A/N: I was actually sick when writing this chapter haha! But don't worry! I'm back to my healthy self!
We reached the final page of Little Adventures. So what do you guys think of the manga I made? Should I continue to chapter two?
SilentLullaby: she's 13 at the start of KH1 ^^ a year younger than Sora and Kairi, and two years younger than Riku
Lulu9814: Thank you ^^
Tl34lt12: Sorry, but both Roxas and Xion won't appear until the next story ;) which I hope will be soon posted after the first one is finished…
Guest: Thank you for the link ^_^ and thank you so much! And I agree with you! Sora has to find his sister before things get worse!
Gry20: I don't know why, but me too…
Special thanks to xXYuseiXAkikoXx, Light Twilight Darkness, YuyaKnightwrite97 for adding this story to their favs!
Special thanks to ericfinnvladimir for adding this story to their alerts!
Kingdom Hearts © Square Enix, Tetsuya Nomura
Hikari © me
Chapter 11: betrayal
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"Hey, Hikari?"
The brunette hummed in respond, enjoying the breeze. "Yeah?"
"What would you do if someday we were separated from each other?"
Hikari glanced over to her brother, giving him a frown. "That's a really odd question…" she said. The young girl hummed, crossing her arms over her chest. Sora's question was really odd, but she decided to answer anyway. "Well, I would search for you even if I have to go looking through the whole universe!" she spread her arms out, a grin on her face.
Sora laughed. "I would to!"
"What makes you ask that anyway?" Hikari asked, tilting her head curiously.
The brunet grinned sheepishly. "Well… do you remember the lady that visited the island two years back?" he asked and his sister gave an uncertain nod. She was young, but she remembered a woman with blue hair and weird clothes. She can't really remember the woman's face, but if she met her again, she might remember again. "I suddenly remembered what she said… and it got me thinking…" he trailed off.
Hikari stared at her brother and smiled. "I know! Let's make an oath!"
"An oath?" Sora echoed, a curious look on his face.
"Yeah! Like… 'Whatever happens, we will always stick together'!" Hikari suggested, giving the first oath.
Sora caught on. "And… and how about 'if one of us is lost, we will search till we're together again'!" he exclaimed, his face bright and excitement was shown on his expression.
"Oh! 'and we will always hug after every fight'!" Hikari grinned, holding Sora's hands.
Sora laughed. "The last one is kinda random, but I like it! Let's make it official like those shows mom and dad always watch." He said and glanced around to find Kairi and Riku to be witnesses to their little Oath. "We just need Kairi and Riku to see us say it and it won't ever be broken!"
Hikari nodded her head. "Let's call it… the Sibling Oath?"
"Sibling Oath it is!"
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Hikari slowly opened her eyes.
"Oh! Thank goodness you're awake." A feminine voice exclaimed in relief. The brunette's vision slowly focused on the figure of a young woman. She hovered above her, a smile on her red painted lips. The young woman squeezed a small cloth to get rid of the excess water before placing it on top of the brunette's forehead. "You gave me quite a scare, you know. Your temperature was so high that I could bake a pie from it." she joked, giggling a little.
Hikari blinked. "Who are you?" she asked drowsily.
The young woman smiled before she stood up and gave a curtsy. "I'm Snow White and you are?" she introduced sweetly.
"Hikari…" Hikari gave Snow White the best smile she could muster. "Where am I anyway?" she asked, her eyes darting around the room from where she laid.
"You're in my friends' house, the seven dwarfs." Snow White said as she sat on the chair beside the bed. She took the cloth from Hikari's forehead and dipped it into the bucket on the small nightstand. "How are you feeling?" she asked, placing the cloth back on the sick girl's forehead.
The brunette groaned. "Better than before, I think… thank you."
"You must be hungry. I'll go and prepare you the porridge I made." Snow White said as she stood up.
Hikari watched as Snow White exited the small room. A small smile slipped passed her lips. Snow White was the kindest people she ever met! She helped a total stranger and even offered to give her some food. She was glad that Snow White found her and brought her here to the troll sized cabin. It was small, but it was better than having no roof at all. Her head turned from left to right. Her eyes widened when she saw another girl, laying soundlessly asleep on a bed. Her red hair stood out from the rest and there's only one person she knows that has red hair.
