Chapter 3: Terror Trial in the Third

Making quick work of the black creatures that were the heartless, Riza, Charlie, and Josh made it to the doors of the Third District. Stepping forward, Josh pressed his hand against the door. "I can feel vast a mounts of darkness beyond this door. Are you kiddies ready?" he asked, turning toward his companions. They both nodded. He pushed the door open and a wave of darkness hit them like a ton of bricks.

They charged forward into the district, but they saw nothing but darkness. It was completely deserted; no civilians, no heartless, not even suspicious monsters in the shadows. "Where is everyone?" Riza asked, one hand going to her pouch, her the other ready to quickly draw her Keyblade. Charlie's fingers itched with anticipation. Josh pulled up the rear, his Sorcerer's Blade Staff at the ready. The three held their ground in the middle of the district, prepared for anything.

"Fools," Tonnerre mumbled, "In the middle of the square, perfect targets for an ambush." She pulled out a handle-less kunai knife. With a flick of her wrist, the small weapon flew through the air silently--or so she thought. With reflexes so fast the human eye couldn't keep up, Riza deflected the knife with her Keyblade, a kunai knife was out as well.

"Ah, the Keyblade Mistress has some skills at her disposal. Good--you'll need them. Have fun with this heartless!" Tonnerre called from a nearby rooftop before disappearing into the darkening sky. A single raindrop fell on Charlie's nose.

"Rain?" she questioned aloud as a light drizzle began. Lightning illuminated the whole sky, turning the heavy grey clouds briefly white. An abnormally large bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of the trio. Emerging formthe column of light was a golden Heartless, the insignia of the dark creatures blaring on its chest. It resembled a large dragon, with its many horns and spikes shaped like lightning bolts. The area around its glowing yellow eyes was a mask of black. Its wings spread wide as it let out a mighty roar while thunder crashed overhead.

"How the hell are we going to fight that?" quipped Charlie, unsheathing her Elemental Blade of the Gods.

"Hmm," Riza mumbled, looking for a weakness. "Maybe its underside..." With expert precision, the kunai cut through the air, but before it could strike a thin bolt of light knocked it off course. "Yes! Okay, our target is it's underside, aim for the symbol!" Riza told her comrades.

"Roger that!" Josh replied.

"I got'cha back, princess!" Charlie winked. If they weren't fighting for their lives, Riza would have blushed like no tomorrow, which currently appeared that there might not be one for them. Charlie's Elemental Blade's orb glowed a light blue light which spread to the sword's blade. Tiny ice crystals formed in the air around the weapon.

"Can that sword attack from a distance?" Riza asked, glancing ate glaring beast of thunder warily.

"You know it! Frozen Dragon Breath!" Charlie swung her sword diagonally, sending an arctic chill thro ugh the air, hitting the dragon's belly. It roared in pain, then let out a battle cry, sending a maelstrom of bolts toward them.

"Damn it, Josh, do something!" Riza and Charlie shouted together, dodging the attack. Josh, hidden from view, was chanting up a spell. When he muttered the final words, blue beams shot from the gem on his staff, encasing the hind legs of the beast in a thick blanket of ice, keeping it planted to the ground. It yelped as it tried to fly and break free, but it was to no avail. Riza and Charlie ran towards the beast, ready with a plan. Riza first threw her Keyblade boomerang style, her Spinning Shinobi Slam attack, to distract the Heartless, and then launched two shuriken and a handle-less kunai at the creature's chest. All three attacks embedded themselves in the sign upon the Heartless. Charlie then swung her sword, a mighty, icy wind hitting he same spot also, freezing the ninja's weapons in their place. The dragon roared in a pained voice, trying to scratch off the ice and the source of its pain. The Key of the Ukaizr returned to its master's grip, Riza confidant the assault would stop the Dragon Heartless.

To everyone's surprise, it opened its mouth wide, in a would-be silent scream if the sound of crackling electricity didn't permeswate the air. A giant bolt of lightning was launched from the gaping maw, which was directed at the swordswoman. Charlie wasn't fast enough to dodge and was caught in the attack. She was thrown from her position, landing with a dull thud several feet away, twitching on the ground as stray currents traveled over her body. Or, that's what she imagined would happen if there wasn't for Riza, blacked-out in front of the blinding light and holding off the attack with her Keyblade. As the attack subsided, Riza held her Keyblade in her usual stance. Charlie took up her blade, and stood next to Riza. "Thanks, Riza." It wasn't sweetie, princess, mistress, or sweetheart. It was just Riza.

