Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, but I DO own Mai, Noelle, Dayna, and any other OC's that I come up with in the future.
I dedicate this chapter to MoonlightStar777 for being my first reviewer since I started writing Shattered Hearts again. It means a lot, so thank you! Also, a huge thank you to Buddhistguy77 for my second one. I love reviews, so don't feel scared to post one ;)
Here's the chappie!
Chapter 20:
Aqua shot a sideways glance at Mai. The two had been walking for a good few minutes now, occasionally poking their heads into each room they passed. There was little conversation between them, but Mai knew that Aqua had a question she wanted to ask. It was only a matter of time before the bluenette inquired about Terra and Ventus, and then demanded that Mai returned to the Land of Departure.
"Mai…" And here we go.
"Yes?"
"How did you get separated from Ven?"
The blonde shrugged. "He had a Disney Town pass and I didn't. I could tell that he really wanted to go explore and make friends down there." A smile crept across her face. "You know how he gets that look in his eyes. He's like a little puppy; you can't say no to him."
Aqua chuckled lightly. "I know what you mean." Her heart panged as she remembered how Ventus would always beg for the last cookie, utilizing his baby blue eyes; Aqua had never stood a chance against him.
"He said he'd meet me on the next world." Mai looked up, examining the roof for 626. "I guess I'm just going to wait here until he comes."
"The Grand Councilwoman may not like that." Aqua muttered quietly as they entered a large room. There seemed to be nothing there, so they turned back around and exited.
"Well, she'll just have to deal with it, because I'm not leaving without him." Mai scoffed. "Or Terra, for that matter."
The bluenette opened her mouth to ask more about how the two had reunited, but was interrupted by Mai holding up one hand.
"Do you hear that?" She whispered, stopping in place. "It's coming from the room ahead."
Aqua tilted her head and listened keenly. There was a slight scuffling noise coming from said room. "There's definitely something there. Let's go check it out."
Mai nodded, pulling her metal fans out of their case. The experiment had seemed to be evenly tempered, but Jumba's words echoed in the back of her mind. One could never be too careful.
The door in front of them slid into the wall with a metallic clang. The two girls cautiously entered the room; eyes searching the perimeter for a little blue creature in an orange outfit. They were not disappointed; standing somewhat confusedly in the middle of the hall was 626.
However, he was not alone. There were other blue monsters quickly approaching him.
"Look out!" Mai screeched in alarm. Aqua quickly leaped into action, slashing away the three that had been encroaching upon the experiment. The blonde girl let out a sigh of relief as 626 was left unharmed.
"Thank god, you're okay." Mai trotted over to 626 warmly before kneeling down to get on his level. "Do you remember me?"
He opened and closed his mouth a few times, guttural sounds coming out. "M-Mai…. Fren…"
"Yes!" She nodded rapidly. "Do you know where our other friend is?"
"Terra!" Experiment 626 exclaimed.
"That's right!" Mai cheered excitedly. "Have you seen him?"
Aqua looked on amusedly but decided to intervene, albeit reluctantly. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we've been given orders to take you in."
626 scuttled away in the other direction. "Ooh, he didn't like that!" Mai snickered. "We'd better follow him. Maybe he could lead us to Terra."
As if on cue, ten Unversed popped out of nowhere. She heaved a sigh, getting into battle position.
"But first thing's first, I guess."
After the Unversed had finally stopped appearing, the two girls once again turned to experiment 626. Much to their surprise, he had actually been a huge asset in the battle.
"Thanks, we owe you one." Aqua smiled gratefully. "But we need to ask you a few questions, if that's alright."
626 let out a garbled cry ("Ter-ra!") before leaping onto a pole and scuttling away.
"No…" Mai groaned. "Please don't tell me we have to follow him that way."
Aqua bit her lip. "You don't have to. I'll go up and see if I can catch up to him. You can keep looking for Terra and we can meet up later." Plus, I don't know what criminals are in these cells, the bluenette added mentally. There was no way she would put Mai in danger unnecessarily. Unversed were one thing, but crazy alien inmates were another.
Mai shook her head vehemently. "That's what Terra said, and I don't see him anywhere. Do you?"
The older girl put both of her hands on said girl's shoulders. "Mai, you just landed in the wrong room. For all we know, he's still where you left him."
"But what if he's not?" The back of Mai's throat burned. "How do I know you're not going to break your promise too?"
There was a pause as Aqua contemplated her response.
"We don't know if I'll break my promise, because sometimes things happen that prevent me from returning. But, I do know that I will always come back for you in the end, whether it's here or anywhere else you may be. We're family, and we stick together."
Mai sniffled loudly, causing Aqua to pull her into a hug. "I guess you're right. There's really no way of knowing if you can come back or not, huh?" Circumstances always seemed to be against them these days, Mai noted bitterly, remembering all the negative events that had happened. It added up to be quite a hefty list.
"I swear I will do my best to return." Aqua pulled away. "But I have to go now. I can't let him get too far away."
