Hi all! This took a little longer than I thought to write, but I really didn't want to skimp on it and just race through. Beginnings are hard for me... X_X
Hope you all enjoy!
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Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is not mine, nor will it ever be mine, sadly. I only own Melody and the storyline!
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Riku let out a groan as he slowly blinked the remnants of unconsciousness away. His head was pounding and left arm tingling painfully. There was a soft chatter by his head and he slowly sat up, only to groan again and almost fall over.
"Not you, damn rat!" He said in dismay, glaring at the small wind spirit sitting on his shoulder. It hissed and flexed its claws into his shoulder, clearly upset with him. "Valifor, was it? Why aren't you with…" Riku began but trailed off as he looked around. He had landed on a dirty stone balcony, very high up. He only sat a few feet from the crumbling rail of the balcony but he couldn't see any ground from there. Behind him, a wide entry opened up into a large round room with an old silvery table right in the center. The walls were a faded purple, the floor the same dark stone as the balcony. It seemed familiar somehow. But most important perhaps, he was sitting there alone.
"Ouch! Knock it off!" Riku half yelled when Valifor nipped his cheek. He swiped at the little creature but it just jumped up, avoiding his hand and flittering back down to land in the hood of his cloak, which had been blown off when they had been pulled through that dark passage… 'The one I opened…' Riku thought, vaguely remembering that it had come from him.
'I defeated Ansem though. He shouldn't have control over me anymore, so why did that happen?' He thought while slowly standing and walking over to the rail. A heavy scent of stale magic met his nose and he nearly choked from the rotting smell, one he'd been able to smell even before this sense had developed. "Oh, shit!" He hissed as the familiar surroundings suddenly clicked into place.
Not far in the distance, stood the twisted castle of Hollow Bastion. The vast expanse stretching out from the structure that had once been hidden by mist and rising water was now a barren wasteland, made up of blue rock. He leaned over the balcony, looking down.
He was in the highest room of one of five twisted towers, the large insignia of the heartless just starting below the balcony he was on. Far below, the once beautiful granite and marble buildings were crushed by dirtied white stone that had fallen away from the towers long ago. And surrounding the small cluster of buildings was a massive, writhing sea of heartless.
He had landed right in the middle of Villain's Vale.
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Melody whimpered and shook her head several times, trying to clear the black spots still dotting her vision. Not that it helped any. She squinted her eyes and rolled over onto her stomach, supporting herself with a bruised arm.
The incredibly dark room was large, made completely of stone. The only light was what came in through the hole in the roof that she had created when she was flung through it. However, the sky was clouded and what little light there was came through in a single shaft. She could just barely make out dark shapes throughout the room-some seeming to move.
Melody bit her lip as she looked for something familiar. "Riku? Mickey?" She called tentatively. Her only response was a loud creak from somewhere out in the darkness as loose stones tumbled down to the floor from somewhere. Melody began to sit up a little straighter, but sudden sharp pains all along her back and left side took nearly all her breath and she immediately leaned back down. As she tried to force air back into her lungs she blindly felt her belt and cursed silently when her fingers closed around air. She had forgotten to equip some of the potion vials they had bought- she'd just stuffed them into her bag along with everything else she was excitedly grabbing.
"Ok, probably not the best time to get the shopping bug Melody." She scolded herself and began feeling around for her bag as much as her bruised body allowed. Again, however, her search came up empty. "Riku, when I find you again I swear I'm gonna smack you." She grumbled. "Valifor?" She called. After a few seconds of no movement from her hood she shifted as much as she dared and called again for the little creature.
'Oh gods…' Melody thought. Her body began to shake, though this time it wasn't from pain. "Valifor? Mickey?" She tried calling out, a little louder now. The breath she had just gotten back sped up as she realized no one was going to answer. "Riku?!" She yelled in desperation.
She was alone. Completely, and utterly alone. Her breathing hitched and her hazel eyes became watery. "Anyone…" She mumbled. Panic that had blossomed in her stomach spread through-out her body in a matter of seconds. She tried again to move, to crawl at least, but even that was nearly too painful. After only making it a few feet she stopped, rolling over to lean against a wall that still stood. She looked up at the small shaft of light and sighed, knowing there was one last thing she could try.
