Portals to Twilight Town
Part 4
Hinata walked through the long hallways beside Hiro and Baymax in silence as they looked in every room they passed; unsure of what exactly they were looking for. Unsettling creaking sounds echoed through the building and every once in a while Hinata would spin her head around, thinking she heard something rustling behind them; but nothing would be there.
"I wonder if the others have found anything." Hiro spoke up, breaking the silence.
"Riku will probably call me if they do." Hinata replied, reaching into a small pocket in her vest and pulling out her silver communication device. Once Hiro noticed the contraption, she placed it back in her vest and looked up ahead. "It looks like up ahead the hall splits into two different directions."
"Do you want to try splitting up?" He asked.
She nodded, "Yeah, we can cover more ground that way."
"Will you be alright by yourself?"
"Yeah," She smirked, "I can take care of myself; plus I don't think there is much here that could hurt us, anyways."
"Alright," He replied, "Baymax and I will head to the right. If we don't find anything let's just meet back up with Riku and Akira."
"Sounds good." She agreed, already turning to the left to head down the hall. Putting up her hand she gave them a small wave. "See you soon."
"Yeah, see ya." Hiro called back, heading his own way with Baymax.
Hinata walked along the empty hall, looking up at the flickering lights on the ceiling. The entire place was giving her the chills and almost reminded her of the machine underworld on Treasure Planet with how desolate it was. She slid open every metal door she passed, glancing inside the rooms that were mostly filled with rows of beds and tables; no doubt where the scientists stayed when the original purpose of the base had been in use. Except now everything was empty and dusty as pieces of the ceiling rained down on the floor periodically. Curiosity getting the best of her, Hinata entered one of the rooms with rows of bunkbeds lined against the walls as she spotted a door on the far end of the room. Two stone pillars stood in the room, supposedly supporting the integrity of the building. As she took a step into the center of the room the floor beneath her foot creaked and small cracks instantly appeared in the cement flooring. She instantly stopped, waiting for the ground to stop rumbling and was about to turn back to the exit of the room, but the familiar sound of Heartless appearing made her freeze. Slowly, she turned back around to see a large group of Shadow Heartless around her. Without hesitation she activated her blades and readied for a fight.
"I should have expected to see you guys here." She told them and as she spoke, more and more Heartless began appearing. As the room filled up, the floor began to gradually crack more and more. Hinata glanced down at the breaking concrete and took a couple steps back towards the exit of the room. "I should go." She ordered herself.
Deactivating her blades, she turned around to run out of the room, but was stopped mid-step as a whole new group of Heartless blocked her exit. Soldiers clanked their sharp red claws together as they twitched in front of her and behind them stood a single Large Body Heartless, already pounding its oversized hand against its round stomach.
Hinata cleared her throat and stepped back, examining the group around her. "Alright, this is not good." She mumbled to herself, warily looking down at the floor as it continued to creak and slowly break apart. "Why did they all show up here?" She asked, glancing back up at the dozens of enemies in front of her.
Without notice, the Shadow Heartless behind her pounced into action; clawing at her with their small hands. Hinata instinctively activated her blades and rolled out of the way of their attack; slicing them as she got back to her feet. She quickly ran towards the large group of the Shadows and swiftly began taking them out in stride. The floor scraped with every movement she made and Hinata noticed the cracks in the floor growing exponentially in size. Leaning her back against the bar of one of the bunkbeds, she quickly looked around the room seeing that a majority of the Shadows had been dealt with. The Large Body still blocked her exit but the Soldiers were beginning to charge. They sloppily flung their red claws in front of their metal faces, clanking their boots against the cement as they ran. Hinata regained her breath and pushed off the bed, taking on the new enemies as quickly as she could. With her back turned to the exit, she held off a large group of both the Shadows and Soldiers; but then the ground began to loudly rumble as the Large Body got ready to charge.
