DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT ANY OF MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!
A/N: After the entire length of... A DAY, Chapter 3 is READY TO READ!
The MAIN THING I want to point out is that THIS chapter reveals the identity of my own ORIGINAL CHARACTER! So to get it over with, DO NOT ASK TO USE HIM/HER! I WILL AUTOMATICALLY SAY NO! IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, COMPLAIN TO THE CREATORS OF COPYRIGHT LAW(S)!
... Sorry about "raising my voice" so much, but whenever it comes to my own characters, I can easily get especially "protective" of them.
Despite all this, the time has come! You are to read what has been... well... WRITTEN!
... JUST READ!
CHAPTER 3
Wishful — Anonymous Allies
Sora slowly opened his eyes as he looked around the area in front of him. His vision gradually came into focus as he realizes he was lying on his stomach. The Keyblader got onto his hands and knees as he took in his surroundings. First one foot, then the other, and finally he was on his feet. After brushing some dust off his clothing, Sora looked around some more, only to spot a teenager looking back. He was wearing a red short-sleeved sweat-shirt with a yellow spot, a long-sleeved white shirt underneath, light brown shorts, and orange sneakers with white socks. He was also wearing a yellow-orange skating helmet. Hopping off his skateboard, the teenager said, "Are you alright?"
Sora nodded while saying, "Yeah! Thanks… um… "
"Name's Slider," the teenager verified, placing his feet back on the skateboard.
"Thanks Slider," Sora acknowledged. "You're a lifesaver!"
"Yeah," Slider said as he started down the street ahead. Sora was stunned.
"Hey," the Keyblader called after the newcomer. "Where're you going? I need to find someone!"
Slider paused and looked back at him. "Not my problem."
Sora was taken aback. For the first time since the adventure had begun, he could not decide how to respond to a stranger. After another long moment, he spoke up, "But… there's a man in a black coat wandering about!"
"Just became my problem," Slider murmured aloud.
Sora was now starting to feel exceptionally discouraged. "I need to stop him! This town's not safe!"
Slider paused and placed his right index finger onto his chin in thought. A few moments later, he yelled back, "Come on!"
He swiftly rode down the street. Sora rolled his eyes in exasperation before racing along after the skateboarder. He couldn't believe what he was doing. First, he had gotten separated from Riku upon arriving in this isolated realm of worlds inhabited by an assortment of peculiar individuals and constant, unexpected predicaments. He was still wondering where Riku had ended up. Hopefully, this skateboarder named Slider, or whoever he really was, was someone who could be trusted. For all he knew, this teen was leading him into an ambush.
After rounding several corners and taking a few side-streets, Sora was convinced he was in a section of Traverse Town he had never known existed. What's more, the architecture had transitioned from wooden buildings with peaked roofs, cobblestone streets, and wooden sidewalks into a large plaza with only a few structures. Clusters of balloons were positioned at various spots throughout the area while a number of round tents were situated beside wooden posts. Rainbow-colored banners were strung all around, even though the plaza was deserted. Carefully-positioned torches lit up the night air and provided a little heat.
Sora marveled at the sight of what he quickly perceived as a carnival. Despite the lack of people, Sora watched where he was going as Slider got off his skateboard and signaled him to follow. There was still the possibility that this teen might be in league with the man in the black coat.
All at once, Slider stopped and pointed to a nearby tent. Sora nodded, keeping aware of his surroundings in case it was a trap. As Slider went into the tent, Sora thought he heard voices. Although he was prepared to summon his Keyblade in case of an emergency, the Keyblade wielder stepped inside after the skateboarder. Within, a surprised Sora barely managed to say, "What in the world?"
Slider hadn't led him to any type of trap. Rather, the teen had shown the Keyblader to what seemed to be a humanoid penguin; it was wearing what appeared to be the jersey of a hockey team, and a pair of hockey gloves on its hands. The hockey stick in its hand confirmed that it was a hockey player. Sora hadn't seen any skating rinks around town, so he assumed this penguin and Slider were probably from another world.
