Entry 001 - Ueda
The forests of Ueda are as mysterious as they are beautiful. Riku and I have seen countless forests on our travels, each one reminiscent of the last. But here, there's fragility. A delicate balance that I don't think I could even begin to explain.
Velcia always taught me to be aware of the elements around me, and it's proven to be a useful skill time and time again. I'm trying to make use of it here, too. And that's where this sensation is coming from. It's peaceful, beautiful, but there's also something looming.
I'm not sure if I should be intrigued or unsettled by that. Maybe a bit of both.
"Come on, you guys have been off exploring for months now! Time to come home already." Sora's blue hologram flickered over the ship's communication. He placed his hands firmly on his hips, sending pointed looks to Riku and Hinata sitting in the gummi ship's cockpit.
"One more world, that's it," Riku promised with a chuckle, swiveling his seat. "Then we'll head back."
"We've never been this far out before, none of us have," Hinata leaned in to add. "We might not get another chance to explore out here."
"Yeeeeah, but it's been almost a year since we've seen you," Sora said. "I'm getting bored without you guys."
"Sora," Kairi's giggle could be heard through the call before she appeared next to Sora's hologram. "It's been barely over six months." Sora opened his mouth to object, but she quickly added, "Which is still a while." She looked up to Riku, then Hinata. "We really do miss you."
Riku and Hinata both smiled.
"We miss you too," Hinata replied. "We've considered coming back sooner quite a few times already, but—" her voice trailed off.
"We get it," Kairi filled the silence. "The two of you have always dreamed about exploring other worlds."
Sora snickered. "Yeah, I'll never forget Riku's face when Master Yen Sid gave the mission." He laced his hands behind his neck. "Sooo I am happy for you..."
"But—" Riku drew out the word expectantly.
"Next time bring us with you!" Sora leaned forward, hands fisted in front of him.
Kairi stifled a laugh.
"What?" Sora asked, looking over at her.
"Now you know how I used to feel," she teased.
"Wha— it's not, wait, really?" Sora stumbled over his words, scratching the back of his hair as Kairi and Hinata laughed.
"We promise we won't be out too much longer," Riku brought their discussion back. "We'll scope out the world and be back in a month tops."
"A month?!" Sora bemoaned.
"Even if we turned around right now, it would still be nearly a week till we got back," Hinata told him with a chuckle. "But we hear you. We're starting to get a bit homesick, too. This is just… you know, probably the only chance we'll get to see what's out here."
Sora sighed, crossing his arms. "Yeah, you're right."
"Just promise to take lots of pictures!" Kairi told them, hands clasped behind her back.
Hinata smiled. "Promise."
"Reminds you a bit of Prydain, doesn't it?" Hinata asked as they walked, eyes focused on the leafy overbrush.
"Every forest reminds you of Prydain," Riku replied, sending a smirk when she scoffed and looked over at him.
"Not true," she told him, stopping for a moment. "Well, maybe a little bit."
Riku laughed, reaching over and grabbing her hand when he reached her side. "To answer your question, yes. It does remind me a bit of Prydain."
Hinata squeezed his hand, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air and sighing contentedly before continuing her walk. Birds sang overhead, flitting from branch to branch and causing the occasional leaf to flutter towards the ground. Wildlife buzzed around them, uncaring that humans were visiting their forest. Foxes and deer bounded through the tall grass and lapped up water at the streams they passed. Squirrels climbed up the trees, their bushy tails flicking as they gathered their nuts and disappeared in their burrows.
The air was still, despite the life all around. Riku and Hinata didn't say much, as if their words would shatter the fragile tranquility around them. Instead, they took in their surroundings in silence, occasionally squeezing the other's hand when they wanted to show the other something.
They reached a babbling brook, its surface sparkling from the light of the sun that was just beginning to set. Hinata let go of Riku's hand and went towards the water's edge. She could feel the moisture of the water tease her fingertips, her tattoo glowing in succession. With a graceful swirl of her hand, an orb of crystal water floated up in front of her with a single fish circling in its center.
"Showing off?" Riku asked, getting a soft laugh from Hinata.
"I've just missed this," she replied, her voice quiet and focused as more orbs floated and twirled around her. "Using actual water rather than forming my own. But there's something— different about it here."
"Yeah?" he asked, tapping one of the orbs as it passed and watching it ripple. "How so?"
