Disclaimer: not mine
Think it's going to be SoraRiku so feel free to suggest for Kairi. With her boys or someone else?
Did you like the description of her Keyblade? I figure the vines for her first home of Radiant Gardens and the slivery watery flow of it for the Destiny Islands. Any suggestions on what to call it?
Poll's still up, please vote
Chapter 3
Sora followed Riku, not willing to risk being separated in such a strange, big, place. He still felt weak but at least he could stand on his own two feet now. Riku was taking him to meet the lady who had given them a safe place to stay while he was unconscious, and hearing how long that had been for had been a massive shock. This place…it was so different to home…he wasn't sure he liked it but where else could they go? Riku had mentioned that he'd been to a handful of other Worlds since they'd arrived, running errands for her, like they did in the summer sometimes for the older folk around home.
They came to a large set of doors and they opened to reveal a dimly lit room with a large round table in the middle. Sora couldn't help shivering slightly as they walked inside, the whole castle was cold, but not just in temperature. As they walked, he saw a tall figure at the other end of the room, holding a staff topped with a green orb. Her weird head covering arched above her head into a shape that looked like horns, making her look threatening….but Riku said she had helped them, so she couldn't be bad, right?
"So, this is Sora," she smiled, and Sora smiled back. "You had Riku quite worried dear boy."
"I didn't mean too," he shook his head.
"Of course not, but you are recovered now, so all is well. The search for your missing friend is underway, as soon as she is found you will be informed."
Sora grinned in relief. "Thank you."
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Kairi stared up at the man walking towards her, Donald and Goofy unconscious around them, and he peered down at her. Phil ran in with a white towel, but Hades stopped him.
Cloud raised his sword and Kairi stared up at him, terrified but she refused to close her eyes, bracing herself. Cloud lowered his sword to her surprise, and then her eyes widened as she saw something behind him, Cloud turning just as a giant black claw crashed down on him.
Kairi looked up to see an enormous three-headed beast with red eyes growling over her. Darkness emanated from its jaws, each of its razor sharp teeth bared. She gasped as Hades retreated into the barracks.
"Oh, right, there was one other rule I forgot: Accidents happen," Hades chuckled as he left his pet to it.
The beast moved in to attack Kairi, but was pushed back by an incredibly strong man.
"Herc!" Phil yelled from nearby.
Hercules held back the monster, shouting to Phil. "Phil, get them out of here!"
Kairi scrambled up and woke the others with potions before the four of them raced out of the Coliseum.
"Whew, that was close! That was Cerberus, the guardian of the Underworld. Herc should be able to handle him. But then again, maybe not... This doesn't look good. I hope Herc's okay. Wish I could go in!"
Kairi hesitated, looking down at Phil, before taking a deep breath and running back into the Coliseum.
"Kid, you're not entering the arena, are ya? This ain't just some match. This is for real!" Phil yelled after her.
"I know! But I won't leave him to face that thing alone!" She called back.
"Careful, kid!"
She was relieved when Donald and Goofy joined her, rushing back into the Coliseum arena, where Hercules had Cloud slung over his shoulder, Cerberus's giant jaws bearing down on him, inches away. The beast's ears perked up, hearing their entrance and they turn around, allowing Hercules to run Cloud to the Lobby, past Phil.
"Kid, I got two words of advice for you: Attack!" Phil yelled, and she blinked, wasn't that one word?
Oh well. She shook it off and turned to face the massive dog. What did Hades feed it? She really wished she knew more magic.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Sora sat cross legged on his bed, staring out the window at the dark sky. Riku was asleep on the other bed, worn out from training with Maleficent. The World was so different to home, even the middle of the day was nowhere near as bright as evening back on the Islands. It was kind of depressing. Riku didn't seem to notice it, maybe it was just him? Maybe he just needed more time to get used to how different everything was.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Hades stood in the Coliseum Gates, fuming. He held a Hercules statue in his hand. "He's strong, he's kind." The statue flexed his muscles. "He's always there for you, and he's handsome to boot." The statue crossed his arms and winked. "He's perfect. Perfect… Perfectly infuriating! He makes me crazy." Hades turned red, roasting the statue. The hair on his head blazing hot, he exploded in a burst of flames.
