A/N:
In response to Tornado's fifth review, I've tweaked Chapter five a bit to fix the concern over Riku and Sei offering sympathies to Kairi. It's not much, just some added dialogue between Sei and Kairi in the cathedral and then some other little things throughout the chapters.
"Why didn't either Riku or Sei try and console her? We all know she's close to Riku, and Sei seemed to make a connection with her in the other chapter... so why not?"
Why not? Because I was busy planning the next chapter and tend to overlook things like that when I'm in a rushed.
I can hear it now..."How could you overlook that?!? It's a very important part of the story!"
I kinda figured that the reader would assume that Riku and Sei had tried to console her. Guess not...So this may or may not have helped, but you're welcome to go back and check out the revisions.
Constructive criticism and suggestions are always more than welcome!! I have absolutely no delusions about my writing skills, and am always seeking to improve it!
###
"Hold it right there, Heartless."
Riku blinked for a moment, adjusting to the curtain of darkness that had ascended upon his vision. Through the veil he could make out a woman with long, light brown hair and a metal headband that covered one eye. In one hand she clutched the reigns to what looked to be a large golden bird on stocky orange feet. The bird regarded him for a moment, then cawed in shrill agitation. He didn't need to see the sharp sword the hair's breath from his skin to know it was there.
"Oh, well who would have guessed?" The woman had taken a moment to really look at Riku. "You're not a Heartless after all."
Riku glanced from the sword to her face.
"No," He agreed. "Heartless rarely look this much like humans."
Despite her earlier words she hadn't, he noticed, moved her weapon an inch.
Shortly after, Sei emerged from the glimmer. Kairi followed, eyes widening slightly as she accessed the situation. The women did not move when she saw them either, although Riku noticed an almost imperceptible tensing in her frame.
"Kindly explain yourselves."
The woman sounded calm-almost cheerful really.
"If you do not cooperate," she added. "I assure you that you will quickly find yourselves regretting it."
A sentiment that was very believable given their position.
The woman was wary of them- perfectly reasonable, as the trio had just emerged from a portal connected to who-knew-where. The assumption could be made that the trio was dangerous, age notwithstanding.
On the other hand, similar things could have been said about Riku's assailant herself.
"Who are you?" Sei asked, not bothering to hide any distrust.
The woman gave a short bark of laughter.
"You must have come from somewhere very far indeed to not recognize the crest of a knight trained in Hollow Bastion itself. I am the Lady Beatrix."
So at least they were in the right world. For a moment Kairi had been worried that they had not found the right glimmer. Yet, how far were they from their intended destination?
"The three of us are from Traverse Town." Riku informed the knight, speaking far more calmly than his situation should have warranted. "We were on our way to meet some... friends at Hollow Bastion."
"We're not here to cause any trouble." Sei said.
Beatrix's still didn't look entirely convinced that they weren't lying. After a moment, though, she sheathed her sword, leaving Riku to rub his neck with a very bland expression on his face.
"How far is it to the castle anyway?" Kairi asked.
"Three hours from here." Beatrix answered as she mounted her bird. She looked down at them from her perch, "And that's if you're traveling by chocobo."
The three of them exchanged glances: Riku looked annoyed at this setback and Sei seeming wholly uninterested in the whole business, so long as they arrived at the castle in the end. Kairi merely shrugged, her opinion about the situation the same as Sei's. Beatrix's lip curled as she observed the exchange. Apparently she had determined them reasonably harmless... for the moment.
"If you want to rent some mounts of your own, you can do so at that building just down the road," Beatrix suggested. "It shouldn't be too expensive."
They decided, after a brief conference, to take the woman's advice. Kairi thanked Beatrix for her friends as they set down the road first, then ran to catch up with them.
"Do you think that she trusts us enough now to leave us peacefully?" Kairi asked. Although the circumstances in which they had met had not be quite friendly, Kairi thought she could have come to like Beatrix and the woman's self-confident attitude.
