Hey all! Sorry this chapter took over a month; I was working almost every single day in July and didn't have time to write. Getting ready for college hasn't helped, either. Buuut since I leave on Thursday, I took the time to finish this chapter today.
I'll just say you'll all probably hate me for what I do to Sora at the end, though. I cried writing it. D:
O-on the bright side, moar Riku?
Disclaimer- I do not own Kingdom Hearts.
Consciousness came to Char in a haze. Even though the sun did not affect the light of the world between worlds, she swore that the watery green glow streaming in through the Gummi ship's window to her room seemed brighter, and she found herself groaning aloud and squeezing her bleary eyes shut against it.
Eventually, though, her desire to keep alert won out over any lingering exhaustion and she ended up pushing the pillows off her face to sit up. All at once, the events from yesterday washed over her, bringing a multitude of mixed emotions that assailed her with the force of a Heartless' blow. Finding out Axel had kidnapped Kairi, only to lose her to that Saïx guy; learning the Organization was using Sora to feed Kingdom Hearts; realizing Xemnas knew more about what Char knew than she had thought; visiting the virtual world of Ansem's computer; telling Sora all about Roxas and the Organization and her connection to them…
Above all, though, one particular memory buoyed itself to the top of her thoughts, as much due to the happiness it brought her then and now as the fact that it was the most vivid. With the peculiar sensation of her heart lightening within her chest – a sensation that she once would have denounced as nothing but the hormonal wishes of a lonely schoolgirl – Char found herself remembering Sora's fingers against her cheek, against the side of her neck; the way just feeling him so close had all but shattered every ounce of self-control she had left. An unconscious smile stretched across her face at the memory.
Fast on the heels of her content at finally knowing how Sora felt – at knowing he kept her close to his heart after all – came the recollection of the argument that had led up to the kiss in the first place. And even though Char knew she shouldn't dwell on the negative things, she still couldn't help but groan aloud and fall back on the pillows.
Yes, the kiss had distracted Sora from the truth she still withheld from him. But today, now that they had both had a well-deserved night's sleep to dull the edge of bliss that filled both of them, suspicion would, more likely than not, begin to leak through and stain that bliss for them. Again. Char's chest hurt at the very thought of repeating the powerful, albeit short-lived, reactions that Sora and the others' paranoia of her had inflicted on her yesterday.
While the knowledge that she shouldn't have even become friends with these dorks in the first place remained, she knew that thinking of them as such was tinged with affection and not contempt. That having the closest friends she'd ever had look upon her with wariness pained her more than she enjoyed admitting.
Then again, Riku's my close friend, too, and it's not like he'd be suspicious of me. Unexpectedly, Char felt a surge of wistfulness that rivaled those she had experienced at the very beginning of this journey, when her heart still belonged to Riku and she had regarded Sora, Donald, and Goofy with barely-disguised disdain. She hadn't dwelled too much on it in the heat and rush of traveling with Sora and fighting with him, but she did still miss Riku, if only in the way one might long for an older sibling.
"Char?" Goofy called tentatively from outside. "Uh, breakfast's ready, if you're awake."
His voice trailed off at the last part, as though even he knew how uncertain he sounded. Belatedly, Char realized he had knocked before speaking, and wondered just how long he had been standing outside.
Combing her fingers quickly through her hair, she replied, "Yeah, I'm awake. Just give me a little bit to get ready."
A beat; then Goofy uttered a hasty word of acknowledgment. Char heard him moving off and chuckled to herself; he had probably nodded before realizing she couldn't see him do it.
After donning her jacket and giving her hair an obligatory once-over, Char stepped outside her room and wandered down the hall to where the others waited. Goofy had returned to his spot at the table and was currently offering a forkful of pale yellow scrambled egg to Donald, who was shaking his head fervently. Scanning the room further, she spotted the brunette sitting at the table shoveling scrambled eggs down his throat with all the force of a dying man; the sight made her raise an eyebrow, half reprovingly and half amusedly. After all, it was odd when he was awake before her.
"Any chance you've got some left for me?" she queried, walking around the table to sit next to Sora.
The sound of her voice made the Keybearer surface from his meal and glance over at her. Almost immediately, his eyes seemed to soften and he actually deigned to swallow his mouthful of food before responding. "Good morning, Char," he greeted with a smile. Although he carried the same degree of friendliness that normally marked him, Char picked up on the tenderness in his gaze and felt a surge of warmth… yet discomfort at the same time.
She tried to shake off the latter and gave him a nod of response. "Morning," she answered, reaching for the empty plate on the table and starting to gather some eggs onto it. Not her favorite breakfast, but she would take it. They never knew where their next meal would be coming from, after all.
Sora's smile widened a little, and after pushing more food into his mouth and swallowing, he spoke again. "Did you sleep well last night?"
Char knew his innocent question had no hidden meaning behind it, but she still couldn't help remembering what had happened. Her laying her heart bare before him, and then…
Gods, just the thought of it sent her into that idiotically happy stupor all over again.
She forced herself to just shrug in response. "Yeah, I guess."
"Good," Donald said brusquely. "We're going to need all our strength if we're going to stop the Organization."
He sounded so much like Char's old self that the redhead felt a smirk twitching over her lips. She knew he was right, though; if they had any hope of eradicating all the danger from the worlds without inadvertently assisting their enemies – as well as finding Sora's friends again – their best bet was to find the Organization and take them down.
"What are you smirking at?" the duck growled suddenly. Clearly, he had picked up on the subtle amusement on Char's features.
"Nothing, nothing," she chuckled, focusing on eating the eggs on her plate. Goofy's reputation as a good cook made itself clear no matter what he produced, she reflected with a satisfied smile.
