Woot! It seems I have been a bit lazy I just hope it didn't take too long for anyone to get this new chapter posted. Sometimes I just have to take some time to think.
Ch 36: they converge
deep in the center of the brotherhoods headquarters.
The training room gave the feeling of total emersion; the whole room was designed to mimic whatever scenario you could think of. At the moment it was imitating the inside of a large medieval style fortress, high, thick slabs of stone and dirt floors. The scene was quickly broken by the sound of smashing and a loud scream.
"MY ARM!! YOU BOKE IT!! Please for the love darkness, let's stop this commander I think we've trained enough today!" A halfheart lay upon the ground holding the twisted remains of his left arm, a look of fear in his eyes. Several others lay strewn about unconscious, or worse.
In the center of the mayhem stood the cause.
"It's your own fault for being a weak little whelp." A tall slouching figure steeped in front of the crippled person, his huge boots making a distinct crunching noise against the stone. His whole body was wrapped in long black cloak reveling nothing of his figure, except for his head. His long brown hair was tied back in a tight braid, and his eyes shone like fire. Over his mouth he wore what appeared to be a metal face plate, chained tightly at the back of his head. This odd mask was designed to mimic the jagged toothed mouth of some kind of demonic creature, giving him a truly terrifying look.
But it was not him that had spoken. Perched on one of his enormous shoulders was a curious sight. A small child, tiny by any standard, made to seem smaller by the man's size, sat comfortably there viewing the whole seen. Golden hair pulled into two unbraided pigtails on each side, and an almost puppy like face of innocence. The child was garbed in a black frilled dress going down to just above the knees and high black stockings with no shoes.
"I beg of you!" The lowly creature was now on his knees grabbing at the edge of the giant mans cloak, his face a contorted picture of misery. The huge beast of a man looked at his tiny tag along for a moment as if in anticipation. After what must have been a moment of consideration, the child held up a hand, and in an instant gave the thumps down.
This was all the giant needed. With one quick stomp his boot laid deep in the chest of the former halfheart on the ground, his black blood spewing in a small torrent to escape the gaping hole in his body.
"You really are a beast, I would think you would have gotten tired of this by now." The fortress began to dissolve until it had become the empty black dome that was the training room. In the arch way of the door cross stood leaning against the door jam.
"I honestly think you could put all that aggression of yours to better use brother beast." The giant of a man walked up to cross looming over the six foot tall priest by a good two or three feet. He stood for a moment as if judging the other commander. The child spoke up first.
"How we spend our free time is up to us Cross, we don't have anything better to do." Cross raised his eyebrows and let a grin of amusement spread over his face.
"Beast I think you should really put a leash on your toy, he needs to learn to hush when the grownups are talking. And by the way you really do have a bad taste in clothes for him beast, I mean really a dress? Do you even pay attention to what you do in the mornings?" the golden haired child's face turned a bright red in agitation at the insult and coiled up, ready to pounce on cross when beast put his hand up to signal a stop.
"But beasty, he's being mean!!" beast merely shook his head as if to say that was that. The boy crossed his arms and turned his head in frustration refusing to acknowledge cross anymore. Beast then lifted is hand and patted the child on the head and then silently turned to Cross as if expecting something.
"Ah straight to business brother, I have something for you from the father. We think we have a clue as to the whereabouts of the third one. Fang has expressed that we make finding her a priority for the moment, and wants you to investigate the situation and if possible brine her in. we have one now, but one piece a puzzle does not make. I'm working on other things so you'll have to go by yourself. Fang has me working my tail off ever since Zul and Claw slipped away from me. " Beast nodded his head and silently left the room. When they had gone some distance the boy on his shoulder began again.
"I don't like him very much beasty; he thinks he's so much better than us. And you just let him talk to you like he's superior. Your easily the strongest f the commanders, you could take him."
"No.." beasts voice was deep and ruff like had had been breathing smoke for years.
"No what beasty? No you're not the strongest , or no you couldn't take him?"
"Yes"
"Sigh… it's a good thing you leave the talking to me, because you never make any sense." Beast just nodded in agreement and walked on down the darkened corridors.
Meanwhile.
Sora lay in bed staring at the ceiling, his mind wandering from one thought to the other. It had been three days since the fire broke out. In the end it turned out the damage hadn't been as bad as everyone thought, and most of it was fixed by now. But the whole town was anxious.
