Chapter Two is coming your way! Woo! Hopefully you all are already confused and wanting to know more! If not, well, you sure will be in this one. And if you still aren't impressed, I'll just keep shoving it in your face until you do!...I mean...let's just do the disclaimer O.o
Ahem... I do not own Kingdom Hearts, characters, plotlines, etc, etc, does anyone else get tired of these? No? Just me? Alrighty then.
2. Nil
"That is an order from your princess!"
"I sure hope you know what you're doing, Mavis...," Anolani murmured softly, recalling her sister's harsh command. Even now, traveling hundreds of miles through interspace pass millions of brilliant stars, far from the chaos ensuing on Chronos Cay, Mavis' words stung worse than the harshest burn.
The young princess had never dared to bark orders at Anolani before. Never, not once. They were sisters. Not by blood, no, but through their heart's connection, they held a bond strong enough to break even the most tainted darkness. That is why they kept each other close. Anolani knew if she had left Mavis alone for even a moment, she'd be left vulnerable. Ever since the incident eleven years ago, Anolani vowed to never leave her sister's side ever again. That she would protect her, even at the expense of her own life.
And now that the two were separated, it felt like she had broken that promise.
Anolani let out a frustrated grunt and slapped her forehead, hard, "Don't be silly! It's only following orders, right? And Mavis is a big girl! She can take care of herself just fine without me!" She faked a grin, hoping it would vanquish her worries over the young mauve.
"I mean, sure the last time I had left her alone, she had that nasty fall in the kitchen and butchered her arm, and had to get stitches...I-I mean, it's just a bunch of heart stealing monsters led by a tyrannical parasite bent on world domination! H-How bad could she s-screw...up..."
...
"Ugh! Can't this thing go any faster!?" The raven growled, slamming her fists on the controls, causing the sleek ship to rattle violently. There had to be a way for her to get to the nearest world and back fast enough! Who knows how Mavis could be fairing with all those nasties!
"Wait a sec!" Anolani held a finger up in thought, "Wasn't there a warp speed button installed on this thing? I could use that!"
Anolani searched for said button on the dashboard until her ruby eyes found two promising ones under a failsafe container, one blue, one red.
"Shoot, that's right! Mavis said not to use it unless it was an emergency! But which one was it!?" The young girl gripped her hair desperately, eyes shooting from one button to the next. "Think Anolani! Your sister is counting on you! Let's see...blue, or red. Red, or blue. Red, blue, blue, red! Gah! That's it! I'm gonna do it! I'm pressing the button!"
Closing her eyes, the frazzled guard slammed her fist through the glass casing onto the blue button. At first, all seemed still, and she had thought it was all for not.
"Huh, I could swear it was the-!"
A sudden jolt sent her body slamming into the cockpit seat. The ship zoomed forward, disappearing in a speck of white light.
This is such a depressing sight. My heart can't take this much destruction, this much chaos, and all caused by one man's foolish curiosity. How could everything go so wrong, so quickly?
The skies above Chronos Cay, once a soothing robin's egg blue were obscured by thunderous black clouds. The wind had reached hurricane like conditions, and in the distance, a cacophony of screams from the nearby villages resonated above the roaring winds. I stood stoically in the center of the castle courtyard, clad in sturdy silver plated armor, waiting. Calmly waiting for his return. Ready to erase his name from existence. To put an end to this madness.
Unearthly growls and snarls approached the wooden gate, and the deafening cries of agony followed soon after. I held my place and clenched my metal gloved hands. It was too late to run. It was too late to fight. But I wasn't prepared to die.
All was still. The screaming had ceased. Even the howling winds seemed to sense the tension building up, and froze, waiting to see what would happen next.
The minute I took a breath, the gate cracked, then shattered, wood debris and the bodies of fallen soldiers littering the ground. Before me stood an army of strange monsters, to which I can only assume to be the heart stealing creatures from Anolani's report. Their bodies were pitch black with soulless yellow eyes and long antenna. There were hundreds of them, twitching unsettlingly, watching me with hungry eyes, waiting for me to make a move. However, they were not the ones that caused me grief. They weren't my target.
