Back Alleys and Living Armor
L.A.: So it's been awhile but I figured since no one seems interested in this story, I'd update at my own leisure. Anyway enjoy!
Rin groaned as she readjusted her hold on the Heartstaff. She had been wandering the streets for an hour and hadn't seen Sora. She was tired, her muscles ached, and she was pretty sure she was lost.
"Ugh, why does this stuff keep happening to me?" Rin groaned. Something glowed out of the corner of her eye. Curious, Rin turned and found herself looking into the display window of a hat shop. "The Mad Hatter's wares," she murmured as she stared at a rather large hat with a card sticking out on the side. "Kairi would have had a blast trying on hats with me."
A pang of loneliness ran through her as she remembered that she had no idea where Kairi was. "I wish I knew what happened to her," she whispered. A scuffling sound from the alley caught her attention. Curious, she raised the Heartstaff in front of her body as she walked forward.
She cautiously peered around the corner only to have two bodies collide with her.
"Watch where you're going," a voice said. She looked up and gasped. A humanoid dog and duck were staring back at her.
"Uh…" Rin said as she tried to recover from shock.
"Beggin' your pardon, miss" The humanoid dog said as he took off his hat and grinned apologetically.
"It's okay," Rin said as she readjusted her hold on her staff.
"Let's go Goofy," The duck said as he raced down the alley. The dog, Goofy, quickly followed.
"Wonder what their rush is," Rin said as she readjusted her hold on the Heartstaff.
"Oh, dear," a voice said from beneath her.
Frowning, she looked down and saw a little cricket in a top hat fiddling with an umbrella.
"Um, hello," Rin said as she squatted.
The cricket looked up and smiled. "Why, hello there."
Rin yelped as she took a step back.
"Sorry, to startle you," the cricket said.
"Great," Rin muttered as she crouched. "More talking animals."
"I'm Jiminy Cricket," he said as he took off his top hat and bowed. "And you are?"
"Uh, Rin," she held out her index finger and he shook it.
"Pleasure to meet you," Jiminy said as he glanced down the alley. "Though I wish it were under different circumstances."
Rin sighed. She really wanted to go find Sora but she felt bad leaving Jiminy by himself. It would take forever to find them at his size. "Hey," Rin said, "if you want, I can help you find your friends."
Jiminy grinned. "Oh thank you so much! I really do appreciate it." He shoveled his foot. "Uh, do you mind if I sit on your shoulder? It will be a little hard to keep up."
"Sure," Rin said hoping he didn't notice her wince. She wasn't a big fan of insects. She lifted him up anyway and set him on her shoulder.
Jiminy settled on her shoulder and looked around. "Nice very nice. When I was on Goofy, I always felt as if I was going to fall off."
"Glad you're enjoying yourself." Rin said. "Now where exactly are we going?"
"To the third district," Jiminy said.
While they walked over, Jiminy told Rin of how they got to Traverse Town.
"So it seems like a lot of people here come from other worlds," Rin mused.
Jiminy cocked his head. "So, you come from another world as well?"
Rin nodded. "Though in my world, we don't have kings."
"And that staff you're holding," Jiminy said as he pointed at the Heartstaff with emphasis. "Did it come from your world as well?"
Rin glanced at it. "You know, I'm not really sure. It just appeared one day and I felt compelled to carry it around since." She grinned sheepishly. "Kind of a stupid reason, huh?"
Jiminy's eyes had a far off look in them. "Hm, interesting."
Before she could question him, the doors to the third district opened up for them and they were greeted by a strange sight.
Goofy and the duck, the two who had bumped into them before, were dog piled on top of a young boy with a very familiar mop of brown hair.
"Sora?" Rin asked, the corners of her mouth twitching.
Sora looked at her in surprise. "Rin?"
Goofy grinned as he pointed to the duck. "Donald."
Donald glared at him and tried to swipe at his head. "Goofy, cut it out."
"Gawrsh," Goofy said as he stood up. "I thought we were just introducing everyone."
"But you weren't on the island…" Sora said as he stood up and walked toward her.
"I figured you guys would try to protect the raft so I followed after you," Rin said. "You weren't the only one who was surprised."
"Jiminy," Goofy said. "What are you doing on that girl's shoulder?"
Jiminy crossed his arms. "You two left me back in the alley."
They both grinned sheepishly.
Glancing at Sora, she noticed he had a look of disappointment on his face. Knowing what he was thinking, she couldn't help but feel slightly hurt. "You were hoping the girl running around Traverse Town was Kairi, didn't you?"
"What?" Sora immediately shook his head as he held his hands up. "No, no, no, of course not."
Rin raised an eyebrow and Sora's shoulders sagged. "Okay, maybe a little."
