I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(
Lucia, Kieran, Rayna, Claire, Renee, Zeke, Sienna, Jeanne, Melanie, and Charel are my OC characters from my Final Fantasy stories!
Chapter Nine
Boys are stupid
"Oh, you have got to be freaking kidding me!"
Kiera roared more to herself as she stared around the area she now found herself in. She had been on the ship with Sora and Donald, talking and having a break from training with Geoffrey and Alana when this giant whale decided to fly at them and swallow them up. It seemed that the second ship wasn't swallowed, leaving Kiera on her own with Sora and the duck.
"How is this even possible?!"
"Beats me," Sora shrugged his shoulders.
"Knock it off!" Donald's roar grabbed their attention to see that the duck was yelling at someone who was throwing things down at them. "Who's up there!?"
As the two teens moved closer to Donald, what appeared to be a wooden boy looked down at them. "It's me."
"Oh," Donald said. "Its just Pinocchio. Pinocchio!?"
"Pinocchio?" Jiminy jumped up on Sora's shoulders. "Pinocch, where are you going? Pinocch? Come on everybody. After him quick."
"I take it that you know him?" Kiera commented.
"Yes. I'm Pinocchio's conscience."
"His conscience?" Sora repeated. "But how?"
"Well you see, when you wish upon a star-"
Kiera, having heard the story already, turned back to watch the path the wooden boy made to the ship further in the back of Monstro's mouth. From the looks of it, they had been here for a while. Had they been here for ten years? Were they even from Radiant Garden? She didn't know them but that didn't mean anything.
Trying to stay as dry as they could, Sora, Donald, and Kiera made their way to meet Geppetto and introduce themselves.
"What have you got there, Pinocchio?" The old man asked.
"With this, we can get out of here, Father." The puppet handed Geppetto the Gummi Block.
"Really? With this big block? You think so?"
"It's true." Sora told them, as they all climbed aboard. "So, how did you end up here, Pinocchio?"
"Oh my," Geppetto walked towards them. "So, the whale swallowed all of you, too? My Goodness."
"Yeah," Sora answered. "It looks like it."
"My name is Geppetto. I'm Pinocchio's father. When we got separated, I traveled all over, looking for him. Thank Goodness we're together again," He picked up the Gummi Black, and began to move it to a corner. Kiera glanced around again to see a form in yellow running off into a pathway; Pinocchio had seen him too apparently and was now chasing after him.
"Hey, Sora," She glanced at the other teen beside her but both he and Donald were concentrating on listening to the old man.
With a sigh, she turned and moved off the ship. That yellow shirt...she had an idea who that was. Mumbling under her breath about being a babysitter, Kiera followed Pinocchio and found out that her thoughts were correct.
"So, this is where you ran off too."
Riku glanced over his shoulder and turned to face her with a frown. "And you're still playing around with Sora."
"I wouldn't call destroying Heartless and saving worlds 'playing' but to each their own." She stared at the older teen, taking him in. He held an air of caution, defense against her. "What's wrong? Afraid I'll attack you?"
"It's not that," He replied. Pinocchio was left in the background, just watching the two of them silently. "I'm just cautious. It's not often you find someone claiming to be the long lost sister of one of your friends; especially when that person is a princess."
Kiera felt her frown deepen. She hadn't even told Sora that. How did he know? "You've been busy. Who told you?"
"You don't deny it?" Riku asked her.
"Why deny it when it's true? Even if your kingdom is all but a pile of rubble in the hands of a witch," She muttered darkly.
"When you say witch...do you mean Maleficent?"
Kiera narrowed her eyes. That explained how Riku knew she was a princess. "You have been busy. How did she find you? What has she offered you?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you should drop it now and run. Maleficent isn't someone that you want to get involved with. I don't know what she offered you but there's always an alternative motive behind her words to benefit herself. She's using you to get something."
Riku gave a snort. "I can take care of myself."
"No, I don't think you can," Kiera took a step forward. "You don't understand anything! You're from a damn island where you and your friends dreamed about seeing other worlds. You haven't seen the destruction that woman can cause. You thing this is all just a damn game but it's not. You're sticking a foot into something that you don't understand and it's going to bite back eventually. You're being used for something. It's because of Maleficent that Radiant Garden fell...it's because of her that I lost my sister and..." She wasn't sure but she knew that Maleficent and Bailey had a confrontation before Bailey disappeared. "Look, believe me, it'll only turn out bad." She took a breath. "Come with us. Sora's been looking everywhere for you and Kairi. We'll find her. I want to help, whether or not it turns out that she's the sister I lost."
Riku went to reply but Sora beat him to it.
"What are you guys doing?" Sora then saw the other teen standing with Kiera. "Riku! Wh-what are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "Just playing with Pinocchio."
"You know what I mean!" Sora yelled at him. "What about Kairi? Did you find her?"
"Maybe," He shrugged again. "Catch us, and maybe I'll tell you what I know."
"Oh, come on!" Sora said. Riku grabbed Pinocchio's hand, and ran off with him. Sora and Donald ran after them, but Kiera only walked a few steps before she stopped.
"What are you doing, Riku?" Kiera asked. She turned around, and looked at Riku, who was now behind her, still holding the hand of Pinocchio.
"I'm just having a little fun. Teasing Sora a bit." He answered her. "Besides, he interrupted our conversation."
