A/N: Yes, the next few chapters are going to mirror the opening of KH2 VERY closely. There is a reason for this that shall be revealed later
Hauru awoke with a start and a cold sweat, the agonized screams from her earlier nightmare still fresh in her mind. "That memory again..." she said to nobody. Hauru had taken Riku up on his offer. And whenever she was in Twilight town for long enough, she found herself sleeping in the Old Mansion just outside town. It let her spend more time in the past couple of months with Riku and he had even introduced her to the mysterious DiZ. Something about the masked man seemed familiar, but Hauru couldn't put her finger on it. Something about his voice. Like she'd heard it before. Not that it had mattered. Her crusade against Organization XIII had taken something of a back seat. Nearly half their number had fallen at Castle Oblivion. Felled, as DiZ and Riku had claimed, by Sora's hand. There was another resident in the manor, holed up in the White Room. A blonde-haired girl named Namine. She didn't speak much, preferring to keep to herself. She was out and about this morning, for some reason.
"Morning Hauru," She said, tearing Hauru from her thoughts. "How'd you sleep?"
"Not great," Hauru said.
"You had that dream again?" Hauru nodded. "I wish I could help you..."
"I know. Your powers only extend to Sora and those connected to him". Namine nodded and Hauru fetched herself a glass of juice. "Have you seen Riku?"
"He'll be back Before nightfall, I'm sure. He was chasing another lead," Said a deep, commanding voice from the man just leaving the study. His face was wrapped in red bandages and he was dressed in bizarre robes. "Are you going to be going out with your friends for the day?" Hauru nodded and started drinking her juice down. "I might have a sleeping drought you could use to help you avoid those nightmares". Hauru grabbed her jacked and belt off the coat hook and then fastened her bracers. "I have to go. Thanks again for letting me stay here". Hauru heads off, out the main door and makes her way through the town. A few days ago, she'd been looked at very differently. As if accusing her of something, but she did not know what. She only ever changed in the mansion so there would be no chance the locals would ever behold her true nature. There were some rumors of theft that Hauru picked up on the day prior. It is amazing what people will say when they don't think you can hear them. Maybe the rest of the pack had some idea of what was going on. She made her way to a seemingly dead end in the Alley, the gang's usual spot. They'd set up a nice gathering place there. Hauru and Pence managed to rescue a couch from a nice couple that didn't need it anymore and there was a cork board for photographed milestones. Including the day Hauru beat Seifer off of Hayner.
"Man!" Hayner shouted. Hauru walked on into the Usual spot and saw Hayner sitting on the broken radiator. Pence had made himself comfortable on a small crate and Olette on the rescued green couch. "Doesn't that tick you off?"
"You mean how everyone thinks we're thieves?" Hauru asked. Pence nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "That's just wrong".
"Seifer's gone too far this time," Olette chimed in. Hayner nodded, stood up and walked to the center of the room.
"I mean, it's true that stuff's been stolen around town. And Seifer does have a score to settle with us and everything". Hayner stroked his chin for a bit. "So, if he wants to think we did it, I can't really blame him". Hauru looked over at Hayner, noting his expression, the frustration plain on his face.
"But that's not what's eating you, is it?" Hauru asked.
"No. What really bugs me," Hayner said, "is that he's going around telling everyone we're the thieves! And the whole town and their mothers are treating us like we're the Klepto Club!" He clenched his fists and stared right at Hauru. "Have you ever been this ticked off before in your life?" Hauru shook her head. Not really the truth. Before she discovered the Calming Draught, she was fueled by her rage alone in her werewolf form. But best not to reveal that. "Because I haven't. Nuh-uh. Never. Now... what to do..." Olette and pence seemed lost in thought, but couldn't seem to come with anything.
"We could track down the real thieves," Hauru said. "That way we could clear names and be done with this".
"That could be fun," said Pence as headed to the photo board.
"Wait," Hayner said. "What about Seifer?"
"Set the record straight first," said Hauru. "We find the real thief, then everyone will see we're innocent". Hayner groaned in frustration, but ultimately relented, since he didn't have any better ideas.
