TN: About time you finally wrote HER part.
TUH: At least I did not DELETE THE CHAPTER!
TN: Well. . .
TUH: Game set and done
TN: It's set and MATCH! Not done.
TUH: Whatevs, sore loser.
TN: Whatever, to business. So, what do you have to say about this chapter?
TUH: Obviously that I shall blow minds with my part.
TN: And I shall finally give our readers SOMETHING they can know, and not all this secretive stuff that we have been giving them.
TUH: Just don't make everyone an alcoholic.
TN: Oh, about that. You readers:
TN: I'm sorry about the wine scene, a lot didn't agree with that. It is something I should not have done, but it is. There is a more valid reason within the chapter.
TN: Sorry.
TN: Well ready for the chapter Herald?
TUH: And with that, let the party begin!
Sora: Hey guys, what about the disclaimer?! Guys? *sighs* I don't get paid enough for this. Ahem, they do not own me, Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square Enix, or. . . well let it be a surprise.
Sora: Enjoy!
Chapter III
The Briefing
Aboard the Highwind
July 17, 2010
"Soooo. . ." Sora said, hitting auto-pilot and leaning back in the captain's chair. "You guys wanna do somethin'? I mean, Disney Castle is still technically two days away and I'm not gonna sleep through all of them!" he exclaimed, stretching his arms and legs and yawning. Riku just face palmed immediately as his chocolate-haired friend waved his childish behavior around like it was normal. Kairi giggled at him and looked at Riku, he should have known what he had signed up to when he came on this trip with Sora.
"Well, you could show us around Sora. We haven't seen much outside of the rooms we slept in last night," Kairi suggested, her curiosity tickling the back of her mind. She looked around this room, it was dull and had no decorations whatsoever. That and all the buttons and levers were disorienting to her. How could he memorize all that? They say curiosity killed the cat, but she was born curious so she'd take the risks that came with it.
"Good idea Kai! Follow me!" shouted the somewhat childish Keyblade Master, leaping up and out of the pilot's seat and rushing towards the exit of the cockpit. She giggled again and rose, leaving the dull cockpit along with Riku as they followed Sora into the following room, leaving the auto-pilot to do it's job. She saw that happy-go-lucky look on Sora's face and smiled. Oh why couldn't he love her? Why hadn't he done something, anything by now? Then, all of a sudden, his face bore a scowl and his eyebrows furrowed, his face became on of frustration.
"Oh shut it Roxas," Sora replied, seeming a bit irritated. Kairi nodded in understanding as she knew the feeling from Naminé. She loved to pick on and frustrate Kairi to no ends. Riku smirked and caught up to Sora.
"You know Sora, I'm okay with having you talking with Roxas, but you have to start controlling your outbursts while talking to him, people will start to think you have MPD," Riku told Sora. Kairi started to worry about how her best friend having different persons inside of him would affect him mentally. It may seem all fine and dandy at first. . . but he'd better be careful. She knew he could handle it, just like she would handle having Naminé within her.
"Fine, fine, I'll talk to him with my mind for now. But first, kitchen time!" Sora exclaimed, almost immediately forgetting all about Riku's warning, at least for now, and rushing to the corridors of the gummi ship. The gummi ship's corridors were much bigger than what you'd expect, even if they were just simple, non-decorated, "techy" passageways, streams of energy or magic sliding through the side walls. This lead Kairi's curiosity to peak once again. That gnawing curiosity forced her to voice it.
"Sora, how does the ship look, or how is it so big? It was barely bigger than two vans stacked together when it landed." the million dollar question, isn't it? How could it have been so big, you may ask? Well that answer is
"Magic!" Sora dismissed, quickly sliding to the side and into the kitchen. Did he just pull a Tom Cruise? Kairi asked herself. She shrugged it away and followed into the kitchen. When Kairi entered, she really started to believe Sora's explanation for it. Of course she wanted to know more, but this had to be wizardry. You see, the pristine white marble kitchen was about half of what the gummi ship SEEMED to be on the outside. It had every kitchen utensil Kairi had ever seen and more. Pots and pans hung wildly above centered counter islands. There were two stoves, two ovens, three tables(one of them for eating and the others for preparing dishes) and one hell of a GIANT refrigerator, seriously, it was a room all to itself! This could not, under any circumstances, be in the ship as only "a part of it". And where was Sora? Inside the fridge of course.
"DAAAAAAAAAAAW!" That sound that came from it also made everyone realize what he was trying to find. "Nothing to eat except for the absolute necessary. . . cheap bastards!" He exclaimed, leaving the fridge room to confront his friends. Kairi just smiled at his foolishness. "So. . . uuuuh, this is the kitchen! You can cook and. . . stuff!" he exclaimed, waving his arms around and pointing at random things. "Goofy was the one to actually use it, so I can't give you that big of a description, but hey, it's a kitchen, nothing special to it, is there?" Sora asked with that giant grin of his. Her heart melted at it. Gnawing curiosity would not leave her alone, even if he already explained it.
"Except for the size! How does this even fit in the ship?!" Kairi asked, blocking the exit out so that Sora wouldn't just escape again. He glared at her, adding a tight-lipped smile.
"I already told you, Kai! Magic!" Sora exclaimed, but the tapping of Kairi's foot told him to "elaborate". She wanted a definite answer. "Look, I can't explain it since its magic, but here's what I know. When Cid builds a gummi ship, he asks Merlin to cast a spatial bending spell on it, so the interior is actually many times more spacious than the exterior. That's all I know, honest!" Sora exclaimed, spewing everything he knew, hoping that they would let up. Riku sighed and told Kairi to forget it, Magic was better left unexplained. She pouted, but eventually agreed. Whoever this Merlin fellow was, she would have to one day meet him and ask him herself. Then, and only then, would her curiosity be sated.
Next up and to the left of the ship, they found a gigantic white room filled with nothing but each and every training equipment you could think of. Targets? There. Weights? Of course. Punching bags? Also there. You get the gist of it. This somehow surprised Riku and Kairi even more so. Sora actually trained? He was too lazy!
"Wait, you actually have a training room?!" in unison they both exclaimed. Sora stared them down, wanting to know what the big surprise was, only to have Kairi answer. She thought she had a viable excuse for their outburst.
"You just don't seem to be the kind of person that. . . trains all that much. Even on the islands, you just kinda, I don't know, winged it most of the time. Your training. If it could be called that, was just sparring, no more," the princess explained with Riku's nodding backing her up. Sora pouted and crossed his arms, looking a bit angry at the misconceptions that they were giving him. She immediately felt guilty and hoped that he wouldn't be mad at her. That would kill her.
"Well, I'll let you know that not only did I train, but I also used the harder room at the right more!" He exclaimed, pointing out the door on the left. Of course, they were all curious as to what it was and followed Sora there. She entered and gazed at a small computer room in which a giant PC covered half of the space in it connected with a bigger, empty room. Sora smiled at their puzzled expressions and explained.
