Chapter 14: Heartless Judge
Ventus…Ventus. Who is he?
For the last half hour, the Keyblade Master had been thinking about the mysterious name that was placed on the back on his necklace. For some reason, the name felt familar to him in his heart but didn't understand why. After coming out of thought, Sora had told Kairi and Brian about the sudden voice he had heard after he had blackout, hidng the reasons why he blackout in the first place. At first, Kairi had worry written all over her face but Sora assured her that apart from the shakes from his arm, he was fine. After looking over the information that the three of them knew, Brian got his blue notepad a pencil out and noted:
Notes about Ventus:
1) He had known Sora from before and must have given him the crown necklace before leaving
2) He apparently looks like Roxas, Sora's Nobody.
"You have a nobody?" Brian questioned him, " I didn't know this." He watched as Sora shrugged at the comment before looking back at his notepad, snickering as he wrote the next note.
3) He is a gay stalker
"Brian! For the last time. HE IS NOT A GAY STALKER!" Sora moaned for the millionth time.
"Okay. Okay. Fine." Brian rubbed out number three and replaced it with something else.
3) His name in Ventus could be 'Ven' for short
4) His name means wind
5) He will eventually meet Kairi once again.
"I wonder why he wants to meet Kairi." Sora wondered outloud, worrying if they could trust this guy.
"It's because if he meet you, he would show his gay stalker ways." Brian said in a creepy voice as he put his notebook back into his bag.
"Brian! HE IS NOT A GAY STALKER!" Sora and Kairi shouted at him, getting sick of his joke.
"There's no need to shout." Brian whined as he held one of his ears, "You're trying to make me deaf or something" His eyes wandered to the star-shaded charm on Kairi's hand. "oh charm." Brian grabbed Kairi's lucky charm from her hand and stare at it curiously. "It is me or does thing look like Sora."
"Give me back my charm Brian!" Kairi demanded as she started to chase him, only to watch Brian jumped onto the stage.
"Can't I hold it a little longer?" he said like a little kid, laughing softly at Kairi's angry figure before looking back at the charm. As he looked back at the charm, His eyes widened as his mind flashed, showing the charm with missing and broken pieces. Huh? Where have I seen this charm before? His thoughts didn't last long as the charm was grabbed out of his hand by a spiky keyblader, watching him jump down to 'his secret lover' and handing the charm back. "Hey! I was looking at that!"
"You can't just take things, Brian." Kairi scolded him as she held on to her charm. "This means alot to me." She placed her charm back on her keyblade, changing it to Oathkeeper.
"I can see that." He mumbled as he jumped back down to join the two, "You think Riku might know about this Ventus? You think that we'll survive Riku's revenge for leaving him in a stock for five days straight?" Brian asked them, watching their eyes widen.
"Riku!" they both said, "We forgot about him."
"Man. I'm too scared to go and face him now." Sora said shakily.
Brian just rolled his eyes, "Some hero you are." He commented, earning a deathly glare from Sora.
"We need Riku for the Keyhole, right Brian?" Kairi said
"For this world, yeah. Sora, what did you find out about the Keyhole?" Brian asked him, remembering the reason Sora was left at Norte Dame in the first place.
"Not much." Sora began, "Quasimodo had only heard Frollo mutter it under his breathe at least once or twice and a bit from the Festival of Fools."
"Well, let's ask Emeralda. She might know something about it." Kairi said. They both nodded to the idea and Kairi headed towards Emeralda. Sora began following when he was stopped by Brian putting his arm around his shoulders.
"Er…Brian. What are you doing?"
"It funny how Kairi is chasing me around and not you huh?" Brian taunted, he removed his arm away and started to move towards Kairi and the othesr. "If you aren't gonna be an item with her, then I will." He finished as he walked away.
Sora clenched his hands tight; he didn't want THAT to happen, not while he was still breathing. What if Brian likes Kairi? If he does, what if Kairi likes him…no she couldn't like him, could she?
Don't worry about it. Roxas assured, Brian might like Kairi but she only thinks of him as a friend.
