Okay! Congrats to MikeyKid2004 (who for some strange reason wished not to
put his answer in the reviews...Lucky for me, I guess) for guessing what
Dumbledore was talking about. HAMLET! Gotta luv Shakespeare .
Sorry about the lack of updates, to anyone who's reading and just not reviewing. Review? Please?
Chapter 12: Plans
He always felt more comfortable in the shadow. Renee had created him to be that way, to want only to chase her down, to want world domination. It was cliché to say this. Little Renee had better watch herself, though.
Little Dirken had grown up.
His eyes were barely cracked. Those green orbs were watching, ever watching the depths of the darkness. Suddenly, light burst from the darkness, swirling blue and smelling of sweet ginger and maple cookies. Dirken smirked. He liked ginger.
"Lady, sweetness describes thee more than beauty."
"Thank you, Dirken," Pandora's voice echoed from the shadow. Her thin, bloodless fingers gently nudged his shoulders. Dirken shuddered under the cold touch of her icy fingertips, the sharpness of her nails to his rosy daemon flesh.
"What say thee of the plan?"
"Perfection in every move," Pandora smirked in the darkness, lowering her delicate chin to rest on his newly bare shoulder. She had slid his cloak from him without his noticing. Her pale pink lips stretched in a sly smile. Dirken felt something warm and wet against his jugular. She had licked him.
His blood ran cold. "Lady, heal not my brokenness. Creation is as creator does, milady."
"Fine," Pandora sniggered. "I won't steal you from her. Abhorring though she is, I will leave you to her. Now. My babies are hungry. We should let them begin their rampage, should we not?"
"We shall," Dirken smiled. The ginger and maple scent vanished, as did the light. Stretching his claws, he stood and prepared to open the door. Behind him, chants of hope rose from the depths of the darkness.
"It is decided, then," Dumbledore nodded. "Those who know Imagination's powers will teach those who don't every day. We will alternate between Passion and Knowledge every year, giving three years to each. We will divide into two teams and switch at the appropriate times."
"And the three of us will stay here two years anyhow," Ron said. "We have to finish school." Dumbledore nodded.
"What about school, for Terra, Blank, Renee? Sora, Al?" Freda's fingers interlaced and jammed through her hair.
"Can they go only every other day?" Riku glanced up. "If it's as easy as my school was."
"Oh, hell no!" Terra yelled. "I'm not missing two days every week! Do you know how much I miss that way? Huh? Do ya?! I go to a special school—it's out of the question."
"If I could interject," Dumbledore said. "Have you heard of the Sleep Draught?"
"What, the thing that puts you to sleep for a long time?"
"No, no," he shook his mane of white hair. "The Sleep Draught is a potion that, properly brewed, allows the drinker to receive the same amount of sleep in minutes as in hours. For example, if you slept for eight minutes, you receive eight hours of sleep. The time difference between your dimension and ours would allow you to continue studies there and come here and do the same thing."
"Y-You said 'properly brewed'," Renee said. "What, would something go wrong if you didn't?"
"The addition of one ingredient to the brew would make it the Draught of Sleep," Dumbledore said. "If you drank the Draught of Sleep and did not receive the antidote in twenty-four hours, the sleep would become...complete."
"In other words, you dead," Renee said, using her fake Southern accent. "You worse than dead. You dead by death. You dead, man."
"Yes, we get the point," Terra smirked. "I think it'll work. Actually, Harry, Ron, and Hermione ought to consider coming to our world and going to school there. Imagination takes its spin from education."
"Good idea," Hermione said, smiling. Ron and Harry exchanged a significant look. Hiding a smile, Terra nodded. "It is decided. Well, where do we all start, honeys?"
"Leave me out of it," Freda said. "I'm too old for this sort of thing."
"Mom, we need as many people as we can get. At least stay here for a while, learn something new," Terra said. "Hey, magic paints walls fast. Moves it faster, too."
Freda sighed in defeat.
A small sound caught Terra's ear, no louder than a whisper. It repeated, louder. A cat, or someone who sounded a heck of a lot like one. She turned toward Renee, who mewed loudest of all, catching the attention of everyone in the room.
