Author's Note: okay! chapter five! *jumps on the trampoline* diclaimer: I don't own KH characters! *jumps* I only own Aya and Roz! so don't steal them! *jumps again* anyway, this chapter is a continue to the cliffy in chapter four... *jumps again and again* but anyway, read, *jumps* review, *jumps* have fun, whatever, *jumps* use my email, whatever, blah, yeah... *umps a final time, falling off the trampoline and onto the floor* ow... well, I sure do hope you like it... owie....
Chapter Five
For a long time, Sora didn't utter a word. He just sat there silently, leaving Riku and Roz to ponder and wonder. When Sora made a move, though, Riku and Roz were there to hound him if they needed to. But Sora didn't need hounding; the boy only stood up on his own, silently, keeping his head bent. A shadow was casted over Sora's face, shading and hinding on whether he was still evil, back to himself, or zombied out. Apparently, he didn't zombie out, for the next thing Riku or Roz knew, a strong gust of wind surrounded them, and Sora jumped out the window!
"Sora!" Riku shouted, shielding his eyes from the cutting wind.
"Riku! Forget him! We've got a more important situation on our hands!" Roz's voice came faintly; she was trying to be heard above the unnatural wind.
Riku squinted, trying to look what Roz was pointing at. There were rows and rows of Heartless. Riku cried out when the wind died down and one of the bigger Heartless trampled him. Unable to breath properly or move at all, Riku gasped, helpless. But on the verge of going unconscious, the heartless was removed from over him, and he was able to sit up and breath again. Riku looked up at who saved him.
"Zidane..." Riku said quietly. "Thanks..."
"No need for that now, you still have a bit of trouble for yourselfs." Zidane pointed to many Heartless that were gathering around the room. "Anyway, it's what I do. I save people... Well... um... yeah....." Zidane faultered when Riku started to glare at him. "Well, let's just get back to the battle, um.... shall we?" Zidane sweatdropped.
Riku nodded, getting up and getting out his sword. He noticed that the keyblade was gone. Sora must've taken it, Riku guessed, growling and mentally kicking himself. A Heartless jumped him, trying to grind him into the floor, but Riku stabbed it, moving the blade deeper and then quickly bringing the sword out in an arch, slicing the Heartless in two. Riku growled, raging through most of the Heartless in just a few blows. Zidane and Roz were holding up their end in fighting heartless, but Riku did most of the distruction and with more malice in him.
When all the Heartless were killed and all the mist was gone, Riku was leaning on his sword, panting. he was still thinking about Sora and how weird the boy acted. So fluid with his actions, so calm, so strong, so... demonic and evil. He'd even threatened Riku's life, and Riku was helpless to stop him until Roz had whacked Sora upside the head, finally making Sora lose grip of Riku. But then, when Roz had hit Sora, Sora didn't even flinch, but his eyes flashed to their normal blue before returning back to the sickening red they were before. When they flashed ocean blue, Sora was frightened and shocked, purposely losing his grip. When Sora was silent, thoguh, Riku had felt a presence--though faint--of the real Sora still there. And then, Sora's gone and he, Riku, is here, still in the hotel, and Heartless pop up! Sora's minions come to stall Sora time! but that's what Riku hated the most! Sora now controled the Heartless! What happens if later on, if Sora wasn't to come back to himself, he'd have to fight Sora?!! Riku shook his head. He could never do that! Not to Sora... Not again...
Riku cursed to himself, glaring at the ground. He felt a touch on his shoulder and looked up to find Zidane there, smiling down at him wiht the company of Roz and the others. They were all trying ot comfort him in one way or another. But All Riku did was curse and hit himself, glaring and scowling, wishing he could've done something!
"Riku. Riku! Stop! You can't do anything about it! Stop!" Zidane commanded, taking hold of Riku's arms, trying to keep him from inflicting any more damage upon himself then he already was doing. Riku struggled. "Riku! Stop! There's nothing you can do... And hitting yourself won't help either... You'll just hafta hope that Sora will come back, or return to normal in no time. You'll just hafta wait..."
Vivi was rubbing his gloved hands together, seeming a bit nervous. "W-- What was wrong wiht him?"
Roz shook he head. "We don't know... That's the thing... we don't know... He just started to act weird..." She dug the heel of her foot into the floor, frustrated. "I said that I sensed something, but that I wasn't sure if I was just wrong or what, but... apparently, I wasn't..." She turned to Riku. "Riku, you know Sora extremely well, right? More than any of us, right? Well, did you ever notice anything wrong before I came?"
Riku stopped moving all together; stopped bawling, stopped thinking, stopped... everything. Only the sound of his breath and the slight rise and fall of his chest escaped from him. Riku shook his head. "No... not that I know of..."
Roz bit the inside of her cheek. "But then, he seemed well enough in Traverse Town too, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Do you think that it, this darkness to Sora was bottled up in him ever since... well, you know... When your first adventure first started?"
Riku shook his head, confused and unsure. "I... I don't know..."
"That's what I was afraid of..." Roz stared at the ground, thinking.
Riku stayed silent, moving away from Zidane and the others, falling onto the bed, burying his face in the pillows. His eyes stung,a nd he kept them shut tight, but wetness still escaped him; tears started to flow. Silently, he continued to cry, frustrated, angry; all his feelings jumbled up inside. His arms were around his head, shielding the view of what was happening. RIku was silent for a long while, even when the others left him to himself and his feelings. Zidane had uttered words of sympathy and pity, but he too left Riku to deal with himself.
When Riku'd finally snapped out of it, it was already close to midnight, and Cid had already visited him but Riku was so zoned out that it was helpless, and Roz was no good in explaining things to Cid. Riku now laid on the bed, the sheets crumpled and such a mess, and him on it, arms behind his head and staring at the ceiling. He glanced out the window and sighed. He remembered not but a few weeks ago, he and Sora were doing the play and they'd kissed under the first sign of night. The spotlights were on them, creating a soothing and warm feeling to the scene they played together. And also, that same day, they'd cuddled in the tower where the glider was placed but then removed just for the play. That day was special, so Riku thought. But after that day, he remembered Sora acting funny, a bit... Riku shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts from his head. He didnt' know what exactly was wrong then--for he only realized them now--but he did sense something odd with Sora's behavior. But Riku had thought Sora was only growing more fiesty because of their new and closer relationship, but apparently not... Riku sighed, shaking his head once more, staring out the window and into the starry sky. But just then, a shadowed figure appeared in his window. Riku squinted to figure out who it was..... Sora?! Riku jumped up into a sitting position.