Hinata's heart momentarily stopped as she spun around just in time to see the creature barreling towards her. With every step, the frail floor cracked upon impact and the room shook. Knowing its weak point, Hinata rolled out of the way and prepared to slash her blades against its back; but as the Heartless passed her the ground finally gave way and crumbled beneath her. Letting out a surprised scream, Hinata fell out of the room. She deactivated her blades in a gut reaction and reached up her hand just in time to be able to grasp the edge of floor that was still intact. Dust and rubble fell around her into the dark level below as she held onto the ledge by the tips of her fingers. With a shaking breath she brought up her other hand and struggled to pull herself up. When her forearms were back in the room, she lifted her head up to see the group of Heartless staring at her through their yellow glowing eyes.
"Hey guys, how are ya?" She asked them in a sarcastic tone, trying to figure out what to do. She looked at the group and noticed that the Big Body was no longer among them. "It must have fallen with the floor." She guessed, trying to pull the rest of her body back up; but as she did, the floor she was grasping began to flake and break apart.
Leaning her head against the edge, she deeply sighed. Pulling back one of her hands from the ledge, she tried to maneuver her hand into her vest pocket to grab her communication device. She brought it out in front of her and pressed the blue button in the center of the contraption so she could contact Riku. As the device dialed however, the Heartless decided it was a good time to make their new attack. Hinata noticed their intentions and quickly darted her eyes around, trying to figure out what to do. A Soldier Heartless ran up first and with its metal boot, kicked the communication device off the edge, making it fall to the room below.
"No, no no!" Hinata yelled, as she watched her one way to contact Riku fall out of sight.
Activating one of her blades, she firmly held one of her hands on the ledge and swung her other armed hand towards the Heartless; trying to keep them back. The movement caused the edge of the concrete she was holding onto to crack which in turn loosened her hold.
With widened eyes, she watched her hand slowly slip away from the ledge and in an instant; she was freefalling to the darkness below. Holding out one of her hands, she pressed the button on the side of her gauntlet, shooting out the hook-shot towards one of the pillars in the room above. The hook instantly shot out of her gauntlet and stuck into the center of the stone column; pulling the wire of the shot tight and stopping Hinata mid-fall. Hinata let out a sigh of relief and was about to press the button on her glove again to bring her back to the room above; unfortunately though, the moment of peace was short lived. The bottom of the pillar began to crack and before Hinata knew what was happening, the entire column collapsed; sending her back to her free-fall but this time bringing the stone along with her.
Hinata let out a scream as she fell, unsure of how long the fall was going to be or if she would even live through it. Her thoughts were interrupted as her back landed hard against the ground of the next floor. Small rocks and pieces from the room above pierced into her back as her breath momentarily left her body. She gritted her teeth, trying to keep herself from letting out a loud cry of pain; but was unable to keep it back as the pillar landed beside her, pinning her wrist to the floor.
"Riku!" She screamed out, holding onto the hope that he could somehow hear her. Holding back the tears that were stinging the corner of her eyes, she continued to call, "Hello!? Can anyone hear me?"
A few feet away from her, she spotted her communications device as it began to glow a bright blue and vibrated to signify that someone was trying to call her. Reaching out her free hand, she tried to grab it; but it was barely out of reach.
Riku looked worriedly at the device in his hand as he tried to contact Hinata. He stood beside Akira in a white lab they had found while exploring the lower level. "She still isn't answering." He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"She probably just doesn't notice it ringing!" Kitigin offered, trying to ease his worry.
"That's not like her though." He replied, placing the device into his coat pocket. "She tried calling me earlier, but when I picked up she wasn't there." He glanced back towards the way they came from. "Something's wrong. I'm going to go find her." Without waiting for a reply, he quickly began walking away.
"Riku, wait!" Akira called after him, waiting for him to reluctantly come to a stop, before assuring him. "Hiro and Baymax are with her; she's probably fine." Motioning her hand towards a computer beside her, she reminded him, "We just found Callaghan's work. We need to start working on the plans."
"Look, I know you want to get home as soon as possible," Riku told her, "But if something happened to Hinata…"
"She can take care of herself!" Akira pointed out. "You know a lot more about this scientific stuff than I do. I won't be able to put this together without your help." She paused and noticed Riku's apprehension. With a sigh, she added, "Look, if she isn't back in a half hour we'll go look for her together, okay?"