"So," Sora began. "You like hockey?"
The penguin nodded. Slider gestured between the two. "Fluff, this is Sora," he introduced. "Sora, this is Fluff."
Fluff smiled. "Nice to meet you, Sora."
His suspicion depleted, Sora beamed. "Same here!"
Fluff nodded back. Sora turned to face both of the two before asking, "Have either of you seen a guy named Riku?"
The two looked at each other for a moment; Slider shook his head. They turned back as Fluff replied, "Nope, sorry. Is he that guy with the black coat?"
"No way," Sora retorted. "He's my best friend! I've been looking for Riku since we got here. That guy in black just happened to cross my path along the way. I don't know who he is, but I have a feeling I know who he's in league with."
"And who might that be?" Slider interrogated.
"A group called Organization XIII," Sora answered. "I could've sworn I had finished them not long ago, but that guy seems to be one of their members. I don't get it."
"So he is up to no good," Fluff commented. "But… what does he want to do with Inez and Jules?"
"Who?" Sora enquired. He hadn't heard about any abduction concerning the shadowy figure. Although, he did find it strange that Matt and Jackie had gone after him. The only real question was why. What was his motive? Was he trying to lure the two Keyblade wielders into a trap in order to make them flunk their examination? Something about that idea didn't fit.
In answer to Sora's question, Slider explained about how he and Fluff were friends of a heroic team called the Cybersquad, which was charged with protecting a universe called Cyberspace. He elaborated on the part where their enemy, a cyborg named Hacker, had allied himself with a few other enemies of the Cybersquad, and how the team had set off to put a stop to their threatening scheme. One of the villains, a witch named Wicked, had magically caused the heroes to be swept away into another dimension so they couldn't interfere with any of Hacker's plans to take over Cyberspace. After that, the two had found themselves separated from their friends in a strange town neither of them recognized. According to a strange figure in a black coat, Slider and Fluff had learned that two of their friends were being held captive. They had attempted to follow him, only to find nothing but the monsters; it was then they had stumbled upon the carnival. Slider had agreed to search further while Fluff stayed in one of the carnival's tents. While searching for any sign of the figure, the skateboarder had come across Sora.
After receiving answers to the majority of his questions, Sora was amazed and slightly uncomfortable. "Wow," he reflected. "That's… quite an adventure you've been through."
"And it's not over yet," Fluff finished.
Sora was taken aback. "Huh?!"
Slider quickly replied, "We still have to stop Hacker."
Sora began to think about what to say to this. If this "Hacker" was aligned with the guy in black, then he would have to help anyway he could. The sixteen-year-old Keyblade wielder finally said, "In that case, is there anything I can do to help?"
Slider and Fluff gave equally surprised looks upon their faces. The latter exclaimed, "You would help us?!"
Sora nodded with a friendly smile growing upon his face. "Of course!" he happily recited. "When the going gets tough, the tough call their friends for help."
Both Slider and Fluff paused in thought. Sora noticed they were looking straight at each other. Finally, after what felt like twenty hours (in reality, it was only twenty seconds), the two turned their attention back to the Keyblader. Fluff was the first to speak. "Sure," the hockey-playing penguin approved. "We can use whatever help we can get."
Slider nodded. "You need to find your friend, too," he added. "Together, we should be able to find them all."
"It's settled!" Sora agreed. "Let's go look."
The trio stepped out through the tent's canvas into the plaza. As their eyes darted about the surrounding grounds of the carnival, Sora thought he sensed an unusually intense amount of sinister energy coming from the direction of a narrow street. This road led away from the square and into a shadow-filled vicinity. He stared at it, realizing he might be feeling the power of Darkness looming further down the road. He muttered to himself, "That guy in the black coat… what's he after?"
Despite this awkward feeling from within, Sora called out to the others. "This way."
Slider and Fluff both stopped what they were doing and looked at Sora, then the street leading into the distant shadows. The former said, "I understand the environment beyond there, but would he really go that way?"
Sora nodded. Seeing this, Fluff added, "Are you sure? We don't have time to make any mistakes."