Donald narrowed his eyes, but chose to ignore her in favor of looking back at Sora and Goofy. "Don't you guys agree, though?" he prompted.
Goofy nodded. "Of course you're right, Donald, but… uh, how're we gonna do that?" he finished, ducking his head as he did so.
"Good question." Sora sighed; he had finished eating while the three had been talking, and now he pushed his empty plate away and fixed doubt-filled blue eyes on his comrades. "The Organization is in the realm of darkness, right?"
"I think so," Goofy said, lifting his gaze to Sora's. "That's what that Xemnas fella said."
Char flinched. Xemnas said a lot of other things, too.
To her immense relief, though, Sora seemed to have forgotten all about Xemnas accusing her about Riku, and guilt washed over her at knowing last night's kiss had probably played a part in the Keybearer's convenient amnesia. "Yeah," Sora said with a nod. "But how do we get there? That's what I want to know." His brow furrowed with a mix of thoughtfulness – a rare emotion for him – and desperation.
Donald opened his mouth to speak, only to close it again when his mind caught up and realized he had no real answer. The duck stared down at his still-empty plate, while Goofy looked just as lost.
Char frowned to herself, thinking. As far as she knew, only portals of darkness could take someone even anywhere close to the Organization's world; then again, the only time she had been to the World That Never Was, she had accompanied Riku there to help him subdue Roxas, and she hadn't been there since. For all she knew, maybe another means of entering that dark, stormy place existed.
"Maybe there's another way," she murmured aloud.
"Huh?" Sora perked up instantly, looking over at her hopefully.
She lifted her gaze to his, and the desire to know just what she was thinking blazed so strongly in his wide eyes it almost hurt to look. "I might be wrong," she said, a little embarrassed at having to disclaim her theory, "but maybe there's a way to get into that world… from another world we've already been to."
When the others donned confused expressions, Char sighed irritably and elaborated. "I'm saying that if there's a way in, we haven't found it yet. It's out there, more than likely; not even the Organization could think so far ahead as to completely block out every rip and seam they've left in the worlds they've been to. I know," she added dryly, "I worked with some of them for eleven years."
"So… you're saying if we visit the worlds on the map again, we might find a way?" Gradual understanding brightened Sora's features as he paraphrased her words.
"Pretty much, yeah. I could be wrong, though," she hastily said, because his happiness was almost too much to take.
"We should probably go visit the others anyway, right?" Goofy asked. He counted off on his fingers the various inhabitants of the worlds they had already seen on this journey. "There's Mulan, Beast, Belle…"
"That's actually a good idea," Donald conceded grudgingly.
Char narrowed her eyes and folded her arms. "Well, thank you. I do try to say something useful every once in a while."
Sora laughed, a sound that induced a smile on Char's face as well. "You're right. And it'll be nice to see the others again."
And… His thoughts took a much more serious turn as he remembered what Axel had said, about Saix having "caught" Kairi. That probably meant the Organization was holding Kairi hostage, and in all likelihood, if Riku wasn't in the other worlds Sora had visited already, the silver-haired young man waited in the realm of darkness as well.
Without knowing it, Sora's fist clenched beneath the table. Because therein lay the real problem here, the issue he had avoided thinking about ever since he had awoken this morning. Between the groggy mist that rolled over his thoughts, he had remembered her kiss from the night before, only to have the happiness that that memory heralded dissipate at once when he had remembered exactly what had led to it.
He knew he should be more suspicious of Char, in light of what Xemnas had said yesterday about her and Riku. But just remembering the doubt that had surfaced as a result of the Organization leader's accusation – and, Sora recalled with a pang of guilty warmth, the way his doubt had come pouring out of him last night – made his heart clench in his chest. No matter how he looked at her keeping this bit of information from him, the fact remained that Sora wanted to trust Char fully; he wanted it so badly it almost hurt.
So as much as his conscience cried out against the idea, Sora had chosen right then and there, as he'd lay there staring up at the ceiling and remembering everything she had done to prove her loyalty in the past, not to bring up what Xemnas had said. Not only was the Nobody probably lying – twisting the truth in order to push the group apart again – but he never wanted to see his friend in the amount of pain that yesterday had caused her ever again.
"Sora?" Donald waved a feathered hand in the brunette's face, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Sora jolted and looked around at the others: at Goofy's mildly amused smile, one that he immediately tried to stifle with a hand over his mouth; at Donald's impatient stare; at Char's expectant gaze on him. He lingered on that last one; unbidden, the memory of her tears against his finger floated back into his mind, and the way she had flinched before giving in to his touch.
No, Sora scolded himself, this is not the time. That didn't banish his thoughts at all, though, much to his frustration.
"Sorry, guys," he said with a reassuring smile. "Where do you think we should go first?"
Donald still looked dubious, but he answered readily enough. "Let me check," he called, hopping off his chair and waddling over to the control panel. As he peered into the screen that showed the map, Sora risked a glance at Char and saw her meet his eyes briefly before even that proved too much and she tore her gaze away, staring down at her lap with a slight hint of red on her cheeks.
The sight made his lips curl upward a little. He had wholeheartedly believed every word she had said last night about fighting for his sake – her roundabout way of saying how she felt – but all the same, it was still kind of nice to see her reinforce that fact.
"The Land of Dragons is closest," Donald said from the control panel, turning his head from where he had knelt in the pilot's seat to look at his companions. "We can go there first."
"Sounds good, a-hyuck." Goofy bobbed his head up and down in acquiescence.
"Yeah," Sora agreed.
He stood, fingers inching toward his empty plate to take it to the sink, only to have something seize his wrist in the process. Confused, he looked down and saw a green-gloved hand against his arm.
