It is currently 1:58 AM where I live. I spent the past two days getting this completely ready, hoping to have it up on the 30th, and here we are... technically the 1st. My birthday is in nine days, warped tour is in three, and I'm busier than ever. XD This is long for your enjoyment, with the promised last section of the flashback at the END of the chapter. I worked extremely hard on this one, so I really hope you like it... not that I don't always work hard, but I'm definitely trying to improve.
Thank you very, very, VERY much for all the positive feedback from the last chapter. Reviews and favorites and that sort of thing honestly keep me going. :D
Kingdom Hearts Lover: Sign in, darn it! XD Your kind words gave me the goofiest grin ever. Thank you so much.
IrisedLuna: I enjoy your feedback very much, which I'm sure you've realized due to the extremely long replies you receive. I wanted to thank you, once again, for your careful reading.
This one's a rollercoaster ride... enjoy!
Sora easily brought down the last guard in the area with one quick move of his keyblade, and Yuffie could hardly contain herself. She bounced and fidgeted, eager to celebrate their victory, while Sora quickly told Yuri; We've secured the village… now what?
Remember those little stickers I gave you? she asked. They're in your pack—stick one somewhere well hidden in the village, and cast a normal shield charm on it. I invented this before we left, but we obviously never had an area isolated long enough to test them, or use them at all for that matter… basically, it creates the same spell that protects the castle. Try it and pray it works.
Perfect, thank you, Sora replied gratefully. Within moments, Sora produced the sheet of circular white stickers; each was roughly the size of a quarter from Earth. "Yuri said that we need to find a good place to hide one of these in the village," Sora whispered to Yuffie. "You're a ninja. If you didn't want to be found, where would you hide?"
"Hmm…" Yuffie tapped her chin. "How about inside a chimney? Those things should be fire-proof."
"Chimneys probably don't get cleaned often anymore," Sora said thoughtfully. "Seems like a good idea to me! Now, let's go, but keep quiet…"
They stealthily ventured into the village, still utilizing the cover of night to avoid being seen. The sun, eager to cast its light over the land, would soon be rising, bright and blinding, destroying Sora and Yuffie's natural disguises and forcing them to behave even more carefully. With the threat of sunrise approaching quickly, Sora and Yuffie worked with machine-like speed and efficiency, jumping from rooftop to rooftop in search of the perfect chimney in which to deposit the magical spell.
One old house, made of crumbling bricks far past their years of strength, hovered silently amidst the other much newer homes for several minutes before at last catching Yuffie's observant eye. "Sora, I think this one looks abandoned," she hissed, Sora's outline visible in the dim light which warned them of the sun approaching. "Abandoned is good."
"Abandoned is good. Precisely what we wanted," Sora rubbed his hands together enthusiastically, and peeled a sticker from the sheet. He carefully balanced it on the tip of his index finger, and placed it against the brick inside the chimney. Pressing down firmly, he ensured that the sticker was secure, and placed his right palm over it as he cast the strongest shield spell he could manage.
Yuffie cocked an intrigued eyebrow. "What, exactly, are you doing?" she asked, hesitating as she saw the look of pure and unyielding concentration on Sora's face.
Sora removed his hand after finishing the spell, and noticed a translucent, violet-hued bubble spreading across the sky over the town. It leaked toward the ground, forming a dome-like shape and falling just past the outskirts of the town. Shimmering like glitter, the shield began to dissolve into invisibility, just like the spell protecting the castle.
"W-o-w."
Sora glanced at Yuffie, and couldn't resist a smile—her mouth was hanging open as she tilted her head straight back and stared at the sky. With eyes wide, she pulled her head back into normal position, and, with an amazed look in Sora's direction, said, "Well, didn't see that one coming."
A loud guffaw almost forced itself into the silent air; Sora managed to muffle it into his arm. Her tone of voice—resigned, off-handed, nonchalant—was hilarious, and just what he needed to lighten the mood. Perhaps being paired with such a bright, unique girl wasn't such a bad thing after all. At any rate, it wasn't worth the amount of dread Sora had allowed. They were getting their work done, weren't they?
Yuffie choked back a laugh when she saw Sora sputtering, her eyes brightening as she plastered a huge, goofy smile on her face. "What?"
"Nothing, nothing," Sora shook his head, cradling his forehead in his palm as a grin almost as silly as Yuffie's stretched across his face. "Anyway, we're finished here, and the sun's rising…"
Her smile disappeared very suddenly, and she was wrinkling her nose, crossing her arms, and slouching uncooperatively. "We're not finished," she pointed out, "how are they going to know they are protected?"
