Chapter 12: Ghost Town
We were cornered by one of the fairies the moment we left Yen Sid's Study and stepped into the Wardrobe Room. We didn't even get the chance to breathe in the dusty smell of the old furniture before the fairy in red flew into Lea's face. I should have suspected that we'd get ambushed by the fairies. The trio had a habit of lingering in the Mysterious Tower.
"Lea! Nice to see you again." The fairy in red seemed genuinely happy to greet Lea but as her eyes scanned over him, I saw a flicker of disapproval.
"Flora," Lea began hesitantly. "I'm only here to drop people off."
Marino waved to Flora but Flora paid him no mind. He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest defensively, not appreciating being ignored.
Flora made a tsk-tsk sound at the redhead. "You really should reconsider your attire, Lea."
"New clothing could change your luck." The green fairy had snuck up behind him. Lea took a step forward to give himself some space, scowling at Fauna for catching him off guard. She was cheery in attitude but shared Flora's opinion on Lea's choice of clothing.
Flora circled around him, joining her fellow fairies. "And I think it would be good for your own image, you know." She tapped her wand in her hands.
The blue fairy, Merryweather, flew directly into his face. "Don't you think it's time to get out of the Organization's shadow? You're no longer a Nobody."
Lea waved the fairies off. "I need this coat." He tried to walk away but he was quickly blocked by them.
Marino eyed the fairies carefully, deciding it was best to not get involved. Perhaps my warning of messing around with the fae clicked in his head. He bit his bottom lip and began to walk backwards to return to Yen Sid's room.
"For what?" All three fairies inquired.
I heard him take a sharp breath, most likely to avoid letting his irritation show. "For reasons."
In other words, Lea didn't feel like indulging them with information, but needless to say his response didn't satisfy the fairies as I watched each one of them huff and stubbornly cross their arms over their chests. Not only were their eyes fixated on him with disdain, they were also effectively blocking Lea's path.
This was not going to go well.
Marino stood at the exit as he waved them farewell. "Yeah, I'm just gonna go find a bathroom or something. Catch ya later!" As soon as Marino closed the door behind him, the fairies were on Lea.
"You just want to keep the cloak so that you may travel through the Corridors of Darkness without consequences," Merryweather accused him.
Flora shook her head at him. "Don't think we don't know what abilities that cloak gives you."
Lea pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. "You don't understand. I need to be able to travel like that sometimes."
Merryweather smirked. "Even though you've been told not to?"
Flora gave him a taunting smile. "Were you not provided with a gummi ship to travel?"
I had to chuckle to myself. Lea was getting grief from three fairies. Three fairies he most likely deemed harmless. I knew I had to be careful around the fae folk. They all come across as cute and innocent but they always have a trick up their sleeve!
"All right, I give in. Just…don't give me any belts." Lea sighed, arms falling to his sides in defeat. I sensed his discomfort the moment the fairies stepped closer to him. His shoulders hunched and became tense, and he had the childish desire to shrink away from them.
They are going to make me look absolutely ridiculous.
"I don't know," I said. "They didn't do a bad job with Marino."
Fauna, the fairy in green, smiled. "As always, I want to do the designing."
"Ooooh, this ought to be fun! Lea has such a different build compared to Sora!" Merryweather chirped.
"Now, now, dears," Flora said. "We must not make him uncomfortable."
Too late.
I smiled. "Lea, they're just giving you new clothes."
Lea was struck wave after wave of red, green and blue magic. The only thing changing was the color of the Organization cloak, which got old after a few minutes. This seemed to be the pattern of the fairies as I recalled them doing the same thing to Marino and me when we arrived and needed clothes that would protect us in the battlefield.
Lea grew more impatient as time went on. His foot tapped on the floor as he raked his fingers through his hair. Finally, he growled at Flora. "Come on, already! Make up your mind!" His reaction flustered the fairies.
Flora held a hand over her heart. "Oh! Well then!"
"All together now!" Fauna smiled.
Merryweather struck him with blue light as the other two joined their magic with hers, creating a white wave of light. Lea, and indirectly me, went temporarily blind. He blinked a few times to readjust his vision until he could see the room again.