A distinct sense of curiosity infused him as he followed the path of her arm up to her face. Those icy eyes were appraising him with a kind of expectant hardness to them, as though she had something she needed to say. In spite of his prior vow against considering the possibility, Sora felt a fleeting flare of hope that maybe she had decided to tell the truth about Riku.
He shook the feeling off and just tilted his head to the side at her. "Char, you okay?"
To his bemusement, she did not answer his question. "Sora," she said, "can I talk to you? In private?" Even as she spoke, she was already dragging him over to the hallway leading to their respective rooms.
"Uh, okay," Sora said, blinking. He tossed a "be right back, guys" at Donald and Goofy over his shoulder for good measure.
Char steered him to an unsteady halt right in front of his room, jerking his wrist in a way that made him cry out in surprise. "Are you okay?" he repeated, more confused than ever at the – what was that, dread that had replaced her previous annoyance?
After a few moments, during which Sora was suddenly reminded of just what had happened in the room that lay just beyond where they stood, she suddenly spoke. "About, um… about last night…" She trailed off, tearing her gaze away and staring at the ground. A flicker of movement from further down announced her fingers beginning to tap against her leg nervously.
Last night. Of course. Sora's heartbeat began to spike to almost unhealthy levels, to the point where he had to fight to breathe, at just the phantom memory of her lips on his and her hair sweeping over his fingers on her neck. "Oh, yeah," was all he could murmur, his wrist tingling as it hung limply at his side.
"We're…" Char hesitated, then steeled herself to lift her head to his. "We're not going to pretend it didn't happen, are we?"
Her attempt at a brusque tone made Sora wince, because he knew that façade belied how she really felt. The frustrating part was that he had no clue how to respond: not just to placate her, but to soothe his own doubts as well. Yes, he had kissed her; yes, he had enjoyed it, despite the fact that she very clearly was not Kairi. Yet his heart had made it almost agonizingly clear that it had moved from his maroon-haired best friend to the girl in front of him.
So what's the problem? he almost thought, before remembering he knew very well what the "problem" was. After all, as far as he knew, one couldn't just quit loving someone one had harbored ten years of feelings for.
At the same time, though, Sora couldn't bring himself so far as to think something was wrong with him.
The sound of a hoarse squawking from the pilot's seat could be heard then, and Sora clenched his fists, dread filling him. Donald and Goofy would more than likely have something to say about this new development as well. Even in the past, Sora had done a rather poor job of hiding his budding love for Char – and, he suddenly realized, she had, too; the epiphany was aided by having the fact pushed right in front of his face, but it came nonetheless – so now that he knew it was mutual…
He forced himself to stop thinking about that, even as the voice of reason in the back of his mind piped up and asked what would be so terrible about the Disney residents knowing about this. Because Char was still watching him with an air of undisguised desperation, her eyes searching his face for something.
Does she think I have the last word on this? The idea hit Sora with a force that almost made him physically stagger. Odd, considering her unabashed confidence and tendency to take over situations herself. The visit to the Land of Dragons, with Shan-Yu and Ryou, came to Sora's mind first, making him briefly wonder how the village was faring in the three weeks or so since the group had taken the Hun down.
Focus, the Keybearer told himself then, because he hated that look of fear on Char's face as much as she likely hated feeling it.
He sighed, finally just deciding to say what he honestly felt; the words that the delirium brought by the sweetness of her lips against his had pushed into the back of his mind. "I don't want to pretend it didn't happen," he admitted. "But I…"
Char inclined her head, widening her eyes in a silent request for him to continue – and yet that fear didn't fade in the slightest from her eyes.
What exactly was she afraid of?
Her own feelings, maybe? The very things her job as a researcher had forced her to suppress, and that the loss of her friends to the darkness had all but banished entirely?
As he remembered her telling him the fate of the other six apprentices, a pang of sympathy gripped his heart so strongly the breath caught in his throat. Impulsively, he reached out and pulled her close in the embrace he had wanted to complete from practically the moment she had gasped at Ansem's name in Merlin's house, a day and a lifetime ago.
He felt her stiffen in his hold, but ignored his better judgment – which was telling him quite firmly to pry himself away before he lost an arm – and just hugged her more tightly to him. The frantic beating of her heart mingled with his own where their chests pressed together, and Sora clung to that, the one thing that set him apart from his enemies.
"I just really, really like you," he said, and something seemed to sigh in relief within him as the confession passed into reality.
A beat; then Char relaxed tangibly and let out a sigh whose breath he felt more than heard against his hair. "And Kairi?" she asked, wearily. "What about her?"
Startled into doing so, Sora moved back a little, his hands sliding to her ribs to keep even this small connection. Her pupils darted briefly down to where his hands had settled before meeting his gaze again.
"Kairi is one of my best friends," Sora said, choosing his words carefully. "And I still want to save her. More than anything else. But… I want to save Riku, too. It's the same thing."
Is it? Char left that question unspoken, but for how loudly it echoed in the silence she might as well have screamed it.
"Plus I haven't seen her in over a year," Sora added, trying to assuage the doubt he saw reflected in her eyes. "So, when I met you, I…" He trailed off; even he realized how pathetic he sounded.
Char apparently did too, as her furrowed brow straightened in a skeptical look. She sighed, gingerly grasping his hands and removing them from her ribcage; only when he was bereft of the contact and felt the phantom of her body heat on his fingers did Sora realize what he had just done. It was all he could do to meet her gaze, so strong was the embarrassment that flew from his fingertips to his cheeks. "Look," Char began, folding her arms across her chest, "you like me. I get it. And, lucky for you, the feeling's mutual. But…" Her eyes flicked down for a moment, then back up to him. "I don't know, it just… really doesn't seem like the best time."
