Ch.7! Once again, I'd like to thank andrhats for reviewing -bows-. Now, if only others would review...I don't bite, I swear!(well, maybe...but only on Cid...) Now, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I, Byne, hearby say I don't own KH or it's character's...but, I do own my fantasies...-daydreams and drools a little-

"Speaking"

/Thinking\

Writing

Aldrick's head tilted to the side. "You're a moogle..."

The moogle, which had almost assaulted the teen's face upon his entrance, now stood on one of the two long workbenches. Aldrick resisted the urge to grab it and cuddle with it, seeing as how it looked so cute. It crossed its fluffy arms, saying "Yes, I'm a moogle, kupo. Now, leave."

Breaking out of his stupor, the teen showed the key to the moogle, saying "I was sent by Leon."

Quickly flying over and snatching the key, it examined the key chain, running its paw over it. "Hmmm, the material was made by us...and the craftsmanship is definitely Cid's...Okay, this definitely belongs to Leon. Now, what are you here for, kupo?"

The teen looked away for a moment, then refocused his gaze on the cute bundle of fluff. "I...need to apologize to...Cid. And an apology isn't enough. I want to get him something, and Leon said you could help, Mr. Moogle."

The creature sighed. "First of all, my name isn't 'Mr. Moogle'...it's Kuroc. Second, kupo...are you looking for anything in particular?"

"Umm...I don't know what he would like." Aldrick scratched the back of his head, and gave a sheepish grin.

Kuroc placed his face in his paw, shaking his head. "That's...not that helpful, kupo. But...we could always..."

His eyes bright with hope, the teen nodded, waiting for an idea from the creature that surpassed cute.

"We have been trying a new combination of materials...It's still experimental, kupo, but it could be useful to you."

"Anything! Please!" Aldrick was desperate, and anything would be better than nothing.

"All right then, kupo! Moogles! Grab the materials for project H!" There was a scramble as Kuroc and the other two moogles seemed to scrambled around, looking for whatever they needed for the experimental item.

They lined up the shards they found on the work bench, and the curious teen looked over them. One looked as though a bright light was contained in it. Another, like a small black hole. There was a shard of what looked like silver, along with one filled with frost and one with a lightning bolt flying around inside of it.

Kuroc then started to explain. "We've been trying to create a new item, kupo, and have come up with the right ingredients for what we call 'project H'. Using these six shards--"

"There are only five." Aldrick was still looking over the beauty of the shards when he quickly interrupted the moogle.

"What? No, kupo, there are..." Quickly counting the shards, he yelled "Where is the blaze shard?!"

The nearest of the two moogles shrank away, mumbling "...We don't seem to have any more..."

"...You've got to be kidding, kupo." Turning to Aldrick, he made a small bow. "Without a blaze shard, we can't do anything. Sorry."

The teen looked like he had fallen into despair, until his face brightened with an idea. "What if...I get it for you? I mean, there are still heartless around..."

Kuroc rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, it could work... All right, get the picture."

As one of the moogles flew over to the wall, Aldrick watched it. It came back with a drawing of what looked to be a red bell drawn with crayons. /So cute...\ crossed through the teen's mind.

"That is a Red Nocturne. Specializing in fire magic, it's quick, but weak. It should be like the other heartless, kupo, and start appearing right before nightfall. Be careful, though. If you take too long, more heartless will show up. Actually, I'll go with you. I'll grab the shard and come back here with it. Once I do, I'll create the item, kupo, and wait for you. How's that sound?"

"...Good. I'll do it." Aldrick turned serious, and nodded fiercely, his eyes burning with passion.

"Fine. Go get ready, and meet me back here when you're done." Kuroc started to grab things from around the room, and one of the other moogles opened a trapdoor leading into the accessory shop.

Going down the ladder and into his home, the teen could smell the stew. Leon had finished, and even ate his portion already, and was sitting on the couch, watching the news. "Eat." Leon commanded, and Aldrick did as he was told. Inhaling the stew, all while savoring the exquisite taste, he got up and put his bowl in the sink.

Going as quick as possible, he walked into the bedroom, entered the closet, and grabbed one of the three spears that were once covered by dirty laundry. He walked out, feeling Leon's gaze as he passed by, and stopped at the stairs. "I'll be back." he whispered, then walked up the stairs and headed back to the synthesis shop.

Leon went back to watching the news, smirking. "He's stubborn, but strong. Just like Cid..."

Wielding the spear, Aldrick and Kuroc headed to the Second District. The setting sun cast a vermilion glow on the two, and the streetlights were starting to turn on. They didn't have much time, and were frantically looking around the now barren plaza.