"Sora?!" But jsut as he called his name, Sora disappeared fromt the window.
Riku scrambled off the bed and thrusted the window open, looking out toward the streetway where he saw Sora's figure, standing in the middle of the street, his body facing sideways toward the hotel, and his head tilted up at him. Riku could almost see Sora's eyes, but he wasn't sure if they were still red or if they were those ocean blue that he loved so much. Riku bit his lip, climbing out of the window. He jumped, landing just a few feet away from Sora. Sora's head was still craned until it slowly lowered and turned toward him, slightly tilted. Riku got a sudden shiver down his spine. He stared at Sora with his eyes on him. Riku had a bad feeling about this, but decided to push that feeling away and follow Sora to the ends of this world if he had to. Riku was determined to get Sora back, but wasn't sure how exactly he'd pull it off.
Sora had started to move, leading the way out of the town. Riku looked back toward the hotel and had an urge to rush in and wkae everyone and tell them to come, but then also, a part of him told him to stay and be a god dog and follow Sora for it may be his only chance to see him again. Riku ran until he caught up with Sora and followed him into the night, blind in the darkness, but glad to see the moons shining and the certain glow from Sora to give off where he was--not to mention the bright yellow that stood out so well--but apparently, not in where he was stepping... Riku stumbled on several roots and twigs along the way, but tried to keep up with Sora's smooth, yet fast pace. Sora led across the large field; no monster dared to get close to the two... they seemed to sense strange, stong and deadly magic within them, or at least in Sora.
All through the night Sora led the way with Riku following in silence. Walking nonstop... that was all they did. Riku followed and followed until his legs could hold him up no more. He collapsed onto the grassy field in the night, breathing hard. He heard Sora stopping and tracking back to him. Riku sat there, panting, sweating, suddenly feeling weak. His vision blurred and things started to spin...
"Uh..." Riku fell face first onto the ground, right by Sora's feet.
Sora stared down at him with ahlf hodded eyes. He shook his head silently then knelt down to scoop up Riku, carrying him off in silence.....
The next day, Roz awoke with beads of sweat rolling down her cheek. She had a terrible dream of which scared her out of her wits. Roz decided to tell Riku about it, but when she entered his room, a small Heartless was on his bed, the window was open, the shutters flapped, and cold air blew through. Roz was suddenly scared and screamed as long and as high as she could, having the others at her side in mere seconds. They'd all asked what the problem but she only whimpered and pointed to the room. They saw the heartless and Vivi hit it on the head with his staff, but it only sat there on Riku's empty bed, staring at them.
"HE'S GONE!!! RIKU'S GONE!!!" Roz screamed.
The others looked at her funnily before shifting their gaze over at the Heartless. Zidane approached it, grabbing it by the antaenne and shaking it around a bit. "He can't've changed into this, could he??"
Roz shook her head, sniffling. "N--no... But this is exactly what I dreamed!!! EXACTLY THE SAME THING!!!"
Dagger put an arm around Roz's shoulders and tried to calm her down. "Zidane, bring the Heartless... Let's sort this out downstairs." She turned to Roz in turn and asked her if she would be able to at least make it downstairs before she explained things.
Roz cooperated and did follow them downstairs to the living area of the hotel that was right in front of the the front door and hte check-out/in counter. Once settled, with the small black figure of a Heartless in her lap, amazingly harmless, Roz unveiled her dream.
"It starts dead in the night," she starts to say. "I am sitting atop the a ledge in the building right across the hotel. I see a dark figure slink up to one of the windows, but I do nothing to say my notice or try to stop the figure. I wait a few minutes as the figure just stands atop the overhang of the door. The figure leaned on the window sill, peering inside--it looked. I sat there, trying to figure out who this person was, when suddenly, the moonlight his the figure, showing their features."
Roz stopped a second, trying to gather enough breath for her next sentence, then: "IT WAS SORA! That 'figure' was SORA guys!"
Silence came over the others, and even the little Heartless was astonished by her suddenly outburst. It clung to her for dear life and didn't want to fall.
Roz bit her lip before continuing. "Sora was there, on the hangover of the door. Just there. Silently waiting. Standing there... Just ... there.... I trying to fathom what Sora waaas doing when in a flash, Sora jumps from the overhang and backwards to the ground--in a perfect flip, too, if I may add. But when he landed, he then turned his body facing to the gates of Limblum but kept his head facing up at the window. I looked at why he had jumped; obviously I was curious... But when I looked, I saw Riku scrambling to the window sill. Riku seemed desperate and yet hopeful to find Sora. He looked this way and that before he laid his eyes on Sora, staring back up at him. Riku seemed to be overwhelmed by joy and immediately jumped to the ground, next to Sora. Sora didn't seem to return Riku's joy in seeing him. In fact, Sora was silent and showed as much emotion as a rock would. Sora just started walking toward the gates of Limblum, not even bothering to wait for Riku's answer in following him. But that wasn't needed. See, Riku did start to follow, but hesitated in his walk, stopping to look back at the hotel before he ran up to Sora and followed him again. I swear in my dream I could almost hear his thoughts. It wasn't that I 'heard' them exactly, but the emotions and feelings were projected into words in my mind. He seemed to want to follow Sora badly, as if he'd never get a chance to see his dearest friend again, but also didn't want to leave us. He wanted to--I believe--go back and at least tell oneo f us or leave some kind of message, but I think his feelings for Sora were stronger and that's what made him follow. ...