"It's like… I don't know the right word for it." She summoned all of the water together before flowing it back into the brooke. She watched the fish disappear down the stream, then looked at her hand. "...Pure?"
"Huh." Riku crossed his arms, brow raising when Hinata looked back at him.
"That's weird, right?" she asked.
He thought for a moment. "I mean—"
"Outsiders," a voice gasped.
Hinata and Riku's eyes darted to the brush on the other side of the brooke. Two pairs of widened eyes blinked at them, peering between the branches of a berry bush.
"It's alright." Hinata stepped forward, hand over her heart. "We won't hurt you."
The eyes looked to each other, exchanging whispers of concern.
"We're travelers looking for a place to stay," Riku added. "Can you help?"
The bush rustled in response and then silence. Riku and Hinata exchanged a glance. Whoever was there seemed to have run away and left them behind. But then a small boy crawled into view from under the branches. Hinata knelt down to his level the moment she noticed, a smile softening her expression.
An arm reached out for the child from the brush, along with harsh whispers to come back. The boy ignored the warning and stood up, looking between Riku and Hinata with widened green eyes that were barely visible through the long black curls of hair that sprung in every direction. His gaze settled on Hinata's tattoo glowing dimly against her cheek.
"Hello," Hinata greeted, the child jumping and making her softly laugh. "It's ok, I'm Hinata. And this—" she motioned behind her.
"I'm Riku." He knelt down beside Hinata. "We didn't mean to scare you."
"I'm—" a small voice came from the child. "I'm Vinelle"
"It's so nice to meet you, Vinelle." Hinata's smile grew. "We're looking for a place to stay. Do you know the way to your village?"
Vinelle nodded, his tiny hands fidgeting in front of him.
"Mama says we shouldn't bring strangers into the village." Another child, older than Vinelle, stood from the berry bush. Her black curls were pulled back into a loose braid and freckles dusted her brown cheeks. "Come on, Vinelle." She reached forward and grabbed his wrist.
"But— But they're my friends!" Vinelle pulled back against the restraint despite being dragged away.
"For the last time Vinelle, just cause you know someone's name doesn't make you friends."
Riku stood up first, watching them disappear into the forest with an amused smirk.
"Are you watching which way they're going?" Hinata asked, still knelt down beside the brooke.
"Seems to be a straight shot going east," he replied.
"Cool, we'll wait a bit before going there, so they don't think we're following." She stood back up, brushing off her pants. "We don't want to enter a new town with everyone thinking we were stalking children."
"Yeah, that wouldn't be a great first impression, would it?" Riku chuckled, looking back at her.
"They were sweet though." She smiled to herself. "I loved Vinelle's curls…" Her voice trailed off.
"Something on your mind?"
"Just thinking about what the older one said about not allowing strangers in the village." Hinata crossed her arms, leaning back on her foot. "Could be stranger danger, which makes sense for kids."
"Or the village really doesn't allow outsiders." Riku rubbed the back of his neck.
Hinata looked after where the children had gone. "One way to find out for sure."
The golden glow of torches peeked through the trees, lighting their way as nightfall approached. As they reached the edge of the forest, they saw the towering wooden wall that surrounded what appeared to be the village they were searching for. Riku slowed to a stop, waiting for Hinata to meet him as she lagged behind by several steps.
Two massive doors were propped open, allowing entrance into the village bustling with life. Fishermen and farmers passed the threshold, pulling wagons full of goods procured that day. Children laughed and chased each other through the market, being shooed by shopkeepers and told to head home for supper. Riku smiled to himself, looking over when Hinata reached his side.
"It looks nice enough," he told her, watching her worried features soften as she took in the village as he had. "Think we can find a room for the night?"
"An actual bed does sound nice." She smiled over at him, beginning to walk forward and grabbing his hand to bring him along with her. "Sleeping under the stars is nice and all, buuut my back certainly wouldn't mind something soft for a change."
"You mean the hard bed in the gummi ship doesn't cut it for you?" he asked, a grin growing at her snort in response.
A gasp cut into their banter. Hinata looked over to see a fisherman stopped in his tracks, eyes widened. She attempted to seem friendly by lifting her hand for a wave. He didn't respond in kind; he didn't react at all as he watched them enter the town. Hinata looked back at him, turning to Riku once the man was out of sight.
"Something's not right," she whispered, coming to a stop with Riku.
"No kidding," he muttered, looking at the town around them.
