Half-Heartless
Chapter Nine
"G'wan! Shoo!" grumbles Maria as she opens the lid to Mel's crate. The Green Requiem hovers above the box for a moment, glaring at us angrily, then flies away.
Suddenly, a low, melodious tune shakes the ground. One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten! It's 10 o' clock at night, according to the gonging of a nearby bell. The earth-rattling song seems to be coming from the Gizmo Shop roof. On every gong, the power inside of me surges again. What's going on? Why can't I control myself?
Sora leads the way to the Gizmo shop, Keyblade slung heroically over his right shoulder. A blast of wind slams against us, blowing down Maria and I's hoods as we run side-by-side, slingshots readied. Donald and Goofy linger behind us. Heartless appear, but it only takes a quick swipe from the legendary key to eliminate them.
We reach the doorway to the Gizmo Shop unharmed. The Keybearer flings open the door and the rest of us wander inside. The place is amazing. It doesn't look like a shop at all. More like a factory painted with bright colors. We don't have any time to admire the place though, because Heartless begin to appear all around us. The first wave is mainly Shadows and Soldiers.
Maria first hits a Shadow with a rock from her slingshot. Irritated, the ebony creature shakes its head and regains its wits. But not swift enough that it can recover before I pounce on it. I claw at the frog-like Heartless, but am knocked off in a flurry of bluish-purple sparkles as a Soldier zips across the shop. Yellow Operas and Blue Rhapsodies invade the battle, aiding the Shadows and Soldiers. The Blizzard users surround me and I nearly freeze to death from the combination of their attacks. Maria leaps at them and knocks more than half off-balance, allowing me to escape.
After the first two waves of the battle, a Large Body, accompanied by some Red Nocturnes and a Green Requiem, joins the fight. The massive Heartless jumps up and causes an earthquake, making me fall over. A Red Nocturne levitates menacingly above me. I'm easy prey as I struggle to regain my balance. I am blown back against the wall, heat searing through my body. Ashes coat my fur, still alive and bright red. Burning me.
Sora lashes out at the Nocturne, obliterating it instantly. Maria helps me to my feet then returns to fighting off the Heartless. At the destruction of the Large Body, more magic users appear with Air Soldiers. The aerial fighters are brought down by Donald's high-flying fire attacks. Maria and I bring down some Heartless with our slingshots. Sora and Goofy continue using physical abilities against their attackers. The last Air Soldier is destroyed, and the battle is abruptly joined by a wave of Heartless entirely composed of Air Soldiers.
Sparks fly and the lights dim. I can make out the sillhouette of a different Heartless sitting on one of the higher ledges, but it lies dormant for now. I focus on annihilating the winged soldiers. Further into the battle, the last Air Soldier falls. The mystery Heartless rises to its feet. It holds up its hand, in which it clutches a weapon. Its glowering yellow eyes are focused on me. I dive out of the way as an indigo-colored sharp object whizzes by, lodging itself in the floor. I look back at the figure.
The light flickers as wings flare against the dim light. The figure swoops down and dislodges the weapon from the floor. Sparks fly from a light bulb and the room is plunged into blackness. Swiftly, the mysterious being dives at Sora, but Maria jumps in front of the Keyblade master and is slashed instead. She gasps in pain and keels over, kneeling on the ground. The figure lands in front of her.
"You are a fool," it scoffs, raising the weapon above Maria's head, "You are a moronic twit that doesn't deserve to exist, just like your foolish companion I just missed."
I tackle the Heartless, knocking the sharpened object out of its hand. There is a struggle. I kick and punch, but cannot see in the total darkness. What happened to my night vision? I can't see in the dark anymore. Suddenly, the lights flicker back on and my eyes widen in horror and shock.
Storm kicks me off and grabs the sword, spreading his wings and hovering. He pointed at me before flying out the door. "I won't miss next time!"
Tears of confusion clouding in my eyes, I turn to see Sora holding Maria's limp, unconscious figure. She looks so weak and small, cradled in his arms. I obediantly trail along behind the Keybearer as we travel through the other door, leading out to a small area. A ladder is in front of us. Sora lays down my Bouncywild friend and looks at me.
