- Chapter 32 -
Rescue
The dinner drew to a close and everyone slowly took their leave, eventually leaving only Sasuke, Sora, and Hikari. As he was about to go, Sora perked up, remembering something.
"Wait a sec." he said aloud, turning to Sasuke. "Sasuke Kazekiri, right? I remember where I've heard your name before!"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Where, exactly?"
"On Wutai." Sora replied. "Lord Hiro mentioned you (1)."
"Wait, you trained on Wutai?" Sasuke asked, before his eyes fell on Hikari. Looking her up and down for a minute, he gasped in recognition.
"You..." he whispered. "You're Lord Hiro's daughter... little Kari."
"You know me?" Hikari asked.
"Yeah." Sasuke replied, standing up. "It... took me a while, and I was more focused on Kairi. But I trained on your world ten years ago. It was the second world I went to when I left the Land of Twin Moons (2)." He chuckled. "Small world."
Hikari thought for a minute, then it hit her.
"I remember!" she exclaimed. "I was five years old... I was being attacked by Arachne Heartless, and you saved me!"
"Yeah." Sasuke recalled. "Your father trained me for a year as thanks."
"He also mentioned your master, Kaname." Sora remembered. "To think he was Kairi's father... wow."
"Yeah..." Sasuke said, smiling slightly. "Lord Hiro was a good teacher, and Hikari was basically like a sister."
Hikari was smiling, tearing up as she looked at him.
"Sasuke..." she whispered. "Aniki (3)..."
She hugged him, happy to see the man who was like an honorary brother to her once upon a time, and after a minute, Sasuke hugged her back. Sora smiled at that, before deciding to take his leave.
The next day...
The captured girl was sleeping fitfully, and was abruptly woken up by Ansem yanking her to her feet.
"Time to go, girl." the Seeker of Darkness said, his Guardian appearing and grabbing the girl as they warped away.
In town, Sï'Lea and Nixe were buying supplies.
"How crazy is it that Kairi found her family again?" Nixe asked.
"Yeah." Sï'Lea agreed. "It's nuts."
"She and I are kinda similar..." Nixe mused. "We both lost our biological families to Xehanort, but found new ones."
"And I'm happy to have you." Sï'Lea said with a smile.
"And I you, Mom." Nixe hugged her, but they both froze as they heard a dark corridor open behind them. Xehanort's Heartless exited, and Sï'Lea immediately moved Nixe behind her.
"How sweet..." Ansem said mockingly.
"What do you want?" Sï'Lea demanded.
"Your daughter, of course." Ansem replied. "You will hand her over to me."
Sï'Lea scoffed. "Fat chance."
"I thought you'd say as much..." Ansem snapped his fingers. "So I propose an exchange."
His Guardian appeared with its female hostage, one arm around the girl and the other covering her mouth. The girl had long white hair pulled back with a red hair clip and teal eyes, and was dressed in a yellow T-shirt bearing the picture of a great white shark, a blue denim skirt, and pink flip flops. Both Sï'Lea and Nixe gasped.
"You filthy..." Nixe spat. "Who is that girl?!"
"Someone very important to one of your friends." Ansem replied, removing the girl's hair clip and handing it to them. "Show this to Sora and Riku. You have one hour to hand Nixe over to us... or this girl dies."
"Let her go!" Sï'Lea demanded, looking at the terrified girl. "She has nothing to do with this!"
"As long as you do what I want, no harm will come to her. " Ansem assured. "Remember, you have one hour. I'll be at the waterworks facility in the Outer Gardens."
And with that, he disappeared, taking the girl with him.
Nixe turned to her mother. "Mom, what do we do?!"
Sï'Lea looked over the hair clip, a red heart with white angel wings.
"Tell the others..." she decided.
-X-
The two hurried to the main room of the castle, where the others were seated.
"Guys!" Sï'Lea yelled. "Xehanort's Heartless is here!"
Everyone almost immediately jumped up at that.
"H-he took a girl hostage, and said he wants to trade her for me." Nixe stammered.
"He WHAT?!" Riku shouted.
"He just took an innocent child..." Aqua let out, disgusted.
"He said that she was close to one of us, and gave us this." Sï'Lea held up the hair clip.
Sora, Riku, and Kairi all gasped at the sight of the clip, stumbling back.
"Th-that's..." Riku stammered. "What did she look like?! Was she small with white hair and teal eyes?!"
Nixe nodded.
"No..." Sora whispered. "Kikyo..."
"He took Kiki!" Kairi exclaimed.
"Wait, Kikyo?" Mickey turned to Riku. "You mean-"
Riku nodded. "My sister."
He spun around, punching the wall in a rage.
"That monster!" he shouted before turning to Sï'Lea and Nixe. "Was she alright?! Did he hurt her?!"
"She was fine." Nixe assured. "Scared, but fine."
"I can't believe it..." Kairi whispered.
"Wait a minute." Kyra piped up. "How do we know this isn't a trick?"
West glared at her. "Are you really serious right now, Kyra?"
"Look, Riku has never mentioned a sister." Kyra pointed out. "How do we know that this kid isn't just some girl that he kidnapped and sent to Ansem?"
