Author's Note: I do not own anything. All characters and themes belong to their rightful owners.
CHAPTER 2: I'LL HANDLE THIS
A white cat runs in an alley. But no ordinary alley; it is sketched out in plain black and white. The cat's face is far from normal. It has six beady eyes. Two in the normal spot, two on the inside cheeks and two at the points of where a mouth would be. A blurry figures rushes towards it from above. The blurry figure turns into Riku, who cries out as he lashes out his Keyblade, cutting the creature in two. Riku lands in a kneeled position before standing up as he turns his head back at the creature he slain. The creature disintegrates prior to the space surrounding him transform back into a normal alley.
Riku looks around, but sees no sign of any remains. "Figures. That one didn't have a strong darkness." He takes a hand into his pocket before pulling out two black objects that look very similar to each other. It has been two days since he came to this world. Including the creature he fought when he first got here, Riku just finished conquering his tenth labyrinth. Riku looks up, seeing the sky is already in twilight before looking back at the items in his hand. "The stronger ones drop these things, but the weaker ones leave nothing behind." Riku puts the items back into his pocket. "Still, these things don't seem to be new. More like, they have been here for a long while." The Keyblade Master crosses his arms, "And yet, it feels that these things don't belong here as well. Perhaps these things may be connected to my investigation after all." Riku relaxes his arms, "Well, I better get moving." Riku turns around before moving ahead.
After walking past another alley, he takes ten more steps before a click catches attention. "All right, kid!" a gruff, arrogant voice called out to him. Riku looks back, he didn't really get a good look at the man's face due to his focus on the pistol in the man's right hand. "Hand over all your money before I use this thing," the man says with a cocky attitude.
Riku gives tired sigh. This is so troublesome…
Mitakahira City
A group of four girls walk down the sidewalk of a street. Among them is Kairi, who is currently getting to know more of the three girls around her; Madoka, Sayaka, and Mami. With them is a strange, white creature that is perched on Madoka's shoulder. Little did they know, they were being watched.
On a building behind them on their left, is Saïx. He is currently looking down at the girls. Under orders, he is to monitor this group for more information. He is surprised that Kairi appeared during a battle with a Keyblade. The Organization member continues to look at them from his spot before closing his eyes. "Did you think, you could hide your presence from me?"
"So you noticed," a feminine voice said in response.
Saïx looks back, noticing the figure's garbs are mainly white. "Why are you here?" His eyes are looking downward, indicating the figure is shorter than him.
"I would like meet you. And welcome you to this world."
Saïx raises his right brow, "So… you know that I am not from this world."
"Yes. I also know about you… and your Organization." Saïx makes a slight sound of apprehension. "Do not worry. You see…" the girl trails off. "I am here to enlighten you of the system of our world."
"What system?" he asks with a slightly demanding tone.
The girl giggles with a mysterious smile.
"Forty-nine… and fifty. There you are fifty thousand Yen." A police woman behind a desk smiles with a five piles of cash laid out on the desk in front of Riku. Riku nods before pocketing it. It only took a second for Riku to knock out his attacker. After thinking on what to do with the robber, he decided to turn him in. Turns out, the attacker is a wanted man, and the police is willing to give Riku the reward for the man's arrest. Riku accepted the offer since he can use the money for food and lodging during his stay in this world. "Still, wouldn't you prefer a check?" the officer asks.
"Nah, it's cool. I don't intend to stay here long. I… tend to travel a lot."
"Wow, you're traveling at such a young age?"
"Don't worry. I can take care of myself."
"I wouldn't argue with you there. Thanks again for bringing that man in here. If you need any assistance, please don't hesitate to ask."
"I'll keep that in mind." Riku says before nodding to the police woman goodbye. After walking out the doors, Riku looks around before looking up at the night sky. Riku takes one last look at the station which reads 'Kazamino City Police Headquarters.' Riku decides to find a place to rest for the night as he walks down the street passing by a girl with red hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a light blue sweater and blue jean shorts, who is eating an apple in her right hand.
