Jazzerman here, I do not own any of these characters, they are owned by their respected companies, as many as there are. You've heard this crap before. I DO own the OCs. If you'd like to use them in a fic, just tell me.
Am I Heartless?
Part 7
Sora and Riku went on to explain at length how they came to know Orin. How Sora and Kairi met him, how Orin flipped out when Kairi touched him, how the Heartless attacked them, about the emblem that refuses to be hidden, what Orin had told Sora and the gang about his past, and in the end Leon asked the real hard question... Was Orin a Heartless?
"We can't give you a definite yes or no Leon." Sora said, "If Orin is a Heartless he's not like any Heartless we've ever seen."
Yuffie blinked. "Man this is strange... Hey Leon you think Orin's what the Heartless are turning the town upside down for?"
Leon just tapped his chin, very deep in thought. This was a lot to consider and Leon knew he had to proceed carefully. "Yuffie, close the blinds. We don't want anyone to see we have a Heartless inside Merlin's house otherwise we may have trouble."
Yuffie looked at Leon for a second but a glance from Leon's hard eyes told her she should do as she's told. As Yuffie closed the blinds around the room the room darkened slightly but thankfully the cloth curtains were not thick enough to cut out even half of the normal amount of light.
"This lab you escaped from," Leon said as he looked up at Orin. "Was it here in this town?"
"I think it is. But from the condition I've seen of the castle it may no longer exist." Orin said.
Leon shook his head. "I wouldn't advise going there anyway, there's no telling what calls that place home now. Besides the castle isn't a sturdy as it used to be. You guys might crash through the floors before you get past the front door."
The gang didn't like the thought of crashing through the castle's basements so the thought of searching the castle was tossed out the window.
"I could look through the old security files from Ansem's computer database. I'm sure he'd want a record of whatever it is he did in there." Cid turned and began to type on his keyboard again. "I'll also look up yer name, if you lived here you should be in the birth records. What's yer last name again kid?"
"Orin Penwheel." Orin said, quickly deciding that Cid could use the correct spelling of his name. This he reasoned by asking himself if he could spell Yuffie's last name. "O-R-I-N, P-E-N-W-H-E-E-L."
Cid nodded what the others could only guess was a thanks as he worked his computer wizardry. After a few minutes Cid stopped and stretched. "Well, I think I found a relative of yours kid."
The gang gathered around the screen to see a picture of an aging man with a kind look about him. He had short brown hair with a touch of silver, a thin beard that did nothing to hide the smile on his face, and bright blue eyes. Sora and a few of the others glanced over to see Orin was grinning like a child who was about to get a piece of candy.
"That's my father, Jerrad Penwheel." Orin said proudly.
"Yeah, it says here that he was the custodian for Ansem the wise." Sora said as he pointed out the part that said so by tapping on the screen. Only to have his hand slapped away by an irritated Cid.
"Hands off the screen kid. You'll smudge it with your fingers and this thing isn't the easiest thing to clean." Cid snapped.
Sora gave a cry of surprise as he waved his hand to rid it of the sharp sting Cid's powerful hand had delivered. "Ouch... Sor-ry..."
Cid scrolled down as he the rest of the group read along. But as they did their faces went from excited to sympathetic. The record read that Jerrad Penwheel was among the first to fall to the Heartless just before the Heartless took over the town.
Orin backed away from the group and sank to his knees. His shoddy memories were now all that he had to remind him of his father. And to ad insult to injury if he really was Heartless than he could end up just like the creatures that k- no... he wouldn't even think that word. Not in conjunction with the man who raised him. He was so immersed in his thoughts Orin didn't even feel the tears streaming from his yellow eyes.
'He's crying... Can Heartless cry?' Yuffie asked herself mentally as she walked over and patted Orin on the back. "Hey, take it easy. Things could be worse ya know."
Orin looked up at the ninja girl, his tear stained eyes glaring up at her for her insensitive words. "How could they be worse?" He asked harshly.
Yuffie turned her nose up at him. "You don't have to bite my head off, I'm just trying to make you feel better."
Riku walked over and whispered in Yuffie's ear. "And you're not doing a very good job."
"Who asked you?" Yuffie shot at Riku, sending him a very nasty look.