Hinata followed his gaze, just then realizing that everything had gone silent. The village seemed to freeze the moment they passed through the gate. Everyone's eyes were focused solely on them as even the laughter of children had ceased.
Maybe that little girl had been right all along.
"My friends!" Vinelle's voice cut through the rising tension, followed by the sound of tiny footsteps rushing towards them.
Hinata found him first, seeing little Vinelle push past two men dressed in dark robes with a beaming grin spread across his face. She couldn't help but return the smile, raising her hand to wave before a woman grabbed Vinelle's wrist and pulled him back.
"Hush Vinelle," the woman scolded him, putting out her arm as Vinelle's sister came into view. "Stay back, Adaline. Don't look at them."
Adaline did as she was told, looking away and shutting her eyes, while Vinelle objected.
"But mama, those are the friends I made in the forest! I told you I wasn't lyin'!" Vinelle jumped up and down, trying to squirm out of his mother's grasp.
"I'm not going to tell you again," her voice went low, hands gripping Vinelle's arms. "You never should have gone into the forest by yourselves. Both of you know better. Do not look at them, do not talk to them."
Riku stepped back, gently grabbing Hinata's arm to lead her back with him. She reluctantly followed suit, her saddened gaze settled on the children she had met in the forest. With a sigh, she turned around with Riku, but both of them stopped short at the group of robed men standing at the gate.
Each of their faces were concealed by wooden masks, carved in the shape of animals from the woods. The masks were attached to their hoods, stitched with thick twine that kept the mask from slipping. The hoods attached to heavy blue robes that reached down to their calves. A shawl was worn over the robes, embroidered with intricate, archaic designs with tassels braided along the ends. A single man stood at the front of the group, his mask resembling the face of a white owl.
They stood in a silence that seemed to stretch on agonizingly long. Riku stepped forward, his narrowed gaze settled solely on the man hidden behind the owl mask. Hinata could feel the static of magic in Riku's fingertips and readied her own, taking in a deep, even breath. All it would take was one wrong move from the men for them to strike.
"Where are you from, Outsiders?" the owl spoke, his voice old and raspy.
"We're travelers," Riku replied. "But we were just leaving. We didn't mean to make your village uncomfortable."
"You must forgive my people's caution," the owl told him. "It is not often we receive visitors in Toksa."
"It's alright," Hinata said. "It's the middle of the night and we came unannounced. We'll leave and possibly come back tomorrow instead."
"Where will you stay?" he asked.
"We'll manage," Riku told him, looking over his shoulder at the village still frozen in fear. "We're overstaying our welcome as it is."
"I must insist you remain here," he told them, unaffected by Riku visibly tensing in response. "Surely as outsiders, you have experienced the shadows that lurk in the night? Here, within these walls, you are safe, where my powers can protect you."
Riku and Hinata exchanged a side eyed glance.
"What do you mean… powers?" Hinata asked, stepping forward.
The owl turned his attention to Hinata for the first time since they began speaking, but didn't reply.
"Thank you," Riku placed his hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Your protection is appreciated. If you have a room for us, we'll take it."
Hinata whipped her head around towards Riku, her eyes asking what he was doing. He returned her look with a smirk that told her to trust him.
"Very well," the owl nodded slowly, looking over his shoulder to his men. He spoke in an unfamiliar language and his men nodded.
Two of them went towards the gate, pulling it closed as one other walked towards Riku and Hinata. His jaw was narrow, but a fox mask concealed most of his features. He walked between them, forcing them to step apart.
"Follow me to your room," he told them in a level voice, walking away without making sure they were following.
Hinata glanced back at the owl, who stood motionless, hands threaded behind his back as he watched. She inwardly shuddered, turning to follow the other man when Riku grabbed her arm to bring her along with him. Villagers stepped aside from the robed man, keeping their gazes down as Riku and Hinata passed.
Their masked guide entered a two story tavern. The scent of ale greeted them, as well as a fresh batch of stares as the patrons all stopped what they were doing to gawk at the outsiders. The barkeeper stiffened when he saw the masked man. His eyes darted to Riku and Hinata, then back to their guide. There were no words shared between them as the barkeeper went to the backroom and came back with an old bronze key.
The masked man grabbed the key, bowing his head in thanks before turning and heading up a flight of stairs that wrapped around the left side of the tavern. Hinata and Riku followed suit, not before Hinata gave a quick thanks to the barkeeper. He blinked in surprise at her, before averting his gaze, leaving her wringing her hands together in worry as she headed up the stairwell.
