(Robotnik's advancing on Knothole, while Vexen's hiding in the shadows. Riku and the Freedom Fighters better catch on soon or prepare to do battle before it's too late! I don't own the Freedom Fighters, Sonic, Riku, or Organization XIII; I don't own Sonic, SatAM or Kingdom Hearts, as they are owned by Square-Enix, DIC, and SEGA respectively.)
CHAPTER 9
"Feel better?" Riku asked gently, as he held Tails in his arms and petted the young fox as if he were a sad puppy, noticing the kit's sobs had died down.
"I'll be fine," Tails said quietly as he looked up and wiped his eyes, showing a smile, "thanks Riku."
"No problem, Tails," Riku smiled back and ruffled the kit's hair, making him giggle.
"D'awwww, now ain't that a cute little ole' moment?" Bunnie's voice cooed out softly from the doorway.
Riku looked over his shoulder to see Bunnie smiling at them fondly as she stood in the doorway. Something about Bunnie's warm smile just made Riku's heart melt.
"Well, Riku, I've gotta go now," Tails said as he dropped down to the floor, "Sonic and Aunt Sally promised they'd train me on some stealth techniques. I've gotta be silent and swift when I sneak around Robotropolis." He wandered out of Bunnie's hut through the door. "Bye Riku! Bye Aunt Bunnie!"
Riku and Bunnie both waved Tails goodbye, as he left to meet up with Sonic and Sally, leaving them alone.
"Ah saw you and Tails bondin' together," Bunnie said with a smile.
"Hm?" Riku turned to her. "What's that you said?"
"Ah said, Ah saw you and Tails back there. What you were doin' for him was really sweet, ya know? Him, losin' his parents like that," she frowned a little with a sad look, "it was tough for the little sugah-fox. It was tough for all of us, losin' our families like that…" A tear escaped from her eye.
'Shit…everyone here's really suffered their share of hardships…' Riku thought somberly, 'And all to one man…who literally has an iron fist. This "Robotnik" could really give Ansem a run for his money.'
"We've lost our homes…our families…our friends…and some of us even lost our free will," Bunnie went on sadly, before looking at her metal appendages with a little bitterness, "Ah may not have lost mah free will, but these roboticized parts courtesy of Robotnik are worse than any ole scar…" More tears escaped from her eyes as she remembered her roboticization at the hands of Robotnik.
"And here I was, earlier, accusing you of enhancing them yourself for eco-terrorism," Riku said guiltily, hanging his head a little, "that was BEYOND insensitive of me, not even knowing what you went through."
Bunnie sniffled a little and shook here head, wiping away a tear, "It's ok, sugah. Y-you didn't know…"
"Still…" Riku took a deep breath and walked towards Bunnie, before throwing his arms around her and hugging her tightly yet comfortingly, "I'm sorry…sorry for the accusations and jumping to all the wrong conclusions with you AND the others."
Bunnie gasped a little as she felt Riku suddenly hug her tightly, taking her emotions by surprise. Blushing lightly, Bunnie hugged back just as tightly and lovingly, letting her self cry on the human boy's shoulder.
Riku just stood there, hugging Bunnie for all it was worth, letting the bunny girl cry her eyes out on his shoulder and feeling his heart go out to her. 'Poor girl,' he thought, 'I can't even imagine what "roboticization" must be like… But the way she is now…it must be excruciating both mentally and physically. Having your flesh and bone being converted to metal, piece by piece, HAS to be painful… If it were bad enough getting half roboticized, I'm afraid to think what it's like becoming fully roboticized.' He gently stroked Bunnie's back as he held her in his comforting embrace.
Tails, meanwhile, was practicing being stealthy as he hid behind the bushes, trying to remain hidden and undetectable. 'Gotta stay silent,' he thought, 'can't let the bad guys see me, or it's all over…' He crept silently and swiftly across the bushes, before stopping at the very end, spying a few stacked wooden crates. He carefully peeked out of the bushes, searching carefully for anyone who might be watching. 'Nobody's around…so all I have to do is just rush over behind those crates while the coast is clear, then I can-' A sudden rustling in the bushes behind nearly made Tails jump, but he tried to keep calm for his training. Figuring it was either Sonic or Sally trying to test him, by pretending to be an ambushing enemy; Tails crept towards the source of the rustling. 'Nice try guys…but I'm on to you,' he thought before he grabbed the bushes and thrust them open.