Riku turned his head to look back at the lady over his shoulder.
"Not a chance," he stated bluntly. Unsurprisingly, he turned out to be right.
In the meantime however, there was still their rides to be worried about. The stable was nearly empty of its usual avian occupants when they entered, although the smell of the animals was still heavy in the air. A boy with his sleeves and trousers rolled up to bony knees and elbows was mucking out the stalls. He paused only to give the potential customers the once-over before going back to his work.
"Chocobos are out back in the pasture," he informed them as they approached. He didn't bother to look up again as he spoke.
"You'll have to talk to my Da to rent any. He's out back too," he added, jerking his thumb towards the back of the building.
"So, I suppose chocobo is the usual way of getting around this country?" Kairi inquired.
The boy gave her a very sharp glance at the question.
"You all are foreigners, then? Did ya come down to these parts by flying ship?" He dug the end of his pitchfork into a pile of dirty hay. As he pondered this, a sudden gleam of interest entered his eye.
"Are any of you fellows from up north? I hear they use some sort of small breed of dragon for mounts in some regions up there."
His customers made some noises of refute to this question while the boy continued.
"No? Hmph, there's supposed to be a bunch of dragon knights or dragoons or whatever keeping the order up there. But," he said, the confidence plain in his voice, "I'd bet ya anything our own Hollow Bastion warriors could kick their sorry arses-"
"Danny!" a voice suddenly chided. Another, older man had entered the room, holding on to the reins of a golden chocobo. Danny looked momentarily startled. The man said with an almost mocking gruff edge to his tone, "language like that if front of this young lady?"
He led the chocobo down to its stall and then turned back to face them.
"You're not here to slack off and dally away with the customers."
Danny looked properly abashed from this scolding, and ducked his head down as he continued his work.
"Right," the man said, changing mode to speak with his new patrons. "So how can I help you fine people today?"
Sei spoke up in a brisk, practical manner. "We're interested in renting some of your chocobos."
The man nodded, absently wiping his hands on the sides of his trousers. "Your destination?"
"Hollow Bastion."
"All right; come with me then." The man led the way to the chocobo pasture outside.
Beatrix was still outside when they finished making arrangements with the stable owner. She had been on her chocobo talking to a small group of younger knights apparently under her command; she looked up as the trio exited the building, looking as if as if she had been waiting for them.
"I'll be escorting you three to Hollow Bastion; I hope you do not mind to much this possible inconvenience."
Not that it seemed as if she was giving them any choice in the matter.
"I'm sure you understand that the circumstances we had met under were... dubious, to say the least. These measures are only to confirm that you are indeed not a threat to the well being of the people. If this is proved, you will be free to go about your business in the capital."
She paused, and was given a reply of hedged silence.
"Good. These two-" she gestured off to a pair knights riding up to them, "-will be accompanying us as well."
One was woman and the other was a man, but the both seemed much younger than Beatrix-possibly in their late teens or their early twenties. Both were also outfitted in matching uniform and a light armor of hardened leather. The two newcomers nodded in greeting as they lined up at the side of their superior.
With these arrangements made, the group set out.
Their journey began with very little conversation; neither Kairi, Riku, nor
Sei had any intentions of discussing their journey in front of these outsiders, and for the most part all the knights were interested in were getting their job done. After awhile though, Kairi grew sick of this unfriendly atmosphere and began casually chatting with their escorts, eventually drawing Riku and Sei into the exchange as well. She asked the two knights a little about themselves and their backgrounds.
"I'm Eris," their first escort, the young woman said first with a smile. Apparently, she was relieved that at least one other person in the group was interested in lightening up the mood of their journey a little. She cast a glance over towards her partner.
"And that stuffed shirt over there is Glenn."
Glenn gave her a slighted look as he overheard her words. "I beg your pardon?"
Eris snickered. "Can't you tell a joke Glenn? Honestly. You're so noble and polite all the time it can drive one completely mad..."
