Dangerous Games
"Jane, dear, we have guests!" The old man called happily to a young woman who was talking to Tarzan.
"My, my, we're getting quite a few visitors these days. My name's Jane Porter, this is my father, Professor Porter. And I see you've already met Tarzan." She chuckled as said wild man came over to us on his knuckles.
"I'm Raven." I shook her hand and her eyes lit up.
"Raven? Like the bird?" I nodded "Oh, I love the different colours hidden in their feathers! Most people only see the black, dark colouration but if you examine them closely, you'll find blues and purples mixed with the black and it creates such a wonderful shine in the sunlight! You're lucky to be named after such a beautiful bird." I could tell she was passionate about nature and an experienced artist from the way she described the animal.
"So you like the wild do you?"
"Oh yes! Daddy and I came here to study the gorillas. And eventually Tarzan. But there was a little difficulty with our body guard, Clayton."
"Clayton?" Riku finally spoke.
"Yes. Did you know him?" Jane replied, a little perplexed that a child would know of him.
"Not personally." Riku said indifferently. I kicked his shin at his rudeness.
"We were sent here to look for evidence of his disappearance."
"Well, I'm sorry, my dear, but Clayton is... no longer with us. He went rather mad and, well... it lead to his own demise." The professor explained, gravely.
"Oh... I see. Well would you mind if we went to the scene of his passing? Only to find something to send back as evidence."
"Of course. Tarzan will lead you there."
"Thank you, Jane, Professor, Tarzan." I said as Tarzan lead me and Riku out of the tent, out of the campsite and into a grove of bamboo. As Tarzan went a little further ahead, Riku decided to be social and start conversation.
"So, um... Nice weather?"
"Yeah, I guess. A bit humid but otherwise okay." Then there was silence again for a while as we pushed between the bamboo lances.
"Listen uh... So the kiss..."
"Don't tell me you're still fussing over that?" I scoffed.
"No, I was just wondering... Does it mean we're... y'know... Dating?"
WHACK!
I let a bamboo lance snap back and hit his face square on the nose in shock. "Oops, my hand slipped." I said in a monotone, sarcastic voice. "Don't say stupid stuff like that. It's dangerous." Though secretly my cheeks were pink and my heart pounding. "Of course we're not dating, it was a onetime thing and we're comrades. Relationships are just a recipe for disaster in our case. Besides, why even bring up the topic? Do you have a crush on me?"
"O-Of course not! I was just making sure you didn't have the wrong idea! That's all! Haha!" He stuttered. I decided not to see whether he was lying or not. At that point I wasn't sure I wanted to know.
"Good. Now can we get on with our mission before Miss Tall dark and Moody turns us into frogs?" I said, catching up to Tarzan. My mouth dropped and my eyes widened as I saw the most spectacular waterfalls I had ever seen! Crystal clear, sparkling droplets rushing in a furious river down the cliff face. Luscious , rich greenery overflowed from the rocks and crevices behind the glistening falls.
"Wow..." Both me and Riku said in union at the spectacular sight.
"Clayton... Lose heart... Here." Tarzan brought us back to reality by showing us the particular spot where the hunter Clayton had met his demise.
"Thank you, Tarzan." I nodded.
"Tarzan... Raven... Riku... Friends?" He asked crawling up to us and getting in our faces eagerly. I smiled and nodded.
"Of course." He then grabbed both of us in a back breaking hug which lifted us both off of the ground. "Ehehe, okay a little... Tight... Can't breathe!" At this he finally let us down and crawled over to the bamboo grove. He looked back once, bumped his fist on his chest once as if to say 'We're in each other's hearts now' before he disappeared back into the wilds of the jungle undergrowth.
"Well that was awkward. Let's just get the remains and get outta here." Riku started scouting the ground and cliffs for any residue of Clayton or the Heartless that killed him; Stealth Sneak.
"You have no intention of being social to anyone, do you?" I replied, using my sight to check for heart shards.
"I'm not like Sora."
"Tch, idiot." I said under my breath, shaking my head slightly. Then while I was checking for remains, I heard a quiet yelping. Slightly muffled too. I pulled away some vines to find a chest where I could hear the muffle yelping coming from. Then it was silent for a minute before it startled me by rattling. "Okay, calm down. I'll get you out..." I knelt down and used my Sais as lock picks.
