Last one for today! Merry Christmas everyone!
Chapter 9: Back to Traverse
Animals ran by, the trio wondered what they were up to. Following the animals, shouting "Which way?", "Hurry!" and all sorts of things, were the Seven Dwarfs.
"Hey, what's going on!?" Alex demanded the nearest passing dwarf, grabbing him by his shirt collar.
"Snow White! Snow White is in danger!" The dwarf, Doc, said, pushing Alex's hands away and rushing off with the others. The group quickly agreed to help save Snow White among themselves, without words, and began pursuing the animals and dwarfs.
"Damn it! I knew somebody should have stayed with her!"
"I wish…"
"It doesn't matter what you wish for! Eat the apple!" Lightning flashed behind the old hag and Snow White. Black shadows formed on the ground slowly, concealed by the clouds covering the sun.
Snow White was about to bite into the red apple, when she saw the shadows. She dropped the apple, her eyes widening as she tripped and fell onto her backside. She sat up quickly, moving away from the Heartless.
"Get her!" The hag heard behind her, turning around she saw the Seven Dwarfs suddenly come forward, accompanied by all of Snow White's animal friends and the Keybearer and his company. The hag ran off, the Seven Dwarfs following her on this dark and stormy night, and the heroes skidded to a halt in front of the cottage to protect the horrified girl.
Another battle raged on, lightning flashed and thunder clapped, and Alex, Chris, and Kristy wiped out another dozen Heartless after the previous dozen.
"Is it just me, or are they multiplying every time we defeat one?"
"We kill one, two more replace it! Damn it!"
Alex aimed the point of his Keyblade at a Requiem, knowing he couldn't reach it, but wished for some way to hit it. Glaring at it, he found a glow forming at the tip of his blade. In an instant it became a fireball and shot at the Requiem. Confused but without time to question, he turned and swiped at a Soldier.
When Kristy incinerated the last Shadow, a large dark hole appeared on the ground. "Oh, shit…" Alex's eyes followed the head of the new Heartless as it appeared. It was a stag-like beast, with the same glowing yellow Heartless eyes as all the others and the Heartless emblem on its chest. "Let's do this, guys!"
After the battle, everyone was tired and out of potions. The dwarfs returned. "The witch is dead!" They announced.
Everyone turned to look toward the door of the cottage where Snow White had been. She was gone.
"Snow White? Snow White?" The dwarfs called out, and part of the trio of heroes was searching for the girl too.
"Maybe she ran away. She's one hell of a runner, after all." Alex said as he watched Chris and Kristy run around and call out for Snow White.
"Impossible. I do not feel her life signs on this world anymore!" Mary Belle said next to him, jumping onto a deer's back with permission and then onto Alex's shoulder, making him flinch. She settled comfortably near his neck.
"What?" Chris stopped, looking at Mary Belle.
"She had disappeared from this world. Her life signature isn't traceable anymore."
"Great, just great. Get off me, cat." Alex said, shifting so it forced Mary Belle to move. She jumped to Chris' shoulder. "Can we just forget about it and find the Keyhole? We totally forgot the freakin' point of being here."
"Sure…" Chris said hesitantly, "But we said we'd protect her."
"Yeah, well, she's gone now to who knows where. Get over it. Let's go." Alex said, stalking off. Chris quickly apologized to the dwarfs for leaving and followed after the red-haired boy.
A little further into the woods, heading toward the Gummi ship by Mary Belle's direction, Alex stopped. There was a path leading off to the side they hadn't noticed before. Following it, the group found a small cave with many mine carts and other things nearby. Butterflies flew carelessly around the area.
"This must be the dwarf's mine, nya."
Alex stared at it with an odd feeling in his gut. His Onyx Keyblade materialized in his hand, and without thinking, he held it out in front of him. A Keyhole made out of light appeared in front of them at the entrance of the cave, and automatically a thin beam of blue light shot from the tip of his Keyblade into the Keyhole. There was a click. The world was sealed.
They were all speechless until they got back to the Gummi ship and took off.
"So… that was the Keyhole, huh?" Chris said to break the silence.
"…Hey Kristy. Something happened with my Keyblade during the battle. Do you know what the hell it was?"
"Huh? Oh, I saw that thing. I didn't know you had magic too, nya! What a great way to channel that power, too. Using your Keyblade, very nice, nya."
"Huh?" Alex said dumbly.
"You used 'Fire' back there, nya. You do know that, right?"
"…No. How the hell would I know? We didn't have any freakin' magic on Earth. Just the magic of science."
"Really? Oh, well. Hey, I have an idea! Let's go back to Traverse Town, nya. Maybe Teacher will be back and he can explain how to use magic to you, nya!"
"It would be a good opportunity to restock on potions and buy new equipment too." Mary Belle said.
"Traverse Town, huh?" Chris said quietly.
Leon and Aerith greeted them when they arrived. "Back so soon? How was the first world? Good job on locking the Keyhole in Dwarf Forest." Aerith said.
"The first world was pretty peaceful, till Chris volunteered us to be some freakin' girl's bodyguard; the Keyhole thing was confusing, and how the hell did you know we went to Dwarf Forest?"
"Mary Belle sent us a report on your mission. She'll do that every time you seal a Keyhole." Leon explained.
"I have no comment." Alex said sarcastically, obviously annoyed by the tiny white cat.
"Leon, do you know why the heartless were going after Snow White?" Chris asked.
"I don't. Maybe it was because of her heart."
"Actually, I have a theory…." Aerith explained about the origins of the magic that created Heartless from her analysis of the Ansem Reports that Sora was helping them gather. Aside from explaining about Ansem and their world as well, she also told them about who she thought the girls, which they were calling Princesses, were being kidnapped by: Maleficent.
"Be careful of the witch, Maleficent. She's been controlling the Heartless for years, it's the reason we aren't in our world."
"So… there are a buncha girls out there who are being kidnapped?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Supposedly. Alice from Wonderland has already disappeared, and now Snow White, too." Leon said.
"So now we've got to rescue these princesses too? Damn, I can't get a break around here." Alex mumbled.
"Yes, please try your best in rescuing the princesses." Aerith smiled gently.
"Not to sound rude, Aerith, but can we get going now, nya? I have to find teacher."
"Yes, go ahead." Aerith said, letting them go on their way.
"By the way, uh, Aerith, where's Ann?" Chris asked her before he left.
Silence answered him. He looked at both Aerith and Leon. "I hate to be the one to break it to you, kid. Your friend disappeared." Leon finally said with a solemn face. Chris stared. "We think she either tried to go after you guys or she was attacked by Heartless."
"No…." Chris whispered, "She's alright. I know it. If she wasn't, I would feel it." He said, and then took off to another direction.
"Hey, Chris? Where are you going, nya?" Kristy called when she stopped and saw Chris was running away.
"Poor child…." Aerith looked on at his shrinking figure.
This is the only time Belle displays her life-tracing ability thing. Strange. I dunno why I put it there. Really, I don't. I guess I just needed some reason for her to talk or them to realize the Snow White was gone.
Chris is really one to keep promises. That's one of the traits I created for him, loyal and trusting. He's really disappointed he failed to keep a promise… or something like that. His promises are interesting to write about when it's like that. (Shrug) But other than that, he's still boring. But it was fun to write him arguing with Alex in the last chapter!
You ever notice butterflies are around or something symbolizing them is there when you lock a Keyhole? I try to keep as many elements from the game as possible in here, excluding Alex's cursing, and maybe Kristy's Japanese-like tongue (yeah, it's Japanese. I couldn't help it. In the English game or something the official people would probably make her say "meow" or something).
R&R!