Kateracks: We're back and we come bearing new chapters! Well, only one for now.
KissyNae: And I'm not grounded anymore! Woot! Really, it was the stupidest thing ever and I didn't find out for a long time that I wasn't grounded from people, I was grounded from the computer.
Kateracks: The horror!
KissyNae: Chya, I know. Rawr! Now read.
Disclaimer: Kissy lives in the ghetto and Kat is just poor. Last week we had cookies and pop for lunch because we couldn't afford anything else. Obviously we don't own Kingdom Hearts.
Read on!
Some people say that everything happens for a reason and although sometimes we may not know what that reason is but we shouldn't question the power that placed the event in our midst. Neither should we question when it makes the solution as our companion.
We, as Maidens of the World, understand this and strive to keep the balance of evil and good between the worlds. We are the young keepers of light and are required to bind with ones holding darkness to maintain this balance.
Chapter Four
I couldn't tell for sure how long I had been awake as the stars never changed positions outside the window and the sun never rose. I wondered how that was even possible.
How was any of this possible? I wasn't even on my home world anymore and I sure didn't know how I got here. When I woke up, I found myself in a dark room and the stars in the night sky gave off just enough light to see that I was on a bed. There was a large couch beneath the large window, beside that was a vanity, a wall with a dresser, and the fourth wall was bare except for the door.
I had the black sheet pulled up to my chest, covering the new bandage that extended from my shoulder to below the waistband of my pants, probably to my hip. I wasn't exposed but it was cold and it felt weird to be without a shirt.
I heard the thumping of boots down the hall outside but it didn't register until the door squeaked open. I turned from the window back to the door just as a shaft of bright light shot in and blinded me. It was warm and comforting but it hurt at the same time so I flipped over onto my stomach and pulled the sheets over my head as the door opened fully.
The sheets were soon tugged off by a chuckling person. "Come on, you have to get up now. There are people who want to see you." He grabbed my upper arms and sat me back up.
I sensed the familiarity in the person and opened my eyes to prove myself right but immediately shut them again with a wince. A thick, warm liquid slipped down my cheeks. I shielded my eyes and squinted to the side, meeting the sight of Axel looking at me curiously.
"Well, that's not good." He frowned and pulled me up from the bed. I nearly collapsed when my weight was put on my injured hip but Axel had a firm hold on me and was dragging me to the hallway. I screwed my eyes shut at the shining white color of it.
"Axel, what are you doing?" I really didn't feel like standing shirtless in this bright hallway.
"Trust me on this, it's for your own good. Open your eyes."
"That hurts! Why would I want to do that?"
"Just do it. You have to."
I sighed and gradually opened my eyes, trying to allow them to adjust to the sudden brightness. It was happening much slower than it normally should have taken and I was starting to get worried. Then it finally came to my attention that the liquid from before was steadily streaming down my face now as my vision was becoming clearer. A drop of the stuff stained the pure white floor.
"Axel, is that...blood?"
"Sort of. It's blood mixed with tears and darkness."
"My eyes are bleeding and discharging darkness? What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing. You've just been in the dark too long. You'll be alright after a while." He took my elbow and led me back to the room. He walked to the vanity and took up a roll of bandages, using a scrap to wipe the blood away and then using a longer portion to tie around my eyes. I waited while he tugged it tight and then ran the pads of my fingers over it.
"Your eyes will adjust by themselves all throughout today. For now I'll just have to lead you...around." He sighed as I flopped back on the bed to give my hip a rest. It hurt even worse than yesterday. Probably from all that running and jumping. Was that yesterday?
I didn't have a chance to ask as Axel came to the bedside and put my arms around his neck. I hung on and he picked me up bridal style and exited the room. I listened to his footsteps echoing down the hall and the soft swishing of his clothing as we walked.
The silence was almost deafening. This place was so big that I suppose I had expected to hear other people moving about. I couldn't stand it so I asked one of the questions that had been on my mind.
"Axel, did you...change my bandages?"
He breathed out a short laugh that tickled the ear that I was resting against his chest. "No, I had another girl do it." I sighed in relief although I didn't really know why.
The silence returned but I didn't let it last for long; I had a bigger question now. "So you heard me, huh? When I called for you?"
"Yeah, I heard you."
"What happened? To my world?"
Axel's steps faltered for a minute and then he calmly replied, "It's gone."
"Useless idiot!" I cursed myself. "How could I be so stupid?"
"I warned you."
"I know, but that just makes it worse. How am I supposed to explain that to the people of my world?"
"What people? Your world is gone and that includes the people, too. Besides, even if they're brought back, no one will remember."
"I guess I was thinking about Violet, mostly," I told him.
