Thank you to all who have reviewed! I haven't posted since last year... o.o SORRY. But I'll try and continue this fanfic. :3
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts!! (Unfortunately.)
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"So, are you really sure it's Sora? What are we looking for in Hollow Bastion? Is Hollow Bastion really cool? Is it, Riku? Have you been there? Are you ready? Can we go?"
Riku's gritted his teeth and his hands tightened on the Gummi Ship's steerer as Selphie fired a bucket load of questions at him.
"We'll be leaving soon," Riku answered, coldly, carefully avoiding Selphie's admiring gaze.
Behind them, Chip and Dale chattered constantly, throwing sympathetic glances in Riku's way. They could already see the annoyance set in his face while Selphie remained in oblivion about Riku's irritation.
Chip cleared his throat.
"You are ready for take-off!" he announced.
"Oh, how exciting!" Selphie piped up and before he could stop her, held Riku's hand.
Riku snatched his hand away as quick as lightning and glowered intensely at Selphie. She didn't seem to notice.
Riku leaned back in his seat and waited for the countdown.
"3… 2… 1…" Chip's voice droned at full blast from the speakers.
"0!"
The Gummi Ship whirred into action and whizzed out into space at the pace of a speeding bullet and soon Riku, Selphie and their ship was gliding through nothingness, searching for Hollow Bastion.
He swerved hastily to the right to avoid a spinning missile and only then did he realize that Selphie was going a funny shade of green.
In spite of himself, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Selphie clung to her seat and wheezed. "We're going… too fast…"
So that was it. Riku grinned and shrugged.
"Better get used to it then."
He pushed the speed level to the maximum and whizzed past a few idle space rocks.
Selphie clutched onto her seat for dear life.
"Riku!" she squeaked, her voice hardly audible over the roaring engines. "This isn't funny! Slow down!"
Riku bit back his laughter and reluctantly obliged, turning the speed way, way down.
The engines spluttered a bit then settled down with a cough of silvery smoke.
Selphie jolted in her seat and sighed with relief as the nausea left her. "Thank you."
Riku cast her a sidelong glance and concealed a smirk. Selphie was fun to terrify.
They sat in tranquil silence for a while, lucky enough not to encounter some great hulking space beast or speedy meteor rocks. Soon, a familiar castle rose up in the horizon.
Selphie leaned forward eagerly to look. "There it is! Hollow Bastion!"
Riku nodded and got ready to land as bumpily as he could. This was going to be interesting.
He lowered the Gummi Ship to the rocky ground and it skimmed along the surface of the lake.
"What are you doing, Riku?!" Selphie cried, her green eyes widening in alarm. "You can't land in the water!"
Riku shrugged. "Alright then…"
He turned the ship sharply and scraped along the gravelly path at an awkward angle. The Gummi Ship tilted dangerously, much to Riku's delight and Selphie's dismay.
"RIKU!" Selphie desperately grabbed at the dashboard and her fingers slipped over a few red buttons.
Three missiles were shot out and they spiralled into the waterfall.
KA-SPLASH!
There was a huge explosion of water and smoke. Selphie covered her mouth with both hands and Riku stopped the Gummi Ship and groaned. So much for making a good first impression on Leon and the others…
"What happened here?" a sharp voice topped the still-gushing water.
Riku and Selphie peered anxiously from the ship.
Standing there was a teenage girl sporting black attire. Her short black hair was slightly poofed up by a red headband tied back loosely and her hazel eyes looked steely. She hopped down from the boulder she was standing on and landed in the shallow side of the water, sloshing down to Riku with heavy brown boots.
Riku swung the Gummi Ship door open and clambered out. He heard Selphie scramble out behind him and Riku slammed the door.
He nodded coolly at the girl.
This must be Yuffie, he thought. Sora had told him about her – a feisty and free-spirited ninja. And a formidable fighter.
"Yuffie," Riku uttered, while Selphie hid behind him.
Yuffie's glare wavered slightly and a smile broke out onto her face. "Riku?"
The cloud of uncertainty left Yuffie's face. "How did you get here? When? And what happened?"