Click
As soon as the chest was unlocked, three Dalmatian puppies leaped out and pounced on me, licking my face.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! N-NO! STAHAHAHAP! THAT TICKLES! HAHAHA!" I laughed. It was no surprise that my cries had alerted Riku and the silvernette rushed over to see what the commotion was about.
"Raven what's wrong!?" He saw the scene and blinked a few times. "Puppies?" He looked like he was about to scold me but then something extraordinary happened. "AAAW THEY'RE ADORABLE!" Riku. The same Riku who was always so uptight and serious. The one who always had to be the best, the responsible grown up... was cuddling all three puppies like teddy bears and his eyes were sparkling in a smile of pure cuteness overload! It was frightening how much he was like Caddie.
"Uh... Riku?" I was scared at this new side to him.
"What're three cute little things like you doing all alone out here in the jungle? Who could leave such sweet puppies in a chest!?" He nuzzled his head against their noses, each of them licking his face.
"They have collars, Riku. That must mean they weren't abandoned. Maybe stolen? Let's see..." I took one of the puppies, which had black ears and few spots and read the name tag. "This one's Lucky."
"Of course he's lucky! He's just been rescued!" Still cuddling the other two pups.
"No, you idiot, his name is Lucky! And this one is..." I gave Lucky back to Riku and took a girl from him with unusually small spots. "Penny."
"They're so cute! I love them!" I shivered at the out of place personality of Riku.
"And this little one is called..." Taking the last puppy which was a boy with smaller spots than Penny "Pepper. Well, we can't leave them here, and I doubt the Professor and Jane have the necessary food to care for them. They must be starving, poor things."
"We're taking them back with us!" Riku ordered eagerly.
"Fine... but I don't think Maleficent will be too happy to let them stay."
"We don't tell her about them. We'll keep them in our rooms, out of sight. There's enough space for them to run around in the lounge."
"And what about if they need the toilet? What then?" This caught him.
"Ah, well... um... I'll take them into the gardens. Or if I'm with Maleficent then you can. And if we're on a mission we leave a litter tray then empty it when we get back."
I sighed. "Alright, we can keep them. But only until we find out where their owners are. Then we're taking them back." Riku puffed his cheeks like a child and pouted.
"Fine."
"Come on, let's get Clayton's remains and get back to Hollow Bastion."
'Yeesh, I never thought Riku was into cute things. Or that he'd act so childish. He always seemed so serious. It's... sweet.' I smiled to myself as I scoured the area for Clayton's remains. I couldn't help but wonder why the hell Maleficent wanted his remains. Was she going to resurrect him? She had the potential. Necromancy is largely powered by dark magic and she was overflowing with that. I glanced over at Riku playing with the pups again and I chuckled as he taught them how to roll over. I put a hand to my heart and debated using my sight to find Clayton's remains. Riku knew about it now but I was still sceptical. I didn't trust Maleficent or any of her lackeys in the slightest. From the very start I was suspicious. The injection when I arrived at Hollow Bastion; the blood tests; the secret meetings; not to mention the manipulation on Riku. I knew what they were doing. I've seen it too many times. My time in Hojo's lab proved useful in some respects. 'I just need to find a way to close down her operation with the Seven Lights.'
"Hey, Raven! Penny found something!" Riku's announcement called me from my deep thought and he held up what looked to be chest hairs.
"Looks like he was part gorilla himself." I jested at the dark, curly hairs before putting them in a little pouch. "Well, that's our DNA sample. Let's get outta here." Riku nodded and picked up Lucky and Pepper, leaving me to carry Penny, who licked my cheek. "Bleh!" Then Riku pulled out the powder which created the green flames and transported us back to his room in Hollow Bastion.
"Hey, um, Raven... Can you take the sample to Maleficent for me? I need to make the living arrangements for these three." He had eyes almost as shiny as the puppies themselves.
"Oh can those eyes get any bigger? Fine." I placed Penny on the floor and took the sample from Riku and headed towards the door. But then I paused when my hand touched the handle.
