Chapter 56: Musketeers and Magicians
A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney Studios. I also do not own The Dresden Files, which is the property of Jim Butcher.
This is a creative work that I do not profit off of in any way whatsoever.
Good day—or good evening—to you, my dearest readers! I hope you all are well. The last arc through Deep Jungle was a lot of fun, I thought, and I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Going forward, we're going to be taking a little break from Roxas, Axel and Xion. Let's take a look at what some of their friends are up to while they've saving the world. This is co-current with their last few adventures.
Thus, the Twilight Trio! Hayner, Pence and Olette! Tally-ho, my dearest readers! Tally-ho!
Saying goodbye would never be something that Hayner was going to enjoy. Especially when it was with Roxas and Xion and Axel. They hadn't even been able to stay the night in Disney Castle—they had to go straight for their ship in the Gummi Garage. Another mission needed to be completed, another world was in danger. Never mind that Roxas was exhausted and Xion looked even worse than she did after she fought Sephiroth to a stand-still.
Hayner stood between Pence and Olette, with King Mickey beside her, as Roxas, Axel and Xion double-checked their supplies. Xion had needed to take two Hi-Potions from King Mickey—plus an Elixir Axel had all but force-fed her—and she still looked like death warmed over. The three of them were silent—Roxas and Xion were pretty quiet in general, but there was almost an unnatural silence to the way they were working now. As if they didn't have the energy to spare on talking.
Hayner grasped Roxas firmly on the shoulder. Roxas placed his hand on top of Hayner's and nodded firmly. Or, it would have been a firm nod if Roxas wasn't clearing fighting to stay conscious. Beside him, Olette hugged Xion as tightly as she dared, running her fingers through Xion's short, black hair. Xion winced and gave them all a tired smile, crouching down to let King Mickey give her a hug as well. Axel pressed the first two fingers of his hand to his forehead in a small salute as he led Roxas and Xion away. Axel pulled out his Gummiphone, pressed one of the buttons and the three of them vanished in a flash of light. A moment later, their Gummi Ship—long and looking more like a tower from a castle than a rocket ship—rose from its docking position.
Hayner bit the inside of his cheek as he watched the Gummi Ship fly off. Irritation bubbled up inside his belly. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right to send Roxas and Xion and Axel into battle like they were soldiers. While he stayed behind where it was safe and did nothing.
Hayner shook his head. That wasn't true anymore. He could fight now. He had a sword…well, most of the time he had a sword. He still didn't quite have the hang of summoning and dismissing it on command. But he was going to do his part this time. He'd been worse than useless when Axel had kidnapped Kairi. He'd been stuck behind in Twilight Town while Sora when through the doorway to that "alternate Twilight Town" to rescue her and defeat the Organization. And his attempt to rescue Ansem the Wise had been…less than successful. He'd gotten in a bit of fighting against that bear…cat…thing Pete and his Heartless, but Roxas, as per usual, had done most of the heavy lifting.
The fighting was over now…for the moment at least. In its special corridor, the Cornerstone shined as brightly as the sun. There was peace, tranquility even, it could be felt throughout the air. But Hayner couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't going to last. Whether this was simply because he wasn't a native of this world and as such wouldn't be quite so sensitive to the Cornerstone's light, or whether being a resident of Twilight Town specifically, as opposed to the Destiny Islands or Radiant Garden, affected things, or whether it was straight-up paranoia, Hayner couldn't say.
"Your Majesty," Hayner said, directing his attention to King Mickey. He knelt before the King, like he had seen in one of Pence's comic books—you were supposed to kneel to kings. "I request that my training as a musketeer begin immediately."
"Gosh, really? Now?" King Mickey asked. "But Hayner, it's so late!"
"If it's not too late to send Roxas and Axel and Xion away," Hayner said. "Then I can't see why it's so late that I shouldn't start my own training. In their absence, there may arise other threats."