She gestured to the waterfall.
Riku glanced guiltily down at his feet.
"An accident," he said, apologetically.
Yuffie snuck closer, lifting her chin to see over Riku's shoulder. "And who's this?"
Riku snorted, not even bothering to introduce his companion formally.
"This is Selphie. The one who made the explosion." he told Yuffie, flatly.
Selphie emerged from behind Riku's back and nodded shyly. "Sorry about that."
Yuffie just laughed and waved the matter off. "No worries! Happens all the time!"
Riku arched an eyebrow. "You mean having three missiles blow up your waterfall is a daily occurrence?"
Yuffie giggled and shrugged. "No harm done. Follow me now! It's time you met Leon and the gang!"
She darted quickly out of sight before Riku and Selphie could even take a step.
"Hey!" Selphie tried to catch up.
Riku lunged forward, almost tripping himself up. "Wait for us, Yuffie! We don't know this place very well!"
The black blur that was Yuffie paused and she stood atop a shabby building, arms akimbo. "You have to learn to keep up, you know. I live in the fast lane!"
Riku rolled his eyes and hid his wheezing by breathing as softly as he could. "I can see that."
Selphie clumsily stumbled up behind him, weighed down by her bow and quiver of finely-carved arrows.
Riku tilted his chin up and looked embarrassed, almost disgusted, by his so-called 'mission partner'.
Yuffie leapt down from the rickety building with ease, landing on her two feet without even stumbling. Riku could not help but sigh in admiration.
For Selphie's sake, Yuffie decided to walk leisurely alongside them.
Yuffie strolled nimbly along with perfect grace while Selphie struggled with her weapons.
After a while, Yuffie looked at Riku pointedly. "You still haven't told me how you got here."
Riku breathed in a deep breath. "Well, it all started when some mysterious force broke a barrier so I went to investigate it and then – "
He voice faltered. " – and then I saw Sora for the first time in… years."
Riku didn't notice Yuffie's bemused expression change to a grave and shocked face.
"In years?" Yuffie frowned deeply. "Whaddya mean?"
Riku avoided Yuffie's eyes and instead looked at the ground. "When I reached the island, everyone one there. Everyone except Sora. We waited for him. Oh, we waited and waited. He just… never came back."
Silence hung in the air, quietly suffocating Riku.
After what seemed like years, Yuffie cleared her throat to speak. "Merlin's house is just up there."
Selphie's shoulders relaxed in relief and Riku felt the tension wash away.
"Let's go then!" Selphie grinned and lumbered along beside Yuffie. Riku lagged behind the both of them, feeling awkward.
It pained Riku to utter that name, let alone declare it to strangers he'd just met. Sora. Doubt coursed through the mind. What if that person he saw in the forest wasn't Sora at all? What if he had been cheated into hoping for his old friend to return?
His heart sped up. He felt as if he were hanging onto the edge of a cliff with one finger. A strand of hope… that was all he needed. But was it enough?
Trying to get his mind off things that he couldn't change, he watched his surroundings with expressionless eyes. Hollow Bastion had changed a lot since he'd been there last. There was no sign of that big dark castle anymore. It was replaced by welcoming streets, lined with stalls and shacks.
Friendly moogles bobbed up occasionally, shouting "KUPO!" at the newcomers. Ahh, moogles. Riku's mouth twitched and ached to smile. He hadn't seen one in years. Riku almost missed those little plushie-like critters, with their tiny purple wings and red pom pom on their heads…
A voice sliced through him. "We're heeeeeeeeeeeeeere!"
That was Yuffie.
Riku was suddenly aware of the cosy home before him. It was made with planks of wood and slightly worn down but he liked it already.
Yuffie barged in with her boots making a huge racket. Selphie slipped in after her. Riku paused before going in, being the victim of one of sharp and blustery gust.
"What's the big fuss all about?" came the bellow from the house.
Riku stifled a laugh and, feeling a bit better, went in as well. At once, he was showered with attention and all eyes were on him. He scanned his surroundings uneasily, at a man with corn-coloured hair sitting in front of a huge computer, an old magician, a woman in pink with three long brown braids and sparkling green eyes and three unidentified beings. They were small and appeared to be girls with elaborate clothing.