Two hours have passed since Riku found a place to call in for the night. His room consists of one bed and the room's size is similar to that of a bedroom in a normal home and is currently unlit. Riku is lying on the bed; relaxing with his eyes closed. Despite being relaxed, he is still thinking about the creatures he came across. He recalls the conversation he had with Master Yen Sid on his first day in this world. He described to him the monsters he has came across and Yen Sid suggests that Riku should do what he believes is right. Riku opens his eyes. He looks at the electronic clock in the room, indicating it is now ten o'clock. He looks back up to the ceiling. "Maybe a couple more hours before I…" he says before trailing off. Seconds later he sits up in a jolt, looking at the window. "Looks like someone's decided to pay me a visit." He walks up to the window before opening it up. Riku's eyes narrow before he jumps down into the alley. Riku turns to his left before walking forward.
As Riku continues to walk the scenery begins to morph around him. He can feel the hard cement shifting into organic matter. He starts to feel like he is being swallowed by a gigantic creature as the walls of the buildings become irregular and pulsing with life. Riku cannot help but feel that he is back again in the insides of a certain giant whale as the scenery sets in as inside of some type of giant life form. Riku continues to walk forward. All of a sudden he hears cries of fear and terror. Riku makes a small gasp in response. "Don't tell me…" he mutters before sprinting forward with everything he has.
A small girl in a teal dress with white cuffs and collar is on her knees. Her hair is a pale green with two yellow, ball-shaped hairclips, giving her two small ponytails off the top sides of her hair. Her eyes are in complete shock at the scene in front of her. A strangled growl gains her attention. She slowly turns her head back. Her eye catches a large brain-like entity with a gigantic eye covering the majority of the frontal lobe. Tens of organic tentacles grow from beneath it. At the end of those tentacles are three-fingered steel claws; the fingers appearing like swords. The girl stands up before turning her body to face it towards the monster. The monster raises one of its tentacles before swinging it towards her.
With a battle roar, Riku soars in the air, Keyblade in hand. He intercepts the claw; deflecting it as it slides down his weapon; causing sparks to fly. The result is the claw slashes down on the ground to the right of the girl. Riku drops to the ground, facing the monster. Riku turns his head to the girl, "Hey, you alright?" Riku's right eye widens as makes a small gasp. Behind the girl are two dead corpses. Riku tightens his left fist before glaring back at the creature. "Stay back." he calls out to the girl. He shifts to his battle pose; his right elbow pulled back with the Keyblade pointed towards his back while his left hand is in a defensive, inviting gesture. "I'll handle this!"
*THE FIGHT FOR MY FRIENDS*
Riku stares down with the creature. After a few seconds, Riku steps back with his left foot, as he pulls his left hand back as it's covered by a dark aura. Seconds later he unleashes a ball of violet-blue flames. Based on its trajectory, it appears it will pass over the creature's head. Before it even passes the creature's front, the fireball divides into eight smaller fireballs of the same color before raining down on the creature; forcing it back.
Riku takes this chance to rush forward in hopes of gaining the creature's full attention and not at the girl. The monster whips outs its tentacles at the Keyblade Master. Riku jumps towards it; barely avoiding the steel blades on the end of the tentacles. With a few swipes, he chops down several tentacles, before unleashing a fire spell at the eye. He rushes to the right of the creature to create space between them and divert the monster away from the girl. The monster sends its claws at Riku. Riku sidesteps several times while chopping down the tentacles. However, he also got scratches on his side and arms during the feat. He points his Keyblade and fires another fire spell. Upon impact on the eye, the monster recoils.
Riku crosses his arms before spreading them, his body now covered by a fiery aura. Riku charges at the creature, which recognizes his assault. It sends out more of its tentacles. Riku slashes through them before attacking the monster head on. In a few seconds, he attacks with a horizontal strike, a vertical cut, followed by a diagonal slash, before he bursts the fiery aura around him; burning the enemy. He lands before backing off as the monster strikes the ground he was on. Riku points his Keyblade at it before firing a dark-violet fireball at it. The fireball splits into eight before impacting it. Riku jumps high as he brings his wielding arm to cross his body; the fiery aura surrounding him now wraps the Keyblade. He swings it; sending a wave of fire that hits the monster and causes pillars of fire to erupt from the ground, causing more damage on the beast.