"Kairi!" Hikari quickly threw away the covers and stumbled over to Kairi's bed. She kneeled beside Kairi's bed, staring at Kairi's peaceful face. The brunette shakily placed a hand on the unconscious girl's cheek. It was cold. Her eyes moved a little lower and saw Kairi's chest heaving up and down in a steady pace. She felt tears building up in her eyes, threatening to spill. She was overjoyed when she found Kairi lying beside her, but at the same time she was scared of finding that she was in a coma-like state. "Kairi… what happened? Who… did this to you?" she asked, tear spilling down her cheeks.
Snow White came with a tray of food. She saw Hikari kneeling beside the red-haired girl's bed, silently sobbing into the sheets. She placed the tray down before approaching the heartbroken brunette. The young woman placed a hand on Hikari's head, running her fingers through her hair to try and calm her down.
"Is she a friend of yours?" Snow White gently asked.
Hikari gripped on the sheets and nodded her head, yes.
"She must be a really important friend to you." The young woman continued. "I'm sure she wouldn't want you to be sad like this."
The brunette lifted her face to look at Kairi before glancing over to Snow White. "…I know… but… what happened? I want to know what happened to Kairi." She said, wiping the tears away as she sniffled.
Snow White shook her head. "I'm afraid that I don't know either… she was found like this out in the woods and she has been asleep ever since." She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Hikari kept on staring at her hands when Snow White placed something in her hands. It was a charm made out of shells. The brunette's eyes widened at the Thalassa charm. "We found it beside her… and I thought you should be the one who will return it to your friend when she wakes up." She smiled.
"This is…" Hikari stared at the Thalassa charm, smiling a little. She moved her fingers, tracing over the details. Her blue eyes stared at the face drawn on the shell and on the middle of the charm, a crown shaped pendant was glued on. It looked similar to Sora. "I remembered this… She made this charm a week before we set off… I guess she added the face at the last minute." She laughed.
Snow White gave the brunette an encouraging smiled.
Hikari smiled at the Thalassa charm and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. "Don't worry, Kairi… I'll protect you." Her eyes glanced down to her sleeping friend. She held Kairi's hand and lowered her head a little, her eyes closed. "I promise to be beside you when you wake up… and Sora will be here too! I'll find him!" she lifted her face up and grinned.
"A-And Riku too." Hikari hesitated, but Riku is her friend too and she won't give up on him either, even if he decided to go back to Maleficent.
Snow White giggled. "She is very lucky to have a friend like you." She complimented, making the brunette sheepishly rub the back of her neck. The black-haired woman helped Hikari up to her feet, holding her hands as she guided her back to bed. "But if you want to find your friends, you must rest and eat first. You can't go on with a fever and an empty stomach." She chided, giving the bowl to the girl.
Hikari stared at the bowl on porridge and then to the young woman, who sat beside her. "Thank you… really. You're really nice." She said, taking the wooden spoon up to her mouth. She blew a few times to the spoonful of porridge before putting it in her mouth. "This is really good! Thank you! I'm feeling better already!" she exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.
Snow White giggled, clasping her hands together. "Oh, I'm glad that you find it delicious."
After a few more spoonful of porridge, the brunette placed the bowl on the nightstand. She left almost a half-full of the meal. Don't get her wrong, it was delicious, but her stomach was already full by the fifth scoop. She drank the glass of water and placed the glass next to the bowl. She felt a little bad about not finishing her food and right after she said it was delicious. She wanted to grab the bowl again to eat a couple more spoonful, but her caretaker stopped her.
"Don't force yourself if you don't want to eat." Snow White smiled. She stood up and grabbed the bowl. "Perhaps something sweet would make your upset stomach feel better." She grabbed a plate of pie from the tray, giving it to the brunette
"Err…" Hikari stared at the pie. It was delicious looking and smelled good, but her stomach doesn't want to accept any more food. She decided to took a bite from the pie, just to show appreciation. She blinked when she chewed the piece of pie. It was good. Really good. "It's really good! If only I wasn't so sick, I would eat the whole pie." She placed the pie back down to the plate and placed it on the nightstand.
"You and them all! It took me awhile to make them share the pie." Snow White laughed.
"Them?" Hikari echoed.
"Oh yes! You haven't met them yet. They should be back right before lunch." Snow White stood up, gathering the leftovers to put them on the tray. "Which reminds me, I should get started to set the table." She said, walking down the stairs.
