Help from an Unknown
A Kingdom Hearts fanfic
By
Chison
Cloud stood on the edge of the caldron, and dove into the green, slimly muck; trying to swim for the brightest heart he could see. Hades cracked a smile, and turned his back, with Marlena staring deep into the vortex, trying to guide Cloud, "There! Just a little further…" However she cut herself off with what she saw; the deeper he went, the older he became, his skin starting to deflate to his bones, like a balloon. "Hades! What are you doing to Cloud?" Marlena angrily looked to Hades, who started to chuckle now, turning around he said, "Look darlin' its simple. Cloud jumped into the vortex, and it makes him older as he goes deeper." Marlena looked back into the caldron, but saw Cloud coming back to the surface. Slowly regaining his youth, he pulled himself out of the vortex, and slumped down onto its side, "Its not down there…" Cloud said, coughing some of the ooze from the vortex, Marlena walked to Hades and shouted, "He could have died down there! How come you didn't tell us that the heart wasn't down there!" A grin just formed across Hades' face as he said, "That's right. It was never down there; but then again you can't trust the keeper of the Underworld now can you?"
Marlena helped Cloud to his feet; he looked at Hades and gave a grim glare as they walked past him. They left the room with the caldron, but found that the boat was gone, Hades walked behind them and said, "You know…the souls of the dead get really hungry right about this time…" With that, he started to walk up the walls, and onto the ceiling, laughing as he went. By this time Cloud had almost lost conscious, but Marlena kept him awake, but lightly tapping his cheek, saying "Cloud…we have a problem…Hades has left us in the Underworld…and we can't go back to the Gummi ship…" The souls from the river started to crawl onto the shore, deceased people from all generations, but there was one was familiar to Marlena: Maleficent.
Marlena shook Cloud, trying to get him to pay attention to the souls, but he drifted off and lost conscience, Maleficent charged through the others, knocking people out of her way; trying to make her way to them. She finally came face to face with Marlena, who was terrified, "You girl…Have you come seeking power? Or something else entirely…" her voice sent chills down Marlena's spine, almost dropping Cloud; she tightened her grip on him, sweat started to run down her face, staring down Maleficent, "We…we…." She stuttered, "we came looking for a heart to break a barrier…" Maleficent turned away, raising her arms shouting, "She came looking for a heart!" then turning back to her, "dear child, you cannot seek what you already have!" Plunging her left hand into Marlena's chest, she gabbed a hold of something. She dropped Cloud, hearing his body land with a thump, and ice went through her body, her breathing became shallow, eyes wide open she felt another pulse, however Maleficent's hand was around it. Slowly, her hand started to pull out from Marlena's chest, feeling the greatest ache, feeling she was loosing her soul, Maleficent's hand pulled out her heart. "So much power comes from such a small thing…" she observed it, letting Marlena fall to the ground, her eyes started to glaze over, everything becoming blurry, but she heard a loud scream. Trying to focus, she only made out a massive, black pillar towering over her. The Unknown looked at Maleficent, saying, "Return that heart. Now." She just gave a grin, but before she could do anything, a key blade slammed into her stomach, and snatching the heart, she flew back into the oozing river.
Turning her over, the Unknown held her heart in his hand, and gently placed it on her chest, where it was absorbed back into her body. Sitting right up, she looked at the Unknown, who had a bandage around his eyes, "Thank you…" she started, but he got up and muttered to himself, and held out his right hand, and a key blade-looking weapon came into his hand. It was the heart blade that Riku had once made, he simply dropped it on the ground and said, "This will get you through the barrier of darkness…However you might not be able to go through, this blade takes your heart and gives it to the Darkness." With that, the Unknown left, disappearing as quickly as he came. Marlena took it in her hand, and noticed that the Gummi ship had found they're way to them, and Cloud started to wake up. "What happened? I must have dozed off…" Cloud said, holding his head, he turned to Marlena who had the heart blade and said, "Who gave you that? Riku once used it when he was taken over by Ansem…" Marlena helped him to his feet, and climbed into the Gummi ship, not answering his question. Cloud muttered under this breathe, and blasted off from the Underworld.