Chapter 16
**Recap: After returning from Eos, Riku and Hinata have finally reconnected. They spent the day together and are prepared for the debriefing with DiZ and the others to figure out where to go from there to pursue Thaanix.**
Hinata's chest heaved breathlessly, a gleam of sweat glistening on her skin as she pressed her back against Velcia's. Dozens of Heartless surrounded them in the Tram Common in Twilight Town and despite taking down seemingly hundreds, more took their place. Hinata summoned her shield, readjusting it in her grasp as she glanced over her shoulder at Velcia.
With a subtle nod from her, Hinata threw her shield forward with a single motion, impaling the chest of an advancing Invisible. She disappeared in a sparkling blue mist, reappearing at her weapon as she planted her feet against the enemy's chest and thrust herself back. The shield ripped out of its chest, black smoke spewing out of its wound as Hinata landed, just in time to absorb a powerful blast of electricity from Velcia. A glowing radiance covered her shield, nearly vibrating in her grasp as she yelled and thrust it into the ground, sending a pulse of electricity all around her and striking every Heartless in the courtyard. Black smoke and green orbs exploded into the air, raining down around them as the once bustling area fell silent.
Hinata dissipated her shield, allowing nearby orbs to meld into her skin as she turned towards Velcia, both of them with tired grins on their lips. The entire world flickered around them, squares of data floating away from the brick walls and the oncoming tram until they found themselves in a large empty lab.
"That was rather impressive." DiZ's voice rang around them from the outside of his computer screen. "It seems that your time in Eos was most beneficial."
"I'm nowhere near their level…" Sam muttered, not realizing that Hinata and Velcia could hear her.
"Probably should have paid more attention to my training, huh?" Riku remarked, getting a groan from Sam that made Velcia chuckle.
Hinata breathily laughed, falling and laying flat on her back, staring at the ceiling. "You really wanted to test our limits…"
"It was necessary to see how far you both have come." DiZ explained, "Not only as individuals, but also as a team. And now Sam-"
"I'm going to look pathetic compared to that display." She cut him off. "Should have had me go first…"
"Oh you'll do better than you think, Sam." Velcia assured her, sitting beside Hinata on the ground as she reached into her satchel and pulled out a potion for her.
Hinata took it with a grateful smile, sitting up and popping off the lid as she took a sip of the tart liquid. Making a face, she held it out and asked, "Have you tried this yet, Riku?"
There was silence for a beat, before Riku's voice came through the room. "Um-no, not yet."
"I think you'd like it," she told him, bringing her knees to her chest and leaning her head between them. "I'm exhausted."
"You did use quite a lot of magic." Velcia pointed out, grabbing her own potion. "You'll learn how to properly balance the energy you use for it. For now, we should be careful that you don't overexert yourself in the middle of battle."
"Agreed," she nodded, her voice muffled between her legs.
DiZ chuckled lowly as he spoke up again, "You are welcomed to sit out while Sam fights. Velcia can aid Sam while you watch their techniques."
Hinata looked up from her knees, letting out a breath. "That sounds good." She glanced over at Velcia. "Do you feel up for it?"
She nodded, "I should be fine. I've had years to learn how to properly balance my energy for casting."
A bright flash of light appeared a few feet from them, leaving Sam in its wake. She idly twirled her staff in her hand as she looked around the lab. "Don't expect me to be nearly as good as you guys were." She warned.
Velcia chuckled as she stood, holding out her hand and helping Hinata up. "Confidence, Sam. You can know all the techniques, but without the self-confidence in your ability, you won't execute any of them properly."
"Maybe tell that to Riku." Sam scoffed, placing one of her hands along her thin hips. "He's always saying I'm too cocky and stubborn."
Hinata walked past Sam, patting her hand along her shoulder as she passed. "You just need to spread that attitude towards your actual fighting, rather than fighting against everything Riku tells you."
"Yeah, yeah," Sam waved her off with a roll of her eyes. "Let's get this over with."
