A/N: Sorry you guys for the long wait but writer's block finally got to me!
Nameless Dragon: Thanks for the review, and yeah he finally told her after 31 chapters, it's about time though.
Matt-san: Thanks buddy! I know, but anyway I hope your other deal turns out well too, and I'll be missing you that whole week. My heart goes out to you!
N.Neo: Thank you very much for the advice and all. You know I've been inspired from reading your stories so you deserve some praise, and reading that new chapter pulled me out of writers block so yeah!
On with the story!
Chapter 32: First Step
Versus stormed out of the castle walking down onto the snow covered streets of his capital and looked around the area. How was he going to keep the whole capital safe? There was no doubt in his mind that they probably have Nokia under their control. 'Damn it all!' Versus thought walking down the streets of his capital. In the distance no doubt the desert harbored those Heartless creatures.
"Go with King Mickey." Versus said directly to the three standing before him. The soldier had died there on the spot, and he'd have to alert more soldiers to be on their guards when going into the desert. Versus ordered another soldier to go and pick up the deceased fighter from the conference room floor.
Amaterasu bent down looking at the soldier, the blood had seeped onto the floor, running down for a couple of minutes. Lightning watched from a distance, the smell of blood was slowly starting to make her feel a bit strange.
"Are you…?" Riku was about to ask and Versus didn't seem that happy to have him question his order. The silver haired teen decided it was best to leave it alone and the others followed behind him as Versus waited for the other soldier to come pick up the deceased fighter.
"This is what they want…" Versus said lifting the glass case once again with the use of his mind. The sphere dance around the table, and it fell with a very soft thud. He picked it up and placed it within the confines of his pant's pocket. "Hopefully they don't advance too far into the capital…"
The heir looked back noticing several soldiers wait by the outskirts of the snow covered area. The air had this distinct aroma, something rather different about it all. 'Heartless?' he thought reflecting back on the smell that was around the woman Lightning. The soldiers saluted him, their feet shuffling in unison against the white snow.
"How far till they reach capital territory?" Versus asked one of the blue visor bearing soldiers. One of the soldiers stepped forward, in the back ground, the snow melted into the desert colored sands.
"About an hour, your majesty!" the soldier said almost feeling afraid at this point now. Versus nodded and the soldier went back into the line amongst the others at this moment. He sighed and nodded for a moment thinking of what to say next, but all that could come out of his lips were these words:
"Fight them with your whole heart, to protect the capital." He said, and they all agreed in unison, their feet shuffling in unison once again as they stood at ease.
For a moment he thought about the strength of his men, he had nothing to fear, but only to focus on his being to stay alive. It was tough being the only heir, since well, who else was going to run the most powerful capital in all of Sunset Horizon?
At this point the smell was becoming a bit overwhelming, it just smelled. It wasn't something that smelled grotesque but you could just tell that it was a different scent that what ever was in the air. Versus walked a bit further ahead from where the soldiers were stationed, noticed a small black bunch gather on one part of the horizon. The thunderstorm clouds were starting to loom overhead.
"There's probably about, at least 500, the most about a thousand, if I'm correct." Versus said mostly to himself, but some of the other soldiers overheard, and whispered amongst themselves wondering whether it was possible to defeat that many Heartless. He looked back at them and heaved an audible sigh. "Relax you have me here too." Versus said giving a grin.
Back within the capital's walls
Several royal guards were left in charge to warn the citizens about the upcoming danger plaguing the country. People ran back into their homes, some women grabbed their children and went home immediately. The guards walked down in their armor yelling on the streets, telling them to return once to their homes.
Establishments closed their doors, and hid within their building, locking doors and praying for it to soon end. In other places, outside the area of the castle intercoms were erected within the city limits, and the citizens heard the news, quickly creating a desolate area among the streets.
Riku watched from within the castle, people running frantically up and down the streets. Doors opening and closing, people falling at some point. They looked like ants, just running back into their abodes. The snow was still falling, which made it a bit harder for citizens in their stylish outfits to run, without stumbling or slipping on the cold element covering the sidewalks and streets.