"The best time for what?" Sora asked, desperation beginning to build up in his gut. He knew exactly what she meant: they were on a perilous quest, he still had two best friends to take back and the Organization to take down…
It was the worst possible time for the two of them to act on their hormones, and, aided by the way Char's logic and perceptiveness had gradually transferred to him as time had passed, Sora knew it.
Didn't stop it from hurting him, though.
"You know what," Char mumbled, crimson rising to her cheeks.
Sora could only stare at her. "So…?"
She lifted her head and met his eyes then, even though the same luster that had coated her own gaze the night before had returned. "So we shouldn't get into something we'll regret," she said, so quietly he had to strain to hear.
He sighed. She was right, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Even now, his entire body screamed at him to deny her words, to rush out right then and there and tell Donald and Goofy exactly why the dog had heard shouting from Sora's room last night.
More than anything, though, Sora's conscience prevailed, insisting gently that she had set the boundaries in the past and he needed to adhere to them now just as doggedly as he had then. And so, ignoring the pain in his chest, he made his decision.
"All right," he said.
"I said we can't and that's – huh?" Char had apparently had a full rant ready for him if he'd chosen to demur, but as her mind caught up with her instinctive reaction, she stopped abruptly and gave him a startled look. "Are you… are you sure?" she managed.
"Yeah." Sora nodded. "You're right. About us, I mean."
Us. The word had never sounded more bittersweet to him.
"But," he couldn't resist adding, "after we defeat the Organization, and go back to the islands with Kairi and Riku…"
Char held up one finger for silence, at the same time feeling a very powerful catch in her throat at his including her in that illustrious return. She had never allowed herself to consider much about what would happen after the initial purpose of her tagging along with Sora – her and Ansem's revenge – was fulfilled, but now she found herself thinking on the Keybearer's words. I could go back with him…
Even that was thinking too far ahead, though, especially with how precarious their survival was, with Nobodies and Heartless at every turn. And so she did what she had done best before all of this and shoved it to a dark corner of her mind, once reserved for the memory of her fellow apprentices' deaths and her former crush on Riku.
"We'll think about that when the time comes," she said, her heart rate kicking up at the possibility of later. It was an idiotic thing to feel – Sora kissing her had proved peremptorily that he had moved on from Kairi – but nervousness permeated every throb of that muscle in her chest at the thought of staying on Destiny Island with him.
Why, though? Because it's so different from what you're used to?
Because then you would have to face a relationship with him, and you're not emotionally ready for it?
The grin had returned to Sora's face, she noted, and rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm. "Not a moment before," she said firmly. "You need to keep our goal in mind. Riku and Kairi, and the Organization." A flash of her old self – the Char that had balked at the thought of becoming friends with Sora and the others and focused only on thoughts of revenge – rose up inside her, and she held on to that, the only remnant of simpler days.
"Right." His determination had returned at hearing his friends' names, and Char reflected on just how deep his love for them was. Even though Riku had tried to kill him in the past. Even though his feelings for Kairi had turned platonic.
If she had had friends like that, she couldn't help wondering, what would she be like now?
Pushing the thought aside, she gave him a close-lipped, subdued smile and awkwardly patted his shoulder. "Now then, I think Donald and Goofy need us up front," she said, just as a holler of "Get up here, you two!" resounded in the Gummi ship.
"Sorry, Donald!" Sora called back, laughing. He turned away and started toward the main room, and Char followed after him, relief pulsing strongly throughout her entire body. He had handled her ultimatum – the one she had come to just moments before uttering it aloud, feeling his warmth against hers and realizing with a wave of terror how badly she wanted it to stay there – better than her hastily-fabricated fear had made her imagine.
Still…
"About time you two got back," Donald grumbled as Char absently settled into the chair two seats over. Even without picking up her unintentional hint, Sora immediately flopped down into the empty chair she had left for him.
"We were just talking," Sora said with an encouraging smile.
"About what?" Goofy inquired, tilting his head to the side.
Oh, crap. Char unconsciously stiffened, sliding her legs up to press her shins against the edge of the control panel.
Thankfully, though, Sora spoke before she could. "Not that much," he answered, shrugging. "Just… this journey. Stuff."
His voice sounded strained, and Char fought back a wince. Sora was a terrible liar. Maybe she should have taken it upon herself to speak for both of them after all; if this past month had proven anything, it was how well she could weave a lie. Which… wasn't exactly an admirable ability, but it would have helped.
Donald scoffed doubtfully, but said nothing.
"So, uh, I guess we're goin' to the Land of Dragons now," Goofy said awkwardly.
"Yeah," Sora said.
Without a word, the mage flicked a few switches, and with a very tangible lurch, the Gummi ship began to move, leaving wisps of pale green behind in its wake.
"I wonder how Mulan's doing," Sora wondered aloud, leaning back in his seat and putting his arms behind his head.
"Oh, yeah." Char blinked. It felt like ages since they had bid farewell to the young woman who had disguised herself as a man to slip into the army's ranks. She allowed the recollections of the time the group had spent in the Land of Dragons to wash over her: finding Mulan and Mushu; that Shang guy snarling at Char, trying to defer her from fighting with his men; and…
The most vivid memory of all floated to the forefront of her mind then, and it was all Char could do not to cry aloud. Ryou. The little boy who had died for the sake of that bastard Shan-Yu's war, the child who reminded Char so much of her younger, more naïve self. Gods, but thinking of that poor kid still hurt. She supposed that some amount of maternal instinct must lurk within her, if grief and sorrow and hatred for Ryou's murderer still bubbled up within her at remembering what had happened three weeks ago.
"I wonder if she's still with, uh…" Goofy scratched his head, clearly trying to remember Shang's name.
"Shang?" Char cut in.