Kiera shook her head, trying to fight the smirk that wanted to spread across her face. "I know you have no obligation to listen to me, or trust me, but what I'm telling you is the truth. Maleficent is bad news. You should stop here and come with us."
Riku gave a frown. "I can't; not now."
"What do you-" She narrowed her eyes. "She has her, doesn't she? Maleficent has Kairi." His silence was all that she needed. A slew of curses flew from her mouth. She had to tell Geoffrey and the others. Oh boy, were they going to be pissed. "Riku-" She turned back to the other teen but he had disappeared again. "Dammit!" She still needed answers from him! She took off through the chambers, catching up with Sora and Donald as they ran into some Heartless. They searched through all six chambers, until they finally caught up with Riku and Pinocchio again. They chased Pinocchio though to see that Riku was standing there in front of yet another Chamber walkway. Riku only watched as Pinocchio ran through it.
"Riku!" Sora called to him. "What's the matter with you? What are you thinking? Don't you realize what you're doing?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing Sora. You only seem interested in running around and showing off that KeyBlade these days. Do you even want to save Kairi?"
Sora hung his head. "I do-"
"Do you really believe you have the right to ask him that?" Kiera called out. "You only see what you want to. Sora's been searching relentlessly for both of you just to have you ridicule him. What kind of friend does that?"
"This has nothing to do with you." Riku growled.
"It does when I find out you're working with the bastards that took my home from me!"
Sora looked between the two. "What's she talking about, Riku?"
Riku glared at the other teen and went to speak again but Pinocchio's scream, dragging all their attention to the chamber that the wooden boy had disappeared inside.
"What is that?!" Donald cried out.
Pinocchio had been trapped inside a heartless that looked like a cage.
"These things just keep getting more and more creative, don't they?" Kiera asked out loud, summoning her KeyBlade to her hands. "Next thing you know they'll have wings or be able to breath fire."
Sora pulled a face. "Please don't joke."
"You up for this?" Riku asked.
Sora's face turned determined. "No problem. Let's do this."
"Hmph."
Kiera wasted no time and jumped head first into the fight, careful of the stomach acid from the whale on the floor beneath them. Donald found that out the hard way, unfortunately. She kept finding her attention leaving the battle though and going to the silver-haired teen that she fought alongside. Sora had been under Alana's training for at least a month or so no but this Riku, his skills were still better than Sora's. Had he been getting training from someone on Maleficent's side as well or was he just a natural like Leon was?
As Sora's KeyBlade landed another hit on the Cage, it jumped up to hang from the ceiling of the room as a large hole appeared in the floor. It then spit Pinocchio out into it. Riku didn't have to think for a second before he jumped in after it, leaving the others to follow him.
"What is he doing?" Sora asked aloud.
"More than likely something we won't like."
The hole dropped them onto Geppetto's ship again and Kiera helped Donald to his feet.
"Pinocchio! Pinocchio!" Geppetto cried, as they all looked up to see that Riku held Pinocchio once more, slung over his arm. "Please! Give me back my Son!"
"Sorry Old man. I've got some unfinished business with this puppet." Riku told him.
"He's no puppet! Pinocchio is my little boy!"
Riku snorted. "He is unusual. Not very many puppets have hearts. I'm not sure, but maybe he can help someone who's lost theirs."
"Wait a minute," Sore told him. "Are you talking about Kairi?
"What do you care about her?" Riku shot Kiera a look, and then walked through to yet another chamber. She raised a brow.
~What was that for?~
"Do...do you think Kairi's lost her heart?" Sora asked her.
Kiera gave a frown. "I can't say. Riku's working with Maleficent. Either way, she's using Kairi to make him help her."
"We have to stop him."
"If we can..."
They followed after him quickly, and Riku turned to face them.
"Let Pinocchio go, Riku!" Sora ordered.
"A puppet that's lost his heart to the heartless…maybe it holds the key to helping Kairi. How about it Sora? Let's join forces to save her. We can do it together." He walked towards them, but Sora made ready for an attack. "What? You both rather fight me? Over a puppet that has no heart?"
"Heart or no heart." Sora began. "At least he still has a Conscience."
"Conscience?" Riku scoffed.
Sora continued as Jiminy ran to Pinocchio. "You might not hear it, but right now, it's loud and clear. And it's telling me, that you're on the wrong side!"
"Then you leave me no choice." Riku told him.
"Pinocchio! Pinocchio!" Jiminy yelled, stopping in front of the Puppet.
"Jiminy…I'm not gonna make it." He whispered. Jiminy then gasped as Pinocchio's nose grew longer. "Oh! I guess I'm okay." Jiminy began to jump up and down as Kiera laughed. Riku looked down, as if defeated.
"The offer still stands." Kiera called out to him."Leave Maleficent and come with us."
Riku's face contorted. He seemed to be having an inner battle with himself about whether or not to come with them. Kiera went to speak again but the Parasite Cage returned, nearly squashing her. Sora had barely grabbed her and pulled her out of the way in time. She looked for Riku but found that the teen had disappeared. She gave a curse.
"Boys are stupid." She hissed. He shouldn't have left. He should have come with them. Now he was back with Maleficent and lord only knows what she was telling him. Oh, when she finally got her hands on that witch-
"Kiera!" Donald's cry made Kiera jerk from her thoughts and stand up. There was a battle going in, she could leave her thoughts for later. One problem still rang in her head though as they took down the heartless again.
How the hell was she going to explain to Alana and Geoffrey that Kairi had lost her heart?
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