[Conny]: I feel good about this story. I just hope other people start reading this one. Hehe, thank you Twilight PhoenixFyre for your review. I think your questions will be answered in this chapter. Anyway, continuing with this story!
Chapter 2
Awaken!
Kairi opened her eyes, only to see a meager amount of light. She could see the steel grates across the cell, but couldn't see anything but shadows beyond it. The floors were cold stone and the barred window showed two moons illuminating the night.
"Naminé, what happened?" Kairi tried moving her arms, but they had limited mobility. She arched her back, as she struggled against her restraints. A fiery pain lanced through her lower back, but before a scream came out, Naminé was able to seal her lips.
Screaming won't do anything. Heal!
A cool, soothing sensation blew over her wound, making Kairi relax.
"I didn't know you could perform magic." Kairi closed her eyes, imagining Naminé. She was brought to the Station of Awakening, having Naminé standing in front of her. Her clothes haven't changed one bit. She remained in her rather plain, lace dress and her cerulean sandals.
"It's nice to actually see you, Kairi." The blonde smiled, having not seen redhead in person for quite some time.
"Wonderful to see you, too, Naminé. Could you fill in the blanks for me?" Nodding, the blonde waved her hand. Two chairs appeared out of the darkness, which startled Kairi. "And tell me when you could do magic?"
"I've been able to perform magic for a long time." With a smile, she said, "I am a witch." The two took their seats, looking at each other.
"Well, I thought that your magic only pertains to your drawings and with Sora's memories." The blonde nodded, then snapped her fingers. A cup of tea appeared in each of their hands, which didn't startle Kairi this time.
"It's true that I manipulated his memories and used my drawings to piece together Sora, but I can also do an assortment of other magic. I have to thank Zexion for letting me glance through his lexicon." Kairi nodded, remembering the person in mention was part of the Organization.
"Okay, and thanks for the tea." She placed the empty cup in her lap. "Now, what happened? Why was I being chased?" Snapping her fingers again, Naminé's tea cup disappeared, as did Kairi's.
"You, Sora, and Riku are going to be used for some plan that I don't really know much about. All I can tell you is that that person, Mu… he said, because of you and your friends, the end of the inferior species will come sooner than my people hoped." Suddenly, the two thought of something.
"Oh," the two girls shouted. They blushed, then said for the other to speak first. Their squabbling continued until Kairi insisted the blonde spoke first.
"They're planning to destroy a certain group of people and, somehow, the Keybladers are the tools in this plot." Kairi nodded, agreeing with that line of thinking.
"But by inferior species, who?" That's where they were stumped.
"I'm sure we'll figure that out soon enough." Aside from the mystery of these strange people, it was obvious that Kairi was still unclear of her current situation. "Anyway, you were chased because I helped you escape. It didn't work out that well. Apparently, these people are strong spell-casters." Naminé sighed, feeling helpless at the moment. "I can't do a whole lot right now, being within you and all." That only made the sense of powerlessness worse.
"Naminé—" Kairi was pulled away from the Station, back into her cell.
"Wake up, Keyblader!" A slap across the cheek made Kairi fully aware of her surroundings. It was Mu, the guy that caused all this trouble for her and her friends.
"What do you want?" Kairi struggled against her shackles to hit the young blond before her with no results.
"Kairi! You're awake!" An echo came from behind her, the voice belonging to Sora.
"Sora!" The redhead tried turning around to see if he was truly there, but a hand gripped her chin. She was forced to look into Mu's golden eyes. Those orbs were filled with so much distaste and hatred.
"Listen, girl. You convince your friends to help us now." It was like Kairi was a dog! She flared up, then lashed out. She bit into the pale hand holding her face. She drew blood, which made a small sense of pride spark within her.
Kairi, brace yourself.
A sudden slash went down her cheek. The redhead kept from screaming at the quick swipe of the knife. Crimson flowed from the cut, running down her face and straining her fair skin.
