A hooded figure walked down the streets of Twilight Town, rain pelting him
in the back of his hooded head. There were people running and screaming,
all because of the Heartless that grabbed them and pulled them down into
their darkness.
The man was not amused.
He stopped, seeing a small girl running from a Shadow Heartless, holding a teddy bear close. The figure could feel the pureness of her heart, even though she must have been 20 feet away. She fell, and the Heartless pounced on her, and within moment, held up her gleaming heart. The girl lay on the ground in a coma-like state, jaw open and slack, her fingers still gripping her teddy bear, but loosely. The figure's frown deepened, and he approached the Heartless.
The Shadow Heartless looked up and made a growling noise at the man, as if it thought he came to take it's prize for his own. In a way, he was. Drawing out his Oblivion Keyblade, the figure leaned back a bit on one leg, then whipped the Keyblade forward and released it, using his 'strike-raid' move. The Heartless was hit directly in his main body and disappeared. The Keyblade returned itself to it's owner's hand.
A moment later, the figure helped the little girl stand, her heart now it it's proper place. The little girl smiled up at him in thanks, but screamed when she looked into his hood and ran away.
She had felt his darkness. And it was stronger then the darkness of the Heartless.
The figure sighed and stood, then walked down a few side streets where the Heartless seemed to crowd more in. People were screaming here, just like in every other place, but there was more fighting back. The figure was surprised, because the people who lived in this area had less to live for than anyone else he'd seen previously.
He turned, seeing a stout woman beat away the Heartless from her door with a steel ladle. Intrigued at her resolve, the figure walked towards her. She definitely had willpower, and her heart wasn't completely blacked with darkness, nor was it full of light. He guessed she was one of the Medians, and decided not to bother himself with her. He turned away, but felt something tug behind him.
The figure turned and saw the woman losing even more ground. With a sigh and a small shake of the head, he walked towards the Heartless, grabbed two by their arms and squeezed them tightly in his arms. They faded into nothingness and their tainted hearts flew away. The woman gripped the area over her heart in exhaustion and wiped the sweat from her brown with her other hand.
"Thank ye boy...I s'ppose I owe ye?" she asked, ignoring the fact that other people were being attacked. The figure looked down at her. Anxious, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Ye have a name boy?" she asked. "Lemmeh see yer face at least!" she demanded. The figure tilted his head a bit, happily confused. She wanted him to take his hood off!
Slowly, the figure raised his hands towards his face and ran his fingers over the lining of his hood. Gertrude gasped as he pulled back to hood to reveal a pale face and dark, spiked hair.
"Sora!" she gasped, walking towards him. She reached out to touch his face, then pulled it back. "You...look just like him." She said, feeling a bit foolish. Of course this wasn't Sora! Why would he hide his face from her?
"Where's Sora?" his husky voice asked. Gertrude was reminded of the noise the newspaper made when blown across the street.
"Yeh missed him, he's gone with some...Aur'n or sommat." She said. The figure pulled the hood back up, to hide his face again, then walked away. "Who are yeh?" she called. The figure stopped.
"I...am his shell..." he said quietly, then continued his walk, through the Heartless and past helpless people. Beneath him, he felt the world begin to collapse.
- - - -
The second figure replaced his blindfold and exited the main building into the street. The Heartless seemed like they were nearly done with their work, but something felt wrong to him.
The figure traced the steps that the other man walked, stopping once at where the girl had lain with her heart gone, then moved to Gertrude's shack. Standing outside the doorway, he felt that a great Darkness had been there. Cautiously, he knocked on the doorframe. Gertrude rushed to the door and looked up at the man, wearing the same coat as the last.
"Where do you men come from?" she asked, exasperated. The figure tilted his head down at her. Gertrude wondered if the man was blind, but decided not to ask.
"Sora...is gone?" he asked. Gertrude opened her mouth to answer, but the figure walked in and silently went into the room where Sora slept.
"Yeh can't do that! Get out of here you freak!" she screeched as the figure picked up Sora's abandoned clothes. The figure carefully turned over his shirt, then picked up one of the shoes.
"Cold...he's gone." He said, as if it were final, then nodded his head and put the clothes back down. Nimbly, he dodged Gertrude's sudden attack and picked her up by her arm and shook his head. "No harm from me, only protection." He said, in a voice barely above a whisper. "Family gone, must preserve a few..." Gertrude gasped.
"My kids...?" she asked. The figure nodded, then glowed a white color. Gertrude screamed in anguish and in fear...
...then dropped to the ground. Voices were around her and she was quickly helped to her feet.
"The Preator will thank you Riku," said a male voice. Gertrude looked around and found herself in a heavenly place. The people were dressed in bright colors, and from the looks of things, she was outside the temple.
"Welcome to Bevelle!" said a child before her, holding up a new set of clothes. From the looks of things, the people had expected newcomers to appear. Gertrude numbly took the clothes, then held them to her close and began to shake. The child looked up at the figure as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Family is...gone...mostly..." he said, and gestured behind her. Gertrude turned and saw her youngest children and ran to them to embrace them. Her oldest four were missing.
"Riku, did you find your friend?" the child asked. Rikku tilted his head down towards the child.
"A half." He said, then walked into the temple of Bevelle.
--- This is sort of a 'meanwhile' chapter. The events here begin about an hour or so after Auron takes Sora from Twilight Town/Twilight City. The Praetor can't thank 'Riku' personally, because he is currently in a meeting with Gippal and Nooj a few days before Sora is in Bikanel Desert.