As the smoke settled around him, he caught his breath and returned to his cool blue shade. "Wait a minute. What are you worried about? All the pieces are in place. Relax. Here's what you do. Let Hercules train the kid. In the next games, I'll take care of them both." He smiled, yes, in the next games he would ensure Hercules and the girl…Kairi, died. He made a fist, smirking. One of the best parts of being immortal, he had forever to get his vengeance.
"Who invited you to the party? Stay out of this. This is my show," he warned, sensing her presence.
"As you wish. Fight to your heart's content," Maleficent commented.
"How's your pet?" he asked.
"He is developing well. His friend has woken as well and will begin training."
"You just missed their little friend, she participated in the games."
"And how did she do?"
"Well enough, all things considered. Her power has grown since she left Traverse Town. Planning to let them know?"
"Not just yet," she walked across the packed earth. "No…such news shall wait until just the right moment." They both laughed at that.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Maleficent watched the two boys spar with wooden blades, Riku was the physically stronger by a considerable margin, but Sora had him beat in speed and agility. Their skills would work well together should the boy be drawn into the Darkness. She had exposed his Heart several times in his sleep, if there had been an effect it was not one that had obvious signs. Then again, some took far longer to fall than others. Everyone had their weakness. If he did not, well, there were other uses he could have to her cause.
Soul Eater suited Riku well and would help move him further into the Dark, a pity she had never found another weapon like it for Sora's use. Perhaps with him the focus would be on magic rather than physical combat, his speed and agility would make him good at dodging the attacks he couldn't shield against.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Kairi sat beside Jane as they talked, enjoying female company again. She didn't trust that Clayton man at all, but Tarzan and Jane's Dad were interesting. The older man was so excitable! Was that what Sora would be like as an old man? The language barrier with Tarzan was frustrating, but he seemed to think he'd seen Sora and Riku somewhere and that gave her hope. The longer it took to find any sign of them the more worried she became.
She giggled as Jane blushed, her admiration of Tarzan was very obvious…then again there was a lot of him to admire considering he only wore a bit of cloth around his hips. Quite scandalous for this World but nothing for her considering they used to skinny dip on the Play Island before puberty hit.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Riku sat down behind Sora and went to work on his shoulder, hearing him grunt softly in pain before slowly relaxing. He hadn't meant to hit him that hard!
"Riku?"
"Yeah?" he asked as he worked on loosening too tight muscles.
"What will we do after we find Kairi?" Sora asked tiredly.
"What do you mean?" he rubbed the ointment Ursula had supplied to help such things. It worked well and it smelt of the ocean, a reminder of the Islanders that he didn't actually mind.
"Well, will we all stay here? Or will we head out together and travel like we planned?"
"Did we?" he asked tightly? "Funny, I thought you two were going to go off on an adventure without me," he snapped, and Sora spun around to face him, eyes wide.
"NO!" he shook his head. "Riku no, I'd never leave you behind."
"Not even for Kairi?"
"For no one," Sora swore, grasping his hands. "You're my best friend! I would never, ever, leave you behind. Kairi's our friend, she didn't mean it."
"Just your friend?" he pushed, and Sora stared at him in confusion. Was he really that blind to his own feelings and hers?
"Of course she's just my friend, what else would she be?"
He shook his head but turned Sora back around to finish his work.
,,,,,,,,,,,,
They entered the deepest parts of the Waterfall Cavern and found a glowing nest of butterflies in the trunk of an ancient tree. Jane and Terk joined them and Tarzan repeats the grunts he had used before.
"This is your home? But that means..." Kairi sighed.
Tarzan stopped her and placed a hand to his ear.