Riku lands on the ground before standing ready in his stance. The monster regains its composure before making a strangled roar. Its eye turns red as its body is surrounding by a black aura. Riku tenses in response. The monster raises it tentacles towards its body with all the claws glowing with a dark pink aura. The tentacles extend at a fast rate as they lash out, catching the Keyblade Master by surprise. The tentacles jab at the ground, creating shockwaves as Riku jumps to dodge. Another group of tentacles aim for him in the air. Riku clenches his teeth before twisting his body in the air as he deflects one of the tentacles as it slides down his Keyblade. Though he avoided a direct hit, claws from other tentacles scrape his arms and legs. Riku swings the Keyblade in a calculating frenzy; batting away the tentacles. The tentacles finally retract as the aura disappears from the monster. Riku lands on the ground before falling to one knee as he catches his breath as he faces towards the ground.
Riku looks up for a few seconds before standing. He immediately charges towards his foe. The monster sends its arsenal of tentacles at Riku again. Riku slides forward as tentacles fly just above him before they pierce the ground. Riku kicks back on one foot, flipping backwards as more tentacles pierce the ground in front of him. Five more tentacles aim towards him. With a sudden shift of footing and posture, the tentacles barely miss him as Riku stands with the Keyblade pointing up. "Water!" he yells out. Immediately, a pulse of water emanates from him; flowing in a clockwise pattern. The tentacles closest to him get sliced off while the tentacles caught in the spell's outer edge are merely damaged. The monster brings back its tentacles as Riku bursts with energy. The energy forms a blue aura surrounding him as translucent bubbles emanate from the aura.
Riku jumps in the air before propelling forward. The monster sends out its tentacles to meet his charge. Riku unleashes Shadow Breaker; spinning with the Keyblade, covered by a dark aura, before swinging in the opposite direction, still spinning towards the creature, with light covering the tip of his weapon. The tentacles that charged at him get slashed off and by the time Riku is finished he propels forward; reaching the eye in two seconds. He swings the Keyblade upwards before releasing it. The Keyblade is now enshrouded by a blue energy field, giving it the appearance of a surf board. The Keyblade loops around before Riku stands on his energy infused weapon and rides it; striking the monster as if it is waves in the water. Riku rides the Keyblade upwards before flipping and catching it. He immediately dives to the ground, striking the monster in the eye. The monster gives a warped scream in response.
After Riku hits the ground, he extends the Keyblade behind him before jumping for an upward strike creating a trail of water. Riku is above the monster before slamming down on the trail of the water and into the ground. The water bursts forward; drenching the creature as it gets pushed back. The brain hits the ground. Riku, the aura no longer surrounding him, again brings the Keyblade behind him as his wielding arm across his body as he slowly crouches. The monster barely gets itself off the ground before unleashing its tentacles as a massive wave of steeled claws. The claws are about halfway towards him before Riku disappears. Streaks of light appear around the tentacles before Riku suddenly reappears behind it with his weapon extended in front of him. The tentacles are suddenly cut off in pieces; the chain proceeding towards the main body. A gash suddenly appears on the monster's eye. Cracks sprout from the gash. Riku stands up before flicking his weapon. "This is… the end," he suddenly says.
Immediately the monster shatters like glass. A familiar-looking object slowly descends from what used to be the monster's center. The space around him warps before fading away, revealing that he is an alley. Riku turns around before walking up to the object. Riku picks it up and stares at it for a few seconds. He pockets the object before hearing a small stifle. Riku gasps as he recalls about the girl that the monster almost killed. He looks to his right, finding the girl; who is kneeling and looking towards the ground away from him.
*TEARS OF THE LIGHT*
Riku walks towards her. As he gets closer, the girl's stifles become more audible. "Mom…Dad…" she says in a noticeable, trembling whisper. Riku makes a sigh after a few seconds; recalling the two dead corpses he saw before he fought the monster. Riku slowly shakes his head with closed eyes.
The Keyblade Master opens his eyes before kneeling down on his right knee as he places his right hand on his left knee, facing the ground. "I'm sorry," he says solemnly. "If I got here faster, I could've saved them."
"Are they… Are they really…" the girl tilts her head more forward.
