Captured! Xavier and Pete
Riku and Tine walked down to the Sunset Station. They were still a little uncomfortable with each other. "So, what do you plan to do now?" Riku asked. He and Tine had spent all night talking about his experiences in the war against the darkness. Tine had been horrified when she heard about how Maleficent had used Riku for her own corrupted ends. She was glad that Riku had triumphed over Xeonhort's Heartless that lived within him for a long time afterwards. She also expressed happiness that Sora had given the hag a solid ass kicking.
"I don't know" said Tine. "I can't…I can't face Sora again. He'll kill me, and I don't want to fight him again. Besides, I don't know whether the urge to kill more Keyblade Masters will arise in me again."
Riku shook his head. "Don't worry. Maybe Merlin or the King could find something that would help you."
Tine shrugged. "I don't think that your King could help me" Tine said. "I am what I am. I'm a living weapon Riku, one forged from the darkness." She walked on a little bit leaving Riku behind. "I can't think of anything to really do" Tine continued. "I might just stay here in Twilight Town. People don't seem to ask too many questions about where you come from when you live here. They just accept it as being the way it is."
Riku frowned. "But you're really strong! Once you've recovered to full strength, you might be able to help us beat Organization XIII. I have to warn Sora that they're back." Suddenly another thought occurred to him. "If Organization XIII is back, then they must be out of a base. After all, Maleficent is occupying the Castle That Never Was and using it as her fortress. I wonder what was on the other side of that Dark Corridor that Organization agent came out of."
"Who is Organization XIII? And why did they want me? That man with the sitar said that he was going to take me back with him."
Riku explained who and what the members the Organization were.
"Nobodies, eh?" Tine said. "Sounds like you've got more problems then I have. Why should I team up with Sora of all people? He almost killed me!"
"After you tried to kill him first" Riku reminded. "Think of helping us as a repayment for what you did in Radiant Garden."
Tine suddenly grew angry. "What do I have to be sorry for in Radiant Garden? I did what I had to and wanted to do! I can do whatever I want! Don't try to tell me what my purpose in life is, Riku! I already had Maleficent try to do it, and I won't have anyone do it. I decide for myself." With that Tine ran off toward Market Street.
"Jeez" Riku sighed. He didn't know what he had said that was wrong. Girls were touchy, he thought as he took off after her. "Tine!" Riku called, but she didn't look back. "Come back" he called. Tine was already gaining back her strength and was almost impossible to follow. The streetlights were beginning to go off, and Riku could see that the sun was poking up over the horizon.
Tine ran down alleys that lead to Central Station to escape that boy. Who did he think he was? She was a free entity, free to go or do whatever she felt was right. If she decided to slaughter the whole town, then that would be fine, as long as she thought it was right! That was how she lived, how she was going to live for the rest of her life. The Keyblade Masters had no right to take that away from her. If they did then she would fight them to the death rather than submit to the "justice" of the light and its pawns. "I don't need any of them" Tine muttered to herself. "I wasn't created to have any friends, and that's how I'll stay." Of further irritation, the weird attraction she felt for this silver haired boy. That was the worst of all. She could not become infatuated with a Keyblade Master. If she did then it would make her weak, she would hesitate when the crucial moment of the kill came. She could still hear Riku coming after her. With his powers gone, he couldn't sense her aura and he went right past the ally that she was hiding in. "Stupid fool" Tine muttered, and went off to find Central Station. Instead, a large, fat shadow blocked the dawn light coming in though the ally.
"Well, if it ain't Roman Numeral Thirteen!" said a familiar voice.
"Pete?" Tine asked, more annoyed than scared. She could take care of this fat oaf with ease. This was getting tiresome. First the Keyblade fools had to find her, then Maleficent. It was like being in the center of a hurricane. The Keybladers wanted her dead, Maleficent wanted her alive and a brainwashed zombie, and Organization XIII…well, she wasn't really sure what they wanted from her, but she had a feeling that it didn't go along with anything that she would do normally.
Pete stepped forward from the alley entrance. "Alright, experiment!" he commanded. "You're coming with me, whether you want to or not!"
"Get out of my way" Tine said to him. "If you don't I'll turn you into such a bloody mass that Maleficent will have to use magic to figure out what you once were."
