So this one was a bit of a tough one to figure out as my characters are not part of the Daybreak time. But there is someone on the team who is, and that's @amyhayanora 's character Lupe. He has been trapped in the data realm until discovered by DiZ during the time of Kingdom Hearts 2. After that, his code was reformed in the synthetic Twilight Town, where he joined Hinata's crew as their "guy at the computer".
Lupe has his own apartment in the synthetic Twilight Town, where the crew often spends their evenings with him watching bad movies or staying up all night talking. Lupe loves being part of the team and they love him just as much. He doesn't have many memories of his life back in Daybreak Town. They are faded at best.
Hinata wants to help him remember, as she dealt with memory loss in her past as well. The process is hit and miss, but they have a lot of heartfelt conversations through it and end up closer in the end.
But there we are!! That is my contribution for @khoc-week today <3
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After the most recent round of KHOC Pathfinder, I have been lost in my thoughts about dreams and nightmares in the Kingdom Hearts Universe. I have some ideas of what I want to write for Sam, but here are a couple pieces I made based on Keres' nightmare where Velcia becomes trapped, in The Forgotten Traveler.
Between chapters 21-24 of The Forgotten Traveler, Riku, Hinata, and Axel are trapped in nightmares by Keres (who they referred to as Thaanix at the time). With the help of Dr. Finkelstein, Velcia is able to enter their dreams and aid them in defeating the creature keeping them trapped inside.
One by one the friends are saved, but at the end of it Velcia doesn't wake up. This is an excerpt from Chapter 24 when Velcia is taken into Thaanix' dreamscape.
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Excerpt from Chapter 24 of The Forgotten Traveler - Intentions
Words: 3k
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“We did it Velcia,” Hinata breathed out, grinning.
Looking down from the sky, she turned to make her way towards Velcia. But she wasn’t there. Hinata blinked. She rushed to where Velcia had been seconds before, but there were no footprints or indentations in the sand that indicated any sort of movement.
“Velcia!” she called out, cupping her hands around her mouth.
No response.
She looked back to the creature’s remains and saw nothing but globs of acid still sizzling away the sand. Both of them vanished.
“M-Maybe she already woke up,” Hinata said, looking up towards the incoming light as it surrounded her.
“Hmm, I wouldn’t count on it,” Thaanix’s voice said from behind.
Hinata spun around, seeing Thaanix standing in the center of the arena. Her eyes were completely black, her skin dulled and hair in disarray. She smirked as Hinata’s expression went from surprise to sudden rage.
Hinata stalked towards her. “If you do anything—”
“Tick tock,” Thaanix teased, just as the whirlpool caved in and Hinata woke up.
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“Hinata, look out!” Velcia cried, sitting up in a rush.
Her vision spun around her as her head throbbed with pain. She blinked rapidly, slowly realizing that she was no longer surrounded by water. There was no facility, no whirlpool, or creature. She found herself instead on a forest floor. Impossibly tall trees towered around her, their tops disappearing into the misty sky. The branches were bare and blackened. Dead leaves covered the ground between the thick black roots protruding from the dirt.
Velcia looked around and hesitantly stood up. “Hinata?” she asked, her voice disappearing into the mist. Her hands ran uncomfortably up and down her arms as she walked. “Why do I get the feeling I’m not in her dream anymore?”
“Hmm clever,” Hinata’s voice muttered through the wind.
The sound sent shivers up Velcia’s spine.
"You're not Hinata." A Keyblade flashed into Velcia’s hands. “Show yourself."
There was a pause, then a laugh that carried itself between the trees, echoing through the forest. Velcia turned in place, her blade at the ready. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a silhouette in the mist. Turning towards it, whatever it was disappeared.
“Let’s see how clever you really are,” Hinata’s voice offered behind her. Velcia spun around, but no one was there. Against her ear, she felt a whisper, “Come and find us.”
The unsettling presence vanished and Velcia stumbled back, leaning against the trunk of a tree. Her heart pounded in her chest. Exhaustion ached in her muscles and her joints. She swallowed hard, attempting to coat her parched throat. Looking up towards the misty sky, she took a deep breath.
“How will I get back?” she asked. Fear crept up in her chest, but she stamped it down with a sharp breath and shut her eyes. “Sam, if you’re somehow able to hear me, it might be up to you, like we talked about... I just hope the others really woke up.” She reluctantly opened her eyes and looked out into the forest. “I have to get moving.”
She stepped forward, careful not to trip on the thick roots. Every direction appeared the same— shrouded in mist and covered with trees. She walked aimlessly for a few minutes, before slowing to a stop with a soft huff of breath. Placing her hands over her heart, she shut her eyes and reached out to feel the magic around her. It was different from doing so in the outside world, where she could feel each and every individual element that made up the fabric of the world itself. Here, everything was fabricated and illusory. Reaching out with her mind felt empty and fuzzy, despite how real everything seemed around her. Taking a deep, steady breath, she reached out further and she sensed the pulse of darkness. It festered stronger the more she focused on it, causing her to draw back and open her eyes with a gasp.
Even after detaching herself from it, her heart felt heavy and sick. Velcia looked in the direction she sensed the darkness and walked. Her feet crunched the dead leaves underfoot. Wind creaked the branches overhead. Everything else was silent and eerily so. Velcia continued onwards, her sash in her hands while she rubbed the fabric between her fingers. The texture, the stitching, it gave her a distraction while her mind struggled to wrap around what she was doing and where she was.
Minutes passed, Velcia wasn’t sure how many. The mist gradually began to clear and the trees thinned out. The occasional sunflower stood in place of where a tree would normally be. Velcia ran her hands along a few of the petals as she passed. Orange sunlight peeked through the mist, though Velcia still couldn’t quite see the sky through the shroud. Then she reached the edge of a clearing.
The mist abruptly disappeared. A perpetual sunset covered the sky. Hundreds of sunflowers covered the clearing. The only thing between them were thick black roots, each one leading towards a single colossal tree in the center of it all. Velcia stood at the edge of the clearing, already sensing the heavy darkness emanating off the tree. There was no doubt in her mind it was the exact source of the darkness she sensed when she was deep in the forest. Her heart lodged in her throat. She knew that was where Thaanix awaited her.
A rustling sound caught her attention. She snapped her eyes over to see the same creature from the dreams scuttering out of the forest beside her. With a gasp, she jumped back and summoned her Keyblade, but the beast paid her no mind. It simply moved past her, disappearing in the field of sunflowers. She could see the sunflowers bending to the side as it made its way towards the tree. Her Keyblade flashed away and she looked around. Other various creatures of all different shapes and sizes were doing the same. Each of them emerged from the forest and ventured into the field of flowers to reach the tree. Velcia’s gaze once again settled on the tree. From where she stood, she couldn’t make out many details, but it didn’t appear natural; though, she supposed nothing in the dream would be.
She looked over her shoulder at the misty forest behind her, but then back towards the clearing. With a deep breath, she moved forward. The sunflowers provided a comforting scent that masked the putrid scent of darkness. Velcia ran her hands along the petals of the ones that stood near her height, purposefully releasing the perfume. It did little to help the gradually growing stench, but Velcia did it nonetheless. She stared up at the tree as she went. It wasn’t made of any sort of recognizable wood, but instead black tendrils that twisted and weaved together. Between the tendrils, were creatures of all manner of shapes and sizes— many of which matched the types already scuttering towards the tree from the forest. They wriggled against their confinement and as Velcia approached she could hear their hisses and whines as the vines tightened over their remains. She felt sick.
The creature from the previous dreams stopped at the base of the tree. It happily chittered, about to enter through an opening in the trunk before tendrils burst out and wrapped around its body. Velcia startled with a gasp. The creature thrashed in surprise, but the tendrils tightly constricted until it fell limp. Without any more fight, the beast was dragged up the side of the tree to become a part of it.
Velcia stepped back, her face pale. “I need to leave,” she told herself, though she knew she had no idea how. She walked backwards several steps, watching as more and more of the approaching creatures were consumed.
“Not yet,” Hinata’s voice muttered behind her.
Velcia’s eyes widened and she spun around. Everything shifted. The sunflowers, the orange sunset, and the barren trees, were all replaced with a hollowed tree. Velcia frantically looked around at the towering, twisted walls, her breaths becoming heavy.
“How did I—”
“Why are you helping them?” Hinata’s voice asked shakily from behind. It sounded different from before, causing Velcia to pause.
She cautiously turned around, her grip tightening around her Keyblade. In the center of the hollowed tree she saw Thaanix kneeled on the ground. Her hands were folded in her lap, her eyes fixated on the floor with blackened tears stained against her cheeks. Velcia carefully stepped towards her. She looked to Thaanix’s hair. It was loose and long, much longer than she had ever seen Hinata’s. It fell all around her, cascading over the floor, until melding into black and forming the dark tendrils that made up the entire fortress around them.
“They’re my friends,” Velica told her honestly, noticing Thaanix’s hands tighten in her lap. “I’ll do everything I can to help them.”
“Good little Hinata knows how to make everyone loyal.” Another Thaanix formed out of darkness, her eyes black and skin grayed. “Even enough to convince others to kill us.”
“Such a clever addition to the team.” Yet another form appeared. “So much power. She reeks of magic.” The form laughed. “Imagine little Hinata’s surprise when we take it for ourselves.”
“You will get nothing from me.” Velcia’s Keyblade ignited and a shimmering shield surrounded her. She looked between each form, her heart pounding but her stare remained level and seemingly calm.
“You have no idea how often we hear that,” the form told her. “And every time, without fail, they end up here. Just look for yourself.”
Velcia’s eyes darted around the tree’s walls. She had tried not to notice the bodies weaved in between the vines: past Organization Members she recognized from DiZ’s books, a being formed out of a burlap sack, and all forms of people she didn’t recognize. She swallowed hard, averting her gaze as her stomach flipped.
The forms of darkness laughed and more of them appeared. In the center of it all, the real Thaanix remained silent, eyes still fixed on the floor, tears pooling beneath her. One of the forms walked up to Velcia’s shield and pressed her hand against the barrier. Darkness hissed and sizzled from the touch, but the form didn’t move away.
“I can’t imagine you have much left,” she taunted Velcia with a sickly sweet voice. “It’s just a matter of time until every piece of strength you have left is gone and all of your precious magic will fizzle away.”
“My friends will wake me up well before then,” Velcia bit in return, but she couldn’t hide the tremble in her voice.
“Hmm, maybe.” One of the other forms walked around Velcia, trailing her hand along the shield as her fingers sizzled away with wisps of darkness. “But imagine their panic right now. The guilt. All of the little what-ifs, wondering if there was a way they could have stopped this from happening. Completely helpless while you waste away, becoming our prey.”
Velcia’s chest twanged at the thought, but rather than focus on it, she took a deep even breath and looked towards Thaanix sitting in the center of everyone. “I know what the darkness wants,” she started, carefully walking forward. “It’s the same thing it always wants.” She knelt down in front of Thaanix and leaned forward to be in her line of sight. “But what do you want?”
Thaanix didn’t look up, but her brows knitted together. The dark forms around her snickered and whispered between themselves, their voices rumbling. She swallowed hard, her hands clenching until her knuckles were white. “What did she tell you about me?” she asked finally.
Velcia blinked, surprised at the question. She considered her words carefully. “She told me that you are a Replica, created with an overabundance of darkness beyond your control.”
“She’s lying,” one of the forms hissed, making Thaanix wince.
“I’m not,” Velcia replied firmly, yet her voice remained gentle.
“Do you know what I’ve done?” Thaanix asked.
Velcia was silent for a moment, before nodding. “Yes, but—”
“Did you join them to kill me?” she interrupted.
“I joined to help put a stop to the darkness inside you,” Velcia replied. “But I would still very much like an answer to my question. What do you want?”
“I…” Thannix’s voice started weak, then trailed off. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks, much to the amusement of the dark forms around her. They mocked her while Velcia remained still, patiently awaiting her answer. “I want to be left alone.”
“Why is that?” Velcia asked, taken aback by her answer.
“I woke up with memories of a life I can never go back to,” Thaanix began to explain, tears straining her voice. “Memories of people that want nothing but to see me dead. They hunt me, relentlessly. Every moment I see Hinata, in the life I will never have, I-I’m overcome with—” she suddenly cried out, her fingers digging into her head. “I hate it!”
“If we can get the darkness out of you—”
“No!” Thaanix screamed. “The darkness is the only thing that understands! I-I fought it for a while. The pain it makes me feel when I don’t give in…” She held out her hands in front of her, her skin stained black. “But all of that changes when I listen and it only makes me stronger. It’s given me a new life, a new chance to be someone else. Everything I’ve done, everything it helps me do, no one will lay another hand on me.”
Velcia’s eyes darted around, seeing the dark forms watching and listening intently. Even without their mouths moving, she could hear their whispers affirming Thaanix’s words. Her shield remained strong, but she knew it wouldn’t for much longer. The Keyblade seemed heavier by the second, her hands were slicked with sweat around its hilt. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest, aching for a moment’s rest that she couldn’t give it. Closing her eyes for a moment, she steadied her breaths and focused on her magic reserves. There wasn’t much left, but she pushed forward.
“The darkness makes promises it can’t keep,” Velcia finally replied, opening her eyes and noticing each of the dark forms bristling from her words. “It destroys everything it touches, including its user. Though… I have a feeling you already know that. Don’t you?”
Thaanix averted her gaze.
“What are you truly after?” Velcia asked.
“Why does it matter?” Thaanix asked, the strain returning to her voice. “After everything I’ve done, the only thing that remains is a monster. For once, Hinata gets to see what happens when things don’t go her way. Except she gets the luxury of watching it, while I get to live every excruciating moment. But I won’t be the victim forever. No, I’m going to be stronger than her. I’m going to show her and every other person that wants to destroy me what I am capable of. If she doesn’t leave me alone, she’s not going to be on the other side of a window anymore, she’s going to be the one living it.”
“You want to be left alone so you can protect her,” Velcia muttered in realization. “Part of you doesn’t want this.”
Thaanix looked up in surprise. For the first time, their eyes met. Velcia’s heart dropped. The fear in Thaanix’s eyes, the pain and the hopelessness, it all brought Velcia back to her childhood, watching helplessly as the darkness ripped everything away. Her family, her life, everything vanished in an instant. For a single moment, Velcia considered dissolving her barrier and protectively wrapping her arms around Thaanix.
Instead, she let out a soft, shaking breath and told her, “You don’t have to do this. Any of this. You aren’t as alone as you think.”
“She’s trying to deceive you,” one of the forms whispered.
Velcia shook her head, a sheen of tears covering her eyes. “I’m not. We can stop this. You don’t need to listen to the darkness.”
As she spoke, her barrier wavered. Velcia’s body ached, but she didn’t move her gaze away from Thaanix. The dark forms noticed her weakening state. Some of them laughed and taunted, while others surrounded the shield and pressed their hands against it to force its power to run out faster.
One of the forms knelt beside Thaanix and caressed her face. “After everything you’ve done, do you really believe any of them would want to save you? The destruction, the chaos, the killing, it’s disgusting to them. That’s all you are in their eyes. A monster.”
“That’s not true,” Velcia countered, desperately trying to keep her barrier up. “We will do what we need to protect the worlds from darkness. If there’s a way to remove the darkness from Thaanix we—”
“Oh their pet name for you,” the form interrupted with a chuckle. “How incredibly fitting. The name of a nobody.”
