PrismRain13: so I figured I owed you guys a long chapter after not updating in a really long time. School, Halloween and my boyfriend really kept me busy. Plus I just got a quotev account. I haven't done much with it yet except help my friend write a KH story,
Myde: yeah well great to see you back!
PrismRain13: aww, thanks Myde! Anyway, in this chapter we'll meet another of my OC's from my other fic; Another Side, Another Story. If you haven't read it yet, go check it out! Plus we'll get a backstory for Lea.
Myde: Prism owns nothing! Other than the plot and her OC's!
Chapter 39: The Fury of Broken Hearts
Kairi, Mickey, Goofy, Donald and Max ran through Radiant Garden's streets, panting for breath as they tried to keep up with the energetic ninja.
"Come on, slowpokes!" Yuffie stated. "You wanna eat, right?" After a few more minutes, Yuffie stopped in front of an open restaurant with a light purple canopy. Small, comfortable-looking, wooden tables and chairs lay peacefully underneath, decorated by brightly glowing candles.
As Mickey glanced inside the restaurant, he noticed a familiar-looking waitress leaned up against a pillar, filing her nails. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and had long, curly brown hair reaching halfway down her back, green eyes, golden hoop earrings and a small, black star-shaped tattoo under her left eye.
Her attire included a bright red skirt that was long in the back and short at the front revealing bare legs and knee-high shiny black boots. She also had on a lacey white shirt with short puffed sleeves hanging off her shoulders and a black corset. One arm was covered in a black ribbon and lace-decorated fingerless elbow-length glove and her other wrist had a few gold bracelets.
"Lydia?" The mouse king questioned. The woman looked up and her face burst into a giant smile at the sight of Mickey and bent down to hug him.
"Your majesty!" She exclaimed in a thick English accent. "Long time no see!"
"Yeah, sure has. How've you been?"
"Can't complain." Lydia shrugged. "Where's West? Aerith told me she was okay and was with your group."
"She went up to the castle to see Kyra with some of our other teammates."
"Guys, this is Lydia." Yuffie explained to the others. "She was part of the heartless resistance two years ago in Traverse Town."
"How come we never got ta meet ya?" Goofy asked as Mickey and Lydia separated.
"I saw you guys around." Lydia replied. "I was working at that restaurant in the first district; the one with the moogle candles."
"Oh yeah!" Exclaimed Donald. "You had a green dress on... And when Sora asked you what world you were from and you said it was none of our business."(1)
"Hey! It's a touchy subject for me!" She snarled, glaring daggers at the duck. Donald cringed in fear and gulped.
"So, Lydia. Do you live in Radiant Garden now?" Kairi asked.
"Yeah." She replied, leading the group into the restaurant. "Better than my old world, I gotta tell ya." Lydia stopped in front of a table near the entrance big enough for them and their missing teammates. "Just make yourselves comfy and I'll go grab some menus for you darlings." Spinning around, Lydia walked to the back of the restaurant, disappearing through the kitchen doors.
"Wow. So, is Lydia always emotional about her past?" Max asked.
"Yup." Yuffie nodded. "In all the years I've known her, all I found out about her was that she's a gypsy, hates the leader of her home world with a burning passion and never wants to go back. She only ever opened up to one person and he broke her heart."
"It sounds like she has a right to be upset." Kairi stated. "I'm surprised she hasn't turned to the darkness yet."
"No, but she came close. There were even times she used dark spells or gave off the dark aura, but somehow she's always managed to pull back." At that moment, Sora, Riku, West, Lea, Kyra and Rusty strode into the restaurant and sat down.
"Finally! I'm starving!" Lea exclaimed, propping his legs up on the table. "Bout time we got a nice meal break!"
"After whatever that was back on Kuzco's world, I'll eat anything!" Max agreed.
"Where's Vincent?" Yuffie asked with a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"He had to stay back at the castle to help prevent Lightning from ripping Snow to pieces." Replied Riku. "Hopefully this won't put a dent in the team."
"Come on, Lightning can't stay mad forever... Can she?" Sora asked.
"Clearly you've never gotten on her bad side before." Lea replied. "I still have the bruises from when I tried to hit on her and her sister back when we were kids."
