Chapter 5: moon light
I don't know why I said it. Maybe it was her eyes, or the way her skin shimmered with suppressed darkness. My eyes saw her darkness and it made her untouchable, so beautiful. She blinked once, twice then she was backing away from me. "never say that to me again" she said and I heard a hissing layer in her voice. So quiet I almost missed it. "never." she didn't smile, didn't frown. She just stood there watching me. Then it was true, she loved Lea. More than a friend, more than she would ever love me. But then again, she didn't have to love me. I could love her, that was all that mattered. I could love her.
I nodded "yes Shadow" her full name felt heavy on my tong. She turned her head away a little then she was smiling.
"are you ok?" she asked and I got shakily to my feet. I looked myself over and realized what I must have looked like.
"Im fine. How do I look?" I smiled at her and she crooked an eyebrow. Walking around me she took a long silent look at me.
"how old are you?" she asked and we began walking, further into the darkness.
"21, last month" I said and she thought again "i became like this the first time when I was 16. a heartless took me over, made me evil. Made me wan't power. Sure I wanted the power to bring back my island but... I went evil all the same." she took my hand and stayed silent "i don't think this form has changed all to much. I probably look my age now" at this she smiled and gave a tug on my hand. Then we were stepping out on to...
Shad stumbled out of the black water onto a beach of blue sand. She was barely 5 years old and half drowned. She crawled on hands and knees away from the water. Then there was someone standing in front of her "hi" he said and pushed his red hair out of his face "Im Lea, who're you?"
Shad stumbled out of the black water onto a beach of grey shale. Is was perpetually night and the moon didn't effect her. "AQUA!" she cried and looked around "TERA!" her voice cracked and she shivered "VENITAS!" she cried and was greeted with silence "Lea?" she didn't scream his name.
10 year old Shad and Lea sat in front of a raging bonfire beside a lake "touch the fire" the old man with them said and they looked at each other. Taking each others hand they reached in...
Shad stood on the edge of the dark margin and the grey plain of the nothingness. "Hello Shadow" a voice called from the grey. A figure slowly came into focus. His grey robes fluttered in a non existent breeze.
"Vanitas" she replied and smiled "long time no see"
Axle withdrew his knife from the organization woman's heart "your the organization" he said and the leader of the group stepped forward.
"and you are?"
Shad was quiet as we stepped out onto the grass of the Radiant Gardens graveyard. "miss you" she said as she pulled out a black lily from her cloak and placed it on a grave. The tombstone was so worn I couldn't read the name.
"who is it?" I asked and she turned to me. She gave me a sad smile and pulled out a small bouquet of forget-me-not's.
"just someone" she said and placed the flowers with the lilly. She looked back at me and her eyes were black pits of swirling darkness. We walked away and I looked around.
"this place is always full of people" I said and she nodded. She opened her mouth to say something but as she did the air around us shimmered and bent, like water.
"RUN" she cried and we were racing. A cloud of darkness seemed to seep out of the liquid like air and surged after us.
"Riku!" a voice called and I grabbed Shads hand. We angled towards the voice and I saw Yuffie. I waved and she gestured us into a house. She slammed the door behind us and we panted heavily.
Shad pocked me and I looked at her "i'll lead them off, Riku follow Yuffie somewhere safe. I'll follow you" she said then she was gone.
I leant against the wall and looked at Yuffie "Riku?" she said
The computer room was packed and the heartless factory beyond that too. "we need to understand our enemy!" King Micky cried from his place on a desk.
"if we cant see them how are we meant to know anything about them?" Leon yelled back as we walked in. As my foot crossed the threshold Shad appeared beside me.
"well what do we know?" Cid said calmly and everyone went quiet.
"one, the air ripples when they come. Two black fog or smoke appears, then three someone disappears" Cloud said counting them off on his fingers. "oh and some dude said that some people called the dark league is taking them" he continued.
"wrong" Shad said from my side and everyone turned to face us. Then the shouts came.
"Xahrnort?"
I smiled "sheesh guys didn't think my disguise was that good" I said and everyone went quiet for all of three seconds. Then everyone was laughing.
Leon walked over and shook Shads hand. Her face was hidden in the cowl of her cloak so when she spoke it was deeper. "the dark league are imbeciles. There from the boarder zone." she said and we moved to the center of the room.
King Micky looked her over and gave me a smile "so who's your friend?" he said and I put my hand on her shoulder. Shad moved her shoulder and my hand fell.
"i'm Shad. Lady of ice and the cold depths. Master of dark and commander of the inner ring. Sister of Lea lord of fire and the furthest heights. Master of light and commander of the outer ring. Daughter of Po and Carlane. Descendant of the callers and the silent ones."
