Here's Chapter 20!
Char: You're in a surprisingly good mood.
Me: Well, Christmas IS coming up, after all, and I'm pretty sure I got everything on my list:P
Char: I meant considering what your friend told you on Wednesday.
Me: Sh-shut up. They don't need to know about that!
Char: Yeah, basically, her friend has an enormous crush on her and chose the day before break to tell her about it.
Me: Gah, I told you not to tell.
Char: Too bad.
Me: Aaaaanyway, this chappie is one of my favorites. It's nice and long, too - 13 pages on Word! That should be enough for your attention spans, right? XD (chased by angry mob) KIDDING! But yeah, this world was unexpectedly a pain to write. I found a way to twist that around, though! So, here we go!
Disclaimer- Tch, please. And my cat is the queen of England.
"I hate those Heartless!" Donald squalled irritably as they exited the Gummi ship.
"I hear ya," Sora sighed, rubbing his sore side. Due to the Heartless and Nobodies assaulting them from all directions on the way to this world, the ride had been just a little bumpy.
"Whose bloody brilliant idea was it not to put seatbelts on the seats?" Char seethed. Despite her vow to maintain her composure in front of Sora and the others, she had fallen out of her seat at least five times.
And Goofy was supposed to be the safe driver…
She looked up at the sky and couldn't help but shiver. The castle had looked a little frightening before, but it was nothing compared to now. An ominous blanket of clouds thickly coated the sky, and every once in a while a streak of lightning split the darkness. The castle arched thorn-sharp into the sky. Below them, a drawbridge was, for some reason, out, so they could walk across without fear of the moat.
A moat? A dark castle? How cliché… Char thought, letting out a "hmph" and striding ahead.
"Aren't we going to get this over with?" she called over her shoulder.
"We're coming!" Donald yelled. A series of rapid, loud footsteps announced his arrival next to her. The duck gave her a glare. "Why are you in a hurry?"
"Donald, this place is kinda scary," Goofy reminded him, at the same time looking around nervously. "I don't think anyone would wanna stay here for long, a-hyuck."
Now they stood directly in front of the castle gates. Sora took a deep breath before walking up and, with quite a bit of effort, pushing the doors open. The gates made an eerie creaking noise as they yielded, causing Donald to yelp and scramble to hide behind Char.
The redhead glared at him and pushed him aside, while Sora shivered and stared in wonder out at the corridor. It was mostly a large room with halls to either side, with a set of stairs in the middle that spiraled upward into two separate upstairs areas.
"I wonder who lives here," he murmured.
As if to answer him, a loud, earth-shaking roar pulsated through the area. Char nearly lost her balance, but Sora, who was nearest, ran over and clumsily caught her just in time.
"What was that?" Donald asked a little shakily.
Sora thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he looked eagerly at the others. "Guys, I think that's the Beast!"
Char blinked in what she hoped was a convincing way. "The Beast?"
"He helped us on our last journey," Sora explained. "Maybe we should go check up on him."
Only now did she realize that he was still holding on to her shoulders. She felt heat rise beneath her cheeks and gave the brunette a pointed look. He returned it with confusion, then looked down, yelped, and jumped away. His bangs couldn't hide the crimson that dusted his face as he stared, embarrassed, down at the ground. "Sorry," he mumbled. (1)
Char shrugged. "Just… don't do it again."
Sora looked up and nodded.
Donald suddenly squawked in surprise. A dark shadow had just formed near the duck, but this shadow had yellow eyes, and it slid away from the group, through the open door of one of the rooms nearby.
"Come on!" the mage shouted to the others, already whipping out his staff in preparation for a fight.
Sora suddenly remembered the red chain he'd found only yesterday. He reached into his pocket and examined it for a brief moment, then gasped when he realized what it was.
"Sora, let's go!" Goofy called.
"Right," the Keybearer said. He concentrated for a brief moment before the Keyblade appeared in his hand. It was predominantly red, with swirls of yellow-orange around the circular hilt. The shaft of the blade was vaguely flame-shaped. (2)
He dashed after his friends, with Char following close behind.
Donald practically kicked the door to the room open, brandishing his staff threateningly. However, there was no Heartless that he could see in the room. It was a little like the living room in Sora's house back home, complete with a rug and fireplace.
But this room had one important difference. Sora found his eyes drawn to what was on the table nearby; a dome-shaped jar with a brightly glowing pink rose inside. It glittered in a radiant way, almost seeming to invite them forward. As they looked on, a petal fell delicately to the bottom of the dome.
