Kingdom Hearts: Kingdom Hearts: Light Chaser

​

Aria jumped when she heard a loud smashing noise beside her. Her eyes widened when she saw that Illiana's umbrella had broken through the surface of the deck, which told the girl something pissed off her older friend. "Illiana...?" She saw the girl shaking and pressed her lips in a thin line, wondering what had come over her.

"I-I think it's time for me to go sleep while I still can. Have fun with the rest of your talk. Bye bye."

"Illiana, wait!" But she had already went down the steps and disappeared from the group.

Aria was conflicted for a moment, but knew what she had to do. She told everyone what she knew, so she didn't see the need to stick around anymore. Besides, no one on her team seemed to be jumping to it to help her. She understood Take had some sort of vendetta against her, but she wondered how Chrono and Glyde related to her. Granted Glyde literally woke up from a coma the moment they got to Eventide, so Illiana and him weren't probably terribly close. "I'm... um.... I'm going to check on her," she said quietly to the boys and then hurried away from the rest of the group. Today was an emotional roller coaster filled day to say the least, and no one deserved to go through it alone. Aria had Take to get her through her breakdown, Illiana needed a friend too.

"Illiana?" Aria called out once she got below deck. Her turquoise eyes scanned the dim litted hallways of the ship, trying to figure out where she went. "Illiana... I'm sorry if I said something that hurt you.... I didn't mean to. Do you want to talk about it? Or we don't have to talk about it. We can have some of that tea if you want... Or if you need a shoulder to cry on, that works too. I'm easy going...." Aria scratched her head and sighed out, not knowing where to look for her. "Listen... I don't want you to go through what ever is bothering you alone... It's... not the best way to go about it... And I want to help... If I did anything to hurt you, I want to fix it..."

ooc shenanigans:

Spoiler: smashing

 

"Illiana? Illiana... I'm sorry if I said something that hurt you.... I didn't mean to. Do you want to talk about it? Or we don't have to talk about it. We can have some of that tea if you want... Or if you need a shoulder to cry on, that works too. I'm easy going...." Illiana went dead silent as Aria called out to her. She covered her mouth as she hid. She wiped her eyes immediately as Aria continued to call out to her. "Listen... I don't want you to go through what ever is bothering you alone... It's... not the best way to go about it... And I want to help... If I did anything to hurt you, I want to fix it..." Illiana gripped her umbrella as Aria continued her attempts. Illiana wouldn't dare let someone else see her cry let alone showing weakness. She knew all too well what the consequences would be. If she let down her guard for even more that a nano-second, she would lose another thing that she held near and dear to her. How would she get out of this situation? She wasn't ready to talk about her little brother. Not after all this time. She peeked over to find where Aria was standing. The girl was looking around, still trying to locate Illiana. Illiana looked forward trying to figure out what to do. She took a couple of deep breaths before standing up. She lifted up her umbrella before her usual expression came back onto her face. "It's the middle of the night. People are sleeping. What in the world are you going on about?" She placed a hand on her hip while a questioning expression was written across her face. Illiana was hoping her usual tone and expression would get past Aria.

 

​

Aria turned when she heard Illiana’s voice. She crinkled her eyebrow in confusion and folded her arms. “What? You ran off earlier after smashing a hole in the deck. Don’t tell me nothing is going on.”

Aria was thinking hard at this point. It seemed she freaked out when she mentioned Chrys and Koa, though Chrys didn’t say anything about a sibling... but Koa...

Understanding came over Aria and she let her arms fall to her sides.. she didn’t know if she was right, but she had a feeling she was. “You didn’t think someone was still around... did you?”

She chewed the inside of her cheek and rubbed the back of her neck. “I wanted to check on you and see if you were okay... but if you don’t want to talk about what ever is bothering you, that’s okay.” Aria shrugged her shoulders and yawned. “I’m here though... if you ever want to tell me what’s going on. I mean, we’re friends, right?” She offered a small smile and then went to the staircase to head back up top. “I think some sleep will do everybody some good though...”

 

Illiana scratched her cheek a little bit as Aria was confused. "What? You ran off earlier after smashing a hole in the deck. Don't tell me nothing is going on." Silence fell over the both of them. For a couple moments, no word was uttered from either of them. Illiana looked over at Aria again and it had appeared that she was lost in her thoughts. Before Illiana could comment on it, Aria broke the silence. "You didn't think someone was still around...did you?" Illiana's eyes widen for a little bit before Aria continued. "I wanted to check on you and see if you were okay...but if you don't want to talk about what ever is bothering you, that's okay." She yawned, then continued. "I'm here though...if you ever want to tell me what's going on. I mean, we're friends, right?" She smiled before starting her trek up the stairs. Illiana had been kicking herself mentally once Aria had finished. She took a deep breath before stopping Aria. "What..." She paused before continuing, making her expression look as absent as she could. "What did you mean by, I didn't think someone was still around?" She looked over at Aria as she awaited for her answer. Does she know something? What did she know? Her head was filled with so many thoughts and questions as she continued to wait.