“What?” Velcia’s eyes widened. “No that’s not—”
“Kill her,” the darkness whispered. “Take what’s yours.”
Dark tendrils slowly wrapped around the outside of Velcia’s shield, tightening around it despite the magic sizzling the darkness away like smoke. The dark forms whispered to Thaanix, urging her to continue, to take what belonged to her. Thaanix remained silent, her gaze settled on Velcia as the black vines wrapped tighter and tighter around the shield. Velcia held her Keyblade above her head, her chest heaving as beads of sweat dripped down her neck. Her arms trembled, the shield cracked.
“Please,” she pleaded. “You don’t have to do this.”
Thaanix’s eyes drifted back to the ground. “I’m sorry…”
The shield caved in and Velcia crumpled to the ground. She reached out for Thaanix, but the black vines forced her down. They wrapped around her, tightening with crushing weight. She cried out for help, but the tendrils constricted her neck. Little by little, her vision darkened and dulled. Velcia struggled, but there wasn’t much fight left inside of her. The very life inside of her drained, as if being sucked away.
A flash of light surrounded her, followed by a surge of electrical current that caused the hairs on Velcia’s skin to stand on end. The vines disappeared. Darkness wisped away, immediately replaced with an overwhelming rush of magic that caused Velcia to suck in a sudden sharp breath as every inch of her was reinvigorated.
Machines beeped, multiple voices talked over the other, but Velcia couldn’t see. She tried to lift her arms, but something held her down. “H-Hello?” she stammered, her voice hoarse.
“It worked!” Hinata’s voice exclaimed over the others. “Guys, I think she’s awake!”
The room fell silent and multiple hurried footsteps rushed towards Velcia.
“Holy shit,” Sam breathed. “That actually worked.”
“I-I can’t see, is everything alright?” Velcia asked.
“Of course, dear Velcia!” Skellington’s bony hand gripped Velcia’s shoulder, making her flinch. “Just allow us a moment to get the equipment off.”
“Scans show accelerated heart rate,” Ben informed the others. Velcia could hear his fingers clicking against a keyboard. “But vital signs are re-stabilized.”
“Get that damn thing off of her then!” Sam ordered.
“Patience!” Dr. Finklestein scolded. “That Nia just unplugged the entire thing, we need to make sure her brain functions appear normal.”
I'm so excited to have the chance to share my piece for the @twosidesfanzine !! Leftover sales are going on right now and I highly recommend checking it out is you are a SoKai, RokuNami, or even a cookbook fan!
https://twosideszine.bigcartel.com/
I had the honor of working alongside @amyhayanora ❤️ She did the illustrations and I did the writing. Collaborations with her are always a joy and this project was no different.
This piece is a Duality, which means it showcases both SoKai and RokuNami in it as they travel to Potorosso (Luca)!
Aggiungi un Posto a Tavola
Add Another Seat at the Table
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The hatch of the Gummi Ship hissed open. Salty sweet air rushed into the cockpit, igniting Kairi’s senses. She undid her buckle and peeked her head out while the others took in the damage around the ship. Perhaps she should have been more concerned about the fact that they’d just crashed on an unknown world, but the fact that it was a new world took over her curiosity.
Shimmering ocean surrounded them on all sides. Sea spray cooled her cheeks as waves lapped against the sides of the scuffed ship. Green mountains towered in the distance, and at their base lay what appeared to be a village.
“Wow,” she whispered under her breath.
“Yeah,” Sora added, coming up and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Reminds me a bit of the islands.”
Kairi leaned into him with a hum, welcoming the warmth that filled her chest. “Me too.”
Roxas let out a harsh breath behind them. “Ship now, sightsee later, guys!”
Naminé giggled as Kairi and Sora separated with sheepish laughs. “I am looking forward to seeing the world, too,” Naminé admitted, looking around at the disarray in the cockpit. “Despite the circumstances.”
Roxas plopped back into his seat, defeated. “Circumstances being the ship’s completely out of fuel and we have no idea where we are?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Sora pointed out with a shrug.
“Sora…that’s not the point,” Roxas groaned, putting his hand over his face.
Naminé gently ran her hand along Roxas’ shoulder. “It’s alright. Let’s get the ship to shore and find a place to stay for tonight. We’ll figure everything out in the morning.”
Roxas peeked between his fingers, a soft smile tipping the corner of his mouth. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Since that’s settled,” —Sora laced his fingers behind his neck and looked out over the ocean— “where are we exactly?”
As if in reply, a whirring engine of a boat cut through their discussion. They looked amongst each other before all of them rushed to the opened hatch and saw an approaching boat. It was small in size, wooden and worn down from obvious years of use. Inside sat a large, imposing man. A bushy mustache covered half of his face, making his expression difficult to read.
Roxas cleared his throat and pushed Sora forward, appointing him to talk first. Despite being literally pushed into it, Sora excitedly climbed out of the cockpit and balanced on the Gummi Ship’s wing.
“Hey there!” he greeted. “I’m Sora, this is—”
“What manner of ship is this?” the man asked in a burly voice.
“I told you, Massimo,” a young boy’s voice caught everyone’s attention. They looked over, and a boy’s head peeked out of the water. Blue and purple scales covered him, sparkling under the light of the sunset. “I watched them fall out of the sky.” He leaned back against the ship and crossed his scaly arms. “Luca learned about it at school. Anything from space—gotta be aliens.”
Massimo looked between the boy and the ship, his brow gradually raising.
“Trust me,” the boy assured him. He dove back into the water and leapt onto the boat. The group gasped as he shook the water off and his scales instantly transformed into skin. He appeared no different from any of them. “Just wait till I write Luca about them. He’ll totally agree.”
“I am not so sure, Alberto,” Massimo murmured.
“Yeeah.” Sora rubbed the back of his hair, awkwardly moving on, “Well, um—I’m Sora, and this is Kairi, Naminé, and Roxas!”
“Would you be able to help us ashore?” Naminé asked, stepping in.
“Uh-yeah, of course,” Alberto instantly agreed. “As Potorosso’s best and only lifeguard, I’m basically an expert at saving lives.”
Massimo huffed out a breath, but didn’t say anything as he unraveled a net from the fishing pulley. Alberto grabbed the fishing net and dove into the water. The group watched him with awe as the scales returned the moment the ocean met his skin. He darted around the ship and captured it in the net before coming back up on the other side of the boat and handing Massimo the rope.
Still in the water, Alberto leaned up against the boat and said, “You guys should totally stay with me and Massimo when we get to town. He’s always making too much food.”
“We wouldn’t want to overstep,” Kairi assured Massimo, unsure about his lack of reaction.
“We’ll find an inn, so don’t worry about it,” Roxas added.
“Yeah, I’m sure we can—WOAH!” Sora’s arms waved wildly around when a wave hit the back of the ship and rocked him off balance. Kairi reached out for him, but it was too late as he face planted into the sea.
Alberto jumped into action to help Sora up to the surface while Massimo let out a long-winded breath.
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Sora hummed happily, pulling the sides of the thick blanket further around his shoulders. A towel blocked his sight, but he soaked in everything around him. Savory scents wafted from the kitchen as Massimo cooked what Alberto described as the most incredible and life-altering pasta dish they would ever taste. Mews of cats carried over the breeze coming in from the open window, along with Naminé’s soft voice cooing at them while Roxas chuckled and whispered sweet things that he likely didn’t realize the others could hear. All of that was overshadowed, however, by the gentle massage of Kairi’s hands while she dried Sora’s hair.
“Better?” Kairi asked, moving the fluffy towel so she could see his face. He beamed up at her, making her giggle.
“Much better,” he replied, nuzzling into the towel as she continued to dry his hair.
“I can’t decide who’s more like a cat,” Roxas commented. “Sora, or this actual cat.”
Everyone laughed, including Sora. He lifted a part of the towel out of his face to see them. The biggest cat he had ever seen lay over Roxas’ lap, purring loudly and rubbing against his hand while fluffy kittens climbed over Naminé.
Sora snickered at the sight. “I want a turn with the cat next.”
“Only once you’re all dry,” Kairi said in a teasing tone.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Sora resigned himself to Kairi’s words with a sigh before abruptly grabbing her wrist and pulling her into his blanket. She squealed but quickly settled in beside him, pulling the blanket over her shoulder and cozying up. “We’ll just have to snuggle in the meantime.”
Kairi giggled. “I’ll happily accept that.”
“What a pair of saps,” Roxas jested, chuckling when Kairi stuck her tongue out at him.
“I think it’s sweet,” Naminé replied. She carefully picked up a kitten and giggled when it licked the tip of her nose. “Don’t you?”
The tips of Roxas’ ears warmed. His smile grew in a goofy, love struck sort of way. “Yeah, I do,” he admitted.
“Who’s the sap now?” Sora asked.
“Hey, I can have my moments,” Roxas countered.
Kairi snickered, and that pulled the rest of them into laughing together. A knock on the doorway cut through their amusement, and they looked up to see Massimo. He remained still until the room went silent, then motioned his head towards the kitchen and turned to leave. The four teens looked at each other before following after him.
A savory bouquet of scents welcomed them to dinner as they passed through the doorway. Old iron pots covered the stovetop, steam billowing over the tops and making it impossible to see what delicious food sat waiting inside. Sora closed his eyes and inhaled, sighing in appreciation before abruptly bumping into a chair.
“Ah yeah, you might want to watch where you’re goin,” Alberto told them, walking around the table surrounded by mismatched chairs to set out drinking glasses. “Usually it’s just me and Massimo eating in here.”
“Thank you for making the space for us,” Naminé replied. “I hope it wasn’t much trouble.”
“Psh, please, Massimo loves having company.” Alberto waved dismissively.
Massimo harrumphed in response while he filled dishes with dinner. The group chuckled nervously and quickly found their seats. While Alberto helped with the finishing touches, Sora looked around the kitchen. Copper pans hung from the wall, along with bunches of garlic and dried herbs. An antique radio on a corner cabinet played classical music, the notes warbling through the speaker. Sora grabbed Kairi’s hand and pointed it out to her, along with other various unique decorations that caught his eye.
“It is my pleasure to present”—Alberto stopped at their table with two bowls of steaming pasta along each arm—”trofie al pesto!”
The group oohed and ahhed as the bowls were placed in front of each of them. Plump curls of pasta filled their dishes, along with cubes of potatoes and green beans, all of it coated with vibrant pesto.
“This smells amazing,” Roxas said with a growing grin, picking up his fork.
“It tastes amazing!” Sora enthusiastically agreed with a muffled voice, his mouth already full.
Roxas let out an exasperated breath but smiled all the same as he took a bite for himself. His eyes widened as he chewed. “This really is good.”
“Yeah, Massimo’s the best cook in Potorosso,” Alberto bragged, wiping under his nose. “He’s teaching me everything he knows. I even put the basil leaf on this time.”
With a chuckle, Kairi picked up the loose basil leaf on top of her dish and waved it at him. “Very elegantly done.”
Alberto grinned, then scrambled to his seat when Massimo cleared his throat. Rather than pick up a fork, he grabbed a handful of pasta in his hand and scooped it into his mouth. Massimo continued to eat his food, paying no mind to Alberto, but the rest of the group stopped and stared.
“Huh.” Sora looked at his food and put down the fork.
“Don’t,” Roxas warned.
“Don’t what?” Alberto asked, his mouth full.
“Nothing.” Naminé smiled sweetly, and Sora took the opportunity to shovel pasta into his mouth via his hand.
“Come on,” Roxas groaned under his breath, his hand covering his face.
“It’s even better this way,” Sora insisted, wiping the corner of his mouth with his thumb.
“Right?” Alberto replied. “I tried it both ways and hand eating is definitely the way to go.”
“Now I’m curious.” Naminé looked between her fork and Sora.
“Not you too!” Roxas cried out, making them erupt into laughter.
Even Massimo cracked a smile.
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Fireflies danced under the moonlight, lighting the way as Alberto led Sora, Kairi, Roxas, and Naminé outside to their beds for the night. Bunches of blankets and pillows towered over their heads as they followed, stopping in front of a tree with a treehouse built in the center of its branches.
“And here we are.” Alberto held his arms out wide. “My secret spot!”
“We can make room inside if you would prefer.” Massimo placed his hand on Alberto’s shoulder.
“We don’t mind,” Naminé assured them.
“Yeah, we’re used to sleeping outside.” Sora readjusted the blankets in his arms. “Thanks for sharing your secret spot with us, Alberto. It’s great!”
“I added a bit to it since Giulia was here, so it’s pretty much perfect.” Alberto grinned.
“We’ll let you get some sleep.” Massimo ushered Alberto away with him.
“Thank you again for everything,” Kairi said. “We really appreciate it.”
Massimo simply nodded while Alberto waved enthusiastically and called, “See you in the morning!”
The group waited until Massimo and Alberto were gone inside the house before they made their way up the tree. With their magic, it didn’t take long to get everything up into the treehouse and situated enough to be comfortable. A string of white lights weaved between the branches and flickered to life once Naminé found a switch. Blankets and pillows covered the wooden planks, pressed up against the short walls along the sides. It was a tight fit, but the four of them managed to lay down side by side. Without a roof on the fort, they were able to gaze up at the multitude of stars shimmering above them.
“What a day,” Roxas whispered. He smiled as Naminé’s hand wound around his.
“A wonderful day,” Naminé added. “Unexpected, but I’m happy it happened the way it did.”
“We should get that pesto recipe for Little Chef tomorrow,” Sora said with a yawn.
“I would also like to explore the town tomorrow,” Naminé said. “There were so many unique trinkets inside Massimo’s home, I’d love to buy some from the shops here.”
“Oh me too!” Kairi propped up on her elbow. “Sora pointed out the old radio to me.”
“Wasn’t it beautiful?” Naminé asked, also sitting up.
“I guess that leaves me repairing the ship?” Roxas asked, chuckling when Naminé looked at him with apologetic eyes. “I’m teasing. We could use some downtime. Exploring the town sounds great.”
“I’m glad we crashed here,” Sora said, then he heard Roxas scoff. “What?”
“I am too,” Kairi agreed, kissing Sora’s cheek before she laid down. “It’s a beautiful place and I’m glad we’re here together.”
All of them hummed in their own form of agreement. Their whispers continued to fill the night air until one by one, they fell asleep beneath the stars.
I’m so excited to have the chance to share my full story for the @destinytriofanzine!
It was a lovely project to be part of with incredible and talented creators for every page. The leftover sales are open right now and if you love the Destiny Trio make sure to check it out!
For my piece, I wanted to focus on how their friendship has evolved over the years, but also all the ways it has stayed the same. We didn’t get much of them together in Kingdom Hearts 3, so I had a mighty need to see them all having quality time again.
So without further ado, here is my fic!
The Good Ole Days
Words: 2193
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Flower petals danced on the warm evening breeze. Sora inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet subtle aroma. His fingers laced behind his head, a lazy smile curving his mouth, as he descended the stone stairs leading into the garden courtyard. Radiant Garden’s castle towered behind him. Its copper adornments shimmered in the light of the setting sun, reflecting rainbows across the courtyard below where a very familiar gummiship sat awaiting its crew.
“Tomorrow’s finally the day,” Riku said, catching Sora’s attention.
