A.N- Yay! We've made it to chapter 10! Let's just get right to it then!
Disclaimer: I don't own the things that don't have my name on it.
Claimer: I own the things that do have my name on it. Like this story. Heartarrow56.
CH. 10: The New Team
Wart led the trio to an area where dozens of people surrounded. Aya, Rayn, and Abrin weaved their way through the crowd, with Wart slightly behind, and sure enough saw Celeste with a group of hostages before her. She was also surrounded by Heartless and Nobodies, causing Aya to groan slightly. 'Great, that's just what we need, the Heartless and Nobodies working together. What a hassle…' she thought.
"You came…" Celeste muttered. Then, much to her surprise, she noticed Abrin standing side by side with Aya and Rayn. She closed her eyes. "So…we have another traitor in the midst. What a pity." Sensing the hostility from Celeste, Abrin quickly dodged the attack from the Nobody she sent to attack him. "I suppose it's fitting, considering you secretly admired that girl since our childhood." Abrin's face flushed slightly red as he turned his head away.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about! Aya is annoying, why would I admire her?" Abrin grumbled as he protested.
Aya returned the comment with a glare. "Oh, thanks. I'll remember that the next time you ask for a drink," Aya threatened under her breath. Aya pulled out her twin knives and sighed. She really hated hostage situations almost as much as escort missions on video games. "Let's just get these hostages and go," Aya groaned.
Rayn nodded as Abrin leapt back to them. "We can't go about this normally; other people's lives are involved. We need a plan," Rayn explained. Just then, as if knowing that they needed more things to worry about, Wart caught up with them.
"What are you guys planning to do?" he asked them. The three glanced at each other; hoping one of them would have an idea.
"Have you all no plan at all?" Celeste questioned. The three glared at her, Aya particularly hoping that she could burn a hole through Celeste's head. "Then I will make my move." She summoned her battle axe and lunged for them, along with the other Heartless and Nobodies. Individually, they might have been able to take them, but the Heartless, Nobodies, and Celeste together was suicide.
"Abrin! Can't you summon some Nobodies to help out or something?" Rayn questioned.
Abrin shook his head. "It doesn't work that way. I personally can't summon any Nobodies," he said as he was slapped back with Celeste's battle axe.
As Aya staggered back, she stepped in something that she noticed all of the hostages seemed to be covered in. After further examination, Aya's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Is this…?"
"Gasoline? Alcohol? Both are correct. One spark will send these people into a fiery oblivion," Celeste stated too calmly to be human.
"You're gonna burn them alive!" Abrin questioned, disturbed by his former friend's ruthlessness.
She glanced at him. "If it comes to it…yes," she stated simply.
Wart gazed with disbelief when he suddenly had an idea. "I got it!" He shouted as he darted through the crowd.
Aya took her knives out. Remembering that she only knew fire and thunder, she decided to stick with hand to hand combat for fear of sparking the gasoline and dooming the citizens to a fiery death. "Why exactly are you doing this? Are you a sadist?" Aya wondered.
Celeste remained stoic. "The necklace," she told them.
Aya glanced at Rayn with confusion as he shrugged. "The necklace?" Rayn inquired, seemingly more curious than anything.
Celeste nodded her head. "The necklace that we all received. Kaim requested that they all be brought to him. No exceptions," she explained.
Abrin sneered. "So what? Kaim's being a brat and doesn't want us to have the gift he gave us anymore?" he retorted.
Celeste scoffed. "Hardly. But you wouldn't understand. If you didn't run away, you would have been briefed with the details. Well, it hardly matters now and I suppose it's for the best that you weren't informed." She snapped her fingers as a few more Heartless appeared. Strangely, even though the Nobodies dealt more damage, she failed to summon more.
Aya grinned at the fact. "What's wrong? No more Nobodies?" Aya jeered.
"Don't underestimate me. I have no need to waste Nobodies on the likes of you," she replied.
"It seems like we're the ones being underestimated!" Rayn shot. He glanced at Abrin, who responded with a smirk.
"Let's go!" Abrin exclaimed.