The key unlocked a worn door at the top of the stairs and down a short hallway. As the door swung open, the man turned and left without a word being said. Riku grabbed the key from the door as Hinata watched the man leave. She hesitantly turned and entered the room once he was out of sight. Riku shut the door behind them, locking it with the newly given key.
Hinata walked further into their quaint room. A queen sized bed took up half of it, with plain white linen stained from years of use. On the right was a single window overlooking the town square and beneath it stood a desk carved from natural wood with an oil lamp on the far corner.
With a swirl of her hand, the oil lamp's wick lit up with a flickering flame. Golden light filled the room, casting long shadows towards the far left side of the room with an empty bookshelf and armchair.
Riku's hand slid along the curve of Hinata's back, drawing her attention to him and his lopsided smile.
"I'm not doing alright," she told him, answering his wordless question. "Part of me thinks we should try sneaking out."
"Yeah, I'm considering it too," he admitted.
"Says the guy who agreed to letting us stay," she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Riku chuckled, kissing her temple before going further into the room. He sat along the edge of the bed, leaning back on the palms of his hands. "We have no idea what we're dealing with here."
"Yeah," she agreed, arms crossing. "Could get dangerous."
"It usually does," he pointed out, getting a huffed laugh in response.
"True," she agreed, her smile faltering the longer she pondered. "This feels different though. Different from all the other places we've been. Do you feel it too?"
Riku leaned forward, linking his hands together in front of him, his elbows resting on his legs. "Yeah, I do."
Hinata frowned, joining him on the edge of the bed. Her hands wrung together in worry as she lightly chewed on her bottom lip. She blinked when Riku's hand went over hers and she lifted her eyes to his.
"Would you rather leave?" he asked, a soft smile curving his mouth when she averted her gaze to the window.
"I… don't know," she answered honestly. "We've been in some tough spots these last six months. Sometimes I wondered if we'd make it out of them." She paused, expecting Riku to say something or agree, but he remained silent, patiently listening. Taking in a breath, Hinata continued, "But— we always did. And the world would end up better for it, even if it only improved the lives of a single family. I've loved every minute of it." Riku's hand tightened over hers and she couldn't stop her smile as she lowered her eyes to their hands. "But I think we're both nearing the point where we're ready to go back. Ready— to start the next chapter of our lives together."
Riku lifted his hand and cupped her cheek, pushing back her hair and brushing his thumb along her tattoo. Hinata hummed, closing her eyes and leaning into his touch. "Yeah, I am ready for that," Riku replied.
Warmth flushed Hinata's cheeks as she placed her hand over his and kissed his palm. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid. We've made it out of so much and done impossible things. One more adventure isn't going to change that. But—" her voice trailed off.
"You're scared of chancing it on something we know nothing about and being burned for it," he finished for her.
"Yeah," she admitted, opening her eyes to look back at him. "Is that silly of me?"
Riku exhaled sharply, a smile spreading as he leaned forward and met his lips against hers. Hinata gasped slightly from the affection, but instantly kissed him back, her hand resting against his chest and feeling his heart beating against her palm.
Their kiss broke and Riku leaned his head against hers, both of them taking a moment to breathe the other in before he spoke. "We'll leave tomorrow."
"Are you sure?" She pulled back to look into his eyes. "I don't want to ruin—"
"You're right," he told her, taking a deep breath. "We could stick around and figure out what's going on with those masked men and risk our lives for it. Or we could stock up on supplies tomorrow and head back." He grabbed her hand from his chest and watched their fingers interlace. "We've done enough for the galaxy. It's time we start doing things for ourselves."
He almost missed the beaming grin that overtook Hinata's face before her hands cupped his cheeks and their lips met.
For once, maybe they could accept it wasn't their responsibility to fix the world.
Entry 002 - Ueda
There's something invigorating about discovering the secrets hidden in a new world. Each one holds adventure and mystery, just waiting to be revealed. It's something Riku and I have grown addicted to, even if we never admit that to each other.
Ueda will have the fewest entries out of all the other worlds we've been to, and even so… I can't completely disregard that itch. Every stare feeds into my obsession to figure out what's really going on. Can I really leave this behind before we find out the truth?
There's a sadness looming over the village of Toska. And it's taking every fiber inside me to ignore it.
"What sort of coin do you accept?" Hinata asked the shop keeper as she rummaged through a sizable coin purse tied at her hip.