He heard Char inhale sharply behind him. "Wow," she murmured. Out of the corner of his eye Sora saw her walk closer to get a better look. "It's pretty."
Something inside Sora gave a pang at that moment, almost like a warning bell going off inside his head.
Donald had been about to reach forward and grab the rose, but a whooshing noise interrupted him. The Heartless popped up directly in front of him, and he leaped back, startled. "Found it," he remarked dryly.
Sora brandished his Keyblade, then gave a start when another Heartless coalesced near him. He slashed at it and it vanished, only to be replaced by another. Many more of the black beings appeared, surrounding the four in a circle.
Char muttered a word that Sora had only heard his father use once. The group pressed back into a tight circle, back to back with their weapons out.
"Aw," the redhead grumbled, slashing one Heartless away with her sword. "Do the wittle Heartless not wike us wooking at their wose?"
Donald sniggered. "I guess not." He growled in annoyance as one Heartless slashed him with its claws and cast Thunder on it in retaliation; he grinned in triumph when it disappeared.
"Do you think the Beast knows he's got Heartless running around?" asked Sora, grunting with the effort of slashing the mass of Heartless away.
"Tch," Char replied. "I can imagine the real estate now: come on, buy this place! It's nice and roomy, oh yeah, and did I mention the ant-like things that'll steal your heart? They live in every room! So, how about it?"
Sora laughed, but the laugh turned into a gasp of pain when the Heartless all pushed him back against the wall.
Char stared, wide-eyed, at him, totally ignoring the other mounds of black assaulting Donald and Goofy. Déjà vu rippled through her mind; of herself being the one pinned to the wall with multiple enemies coming at her in all directions.
Instinctively, she charged forward, slicing through the darkness with both blades and effectively clearing the way. She let out a snarl of anger as she finished the last of the Heartless around the brunette.
Sora gave her a grateful look and she extended her hand. "You okay?" she asked breathlessly, ignoring the stinging cuts that the black creatures had given her.
Sora took her hand and let her pull him up. "Yeah, thanks," he said, then hesitated. "Um… a Potion would be nice."
Char rolled her eyes and slapped one of the vials into his hand. "Don't worry. I'm on it."
Sora could only stare at her. How was it, he wondered, that this girl, this girl who had joined him almost three days ago, knew almost everything that went on? Why was it that he, the one who was the chosen wielder of the Keyblade, the one who had been on a journey before this one, had to stumble and fall all the time?
Why is Char always right?!
"Hey!" Donald's squawking voice rose above the brunette's reverie. "If you lovebirds are done, some help would be nice!"
Char glared indignantly at him, slashing at the Heartless that had come up to her. "Excuse me, duck boy? You want to come over here and say that to my face?" The last part was grunted out, since she had to raise both blades to guard against the multiple enemies that had come at her. (3)
Sora was about to add his own comment when a burst of pain in his side announced the arrival of still more foes. He sighed. "Oh, come on!"
"Somebody help us!" Donald shouted.
Almost on cue, the doors were thrust open by furry hands. The person – or rather, creature – came through the doors. Char recognized it as the Beast from Sora's memories, the Beast that had helped the Keybearer in Maleficent's castle.
The furry animal came forward, his violet-blue cape billowing slightly behind him. Noticing their new target, the Heartless abandoned Sora and the others and surrounded the Beast.
"Look out!" Goofy cried.
The Beast glared at all the Heartless, then, with a furious roar, knocked them aside with a few slashes of his powerful claws.
"Just in time," Sora said with a grin, running up and raising his hand, obviously expecting a high-five.
The Beast completely ignored him and just pushed him away. Sora fell to the floor, staring in confusion at the furry creature.
Donald and Goofy were tossed aside as well. When the Beast approached Char, the redhead glared at him. "Okay, listen up –"
Her lecture was cut off when she was thrown to the ground, just like the others. The Beast gave her a glance before taking the rose in his paws and leaving the room.
Donald growled indignantly and rubbed his face. "Why'd he have to do that?"
"Gee, d'you think maybe he forgot who we are?" asked Goofy.
"Well," Char muttered, getting up and resisting the urge to utter the curse words at the tip of her tongue, "to be perfectly blunt, I'd be pretty pissed off too, if I had walked into my parlor and found you guys killing Heartless and soiling my rug."
"Oh, thanks," the duck said sarcastically.
"You're welcome." Char returned the sarcasm with gusto.