Rayn took his staff with a tighter grip. "Blizzard!" Rayn shouted, aiming towards the ground. Abrin leapt over him with Keyblade in hand and slid on the ice. "Blizzard! Blizzard! Blizzard!" Rayn continued, keeping up with Abrin and where Celeste was dodging. Aya caught on and readied herself. Abrin eventually caught up with Celeste and struck her with the Keyblade, tossing her high in the air. Rayn pointed his staff at her. "Blizzard!" he shouted, freezing her. Knowing the sparks wouldn't ignite at the high altitude, Aya aimed with her knives.
"Fire!" she shouted. This melted the ice, leaving Celeste drenched in water. Abrin leapt and struck her higher in the air, preparing his final attack.
"Thunder!" The lightning struck Celeste as she yelped in pain. The two landed on the ground, Celeste obviously having a harder fall. Although it was obvious that she was badly hurt, it also seemed as if she could keep fighting for hours as she stood to her feet.
"Good technique. But it won't work again," she promised. Little did she know, while she was distracted, Wart was climbing a ladder behind her carrying a bucket. Abrin, Aya, and Rayn continued to keep her attention in fear that she would notice him and do something to him.
"Oh yeah, you're not so tough once you're in the air. And without those Nobodies of yours, we can take you out no problem," Aya jeered.
Celeste scoffed again. "You're forgetting one detail; these hostages are at my mercy. I'm feeling very unforgiving. Surrender or they burn." Rayn gritted his teeth. Who could say stuff like that without a shred of empathy? All hope that he could get his old friends back were lost.
"Not so fast!" Wart called out as he poured the contents of the bucket on Celeste.
"What?" Celeste questioned under her breath.
Wart tensed up as she glared at him. "I-If you're going to light those people on fire, then you're sealing yourself to the same fate!" he told her, gaining confidence as he spoke. "You're completely drenched in alcohol, if you set a spark, you'll catch fire too," he further explained.
Celeste just stared at him, ignoring the comments from Aya. "Ha! Take that! Good going, Gilligan!"
Wart responded with a sheepish smile, while Celeste scoffed once more. "I suppose I miscalculated some things…" she muttered. She looked towards Aya. "You'll get what's coming to you." To this, Aya responded by sticking her tongue out. She then glanced at Abrin. "And you…good luck against the Organization." Then she disappeared into a dark corridor.
Wart steadily climbed down and helped the others untie the hostages. "That was brilliant, Gilligan!" Aya praised.
Wart slightly blushed. "No, if I didn't have good mentors like you, I never would have thought of that," Wart said.
Aya shook her head. "No, wisdom and wit isn't something that a mentor can teach you. It's gained through experience. You did a good job." Aya told him. Rayn and Abrin smiled at this. After all, it was rare for Aya to make a bond with someone.
The citizens that were freed cheered as one rushed up to Aya. "You, was it you who saved our lives?"
Aya glanced at Wart and grinned. "Actually, it was my friend here." Aya told them, pointing at Wart.
His face lit up with surprise as the former hostages surrounded him. "Thank you, young one!" one person said.
"So brave for a young child," another praised.
"What do we call you? I'll request that the royal squire dedicates a special ceremony for you!" yet another asked.
Wart seemed happy, but even more so overwhelmed by the situation. "Um, my name is Arthur, but everyone calls me Wart…" he mentioned, trailing off a little. The former hostages continued to thank him and surround him as Aya and the others began to walk away. Wart noticed this and called for her. "Aya!" he shouted.
She wasn't surprised. She simply turned her head and smiled. "You did a good job. You can only do great things from here," she told him.
Wart seemed confused, and then smiled in understanding. "Thank you!" he exclaimed.
Rayn flashed a smile at Aya's kindness. Noticing this, Aya blushed then looked away. "Don't expect this often. I was just being nice…" Aya muttered. Abrin snickered, right before getting a face full of slap. "And what are you laughing at!"
"What was that for!" he complained as he rubbed his face.
Aya crossed her arms. "For being an idiot," she responded oh so shrewdly. This sparked an argument between the two. Rayn sighed. 'They're fighting again…but we really need to find our Gummi Ship or we'll be stuck here…' he thought.
Aya then, as if on cue, pounded her fist in her hand. "Geez, we're fighting again! We really need to find our Gummi Ship or we'll be stuck here!" she stated.
