Whoo hoo! Chapter IV already! Man, I'm on a roll! ; 3
Thanks to all my reviewers, you guys are the best and your reviews really help and encourage me to keep writing! Please, any advice is COMPLETELY welcome! *gives hugs* Please please please REVIEW! Also, I decided to add a couple of my favoritest characters from BBS in here; I thought I needed to go a little more in-depth with the townsfolk of Radiant Gardens. To anyone who's played BBS, I think you might know who I'm talking about… ;3
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN KINGDOM HEARTS. OR ANYTHING RELATED TO KINGDOM HEARTS. I JUST OWN MY CHARACTERS KENIERA AND HOLT, AND THEY OWN ME.
Hearts of Gold: Chapter IV
Mrs. Landan failed to notice other Heartless creeping up behind her, stalking her silently, and waiting for just the right moment to… Keniera came up behind them and started frantically swinging at them with her Keyblade, trying to pull their attention away from Mrs. Landan and her husband, who was looking about as bad as it could get. As they were caught off guard, she managed to dispel three of the Soldiers and two Neoshadows before the other five or six could strike back. Mrs. Landan was still on the ground with what was probably the unluckiest Heartless in the world, desperately clawing at it, and the others directed their attention away from her and her husband to focus on the new prey; the Keyblade Wielder.
Holt failed to see a masked man enter the square behind him through a portal, a deadly-looking Keyblade at his side. Holt charged at the old man, yelling as he approached and lunged, aiming for the old man's heart. The old man smiled, and the fight began.
The Heartless were gone, finally, and Keniera slumped to the ground, breathing hard. Cuts and scrapes covered her body; grisly souvenirs of now-deceased monsters. She pushed the hair from her face, grimacing as her hand brushed over a large bruise on her cheek. Mrs. Landan was sitting across from her, just a few feet away, her arms black from the elbows down with black ichor, the last remaining sign of the Heartless she maimed. The body had dissipated long ago. Incoherent, she held her husband's head in her lap, sobbing uncontrollably. She pulled at his hair and buried her face in his bloody shirt, her breath hitching and rocking her body as she mourned; Mr. Landan had not survived. A large gash ran from his right shoulder across his body, ending at his waist on his left. He had slowly bled to death while Keniera was distracted with the Heartless, his wife maniacally maiming one of said creatures. Keniera felt her own eyes burn and lowered her face into her hands, fresh tears cutting a path through the soot and grime covering her face.
He's dead, she thought. And I could've saved him.
Keniera let a flow of memories overtake her, gratefully departing from the grim reality she was trapped inside. She remembered Mr. Landan smiling and laughing as she told him about her misadventures at school, handing her a bouquet of flowers every morning to place in a vase on her dresser, holding his wife close when he thought she wasn't paying attention, telling his corny jokes, checking on her every evening, trying to fix all her problems, lending her money, cheering her up, giving her gifts… Mr. Landan had been like a father to her.
And now he was gone.
And it was her fault.
Keniera felt her throat tighten up and let the tears flow freely; her vision swam and colors blurred together, the clouds of smoke transforming into shapeless blobs, the dancing black flames becoming darting figures. Mrs. Landan noticed her suffering and reached out, taking her hand. The older woman pulled resolutely on Keniera until the girl crawled to her side. Mrs. Landan wrapped her arms around her and stroked her hair while Keniera cried, her tears staining Mrs. Landan's shirt.
After a few minutes, Keniera pulled away. She stood, bringing Mrs. Landan up with her. They leaned on each other for support, both pairs of legs numb and trembling from kneeling on the rough cobblestones. Keniera drew in a shaky breath.
"Mrs. Landan, I need to get you out of here. It's not safe anymore."
The older woman closed her eyes, nodding slowly. She didn't respond for a minute or two.
"Yes. Radiant Gardens is falling apart. I can sense it." Her breath hitched as her voice broke on the last word, and she wiped at her eyes. Keniera did the same.
"Come on, I'll get you a portal." Keniera started off, choosing an open spot to open up a simple corridor, choosing Disney Town as its destination.