Sora shrugged. "I assume Naminé would frown upon leaving a calling card."
Um, yes, you'd be correct! Naminé interjected.
"Can't we please leave something?" Yuffie whined, her lips slipping into a perfect pout as her eyes widened and began to look a bit teary.
He sighed, thinking to himself that only Yuffie would have pouting down to an art form. "I really don't know," he hedged uncertainly. "What do you propose we leave?"
The royal seal? Yuri suggested inside his head.
So glad to know you're all listening, Sora threw in sarcastically.
I wish we had a symbol for like, the Resistance or something, since that's basically what we are, Roxas ignored Sora's complaint.
How about an "R", for Resistance, with a little crown, like the one on the royal seal, over it? Kairi suggested. That way, everyone can work out what it means for themselves, and they'll eventually realize that it's us.
So I should carve this into the ground with my keyblade, then?
Do, Yuri encouraged. It'll really give them hope.
"You know, that really is the most annoying thing in the world," Yuffie poked him roughly on the shoulder in an attempt to get his attention. "Have you just been ignoring me while you're off inside your head?"
Sora grimaced a little, and tried his best to look ashamed of himself to make her feel better. "I'm sorry, they were all just flooding my mind with suggestions…"
It's not our fault that you lack the motor skills to multi-task, Kairi teased.
Thank you for that, Sora retorted, agitated. "I didn't try to ignore you, Yuffie… honest."
Still unsure whether she should forgive him or not, she wrinkled her nose again, and asked a bit dubiously, "What did they come up with?"
"An "R", which stands for resistance, with the crown from the royal seal above it," Sora relayed to her, picturing it himself in his head as he described it to her. Everyone would clearly be able to work out what it meant, wouldn't they?
"Hmm… I like," Yuffie decided with a small shrug of her shoulders. "Let's do this thing."
"Town square?" Sora mused aloud, his mind quickly shuffling through locations and singling out areas that would be most effective.
"Makes sense," Yuffie agreed with a nod, leaping from the roof quite suddenly and heading in the direction of the square. "Come on, Sora!" she called over her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Hana said again, eyes dropping to the ground as Riku turned and began to stride toward the hole in the ground they had entered the mysterious part of the cavern through. "Really… I am. I hope you understand."
He halted abruptly, and Hana jumped anxiously. Wordlessly, he looked at her over his shoulder, and smiled weakly. "Grab the sphere, and let's get going!" he said, his eyes radiating unfamiliar warmth. Finally, after years of viewing Hana's feelings as annoying, ridiculous… he understood.
It was difficult for Hana to break her sullen expression, despite Riku's clear assertion that they could still be friends. A smile, which appeared quite false, twisted her mouth out of the stony frown she had before assumed was unbreakable. She bent down quickly and retrieved the sphere. "We need something to keep it in," she reminded Riku, "we really can't break it."
"You're right," he agreed with a nod. "What about a box with padding?"
"Well, that would work, if we had one with us."
"Hana, you can work magic," Riku hinted, a glint of mischief in his blue eyes.
"What? So can you," she pointed out, both confused and slightly annoyed.
With a laugh, Riku held a hand out in front of her, clenched it into a fist, and reopened it. In his palm sat a pale wooden box, fitted with a silver clasp. "See what I mean?"
She offered a small scowl, embarrassed at being so pathetically spacey. "Sorry my conjuring skills aren't quite up to par with yours."
"Nonsense," Riku dismissed her nonchalantly, popping open the silver clasp and revealing the red, plush interior of the box. He held it out to Hana, and she carefully nestled the sphere into the padding. With a snap, the box was shut and secured again, and Riku tossed it into his pack. "Let's get going. Hop on, this will go faster if I carry you down," he suggested to Hana.
Her face immediately flamed pink, embarrassed at the thought of ever touching Riku again. Worst of all, he had suggested it—he was pretending like nothing had happened, like she hadn't been so ridiculously stupid. "Are you sure?" she asked skeptically, giving him a chance to change his mind. Surely, he shouldn't have felt obligated to—
"Of course," he insisted, the mischievous glint present again behind his eyes. It looked as though he was fighting a smirk, and Hana vaguely wondered what he could be hiding.
"Okay," she agreed hesitantly, slowly approaching Riku. Thankfully, he wouldn't see her splotchy, red face while she was on his back.