"I found myself wondering things I never thought about before,a nd soon enough, I too had jumped off my post and followed them. They walked right past the gates that swung open and almost immediately closed right after them--I had to run so that I could get past without being locked in. I followed them on their endless walk in the night with only the two moons' light as a guide. What seemed like minutes was probably hours as we walked in silence. Riku couldn't keep with Sora's surprisingly fast pace. And neither could I; I could barely stand when Sora stopped. But the only reason that Sora stopped was because Riku had fallen. Monsters and beasts gathered as Sora stood before Riku, his blank and unclear eyes staring down at Riku as he panted and huffed, trying to gain back some of his breath. I too sat, but among the beasts and monsters, watching the show unfold before our eyes--assuming they all had eyes to begin with--in silence.
"I saw Riku being engulfed by a dark aura before he finally collapsed, tired out. To my surprise, Sora just stooped down and picked Riku up in his arms, and was strong enough to carry the unconscious body; but then again, Sora wasn't himself... he was different like before. I was a bit scared at Sora's sudden abilities, his changes, but then I remembered it was but a dream. But even so... I felt as if it was real. Like it really happened... I shut my eyes for a second," Roz did close her eyes for a moment as she said this, "and when I opened them," she opened her eyes, "I saw Sora carrying Riku away! The beasts and monsters all followed Sora as he carried Riku off and farther onto the field." Suddenly, Roz started to cry, grabbing the first thing she could, the small Heartless, and hugged it tight, hiding her face as best she could. She curled into a ball in her seat on the couch, practically squishing the little Heartless that she clutched to her chest.
Dagger placed a hand on Roz's shoulders and gave her a comforting and supporting squeeze. Dagger tried to say comforting words too, but Roz wasn't finished with her story. Roz uncurled from her ball and stared down the heartless that seemed like it just had a heart attack with her tear stained face.
"B... But... But what made me believe that my dream was more like a prophecy or something like that then just a dream was a part in my dream I didn't.. or haven't... explained or told yet. See, in my dream, just a little after Sora, Riku, and the beasts and monters I went back to Limblum.. or at least, that's where I ended up again. I went back to the hotel, going inside and aimlessly walking. I visited all of your rooms, but the one I stayed in, the one I went to and found this little critter," Roz petted the Heartless, "was Riku's. It was on the bed just as I found it a while ago."
Roz gave a weak smile, getting up, cradling the Heartless that didn't seem at all to mind being in her company. "I'm sorry about blabbing. I'm just a bit emotional and weak. Heh.. That's what I hate about myself. Whenever I make good and close friends, then when I lose them, I crack up like some blubber... Sorry..." Roz trecked back upstairs to Riku's room, laying down the Heartless and gently touching the sheets of Riku's unmade bed. She bit her lip as she fixed the bed and then lied down over the sheets, staring up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes as the small Heartless lept onto her lap, laying across her front. Little did she know, the small Heartless glowed a dark aura, having Roz be engulfed by its essence. Roz was still as the Heartless worked its magic.
In Roz's mind, she was walking in a black fog with no sense of direction what-so-ever. Then, she came across the small Heartless that she nearly squeezed to death. It led her through the fog until she came to a body of water where the fog let up almost completely. Roz saw a figure; immediately, she recognized it as Riku. Roz wanted to call hisname but found that her voice wasn't working and that she couldn't move when she tried to. It was almost that she was paralyzed, standing there. Roz watched, seeing Riku stare out to the large body of water. Riku's back was to her but she could almost see his face.
Roz heard someone call Riku's name. Riku had reacted and turned to his left where the voice was coming from. Riku smiled, one that was heartfelt and truely meant. He opened his arms to welcome another; the one who called him. A boy just a few inches shorter than Riku jumped into his arms; it was Sora. Sora was swung around and he hugged Riku; he practically clung to the older boy. Riku hugged back but showed more emotion and pleasure for being with his friend.
Roz gasped at what happened next, her heart ceasing for a second; she closed her eyes, surprised that she could, and opened them after a minute or two to see Riku now on the sand, laying sideways on red stuff. Roz saw a blade in Sora's hands, the same red stuff that Riku laid in. It took Roz a moment or two to realize that that 'red stuff' was actually blood. Roz stared horrified at Sora but was shocked even more when she saw a faint sign of a smile curve Sora's small lips. Roz's mouth trembled at the horrible sight as the Island soon morphed into a deadly wasteland full of darkness and evil. Tears welled up in her eyes; she tried to blink them away but when she closed her eyes, she found that she wasn't on the Island anymore. Everything around her was dark, dark, and completely black. Roz found she wasn't paralyzed anymore and walked aimlessly through the darkness. In the corner of her eye, she saw a faint flicker of light; she followed it out of curiosity. As she slowly gained progress, the light growed more strongly.
When she reached it, finally, the light appeared to be a door. Roz looked around her but found nothing but darkness. /Stupid... No one's gonna be around to watch...\ she thought, so she reached for the handle and opened the door that seemed to weigh a TON for it creaked and barely budged. When she got open enough to slip through, she saw a bloody trail right in front of her. Terrified and totally freaked out, Roz quickly turned to get back through the door again, but when she did, the door shut quickly and disappeared. Soon, she fell backwards but instead of making contact with a hard ground, she fell through a pool or redness. Roz tightly shut her eyes as the liquid burned and stung her eyes. Roz tried to cry out but swallowed down some of the red liquid.
Roz struggled and tried to swim but the more she moved and squirmed, the more lower she sank in the neverending pool of red. She tried and tried but failed; her eyes were still shut tightly.
Roz seemed to pinned down even if she WAS in liquid where there was nothing she could be "pinned" to.
"AAAAGGHH!!!" she screamed, opening her eyes.
This time, when she opened her eyes, the red liquid was gone and a big yellow thing was right in front of her.
"AAAH!!!"
"Roz! Calm DOWN!!! Stop-- Stop moving!!! ROZ!!!!" came a voice; a voice that was really close to her.
Roz whimpered and obeyed. He closed her eyes for a second, letting tears stroll down her cheek. When she reopened then, her vision was blurred, but when she wiped them away, she saw Zidane's worried face in front of her.
"Z- Zidane?" she said quietly.
Zidane gave his charming smile and nodded. "You okay?"
"Y- Yeah... I think..." Roz clapped a hand to her forehead, wiping away the sweat that had formed there. She turned her head to see Vivi right be her side, his gloved hands (hands?) clasped together and worry in his eyes.
