The Tale of the Lost

PandaShadow

Fairy Magic Pt. 1

A/N: Well hello there. So here's the next chapter. Sorry it was posted, technically, on Monday morning. I have a super hectic schedule right now, and I had some difficulty here.

I'm in the double digits now! Is it bad that my main reason for continuing to write this story is just so I can be done with it? A part of me loves it, but another part of me feels like it has stifled all of my creative juices over the years. I don't know, as much of my baby as it is, I think I'll be glad when I can finally say I've finished it. It's gone through so many different stages and plots and… everything.

Anyway, we learn more about Meera's powers in this chapter. Along with, you know, seeing what Riku has to say from the last chapter. Sorry about that cliffhanger, by the way, but it just felt like it was supposed to be there. And you should also know that, at this point, I think this is AU. The entire universe of KH is getting so confusing right now, and I'm having difficulty with the mechanics of heartless and nobodies, so even though my methods of where Zopyris came from aren't canonically accurate, just roll with it. I started this in 2007. My theory was valid then.

Relevant question/explanation: I am certain that I am not writing my best at the moment. So I want to now from you readers (if any of you actually read my author's notes O.O) if you would rather I try and put this on a pause until I am feeling it and can write to my full potential, or if you want me to keep forcing out chapters even if the writing quality is not even close to my best. You can message me, or review, or whatever. I just need to know what you would prefer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I do own Meera, all of my other OCs, and my plot. So don't steal it. I'd be shattered. Into billions of tiny pieces.

Enjoy!

"So I guess this kinda makes me a jerk, huh?" Riku asked. He couldn't help but feel bad. It explained why she had gotten so frustrated and unsure with the fire spell back in the gummi ship. It also explained why she ran away or got uncomfortable whenever Zopyris was mentioned.

"Only a bit," Meera responded dryly. She wasn't sure what reaction she had expected but, staring out over the tow in front of her, she knew that hadn't been it.

"I'm sorry, then," he replied.

And that was even less of what she had expected. "Oh. Um," she started. "Apology accepted. I guess." It was strange; she knew he had no idea the full extent to which he was involved, yet his apology still seemed genuine.

"But you have to admit that it was stupid not to tell us," he said sharply.

"I didn't think it would affect anything!" she defended. There was a bit more of what she expected. It was better – she felt much more comfortable being snarky than she did sincere.

"This guy is after your friends, you said," Riku pointed out. "So wouldn't it make sense to tell us that someone is trying to kill us?"

"But- I- but- you're really my friend?" she asked. She was genuinely confused. She understood his point, but when it came to Riku, she always thought he only cared because King Mickey said that they needed her. She never thought that he considered her a friend.

"I mean - yes?" he responded, turning to face her.

"Oh. Well thanks," she responded awkwardly, refusing to look at him still. "I guess... well, I thought you could care less what happened to me."

"I - um - I - of course I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Because Cloud," he said. She finally snapped her head in his direction for the first time since she had explained the origin of her scar. "And we need you. Yup, especially Sora."

"Right," she snapped, glaring at his stupid, sparkling eyes. When she thought he was actually being nice, he just went and turned it around into something different and obligatory. "You only care because of other people. And Sora. What, are you secretly gay lovers or something? That would break Kairi's heart." Changing the subject seemed like a good idea at the time.

"No! Of course not! I like girls!" Riku exclaimed.

"Oh really?" she asked, feeling comfortable with the conversation again. She stared disdainfully at his silver hair. "So that's why your hair is so long and shiny, and why your belly button is visible in your outfit?"

"Why are you looking at my belly button?" he asked, his eyes slightly widening in confusion.

"I- what? I mean. Well," Meera stuttered, slightly flustered at the slight subject change. "It was staring at me," she said. She mentally facepalmed. Was that the best she could think of?

"It's not! And it's not a crime for a man to take care of how he looks. I like my hair like this," the silver-haired male defended himself.

"Oh? I bet Sora likes how it looks too," Meera retorted.

"Well, he did mention the other day - Wait! No! That's not the point! He didn't mean it like that!" Riku exclaimed.

"Sure he didn't," the red-haired girl remarked, sarcasm dripping from her voice like oil from a hole in a car.

"No! He likes Kairi! He told me he does," Riku continued.

"I knew it!" Meera said, turning back towards him.

"Wait, did you just say all that to get that out of me?" he asked. "Were you fishing?"

"What is that even supposed to mean? I've never gone fishing," she replied. She couldn't remember. Had that been her intention? No, she had only been trying to change the subject, and his hair was such a convenient object for ridicule.

