So I'm thinking of a new format which involves waiting until I finish each world's chapters before posting them and in the meanwhile focusing on Through Smoke and Flames in between. It would obviously mean that you'd have to wait longer for these chapters but you get them all at once as opposed to once every week and you have the other fan fic to read in between anyway. Do be sure to tell me if you think this would be a good way to go forward. I personally think it is because Through Smoke and Flames is being neglected right now and I admit that's unfortunate. But nuff said, let's get on with the show!
Chapter 46
The Toy Maker's Daughter
Riku remained on the edge of his seat the entire time as he impatiently awaited the end of Even and Ienzo's tests. It was unbecoming of him, he supposed, to be this anxious in a situation like this. Usually he was the voice of reason, cool and composed even at the worst of times. This time was the exception. It had nothing to do with fighting or figuring a way out of things. It was simply waiting for the result of an incredibly weird test that would decide what would happen next.
It wasn't only him that was anxious. He had explained what they had found to Yen Sid and the King as soon as he, Kairi and Max had reached Radiant Garden. The secret basement, the book full of symbols all possibly of Atlantean origin, the strange dead creature in that basement and Frollo's obsession with Atlantis. Yen Sid coolly swept aside the issue of the existence of the lost world and instead ordered Even and Ienzo to perform tests on the sample of black goo that they had brought back with them. They had long come to term that the creature had probably been designated ALICE by its owner but there was still hope that it was something different from what they were all thinking. The only clue they had to the creature's age was the lab itself in that it seemed that no one had touched it in a long time. Surely then it couldn't be their Alice.
"You're done?" Kairi's voice shook Riku out of his thoughts and he jumped out of his seat.
"Er, well, yes, of sorts. While the tests were not too conclusive, the subject matter is of a foreign substance not identical to a mere Heartless. The closest thing I can compare the substance to is your common household adhesives."
"Adhesives?" Kairi repeated.
"He means glue," Riku answered quickly, only because he knew Even was the type to get frustrated quickly.
"Oh, of course… I knew that." Kairi put on an innocent smile and changed the topic quickly. "So it's not a Heartless then. Then what exactly is it?"
"Isn't that the question? You said the place you found this body in was a secret laboratory set up by someone who was probably practicing alchemy, correct?" Ienzo checked. When Kairi nodded, Ienzo smirked and looked at Even. "Then this body of yours may in fact be an attempt at creating a human being."
"I'm sorry? What did you say? Create a human being?" Riku soon found that the words would not easily come out of his mouth. He was flustered by the idea and he could almost feel the color drain from his face. "No, that's impossible. That-"
"Impossible? And why is that? You must think that cloning is something that can only happen in science fiction or something. Do you not recall that both my Riku and Xion were man made constructs, empty husks in other words, through which Xehanort both wanted to use in his plans?" Even interjected.
"I'm going to ignore the fact that you just said 'my Riku' and say that those were different cases. Even Xion wasn't fully like us until Sora gave her a heart," Riku argued.
"You're right, this isn't like the replica project. I don't think we ever said it was," Ienzo said. "But there is logic in my reasoning that this creature, regardless of whether the project was successful or not, was supposed to be human. Take the name for example. You said that its name was Alice. Now why would this alchemist think to give a creature a name if not for that they had some sort of personal attachment to it. Alice is hardly a pet name either and I can think of hundreds of those if it were just a pet. Secondly, when you came across the body, did it appear to have any features similar to a human?"
"Any features? It… it was the shape of a human and… blue eyes, it had normal blue eyes," Riku said. It sounded like he may as well be admitting defeat of some kind.
"And there was something else on the inscription. 'Her final resting place', or something to that effect. Yeah, it's definitely painting a picture and I'm not sure I want to see the finished product," Kairi said.
"There's no use averting your gaze from the truth or you may as well not have a Keyblade in the first place. Was there anything else?" Even asked. It was always a horrible feeling when Even was right.
"After that 'Her final resting place' thing, it continued to say 'may her dreams have no walls or ceiling'," Riku added.
"Then we can infer that the subject was definitely someone the owner of the lab cared about. After all, there would be no need to introduce such a trivial comment if he did not. In fact, that he even bothered to leave an inscription in the first place would show that she was important to him," Ienzo analyzed.
"Well this is just making me depressed, just as I thought," Kairi said with a shrug before looking at the table. "What about the book? Were you able to find something out?"