"Riku..."
"Yeah?"
"I think... I think we should leave."
"But we just got back."
"No... I mean we should leave... for good." His eyebrows rose in surprise. "We can go to Traverse Town and stay with my family. Maleficent's bad news. Too bad for me to risk..."
"Risk what?"
"... It- It doesn't matter right now. I'll tell you later." And I left. How could I tell him? The woman who'd been helping him and sheltering him was manipulating him. How could I drop that kind of bomb on him when he was still hung up on Sora's so called 'betrayal'? It was the last thing he wanted... But perhaps the last thing he wanted, was the first thing he needed? If I had known what future events would happen... I would've dragged him out of Hollow Bastion there and then. But I was naive as ever and decided to wait.
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I reached Maleficent's meeting room and knocked on the door.
"Enter."
"Ma'am, I have the remains of the hunter Clayton you required. It's not much but it's all we could find. He was completely devoured." I explained, holding out the pouch containing Clayton's chest hairs. A familiar, slimy tentacle slithered over my shoulder and plucked the pouch from my grasp, sending shivers throughout my body.
"This is it? Pah! The bag of bugs could have found something more useful!" The tentacle struck me across the face.
"Ngh!"
"Yeah! Hey I resent that!"
"Enough! The sample will do for now. But Raven..." I looked up at the yellow eyes of the green witch. "Another poor performance such as this and you will be punished. Do I make myself clear, child?"
"Crystal, Ma'am. If it's not too much trouble... What exactly do you need his DNA for anyway?" She chuckled at this.
"Oh do not concern yourself with grown up matters, child. I'm sure you'll know one day. Now go." And I left as dismissed.
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"What happened to your face? It's all bruised." Riku asked when he found me in the library; the only place I felt safe because it was a protected area.
"Miss Fat, Vain and Slimy. Ursula struck me when she disapproved of the amount of DNA."
"She what!?" He exclaimed in anger.
"Calm down. It's no use getting worked up about it." And reluctantly, he did drop the subject, though he kept staring at the mark on my face.
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Hours later, after dinner, we were in the library again. Riku was pouring over a book of monsters while I blankly turned the pages of my spell tome.
'I have to find out what she's up to. I've been thinking and thinking of what she could do with all her assets that Riku and I have collected, but I can't be sure of any of them. The only way for me to know for certain is if I sneak into her chambers and find her plans.' I concluded at last.
"Riku, I'll be back later. I have something I need to do."
"Okay. I'll see you later then, Raven." He'd learnt that sometimes it was better to just let me do my thing and not question it.
I crept silently down the halls towards the southern tower where Riku had told me Maleficent's chambers were. I made it to the 9th floor when I heard movement from behind me. I stopped to listen. Then a hoard of goblins, Maleficent's direct minions, pounced on me and clawed my clothes and flesh and I realised with no small amount of regret that I had left my Sais in my room!
"Ngh! Agh! FIRA!" they were blasted off of me before they could get a good hold on me. Then, just as I was recovering from that ambush, a gang of about half of Hook's crew appeared and dog piled on me. "Agh! Get off! Let go!" And from my position on the floor, I saw the buckled shoes of their captain, Hook, stride out of the shadows.
"What do we have here lads? It appears we've caught a conniving wench in our fisherman's net."
"What do you think you're doing!? Let me go, Hook! Let me-" But my protests were cut off by one of the pirates' large hands clamping over my face as I was pulled to my feet.
"We'll have none of that racket, my dear. You've been caught sticking your nose where it isn't wanted and well... It simply will not do at all. Come along now." I refused to take any step forward but that proved pointless as the two pirates currently holding me easily lifted me off the floor and frog marched me towards the meeting room. Once the doors opened, I was roughly tossed inside and landed on my stomach, grazing my chin on the cold stone floor.
"How nice of you to join us, Raven." Maleficent said in a low, smug tone.
"Maleficent!" I stood up and took on an aggressive stance. Suddenly I felt my arms being pulled behind my back and my legs being locked together by thick, smoky chains and I toppled onto my side, painfully due to a loss of balance.
"Hold your Pegasus's there little lady. Don't do anything stupid." Hades chuckled as I realised the smoke chains were his doing.
