Chapter 8: Reluctant Plotting
Inside one of the more luxurious guestrooms in the Andalasian Castle, Buttercup was lounging about on a loveseat while snacking on fruits.
"This is the life," Buttercup complimented. "I can be an advisor to Kairi, the new grand vizier, and once she becomes the co-ruling queen of Andalasia, I bet I can be the new grand vizier!"
She laughed as she threw some green grapes in the air and caught them in her mouth. "Best of all, I'm so not gonna screw up like Azula did. Not to mention I don't have to be under her shadow ever again."
Quickly the lights in the room went dark as Buttercup looked around in confusion. She soon yelped when she saw a familiar shadow as a spotlight appeared on the green-wearing girl.
"Uhh, hiya Azula, old friend!" Buttercup said nervously upon seeing Azula. "Uh, listen, no hard feelings about me dropping your box in the well before, right?"
Azula remained silent as she fired blasts from her eyes. That made Buttercup to hide behind a pillar out of fear. She looked and saw the angry looking Azula coming closer to her as the lights came back on and revealing Princess Morbucks, holding the box in her hands.
"Hey," Buttercup yelled as she got out of her 'hiding' place. "What's she doing here?"
Princess held her nose in the air. "I could ask you the same thing."
While growling Buttercup charged at Princess only to get punched in the gut and hit right back in the wall with great force. "That's gonna leave a mark," Buttercup groaned.
"You like it?" Princess gloated. "Azula gave me new powers after I freed her from the box. She also told me you lost your powers, stinks to be useless doesn't it?"
When she remembered Azula still being in the room Buttercup whimpered and prepared for pain. "Do not worry yourself Buttercup," Azula said surprisingly soothing. "If I came back to get revenge on you, I would have done it already...if I get myself freed anyway." She added in a bitter tone.
Buttercup opened her eyes and quickly recovered, "Oh, I knew that."
"No, I came for revenge on Kairi once and for all."
Princess holding the box, smiled greedily as she exclaimed, "I got it, I could wish for control over the whole globe!"
Azula sighed and instead of granting the snobby girl's wish transported her into a model globe as it bounced around with the girl trapped inside. The last thing Azula wanted was for Princess to waste her last wish on something unreasonable like that instead of freedom.
Knowing that the girl had enough Azula used her magic to set Princess free and took away the globe.
"Oh sorry, master." The genie apologized while faking sympathy. "I thought that was your wish.
Azula turned back towards Buttercup as she said, "Well, Buttercup, as you obviously found out Princess Morbucks became my new friend who of course was kind enough to set me free from the box. I understand you gained new friends of your own, like Kairi, perhaps?"
While Azula dissolved into smoke Buttercup laughed sheepishly as she said, "Well, friend is too strong of a word. I think she and I are more acquaintances or..."
Azula appeared in front of Buttercup and said, "I have a big revelation for Kairi and her friends and you are going to lead her to my grasp, understand?"
"Oh now hold it," Buttercup started as she held her hands in front of Azula. "I am so out of the villain business, okay? I was a hero before and I'm staying that way."
Buttercup crossed her arms while suggesting, "Why not get Angel to help she's someone that's already in Kai's inner circle of-"
"IT CAN ONLY BE YOU!" Azula roared.
Buttercup whimpered and remembered all the times Azula did unspeakable harm towards her and knew that if she defied her, terrible things would happen to her.
Sighing sadly Buttercup unwilling said, "Fine, you win, I'll help..."
Buttercup walked through a hall in distress while trying to look for Kairi.
"So Kai, Kairi, I was thinking..." Buttercup rehearsed uneasily of what she wanted to say before groaning, "This is going to be bad."
Buttercup soon heard Dani's voice in another room. Buttercup went in there to see if Kairi was with the ghost-girl. When she entered, all Buttercup could see was Dani in sports attire, Rika, Renamon, the cousins, their boyfriend/girlfriends, Rainbow Dash and Angel playing a game of pool in the room. Apparently it was the younger halfa's turn in the game and she was taking her sweet time of taking her turn at playing, much to everyone's annoyance.
"Okay, concentrating, concentrating..." Dani muttered while trying to not to take her eye off the white ball.
"Will you just shoot, we're playing too cous'!" Jaden impatiently complained.
"He's still trying to occupy his time with other games since no one else plays Duel Monsters in the kingdom isn't he," Rika asked Danny. The elder halfa simply nodded and resumed reading his book.
"Okay, aim...and fire!" Dani exclaimed as she hit the ball. The girl hit it too hard causing the ball to go flying off the table and past everyone who dodged it. Buttercup did not avoid the ball in time and only had time to scream as the ball got her in the mouth. The ball was stuck in her mouth and made her go flying backwards and straight towards a wall.
Dani flew over there just in time to save Buttercup from impact as she said, "Hey! Gotcha, Buttercup!"
When she heard the muffled yelps from the little girl Dani said, "Don't worry I can get it right out!"
As the ball refused to budge Dani sighed. "Oh darn, looks like it's stuck really well. Time for me to do some extraction."
The ghost-girl turned herself into a doctor and everyone else into nurses and assistant doctors. "Everyone time to help out the patient," Dani declared as the girl gave Angel a nurse's outfit, much to her surprise and displeasure.
"Naga!" The pink alien grimaced as she threw the nurse hat off angrily and turned around, crossing her arms.