"That will take a little more time. Forensics isn't exactly our strong suits and the request was rather sudden. Make no mistake, it can be done. The essential goal is to create dating markers by taking advantage of the wood fibres, paper additives and surface treatment of a single page. That one page should be enough to give us an estimation of the book's age," Ienzo said.
"Only an estimation? I was hoping for something a bit more definite," Kairi said.
"Nothing is ever definite in science, that's why it's so exciting unlike that boring droll you known as magic!" Even declared.
"Wow, I feel like you and Cid would get along just fine," Riku said before looking at Kairi. "Then I guess we should lay low for now. I've been concerned with Namine for quite some time anyway. Kairi, we need to keep an eye on her. If she is a seer now like Yeul was, then if anyone, Moira's Crescent, Kefka, whoever, find that out then we're in big trouble."
"Such a shame you won't let me run some tests on her. The last of the seers passing down her powers to a nobody… it will be interesting to see how this plays out," Even said with crazy wide eyes.
"If you so much as even breathe next to her, I won't show you mercy," Riku warned.
"And Namine isn't a Nobody anymore so that completely invalidates what you were saying," Kairi added.
Even tutted. "You misunderstand. I did not mean that kind of Nobody, but the actual definition of the word. Nevertheless, I will refrain from satiating my curiosity. Watching from afar is good enough for me as it is anyway."
A Week Later
Sora had no idea how they had ended up playing a game of hide and seek in a space as small as the Gummi Ship, but he was doing it anyway and having fun. Despite its size, there were more than enough objects to hide behind outside of the cockpit. There were six bedrooms in total, three on either side down the hallway and certainly more than enough beds for Luna, Donald and Goofy to hide under. In addition, there was also the shower at the back of the ship and the engine room below which was full of machinery and was no doubt the most suitable place to hide.
Sora eliminated Goofy's hiding spot very quickly as well, mainly because, well, he always hid in the same spot for some reason. Sora compared it to throwing the same move in rock, paper, scissors in that Goofy must have assumed that there would be less of a chance that Sora would look in that same spot the next time.
The second easiest to find was Donald. Not exactly being the creative type and not particularly known for being fun on, especially on the Gummi Ship, Sora and anyone else who played the role of seeker, usually found him in one of the bedrooms.
"Lemme go! Geroff!" Donald mumbled into Sora's arms as the Keyblade Master adopted a wrestling grip position around Donald's neck and dragged him out of Sora's bedroom.
"Heh heh, Donald, you need to try more!" Sora said while giving the duck a noogie. He soon let up and quickly examined the other bedrooms before heading to the back of the ship.
The shower itself used the engine's by-product of heat in order to run the hot water according to Cid. With that, nothing was wasted and everything was used with the Highwind's ecosystem. Even though Luna or Kupopo weren't there, Sora stopped quickly to let the cold rushing water from the sink's tap fall into his hands. He brought it towards his face and let it run down his face before looking up at his reflection in the mirror.
It was about a week ago that he had left the factory and along with it a proposition to join Moira's Crescent. After managing to find the keyhole together with Rhea and Astra, the two set off only asking Sora and Luna to keep the offer in mind. Even disregarding the fact that they tried to kill him, Sora had his own way of doing things. Yes, he was guaranteed security if he worked from within Moira's Crescent but it would also limit his freedom. There he would have the people who were distrustful of him because of some prophecy breathing down his neck constantly and that wasn't something he wanted.
He turned off the tap quickly and dried his face with the hand towel on the rack before heading down the hatch outside the room into the engine room.
"Well, I know you're in here somewhere. Luna, Stephanie, Kupopo… you might as well just give it up and come out now," Sora yelled, enjoying the reverberations of his voice echoing throughout the room.
The sound of metal hitting a pipe followed quickly which caused Sora to jump slightly. He soon shook it off and chuckled. They were trying to scare him then. An engine room with big machinery, half of them of which Sora had no clue about was indeed the perfect setting for a hide and seek game. But this game also had a big (or small) weakness.
"Huh, looks like no one's here. Maybe they're back upstairs? Oh well. Since there's no one here, I might as well lock the hatch when I leave. It would be horrible if anyone accidently fell down here!" Sora announced aloud, pretending to turn back to the ladder.
"NOOOOO! Kupo, don't leave me in the dark!" Kupopo yelled. Sora heard an "OW!" sound, no doubt from Kupopo bursting out of Luna's arms causing the girl to fall backward followed by a child-like giggle in response to her falling.