"You're right! God looking out, Aya!" Abrin commended. Rayn gazed at them in disbelief. 'That was…redundant…' he thought.
"But where do we even look I wonder…" Aya mumbled.
Abrin glanced towards the nearby forest and noticed a giant piece of metal and some small circling lights. "How about over there?" he suggested, pointing at the described area.
Aya and Rayn peered at the direction and witnessed the same thing. "What is that?" Rayn questioned.
Aya marched pass him and into the forest. "I guess we'll have to go and see. It's probably the thieves!" she stated confidently. Rayn sighed as he shook his head. Is a little substance too much to ask for? To say the least, the three of them were surprised at the sight they were met with. Before them were five small fairy-like creatures flying around the now pink "Pimpette". The fairies, however, stopped once they noticed Aya and the others. "Wh-Wh─" Aya started, causing the fairies to cringe a bit. "What the hell is this!" she shouted, resulting in four of the five fairies to run, well more so fly, and hide. The remaining fairy stood firm before her.
"This is our ship! We found it, fixed it up, and decorated it!" the fairy protested.
"Like hell it is," Aya stated, calming down. "This is 'Pimp 2'. We crash landed here. Since you thought that pink was a suitable color to vandalize my property then perhaps it's only natural to return the favor," she told her as she took one of the tiny paint brushes and painted the fairy pink.
"Ack! How dare you! Do you know who I am! I am a member of the FRP!"
She, the fairy, was suddenly grabbed by Aya. "Do you know who I am? I'm pissed. Don't give me that FRLMNOP crap," she jeered.
"Aya, let go of the fairy." Rayn commanded. Aya reluctantly let go after debating the matter with herself. "FRP? What's that?" Rayn asked as the fairy caught her breath.
"That's classified information you─" The fairy was interrupted by Aya grabbing her and squeezing the life out of her. "Ack! Okay, okay! The FRP is the Fairy Reconnaissance Project!" she exclaimed. Aya happily let her go.
"Fairy Reconnaissance Project? Sounds like a joke to me. Are you sure you and your little friends didn't just make this up?" Abrin questioned, only to get a thump to the forehead by the irritated fairy.
"Of course not! The head fairy sent out six squads to travel the worlds and report on the condition of them." She then glanced at the darker purple sky. "By the looks of things, this world is in serious trouble!"
"The Keyhole!" Abrin exclaimed, kicking himself for not noticing it sooner. Then he looked around. "But where would it be?"
"When we were with Sora and the others, Mulan's sword she was given became the Keyhole. Maybe it's something important or special here," Rayn suggested. The others nodded.
"Then let's not waste any time!" the fairy stated.
Aya, Abrin, and Rayn glanced at her. "What, you're coming too?" Aya questioned in slight disbelief. The fairy crossed her arms as if she was offended.
"This is Akoyumi, captain of Squad Two you're talking to! I can handle anything people like you can handle!" Aya sweatdropped. 'I don't know whether to be impressed or take it as an insult…' she thought. The four ran into the city to see that it was overrun with Heartless.
"We need to find something important or special! Do you know anything?" Abrin wondered as he slashed through Heartless with his Keyblade.
"We just got here! The only important thing I can think of is that shoe polish on sale!"Aya retorted.
"Well that's helpful," he muttered. They attempted to ask some nearby city folk, but this only resulted in all lot of people screaming "We're all gonna die!" or "It's the apocalypse!"
But just then, as if by some miracle, they ran into Wart. "Wart!" Rayn exclaimed.
Wart stumbled before them. "The dark creatures, there are three times as many as before!" he exclaimed.
Rayn placed his hands on his shoulders. "Calm down. Now, I need you to tell me something. What is the most important thing here?" he questioned.
Wart instantly replied, knowing the answer to the simple question. "That's easy. It's the sword in the stone. When the king died, they needed a way to choose the next king since he had no descendants."
"Can you take us there?" Abrin asked.
Wart nodded. "If it'll get everything back to normal, then of course!" Aya groaned at the situation. 'Let me guess, escort mission…'
Surprising to Aya, Wart seemed to be fairly good at staying out of the way as Aya, Abrin, and Rayn took out the Heartless and shot magic. He even helped take out some of the weaker Heartless. Finally, the five (including Ako) approached, literally, a sword in a stone. Aya sweatdropped. "I didn't think it would be that literal…" Aya admitted. "So what, did you guys stab a sword in a rock and expected it to make someone king?" Rayn elbowed her in the side, only to be met with an irritated glare. "Enough of that!"