The other girls chuckled in response as Hinata reached the same spot where Sam had appeared. She sent a wave to them before a bright light covered her, and she reappeared in DIZ's lab. Her eyes took a moment to readjust to the dimmed lighting, but after a few seconds, she walked forward to Riku's side, where he stood behind DiZ's seat. He sent her a smile, grabbing her hand as she reached him and giving it a slight squeeze. She returned the smile, leaning her head against his arm as she looked to the multiple computer screens DiZ sat in front of.
Most of the screens showed different angles of the empty, synthetic, fighting arena as Sam and Velcia readied for battle. Velcia stood beside Sam as she showed her a few of the different spells she could cast that she knew would compliment Sam's powers. As they talked, DiZ typed across his keyboard, causing the room around them to meld into the Coliseum arena.
Velcia stopped mid sentence as she recognized the world, her lips parting before breaking into a grin. "You know what Thebes looks like?" She asked, spinning in place.
DiZ chuckled, "It has been years since I was there myself, but yes. I often enjoyed the Coliseum events."
"Oh me, too." Velcia let out a breath as she spun back around to Sam. "Remember when we faced that Hydra together?"
Sam smirked. "How could I forget? That was disgusting."
"Well I wasn't the one that told you to let it eat you." Velcia reminded her, making Sam laugh in response.
DiZ cleared his throat to get their attention. "We will have rounds of Heartless that raise in difficulty in consecutive rounds, just as you would in the Coliseum."
"That sounds perfect!" Velcia agreed, holding out her fisted hand to Sam. "We can handle this, right?"
Sam chuckled as she bumped Velcia's fist with her own. "Yeah, let's do this." She readied her staff. "I'm ready."
Outside the synthetic arena, Hinata whispered to Riku. "What happened to the rapier idea?"
He scoffed, "She didn't go for it."
Hinata giggled, "She really is stubborn."
"I heard that." Sam grumbled from inside the computer, making Hinata muffle her laugh.
Disregarding their banter, DiZ performed another keystroke, causing a handful of Heartless to appear in the arena. Velcia summoned her blade as she stepped back, waiting for Sam to make the first move.
Sam took in a deep breath, charging up her mechanical arm for a blast as she ran forward. Her staff rammed the side of a Heartless, slinging it into the air as she consecutively fired a blast of energy towards another enemy. Spinning around, she was about to shoot the airborne Heartless, but it was already fizzling away from a fire cast from Velcia's blade. She smirked, before spinning her staff behind her, narrowly blocking a Shadow as it leaped towards her. They took out the group with ease, neither of them breaking a sweat as the last one fell.
They barely had a chance to regroup as Soldiers and Large Bodies replaced the Shadows. Sam rolled out of the way of a charging Large Body, shooting a blast that made it fall flat on its face. Her shield went up, blocking a Soldier as it wildly slashed its claws towards her. Pushing it back, she swung her staff to sweep it off its feet.
"Sam lookout!" Velcia called, summoning up a Light Shield just in time to repel a Large Body barricading towards her.
Sam backed up to Velcia's side, cursing under her breath that she had missed it from the corner of her eye.
"Sam-"
"I know, I know, focus," Sam cut her off with an irritated tone.
"I was actually going to say that you should charge up a shot." Velcia told her, an eyebrow quirking up at her tone.
"Oh," Sam held out her arm, charging up her arm as Velcia widened the Light Shield around them.
The Heartless scrambled back as they pounded and clawed the shield, growling and yowling at the sting of the Light against their skin. Sam's arm began to nearly vibrate, a heat radiating off of it as she continued to charge.
"Aim for the center of the mass." Velcia told her, getting a nod in response.
With a flash from the tip of her blade, the shield vanished and Sam fired the energy into the middle of the pile of Heartless. Black smoke exploded upon impact with a vibrant, almost blinding blue light. When it faded, each of the Heartless were gone, translucent hearts floating towards the sky until they disappeared in squares of code.
"That was the perfect shot!" Velcia exclaimed with a grin as Sam sent her a lopsided smile in response.