He immediately glanced down to look at the fairies' work.
The gloves on his hands were warm and red with black armor protecting the top of his hands. On his feet were red boots with a black steeled toe, black shoe strings, and white trimmings at the top. I had a hunch he could stomp down on a person's skull and actually crush it with how thick the boots were. Fitted beige cargo pants with black pockets clung to his hips and were nicely tucked into the tongue of his boots at the bottom. To his pleasant surprise, no belts were found.
The Organization cloak was transformed into a white leather jacket with zippers around the shoulders in case he ever wanted to take the sleeves off. Two pockets were at the side of the jackets, giving him some space for his hands. Underneath the jacket was a simple dark orange shirt and around his neck was a yellow scarf that faded into orange and red.
He tugged on the scarf and I felt his heart do something weird. It wasn't a flutter of pure joy but it didn't feel like it was sinking down like the Titanic either.
"You're….nostalgic?" I guessed.
I had something similar as a teenager.
So the scarf brought back teenage angst memories. I'll just add that to things I need to ask him whenever he decided to finally open up and talk.
Flora cleared her throat to bring Lea back to reality. Lea stared at the fairies as if to question why they were watching him so closely, his eyes flickering from one fairy to the other.
"Well?" Merryweather prompted, tired of waiting. "What do you think?"
Realization struck. A grin swept across Lea's face. "I like it. Kudos to you three."
The fairies' shoulders drooped in relief, nodding in agreement. They must have held their breaths as they waited for Lea to approve of their work.
"All right. I know the drill. The new outfit has powers and you don't know what they are so I will find out in my own time," Lea said with a smirk.
Before the fairies could interject they were startled by the door to the room as it was opened and slammed shut. Following the noise came Marino, who upon entering the room had placed some distance between him and Lea. He seemed nervous as his eyes avoided Lea's gaze.
"So, I have news," he announced, unsure of how Lea would take it.
Lea frowned at him in annoyance. I guessed he was assuming Yen Sid had a plan in mind that he wouldn't like. "What news?"
"According to Yen Sid, Dyme is coming with us since we're one man…er, teammate short…"
Lea's eyes narrowed. Suspicion confirmed. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. And Kairi?"
Marino was disheartened as he sighed. "Staying behind until further notice."
"Good riddance." Lea mumbled, shoulders slumping down.
"One less person to babysit, am I right?" I asked.
Yes, and Dyme has recon experience in his favor so I don't actually mind him coming along. My concern is if he'll actually stay with us. He has a habit of running away. Maybe with his skin in our hands he'll stick around.
"Might be good to have old friends on board." I sat on the cool platform floor.
Having another member who was far more experienced in the battlefield than Marino and I was a relief to me. Dyme would at least be able to properly support Lea if an enemy attacked. Whether he was trustworthy or not remained to be seen, given that Lea had already stated that he has a habit of running away. Perhaps only his Nobody form was a coward. Perhaps Dyme had more backbone.
One could hope.
Lea didn't have too much time to plot as Dyme joined us in the room. Upon seeing the group, an eyebrow went up and he playfully grinned at everyone.
"Hey it's a party in here! Lea, I dig the new look. Black made you look like a tooth pick."
Emerald eyes rolled. "I didn't know you cared so-"
Dyme nudged Marino, ignoring Lea. "You know, I mistook him for a girl when I first saw him. Luxord and I were betting that his Somebody was actually a lady. Don't know why he bothered changing sex since his boyfriend-"
Lea punched him in the back, earning a sharp yelp from the shorter guy. "For the last time, he was my best friend!"
"I didn't know you swung that way," I teased.
Don't. Even. Start. With. Me.
A smirk grew on my face before I could stop it. "Oh come on, I'm in your heart. At least be honest with me." I heard him growl.
I swing both ways if you honestly want to know, but Roxas was…Roxas was like… Roxas was family. Lea stated firmly. He was clearly aggravated but another emotion began to fester. An emotion I wasn't able to place yet. He was doing a great job of blocking me out, despite having me inside his heart.
"He's probably chatting with my sister. Kinda unusual to see him straight-faced as he's normally peeved when they talk." Marino's voice brought us back to the conversation at hand.