"Well, it doesn't matter. Let's just lock this Keyhole and─" Just as Abrin began to speak, the ground began to shake violently.
Before anyone, Aya mainly, had a chance to complain, a giant emblem Heartless leapt down in front of them. This Heartless adorned purple armor that hovered above its body. A metal-like laser gun was placed in the armor hands of the Heartless. To say the least, Aya gaped at the sudden appearance. "Uh…yeah. Excuse me. We kinda need to get to that sword, so if you could just scoot over, it would be much─" The Heartless, which she later found was named the Disintegrator (it was in a book), took its laser and shot at the group, not allowing Aya to finish her thought. Luckily, everyone dodged the attack, Aya barely missing and Rayn had Wart in hand.
"Well, it doesn't seem like he wants to negotiate," Abrin stated, noticing Ako was in his hood. "Wha─? Get out of there!" he demanded.
Ako pouted. "No way! I can help!" Ako protested.
Rayn shook his head. "Then show us. Wart needs to get out of here. Make sure he stays safe," Rayn directed her. Ako gawked in disbelief.
"But─"
"I don't think that was a suggestion. If you really want to show us how strong you are, make it back alive," Aya challenged.
Ako gritted her teeth then smirked. "Alright then. When I get back…" She then pointed at Aya. "I'm coming for you!"
Aya grinned devilishly. "Great, I'll be looking forward to it," she muttered.
Ako flew before Wart, much to his surprise. "Is this a fairy?" he wondered.
Aya placed her finger in front of his mouth. "Keep it our little secret," Aya told him. Wart nodded as Ako pulled at his collar.
The remaining three turned their attention to the Disintegrator, who surprisingly didn't attack as they got Wart to safety. It almost appeared as if "forgot" that they were there. That soon changed when Abrin approached the Heartless. "Come on! Let's take this thing out!" he shouted. The Heartless didn't seem to like that, for it took its laser once more and shot at him. Abrin leapt back. "Whoa!"
"That's what you get for being so rash," Aya commented. "This is how it's done." Aya ran in front of the Heartless and grinned. "Hey! Over here!" The Heartless took its gun and shot out two lasers at once, one being fire related and the other being ice. Although they both diverged from the same laser, they seemed to take different paths as if controlled by two different people. Aya hopped and hobbled out of the lasers' way. Once she felt that she had an opening, she darted towards the Heartless and slashed it. Well, she thought she did anyway. The scratch instantly healed up and in turn, several Heartless appeared. Abrin, Aya, and Rayn all groaned at this.
"Yeah, you sure showed me," Abrin muttered smugly.
Aya scoffed. "At least I made something happen," she retorted.
"Nothing good," Abrin shot back.
Rayn sighed disdainfully. "Well, it's obvious that physical attacks aren't gonna cut it," Rayn said as he dodged another laser. "Let's try magic," Rayn suggested as he shot a blizzard at its face. Before the attack could land, the once single laser broke in half into two separate lasers. The Heartless then shot bullet like lasers, semi-automatic bullets, at the three, effectively causing them to dodge like their lives depended on it.
"What the hell?" Abrin shouted. Aya, trying her best not to get hit, took her knives and started shooting fire like a mad woman. After the Heartless and Aya finished their assault, Aya noticed something strange about the armor the Heartless was wearing. Instead of its normal purplish color, parts of it were more magenta, even red.
"Hey, parts of its armor are red now. I think magic works!" she realized.
"Finally, something useful," Abrin muttered. Aya chose to ignore that comment as she shot more fire at it. Rayn shot blizzards and Abrin shot thunder. With their continual pursuit, the armor of the Heartless appeared completely red.
"This should be it," Rayn stated. Then, much to their dismay, the armor flew off the Heartless and created a doppelganger of it. Now standing before them was an all black Heartless with one laser and a Heartless made of armor with the other.
"…Well, crap," Aya blankly mumbled.