"Nil! Show yourself!" I called through the exodus, malice dripping with every word, "I can smell your darkness through these wretched filth! Come and face me, like the man you once were!"
"Heh, heh, only you would talk with such strength, yet have nothing to show for it," a voice warped and wet with slim spoke above the crowd. The sea of monsters parted, allowing a large mass to come forth, the stench of darkness stronger than before. His body was black and dripped cold, darkness every which way. He was humanoid in shape, with glowing white eyes and face contorted to that of a serpent. When he opened his mouth to speak, it revealed rows of black, sharpened fangs, and more black sludge fell from his maw.
"You are looking well, princess," Nil said, a smirk upon his lips.
"Cut the crap, Nil," I spat, glaring at the vile beast, "I'm not here for pleasantries, and I can assume you aren't either. So let's just cut to the chase."
Nil chuckled condescending, "Very well. You've become quite the little spit fire since we last saw each other."
"I'm tired of you. I'm tired of the nightmares. I'm tired of the pain. I'm tired of the suffering! I'm just about ready to end your pathetic existence!"
"But why would you do that? Don't you see, Mavis? I have finally seen the truth. Even the strongest light cannot vanquish the darkest darkness. Only make it stronger! You cannot deny the truth, Mavis. After all," the creature smirked, "You helped me discover it."
"I was too young to realize the monster you were becoming!" I retorted, face fierce with regret, "You were once a good man! I idolized you! Mother, before she died, loved you until her dying breath! Anolani loved you like her own father! But you threw that all away, for what? For some lousy fairytale, from a no good scientist, and a master of the key! It's about time someone put an end to you." Raising my fists, I clenched them together, electricity flowing through the gauntlets.
"Ungrateful child, you have forgotten one thing," Nil growled and brought one clawed hand forward, "That this is my kingdom! My throne! And once I've consumed your heart, there will be nothing that can stop me!"
With a throaty, earth shaking roar, he commanded his army to attack. And with a calming breath, I charged, fists in the air towards the coming onslaught.
The minute Anolani woke up from her disorienting flight, an aching feeling in her back came rushing head on. Smoke billowed from the control panel into the clean air, and when she rose from her seat, she winced from the bright sunlight.
"Oh man. What a rush!" She said, still in a dizzy spell while climbing out of the cockpit and landing on fresh green grass, "Note to self: seat belt first, then warp speed button."
Looking back up at the wreckage, she winced at the sight. The Shark was completely ripped apart. The cockpit lid was cracked and hung loosely from the rim, one the wings was ripped from the base and tossed into a nearby bush, and the nose of the ship was buried in dirt. Mavis was going to kill her when she finds out! It took her weeks to perfect the Shark!
"Mavis is going to have a cow..." Anolani groaned, wiping soot off her cheek.
"It came from over here! Come on!"
The guard perked up after hearing a familiar scratchy voice and the sound of hurried footsteps. Looking around, Anolani quickly realized that she was in a well taken care of topiary garden, well, aside from the scorch marks and burning bushes caused by the crash. Her eyes fixated on an unusual three circled symbol carved into a bush spared from her clumsy landing. "Wait, is this..."
"Hold it right there!" The voice from earlier quacked angrily, a wizard's staff now at the tip of her nose. Looking up at her attacker, Anolani's eyes widened in shock.
Before her stood a white feathered duck with an yellow bill twisted into a threatening frown, and behind him a tall black haired dog glancing curiously over his shield. The duck was dressed in blue wizard garb covered in various pockets and zippers, while the dog was clothed in a green turtle neck, beige pants, yellow vest, and matching hat. The mouse symbol on the sheild brightened the smile on Anolani's face.
"Donald! Goofy! Thank goodness it's you guys!" She said relieved.
Goofy peered over his shield a bit more, then squinted his eyes, "Gawrsh, is that you, Anolani?"
"Little Lani?" Donald pondered in shock as said girl stood from the wreckage, "It is you!"
"Wow! You're all grown up now, aren't ya?" Goofy chuckled
"Heh, yeah, I guess I am," Anolani replied with reddened cheeks, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Well, what are you doing here?" Donald asked, looking at the wrecked shuttle, "Is that the Shark? Mavis is going to-!"
