Chapter 4: Notre Dame: Hikari's Side
A/N: Hikari is off to her first world! Wonder what this world has in store for her?
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, I just own my Oc's.
Enjoy!
/
Hikari was once again back in the crystal cave. She found Lumen sitting on top of one of the larger crystals, staring at her lap sadly. The poor girl looked so broken and sad as she picked up Terra's lucky charm. Over the years it had lost its shine and color making it look old and worn out. The metal edge starting to rust after not being taken care of for so long.
Slowly walking up to her, Hikari looked at Lumen with pity. She really wanted to help her, but she didn't know what she was supposed to do.
"That's Terra's charm, isn't it?" she asked.
Lumen nodded as she dropped the charm back in her lap. Just touching it made her sad. Hikari tried to give her a hopeful smile. Seeing her sad made her heart ache for some reason. It was as if she was feeling what Lumen was feeling right now.
"You know, I have a best friend named Kairi who made a good luck charm like yours" she said.
"She made it out of sea shells and gave it to Sora. It was their little promise to each other that he would always return it to her, so he could give it back to her. Is that why you have Terra's? So, you'll be able to return it to him and be together again?"
Lumen closed her eyes and buried her head into her knees. Waving her hand, she projected another image on the large crystals.
A memory of Lumen and Terra standing outside in the gardens sprang forth. Lumen was trying to tell Terra that she didn't care that he wasn't a Keyblade Master, that she was save with him just the way that he was. Terra on the other hand thought differently and was adamant that he became one, always saying that he couldn't truly protect her unless he was a Master.
That obsession would drive him to go to Xehanort, where he told him twisted lies and said what Terra wanted to hear. He told Terra he was fine as he was and that he should embrace the darkness within his heart instead of banishing it.
Never did Terra or Lumen realize that these actions would soon lead to dire consequences.
The light died down as the memory faded away. Lumen picked u Terra's charm again, touching the rusted edge with her fingers. A tear fell down her face as she looked at the old charm.
"If only he had listened to his heart…then maybe none of this would have happened"
/
Hikari felt herself get jostled awake. Groaning, she slowly opened her eyes to see that she was laying on the back of her Pegaslick. It seemed that during their travels between the world of dreams, she ended up falling asleep.
Stifling a yawn, she slowly felt herself waking up.
"That must have been some ride. I don't remember falling asleep though"
Riki Bat fluttered in front of her, making squeaking noises as it talked to Hikari. She stifled a laugh as if she knew what it was saying.
"Yeah, I guess it could be because we're in the sleeping realms" she teased.
The Pegaslick whinnied, signaling that they were almost at their next location.
"There seems to be a lot of buildings in this world. Do you think you can take us to an open area, er…come to think of it, I haven't given you a name yet"
The Pegaslick snorted, showing that she was right.
"Well, that won't do. I can't just say 'you' the whole time we're taking this exam. Hmm, let me think"
Looking at her Dream Eater, she noticed that it's body was mostly in yellow and cream colors. Lumen's outfit had a similar color scheme, now that she thought about it. This couldn't have been a coincidence. She just had a dream regarding Lumen and now she realized her Pegaslick kinda looked like her? Well, no matter the situation, the Dream Eater needed a name, and Hikari found the perfect one based on this situation.
"Lulu" she said.
"I'm going to call you Lulu"
The Pegaslick whined, showing it liked the name very much.
"Alright then, Lulu. Take us down so we can explore this world"
Lulu happily obliged and flew down closer to the old looking town below.
/
The streets were empty as Hikari observed the town. For a place that had lots of homes, it wasn't the liveliest. Walking down the cobbled road, she let her mind wander back to the dream she saw earlier.
Lumen was showing her memories of Terra and the bond they shared with one another. It was obvious that they cared for each other, but Hikari noticed that even though Lumen kept telling Terra she was happy with the way things were, Terra craved more. He desired to be a Keyblade Master no matter what while Lumen thought it was just a stupid empty title.
"It seemed like Terra wanted to be a Keyblade Master to prove that he was worthy…almost like how Riku feels about these exams" she said quietly to herself.
She did agree with Lumen's thinking about the title of Master though. What was so special about the title? Why was Yen Sid so persistent that she, Riku and Sora obtained it? Why was it so important in stopping Xehanort?
Thinking such thoughts made her question her own credibility.
"I wonder if I have what it takes to be a Master"
Lulu turned to her and watched her closely. Hikari just smiled weakly; not caring that she was talking to her Dream Eater.
"I really don't know if I have what it takes to do this. I know this is something I need to figure out on my own, but I just don't know how. How do I prove I have what it takes when I don't even know what it requires to be Keyblade Master? I mean what's the difference between that to what I am now?"
This was what she had been thinking ever since the exam began. What was a Keyblade Master? Why was it so important? How was a title going to stop Xehanort and save Lumen?
Lulu went up to Hikari and nudged her under the chin. She snorted a bit as she stomped her hoof. It was as if the Dream Eater was telling her 'Cheer up' or 'Don't give up yet'.