Her mottled, calico hair in her eyes, Renee mewed quietly, looking abashed. Her hand was close to her face, like a paw, clawing at the air pitifully. Renee mewed again, then, in a soft tone, voiced her request. Green eyes wide, she cooed out one word: "Food?"
Everyone laughed.
Fascinated by the kitchens, Terra hardly listened to Dumbledore and Freda's "adult" conversation. It was all about places to stay and the smaller details of the plan they were about to undertake. Renee tucked in to the alien food, which Terra regarded warily. Her fork in hand, she curled inward toward her plate. So many new people, all at once, it made her jumpy, slightly pavid.
She tried some sort of sausage, finding it interesting in texture and taste. Nibbling on strange meats, savoring familiar breads and fruit, Terra hardly paid any attention at all to the ways of the conversation. Her ears pricked up when she heard her name.
"...Terra, Renee, and Al go to Kingdom Hearts after the year is up." Freda was saying to Dumbledore. His blue eyes twinkled a little as he shook his head.
"I've a better idea. Terra, Riku, Renee, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stay here for the first year, and you, Blank, Kyle, Sora, and Al go to Kingdom Hearts," Dumbledore smiled. "Trust me, I believe these three will be able to handle themselves here well enough. How do you feel about this matter, Miss Jem?"
Terra felt her face burn and pretended to be engrossed in her plate. He knew something, in fact, he probably knew everything from what she knew about him. The fact remained that she and Riku worked well together, and Renee worked best when she was with Terra or Blank. Knowing Al, it was probably a real kick to know that Sora had impersonated her.
"Perfect," she smiled.
"The plan is set, then," Dumbledore's eyes glittered.
"Terra," Riku said, speaking for the first time since he suggested they only go to school every other day. "Pandora mentioned that you knew her story. Do you?"
"Yes," she said, relieved. At last, something she could do. "The story of Pandora is a Greek myth. She had a box, mostly referred to as Pandora's Box, which contained all the evil of the world. She was sent to tempt Prometheus after he was freed, originally imprisoned to a rock, having a vulture tear out his liver every day, for giving fire to man. Instead, his brother fell for her, and out of curiosity, opened the box, unleashing sin on the entire world."
"Is that just her name, then?"
The table was silent, save for Renee, who was now wolfing down a strange- smelling meat pie. It looked suspiciously like kidneys, which Terra used to use for fishing bait. No one could speak, all were lost in thought. Was Pandora trying to tell them something by giving them hints or throwing boulders in their path?
"It's a puzzle, for certain," Dumbledore nodded, grave. "But one that can be solved with time."
Lightning threw jagged shadows across the floor, leaving Sora to recall the vivid images he'd seen in the movie version of Terra's escapade. This world was fascinating, but he couldn't wait to return to his home dimension. And yet...he knew it would be nothing like home. Destiny Islands, if this was no dream, was gone longer than he'd have ever thought.
He slammed his fist against Riku's, in a farewell-for-now gesture he'd learned from Blank, which Riku had apparently learned from Terra. Grinning, he saw a glimpse of the old Riku, the Riku he'd played with. At the same time, a new person was surfacing, someone he'd only begun to get to know.
Sora knew he would soon see his friend again, when they all gathered in Terra's house for "imagination lessons" but this seemed formal.
"See you tomorrow, Sora," Riku said. "Looks like I'm staying here."
"Tomorrow, then."
They stood apart again as Blank came through, followed closely by Freda, Al, and Kyle. Riku followed Terra up the stairs, toward Dumbledore's office, where they would officially become students at Hogwarts.
"These first couple of times, I'll explain how you jump," Blank said. "But you gotta learn it now. It's like falling, I'm telling you, but don't be scared. You'll be all right. Now, tuck your chin to your heart and place your right hand where the beat is strongest."
Sora obeyed, feeling where his heart was its strongest, a little on the left side of his chest. Feeling a little foolish, he listened intently to what Blank said next to assuage his thoughts.
"Think of the place you want to go. We're going to Traverse Town. Think of it, the tall buildings, the item shop, the moogles with their little red pom-poms, the accessory shop, Cid with his little grain bit in his mouth, Leon, with that crazy jacket with the red eagle, Yuffie the great ninja...now...JUMP!"