He picked her up with ease, securing her legs with his arms while she gently clasped her arms around his neck. "Ready?" he asked her, an excitement evident in his voice. What did he possibly have to be excited about? They were only climbing down… weren't they?
"Ready as possible," she affirmed nervously. He was planning something, she was certain.
Her first clue was that he got a running start. Riding on his back while Riku unleashed his fearsome speed was terrifying, and Hana instinctively tightened her grip around his neck, though she knew that it probably would not save her from what Riku was about to do. They were fast approaching the hole in the ground, and he wasn't slowing one bit. Suddenly, he took an enormous leap, and they were falling down the hole, falling down the cavern…
Riku kicked off of one of the walls, propelling them to the opposite side of the shaft, and repeated the process, catapulting back and forth as they uncomfortably moved toward the ground.
His laughter was unnerving. How could he honestly be enjoying risking their lives? It wasn't just a normal Riku laugh, either; it had transformed, and sounded more like a child having the time of his life. Then again, there was a something to be said for that argument—that's probably exactly what he was. Riku definitely had the illusion of maturity mastered, but deep down, this laughter lurked, waiting for an appropriate time to break free. Unfortunately, it picked the wrong time, in Hana's opinion. She clung, frightened out of her wits, to Riku's back.
They landed on the ground perfectly, Riku's breathing heavy with exultation. "Awesome, huh?" he asked Hana happily, releasing her legs.
Her arms, still cemented together around his neck, refused to move, and she hung limp like a ragdoll down his back. "Not the word I would use to describe the experience," she mumbled, yanking her arms apart with difficulty.
Riku chuckled—back to his normal laugh, Hana noted—and shrugged his shoulders, smirking unapologetically when he saw the look on Hana's face. "Calm down… we're fine, haven't you noticed?"
"You are," she corrected under her breath, giving him a disapproving glare.
"Live a little," Riku suggested, refusing to stop smiling.
"Whatever," Hana downplayed his comment. "Looks like we spent all night in there, the sun's coming up…"
"Where to next, do you suppose?"
"We don't have any leads," Hana said, downcast.
"We didn't to begin with, and we're doing just fine so far," Riku reminded her. "A village is nearby… I can hear all of the people thinking. It's very large, so we could always check there."
"Port Pine," Hana informed him knowledgeably. "On the lake… remember?"
He half-smiled, "It's been awhile since I've been here. Forgive me if I can't remember the name of each and every town."
Hana pulled their walkie-talkie out of her bag, and said brightly, "Let's tell everyone else about our success, shall we?"
Riku nodded, grinning widely. "We shouldn't miss an opportunity to brag about being first to find something."
She pressed and held the small red button on the end of the small, cylindrical device, and spoke into the top end. "Hana and Riku here… we found a sphere."
Naminé frowned, staring into the deep, dark abyss, foolishly hoping for a light to pop on and assure them that it was safe to climb down. Thankfully, a ladder clung to the edge of the circular passage, though she wasn't certain whether it could be trusted or not.
"I'll go first," Roxas declared after a long moment of silence. "Anything that's down there… I want to get rid of before you come."
"Roxas," Naminé sighed, secretly touched that he wanted to protect her, "it is fine. We'll go down together."
"No," he said, his mouth a firm, thin line, and his expression hardened. Concern flooded from his eyes, despite his harsh face. "I won't risk you getting hurt."
She scoffed. "And you think I want to risk you getting hurt? Honestly, Roxas, let's just go together. We're both too stubborn to let the other have their way; you know that."
He softened, unable to stay stoic in his demand. "But, Naminé, I…"
Placing a comforting hand on his cheek, she almost allowed herself to be lost in his eyes. He was sincerely worried for her, and would do anything to protect her, if she would let him. "I know, Roxas. Let's go together," she gently urged.
"No, you don't know," he began. "I finally found something in this world that you don't know. I have been in love with you since I read the first page of your diary, and… when I found out it was yours, I was so happy…"
She stared straight ahead, silent. He heard her sniff quietly, and realized with a sickening lurch that she was crying. "I didn't want you to say that until I was sure we would both live through this," she whispered. "Now… things will only be harder."
"I don't understand."
"Of course I love you, Roxas. Always have, and always will. But what will happen to me if you die? What will happen to you if I die?" She managed to fight back stronger tears that were trying to burst free. "It's too much to bear."
"If you die, which you won't, I would be happy that you knew," Roxas told her quietly, pulling her into his arms. "I would know you were always watching… and if I died, I would still be happy you knew, and you could count on me keeping tabs on you, always."