"Uh-huh." The dog nodded gratefully.
Char sighed, watching the world between worlds fly past outside the window. Donald remained silent, seemingly focused on piloting the Gummi ship toward the dojo-like building on the map; but his eyes flickered toward them every once in a while to signify that he was listening. "Probably," the redhead said, unable to keep a chuckle out of her voice. Mulan's feelings for the army captain were painfully obvious even three weeks ago, after all.
"Hey," Sora said suddenly, "you're not going to run off again, are you?" Though his words sounded accusatory, the playful tone he adopted while speaking them softened their blow as he gave Char a suspicious leer.
Char scoffed and rolled her eyes, though not without a smile on her face. Oh yeah, she remembered; she had split up from the group upon finding out Shan-Yu had survived the avalanche, fully intending to give him a piece of her mind and her blade. "Unless some more little kids got stabbed, no, I don't plan to," she said, only half-joking.
"Somehow I don't believe you." One dark blue eye squinted comically at her, but before she could respond with another teasing remark, seriousness filtered onto his face and wiped the grin away. "I wonder how Ryou's mom's doing," he murmured.
That made Char wince. If her grief had all but crippled her better judgment, it paled starkly in comparison to what the boy's mother likely felt. At least we took down his murderer, the redhead told herself. "You never know," was all she said.
Sora blinked, discomfort rolling up his spine in hot waves. Somehow, he just knew he had said the wrong thing without meaning to. Again.
Fighting the frustration that began to simmer deep within him, he glanced back at the view of the emerald clouds and saw that said emerald clouds had already vanished, in favor of paler white ones. These white clouds proved few and far between as Donald maneuvered the Gummi ship to land close to the summit where the village lay.
"Why're we landin' all the way out here, Donald?" Goofy asked, peering at the duck, who had his brow furrowed in intense concentration.
"Yeah, seriously," Char muttered. "Isn't a huge eye-burning vessel sitting in the snow considered 'meddling?'"
"Well, would you rather have us land in a bunch of bamboo like we did last time?" Donald shot back, a little too quickly.
"Wait a minute," Sora interrupted slowly. "Donald… are you trying to see if the village is okay?"
"No!" the mage spat. "I just think it would be easier to land this thing if it were in the open, and the snow is the closest – will you stop smiling?"
For the boy had adopted a near-smirk of amusement and affection. "It's okay, Donald," he said. "I kind of want to know, too."
Donald huffed and stared back down at the rapidly-approaching snowy ground. "Whatever," he grumbled, pulling a lever. In response, the Gummi ship began to shift very subtly back to a level position, and the group eventually felt a muffled thud as the vessel touched down in the snow.
"All right," Sora said, beginning to rise. He risked a glance out the window and saw, to his immense dismay, that the village just beyond was empty, completely devoid of life and still blackened with the fires they had watched swallow it up not long ago.
He heard Char draw in a sharp breath next to him and knew she was craning her neck to see over his shoulder. "I guess they left the village," he said, and felt a rush of disappointment that he couldn't see how Ryou's mother was faring.
"Well, at any rate, we can still look around," Donald suggested, though the strained tone to his voice implied that his brusqueness was forced.
"Yeah," Goofy agreed hastily. "I wonder how everybody's doin'?"
"Well, we can check and see in a sec." Seeing the duck's failure to respond to the command inherent in her words, Char sighed and reached over to flick a switch. Immediately Donald sprang up, berating her. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, even as a click was heard and freezing cold air suddenly swept into the ship.
"Putting the ramp down?" Char rolled her eyes, pushing herself up from her chair. "Gods, duck boy. Like I don't know what at least that button does."
That silenced Donald at once; he froze right there, standing on his chair with his beak hanging open and one finger still raised at her. Then his bill snapped shut and he growled in his throat. "All right, then," he said irritably. "Let's go."
"Wait," Sora interrupted, causing them all to glance over at him. "Shouldn't we, uh… get some healing items first?"
"Oh yeah," Goofy said, blinking. "We almost ran out in Hollow Bastion, didn't we?"
Donald dug around in his pocket for a moment, then withdrew his hand with a telltale blue sparkle making itself known between his fingers. "I've got a couple of Hi-Potions."
"That's probably not enough," Char murmured. Inwardly, she cursed herself for using her last Potion back in Hollow Bastion.
"I've got a bunch, though," Goofy announced, lifting both hands and showing their burden of multiple blue-filled vials.
Sora gaped at the dog, who gave him a mildly bemused look. "Uh, what?"
"Why didn't you tell us you had so many?" Char spoke what they all were thinking, her eyes wide.
"You never asked." Goofy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Give us some!" Donald snatched one out of the knight's hands and stuffed it into his pocket.
Char narrowed her eyes at Donald's rudeness, but nevertheless copied his example, if a little more gently. As Sora followed after her, their fingers brushed, causing a tingling sensation that made her jump. Sora jolted as well, then met her eyes with an embarrassed smile that forced her to remind herself of what she had said earlier.
Quickly, she closed her fingers around a couple of Hi-Potions and pushed them into her pocket, refusing to look at Sora. Confusion shadowed his countenance for a moment, but then he shrugged and took a couple of healing items as well.
"So, that leaves a few for each of us," Sora said.
"Wait!" Donald squawked. "What about Ethers, or something? How am I supposed to recover my mana if a fight comes and I run out?"
"Oh, you'll be fine," Char said, waving a dismissing hand. "You can just sit in the back and let it recover yourself."
Her words induced a low snarl from the mage, and he was about to deliver a biting retort when Goofy cut him off. "Uh, so what say we go on outside?"
Good idea, Char thought, smirking at Donald's indignation.