"Sure you haven't. That was just plain underhanded," he pointed out.

"I didn't do it on purpose," she replied, honestly and innocently. "I still think you're gay. Now I just know that it's one-sided."

"You are barking up the wrong tree! I am totally straight. Like an arrow," he defended, using his hand to indicate the existence of a straight line.

"Like an arrow," Meera repeated dryly. "Your creativity astounds me."

"And if you say that creativity is gay too, then you are grasping at straws. Don't even go there!" he continued to defend himself. Meera raised an eyebrow. Perhaps he hadn't noticed her sarcasm. She hadn't expected he would get quite that flustered.

"And now you're using clichés," she pointed out. "I suppose you're right. You aren't creative enough for me to use that as an argument."

"Hey! I am plenty creative," he said. Well, he was certainly taking everything as an insult. "Why are you so convinced that I am gay?"

Meera smiled the very first smile she had given him and tilted her head to the side. "I don't, really. It just seemed like a nice conversation topic." Riku opened and closed his mouth a few times before responding.

"You are shameless, Meera. That was completely unnecessary. Here I was, trying to be all nice, and you just had to go and ruin it," Riku said, turning to fully face her as he crossed his legs.

"I was being nice," she retorted. "I could have chosen a different topic. Like your face. That one would have been much more insulting."

"First my hair, and now my face? May I ask what is so repulsive about it?"

Meera paused. That was what she had been trying to avoid. How could she even answer that question? She really couldn't. It just wouldn't work. She would either have to tell him the truth, or stealthily change the subject again. She was interrupted from her thoughts by something tugging her hair.

"Obviously it's the lack of red. All of your green, and blue, and silver. Cold colors. Not warm colors. Warm colors are much better," a high-pitched voice remarked from beside Meera. The red-haired girl turned her head in that direction only to spot what appeared to be a fairy floating in the air in front of her.

The fairy was the height of one of her fingers and had long, curly red hair – a brighter red than Meera's. Her skin was somewhere between the normal peach and orange, and her eyes were like the fiery orange of the sun. She just had some white cloth wrapped around her, similar to how one would wear a toga, and she wasn't wearing shoes.

She flew closer to Meera's face. Neither Meera nor Riku had responded to the fairy's comment. "I'm Ignis," she introduced, poking Meera's pale nose in greeting.

"I- what?" Meera asked, still unable to understand where this fairy had come from. Then she remembered what King Mickey had said about her powers – all of the parts she hadn't believed. He had said something about summoning fairies. Was this one of them?

"I'm one of the fairies that protect the Keyblades," she explained, her hands on her hips. "Don't tell me people don't even know about us anymore. We're so important! This is beyond ridiculous!" She was flying around in circles as she kept ranting.

Riku remained silent, taking in the strange sight of this red and orange fairy flying around in front of them. It seemed she had a short temper. And that she jumped to conclusions – whether or not they were true. After all, he certainly wasn't aware there were fairies protecting the Keyblades.

"Um, excuse me," Meera tried to get Igins's attention. The fairy stopped flying around and stared at Meera, her eyes wide.

"Yes?" she asked.

"What, exactly, are you doing here?" Meera inquired. The fairy blinked a few times.

"Oh. Well. Miranda sent me to train you!" she replied happily. Meera furrowed her brow.

"Who's Miranda?" she asked. She certainly had never met anyone named Miranda – had she? It seemed slightly familiar, but still completely foreign.

"Whoops," Ignis responded, covering her own mouth with her tiny hand. "I wasn't supposed to say that," she mumbled.

"Look," Meera continued, "I don't really need to know. But what are you doing here now? I mean, what brought this on all of a sudden?"

"Well, after Lea came back, I was following him around. His hair is such a great color. But then I saw you, and I remembered what I had been told, and I followed you instead! I mean, even though your hair isn't as bright, I like it too," Ignis explained, playing with a chunk of Meera's hair again.

"So this is what King Mickey meant," Riku mused. Meera looked back over at him before returning her gaze to the fairy that was now braiding her hair.

"What are you even supposed to be training me for?" she asked.

"Well, I know some information you and your friends might want to know about Zopyris."

A/N: I am so very sorry. It is short. It has lacking description. I'm just not feeling it. If I get inspired, maybe I'll rewrite it and try again. But for now, at least I am furthering the plot for you.

Again, I ask if you want me to stop writing until I feel inspired, or if you want me to continue to force out updates. Because, at the moment, the only thing keeping me writing this is because people are reading it and expecting updates every week, not for myself. So please let me know. I apologize again for the lackluster quality to this chapter.

C. E. Taylor