"I hate to break up your reunion," Donald said, though Rin could tell that he didn't really care. "But you have something we really need." He pointed to Sora's hand. "That key."
Glancing down at Sora's hand, Rin noticed a key shaped sword. What an odd looking sword, Rin thought.
Sora frowned as he slowly moved the sword behind his back. "There is no way I'm giving you the Keyblade. It's the only thing I can protect myself with from the Heartless."
"Heartless?" Rin asked.
"They're the creatures running around town," Goofy said. "Haven't you seen them?"
Rin shook her head. "No, I guess I've been lucky."
The ground shook as something landed to the right of them. Rin turned towards it, and her eyes widened.
A giant purple and black armor suit stood before them. Two yellow eyes peered from within the helmet and a strange heart like insignia was inscribed on the chest plate.
"Or maybe not," Rin said, her voice notably up an octave.
"Split up," Sora yelled as a giant arm slashed at them.
Rin rolled to the side with Jiminy clinging on for dear life. Backing up into the corner, she saw Sora slashing at the armor's head while Goofy swung his shield at the creature's feet. After a couple of swipes, Sora knocked the head off.
Rin felt relieved when the armor came crashing down. It soon turned to horror when the different pieces of armor began to move on their own accord. "What is that thing?" Rin murmured as she brought the Heartstaff closer to her chest.
"What are you doing?" Donald quacked as he raised his staff in the air. Moments later a bolt of lightning hit the armor's foot. "Cast some magic."
"I don't know magic," Rin yelled.
The foot suddenly swiveled and started hopping in her direction. It would have been comical if it weren't trying to squash her. As it drew closer, Rin smacked the foot with the Heartstaff. It seemed stunned for only a second before charging towards her once again.
"Great," Rin muttered as she took off running. "It targeting the weakest link, me."
As she kept running, the foot drew closer and closer. It was almost on top of her when it suddenly vanished. Off in the distance, she saw Sora pulling back his sword as a strange glowing heart materialized from the creature's chest plate.
A hand on her arm caused her to whirl around, the Heartstaff poised in her hands.
"Don't be afraid," A brunette haired girl wearing braids said. "My name's Aerith. I'm a friend of your friends."
Glancing behind Aerith, she noticed a man and a young girl dressed as a ninja.
"Looks like Sora found his friend after all," the girl said.
"Sort of," Rin said, refusing to put the staff down just yet.
"Leon, Yuffie," Sora said as he, Donald, and Goofy came running towards them. "What are you doing here?"
"Making sure that you all met," Leon said.
Sora looked at them in surprise. "These were the people you were talking about?"
Rin stood to the side completly confused. Who were these people and how did Sora even know them?
"That's what we were trying to explain before that Heartless attacked," Donald said as he tapped his foot.
Rin got the feeling that Donald tended to lose his patience easily.
"Hey," Goofy said with a laugh. "Why don't you two come with us? You can see other worlds in our vessel?"
"I wonder if we could find Riku and Kairi," Sora said as he turned towards Rin.
"They could have landed on other worlds," Rin added. She glared when she saw Goofy and Donald whispering to each other before putting on fake smiles. "Though I don't know if you can't trust them."
"Go with them," Leon said. "Especially if you want to find your friends."
From the way that Sora was looking at Leon, she got the feeling that he trusted him.
Sora sighed "I guess..."
Donald grinned. "But you can't come along looking like that. Understand? No frowning. No sad faces. Okay?
"Yeah, you have gotta look funny like us!" Goofy said cheerfully as he pointed to him and Donald.
Donald frowned and casually pushed Goofy aside before he continued. "This boat runs on happy faces!"
Sora hung his head. "Happy? Hmmm." He lifted his head and smiled the cheesiest smile he could think of.
They stood staring at him for a few moments then burst out laughing.
"That's one funny face!" Donald laughed.
"Okay, why not, I'll go with you guys." Sora said. He noticed that Rin hadn't spoken in a while so he turned to her. "Rin…"
"No," she said.
Everyone turned to her in surprise.
"Huh?" Goofy as he scratched his head in confusion.
"I'm not going," Rin said as she stepped back.
"But Rin," Sora began.
Rin rubbed her arm. "I'm not cut out for this. Fighting Heartless, saving the world. I..can't… I can't do that."
"Our friend owns the hotel in the second district," Aerith said. "It is where you will be staying tonight. She's more than welcome to stay there until you return."
"That's fine," Rin mumbled refusing to look anyone in the eye.
Sora frowned before returning his attention back to Donald and Goofy.
"Rin," Jiminy said with concern but she ignored him.
Because in her head, she saw the strange man in the hooded mask whispering over and over. "This isn't your part."
"I'm no hero," Rin thought. "Sora's the one who's supposed to be."
L.A.: And that's the end of this chapter. You know what to do, READ and REVIEW!