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Here's the next chapter. It's much longer than usual to make up for how short the last chapter was. I'm still planning on updating the last one with all of my thank-yous!
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"Where are you taking me?" I asked again. Although the first few thousand times I had posed that question had gotten me nowhere, it didn't hurt to try, did it?
Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Same answer as before: you'll see."
"Really, you should tell me. I'm not a patient person." Although the past day or so had been some of the most radically life-altering hours of my life, I felt at ease with the three older girls around me. Joking came naturally. And for the past hour or so we had been flying, I was focused on something different; instead of worrying about what I was leaving behind, I was looking forward to where I was going.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" questioned a silent Naminé, her light blue eyes filled with fear. Her face pulled the newly-found smile from my cheeks.
"I think so, Nami," I replied, reaching for her hand. "It's gonna be ok."
Her worried glare turned cynical. "You seem so sure, Miss I-Don't-Know-What's-Wrong-With-My-Life-But-I'm-Off-To-Fix-It-Anyway." Her tone lashed into me like a bullwhip; I could swear I had a gouge streaking across my face.
"Well," I stammered, not sure how to reply to that, "I think it's all going to work out for the better. Or, at least, I hope so."
"If I wanted to gamble with a perfectly stable lifestyle, I would have stayed with Luxord," she snipped.
"Nami, I'm sorry you're mad at me. But we've talked about all of this."
I saw Tifa glance at Aerith out of the corner of her eye, a silent question as to whether someone should intervene. That question was answered when Naminé did not speak, and the cabin fell into an awkward silence.
"So, Kairi…" Tifa started, "I hear you wield a Keyblade?"
"Yeah," I replied, trying to repress the memories of the times Riku and Sora had tried to teach me how to use it, often to no avail, "but I'm not really good with it."
Yuffie smirked. "We can fix that."
"Are you also interested in magic, Kairi?" Aerith asked, her melodious voice drifting quietly through the cabin.
"Um, I guess," I shrugged. I hadn't really given that much thought. After nearly beheading Riku during one of our "practices," I guess the boys were reluctant to try to teach me how to hit something from far-range with something that couldn't be blocked so easily as a blow with a sword. But that brought up a good question. I had seen Tifa fight, and I had heard how talented Yuffie was from Sora. But what did Aerith do? "Aerith," I asked, "what weapon do you use?"
She laughed. "I find that in battle I am most helpful when I heal those that fight. People have a tendency to worry so much about those they are protecting that they forget to protect themselves. That's where I come in; I help them regain their strength."
"If it wasn't for Aerith, Yuffie and I would be long gone by now," Tifa smiled.
"That's nonsense," the long-haired brunette blushed bashfully at the compliment.
"Yeah," Yuffie agreed, "Tifa would be a goner. I think I could hold my own though." Tifa met her statement with a swift punch to the upper arm.
"Shall I remind you about that one time we were fighting at Hollow Bastion –"
"Hey! That was completely your fault! I wouldn't have fallen into that pit if you had control over your side!" Yuffie argued.
"Don't blame me for your awful balance!"
"I do not have –"
"Oh look!" Aerith piped up from the controls, "we're within landing range! Everyone strap themselves in – this might be a bit bumpy!"
If I was going to learn anything from Aerith, let her teach me how to end fights like that. Normally the boys didn't listen until I started throwing things.
Naminé glared at me once more as she fastened her seatbelt. Maybe Aerith could teach me how to fix those sorts of things, too.
We stood outside of pair of enormous wooden gates, surrounded by a thick, lush forest. The sharp smell of pine wafted through the air, biting at my nose with its sharpness. Tifa stood next to me, taking in her surroundings. It was comforting to have someone as unfamiliar with this world as I was. Yuffie and Aerith, however, looked almost at home as they ran their hands over the wood, searching for…well, I wasn't sure what they were searching for. And of course, Naminé pouted towards the back of our cluster.