Hikari smiled a little and rubbed the back of her neck.
"You're right, I shouldn't be thinking this way. I mean I just started this exam" she chuckled.
"And if I don't pass and don't become a Master, that won't stop me. You don't need a stupid title if you want to help others. I mean, I've helped a lot of people before and I wasn't a Master then"
Lulu snorted in agreement.
Hikari smiled and held her fist up.
"Alright! Let's go prove that we have what it takes to pass this exam!.. even though I don't know what we're looking for in this world"
Riki Bat frantically flew towards them and squeaked to get their attention. The little bat gestured towards something up ahead and they needed to go there right away.
Sensing trouble was ahead, Hikari followed the bat to see what was wrong.
Sure enough, she found two men harassing a young Gypsy woman. Judge Frollo glared darkly at Esmeralda as if she was the foulest thing on earth.
"Where did you get that money, Gypsy woman?" he ordered.
Esmeralda glared daggers as she held her bag close.
"For the last time, I earned it" she snapped.
"Gypsies don't earn money. It's obvious that you stole it" Frollo sneered.
"And I'm sure you know a lot about stealing" Esmeralda scoffed.
Captain Phoebus looked torn over what to do and which side to pick. It was obvious no matter which side he took, it was going to end badly.
Hikari scoffed at the scene. Leave it to the guys to pick on a poor defenseless woman. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't like how this Frollo guy was handling it. Since no one was going to save this woman, she decided to do it herself
"AH! THEIVES! HELP, THEIVES!" she screamed.
Frollo and Phoebus turned and ran as they heard her frantic cries.
"What's wrong?" Phoebus asked.
Hikari tried to act scared and frantic, hoping it would take their attention away from Esmeralda.
"S-some man just stole my purse!" she cried.
"H-hey ran that way. Please, you must catch him, he took everything that I had!"
"Calm down, ma'am. We'll take care of this" Phoebus said.
"Just stay here while we catch the thief"
The two ran off, which gave Hikari the chance to act quickly. Running over to Esmeralda, she grabbed the woman's hand.
"Hurry, this way"
The ran in the opposite direction, hoping to get as far away from the men as possible.
Little did Hikari know was that Frollo had looked back and saw the whole thing.
/
When they got to a safe distance, the two girls stopped to catch their breath.
"I'm sure we're okay now. I doubt that old geezer would be able to run fast anyway" Hikari said.
Esmeralda chuckled, finding what Hikari said to be true.
"Thank you for helping me. You didn't have to do that"
"Are you kidding? Those guys were harassing you when you didn't do anything wrong" Hikari insisted.
"Not according to Frollo. He thinks Gypsies are evil and do nothing but steal and perform witchcraft" Esmeralda said bitterly.
Hikari looked at her thoughtfully. She didn't sense anything bad coming from the gypsy woman. If anything, she sensed the opposite.
"I don't know what a gypsy is exactly, but I know for a fact that you're not evil"
Esmeralda smiled gently. It was obvious that no one said anything nice about her or her people. Just hearing something so simple from a young girl was like a breath of fresh air.
"Thank you. I'm Esmeralda by the way"
"Nice to meet you, Esmeralda. I'm Hikari. So why was that Frollo guy bugging you? I doubt you were stealing so I don't know why he wouldn't leave you alone"
Esmeralda frowned as she looked away.
"Judge Frollo has always hated Gypsies" she said.
"Just because we're different from him, he thinks we're evil and must be dealt with. He's been trying to arrest my people for years"
She looked at the ground sadly.
"What's worse is that today is the Festival of Fools. It's the only time of year where we can celebrate in the streets and not worry about being judged or arrested"
She looked at Hikari sadly.
"It's supposed to be a day of fun, but Frollo sees it as a day to arrest as many gypsies as possible. How can I enjoy the festival when I have to worry about getting arrested?"
Hikari looked at the gypsy sadly. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be targeted all the time, but it sounded scary. She just couldn't leave her alone, knowing Frollo was going to bug her.
"Tell you what. I'll take you to the festival, so you don't have to worry about this Frollo guy harassing you" she offered.
Esmeralda looked at her surprised.
"You would do that?"
Hikari smiled as she nodded.
"Of course. We girls need to stick together. Plus, this festival sounds like fun so I wanna see it"
Esmeralda chuckled and motioned for her to follow.
"It's this way. Hope you're ready to celebrate the Feast of Fools. It's the one day where everything is the opposite"
They headed off towards the festival was being held, hoping to have a grand old time and that Frollo wouldn't show up.
/
The festival was in full swing when the girls reached it. Everyone was being merry and having the time of their lives. Hikari had never seen a festival that was full of life like this one.
Esmeralda smiled, feeling at home in this environment.
"Welcome to the Festival of Fools, where everyone is a King and the Kings are clowns"
Hikari laughed and took in the scene before her. They stood before a grand bell tower that just oozed with power and significance. Something about the building gave Hikari a weird vibe but she deiced to ignore it.