"Versus wants to transport the prisoners to another cell." One of the soldiers left behind said to King Mickey. Donald and Goofy stood behind His Majesty all the time, not once leaving the sight of the royal mouse. King Mickey nodded and ordered his two royal knights to carry out the order.
"Riku, Lightning, Amaterasu," King Mickey turned his attention to the three individuals as they sat down on an elegantly crafted bench, "come with me now." Lightning walked down first and Riku followed behind with Amaterasu at his side.
"Where to, Your Majesty?" Amaterasu asked hearing the chains rattle together with each step she took. She thought about it for a moment, and knew it wasn't someplace comforting. Lightning looked back at her and she shook her head. There was something Amaterasu didn't like when King Mickey would be serious, it never was a good indication for her.
"For now, Amaterasu," Mickey said looking straight ahead, "a place where the Heartless won't find us."
"Shouldn't we be helping Versus though?" Amaterasu asked out loud. "I mean surely he can't take them on all by himself!" she said frowning for a moment. There was no use in having the king answer her, since he was still trying to forgive her somehow.
"He has his men." King Mickey said as they all descending the spiraling staircase that was down the hallway. "Besides he has been the one defending this capital since he was 15 years old… Watch your step." He warned them as the light within the area was a bit dim.
"Fifteen?!" Amaterasu couldn't help but ask. "I mean…"
"There's been only one ruler younger than him, and he is currently twelve years old." King Mickey said interrupting Amaterasu. She almost tripped and Riku caught her by the arm sighing in relief. "We'll take the chains off of Lightning and you, Amaterasu, once we reach our destination, I promise you that."
Donald and Goofy were about a couple of feet away from their king walking with Yomigami and Gabriel. Sadly Donald wished he could just glue Gabriel's mouth together. Donald growled for a moment when Gabriel tried to take the mage's hat and smacked his hand away.
"How does a duck become a mage?" Gabriel asked looking at the white feather duck for a moment. "And a dog a royal guard?" he asked looking up at Goofy for a moment. "You know what nevermind… It'd be to hard for you guys to try and explain that to me."
"Just shut up, Gabriel…" Yomigami said rolling his eyes. He rejected the magic within the world, and now wore a red hooded sweater casual jeans and red and black shoes. "I've had to put up with your damn talking for-"
"Oh come on, I'm not that bad." Gabriel said walking alongside the older sibling. "Besides you're all alone no-" Yomigami slammed him against a stone wall and growled at him.
"Just shut your goddamn mouth, you piece of shit!" Yomigami said, wishing more than anything to dig his experimental claws into the man's heart. Goofy pulled Yomigami back, straining a bit since he seemed to be a bit out of control. Gabriel just smiled for a moment and continued his walk deciding not to say anything now.
Capital outskirts
Several soldiers advanced with their automatic weapons, not once thinking about the outcome now. Thoughts like that would most likely end their lives quickly, their hearts being stolen. Versus ran along side with them watching different Heartless come into view. About a couple of armor plated Heartless and non artificial Heartless ran ramped in their direction. Guns went off and Versus grasped his sword, eyes glowing red for a moment.
The smell from the Heartless started to get to Versus for a moment, but he pushed it away, believing it only to be a trick of the mind. He blocked an on coming attack, and quickly countered with a quick stabbing motion. A soldier pulled the trigger on his weapon, and bullets pierced through the flesh of the Heartless, falling down.
The heir outstretched his hand, and a flame appeared over his glove, he mimicked a gun action with his hand, and the flames reached several armored Heartless discharging moments after impact. Versus commanded his mind to force a lance to appear out of thin air, and it hovered by his side as he ran forward.
Soldiers were pushed back by Behemoths, guns skidded against the desert sand and helmets fell. The visors broke from impact on the desert's grounds, and soldiers had to rely on their own eyes for support. One soldier turned around and positioned their gun at a nearby Heartless, but before the trigger was pulled the sound of metallic scrapping against the sands was heard.
Another soldier turned around to notice his comrade fending off a Heartless that pinned their body on the ground, Claws frantically trying to break the armor to reach the heart. Another gunshot was heard and the Heartless toppled over, twitching for a moment and disappeared into the air.
