A/N: Sorry for the late update! I've gotten ill and that caused me to go out of commission for a while. Also, I like Fanfiction dot net and all, but I'm more likely to updater slightly quicker on Archive of Our Own, just because of how simple and easier it is to use. I tend to update AO3 much quicker than this website :P Although I'll still continue to update here, just a tad bit slower. The AO3 chapter is listed under the same name, except its on AO3.
Also I thank all 16 people who took the time to read this FanFic |D
Disclaimer: Don't own nothin'
Sora gazed down the empty darkening street with interest, hoping to catch the sight of someone moving about or standing still, but the street was abandoned from any movement, save for the small scrap of paper that had blown out of the trash can. The tapping of paws notified Sora of the arrival of Roxas, who gracefully clawed his way up to Sora's shoulder, where he hung in a dignified manner.
"Did you find him, Roxas?" The brunette asked the cat. "Or at least something worth noting?"
"Nope, nothing really interesting. I caught a mouse if that interests you." Sora frowned, in which Roxas scoffed in response."But I let it go. I'm still human you know, I don't eat dirty things like rats." He sniffed indifferently, licking his paw. "If he's not in that next area he's probably already dead."
"Don't say that! You might jinx it!"" Sora exclaimed. "We promised Kairi we would bring Riku and his bodyguard home!"
"You promised." Roxas corrected. "I'm just the cat."
"Well, c'mon then, just the cat, let's go find him." Sora said, taking Roxas off his shoulder and holding him in his arms.
"Smartass." grumbled the cat as Sora leaped off the building to search for Riku.
-RECONNECT. KINGDOM HEARTS-
"Noruma! Where are you?" Riku called out.
The silver-haired young man looked around through the darkness, hoping to catch sight of his bodyguard, but it was as if he had vanished into thin air. The small taps of footsteps caught Riku's attention, like someone was lightly putting down a glass cup on the street.
Plink. Plink. Plink.
Nervous, the young man peered back to see a thin windy looking creature, unmoving. It was about as tall as him, but it was light gray, with a zipper for a 'mouth' if that's what one could call it. Running through it's arms and legs were small lines of blue, which pulsed bright every so often. Frankly, Riku was afraid to move in fear that it would strike, but the creature just stared at him, cocking it's head to the side as if it was confused as well.
When the creature struck, Riku didn't even scream. He wasn't that kind of person. Instead, he pulled up a dark barrier, which easily deflected the writhing grey monster a few feet away, right under the street light. It squealed in anguish before looking up at the young man. Riku let the barrier down, to reserve his magic power, it wouldn't do him any good if he ran out now. The creature stood up again and with all it's features pronounced in the white light, he was able to identify what it was.
"A Nobody…" Riku muttered to himself.
A Nobody was the empty shell of someone who had his or her heart stolen by shady means. Supposedly it was just the empty shell of someone with a strong will who had their heart stolen, and it only stayed around for a few hours before vanishing. However, with the right kind of conditions a useless shell can pulled back into existence by someone strong in the arts of darkness. After being brought back from the brink of fading away, the Nobody was forced to serve whoever brought them back to existence. This art of magic was banned by King Mickey as soon as he ascended to power. He hadn't seen a Nobody since that incident, so he was a bit surprised to see one so soon. Riku glanced around, hoping to find the master of which this creature served, but hide nor hair of anyone suspicious in particular.
"Where's your master, Nobody?" he asked the Nobody, who fidgeted slightly closer, dancing an incoherent dance. "I know he's here somewhere."
The Nobody raised it's head, making a hyperactive clicking sound. Dark spots emerged on the ground and long white arms reached out, revealing more Nobodies dragging themselves out of the ground, screeching in delight of new prey.
"Crap…" Riku summoned a shadow sword, hoping that it would last long enough for him to vanquish all these monsters.
The first one pounced not soon after he had spoken. Riku had cleaved his sword right through the middle, destroying it instantly. It gave one final shriek before decomposing to the darkness below. Not soon after the first one had lunged, two more were in it's place. Soon Riku found himself getting into the rhythm of destroying these creatures, but with each slice and attack, he realized that his sword was getting thinner and he was getting more tired. Was he going to die here? Killed by someone's minions? No no...Kairi and Namine would notice that he wasn't back yet. They would surely send someone...maybe.
Riku watched as one of the of the Nobody's raised one of their long inhuman arms to it's zipper for a mouth, slowly unzipping it. As soon as the zipper was open, pure darkness started flowing out like a disease, making the are crisp and almost unbreathable. Soon the others followed, causing Riku to almost vomit from all this darkness. He was a dark caster, but pure darkness was still pure darkness. It wasn't like smoke or poison, pure darkness was like a heavy burden pushing down hard on his heart, making him not feel any emotion, but paralyzing fear. He had to move, he had to kill them before he died first, but...he couldn't move. Riku was frozen in fear, his heart pounding in his ears and an unbearable chill shocking his spine. Was this...the end?
