Chapter XXVII: In the Radiant gardens part II

Outside of the cut of world of Hollow Bastion a couple of dark arrivals appeared. Inside their corridor of darkness Pete and Hari gazed upon Hollow Bastion and it's enormous grey domed barrier preventing any from entering.

"Oh that's just great then ain't it!" Pete cried out irritated. After being told off by Maleficent he once gain had been sent out with Hari to find more of these targets. Though he was further annoyed as he still didn't know exactly what it was they were after.

Hari was silent as she watched Pete rant on, "why is that world even shut off fer?! It were never nothin like this in the past!"

After a moment Hari closed her eyes as she then answered him, "it is because it does not wish for it to leave…"

Pete hearing this blinked, "what doesn't what want to leave?"

Hari quiet for another few moments then opened her eyes as she turned and looked at the world of Hollow Bastion again, "this worlds light… it is attracted to our target."

Pete was still confused though even after hearing Hari giving him the answer, but before he could inquire further she had already began to act. Summoning once more into her right hand her all too familiar keyblade "the one winged angel."

He watched awestruck as Hari gathered her power into the blade once more as it began to burn brightly and fiercely with red energy. It was almost too blinding to gaze at as then Hari suddenly launched herself out of the portal, her mechanical steel wings aloft strongly pushed her forward as she then rushed towards the barrier.

Pete watched then wide eyed as then Hari became a comet of red and then with an almighty smashing sound like glass she had made a hole within the barrier. Her task finished the energy pulsed out of her reseeding as she then turned and looked at Pete again with her still ever unchanging green eyes.

He was awestruck at her incredible power; it made him truly nervous seeing her potential almost to the point of fear. He moved the dark portal cautiously and nervously closer, then finally stepped out of it as he entered Hollow Bastion with her.

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Within the tall branches of a tree it's leaves were green and vibrant revealing the warmth of the season of summer with an everlasting blue sky, a small black squirrel was running along one of its long branches.

"No wait! Take it easy! Take it easy girl!"

The squirrel was running fast and energetically as it hopped forwards along the branch as it gained speed until finally-

"Oh no, no girl! Nozomi!"

With that the black squirrel made a huge leap as it jumped in the air towards another tree branch however unfortunately the branch she landed on collapsed.

"Whoa!" She cried out as she fell in the air but then fortunately she caught another nearby branch as she hung onto it for dear life.

"Now what did I tell you?!" With that Nozomi now in her squirrel form turned and looked at another squirrel this one was older looking and had blue fur with a pair of spectacles on his nose. This revealed him to be Merlin the magician.

"Always look before you leap!" He continued on giving her a lecture.

Nozomi blinked as she heard the old man and then just replied calmly still holding onto the branch with her arms, "I did look before I leaped, I calculated everything before I took off, it's just the branch gave way."

"Yes regardless, regardless of that though you can't always trust your luck girl, " Merlin continued as he was making his way over cautiously taking hold of each little twig on the branch that came his way.

Nozomi on the other hand managed to finally swing herself around and was now standing on the branch sighing she then started to speak, "but I already said that I wasn't-"

"We don't wanna hear it right now alright?" Came a familiar annoyed tone from a white squirrel that was close behind Merlin. Nozomi looked at it annoyed seeing it was once more Riku and his irritating nature.

However before an argument could arise between the two of them Merlin spoke once more, "first you make the easy jumps, gage the distance carefully…" Merlin then prepared himself to jump over a very small distance barely under thirty centimetres, then he jumped.

However he made a fault as he lost his balance and was now hanging onto the edge with his arms his tail dangling below him.

Nozomi immediately rushed to his aid, "oh Mr Merlin sir!"

Riku too rushed to help as he hopped over the edge and then with Nozomi they both pulled the wizard up together, Merlin then spoke again. "Ye see even there ye can make a mess!"

Finally then with a mighty oomph from both Nozomi and Riku they both pulled Merlin over as he then finished talking to them mending his glasses, "now don't take gravity too lightly otherwise it'll catch up to ya."

Nozomi recovering got up as she dusted her furry self as she rustled slightly, she turned and had a quick look at her tail as she felt very weird having it behind her, 'It's gonna be a while till I get used to this.' She thought to herself.

But then Riku then spoke, "yes of course Merlin… but now we've gotta get back to the deal at hand, now what was it you said we had to find?"