"Thanks." Sam replied with a soft voice, before sniffing the air and bringing her hand to her nose. "Ugh, I hate that smell."
Velcia's brow furrowed in confusion before the smell hit her and her eyes widened. It was a familiar scent, something she remembered clearly from her past. She backed up, gripping her blade as black, oozing, Darkness, began seeping through the cracks in the columns and in the stone floor of the arena. The rancid scent was pure Darkness and they watched it pool in front of them as dozens of glowing yellow eyes stared out at them.
"I hate these things." Sam grumbled under her breath.
"Put away your staff." Velcia quickly spoke with a whisper.
Sam darted her eyes to her, about to question it but saw the determined look in her eyes. "Alright." She detracted the length of her staff and slipped it into its holster. "What are you thinking?"
"Some sort of joint attack, but I'm not sure what." She admitted, keeping her eyes on the black pool as Neoshadows began clawing their way out.
"Velcia," Hinata's voice rang around them, catching them off guard for a moment as they searched for the source of the voice out of habit. "Can you supercharge Sam's crystal? The same way you power up my magic?"
"I…" She glanced to Sam's arm, eyes focused on the Atlantean crystal. "Yes, I can feel the energy from it."
"Cool, charge it up as Sam charges a shot. Then lift the enemies into the air and-"
Velcia's furrowed brow lifted as she grinned and interjected, "Have Sam fire her shot! That's perfect- Oh, Sorry for interrupting."
"What exactly are we doing?" Sam asked, firing a short blast to an oncoming Neoshadow before it could slink into the ground.
She yelped as the crystal along her arm shined with an unnatural intensity, the heat of it making the copper of her arm glow.
Velcia held out her blade, taking in a breath to focus before calling out, "Magnera!"
A swirling black and white void appeared in the air above the pool of Darkness and every Heartless was swept up from the black ooze, spinning and struggling midair. Sam took the cue and lifted her arm, needing to use her other hand to hold up her charged mechanical arm as she fired the explosive, electric shot. It hit the front most Neoshadow, covering it with pure electricity before it fizzled and shot to the next enemy, connecting the entire group in a single surge. Sam fell forward to her knees, her arm sparking as the Heartless dissipated from existence.
"What the hell did you do?" Sam asked, grimacing with each consecutive spark along her arm.
"Oh no," Velcia lowered to her knees beside her, grabbing the crystal and taking it out of the arm entirely to force it to power down. She yelped from the heat the crystal in her palm, dropping it into Sam's motionless mechanical hand. Letting out a breath, she lamented, "I'm so sorry, Sam. I didn't realize that would happen."
"It's fine," Sam averted her gaze from her limp arm. "It worked, whatever it was. What did you do?"
"If I focus on a certain element, I can enhance it." Velcia explained. "So I powered up your crystal to make your shot more powerful."
Sam nodded, picking up her loose crystal, feeling the heat of of it through her gloved hand. "That was pretty amazing." She admitted. "Maybe… I could make my arm sturdier to take that surge of power. Could come in handy."
"Only if you're comfortable with it." Velcia told her, "I should have made sure it was alright before I just did it. I'll admit, I got a little excited and rushed into it."
"I know how that goes." Sam chuckled, her smile still strained as she carefully placed the crystal back in its conduit. With another spark, her arm whirred back to life and she slowly curled her fingers into a fist to make sure she could move again.
With a bright flash of light, they reappeared back in DiZ's lab, instantly bombarded by Hinata as she knelt and hugged Sam.
"I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking suggesting something like that." She apologized all ot once, pulling back to look at Sam's arm. "Are you alright? Does it still work? Is there anything-"
"I'm fine, Hinata. Seriously, calm down." Sam interrupted, pushing her back with a breathy laugh. "It wasn't a bad idea."
Hinata knelt in front of her, a frown still deep on her lips. "Still though. We should have talked about different things we could try before we even went in for training. What if it was worse or the crystal exploded?" She shook her head, "It would have been my fault for even suggesting it."