"The Cornerstone would protect from most other threats," King Mickey said. "And Master Yen Sid and Master Aqua both cast additional charms to further protect it and this world. Hayner, you and Pence and Olette have already done more than anyone would have expected—could have expected—today. And it's late. You all need to rest."
"But…" Hayner glanced back, over his shoulder. The sky was lightening. It was daybreak. There was work to be done. "I need to do my part."
"Hayner," Pence said, placing a shaking hand on his shoulder. "Let it go, till tomorrow at least. It's like I told the others—we've all been up for nearly forty hours."
Forty hours…Hayner pinched his nose. Had it really been forty hours? Their departure early in the morning, the flight through the stars eating nothing but ice cream—even divided six ways, it wasn't a very fast journey. Then, their arrival in Disney Castle where they first presented their case to King Mickey which had been interrupted by the Cornerstone being attacked by the Phantom Blot. And then him and Pence following Roxas as he rounded up members of Donald's family to fly across the continent to the Fountain of Youth, fighting Pete and the Heartless along the way…
"Hayner, please," Olette took his hand, and Hayner stared into her eyes. They were shiny with unshed tears. "You're exhausted. We're all exhausted. For your own sake, you need to rest."
"Roxas and Xion—"
"Are probably going to sleep on the Gummi Ship," Olette said. "You saw some of those couches, there's room for them to sleep."
Personally, Hayner thought the couches had been about the least comfy sort of furniture imaginable, but Roxas and Xion hadn't seemed to mind that much. And Axel had also said something about there being beds in one of the other rooms—was it weird that there were rooms on a rocket ship? Hayner shook his head.
"Hayner, you're not going to be much help to anyone if you get yourself hurt because you didn't take the time to rest," Olette said. "Please."
"Alright," Hayner said. Olette squeezed his hand gently and grabbed Pence's hand to place on top of Hayner's. All of their fingers intertwined with one another's and Hayner felt a surge of strength, not from his muscles, but from his will. He gave a small, dry, almost inaudible chuckle.
Really, why had any of them been surprised to find out that Oeltte was one of the seven Princesses of Heart?
xxxx
Hayner felt deeply self-conscious as King Mickey led them down yet another corridor of Disney Castle. He insisted that as guests and friends of the King, they were allowed to stay within the royal family's guest chambers rather than the barracks. It still felt kind of weird, all things considered. Maybe it was just the gravity of the situation—Hayner hadn't really considered where he and Pence might be staying while they trained here. Honestly, his first thought would probably have been the Gummi Ship that Roxas, Axel and Lion were using. They turned a corner and it occurred to Hayner that the castle might be bigger on the inside than it was on the outside.
"Well, here we are!" King Mickey said. "This is the room that Sora and Riku stay in, if they ever have to spend the night here."
Hayner and Pence nodded and King Mickey led Olette further down the hallway. Hayner opened the door cautiously. The room was much smaller than the Hall of the Cornerstone, but considerably larger than the library where the King usually met with Roxas and Xion. There were two beds, though the room probably could have been enough for four or five people, if needed.
There was the faint scent of sea-salt in the air, though whether that was from an excess of sea-salt ice cream, or meant to deliberately invoke the Destiny Islands, Hayner wasn't sure. It was nice though. It helped bring a more peaceful tranquility to this room, even when you factored in the Cornerstone.
What was most surprising was that Hayner and Pence's backpacks were resting at the foot of their beds. Hayner didn't even remember taking them off the ship. But then again, like Pence said, they'd been awake for forty hours.
"Well, I guess this is it, Pence," Hayner said, running a hand through his hair. "Tomorrow the beginning of the training. We can finally…finally…do our part. Pence?"
Pence had dropped onto his bed, fully dressed, not even bothering to take off his shoes. His face was pressed against one of his arms and the other dangled off the side of the bed. He had already fallen asleep.
"Oh come on! Nobody falls asleep that fast!"