"Kyra, the reason Riku never mentioned his sister is because we were trying to prevent this very situation!" Kairi shouted.
"Leave her be." Riku cut in. "If she doesn't believe me, that's her own problem. I'm going to save Kiki..."
"Yeah, by giving Xehanort exactly what he wants, right, Riku?" Kyra snapped, getting in his face. "Abandoning your friends for your own selfish desires again?!"
"No, you idiot!" Riku shot back. "I'm not sacrificing anyone to Xehanort! We will save my sister and keep Nixe safe!"
"Wait." Goofy piped up. "Where is Nixe?"
They looked around and gasped; during the argument, Nixe had slipped out without them noticing.
"No... she didn't!" Donald shouted.
At that very moment, a dark corridor opened up in the middle of the room.
"Oh, now what?!" Hikari shouted.
Much to their surprise, what exited the corridor was not one of Xehanort's men, but Zephyr.
"Hi, guys." he greeted. "Miss me?"
"Zephyr?!" Sï'Lea exclaimed. "Oh, thank goodness. Nixe-"
"I know." Zephyr cut her off. "Book of Prophecies, remember?"
He turned to Sora and Riku. "We don't have much time. Sora, Riku, get to the underground waterworks facility and take care of Nixe. I'll get your sister out, Riku."
Both of them nodded, and Zephyr ran back into the still-open corridor as Sora and Riku ran out, followed by Sï'Lea.
At the waterworks facility, Kikyo stood by Ansem, who held her by her upper arm.
"Why?" she asked. "Please... just leave my brother and his friends alone."
"Be quiet." Ansem snapped, tightening his grip and making her yelp in pain."
"Riku..." she whispered. "I'm scared."
Footsteps approached, and Nixe ran in.
"Kikyo..." she said softly, before giving her a reassuring smile. "It's gonna be okay."
She turned to Ansem. "Okay, you got me. Now let her go."
Ansem held out his hand. "You have my word, I will release her."
Nixe slowly reached out to take his hand, but a dark corridor suddenly opened up beside them.
"What?" Ansem managed before Zephyr jumped out, planting his palm into his face and casting a Fire spell.
Ansem reeled back, clutching his burning face as Zephyr scooped Kikyo up in his arms.
"Nixe, RUN!" he yelled.
"Zephyr?!" Nixe exclaimed.
"Don't just stand there!" Zephyr snapped, opening another corridor. "Sora and Riku are on their way! Now move your ass!"
She started running, just as Sora and Riku arrived.
"Nixe, your mom is behind us." Sora told her. "Get going!"
Riku made eye contact with Kikyo just as Zephyr took her through a corridor, then whirled on Ansem in a rage.
"You've gone too far this time, Ansem!" he yelled. "You hurt my sister, and now you're gonna pay!"
"Why do you care about her?" Ansem retorted. "She's a small, pathetic, weak coward."
"Of course you wouldn't understand." Sora spat. "What it's like to love someone. To care about anyone but yourself!"
"The people who don't care about anything will never understand the people who do." Riku muttered.
"Yes." Ansem shot back. "I don't care, and I won't. Ever."
He summoned the Guardian, and Sora and Riku drew their Keyblades, ready to fight.
-X-
Nixe ran out of the waterworks, running into Sï'Lea as she came out.
"Mom!" she let out.
"Thank goodness." Sï'Lea hugged her. "Don't ever do that again!"
"They took Riku's sister because of me." Nixe defended. "I couldn't just do nothing."
"We would've found another way." Sï'Lea insisted, taking her hand. "Now come on."
They ran back to the castle, arriving in the main room just in time for Zephyr to exit the corridor, carrying Kikyo in his arms.
"You got her back!" Kairi exclaimed.
"I told you I would." Zephyr replied.
He gently sat Kikyo down, summoning his sword and cutting the ropes around her ankles and wrists. The girl hugged herself, visibly shaking as Zephyr draped his coat over her shoulders and knelt down to her level.
"Hey..." he said gently, "are you okay? Those creeps didn't hurt you, did they?"
Kikyo shook her head, rubbing her wrists as Kairi ran forward, gently pushing Zephyr out of the way.
"Kiki." she said, taking her shoulders. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"Kairi!" Kikyo hugged the older girl in relief, which she returned. "I was so scared..."
"Shhh..." Kairi soothed, petting her head gently. "It's all over now."
Hikari entered at that moment, carrying a cup of tea.
"Here," she said, handing the cup to Kikyo. "It'll help calm your nerves."
Kikyo took the cup, taking a small sip and sighing.
"Thank you." she said gratefully. "I really think it's helping."
"We're all glad you're okay." Mickey piped up, walking over and handing her the hair clip. Kikyo took it back and pinned it back in her hair, smiling.
"You're King Mickey?" she asked. "Riku told me about you."
Mickey nodded, and at that moment, the door burst open.
"Kiki!" Riku shouted, running in with Sora on his heels.
"Riku?!" Kikyo let out just as Riku ran over to her, hugging her in relief. Kikyo returned the hug, smiling.