The larger woman didn't reply right away, bristling from being directly addressed. She sat on the opposite side of the fruit stand, silent as she watched Hinata and Riku look through her wares.
Hinata glanced up at the woman with a small reassuring smile. "I have silver farthings, would that be alright? Or I also have some jade, if that's more what you're looking for."
Clearing her throat, the woman averted her gaze. "Two farthings a fruit."
"Oh, perfect." Hinata pulled out a handful of silver coins, counting them out under her breath before holding them out for her.
When the woman didn't outstretch her hand to take them, Hinata carefully placed the pile on the other side of the stand in front of the woman and waved goodbye while Riku secured their satchel of food. They turned away from the shopkeeper and walked side by side, taking notice of the stares sent their way as villagers would stop what they were doing when they passed.
"So, bag of fruits, some bread from the baker, anything else we'll need?" Hinata asked, looking up towards the sky in thought and trying to ignore the tension in the air.
"I saw a leather shop," Riku told her. "We could stop there to see what they have. Might have some of those journals you like with the leather cover."
Hinata hummed. "I am running out of room in my current one. Plus, it might be nice to at least keep something as a memento of our time in Ueda." She smiled and nudged him with her hip. "No matter how short it was."
Riku chuckled. "Before we do that, I want to explore the town a bit. I noticed a garden from our window this morning."
"That sounds lovely." Hinata smiled when Riku glanced at her with a smile of his own.
She looked over her shoulder at the townsquare, noticing Vinelle leading a group of children with his sister Adaline running not too far behind. Her gaze followed them until landing on one of the masked men. His eyes were locked on her and Riku, following with a slowed pace. Hinata's smile fell away as she quickly turned back around and whispered, "Riku…"
"I know," he whispered back.
Sunlight danced over the lush greenery of the garden. Grass peeked through the cracks in the stone walkway that winded through the bushes of flowers colored with various hues of yellows and whites. Hinata breathed in deeply, humming at the sweet scent that filled her senses. They were in the far corner of the village, still within the wooden walls that caged them in. Homes were built in close proximity to each other throughout the town, creating tight alleyways that easily felt like a maze. Beyond them, there was an entire section designated to the garden. It was peaceful, quiet, unlike the rest of the village where the tension was heavy and almost made it difficult to breathe.
Hinata and Riku walked silently, still feeling the gaze of their masked follower trailing behind. They took in their surroundings, noticing the occasional bird singing overhead. They passed under an archway of overgrown, yet blooming, bindweeds and all at once realized why the garden had been kept inside the village walls. It surrounded a grave yard.
Mounds of dirt were scattered over the grassy area, and in front of each one stood rocks of various sizes with bindweed twisting around the base. Hinata came to a stop, placing her hand over her heart as she looked over the field, an inevitable sadness pulsing in her chest.
"We should go," she told Riku, flitting her eyes over the graves. "It almost feels disrespectful to be here."
Riku nodded. "We had no way to know. Come on." He walked along the edge towards another archway leading back into the garden.
Hinata reluctantly followed after him, her steps slow as she attempted to read the etched names on each stone. Some of them had full names and memoirs of their deeds of being a spouse or beloved child. Yet others were left blank, or simply had the word 'outsider' crudely carved into them. The sight made Hinata uneasy as she quickened her pace to meet with Riku's. Then she heard a whimper, followed by a heavy exhale of breath. She paused, her eyes scanning for the source until she spotted a black horse laying down in the grass, curled around an unmarked grave.
"Riku." She reached out and grabbed his arm. "Look."
He stopped and followed her gaze, seeing the horse for himself. "Huh," he said as Hinata carefully walked between the mounds of dirt to reach the horse's side.
Its large eyes looked up at Hinata as she approached, but it otherwise remained still. Ribs stuck out from its side, barely covered by its thin, malnourished skin. Hinata looked it over, kneeling down across from it with a saddened smile. She looked at its mane, the only thing that seemed kempt as it was freshly brushed and adorned with tiny poorly done braids tied with frayed white ribbons.
"It's still alive," Riku muttered, coming up behind Hinata and kneeling beside her. "How long do you think it's been out here?"
"Too long," Hinata replied, looking at the unmarked grave. "Its rider must have died and it's refusing to leave or take care of itself." She took in a breath, bringing her attention back to the horse. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. You poor thing."