Pence began to snore. Hayner rolled his eyes and chuckled. Pence had always been a snorer, even when they were kids. He leaned back on the bed and was struck by just how soft it was. Almost supernaturally soft…and as he drifted off, Hayner thought he smelled something with…pepper. Something that he might have ordered from the Bistro back in Twilight Town…back home.
oooo
The next morning, they broke into groups. Hayner went to train with the musketeers and knights. Ienzo took Olette to the archives in the deepest parts of the library. That left Pence to begin the training he had wanted, way back in Twilight Town. To study magic under Merlin. The wizard had shown up…well, actually Pence wasn't sure when Merlin had shown up. He hadn't come with them aboard Roxas and Xion's Gummi Ship. And he hadn't played a part in the fighting with the Cornerstone either—even though Axel swore up and down that however eccentric he may be, Merlin was actually a very accomplished wizard.
Which was why Pence was still standing in the dining area where King Mickey and his friends took their meals. Everyone else had cleared out a while ago, but Merlin was still sitting and drinking a cup of tea. Pence stood at attention, while he waited for Merlin to finish his tea. The aged wizard took slow, measured sips.
"Mm…" Merlin said. "More sugar, if you please."
Pence startled. He wasn't sure at first if Merlin were talking to him, but then a moment later, Merlin's sugar bowl stood up and walked towards him…what the heck?! The sugar bowl undid its own lid and began spooning sugar into Merlin's tea cup…great heaping spoonfuls.
"Three…four…ah, when!" Merlin said firmly. The sugar bowl ignored him and Merlin's brow furrowed. "I said when. Dear me, Sugar Bowl, what am I going to do with you? Your manners leave so much to be desired!"
The sugar bowl slammed its spoon down defiantly and stomped back to a pitcher and butter dish. Pence tried not to stare but didn't think he did a very good job at it. The sugar bowl could move on its own and apparently understood human speech. Did that mean that it had a heart of its own? He glanced back at Merlin, who finished his tea with a particularly loud slurp.
"Aah, that was…well, it was a cup of tea at any rate. Now the lot of you, be off now, time for you all to wash." Merlin said. He waved his wand—Pence hadn't even see him draw it out—and at once the dishes and trays began to float into the air and…dance their way towards the kitchen. A moment later, Pence could hear the faucet running and Merlin directed his attention back to him.
"Now then, Pence, I must say, I am impressed," Merlin said, leaping away from his seat and waving his wand again to press his chair back into place. "You've mastered your first lesson well."
"Uh…" Pence said. "Er, Merlin, I'm not sure what you mean."
"Your first lesson was in patience," Merlin said. "Though I was last to arrive to breakfast and lingered long after everyone else had left. In spite of this, you showed no sign of displeasure and made no attempt to hasten my meal."
"It's only been about twenty minutes, sir," Pence said. "I'm not sure I'd call that a long time to wait for anyone."
"Ah, yes," Merlin said. "But sometimes a very short amount of time can still be considerable. Consider the mayfly. Why, he has a lifespan of only twenty-four hours. To him, twenty minutes is hardly sparse."
"I suppose that's true…" Pence said. "But then again, I'm not a mayfly…and twenty minutes spent contemplatively could spare many hours later on…er, sir."
"Splendid reasoning, my good fellow!" Merlin said, rising to his feet. "Now then, if you would follow me…"
Merlin led Pence down a hallway, through a corridor, up two sets of staircases, down another staircase and then finally through one final corridor. Merlin opened a door and led Pence into a small room. There was a bed and a desk, with one very large book resting atop it. Merlin tapped the book once with his wand and it flew open. It glowed as bright as the sun and Pence closed his eyes as tightly as he could. And he found himself in…a forest.
"Ah, my wonderful training forest," Merlin said. "This is the realm where I trained Lea and Kairi in Keyblade techniques."
"Keyblades?" Pence asked. "But sir, I haven't got a Keyblade. I don't even have a sword like Hayner's."
"Well, there's far more to combat and magic than just Keyblades of course," Merlin chortled. "But to be serious, my boy…there are rules with magic. I have seen far more malicious magic users than most. The members of the Organization? Maleficent and her disciples? They are a mere handful of the multitudes out there."