How do you know that for sure? Sora asked him.
Because Naminé had just told me how annoying it was to listen to his constant flirting for five days straight.
Thanks Roxas. I feel much better now. Sora rolled his eyes, feeling that he didn't want to know
Sora finally came out of his thoughts and walked to the group. When he arrived, he saw Emeralda handed Brian a small, brown poach. He quickly checked inside it and then put it in his brown backpack. "It's properly for that mission he's doing." Sora then approached Kairi after she left the conventation about 'Where the gypsies would go?'
"Hey Sora." She greeted, "Esmeralda said the Keyhole is right here in the Court of Miracles."
"That's good to know." He replied in relieve, at least he didn't have to search for it.
"Now all we need is Riku." Just as she said that, a familiar, wet, smelly silver haired person came falling in the room. Sora, Kairi and Brian ran up to him but took a step back after smelling him.
"Bloody hell Riku." Brian moaned, "You smell worse than that death sentence sewer." He laughed while holding his nose. Riku didn't reply as he faced the three with a not-so-peasant-face and brought the Way of Dawn out. Brian's eyes widened with fear, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't kill me." Brian cried, begging on his knees. Sora and Kairi laughed a bit at Brian's behavior before looking back at Riku. He just grunted at Brian's behavior and pointed his Keyblade at the passageway.
"They're coming." He said darkly.
Thousands of Soul-mages and other solider type Unbirth (Brian muttered 'Armored Souls' under his breathe) burst through the entrance with Frollo and a yellow armoured solider behind them. The Unbirths surrounded Sora, Kairi, Riku and Brian while some other Unbirths surrounded Quasimodo, Esmeralda and Phoebus. Frollo started to approach Quasimodo's group while the solider approached Sora's.
"Finally…after 20 years of searching…the Court of Miracles and the Keyhole is mine." Frollo breathed
"I'm guessing you're ready for phase two now." The solider said in a bored expression, "My master and I are fed up of waiting."
"Be patience Endless." Frollo shouted, "Unbirths, grab the witches." The solider saw Sora and Riku draw their Keyblades out while Brian got his Staff of Myth out, protecting Kairi who also got Oathkeeper out. The Unbirths couldn't get to Kairi but managed to get to Esmeralda by grabbing Phoebus and Quasimodo and pull them out the way. The solider create two hovering cages with shadowed walls and put Esmeralda in one of them. He then clicked his fingers; whispered 'Disarm' and all the weapons disappeared.
"What the…?" Riku shocked
"Huh?" Sora confused
"How did he…?" Kairi asked
"I've should have seen this coming." Brian simply said
The Unbirths pushed by with ease and block any stuggles Sora, Riku and Brian attempted to do.
"Kairi!" the three called out. Kairi tried to cast spells as Brian tried as well, but they were disabled to. The Unbirths dragged Kairi into the other cage. Brian started to glare at the yellow solider.
"Abroc! I knew it was you." He spat coldly
"That SGT ABROC to you ya little excuse of existences." The solider argued. Sora and Riku looked at Brian in confusion.
"You know him?" Sora asked
"Abroc is one of the elite solider of the Endless my brother told you about." Brian informed, "He always a choice for disarming people and making them go silence. Also he can use the power of fears in Endless victims. I can't see how you got to Sgt thought."
"Well I got Mako's position after you and your annoying brothers destroyed him and I have great control of the thunder element now AND THAT'S ENDLESS ORDER TO YOU BOY!" Abroc replied and then shouted at the end.
"What is the Endless Order up to?" Brian demanded
"Don't ask."
"Don't ask or don't know!" Riku cockily asked
"Guys! This isn't time for taunting with the enemy." Sora reminded, "If you remember, Kairi and Esmeralda are in those cages." Frollo smirked as he summoned pyro ticks and send them in Esmeralda's and Kairi's cage which mysteriously has straw on the floor.
"And to make sure they don't get to them." Abroc said as he turned to Frollo and revealed his yellow thundered claw. He quickly thrusted it into Frollo's chest and his head went near his ear.