Just as a Nobody danced closer, it quickly recoiled from an approaching shape. Riku noticed that a cat had walked right up to him, sitting in front of him and meowing loudly. A cat? What was it doing here? Why wasn't it affected, by the smoke. Riku then realized that a small wind was circling the cat, whipping away the darkness that threaten to hurt such a thing. Then the cat gave a loud yowl into the sky. The nobodies, who have been watching with such intent, jumped a few feet from such a loud sound, sending their own a large gust of wind blasted through the area, blowing away the darkness into the night sky. The Nobodies danced backwards, knocked back by the powerful gust, yelping in shock as they struggled to gain their composure. The cat meowed again and twitched its tail, looking at the direction where the wind had come from.
"Roxas! You found Riku!"
There was a figure close by, It wasn't menacing like the Nobodies, it was definitely human. Judging by the voice, Riku determined that the voice didn't belong to the one who controlled the Nobodies. It sounded way too friendly. The cat meowed again and lifted a paw to point at Riku. The figure came over and soon the light revealed who this person was. It was a boy, with bright vibrant blue eyes and a mess of brown hair. Judging by his clothing, Riku realized that it was a local messenger, but it was strange for a messenger to be doing deliveries at this hour . Whatever the case, Riku felt somewhat relieved that he had made contact with another human being since encountering these hellish monsters.
"Who are you…?" Riku managed to say, but his voice was horribly hoarse. He blamed it on the aftereffects of the darkness.
"I'm Sora." The boy said, extending a hand to Riku. He gestured to the cat. "That's Roxas, my cat."
Riku took the hand hesitantly and Sora pulled the silver-haired individual back onto his feet with such gusto that Riku almost threw up from motion sickness. Still the darkness lingering in him, he guessed. Riku looked at the brunette, trying to get the dark haziness out of his eyes. It was a teenager, probably a little younger than him. He wore the Fantum Citadel Messenger Service uniform, complete with running boots, leather straps, and an interesting pair of gauntlets.
"Are you delivering a package for me?" Riku blurted out, suddenly. He cursed silently. The darkness was making him say weird things. Fortunatly, this Sora-guy didn't seem to bothered.
"Nope. Kairi said you were missing. So Roxas and I came to get you!" Sora said smiling cheerfully. He was incredibly happy in such a dreary situation.
"...Kairi?" Riku was confused. Perhaps he was one of her many friends, she was a social person after all.
The unfriendly growl of the Nobody snapped Riku out of his daze. He looked over where they had been knocked back and they were slowly edging forward. Dancing with their string like legs and crying like a cornered animal, even though they weren't the ones at a disadvantage.
"Back off!" Sora shouted, jumping into the air and slamming into the ground with a loud thud. The air in front of him, blasted the Nobodies back a few meters. Some of them slammed hard into the ground enough for them to shrivel up in a few wisps of darkness. He leaped back a few steps, complete with a few dazzling arrays of wind making sure the Nobodies stayed in their spots. "Come on let's go!"
The brunette grabbed Riku's hand tightly and Roxas, the cat, had nestled himself on Sora's back. He jumped, pulling Riku up into the air. Riku had shouted in surprise and he tightened his grip on Sora's hand, holding on for dear life. He could of sworn the cat on Sora's back had turned to look at him, snickering. What a day this was to be taunted by a cat. Wind Casters were not uncommon in the Fantum Citadel, but the number sheerly dropped after the battle with Regnum Tres. He was moderately fascinated by how Sora would use his magic.
The duo stopped moving forward and was suddenly jerked down. Riku didn't even have time to register what happened until he had hit the ground at a rapid force. It wasn't as painful as he thought it would've been, as if the air cushioned the fall, even if it was a little bit. A whirlwind of confusion struck his mind like a storm. A sharp pain snaked up his back and he immediately forgo-ed the idea of moving. He was content to just stay put and wait until this agonizing feeling went away. As the noble started to recollect his thoughts, Riku's vision blurred and he began to see dark spots in his vision. What...happened? What was he doing? A meow and a small slap to the cheek woke him up from his daze. He was face to face with sharp blue cat eyes, who glared at him menacingly. The cat had woken him up.
"You...what are you…" Riku asked the cat. It felt ridiculous talking to a cat, but just the way the cat acted, the way it looked at him...almost seemed...human.
The cat meowed again, it's sharp voice filled with urgency. It looked behind itself, meowing again, twitching it's tail impatiently. It's sharp owlish eyes were boring into Riku's own. Taking a deep breath, the dark spots in Riku's vision faded away, but he could still feel them threatening for a sequel. Grunting, Riku propped himself on his elbows and looked over the cat, only to see Sora, the brunette who had helped him get away, even if it was momentarily, face down and unmoving. Immediately, Riku scrambled to his feet, running over to check if the brunette was dead. He wasn't; As soon as Riku touched his back, he had struggled to sit up.
