Chapter 9
Lesson Learned
Hinata leaned against the window sill in Namine's empty white room. She could hear the wind rustling against the glass as her eyes stared absently at the surrounding forest outside the mansion gates. Her heart was heavy and her mind bogged from everything Velcia had told them. She barely noticed the light knock on the door as Riku entered the room.
He paused when he saw her by the window, letting out a small breath. "There you are," he spoke softly. He ran his hand along the side of the door, waiting for her to respond. Clearing his throat, he told her. "Everything's almost ready for your mission. Sam's getting all her things out of her room on the ship and Velcia's been getting her stuff up. Ben said you guys can probably leave in about a half hour."
Hinata nodded and whispered without taking her eyes from the window, "Alright, thank you."
Riku frowned, lightly drumming his fingers against the door as he began to turn to leave the room, but then paused. "Are… are you doing alright?"
"Just… trying to wrap my mind around everything Velcia told us…" She admitted, finally glancing over at him. "It's been ten years, and… she had a hard time talking about it…" Her eyes downcast as her voice trailed off.
Riku shut the door behind him and walked over to the long table in the center of the room. He leaned against it, his hands at his sides, grasping the edge. "It's one of those things that will stick with you forever."
She nodded, "Yeah… I guess so." Taking in a deep breath, she confessed. "I wonder if it will be the same way with me… about everything that's happened." Swallowing hard, she looked back outside. "There's that part of me that hopes the pain will fade with time."
"I…" Riku scratched the back of his neck, joining her in looking outside. "I'm not sure… I think it will a bit… you'll think about it less."
Hinata wordlessly nodded, emotion constricting in her throat. Riku noticed the tears glazing over her eyes, his heart sinking. He looked away, his hands tightening around the edge of the table. A faint voice inside reminded him he needed to keep his distance, while another voice urged him to pull her into his arms to comfort her. He resigned to staying put on the edge of the table, his eyes scanning around the room in an attempt to distract himself.
"I think Velcia will be a good friend for you," he suddenly broke the silence, getting Hinata to dart her attention to him in surprise. He kept his eyes averted from hers, as he added. "She's gone through a lot of the same types of things. Might not be a bad idea to use this mission with her to get to know her a bit better."
Hinata half-smiled from his words, sniffling as she agreed, "I was actually thinking the same thing."
Riku met his gaze back with hers, returning her smile.
"Thank you… for checking on me," She mumbled, looking down at her hands clasped in front of her. "I… I'm not really sure exactly why, but I know you've been trying to keep your distance from me."
His smile fell as he looked away and let out a breath. "You noticed that, huh?"
"A bit hard not to," She admitted. "Although, I wasn't exactly seeking you out, either."
"I'm… sorry," he shook his head. "I don't really have a good excuse… just trying to figure things out, I guess."
Hinata looked him over, his amber eyes were averted from hers, confused and lost. She pushed her hair back behind her ear as she turned and walked over to him, stopping in front of him. "It's alright." She assured him, tilting the corners of her lips into a smile when he looked back at her. "I get it." Glancing down at his hands, she told him. "I know me telling you all those things the other night was a lot to take in. I couldn't really imagine being in your place hearing all of that."
"I was the one who asked you," he reminded her, shifting his weight a bit nervously.
"I know," her smile slightly grew as she looked back up at his face. "But I should have known better than blurting all of that out anyways."
Riku lips tipped into a frown. "Yeah, well I shouldn't have run off like I did… I freaked out."
"It's alright," Hinata reached forward and grabbed his hands without thinking, releasing them within a single second and letting out a harsh breath. "Sorry," she turned away and took a few steps. "I'm not helping anything…"
Riku looked after her, then down at his hands that still felt her warmth even though he'd only felt it for a moment. A tense air began to fill the room around them, as neither of them really knew what to say to the other.
"Maybe…" Hinata finally broke the silence after a couple minutes. "This mission will be good for me… You'll get time to figure things out and I won't be here accidentally making things worse."
His heart twisted from her words, he was dreading her going on the mission and leaving him at the mansion. Swallowing hard, he nodded, "Yeah… you're probably right." He looked down at the tiled floor, taking in a breath. "I'll try to have everything figured out by the time you get back."
"Well don't push yourself too hard," she told him, turning around and sending him a shy smile. "If you'd like, I can organize my journals in order for you. So you can read them while I'm gone."
He smirked, still not looking up from the floor. "I'd appreciate that."
"That is, if you have the time when you're not training Sam." She quipped, trying to lighten the mood.
Riku scoffed, finally meeting his gaze with hers. "That will definitely be interesting, won't it?"
Hinata chuckled, "Yeah, but she'll have a good teacher, so I'm not worried too much about her."
Riku felt his ears warming from her words as he looked her over and noticed her tattoo beginning to glow dimly. Their smiles grew as they stared at each other, until Hinata suddenly looked away and cleared her throat.
"Um, I should probably be getting ready to go." She pointed towards the door over her shoulder. "DiZ said this place is pretty huge, so we might be there awhile."
"What's it called again?" Riku asked, getting up from his seat on the table.
"Insomnia, I think?" She guessed as she brought her hand to her chin. "A bit of an odd name… but I suppose it's fitting for me, given my recent sleeping habits."
Riku breathily laughed as he walked towards her. He came to a stop in front of her, his smile falling as he looked her over. "Just… stay safe? Alright?"
Hinata looked up at him, giving him a small reassuring smile. "I will, plus DiZ said this Insomnia place should be covered with some magic protective barrier. So if all goes well, we shouldn't run into any trouble."
"Yeah," Riku nodded, glancing down towards her hands.
"Well, I'll see you later then, Riku." Hinata said softly, turning to leave the room until she felt Riku's hand clasped around her own. She stopped with a slight gasp, looking back at him.
"Wait, I-" He tried to speak up, his eyes fixated on their hands. Letting out a huff of breath, he shut his eyes and released her hand. "Just forget it."
Hinata's heart sank as her hand fell back to her side. She turned to leave Riku in peace, but paused, bringing her hand to her heart. Shaking her head with a small breathy laugh, she muttered, "This is a really stupid thing of me to do…"
Riku glanced up in confusion, barely hearing her words. "What do you-" His voice cut off as Hinata suddenly faced him and grabbed the tassels on his coat, pulling him down to her level before planting a sweet kiss on his cheek. Riku's entire body immediately flushed, his heart jumping to his throat as the mere contact of her lips zapped electricity through him. Even as Hinata released her hold on him, he barely moved, watching in a daze as she spun around and scurried out of the room without a word.
Hinata slammed the door shut behind her, leaning back against it as her heart fluttered out of control. She could feel the heat of her tattoo as it glowed brilliantly against her cheek and she couldn't erase the goofy grin on her lips. Part of her wanted to go back into the room, to see Riku's reaction and promptly apologize, but she instead pushed herself off the door and made her way downstairs. Pushing open the fogged glass doors that led outside, she welcomed the cool breeze and fresh scents of the garden.
Velcia was up on the deck of the Highwind, listening to Ben as he told her tales of his adventures with Hinata. She smiled politely and laughed when he lost his balance and toppled over when he attempted to reenact a scene for her. They both looked over as they heard Hinata coming onto the deck.
"Hey Hinata!" Ben chimed, scrambling back to his feet. "I was just telling Velcia about our amazing adventures."
Hinata snickered, running her hand along the railing. "I don't know if they were that great, Ben. But they were pretty fun."