Once again, Sora nodded. This time, he explained his decision, "I can feel the power of Darkness coming from down that road. The man in black must be down there."
Although a little nervous about heading down a weird street to chase someone suspicious, both Slider and Fluff gave a nod in agreement. The latter said, "Lead the way, Sora."
With a yell of "Come on," Sora took off down the street in a sprint. Slider and Fluff followed quickly behind the brown, spikey-haired Keyblade wielder as he led the two into the shadows. If his feeling proved to be accurate, then Sora knew they were on the trail to their target. That guy in the black coat would definitely have some explaining to do when they caught him. Sora would continue to interrogate, until the guy revealed the information the former wanted.
Riku gradually became conscious as his vision transitioned from a blurred tangle of splattered paint on a warped canvas into an unmistakable picture of a group consisting of two pre-teenagers and a purple robotic-like bird; they were gazing straight down at him with expressions of alarm, concern, and mystification. Realizing he was lying on his back, Riku flipped forwards onto his feet. He relaxed when the others gave deep sighs of relief. With a smirked grin, the Keyblade wielder rapidly remembered their names; he had encountered them in what had happened to be the sleeping world of Traverse Town. Digit was the bird (or cyboid) Riku had first met when the latter had arrived in a fountain square. Matt and Jackie were the two pre-teens Riku had rescued from an enormous, winged, dinosaur-like creature. Digit had claimed they were some of his friends that had gotten trapped in the town with him; their whole group was apparently from another universe known as Cyberspace. Furthermore, someone else had appeared before his eyes, moments before Riku had suddenly grown drowsy and plunged into a deep, serene sleep.
Confused, Riku managed to say, "What happened?"
Matt responded, "Man, you were out for the count! We didn't think you'd ever wake up."
"Yeah," Jackie added. "You just fell asleep."
Riku pondered over this for a few minutes before asking, "But… why did I fall asleep?"
"Tell that to the Angel of Dreams," Digit affirmed.
"The what?!" Riku blurted, feeling very confounded.
His question was answered faster than he thought it would be. His eyes froze in place when a strange girl stepped into view. Riku was speechless; the girl was the same one he had spotted on the rooftop moments before passing out. Her violet hair flowed gracefully down to just below her shoulders. A violet dress covered her body while a pair of violet sandal-like shoes were slipped on her feet. Around her neck was a necklace that bore a symbol, which Riku still assumed was a combination of the Heartless emblem and Organization XIII logo. This time, he also took note that a pair of silver bands were placed upon her wrists. In addition, the Keyblade wielder could sense a powerful Light radiating out from her. To top it off, her whole being was illuminated by a violet glow.
"I'm dreaming, right?" Riku blurted out loud. He was still certain that this girl was a figment of his imagination.
With a clear voice, the girl said, "If you are dreaming what you see in a dream… who is the dreamer?"
Riku was bewildered; the girl spoke like she was real. How could that be? For that matter, she also spoke in mysterious riddles; Riku had no clue what they meant. He paused for a moment before asking, "If you're real, what's your name?"
The girl was confused. "I am Violet — The Angel of Dreams. Do you not recollect me, Riku?"
Riku was astounded the second she called him by name; Digit, Matt, and Jackie looked confused well beyond belief. The silver-haired youth said, "You know my name?! Have we met?"
Violet rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Did you forget the time you proposed a kiss to Kairi so Sora would be envious?"
"What?!" Riku exclaimed in embarrassment. Noticing that Digit was secretly snickering to himself, Riku snarled, "That wasn't funny!"
Digit stopped instantly, even though Matt was smiling and Jackie was giggling aloud. Riku glared at them with a snap of, "Cut it out!"
Startled, the two pre-teens stopped. Disturbed at the actions of the others around her, Violet spoke up. "Riku," she said, trying to sound calm. "I only revealed that confidential wish of yours to prove how I knew you."
As he tried to hide his blushing cheeks, Riku exclaimed, "Well, I hope this is a dream, or I'm living in a nightmare!"