"Nah, don't give yourself that much credit." Sam waved her off, pushing herself to her feet. Walking past her, she told them. "But, I am done for today. I'm heading back to my room."
"Just going to ignore the rest of debriefing?" Riku asked.
"Yep," she sent a half wave as she left the room, letting the door slide shut behind her.
Hinata stood back up, wrapping her arms around herself. "Sorry, I should go talk to her…"
"I believe it would be best to leave her be." DiZ told her. "Despite the display, she is not at the same ability as you or Velcia. Perhaps it would be best for her to head back home."
The room fell silent as Hinata looked to her dad, then to Riku, who seemed to share the same sentiment. "She can get there." Hinata stood up for her. "I wasn't anywhere near where I am now before I went to Eos. She just needs time."
"I trained her the entire time you were gone, Hinata." Riku reminded her. "She wasn't listening or wanting to do what I was telling her."
"Maybe… she needs a different method of teaching." Velcia suggested, getting everyone's attention. She stepped forward, her hands clasped in front of her. "Not that Riku isn't an excellent teacher, but sometimes people require different things to learn. It took Hinata a while to accept the training in Eos."
Hinata's hands tightened along her arms as she nodded and let out a short bitter laugh. "Yeah, it took Gladiolus telling me to suck it up and deal with it to kick me into gear."
"He what?" Riku asked, a spark of anger in his voice.
"It's what I needed." She assured him, "But I don't think the same thing would work for Sam."
"I agree," Velcia let out a soft breath. "I'll go talk with her after the debriefing and she has some time to cool off."
"Very well," DiZ nodded as he spun his chair around to face them. "We will discuss Sam's fate at another time."
"Thank you," Hinata smiled.
"Of course," DiZ smile back, before he went to the point. "Now that we've seen what you both have learned from your mission, I believe it's time we discuss your next move in pursuing Thaanix."
Hinata tensed, looking away as she began pacing around the room. "Yeah… I agree."
"Do we have any way to find where she is?" Velcia asked.
"That is something Ben and I have been working on while the two of you were gone." DiZ told her. "We believe that we should be able to equip a tracker on the Highwind's navigation that will show the world she is on."
"How would that work?" Riku asked.
DiZ laced his hands in his lap as he explained, "In simpler terms, from the research Ben was able to gather from the facility where Thaanix was created. It holds the essence of her heart, what makes her different from Hinata and how the Organization themselves would know where she was at all times."
"So, basically the tracker should be able to find her heart…?" Hinata asked, her hands tight against her arms. "There's so many worlds and galaxies out there. How are we sure it will be able to figure out which heart is hers?"
"We aren't," DiZ admitted. "At least not without being able to test it. However," he turned towards Velcia, "a little magic should be able to ensure some accuracy."
"Magic?" Velcia repeated, "What sort of magic would you suggest for that?"
"Are you able to sense hearts?" He asked her.
"In a way," she admitted, twirling a piece of her hair between her fingers. "I can sense when a heart is out of place in a world. When they don't belong."
"You think you could form that into a sort of spell to enchant the tracker or something like that?" Riku asked, crossing his arms.
"I can certainly try." Velcia told him. "With proper research and experimenting, almost anything can be possible with magic."
"Then I believe you will find my library quite intriguing." DiZ told her with a slight smile curving his lips.
Velcia met his smile as she nodded, "I look forward to it."
"So… what happens once we find her?" Hinata asked. "If Sam can't come with us… Will it be left up to the three of us?"
DiZ downcast his gaze as he let out a breath. "It may possibly be left to merely you and Velcia. If Sora requires aid at any time, Riku must be ready to act. As important apprehending your Replica is, Sora's mission is a higher priority."
Riku glanced back at Hinata, the remorse obvious in his amber eyes as she looked away. "I understand." She admitted, her voice soft.
"We'll be able to handle it." Velcia assured her. "We won't be alone. We also have the chocobo feather from Eos."
"The what?" Riku asked.