"It grabbed me by the leg…" Sora grumbled, gritting his teeth. He started coughing, and he beat his fist on his chest in hopes to sooth it. A trickle of blood dripped from the edges of his mouth. "Are you okay, Riku?"
"Not as bad as I thought it could be." Riku muttered, eyeing the Nobodies, who were staring intently at them. It was almost like they were playing a game with them. "Did you cushion the fall?"
"I did, but I couldn't pull it fast enough...Sorry." Sora stood up, flicking his arm casually, trying to get the wind to launch them in the air again, but all it did was make them slightly jump. Riku saw a flitted look of panick in Sora's eyes. "I can't use the wind! What happened?"
Angry clicks and hisses notified Riku of the presence of the Nobodies. Realizing that one of them was way too close for comfort, he pulled out a shadow dagger and flung it with as much force as he could muster. It struck it square in the chest. It shrieked in agony, waving it's arms wildly and dancing around before falling over to sink into the darkness. It's friends looked at their fallen ally before giving a horrid cry of remorse, dancing closer and closer.
"Sora..." Riku said slowly, looking carefully at Sora's leg. "You've been branded..." Riku said, pointing at Sora's leg. The brunette looked down to see a dark mark where the Nobody had touched him. "They're feeding off your magic."
"They can do that?" Sora looked astonished. "That's kinda cool..." Riku shot him an incredulous look. "And bad...how do you get rid of it?"
"Well, um." Riku tried to remember what he had learned about Nobodies. "We need to get rid of the Nobody who had branded you. Or we just get far enough from it that the brand is severed."
"Alright!" Sora said in an upbeat tone. "I don't think we can run away right now. So let's just beat them 'til they're toast!"
Riku was amused on how Sora was so positive despite their situation. Seeing him so upbeat made him want to try his very best too. It was a while since he had felt so energized. He smiled half-heartedly though. "Sounds good."
"Roxas stay back, I don't want you getting hurt." Sora told the milky cat, who nimbly climbed the wall onto a window ledge to watch from above.
Riku summoned a dark sword, using it to defend himself from one Nobody that danced too close for his taste. Sora was flicked his fingers and wrists, summoning sharp whip-like winds to slice some of the Nobodies far away. For a few moments, it was a good rhythm, but Riku knew he couldn't keep it up for long. His magic pool was already drained from the last battle and Sora was struggling to keep up for his magic energy was being eaten by one of the Nobodies. They just had to find that Nobody. Sora began to slump a bit, slouching as he tried to regain his balance. He started clutching his hand.
"Don't give up, Spikey." Riku said to the very tired Sora. "Come on, there's only a few left."
"This is tiring…" Sora said wearily. Then as if the pet name had snapped him awake, he straightened his posture and looked at Riku. "And my name is not Spikey! It's Sora!"
Before Riku could respond, he was suddenly knocked back into the wall. His foot caught on the ground as he was thrown back. A sharp 'click' in his foot sent up signals of excruciating pain that told him putting a foot down to slow himself was not a good idea. The impact to the wall was a different story entirely. The pain to his back outweighed the pain in his foot and he was stunned. He slumped against the wall, his eyes and mouth wide in shock.
"Riku!" A hazy voice called out to him. It sounded like it was underwater.
The Nobody who had punched him gave a shrill cry of triumph before turning to Sora, who was bracing himself for the attack. The dark shadowy mark was on his feet, crawling up his leg like a snake, emitting a dark lava-like glow as Sora's mana was being eaten. Riku blinked hurriedly, as if that would get rid of the grey spots starting to blur the edges of his vision. He watched dumbly at the situation in front of him, unsure what to think or do. Strangely, Riku saw that Sora was holding his right hand very tightly, as if it was in pain more than the mark. That was strange. Riku remembered learning that being branded was supposedly a terrible agonizing feeling and most people who he has seen been branded had held their marks as they writhed around, but Sora was holding his hand instead as if the Mark didn't hurt at all. Did he hurt his hand?
The Nobody closed on Sora, who made no effort to do anything. Riku tried to rise on his feet, but he stumbled a bit. Ouch, looks like he had hurt his leg. Not to mention an awful pain in his chest. The silver-haired young man hoped that his glare would chase the remaining Nobodies away, but that would be a miracle. A sharp call caused the Nobodies' head to stop and look up. A blur of white and yellow swept through the air, landing on the Nobody closest to Sora.
"Roxas!" The brunette called out. He tried to take a step forward to save his cat, but he tripped over his legs, causing him to stumble and loose his balance.
The cat bit down on the Nobody's head and it strutted around, trying to shake off the yellow ball of fangs and claws off of it's head. The other nobodies stopped to watch, either amused or unsure what to do of their situation presented to them. Riku could laugh, Nobodies weren't that smart anyway. After a few moments of struggling, the cat pulled back, ripping the Nobody's head right open. It gave a piercing outcry of pain, waving it's arms around in vain. Finally, one of it's arms caught hold of the cat, grabbing it roughly and swung the poor cat around. It threw the cat over one of the buildings. There was a yowl, a crash, and silence.