"I'm hoping that wasn't at the same time." Kyra said, scratching Rusty behind the ears. Just then, Lydia stepped out of the kitchen with a stack of menus in her hands.
"Okay, darlings. So, we have lots to choose from today-" Lydia stopped in her tracks, dropping the menus and staring wide-eyed and mouth open at their table. The group spun around, confused. Until Lea stood up from his seat.
"Lydia?" The former nobody questioned.
"Axel?" She asked. Instantly, her look of shock was replaced by one of anger, just like what they'd seen Lightning do. The gypsy stormed over to Lea, raised her hand and violently slapped him right across the face. "You've got a lotta nerve showing your face after what you put me through!"
"What is it with you girls and hitting people?!" Lea exclaimed, tenderly touching his cheek. It hadn't even been a second before Lydia punched him in the gut, sending the red-head to his knees.
"I don't know what you think you're doing here, Axel. But stay away from me!" Lydia shouted, attracting the attention of other villagers. "Forget this, I'm done with you." And with that, Lydia angrily stormed off down the street.
"I'm going after Lyd. Maybe I can talk some sense into her." Kyra stated, she and Rusty jumping to their feet and heading down the path Lydia took.
"Hey! Wait up!" West exclaimed with both Yuffie and Mickey running after her.
Sora and Riku helped Lea to his feet, handing him a potion as the red-head tenderly cradled his chest. "Do I even want to know what happened here?" Riku asked.
"Let's just say the organization wasn't all that happened to me during nine years." Lea replied with a murmur.
"Really?" Kairi asked with her arms crossed and her eyebrow raised. "Now this is a story I'd love to hear."
~*KHIII*~
After wandering through the town, Kyra, Rusty, West and Mickey finally spotted Lydia at the rebuilt Bailey. She was gazing out to where the Villain's Vale used to be, with an angry look in her toxic green eyes.
"Sorry." Lydia stated bitterly without even looking at the newcomers. "I just never thought I'd ever see that no good piece of scum again in my life."
"Lyd, exactly how do you know Lea?" West asked.
"Is that honestly why you came all the way over here?!" Snapped the gypsy, turning to face them. "Well, sorry to disappoint ya'll but I'm not in the mood for back stories!"
"You really need to trust people more." Mickey said. "If you keep all your pain bottled up then the darkness might take you. I've seen it happen." Lydia scoffed and released a small snarl.
"The king's right." Yuffie added. "You know you can trust us."
Running her fingers through her hair, Lydia took a deep breath. "It's not a pretty story."
"Yeah, I think we already figured that after you slapped him." Stated Kyra in a bored tone. "Seriously though, we've known you for years and you've never opened up to us! We don't even know where you came from."
The gypsy rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Fine. I grew up on a world called Alea Luedo with my parents. It was famous for its casinos. After my dad lost his job as a waiter, he started gambling. He got addicted to gambling, and we started to loose more money than we made. Eventually, my mother found out and left. I thought my father would give up gambling after she left, but I was wrong. This time though, he started winning, but he was cheating against some very sore losers. I confronted my father after he came home from the casino one night, but we were interrupted by the gamblers he had been playing against, but they had taken control over the heartless. Papa told me to run, as I watched the heartless consume his heart. I ran out of the house, being chased just as the world fell to darkness."
~*KHIII*~
"Okay, so you guys know that when this place fell to darkness I lost my heart, right?" Lea asked the group sitting around him, who all nodded their heads, eating food another waitress had brought them. "Well, after that me and Isa, now Saïx, woke up in Twilight Town. It wasn't long t'ill Xemnas found us."
"Then he brought you into the Organization." Goofy concluded.
"So, you knew Isa before the organization?" Sora asked.
Lea gave a short nod. "Yeah. Believe it or not, he used to be an okay guy. We were best friends. Anyway, Xemnas treated us like crap. I guess he thought he had to toughen us up, putting us through dangerous and sometimes life-threatening training. Xemnas seemed to put me, Saïx and Zexion through the worst of it. Still, Saïx just seemed to worship him for some reason. Soon, we started going on missions. Then after a few years, I started to accept the fact that I'd never get my heart back."
~*KHIII*~
"I found myself on this new world called Cité des Cloches. Not even five minutes later, I was arrested because they thought I was a gypsy."