"There are no words," Naminé said simply. "No words that could convey my grief if you were to die."
"Good thing I won't, then," he teased lightly. "And neither will you. Let's go together." He was truly touched to see a moment of weakness in Naminé. Whether in Hollow Bastion or on Earth, she had always kept her feelings to herself. She was never cold; she simply knew how to keep her emotions inside and under control. A release like that was a rare thing indeed, but it only further endeared her to Roxas.
He released her, and quickly dried her cheeks. "Smile, please."
She obeyed, giving him a quick grin and a small, swift kiss. "C'mon, Roxas, let's go!"
It was a race for the ladder—both she and Roxas lunged at the same time, hoping to be the first one to reach it. With the use of a quick shove, Roxas found himself the victor.
"I get to go first," he boasted, grinning cheekily at Naminé as he began to climb down.
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, you cheated. I could always just stomp on your face, you know."
He laughed as Naminé climbed onto the ladder above him and began to follow him down. "But you wouldn't," he said knowingly.
With a scoff, she replied, "You never know, I can get pretty mean when I want revenge."
"Yeah, yeah, you don't threaten me," Roxas ribbed good-naturedly. "We're not using magic again, am I right?"
"Someone will sense it if we do, so we'd better lay off," she said unhappily.
"I think we're getting near the bottom!" Roxas exclaimed in relief. They were scaling down the ladder unnaturally fast, it was true, but it felt like they had been climbing for a very long time.
Naminé was thoughtful for a moment. "What do you think is down here?"
"I'm hoping for something useful," Roxas admitted as his feet hit the ground. "Yes, we made it!"
"We've got something useful for you," a quiet voice hissed from the darkness.
Lights on the ceiling burst on very suddenly, filling the tunnel with bright yellow light. Two dark-haired male Adherence members stood against the wall opposite the ladder, waiting for them. Naminé hopped down from the ladder and drew her daggers. "What do you want?" she demanded fiercely.
"Your heads," one of them responded slowly and maliciously.
"Take them, then, if you can," Roxas challenged, summoning his keyblade with a flash of silver light.
"I hope Riku's not mad," Yuri fretted to Kairi. "He hasn't really been on the magic network since our fight…"
Kairi giggled a little. "Yuri, he's just a boy, calm down. He's fine," she assured her. "He'll get over it."
She zoned out into the words spread across the gigantic book she was perusing, wishing Riku would come to get her, praying that Hana wasn't being too horrible, missing her friends, hoping none of them were hurt…
"Hana and Riku here… we found a sphere," her walkie-talkie went off.
"They found one!" Kairi exclaimed happily, jumping up to give Yuri a hug. "Can you believe it?"
Yuri forced a smile. "It's great, yeah! I'm so glad Hana is on our side, and I'm glad everyone is okay." It was a good thing, but she wanted to be there…
"I remember the day we all met you," Kairi smiled slightly as she reminisced. "I'm so glad for that…"
FLASHBACK
After the death of Naminé's parents, she, Sora, Riku, and Roxas left Westcastle. It became overrun with Adherence members… way too many for them to handle. Before long, Kairi, the female keyblade wielder, was forced from her village as well, and met up with the other fighters outside of Westcastle in the woods. Naminé felt constantly depressed that she had allowed her parents to die; even the great friendships that were forming between her and each individual boy couldn't shake her feelings of self-loathing.
"We really have to do something other than hide in the woods," Riku pointed out several days after Kairi's arrival. "We're the only resistance this place has, and we have to help."
"Right," Naminé sighed, "but what should we do?"
Silence. They were severely outnumbered no matter what; even magic would not be able to even the odds enough for them to take on the Adherence alone.
"What about the Queen?" Kairi suggested. "I was on my way to the castle, actually, before I felt Sora and Riku here."
"The prophecy," Naminé suddenly recalled, wide-eyed. "I thought that was just silly legend…"
"Prophecy?" Sora repeated, eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
"It has long been said that the keyblade warriors alone could protect the Queen in times of peril," Naminé told them, furious with herself for discrediting such an old tale. "Nobody puts much stock in it, though."
Riku stifled a laugh. "Naminé, be serious… everyone knows that's just a story. Nobody even knew what a keyblade was until the four of us cropped up with the strange power. Honestly, what can we do for the Queen?"
"Well…"
"Think about it," Roxas stepped to Naminé's defense. "Who else can help her? She can't do this alone, and our military is, well… almost non-existent. We never needed it, so we don't really have it."