"Roxas! Roxas are you okay!?" Sora called out to his cat.
There was no response. Not even a pathetic meow to indicate he was alive. Riku probably guessed the cat probably had died from the fall. Cats were known to land on their four legs, but he seriously doubted the chance of a cat surviving being thrown over a building. He pitied Sora, who seemed furious and the prospect of his beloved pet being thrown. In a way, he admired their relationship. A pet risked his life for his master, what's there not to admire?
"How dare you?" Sora snapped, a small whirlwind of emotion started flowing around himself.
Sora rushed at the Nobody, suddenly renewed with energy. He rushed towards the Nobody with the open head, jerking his hand in a horizontal motion. Even from where he was sitting, Riku could feel the winds whip through hair in a frenzy. The Nobodies were knocked back a few meters back. Sora grinned, satisfied at his attack before coughing and falling back. He laid on his back, breathing heavily, his hand trembling as he squeezed it. The silver-haired lad waited for Sora to get up again, but he didn't.. Somehow, Riku found the energy to stand up again, limping to Sora to see if he was okay. He touched the tired brunette on the chest, and Sora shifted slightly.
"Sorry, Riku…" he heard the brunette utter.
"I should be the one apologizing." he assured the brunette, who looked up at him with gentle blue eyes. "Don't think you were apart of this…"
"It's not over yet, y'know." Sora muttered, pushing himself into a sitting position with one hand. He rested his hand on his lap, fidgeting in pain.
That's when Riku noticed that there was a gold ring around his ring finger. At first, Riku thought it was a wedding ring, which surprised him since Sora didn't look like he was old enough to marry. Then he noticed that it had small symbols carved onto it and that those symbols were faintly glowing. When Sora sniffed, Riku realized that Sora was expecting an answer and the the young man coughed.
"Really?" muttered Riku rhetorically. He wasn't expecting an answer nor did he want one.
"It's not over until 'til it's really over." The brunette gave a sly smile. Riku wondered if he was planning something he was unaware of.
The Nobodies had regained their footing during this small moment in time. The creatures seemed to be annoyed by constant interruption of attacks. They cocked their heads from side to side, observing their cornered prey. With their mouth zipped open, they took a deep breath, breathing out puffs of dark smoke. Nobodies were prideful and sick creatures, the loved to toy with their prey. Researchers have compared them to animals with the mind of a small toddler. It was fascinating, yet fairly disturbing. As Riku contemplated on the Nobodies' state of mind, he hoped he would able to figure out some sort of weakness, but he was not as knowledgeable as the great minds studying such creatures.
In front of impending doom and possible excruciating pain, Riku was sort of looking forward to it. Well, he rather not drag Sora, an innocent bystander, and his possibly dead cat into this, but he was actually sort of excited to see the prospects of what happened in the afterlife. Who knows, maybe he'll get to meet up with his parents again. That idea fascinated and energized him in a rather morbid way. He noticed Sora, who was trying to stand up despite his hand and leg was out of commission and he wondered what he should do. Riku stretched one hand to summon any type of Shadow weapon, but all that came out was a small shard of darkness, barely bigger than a slice of bread. It looked like it could barely hold it's form and would probably fade away after being used.
As soon as a Nobody got close enough, Riku shoved the shard straight up it's head and it shrieked, disappearing into darkness. It's friends were close behind. He felt small gusts of wind brush against his collar and he realized that Sora was trying to use the winds, but the petty cooling breeze was not about to drive them off. The Nobody with the open head approached them, making odd clicking noises with the zipper for the mouth, tilting it's head like a playful puppy. When it was standing just a few feet for Riku, it made a sharp hissing sound before launching itself forward, letting a high pitched cry. Only then did Riku realize there was someone behind the Nobody.
Just before the Nobody could chomp his head off, it halted and tilted it's head, looking back at the dark figure that Riku barely noticed. The Nobody with the broken head hissed and attempted to make another attempt at the pounce before it whimpered like a sad puppy. It pressed it's zipper-for-a-mouth together, it's head looking back at the figure and grumbling before standing up, only to dance away towards the figure. The figure, which Riku identified to be a well built man, was standing at the mouth of the alley, wearing a black cloak. Most of his features had been muffled by the darkness, but even he could notice the piercing yellow eyes.
"Sorry Riku, we need you alive." the man told him. "I can't grace you with the taste of death just yet."
The Nobodies, as if understanding, clicked their zippers in agreement, hissing quietly to themselves. Sora had managed to stand up by this time, leaning heavily on one leg while he clutched his hand protectively. When Riku shifted positions, he realized that his back was definitely starting to hurt.
"Who are you?" asked Riku suspiciously. "How are you controlling the Nobodies?"
"Is that what they're called?" Sora asked genuinely. "I would've called them white noodle people."