"Cid installed this after our first trip to Radiant Garden in our second journey. It follows the way the MCP used to bring digital Heartless into Radiant Garden. Basically, there are a lot of different enemy and area programs etched into the memory drive of the PC, and at any time or place, you can digitize them into that room over there. Just that room though. Think of it as practical training." Riku and Kairi were mesmerized at the technology before them. Was it even possible? Apparently so, but they were about to see something even rarer. It almost threw them off as he changed. Oh my, Kairi thought. She found this rather attractive and different. Sora was wearing a serious expression for once. "But, and this is a big one. NEVER use this thing without someone on the outside, watching. These things are nearly real. They will hurt you! They will. . ." He looked to the room and shuddered, grasping his right shoulder. His eyes closed in a grimace and in memory. Whatever he was thinking of was causing him pain in a nostalgic sense. He took a deep breath and looked back to them.
"It will. . . kill you even. I already had a close call once, and I wish to never have it again." Sora then scratched at that area near his shoulder again and shivered. Kairi immediately tensed up and nodded. Riku on the other hand took quite a while to nod affirmatively, more than Sora's attention span lasted anyway, because he was already off to another room.
This last one was completely empty except for a lone TV smacked right dab in one of the corners. Even Sora was dismayed at it. She had expected at least some sort of entertainment.
"They took out our consoles! What're we gonna do until we reach the Castle? Just watch TV?!" Of course this earned another face palm from Riku and a giggle from Kairi. He turned around at them with a facial expression that told them to explain themselves.
"You could just, oh I don't know, train!" he exclaimed, groaning slightly at how lightly Sora was taking this. She had to agree at how he was acting. He was taking this not nearly as seriously as she thought he would have.
"But King Mickey said it wasn't a big deal. . . I don't wanna train for something like that!" he said exasperatedly. Kairi stepped back a bit at seeing Riku's face. Sora had just pushed Riku a bit too hard.
"Then just watch TV all day!" he snapped with a flail of his arms and stomp of his boot, abruptly exiting the room and leaving his two friends to look on, confused. She sighed and looked at the void spot where Riku was just standing. Sora was just about to go after him.
"Don't," Kairi told Sora, grabbing him by the hand. "He needs to cool off, you know this."
Oooh, making a move, are we? Naminé asked, smiling inwardly as Kairi removed her hand from Sora's as if it was burning, the duo just staring at everything but the other one as they became colored deep red, which was hard, seeing as there was only a TV in the room. After a minute or two, they continued the tour, leaving the absence of Riku, and filling it with tension. He broke it.
"So Kai, why were drinking wine?" he asked playfully as they walked.
"Selphie kind of forced it on me," she replied. Which in a sense was true. "I would normally never do that." Than a question came up.
"Why did you?" she asked. He stopped and looked at her.
"Because you were," he replied, walking yet again.
What?
HoL:TS
We rejoin our heroes at nighttime, Destiny Islands time. Riku relentlessly tore a punch bag open with only three punches, sending it hurdling towards the wall and spilling the grainy sand contents all over the floor. You could see his sweat tainting each piece of equipment in the training room. For more than twelve straight hours he had trained, hard, undaunted, rigorous. He trained because he had seen something in the fight against Sora. Fun as it may have been, he had seen it. He was out for perfection, to eliminate all the pieces of useless being inside of him, to flush it out. He was riddled with uselessness and he had to exterminate it. He had to control it. He had seen it. Darkness. His orbs of light were stained with darkness. No matter how much he tried to let it go, it wasn't enough. He could feel it inside him, burning, slithering through every hole, infecting every cell of his body. It burned within him and raged, trying to dominate and take him over.
Again.
He had not controlled it. He had not repressed it. He had slowed it down. It was there and he needed to get it out. Crying out in frustration, Riku kicked another bag with such strength it detached from the ceiling, exploding against a wall right next to the door to the simulation room. Pieces of chipped ceiling fell around him, and he huffed in anger, in ire. Riku was burning up inside with frustration. He needed to get rid of it, somehow, someway.
"This isn't going anywhere. I have to learn how to fight it the hard way!" Riku exclaimed, starting to roam towards the room in hopes to try it out when the door slammed open. The noise was so loud in the silence, it scared him senseless. It sounded like the loudest thing of all time. It was Sora standing at the door way.
"Shit!" Riku exclaimed. "Dammit, Sora, you nearly gave me a heart attack, now move!" he said, trying to move past Sora. The latter stopped him.
"Riku. You weren't going to try what I think you were gonna try, were you?" Sora asked somberly from the door. Riku didn't answer, simply continuing on his way. "Riku, I nearly died in there!" he exclaimed, stopping Riku in his tracks, even if he didn't commit to eye contact. "I was careless. I went in by myself and if Goofy hadn't of woken up early, they'd find me headless on the floor of the room. But this is me Riku, you know who I am! You were never reckless with anything, why were you gonna do it after what I told you?!" he questioned, reaching up to Riku and forcing eye contact.
"Sora it's the darkness. I know Xehanort's Heartless is not inside me anymore, but I can still feel the remnants of what it left behind in me spreading. I thought that if I could just. . . flush it out, it'd be fine. I was going to go fight the monsters in hopes of doing that. I have to master it Sora! You don't get it. You don't have it in you!" he shouted, swing his arm wildly, almost connecting with Sora before looking at his own hand, realizing he was this close to hitting his best friend. Sora didn't blame him, he simply sighed and started talking. At least Riku could be happy for Sora trusting him and forgiving him for his own outbursts.
"You know Riku, I never told you this because I thought it'd only make things worse, but I need to do it right now it seems. Once, at Port Royal, I was fighting a heartless Luxord summoned. We were losing badly, so Donald and Goofy decided to give me their power to use Master Form. Something went wrong. I only remember a dark flame burning my very being and then. . . darkness. When I woke up, we had won, but everyone was terrified of me. I had turned into a rampaging beast of darkness, tearing the Heartless apart with my claws. I was ravage, truculent, terrifying. I nearly killed innocent people because the darkness purge the light within me and took over. Luckily, I had beat it and controlled it. This happened not once, but two times more before I got access to the Final Form after beating Roxas. Riku, I also have the darkness in me. Ever since I sacrificed my heart for Kairi… my Anti-Form is there, waiting to strike. I know what it feels like, or at least somewhat." Riku could just stare at him, wide eyed.
HoL:TS
Sora looked at his best friend and started to smile. "Then how do you-" Thud. Riku tapped his foot. A thudding noise. It was a hollow, dull thudding. It sent him into a vigil of memories, so fresh, yet far away. It reminded him of the Invisible's sword. That dull thud it made when it arched into his flesh, searing through it, cutting the muscle, slicing the sinew. It went down straight to the bone and broke that, too. It burned and that thud, that dull sound of defeat. And, god was that pain immense! He had felt nothing like it, well, one other thing. He moved his hand to his chest after it had been subconsciously rubbing his right shoulder. He remembered looking up as the Invisible's sword yanking out, a wrenching squeak of splintered bones, the squish and splosh of muscle and blood, veins visible, bone visible. A dull thud as it finally ripped out, blood leaving in a spray, dotting his face, dripping from his matted hair. He screamed, he had been the entire time. That dull thud. He looked up to see the sword whistling towards his
(life)
neck, the light gleaming off of the sword like the last flashes and light of his existence. Decapitation. Would that really be the end of him? It seemed so. And then it vanished, Goofy strolling in, half dressed and fur tangled from sleep, concern etched into his very being. Sora would have said thank you, had he not been screaming. Goofy summoned Donald as they tried to heal what they could with Donald's magic and elixirs. All noise was blocked out as he felt his muscles and sinew somewhat reshaping, blood still gushing, gushing from the
(thud)
pumping of his beating heart. His thudding heart. Laying in that red pool, that was all he had heard. Thud. Thud. Thud.
thud thud thud. . .