"If you want to go behind my Master's back and use Heartless then you shall become a Heartless yourself." He said coldly and slowly. He pulled his arm out of Frollo's chest and watched him drop to the floor. Phoebus and Quasimodo couldn't believe what they had just saw while Brian didn't seemed bothered and Riku and Sora was just confused. Abroc turned to face them and then turned back and opened a portal.
"Destroy them." He commanded before entering the portal. The Unbirths started to march forward, step by step. Brian leaned near Sora while seeing if Kairi and Esmeralda were alright.
"Sora." He whispered, "You have to turn into wisdom form."
"What! How? I've got different garments." Sora asked
"You still got the abilities from your old garments expect from they're harder to control." He put his hand on Sora's shoulder and closed his eyes. He started to glow red that made Sora glow blue. Riku understood what Brian was trying to do and done the same thing, instead he glow dark purple.
"Use our energy to do your drive then quickly cast Esuna to get rid of silence and disarm; then quickly cure us."
"But I've been put silence as well. How can I cast it?"
"Wisdom Form automatically cures it…NOW MOVE!" Sora nodded in understandment and jumped in the air. He landed on the stage while Armored Souls started to approach him.
"GIVE ME STRENGTH!" Sora glows and turned into his original Wisdom form. "ESUNA!" His hands glowed light blue and covered him, Brian, and Riku. As soon as the spell was cast, Riku automatically changed into his land element and started to cast 'Earth' and threw them at the Soul mages. Brian summoned his staff and cast 'Ultima Fire' on himself so he could use his fire element and create a flame block between the Armored Souls. Sora quickly cast 'cure' and then looked at Kairi and Esmeralda's cages. Their cages were cover with smoke.
After seeing that dream, Sora DOES NOT want to see Kairi die.
Quasimodo saw the smoke in Esmeralda's cage and his anger grew, he managed to get rid of some Soul-mages just by punching them. He freed Phoebus and gave in back his sword so he could fight. Quasimodo joined Sora and they both started to head towards to cages.
Frollo slowly got with a dark aura surrounded him; he saw Sora and Quasimodo heading to the cages. "Oh no you don't" he growled and teleported. Frollo teleported in front of Sora and Quasimodo. (who were surprised to see him alive yet alone teleporting.)
"Out the way Frollo!" shouted Sora. Brian, Riku and Phoebus finished off the Unbirths and joined the other two. "NOW!"
"These witches haven't got sanctuary so therefore I will be sending them to hell." Frollo informed. Frollo started to change form, he was getting bigger, his hands placed on each cage, himself changing into a statue with yellow eyes.
"Master…" Quasimodo breathed out. Sora, Brian and Riku got ready to move when they were blocked by more Armored Souls.
"I can do what I should have done 20 years ago...destroy you Quasimodo." Frollo said as his dark covered heart came below his head and then was shielded by one of the Armored Souls. The group (apart from Quasimodo) didn't hesitate to attack. Before Sora attacked, he heard a voice; a familiar voice.
"Sora help…"
"Kairi?" Sora asked
"The smoke…can't breathe…help." Kairi pleaded before his head going silence.
Sora started to shoot at Kairi's cage still being in Wisdom form and all. Brian saw what Sora was doing and started to cast 'Meteor Strike' at Esmeralda's cage. Quasimodo took the last Armored Soul so the shield guarding his heart faded. Riku started to strike it but was hit by Kairi's cage. Phoebus tried but his sword didn't do everything. Quasimodo tried attacking Frollo's heart but he couldn't do much damage either.
Riku recovered from Frollo's attack and change back using the Way to Dawn and started to strike Frollo's heart again. Sora continued to shoot at Kairi's cage, desperate to break her out. Sora stopped his attack and quickly changed into his element. He flew up to the cage and started to cast 'Aeroga' at the cage.