SPROING! A small black insect-like shadow suddenly leapt out of the bushes.
"AAAAAAH!!!" Tails cried out and ran from the bushes, before being pounced on by Sonic and Sally. "AH!"
"Gotcha little bro!" Sonic said with a smile, "Ya gotta keep quiet if ya wanna be stealthy Tails."
"Sonic's right," Sally agreed, "If you shout like that when something surprises you you'll give yourself away."
Tails groaned, realizing what he just did. "I couldn't help it! That "thing" surprised me."
"What thing?" Sonic inquired, "What are you talking about?"
"Some big black bug shadow leapt out of the bushes," Tails said, "I thought it was you or Aunt Sally behind, trying to psyche me out, but when I pulled back the bushes it just leapt out and nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Big black bug?" Sally looked confused. "What exactly did it look like, Tails?"
"Well it looked like…" He looked away from Sally, as something caught his eyes. "Like those things!" He exclaimed in surprise and pointed.
Sonic and Sally looked in the direction tails was pointing, to see 3 large insect-like creatures; black as night with beady yellow eyes and little tree branch-like claws.
"Whoa! What the heck are those things!?" Sonic shouted and went in a defensive stance.
"Nicole! Analyze the creatures before us," Sally ordered as she pointed Nicole at the insectoids.
"No analyses available at this time, Sally," the little computer beeped, "Creatures detected are of unknown origin and body structure."
"Unknown origin and body structure?" Sally repeated with confusion and worry as she glanced at the beings before her.
"They definitely don't look like one of Robotnik's junk piles," Sonic commented with narrowed eyes. "Whoa! Would you look at that?" His eyes widened in shock as he suddenly saw the creatures begin to individually split and multiply into individual entities.
"They're multiplying…" Sally said in slight fear as the insectoids began to advance toward them, still growing in numbers.
"Hold on! This hedgehog's gonna squish those bugs!" Sonic zipped towards the insectoids before leaping into the air with a sonic spin and launching him self at one group; he buzz-sawed right through the creeps, causing them to burst into puffs of black smoke. "Whoa!" He shouted as he landed to the side and watched them dissolve. "What the heck are these things made of?" He asked himself, before a few of the bugs started to jump at him, slashing their claws wildly. Sonic jumped to the side, and leapt off the ground with a jump kick, knocking a few bugs out of the air and causing them to land with "poof" sounds as they too dissolved into smoke.
Sally had drawn out her laser pistol and was firing at any "shadow-bugs" that were coming at her and Tails, whom she stood in front of, trying to protect him. "Stay back, Tails! We don't know what these things are capable of!" She shouted, before blasting one out of the sky.
Sonic buzz-sawed through another group of bugs; he nimbly dodged the quick slashing claws and of another group that had suddenly snuck up on him out of nowhere. "These things just keep commin' and appearin' outta nowhere! What gives?" He cried, before launching a speedy jump kick at them, only to have the beasties suddenly "melt" into the ground, literally becoming shadows as they moved about erratically on the grass. "What the heck!?" Sonic shouted as he watched the shadows dart about, kicking and stomping them in vain. "Sal, these things are turnin' into shadows!"
"I already know!" Sally replied as she tried to shoot at the scurrying shadows, succeeding in only blasting earth and dirt, even if she shot a shadow at point blank. One shadow darted right under her before she could shoot, before it reformed into an insectoid right behind Sally and Tails.
"Aunt Sally!" Tails cried out as the bug suddenly pounced at them.
Whirling around, Sally quickly took Tails and leapt to the side, throwing their selves out of harms way; the shadow bug only managed to slash Sally's right boot, cutting through the fabric but not penetrating the skin.