Dyme was still rubbing the parts of his back he could reach, attempting to soothe the pain that came from Lea's punch. "Straight-faced, ha! I see what you did there! Most likely he's confessing his sexuality, seeing as he's got a girl trapped in his heart he might have to let her down gently."
Well, he wasn't entirely wrong.
Lea growled. "I'm right here, you know." He turned a spiteful eye on Dyme. "Weren't you real chummy with Xigbar? Or was it Zexion? Maybe even with Vexen? You got passed around a lot."
Dyme made a noise of disgust and was about to argue when Merryweather cleared her throat, drawing the boys' attention to the forgotten trio of fairies, each of whom looked very displeased and unimpressed of their conversation.
Dyme's face flushed red. "Oh right, my bad." He stared at the ground for a moment. "I've been ah…I've been informed that my um… swimming gear is not appropriate for travel." His gestured to the fairies. "I'm assuming you're in charge of wardrobe?"
"That would be correct." Flora stepped forward, staring directly at him as if she wanted to make it clear that she was in charge here. "And if you don't mind, we'd like to carry on with our task."
Lea waved them off. "Thanks for the new clothes but I'll be in the gummi ship." The redhead walked out with Marino following close behind.
Marino took a jab at Lea about his relationship with the previous organization members, receiving a glare from his teammate and a few choice words. I stretched out on the platform, appreciating the coolness of the floor as I tried to relax and tuned out the conversation as I wasn't in the mood for their trivial bickering. Ironic, seeing as it was usually me who picked a fight with Lea, but I knew Lea would continue to defend his sexuality to Marino regardless of how many holes Marino found in his argument, and Marino would cause Lea's temper to climb as he was an excellent debater.
Despite his lack of interest in his academics, Marino had always proven himself intelligent in the subjects he was well-versed in, or in areas he seriously wanted to troll people. Sexuality was one of them. Not in a malicious way, but in a way that would at least fluster the individual for his own amusement.
Their debate quickly turned into an argument as Lea's voice got louder. The guys exited the Mysterious Tower, encountering familiar faces. Or at least, faces that Lea felt familiar with. I heard the loud, shocked gasp escape from Marino so I peeked out of the window to see what caused the reaction.
A humanoid mouse and a humanoid duck. They introduced themselves as Mickey and Donald.
I know I should have paid more attention but I honestly felt like I couldn't be bothered since these two individuals were oblivious of my existence in Lea's heart. I was vaguely aware of Marino's excitement, seeing as this was the first time he met another magician. Donald immediately took a liking to Marino, appreciating the recognition, and offered to train Marino for the short time they were there.
Marino accepted.
Despite not having any respect for the duck, I felt that Lea held the mouse in high regard, addressing him as "King Mickey." King Mickey, although he stated that he had other matters to attend to with the sorcerer, promised to train Lea as soon as he finished reporting to Yen Sid. Lea nodded in thanks.
I'm not sure as to what happened after that. My head began to feel heavier than the rest of me so I placed my arms behind my head to form a pillow. It became a struggle to keep my eyes open, and after a few attempts of blinking, I closed my eyes for a couple of seconds to rest them. I opened them to find myself staring at an empty window.
What was I looking at? Why was it completely black? Was Lea traveling through the Corridors of Darkness again? I thought he couldn't do that now since he didn't have his Organization cloak?
"Lea?" I asked tentatively.
I was beginning to wonder where you had gone off to.
I relaxed a little bit. "Not far seeing as I'm trapped here."
You know what I mean. You just got really quiet. I thought maybe you fell asleep.
I sat up slowly, still feeling foggy. "I think I did. Must have been more tired than I thought. Why is it so dark?"
Because my eyes are closed. You're not the only one who needs to sleep sometimes.
Ah. Well okay then. That explains the empty window.
Sole?
"Yeah?" I laid back down, putting my head back on my arms and stared at the blackness above me. Times like these I missed having the sky and stars, but right now I could do with a ceiling. Staring at nothing made me feel small and vulnerable.
Thanks for having my back.
His gratitude surprised me. "You're… welcome."