His hand had dropped from the door, his heart aching in a wakeless thud and his mind deep in thought and memory. Kairi placed a hand on that shoulder and he screamed, he screamed just like he had that night, high pitched and terrified. She recoiled as if her hand had been burned. The echo that followed, ringing down the halls was monstrous, other-worldly. Then, the silence. He had never heard silence so loud before. If he had had a mirror, he could see just how pale and frail he looked right then. So weak.
He looked to his two best friends and forced a weak smile. He had never seen Riku look so concerned for him before, and that lightened his mood. He looked at Kairi and thought he saw genuine love in those eyes. But holding up that love was a care, a concern like that only a mother could give. She was his best friend as well, not only his love interest, and he was glad for that above all else.
"Sora, will you be fine?" Kairi asked, not daring to touch him again. He could see the fear there.
"Yes, you just startled me. I was thinking," he told her. She knew it was a lie, but did not force anymore out of him. Riku kept silent but his eyes told Sora everything words would. Riku was there for him, no matter what. He was going to answer Riku's questions.
"Simple. I don't worry about it. The more you do, the more the darkness destabilizes you, the more it gains control. I just believe that the moment I went out of control, you guys would save me. The moment I let myself slip into worry is the moment Anti takes over. It lies in despair, and the deeper you dive, the easier it is for it to grab onto it. Get it now Riku? We're here for you. . . you don't have to worry." Sora then extended his hand to his friend, his big grin finally making it back into his face.
"You guys. . ." Riku said, spotting Kairi watching over from the door. "I'll try. I won't let the worry consume my every waking moment. Thanks Sora, I needed that." Keyblade Master Riku told his best friend, returning the handshake.
"Anytime! Now let's get something to eat! I'm hungry, so I'll be taking from your portion!" Sora exclaimed, rushing to the kitchen.
"Wait, what?! No way! Get back here you stupid brown hedgehog!" Riku exclaimed playfully, following his best friend in, leaving Kairi in the trail of wind they had formed.
HoL:TS
The World That Never Was
July 17, 2010
While Riku was cooling down and finally falling asleep millions of miles away, Alexia walked down the depressing and cold metal corridors of The Castle That Never Was. She held her arms and rubbed her biceps repetitively, trying to warm them. She was still in her casual clothing after her parents had been murdered only a mere week ago, a simpler time. She mourned them, she did right now. She felt sad at this passing, but she had been toughened and she had turned cold after the past year and a half of traveling, battling to survive every day, seeing death just as frequent. She had cried until no tears would come two days after their death. Now, she would only be emotional, nothing more. She mourned them, and maybe she had before they died. All seemed dead to her now, and then, a simpler time. She could still remember, many years ago, the refreshing days of sitting on a rocky outcropping that overlooked the coast of Maine. She would be alone, of course. Her family never spent time with her, and the only ones who had, had been her thirteen year old brother Phil—who had been kidnapped and murdered years later—and her pappy, also dead, murdered. Why was it that her entire family had been murdered? She only shrugged her shoulders to her own question, crying on the inside. She would never let another being see her cry, never again.
She would be alone, of course. No friends. Yep, that summed up her whole damned life. While none of the other kids at school would hang out or be friends with her, they would show her no affiliation whatsoever. She may have been happy even if they had been mean to her, just to have some sort of tie to them, the outside world.
She would be alone, of course. She would stare down at the rough sand and roaring ocean, pristine, blue, and always screaming its angst to the poor sand it barraged constantly. She watched gulls fly high, cruise and bruise, drop clams onto rocks and eat them, alive and still twitching, meat flying down their gullets and juice squirting out their beaks. The first time she saw this she felt nauseated, that was before her parents were ripped apart before her eyes, the blood splashing on her. Coppery and wet. By them.
Them.
The outside world.
She walked down the corridors, alone, of course. She was given directions by some bumbling idiot named Pete, who had apparently good ties to the one she sought. It was often a fondness of hers to think of others as less intelligent than herself, because it was always true. One perk of being ostracized her entire childhood, and even now at seventeen, was that she focused on her schoolwork all the time. And she read anything she could get her hands on. She was intelligent, at least she had that.
An' isn't dat ter damn truth, pappy had told her while guzzling down his moonshine. She had loved her pappy, ever since she was a little tike, as her pappy would always call her. She would visit him down in Kentucky from time to time. And at least he loved her. He wasn't them.
Them.
The outside world.
She rounded a corner and was met by a warmer feeling. A draft carried warm air to her, caused by torches no doubt, she could see the glow in the distance. If she had a mirror, she could see how the glow resonated in her deep, dark purple eyes, well, eye. How it illuminated her silver hair that flowed down to her shoulder blades. Her bangs were cut to cover the right half of her face, very stylish, too, and keep the left completely uncovered. This was because of a horrible scar that ran across her face, cutting right through the eye, leaving it a whitish-purple, opaque like glaucoma. She shuddered at the memory, something she did not want to think about right now. Her very pale, white skin glowed in the light and her slim and beautiful 1.77 meter body moved graciously through the corridors. Her short denim shorts and tight black tee drank in the warmth to help the battle against the cold.
She rounded another corner and came upon a set of large steel doors. She carefully grasped the round doorknocker, covered in thorns, and banged against the door. After a moments pause, it swung inward on oiled hinges and a voice, cold and torturous as venom told her to enter. She did and all warmth left her, even if that wasn't much to begin with. The room she walked into had only one occupant, sitting in the middle of thirteen high backed, marble thrones, all wrapped in thorns—which happened to be everywhere and savage. Maleficent sat before her, petting a black crow on her shoulder. She stopped and looked down at Alexia with a smirk.
"And who are you, girl?" she asked with that icy voice. It sent shivers down Alexia's spine like the first swim in the Atlantic. That was before her world was devastated. A simpler time. A sadder time.
Alexia, remembering that first impressions were everything, bent down to one knee and bowed her head. "My name is Alexia," she said monotonously, her silver bangs covering her eye. She waited in the silence; the silence as crushing as the gull's beak upon the tissue. Twitching. Alive.
"Hello, Alexia," the queen of darkness said from her throne. Her crow took flight and the sorceress watched it for a bit as it flew out a tall, open mullioned window. She sighed and looked back down at Alexia who had turned her face up to look at Maleficent's own white-washed green one, outfitted with eyes as black as her cloak.
"It is nice to meet you. What is it you want in this palaver?" She asked as she disappeared in a flash of dark wisps and green flames, reappearing beside Alexia. She held her sickly green hand to her and Alexia took it, feeling not only ice, but a bursting power unlike she had ever known. She shuddered ever so slightly and rose to her feet.
"I would like to enlist my service to you," she said simply and timidly, not looking at Maleficent directly. She felt that same icy power take her chin and turn her head to look straight into those black funnels of despair.
"Please, Alexia," she said in a complacent way, "do not be afraid of me. I can feel your fear and uneasiness." She looked at Alexia and smiled, a smile that could break a man's mind or heart. A smile that could bring forth laughter from a child or bring love to a man. A smile of deceit.
