Well, Phoenix Wings is back with chapter seven! Thank you Flightfoot and Bakon Hawk for reviewing during the break.
Chapter Seven: Old Enemies
Lea slumped against a wall, rubbing his temples tiredly. "Damn it…what am I supposed to do?" He felt like screaming, but knew the action wouldn't amount to anything. Instead, he settled for sliding down to the ground and resting his hands against his knees. He closed his eyes briefly. What am I doing? he wondered. Was it worth changing? It'd be so much easier to just go back…
Back to what? he reminded himself. The thought was a painful reminder that he'd really never had anything to begin with. I was always just…a puppet for the Time Racers… They'd given him back human form to torment Roxas; they'd abandoned him when they thought he was no longer useful; they'd never had any intention of including him in their plans. But he'd always tried to please them, to prove himself to them, because he didn't have anything else.
That's in the past, he reminded himself darkly. Focus on your redemption now. He lifted himself to his feet, preparing himself to go - in his opinion - on a fruitless search for two missing former Organization members. Amazing how quickly enthusiasm can fade when you see no results.
He heard a sound nearby, and jumped, spinning around. Black shapes were beginning to seep out of the ground nearby. "Heartless? Again?" he growled, instinctively trying to summon his Chakrams before remembering he couldn't. "You know, you're really getting annoying," he commented, glaring at the shadows. However, without a weapon, he knew he wouldn't do much good. Instead, he used the only option left to him; he fled.
Lea's legs carried him quickly through the streets of Radiant Garden as he tried to outpace the Heartless behind him. He glanced backwards briefly, then jumped up on top of a wooden crate, using it to boost himself up on an overhang above a shop, before finally jumping up onto the roof of a building. He cursed under his breath when he saw more Heartless appearing before him before jumping to the next building.
He felt Axel's presence push against his consciousness. Let…help… Lea pushed back, trying to ignore the broken words. He could feel the Nobody's desire to help, but refused to accept it.
The concentration he diverted to forcing back his Nobody, however, kept him from realizing how close he was to the next roof. He jumped too late, and ended up slamming against the edge. He grunted, his arms instinctively flinging out to grab hold of the edge, his legs kicking to try and push himself up. His green eyes widened as he saw Heartless spawn before him on the rooftop. Damn it. He glanced down. Heartless there, too. He could see no way around it; he would have to fight them.
Taking a deep breath, Lea relinquished his tenuous hold on the roof top, falling down just as the first Heartless lunged for him. His feet collided heavily with a crate just below, the structure breaking under his weight and causing him to teeter sideways and land painfully on his side. He hardly had time to catch his breath before the Heartless were upon him.
He, however, didn't intend to let them keep him down. "Get off!" he roared, lunging upwards and trying to shake the small creatures from his body. Several fell at the abrupt rising, while others he pried off with his hands, leering dangerously at the shadowy monsters. He tossed the Heartless away, but they were quick to converge on him again. Is there no end to these things? he wondered, batting away a Heartless with his arm and kicking another back with his foot. Some still made it past his defenses, hanging off his shoulders, his legs, his arms, small clawed appendages grasping greedily for his heart. Fear pulsed through him, and his mind flashed back to the first time he'd lost his heart to darkness. Not again…I can't go back again! The agony of his heart being torn out, consumed by darkness…the eternal search for more hearts…
Lea fell to the ground, still struggling as a desperate cry wrenched free of his lips. God help me!
A loud bang resounded through the air. A Heartless on his shoulder disintegrated, wisps of darkness flying up into the air. Lea's eyes snapped open in surprise before he turned his head to look down the alley. A flinched as a large throwing star neared him, but the weapon simply cut through the Heartless directly in front of him before returning to its owner. "Alright, party's over!" a female voice called.
The second figure lunged forward, a large sword held out to his side. As the man neared, Lea's eyes widened in recognition. The other man's eyes only widened a fraction, and he hesitated a second before swinging his gunblade to cut through the Heartless that clung to Lea's front. The red hood returned to his feet, stomping on a Heartless that fell to the ground to crush its head. The remaining creatures fled back to the darkness.
"Hey, thanks for-"
Lea's words were cut off as he lifted his head and found the tip of Leon's gunblade pointed towards his neck. "Don't move," the scarred man told him, his voice cold. Yuffie came to stand beside him, a frown creasing her features.
Lea sighed, his eyes sliding to the side. Now that the panic of the Heartless attack was over, he had the presence of mind to be annoyed at his dumb luck. Typical that they'd find me. "Fine, you got me," he said, raising his hands in submission.
His eyes flicked back to the two Restoration members, and for a few moments, fear crept back into his heart. Would they kill him? They hadn't exactly been on friendly terms the last time he'd seen them…besides, they didn't know he wasn't a Heartless any longer. However, a part of him realized that, had they really wanted him dead, Leon would have shot him, instead of the Heartless.
