A/N: Hello, and welcome to the drama-llama chapter. :D
Huzzah, I have reached over 30 reviews; therefore, the cookies have been doubled! (Turkish Delights are a pain to make…)
It seems as if Yen Sid's creepiness brought you all here. I guess I'll have to call up the fanfic police to take him away temporarily.
ANON REPLIES~
Voldemort has no nose: Nice name! Anyway, I'm glad that you think this story is amazing! I do it all on my own…nope, no betas or anything to edit my grammar or spelling…*hides trap door labeled "beta reader"* As for your question, several of them shall be arriving shortly. I really want to involve the Birth by Sleep characters in eventually, but I'm still working on how to do that smoothly. :/ No worries, I like long reviews the best because they offer the most feedback for my stories. :D Thanks for your review!
Nin4: Haha, really? Poor Riku and human technology. XD Oh Myde… he's silly, but his heart's in the right place! No worries, I'm calling the fanfic police on him. However, he is a warlock; there's no saying of he's escape from the police…anyway, thanks for reviewing again!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. (True story, bro)
-MISFITS-MISFITS-MISFITS-
Kairi waited impatiently outside of Riku's cabin. The sun was well up into the sky, leaving her to assume that it was roughly around midmorning. What on earth was Riku doing? He never slept in this late; after all, it was in his elven nature to wake up moments after the crack of dawn. Was he okay? Did something terrible happen last night? Kairi's imagination began running away from her, speeding up at the same rate as her racing heart.
"It's okay," she thought in an attempt to placate herself. "This kingdom is safe from anything harmful, according to Master Yen Sid."
Her efforts to calm herself, however, were made in vain. Finally, she threw open the door to her friend's house and barged into his room.
There he was, lying on his bed, sleeping like the dead. Sora must've been rubbing off on him, Kairi thought, relieved that nothing serious had happened to him.
Well, it seemed as if she was going to have to awaken him. She turned to grab a pitcher to fill with water when Riku's opalescent eyes shot open. After a moment of appearing disoriented, he leaped out of bed and rushed out of the house, leaving Kairi in the doorway of his room.
"What just happened?" she asked herself.
-MISFITS-MISFITS-MISFITS-
"Sora, get up!" Riku commanded, barging into the faery's room. The brunette was up already, an occurrence that had never happened before.
"Riku?" Sora muttered stupidly.
"Weren't you having reoccurring dreams about falling and a disembodied voice?" Riku demanded urgently.
Sora scratched his head and eyed the ceiling. "Yeah, I guess I have. I finally got to the end of it last night though. That must be why I woke up," he said thoughtfully. "Why do you ask?"
"I had the same one last night," Riku deadpanned.
"Whoa, really?" Sora asked breathlessly.
"Yeah," Riku responded. "I mainly felt a falling sensation, but then the voice suddenly began spewing nonsense about making choices and swords. There were shadows there as well, dangerous ones that persisted in attacking me."
"Yeah, that's it!" Sora exclaimed. At this moment, Kairi barged into the house and joined the two guys.
"What's going on here?" she asked them.
"Riku's having the weird dream too," Sora told her. "Hey, did you have it too?"
"I can't say that I have," Kairi admitted. She twirled a lock of her auburn hair nervously. "What could this mean?"
"I wager that Yen Sid would know," Riku guessed. "He was the one that mentioned something about the dreams in the first place."
"That's a good idea; let's go talk to him about it!" Sora said. He began to head out the door when Kairi stopped him abruptly.
"Wait, how do we know that he'll actually talk to us?" Kairi pointed out. "He's been pretty reluctant to tell us anything so far."
"Well, there's only one way to find out, and that's to try," Sora said.
"He's right, we may as well attempt to ask him," Riku admitted. "We're going to have to be more persistent this time though."
Sora and Kairi nodded in unison, and then left the cabin for Yen Sid's tower.