"I'm not going to listen to you. I don't care how many cuts you give me, I'll never obey." The raw flesh was starting to sting painfully. Naminé was cringing, wishing she could help. She could heal the wound, but there would be problems if the man noticed.
"Have it your way, Keyblader. Your friend is next." The blonde man stepped into the darkness, vanishing from Kairi's vision. A metal door swung open, then close. Footsteps echoed, then halted.
"Kairi, what did he do to you?" Sora nearly growled, knowing something had happened. Kairi was able to turn around, just enough to look through the barred wall.
"Just a cut." Sora was about to shout, until a bone-chilling roar erupted in the cells. It was from Riku.
"Stop hurting him!" Sora and Kairi cringed, wishing they could stop whatever Mu was doing to their friend.
"I'm… I'm f-fine." His voice was a faint utter, a tone that was never heard by his friends.
"Now, will you cooperate?" Mu had a sadistic tone lacing his voice, like he enjoyed giving Riku pain.
"Nev… never." Another cry was ripped from the young man's throat. Kairi was on the verge of crying, while Sora started shouting obscene things to Mu. None of the words mattered. Nothing was stopping this man.
"Fine! We'll help! Please… just stop hurting Riku!" Kairi couldn't help it. She had to stop it. Tears fell, stinging her cut cheek. "Just… stop hurting him."
"Good girl." Mu entered her cell again, unshackling her arms. "Now, come along." Sora shouted, trying to stop them with no triumph. So desperately, he spat out as much profanity his mind could think of.
"Kai…ri… no…" Riku stuttered, but it was too late. She was already forced to follow Mu.
I'm assuming you have a plan, I'm hoping you have a plan.
Naminé was really anxious, not liking the situation at hand. Kairi was walking with Nashi and Mu on either side of her. They were heading down a spiral staircase, which seemed like an endless corridor.
"Why do you only need me? What's the point of capturing all three, when you only need one?" It might have been a bad idea to ask questions, but it was worth the risk.
"Shut up. We only need one to analyze something," Mu stated, then pushed Kairi along. She was lagging behind, like she was trying to escape.
What are they analyzing? What are they up to? Why aren't you trying to do something?
Kairi shook her head, trying to not think about her Nobody's questions. The group stopped in front of a metal door, through the little window, a white room was seen.
"We're here," Nashi said, looking to Kairi with those deep blue eyes. "Summon your Keyblade." Holding out her hand, Kairi summoned her Keyblade. The flowery, island weapon shimmered into existence.
"Be ready, Naminé." The Nobody was going to question what was going to happen, when Kairi quickly plunged the tip of her blade into her heart. A blinding light filled the dusky hall, then faded. Kairi was lying on the ground, having her head rest on Naminé's lap.
"No," the girl muttered and then repeated it with a scream. Realization soon hit her, she knew what she had to do. Run. The two white cloaked people were confused, unsure of what to do. This was the perfect chance. Reluctantly leaving Kairi's slumbering body behind, Naminé dashed up the stairs.
"What are you gawking at? Go after her! I have to bring this back to the cell," Mu barked, Nashi followed his orders. The raven-haired girl chased the Nobody, knives in hand.
"Come back here! It'll be much easier, if you didn't resist!" The blonde continued to run, until something hit her.
"No, duh!" She waved her hand, making a dark portal appear several feet away. She jumped into it, making it close behind her. Naminé was tossed into another room of the castle she was stuck in. The room looked like a place for royalty, with a king-sized bed, silken bed sheets, canopy top, gold-leaf incrusting the molding, everything seemed so luxurious, but there was a sense of dread in the air.
Slowly, Naminé walked around the room, searching for someone that might be in hiding. No one was found. She sighed, then slouched into a chair. She hasn't used the Corridor of Darkness in a while, and she had just came back to existence. A door opened, making the blonde almost yelped. She had hoped it was simply a closet door, but thought wrong.
"Who… are you?" Two people stepped into the room, one a boy, the other a girl, both looking around as old as Naminé. Both were wearing shimmering white cloaks, just like her friends' captors.