"Why do you want to serve me?" she asked in that. . . voice.
Them.
The outside (world) voices.
Alexia stared at her and swallowed that weird lump, a choking fear she presumed. "I have nowhere else to go, and after I thought, I reconsidered your proposal, I figured I could find acceptance here," she said bashfully and foolishly. She felt like the flattery card was definitely not her area of expertise.
"Ah, and you thought correctly, my dear," Maleficent answered, casting an arm around Alexia. They began walking around the thrones, marveling each one in turn. "But I don't see anything in it for you," she continued.
"I need nothing. Just a place to call home," Alexia retorted looking at a throne inscribed with a beautiful script labeled VIII: The Flurry of Dancing Flames.
"Don't you have a family or someone who loves you to be with? I am sure you could be happier elsewhere," Maleficent said coyly. Alexia never saw the smirk play across her face.
"No. No one loves nor cares about me. Never have. Never will." Alexia felt her heart break at those words. The thought of accepting it. Maybe she had accepted it long ago? She could only wonder. Oh Phil, why can't you be alive.
Raped and murdered, sis. Remember? By them. . .
"Oh that isn't true, Alexia," Maleficent said, dragging her out of her horrible thoughts. "You'll have a whole new family here that will love and care about you," she finished.
"But are you sure about this?" Maleficent asked.
"Positive," Alexia said. They had stopped behind the middle throne. Maleficent smiled a cruel and sick smile. She cackled and grasped Alexia's hand. A terrible light grew from between their hands. It grew intensely and then it became dark and smoky.
"I have just given you one and one power only," Maleficent told her as they walked around to the front again, nearing the doors. Alexia could feel the power course through her as she shifted the strap that shouldered her staff. It was wooden until halfway where it became a sheathed sword. She was very adept at both magic and melee. This past year and a half traversing the worlds after her own was destroyed was perfect practice. What she liked most about her weapon was that it split in two, allowing the use of both magic and melee, if the time called for such an action.
"You can now create passages of darkness. I will not trust you with more important powers, yet," Maleficent told her with a hand on her shoulder. Alexia nodded her thanks to Maleficent.
"Your arrival is perfect, for I need somebody to go on a very important mission for me, and I think you will do quite well," Maleficent told her, drawing her in.
After about half an hour of talking, Alexia left through a portal of darkness.
Alone, of course.
Them. . .
The outsi—
HoL:TS
I'ltorien
July 16, 2010
Finally free. Well, at least that what she wanted to believe. Wandering through the bleak, almost deserted corridors of the stronghold, the girl took in her new-found liberty. The doctors had told her it would be weeks until she could walk again. They did not know her. How much she loathed her body for what they called to be an amazing blessing. You see, in a mere trio of days, she was all but cured, anything but permanent scars had flown with the wind it appeared.
Now, shall we, the audience, ask ourselves a question? What would that mean for her? Would it be a blessing if she recovered extremely fast from those tortuous experiments, only to be able bodied to return to them the day after? Would it be a blessing if her singed skin would return to normal, only to have it be tested against electricity again? Would it be a blessing if all the cuts and bruises just vanished, leading way to more killing in the small arena the facility housed? Gives you a whole perspective, doesn't it?
In any case, the girl had been given full liberty to walk around the stronghold. . . ah yes, freedom. How long she had waited for it. So long that she did not believe it. As much as she hated being so distrusting, it had come with her life. Everything that was given to her had a purpose unknown to her. Except. . .
"I did it. I just wish you two could be here with me. . ." the girl said, melancholy filling her voice as she looked into the outside world through the window to her side. The horizon was covered in a thin, morning mist, something she had heard the doctors comment on being usual for the vale they were in. The fortress itself was majestic for her. None of those excruciating cold tones, lifeless machines, monstrous test tubes. Just a very medieval, practical and simple look, gray walls, paintings of seemingly nicer people, oiled lanterns ready to light the hallways at night. Still, she knew something was up. She turned back and there was a man, taller than her, but not too tall. He had dark blue unkempt hair, a green bandana; a dark blue, sleeveless, vest with two knee-length coattails and golden borders. Also there were some gray pants with leather protection and brown leather shoes. He also wore a dirty red cape with a beige interior, the wear and tear being shown by how it was ravaged on the lower end. Finally, he wore protection: a leather shoulder plate and chestplate and armored black gloves with silver metal plates.
"And you are?" the man asked, quite bluntly. The girl did not reply. It was not that she was rude, it was something far worse. "I won't bite," he continued with a small smile in his lips. The girl said the only thing she could.
"They never gave me a name," she explained, the expression of the man exploding in shock before being dyed in acknowledgment.
"You are the one we rescued from the Empire, right?" he asked once again, the girl this time only nodding. "You're up early."
"The doctors were surprised too. . . and apparently so were your leaders. I'll have to wait three days for a hearing," explained the girl, a twinge of sadness and disappointment tainting her face as the wind blew past them. Some awkward seconds passed before the man snapped his fingers and seemed to have made a decision.
"Look, I know one of the ones that are attending all of the meetings. She's our contractor and I can ask her to slip your meeting with them in if you want," he explained, the girl's eyes opening up in surprise. Why was he being so nice to her? "There's just a catch," she knew it. . . another person using her. "What about a spar?" he questioned. A strange request…
"Spar? Why?" the girl asked him, wondering just how he would use that to his advantage.
"Well, I don't know if you know this, but you're pretty well known around these parts and it's inevitable to have some of the higher ups push you for physical testing, so that you can join the ranks, you know? If you can handle me then they probably won't need any more proof that you are battle-capable," the man explained once again, the girl shaking her head in disbelief. He really was trying to help her. On the other hand. . .
"Can I ask something in return?" The man nodded. "How do you know who I am and what would you mean by physical testing?" she questioned, the man opening his eyes and shaking his head.
"No experiments! We would just have you go through a boot camp of sorts. It'll save you time!" she gave him something rare, a smile at his friendliness. "As for how we knew you. You had the headpiece and the number in it. . . was one." he explained, her cringing at the remembrance of it. They marked them like animals back in the facility. Each had an accessory with a number on it. And they would just call you by that one number. Nothing else. She had been called "One" for as long as she remembered. . . except for those two. She simply nodded at him, but she had one final request.
"C-can we not use. . . real weapons?" too many memories flared upon her mind when she had first heard the word spar. She felt dirty, like the blood that had stained every single spec of her being was still there. The man, even though he did not seem like the brightest of bulbs for the most part, seemed to pick up on what she meant.
"Wait, they made you. . ."
"Yes," she told him, interrupting his chain of thought. Yes, in the facility, there were no things as spars. Natural Selection. That's what she remembered from the inside. That's why she hated to fight with every fiber of her being. She had been selected from hundreds already, and she was not even an adult.
"Well, don't worry. Here we have a solution for that. Come with me." he signaled her to follow and follow him she did. Down the stairs and into the court. It was filled to the brim with what the girl could only guess to be new recruits, as they were more focused on target dummies than sparring, instructors blaring out instructions at every chance. Some however, were obviously not, as even in the foggy weather, a strange hair colored archer seemed to hit bull's-eye in all targets without even trying, moving targets twenty meters away. Using a longbow, he even shot a target a whole FIFTY meters away, shutting every archer in the vicinity up as they admired his feat. He simply scuffed and turned back to eye the man beside the girl.