"Y- You were screaming in your sleep... W- We, Zidane and I, came up as quickly as we could to find you tossing and t-turning in bed..."
Roz sat up to see exactly what they meant. The sheets were clumped, the bed mattress was practically a foot off the spring box that held the mattress in place. THe pillows were not under her head but one was on the floor several feet away from the bed, and another was on the dresser that used to carry a light but now occupied the floor, the glass that held it's containts, shattered. Roz remembered that the little Heartless was upon her before she drifted into sleep, but now, it's gone.
"Z- Zidane? Was i really that bad? Did I really scream?" She feared the answer even though she already suspected what it was.
Zidane nodded just once, but that was enough for Roz; she started to sob. Zidane sat just at the edge of her bed, hugging her, rocking her back and forth, trying to comfort her.
"It's okay.. It was probably just a little ol' bad dream... Nothing to worry about..." he kept saying over and over to reassure her.
After a while, she pulled away and sniffed. "Why did you come up here besides because you heard me... I mean, wasn't there another reason? I couldn't've been THAT loud... right?"
Zidane smiled. "No, no... No you weren't. In fact, we were already coming up to talk to you when we heard you... We were gonna ask if you'd like to come with us to see the new ship Dagger's uncle built. But apparently, you aren't well enough... You stay and rest or whatever is needed, okay?"
Roz quickly grabbed Zidane's shoulders, shaking him. "ARE YOU NUTS?!!! What happens if the dreams comes again?!! I'm not-- I can't-- ARE YOU CRAZY?!!! HELL NO AM I GONNA GO TO SLEEP AGAIN JUST AFTER THAT!!! HELL AM I EVER GONNA GO TO SLEEP AGAIN!!!" she screamed in his face as loud as she could.
Zidane shrank back at the full force of her words. "Okay Okay!!! Come! Come if you feel you need to! Yeesh!!"
Vivi, on the other hand, was scared out of his wits; he was shaking and shivvering and shuddering, looking like a puppet on washing machine mode.
"C'mon! Let's get out of here before the memories come back!!" Roz suggested, shuddering as a flash from a part of her dreams came through her mind.
"Yeah. Okay," Zidane answered, nodding and leading the way out.
The three didn't fix the place but just left for the carrier that would take them to the castle. Dagger and the others already went up ahead, so only Vivi, Roz, and Zidane boarded the small air mobile.
Once at the castle after a silent ride, Zidane led the way to the hanger where the plane was kept. Cid was there to greet them warmly, Roz especially. Roz was glad when Zidane informed the king not to talk about Riku and Sora or much to Roz at all. Vivi was the best of help to Roz; he stayed by her side like no other friend would. Roz quickly grew to liking Vivi, almost better than the others--even if he was a bit weird and scared at practically anything.
Cid let the group look inside the air ship; it was nearly done, only a few minor adjusstments were needed.
"She's a beaut! She can even travel in space! Just a few more adjustments and she can fly anywhere in or around, or out of Gaea!" Cid exclaimed, obviously pleased at his work.
"Space? It'll be able to fly in space?" Roz repeated.
"Yes."
Roz was suddenly reminded of the keyholes, but then Sora and Riku came to mind which sent her on the verge of tears. She tried to hold them back and did very well in doing so, but her voice sounded like it was breaking. "Tha- That's really good, Sir. I... I really think it'll be great that you made this." She gestured to the large mass around her.
She felt as if she couldn't hold the tears back anymore so she quickly walked off to a part of the ship she hadn't--or ANYONE--had explored yet. She decided to let go of her emotions there. She heard Vivi's light footsteps right behind her as he tried to keep up with her quick pace.
When she reached the large room, though, she stopped walking all together. The room was dome like and painte with was seemed like a mix of black and dark blue. In the middle of the room, though, was a rather large orb of a fainted sky-blue hue. Roz's mind reacted to the interesting thing, somehow drawn to it's magnificence. She stumbled before she eased into a slow walk. Vivi stayed where he was, too scared to move or approach.
"Wha... What is this?" Roz asked herself, gaining space slowly.
She outstretched her hand, wanting to touch it, but when she made contact with it, the orb jerked! It swiveled and moved in turbulance. It whirled and bubbled in some places, and then in others; it grew big enough for a person to fit in. The orb then seemed transparent and bubbly; it sucked Roz in.
"Wha-- Aaaaah--!!" was all she could scream before she was swallowed by the bubble. She felt light and free; she felt as if she was floating. Roz blinked, looking around her; she was in some sort of sea of blues and greens.
Outside of Roz's mind, though, Vivi paniced and ran from the room, calling for Zidane. When Vivi cam back with Zidane and all the others, especially Cid since it was his ship, they all gaped at what they saw.
Roz was floating in the bubbly orb with her eyes closed with the front of her body facing them. Zidane tried to approach the bubble to get Roz out, but when he got close, electrical crackling shot out around the bubble, preventing close reach or contact. Zidane jumped when he got shocked and turned back to the others to see if they had any suggestions.
"Well, we certainly know we can't get her out, but..." Zidane started saying.
"But we shouldn't disturb it in the first place... We don't know what'll happen if we do..." Cid replyed, cutting Zidane off.
"Yeah... there's that too....."
Vivi trembled by Dagger's side as she tried to comfort him. "Sh-- She was m-- mesmorized by the orb and wh-- when she touched it, it grew and swallowed her!" The second part of Vivi's sentence was louder when he raised his voice. "Oh... What are going to do?!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: indeed! what ARE they gonna do?!! what's up with Roz and that dang ship? what's going on with Sora and this sudden splurge of darkness?!! what's with Roz's prophecy of all that happened the other night? when am i not gonna be grounded anymore?!!! yes, ladies and gents, i am grounded as of last week.... well, that's why it's taken me so long to get it up and finished... it never takes me this long... usually it only takes me a few days with school and hw and all... sorry for the inconvenience guys... but hey, it's not THAT bad of a cliffie... is it? *looks at the audience anxiously* i.. hope... oh boy... *shrinks back* i hope you wont' be mad for it'll probably take yet antoher week to finished with my limited ways ont he comp... oh, and i just finished the game but a week ago (i dont' think i've said this yet, but if i have, oh well...) so no need to help me, okay? i've got the game down... just working on the expert level to see the special ending....