"Are you alright?" he asked, pulling back and putting his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm alright..." Kikyo assured. "I was so scared."
"I'm sorry." Riku sighed. "You shouldn't have gotten involved in this."
"You couldn't have known." Kikyo told him.
Riku pulled away, and as soon as he did, Sora ran in, giving Kikyo a hug himself.
"Sorry." he said. "Been holding that one in."
"I missed you guys." Kikyo said, patting his back as he pulled away.
Sora turned to Zephyr, smiling. "Thanks for the help."
"No worries." Zephyr assured, turning to Riku. "I know how you feel, Riku. I've got a little sister of my own."
Riku nodded at that, and turned to Kikyo. "How long were you there?"
"I don't know." Kikyo replied, thinking. "A week I think, maybe more."
"That long..." Sora muttered in shock, "and we didn't know."
"He grabbed me when I was all by myself... but, Dad and I saw a man like him a few days before, watching us." Kikyo went on. "Mr. Kumo and Mrs. Mizu saw him near their houses, too."
Everyone froze up at that.
"No..." Sora let out. "No way..."
"Xehanort..." Kairi said. "He knows where we live!"
"You three need to go and get your parents, now!" Mickey ordered. "Enough innocents have been made to suffer!"
"The rest of us will stay here and watch Kikyo." Hikari promised. "Get going!"
The three took off, running for the Highwind.
"How could I be so stupid?!" Riku yelled as they ran. "Ansem was in my mind and body! Of course Xehanort would know where we live!"
"We didn't think he'd go after them. They're innocent." Sora said. "Let's just focus on getting to our parents."
They boarded the Highwind, and jetted off, going for the Destiny Islands at full speed.
Back at the castle, Kikyo got out of the shower, putting on a yellow sundress that was given to her.
"That's better." she said to herself. "A week or so without a shower... gross."
A knock sounded on the door at that.
"Are you decent?" came Hikari's voice.
"Yeah!" Kikyo called. "C'mon in, Hikari!"
Hikari entered at that.
"Thanks again for all this." Kikyo said gratefully.
"It's no trouble." Hikari assured. "C'mon. The others are waiting."
Kikyo nodded and followed her to the main area, where she saw a plate of food waiting.
"Food..." she let out happily, before running over and stuffing her face. The others looked on sympathetically.
"Don't tell me they starved you." Lea asked.
"Nothing but bread and water." Kikyo replied, swallowing a bite.
"Those dirty rats!" West spat.
"Yeah..." Kikyo hesitated, looking at her. "Wait, are you West?"
West blinked in surprise. "Yeah..."
Kikyo smiled. "You're exactly as Riku described you."
"Riku told you about me?" West asked.
"I'm his sister. The one he tells everything to." Kikyo's eyes softened. "He's always told me everything."
"How are you Riku's sister?" Kyra piped up, looking her over. "He's big and buff. You're timid and tiny."
"I get it from my mom. She's small for her age too." Kikyo replied, looking at her. "Why did you ask? Do you have a problem with my brother?"
Kyra folded her arms over her chest. "Why wouldn't I, after all the trouble he's caused? Helping Maleficent cause chaos, letting Xehanort's Heartless use him as a meatsuit. Need I go on?"
"Don't blame him." Kikyo pleaded. "If anyone is to blame, it's me."
Kyra raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"It's my fault..." Kikyo insisted. "His desire for power back then is on me. When I was little, I was attacked by a shark. Riku tried to save me but he wasn't able to do anything. It made him want power to protect those he cared for."
"Shark?" Ven asked.
Kikyo raised her skirt slightly, revealing an old scar in the shape of a sizable bite mark on her calf.
"It bit me on the leg, and almost took it clean off." she explained. "Riku tried to get me to shore in time, but if some fishermen hadn't shown up, I would've bled out before they could get me to the hospital."
She sighed. " It tore Riku up that day. He tried... but couldn't save me. So please, don't blame him."
Kyra sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"Look, Kikyo... I can understand why you'd feel that way, but it's not your fault." she assured.
"Riku said the same thing." Kikyo recalled. "He made a mistake, Kyra. He's done everything he could to make up for it."
West smiled and put a hand on Kikyo's shoulders. "You love him so much."
"Of course," Kikyo said with a smile, before slightly glaring at Kyra. "And I don't like anyone badmouthing my brother."
"Whatever." Kyra scoffed, walking away.
"What's her problem?" Kikyo asked.
"Who knows?" West said with a shrug.
"But she is right about one thing." Mickey piped up. "You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened, Kikyo."
"Thanks." Kikyo said, smiling before becoming worried. "Um, do you think Riku and the others will get to my parents in time?"
"Of course they will." Donald assured her. "They'll all be here before you know it."
Author's Note:
(1): See Chronicles of Wutai for the details.
(2): Sasuke's adventures on the Land of Twin Moons are detailed in YamiChaos27's story Moonlit Knights.
(3): A Japanese honorific for an older brother or a superior.
Well, that's that. Riku's sister has been formally introduced, and next chapter, we're gonna see the rest of the parents as well.
Please R&R. Until next time!