He didn't answer and I felt his hand move to another task: opening another door. As we entered, I finally heard what I had been listening for this whole time–people talking. Their voices were bouncing around so it must have been large room. The commotion died down as Axel walked in further and stopped to set me on my feet. I released his neck and gripped his arm so as not to fall while I steadied myself.
I winced at the stabs of pain that ran up my left side from my hip and my grip on Axel's sleeve slipped. I reached my hand out to catch him again but, only feeling air, I let it drop to my side and stood there awkwardly, trying not to fall over.
A door opened somewhere on the far side of the room and I heard more footsteps enter.
"Fae!" I was squeezed in a hug and nearly fell over when I was let go but a hand came onto my back and held me up. I guess Axel wasn't very far away.
"Why is there a bandage around her head?" asked a young voice, more timid than Axel's but older than Roxas's.
"Her dominant element is light so when she was exposed to the darkness, it corrupted her system. Her light is trying to cleanse her body of impurities. If you notice the gray-ish tone to her skin, you'll see her pores have been sweating darkness also." The voice sounded bored and almost made me feel the same as he explained the situation.
"It's truly remarkable what someone so young and small can do," a deep voice rolled over the large room.
"I can work with that," came a voice that sounded intelligent and wise, though soft almost like a grandma...or grandpa? I didn't know.
"Work with what?" Violet inquired. She was trying to sound tough like usual but I knew she was intimidated.
"Yeah, clearly you're Axel's boss," I nodded my head in the direction from which the deep voice had come. "The one that assigned us Guardians. What exactly do you need us for?"
"Really, the main concern was to keep you out of the hands of our enemies." I really wished I could see who was talking with that soft voice. "We couldn't risk you both falling into incapable hands."
"Incapable to do what?" I asked.
"To put your powers to use, of course." My head jerked in the direction of the cold voice.
"I know you!" I cried. "You're the one that brought those overgrown ants to kill off our world!"
"Hmph, hardly," he replied, disgusted. "I would never even consider controlling weak trash such as the Heartless. Our Nobodies are much more efficient. It was our enemy who sent those 'ants', as you call them."
"In all actuality," rose the deep voice. "It was you who brought the destruction upon your world."
"You lie!" I yelled. "I would never–" It wasn't entirely my fault, was it?
"You received a warning and you still refused to cooperate," spoke the cold voice. "If you had come, the Heartless would have been called back as soon as your energy disappeared. Your world would have been in perfect condition, minus two of its inhabitants. I reached you first; you could have saved them but you were selfish."
I could feel Violet looking at me. "Fae? Is what he says true?" I lowered my head and then slowly nodded. "No! So you just let–you let Brand...?!"
I felt dizzy and about to retch. I bent slightly to be level with the floor and then let myself drop, my left hand softening the impact of the floor. It was smooth and cold like marble, I noticed absently. I sat back on its flat surface and stared down, trying to see past the bandage on my eyes.
"Brand?" repeated the wise voice.
"How was he attached to you?" asked the deep voice.
"Brand was Fae's brother," Violet answered for me.
"The light of the girls saved him," said a voice with an English accent.
My head rose in their direction. "He's still alive?"
"If you can call being a Dusk living," said Axel. "A newborn Dusk followed you two through the portal yesterday."
"What's a...Dusk?" Violet queried.
"That white thing," I reminded her. "There was only one like it at my house. Is that right?"
"Indeed," boomed the deep voice. "A Dusk is a type of Nobody which is the shell that is created when a strong heart is taken by some form of darkness, in this case, a Heartless. Your attachment to his heart gave him the strength needed to be preserved."
"Can we get him back?" Violet asked next.
"Of course," said the same voice.
"How?" I demanded.
"It's quite simple. We need strength to find our hearts which are in the same location as the one you seek. Join us and you will find it."
"You've lost your hearts, too?" That was Violet again.
"We're stronger and more intelligent than a Dusk but we're Nobodies, too," spoke the timid voice.
"Most of us are anyway," said Axel.
"Hey!" whined Timid.
"Where are they then?" I interjected.
"Kingdom Hearts," replied Deep. "Or rather, a fabricated likeness to the real Kingdom Hearts–a sanctuary for lost hearts to turn to. But we are missing a key component to reach the hearts." Some chuckling went around the large room. "That's where we need your assistance."
"Uh-huh." I dusted my hands on my pant legs and then attempted to stand. Axel grabbed my arm and helped me to my feet. "Okay, I'm in."
"What? Fae!" Violet sputtered.
"What other choice do we have? Let's face it, our world is gone, we don't have anywhere else to go, and the only person left lost his heart. Do you still want to leave?"
I heard her huff. "Fine. I'm in, too."
