Chapter 11: Truth Comes Out
Criss didn't know what had come over her. The two underground people, Bar and Molly, were so trusting. They'd seemed like good people who simply were hiding from Yan and Shu. What did they mean, they were on Shu's side? She wanted to hear their explanation. If it was bad, Riku could pound them both into oblivion.
Bar wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, indignant. "You still don't understand. Shu has been against Yan from the start!"
"Shu is Yan's wife, how could they have been opposed from the beginning?" Riku rolled his eyes.
Bar repeated the motion. "You don't get it, do you? Shu didn't marry Yan because of love—Yan can't love! It's impossible for him to love anyone or thing. Shu married out of necessity, so that we could hide away until she had gathered the Shikon."
"What the hell is a Shikon?"
"Not what. Who," Molly said. Sora, who'd been quiet the entire time, stared between his old friend and the newcomers. He still had very little clue as to what was going on, Criss knew. "The Shikon are the two queens and two kings of Kingdom Hearts. They're the only ones who can defeat the Father of the Heartless. Shu is the only one who knows who they are, and enlisted us to find and protect them.
"At first, it was just me. Then more people came, and we started Nekopolis."
"Why cats?" Riku asked.
"Cats are the only creatures that Yan loves," Bar answered. "He loves them so much that he's neglected every other aspect of love. Soon, love wasn't love to him any more. Obsession, then beyond. No one knows how to term it now. He is so lost in his obsession with cats that he is blind to anyone who holds one in their arms.
"That's why Nekopolis has remained hidden all these years. He can't see us because we're surrounded by cats. Each of us bonds with a cat, because that cat protects us from the Abyss that lies in the depths of the Stone Temple."
"What's below the Stone Temple?" Criss whispered.
"Yan's Children."
YaYa had never seen such a precious sight. The young redhead, reunited with who YaYa supposed was her boyfriend, had instantly fell upon him. He was a little red-clothed man, only fourteen or so. The two made the cutest little couple. She didn't know exactly what was going on, or where she was, but this was clear. There was love in this room.
Simple and clean.
With one glance at the raven-haired man in hand-me-down black clothes told YaYa that this love was not so simple. His aqua eyes shimmered in pain, in turmoil. In an instant, she knew. This was no ordinary love.
A triangle of the past had come up from the depths. Before her eyes, blue light danced round the raven-haired boy's head. The black lifted, like a dawn, revealing brilliant silver beneath. The silver-haired boy who Criss Nallen had spoken of. So that would mean...indeed. There was Criss, her calico patch hair brilliant against her stone surroundings.
"You lifted the spell!" Criss gaped at him. "Riku, your hair! It's silver again!"
He smirked, shrugging at her. "If only I had my yellow clothes back, eh?"
"No. You look good in black." At this, the young Riku blushed. YaYa smiled at their word play. It was obvious that whatever feelings he might have for Kairi, he held Criss well within his heart.
"Good to see that you're doing well, Criss Nallen," YaYa said. "Gave the commander and I the slip simple enough."
Criss turned to YaYa, all traces of humor gone. "YaYa...I am so, so sorry about the commander. I know that you two were..." She trailed off.
"No need for apologies. Now, Shu said that the other queen and the two kings were down here, sir Bar. Where are they?"
Instead, a sort of batty lady answered her question. "Well, if that's not a stupid question, I don't know what is. They're staring you right down the kisser, lady!"
YaYa blinked. There were very few people in the room. Bar, the batty lady, Kairi, her little boyfriend, Criss Nallen, and Riku. Two and two plopped themselves right in the middle of her jelly-filled donut. What a mess.
"You mean to tell me that Criss Nallen and Kairi are the queens and Riku and this kid here are the kings?! What da heck?! They're just kids!"
Bar smiled. "Yeah, well. Legends persist that the four would be between fourteen and fifteen years of age."