Chapter Five
For a long time, Sora didn't utter a word. He just sat there silently, leaving Riku and Roz to ponder and wonder. When Sora made a move, though, Riku and Roz were there to hound him if they needed to. But Sora didn't need hounding; the boy only stood up on his own, silently, keeping his head bent. A shadow was casted over Sora's face, shading and hinding on whether he was still evil, back to himself, or zombied out. Apparently, he didn't zombie out, for the next thing Riku or Roz knew, a strong gust of wind surrounded them, and Sora jumped out the window!
"Sora!" Riku shouted, shielding his eyes from the cutting wind.
"Riku! Forget him! We've got a more important situation on our hands!" Roz's voice came faintly; she was trying to be heard above the unnatural wind.
Riku squinted, trying to look what Roz was pointing at. There were rows and rows of Heartless. Riku cried out when the wind died down and one of the bigger Heartless trampled him. Unable to breath properly or move at all, Riku gasped, helpless. But on the verge of going unconscious, the heartless was removed from over him, and he was able to sit up and breath again. Riku looked up at who saved him.
"Zidane..." Riku said quietly. "Thanks..."
"No need for that now, you still have a bit of trouble for yourselfs." Zidane pointed to many Heartless that were gathering around the room. "Anyway, it's what I do. I save people... Well... um... yeah....." Zidane faultered when Riku started to glare at him. "Well, let's just get back to the battle, um.... shall we?" Zidane sweatdropped.
Riku nodded, getting up and getting out his sword. He noticed that the keyblade was gone. Sora must've taken it, Riku guessed, growling and mentally kicking himself. A Heartless jumped him, trying to grind him into the floor, but Riku stabbed it, moving the blade deeper and then quickly bringing the sword out in an arch, slicing the Heartless in two. Riku growled, raging through most of the Heartless in just a few blows. Zidane and Roz were holding up their end in fighting heartless, but Riku did most of the distruction and with more malice in him.
When all the Heartless were killed and all the mist was gone, Riku was leaning on his sword, panting. he was still thinking about Sora and how weird the boy acted. So fluid with his actions, so calm, so strong, so... demonic and evil. He'd even threatened Riku's life, and Riku was helpless to stop him until Roz had whacked Sora upside the head, finally making Sora lose grip of Riku. But then, when Roz had hit Sora, Sora didn't even flinch, but his eyes flashed to their normal blue before returning back to the sickening red they were before. When they flashed ocean blue, Sora was frightened and shocked, purposely losing his grip. When Sora was silent, thoguh, Riku had felt a presence--though faint--of the real Sora still there. And then, Sora's gone and he, Riku, is here, still in the hotel, and Heartless pop up! Sora's minions come to stall Sora time! but that's what Riku hated the most! Sora now controled the Heartless! What happens if later on, if Sora wasn't to come back to himself, he'd have to fight Sora?!! Riku shook his head. He could never do that! Not to Sora... Not again...
Riku cursed to himself, glaring at the ground. He felt a touch on his shoulder and looked up to find Zidane there, smiling down at him wiht the company of Roz and the others. They were all trying ot comfort him in one way or another. But All Riku did was curse and hit himself, glaring and scowling, wishing he could've done something!
"Riku. Riku! Stop! You can't do anything about it! Stop!" Zidane commanded, taking hold of Riku's arms, trying to keep him from inflicting any more damage upon himself then he already was doing. Riku struggled. "Riku! Stop! There's nothing you can do... And hitting yourself won't help either... You'll just hafta hope that Sora will come back, or return to normal in no time. You'll just hafta wait..."
Vivi was rubbing his gloved hands together, seeming a bit nervous. "W-- What was wrong wiht him?"
Roz shook he head. "We don't know... That's the thing... we don't know... He just started to act weird..." She dug the heel of her foot into the floor, frustrated. "I said that I sensed something, but that I wasn't sure if I was just wrong or what, but... apparently, I wasn't..." She turned to Riku. "Riku, you know Sora extremely well, right? More than any of us, right? Well, did you ever notice anything wrong before I came?"
Riku stopped moving all together; stopped bawling, stopped thinking, stopped... everything. Only the sound of his breath and the slight rise and fall of his chest escaped from him. Riku shook his head. "No... not that I know of..."
Roz bit the inside of her cheek. "But then, he seemed well enough in Traverse Town too, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Do you think that it, this darkness to Sora was bottled up in him ever since... well, you know... When your first adventure first started?"
Riku shook his head, confused and unsure. "I... I don't know..."
"That's what I was afraid of..." Roz stared at the ground, thinking.
Riku stayed silent, moving away from Zidane and the others, falling onto the bed, burying his face in the pillows. His eyes stung,a nd he kept them shut tight, but wetness still escaped him; tears started to flow. Silently, he continued to cry, frustrated, angry; all his feelings jumbled up inside. His arms were around his head, shielding the view of what was happening. RIku was silent for a long while, even when the others left him to himself and his feelings. Zidane had uttered words of sympathy and pity, but he too left Riku to deal with himself.
When Riku'd finally snapped out of it, it was already close to midnight, and Cid had already visited him but Riku was so zoned out that it was helpless, and Roz was no good in explaining things to Cid. Riku now laid on the bed, the sheets crumpled and such a mess, and him on it, arms behind his head and staring at the ceiling. He glanced out the window and sighed. He remembered not but a few weeks ago, he and Sora were doing the play and they'd kissed under the first sign of night. The spotlights were on them, creating a soothing and warm feeling to the scene they played together. And also, that same day, they'd cuddled in the tower where the glider was placed but then removed just for the play. That day was special, so Riku thought. But after that day, he remembered Sora acting funny, a bit... Riku shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts from his head. He didnt' know what exactly was wrong then--for he only realized them now--but he did sense something odd with Sora's behavior. But Riku had thought Sora was only growing more fiesty because of their new and closer relationship, but apparently not... Riku sighed, shaking his head once more, staring out the window and into the starry sky. But just then, a shadowed figure appeared in his window. Riku squinted to figure out who it was..... Sora?! Riku jumped up into a sitting position.
