's back. Chemuk leapt to the hanging platform in the middle of the room, and Lilith slid off, leaning over the edge.
"Ars Arcanum..." Sora whispered, the Keyblade held tightly in his right hand. It started to glow a deep gold, before he struck at Riku with a series of hard hits, cornering him and striking again.
"Come on, let me help!" Lilith shouted, and would have been pulling her hair out in frustration if it weren't up in an elaborate bun.
"No!" Riku shouted, recovering ground with one solid hit. Lilith turned her head away and took a few deep breaths to regain her composure. There was a clanking noise, and Lilith turned back to the battle.
Riku's blade had fallen to the ground, and he stumbled back, clutching his head. The Heartless sign vanished, and he fell to his knees. Sora walked forward, Keyblade pointed at the person who was once his best friend.
"No!" With a great 'Crunch!' Chemuk landed between the feuding teens, sending a spider web of cracks in the black marble floor. Lilith scrambled off, and to Riku's side. Chemuk's jaws came together with the sound of steel, and Sora backed up, as the huge two-tailed wolf crept towards him, snarling.
"Riku?" Lilith asked tenderly, touching his forehead. She felt a cold wind at her neck, and turned her head. A black void had appeared behind her.
"Come on!" In one movement, Riku scooped her in his arms, rose to his feet, and made it through the warp hole to safety. For good measure, Chemuk snapped her jaws at Sora once more, before bounding through after her allies.
~§~
Riku slid Lilith to her feet, and she looked at him in concern, "Are you alright?" Chemuk trotted up behind him, nudging his shoulder.
"I'm alright, I just need to sit for a..." He leaned against the wall, and fell to the ground, strength leaving his legs.
"Oh! Riku!" Lilith knelt beside him, laying her staff down beside her, and placing a pale hand on his cheek. "Oh..." She murmured, pulling her hand back. "Aunt Mal?" Lilith looked over her shoulder.
"Yes, my child?" Maleficent's cold hand rested on the redhead's shoulder.
"May I fight next? I don't think Riku will be able to fight for some time..." Lilith rose to her feet, and meeting her aunt's eyes.
"Do not worry about Riku. He is strong, and will be fully able to fight by the time the boy arrives." Maleficent smiled at her. "For now though, how about I teach you those spell I promised?"
"Really?" Lilith perked up. She was, after all, a mage, and any chance to extend her skills was greatly valued.
"May I join you?" Riku rose to his feet, smirking. He, however, once again lost his footing.
"Oh!" Lilith caught him, and smiled. "You're not walking anywhere. Chemuk!" The wolf nudged him, and he hefted himself onto her back.
"Alright, this way." Maleficent lead them into another room, and smiled, before turning to Lilith and smirking, "You are a fire mage, are you not?"
Lilith blinked twice, "Uh, yeah...?"
"So Flaming Meteors would be appropriate, right?" Maleficent kept a straight face as Lilith's eyes widened,
"Fl-flaming meteors?!"
~§~
"Haha!" Lilith laughed as Chemuk took huge bounds, leaping from one end of the great hall to the other, Lilith on her back. Riku watched in mild amusement, a red and black Keyblade resting on his lap. A creaking noise seemed to reverberate from the walls, and Chemuk landed and started growling.
"Lilith... go!" Maleficent hissed, walking out the door.
"Whaaa?" Lilith asked in confusion.
"Sora's here." Riku smirked, and stood up, the mark of the Heartless blazing on his chest.
"But why do I have to hide? It's not like I'm helpless or anything!" Chemuk landed softly beside Riku, and Lilith climbed off. She frowned deeply, folding her arms, "I'm a mage, and a damn good one at that."
Riku smirked, "If necessary, you'll have to help, but its best if you stay out of the cross fire for now."
~§~
Maleficent walked out of the doorway, and gave Sora a haughty glare. "So, you dare to fight me?" She raised her staff above her head, and hit the ground roughly, causing the chunk of ground she was standing on to split off and rise into the air.
"Let's go!" Sora jumped onto the platform, before swinging the Keyblade at her.
"Heh." Maleficent's staff glowed, and meteors rained down, causing Donald and Goofy to duck for cover.
"Ars Arcanum!"
~§~
"Looks like she started by herself... Oh well, might as go and watch." Riku began to walk out of the room, but was stopped as Lilith grabbed his left wrist with both her hands.
"Riku..." She said urgently, concern evident on her face, "Please, BE CAREFUL." She emphasized, eyes glassing over. She had seen him fall once before, and didn't want to see it again.
Riku's eyes widened just a hair, but it was noticeable enough, before he smirked, "I'll be fine." He freed himself from her death-grip, and rested a hand on her shoulder, before smirking and walking out the door, leaving an almost in-tears Lilith.
"Okaa-san..." She murmured, clasping her hands in an almost prayer-like fashion, "Please, watch over him."
~§~
Maleficent stumbled backwards, and her staff fell to the ground with a clatter. "Ugh." She continued falling back, and Riku stepped between her and Sora. Once again, Lilith's curiosity out did herself, and Chemuk's head appeared around the corner, followed by Lilith's.
"Is t-that a..."
"Keyblade. However, unlike yours, this Keyblade has the power to unlock people's HEARTS!" He spun behind him, and shoved the blade right into Maleficent's stomach. A scream rang from far behind him, and Sora saw Lilith, standing in front of Chemuk, paler than normal, eyes wide, hands over her lower face in shock.
"Open your heart to the darkness..." Riku sneered, and withdrew the blade. Maleficent stumbled back, her eyes wide with an insane gleam.
"This power, this wonderful power!" The air exploded with a flash of violent purple light, before fading as quickly as it appeared. A huge black and purple dragon towered above all of them in the room.
"Eh.........." Lilith's voice was high and startled, and she slid to her knees, and started shuddering violently.
"Oh man..." Sora shook his head, before breaking into a run, as Chemuk had to pull Lilith out of the room, being that her legs wouldn't function.
"Let's do it!"
~§~
"Riku?" Lilith asked, her voice barely hearable above the roaring of the dragon.
"Not now!" He snapped without turning around to face her, which knocked Lilith from her melancholic mood right up to her pissed mood.
"YES NOW!" She grabbed a lock of silver hair and yanked him down and around to face her, before grabbing his shoulders and shaking him.
"You *shake* ARE going *shake* to listen! *shake; shake; shake* I don't *shake* know what your *shake* PROBLEM is *shake* but you *shake* need to *shake* _LAY OFF_!" The color came to her cheeks in a flood of crimson.
"You're being a total and complete-" She was cut off from talking by Riku grabbing her, and tossing her to the higher level.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?!?!"
"Riku, give Kairi back!" Sora's determined voice echoed in the large Grand Hall they stood in, making Lilith realize that Riku had thrown her to get her out of the crossfire.
"Well, it's time." Riku drew his Keyblade, as did Sora. The blades clashed at the same time, sending a shower of sparks to the ground.
"Ars Arcanum!" Sora shouted, and Riku grinned, dodging every shot.