Donald and Goofy both chuckled at the festivities that were taking place. Both agreed that they should've brought popcorn.
Cid covertly motioned for Leon to come over. He apparently had something he wanted to say and didn't want the others to hear.
"What is it Cid?" Leon asked as he stood next to the expert engineer.
Cid looked over at Leon with a curious, almost confused look on his face. "Things just ain't adding up. It doesn't say anything about this Jerrad havin' a kid. It doesn't even say he was married or nuthin."
Leon narrowed his eyes and looked back at Orin. There was certainly more to this kid than what met the eye.
"Something wrong Leon?" Aerith asked once she noticed the look on his face.
Leon shook his head. "Dunno. Something about this just seems off..."
Aerith looked at Leon, then at what he was looking at. "Orin seems like a nice guy. Give him a chance Leon."
Leon looked at Aerith's cheerful face. What was it about her that made him take everything she said into consideration regardless of what he thought? Leon looked into her bright green eyes and slowly nodded his head. "Alright Aerith... I'll give him a chance..."
Yuffie meanwhile was still on the fence about him. He may look human but so did Ansem, Xehanort's Heartless and he nearly shouded all the worlds in darkness. However Orin acted nothing like anyone bad she had ever known. And there's the whole incident when they met, like how he snapped at her for touching those things on his head.
"You guys take some time off and go visit the shops, I'm sure you guys would like some time to look around." Leon said.
Sora and Kairi smiled and nodded. But they realized that Orin couldn't come with them to look on account of how he looked.
Orin walked over to the corner and slumped against the wall and slid down until he was sitting down with his knees up to his chin. "Don't worry I'll be right over here... staying out of the way..."
"See you guys later." Riku said as he opened the door and walked out.
"Riku?" Kairi said in a confused tone, but soon thought she'd loose him in the crowd if she didn't go after him. "Hey wait up!"
Sora looked over at Orin then raced after Riku and Kairi with Goofy and Donald in pursuit.
"What was his problem?" Cid muttered as he paused from looking through the computer database and turned to look back at the door.
"Does he need a reason?" Yuffie said she rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's get back to work."
"Like you do any work around here..." Cid muttered incoherently as he turned back to the computer terminal.
---
Riku wandered into the market place and sat down at a public bench. He looked around at the town and the people as they went about their business. Riku found it hard to believe that last time he was here all that populated this world was Heartless. Bad memories of how Xehanort's Heartless had used him returned and a mixture of anger both towards the parasite that took over his body and at himself for allowing it to influence him to hurt so many people.
"Hey Riku! Come here quick!" Kairi called over to her white haired friend, snapping him out of his little guilt trip.
Riku ran over and found that Kairi was standing in front of the accessory shop next to Sora who had a slightly annoyed look on his face.
"What's going on guys?" Riku asked.
"I wanted Sora to get me that cool earring up there but he doesn't have enough munny." Kairi said as she pointed out what was labeled as a 'Mage Earring'.
'Even after all the things we've been through she'll still act like a girl when around a shop that sells earrings, rings, bracelets, and things like that.'
Riku thought as he rolled his eyes and dug around in his pocket.
All together Sora and Riku had barely enough to buy one of the earrings for Kairi. What little they had left over they split evenly between them. As soon as Kairi got a hold of her new earring she put it on and gave both boys a thank you hug.
"Thanks guys, I owe you one." Kairi said as she turned to admire her reflection in the mirror that was on the shop. "But after everything that's happened I think it's just a drop in the bucket."
"Yeah, but don't worry about it Kairi." Sora said despite how his munny pouch felt a little too light for his liking. "We're friends and friends don't owe each other for things like that. I know you two would come looking for me if I was kidnapped."
"I dunno, I think I might let them keep you for a while Sora. Maybe I'll get a little peace and quiet then." Riku teased as he poked Sora in the chest.
Sora smirked and jabbed his friend likewise in the chest. "Oh and I looked for your butt twice now and that's the thanks I'd get?"
Both young men looked each other in the eye and burst out laughing. Kairi just smiled and shook her head. Is this how they were going to act now that they were back together?