"Kupopo, you really have no idea how to play hide and seek, do you?" Luna asked, appearing from behind a machine to Sora's right and rubbing the back of her head. Stephanie soon appeared behind her with a broad grin on her face.
"Shield your ears, Kupopo. She knows not what she speaks. You're playing the game perfectly," Sora encouraged frivolously only to receive a flick on the forehead by Luna afterwards.
"You took advantage of his fear of the dark. That's cheating," Luna pointed out.
"In whose rule book? Besides, he was the one of who chose to believe it. Ow! That was… ow." Sora blinked as Luna flicked his forehead much harder this time.
"Oops, sorry, that was harder than I thought it would be," Luna apologized profusely. This had the effect of letting her guard down which allowed for Sora to respond by flicking her forehead. Luna ended up making a pouting face that was rather cute. Sora was sure that there wasn't a problem in admitting that a friend was cute… right? "Ow! You're so mean, Sora."
Sora simply flashed a grin before heading up the ladder. Once they were all up, Sora closed the hatch behind him and made to follow Luna. An energetic Stephanie skipped in front of him and opened her mouth, pointing at something or rather a lack of something.
"Look, Sora. A tooth came out yesterday. Sis told me that what my mom said was true and that a tooth fairy will come and give me munny if I put it under a pillow. Is it true? Is there really a tooth fairy?" Stephanie asked.
"Huh, that's weird. Why would Luna lie about that?" Sora asked. The smile immediately dropped off Stephanie's face and he could see Luna in front of him glaring at him dangerously. "Uh, that is to say, there's no way Luna would possibly lie about that. Of course the tooth fairy exists."
An hour went by incredibly quickly with the group having a mini picnic of sorts on the Highwind. Sora handed out the sandwiches that Kupopo had made while the group exchanged stories and reminisced about their previous adventures. Both Luna and Stephanie listened as intently as they could as Sora retold his first experience in a jungle and how he and Donald's friendship gradually got better. He could have talked forever about his feelings during that journey. They were after all, more innocent times when he didn't understand the power of the Keyblade, when he didn't have everyone after his head, when he was simply only interested in finding his friends. It was sometimes simpler to live in the past and yearn for those days of innocence again. He was cut short by a beeping red light from the console panel however and was once again forced to confront the present. It seemed that they had found the world they were looking for.
A thick fog covered the yellow-lit streets of the world they had landed on. As usual they didn't know anything about the world they had landed in but unlike usual they did have at least something to go on. Professor Ratigan, the person Pete had mentioned when they had interrogated him, was somewhere in this world. The Keyblade had opened the pathway to the world as if it had sensed Sora's desires. He was sure this was what Master Neuge meant by the Keyblade having a mind of its own.
"Hey, is it just me or did the world get bigger?" Goofy was the first to point out. When Sora looked up, he saw that Goofy was indeed correct. The buildings, the street lamps, everything, was bigger than they should be. Even the curb of the sidewalk next to him was half his height.
"I think we're just smaller," Luna said after taking a look around. "Great. Not like I wasn't already short. Thanks Donald."
"I'm not falling for this bait anymore," Donald said before jumping up and down. "I can't see anything in this fog!"
"Yeah, and it doesn't look like there's anyone around either. It's kinda creepy," Goofy commented. The farther the group travelled, the more hope they seemed to lose because they knew they were still on the same street. Nevertheless, it was interesting seeing the world from a different perspective, even if there wasn't much to see because of the fog.
A sudden shiver ran down Sora's spine and he spun around quickly, searching for any signs of danger. It wasn't exactly that, but he was glad he had gotten the shiver because he was just able to catch a glimpse of a shadowy figure about their height moving deeper into the fog.
After telling the others, they decided it was best to catch up with the figure for now. There was really no reason for a person to be wandering the fog all alone at night so it could have been a Heartless but it also didn't hurt to take a look either.
They actually caught up with the person a lot more quickly than expected, primarily because it turned out that she was both a child and a mouse. The mouse seemed strangely aplomb despite being in the middle of nowhere, though Sora could imagine that she thought she had to be.
"Um, excuse me. Are you all alone by yourself? Can we help with anything?" Luna offered, though being newcomers of this strange world, Sora couldn't think of much that they could do to help.
"Oh, if you could that would be great. I'm looking for Basil, Basil of Baker Street. You wouldn't happen to know him, would you? It's very important. My father, he's a toy maker, I was with him and then someone broke into our house. Dad did his best to hide me and I heard something like fighting. When the sound stopped, I left the cupboard where he'd hid me but h-h-he wasn't there! I think he was kidnapped!" the girl cried out, struggling to hold back her tears.