"Sora?!" But jsut as he called his name, Sora disappeared fromt the window.
Riku scrambled off the bed and thrusted the window open, looking out toward the streetway where he saw Sora's figure, standing in the middle of the street, his body facing sideways toward the hotel, and his head tilted up at him. Riku could almost see Sora's eyes, but he wasn't sure if they were still red or if they were those ocean blue that he loved so much. Riku bit his lip, climbing out of the window. He jumped, landing just a few feet away from Sora. Sora's head was still craned until it slowly lowered and turned toward him, slightly tilted. Riku got a sudden shiver down his spine. He stared at Sora with his eyes on him. Riku had a bad feeling about this, but decided to push that feeling away and follow Sora to the ends of this world if he had to. Riku was determined to get Sora back, but wasn't sure how exactly he'd pull it off.
Sora had started to move, leading the way out of the town. Riku looked back toward the hotel and had an urge to rush in and wkae everyone and tell them to come, but then also, a part of him told him to stay and be a god dog and follow Sora for it may be his only chance to see him again. Riku ran until he caught up with Sora and followed him into the night, blind in the darkness, but glad to see the moons shining and the certain glow from Sora to give off where he was--not to mention the bright yellow that stood out so well--but apparently, not in where he was stepping... Riku stumbled on several roots and twigs along the way, but tried to keep up with Sora's smooth, yet fast pace. Sora led across the large field; no monster dared to get close to the two... they seemed to sense strange, stong and deadly magic within them, or at least in Sora.
All through the night Sora led the way with Riku following in silence. Walking nonstop... that was all they did. Riku followed and followed until his legs could hold him up no more. He collapsed onto the grassy field in the night, breathing hard. He heard Sora stopping and tracking back to him. Riku sat there, panting, sweating, suddenly feeling weak. His vision blurred and things started to spin...
"Uh..." Riku fell face first onto the ground, right by Sora's feet.
Sora stared down at him with ahlf hodded eyes. He shook his head silently then knelt down to scoop up Riku, carrying him off in silence.....
The next day, Roz awoke with beads of sweat rolling down her cheek. She had a terrible dream of which scared her out of her wits. Roz decided to tell Riku about it, but when she entered his room, a small Heartless was on his bed, the window was open, the shutters flapped, and cold air blew through. Roz was suddenly scared and screamed as long and as high as she could, having the others at her side in mere seconds. They'd all asked what the problem but she only whimpered and pointed to the room. They saw the heartless and Vivi hit it on the head with his staff, but it only sat there on Riku's empty bed, staring at them.
"HE'S GONE!!! RIKU'S GONE!!!" Roz screamed.
The others looked at her funnily before shifting their gaze over at the Heartless. Zidane approached it, grabbing it by the antaenne and shaking it around a bit. "He can't've changed into this, could he??"
Roz shook her head, sniffling. "N--no... But this is exactly what I dreamed!!! EXACTLY THE SAME THING!!!"
Dagger put an arm around Roz's shoulders and tried to calm her down. "Zidane, bring the Heartless... Let's sort this out downstairs." She turned to Roz in turn and asked her if she would be able to at least make it downstairs before she explained things.
Roz cooperated and did follow them downstairs to the living area of the hotel that was right in front of the the front door and hte check-out/in counter. Once settled, with the small black figure of a Heartless in her lap, amazingly harmless, Roz unveiled her dream.
"It starts dead in the night," she starts to say. "I am sitting atop the a ledge in the building right across the hotel. I see a dark figure slink up to one of the windows, but I do nothing to say my notice or try to stop the figure. I wait a few minutes as the figure just stands atop the overhang of the door. The figure leaned on the window sill, peering inside--it looked. I sat there, trying to figure out who this person was, when suddenly, the moonlight his the figure, showing their features."
Roz stopped a second, trying to gather enough breath for her next sentence, then: "IT WAS SORA! That 'figure' was SORA guys!"
Silence came over the others, and even the little Heartless was astonished by her suddenly outburst. It clung to her for dear life and didn't want to fall.
Roz bit her lip before continuing. "Sora was there, on the hangover of the door. Just there. Silently waiting. Standing there... Just ... there.... I trying to fathom what Sora waaas doing when in a flash, Sora jumps from the overhang and backwards to the ground--in a perfect flip, too, if I may add. But when he landed, he then turned his body facing to the gates of Limblum but kept his head facing up at the window. I looked at why he had jumped; obviously I was curious... But when I looked, I saw Riku scrambling to the window sill. Riku seemed desperate and yet hopeful to find Sora. He looked this way and that before he laid his eyes on Sora, staring back up at him. Riku seemed to be overwhelmed by joy and immediately jumped to the ground, next to Sora. Sora didn't seem to return Riku's joy in seeing him. In fact, Sora was silent and showed as much emotion as a rock would. Sora just started walking toward the gates of Limblum, not even bothering to wait for Riku's answer in following him. But that wasn't needed. See, Riku did start to follow, but hesitated in his walk, stopping to look back at the hotel before he ran up to Sora and followed him again. I swear in my dream I could almost hear his thoughts. It wasn't that I 'heard' them exactly, but the emotions and feelings were projected into words in my mind. He seemed to want to follow Sora badly, as if he'd never get a chance to see his dearest friend again, but also didn't want to leave us. He wanted to--I believe--go back and at least tell oneo f us or leave some kind of message, but I think his feelings for Sora were stronger and that's what made him follow. ...
"I found myself wondering things I never thought about before,a nd soon enough, I too had jumped off my post and followed them. They walked right past the gates that swung open and almost immediately closed right after them--I had to run so that I could get past without being locked in. I followed them on their endless walk in the night with only the two moons' light as a guide. What seemed like minutes was probably hours as we walked in silence. Riku couldn't keep with Sora's surprisingly fast pace. And neither could I; I could barely stand when Sora stopped. But the only reason that Sora stopped was because Riku had fallen. Monsters and beasts gathered as Sora stood before Riku, his blank and unclear eyes staring down at Riku as he panted and huffed, trying to gain back some of his breath. I too sat, but among the beasts and monsters, watching the show unfold before our eyes--assuming they all had eyes to begin with--in silence.