Hikari stared at the small door, her eyes moving back to look at Kairi before she got up from the bed to go down the stairs. She wanted to be beside Kairi all the time, but she can't just let the kind woman do all the work. Sure she was sick and the guest, but that doesn't mean she can't help Snow White prepare the table. Besides, she was still in the same house as Kairi. No harm done.
The brunette glanced down from the staircase. It was indeed a house fit for dwarfs. She could even touch the roof while she stood on the stairs.
"Oh! You should be in bed!" Snow White exclaimed when she saw the brunette staring at her. She wiped her hands on her apron as she walked up the stairs to tuck the brunette to bed. "You're sick and you should rest."
Hikari shook her head. "No, it's okay. I'm feeling a lot better." She grinned. Back at Destiny Islands, she would always try to skip out on her chores and play the lynch game with Sora. But now, after all that has happened, she missed doing chores for her mom. Maybe when all of this is over, she could do her chores more often to make her mother happy. "There must be something that I can help you with… You were so nice to me and I can't just let someone as nice as you do all the work." She said.
Snow White looked unsure. "But you're our guest…" she placed her hand on the girl's forehead, feeling the heat radiating to her palm. "And you're still sick."
Hikari laughed a little. "I think I can handle anything! I'm better now! That pie really boosts up my strength!" she showed Snow White her arm, showing her 'muscles'.
Snow White shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "If it's not too much… you could help me set the table while I prepare the food." She said. "But if you feel tired, it's back to bed to you, missy." She placed a hand on her hip, waving her finger in a motherly way.
"Sure! No prob!" Hikari gave a thumbs up. She went to the cabinets, taking out the tableware. She stared at the empty chairs. Setting up the table like this, reminded her of her family back at Destiny Islands. Mom would ask her and Sora to set the table while dad was already seated as he waited for the siblings to finish. Her mom would place the homemade food on the table and she and Sora would always try to be the first one to try out the food. The brunette shook the memories away, trying to focus back on setting the dwarfs' table. "So… how long have you been living here anyway?" she asked out of the blue.
Snow White stirred the soup, "Well, I live here years ago for a short time, but after the castle was attacked by monsters, my friends offered to let me stay with them." She explained as she threw one more firewood to the fireplace.
"Oh…" Immediately, the brunette knew that it was the Heartless.
"There we go! Now all we have to do is wait for them to come home." Snow White exclaimed as she took off her apron. The table was set and the meal was ready. They just need to wait for the seven dwarfs to return from the mine.
A minute passed and soon it was a whole hour and Snow White was beginning to worry. Hikari was sitting on the small chair as she watched Snow White walked back and forth to the window to check if the dwarfs came back or not. Her eyes kept on following Snow White's movement. She was getting dizzy watching her walk around the small space.
"Oh dear… I do hope they're alright…" Snow White sighed, placing a hand on her cheek.
"Maybe they just decided to take a detour?" Hikari said, frowning a little
"It isn't like them to miss out on lunch." Snow White sat on a chair, a worried look on her face.
Hikari stared at Snow White. She closed her eyes and placed her own hand on her forehead. Not that hot. A little lightheaded, but the world wasn't spinning anymore. "Snow White… Where do the dwarfs work?" she asked, getting up from the chair. "I'll make sure they get back here." She continued.
Snow White stood up. "Oh no! You can't simply go! You're sick and you have to rest. I can't let you walk into the woods alone. There are monsters in there." She said in a motherly way.
The brunette grinned. "I feel fine and besides, I have this." She summoned her rod and rest it against her shoulder, giving the woman a thumbs up. "I'll be back soon with the dwarfs. You can trust me."
Snow White looked unsure, but she gave in after seeing the look on the brunette's face. "Alright… I can't stop you… They work in the mine. There's a path from here that will lead you to through the forest. You have to go to the mountain trail and head north from there."
Hikari nodded. "Please take care of Kairi for me." She said as she opened the door, glancing back to smile at the young woman.
Snow White nodded her head. "Yes! Of course! But before you go, please have this. It's a bit windy in the mountain trails." She placed on her blue and red cape around Hikari, tying the cape around her neck.
Hikari stared at the cape around her and pulled up the hood. "Thanks." She said and turned around, only to hit her head on the low doorframe. "Ow! Oh man… This is why I hate small places…" she rubbed her forehead as she leaned down slightly to fit the door.
The brunette closed the door behind her and stared at the path to her right. She took a deep breath before going straight for the path, her rod held tightly in her hands. She wanted to get to the dwarfs as quickly as possible and get back to the cottage to be with Kairi again. She just found her and she wasn't going to let anyone take her away.