I mean it. I would have lost my heart again if you hadn't intervened.
A small smile played on my lips as I tried to brighten the mood. "Well, as you know, I kinda live here now. I didn't want to be homeless."
He laughed softly to himself. Yeah, I know the feeling.
"Lea?" My eyebrows knitted together. What did he mean that he knew what homeless felt like? Had he been homeless before?
Oh no. You missed out on the heart to heart conversation I had with King Mickey. Fat chance if I'm going to repeat myself.
I rolled my eyes. "Has Dyme showed up yet or have the fairies turned him into a fur coat?"
A roar of laughter that shook the platform caused me to smirk. Oh, that's dark. I don't think the fairies are into poaching.
"You didn't answer my question. Is he here or not?"
He's here. He's in control of the gummi ship.
Lea's just full of surprises today. "You gave up the controls?"
I'm a bit sore.
I paused and then a huge grin swept across my face. "Did you get your ass beat by a mouse?"
I beg your pardon! He's not just some mouse. He's King Mickey! You wait until you have to train with him or Goofy. I'd like to see how you hold up!
I forced myself to get to my feet, fumbling over them at first as I regained my balance. Things cracked as I stood, forcing me to stare at myself. I wasn't here in a physical form so I wondered if I could actually say I just cracked my bones back into place. Shrugging and rolling my shoulders, I walked to the window to get a glimpse of the selkie.
"Lea I'd appreciate it if you'd open your eyes so I can see out," I said.
Lea obliged and opened his eyes. As you wish but make it quick. I'd like to actually sleep peacefully while I still can.
Apparently Fauna won the color scheme.
Dyme now wore dark brown sneakers with tan linings and sea green pants that were tight enough to leave nothing to my imagination, much to my shock. I didn't think the fairies would choose clothing like that but perhaps overhearing the guys' conversation made them more lenient. A chocolate brown V-neck shirt was hidden underneath a dark blue jean jacket. Dyme had rolled up his jacket's sleeves to show off mint green wrist bands that looked ready to glow in the dark.
The selkie was heavily conversed with Marino as he maneuvered the gummi ship.
"I didn't think he knew how to drive the gummi ship."
He doesn't. Or rather, didn't. I spent two hours teaching him before we departed.
"Two hours? Wow, I really was tired to be out that long." Plus the time he spent training with King Mickey, who knew how long I was asleep.
How are you feeling now?
I paused to contemplate my state of being. I felt normal. Muscles were relaxed yet ready to take on the day. Calm but prepared to face things head on. "I'm all right, I think." I heard him hum approvingly in a low tone.
"Hey Lea." Dyme tapped Lea's forehead playfully with his index finger, unfazed by Lea's tired glare. "I found the next place we should investigate."
"Did you now." Lea sounded exhausted but he made the effort to gaze at the map on the screen, eying the location curiously. "Bath House?"
"I think you guys could use a cleansing." Dyme waved his hand over his nose. "If you know what I mean."
"You're the one who still smells like fish," Marino said.
Dyme pouted. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Lea rolled his head back to rest it against the seat. "Dyme, what makes you think Larxene or Marluxia would be there?"
"Well Larxene won't be there for sure," the selkie answered with a pleased smirk. "But Marly might be."
Lea shot him a look of disbelief. "Marly? In a bath house? We'd find him sooner in a garden."
"Exactly why he wouldn't be in some garden. It's too obvious of a hiding place," Dyme reasoned.
"What makes you think he went into hiding?" Marino asked.
"From Xemnas, duh. Or Master Xehanort. Whoever."
Lea returned to staring at the white ceiling of the gummi ship. "Why the Bath House?"
"Why not?" he argued.
"Whatever. Just let me know when we arrive." The redhead sunk further into his seat and yawned. I picked up on his feeling of being weighed down by nothing and everything all at once, and how he just wanted to fade away and not think about anything.
Dyme saluted him. "Aye, aye, Captain!"