"Nice shot Shinon!" the man congratulated, going closer to the archer and offering him a handshake.
"Commander Ike. . ." Shinon replied with sarcasm dripping from his mouth, ignoring the handshake and focusing his cold gaze on the girl to the side of Ike. "I see you are going to have fun with the fresh meat. Just don't spoil it. It'd be a shame." And with that, he simply left, a small boy calling him uncle running after him.
"Don't let Shinon get under your skin. He's just. . . Shinon." Ike told the girl, shrugging and waving his hand. "Rhys! Come over here please!" he exclaimed. A red-haired man with a white gown came to them, followed by a small girl with chocolate hair and small yellow dress.
"Big bro, I know what you want! Can I dull your swords for you?" She asked, jumping up and down as she reached them.
"Mist, calm down. We can't have you dull the swords, if you miss a spot, people can get really hurt," Ike told the girl, his apparent sister being non-too happy about it.
"For your information, Rhys taught me how to do it!" the man simply eyed the redhead, who shrugged in response.
"Fine. . . dull this," he told her, kneeling to his sister and handing a simple, but really well forged sword with a gray handle and a flawless steel blade. The Mist squealed with joy, making our girl, let us just call her One for now (What, you didn't think we'd give you a nem just yet, did you?). One was feeling a mix of relief, happiness and. . . jealously. Yes. Jealousy. She didn't want to admit, but she envied the people here. They had families. Friends. She had never had the first and the second was far too fleeting. "Hey, pick up any sword you'd like. Or weapon, just pick something." Ike told One, the girl simply nodding on and looking at the weapon rack. She knew exactly what kind of weapon fit her best. She reached out for the biggest blade she could find, surprising the onlookers, which had just seen a frail-looking, short girl in her late teens just heave a claymore easily out of the stand with merely one hand.
"This one," One told Mist, laying it on the ground. Mist was at first baffled, but then shook it off, slowly threading her hand throughout the blade, a green, crystalline light being heaved upon it. "How does it work?" One asked, wondering what wondrous magic would've saved the lives of thousands back in the facility.
"It's just a simple Protect spell, slightly altered to go off when the sword is about to hit something. It bruises with the barrier, but it does not cut," she explained. One gritted, clinching her fists tightly.
"They could've stopped it so easily. . ." she mumbled, knowing that there was no way the mages at the facility could not have done it.
"Hey, don't let it get to you. You're safe now," Ike said, laying a hand on her shoulder and nodding. She looked at the hand in shock. How could someone be so nice having only just met her? One slowly nodded back, the show of care being mind-blowing from such a stranger. Maybe not everyone was, as she thought most people to be.
"Done!" Mist exclaimed, the small girl not being able to get the claymore up. Rhys seemed unsatisfied though, kneeling besides her and heaving his hand around the tip of the sword.
"Your spell missed the tip. If she were to stab your brother with this sword, it would go right through him. Please, do be more thorough next time Mist," the little girl's shine flopped harshly on the ground as One took the great-sword into her hand. "Still, a valiant effort. You are growing faster than my wildest expectations!" Rhys told her, rubbing her head and giving some comfort.
Envy. Everyone had someone. . .
"Well, ready?" Ike questioned the girl, swinging his sword once and letting it rest to the side of his shoulder, taking a stance with his other arm free.
"As ready as I'll ever be," One replied, taking the great-sword to her side with one hand.
"After you," Ike stated, signaling her to come. The girl simply nodded and lunged at her blue haired companion, assaulting him with a battery of blows from the blade. The speed of such seemed to surprise Ike, as he did not expect quite this degree of speed from her, using such a big sword with simply one hand. She was just ramming him through with the blade, his attempts at countering could not match the strength behind such a giant blade and his wrist was starting to shiver from the consecutive impact. Much to her surprise though, Ike suddenly stood his ground and blocked the biggest swing of her blade, the grass beneath him soaring with pieces of earth due to the impact. Still, with a roar, he pushed her back. He then jumped, very high for someone with no momentum, quite over her height, swinging his sword downwards as he did. One diverted it from her head but that broke her stance. However, she spotted an opening.
"It's over!" She exclaimed when Ike landed, the cape fluttering and blocking her vision. Still, he was on his back, he could not see the swing she took… right?
"For you!" Ike boomed, the cape blowing away to make way for Ike's sword, catching One's before her swing could take effect. "You're open!" and it found its way into the right side of her jaw. Her vision jittered for several seconds after the impact, her stumbling back in pain. It stopped cuts… but that one would leave a mark. And that is when what she was scared of took effect. Her body suddenly began to heat up as the familiar feeling of a fight to the death took grip on her, a sick smile taking her expression and her look becoming almost feral. She could not control it any longer. Again, she lunged, only this time, it was like a tiger tackling its prey.
Ike got hit time and time again, the second wind of the girl taking him by surprise. Especially her difference in attitude. She knew it and hated it. She was having…fun? No. She was feeling fulfillment. Even if this was not a battle to the death, it had been etched into her body. She was going to survive. She was wailing on the man for her life. That was what her body knew, even if it were not true. That seemed to change as Ike's expression brightened up a smidge with a smirk.
"Again!" he exclaimed, finding a flawed swing and blocking it, staggering her. "This is over!" the man exclaimed, viciously hitting her stomach and catapulting her into the wall of the nearby fortress, a bit too high for most tastes, around the second floor.
"Ike! You'll kill. . . her. . ." Rhys gasped as One landed on the wall much like a cat would, if a cat had a paw occupied with a claymore of course. This was no strange situation for her. With a single world, she had bended gravity to her will. Gravity was the word. Simple? Only the name. Even harder was to use it in a way it wouldn't hurt the user. But that hardly mattered. The girl opened her now slit eyes, slit like. . . I'll leave you to guess. In any case, her eyes were taunting Ike.
"This is getting interesting!" he exclaimed, rushing to the walls of the castle and jumping so swiftly and with such power the wind blew from his feet upwards. One swiftly ran down the wall and they clashed midway through, exchanging blows both in the wall and in midair after Ike kicked the wall for leverage. Just before they hit the ground though, one single swing from each clashed in such away the air around them seemed to break, shockwaves being felt by the onlookers. This sent both Ike and One way from each other. However, the girl landed on her knees, her back turned towards her opponent. In the heat of battle, she could only feel her boil ever so close to her limit. But she couldn't stop now… not by herself. She got on her feet and turned… just in time to see Ike ran through her with a blow that bruised her whole chest area, knocking her out of her battle trance and into the ground.
"That's enough! She'd be dead by now!" One heard someone shout from the distance. The man was one clad in an intricate robe and grassy green hair, his arm resting on his katana. "Any more would be pointless," he told Ike.
"I think the same Master Stefan," he agreed before extending his hand to One. "You did a lot better than anyone could imagine. I guess you're this close to being a full-fledged member of the-"
HoL:TS
In orbit of Disney Castle
July 20, 2010
"Strap in, dammit! I don't want you thrown all around like some rag doll and not be able to walk by the time we arrive!" Sora yelled at Riku for the third time. He was getting frustrated with Riku not listening to him. He knew what would happen, Riku didn't, and if he actually did then he was an idiot right now.