'Please turn out right.' Melody thought before closing her eyes to focus on her injuries healing. She pictured the wounds stitching up, bruises fading, pain ebbing away. Bright, warm green light gathered around her hand. She traced the ancient insignia of healing in her mind's eye around her hand as the green light began to focus. 'Please work this time!' She thought once more before opening her eyes and raising her arm as much as she could, hand stretched out over her head.
"Cura!" She half-yelled in a strong, firm voice. Immediately the warm green exploded from her hand in a brilliant flash and she instinctively turned her eyes from the blinding light. The warmth caressed her body for a split second before bursting out past her.
As soon as the warmth disappeared the pain returned and Melody hissed, holding her side where she could feel at least one broken rib. She opened her eyes and glanced around. She could see a little better, but now the entire building was covered in bright green moss and vines. Hundreds of tiny flowers were spread out along the floor, walls, even over the ceiling and climbing out of the hole she had made.
"Why does this always happen?!" She cried. Magic always backfired on her- why would it be any different this time? Now she was drained of magic and officially overwhelmed by pain and fear. 'I don't want to be alone…'
"Riku! Mickey!" She cried out again as loud as her voice permitted, hoping someone would finally hear her.
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Mickey's large ears twitched and turned. He looked around, thinking he had heard a scream. Mickey stood on the edge of the canyon that most of the heartless were swarming around in and turned to look back at the mess of buildings. "What was that? Someone's in there?" He looked around before hoping up on a large crumbled pile of building. A few moments later another scream reached his ears, though he couldn't understand what was said.
"I better check this out, it might have been Riku or Melody…" He mumbled. "Hold on guys! I'll find you soon." He said before leaping down and running towards the ruins.
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Riku paused in his decent. After making sure the rock his foot was braced on wasn't going anywhere, he turned and looked around. He had heard it- a panicked scream of some kind. "Someone else is out here?" Riku mumbled in disbelief. "No... That had to have been Melody or Mickey. No one could break through that swarm of heartless." He reasoned with himself. He glanced around for a platform he could stand on so he could try and find the source of the scream.
He had been fighting his way down the levels of stairs in the tower for a good hour before he came to a road block of sorts. The side of the tower had been knocked in long ago, the rubble completely blocking the rest of the stairs. After checking to see if he could find another way through inside, he had sighed. Looking down the side of the tower, it seemed to be rocky and uneven and there were several places where exposed pipe offered a flat surface to rest.
'What have I gotten myself into?' He thought before cautiously stepping out and making the jump over to the pipe closest to him. As it creaked and swayed, he braced himself to try and jump back to the building. But after several longs seconds it stilled and he let out a small sigh of relief. He had then began the long descent from the top of the tower. He was a little over half way down now.
Riku heard another scream, this one sounding more desperate. Valifor perked up out of his hood, ears straight and forward as he listened to the faint echo. He mewed once before turning and tugging on the silvery strands of hair he could reach. Riku winced at the sudden tug and looked over his shoulder.
"You think you can survive a jump from this height be my guest, useless rat." He grumbled and began feeling around for his next step. The creature hissed at him angrily but turned back to look down over Riku's shoulders, far below to the buildings. Riku rolled his eyes as the creature settled back down and found another step down. He glanced over at a small flat space of pipe he was aiming for to see if he could jump yet. It was still about twenty feet down and a little too far to the side for him to reach if he jumped.
A soft green glow suddenly expanded from one of the buildings below, racing upward as it dispersed on the wind. Riku paused in reaching for a divot in the tower as the fresh scent traveling with it caught his attention. 'Melody?' But… the scent seemed off- it wasn't the same as the bubbly girl he'd left Twilight Town with. It was jittery, but also much more subdued than he thought possible. 'What happened to her?' he wondered .
He glanced down and decided with a boost of wind at the right time, he could just make it to the next pipe. He took a deep breath, forcing wind around his legs. 'C'mon Riku.' He scolded himself when he hesitated. He didn't like to admit it, but this was his fault. Somehow, he'd messed up…again. He had to fix it.
He had let his distrust of others cloud his mind, and memories of previous betrayals lead his actions. That must have been how Ansem's darkness came out. He'd defeated Ansem, he should be sleeping within his heart. Were his thoughts waking the Seeker of Darkness?