One had shoulder-length brown hair and had a tiny gun sticking out from her pocket. The second one was all smiles, with fiery orange hair that was plaited and twisted in a dizzying way. The last had a grim expression on her face and narrowed maroon eyes. More grimness showed in her gray hair and black clothing.
They were swamped in silence as everyone studied everyone else. Finally, the blonde man spoke.
"Who have you got there, Yuffie?" Riku recognised the voice. He was the one who had bellowed before.
Yuffie grinned. "This is Selphie and this is Riku."
She hesitated then introduced everyone else.
"This is Cid," she said, pointing to the man.
Yuffie turned swiftly to the woman in pink. "She's Aerith. The magician's name is Merlin. And those…"
She nodded to the three pixie-like girls. "They're teeny-boppers."
"Hey!" the orange-haired one quipped. "We have names too, y'know!"
She hopped from the table she had been standing on and stopped in mid-flight, hovering in front of Riku's face. "I'm Rikku!"
"I'm Yuna," the gunner piped up.
The gray-haired one gave them a dismissive look. "The name's Paine."
"Hi! Nice to meet you all!" Selphie chirruped.
Merlin chuckled until his tall, pointy hat shook. Riku stared at the hat – it was so strange and unworldly. The bright yellow stars and moon patterns on it seemed to be moving.
'An illusion,' Riku told himself, silently.
"Nice to meet you too," Merlin said, "and welcome to the Radiant Garden!"
Riku's eyes clouded in confusion. "Radiant… Garden? Isn't this Hollow Bastion?"
Aerith shook her head. "We've renamed it Radiant Garden. The name 'Hollow Bastion' wasn't very… friendly."
Riku opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a new voice.
"Well, well, well. What have we got here?"
Everyone's attention was immediately turned to the tall man who stood in the doorway. He face was tilted down, slightly, causing his shaggy brown hair to fall against his scarred face.
Riku was transfixed by the gigantic sword grasped in the man's hand. It was like no weapon he'd ever seen before.
"Leon!" Yuffie exclaimed, brightly, leaping to his side in a swift cat-like bound. "Meet Riku and Selphie! They're friends of Sora."
Riku mentally deflated at the sound of that name again. A smile froze on his face. Selphie cast a look at Riku and edged closer to him until their shoulders were almost touching. This time, Riku did not pull away.
Leon raised his head to study the pair. His eyebrows furrowed and his sharp blue gaze grew in intensity. "Hmph."
He folded his arms.
Yuffie glared at Leon in confusion. "What?! Why are you acting so grumpy for?"
Leon continued to stare at Riku and Selphie, who were as puzzled as Yuffie. "If this is true, then why has Sora not come with you?"
Riku drew a ragged breath and looked to Selphie to explain. It was all too painful to repeat. But Selphie, too, had seemed to lose all confidence. She looked away and pretended to look at the large computer screen.
Yuffie somehow maintained the grin that seemed fixed onto her mouth. "Oh... long story. We'll talk about it la –"
"No, I want to know now," Leon interrupted. His glass smooth voice didn't hide the frost that was beginning to form.
Yuffie's smile blinked into non-existence. She sat heavily onto the seat beside Cid. "Sora's gone. He never returned to the island."
Silence.
A few stifled gasps, but other than that – silence.
Another few moments passed before Leon spoke again. "What?"
Riku swallowed. "I saw him again, in another world. I came here to search for him."
"And we're looking for some weird thing that's crashing through all the world barriers!" Selphie's input was accompanied by what she hoped was a heroic pose – one hand holding the bow and the other grasping an arrow.
"This is bad news," Leon's eyes wandered and he absently hefted his massive sword onto his shoulder. "If you saw Sora, and suddenly all these barriers are being shattered... they must be connected."
Riku nodded slowly. It made sense. But a doubt still nagged him.
"But what if I was mistaken? What if it wasn't really Sora? But someone else?"
Leon's reply was simple. "We'll just have to find out..."
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Bwee! –happy jig- Now review! XD