"I told you that I'll be fine," Riku said, standing at the door way of the cockpit. His arm was cocked and propped on the door, the other tucked under it. Kairi just sighed as she tensed in her chair, already strapped in. At least she had some sense.
"Riku, I've already told you. Cid's Graviton Particle System, or the GPS, will deactivate for living things once we break through the atmosphere. All inanimate objects will remain in it's pull and unaffected. Now sit down and strap in!" Sora explained. Riku still just stood there. Sora groaned as he started flipping switches and pushing buttons. The engine roared and the warning sounded for all occupants to strap in, as Sora had already tried to tell him.
"Riku, please," Kairi said, trying to turn in the chair and look at him, a failing battle, Sora observed. Sora noticed how the belt pressed in between her breasts, accenting them more. He blushed and looked away, not seeing the puzzled looks they just gave him.
Nice one, dumb ass. Try not to stare at her so much.
Sorry. Did she notice?
I don't think so.
Once Sora's face cooled, he turned back around and continued readying the ship. He gave one last look at Riku and back. He pouted a bit before the ship rocked slightly, now descending past the atmosphere. There was a final moment when all was still and then the ship lurched forward and barreled down into a steep dive. Inertia took effect and Riku was thrown and slammed into the back wall with a dull thud. Sora dodged clouds so he could get a clear view and this cause Riku to be thrown back and forth, wall to wall. Curses and moaning came from Riku along with the dull thud and crash. Sora started laughing hysterically. He found this all very funny. He glanced at Kairi and saw a small, very small smile on her face. This lifted him a bit and, just to piss Riku off, he threw in a couple of barrel rolls, nights of playing Star Fox rolling through his head (Do a barrel roll!) and he laughed all the more. After about five minutes of this, Sora and the ship leveled out and decelerated. They were approaching the massive hangar doors of Disney Castle, and yes, massive.
He and Kairi watched and gazed in awe at the hangar as they slowly entered, the warbling sounds of alarms and the high pitched whistles of steam meeting their ears. Pistons riveted and the sound of screeching, cutting metal dominated most of the others. Riku finally made his way to Sora, clutching his ribs and hunched slightly. They saw sparks flying here and there and two little rodents scampering their way towards the Highwind. The ship finally halted and lowered, the pegs of feet that ejected meeting the stainless steel door. Sora made his way to the ramp, waiting for the green light to open it. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, giddy with excitement as Kairi and Riku caught up with him.
"What're you so excited about?" Riku questioned, looking at his friend.
"Come oooonnn!" Sora said, his eyes looking at the darkened bulb, awaiting that green light. The light finally snapped on and the ramp began lowering. He started walking down the moving ramp and answered his best friend's answer.
"'Cause I'm excited to see everybody," he replied. And that was the truth. Even though Donald and Goofy had only left just a short time ago, he was already eager to see them again. Seeing them every single day for nearly two years will do that. He was just about to take off when his gaze, no, his entire attention was torn away at the sight of it. It was massive, one of the biggest things he had ever seen. It could have easily fit a few blitzball stadiums and thousands upon thousands of people. It was only half finished as Sora ran away from everyone and up to it.
"WHOOOOA!" he exclaimed, his nerdy and childish side taking over. He craned his neck back to look up at the largest gummi ship he had ever seen. He was in such a great mood right now that nothing could bring him down, not even Sephiroth. Okay, maybe Sephiroth, but nothing else. His friends joined him and looked up in awe as well.
"Well, I think Sora's reaction is a good sign, eh Chippers?" Dale the chipmunk said as he scurried up Sora's pants and torso, resting on his left shoulder. Chip ascended up to the right shoulder and looked up at the unnamed ship.
"It sure is! I think we're gonna nail this one, Dale, ole buddy ole pal!" Chip replied. Sora just noticed them on his shoulders and grinned at them.
"You two are optimistic as ever!" Sora said. "It's great to see you guys again!" Both Chip and Dale gave Sora a hug around his neck, their wet noses pressing into his skin. He laughed and let them continue sitting on his shoulders as he walked to the gates that led to the castle.
"I'll tell ya," Riku began, directing his voice to Kairi and Sora, "you sure know how to make friends." Sora looked at him and smiled.
"It's not that hard, Riku." Sora continued to the gate, starting to talk to Chip and Dale, his curiosity getting the best of him.
"So what's with the giant ship?" Sora asked the chipmunks. The flitted and messed with their whiskers, seemingly thinking about how to answer Sora's question. The looked at each other and shared a telepathic conversation Sora mused, because they nodded at the same time before looking up at Sora's eyes.
"It'd be best if you wait for His Majesty to let you know," Dale said, Chip nodding and squeaking along with him. Sora just shrugged his shoulders, which nearly toppled the rodents. Sora laughed along with them as they arrived at the gate to take them into the castle. They hopped from his shoulders onto a near shelf. They perched on their hind legs and stared at him, smiles adorned and cheeks puffy.
"What're you guys doin'?" Sora asked, stopping in his tracks, causing his friends to halt abruptly. "Aren't you coming with us?"
"Nah," Chip said, scratching his beady nose with his tiny claws. "We gotta stay here and continue overseeing the work goin' on, right Dale?" He turned to look at his best friend.
"That's right, Chippers," Dale said. "See ya, Sora! It was great seeing ya again!" Chip and Dale said in unison. Sora replied and waved them off, heading out the gate and into the Royal Garden. It was a lush and well-kept garden. The grass was short and soft underfoot. The earth was spongy, yet firm and the aroma was fresh and crisp, carrying scents of flowers, pollen, and summer air through the wind, coursing through his nostrils and senses. He exhaled in that freshness, it was a homely feeling, something he would never know just how much he would miss in the future. Birds sang, bugs made whatever sound bugs make, and the wind rustled the growing and lively flowers. The sound of people training in the distance met his ears. He waltzed the path, knowing his way, leaving Kairi and Riku to look and take in what was Disney Castle.
"So this is it, huh?" Riku said. It was no secret that he and King Mickey had become very good friends, and so it was natural for him to wonder at the place that his friend lived and, in this case, ruled. Sora looked over at him as they left the warm sun and into the cool corridors of the castle, the stark, white, brick walls were massive and adorned with banners, paintings, and knight statues.
"Yep! Magnificent, isn't it?" Sora asked, his eyes darting around the familiar castle. It felt good to be back here, if only for such a short time. Then there it was, the massive double doors to King Mickey's court. They were insanely large for anyone or anything. Kairi looked up, puzzled.
"Why are they so big?" she questioned, looking up their scale, so colossal.
"Just wait," he replied. He laughed on the inside. The first time he had seen the small doors that actually led in, he had laughed uncontrollably. He was eager to see their responses compared to his own. He approached, turned to see a bored face on Riku and a curious one on Kairi. He turned back around and knocked on the left door. He nodded at them as the door swung inward and they entered the court. After walking down the ridiculously long carpet, Sora saw that only King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and some girl (a human!) he had never met before were the only ones in the court. He marveled at how empty this room truly was as they halted before the King. Sora saluted him, Kairi curtsied, and Riku walked over and roughly picked him up in a fierce hug. Only Riku would have the gall to do such a thing. King Mickey squealed and squeaked in mild shock, then returned the hug. Riku placed him gently back on the throne and returned to the sides of Sora and Kairi. Sora laughed on the inside at that. Even the King himself had to let loose and enjoy the small things as well. Queen Minnie giggled at her husband, and this in turn made Kairi giggle.