Lea's eyes drooped shut, causing the window to fade into black. I was about to return to my spot on the platform, leaving Lea to his much needed rest, when white mist appeared in the middle of the platform. Tendrils curled and weaved through each other, growing and growing upwards until it created a huge white door. I stared at it in bewilderment. The top of the door was slanted upwards, making a point at the tip. At the top, there were five white slender spikes. Gold lines ran down the door, interrupted only by two red diamond shaped glass windows. There were no door handles.
"And just where did you pop out from?" I walked around it, finding nothing behind the door or at its sides. "Well… this is creepy."
To push or not to push. That is the question, and the only method I could think of to open the door. Did I even want to open the door? Where was this door supposed to lead? Was it a way out of Lea's heart? Would I finally get my body back? Would it hurt? Why did it appear now? Why not sooner?
I tapped my fingers on my chin. Then rubbed my forehead. I licked my lips and took in a deep breath.
Yeah, I needed to risk it.
Using both hands, I gently pushed the doors and it opened inwards. Black fog made it impossible to see inside so I waved my hands around in hopes of clearing it. The air felt cold and uninviting, smelling of nothing. No sound escaped from the abyss. It didn't even squeak open. Hesitantly, I walked into the void and waited. I half expected the door to close and disappear behind me but nothing happened. After a couple of minutes I stepped back onto the platform and stood in front of the door, noticing bold letters on it this time.
MEMORY LANE
For real? Memory Lane? My memories or his memories?
I stared back into the black hole that laid behind the opened doors and huffed with frustration. This meant that it was not my way out, therefore it had no real value to me personally. However, it may benefit Lea in some way. I debated whether or not I should try going back in but before I could make up my mind the door faded away.
Guess it got fed up with my indecision.
"We're here!" Dyme's loud announcement rattled the redhead awake.
Lea stirred and groaned in protest, stretching like a cat and then returned to his curled up position on the seat. I heard someone snort.
Small hands shook him roughly. "Oi! Wake up! We've landed already and the selkie is on the move without you!"
Lea was instantly on his feet though he wavered slightly when he tried to walk. He bounced on his left leg and grumbled, "Foot fell asleep." He quickly recovered his balance and ran to catch up with Dyme.
The guys came to an abrupt halt, stopping right in front of an eerie stone statue covered with moss. It stood at three feet tall. Its eyes were closed, or opened, I couldn't tell. Maybe the iris part was missing. The mouth was openly grinning and it had a small nose. Its arms were in front of its chest, looking as if it was hiding its hands inside of its sleeves. To most people the statue would have seemed jolly, but after my encounter with the dolls from Pink Palace I was very cautious.
The statue had been placed in front of a dark tunnel.
"Anyone else find this weird?" Marino broke the silence.
"Creepy statue guarding a gateway?" Dyme glanced at Lea.
"Probably," Lea said.
Without much else to say, the three of them walked slowly down the dark tunnel. From the window I could see a red building made of plaster with a frozen clock. As they went by it, they came across a tiny, drying river bend littered with big rocks.
"Seems like there used to be a massive river here." Dyme examined the area.
The other two nodded in agreement and they continued to walk ahead of him since he seemed caught up with the water source. They came up to narrow walkways with brightly colored restaurants all close together in a cluster. Small lanterns of yellow and red hung above their heads. What made me nervous though were the several empty restaurant stalls that had piles of neglected food. Anyone could just pull up a stool and take a plate without paying anything.
Temptation to those with weak wills.
Lea and Marino eyed the many plates of food, their stomachs suddenly growling at them.
"Don't you even think about it," I said.
Lea snorted. I'm not tempting fate. Don't worry.
He dragged Marino along but froze when a little girl ran in front of him. She appeared to be at least ten years old with a large white shirt that stopped at her thighs and with sleeves that ended at her elbows. A thick green stripe went across her chest and arms. Pink shorts peaked out from under her oversized shirt and she wore white socks with her yellow sneakers. Her brown hair was in a high pony tail with two strands of her hair covering the sides of her face. Her bangs were swept to the side thanks to the light wind.
Lea narrowed his eyes, concerned. "What is it with parents just letting their kids roam around?"
Marino poked his head from behind Lea. "Hello, I'm Marino. And you are?"