King Micky laughed "that cant be true. The callers and the silent ones were banished to..." he didn't finish. Shad had lowered her hood. She wasn't beautiful. Nor was she human. Her skin was like a dragons. Bead like scales that were pitch black seemed harder than diamond but moved like silk. Her hair was like spear heads, shimmering and metal like. Her eyes were the worst. Blood red irises with black where the whites should have been. She smiled, revealing a set of fangs.
"you were saying?" she said and I noticed it wasn't her voice. A snake hiss invaded the harsh voice that came from her throat. "the black stone tower comity say hello your highness" at this she laughed, a cruel unfeeling laugh.
The king jumped off of the table and walked around her. Once he had made a complete circuit and stood in front of her again he held out his hand "ok then, welcome to the realm of light"
they shook hands and Shad took a step back. Reaching up she waved a hand across her face and then she was my Shad again. She sagged and I gripped her arm to keep her upright. The group around us dispersed and we were left with the King, Leon and Cloud. "what do you mean by that?" Leon asked and the king moved to the computer. The King got back up onto the table and everyone else made themselves comfortable. I held Shad a little closer.
"i'm not from this realm" she said and we all listened silently "i'm from a small world that once existed in the light. Now beyond the light, beyond the dark, beyond even the grey. A place that doesn't exist but to punish. The guardians were banished to control the existence's. The dark league are buffoons from the outer ring. A ring of stone that surounds our world." she paused for a moment. "you all know of the heartless?" she said and everyone nodded "and the nobodies?" again everyone nodded "the unborn?" she said and gained a nod. "ok then who can tell me what aspects are these of a being?".
We all looked at each other. "well the heartless are just that. Heartless. They try to find and destroy hearts" the kings said but Shad was shaking her head.
Cloud sat forward "the nobodies are shells" Shad nodded and he sat back.
"the unborn are the souls" Leon said from his position leaning against the wall.
"good" Shad said "the heartless are seeking hearts because they no longer have them." she said looking at Micky. He blushed a little. "each of these creatures are part of an initial whole. The heart, body and mind."
I raised my hand not wanting to interrupt her. "so these Existence's, what are they?"
she smiled at me "they are a by-product. A discarded bit of each." after a few seconds we all raised our hands. Shad smiled "let me guess. You want to know what they look like? Right?" we all nodded. "like I did before except they are not humanoid. They look more like dragons or sometimes even wolves."
I shivered. It was as if I could hear the howls. We sat in the kings Gummi ship heading for Disney castle but the intercom was hooked up so we could continue to speak and see the guys back at Hollow Bastion "to 'destroy' them you of course need a Keyblade." I heard groans "but other weapons will weaken them and, if the weapon is created with light beads it can after a while, kill them." I said with my arms wrapped tight around myself.
"great. We need a Keyblade. Like usual" Leon groaned.
I smiled "be nice. I could always come back there and whoop your butt again boy" I said and I heard him laugh. I looked at the exit again for what could have been the 400 time.
Riku lent over "are you ok?" he asked and I gave him a small smile but didn't answer.
we were almost at Disney castle when I realized Shad was speaking. Or rather muttering to herself "i shouldn't be here, shouldn't have gotten aboard" she didn't respond when I tried to talk to her. She just kept muttering to herself "should't be here, shouldn't..." we landed and Shad was first out.
I found her sitting against a hedge. She had her knees pulled up. The king walked up to me "is she ok?" I shrugged. She got up and began pacing, she had her arms wrapped tight around herself.
I approached her and she stopped pacing "Shad are you ok?" I asked.
She took a few more pacing steps away from me and then back "do I look different?" I tried to think "Riku do I look different?" she demanded and my eyes widened as I realized she was asking me to see her through Xahrnort eyes. I looked her up and down. She had traces of the other Shadow. The one that wasn't my Shad.
"not really" I said hoping to calm her down.
he lied. I saw it in his eyes. I must have looked like a monster. "i should leave" I said and turned away from him.
He stepped closer and gripped my arm "if you leave then I'm coming with you" he said and took my hand.
My heart jumped "no you should change back and team up with your friends. You have to fight the Existence's." I tried to walk away but he pulled me back.
"no." he said and took my other hand "i won't let you be alone." he was close to me and his breath disturbed my hair. Tickled my ear.
"Riku..." I started to say but a group burst from inside.
"Donald! Goofy!" the king cried as a large dog/knight and a duck/magician ran up to him "Sora! Kairi" he called and the cinnamon haired boy and burgundy haired girl ran up a little slower.
Sora looked over at us "Riku. Your Xahrnort again" he said and frowned.
Riku smiled "yea" he said then looked down at me.
"i won't leave" I said and he gave my hands a little squeeze.
we sat in the royal library and the king was explaining the situation to the others. Kairi rolled her eyes as I looked out the door at Shad. She stood at the railing looking down at the garden. "What do you see in her?" she asked and I sighed.