"What sorts of rules, sir?" Pence asked. He bit his lip. He'd seen what it'd been like when Xion had broken the Cornerstone—accidentally—and been sick with remorse for it. Even if it was something that could be fixed, the last thing he wanted was to make mistake like that.
"There are many rules and conditions and situations," Merlin said. "But by and large, I find that they can be summed up into seven basic principles: You must not kill a human being with magic; you must not shape shift other beings; you must not forcibly violate another's mind to alter their view of reality; you must not enthrall another's mind to bend them to your will; you must not practice necromancy upon beings; you mustn't swim against the currents of time; you must never research or make dealings with Outsiders."
Pence blinked. Some of those made perfect sense—the very idea of trying to "enthrall another's mind" made him sick. He had no idea what Outsiders were, if they were related to Heartless or not, but it made sense not to try to work with monsters. But…what about that first rule…about not killing…wasn't the point of fighting learning how to kill bad guys?
"Of course, rules were made to be broken," Merlin said. "While it's doubtful that any normal mage will find himself in a situation where he must break those rules, you might not be an ordinary mage at all. That is, of course, assuming you do have the ability to use magic. Some of the greatest warriors who ever lived had very little magical prowess. Such is the nature of things."
Pence nodded, but before he could say anything else, Merlin held up his hand. He took a long, deep breath. Pence closed his eyes and felt out with his own hand. His fingers began to tingle.
"Now, let's see if you have the potential, my dear boy. Repeat after me…" Merlin said. "Flickum bicus."
oooo
Olette sighed deeply as she followed Ienzo down the corridor to the library. It wasn't just King Mickey's library—Master Aqua had sent over tomes from "The Land of Departure" and Ienzo had transferred as many books from the collections at Radiant Garden as he could. They be doing research for the next She wasn't a fighter. She'd never been very good at it. But how, after everything she'd seen, everything she'd watched her friends struggle with, could she not do everything she could to help them?
"It's going to be interesting working with you," Ienzo said pleasantly. "We didn't speak much during the time when Pence and I worked to recover the data that would allow for Roxas's restoration."
"I know that, Ienzo," Olette said politely. "But Pence has always been the best at computers…like how Roxas and Xion are the best at fighting."
"And you?" Ienzo asked. "What do you think you're the best at, Olette?"
Olette blushed. She wasn't the best at fighting, not by a long shot. There was homework—she was usually near the top of the class, if only because she would nag Pence and Hayner that they needed to get their homework done, while she had generally finished her assignments. But that was hardly relevant, especially now.
"I don't know," Olette said. "Honestly, I don't know…and I'm not sure I really care if I'm the best at something, so long as I'm actually useful."
"I understand," Ienzo said. "More than you realize. I have very little prowess for fighting myself. Even before….well, you know my history of course."
Olette shrugged. She remembered Pence telling her that Ienzo had said at one point that "Xehanort and Xemnas no longer hold influence over us," but she was iffy on the details. More Organization XIII stuff, but she didn't think it was a good idea to ask questions—Roxas and Xion disliked talking about their pasts enough as it was.
"Ah, here we are!" Ienzo said, as they walked by a portrait of King Mickey. "Let's get to work now, shall we?"
The library was smaller than most—really, it was closer to a study, but Ienzo seemed perfectly at ease as he picked up a heavy tome from a particularly large pile. Olette raised an eyebrow—the insignia on the book's cover wasn't the emblem for Disney Castle and it didn't look like the insignia for Radiant Garden either. There had to be at least twenty equally large books—any one of them was twice the length of her heaviest textbook. There was also a large computer in the corner—an exact replica of the one in the basement of the Old Mansion back in Twilight Town.
"History repeats itself," Ienzo said. "Much of what is happening now has likely happened before, if not quite in the exact same fashion. If we are able, we should try to find whether a clue to Maleficent's machinations may be found in these volumes. The conflict relies on Keybearers of course."
"Were these written by Keyblade wielders too?" Olette asked. "Before Sora and Riku, I mean?"