Yuffie's face lit up. "Yes!" she cheered as her fingers found the correct knot in the wood, and the massive gates swung open in response. My jaw fell slack at the sight of the little town in front of me. It seemed to be early night – or was this world always this way? – and a dark glow painted the square and streets in front of me as if it were ten o'clock on a warm August night. A little shop across the square to the right emitted a cozy light, like a little café or bookstore. Up a set of another stairs directly across the square from me stood another two stores: the bottom sign bearing "Cid's" was faded, as if it had not been lit in several months, but the upper sign showing "The Moogle Shop" burned brightly.
I looked across the group at Tifa, who was as taken aback as I was at the quaint beauty of the world. "So this is Traverse Town," she mused thoughtfully. While Tifa didn't seem to be in quite as much gaping awe at the pretty little place before me, it was comforting to know that someone else was in unfamiliar territory too.
"Oh yeah," Yuffie voiced. "I forgot you've never been here, Teef."
"You'll like it," Aerith promised. "So will you, Kairi. And Naminé," she added, trying to thaw the Ice Queen, "you'll fit in perfectly. Welcome to our little family," she offered warmly. Nami offered a weak smile in response.
"There are three main divisions of Traverse Town," Yuffie explained, interrupting the warm moment. "They're called 'districts.' This is the First District," she waved her hand outward, spanning the courtyard in front of us. "The Second District can be found through the doors just past Gepetto's," she added, pointing past a shop I didn't see before. "And the Third District, which is where we'll be going, is just over here, through there," she said, pointing to another set of large wooden double doors. "That's where we'll be going."
"Will it be dangerous?" Naminé asked, frightened. She was already shrinking back behind me.
"The First District is the only truly 'safe' place here," Aerith answered. "There will be Heartless in the Second and Third Districts, but only minor ones."
"You'll be safe with us," Tifa assured my quivering counterpart.
"Roxas used to say that," the blonde murmured, sadness streaking back into her eyes. The wave of pain I had been fighting back all day threatened to crash upon me – I unconsciously wrapped my arms around myself to keep my heart safe. Aerith's hand on my shoulder brought me back.
"Come on, Kairi." I looked up – Yuffie had apparently already passed through the doors, and Tifa wasn't far behind. Reaching for Nami's hand, we followed suit, Aerith bringing up the rear.
The Third District was enormous. Large white-grey walls rose up around the main area, standing in stark contrast to the deep blue surroundings and ground. A lovely yellow fountain portraying two dogs was encased in glass in the northeast corner, adding to the immaculate surroundings; I took a few steps towards it. Inky black Heartless immediately sprung up around my ankles, slashing at my lower legs. "Agh!" I cried. I heard Naminé scream in the background.
"Heartless!" she gasped, cowering behind Aerith. She immediately began to shake.
"It's ok – they're just Shadows! Nothing big!" Tifa barked, slashing her hand through one of the many creatures that had appeared. She kicked through another two.
"Aerith, get them over to the door!" Yuffie ordered, throwing her shurkien through three of the Shadows.
"Come with me!" Aerith urged, grabbing both of our hands. I tried to aim a swift kick at one of our attackers; I brilliantly missed and wound up on my butt. A close-by Heartless slashed at my arm, leaving a painful scratch from my elbow to my wrist. "Stop fooling around!" Aerith scolded, quickly pulling me to my feet. She mumbled something under her breath, and my arm was quickly healed.
"Hey," I muttered as we ran. "I was gonna do that…" My arm tingled as the light green bubbles soothed the wound into nothing.
Aerith shook her head at me, and we ran our final steps to a mysterious door with a large flame carved into aged wood. "Firaga," she uttered, flaring her fingertips as a jet of flame set out to scorch the door; however, the flames merely leapt into the emblem, and the door opened. Aerith hurried us inside.
"You have to be more careful, Kairi," Aerith said into the darkness. She stepped forward into the black cavern.
"Wait!" Nami cried from beside me. "We can't see anything!"
"Give your eyes a moment to adjust to the lighting," Aerith promised, her voice close. "You'll see where we're going."