Violet was starting to get irritated. "Riku, open your eyes!" she demanded. "There are no lines between reality and fantasy here! This is really happening and not happening!"
Riku's hands flew from his face to his sides. After hearing what he had, the seventeen-year-old Keyblader suddenly realized why everything around him seemed to be completely far-fetched. The entire world known as "Traverse Town" truly was sleeping between two other universes like Master Yen Sid had believed. The residents were from what sounded like the universe beyond. Yet, because the world was sleeping, everything he was witnessing was most-likely not real, but it was still happening anyway. The idea that something could be happening, but also not happening at the same time was beyond what he was able to understand. He made up his mind to directly request Violet to explain what was going on. For all he knew, she might have seen Sora, too.
With a deep breath, Riku finally said, "Alright! Violet, what's going on? Where's Sora?"
Having been caught off guard, Violet froze for a few moments before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. As her eyelids slowly opened, the angel spoke. "I do not recollect encountering 'Sora'," she admitted with a hint of anxiety. "As for what is occurring, I lack the slightest clue why the stranger in the black coat is lurking amidst the shadows. Like the remainder of you, I have been attempting to resist him since he unleashed newer Nightmares upon this world and several others."
"Wait," Riku interrupted. "That guy is making bad dreams?"
"What good will that do?" Digit presumed aloud.
"Anything but good, Didge," Matt deducted.
Digit paused for a brief moment. "What do you think, Jackie?" he inquired.
"Awe! You're so cute!"
Hearing this response to Digit's question, everyone looked down to see the teenage girl petting one of the rainbow-colored creatures who had stayed behind. The one she was touching was a cat with red ears, an orange head and neck, yellow back, green legs, blue paws, indigo tail, and violet eyes. The creature was purring continuously as Jackie rubbed her hands along its back. Seeing this, Digit scowled in irritation. "I told you," he declared in a stern voice. "Those guys are nothing but… "
"Spirits," Violet intervened, drawing everyone's attention.
Digit looked shocked so far beyond belief, it would appear he had heard something too bizarre to be true. "What?!" The cyboid exclaimed.
"What are 'Spirits'?" Matt quizzed.
As Violet clarified, Riku was beginning to observe the creatures. All of a sudden, he recalled something Master Yen Sid had informed Sora and him about.
Continuing further, Master Yen Sid elaborated, "Keep in mind, the Sleeping Worlds are isolated — cut off from all outside channels. These worlds are said to have their own manner of Darkness. They are called 'Dream Eaters', with two kinds: Nightmares, which devour happy dreams and produce nightmares, and Spirits, which consume the nightmares and produce dreams."
Sora and Riku glanced at each other in surprise. Whatever these creatures were, they knew they sounded very strange. They turned back to hear the rest.
"Since the Nightmares are much like the Heartless," Yen Sid went on. "They will be drawn to the Light. Although the Spirits are less common than the Nightmares, they have a tendency to flock together and pursue any Nightmare they encounter. These Dream Eaters will be your guides — just as the Heartless once guided you — to the keyhole you seek at the heart of each world."
Riku's flashback finished in time to hear Violet say, "For the record, I am the one who created the Spirits."
"Wait," Riku broke in. This caused him to grab everyone else's attention. "You 'created' them?"
Violet nodded in compliance. "Yes, I created the Spirits to dispel the ever-growing population of Nightmares."
Riku nodded in understanding. Out of the blue, he remembered the two questions he still didn't have an answer to. He made up his mind to ask the first one. "Violet," he started to say. "How did you know my secret wish?"
"Your heart knows," Violet responded. "I am the one who defends the dreams of all living things. Wishes are also dreams. In that particular instance, your wish was brought to life. That was how I became aware of it. I naturally venture through the dreams of everyone and everything."
Riku nodded, finally understanding what she had meant. Next, he asked his second question. "So, where do you think that mystery guy in the black coat could be?"
Before the angel could respond, Matt blurted, "After he sent that creature at us, he simply disappeared."
Jackie elaborated, "It's like he never existed. Almost like a hallucination."