As soon as they stepped outside, a familiar orange light approached the three. Faery dust exploded from the light, and their friend Olette appeared in her full height.
"Hey, where are you guys going? You look really determined today," she said observantly. "Can I come?"
"Um, well…" Kairi's voice trailed off, as she turned to her friends uncertainly. Her gaze then returned to Olette as she continued, "We're just going to talk to Master Yen Sid."
"Oh, is this about the whole 'answers' thing again?" Olette groaned. She crossed her arms and leaned on one hip, as if she was reprimanding a child. "I told you that he gives his answers in due time. He's a warlock; he can tell you whenever he wishes."
"Has he ever told you in the four years that you've dwelt here?" Riku challenged.
Olette's glimmering green eyes shifted nervously from side to side. "No, but—"
"We can't just sit around and wait here forever; we have to do something eventually," Sora said. "We have to take action if we want to get anywhere. We're going to talk to Yen Sid, and there's nothing you can say to change that. Besides, I'm gonna go crazy if I stay in this boring place any longer. Sorry, 'lette."
They walked past her and up the earthen path, leaving the light faery frozen from her old friend's words.
-MISFITS-MISFITS-MISFITS-
"We wish to talk to Yen Sid," Kairi told the broom, who stood in front of the tower door. It swung its wooden handle back and forth as if to nod, and then opened the door. It beckoned for the teens to follow him inside.
The only object within the foyer was a large, spiraling staircase. Magic twinkled in the empty space around it, floating aimlessly and bouncing off the tan brick walls.
"Not very decorative, is he?" Sora commented.
They followed the little broom up the slate-gray staircase until they reached a door frame. Oddly enough, there was no door, but instead a bright, portal-reminiscent light filled the silvery frame. The broom walked straight through it and disappeared from sight, leaving the teens no choice but to follow. On the other side, there was…
…another giant spiral staircase.
"What is this sorcery?" Riku demanded as he glared at the broom, who shrugged with its thin, twig-like arms. He continued to walk up the staircase and into another light-filled entrance leading to more stairs. This cycle continued for what felt like hours, although it couldn't have been more than thirty-minutes. Finally, just when the trio was growing accustomed to seeing another flight of stairs on the other side of the light, they appeared in a small office-like space. Three wax candles hovered in the air, casting a dim light and illuminating the room's features: overstuffed bookshelves lining the walls, an indigo rug on the ground, and a light oak desk in the center of the room. A large window in the back was covered by a thick, velvety curtain, which made the dim candlelight appear brighter. A heavy silence filled the room, a sensation that unnerved the visitors.
"Ah, if it isn't Sora, Riku, and Kairi," Yen Sid said as he emerged from the shadows. His navy-blue robes billowed around him due to a sudden gust of wind, a spectacle that gave him an even more powerful appearance. "I presume that you are here for answers once more?"
"You've got that right!" Sora replied with a determined expression. "How did you know about the dreams? Why is Riku having them now? Why—"
"All in due time, my child," Yen Sid responded, a strange grin creeping upon his face.
"We don't wish to wait until your 'due time,' Master," Riku said angrily. "Our lives are wasting away as we sit in this kingdom doing absolutely nothing besides reveling in our naivety."
The warlock chuckled mysteriously before bowing his head. "Ah, I see that I cannot withhold my knowledge any longer." At that moment, a glowing green circle appeared in the room beside the desk, and the soft wind picked up to a cool, brisk gale.
"I had hoped that you would enjoy your life a little bit longer, but I can see that you are in a rush to disappear," he told them.
"D—disappear?" Kairi sputtered, taking a step back.
"You see, my dears," he continued without acknowledging Kairi. "Your arrival was prophesied by my master centuries ago."
"What?" Sora exclaimed in disbelief.