Looking around the festival, she started to grow a little worried. Whenever there was a large group of people, bad things tended to happen. She always remembered that happening with the Heartless and she feared it would be the same with the Nightmares.
Turning to Esmeralda, she gave the gypsy a fake smile.
"I'm going to check this festival out. Do you think you'll be okay on your own?"
The gypsy nodded.
"Of course. Oh, and if you ever run into trouble just head into the bell tower" she warned.
"They say it's a place of healing and safety"
Storing that information away, Hikari turned to her Dream Eaters.
"Search the area for any Nightmares. I have a feeling they're hiding somewhere"
Scanning the crowd, she kept an eye out for the creatures.
"I don't know if this is part of the exam but I'm sure a Master must have a sharp eye when it comes to danger" she said to herself.
These were one of the times that she wished Sora, Donald and Goofy were with her. If one of them sensed that something was off, they could always count on the others to keep an eye out. They always had each other's backs in sticky situations.
Shaking her head, Hikari quickly rid herself of those thoughts.
"They're not here now, so it's up to me to take care of myself. I need to show them I have what it takes and that I don't need to depend on them for everything"
She didn't realize someone was behind her until they grabbed her arm. Spinning around, Hikari was face to face with Frollo. To say that the judge was livid was an understatement. Hikari could have sworn that she felt flames coming off him.
Laughing nervously, she tried to give him a fake smile.
"Oh, it's you! Were you able to find my purse?"
"Filthy vermin!" Frollo spat.
"I saw you helping that gypsy woman escape. It's obvious that you're in league with her"
Hikari let her smile drop as she gave him a glare to match his own.
"So, what if I helped her? You're the one accusing people they're doing something wrong simply because they're different than you. If I saw anyone being harassed by you, I'd help them, Gypsy or not"
Frollo growled, gripping her arm tighter.
"Talk like that is going to get you arrested, young lady"
Hikari scoffed and yanked her arm away.
"Please, as if you would be able to arrest me" she taunted.
A commotion soon erupted from the Festival as people screamed. Turning to the source, Hikari was horrified to see that the Nightmares were attacking the city.
Sidestepping Frollo, she ran to get rid of the horrid creatures.
"Stop right there! You're under arrest for assisting a Gypsy thief!" Frollo barked.
Hikari gave the judge a disgusted look.
"The city is being attacked by monsters and you're more concerned about arresting me? No wonder people run away from you"
Summoning her Keyblade, she ran into the fray to stop the Nightmares from ruining the festival. Lulu and Riki bat hovered near their mistress, waiting to trample their enemy.
"Let's do this!"
Going into Wisdom mode, Hikari cast blizzard to her boots and skated across the ground. Stunning a few with Thunder, she smirked when she saw Lulu charge through them like a battering ram. The two teamed up as they charged through the streets, clearing the area of the nasty Nightmares. When she spotted a few flying ones, she whistled for Riki Bat and went into action. Creating a ramp made of ice, she skated off it and flew up, grabbing onto the little bat's feet. Flying through the air, Hikari gripped the bat's feet with one hand while she slashed at the pesky Nightmares. When the sky was cleared, she flipped to the ground and reverted to her regular form.
Seeing that the danger was over, Esmeralda came out from her hiding spot and grabbed Hikari's hand.
"Quickly! We'll be safe inside the Church"
The two ran for Notre Dame, hoping to get away from the Nightmares. They almost made it inside when Frollo grabbed Hikari and tried to pull her away.
"Witch! I'll have you hanged for the use of dark magic!" he cried.
"I just saved your life, and this is how you repay me?!" Hikari spat.
Frollo growled. Darkness seemed to ooze out of him.
"I'll be damned if I let filth such as you roam the streets. For all I know you summoned those creatures!"
Esmeralda pulled Hikari away and edged them closer to the doors of the Church.
"We claim sanctuary. Leave us alone!" she ordered.
Frollo stalked closer to them as if they were prey.
"I'll have you hanged, mark my words" he threatened.
Before he could do anything, Phoebus stopped him.
"Sir, you can't harm them. They claimed sanctuary" he said.
"You know the law of the Church. Anyone who claims sanctuary is given safety within the Church. It's out of our hands now"
Frollo growled, hating the fact that he was tricked. Glaring at the two girls, he slowly backed away.
"Very well, I won't harm you so long as you're within the safety of Notre Dame" he said.
"However, if either of you take one step out of this Church, you're mine"
Hikari blew a raspberry at the judge as she and Esmeralda ran within the safety of Notre Dame.
/
Locked inside the Church, the two girls let out a breath they didn't know they were holding.
"That was close. I wasn't expecting that to work" Esmeralda said.
Hikari slowly walked further into the Church seeing that it was empty.
"Are you sure we're safe here?"
Esmeralda nodded as she walked around.
"Frollo may be a judge, but he has no power when it comes to Notre Dame" she explained.
"If anyone claims sanctuary then they're given automatic protection. Frollo can't go against the law of the Church no matter how much he wants to"
She sighed sadly at their predicament.