So suddenly had she shouted that Sora leapt into the air on command, still trying to imagine this ninja woman, all in black with silver throwing stars. Eyes shut tight, mouth firm in line, he landed, not on smooth granite, but rough cobblestone. A shout drew his eyes open. Freda had landed on the stairs, twisting her ankle.
He took in this place, this place he was supposed to know so well by now. The deep red cobblestone beneath his feet, the neat, even stairs leading to a tall, arched wooden door. What looked like neon lights burned with the signs Restaurant and Accessory Shop. Warm street lanterns cast an eerie glow over everything. Despite its homey appearance, Sora was afraid something might just out at them at any moment.
"Sora."
At his name, he turned, facing a man of about twenty-five. He wore a black jacket with a red hawk on the back. A scar over his eye barely hindered his sight. This must be Leon.
"Greetings, Leon," Blank said. "I trust everything is in order?"
"Yes. And no. We've found a second Keyblade. I am...glad to see the Keyblade Master is well." He whipped out a sword, like a key, almost identical to Terra's. "The problem lies in the fact that we had to attain it through...difficult means. I will not elaborate." He swung the key out and it reappeared in Sora's hands.
(Quick Author's Note—Congrats to MikeyKid2004, once again. Here's what happened to Donald and Goofy!)
"What happened to Donald, Goofy?" Al asked, looking up just to see the tall scarred man's chest.
"The letter from King Mickey never reached them," Leon said, glancing to the side. "The Heartless took over there just hours ago. Rinoa went there, to warn them, but..."
Blank caressed his shoulder gently, whispering in his ears. Why? Sora, confused, stared at the square instead. He chanced to looked up in the sky, and saw, to his bewilderment, a star flicker, as if something had just flown in front of it. Seconds later, the star was gone, a bright blink and it vanished.
Hoping someone else had seen it, he looked around at his four comrades. Freda, Blank, Kyle, and Al said nothing about it. Blank was the only one not looking around with a curious spark in her eye. Sora realized that she probably had been here before, when they were planning the switch between him and Terra.
From the middle of the cobblestone, a little black creature rose, a red, broken heart symbol splayed haphazardly across its chest. Sora ignored it. None of the others seemed to have seen it yet, or, if they had, it was of no danger to them. He watched the little thing move its antennae around, its large, white eyes drinking nothing around it. Was it blind?
Lost? It certainly wasn't alone.
For, moments later, more of the same type of creature began cropping up out of the ground, like winter violets. Leon drew his gunblade on them, shouting at the others about Heartless. Sora didn't react right away. He was mesmerized by the swaying dance the creatures had.
Suddenly, the original bounced into the air, catapulted toward them, scratching with its claws at the air. Sora, frightened, struck the thing with the Keyblade, watched it explode to reveal little green orbs.
A chorus of voices filled the square, shouting names and weapons at random. Freda jumped in shock when a vivid red paintbrush appeared in her hand. Nonchalant, almost knowing, Blank fired a fine white feathered arrow into the nearest of the beasts, her bow and arrow as one with her. Kyle threw a white rose, Al fired paintballs. Leon joined the fray and soon the black things were gone.
"They will come at you from out of nowhere. And they will keep on coming, as long as you wield the Keyblade," Leon said.
The others panted against their newfound weapons, already shocked with themselves and the depth of the arena in which they'd been thrown.
"Well," Al cocked his paintball gun with a loud CHK-CHK-K. "It can't get any worse."
I kinda didn't like the idea of everybody having swords, magic, or a shield. I wanted them to be able to defend themselves (obviously!) but I didn't want it to be so overwhelming that it seemed like Kingdom Hearts had been taken over by Mary Sues. I luv Al's weapon. Tee hee! Paintball gun...
Freda's fits her personality—vibrant and creative. A white rose, for Kyle. Anyone know what that means? Usually, people place them on the deceased at a funeral. Blank's bow and arrow are echoes of a novel I'm working on, where she is a secondary main character.