"I'm Naminé, but… who are you?" The girl stepped in front of the boy, who seemed to be trembling.
"I'm Ophelia." Her eyes were violet, which seemed a little odd to Naminé. Ophelia had shoulder-length, choppy hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail.
"And I'm Ezra." He stopped shaking to fully show himself. He had the same eyes, but his hair was a reddish-brown, unlike Ophelia's jet black.
"Why are you here? You're not here to torture us again, are you?" The Nobody shook her head, completely confused as to why that was asked.
"No, I'm trying to escape. Is it safe here?" Both of them shook their heads, having dread etched into their fair skin.
"Naminé, you must flee. This is probably the worst room to be in." A loud knock came from the door on the other side of the room. The violet eyed ones jumped, but tried to remain calm.
"Hide," Ezra hissed, looking fearfully to the blonde. Ophelia pushed her towards a door, opened it, then shoved her in.
"Ophelia, Ezra! Open this door immediately!" It was a rather deep voice from the other side of the door. Naminé, now stuck in a closet, could only listen to what was going on in the room. Ophelia opened the door, only to be slapped across the face.
"Ophelia," Ezra cried, but was slapped by the man.
"How dare you lock this door! Neither of you deserve to exist, but we grant you life! And you go and rebel against us?" The huge man kick Ophelia, then stomped on Ezra. They took the beatings, rather helplessly. Naminé wanted to storm out of this closet and beat this man, but knew it wouldn't help at all. Ophelia went to the trouble of hiding an escapee, and both Ezra and Ophelia are paying for it. She had to hold out, just for a little while longer.
"Besides our scheduled beatings… what do you want?" The girl scoffed, trying to breathe properly. It was just the same old speech.
"We're looking for a rat. Blonde, white dress, blue eyes. I highly doubt anyone would want to come into your room, but did you see her?" The Nobody in the closet wanted to yell, knowing the rat was her.
"Idiot, no one came in here. The door was locked, remember?" That earned the girl a punch in the face, which didn't faze her all too much.
"Never speak to your successor like that, child. I'm a better being than you are." With that, the man slammed the door behind him. Ezra check his friend, in hopes to find she was all right.
"Thank goodness." He let his head hang over hers, feeling the urge to cry settling in. Naminé stepped out of the closet, to find them as such.
"Is she all right?" The blonde knelt down in front of the two, checking for any obvious wounds.
"I'm fine. We go through that everyday." Go through beatings everyday? Why? Naminé couldn't help but question it, but Ezra beat her to the point.
"You should find a way off this world, fast. You'll never find a safe place here." There were rushing footsteps outside the main door, which caused Ezra to stiffen.
"We'll help you." Ophelia sat up, staring at Naminé. "We might be beaten for leaving our room, but I want to help."
"No, I'll escape by myself. I don't want you to get hurt, more than you are already." The girl shook her head, then stood up.
"You don't know your way around." It might have been a long time since she's been walking outside of her shared bedroom, but Ophelia knew her home far too well. "Come on, I think I know a way for you to escape."
The three of them were able to get outside, into the courtyard, without being spotted. That, in itself was a miracle, considering the castle was swarming with people. Yet, Naminé was shocked that the two of them knew where all of the hidden corridors were, but never used them themselves.
"They'll figure out we're missing, Ophelia…" Ezra was extremely nervous, but it helped with his alertness.
"Calm down, please. We're almost to the Gummi Ship hanger." Naminé felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise, sensing someone was approaching.
"We must move, now." Sticking to the shadows, Naminé and the other two strode to the hanger, which was located behind the marble fortress.
"Ophelia, can you believe we're basically going against all of our principles?" Ezra whispered to her, without having Naminé hearing a word.
"Our principles are wrong, anyway, I don't care about it anymore." Both nodded, happy with that statement.
"Hey, you there!" The two stopped, frozen in fear. Naminé continued to run, but realized her helpers weren't following.