"As it happens, some of these volumes predate even Master Eraqus's generation," Ienzo said. "He was the Keyblade Master who first trained Masters Aqua and Terra, as well as Ventus. He was Master Yen Sid's peer when they were students."
"Whoa…so some of these are over a hundred years old? That's amazing…wait a second…Terra's a Master now?" Olette asked. "Oh my goodness, that's wonderful for him! I'm just sorry I didn't know."
"What's that?" Ienzo said, looking up. His face flushed. "Oh, so far as I know Terra hasn't formally been…knighted, if you will. But given his absolute prowess and knowledge, it's really just a formality. Sora's much the same, really."
Right…Sora. Olette bit the inside of her cheek. She could still hear it…the way Kairi had cried after Sora had faded from existence. To see someone who was there one moment and then the next…completely and utterly gone. But the rest of it was such a haze, she couldn't even remember what the last thing she had said to Sora was…or if Roxas and Xion had even been able to say good-bye properly. Sora…sweet, brave, goofy Sora…
"Do you think there may be something in here…" Olette whispered. "That might describe what happens when someone misuses the Power of Waking?"
"We can only hope…" Ienzo said quietly. His head was bowed over so completely that Olette couldn't see his face at all.
Olette picked up one of the books and began reading. It appeared to be primarily a journal, or rather a collection of journals, written by a Keybearer named Aurelius. Aurelius had lived approximately five hundred years ago. Most of his writings were about his own struggles with self-control. That seemed…familiar.
They read on in silence for some time—Ienzo was a much faster reader than Olette and he also had the habit of trying to decipher whether or not there were any codes hidden with the text.
"Perhaps if I take the first word from each sentence…There is not a secret code in this journal," Ienzo read aloud. "Well, I never! And is that not a secret code itself?"
Olette grinned softly and continued reading. Judging by his writings, Aurelius had favored as neutral diplomacy as possible and it appeared that he rarely had to deal with villains who sought conquest beyond their own world. Unfortunately, it didn't look like he had much to offer on villains who sought to plunge worlds into darkness.
Sighing, Olette turned to the next volume, selecting a slightly thinner book with a red cover. This had been written by a woman named Catharina. She had lived two generations after Aurelius and wrote much on the beauty of the world and why it had to be protected. She had clashed with warlocks and sorcerers who tried to call forth "denizens of darkness, who feed on deceit and suffering." That sounded a bit like Heartless, but Catharina hadn't gone into much description on what she had fought or how she had fought it.
Ienzo wasn't having much luck either. As the minutes ticked by and turned into hours, he began to grow more and more frustrated at his inability to find any clues for Maleficent or the Power of Waking. Throwing a fifth book—a very boring text that was little more than a history of stone masonry between the various worlds—down with a loud thump, Ienzo gave a noise somewhere between a shout and a groan. He pressed his fingers to his temples.
"Think!" Ienzo hissed. He seized fistfuls of his hair. "It wasn't that long ago that this would have been your forte."
Olette grimaced—Ienzo began swearing under his breath. Olette wondered if he had forgotten she was even there. Cautiously, she reached out a hand to grab his shoulder. Ienzo flinched.
"Forgive me," Ienzo said. "I…I almost lost control of myself…it's…you do understand of course, the frustration that comes with the inability to effectively contribute."
"Of course," Olette said. "I've never been very good at fighting. But…this is still something, Ienzo. It isn't nothing."
"A very touching sentiment, fitting of a Princess of Heart," Ienzo said. "But considering the degree to which I was able to assist in the last conflict, wherein I helped restore Roxas and Namine to life, you'll excuse me if I don't feel completely reassured."
Olette wasn't even sure she liked the idea of being a Princess of Heart. It felt wrong, somehow, but she didn't say anything as Ienzo continued.
"My entire life," Ienzo continued. "Since I can remember, it has been devoted to research in some way, shape or form. The experiments that I assisted Master Ansem and Even in…and then the experiments he led…and then the atrocities I committed when I was Zexion. But even when the answers were dark, they were there…this reality of not knowing what the answers are…it's maddening."
