Chapter Nine
It was about 4:00 in the morning by the time Riku re-entered the Hotel. Slowly, quietly, and carefully, he opened the door and stepped inside, as to not disturb anyone. As soon as he turned around, he straightened quickly. Barret was glaring him right in the face. Riku gulped and smiled sheepishly, Barret folding his arms over his chest,
" An' jes where the H%$# have you been?"
Coughing, Riku stepped past the burly man and hung his cloak on the rack, glancing down at Tobi. The blue-skinned boy was fast asleep, sprawled out messily over the bed. The sheets were halfway off the side, Tobi's shirt halfway up his body and revealing a dinky set of abs. Tobi was a very scrawny kid. Riku snorted and stepped over to the bedside, grabbing the fallen sheet and pulling it back onto the bed. He then gently pulled it up to the boy's neck and tucked him in,
" Cid told me somethin' I think you may want to hear. It's about Sora."
" So, you think it's gon' work?"
Riku shrugged, arms folded and leaning against the wall,
" Who knows... but I figure it's worth a shot. And if it does work, than maybe the universe'll go back to the way it was before. I just can't believe the door is open again..."
Barret snorted, glancing out the window at a few dazed Heartless on the street corner,
" I know.... hey, maybe that's where Sora went off to. Maybe he's tryin' to figure out a way to close the door. You ever think of that?"
Riku sighed, poking at his forehead in thought,
" All the time... but there's just somethings that don't make any sense. If Sora were at the door, wouldn't he, Donald, and Goofy have shut it by now? And where would Kairi be? It's all just so.... confusing. And the fact that I haven't heard anything from them in so long.... I just don't know anymore. Cid said one of the Nobodys referred to Sora as "lost". Both of us are clueless as to what it means, but I figure we should find him before anything else happens."
Barret nodded, stepping away from the window and toward the silver-haired man,
" Okay, but what's that got to do with Kairi?"
Riku slumped his shoulders, raising a hand up to massage his temples,
" That's just it. I don't know what any of this would have to do with her.... unless the Nobodys are in need of the Princesses of Heart again... but last I heard, the only two left were Alice and Aurora."
Barret shrugged,
" Maybe they just need three this time?"
" No, that's not it. You need all seven Princesses of Heart to complete the Keyhole. Three just... doesn't cut it."
Riku turned and headed for the door, picking up his staff on the way out. Barret blinked, stepping up behind him as he reached for the knob,
" Where ya goin'?"
Riku paused a moment and sighed, staring straight at the door,
" I need to clear my head."
Barret sighed as the door shut again and glanced over at Tobi. He was still asleep, his dreams most likely peaceful in nature. Barret shook his head, turning his gaze from the boy,
" It's a real shame, kid..."
Kae frowned, shooting behind a lamp post as soon as Riku entered her vision. She didn't think anyone would be out this late and frowned,
" Especially not him... I wonder what he's up to."
She blinked, peering around to the street. He was gone. Straightening, she frowned and quietly hurried to the corner of the nearest building closest to the road. He re-entered her sights as he was slowly walking down the road toward the...
" What's he going there for?"
Again, she snuck around to several hiding spots to confirm what she was seeing. Sure enough, seconds later Riku was entering the Alleyway.
Raising an eyebrow, she quietly followed after him.
' He's heading to that place Cid warned us about... again!'
Kae gasped as he stepped toward the Waterway and turned his gaze to the sky. The stars were twinkling up above and she distinctly heard him sigh, confused by the last words he said before entering,
" Hikari...."
He then disappeared into the shadows of the Waterway, the only sound that of the constant slosh of high waters. She clenched her fists, crouching low to the ground as she darted toward the entrance. Pressing herself firmly against the wall, she peered around the corner to see if she could spot him, but she saw nothing but darkness. With a low growl of annoyance, she slowly slid her foot to the edge of the concrete and scooted herself along the wall, closing her eyes as she inserted her foot into the murky, greenish-looking water. As she quietly submerged the lower half of her body into it, she instantly felt a chill sneak up her spine and crawl into her limbs. She grimaced, her body now covered in a slimy residue. Groaning, she slowly sloshed her way into the darkened passage,
'Maybe I should've thought this through...'
" Is someone there?"