I walk over to Maria and sit down next to her. I don't even notice when the trio climbs the ladder and disappears on the roof above, but I wince and scoot further into the corner when the sounds of battle are heard. I don't want to fight anymore. All it does is hurt others.
When I'm sure that I'm safe, I hug my friend, tears beading at the edges of my eyes. "Maria, you're going to be okay. I don't want to lose you too."
My last sentence is drowned out by the sound of the Gizmo Shop bell. Its gonging resounds throughout the streets of Traverse Town, a deep, harmonic tune that soothes yet stirs the soul. There's something mystical in the bell's tune. Sora did it. He rang the bell, and legend states that only the key can ring the bell and reveal the Keyhole of Traverse Town.
I lay Maria back down in an uncomfortable silence. It hangs in the air, an uninviting quiet that presses in on its victims. I lift my gaze to the sky. The stars seem dimmed and further away.
[Why do you stray so far from your fate?] my dark side's words echo throughout my mind, [There are benefits in giving in.]
[He's after you.]
[That's a pretty song.]
[I won't miss next time!]
I cover my ears with my paws, but the voices continue crowding up in my head.
[In the face of darkness I shall aid.]
[FIRE! FIRE!]
[Please, just let me live a few moments longer... just a few moments longer... please...]
I shudder and press my paws harder. Then I feel something rest on my shoulder. My hands fall to my sides as Maria weakly hugs me. I wrap my arms around her in response, crying tears of happiness. Maria would always be there for me. I realize this as the last of the voices fades away into nothingness.
"I'm sorry about how harsh everything came out back at the empty house." apologizes my friend. I tell her to think nothing of it.
Both of us jump to our feet at the sounds of battle, but my friend loses her balance, dizzy from pain. I grab her and help Maria climb the ladder. I serve as a crutch to the Bouncywild as we make our way to the side. Both of us gasp in awe. Sora, Donald, and Goofy are engaged in a fight with Guard Armor. We watch as they dismantle the Keyhole protector, locked in our positions. The being falls, little effort shown on the Keyblade's side.
Suddenly, Guard Armor reforms itself, but it just freezes in its stance. Then, it pounds its hands into the ground and flips over; its torso flips upside down, the legs are the hands, and the hands are the legs. The part of the helmet that covers Guard Armor's eyes slides down to reveal two large burning yellow optics.
"I've heard of this beast. Opposite Armor, a more powerful reverse form of Guard Armor." mumbles Maria. I nod, too astounded to react in any other way.
Opposite Armor floats off of the ground, legs and arms flipping about as if they had minds of their own. The two of us watch as the trio eliminate both of its legs. The large Heartless responds by flinging its head at the opposers. CRASH! One of its arms is destroyed, followed by the demise of the remaining limb.
I start to scream as Opposite Armor charges up its beam cannon ability, a bluish-purple sphere forming at the bottom of its torso. Maria clamps her hand over my invisible mouth. Screaming would attract attention. I watch in horror as Sora is thrown back by the large beam, nearly knocked dead. With a flash of green from Donald's wand, the Keybearer is magically healed.
I'm nudged, and I respond in a harsh whisper. "Maria, don't nudge me! I'm trying to watch."
"Des," replies my friend in an urgent voice, "I didn't nudge you!"
Fear clouds in the pit of my stomach as I realize that Maria is to my left.
"Then if you're on my left side then who's on my... right... side...?" I murmur, unwilling to look. I decide that I won't until the figure draws attention to itself.
"Well, I am, duh."
I yelp and stumble backwards at the familiar squeaky voice. Mel snorts at me and rolls her eyes, turning back to the battle as if nothing was wrong. Maria raises her eyebrows.
"What're you doing here?" growls the Bouncywild. The Green Requiem doesn't answer; a blast from the beam cannon knocks into the Gizmo Shop. We fall off and lay sprawled on the cold cement.
Good for us, though. Sora only had to deliver one last blow to the floating rail cannon before it fell apart. It took awhile, but eventually we have everything worked out. Mel is going to "reluctantly" tag along as a healer because she has nothing better to do (pfft, yeah right... I'll bet she adores us). Then Sora walks up to the glowing Keyhole and lifts his weapon level with it. A string of power emanates from the tip of the Keyblade and locks the Keyhole, which stops glowing. The hole patches up, showing a picture of flitting butterflies.