"Gah! I almost forgot!" Anolani went into a panic and grabbed Donald's collar, shaking him wildly, "You gotta take me to Mickey! Mavis is in trouble! He's back! He's back! He's back!"
"Who's back?" Goofy called over Donald's strangled cries.
"Nil?" The mouse king inquired with a look of shock crossing his features while the others looked on with serious expressions. The three of them were boarded on the Gummi Ship to Chronos Cay. After getting Mickey from his library, Anolani explained the situation while dragging him to the Gummi hanger in a rush. And by explained, she means rambling and talking all at once.
"Uhuh! He's back! But this time he's got these heart stealing monsters with him!"
"Heartless!" The three animals cried in unison while Anolani remained lost.
"Er...r-right. And whenever the hearts come out, Nil just eats them! Like it's a piece of chocolate or something! I think that gives him power!"
"We're gonna need help if we're fighting the Heartless again," Donald explained, giving Goofy a knowing side glance.
"Yeah! Maybe we should go get Sora and the others!" Goofy said with a grin. It faltered when Anolani gave him a heated glare.
"I'm not waiting for reinforcements while Mavis is still on Chronos Cay with that monster!" She said with finality, her arms crossed.
"But the Heartless!"
"No fellas. Anolani's right," Mickey said as the ship approached Chronos Cay, "We don't leave a friend behind."
The quartet raced through the island nation of Chronos Cay, slicing and blasting through armies of Heartless and Nil's followers in hopes of reaching the castle. As Anolani fought, shooting round after round of bullets from her pistols, a sudden pain shot through her heart.
"A-Ano...lani...h-help..."
"Mavis!" She cried, worry undoubtedly stabbing her heart, "Come on, you guys! Mavis needs us!"
"I knew I shouldn't have left her behind! Screw orders! She's my sister! Her safety should've came first! If that creep lays one finger on her so help me, I'll rip him limb from limb!" Th fierce guard thought angrily as fought through the castle gates. Nothing could extinguish the fire in her heart. She would continue to fight until she was safe with her sister by her side.
Upon entering the courtyard, the four warriors froze and with mouths agape, stared as the slimy creature, Nil, rose an unconscious Mavis to his mouth, ready to devour the young princess whole if need be.
"Get your filthy, disgusting hands off of her!" Anolani cried. With a well aimed shot, a bullet pierced through the monster's hand.
Nil cried out in pain and dropped Mavis, her limp body crashing the concrete ground.
"Mavis!" Goofy ran to grab the mauve, ignoring Nil's dark presence as he lifted her into his arms, "She's not wakin' up!"
"What is this?" Nil chuckled darkly, turning towards the company of heroes. When he spotted King Mickey, holding his keyblade ready to strike, he laughed even harder, causing a shudder to shoot through Anolani's body, "How pathetic! Such powerful beings seeking refuge in mortals! And masters of keys no less!"
"Who are you calling pathetic!?" Donald growled, shaking his wand in the air.
"How could you do something like this?" Anolani murmured in disbelief, "does the past mean nothing to you?"
"It matters not what occurred in the past, but what you do in present to bring about a greater future."
The raven haired guard snarled, "You have no right to say that. Not anymore," she raised her guns, fully intent on fighting, "You're going to pay for what you did to Mavis."
"There's no time!" Mickey held the girl back, "We need to get Mavis somewhere safe!"
How could he say that!? This monster is destroying her home! He almost killed her sister! He deserves to die! To burn! To suffer the same pain they suffered. When Anolani went to retort, her eyes trailed back to Mavis' weakened form. Her skin was cut and pale from the cold, and her breathing shallow. Her clothes were ripped and torn several places, and lacerations scattered about her armor. She had just fought a battle, almost to the death. Just seeing her in this condition was enough to bring the guard to her knees. She knew Mickey was right.
With a regretful nod, she followed the mouse king and his friends out of the castle towards the ship.
"That's right you cowards! Go ahead and run!" Nil roared as they ran into the distant, chaotic beaches with his prize, "But be warned. The next time we meet, I will not be so lenient!"