"I know it's hard to accept," says Riku. Riku looks at her. He instantly notices the girl is trembling heavily. He can tell that she is not ready to accept what has occurred. "Listen. There are times you shouldn't cry. And there are times you should. I know the truth is hard to bear, but we need to accept it. If we continue to reject our circumstances, we continue to distance ourselves from the truth and our reality. I should know; I once rejected something once." Riku looks at the palm of his left hand for a few seconds. "Because I rejected it, I almost lost…" Riku sighs before clenching his hand. He turns his attention back to the girl. "So, there's no need to hold back your tears. There's no shame to let them go. Shedding your tears… is the first step for you to accept it."
The girl clenches her hands. She turns around with a wail before planting her face into Riku's chest, as she grasps his jacket. Riku is startled by this reaction, but it quickly fades as he puts right hand on the back of the girls head. Riku can feel the tears soaking on his shirt as the girl continues to cry. "That's it." He says softly. "Let it all out. There's no need for you to hold back." The girl makes a sorrowful scream before she continues to cry.
Ten minutes have passed as the girl's cries turn into stifles. "Are you okay?" Riku asks. The girl takes a few steps back. After ten seconds, she slowly nods. "Hey, why don't you tell me your name?"
She rubs her eyes with her right arm for a few seconds. The girl looks up at Riku. "My name… My name is Yuma."
"Yuma…" Riku says before giving a contented sigh with closed eyes. He opens them back up, "That's a good name. My name is Riku."
"Riku… Do you… fight monsters?" she says as she looks down.
"Yeah," Riku stands up, "you could say that."
"Are there more monsters like that one?"
"I won't lie to you; there are more monsters like that out there."
"Aren't you scared?" she asks with a frown.
"Well, I've faced so many monsters, there's not really anything I fear," answers the Keyblade Master with a hand on his left hip as he looks at the sky.
"You must be really strong then," she says with a small smile as she looks up at him .
"Well… I'm not all that strong." He looks at the girl, "Besides, I still have my fears."
"What are you scared of?"
"The thing I'm mostly afraid of… is losing someone that's important to me."
Yuma makes a small gasp. "Did you lose someone, too?" The Keyblade master responds with a sigh.
Riku walks past Yuma before stopping after six steps. "You could say I also lost someone as well." Riku says as he looks down.
"Who?" Yuma asks in a sad, curious tone. Riku does not respond for a few seconds.
*RIKU'S THEME*
"Myself…" He looks at the palm of his left hand. "I lost sight of who I was. When that happened, that's when I began to lose everything. My family, my friends… I still remember the accusations." His mind flashes back to his encounter with Zexion in a replica of his home world. "I won't deny them, because it is the truth." Riku lowers his arm as he looks forward, "But like I said earlier, by accepting reality, we can move forward. I accepted what I have done wrong. I accepted that I shouldn't deserve a second chance." Riku smiles, "And I accept the help of a friend who believes in me." Riku makes a sound of amusement before looking up towards the stars in the sky. "We may lose things we cherish time and time again. But, as long as you remember the things you lost. If it's something irreplaceable, then you have to keep on remembering them. That there is the proof that someone… or something is important to you." Riku turns back at Yuma. He walks up to her, "You see, we're not all different…" he kneels down to meet her at eye level. "We may not like how our lives have turned out. But it's up to us to make the best of it." Riku tilts his head to the side, "Understand?"
"Not really…" she says with a slight tilt of her head to the side.
Riku gives a slight chuckle. "It's okay that you don't understand now. But one day, you will understand. Trust me." Riku stands up. "Come on; time to get you someplace safe."
"What do you mean?" she asks with a tone just short of surprise
"Huh?"
"Can't I just go with you?" she looks at him with pleading eyes.
Riku responds with an uncertain sigh, "I'm sorry." Yuma makes a small gasp before looking at the ground. "But listen," she looks back up, "Until we go our separate ways, I'll keep you safe." Riku offers a hand to her. "Come on, I have a good idea of where we can get you help." Yuma makes a small stifle when she looks down before looking up at the Keyblade Master with a appreciative smile. She takes his hand. "Stay close. We don't want to run into any more of those monsters, do we?" The girl shakes her head with closed, making two hums. After she opens them, the two slowly walk down the alleyway.