The little girl ignored him and began crossing a bridge, mumbling to herself, "That's weird." Her attention was on the enormous bathhouse in front of her. Smoke came out of its chimney and the wind rattled the windows.
The bathhouse looked much like a tall Japanese temple. The color scheme of the place encompassed shades of red, green and brown. The solid walls were red, which contrasted nicely against the green tiles slopping down on the roof. I heard the rushing sound of the waterfall that was near the bridge crossing. The ground floor had bushes, flower beds, and a tree that blocked the view of the rest of the lower building. There were multiple side entrances and back doors to where people must have dumped water outside and could do so without being seen by customers. At the side of the bathhouse, a set of old, unstable stairs led directly down to what looked like a basement.
Marino sighed. "You know, this whole thing about going ignored is getting real old."
"I don't think she actually saw us," I said.
"We better follow her. Can't just leave a kid on her own like that," Lea frowned. He released Marino's arm and caught up with the child. Her head was poking out of one of the gaps in the red bridge, taking notice of the train that sounded below. Lea gave it a go. "Hey small one. Where's your Mom and Dad?"
Finally, she looked at him, and just as she opened her mouth to respond, another voice shouted.
"You shouldn't be here. Get out of here now!"
We were startled to see a young boy with small yet sharp grey eyes and a dark hair cut in a bob. He wore a white kimono and puffy, light blue trousers with a purple sash around his waist. He was watching us with a stern, angry face. "It's almost night. Leave before it gets dark!"
Lea raised an eyebrow. "What's his problem?"
"Someone's afraid of the dark," Marino teased.
The lights turned on at the entrance of the bathhouse and the boy scowled. He swiftly yanked the young girl and began pushing her along. "They're lighting the lamps. Get out of here. You have to cross the river, go! I'll distract them."
She ran as fast as she could but Lea and Marino stayed behind in time to watch the boy blow something similar to white petals into the wind. It certainly didn't sound like petals being blown into the wind though. More like the sound of shattering glass. As the petals disappeared, so did the light.
The boy turned to face Lea and Marino, scowling at them. "Why are you still here?"
"Well maybe this world will be a worthwhile visit after all," Lea smirked.
"We need to leave. Now," I said.
On it.
Lea grabbed Marino by his collar, earning a loud yelp of protest. "I can walk, ya know! I don't need to be dragged!"
I instantly realized something was wrong. As the guys ran down the narrow pathways, shadow figures with small beady silver eyes began meandering in the streets. We heard high pitched shrieks and could only assume the worst. The young girl was screaming for her parents.
Lea summoned his chakrams just as Marino drew out his wand. "You take the kid to safety. It should be beyond that weird statue we saw earlier. I'm going to find Dyme."
Marino nodded and grasped the child's forearm as they ran past the shadow figures, forcing her to keep up with him as he tried to lead her out of the area.
Now if I was a selkie, where would I hide my sorry ass?
"You honestly think he'd be in hiding right now?" I asked.
Are you kidding? This is what he does best. He does not confront the enemy. He- Lea skidded to a stop. I think I see him.
And there he was in all his piggy glory. That's right. Dyme had turned into a pig. We could tell it was him because of the ridiculous glow in the dark, mint green wrist bands around the pig's feet. In front of Dyme was a dirty empty plate and he was licking it up.
I face palmed.
This is why you don't take food from strangers.
"You're going to have to carry him," I said.
I'm aware. Too bad Marino isn't an expert in magic. I don't know how I'm going to explain this to Yen Sid, but imagine his face when he sees this. Lea hauled the pig over his shoulders. Holy shit is he heavy!
His weight caused Lea to move at a slower pace but we were able to regroup with Marino and the child in front of a frog statue that spat out water. Although I think it was mostly due to their own problem rather than their speed. Where there was once a tiny river there was now a vast ocean, a definite hindrance to their escape plan.
"Where did all this water come from?" Lea stared.
Marino shrugged, stupefied. "I have no logical explanation for this." He glanced at Lea. "Who's the pig?"
"Would you believe me if I said Dyme?"
Marino groaned. "He ate the food, didn't he?"
"He sure did," Lea sighed.