"Hm." Sora put a hand to his chin. "With this many Heartless around, though, something has to be up."
"Yeah," Donald said. "Let's go find out."
"Right," Sora agreed, nodding.
They all left the room. Char looked around at the castle interior. When they had first entered the group had been too preoccupied with the Heartless to really notice what was in here, but what she saw made her shiver a little. There were a few gruesome adornments aligning the walls; she heard the pounding of something outside and guessed that it had started raining. If it rained here a lot, she really wouldn't be surprised.
Donald suddenly stopped in his tracks, and Goofy nearly ran into his back.
"What's wrong with you?" asked Char.
"I thought I saw someone at the top of those stairs," the duck answered, pointing toward the east set of stairs.
"If the Beast lives here," Goofy reasoned, "then that lady's probably Belle."
"Maybe she'll know what's going on." Sora was already setting off toward the staircase.
"Wait up!" Goofy called, chasing after the brunette with his loping gait. Char and Donald weren't far behind.
A booming crash of thunder rolled overhead, causing the mage to yelp. Char gave him a look that was half incredulous, half amused. "Don't tell me you're afraid of storms, Donald?"
"No," he shot back almost at once. "I was just startled!"
"Sure."
He gave her one last glare and ran up to catch the others, which was actually a bit of an effort, considering his small legs. Char followed at a slower pace.
At the top of the stairs, they were met with a long hallway. Sora turned to the others and put a finger to his lips.
They inched forward, and eventually they heard a muffled voice coming from one of the rooms.
"What am I going to do?" it was saying mournfully.
Donald stepped back from the group, who watched curiously. "Okay," the duck grunted, then charged toward the door.
"Donald!" Sora cried.
Char rolled her eyes. "It's just like last time… You'd think he'd learn."
The door opened just as Donald was about to crash into it, causing him to stumble and fall flat. "Hey," he growled, raising his head and looking around indignantly. "Who opened the door?"
He looked up. The others followed his gaze and saw a young brunette wearing a blue and white dress. "Oh, I'm so happy you're here!" she cried, leaning down and scooping Donald up in a hug, much to his chagrin.
"Hey!" he yelled, struggling valiantly, but to no avail.
The woman looked around Donald's head. "Sora! Goofy!" she greeted enthusiastically. Then she saw Char. "Oh, who's this?" She gave Sora a teasing look, which was answered with a startled grunt.
Char sighed and stepped forward. "I'm Char Nightblaze. And… you must be Belle."
"I see they've already told you about me."
"Yeah, I suppose…" Char already didn't like Belle. She reminded her of the girls who used to tease the redhead for living in a lab with only men for company.
"Put me down! Put me down!" Donald was shouting.
Belle finally seemed to notice the duck's displeasure. "Oh, I'm sorry." She set him down and stepped back.
"So… where's the Beast?" asked Sora.
"More importantly, what's wrong with him?" Char added.
At the mention of the Beast, Belle sighed and looked at the ground. "He must be in the West Wing," she murmured sadly. "We don't talk like we used to."
Sora felt his heart twist for the woman. "Did… something happen?"
"Yes." Belle looked up at them and frowned. "Isn't that why you're here?"
Char and Sora exchanged a glance. Clearly, the brunette had no clue about Riku – which made sense, considering that she was unconscious whenever Riku and Sora had battled.
"Not exactly," Sora answered at last. Belle's face fell.
"But we can still help out, right?" Goofy said quickly.
Donald tilted his head to the side. "The Beast won't talk to you?"
She sighed again. "He's been acting strange lately. The only ones who might know why are locked up in the dungeon, and I want to help them, but…"
"Wait a sec," Char interrupted. She raised an eyebrow. "Who locked who up?"
"The Beast locked his servants." Now Belle's sorrow was replaced by shame.
Sora blinked in shock. "But… why? The Beast I remember wouldn't do that."
"That's what I don't know."
"Hm." Char crossed her arms. "Where is this dungeon?"
Belle looked a little bemused, but answered anyway. "You can get to the undercroft from the west hall. The dungeon is down there."
"West hall. Got it." Char looked at Sora. "Let's get going."
"Be careful," Belle said.
The group left the room, and they were immediately met with Heartless while going down the stairs. "Feh. I should've known," the redhead muttered, summoning her blades.
They carved their way up the opposite staircase and into what Char guessed was the west hall. At one section of the room, suits of armor blocked the way to another set of dark hallways.