"I don't see anything wrong with being, as you put it, 'noble and polite'."
Eris ignored his last statement. "But of course, Dario's not any better is he?" she added musingly. "I liked you better when we were younger-Dario's been a terrible influence."
"Who is Dario?" This was Sei, riding off a little to the side of the group.
"Glenn's brother, and one of the best knights we ever had at the castle." Eris explained. "Serving our leader of the realm, now-Squall Leonhart, though actually these days he still prefers to be called Leon-"
"Leon's running the country now?" Kairi asked with surprise.
She remembered the surly young man from Traverse Town, and had some difficulty imagining him doing any such thing.
"Yes, some people thought that he'd been too young for the job." Glenn said, misinterpreting her surprise. "But they say he'd been a remarkable leader after Maleficent's fall from power, really pulled everything back together, and everyone had begged him to make it a full time occupation. He finally officially accepted the position after the second month or so."
"By the way, who did you say you were seeing in Hollow Bastion?" Eris inquired. "We may know them."
"Oh, I'm sure you would." Kairi murmured truthfully. Beside her, if she had bothered to look, she would have made out a sardonic grin on Riku's features.
"Where are you two from?" Riku asked. "Did you grow up in Hollow Bastion or from elsewhere in this country?"
"Oh, no," Eris said. "I grew up in the mountains of the northeastern regions with two other siblings. They're both quite a bit younger than me, but the older one is currently training to be a black mage at the castle."
"A black mage and a knight in the same family. Your family must be pleased with this?" Sei questioned.
"Oh yes, very. I visit them usually during Midwinter Festivals, when most of us get leave to see our families."
"And you Glenn?" Riku prompted when Eris had finished.
"I come from up north as well, from the port-city of Termina."
"Lovely place," Eris commented. "I hear that is."
"Quite." Glenn agreed. "Dario and I were training under some of the fighters in our home city for several years, but came down here when we heard that Maleficent and the Heartless had been defeated, and they were trying to reestablish Hollow Bastion and Verus as the capital of the country."
Ahead of them, Beatrix reined her chocobo, calling for a halt. The conversation broke off as they exchanged perplexed glances, but the reason for this soon became evident; shadows were pooling out onto the road, shades that had no right to be there. They were rapidly shifting into solid shapes even as the warriors readied themselves for battle. Riku and Sei drew out Oblivion and Oathkeeper to meet the now familiar threat.
Both of the young men leapt from their chocobos to meet the Heartless, unused to battle while mounted on beasts and not wishing to be hampered. Without waiting for help from their traveling companions, the charged forward to strike down their foes, dispatching them in a flurry of quick, accurate movements: a deadly pair to all those who opposed them. A Red Nocturne flew above Kairi, ready to throw a fireball at the unwary girl; Sei threw his keyblade at the Heartless. The key spun in bright flashes as it demolished the Heartless then returned to its wielder. That Nocturne and a Neo Heartless were the last to fall. After surveying the area for any lingering traces of darkness, the two dismissed their keyblades.
Having watched this entire scene from a short distance away, Beatrix now regarded them with renewed interest. That would have been a complete understatement if used to describe Glenn and Eris' reactions.
"Keyblade wielders- I never would have guessed."
Beatrix said this with an amused air as Riku and Sei rejoined the group.
"You took care of the creatures admirably; if it had been up to the rest of us, things probably wouldn't have gone so well- few ordinary weapons are half as affective against Heartless. Leon will be pleased to meet with you."
###
They arrived at the capital city around noon. The main road became more and more heavily congested with travelers as they neared its walls. It seemed people from every corner of that world were drawn to this great city. Moogles could be seen in a sizable population, scurrying underfoot the humans and nonhumans and fluttering overhead. The bridge into the city passed over an enormous chasm, where glassy waters poured beneath.
"This area is famous for its spelled waters." Glenn told them as they crossed. "You won't get this sort of thing anywhere else in the world."
