Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fic except for people, places, and ideas invented by me
(Author's Note:) Welcome back! Here is Chapter One of R/R/R, so I hope you all enjoy it!
KH: R/R/R
- Traverse Town, 4:25 AM -
Fear.
So much fear.
That wonderful, terrible sour, metallic, warm taste was in the air.
It scuttled forwards, driven by hunger, towards the crowds.
Towards the fear.
The prey turned now, running away, trying to escape it. Such a futile effort. It bounded forward, twitching in anticipation. The rest of his brethren were large and dull-witted, and were slow to advance. It darted through the thick, stubby legs and round, bloated stomachs, as the lumbering behemoths could have easily trampled it.
Two of the slightly sharper ones noticed it's premature advances, and attempted to bar it's way by moving together to form a near impenetrable wall of black flesh.
No.
They would not stop it.
They could not stop it. Not tonight.
Tonight, it would feast! It leaped forward, and, with a feral hiss, sank it's dagger-like claws into them. They gave low, moaning cries of pain as it clambered over, and used them as a springboard to hurl itself into the thick mass of prey. It slammed into a short, plump one and sent him crashing to the ground.
Then, time seemed to freeze as the glowing, blue, tiny miracle, that was somehow crystal, yet soft and pulsating like flesh, flew from the felled being's chest, and arced up... then fell into it's waiting claws. It melted in it's grasp, warm and wonderful, and, now tempted, it's hunger was roused in a savage storm, whirling about and tearing away at it's insides.
It rose and turned it's gaze to survey to the fleeing crowd. The hunger pleaded with it, and it agreed. Tonight, it would feast.
It's eyes settled on one disappearing into a back alley. Outwardly, it resembled most every other ally in the city. Except for one crucial fact.
It was a dead end.
It skittered over to the entrance. The streetlight cast only a small circle of dank, yellow light in the dark area, suggesting that few ever ventured there.
It's antennae quivered as a slight breeze blew from up ahead. The footsteps had stopped. They had reached the end that was just around the corner. It slowed to a crawl as the corner loomed into view.
Then it froze in it's tracks.
The tunnel was a dead end.
But the breeze had been blowing from ahead.
Even before the sound had begun, it knew something was dead wrong. The loud, twisted, inhuman, screech of anguish froze it's blood.
A sound that which all of his kind knew from birth.
The scream of infinite pain.
The call to take up arms.
The cry of a dying Heartless.
It whirled around to face the way it came, when a flash of silver caught it's eye. It dove backwards as something slammed into the ground where it had been standing moments ago, leaving a deep mark in the stone.
It narrowed it's eyes as a dark figure emerged from the shadows, wielding some sort of circular, bladed weapon.
It skittered back out of the alley, only to find it in complete chaos.
Two figures, each robed in black cloaks, with their faces obscured by hoods, were massacring the pack of Heartless in the plaza. One stabbed and hacked away, ruthlessly ending it's comrades with each blow from it's flashing silver-black weapon, while kicking and punching more. The other swung what appeared to be a massive blue axe back and forth, cutting down nine or ten Heartless with each swing. While numerous they might be, they had no chance in matching the cloaked enigmas, and within minutes the plaza was empty, and the figures noticed it.
It trembled, and began to retreat, but a quiet chuckle from behind stopped it dead in it's tracks, and it turned to see a third figure emerging from the alley, twirling two of the same strange, circular weapons from before.
So focused was it on the three, that it never noticed a fourth melt out of a wall behind it.
And it never saw the curved, black blade rise.
One moment, it was full of fear...
...the next...
...Nothing.
Nothing...
Nothing...
Nobody...
KH: R/R/R
As the last of the foul-smelling, oily, purple-black fog from the slain Heartless dissipated, the hooded figure de-summoned his thin, elegantly curved black scimitar, and turned to his companions.
"You can lower your hoods now," he said in his usual monotone. Then he added a sarcastic, "I don't think there's anything left here that wants to kill us."
"Except for half of the inhabitants of this world," another one quipped, lowering his hood to reveal caramel-brown hair blown to the side in a fashion resembling a crashing wave, and aquamarine eyes, each with a curious yellow starburst pattern in their center.
The third rolled her eyes and yanked her hood off, letting her unnameable mess of russet-brown hair flop down, it's usual stray strands popping into position. "I think we're all trying not to remember last time, Xechalim."
The last chuckled and slid down his hood, letting his shock-white mane flow down to his chest level, and opened his pale green eyes wide. "Hah! As if, Xercia! I still can't believe you broke into an ice cream parlor!"
Xercia glared and placed her arms on her hips. "I didn't break in, Xilam, I was thrown through the freaking window. There's a difference, you know."
Xilam crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out in response. Xechalim sighed and put his arms around the shoulders of his two quarreling comrades. "Guys, guys," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Can the two you just stop arguing until we get home? Please?"
The first decided that they had wasted enough time, and interrupted their almost ritual post-mission banter. "Unless you want to be eating leftovers again, I suggest we return to headquarters as soon as possible. We've already downsized the Heartless population here, so we've completed our assignment."
He lowered his hood and his silver-streaked black hair hung down and partially obscured his violet eyes. "We all know how Saïx just loves it when we're late."
"Point taken, Celax," Xercia replied, then, looking around the group, asked with a loud clap, "So! Who wants to do the honors?"
Xilam stepped forward and said, "Sure thing, Xer-xer." He held his hand forward, palm outstretched, and a few feet away, a black stain blossomed out of the air, and quickly expanded into the shape of of a doorway, with tendrils of dark mist curling from the edges.
He stepped back and proceeded to pull a mini-pie out of his pocket, took a bite out of it, and, gesturing to the newly-formed portal, said proudly, "Cphoriphorr oph pharkphess iph now ophen."
"Never call me Xer-xer again, pie-boy," Xercia said, flicking Xilam's forehead.
"Ophay, Shfer-shfer," he replied, grinning wickedly.
'Bam!'
"OW!"
The four young Nobodies walked through the Corridor, letting it shrink out of existence behind them.
KH: R/R/R
- - End Chapter 1 - -
(Author's Note:) There. Now, I hope that this is at least a bit longer than the prologue. It also introduces the main characters, Celax, Xechalim, Xercia, and, of course, Xilam. Their names are pronounced (Sel • axe), (Ze • kha • lim), (Zer • shee • ah), and (Zie • lam). Hopefully the next chapter will clear (almost) everything up! I originally intended to make this chapter longer, but it got too long, so I separated it. *Nervous Laugh* Heheh... Sorry about that...
I apologize, but writer's block is taking hold of me, and I need reviews to fight it!
Have cookies!
-Scarlet Warhawk