"Think the dungeon's down there?" asked Sora.
"No, Belle said there's an undercroft, remember?"
"Oh, like we know what that is," Donald grumbled.
Almost on cue, a group of Heartless materialized in front of them in bursts of black fire. This time, though, there were a group of Nobodies with them, too. They featured the pure white symbol on their foreheads, but otherwise their bodies were colored silver. In body shape, they looked a bit like the Samurais from Hollow Bastion, except that these only wielded one sword, in a stance that looked disturbingly familiar to Char.
"It can't be…" she murmured.
Sora, Donald and Goofy were already charging the enemies. Donald zapped one Heartless with Thunder while Goofy's shield pierced through the rest before coming back to him. Sora went for the Nobodies, but had to hold up his red Keyblade to block the rapid blows coming at him.
Char knew he was going to need backup, and that she needed to get out of memory lane in order to help out. She drew her weapons and ran over, delivering slashes with both swords to either side. The Nobodies stumbled backward.
Sora put a hand to his head and grimaced. "Where have I seen this before?"
"Uh, in case you haven't noticed, we don't have time to be worrying about that," Char replied between clenched teeth, bringing her sword down to slice through one Nobody.
Sora seemed to ignore her, but he did get back into the battle. "They're called Avengers, aren't they?" he muttered absently, knocking one enemy away from Goofy with his Keyblade. (4)
Does it matter?! Char felt like screaming, but she held it back.
It got down to the Avengers beating the dual wielder and the Keybearer back further into the hallway. Donald and Goofy raced after them, casting and attacking whenever they could. Char noticed the suits of armor out of the corner of her eye as she clashed blades with one of the two remaining Nobodies.
"These things are tough," Sora grunted between blows. His voice was tempered by frustration. For some reason, the way these enemies fought reminded him of someone, a familiar person that he felt guilt at not remembering.
Suddenly he realized what these Nobodies reminded him of: the girl who had fought them in the cave at the Land of Dragons. It made sense – the way both the Nobodies and the girl held their weapons were the same, as was the battle tactic of forcing their enemy into a corner.
But… why did he feel like the girl was important to him?
"Sora, look out!" Donald's squawk cut abruptly through the brunette's thoughts, bringing everything back with a sharp, icy clarity. Sora whirled around and saw the glint of an Avenger's sword catch the light as it brought the blade down toward him. Panic took hold of him and he did the first thing that came to mind: he feinted sideways out of the way.
For a brief moment, there was silence, but for Char's grunt of triumph as she finally finished off the other Avenger. Sora's enemy couldn't catch its balance in time, and suddenly there was a deafening clattering noise as the sword ripped through the suits of armor and scattered the pieces of steel everywhere.
Char took that moment to steal up behind the Nobody and slash it from head to foot. It was knocked away and disappeared.
"Damn," the redhead muttered, holding out her hands and making her swords vanish. She looked down at the metal parts lying in a strange, disorganized pattern on the floor. "Those Nobodies must be pretty strong, if they can take a suit of steel armor into pieces like that."
"Well, does it matter?" Donald asked, walking up beside them. There were a few cuts on his body and his feathers were ruffled, but otherwise he looked all right. "At least they're gone now."
"Yeah," Sora murmured.
Goofy ambled up next to his duck friend and handed him a potion, which the mage took grudgingly. Char sighed and looked at Sora. "Are you okay?"
"Okay?"
"I'll take that as a no." Char turned away. Almost as soon as she had looked the other way she spotted a door on the opposite side of the hallway. "Anyway, look – I think that might be the way." She pointed at the door.
"Wouldn't there be a little more defense in front of the door if it was?" asked Goofy.
Char shrugged. "Those suits of armor probably were the defense."
Donald and Goofy exchanged a glance, then turned back to Char and nodded.
Sora, who had been staring at the ground, jerked his head up. "Oh, yeah – right. We've got servants to save." He grinned, but Char could see the falseness in his smile. She knew he was still thinking about the Avengers.
Sighing, she headed toward the door. From the footsteps behind her, she knew that Sora, Donald and Goofy were following, which made her feel a little awkward. The little devil on her shoulder screamed to take this opportunity, but the rarely-exercised angel reminded her that Sora was the one they trusted, and not to enjoy this for long.
They entered the room, and a deep, musty smell hit them almost at once. "Oh, yeah… definitely dungeon material," Sora said.
Char gave him a quick smile, and he relaxed a little. "Let's go."