The Heartless could sense that the heir had the object they sought after, and quickly surrounding him. 'There are about 20 or 35 at least if you round off…' he thought commanding the lance to block a mid air attack. He spun around just in time to attack another Heartless that was approaching. 'Thunder…' with that the lance had a surge of lightning dance around the tip. The lance cracked the grounds of the desert and electricity shot out hitting several Heartless.
'Fire.' The metal from his sword began to glow a light red color and as he charged forward the weapon instantly began to go ablaze. As he struck down several Heartless they received heavy and gruesome life threatening burn marks before completely disappearing back into mist. Other Heartless decided to attack from the air, their claws ready to pierce into flesh. 'Damn it!' Versus didn't have enough time to block the full assault, and as he shielded his face with his arms a white light appeared directly overhead. Twelve other lances created a protective barrier around him slashing at any approaching heartless.
One soldiers was broken, their face clearly visible now, sweat was dripping on the side of their face. The desert was taking a toll on their performance as the heat was catching up with them. The weight of the protective armor and the heat inside the getup was starting to hinder the progress of their attack. The Heartless felt no such thing as heat and their attacks continued on the soldiers, as they were cracking armor, shattering faceguards, and several Heartless managed to steal the hearts of the opponents.
A couple of soldiers stood in a circle with their backs against one another looking at the surrounding group of Heartless. A large massive Heartless that looked like an ape was closing in on them. Bullets became aerodynamic weapons piercing through the air at rapid speed, dust was kicking up from the wind that came and about twenty Heartless fell down with lead lodged into their frames.
Versus looked back at the remaining soldiers. Their armor was starting to wear out, cracks and dents all over the place. Blue solid material decorated the grounds giving off a glittering effect as he rushed by the area slicing through three Heartless, their heads rolled to the floor and the body twitched for five seconds, and it disappeared. The numbers began to fall rapidly once Versus had those thirteen lances around him, as he moved they telekinetically followed covering a ten feet radius around him, and whenever he spotted a Heartless the weapon sought it out and stabbed it till it disappeared. Versus panted for a moment feeling his energy drain, due to the conditions in weather now. 'I should've taken the weather into consideration…' he thought shaking his head as he raised his sword once more.
The soldiers made their way to the heir, metal hitting the surface of the warm climate area. The ape like Heartless stopped for a moment as lances whizzed by its ears. 'This is the last one…' Versus thought as he ran forward with all his might, ready to end this little battle once and for all. The Heartless let out a might roar and charged at the heir not flinching at the sight of the mind controlled lances or at the sword in his hands.
Underneath the Elusion-Ilusion Castle
This was an underground waterway by the look of things; or rather it was the sewers. Amaterasu couldn't really handle being in there, but since King Mickey was leading them down there she was sure that they had to go through there. 'I wonder if the Heartless have already breached the city. Not likely though…' she thought looking up at the corroding sewer walls. Donald and Goofy had finally caught up with them, bringing Yomigami and Gabriel with them.
The girl jumped back noticing something black scurry past her feet. Her heart raced for a moment and she gulped hearing a faint 'squeak' noise near her. 'I hate rats…' she thought shaking her head and continued her walk. Goofy looked at her for a moment and he titled his head.
"Don't tell me you're a-" he squinted his eyes at the girl.
"Yes! I'm afraid of rats!" she said loudly, at that point she felt her face get hot in embarrassment. Gabriel started to laugh at this point recalling a similar moment back when they were still young. "Shut up Gabriel…" she huffed and continued her walk, bumping into Riku. "Sorry…" she said apologetically looking at Riku.
"Rats…?" he asked smiling at her for a moment. Amaterasu sighed for a moment and nodded. "We're all afraid of a lot of things, so don't worry." He said.
Lightning walked alongside Amaterasu and Riku not really wanting Gabriel to keep her company. Even the Heartless felt some annoyance when Gabriel started to talk. 'God only knows what kind of Heartless he would be…' she shuddered at the thought.