Riku untied their satchel of fruit, bringing out a ripe red apple. "It won't help much." He rolled the apple towards the horse, feeling relieved when it sniffed the gift then ate it without hesitation. "But it's something."
"Thank you," Hinata whispered to Riku, sending him a half-smile before she scooted closer to the horse and gently placed her hand along its head where she noticed a single white diamond of fur between its eyes. "Someone must be visiting it. The mane is taken care of, but no food…"
"Maybe one of the kids here," he suggested. "They wouldn't be able to give it much food."
Hinata nodded, petting the horse as it finished the apple, before standing up and brushing off her legs. "We can."
Riku looked up at her, smiling fondly as he stood and grabbed her hand. "Yeah, we can." He looked past her, seeing their masked stalker beneath the archway of bindweed. His gaze narrowed, but he didn't mention it. "Let's head back to the market."
The shopkeeper was less than thrilled to have the couple back at her shop. She chewed the inside of her cheek, arms crossed while she watched them fill another satchel with goods out of the corner of her eye. Riku and Hinata paid her no mind as they murmured about what they thought horses ate and what would help the most.
Behind them, the village began to clamor with voices. It had been eerily silent whenever Riku and Hinata were around, but something had caused it to change. Riku noticed it first. He looked up and past Hinata, seeing a group of villagers gathering in the square. Their words were jumbled together as the panic rose amongst the crowd.
"What's going on?" Hinata asked him, securing their newly purchased satchel at her hip.
"Not sure yet," he replied, looking over the crowd and noticing their masked follower had his attention turned to the crowd as well.
"I haven't seen him since morning prayer," one man said.
"She's never taken this long on chores," another woman spoke up.
"Didn't your children say they met the outsiders in the woods yesterday?" an older man asked Vinelle's mother, who was standing in the center of the crowd. "You don't think they led—"
"Vinelle and Adaline received proper comeuppance for their actions yesterday," a familiar voice spoke up, making Hinata tense as she looked over her shoulder and saw the owl masked man walking into the square, followed by two other men in similar attire. He stopped in front of the crowd, waiting for them to fall to complete silence before continuing. "It would be foolish, even as children, to attempt leaving the safety of the village so soon after. Particularly more so if they were naive enough to bring other children along with them."
"I—" Vinelle's mother tried to speak up, the crowd separating from her. Taking in a shaking breath, she bowed her head. "Elder, I hope you are right."
Riku's hand clenched at his side, just before reaching over and stopping Hinata from speaking up with a piece of her mind for the Elder.
"HELP! PLEASE HELP!" a child's scream tore through the courtyard and the guards scrambled to open the gates.
Everyone turned towards the sound, seeing Adaline limping past the opening gates, tears and mud caked to her cheeks. Hinata moved to run towards her, but Riku grabbed her hand, giving it a tight squeeze to make her pause.
To their surprise, their masked follower throughout the day ran forward instead, going to his knees and tearing off his mask right before Adaline collapsed in his and her mother's arms. The Elder visibly stiffened from the display as Adaline's cries filled the village.
"Papa, I— I'm so sorry, I tried, I really tried, I—" Adaline's tiny voice broke. "Vinelle, he— wanted to show the others where he found— but the shadows—"
"Where are they?!" one of the women from the crowd yelled, her outburst erupted the rest of the village as people demanded answers. Adaline retreated further against her parents, covering her face in shame as she cried.
"Enough!" The Elder's voice boomed, causing everyone to fall silent, spare for Adaline's weak sobs. "It is known that Dormin's shadows lurk in the woods outside our barrier when the time of the ritual is upon us. There is nothing we can do, but mourn their souls."
All at once, the anger among the village turned to sorrow. Wails joined Adaline's sobs, families holding each other as they instantaneously accepted the Elder's words.
"Like hell there isn't!" Hinata burst with a saying she had picked up from her years traveling with Sam. The entire village turned their widened eyes to her.
Riku stepped back, letting her talk.
"Do you even hear yourself?" Hinata continued. "Adaline made it out, the others might still have a chance! But you aren't even going to try?"
"Outsider," the Elder began.
"If you aren't going to step up to save your own children, then a couple of outsiders will do the work for you," Hinata turned and hurried towards the gate. "Come on."
"Right behind you," Riku moved to follow.
"We do not require your meddling, Outsiders," the Elder spoke after them.
"We don't require your opinion," Hinata called back, reveling in the small amount of satisfaction she got from the gasps in response.