Riku shook his head and focused on the platform. He could puzzle it out more when he wasn't hanging at least a hundred feet up on the side of a crumbling tower. Just as he let go of the side of the tower, pushing off as hard as he could, a low growl rumbled around him. As he fell towards the area of flat pipe he saw a large flash of maroon swoop by.
He barely landed on the edge of the pipe and immediately rolled away, avoiding a sudden blast of fire. "Wyverns. Of course." Riku growled while calling his keyblade to him. He stood and turned quickly to face the three large heartless, swaying back and forth around his platform. His eyes sharpened as he glared at them fiercely. "Out of the way!"
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Melody cringed when there was a loud growl from high above the building. "Riku? Mickey?" She whimpered and forced her head back to look up. "Please let that have been you."
"Melody. I'm afraid something has happened."
The voice from a memory long ago echoed through her ears and she quickly covered them, bowing her head. "Go away…" She mumbled as one of her darkest memories stirred. The memory that spurred her deepest fear.
"Do not accuse the Celestial Witch of being wrong child. If she says they are dead, then it is so."
The logical, strict voice of the Celestial Witch's right-hand apprentice filled the quiet space around her and Melody shook her head. Her fingers clenched around her ears as she desperately tried to block out the voices from her past.
Slowly the darkness from her closed eyes faded to the inner chamber of the Star Temple- the home of the Celestial Witch. A child, around five or six stood before the tall person, whose eyes always seemed distant.
"Melody. I'm afraid something has happened." The witch said, her dark blue-gray eyes focusing on the child for only a few seconds as she spoke. A small Melody looked up at the lady before her with a mix of confusion and apprehension.
"Yes, Witch Thera?" She said as confidently as she could, fingers curling into the hem of her purple sweatshirt.
"It would seem Master Eraqus and the keyblade wielder Terra have fallen."
Hazel eyes widened in shock as the calm, firm words washed over her like ice water. The Witch didn't seem to notice or didn't feel the need to give her a moment before she continued.
"I also can no longer see the keyblade wielders Ventus or Aqua. Their hearts are beyond even my sight." She paused and glanced behind the paling girl before finishing. "And if this is so, then it means their hearts have been lost, and are beyond saving…"
Melody's tiny body began to shake as the words replied over and over again in her head. "You're lying…" She mumbled, so softly no one could hear.
"I am sorry, little one. I realize this must be hard, given that it was the good Master that found and cared for you before being sent here. If needed, I can grant you a few days off to-"
"You're lying!" Melody screamed as loud as she could, tears now pouring down her cheeks as she glared up at the tall woman.
"Quiet girl." A stern voice from behind her said. "Do not accuse the Celestial Witch of being wrong, child. If she says they are dead, then it is so."
Melody shook her head, as her body shook with sadness and fear. They were all she had. She was supposed to return to them. Master Eraqus had promised to train her when she returned. Terra had even offered to help. Ven had so much confidence in her being able to become a wielder like them… Aqua told her they were friends now- they would be her new family…
"Enough Sulo. The girl has lost something precious. Leave her be."
'I lost…?' Melody couldn't finish the thought. Her body felt like ice, and her world began to lose its color as the Celestial Witch's words circled around and around her head. 'They can't be gone…"
"Melody! Snap out of it!"
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Riku forced himself not to cringe as he found Melody, seemingly in shock, though he wasn't sure on the cause. At first, he had thought it was due to the injuries she had. He could only assume the fresh hole in the ceiling he had entered from had been made by her- she must have been covered in bruises and cracked bones. He saw some blood matting her bangs down and drying along the side of her cheek. However, when he called out to her, she didn't answer.
As he got closer, he realized her whole body was shaking and her breathing was short and quick. Her fingers dug into her hair, palms flat against her ears. Her eyes were screwed shut and her head bent down, nearly touching her knees. She was in shock. He called her name as he got closer, but again, she didn't say anything.
'I should have gotten here sooner.' Riku thought as he knelt next to her and shook her shoulder. It had taken some time to get past the heartless. Wyverns usually traveled in packs, and the three that had found Riku ended up sending out a distress call, alerting the other six members of their group. Valifor had then nearly dragged him off the piping after that, seeming desperate to get to the building now oddly covered in vines and flowers.