"But you are a gypsy." West pointed out. Lydia shot her a death glare as the thief cringed.
"I wasn't at the time!" Snapped Lydia. "They didn't even listen to me! They arrested me because of how I dressed! Then, I met Judge Frollo. He looked at me like I was some kind of cockroach that had to be disposed of. But before they could lock me up, I was saved by a young gypsy named Esmarelda. She led me down to where the gypsies hid and lived. I told them my story and I was welcomed into the culture. Esmeralda became a sister to me, and this world became more of a home than my old world ever did. It wasn't even two years later when Cité des Cloches fell to darkness too. That's when I came to Traverse Town. I got a job as a waitress and joined the heartless resistance."
~*KHIII*~
"As the years dragged on, Saïx became more and more distant towards me, doing everything he could to meet Xemnas's demands. Not long after he was promoted as Xemnas's right-hand man. I never really got along with anyone else; not even when Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia and Larxene showed up. At least, until I met Lydia."
~*KHIII*~
"That was where I met Axel. I found him lying in the middle of the streets while I was walking around town. He was beaten and bruised after losing a battle with a giant heartless. So, I brought him back to my apartment so he could rest. When he woke up, and I saw his hypnotic, deep green eyes, I immediately fell in love with him. But I was afraid; afraid of getting attached to someone, only to loose them. Just like with my parents and Esmarelda. After he left Traverse Town, I thought I'd never see him again, but I was wrong."
~*KHIII*~
"Days later, I couldn't stop thinking about her. It was so weird, without a heart. So, I started going to see her every day I could. We had fun together, laughing at the stupidest things, playing cards and eating for free at the restaurant where she worked. She was the only person since Saïx I felt I could open up to. We shared stories about our pasts, comforting each other. It didn't matter that I was a nobody, Lydia still wanted to be with me. For awhile, everything was perfect until Larxene found out."
~*KHIII*~
"I thought he cared about me! But the very next day, he comes on my doorstep and tells me that I was the worst thing that ever happened to him; that he'd rather die then spend another second with me. After I gave him my open heart, he stomped on it and ripped it to shreds!" Lydia chocked on her words, on the verge of tears. Yuffie's heart ached at Lydia's story. The ninja walked up to the tearful gypsy and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Lyd, I'm sorry." Yuffie said sympathetically. "You should have told us you were in that much pain."
Lydia hastily wiped away her tears. "I don't need your pity. I've gotten along fine on my own." She responded bitterly. "So now you know. I just really hate Axel right now."
"Actually, he's called Lea now-" West started to say.
"Whatever!" Screamed Lydia, throwing her hands up in the air and wrenching away from Yuffie. "Axel, Lea whoever he is now, he's still the same selfish jerk who broke my heart!"
"Lydia, I know you have your issues with him, but Lea's on our team now." Mickey stated. "I'm afraid you're going to have to learn to put your differences aside and work together if we're ever going to defeat Xehanort and his followers."
Lydia simply huffed in annoyance, turning away to avoid eye contact with Mickey.
"You need to grow up, Lydia!" Kyra snapped. "So the guy hurt you two years ago, big deal! It's time to move on!"
"Big talk coming from someone who's still looking for her brothers and parents after eight years." Lydia responded bitterly. Kyra clenched her teeth and fists, using every fibre of her being to stop herself from attacking the gypsy.
Yuffie reacted immediately, throwing herself in between the two girls to prevent a fight from happening.
"Guys, cut it out!" The ninja exclaimed. "Lyd, I know what happened between you guys was rough, but I'm sure Lea has a good reason for why he said all those things. "
"Why don't you just go talk to him?" West asked. "You need to hear him out."
Lydia groaned. "Fine. I'll talk to the jerk, but that doesn't mean I'll forgive him."
~*KHIII*~
Back at the World that Never Was, a dark corridor opened in the middle of the castle hallway. Myde steeped out, nervously looking through the space in case anyone was around. Relieved that he found himself alone, Myde raised a hand to close the corridor, but paused when out the corner of his eye, he saw Braig and Isa looking down at him. Instead of his organization coat, Braig was now dressed in a black buckle-decorated leather jacket, zipped up with a dark red shirt underneath, black gloves, pants and boots with a dark indigo pocket strapped to his leg.