As they disappeared into the woods, Riku told her, "It's been a while since I've heard you blow up like that."
"Yeah, well, that was the mildest thing I could think to say to that— that slimeball!" She shoved aside branches in their way as their hurried walk grew into a run. "Why aren't you furious about what just happened?"
"I am, don't worry," he assured her. "I'm just glad you said something to them before I tried to burn the whole place down."
Hinata laughed, despite the growing panic in her gut. "This is taking too long." She stopped in her tracks, breathing in deeply and meeting her hands in front of her.
"They'll see you," he warned her.
"I don't care," she mumbled under her breath.
Small platforms of water appeared in front of her, rippling as Hinata stepped onto them and rose herself above the treeline. She scanned the forest, noticing a flash of black near a clearing.
"Over there!" She sprinted towards it, platforms of water appearing beneath her with every step.
Summoning her blade in a flash of blue mist, she readied her shot and threw it towards the clearing, sticking it into a tree. The same blue mist covered her body entirely, flashing her out of the sky and to the blade's hilt embedded in the trunk. Children's screams filled her ears the moment she reappeared. She spun around, ripping the blade from the trunk and making it dissipate as she gained her bearings.
A half dozen children of various ages stood in the middle of a creek, the water up to their waists as they hugged and climbed onto the other. Along the water's edge were black shadowy figures. Their long straggly arms reached for the children, until being swatted away with a wooden stick that Vinelle was brandishing.
"Get away from my friends!" Vinelle yelled, swinging his branch and hitting the shadows square in the chest.
The shadows stumbled back, and Hinata was able to make out their glowing blue eyes that matched the hue of her tattoo. They hissed at Vinelle, clambering back to their feet and leaving a rippling pool of black where they had landed.
"Oh no you don't." Hinata lifted her hand, lifting a wall of water from the creek between Vinelle and the shadows.
"Hinata!" Vinelle gasped, waving towards her through the translucent water.
"Get in the water, Vinelle!" Hinata told him, summoning her blades as the shadows turned their attention to her.
The shadows approached almost languidly. They were different from Heartless, seemingly made of smoke with undistinguishable bodies. Their eyes left a trail of light with every twitch of movement and Hinata felt something strange in her heart as she watched them come towards her. Almost— sad.
A barrage of lightning struck them from overhead, forcing the shadows to the ground. Hinata blinked, looking up to see Riku jumping down from a tree on the other side of the clearing.
With a twist of her hands, a wave of water came up from the brook and slammed down on top of the shadows. Electricity crackled through the water, coursing through the creatures until all that remained were inky pools.
Hinata let out a breath, her eyes meeting with Riku's as he slowed down in front of her.
"You alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, sorry." She shook her head, looking away. "I'm fine."
He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before turning and running to the kids. "Is anyone missing?" he asked them.
Hinata watched him talking with the children, catching her breath. Something was off about those shadows. They weren't pure darkness, despite being covered in it. She looked to the inky pool left behind. It was beginning to wisp away with smoke, as if it had never appeared. None of the creatures had put up much of a fight. Even Vinelle, swinging nothing but a stick, was able to knock them to the ground. What about them made the village so ready to give up on their children?
She sucked in a breath, locking the question away as she heard the hiss of more shadows. Her grip tightened on her blade before she spun and threw it across the creek. It hit a boulder, bouncing off and twirling into the air before being caught when Hinata reappeared beside it. Summoning her plasma gun, she held it out besider her, shooting a single shot when the shadows passed. The blast impacted three at once, all of them falling to the ground and bursting in smoke. She stepped out into view of the oncoming creatures, shooting them down in succession. Each one fell without a fight, the others continuing forward without reaction.
"Stay back, Vinelle!" Riku yelled from the other side of the creek, making Hinata whip around to see Vinelle running after a shadow with a stick readied at his side.
"Vinelle!" Hinata called out, reaching after him.
"I got him," Riku assured her before disappearing into the forest.
He pushed aside branches and vines, looking in every direction for any signs of Vinelle. The sound of thudding footsteps and Vinelle's yells had gone silent.
"He couldn't have gotten that far." Riku slowed to a stop, his foot hitting something. He looked down and picked up the stick Vinelle had been carrying. "Vinelle!" he yelled again, his voice wavering as he turned in place.
"Hmmph!" A muffled voice cried out for him.