"I saw Riku being engulfed by a dark aura before he finally collapsed, tired out. To my surprise, Sora just stooped down and picked Riku up in his arms, and was strong enough to carry the unconscious body; but then again, Sora wasn't himself... he was different like before. I was a bit scared at Sora's sudden abilities, his changes, but then I remembered it was but a dream. But even so... I felt as if it was real. Like it really happened... I shut my eyes for a second," Roz did close her eyes for a moment as she said this, "and when I opened them," she opened her eyes, "I saw Sora carrying Riku away! The beasts and monsters all followed Sora as he carried Riku off and farther onto the field." Suddenly, Roz started to cry, grabbing the first thing she could, the small Heartless, and hugged it tight, hiding her face as best she could. She curled into a ball in her seat on the couch, practically squishing the little Heartless that she clutched to her chest.
Dagger placed a hand on Roz's shoulders and gave her a comforting and supporting squeeze. Dagger tried to say comforting words too, but Roz wasn't finished with her story. Roz uncurled from her ball and stared down the heartless that seemed like it just had a heart attack with her tear stained face.
"B... But... But what made me believe that my dream was more like a prophecy or something like that then just a dream was a part in my dream I didn't.. or haven't... explained or told yet. See, in my dream, just a little after Sora, Riku, and the beasts and monters I went back to Limblum.. or at least, that's where I ended up again. I went back to the hotel, going inside and aimlessly walking. I visited all of your rooms, but the one I stayed in, the one I went to and found this little critter," Roz petted the Heartless, "was Riku's. It was on the bed just as I found it a while ago."
Roz gave a weak smile, getting up, cradling the Heartless that didn't seem at all to mind being in her company. "I'm sorry about blabbing. I'm just a bit emotional and weak. Heh.. That's what I hate about myself. Whenever I make good and close friends, then when I lose them, I crack up like some blubber... Sorry..." Roz trecked back upstairs to Riku's room, laying down the Heartless and gently touching the sheets of Riku's unmade bed. She bit her lip as she fixed the bed and then lied down over the sheets, staring up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes as the small Heartless lept onto her lap, laying across her front. Little did she know, the small Heartless glowed a dark aura, having Roz be engulfed by its essence. Roz was still as the Heartless worked its magic.
In Roz's mind, she was walking in a black fog with no sense of direction what-so-ever. Then, she came across the small Heartless that she nearly squeezed to death. It led her through the fog until she came to a body of water where the fog let up almost completely. Roz saw a figure; immediately, she recognized it as Riku. Roz wanted to call hisname but found that her voice wasn't working and that she couldn't move when she tried to. It was almost that she was paralyzed, standing there. Roz watched, seeing Riku stare out to the large body of water. Riku's back was to her but she could almost see his face.
Roz heard someone call Riku's name. Riku had reacted and turned to his left where the voice was coming from. Riku smiled, one that was heartfelt and truely meant. He opened his arms to welcome another; the one who called him. A boy just a few inches shorter than Riku jumped into his arms; it was Sora. Sora was swung around and he hugged Riku; he practically clung to the older boy. Riku hugged back but showed more emotion and pleasure for being with his friend.
Roz gasped at what happened next, her heart ceasing for a second; she closed her eyes, surprised that she could, and opened them after a minute or two to see Riku now on the sand, laying sideways on red stuff. Roz saw a blade in Sora's hands, the same red stuff that Riku laid in. It took Roz a moment or two to realize that that 'red stuff' was actually blood. Roz stared horrified at Sora but was shocked even more when she saw a faint sign of a smile curve Sora's small lips. Roz's mouth trembled at the horrible sight as the Island soon morphed into a deadly wasteland full of darkness and evil. Tears welled up in her eyes; she tried to blink them away but when she closed her eyes, she found that she wasn't on the Island anymore. Everything around her was dark, dark, and completely black. Roz found she wasn't paralyzed anymore and walked aimlessly through the darkness. In the corner of her eye, she saw a faint flicker of light; she followed it out of curiosity. As she slowly gained progress, the light growed more strongly.
When she reached it, finally, the light appeared to be a door. Roz looked around her but found nothing but darkness. /Stupid... No one's gonna be around to watch...\ she thought, so she reached for the handle and opened the door that seemed to weigh a TON for it creaked and barely budged. When she got open enough to slip through, she saw a bloody trail right in front of her. Terrified and totally freaked out, Roz quickly turned to get back through the door again, but when she did, the door shut quickly and disappeared. Soon, she fell backwards but instead of making contact with a hard ground, she fell through a pool or redness. Roz tightly shut her eyes as the liquid burned and stung her eyes. Roz tried to cry out but swallowed down some of the red liquid.
Roz struggled and tried to swim but the more she moved and squirmed, the more lower she sank in the neverending pool of red. She tried and tried but failed; her eyes were still shut tightly.
Roz seemed to pinned down even if she WAS in liquid where there was nothing she could be "pinned" to.
"AAAAGGHH!!!" she screamed, opening her eyes.
This time, when she opened her eyes, the red liquid was gone and a big yellow thing was right in front of her.
"AAAH!!!"
"Roz! Calm DOWN!!! Stop-- Stop moving!!! ROZ!!!!" came a voice; a voice that was really close to her.
Roz whimpered and obeyed. He closed her eyes for a second, letting tears stroll down her cheek. When she reopened then, her vision was blurred, but when she wiped them away, she saw Zidane's worried face in front of her.
"Z- Zidane?" she said quietly.
Zidane gave his charming smile and nodded. "You okay?"
"Y- Yeah... I think..." Roz clapped a hand to her forehead, wiping away the sweat that had formed there. She turned her head to see Vivi right be her side, his gloved hands (hands?) clasped together and worry in his eyes.
"Y- You were screaming in your sleep... W- We, Zidane and I, came up as quickly as we could to find you tossing and t-turning in bed..."