Sure enough, a small lopsided stone house appeared ahead of us on a small island. The conical roof with faded red shingles resembled a wizard's hat. Five or six stepping stones slid from side to side in the water in front of it, as if they were daunting whoever wanted to reach the house to prove their worth; the house only wanted visitors who were willing to work. The rest of the cavern bore a greenish glow, as if it were enchanted.
"This is Merlin's home," Aerith explained to Naminé and me. "He'll be helping us train you."
"He's a nice guy. Very wise," Tifa quipped from behind us. I jumped; I didn't hear her or Yuffie slip through the door. "Nice kick back there, Kairi. What was that? If you're not more careful, you'll end up like Yuf here."
"A great warrior?" Yuffie beamed cockily.
"No. A stupid girl who rushes into things," Tifa responded. Yuffie stuck her tongue out at the older girl.
"Are we going to go see Merlin or not?" Aerith asked, once again breaking up the squabble. Both fighters nodded, neither scratched from the recent fray, and began jumping nimbly from stone to stone.
"After you," Aerith smiled.
"I don't think that's such a good idea. I'm not very coordinated," Naminé shrugged.
"C'mon," I said, grabbing her hand. I pulled her across the rocks with me, although we almost fell twice. When we reached the opposite platform leading to the enchanted hut, Yuffie walked around to the right of the building, motioning for us to follow.
"Follow me," she said, pushing through an opening in the wall closed with a purple velvet curtain. We were ushered to the great room of the house. A circular stone platform stood in the center of the circular room, housing a table and chairs. The rest of the room was swamped with books and miscellaneous furniture, including a pristine silver miniature carriage, which seemed out of place with the commonplace surroundings. A fire crackled in the hearth, giving the cottage a warm glow.
"I'm glad you're here," a voice twinkled behind us. "I was beginning to wonder if I should start looking for you." I turned and looked at the speaking man. He was tall, dressed in light blue wizard's robes with a matching pointy hat that mirrored the design of his house. His white hair was brushed away from his face and fell to his shoulders, but he had a matching silver beard that fell almost to the floor. His worn half-moon spectacles glimmered in the warm light of the cottage, resting on his crooked nose. Behind the glasses, a pair of steel-grey eyes danced in the same way as his merry voice.
"You must be Kairi," he nodded, clasping one of my hands in his. "I am Merlin." He bowed in a sweeping, elegant gesture. "It is so nice to meet the final Princess of Heart. And you," he said, turning to Naminé, "must be the sister that never truly was. It is so nice to meet you, my dear Naminé. You are every bit as beautiful as your other half."
"Thank you," she murmured softly.
"What is it that you come to me seeking, young Kairi?" the wizard asked.
"She wants to be trained," Yuffie piped up cheerfully – she was obviously familiar with Merlin.
"Ah," he mused. "Trained in what art, specifically?"
"I – I, I want to be trained in physical combat and magic," I stammered, looking down. Suddenly I felt foolish.
"Ah," he mused again. "So you come to me seeking the knowledge to fight. What, my dear, are you fighting?"
I could not answer him.
"Hmm. Perhaps you will discover your purpose in your training, young one." His eyes danced with wisdom. "Nevertheless, I agree to train you in magic. Physical combat is not my forte; however, I'm sure these girls are more than happy to assist you in that theater." He nodded to Aerith, Yuffie, and Tifa, all of whom nodded in response. "We shall use my attic as a training room. I have plenty of furniture you can demolish." His cracked lips curved upward into a smile, and I couldn't help but feel at ease. He waved his hand and a ceiling tile descended to where he could step on it, which he did. It automatically rose, and the man disappeared.
"Don't worry about him, Kai," Yuffie assured me as a now-vacant ceiling tile descended again.. "Sometimes Merlin asks questions you're not supposed to know the answers to yet." She and Tifa stepped on, and they rose and disappeared as well.
"I know you're confused," Aerith spoke. "This is all going to be new to you. But you're doing the right thing," she promised. "Follow your heart – it's the most important thing that Merlin has taught me." Her deep eyes took a sorrowful tint as she stepped onto the platform and vanished as well.
"I can't say I agree with her," Naminé said, her blue eyes boring into mine. "I think we should go back. This is stupid. Why learn to fight when you have people to protect you?"
