Chapter 45: A Punch To The Face

-April 17, 2009-

Sylvia's POV

Kassy tried with all her might to avoid looking at the doorway. Riku was on her mind. I just knew it. She couldn't fool me. A hand landed gently on her shoulder. She managed a weak smile up at Elena. I wrapped an arm around the back of her neck, pulling her head to my shoulder with my hand. Hazel came up behind, wrapping her arms around her waist. She couldn't help giggling. The others stared at us with questioning gazes. We reluctantly let go of our worried friend.

"If you'd like, you may explore the book." Merlin suggested, motioning to the book on the far table.

Sora eyed Pooh's storybook for a moment before looking at each of us, "Anyone coming with?"

I noticed Kassy raising her hand, a nervous frown on her lips. With a smirk, I shoved her towards the brunette. He steadied her, hands lingering in each other's. Both their faces burst with a crimson glow as they looked at each other. I shoved them both towards the open book, smirking as they disappeared in a portal of light.

I grinned over my shoulder to Elena and Hazel, "He's so getting laid tonight."

"You're an idiot." Elena groaned. Hazel snickered. The room grew awkward. Merlin interrupted the silence with a cough, "While those two are on their journey in the book, if you follow me, I will start your training."

My jaw dropped before glaring, "What?! Come on! You gotta discuss shit with us! We're kinda in the dark here!"

"Would you be tactful and respectful for once in your fucking life?!" Elena spun me around, shoving a finger in my chest.

I stood my ground with a smug expression, "Oooh forceful. You know what a girl likes."

She raised a closed fist faster than I had anticipated and couldn't evade the hard punch to the face. I couldn't hear the excitement of the room clearly through the ringing in my ears.

Having been forced to my knees, I looked up at my assailant with a grin, blood dripping from my nose and lips, "That the best ya got, bitch?"

"Whoa, whoa, Vy-Vy, come on! Don't antagonize her further!" Hazel tugged on Elena's arm holding my shirt in a fistful grip.

"Back off, I'm been wanting to do this for years." Her eyes blazed strongly as she shoved Hazel roughly to the floor. To my surprise the irises began darkening until they were as black as a broken heart.

I spat blood in her face, "Then do it, cunt." Her other fist drew back. My eyes closed of their own accord.

The impact never came. I blinked for a moment before registering the scene in front of me. Elena's fist was frozen in the air mid swing. Upon observation, her entire body was frozen.

I looked to the left at Merlin approaching with a grave expression, "I was afraid of this… Her eyes changed. She's tapped into the Anti-Princess of Heart's power."

"What? What the hell does that mean? How could she even do that? She was with u- Wait…" I jerked my head to look at Hazel, standing behind Elena, "She was with Cloud! Did something happen?"

"Did he say something maybe?" She frowned, nervously hovering close to checkout her eyes and everything else.

"Who knows. But I do know that her being frozen like this is hella creepy. Can I at least get out of her grip so I don't have to look at her face?" My bottom lip jutted out in a deep pout. Hazel helped me ease my shirt out of Elena's closed fist. I slipped over to her side for her face to be out of my line of sight, "Better but still creepy."

"Perhaps we should find Cloud and inquire about what the trigger was?" Merlin suggested, "One of you go out and find him and in the meantime, the rest of us will prepare for worst case scenario."

Before I could volunteer, Hazel gripped my right shoulder, "Vy-Vy, you can't go. You're gonna make things worse."

I glared before the sentence had finished, forcefully shrugging off the offending hand, "What the fuck does that mean?! I can bring him here!"

She took a deep sigh, "Come on. Even if you could get him here, he wouldn't tell us anything unless he was here of his own free will."

I grumbled for a moment before turning away, steeling my stance, "Fine. Whatever. Go."

I heard a soft, saddened sigh, "I'll be back as quick as I can."

I refused to turn around until I heard her echoing footsteps cease completely. I turned and faced the others, with a squared jaw, "So, what do you suggest."

Merlin ran a hand down his beard with a grave look, "I fear I may have to suppress her power for the time being. But if it's getting worse, it may have consequences."

I swallowed my disgust and stepped closer to put a hand to her cheek with a small frown, looking into her empty black orbs, "Consequences? I'm afraid to ask."

"It would cause her heart to become unstable. There has been a tie to the previous Anti-Princess of Heart and had suppressed the power. But as Elena had been so young she had not tapped into said power and the consequences were non-existent. Whatever has triggered this… It would not be without risk to suppress it further. An unstable heart is dangerous thing."

I tapped my palm gently against the frozen face of my friend, mumbling, "And you call me heartless…"

"Is there a better way, Merlin?" Goofy asked from his standing point behind the wizard.

I snorted humorlessly, not looking away from the eerie gaze of darkness, "Yoga?"

"That's not entirely incorrect." He hummed thoughtfully.

I snapped my head quickly to look at him, ignoring the twinge of pain in my neck, hand dropping carelessly to my side, "Say what? I was kidding!"

"This is something that she has to learn to control herself. All of you. I can assist, but in the end it will be you who will be in control or not. And both you and Elena should be especially careful. Darkness is cunning foe. It can be in the form of many things including everything we ever wanted." I didn't like the look in his eye. Swallowing the thick lump that had suddenly blocked my throat, I looked back at the frozen Elena.

Whatever he had in mind to say, if he was going to say anything, was interrupted by a pair of heavy footsteps hurrying up the steps and though the curtain doorway.

Hazel half jumped and was half pushed out of the way as Cloud rushed over to stand in front of Elena, shoving me out of the way. Hazel clamped down the insults that threatened to escape my mouth with a hand on my shoulder.

In a matter of minutes, in accordance to Cloud who refused to speak in front of us and only to Merlin, Hazel and Goofy with their strength combined dragged me kicking and screaming to the training loft above. Merlin sealed the door before I could escape. I hoped someone's ears bled as I protested my anger.

Donald looked like he was one of the ones on the verge of it with his hands on the sides of his head with scrunched eyes.