Sora peeked over his shoulder at his best friend just a few steps behind, his smile growing. Looking back out over the garden he nodded. “After all this time, it’s really—” his words cut off with a large yawn.
Riku scoffed. “You better not be falling asleep on the job.” He caught up to Sora and nudged him with his shoulder.
“Woah!” Sora stumbled, nearly losing his footing on the edge of a stair. “Hey, watch it!” he scolded with a laugh. “Do you want me to fall?”
“Will it keep you awake?” Riku asked, jumping back when Sora swatted at him. “Hey! Take your own advice.”
“Are you two done?” Kairi called out to them, poking her head out from the gummiship. Despite her arched brow, she couldn’t hide the amusement in her eyes.
“Kairi!” Sora waved with a grin before running down the rest of the stairs. “We were wondering where you went off to.”
“Unlike the two of you, I’ve been busy,” she teased.
Sora’s nose scrunched up in just a way that Kairi couldn’t help but snicker. He crossed his arms and asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Instead of replying, Kairi giggled and went back into the gummi ship. Sora followed. He ducked under the low entryway, the metal floor clunking under his feet. Entering the cockpit, he took a deep whiff of the familiar smell: grease along with a tinge of sea salt from the palm tree air freshener hung over the back of Kairi’s seat in the cockpit. The scents married together oddly well, like a mixture of two places that reminded Sora of home.
Sora’s shoulders relaxed and he lowered into his seat with a wistful sigh, closing his eyes. A heavier set of feet rattled the metal floor and Sora instantly smirked.
“Sora,” Riku groaned, but Sora could hear the smile in his voice without even having to see it. “Didn’t I just say to not fall asleep?”
Sora stretched in an exaggerated way, making Kairi laugh and Riku roll his eyes. “I’m not! I’m just… resting until Kairi tells us what to do.”
“You know me too well,” Kairi said, holding out a piece of paper that tickled Sora’s cheek.
He opened one eye and grabbed the paper, seeing a list of supplies scribbled over it.
“I made a list of everything we should need for the trip,” Kairi explained, handing another list to Riku. “I gathered everything for my part, so now it’s up to both of you to get everything else and bring it back here.”
Riku mumbled, reading off the list, then asked, “Do we really need”—he double checked the list, —“lilium bulbs?”
“Mhm.” Kairi nodded. “Princess Rapunzel requested them. And she needs them fresh, so no slacking off.”
Sora laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that Kairi. Riku and I will have”—he squinted as he read off the list—“Niblet hairballs…?” He paused and sat up. “Huh, actually Kairi, I’m with Riku.” He scratched the side of his head. “I don’t even know where to find that.”
With a giggle, Kairi told them, “You’re just going to have to trust me. According to Little Chef, those hairballs help make a special spice. But if you guys don’t want to do it, I can handle it myself.”
She reached over to grab the list from Riku, but he lifted it out of her reach. “Don’t worry, we’ve got it. I almost forgot how everyone wants Sora to run their errands when he goes on a mission.”
“They don’t do that to you guys?” Sora asked.
Kairi chuckled. “Only because we don’t tell everyone when we’re going somewhere.”
“Yeah, you tell everyone who’ll listen, so of course you get roped into things,” Riku explained, sighing and rubbing the back of his neck. “Which ropes us into it too, now that we’re going on missions together.”
“Oh, sorry ‘bout that,” Sora sheepishly apologized.
“It’s fine.” Riku ruffled Sora’s hair as he went past, snickering at Sora sputtering and swatting him away. “I’ll be back in a bit.” He held up the list and slightly shook it. “So will Sora, at least, if he can stay awake long enough to finish before tomorrow.”
Sora smirked and jumped up, his hands firmly on his hips. “Say that again!”
Kairi’s laugh cut between them as she snuck past and went to the entryway of the gummi ship. “I know a way to make sure he stays awake.” She paused for dramatic effect, then put up her hand above her head. “A race!”
“Yeah!” Sora bunched his hands into fists.
“What?” Riku rolled his eyes. “Don’t you think we’re a little—”
“Ready?” Kairi continued on regardless. “Set…” She looked between the boys. Riku feigned indifference, but he put the list in his pocket and inched closer to the exit of the ship. Sora bounced on the balls of his feet, grinning in anticipation. Kairi matched his grin and jumped out of the way of the entryway. “Go!”
The boys burst out of the gummi ship, shoving and clambering to get in front of the other. Kairi’s laughter faded behind them as they disappeared into the town. Sora skidded around a corner and took a moment to look over the list. Glowing particles rained around him, dissipating with sparkles when they landed on the paper. Sora’s expression scrunched until he looked up and saw Riku jumping from building to building, magic swirling around him.
“Hey!” Sora called after him, his hand cupped around his mouth. “That’s cheating!”
“Can’t hear you, too busy winning!” Riku’s voice echoed back.
Sora snorted, a grin cracking across his face. “Alright then, you asked for it!”
Getting a running start, Sora jumped and hung off a brick wall. The cool rough texture tickled his hands just for a moment before the rush of magic burst around him. His adrenaline ignited with a thrill of shivers. Sora released an even breath and pushed his feet off the brick, vaulting into a flip and landing in a standing position against a tall building just across the way. He ran straight up the wall, taking a moment to wave at a little girl watching him through the window with big eyes and a slack jaw.
He gripped the edge of the rooftop and flipped himself onto it. Looking out into the town, he spotted Riku not too far off, nearly in the marketplace. Without wasting time, Sora got a running start and leapt off the roof. His magic surged, brightening around him and making him seemingly weightless. He flew into the market and landed in the center square with a roll. A few townsfolk gasped, but many were used to the antics of Keybladers coming in and out of Radiant Garden by now. Sora smiled and apologized for the surprise, but quickly disappeared into a shop before he was questioned. A bell chimed along with the door swinging open. Sora scoured the shelves, mumbling about what he needed. He went through aisle after aisle, all the while mentally reminding himself at how far ahead Riku likely already was. Minutes passed; Sora wasn't sure how many, but it seemed like ages.
With a groan, Sora leaned his head against a shelf. “Ahg, it’s hopeless.”
“Looking for this?” Riku asked from behind.
Sora spun around, his face scrunching in feigned dismay before Riku casually tossed over the bag of various snacks. He scrambled to catch it, but managed. “How—”
“You were mumbling again.” Kairi peeked around the aisle.
“Kairi?” Sora asked. “What are you doing here?”
Linking her hands behind her back, Kairi walked further into the aisle. “Weeeell, I got bored waiting, and you two were taking too long. So I decided to come look for you guys!”
“Then I spotted her in the courtyard and we found you here,” Riku finished explaining. “How many things you got left?” His calm demeanor cracked into a snort of laughter when Sora blankly stared back at him. “I’ll take that as everything.”
“No, I, well—” Sora scrambled for a comeback, before chuckling along with Riku and ruffling the back of his hair. “Donald usually handled the shopping.”
Riku huffed an amused breath while Kairi stifled a laugh.
“Come on”—Kairi walked backwards, then spun on her heel to lead the way—”we’ll finish it together.”
Sora looked down at the bag of snacks in one hand, then to the supply list in the other. “Sure, but… what about the race?”
“I have most of my stuff already back at the gummi ship.” Riku shrugged, then smirked. “But if still doing the race means that much to you, I guess I could automatically win.”
“Yeah, I guess we are a bit old to be racing, huh?” Sora pointed out, getting laughs in response. “Did you really get everything on your list already?”
“Most of it,” Riku replied. “Just the weird items left.”
“Then it’s a good thing I came along.” Kairi grinned over her shoulder as they settled in the checkout line.
“I’m glad you did,” Riku admitted. “I felt a bit bad leaving you on the ship anyway.” He chuckled as Kairi bumped him with her hip. “Don’t push it.”
“Me too,” Sora sighed, but quickly perked up as he held up the list. “But working together, getting all this stuff will be a breeze! Kairi with the know-how, Riku with the navigation, and me with the… uh…”
“Sweet optimism?” Kairi asked.
“Yeah,” Sora agreed with a laugh. “I have no idea where to find most of this stuff on my own.”
“Obviously.” Riku grabbed the bag of snacks from Sora’s hand and handed it to the clerk.
“Let’s drop this off at the ship and then maybe we can pick up some dinner.” Kairi tapped her finger to her chin.
Riku waved politely to the clerk as they turned to leave. “Weren’t you the one that told us we needed to focus on getting the shopping done before anything else?”
“Hmm, I don’t recall,” she replied with a cheeky smile.
“Aw come on Riku, we can take a break!” Sora pushed open the shop’s door, his fingers laced behind his head. “Buuut I guess if we wanna be quick we could race back to the ship?”
“Yeah!” Kairi jumped in agreement.
Riku scoffed, walking past, seemingly uninterested. As he stepped out onto the sidewalk, a surge of magic shimmered around him and he jumped away before the others had even left the door. “Last one there has to pay for everyone’s dinner!”
“Riku!” Kairi scolded, running after him.
“Wha- hey, wait!” Sora yelled, his voice riddled with laughter before he too jumped into action behind Kairi.
They were all neck and neck, bouncing between buildings and ziplining across clotheslines hung in alleyways. It wasn’t long before they saw the gummiship still stationed in the garden courtyard, golden light glowing from the entryway.
Sora vaulted off a rooftop and glided over, Riku just behind. He nearly reached the courtyard, his hand reaching out for the ship, when a sudden weight hefted on top of him. With a yelp, Sora fell to the ground. He sputtered amidst the erupting laughter and groans from Kairi and Riku. Looking over his shoulder, he realized Kairi had him and Riku both pinned down.
“Kairi, what the heck?” Riku asked.
With a giggle, Kairi lifted her hand and tapped the gummi ship. “I win.”
Sora and Riku stared at her, then at each other, before all three of them bubbled into a fit of laughter. They untangled themselves to lie on their backs and gaze up at the emerging stars. Their amusement simmered, their breaths filling the air along with the occasional cricket chirping amongst the flowers.
“Some things never change,” Riku said after a while. “Do they?”
“Yeah,” Sora agreed.
“I like it.” Kairi clasped her hands over her heart. “After everything, sometimes I worried what it would be like… being together again, a trio of friends. Especially with our first mission together. Would we still be comfortable with each other? Would our inside jokes and memories still matter? And… after tonight, I think I know they do.”
“I think you’re right.” Riku looked towards their gummiship with a fond smile.
“Even after all this time, we’re still the three kids wanting to find another world,” Sora said, gazing towards the stars with a rare melancholy voice.
“Well then”—Kairi sat up—“we’d better get dinner and finish gathering supplies before it gets too late. We have a big day tomorrow.”
Sharing smiles between them, the three friends ventured back into town, preparing for their new adventure. Together.
For today’s @khoc-week I decided to use one of the Alphabet Prompts! I just recently finished writing quite a few chapters of nightmare sequences in Forgotten Traveler, so it seemed to be the perfect thing to focus on.
I feel I need to give at least SOME context. So, okay, run down... Hinata got captured a while back by a Replica of Vexen and a Kaminoan. She was experimented on and a Replica was created. This Replica was all wrong and was meant to be destroyed, but she broke her binds, escaped, and killed a lot along the way. This Replica is referred to as Thaanix, and like Replica Riku she can absorb other’s powers and make them her own. And as she runs and her darkness festers, more chaos surrounds her and she absorbs things even unwittingly.
Hinata, Riku, and Axel corner Thaanix in Halloween Town where she is hiding away in Oogie Boogie’s former fortress. Unbeknownst to them, Thaanix has absorbed remnants of Oogie’s powers over nightmares. She summons a creature that is filled with a dark mist spilling out of its mouth. Throughout the battle more and more hallucinations appears. Then upon defeat, the monster bursts and mist strikes the hearts of Axel, Hinata, and Riku. And despite attempting to stay awake, they each fall into a deep slumber.
Velcia, Sam, and Ben come to the rescue. And with the help of Skellington, Finklestein, and Sally, they are able to recreate a brain out of a mishmash of things and are able to connect the minds of the others. Velcia is chosen to enter through the device and help each of her friends that are trapped in nightmares.
She is successful in doing so, but upon helping Hinata she is suddenly transported to another nightmare...Thaanix’s.
If you’re interested in reading the entirety of Thaanix’s Nightmare, I’ll share it below the cut.
"Hinata, look out!" Velcia cried, sitting up in a rush.
Her vision spun around her as her head throbbed with pain. She blinked rapidly, slowly realizing that she was no longer surrounded by water. There was no facility, no whirlpool, or creature. She found herself instead on a forest floor. Impossibly tall trees towered around her, their tops disappearing into the misty sky. The branches were bare and blackened. Dead leaves covered the ground between the thick black roots protruding from the dirt.
Velcia looked around and hesitantly stood up. "Hinata?" she asked, her voice disappearing into the mist. Her hands ran uncomfortably up and down her arms as she walked. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not in her dream anymore?"
"Hmm clever," Hinata's voice muttered through the wind.
The sound sent shivers up Velcia's spine.
"You're not Hinata." A Keyblade flashed into Velcia's hands. "Show yourself."
There was a pause, then a laugh that carried itself between the trees, echoing through the forest. Velcia turned in place, her blade at the ready. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a silhouette in the mist. Turning towards it, whatever it was disappeared.
"Let's see how clever you really are," Hinata's voice offered behind her. Velcia spun around, but no one was there. Against her ear, she felt a whisper, "Come and find us."
The unsettling presence vanished and Velcia stumbled back, leaning against the trunk of a tree. Her heart pounded in her chest. Exhaustion ached in her muscles and her joints. She swallowed hard, attempting to coat her parched throat. Looking up towards the misty sky, she took a deep breath.
"How will I get back?" she asked. Fear crept up in her chest, but she stamped it down with a sharp breath and shut her eyes. "Sam, if you're somehow able to hear me, it might be up to you, like we talked about... I just hope the others really woke up." She reluctantly opened her eyes and looked out into the forest. "I have to get moving."
She stepped forward, careful not to trip on the thick roots. Every direction appeared the same— shrouded in mist and covered with trees. She walked aimlessly for a few minutes, before slowing to a stop with a soft huff of breath. Placing her hands over her heart, she shut her eyes and reached out to feel the magic around her. It was different from doing so in the outside world, where she could feel each and every individual element that made up the fabric of the world itself. Here, everything was fabricated and illusory. Reaching out with her mind felt empty and fuzzy, despite how real everything seemed around her. Taking a deep, steady breath, she reached out further and she sensed the pulse of darkness. It festered stronger the more she focused on it, causing her to draw back and open her eyes with a gasp.
Even after detaching herself from it, her heart felt heavy and sick. Velcia looked in the direction she sensed the darkness and walked. Her feet crunched the dead leaves underfoot. Wind creaked the branches overhead. Everything else was silent and eerily so. Velcia continued onwards, her sash in her hands while she rubbed the fabric between her fingers. The texture, the stitching, it gave her a distraction while her mind struggled to wrap around what she was doing and where she was.
Minutes passed, Velcia wasn't sure how many. The mist gradually began to clear and the trees thinned out. The occasional sunflower stood in place of where a tree would normally be. Velcia ran her hands along a few of the petals as she passed. Orange sunlight peeked through the mist, though Velcia still couldn't quite see the sky through the shroud. Then she reached the edge of a clearing.