She let Sora walk on ahead this time. He glanced back at her uncertainly, but she just stared straight ahead. After a moment, the brunette continued on his way. Donald and Goofy looked at each other, shrugged, and took their places close to the Keybearer's side.
Inside the next room, they were greeted by a strange door depicting strange creatures that reminded Char of Heartless. "This must be it," Sora said.
Donald walked over to the door and gave it a thoughtful look. He knocked on it hesitantly, then pressed the side of his face to it, trying to listen for something.
Suddenly, the eyes of the creatures engraved on the door glowed a demonic red-gold and the creatures themselves glowed with violet fire. Donald yelped and leaped back. "Uh-oh!"
Sora's hand jerked out before Char could do anything and pulled the duck out of the way, right before a black, red-clawed fist landed where Donald had been. The Heartless slammed their fists together, and the group summoned their weapons.
"Somehow I don't think the door was originally like that," Char said almost sarcastically. As she spoke, the Heartless raised their fists, and a group of bat-like Heartless appeared around Donald and Goofy. Luckily, the two had excellent reflexes from their last journey, and they began taking care of the enemies almost at once.
"Hm, really?" Sora answered, his naïveté taking over any concept he might have gained of sarcasm.
"Never mind." Char raced forward with her blades brandished in front of her.
Together, they worked at bringing the Heartless' endurance down. It was even harder than it looked, though, because the door kept summoning more Heartless and Donald and Goofy had to run over and exterminate them. What was worse, Char and Sora felt the fist that had almost crushed Donald enough times.
"Hey!" Donald's voice reached Char from across the room. She turned and was nearly hit in the face by a small vial with blue liquid inside. (5)
She scowled as she recovered the Potion and got it open with her thumb and forefinger, managing to keep her sword in her hand. "Thanks, duck boy. Maybe next time I want to heal you I'll thwack you in the face."
Donald grunted in response. He was too busy casting his spells, trying to keep the group of Heartless from overwhelming him.
Char gulped down the Potion and sighed as she felt strength coming back to her. She turned her attention back to the door as well as Sora. A pang of guilt hit her stomach as she realized that really, Sora was worse off than she was. And if the Keybearer was lost, they were, for lack of a better word, screwed.
I probably shouldn't have hogged the whole Potion like that…
She was snapped out of her guilt when a black fist crashed into her belly, effectively knocking the breath out of her.
"That was a cheap shot, you son of a –" she snarled in a wheeze.
"Uh, can I get a little help over here?" Sora interrupted hastily, before Char could go into the vulgar words hovering on the tip of her tongue.
The four of them finally managed to defeat the Heartless possessing the door. The creatures trembled for a moment, then sank back into the door and become stone again, tendrils of murky darkness swirling around them. A black and purple orb of the same substance rose out of the creatures and vanished.
"Well, that was a pain," grumbled Donald.
"But the servants are probably past this door," Goofy reminded him.
"You're right," Sora said, his Keyblade disappearing as he spoke. "Let's go."
They entered the next room, which, if possible, was even worse than the first one, both in odor and size. Char found herself with one hand to her nose and pressed back to the wall. To her frustration, there was nothing inside but for a candelabrum, a clock, a tea set, a wardrobe, and a few chairs.
"There's nobody here…" Sora sighed. "Was that all for nothing?"
"I am going to be so pissed if it was," Char muttered under her breath.
Goofy gave her a curious look. "Hey Char, did you say somethin'?"
"No," she lied, inwardly seething.
"Now, now, young lady," a sudden voice broke in, causing the group to jolt in surprise. The voice was motherly-sounding, but not without a touch of sternness. "There's no need for that."
"Tch, really?" Char answered angrily. "Then why don't you come out and show yourself?"
"Well –" began the voice, but it was interrupted by another.
"Shh! Keep quiet. It might be them."
"Oh, but they all look nice enough to me," another female voice replied.
Goofy stepped forward, looking around in bemusement. "We are nice. We've come to rescue you."
"Did somebody say 'rescue'?" another voice asked, this time with a strange accent.
"Uh, yeah," Sora called into the semi-darkness. "Belle sent us to find you."
At that, the voices all started up at once. "Belle?"
The sound of soft clattering made the group look down. The owners of the voices were none other than the objects that they had ignored.
"Wow," Goofy said. Sora just stared in amazement.
Char squatted down to their level. "What happened to you guys?" she couldn't help but ask. She was aware that she was gaping like an idiot, but seeing a talking teapot could do that to you.
