When You're Strange
Chapter 4
Touching Nerves
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He was in the field again. It was the same as before. The sun had yet to rise, but it was just over the horizon. He had no doubts it would be the same as last time, but all the same he didn't move. He knew he couldn't outrun the light, and there was nowhere to hide in the shadows. He prepared for the pain, but instead of the sun rising over the horizon a figure began to walk toward him. The person was obviously feminine but that was all he could make out as her body shone brilliantly, obscuring any other details. She broke into an inhumanly fast sprint and within seconds was standing right in front of him. Before he could react he was backhanded to the ground. She then proceeded to raise her hand, summoning a ball of light…
Without warning a black fist knocked her to the ground. He turned to see a figure in a hooded cloak standing next to him. The figure ignored him completely, focusing its gaze on the woman, who quickly stood up and fired a beam of light at the figure. The figure responded with a similar action, shooting a stream of dark mass that met and then overtook the beam, knocking the woman back to the ground. She struggled and attempted to rise, but soon collapsed and dispersed into sparkles of light. After the last had dissipated, the figure turned to him.
Pathetic. Although it was obviously the figure speaking, he heard the voice inside his head.
"Who are you?" he asked, scooting back a bit. The figure removed its hood. His eyes widened in shock as he looked at the exposed face.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Afraid of the dark?"
The face was his own, down to the last detail except for one. His eyes were amber colored and let out a slight glow.
"Wake up, loser."
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Sora's eyes shot open. He was lying down staring at a ceiling that seemed oddly familiar. He tried to get up but his stomach had other plans as it sent a shot of pain through him. He groaned and quickly lied back down.
"Hey! He's up!"
Before Sora could turn his head a small figure flew in front of his face.
"Don't move," she ordered. Turning her head she said, "Yuna, get Aerith in here!"
"Ok!"
"You're…" Sora began.
"It's Rikku," she answered. "We never really introduced ourselves last time. Yuna went to get Aerith, and Paine's taking care of one of your friends."
"'My friends?'"
Sora turned his head to see Riku lying on the floor with a blanket covering him from the shoulders down and a pillow under his head. A small figure with silver hair and a black outfit was nearby, placing a damp towel on his head. Kairi was lying on a table not far from him, also covered in the same way. Sora himself was on a bed.
"How's Riku?" he asked the other pixie.
"Uh, I'm fine," responded the blonde in front of him.
"No, his name is Riku, too."
"He's doing fine," said Paine, flying over to Sora. "Well, fine compared to you anyway."
"And Kairi?" he asked.
"She's in the best shape of all of you," Rikku answered. "But she's still a bit banged up."
Sora wanted to get up see for himself, but he felt particularly weak and in pain. He was forced to simply nod and take their word for it.
"I'm in Radiant Garden?" he asked. They both nodded.
"Merlin's house to be exact," answered Paine. " It's a bit crowded here, but Aerith said it might not be a good idea to move you yet."
"It still isn't," said an angelic voice. Sora craned his head to see Aerith walking in with the last of the pixie trio, who according to Rikku was named Yuna. "It's good to see you up. How are you?"
"Horrible," he answered. "But I guess it's thanks to you I feel like crap instead of being dead. Thanks."
She smiled and nodded. She raised a hand above his abdomen and a curga spell went to work, relieving him of his pain.
"And now?"
"Much better. And am I done?"
"If only. I've done this over ten times already. After about an hour the wound worsens again. I don't what's going on." Her eyes began to flutter as her head sagged a bit.
"You alright?"
"Just tired. That's what happens when you're the only healer in town that can handle something like this."
"Thank you." She nodded in response. "Are you having the same problem with Riku and Kairi?"
"No. Their wounds have been healed for a while and have stayed that way. But they must be exhausted. Kairi still hasn't woken up yet. The boy, Riku, got up once and we explained what happened to him. He just needs some more rest."
Sora cautiously lifted himself to a sitting position, happy to find that nothing was stopping him. Just then the front door swung open and in ran a familiar face.
"Sora!" she said, sprinting to his side.
"Hey Yuffie! You seem happier than usual."
"Why wouldn't I be? You're finally up! I was afraid you'd bought the big one! Are you Ok?" She quickly turned to Aerith. "Is he Ok?"
"I'm Ok!" Sora assured her. "Seriously Yuffie, what's gotten into you?"
"You, man!" She unexpectedly hugged him tightly. "We owe our home, getting our lives back, to you! If you bit the dust, I don't know what I'd do!" She began to gently sob onto his shoulder.
"Wow… I didn't know you cared that much."
She released him and wiped her eyes. "Of course! You're one of my best friends!"
"I guess she's still a little shaken up," said a male voice. Sora looked to the door to see Leon leaning against the door. Cid was standing next to him, lighting a cigarette.
"Leon! Cid!"