"And you think we can help?" Riku asked skeptically. "There are only five of us."
"We, Riku, are the only ones who can," Naminé answered firmly. "My parents died because of these people, and I want to get them out of here. The Queen is our only chance."
He sighed deeply, frustrated and completely unmotivated to argue with his friends. "I'm not trying to be disagreeable; I'm just attempting to think logically. What can she do for us if we're supposed to be protecting her?"
"Either way, it's worth going to see her and asking," Sora took the side of Roxas, Naminé, and Kairi.
"I guess," Riku relented, "but let's just hope none of us dies while we're trying to get in there."
They set out from the woods that night, creeping through the trees and brush instead of taking the trail, which was certainly being watched by the enemy. Being only sixteen, having fun whenever possible was simply too tempting, and the sneaking suddenly turned into a game—whoever made the least amount of noise was the winner. Naminé was clearly the best, and spent the entire trip across the open area toward the castle teasing Riku, the runner-up.
By the time they arrived, it was dawn, and Adherence members were popping up in small groups, attempting to force their way through the castle's protective spells. Having no knowledge of Hollow Bastion's magic or of the best way to combat the legendary keyblades, most were taken down easily.
Enemies trickled around the castle all day, and the five fighters diligently protected the castle as though it were their own home, caring nothing for their own well-being. Around twilight, all five were exhausted, and prayed fiercely that no more enemies would turn up. As the sun set, a woman dressed in black dropped from the top of the wall, slowing her momentum with magic, and landing softly on the ground directly in front of them.
Instinctively, Sora, Riku, and Roxas drew their weapons, but Kairi and Naminé were much more reluctant to threaten the stranger. "Who are you?" Naminé demanded with an attempt at intimidation.
"A messenger," she whispered. "Come, grab on to me—you must see the Queen."
"You'll take us through the spell?" Riku asked suspiciously.
Though most of her face was covered by a mask, her mouth, still visible, smiled. "You could have come through all along, but yes, I will bring you through."
Without another question, they formed a human chain, each linking arms securely as the woman led them through the barrier and called for the drawbridge to be opened. It creaked slowly down before thudding thunderously against the ground in front of them. "She is most interested to meet you," the woman in black assured them all, leading them across the drawbridge and into the main hall of the castle.
The walk to the throne room felt as though it took ages. Nobody spoke; not even the messenger. Naminé was a bit too nervous to take in the splendor of her surroundings, while Riku noted the marble floors, artwork on the walls, and magical artifacts with precise detail. When the large door to the throne room was finally in sight, Naminé breathed a sigh of relief—the Queen was just on the other side…
When they entered the room, the messenger shut the door tightly behind them. The entire hall was made of marble, with a raised pedestal in the back of the room on which a golden throne sat. Massive golden chandeliers dangled impressively from the ceiling, illuminating the polished floor in such a way that it appeared like sleek, smooth ice. A long, fluffy, dark blue colored carpet formed the path to the throne, and the messenger marched up the trail determinedly.
The throne was empty.
"Um… where is she?" Kairi asked expectantly, craning her neck every which way as though she was missing whatever she was supposed to see.
No answer. The messenger was nearing the throne, and they waited for a spectacular feat of magic, after which the Queen would appear, but nothing came. Very suddenly, the woman was standing in front of the throne, head bowed, and she whirled around and sat down gracefully. One wave of her hand stripped her of her disguise and in the place of the black-clad woman sat a girl adorned in a long, white dress, with blonde, wavy hair flowing down her back. Her blue eyes flashed, and a very simple diamond circlet appeared from nowhere, settling on her head. She was beautiful; there was only one person in the entire universe that it could be.
"Present," she meekly replied to Kairi's question. "I'm sorry for tricking you…"
And suddenly, Naminé knew that coming to the castle and meeting her was the right thing… because she could hear what Sora, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, and even the Queen herself were thinking in her internal web of magic.
End three-part flashback. :D
Well? I can promise you that next chapter, we WILL catch up with Korin, because she's been hard at work plotting... XD Roxas and Namine fight for their lives beneath the bank, while Sora discovers his hidden power and Yuri and Kairi are needed on the battle front!
It is likely I will also post summaries of my two ideas for my next story in the next chapter as well and have you all weigh in on which you would like me to write. Lots of stuff in chapter 27; it's going to be a very important one... keep an eye out! :D
Thank you for reading, remember to REVIEW!
Love,
Lulala