So, like the new plot twists? Eh? Eh? ANSWER ME, PUNY EARTHLINGS! Er...that wasn't me. It wasn't me! Seriously! Don't give me that look!
Sorry about the lack of updates, to anyone who's reading and just not reviewing. Review? Please?
Chapter 12: Plans
He always felt more comfortable in the shadow. Renee had created him to be that way, to want only to chase her down, to want world domination. It was cliché to say this. Little Renee had better watch herself, though.
Little Dirken had grown up.
His eyes were barely cracked. Those green orbs were watching, ever watching the depths of the darkness. Suddenly, light burst from the darkness, swirling blue and smelling of sweet ginger and maple cookies. Dirken smirked. He liked ginger.
"Lady, sweetness describes thee more than beauty."
"Thank you, Dirken," Pandora's voice echoed from the shadow. Her thin, bloodless fingers gently nudged his shoulders. Dirken shuddered under the cold touch of her icy fingertips, the sharpness of her nails to his rosy daemon flesh.
"What say thee of the plan?"
"Perfection in every move," Pandora smirked in the darkness, lowering her delicate chin to rest on his newly bare shoulder. She had slid his cloak from him without his noticing. Her pale pink lips stretched in a sly smile. Dirken felt something warm and wet against his jugular. She had licked him.
His blood ran cold. "Lady, heal not my brokenness. Creation is as creator does, milady."
"Fine," Pandora sniggered. "I won't steal you from her. Abhorring though she is, I will leave you to her. Now. My babies are hungry. We should let them begin their rampage, should we not?"
"We shall," Dirken smiled. The ginger and maple scent vanished, as did the light. Stretching his claws, he stood and prepared to open the door. Behind him, chants of hope rose from the depths of the darkness.
"It is decided, then," Dumbledore nodded. "Those who know Imagination's powers will teach those who don't every day. We will alternate between Passion and Knowledge every year, giving three years to each. We will divide into two teams and switch at the appropriate times."
"And the three of us will stay here two years anyhow," Ron said. "We have to finish school." Dumbledore nodded.
"What about school, for Terra, Blank, Renee? Sora, Al?" Freda's fingers interlaced and jammed through her hair.
"Can they go only every other day?" Riku glanced up. "If it's as easy as my school was."
"Oh, hell no!" Terra yelled. "I'm not missing two days every week! Do you know how much I miss that way? Huh? Do ya?! I go to a special school—it's out of the question."
"If I could interject," Dumbledore said. "Have you heard of the Sleep Draught?"
"What, the thing that puts you to sleep for a long time?"
"No, no," he shook his mane of white hair. "The Sleep Draught is a potion that, properly brewed, allows the drinker to receive the same amount of sleep in minutes as in hours. For example, if you slept for eight minutes, you receive eight hours of sleep. The time difference between your dimension and ours would allow you to continue studies there and come here and do the same thing."
"Y-You said 'properly brewed'," Renee said. "What, would something go wrong if you didn't?"
"The addition of one ingredient to the brew would make it the Draught of Sleep," Dumbledore said. "If you drank the Draught of Sleep and did not receive the antidote in twenty-four hours, the sleep would become...complete."
"In other words, you dead," Renee said, using her fake Southern accent. "You worse than dead. You dead by death. You dead, man."
"Yes, we get the point," Terra smirked. "I think it'll work. Actually, Harry, Ron, and Hermione ought to consider coming to our world and going to school there. Imagination takes its spin from education."
"Good idea," Hermione said, smiling. Ron and Harry exchanged a significant look. Hiding a smile, Terra nodded. "It is decided. Well, where do we all start, honeys?"
"Leave me out of it," Freda said. "I'm too old for this sort of thing."
"Mom, we need as many people as we can get. At least stay here for a while, learn something new," Terra said. "Hey, magic paints walls fast. Moves it faster, too."
Freda sighed in defeat.
A small sound caught Terra's ear, no louder than a whisper. It repeated, louder. A cat, or someone who sounded a heck of a lot like one. She turned toward Renee, who mewed loudest of all, catching the attention of everyone in the room.