"Talk," Leon commanded, restrained anger in his voice. "What happened after you left?"
Deciding it wasn't a wise idea to be a smart ass with a gunblade pointed at him, he responded slowly, "That story could take a while."
"We have time," Leon responded coolly.
Lea's emerald eyes narrowed. "Yeah? Well, I don't."
"What? Do you want your head shot off?" Yuffie asked, hands on her hips.
"One less Heartless to deal with," Leon added, his sword and eyes never wavering.
An idea of how to escape the situation flashed into his mind, and Lea couldn't help the smirk that spread across his face. "But I'm not a Heartless anymore." Leon started with surprise at the comment, his gunblade lowering a fraction.
It was enough to allow Lea time to slip away.
"Stop!" a voice protested behind him. A shot collided with a crate nearby, shattering it and causing splinters of wood to fly in all directions. Lea decided to ignore the order, racing towards the nearest building. He jumped, pushing off the wall to force his body upwards and reached for the edge of the roof. His hand grasped it and managed to use his momentum to flip himself on top. Hmph. Actually managed to do it this time. He paused briefly to look back at the two people who followed him. He smirked at their looks of frustration and gave them a two fingered solute. He turned away and ran just as a shot rang out behind him. Always amusing to watch enemies squirm.
Then a thought pulsed through his head, almost bringing him up short. But they're not your enemies anymore. He glanced backwards. Not supposed to be, at least. He sighed, ruffling a hand in his hair with frustration. "This redemption thing…sure as hell ain't easy."
"He got away," Leon commented rhetorically, looking at the spot where the red head had once stood.
"What should we do now, Leon?" Yuffie asked, looking at him.
His eyes narrowed in thought. "We have to find out what happened; all of it." He looked towards her. "We need to contact King Mickey."
Yuffie frowned. "Do you know how to, though? I mean, he could be anywhere."
"We have to try." Leon walked away. "Come on; let's see if Cid or Merlin can do something."
"I'll let everyone know to keep an eye out for Lea," Yuffie told him. He nodded an acknowledgement to her, and she jumped off, looking for the other members of their small committee. He returned his attention to the task at hand, and silently prayed that everything would be alright.
Mickey stood in one corner of Yen Sid's study, a troubled look on his face. "Gee, I hope those two are doing alright," he commented, looking to the still forms of Sora and Riku.
Yen Sid made a small noise of agreement. "I'm sure they're fine."
Mickey nodded, knowing his former master knew more than he was telling. The king, however, could do nothing more than wait for news of the two Keybladers' exploits in the World of Sleep.
Yen Sid's eyes opened suddenly, causing the mouse to jump. "Master Yen Sid?" he asked, worried. Had something happened?
Yen Sid half closed his eyes. "It appears the Restoration Committee is requesting your assistance in Radiant Garden."
Mickey was immediately on alert. "What's going on there?" he asked, remembering all the dark things that had happened in the past.
"An old enemy has returned."
Mickey's eyes narrowed. "Xehanort?"
Yen Sid lowered his sagely head, eyes closing. "Merlin did not say." His eyes opened again. "Go."
"But…what about…" Mickey trailed off, looking again at the sleeping Keybladers.
"I will watch over them." Mickey nodded his assent, then hurried out. There was no one better to look after the prospective Keyblade Masters than Yen Sid. For now, he had to find out what was going on in Radiant Garden.
Yen Sid sat in silence for several moments after his former apprentice had left. Then, slowly, he commented, "How long do you plan to hide in the shadows?"
From the darkness a voice emanated; one with words, but no sound:
As long as it takes.
Yen Sid glanced to his side. "And how long will that be?"
…I don't know.
Slowly, a figure stepped out; one clad entirely in armor. It folded its arms across its chest, looking down at the Keybladers on the floor but remaining silent. Yen Sid, following its gaze, asked, "Do you remember when you were like them?"
I don't believe there was ever a time I was like them.
The elderly former Keyblader turned his gaze away. For all he'd communicated with this odd spectral visitor, he knew very little about it. "Are you concerned that you didn't do the right thing?"
The figure lifted one shoulder slightly, asking in its same toneless voice:
About what?
"Giving Keyblades to those two young ones," Yen Sid replied, silently wondering at the motives of the being beside him. There was a sound that resembled a sigh before the figure answered:
Yes. In that case, I'm sure I made the right choice. Shadow and Angel…this is their destiny.
"I do not claim to understand what you are speaking of," Yen Sid commented, slightly confused, "but I will trust your wisdom."
I don't know about this 'wisdom' you seem to think I possess…but I suppose I should warn you: you may not be able to escape being a Keyblade Master for much longer.
Yen Sid's curiosity grew. "And what, exactly, do you mean by that?"
The figure looked off into space, its form fading as it said its final words:
No one can escape being a Keyblader…and very soon, we'll need all the Keybladers we can get.
And that's the end of chapter seven. Reviews are welcome, please?