"We were captured and thrown in here, that's what!" the clock grumbled irritably.
"Ignore Cogsworth," the teapot said, revealing itself to be the owner of the motherly voice. "We're just happy someone's come!"
Char blinked, somewhat abashed. "Uh… sorry for being so rude, ma'am…"
Donald coughed dryly as he crouched down. "You know you're apologizing to a teapot, right?"
Char shot him a glare. "Shut up."
Sora squatted down on Donald's other side, and Goofy did the same. "I'm Sora. These are Donald, Goofy, and Char." He motioned to each of his companions as he said their name.
The objects introduced themselves as well. The teapot was Mrs. Potts, the candelabrum was Lumiere, the teacup was Chip, the wardrobe was Armoire, and the clock, of course, was Cogsworth.
Abruptly, Donald came forward and picked up Cogsworth, who sputtered indignantly. "D-don't touch! I am self-winding, sir!"
Goofy came over next to the duck and stared in fascination. Donald was looking at the clock with the same look. He uttered an amazed "Wow!" and began shaking Cogsworth, much to the clock's anger.
"We're just happy you're okay," Sora said.
"Oh, but it is we who are glad to see you," Lumiere said, turning and jumping up onto one of the chairs.
"But seriously," Char said, "what happened to you guys? I mean, how did you get like…" She gestured helplessly to everyone else.
Armoire giggled, causing Char to feel awkward all over again. "Well, we used to be human, you know, until the enchantress cast her spell."
"Enchantress?" echoed Goofy, who had torn his attention away from Cogsworth and Donald long enough to listen.
"Yes, we were turned into objects when the prince was turned into a beast," said Lumiere.
At that, everyone gave a start. "The Beast is a prince?" Sora managed incredulously.
"It seems so long ago now," the candelabrum said.
"It was a cold winter's night…" Mrs. Potts added, shaking her "head". "An old beggar woman came to the castle, and asked for shelter."
"But the master of this castle – that is, of course, the prince –"
Char looked over her shoulder and saw that Cogsworth was still held by Donald. "Donald, put him down. He can't talk when you've got him in a death grip like that."
The mage glared at her, but set the clock down. "Sorry," he muttered.
Char glanced at him. "You just apologized to a clock – you know that, right?"
Donald just gave her a venomous look.
Cogsworth just dusted himself off indignantly and cleared his throat. "The master turned her away, all because of her… ahem… meager appearance."
Sora's eyes widened. "That's awful!"
Lumiere sighed. "Oui. He was a spoiled prince – selfish and, how shall I say, cruel."
"But that doesn't sound like the Beast," Donald said.
"It was how he was back then," Mrs. Potts said. "The old woman warned our master not to be deceived by appearances... Still, he would not take her in. Then the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. She turned the Prince into a beast, a shape she thought fitting for his cold heart. And to further punish him, everyone in the castle was enchanted, too."
Sora stood up and crossed his arms. "That's quite a story. Is there anything we can do to help?" He knew it was a stupid question as soon as it had escaped his lips, but it was the polite thing to say.
The servants all sighed. "We already know what needs to be done," Lumiere said. "But with the master out of sorts…"
"Yeah, he sure was actin' weird earlier," Goofy mused.
"He didn't trust us, even when we told him who we were." Donald glanced over at Char. "Her I could understand, but…"
Char rolled her eyes. "Oh, haha, very funny."
"It's almost as if he's forgotten how to trust others," Sora murmured. His eyes suddenly lit up and he looked at his companions. "Hey, you don't suppose he's turned into a Heartless, do you?"
"Well, if they're a part of this, then it's a good thing we're here," Donald said, puffing out his chest.
"Let's go find the Beast," Sora said.
"Ah, but it will not be so easy," Lumiere cut in. "You see, the master has placed suits of armor in front of the hall leading to his room."
"None of us have figured out how to get past them," Armoire added sadly.
"Oh, that won't be a problem," Char said almost airily. "You see, we were fighting these enemies earlier, and they got knocked into the armor. Basically, it's nothing but scrap metal by now."
Cogsworth's eyes widened. "Hm, I see."
"Well, let's go, then," Sora said.
The group led the servants out of the dungeon. Mrs. Potts sighed in relief and trembled a little; Char guessed that that was the equivalent of stretching for the teapot. "It's so good to feel fresh air again!"
