Chapter 14
"Roxas?" Kairi asked in disbelief. "You... you're not supposed to be here..."
Roxas just chuckled. "I guess I just don't disappear that easily. After all- I am Sora in a way. Speaking of whom..." he turned to the side, revealing a slinking, shadowy creature that shrunk against the wall as it noticed there were others present. A Heartless, though this one had familiar characteristics.
"Sora?" Kairi asked apprehensively as she approached the Shadow. It's behavior was timid, but it seemed to relax more around Kairi, as though it knew her.
"You don't have to be afraid..." She said as she walked closer to the Shadow that was Sora's Heartless. "I won't let anyone here hurt you." She reached out a hand to the Shadow, who timidly took it. The creature's hand thrummed with dark power, and felt icy to the touch. It was as though the creature was only an imitation of life- no body, no memories, acting purely on instinct. Kairi felt like crying at the pathetic sight, seeing the one she loved most reduced to a mere Shadow.
"Sora, I don't remember what to do!" Kairi said with rising panic. "What if I can't bring you back?"
A sudden loud crash broke the silence. It seemed to come from outside the castle. Kairi found herself clinging to the creature in a protective embrace. A strong glow formed between the two immediately, and as soon as it faded, Sora was standing where the Shadow was.
"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed
"What on Earth was that?" Roxas asked, righting himself from the shock of the crash.
"Riku or Lea must have encountered a few Dusks... but why haven't our charms alerted us to that fact yet?" Aqua said.
"Probably caught them by surprise..." Sora said, turning to Kairi, he added "I'm ok, I did say you were going to do fine."
"Wh...where am I?" came the voice of Ventus. He had finally woken and recovered enough to speak, and was now trying to stand up from the throne-like chair he had slept in for the past 10 years. It came as no surprise that his gait was a bit wobbly.
"You're safe, Ven!" Aqua said, trying her hardest not to throw herself at the still-startled boy. Watching the two interact, Sora got a sudden embarrassing reminder of how he had behaved when Riku first woke after saving him from the enchanted sleep Organization XIII had put him under. Aqua had far more self-restraint, yet had more reason to hug the life out of Ventus. He had just awoken from a 10-year slumber after all.
"Sora?" Ven asked when he could finally get a break from the fuzzy reunion.
"Yes?" Sora walked toward the boy who's Heart had taken refuge within him for 10 years. He didn't feel any different.
"I have been waiting a long time to thank you in person." He said. "You saved me, I would have probably been snuffed from existence several times were it not for you..."
"D...don't mention it..." Sora answered.
Another crash rang across the castle, louder than the last one.
"I don't like the sound of those crashes..." Kairi said. "Who or whatever is making them is getting closer... we should probably leave before they find us."
"I just hope those other two are nearby and safe. We need to get them out of here too." Aqua said.
XXXXXXXX
No resistance met them as they left the castle, however, Lea got reprimanded fiercely for sleeping on the job, including getting a strong smack upside the head from Roxas. Lea was a combination of thrilled and annoyed to see the best friend of his own Nobody after that.
They checked the perimeter of the castle, calling Riku's name repeatedly, only to get no answer. It was a testament to how large Castle Oblivion actually was that it took them nearly an hour to travel half the perimeter. What they found near the rear of the castle made everyone's blood run cold. Sora choked and violently brought up the last thing he ate.
The area surrounding the rear of the castle was in ruins. The ground was heavily trampled and there was wreckage from both the castle and it's vegetation everywhere, as though something had gone on a rampage there. That was not what disturbed them the most though.
Riku's wayfinder charm lay cast aside and broken at the foot of a broken chunk of wall, as though Riku had tried to call for help but had his charm cast aside before he could complete the spell. The wall itself was splattered with an alarming amount of blood.
End of Chapter 14.
A.N. Short chapter, I know... but it will return to it's normal length was the story progresses. This is merely a cliffhanger.