The mage in blue, Donald, watched the water that was off to the side of him. He noticed that a large black sewer rat swam in the water, and he shuddered in disgust. 'Amaterasu would scream if she that…' he thought thinking back to the girl. 'Never woulda guessed in a millions years she'd go back…' He scratched the top of his head and continued walking through the damp area.
"You think Heartless will attack here?" Amaterasu couldn't help but ask Lightning. Lightning seemed to be lost in thought as she walked down the area. Amaterasu had never taken into consideration the certain aroma a Heartless produced until she stood that close to the woman. 'She smells like anemone…'
"No…" Lightning shook her head. 'They're all gone now. Every single one of them, even down to the ape Heartless. It's a bit unnerving knowing that maybe I could've been one of those defeated Heartless. Still my insides feel bad because I wasn't able to assist them in fighting Versus and his soldiers, but…' She shook her head and looked ahead the clearing was in full view. 'I shouldn't be thinking like that. My priority is to Amaterasu she needs my protection.'
Before they crossed over into the light, where their next destination would be King Mickey stopped Amaterasu for a moment. "As promised I would let you go." He said pulling out his Keyblade, with a swift motion of the blade the chains broke apart, their white material fading into the wind. Amaterasu bowed for a moment and rubbed her wrist. She pulled out her Keyblade and broke the chains off of the Heartless.
Riku walked out into the light, and shielded his eyes for a moment and looked at the area before him. Everything was covered in white material, and some white material fell from the grey skies. He looked up and let some of the white element fall to his palm. 'Snow…' he thought looking back at the others. This area had no life in it; it was just covered in bare trees, almost like a forest of some sort.
"We're safe in this area." King Mickey said as his shoes crunched on top of the snow. "For now Versus wants us to stay here, since we've prepared ahead if something like this happened. We just never thought it would happen so soon." He said pulling his hood off. "I'm positive he's all right, so we should be hearing from him soon."
Amaterasu sighed and looked up the snow from her point of view didn't look like it was falling. 'It looks like it's rising up…' she thought to herself. She shivered slightly letting the cold get to her now. 'And I hate this world's getup! Why did I let the magic fashion a skirt for me? Good deities it's freezing!' at that point her thoughts were broken as she felt a warm material fall over her. "Th… Thanks, Riku." She said looking back at him.
"No problem." He said looking over his shoulder the others were a bit behind them. "Listen about…" Riku stopped for a moment and sighed a bit. 'Now it's awkward…' he mentally kicked himself about telling her, but he finally got it off of his chest. "Never mind…"
"Suit yourself, Riku…" Amaterasu said in a small voice. "You aren't cold?" she asked. Snow fell on her head and she ruffled the snow off of her hair. Riku shook his head for a moment and looked at her up and down.
"I'm not the one wearing a skirt…" Riku said poking fun at her. She made a face and buttoned up the coat that kept her warm. "Hey come one I was joking."
"I know…" she said looking at him for a moment. "But I mean this really isn't a time for jokes, we're sphere-less and we have a week till Maleficent decides to send more Heartless over here, in case if you haven't forgotten."
"Sphere-less?" Riku asked looking at her and she shrugged for a moment. 'The girl has a point though…' the Heartless within him made its way into the topic. 'Come on just leave me alone for once…' he thought fighting with himself. 'Then find a way to give me a good body to posses!' the Heartless growled.
"Earth to Riku…" Amaterasu waved a hand in front of his eyes for a moment and sighed snapping the boy back into reality. 'What's he thinking about anyway…?' she couldn't but think for a while about it now. 'It's probably nothing important…'
A m a t e r a s u
A couple of minutes came and went and King Mickey spoke to us about the current situation at hand. So far from what I've been able to understand is that right now Versus is off fighting the Heartless to keep them from advancing. That means that probably the other city 'Nokia' has been taken under siege, or maybe they've been able to fight them off since there were a lot of guards around there, but I don't know till we get there.