As they crossed the hallway and headed up the small set of stairs, Char looked around suspiciously. Earlier the place had been crawling with Heartless and Avengers, and now it was absolutely empty. Something wasn't right.
When she voiced this to the others, however, Sora just shrugged. "We should enjoy it while it lasts, then, right?"
Char gave him a glare. "Sora, don't tell me you've forgotten what happened the last time you guys didn't listen to me."
The brunette winced, clearly remembering Ryou's death. "Alright," he murmured at last. "We'll keep on our toes."
Char let out the breath she had been holding in relief, and smiled at him in silent thanks. Predictably, she wasn't the type who enjoyed saying "thank you" aloud.
Cogsworth cleared his throat, causing everyone to look at the clock. "This way to the master's room," he said, pointing to the left.
Sora nodded. "Right. Let's go talk to the Beast."
They filed down the hallway and opened the door. What they saw within made Char's blood run cold.
For a prince's room, the room was rather small. It contained a large double bed and a few tables; the rose rested on one of these tables. A furry back, covered partially by a blue cape, was turned to them, and a dark-cloaked figure with its hood up stood next to the Beast.
"She's scheming to take everything you have," the figure was saying in a distinctively masculine voice, a voice that Char knew all too well. "This castle, your precious rose, and then… your life." He turned away and began to pace, his gaze turned downward so that he couldn't see the group. "Trust no one. Feed your anger. Only anger can keep you strong."
"I've had enough of strength," the Beast murmured. "There's only one thing I want now."
His companion laughed. "And what is that? To love, and be loved in return?" He looked back, and his tone darkened. "Who could ever love a beast?"
The Beast whirled around and snarled, but the man was unfazed. The gaze that lay beneath the hood scanned the room, and landed on the group.
"Greetings, Char," he said almost genially, spreading his black-clad hands in a welcoming gesture. "You look well."
"Wish I could say the same for you," the redhead retorted, bringing her weapons close to her in a fighting stance. Beside her, Sora and the others did the same. "Y'know, considering that you lost your heart and all."
"Yes, I would say the same." A tint of sarcasm peppered the man's reply.
"Just shut up, Dilan," Char growled, the name slipping out unconsciously. That was the only problem: when she got angry, she tended to get too impulsive for her own good. "Let's settle this here and now, shall we?"
"You seem to forget that I no longer refer to myself by that name, nor do our other companions."
"Whatever!" Char lowered her swords and charged toward the Nobody.
He merely lifted a hand and blocked her strike with a swirling sphere of solid air. The redhead bounced off harmlessly and fell to the ground. (6)
Then he turned to the Beast. "You see? Belle has accomplices."
Without another word, he vanished into a dark portal.
Char was already getting to her feet. Sora ran over, but there were no injuries except the ones to her pride.
"Damn, I hate that guy!" she snarled.
Sora looked over to the Beast. "Hey, prince!" he greeted. "Are you okay?"
The Beast stared at him for a moment, then threw back his head and let out an earth-shaking roar. Donald and Goofy squeaked and leaped back; Char and Sora jumped in fear.
"Oh, dear! Master!" Cogsworth cried.
In a single movement, the Beast had bounded forward and aimed a slash with his claws at Sora, who scooted away just in time. They all watched, eyes wide, as the telltale purplish-pink glow shone from the former prince's fur.
"Great," Char muttered. "Yet another possessed thing to take care of."
Fortunately, though, the Beast was much easier than whatever had taken over the door. All they had to do was keep him back into a corner while Cogsworth and Sora kept calling out, trying to jog their friend's senses.
At last, though, the demonic shine faded, and the Beast fell to the floor, barely catching himself with his paws. Cogsworth headed up to his master, eyes huge in his clock face with anxiety.
"Cogsworth… what happened?" the Beast murmured, putting a paw to his head.
Cogsworth hesitated. "Well, Master… uh, you see… that is… How exactly…" he blustered, his speech eventually dissolving into nervous mumblings.
Char sighed, rubbing the growing bruise on the back of her shoulder. "Quite basically, you went nuts and tried to kill us."
"Char!" Donald shouted, glaring at her.
"Well, what? I could see Cogsworth wasn't going to say it before my hair turned gray!"
"And you put everybody down there in that dungeon," Goofy added tentatively.
"I did what?" Beast got to his feet, staring at the ground, trying to recollect everything.
"Ah, yes, you did," Cogsworth mumbled.
"Who was that guy you were talking to?" asked Sora, in a feeble attempt to change the subject. "The one in black?" He glanced at Char. "Not another of your old friends, is he?"