"No problem, that's what comrades do for one another," Riza replied.

"That's what friends do," Charlie corrected her. The two stood shoulder to shoulder, with the towering beast in front of them. It was panting heavily from the attack and its wounds. The ice had chilled its skin, contracting around the sharp blades, making the wounds more painful. The Heartless lashed out blindly with one of its claws, but its opponents were out of reach. However, the electricity-charged air around the claw forced the girls to jump out of the way.

Josh let loose a powerful spell as the girls retreated to relative safety. The spell roared through the air and crashed into the beast. Taking advantage over the swaying creature, Riza and Charlie split formation to then rush forward and attack, Riza using her Ninja Rush technique and Charlie using an Arctic Chill Buster. They both skidded to a halt behind the beast. The ice around it's hind claws shattered and the monster fell. It's body dissolved into a haze before it could hit the ground. The heart that it had consumed gently floated away, returning to its owner.

The three watched the heart disappear into the orange sky, the rain clouds dispersed. "So what now?" Riza asked, her Keyblade disappearing while she was collecting her weapons. The orb of Charlie's sword's returned to its normal dull grey, the ice power disappearing as she sheathed it. Josh's staff disappeared in a flash of light.

"I guess we head back to the twins. They might be able to point us in the right direction," Josh suggested and began to walk back to the Second district, leaving the two girls standing alone.

Riza began to follow him, but Charlie stood looking around the plaza. Riza turned back to face the girl. "Are you coming?" she questioned.

"Yeah, be right there sweetie," Charlie replied with a smirk.

"Geez! Can you stop that? Do you like seeing me blush or something?" Riza shouted, her voice echoing throughout the empty district.

"Hahah! Why, of course I do, hon! Hahah!" Charlie ran off before the frustrated yet smiling Riza could land a punch on her.

"Fools. All of them. They think that defeating that one heartless will stop us? Never! Even if you destroy all the heartless, we will still have some tricks up our sleeves. Just wait, Keyblade Mistress, for you'll rue the day that weapon chose you." Glace's icy tone washed over the room. An ice-blue mist poured from under Glace's trench coat, filling the area with its bite. Feu, in the shadows, watched with a chilling sensation flowing down his spine. He near-fled the room, only to bump into Tonnerre.

"Why are you doing here?" he asked, playing dumb.

"They beat my heartless. They just grouped together, but they moved like a well oiled-machine. Are you sure we'll be able to beat them?" the smaller girl asked.

"Yeah, no sweat for us." Feu patted her on the head then continued to walk down the dark hall.

"Yeah...I guess. Hmm...Oh, Eau!" Tonnerre skipped down the hall towards the pool room, the one place she knew where the water master resided.

"So you were able to defeat that Heartles? Good, very good," Nyte commended.

"So what happens now?" Riza asked the twins.

"Ain't it simple?" A voice wondered incredulously. It was Kou, the store owner, who had spoken up. "Defeat the Heartless."

"And with our ship, it'll take no time to finish them off," Josh mentioned. "From there, we'll make our next move."

"Are you nuts?!" Kou yelled. "Interspace travel is dangerous. With those Heartless flying all around, you'll get shot down before you can even hit Mach 3!"

"You take me for a fool?!" Josh yelled back. "We have weaponry, shields, and armor so tough not even the King of Hell could get through it!"

"Guys," Riza uttered. "Guys!" Again, her plea was still muffled by their heated argument over, in her opinion, who could prove they had more testosterone. "GUYS!" The two men ceased their fighting and stared at her. Riza by now had forgotten what she was going to tell them.

Charlie swung her arm over the ninja's shoulders. "I think Mistress here is trying to ask is, how do we find these worlds? I mean, Josh and I knew what to look for when we left our kingdom, but what about finding a whole new world?" Charlie stated, grinning.

"Thanks," Riza muttered under her breath.

"Simple," The twins said together.

"We can provide the parts necessary to navigate though open space," Dae explained.

Nyte continued, "We'll go install them and come back in pbout an half an hour. It'll be ready by then." Nyte ran off with an excited bounce in his step, happy to have another ship to work on. Dae followed, sighing at his brother's antics.