Brian went flying lessons after getting struck by Esmeralda's cage. He shook the dizziness out of his head and looked at the giant statue looking judge. He looked at the stone shadow hand that was holding Kairi's cage:
It was shaking from Sora's attacks
Brian got up and started to attack Kairi's cage, making Sora look down at him. "What are you doing?" Sora asked, "I through you were attacking Esmeralda's cage." Before Brian answered, both he and Sora quickly dodge Frollo's attack.
"It will take us longer to free them if we work individually. We need to combine our spells together aiming at Frollo's hands." Brian explained then pointed to Frollo's shaking hand and quickly striking it with a small meteor. Sora observed the attack and quickly struck in the same place Brian struck. Frollo's hand then cracked a bit near where it held the cage. Sora and Brian smirked at each other and then both started to attack the hand at the same time. The hand scattered and dropped the cage making it scatter as well went it hit the ground. The smoke cleared from the cage and revealed an unconscious Kairi on the floor. Sora gained a horrified expression on his face and ran towards Kairi. Brian called Riku to help him destroyed the other hand and soon Esmeralda was released. Quasimodo and Phoebus took Esmeralda to safety and Brian and Riku started to fight Frollo once more.
Sora ran over to Kairi and lifted her to a safe location then he started to shake her gently. "Kairi." Sora called out. No response. "Kairi. Open your eyes. Please open your eyes!" A tear when down his cheek when once again she didn't response. Sora turned to see that Esmeralda started to wake up but immediately turn her attention back to Kairi and started to check her breathing.
Now that Frollo didn't have any hands, he couldn't attack very well. He could fire magic out of his mouth but it was either dodged or reflected by Brian's spells. Riku ran straight to Frollo's heart and sliced it in half. Frollo yelled in pain and then he faded away with his heart heading towards Kingdom Hearts.
Sora put his ear near her lips, inching from touching and started to watch her chest for 10 seconds.
She wasn't breathing
"Oh no. oh no. oh no." Sora started to panic, "Kairi you can't leave me. Not after everything we've been thought." Riku and Brian ran up to Sora to see that Kairi is still unconscious.
"What's wrong with her?" Riku asked as Brian kneeled down aside her and checked her breathing and pulse. Before Sora could answer, Brian stood up and looked at the two with a disappointed face.
"I'm sorry you guys but Kairi…" He said slowly in a sorrow sort of way. Neither Sora nor Riku wanted to hear the rest of that sentence and Sora could have sworn to start fill emptiness in his heart.
"No…No…She can't be…she can't."
Brian looked down to his medieval boots and started to grin slightly. "…Kairi needs the kiss of life but will freak if Bigfoot does it." He laughed. Sora raised his fist and was about to knock Brian out if Riku hadn't stopped him.
"Kill Brian later. Right now, you need to help Kairi." Riku hissed. Sora clenched his teeth together but he soon eased when he turned his full attention back on Kairi. As Sora kneeled down to Kairi's side, Riku turned back to the now snickering Brian. Riku grabbed Brian by the collar of his shirt and started to drag him away from Sora and Kairi. While he was dragging Brian (who was now begging for release), he noticed that Esmeralda was fully wake and Quasimodo was linking hers and Phoebus's hands together. Riku had dragged Brian to the other side of the Court of Miracles and had slammed him into the wall with Brian still snickering.
"What's your big idea Brian?" Riku asked angrily, "This isn't a laughing matter and defiantly one that you shouldn't make jokes about."
"You don't even know the situation Silver." Brian innocently said. Brian then quickly yelped and ducked from Riku's stone cold fist. Brian raised his head and looked at the damaged Riku had done to the wall as a result of him ducking. The hole created was 6cm length, height and width. Brian looked back at Riku who looked mad as hell.
"ONE: you're not in a situation to call me Silver." Riku raged, "TWO: The situation is that KAIRI COULD DIE. Sora freaked enough that she's not breathing, he doesn't need you to crack jokes about her being dead."
"I know different." Brian replied with a smirk. Riku released Brian and looked at him dumbstruck.
"What you talkin' about Brian?" he asked.
"She's breathing and conscious and Sora knows nothing about first aid." He simply said. Riku looked at him, confused then his eyes widened as he realized something.
