A/N: Giving myself permission to write self indulgent fic. the first step is letting yourself know its okay to write something that will make you happy and the next step after that is to avoid negativity about what makes you happy. Ive reached fanfiction nirvana.
Hollow Bastion was a desolate kind of place. Everywhere that Eleanor's dark blue eyes fell, there was some cluster of abandoned, burned out, or otherwise destroyed brick buildings surrounded in rubble. Misplaced people milled around in the market they had landed near. Families, older folks and kids too peered into booths selling food and supplies. They had been called to the place with an urgent call from some friends of Sora, Donald and Goofy's who had made some kind of monumental discovery and needed their assistance with it.
"What happened here?" She whispered to Donald, who had fallen into step beside her.
He looked up at her with a sigh. "The heartless. Maleficent had her run of the place the last time we faced her. And the heartless and darkness were just.." The duck shivered. "Sora, Goofy and I managed to close the door to the light, but that's a long story."
"Sora told me the short version before." She crossed her arms across her chest to make herself smaller as they made their way through the market and up a flight of stairs on the other side. "The story of Riku and the King, lost in the realm of the darkness. That happened on this world?" With a sigh, she looked up to a tall tower in the distance as a soft wind pulled at her hair. "People still stay here? Incredible amounts of resilience."
"Yeah." Donald shook his head. "But we'll find both our friends soon, don't you worry about us. The world has been pulled back to the light for now and I'm sure whatever Leon has to show is really, really important."
Eleanor's eyes looked up to Sora, who was deep in conversation with Goofy. His hands danced around his shining face as he motioned somewhere through the neighborhood that was stuffed with houses that were partially destroyed. She couldn't help but smile. His energy was practically bouncing out of his finger tips and she laughed as he almost tripped on the last of another set of steps they were climbing. He turned back to her suddenly, after she had been staring at him then longer then was probably necessary.
"You're gonna love this." His hand absentmindedly reached for hers and he smiled. "Our friends who live here are some of the first I met after.. Well I mean after Destiny Island was, you know."
"Yes I know what you mean." Eleanor caught his gaze with a soft smile.
"Some of our old friends who helped us when we first met Sora." Goofy set a hand between her shoulder blades and gave her a wide grin as he leaned towards her. "They always call us if they need our help. They'll like you. I'm pretty sure of it."
"More old friends? Just like the last couple of worlds. You three seem to make friends wherever you go. Isn't there anyone who doesn't like you?" She teased.
"Just the King of the Sea and that's a story for a different time." Sora pulled her forward towards a well kept small house with a trail of smoke floating lazily out of the chimney. "You'll like these friends though I promise. I would never lie to you."
She reeled for a moment. "Wait, the King of the Sea? Is that what you just said? Sora?"
Her companions only laughed as they knocked on the door. Eleanor had been making an effort to not let anything they said linger for longer than it would take to lose its sense, which nearly everything out of the brunette's mouth did. She let out a breath as her attention shifted the Sora's fingers, which were still lightly wrapped around hers. He didn't seem to notice, and the warmth was comforting. She could feel it all the way up her arm, where it settled comfortably inside her chest. She let out a short breath. The door in front of them creaked open just as Donald let out an impatient squeak.
"What d'ya- Kiddos!" A gruff voice came through the crack in the worn door, and it immediately swung open to reveal a grease stained blonde. "Sora, Donald Goofy! Whatta sight for sore eyes, I'll tell you what. You just missed the guys. What brings you here?"
"Merlin called us Cid!" Donald and Goofy rushed forward and pushed Sora along with them. "Long time no see."
Goofy laughed as the three of them pulled the older man into a reluctant hug.
"Okay, okay. It hasn't been that long kids." Cid adjusted a toothpick held tightly in his teeth. "And looks like you finally grew into those skinny legs huh Sora."
He pouted. "They aren't skinny."
Eleanor suddenly felt as though she was intruding as the conversation continued, about people she had never met or heard Sora mention. She turned on her heels to look around the cluttered cottage. To the other side of the door were tables, desks and bookshelves stuffed to bursting with papers, books with worn leather bindings and messy bowls and plates and candles. Her hands clasped lightly in front of her to keep from touching anything as she wandered around a table in the center in the room. Her eyes wandered over book spines with intense focus and hardly noticed a pop behind her.
"Ah, hello there my dear. Well you must be the girl that Master Yensid mentioned." A voice muttered behind her. "Sorry I'm late."
The redhead jumped and turned so her back was flush against the bookshelf. A few stray papers fluttered from the shelf around her. "You scared me." Her voice came out as an embarrassing squeak and the man ran his hands through his thick white beard.