Mrs. Landan nodded again, and kneeled down next to her husband's body. Gently, as if he might've been sleeping, Mrs. Landan kissed his forehead and brushed the hair from his eyes.
"I'm leaving, Herb. I'll miss you, but I'll see you soon. I promise."
Mrs. Landan stood, wiping her eyes again and smearing ichor across her face. She strode over to where Keniera stood, a white portal pulsating next to her. Mrs. Landan hugged her, hard.
"He always thought of you as his daughter; he would've died for you any day. We both love you, Keniera, but I sense that you're not coming with me."
Keniera nodded solemnly. "There's something here I'm supposed to do. I can't quite figure what it is yet, but it's important. I'll find you afterwards. I think I can stop whatever's destroying the town; maybe I can still save it."
Mrs. Landan gave her a long, lingering look. "You certainly can. Your power is strong, filled to overflowing with light. But be careful," she added. "Darkness doesn't play fair; it will manipulate you in any and every way. There is a great evil lingering here, I can—"
"—Sense it." Keniera finished for her. Mrs. Landan gave her a weak smile and nodded.
"I chose for the portal to take you to Disney Town. It's a nice place, and the citizens are friendly."
Keniera had never been to another world besides Radiant Gardens; Holt had been to Disney Town a few times, and she was sure Mrs. Landan would be alright there. The older woman hugged Keniera one last time, her eyes welling with tears again.
"Be careful," she repeated. "and find me when all this is over. You're all I have left." Keniera nodded, and Mrs. Landan gingerly stepped into the portal. White light washed over her, and she was gone.
Keniera stood in place, staring at the empty air before her. Mr. Landan was dead. Mrs. Landan was gone. She had no idea where Holt was, and her world was being destroyed around her. Far off, she could hear another building collapsing; another home or business gone to ash. Keniera bit her lip, tasting blood in her mouth and focusing on the pain to keep her from breaking down in tears again. She refused to turn around, to see Mr. Landan broken on the charred cobbles behind her. Keniera sank to her knees, clasping her hands in her lap and closing her eyes. Almost immediately, she felt something brush her arm. Her eyes snapped open and she looked up, expecting a Heartless or Mr. Landan's reanimated corpse. A small pair of beady red eyes matched her gaze.
"Oh," she murmured. "It's you. What do you want?" Her voice broke on the last word, filling the silence with hurt and angst. The creature didn't reply, just gently tugged on her hand. A name floated around near the back of her head, with difficulty she latched onto it, dragging it into the light.
…Unversed…
Is that what this is? She thought to herself. An… Unversed? Keniera looked at the small creature; it did look vaguely familiar, like a dream she just couldn't remember clearly. The Unversed apparently wanted her to follow it; tugging at her hand, racing away from her, then coming back to tug at her some more. "Leave me alone," she whispered, "I don't want to go. Can't you just leave me alone?"
The creature sensed her resistance. It pulled at her again, trying to get her off her knees and onto her feet but she wouldn't move. There wasn't much time left, it knew. His Master needed the girl; he had sent the Unversed ahead to find her, to bring her to him before her world was destroyed. A sense of dread started to rise inside the Unversed's stomach. It was running out of time; and quickly.
The mission had not been an easy one; the creature had zipped all throughout the town, peeking in windows and inspecting every alley before it had caught wind of her name.
The two boys were walking side by side down the street, laughing and talking loudly amongst themselves. The Unversed, unseen, was jumping from rooftop to rooftop; trying desperately to catch at least a glimpse of the girl before the attack began. Time was running out, and the Unversed paid absolutely no attention to the boys, until…
"...hanging out with Keniera, again!" One of the boys groaned. "I can't believe it!"
The Unversed went rigid. They were talking about the girl, about Keniera.
"He's in love, Lea. That's what people in love do!"
"I know he's in love, Isa! But Keniera doesn't know he's in love!"
"He's waiting to tell her; there's a proper time for everything, Holt just wants to make sure she's ready."