Sonic was fighting off "shadow-bugs" by the numbers, beating some into black smoke, while trying to strike at others which became shadows on the ground; he seemed to have everything under control. Suddenly some of the "shadows" regained their original form and pounced at Sonic from behind without warning. Before Sonic caught fight them off, the insectoids just piled on top of him, pinning him down. "NYAH! Get offa me!" He yelled, trying to squirm out, but they kept piling on top, pinning him down. "Sal!"
Sally and Tails, however, could not help Sonic, as they two were swarmed by the shadow bugs. Sally was holding Tails like a child, trying to protect him as the creatures piled on top of her, scrambling and clawing at her back. "Sonic! I can't get free!"
Tails quickly scrambled out of Sally grip and made a run for it. "Sonic! Aunt Sally! I'm going to get help!" He curled up his Tails and flew off, spinning his tails like a helicopter rotor, with the strange creatures tailing him a she started to head for Bunnie's hut. "Aunt Bunnie! Riku!"
Riku was still comforting Bunnie as he held the now calm girl, when both were brought out of their moment when they heard Tails' cries. Riku broke the embrace and ran to the window, just in time to see Tails running towards them chased by creatures he recognized all too well. "What the-HEARTLESS!?" Riku leapt out the window and summoned up his Keyblade to his hand. "Tails! Get out of the way!"
Tails cried out and tripped as a Heartless leapt at him, flailing its claws about wildly at the fox boy. It would have most likely taken Tails' heart, if not met with a swipe from Riku's Keyblade that smashed right through its shadowy body, turning it to black smoke.
Riku landed on the ground, in front of Tails, facing the Heartless before him. "I should've known! Scar's Nobody was just the tip of the iceberg! Now I've got you goddamn Heartless to deal with, again!" Riku dashed towards the nearest Heartless, being met with furious swipes from their claws, but jumped over the Shadow and turning around to face it, assaulting it with one swipe from his Keyblade. More Heartless swarmed him, going from shadows on the ground to solid Heartless, only to be met with quick horizontal swipes from Way to the Dawn, causing black smoke to billow and puff everywhere along with hearts to float up to the sky. "How the hell did they find this world!?" Riku wondered aloud as another small group of heartless came his way. "Someone must've brought them here!" Levitating into the air with dark energy, Riku unleashed his "Dark Aura" attack; he shot forward, cleaving right through the party of Heartless like a steak knife through meat, before cleaving right through them again and again from other angles, slicing his Keyblade through the Heartless, releasing smoke and hearts up into the sky. The Heartless never stood a chance as Riku assaulted them from various directions like an angry bee and pierced through their shadowy bodies. Riku finished his assault with an explosion of black flames from the ground, destroying the last of the Heartless.
'Wow! That was so cool!' Tails thought as he scrambled to his feet.
'Oh mah stars!' Bunnie thought with wonder, 'Sugah-Riku jus' slashed those shadow bugs up like they were nothin'!'
"Riku!" Tails ran up to the silver haired boy frantically. "Sonic and Aunt Sally are at the mercy of those shadow bugs! You have to come and help them!"
'Son of a bitch! They're spreading through the village quickly!' Riku thought worriedly. "Take me to them!" Riku ordered.
"This way!" Tails ran back to where Sonic and Sally were, with both Riku and Bunnie hot on his heels.
When the trio got back to where Sonic and Sally were, the two were completely swamped in Heartless, unable to move or cry out, except for muffled pleads for help. However, the Heartless attention was soon averted from Sonic and Sally, the moment Riku appeared.
"Hey, Heartless!" Riku shouted out. "Why don't you leave the furries alone and pick on a more delectable target?" He taunted, showing them the Way to the Dawn Keyblade. "DARK FIRE!" Riku raised a free hand and shot a ball of black fire at the Heartless, burning some into smoke and shadows, while knocking others off of Sonic.
Seeing his chance, Sonic leapt to his feet. "Thanks for the help, Riku! I'll handle this! Juice time!" Sonic revved up his feet and took for the Heartless pile around Sally, running around in circles at a velocity high enough to blow the Heartless off the squirrel princess.
