Chapter 7: Another Kid
Water dripped and trickled in slow motion all around them as they raced the clock. Riku felt his leg muscles protest, but he only pushed them harder. Behind him and the messenger, Criss gasped for breath. She stumbled but didn't fall. They didn't stop. If they didn't get to the kid in time, the army would get him first.
And he would probably be eaten, not knowing what his fate might have been.
Fire grates flew by, each tunnel the same as the last, eight feet tall with a tiny stream of water down the center. If the messenger hadn't assured Riku that he knew where he was going...Riku felt he would be lost.
"Here, this is Hollow Alley," the messenger stopped. He pointed up. It wasn't a fire grate, but a circular hole. No light seeped in from it. "It's a sewage drain, there's one in every street."
Riku nodded. "We need to be quiet. We don't know if he's been caught..."
"For his sake, I hope not," Criss said. She climbed up the ladder, listening intently to the ground above. Riku held his breath. She pushed the drain up and slid it away. "All clear. He's still here, too. Poor guy..."
Riku saw her disappear above. She reappeared seconds later, a boy draped over her shoulders. As she descended the last few steps, the messenger and Riku took him from her. She ascended again and slid the grate back in place.
However, Riku didn't hear it nor see it. He was too busy being shocked. "It's Sora! Sora! Wake up..."
"He's knocked out, like you were," Criss jumped to the stones below. "Are you sure this is your friend?"
"Yeah...it's him..."
"You both have a thing for bright clothes, don't ya?" She picked at Sora's red pants, which had a nice tear on the right leg. Sora was a little worse for the wear than Riku would have hoped. It looked like he'd been in several battles, because scars crisscrossed his body. Some were still scabbing over.
He had a fresh cut over his left eye and deep gouges in his arms. The short-sleeved white and black over-shirt Riku had given him long ago barely held to his left shoulder, the right being completely shredded. Anything Maleficent had told him about Sora evaporated. It didn't matter anymore. Sora was hurt and Riku was his friend. That was all that mattered.
Riku checked Sora over to make sure that he hadn't any more wounds. Beside him, Criss used what little medical knowledge she had to make sure Sora was otherwise okay. Once both were satisfied with his health, Riku used his teeth to tear bits of the ruined shirt into makeshift bandages. They used the water that ran down the tunnel to clean the cuts, hoping that it was good enough.
"He still hasn't come to," Criss said. "I thought you said he was strong?"
"Strong enough," Riku shrugged. "He's alive, isn't he? Come on, let's get him to the Stone Temple. Maybe they've got the answer to—"
"Kairi!" Sora shouted, sitting up suddenly, knocking Criss over into the water. "Riku! Donald, Goofy!"
"Hey! Calm down, kid, jeez!" Criss squeezed the water from her cloak. "Riku's right here, dolt."
"Riku?" Sora cocked his head, staring at him. "Are you...really...him?"
"Yeah," he smiled. "Just dyed my hair and changed clothes, but it's me."
Tears welled up in the other boy's eyes. Riku never had seen Sora cry before, never so easily. Before he knew it, his childhood friend had thrown his arms around him.
"I thought I'd never see you again! He took you, then he took Kairi, then he took Donald and Goofy...and then he took me!"
"Wait, who?" Riku looked at Criss, pondering. "Who took us?"
"The Silver Shadow...that's what he told me. He's horrible, he said his dad was going to eat me! He said mom would eat Kairi, or...or..." Sora shuddered. Suddenly, Riku knew who had caused all this.
"Yan," Criss answered his mind. "One of his Children."
"There's still a chance he hasn't eaten your friends yet," Riku said. "Or Kairi. Criss, let's get back to the Stone Temple. We've got to step up our plans."
Come on, who guessed it?