"I'm very excited for our first mission." Velcia spoke up with a sweet smile. "Two new worlds in a matter of days!"
"That's true," Hinata realized. "I hope it won't be too overwhelming."
"I think it will be wonderful." Velcia assured her. "From DiZ's descriptions, Insomnia sounds spectacular!"
"It does," Hinata smirked, recalling everything DiZ had said. "A magic force field over an entire city… It's going to be something."
"And those Kingsglaive," Velcia reminded with a slight hop of excitement "the way they are able to harness the King's power to protect the realm, it will certainly be a sight to see."
Hinata nodded, looking past Velcia towards the golden sky. "You really think you'll be able to copy their powers and give them to me?"
"Well, I would certainly like to try at the very least." Velcia admitted, lightly tugging on a piece of her hair. "Maybe not quite that easily, but if I'm able to feel the way their magical energies are working I should hopefully be able to learn how to replicate it. If I can do that, then perhaps I can teach it to you and you can use those magic skills too, with practice. But the most important thing we'll need is for me to be able to get close enough to them to sense it."
"I suppose that's something we'll figure out when we get there." Hinata ran her hand through her hair. "Um, also, I'm almost ready to go. Just need to go get a few last minute things. Then we can get going."
"Perfect!" Velcia's smile beamed. "I think Sam finished getting her things out of her room and I'm all set up. So whenever you're ready, I suppose we can head off!"
"Sounds great," Hinata smiled back, before turning and getting off the ship to head inside. "I'll be back soon then."
Within minutes, she returned to the ship, her locket necklace secured around her neck and a small suitcase of supplies in her arms. As she headed below deck, Ben was already starting the engines and they were in space before Hinata had finished unpacking her things.
Hinata came out of her room, noticing Velcia across the hall in the newly built room. She slowly walked over, looking in the open doorway. Small pots of various sizes were along the wall on shelves with unfamiliar plants growing out of them of all different shades of green. Below it was a multitude of potion bottles, some empty, while others were filled with bubbling liquids safely secured in the glass by a cork top over the opening. As Hinata came to a stop at the doorway, Velcia noticed her and sent her a bright smile.
"Sam said to make myself at home in here," she informed Hinata, glancing over at her wall of potions and plants.
"I'm glad you are." Hinata replied with a small smile. "Did you bring enough potions?"
"I brought a good amount, I think." Velcia looked through her satchels that were also filled with potion vials. "But I also brought common ingredients to make more of them if I need to."
Hinata wordlessly nodded, scanning her eyes aimlessly over the room as her earlier thoughts came back into her mind. She took in a breath, before speaking up. "I… wanted to tell you…" Her voice trailed off as Velcia looked up at her.
"Yes?" Velcia sweetly asked when Hinata didn't continue.
"Um, thank you… for telling us about what happened." Hinata brought her eyes to hers. "I know that couldn't have been easy to tell a bunch of strangers."
Velcia's lips tipped into a sad smile as her eyes drifted. "It's never easy for me to discuss, but… I felt comfortable in that room with all of you. That made it easier."
"I'm glad we make you feel comfortable, at least." Hinata shifted her weight uncomfortably, causing Velcia to take notice.
"Was there something else?" Velcia asked, looking Hinata over.
Hinata darted her eyes up to her before looking away. "Um… I, well…" her voice trailed off again.
Velcia's eyes saddened, having an idea what she was trying to bring herself to talk about. "There's no rush." She paused, noticing Hinata close her eyes. "I will be here for a while and will always be here to talk."
"You're right…" Hinata nearly choked out, nodding as she turned away and wiped at her eyes. "Th-thank you." She took in a deep breath, "I'm going to head to the sparring room to practice for a bit. We should be at Insomnia in a couple hours, I think."
"Of course," Velcia smiled understandingly, her voice kind and soft. "I may join you in a bit to see your technique."
Hinata sent her a half-smile, before turning and heading to the sparring room. The rest of the journey went by uneventful. Ben was calling below deck that they had reached the planet as Velcia and Hinata were just heading up the stairs. Hinata glanced down at the planet below from the railing as Velcia went to Ben's side.
"Are you coming down to the world with us?" Velcia asked curiously, looking over Ben's shoulder at the navigation screen.
"Yep!" Ben chimed. "Hinata promised that Jack and I could come on her next mission!" He hopped with his hands clasped in front of his chest. "OH, I'm so excited! Who knows what we'll see?"
Hinata chuckled as she walked over to join the group. "From the pictures DiZ showed, it should be a really fancy city."
"I suppose I will stand out in my dress," Velcia grabbed the sides of her dress, glancing down at it.
"The magic drive of the ship will change our appearance to fit in with the world around us." Hinata explained, sending her a smile. "So don't worry about it."
"Oh!' Velcia exclaimed with intrigue. "That's incredible!" She brought her hand to her chin, "I wonder what I'll look like."
"One way to find out!" Ben pressed a button on the control board, surrounding them in a bright light and beaming them down to the planet.
As the light around them faded away, they were instantly met with the unmistakable scent of dirt and smoke. Hinata coughed as she opened her eyes and gasped, seeing that they were standing beside an old worn out road with piles of debris all around them. Broken down cars lined the side of the street, their paint chipped and scratched with rust thickly formed along the sides. She spun around in confusion, seeing a tall chain link fence lined with sharp barbed wire behind them.
"This… is Insomnia…?" She whispered, looking towards the others.
Velcia's burnt orange hair was pulled back into a loose bun, her eyes equally confused, yet almost dumbfounded, as she looked around the new world. A brown leather jacket covered her arms, with dark green accents along the top and back. A similar green shirt was visible under the jacket, falling over a pair of cargo pants with multiple pockets along her legs before tucking into a pair of boots. She stood in front of an old copper-colored truck with Jack floating beside her, his appearance unchanged.
Her eyes met with Hinata's, and she looked her over. "It really does change your look!"
Hinata glanced down at herself, seeing a dull blue scarf wrapped loosely around her neck, the extra fabric cascading behind her and swaying in the hot breeze. Her locket peeked out from under the scarf, over a dusty maroon sleeveless, asymmetrical top that went past her hips. A thick belt with red lining was around her hips, with satchels tied to either side along with her dao blades. Another bag was strapped around her thigh, over her dulled green pants that tucked into intricate boots with gold and red lining. Dark brown, fingerless gloves covered a majority of her arms, the right up to her shoulder, the other about to her elbow. Diamond cutouts with red lining were along the taller one and gold fabric wrapped around her wrists. Reaching up to her head, she felt that her hair was pulled up and braided behind her head, the sides of her face framed by a few loose pieces.
"Ok…" Hinata looked back up with a slight huff. "I look like I'm ready for the city, but… where exactly is it?"
She turned to look further down the road, freezing when she saw what appeared to be a border control. Broken letters were hung on a yellow overpass, spelling out the word Insomnia, but it was barely recognizable. In front of the overpass stood four lines of guards, each fully covered in armor and weapons in their arms. They stood completely still, staring in front of them without a word being said between them. On either side of them were huge gray mechanical beasts. They stood on two massive legs, their arms seeming like a sort of weapon. Behind them were two metal staircases, where even more guards stood behind massive machine weapons, also staring out in complete silence.
"Do you think they'll know?" Velcia asked with a soft voice, coming up beside Hinata as she pulled at the sides of her cargo pants, unsure what to think of them.
"I'm not sure they're even human…" Hinata admitted with a whisper, feeling Jack landing on her shoulder. "Wait…" She turned towards the coppered truck, "Where's Ben?"