"Even if we're safe here, we're also trapped. I'm sure Frollo is going to have guards at every door so we can't escape"
"We'll find a way out. In the meantime, let's just catch our breaths and think of something" Hikari said.
The two of them walked around, looking at various sculptures and paintings. Hikari walked a bit until she saw a huge stain glassed mosaic that was built within the highest point of the Church.
The light coming through it poured out and coated the floor, making a masterpiece of its own. Hikari looked at the mosaic, recalling seeing something similar.
In a dream that felt very, very real.
Hikari looked up and saw a small ball of light floating towards her. Smiling, she waved towards it, showing it was ok to come over.
"Hey, cam you hear me?" she called out.
The ball of light glowed, responding to her voice.
'I heard your voice. It cut through the darkness around me' it said.
Hikari held her hands up and let the light rest within them.
'I almost though that hope was lost, that I would never see the ones I loved ever again…but then I heard you calling out to me. You gave me hope when I thought it was too late. You became my ray of light'
Hikari tilted her head.
"I did?"
'Yes…but I'm afraid I have to go to sleep for a while'
Hikari looked at the light sadly.
"You sound sad. Are you ok?"
The light chuckled.
'No, just a little…lonely. Would it be ok…if I stayed with you for a tiny bit?'
Hikari smiled brightly at the thought of helping someone.
"Of course, you can!" she said.
"If you're with me, I'll make sure you're never lonely again! We'll have lots of fun and do things where you won't have to think about being lonely again. We'll be best friends!"
The light glowed with happiness.
'Thank you…maybe this is why…I made you my successor'
The light floated within Hikari's chest and merged with her heart. Hikari placed her hands over her heart and smiled contently. She was glad that she was able to help someone out.
Hikari closed her eyes as she placed a hand over her heart. She could still feel the warmth that light gave off. That soft, gentle warmth that made her feel safe.
"I'll keep you close. I'll keep you safe" she promised quietly.
Behind one of the pillars, Lulu watched her master with a very sharp eye.
/
After searching around the Church for a bit, the girls met up again.
"Did you find a way to get out of here?" Esmeralda asked.
Hikari shook her head sadly.
"All the doors I found lead to the outside but I'm sure Frollo has those guarded.
Esmeralda sighed tiredly.
"There has to be a way out of here"
Hikari looked around the Church, hoping to find someone.
"Maybe someone who tends to the Church would know" she said.
"I'm sure there's a secret passageway that only they would know about"
The sound of something dropping caught their attention. Turning they saw a disfigured man trying to pick up a torch that got knocked over.
"Hey you!" Esmeralda called out.
The man jumped at being spotted and quickly ran away.
"Wait, come back!" the gypsy cried.
She quickly ran after him going towards the upper part of the Church.
"Esmeralda, I don't think that's a good idea!" Hikari called out.
She quickly went after her, hoping that whoever this stranger was, was friendly.
/
Racing up hundreds of stairs, Hikari found herself up within the bell tower of the Church. Looking through the rafters, she spotted Esmeralda holding her hand out to someone.
"Esmeralda, you shouldn't run off like that" she scolded as she climbed up a nearby ladder.
"What if that was Frollo trying to take us outside so he could arrest us? You need to be more care- "
She stopped when she saw the disfigured man from before. He hid within the shadows as if he was afraid of them.
"Please don't be scared" Esmeralda said.
The man poked his head out from behind the curtain he was hiding in.
"W-who are you?" he asked.
Hikari took a step towards him, showing they meant him no harm.
"We're just taking refuge here in the Church for a bit. We mean no harm" she explained.
"I'm Hikari and this is Esmeralda. Who are you?"
"I-I'm Quasimodo. I'm the bell ringer for Notre Dame"
Well this was good news. If he worked here, then that meant he had to know a way out of the Church.
"Is that so? Do you think you could help us?"
Quasimodo looked shocked that someone wanted his help.
"M-me? You want my help?"
"Well, sure. Why wouldn't we?" Hikari asked.
Quasimodo was quiet for a moment before he finally revealed himself.
"Because I'm a monster. No one wants help from one"
The girls looked at him sadly. It seemed like someone told him he looked like a monster, making him nervous about his appearance. Whoever this person was, was the real monster.
Esmeralda gave the hunchback a gentle smile as she offered her hand.
"You're not a monster" she said.
"Yeah, you actually look adorable" Hikari added.
Quasimodo looked surprised. No one had ever said he didn't look hideous let alone adorable.
"R-really?"
The girls nodded.
"Now why don't you come over by us? We don't bite" Esmeralda teased.
Quasimodo smiled and walked over towards them. Hikari looked at the table that was near her and saw a bunch of wooden carving. It was like a mini replica of the town right in front of her.
"Did you make all of this, Quasimodo?"
The hunchback blushed as he nodded.
"I wish I had this kind of talent. It would pay better than dancing for coins" Esmeralda said.
Hikari looked around the room and noticed everything was filled with color and art. It was a stark contrast to the bottom portion of the Church.