As he had traveled lower and lower, more heartless had appeared, most of them ones that could fly or float unfortunately. When he had finally made it to the mess of rubble and buildings, shadows and neoshadows had also crept around. Although oddly, not many of them swarmed him as he fought off the last few Wyvern and Darkballs. Some seemed to cautiously begin leaving their hiding places, but they would immediately slink to the floor and pull back. It was odd, but he wasn't going to complain. Since the heartless seemed eerily subdued it had only taken him about five minutes to make it to the vine covered building.
His relief of finding someone had been short-lived. Melody had dragged herself out of the light coming in from the ceiling and was leaning against the wall only a few feet from the pile of stones and brick. And she looked to be in very bad shape.
He grabbed a potion vial from the clip on his belt and poured it over her head while he continued trying to coax her out of her stupor. "C'mon you weird girl. Snap out of it." He said after he made sure the potion was healing the large cut hidden by her bangs. As he swept her bangs up so he could look at the wound better, he realized tears were beginning to tumble down her paling cheeks.
"Melody? Melody!" He said again and shook her harder. "Melody! Snap out of it!" He nearly yelled. The auburn-haired girl jumped and her head shot up. Her eyes widened as she looked at him confusedly. "Don't do that again." Riku said with a relieved sigh and relaxed back, brushing silver strands of hair from his face. "Are you ok?-" He started asking but was cut off as the girl's arms suddenly wrapped around his waist, her head falling onto his chest.
'What …is…she…' Turquoise eyes widened and blinked several times in confusion. He glanced down at the girl and lifted his arms but didn't know what to do beyond that. Should he pat her back? Pull her away? Leave her be?
"I'm gonna punch you really hard later, you jerk." She mumbled into his cloak. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at her. "And a-a lecture, you're d-definitely getting a lecture for n-not following my ru-rules." She added through a few sniffs. He frowned, sighing.
"Your words and actions aren't matching up." He said, finally tapping the back of her arm in hopes she'd realize what she was doing. After a moment of silence Valifor crawled out of his hood and crossed over to Melody, wrapping his tail around her shoulder and nuzzling her cheek in comfort.
Melody took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall, patting Valifor's soft feathery fur with one hand and wiping at her eyes with the other. She looked up at him, her eyes still glassy, but she laughed softly. "You look like you're w-waiting for me to e-explode." She said, sagging against the wall behind her. Riku looked away and stood up, crossing his arms.
"Would be easier for me if you did." He mumbled, glancing away from her.
"Hey! Shouldn't that be m-my line? You pretty much hurled me from space into a stone building." Melody said weakly. "Have any p-potions? I think a few of my ribs are cracked." She said, looking up at him expectantly. He rolled his eyes and pushed his cloak to the side, reaching for another potion from his belt.
"Didn't you just buy a lot before we left?" He asked and turned back to pour the liquid over her. She gave him a guilty smile but sighed as the green liquid seeped into her body, repairing the damaged bones it found. Riku watched for a moment to make sure it was working, but eventually turned away, looking back around the space.
He was still waiting for her to yell at him over what he'd done. Or even just leave. He wouldn't have blamed her. He glanced around again. "I guess Mickey didn't land here with you." He said, not seeing any sign of the small king.
"He should be nearby. Don't worry." She replied and opened an eye to look at him, but Riku didn't notice. "Hey, Riku?" He glanced over his shoulder at her, his only response. "What were you thinking about? When you opened that passageway?" Riku crossed his arms, turning away from her with a frown.
"Why do you ask?" He finally said, his arms tightening around himself. Had she seen him? The other him, locked deep within his heart?
Melody watched him tense up and seemed to think about her next words carefully. "You looked…hurt. Like someone had just stabbed you in the back…"
Riku didn't know what he could say, so he said nothing. Even though he had agreed to working with her, and spent an afternoon with her, deep down he knew he still didn't really trust her. And unfortunately, it had showed. How was he supposed to say that?