"How're ya doin', kid?" Cid greeted. "Finally done countin' sheep?"
"I hope so," he answered. "What do you mean she's still shaken up?" he asked Leon.
"We were all pretty shocked to hear you were in such a bad condition. But Yuffie and the trio were the ones who actually saw you arrive."
"We have names, you know!" shouted Rikku.
"You were all in bad shape, but you were particularly injured," explained Yuna. "If Aerith didn't get here sooner you might have, well…"
Sora shuddered at that.
"Needless to say, seeing you all messed up like that was unsettling," finished Paine.
"Yuffie took it pretty hard," said Leon.
"Yeah. She wuz walkin' back 'an forth like-"
"Shut up, Cid! That's enough!" Yuffie burst out, her face beet red. "It's not like I'm his girlfriend!"
"Hey, I'm not the one that took off like bottle rocket when the fairy came with the news."
"Looks like you're a real ladies man, Sora." Everyone turned to see Riku sitting up, keeping the wet towel to his forehead.
"How long have you been watching?" Sora asked.
"Long enough," he smirked. "Make sure Kairi doesn't get the wrong idea."
"Don't think I won't beat you just 'cause you're healing!" Yuffie threatened. Everyone else laughed, making her feel even more embarrassed. "Please stop," she muttered.
"Ok, we're done," said Sora. Yuffie sighed in relief as the color in her face died down. "Hey, where's Merlin?"
"He went to see Yen Sid," Cid answered. "Somethin' about rumors of a new race ou there."
"A new race?" At that moment, Kairi began to stir.
"Ooh. Where am I?"
The Gullwings flew over to her. "You're safe," answered Yuna. "Don't try and get up too fast."
"Who are you three?"
"The Gullwings. I'm Yuna."
"Name's Rikku!"
"Paine."
Kairi slowly got up and looked around. "Sora! Riku!"
"Nice to see you're up," Sora responded.
"And all of you guys!"
"Good to see you, too" responded Leon with a short wave.
"Are you feeling alright?" asked Aerith, walking toward her.
"A little dizzy," she admitted.
Aerith gently pushed her back down. "Lie down for a little while longer. You should be fine soon."
Kairi nodded. "Where are we?"
"Radiant Garden! More specifically the H.Q. of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee!" answered Yuffie proudly. "Although I guess soon we'll be calling it the "Radiant Garden Maintenance Committee" or something like that."
"Almost done, huh?" asked Sora. Yuffie happily nodded.
"'Radiant Garden,'" muttered Kairi. "Isn't that the place that used to be Hollow Bastion? How did we get here?"
"That bastard brought us here," Riku answered in a grim tone.
"You mean… He brought us here?" Sora asked. Riku nodded. "Why the hell would he do that?"
"From what Yuffie told me, it sounded like he wanted a rematch," answered Leon. "He told her to tell you that he was waiting at the Dark Depths, but when she and I arrived there was no one there."
"He wanted a rematch?" asked Kairi. " Shouldn't it be us who would challenge him?"
"Don't ask me," Yuffie answered. "I'm just the messenger."
"So just who wuz that feller anyway?" asked Cid.
"Not a damn idea," said Riku. "We didn't get a name or even see his face. Watch it if you ever run into to him. He's way powerful, so don't take him on."
"You can't really expect us to just let him pass after what he's done to you guys," said Yuffie. "'Sides, he said he'd have no problem if anyone else joined in on the next fight. I say we take him up on his offer!"
"As much as I'd like to beat his face in, I'd be more than happy if I never saw him again," Kairi stated. "He was totally out of control."
"And just how do you define 'in control?'"
Everyone looked for the voice's source when suddenly a black corridor opened not far from the door. Out stepped the one person no one wanted to see, dressed in an identical cloak to the one that had been destroyed before. Sora, Riku, and Kairi jumped up and summoned their keyblades. Leon brandished his gunblade while Yuffie brought out her shuriken. Cid and Aerith both tensed, ready to fight. Yuna, Rikku and Paine hid behind Kairi, peeking out from behind her shoulders.
"What the hell are you doing here?" demanded Sora.
"I came to see what the holdup was," he answered. "It's been almost a day since I dropped you guys off. Figured you woulda been up and at 'em a while ago. Started to worry 'bout ya."
"As if we'll ever believe that, you monster!" shouted Kairi angrily. "You almost killed us!"
"Ok, so I was a little rough, cut me some slack! Holding back isn't something I'm particularly good at."
"'Holding back?'" Riku asked.
"Like I said, I'm not good at it. Anyway, I'm here to give you your reward for giving me such a good fight."
"And what would that be?"
"Face and name, amigo. I don't just go handing that out to anyone. And trust me, you've earned it."
