So, here's chapter fifty. I've updated early because later today I'm leaving for a cross country meet, and spending the first half of tomorrow with that and the second half at a marching band competition. o_o' So, yeah, no time for it tomorrow.
Anywho, thanks go out to DaniPotterCedric'sGirl, caitlinkeitorin, Confizzledworld, Flightfoot, kingdomdisney, Sora Tayuya, and SkyWarrior2 for reviewing last chapter!
Chapter Fifty: Supers
"Do you guys really have to go?"
The plaintive question was posed by Kiara, to which Roxas nodded. "In the morning. There are some people who still need our help."
"We might come back and visit sometime, though," Shadow added.
Simba nodded to the trio. "Good luck." He looked to the two cubs. "Let's go home." He turned and padded a few steps, with Kiara behind him. Kovu, however, hesitated, at which time Simba looked back at him with a small smile. "All of us." Kovu's eyes lit up, and he dashed after Simba and Kiara. Roxas allowed a small smile of his own. It was may only be a start, but things could get better in the Pride Lands.
This train of thought, however, led him back to the journey they still faced. There wasn't any sign of Time Racers here, either. He closed his eyes briefly. How long have we spent on this? How much longer before we can do what we finally set out to do?
"Roxas?"
The Nobody blinked his eyes open at the sound of Shadow's voice. "Yeah?"
"You spaced out again."
He smiled slightly. "I guess I did." He padded forward. "Come on; we should head back." As his two companions followed after him, however, he couldn't help the voice that asked, And when you finally finish your journey, what happens next?
The next morning found the trio hurtling through the space between the worlds. "So…which one next?" Angel asked.
"How about that one!" Shadow cried, pointing ecstatically out her window. "Or…that one! No, wait, that one!"
"Shadow…" came Angel's sigh.
"What?" There was a pause before the brown-haired girl gave a relenting sigh. "Maybe you should chose the world."
"What?" Angel exclaimed in surprise.
"It doesn't really matter where we go next," Roxas called back to them. "The Time Racers could be anywhere."
"Fine." The former Time Racer paused a moment before saying, "Let's just go to the one up ahead."
As Roxas steered the Gummi ship in the direction of the world, he narrowed his eyes. It wasn't a world he was familiar with, and he couldn't help but remembering Nottingham. Well, it's too late to go back now, he thought as the Gummi ship entered the world's atmosphere. He brought the Gummi ship up to hover just above the ground before letting it land with a thud on the ground.
As usual, Shadow was the first to skid out the door, with her male companions following a bit more slowly. As they emerged, they found Shadow looking around with curiosity sparking in her eyes. "Do you guys recognize this world?" Both shook their heads. "Cool!"
"Interesting how you say 'cool' to possible problems," Angel retorted dryly.
"How can exploring a new world be a problem?"
Roxas's head shot up as the sound of a scream ripped through the air. "Like that," the metal-haired boy beside him responded. He dashed off in the direction of the scream, his friends following behind him.
The trio traipsed through the woods a while before coming to an area with a cave that was filled by familiar beings. "Nobodies," Roxas hissed, summoning his Keyblade. Narrowing his eyes, he saw that the Nobodies had surrounded what looked like two kids.
"This is hardly a fair fight," Angel commented, summoning his daggers and launching himself towards the first Nobody.
"Yeah! We'll totally cream them!" Shadow followed suit to cut through several with her claw gauntlets.
"Not what I meant, Shadow."
Roxas lunged forward himself, Keyblade slashing at the body of a Dusk. The Nobody took a few hits before fading from existence. He turned his gaze to the two kids. "Get to safety."
"No way! I want to help fight!" the boy cried.
"Dash, listen to him," the girl beside him hissed. "Let's go."
"What? You think I'm scared of these guys?" Roxas hardly had time to blink as Dash raced towards a Nobody at incredible speed, the husk dissipating before his eyes.
"Maybe their not so outmatched after all," Angel commented.
"Now, this is unfair," Shadow said, though Roxas noticed she was grinning broadly.
A flicker of movement caught the golden haired Nobody's attention. Acting on instinct, he threw his Keyblade in the direction. The weapon cut through a Nobody that was coming up behind the two kids before Roxas summoned it back to his hand in a burst of light. "Only if they pay attention," he replied.
"That was cool!" Dash exclaimed. He turned to the girl beside him. "Violet, show them your powers."
The girl looked away. "I-I don't know. Mom always told us not to use our powers."
Roxas noticed another Nobody coming up behind the two kids. He began to head towards it, but Angel got to it first, cutting through it quickly with his daggers. Roxas gave a nod to him, then turned and whipped his Keyblade so that the edge collided with the body of another Nobody that was flying towards him. He caught a glimpse of Shadow streaking towards another Nobody to quickly slash through it with her claw gauntlets. Dash had obviously decided to help out, being true to his name and speeding across to land rapid hits on the advancing Nobodies.