"I'm right here!" A muffled mechanical voice came from one of the satchels on Hinata's hip. "I can't see anything! Is it nighttime?"
Hinata unclipped the satchel, pulling out a gold tablet with a glossed screen. Two small handles were along the sides, allowing Hinata to hold it easily as the screen lit up with Ben's face.
"Gah!" Hinata jumped in surprise, before glancing up towards the guards to make sure they didn't notice her outburst, but they stayed perfectly still, unaware of their presence. "Ben," she spoke with a hushed voice. "Why are you a tablet?"
"I don't know!" Ben beamed, his face disappearing to show a front facing camera. "But if you show me those guards you were talking about, I think I can scan them!"
"What makes you think that?" Velcia asked, as Hinata held up the tablet to get a good view of the guards at the overpass.
"Well I can always scan things!" Ben explained as a green light emitted from a small camera from the front of the tablet. "But I think DiZ programmed all these extra things for me to do! I'll be all sorts of helpful!"
"That's a relief." Hinata muttered, feeling more uncomfortable the more she looked over the guards standing a few hundred feet from them. They were thankfully mostly obscured by the tall metal red barricades that were scattered around them, but the guards could still notice them by looking right in their direction.
"Got something!" Ben chimed, the screen changing to a profile of the guards as lines of information began surrounding the picture. "They're called Magitek! A soldier from Nifelheim that is a blend of both magic and technology."
"A what now…?" Hinata asked, trying to read the tiny text that appeared on the screen.
"You can find all of that information by simply scanning them?" Velcia asked in near awe, rather than questioning the info they had obtained. "That's amazing."
"Alright, so not human?" Hinata shook her head, getting to the point. "Any idea if they're friendly?"
"Well…" Ben's voice droned out as the screen began being covered with various pictures as he searched for information. "I'm not finding much on the exonet, nothing that seems truthful anyways."
"Truthful?" Hinata repeated.
"I imagine there is a lot of propaganda." Velcia surmised, getting a surprised look from Hinata. "When there is any war or politics involved, I would see propaganda all over Olympus." Velcia explained, letting out a sigh. "I imagine it would be the same on any world."
"Wow, alright," Hinata took in a breath, "Why do I get the feeling that we came here at the wrong time?"
Jack barked, his ears going down as her whimpered. Ben's face reappeared on the screen. "We can't just barge in, Jack!" Ben nearly scolded him.
"Maybe we should head back?" Velcia suggested, turning to Hinata. "If there is something going on-"
Jack barked once again, interrupting Velcia and flying off towards the Magitek. "Jack!" Hinata called, running after him out of instinct, skidding to a stop when each of the soldiers immediately trained their weapons on her the moment she was out in the open.
"Oh crap," she muttered under her breath, putting up her hands in surrender and slowly backing away.
Before she could even take a single step, one of the large robots aimed its arm towards her and fired a flaming rocket. Hinata shrieked in surprise, trying to summon up water, before Velcia ran in front of her with her Keyblade and summoned a barrier of light that exploded the rocket upon impact.
"I guess they're not friendly!" Velcia yelled over the loud explosion.
Hinata chuckled nervously as she unsheathed her blades and looked towards the red barricades. "Suddenly makes a lot more sense why those are here."
Multiple gunshots followed the explosion, shattering against the barrier as Velcia skid back, letting out a yell from the strain. "I can't hold this for much longer!"
"Get to the barricades!" Hinata yelled, already sprinting towards one and rolling behind it as Velcia did the same on the other side of the road.
Hinata pulled Ben out of her satchel, looking towards his screen. "Alright Ben," she gasped as a bullet wisped by overhead, making her kneel lower to the ground. "Any idea how to beat these things?"
"Uh-well," Ben began searching as Velcia called out from her spot across the road.
"Hinata! I can feel a strong electrical power in those large metal creatures!" She yelled, her chest still heaving from the energy spent on the barrier. "You mentioned that you have water abilities, correct?" When Hinata nodded, she smirked. "Alright then!" She peeked around the side of her hiding spot, holding her blade at the ready. "Then get ready!"
She focused on the robots, the tip of her blade sparking and glowing as she powered up a spell. The machines fired another set of rockets, but then paused, their bodies shaking as electrical surges began bursting out of their seams. Their outer shells dented as they began to combust. Hinata took the hint and stood, summoning a wall of water to fall over the entirety of the guards, covering her eyes as a blinding current of lightning surged through the water, frying each of the guards as they fell to the ground in a crisp blackened heep.
"Yes!" Hinata cheered, pumping her fist into the air with a grin. Their victory was short lived as another gunshot rang out and Hinata was struck in the shoulder. "AH!" She cried out, falling to her knees behind the cover of the barricade, her hand clutching over the wound as blood seeped through her fingers.
"Hinata!" Velcia gasped, looking towards the overpass to see a whole new force of Magitek and machines replacing their fallen troops. Bullets and rockets overpowered Hinata's broken cries, as Velcia desperately tried to figure out what to do.
Jack was floating amongst the turmoil, realizing he had caused a huge mess. With a growl, he flew into the soldier he knew had wounded Hinata, possessing it and causing it to shoot whoever was nearby, before being shot down and forced to find a new prey. Velcia cast anything she could muster, feeling her strength dwindling as she sent worried glances towards Hinata who was still crumpled on the ground, losing blood.
A purring engine of a car mixed in with the gunfire, making Velcia glance behind her towards a polished purple vehicle skidding into a parking spot beside the copper truck. She stared dumbfounded for a moment, trying to figure out what the machine even was as the engine ceased and four men jumped out of it, weapons appearing in their hands in a flash.
"Who-" She tried to ask as they ran past without paying her any notice.
A raven haired boy sprinted ahead, his body warping side to side with a blue glow, missing every single bullet aimed towards him. His attire was completely black, but Velcia barely had the time to look him over as he threw his sword and disappeared in a blue mist, reappearing in a flash where his blade had impaled in a soldier's chest. He grabbed the hilt, his feet pushing off the guard as he flipped and threw the blade again, warping from guard to guard.
A blonde stopped barely past Velcia, two silver guns in his hands as he shot towards the guards while yelling out in an almost whiny voice. "Where did all these Magitek come from?"
"Stop bitchin, start killin!" A bellowing voice came from a larger man, his tattooed muscles tightening as he swung his massive two-handed blade towards one of the larger machines.
The only one that paid Velcia any notice was a taller slender man. He went over to Hinata, kneeling beside her and pushing up his thin rimmed glasses on his nose. His dirty blonde hair was gelled up, keeping it out of his face as he grabbed Hinata's injured arm despite her cries, and examined it. Realizing that fewer bullets were heading her way, Velcia took the moment to rush across the street to Hinata and the strange man.
"Who are-" Velcia tried again.
"Why are you irritating the Magitek without the proper equipment?" The man interrupted her with a firm voice and an formal accent. His green eyes glanced up at her for a moment before getting back to Hinata's wound. He held out his free hand, summoning a first aid kit out of thin air. Opening it, he grabbed bandages and tightly wrapped it around Hinata's shoulder, above the wound.
"W-We didn't know," Velcia admitted a bit sheepishly, as she watched him work. "We were just trying to get into Insomnia."
The man paused, looking up at her and examining her features. "Where are you coming from?"