As we walk out of the second district into the first (with Mel wearing the blue raincoat), I cast one last glance back at the area. A lone figure is sitting on the edge of the Gizmo Ship roof, swinging one leg, burning eyes targeted on me. Then it vanishes in a cloud of violet. I turn back around and follow the others back to the first district.
"The one thing I can't understand," I remark to Mel, "Is how you didn't vanish when the Keyhole was locked."
Mel looks thoughtful. "Maybe the Heartless that switched over to the good side are spared or something, I dunno."
I consider the possibility as I look up admiringly at the starstrewn sky, a crescent moon hanging in the midst of the heavenly ocean. Then Sora walks past me, fully loaded with new supplies and ready to head off to the next world. Goofy whips out a map and all of us crowd around it. Next stop: Agrabah!
[Author's Note]
Maji: Bored... bored... bored... bored...
Vivi: Hey, maji, why don't you get unbored and work on the sequel to Shimmer?
Maji: OKAY! *wide grin*
Gypsy: Hmm... we need something to entertain everyone while they wait for chappie ten! *starts singing to the Traverse Town battle music* As I was walking down the street... stars were shooting and the rain was falling and a... a little boy that I did meet... little Keyblade master gotta get there faster...
Vivi: *continues the song* Dying stars... gotta move... trying hard... way too soon...
Maji: *continues singing* Saving... fighting harder... trying... moving faster...
All: We'll keep on going... we'll keep on going...
Maji & Gypsy: As I was running through the street... stars were dying and the rain was pouring and a... a little boy did fight for me... little Keyblade bearer fighter, teen, and carer...
Vivi: See you soon... next chapter... in the note... still in song...
Maji: *stops singing* VIVI! YOU RUINED THE SONG!
[Disclaimer]
I'm tired of repeating myself. Go check the other chapters. *stuffs more candy in her mouth, then beats Ansem the 2nd time and screams with delight* ^^ *loses against World of Chaos* AAAAGH!!!!!!!! *throws the remote against the wall in frustration* *tries to beat Ansem the 2nd time again and loses* NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
Chapter Nine
"G'wan! Shoo!" grumbles Maria as she opens the lid to Mel's crate. The Green Requiem hovers above the box for a moment, glaring at us angrily, then flies away.
Suddenly, a low, melodious tune shakes the ground. One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten! It's 10 o' clock at night, according to the gonging of a nearby bell. The earth-rattling song seems to be coming from the Gizmo Shop roof. On every gong, the power inside of me surges again. What's going on? Why can't I control myself?
Sora leads the way to the Gizmo shop, Keyblade slung heroically over his right shoulder. A blast of wind slams against us, blowing down Maria and I's hoods as we run side-by-side, slingshots readied. Donald and Goofy linger behind us. Heartless appear, but it only takes a quick swipe from the legendary key to eliminate them.
We reach the doorway to the Gizmo Shop unharmed. The Keybearer flings open the door and the rest of us wander inside. The place is amazing. It doesn't look like a shop at all. More like a factory painted with bright colors. We don't have any time to admire the place though, because Heartless begin to appear all around us. The first wave is mainly Shadows and Soldiers.
Maria first hits a Shadow with a rock from her slingshot. Irritated, the ebony creature shakes its head and regains its wits. But not swift enough that it can recover before I pounce on it. I claw at the frog-like Heartless, but am knocked off in a flurry of bluish-purple sparkles as a Soldier zips across the shop. Yellow Operas and Blue Rhapsodies invade the battle, aiding the Shadows and Soldiers. The Blizzard users surround me and I nearly freeze to death from the combination of their attacks. Maria leaps at them and knocks more than half off-balance, allowing me to escape.
After the first two waves of the battle, a Large Body, accompanied by some Red Nocturnes and a Green Requiem, joins the fight. The massive Heartless jumps up and causes an earthquake, making me fall over. A Red Nocturne levitates menacingly above me. I'm easy prey as I struggle to regain my balance. I am blown back against the wall, heat searing through my body. Ashes coat my fur, still alive and bright red. Burning me.