He pulled back the hood, finally revealing his face. It was long and angular, ending with an almost pointed chin. His chin and jaw was adorned with stubble that connected to his hair and went down to his Adam's apple, but did not extend to his upper lip. His hair was jet-black and straight and shone with a greasy veneer. Several bangs drooped down his face, but some of them seemed intentionally longer than others. The bangs near the center stopped at the tip of his nose while the ones closer to his ears were on the same level as his mouth. The hair on the back of his head was cut short enough that it seemed to tightly hug his neckline. Aside from these careful trimmings the rest had simply been allowed to do as it pleased, giving him a wild and disorganized look. His skin was healthily tan, and his smirk showed off his dazzlingly white teeth. His canines were somewhat long, making them look somewhat like fangs. His eyes were long and wide at the same time, showing off his irises as well as nearly all of the whites of his eyes. Their length was accentuated by his pencil thin eyebrows. The most noticeable feature, however, was the fact that his eyes were a glowing amber, a sure sign of darkness corruption. He appeared young, late teens or early twenties.
"So who the hell are you?" asked Sora.
"I AM THE GOD OF HELLFIRE!" he shouted, raising his hands in an equally dramatic fashion.
"You're a loony!" said Cid.
"No shit, Sherlock! What was your first fuckin' clue?!" He let out an insane cackle, making him appear even more unstable. "So what if I'm a little off my rocker? I tried being normal before, and it was boring as hell! Life's much more fun when you've got a few screws loose!"
"You've got more than just a few," answered Yuffie.
At that moment Sora keeled over in pain, clutching his stomach.
"Sora!" Kairi shouted. "What's wrong?"
"It's his wound!" exclaimed Aerith, holding him up.
"Oh, that! I forgot!" the man exclaimed. "Here, let me handle it." He took a step forward and was met with nearly every weapon in the room being held inches from his head.
"Not one step," threatened Riku.
"You think you can fix it? Be my guest." Riku turned to Aerith, who nodded in defeat. Everyone backed off, but just slightly. "Like I thought." He clapped and rubbed his hands together. Within the blink of an eye he shoved an open palm into Sora's gut, sending him across the room. Once again, everyone shoved their weapons into his face. "Ah, ah, ah. No violence. Looked what I pulled out." He raised his hand showing off a mass of darkness about the size of basketball. Sora stood up with a groan and Kairi rushed to his side. The Gullwings, not wanting to be vulnerable, did the same. Kairi watched the red spot on Sora's stomach fade away. The man looked at the ball he held, admiring his handiwork. "Damn. Didn't think I used that much. Guess I don't know my own strength." He turned to his aggressors. "Can I have some room please?" Everyone backed off and lowered their weapons. "Arigato."
"Why would you do that?" asked Sora as Kairi helped him to his feet.
"Do what?"
"Help me. What do you have planned?"
"What makes you think I have something planned?" With both hands and what appeared to be a great effort the man condensed the ball of darkness into a small crystal no larger than a fingernail. "This could make a nice earring," he muttered, and pocketed the jewel.
"Because you're the bad guy. There's no way you'd do something like this if it didn't benefit you."
"As a matter of fact, you being alive does benefit me. After all, how are we supposed to fight again if you're dead? Also, I think 'bad guy' is a little harsh. I may not be the hero type, but I'm not the bad guy."
"You kidnapped Kairi and force me and Sora into the endurance match from hell before changing your mind and decided to beat us within an inch of our lives!" shouted Riku. "How are you not the bad guy?"
"Because I had plenty of opportunities to do much worse, duh."
"Oh? Like what?" asked Kairi.
"Well let's see. This is just off the top of my head but I could've killed you, left you for dead, or," he smirked and turned to Sora, "had my way with your little girlfriend."
Sora snapped and charged forward, swinging he weapon down as hard as he could. The man caught the weapon before it made contact with his head.
"That was completely out of line," seethed Sora.
"Maybe, but I'm not really known for being tactful."
"You're disgusting. You're a monster. You're-"
"Odd."
"That's being generous!"
"No, no. That's my name."
Sora raised an eyebrow. "You're fucking kidding me."
"Well, technically it's a nickname. But it's what everyone I know calls me."
"And where might I find the friends of a Nobody like you?"
"Now that's an insult no matter which definition of the word you're using," replied Odd in all seriousness. "First of all, I'm pretty famous in the Realm of Darkness. Second," he tapped his chest, "I've got something beating right here."
"So instead of being like Xemnas you're more like Maleficent."
"Hey, don't go shoving that bigotry into my face, you conformist. 'Eek! It's the darkness! It's scary! Everyone who uses it is evil! Kill it! Kill it!' Besides, doesn't your friend still use it?"
Sora rested his keyblade at his side. How was he supposed to respond to that?