 

​

Aria stopped on the steps and twiddled her fingers. "Well, Koa mentioned he had a sister. And with the way you reacted, I assumed maybe there was a connection with Koa and you. Maybe I'm wrong. But it seems highly likely to me that's the case. Cause I know Chrys doesn't have a sibling..." She rubbed at her sleepy eyes with the back of her hand and yawned again. "But yeah, if something is up and you wanna talk, I'm here... I think it's time to turn in for the night though, so I'm going to find a bed and go night-night... Night-night!" Aria smiled crookedly with half-opened eyes and again turned to leave to find some place to lay down and get some shut-eye.

 

Aria had stopped and twiddled her fingers as she spoke. "Well, Koa mentioned he had a sister. And with the way you reacted, I assumed maybe there was a connection with Koa and you. Maybe I'm wrong. But it seems highly likely to me that's the case. Cause I know Chrys doesn't have a sibling." Illiana felt her expression crack just a bit as Aria explained. She had said her good nights and begun her trek up the stairs once more. Illiana felt her guilt eat her alive, bit by bit. She followed after Aria as she spoke up. "Can we talk about this in the room? This is more of a private matter. Not a big fan of having people look at me while private matters are being discussed." Illiana continued walking up with Aria back to the room. "If you want to sleep, we can talk about this another time. I'm not gonna rob people of their sleep. I'm cruel but not that cruel."

 

​

"I can stay awake a bit longer," Aria said with a small smile. "I used to stay up a lot back on my world... I never really had gotten a full night's sleep. But that's for another day." She led the older girl to their cabin for the night and shut the door behind them. It was cozy with a built in bunk bed that looked comfy enough. The space was kind of tight for Aria's liking, and she opted to sit right by the window on a cozy, cushy chair instead of on the bed for now. At least the window gave her some security of open space. "Okay... What's up? I'm all ears."

 

Illiana nodded her head as the two made their way up the stairs and into the lodgings for the night. "You know that's bad for your health right?" Illiana looked at Aria with a concerning look on her face. The two made their way into the room and Aria began to sit across from the bunk bed. Illiana began preparing chamomile tea for the two. Once the tea was ready, Illiana handed Aria a cup and poured herself a cup. "Okay...What's up? I'm all ears." Illiana made herself comfortable while she began sipping her tea. Where does she even begin? After a little bit, Illiana opened her mouth. "You probably already have figured it out but for whatever reason you didn't...well...I do know Koa." Illiana paused then continued. "If as so much as one word about this comes out of your mouth...I can't guarantee your safety." Illiana scowled before relaxing her face. "The reason I know Koa is because he's my younger brother." Illiana took a sip from her cup before silence fell over the room.

 

​

"I know, but it's been like that since I was itty, bitty..." Aria gratefully accepted the tea, and took a sip. When suddenly, Illiana dropped the bomb on her. Aria spewed out her tea in her mouth, careful to not have aimed it at her friend. "Wha-What?! So you are related? I was right?" Aria sat on the edge of her chair and held the tea cup tightly in her hand. "I mean, now I think about it, you two almost look the same... B-but that's beside the point... Did you think he was gone?" She asked, letting the tea warm her hands as she watched the older girl carefully. "He said his world was lost, but the Light Chaser saved him and restored his world... That's why he's with him now."

 

Illiana jumped back toward the wall to try and avoid the splatter of the tea. "Keep quiet! Do you want the entire boat to hear us?!" Illiana dried off the splatter that landed after Aria's shock. Aria moved to the edge of her seat. "Wha-What?! So you are related? I was right?...I mean, now that I think about it, you two almost look the same... B-but that's beside the point... Did you think he was gone?" Illiana casted her eyes down for a bit. "It's been over two years now. It's a long story. For awhile, I didn't want to believe he was gone and at some point I faced reality and thought he was gone forever. So I'm in disbelief to hear he's alive." Illiana took another sip of tea. Aria then continued. "He said his world was lost, but the Light Chaser saved him and restored his world...That's why he's with him now." Illiana lifted her head up immediately as Aria mentioned that. "Wait what?" She paused. "That's not possible. I've made a couple trips home when I left for the sister city up until Atmos found me. How could that be?..." Illiana placed her chin on her hand before shaking her head. "I'll deal with it at another time. For now....Was there anything else he said? Where is he now?" Illiana continued to inquire about her brother while the reason he was with the Light Chaser was in the back of her mind, a mystery she would have to solve at a later time.

 

​

Aria swished the tea in the cup, watching it sway within the china. “Last I saw him, he was in the world that was lost to the darkness; Eventide. But it was still asleep or something. The Light Chaser was putting it back to normal. Koa said when the darkness showed up in his world, the world was almost lost and the Light Chaser saved it and him, offering to help Koa be stronger so it never happened again.”

