Hearts of Gold: Chapter XII
Hewwo, FanFiction readers! It's meee, KpCw! Oh, and I brought a new chapter with me! Chapter XII! I don't really know what'll be going on here, since I'm just making this up as I go, but I'm sure it won't be COMPLETELY awful… Lol. So, yeah. Read, review, all that good shtuff. ^^ I'd really like it if you did!
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With that, Keniera stretched up and pecked Vanitas on the cheek, feeling unusually bold. Vanitas sighed and pressed his face into Keniera's hair.
"When you say things like that, it makes keeping the Darkness back just a little easier. I love you too, butterfly."
The two were silent for a moment or two, sitting quietly in the sand on the shore. Vanitas was the first to break the silence, eager to change the subject to a lighter mood.
"Want an ice-cream? I'm starved."
Keniera laughed quietly.
"Sure, Van."
"What? What's so funny?"
"You remind me of Sora. That 'puppy-dog face'… It's so cute."
"Hmm… Well, we are connected… I guess that's where he gets his looks from, huh?"
Keniera laughed again and shook her head.
"Connected? You have yet to explain that to me, you know."
She swatted at Vanitas as he grimaced.
"That's too long a story for right now, okay? Maybe some other time."
"I'll hold you to that, you know."
"Yeah, I know. C'mon, I hear a sea-salt ice cream calling our names."
Vanitas pulled Keniera to her feet and took her hand, leading her towards the boats to the mainland.
0*0*0 *Holt* 0*0*0
"Stupid, stupid, STUPID!"
Holt slammed his fist into the side of the Train Station in Twilight Town, barely flinching at the feeling of his skin being scraped raw from his knuckles. In his mind, he watched Keniera walk through the black portal with that… thing… over and over again. Just thinking about him, his hand on her shoulder, that look on his face… Holt's head throbbed. He punched the station wall again, involuntarily cringing as his fingers shattered with the impact.
"She's gone, she probably hates me now, I'm so stupid…"
Holt clenched his broken fingers, concentrating on the pain to calm himself. Breathe, breathe, breathe… He could still see her face, her eyes cold and hurt and pained. Holt felt his skin heat up and he gritted his teeth, slamming his injured hand against the wall again.
"DAMN!"
"That's not a very nice word, mister."
Holt started at the young voice and spun around. A small girl in a bright orange dress stood at the bottom of the steps, her head cocked to one side. Two small boys were with her, pulling at her hands. All three of them couldn't have been more than six or seven. Holt furrowed his brow.
"Huh? Whaddya mean?"
"The D-word isn't a nice word. You should learn nicer words."
One of the boys, a blonde, rolled his eyes impatiently and stamped his foot.
"C'mon, Olette! We don't have all day! I want an ice cream!"
"Wait, Hayner! Pence, make him wait, will you?"
Olette pouted at the other boy, a round one with dusty black hair. The boy shifted from foot to foot before pulling on Hayner's camouflaged vest.
"Hayner, let's play tag until Olette's done. Please? I'll be it."
Hayner grinned and nodded before releasing Olette's hand.
"You're on!"
The two boys scrambled off, leaving Holt relatively alone with the little girl. Olette watched Holt with apparent interest before her eyes landed on his hand, swollen and bruised.
"Mister, is your hand okay? I have a bandage if you want it."
Holt looked down at his hand and flexed the broken fingers painfully.
"It'll be fine."
Olette looked disappointed. "Are you sure? It has Moogles on it." She pulled it from a pocket on her dress, a small adhesive bandage with, sure enough, Moogles adorning a red background.
Holt smiled, holding out his hand with the broken fingers, pretending to contemplate.
"Well, only if you promise to be careful."
Olette beamed as she ran up the steps, carefully peeling off the backing of the bandage before gently sticking it to the back of his hand. She smoothed it out with tiny fingers and stepped back to admire her handiwork.
"All better, mister?"
Holt used his good hand to ruffle her hair. "Good as new. Thank you, Olette."
She giggled and blushed. "You're welcome, mister. Oh, I've got to go now. Goodbye!"
Holt smiled and waved as Olette darted off to join the two boys and raced down the street with them.
Holt touched the Moogle bandage with one finger before summoning his Keyblade and quickly healing his damaged hand. He sat down against the side of the station, smiling to himself.