"Excellent," Deep's voice reverberated around the walls. "We will test the extent of your abilities once you have recovered. For now, Number Eight and Number Nine, they are still in your charge. You are all dismissed." Still in their charge? Oh, so that meant the timid voice following Violet around was Demyx!
I heard a lot of clothes shuffling and then Axel's arms came under my knees. I squirmed uncertainly, not knowing what he wanted me to do.
"You know, since she's so small, it's always easier for me to give her a piggy-back ride," Violet said, snickering at my wiggling.
"I didn't know if that would hurt her," Axel said, setting me back down.
I folded my arms. "I'm not a fragile doll, Axel."
"Wonderful," I heard Bored's voice suddenly spring from my side. "Then it won't be easy to break you." (1) I didn't like how he said that, even if his voice never changed tone. His retreating footsteps soon followed.
"Am I the only one that noticed the look Zexy was giving her?" That was Roxas. Violet burst out laughing, then Axel, and lastly Demyx's laughter rang out. "Shut up! I didn't mean that kind of look!" I knew my face was turning red.
"Sure you didn't," choked Axel. After a couple seconds more of me standing there and listening to the laughter, he went on, "You want to help her onto my back?"
I felt Axel crouch before me and Roxas gave out an uneasy "Uh..." while trying to find a way to help me that was comfortable for him. My shoulders didn't work; he was scared to touch my waist.
"What are you doing back there?"
Violet cracked up again and came forward. She leaned me over so I could get my arms around Axel's neck and then she hefted me up by my waist.
"You have to be brave, man," she advised Roxas.
Axel continued to chuckle as he rose and walked off. We traveled for a while, around corners and up a couple flights of stairs. We finally stopped and he opened yet another door.
Once inside, I was dropped onto a bed. I stayed quiet, even after the bed dipped down more meaning Axel had sat beside me. I rubbed my shoulder absentmindedly.
"You alright?" I jumped at the question and then nodded. "You looked like your hip was bothering you earlier, you sure?"
"You don't need to worry about me," I replied.
"Alright, no need to get snippy. ...You're still upset aren't you? It's not your fault, you know? Who would want to go somewhere with a complete stranger anyway?"
"Don't defend me. I should have listened for once. I never listen to anyone."
He chuckled and playfully pushed me over. "Well then, what should make me so special?"
I rolled onto my back. "That was mean."
"Aw, here let me fix it." Taking hold of my pant legs, he jerked them down so that my waistband was on my thighs.
I gasped sharply and threw a fist out toward his face. "What are you doing?"
"Whoa!" He dodged the swing and caught my hand. "Calm down. I can fix some burns because of my control over fire."
I let my hand drop.
He breathed out that short laugh again. "Sorry, I guess I should have warned you."
"No, I think I'm just more uptight because I can't see anything. Like in that room with those people, I didn't know who was talking. It was like, Fae and the Seven Mysterious Voices: Timid, Cold, Deep, Soft, Accent, Bored, and Oldy."
"That's one way to put it."
He had been leaning over me but now he stood from the bed and I heard him flick a light switch to shut the lights off. He returned and his hands went behind my head to undo the bandage. He then went back across the room, fire sparking to life in his hand and lit some candles. That was much easier on my eyes.
He came back to the bed and sat once again, his hand finding the scorched flesh on my hip. The wound became hot and stung as if being stitched together. I let out a pathetic whimper and the burn suddenly froze, cracking like an ice cube put in a glass of water.
Axel hissed and brought his hand back, blowing on it to warm it. "That guy had some messed up fire."
I touched the spot, gingerly at first and then ran my fingers over a long, hard, black scar. "Thanks."
"No problem. I'm going to go take a shower to clean this and then I'll take you back to your room. Um, you're going to have to turn to the wall because I, uh, accidentally melted the hinges–and various other metal objects–when I was mad the other day."
I snickered, rolled to the wall, and listened to his footsteps go to the opposite side of the room where the bathroom was.
–Axel's POV–
I leaned against the back wall of the shower and peeked around the edge of the curtain at the girl who was still laying with her back to me. What was so special about them that we had to get to them before the old witch did?
I glanced down to my now un-gloved hand. The bluish-black marks appeared to be like frost bite. That was going to sting for while but at least she feels better.
Hold on a second. Why should I care? Can I care? With an aggravated frown and without really paying attention, I jerked on the handle of the shower. I exited by way of cursing and shouting "Ah! That's cold!" while Fae's giggling chimed in my ears.
Kateracks: Another long one! We're on a roll!
KissyNae: Woot woot! Oh, and here's that note thing. (1) You guys know about Zexion and what he does, so surely you know that wasn't meant to be a perverted comment.
That's about it. Please Review!
Laters!!
K&K