Upon finishing his sentence, the Nobodies behind the figure hissed angrily, sending plumes of darkness tracing the air above like a shadowy ribbon. They threatened to dance closer, lifting one leg teasingly, but the mere presence of this figure was holding them in place. They clicked their zippers together hissing like an annoyed rattlesnake. The man noticed that his minions were riled up, but he had made no attempt to calm them down. In fact he seemed to have smiled.
"You better apologize, Sora." Riku told him sarcastically. "You hurt their feelings."
"Sorry." apologized Sora.
Riku was flabbergasted. Did this guy just apologize to the thing that was trying killing them? Riku wasn't unsure whether to smack his face in hopes it was just a dream or just gape at the person next to him. The Nobodies tilted their head at the apology, clicking nervously, clearly not anticipating an apology. The Nobody with the open head looked at the figure, unsure and then looked at Sora with what could only be interpreted as confused.
Noticing the change of behavior in the Nobodies, the man in the black coat, irritated, waved a hand a hand in the air. The Nobodies began to vanish in shadowy portal. One by one, the Nobodies were recalled and Riku was fascinated by this technique. It was known as a Dark Corridor. Supposedly Dark Casters of a high level were able to use such a technique which made traveling notably easier. The catch was only Dark Casters or creatures of the dark were able to use it. Anyone else would be gobbled up by the darkness. The Nobody with the cleaved head was looking at Sora curiously, like a lost puppy even, before vanishing in a shadowy portal. Sora yelped suddenly, causing Riku to jump a little. The brunette looked down to see that the Brand on his leg was slowly receding. The absence of the Nobodies was enough to free Sora from the horrible brand.
"Forgive me for the misbehavior of my minions, they tend to be a little unpredictable sometimes." The figure was talking to them as if he was doing a presentation. "Now since that's dealt with, Riku we must depart immediately."
"Riku's not going anywhere." Sora pipped out loudly even before Riku could speak. Seeing that Sora had said was already to be said, Riku just glared at him.
"Come now, don't be shy, Riku." The figure reassured, reaching out a hand for Riku to take. "It won't take, but a moment."
Riku snorted. "You must be mad to think I'll go with you."
"I hoped this wouldn't be so difficult." The figure said disappointingly, shaking his head. "You don't want to end up doing what Terra did, right?"
Riku froze upon hearing that name. It was ages ago since anyone ever mentioned that name to him. Upon hearing that name, the silver-haired young man could feel his blood begin to boil. Sora, noticing the change in Riku's personality, swallowed uncomfortably.
"Riku?" Sora asked quietly, but he was ignored.
"What do you know about him?" Riku commanded angrily.
The man gave a knowing smirk. "Just that if you don't comply, your friend here will end up just like your parents did."
The man took a step forward, it was almost enough for Riku to run up and punch him in the gut. How dare he mention that name to him after all these years. He had tried so hard to forget what had happened. It was still a burden he had to carry and just to hear that name made him seethe with anger.
"Riku?" Sora asked carefully again, the uncertainty in his voice as clear as day. "Are you okay?"
Before Riku could shout a retort, there was a sharp caw. The three of them looked up to see a raven, barely visible in the night sky flying above them. It gave a few more warning caws before letting out a shrilling shriek. Sora and Riku ducked their heads a little, but the man seemed unfazed. It delicately perched on the edge of the building, looking precariously at the bunch.
"Xion!" Sora cried happily.
"Xion?" asked Riku, looking up at the bird. How much animal friends did this guy have?
Suddenly, there was a loud SHING and Riku snapped his head in the direction of the sound. It was coming from the man. At first, he thought the figure had pulled out a knife or something, but the man was stiff and fidgeting uncomfortably. Instead he spotted, a bright white light that had appeared on the man's chest area. As it suddenly as it appeared, it cloaked man lurched forward, grunting in pain. Behind the person was the last person Riku had his mind on the moment
Sora perked up noticably. "Kairi!"
Just as Sora said, Kairi, wearing a black hooded shawl, was standing right behind where the figure was now writhing on the floor. She was standing in an offensive position, holding something that resembled a white dagger. Kairi had an indifferent look on her face as she watched the man on the ground, her blue eyes piercing anyone who would dare oppose her. Her red hair complimented her fierce fiery look. Sora was a bit taken aback. Kairi had seemed so gentle and kind when he had spoken to her earlier, but now it was like she had become a different person. It was a bit scary to see her like this, but at the same time, he was awed.
"Move and I'll have the pleasure of cleaving your heart out." Kairi threatened, holding the white weapon tighter and squinting menacingly. "Don't think I'll hesitate."
Instead of moving, the figure began to laugh. It was a creepy laugh, enough for Sora to tiptoe a few spaces back in hopes of watering down the sound. Riku cringed a bit upon hearing it and although he didn't retreat like Sora did. Kairi didn't falter, but she did raise an eyebrow questioningly.
"I didn't account for you to be here, Princess." he spat. He looked back at Kairi, with menacingly golden eyes. "I guess I have no choice to retreat now.