"You guys!" A small group of guards in white cloaks were closing in on Ezra and Ophelia, who still wouldn't move. "Protect!" A shield dome formed around the two, making it impossible for the men to capture them.
"We can take these two back after! Our objective is the blonde!" This is bad. Naminé couldn't hold up a protect and attack at the same time. She noticed Ophelia nodding, so she released the safeguard.
"Freeze!" Everyone was frozen, Naminé, Ezra, and the guards. Ophelia slapped her forehead. "I only meant the guards!" She placed her hand on top of her companion's head, feeling the cold sensation emanating from him. "Thaw."
"Cold… C-cold," Ezra muttered, over and over again. He glared at Ophelia for a mere moment, then walked over to Naminé. Ophelia came up to him, smirking. "Thaw." The blonde collapsed to the ground, shivering.
"Please… no more cold." The violet eyed ones hoisted her up, dragging the Nobody to the Gummi Ship hanger.
"Ophelia, there's more coming," Ezra nervously stated, looking behind the group.
"Kill those two! Keep the blonde one alive," a thunderous voice tolled, having many replies accepting that order.
"Ezra, I need you to get the ship running. I'll hold them off." Letting the two of them continue to the hanger, Ophelia stopped. She inhaled deeply, preparing for the right moment.
"I've been waiting to kill you for ages, Ophelia!" Just before the tip of a spear was pointed at her, the brunette smirked.
"And I've waited for my chance to rebel… Eternal Sleep!" The girl knew Ezra put a protect up before she had cast the spell, so he and Naminé should be perfectly fine. Everyone around her fell to the ground, just as planned. "I've been waiting to use that spell for so long."
"Hurry up! More will be coming!" Ezra shouted, hoping she would just stop being proud of herself and get moving.
Inside the Gummi Ship, Ezra had everything working. The engine roared, but he was still a bit shaken.
"I haven't really piloted in a while, so hold on." Naminé and Ophelia buckled themselves down, preparing for flight. The roof of the hanger opened, and the ship hovered out. It was a little wobbly, but leveled out after a while.
"We have to leave before the planetary defense is activated," Ophelia urged, looking out the windshield to the sky.
"I got it!" Pulling back a lever, the ship jolted into space, making everyone's faces feel as though they were peeling off. Ezra was able to push the lever back, making the ship slow down. Looking behind them, a technicolor sphere encased the world.
"Is it possible to get past that?" Naminé anxiously questioned, wanting to go back and save her friends.
"No. Aside, I don't think it's best to return," Ophelia stated grimly, giving the world one last disgusted glance.
"We're free… We're away from that damned world," Ezra muttered, sounding rather grief-stricken.
"Anyway, why were you there? Those people don't accept having others stepping on to their world." Ophelia looked to Naminé, with great curiosity. She shifted uncomfortably, not enjoying the unrelenting stare.
"We were forced there. Me and my friends. They're there, all by themselves… helpless…" Tears rolled down her face, which wasn't supposed to happen. I'm a Nobody, I'm not supposed to have feelings… She shook that thought aside. I'm different from the regular Nobodies!
"Forced? Wait…no…" Ophelia silenced herself, looking at her lap. An unsettling silence overcame the ship. No one dared to make a sound, even if many questions roamed their minds.
Ophelia, I really wish you could tell her. You know I cannot tell the truth, I don't have the guts to say it. Ezra sighed, looking at the meters.
"Oh, no." Just as he spoke those words, the ship rumbled.
"What's going?" Naminé asked, holding on to her seat.
"We're running out of fuel. We need to land, now!" Look out into space, the three couldn't find anything. Not until the Nobody recognized a shape far off.
"Up ahead, try your best to get to that world." The ship became slightly unstable, but Ezra held a good grip on the steering wheel.
"I doubt we have enough fuel, Naminé, but he'll try."
[Conny]: Well, what do you think so far? I'll get the next chapter up real soon! I know it took me some time to update, but maybe if there were more who liked this story, then I would put it up sooner? Again, thank you for reading! Please review?