She didn't know me, but she helped me anyway… Have I been taking this thing with Vanitas the wrong way? Keniera obviously trusts him…
Holt let his thoughts wander, resting his head against the sun-warmed bricks behind him. He trusted Keniera, and he should know that she had an uncanny ability to judge character…
But is it worth the risk if she's wrong? If we're both wrong? Darkness can't be trusted. How can we be sure this isn't some trap he's laying?
He closed his eyes as his head started pounding once more, lost in a sea of doubts.
0*0*0 *Keniera* 0*0*0
Keniera stretched as she woke up, curling her fingers and toes and yawning loudly. Half-asleep, she almost didn't notice the note lying next to her on the pillow. Keniera rubbed her eyes and picked it up, struggling to make sense of the words in her sleep-induced stupor.
Keniera,
Left to throw off Xehanort's trail. I'll be gone until tomorrow afternoon. Try not to get into too much trouble, alright? I left some munny on the dresser; you should have enough for anything you might need. Also, I think you should know that you mumble in your sleep. Am I really THAT handsome? Your subconscious seems to think so. Why don't you explore a little bit? Destiny Islands is a pretty friendly place; you'll make some new friends pretty easily. I love you, butterfly.
-Van
Keniera chuckled and folded the note up, planning to put it in one of her pockets later. She got dressed and retrieved the munny from the dresser, placing it and the note in the same pocket. Vanitas had left the window open from his breaking-and-entering and Keniera closed it against the crisp morning air, shivering slightly in her thin grey shirt and blue jeans. As she made her way downstairs, she found herself thinking of Holt; wondering where he was since their fight. Distracted, she wasn't paying attention as she walked out the front door of the hotel and ran right into someone, falling backwards onto her rear. Keniera felt her face grow hot as she stuttered out an apology, looking up…
… into golden eyes and jet-black, close cropped hair.
For a moment, Keniera thought it was Vanitas with a new haircut, but the body structure was different. This boy was leaner, his face all sharp angles and his arms and legs thin but muscular. He glared down at Keniera with distaste before forcing his face into a grin.
"Hey hey, sorry. Didn't see you there, lady."
The boy extended his hand to her, which she took reluctantly. His skin was cold as ice, raising goosebumps along her arms.
"I'm sorry sir, I wasn't paying any attention…"
"Don't worry about it. I wasn't either. You okay?"
The people walking along the street parted around them, some watching the golden-eyed boy a bit curiously.
Keniera ignored everyone else and smiled brightly. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. My name's Keniera. You are…?"
The boy still didn't relinquish his grip on her hand, but instead shook it.
"Just call me Victor."
Keniera shook Victor's hand. "Victor…" She laughed, causing Victor to raise an eyebrow.
"Something funny, I presume?"
"You just remind me of someone I know. The hair, the eyes, even the names are similar."
"Oh, really? That's… interesting."
Victor dropped Keniera's hand and crossed his arms.
"So, what would this identity theft's name be?"
"Vanitas. And he's not an identity thief!" Keniera laughed, not catching the dark look that flashed across Victor's face. Immediately he brightened again, pushing the malevolent demeanor below the surface for now. With an imperceptible flex of his fingers, he conjured up a few Neoshadow Heartless behind Keniera. Almost immediately, the people on the street screamed and ran for cover as the Heartless darted here and there. A small girl cried out as one knocked her down and loomed over her. Victor, feigning surprise, summoned Death's Wing and charged towards the Neoshadow, slicing it in half and shooing the girl away. Keniera watched in shock and surprise as Victor dismissed Heartless after Heartless before coming to her senses and summoning her Kingdom Key and cutting down the Heartless separating them, coming back-to-back with Victor. Keniera was panting heavily, while Victor was barely breaking a sweat.
"Phew… Need some help, Victor?"
"Nope."
Keniera sliced through a Neoshadow that had been creeping up behind him. Victor snarled towards the remaining Heartless, reminding them who was boss and warning any others who dared approach him. His face quickly sank into one of imitation relief as he looked back at Keniera.
"Thanks."
Keniera grinned and cut down another Heartless. "No problem. Now, let's get rid of these things."
Victor nodded. "Yeah."
The two launched towards the remaining enemies, their weapons a blur as they dispatched the last of them. Soon enough, there were no Heartless in sight. Keniera ran her forearm across her face, smearing it with a bit of dirt and rested her Keyblade on her shoulder. She was breathing heavily and slumped against the side of a nearby shop. Victor leaned on his scythe and stood next to her, watching her with an intense look on his face. Keniera noticed and cocked an eyebrow up at him.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Victor was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "A Keyblade Wielder, huh?"