Hinata smiled at the memory as Velcia reached into her satchel and pulled out a golden chocobo feather attached to a braided cord with colorful beads and charms from Eos.
"It should be a summoning charm of sorts." Velcia explained. "Iris and Prompto made it for us. Then Ignis and I found a way to enchant it to summon them if we ever need to."
DiZ let out a long breath. "All of you completely disregard the World Order."
"It wasn't really our fault this time." Hinata pointed out. "But I don't know if I want to put them against Thaanix."
"I think they would be a great help against her." Velcia told her.
"Let's talk about this later, alright?" Hinata sent her a strained smile. "For now, let's just focus on that tracker. Once we figure out where she is, then we can figure out how we'll handle the confrontation."
"Very well," DiZ sighed. "I understand your apprehension in allowing others to aid in your fight, Hinata. But you do not need to feel responsible for everyone's safety."
"Yeah, I know." She averted her eyes from everyone's gaze. "Was there anything else we needed to discuss?"
DiZ was silent for a moment, before he turned back towards his computers. "Yes, however, I can see that you would benefit from a break. So perhaps we should continue this discussion at another time."
Hinata nodded, turning away as she noticed Riku's softened, worried gaze out of the corner of her eyes. "I would appreciate that. Thank you."
"Of course." DiZ assured her. "If you would like to Velcia, you are welcomed to stay behind so we can begin the work on the tracker."
"Oh, of course," Velcia looked back from Hinata. "I'll do whatever I can."
"Splendid." DiZ smiled, before addressing the others. "Hinata and Riku, you may leave. We shall continue this discussion tomorrow."
"Alright," Riku nodded, turning and following after Hinata as she hurried out of the room.
As the door slid closed behind them, Hinata let out a shaking breath. "This is great. I get Sam hurt and might even be the reason she's sent home. Then I can't even take talking about Thaanix and how we're going to take her down, without going into panic mode... " She shook her head, pacing away as Riku watched her. "Just great…"
"Hinata," he calmly said her name.
"I can't let those guys face her…" She continued, not stopping her rant as her pacing quickened and voice grew. "What if- What if something happens to them? What if they get caught off guard and she-" her voice cut off as she tightly shut her eyes and shook her head. "I-I can't let that happen. It's hard enough to letting you and Velcia face her…"
"You're scared the same thing that happened to James will happen to them?" Riku asked, making Hinata freeze as her entire body tensed.
"I…" Her voice choked in her throat as she subtly nodded. "Yeah… I guess I am…"
Riku let out a breath, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "You're right… that might happen."
She paused, turning around to face him, her eyebrows knitted together as she told him. "That, doesn't exactly help me feel better."
"I know," he admitted, looking away. "But you can't let that stop you. Every time we go on a mission, there's a possibility we might not come back."
Her eyes averted as her heart sank. "...Yeah…"
"You can't let Thaanix get in your head. She wants you to be scared of her." He continued. "Rather than focusing on everything that's gone wrong, focus on the things you have that she doesn't. The things you can use against her to win."
Hinata thought for a moment. "My new magic isn't going to be enough… She can do the same sort of thing."
"I'm not talking about magic." He shook his head, pushing off the wall and going over to her. His hands ran up her arms to her shoulders. "Do you remember Hollow Bastion, when we were working for Maleficent?"
Hinata scoffed, "How could I forget that place?" She looked up at him, tilting her head to the side. "Why do you ask?"
"When I fell to Darkness, I managed to take the Keyblade back from Sora and left him with- well, basically nothing, to defend himself against me or the Heartless."
"I never knew that…" She told him. "How does he have it back now?"
He chuckled, "That's the thing. It shouldn't have happened. When he caught up to me, I had Donald and Goofy with me since I had the Keyblade and Sora went on this long speech about how he didn't need it. That his heart was weak, but it was those around him, his friends that gave him the power to be strong enough against the Darkness… And then the Keyblade vanished from my hand and went back to him." He held out his hand in front of him. "Even with all that power and Darkness inside of me… all it took for his heart to be stronger was to connect with those that mattered."