Riku sighed and nodded, "Alright." With hesitation, he turned back around and headed back to the computer beside Akira.
The lab looked eerily similar to DiZ's work space back at the mansion in Twilight Town. The computer in front of them was unlike anything they had seen yet in the rest of the building; with multiple screens layered above the other. A large metal ring stood behind them seemingly half-way finished as stray wires and pieces were sticking out of it. When they had first walked into the room, the lights immediately came on and the computer sparked to life. On the lit screens were blueprints for the metal ring behind them. Riku examined the screens, trying to make sense of what still needed to be done.
"I don't really know where to start." He admitted.
"I bet Hiro would know!" Kitigin pointed out. "He did make that armor for Baymax. Maybe he knows about this type of stuff."
Akira sighed, "Alright, let's go find him then." She nudged Riku. "I guess we get to go look for your girlfriend after all."
"Yeah," He shortly replied, already leading the way out of the lab, back the way they came.
Not a word was spoken between them as they made their way back to the main level. As they climbed out of the lower floor, they saw Hiro and Baymax approaching them. Riku quickly stood up and crossed his arms and Akira climbed up beside him.
"Oh, we were just about to go look for you!" Kitigin chimed.
"Yeah, we found the lab." Akira told them.
"Great!" Hiro smiled.
"Where is Hinata?" Riku asked them.
Hiro pointed behind him, "We reached a place where the hall split into different directions, so she suggested we split up and meet back here. Baymax and I didn't find anything on our end and if you guys found the lab, she'll probably be back soon too."
"I'm going to go look for her." Riku replied and was about to walk off, but was stopped when Akira grabbed his arm.
"Riku, seriously, chill out." Akira told him, feeling the slight glare Riku gave her in return even though a black sash covered his eyes. "Go back with Hiro to the lab and help him with the portal. You'll be more help than me."
"She isn't answering any of my calls or calling back," Riku reminded her, "I know something is wrong."
"Alright, fine!" She lightly groaned and gave in. "Kitigin and I will go looking for her."
"I may be of assistance as well." Baymax spoke up, walking forward. "If Hinata is in any danger, my medical protocols may be required."
Akira nodded, "Alright, sure." She looked back at Riku. "There, is that good enough for you?"
Riku glanced between Akira and the hallway Hinata went down. With a sigh, he pushed Akira's hand off his arm and resigned, "Fine." Reaching into his other coat pocket, he pulled out another communication device. "But keep this on you in case something goes wrong."
Akira took the device and looked down at it before asking, "How many of these to you carry?"
"Only one extra." He told her, before adding, "Make sure Hinata's safe. She has a habit of getting herself into trouble."
"Don't worry Romeo," She groaned, turning around to walk down the hall with Baymax. "I'll make sure your girlfriend's safe."
As they walked away, Kitigin whispered, "Why are you acting like that to him? I think its sweet he's worried about Hinata."
Akira sighed and replied quietly, "I don't know, for some reason his overprotective attitude is just rubbing me the wrong way."
"Do you think you might be jealous?" She asked.
A light blush appearing on her cheeks, Akira defended, "What? No! I just don't think I would like a guy to be that protective over me. What's there to be jealous of?"
"Oh, ok, sorry I asked." Kitigin replied, hiding away in Akira's hair to hide the small smile on her face.
"My scans have located Hinata." Baymax interrupted their conversation. "Her blood pressure and adrenaline is elevated. I suggest haste."
"Alright then, lead the way." Akira told him, following after Baymax as he toddled along. The longer they walked, the more worried she became. "What did you mean that her blood pressure was elevated? Is she injured?"
"From this distance my scans are unable to make such prognosis." He explained. "The levels of her blood pressure indicate high stress; however, that is the extent of my knowledge."
"I hope she's alright." Kitigin spoke up.
"Me too," Akira agreed, "I thought Riku was just being overbearing… but maybe he was right."
