Half-Heartless
Chapter Four
I'm in a maze of some sort; mirrors coat the walls, giving off a sense of confusion. I don't know which way to turn. Everywhere I look, another form of me is glaring at me, leading me in the wrong direction. A feeling of utter loneliness fills me up, and I begin to cry. When I look up and see another miror, I gasp. A young black-haired girl is eyeing me from the mirror. I move my hand; she moves her hand. I blink. She blinks. I wipe away the tears on my face, and she does the same.
My reflection? Impossible. I'm a Bouncywild. Or am I? I look down, but I'm still a Bouncywild. Once again I look suspiciously at the girl, who returns my suspicious glance. It takes a moment to register, but I finally figure it out. It IS my reflection. My human reflection. It has tanned skin and coal black hair fixed in a tight ponytail, and wears a black long-sleeved shirt tucked into her denim jeans. The jeans, in turn, are tucked into oversized black boots. A short-sleeved denim jacket that goes down to her knees is being worn over her outfit.
My golden eyes widen, and so do my reflection's red-violet eyes. I approach the mirror and reach out to touch it, expecting to feel the gentle feel of cloth. But as soon as my finger touches the reflective glass, the figure in the mirror changes. It looks exactly like me. But her eyes are a deep ruby, with black dragon wings tearing out of her back. The reflection's eyes narrow. Malice flashes through them.
Immediately, the strange reflection reaches thorugh the mirror and grasps me around the neck. It cackles evilly, strengthening its hold. I can't breath. I struggle, but to no avail. With a smirk of satisfaction (A/N: I'm not putting "the essence of [expression]" anymore... too much work... I'm lazy) she pulls me through and everything is black. I can't see... I can't breath... I can't hear... but I feel the tightening hold of my dark side...
"Destiny! Destiny!"
"Maria...?" I manage to utter.
"DESTINY! Wake UP!"
Huh? What does she mean, "wake up"?
I get the answer as my vision slowly comes back into focus. Maria's leaning over me with a concerned look on her face. I feel drops of cold sweat moisten my mussed orange fur as I sit up and look around. I'm in the tent at camp. The commotion of the jungle outside meets my ears, and I relax. It was only a dream. But was it important? I forget about it and stretch.
After getting ready, or about as much of getting ready that a Heartless can do, I walk outside, where Storm is holding a notebook in one hand and a pencil in the other, occasionally passing it to Sora. As I get closer, I realize that Sora is asking him questions and Storm is writing down the answer. They found a way to communicate. So that wouldn't be much of a problem.
Storm tenses as I come closer, and he turns to me with a smile. I smile back. Upon glancing at my shirt, Sora remarks, "You're the one that still has half of her heart, huh? What was your name again? Destiny?"
I nod, suddenly feeling very shy. I let out my breath that I didn't even know I was holding. Relief floods through me. Sora doesn't have the Keyblade with him. Why am I so afraid of it? I pledged my allegiance to him. I have nothing to fear. He would never hurt me...
Storm leans towards me and whispers, "Is something wrong?"
What do I do? I want to shake my head and tell him no to save him the worry, but at the same time, I want to pour out all of my frustrations. I don't do anything. Frowning, Storm sighes and turns back to Sora. I feel someone giving off a knowing smirk in the air about them. But it's not Storm or Maria. I cautiously glance around, my half-heart beating fast.
The familiar sound of something bursting fills my ears, and I swivel around. Sora stands up, the Keyblade magically appearing in his hands. Storm unsheathes his sword and begins to hover in the air. Maria is instantly by my side, then Donald and Goofy dash over, followed closely by Tarzan. A group of Powerwilds have invaded the camping site.
Maria and I start off with our slingshots, throwing rocks at the furious Powerwilds. Sora, Donald, and Tarzan rush in, while Goofy vanishes into thin air (I still haven't figured that out). Shadows form and shield the indigo-colored monkey Heartless. Maria takes a Powerwild down, and I take two Shadows down with a banana peel and a slung rock. Sora smashes his Keyblade onto a Powerwild's head.
As soon as I destroy one enemy, three take its place. Bouncywilds join the battle, and it's difficult to tell which one is Maria. Storm strikes from the air. The battle goes on and on and on. Deep into the fight, I am scarred in multiple places.
It's easy to tell which one is Maria now; she's surrounded by a band of Shadows, and I know that they wouldn't attack those on their own side. Storm descends and keeps his feet on the ground, slashing at the Heartless in an attempt to free our Bouncywild friend.