With the latest attack from the heartless there was an extra set of eyes at every corner watching. it made sneaking around almost impossible according to Atticus, who had grown depressed by this. One of his favorite things was watching the stars from the roof tops, which he did often in traverse town. But here he couldn't afford to do anything suspicious, and had been restraining himself from any unnecessary use of his heartless powers. It was imperative they get to finding the heart and soon, or else they were threatened with being weighed down by the recent case of doldrums. But that wasn't what had Sora so distracted now. What was on his mind was a something that had happened from the day before, right after the fire.
While he had been helping to clear the mess caused by the battle in the center of town (which people were saying was probably caused by all the liquor in the pub from catching flame, thankfully ignoring the evidence of the half heart duel) he was called aside by Sir Vladimir.
"Walk with me a moment Sora. I have something I wish to discuss with you." they had walked through the town and out into the fields without saying a word, and Sora was starting to grow anxious. Finally after a deep breath Sir Vladimir began.
"Sora, since you arrived here you have had nothing to deal with but the constant turmoil we face lately. Most travelers would have packed up and left by now. But not you, for some reason or other you stayed and fought alongside us. In the short time I have known you I have seen the valor of a man twice your age resting in your eyes."
"umm… thank you? I think." Sora was unsure what he was getting at, but for some reason he just couldn't feel worried around sir Vladimir. He just couldn't put his finger on it. He felt so… familiar. Before he had time to dwell on it though the captain began again.
"I should just be to the point I suppose, I have been watching you Sora, and I heard about your situation from the gatekeeper. It's a shame for someone as you to be living as a transient. I was wondering… no hoping really that you might be willing to be done with all that. I know you said you were going north but…" he stopped and hesitated for a moment his hand on the back of his head. Then as if in total decision he kneeled down and placed his hands on the boys' shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes.
That's when it hit him.
Sir Vladimir had his father's eyes. Solid grey, like the ocean in winter when the sun was lost behind an endless veil of clouds, making the sky look as if it were made of ice and steel. If there was one thing he would always remember about his father it would be his piercing, yet gentle grey eyes.
"Sora, I was hoping you would like to come and join me and my family. I already feel I could see you as a son, and me and my wife have no children of our own after all this time. So I ask you from the bottom of my heart, Sora will you live with me and be as my son?"
Sora couldn't speak, for that matter he couldn't seem to even think. It was as if all his empty memories were filling up. All the years he had wasted crying for the father he barely knew where slowly melting like ice on the pavement.
He was here, and it was time to go home, father and son.
He stopped and shook his head to clear it. He had to get a hold of himself. He hadn't been able to give Vladimir any sort of answer that day, and since then had been laying around his room in the gatekeepers home, his mind twisting and turning like a snake. Atticus had stopped trying to get him to talk and had taken to sulking around town, walking in circles for hours at a time, in despair from not knowing his loves aliment. Even lily had given up trying to get him out of bed. He has told know one of Vladimir's offer and his depressed temperament seemed to have brought an air of gloom to the whole household.
The gatekeeper seemed to alredy have in inkling though and had asked the rest of the house to just let him be.
"He has some think'in to do and, he should be adoing it himself." And that's all he would say.
Back in his room Sora was playing back everything in his mind. From the start of his adventure to now. And several other things.
But a moment that stood out the most was when he had met the blue haired halfheart in the angles ocean. It had only been a brief encounter, but his words kept going through his head.
Why? Why should he have to bear this burden, there were much more suitable people to wield the keyblade. Something about it rang through him like a bell of realization.
He wasn't fit for this. He had no home, no family, and for all he knew his friends could be anywhere in the endless stream of stars. What was there for him? One world after the next, hiding among the people, but never joining them? Always fighting, or maybe even dying in some empty, unknown corner of the universe where no one would ever find his body. That didn't sound as adventurous as it had when he first set out.
The fantasy was out of over with and the bleak cold reality was right in front of him. There was a war on the way. A war so big it covered who knows how many worlds.
"This isn't my war. Who am I kidding? Did I think I could be some big hero? The heartless are never going to stop as long as I fight, and the halfhearts are worse. They don't care if someone's in their way these guys are real monsters." His mind drifted back to the cloud of needles that had almost covered him, only to be blocked by the spectators in front of him. He had never really liked clowns much to begin with, but the orange and green nightmare gave scary clowns a bad name.