"Stuff like that won't work on me twice!"
Sora growled and jumped back. "Fine! Thundara!" (A/N: He doesn't have Thundaga 'cause the Hades Cup hasn't started yet at this point in the game.) Several bolts hit, creating painful burns on Riku arms, shoulders, and back.
"Strike Raid!" The Keyblade dug deep into Riku's leg as it flew by.
"Sonic Blade!" Sora ran past, slicing a long gash into Riku's chest.
WHACK! A sharp pain went down Riku's leg arm, which was most likely broken.
"ARS ARCANUM!" Riku was just too weak to dodge anymore. He took the blows, before collapsing to the ground.
"RIKU?!" Sora jumped at Lilith's sharp voice. She jumped from the platform above him, landed on her feet, and slid to her knees beside Riku. "Riku?" She gently placed her hand one his cheek, before growling in a sinister voice,
"Chemuk... Kill them."
The wolf snickered in compliance, before stepping forward, growling. She lunged at Sora, who blocked with his Keyblade. Chemuk snarled and bit the Keyblade, before turning her head, which twisted Sora's arm badly.
"If I don't let go, this thing's gonna break my arm!" Sora winced, before releasing his grip. The force of Sora and Chemuk twisting in opposite directions, and releasing their grips one before the other, sent the Keyblade spinning into a far corner.
"Riku..." Lilith traced his jaw line with two fingers, but he didn't stir. "Dammit Riku! What the hell?! You claimed to be so strong, then lose to a wimp Chemuk could overpower without trying!?!"
"Because he is weak." A deep voice said from behind, and Lilith and Chemuk both turned their heads to the source of the voice.
Lilith's eyes widened in recognition, before narrowing in fierce rage. Red rose in her cheeks and she gave a feral snarl. She was actually shaking with rage.
"Ansem."
"Oh, it's the young one! For a minute there, I thought you were your fool of a mother, you know, mourning for the loss of a loved one and all..." He smirked, but stop as the sparking noise reached his ears.
Black lightning danced across the marble floor, melting parts of it. "Now Lilith, keep your temper in check. Things will start exploding if you-"
BOOM
The pillar nearby exploded into a zillion little pieces, showering everyone in the room with black rubble. "...don't." Ansem finished, expecting something smaller to explode first.
"GO!" Riku suddenly shouted, rising weakly to his feet between Ansem and the others. "Sora, take Kairi and GO!" Sora nodded, and lifted the motionless body of his close friend, before running down the hall, Donald and Goofy following.
"Lil, you too!"
"No way am I going anywhere unless you come too!"
"Chemuk?" The wolf bit down on her mistress's arm, and stated to pull her out of the room.
"NO FUCKING WAY! THAT BASTARD ANSEM OWES ME AN EXPLAINATION!" With the strength that few knew she had, she pulled herself free from Chemuk's jaws, the razor sharp fangs tearing up her wrist and hand.
"Foolish girl!" Ansem got behind the angry girl, and hit the base of her skull with a piece of rubble, knocking her into unconsciousness and to the ground. Ansem smirked and turned to the livid wolf.
"Now you're going to be a good little wolf pup and stay there, or your mistress won't be around for much longer..." Ansem grabbed Lilith roughly, and disappeared into thin air.
Chemuk whimpered, and rushed up to the exhausted Riku. "Chemuk... find that Cloud guy, and Sephiroth too. They might be able to help Lilith..." Riku blanked out, and vanished into the black void that had appeared in the floor.
"Riku-san!"
~§~
"SQUALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Chemuk shouted, skidding right past his home, before dashing forward and body slamming the door, and tumbling into the room, right at the feet of a very confused Aerith. "Squall, it's..." Chemuk spotted Sora. "...you." She growled.
"Where's the brat that hangs around with you?" Sora said in disdain.
"THAT'S THE PROBLEM! Squall, Ansem has taken Lilith hostage! Right before Riku-san disappeared, he told me to find Cloud and Sephiroth, but I figured you could help too!"
Leon nodded, pulling out the Gunblade, "Alright, so where do we find this Cloud guy?"
~§~
"You do realize that no matter how much you fight, you're not getting out, right?" Ansem smirked at the shackled Lilith, who snarled,
"And what the hell are you gonna do with me?!"
"Oh, I'm not doing anything... he is." Ansem pointed behind Lilith, where the figured stepped out from the shadows. Long brown hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, and his midnight blue eyes were intelligent but cynical at the same time. He wore a white lab coat, like a doctor or scientist. Lilith's eyes widened, and chills ran up and down her back.
"Long time no see." The man walked in front of her, expensive black pants the only thing in her sight range because of the metal brace on her neck. "What's the matter, no "hello", or "How you been"?" Lilith snarled, and the man smirked,
"Fine, but at least call me what you used to, just once." Lilith looked down, hiding the turquoise eyes that she inherited from her mother, just as she inherited the red hair and the white skin.
"Dad."
~§~
"Seeeeppppppppppppppppphhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrooooooooootttt tttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Chemuk slammed the metal door to Sephiroth's small chamber revealing a now very confused one-winged angel.
"Chemuk...?" He asked uncertainly.
"It's Lilith, she's been kidnapped!"
He sighed, knowing that this wasn't the first time she had gotten herself into trouble. Chemuk barked impatiently.
"Have you seen Cloud?" She asked, and Sephiroth's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"No, Thankfully." Chemuk clamped down on his wrist.
"Now is NOT the time for foolish rivalries!"
"I agree." Cloud's voice stated, before the blonde walked in.
"So, now what?" Leon asked, looking at Lilith's two strange allies.
"Hollow Bastion." Chemuk snarled, her hackles rising.
"While Sora finishes the Heartless at End of the World."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------
-Here ends Desu no Yami|Death of the Darkness-
-This story will be continued in its sequel-
-Shinjite|Believe-
-Love and peace y'all-
~~Phantom of the Phoenix
This note was written 03/20, about 6 minutes after beating the game.... wee.... the "The End" screen is still on my TV, with the music playing...
---------------------------
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts ain't mine. I own a copy of the game, but it's still ain't mine. This twisted plot line is property of me, Naryssa, and Lilith is mine too!
---------------------------
What goes around usually gets dizzy and falls over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Desu no Yami|Death of the Darkness
**
"Riku!" Sora shouted, and the silver-haired teen grinned.
"Captain Hook!" Smee ran up to his superior, and nearly skidded past him. "We have a problem, A HUGE problem!!!" He panted.
Hook sighed, "Mr. Smee, WHAT is the problem?"
"Ship... BIG ship.... cannons.... LOTS of cannons.... Captain.... WOMAN!!!!" He cried in exasperation. Before the argument could progress, a shadow shifted across the deck, plunging Sora, Riku, Hook and everyone else into darkness.
"Eh?!" Riku's voice yelled in surprise, and then Sora felt the wind of a form being thrown past him. With a sickening crunch, Riku smashed into the mast, and Sora jumped back, swinging the Keyblade towards the direction Riku was thrown.