"Riku!" As Yen Sid shouted this, he threw a handful of silver and aqua sparks into the middle of the green circle. "You were chosen to become a Moon Elf due to your nature, regardless of the fact that one still lived at the time. You are yin and yang. You are light and dark. You are the perfect balance of two opposite entities. You symbolize the dark of night, which is completely illuminated by the glow of the seemingly small moon. Together, they counteract each other until the sun arises. You are the key to dawn's arrival!"
In the center of the circle, a strange sword took form. The blade itself was reminiscent of a bat wing, with deep-violet bones and crimson skin between the fingers. However, a small angel's wing branched off at the top, something that somehow made the blade appear less sinister. The hilt was composed of wings as well; one of an angel's and one from a bat, and silvery paopu fruit (1) was heavily chained to the base of it. A transparent phrase appeared beneath the weapon, which read in golden letters: "Way to the Dawn."
"Sora!" he roared, this time throwing azure faery dust into the ring. "You are a symbol of light and childlike innocence. You brighten the lives of those around you, and will fight at all costs for the right thing. You are a child in appearance until your maximum potential is reached and your innocence solidified. You are a righteous faery; a faery of his word. You are the Oathkeeper of the light!"
The winged sword dissolved into a powdery mist and reformed as a new weapon. The hilt was made of a pair of seraphic wings, and two solid white blades ran parallel together from it. At the top, they intersected in a heart and formed five blue spikes on the side. Golden accents ran on the tips of the spikes and on the outermost side of the heart, and a small paopu fruit was chained to the bottom. The text too had changed; it now read "Oathkeeper" in shining calligraphy.
"Whoa, what's—" Sora attempted to say, but Yen Sid cut him off with another shout.
"Kairi! Have you caused anyone harm with malicious intent?" he demanded from the mermaid.
"O—of course not!" she stuttered in response.
"Did you ever hate those who bade you ill?"
"No! Why would I ever do that?"
"My point has been proven," Yen Sid boomed, causing the brisk winds to pick up even more. "You have no need for a Delve into the Heart; your heart is too pure for that. You were the product of a human and a mermaid, a symbol of harmony between two feuding races. You were created from an untainted love, and, unlike your sister, you managed to keep that same purity throughout your life.
"However, your purity has caused you to flee from your problems because you believed that you were the contaminant, the impure, and the tainted one. You are just now learning to embrace yourself and your fate."
Oathkeeper, like its predecessor, dissolved and reformed as a golden sword. Two segments of a heart formed the haft, one composed of a sand-colored, leafy vine and the other of a clear-blue tidal wave. The said vine wrapped elegantly around the blade and formed a second heart to the side of the blade's tip. Bright tropical flowers blossomed around this, and a paopu fruit akin to Oathkeeper's was fastened to the bottom with an orange rope. "Destiny's Embrace" appeared in a curly manuscript, naming the unique blade.
"These are the weapons of your souls; it's a pity that you won't be able to use them," Yen Sid said sorrowfully.
"None of this makes any sense!" Sora exclaimed angrily. "You're just making things more confusing."
Riku stood in silence, carefully choosing his next words. Finally, he said slowly, "You need these weapons for some reason. Is that why you said that we'll disappear?"
"You're a smart one, young Riku," Yen Sid said darkly. "Unfortunately, I don't have the time to explain why." As he said this, the green ring filled with an explosion of light. The wind shifted directions and began to swirl around the light, picking up various books and scrolls from around the room. The trio felt the wind attempting to draw them into the suspicious circle, but its current wasn't strong enough. Sensing this, the wind increased in strength and magnitude. As the three teens began to lose their footing under the pressure of the wind, Yen Sid began to grin in an evil manner.
"Yes, I shall finally obtain my desire!" he howled over the roaring of the wind.
"Quick, grab each other's hands!" Riku cried, holding his hands out blindly in the swirling mess. Sora grabbed his outstretched hand, and then turned around to grasp Kairi's and pull her in closer. With her other hand, she seized Riku's left hand to form a circle.
"Get close to the ground!" Sora shouted, dropping into a kneeling position. Riku and Kairi followed his lead, and it helped relieve some of the wind's power.