"I just remembered something that happened when I was in Hollow Bastion before. That's all." Melody raised an eyebrow as he spoke, not even bothering to turn all the way around and look at her. Her hazel stare bore into his back, and it felt like she was trying to look right through him. "When I was here, I put my trust in the wrong people. This place just reminded me of it." He reluctantly added. It seemed to pacify the girl- he nearly sighed in relief when he felt her searching gaze ebb.
"Trust, huh?" She said thoughtfully. Riku flinched, but finally glanced over his shoulder at her. Melody was looking up at the hole in the ceiling, though her eyes seemed distant.
Riku kicked at a few pebbles as silence settled around them again. 'She's more perceptive than I thought.' He noted grudgingly. Just because she'd had the same attitude as Sora, didn't mean she was quite as simple as he was.
"Hey, can I have another potion? My legs still aren't working." Melody finally said, her voice oddly normal. Riku gave her a confused look but pulled one more potion out and walked back over to hand it to her. She nodded her head in thanks and grabbed the vial. "I understand, I think." She said, popping the cork out and pouring it over a cut on her thigh. Riku leaned against the wall next to her, turning his gaze away.
"Understand what?"
Melody poured some more of the healant along her other leg, letting it soak in before answering. "You haven't really had anyone to rely on since you left your home, right?" She asked, but didn't give him too much time to respond.
"The one person you did finally trust enough to actually help you, betrayed you in the end. I can see where trusting people after that would be hard." Melody looked up at him with a tired smile. "Guess that means I'll have to work extra hard to prove to you I'm not up to anything." She poured the last of the potion over her legs and let it soak in a few seconds before standing up and stretching her limbs a few times to make sure everything was better.
RIku blinked once, then twice, staring at her in surprise. "Just like that?" He asked in disbelief. Melody couldn't help a small laugh before nodding.
"I think you owe me a real explanation for where that passageway came from. But that can wait until we actually get to Hollow Bastion."
Riku frowned and looked down at the ground with a sigh. "You take things way too lightly."
"I'm being serious!" Melody said and gave him a small glare. "I knew from the start there'd be some bumps. Granted, I didn't think those bumps would include falling out of the sky and through a building on the first day…" She trailed off, Riku wincing. "But I didn't expect you to warm right up to me either. You don't seem like that type of guy. And that's just fine." She finished.
Riku looked at her, seeing only sincerity and determination in her eyes. He took a deep breath. "I can't promise it won't happen again." He replied and looked down at his hands. "I have a long way to go before I can return home. I…" His voice quieted, but he told himself he had to get this out. He pressed on. "I have a lot of darkness that I still have to overcome." Melody smiled and nudged his shoulder with hers.
"It's alright. King Mickey and I will always be here to help!" She said before there was a spark of realization in her eye. "Speaking of the King, we should probably find him." She added and looked up at the hole in the ceiling- the only way left out, since vines covered all the windows and doors. Riku watched her a long moment, a sudden warmth flowing through him.
'Always here to help…' He thought with the barest hint of a smile before following her.
Riku glanced around as they headed towards the pile of rock to get up to the opening. "Why is this building covered in vines anyway?" He asked. He saw her cringe and nearly misstep on her way up to the roof and crossed his arms, staring intently at her.
Melody turned to look over her shoulder with an innocent smile. "Just a little…mishap with a spell?" She answered, although it sounded more like a question to Riku. He raised an eyebrow, not saying anything. He continued staring at her carefully. Melody whimpered and turned back around, reaching for the edge of the roof and pulling herself up to sit on it. She sighed dramatically before meeting his gaze. "I'm not the greatest with magic, ok? I tried to cast a cure spell, but all this-" she waved her hand around the green room. "- is what happened instead." She groaned.
Riku looked around again. "All this from a little cure spell?" He asked, hopping up next to her. Melody looked down dejectedly, fiddling with the hem of her vest and nodding.
"No matter what spell, it always ends up totally off!" She whimpered and stood to follow him off over the roof top.
"You really suck at magic." Riku said before he could stop himself. Melody groaned again as she caught up to him.
"I just don't get what it is that I do wrong…." She muttered and crossed her arms in thought. Riku nearly let out a relieved breath when she didn't get mad at his blunt statement. He didn't think he could handle anymore drama right now.