Rayn shook his head. "No, this might be a good thing! Even though there are two of them, I think they're substantially weaker than before!"
Aya seemed skeptical. "What makes you think so?" she questioned.
Rayn examined the two Heartless and smiled. "Well, think about it, we couldn't use physical attacks because he had that armor on. The magic was limited of use because it had both of those lasers."
"So now that they're separated, they're just a couple of sitting ducks!" Abrin realized.
Rayn nodded as Aya grinned. "Then let's finish this!" she directed. Rayn and Aya focused on fighting the armor-less Heartless, mostly because they both ran out of magic, while Abrin shot multiple thunder spells at the red armor. In no time at all, both of the threats disintegrated, no pun intended, revealing a pink heart floating into the air.
Abrin sighed. "Ugh, finally. Let's seal this Keyhole and get out of here," he groaned. He pointed his Keyblade at the sword in the stone. Much to their relief, it began to glow. After Abrin locked the keyhole, the remaining Heartless disappeared and the once dark purple skies became blue.
The three of them made their way back to the forest where their pink Gummi Ship sat. It should've sat there anyway. Instead, a black and white Gummi Ship with the name "Pimp 2" on the side filled their view. Soon after, five fairies appeared from behind it, one of them being Ako. "Considering that our honor is on the line, we, the FRP…reluctantly…release control of this ship back to its original owners."
"That's very grown up of you," Rayn commended.
Aya smirked. "So, what made you change your mind?" she wondered.
Ako smiled. "Well, pink was my subordinates' idea. There's no way that I'm gonna travel in a pink ship!" she told them.
There was a long pause on Aya's corner. 'Is she serious?' Aya asked Rayn using what can only be called "friend telepathy".
'I don't know. Ask her.'
'Why do I have to do it? Can't Abrin do it?' Rayn and Aya both looked at Abrin.
Abrin jolted slightly as he noticed them staring at him and chimed in with his own "telepathy" of 'Don't drag me in this! It's because you guys were having the conversation!'
Aya sighed. 'Fine.'
"What do you mean? You're not going," Aya stated bluntly. Abrin and Rayn sweatdropped. 'Epic fail…' They both thought.
Ako seemed taken aback. "What? We practically worked as a team back there! I think you're being unfair!" Ako protested.
"Unfair? You're the one who decided to travel with us on your own accord. Can't you just use pixie dust to travel or something?"
Ako flew up to Aya and pulled her purple braid. "It doesn't work like that!" she growled. After the many complaints from Aya, since getting your hair pulled isn't the best feeling in the world, Ako finally released her hair. She then swiftly turned towards Abrin. "What about you?"
Abrin tilted his head. "What about me?" He questioned.
"You think I should travel with you guys, right?" she wondered, fluttering her eyes and wings.
Abrin sweat-dropped. 'Crap, crap, crap. This fairy chick likes me. This is like the fourth grade all over again…' Abrin nervously chuckled at the question. "Well, I personally don't mind, but it sounds like something between you and Aya."
Ako puffed her cheeks out, almost in tears. "I-I thought we had something special, yet you still take her side! She stole you away from me!"
Abrin and Rayn sweat-dropped while Aya held back a laugh. "What! When did we─"
"It's okay, Ako. Sure you can travel with us. Anyone as heartless as him deserves punishment. Who better to dish it out than the victim herself?" Aya suggested, flashing a mischievous smile at Abrin.
Ako nodded her head. "Yeah! You're right! It's just a lovers' quarrel! Once punishment is dealt, everything will be better!" Ako proclaimed. 'Lovers' quarrel?'Abrin thought disdainfully. Ako then flew before her four subordinates. "Alright ladies, this isn't goodbye, just a temporary farewell. Before I embark on my new journey, let me─"
"Will you come on? We don't have all day!" Aya shouted from the closing Gummi Ship.
Ako yelped. "You jerks were gonna leave me!" She turned to the four remaining fairies. "Tell the boss that I'll be traveling with them! See ya!" she shouted, barely making it through the now closed door.
A.N- That's it! I'm already excited for the next chapter! I know exactly what to do; all I have to do is type it. I'm sure the next one won't be terribly long overdue like this one was. Thanks for reading and review! Bye Mee! ^o^