Smack.
Slap.
CRASH.
The wind was picking up to a vicious speed, which drew more and more books into the hurricane. It felt as if they were targeting the trio; trying to get them to break down and separate.
Whack.
Riku clenched his jaw as another book slammed into his back. They couldn't keep this up forever, after all.
-MISFITS-MISFITS-MISFITS-
Myde happily glided up to the research center. It was his second day on the job, a rare occurrence for his accident-prone self. He hummed a happy tune under his breath as he grew to a normal size and entered the door, ignoring Arlene's harsh glares. Throwing on his white lab coat over his usual garb, he skipped into Even's laboratory, only to find the scientist himself grinning maniacally at his memory pods. Each of them held a human silhouette now, although it was impossible to make out any of their features.
"Ah, you are right on time," Even told his assistant. "Now you shall see my miraculous creations! You should be excited; you'll be the first to see them."
Myde, however, was not that thrilled to see the mystery project. In fact, he was a little creeped out by both him and the figures he had created. However, he put his foot in his mouth and attempted to sound as excited as possible. Ah, the things people do for money.
"O—of course!" he forced out. "I can't wait to see these the…what are they?"
"You shall see soon enough," Even replied simply.
The automatic doors flew open shortly after Even's cryptic statement, and in stepped the great Ansem the Wise. His signature red scarf flew majestically behind him as he entered, adding to his powerful presence.
"Your project is complete, I hear?" he asked in his deep, booming voice.
"Yes, Master Ansem. I worked late into the night to make sure that it would be perfect," he stated proudly. He arose from a swivel chair that he'd been sitting on and strode over to the pods. "Are you ready to see my masterpiece?"
"Get on with it already," Ansem retorted impatiently.
"Of course, Master Ansem," Even responded apologetically. He grabbed a remote from his desk and quickly entered a passcode. Myde nervously tapped his foot alongside Ansem. His hands were clutching the side of his face, ready to move and cover his eyes in case the figures were evil gremlins or another horrible creature.
Finally, the pods began to open.
-MISFITS-MISFITS-MISFITS-
As if the howling winds and repetitive book attacks weren't enough, the entire room began to tremble and tilt wildly. Sora, Riku, and Kairi could no longer stay in one place, and they could only depend on each other's hands to maintain some stability and comfort. However, while they may have not been able to sweat like humans, their grips were beginning to weaken.
"Can't we do anything?" Kairi screamed over the chaos.
"I don't know!" Sora yelled back.
"Well, we had better come up with something, or else we aren't going to last much longer!" Riku shouted.
SWWOOOSHH.
SLAM.
"OW!"
CHINK.
"You won't last much longer!" Yen Sid cried malevolently, stirring the wind up even faster. It felt like a million needles were tearing at their skin, burning them and bringing tears to their eyes.
They had to do something, and fast!
BAM.
"AIE!" Kairi squealed. A book hurled itself at her left hand, startling her into unclasping her right.
"Kairi!" Sora and Riku shouted, desperately trying to grab her.
BAM. Sora's hands were mauled by a large textbook, causing him to lose his grasp on Riku's hand. Now they were all free flying in the wind, smashing into furniture, and falling into the hole…
Beep. Beeep. Beep. Beeep.
"Sora! Riku! Kairi!"
-MISFITS-MISFITS-MISFITS-
"What in Radiant Garden are these things!" Even cried angrily, glaring at the contents of the pods. Ansem merely stared at the creations, an unreadable expression painted on his face. Out of curiosity, Myde lowered his hands to take a peek at what Even's outburst was about.
Inside each of the pods was a teenager, no older than fifteen. The youngest was a petite blonde with an angular face. Her skin was akin to that of an islander's; flawless and sun-kissed. Her hair was layered to frame her face, and then wrapped around her neck to fall past her shoulders. Azure, cloud-filled eyes stared blankly into space, vacant of any signs of life. On her back, she had two translucent faery wings that were barely visible over her shoulders. She was adorable, if Myde said so himself.