"You poor thing." Luna bent down and used an index finger to brush aside the tears that were continuing to fall. "I'm sorry, we don't know this Basil but we'll help, we'll definitely help. We can't leave you on your own."
"Yep, nothing worse than not helping a child in need. We're Sora, Donald, Goofy, Luna and Stephanie. Nice to meet ya!" Goofy introduced with a big smile, hoping to do own part in cheering her up.
"My name is Olivia. Olivia Flaversham," the mouse returned. It seemed that Luna and Goofy had helped because she was now trying to put on the best of smiles.
"So, just who is this Basil of Baker Street anyway?" Sora asked.
"He's a detective who solves a lot of mysteries. I've only heard about him from the newspapers that my dad read, but there was a case last year with a jewel thief and Basil was the one who assisted the police in catching the thief. There was one clue that only he noticed so I'm sure he could find my father," Olivia explained.
"He's a… detective?" Luna repeated with a dreamy expression on her face.
"Uh oh, yeah, she happens to be a big fan of mystery and crime novels by the way. For her it must be like the stars aligning to meet a famous detective," Sora said.
"Wouldn't the stars aligning be a bad thing?" Stephanie enquired.
Sora winked at her before looking around. "This fog, has it been here long?"
"That's the strange thing. The fog started last night and it still isn't gone. No one knows what's going on," Olivia answered. If the fog really had lasted for a day then there was definitely a supernatural element afoot. Sora could really only think of the background radiation being responsible for it.
"So we're heading to Baker Street then?" Sora confirmed. "Hopefully, we're not too far from it. Let's go."
Along the way they got to find out a little bit more about Olivia. Today was her eighth birthday, making her the same age as Stephanie. It was little wonder then that the two got on so well. It was as if they'd known each other their entire lives.
They also got to know a little about Olivia's, as well as most of this world's, obsession with Basil. Rumors blew this way and that about him like the wind. It was said that Basil knew everything about a person's past just from looking at their appearance. Their clothes, their finely combed moustache, their whiskers even. Because of that, even Sora was more interested to meet him than before. Of course, it was always the case that the person was far less interesting than the legend itself, as he would soon find out.
Ember flames flickered strongly and brightly, illuminating the clustered room. On tables were jars, beakers, measuring cylinders, Bunsen burners, anything that would aid their owner in his scientific venture. But these were not the concern of the owner at the moment. The mouse sat in the room's only armchair, brandishing his violin and resting it under his chin in one hand and running the bow up and down the strings delicately as if it were a lover. It was especially ironic considering the mouse's nature to think of love as a trivial thing that would only last a definite amount of time.
"It's not possible no matter how you look at it. But that can't be right, can it? Anything can be explained, even that thing. Truly it is the greatest mystery I've ever encountered and possibly ever will. Still, no mystery is unsolvable," the mouse murmured to himself. His mind was more preoccupied with his thoughts rather than the instrument he was playing.
"Basil, surely you aren't thinking of keeping that thing in the bathtub the entire time?" enquired a rather plump but seemingly kind-hearted mouse after walking in. His disposition showed on his sleeves as Basil had so miraculously pointed out when they had first met over a month ago. The detective had instantly been able to tell that the plump mouse, Dawson, had been a doctor or more specifically a surgeon who had previously served abroad during the war just by the individual threads of his clothes. Basil's powers of observation were astounding, and because of this, the police often requested his services in cases they couldn't solve by themselves. According to Basil though, there was apparently someone who was even more astute and better than him, which Dawson found hard to believe.
"Not the entire time. Surely you can go a day or two without a bath?" Basil cringed as a most imperfect sound came out of the violin. He shook his head and resumed running the bow across the strings slowly.
"I'd prefer not. I don't know what you done either but the bathroom is absolutely protruding with the smell of chemicals. It's right next to poor Mrs. Judson's room no less," Dawson told him. A loud rap on the door interrupted their conversation soon followed by Mrs. Judson opening the door and her voice conversing with a couple of others. Basil closed his eyes and silently mouthed the number of voices he had managed to pick up, sinking lower into his arm chair as the number increased. Six in total. It definitely wasn't anything interesting then.
"Ahoy, a fireplace! What dazzling light that captures the imaginative eye!" Olivia Flaversham skipped into the room and surveyed the fire with a magnifying glass that she had taken out of her pocket.