"Bastard... Where's Maleficent?" A sharp voice snarled. Riku growled back, "What do you want with her?!"
"I asked you first! Where the *hell* is she?!" The fist belonged to a teenaged girl, her skin milk white, fire truck red hair pulled into a bun, her bangs cut to frame her face and brush her cheeks. Her eyes were a deep turquoise-teal and expressed her emotion perfectly - rage.
A pirate Heartless appeared from near Hook, and leapt forward, smashing her waist with the flat of its blade, knocking her to the ground.
"Brat!" Hook walked forward, and stepped on her, foot in the small of her back, crushing her petite frame to the ground.
"Hey!" Sora shouted, bringing the Keyblade forward and preparing to strike. Before he could however, several more Heartless appeared, and attacked Donald, Goofy, and him.
"Riku, go ahead and teach this brat a lesson." Sora glanced over at Hook, who had pulled the girl to her feet, and had his hook curled around her neck. His hand held her thin wrists tight. Her head was bent back, throat exposed to the wicked sharp hook, but she still growled defiantly.
"Do what you need to teach her some respect for Maleficent and the Heartless!" Hook tossed her into a small room beside him, and Riku smirked, "Keep Kairi away from Sora until I'm done."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Riku walked into the room, a wooden pole resting on his shoulder. He would have used a sword, but he felt it wouldn't be right on a girl. She was sitting on the floor, staring at the floor, and he noticed to oddity of her clothes.
She was dressed in an extremely short pleated slate-color skirt and a forest green shirt that was off the shoulders, and would have slipped down if not for a band of extremely tight slate-colored spandex wrapping around her upper chest. Her sleeves were belled, and another strip of spandex tightened above each elbow. The strangest of all was that she wore no shoes, yet her feet weren't red or scratched.
She growled at him, scooting backwards, as Riku noticed the sheathed sword tied on her back. She looked up at him, her eyes daring him to mess with her.
"Hey..." He started, and she narrowed her eyes.
"What's your name?"
She blinked twice, slightly surprised, before frowning, her cherry red lips pouting.
"Lilith." She stated, her voice holding a distinct Brooklyn accent.
"Lilith...?" He asked, and she smirked, her eyes holding a cocky gleam.
"Aren't you supposed to be 'teaching me some respect'?" Riku was surprised by her attitude.
"You're quite the rebellious brat, aren't you?" He asked, and she snorted, rising to her bare feet. The ship lurched, and they both nearly lost their footing.
"What the-?" Riku glanced at the ceiling, and turned to the door. "Come on you!" He grabbed Lilith's wrist and yanked her out the door. The source of the lurch was a huge black wolf, standing in the middle of the deck, wooden beams under its feet cracked and splintered from its sheer weight and force of dropping from above.
It was biting Heartless in half, knocking Air Pirates from the air with its two tails. A Battleship flew in from behind, and the wolf reared up, and struck with its front paws, shattering the flying ship.
It turned on Riku, and began inching forward, hunched over and growling deep in its throat.
"CHEMUK!" Lilith's recognizable voice came from behind Riku, and she skid in front of Riku, arms stretched to both sides. "Back off." She commanded, and the wolf yipped and sat down.
"Good girl." Lilith said, walking up and patting the enormous beast. The wolf nuzzled her mistress's neck (Nearly knocking the girl over), before bunching up its powerful hind-leg muscles, and jumping to the hovering ship above.
Everyone aboard, save Lilith, stared at the wolf, than turned on the girl. "Heh." She laughed, before backing up. "I'm going..." Before she could jump to her ship, Riku grabbed her shirt and pulled her back. "Oh no. As of now, you're under my custody."
Lilith's temper flared through like a beacon, "THERE IS NO *FREAKIN* WAY I AM GOING TO BE PUT UNDER THE CUSTODY OF SOME KID MY AGE WHO WORKS FOR THAT WENCH MALEFICENT!!!!!"
Sora stared, surprised by the outburst. Most people weren't THAT outspoken...
Riku released the back off her shirt, and glared coldly, "I don't work for her, brat. She and I have a deal, that's all."
Lilith glared back, "Yeah, you still trusted a wench like her! That's pretty much the same by my book!"
It quickly became a heated argument.
"By your book?! Who cares?! Those are your own screwed-up rules!"
"Common sense tells you not to trust a loser who was exiled from the rank of high priestess, and then turns to the heartless for power!"
"The heartless are stronger than you'll ever be, brat!"
"You wanna try me?!"
"Yeah! Bring it on, runt!"
..................................
"WHAT. DID. YOU. JUST. CALL. ME?!?!?!?!?!"
Riku inched back, the sheer force of her rage-powered aura crunching beams beneath her feet. "Wow... she's worse than you are Donald!" Goofy exclaimed, looking down on the Court Magician.
"Oh be quiet!" Donald frowned, leaving Sora, who stayed quiet, watching intensely.
"Hey wait a minute!" Riku turned on Lilith, who sneered. "You said Maleficent was exiled.... how do you know that?"
Lilith turned her back to him, aura faded, her voice quiet but firm, "I have my ways." Her turquoise eyes shifted over her shoulder sadly. "She... used to work for my mother."
"WHAT?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy all shouted at once.
Lilith sighed sadly, before grabbing the open hatch of her ship, which was hovering above. "That won't stop me from killing that bitch... and Ansem!" She smiled at Sora malevolently, before swinging into the ship.
"The brat's got the girl!" Hook shouted, and Riku growled, "Kairi?!" Hook nodded, and Riku slipped inside the hovering black ship. Sora turned on Hook, and the fight began, as the hatch shut and the ship began to ascend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hmm.... where would she..." Riku slipped farther towards what appeared to be the cockpit, and grinned when he came to a railed ledge above a lower level where the red-head stood, Kairi resting in a chair to her left.
Riku didn't hear it approach. WHAM! The wolf knocked him forward, right over the rail, and about 6 inches from Lilith. He glanced up from the floor, and was greeted by Lilith's pissed face, her hand on her hip.
"What the hell are you doing on my ship?" She questioned, her voice sharp with irritation.
"You've got Kairi!" Lilith rolled her dark eyes and squatted down. "I'm gonna kill Maleficent, kill Ansem, find the door to Darkness, and harness its power! And in the process, I'll find whoever or whatever has her heart!"
Riku stared, 'Though she opposes Maleficent, she still wants basically the same thing... that's weird.' Lilith offered her hand to him.
"So... Where are you headed?" Riku blinked twice, before taking her hand and rising to his feet.
"Uh... Hollow Bastion." He answered, and Lilith frowned, looking extremely childish. Riku had noticed earlier that her face wasn't the only childish part of her - She was very petite, very thin, and barely reached his shoulder in height. However, the throbbing in the left side of his face reminded him that appearances could deceive.
"Well, I've got to go to Traverse Town first... The talking Teddy Bears are making a special collar for Chemuk." The wolf leapt silently from the higher platform, before sitting down and looking down at Riku.