The snow crunched beneath their feet as the four of them walked through the desolate remains of the village. Looking around, Char suppressed a shiver at the sight of the destruction and the memories it resurrected. Of hot blood spilling over her hands; of walking out of the cavern, exhausted from battling Anxclof, only to stop in horror at the sight of the burning village.
Anxclof. Char hadn't allowed herself to dwell on the outcome of their last battle – out of a childish fear that just thinking of the female Nobody would summon her to stand before them with that eerie amber smothering her vision and that vengeful smile on her features – but now she found herself wondering about Anxclof's decision all over again. Not that she wasn't grateful that Anxclof had let her live; she just wondered why Anxclof had relented at the last possible moment. Considering how much she hates me for kidnapping Roxas and all.
Fast on the heels of that thought came the question as to what Anxclof was doing now. Somehow, Char couldn't believe the Blade of Vengeance was waiting in the shadows to ambush them with her Keyblade; her paranoia had dulled far too much for that. Even though if it came to a battle, Anxclof would likely win all over again, Char found herself not believing she would come back. It was just a feeling she had.
If she does, though, you have to be ready, her pride reminded her. Riku won't be there to save you every time you bite off more than you can chew, after all.
She looked up from where her gaze had been determinedly focused on her feet making indents in the snow, only to gasp at the sight that greeted her.
Immediately, Sora was at attention, his Keyblade appearing in his hands as he fell into his battle stance. "What?" he demanded, even as Donald almost walked into his back.
Silently, Char pointed ahead, too inundated with fury to form a coherent response. For standing before them was a figure clad in a familiar black cloak.
Sora followed her gaze to the Organization member, and his own eyes widened. "Hey!" he shouted, but his feet had just begun to move when the figure turned and dashed off toward the top of the mountain.
Char stared after the figure, her heavy breathing and tense stance relaxing only slightly. If it really was an Organization member, then why hadn't he just used a dark portal to move away?
The answer came quickly, and her fists clenched as it echoed in her mind. Because he's playing with us, that's why. Whoever he is, he wants us to follow him to the top of the mountain.
"What's goin' on?" Goofy gulped.
"Yeah, why didn't he just use the darkness?" Sora wondered aloud.
"He's toying with us," Char spoke through gritted teeth. "He wants us to follow him." Speaking her realization out loud didn't assuage her anger in the slightest, as it turned out.
"Well, if he wants a fight, we'll give it to him!" Donald pounded his staff into the opposite hand, dark eyes narrowed.
Sora nodded in agreement, though doubt passed through his gaze as he did so. Char knew he was probably thinking about Roxas, and Demyx, and the guilt that had filled him at watching the latter fade in a shadowy conflagration. Again, she thought, why did you have to tell him about Roxas, you idiot?
Fortunately, any other self-deprecating thoughts were effectively cut off by a familiar voice shouting, "Sora!"
As one, the group turned and saw Mulan running toward them, blade in hand. She stopped in front of them, panting audibly.
"Hey, Mulan," Sora greeted hastily. "No time to talk; we've gotta catch that guy!" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder in the mountain path's general direction as he spoke, and Char suppressed a smile of relief. No matter how guilty Roxas' existence made him feel about effectively killing the beings he had lived and worked with, Sora's desire to save people would always come first.
Mulan straightened then and fixed a determined look on them. "Good; maybe you all can help me out. I'm following him, too," she added for confirmation.
"Really?" Goofy asked. "Uh, why are you after somebody from Organization XIII?"
"What's that?" Mulan asked, clearly confused. Char had to fight the urge to slap herself then at Goofy's little slip-up.
"The guy in black," she elaborated, at the same time giving the knight a hard stare, at which he ducked his head. "One of the bad guys."
"I knew it. There's a rumor about a spy in black, lurking in the mountains," Mulan explained. "I'd tracked him this far already, but…" The expectation in her voice suggested that their presence was holding her back.
"Then let's go!" Donald urged.
"Right," Mulan said.
The five of them charged up to the village exit, where the ground began to slowly but surely slope upward. Char glanced over at Sora and saw, with a thrill of bemusement, that the Keyblade he had chosen was the Oathkeeper, all but blending in against the snowy backdrop.
"I guess you needed the Keyblade I was keeping from you after all," she remarked breathlessly, unable to keep a hint of bitterness out of her voice.
Sora looked confused as he ran, then realization crossed his face and he gave the Oathkeeper in his grip a glance. "Well," he panted, "I thought I owed you that much. It's called the Oathkeeper for a reason, right?"
Though his words were near incoherent among the breathlessness given to him by their running speed, Char picked up the hidden meaning there. She couldn't help but smile at his unspoken promise – to wield the Oathkeeper for both her sake and Kairi's – albeit somewhat wryly. "Corny as hell," she said, "but I'll take it."
Sora pouted at her words, but that indignation eventually faded out to a grin of relief at the absolution.
He looked back forward again, only to cry out as he spotted the tail of the black Organization coat vanishing around the sheer cliff face. In the same moment, multiple Nobodies materialized around them: Dusks, and an odd, swaggering Nobody holding a pink-glowing gun in its grasp.
The five of them stopped unsteadily and raised their weapons, even as their foes began to converge on them. Sora spotted one of the unfamiliar Nobodies lifting its gun and picked up a high-pitched whine just before a pale pink diamond appeared in midair right next to him. Startled, he reflexively lashed out with his Keyblade and knocked the diamond away, practically into Char. Thankfully, she dodged in time, even as the shape collided with the Nobody and knocked it back. "Will you watch it?" she yelled.
"Sorry," Sora called apologetically. "It was a reflex!"