Melody looked up in thought, finally catching sight of the tall scarred towers and her eyes widened. "…We're not in that creepy ruined town outside the castle-town of Hollow Bastion…are we?" She asked hopefully, slowly looking back to Riku. He nodded once, surprised she knew it.
"Yeah, I think its nickname is Villain's Vale… Why do you look so nervous?" He asked, seeing her quickly turn in circles and suddenly looking down over the edges of the roof they were currently crossing.
"We need to find Mickey- now!" She said, her eyes hardening as she spoke. "Something really bad lives here and we do not want to cross paths with it." As she spoke she looked around. Riku began looking around too and wandered to the other side of the roof.
As he leaned over, a vague scent wafted through the air, rising up from the darkness between the buildings. It was definitely something dark, and far more stale than the scents that clung to the tops of the tower. He narrowed his eyes as the shadows amongst the rubble began moving.
"Riku! I think I see something." Melody called from the next rooftop over. Just as he turned his gaze from the stirring darkness to her, the shadows sped up, jittering frantically before bursting up into the sky.
Riku gasped and quickly backed up as they spewed up from between the roofs like a geyser. Melody let out a surprised yelp as the small dark creatures landed around them, scurrying about. Her bow immediately appeared in her hand as they began clawing their way across the tiles of the roof. Riku summoned his keyblade as well, but paused after knocking only a few away. Something was off.
Heartless that should hungrily attack anything living, seemed to barely notice the two. They landed hard and scurried away from the place they were emerging from. Some even bumped into his legs in their mad attempt to flee. He glanced over at Melody, who had an arrow notched, but she wasn't paying attention to the scurrying shadows. She scanned the buildings around them carefully, her body tense.
"We need to move. It's too open here." She said. Not too far ahead, there were small spires coming up from a sturdy building, it's green roof still fully intact. She glanced at Riku before pointing at it. "There! We should be able to spot Mickey and have some cover." She said and started towards it.
Riku frowned and only took a few steps to follow her before pausing. "You gonna tell me what's going on?" He asked, glancing up at the spire she was aiming for. It was easily the strongest looking structure around, but her sudden shift in demeanor had him on edge.
Melody let out a huff and marched back over to him. "I will later. When we're somewhere a little safer than out in the open on the top of a roof!" She said exasperatedly. "Now come on!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him behind her with much more force than he thought she could muster. Riku muttered under his breath but began jogging so she wouldn't have to pull on him.
Behind him he heard a low rumble, the buildings beneath them creaking despite being made of heavy stone. He glanced over his shoulder, but saw only part of a building many yards away crumbling. "What was that?" He asked as they hopped onto the roof the spires were coming up from.
"That is why we need to get out of sight." Melody replied and let go of his hand to jump up to another level of the roof. As she disappeared over the edge she let out a startled scream and there was a loud thud. Riku's eyes widened and he quickly followed, lifting his keyblade into position. However, as he cleared the ledge he stopped, torn between surprised and amused.
Melody was flat on her back, eyes going in and out of focus, arms spread out at odd angles and one lag crammed against the side of the spire. And looking just as disoriented, was Mickey. He lay across Melody's stomach, his arms spread and keyblade resting only a few inches from his grasp. The pair groaned in pain, Mickey finally shaking his head a few times to bring himself back to his senses.
"Mickey! You're all right!" Riku said, giving him a small, relieved smile and walking over to the jumbled up twosome. Mickey turned his gaze to the boy, taking a moment to realize who it was. When he did though, he gave the boy a big smile.
"Riku!" He glanced around and realized who had tumbled into him. "Melody! You guys are all right! I've been lookin' all over for ya!" He said in relief and somersaulted off Melody, who was just starting to look around in confusion.
"What happened?" She groaned and awkwardly sat up, rubbing her neck. She blinked a few times, her eyes slowly focusing on Mickey who had picked up his keyblade and was now giving her a worried look.
"Gee, I'm sorry Melody. I didn't even notice you headin' this way."
"Don't worry. She wasn't paying much attention to where she was going either." Riku commented as he stopped in front of the girl. Melody frowned and finally gave Riku a small glare.