"Y-you can't t-t-talk to me l-like that!" Pete stammered. "I am your master!"
"You're nothing to me" Tine hissed, and her eyes glowed yellow in the darkness of the alley. Pete backed up a few steps before her rage. Even a dolt like him could feel a surge of dark energy in the air.
"Fine! I'll get you the hard way!" Pete roared. He rolled a dark ball of energy toward her. Tine saw it coming and stepped aside, but Pete laughed. The ball changed direction and slammed into the backs of her legs, causing an explosion. "One point for me!" Pete cheered.
Tine summoned a shield of energy around herself. The explosion had bounced harmlessly off this field and dispersed. While Tine was congratulating herself on this latest work, Pete jumped high into the air and made a large shockwave, cracking the pavement. Tine jumped over it, and slammed her fist into his face. The force sent Maleficent's lackey flying across the alley, all the way into the Station Plaza.
Pete looked up to see Tine's large black sword pointed at his head. It looked amazingly like that Auron guy's that Hades had summoned.
"Stay away from me" Tine said. "I'm not some prize to be fought over. I'm my own free person, with my own feelings. If you ever, ever try to capture me again, I will kill you. Understand?"
"U-understand" Pete gulped. This was a disaster…but perhaps it could be remedied. Xavier's flyers could be helpful in capturing this little brat. A little brat that he had helped make into this!
Suddenly, a fireball hit Tine in the back. She cried out and staggered forward. "What was that?" she asked. Pete looked up to see two people standing in the Plaza. A young woman with pink hair and a staff was pointing it at Tine. Another man, tall and thin with a weasel like face was holding a large sword in a guard position.
"You're Pete?" the man with the sword asked.
"Who wants to know?" Pete asked.
"Our boss---Xavier" the mage said.
"Oh, this isn't happening" Tine muttered. She swung her sword at the mage, but it was repelled, making the weapon jolt out of her hands.
"Protect" said the mage. "It is an honor to meet you…Roman Numeral Thirteen. Maleficent has told us many things about you in her letters, yes."
"Too bad we have to smash you!!" the man with the sword was gone in an instant. Then there was a blinding flash and an instant of terrible pain. It was only then that Tine realized that the man had slashed her with his sword. Sudden fear gripped her. If they beat her up much more, they were going to kill her. They thought she was a super powered freak, which she was, but what they didn't realize was that she was still hurt. Tine balanced on her hands and swung her legs out in a circle. She caught the man with the sword under his jaw. He went flying across the square and landed with a sickening thump. There was a crunch at the sound of bone breaking. There was a howl of rage and pain.
"Wait!" Pete said. "I have to take her back to Maleficent. Don't hurt her too badly!"
The mage shook her head, as a Dark Corridor appeared a few feet away. "Doesn't matter. The boss is coming. He'll do whatever he wants to do now."
"Well, don't let him hurt Tine too badly!" he said.
The mage shook her head again. "The boss does whatever he wants. Only Zane and Lain can command his attention."
What she meant by this was completely lost on Pete, but he got the meaning of it. Xavier himself was coming through that gate and he would do whatever he wanted to, regardless of what he, Pete protested.
A boot stepped out of the Dark Corridor. A boy of about nineteen appeared. Xavier's shaggy blue hair had feather tied in it, and his eyes were a strange red color. He wore mismatched mixes of armor, and steel shod boots. His hands were clad in armored gloves that let the fingers poke through. He grinned the arrogant grin of someone who sees a situation in which they could easily win, and have fun while doing it.
"Hey! Ernie! Fate! What's happening?" he asked cheerfully. "I was just about to go with Lain to Bar Sec and then I decided to check up on our latest job. So what's the situation?"
The man who was apparently named Ernie stumbled over to his boss. "Sorry we took so long boss" he said. "The brat's giving us more trouble than we expected." He cradled his broken arm with his right hand.
"Actually, if you're still alive, then she's giving less than I thought she would" Xavier said. The Nobody walked right past Pete without a word.
"I don't care…if there are a thousand of you" Tine snarled. "No one will take my freedom from me without a fight." She raised her fists.