He waved his hands with a chuckle. "Quick to startle are we?" A wand appeared in his hands and the papers that had fallen off of the shelves returned to their homes. "I can work with er, jumpiness. Come closer though. These eyes are starting to fail." He waved one of his fingers with a laugh and she felt her heels slide closer to the robed man. "Ah there we are. Marvelous. My names Merlin and you must know an appearance such as yours is very rare indeed. Haven't found a keybearer among the stars since we came across, well, since we found your young companion over there." He smiled and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"Sora." She glanced to her friends who were still in a deep conversation with Cid on the other side of the room. "My name's-"
Merlin laughed. "Oh I know who you are my dear. And you must be terrified. I sense there has been little comfort paid to those worries of yours. Popping around from world to world to world, without much information to soothe our nerves. Yensid never was the most comforting, tends to be well, er well very straight forward and blunt you see." He tapped her forehead with one of his fingers before he waved his wand in a little circle. "Here have some tea. That should help calm your nerves."
A teacup popped into her nervous hands and warmed her fingers. She smiled as the steam floated out of the cup. "Er, its much appreciated sir. But-"
Merlin made a disgusted face. "None of that sir business. Just Merlin is more than adequate."
"How does everyone know who I am." She asked, hoping that perhaps Merlin could give her a more definitive answer. "Everyone's been so cryptic."
A strange look passed over his face and his hands found his beard again. He anxiously tugged at the white hairs. With a sigh he finally spoke. "Yes well, cling to your light my dear. Don't let it out of your sight and you will be fine. You are however different from the others. The blade you wield is, well ah, it's ancient. You will be faced with a choice-"
"Yes that's what Master Yensid told me. The end of the story as it were. But what does that mean?" Her eyes fell to the tea cup in her hands.
"That, my dear is something you must figure out on your own. I cannot read the future, I can only see what's in your heart. You see?" He paused, then chuckled and set a hands on her shoulders. "Come now. Shouldn't worry about things you can't change yet. There will be plenty of time for that. For now, your light? You must never let it go." He touched her chest above her heart before motioning vaguely across the small home.
"Sora." She already knew it was coming. Her dreams had been leading her to him for as long as she had known, but she still had little to no clarity on why it was happening. Why she had been chosen by the weapon or why she was standing in the strange home with the wizard. "He's everything."
"Your light." Merlin corrected. "Don't let him out of your sight. The choice will be yours to make my dear."
"I already knew that." Eleanor chewed on the inside of her lower lip with a tired sigh.
As if on cue, Sora turned to them. "Merlin!" His bright voice brought a smile to her face. "When did you get here?"
"Oh, ah, only moments ago, my boy. No need to worry. Your new friend here is quite pleasant. We were having a nice conversation and didn't want to interrupt you and Cid. You looked deep in concentration and I didn't want to seem rude, you see." Merlin kept a hand on Eleanor's shoulder as she took a sip from the tea cup again. "Did you introduce yourself Cid?"
"No." He adjusted the toothpick in his mouth again with a scowl. "But there ain't no time. Leon needed their help yesterday. That's why you guys are here. We found a computer through the Restoration Site the gangs been workin' on. A computer that was behind a wall in a library."
"Well gawrsh, we're not good with computers. What're we gonna do to help with somethin' like that." Goofy and Donald exchanged a concerned look.
"Well, whose computer was it? That's probably the important part of this right?" Sora asked after a thoughtful moment.
Cid's face brightened. "Now we're asking the right questions kid. Your legs aren't the only things you've grown into." The blonde sat back in the chair in front of a computer screen and began typing quickly. A map popped up on the glowing screen as Eleanor and Merlin made their way to the other side of the room. "Get yourselves to Leon and he'll explain everything. Follow the cleared pathway through all the restored areas and you'll find them no problem."
Sora studied the map for a moment and then nodded. "Think I got it. Thanks Cid. Come on guys."
Eleanor glanced up to Merlin on last time. "Er, thank you for the tea."
The wizard took his tea cup back and smiled. "Remember my dear. Keep him close and your choices will come easy."
"Thank you. I will" She backed towards the door that Sora was propping open for her. She ducked under his arm and nervously rubbed her palms together.
"Everything okay?" Goofy asked her as he eyes found the sky.
"Just a little clearer if nothing else." She turned to Sora, who nodded down another alleyway in the direction Cid had indicated on the map. "Following you of course."
The group picked their way across the Bailey which had been up yet another flight of stairs, where Sora pointed out one of the battlements to an entire army of heartless being held at bay from the people living in the city by a sheer cliff face. The tower was apparently where Maleficent had barricaded herself the last time they were in Hollow Bastion. The lurking heartless were a remnant of the darkness she had inflicted on the world during her stay. He touched her elbow after the short story and nodded again in the direction they should be moving. A partially destroyed stairway at the other end of the Bailey that led them to the dirt, scattered with debris and bricks.
