Kingdom Heats:Birth by Sleep Zero~Terra's Story, Book 1~Chapter 26~
YOUR DAILY DOSE OF BBS:ZERO NOTE:
Well, my wonderful readers, we are here once again to recognize my awesome reviewers. First up is ShinobiMatt, ChoasDivine, blaze03, MiiWorld, Pokelover93, and amuletangel. Your time and thoughts are very much appreciated. I guess I don't have much else to say, really... Wow, that's a first.
DISCLAIMER OF NOMURA/DISNEY'S WORK: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING in this script EXCEPT Terra's awesome spiky hair and hard stubbornness, Master Oni's creepy white eyes, Ven's immaturity, and Aqua's level head. Anything else, well, I'll leave that to you, Nomura.
Faint morning light pierced my eyes like darts to a dartboard. Around me was a certain warmth, which turned out to be actually a lime and creamy sky blue quilt ridged with a crimped egg white material that had specks of crimson splattered about.
Where am I? I wondered to myself. A dinky spark of discomfort ignited my solar plexus into a blazing fire of fear:
Xehanort has imprisoned me. I assumed with a darkened expression carving my face. The imprint of panic instantly died down with one look at the room around me.
To get a better look, I lifted my torso with my two hands acting as supports.
The minuscule bed I was laying upon was terribly small ; my feet were practically frozen from hanging over the frame for too long. Wooden panels that smothered the floor were turned into a field of golden light from the Sun's rays peeking through the two windows on either side of the chalky yellow room. A single door that matched the oak floor stood awkwardly across from me. Clinking and water splashing could be heard through the open crack. A waft of smell that was undoubtedly baked goods caressed my nose, trying to persuade me to get up and walk to the source. I refused with a grunt and, with regret, lazily let myself flop back to the bed. Wracking pain shot up my back, followed by a trickle of blood that found its way from the reopened gash to the floor. With certainty I realized that this room was a tad bit too cheery for something that Xehanort would have put me in. I chuckled, knowing that his idea of a prisoner's confinement would be a dungeon cell pit littered with torture devices and spikes. That, and could you imagine him baking cookies?
My thoughts flickered to Yamada. Yamada...He was dead. Completely dead, no thanks to me. How could he ever think he was any match for Xehanort or Igneous? How could I even think I was any match for Xehanort? Everything up until then seemed like a futile game, as if I was a doll and the universe was the playhouse with Xehanort at the core. That's what Xehanort was: a ruthless, vile and evil creature that ensnared others in his deadly grip, suffocating them and torturing their souls until they gave up. Did he hope that I would give up, too? If he did, then he's got something coming to him.
"Ohhhh, I told you to go check on him almost an hour ago, Fauna." A feminine, elderly voice chastised.
"Fine, fine. I'll check on the poor boy. At least I'm not lazy, unlike Merryweather." Another voice complied with venom. A faint, farther off voice echoed, "Stop squabbling, you two!"
My surprise at hearing the proof of company stopped me from noticing the aged woman peeking at me through the open slit of the door with large, blue orbs.
"And you are?"
The elderly lady ignored my question. She cocked her head to the side and literally shook as she made her way to me, bandages and a wooden cup sloshing full of clear water in her hands. Evident fear caused a few droplets to make way to the ground.
"Uh..hello? I asked you a question."
"Fauna." That was all she said. I peered at her with curiosity sparking within me. How had I gotten to this little room, and who were these weird people? My thoughts were interrupted when the old lady had forced the cup of water into my mouth. Due to the angle of my throat, I started choking and coughing.
My disabled ability to breathe was totally ignored by the sage green swaddled Fauna. She crossed her arms over one another and turned her back. When all of the water had been gurgled down into my stomach, I snatched the empty cup into my left hand and chucked it at her, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
The wooden cup made a knocking noise as it collided with her grayish-brown hair covered skull. Fauna jerked and rubbed the back of her head, then looked at me. Her gaze rested on mine for a minute before she opened the door to its widest point and called to the other two, "I told you he was a ruffian!"
Click, clock, click, clock. The sound of shoes hitting hard floor erupted from behind Fauna. Another elderly woman wrapped in red rags and held up lighter, grayer hair than Flora burst into the room.
