OH GOD.
It has been such a long time. I swear, I am the worst at updating things. /shotshotshot
Anyway, I have a few chapters written, and I hope to God I can continue to write. So much school and social life, hehe. And I'm still not entirely sure where this is going, I do have part of an idea though. Anyway, one with the story!
Lots of love from
Nai x
The dorms of Kingdom Key Boarding Arts School were cosy and simplistic, perfect for a short stay or a term-long residence. The rooms were painted in neutral colours – crème walls and light brown wooden flooring – with matching furniture and bedding, a long chest of drawers and a desk stocked with academic necessities. To Ghost, it was a luxury, having woken up on a forest floor with no previous memory of any past residences.
Aerith had gotten the group settled in the dormitory of the nearby boarding school, since there was currently no room at anyone else's house. They had settled in quite well, and were expecting to be there for a few days at least while Cid touched up the Gummi Ship.
Only problem was, Ghost was at a loss what to do with this new found time. Sora and company had disappeared into the city, leaving her behind to sleep – until she had woken up to find herself lonely in their corridor, sitting in her room by herself looking out of the window.
The view from the bedroom window wasn't all that special, just an average scene of an empty courtyard with a few trees. The cobblestone that built up the small water fountain in the centre was mossy, with a small clean indent surrounded by ivy that seemed like it was meant for sitting. On the ground underneath the fountain was a circular mosaic, filled with a large golden key design and a crown behind it. Those shapes were familiar – they were everywhere in the dorms. The curtains and bedding even had small key designs printed into them in shadowy shades, and each door had a key carved into it with a number on the head.
The key had stuck in Ghost's mind though, something in the furthest reaches of her memory stirring at the image. She knew about Sora's 'Keyblade', but so far she hadn't seen it – there were no 'Heartless' or 'Nobodies' around to kill.
Deciding to take her mind of it, she returned to the trees outside. She had been eyeing up one certain tree for a few minutes now and she quickly strapped her weapon on her hip before climbing onto the white windowsill, leaning forward before pushing herself off with a powerful leap and landing gracefully on a thick tree branch a metre or so from the building, swinging down with one hand to touch down on soft grass before casually strolling away.
It wasn't long before she was outside of the school's grounds, walking aimlessly around backstreets while she tried to find the market place. She wished she had her old shorts, so she could at least put her hands in her pockets, but instead her fingers stroked the hilt of her sword anxiously as she searched, unnerving passers by an she found herself going past the same street sign at least three times.
Groaning, she looked around, heading in a different direction before appearing in a rundown street, children playing on the road with a battered football as gangs of teenagers sat smoking in huddles on a broken wall. In this part of the city, the brickwork wasn't as polished yet, nor were they at all clean or new. Smoke billowed into the air from an open trash fire built with unwanted household items that two women sat beside, open bottles of whiskey clutched in their hands as they laughed their husky smoker's laughs.
Ghost gulped, her grip on her sword tightening as she travelled further. This couldn't be the right way to go, at all, but she couldn't stop being curious and exploring further. It was such a drop in standards from the street a good few metres behind – people there could probably go about their daily business overlooking the run down homes without a second thought. Besides, if she turned back, she'd be stuck right where she got lost in the first place.
She felt herself being watched as she walked cautiously, the residents staring her down with cold eyes. She could tell they thought she was an outsider here. More so than she was anywhere else. But strangely, she felt at home, despite the glares she was receiving from each and every one of them.
"Oi, you, princess! What you doin' round here 'ey? Shouldn' you be out there dancin' wi' the rich folk?"
Ghost turned sharply, her sword drawn as quick as a flash to be held right in front of a man's nose.
"Woah, woah, how about you put that knife away 'ey? I mean no 'arm of course, jus' wonderin' why an 'igher up is wonderin' round this here slum!"
Ghost narrowed her eyes, lowering her sword arm before completely sheathing her blade. "I'm watching you, so don't bother doing anything funny. I can run you through faster than you can blink."