Riku shouted. "Wait-"
But he was already gone. Just as trio blinked, the man had suddenly vanished into thin air. Riku had no doubt that he had used a Dark Corridor to get away, but he had never seen someone able to pull one up in a blink of an eye. He must be some Dark Caster. The trio stood completely still, frozen in motion, unsure whether or not was safe to move. The man's disappearance (as well as appearance) was just too awkward to assume that it was safe. A loud caw broke them out of their trance. After looking at the bird fondly, Kairi finally found her voice to speak.
"Hey, are you guys alright?" Kairi asked the two, her features softening. The white light in her hands vanished in sparkles of light, revealing her to be holding some sort of handle.
"We're okay! " Sora answered cheerily. Then he frowned. "But Roxas…"
Meow.
"Is right here." finished Kairi.
A small round face popped up above Kairi's shoulder and meowed hesitantly. Upon seeing him, Sora practically flew there, picking up the cat in his arms and hugging him tight. Riku was somewhat relieved to see that the feline was okay and that he wouldn't have to put up with the grief that the messenger would probably give him over a dead cat. Riku noticed the raven, who had distracted the figure for Kairi to stab him fly away without anyone noticing. How peculiar.
"Roxas! You're okay!" Sora cried happily. The cat meowed uncomfortably, but it seemed happy to be back with Sora.
Riku walked over to Sora and Kairi, with intentions of asking them what was going on and if they had seen Noruma, but as soon as he got in an arm's length of Kairi, she pulled him and Sora into a hug. Shocked, Riku wanted to pull back, but then realized that Kairi was shivering. Not because it was chilly, it was quite warm out. She was shivering from her emotions. Sora had reached over awkwardly to pat her on the back. Roxas squeaked helplessly since he was in the center of this giant hug. The trio stumbled and ended up sitting on the sidewalk.
"Both of you didn't come back," Kairi started to explain, her voice twisted with relief. "I went to go look for you. I saw Roxas and he led me to you guys…"
"Really?" Sora asked. He looked down at his cat, who looked in the other direction. "I knew you cared, Roxas!" The cat sniffed indignantly.
"D-does anything hurt?" Kairi asked, pulling out of her hug. She looked at the boys, observing them delicately.
"I'm mostly okay. A pining back pain, an ankle sprain, and a few cuts." Riku answered her. "Nothing a shower and a few days of rest won't solve."
"What about you, Sora?" Kairi turned to the brunette.
He turned to Sora who was was relishing the fact that his cat was well okay. Under closer inspection, Riku realized that the cat had a makeshift bandage wrapping around it's belly and had an irregular breathing pattern. It looked like even the animal was going to get out of this unscathed.
"I got branded, but it's alright now." The brunette replied. Riku expected him to mention his hand, brunette didn't, enticing a questionable look from Riku, but Sora didn't notice. "I think a few bruises, but nothing really big. I think Roxas got hurt more than I did."
There was an annoyed meow and Roxas wriggled out of Sora's grasp, scowling. The cat looked up at Riku and hissed, which made Riku cringe, before sitting down and grooming himself. Riku frowned at Sora, clearly not enjoying the presence of his grumpy pet cat. Sora merely smiled.
"Aw Roxas, don't be like that." Sora said, petting the cat on the head, but he ignored him. "At least try to act your age."
Roxas hissed angrily.
"Roxas had a cut on his side when I found him. It was bleeding a bit." Kairi informed Sora. "I wrapped it up with part of my shawl, but it'd be better if we take him to a vet for further inspection."
Upon hearing the word 'vet', Roxas looked up, a look of fear in his eyes. Before he could run away, Sora scooped up the cat, who made pitiful meows in attempt to escape. This time however, Sora held the yellow cat tight in his hug.
"Like it or not Roxas, you're going to the vet." Sora told the cat, lifting him to eye level.
"I'm going to kill you." Roxas hissed quietly, just enough for Sora to hear. The brunette chuckled, amused.
"Where's Noruma?" Riku questioned Kairi. "Do you know where he is?"
"I haven't seen him." Kairi said regretfully. "I was hoping he was with you guys, but…"
"Who's Noruma again?" Sora asked, tucking Roxas into armlock so he won't run away.
"Oh! I forgot to tell you about him." Kairi tapped her head, laughing lightly. "He's Riku's personal bodyguard. He's the only guard in the manor."
Riku quietly listened to the conversation, nodding his head. He would look for Noruma before they got home. It'd be quicker if Sora and Kairi returned to his home first so they call a doctor to look them over.
"Kairi, take Sora and his cat home first." Riku ordered, standing up. "I'll search for Noruma. Tell Namine to fetch a doctor and prepare one of the guest rooms. Sora, you don't mind staying the night, right?"
"I don't mind staying the night, I guess." Sora said determinedly, rising to his feet. "But I can you help find this Noruma-guy!"
"If you don't mind me interjecting, Master Riku." Kairi spoke up. " I think it'd be better for you, Sora, and Roxas return to the manor. I will depart to find Noruma."