#SCAENA FELIX#
Yuma sits on a chair with her legs dangling in the air as she looks at the table in front of her. She is now in a small room. Right next to the only door in the room, which is on the opposite wall as the table, is Riku. His arms are crossed over his chest as he looks towards the ground with closed eyes. It has been an hour since they walked away together from that alley. As soon as the door opens, Riku opens his eyes and looks towards the general direction. Coming into the room is the police woman that gave the money reward to him earlier. She turns her head to the young man. "May I speak with you?"
Riku nods before following her out of the room. Riku closed the door behind him before looking at the officer. "Well?"
"We did find her grandmother," she says solemnly. Her head goes downcast, "However, she's in the hospital and is very sick."
"I see. You don't know if Yuma should see her."
"I had a talk with the doctors; they estimate that she has about a month before…" she says before trailing off.
"I understand. Still, I think Yuma needs to see her."
"Are you sure?" she asks when she looks up towards Riku.
"Yeah. Even if it's a short window, Yuma should see her."
"I see. Very well, I'll take her there momentarily."
"Thanks. But, let me talk to her about it first."
"Very well. She seems to trust you after all," the woman says with a smile.
Riku nods before entering the room. After closing the door behind him, he looks forward. He gets startled a little when he sees Yuma standing in the middle of the room looking at him with pleading eyes. Riku walks to her. Riku kneels down. "So, you heard all that?" Riku guesses.
Yuma looks down with a frown. "Is she really that sick?"
"Do you still want to meet her?" Riku asks.
Yuma simply nods in response. She looks up at Riku, "Can you do anything?"
Riku makes a sound of hesitation before sighing. "Sorry. I just don't have that kind of power. I know a few healing spells. However… they are meant to treat minor wounds and lost energy during a fight." Riku looks at his hand. "Besides I'm…" Riku trails off. Riku looks back at the girl. "I know it's such a short time frame, but you need to make the most of it to know your grandmother. Also make me a promise."
"A promise?"
"Yeah. No matter what happens. Always stay strong. Don't let the world around you get the best of you. Live life everyday with a smile. Eventually, you'll find someone that you can truly depend on. So promise me. Promise me that you'll be a good girl and stay strong. Think you can do that?"
Yuma looks down. "But I'm not strong as you…" Riku softly chuckles, making the girl look up with a questioning hum.
"The strength I'm talking about. Isn't about having powers." Riku raises his right hand. "It's about this," he says as he pokes a finger on the girl's chest. The girl raises a hand to the spot Riku touched. "This?"
"Your heart," Riku clarifies, "As long as you keep your heart strong, nothing will stand against you. Understand." Riku says with a smile.
Yuma's face brightens with a smile. She closes her eyes as she nods before opening them up. "Okay. I promise."
"Also remember, though we may be far apart. Our hearts are connected. Just believe in yourself and everything will be fine." Yuma nods her head in response holding her smile. Yuma suddenly looks to the ground as she becomes timid once again. Riku's eyes widen in confusion. "What's wrong?"
"Well…Those monsters. You said that they're still out there."
"Don't worry. I'll take care of them." Yuma looks up at him. "And to make sure they won't bother you again. I'll destroy each and every one of them in this city."
"You promise?"
"I promise. I'll take out the ones that are currently in this city. And to make sure they don't come back, I'll get rid of the ones outside of the city. But if they do come back, just have faith that someone will take care of them. Understand?"
Yuma gives a big smile before hugging the Keyblade Master. Riku responds by wrapping his right arm around her. "Will I ever see you again?" Yuma asks.
Riku looks at her straight in the eye. "I don't know when but, I'm sure we'll see each other again." After a few seconds, the girl happily giggles.
Riku enters his room through the open window. He closes it before walking to the center of the room. He pulls out the orb. Seconds later, the orb turned into mirror. The mirror gleams before Riku sees Yen Sid in the glass.
"I'm glad to see you are well, Riku," said the sorcerer. Riku nods in response. "Tell me, have you found out more about your investigation."