I looked around at her "i see a lot in her Kairi" I said and went to join Shad on the balcony.
I heard behind me the king talk to Sora and Kairi. Neither of them trusted Shad yet. "be kind, Shad could be a useful ally. She's been through a lot."
Sora huffed "we know, it's just that she comes out of nowhere with this amazing story and we get a new enemy" I smiled. Sora was almost a man now.
I stood silently beside Shad as she stared over the gardens. "i can't stay here" she said. Her voice was so quiet I almost missed it. I took her hand and led her down the hall and back outside. "Riku, I have to go" she said I a strangled voice.
I led her to a seat. "whats wrong?" I asked as we sat. I pulled her round to face me.
"the closer to the light the deeper your shadow becomes" she said not meeting my eyes. She looked up at my confused expression "the closer I get to a strong source of light the more it hurts. The darker the shadows become within me" she looked sick and scared "i'm scared i'll lash out and hurt someone" she said and I noticed she was shivering.
"the longer you stay the sicker you become?" I asked and she nodded. "so if you left and went somewhere close to the dark. Like the dark margin. For a while you could be ok for a little while longer?" she looked at me surprised.
"that might work" she said and disappeared in a sparkle of black lights. I sighed and walked back inside to tell the others.
it was cold and hot. Still and moving. Quiet and loud. Light but dark. I was lying on a black silk bed wearing a white silk shirt, black pants and a red vest. I sat up slowly and realized I was alone. There was a mirror beside the door and a cupboard. I swung my legs of the bed to the soft carpet. I walked over to the mirror. My hair was as red as ever and I still had my upside down tear drop tattoos under my eyes. My green eyes were brighter than I remembered. I looked in the cupboard and found an assortment of clothed all red, black and white. But pushed into the back were my two organization cloaks. My classic black with silver accents and the gift from number 15. it was blood red with jade accents.
I walked out into the hallway and found it was plain white with black mirrors and a red carpet. People walked past and I stared. They were completely white. Clothes, hair, even their eyes were completely white. "Good morning Axle" someone said from behind me. I turned and saw...
I lay on the shores of the dark margin, my feet lapped at by the black waters. The sick feeling in my stomach was gone, the pains in my heart faded. I looked up at the perpetually star filled sky and sighed. "Shad" a voice whispered in the night.
I sat up quickly "Lea?" I cried and looked around. I listened hard but the voice didn't come again. I sighed and stood up "I'll find you" I called out into the darkness. I fell back and let the black lights take me to Disney castle.
I stood on the green lawn and shivered. The force of the light hit me in the gut. It stabbed me in the heart and I fell to my knees. I gripped my chest "Riku" I moaned and strong hands gripped my shoulders. Silver knelt beside me "Help" I hissed through my teeth.
I gasped as agony flared in my chest "its ok Shad" he crooned into my ear and kissed my cheek. I looked up at his gold eyes. The pain stabbed at me again and I lent against his chest.
He wrapped his arms around me and the pain lessened "be my light" I mumbled into his shirt.
She whispered something and I missed it "what was that Shad?" I asked and she looked up at me.
"Be my light" she said as a tear rolled down her face. I held her close.
She sobbed into my shoulder "only if you be mine" I said and we just sat there for a while until the King came out with Kairi and Sora.
They walked over to us "She's back" he said and smiled. I didn't smile back.
"She's sick, can we make this quick?" I said and her body shook with suppressed pain.
The king nodded "Shad we would like it if you and Riku would work with us." he said and she looked at him slowly "we need some people in the dark to fight on that side." he said and she sat up a little.
"to work with the Keyblade bearers to save the world?" she said and I felt the frozen tears begin to melt from my body heat. She looked up at me "you know I can't" she said and I gave her a comforting smile.
"But thats the thing Shad" I said as another frozen tear rolled down her face "we will be going to all the worlds. We can look for him." She cringed as pain wracked her body and lent against me.
I breathed in his scent as I thought 'could I? Could I save the world and look for Lea? Could I do it before the eclipse?' "ok" I said and they all smiled at me, even Sora. "of course theres a catch" I said and the smile completely disappeared form Kairi's face "if I need to leave, you have to let me" I said and looked pointedly at Riku. He nodded and I smiled "Arenti" I said and laughed.
We were walking through a P.O.D when Riku pulled at my hand "back at Disney castle what did you call me?" he asked and I smiled.
I looked at him from the corner of my eye "an Arenti" I said and kept walking.
He ran to catch up "and that is?" he asked and I laughed again.
"it means Liar" I said and he looked hurt.
"when did I lie?" he asked and I laughed again (a past time that I was getting used to)
"when you said you would let me leave when the time comes" I replied "when I find Lea you wont let me leave without a fight" I said and we began walking again.