Chapter 18: Failed Attempts
Destiny waited for Sora to finish his quiet dinner with his friends. She had refused to eat with them saying she wasn't hungry. In truth she was too focused on the dark feeling in the pit of her stomach and back of her mind that she couldn't even think of food at the moment. All three of them joined Sora on the porch when he came out to greet his youkai slave. Destiny waited patiently there looking at the gathering group. Getting up from her laying down position she shook the dirt and sand from her fur. Growing a size or two she moved forward a bit and turned to the side presenting him with her back. Sora eagerly hauled himself up onto her back. She turned in a graceful movement and headed towards the beach as he dug his fingers in her thick fur.
"Destiny where are we going?"
The kitsune youkai was strangely quiet. He ran his fingers through her thick neck fur. He could feel her muscles tense underneath all her fur. Sora leaned forward just enough so his chest was against her neck and his body was in a comfortable position between her shoulder blades. They were going to become mates permanently, and he wondered if that was what was making her so tense.
"Destiny do you not want to be my mate?"
She didn't answer. That worried the Keyblade wieldier like nothing else. He was worried that she didn't want him like that and he figured she was dreading being shackled to him for the rest of their lives. He was about to say more but an unnatural shift in the air made him stop. The fine hairs on the back of his neck and arms stood on end. It was like loosing one's self to the darkness again. Reaching for her neck fur again he realized something. His hands were clad in white gloves and each finger came to claw like points. He knew exactly what world he had to be in to have the gloves like these, Halloweentown.
"Destiny what…"
"The Kage Samurai have created barrier rifts considering they can't pass in-between worlds like you, and the Organization XIII members could. They can't use the Keyblades to unlock the paths and they can't harness the power of the dark portals."
"Why not?"
"Their darkness isn't an elemental darkness."
"Huh," he asked in confusion.
"They're shadows, considering the fact that they aren't part of true darkness like I am. In essence I am the darkness in a physical form. Not to mention the simple aspect that they forgot how to harness that part of themselves even if they are dark youkai like I am."
Sora looked around trying to process that and he realized these trees looked familiar. They were almost dead looking trees. They stood out really well making the back round look like a black and white movie.
"Destiny how did you know which rip to go through?"
"The scent of death and graveyard soil lead me to the right one."
"That's kind of sickening."
"Once we get closer to the city the scent of pumpkins becomes more predominate than the smells of death."
She moved away from the city, graveyard, and holiday trees. It didn't take her long to find a secluded grove for them to hide in for awhile. Stopping and laying down she caused her master to tumble off her back and land in a heap at her side. He laughed softly which made her smile. The unseated Keyblade Master straitened himself up and sat beside her. His fingers found their way into her neck fur and began to run the claws gently over her neck. Destiny rose and moved so that she had knocked him on his back and she laid down on top of him. Sora reached up expecting this and scratched behind her ears. Then did it occur to him why she had brought him here of all places.
"Destiny is the reason you brought me here was because here I have fangs?"
"Now you're catching on," she purred softly.
Destiny's head came up and her ears flicked forward and back. Her head lifted a small bit as she scented the air. A heavy sigh escaped her throat though. "Sora our mating is going to have to wait."
"What? Why?"
The youkai groaned in protest as she rose up. Something was wrong with her and he noticed it. He heard her joints and bones crack as if she was an old woman trying to get up from sitting down for to long. Though it seemed as if she was in pain she stood proudly as any warrior ready to battle. Her head tilted towards the sky and her eyes closed in concentration. Her ears barely twitched. Her muscles were straining though underneath his hands. She was concentrating very hard and it was starting to worry him, but he knew by now to talk to her until she spoke first. Her eyes came open and she groaned tiredly.
"Destiny what is it?"
"Heartless and a lot of them."
"Any of the Kage Samurai?"
"I can't scent any of them, but I'm sure there not far behind."
Sora flexed his hands and drew Pumpkinhead. Looking around, he tried to see what kind of Heartless they were. There were mostly ghoul Heartless and a few mummy Heartless. Sora was ready to battle and Destiny tensed beside him. Flames shot up around them. His gaze shot towards Destiny and she was backing away from the flames. They weren't coming from her. Her tail was getting to close to the flames and she had to change to keep from getting burned. Destiny looked around with her claws extended dangerously.