"What is going on here?" She took one glance at me, then turned to her companion.
"Fauna, what is wrong?"
"This violent boy threw his cup at me after I was kind enough to give him sustenance." Fauna pumped her arms back and forth, as if working up absent anger. Flora bent over and snatched the two broken pieces of the cup. Her similar sky blue eyes darted over them slowly, contemplating them, then turned to me and questioned, "Did you do this?"
"Yeah, but only after she practically shoved it down my throat." I spat. After hearing my answer Flora turned to Fauna and yelled into her face, "I told you, I do not care whether or not you think he should be allowed to stay here; we are going to take care of him, no matter how much you object!"
"Yes, but-"
"No! No more 'buts'! Now, apologize!"
Fauna raised her hand to her head and clutched the green rag that drape it. Her eyes clouded over before she bent over and pronounced, "Please forgive me."
"How did I get here anyway?" The sudden question tugged their heads my way.
"Well, we found an elderly man pointy ears hauling you and some strange black clad man around in the forest. I, Fauna, and Merryweather called out to ask him whatever in the world he was doing. He took one look at us, then at you, then dropped you and ran off with the other man. We, as in me and Merryweather," Flora jabbed her elbow into her sister's ribs before continuing.
"We took pity and brought you to our cottage to bandage your wounds."
"Well, I thank you for that, but I have to go." It was true: based on the amount that had been healed during however long I had been there, I had gone WAY over the three day limit that Master Oni had required. But I was afraid of going back to him, as if I knew he was going to question me further once he had the chance. The question was: do I stay here and wait for the inevitable? Or should I go to Master Oni now and face judgment? If I had waited any longer, my Master would've guessed that I had deliberately waited to face him.
I'd better go now. I rose out of the bed and dragged myself over to my neatly folded clothes that lay on the wooden rocking chair in the lower right corner of the room. My body protested indignantly, but I denied.
Sorry. I apologized to my aching back.
"But you can't just leave with those horrible wounds! I won't let you."
"I will." Fauna sniffled. I ignored her and failed to notice the death glance that she had received from Flora. With my freshly cleaned uniform on, I traipsed out of the bedroom to meet a kitchen littered to the brim with cooking and baking supplies. Dirty and clean pots and pans cluttered the counters. Splatters of creamy batter and brown vanilla droplets were glittering on the plain white walls along with some on the cobblestone floor. Another aged woman who looked very similar to Flora and Fauna except with blue clothing rushed about, dusting this and fixing that, cleaning this and scrubbing that. A ornate, silver plate that held something resembling a lopsided, crumbly, burnt piece of dough sat on the wooden table. I think it was supposed to be a cake, but it certainly wasn't edible judging by the sight of eggshells and lumps of rock-hard brown sugar; anyone who took a bite out of it would have, at the most, five teeth left.
"Um, I guess..." I felt guilty for the hospitality that had been given to me without plead. Rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment, I chuckled and admitted, "I guess I owe you. Do you mind if I help?"
Supposedly a young, handsome man offering to help old women cook and clean is adorable. Flora's cheeks turned a soft red and Merryweather stopped all of her cleaning altogether to gasp in excitement.
"Very well, then. Turn around and wait until I come back." Flora rubbed her wrinkly hands together, then herded her sisters into the open pantry. They all started giggling and chattering like middle school was happening all over again. I slyly peeked back at them once in a while to see what was taking them so long.
"No looking!" Fauna practically screamed from the next room over. The door was then promptly shut with a loud bang.
How is it that every time I meet someone new in a world I end up having to help them? It was either that I was too kind or the people I met were far too busy.
"There you are." Merryweather tied a frilly, pink and lacy apron around my waist and tossed the neck harness over my head. Fauna came over and popped two matching oven mitts over my hands while Flora stood in the closest corner and paused to admire the view. Merryweather and Fauna joined her after attempting to put my hair in a little tie made of twine. It didn't seem to agree with the tie back deal, though. Each spike flicked out of the temporary shackle one by one, almost as if it was savoring the sight of the 'hair prison wardens' chuckling at its total messiness.
"We'll just forget the tie, how about?" Flora flicked her right hand downwards to cast out disappointment.
Fine with me. I like my hair spiky and messy anyways. I almost said out loud in definite rejection of their little stab at trying to make me feminine just because it was delightful.