"Oh, no!" shouted Pence. "They're gone! Our photos are gone!"
"All of our Photos?" Hayner asked.
"Looks like it," said Hauru. "Right from under our noses, too. Probably took 'em last night". Hauru sniffed for a bit, maybe some kind of scent trail would reveal itself. There was something, faint, but she'd smelled it before. Whoever had been watching her the past month... could they have something to do with this?
"Alright," said Hayner. "Time for some recon!" The others all nodded and Hauru led the group out to the Tram Commons. They gathered just in front of the Biggs's armor shop.
"Let the hunt begin," said Hauru.
"Yo Hauru," Said Biggs, stepping behind the counter. He stared daggers into Hauru, bearing the look of a disappointed father. "Never thought you'd do such a rotten thing..."
"It wasn't us!" Hauru shouted. She fought back the urge to growl at the man.
"I'd like to believe you, but... who else would steal that?"
"Steal what?" Hauru asked.
"Like you don't know," Biggs said, his voice tinged with palpable anger. "Not like I'm gonna tell you. Try the accessory shop". Hauru turned away from Biggs and headed to the Accessory shop. Jessie greeted her with a warm smile.
"Oh, it's Hauru," Jessie said. "Please don't let me down. You used to be one of my favorite customers".
"I'm not a thief!" Hauru shouted, her frustration starting to surface. "It's no fun having everyone suspect me, you know".
"Then you better find a way to clear your name. The woman that runs the candy shop is disappointed, too". Hauru hung her head and wandered over to the candy shop, her eye starting to twitch. But some deep breathing helped Hauru find her emotional center by the time she stood before the sweet old lady who ran the candy shop.
"Hauru?" she asked. "Have you seen my cat?" Hauru took a few deep whiffs of the air around her with her eyes closed. Then she had it. The cat's scent. It was out on the tram tracks and just cleaning itself. Hauru ran to the cat to grab it and the tram stopped just in front of her, as it usually did. Good thing too. If she stopped the thing herself, it would raise questions. The cat was not exactly happy to be anywhere near Hauru. Maybe cats just hated lycans. She brought the cat back to the sweet old lady.
"Oh! Thank you so much, Hauru. You saved him," said the kindly old woman.
"Did they steal anything from you, too?" Hauru asked.
"Oh, my. Yes".
"We didn't do it, just to be clear," Hauru said.
"I believe you".
"Thanks, ma'am," said Hauru. "What did they take from you?"
"My photos. My precious photos".
"So," Hayner said, stroking his chin again. "The thief's going around stealing photos".
"They got past Hauru. This is no ordinary theif," Pence chimed.
"You think Seifer would no anything about this?" asked Olette.
"Let's go find out. To the sandlot!" Hauru exclaimed. She ran with her pack beside her, heading to the Sandlot, eager to get some answers. When she got there Rai, and the strange red-eyed girl who she learned was named Fuu were already there. There was a new face there. A short... person in a tan hat, blue coat and no clear way to see their face. And once Hauru and her pack arrived, the person in the coat pointed right at them, which drew Rai's focus to the group.
"Thieves," said Fuu, pointing specifically at Hauru.
"That was low, y'know!" shouted Rai.
"Oh, yeah?" Hauru's brows furrowed and her nostrils flared. She reckognized that scent. Seifer walked in from a side road into the Sandlot.
"Nice comeback there, blondie".
"What'd you say!?" Hayner shouted. Hauru held her left arm out, signaling him to stay behind her. He groaned, but remained put.
"You can give us back the photos, now".
"Yeah," said Rai. "You're the only ones who would take it, y'know?" Seifer pointed at Hauru and began to circle around her pack.
"Those photos were the only proof that we used to own you lamers before Hauru showed up," Seifer said, his anger clear in his accusation. "So, what did you do? Burn them?" Seifer took up position in front of his own gang. "Not that we need some photos to prove that you're nothing without Hauru".
"Replay!" said Fuu.
"Now you're talking!" Seifer said in his usual arrogant tone. "I guess if you get on your knees and beg, maybe I'll let it slide". Hauru clenched her fists and took out her struggle bat, a slimmer model with a crescent guard.