Sally could feel the weight of the Heartless lift off of her, coupled with the swirling winds and sounds of Sonic's speed. When she lifted her head and sat up on her knees, she saw Sonic holding his hand out to her to help her up.
"You ok there, Sal?" Sonic asked with a smile.
Sally took Sonic's hand as he helped her up. "What happened to those creatures? I thought they buried you too?"
"They did," Sonic admitted, "Even the ole' hedgehog was getting' swamped by those shadow bugs… But Riku over here just saved our butts from those bugs," He pointed a thumb at Riku.
"Thanks for the help Riku," Sally smiled and bowed in thanks, "those weird black insects had us surrounded and swamped."
Riku, however, had a worried frown on his face. "Those were no insects," he said gravely, "Those were Heartless; the same Heartless I told you about earlier."
"WHAT!?" Sonic, Tails and Sally all cast fearful looks at Riku.
"Hey, ya'll!" Bunnie suddenly arrived, only to see the terrified looks on her friend's faces, along with the grim facial expression on Riku's face. "Oh mah… Is somethin's nasty commin' in our little ole' way?"
Riku simply nodded. "You're lucky I came when I did; those Heartless could have very well taken your hearts. Frankly, I don't know HOW they found this world or who brought them here, but I do know that if they came here, they've already found this world's Keyhole and they're likely after this world's heart and Keyhole."
"Correct, young Riku," a deep, sinister voice purred, "but then of course, being a key bearer, it's most likely common knowledge for you."
Riku's eyes widened as the predatory purr poured into his ear. "That voice…is that…?"
"Robotnik!?" Sonic suddenly went on edge and looked around feverishly. "Wh-what's going on here!? That was Robotnik's voice I heard! He can't possibly be in Knothole Village!"
"Oh, but I can, hedgehog," Robotnik's voice stated with a smug, arrogant tone, as if he had already won a game he was about to play, "and I already am."
Sally's face went pale at the thought of Robotnik actually finding the secret home of the Freedom Fighters. "Wh-Where are you, Robotnik?! Show yourself! How did you get here?"
"Oh, it's simple really…if you're a Heartless that is," a portal of darkness opened up in the ground, as if a large puddle of oil was spilling onto the earth. Seconds later, the balding, mustachioed, overweight form of Robotnik arose from the ground. Indeed, it was Robotnik, but he had some significant changes; his Caucasian skin was suddenly a few tones darker as if he had gotten a deep tan, both of his arms were now flesh and blood, instead of one being roboticized, and his normally red and black suit was all black with each quadrant sporting a Heartless symbol. "Ah, good afternoon, Princess," Robotnik's Heartless mock bowed to a horrified/enraged princess Sally, "and to you, my dear Riku," he grinned maliciously at the silver haired key bearer.
"Robotnik," Riku stepped forward in disbelief, "you're a Heartless!?"
"Indeed, I am," Robotnik chuckled proudly, "I have your friend, Zexion, to thank for it."
"Zexion!?" Riku stumbled back in unpleasant surprise and disbelief. 'No way…. No way! That's not possible! Zexion's dead!' Riku thought frantically. 'How could he have survived?' "That's impossible!" Riku protested. "Zexion's dead! I defeated him!"
"Maybe so," Robotnik reasoned with an evil smile, "But to my knowledge, he's at Robotropolis and very much alive, along with his two friends… I believe their names were Vexen and Lexaeus. It's because of those three that I learned of the Heartless." All around Robotnik's Heartless, SWAT Heartless began to appear out of puffs of black and purple smoke, standing there with their long armored arms and claws waving about and their soulless yellow eyes staring at Riku and the Freedom Fighters from their dome shaped heads.
"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed as he got into a fighting stance. "What the heck are those; are they some new type of SWATbot?!"
Riku growled as he griped his Keyblade and stared down the new intrudes. "Not exactly…those seem more like SWATbot/Heartless hybrids!"
Up in the treetops above, Vexen watched the entire scene with interest. "So, now the specimens are set and prepared," he told himself with a smile, "it's time for my little experiment to begin! Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh…"
TO BE CONTINUED