"It's like you have your own little world up here" she said.
Quasimodo looked at his hands sadly.
"I can't go outside so I had to create my own version of it inside" he said.
Hikari looked at him sadly.
"Why can't you? Surely it's not because you work here is it?"
The hunchback shook his head.
"My master Frollo told me that I'm- "
"FROLLO?! You know him?!"
Quasimodo nodded in confusion.
"Y-yes, he's my master. He rescued me when my mother abandoned me as an infant" he explained.
Hikari and Esmeralda exchanged disgusted looks. So not only did Frollo have a problem with gypsies, he also didn't accept people who looked different either.
"Is something wrong?" Quasimodo asked.
"Frollo is the reason we're trapped here" Esmeralda said.
"He tried to arrest us because she's a gypsy and I used magic trying to save the town" Hikari explained.
"If we step out of the Church we're done for"
Quasimodo was shocked. He never expected his kind master to do something so extreme as to wanting to arrest two girls.
"I don't understand…why would he do such a thing?"
Hikari looked at him seriously.
"Because he's someone who wants things to be his way. If they're not perfect or to his liking, then they must be bad. That's why he wants to get rid of us…and why he wants you here in the Church"
Quasimodo flinched. She was right. Frollo always forbid him from leaving Notre Dame. He kept saying everyone was cruel and would see him as a monster. But deep down he knew it was because he didn't want to be associated with a monster.
Esmeralda went to him with pleading eyes.
"Can you please help us? We can't stay here locked up wondering when Frollo will leave us alone"
Quasimodo didn't say anything for a while which made them wonder if he would help them or not.
The sound of someone coming up the stone stairs alerted them that they were not alone. Summoning her key blade, Hikari jumped down to the main platform to go meet with their 'guest'.
"Stay here, I'll see who it is" she said.
'If it's Frollo I'm going to disfigure him so bad that people think he's one the gargoyles for this church'
Creeping down the stone steps, she kept an ear out for their intruder. Whoever this person was, they weren't going to know what hit them.
When she heard the steps grow closer, she went into action and slammed her Keyblade down on them, only for it to be blocked by a blade. She was shocked to see Captain Phoebus trying to fend her off.
"You?! What are you doing here?!" she exclaimed.
She suddenly realized that he was probably going to arrest her and grew mad.
"Oh no, you're not going to arrest me, buddy. I'll kick you down to the bottom of the church before I let you do that"
Phoebus gripped the side of the stairway when he saw Hikari was going to stay true to her threat.
"Easy, I'm not here to arrest you. I'm just here to talk"
"Yeah right, why should I believe someone who follows that Frollo creep?" Hikari spat.
"I made sure he didn't arrest you outside the Church, at least give me that" Phoebus pleaded.
Hikari gave him a hard gaze but lowered her Keyblade.
"Fine. You have five minutes to explain why you're here so make it fast"
"I didn't mean to have you, or Esmeralda trapped in here, but it was the only way to keep you safe from Frollo" Phoebus said.
"I wish there was more that I could have done but going against Frollo would have gotten me arrested too"
"I think that would have been better than acting like Frollo' s little pet" Hikari said.
Phoebus just sighed.
"Look I just came here to warn you about Frollo. He may abide to Notre Dame's law, but he isn't patient. If you two don't leave the Church grounds he'll end up making you and I'm sure you know what will happen after that"
Hikari narrowed her eyes at what Phoebus was implying.
"So, you basically want us to turn ourselves in, is that what you're saying?"
"No, what I'm saying is that if you think about leaving these grounds then make sure you don't get caught. Frollo has eyes everywhere" Phoebus warned.
Hikari raised an eyebrow at the Captain. This man was obviously Frollo' s lackey and yet here he was trying to help her.
"Why are you even helping us?"
Phoebus simply shrugged.
"I don't really know, but I can tell that you're a good person. Plus…it's just something that my heart is telling me to do"
Hikari cracked a smirk for the first time since seeing Phoebus.
"You should listen to it more. I would rather listen to that than what Frollo has to say"
Phoebus just shrugged as he slowly descended the steps.
"You never heard any of this from me" he warned.
"What? You mean that a Captain was helping criminals? As if anyone would believe that" Hikari teased.
Phoebus just waved as he went down the steps.
Hikari tilted her head as she thought of the Captain.
"Hmm, guess he's not such a bad person after all…although he isn't really sharp since he's following Frollo"
She quickly headed back up the steps where her friends were.
"I don't know how I'm going to explain this to Esmeralda. We need to act fast before Frollo does anything"
Reaching back to the rafters, Esmeralda and Quasimodo looked at her with worry.
"Is everything alright?" Esmeralda asked.
Hikari thought back to Phoebus. There was no way Esmeralda would believe that the Captain was trying to help them, so she had to come up with a lie and fast.
"Those monsters from the square earlier are in the Church" she said.
It wasn't that big of a lie. The Nightmares seemed to appear just about anywhere so why would Notre Dame be off limits?