Sora lashes out at the Nocturne, obliterating it instantly. Maria helps me to my feet then returns to fighting off the Heartless. At the destruction of the Large Body, more magic users appear with Air Soldiers. The aerial fighters are brought down by Donald's high-flying fire attacks. Maria and I bring down some Heartless with our slingshots. Sora and Goofy continue using physical abilities against their attackers. The last Air Soldier is destroyed, and the battle is abruptly joined by a wave of Heartless entirely composed of Air Soldiers.
Sparks fly and the lights dim. I can make out the sillhouette of a different Heartless sitting on one of the higher ledges, but it lies dormant for now. I focus on annihilating the winged soldiers. Further into the battle, the last Air Soldier falls. The mystery Heartless rises to its feet. It holds up its hand, in which it clutches a weapon. Its glowering yellow eyes are focused on me. I dive out of the way as an indigo-colored sharp object whizzes by, lodging itself in the floor. I look back at the figure.
The light flickers as wings flare against the dim light. The figure swoops down and dislodges the weapon from the floor. Sparks fly from a light bulb and the room is plunged into blackness. Swiftly, the mysterious being dives at Sora, but Maria jumps in front of the Keyblade master and is slashed instead. She gasps in pain and keels over, kneeling on the ground. The figure lands in front of her.
"You are a fool," it scoffs, raising the weapon above Maria's head, "You are a moronic twit that doesn't deserve to exist, just like your foolish companion I just missed."
I tackle the Heartless, knocking the sharpened object out of its hand. There is a struggle. I kick and punch, but cannot see in the total darkness. What happened to my night vision? I can't see in the dark anymore. Suddenly, the lights flicker back on and my eyes widen in horror and shock.
Storm kicks me off and grabs the sword, spreading his wings and hovering. He pointed at me before flying out the door. "I won't miss next time!"
Tears of confusion clouding in my eyes, I turn to see Sora holding Maria's limp, unconscious figure. She looks so weak and small, cradled in his arms. I obediantly trail along behind the Keybearer as we travel through the other door, leading out to a small area. A ladder is in front of us. Sora lays down my Bouncywild friend and looks at me.
I walk over to Maria and sit down next to her. I don't even notice when the trio climbs the ladder and disappears on the roof above, but I wince and scoot further into the corner when the sounds of battle are heard. I don't want to fight anymore. All it does is hurt others.
When I'm sure that I'm safe, I hug my friend, tears beading at the edges of my eyes. "Maria, you're going to be okay. I don't want to lose you too."
My last sentence is drowned out by the sound of the Gizmo Shop bell. Its gonging resounds throughout the streets of Traverse Town, a deep, harmonic tune that soothes yet stirs the soul. There's something mystical in the bell's tune. Sora did it. He rang the bell, and legend states that only the key can ring the bell and reveal the Keyhole of Traverse Town.
I lay Maria back down in an uncomfortable silence. It hangs in the air, an uninviting quiet that presses in on its victims. I lift my gaze to the sky. The stars seem dimmed and further away.
[Why do you stray so far from your fate?] my dark side's words echo throughout my mind, [There are benefits in giving in.]
[He's after you.]
[That's a pretty song.]
[I won't miss next time!]
I cover my ears with my paws, but the voices continue crowding up in my head.
[In the face of darkness I shall aid.]
[FIRE! FIRE!]
[Please, just let me live a few moments longer... just a few moments longer... please...]
I shudder and press my paws harder. Then I feel something rest on my shoulder. My hands fall to my sides as Maria weakly hugs me. I wrap my arms around her in response, crying tears of happiness. Maria would always be there for me. I realize this as the last of the voices fades away into nothingness.
"I'm sorry about how harsh everything came out back at the empty house." apologizes my friend. I tell her to think nothing of it.
Both of us jump to our feet at the sounds of battle, but my friend loses her balance, dizzy from pain. I grab her and help Maria climb the ladder. I serve as a crutch to the Bouncywild as we make our way to the side. Both of us gasp in awe. Sora, Donald, and Goofy are engaged in a fight with Guard Armor. We watch as they dismantle the Keyhole protector, locked in our positions. The being falls, little effort shown on the Keyblade's side.