They walked along with Baymax in silence until they entered the room Hinata had been in earlier. Akira stopped mid-step when she saw the crushed floor in front of her. Looking up from the ground she saw the group of Heartless on the other side of the room. They stood along the edge of the pit staring down at the lower floor but didn't move from their spots.
Baymax began walking forward, but Akira put her arm out in front of him and stopped him. "Don't go near those things." She told him.
"But Hinata is here." He told her simply.
"Let me take care of these guys first." She replied, holding out her hand and summoning Dreams Will.
She took a step forward and a loud crack of the floor caught the Heartless' attention. As a group their yellow eyes shot up towards Akira. They instantly began making their way around the edge of the hole in the floor towards the group as Akira readied her weapon.
"Akira," Kitigin told her quickly, "I can sense Hinata now that we're close to her. She doesn't have much health left."
"You and Baymax get to her," Akira ordered her, "I'll keep the Heartless busy."
Kitigin nodded and jumped from Akira's shoulder to Baymax's. As she situated herself on his shoulder, she asked him. "Where is Hinata?"
"She is in the room below." Baymax informed her, toddling forward as Akira ran ahead and began fighting the Heartless with magic blasts.
When he reached the edge of the floor he stood straight as his feet lit up with small rockets; lifting them off the ground. With ease, they lowered into the darkened room below and landed on the dusty ground. Once there, an orange glow began emanating from Baymax's interior, dimly lighting the room. Kitigin jumped off of Baymax's shoulder to the ground and gasped when she spotted Hinata unconscious on the ground. Dust and rubble surrounded her and a large stone pillar pinned her right arm to the ground.
"Hinata?" Kitigin asked worriedly as she scampered onto Hinata. She went to her face and lightly swatted her paw against her cheek.
With a quiet groan, Hinata slowly opened her eyes and coughed before asking, "K-Kitigin?"
"Riku sent us to find you!" She told her, looking her over. "What happened?"
"On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?" Baymax interrupted, coming forward without his armor chest plate to show the emotion screen from earlier.
Hinata blinked a few times to try to figure out what exactly was going on before stammering, "I…um… like over a hundred?"
"That is impossible." Baymax told her, looking over at the column. "How did this pillar come to be on top of your arm?"
"It fell on me." She told him, feebly trying to pull her arm out before letting out a small cry of pain from moving.
"Do not move." Baymax ordered her as he placed his hands under the stone and easily lifted it off the ground. Tossing the stone away, he turned back towards her. "I will scan you now… scan complete. You have multiple injuries along your back, a minor concussion, and a dislocated wrist."
"I'm surprised your wrist isn't broken!" Kitigin added.
"I think the metal of my gauntlet took most of the pressure from the pillar." Hinata told her, beginning to get back to reality. Clenching her teeth, she slowly pushed herself to sit up despite the orders Baymax had given her.
"I suggest relocating your wrist before addressing any other injuries." Baymax told her, walking forward and reaching for her arm.
"Isn't that going to hurt?" Kitigin asked.
"You have no idea." Hinata told her, slowly and carefully taking off her gauntlet.
"Is Hinata alright?" Akira called from the floor above. "I took care of the Heartless!"
"Yeah, I'm alright." Hinata replied while keeping her eyes averted as Baymax grabbed her arm.
"Oh good," Akira replied, jumping down and landing safely beside them.
"What?" Hinata asked in near disbelief. "How did you just jump down here like that? That's over a twenty foot drop! I'm lucky I- OW!" She cried out as Baymax relocated her wrist.
Akira winced when she saw Baymax put her bones back into place before explaining. "Something to do with the magic inside me. I can jump from a three story building and land just fine. Riku can do it too."
Hinata frowned as she rubbed her wrist. "Well I knew Riku could do it; but I always assumed it was because of the darkness inside him." She sighed, "You magic-users get all the luck."
Baymax went behind Hinata and began carefully removing the rocks implanted into her back; spraying antiseptic spray over each wound, making Hinata cringe from the sting. Kitigin went up beside her and cast a small healing spell on her to help with the pain.