The mist abruptly disappeared. A perpetual sunset covered the sky. Hundreds of sunflowers covered the clearing. The only thing between them were thick black roots, each one leading towards a single colossal tree in the center of it all. Velcia stood at the edge of the clearing, already sensing the heavy darkness emanating off the tree. There was no doubt in her mind it was the exact source of the darkness she sensed when she was deep in the forest. Her heart lodged in her throat. She knew that was where Thaanix awaited her.
A rustling sound caught her attention. She snapped her eyes over to see the same creature from the dreams scuttering out of the forest beside her. With a gasp, she jumped back and summoned her Keyblade, but the beast paid her no mind. It simply moved past her, disappearing in the field of sunflowers. She could see the sunflowers bending to the side as it made its way towards the tree. Her Keyblade flashed away and she looked around. Other various creatures of all different shapes and sizes were doing the same. Each of them emerged from the forest and ventured into the field of flowers to reach the tree. Velcia's gaze once again settled on the tree. From where she stood, she couldn't make out many details, but it didn't appear natural; though, she supposed nothing in the dream would be.
She looked over her shoulder at the misty forest behind her, but then back towards the clearing. With a deep breath, she moved forward. The sunflowers provided a comforting scent that masked the putrid scent of darkness. Velcia ran her hands along the petals of the ones that stood near her height, purposefully releasing the perfume. It did little to help the gradually growing stench, but Velcia did it nonetheless. She stared up at the tree as she went. It wasn't made of any sort of recognizable wood, but instead black tendrils that twisted and weaved together. Between the tendrils, were creatures of all manner of shapes and sizes— many of which matched the types already scuttering towards the tree from the forest. They wriggled against their confinement and as Velcia approached she could hear their hisses and whines as the vines tightened over their remains. She felt sick.
The creature from the previous dreams stopped at the base of the tree. It happily chittered, about to enter through an opening in the trunk before tendrils burst out and wrapped around its body. Velcia startled with a gasp. The creature thrashed in surprise, but the tendrils tightly constricted until it fell limp. Without any more fight, the beast was dragged up the side of the tree to become a part of it.
Velcia stepped back, her face pale. "I need to leave," she told herself, though she knew she had no idea how. She walked backwards several steps, watching as more and more of the approaching creatures were consumed.
"Not yet," Hinata's voice muttered behind her.
Velcia's eyes widened and she spun around. Everything shifted. The sunflowers, the orange sunset, and the barren trees, were all replaced with a hollowed tree. Velcia frantically looked around at the towering, twisted walls, her breaths becoming heavy.
"How did I—"
"Why are you helping them?" Hinata's voice asked shakily from behind. It sounded different from before, causing Velcia to pause.
She cautiously turned around, her grip tightening around her Keyblade. In the center of the hollowed tree she saw Thaanix kneeled on the ground. Her hands were folded in her lap, her eyes fixated on the floor with blackened tears stained against her cheeks. Velcia carefully stepped towards her. She looked to Thaanix's hair. It was loose and long, much longer than she had ever seen Hinata's. It fell all around her, cascading over the floor, until melding into black and forming the dark tendrils that made up the entire fortress around them.
"They're my friends," Velica told her honestly, noticing Thaanix's hands tighten in her lap. "I'll do everything I can to help them."
"Good little Hinata knows how to make everyone loyal." Another Thaanix formed out of darkness, her eyes black and skin grayed. "Even enough to convince others to kill us."
"Such a clever addition to the team." Yet another form appeared. "So much power. She reeks of magic." The form laughed. "Imagine little Hinata's surprise when we take it for ourselves."
"You will get nothing from me." Velcia's Keyblade ignited and a shimmering shield surrounded her. She looked between each form, her heart pounding but her stare remained level and seemingly calm.
"You have no idea how often we hear that," the form told her. "And every time, without fail, they end up here. Just look for yourself."
Velcia's eyes darted around the tree's walls. She had tried not to notice the bodies weaved in between the vines: past Organization Members she recognized from DiZ's books, a being formed out of a burlap sack, and all forms of people she didn't recognize. She swallowed hard, averting her gaze as her stomach flipped.
The forms of darkness laughed and more of them appeared. In the center of it all, the real Thaanix remained silent, eyes still fixed on the floor, tears pooling beneath her. One of the forms walked up to Velcia's shield and pressed her hand against the barrier. Darkness hissed and sizzled from the touch, but the form didn't move away.
"I can't imagine you have much left," she taunted Velcia with a sickly sweet voice. "It's just a matter of time until every piece of strength you have left is gone and all of your precious magic will fizzle away."
"My friends will wake me up well before then," Velcia bit in return, but she couldn't hide the tremble in her voice.
"Hmm, maybe." One of the other forms walked around Velcia, trailing her hand along the shield as her fingers sizzled away with wisps of darkness. "But imagine their panic right now. The guilt. All of the little what-ifs, wondering if there was a way they could have stopped this from happening. Completely helpless while you waste away, becoming our prey."
Velcia's chest twanged at the thought, but rather than focus on it, she took a deep even breath and looked towards Thaanix sitting in the center of everyone. "I know what the darkness wants," she started, carefully walking forward. "It's the same thing it always wants." She knelt down in front of Thaanix and leaned forward to be in her line of sight. "But what do you want?"
Thaanix didn't look up, but her brows knitted together. The dark forms around her snickered and whispered between themselves, their voices rumbling. She swallowed hard, her hands clenching until her knuckles were white. "What did she tell you about me?" she asked finally.
Velcia blinked, surprised at the question. She considered her words carefully. "She told me that you are a Replica, created with an overabundance of darkness beyond your control."
"She's lying," one of the forms hissed, making Thaanix wince.
"I'm not," Velcia replied firmly, yet her voice remained gentle.
"Do you know what I've done?" Thaanix asked.
Velcia was silent for a moment, before nodding. "Yes, but—"
"Did you join them to kill me?" she interrupted.
"I joined to help put a stop to the darkness inside you," Velcia replied. "But I would still very much like an answer to my question. What do you want?"
"I…" Thannix's voice started weak, then trailed off. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks, much to the amusement of the dark forms around her. They mocked her while Velcia remained still, patiently awaiting her answer. "I want to be left alone."
"Why is that?" Velcia asked, taken aback by her answer.
"I woke up with memories of a life I can never go back to," Thaanix began to explain, tears straining her voice. "Memories of people that want nothing but to see me dead. They hunt me, relentlessly. Every moment I see Hinata, in the life I will never have, I-I'm overcome with—" she suddenly cried out, her fingers digging into her head. "I hate it!"
"If we can get the darkness out of you—"
"No!" Thaanix screamed. "The darkness is the only thing that understands! I-I fought it for a while. The pain it makes me feel when I don't give in…" She held out her hands in front of her, her skin stained black. "But all of that changes when I listen and it only makes me stronger. It's given me a new life, a new chance to be someone else. Everything I've done, everything it helps me do, no one will lay another hand on me."
Velcia's eyes darted around, seeing the dark forms watching and listening intently. Even without their mouths moving, she could hear their whispers affirming Thaanix's words. Her shield remained strong, but she knew it wouldn't for much longer. The Keyblade seemed heavier by the second, her hands were slicked with sweat around its hilt. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest, aching for a moment's rest that she couldn't give it. Closing her eyes for a moment, she steadied her breaths and focused on her magic reserves. There wasn't much left, but she pushed forward.
"The darkness makes promises it can't keep," Velcia finally replied, opening her eyes and noticing each of the dark forms bristling from her words. "It destroys everything it touches, including its user. Though… I have a feeling you already know that. Don't you?"
Thaanix averted her gaze.
"What are you truly after?" Velcia asked.
"Why does it matter?" Thaanix asked, the strain returning to her voice. "After everything I've done, the only thing that remains is a monster. For once, Hinata gets to see what happens when things don't go her way. Except she gets the luxury of watching it, while I get to live every excruciating moment. But I won't be the victim forever. No, I'm going to be stronger than her. I'm going to show her and every other person that wants to destroy me what I am capable of. If she doesn't leave me alone, she's not going to be on the other side of a window anymore, she's going to be the one living it."
"You want to be left alone so you can protect her," Velcia muttered in realization. "Part of you doesn't want this."
Thaanix looked up in surprise. For the first time, their eyes met. Velcia's heart dropped. The fear in Thaanix's eyes, the pain and the hopelessness, it all brought Velcia back to her childhood, watching helplessly as the darkness ripped everything away. Her family, her life, everything vanished in an instant. For a single moment, Velcia considered dissolving her barrier and protectively wrapping her arms around Thaanix.
Instead, she let out a soft, shaking breath and told her, "You don't have to do this. Any of this. You aren't as alone as you think."
"She's trying to deceive you," one of the forms whispered.
Velcia shook her head, a sheen of tears covering her eyes. "I'm not. We can stop this. You don't need to listen to the darkness."
As she spoke, her barrier wavered. Velcia's body ached, but she didn't move her gaze away from Thaanix. The dark forms noticed her weakening state. Some of them laughed and taunted, while others surrounded the shield and pressed their hands against it to force its power to run out faster.
One of the forms knelt beside Thaanix and caressed her face. "After everything you've done, do you really believe any of them would want to save you? The destruction, the chaos, the killing, it's disgusting to them. That's all you are in their eyes. A monster."
"That's not true," Velcia countered, desperately trying to keep her barrier up. "We will do what we need to protect the worlds from darkness. If there's a way to remove the darkness from Thaanix we—"
"Oh their pet name for you," the form interrupted with a chuckle. "How incredibly fitting. The name of a nobody."
"What?" Velcia's eyes widened. "No that's not—"
"Kill her," the darkness whispered. "Take what's yours."
Dark tendrils slowly wrapped around the outside of Velcia's shield, tightening around it despite the magic sizzling the darkness away like smoke. The dark forms whispered to Thaanix, urging her to continue, to take what belonged to her. Thaanix remained silent, her gaze settled on Velcia as the black vines wrapped tighter and tighter around the shield. Velcia held her Keyblade above her head, her chest heaving as beads of sweat dripped down her neck. Her arms trembled, the shield cracked.
"Please," she pleaded. "You don't have to do this."
Thaanix's eyes drifted back to the ground. "I'm sorry…"
The shield caved in and Velcia crumpled to the ground. She reached out for Thaanix, but the black vines forced her down. They wrapped around her, tightening with crushing weight. She cried out for help, but the tendrils constricted her neck. Little by little, her vision darkened and dulled. Velcia struggled, but there wasn't much fight left inside of her. The very life inside of her drained, as if being sucked away.
A flash of light surrounded her, followed by a surge of electrical current that caused the hairs on Velcia's skin to stand on end. The vines disappeared. Darkness wisped away, immediately replaced with an overwhelming rush of magic that caused Velcia to suck in a sudden sharp breath as every inch of her was reinvigorated.
Machines beeped, multiple voices talked over the other, but Velcia couldn't see. She tried to lift her arms, but something held her down. "H-Hello?" she stammered, her voice hoarse.
"It worked!" Hinata's voice exclaimed over the others. "Guys, I think she's awake!"
The room fell silent and multiple hurried footsteps rushed towards Velcia.
"Holy shit," Sam breathed. "That actually worked."
"I-I can't see, is everything alright?" Velcia asked.
"Of course, dear Velcia!" Skellington's bony hand gripped Velcia's shoulder, making her flinch. "Just allow us a moment to get the equipment off."
"Scans show accelerated heart rate," Ben informed the others. Velcia could hear his fingers clicking against a keyboard. "But vital signs are re-stabilized."
"Get that damn thing off of her then!" Sam ordered.
"Patience!" Dr. Finklestein scolded. "That Nia just unplugged the entire thing, we need to make sure her brain functions appear normal."
Tears welled up in Velcia's eyes, even though she couldn't see any of them quite yet. She squeezed Hinata's hand in return. Minutes passed, but Velcia didn't mind the wait. Hinata's hand remained in hers the entire time while the others performed scans to make sure everything was all right. She was asked a few questions, but was mostly told to rest while Ben completed the necessary tests.
"Gentle now!" Dr. Finklestein directed.
The helmet covering Velcia's head ever so slowly lifted. Light bombarded Velcia's eyes, making her blink rapidly before she could see clearly. Hinata and Sam stood on either side of her bed, both of them disheveled and tired with reddened eyes. Velcia was sure she looked similar. She pushed herself to sit up.
"I… I'm not sure what to say," she said softly.
Hinata let out a sudden breath and wrapped her arms around her. Velcia immediately hugged her in return, burying her face in Hinata's hair as soft sobs trembled through her. She felt Sam's hand rubbing against her back, before squeezing her shoulder in support.
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Incredible artwork by the lovely @amyhayanora <3 based on the most recent chapter of my fanfic, The Forgotten Traveler. From left to right we have, Sam, Lupe (Amy’s OC), his Chirithy, Velcia (my husband’s OC), Hinata, Riku (in his Ansem form), and B.E.N
They had a fun movie night in this latest chapter and Amy captured it SO well!
Chirithy sat along the windowsill in its shared apartment with Lupe. The calmness in the apartment was a welcome change of pace to how busy things had gotten lately. Resting there in the quiet, Chirithy watched the bustling nightlife in the town below, drifting in and out of sleep.
The sound of keys jangled on the other side of the door and one of Chirithy's ears perked up.
"He's back earlier than usual tonight," it said to itself amidst a yawn. "Must be tired, too."
The latch unlocked and light from the porch poured into the dimly lighted apartment.
"And here we are!" Lupe presented. "Make yourselves at home."
Chirthy blinked. "Yourselves…?" It turned its round head to see the group coming around the corner into the living room. "Lupe," it groaned under its breath, rolling to get up onto its stubby feet.
It watched as everyone filled the apartment. There was enough room for everyone in the one bedroom flat, though a little cramped. Everyone spread out, inspecting the admittedly bare bones place. It took an entire minute before anyone noticed Chirithy groggily staring at them.
"Oh, hey Chiri," Lupe greeted, kneeling down to its level. "We were thinking of having a movie night!" His excitement paused when Chirithy rubbed its eyes. "But if you're beat, we could do it another time."
"We certainly don't want to intrude," Velcia added, leaning forward and placing her hands along her knees.
"No, no," Chirithy assured them, waving its paws. "Just—" it yawned again with a little squeak that both Lupe and Velcia found adorable, "surprised is all." It batted Lupe's head. "You should give me a heads up next time."
Lupe sheepishly grinned, rubbing his hair as he stood back up. "Yeah, you're right. I got excited. Sorry about that, Chiri."
"Talk to three new people today…?" Sam read off a post-it note stuck to the fridge, cutting through their discussion. Looking at another post-it, she read, "Ride the trolley around town with Chirithy today."
Ben excitedly hopped beside her. "Oooh I've always wanted to do that. Can I come too?"
"Heh." Lupe's ears warmed as he walked over to the kitchen and snatched up the notes. "I-uh, need reminders sometimes. Gives me something to do everyday, you know?"
"Nothing wrong with that," Hinata pointed out.
"Yeah, I can't say I blame you," Sam agreed.
Lupe smiled warmly, then noticed Ben still expectantly waiting for his answer. "Yes, Ben," he replied with a chuckle. "Of course you can come along on a trolley ride."
"Yes!" Ben pumped his fist, making Sam and Lupe laugh.
"These are beautiful, Lupe," Hinata said, looking at the various colored pieces of glass dangling in front of one of the windows. She gently held one of the pastel pieces in her hand.
