Gah… it's too early.
And there are people in my house…
Make them go'way…
-Lovely Catastrophe
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Chapter Five: The Magic Kingdom
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This is not…
This…
This is not good.
Auron was standing near the edge of the forest, not too far from the temporary campsite the group had set up. The girls had not returned, and his mind was too filled with thoughts for him to stay still. Which made him almost agree with Rikku about the old fogey bit.
It was easier to think as an old fogey.
And something like this... well… it required quite a bit of thinking.
Before him were miles and miles of plains, stretching out as far as he could possibly see. But they were translucent, as though they weren't really all there yet. He had already tested to see if one could stand on them by throwing a rock out into the field.
Solid. And yet opaque?
He didn't remember there being plains in Radiant Garden. But he also knew that they had been that way before… when the Worlds were connected. When he was dead—rather, when he had been living in the Underworld—he had been told stories: about a Magic Kingdom, in which all the Worlds coexisted peacefully. There had been noGummi Ships, for there simply was no need to use them. One could simply travel from one land to another on foot. But back then there was just one World.
The different races had begun to fight with each other, and the King of that time made a hard decision: he had to separate the lands to ensure peace… but that would also mean that there would be no unity.
And when the Heartless came… no unity meant fighting a losing battle. Countless Worlds were destroyed after the separation, most of them too small to defend themselves. Auron remembered THAT part well. Spira had gone down almost immediately, because everyone was too busy fighting each other to destroy the Heartless.
Only he and a small group of people had even tried to save the World.
Tidus… Wakka… Yuna… Rikku… Paine.
But they had failed. Miserably. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine had died trying to keep Luca from falling due to its' immense population. But there were simply too many Heartless for the three of them to fend off.
However, because of their pure hearts, the Fayth gave them new life as fairies, and sent them away to another World where they would be safe. Their memories were also wiped out, so they would know nothing more than each other, and the fact that they had once been human.
Tidus and Wakka were also slain, and the Fayth sent their souls to Destiny Islands, where they would be reborn as children and live their new lives in peace. They were also placed there in order to be childhood friends of the Keyblade's chosen when he was born.
But I… I was too hard of heart. I died… and my soul wasn't reborn… my soul didn't get sent off to the Farplane. I got sent to the Underworld. And perhaps… perhaps that was the best place for me to go.
Auron had been the only survivor of Spira allowed to retain all of his memories. Not that he would share these memories with anyone. Some things were better left unsaid.
There was still the question of why he was reborn as the man he was when he was but twenty years old. He had dared to ask Zeus that before he left for Radiant Garden, and the god had simply stated that that was how things worked.
Not that Auron was complaining. It certainly was easier to fight as a youngster. He would just have to get used to it.
Contemplating done, he turned his attention back to the plains, an uneasy feeling washing over him. This is not good. This isn't supposed to happen.
………………………
The four girls had been wandering around the forest for some time… Even though Rikku claimed to have an excellent sense of direction, she only managed to get the others more and more…
Lost. Crap. We're lost. Auron's going to be mad. Kairi was slowly following behind the chipper Al Bhed and her other companions. Worst part is, we haven't gotten any sleep yet… The Princess wasn't much up for talking either. The other three girls were as close as sisters, and they would talk about everything among themselves. To Kairi, it felt as if she was intruding to make any comments at all.
It was a terribly lonely way to go about things. And it wasn't as if they disliked her. (Well, actually, she figured that Paine wasn't fond of her, but that just seemed like who Paine was.)
I agreed to go on this stupid journey. I got picked up by two chipmunks with road rage, got dropped off at some weird garden place where unusual is the norm… Got partnered with a 'he-just-thinks-he's-badass' swordsman and three treasure-hungry fairies—er, girls. Then, we got lost in this forest, and I almost got my head eaten off by a dragon, who turned out to be a water spirit, who turned the fairies back into humans again, only now they're apparently all younger than me… and… now we're lost… and Auron is going to kill us…
Oh dear… I need a nap.
"We're almost there you guys! Just a few more minutes!" Rikku said cheerfully, bounding ahead of the group.
"You said that half an hour ago…" Paine replied crossly, darting after the hyper blonde, and leaving Kairi and Yuna behind.
The Princess sighed, lowering her head as she trudged on beside Yuna. "I wish I had that much energy…" The other girls were obviously accustomed to long periods of walking, and she, obviously was not.
The young Summoner laughed, and Kairi found the sound strangely pleasant.
"Rikku acts as though she's on a constant sugar high, and she probably is. And Paine can keep up with anybody. I'm always getting left behind, too, so don't feel bad."
"Yeah…"
Yuna smiled, and Kairi smiled back, trying not to get lost in either the dazzling smile or the warm duo-toned eyes. She broke eye contact with the other girl after a few seconds, realizing that she had been staring a bit too long. But she had realized something.
Yuna is really… pretty… The Princess shook the thought from her mind. What? Wait… Slow down, Kairi. Don't get caught up in the moments, remember? You'll get hurt. Besides, she's a girl. And you are too.
But that hadn't stopped anyone else before.
Stop it. Get it together. Concentrate on the mission. And finding your way out of this blasted forest.
The young Summoner must have sensed the other girl's sudden confusion and dismay, and the smile disappeared from her face as she focused her eyes on the path before them.
Did I do something wrong…?
But neither of them had long to ponder the confusion, because a shattering scream pierced the silence and their ears.
"Rikku!" They shouted together, racing towards the direction of the noise.
……………………
Auron was jolted from his musings by the scream as well.