"I don't think it's that smart to let him onboard, mai' lady." A raspy voice escaped the wolf's mouth, and Riku jumped. "Chill. She won't hurt you unless I tell her to." Riku looked at the wolf, meeting her acid green eyes.
"This is Chemuk." The wolf sat down next to Lilith, and her shoulders were equal with Lilith's head. "And I never got your name...?" Lilith cocked her head to one said, cropped bangs sliding across her cheeks.
"Riku." He replied, looking around the large cockpit.
"Mai' Lady... I believe that Cloud also needed to speak with you, did he not?" Chemuk turned to Lilith, who was already inputting coordinates.
"Ooooh yeaaaah. Hmm.... where is he anyway? How am I supposed to talk to him if I can't find him?" Lilith frowned again, before turning to the control board. "Best bet is to start with Olympus Coliseum..."
"Cloud..." Riku started, walking up beside her.
"A friend of mine." She answered his unspoken question, before the entire front of the cockpit glowed a eerie blue, before fading and showing the outside perfectly. Hook's ship bobbed on the water, hundreds of feet below.
"Hold on or sit down... or get launched across the room; your choice." She looked over at him, before cocking her head at the seat next to Kairi.
"No, I'll pass. Just get me to Hollow Bastion." Lilith shrugged,
"Fine, but don't whine when you hit the wall." She pressed one button in the middle of the controls, and the ship started to hum with the starting of the engines. A 'whoosh' noise was all Riku heard, before the sheer force of velocity hit him, and he was thrown right into the black steel wall 30 feet behind him.
"Ehhhh.........?" He moaned, rubbing the back off his head.
"I warned you..." Lilith said in a singsong voice, still standing.
"How'd you stay standing?" Riku climbed to his feet and walked past Chemuk, who snickered.
"I'm use to the acceleration." She dropped into a spinning chair nearby, and grinned, "You might as well wash your face... I made you bleed." Riku hadn't noticed the trail of blood running down his right cheek. "Sorry..." She flushed slightly, a pale pink tingeing her white skin.
"I'd love to... but I'd get lost on this flying tin can." He remarked.
"Oh shut up! Chemuk show him where the bathroom is." She gestured at the wolf, and Riku say what had made him bleed. On her middle finger was a platinum ring, inlaid with a row of five small rubies.
The wolf walked over to him, two long tails swinging nonchalantly, before grabbing his wrist gently between steel-sharp fangs and pulling him out of the room.
~§~
"So how'd you get this flying tin can?" Riku asked, curious as to how far the girl's nerves would go.
She puffed up her cheeks, before whining, "Stop calling the Hellbringer a tin can!" She gave him an indignant glare, before turning back to the control panel and grabbing a black knob and cranking it.
Riku flinched expecting the ship to do something wild, but instead, a heavy bass of a song cut in, and Riku nearly fell out of his chair. The black knob with the words "DO NOT TOUCH" below it was volume control for a surround sound speaker system.
She glanced over her shoulder and gave him another defiant look, before snorting and pressing a few buttons on the controls panel. Soon Olympus Coliseum came into view, and Riku moaned as the ship landed, "I thought you were taking me to Hollow Bastion!"
Lilith growled and marched over to him, before kicking him sharply in the shin, (Which hurt, in spite of the fact that she wore no shoes) "Bastard! I told you! I've got to talk to Cloud first!" She snarled, and walked out the now-open hatch.
"What's her problem?" Riku asked to thin air, only to have Chemuk respond by walking up and sitting next to him.
"Forgive her." The wolf started, "M'lady holds grudges... and tends to implement revenge in an over-extravagant way."
"Ahhh.... Whatever." Riku shrugged and walked out the hatch, Chemuk following.
~§~
"Heeeey! Phil-man! Have you seen Cloud?" Lilith shouted upon entry to the Lobby.
"Who?" The trainer looked over his shoulder from reading a random tournament list.
"Tall. Blond hair, spiked, carries a big sword wrapped in bandages, wears a burgundy-colored cloak..." Feeling she didn't go into enough detail... "Hates Sephiroth, is deathly afraid of my mother, refuses to answer if -kun is added to his name, still blames me for-" She was silenced by a gloved hand, and Cloud hissed in her ear.
"Will you be quiet?!"
"Ah! Cloud-kun! There you are! I was about to go and ask Sephi-" Cloud gave her that look, and she decided to stop there. "Any~waaaayyy... you needed to see me?"
"Yeah." Cloud replied, leaning against the wall. "I need to asked you about..." He glanced over at Phil and Riku, before looking at Chemuk and cocking his head.
Chemuk yipped once, and shoved the two from the room, leaving just Lilith, Cloud, and the wolf.
"As I said, I needed to ask you about project "fiend"." He gave Lilith a cold stare, and the red head looked to the ground, bangs hiding her expressive turquoise eyes. It had become a habit to hide her eyes, so she could, if necessary, tell a lie without her eyes betraying her.
"Yeah, what about it?" She replied, her voice dead serious.
"What exactly was *it*?" He asked, he eyes giving off a dark look.
"The process of taking a human's heart, allowing them to become a heartless, and then giving them just enough of their heart back to give them a human form with their heartless powers. These super powered "fiends" strength would depend of the darkness in the person's heart."
"Did it work?"
"No." She replied coolly, turning her back on him and starting to leave.
"Really?" He questioned in that annoyingly calm-but-assertive voice of his.
Shock registered in her eyes, before they narrowed to wicked slits, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
"Nothing, just go back to whatever you were doing..." And he walked out, cloak fluttering silently behind him.
"Why that... Grrrr." She growled, before dropping to the ground and snarling, "He has some guts, calling me..." She rose to her feet and started pacing, "Down here to ask me about some stupid..." She kicked the wall fiercely, "Project... *kick* my sick freak of a father... *kick* started!! *kick* SHIT!!!" She hopped on one foot for a few seconds until the pain died down, before groaning and flopping back to the stone floor.
Riku and Phil returned shortly, and caught sight of Lilith, sitting on the floor, arms and legs folded, scowling deeply.
"What's the matter with you?" Riku asked, looking down at her. She frowned at him, before making a "humph" sound and starting to walk out the door. However, for good measure...
"OUCH!" Riku shouted, his shin now definitely going to have a bruise. "Humph." She replied, walking out the door angrily. "She has some serious mental problems!" Riku voiced his opinion, before sighing and following her out the door.
Chemuk shook her head, before trotting out after them.
~§~
"Could we please hurry up here? Sora tends to come back here a lot..." Riku glanced around the streets of Traverse Town, as Lilith grinned. "... Too late." Riku moaned, noticing Sora talking to the small bunch that resided here.
"Ah!" Lilith suddenly squeaked, dashing away behind the café, before coming up behind the tall brunette. "Squall-kun!" Lilith shouted, making the entire group jump, and Lilith smiled, perched atop the wall behind them.
"Leon." Leon corrected, and Lilith grinned, "Awww... Whats'a matter with your real name? I think Squall is a better then Leon!"
Leon rolled his eyes, "No one asked you, now did they, ISIS?"