"I'll see you around, then, Aqua." Mai grinned weakly. "Good luck."
Aqua gazed at her adopted sister momentarily before turning away. "You too, Mai."
A fake laugh came from her lips. "Who needs luck when you've got skill?"
The bluenette ascended the platforms. "Who needs skill when you've got luck?" Her voice echoed down even as her body disappeared into the darkness above.
She was gone.
(I know this isn't how it happened in the game, and I know that there isn't technically an exit to another room up there, but it kind of fit into everything better… Just assume that Aqua found 626's Wayfinder and coincidentally ran into him and Jumba and the boss battle went on as planned)
Once again, Mai found herself wandering the long hallway outside of the cell bay. There were a couple of doors that she passed by, but none of them looked particularly familiar.
"This ship is too darn big." She massaged her temples wearily. "Maybe I won't be able to find Terra again after all."
However, the world decided to help her out as a familiar door appeared around a curve in the walkway; it was the room where 626 had originally been imprisoned. Mai crossed her fingers for luck (because skill wouldn't help her there) and entered the room. Much to her disappointment, the room was empty.
"Terra…"
She supposed that she couldn't have expected him to hang around for that long. After all, he did have places to be that were obviously more important than Mai, or any of his other friends.
A pang of guilt hit her as Mai realized her condescending thoughts. Terra must have had some reason for leaving. He never broke his promises. Mai would just have to trust him, and hope that she and Ven could run into them on the next world.
Ven. A different throb hit her chest. Why was he taking so long? Didn't he miss her?
"Wow," Mai snorted ashamedly, "I sound like one of those clingy girlfriends."
No, she was fine. She would just have to hold tight until Ventus came. Until then, she figured she may as well go back to the control room. The Grand Councilwoman had cameras located all around the ship, and that room was where all the screens were displayed. It was her best chance at locating her friends.
A smirk crept across her face. Oh, she just knew that the Grand Councilwoman would be glad to see her again.
With that thought in mind, Mai left the room and toodled about for a while. After a few minutes, she came across the control room by chance and sauntered in. No one was in the room; what a surprise.
However, there was a comfy looking chair in front of the consol, so Mai sat in it and leaned back. Her eyes scanned the visuals in front of her, but saw nothing important. She closed her eyes and yawned, getting a bit drowsy. She had lost track of how long ago she had taken a nap. Had it been on Radiant Garden? After she reunited with Ventus, Mai decided, the first thing they would do is sleep for ten hours. Or more.
Meanwhile, though, that chair was a bad influence on her body; drowsiness was not something she needed to have at the moment. So, it was with much reluctance that Mai got up. Once again, she looked at the computer screens.
In the lower right corner were Aqua, experiment 626, Gantu, and Jumba.
"Great! Let's all have a party without Mai!" The girl threw her hands in the air in annoyance. Nevertheless, a second glance made her have a little more concern. "Wait… Why is Gantu attacking Aqua?" She squinted at the screen, moving closer. "Is she defending 626? It sure looks like it."
She paused. "I would go help her, but it looks like she's got it covered." Mai winced as she saw Gantu shoot his gun, narrowly missing her friend. "Well, mostly covered."
However much she wanted to help, Mai knew that she wouldn't be able to find her way to that room in time. Heaven knows how long it took her to navigate her way to this one.
Yet again, all she could do was wait for the outcome.
"Now, if only I had some popcorn."
Aqua wasn't usually one for violence, but Gantu had proved to be a special case. He had refused to even consider the thought that 626 was good, and had furthermore acted upon his belief and attacked the two of them. Jumba had stood at the sidelines noncommittally.
Notwithstanding, she was glad that she had acted defensively. 626 could now potentially have a shorter prison sentence, and the two of them had become friends. On the other hand, Gantu was currently giving her the evil eye as he rubbed his arm. Aqua could tell that he wanted to get her back somehow, and that was not a chance she wanted to take. At any rate, Mai was still on the ship, and Aqua couldn't risk getting her thrown off just because she had done something to retaliate against Gantu's stupidity.
"I guess this is one of those obstacles, Mai." Aqua exhaled. "But I will come back for you."
She tapped her armor, letting the smooth metal encase her body.
"Most importantly, I still need to take you and Ven home, but I guess that can wait." The girl shot out of the room, not seeing the gigantic Unversed zooming towards the ship. Nor did Mai, who was focusing her attention on 626 and the handcuffs that were now imprisoning him.
"I've got to save him." Mai cracked her knuckles. "Friends stick together." She ran into the hallway, and then added on an afterthought. "Well, they're supposed to, anyways." She understood why Aqua had to leave, but she was still a bit irritated nonetheless.
Out of nowhere, a huge shudder rocked the ship and Mai fell flat on her butt with a cry of pain. "Ouch! What the hell?" She scanned the hallway angrily, expecting some kind of explanation. When none was forthcoming, Mai picked herself back up and continued on; this time at a faster pace. Big impacts meant big technical problems, and she had to save 626, find Ven, and get off the ship. Hopefully, they could evacuate before it blew into a million pieces.