The gypsy paced around the room. "We're not safe in the city because of Frollo and we're not safe in Notre Dame from those monsters"
Hikari rubbed her neck. It seemed they were in a predicament. The Dream Eaters wouldn't be a problem for Hikari since she could get rid of them, but she worried for Esmeralda. She couldn't stay on this world forever. What would happen to the young gypsy if Frollo decided to drag her out of the church?
"Is there anywhere else that's safe besides Notre Dame? Somewhere that Frollo can't find you?"
Esmeralda was quiet for a moment but nodded.
"There is: The Court of Miracles. It's a secret haven for Gypsies. Only problem is that it's on the outskirts of town"
"And with Frollo guarding the church it'll be impossible to reach it" Hikari realized.
Quasimodo was quiet for a moment. He hadn't met these two for long, but they had been the first ones to not treat him like a monster. He didn't know why his master wanted to arrest them, but he couldn't let them be trapped here.
"I know a way out" He said.
The two girls looked at him seriously.
"You do? But how? Frollo has a guard at every door" Esmeralda said.
"We won't use a door" Quasimodo said cryptically.
He motioned towards the ledge of the building. The color drained from Hikari's face at what the Hunchback was implying.
"You mean we need to climb down?"
Quasimodo nodded.
"I know this church like the back of my hand. The guards won't be looking up, so this is the only way"
Hikari sighed wearily and looked at Esmeralda.
"It's your call. You wanna stay trapped here and risk Frollo trying to drag us out or do you wanna risk your life and climb down this tall building to freedom?"
Esmeralda looked over the ledge to see how far up they were before taking a shaky breath. She looked at the other two with a determined look.
"I'm willing to take that chance if it means that I'll be free"
"I can carry you down, but I can only do one at a time" Quasimodo said.
Lulu decided to make her presence known and nudged Hikari in the back. The young Keyblade wielder caught on what the Dream Eater was implying and jumped on her back.
"I have my own way of getting down, so I'll follow you"
Quasimodo went to Esmeralda and gently picked her up.
"Follow me"
Jumping over the ledge, the Hunchback slid down the roof before grabbing one of the statues and swung from them like they were monkey bars. Hikari followed closely as Lulu glided across the side of the building, staying close to Quasimodo.
Hikari gripped Lulu's neck as she peered towards the ground.
'I'm getting flashbacks to when I had to ride carpet in Agrabah'
They made it to the back of the Church where Quasimodo dropped near the ground.
"You should be able to get to the edge of the city if you stay in the back alleys" he explained.
He set Esmeralda down carefully and fiddled with his hands.
"Be careful out there"
Esmeralda smiled and gently placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Come with us" she insisted.
"Yeah, you've always wanted to see the outside world so here's your chance" Hikari offered.
Quasimodo shook his head as he stepped closer towards the Church.
"The outside world shouldn't see a monster like me. It's best if I stayed here"
Hikari looked at him sadly. "How do you know what everyone thinks? Just because Frollo said something doesn't mean that's what everyone else thinks" she said. "You shouldn't always listen to what people say. Sometimes…you just need to listen to your heart. It usually knows what to say"
Quasimodo gripped his shirt tightly, letting Hikari's words sink in.
Esmeralda pulled something from her dress and gave it to him.
"If you ever change your mind, use this. It'll point you to where you want to go"
Quasimodo took the trinket and tucked it into his pocket. They heard the guards approaching which alerted them that it was time to go.
"Come on. We have to go" Hikari said.
They two quickly ran through the back allies while Quasimodo sadly went back to Notre Dame.
/
When they made it to the outskirts of the city, Esmeralda lead them to an old graveyard.
"The Court of Miracles is hidden here. No one would ever think to look in a graveyard"
They went to a mausoleum where Esmeralda stopped.
"This is it" she turned to Hikari and motioned her to follow. "Normally, non-gypsies are forbidden from entering, but I can't let Frollo catch you because of me. You'll be safe here"
They carefully stepped inside the abandoned tomb that acted as a secret passageway. As they walked through the narrow path, Hikari clung to Riki Bat, trying to combat her fear of the dark. As they continued to walk, Esmeralda decided to break the silence.
"I'm really sorry you got caught up in all of this. I didn't mean to make you a target for Frollo"
Hikari shook her head as they continued walking.
"You did nothing wrong. Frollo seems to be the kind of person who would arrest just about anyone. I'm sure he would have arrested me simply because I said hi to him the wrong way or something stupid"
Esmeralda chuckled at that.
"I should thank you though. You really helped me out today. Not everyone would stick their necks out and help a Gypsy, let alone help them escape"
"Well none of them are as amazing as me" Hikari joked. "Besides, I'd always help a friend out if they were in trouble. It's what I always do"
They finally reached the Court of Miracles where the cavern was filled with light.
'Finally, I can see where I'm going. I don't know how I'm going to make it back to the entrance though' Hikari thought.
"We should be safe here. Frollo doesn't know of this place" Esmeralda said.