"Kairi, you can't." Riku said simply. "It's too dangerous."
"Yeah, what if that weirdo comes back again!" agreed Sora.
Kairi gave a amused laugh."Huh, you guys don't think I can handle myself." huffed Kairi. "Pardon my rudeness, Master Riku and Sora I may be just a lowly servant, but I am more than capable of looking after myself, not to mention Riku as well."
"...Fine. If you do not return by sunrise, I will organize a search party to look for you and Noruma." Riku replied. Then he gave a sly smile. "I wouldn't like losing one of my servants."
"You couldn't survive without me, Master Riku." winked Kairi. "I'll see you, Sora."
"Are you sure you don't want company?" Sora offered.
"No, you two need rest. Namine will be home by now, so off you go." Kairi said, waving her hands. "She'll take care of you. I left a note at home."
Riku turned to walk in the direction of her house, while Sora, and Roxas, who Sora was still clutching, stopped for a moment or two to watch walking away, she unsheathed her light dagger, using it as a torch to light her way. Amazed by her determination and boldness, Sora felt inspired. He was about to call out when he felt someone lurking over his shoulder.
"Sora, are you coming or not?" Riku said, a bit stiffly. "I don't invite just anyone to my house you know."
-RECONNECT. KINGDOM HEARTS.-
The walk to the manor was relatively quiet. Sora had quieted down after the adrenaline had faded away, leaving every bump and bruise throbbing, which was indicated by his rather stiff walk. Riku had sucked up his pain and did this very slow walk, despite the fact that his leg was probably sprained. It was a slow journey, but they were still moving nonetheless. Riku was more put off by Sora's silence. Maybe he should ask something. Like where he came from, what was his job, or something of the sort; however, the noble couldn't form the proper sentence in which would be appealing to Sora. He had no idea where to start, but he did know it was sort of rude of him to keep quiet after a stranger had saved his life. Riku decided he wasn't really good at this social stuff. So Riku felt somewhat relieved when Sora decided to speak up to break the silence.
"Do you think Kairi will be okay?" Sora asked Riku on their way home
"She's a strong one." Riku replied. "I have never met anyone with as much boldness or gusto as her. If she says she'll be alright, she will be."
"Did you know she had that cool dagger?" Sora referred to the fancy weapon Kairi had in her possession.
"I think she bought it during a trip to the market. I had no idea she was able to use it though." Riku felt a little proud to have a servant that was able to defend herself.
"She's pretty talented, isn't she?" Sora said happily. "She even got Roxas to like her."
Riku didn't bother to make eye-contact, despite the fact Sora kept glancing at him. "She sure is."
Riku could see his house in the distance and he could barely make out someone pacing in front of the gate holding a torch. No doubt it was Namine.
"How's your hand?" Riku turned to look at Sora. "You didn't say it was hurting earlier, is it okay?"
"My hand?" Sora looked confused, then he looked down at his right hand, where there was a golden ring on one of his fingers. "Oh this hand?" He lifted it up for Riku to see.
"Yeah." The noble nodded curtly.
"Oh, it started to stop hurting after the Brand-thing went away." Sora explained, flexing his fingers.
"Why did it hurt?" Riku felt a little safer when they entered through the gates of their neighborhood.
There was an awkward silence and Riku wondered if he had asked something that he should have thought twice about asking, but Sora had the same cheery expression on his face. On the other hand, he could of sworn the cat was looking at him disdainfully. Riku wasn't sure he liked the cat.
"You don't have to answer." Riku assured. He was really not good at this social thing.
"Oh, not that. I was just thinking for a bit." Sora said, blinking. "It's because the ring is the one who gives me the power, I can't do anything without it. I'm not actually a wind-caster. I'm borrowing someone else's power."
"So you're a Signet Caster?" The white-haired young man confirmed.
Sora shrugged. "I guess that's what I am."
"That makes sense." nodded Riku slowly.
The noble had heard of Signet Casters and they were very rare. They were a select group of people who were able to use magic because of an enchanted object with a Signet they had with them. Without that object, they were just a regular person. Regular Casters could not handle the power of wearing one because they would go insane trying to manage two mana pools. However, a regular person could wear up to few signets because they could easily 'turn off' one of their powers in exchange for another one, but there hasn't been a person to do such a feat in modern times. Of course, signet-engraved items were very hard to come by. It was extraordinarily rare for anyone to come across one.
Unlike regular casters, Signet Casters are virtually unlimited in their source of power and are much quicker to recover from mana depletion, which is probably why Sora recovered from such a low mana pool than Riku. These enabled Signet Casters to get very high positions in the Royal Army, but Riku wasn't sure why Sora decided living as a mere commoner was more appealing. With the Peace Treaty between the Kingdoms, there was really no need for an army. If Sora had joined the Royal Army, he would be treated as a hero and live a life of comfort, just because he was a Signet Caster by default. Thinking back to the battle, Riku reasoned why Sora was clutching his hand and not his Brand Mark was probably because the painful part was the mana being sucked out of the ring, through his finger, and not his body himself.