"I better get back to the store. Been havin' trouble with some rowdy riff-raff excuses for kids." Kou left it at that and walked off mumbling about some well-deserved child abuse.

"So, what now? What can we do for a half an hour?" Riza asked innocently. Charlie got an evil glint in her eye that scared Riza. Josh knew what was brewing and backed away to a safer distance.

"You're on your own, kid," he told Riza, whistling lightly as he edged closer to the door.

"Itoh Josh, get your magic-casting ass back in here!" Riza barely made out before Charlie leaped through the air and tackled the oblivious ninja.

Leaning in close to Riza's ear while pinning her to the floor, Charlie whispered, "I'm going to so own you." Riza gulped with ill-repressed fear.

Twenty minutes later, Riza was panting heavily from exhaustion, "Charlie...Charlie...I can't...do this any...anymore..."

"Suck it up! You can handle five more minutes. Hah!"

"But my hands are sore, my arms feel weak, and I think my knees are going to give out."

"Fine, we'll stop, you wimp. We gotta leave soon anyway," Charlie stepped away from the humming machine. "Told you I'd own you!"

"Look, just because you had pinball back in your kingdom, doesn't mean the whole universe was as technologically advanced!" Riza huffed.

"Ha! Come on, Ukaizr! The way you played, I'd say you're a natural! Give yourself some more credit. I bet we could find another machine somewhere else. Heh, I should have known you were good with your hands." Charlie opened the arcade door for the Keyblade wielder.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Riza turned around on a dime outside said building.

"Hahah! You're a ninja, no? The way you handle your shuriken, you gotta have nimble fingers and flexible wrists. I've dealt with ninjas, worked with them, and seen them in action long before I met you. I know good hands when I see them." The older girl took Riza's hands in her own and studed them, "Yep, you got a good pair of hands here." Charlie grinned in a way that sent Riza for a loop; she couldn't decide whether to be on her guard or just relax. She chose the latter. The two burst into laughter simultaneously.

Josh was waiting impatiently by the newly upgraded ship. "It's 'bout time," he quipped. "What were you two doing?"

Charlie was about to say something, but seeing a hint of mischief dancing in the swordswoman's eyes, Riza quickly covered the older woman's mouth with her hand. "Charlie was only teaching my pinball. We lost track of time." Riza tried to smile, even though she could feel Charlie's tongue run over her palm in a childish attempt to free her mouth from the ninja's leather-gloved hand, so it came out in a twisted, forced grin. Josh rolled his eyes and turned away from the embarrassing scene. Charlie, wearing a devious smirk once Riza ripped her hand away, stuck her tongue out in a juvenile fashion.

I'm traveling with a bunch of damned children! Josh's mind screamed to him.

"Ready to go?" Dae called just before Josh could scold the two bickering women.

"Darn..." Nyte whined. "I gave you some sweet upgrades in your ship. Double barrel lasers, six funnel emitters, turbo boost, sonar, those navigational parts you needed, as well as short-distance warp drive. Oh, and lest we forget...LEATHER INTERIOR! Mwuhahaha!" Nyte cackled.

"Please excuse him, he puts leather interiors in everything..." Dae sighed, thinking back to their rooms. Why Teacher let him decorate our rooms is beyond me. He did like to watch us torture each other.

"Can we go now?" Josh groused.

"Of course. Good luck warriors!" Dae exclaimed, and Nyte too bid his well-wishes. The trio waved and entered the ship.

"Where to first? East or west?" Josh asked from the cockpit of the vessel exiting Sunset Suburbia's atmosphere.

"East!"

"West!"

Riza and Charlie yelled together. "You know what this means?" Charlie asked, fight present in her voice.

"Of course. I'm going to own you this time! Payback for pinball!"

They pulled back their fists and let them fly towards the other. Josh wished to jump in to intervene, but there was no need; no fist-on-face action, no fighting what-so-ever, except for the ending result of a battle of 'Rock-Paper-Scissors.' Riza pulled a rock-over-scissors victory, Josh held the bridge of his nose, and Charlie wept over her loss. "Ok, Josh! We head west!"

Josh pulled himself together, dragging his hand over his face. Nevermind the heartless taking my heart...These two are going to give me a heart attack! He deduced as the ship sped off toward the western world.

Feu-Fire

Eau-Water

Tonnerre-Thunder

Glace-Ice

TBC