"So… what happened?" Akira asked, sitting in front of Hinata as Baymax fixed her up.
Hinata gave Kitigin a thankful smile before sighing, "Basically I got ambushed by a ton of Heartless and then one of those Big Body ones barged in and made the floor crumble beneath me. I tried using my hook-shot to get back up, but that only made that pillar fall with me and pinned my arm to the ground."
Akira shuddered, "Ouch. That doesn't sound pleasant."
With a small scoff, Hinata replied, "Yeah, I've had better days." She shrugged, "But I've also had worse, so I guess I can't complain too much."
"Riku's been really worried about you!" Kitigin told her. "He wanted to come find you himself, but Akira made him stay behind to help Hiro with the portal."
"You guys found it?" Hinata asked as a smile appeared on her face. "Well that's a relief."
Akira smiled back, "Yeah, Riku and I found it when we were exploring the lower lever. Then he kept trying to call you to let you know, but you never answered. That's when he went all crazy."
Hinata chuckled, "Yeah, he can be a little overprotective sometimes; but I don't mind it. He's usually right about something being wrong though." She averted her eyes to her communications device a few feet away from them. "My device fell before I did and I couldn't reach it whenever Riku tried to call."
"Well I better let him know you're safe." Akira told her, standing up and pulling out the device Riku had given her.
Within seconds of pressing the blue button, Riku's hologram appeared. "Did you find her?" He asked the moment the call connected.
Akira slightly frowned that he didn't even bother greeting her, but forced a smile before replying, "Yeah, she's alright. Baymax and Kitigin are patching her up then we'll head back."
"Patching her up?" He repeated, "What happened? Where is she?"
Akira rolled her eyes and interrupted him, "We'll be back in like ten minutes, alright? Then you can ask her yourself. How is the portal coming along?"
"It's almost done!" Hiro's voice went over the speaker even though his hologram never appeared.
"Yeah," Riku shortly added. "Not much left."
"Alright, see you…" She started, but scowled when Riku abruptly hung up. With an exasperated sigh, she went back to Hinata and sat down in front of her. "That boyfriend of yours is something else, you know that?" She complained in an annoyed tone.
Hinata eyed her as she sat down in front of her, before giving her a small knowing smile.
"What?" She asked, noticing the look.
"Nothing," Hinata shrugged. "I was just wondering if there is a Riku in your universe."
Akira gave her a strange look, "I don't know… why?"
"Maybe you should find him." Hinata told her. "And me too."
She shrugged, "I already have enough stuff to worry about."
"Like what?" Hinata asked.
"Like trying to find my brother, for one." She admitted, looking away. "I lost him…"
Hinata reached forward and grabbed Akira's hand. "I'm sorry… I lost my sister a few years ago."
"You did?" She glanced back at Hinata, slightly uncomfortable that her hand was being held.
"Yeah," Hinata nodded, "Kairi and I got separated when our home world was destroyed. We both ended up on the same world… but for some reason we arrived their eight years apart. By the time we met again we were almost the same age; when before I was older by nine years."
"Wow…"She muttered. "But you're together now right?"
"No, we're separated again." Hinata sighed, "But at least I know she's safe now. Just like I'm sure your brother will be."
Akira gave her a small smile. "Thanks… Could you let go of my hand now?"
"Hmm?" Hinata asked, before looking down at their clasped hands. "Oh! Yeah, sorry." She quickly retracted her hand and sheepishly smiled.
"The rocks have been removed from her back." Baymax informed her, standing up and walking to be in front of the group. "I suggest we head back to Hiro before I continue your medical treatment."
"Good idea." Hinata agreed, about to push herself up; but stopped herself short when her wrist twanged in pain. "Uh… can someone help me up?" As the words left her mouth, Baymax reached down and easily picked her up off the ground; cradling her in his armored arms. "Oh… uh, thanks Baymax. I think I can walk now."
"You should rest," He replied, "I will carry you back to Hiro."
Hinata was about to object, but feeling a sudden spike of pain she resigned, "Alright then. Carry on."