"Where'd you get it?" Riku inquired. Sora visibly flinched. "Uh, um, if you don't mind me asking."
"Uh…" Sora glanced at his cat, who was on the alert. The cat turned to Sora and gave a loud, low meow. It sounded like a threat."I rather not talk about it."
Riku nodded rigidly. "That's alright."
When they were finished talking, they were standing in front of the manor. They were immediately greeted by a panic-stricken blonde servant who started fussing all over them like a mother hen over her chicks.
"Master Riku! You're alright! When I got the note from Kairi that you were missing..." She took a deep breath. "Well, it's good that you're alright." Namine sputtered. Then she noticed Sora, who was standing a little behind Riku, twitching oddly. "Are you Sora?" He nodded. "Wow, you two must've been through a lot. Let's go inside before any of you pass out."
"Thank you, Namine." Riku thanked, before trudging tiredly to the entrance of his house. He called over his shoulder. "Can you fetch the doctor after fixing dinner and preparing a room for Sora? Kairi is looking for Noruma and won't be back for a while."
"They're not with you?" The noble gave her a look that told her 'tell you later'. She nodded. "Will do, Master Riku."
Namine was just about to follow after him before there was an audible meow. Namine looked down to see Roxas hiding behind Sora's legs. She knelt down, taking a good look at Roxas. The cat peeked between the crack in Sora's legs and flattened his ears and meowed again.
"Are you Roxas?" Namine asked the cat gently. "Kairi mentioned Sora having an adorable cat, but you look much more adorable up close."
"Say hi, Roxas!" encouraged Sora, stepping away from the cat.
Roxas flattened his ears and flattened himself to the ground as Namine came to pick him up. He gave a strangled cry upon Namine brushing over his bandaged cut. Noticing that he was injured, Namine carefully tucked the cat into her arms. Roxas twitched his ears uncomfortably. What's with girls and cats lately?
"He's a little shy." Sora told the blonde servant and she nodded.
"I have some nice warm milk and a nice can of sardines for you." cooed Namine, turning to walk after Riku, who was long inside. "Come on Sora, I'll show you around."
-RECONNECT. KINGDOM HEARTS.-
Kairi's feet were starting to get tired from all this walking. She had walked around the whole neighborhood looking for Noruma, but she couldn't even sense him anywhere. Usually she always had an idea where her friends are. It was strange ability , but she had always had it since she was younger. If she thought about a person really really hard, she could get an idea of where they are and what they're doing. However, for quite a while now, when she thought of Noruma, all she got was darkness, utterly blank. The only images that came into her head was a damp, maybe rotten place. It was like her connection with Noruma had been severed, like he was no longer around. He wasn't of course, she had just talked with him this morning at breakfast. He told her that he had a dream about going on a grand adventure with keys for weapons, but she had laughed at the idea. She felt a bit guilty doing so now.
She wasn't about to give up just because she couldn't find her friend slash co-worker. Kairi liked Noruma, not in a romantic way. He had always been sort of a big brother to her and his storytelling was superb. One time, Namine had asked Noruma if he wanted to go off and put to use is storytelling skills, but he was dead set on staying with Riku, which Kairi was glad because she knew the house would be a little emptier with just three people. She wasn't there when Riku's parents died, but Noruma certainly was. Out of the three of them, Riku was the closest to Noruma. In a way, she envied their relationship, but she didn't really mind. She cared about everyone in that house. Even now, Sora and Roxas were slowly sneaking into her list of people to protect.
When she found a lump on the ground, her first instinct was to stab it with her weapon, but the figure shifted and from the glow of her weapon, she realized that it was a person. It was Noruma.
"Noruma!" She gasped, turning the man over so he laid on his back. "Are you okay?"
"Ugh...where am I?" The young man sat up and rubbed his head. Then he snapped. "Where's Master Riku? I was following him when…"
"He's alright. One of my friends found him in time." Kairi told him.
There was an awkward silence and Kairi saw him grit his teeth and there was a look of...disdain? Probably those were out of pain; there was a nasty bruise on his head. Kairi inspected the bruise carefully with her fingers, careful not to cause any pain.
"That's good to hear." Noruma said after a while.
"You got a bad bruise on your noggin." Kairi told him. "Probably best to let a doctor take a look at it. You might have a concussion."
"Sure." He replied bluntly. The man clenched his hand into a fist. "That would be great."
A/N: Whew, this was a relatively long chapter to edit/write. I had a lot of trouble trying to write the action scenes. I'm more of action off-screen kind of person and I try to skip it when I have the chance, only because I feel like I have trouble writing it. I hope I made Sora/Riku's fighting scene with the Nobodies interesting.
I don't know when the next chapter will be coming out because I've gotten rather lazy with typing. Maybe by the next two weeks I'll update again with one of the pre-written chapters I already have out. Alright, until next time!
Next Chapter: The Sun Rises With You