"It's Lilith. I don't go by my middle name." She said coldly, sneering at him.
"Well I don't go by Squall. We're even."
"Um?" Sora finally spoke up.
"Oh! It's you! Yeah. Um... Riku says 'hi'!" She grinned at him, leaning forward just enough to show the long blade strapped to her back.
"Where is he?" Sora asked, "And what about Kairi?!" He pulled out the Keyblade and pointed it at her.
"Eh? Eh heh heh heh heh... Chill pal, they're both fine... " She put her hands up in front of her, palms facing out defensively. Sora glared at her for a minute, but then put the Keyblade aside.
"So what are you doing here?" Aerith asked the redhead, who rocked back and forth on her heels for a bit, before pointing towards the top of the accessory shop.
"Ohh... the moogles, right?" Yuffie smiled, and Lilith cracked a grin, before whistling. Chemuk came bounding over, scaring several bystanders who mistook her for a heartless. The wolf nearly tackled Leon, before licking his cheek and dashing off to Yuffie, who she happily pinned and licked, before yipping and nuzzling Aerith's neck.
"Chemuk, osuwari!" The wolf complied, sitting calmly next to Aerith, who scratched the top of her muzzle. "So, how are things with you?" Lilith glanced around the group.
"Busy. The Heartless just won't stop." Leon declared, and his two companions nodded in agreement. Chemuk yawned, and got up and left.
"Well, once I get my hands on Maleficent..." She made a vicious growling noise, "That'll all stop!"
"Who says I won't get to her first?" Sora questioned, smirking. Lilith frowned,
"Because the Keyblade is only so useful. Plus you're stopping at every world along the way and clearing out the heartless, as well as sealing the keyhole. Me; I couldn't care less what happens to other worlds. It's not my job to handle their problems. If they can't defend themselves against a few little pests, then they deserve to have the Heartless destroy them!" Lilith's voice was now strong and assertive, as she was a passionate person towards her beliefs.
Sora, as well as the other's stared. "You c-can't possibly mean that!" Aerith stuttered, "Only people controlled by the darkness can stand by and let world be destroyed!"
"Plus, your mother taught you differently." Leon said, and Lilith's temper flared beyond control.
"DON'T YOU SAY A DAMN WORD ABOUT MY MOTHER!!!!!" She drew her sword, and the tip was pressed against Leon's neck in an instant. The blade, rather than metal, was made of a strange red crystal that looked a lot like ruby. However, ruby wasn't strong enough to made a good blade, so it had to be something else.
"Hey, I'm sorry! Calm down!" He pushed the blade away from his neck, and rested his hand on the short girl's shoulder.
"What's going on over here?" Sora turned, to see Riku standing behind them, Chemuk at his side.
"Riku!" Sora shouted, but Lilith walked in front of him, and then up to Riku.
"I'll be done in a minute, just hold up." She grinned, "And if you start trouble, I'll give you another bruise." Riku winced, the throbbing in his leg enough as is.
"You've hurt me enough in the past 6 hours, between my face and my leg, I think I'm good." He looked down on her, and she shrugged.
"Whatever."
~§~
"Well, I'll see you guys later, k?" Lilith smiled at Leon, Cid (Who had come to say hello), Yuffie, and Aerith.
"Alright, just don't kill the poor kid!" Yuffie waved as Lilith, along with Riku and Chemuk, exited the gates.
"I'll try my best!" She shouted back, smiling.
~§~
"Here." Lilith held out the collar, and Riku gasped. It looked almost like Mother-of-Pearl, but it was diamond-hard. Lilith slipped it around the wolf's neck, and grinned.
"There. It emits an aura that surrounds the entire body of the wearer, protecting it from both physical and magical attacks. Quite useful."
"So NOW are we going to Hollow Bastion?" Riku questioned, and Lilith grinned.
"Thank god." Riku leaned back in his designated chair. Lilith rose silently, and walked out of the room. "Hm?" Riku took a quick glance, and was surprised by the melancholic look on her face.
"M'lady?" Chemuk asked, rising to her feet in case anything was wrong.
"Nothing, nothing, don't worry." The teen replied, sighing.
~§~
"So this is Hollow Bastion." Chemuk growled, standing at the base of the floating chunks of ice that leads to the gondola to the castle gates.
"Kinda cold..." Lilith shuddered.
"That would be because you're barefoot and wearing a extremely short skirt." Riku stated, and Lilith went to kick him, but he avoided it.
"Would you two stop acting like children and clue me in as to how we get up there?!" Chemuk growled, and Lilith stuck her tongue out at the wolf.
"We jump." Riku stated as plain as day, before Chemuk rolled her acid green eyes.
"You weak humans would barely make it." The wolf remarked. Lilith smiled sweetly at her guardian.
"So you're going to give us a ride!" Chemuk nearly fell over at her own stupidity.
"I should've kept my mouth shut..." The beast whined as Lilith scrambled onto her back, before offering her hand to Riku, who accepted reluctantly. He still didn't like the talking Canis Lupus. The wolf bunched her back legs, the muscles in her sides rippling with the tension, before she pushed off, shooting 50 feet into the air.
"Woo-hoo!" Lilith shouted playfully, before looking over her shoulder. "Hold on, this is gonna be rough for a newbie."
There was a sound of breaking glass as the huge wolf hit the ice with her front paws, sending a spider web of cracks in every direction, before launching off again. "Aye." Riku almost squeaked in shock.
"I warned you..." Lilith chanted in a singsong tone once again, before bending forward, lacing her fingers deep into the thick fur around Chemuk's neck. "Faster..." She whispered, and the wolf's face split into a canine grin. She bunched the powerful muscles beneath the coat of black and skin, before releasing them like a spring, and flying forward.
"Yeaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" Lilith shouted, releasing her grip and tightening her legs to hold on. The wolf skid to a stop at the place with the pool of water. "Che-chan?" Lilith asked, leaning forward. The wolf snarled wickedly, baring fangs that, to Riku's horror, were blood stained.
"Something approaches. Something that smells of both beast and human." Chemuk warned, and Lilith growled. She slid off Chemuk's back with remarkable agility, before reaching behind her and removing her sword from its sheath.
"No, I'll handle this." Riku stepped in front of her, his bat-wing like blade clutched in his right hand.
"You!" A voice raspier then Chemuk's shouted, and Lilith dashed to the edge of the platform, only to have a brown form knocking her backwards, and send her skidding into Chemuk.
"Ouch! That was my ass, you bastard!" Lilith shouted at the huge brown monster, with its back hunched, and fangs bared.
"Ah. It's the beast. Come to get Belle, no doubt." Riku smirked, the blade resting on his shoulder.
"Where is she?! Give Belle back!" He lunged at Riku, who swiftly dodged it, before striking the beast in his back, knocking him to the ground.
"Wow! He's a lot better then he acted like! So then...Why didn't he stop me...?" Lilith stared at her ally, who was about to deal the final blow.
"M'lady, watch yourself. The Keyblade master approaches." Chemuk said, and on queue, Sora, followed by his comical friends, leapt to the platform the 4 stood on.