Suddenly, Guard Armor reforms itself, but it just freezes in its stance. Then, it pounds its hands into the ground and flips over; its torso flips upside down, the legs are the hands, and the hands are the legs. The part of the helmet that covers Guard Armor's eyes slides down to reveal two large burning yellow optics.
"I've heard of this beast. Opposite Armor, a more powerful reverse form of Guard Armor." mumbles Maria. I nod, too astounded to react in any other way.
Opposite Armor floats off of the ground, legs and arms flipping about as if they had minds of their own. The two of us watch as the trio eliminate both of its legs. The large Heartless responds by flinging its head at the opposers. CRASH! One of its arms is destroyed, followed by the demise of the remaining limb.
I start to scream as Opposite Armor charges up its beam cannon ability, a bluish-purple sphere forming at the bottom of its torso. Maria clamps her hand over my invisible mouth. Screaming would attract attention. I watch in horror as Sora is thrown back by the large beam, nearly knocked dead. With a flash of green from Donald's wand, the Keybearer is magically healed.
I'm nudged, and I respond in a harsh whisper. "Maria, don't nudge me! I'm trying to watch."
"Des," replies my friend in an urgent voice, "I didn't nudge you!"
Fear clouds in the pit of my stomach as I realize that Maria is to my left.
"Then if you're on my left side then who's on my... right... side...?" I murmur, unwilling to look. I decide that I won't until the figure draws attention to itself.
"Well, I am, duh."
I yelp and stumble backwards at the familiar squeaky voice. Mel snorts at me and rolls her eyes, turning back to the battle as if nothing was wrong. Maria raises her eyebrows.
"What're you doing here?" growls the Bouncywild. The Green Requiem doesn't answer; a blast from the beam cannon knocks into the Gizmo Shop. We fall off and lay sprawled on the cold cement.
Good for us, though. Sora only had to deliver one last blow to the floating rail cannon before it fell apart. It took awhile, but eventually we have everything worked out. Mel is going to "reluctantly" tag along as a healer because she has nothing better to do (pfft, yeah right... I'll bet she adores us). Then Sora walks up to the glowing Keyhole and lifts his weapon level with it. A string of power emanates from the tip of the Keyblade and locks the Keyhole, which stops glowing. The hole patches up, showing a picture of flitting butterflies.
As we walk out of the second district into the first (with Mel wearing the blue raincoat), I cast one last glance back at the area. A lone figure is sitting on the edge of the Gizmo Ship roof, swinging one leg, burning eyes targeted on me. Then it vanishes in a cloud of violet. I turn back around and follow the others back to the first district.
"The one thing I can't understand," I remark to Mel, "Is how you didn't vanish when the Keyhole was locked."
Mel looks thoughtful. "Maybe the Heartless that switched over to the good side are spared or something, I dunno."
I consider the possibility as I look up admiringly at the starstrewn sky, a crescent moon hanging in the midst of the heavenly ocean. Then Sora walks past me, fully loaded with new supplies and ready to head off to the next world. Goofy whips out a map and all of us crowd around it. Next stop: Agrabah!
[Author's Note]
Maji: Bored... bored... bored... bored...
Vivi: Hey, maji, why don't you get unbored and work on the sequel to Shimmer?
Maji: OKAY! *wide grin*
Gypsy: Hmm... we need something to entertain everyone while they wait for chappie ten! *starts singing to the Traverse Town battle music* As I was walking down the street... stars were shooting and the rain was falling and a... a little boy that I did meet... little Keyblade master gotta get there faster...
Vivi: *continues the song* Dying stars... gotta move... trying hard... way too soon...
Maji: *continues singing* Saving... fighting harder... trying... moving faster...
All: We'll keep on going... we'll keep on going...
Maji & Gypsy: As I was running through the street... stars were dying and the rain was pouring and a... a little boy did fight for me... little Keyblade bearer fighter, teen, and carer...
Vivi: See you soon... next chapter... in the note... still in song...
Maji: *stops singing* VIVI! YOU RUINED THE SONG!
[Disclaimer]
I'm tired of repeating myself. Go check the other chapters. *stuffs more candy in her mouth, then beats Ansem the 2nd time and screams with delight* ^^ *loses against World of Chaos* AAAAGH!!!!!!!! *throws the remote against the wall in frustration* *tries to beat Ansem the 2nd time again and loses* NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!