Riku sprinted towards the sound, slicing away anything in his path with his blade. Then he saw the group of shadows Vinelle had been chasing. They surrounded a black pool that pulsated with rings of white, staring blankly as Vinelle was dragged down into it by another shadow.
Riku's heart stopped.
Purple light enveloped his Keyblade and with one strike over his head, walls of lightning coursed through the ground and engulfed the shadows. Blackened mist was all that remained of them as Riku sprinted forward, skidding to his knees beside the rippling pool. Vinelle's tiny hand was the only thing he could see amongst the black, but he reached in regardless. Shadows rose from the ground around him, their hands grabbing onto Riku's legs, attempting to push him into the darkness with Vinelle. Riku yelled, raising his Keyblade. An orb formed at its tip before bursting with a shimmering shield of light and consuming the shadows.
The shield remained around him as Riku leaned further into the pool. He felt Vinelle's frail frame and wrapped his arm around his waist. Tiny hands gripped onto his arm as Riku struggled to pull back out. He rolled onto his back, feeling the weight of Vinelle landing on top of him, shivering and shaking with tears. Riku stared up at the sky, his chest heaving as he struggled to take in a full breath. Shaking his head out of it, he wrapped his arms around Vinelle.
"I have you," he soothed, sitting up. "You're alright."
Vinelle wasn't able to form words as he buried his face in Riku's shoulder and hooked his thin arms around his neck. Riku remained there for a moment, his heart still racing. Shadows stood outside his shield and he couldn't help but wonder where those things had been when he and Hinata had arrived the day before. The world had seemed so peaceful then, mysterious, but harmless. Now he wasn't so sure.
"I'm going to stand up, alright?" Riku told Vinelle. "We have to get back to the others."
Vinelle whimpered but nodded against his shoulder, still trembling from what had just happened. Riku patted his back before carefully standing up. He inhaled deeply once he stood, looking around at the shadows staring at him from the edge of his shield. The magic he used to maintain it ate away at his energy, but it was a well practiced spell. He settled with keeping it going, walking at his own pace back to the group with Vinelle in his arms.
It didn't take long for them to meet back up with Hinata and the others. The children were at Hinata's side, shivering and soaked from the waist down. The shadows were nowhere to be seen, but the ground was muddied and Riku's feet sank with every step. He slowed to a stop and dissipated his shield once Hinata noticed him arriving.
"There you are." She let out a breath of relief, hurrying forward to be by his side. "I was beginning to worry." She looked to Vinelle, her expression melding into concern. "What happened?"
"Those things tried to force him into one of those dark pools," Riku told her with a low, quiet voice, in hopes of keeping the other children from overhearing. "I barely got there in time to pull him out."
Hinata's eyes widened, looking back over her shoulder to the other children. "They're trying to take the kids? Why?"
"I don't know." Riku shook his head. "How did you get them to leave you alone?"
"The water," Hinata motioned to the creek that was nearly empty. "I guess I was right about it feeling different. The shadows won't touch it."
"Explains the mud."
She laughed shortly, nodding. Her expression fell when she looked at Vinelle curled against Riku, his shoulders shaking every so often. "We should get them home."
"Yeah," Riku agreed.
"And then, we should leave… right?" she asked, raising her hand to rub calming circles along Vinelle's back.
Riku wanted to say yes. He looked in the direction he knew the gummi ship had been parked and camouflaged. They could still leave, bring the children back to the village, then leave it all behind. It wasn't their responsibility. Then he felt the tiny hands gripping onto his shirt for dear life. The hands that would have been consumed by the darkness if he and Hinata hadn't acted. His gaze went over the rest of the children grouped behind Hinata. How long would they have lasted?
"We can't," Hinata spoke first. A pang of relief washed over him as she continued. "Not after this." She shook her head, arms wrapping around herself. "This will be eating away at me the rest of my life if we leave this behind now."
Riku couldn't help but smile when she reluctantly met her eyes with his.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Don't be." He pushed her hair back behind her ear, resting his hand along her neck. "I was thinking the same thing."
She smiled back, placing her hand over his. They remained like that for a moment, taking the brief calm before they went headfirst into the unknown.
"Alright." Hinata turned to the children. "Let's get moving."
**Author's Note: Soooo remember that Seeking Salvation AU that was based on Shadow of the Colossus? I began writing it from the beginning quite a while ago and never shared it. A little while ago I found it again and have been getting inspired for it all over again. SO hopefully we'll have some updates for it! Thank you so much for taking the time to read. Have a wonderful week!**