Just why? He didn't want to think anymore. He didn't want to do anything anymore but lay there till he faded away.
Just as his misery was at its peak he felt a hand in his forehead causing him to open his eyes. Atticus was sitting on the side of the bed, looking troubled. Just as Sora was about to say something, Atticus shook his head motioning him to be silent.
"Don't speak, I don't know what's on your mind, but even if you don't fell like telling me, at least know you can lean on me till you feel better."
That was all he needed. Sora turned over and buried his face in the warmth of Atticus' lap. He needed something to take his mind of everything till he was ready to think about it. That was one thing he had almost forgotten. He had someone there for him. Someone he knew would support his decisions.
He sat up at let his lips bruise he loves cheek before falling back on the bed, his soul at ease again. He had all the time in the world to think, all the time in the world. As long as he had the one he loved he could deal with anything. The worst was out of the way for now.
Elsewhere.
The heavy doors to Sir Vladimir's home shook as a fist pounded from the outside, demanding entrance. The house maid hurried forth and pulled the door open with some slight agitation. On the other side was Lily, draped in a coat and a look of worry on her face. Just as the house maid was ready to shoo her away, Sir Vladimir himself walked into the entrance hall.
"Who's here bertha? Oh lily, does your grandfather know you're out at this hour?"
"That isn't important Mi'lord. I need to talk to you about something. Please?"
"Of course, perhaps you should come in, join me in the library" once safely inside and out of the cold of the night lily began to pace a little and the turned to the knight with a serious expression on her face.
"I'm worried Sir Vladimir, really worried. All the things that have happened lately. but there is something that weighs heavy on my heart."
"Well don't keep me in suspense, what is it lily?" The girl took a deep breath, and continued.
"It is about the boy Atticus staying with my family. I don't think he is all together what he says he is."
"Suspicion alone only makes for false accusation lily, what has he done that makes you worry so?"
"I..saw him..well…conjure something from the air when he first came here. And he seems to move trough difficult tasks with unnatural ease. I think he is some sort of…witch or sorcerer." Vladimir's face hardened instantly as the seriousness of lily's voice hit him. He looked her over and seeing no sign that she was lying to him, he let out a huge sigh.
"Are you positive of what you say child. Think clearly, I know that many strange things have taken place lately, but we need more than word of mouth to convict someone of witchcraft. We need real evidence." Lily began squirming where she stood. She was obviously arguing with herself about something.
"Speak lily, there is more on your mind I see. No need to fear, tell me what it is. Let the burden from
your heart." She turned her eyes away from him, as if ashamed of what she was going to say, but began again, slowly.
"Well, you see… some nights ago, I had awoke in the middle of the night unable to sleep. I had gone down stairs to get some water from the jug in the kitchen and on my way back to my room I heard something." She stopped and tried to hide her face as she spoke, Vladimir gave her a moment to gather herself before continuing.
"I know I shouldn't have but I put my ear to the door and to the sounds from his and Sora's room. I…think he was…he was…having his way with Sora Sir Vladimir." The only sound in the room was the blowing of the wind outside as the impact of Lily's words sunk into the knight's mind.
Then suddenly a great roar of anger rolled out of him the likes of which could freeze any beast in its tracks. It was heard for some distance around and pierced the night like a red hot sword. Then as soon as it had begun, the torrent was over and Vladimir stood there with a blank expression on his face.
"I think you need to go home lily. Come morning, I shall see to this mess."
Meanwhile.
Riku paced back in forth in the circle of trees, his patience thinning by the second.
"And your saying the flame head got away jade"
"He's only hiding again; I don't think he plans on running away from us yet. We still have a chance. But the last encounter showed us that there is only one way to do this. We all strike at once, he has had a few days to rest and feel secure, he won't expect a straight on full force attack."
"Alright then, it's decided. We attack tomorrow."
Not too far away
Harlequin was playing with his tarot cards as he swung his legs from the tree branch he sat on. This was too boring.
"I need to spice things up. As long as the key isn't hurt I can do as I please. But I'll let him have one more peaceful night. But come sunrise, he's going to see the most intense game of hide and seek ever. Tomorrow is going to be a hell of a day."
End chapter 36.