Of course, when the blonde girl got to 626's cell, he wasn't there. A hole in the wall that hadn't been there before led Mai to deduce that he had escaped again. She smiled fondly, wishing that she had been there to see it. "That little bugger is almost as good as me."
Ventus touched down in a room, eyes darting around for the Unversed he had been chasing, but it was nowhere in sight. To his disappointment, Mai was also nowhere to be found, but he supposed that he hadn't expected to find her instantly anyways.
"So, you're the intruder." A voice boomed out from behind him. Ventus jumped in place, feeling caught in the act of something. "Identify yourself!"
"My name is Ventus." He stepped closer. "The monster I was chasing boarded your ship!"
The grey alien scoffed. "Nice try. If there was another intruder aboard, we'd have detected it." He pulled out a gun. "It's certainly worked the past three times today."
"The past three times?" Ven echoed curiously. "Hey, has a girl named Mai been here? Or a guy named Terra, or a blue-haired girl who goes by –"
Another force rammed into the ship, effectively cutting the boy off.
"Intruder in the machinery bay!" The intercom buzzed frantically. "We lost control of the engines! I-it's some kind of monster!"
"Now you tell me." The alien pocketed his gun and stomped away angrily. "You stay right there. I have lots of unpleasant questions to ask you; especially if you're related to those other miscreants."
The boy lit up even as he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. "So they were here. But this is all my fault. I have to do something about that Unversed first."
Ventus groaned at the unfairness of the situation and sprinted towards the door that the alien had gone out before. He let out another frustrated growl when a little blue creature dropped down from the ceiling. A mean response almost came flying out of his mouth, but Ven managed to bite his tongue. It wouldn't pay to be rude to the world's inhabitants; especially if he wanted to continue making friends.
"Ven…? Terra… Ah-koo, wah… Mai!"
He kneeled on the floor in surprise. "You know them?"
The creature pulled out a star-shaped object. "Fren… Circle!"
"Is that a Wayfinder?" Ventus' interest was peaked. Nevertheless, the Unversed chose that moment to remind him of its presence.
"The engines are under too much stress! We're risking an explosion!"
Ventus facepalmed. "What am I doing? There's no time!" He bolted away once more, but not before warning the fluffy blue alien to stay there.
He would have a hard enough of a time keeping himself safe.
And, by the sound of it, he had to think fast if he wanted to save the ship. There was only so much damage the engines could take before failing.
With that in mind, Ventus increased his pace and pulled out Wayward Wind.
His keyblade would be needed soon.
Concurrently, Mai was freaking out just a bit. She had wandered into a rather large room, found a computer, and accidently activated some kind of zero gravity lock. She couldn't stop herself from floating up, and she frantically attempted to do the breaststroke in order to gain some control. What made the situation worse was the fact that there were several Unversed around her, but they seemed to be able to be able to manage themselves just fine, seeing as they were rapidly approaching her from all directions.
"Gosh dang it!" She summoned Dreams Light and threw it at one of the enemies. It connected with the Unversed and split into beams of light that vanquished all the others. "Spark raid never lets me down." Mai smirked victoriously as she finally figured out how to move herself. She landed gently down in front of a door and entered into the room that Aqua had fought Gantu in.
Experiment 626 and Ventus weren't there. Big whoop.
Mai figured she'd may as well continue on to the door across the room from her. Nonetheless, as soon as she set a toe down onto the floor, a weird green blob shot out at her feet. Mai stared at the gelatinous solid until the sound of another shot fired caused her to dodge to the left. Apparently she'd overstayed her welcome.
She raced to the other side, zigzagging left and right to avoid the slime. Was it even dangerous?
Mai got her answer when she saw that the end of her scarf had gotten singed; yup, it was. She redoubled her speed. It was not on her agenda to become fried chicken.
Gasping for breath, Mai entered the room and allowed herself to lean against the wall. The cool metal felt like heaven against her overheated cheeks. She closed her eyes in an attempt to calm her racing heart, but noticed something peculiar. Strong, irregular vibrations were coming from the surface. Mai experimentally moved along the wall, head pressed against it the whole way, and noted that the vibrations got stronger as she neared another entrance.
There was something happening there; Mai was sure of it. 626 had to be there.
So, it was with a renewed determination that she arrived in the next room. However, what she saw was something that she hadn't been expecting.
A large, somewhat jellyfish-like Unversed was circling around some sort of power core and Ven was throwing 626 up at it frustratedly.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Wow… That turned out to be a pretty long chapter. There were a lot of POV changes, but I hope that was okay with you guys. It was pretty chaotic for Mai, what with Terra and Aqua leaving her and with her hunting down 626 and waiting for Ven. And getting lost. She does an awful lot of that in this world, but who could blame her? It is pretty darn confusing when you haven't even played the game.
Also, I tried to incorporate some battle moves from the game into this one. I don't know if that's something I should keep doing or not. Thoughts?
Hope you guys liked it. Have an awesometastic week!
- SoraMaiDay