"Riku!" Sora shouted, and drew the Keyblade.
Lilith rolled her eyes, 'That kid ALWAYS says that when he see Riku-kun... Aiee?! Where'd "-kun" come from?!' She mentally reprimanded herself, before resuming her tie to reality.
"Sora, why did you follow me? You know you're destined to lose." Riku turned to his best friend, who blinked in simple-minded confusion, "What?"
"Come now Sora, let the Keyblade decide... Let it decide its true master!" Everyone but Riku and the beast wore shocked expression, even Lilith and Chemuk.
Riku extended his hand, and narrowed his icy blue eyes. Sora felt the Keyblade tug at his grip. "What?!" He shouted, as the Keyblade disappeared from his hand in a blaze of gold, and appeared in Riku's.
"See? The Keyblade has chosen who is best to wield it... It obviously found you too weak... This will be a better weapon for you." Riku tossed the cheap wooden sword at Sora's feet, before turning to leave.
"Goofy? Come on." Donald gave Sora a sorrowful glance, before following the Keyblade holder.
"Riku?" A quiet voice asked, and Chemuk trotted up, Lilith on her back. "Need a ride?" She smiled, and Riku returned the smile, before climbing onto the wolf's back, and leaving Donald and Goofy to jump for themselves.
~§~
"Maleficent!" Riku shouted as he stood in the Grand Hall, the six princesses incased in crystal making it colder. Lilith placed Kairi on the floor, before walking up beside Riku, with Donald and Goofy behind him.
"Yes my boy? Do you have it?" Maleficent glided down the stairs, the room almost freezing upon her entry.
"Maleficent...." Lilith snarled, her eyes glittering dangerously.
"Yes, I have the Keyblade... and the king's lackeys." Riku said, holding out the "key".
"So Maleficent, making quite the living for yourself, eh?" Lilith's voice was beyond cynical - it sent chills down your spine.
"Y-you!" Maleficent stuttered, pointing at the teen with her staff.
"Didn't expect to see me alive, did ya? No, of course not... After all, you sent a huge amount of heartless to my home to destroy us all. You thought you had at least killed the two strongest mages, didn't you? Heh, sorry. The only one you took down was my mother, and ya know what? You'll be taking her place in HELL!" Upon the last word, she dashed forward, and slashed at the woman, who barely blocked with her staff.
"Your moves are a lot faster." Maleficent smiled, and Lilith sneered, Chemuk coming up behind her, snarling venomously. "And will you look at little Chemuk! When I last saw you, you weren't anything but a little pup!"
"No kidding Maleficent, it's been 8 years, a lot has changed." Lilith sheathed her sword, and turned away, surprising Riku.
"Riku, you have yourself an incredibly powerful ally. Do NOT force her to leave. She will be unbelievably helpful in the quest..."
Lilith's temper flared, and she spun, grabbing Maleficent by the front of her cloak. "You honestly think I'll help you in your little quest for world domination?! HELL NO! You killed my mother!"
Maleficent took Lilith's small hands in her own, and smiled, "But I did you a favor, did I not? With your mother dead, her power was placed on you, her rank, her command..." Riku was wondering what she meant by rank and command...
"With your mother's death, the title of Imperial Empress of Meirei was handed to you! You control the most powerful army in the known universe! And yet what do you do? Set off, seeking revenge, with your mother's blessed sword and a wolf pup for a spirit guide!"
"Empress..." Donald started,
"Of Meirei?" Riku finished.
"It's a rather large planet, with a large amount of natural beauty. All inhabitants are natural fighters and mages, with the Empress usually being the best of them..." Maleficent smirked at Lilith, who frowned.
"I swore I wouldn't go back until I was ready to accept the throne... or accept my mother's death." Lilith murmured, leaning against Chemuk.
"So stay here! Work with Riku to regain his friend's heart. Develop new skills. I could even teach you a spell or two..." Maleficent smirked, and was surprised when Lilith smirked back,
"Okay, auntie Maleficent."
Maleficent blinked. "It has been many years since I've been called that..." Maleficent sighed. Chemuk's ears went up, and she stepped forward, growling.
"Che-chan?" Lilith asked, wrapping one hand around the new collar.
"The boy... and the beast... they're in the dungeon." Chemuk growled, before turning to Maleficent.
"Well, it will take them some time to solve that puzzle to get the gondolas going. For now, I will prepare you three to fight."
"Us... three?" Riku asked, looking over at Lilith, who blinked in confusion.
"Of course. Lilith is now your partner, so you two will constantly work together, understood? Chemuk is Lilith's spirit guardian, so she will accompany Lilith everywhere." Maleficent turned to a chest nearby, and pulling out a bundle. "Here. Lilith, change into these. There is a small bedroom over there..." Maleficent pointed, and Lilith nodded.
"Oh, and here." Maleficent handed her a staff, which had a large orb clutched inside a silver dragon claw. Inside the clear orb, a single, cat- like yellow iris and pupil floated eerily. "Recognize it?" Maleficent smirked.
"The Cat's Eye staff... mom's staff!"
Maleficent smiled, "You were a wonderful niece, Lilith Isis Hikage. Shadow of the night." Lilith blinked, unused to her full name, before grinning.
"The one and only!" She grinned at Riku, before dashing down the stairs and disappearing into the back room.
"And as for you, you will gain a truly mighty power. The power to control the heartless..."
Riku felt a surge of power, and stumbled slightly, before straightening up. "Heh. It's over for Sora..."
"What did she call Lilith?" Goofy asked Chemuk, whom's two tails twitched slightly in amusement.
"Oh, you mean Shadow of the Night? It's her name - Hikage Lilith (A/N: Last name first ~ Japanese custom ^_^) Hikage being "shadow", and Lilith being "of the night"." Chemuk stated in a matter-of-factly voice.
~§~
Sora walked into the entryway, Beast following close behind. Sora was in a total daze at the state of this place, but the daze was broken by the Beast's bellow. Sora spun as the door shut, before sighing. He would have to go on alone.
"So, you continued on, despite the warning? Foolish boy." Lilith's voice said from above, but Sora was unable to see her.
"Sora."
The brunette turned to face his old friend, with Donald and Goofy on either side of him. "This is the end, you know. The Keyblade chose me because your heart was weak, and will give in!"
Lilith leaned over the railing, curiosity out doing her self control. "Wow..." She and Chemuk both watched.
"My heart will never give into the darkness!" Sora shouted. Riku smirked, and the heartless symbol blazed on his chest, before he pulled out the Keyblade.
"We'll just see about that!" He launched at energy ball at Sora, who braced himself. It never hit.
"Sora is one of my best friends, and I'll never let his heart be stolen!" Goofy stated, pulling his shield to the side.
"Whaaaat?" Lilith whined.
"Hey Donald, could you tell the king I'm really sorry?"
"Wait Goofy, we can tell him together!"
Donald ran over to Sora, and smiled sheepishly, "Well, you know, all for one and one for all..."