"That's… amazing." Hinata's lips tipped into a smile. "Sora really is something."
"You are, too." He pointed out, bringing his hand to her chin to tip her gaze to his. "Those people that you're connected to, that's something Thaanix will never have."
Her smile faltered as she averted her gaze, thoughts heavy on her mind. Riku leaned forward, ghosting his lips against her cheek, making her breath catch.
"Stop doubting yourself." He whispered, leaning his head against hers.
"I'm trying," she whispered back, her eyes sliding shut.
He hummed softly, sliding his hand from her chin down to her hand. "Come on, let's worry about it later. It's getting close to dinner time."
Hinata gasped, her eyes shooting open as her lips broke into a grin. "Which means it's time for our date!"
Riku chuckled, his face warming as he squeezed her hand. "Y-Yeah. My first date with you… well, that I remember, anyway."
She hummed, bringing his hand to her lips and kissing his knuckles. "I'm looking forward to it."
"Me too," he admitted, looking towards the staircase leading out of the library. "Want to meet in the foyer in an hour?"
"Sounds perfect," she readily agreed, going on her toes and kissing his cheek before she released his hand and went up the stairs, her previous unease seemingly forgotten.
Riku smiled after her, only letting his expression fall after she was gone. It was as if she had this light that leaked into him whenever she was around, and the moment she was gone, the heaviness of everything weighed back on top of him. Letting out a breath, he went up the stairs to start getting ready.
Barely an hour passed before he emerged from his room in a button up he had bought in town the day before. He was about to head out to the foyer before he heard the muffle of crying behind Sam's door. His heart sank as he could hear her trying to explain what had happened amidst her tears, and the occasional reply and encouragement from another voice that Riku assumed to be Jim. Part of him knew it wasn't his place to interfere, but another larger part of him knew that he couldn't just walk away.
Turning towards the door, he lightly knocked, calling. "Hey, Sam…? I just wanted to check to make sure you were alright."
There was silence in response, and Riku was about to walk away before the door creaked open. Sam looked up at him, eyes reddened.
"I'm… fine." She told him. "I'll be fine…"
"Are you talking to Jim about it?" He asked.
"It's not really your business," she snipped, looking away.
Riku let out a huff of breath, "Yeah, neither was you demanding to know if I talked to Hinata."
That caused the slightest curve of a smile on her lips. "Guess that's true…" Taking in a shaking breath, she admitted. "Yeah, I'm talking to Jim… I'm not at Hinata's level. Like… I knew I wasn't but… I guess before it seemed reachable, you know? But now-" she shook her head, letting out a bitter laugh. "I don't know… We saw what happened last time I saw Thaanix… I'd only hold everyone back, put them at risk."
"You and Hinata should get together and talk all this stuff out." Riku suggested, chuckling when Sam darted her eyes to him in confusion. "She's going through a lot of the same stuff."
Sam swallowed hard. "Yeah… maybe I should… But given that DiZ didn't care that I ditched the debriefing, something tells me he doesn't think I've made the cut to stick around anymore."
"He's just worried." Riku explained. "But Hinata stuck up for you. She'll make sure you don't go anywhere."
Sam snorted, "What did I do to make her like me so much?"
"Beats me," Riku shrugged, smirking at the look Sam sent him.
Sam took in a breath as she looked away. "What do you think?"
"About you sticking around?" He asked, sighing as she nodded. "I mean… you aren't wrong. You aren't at that level where you could handle someone like Thaanix, but… that doesn't mean you won't ever be. I think you just need to be taught differently. I'm obviously not the right person to teach you, at least not this level of stuff."
She nodded. "Maybe… I guess we'll see, huh?"
"We will," Riku agreed, motioning towards the door at the end of the hall. "I have to get somewhere, I just wanted to check in."
"Oh, yeah," Sam realized waving him away. "Have fun on that date or whatever."
