Kyaa! I got lotsa commentos! Those are all at the bottom, so stay tuned after the chapter for special replies from the writer!
Notice how last chapter I didn't put a disclaimer? And the FBI didn't storm my house! But, just to be on the safe side, here is it.
DISCLAIMER: do you really think that if I created Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy I would be posting this here ?
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"Good luck, girlie."
The redhead turned, a rosy blush showing underneath layers of stage makeup. She smiled weakly and gave a faint nod. "Thanks."
The group on stage finished and hauled their guitars and drums off stage. They nodded politely to each other, but said nothing. A man in blue silk shirt and khakis walked out onto the stage, his white teeth gleaming in the bright lights, a microphone gripped between his fingers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, that was Lost Angels with 'Bell'! Let's hear another round of applause!" and the crowd was all to happy to comply, clapping like thunder and whistling shrilly.
"And now, the very girl you've been waiting for…"
The redhead tensed and held bits of her dress in a white-knuckled death grip.
"You'll be fine." her friend whispered, but now she wasn't so sure.
".. Misha!"
The crowd roared with excitement as she was pushed on stage. She squinted, momentarily blinded by the glare of the stage lights. Misha gave a short wave to the audience, bowed, then accepted the microphone from the man.
"Thank you.." she smiled gently.
- - -
Nyx turned her head to Corben and poked his cheek. He glared at her from behind his hair.
"What?"
"You're falling asleep at the wheel!"
"No I'm no-o-o-ot." He said, a yawn interrupting his speech. She raised an eyebrow.
"Mm hmm."
He ignored her and turned his head so that he could see into the back. "He's still sleeping?"
She nodded, eyes skimming the control panel. "He should be."
"You can drive this thing?"
"Yup."
He nodded, tilted his head foreword, and fell asleep quickly.
Nyx smiled at him fondly. He and Sora both looked so cute when they were sleeping.
Red, flashing lights grabbed her attention. Her face stretched into a grimace. She searched for a reason for the lights.
"Warning. Warning." the automated voice reported calmly.
"Warning what?!" she squeaked, slamming her fists on the dashboard.
"Warning. Warning. Warning."
"What?! Warning what?!" she whimpered, searching frantically. And then there it was.
Low fuel.
"Oh, snap!" she growled.
More lights. This time, they were accompanied by beeping noises.
"Warning. The world's gravity is pulling the ship in."
Useless technology! She turned to the pilot's seat and slugged Corben's arm. "Wake up!"
"What the-" he saw the flashing lights and heard the strangely tranquil warnings. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything! It's this stupid hunk of junk gummi ship!" she cried.
"Okay.. So.." he paused to listen. "We're being pulled in?! What's the world?"
"Ours. But still, it's gonna be rough."
Corben nodded his agreement as Nyx twisted in her seat and sat Sora up straight.
"What are you doing?" he asked, searching for a way to soften the landing.
"Buckling him in! We don't need him flopping around the ship and stabbing us with his hair!"
From the city below the streak in the sky was blocked out by light pollution. The whole city was lit up as bright as day. The only people who had any chance of seeing it were on the outskirts of the magnificent metropolis, but the only people there couldn't care less about the skies.
- -
The first thing Sora noticed when he awoke was the throbbing pain in his forehead. He shook his head slowly and lifted his hand to the ache, wondering what had happened. He studied his surroundings carefully. Inside a gummi ship.. backseat.. someone had buckled his seatbelt. He was the only occupant of the craft, but there was movement outside.
He unbuckled clumsily, his hands shaking horribly. He crawled over the seats and poked his head out of the ship.
"Nyx? Corben? Hey, what's going-" and he stopped.
All around the ship was a dark, inky pool. It rippled faintly at the sound of his voice, and he felt a hand over his mouth. His blue eyes darted to the source, and there was Corben, Nyx by his side, both deadly serious. Nyx held a finger to her lips and Corben moved his hand.
"Don't - wake - them - up" she mouthed, motioning him to her other side. He came, moving cautiously, the pool giving small shivers with his steps.
"Aeroga on three." she whispered to him, her lips barely moving. He nodded.
Corben mouthed the countdown, holding up fingers to keep them paced.
"Aeroga" the three whispered in unison, and stepped forward over the pool. The winds immediately took under their feet, and they walked across carefully.
- -
Sora looked back at the ship.
"Don't tell me you forgot something." Corben said, frowning slightly.
"No.. it's just.. How are we gonna get back to the ship?" the brunette asked, rubbing his forehead gingerly.
"Don't worry about it."
He glanced to Corben, the ship, then back to Corben.
"C'mon!" Nyx called, waving. "We're gonna be late!"
- -
Walking through the city was a very odd experience. All the hustling and bustling, bright lights and tall buildings. The signs and billboards donned the pictures of flashy, candy-coated starlets and the chiseled faces of music gods. A large sphere of water could be seen towering over the skyline. People laughed and danced in the street. Sora looked around, amazed at this place.
"What is this world? What's it called?" he asked, his eyes unable to stay on one thing for long.