'Kairi…' Hikari took Kairi's good luck charm from her pouch, staring at it. She remembered everyone who she held hands with slipped away from her. Her mother, Jasmine… Riku. The brunette closed her eyes, bringing the Thalassa charm close to her chest. 'I won't let you get taken away… This time, I won't let anyone slip pass.' She placed the charm back into her pouch, continuing to walk the mountain trail.
She continued to walk up the trail, heading north just like what Snow White instructed. As soon as the mine's entrance came to view, her eyes widened at the sight of Heartless swarming the entrance. She quickly ran closer to the Heartless and raised her rod. "Thunder!" she casted.
Strikes of lightning strike the Heartless, making them disappear. "Great! Now I got your attention!" she exclaimed, positioning herself to a battle stance. The Heartless lunged at her, swinging its claws. She dodged the attack and smacked the Heartless with her rod. "Blizzaga!" she shouted and there were less Heartless in the field.
Hikari continued to cast spells and kept on swinging her rod to hit the Heartless. "Take this!" after the last Heartless disappeared, she kneeled down to catch her breath. "Glad it was over…" she mumbled as she tried to get back to her feet.
The brunette stumbled a little before she regained her balance. She glanced over to the entrance before entering the mine. She kept walking further inside. Her eyes widened when she reached inside the mine. It was beautiful. The walls were covered with colorful and bright jewels. Even in the low light, the jewels seemed to glow. She went to the walls of the cave and touched one of the jewels.
"Wow… so pretty." Hikari said, smiling.
"Hold it, 'ya thief!" a voice startled her.
The brunette turned around in time to block a rock thrown at her way. She hit the rock with her rod and stood defensively. She glared at the one who threw a rock at her. "Why did you threw that rock for?! I was only looking and I'm not a thief!" she shouted in complaint.
"Oh really? Well I don't believe anything you said!" The grumpy one out of seven replied. His eyes glanced over to the rod in Hikari's arm. "A witch! She's a witch!" he exclaimed, pointing his finger at her.
"I ain't a witch, you troll!" Hikari shouted angrily, pointing her rod at him.
"A troll? Why you little—," The grumpy one began.
"Little?! I'm taller than you!" Hikari retorted, balling up her fist threateningly at him.
Another dwarf stopped the grumpy one from marching to Hikari. "Wait just a second! Look closely! Don't you see that she's the vi-visible—visitor!" he said, placing his hands on his hips.
"Now that you mention it… she kind looks like the one at our cottage." A sleepy one said drowsily.
The one with glassed walked towards the brunette and took his hat off. "Greeting! I'm Doc! This is Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy and Dopey! It's a plum—parley—pleasure to meet you!" each of the dwarfs gave their own 'hello's, except Grumpy, all he did was snort to greet the brunette. "May I ask what are you doing here, my dear?" he asked, placing his hat back on.
"I'm Hikari." Hikari nodded her head. "And I came to pick you up. Snow White's really worried." She said, leaning slightly down.
Doc tapped his temple. "Hikari? Have we met before?" he asked.
Hikari blinked and shook her head. "Nope, I don't think so…" she relied. She tried to think back when she met seven trolls—dwarfs, but her memories were vague, blurry. She shook her head, shaking the thoughts away.
"How did you get pass the monsters?" Bashful asked as he twiddled his fingers.
Hikari raised her rod. "With this of course and I'm not a witch." She emphasized, narrowing her eyes directly at Grumpy, who only grunted in reply.
"Oh thank goodness! Now we can go home!" Happy exclaimed, a bright smile on his face.
"Y-Yeah." Sneezy nodded his head in agreement.
Dopey clapped his hands, jumping up and down in excitement.
"We're very grateful, my dear! Those monsters won't leave us alone!" Doc crossed his arms and motioned his hand for the rest of the dwarfs and Hikari to follow him out from the mine.
Grumpy grunted and pushed his way pass Doc and Hikari, walking in front. "Stop your yapping! Let's just get going and go home already!" he said.
Hikari clicked her tongue, crossing her arms. "Really… Rude much?" she huffed, puffing her cheeks out. She escorted the dwarfs out from the mine and not six feet from the mine's entrance, a few Heartless came out of nowhere, surprising the little group. "Heartless!" she said, standing in a battle stance.