Kae tensed and quickly darted behind a rock formation jutting up from the water's surface. It was covered in slime and by the time she'd secured it as a hiding place so was she... up to her collar. At this point, she felt so disgusting that she just wanted to scream out and shake herself off, but if she did so, Riku would find out she was there. She hoped he didn't already know.
Riku frowned, turning back for the stairs,
" Must just be my imagination."
Starting his journey once more, Riku ventured to the head of the stairs, where a small stone lie hovering in wait. He smirked, crouching low to the ground. With one mighty thrust upward, he was soaring up through the hollow shaft with great speed, landing on the wood flooring of Merlin's home with no trouble at all. His smirk broadened,
' Still got it...'
" Have you come for a second round?"
Riku spun on his heel as the floor panel rose, revealing to him another member of the Nobodys. A deep chuckle emerged from under the hood, and he faintest smile could be seen,
" Foolish boy. You have no hope to win. Just as she never did..."
Riku tightened his grip on his staff, his eyes narrowing behind his blindfold as a low, menacing growl escaped his throat,
" Shut up...."
The Nobody raised a hand a waved him on, smirking evilly all the while,
" Try and make me."
Clenching his teeth tightly, he charged at the cloaked-one with a snarl that soon turned to a yell. He swung the rod with remarkable expertise, the silver charms hanging from the end jingling as it aimed to connect with the Nobody's head. It aimed... and missed?
" D%$#!"
The man chuckled, reappearing behind him,
" You didn't think I'd let it be that easy for you, did you? How pathetic!"
Riku turned, growling angrily at his enemy. The Nobody just smirked,
" But, I must say... you are quite fast for your age."
Just as his sentence finished out, a small slice formed in the raised hood of the cloak, causing it to fall away. The hood fell to the ground with a flap and now revealed to Riku was the image of a boy just around Tobi's age. The boy had short, black hair and ice blue eyes,
" I'm surprised you were able to do it... considering how feeble you are now."
Riku clenched his fist tightly, raising it near his face,
" You're just full of insults today, aren't you, kid?"
The boy raised an eyebrow, shrugging slightly,
" I dunno, Grandpa. Just don't get so angry, okay? Heard it's bad for the blood pressure."
His growl soon turned to a yell and Riku charged at the boy a second time,
" I am NOT old!!"
As he charged, Riku noticed that the boy wasn't even attempting to move, but that he just stood there with a sick grin on his face. Swinging his staff around to the opposite hand, he swiped the boy across the cheek, smirking as the boy's eyebrow twitched for an instant. He landed behind the boy in a low crouch, soon standing and turned to face him.
His smile soon faded as his enemy began to laugh,
" What's so funny?"
Shaking his head, the boy turned,
" It's nothing. Just an eye for an eye, that's all."
Riku frowned, shocked to find that he could sense any trace of blood on his opponent. He was also shocked when a small slit appeared across the stomach of his duster. It even sliced the zipper. The boy laughed out loud, cherishing the look of shock etched on this man's features,
" Not so fun when you're the one getting hit... is it, Riku?"
Riku's breath caught in his throat,
' This is bad... that guy, that speed... Any closer and I'd be lyin' dead right now! Good thing he just snagged the cloth...'
His shocked expression soon changed into edgy confusion,
" You could've killed me. Why didn't you?"
His opponent turned, smirking,
" Let's just say it's not up to me."
Riku raised an eyebrow, remaining silent. The boy coughed and continued,
" My Master has a proposition for you--"
Cringing, Riku frowned, sending the boy a bit of sarcasm,
" Sorry, I'm not into the whole "guy-guy" thing. But thanks anyway, I'm flattered."
His opponent growled, his eyebrow beginning to twitch,
" That's not what I mean... My Master wishes that you participate in a... race... I suppose you could say."
Riku's voice rose in interest,
" Oh yeah? What kind of race?"
The boy smirked,
" I knew you'd ask. You know about the Legend, do you not? That man, Cid, told you? Well, if not, then here it goes. Nearly 20 years ago, the Keyblade and it's master disappeared. It is said that the Keyblade dispersed into four seperate parts, the hilt, the base, the blade, and the keychain. These parts were scattered throughout the universe, embedding themselves only in hearts like that of the Keybearer himself. If collected, the parts themselves are turned into rings, while I'm afraid it's a bit more dire for their bearers. If the ring is taken from a bearer's heart, the heart of the bearer slowly withers and dies, as does the human. Once all rings are collected, the Keyblade would reappear, and instantly return to the Keybearer...."