"Huh?" Goofy asked in confusion as they heard the roaring sound of water.
"The waterfalls... They're echoing all the way here."
Tarzan repeated the word again. "Friends there. See friends."
"Oh, now I've got it." Jane repeated what he'd said, "means heart. Friends in our hearts..."
"Heart..." Tarzan agreed.
"Oh, so that's what it meant," Kairi had hoped…
"Friends, same heart. Clayton, lose heart. No heart, no see friends. No heart, no friends."
Kairi nodded, she knew she owed Riku an apology when they were reunited. Even if he didn't know that she had told Sora they should leave without him, she still needed to apologise. She just hoped Riku would be back to the boy she'd always known and not whoever he had been becoming lately.
"Yeah. All for one, huh?" Goofy grinned, gathering them into a group hug, smiling.
Kairi walked up to the butterfly nest and they scattered around the cavern, revealing a Keyhole. She aimed her Keyblade and sealed the Keyhole. It glowed with a bright light and a
locking sound was heard before a green gummi block felt o the ground, shining.
"A gummi!" Donald cheered, picking it up.
"But it's sure not thing king's."
Terk nuzzled against Donald, who looked surprised.
"I think someone has a new admirer," Jane smiled at them, and Kairi giggled.
Donald started waving his arms frantically. "No, no, no, no! Daisy would kill me!"
That made the rest of them laugh.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Sora stared at the fireball in his hand in awe. He'd done it! He'd cast a spell. He looked up at where Riku was watching, seeing him smirk and nod, then to Maleficent who looked pleased as well. Riku had a fancy weapon but weapons could be dropped or taken, magic was a part of you. Yeah, he needed a focus for anything away from his own body, but with time his reliance on that could be lessened. The biggest magics though would always need something, like how Maleficent had her staff.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
"What drew the Heartless to that world?" Hook asked, since it hadn't been their work.
"The hunter lured them there. It was his lust for power that was the bait. But it seems the bait was too tasty for his own good," Hades chuckled.
"Yeah, he got chomped instead!" Oogie laughed.
"A weak-hearted fool like him stood no chance against the Heartless. But the girl is a problem. She found one of the Keyholes," Jafar glared at the image.
"Fear not. It will take her ages to find the rest," Maleficent told them as an image of the trio appeared above the table they stood around. "Besides, she remains blissfully unaware of our other plan."
"Yes, the princesses..."
"They are falling into our hands, one by one," Maleficent smirked. Only two more left to find thanks to Riku's help retrieving young Alice.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
They swam through the channel to where Leon was practicing his battle swing, Aerith observing. Kairi grimaced as she tried to ring out her white shirt once they left the water, Aerith helpfully using air magic to dry it quicker even as they explained what had happened in Deep Jungle.
"So, you found the Keyhole," Leon nodded.
"Yes, the Keyblade locked it automatically."
"Good," Aerith smiled.
"Every world among the stars has a Keyhole. And each one leads to the heart of that world. There must be one in this town as well," Leon explained.
"What do you mean? Why didn't you mention this before?"
"It was in Ansem's report," Aerith explained.
Leon crossed his arms. "The Heartless enter through the Keyhole and do something to the world's core."
"And then?" Kairi asked, because there had to be more than just that.
"In the end, it disappears," Aerith's answer made her feel sick.
Was that what had happened to home? But no, she'd only seen the Heartless that night, surely it took longer than that since they'd battled them on other Worlds for days without those Worlds vanishing.
"That's why your key is so important," Leon told her, and she nodded.
"Please lock the Keyholes. You're the only one who can."
"I…" How could she say no? But she was meant to be looking for Sora and Riku…then again, if they found out she didn't help, would they ever forgive her.
"Seeing other worlds would probably serve you well."
"Yeah!" Donald nodded.
"We gotta find your friends! And King Mickey!" Goofy grinned at her.