"I bet they look wonderful under the light of the sun," Velcia added.
Lupe nodded, his hands in his coat pockets as he walked over to them. "Yeah, especially at sunrise." He motioned his elbow towards the barren wall on the other side of the room across from the window. "It casts all sorts of colors over there."
"Oh, that sounds lovely!" Velcia chimed, her hands clasped in front of her.
"I'll definitely show you guys sometime," Lupe promised.
"Well, if it's a movie night we're doing, we should probably get started," Chirithy said as it climbed up onto the couch to join Riku, who had been sitting since shortly after they arrived. "Or I'll fall asleep during it."
"You'll be hard pressed to do that if it's as bad as Lupe says it is," Sam said.
Chirithy sighed, plopping onto the cushion. "As long as it's better than the last one he put on."
Lupe laughed, ushering the group to the large L-shaped couch nestled in the corner of his living room. He smiled to himself, seeing everyone settle in before he went to the kitchen to gather snacks and drinks. Hinata realized what he was doing and got up to help him gather things, bringing all of it out to a round coffee table in front of the couch. It didn't take long for them to find their self designated spots. Ben and Velcia sat on the floor, despite there being enough room for them on the couch. Velcia was polite about it, but admitted she didn't want to be distracted by their comments during the movie. Lupe relented as long as she took the largest pillow on the couch to keep herself comfortable.
The credits to the second movie rolled across the large screen. Velcia hugged the pillow just a little bit tighter, her mind reeling with the incredible stories she'd just experienced.
"That was beautiful," she said softly, but no one replied.
She peeked over her shoulder and softened with an adoring smile. Everyone else seemed to have fallen asleep. Hinata was lying down, a blanket curled up around her and her head on Riku's lap. Riku sat up straight, but his head was lolled to the side as he softly snored, his loosely tied hair falling over his shoulder. Even Ben had his eyes shut, though Velcia was unsure if the robot was actually sleeping or simply talking with DiZ. To the other side of her, along the long side of the couch, she saw Lupe sitting up with his long legs stretched out across the cushions. Sam's legs were tangled up with his while she snored from her little nest of pillows on either side of her.
Velcia pushed herself to stand, wincing at the way her stiff muscles ached from sitting in the same place for so long. She stretched her back, taking a deep breath that ended with a yawn.
"I suppose we are staying here tonight," she whispered, looking around the dark apartment.
She walked out of the living room, careful not to bump into anything. It thankfully wasn't too difficult as Lupe didn't seem to have much furniture or excess decor in his place. The dangling glass over the window dazzled under the starlight, beckoning her. She went over to it, running her fingers along the smooth glass. She imagined its color sprawled across the wall under the morning light and wondered if it would be similar to when she'd wake up early on Thebes and see the sunlight shining through the shelves of potions.
A soft smile tipped her mouth before she moved onwards to the kitchen. She summoned a faint glowing fire in her hand to illuminate the cabinets and searched for a mug to make some tea. Normally, she wouldn't dare intrude on anyone's kitchen, but Lupe had insisted they make themselves at home. Opening a cupboard beside the fridge, she saw the mostly empty shelves with two black mugs sitting right in the center. She grabbed one and placed it gently on the counter before reaching for her satchel to gather the herbs for a tea.
She set out the herbs on the counter, but one of them slipped off the edge. Velcia was quick to react and caught it before it hit the ground, but then she spotted a tattered post-it note crunched between the fridge and the counter. She placed her herb back on the counter then grabbed the paper, about to throw it away before she noticed the writing under the glow of the fire.
Find someone to talk to.
Velcia glanced back towards the living room where she could hear the credits of the movie still playing over her friends' snores. All of them. Together. She looked at the note and found the trash to throw it away properly.
"I'm glad he found us," she whispered.
With a whisk of her hand, the mug filled up with water and Velcia gathered a little pouch of herbs to steep into it. Putting out the flame in her hand, she grabbed the mug and her palms glowed. A comforting steam rose from the water, warming Velcia's cheeks.
She walked out of the kitchen and found a door that led out to a balcony. Quietly opening it, she slipped outside and welcomed the cool night air. Leafy vines curled around the metal railing, climbing a stairwell to the left that led towards the roof. Velcia went up the steps, careful not to spill her tea.
The rooftop was mostly empty, but Velcia noticed a seat in the far corner and made her way over to it. A round table stood beside the chair, with a black porcelain bowl in the center of it. Velcia glanced into the bowl, confused by the piles of gray ash inside, but she didn't pay it much mind. Whatever the reason for it, she was sure it wasn't her business. Moving aside a couple of empty bottles cluttered on the seat, she sat down.
A chill wind swirled through the air, but even as Velcia felt it against her skin, she knew it wasn't authentic. The magical properties weren't present within it, at least, not as strong as they were in the real world. Still, she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and enjoying the calm.
Minutes passed. Velcia's tea was well steeped and she sipped on it. Another set of footsteps against the stairwell caught her attention and she looked over to see Lupe coming into view. She smiled, tilting her head as he came over.
"I see you found the roof!" he greeted her.
Nodding, she replied, "I hope I didn't wake you."
"Nah, don't worry," he assured her, leaning against the railing and looking out at the empty town. "I don't sleep much."
Velcia looked into her tea with an understanding hum. Neither of them said anything for a beat. "Thank you for hosting us here tonight," she said.
Lupe glanced over his shoulder, seeing her looking up at him. A smile spread across his face. "Absolutely! It was nice to have everyone here."
"It was," she agreed, taking a sip. "I think everyone needed it."
"What did you think of the movies?" he asked.
"Oh," Velcia looked up at the stars, sighing softly. "I thought they were incredibly interesting. The second one especially so. The connection between the wolf and Pia was beautiful. I don't believe I've ever seen an animal act in such a way. Well, perhaps maybe the chocobo in Eos."
Lupe laughed, stifling it when Velcia looked at him in confusion.
"Were they really that bad?" she asked.
"I mean—" he struggled to reign in his laughter and shrugged. "It's all up to the eye of the beholder, as they say."
"Oh?" she asked. "Who says that?"
"I don't know, I'm sure someone does." He ruffled his hair and Velcia chuckled along with him. "But-um, actually I came out here to have a smoke. Do you mind?"
Velcia blinked, she wasn't entirely sure what that meant. Her mind went to someone burning incense, as she had done with her Papa at altars for the gods in Olympus. She looked Lupe over, he didn't seem like someone who would burn such a thing, but she supposed there was much she still didn't know about him.
"Of course," she said with a smile. "I don't mind at all."
He smirked and reached into his pocket, pulling out a cigarette. Velcia watched him with interest, taking a drink of her tea. With another hand he brought out a lighter and flicked it on, igniting the end of the cigarette. He noticed her intent staring and held it out for her.
"Want one?" he asked.
Velcia looked between him and the odd smoking stick. The scent of it wrinkled her nose and she coughed, shaking her head. "U-Um, n-no thank you."
Lupe chuckled. "I can put it out—"
"Oh, please don't worry," Velcia assured him, coughing again but softer.
He smiled, putting the cigarette to his mouth. A puff of smoke plumed out between his lips and Velcia watched, completely fascinated. "It's supposed to smell like strawberries, but I think I got jipped," he told her, giving it a whiff and shaking his head. "I'll find a better quality brand next time so it won't bother you again."
Velcia nodded, not quite understanding. She watched him smoke in silence while she sipped on her tea. The smell of the smoke was a new scent to her and not entirely pleasant, but she was too intrigued and polite to say anything about it.
After a few minutes, she looked down at her nearly empty mug. A calm quiet had settled between her and Lupe. It was the first time since meeting him that she had seen him in such a way. Taking in a breath, she held her mug in her lap and looked up at him.
"I've been wanting to say," Velcia started, running one of her fingers along the smooth ceramic of the mug. "I'm thankful to you and Chirithy for helping us."
Lupe looked over at her with a soft smile, his cigarette held between two of his fingers.
"I hope it doesn't interfere too much with your life here," she continued.
He chuckled softly. "Nah, you don't have to worry about that." Looking out at the town, he blew another puff of smoke. "You know"—he glanced back at her with a smirk—"it's funny, cause I could say the same thing about you."
"Could you?" she asked.
He nodded and turned around, leaning his back against the railing. "Well yeah, you left your entire life behind to help. Chiri and I sort of fell into it, but you made the choice to leave your world."
"It just seemed like the right thing to do," she admitted.
"What was your life like back on…" his voice trailed off and his mouth scrunched in thought. "Thebes, right?"
She laughed softly. "Thebes, yes." Her gaze wandered over the vine twisting along the railing, her thoughts wandering. "My life was…quiet. At least in recent years. I ran a potion shop near the coliseum, so I had the privilege of seeing a wide variety of visitors and battles. Tournaments were always the busiest times of year." She smiled to herself, a bit sadly. "It was nice."
"Coliseum," he repeated, taking another puff of smoke before bobbing his cigarette, remembering something. "Hey, that's where they pit fighters against each other, isn't it?"
Velcia nodded. "Yes! I used to take part in it myself when I was younger. Though, I did help Sam during her battle with the Hydra when she competed."
"Man, I wish I could've seen that," he said wistfully, leaning his head back to gaze up at the stars.
"It was quite the sight," she laughed. "Sam got herself purposefully eaten by the Hydra, then used her arm to shoot her way out!"
Lupe coughed on the smoke, sputtering into a coughing fit mixed with laughter that Velcia joined in on. "What was she thinking?" he asked as he recovered.
"I still don't quite know," Velcia admitted, shaking her head. "But it worked in the end."
"She's something else." Lupe shook his head with a fond smile.
"She certainly is." Velcia smiled, refilling her mug with a twirl of her finger.
Lupe watched as Velcia prepared another brew. "So…if you had all that, what made you decide to leave?"
She paused, glancing up from her cup.
"If you'd rather not answer, that's fine," he quickly added.
"No, it's fine, actually," she replied, taking a breath.
Her palms glowed as she warmed her new batch of tea. Lupe patiently awaited her. He turned around and lit another cigarette, blowing the smoke towards the town, rather than on the porch. Velcia sipped on her tea for a moment, allowing it to linger on her tongue and savor the herbs. Swallowing it, she gazed into the drink, seeing her reflection amongst the stars.
"I know what it's like to lose everything to the darkness…" she said softly. "And I want to do everything I can to make sure nobody else has to go through that. Back home, nobody needed my help…not for anything important." She looked up at Lupe, seeing him already looking at her. "If I can make a difference here and help stop whatever darkness is responsible for what happened to Keres…" Her voice trailed off and she inhaled deeply, averting her gaze before adding with a whisper, "I'd give anything to help stop it."
Lupe looked at her a moment longer, then his eyes gradually drew back out to the town. He blew out a puff of smoke. "You want to be part of something important. Something that could prevent others from going through what you did."
Velcia nodded.
A half smile tipped his mouth. "That's really admirable, you know."
Velcia softly laughed. "Thank you. Though I feel as if we could express that same sentiment to everyone in our group. I feel honored to be part of all of this."
Lupe's smile grew into a full one. "I do too."
Their conversation lulled. Velcia fell into her thoughts, each sip of tea lingering on her palate. Puffs of smoke from Lupe's cigarette danced in the night air, swirling in the wind and clouding the light shining from porches. The bottom of the mug greeted Velcia all too soon. She gazed down at the empty cup, letting out a breath. Even with multiple cups, she didn't seem any closer to being ready to sleep. Glancing up at Lupe, he seemed similar.
Lupe tapped his cigarette over the black porcelain ashtray, bits of dusty ash fell off the tip before he brought it back to his lips. "You've met Keres, right?"
Velcia's chest stuttered from the sudden question and her hands tightened around her mug. "Only in the dream, I'm afraid."
"Sorry," Lupe quickly apologized, closing his eyes tight and inwardly cringing. "That probably seemed really out of nowhere."
She remained quiet for a moment, a free hand fiddling with the fabric of her dress. "Are you considering how to feel about her?" she asked.
"How do you feel about her?" He turned it around on her.
Velcia took notice of the deflection but didn't acknowledge it as she looked towards the town. "For a while…I thought Keres was a darkness we needed to stop. To me, she seemed very much like the Wielder that destroyed my family when I was a child. But after those nightmares in Halloween Town…I just can't help but see her as another victim." Her gaze drifted away, her brows furrowing. "I…I don't know what the right thing to do with Keres is, but I do trust in Hinata and that her heart will lead her in the right direction. I don't think it's for me to decide, so…I'll instead do everything I can to support Hinata."
"...She's lucky to have you."
With a soft shake of her head, Velcia admitted, "I wish there was more I could do. Everything weighs so heavily on her, even more so now after her nightmare."
"Yeah…" Lupe sighed, ruffling his hair. He glanced back at her with a supportive smile. "But that isn't something you should put on yourself. You've got enough on your plate."
Velcia half returned his smile, before her gaze fluttered away. She felt his expectant stare on her a while longer before he turned back around.
"All of you make a really good team," he said after a moment.
Velcia's smile grew. "As…eventful as Halloween Town was, I do think it brought all of us closer in many ways.
"I've been an outsider in all this, but everything DiZ shared with me about your journey altogether…" He chuckled. "It's kinda weird finally meeting the real things. Like a fish outta water deal."
"A fish out of water?" she repeated thoughtfully. "I have never heard that phrase, but it does seem to fit. I felt similar when I first joined. And still do, at times." She motioned her hand in a circular motion. "Such as when we discuss DVDs or when I see new technology that everyone else seems entirely accustomed to."
Lupe laughed. "Yeah, I can't imagine how weird that must be for you."
"It is both incredible and overwhelming at the same time," she said with a chuckle, noticing Lupe nod. "I'm sure you understand the feeling."
"Hmm? Oh, uh-yeah." He scratched the side of his face. "Yeah, I totally get it."
Velcia broke into a sudden yawn and Lupe snickered.
"I suppose it is getting late," Velcia said, her voice still strained from the yawn.
"It is," he agreed, putting out his cigarette in the ashtray. "Where are you wanting to sleep?"
With a soft frown, she said, "I admit, I haven't thought much about it."
"My bed's open," he offered, wincing with a groan before Velcia could even react. He ran his hand over his face. "That came out wrong. What I mean is, the couch is filled with people. Do you want to sleep on my bed, by yourself, while I sleep on the couch with everyone else? Well, Chirithy's on the bed, but they take up a pillow at most. But mostly by yourself."
"Oh!" she realized. "I couldn't possibly take your bed. I admit I haven't been sleeping well lately and would hate to cause you an uncomfortable night on the couch. I will be perfectly fine on the floor."
He stared at her for a moment. "The floor?" he repeated, putting his hands on his hips. "No, I'm not pushing you off to the floor. Maybe you could squish in on the couch, but you'd be a lot more comfortable with your own space. Or I can walk you back to the portal so you can head back to the Highwind or something. But if you're staying here all night, I'd feel better if you were comfortable."
She nodded in understanding, chewing on her bottom lip in thought. "Perhaps then…I could sleep on that long cushioned bench beneath your window. Where we saw Chirithy when we arrived."
Lupe thought about it for a moment. "Alright, I'll accept." He held out his hand.
Velcia looked between him and his hand, hesitantly reaching forward. She smiled, amused, when he gently grasped her hand and shook it. "I'm glad we reached an agreement."
"Psssst, Riku…." Ben whispered. "Are you awake? Psssst!"