"Keep an eye out for heartless." Donald's wand was suddenly in his hands and his eyes were shifting around the high cliffs and sheer rocks that surrounded them on all side.
Sora glanced at Eleanor, who rolled her eyes with a light smile and the pair summoned their keyblades and looked nodded to the perpetually angry duck.
"Don't be so worried Donald." The brunette teased. "There's nothing we cant handle together."
Goofy snickered from behind his shield as Donald turned on his heel to shout at Sora. Eleanor took a half step towards Goofy to avoid the confrontation when a few scraping sounds made her and the knight turn to the trail behind them. A group of monsters in shaking armor and swords where both of their hands should have been, dragging along the stone pathway under their feet.
"Heartless." Goofy ducked behind his shield as the sword of the monster closest to them bounced off his weapon.
"Lots and lots of heartless." Sora's bright eyes searched the trail behind them as Donald lost interest in his scolding. From their vantage point higher up the trail above Goofy and Eleanor halfway up another set of partially destroyed stairs, he could see an advancing small army of armored and floating monsters. His hands tightened around his keyblade. "Better brace yourselves."
"Can we take them or should we run?" Eleanor shouted back up to him as one of the armored monsters swung its sword at her. She managed to step to the side and the heartless weapon hit the ground and she sliced her keyblade through it. "Well?"
Donald groaned and stamped his foot on the ground. "We can't run!" He waved his wand high above head. A trail of fire followed the figure-eight he traced in the sky before he threw it at the monsters that were swinging their weapons at Goofy and Eleanor. The fire hit their armor and pushed the monsters back into another line behind them and they all disappeared in a puff of shadowy smoke.
Eleanor was struck for a moment as she could see a huge group of the heartless behind the armored creatures. She let out a long breath. "Oh my.."
"C'mon!" Sora slid to a stop at her side. He grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction Donald and Goofy had already disappeared. "We gotta go!"
"The heartless?" She sprinted after him along the rocks.
"Fight as we go!" He hopped over a hunk of brick and cement sticking out of the ground in front of them.
Eleanor lost her grip on his fingers as he slipped over the other side and turned quickly the oncoming heartless. One of the broad swords narrowly missed her face. She rolled to the side and the weapon hit the bricks and cement under her back. She swung her keyblade and sliced the monster through the middle. As the heartless disappeared, she let out a half breath and scrambled over the cement to Sora and grabbed onto his hands again. "Hurry, hurry." She jogged backwards with both her hands wrapped around his but her eyes glued on the heartless behind them. "They're getting closer! Sora please."
"We gotta fight. There's no way we can outrun them all now." Sora pulled her to a stop. "We have to stop them before they get up to that computer. Together." His voice dropped at the last word and she couldn't argue, she didn't even stand a chance.
Her dark eyes returned to the advancing heartless. Huge red monsters floated above the armored heartless now, from somewhere far behind the group. One of them spit a bubble of smoking fire at them. Somewhere above them on the trail, Donald's voice echoed down to them as he hurled a ball of ice at the floating fire heartless. The red monster exploded in a shower of icy crystals. Immediately following Donald's assault, Goofy threw his shield and sliced through the last two of the floating monsters.
"Now! Come on!" Sora dropped her hand with a quick squeeze for reassurance and jumped into the mass of armored heartless with a bright flash.
"Wait Sora." Eleanor stole a glance up at Donald and Goofy, before she rushed after him into the mass of heartless. She swung her keyblade with enough momentum to pull her in a circle and sliced through a huge group of the monsters and to clear a path for her to get to him. She slid to a stop on jittery feet and her eyes met his through the throng of heartless. "There's too many. We can't beat them all."
He took a half step closer to her. "Yes we can. Don't worry I have a plan. Donald, Goofy! Get Leon and make sure he's ready to fight. We'll hold off these guys until then but hurry! That's the only way we're gonna win."
Donald looked about to explode, but waved his wand in the air. Electric bolts hit all the heartless that were closest to the pair. "Fine! But be careful! These heartless aren't messing around." He and Goofy disappeared up the trail in a rush. Goofy threw one last worried look over his shoulder as they turned a corner up to the trail in the direction Cid had pointed them back at Merlin's.
"I suspect Leon is the friend we were coming to meet?" Eleanor took a step to close the gap between them. "You think he can rectify this? By my observation this all seems fairly "
"Sure! That is if he came up here with his weapon." A thoughtful look passed over his face. "Guess I didn't think of that."
"And you sent our back up away?" She stressed. The heartless began to close in again and out of frustration she swung her keyblade and then turned to him. "If I didn't trust you with everything that I am I would be furious." The words tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them.