"How lovely." Fauna complemented. Her two sisters both clasped their hands together in admiration. They 'oohed' and 'awwed' for about ten minutes afterwards.
"Yeah, this is all great, but do I really have to wear-"
"Yes." Fauna answered firmly. The three gathered around me before I was shoved to the ground. An old rag that hung over the side of a considerably wet wooden bucket was put on the floor next to me with a clunk. The rusty copper handle clinked and flew up from the sudden drop.
"When you're done scrubbing the floor, start scrubbing the walls. When you're done with that, wash the windows."
"Yes, 'Master'..." I spat my tongue out at their audacity. Did they really think they were going to order me around like that? I did offer to help, but only because I felt guilty. I guess this didn't happen to them very often. Taken for granted and shoved to the floor to do dirty work...Was I really going to stand up for that? Normally, I wouldn't have. But since they were old biddies and they would've clawed my eyes out if I resisted, I just sighed and grabbed the grungy rag. Now the only problems I had were if I was ever going to be done cleaning and baking, how much I had gone past the two day limit, my back's repetitive spasms of aching pain, and whether anyone I knew, respected, or despised would see me in this ridiculous piece of girly crap. If Master Xehanort ever saw me in this creepy pink thing...No...If Ven ever saw me in this get up I would be shunned and become an outcast to everyone I knew.
Don't worry. I reassured myself, What are the chances that Ven would even be in this world out of the thousands of others that exist?
"Anybody home!?" A voice called through the recently slammed-open door. My throat began to tighten as if there was a wet, slimy, venomous snake caressing my neck like shackles, each coil sending cold fear through my veins to the center of my being without pause.
"Hey there, old ladies. Briar here says you needed some help with her birthday party." I frantically tried to find an escape route.
"What?" Merryweather gulped in air with strong force.
"You already know about your party? But it was supposed to be a surprise..." The sage green-clad elderly woman voiced in a disappointed tone.
"Yeah, but don't worry. I can pretend I'm surprised. Just let Ventus help you, please." A voice that sounded like honey over satin whispered a plea. All three of Briar's caretakers engulfed in sighs and drew them out longingly.
"Oh well, she figured it out last year too. It was bound to happen." Flora confirmed. I heard Ven snort with sarcasm, "Well, I wouldn't have figured it out."
Flora, Fauna, Merryweather and Briar stared at him with sharp daggers shooting out of their eyes, wishing that at least five bolts of lightning would rain down upon him. While Ven was focused on brushing off his unwelcome, I took the opportunity and ripped the stupid apron off my chest as to spare me unwanted attention. The lace and frills on the edges flapped back and forth as it sped towards its cold grave. To top it off, I shoved it under the closest counter and mumbled a "Fira" at it.
"Hey, it's the hominoidea of complete spikyness!"
Good, he's in his normal mood. I began to relax. Then I thought about his greeting for a while.
Since when does Ven know ANY scientific terms? God, never thought I'd see the day.
"What's wrong? You seem...weirded out, or something." Ven, being normally irritating, started to poke my forehead rhythmically with a concerned but mocking look in his eyes. My hand shot up like a firework and reached for his wrist. I didn't even see him take his arm away, but when I brought my fingers together there was nothing to dig my nails into. He must have been getting faster by the day. Speed was his special ability though, so that was a given.
"It seems you've managed to be faster than me." I complemented with a grain of salt.
"No shit, Sherlock. That can happen any day." Ven spat back. Flora and her two sisters gasped at his 'language'. The blond teen's sky blue eyes rolled behind his head in frustration. I guess to him it was annoying to have three old ladies have a heart attack over one swear word.
He turned around and, before mumbling an apology, rubbed the back of his head to make it seem like he was actually sorry.
"Anyway," Flora shot her eyes back and forth between me and Ven. "We should probably get going with this thing. It'll be dark enough soon."
"Yes, and Rose?"
"Aunt Flora?" The teenage girl with golden strings for hair asked quietly.
"Please go out into the forest just for a little bit. We need more time."
"Of course."