YaYa sighed. "Great. This world isn't enough with a man-eating ruler, his Children, a jail where people sha-boink for the leader's Sunday dinner, and a giant underground city full of cats. No, we just have to throw in four teenagers who are supposedly supposed to beat said leader." Notice the sarcasm. Thank you.
Crickets added their music to the silence in order to resuscitate whatever background music the readers might have been playing in their heads. You may now resume the music.
"Wait a minute," Kairi's boyfriend said, wincing all the way to his feet. "We're some kind of royalty?"
"You are the Shikon," said the batty lady. "Thanks for coming down, YaYa. I'm Molly, the main shaman from the Before. You've met Kairi and Criss, but this is Sora, lovely gentleman that is he, and Riku, not so much, but you get used to him."
"Hey!"
"Just joking, kid."
"W-Wait," Criss said. "Main shaman? What's that all about?"
"Well..." Molly smiled at YaYa. "The two of you share one very precious thing. The blood of the Ages, from long ago. Only thing you might have noticed, YaYa, is that you don't sleep very well.
"But the blood of the Ages is a dormant magic, made alive by the presence of two things. One is the truest, deepest love. The other is danger. Danger, mates, you heard me right. That alone will awaken the depths of the mage's soul within you. You are, did you not know, cousins?"
"Surprises galore today," YaYa muttered.
"You said it," Criss said.
"Okay, okay," Riku interrupted them. "From what Bar told us, the Shikon are powerful enough to defeat Yan. So why aren't we storming his fortress by now?"
Molly bopped him on the head. "Patience, impertinent one. It isn't enough for you to be together. You must become a 'Naohi' or a 'true soul'. Become of one mind, of one body. Discover the ways of the Ages, you must. YaYa will be able to direct you once you've found your body."
"So, we've got to find a BODY now?" Criss huffed. "What's next? The attack of the giant pink chickunny?"
"Chickens and bunnies do not crossbreed, nor are they pink," Molly sniffed. "And yes. That is your final task. To find your body. You are one heart, after all. Shouldn't be a trouble."
Body. Right.
Criss didn't know what had come over her. The two underground people, Bar and Molly, were so trusting. They'd seemed like good people who simply were hiding from Yan and Shu. What did they mean, they were on Shu's side? She wanted to hear their explanation. If it was bad, Riku could pound them both into oblivion.
Bar wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, indignant. "You still don't understand. Shu has been against Yan from the start!"
"Shu is Yan's wife, how could they have been opposed from the beginning?" Riku rolled his eyes.
Bar repeated the motion. "You don't get it, do you? Shu didn't marry Yan because of love—Yan can't love! It's impossible for him to love anyone or thing. Shu married out of necessity, so that we could hide away until she had gathered the Shikon."
"What the hell is a Shikon?"
"Not what. Who," Molly said. Sora, who'd been quiet the entire time, stared between his old friend and the newcomers. He still had very little clue as to what was going on, Criss knew. "The Shikon are the two queens and two kings of Kingdom Hearts. They're the only ones who can defeat the Father of the Heartless. Shu is the only one who knows who they are, and enlisted us to find and protect them.
"At first, it was just me. Then more people came, and we started Nekopolis."
"Why cats?" Riku asked.
"Cats are the only creatures that Yan loves," Bar answered. "He loves them so much that he's neglected every other aspect of love. Soon, love wasn't love to him any more. Obsession, then beyond. No one knows how to term it now. He is so lost in his obsession with cats that he is blind to anyone who holds one in their arms.
"That's why Nekopolis has remained hidden all these years. He can't see us because we're surrounded by cats. Each of us bonds with a cat, because that cat protects us from the Abyss that lies in the depths of the Stone Temple."
"What's below the Stone Temple?" Criss whispered.
"Yan's Children."
YaYa had never seen such a precious sight. The young redhead, reunited with who YaYa supposed was her boyfriend, had instantly fell upon him. He was a little red-clothed man, only fourteen or so. The two made the cutest little couple. She didn't know exactly what was going on, or where she was, but this was clear. There was love in this room.