Olette hesitated. How could she respond to that? It wasn't as if what Ienzo said wasn't true—it was frustrating not to have found anything useful yet. But maybe they were looking at this the wrong way….maybe, instead of trying to find the stories from Keybearers long past, they could look closer at who they were fighting."
"Um…" Olette said. "Ienzo, Roxas and Xion are fighting someone named Maleficent, right? Er, well, what world does she come from?"
"Ah," Ienzo said. "The witch comes from a world that is called Enchanted Domain. It is the same world that the three Good Fairies—Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. They've worked closely with Master Yen Sid for some time and are the ones who've made many fine garments for those who fight against the darkness."
"Enchanted Domain?" Olette asked. "That seems…well, I guess every world needs a name."
"Oh, that's just how it's been classified in the histories," Ienzo said. "A funny thing, worlds. What we consider 'a world' is often a mere fraction of the planet that is aligned as such that visitors from other worlds can safely visit. Beyond that range, it becomes increasingly dangerous."
"You mean that if you travel too far from a world, you can get sick?" Olette asked. "I don't understand—how far do you mean?"
"It's somewhat complicated and different worlds appear to have different…shall we say areas of exploration," Ienzo said. "But it appears to be linked to Keyholes—travelers from other worlds tend to appear in the same general areas of the worlds they visit and these areas are usually in relative proximity to the Keyholes. It's one of the reasons Sora was always able to interfere with the machinations of Maleficent and the Organization—they couldn't not run into one another."
"I guess I understand," Olette said. "But what was that about Maleficent? If she's been around for a while, maybe we can find a book from her world that actually explains what might be going on."
"There may be something to that," Ienzo said as he picked up yet another book. "We may find our answers yet…thank you."
oooo
It was very early in the morning, but Hayner could hardly contain his excitement. Finally, his chance to contribute had come. This was the beginning of his training.
"There are four rules that all musketeers must follow before all else in combat!" A very tall mouse said. "To break these rules in combat is to ensure your destruction and expulsion from our most sacred order."
Hayner stood at attention. At either side of him were a half dozen musketeer recruits. Most of them were mice, a couple were ducks, and there was one…dog-person, like Goofy. There were thirteen of them in total…he made a note not to mention that detail to any of his friends. In front of each of them was a single musket. Hayner hadn't even realized anyone still used muskets—hadn't those become obsolete like two hundred years ago? But then he remembered some of Sora's stories. There were worlds still stuck in the Middle Ages. Muskets made a lot more sense then, if you were doing any world traveling.
"The first rule when using your musket in combat," The mouse commanded. "You must never point your weapon at anything you do not wish to destroy. Be Heartless, Nobody, Unversed or what have you, if you aim your musket towards it, then it must be with lethal intentions.
"The second rule is that you must always treat your musket as if it is loaded," The mouse continued. "Even if you have unloaded it, treat it as if it is loaded. While this may seem strange to you now, given the nature of your weapon, in due time you will be using weapons that are magazine-fed, and hold many more rounds. It is imperative that you treat your weapon with the respect it is due.
"The third rule that you must follow is to be sure of your target and what is behind it. This is especially important when fighting flying enemies, of which there are many. Even if your aim is true, if an enemy is evasive, then an innocent may be caught in the crossfire. And the fourth and final rule is very much like it, to keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire, less a wayward shot cause disaster."
Along the line, there were murmurs of concern, but Hayner didn't say anything. He would keep those commands. He would learn to fight with the muskets and then he would learn to fight with a sword and then, he would finally, finally be able to do his part in this effort. Roxas and. Xion wouldn't have to face it alone.
"I will teach you all that I can. As my cousin rules this world, so I serve to defend it," The mouse continued. "I am Commander Ruffhouse Rat, the leader of these happy few, the mighty musketeers."
"Your King Mickey's cousin?" One of the ducks asked. "Wow!"