"What if they're not there?" I posed. She shivered in fright at my words, and I knew she was thinking of a world without Roxas. I immediately pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean for it to come out like that."
"Save it," she said, pulling away from my touch and stepping on the ceiling tile; I followed.
She turned her icy eyes upon me. "You just better hope that you know what you're doing to the people around you."
Merlin's attic was extremely spacious in comparison to the cluttered great room below. An open circular hardwood floor laid in expanse and reddish walls rose from it to line the room. Much furniture was pushed up against the walls to create the open floor – and was some of it moving? The ceiling rose above us in a cone, flopping in one place to create the top of the wizard's hat; several windows in it allowed the sky to poke through.
"Welcome to my attic," Merlin spoke simply, waving his hand before him.
"This place is huge," I whispered. "It didn't look this big from the outside."
"If you learn one thing from this room, learn not to be deceived by appearances," the wizard warned me. I nodded my head back.
"How do you want to start, Kairi?" Yuffie asked, turning to me. "Magic or fighting?"
"Um," I hesitated, cocking my head to the side and running a hand through my hair, "can we try fighting?"
"Sure!" she replied enthusiastically, jumping in the air. "Follow me," she ordered, striding to the middle of the room. I followed her.
"Are you going, Naminé?" Tifa asked.
"No," my Nobody replied softly. "I'm not interested in learning how to fight." She sat in one of the many chairs in the room.
"Very well," Merlin shrugged. "Yuffie, Tifa, I will sit with Aerith and Naminé until I am needed." The two girls bobbed their heads in respect, and then Tifa joined us in the center of the room.
"Ok, Kairi," Tifa started. "Summon your Keyblade." I reached my hand to the side, clenching my fist; I felt the handle of my Keyblade in my grasp, a familiar spot worn from where I'd held it. I smiled – so far, so good.
"Good!" Yuffie clapped. "Sometimes that's the hardest part – but it's definitely one of the most important. How can you fight without a weapon?" She smirked at Tifa. "Oh, sorry. You don't count."
Tifa rolled her eyes. She nodded to Merlin, who waved his hand. Three dishes floated their way to us and hung suspended in mid-air.
"Ok," Yuffie said. "We'll start with stationary objects." She waved one plate farther away from the other two. "I want you to strike this plate and break it. Go." I placed my other hand on the handle, raised the blade so it was above my head, and slashed downward with all my might. The plate shattered and then disappeared as the broken shards hit the floor.
I smiled. "Was that good?" I asked.
Tifa and Yuffie exchanged a glance. "Well, yeah," Tifa finally said, "but you don't need to swing at something like that with all of your might."
"It'll wear you out," Yuffie added.
"Minor enemies don't really take all that much to defeat," Tifa continued. "Breaking these plates is about as difficult as killing those Shadows. You attacked it like it was some huge monster." She saw my face fall; I thought I had done well. "I mean, that's fine if you're fighting a monster," she quickly added, "but for something as little as these guys, you don't need to go all out." I nodded; I guess that made sense.
"Also, the overhead chop isn't really a great move unless you're fighting a single enemy or something small," Yuffie added. "When you lift your arms over your head, you leave yourself completely open to attack in all the vital spots of your body. Yes, you get more strength with both of your hands, but you can't hit something when something hits you first." I nodded again; was Naminé laughing in the background?
"Here, try again," Tifa urged. "But this time, try hitting it as if you were swinging with a baseball bat. It's not the best move, but it's a good place to start." She moved forward another plate, and I swung at this one. I slashed clean through it, but the momentum from my arms sent my body twisting; I couldn't stop the motion, and I wound up on my butt. Looking up through my hair, I saw the two of them laughing.
"Well, that was…better, I guess." Tifa offered.
I huffed, trying to blow my hair out of my eyes; it didn't work. This was going to be harder than I thought.
Queen Minnie was cleaning when she heard the voice.
"Come get me," it pleaded with aching familiarity; she could hear the heartbreak in the broken tenor.