"Thought you'd be back earlier." Braig stated. "Run into some problems, did ya?"
"Yeah, but noting we couldn't handle!" Myde couldn't help but shake a little due to Isa's intimidating, icy cold glare. The Berserker crossed his arms, smirking devilishly.
"Really?" Isa asked with an eyebrow raised, striding closer and closer towards him. "Well, if that's the case, then would you mind explaining why our forces are short one god of death and why we don't have any keybearers in our clutches?!"
Myde was at a loss for words. How had they found out about the defeat at Olympus Coliseum already?
"The Organization has done so much for you, Myde. I believe doing a decent job at this mission would have been the least you could to repay us for years of tolerating your insolence." Isa's voice escalated as he kept moving towards him. Myde hastily backed up, colliding with the wall and staring at both Isa and Braig in fear.
"Hey, those guys are tough-"
"That's no excuse!" Isa snapped. "Ever since you joined the Organization all those years ago, you've been nothing but useless to us!"
"You said it, Scar-face!" Braig laughed, ignoring the glare Isa was giving him. "Seriously, what was Xemnas thinking when he brought you in?!"
"That he'd present us with some decent ability." A familiar voice echoed through the space. "Clearly, I was mistaken." A corridor of darkness suddenly appeared in front of them, causing Myde to jump. His eyes widened at the sight of the two emerged, as though they'd never been defeated at all.
"Xemnas?! Ansem?!" Braig exclaimed. "Welcome back! Where've you guys been?"
"The same as you; the place where destroyed nobodies await their hearts." Xemnas replied emotionlessly just as Maleficent strode up to them, followed by a shorter figure dressed the an organization coat.
"Ah, I see the Organization is almost back together again. How lovely." The witch smirked. The boy beside her pulled down his hood, revealing a teenager who looked like a younger version of Xemnas. Silver hair, amber eyes and dark skin. Ansem smirked towards the boy, crossing his arms.
"I take it you delivered our message to our opposition, Young Xehanort or do you prefer what your friends once called you, Xeha?" The heartless asked.
"I have no friends." Young Xehanort scoffed. "And yes, I delivered the message to one of their teammates bringing back new recruits."
"Excellent. Come now, we have much more to discuss." Xemnas said, leading the others through the halls, to a pair of white double doors to a meeting room. Braig opened the doors, allowing them inside. Myde was just about to step in, when Braig blocked his way in with his arm.
"Sorry, water-boy; senior members only. Go play with your guitar or something." And with that, Braig slammed the door and locked it.
"It's a Sitar." Myde mumbled under his breath.
Give us a report, what is the movement of Sora and his allies? Who's with him? He heard Ansem's voice say through the doors.
The usual, his 'friends'. And he has Lea and that annoying thief with him. Plus all of Radiant Garden and his old and new allies from various other worlds. Isa replied.
It appears they are making more progress than we are. Xemnas said thoughtfully. We will have to step up our progress, gain more forces.
Yeah, speaking of which, boss man; why are we seriously still keeping water-boy around? Braig asked in a bored tone. Myde tensed at the sound of his name. He's pretty useless, right?
Forgive me, Lord Xemnas, Master Ansem. Isa's voice spoke up. My instructions were to retrieve any Organization members and persuade them to join our case. Myde has been more unsuccessful than his nobody had been.
I see. Xemnas continued. Well then, we cannot afford anyone in our ranks. I believe we should do what I have done when he first appeared; dispose of him. He is useless to us.
Myde stepped back, hands covering his mouth as he gasped. Without even a second thought, Myde ran down the white halls of the castle. The voices he overheard replayed over and over in his mind. Myde kept running until he reached the castle entrance, alone and unsure.
I've gotta get off this world. Myde thought. The former nobody held out his hand, thinking of any world he could go to escape. A corridor of darkness appeared in front of him. Without even looking back, Myde stepped through. Unaware of Maleficent watching him atop one of the balconies.
Prism: oh, poor Myde. *huggles Myde*
Myde: why do you always have to torture us?
Prism: *shrugs* it makes a good story. Anyway, see if you can guess who Lydia's dad is or what Axel said to Lydia. I really hope you guys like her!
Myde: see you guys next time!
(1) - in KH1, in Traverse Town's first district, there's a random girl you can talk to. I just made a character out of her.