The Heartless are seeking out the sphere from what the royal mouse has told all of us. That means that Versus probably took it with him to keep the Heartless from reaching the capital, but in case if that didn't work he ordered for the people to go to some place safe. The magic within the city could only protect them for so long. King Mickey said that once this was over he'd take the sphere with him back to his castle and would plan to get rid of the Dark Master once and for all with Sora's help.
Not to be mean or anything but Sora can't even breathe the same air as the Dark Master, with the way he fights he doesn't stand a chance getting rid of him. If the Dark Master possessed his body Sora would be lost forever!
King Mickey's been talking about a way without having to sacrifice anyone to be the host to defeat the Dark Master, but I don't know if it'll work. A place called the 'Room of Sleep' somewhere in Radiant Garden, maybe it'll be the last showdown there.
But anyway the 'Room of Sleep' can somehow force out the Dark Master trapped within this sphere that Versus now has in his hands. Though once he's out he might make a run for it. I probably would, not wanting to waste anytime with my sudden release, but that's just me, I don't know what the Dark Master would do personally, but I have a feeling this won't go down that easily. Call me a pessimist but that's what my gut tells me.
This is just the first step, locating the sphere and all. King Mickey has stopped talking since this is all the information he currently knows. Then the Princesses of Heart, once they became tainted they open this portal which the Dark Master enters. The Princesses of Heart contain the ability to suppress his powers, but only if they don't have darkness in their hearts. I know for a fact Maleficent has found a way to gather most of them, but it'll be useless unless if the witch can find Kairi.
For now all we can do is wait for a guard to come and find us, signaling our departure and back to the castle. Versus will likely hand over the sphere since he doesn't want his capital to be laid to ruins. I can't really dwell on the past now because thoughts like that will mostly likely kill me when I'm fighting. I'm getting sick of fighting though, but I have someone to protect, and no doubt they're thinking the same thing.
I sighed for a moment and looked back at Riku as King Mickey and the others walked around. With what happened earlier, it's still fresh in my mind, sort of. I don't remember what I saw but I remember his voice. 'I love you too Riku…' I really wish he could read minds but I know he can't. "Riku…" I paused, feeling snow brushing against my nose. I looked up as the snow was lightly falling now.
R i k u
I heard her call my name, but she stopped and looked up at the grey sky. It's still snowing but I mean I don't mind the snow. I sighed to myself and just enjoyed the silence for a bit longer. 'I told her how I feel, and I couldn't have it any or way.' My heart was at peace for once, and it was something I wasn't accustomed to. 'Still I haven't kissed her and I'm beginning to think I'm having bad luck with that, or just bad timing…' I shook my head and looked back at her.
I hugged her for a while resting my head against her shoulder and she whispered something, but I could barely hear it. I looked at her for a moment and I heard her give a soft laugh. "What did you say, Ammi?" I asked as her laughter tickled my ear for a moment. "And stop teasing me…" I said whispering into her ear.
"I said…" she whispered carefully into my ear, "this it our first step…"
"Towards what?" I asked after kissing her cheek. She blushed for a moment and sighed placing her hand over my mouth. The snow was still falling and a snowflake landed on my nose.
"To our future… To a world where only light lives…" she said sadly, mentioning that fact. "It makes me wonder what about those who used darkness, do they get lost in the whole ordeal, or are they just cleansed…? And what about those who like who they are do they have to change because of the light?"
For a moment she almost made it seem as though the light was the enemy as well. It's true though light is the enemy of darkness, and darkness is the enemy of the light. For her all she's known is darkness, and never light, but I know she has a strong heart or else she never would've gotten the Keyblade One Winged Angel. It makes me wonder whether at one point in time during her awakening she was like me, who used darkness and light in unison as a weapon. It's somewhere in the chains of her memory and I want her to share that with me, so our first step can begin.
Though for right now I have to focus on our mission. I'll do my best to protect her, because I care for her and she is my light. This is the first step, and from there you have to follow the whole procedure, but something tells me we might screw up in the directions, but we'll figure something out. I noticed the guard coming out of the entrance and Amaterasu turned around hearing something walk through the snow.
"He is requesting your presence once again." The guard said looking at all of us.
A/N: You know what to do one review please!