Hikari sat down and stretched her aching limbs. Now that she didn't have to worry about being chased around, she was finally able to collect her thoughts about this world.
'This world seems very messed up when it comes to judging people. If you don't look like them or think like them then that means you're evil'
She hugged her knees to her chest. The way Frollo thought and acted reminded her a lot about Organization XIII and Xehanort. They thought that darkness was the answer to everything and if no one followed their beliefs then they had no trouble vanquishing them to the darkness. If Sora, Riku and herself hadn't stepped in and stopped the Organization, then they would have harmed more worlds.
It was a difficult and dangerous task, but it paid off greatly…so far at least.
'I wonder if that's what this world was trying to show me? In order to be a Master, you have to realize that the right choice is never going to be the easiest'
"Am I making the right choice?" she whispered.
She was pulled from her musings when she heard a commotion.
"Esmeralda! Hikari!"
Phoebus and Quasimodo ran towards them, acting like their hair was on fire.
"What are you doing here?" Esmeralda asked in alarm.
"Phoebus and I came to warn you. Frollo' s on his way!" Quasimodo cried.
"Take what you can and leave" Phoebus added.
"Is nowhere safe from this madman?!" Hikari asked.
Phoebus held his hand out to them.
"We'll help you escape"
Hikari gave him a questionable look.
"What about Frollo? I thought you said you had to follow his orders?"
Phoebus gave them a lopsided smirk as he shrugged.
"I decided to listen to my heart. It said I was better off helping you than listening to Frollo"
Hikari smiled a little. It was nice to know that someone listened to what she said.
Before anyone could do anything, Nightmares surrounded them.
"Well done, Captain Phoebus"
Frollo approached them with an oily smirk on his face.
"Thankfully, you are every bit as predictable as I had hoped"
He turned to Quasimodo, giving him a dark smirk.
"Dear Quasimodo. I always knew you would someday be of use to me"
Quasimodo paled when he realized he was being used. Instead of helping his new friends, he walked them right into Frollo' s trap.
Hikari finally had it up to here with Frollo' s antics. Summoning her Keyblade, she went to strike the wicked judge down.
"You nasty, vile man!"
Before she could attack him, a Nightmare pinned her to the ground. Darkness oozed off Frollo as he looked at her and Esmeralda.
"I have you at last, you nasty witches"
He grabbed Esmeralda and pinned her arms behind her back, so she wouldn't escape.
"There's going to be a bonfire in the square and you two are the guests of honor"
Hikari thrashed around, trying to free herself from the Nightmare's clutches.
"You're never gonna get away with this! I won't let you"
Frollo chuckled darkly as the darkness around him grew.
"We'll see about that"
The Nightmare holding Hikari hit her on the head. She slumped forward as the world around her grew black.
/
When she came to, Hikari noticed something was very off. For starters she felt very, very warm. Secondly, she could smell smoke that was burning her throat. Groaning, she opened her eyes slowly to see fire was near her feet. Panicking she tried to move away from the flames but quickly realized that she was tied to a post.
'Is Frollo really planning to burn me alive?!"
She saw Esmeralda was tied next to her. The gypsy woman wasn't doing well. The smoke started to get to her and she couldn't stop coughing. If she inhaled anymore of it, it would lead to something much worse.
"I gotta get us out of here before we get burned alive"
Struggling to move her hands, she was able to summon her Keyblade with some difficulty and cast blizzard on the fire. With the flames gone, Hikari's next obstacle was to free both Esmeralda and herself from the post.
Luckily help was near cause no sooner had she thought that, Quasimodo had swung from Notre Dame and came to their rescue. He ripped the rope that tied them down and picked up Esmeralda's unconscious body.
"Is she going to be okay?" Hikari asked.
"She will be once she gets fresh air. We need to go inside the Church and get away from all this smoke" Quasimodo said.
They ran for the safety of the Church, only to be stopped by the Wargoyle Nightmare. Knowing there was no way to get around the beast, Hikari summoned her Keyblade and faced off against the Nightmare.
"Get Esmeralda to safety! I'll take care of this"
Quasimodo quickly fled into Notre Dame while Hikari tried to protect the city from the Wargoyle. If she thought the Hockomonkey was a challenge the Wargyole certainly proved her wrong. It had these massive wings and was able to fly all over the area, dodging Hikari's spells as she fried them. She was able to land a few hits when it dared to get close, but it was smart enough to stay back.
Hikari growled when it dodged one of her fire spells and flew around her.
"I'll never be able to get rid of this thing at this rate. If only I could use my Keyblade to throw at it or something"
Riki Bat and Lulu quickly appeared before her, ready to aid her. Glowing brightly, they turned into balls of light before merging together as one. When the light faded they revealed themselves to be transformed into a crossbow.
"You guys can transform into things?! That's amazing!"
Grabbing her Dream Eater turned weapon, she aimed it at the Wargoyle and fired an arrow at it. The arrow went through the Nightmare, causing it to cry out in agony. As it fell to the ground it dissolved into dark particles, never to be seen again.