What now…He took one last look at the plains, before darting off into the woods.
……………………
Then to the owner of the scream herself. Rikku and Paine were trapped between some gnarled trees and a ring of Imagi grunts. They were about a foot high, and were similar in race to that of Silas' minions: Pike, Frenzy, and Raimi. But they all had dull looks in their eyes, sharp teeth and claws, and one mission: Destroy anything that moved within the Magic Kingdom. And do it fast.
One of the creatures snarled and flung itself at Rikku, but it found its' body soon severed in half with one stroke of Paine's sword. The fallen Imagi faded away, and the others lurched forward, taking its place.
"Too many. We should find a way out of here, Rikku." The warrior grunted, making sure to keep the younger girl safely behind her.
"There isn't any way out! We're trapped!"
The blonde let out another shriek as two of the Imagi leapt towards them. Shots rang out, and the creatures were felled quickly as Yuna and Kairi appeared on the scene. Yuna's guns were emitting smoke profusely, and the Princess strung her bow.
The Imagi regarded the newcomers lazily, and then turned their backs to Rikku and Paine, advancing on the other girls. Kairi let one of her magic arrows fly, and it hit an Imagi in the chest, exploding on impact. But even with her arrows and Yuna's constant gunfire, the creatures didn't slow down at all.
The Princess strung another arrow. This is crazy, there have got to be at least two-dozen left and they'll get to us before we beat them all… Even with Paine and Rikku attacking with us… we aren't strong enough yet.
But Kairi wouldn't back down.
Not a chance.
The girls kept fighting, and Paine even managed to calm Rikku down enough and got her to draw her weapons. Soon enough there were only about ten of the creatures left, and Kairi was out of arrows. The other girls were beginning to tire, and the Imagi seemed to sense that, attacking faster and harder.
One of them flew at Kairi, serrated teeth bared and sharp. She hit it hard in the chest with her bow to try and defend herself, but not after the Imagi had clamped down on her wrist. The Princess managed to keep from crying out and kicked the thing off, flinging it at a tree. It lay there, motionless.
Yuna slid into place beside her, firing another salvo at the creatures. It looked as though she had taken a little bit of a beating as well; Kairi could see a slight trickle of crimson running down her cheek.
Rikku and Paine cornered the last remaining Imagi, and it hissed at them menacingly. The warrior showed it no mercy, and cut it down, watching it disappear as it was felled. Rikku slid to her knees, sighing with relief.
"Thank goodness… let's not do that again…"
They all laughed, mentally agreeing. The group had a long way to go before they would be strong enough to take on so many enemies at once again.
The girls then began checking for injuries: Rikku had managed to remain unscathed, Paine had a few bruises and insisted that she was perfectly fine, Yuna had been hit in the side of the head with a rock and got nicked a bit, and Kairi had been bitten on the arm, of course.
Said arm was bleeding profusely now, and Kairi was trying to figure out what she could wrap around it to stop the crimson flow. Yuna noticed this and knelt down at the Princess's side.
"Here… Let me see it." Her voice was gentle enough that Kairi hadn't the heart to refuse, and she gingerly held her arm out so that Yuna could see.
The young Summoner carefully held her hand over the wound and closed her eyes, recalling the ancient arts of healing she had been taught as a child… or at least, she figured it was when she was a child. She only knew that she could Cure, whether she was born with the ability or not.
The Princess's wound began to close itself up, and Kairi watched on in amazement. When the process was over, she flexed her hand, extending and curling her fingers. There was no pain.
"How did you…?"
Rikku grinned. "Yuna's a healer. And a Summoner too. Or… well… she used to be… we think so anyway… um… we're not sure. She's just always had this power, y'know?"
Kairi blinked and looked up at Yuna, who was blushing profusely.
"It's really nothing…"
The Princess grinned, getting to her feet.
"No, I think it's something. Thanks, Yuna."
The other offered her a small, shy smile.
"You're welcome…"
Auron appeared at that moment, dissipating the awkwardness that was building up. He was the vision of calmness, but they all knew he had been worried. He wouldn't have been running if he weren't. The swordsman cocked an eyebrow.
"Imagi?"
They nodded. He slung his sword over his shoulder.
"We should get going, then. I have something to show you four…"
……………………
"There it is…"
"Wow…"
"It's so pretty!"
Auron had led them to the translucent plains he had discovered earlier. The girls were in awe, and when he told them that they would be traveling across it, Rikku moaned.
"Where does it lead to, Auron?" Kairi asked, looking up at him.
"Another World." He replied, "If I'm correct, Wonderland. If I'm not, Atlantica. Either way, we're going there. I saw a herd of those creatures cross this way before I heard Rikku's scream."
"And if we follow them… we might be able to find out who's behind all this…" The Princess stated quietly. "…Right?"
The swordsman grunted and nodded.
"Yes."
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Ah, I figured I could keep on going with this chapter, but it was getting kind of long. So the next one should be coming up soon.
The story's moving kinda slow right now, but it'll pick up in the next chapter or two, I promise.
Plus, if you haven't been picking up on the clues, the pairing is turning out to be Kairi x Yuna. I'm not entirely sure how I managed it that way, but I'm prolly on crack.
Yup. Prolly crack. But I like it, it's cute. And if you don't like it… well… oh well. Haha. Go read another fanfic. Other possible pairings in the future? Maybe some Rikku x Paine. But not much if any, cuz it's not centered around them.
It's centered around Kairi. Cuz she rocks, you know.
And never forget about Sora or Riku… never forgettttttttttt…
Reviews?