"I am Queen Minnie's cousin," Ruffhouse corrected. "I am also King Mickey's sparring partner, though we haven't crossed swords in quite some time."
A thousand questions raced through Hayner's head, but he didn't actually ask them. He glanced left and right—none of the locals seemed particularly bewildered by this correction. The thought crossed his mind about just how little he knew about this world.
"You will not fire with the muskets just yet," Ruffhouse said. "Instead, you will be partnering with one another for hand-to-hand combat and introductory sword techniques."
"What about him?" Another duck said, pointing to Hayner. "He's not from around here—is he training with us?"
"Yes—and you just got yourself a ticket for a hundred push-ups, Mallard," Ruffhouse said sharply. "King Mickey specifically requested that I spar with you, specifically—Hayner was it?"
"Um…yes, sir," Hayner said. "I asked to train with the musketeers because I wanted to learn how to use this properly."
He held out his hand and with a flash of light, his sword appeared. Much lighter than it looked…silver-white blade, golden hilt, and a small lucky emblem. Several of the others gasped and Ruffhouse looked impressed.
"Ah, now this is interesting indeed," Ruffhouse said, cracking his knuckles. A moment later, blue light began to shine all around his body. It almost looked like the magic shields that Xion and Master Aqua made. "It is not often that I get something that might be a real challenge."
xxxx
Hayner and Ruffhouse stood in the middle of…well, it wasn't exactly an arena. It was more of a courtyard. It reminded him of the sandlot back in Twilight Town more than anything else. Gathered around the courtyard were the musketeer recruits and some of the knights—including Goofy.
"Gwarsh, are ya sure about this Hayner?" Goofy asked as he walked up to Hayner. "Ruffhouse is awful tough. He used ta be a boxer, back in the day. Still is—he can fight King Mickey and they're even."
"I don't want to hurt anyone, so I can't fight any of the new recruits. Not with this.." Hayner said, swinging his sword. Master Yen Sid had called it…the Dream Sword. Hayner wondered to himself whether or not he'd be able to change its name to something a little cooler. "Besides, I need to train if I'm going to pulling my weight with Roxas."
"Oh…alrighty then," Goofy said. "But yer gonna have to be very, very careful, ya hear? Roxas and Xion would be so sad if ya got hurt."
Hayner gave a brief nod. He wasn't going to allow himself to get hurt. He wouldn't—he couldn't—let Roxas and Xion down like that. Not after everything they had done for him. Hayner watched as Goofy walked off to the side of the courtyard. He was standing between one of his knights—a very tall and stocky dog-face—and one of the musketeer recruits—the dog-face, who was actually looked a lot like Goofy. Could they be related? Goofy had a son of his own, didn't he?
"Recruit!" Ruffhouse barked. "We'll spar until one of us yields. Are you ready? I will not fight an unprepared opponent—but know now that is not a courtesy you will find in actual combat."
Hayner stood his ground. He had fought before. He had cut down several of the Heartless, back when he'd been helping Roxas track down the Fountain of Youth. And then there had been all those Struggle matches. He could handle this…at least a bit.
Ruffhouse took three steps towards him and then stopped. That seemed odd to Hayner, but still…an opening was an opening. He started walking towards Ruffhouse, his sword in hand. Armor shimmered with magic along Ruffhouse's arms. Even if Hayner got in a few good hits, he probably wouldn't hurt Ruffhouse that badly. But as he drew nearer, something felt…off. Ruffhouse seemed to almost…shimmer. Like he wasn't completely solid…
Hayner leapt to the side and only just managed to avoid getting hit in the back of the head. Ruffhouse blurred away and then another Ruffhouse—maybe this was the real Ruffhouse or maybe it was another hologram…illusion…thing—charged towards him, his hands raised into fists. Hayner swung his sword three times, but Ruffhouse parried each blow. On the fourth try, Ruffhouse caught the Dream Sword.
Hayner's mind stopped working…he had to do something but what…what? Magic…he didn't know how to use magic. But he had a magic sword…and Roxas and Xion and all the rest of them could use magic. Even Isa knew a bit of magic.
