9/23/06
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
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"What's this?" Maleificent turned away from her rack of potion ingrediants to glare at the boy who had just appeared in her tower. "Back already,
Riku? You can't be done taking Heartless inventory yet!" The witch's eyes fell on the limp form in Riku's arms. She cocked a black eyebrow. "I
found her by the gates, Your Majesty." Riku said, lowering his head in respect. "I have reason to beleive that she may be the girl that we have been
searching for." Maleificent wordlessly gestured to the long, empty table in the middle of the room. Riku carefully set the unconscious girl down on
the table and backed away. He observed his surroundings and couldn't suppress a shudder. The jarred creatures floating in liquid on wooden
shelves, the walls and floor of cold, cracked stone and the hazy smoke rising from the large, black cauldron in the corner were not quite what Riku
considered to be parts of a welcoming atmosphere. Maleificent stepped forward and placed her hand, palm down, on the girl's forehead. A spark
of light jumped from the girl's body to the witch's hand. Maleificent stumbled back, her majestic appearance broken. Riku braced himself for the
explosion. However, a small smile formed on Maleificent's lips. "Interesting." She murmured. Riku waited for an explanation, but none came.
Instead, Maleificent simply turned from the girl to Riku. "Unfortunately, this is not the girl we have been searching for." All the hope that had been
rising in Riku's chest fell. They had yet to find Kairi. "However", Maleificent continued, "she is still of good use to us." Confuion drove Riku out of
his misery. He looked up, puzzled. "Don't you realize the power in this girl? It is not just any power. She has a destiny to fulfill. Perhaps her
destiny is to help us in the fight for darkness. However, let's see what brought our little warrior here in the first place." Maleificent made a circular
motion with her hand and muttered a spell under her breath. The air shimmered, and the once empty space right in front of Riku was suddenly filled
with what looked to be a shimmering, yet somehow transparent curtain. Suddenly, the curtain flickered and turned black. The room was filled with
the sound of hurried footsteps and ragged breathing. Maleificent had conjured up a peek into the girl's past to see what had led to her appearance at
Hollow Bastion. Riku saw Shadow after Shadow attack the girl as she desperately tried to escape. He could practically smell her fear when the
Darkness appeared. He could almost feel her shock when the blade appeared. He watched her battle until the dark mist swallowed her into
oblivion. The curtain flickered, shimmered transparent, and then disappeared. Maleificent turned to the girl. "Now, my dear, we can't have you
remembering any of that, now, can we?" She crooned. Maleificent waved her hand and whispered another spell. Nothing visible happened, but
Riku felt a powerful spell breeze past him, towards the girl. Maleificent turned to Riku. "I have placed a barrier in her memory. She will remember
nothing prior to the moment she wakes up. Now, I shall awake her." Maleificent walked over to a shelf of completed potions and picked up a vial
of green powder. She sprinkled a pinch over the girl and stepped back. The powder sparkled for a momet, then disappeared. The girl shifted and
slowly, wearily opened her eyes.
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That's it for now! Remember, people, reviews are a GOOD thing. Honestly, 74 hits and 1 review... I'm almost offended. If it sucks that badly, then please clue me in as to how I could fix it! Thanks for reading!