Velcia swallowed hard, remembering the rules of the World Order her grandmother had firmly explained many times throughout her life. "Oh, um, rather far away…"
"Hmm…" The man hummed, obviously not convinced as he went back to Hinata's wound. "She will need to have the bullet removed before she can be healed completely. I cannot do it here, but I can take her back to Hammerhead to do so."
"Hammerhead," Velcia repeated, nodding ever so slightly as she placed her hand on Hinata's shoulder in comfort. "Thank you."
Hinata glanced up at Velcia, biting her tongue as she tried to keep herself from crying out. Her breaths were labored, as she sat up a bit more and looked over the man that had bandaged her to stop the bleeding. "W-Who…" She tried to speak, her voice shaking and low. "Who are you?"
"Ignis," he finally answered, looking between both of them with an unsure expression as he stood and summoned a dagger in each hand. "Now if you'll excuse me."
He ran past them, helping the others take out the remaining Magitek. Velcia watched them in awe, each of them working as a unit and utilizing various magic techniques as well as brute force. She looked back to Hinata, who had closed her eyes, trying not to focus on the pain.
"Are you alright?" Velcia asked her, getting a nod in response. "I've never seen weapons like theirs. I think we are a bit unprepared for this."
Hinata let out a strained laugh. "Yeah… I think… DiZ messed up, a bit…"
"Once that bullet that Ignis mentioned is out, I can heal you," Velcia assured her. "Then we can leave if you would like."
"I-I'm not sure…" Hinata swallowed hard. "T-These guys… something seems different about them…"
"Yes, I agree." Velcia looked back towards them as they took down both of the large robots with ease. "My heart feels like there is something incredibly important about them…"
"What were you two thinking?" A young man's voice startled Velcia as the dark haired man stalked over to them. His hair was in his face, almost covering his dark blue eyes that glared at Velcia. He motioned towards the destroyed Magitek as Velcia scrambled to her feet. "Those Magitek destroy anything that gets in their way, and you just walk right up to them? What were you trying to do?"
Velcia stood tall, speaking honestly and calmly despite his scowl. "We were trying to get to Insomnia. It's why we were sent here."
He blinked in surprise, before scoffing and looking towards his friends that stood beside him. "Where have you been the past month…?" He muttered, turning and walking away. "Insomnia's gone…"
"Gone?" Velcia repeated, looking after him. "What happened?"
"The Niffs happened," the tattooed man spoke up, looking towards Ignis. "Well now what? Can't really follow through with our mission with these two around."
"I was planning on taking the injured young woman back to Hammerhead, to remove the bullet in her arm." Ignis calmly responded, crossing his arms. "That is, if his highness doesn't mind."
The dark haired man waved his hand dismissively, "Yeah, whatever."
"Prompto," Ignis spoke up, making the blonde yelp in surprise.
"Y-yes sir!" Prompto stood at attention, taking his worried eyes from Hinata.
"Help the young woman into the Regalia," Ignis ordered him. "Perhaps Gladiolus and Noctis can stay here to begin the mission, while we take care of her."
"Sounds good to me," Gladiolus concurred, patting Prompto's back roughly and making him stumble forward a couple steps as he made his way towards Hinata. "Come on, Noct! Let's get those headlights for Cindy."
"At least something's getting done." Noctis grumbled as he followed after Gladio, sending a side glance towards Hinata as Prompto helped her stand. "Will she be alright?" He whispered to Ignis as he passed.
"Yes, I believe so." Ignis assured him, before adding. "Prompto and I will not be long. We will be back to aid in the mission before nightfall."
Noctis shortly nodded and continued after Gladiolus, waving his hand dismissively, "Just make sure no blood gets on the car."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Ignis called back, turning his attention towards Velcia as he motioned towards the regal vehicle parked on the side of the road. "This way, if you please."
Velcia looked between Hinata and Ignis for a moment before nodding and following him to the car. Hinata leaned against Prompto for a moment, before standing mostly on her own. She lightly bit her lip to keep from crying out, but the occasional wince gave away her discomfort.
"Iggy will take care of you," Prompto assured her, his arm gentle, yet firm around her shoulder.
Hinata nodded, "T-Thank you."
"Yeah, of course," he replied, looking absently around them as he tried to figure out what to say. "So, uh, we don't see a lot of people trying to take on the Magitek by themselves!" He spoke a bit awkwardly, but with a chipper tone rising in his voice. "That was pretty impressive!"
Hinata chuckled, but didn't say anything in response. Their small talk was interrupted as they reached the car. Ignis came up beside them, summoning a roll of thick gauze out of a blue mist. He cleaned the excess blood from Hinata's arm and wrapped the gauze around her wound with skilled hands.
"That should keep you clean until we reach Hammerhead," Ignis assured her, opening the car door and allowing Prompto to help Hinata into the car.
Velcia glanced back from the front seat with a worried frown, but then looked over as Ignis got into the driver's seat. As he pulled on a pair of gray leather driving gloves, she spoke up. "Thank you for going through all of this trouble for us."
"Not at all," Ignis sent her a slight smile before turning on the vehicle's ignition, revving the engine as he pulled out.
A light gasp escaped Velcia as she grabbed onto the door of the car, feeling the hot wind rush into her from the top of the car being down. She noticed Ignis sending her a glance and quickly straightened herself out.
Hinata welcomed the breeze as Ignis drove away from the Insomnia border. Prompto occasionally tried to start small talk, but Hinata couldn't bring herself to say much. The ride instead fell to silence and Hinata looked out at the scenery as they passed. The destruction around Insomnia quickly faded away and was replaced with a desolate desert. Occasional broken down cars were on the sides of the road. Electrical posts were slanted in every direction, barely held up by the wires between them. Mountains could be seen in the far distance, but all around them the land was flat and covered with dry desert plants. Hinata could see the occasional herd of creatures running out in the distance. Their appearance was unlike any creatures she had ever seen before, but she wasn't given much time to admire them as Ignis continued to drive.
Before she knew it, Ignis was slowing the car and turning into Hammerhead. It was a relatively small area, run down but not as much as the border to Insomnia. There was a large opened garage where Hinata could see a young woman working on a beat up truck. The woman glanced up with a smile and a wave as she saw Ignis pulling up to the gas station beside her, but her expression fell as she looked over Velcia and Hinata.
"Picked up some hitchhikers?" She asked with a strong accent as Ignis turned off the ignition to the car. She took off her greased gloves and patted her hands against her tight jean shorts. "I can't say I've ever seen them around before."
"Neither have I," Ignis informed her, opening Hinata's door and sweeping her up into his arms, smirking to himself at her surprised yelp. "We discovered them at the Insomnia border while searching for the headlights you requested."
Prompto jumped up, eager to fill her in on the what happened as Ignis turned and walked Hinata over to an old trailer home parked outside the cafe beside the gas station. Velcia scurried behind him, looking around at the unfamiliar area.
"Tell me what you need me to do." Velcia spoke up as they reached the RV.
"Open the door, if you please." Ignis motioned his head towards the short metal door, walking up the steps the moment Velcia did so. It was a tight fit inside, but Ignis managed to lay Hinata down on top of the twin sized bed, sitting on the edge beside her as he summoned his first aid kit out of a blue mist.
As he opened the box and grabbed a few tools, the RV shook as Prompto hurried on board. "Sorry about that!" He quickly apologized, a bit breathless. "Just filling Cindy in on everything that happened." He squeezed past Velcia and pulled out a chair sitting on it backwards as he watched Ignis work. Looking to Hinata, he assured her. "Don't worry, Iggy will take good care of you!"