Her mottled, calico hair in her eyes, Renee mewed quietly, looking abashed. Her hand was close to her face, like a paw, clawing at the air pitifully. Renee mewed again, then, in a soft tone, voiced her request. Green eyes wide, she cooed out one word: "Food?"
Everyone laughed.
Fascinated by the kitchens, Terra hardly listened to Dumbledore and Freda's "adult" conversation. It was all about places to stay and the smaller details of the plan they were about to undertake. Renee tucked in to the alien food, which Terra regarded warily. Her fork in hand, she curled inward toward her plate. So many new people, all at once, it made her jumpy, slightly pavid.
She tried some sort of sausage, finding it interesting in texture and taste. Nibbling on strange meats, savoring familiar breads and fruit, Terra hardly paid any attention at all to the ways of the conversation. Her ears pricked up when she heard her name.
"...Terra, Renee, and Al go to Kingdom Hearts after the year is up." Freda was saying to Dumbledore. His blue eyes twinkled a little as he shook his head.
"I've a better idea. Terra, Riku, Renee, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stay here for the first year, and you, Blank, Kyle, Sora, and Al go to Kingdom Hearts," Dumbledore smiled. "Trust me, I believe these three will be able to handle themselves here well enough. How do you feel about this matter, Miss Jem?"
Terra felt her face burn and pretended to be engrossed in her plate. He knew something, in fact, he probably knew everything from what she knew about him. The fact remained that she and Riku worked well together, and Renee worked best when she was with Terra or Blank. Knowing Al, it was probably a real kick to know that Sora had impersonated her.
"Perfect," she smiled.
"The plan is set, then," Dumbledore's eyes glittered.
"Terra," Riku said, speaking for the first time since he suggested they only go to school every other day. "Pandora mentioned that you knew her story. Do you?"
"Yes," she said, relieved. At last, something she could do. "The story of Pandora is a Greek myth. She had a box, mostly referred to as Pandora's Box, which contained all the evil of the world. She was sent to tempt Prometheus after he was freed, originally imprisoned to a rock, having a vulture tear out his liver every day, for giving fire to man. Instead, his brother fell for her, and out of curiosity, opened the box, unleashing sin on the entire world."
"Is that just her name, then?"
The table was silent, save for Renee, who was now wolfing down a strange- smelling meat pie. It looked suspiciously like kidneys, which Terra used to use for fishing bait. No one could speak, all were lost in thought. Was Pandora trying to tell them something by giving them hints or throwing boulders in their path?
"It's a puzzle, for certain," Dumbledore nodded, grave. "But one that can be solved with time."
Lightning threw jagged shadows across the floor, leaving Sora to recall the vivid images he'd seen in the movie version of Terra's escapade. This world was fascinating, but he couldn't wait to return to his home dimension. And yet...he knew it would be nothing like home. Destiny Islands, if this was no dream, was gone longer than he'd have ever thought.
He slammed his fist against Riku's, in a farewell-for-now gesture he'd learned from Blank, which Riku had apparently learned from Terra. Grinning, he saw a glimpse of the old Riku, the Riku he'd played with. At the same time, a new person was surfacing, someone he'd only begun to get to know.
Sora knew he would soon see his friend again, when they all gathered in Terra's house for "imagination lessons" but this seemed formal.
"See you tomorrow, Sora," Riku said. "Looks like I'm staying here."
"Tomorrow, then."
They stood apart again as Blank came through, followed closely by Freda, Al, and Kyle. Riku followed Terra up the stairs, toward Dumbledore's office, where they would officially become students at Hogwarts.
"These first couple of times, I'll explain how you jump," Blank said. "But you gotta learn it now. It's like falling, I'm telling you, but don't be scared. You'll be all right. Now, tuck your chin to your heart and place your right hand where the beat is strongest."
Sora obeyed, feeling where his heart was its strongest, a little on the left side of his chest. Feeling a little foolish, he listened intently to what Blank said next to assuage his thoughts.
"Think of the place you want to go. We're going to Traverse Town. Think of it, the tall buildings, the item shop, the moogles with their little red pom-poms, the accessory shop, Cid with his little grain bit in his mouth, Leon, with that crazy jacket with the red eagle, Yuffie the great ninja...now...JUMP!"