"What's going on!? Let me go!"
"I think we should be the one's asking you that question." Jafar snarled. "What were you doing, snooping around in the south tower?"
"I got lost." I lied. And they knew it because the chains tightened painfully. "Ngh!"
"I wouldn't recommend lying to us, girl. You know the southern tower is off limits."
"Where I walk is where I walk. You can't penalise me for getting lost in thought!" I retorted.
"True enough. But you weren't lost in thought were you. In fact you were vigilant, wary of your surroundings and sneaky. You knew you were in a place you weren't supposed to be in. Not only that but the fact that you were sneaky indicates that you were worried of being caught before you found what you wanted. So tell us, child, why were you in the southern tower?" Maleficent had me there. She could read through me as if a wall of glass surrounded me. And yet I said nothing.
"C'mon, Kid, spill your guts." Hades tightened the smoke. And still I remained silent.
"Want me to beat it out of her?" Oogie Boogie chuckled.
"No. We need to use leverage." Ursula interjected. "You're close to Riku, aren't you angelfish? Wouldn't it be tragic if something happened to him, say... I don't know... He got kidnapped?" She giggled.
"Leave him out of this!" I growled. Then a magical projection of Snow Top lit up on the stone table.
"Raven, dear, we have enough power over your sweet little Riku and his Darkness to simply lock him away. Enough to defeat him with his own thirst for power." As the projection showed Riku in a cage or something, blindfolded. I knew how much Riku hated enclosed spaces and a cage would terrify him.
"Rrgh, fine... I wanted to know what you're all planning. Collecting the seven Princesses of Heart isn't just a thing you do without a motive. I was curious... and suspicious. You use the Heartless and the Darkness so that immediately put my guard up. But it's not only that... You're daring to manipulate Riku against his best friend! And I've had enough of it! I was going to find out your plan and then, depending on the result, I was going to leave. With Riku."
"Oh, child... As I said before, the princesses are here to be kept safe. They are only fragile creatures after all. And as most of us are world leaders, we do not have the time to retrieve them. So we need you and Riku. Besides, the poor boy has nowhere to go."
"And what about the Darkness? Why manipulate him into relying on it?"
"The Darkness is a wonderful power that is misjudged a great deal. The Darkness in him is a natural gift."
"And turning him against his friends? What excuse is there for that?"
"He did that, all by himself. It just happened to be convenient for us. Now, child I will allow you to leave without punishment for now. But I strongly suggest you remain in my service with Riku. I was not bluffing about the power we possess over him and should you tell him of this private meeting or of trying to run away or if you should step out of line again..." she knelt down and grazed her dagger-like nail against my already grazed chin "... We will lock him up. Away from the light where his Darkness will overwhelm and consume his heart. And you will be the one to deal his punishments as your own suffering. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Maleficent." She pierced my skin with the tip of her nail warningly. "Yes, Ma'am." She released me and the smoke chains vanished. Ursula's tentacles hoisted me up and propped me on my feet, allowing me to walk out of Maleficent's meeting room, less than comfortable.
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My hands were tied in the current situation. If I left, I couldn't take Riku with me and his Darkness would overwhelm him. Not only that but if I stayed but continued to step out of line, the witch now had enough control over Riku to hurt him with his own Darkness and she had no reluctance in locking him away. 'I can't leave. I can't let them do this to him!' I reminded myself on my way back down to the library. I threw the doors open and used aero to close them behind me with a bang.
"Whoa, what's gotten into you?" Riku asked me from his position on a ladder where he was looking for another book to read.
"It's nothing." I couldn't tell Riku of the danger he was in due to Maleficent's shadow looming over the whole of Hollow Bastion. I pulled out the Ansem Reports and started researching, hoping the scientist had found a way to eradicate Darkness from hearts.
Report 5:
To study the Heartless behaviour, I picked one out for observation. It wiggled its antennae and, as if sensing a target, headed deep into the castle. In the deepest part of the castle, its antennae began vibrating, as if searching for something. Suddenly, a strange door appeared. I'd never known of its existence. It had a large keyhole, but didn't seem to be locked. So I opened the door. What I saw on the other side mystified me. What was that powerful mass of energy? That night I observed a great meteor shower in the sky. Could it be related to the door that I have opened?