Girls, Sora thought.
Where would we be without them? Roxas asked.
It would be a sad place, would it not?
It would.
King Mickey stood up and took off his crown and placed it on his throne. He smoothed his fur back and looked at them all with tired and wise eyes, eyes that had seen it all and seen it all again. He sighed before plopping on his butt and leaning back against the throne. He was tired, stressed, worn out. Butter scrapped over too much bread.
"Mickey!" Riku shouted, by his side faster than Minnie. Sora did not find this surprising. "Mickey, are you okay?" he asked, his voice cracked with concern, a rare thing.
"Yeah, Riku," he replied with a sigh. He looked his beady little eyes up into Riku's. They said more and it was if, like Chip and Dale, they shared a silent conversation. After a tense moment, Riku rejoined his friends again.
"Welp, you are probably wondering why you are here, so we might as well get this started," the King said. He snapped his fingers and chairs appeared for the teens, including the random girl. She sat on the King's left, Minnie on his right. The teens sat before him. They didn't know he could do such magic. To just make objects. Sora shrugged it off, eager to hear their mission. He would soon learn that it was missions. Plural, and not at all how he expected.
"So, why are we here?" Sora asked, his bubbly voice caught in the excitement. He bounced slightly and awaited the briefing. Come on!
"Okay, first," he sighed heavily and looked those black eyes toward Minnie. That silent conversation again. She nodded for him to continue. He did.
"Maleficent is at work."
Sora's heart crushed. Of all the things he was expecting, it had not been Maleficent. He felt ire bubble down within him. That childish attitude being replaced by the adult for once. For a rare moment. He hated her and everything she had caused. Why couldn't she stay dead? Why? Was that such a hard request? But apparently, King Mickey wasn't bothered by it right now, and that helped Sora a bit. At least she wasn't an intergalactic threat anymore. Or so he thought.
"She has control of too many heartless. Millions, and that is no exaggeration. She is planning an invasion of the worlds, swallowing each with her Heartless army. Aurora, Snow White, and Alice have been reported missing for about a few days now. She is after Kingdom Hearts again, and she may get it if she keeps this rate up." There was something in the King's voice. Something so serious it put fear into Sora's heart. It hadn't seemed serious in the letter, but now it seemed serious in his voice.
"Here is what I need," he said, clasping his hands together and knocking his head on the throne. He closed his eyes and opened them again.
"Sora, I need you to take Kairi and Merideth and go around the worlds, sealing as many Keyholes as you can. It is simple enough, you should have no problem with it. This will give me enough time to raise a small enough army to take her out at The Castle That Never Was," he said. The implements of this hit Sora like a
(dull thud into the bone, flesh ripping and—)
hammer. War? King Mickey could not be talking of war! Invasion? This was too much, and who the hell was Merideth? As if reading his mind, King Mickey held his arm out.
"Sora, Kairi, Riku, and why not, Roxas and Naminé, you get out here, too." They did, the Oblivion on Roxas' waist and Oathkeeper on Naminé's. They stretched and smiled, happy to be free for a bit. They looked at each other and smiled, love passing between them. Why couldn't he and Kairi be like that?
"All of you, this is our new ally, Merideth. Her world has recently been destroyed and she has proved herself as a loyal companion and servant. She will be of great benefit to you." Okay, time for the description.
Merideth was a girl of normal height, about Kairi's height. She had long curly blond hair, almost like Naminé's color. Behind those locks and bangs were ruby red eyes. They were caring and lovely, yet calculating and efficient. She had a pale complexion with many freckles and a cute face with a cuter nose. She had long and slender legs making up most of her height and she was not as endowed as most of the women Sora had met on his journeys. She wore newer clothing, no doubt provided Queen Minnie and it didn't seem to suit her. But she wore an old amulet, no doubt a memento of her home world. It was a ruby in a gold setting with a gold chain. The ruby was the same as her eyes, the chain the same as her hair. She was cute, that was for sure, but his heart belonged to Kairi. Merideth would definitely break many hearts one day.
"It's nice to meet you all, after everything His Majesty has told me, that is," she said quietly but assertively. She was kind, but to the point, Sora observed. He may not be the most mature of the group, but he could read a person like a book. This was a young woman, because she was sixteen, that could and would get the job done no matter what, and be nice the entire time. So calm, so nice. She would make a nice addition to the team. Everyone introduced themselves and they continued, or at least tried to before Sora interrupted the King..
"Wait! What about Riku!?" he exclaimed the idea finally hitting him. Sora, I need you to take Kairi and Merideth and go around the worlds. . . Riku's name hadn't been mentioned. The king exhaled loudly, sagging his shoulders slightly.
"Riku," he said looking directly at the teen, "I want you to travel between Radiant Garden, Destiny Islands and Twilight Town. You are to oversee the training of the forces at each. Leon has informed me that he has a young woman he would want to travel with you as a representative of the Garden." Riku just nodded his understanding, not even the young woman flashed any signs of emotion. The only emotion found there was what Sora was feeling in his heart. Despair. He did not want to leave Riku again. But they had been through worse, right? They could overcome this, beat Maleficent, and then finally return to the islands in peace, where they belong. But no, they had to wait a little longer, push a little harder.
"Does everyone understand their missions?" Mickey asked. Everyone tensed up and replied affirmatively.
"Good, now, each and every one of you are to report to that room right over there," he said, pointing a gloved finger at a peculiar door. Sora had never noticed this door before. It was odd and looked out of place.
"They can only have that there for a limited time, so hop to!" the King ordered. The four teens, Roxas and Naminé having returned to their Somebodies, reached the door and entered. They now stood in Master Yen Sid's Tower, the Fairy Room to be exact. And there, before them, were Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. They were already bickering about the clothing as the heroes stepped in. Sora was eager for some new clothing ever since he had gotten what he was wearing right now from them. Maybe he would get some new powers, some new forms! The idea excited him, but then again, a lot of things did.
"Oh!" Merryweather exclaimed at seeing the four teenagers. Flora and Fauna turned as well and their eyes grew hungry, always wanting to show off their powers for design.
"Sora!" Flora exclaimed, rushing over towards him, prodding him with her wand. "Oh yes, Fauna, his clothes are small, much too small." They weren't really, but he wasn't going to deny new clothes.
"We'll save him for last, and remember, the clothes are going to have powers!" Fauna said, eying Merideth. "Let's start with the one we've already met, aside from Sora." They all agreed with her. Merideth took the floor as sparks and beams of magic went flying. Arguing commenced as the fairies argued over color. Now red, then green, back to red, now blue, again green. It continued like this until they finally decided to work together. On the count of three, they cast the same spell, and Merideth's outfit was stunning.