He laughed and leaned in towards her. "Then trust me. If I didn't think we could do it I wouldn't have sent them." His attention focused suddenly over her shoulder. "Look out!" He grabbed her hand tightly and pulled her closer to him. In one smooth motion turned her around so her back was against his chest. With a little effort and coordination, he swung his keyblade to take out the heartless that had crept up behind them while they were arguing.
"On your right!"
Eleanor caught his hand and used the momentum of his movement to spin around again. Her feet slid on the dirt and her fingers slipped out of Sora's palm. In a shining sweep of her glowing keyblade, she fell to her knee at his side as the heartless disappeared in a flash of gold, only to be replaced by another wave of the armored monsters. She ducked her head down a little lower as Sora hastily struck the monsters. She looked back up at him as he gave her bright smile. Their backs met and she scanned the area around them. The monsters had stopped advancing and the few that remained
"We should run?" Her breath came a little heavier than she thought it would as she turned and looked up at him. She could tell he was only have focused on her and his eyes scanned the scattered heartless.
His eyes met hers for a moment before his focus was pulled again to the space behind her. "Get down!" His warning only half registered before his hands were on hers and he pulled her down to the ground and against his chest in a rush.
An ear shattering gunshot rang bounced sharply off the rock walls of the canyon that rise up on either side of the pair. "Stay down!" A new voice followed the swish of a blade cutting through the air above their heads. "What were you thinking taking all those heartless on your own Sora?"
Sora looked up and rolled his bright eyes. "Handled worse. That the last of 'em?" He sat up with one of his hands on his knee and Eleanor uncovered her face and found his gaze. "You alright?" His voice was hushed.
"Yeah I am."
"Good. Now say hi to Leon." He smiled pulled her up to her feet and nodded behind her with a hand on the small of her back.
The area around them had been cleared by a new figure who scowled at the pair of them. In one of his hands he held a glowing gun blade, which he cocked and a few empty shells fell out of the chamber. The glowing blade disappeared as he clicked it back into a holster on his back.
She turned away from Sora and stuttered and the new man's harsh gaze. She quickly found she couldn't quite get any words out and he rolled his dark eyes. "Uh. I'm Eleanor."
"Come on. There's no point standing around out here. More heartless will show up in no time and that's not the reason you were called here at all." Leon's belts jostled against one another as he jogged up a set of stairs behind them. He let out a breath. "I know who you are. Merlin mentioned something about you. Apparently you're the talk of the worlds. Master Yensid thinks you need to be monitored, but you seem to be able to handle yourself just fine." He tucked his hands into his pockets.
"Are you guys okay?" Goofy asked worriedly.
"One hundred percent." Eleanor's eyes remained stubbornly on Leon. She waved Sora's concerned hands away from her. "What do you mean monitored?"
Leon turned back over his shoulder. "To keep you safe. Problem? Sora seems to be doing a fine job. No need to be worried. Where did you come from?"
"Yes he is." Eleanor said airily. Their eyes met for a moment and he gave her a soft smile, but after a quick moment she cleared her throat and turned back to Leon as Donald and Goofy turned their full attention to making sure he hadn't been hurt in the short battle. "I mean Port Royal, I'm from a world called Port Royal." She had stopped next to him on the short flight of stairs. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Sora told me you two have been friends for a long time now."
Leon nodded awkwardly. "Yeah that's right. At any rate, the computer is right through here. It's not far now. Follow me." He gave her a tight smile before he nodded towards another flight of stairs down to the door of a huge building the trail through the canyon had led them to. "Come on, we're wasting time."
Eleanor stood dumbfounded for a second before Sora's hand on her shoulder refocused her attention.
"He's like that all the time." He muttered at her ear.
She laughed quietly. "I won't take it personally then." Their gazes met again and she lost anything else she was going to say. She smiled instead and he let out half a breath.
"Come on!" Donald squeaked impatiently and pushed them forward. He snapped their attention away from one another.
Goofy stole a glance at each of them before he laughed and wrapped around each of their shoulders. "Come on guys or Leon will get impatient. You know how snippy he can be.."
His voice faded out as he began to tell a story about another world Eleanor had never been to. She glanced once at Sora, who had a distant look on his face and chewed distractedly on the inside of his cheek. A funny feeling settled in her stomach along with an uncomfortable tightness in her chest. Something big was coming and Merlin's voice echoed in her mind. She would have to make a choice soon enough. Sora would be her guiding light and she would have to do everything in her power to keep him close.
"You okay?" His voice came along with another distracted hand on her elbow.
She nodded. "Better than okay. Come on, I'm following you." She smiled and wrapped her hands around his arm.