Finishing dusting Nozomi then turned around to listen herself interested, Merlin then himself spoke too finishing his own cleanliness, "right you are lad, what I'm searchin for here in these woods is a legendary seed called the valkerie seedling."

Nozomi blinked as she heard this term, "val…ker..ie seedling? What's that?" She asked.

Merlin continued, "it's a special type of seed that's mentioned in this story book that has very strong magical capabilities, so with its power I think that we'll be able to use it to communicate to the outside worlds."

Hearing this Nozomi nodded her head as she understood the basics of it all but then this brought out a question from the top of her head, "if it's that powerful Mr Merlin sir, why couldn't you just find it yourself?

Looking at her Merlin shook his head as he then told her, "because unfortunately even with my powerful spells and magic at hand, this seed is very allusive so I needed support and due to what the king has said about you I believe that you both will be able to find it easily."

Hearing this Nozomi was quiet but then she smiled at the thought knowing that the king had confidence in her and Riku. But it was then snowball interrupted this happy moment, "better not count on it Merlin, she's always the one who's finding trouble."

Nozomi felt her mouth drop slightly disgruntled hearing this as she turned around and saw that he'd taken off hopping forwards in his white squirrel form. Seeing he was trying to get away Nozomi ran after him as she then spoke angrily to him, "how dare you say that about me!"

Riku looked back at her with a smug face that only infuriated her further as he then replied, "Because it's only the truth."

Making Nozomi all the more angry they both hopped along some more branches and thin twigs before she continued the argument, "I'll have you know this right now! I am not the one that goes off finding trouble it's-" however she was cut off as she came to a halt as Riku did. For in front of them was another squirrel, a red one.

It seemed to look at Riku closely a keen look in its eyes as it made a couple of squirrel noises. Riku only looked back at it unsure of what to do. He then tried to make his move and go around it but then the squirrel stopped him in his tracks as he then tried the other way, but then the same reaction.

Nozomi looked at this queerly, "what are you doing? A dance? we've gotta move forward!"

"I know that stupid, but I can't!" He spoke as he looked at her and then back to the red squirrel that continued to gaze at him strangely.

It was then that Merlin appeared then behind Nozomi, she turned to him hoping for some kind of solution, "Mr Merlin sir, how do we get by?"

Merlin then seeing what Nozomi was talking about then answered her as he saw a possible solution, "oh well I suggest we walk back to a sidetrack."

Watching Merlin he then went back a slight distance as he arrived at a dividing tree branch that split in two. Going up on the higher dividing branch he then held onto a small twig.

Nozomi seeing this then too went up to stand beside him and then finally followed by Riku who stood in front of her. However unfortunately the squirrel didn't go the lower way and instead went onto the branch as it continued to gaze at him. Once again muttering odd squirrel language.

Riku was getting annoyed as he thought it hadn't got the hint as he then gestured to the open branch with his arms speaking loudly, "go on! Go on you've got lots of room!"

But then the squirrel then spoke again strangely as it twitched its nose and moved closer to Riku's face. Nozomi looked at this baffled.

Merlin however then caught onto what was going on as he then spoke, "I'm afraid you're in trouble lad, ye see that's a girl squirrel and a red head at that," he added with a wink in his eye.

Nozomi hearing this then looked at Merlin and then at Riku and the squirrel as she then asked, "a girl?"

Then suddenly Riku put his paws on the girl squirrels nose as he was getting fed up with her and her twitching nose so close to him as he pushed her away. But then the girl squirrel then put her own paws on Riku's own squirrel nose, surprised he then got mad as he shoved her paws away. But then suddenly again she pulled at Riku's paws as she put them on her nose again and then made something like a giggle. She then ran across from them in a hurry as she then looked back at Riku a happy joy in her eyes.

Both him and Nozomi were weirded out as then she suddenly came back and started grabbing at Riku's paws trying to hold them as he was trying his best to avoid hers, "she's acting really weirdly!"

Nozomi watching though couldn't help but smile at this awkward situation as she saw Riku was having his own medicine of trouble.

"That's because she likes you," Merlin replied.

As Nozomi heard this her smile broadened as she then laughed out loud, and then said in-between giggles, "oh that's great! Snowball and furball like a house on fire!"