The second girl appeared to be a little bit older. Her navy-blue locks fell to the nape of her neck and glimmered in the harsh light of the lab, almost like a mermaid's. She too had perfectly tanned skin and cobalt eyes, but her features were softer and bubbles replaced the clouds in her eyes. She would have appeared to be a normal human if it weren't for her hair and pointed ears.
The third was actually a male. With his wispy silver hair and pale features, he was almost identical to Riku. His traits differed slightly from the Moon Elf's, for his slightly shorter and less muscular body led the scientists to conclude that he was younger than the real Riku himself. The most striking difference was his eyes, which were a mix of striking aquamarine and warm cerulean.
"They're ruined!" Even cried furiously.
"They look nice to me, Master Even," Myde told the scientist comfortingly. After all, he had been expecting murderous, evil creatures.
"That's not the point!" Even yelled. "They're useless for studying those three specimens on Yen Sid's blasted Kingdom. They look nothing alike!" Even fell to his knees in despair.
"Where could I have gone wrong?" he wailed to himself.
Suddenly, Master Ansem spoke up. "I do not believe that you went wrong in your process; it looks to have worked beautifully. However," he added, "I believe that their genetic coding was contaminated. If you look closely, you can see traits from each of the three young fey in each of them."
With that, he turned to Myde. "You were the one unloading the materials, were you not?"
Gulp. "Yes I was, sir," Myde responded nervously.
"Did anything happen while you were transporting the goods?" Ansem asked the faery.
"Uh oh, what do I do? WHAT DO I DO?" Myde thought anxiously. "Well, I—"
Beep. Beeep. Beep. Beeep.
Even's cell phone began buzzing and beeping from the desk.
"Answer it," Even told Myde rather forcefully. Myde scampered quickly over to the phone and pressed the glowing button on the screen.
"Hello?" he asked tentatively.
SLAM. SMASH. CHINK.
BOOM.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
"KAIRI!"
Myde dropped the phone as a girl began to scream on the other line. In the background, he could barely hear the chanting of a man's voice amongst the sounds of glass shattering and wind howling.
"That sounds like the three that we need. It seems as if Yen Sid has made his move," Ansem said darkly. "Even, come with me!"
He then turned towards the blond faery. "Myde, I want you to dispose of these three in our absence," he briskly told the assistant. Then they were gone, leaving Myde alone with the lifeless fey.
"Well, it's just us," he told them nervously, who received no response in return. "As lifeless as they are, how am I supposed to just throw them out?" Myde thought to himself. He couldn't just throw people away, could he?
Suddenly, the blonde let out a squeal of pain and fell to the floor, clutching her head.
A young woman with cotton candy-colored pigtails.
A boy with sandy hair mixed with autumn leaves.
A green-tailed mermaid with flowing red tresses.
A red-tailed teenager sporting a black ponytail.
A raven-haired elf with warm, brown eyes.
An orange-haired teen with a heavy accent.
An Island reserve, his home.
An underwater paradise, her home.
An evergreen forest, his home.
-MISFITS-MISFITS-MISFITS-
Olette rushed into the turmoil of the room, which was starting to die down now that the trio was inside the magic ring.
"Sora! Riku! Kairi!" she cried in a panicked tone. She army-crawled up to the base of the ring to see a bottomless green pit. Three figures were caught in the swirling hurricane of green, and a glowing aura was being drawn from their bodies. The three auras were connecting and merging, forming an unknown shape.
"It's too late for them now," Yen Sid chuckled at Olette, who was stifling a sob.
The young light faery glared at the warlock. "I trusted you!" she cried. Then, she expanded her wings and flew into the ring.
-MISFITS-MISFITS-MISFITS-
(1) I added a paopu fruit to Riku's blade so it would match Sora and Kairi's. ^^