- Chapter 23 -
The Game Begins
Author's Note:
Just FYI, don't expect any musicals in this chapter. It's just not my style. Now then...
Ratigan's Hideout
With Pete and Mortimer flanking him on either side, Ratigan approached the throne on the far end of the barrel, his men cheering him on. With Maleficent's sidekicks still flanking him, Ratigan sat down and held out his cigarette, to which several of his men offered lit matches. Ratigan lit his cigarette and inhaled, blowing out several rings of smoke.
"My friends," the crime lord said, "we are about to embark on the most odious, the most evil, the most diabolical scheme of my illustrious career! A crime to top all crimes! A crime that will live in infamy!"
As Ratigan's men cheered, Pete and Mortimer exchanged glances.
"Now there's a guy who likes being bad," Pete said to Mortimer.
"Bigger than the Big Ben Caper? And the Tower Bridge Job?" one of Ratigan's henchmen asked.
"Meaner than the widows and orphans you drowned?" piped up a lizard, the only non-mouse.
Pete and Mortimer once again exchanged surprised glances at that reveal.
"Oh, I assure you this will be my worst crime yet," Ratigan said as he withdrew a newspaper from his pocket. The headline screamed, "Queen's Jubilee Tomorrow," and below that was a picture of a regal-looking female mouse with a crown on her head.
"Tomorrow evening, our beloved monarch celebrates her Diamond Jubilee, and, with the enthusiastic help of our good friend, Mr. Flaversham, it promises to be a night she will never forget!"
To punctuate his words, Ratigan burned the queen's picture with his cigarette before continuing. "Her last night...and my first, as supreme ruler of all mousedom!" In his excitement, Ratigan's hair and collar came loose as his henchmen cheered for him.
"All hail Ratigan!" the minions cheered as their boss sauntered down the red carpet, Pete and Mortimer remaining where they stood, towards a sizable pile of jewels that was seated next to a harp. One of his men handed him his top hat, which Ratigan rolled down his arms before putting it on.
With his hat on, Ratigan danced over to a nearby fountain and pulled on a rope, causing wine to pour down from a mounted wine bottle and fill the fountain. Seeing this, one minion, Bartholomew, eagerly dashed over to the fountain and started greedily slurping it up from the spouts, soon losing his balance and tumbling right into the fountain.
"All hail Ratigan!" the other minions cheered again. "The world's greatest criminal mind!"
Ratigan smirked as he took a seat at the harp and began to play a small tune. "Thank you. Thank you," he said, before his voice took on a more somber tone. "But it hasn't all been champagne and caviar. I've had my share of adversity, thanks to that miserable second-rate detective, Basil of Baker Street."
Ratigan glared over at a small mouse doll dressed like a detective, impaled in multiple places with needles. Ratigan's henchmen, along with Mortimer and Pete, started booing and jeering at the mention of Basil's name.
With apparent sorrow, Ratigan covered his eyes with one arm and sunk to his knees. "For years, that insufferable pipsqueak has interfered with my plans. I haven't had a moment's peace of mind."
The thugs all let out a sympathetic "Aww!", while Bartholomew, now quite drunk, sniffled and began to cry. At that, Ratigan's mood shifted immediately, going from depressed to excited.
"But all that's in the past," he said. "This time, nothing, not even Basil, can stand in my way! All will bow before me!"
At that, he and the other villains and thugs all got mugs and filled them with wine from the fountain.
"A toast to Professor Ratigan!" the lizard exclaimed as he raised his glass.
"To Ratigan!" the other thugs declared, raising their glasses.
"The world's greatest rat!" Bartholomew finished drunkenly, letting out a hiccup.
Ratigan was just taking a sip of wine, but spit it out in shock when he heard that. The other thugs gasped in terror.
"Uh-oh," Mortimer said to Pete, recalling what had happened to Pete outside. "Looks like that guy's done for, a-cha-cha."
Ratigan whirled around and stomped over to Bartholomew. "What... was... THAT?!"
Bartholomew just hiccuped again as Ratigan loomed over him. "What did you call me?!"
"Oh, he didn't mean it, Professor!" one thug said frantically.
"Yeah, it was just a slip of the tongue!" said a second.
Ratigan ignored them and jerked Bartholomew out of the fountain by the back of his sweatshirt. "I am not a rat!" he snarled, Bartholomew too drunk to react to his boss' fury.
"Of course you're not!" the first thug insisted. "You're a mouse!"
"Yeah, a big mouse!" declared the second.
"SILENCE!" Ratigan bellowed as he bodily threw Bartholomew out the door. Bartholomew rolled as he hit the ground, shaking his head as he sat up.
"Oh, my dear Bartholomew," Ratigan said in mock pity as he descended the stairs, his men, Pete, and Mortimer looking out the door, "I'm afraid you've gone and upset me."
Then his voice took on a more malicious tone as he withdrew the little gold bell from his pocket. "And you know what happens when someone upsets me..."
With that, the thugs gasped as Ratigan rang the bell, and out of the darkness came a morbidly obese beige-furred female cat with a purple bow in her hair. The cat approached the drunk, oblivious Bartholomew, all while the thugs, Pete, and Mortimer looked on in shock as Ratigan calmly smoked his cigarette.