"Don't compare me to you," Riku butted in. "Yeah, I use the darkness, and I'll agree it's not evil just by itself. But it sure helps with that kinda thing. I've made it a part of me, but I was seduced by it. I've accepted the fact that I'm never getting rid of it, and through that I've learned to control it. But if I could turn back time I'd make sure I would never give in. And I know guys like you. I was tricked into using the dark, not knowing what it would do to me. But you went out of your way to get it, knowing full well what it could do. You're nothing like me!" Riku turned and nodded to Sora, who flashed a quick smile.
"Thanks," he said.
Odd hung his head and sighed. "Riku, Riku, Riku. I thought you would be the one to understand."
"Save it." Riku raised his keyblade. "You wanted to fight us again. How about we have out rematch now?" Everyone else readied themselves for a fight.
"Fine," he replied and cracked his neck. "Maybe I can knock some sense into you." But before anyone could move something began to let out a short beeping noise. Odd pulled back his sleeve, revealing a watch adorned with black gems. "Fuck," he muttered. "Looks like we'll have to settle this another time. I have a prior engagement." A portal opened behind him. Just before he walked in raised both middle fingers and with a smirk shouted, "Later, conformist fucktards!" And with that he was gone.
"What an asshole!" yelled Yuffie.
"Forget it," said Kairi. "The less I think about him, better."
"Should we take you guys home?" Leon asked. "After all, you guys haven't had your own Gummi ship since you guys parted from Donald, Goofy and the King."
Sora sighed. "As much as I'd like to go back home, I can't just ignore Odd. We've gotta take him down for good."
"Then you might want this." Leon reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small keychain. It was shaped like the Heartless emblem, but it was completely black with no red stitching.
"What is it?" asked Sora as he took it.
"It can open dark portals, or keep them open. Merlin found it and gave it to me. He thought maybe I could make some use of it, but I think it'll be more help to you."
"Wait, but Riku uses the darkness. Can't he just make his own portals?" Yuffie asked.
"I lost that ability after we beat Xemnas," Riku answered. "I can only use it as a weapon now."
"But how can we make use of this?" asked Sora. "We have no idea where he went."
"That's easy," answered Kairi. "There's not doubt that bastard's coming back. If he ends up leaving before we take him down, we use it too keep the portal open and go after him!"
"Right!"
Right then, the computer lit up with a red "Warning" message. Cid quickly seated himself and started on the keys. Several different screens popped up.
"What's wrong, Cid?" asked Aerith.
"We got Heatless on the rise! An' in big numbers, too!" he answered.
"What? Where?" asked Sora.
"Land o' Dragons".
"'The Land of Dragons?' You guys are monitoring them, too?"
"We've been keeping our eyes on all the worlds we know about to see if we can lend a hand," explained Paine.
"We figured since we're almost done with this world, we should help the others too!" added Rikku.
"We'll go," said Sora. "You guys handle your own world."
"You sure?' asked Yuffie.
"Yeah. It'll be just like the old days." Sora turned to Riku and Kairi. "'Cept with different travelling companions, of course."
"I'll always be there to clean up after your messes," joked Riku.
"Oh, thanks."
"This'll be great!" said Kairi excitedly. "I'll finally be able to see the worlds you've been telling me about! And the friends you made, too!"
"You bet! But after we get rid of the Heartless."
"Not gonna make me sit on the sidelines?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No way!" She smiled and nodded, looking particularly pleased.
"Here. Take my ship," Cid said, throwing Sora a key. "It's parked 'hind the marketplace. Best there is!"
"Thanks Cid."
"Jus' make sure ya take good care 'o it!"
"Be safe," said Yuna.
"Take care, Sora," said Leon.
"See ya soon!" shouted Yuffie.
The three nodded and ran out the door.
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Wow. This was long. Although I had some idea of what I wanted to happen, almost everything here came on the fly, especially the part with Yuffie crying happily over Sora. It's not like I'm a Sora/Yuffie shipper, I'm very much Sora/Kairi, but I figured that she would have the closest attachment to him out of all the FF characters. Also, I replaced Cid's toothpick with a cigarette 'cause that's what he has in FFVII, and I refuse to adhere to censorship. Yuna, Rikku and Paine also had a sizable amount of dialogue in this one because I personally like them. I think I gave everybody their time in the spotlight in this chapter, and I'm proud of that.
So we finally have the name of our mystery villain (or at least his nickname) and a description of him, just like I promised. So when will he appear next? You'll just have to wait and see. As for the return of the dream sequence, that will be explained eventually. The reason I say "eventually" and not "in X number of chapters" is because I have no idea how many chapters it will be. The jewel made of darkness will be touched on later, but it doesn't have a plot-related significance. As for that one line that Odd shouts out of nowhere, it's actually the very beginning of Arthur Brown's big hit "Fire." It's a decent song, but that part at the beginning I particularly love. With any luck, the next chapter will be up by the end of the week. Read and review please!