Riku simply smiled, his heart jumping too high to find any coherent words to reply. Instead he sent her a wave and turned to leave. As he opened the door to the foyer, he slowed to a stop. Hinata stood near the front window, gazing out at the forest outside. Her hair was pinned back, as she wore a simple, white dress with vibrant flowers printed over it. The front was lower cut, perfectly showcasing her locket resting above her chest. She looked over as the door opened, her thoughtful expression melding into a warm smile.
"Well hello there," she greeted, her smile growing into a grin as he approached. "That shirt looks really nice on you."
He stopped, chuckling as his entire face warmed. "You, too. With the-uh, dress, I mean."
She looked down, holding out the side of the flowy fabric, "Yeah, I'm just as surprised I actually decided to buy a dress on my own, but here we are."
He laughed, "Y-Yeah, but it was a good choice."
She giggled, grabbing his hand. "You don't have to be so nervous, you know."
"I know," he let out a soft breath, his smile growing the longer he looked back at her. "Tell my heart that. Won't stop pounding."
"We'll take it slow." She assured him, giving his hand a squeeze. "I'll try to give your heart a break." She playfully winked as she turned around and led the way to the front doors.
He followed behind her, nearly in a daze as his eyes danced over her. She sent him a smile over her shoulder as she grabbed the handle to the door and pulled it open. Just as she was about to step outside, she froze, her eyes widening as the color drained from her face.
"Hinata…?" Riku said her name, going to her side until he saw Axel standing in front of the black gate to the mansion, sending them a fake salute.
"You've got to be kidding me…" Hinata muttered under her breath, squeezing Riku's hand. "Not tonight."
"If he knows something about Thaanix-"
"I know…" She interrupted with a sigh, walking forward to meet Axel at the gate.
"Perfect timing," Axel greeted, looking between them. "Or actually, maybe not. Something fancy going on?"
"What is it, Axel?" Hinata asked, disregarding his question.
"It's great to see you, too." He crossed his arms, "Gone for over a month running after your Replica and that's how you're gonna greet me?"
"Axel, please," Hinata pleaded. "Can it wait till tomorrow?"
He blinked, rustling his hand through his spiked hair. "I mean… I guess?" He stepped aside as Hinata opened the gate.
"Good," she told him, going forward until Riku stopped, making her stop as well.
"Hinata," he merely said her name before she hung her head forward.
"Alright," she resigned, "What did you find out, Axel?"
"She's settled in somewhere." He told them. "Took me a while to catch up, I'd just see the carnage she left behind. Then I got to this world today and it looks like she's set up her own little homestead there."
Hinata tightened her hand around Riku's, her eyes downcast to the grass and the blossoms of wildflowers. "How long has she been there…?"
Axel shrugged. "Maybe a week? It looks like longer, but I know the last place she was at was less than two weeks ago, so she can't have been here that long."
"Where is it?" Riku asked.
"A place called Halloween Town." He replied, looking over when Hinata scoffed.
"Of course she'd go there," she muttered, looking up towards the sky as she let out a long breath. "What is she doing there?"
"Beats me, but she's holed up in some fortress. This giant tree." He explained. "And there's creatures surrounding it."
Hinata looked over at that, "Creatures… like Heartless?"
Axel shook his head, "They aren't Heartless, or Nobodies. I've never seen anything like them."
"How many?" Riku asked.
"From the little bit I saw before coming here, a few hundred, at least."
Hinata's heart twisted, a nauseous sensation curling in the pit of her stomach. "Dammit…" She released Riku's hand, taking in a deep breath. "Alright, let me get Sam and Velcia… and we'll go."
"You sure Sam should be going?" Axel asked, scratching the side of his head. "Last time didn't exactly go that great for her."
"Honestly? I'd rather no one go with me." She admitted with a huff of irritation, "But-" she looked to Riku, "I need to bring them. I can't do this alone."
"You're the boss," Axel shrugged. "Go fetch 'em, and I'll make a Corridor when you get back."
Hinata nodded, looking to Riku before she fled back to the mansion. A long breath escaped Riku once she was gone, his jittery excitement all but forgotten as he crossed his arms.