"What on Earth-" Clayton comes in from Hippo Lagoon, and swarms of Heartless instantly pile on top of him. I wince. There's nothing I can do about it. I didn't join Clayton's side; I joined Sora's. And I'm going to protect the Keybearer.
Finally, the number of Heartless attackers begins to deplete. My breath is coming out in struggled gasps. I can't go on. My vision begins to dim... like it did so many years ago...
"Destiny! Look out!" A gloved hand grabs my arm and throws me down. A Shadow's claws flash against Storm's violet blade as my friend blocks the attack.
"Cease."
All of the Heartless stop fighting immediately. An uneasy feeling settles upon me as I look to the top of the tent. The opposing Heartless arange themselves in neat lines and expectantly shift their gaze to a familiar cloaked figure standing on top. Xavier's glittering yellow eyes narrow. I feel the weight of his eyes on me.
The Heartless boy leaps down to the ground and walks towards me. Then he bends down until his face is about two inches from mine. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I'm disappointed in you, Destiny."
Maria starts to run at Xavier, but Storm grabs her arm. She halts, but an agonized expression shows, and it takes some effort to relax.
"I can mend the wounds you've unexpectantly opened, my Bouncywild." Xavier returns to his full height and snaps his fingers. I'm completely healed, but one thing remains- suspicion.
"You have two choices," he continues, extending his hand, "One, give up the rest of your heart, or two, come with me. Now."
I hesitate. The Heartless part of me is yowling and caterwauling to give up the remains of my heart or at least go with him, and the other side of me is calmly saying to resist my urges and continue to do good. Xavier frowns. I decide to listen to the louder side and back away, my golden eyes narrowed. The boy growls.
His army of Heartless begin to charge us, but Xavier holds out his arm. They stop again, grumbling under their breath. The cloaked figure returns his fiery yellow gaze to me. A smile creeps across his nearly-concealed face, then turns into a grin. I don't like this. Before I can do anything, Xavier grabs me and runs into the thicket.
I kick and scream, but to no avail. The sky is suddenly darkened by clouds. I feel a drop of rain on my head. Loud, ear-splitting thunder roars as my captor slows as he comes to a halt in the cliffs. Clayton- at least, what looks like Clayton- is leaning against a dirt wall. How did the hunter get here so fast? My half-heart tells me that his heart was devoured by the Heartless.
"Hey Stealth, he'll be your master for awhile, 'kay?" yells Xavier over the sudden downpour of rain. Stealth Sneak's high-pitched growl sounds from nowhere (but it sounds like he's behind the cliff wall). My captor jumps up on the cliff and hides in some brush.
Soon after he hides, me in his grip, Sora and the gang runs into the area. Everyone is soaked, but they're more interested in finding me. Clayton smirks and aims his gun at Sora. The Keyblade master, shocked, backs away. Storm, still wounded from the previous fight, dashes in front of Sora.
"Where's Destiny?" he growls. I chuckle to myself, thinking that if we were human, he'd have fallen head over heels for me.
Without a word, Clayton re-aims his rifle. I scream and cover my eyes when the roar of the pulled trigger overpowers the steady hum of the thunderstorm. When I peek, Storm is on his hands and knees, panting heavily. My face is wet. And it's not because of the rain.
Sora runs in and gut-stabs Clayton before he can finish the Air Pirate off with another gunshot. The hunter stumbles a bit, then regains his balance and aims at Sora. Donald conjures up a Fire spell, once again knocking over Clayton. Everyone except Storm and Maria jump into the battle. Maria is helping Storm to his feet. I try to free myself, but Xavier has a tight hold.
Finally, Clayton is at the end of his rope. He targets the Keyblade master, but then reconsiders. An invisible Stealth Sneak bursts through the wall and allows the hunter to mount him. I put my hands together and say a silent prayer as the battle begins...
[Author's Note]
Gypsy: Alright you win... *sigh* You can have Vivi...
Maji: *screams with delight*
Gypsy: *points* Now get to the FF9 section and read all those Vivi fics... I hope Vivi dies in one of 'em...
Maji: *narrows her eyes* What?!
Gypsy: Nothing! Oo
[Disclaimer]
*pokes the author's note* I don't own anything FF9-related (*whimperbeg*). I don't own anything Kingdom Hearts-related either (*more whimpering*). I DO own: Storm, Destiny, Maria, Xavier, Destiny's dark side, Destiny's human form, and anything else that wasn't featured in KH. Or FF9.