Simple and clean.
With one glance at the raven-haired man in hand-me-down black clothes told YaYa that this love was not so simple. His aqua eyes shimmered in pain, in turmoil. In an instant, she knew. This was no ordinary love.
A triangle of the past had come up from the depths. Before her eyes, blue light danced round the raven-haired boy's head. The black lifted, like a dawn, revealing brilliant silver beneath. The silver-haired boy who Criss Nallen had spoken of. So that would mean...indeed. There was Criss, her calico patch hair brilliant against her stone surroundings.
"You lifted the spell!" Criss gaped at him. "Riku, your hair! It's silver again!"
He smirked, shrugging at her. "If only I had my yellow clothes back, eh?"
"No. You look good in black." At this, the young Riku blushed. YaYa smiled at their word play. It was obvious that whatever feelings he might have for Kairi, he held Criss well within his heart.
"Good to see that you're doing well, Criss Nallen," YaYa said. "Gave the commander and I the slip simple enough."
Criss turned to YaYa, all traces of humor gone. "YaYa...I am so, so sorry about the commander. I know that you two were..." She trailed off.
"No need for apologies. Now, Shu said that the other queen and the two kings were down here, sir Bar. Where are they?"
Instead, a sort of batty lady answered her question. "Well, if that's not a stupid question, I don't know what is. They're staring you right down the kisser, lady!"
YaYa blinked. There were very few people in the room. Bar, the batty lady, Kairi, her little boyfriend, Criss Nallen, and Riku. Two and two plopped themselves right in the middle of her jelly-filled donut. What a mess.
"You mean to tell me that Criss Nallen and Kairi are the queens and Riku and this kid here are the kings?! What da heck?! They're just kids!"
Bar smiled. "Yeah, well. Legends persist that the four would be between fourteen and fifteen years of age."
YaYa sighed. "Great. This world isn't enough with a man-eating ruler, his Children, a jail where people sha-boink for the leader's Sunday dinner, and a giant underground city full of cats. No, we just have to throw in four teenagers who are supposedly supposed to beat said leader." Notice the sarcasm. Thank you.
Crickets added their music to the silence in order to resuscitate whatever background music the readers might have been playing in their heads. You may now resume the music.
"Wait a minute," Kairi's boyfriend said, wincing all the way to his feet. "We're some kind of royalty?"
"You are the Shikon," said the batty lady. "Thanks for coming down, YaYa. I'm Molly, the main shaman from the Before. You've met Kairi and Criss, but this is Sora, lovely gentleman that is he, and Riku, not so much, but you get used to him."
"Hey!"
"Just joking, kid."
"W-Wait," Criss said. "Main shaman? What's that all about?"
"Well..." Molly smiled at YaYa. "The two of you share one very precious thing. The blood of the Ages, from long ago. Only thing you might have noticed, YaYa, is that you don't sleep very well.
"But the blood of the Ages is a dormant magic, made alive by the presence of two things. One is the truest, deepest love. The other is danger. Danger, mates, you heard me right. That alone will awaken the depths of the mage's soul within you. You are, did you not know, cousins?"
"Surprises galore today," YaYa muttered.
"You said it," Criss said.
"Okay, okay," Riku interrupted them. "From what Bar told us, the Shikon are powerful enough to defeat Yan. So why aren't we storming his fortress by now?"
Molly bopped him on the head. "Patience, impertinent one. It isn't enough for you to be together. You must become a 'Naohi' or a 'true soul'. Become of one mind, of one body. Discover the ways of the Ages, you must. YaYa will be able to direct you once you've found your body."
"So, we've got to find a BODY now?" Criss huffed. "What's next? The attack of the giant pink chickunny?"
"Chickens and bunnies do not crossbreed, nor are they pink," Molly sniffed. "And yes. That is your final task. To find your body. You are one heart, after all. Shouldn't be a trouble."
Body. Right.