"I'm sorry, who was it that got grumpy and tossed us all from space?" She mumbled and shakily stood, dusting herself off. Riku felt his eye twitch and briefly wondered how much Mickey would protest leaving this girl behind and continuing on their own. That had been their original plan after all…
The ground shook again, this time accompanied by a low growl that echoed against the buildings. A shiver ran down Melody's spine and she gasped. "Oh yea, we should be hiding! Not jabbing at each other! C'mon." She said, remembering what had been driving her to hurry before.
"Why do we need to hide? Whoa!" Mickey was asking when she grabbed him and tossed him up to the roof right of the spire, right next to the window.
"Hurry up!" She said, motioning to Riku. The building creaked under their feet, the growl echoing again through the ruins. Dark energies danced in the air, causing Riku to wrinkle his nose as it became nearly overwhelming. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to heed her words this once.
Riku grabbed the edge of the eave and swung up onto the green tiled roof. Mickey had already pushed the rusted window aside and crawled in, still confused but he could feel the urgency in Melody's words. Riku hopped through the window, closely followed by Melody.
Immediately, she pushed their heads down below the sill and shushed them before they could speak. The three held their breath, as something ominously dark crawled across their senses and a large shadow slowly blocked the light coming from the window.
The low growls and rumbles were so loud now, seeming as if they were coming from right outside the spire they were hiding in. Several long tense moments passed as whatever it was seemed to linger there, the shadow unmoving.
Riku held his breath, the overwhelming dread and darkness nearly suffocating as they waited for the creature to move on. He glanced to his side. Mickey sat next to him, his eyes narrowed as he watched the shadow closely on the wall opposite them. On the small king's other side Melody knelt, her bow still in hand as she looked over her shoulder at the window. Both were tense as they waited in the silence, holding their breath as he was.
Finally, after many long tense moments, the creature withdrew. The buildings rumbled again as it moved, it's growls and groans no longer breathing right down their necks.
As it moved away, Melody slowly rose enough for her head to peek over the edge of the window sill. Assuming that was a cue it was ok to look, both Riku and Mickey found themselves also rising enough to see. Riku gasped at the sight.
The creature's body, easily as big as the buildings, appeared somewhat like a giant Shadow heartless. It's eyes glowed red though, and its mouth was just barely visible in the inky black mass. Large science tubes protruded from its neck, all packed full of what looked like hearts. Pieces of rock and debris was scattered along its shoulders and limbs, seeming to have been embedded in the creature when it moved past the buildings. As it had turned, something looked like it had been branded into its back, still glowing an orangish-red. A radiating symbol, looking like a sun was nearly being eclipsed by what may have been a moon, which was paler color than the sun.
"What is that?" Riku whispered, still starring after the creature in shock. Melody glanced over at him then down at Mickey, who finally glanced up at her, also silently asking. She turned to look back at the creature.
"That is what's known as a Remnant." She replied watching it smash a claw into a building, heartless scurrying from the destruction quickly.
"A Remnant?" Mickey asked, looking back at the thing.
"Bits and fragments of memory embedded into the very world." Melody explained in a whisper. "When something exceptionally good happens, or there's a lot of positive emotions, it heals the world. Almost cleanses it." Melody paused, watching the creature with an almost sad gaze. "But when something bad happens, the negative emotions and thoughts are absorbed by the world. It's almost like a scar that can never heal. If the feelings and memories are strong, it develops a consciousness of its own, acting on those thoughts and feelings left behind. And a Remnant is created."
Riku and Mickey looked from her back at the creature.
"So, you mean… That thing is like a collection of all the bad that's happened here?" Mickey asked uncertainly.
"Yes, basically. I'd imagine it's also absorbed all the bad that happened in Hollow Bastion too, since it's so close. I mean, I've never seen or felt a Remnant there, and that place has seen a lot of bad." Melody said, thinking back on her own visits to the wasting castle in the distance. "We're gonna have to find a different way out if that things wandering around here." She mumbled, more to herself then her companions.
Riku narrowed his eyes, trying to make out something on the creature. "Are those hearts in the tubes coming from its neck?" He finally asked, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him. He had a sinking feeling they weren't.
Melody glanced at the creature, but nodded almost immediately. "Before this world was ripped apart, and Maleficent moved in to take over, experiments on the heart were carried out both in the castle and this town. Heartless were even manufactured for a brief time. I think because of that, this Remnant collects hearts from all the heartless here, and stores them in those tubes."