She let out a light nervous chuckle, watching as Ignis unwrapped her arm and winced at the sting. Averting her eyes, she looked towards the ceiling, eventually shutting her eyes when she felt him reaching inside her arm with special tools to retrieve the bullet. She took in a deep breath through her nose, trying to remain still and calm.
"Wow," Prompto breathed out, "You have really high pain tolerance. The first time Iggy pulled out a bullet inside Noct… he cried."
Ignis stifled a chuckle as Velcia spoke up, "I've never seen a weapon like this before. Is it common here?"
Prompto darted his eyes up to Velcia in complete confusion as Ignis barely flinched. "You don't know what a gun is?" Prompto asked in disbelief.
"I-Is that what that is?" Hinata grated out the words, trying to distract herself. "I-I've… Only seen plasma guns…"
"Plasma…?" Prompto repeated. "Like a laser gun?" He looked at Ignis when Hinata only nodded in response. "Who are these guys?" he whispered.
"I intend to find out after my work is finished." Ignis shortly replied, completely focused on the task at hand as he finally pulled the bullet out. He firmly pressed a towel against the wound, ordering Prompto to hold it in place as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few coins. He held the coins out to Velcia, "Fetch a potion from the station. That should held stop the bleeding."
"Oh," she realized, grabbing her Keyblade from her back. "Actually, I can heal her."
Ignis and Prompto looked up at her. With a nod, Ignis stood from his seat and stepped aside, allowing Velcia through to see what she would do. She held out her Keyblade in front of her, tapping the tip of it against Hinata's arm. Closing her eyes, the tip of her blade began to glow yellow as a sparkling aura covered Hinata's wound, making Prompto retract his hand in a rush. As the light faded, Velcia fastened her blade onto her back and the wound on Hinata's arm was completely healed, as well as any excess blood that had stained her clothes and the mattress beneath her.
"What the…" Prompto whispered, his mouth agape. He looked up to Ignis and motioned to the girls. "Um, what the hell?"
"I can't believe I'm saying this…" Ignis let out a breath, "But it would seem we have come in contact with off world visitors." As the words left his mouth, he noticed both Hinata and Velcia slightly pale.
"What, you mean like aliens?" Prompto asked.
"Not exactly," Ignis crossed his arms, looking the girls over as Hinata sat up and Velcia turned towards him. "Am I correct?"
Velcia opened and closed her mouth a few times, unsure what to say. "You're right," Hinata spoke up for her, swinging her legs over the bed as she was no longer in pain. Her fingers dug into the mattress as she admitted. "We came from a place called Twilight Town."
Ignis blinked, trying to fathom that his crazy hypothesis had in fact been correct. Prompto simply looked between the group, rendered completely speechless. Clearing his throat, Ignis asked. "And why are you here on Eos?"
"Well, we were looking for Kingsglaive in Insomnia, but…" She looked up at Velcia, letting out a breath. "That obviously isn't working out."
"Are you sure we should be sharing so much with them?" Velcia whispered to her.
Hinata shook her head, "When I get called out for it, I don't see much sense in trying to hide it anymore."
"Why were you looking for the Kingsglaive?" Prompto asked.
"It's… a really long story," Hinata chuckled, running her hand along the back of her neck. "But… basically, we're up against someone really powerful where we're from and I need to start learning new techniques to take them on."
"And," Velcia stepped forward to add, "I believe with the proper amount of time, I could learn to copy their powers and teach them to Hinata."
"Copy their powers?" Ignis repeated, looking over at Velcia. "So you are a mage of sorts?"
"Yes," she simply replied, albeit a bit uneasily. "I can sense different magical properties around me."
"That's remarkable," Ignis commented, crossing his arms as he tried to take in all they were saying.
"Speaking of which," Velcia took in a breath, glancing between Ignis and Prompto. "From the way the four of your were fighting those Magitek are you, by chance, Kingsglaives yourself?"
Prompto looked up to Ignis, as if asking what to say. Ignis' lips tipped into a frown as he thought it over for a few seconds, before nodding slowly. "Yes," he finally admitted, "Although, not the Kingsglaive you were particularly searching for."
Velcia sent Hinata a smile, before clasping her hands in front of her. "I hope I am not being too forward, but… knowing the situation we're in, could we possibly learn the abilities from the four of you?"
"We won't get in the way," Hinata stood, joining in with Velcia when she noticed the unsure expression on Ignis' face. "And we might be able to help out if you run into any of those Magitek again."
Ignis let out a sigh, his eyes distant as he was obviously deep in thought. "I would have to confer with Gladiolus and Noct on the matter…" He continued muttering under his breath, "But we are in between missions at the moment after the catastrophe with Costlemark last week, and you two are too powerful to simply be left alone to travel Eos…"
"We're already taking on extra hunts while we recover," Prompto spoke up, "What better time to take two helpless girls under our wings?"
"We're not exactly helpless," Hinata noted with a small laugh. "But we could help on these… hunt things." She looked back to Ignis. "I know we're sort of asking a lot when you barely know us, but you four might be our only chance with learning this stuff."
Ignis looked back at Hinata for a moment before motioning to Prompto to get out of the seat. "Allow me to speak with my comrades on the matter." He told her with a cool voice, sending a polite smile. He sent his attention to Velcia. "We have a mission that needs to be completed, but we will hopefully return later today."
"Yeah," Prompto added, standing at Ignis' side. "You two just stick around here until we all get back! Then we'll figure out where to go from there."
"Precisely," Ignis agreed.
Velcia looked over to Hinata, silently asking what she thought. Hinata nodded. "Alright, we'll stick around here."
"Thank you for even considering," Velcia smiled politely.
"Of course," Ignis slightly bowed his head in respect before turning to leave the RV, but then paused. "Oh, and you may want to pick up a few hunts for Gil. It is the only currency that works out here."
"Oh, thank you," Velcia clasped her hands in front of her, looking over to Hinata. "I suppose those will keep us busy."
"Well, see you!" Prompto waved his hand with a grin, following Ignis out of the RV.
Hinata walked out as well, watching them getting into their car, before a buzz came from her hip. She pulled out Ben's tablet and looked at his worried face appearing on the screen. "What's up, Ben?"
"Hinata, where's Jack?" he asked, his eyes turning blue with worry.
Hinata froze, spinning around, realizing that Jack hadn't come back with them. "Ignis!" She called out, just as the engine was beginning to purr.
Ignis and Prompto looked up, seeing Hinata running over to them. "Yes, was there something else?" Ignis asked.
Catching her breath, Hinata blurted, "If you see a little white ghost dog with a blue collar, he's mine. His name's Jack."
"A what now?" Prompto asked, turning around in his seat to face Hinata.
"Just, be on the lookout for him," Hinata put her hands up, her eyes slightly pleading. "He can understand a lot, so if you see him, just tell him you know where I am."
Prompto and Ignis exchanged a look, before Prompto shrugged and sent her a grin, "Sure thing, Hina! We'll find him!"
"Thanks," she smiled with relief, waving as they drove away.
Her hand fell as they disappeared into the distance, and she finally took the time to really take in where they were. She turned around, seeing Velcia sitting in a white plastic chair that was situated in front of the RV, with Ben's tablet in her grasp. Hinata smirked, hearing Velcia laughing at something Ben had said.
"I suppose we could use the downtime," Hinata mumbled, beginning to walk back to the others. She grabbed another white chair across from Velcia, leaning back in it with a sigh. "This isn't too bad, a little hot."