"Such a waste," a dark voice said from outside of the flames.
The flames shot out around the forest. The heartless were incinerated and the trees were left unharmed. Destiny backed up and stood in front of her mate-to-be. She flexed her claws and sunk into a fighting stance. Soft threatening growls were escaping her throat. He was sure that if she had been in her beast form her hackles would have been raised in anger and her teeth would have been bared dangerously. Sora was confused as to what was going on. A man with long silver hair stood there. His eyes were gold and cat-like. Elven ears poked out from behind his bangs. Adorning his cheek was two blue streaks on his right cheek. Sora knew this man was a youkai. The air around him felt dark and foreboding. The Keyblade Master had to suppress the urge to shiver violently. There was something that Sora didn't like about this man and he didn't want this youkai near Destiny.
"Sora, go back to Halloweentown and wait for me."
"But Destiny…"
"No buts just go," she snarled without looking at him.
Sora shook his head before turning to leave the kitsune to have the private conversation. He didn't get far before he realized he couldn't leave Destiny alone if they were going to fight. He rushed back to see the two still standing where he left them having a calm but deadly conversation. Due to his vampiric like qualities he encountered in this realm his listened intently.
"So we meet again Destiny."
"Save it brother what do you want?"
"What no warm greeting for a sibling you thought was dead?"
"You can rest in hell before I'd give you a warm greeting."
"Tsk, tsk Destiny you're getting angry in your old age."
"And I only have you to blame for that brother," she snarled.
The man scoffed and ran his fingers through his long hair. He took a step towards her and she stood her ground in a determined and defiant stance.
"Are you still sore about the past sister?" he asked in an innocent manner.
"You hired those men to come for me, knowing full and well what they'd turn me into."
"This is true Destiny. I did hire those men to take you from our family."
"Did you hire those assassins to kill our mother and father?"
"Obviously. I couldn't have them getting in the way of my plans."
Sora was getting angry at this man for what he had done to his lover but on the flip side had she not gone through what she had they would have never met. And, his shattered heart wouldn't be slowly beining to mend and be filled with his love for the kitsune youkai. At that moment Sora realized something, Destiny was his other half, his darkness and he was her light. He had to fight the urge to go out there and tackle his lover in a bear hug.
A threatening snarl escaped Destiny's throat as she leapt for the man. He easily dodged.
"Be glad that I killed them Destiny they would have killed Sora before you even had a chance to give them his name."
"Mom and dad would have understood…"
"Would they? We are a dying race and to preserve it youkai need to mate with other youkai not humans."
"I would have made them understand."
"You fool yourself greatly Destiny. They would have killed him as soon as he stepped into our kingdom."
"I would have stopped them…"
"Why do you think it was necessary for Kyo and Akita to die?"
"They feared what they would create considering what they were."
"Exactly so be assured that Keyblade Master you protect so violently will die today."
"Touch him and you'll join your friends in hell."
The smirk that graced the male youkai's face made her eyes bleed crimson. Her claws lengthened and her fangs became longer. The silver kitsune leapt for where Sora was standing. Destiny beat the male youkai to Sora and shoved him away and her brother's claws raked across her back. Sora's head hit the nearest tree knocking him out. Both changed into their beast forms and began to fight as their animal selves would. A wet snap woke Sora from his state of unconsciousness. Both youkai collapsed with Destiny pinned underneath the male kitsune. Sora feared the worst as he dashed for her. He shoved at the male with all his might and managed to roll him off of Destiny. Her harsh breathing was a good sign and he heaved a sigh of relief. Reaching down he shook her gently.
"Destiny?" he asked cautiously.
"Okay, but tired," she breathed softly.
"Sleep then," he said in a gentle voice.
Her eyes slowly came open and with a heavy sigh she moved her head so it was resting in his lap. Reaching up he stroked behind her ears trying to coax her into a restorative sleep. With a heavy sigh Destiny slipped into the land of dreams with her Master watching over her.