This little moment was spoiled as a small black hand touched the back of Kairi's neck. Kairi let out a surprised yelp as she leapt away from the hand to see a small Shadow cocking its small head from side to side as it stared at Kairi while it hung from the ceiling buy a single clawed hand. Instantly the tiny Heatless was vanquished by a stroke of Riku's 'Way to the Dawn' keyblade before any of the townsfolk had noticed it. If they there was no doubt there would have been a riot.
"You okay Kairi?" Riku asked as he unsummoned his keyblade, sending it back to wherever it is keyblades go when they were not needed.
Kairi nodded as she caught up with herself and took a breath to relax herself. "I'm okay, it just touched the back of my neck that's all."
"Good. But I guess this proves that the Heartless really are back." Sora said, relieved that Kairi was alright. He had only noticed the Heartless a second before Riku had slain it, Riku was certainly more skilled than he had been last time they spared.
Goofy and Donald suddenly interrupted the three young people with a familiar yellow canine along with them.
"Pluto! Hi boy!" Sora cried ecstatically as he bent down to pet the King's dog.
"We found this in his collar." Donald said as he handed Sora a small rolled up piece of paper with a familiar marking on it.
"It's from the King." Sora unrolled the note and read it with haste. "It says we need to see the King, it doesn't say why it just says it's urgent..."
"We should take Orin with us. Maybe the King knows something about him." Kairi said with a fair amount of hope in her voice.
The gang readily agreed and headed back towards Merlin's house.
---
As the gang re-entered Merlin's house they were greeted once more by the restoration committee. Orin was still in the corner and still looking somewhat distraught.
"Something on your mind Sora?" Aerith asked as she bent over a little to look Sora to him on his level.
Sora stammered a little as he got a good look at Aeirth's cheerful face. She sure could look pretty when she wanted to. The keyblade's chosen wielder had to cough and turn away to regain his composure before he could begin. "We got a message from the King so we'll be heading there to talk to him."
Aerith stood back up but her smile remained on her face. She thought Sora was such a nice kid, it was hard to believe he saved her world twice now. "Are you leaving right now?"
"It says it's urgent so I guess we'll be going right now." Sora said. "Although it doesn't really say what's so important."
Orin got up and walked over the rest of the gang. He trusted Kairi and Sora more than these people. The whole time they had just kept glancing over at him like he was going to do something bad. Maybe he'd get a better reception where they were going next.
"Well, have a nice trip guys. Come back soon." Yuffie said and gave the group a bright smile.
Leon smirked. "I hope it's a nice trip Yuffie, because you're going with them."
Yuffie's jaw nearly hit the floor. "WHAT? Why?"
"You're obviously not happy doing all your hard back-breaking labor." Leon said with a vicious smile on his face. "So it's either go with them, or do all the work you've shirked since we began restoring the town."
Yuffie shuddered as she looked over at the post-it board which was covered in notes that were jobs for her to do. Yuffie took a breath and walked behind Riku and Sora and put her arms on both of their shoulders and pushed them towards the door. "Come on guys lets get going. No time like the present ya know! Tootles Leon!"
Leon chuckled but as soon as Yuffie had pushed both young men out the door it turned into a full blown case of laughter. Cid joined in as he remembered the look on Yuffie's face when she saw all the work she still had to do.
"Say Leon, does Yuffie really have all that to do?" Aerith asked as she pointed to the post-it board.
Leon shook his head. "Only about half of it, most of the work has been done already by other volunteers."
Aerith giggled and put her arms behind her back. "So you DO have a naughty side don't you Leon?"
Cid took a relaxing breath, eased back and put his feet up on one of Merlin's many stacks of books. "I'm just glad I'll get some peace and quiet now since the old coot AND the squirt are both gone now."
"Don't get too comfortable Cid." Leon said, his voice no longer had that smug sarcastic tone he got whenever he thought he was being funny. "I want you to check everything in that computer of Ansem's until you get something on that kid."
Cid had known Leon long enough to be able to tell he was now being completely serious and rather than risk having to argue Cid put his feet down and got to his feet. "Okay Leon I'll go. But you're coming with me to old Ansem's study just in case the Heartless decide to take an interest in us."
Leon nodded and followed as Cid led the way.
To be continued...