Riku really got agitated at this as he then demanded, "why though?!" Then suddenly the squirrel had got a hold of his paws as she put them on her nose again giggling happily again, then she tried to grab him again.

However Riku ran back as he dodged past Nozomi and Merlin as he peeked behind him and then the female squirrel did too.

"Well that's nature but-" suddenly then the female squirrel started to chase after Riku as he was trying desperately to get away, the two of them ran in a dizzy circle around Nozomi and him.

"Well you better leave me out of it!" Merlin laughed and cried as he jumped out of the way.

"Dido that!" Nozomi laughed as she then too got out of the ridiculous circle.

As she did this though the female squirrel pounced on Riku as it made him stumble nearly off the edge.

He then moved to get away as he then spoke again, "I really don't want this!"

But then suddenly he gasped for as he had started to walk away the red girl squirrel had grabbed his tail pulling him back as he was wrapped in her own fluorescent tail.

"Merlin, Nozomi-!" He cried out as he struggled to get loose.

"Yer on your own lad, I'm afraid magic can't solve this problem," he spoke as he was smiling amused at the situation as he grabbed a nearby acorn.

"Yeah, your learning the hard way what I have to go through!" She added with her own devilish smirk enjoying the divine justice Karma was giving him.

Riku turned to the female squirrel as she continued to gaze lovingly at him as he tried desperately to explain himself. At the same time pushing away the tail that was still trying to snake it's way around him, "listen to me! I'm not a squirrel! I'm a boy! A human boy, not a-"

But then the red squirrel grabbed his face fur and then pushed her nose against his in a fast sequence of kisses.

Nozomi howled with laughter then as she then said out loud struggling with tears in her eyes, "oh I saw snowball's first kisses!"

Riku then immediately flushed red with embarrassment and anger as he turned around and looked at her hatefully, "Oh shut up!" He shouted.

He then shoved the squirrel away as she was then covered in her own red tail, "just go away and leave me alone!" He cried.

Running to Merlin and Nozomi (who was still smiling at the awkwardness) then said, "what am I supposed to do she won't leave me alo-"

Suddenly he was shoved forward by the squirrel that covered him in his own silver white tail and then as he was on the floor she jabbered to him in a mocking angry tone.

Merlin then laughed and went onto explain, "Well ye see yer stuck lad when a girl squirrel chooses a mate it's for life." As Riku was listening to this he scratched his head unsure and then irritatingly the girl squirrel came back and then scratched into his head too really hard that hurt.

Nozomi continued to giggle herself at the funny situation that he had got himself into as Riku tried to thwart her off again as he then replied, "well I'm not going to be a squirrel tomorrow am I?!"

Then suddenly the squirrel was rubbing herself against him into his chest that he got annoyed with. He then moved his paws to shove her away again but then unfortunately she'd grabbed his paws and moved them over holding them together. It almost looked like an embrace though an awkward one.

Merlin then continued to speak, "well she doesn't know that, she only knows one simple fact that that you're a him and she's a her."

Then again the girl squirrel grabbed his paws once more again and then covered her nose with them as she then dashed off again. Then taking his chance he then went to hide in Merlin's big bushy blue tail. He then saw Nozomi smiling at him and then looked at her really annoyed as he then said to her before burying himself, "Don't you dare!"

"Oh dare what?" Nozomi asked mischievously with a cheeky grin.

With that Riku hid as the red squirrel girl came back, Nozomi watched as the girl looked for Riku and then as she went near Merlin's tail she then poked her shoulder.

Then indicating with her own paw she pointed to Merlin's tail with a smile of glee. The squirrel getting the instant hint pulled Riku out by his tail who was trying desperately to get away.

"You traitor!" He shouted angrily.

Nozomi however only smirked mockingly as she then said to him, "you're just learning the hard way that I don't find trouble, trouble finds me!"

Turning around then the girl squirrel pulled again at his face fur and then once again gave him another series of fast nose kisses.

With that realising Nozomi and Merlin were not going to be any real sources of help he ran away as fast as he could the red squirrel fast on his tracks. Nozomi just continued to smile as he ran off and then turning to Merlin she then spoke, "well I better go off and find this Valkerie seed you need then."

Merlin nodded, "alright then lass, but you mind yourself, remember look before you leap!"

Nozomi already moving then called back, "yeah, yeah I will!"