Even as the cat lifted him up and dropped him into her mouth, Bartholomew hummed and sang to himself. And with one loud gulp, he was gone.
Pete and Mortimer exchanged shocked glances as two thugs removed their hats in silence, with another wiping a tear from his eye, and Ratigan approached the cat, patting her mouth with a napkin.
"Oh Felicia, my precious baby," he cooed, hugging the cat. "Did Daddy's little honey bun enjoy her treat?"
The cat, Felicia, belched, and Ratigan recoiled briefly before shrugging and dismissing Felicia.
"I trust there will be no further interruptions," he said calmly as he walked back into the barrel.
Pete gulped. "What the heck have we gotten into here?"
Flashback
Flaversham's Toys
Olivia played happily on her rocking horse as her father adjusted his apron.
"You know, Daddy, this is my very best birthday." she said. Hiram smiled.
"Ah, but I haven't even given you your present yet." he said.
Olivia was excited. "What is it? What is it?"
"Close your eyes," Hiram said. Olivia obediently covered her eyes as Hiram walked over to a small cupboard nearby. Olivia tried to sneak a peek between her fingers, but Hiram was wise to it.
"No peeking," he said simply. Olivia giggled as Hiram came to the table where Olivia was sitting, a small wind-up toy in his hand that resembled a rosebud. Winding the key, he set it in front of her.
As a gentle tune played from the toy, which opened up to reveal a toy ballerina that began dancing, Olivia opened her eyes and squealed with glee.
"Oh, Daddy! You made this just for me?" she said, getting out of her chair to hug Hiram. "You're the most wonderful father in the whole world!"
The tender moment, however, was interrupted as the front door began to rattle. Olivia and Hiram looked toward the door as the rattling became more intense.
"Who is that?!" Olivia asked her father.
"I-I don't know," Hiram replied before grabbing Olivia and stuffing her into the cupboard from which he took Olivia's present. "Olivia, stay in there. Whatever you do, don't come out!" he said before shutting the cupboard and standing before it.
At that very moment, a ferocious-looking, peg-legged bat burst through the locked window, snarling.
Olivia opened the cupboard door a crack and was greeted with the sight of her father and the bat struggling furiously, the bat having the upper hand. During the skirmish, the table flew across the room and slammed into the cupboard door, closing it in Olivia's face.
"Gotcha now, toy maker!" the bat cackled, and then Hiram cried Olivia's name before things quieted down. With great effort, Olivia forced the door open. The shop was dark, broken furniture strewn all over and paint buckets spilled everywhere.
"Daddy?" Olivia said quietly, walking to the open window.
"Daddy!" she called. "Daddy, where are you?! DADDY!"
She was met with silence.
Flashback Over
Baker Street, Basil's Flat
Olivia finished telling Basil the story as the others sat around, Basil smoking a pipe. Sora and the others were all seething at the tale.
"What kind of monster would do such a terrible thing?" Kairi asked. "It's sick!"
"Well, he's not gonna get away with it," said Ven.
Basil looked away for a moment in thought. "This case is most intriguing, with its multiplicity of elements, its many twists and turns," he turned to Olivia. "Now, are you certain you've told me everything? The slightest detail may be important."
Olivia nodded. "It's just as I said. And then my father was gone."
"So, what do you make of it?" Dawson asked.
Basil puffed on his pipe, pacing. "Ratigan's up to something. A crime of the most sinister nature, no doubt," he said. "The question is, what would he want with a toy maker?"
"That, gang, is the million-munny question." said Sï'Lea.
Olivia turned toward the window, and as lightning struck, it illuminated the terrifying visage of Fidget himself, a toothy grin on his face, hanging upside down. Olivia let out a scream of fear, causing the others to turn toward the window and see the villain.
Donald let out a loud squawk, causing Fidget to fall down. Basil dashed towards his door.
"Quickly, there's not a moment to lose!" he shouted.
"Uh, I'm right behind you, Basil," Dawson said, running over.
"So are we!" Sora said. "C'mon, we can't let him get away!"
The group rushed outside en masse, but by the time they did so, Fidget was gone. They quickly spread out and looked around.
"There's no sign of him anywhere," West said. "For a guy with one leg, he sure moved fast."
"Hey, over here!" Hikari shouted. The group ran over to see Hikari kneeling down by a set of muddy footprints. Basil got down on his hands and knees to examine them closely.
"He left some rather unusual footprints," Basil said. "They obviously belong to the same fiend that abducted the girl's father - Ratigan's peg-legged lackey."
Dawson noticed another piece of evidence nearby; none other than Fidget's battered hat.
"Basil," he said to get his attention. Basil looked over to him, and excitedly swiped the hat out of Dawson's hands.
"Excellent work, old man!" he said, laughing giddily as he dashed back into the house, plowing right by Olivia and Mrs. Judson as the others followed.
"The crook gave us the slip," Lea said simply.
"But not for long, Miss Flamhammer," Basil said as he removed his robe, replacing it with a brown jacket he removed from a nearby grandfather clock.