Roz sat up to see exactly what they meant. The sheets were clumped, the bed mattress was practically a foot off the spring box that held the mattress in place. THe pillows were not under her head but one was on the floor several feet away from the bed, and another was on the dresser that used to carry a light but now occupied the floor, the glass that held it's containts, shattered. Roz remembered that the little Heartless was upon her before she drifted into sleep, but now, it's gone.
"Z- Zidane? Was i really that bad? Did I really scream?" She feared the answer even though she already suspected what it was.
Zidane nodded just once, but that was enough for Roz; she started to sob. Zidane sat just at the edge of her bed, hugging her, rocking her back and forth, trying to comfort her.
"It's okay.. It was probably just a little ol' bad dream... Nothing to worry about..." he kept saying over and over to reassure her.
After a while, she pulled away and sniffed. "Why did you come up here besides because you heard me... I mean, wasn't there another reason? I couldn't've been THAT loud... right?"
Zidane smiled. "No, no... No you weren't. In fact, we were already coming up to talk to you when we heard you... We were gonna ask if you'd like to come with us to see the new ship Dagger's uncle built. But apparently, you aren't well enough... You stay and rest or whatever is needed, okay?"
Roz quickly grabbed Zidane's shoulders, shaking him. "ARE YOU NUTS?!!! What happens if the dreams comes again?!! I'm not-- I can't-- ARE YOU CRAZY?!!! HELL NO AM I GONNA GO TO SLEEP AGAIN JUST AFTER THAT!!! HELL AM I EVER GONNA GO TO SLEEP AGAIN!!!" she screamed in his face as loud as she could.
Zidane shrank back at the full force of her words. "Okay Okay!!! Come! Come if you feel you need to! Yeesh!!"
Vivi, on the other hand, was scared out of his wits; he was shaking and shivvering and shuddering, looking like a puppet on washing machine mode.
"C'mon! Let's get out of here before the memories come back!!" Roz suggested, shuddering as a flash from a part of her dreams came through her mind.
"Yeah. Okay," Zidane answered, nodding and leading the way out.
The three didn't fix the place but just left for the carrier that would take them to the castle. Dagger and the others already went up ahead, so only Vivi, Roz, and Zidane boarded the small air mobile.
Once at the castle after a silent ride, Zidane led the way to the hanger where the plane was kept. Cid was there to greet them warmly, Roz especially. Roz was glad when Zidane informed the king not to talk about Riku and Sora or much to Roz at all. Vivi was the best of help to Roz; he stayed by her side like no other friend would. Roz quickly grew to liking Vivi, almost better than the others--even if he was a bit weird and scared at practically anything.
Cid let the group look inside the air ship; it was nearly done, only a few minor adjusstments were needed.
"She's a beaut! She can even travel in space! Just a few more adjustments and she can fly anywhere in or around, or out of Gaea!" Cid exclaimed, obviously pleased at his work.
"Space? It'll be able to fly in space?" Roz repeated.
"Yes."
Roz was suddenly reminded of the keyholes, but then Sora and Riku came to mind which sent her on the verge of tears. She tried to hold them back and did very well in doing so, but her voice sounded like it was breaking. "Tha- That's really good, Sir. I... I really think it'll be great that you made this." She gestured to the large mass around her.
She felt as if she couldn't hold the tears back anymore so she quickly walked off to a part of the ship she hadn't--or ANYONE--had explored yet. She decided to let go of her emotions there. She heard Vivi's light footsteps right behind her as he tried to keep up with her quick pace.
When she reached the large room, though, she stopped walking all together. The room was dome like and painte with was seemed like a mix of black and dark blue. In the middle of the room, though, was a rather large orb of a fainted sky-blue hue. Roz's mind reacted to the interesting thing, somehow drawn to it's magnificence. She stumbled before she eased into a slow walk. Vivi stayed where he was, too scared to move or approach.
"Wha... What is this?" Roz asked herself, gaining space slowly.
She outstretched her hand, wanting to touch it, but when she made contact with it, the orb jerked! It swiveled and moved in turbulance. It whirled and bubbled in some places, and then in others; it grew big enough for a person to fit in. The orb then seemed transparent and bubbly; it sucked Roz in.
"Wha-- Aaaaah--!!" was all she could scream before she was swallowed by the bubble. She felt light and free; she felt as if she was floating. Roz blinked, looking around her; she was in some sort of sea of blues and greens.
Outside of Roz's mind, though, Vivi paniced and ran from the room, calling for Zidane. When Vivi cam back with Zidane and all the others, especially Cid since it was his ship, they all gaped at what they saw.
Roz was floating in the bubbly orb with her eyes closed with the front of her body facing them. Zidane tried to approach the bubble to get Roz out, but when he got close, electrical crackling shot out around the bubble, preventing close reach or contact. Zidane jumped when he got shocked and turned back to the others to see if they had any suggestions.
"Well, we certainly know we can't get her out, but..." Zidane started saying.
"But we shouldn't disturb it in the first place... We don't know what'll happen if we do..." Cid replyed, cutting Zidane off.
"Yeah... there's that too....."
Vivi trembled by Dagger's side as she tried to comfort him. "Sh-- She was m-- mesmorized by the orb and wh-- when she touched it, it grew and swallowed her!" The second part of Vivi's sentence was louder when he raised his voice. "Oh... What are going to do?!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: indeed! what ARE they gonna do?!! what's up with Roz and that dang ship? what's going on with Sora and this sudden splurge of darkness?!! what's with Roz's prophecy of all that happened the other night? when am i not gonna be grounded anymore?!!! yes, ladies and gents, i am grounded as of last week.... well, that's why it's taken me so long to get it up and finished... it never takes me this long... usually it only takes me a few days with school and hw and all... sorry for the inconvenience guys... but hey, it's not THAT bad of a cliffie... is it? *looks at the audience anxiously* i.. hope... oh boy... *shrinks back* i hope you wont' be mad for it'll probably take yet antoher week to finished with my limited ways ont he comp... oh, and i just finished the game but a week ago (i dont' think i've said this yet, but if i have, oh well...) so no need to help me, okay? i've got the game down... just working on the expert level to see the special ending....