Far off in the distance I could see a faint golden glow of lights across the ocean. It looked like an entirely different world from the place we last walked away from, completed with its own functional clock tower. A large boat was slowly driving past.
The young girl began to hit her forehead with her fists. "I'm dreaming! I'm dreaming!" She paused to look out, but after seeing no difference she went right back it. "Come on, wake up! Wake up!" She shook her head and sunk down to her knees on a verge of tears.
Have I ever mentioned that guys do poorly when they see girls crying?
Lea and Marino were instantly trying to calm her down, murmuring words of comfort and promises that it'll all be okay. No one was paying attention to the large cruise boat heading towards them.
"Hey! Stay alert! There's company coming!" I yelled.
The girl rocked back and forth on her feet, mumbling to herself that it was just a dream and to go away. Marino rubbed her back in attempt to sooth her, but Lea's eyes were trained on the approaching boat.
"Hey we have another problem." Marino nudged Lea.
The redhead looked down to find the young girl holding out her hands in front of her. Much to everyone's surprise, her hands looked transparent. As if she become a ghost.
She jumped up to her feet and exclaimed, "I'm see-through!" She rubbed her arms feverishly. "It's just a bad dream!" She glanced at the guys for acknowledgement. "Right? It's just a bad dream! You're not real!"
"She's fading?" Lea asked quietly, ignoring her plight.
"We all are." Marino pointed out.
The cruise ship stopped at the bottom of the stairs, lowering down its drawbridge and four doors immediately opened on their own. Paper began floating inches above the ground, appearing ghostly as only shadows formed on the wall until they all got closer to the drawbridge. Then, red cloaks with blue hats floated out of the cruise ship. It wasn't until they floated past us that I noticed the papers having black ink on them. The black ink made the papers look like they had faces drawn on them.
For all I know, they very well could be faces. Worlds are weird.
All sorts of things started to come ashore. I wasn't sure if they were people or animals or spirits or what. The young girl didn't stick around long to solve the puzzle though. She let out a shriek and took off running up the hill. Marino was quick to follow. He was probably getting used to babysitting as this was the third girl he was put in charge of. Not like he wasn't experienced.
Fiore. Coraline. Kairi. And now this child.
Lea trailed after them soon after, hauling Dyme on his shoulders and he found the duo in the shadow of a house. Marino was still trying to calm her down but she turned deaf, blocking her ears with her hands. He was about to approach them when the young boy from earlier walked right by him and sat on the other side of the girl.
He gently grasped her shoulders but she jolted anyway. "Don't be afraid. I just want to help you."
She shook her head vigorously. "No! No, no!"
The boy dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small red berry. "Open your mouth and eat this. You have to eat some food from this world or else you'll disappear."
"No!" She shouted, pushing him away. Well, she tried to push him away but her hands went right through him. She gasped in shock as her arm went right through his face.
"Welcome to my world," I muttered.
"Don't worry. It won't turn you into a pig." He smirked at Dyme before he forced her to eat it. "Chew it and swallow." He then passed one berry to Marino and another to Lea, nodding his head. He probably figured the guys didn't need him to coerce them into eating.
The guys glanced at each other before swallowing the berry. I was briefly reminded of the Drink Me bottle in Wonderland and how I hesitated to drink it. It seemed like food and liquids play a big factor in every world, containing some sort of magical ability. I actually had a hunch that the boy cared nothing about Lea and Marino, only acknowledging their presence for the girl's sake. His focus was entirely centered on the girl. I wasn't sure if I should have been bothered by that, seeing as Marino and Lea were probably both considered old enough to take care of themselves. On the other hand though, the lack of sympathy for them was strongly evident.
He waited for her to swallow and then smiled. "There you go, you're all better. See for yourself." He held out a hand for proof.
She pressed her hand against his and sighed in relief. "I'm okay."
"You see." He calmly took her hand. "Now come with-"
She interrupted him. "But where are my Mom and Dad? They…they didn't really turn into pigs, did they?"
He took both of her hands. "You can't see them now but you will." His face suddenly contorted darkly and he dropped back down to cover her, placing one of his hands on the wall behind her. "Don't move."