Baymax lit up the rockets under his feet and lifted them back up to the above level. Kitigin scurried back onto Akira's shoulder before she easily climbed the rubble to join the others. The walk went with small chatter and soon they reached the entrance to the lower level that Baymax had created earlier. They climbed down and soon approached a tall doorway that led into a vast room. It was unlike the old broken building surrounding them and was instead intact and brilliantly held together. Hinata looked around the room at the computer along the wall and the towering metal ring on the other end of the area. Examining the ring, she spotted Riku at the bottom of it, holding a large object in his hands while trying to attach it to the portal.
"We're back!" Akira called out as they entered the lab.
Riku immediately shot his gaze up from the ring towards the entering group and putting down the object in his hands he rushed over to Hinata. A smile appeared on her face and she wriggled out of Baymax's arms. Her legs felt limp for a moment when her feet touched the ground, causing her to slightly stumble. Riku reached forward and helped her steady her balance, letting out a breath of relief when he saw she was alive and well.
"You had me worried." He told her as he held her in his arms. "What happened?"
"I got attacked by Heartless and the floor beneath me fell through." She told him, leaning her head against his shoulder for a moment before pulling away. "I'm fine though, thanks to them." She motioned her hand towards Baymax and Akira. "Just a little beat up."
"See, I told you she was fine." Akira reminded him, placing her hands on her hips.
Riku nodded and smirked, "Yeah, you were right."
"Hinata," Baymax interrupted, stepping forward. "You are still in need of medical attention."
"Alright," She nodded, turning back to Baymax so he could continue fixing her up.
Akira turned away from the group and walked towards Hiro as he typed away at the computer. "So you said it's almost done?" She asked him once she was beside him.
"Yeah," He replied quickly, not looking away from the screens. "Riku and I got the rest of the materials on the portal. All we need to do now is put in that Star Shard; whatever that is."
"A Star Shard?" She repeated.
"You'll have to ask Riku about it. It's definitely not a material found here in San Fransokyo." He shrugged, pressing a button on the keyboard before finally looking towards Akira. "You ready to head home?"
Akira sighed, "You have no idea."
Hiro chuckled in response. "Yeah, I couldn't even begin to imagine being stuck on some unknown world. You held up pretty good if you ask me."
"Thanks." She quietly replied.
They stood in an awkward silence for a couple seconds before Hiro turned and called, "Hey Riku, I think we can put in that Star Shard now!"
Riku left Hinata's side and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out the bright blue gummi. "Akira has to be the one that puts it in." He informed them as he approached.
"Me?" She repeated, "Why me?"
"According to DiZ, this gummi has some sort of telepathic powers to it." He explained almost unsure. "If used correctly it's supposed to take you where your hearts wants to be."
"So what… when I put it in I'm supposed to think of home?" Akira clarified. "But what if the portal ends up taking me somewhere else?"
"Is there another place your heart wants to be?" Hinata asked, calling over from where Baymax was attending to her wounds.
"I… guess not." She admitted, "At least not anywhere more than home." Quickly shaking her head, she held out her hand. "Alright, give me the Star Shard." When Riku placed the gummi in her hand, she asked. "Where am I supposed to put it?"
Hiro typed away of the computer and within a few keystrokes a small compartment opened on the metal ring. "In there." He told her.
"So just put it in and think of home." Akira told herself as she walked forward.
Nearing the metal ring, she stopped in front of the opened compartment. She knelt down and tightly closed her eyes, imagining the vast green fields of Seikastu Valley. When she had a clear picture in her mind she held out the Star Shard and placed it inside the slot. A spark of electricity startled her eyes open as the connection between the portal and the shard had been made. She quickly scrambled to her feet and stood back, watching as the seams around the ring lit up a bright blue. With a whoosh, the inside of the ring filled up with what looked like a blue liquid, giving the surface a watery look.
The group stared at the newly formed portal in awe. Hinata left Baymax and walked up beside Akira.
"So this is it." She told Akira, "You finally get to go home."