The man was not amused.
He stopped, seeing a small girl running from a Shadow Heartless, holding a teddy bear close. The figure could feel the pureness of her heart, even though she must have been 20 feet away. She fell, and the Heartless pounced on her, and within moment, held up her gleaming heart. The girl lay on the ground in a coma-like state, jaw open and slack, her fingers still gripping her teddy bear, but loosely. The figure's frown deepened, and he approached the Heartless.
The Shadow Heartless looked up and made a growling noise at the man, as if it thought he came to take it's prize for his own. In a way, he was. Drawing out his Oblivion Keyblade, the figure leaned back a bit on one leg, then whipped the Keyblade forward and released it, using his 'strike-raid' move. The Heartless was hit directly in his main body and disappeared. The Keyblade returned itself to it's owner's hand.
A moment later, the figure helped the little girl stand, her heart now it it's proper place. The little girl smiled up at him in thanks, but screamed when she looked into his hood and ran away.
She had felt his darkness. And it was stronger then the darkness of the Heartless.
The figure sighed and stood, then walked down a few side streets where the Heartless seemed to crowd more in. People were screaming here, just like in every other place, but there was more fighting back. The figure was surprised, because the people who lived in this area had less to live for than anyone else he'd seen previously.
He turned, seeing a stout woman beat away the Heartless from her door with a steel ladle. Intrigued at her resolve, the figure walked towards her. She definitely had willpower, and her heart wasn't completely blacked with darkness, nor was it full of light. He guessed she was one of the Medians, and decided not to bother himself with her. He turned away, but felt something tug behind him.
The figure turned and saw the woman losing even more ground. With a sigh and a small shake of the head, he walked towards the Heartless, grabbed two by their arms and squeezed them tightly in his arms. They faded into nothingness and their tainted hearts flew away. The woman gripped the area over her heart in exhaustion and wiped the sweat from her brown with her other hand.
"Thank ye boy...I s'ppose I owe ye?" she asked, ignoring the fact that other people were being attacked. The figure looked down at her. Anxious, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Ye have a name boy?" she asked. "Lemmeh see yer face at least!" she demanded. The figure tilted his head a bit, happily confused. She wanted him to take his hood off!
Slowly, the figure raised his hands towards his face and ran his fingers over the lining of his hood. Gertrude gasped as he pulled back to hood to reveal a pale face and dark, spiked hair.
"Sora!" she gasped, walking towards him. She reached out to touch his face, then pulled it back. "You...look just like him." She said, feeling a bit foolish. Of course this wasn't Sora! Why would he hide his face from her?
"Where's Sora?" his husky voice asked. Gertrude was reminded of the noise the newspaper made when blown across the street.
"Yeh missed him, he's gone with some...Aur'n or sommat." She said. The figure pulled the hood back up, to hide his face again, then walked away. "Who are yeh?" she called. The figure stopped.
"I...am his shell..." he said quietly, then continued his walk, through the Heartless and past helpless people. Beneath him, he felt the world begin to collapse.
- - - -
The second figure replaced his blindfold and exited the main building into the street. The Heartless seemed like they were nearly done with their work, but something felt wrong to him.
The figure traced the steps that the other man walked, stopping once at where the girl had lain with her heart gone, then moved to Gertrude's shack. Standing outside the doorway, he felt that a great Darkness had been there. Cautiously, he knocked on the doorframe. Gertrude rushed to the door and looked up at the man, wearing the same coat as the last.
"Where do you men come from?" she asked, exasperated. The figure tilted his head down at her. Gertrude wondered if the man was blind, but decided not to ask.
"Sora...is gone?" he asked. Gertrude opened her mouth to answer, but the figure walked in and silently went into the room where Sora slept.
"Yeh can't do that! Get out of here you freak!" she screeched as the figure picked up Sora's abandoned clothes. The figure carefully turned over his shirt, then picked up one of the shoes.
"Cold...he's gone." He said, as if it were final, then nodded his head and put the clothes back down. Nimbly, he dodged Gertrude's sudden attack and picked her up by her arm and shook his head. "No harm from me, only protection." He said, in a voice barely above a whisper. "Family gone, must preserve a few..." Gertrude gasped.
"My kids...?" she asked. The figure nodded, then glowed a white color. Gertrude screamed in anguish and in fear...
...then dropped to the ground. Voices were around her and she was quickly helped to her feet.
"The Preator will thank you Riku," said a male voice. Gertrude looked around and found herself in a heavenly place. The people were dressed in bright colors, and from the looks of things, she was outside the temple.
"Welcome to Bevelle!" said a child before her, holding up a new set of clothes. From the looks of things, the people had expected newcomers to appear. Gertrude numbly took the clothes, then held them to her close and began to shake. The child looked up at the figure as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Family is...gone...mostly..." he said, and gestured behind her. Gertrude turned and saw her youngest children and ran to them to embrace them. Her oldest four were missing.
"Riku, did you find your friend?" the child asked. Rikku tilted his head down towards the child.
"A half." He said, then walked into the temple of Bevelle.
--- This is sort of a 'meanwhile' chapter. The events here begin about an hour or so after Auron takes Sora from Twilight Town/Twilight City. The Praetor can't thank 'Riku' personally, because he is currently in a meeting with Gippal and Nooj a few days before Sora is in Bikanel Desert.