Velcia chuckled, "Yes, though, not too much hotter than it ever got in Thebes. Much dryer though." She propped Ben up against the umbrella sticking up from the table between them so he could see them, then looked Hinata over, her smile falling to a concerned expression. "How are you doing? Still in any pain?"
Hinata looked up at her, running her hand along her arm where she had gotten shot. "No pain at all, actually. Whatever you did seems to have worked wonders."
"Oh good," Velcia smiled. "With that bullet inside of you, I was worried you would get infected."
"Yeah," Hinata winced at the memory. "I think I actually prefer plasma guns to these ones out here." She resituated herself in her seat, before adding, "Also, I was surprised that it didn't hurt at all when you healed me."
Velcia paused, looking up at her in confusion. "Didn't hurt? Does it usually hurt when you're healed?"
"Only when Riku does it," Hinata shrugged, "since he has to use the Darkness to do it."
"Hmm," Velcia hummed, thinking it over. "I'm surprised Riku uses Darkness if it causes that much pain."
Hinata downcast her gaze, slightly shaking her head. "He… doesn't have much of a choice."
"Oh, I see…" Velcia realized, moving her gaze to scan around them. Her eyes paused when she spotted a familiar truck parked beside them. "I might be going crazy, but didn't we see that same machine by the Insomnia border?"
Hinata followed her gaze, raising an eyebrow at the coppered truck she saw. "That's odd." She got out of her seat, approaching it. "This is definitely the same one, if not, it's the same exact model."
"What… is it, exactly?" Velcia asked, grabbing Ben's tablet as she followed after Hinata.
"It's a truck!" Ben chimed, looking the vehicle over. "And by scanning it, it seems to be something DiZ sent down with us!"
Hinata darted her eyes to him. "He knows I can't drive, right? I mean," she snickered, "just ask Riku…" Her voice and smile trailed off. "Actually, don't, he won't remember."
Velcia placed her hand along Hinata's arm, before asking Ben. "DiZ sent down this truck for us? What does it do?"
"The same thing that other car does!" Ben explained, "Gets you to different places really quick. And no worries about driving Hinata! Just insert me in the wheel and you're on autopilot!"
Hinata walked up to the truck, pulling the driver's door open. Sure enough, there was a rectangular indentation where the wheel would normally go. The sight brought a slight smile to her face. "He really does think of everything, doesn't he?"
Just as she was shutting the door, the tablet in Velcia's hands began to vibrate, letting out a ringing chime. Velcia held Ben out with a slight yelp of surprise. "What is happening?"
"OH! I think DiZ is calling!" Ben informed them, answering the call.
Velcia blinked, a bit awestruck as a live video feed appeared on the screen. "Riku… right?" She finally found her voice, glancing up when she heard the car door slam and Hinata rushing over.
"Riku?" Hinata repeated the name, stopping short when she saw the immediate unease that slipped onto Riku's face when their eyes met through the video feed.
"Y-Yeah," he stammered before clearing his throat and averting his gaze from them. "DiZ wanted me to check in. Said he's too busy to do it himself."
Hinata let out a slight sigh, feeling that DiZ had ulterior motives to having Riku call instead of him. "I see." She simply replied.
"Are you actually talking to us from Twilight Town, right now?" Velcia asked.
Riku looked back at her, letting out a small laugh at the childlike excitement in her eyes. "Yeah, usually we have these smaller devices to call each other, but DiZ gave me this one to use. Apparently, you have one, too."
"It's me!" Ben chimed, his face appearing in the top right corner with a bright grin. "I'm the brains of the operation this time!"
Riku smirked, before glancing back to Velcia, his eyes darting a moment to Hinata. "So, how's the mission going to far?"
Velcia exchanged a look with Hinata, before confessing. "Not like we hoped, I'm afraid."
"Insomnia's gone," Hinata informed him, seeing his eyes widen. "We're waiting in this little place called Hammerhead until these guys get back; they said they were Kingsglaive and they might be willing to help us."
"...Are you sure you can trust them?" he asked a bit hesitantly. "Maybe you should come back. There were other places DiZ had thought about sending you to."
"Well they saved Hinata when she got shot!" Ben blurted, "So I think they're plenty trustworthy!"
"Shot?" Riku darted his eyes to Hinata, his previous unease completely vanished. "Are you alright? What happened?" Hinata opened her mouth to respond, but he added ,"I thought I told you to be careful."
Hinata let out a small huff of breath, looking back at him with a small reassuring smile. "Riku, I'm alright, I promise. You don't have to worry."
Velcia handed Hinata the tablet completely, "I'll-uh, go wait by the RV." She turned and scurried away, having a feeling Hinata should talk with Riku alone. As she left, Ben's face disappeared from the corner of the screen as well.
"Then what happened?" Riku asked with a softer voice, as Hinata glanced at Velcia leaving with a bit of a confused look on her face.
"Oh, well…" Hinata looked back at Riku, trying to figure out how to explain it. She walked over to a copper truck, leaning back against it. "When we beamed down to the planet, we were in front of this border patrol of this army of guards called Magitek. And well, they didn't exactly take too kindly to us showing up and basically opened fire the moment they noticed us."
He looked away with a slight scowl, "I knew I should have gone on the mission, too."
"Riku," Hinata said his name with a light laugh. "They would have opened fire whether or not you were there. Plus, Velcia put up this light shield thing and protected us."
"Then how did you get shot?" He asked.
"We took out the first wave of them together just fine, and…" She rubbed the back of her neck, "I… sort of started preemptively celebrating, and didn't realize another group of them were on their way, and got shot in the shoulder."
"And those four guys?" he sighed.
"They showed up right after," she explained. "They took the Magitek out, and then took Velcia and I to Hammerhead, where this guy Ignis took the bullet out-"
"You got shot with one of those guns?" He interrupted, looking at her shoulders, feeling relieved to not see a mark or scar. "Hinata, you need to be more careful."
Hinata closed her mouth, looking him over. His eyes were softened and worried, the previous apprehension replaced with a genuine care. Instead of comforting her, it brought an itch of irritation to her heart. She drifted her gaze towards the RV, where Velcia sat patiently, looking around the small town. "I really don't get you right now…" She whispered, just loud enough so she knew he could hear her.
Riku blinked in surprise by her response, before scoffing, "Not like I really get you either." he blurted with a bit of excess frustration in his own voice. "One minute you're talking about how we should have space, and the next you're kis-" his voice cut off as his ears turned red. Letting out a harsh breath, he closed his eyes. "That's not important right now… Just stay safe, alright?"
She looked back at him, nodding silently as she felt an embarrassed warmth on her cheeks. "I'm… really sorry about before… I shouldn't have done that, especially right before leaving.."
"What are you guys going to do now?" he asked, avoiding her words.
"Oh… um," she felt the slightest disappointment in her gut from him ignoring her. "We're just going to wait for the four guys to come back from their mission. We talked with Ignis and they might be able to help us. If not, we'll come back to Twilight Town."
"Alright," Riku nodded, "I'll let DiZ know."
"Ok…" Hinata whispered, feeling her stomach knot. "I'll um, talk to you later then."
"Yeah…" Riku sighed, looking away as he ran his hand through his hair. "And… don't worry about earlier, alright?" He shut his eyes as he felt Hinata look back at him in surprise.
Hinata smiled ever so slightly, letting out a light laugh. "Alright, I won't. Goodbye, Riku."