Grumpy went back to Hikari's side, standing behind her. "Well? What are you waiting for?! Aren't you supposed to protect us?" he angrily shouted, glaring at the girl.
The brunette gave an amused look. "Look who came back running for help." She teased, glancing over her shoulder to look at the dwarf. She glanced back to face the Heartless and raised her rod in time to cast a shield around her and the dwarfs hiding behind her. She revered the shield and glared at the Heartless. "Go! I'll handle them!" she ordered.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Grumpy said as he ran first to the forest, followed by the other dwarfs. "Do be careful, my dear!" Doc added as he ran away.
Hikari nodded before turning her attention to the Heartless. "Alright, I'm sick and I don't have time for you bug-eyed freaks!" she raised her rod, glaring at the swarm of Heartless before her eyes. "So let's make this quick!" she ran forward, throwing her rod at one of the Heartless.
The brunette jumped to avoid the Heartless claws. She grabbed her rod in midair while she turned her body to land behind the Heartless. She smacked the Heartless with her rod and turned her attention to the next. She casted Aero and a vortex appeared, sucking up the Heartless into the whirlwind. She pointed her rod at the vortex and used Thunder to destroy the Heartless.
She sidestepped to the right when a Heartless swung its sword at her. She blocked the sword and held her ground. She pushed the Heartless away and threw her rod at it. The rod went through the Heartless and it spun around the clearing, destroying the Heartless in its way. The rod went back to her hand and she position herself back to a stance. She still has a few more to defeat.
"Firaga!" Hikari exclaimed as she ran forward. Two rings of fireballs spun around her and destroyed the Heartless when she neared the Heartless. The fireballs began to disperse into thin air right after the last Heartless was finished. She sat on the ground, panting as sweat began to fell down like waterfall. "I should… really get back." She forced herself to stand up.
Hikari stumbled a few times as she crossed the forest. It was hard trying to focus when the headache returned. She raised her head up when she neared the cottage. She could see the seven dwarfs panicking as a few Heartless began to chase them around. She forced her legs to run and smacked the first Heartless that was chasing Dopey.
"What's going on here?" Hikari questioned, taking a few deep breaths.
Dopey jumped around, waving his arms frantically.
"Slow down! I don't understand a thing!" Hikari tried to calm the dwarf down. She grunted when she felt a Heartless jumped on her back. She quickly grabbed its arm and threw it off her shoulder. She narrowed her rod at it and casted a fire spell. "Hold on while I kill these Heartless." She said to the dwarf.
Hikari helped the dwarf one by one, killing the Heartless with her magic. The dwarfs hid behind her as she casted one last spell to destroy the last remaining Heartless in the cottage clearing. She huffed and stood up to her full height, summoning the rod away as she turned to face the seven dwarfs.
"What happened here?" Hikari asked.
"Those monsters were attacking the cot—cottage and Snow White was nowhere to be found!" Doc said frantically.
"What?!" Hikari's eyes widened as she ran inside the cottage. She glanced around the small space looking for the young woman. "Snow White?! Where are you?" she shouted into the room.
"We tried doing that…" Sneezy began. "A-And it didn't work." Bashful continued.
Hikari glanced over to the pie smudged on the floor. "Snow White…" she whispered, her eyes showing regret that she left the woman alone. She snapped her head to the stairs. She quickly went up the stairs and slammed the door open. Her worries were washed away when Kairi was still tucked in bed. She walked closer to the bed and stared at Kairi's face. "Thank goodness…" she sighed in relief.
"You know what? This is your fault!" Grumpy accused, pointing his finger at Hikari.
The brunette turned around, furrowing her eyebrows at the dwarf. "What? How is it my fault?!" she asked.
"Your friend there is probably the one who led those monsters here! And with you around there's double the monsters!" Grumpy shouted, marching closer to the girl.
"You can't just say that because we're here!" Hikari countered, glaring at the grumpy dwarf.
Grumpy kicked Hikari's shin, making her yelp. "Just get out! And take your friend with you! You're not needed here!" he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, pointing at the door. He turned to the other dwarfs. "Don't tell me that you fools believe that this isn't her fault!" he placed the blame on the girl.
Sneezy sneezed once. "I think Grumpy's right…" he said.
Hikari was taken aback. She took a step back, closer to Kairi. "What?"
Doc took a few steps forward. "I'm sorry, my dear… but I'm going to ask you to please leave." He said, a little timidly. "We really don't want to be rude to you, but please give Grumpy and us some time." he continued.