Sora turned to Riku, and glared at him, "It's true, by myself, my heart is weak, but with my friends, and their faith in me, my heart will never give in!" A glitter of gold was all that Riku saw, before the Keyblade vanished from his hand.
"Hunh?!" Lilith leaned over the railing, the bell sleeves on her black gown dangling below. "Riku! Watch yourself!" Lilith shouted, tossing his bat- wing blade to him, and getting a better vantage point. (A/N: Okay, for those who don't get it, in the Entry Room in Hollow Bastion, you know how there's the second level, that at first you can only get to by solving the library puzzle? That's where Lilith is.)
"Sora..." Riku growled, before running forward with remarkable speed and slashing at his former friend. Sora flinched and blocked, before shoving him backwards and jumping to the side, allowing Goofy to charge him.
"Riku!" Lilith shouted, preparing to help.
"Stay where you are!" He shouted back, taking a swift blow and connecting with Sora's leg, making him stumble.
"Grrrr..." Lilith flew around to another point, her knuckles white on her staff, Chemuk dashing behind her. "Dammit!" She shouted as the dueling teenagers moved once again. "Screw it!" She bunched up the multi-layer black and silver skirt she wore, before climbing onto Chemuk's back. Chemuk leapt to the hanging platform in the middle of the room, and Lilith slid off, leaning over the edge.
"Ars Arcanum..." Sora whispered, the Keyblade held tightly in his right hand. It started to glow a deep gold, before he struck at Riku with a series of hard hits, cornering him and striking again.
"Come on, let me help!" Lilith shouted, and would have been pulling her hair out in frustration if it weren't up in an elaborate bun.
"No!" Riku shouted, recovering ground with one solid hit. Lilith turned her head away and took a few deep breaths to regain her composure. There was a clanking noise, and Lilith turned back to the battle.
Riku's blade had fallen to the ground, and he stumbled back, clutching his head. The Heartless sign vanished, and he fell to his knees. Sora walked forward, Keyblade pointed at the person who was once his best friend.
"No!" With a great 'Crunch!' Chemuk landed between the feuding teens, sending a spider web of cracks in the black marble floor. Lilith scrambled off, and to Riku's side. Chemuk's jaws came together with the sound of steel, and Sora backed up, as the huge two-tailed wolf crept towards him, snarling.
"Riku?" Lilith asked tenderly, touching his forehead. She felt a cold wind at her neck, and turned her head. A black void had appeared behind her.
"Come on!" In one movement, Riku scooped her in his arms, rose to his feet, and made it through the warp hole to safety. For good measure, Chemuk snapped her jaws at Sora once more, before bounding through after her allies.
~§~
Riku slid Lilith to her feet, and she looked at him in concern, "Are you alright?" Chemuk trotted up behind him, nudging his shoulder.
"I'm alright, I just need to sit for a..." He leaned against the wall, and fell to the ground, strength leaving his legs.
"Oh! Riku!" Lilith knelt beside him, laying her staff down beside her, and placing a pale hand on his cheek. "Oh..." She murmured, pulling her hand back. "Aunt Mal?" Lilith looked over her shoulder.
"Yes, my child?" Maleficent's cold hand rested on the redhead's shoulder.
"May I fight next? I don't think Riku will be able to fight for some time..." Lilith rose to her feet, and meeting her aunt's eyes.
"Do not worry about Riku. He is strong, and will be fully able to fight by the time the boy arrives." Maleficent smiled at her. "For now though, how about I teach you those spell I promised?"
"Really?" Lilith perked up. She was, after all, a mage, and any chance to extend her skills was greatly valued.
"May I join you?" Riku rose to his feet, smirking. He, however, once again lost his footing.
"Oh!" Lilith caught him, and smiled. "You're not walking anywhere. Chemuk!" The wolf nudged him, and he hefted himself onto her back.
"Alright, this way." Maleficent lead them into another room, and smiled, before turning to Lilith and smirking, "You are a fire mage, are you not?"
Lilith blinked twice, "Uh, yeah...?"
"So Flaming Meteors would be appropriate, right?" Maleficent kept a straight face as Lilith's eyes widened,
"Fl-flaming meteors?!"
~§~
"Haha!" Lilith laughed as Chemuk took huge bounds, leaping from one end of the great hall to the other, Lilith on her back. Riku watched in mild amusement, a red and black Keyblade resting on his lap. A creaking noise seemed to reverberate from the walls, and Chemuk landed and started growling.
"Lilith... go!" Maleficent hissed, walking out the door.
"Whaaa?" Lilith asked in confusion.
"Sora's here." Riku smirked, and stood up, the mark of the Heartless blazing on his chest.
"But why do I have to hide? It's not like I'm helpless or anything!" Chemuk landed softly beside Riku, and Lilith climbed off. She frowned deeply, folding her arms, "I'm a mage, and a damn good one at that."
Riku smirked, "If necessary, you'll have to help, but its best if you stay out of the cross fire for now."
~§~
Maleficent walked out of the doorway, and gave Sora a haughty glare. "So, you dare to fight me?" She raised her staff above her head, and hit the ground roughly, causing the chunk of ground she was standing on to split off and rise into the air.
"Let's go!" Sora jumped onto the platform, before swinging the Keyblade at her.
"Heh." Maleficent's staff glowed, and meteors rained down, causing Donald and Goofy to duck for cover.
"Ars Arcanum!"
~§~
"Looks like she started by herself... Oh well, might as go and watch." Riku began to walk out of the room, but was stopped as Lilith grabbed his left wrist with both her hands.
"Riku..." She said urgently, concern evident on her face, "Please, BE CAREFUL." She emphasized, eyes glassing over. She had seen him fall once before, and didn't want to see it again.
Riku's eyes widened just a hair, but it was noticeable enough, before he smirked, "I'll be fine." He freed himself from her death-grip, and rested a hand on her shoulder, before smirking and walking out the door, leaving an almost in-tears Lilith.
"Okaa-san..." She murmured, clasping her hands in an almost prayer-like fashion, "Please, watch over him."
~§~
Maleficent stumbled backwards, and her staff fell to the ground with a clatter. "Ugh." She continued falling back, and Riku stepped between her and Sora. Once again, Lilith's curiosity out did herself, and Chemuk's head appeared around the corner, followed by Lilith's.
"Is t-that a..."
"Keyblade. However, unlike yours, this Keyblade has the power to unlock people's HEARTS!" He spun behind him, and shoved the blade right into Maleficent's stomach. A scream rang from far behind him, and Sora saw Lilith, standing in front of Chemuk, paler than normal, eyes wide, hands over her lower face in shock.
"Open your heart to the darkness..." Riku sneered, and withdrew the blade. Maleficent stumbled back, her eyes wide with an insane gleam.
"This power, this wonderful power!" The air exploded with a flash of violent purple light, before fading as quickly as it appeared. A huge black and purple dragon towered above all of them in the room.
"Eh.........." Lilith's voice was high and startled, and she slid to her knees, and started shuddering violently.
"Oh man..." Sora shook his head, before breaking into a run, as Chemuk had to pull Lilith out of the room, being that her legs wouldn't function.