Chapter Four
I'm in a maze of some sort; mirrors coat the walls, giving off a sense of confusion. I don't know which way to turn. Everywhere I look, another form of me is glaring at me, leading me in the wrong direction. A feeling of utter loneliness fills me up, and I begin to cry. When I look up and see another miror, I gasp. A young black-haired girl is eyeing me from the mirror. I move my hand; she moves her hand. I blink. She blinks. I wipe away the tears on my face, and she does the same.
My reflection? Impossible. I'm a Bouncywild. Or am I? I look down, but I'm still a Bouncywild. Once again I look suspiciously at the girl, who returns my suspicious glance. It takes a moment to register, but I finally figure it out. It IS my reflection. My human reflection. It has tanned skin and coal black hair fixed in a tight ponytail, and wears a black long-sleeved shirt tucked into her denim jeans. The jeans, in turn, are tucked into oversized black boots. A short-sleeved denim jacket that goes down to her knees is being worn over her outfit.
My golden eyes widen, and so do my reflection's red-violet eyes. I approach the mirror and reach out to touch it, expecting to feel the gentle feel of cloth. But as soon as my finger touches the reflective glass, the figure in the mirror changes. It looks exactly like me. But her eyes are a deep ruby, with black dragon wings tearing out of her back. The reflection's eyes narrow. Malice flashes through them.
Immediately, the strange reflection reaches thorugh the mirror and grasps me around the neck. It cackles evilly, strengthening its hold. I can't breath. I struggle, but to no avail. With a smirk of satisfaction (A/N: I'm not putting "the essence of [expression]" anymore... too much work... I'm lazy) she pulls me through and everything is black. I can't see... I can't breath... I can't hear... but I feel the tightening hold of my dark side...
"Destiny! Destiny!"
"Maria...?" I manage to utter.
"DESTINY! Wake UP!"
Huh? What does she mean, "wake up"?
I get the answer as my vision slowly comes back into focus. Maria's leaning over me with a concerned look on her face. I feel drops of cold sweat moisten my mussed orange fur as I sit up and look around. I'm in the tent at camp. The commotion of the jungle outside meets my ears, and I relax. It was only a dream. But was it important? I forget about it and stretch.
After getting ready, or about as much of getting ready that a Heartless can do, I walk outside, where Storm is holding a notebook in one hand and a pencil in the other, occasionally passing it to Sora. As I get closer, I realize that Sora is asking him questions and Storm is writing down the answer. They found a way to communicate. So that wouldn't be much of a problem.
Storm tenses as I come closer, and he turns to me with a smile. I smile back. Upon glancing at my shirt, Sora remarks, "You're the one that still has half of her heart, huh? What was your name again? Destiny?"
I nod, suddenly feeling very shy. I let out my breath that I didn't even know I was holding. Relief floods through me. Sora doesn't have the Keyblade with him. Why am I so afraid of it? I pledged my allegiance to him. I have nothing to fear. He would never hurt me...
Storm leans towards me and whispers, "Is something wrong?"
What do I do? I want to shake my head and tell him no to save him the worry, but at the same time, I want to pour out all of my frustrations. I don't do anything. Frowning, Storm sighes and turns back to Sora. I feel someone giving off a knowing smirk in the air about them. But it's not Storm or Maria. I cautiously glance around, my half-heart beating fast.
The familiar sound of something bursting fills my ears, and I swivel around. Sora stands up, the Keyblade magically appearing in his hands. Storm unsheathes his sword and begins to hover in the air. Maria is instantly by my side, then Donald and Goofy dash over, followed closely by Tarzan. A group of Powerwilds have invaded the camping site.
Maria and I start off with our slingshots, throwing rocks at the furious Powerwilds. Sora, Donald, and Tarzan rush in, while Goofy vanishes into thin air (I still haven't figured that out). Shadows form and shield the indigo-colored monkey Heartless. Maria takes a Powerwild down, and I take two Shadows down with a banana peel and a slung rock. Sora smashes his Keyblade onto a Powerwild's head.
As soon as I destroy one enemy, three take its place. Bouncywilds join the battle, and it's difficult to tell which one is Maria. Storm strikes from the air. The battle goes on and on and on. Deep into the fight, I am scarred in multiple places.
It's easy to tell which one is Maria now; she's surrounded by a band of Shadows, and I know that they wouldn't attack those on their own side. Storm descends and keeps his feet on the ground, slashing at the Heartless in an attempt to free our Bouncywild friend.