Riku's shoulder flinched, his face scrunching at Ben's voice right at his ear. His dreams wavered, his head throbbing and neck aching. A thin metal finger poked his cheek and he shook his head, waving the hand away. He groggily opened his eyes, his vision blurry. Gradually, the quiet apartment came into view. Soft morning light cascaded through the windows. It couldn't have been long since sunrise. Riku yawned and rubbed the back of his sore neck. He had fallen asleep sitting up in the corner of the couch with Hinata's head resting peacefully in his lap. Her soft hair was tangled between his fingers and he absently toyed with it as he woke up.
"Riku," Ben whispered again.
Copper appeared in his peripheral vision and Riku looked over to see Ben inches from his face. Riku jumped with a sharp breath, groaning the moment he realized it was Ben.
"Hey!" Ben greeted with a hushed, yet excited, voice, his dimmed eyes brightening. "Sorry to—Woah!"
Riku's hand planted against Ben's face, shoving him back as far as he could reach. "Can it wait two minutes, Ben?" he asked, bringing his hand over his eyes as he leaned his head back against the couch.
"Oh, um…" Ben's voice got even quieter and he looked away. "Can it?" He went silent, listening to something that Riku couldn't hear. Turning to face Riku again, he put two thumbs up and pretended to zip his mouth shut.
"Thanks," Riku muttered.
He stared at the ceiling, fleeting moments of his dream still playing in his tired mind. His exhaustion clung to the dream, attempting to coax him to fall back asleep. And if it weren't for Ben and apparently DiZ awaiting him, he would have considered it. The soft snores of the others made it difficult to want to wake up. He lazily looked around the living room, seeing Velcia laid out across a bench beneath a window and the others scattered across the couch. Riku smiled to himself, appreciating the cozy atmosphere around them.
Looking down at Hinata, he detangled his fingers from her hair and gently shook her shoulder. She hummed, sliding her hand over his.
"I have to get up," he told her softly. "You can keep sleeping once I'm gone."
She breathed in deeply, her hand tightening over his as she nodded. Riku's smile grew and he helped her sit up just enough so he could stand. She sleepily mumbled something sweet or other but her words were intelligible as she curled up and fell right back asleep.
He looked her over, then the others, before turning to Ben and motioning his head towards the door. Ben stood at the ready with a quick hop, keeping true to his mimed zipped up mouth and didn't say a word. As Riku led the way out of the apartment, he noticed a colorful array of light dancing over him. He paused and looked towards the window, seeing the dangling bits of glass Hinata had noticed the night before. Stepping out of the way, he saw the color splash over the blank wall, just as Lupe said it would. Glancing back towards the living room, Riku spotted a framed picture hanging above the couch. It matched the colors of the glass, but appeared fuzzy and glitched as if he were viewing it in the other digital environment DiZ created.
A tap to his shoulder brought him out of his wandering thoughts and he turned towards the door, seeing Ben beckoning him with his hand. With a quick nod, Riku followed and left the apartment entirely. The moment the door shut behind him, Ben let out a loud breath, as if he had been holding it.
"Good grief that was hard!" he exclaimed and Riku chuckled.
"Thanks for giving me a chance to wake up." Riku started to head down the stairs. "What's going on?"
Ben grabbed his arm and Riku glanced back at him just in time to see Ben press a button on his opened chest compartment and a bright light flashed around them. They reappeared in DiZ's lab in the new digital environment. Riku stumbled from the sudden even ground compared to the stairs, but quickly caught himself.
"Sorry!" Ben quickly apologized, closing up the chest compartment. "DiZ and I didn't wanna wake everyone up with the sudden flash, you know?" He chuckled. "Talk about a rude awakening."
"It's fine." Riku straightened his clothes. "I'm here now."
"And with not a moment to spare," DiZ said, glancing over his shoulder from where he stood in front of a set of computer screens. "I detected her approach but struggle to comprehend it." He looked back to the screen, shaking his head. "Yet here she is."
"Keres?" Riku asked, coming up beside him. His voice died in his throat at the sight of Maleficent standing in the foyer of the real Twilight Town mansion. Chills crawled up his skin. "But…I thought Sora—"
"As did I." DiZ replied with a level tone. "No one has seen her for quite some time."
Riku's skin went clammy. "What does she want?"
"We have no idea," Ben admitted, his fingers fidgeting nervously in front of him. "She hasn't said a single thing since showing up! Just poofed inside with a bunch of green flames."
Riku sighed. "Why do I get the feeling she's there for me…?"
"That is unfortunately my assumption as well," DiZ replied, studying the recording. "Which is why I sent Ben to awaken you."
With a nod, Riku turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Ben asked.
Flicking his wrist, darkness covered Riku and his Organization coat appeared over him. He pulled up the hood to conceal his face. "I'm going to find out."
"Are you sure goin by yourself's a good idea?" Ben pulled on his fingers. "I could get Hina—"
"Leave him be, Ben," DiZ said. "I will send for Hinata if the situation calls for it. Riku is capable of handling this on his own."
"Well…alright," Ben sighed, turning to watch the screen alongside DiZ. "We'll be watching from here."
Without another word, Riku left the lab entirely. He made his way to the foyer where DiZ had the portals eternally swirling. Going through the left one, he reappeared on the Highwind floating peacefully in orbit around Twilight Town.
"Hey, be careful Riku!" Ben called from behind the Navigation.
Riku spun towards him.
Ben put up his hands. "I'm the real me! The one you've been hanging out with in the digital world is still me too. Mostly the same me, but a little teensey bit different. Probably is a little more crazy, cause its mind isn't all there like mine is keeping track of everything up here…That makes sense right?"
Riku hesitated, but nodded.
"Good, good." Ben grinned. "Well, good luck with Mal!"
"Th…Thanks," Riku slowly replied before he summoned a Corridor and disappeared inside it.
He reappeared on the second floor in the mansion. Even though it had only been a few weeks since he'd been inside the real mansion, the thick scent of dust made it difficult to breathe. He'd forgotten how decrepit it really was. The deep cracks in the wall that webbed from the ground up to the decaying rafters. Rubble broken across the floor and pushed into precarious piles in the corners. This was what he called home the past year. And Maleficent was standing right in the center of it.
She turned at the sound of Riku's Corridor. A smirk curved her thin lips and Riku breathed in evenly, suddenly reminded that she was the very one that taught him to create Corridors in the first place. He curled and straightened his fingers in an attempt to force himself to focus. Now wasn't the time to get caught up in the past.
He faced her in his nightmares. He could face her here.
"Well, well," she spoke up first, her slender fingers tapping rhythmically along the glowing orb of her scepter, "it has been quite some time, has it not?"
His face twitched. Oh the things he could say. Comments and jabs raced in his mind, the sort of aggressive banter that would rile her up and prove she held no power over him anymore. A slight burst of amusement rose in his chest at some of the thoughts, imagining her smirk transforming into a scowl at his apparent insolence. But now really wasn't the time. She had a reason to show up unannounced…back from the dead.
"What do you want, Maleficent?" he settled with being straight to the point.
His deep voice resonated through the foyer and Maleficent's brow arched along with her growing smirk. She didn't reply right away, but instead turned, whipping her long robes around with her dramatically. Riku watched her walk, her footsteps echoed and he grit his teeth. She disappeared beneath the stairs and Riku hesitantly walked downstairs. He found Maleficent stopped at the fogged glass leading out into the garden, gazing outside.
Looking past her, he saw the weeds protruding from the unkept flower beds. Wilted flowers hung over the wooden frames of their plot, dry petals blew away in the breeze. It was a far cry from the beauty Hinata and Namine had cultivated the past year and a half. Riku looked back at Maleficent, bothered by her silence.
"If you don't have a reason to be here—" he started.
"It seems some time has passed since that petulant pet of yours was clung to your side," Maleficent said with a bitter taste in her voice.
"Pet..?" Riku repeated, stepping aside as Maleficent turned and went past him to the center of the foyer.
"What was her name?" she asked in a sort of way that Riku could tell she already knew the answer. "Oh, yes, Hinata. That infernal child."
Riku breathed in deeply, closing his hand tightly and releasing it. She was trying to get a reaction out of him and he wasn't going to give it to her. Instead he remained silent. If Maleficent believed Hinata wasn't around him anymore, he wanted to know why.
"When I returned, I must say the last thing I expected was to find her succumbed to darkness," Maleficent said.
Riku couldn't help but smile, suddenly thankful his hood concealed his expression. He could have laughed if he wasn't attempting to keep a ridgid disposition. Even the self titled Mistress of All Evil was fooled by a Replica. Swallowing the amusement, he asked plainly, "Why do you care?"
"Why Riku"—she turned towards him, placing her hand over her heart—"you are like a son to me—"
"Get to the point," he cut her off. His gut tightened at the memory of her calling him her son back in Hollow Bastion. The chill of her fingers against his cheek, that fake sickly sweet voice. He shuddered.
"As you wish." She turned, whipping her robes around with her. "That girl of yours has taken residence in my kingdom."
His brow furrowed. "Hollow Bastion?" he asked.
Maleficent's grip tightened over her scepter. "Don't be a fool. Hollow Bastion was simply the castle used to gather the seven lights. My rightful place is at the throne of the Enchanted Dominion."
"How would Hinata know where that is?"
Maleficent glanced over her shoulder, brow arched. "So you do not know where she is? How interesting."
Riku crossed his arms. "You came here to figure out if I knew what she was up to." He let out a breath. "If it bothers you so much she's there, why don't you take care of it?"
"I would desire nothing more," she replied. "However, there is a spell placed upon the entire world. It is frozen in time, devoid of life and magic." Her nails scraped into the orb on her scepter. "My powers are useless."
He looked at her back, surprised she actually admitted to something like that. "...You're asking for help?"
"The girl is your responsibility," she said, her back still to him. "You made that fact clear during your time in Hollow Bastion."
Riku huffed out a breathy laugh. "Guess I did."
"I trust you will take care of it," she told him. "Meanwhile, I will find a new place of residence. Much has changed during my absence."
Before Riku could get a word in green flames burst from the ground, swirling around Maleficent in a bright display. Then she was gone, leaving scorch marks and green embers that both eventually faded into shimmering magic. Riku stared at the disappearing remnants, arms still crossed. His chest was still tight, even with her gone.
After a couple minutes, he summoned a Corridor and disappeared. He stopped shortly on the Highwind then beamed back into the lab where DiZ and Ben awaited his return.
"Is a spell of that magnitude truly possible?" Velcia's voice poured through a speaker. "To freeze time and magic in an entire world…it seems only comparable to something the gods of Olympus are capable of."
DiZ stroked his chin in thought. "Such a spell has been placed on Enchanted Dominion in the past…however, it was of a lesser degree. Time stood still, yet Maleficent's power remained intact and upon her defeat, the spell was undone."
Riku pushed back his hood and joined DiZ and Ben at the desk. Two holographic screens glowed in front of them. One of the empty mansion foyer back in the real Twilight Town. The other showed Velcia, Hinata, Sam, and Lupe all huddled in front of a computer back in Lupe's apartment. Riku smirked to himself. He shouldn't have been surprised that all of them woke up right after he left.
Hinata's gaze found Riku and she smiled, her eyes softening in a way that wordlessly conveyed her concern, adoration, and pride all bundled together into a single expression. The tension in Riku's chest fell away and he smiled back.
"It is good to have you back, Riku," DiZ greeted, glancing over his shoulder. "You did an admirable job."
Riku nodded. "Thanks."
"Do ya think she really believes Keres is Hina?" Ben asked, tapping his cheek. "And how does she remember Hina?"
"She mentioned things changing in her absence," Lupe noted. "And from the stuff Chiri and I read about her, she was supposedly destroyed by that Sora guy. Maybe she wasn't around when the spell to make everyone forget Hinata went out."
"So what, she's back from the dead?" Sam asked. "Is that sort of thing even possible?"
DiZ leaned back in his seat, humming and closing his eyes. "There are many possibilities. I was cast into the Realm of Darkness and managed to return to the Realm of Light. As did Riku."
"And I was in the Realm Between for years," Hinata added.
"And then there was Chiri and I, somehow a bunch of code in a medal of all things," Lupe said with a shrug and a laugh.
"Got it, lots of ways to cheat death apparently…" Sam looked away, chewing her bottom lip. "Do you think there's a way James could of done one of those things?"
Everyone fell silent.
"I've thought about it," Hinata whispered to her. "But—"
DiZ cleared his throat. "It is a query for another time."
Sam winced. "Yeah, yeah, I get it."
She got up and went out of range for the screen. The others looked after her, Hinata the longest, before getting back to the task at hand.
Hinata let out a breath. Riku could tell she was fighting the urge to go after Sam. The way her eyes struggled to focus and her fingers traced her locket. Still, she pushed through and said, "Whatever Maleficent believes or what really happened to her, we have a lead on Thaanix—"
"Keres," Ben corrected.
"Not the time." Hinata half-heartedly pointed at Ben before continuing, "Dad, what do you know about the spell that was cast on that world before? Do you know who cast it?"
DiZ nodded. "It was three fairies that protected the world and watched over its Princess of Light. Maleficent released a curse and the fairies combined their magic to put the entire world to sleep until the darkness was dealt with."
"That is truly incredible," Velcia said in awe. "Are we safe to assume it was also those three who cast this new spell?"
"That is my assumption," DiZ agreed. "Though this one appears even more powerful than the last. It is possible they have received outside aid to keep Maleficent from returning."
"That's what I was thinking," Riku said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "They heard Maleficent was back and wanted to keep the world away from her."
"But what about all the people that live there?" Chirithy asked, its head popping into view from the corner of the screen. "Are they ok with being frozen like that?"
"I'll admit, I've wondered that as well," Velcia sighed. "But I'm sure they weighed the possibilities and came to what they believed was the best decision. It does bring to mind another question however…" Her voice trailed off.
"Are we sure helping Maleficent is the right call?" Lupe asked and Velcia nodded.
"She is known for being manipulative," Chirithy agreed.
"I don't know we have much of a choice," Hinata said. "If Thaanix is there, especially in a world where no one is able to defend themselves…" She blew out a breath and looked at DiZ. "Any idea where we can find these fairies? I can't imagine they'd stay on a frozen world."
"I am unsure of their whereabouts," DiZ admitted, turning in his seat to face Riku. "However, I do recall a mutual friend of ours telling me about them. Perhaps he may know."
Riku tilted his head and then smiled, letting out a breathy chuckle. "Mickey."
It’s SoKai Week! I wasn’t able to get much done for the event, but I did manage this fun fic of them in Corona! Make sure to check out @sokaiweek to see all of the amazing SoKai content!
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Meant to Be
Words: 2920
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“No, no, that’s all wrong,” Eugene complained, crossing his arms. “Where did you learn how to hang garland?”
“If you’re so picky, why aren’t you the one hanging it?” Sora countered, waving the purple garland down at him.
“Hey, I’m not the one with magical flying powers to hang things up in high places,” he pointed out. “But if I were, I would put it a little higher and to the left. That’s all I’m saying.”
Kairi giggled while Sora groaned and continued his bickering. She drew her attention towards the rest of the castle town. It was her first time in Corona and every detail lived up to the tales Sora would tell her. The entire kingdom bustled with life and warmth, getting ready for the princess’ birthday celebration.