"Gahahahahahaha!" Xavier laughed. "You don't want to step into the ring with me little girl" he said. "Do you know who I am?" he asked.
"No" said Tine. A dark aura began to glow around her body. "And I don't much care. All I care about right now is getting away."
"Well, I can tell you" said Xavier. "We both have something in common." He grinned and said "former number thirteen in the Organization. Xavier, the Flamboyant Brawler."
Tine was suddenly wrapped in a cocoon of energy. When it faded her clothes had changed. Instead of the old ones, she now wore a red t shirt and gray jeans. The silver sneakers had been replaced with black. Around her neck, a chain bearing the Heartless insignia hung. "Interesting" said Tine. "It always has to be on some ornament."
"Why did you do that?" the Flamboyant Brawler asked. "That was a waste of time. Were I a little less honorable, I could have attacked you while you did that little bit of vanity."
Tine shook her head. "Not vanity. Necessity. After all, once I kill you all, I'll need to be out of here. Since I can't change my physical appearance I can at least change my clothes."
Xavier nodded. "Good, good. I like it. Now, let's get it going." He raised his own fists. Tine realized that Xavier's gloves had been fashioned with hard armored backs for extra hard hitting.
"A fist battle, huh?" Tine said. "Fine. I can go without my sword." She rushed across the Station Plaza at him. As she neared the Nobody, Tine realized that she was attacking the same kind of being that had tried to take her earlier that day. This made her feel heavy with dread. It was partly his aura. It wasn't light or dark. It was just nothing. It felt wrong, and she didn't like it. Then Tine realized that her arms and legs weren't heavy from fear! Some other force was responsible. Her body began to feel as if it weighed a thousand pounds. Then those pounds became tons. Tine sank to her knees, and then fell forward. She was surprised to see the pavement crack under her as if she really did weigh that amount.
"You've gotta lay off that Sea Salt ice cream" Xavier smiled. "Look at all the extra weight you've put on, girlie."
"What…what did you do to me, you nonexistent freak?!" Tine snarled.
Xavier smiled. His hands were glowing with an odd silvery light. "I can control the power of gravity" he said. "With this power, the weight or lightness of an object is mine to decide. If I wanted you to weigh less than this feather in my hair, then you would. I could kill you right now while you lay helpless, too heavy to even move. Gahahahahahaha!"
"Die" Tine spat at him.
"I'd love to do that, sweetie" he said seriously. "Sadly we Nobodies are immortal…at least until we die by a weapon, or are joined to our Others. But that's another issue. You're coming with me."
"I'll never come with you!" Tine shrieked and tried to get up. It was no use. It was like being frozen. Xavier walked over to Pete.
"Is that satisfactory, Cap'n Pete?" he asked. "I used non lethal force, just like you wanted." Then Xavier's joking manner faded. "But there's another issue. One that requires our immediate attention. I'll tell you about it back at headquarters."
"But I don't need to go there!" Pete protested. "I've got all I need right now. I'll give you the munny. Then I can---"
"You can't go back to the World That Never Was" Xavier interrupted. "Well, you could, I suppose. But you'd have a very nasty surprise waiting for you!"
"What do you mean?" Pete asked, worried.
"The boss said later" said Fate. "So he means later." She pointed her staff at Pete. "Now get moving before I cast something nasty on you."
A Dark Corridor formed in front of the Station doors. Ernie and Fate began to drag Tine across the Plaza. "Ah…boss?" asked Fate. "Could you make this thing a little lighter? We can barely lift it."
Tine snarled at them, both from the fact that she had been captured by those she considered beneath her, and the fact that she did not like being referred to like an object, as an "it".
"But if I make her any lighter, then she'll be able to move" Xavier said. "That's the problem with this power" he complained. He looked at Pete. "You have no idea how many of the people I've had to hunt down over my career have escaped because my Nobodies couldn't carry them, and I made the victim lighter."
"It must have been bad" Pete agreed.
Xavier walked over and picked Tine up. "Well" he said, slinging her over his shoulder. "It's a good thing that the difference in gravity makes no difference to me!" he said and laughed at his own joke. He was still laughing when a blue ball of flame slammed into the ground near him, sending chips of rock and other debris flying. "Huh?" Xavier asked. As the smoke cleared, the form of Riku could clearly be seen.