The brunette stared at Doc and then to the other dwarfs. "Fine." She gave up and kneeled beside Kairi. She took off Snow White's cape and placed it around Kairi instead. She gently grabbed Kairi's forearm and carried the unconscious girl on her back. "Thanks anyway." She thanked as she stopped by the door.
The dwarfs followed her outside and they waited by the door. "And don't come back!" Grumpy shouted.
Hikari turned to look at the dwarfs. "No matter what you say, I'll find Snow White. I promise." She lastly said before she walked away from the cottage and to the forest.
"Please help as much as you can." Doc replied.
The brunette sighed as she entered the forest, walking further away from the cottage and from the dwarfs. She closed her eyes as she continued to walk into the forest. It was quiet. A little too quiet, but she didn't mind the silence. She needed the silence. Her thoughts were a mess and her head was pounding. She just can't think straight at the moment. She waited till she was out of the forest to use the Star Shard. She wanted to get out of this world and look for Snow White, but she needs to think straight first before she could use the Star Shard again.
"Hikari," the brunette spun around when she heard her name being called. Her eyes widened when she found the least person she expected. Her grip around Kairi's legs tightened a little as she took a step back.
"Riku…" Hikari whispered, staring at the silver-haired boy.
Riku gave her a smiled, his eyes softening. "I've been looking all over for you… I thought you were lost again." He said, taking a few steps forward. Hikari stood her ground, staring at Riku as she frowned. She was scared that he might try something funny, but she didn't move back. Riku's blue-green eyes traveled to the girl on her back, sleeping soundlessly. "Kairi… so you've found Kairi." He said, his smile widening a little.
"Yeah…"
"That's great, now we can be together again. Just us three." Riku said, offering his hand for Hikari to take.
Hikari looked confused. "Three of us?"
"Duh. Did you forget to count yourself in again?" Riku chuckled. "I heard it from Maleficent. I'll help you control it. I promise I would." He said.
"Control what?" Hikari blinked, her eyes squinting to focus on Riku.
"The darkness. It's what keeping you from being you." Riku frowned. He kept staring at Hikari and Kairi, his eyes set only at them. From the trees and bushes, Hook's crew began to jumped out, blocking any possible exit routes. The brunette gasped in surprised as she turned around to count the number of crews. Her gaze went back to Riku, staring at him in disbelief. Hook stood beside her friend, along with Maleficent. "Join me, Hikari… You'll be safe with me." He smiled, offering his hand for her to take again.
Hikari took a step back, shaking her head. "Riku… Don't you see?! There's nothing wrong with me! They're just using you!" she shouted, trying to knock Riku back into his senses. She missed the old Riku where he would tease and sometimes play pranks with her. She missed the good old days where they were together, spending their days playing in the beach. If this is what it means to travel around the outside worlds, she would rather be stuck in the islands than have their friendship broken. "Please Riku! You have to snap out of it!" she pleaded, her voice breaking in each word.
"This is just the darkness taking her over, child." Maleficent said.
Riku nodded his head in agreement. "Hikari, don't worry… just let me handle things and everything will be alright, okay?" he stepped closer to her.
"Riku…" Hikari lowered her head. "I… I won't let you take Kairi!" She raised her head, a new determined look came across her features.
"Hikari… you're making this harder than it should." Riku summoned his keyblade. He raised his keyblade above his head, positioning himself to his signature battle stance. "I'm going to set things right, even if I have to fight you!" he shouted.
Hikari wanted to cry. She didn't want to fight Riku. She really didn't want to fight her friend. She lowered herself, but didn't summon her rod, due to the fact that Kairi was still on her back. She didn't want to put Kairi down. Those pirates might snag her away from under her nose if she lets her guard down just for a second. She kept her eyes on Riku's movements that she didn't even notice a Heartless sneaking up on her. She turned around just in time to jump away from the Heartless' claws.
Hikari staggered when she landed, falling to her knees. She could feel the weight on her back being lifted. "No… Wait! Stop!" she reached her hand out when one of the pirate took Kairi away from her. She stood up, but failed as she only went back to her knees, her vision blurring again. "Don't… Kairi…" she mumbled.
"Careful with her." Riku snapped at the pirate who carried Kairi back to where he stood. He stared at Kairi's face, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. His blue-green eyes gaze back to Hikari. He walked closer to her and leaned down, offering his hand for her to take. "Hikari, don't fight it. You have to accept it. Accept the power of darkness inside your heart."