"It's been a year! What's he waiting for? The end of the world?"
The Unversed shuddered. The boy, Lea, had no idea. He walked alongside his friend, his red spiked hair bouncing with every step. His clothes were a bright mixture of red, yellow, and beige. His emerald green eyes shone with an unhampered joy. Lea swung a Frisbee around his index finger carelessly, laughing at the thought of the end of the world, not knowing how soon it would actually be upon them. His friend, Isa, walked alongside him, somewhat more stoic than Lea. His blue coat fluttered quietly behind him, a small crescent moon embroidered directly over his heart.
Isa laughed as Lea accidentally hit himself in the head with his own Frisbee, pausing to pick up the tell-tale toy. Lea took the Frisbee from Isa, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. Isa continued laughing at Lea's blunder. Looking mischievous, Lea caught Isa in a headlock and rumpled his silver-blue hair, causing a good-natured yell from Isa as he struggled to break free. The two boys horsed around for a bit, laughing and causing passerby to chuckle silently into their hands. As the two calmed down, the Unversed leaned forward expectantly. Lea and Isa continued walking, the Unversed scrambling over the next roof to follow their conversation.
"Anyway," Lea joked, "Holt better tell Keniera how he feels pretty soon."
"Why's that?" Isa tapped a finger to his chin, feigning curiosity. He already suspected what was coming.
Lea waggled his eyebrows at Isa, and impish grin spreading across his face.
"Keniera's fiiiiinnnnneeee! I'd snatch her up in a heartbeat!"
Isa laughed again. "No way she'd date a moron like you! You can't keep a girl for more than a week!"
"That's not true! I dated that one girl for almost two and a half weeks! You remember Mikayla!"
"I'm surprised you even remember her name!"
"Of course I remember her name! I never forget anyone, and they'll never forget me, got it memorized?"
"Well, I'll never forget you. Trust me, I've tried."
The two boys walked in silence for a minute or two, until Lea broke the silence yet again.
"Don't Holt and Keniera usually come down from the clearing around 6 o'clock?"
"Yeah," Isa answered, nodding. "Usually." Lea spun his Frisbee around his finger again.
"Let's grab some sea-salt ice cream and wait at the fountain for them. We'll all hang around for a while."
Isa smiled deviously. "I'll buy if you ask Keniera out when they show up."
Lea smiled back. "Deal."
The two boys raced towards the square, just as the clock struck 5. To the East, a faint wisp of smoke, just barely visible, floated up towards the rooftops. The Unversed stiffened, its antennae twitching wildly. It had to get to the clearing, and now. As the creature scurried over the rooftops towards the West, it reflected on the two boys. More than likely, their hearts would be stolen by the Heartless, along with countless others. Isa could save his Munny; Lea wouldn't get a chance to ask Keniera 'out'. As the wisp of smoke turned into a large, poisonous cloud, the first of many screams could just barely be heard from the Eastern District.
The attack had begun.
Keniera would still not get up; the Unversed was becoming desperate. It could feel its Master's frustration and anger, quickly giving way to despair. It jumped up and down frantically, trying to rouse the girl to her feet. She sat and stared at it, not giving any indication that she understood. Thoughts raced across the creature's mind; she had to get up, she had to go now. If she didn't… A chill ran up the Unversed's spine. Everything would crumble. The tiny light in his Master's heart would fade away and the balance between Light and Darkness would be overthrown. As the creature started to panic, a sudden idea materialized. He remembered the two boys' conversation:
"He's in love, Lea. That's what people in love do!"
"I know he's in love, Isa! But Keniera doesn't know he's in love!"
"He's waiting to tell her; there's a proper time for everything, Holt just wants to make sure she's ready."
"It's been a year! What's he waiting for? The end of the world?"
The boy would be her motivation.
Keniera saw the Unversed freeze, halting in its frantic hopping and nonsense. She gazed unemotionally at its still form. Slowly, it unfroze and made its way closer to her.