"What?" she whispered, turning around to look at the Cornerstone. Had it spoken, or was she hearing things?
"Come get me," the mighty stone echoed, replaying the message that emitted from it.
"Sora?" she asked, stepping towards it. She squinted into the iridescent light swirling within the confines of the great rock. She could make out the figure of a boy, slashing a blade that was identical to her husband's through a pack of Shadows. She smiled at his apparent safety when he defeated the creatures, but then he fell to his knees, and then toppled forward, spiky hair and limbs splaying in all directions. The Queen gasped.
"Mickey! Mickey!" she wailed, lifting her heavy skirts and sprinting up the stairway. "Mickey, come quick!"
"C'mon, Kairi, one more time. Remember to pull your stomach in to keep your balance."
"Slash with only as much strength as you need to break the dish; it's a good battle technique that'll prevent you from wearing out too quickly," Yuffie added.
Keeping only my right hand on the Key, I pulled my weapon from my upper left to my lower right, slashing through the plate. My left arm remained at my side as a sort-of shield. The plate shattered once more, dissolving into nothing.
"Good!" Yuffie cheered. "There! That's the slash we've been looking for!"
"You need to work on your footwork," Tifa observed. "You can pivot with one foot to effectively transfer your energy, making your blows stronger…ah, well, that can wait until tomorrow."
Merlin stepped forward. "I assume it is my turn?" Tifa and Yuffie ducked their heads in deference to him, and he nodded. They walked back towards Aerith and Naminé.
"Kairi, what spells do you know?" Merlin asked me.
"Um, I do Cure pretty well. I know Fire –"
"But you have yet to master it?" he finished for me. I nodded in reply. "Defensive spells are incredibly important, but you cannot win a battle with them. We shall start with Fire, then." He waved over a single plate. "I want you to destroy this using flames."
I raised my hands in front of me, facing my palms towards the dish. "Fire!" I yelled. Flames burst from my hand, some torching the plate and others singeing Merlin's long beard. He jumped back with a yelp and immediately cast Blizzard, then he healed himself. The plate fell unbroken but burnt in some places.
"You must focus on your target, Kairi. You were distracted," he explained calmly. I guess he had been burned a lot before.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled.
"Do you do it like this?" A quiet voice asked from behind me. Naminé stepped forward, raised her hands, and said, "Fire!" Flames burst from her delicate fingertips, and the plate before her shattered. She lowered her arms with a satisfied smile.
"Good!" Merlin clapped. "Well done, Naminé!" I turned to glare at her; how was she better at this than me?
"I don't want to learn to fight, but I think magic is important," she said. "Do you mind if I learn with Kairi?"
She was ushered into the lesson quickly. We spent the rest of the day trying to break plates with Fire; she was much better at it than I was. She dissipated almost all of her dishes on the first try; I managed to set Merlin on fire three times, twice his beard, once his robe. Finally, I was able to break three plates in a row, and Merlin decided to end with that.
"Good! We will work again tomorrow. Kairi, you must focus on your targets; it will be easier then," he promised as we rode the ceiling tile to the great room.
We thanked him for the lesson, and then the five of us left the cavern by the same way we came. Aerith and Yuffie quickly ushered us to the Second District, where they promised they knew of a place where we could stay. I was too tired to bother even trying to fight the Shadows that appeared. Instead, I just ran. Naminé, however, managed to destroy one or two using her new spell.
We were finally shown what seemed to be a hotel room. The interior color was blue, and there was a large bed. Aerith left for the first district to find us food, and I collapsed onto the bed.
We ate dinner quickly, most of us too tired to make conversation. Quick goodnights were bade, and the five of us retired to our two rooms. I lay in bed next to Naminé for a while, hoping to fall asleep.
Beside me, muffled in her pillow, she cried heartbroken sobs. The waves of pain I had fought all day toppled over me at last, and I allowed them to drag me into a fitful sleep in which I did not rest.
Whew! Over four thousand words! And plenty more to go!
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The countdown begins to Chapter Ten…there will be violence. Lots of violence. It's a pivotal chapter to rival all others!
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