"If I ever deigned to call that bastard my friend again," she muttered in response, "please feel free to throw me in a field of pink bunnies and flowers. It'll make life much less forgiving, trust me." (7)
"Xaldin?" Beast asked, looking at Char. "Do you… know him?"
"Once," she answered, returning his stare evenly. There was surprisingly quite a bit of humanity left in his cinnamon orbs; she had to admire his tenacity, considering that if she were in his position, she would have long since gone mad. "When he was someone else."
Beast sighed. "He came from the darkness. He… used my anger to control me." He put a paw to his head again. "He took all my sadness, my sorrow, my pain – and turned it all into rage."
"So you could no longer see the truth," Char mused. She took a deep breath. "Beast, I don't think Xaldin was trying to bring out your dark side just for kicks."
"But you probably just wanted to make sure your friends didn't get hurt, by throwin' 'em in that dungeon, right?" Goofy said.
"Yes, I suppose."
"Of course it is!" Sora said, smiling. "We know you're good inside."
Beast looked from his servants, to Sora, Donald and Goofy, and finally to Char. She just shrugged. "I haven't been with these guys long. But from what they've told me, you've helped them out in the past. That doesn't exactly sound like something a person like Xaldin would do."
"She's right, you know," Cogsworth cut in. "After all, Belle can see the kindness in your heart, but I'm afraid you've yet to –"
Beast's eyes widened at the mention of Belle. "Belle!" He stared at his feet in shame. "Belle… I've mistreated her… I've mistreated her and been so selfish."
"Well, she didn't say anything about that," Sora admitted.
"She'd never tell anyone of my cruelty. She's too good."
"Why can't you just go talk to her?" asked Sora.
Beast's head jerked up in surprise. "But…"
"No excuses," Char cut in firmly. "Come on, we'll go with you."
"Yes…" The former prince looked at Cogsworth and the other servants, who shot to attention. "You all can go back to your duties."
"Yes, Master!" Cogsworth said, shooting up in a salute. Then he began herding the others off down the hallways.
"See?" Sora said to the Beast. "They still respect you."
His response was a doubtful grunt.
They set off at a steady pace down the hallway toward the east hall. Char glanced over at Beast and saw him staring at the ground. It occurred to her that he reminded her of herself in a way – searching for redemption, and more importantly, trying not to screw up in the process.
As of yet I haven't really succeeded in the latter, she thought guiltily, looking at Sora. She could tell that his wounds from the previous battles were paining him, yet he just kept on going with a smile on his face. Is it for his own sake, or the Beast's?
She redirected her gaze straight ahead again and just prayed that they didn't encounter any more enemies on their mission here.
(1) xD Oh come on, Sora, you know you liked it...
(2) In case you don't remember, the little red thing that Sora found in the snow in the Land of Dragons was the Keychain for the Hidden Dragon. Essentially, he's really going to find the rest of his Keyblades that way.
(3) Sorry, I HAD to put that. I can totally imagine Donald construing their relationship as romantic, because he's really just the kind of person that enjoys driving his friends crazy.
(4) This is a throwback to Anxclof's Organization title, which I made up off the top of my head last night when I was writing that scene and needed a name for her Nobodies. xD Her title is the Blade of Vengeance, which will probably make more sense when I write a little bit more about her past and who her Other is.
(5) Okay, this is THE funniest mental image ever. I don't care what anyone says.
(6) Xaldin is such a bastard, and yet I can't help but love him. Even though he effectively shish-ka-bobbed me on my first playthrough at LEAST fifteen times.
(7) Damn, this is coming out to be a lot of A/Ns! Anyway, Char's saying here that if she ever starts liking the Organization, Sora can kill her, because think about it; is she REALLY going to go to a field of pink bunnies and flowers of her own free will?
Me: So, yeah, I think I effectively took out most of the annoying puzzles in this world xD
Char: Thank GOD. Those were a pain, even for me.
Anxclof: (gives her the evil eye) What do you mean by "even for YOU?"
Me: Well, time willing, I'm going to post another chappie before Christmas. As well as a Christmas special with my OCs!
Char: Tch.
Me: She actually loves Christmas, but she doesn't want to get too much of a happy-happy joy-joy reputation. I say HOPEFULLY I'm going to get another one up, because we have a bunch of people coming over for the next few days. So, for now, enjoy the chappie, and wait patiently for the next one while I finally end this long-ass A/N.