Report 6:
A massive core of energy lay beyond the door sought by the Heartless. It may be the ultimate goal of the Heartless. But what is that energy? I have devised a hypothesis, based upon my observations of the Heartless.
The Heartless feed on other's hearts, and they yearn for that energy core. That thing beyond the door must be a heart, too-the heart of this world. There is no proof, but, having felt that immense energy, I am certain. That was the heart of the world.
The Heartless are trying to take hearts not only from all living creatures, but from the planet itself. But what do they mean to do with the heart of the world?
Suddenly, a bright flash appeared just over a bookshelf, startling me out of my reading. There was a loud thud as a girl with messy red hair, wearing a green jacket fell out of thin air and landed on the floor!
"O-Ow," she groaned before pushing herself to her knees. "Salem, I swear, next time you...Huh?" The girl looked around with wide, purple eyes. As she did so, she spotted me and lurched back. "What the hell?!" I nearly pushed my chair over as I stood up and hurried over to the red head.
"Are you okay? Uh- I mean;" I got protective and stood with my arms folded, looking down on my visitor saying sternly. "Who are you?" If this girl was a spy for Maleficent, she wouldn't be getting a warm welcome. Rubbing the back of her neck, the girl grinned sheepishly.
"Hey there, name's Tegan McAlister." Tegan looked around, eyes wide with curiosity. "So, uh, who're you? And where am I exactly?"
"Raven Tymari, SOLDIER 1st class. You're in Hollow Bastion castle library. That over there, is Riku." I didn't take my eyes off of Tegan but gestured to the boy sliding down the ladder. "Judging by the fact you didn't know where you were, I'm assuming you're not one of Maleficent's spies."
"SOLDIER, huh? That's pretty..." Tegan's eyes sudden as her jaw drops in shock. "Spy?! I'm not a spy! And did you say 'Maleficent'?!" Tegan looked around, examining the library. When her eyes landed on Riku, her hands flew up to her head and she jumped back. With the way she stared at him, one would think she had seen a ghost. "Hollow Bastion... Maleficent... Version 1 Snowball," Tegan muttered to herself frantically. Looking up to the ceiling, she shouted. "Salem, you purple-haired freak! I'm going to kill you!" Perplexed at her sudden reaction I questioned her.
"Snow Ball? No, no, no, he's Snow Top. And who's Salem? And what do you mean 'Version 1'? Surely there's only one Riku." I interrogated. My eyes were still hard and analyzing but my body had relaxed a little. Tegan snorted as she tried to choke down laughter.
"Sorry, sorry. That was an inside joke. Um, let me see here..." Tegan folded her arms across her chest and sighed. "Okay, first question. Salem is one of my friends, a sorcerer in training. He was practicing magic and must have screwed up a spell. I'm guessing I got caught up in the crossfire or something." Tegan frowned and bit her lower lip, hesitating as she chose her next words carefully. "You know how there are many different worlds? Well, same goes for universes." Tegan looked up and stared at me seriously. "I can tell already that this spell blew me out of my universe and into this one. I know because this Riku," She pointed with a smirk at Riku. "Isn't the same dork as my universe's Riku. His soul's nearly the same, but it isn't." My eyes softened a little.
"You can see souls? Interesting. As for universes, I've suspected as much seeing as how some artefacts mysteriously appear in from worlds long destroyed or even none existent." I was always open to historical or scientific matters. Tegan smiled widely.
"Cool, huh? One of the perks of being an Anima...Hey, Raven," Tegan's smile fell a little as she glanced around. "You mentioned the old hag, Maleficent earlier. What's the situation here? How is Riku's heart doing?" Tegan began tapping her fingers against a bookshelf anxiously. My eyes went stern again as I recalled the rather uncomfortable threatening I'd just received from the witch.
"He's just fine." If I told anyone of Riku's real state, Maleficent would hurt him. "It's strange that you are an anima that can see souls. I guess I'm an anima that can see hearts. Well to be more precise; I'm part dragon." Tegan quirked an eyebrow at my response. Her eyes flashed briefly before shrugging.