"Thanks," he spoke up, looking away when Axel looked up at him. "For going after her. You've been on her trail for a while."
"Nah, don't mention it," Axel shrugged. "After the first couple worlds with no luck, I couldn't just drop it. Had to prove I could catch up."
Riku chuckled, "I know how that goes."
"Was is some sort of date night or something?" Axel asked, noticing Riku tense as the tips of his ears warmed.
"Something like that…" Riku murmured.
Axel nodded, looking him over. "Gotta say, it's weird seeing you in normal clothes like that."
Riku noticeably winced, his hands tightening along his arms as he focused elsewhere. "Can't expect me to wear that coat all the time." He replied with a low voice.
"Guess not," Axel stretched. "Sorry for interrupting the date, though."
"Not your fault."
Axel hummed with a shrug, realizing that Riku wasn't much in the mood for conversation. Putting his hands in his coat pockets, he leaned back against the brick wall, staring up at the golden sky. Riku kept his arms crossed, occasionally pacing around the grassy area before the forest as the minutes passed.
Eventually, Riku came to a stop and broke the silence. "What sort of damage did she leave behind on those other worlds?"
Axel was quiet for a beat, before he asked. "Are you going to tell Hinata about it? Cause she'd freak."
Riku looked over to him, seeing the genuine concern in Axel's eyes. Letting out a breath, he asked. "It was that bad?"
"A couple were about as bad as Agrabah," he told him, "Others… a lot worse. Like even I felt bad about it, and that's saying something."
"Shit…" Riku muttered under his breath, before asking. "What about in Halloween Town?"
"Surprisingly, not much." Axel leaned his head back. "The worlds she left behind were getting more destroyed each time, so I think something's going on."
"What do you mean?"
He shrugged, "I don't know, maybe the Darkness is taking over completely, or she absorbed something else. Who knows? It's just a guess."
"Is the Organization looking for her?"
"As far as I know, they aren't. But I'm not exactly in their highest graces right now."
A bark interrupted their conversation as Jack flew through the door, bounding towards them. His tail wagged wildly as he bombarded Riku with doggie kisses, as if it had been weeks since he last saw him.
"What is that?" Axel asked, stepping aside as Jack floated over to him and sniffed. He put out his hand, "Nice Doggie."
"His name's Jack," Hinata told him, walking out by herself.
"Where are the others?" Rikus asked, walking over to her.
Hinata sighed. "Not coming. DiZ wants us to scope it out and then come back for Velcia and Sam. He's going to try having Velcia train with Sam while we're gone."
"So, don't engage the crazy monster that's probably going to destroy the world at any moment." Axel clarified, joining the group with Jack floating at his side. "And instead, just watch and see what she does..?"
"That's not what we're doing." Riku glared up at Axel. "DiZ has a point, and if Sam can get in some solid training, that will be better than just rushing her into another confrontation."
"Whatever you say." Axel sighed, outstretching his arm and forming a Corridor. "Shall we then?"
Jack excitedly flew in, followed by Axel as Hinata looked back to the mansion.
"Are you alright?" Riku asked her, reaching for her hand.
"So much for friends are my power, huh?" Hinata asked with a soft voice.
He squeezed her hand. "You aren't alone. They don't have to be on the mission to be with you."
She looked back at him before her eyes drifted to his chest where she knew his heart was strongly beating. Her frown tipped into a smile. "You're right…" She walked to him, leaning onto her toes and kissing his cheek. "Let's go."
**Author's Note: A bit shorter than usual, but that's only because there's going to be a ton happening in this next world! I'd rather start the next chapter off with it.
I hope everyone enjoyed this one, regardless!
Sam isn't sure where she fits in with all of this. She's struggling after everything with James and then after that last encounter with Thaanix. Even the most confident people have their moments of weakness and doubt.
But, I'm really looking forward to Halloween Town! It's been a world I've been SO excited to get to for quite a while now. It should be a lot of fun to write about and explore with our little team of misfits.
Have a lovely week and thank you so much for reading!**