"If that's true… We gotta defeat it! We can't just leave all those hearts trapped in there." Mickey said and made to jump out the window. Melody's eyes widened and she quickly grabbed the small king, holding him back.
"You can't! That thing isn't like heartless! You don't just bash it around until it can't stand anymore!" Melody said in a panicked whisper. Riku glared at her.
"Well we can't just let it go with that many hearts!" He growled back to her. Melody gave him a stern look.
"That thing was born ten years ago- and all it's done is fester and feed on the darkness and bad emotions that have been circling this place ever since! You'll both get killed if you just charge in." Melody said, her eyes daring them both to argue. "Besides, do either of you know how to handle a Remnant?" She added, seeing both of them look down dejectedly. She sighed. "Maybe someday we'll be able to do something about it, but right now none of us have what it takes to bring that thing down… ok?"
Riku glanced down at Mickey. The King wore a sad look, his ears even drooping a little. His hands were fisted tightly, but his eyes seemed to show understanding. Riku's own fingers curled into a fist and he looked back up at Melody, and was surprised.
She had already returned her gaze back to the Remnant. Her body was tense, the hand still holding her bow shook every few seconds with how hard she was gripping it, her fingers flexing along the elegant, smooth surface. Her eyes though, showed a deep frustration. As though she understood how helpless he and Mickey felt in that moment.
"Have you tried fighting that thing before?" He heard himself ask, as he watched her closely for a reaction. Melody frowned, looking down at the sill for a moment.
"I have… It didn't end well." Melody mumbled before looking at the two. "I know it's hard to turn away. But trust me when I say that you won't accomplish anything by going after that Remnant now." She said.
A thick silence settled over them. Only the growls from the Remnant echoed around the space. Riku rarely let someone tell him what he could or could not accomplish. That was only something for him to decide, and usually something he wouldn't know until he tried. But seeing her own frustration, and the serious tone of her normally light voice, Riku felt like Melody wasn't exaggerating.
Melody glanced between the two downcast boys before shaking her head twice and smiling. "C'mon now guys. It'll be alright! Look at it this way- that thing is doing all the hard work for us! We won't have to wade through thousands or millions of heartless to release all those hearts! Just one really big Remnant." She said in a hopeful voice. "For now, let's focus on the things we can do! And right now, that means getting to the Castle without drawing that thing's attention." She said.
Mickey and Riku looked at each other, realizing how down they each looked and each chuckled once.
"Gosh, you have a good point, Melody. Thinkin' on things we can't do will only get us stuck." He replied with a smile, and ears perking. "Sounds like you've been out here before, and Riku, didn't you come here a few times for Maleficent? Do you know any other ways out?"
Riku sighed, but figured they both had a point and thought about the handful of times he'd been here. But those times…
"Sorry. When I came here before it was through a passageway. I never really had an interest in exploring this place beyond that." Riku said, setting his chin on a finger in thought. "One time though, it was near the base of the second tower. I remember thinking I saw some kind of passageway under the water there. Could that help?" He asked, looking up at the two. An enlightened look passed over Melody's face and she gasped.
"That's it! The water system for the Castle-town used to connect to a second pump station here!" Melody said excitedly and stood up. "Riku you're a genius! We can just use the old tunnels for the waterway!" She said, giving Riku a big impressed smile. Mickey laughed and patted Riku's shoulder once.
"Great job Riku!" He said with a proud smile. Riku sighed as Melody looked around before declaring the Remnant far enough away for them to move again. Mickey jumped up on the sill, seeming renewed with their new plan now forming.
'These two are hard to keep up with…' he found himself thinking.
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
And their current adventures in Villain's Vale has come to a close, but never fear! They will return one day!
I'm gonna stop putting times on here when I think I'll get something posted- I seem to keep missing them. Just know this is my main project right now and takes up most of my free time.
Next up we're in the real Hollow Bastion that we all know and love! We have some portals to open, some heartless to kill, and Riku still owes Melody an explanation!
.
Might draw out my new Remnant creature...
As always, I'm open to constructive criticism or comments. They brighten my day and keep me going strong! :D