“Are those two still bickering?” Rapunzel asked, coming up behind Kairi and stopping beside her.
“Of course,” Kairi told her with a laugh.
She playfully rolled her eyes. “Eugene, it doesn’t have to be perfect.”
“You might think so, Blondie—” he cut himself off and cleared his throat, “or formerly Blondie, anyway. But this is the first year I’m in charge of your birthday, and that’s a lot of responsibility!”
“Even more than being Captain of the Guard?” she asked.
He was about to argue back before Kairi cut in, “It’ll be great. Everything already looks wonderful. I’m sure it will go well!”
“She’s right!” Sora agreed, hopping down from the rooftop and grinning proudly. “What do you think?”
“Oh, well now that’s just sad,” Eugene lamented, motioning up towards the garland that was poorly knotted around the spire.
“It’s fiiine!” Rapunzel laughed, grabbing Eugene’s arm and pulling him away from the store front. “We’re going to have a great time today. All of us are. Because, it’s my birthday, and I decree it.”
“Can you do that?” Sora asked.
Eugene's frumpy expression faltered as he chuckled and wrapped his arm around Rapunzel’s shoulder. “She’s the princess, of course she can.”
Rapunzel nodded and told them, “Now that the decorating is done for now, how about you guys go enjoy the celebration?”
“That’s a great idea!” Kairi agreed, placing her hands together in front of her. “Thank you, Princess.”
“Yeah, thanks Rapunzel.” Sora walked to Kairi’s side and pointed over his shoulder. “There was that pastry shop I’ve been wanting to show—”
“Captain!” a guard called out, threading between the townsfolk before scrambling to a stop in front of the royal couple. He was clad in armor, breathless as he leaned his hands against his knees.
“Stan, what is it?” Eugene asked, stepping away from Rapunzel.
“Th-Those dark creatures, th-they’re back, in the forest!” Stan stammered out between his breaths.
Sora and Kairi exchanged a look. “Did they have glowing yellow eyes?” Sora asked, pointing to his own eye. When Stan nodded, Sora crossed his arms and nodded. “Yep, that’s Heartless all right.”
“Oh come on!” Eugene groaned. He rubbed the back of his neck and paced. “Heartless, here? Of all the days to show up, they pick today?” Running his hand over his face, he let out a breath and got serious. “Alright, we have to take care of them before they get into the kingdom.”
“You can count on us!” Sora laced his hands behind his neck. “Kairi and I could take them out with our eyes shut. Right?”
Kairi looked up at him in surprise, still getting used to how confident he was in her abilities. It was a nice feeling. He peeked over at her and she smiled warmly as she nodded. “Right.” She looked back to the group. “We’ll take care of them.”
“Ah of course!” Eugene exclaimed, waving his hand towards them. “Why didn’t I think of that? My sidekicks take care of the unwelcome guests while I stay here and fix all the decorations Sora put up.”
“Hey!” Sora leaned forward, placing his hands on his hips.
“Kidding, I’m kidding,” Eugene assured him, raising his hands in surrender while Kairi and Rapunzel snickered.
Kairi looked to Stan, who watched the group’s exchange with a mix of silent confusion and amusement. “Where did you see the Heartless?” she asked.
He darted his attention to her and saluted. “Just past the wildflower clearing. Right outside the palace walls.”
Giving him a nod of thanks, she directed her attention to Sora with a smirk. “I’ll race you there?”
Sora immediately grinned. “You’re on!” Looking back to the princess and Eugene, he told them, “You two just focus on getting everything ready for tonight and leave the rest to us!”
“Alright then,” Rapunzel quickly agreed. “We’ll handle things here.”
Before the words finished leaving the princess’ mouth, Kairi slowly stepped backwards. Sora immediately caught her movement and smirked, pacing back faster before they both spun around and sprinted out of the castle town. Townsfolk gasped, stepping out of the way of both of them as they weaved between them.
“Thanks a million!” Eugene called after them, his voice fading the further they went.
Kairi’s heart fluttered in her chest. The race was exhilarating, and she couldn’t stop the grin from spreading over her face at the sound of Sora’s laughter as he rushed to keep up with her. Passing the gate, they only had the bridge to cross before they reached the edge of the forest. Sora cut in front, a blue shimmering magic emanating off of his body. He hopped onto the stone railing of the bridge and slid along at an impressive speed, seemingly leaving Kairi far behind.
She didn’t even blink as he passed. A familiar adrenaline pulsed in her chest, and pink particles erupted around her. Kicking off the side of the railing, she vaulted into the air, twirling and stretching out her arms to fly. She glided over the glistening lake, cutting over towards the beach.
“Hey! No fair!” Sora’s voice objected behind her, but she could hear the excitement in his voice.
She giggled, pausing her flight to simply float. “I don’t remember any rules against flyi— Ah!”
“Gotcha!” Sora’s arms wrapped around her from behind, sending both of them twirling through the air.
“Sora!” Kairi squeaked in surprise, her voice bubbling into laughter as her cheeks warmed with blush.
She wriggled around in his arms to face him, seeing a similar warmth to his face as he snickered. Her heart could have melted from the goofy, adorable look on his face.
“What?” he asked, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side.
“I think you know,” she teased right before kissing the tip of his nose.
Her heart jumped on contact with her lips meeting him, even after all this time. Sora chuckled, his arms tightening around her for just a moment.
“Yeah, I think I do too,” he agreed, a lovestruck expression softening his face. They gazed at each other for a moment longer before Sora cleared his throat and looked away. He looked towards the treeline and then back to Kairi. “Do you think I could swing you up so you can get a better look over the forest?”
Kairi blinked, almost forgetting why they were there to begin with. “Oh! Right. Yes, let’s do that.”
Sora grabbed onto her wrist and she gripped onto his. He sent her a reassuring smile before spinning around, bringing Kairi along with him. Then he released her, sending her high above the treeline. Kairi’s Keyblade flashed into her grasp and she hurled it even higher up. At the peak of its momentum, she disappeared in a flash of magic and reappeared at its hilt.
Cool chilling winds greeted her. She shivered, floating high above the forest and all of Corona. The entire world lay out before her. She could see the towering mountains and the wall that separated Corona from the other kingdoms. Beyond it were gorgeous fields of flowers across rolling hills and shimmering lakes. She spun around, seeing the kingdom beyond the water.
“Wow,” she breathed out, suddenly wishing Sora were up as high as she was.
“Do you see anything?” Sora asked, his voice barely carrying over the wind.
Kairi peeked down at him, tiny against the shoreline, patiently awaiting her. She looked back over the forest and refocused. It didn’t take long for her to see the unmistakable glowing eyes of the Heartless between the thicket.
“Found them!” she called down to Sora.
Holding out her Keyblade, a sparkle of magic burst from the tip and shot into a stray Shadow Heartless amongst the group. The moment it met its mark, she could make out its outline, even amongst the trees.
“Great shot, Kairi!” Sora cheered her on from below, already disappearing in a mist of blue as he leapt to the branches.
Kairi somersaulted and began her downward descent. The further she went, the louder the whistling wind became against her ears. Nearing the treeline, she cried out, magic emanating off of her Keyblade. With a whirl, she shot out a barrage of pearls of light. Each one brilliantly illuminated the forest floor, finding their mark in various Shadows scampering through the thicket. Kairi landed with a roll, skidding a few feet before she stuck her Keyblade in the ground and caught herself. She stood back up straight, seeing her pearls of light impact the Heartless, bursting them into clouds of smoke. Green orbs scattered over the ground, some of them swirling into Kairi and refueling her energy. Sora landed beside her, taking a moment to gather a few of the remaining orbs before turning around and leaning his Keyblade over his shoulder.
“Got started without me, huh?” he teased.
Kairi giggled. “I’m sure there'll be plenty to go around.”
As if in response, the unmistakable sound of Heartless appearing caught their attention. They exchanged a smirk before running further into the forest. At a clearing with yellow wildflowers speckling the vibrant grass they found massive dandelions swaying from the breeze.
Sora settled into a prepared fighting stance, looking around as Kairi marveled at the plants. “So pretty,” she said under her breath, about to reach out to touch it.
“Careful, Kairi!” Sora called out to her.
All at once, the dandelions shook violently. Kairi stumbled back as the dandelion she had been admiring shot up into the air, a tower of smaller flower-like Heartless supporting it from below. It wobbled side to side, then leaned forward, aimed straight for Kairi. A translucent barrier surrounded her, just in time as hundreds of thin, white spikes bounced off its surface.
Sora landed on top of her barrier and vaulted off of it. He sliced his Keyblade along the side of the tower and it toppled over, sending the flower-like Heartless sprawling in every direction. Kairi looked over the battlefield from the protection of her barrier, taking everything into account.
“I can do this,” she told herself, dissipating her shield. “Sora!”
He reached out for her without even needing to ask what she needed. They gripped each other's wrists and jumped into the air. Spinning around, their Keyblades ignited with blazing magic. Rings of light pulsed along the ground, before Sora and Kairi slammed back down, sending out a wave of water that seemed straight from the ocean back on the island. It washed over every Heartless, catching them in its current before it began spiraling above the couple in a whirlpool. Sora and Kairi held up their Keyblades together, meeting them together for a finishing spell. Golden sparkles shimmered across the blades, conglomerating at the top to create the shape of a paopu fruit. Beams of light shot out from the star, swirling into the whirlpool and piercing through the Heartless.
Kairi’s heart pounded in her chest, her nerves tingling from the overwhelming magic all around her. Sora’s hand over her own kept her grounded as they watched every Heartless disappear with flashes of light. It was a spectacle, one she wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to. She glanced over at Sora beside her, and her breath caught. The way the magic’s light doused him in color, his face full of wonderment and joy. He caught her gaze and smiled warmly at her. His eyes danced over her and Kairi wondered if he was as entranced as she was.
The water evaporated above them and translucent magic orbs showered over them from the defeated Heartless. They looked up, seeing the sunlight shine rainbows through the bubbles before they absorbed into them, refilling their energy.
“I wonder if that’s all of them?” Kairi asked softly.
“We’ll walk back to the kingdom and see if we find any more,” Sora suggested.
Kairi hummed in agreement, smiling when Sora’s fingers interlaced with her own. She looked up at him, seeing the same smile across his face as he gave her hand a squeeze and began leading the way.
They met with a few pockets of remaining Heartless along the way. Each batch easily dealt with, though time passed swifter than either of them anticipated. Kairi didn’t mind. She beamed every time Sora’s hand would wrap around her own before they’d continue on their way. Before they knew it, the sun was beginning to set. Golden sunlight poured through the trees, painting the world around them with warmth.
“I hope they aren’t worried about us,” Kairi mused aloud as they walked.
“Hmm?” Sora asked.
“Rapunzel and Eugene,” she clarified. “We might miss the celebration.”
“Oh,” Sora realized, ruffling the back of his hair. “We could probably fly back now and let them know everything’s been taken care of.”
Even with his suggestion, Kairi wondered if she could sense something in him that didn’t want to go— or if that was her own imagination hoping he felt that way. They continued walking for a moment, before she shook her head.
“Actually, I think I’d prefer to keep walking,” she confessed. “It’s… nice to have this time with you.”
Sora looked at her, a smile slowly growing as he nodded. “Yeah, I think so too. Just the two of us. Though I feel bad you might miss the lanterns.”
She hummed. “Well, there’s always next year.”
With a chuckle, he admitted, “That’s true.” He looked back forward and gasped. “Oh! There’s something up ahead you have to see!”
He rushed forward, pulling Kairi after him. She laughed, catching her balance to keep her pace with him.
“What is it?” she asked.
Entering a clearing, they stood at the top of a steep hill. Lavender flowers covered the hillside. They glistened under the setting sun, and swayed from the gentle breeze, sending petals floating through the air. Kairi’s eyes widened, her mouth falling agape.
“So beautiful,” she breathed out. She looked up at Sora, noticing his gaze settled on her with a lovestruck smile across his face. A warmth filled her cheeks as she pushed back her hair behind her ear and giggled. “What?”
Without answering, Sora leaned down and kissed her cheek. Both of their breaths caught the moment he pulled back. Kairi’s heart leapt in her chest, making her feel breathless.
“I think you know,” he teased, repeating her from earlier.
He released her hand and ventured into the flowers. Kairi watched him for a moment, her heart warming the longer she did.
“Yeah, I think I do, too,” she admitted.
Sora peeked at her over his shoulder, grinning adorably. She smiled back, her body feeling light. The moment he turned his back completely to her, she bit her lip mischievously and got an idea. She burst into a run and wrapped her arms around him from behind.
“Gotcha!” she cried out amongst his surprise yelps, sending both of them tumbling to the flowery ground.
Sora fell face first into the flowers, his muffled laughter sent Kairi into her own fit of giggles. She held herself up enough to let him roll back over to face her. Leaves and flower petals stuck out from his mussed up hair.
“Give me a break, Kairi,” Sora couldn’t keep the laughter out of his voice.
Kairi snickered. “It was too hard to resist.”
Their laughter took a moment longer to die down, and they were soon left gazing at the other with softened smiles. Sora’s eyes danced over Kairi’s face again, a warmth filling his cheeks. She felt entranced by him, then noticed his gaze ever so slightly drift towards her lips. His hand slid up her arm, to her cheek. Kairi leaned into his touch without so much of a hesitation and Sora’s smile grew as he pushed back her hair behind her ear.
“Hey, Kairi?” he asked softly.
“Hmm?” she asked with a hum.
Sora lifted his head and ever so gently, met their lips together. Kairi’s breath hitched, her eyes sliding shut. She kissed him back almost instantly, her heart fluttering with thousands of butterflies. Sora lingered, before pulling back. He opened his mouth, about to say something, before Kairi kissed him again. He smiled into the kiss, chuckling when their lips parted.
“I love you,” Kairi whispered, saying the words fresh in her heart.
Sora blinked, then chuckled. “Hey, that’s what I was gonna say.”
“Beat you to it,” Kairi giggled.
“I love you, too.” He threaded his fingers through her hair and rested his hand along her cheek. “So much.”
She leaned into his touch again and hummed. This was what she always wanted. Their journey, the trials and the struggle to be together— everything was finally perfect. The way it was meant to be.
And now to our actual scheduled programming of today’s real prompt for @khoc-week
For Coliseum, I thought I would show Hinata’s most recent battle that showcases a majority of her abilities. I mentioned in yesterday’s post that she is currently in Halloween Town. While that’s true, she hasn’t really been conscious for most of it. She’s been trapped in a nightmare.
When Axel, Riku, and Hinata went to Halloween Town to confront Thaanix, they found her surrounded by dark creatures. They weren’t Heartless or Nobodies, but something else entirely. They were poorly constructed from darkness, with cracks along their bodies and golden acid leaking out from every crevice. Later, DiZ dubs them as Unmade.
The team battles their way up to the top of the tree in Oogie’s fortress, and there they are confronted by the largest creature of them all.
It’s surrounded by a dark mist that caused hallucinations while the team battled. Then once the creature was defeated, its body sucked in all of the darkness and shot it out in every direction. The darkness struck all of them in the heart and shortly after, they each fell unconscious.
More spoilers beneath the cut and the fic that showcases Hinata’s powers. Read at your own risk!
Velcia, another oc and a mage, traveled into the dreams of each person that fell unconscious. In each dream, they seemed powerless and trapped, but what was really happening was the creature they thought they had defeated was really absorbing their power and they needed to find and defeat it to regain their abilities and wake up.