"Oh, you poor dear, you must be absolutely cold. I wouldn't want to be out at night with all that fog. I'll make you and your friends some tea and crumpets," Mrs. Judson said before scurrying out of the room.
Olivia wasn't the only one who was acting energetically in the room. Luna was buzzing with energy, looking at something only to disappear quickly and reappear at the next point of interest.
"Well, hello, I'm Dr. David Dawson and my friend with violin here is Basil. Is there some sort of problem?"
Olivia nodded and moved to the middle of the room to present her case. "You see, my father's gone-"
But Basil interrupted before she could say any more. "I'm sure he is, darling. There comes a time when a young woman like yourself must leave the comfort of her home, take a leap forward and journey out to the great unknown. That is the peculiar vastness known as life itself. Now hurry along, I'm quite busy."
"But Mr. Basil, I'm only eight."
Basil peered around from his armchair and took a good look at his guests before relaxing.
"Oh. Well yes, I knew that. Well surely your mother must know where he's gone? Ask her," he replied after returning to his music.
"I… don't have a mother. She passed away when I was young," Olivia said, casting her eyes downward. The violin's sound came to a sudden screeching halt that caused everyone to flinch uncomfortably.
How can a 'great mouse detective' get things so wrong? Sora thought with a look of disillusionment on his face.
"I'm incredibly sorry to hear that. Basil, I think you very well owe it to the young lass to listen to what she has to say, don't you think?" Dawson remarked, looking rather red faced at the fact that Basil wasn't taking this a seriously as he should have been doing.
Basil let out a loud sigh before getting out of his armchair. He adjusted his bathrobe to make it tighter before heading over to the window to stare into the endless fog. Mrs. Dawson soon came back with a tray carrying crumpets and six cups of hot tea. Sora drifted his cup left to right slowly as he and the others listened to Olivia explain her plight to Basil.
"You said a bat kidnapped your father? No, it couldn't be… did that bat happen to have a crippled wing per chance?" Basil said after processing the information. It seemed that the detail about the bat was really the only thing that got through however.
Olivia shook her head. "I'm not sure, but it did have a peg leg."
Basil grinned before letting out a laugh. "Dawson, I think we've finally got our work set out for us."
"It seems like you know this bat?" Dawson asked.
"Know him? That rascal known as Fidget is only a smaller part of a much larger picture. I ask you to think bigger. The Napoleon of crime, a criminal mastermind the likes of which could only ever be possibly conceived in your nightmares. But he's anything but a nightmare. He's very much real and he's eluded my capture each and every time, like a phantom. He's truly the only capable of being my arch nemesis, that is to say, the nefarious Professor Ratigan."
"Ratigan?" Sora repeated and exchanged a smile with Luna. It seemed almost non-coincidental that they had been taken to the exact street where a young mouse happened to be whose father had been kidnapped, possibly by Ratigan. It had led them directly to the one person who could probably assist them in tracking the Professor down.
"Ooh, please let us investigate with you. We won't get in your way, oh, and I've read a lot of mystery literature so I have some ideas about crime scene investigation," Luna announced eagerly.
"I… suppose it's alright if you don't get in the way. Then we'll head off to your place to pick up on any clues and while we walk you can tell me more about your father," Basil said. He paused momentarily to look at Luna before his view expanded to include Sora and the others. "You're peculiar mice. I must say I haven't heard of your kind before. Are you from off the continent?"
The greatest detective indeed.
"Who can say? I'll let you be the judge of that," Sora said with a mysterious smile.
"Well this going to bug me for quite a while. Nevertheless, a challenge is a challenge. Anyway, after you finish your tea, we'll be off post haste. Ratigan cannot be allowed to get away this time," Basil said as made his way over to his coat rack.
Hiram Flaversham wiped the sweat of his concentrated brow as he carefully attached two of his recently made well-crafted pieces together. His eyes diverted from his project as he heard the sound of footsteps coming ever closer towards his cell. He stepped aside as the door opened slowly and in stepped Ratigan with his usually oily, raspy voice.
"As you can see Kefka, Flaversham here is working extra diligently to get the device ready in time. Once that happens, KRONOS will have their weapon and the final stages of our plan will begin!" Ratigan exclaimed delightedly. He playfully rustled Flaversham's bushy eyebrows, much to the annoyance of the toy maker.
"That's good and well but don't forget the real purpose of this experiment. Sora, if he isn't here already, will be soon thanks to the little tip the fat cat gave him. It looks like Xanatos was right in trusting him with that information since he was the most likely to spill the beans. Now he'll be on his way to stop you and when he comes, he won't be very pleased with what he finds," Kefka's said, adding on a childish giggle at the end.