"Snow White… why did you take her away?" Hikari asked, her voice wavering.
Riku blinked once, frowning. "Are you still thinking of someone you just met?" he questioned, but he decided to answer anyway. "She was needed. I had to do it."
"Had to? Snow White's not a princess! She's just a really kind girl who likes to help people out!" Hikari balled up her hands, her shoulder shaking from anger.
Maleficent smirked. "Why, indeed she is… but does her friends repay you for the respect you deserve? I think not."
"It has nothing to do with Snow White!" Hikari snapped at the woman.
"Hikari… you have to stop doing this. You have to stop trusting people so easily." Riku said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Riku…" Hikari moved Riku's hand off her shoulder. She lifted her chin up, staring at Riku with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her gaze was full of emotions. Hurt. Disbelief. Betrayal. "Are you blind?" she summoned her rod, surprising the silver-haired boy.
Hikari lunged forward, swinging her rod directly at her friend. Riku raised his keyblade to block the surprise attack. He lost his grip on the handle of his keyblade, making it flew away from his hand. His eyes widened as he jumped away from Hikari, skidding to a stop as he stared wide-eyed at his friend.
"Riku… I want to save Kairi too. But not like this! This is just wrong!" Hikari said as she picked up the keyblade. She raised the keyblade and pointed it at the original wielder. "You said that I have to stop trusting people, but it's you who should stop trusting shady people!" she furrowed her eyebrows, glaring at Riku.
"Stop her!" Hook shouted.
Hikari ran forward, the keyblade still in hand. She avoided the pirates as she made her way to Riku. She swung the keyblade at him, but he dodged her attacks easily. She was upset. She didn't want to fight him, but what other choice does she have? She pointed the keyblade at him and casted Blizzard. The block of ice surprised him and she used that moment to swiped him off his feet.
"Riku… you have to snap out of it." Hikari panted, staring down at her friend.
Riku glared at Hikari, his blue-green eyes narrowing at her. "You snap out of it."
"Riku…" Hikari held her head when the image of Riku began to spin. Her eyes widened when Riku suddenly sprung back to his feet.
The brunette took a step back, avoiding a punch. Riku moved his foot, tripping the brunette to release his keyblade. He took the keyblade back and Hikari rolled away. He struck it to the ground where she once laid. She quickly scrambled back up to her feet, completely out of breath. She kept on dodging Riku's swings as she summoned her rod back in hand. She blocked his attack continuously.
Hikari brought her rod to protect herself when Riku lands a kick to her stomach. She landed on the ground with a loud thud as the air was knocked right out of her lungs. She groaned as she tried to stood up.
"Give up." Riku said as he walked closed to her, his voice dark.
Hikari lifted her head up. "Riku…"
The brunette lowered her head, her whole body shaking. She glanced down when something glowed inside her pouch. She shakily reached her hand to pull out the glowing item. Her eyes widened when it was the Star Shard that glowed.
In a blink of an eye, she disappeared into the sky.
Riku stared at the sky, watching as the light disappeared.
"Worry not child… At least you still have one more friend that you could trust." Maleficent spoke, appearing beside Riku.
Riku glanced over to his keyblade and his grip tightened. One question kept on repeating in his mind.
How was Hikari able to hold the keyblade?
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
It was a quiet day in Traverse town. No Heartless attack happening and no Leon practicing. It was a really quiet day in the town.
Aerith was walking towards the hotel in the second district. She had to figure out the Ansem's Reports Sora got for her. So far there were only seven, but she believed that there were more than just seven reports. She glanced up to the sky when she saw something out of the ordinary. A shooting star was heading straight down for Traverse Town. It crashed into the ground, the light blinding her for a brief moment.
The young woman ran to the railing and stared down at the object. Her eyes widened when she finds out that it was a person, a girl instead. She quickly abandoned her task and helped the girl as her first priority. The brunette ran down the set of stairs to reach the lower level of the second district.
Aerith kneeled down beside the unconscious girl and her eyes trailed to the object in her hand. "A shard?" she blinked and turned the girl over as she cradled her head as gentle as she can. "You're…" her eyes widened when she recognized the familiar face.
The brunette quickly lifted the girl up to her back. She headed straight for the hotel, planning to inform both Leon and Yuffie of her findings.
The girl groaned when Aerith moved her.
"Don't worry… you're safe now."