The man shook his head and placed a hand over his heart in a vow of sorts, before relaxing in front of her. He would have been fairly attractive, had he been able to take a regular bath – his blonde hair was unruly and dark with grease, while his odd lavender eyes twinkled despite his poverty. "I'd be worried about yourself, princess – I can think of many men round 'ere who wouldn' mind a piece o' you, if ya know what I mean."
She grimaced, her eyes examining a group of old men lurking by a corner with disgust.
The man noticed her look, and jumped. "Oh, no no, don't get me wrong princess – we're not all like that. Jus' 'cause we don' live in fancy houses like the rest of you doesn' mean we're all scum."
She raised her eyebrow uncertainly at him. He smirked and shook his head.
"Never mind – it'll take a good convincin' I can tell. Anyway, I'm Jones – that's my last name. I'm pretty well known 'round these parts… stick wi' me an' you'll be safe an' sound." He paused a bit, taking in her appearance. "In my opinion, you look a lil' lost… stumbled across us by accident, right? Well, no worries, I can show you out!"
He didn't really leave her much choice as he pulled her away, so she nodded reluctantly.
#
Meanwhile, a small blonde slid down the roof of a house and flipped neatly into the street below, ruffling her hair back into place as she continued walking down past the market stalls. Her delicate hands slipped into the pockets of her shorts after she adjusted the closed quiver strapped to her back, whistling to herself.
She walked silently down the path, brushing past bust market goers and peddlers. Townspeople bustled along carrying their brown paper bags of food for their family, as children played catch with the apples from the fruit stand. The blonde smiled warmly at them but moved on quickly, slowing down upon approaching the balcony that overlooked the town center, the large waterfall in the middle showering playing families below.
She edged over, her fingertips stroking the cool brick under her hands, her steel blue eyes half-lidded in thought. A small, barely visible frown fell on her lips, as she leaned forward to rest on her elbows, staring off into the horizon while she spaced out.
"You look lively, Parse."
The blonde had a mini heart attack and jumped, wheeling around to face the newcomer. "Hope! That was mean!"
The silver haired boy smiled and prodded her with the end of his boomerang weapon before setting it in the holster on his back. "Sorry. Couldn't help it."
She pouted and elbowed him sharply in the side. "I'll get you back for that. I promise."
He paled. Parse's 'get-you-back's were often painful and involved some form of violence. "…Right!" He managed to say nervously. The blonde just smiled sweetly and turned back to the landscape.
"Y'know… I really miss our home. Radiant Garden really has nothing on it – I mean, it has the same kind of spread… with the bazaar and markets and inn's and everything… but, just not the same feel."
Hope nodded and leaned against the balcony with her, his sea foam eyes raking the view. "I know what you mean."
The two fell into a comfortable silence, something that was unusual around the excitable Parse. Being the youngest in the group, the two had taken it upon themselves to befriend each other, but their personalities usually couldn't be more different. And yet here they were, sharing a moment that someone would have mocked them for if they had been there.
Finally Hope stirred, standing up to stretch his back. "This isn't the first time I've lost my home. Though, admittedly, the first time it wasn't taken by Heartless… I used to live in a place called Cocoon with my Mom and Dad, but… my Mom died. I don't really remember how I managed to get off that world, but I can remember faces."
Parse looked at him sadly and placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly while he gave a reassuring smile back. The fourteen year old had been through more than she could understand and yet now he was smiling, happy in the arms of his newfound 'family'.
And when she blinked, she saw the familiar blue haired girl in his place, eyes glowing softly before they disappeared as suddenly as they came.
#
Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking, Ghost and Jones emerged on a busy street in the middle of Radiant Garden, having to stand to the side of the road to avoid bumping into hurried strangers. Jones had his hands deep in the pockets of his ragged jeans, a cheery smile on his face as he nodded 'hi' to people rushing past. Ghost stood beside him, watching him tiredly with a hand still resting on her sword.
I should probably get back to the dorm… she thought, looking around to see if she recognised anything in her surrounding area.
"We're on the main street, just leadin' up to the bazaar that a few travellers set up a couple o' weeks ago. It's still pretty popular, since they're sellin' all sorts o' stuff you don't usually get 'round 'ere. They're closin' up soon though; it's why everyone's hurryin' to get there," Jones said, noticing her searching. "Where d'ya need to be?"