Roxas ducked under the strike of one of the Nobodies. He spun around low to the ground with his Keyblade out, forcing back the empty vessels that were coming steadily nearer. He used this momentum to return to a standing position and jump up, cutting through one Nobody as he rose, and bringing his weapon heavily down on another as he fell. He transitioned straight from this into a slash, using the momentum from this to spin him around so he could deliver a more powerful blow at the same Nobody.
He paused in the dance of battle when the Nobodies were no longer coming towards him. He glanced around him and, once assuring himself all were Ok, turned to face Violet, with Dash racing up to stand beside her. "What happened? Why did those Nobodies attack you?"
"Nobodies?" Violet asked. "You mean those white things?"
"They're Syndrome's minions!" Dash exclaimed.
"Who's Syndrome?" Shadow asked as she and Angel joined Roxas before the two.
"He's an evil guy who wants to get rd of supers."
"Dash!"
"What? They're supers, too!"
Roxas felt the familiar tinge of confusion, and he suppressed a sigh. "What are supers?"
The two looked at him in surprise. "Ok…maybe they're not supers," Dash conceded.
"Maybe we should head somewhere else," Angel interrupted. "In case the Nobodies show up again."
Roxas nodded. "Right." He walked a few paces forward, calling as he did. "Come on; you guys need to get someplace safer, in any case. And maybe while your at it, you could clear up a few things."
Sora felt himself growing anxious. "When are we going to do this?"
Riku glanced over at him. "Whenever we figure out how to actually escape our cells."
The Keyblade Master sighed, leaning back against the wall of his cell. They'd been able to figure out plenty of things about their escape plan, like what they'd do about the Time Racers and how they planned on getting off the world. However, the one thing they weren't sure about was how to get out of the cells they were trapped in. The cells barriers prevented them from using their Keyblades to unlock them, or they would've done that long ago. Unfortunately, the only other way they could think of to escape their prison was to get keys from a Time Racer, and they all knew how unlikely that was to happen.
"I wonder how Roxas is doing?" Sora asked, thoughts of escape brining him back to the reckless release of his Nobody.
Riku and Kiara both shrugged in response. Then, Riku added slowly, "You know, Sora, when he comes back, he probably won't want to simply fade back into you again."
The Keyblader gave a slow nod. "I know."
"You don't sound too upset," Kairi commented, looking across at him through the bars of her cell.
"Well, it's kind of a weird thought, knowing that I'm technically a Heartless," Sora admitted, "but if I were him, I don't think I'd want to do it, either. After all, it's not like he needs to for me to wake up or anything this time."
Kairi nodded, her eyes shadowed, but a small, understanding smile was on her lips. "I get it." She pressed her hand against the invisible barrier that coated the bars of the cell. Sora lifted his hand to press it against the barrier where hers was. Riku just looked away.
The sound of an opening door alerted the trio to a Time Racer entering. Down into the dungeon came the form of Zylen himself, his eyes glinting oddly in the dim lighting. "Well," the leader of the Time Racers commented, "you and your Nobody almost seem to be more trouble than you're worth."
Sora grinned. Roxas must be giving them one heck of a time. "What? You aren't having fun?"
The dark man's eyes narrowed. "No." Sora really didn't have much response to that sort of answer, nor did his companions, so they remained silent. "As it turns out, your Nobody doesn't even know anything that could help us further our plans."
"He is Sora's Nobody," came Riku's dry response.
Zylen ignored Riku's attempt at humor. "If I had to guess, that probably means you don't know anything, either."
"Know anything…about what?"
Zylen smirked slightly. "I want to know how to utilize the power of people's hearts to create power."
Sora's eyes widened slightly. Kingdom Hearts. The words echoed through his head fiercely. It was the only source he could think of that could give that kind of power. Still, he wasn't going to admit that to the Time Racer. "And what happens if I don't?"
Zylen's smirk grew, and his eyes glittered with a dark light. "I'm sure we could use you for other purposes." With that, he turned around and stalked off, leaving the three Keybladers to shudder at the thought of what he might do to them.
I hope you hurry, Roxas, Sora thought, looking up. I'm not sure we have much longer to escape.
Don't give up yet, Sora.
The boy started at the words that reverberated through his head. There was no voice or face to match them, and yet they were there all the same…and somehow, the presence behind him seemed familiar…Who are you?
No one important.
So, why are you talking to me?
…You've got your friends, Sora. Never lose them, and you'll be able to get out. Trust me on this one.
Sora felt the presence of the voice fade from his mind. He smiled and gave a slight laugh. "Yeah."
His two friends looked at him curiously. "'Yeah' what?" Riku queried.
He looked back and forth between them. "We can't give up yet. After all, they haven't taken everything." Both nodded their assent, their eyes showing that they were thinking the same thing he was. "Let's keep trying to find a way out of this place." We just need to hold out a little bit longer.
There's the end of chapter fifty. Feel free to tell me what you think.