He cut the call without saying anything in response, leaving Hinata by herself as she hugged the tablet to her chest.
"You guys are too cute," Ben's voice startled her.
Hinata held out the tablet, blushing when Ben's face was on the screen with a smirk. She looked away and mumbled, "I forgot you were there."
"I tried not to listen in too much," Ben assured her, "But gosh darn it, it was too hard not to listen a little bit!"
"I'll have to keep that in mind next time I talk to him," she let out a sigh, before smiling, "But thanks, Ben."
"For what?" he asked.
Hinata shook her head with a light laugh as she walked back towards Velcia, "Nothing, forget I said anything."
She propped Ben against the umbrella, before getting into her seat. Velcia glanced over at her, adjusting a bit in her chair as she turned towards Hinata.
"So… I really don't mean to pry-" Velcia slowly began to speak.
"Riku and I used to be together before everyone forgot about me." Hinata interrupted her, knowing what she was going to ask. She took in a deep breath, staring absently at the tabletop as she lightly scratched against its surface. "We've… been a bit weird since I came back."
"I can only imagine." Velcia leaned back in her seat, "He still seems to care about you, though…" Her eyes widened and she darted her attention to Hinata with her hands up, "Ah, if you don't mind me saying so!"
Hinata softly smiled, "It's fine. He does… sort of." She let out a sigh, "Part of him still remembers me… at least, feels close to me, even though he can't recall a single thing about me or our past together. So… it's a bit conflicting for him and he doesn't know how to handle it." She looked towards the sky, slinking further in her seat. "It... can be a bit frustrating. One second he seems just the way he used to be, then the next he can't even stand to be around me." She paused, shaking her head and laughing a bit awkwardly, "Sorry… I have no idea why I just blabbed all of that to you."
"No, no, it's fine," Velcia assured her with a sweet smile when Hinata looked back at her. "I really appreciate it. And… It must be hard going through that with him, but I hope you don't lose hope. I could tell there was something about you two the moment you started talking with each other, he probably feels it, too."
"I hope so," Hinata admitted, taking in a breath. "But, uh, anyways," she stood from her seat. "Let's go get something to eat."
"Oh! Do we need to get some Gil first?" Velcia asked, standing with her and grabbing Ben's tablet.
Hinata reached into her satchel, pulling out a blue rectangular card with a simple heart outline on its surface. "Well, I've always used this thing to buy stuff on other worlds, and it's never given us problems."
She handed it to Velcia, who looked it over with intrigue. They walked into the cafe together, greeted by the savory scents of meat and a relaxing tune playing over the speakers. Only a few patrons were scattered inside, sitting at the booths lined against the windows, their voices quiet and soft as they glanced up at Velcia and Hinata entering. The girls went up to the counter, sitting at the bar stools as they waited to be served. Velcia looked around, trying to figure out where the music was coming from as Hinata drummed her fingers against the counter.
"Oh, welcome," a man greeted them in a nervous manner, running his hands over his white apron as he looked the girls over. "I didn't hear ya come in. What could I do for ya?"
"We were hoping to order some lunch," Hinata explained grabbing the card from Velcia and holding it out for the man. "But wanted to make sure this card would work here."
The man took the card, looking it over with complete confusion as he glanced over at his old battered register. "I'm sorry ma'am," He apologized, handing her back the card. "You must be from that Insomnia place, we can't take any sort of that card business here. Only hard earned Gil."
"Oh…" Hinata said disappointedly, hearing her stomach rumble as she placed her card back in her bag. "Then… do you know how we can get on one of those hunt things to get some Gil?"
"A hunt?" The man repeated, looking between them and taking notice of their weapons. "Well-uh, I suppose you could take out a couple Garulas that have been pestering the local delivery man. If ya do it, I'll even throw in a free lunch with your reward."
Hinata's eyes slightly narrowed in confusion, trying to imagine what a creature called 'Garula' could possibly look like. "Alright," she managed to say in response regardless.
"Where can we find them?" Velcia asked politely.
"About a half mile north from here," the man pointed out of the shop. "There's a small group of them by the roadside."
"We're a bit new around here," Hinata informed him, running her hand along the back of her neck. "What do these Garula things look like?"
The man looked at her a bit bewildered, shaking his head. "You must be Insomnia folk," he muttered under his breath as he looked under his counter, pulling out a yellow flyer with a black and white image of a large boar-like creature. Two massive tusks protruded from the sides of its trunk and long shaggy fur covered its back over its leathery skin. Under the picture with large black letters, it read: Garula Hunt, 3,000 Gil Reward.
Hinata nodded as she looked it over, feeling the slightest bit of guilt trickling into her that she was about to go kill an animal. "And, um, what will happen to them once they're gone?"
"Garula meat is a common food around here," the man explained, rolling up the flyer. "They'll provide supplies to all the local restaurants in the area, which is more than needed in these times."
She frowned, still not fully liking the situation, but nodded. "Alright," she looked to Velcia, forcing a smile. "Ready then?"
Velcia smiled back, "Yes, whenever you are."
Thanking the man, they left the cafe. Hinata clipped Ben to her hip, his screen facing outwards so he could see. With a chime, he spoke up, "Uh, Hinata? I have a map of the place and was able to mark where we need to go for the hunt!"
Hinata glanced down at him, holding him out a bit without completely unhooking him from her belt. She smiled at the map on the screen with a flashing dot for where they were headed. "That's pretty amazing, Ben."
"Don't thank me, thank DiZ!" Ben reminded her with a laugh.
"True," Hinata chuckled in return, glancing down ever so often to make sure they were headed in the right direction.
Dust erupted from their feet with every step they took, quickly irritating their eyes as they followed the path Ben laid out for them. The hot sun bared down on them, making beads of sweat appear on their skin before they could even get into battle. It didn't take long for them to spot three Garulas grouped around a dry patch of grass. They took little notice of the girls from the distance they were at, crowding together with moo-like grunts escaping them.
Hinata slowed to a stop, the guilt resettling in her gut as Velcia slowed as well when she realized she had stopped.
"Is something wrong?" Velcia asked, looking back to Hinata.
"I… sort of," Hinata admitted, letting out a breath as she ran one of her hands over her arm. She looked at the Garulas with a deepening frown. "I sort of have a thing against killing living things..." Rubbing both of her arms uncomfortably, she added. "And I know we need to do this for food and they'll feed a lot of people, I just… I don't know."
Velcia's worried gaze transformed into an understanding one as she walked back to Hinata. "It's alright. I know this can be a tough thing to handle. I never liked killing creatures in the coliseum or for food, but it is a necessary part of life." She motioned towards the Garulas, "These creatures are dangerous and have been causing problems and hurting others. By killing them, we will be providing food and protection to a lot of people that might not be able to get those things themselves."
Hinata's stomach knotted, but she sighed. "Yeah… you're right." Taking in a breath, she looked away. "I'll try my best."
Velcia's smile grew, "I know you will. I may be able to handle them myself for now, but I'm not sure if you will be able to stay out of the fights if the Kingsglaive do decide to help us."
Her heart sank. "Yeah, that's true." Clearing her throat, she looked back to Velcia. "I'll try to help with these guys."
"I know you can do it, Hinata!" Ben encouraged her.
"Thanks, Ben." Hinata smiled as Velcia turned around and led the way towards the Garula.