"You're right, besides Sora would never stop telling me off if I didn't help," she smiled.
,,,,,,,,,,,,
Maleficent watched the boys train, they were both coming along in leaps and bounds. She knew neither truly trusted her but with the trio back in Traverse Town it may be time to start nudging him towards truly distrusting the girl. Happily, she had begun to sense flickers of Darkness in Sora's Heart finally. Not as strong as she would have wished by now, but something was better than nothing.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
"Well, well."
They looked over to the entrance curtain and saw an old wizard in blue robes with an extremely long beard, carrying a carpet bag and a wand.
"You've arrived sooner than I expected."
"You knew we were coming?" Kairi asked warily.
"Of course."
"Are you...a Heartless?" Goofy asked and Donald whacked him with his own wand.
"He doesn't look like one."
"Oh, my. No. My name is Merlin. As you can see, I am a sorcerer. I spend much of my time traveling. It's good to be home. Your king has requested my help."
"King Mickey?"
"Yes, indeed. Donald, Goofy. And who might you be, young lady?" he smiled and she couldn't help smiling back.
She curtseyed slightly since he'd called her a lady, getting a chuckle from him. "I'm Kairi."
"Ah. So, you have found the key."
She blinked, how did he know that just from her name?
"What did the king ask you to do?" Donald asked.
"Just a moment..." He walked up to the stairs and set down his carpet bag before reaching the center of the raised platform. He lifted his wand high in the air. "Presto!"
Dust flew around the carpet bag as it opened and out popped teapots, tables, drawers, and chairs, small at first, but quickly growing larger. The wacky wizard danced around while waving his wand, directing the items from the bag to their respective places in the house. Soon after, the room was entirely furnished, complete with bed, desk, and multiple piles of books.
Kairi stared around in awe. Magic could do that?! It was nice to know it had uses outside of combat.
"There, now. Ahem," he turned to face her. "Your king asked me to train you in the art of magic."
,,,,,,,,,,,,,
"Riku," she called, and he turned to her.
"I have excellent news for you. A girl matching your friends description has been sighted in Traverse Town. I shall take you myself to see if it is her."
"Really?" Had they truly found Kairi? "What about Sora?"
"He is not yet ready for such a trip, and if we will be bringing someone back, it is better if only the two of us go, for safety."
Riku nodded, that made sense. It had to take a lot of magic to move between the Worlds.
,,,,,,,,,,,,
Merlin watched the group leave, pleased with their progress, but a little confused. He had expected…someone else, something had changed in the weave of fate, but what and how? And that girl, Kairi…she was familiar for some reason, he just couldn't put his finger on it at the moment.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
As soon as they entered the Third District, Soldier Heartless appeared, but before she could summon her Keyblade, they were taken out by someone with a sharp-looking
sword. Kairi stared in shock, unable to believe her eyes, hope surging through her Heart.
"There you are. What's going on?" Riku asked, smirking at her.
"Riku!" She threw herself at him and he staggered a step but caught her.
"Hey, hey, cut it out," he said after a few moments, pulling away, and that hurt.
"I'm not dreaming this time, right?" She asked him, looking him over, he still looked the same.
"I hope not. Took forever to find you," he shook his head, running a hand through his hair, and she smiled at him acting 'cool'.
"Riku!" She laughed as they walked into the square proper. "Wait a second, where's Sora? Isn't he with you?"
"Isn't he with you?" Riku asked, but something about his tone didn't seem right. "Relax, he's safe." He grinned at her. "We're finally free. We'll all be together soon too. Don't worry. Just leave everything to me. I know this—" he spun as he heard a noise but she was quicker, leaping at the Shadow with her Keyblade.
She laughed, tossing the Keyblade over her shoulder. "Leave it to who?" she teased.
"Kairi, what did you—"
"I've been looking for you and Sora, too, with their help," she motioned to the others and they nodded happily.
"Who are they?"
"Ahem. My name is Donald."