So this is that part of Hinata’s dream. Where she and Velcia uncover the creature in her nightmare and battle.
Setting: Hinata’s nightmare. Kamino lab. Outside is a roaring ocean and it’s pouring rain.
Context: Velcia appears in Hinata’s nightmare in a loop in Kamino hallway. Each loop something changes and things get worse. Until she finds Hinata in a room with Xehanort’s Keyblade on the ground in front of her. She doesn’t know where it came from and Hinata doesn’t want to talk about it.
Velcia looked up, finding that Hinata was now standing, the Keyblade in her grasp. "H-Hinata!" she stammered out as she scrambled to her feet. "What are you doing with—"
"I'm getting us out of here…" Hinata told her, looking ahead.
She looked between the blade and Hinata. Darkness resonated off the blade, but Hinata seemed unaffected, or perhaps she was used to it.
"I don't like this, Hinata," she admitted.
Hinata glanced back at her, forlorn. "I don't either." She looked down at the blade in her hand. "But this is just a dream. None of this is real, including this Keyblade and its darkness. I'm going to use what I need to end this."
Velcia frowned, but resigned, "I'll follow your lead."
"Thank you." Hinata half-smiled back at her, before turning forward and walking out of the sparring room.
The waves roared to life the moment they were back in the hall. Strikes of lightning flashed overhead, causing the crumbled remains of the ceiling to cast dark, ominous shadows across the hall. Hinata stalked forward, Velcia not far behind. Reaching the edge of the platform, just before the tile cut off with a jagged edge, Hinata held up the Keyblade.
A ring of purple light formed around the tip as an orb of energy grew in its center. Then suddenly it shot forward with a steady beam of magic and pierced the sky with a deafening crack. Velcia covered her ears, watching with awe as the sky fractured in every direction. For a moment, there was silence — the ocean fell still and the storm froze. A strike of lightning remained lit in the distance, sprawled across the horizon as suspended raindrops refracted its light. Then a single piece of the sky fell away like a shard of a broken mirror. It flipped through the air, a single ray of light forming a spotlight over it from where it had fallen away. Velcia's eyes followed it, watching it splash into the ocean.
The moment it did, the sky burst. Shards showered over them. Velcia summoned her Keyblade, about to cast a barrier to protect them, but another, darker barrier formed instead. She looked at Hinata, seeing her Keyblade above her head, glowing with power. Fragments of the sky clinked against the shield, bursting into sparkling particles.
Both Velcia and Hinata took in the spectacle with wordless wonder. Hinata glanced back at Velcia with a small smile and Velcia nearly returned it before she noticed a dark mass falling towards them.
"Look out!" she cried just a bit too late.
The creature from the other dreams crashed against the shield, cracking it and sending both the girls flying back. Hinata's Keyblade flung from her grasp, clanging and skidding against the ground. The barrier fizzled away, leaving the girls unprotected. The creature yowled, half of its body hanging off the edge of the ledge while it clawed desperately to get back up. The entire hall creaked horridly. Metal strained and the lights flickered.
Velcia helped Hinata up with one arm, while her other hand held up her Keyblade, summoning a spell. Strikes of lightning pierced through the air, crackling over the creature's body and causing blue glowing orbs to spill out. The creature hissed and gurgled, spitting golden acid all over the ground that sizzled away what little floor it had left to leverage itself on. With a snap, the ledge gave way completely and the beast plummeted to the ocean below.
The glowing orbs melded into Hinata's skin. She let out a pleasurable sigh at the rush of familiar power, while Velcia carefully peeked over the edge of the ledge.
"I'm sure that wasn't the end of it," she told Hinata. Turning around to face her, she asked, "Are you alright?"
"As much as I can be," Hinata replied. Holding out her hand, the Keyblade disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared in her grasp.
"Are you a Wielder?" Velcia asked without thinking.
"I… don't know," Hinata answered honestly, looking at the Keyblade in her hand. "I'm just doing what I need to so we can get out of here." She uncomfortably shifted her weight, averting her gaze from Velcia's questioning eyes. "None of this is real. There isn't any reason to think this means something. It's probably nothing other than just… weird dream logic."
"I suppose that's possible." Velcia eyed the Keyblade with uneasiness. Letting out a breath, she looked back up at Hinata. With a soft smile, she went up to her and placed her hand along her shoulder. "Whatever the case, we'll figure it out together. First, we wake up."
Hinata placed her hand over Velcia's and strained a smile. "You're right." Her face hardened and she snapped her attention back forward. "Does that thing have my powers already?"
"Yes, I feel it too." Velcia spun around, readying her Keyblade. "It's manipulating the ocean."
As if on command, the world itself began to rumble. The ocean outside spiraled, its current strong. The supports beneath the facility waned and creaked. A massive, towering wave crashed against the side of the building. Water flooded the hall, pouring into the windows and sweeping up the girls with one swift movement.
"Hang on to me!" Velcia yelled, reaching out for Hinata as the edge of the ledge swiftly approached.
Hinata gripped onto Velcia's wrist, just as the water swept them off the facility entirely. Velcia wanted to scream. Rain pelted their backs, icy wind whistled in their ears, but their grips remained strong as they plummeted towards the roaring ocean below. The moment they hit the water, they were caught up in its spiraling current. Hinata held out her hand from instinct, desperately trying to control the water, but her power hadn't yet fully returned. She managed to create a small air pocket. The water burst outwards, forming a bubble around their heads. Both of them sucked in gasping breaths.
"I-I can't hold it," Hinata sputtered.
"It's alright!" Velcia assured her. "I think I can manage something."
She closed her eyes and tightly gripped her Keyblade, trying to focus even as their bodies thrashed around under the strength of the water. A glow covered her blade, then suddenly they both fell, landing on the bottom of a bubble. Velcia opened her eyes, her chest heaving breathlessly as water slid around the outside of their magically encased bubble.
"Wow," Hinata breathed. "That's incredible."
"I'll teach you sometime," Velcia told her, distracted.
A roar reverberated through the water, rippling across the surface of their barrier and catching their attention. Both of them scrambled to their feet and stood back to back, their Keyblades at the ready. The bubble's surface was difficult to balance on and bent under their weight, but they remained standing as they scanned the dark, swirling water for any signs of the creature.
Velcia narrowed her eyes, spotting a subtle golden glow in the distance. She wasn't able to keep her gaze on it for more than a moment as they spun wildly out of control from the current. Nausea pooled in her stomach, making her dizzy and weak.
"We need to—" Her voice cut off as she wobbled, and Hinata spun around and caught her. "Oh I don't feel good."
Hinata said something in response, but she couldn't understand her. Another roar vibrated around them, this time much louder than before. Despite her warbling vision, Velcia noticed Hinata's eyes widened. She followed her gaze, seeing the briefest glimpse of the creature barreling towards them. It slammed against their barrier, popping the bubble and caving it in with water. Hinata screamed. Velcia's head flung back from whiplash and everything went black.
-------------------------------------------
"Oh crap!" Hinata screamed.
Hinata flailed, free falling into the very center of the whirlpool. She could see the ocean's floor, the sharp, jagged black rocks sticking out of the soaked sand — just waiting to impale her and Velcia upon their unfortunate and swiftly approaching crash landing. Hinata looked beside her, realizing all at once that Velcia was limp, completely unconscious.
"Ok, ok, think," Hinata scrambled.
She held out her hand and a spiral of water shot out from the whirlpool. It wrapped around Velcia's waist like a lasso and whipped her over to Hinata. She wrapped her arms around Velcia the moment she was close enough, but the momentum sent both of them spinning wildly. Hinata held out her hand once more and desperately tried to summon her dagger. It flickered into existence, before wisping away with blue glitter.
"Come on!" Hinata groaned, running out of time.
She tried again, and the blade weakly appeared, seeming like it would disappear again within seconds. Hinata didn't waste any time and hurled the blade towards the ocean's floor. It stuck into the mud and Hinata closed her eyes to attempt a warp strike.
"Come on, baby, please work," she muttered under her breath, her brows furrowed and heart pounding.
A zap of static surrounded her, right before impacting hard, soaked sand. Hinata held Velcia close, tightly shutting her eyes as they rolled and skidded across the ground, before her back slammed against a rock. A pained groan escaped Hinata. She took a moment to catch her breath before she opened her eyes. The whirlpool spiraled above them; lightning cracked across the broken sky. It was a surreal sight, one that Hinata didn't have the time to take in.
She looked down to Velcia, still unconscious and encased safely in her arms. Sand was caked in her hair, against her clothes — Hinata was sure she looked the same. With a hiss, she pushed Velcia back and forced herself to stand. Her body strained, battered and bruised from the fall and particularly the landing, but she managed to get up and situated Velcia to sit against the rock.
A golden glow caught her attention. She looked up to see a golden light deep in the water, swimming along with the current. The light crept closer to the whirlpool's edge, a dark silhouette of the creature forming around it until it leapt out of the water entirely and landed hard against the sand. Hinata took a deep, even breath, opening and closing her hands to ready herself while the creature growled, acid dripping from its mandibles.
"It's just you and me now," Hinata called out.
She grabbed the hilt of her embedded dagger, but it flickered out of existence. With a heavy breath, Hinata attempted to call it back, but none of her usual weapons appeared. The creature clawed the sand, readying itself to charge.
"Fine then," she resigned.
Holding out her hand, the Keyblade flashed into her grasp with a burst of darkness. She sucked in a sharp breath, her throat tightening and vision momentarily blurring from the sickening, but familiar rush. There wasn't any time to adjust, as a blue glowing magic surrounded the creature. It zapped away, disappearing in a flash of blue. Hinata spun around, barely noticing shimmering particles beside her before the creature reappeared in their stead. Its sharp claws sliced across her side, sending her flying into the side of a rock. She slid to the ground, and gasped for breath.
"Great, it can warp strike," she realized between her gasps. "Of course. I should have known."
Another burst of shimmering particles appeared just overhead. Hinata's eyes widened and she rolled out of the way. The creature warped to the top of the rock in place of the particles and swiped at the now empty spot where Hinata had just been. Without wasting the opportunity, Hinata held the Keyblade with both of her hands and thrusted it up towards the sky. The tip glowed a deep purple, crackling with darkness before shooting out a beam. The beam split into multiple sections, surrounding the creature like a cage and spinning around it. It whipped its head around at the sight, hissing and curling in on itself. The beams closed in and created a blinding sight. Hinata shielded her eyes, hearing the monster's curdling shriek as it was sliced through.
Blue glowing orbs spilled out of it, melding into Hinata's skin. She breathed in deeply, feeling her familiar power fill her veins. There wasn't any need for the Keyblade anymore. She could easily resummon her blades, but the dark whispers in her mind pleaded with her to remain using the Keyblade. The beams dissipated and Hinata peeked to see golden acid splattered over the top of the singed rock, and floating blue particles that proved the creature managed to warp strike away.
Hinata looked around the arena, seeing no signs of the beast. Letting out a breath, she took the pause in the fight to release the Keyblade. It slid from her fingers and landed hard in the sand. A choked sob struggled up her throat, the creature's screams echoing in her head and the dark whispers crying out as they fled her body. She staggered forward, running her hand over her face.
"Never again," she promised herself.
Standing up straight with clenched fists, she purposefully stepped on the Keyblade as she went past. With a flick of her wrists, her daggers appeared in her hands. She tightened her grip around them, nearly crying at how good it felt to hold them again.
"Come on girls, let's do this," she told them, feeling somewhat silly for talking to her blades, but at the moment, she'd take anything to talk to.
She looked over her shoulder towards Velcia, still unconscious against the rock, unmoved. With a nod to herself, Hinata walked to the center of the arena. She was silent, looking through the whirlpool and towards the rocks, waiting for any sign of the creature. It didn't take long as a rush of water splashed from behind. Hinata spun around, eyes widening at the sight of a massive worm made purely out of water with the creature riding along the top, its blue tongue lapping up the water wildly. She made a scrunched up face of confused disgust at the sight, carefully strafing backwards. With a roar, the beast opened its mouth wide, sending out darts of water mixed with acid.
Hinata scrambled back. The darts pierced the sand and sizzled with a wisp of smoke. She looked up, seeing a whole new slew of acid spikes coming straight for her. Her entire body phased side to side in a blue shimmering mist, until she threw her blade behind a tall rock and zapped over, hidden from view.
"I don't think I can control that much water yet," she talked herself through it, pressing her back against the cool rock. "I have to get more of those orbs first…" She peeked around the edge, then whipped back as a spike of acid shot past. "Alright, new plan then."
She dispelled her daggers and summoned her shield instead. It flickered, but then firmly appeared in her grasp. At the sight of it, she couldn't help but smile.
"It's been a while," she said, smiling warmly before she looked away and chuckled awkwardly. "This is great, I'm talking to inanimate objects. I'm not going insane at all." Taking a deep breath, she shook out her arms and bounced between the balls of her feet. "Let's do this."
Stepping out from behind the rock, she lifted her shield. Darts impacted the metal almost instantly. Hinata's feet dug into the sand, skidding back with every hit. Her shield absorbed the water, pulsing slowly with power that grew brighter with every shot. The acid bubbled along its surface, tainting the intricate engravings in the metal, but Hinata didn't have a choice. A low, vibrating hum emanated from the shield, reaching full absorption as the creature relentlessly fired.
"Ok, ok," Hinata hyped herself up, preparing for the next move. "I can do this."
She waited for the slightest break in the shots, when the creature needed to pause to lap up more water. With a yell, Hinata spun around, and launched her shield. It shot up and sliced through the monster's tongue. Hinata zapped away in shimmering blue and reappeared at her shield up above the creature while it screeched and spewed acid from where its detached tongue used to be. Gripping the shield, Hinata held it flat and released the absorbed power.
Water burst from every inch of the shield. It formed a pillar that consumed the creature in its wake and thrashed it around wildly. Blue orbs fled from its body and melded into Hinata, just as she hit the ground with a roll. She stood back up, and held out her hand, reaching out for the pillar of water. The cool chill of the magic seeped into her fingertips and she grinned.
The pillar of water followed her movements with practiced ease and Hinata spun around and plummeted the water into the face of a tall rock. Through the rush of the water, she could hear the gurgled growls of the creature being crushed against the rock. Before the water had completely splashed away, Hinata gripped her shield and hurled it forward. It sliced through the creature's neck, embedding it against the rock.
"I'm not taking any more chances with you!" she yelled, summoning her blades and throwing them one after the other, piercing the creature's stomach.
Acid globbed around the weapons, dripping onto the ground and melting the sand. Her weapons' shine dulled under the acid, but Hinata didn't care. She watched with disgust and a trickle of guilt as the life faded in the creature's eyes. Its wiggling legs curled and dried up. Its body went limp and slid to the ground, her blades slicing through what remained of its stomach. Acid pooled around it as the left over blue orbs spilled out and swarmed into Hinata. She reluctantly reached out and resummoned her weapons. The creature's head splatted to the ground once the shield dispelled, the sound making Hinata sick to her stomach.
She stepped back and tore her gaze away from the gruesome scene, and instead looked towards Velcia. The entire fight she had been left alone, as if the creature knew she wasn't the one it was really after. Hinata let out a breath and looked up towards the broken sky, seeing the light slowly making its way towards her. It was finally time to wake up.