So suddenly had she shouted that Sora leapt into the air on command, still trying to imagine this ninja woman, all in black with silver throwing stars. Eyes shut tight, mouth firm in line, he landed, not on smooth granite, but rough cobblestone. A shout drew his eyes open. Freda had landed on the stairs, twisting her ankle.
He took in this place, this place he was supposed to know so well by now. The deep red cobblestone beneath his feet, the neat, even stairs leading to a tall, arched wooden door. What looked like neon lights burned with the signs Restaurant and Accessory Shop. Warm street lanterns cast an eerie glow over everything. Despite its homey appearance, Sora was afraid something might just out at them at any moment.
"Sora."
At his name, he turned, facing a man of about twenty-five. He wore a black jacket with a red hawk on the back. A scar over his eye barely hindered his sight. This must be Leon.
"Greetings, Leon," Blank said. "I trust everything is in order?"
"Yes. And no. We've found a second Keyblade. I am...glad to see the Keyblade Master is well." He whipped out a sword, like a key, almost identical to Terra's. "The problem lies in the fact that we had to attain it through...difficult means. I will not elaborate." He swung the key out and it reappeared in Sora's hands.
(Quick Author's Note—Congrats to MikeyKid2004, once again. Here's what happened to Donald and Goofy!)
"What happened to Donald, Goofy?" Al asked, looking up just to see the tall scarred man's chest.
"The letter from King Mickey never reached them," Leon said, glancing to the side. "The Heartless took over there just hours ago. Rinoa went there, to warn them, but..."
Blank caressed his shoulder gently, whispering in his ears. Why? Sora, confused, stared at the square instead. He chanced to looked up in the sky, and saw, to his bewilderment, a star flicker, as if something had just flown in front of it. Seconds later, the star was gone, a bright blink and it vanished.
Hoping someone else had seen it, he looked around at his four comrades. Freda, Blank, Kyle, and Al said nothing about it. Blank was the only one not looking around with a curious spark in her eye. Sora realized that she probably had been here before, when they were planning the switch between him and Terra.
From the middle of the cobblestone, a little black creature rose, a red, broken heart symbol splayed haphazardly across its chest. Sora ignored it. None of the others seemed to have seen it yet, or, if they had, it was of no danger to them. He watched the little thing move its antennae around, its large, white eyes drinking nothing around it. Was it blind?
Lost? It certainly wasn't alone.
For, moments later, more of the same type of creature began cropping up out of the ground, like winter violets. Leon drew his gunblade on them, shouting at the others about Heartless. Sora didn't react right away. He was mesmerized by the swaying dance the creatures had.
Suddenly, the original bounced into the air, catapulted toward them, scratching with its claws at the air. Sora, frightened, struck the thing with the Keyblade, watched it explode to reveal little green orbs.
A chorus of voices filled the square, shouting names and weapons at random. Freda jumped in shock when a vivid red paintbrush appeared in her hand. Nonchalant, almost knowing, Blank fired a fine white feathered arrow into the nearest of the beasts, her bow and arrow as one with her. Kyle threw a white rose, Al fired paintballs. Leon joined the fray and soon the black things were gone.
"They will come at you from out of nowhere. And they will keep on coming, as long as you wield the Keyblade," Leon said.
The others panted against their newfound weapons, already shocked with themselves and the depth of the arena in which they'd been thrown.
"Well," Al cocked his paintball gun with a loud CHK-CHK-K. "It can't get any worse."
I kinda didn't like the idea of everybody having swords, magic, or a shield. I wanted them to be able to defend themselves (obviously!) but I didn't want it to be so overwhelming that it seemed like Kingdom Hearts had been taken over by Mary Sues. I luv Al's weapon. Tee hee! Paintball gun...
Freda's fits her personality—vibrant and creative. A white rose, for Kyle. Anyone know what that means? Usually, people place them on the deceased at a funeral. Blank's bow and arrow are echoes of a novel I'm working on, where she is a secondary main character.
So, like the new plot twists? Eh? Eh? ANSWER ME, PUNY EARTHLINGS! Er...that wasn't me. It wasn't me! Seriously! Don't give me that look!