As if on some kind of signal, the rest of the Nobodies leapt into action. Mulan and Goofy tackled a group of Dusks, while Donald cast furiously, causing flares of electricity, fire, and ice to rend the air. Sora and Char focused on beating back the unfamiliar Nobodies, with the former copying his prior strategy of knocking the diamond back into their source, as the impact seemed to cause the Nobodies pain. It took them a few minutes of fighting for it to hit him that those diamonds were bullets from their enemies' rifles.
Halfway through the battle, Char's jaw had clenched in a way that made the muscle bulge on her face. Sora wondered, surprised, what had caused her that much rage; then again, if he remembered properly, a different kind of lesser Nobody announced the presence of an Organization member, and she didn't exactly like the Organization. Still, it was odd that she express so much anger, and Sora pondered on which Organization member had arrived here in the Land of Dragons.
Probably the same guy who just ran off, he thought, and felt a fresh wave of determination to catch the Nobody who undoubtedly either waited at the top of the mountain or had already left this world.
"Come on!" Donald shouted to them, just as the Oathkeeper cleaved through the final sniping Nobody. Sora called acquiescence back to the duck, at the same time wincing from the sting of the minor wounds inflicted on him – one from an errant pink bullet he had missed still oozed on his shoulder – and turning to Char. "Let's go catch that guy," he told her.
"Yeah." Char simply nodded, her eyes narrowed. "If it's who I think it is up there…" She stopped, shaking her head, before racing off after Donald, Goofy, and Mulan. Startled, Sora followed at a fairly sprinting pace.
When they reached the summit, though, all five of them let out a collective groan. Only the snowy landscape greeted their vision, if a little more swollen than Sora remembered from the avalanche. "Nuts; he got away," Donald cursed.
"Darn it," Mulan sighed, lowering her sword. "I'd almost found him, too…"
The frustrated tone to her voice was tempered by longing, which bemused Sora. Char, however, seemed to pick up the reason behind that tone, if the little smirk on her face was any indication. "Did Shang tell you to track that guy down?" she queried.
"Of course not!" Mulan rebuffed her immediately, though the slight stutter in her voice belied her words. "I just wanted to bring him to justice."
Sora grinned a little, only for that amusement to falter when he remembered she had lost the guy when he and his friends had arrived. "Sorry," he apologized.
Mulan gave him an encouraging smile. "It's all right. Though I do wonder where he went."
"Your guess is as good as mine." Char shrugged.
"Hey!" Donald suddenly shouted, pointing up at the slope. The sound of his yell reverberated throughout the snowy valley, and Sora flinched, bracing himself for the noise to dislodge the snow and cause another avalanche. When he saw what Donald was pointing at, however, any fear of being buried went forgotten.
The bird-like Heartless that had come in swarms at Shan-Yu's back had reappeared in full force, and now they descended from the top of the mountain. Remembering what Saïx had said about the Keyblade feeding Kingdom Hearts, Sora hesitated, gripping the Oathkeeper more tightly in his hands. Up till now, destroying the Nobodies had allowed him to forget how fighting their darker counterparts would indirectly help the Organization; now, though…
"Crap," Char hissed, her hold on her swords tightening. It's like Shan-Yu all over again!
As the Heartless grew closer, she couldn't help but feel a tremble begin to shake through her fingers. Taking these enemies out would allow them to survive, it was true; but in light of the truth about Kingdom Hearts and what the Organization wanted from Sora…
No. She shook the doubt off. The Heartless would tear them apart if they didn't fight back.
"Come on!" she roared over the buzzing of the Heartless' wings, which was almost deafening at this point. "We can't just let them kill us!"
"But…" Goofy brought his free hand up to his face nervously.
"Come on, you guys!" Mulan shouted, already running sword-first into the mass of foes and beginning to carve a path. Char couldn't help but notice Sora wincing unconsciously every time a Heartless released its burden into the pale blue sky.
Then the brunette sighed and hefted his Keyblade. "Guys, let's go. We have to help Mulan."
"I guess," Donald said, uncharacteristic anxiety on his face.
As the two Disney residents reluctantly charged off after Mulan, Sora made as if to do the same, only to stop and pivot around when something dark caught his eye. Sure enough, the Organization member from earlier stood there, completely still. The brunette couldn't hold back a shiver; although the man's eyes remained invisible, cloaked by the darkness offered by the hood over his head, he swore the Nobody's gaze was locked on him.
Fighting back his discomfort, he narrowed his eyes. "There you are," he growled, pointing the Oathkeeper at the Nobody. "We've been looking for you."
In response, the dark-clad figure merely inclined its head… before settling into a stance Sora knew all too well.
And summoning a dark, wing-like weapon Sora knew all too well.
"What…?" The Keybearer gasped as memories flooded into his mind, stimulated by the stranger's upraised arm above his head and the heart-shaped charm that hung from the chain on the weapon he held. So many play-fights with wooden swords; then Keyblade clashing with dark blade in Hollow Bastion…
No way.
That can't be…
Riku?
Shock had frozen Sora to the ground, so he could barely move when the figure suddenly danced away, black coat swishing over the snow as that dark weapon sliced into a Heartless that had gotten too close. As the pink, translucent heart shot up into the sky, Sora had a brief moment before he heard Char scream his name from behind him.
He whirled around just in time to see the Nobody – Riku? – gripping the redhead around the waist and dragging her away. "Sora!" Char shouted again, struggling valiantly, but to no avail. Fleetingly, it crossed Sora's mind that Xemnas had to have been lying, she wouldn't be expressing so much shock and terror if she really did know Riku…
But that couldn't be Riku, right?
Shaking those thoughts away, Sora dashed forward, Keyblade at the ready; but agony abruptly lanced into his arm, and he swung his head around and spotted one of the Heartless moving off, as if taunting him.