"My race is known for their connections to souls, so I can sense certain things, but a heart. That's pretty special. Hmmm, well if the witch is here than that means I'd better watch out. Lord knows that hag bugs me..." Tegan sighed dramatically before smirking. "Hey, is she a royal pain in the ass here too?"
"I was born with the sight." I relaxed again. "Maleficent's bossy and makes us do her work for her but other than that she leaves us alone." 'I can't mention the threats.' I though in frustration. Tegan nodded.
"So somewhat the same. Good thing I don't have to deal with her." The redhead began walking around the library, examining it closely. "This place is bigger than I thought..." Tegan walked around until she was behind me. Leaning forward, she whispered in my ear. "You seem like a good kid, so I'm gonna let you in on something," Tegan stared intently at me, eyes never leaving the other's. "Another advantage of seeing souls is knowing when someone is lying. I can tell something's up and as an Anima, it my duty to help in any way I can." Tegan leaned back and walked to a nearby bookshelf. "Feel free to keep that in mind. I know lots of things..." Not happy at being called a kid I tensed again.
"I don't need your help." 'I can't get help. I'm stuck. If I even try to do anything she'll lock him up.' Tegan frowned, knowing she probably made things worse. Stuffing her hands in her pocket, she looked down at the ground.
"Damn, I'm doing it again," she muttered. "Sorry, Raven, I'm not trying to make things difficult for you. I guess I've got a bad habit of sticking my nose into things and causing trouble." She chuckled bitterly. "Man, I'm doing all the things a would-be time traveller isn't supposed to do..."
"Apology accepted. Excuse me for a moment." I summoned my wings and returned a pile of books to their appropriate shelves. "Now we need to find a way to hide you from Maleficent and get you home." I said, filing through my spell tome for ideas.
"That is SO cool!" Tegan exclaimed as she watched me fly around. "Seriously, that is awesome! I can't fly around anywhere without my summon stone." Tegan cupped her chin in her hand and looked thoughtful. "Though, you have a point. If the others find out what Salem did, Jade or Van might strangle him. And I don't think it would be a wonderfully spectacular idea to have me anywhere near the Dragon lady..." Her fingers twitched at her name. Then I found a spell that would allow me to move around without anyone noticing Tegan.
"I apologize." I said in advance. I stuck my palm out towards Tegan and cast then spell. The effect was to transform her temporarily into a summoning stone. The miniature Tegan pounded her fists against the crystal, trying and failing to fight the urge to panic.
"R-Raven!? A-Ah, let me outta h-here ya bloody daft banshee!" Tegan's voice picked up a strong Scottish accent as she panicked. "Trust me on this, ya dinna ken w-what a bad idea this is!"
"It's only temporary, I'll reverse it once we're in my room. There's less chance of you getting found out there. And a summon jewel is small and easy to hide." I explained, pocketing the jewel. "Riku, I need to get back to my room, okay?" The silvernette looked up from his desk, book and chair and nodded before continuing to read.
"If Maleficent comes in here, I'll tell her you went to the Rising Falls to train or something."
"Thanks, I'll see you later, Snow Top." I waved briefly as we went out the door towards my room... Only to be met with one of my least favourite people.
"My, my, my, you're in a hurry." Hades said from his guarding position at my door. My weapons were inside my room still so if Hades decided to pull anything again, I was defenceless.
"Why are you here, Hades?" My voice was low and aggressive and I glared up at the Lord of the Underworld.
"Well, we've gotta make sure you don't try another 'great escape'. That was reckless, kid." He moved around me and put his arm lazily over my shoulder. "And even with your little boyfriend at stake, we don't know for sure if you'll be a good girl." I moved away from him and went inside my room where I felt a little safer.
"Okay, Tegan." I tossed the summon jewel up into the air and a bright light shone. When it cleared, Tegan was normal again. She let out a shaky breath as she ran a hand through her bangs. She folded her arms across her chest and stared blankly at me.
"Thanks for taking that into consideration, but please," she mumbled. "A...A little warning would have been nice..." I smothered a chuckle.
"Sorry." My face and tone went serious again. "I guess you know what's going on now thanks to Hades."