With the danger gone, Riki Bat and Lulu reverted to their normal selves. Hikari smiled as she patted their heads.
"Now that's what I call teamwork"
The victory was short lived thought when she heard Esmeralda scream. Looking up at Notre Dame, she was horrified to see Quasimodo dangling from the tallest part of the church while Esmeralda held onto him for dear life. Frollo loomed over them with a crazed smile on his face as he held a sword high over his head.
Fearing the worst, Hikari quickly jumped onto Lulu and urged her to fly up to the top of Notre Dame.
Frollo laughed manically at the feared look in Esmeralda's eyes.
"And he shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit, forever!"
Just as he was about to strike them, Hikari flew up and kicked Frollo hard in the chest. The judge dropped his sword as he tried to regain his balance. He lost his footing on the statue he stood on and grabbed onto it at the last second. However due to the sudden weight and movement, the statue broke off, causing Frollo to fall into the fiery pit below.
Hikari wore a grim look on her face as she stared at where Frollo once stood.
'He vanquished the wicked alright…too bad he didn't realize it was him this whole time'
'Hikari, help!" Esmeralda cried.
She couldn't hold onto Quasimodo any longer and she was losing her grip fast. Hikari rushed over to her and tried to help pull Quasimodo to safety.
"Hang in there, Quasimodo!"
Tried as they could, the Hunchback's weight was too much for them and he slipped from their fingers. The girls screamed in horror as they watched their friend falling to his death. Yet as if by a miracle, he was saved as Phoebus grabbed him from a few stories down and pulled him to safety.
Relived to see Quasimodo safe, Hikari and Esmeralda rushed to the lower levels and met up with their comrades. Esmeralda pulled Phoebus and Quasimodo into a hug. With Frollo finally gone, they were finally able to feel freedom.
Hikari smiled softly at the scene. She was so glad that they didn't have to feel afraid anymore now that Frollo didn't have control over them. They were free to be themselves, free to do whatever their hearts commanded and free to experience new things.
It seemed that this world was finally at peace.
/
Walking towards the entrance of Notre Dame, Hikari looked at her companions.
"So, what happens now? You don't have to worry about Frollo anymore, so what are you guys gonna do?"
Esmeralda smiled brightly.
"I can finally live my life of freedom!"
"I'll do what is right and listen to my heart" Phoebus said.
"And I'll go see what the outside work is really like" Quasimodo said.
Esmeralda went up to Hikari and pulled her into a tight hug.
"None of this would have been possible without you. Thank you so much for setting us free"
Hikari returned the hug with gusto.
"Of course. I'll always be there when my friends need me"
When they broke the hug, she gave her new friends a warm smile.
"Now you guys go out there and enjoy your freedom!"
As the trio went outside, Hikari looked at the mosaic from before. Stepping close to it, she let the light dance across her face.
"To think that they almost perished before of Frollo" she said quietly. "If he had kept them prisoner for any longer, they might have ended up like him…just like he wanted"
"Hypocrite. You're no different from that corrupted judge"
Hikari whipped her head around to see the Mysterious Figure from Traverse Town approach her.
"You again?! What are you doing here?!"
The Mysterious Figure ignored her and pointed towards her heart.
"Your heart is just like this church. You may act and think it's a haven for troubled souls, but deep down you know it's no more than a prison, trapping lost souls from reaching their purpose"
Hikari glared daggers at him. Who did he think he was to call her a captor? Clearly, he didn't know what that was because there was no way that was her.
"I don't know where you came up with that idea but that's not me" she said. "I don't keep people hostage or prevent them from doing what they want. That's clearly you"
She turned away from him and looked back at the mosaic.
"And if I was keeping someone 'locked up', it wouldn't be for malicious reasons. If anything, it's to keep them safe from the bad things out there" she cast the Mysterious Figure a nasty look. "Like you"
The Mysterious Figure opened a Dark Portal behind him.
"Believe what you will, it makes no difference. You're nothing more than a walking vessel. Sooner or later those you are holding captive will break free and there will be nothing you can do to stop it"
Hikari summoned her keyblade and aimed it at him.
"Keep talking like that and I'll have no problem locking you up!"
They Mysterious Figure simply walked through the portal and closed it behind him.
"What a creep" Hikari sighed.
She looked up the mosaic again and let his words sink in.
'My heart isn't a prison' she thought. 'If anyone feels like they need help and need a place to hide, I'll always be there to keep them safe. Because that's what my heart it: a safe haven'
/
A/N: Soooooo did Hikari just kill someone?...we'll just call that self defense since Frollo tried to kill her first. Least she prevented a genocide from happening by doing that.
Damn, Hikari was on fire this chapter! She was not taking crap from anyone! Not from Frollo, not from Phoebus and certainly not from that mysterious figure. Say whatever you want to her guys, but Hikari isn't gonna fall for your bullshit!
It seemed Lumen really wants to show Hikari what happened. Is she trying to warn her about something or does she just want to show off Terra because she misses him? Guess we'll have to see as the story progresses.
Please tell me what you think!
Take care!