Lea and Marino took this as a hint to drop low as well, putting their backs to the wall. Above their heads, a massive black bird with an odd head flew in circles. It wasn't until it flew back around that I realized that it had an old hag's head rather than a normal bird's head.
What. The. Hell.
"That bird is looking for you. You've gotta get out of here." The boy stood up.
The girl tried to stand. "Ah! My legs! I can't stand up! Help! What do I do?"
He knelt back down. "Calm down, take a deep breath."
Lea watched as she sucked in air, slightly amused.
"Why is this entertaining?" I asked.
I'm watching two kids. Well, one kid. The other looks like a kid but ain't. Usually I'm the one stuck with the dirty job. For once, someone else took the responsibility.
The boy placed his right hand over her legs. "In the name of the wind and water within thee, unbind her." Something glowed. "Get up." She was quickly yanked to her feet and they were suddenly running faster than Lea's eyes could keep up.
Marino was the first to react, swiftly pursuing them.
"Damn it," Lea muttered under his breath, picking up Dyme and throwing him over his shoulders again. Dyme squealed in pain. "Calm down, you wouldn't have to be carried if you had used your brain instead of your stomach."
Following them proved to be a challenge as the boy was able to magically open the doors in front of him, forcing Lea to keep up or be left behind as the doors closed as quickly as they were opened. The group went down a flight of stairs, passed some market of dead fish, an icebox filled with dead fish, a pig pen, and only came to a stop at the back of a house.
If circumstances had been different, I would have died of laughter. Seeing Lea run like a bat out of hell with a pig on his back was priceless. Right now though, my ears tuned into the shouts of "Welcome, welcome back!" at the front of the bathhouse. We were close to the cross bridge, which was now crowded.
The boy unlocked a small wooden gate. "You have to hold your breath while we cross the bridge. Even the tiniest breath will break the spell and then everyone will see you." He waited until Marino and Lea caught up with him and then he closed the wooden gate. The guys waited for his instructions on how they can pass the bridge but he gave them none. "You need to leave the pig behind."
Lea eyed him suspiciously. "I'm not going anywhere without Dyme."
The boy glared at him. "He'll only slow you down. His scent will be noticed by others."
"That's my problem. Don't you worry about it," Lea replied, hands tightly around Dyme's hind legs.
The girl tightly clung to him. "I'm scared."
"Just stay calm," he said softly to her. We watched them as he led her through another gate and as he said, "I'm back from my mission."
"Welcome back, Master Haku!" Someone greeted him.
Even at our distance we could see her draw in a deep breath and try to hold it. They nearly made it, too, until a small green frog jumped in front of them.
"Master Haku! Where've you been?" it asked curiously. She gasped, unable to hold on any longer. "What? A human?"
Haku, well at least we learned his name, placed a black circular orb around the frog. The frog was suddenly suspended in air. "Let's go!" He flew her through the crowd, under the skirts of some women. However, as soon as they disappeared, the frog was dropped onto the floor and people on the bridge immediately began talking about a human.
Lea sighed. "Ugh, he just made my job so much harder."
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Suntiger: I am SOOOOOOO sorry about the delay! Pppffttt, some delay! It's been what? Two years since I last updated? I had no intentions of putting this story on hiatus but I had no choice. I finished my master degree, completed two internships, worked two jobs, volunteered my time with non-profit organizations and after all that crap... I moved from the United States to New Zealand because I was bored and apparently had nothing else better to do but drive myself crazy. So now I'm adjusting to a new country with an entirely different culture and slang terms, and have no family support and no friends. Well that last part is changing because I am making friends, but I knew NO ONE when I arrived.
I own nothing related to this movie that my characters have dived into. Not the movie's plot. Not the original characters. Not the dialogue. For those who haven't been able to guess, it is Spirited Away.
To those who are not new to my story and read it years ago: Read it again. When I returned to working on this story I realized I had forgotten much of its plot, its characters and how I wanted to develop them so I reread my chapters and changed a lot. Some parts I edited because it didn't make sense and some parts I edited to improve the story line.
Comments, complaints, questions, concerns, smacks to the head because I'm so late to the party that it's not even funny are welcomed.