"We don't beg!" Hauru shouted. "Now confess, or my pack leader foot is going to kick your butt". Seifer drew his struggle club and got into his Ready stance. Hauru moved in fast, faster than usual, and dodged one of Seifer's strikes, rolling behind him and delivering a few quick strikes that send him forward. But Seifer regains his bearings just in time to block the next few attacks. Hauru manages a quick maneuver to disarm him, forcing him to loosen his grip on his weapon so her next strike sent it flying. Seifer raised his arms in surrender and fell onto his knees. Rai and Fuu leapt between Seifer and Hauru.
"Seifer's not feelin' so hot, y'know!" Rai said. Fuu stepped in front of him, locking eyes with Hauru.
"Tournament decides," said Fuu. Pence took out his camera and Hauru posed with her struggle bat on her shoulder and Pence snapped a quick photo. He gave Hauru a thumbs up and she holstered her bat. Suddenly, a massive winged heartless with a giant sword shoved Pence aside and grabbed his camera before flying off.
"What was that?" asked Hayner.
"The thief," said Hauru. "I'll take care of this". Hauru summoned her keyblade, bearing fenrir's form and gave chase, following the Heartless's scent. It may have been an Invisible, but now that she had the scent, it couldn't hide. When Hauru caught up with the thing, it started flying out to the forest outside town. Toward the old mansion she was living at. Once in the forest, Hauru summoned her keyblade, bearing Fenrir's chain and form. The heartless stopped moving at the mansion's gate, twitching in a manner uncharasteric to Invisibles. Like it was fighting something. "Nowhere to run". The heartless dropped the camera and brought its sword to bear, the twitching stopped. Hauru ran at the heartless, eager to make the first move, but her opening blow glanced off its sword. Before the Invisible could follow up, Hauru rolled out of the way and aimed her blade at the creatures back. "Deep Freeze!" she shouted. A blast of blue energy leapt from the tip of her blade and hit the creature's sword arm as it turned around, freezing it nearly solid and leaving a trail of ice on the ground towards it.
Hauru went for it, sliding along the ice before leaping high, kicking the creature in the face is she backflipped before bringing her keyblade down for another stroke. Her off-hand seemed to grab at the invisibles chest, but when Hauru landed she saw... clawmarks? She looked at her left hand. Her fingernails had thickened, lengthened and darkened. But they quickly began to revert. She couldn't think about it now. The creature's sword arm had thawed, but it wouldn't take much to finish it off. Fenrir's blade was sheathed in fire magic as Hauru charged and delivered the killing blow. Her blade left an arc aross the creatures chest as it faded. But the scent was still there. This wasn't the thing that was watching her. Invisibles could, as the ame implied, cloak themselves to remain hidden, but their scent would still linger. There would be time to consider this all later. All of the stolen photos were scattered on the ground where the creature had been destroyed. As Hauru gathered them all, she tried to track the faint scent of whoever was watching her since she settled in Town, but it was hopeless. She wandered to the Usual Spot and was given a hero's welcome by her friends.
"So, what was that thing?" Olette asked.
"Doesn't matter. It's gone. But I got the photos back," Said Hauru. She handed them all to Pence and he held up the photo of Hauru and Biggs after she got her bracers. "Oh, yeah. I was his first customer after he took over the shop".
"I just realized something," Olette said. "Look at the photos. Most of them are of Hauru". Pence shuffled through them and held each one up.
"You're right," Hauru said. If that was the case⦠then the Heartless was connected to whoever has been watching her. But why?
"You think the thief would try to steal the real Hauru?" Pence asked.
"Don't be ridiculous," said Hayner. "Who else is crazy enough to put up with her?"
"You just admitted it, not me," Said Hauru. Hayner started chuckling and the rest of the pack erupted in laughter. It warmed Hauru's heart to have friends again. They'd never replace the family she had at the Land of Departure, but they'd give her something to come back to. She knew, no matter how far she'd go, they'd be waiting for her. And that was the best feeling in the world.