"Flaversham!" Olivia snapped.
"Whatever," Basil said simply, retrieving a brown inverness cape (1) from a suit of armor and putting that on as well. "Now, we simply pursue our peg-legged friend until he leads us to the girl's father."
"And then you'll get my daddy back?!" Olivia said excitedly, running over and grabbing Basil in a bear hug. Basil visibly tensed, and then pushed Olivia away.
"Yes," he said curtly. "And quite soon, if I'm not mistaken. Now, come along, Dawson and the rest of you. We must be off to Toby's?"
Goofy raised an eyebrow. "Who's Toby?"
"Oh, you must meet him," Basil replied as he placed a deerstalker cap on his head. "He's just the chap for this."
"You want me to come?" Dawson said curiously.
Basil shrugged. "I should think a stout-hearted army mouse like you would leap at the chance for adventure. As for the rest of you, you seem quite able yourselves."
Dawson chuckled. "Well, I am rather curious."
"We're in," Sora replied.
"Wait for me! I'm coming too!" Olivia shouted, dashing over to Basil's chair and snatching her hat and scarf. In the process, she knocked Basil's violin over; Basil dove forward, catching it.
"What?!" he said, setting the violin back on the chair. "Certainly not! This is no business for children."
"He's got a point, Olivia," Kairi said. "You might get hurt."
"Are we going to take a cab?" Olivia said, ignoring their statements as she pocketed several cheese crumpets that Mrs. Judson had left on a tray.
Annoyed, Basil placed a head on his forehead. "My dear, you do not seem to understand," he said. "It will be quite dangerous."
As he said "dangerous," Basil sat down in his chair... right on top of his violin. A loud crunch was heard, and Basil gasped as he pulled the ruined instrument out from under him.
Basil spent several seconds furiously gagging on his words before composing himself, a large false smile on his face. "Young lady, you are most definitely not accompanying us, and that. Is. FINAL!"
By this point, Nixe had gotten sick of Basil's attitude, and could hold it back no longer.
"Okay, that does it!" she snapped, stomping over to Basil and shoving her finger in his face. "We've put up with your whole 'everybody sucks but me' crap this whole time, and I'm done with it! You may be some big famous detective, but from where I stand, you're nothing but a smug, insensitive, mean-spirited- MMPH!"
Before Nixe could finish, Sï'Lea darted forward and slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Nixe, what did I say about using that kind of language?" Sï'Lea said reproachfully as she took her hand away.
Mickey thought it over for a minute, and came to a decision. "Basil, maybe she should come with us," he said. "Yes, it's dangerous, but what if one of Ratigan's thugs comes back here looking for her? She'll be totally helpless."
"He's right," said Aqua. "At least with us, she'll have protection."
Basil rubbed his eyes in annoyance. "Oh, very well," he said. "But she's your responsibility."
Radiant Garden, The Castle
Sasuke Kazekiri stood in front of one of the flower shop Aerith had set up near the castle, a bouquet of pink and red roses in his hands as Aerith finished ringing up his purchase.
"That'll be fifty munny, Sasuke," she said. Sasuke handed over the munny and politely thanked the flower girl before walking back to the castle, a specific destination in mind.
That destination was a small shrine just outside Ansem's study, which he had created shortly after returning to Radiant Garden, dedicated to Kairi's parents, Kaname and Rimi Mae, the latter Ansem's niece. The shrine was sculpted from white marble, with the words "In Loving Memory" chiseled into it, and on top of it was a large picture of Kaname and Rimi themselves, their arms around each other and Kaname's hand resting on the slight, but noticeable swell in Rimi's belly.
Kaname was a tall, well-built man with a pleasant demeanor, with auburn hair combed over in the front and purple eyes, dressed in a guard uniform that was predominantly white with black trim and sleeves, stylized red-and-black hearts on the sleeves and chest. Sheathed to his back was a long katana, the Dawn's Might.
Rimi was a beautiful woman with long red hair and blue eyes, both the same shade as Kairi's, and flawless pale skin. She was wearing a sleeveless, ankle-length blue dress with yellow trim, yellow shoes, and a yellow shawl around her shoulders that was clasped in the middle with a blue gem surrounded by silver. Looking at the picture now, Sasuke saw that little Kairi had grown up to be the spitting image of her mother.
With a bittersweet smile on his face, Sasuke placed the bouquet on the shrine before placing a hand over his heart and bowing respectfully.
Author's Note:
(1): A weatherproof outer coat, notable for being sleeveless, the arms emerging from armholes beneath a cape.
The final scene with Sasuke had been planned for a while, which I discussed with Kristen Verne and YamiChaos27, and they approved. To explain, Sasuke was apprenticed to Kairi's father, Kaname, before Radiant Garden fell, which led to the deaths of both Kaname and Rimi. And yes, Rimi was pregnant with Kairi in the memorial picture.
And Kris, if/when you read this, I was going by the picture of the two on your Deviantart, and it looked like Rimi was wearing some kinda shawl, so I went with it.
Anyway, next chapter, the group goes on the trail of Fidget.
Please R&R. Until next time!