"Let her go" said Riku in a deadly calm voice.
"No way!!" Xavier yelled in an I'm-Pretending-To-Be-Angry voice. "She's mine!!"
Riku pointed Way To Dawn at the Nobody. "Didn't you hear me? Let her go, or I'll slice that nasty grin right off your nonexistent face."
Xavier dropped Tine, who made a large imprint on the ground from her weight. "Alright, let's go" he said.
"Who the heck are you anyway?" Riku demanded.
"I am the Flamboyant Brawler" said Xavier. He shrugged. "You're welcome to attack anytime and anyway you wish.
"Don't play with me! Nobody!" Riku roared. He charged at Xavier, Way To Dawn held out in a cutting motion. He swung at the Nobody.
Xavier stood there, not even bothering to defend himself. "Hmmm…a Keyblade, eh?" he said. "Well, your duty to the worlds is about to become a lot heavier, ha ha!" he held up his hand and it glowed with silver light. Then, Xavier's face became surprised.
"No! What the---" Riku came down hard on him swinging Way To Dawn. Xavier teleported out of the way. "Whew! Missed!" the Nobody said in relief. "But how did you do it?"
Riku smiled grimly. "I'm wise to your kind's ways, Nobody. You manipulate the person in front of you with your powers. If someone were to charge you head on, like Tine did, they'd be trapped in an instant. But I dodged back at exactly the second I felt you charge up your power. Now, how about letting my friend go?"
Tine's eyes widened at the word "friend."
Xavier sighed. "I guess you're more than I expected out of an opponent. But unfortunately for you, there's munny involved in this. And if munny's involved than you can bet your ass that Xavier's going to stick through to the end!" he charged forward.
Riku dodged out of the way of Xavier's powerful punch and ran toward Tine's prone body. He went to get her, but was pulled back and slammed with bone snapping force into the ground.
"Ugghhhh!" he screamed. Xavier stood over him. His red eyes glowed with greed at the thought of the munny reward and amusement at the sight of his opponent down on the ground.
"Little brats who don't listen, need to be taught" he rumbled in a deep snarling voice. He kicked Riku clear across the Plaza. Riku felt even more of his ribs snap and groaned.
"I think that's a wrap" Xavier said. Before Riku's rage filled eyes, he picked Tine up and walked up the stairs to the Corridor.
"No! Tine!" Riku yelled.
Pete stopped by Riku's body for a minute. "This one's for Maleficent" he said, and spit on Riku head. Then he hurried off after the group as Xavier, Ernie, Fate and Tine passed through.
"Noooooooo!" Riku shrieked. He felt like the most desolate, foolish and weak person in the universe at that moment. He had been beaten by a former member of Organization XIII who was helping Maleficent. Obviously Xavier was a mercenary of some kind, a soldier for hire. He must have been paid by Maleficent. Riku pulled himself up, using the a bush.
"Got…to…get…Kairi…" he muttered. He staggered through the streets. The sun was fully up now, and people were starting to come out of their houses. The sun never fully rose in Twilight Town, so even at this early hour (6:02 A.M.) it appeared late afternoon. Suddenly, he heard a voice.
"Oh my God! Riku, are you alright?" he turned to see Ollette. She was looking at his terrible condition.
"I'm…I'm not alright. I have to get a phone so I can call the Dusk Hotel! My friend Kairi is staying there. I have an important message for her."
Ollette grabbed Riku's arm. "My dad owns a florist shop. We have a phone there. It's the closest."
"Thanks" Riku said. The two of them burst into the shop.
"Sorry dad!" Ollette said as they ran by a man who was coming out of the back office. Riku looked at the phone on the wall. He inserted a few money orbs into the slot. He then dialed the Dusk Hotel's number.
"Kairi?" he gasped when he got her room.
"Yeah, what is it?" Kairi snapped. "I just got out of the shower Riku. I was planning on watching some TV. Did you find that monster Tine."
"I found her and a whole pack of trouble" said Riku, and without letting her aske questions, he began to explain.
So ends another chapter! Please review! I love them, good or bad!