"Fire!" Hayner shouted.
A small ball of fire…really, it wasn't much bigger than a firecracker, erupted from the tip of the Dream Sword. It went flying off…and then fell down after it went maybe ten feet. But it was enough to make Ruffhouse let go off the Dream Sword. And Hayner began running backwards. And Ruffhouse began to follow him.
"Gwarsh," Goofy shouted, covering his face with his gloves. "I can hardly look!"
"Now, Uncle Goofy, you can hardly consider this a surprise. It's actually quite interesting," The short dog-face said. "The boy's technique is reminiscent of—aaaaah!"
"Come now," Ruffhouse said. "We're only getting started! Show me what you're made of!"
Not a chance of that. If he could grab Hayner's sword like that, then there was no telling what else he could do. But Hayner wasn't about to get close enough to find out. He kept running, occasionally looking over his shoulder. Ruffhouse was tall and thin…but how fast a runner was he? Hayner had seen boxing matches before—his dad had taken him to a match once. And they moved a lot faster than they looked. Hayner dodged Ruffhouse again and again and swung his sword at Ruffhouse's back. It connected, but it didn't seem to slow him down at all.
Hayner kept running. He couldn't win this fight, but really, all he had to do was not lose. It wasn't much like a Struggle match at all—there was some running, then, yes, but not like this. Maybe if he ran sideways, he could get an angle in on Ruffhouse. Or maybe he could turn back the other way—Ruffhouse was very tall, at least as far as mice and rats went, even in Disney Town.
Hayner ran forward—Ruffhouse raised an eyebrow in surprise and Hayner ducked down. Ruffhouse stumbled and tried to grab him, but he missed. Hayner felt a rush of triumph.
And then Ruffhouse punched him squarely in the face.
xxxx
"Ow…" Hayner groaned. "Owww…"
"Easy does it," Goofy said. "There's a good fella. Gilbert, hand me the hanky please…oooh…"
"Two minutes, thirteen seconds," Ruffhouse panted. "You're stronger than you look, kid."
"I spent most of that running away," Hayner protested. "I don't think I got more than five or six hits in…owww"
"If the monsters you fight are not able to hit you, then that's half the battle won already, if not more," Ruffhouse said. "Take it from someone who's been there, in sport and in actual battle."
"I've fought before…" Hayner groaned. "I lasted longer…against Heartless…I think."
Was that true? Hayner wasn't actually sure of that anymore. Roxas had been there before.
"Oh, there's gonna be plenty of time for ya to learn to fight," Goofy said. "Now, Gilbert, you have the…oh, yes, the Potion. Here ya go, Hayner. Drink it all at once—they taste worse than…well…just about everee-thing."
From the throbbing in his head, Hayner wasn't sure he cared how badly a healing Potion tasted. He yanked the cork off, crushed the vial in his hand and poured it down his throat.
Blecch!
"Gah!" Hayner said. "That…what the heck was…bleeech!"
"Ah," Ruffhouse chuckled. "I remember the first time I had to drink some of those. You'll get used to them. I know I did."
Hayner grunted. Yeah, it was worth it…the pain would go away eventually. How many times had he seen Roxas and Xion work themselves to exhaustion? Or Sora, before them? It would all be worth it, in the end…
Hayner summoned the Dream Sword. He was finally getting used to it. Its warmth was familiar…almost like it was giving him strength again.
"Let's go another round, Commander."
A/N: Here we go, my dearest readers! Another chapter is in the books! I hope you all enjoyed! I'm sorry this one took so long—I think a mixture of writer's block combined with distraction with other projects delayed publication.
Things are heating up!
For the record—Ruffhouse Rat and Gilbert Goof are not original characters. They're from the Disney Comics, primarily from Italian publications if I am not mistaken. I thought they added stronger flavor than originals would, so I added them to the mix.
Thank you for reading, my dearest readers! Leave a comment if you're so inclined! I appreciate each and every one of you!