"We've visited so many places and worlds, looking for you," Kairi butted in.
"Really? Well, what do you know? I never would have guessed," he answered, and she flinched at his tone.
"Oh, and guess what? Kairi's the Keyblade master," Goofy stated proudly, one hand on her shoulder.
"So, that is called a Keyblade?" Riku asked, staring at it.
"Yeah, it's really good at dealing with Heartless. I'm so happy we found each other Riku. We can go get Sora and then you're both coming with us, right? We've got this amazing ship."
"No, he can't come!" Donald announced, and she turned to face him, hurt and confused.
"What?"
"Forget it!" Donald crossed his arms.
"But Donald…what did you think I was going to do once I found them? We are not getting separated again!"
"I don't care!" He snapped back.
"Huh? He's gone," Goofy's words had her looking back to find Riku had vanished.
"Riku?" She called in alarm, hurrying to search, but there was no sign of him. "Nice going," she snapped at Donald, angry at his reaction. "All this time searching for them and you drove Riku away, why?" She shook her head and left, hurrying for the nearby house to meet up with the others, too mad to talk to Donald anymore. She had the sinking feeling…he was just using her for the Keyblade.
She found Cid, Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith inside. Boxes were stacked up against the wall and a lantern hung from the ceiling, giving it a slightly cosier feel.
"Is everything alright?" Aerith asked in concern, and Kairi shook her head, moving to stand with the other two girls, she was done with males at the moment, of any species. Donald and Goofy followed but wisely kept their distance from her.
"You guys ever hear of Maleficent?" Cid asked after Kairi had finished telling Aerith and Yuffie what had happened, happy when they glared at Donald too. Kairi shook her head even as Leon moved to lean against the wall on her free side. "I hear she's in town."
"Who is she?" She figured Cid would only mention her if she was important.
"A witch, man, she's a witch!"
"She's the reason this town is full of Heartless. Don't take her lightly," Leon explained since Cid hadn't really explained what her being a witch meant.
"She's been using the Heartless for years," Aerith agreed.
"We lost our world, thanks to her," Leon growled.
"One day, a swarm of Heartless took over our world!" Cid slapped his fist into his palm, almost making her jump.
"That was nine years ago," Leon admitted quietly. Nine years!
"I got out of that mess and came here with these guys," Cid shook his head.
"That's awful!" Donald spoke for the first time since she'd yelled at him.
"Our ruler was a wise man named Ansem. He dedicated his life to studying the Heartless. His report should tell us how to get rid of the Heartless," Leon continued.
"Where's this report?" She asked curiously. Ansem….it was almost like she'd heard the name somewhere before….but she couldn't have, could she?
"We don't know. It got scattered when our world was destroyed," Leon shrugged.
"I'm sure Maleficent's got most of the pages," Cid snapped.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Maleficent stood with Riku, gazing at them through the windows of the house. "You see? It's just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, she quite simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, now she values them far more than she does you."
She looked down at Riku as he stared with narrow, unblinking eyes. She smirked, running her fingers over the orb on her staff, the green glow settling around Riku very finely, drawing out that jealousy and hurt. "You're better off without that wretched girl, she'll only try to come between you and Sora again," she warned as she bent down to his level, giving him a smile. "Now, think no more of her and come with me. I'll help you find what you're searching for..."
Not that he seemed to know what that was now but she knew. He wanted Sora to look only at him, which made things simpler in a way. Manipulating the two boys would be easy enough, especially when she planned to send Riku to help Jafar with the Princess in his World.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Sora grinned as Riku appeared in the doorway to their room only for the smile to fade as he saw his expression. "Riku? What happened? Are you okay? Where's Kairi?" he asked in a rush, searching for any sign of injury as Riku threw himself onto his bed. "Riku?"
"Kairi isn't coming, she's too busy fooling around with her new friends."
"What?" he whispered, eyes wide. No…she wouldn't do that, she wouldn't…would she?
TBC…