Throughout the next few hours I was put to crappy, smelly work. While I enjoyed scraping fudgy mold off of the seat of a toilet and scrubbing the floors with my bare hands(the three old bats didn't let me have a rag after I couldn't explain where their absolute favorite apron went), Ventus was put to work by making the cake. Yeah, Ven got the fun job. And the cake didn't actually have eggshells rising out of it like Mount Vesuvius this time. Go figure. All of the sudden, Merryweather came running down the attic stairs with three sticks in her hand. Each one sparkled at the tip. Red, green, and blue. Just like Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.
Flora gasped, "Are you really sure we should pull those out? We have guests, you know." I assumed that was her way of telling her sister to put them away or else.
"It'll be fine. We'll just enchant a few mops and brooms and decorate the cake. I'm sure these two boys aren't evil. They wouldn't tell anyone-"
"Tell anyone what?" Ven turned his head our way in the middle of cracking an egg. Clear slime slithered out of the shell and dropped into the bowl with a slopping sound.
"Never mind. You will see for yourself."
With a swish of Merryweather's wand, all of the cleaning materials in the room began to float towards her. Ven stared in awe with one eyebrow raised. Hopefully he wasn't going to say something smart.
One by one, Ven and Merryweather lit each of the sixteen candles on the blue frosted cake. Two, Four, Six, Eight, Ten, Twelve, Fourteen, Fifteen...They met at the sixteenth candle. Merryweather charged for the last one as if it was an olympic gold medal, knocking over the rainbow wax into the tundra of sugar, thereby messing up the cake. Ven's brain fizzled for a moment, angry at his 'masterpiece's' short life.
The room fell silent.
"Well, we'd best put our wands away. I think I can hear Rose singing." Fauna complied to Flora and took each of the two wands out of her sisters' hands. Then she stumbled up the stairs.
Rose entered the kitchen with her beautiful voice trilling a little tune. She danced around in circles, over and over again until Fauna had come back down. Rose lifted the elderly woman's wrinkled hands into her own and began to sway her into the careen.
Ven mouthed the words, "Why is she so happy?" to me. I replied with a shrug.
"I just met the most wonderful man in the woods." Rose's eyes flickered open for a moment to see her aunts' reactions, then closed them as if she reminded herself, "Actually, I am afraid to know." The three old women watched her with horror outlining their expressions.
"You what?" They all asked in unison.
"In the forest I met a young man. He was so handsome, I feel...warm inside, now that I think of him." She cocked her head to the side and closed her eyes once again. She probably was imagining the 'dashing' young fellow she was twitterpated with.
I hadn't even noticed that Ven and I had instinctively backed up into the corner near the open window. My ears caught a faint rustling noise like a spider catches prey within its web. From the window.
A yellow beak poked out from behind the frame. Inch by inch, the bird slowly transformed into something I could recognize: a black crow. What was so familiar about it? Something was. Ven had noticed I wasn't paying attention to the scene in front of us. His blond spikes stuck out into the open air on their sides as he leaned over to peek at what I was looking at.
"Stupid bird." I heard him direct his whisper, "Blizzara". The crow's obsidian feathers began to freeze over. They paled a little bit, then snowflakes formed. A thin coating of ice now encased the glossy black feathers, causing the weightless crow to keel over the side of the window.
"Once upon a dream." Rose brushed her cheek softly.
"She's in love." Fauna glanced at her sisters with despair almost echoing from her tone.
"Oh dear..." Merryweather sighed.
"Well, what's wrong with that? I'm sixteen now." Rose stated with confidence. The three sisters looked at me and Ven with the hope that we would say something to change her mind. Ven and I shrugged together.
"Well, you're already betrothed." Fauna admitted.
"Since the day you were born." Merryweather added.
"To Prince Philip, dear."
"But...that's impossible! How could I be betrothed to him when I'm not even a-"
"Princess?" Ven offered.
"But you are, sweetheart."
"Princess Aurora." Their words rang out in cooperation.
"Tonight, we're taking you back to the castle to meet your father, King Stephan."
Aurora stared at her with alarm. Disappointment and sadness gleamed in her brown orbs, as if the most terrible thing in existence had found her.
"I cannot. I promised to meet my love tonight right here."
"I am sorry, child," The red clad elder trudged up to her. "But you must never see that boy again."