"But we can't kill him? That's a shame. Talk about wasting an opportunity," Ratigan said.
"It's more fun this way. Xanatos recognises it too which is why he's the boss and you aren't. This isn't just about Sora either. It's about pitting Moira's Crescent and him against each other. Then once we're done with our plan we can blow them both up. KABOOOM!" Kefka yelled suddenly causing both Hiram and Ratigan to jump. He let out a laugh and started dancing around in joy. Hiram did not yet know what to think of the strange clown. Through all the light-heartedness he seemed to portray, there loomed a choking atmosphere surrounding him that sent shivers down Flaversham's spine. It was so joyous and carefree that it almost seemed inhuman, maybe even demonic.
"You're both monsters. All this for a boy? Stop this madness now! I refuse to be a part of it any longer!" Flaversham yelled and swatted the parts he was working on to the side of the room with ferocity.
"Flaversham. Flaversham, Flaversham, Flaversham, more like what a sham!" Kefka exclaimed with another giggle before putting on a straight face. "Do you really think you have any choice in matter? You may say no but I can tell you now, you will definitely complete this project. Let me tell you a little story. Once upon a time momma mouse sent three little mice off since she was unable to care for them on her own. What a terrible papa mouse, I know… anyway, the three mice split up and built separate houses-"
"Wait a second. Isn't this-" Flaversham tried to say but Kefka continued on.
"One made of straw, one made of sticks and one made of bricks. Clearly the one with the bricks wasn't grounded in reality. Haha, see what I did there? Anyway, the wolf came and huffed and puffed and blew down the sticks and straws that two of the three mice had built. That wasn't the end of the mice though. They scurried all the way to the third mouse's house made of brick. Unfortunately this little mouse made the mistake of including windows in his house and so the wolf really only had to smash through it before gobbling all the mice up. The point of the story? I forget but I am basically the big bad wolf and this is certainly no brick house you're standing in right now, nor is it a straw house or a stick house. You're in our house now."
"Aw, keep your bloomers on Kefka. I think all the poor lad needs is a little motivation, which is why I am taking the personal duty of bringing your daughter here too. I'm sure she could benefit from the… treatment," Ratigan said.
"No, not Olivia! Leave her alone! I'll- I'll do as you say. I'll keep working so just please don't harm my Olivia." Flaversham, as if to show he was retreating from his previously adamant nature, crawled over to the parts quickly and brought them back to the workstation at the back of his cell.
"THEN GET BACK TO WORK!" Ratigan yelled. His growl slowly transitioned into a big, creepy smile and he took a puff of his cigar before locking the cell door once more. Rather than looking at Kefka, Ratigan turned instead to the person behind him who had been waiting so silently with her arms folded the entire time. "Oh do try to be a little chirpy once in a while will you? It's not too hard for him. I took you off the street and offered you a home when no one else would. The least you could is smile for me."
But the female rat continued to stand motionless and deaf to his words. She clutched her lance tightly and slowly looked at Ratigan.
"I'm just a hired assassin. I'm not paid to smile nor am I indebted to you," she said. "But you said you don't want him killed? Then where does that leave me?"
"With those closest to him of course. I need you to do me a favor. There's a target Xanatos is interested in, but she's not in this world," Kefka explained. It seemed that he couldn't help but control his giggles. "She also seems to have taken a particular interest in Atlantis. Radiant Garden was where she was last seen. Find her and kill kill KILL her!"
"Whatever, as long as I'm paid. What's her name anyway?" The lancer asked.
"Kai- Kai- Ooh, Kairi! I knew I'd remember it eventually!" Kefka said. When he said this, Professor Ratigan turned to him with a flustered look on his face.
"One of the Princesses of Heart? Are you sure it was Xanatos who ordered that? That doesn't seem like something he would do."
"Are you questioning me, Ratigan?" Kefka said, nearing closer and closer to him. Ratigan backed away until he was against a wall and could back away no more. Kefka pressed his body against Ratigan's and glared at him dangerously and then… he kissed him on the mouth. He drew away after a few seconds leaving Ratigan coughing and spitting in disgust.
"Good. If you weren't that kind I'd have to consider cutting that tail off. The worlds drowned in chaos, and in the center is meeeeeee!" Kefka's laugh rang through the halls and anyone within its range once again had to consider how deeply disturbed an individual he was.