"Zanarkand!" Nyx replied cheerily, grabbing his arm and hauled him through the masses of people. The Keyblade master ogled the sights, unaware of the admiring looks he received from the many young men and women craning their necks to get good looks at him.
Nyx hugged his arm tightly and drug him along, Corben clearing a path for them. Sora noticed that the farther they went, the less people there were. The signs weren't as flashy and the streets weren't as busy. Stores were barely lit and there was a strong scent of alcohol, smoke, and grilled meat in the air.
"Here." Corben said, indicating a small stairway that lead down to a black door. The old neon sign read "EC O SCR EN".
Sora eyed his two companions warily. "In here?"
They nodded and pulled him down the stairs. The door to the building opened and Sora slammed into a figure in a long black coat that had just stepped out.
"Ahh! Sorry, sir, I-"
"It's alright." he said quickly, speeding up the steps.
That voice.. It's..
He whipped his head around, but the man was gone. "Nyx, who was-"
"Sora!" and he was jerked inside.
The smoke inside the room was thick, and it hurt Sora's eyes. Nyx and Corben moved through the crowd and found a space to stand in a dark corner. The room was humid, but the corner they found had a bearable temperature, but Sora and Nyx were straining to see over the cheering crowd.
Up on the stage stood a young woman with soft red hair that went halfway down her back. Her eyelids hooded her eyes, making their color indistinguishable. Her dress was long, with three shades of blue. A dark, almost black blue was the top layer; a strapless coat that split just under the bust line and flowed outward. The second layer was navy and was only a couple centimeters longer than the previous layer. The bottom was ribbed with points in the fabric. The last, bottom layer was pale blue and went down to the floor, opening at the knees to reveal black lace-up boots. On her arms were long, blue-black opera-style gloves that curved around the front and came to a dramatic point. Around her left wrist she wore a black cord with a small, gold medallion hanging from it. On each cheekbone sat three small droplets of gold makeup. Extending from the back of the dress were two slender angel wings that glittered in the white hot lights.
The music started and she held the microphone to her mouth. The crowd fell silent and watched her.
"Ahh.. A-Ahh.. A-aahh… Ooooh ohh…" she started, her voice wavering.
"I've lost something important because of small things
The cold ring showed it's glimmer to me
I said 'All I need is today' but that wasn't the case
The door to you vanished without a sound
The more I wish for your happiness, the more selfish I become
But still, I want you to stay, and I always did
When someone's wish comes true she'll be crying
That was the door won't make a sound "
Her eyes were closed as she sang, her body swaying and rolling with the music like a bit of ribbon in the ocean. Her voice was almost raw sounding, breaking the hearts of her audience. As she sang her shoulders hunched slightly, as if her small body was folding in on itself.
"I wanted to become the only one who can heal you, who is needed by everyone,
And I've endured a little too much
To wish for my own happiness is not selfish, right?
If that's so, I want to hold you as tight as I can
When my tears dry up, she'll be crying
That way, the ground under us won't dry up
The more I wish for your happiness, the more selfish I become
But you never hold me back, you never did
When someone's wish comes true, she'll be crying
Everyone's wishes can't be granted at once"
The makeup on her cheeks glistened. But was it makeup? She sounded as if her heart were breaking.
"As the small earth rotates, I learn to become more kind
I want to hug you once more, as soft as I can"
Her eyebrows furrowed with sorrow as she sang the last part. Her voice quivered slightly as she held notes longer. The piano crooned a couple more notes, and then silence settled over the room. The silence was short-lived, however, as the crowd almost immediately broke out into deafening cheers. The girl on stage bowed quickly, letting her hair fall into her face, and then exited the stage.
Sora felt a sharp jab in his ribs. "C'mon." Corben said gruffly, and Nyx grabbed his wrist. They made their way through the crowd, pushing people aside roughly and charging through. They came close to the stage and met a young man with feathery, light brown hair that fell into his eyes.
"Lanc!" Nyx shouted above the noise of the crowd.
He turned and smiled at them. "You almost missed the set!" he scolded, shaking his head at them.
"Sorry! We, er, had a bit of trouble with the ship."
He lead them backstage, past the large, muscled bouncer, to the dressing rooms. He knocked lightly on the door. "Mish, you decent?"
The door swung open, and the girl from the stage stood in the doorway. "Come in! Come in!" she said breathlessly, moving aside. The group entered, Nyx throwing her arms around the other girl's neck.
"Kyaa! Mishaa!" she squealed. "That was so fantastic!"
"No, it wasn't. I could have done so much better!"
Nyx let go and shook her head ("Too self critical!" she muttered), then lunged at the new boy, apparently named Lanc.
Now that he was in the smoke-free dressing room, he could see the newcomers more clearly.
Lanc was the tallest of the five people, a head taller than Sora. His hair was very pale brown, thin, and longish, his bangs hanging down in his eyes. Sora noticed that he was jerking his head to the side in attempts to clear his gray eyes of his hair. His clothing was plain: A simple olive green, sleeveless, wide-necked shirt with a form-fitting black shirt underneath that covered his neck. His pants were black and worn over his black boots. His arms, wrists, and hands were bare. From his left ear hung a small, simple gold hoop.