"What on Earth-" Clayton comes in from Hippo Lagoon, and swarms of Heartless instantly pile on top of him. I wince. There's nothing I can do about it. I didn't join Clayton's side; I joined Sora's. And I'm going to protect the Keybearer.
Finally, the number of Heartless attackers begins to deplete. My breath is coming out in struggled gasps. I can't go on. My vision begins to dim... like it did so many years ago...
"Destiny! Look out!" A gloved hand grabs my arm and throws me down. A Shadow's claws flash against Storm's violet blade as my friend blocks the attack.
"Cease."
All of the Heartless stop fighting immediately. An uneasy feeling settles upon me as I look to the top of the tent. The opposing Heartless arange themselves in neat lines and expectantly shift their gaze to a familiar cloaked figure standing on top. Xavier's glittering yellow eyes narrow. I feel the weight of his eyes on me.
The Heartless boy leaps down to the ground and walks towards me. Then he bends down until his face is about two inches from mine. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I'm disappointed in you, Destiny."
Maria starts to run at Xavier, but Storm grabs her arm. She halts, but an agonized expression shows, and it takes some effort to relax.
"I can mend the wounds you've unexpectantly opened, my Bouncywild." Xavier returns to his full height and snaps his fingers. I'm completely healed, but one thing remains- suspicion.
"You have two choices," he continues, extending his hand, "One, give up the rest of your heart, or two, come with me. Now."
I hesitate. The Heartless part of me is yowling and caterwauling to give up the remains of my heart or at least go with him, and the other side of me is calmly saying to resist my urges and continue to do good. Xavier frowns. I decide to listen to the louder side and back away, my golden eyes narrowed. The boy growls.
His army of Heartless begin to charge us, but Xavier holds out his arm. They stop again, grumbling under their breath. The cloaked figure returns his fiery yellow gaze to me. A smile creeps across his nearly-concealed face, then turns into a grin. I don't like this. Before I can do anything, Xavier grabs me and runs into the thicket.
I kick and scream, but to no avail. The sky is suddenly darkened by clouds. I feel a drop of rain on my head. Loud, ear-splitting thunder roars as my captor slows as he comes to a halt in the cliffs. Clayton- at least, what looks like Clayton- is leaning against a dirt wall. How did the hunter get here so fast? My half-heart tells me that his heart was devoured by the Heartless.
"Hey Stealth, he'll be your master for awhile, 'kay?" yells Xavier over the sudden downpour of rain. Stealth Sneak's high-pitched growl sounds from nowhere (but it sounds like he's behind the cliff wall). My captor jumps up on the cliff and hides in some brush.
Soon after he hides, me in his grip, Sora and the gang runs into the area. Everyone is soaked, but they're more interested in finding me. Clayton smirks and aims his gun at Sora. The Keyblade master, shocked, backs away. Storm, still wounded from the previous fight, dashes in front of Sora.
"Where's Destiny?" he growls. I chuckle to myself, thinking that if we were human, he'd have fallen head over heels for me.
Without a word, Clayton re-aims his rifle. I scream and cover my eyes when the roar of the pulled trigger overpowers the steady hum of the thunderstorm. When I peek, Storm is on his hands and knees, panting heavily. My face is wet. And it's not because of the rain.
Sora runs in and gut-stabs Clayton before he can finish the Air Pirate off with another gunshot. The hunter stumbles a bit, then regains his balance and aims at Sora. Donald conjures up a Fire spell, once again knocking over Clayton. Everyone except Storm and Maria jump into the battle. Maria is helping Storm to his feet. I try to free myself, but Xavier has a tight hold.
Finally, Clayton is at the end of his rope. He targets the Keyblade master, but then reconsiders. An invisible Stealth Sneak bursts through the wall and allows the hunter to mount him. I put my hands together and say a silent prayer as the battle begins...
[Author's Note]
Gypsy: Alright you win... *sigh* You can have Vivi...
Maji: *screams with delight*
Gypsy: *points* Now get to the FF9 section and read all those Vivi fics... I hope Vivi dies in one of 'em...
Maji: *narrows her eyes* What?!
Gypsy: Nothing! Oo
[Disclaimer]
*pokes the author's note* I don't own anything FF9-related (*whimperbeg*). I don't own anything Kingdom Hearts-related either (*more whimpering*). I DO own: Storm, Destiny, Maria, Xavier, Destiny's dark side, Destiny's human form, and anything else that wasn't featured in KH. Or FF9.