"Not really. I've just been taking out these monsters. Though I do know they tend to prey on innocent people."
Yen Sid hums as the strokes his beard. "I see. I have just received a report from Kairi."
Riku takes a step back, "Huh? Kairi?!" Riku instantly realizes something when his thoughts picked on the word 'report.' "Wait. Kairi is on this world?"
"Correct. I sent her here to do a follow up on your earlier reports."
"I see." Riku says as he raises a fist to his chin as he looks down. He recalls about giving another report last night. He looks straight at the mirror. "So what did she find out?"
After ten minutes of Yen Sid explaining Kairi's report. Riku makes a hum. "Okay, so in short. These monsters are called Witches. These Witches tend to spawn out Familiars as they curse people to kill themselves or others. And the only ones capable of defeating them prior to our arrival are Magical Girls."
"Correct. According to Kairi's sources, Magical Girls are born through wishes. While Witches are born through curses."
"Curses…huh," Riku crosses his arms.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. It's just… I think there's more to it than that." Riku lowers his arms, "I mean from curses alone. Perhaps there's something about this world. Or maybe something else entirely."
"That is plausible."
"All right. Just to be sure, how can I identify a Magical Girl again?"
"You can easily tell, if a girl possesses a jewel known as a Soul Gem, which houses their power."
"And if I remember right," Riku puts a hand in his pocket before pulling out three small objects that look very similar to one another, "Soul Gems regain their power when they get purified by using Grief Seeds, right?"
"Correct," said the sorcerer. Riku nods in affirmation. After a few seconds, Yen Sid smiles "That is all I have for now."
"Thanks, master. I think I know how to proceed with my investigation from now on. I'll call back again tomorrow night." Yen Sid nods his head before his image fades away from the mirror's glass; eventually showing Riku's reflection. Riku offers a hand towards the mirror before it glows and disperses into particles of light. The light gathers into his hand and in a flash the orb appears in his hand. Riku turns towards the bed. Riku smirks as he remembers a promise. "Well, better rest up. After that," Riku's smirk slightly grows, "it's time to go on a Witch hunt!"
Beeping noises are made every few seconds in an unlit room. The only sources of light are the monitors in the room. Next to the monitors is an elderly woman in a bed. Everything but her head is covered in white blankets. Sitting on a chair, next to the bed, is Yuma. She looks at her sick grandmother with a sad face. "I wish you can get better," she says softly. Slowly, a unique shadow crosses over the bed. Yuma looks up with a curious hum. She finds a small figure sitting on the window sill. It has four legs with long ears and a large, fluffy tail swishing back and forth.
Where Nothing Gathers
*ORGANIZATION XIII*
"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa!" Xigbar says out loud in his chair. "Let me get this straight." The Sharpshooter begins to wave his right arm around, "Prospective girls make a wish with a price of their soul. After said wish is granted, they have to fight these Witches. And after all the good they do in helping other people and defeating Witches, what's their reward? They become Witches themselves."
"That is what my source has stated," Saïx says stoically; leaning forward in his chair.
Xigbar makes a sound of annoyance with a smile, "Some deal. I mean, seriously, talk about getting the short straw." He brings his right hand to his chest, "Not that I want it to happen to me again, but I would rather lose my heart to the Heartless," he finishes with a fling of his right arm in the air.
Ansem makes an amused hum. "Such is the way of things. Their desire for light eventually gives way to darkness." The Seeker of Darkness closes his right hand with the palm facing up, "The light of their souls, which becomes the source of their power, eventually erodes into darkness itself."
"Indeed," Xemnas says in his hollowed voice. "With their souls stripped away. Who's to say they are still alive. The heart is one thing but the soul is entirely different. We should treat them as beings that should no longer exist."
"However, we must continue to observe them and their counterparts," said Young Xehanort. "Also, we need to keep an eye on the Keyblade wielders. Especially…," the teenager smiles, "the Princess of Heart."
Author's Note: There's the second chapter.
I wonder if any of you people see any familiar faces.
Next chapter would probably be up within a month at most.
This may sound early but, Happy Holidays everyone.
NEXT CHAPTER
I NEED TO KEEP GOING FORWARD