"Aw come on, Angel." Dani persevered to Angel. "Buttercup's are friend now, we can trust her. Besides that, the game won't continue on until that ball is out of her mouth, so how about we do something about that, got it?"
Angel sighed but said 'Ih' in agreement.
With some help from Stitch they both tackled Buttercup in the gut, which caused the girl to spit out the ball.
"Brilliant extraction, nurse and doctor!" A pleased Dani said. The ball continued flying off and bounced off the walls. For a moment, it almost looked like the thing is about to hit Buttercup again but Hiccup caught it at the last minute. "Ah, let's not go into that again."
"Uh, thanks guys." Buttercup said gasping for breath.
"All right, isn't this sweet." Sakura said as she grabbed everyone pulling them all into a hug. "We're like one big happy family now!"
"As long as we don't have bad breath I'm not complaining," Haku said coolly.
Jaden laughed. "That's because you're right next to 'Chi' ain't I right?"
A moment passed until the duelist had to remove himself out of the embrace while yelling at the top of his lungs while holding to his left foot.
"That wasn't' very nice Haku," Chihiro reprimand the river spirit.
"Did I mention he also mistakenly called my hakama a dress earlier?"
"Jaden was just joking around he knows what a hakama is, he's from Japan like we are."
The dense duelist arched an eyebrow and asked, "I am?"
This led the rest the family that was from that country to sweatdrop after they got out of the hug too.
"Family, right." Buttercup muttered awkwardly as she got out of the ghost-girl's embrace.
"Are you okay Buttercup?" Danny asked with concern. He was able to notice a guilty look on the girl's face.
"No, no, it's fine. I'm fine I just need to find Kai and stuff." With that said Buttercup left the room.
"Alrighty then. So who's up?" Dani asked after she placed the ball back on the pool table.
"That would be me," Rainbow Dash answered as she took her turn now. With her own pool stick the blue Pegasus aimed the ball and caused all the other balls to go right into the other holes. Which lead everyone to praise the pony for her skill
"Looks like we found another sport that Dani can't win with a little pony around." Astrid snickered.
"Eh, pool's not my kind of game anyway." Dani stated.
It wasn't long before Buttercup to hear Kairi's voice as she found her in a room where the Radiant Garden princess was talking to her betrothed.
"Look, I know what Buttercup did with Azula in the past was wrong, but she has changed, I can tell." Kairi comforted to Sora.
Sora thought over it and said, "Well, I guess I can give him that chance. Everyone deserves one."
"I knew you'd say that." Kairi then noticed Buttercup tiptoeing from the door. "Buttercup?"
"Oh hey, I did some thinking." Buttercup said nervously as she came into the room. "I-we should try patch things up with Grey and all that after what happened. Maybe a nice pegasus ride could help?"
"Hey, that sounds like a great idea." Sora said thoughtfully.
"I can bring Dani and the cousins too!" Kairi considered while smiling. "It could give me to spend more to spend with them. Plus Dani's always a hit with Grey."
"No, no, not them!" Buttercup yelled but quickly added when she saw their confused looks. "I mean the cousins should stay here since they're still adjusting to the kingdom and all. Plus Dani's… well, too flashy and too loud. We won't get a word out of Grey that way." In truth Buttercup knew that if they were less powerful people with Kairi it would make it easier for Azula to capture the redhead in her trap.
"Buttercup has a point," Sora reconsidered. "It would be better for just the four of you guys and would give me time to catch up with my cousins."
"And maybe get to know Nick better too," Kairi added smiling slyly.
"Yeah I guess," Sora pouted.
"Yep! That's what I figured." Buttercup said.
"Well, all right, it's settled." Kairi affirmed with a nod.
"Great, let's get Grey." Sora grinned as he took Kairi's hand and linked arms with her.
As they started to leave Sora stopped. "Wait, hold on for a minute." He went back to Buttercup and said, "Buttercup, I want to say I'm sorry. I was wrong about you and was a total hypocrite last night."
"What?" Buttercup arched an eyebrow.
"I mean I was being harsh on you and Kairi for the same thing I did a while back for another person, or animal to be exact. He was a parrot that wanted a second chance in this other kingdom and I was the only person to believe him when everyone else didn't. Not to mention when the royals found out I was keeping him hidden they were all mad like I was to Kairi and you. But I still stood up for him. So what I'm trying to say is that I remember what it's like for you and Kairi and want to say sorry."
He gave her a hug before starting to leave the room again. "He might as well sing the 'I'm happy to be alive song'," Buttercup thought miserably. She decided that it was time for them to know the truth.
"Wait, hold on!" The couple turned around to hear clearly what Buttercup wanted to say.
"Yeah, what is it?" Kairi asked in a curious tone.
Just as she was about to speak Buttercup saw a giant pair of cold amber eyes hovering above Kairi and Sora. Knowing that familiar glare belonged to, Buttercup found herself beaten.
"Umm, you guys go ahead, I have some things I need to do and I'll catch up with you in a minute." Buttercup lied.
Kairi and Sora shrugged before leaving the room. Buttercup turned around and drooped her head down guiltily as Azula emerged behind her and pat the girl on her back while saying evilly, "Excellent work Buttercup..."
Me: Things aren't looking so hot right now and how is this all going to turn out wait until next chapter.
Keep on Writin' and Rockin'