"Oh, come on!" he cried, batting it away with the Oathkeeper. It lurched back in midair, and he took that moment to finish it off before it could attack again.
He turned and shot forward again, after the dark shape that had already opened a swirling portal of darkness and stepped into it; Char screamed "Sora!" one more time before the figure pushed a weapon-free, gloved hand over her mouth. Sora swore he saw her captor flinch as if in disgust before calming again and dragging her into the portal behind him.
"No!" Sora shrieked, and flung himself forward, feeling panic ooze slowly, poisonously, through his veins. No, his mind echoed, no, no, no, not now, this can't be happening, it can't –
But then the portal had vanished, and the Heartless were setting upon him, and Sora could only stare at where Char and that almost-maybe-Riku had once stood, tears beginning to blur his eyes.
No.
Char.
"Let go of me!" Char snarled, even as the familiar feeling of darkness sloughing over her vanished to reveal the gates of the imperial city. In response, the Organization member only pushed his hand over her mouth again, and she felt a surge of annoyance that her tongue sweeping against her captor's palm had only proved enough for him to let go for a moment.
She flailed valiantly in his grasp as he pulled her over, iron grip rendering her ability to concentrate and summon her swords all but useless. Only the impact of her back slamming hard against the crimson pillar that held up the gate – and the shockwaves that shuddered up her back in response – immobilized her.
"You heartless son of a bitch," she hissed, reduced to that much due to having had the breath knocked out of her. The rim of the Nobody's hood made her unable to see what color his eyes were, but she had the horrible, sinking feeling that a single golden eye would be staring mockingly into hers right now. Xigbar, she thought, panicking. I knew those Nobodies on the mountain path were his –
But then her captor was lifting his head, and she gasped when two eyes – eyes whose shade leaned more toward orange than Heartless-eye-gold – glared irritably at her.
"That was disgusting," a familiar voice stated.
Char could only gape at him, her mind shutting down. Because why would Riku show up now, of all times, and here, of all places, when he had told her specifically he wasn't revealing himself to Sora?
More importantly, why did his voice sound like a sixteen-year-old boy's, instead of the deep voice of the sleazy bastard whose form had overtaken said boy's?
"Riku?" she breathed.
"Yeah," he confirmed, disgust still in his voice. "And, uh? Please don't lick me next time."
Char narrowed her eyes. Even though the adrenaline offered by the fear that had gripped her failed to vanish, her fear was leaving her rather quickly. "Well next time you kidnap me from Sora, I'll remember that," she growled.
Mentioning Sora proved to be the exact wrong thing to do, as that resurrected the memory of how she had just left him: running after her, Oathkeeper out, panic and rage and fear and realization twisting his countenance into a heart-rending expression. Oh gods, Sora. Tears threatened to prick at her eyes, and she glared anew at Riku.
"What?" he asked, amber eyes blinking.
"You know what," she gulped. "Sora… why…?"
She had to stop then, because completing that question would have resulted in a sob.
Riku sighed, the hands gripping her shoulders to hold her against the wall slackening just slightly and making her slide down a little. "I'm sorry," he murmured, two words that made her eyes widen as they escaped him. "I know I told you to stay with him, but I need you for this."
"For what?" Char demanded, speaking around a grief-ridden lump in her throat. Now Sora was probably walking back to the others, and Donald was demanding to know where Char had gone, and Sora was hanging his head and explaining that the Organization had taken her, too…
Gods, he had to be wondering what else those bastards would steal away from him before all this was over.
Riku stared at her a moment longer, contrition making itself obvious even in what was visible of his eyes. Gold, not green, like she – like Sora – so desperately wanted. Char met that gaze with hers, breathing raggedly and trying to hold back the tears she couldn't reach up and wipe away.
Like Sora had reached up and wiped away last night, just before his mouth had met hers.
Then a sigh issued out of Riku again, and one hand lifted from her to pluck away the hood. What she saw did not surprise her, but made her flinch anyway as the face of her greatest enemy met her gaze.
"Your master has a job for the both of us," he explained wearily.
"A job." Char laughed under her breath. Of course. This was ridiculous. Before this, she would have gladly agreed to anything Ansem wanted her to do; now, though, in light of all the secrets she had learned he was keeping, she felt only a defiant curiosity, wondering why the hell he was trusting her with something like this when he apparently didn't even trust her with simple facts about him.
Why does that surprise you, though? a voice in the back of her mind asked, very seriously. You're his student. Not his daughter.
"Yes, a job," Riku said, taking his other hand from her shoulder. Char caught herself before she could stumble and fall, as his grip had been the only thing holding her upright. Bracing one hand against the pillar, she watched as Riku pulled the hood over his head again to hide Xehanort's face. Not that she blamed him, of course.
"So you kidnapped me." It was not a question.
Riku huffed, all pretenses of tired obligation gone. "Look, it wasn't the way I wanted to do it. I wanted you to stay out of it, but that old geezer insisted." He turned away and folded his arms as he spoke.
"So what is it?" Char demanded.
"I'll tell you in a sec," was his simple response. That hooded head lifted to appraise the imperial city gates. "For now, though, I need to do something. To talk to the emperor."
Char blinked. That had come out of nowhere. "And why, pray tell, do you need to do that?" she asked, genuinely, albeit grudgingly, interested. Being torn away from Sora like this still sent a spike of pain through her heart, but she figured she may as well go with whatever Riku wanted. For now, at least.
"Let's just say Xigbar pissed off a dragon," Riku muttered, making Char's eyes widen.
"Okay, now I'm interested," she admitted, risking a glance up at the mountain in the distance, where she knew Sora still stood.
I'm sorry, she thought, hating herself for turning away and following Riku through the city gates.
Sora.
...;_;
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