Aurora fell to her knees and attempted to plead and beg under her rhythmic, endless sobs. Ventus took a few steps towards her until he was only an inch away. She glanced up at him, then swiveled her knees towards him and clasped his legs for support. He knelt onto one knee and wrapped his left arm around her and stroked her hair with his other.
"It'll be okay." He reassured gently.
"No, it won't." Aurora stood up suddenly and sat there for a moment. She dashed towards her room. A loud clicking noise could be heard as she locked the door tight.
Flora sighed, "We had to tell her one day."
"I'll be right back." I whispered to Ven. He stared at me quizzically.
I began walking towards the front door. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather didn't seem to notice as I slipped through the doorway. I guessed they were too caught up with grief to notice anything but the matter at hand.
The pine needles and deciduous leaves crackled under my feet as I made way for the open window that was connected to Aurora's room.
"Who's there?" The blond questioned with puffy eyes as I climbed over the oak sill. Aurora was laying on her bed, clutching the frame with her right hand and wiping her tears with her left.
"Terra, Ven's friend." Sunshine from the now falling star behind me lit up my face as I turned to shut the window. Aurora's face looked like a waterfall. She turned her face to the other side of the room in embarrassment.
"It's okay. Don't try to hide."
Another sob. Then a hiccup.
She slowly began to rotate her face into view. I treaded up to the bed and leaned over the pink lump that was swaddled with a quilt. Her blue irises blew up and sparked with a smile. They seemed to laugh, either at me or her recent burst of waterworks.
"I'm really abashed. Is my face red?" Aurora was right; I hadn't noticed it before, but her cheeks really had turned into a bright shade of pink.
"A little bit." I fibbed. She giggled, then retorted, "You're lying."
"Look, I wouldn't worry about about what happened today."
"That's easy for you to say. My whole life has turned around in just one day. I mean, me? A princess? All I've ever been is a humble peasant."
In the small, empty crevices of my heart I felt a certain shiver of accord. I remembered the day I had followed the desperate cries of Sora and Riku on Destiny Islands. After leaping out of my window with only a t-shirt and boxers, I had made my way to the play islet that was dominated by the small youth of the islands. Master Xehanort had...no. Igneous and Xehanort had captured them and, by letting Sora squeal his head off, managed to meet me in the meantime, one of the people on their creepy, in the middle of the night abduction list. Of course, as it goes in most stories, I got myself, Ven, and Aqua caught because I was dumb enough to tell Mr. Clean and his troll doll slave where they were. Stupid idiot, I just had to let my fear take over. Plus, I still couldn't believe I had been afraid of Xehanort and Igneous. It was like being scared of the Kool-Aid Man and Barbie. Pathetic, depressing, laughable, humiliating, keep going, you get the point. Because of this mistake, I was actually taken to Master Oni, the current Keyblade Master of the Light and head ruler of Castle Celest and asked to become his apprentice alongside Ven and Aqua. At first, the two refused. But then they agreed to the deal once they figured out that I wasn't going to pass up a hint of adventure. I guess this was the way Rose...Aurora felt at the time. Taken away from the life and everything you knew against your own will. Well, I had the option of saying no to Master Oni's request, but I didn't. Different situation, I guess.
"What are you thinking about?" Aurora suddenly questioned. I stared at her with surprise.
Should I tell her? I asked myself. No, you idiot. If she figures out that there's more than just one world...No, just no. I figured I could technically tell her the truth without completely spoiling it.
"Uh, well...I was just thinking about how I was in your situation once. But I had a choice, and you really don't. So-"
"Really?" Her eyes brightened up once again, shining at the thought of someone who might understand her.
"Yeah. But it's better now. Now I'm kind of happy I said, 'Yes'. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have met you, or anyone else I've met in the past year. All you have to do is look at the perks instead of the downsides."
"You mean like, if I really am a princess, I don't have to work really hard anymore?"
"Or clean, or be poor, or live in a dangerous forest-" We began listing all the good things about being a princess together. Each time I suggested something, her expression became more and more happy until it seemed her face was going to crack with bottled up joy.
"Well, I guess it really won't be that bad. But I still wish I could see that man again. I'll never see him again if I go to the castle." Her gaze lifted to the window to see if her Prince Charming was there to rescue her.
"Don't worry. As I've found out, nothing is ever gone forever."
Aurora giggled once again.
"I guess so."