"I...I kind of figured. I may not be able to tell with a heart, but a soul undergoes certain...changes."
"I still can't talk about it though. I don't want to risk it." Tegan nodded.
"I get it, really. I actually know what you going through..." The redhead looked down at the ground as she hunched her shoulders. "But, if it's any consolation, I'm positive everything will work itself out. Just...Just be there for him, alright?" She looked up with a mischievous little grin. "He is your 'boyfriend' after all, ain't he?" I felt my face flush like a beetroot. "N-No we're just friends! Comrades nothing more! I mean sure he's kissed me twice but that's not relevant!" Tegan's grin widened before she swung her arm around my shoulder.
"Oh did he now? Good job, Snow Top! Our Snowball has got a few things to learn then." Tegan released me and sat down on the floor, smiling. "That's what I mean though! He's got you, so he'll be just fine."
"the first time was accidental. The second one was because I was upset okay. No romance involved." I clarified, still red ion the face.
"Alright, alright, SOLDIER-girl. I'm just saying that as long as he's got some friends to keep an eye on him, he'll be fine. If he's anything like our Riku, he'll need someone for that." Tegan looked off to the side. "Dealing with Darkness always leads to trouble..." Her voice trailed off slightly. "But I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. So," she pulled out a silver, star-shaped charm and gripped it her hand. "Do you have any ideas on how to send me back? Everyone's probably worried about me..."
"I'll check my spell tome." Tegan nodded and held her charm close to her heart. "They're precious to you aren't they." I stated as I flicked through the pages of my tome. Tegan nodded and smiled softly.
"Of course. They may be a handful, but they're all I have. They're my family." She looked over at me. "Do you have anyone like that? It's just, it seems like there's just you and Riku here..."
"Yeah. When I went to the abbey everyone became my family. Seeing as how I don't have a biological family." My voice was serious again.
"I'm sorry Raven." She looked down. "But I understand at least. Which is why I've got to get back. There's someone who needs me."
"Do I detect a romantic interest of yours?" I smirked mischievously. Tegan jolted, a look of pure shock on her face.
"Romantic interest?! You've got it wrong, it's..." Her face fell and her eyes hardened. "It's my brother...I think the group I'm up against has him imprisoned. I just figure out he's been alive all this time. I won't lose him again."
"Oh, sorry." My smile faded as I recalled learning about a brother of my own. "My brother went missing when my family was killed. I don't even remember what he looks like."
"That sucks..."
"it's okay. I don't get many nightmares about them because I can't remember their faces. I was only a year old so that explains it." I brushed it off with a fake smile. Tegan was silent to that. Instead, she simply stared at the ground. And then I found it. "Here's a spell! I'm not sure if it'll work but the worst that can happen is you end up a few years younger or older." I pointed to a spell with drawings of clocks decorating the page. Tegan looked at the spell, mildly shocked. Then she started laughing.
"Well, it's worth a shot." she chuckled. "Worst comes to worst, I'll just make Salem fix me later. How does it work?"
"Oh great, it's a magic circle one." I moaned. "Okay, stand there, I'll draw it around you." I conjured a light at the end of my finger to created a magic circle around Tegan. "Okay, now it says to wait a minute then say the words 'Tempus Fugit'. So we wait." Tegan nodded as a sneaky little smile showed up on her face. Quickly, she jumped out of the circle, threw her arms around my body, and hugged me quickly.
"Thanks so much Raven. It was a blast meeting you!" Just as quickly, Tegan released me and rushed back to the circle and summoned a silver halberd. Standing at attention, she held her hand over her heart. "May the Light of Kingdom Hearts keep watch and protect you from the Darkness and may your Soul find everlasting happiness...Oh! And your Riku too!" My face went red again and I rubbed my neck, embarrassed.
"No, problem. And good luck!" I waved before saying the incantation. "Tempus Fugit!" A white light shone around Tegan and when it cleared, both Tegan and the circle were gone. "I hope I see you again, someday."
Sorry it took so long. Had a MASSIVE writer's block ^^;
Thanks so much lightanddarkheart for doing this crossover with me! ^_^
Disclaimer: Tegan belongs to lightanddarkheart