"The Kingdom Key dorms… do you know where they are?"
He pouted his lips in thought, scanning the horizon for a sign of some sort. "I know the general direction. There's a short cut not too far away – ya gotta run through a warehouse ta get to it. Shouldn' be a problem, though – as far as I know it's still in use for storin' things so there'll be people working there. Ya jus' gotta ask 'em politely with that cutesy voice of yours if you can go through."
Ghost looked sceptical, her eyebrows furrowed with worry.
He saw her look and laughed. "Don' worry! You'll get home safe an' sound. C'mon, I'll walk ya there a bit. Then I gotta get back t' my family."
Ghost's ears perked up at the mention as they walked. "You have family?"
Jones grinned, his eyes glazing as he thought. "Yessir. Two beautiful daughters, both blondes, both lavender eyes – jus' like me! They're twins ya see. My wife an' I couldn' be happier t' have 'em. Of course, then there was the arguments that come naturally wi' marriage, y'know? My wife couldn' get out quick enough I should think. Stupid woman. Didn' know what she had."
Ghost was silent, feeling a little awkward. But she was curious – no one else ever talked about their family. "So… are your daughters with you?"
Jones hesitated, the dreamy expression gone and replaced with crestfallen. The white haired girl beside him was about to apologise when he answered. "… No. Truthfully, they're on another world somewhere. Our 'ome was destroyed by the 'eartless, so I don' know where they ended up. I can only hope they're safe… but I'm tryin' to find 'em, I am. It's why I gotta leave ya."
Ghost nodded, and Jones smiled thankfully at her, ruffling her hair. "Thanks for listenin', princess. But he's where we split. You make a nice listener, y'know."
She nodded and bowed her head. "Thank you for accompanying me."
He shook his head and began walking away. "Don' worry 'bout it! Maybe I'll see ya 'round sometime, would be nice to chat again. See ya later!"
She replied with a gentle wave and watched him disappear along the road before she turned to the eerie warehouse looming in front of her.
The warehouse certainly didn't look in use – the large, industrial double doors were shut tight and windows boarded up to prevent trespassers. Maybe they just weren't working today, though. People needed a break, after all. And, she could truly see the dorms behind the scruffy building, the top two floors just visible over the wooden warehouse roof.
Swallowing her nagging fear, she walked forward slowly, looking around for an opening either side of the building – but unfortunately the warehouse was located on a terrace, with no space around it to even edge through. The only thing she could do…
Narrowing her eyes, she went up to the outside wall below the window and unsheathed her sword, slipping the blade under the cardboard over the windows and shoving with her palm, chiselling the boards off. Smiling at her handiwork, she put away her blade and jumped to the ledge, swinging herself up and over to land on top of a pile of boxes on the other side.
The warehouse was almost pitch black – or would have been, if not for the hole Ghost had just made in the side. Boxes were stacked in haywire messes across the floor, shrouded in dust from years of no use. Ghost jumped from the pile and landed with a sharp clack, starting to walk slowly up the cluttered aisles. Her pale eyes glanced over worn out flyers littering the cement ground, the noise from her boots echoing around the silent room.
"Nice of you to… drop in."
Ghost froze, her stop dropped, her eyes widened, her heart quickened.
A broad man stood in the shadows in front of her, the dim light casting eerie shadows over his proud smirk and smoky hair.
A sharp screech filled the air as her knees hit the floor, and her world blurred out.
The vinyl crackled as it spun on the gramophone, the label turning around and around, again and again. Soft piano drifted out from the brass horn that curled from the side of the mahogany box, as the two figures moved clumsily in the centre of the chequered dance floor.
A little girl giggled, her feet clad in patent cream leather plimsolls and small white socks as she stood atop her partners feet, hands clasped around his scarred fingers as he span her in obscured circles. The rose pink skirt of her button up dress billowed with the movement and she held upon her face a bright smile, her unusual eyes sparkling as she laughed freely.
The man smiled down upon the young blunette, his eyes wavering at her innocent happiness.