Hinata reluctantly followed behind, her hands fidgeting uncomfortably in front of her and the knot in her stomach tightening further with each step she took. It wasn't long until the largest Garula of the group stopped what it was doing and sniffed the air with its thick trunk. It immediately looked in the direction of the girls, alerting the other to their intruders. Hinata froze, her hands hovering above the hilts of her dao blades, but she didn't move to unsheath them. She watched, her heart racing, as Velcia went forward and grabbed her Keyblade from her back, readying it for the fight.
The Garula began to grunt, their claw like feet digging into the ground as they threatened to charge. Velcia stared back undeterred and unmoved as the tip of her blade already began to glow with the preparation of a spell. With a roar, the largest Garula barreled forward, its tusks dragging along the ground, creating a thick cloud of dust. Velcia and Hinata dodged out of the way with ease in separate directions. The Garula focused its attention to Velcia, already clawing the ground and preparing to charge again.
Velcia kept her gaze focused on the Garula, despite it being difficult to see with the thick dust irritating her eyes. A burst of ice came from the tip of her blade, hitting the Garula in the center of its head and creating a layer of icicles on its sharp tusks. The creature roared, backing up and shaking from the sudden sensation, stirring up even more dust and making everything around them almost unseeable.
The other Garula began to circle, charging randomly and causing Hinata and Velcia to constantly roll out of the way. Velcia struck the largest Garula with a lightning bolt, making it fall to the ground while convulsing. She turned her back to it, focusing on the others as the dust continued to swirl around them. Hinata held out her hands, as if ready to summon a water spell, but her heart was in her throat. She hadn't taken her eyes off the largest Garula as it convulsed on the ground, its cries made her sick to her stomach. The bolts of electricity coursing over its body ceased, and it scrambled back to its feet, stumbling side to side as it shook with rage. Velcia still had her back turned to it, thinking she had defeated it or that Hinata would take care of it, as she focused on the other two. Hinata watched as it clawed the ground, growling and ready to charge; but she couldn't bring herself to move. Panic welled up in her chest.
"Hinata, you've gotta help!" Ben's voice called out to her.
She shook her head, summoning a spiral of water, but she couldn't shoot it. It floated beside her as she stared at the Garula, watching as if in slow motion as it barged forward and slammed the side of its tusk against Velcia. Hinata cried out as Velcia was slung to the side with a surprised shriek and landed limp in the dirt, rolling against the rocky ground. The Garula roared, stomping towards Velcia with a glare in its eyes.
"NO!" Hinata cried out. She sprinted forward and shot a sharp stream of water into the side of the Garula's head. It shot straight through like a bullet, turning a dark red as it came out and splashed to the ground. Hinata skid to a stop in front of Velcia, watching as the creature fell at her feet, dead instantly. She fell to her knees, her body trembling as the dust around them finally began to settle.
The other Garula froze, realizing their leader had been defeated. Letting out a string of frightened grunts, they scrambled, fleeing the scene, but were stopped as Hinata summoned up a wall of water.
"I'm sorry guys," she whispered.
As she dropped the water on top of them a sudden bolt of lightning struck the water, electrifying both of the remaining creatures. They dropped lifeless to the ground as Hinata spun around and saw Velcia pushing herself up to her knees. Her hair was loose and full of dirt as she strained a pained smile towards Hinata.
Hinata quickly helped her, her heart dropping when Velcia winced. "God, I'm..." her voice trailed off and she shook her head. "I couldn't move, even when I saw it attacking. And—And I just froze. I'm so sorry."
"It's alright," Velcia assured her with a weak, but sincere voice. She looked past Hinata at the dead leader. "It seems you attacked when it counted most."
Hinata let out a bitter laugh. "It was that or let it almost kill you." She groaned and rubbed her palms against her eyes. "Since when am I so weak?"
"You aren't weak," Velcia told her, making Hinata look back at her. She let out a slight cry of pain as she tried to take off her jacket, smiling as Hinata helped her out of it. A splattered stain of blood was along her waist, seeping through her shirt. Letting out a hiss, she lifted her shirt, showcasing bruises and cuts where she had been struck, mixed with dirt and rocks.
Hinata immediately summoned water, cleaning out the wound and sending apologetic glances up to Velcia every time she whimpered. "I don't know what came over me…" Hinata admitted. "Usually I can fight anything just fine, I just don't kill it. This time though…" She splashed the water to the ground once Velcia's wound was cleaned. "I couldn't even bring myself to attack until your life was at stake."
Velcia reached into a leather satchel along her belt, pulling out a green, gently glowing potion. She tossed it into the air, noticing Hinata's gasp as it burst into a glowing mist, landing on her waist and making the wound disappear. Letting out a breath of relief, she put her shirt back down, allowing herself a moment to regather her strength. "Maybe it was because you knew our intention was to kill the creatures," she suggested.
"I… guess." Hinata looked away ashamed and not entirely convinced.
Velcia placed her hand over Hinata's. "But that hardly makes you weak. There's nothing wrong with not liking to kill."
Hinata swallowed, looking down at Velcia's hand over hers, feeling her emotions in her throat. "I'm sorry I got you hurt because of it, though."
"Don't be," Velcia patted her hand, before getting to her feet. She offered her hand to Hinata, helping her up as well. "I was serious before, you attacked when it mattered most. Sometimes the best and only time to truly kill something is when it's to protect those you care about."
Hinata nodded, taking a deep breath.
"Ah," Velcia brought her hand to her forehead, "Not that I am trying to say I am someone you care about—"
Hinata laughed, "No, it's fine. I know what you mean. I do care. You're part of the team now."
Velcia smiled back. "And I am very thankful for it."
"I'm just glad you're both ok!" Ben chimed.
Velcia bent down to Ben's level on the tablet. "Me too, Ben. It must be interesting to be able to watch everything from there."
"Got a biiit nauseous from Hinata rolling around everywhere," Ben admitted with a laugh. "But I'll get used to it!"
"I didn't realize robots could even get nauseous." Hinata crossed her arms.
"Ah, there's a whole bunch you don't know about robots, Hinata!" Ben told her, making Velcia laugh as she stood back up straight.
"Are you ready to head back to Hammerhead?" She asked Hinata.
Hinata nodded silently, watching as Velcia turned and began to walk away before glancing back at the Garula. She hesitantly turned towards it and knelt beside it, placing her hand along its thick matted fur.
"You did the right thing, Hinata," Ben assured her. "If you hadn't, who knows what could have happened to Velcia?"
"I know…" she agreed, running her hand along it. "If I'm having this hard of a time with an animal… how am I supposed to face Thannix?"
Ben was silent for a moment. "We'll figure it out, Hinata. I'm sure of it."
***Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! And I hope you enjoyed the last two chapters that my husband (Mr. Curry) wrote about Velcia's backstory! I'm glad to be back and I'm super excited to get into the thick of Eos! There's a lot planned for this place and if you're unsure, this is from Final Fantasy XV. If you haven't played it, I HIGHLY recommend it! I'll try to avoid too many spoilers for it in this story, so don't worry!
I also wanted to assure everyone that this story will be getting more lighthearted! There's a lot of fun things planned, especially here, and it won't always be so… heavy. I appreciate everyone sticking with me through this and I hope you're enjoying the ride! I know I'm having a blast writing it!
Also, saw the new KH3 trailers, AHHHHHHHH! That's all I'll say, I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it or is avoiding it. But I'm just super excited and my heart isn't prepared. And just from the trailer, my brain is already racing with ideas for Hinata in a possible KH3 book scenario… why brain, why?
Anyways, thank you to everyone for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Have a wonderful week! ***