"How can someone who is real be a hallucination?" Digit questioned. The cyber bird's query only received looks of confusion from the others.
"If this is a Sleeping World," Riku pondered aloud. He failed to notice everyone looking back at him. The Keyblader continued to think through everything he could make sense of. Finally, he concluded, "That guy in black must be an illusion."
"What?!" Matt, Jackie, and Digit exclaimed upon hearing the statement.
Seeing this, Riku decided to explain what he meant. "Since this town is asleep, everything that is happening within has to be a dreams," he explained. "I didn't quite understand how things could happen and not happen at the same time, but that must be how a dream works. Everything you see in a dream isn't real, though it feels like you're really there. It probably works the same for a world."
Turning to Violet, Riku continued, "It's difficult to comprehend, but I'm sure that's what you meant. Being an Angel of Dreams, you're always experiencing someone's dreams."
With a sigh, Riku finished, "Wish my life could've been a dream. I'll just have to keep pushing that Darkness away."
The Keyblade wielder closed his eyes as he tried to visualize what his life would have been like had he never accepted the Darkness in the first place. If the Light had continually been with him all along, everything would've felt so much brighter. On top of that, he could've been with Sora and Kairi for years and years without worrying about having to walk the "Road To Dawn". As Riku looked up again, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at the group. He looked directly at Violet before saying, "You're lucky."
Violet hesitated upon hearing this statement. She softly sighed, "I would have to state how you are the lucky one, Riku."
Riku nearly leapt out of surprise. Even though Matt, Jackie, and Digit had just been spectating the discussion, the response also made them speechless.
"What do you mean?" Riku stated in reply. This was nowhere close to what he had been expecting.
Violet gave a deep sigh before turning to face everyone. "It is truthful how I get to venture through dreams. I see the dreams, interact with whatever occurs, and hope for a happy closure."
"I see… " Riku muttered out loud. Under no circumstances was it simple for him to keep all his thoughts solely in his mind and not at least utter them to anyone. Noticing this, Digit spoke up, "See what?"
Slightly uncomfortable about someone overhearing, Riku swiftly became aware of what was going on and snapped back into focus. He rushed, "Uh… nothing. Everything's fine."
As Riku gave a small smirked grin upon his face, the Keyblader suddenly felt what appeared to be the power of Darkness. He spun his head towards a nearby street leading beyond the hotel and into the distance down a poorly-lit path. Riku stared at it for a minute before declaring, "That way… "
Matt, Jackie, Digit, and Violet turned towards him. The former asked, "What's up, Riku?"
Riku's eyes kept staring down the road. "I can feel a powerful Darkness down there."
"Could it be that guy?" Jackie pondered.
"I hope not," Digit whimpered. "He sounds really scary!"
Riku just said, "I'm not sure, but it does feel very dark. It almost feels like… like Ansem might be trying to trick me, again."
"Who's 'Ansem'?" Jackie questioned aloud.
Riku didn't respond. He closed his eyes and tried to focus his complete attention towards the street ahead. Ever since he had encountered a member of Organization XIII (named Vexen), he had developed the ability to track a scent of Darkness back to its origin in a similar manner to how a bloodhound trailed a fox. Concentrating with the strength of his heart, Riku was able to pinpoint the source of the power-hungry Darkness. The silver-haired Keyblade wielder opened his eyes and called out to the others, "I've got it. Follow me!"
Riku took off while a still-confused group of Matt, Jackie and Digit, quickly jogged behind. Violet was last; she had shrugged first before joining the others.
Riku was certain the man in the black-hooded coat was waiting down the road ahead.
A/N: ... Not sure what should, might, must, needs to be said...
... I suppose I'll just do two things before signing off.
ONE: This will be the last chapter I post for a [little] while. My Summer Vacation has just begun, but I still need to complete the final revisions on Chapter 4 (almost done) and finish writing Chapter 5 (over half-way written).
TWO: The usual; PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!
This is SoraLego278 saying, "See Ya Later, Keybladers!"