Eris added, "sometimes they will turn on colored lights beneath the surface, especially during certain celebrations and holidays- the effect really is quite beautiful."
Their progressed slowed until they had passed the central market district of Verus. From there it was easy riding and Kairi was free to admire the grand structures of the capital; perhaps later they would have a chance to do some sightseeing together.
They passed the city's far walls and were crossing through wide fields that ended in mountains on one side and thick forests on the other. In the distance could be made out the great towers and spires of Hollow Bastion, grand and imposing against the clear sky.
Entering through a small gateway, the first thing to be heard above everything else was a person shouting.
"In the name of all that is Holy, if I ever see his face in here again I'll...!!!!!"
An enraged man in a long red coat was looking as if he dearly wanted to strike someone over the head with his sword, but was exercising the supreme willpower it took not to do so.
That someone, who was amazingly unaware of the potentially dangerous position he was putting himself into, had but a mildly miffed expression on his face
"-now monsieur, you are making a terrible mistake denying moi, one of the greatest swordsman ever zer was to grace zis castle, the right to join ze knights of Hollow Bastion-"
The man appeared to be losing his resolve to exercise any kind of willpower at all. The individual with the terribly accent was saved only by being bodily removed by another knight from the grounds, struggling all the way nonetheless, leaving the first to mutter most likely what were profanities beneath his breath.
"He came back, Auron?" Beatrix was grinning all over her face, almost on the verge of laughter.
Sir Auron breathed heavily. It wasn't his usual nature to so completely lose his calm...but damnit all! That Pierre was worse than an insect in the way that he persisted in coming back...
"That man is a blight to this planet. Does he not understand plain English, even through that horrific fake accent?!? Who let that him in anyway?!?!"
Auron paused in his ranting briefly to take in the sight of Beatrix and those in her custody.
"What are you doing back here so early anyway? The inspection went so quickly? How'd it go?"
Beatrix waved her hand airily. "Fine. It was confirmed that Heartless have been showing up around Fiweke too. Not many, but enough to be of concern. We have some interesting visitors here, as well. Two keyblade wielders-they say that they're meeting someone here at the castle. Leon, maybe?"
Auron's one good eye ran over the two youths in what was clearly a study of their worth. Finally, satisfied at what he saw, he turned back to Beatrix.
"I see. Who's the girl then?"
Kairi dismounted from her chocobo first, the others doing so directly after.
"My name is Kairi. That's Riku, and he's Sei."
Auron arched a brow in disbelief.
"A Princess of Heart, as well as two keyblade masters? An interesting crowd to be here at Hollow Bastion. Heh, Leonhart will want to see you three right away I'll warrant. We'll have someone take you up to the library to meet with him."
He looked to the side of the courtyard, and picked the first free person he set eye on.
"Hey, Tribal!" he barked. "If you've got nothing better to do than laze around, come over here!"
Their guide chosen was a young man with longish blonde hair and a tail. He had been flirting mercilessly with a raven-haired girl hugging a set of books to her chest, but was quick to follow Auron's orders when they were given. He was also quick to begin flirting with Kairi too, but abruptly stopped when he noticed the looks Riku and Sei were giving him. The steely look that the blonde gave him was bad enough, but he hated to imagine what was going on behind the blindfold of the silver-haired one.
Kairi had only been to Hollow Bastion once before, and even then she had only been fully conscious of that fact for a few minutes. Yet she could tell that much had changed at the castle in the five years since her last visit; everything seemed brighter, more cheerful and lived-in. This was also evident as they walked through the wide halls with their guide; people and children could be seen milling through the corridors and in the open rooms giving the castle life. Looking at it all, she had the strangest feeling that she had been there many more times than she thought she remembered.