"Let's do it!"
~§~
"Riku?" Lilith asked, her voice barely hearable above the roaring of the dragon.
"Not now!" He snapped without turning around to face her, which knocked Lilith from her melancholic mood right up to her pissed mood.
"YES NOW!" She grabbed a lock of silver hair and yanked him down and around to face her, before grabbing his shoulders and shaking him.
"You *shake* ARE going *shake* to listen! *shake; shake; shake* I don't *shake* know what your *shake* PROBLEM is *shake* but you *shake* need to *shake* _LAY OFF_!" The color came to her cheeks in a flood of crimson.
"You're being a total and complete-" She was cut off from talking by Riku grabbing her, and tossing her to the higher level.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?!?!"
"Riku, give Kairi back!" Sora's determined voice echoed in the large Grand Hall they stood in, making Lilith realize that Riku had thrown her to get her out of the crossfire.
"Well, it's time." Riku drew his Keyblade, as did Sora. The blades clashed at the same time, sending a shower of sparks to the ground.
"Ars Arcanum!" Sora shouted, and Riku grinned, dodging every shot.
"Stuff like that won't work on me twice!"
Sora growled and jumped back. "Fine! Thundara!" (A/N: He doesn't have Thundaga 'cause the Hades Cup hasn't started yet at this point in the game.) Several bolts hit, creating painful burns on Riku arms, shoulders, and back.
"Strike Raid!" The Keyblade dug deep into Riku's leg as it flew by.
"Sonic Blade!" Sora ran past, slicing a long gash into Riku's chest.
WHACK! A sharp pain went down Riku's leg arm, which was most likely broken.
"ARS ARCANUM!" Riku was just too weak to dodge anymore. He took the blows, before collapsing to the ground.
"RIKU?!" Sora jumped at Lilith's sharp voice. She jumped from the platform above him, landed on her feet, and slid to her knees beside Riku. "Riku?" She gently placed her hand one his cheek, before growling in a sinister voice,
"Chemuk... Kill them."
The wolf snickered in compliance, before stepping forward, growling. She lunged at Sora, who blocked with his Keyblade. Chemuk snarled and bit the Keyblade, before turning her head, which twisted Sora's arm badly.
"If I don't let go, this thing's gonna break my arm!" Sora winced, before releasing his grip. The force of Sora and Chemuk twisting in opposite directions, and releasing their grips one before the other, sent the Keyblade spinning into a far corner.
"Riku..." Lilith traced his jaw line with two fingers, but he didn't stir. "Dammit Riku! What the hell?! You claimed to be so strong, then lose to a wimp Chemuk could overpower without trying!?!"
"Because he is weak." A deep voice said from behind, and Lilith and Chemuk both turned their heads to the source of the voice.
Lilith's eyes widened in recognition, before narrowing in fierce rage. Red rose in her cheeks and she gave a feral snarl. She was actually shaking with rage.
"Ansem."
"Oh, it's the young one! For a minute there, I thought you were your fool of a mother, you know, mourning for the loss of a loved one and all..." He smirked, but stop as the sparking noise reached his ears.
Black lightning danced across the marble floor, melting parts of it. "Now Lilith, keep your temper in check. Things will start exploding if you-"
BOOM
The pillar nearby exploded into a zillion little pieces, showering everyone in the room with black rubble. "...don't." Ansem finished, expecting something smaller to explode first.
"GO!" Riku suddenly shouted, rising weakly to his feet between Ansem and the others. "Sora, take Kairi and GO!" Sora nodded, and lifted the motionless body of his close friend, before running down the hall, Donald and Goofy following.
"Lil, you too!"
"No way am I going anywhere unless you come too!"
"Chemuk?" The wolf bit down on her mistress's arm, and stated to pull her out of the room.
"NO FUCKING WAY! THAT BASTARD ANSEM OWES ME AN EXPLAINATION!" With the strength that few knew she had, she pulled herself free from Chemuk's jaws, the razor sharp fangs tearing up her wrist and hand.
"Foolish girl!" Ansem got behind the angry girl, and hit the base of her skull with a piece of rubble, knocking her into unconsciousness and to the ground. Ansem smirked and turned to the livid wolf.
"Now you're going to be a good little wolf pup and stay there, or your mistress won't be around for much longer..." Ansem grabbed Lilith roughly, and disappeared into thin air.
Chemuk whimpered, and rushed up to the exhausted Riku. "Chemuk... find that Cloud guy, and Sephiroth too. They might be able to help Lilith..." Riku blanked out, and vanished into the black void that had appeared in the floor.
"Riku-san!"
~§~
"SQUALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Chemuk shouted, skidding right past his home, before dashing forward and body slamming the door, and tumbling into the room, right at the feet of a very confused Aerith. "Squall, it's..." Chemuk spotted Sora. "...you." She growled.
"Where's the brat that hangs around with you?" Sora said in disdain.
"THAT'S THE PROBLEM! Squall, Ansem has taken Lilith hostage! Right before Riku-san disappeared, he told me to find Cloud and Sephiroth, but I figured you could help too!"
Leon nodded, pulling out the Gunblade, "Alright, so where do we find this Cloud guy?"
~§~
"You do realize that no matter how much you fight, you're not getting out, right?" Ansem smirked at the shackled Lilith, who snarled,
"And what the hell are you gonna do with me?!"
"Oh, I'm not doing anything... he is." Ansem pointed behind Lilith, where the figured stepped out from the shadows. Long brown hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, and his midnight blue eyes were intelligent but cynical at the same time. He wore a white lab coat, like a doctor or scientist. Lilith's eyes widened, and chills ran up and down her back.
"Long time no see." The man walked in front of her, expensive black pants the only thing in her sight range because of the metal brace on her neck. "What's the matter, no "hello", or "How you been"?" Lilith snarled, and the man smirked,
"Fine, but at least call me what you used to, just once." Lilith looked down, hiding the turquoise eyes that she inherited from her mother, just as she inherited the red hair and the white skin.
"Dad."
~§~
"Seeeeppppppppppppppppphhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrooooooooootttt tttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Chemuk slammed the metal door to Sephiroth's small chamber revealing a now very confused one-winged angel.
"Chemuk...?" He asked uncertainly.
"It's Lilith, she's been kidnapped!"
He sighed, knowing that this wasn't the first time she had gotten herself into trouble. Chemuk barked impatiently.
"Have you seen Cloud?" She asked, and Sephiroth's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"No, Thankfully." Chemuk clamped down on his wrist.
"Now is NOT the time for foolish rivalries!"
"I agree." Cloud's voice stated, before the blonde walked in.
"So, now what?" Leon asked, looking at Lilith's two strange allies.
"Hollow Bastion." Chemuk snarled, her hackles rising.
"While Sora finishes the Heartless at End of the World."
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-Here ends Desu no Yami|Death of the Darkness-
-This story will be continued in its sequel-
-Shinjite|Believe-
-Love and peace y'all-
~~Phantom of the Phoenix