She was outfitted with startling red combat boots, a ruby red, Sora observed. The straps then continued up her shin a bit in a criss-crossing manner, ending at the knee. Each leg had sheathes on these straps, but they were hard to spot, easy for a dagger to be concealed completely. She wore a red skirt, just covering the knees. It's hem was white and it had white floral patterns and swirls. The one piece, Sora now saw, continued into a top of the same design. On the left side of the top it was stark white, and then tendrils of floral patterns and wisps would wrap to the other side, where it was that stark ruby red in contrast. It was sleeveless, but she was outfitted with white bracers. The amulet stayed the same. At the waist was a neat black, leather belt. It held the oddest pouches Sora had ever observed, and for what reason? He assumed he would learn in the near future. In addition to the belt was a black strap crossing her like a seat belt, the sheathe on the back obviously used for staffs. It fit her quite well, both physically and fashionably.
"Oh, you look amazing, dearie," Fauna said with a clasp of her hands. The other fairies agreed along with Sora and Kairi. Riku just gruffly nodded. Merideth thanked them before heading out and back into Disney Castle.
"Okay, now who is next?" Merryweather said, examining Riku and Kairi. "You!" she said grabbing Riku by the arm. He yanked it back and stopped.
"You will not touch my clothing, I am sorry." And with that, he left without another word.
"Well, he's to the point," Flora said, her face contorted into one as if she had smelled something foul. She shook it off as Sora did. Riku usually did not act like this. "Well, you're next missy," Fauna said, pulling Kairi over. Kairi had a large smile on her face and was expectant for a new outfit. Again, colors were argued over, but finally the outfit was made. Sora's jaw dropped and luckily Kairi didn't see this. His heart began racing and his hormones began rushing with his hot blood. He could barely control himself. If Merideth had been stunning, then Kairi was both amazingly beautiful and drop-dead sexy at the same time.
All the colors were black, white, and pink. What was to be expected out of Kairi? She wore sleek, adventuring shoes, black underneath and a pink and white pattern on the top. White laces, too. She had very tight, yet comfortable and flexible black leggings that ran down to just above the knee. Covering her womanhood and dignity was a dark pink skirt that nearly matched her hair. It had white splashes of color with tinges of black running through the white. A similar belt was attached to her waist. It was white and her top was black, the shirt tucked in. In the same manner of Sora, she had a short-sleeved jacket over the black tee. The sleeves ended in between her shoulders and elbows, exposing her biceps. The jacket was that same dark pink. The armholes had black outlines and the hem of it was black as well. It had a dark pink hood with a white inside. The entire jacket was white on the inside for that matter. The same zippers were there and it was an enticing outfit. Sora wiped his mouth a bit, realizing he was slightly drooling. She didn't see that either, thank god.
"Well, Sora, what do you think?" she asked as the fairies complimented themselves. He was at a loss of words. Anything he tried to get out would come out as coughs and dryness. It was no use.
Oh, come on man! Pull it together!
I'm t- trying. . .
And that he was. She stopped, her smile slowly changing into a pout. She looked at him with sad eyes.
"You don't like it, do you." That! That right there snapped him back to the world.
"No, Kairi. I love it. You look beautiful in it," he replied.
Nice save, buck-o.
She rushed over and hugged him, throwing his nerves back into haywire mode. He returned the hug shakily. Then she left. It was his turn.
HoL:TS
Kairi was looking down at her own outfit, happy with it. Sora liked it! She liked it, but most of all, he said she looked beautiful in it. Her heart was soaring in the clouds and her thoughts were just as high, aloof with love. It was taking them a while to work with Sora's new clothing. They had taken about five minutes for each her and Merideth. Now, it had been twenty minutes since she had left him in there, leaving with his compliment in her heart, locked away forever. She waited, though. Taking this long, it had to be fabulous. It just had to and—
Oh. My. God. He was cute before, now he's just HOT!
Calm yourself, Princess. Remember you are a princess after all.
Kairi took no notice of Naminé. Sora looked amazing as he emerged from the room, the door wavering and then vanishing behind him. The color scheme was black, white and red. He had black shoes with a white underlay. They had white and red flecks, twirls and traces throughout. White laces lay over the top. He had the same kind of shorts he had worn just a half an hour ago. The colors were different this time. They had a white base on the legs with a black groin. It had a red outline of stitching around the groin and black stitching down the white legs. Flecks and twirls of red adorned the white shorts, creating different and intricate patterns. He has criss-crossing black belts and straps over them and dark gray pouches with white stitching on them as well. He had a black and tucked in undershirt just like she did. The jacket that lay over it was black at the hem and transcended to white as it reached the collar, a great and stylish effect. There were red seems and stitching on it and it ended with a pure white hood. He turned around for show and he exposed a golden crown that represents the one he always wears around his neck on the jacket's back. It had a black outline stitching. He wore some pure ebony gloves, his silver necklace, and that goofy, boyish grin to top it off. Her heart melted. Her heart pounded as well and her face flushed. She was in love, there was no doubt. Well the only doubt there was if he loved her back. She knew he didn't.
HoL:TS
"Now, take Riku to Radiant Garden for me, Sora," King Mickey said in the hangar. Sora didn't need to ask what the giant ship was for. It was for war. Invasion. He stretched a bit in his new clothes. The fairies told them they had special powers needing to be unlocked and that they shared an ability of self-repairing. He was grateful for that, that was for sure.
"Yes, your Majesty," Sora replied. And then King Mickey hugged Sora. It was rare, never happening before. Sora, not knowing how to react, knelt down and hugged the mouse. Then King Mickey whispered something in Sora's ear, and it brought dread to Sora's heart. He nodded at King Mickey as he rose and entered the ship, Riku, Kairi and Merideth following him onto it. They took off and set sail for Radiant Garden. Sora went to be early that night, brooding over what King Mickey had told him. He fell asleep, trying to forget that and focus on the now.
He had an uneasy sleep, his heart thudding with expectation and fear.
TN: Ooooh, Fire Emblem cast ensemble. . . I've been wanting to reveal this sooner or later.
TUH: I just love feeling like a prick. One prick to rule them all.
TUH: See what I did there?
TN: And in the darkness, prick them.
TUH: No. No. Stop it Tor. Bad Tor! No rape!
TN: Do you want demoted again Or would you rather see the roses like me?
TUH: Roses? HA GA-
TN: DEMOTION!
TN: You know, with all of your demotions, we're running out of lower levels in the-
*FALCON PUNCH!*
TUH: STOP! SPOILING! IN! EVERY! SINGLE! POST-CHAPTER NOTE!
TN: Want to give *coughs blood* them a teaser for the next chapter?
TUH: Okay, just hurry it up for the sign out!
TN: Okay, teaser time. How about one of the cast narrates it. MALEFICENT, come here!
Maleficent: Why me? Why not the Keyblade fool?
TN: Because I said so, now read!
Maleficent: *sigh*
The gummis ship rocked violently as the transcended through the unknown world's atmosphere. They lowered toward the surface and it lurched violently, rocking the passengers more violently.
"Where the hell did you learn to fly?" Roxas said, holding his new Keyblade. (Why does he get a new wea- Just shut up read Maleficent!)
"Is, that- a tornado? Are you telling me you landed us in a massive tornado? Dumbass!"
"Shut it Roxas!"
TN: That was a nice teaser. You should be able to get the world right there from that. If you have any guesses, leave it in the review or in a PM. Now for the sign off.
May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is Lost
TorNathan
The Unknowing Herald