Keniera grinned and held her Kingdom Key out in front of her.
"A key to all worlds, and a warrior to wield it. That's me." Casually, she banished it in a shower of golden sparks. Looking up at Victor, she gestured to his scythe.
"And what would that be?"
Victor spun the scythe like a baton and jabbed the end into the ground, pushing himself off from the street in an impressive backflip. He landed in a crouch, the blade glinting in the sun. Keniera felt her eyes widen and her body tense up. Everything about his posture, the way he handled himself, screamed dangerous and Keniera felt her hand itching to summon her Kingdom Key again. She resisted the urge and instead smiled nervously at Victor.
"Impressive, but it still doesn't answer my question."
Victor snorted and stood, tossing the weapon into the air.
"This," he caught it again, "is Death's Wing. The fiercest weapon out there."
"Oh, really?" Keniera stood and stretched before summoning her Keyblade again. "Willing to test that?"
" I thought you'd never ask."
Victor struck first, swinging his scythe in a large arc at Keniera's head which she blocked quickly, the force behind his blow pushing her back. Before she could even make to counterattack, Victor was on her again, this time swiping at her feet with the staff. It caught her ankle and she fell hard, rolling just in front of his feet. She raised her Keyblade again to block another attack aimed at her stomach. Keniera deflected his blow and used his slight moment of imbalance to knock him off his feet. She scrambled up and swung at his side, not seeing him raise the blunt end of his scythe. It caught her in the stomach and vaulted her over top of him, throwing her to the street for the second time.
She rolled and landed in a crouch, her Keyblade throwing sparks as it scraped against the cobblestones. They both stood and took their positions, glaring at each other. With a battle cry, Keniera rushed forward, faking a swing at his knees before changing her aim and catching him squarely in the side. Victor stumbled back and growled, holding his side. After a moment, he straightened up, spinning his scythe in front of him. Keniera watched with growing apprehension as he approached her, his golden eyes glinting harshly in the bright sun. She involuntarily took a step back, the air surrounding them suddenly seeming frigid despite the tropical afternoon sun.
"Victor, I think we should stop now."
"Oh, should we?" He grinned, mirthless and cruel. "I thought we were just getting to the good part."
He came closer. Keniera could hear the quiet shick, shick of the scythe blade cutting the air. She backed against a wall, keeping her Keyblade out in front of her, trembling slightly. Victor, just an arm's length away, suddenly buried the scythe blade into the brick wall behind her, effectively trapping her against the wall, the razor red edge just inches from her throat. Keniera felt cold sweat bead on her forehead and her hands shake as her Keyblade abandoned her. Victor leaned in, his golden eyes staring into hers.
"So… You're disarmed. I guess I win." He laughed harshly, flicking her nose.
"Y-yeah. You win. Let me go."
"What about my prize?"
Keniera gave him a look. "What prize? We never agreed on a prize!"
"Well, I'm the winner, and I demand a prize. You meet me at the docks in two days' time. We'll discuss it then, alright?"
Keniera, seeing no other option, nodded hesitantly. "Alright."
No sooner did the word leave her mouth, the scythe dissolved in a puff of fire and smoke. Victor stepped back, out of Keniera's personal space and walked off briskly. He turned back to face her one last time before stepping down a side alley, his sharp teeth looking all too feral from the shadows.
"See you then." Without another word, he disappeared from sight. Keniera exhaled heavily, her heart racing in fear. What was that? Victor seemed so… dark all of a sudden… Like someone just flipped a switch inside him. She shuddered and slid down the side of the building, wrapping her arms around her knees and longing for Vanitas' company. But, no matter how hard she tried to focus on the boy she loved, the boy she now feared wouldn't leave her mind.
0*0*0*0*0*0
*groans and faceplants onto the computer desk*
Holt- What's wrong with the authoress?
Keniera- She's disappointed in the chapter. It's all she could think of, really.
Holt- … I'll say. She broke my hand for no good reason.
*throws book at Holt*
Holt- Ow! Hey, okay! Sorry!
Vanitas- We're all so abused…
KpCw- Yeah, well, get used to it. I'm in a crappy mood.
Keniera- Tomorrow's Friday, KpCw! Be happy!
Holt- It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday…
Vanitas- *throws book at Holt*
Keniera- *throws book at Holt*
KpCw- *throws book at Holt*
Holt- Owowowow! Please read and review so the authoress will stop HITTING ME! OW!