Maybe it's finally decided to be done with me, she thought stoically. It'll kill me like the Heartless did everything else… Instead, the Unversed crawled into her lap, its bright red eyes searching her own. Cautiously, it raised its strange hands to either side of her head, grasping it firmly. It leaned closer, still ever so slowly, as if afraid to startle her. Its eyes glowed even brighter as it touched its forehead to her own, and she gasped.
Keniera could see Holt, in the square. He was bruised and bloody, gripping his Keyblade tightly. A man dressed in a black suit and mask stood opposite him, red veins decorating his outfit. A drop of blood fell from the tip of the man's Keyblade, a wicked-looking piece of metal; all sharp angles with a blue cat's-eye near the hilt. The blood dripped quietly onto the cobbles, staining the small spot where it landed a vibrant crimson color. Holt looked beaten down, hunched over but still declining defeat. A strange man stood atop the fountain, a satisfied smirk corrupting his features. His eyes were a vibrant gold, like…
Keniera jerked violently, breaking the connection between her and the Unversed. The creature jumped back, startled at her sudden reaction. A horrible fear rose up inside her, and she leaned forward, dry heaving as she supported herself on her hands. Ten small, crescent-shaped wounds were visible on the skin just above her knees. She must've dug her fingernails into her own skin when she saw those eyes… She dry heaved again, her throat rasping. What is wrong with me? Holt's in trouble and I'm moping! The old man… his eyes… Keniera raised her head to look at the Unversed before her. It started jumping up and down again, gesturing frantically down an alley to her left. Shaking, she stood. The Unversed ran around her in circles, tugging on her pants. Keniera took a hesitant step forward, glancing back down at the excited creature.
"Take me to Holt." The Unversed raced to the end of the alley, and with a brisk nod, she sprinted after it.
Holt was in more pain than he'd ever experienced in his entire life. He was severely outmatched. Whoever this guy is, Holt thought, wincing as his heavy breathing pulled at what must be a broken rib, he's good. The man in the mask stood motionless before him, waiting for Holt to make a move. Holt could see himself reflected in the man's mask, his body oddly distorted and confusing in the black-tinted visor. There were cuts all over his body; some deep enough to stain his dirty white t-shirt a messy crimson. He looked beaten, reflected in the mask of his enemy. With detached interest, Holt watched as a drop of blood, a drop of his blood, drip from the tip of the man's Keyblade. Holt studied the weapon. He had definitely never seen a weapon as sinister as the masked man's. While the old bastard's Keyblade was all silver and white, his opponent's was black and red. A blue cat's-eye gleamed from the hilt, and black chains wrapped around the Keyblade's length. The whole blade emitted a dark energy; like evil manifested in the hands of someone who knew how to use it. Holt struggled to stand straight, leaning heavily on his own Keyblade.
"Had enough yet?" The masked man asked. Holt started. Just by his voice, he could tell the masked man was around his own age; more like a disguised boy than a man. Holt smiled tauntingly.
"Done threatening my girlfriend?" The man, no, boy stiffened. Well, Holt mumbled in his head, at least I wish she was… Without warning, Holt's adversary raised his evil Keyblade, and brought it down in one swift chop. Holt barely managed to lift his own Keyblade to parry the attack before it severed his head from his neck. The two weapons breathed sparks as they connected. The old man watched calmly from his perch atop the fountain, his golden eyes taking in every bead of sweat, every strained muscle. The boy's strength was incredible, never relenting in his push against their connected Keyblades. Holt could feel his own strength leaving him, exhaustion finally gaining the upper hand. His vision blurred, and he felt his legs give out beneath him. Holt had fought hard and valiantly; he could at least say he had died trying to protect the one he loved. As he felt the connection between the blades break, he was barely aware of someone calling his name…
And then there was nothing.
Well, I hope you enjoyed Chapter IV! I was trying to find the perfect spot to stop at, and
TADAAAAA!
There it was! So, as always, READ AND REVIEW! Please, I need to know what you guys think so that I can have motivation and inspiration and stuff and whatever!
PLEASE I BEG OF YOU PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!
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