If Sora was to give her the 'kiss of life' while she was conscious, she might think that Sora is taking advantaged of her and she would never trust him again.
Riku turned around and saw that Sora was about to lean in. "SORA STOP! KAIRI IS….hmm…hmm…hmm" Riku shouted but was stopped by Brian jumping on his back like a monkey and covered his mouth. Sora stopped leaning in and looked at Riku who was trying to wrestle Brian off his back, even Quasimodo, Phoebus and Esmeralda found them entertaining to watch them two act like idiots. Sora continued to watch until he heard slight coughing coming from the side of him.
Sora turned his attention back on Kairi and started to shake her shoulder again. "Kairi. Come on Kai please wake up." Kairi's eyes started to flutter a bit as she started to wake up. She moved her hand in front of her eyes from the bright light but quickly moved it when a figure of someone's spiky hair blocked the light.
"Sora?" she asked weakly. She didn't get a reply, only a tight embrace. Sora had one of his hands at the back of her head, the other on her back. Kairi then swung her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Each of their heads were on each other's shoulders. A tear fell from Sora's eye and down his cheek as he closed his eyes.
"I thought I've lost you." Sora whispered. Kairi pulled out of the hug and looked at Sora to see the tear stain down one of his cheeks.
"I'm not going down that easy." She smiled. Sora grinned back (which made Kairi blush) and got up on his feet then pulling Kairi up to hers. Of course due to Sora not knowing his own strength, he pulled too hard making Kairi fall onto him, hands going down his chest. Sora and Kairi looked at each other but stepped away from each other making them both blush crazy. Sora could have sworn that when Kairi's hands when down his chest, he felt a shiver go down his spine but in a good way.
Riku had finally got Brian off his back and they both went over to Sora and Kairi. When he saw their faces, he couldn't help but smirk.
"So…What are you guys blushing about?" Riku joked, making the two blush even more. Brian just looked at Riku in disbelief.
"Oh no. Not you too Riku." Brian moaned, "Can't you blistery see that they…" Brian didn't finish as he got a jab in the ribs by Sora. He turned to him and saw his glare saying 'shut the hell up' which he did.
Quasimodo approached the four with Phoebus and Esmeralda behind him, holding hands.
"You're leaving?" Quasimodo asked
"Yea…but don't worry Quasi. We'll come visit." Sora said then turned to Kairi and Riku. "Right guys?" They both nodded in reply.
"We could even bring Donald and Goofy next time." Riku added
"We'll like that." Phoebus said. Although how happy this moment of farewell was, Brian was looking at them all like they were a bunch of idiots.
"Hey guys. Remember the balance we came to sort out." Brian reminded Sora, Kairi and Riku. "Yea we haven't done it yet."
"Okay so where is the Keyhole?" Riku asked, "Because I wouldn't know considering the fact that I was struck IN A STOCK FOR 5 DAYS STRAIGHT." Riku started. Sora, Kairi and Brian simply ignored him as they waited for a answer for Esmeralda.
"Above us!" Esmeralda pointed up.
Everyone looked up to see the ceiling painted like stars and some stars making a shape of a keyhole. Sora wondered why the gypsies had painted the ceiling in starts but simply ignored it as he, Kairi and Riku brought their Keyblades out. The tips of the kingdom key and Way to Dawn shined white while Oathkeeper shined blue. A ray of light came from Sora and Riku's keyblade and it reached the Keyhole. Before it locked, the blue ray of light from Kairi's keyblade when into the keyhole and made the keyhole both it's light and darkness. The amount of light and darkness was soon balanced and the keyhole was locked.
Brian (who was sitting at the sideline) grabbed a red notebook from his bag and while he wrote, his face smirked. Before joining the others, he quickly looked at what he had just written:
Gypsy's Gold: Check
A/N: I need reviews people or don't you like cookies. Please review because I have finally finished in this world so that means no more watching Hunchback of Notre Dame (which I love in any way) but can watch and study the next Disney world.I can't reply back due to only having a Wii for reading. Please Review
Kingdommad