Misha was still in her stage clothing, but some of her makeup had been cleaned off, making her paler than she had been. Her eyes, now visible, were large and round. The color was bright, pure gold.
Corben hung off to the side casually, watching the reunion. The red-haired girl, Misha, hugged him warmly, and, in doing so, noticed the boy with the spiky, chocolate colored hair.
"Who's this?" she asked, tilting her head with curiosity.
There was something odd about her features, aside from her eye color. Something Sora couldn't place. He held out his hand to her. "I'm Sora."
She nodded, examining him. "Well, Sora, I'm Misha." She looked at his outstretched hand and smiled. "We can just skip formalities." She said, and hugged him gently. Her hair smelled like flowers and smoke. There was something familiar about her behavior.
She pulled away from him slowly and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'll be ready to go in a moment, just let me get changed." she said, smiling tiredly.
Nyx ushered the boys into the hall and shut the door. Corben and Lanc stood against the walls, while Sora sat on the floor and leaned his back on the wall, looking up at the other two.
"So.. You're Sora, eh?" Lanc spoke up.
"Yeah."
He extended his hand. "Lanc. Nice to meet ya."
Sora nodded to him and took his hand.
Lanc and Corben proceeded to talk about something Sora didn't quite understand. Something about Abes, but he didn't care. His mind was a million miles away on a beach and he was lost.
- -
The dressing room door opened slowly and Nyx tip-toed out. "Aww! Meanie Corben and Lanc are ignoring poor Sora!" she cooed, hauling Sora to his feet.
Misha stepped out of the room behind her, rubbing her eyes. She wore a simpler outfit that consisted to a cap-sleeved white shirt and a short, blue-plaid skirt. She wore black-knee length boots with tall heels and the medallion from before still dangled from her wrist.
"Alright, everyone's here! Let's get a move on!" Lanc said, clapping his hands together. The group nodded and the slipped out the back door. The air had gotten a lot colder, causing them all to give a collective shiver. Nyx turned and stared longingly at the club.
"Come on, my place isn't far." Lanc said, grinning roguishly.
- -
They reached Lanc's building and Sora looked up. Maybe five stories tall and made of very dark bricks. Most of the windows were dark, but a few showed dim lights through musty curtains. They climbed several flights of creaky stairs, to the top floor. At the end of the hall, they stopped outside a dark door, marked with three symbols that Sora couldn't read. Misha opened the door and peered into the house.
"Hello?" she called lightly.
"You expecting someone?" Corben asked, frowning.
"Um, Not really. There's a newbie, and, well, he didn't have a place to stay, and Lanc offered." she said, shutting the door behind them and flipping a switch. Several spheres glowed softly all around the room.
"Yeah," Lanc smiled. "He's pretty cool. He's a little sulky, though, Corb. He really reminds me of you."
"Ha ha ha." Corben muttered dryly.
"So.. Now we've got two newbies?" Nyx asked, jerking her head at Sora.
"Guess so." Sora replied, standing with his hands behind his head, smiling cheerily.
"So, who's hungry?" Lanc asked.
- - -
His long, silvery hair rustled as he walked across the rooftop. His black boots clopped on the rooftop and the long black coat he wore sighed softly against his clothing. His aquamarine eyes flashed in the moonlight and his breath bloomed white blossoms around his lips, which were blue-tinted with cold. He stopped at the edge and looked at the metropolis around him. Tall, tall buildings. He turned his face to the sky, wishing he could see the stars.
The door to the rooftop opened with a creak.
"Hey.."
He turned and smiled tiredly. "Hey Misha."
"You should come inside. It's freezing out here."
He didn't say anything and turned back to the city. Misha went to stand next to him, shivering.
"Sora's here."
"I know. I sorta ran into him earlier."
"You should go see him."
Something changed in his eyes. He looked down at the top of her head.
"I.. I can't.
"Why?"
"You shouldn't have to ask. I told you what happened." he replied coldly.
She sighed, her breath clouding.
Misha started to walk back, then turned to him once more. "I know how much you care about him. You shouldn't be so scared. Sora.. he seems like he could really use something familiar. I'll bet he's willing to forgive you."
"Okay. Just.. not now. Later."
She nodded. "Alright, Riku."
- - - - -
Chapter 7 is complete! Okay, so the song Misha sang is a real song by Hikaru Utada called "When Someone's Wish Comes True", or "Dareka No Negai Ga Kanau Koro". It's from the CASSHERN soundtrack!!
Okay, so I know Misha seems like an MJ so far, but I swear she's not! Please give me a few chapters to flesh her out a bit.
Now for some stuff!
Jaile -(some) fan girls rule. (i.e. you, me, etc) And, yeah, there has been some Riku, but I've been leaving him out purposely. Hope this chapter made you happier.
Cammy-world666 - Tee hee. Nyx x Sora 4lyfe (no, I'm just kidding. I don't think that'll happen. Ever.) I think I'm starting to warm up to her, too.
Kimiko12 - blush such kind words! Thank you! Yeah, I know I was kinda harsh with Kairi, I'm sorry about that. It just came to me and I wrote it.
Superpooper - okey dokey.