"I just… walk through that?" Akira asked. "And I'll be home?"
"If DiZ and Callaghan are to be believed." Riku told her.
Taking a deep breath, Akira nodded, "Alright. I better do this quick then." Turning towards Hinata she gave her a small smile. "Thanks… for everything. You and Riku really went out of your way to help me even though you know next to nothing about me."
Hinata shrugged, "Well we were free today and didn't have anything better to do." She broke into a smile at the end of her sentence and pulled Akira into a hug. "I know you don't like these, but I can't help it."
Akira patted her back before pulling away, "No, it's fine." She glanced over at Riku as he came up beside Hinata and smiled. "I guess this is goodbye then… Sorry if I was being rude before, I was…"
"Don't worry about it." Riku interrupted her. "I get it." He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, "Try to be more careful when you get back home. Don't wander into random portals anymore."
With a scoff, she put up her hands, "Oh believe me, this is never happening again." They stood in silence for a moment before Akira turned to say goodbye to Hiro and Baymax.
As she left, Kitigin jumped off Akira's shoulder and scampered over to Hinata. "I wanted to say goodbye too!" She told them.
Hinata smiled and knelt down to her level. "It was fun to meet a talking cat." She told her with a small laugh. "Thank you for all the help. It's pretty awesome that you can do magic."
Kitigin gave a small purr. "It was nice to meet you too! I know Akira was stressed, but I actually had a great time! Maybe we can come visit again someday!"
"Yeah, maybe." Hinata agreed, watching as she scurried back to Akira.
Once Kitigin was on her shoulder, Akira stood in front of the portal. She stared at the water complexion and warily held up her hands towards it. She glanced back at Hinata and Riku, letting her gaze linger a second longer on Riku. Giving them a smile, she took a deep breath and walked through the portal. A wet sensation covered her entire body as if she were jumping into a body of water. Within seconds the feeling suddenly vanished and was replaced with a soft warm breeze and the scent of cherry blossoms in the air. Akira reluctantly opened her eyes and gasped when she found herself back in Seikastu Valley. She stood in the center of a green grassy field and the sky was brilliantly blue with very few clouds above.
"We're home!" She exclaimed, giving a short jump for joy and laughing together with Kitigin. "I can't believe it actually worked."
Taking a deep breath to regain her composure, she looked up at the sky and closed her eyes; feeling the heat of the sun radiate off her skin.
"Akira!" A familiar voice called out to her.
Opening her eyes, Akira spun in place and smiled when she saw Sorin sprinting towards her. His green eyes were glowing as he ran ahead of their two other friends with a grin plain across his face. He reached her before the others and immediately wrapped his arms around Akira.
"We've been looking everywhere for you!" He told her, "This is out third time checking this field!"
Akira hugged him back for a moment, before pushing him away. "Oh please," She scoffed, "You know your big sis can take care of herself. I'm more worried about how you would have fared if I went missing."
Sorin crossed his arms and gave a small pout, "What? I would have been just fine on my own!" His annoyance quickly melted away as their other two friends reached them. The grin once again appearing, Sorin pointed out, "See Robin and Lucy? I told you we would find Akira today!"
Robin smirked and placed one of his hands on Akira's shoulder, using his other hand to ruffle his short black hair. "That was some disappearing act." He told her. "Care to tell us where you went?"
"I'm just glad you're safe." Lucy told her, playing with the ends of her light orange pigtails. "We were really worried."
Akira let out a breath of relief and unexpectedly pulled all of her friends in for a group hug.
"Alright, who are you and what have you done with Akira?" Robin asked as he was pulled into the embrace.
"I just missed you guys." She admitted, quickly releasing them and clearing her throat. "But I'm home now… And I've got quite the story to tell."
*** Author's Note: Finally finished! Just a reminder, Akira, Kitigin, Lucy, Robin, and Sorin all belong to Spirit of Writing.
Poor Hinata, she is like my test crash dummy (You know the ones the put in cars to test crashing?) She always seems to get the short end of things. Anyways, next up is Riku and Hinata's first date. ***