Aldrick soon spotted a floating object, realizing that it was red and shaped almost like a bell. "Is...that it?" He asked his partner.

"Yep. Now, let's defeat it and hope it has the shard, kupo."

Aldrick nodded, and tried sneaking up on it. Once close enough, the teen thrust the spear into the creature, causing damage, but not enough.

Now realizing that it was being attacked, it fired a fireball at Aldrick, who tried jumping out of the way. The fireball nicked the sleeve of his shirt, and he quickly patted it out. Trying to skewer the heartless, he repeatedly thrust at it as he chased it around the plaza. Most of the time the teen missed, but managed to finally hit it, causing it to disappear into a puff of black smoke, watching as a heart floated towards the sky, and a glowing shard fell to the ground.

Picking up the shard, Aldrick could feel warmth radiating from it, and could see a small blaze glowing inside the shard. "Yep, that's a blaze shard, kupo. We got lucky to get it on the first try. Uh Oh..." The moogle looked towards the sky, and noticed that stars could be spotted in the black abyss above.

The teen looked up, and tossed the shard at the flying ball of fluff. "Get that to the shop, and make the item. I'll follow as quickly as possible." The moogle quickly flew off, and the teen started to run after it.

However, night had fallen, and soon portals of darkness could be seen forming in the light of the street lamps. "Damn..."

Soon, heartless were swarming the plaza, and Aldrick tried to run through, dodging everything in his path. Soon, he was cornered by four heartless. A Soldier, a Shadow, another Red Nocturne, and a Large Body were closing in on him, and left him no escape route.

Trying to find the easiest enemy, he struck at the Shadow. He thought he was going to be successful, until it sank into the ground, leaving him open. The soldier leapt forward, giving a swift kick. The blow nailed the teen in the face, leaving him dazed enough to be open once again. Trying to recover, his leg was hit with a fireball from the mage heartless, causing him to cry out in pain and fall to his knees.

He managed to focus enough to block a blow from the fat heartless, only to hear the spear crack in the center. While the Large Body attacked, so did the shadow, clawing at Aldrick. Unable to turn quickly enough to block, the strike hit, causing another cry of pain to ring from the teen's throat.

The mini knight struck again, and Aldrick blocked it, only to feel the spear break, and shrapnel flying towards him, cutting his face. Using the broken spear, he thrust at the soldier, knocking it away, but that was all. He threw the pieces at the Large Body, only to watch them bounce off the heartless' belly.

They closed in even more, and Aldrick was scared. In fact, he was terrified. But, he didn't close his eyes or stay down. He stood up, wincing at the pain from his burned leg, and raised his head defiantly. They would not be able to stop him. He would get back, somehow, some way, to the others...to Cid...

The fat heartless was about to strike, but stopped in mid-swing, looking up. Aldrick looked up, too, and noticed something falling at great speeds. After a second, he managed to process who it was, and smiled.

Cid came crashing down on the heartless, his spear embedding itself deep in the creature's body, before the heartless vanished into a puff of smoke. The other three heartless went down with ease, and all that was left was Cid and Aldrick.

Still standing, but barely, the teen looked at the mechanic, seeing anger and fury etched into the man's face. /I can't blame him. I was stupid...\

A loud smack could be heard throughout the plaza, and Aldrick was floored. The apprentice had been backhanded by his master. Although, instead of staying down, he stood up again, accepting his punishment. He had been burned, slashed, beaten, mauled, and now backhanded, but still stood in front of the man.

Cid made another movement, and Aldrick closed his eyes, waiting for the blow, only to feel arms wrap around him. He opened his eyes and looked up, seeing a crying mechanic holding him tightly.

"Why? Why would you be this stupid?!" he cried out, not letting go.

Aldrick buried his face in the man's chest, starting to cry as well. "I'm...I'm sorry! I treated you badly! I wanted to apologize! I wanted to get you something! I...I..." He stopped, the sobs from his crying cutting him off.

"You dumbass..." That was the last thing Aldrick heard before passing out in the man's arms, happy that he was with Cid once more.

To be continued...

Byne:...I love fluff...okay, back to me! Now, I'm surprised I've done this much, seeing as how I never finish anything unless it's a game...but, anyways, I plan on finishing this...sometime...but the plan, so far, seems to be about 12 chapters...So, for faithful readers, that's my plan for this story, and then I'm going to try and write another one...maybe a...Eh, depends on what I feel like. Now, remember, R&R, please!