They ascended a flight of stairs and there they were, surrounded by a collection of books that probably could have rivaled the university library's in Traverse Town. Tables were scattered throughout the room, several of them located next to the ceiling high windows on the far side. Glass doors opened out into wide terraces that overlooked the mirror-waters beyond. Aerith was seated at one of these tables, sipping at the contents of a ceramic mug as she read. She looked up as their guide entered the room and smiled, her eyes then passing over his three companions. They stopped on the single female of the group.
"Kairi!"
Aerith stood up.
"I can't believe this! How did you get past the world's barriers? How long has it been since we last saw each other?"
"It's good to see you too Aerith." Kairi said with a laugh.
"You just missed Yuffie! She was here only a few minutes ago... just wait until you hear the news!"
"What news?"
Aerith simply giggled madly and refused to elaborate.
They ran through introductions, then sat down to wait for the arrival of Leon and the rest.
"What brings all of you back to Hollow Bastion?"
Kairi bit her lip. "It's a long story... I'd rather that we waited until everyone gets here before we start."
Aerith nodded and did not pursue the subject.
Their wait wasn't very long; apparently, news got around fast in Hollow Bastion. The moments passed, a happy succession of reunions that Kairi had never before expected to experience. Leon was the very last to arrive of those that would gather.
"It's the damn Heartless again, isn't it?" Leon asked as he approached the table. "We had thought that after the worlds had been restored, that problem would be taken care of. I guess not."
The assembly would consist of the original four in the library, Leon, Yuffie, Beatrix and Auron, and one other person that Kairi didn't know. This one was introduced as Cloud Strife, Aerith's husband.
"You're married?" Kairi asked in astonishment.
Aerith happily displayed the shiny wedding and engagement bands on her finger.
"Two years now." She said, taking Cloud's hand in hers as he stood next to her. The tall blonde man gazed over at Riku and Sei with a strange expression on his face. The same could be said of the two younger boys, although the reactions were decidedly different and mixed on the three of them. What could possibly be going on between the two of them was a complete mystery to Kairi, but she wasn't allowed any time to dwell on it.
"Hey! Don't completely hog the spotlight to yourself!" Yuffie said this with a mocking pout of indignation. "What about *my* engagement to Squall?"
She flung her arms around the aforementioned with undisguised affection. Leon began to make a half-hearted dissent against being called Squall and at having to be subject to this embarrassing public display, but ended up giving in to the brunette.
Yuffie and Leon-the oddest couple she had seen yet. Kairi grinned, deciding that what they said was true: opposites *did* attract.
"I have a few questions I'd like to ask." Leon began once things had quieted down. "Probably the others as well but I think we'd like to hear it all... from the beginning, if you don't mind."
So the story began, woven together from bits and pieces of events as alternatively Riku and Kairi recounted from their own point of views what had happened since before their encounter in Traverse town and then taking flight from there. Sei said very little throughout this, only adding details here and there.
"It seems that much has happened outside this world." Leon murmured as the tale came to an end. "Yet there are still so many questions to be answered..."
He put his hands together on the table.
"If you're looking for Sora, I'm afraid you won't find him here. We have as little knowledge about his whereabouts as you do."
Aerith spoke up.
"But we do have the only known records concerning the Heartless- I don't know if it will be any help or not, but you may see something that we missed..."
Yuffie jumped up from her seat.
"I can go get if for you now if you want! I know exactly where it is."
She ran quickly into the maze of shelves, returning five minutes later with a shabby little book, relatively thin and worn about the edges. The ninja set it down on the table in front of Kairi, but it was Sei that would pick it up first.
He worked with tense, almost rigid movements, flipping open the yellowed pages to the very back without hesitation as if looking for something very specific. This in itself was very peculiar behavior to Kairi's eyes, but it wouldn't end with that.
He stopped, stared with dim eyes as he found the blank side of the back cover but seemed to have found no sign of what he was looking for.
Kairi lightly touched his arm in concern.
"Sei?"
"It's not here."
He spoke in soft monotone.
"It's not here." He repeated this as though he was still having difficulty believing it.
"The reports are incomplete."