Aria took in a sip of tea and then let the cup rest in her lap with her hands around it. “You know, I don’t think the Light Chaser is bad... I think he’s just confused. All things need to have a balance... you can’t have one thing without the other... If darkness gets taken away completely, the light that’s left is going to be corrupted somehow... right?”

The girl closed her eyes and drank more of the tea before pulling her knees up to her chest in the chair. “Koa was really kind to me. He beat me in a duel, but he was still nice. He tried to protect me when Torrin showed up and I had no idea Torrin was on our side until he said something... Koa was also the one who gave me the bracelet though,” she said as she lifted her wrist up with the golden chain. “But I don’t think he knew what it was really.” She smiled at Illiana and finished the rest of her tea, giving the empty cup to her. “Maybe... this chaos will die down someday where you guys can see each other again and catch up on old times.”

 

​

Chrono had been relatively silent while listening to what Master Choma and the others were saying. They only knew two of the princesses, one of which had already been taken. Plus it wasn't like there were any distinguishing features that Princess of heart had that would make finding them easier. Knowing that they had a pure heart of light didn't do much when they couldn't actually check that to his knowledge. Chrono made note of them names that Aria had said were connected to the Light Chaser and at the mentioning of this 'Koa', a smash was heard behind them. Seeing as it was Illiana was the one who had caused it and how quickly she was to leave the conversation prior to Aria chasing after her. It reminded him of how her acted when he had asked about her sibling. Maybe this Koa guy is connected to her sibling somehow. It sounded reasonable enough with the little info he managed to get Illiana to say earlier.

 

​

Choma explaining them only needing to have one princess to keep his plans from working seemed... odd. So, what about the rest of them then? Are they supposed to just let the others get taken as long as they can protect one? He hoped that Choma meant that they were going to save as many as they could. But when Choma mentioned how late it was, Take definitely felt tired. It'd been a while since Take was so tired he could feel it in his bones, but this was one of those times. He looked to the rest and said, "I'm gonna turn in then. I'd rather not be overtired tomorrow." the boy waved at the rest of them before he headed towards the deck. There were some beds, nothing amazingly comfortable but he never expected boats to have them. Take lofted himself up onto the bed and heard a mewl which made him panic. He shifted his bag and Nini popped her head out looking angry and Take gave her some scritches saying, "Sorry Nini. I.. kind of forgot you were in there." Take moved to take off his jacket to get a bit more comfortable while the tiny black cat moved around to find a more comfortable spot. When Take laid back to finally be in a better resting position, Nini climbed up onto his stomach and curled up. He was bothered by it a moment but he eventually just resigned himself to his fate of being a cat bed before falling asleep.

 

​

"Well then..." the dark pupils of Glyde's eyes darted back and forth; he into his upper lip, restraining from any further comment. Illiana's sudden outburst, for the brief stir that it had caused, shifted the mood to a place that didn't seem ideal. The group stood in a brief moment of silence. As per his custom, Glyde took in this silence, only to learn that it was one of a different sort than what he preferred. It wasn't thoughtful silence that came in solitude. Nor was it the relaxing sort of silence that came with the night's rest. This silence was of the awkward sort; the sort that came in the wake of a shocking or embarrassing moment. It was the silence that clung to the air when no one present could muster into words what to say or how to respond.

He turned his head, looking wide-eyed towards Chrono. "I think I'll do the same," he said, gesturing towards Take's direction. He looked up towards Master Choma, whom he had forgotten was still there, and bowed hesitantly. "I'm spent, Master. I believe I'll be going to get some rest now." In a relative hurry, he left the deck. Fortunate to have found a helpful crew member to point him in the right direction, he found the lodgings that had been arranged for him and the others. Within moments of laying down upon the bed, he was drifting swiftly to sleep.​

 

Boreas took the advice of Atmos to heart although he couldn't guarantee that he'd stay put if a fight was happening. "I'll see what I can do, no promises though." Boreas said and then intently listened as Atmos detailed how she had met Torrin two days ago as he offered to help them retrieve a student. Torrin had been fighting this trouble maker for over a year now. This was the most substantial thing he had heard about Torrin in a long time. Sure his name was still mentioned in court at times, but there wasn't anything new to it, just the same old arguments. It was nice to hear something new. As he walked with Atmos through the streets of Atlantis, she asked him something curious. Boreas just smiled to himself at first, it was a saddened smile.

"It's a bit of both, although I must admit more the latter than the former." He finally said. "Had the king not given me permission, I would have gone back already, furthermore he is the heir to the throne, if I live that long, I will one day serve him loyally too." He took a moment to find the right words to phrase the next part, he had made his peace with all that had transpired, it was more a case of how he had to put it all simply. "I have known Torrin for a long time, we both trained under the same master, however I haven't seen or heard anything useful since he disappeared 6 years ago. Neither of us has been sitting still for those years apparantly and we'll have to talk some things through for sure, but I can't forget about why I am here, to bring him home." He looked around him at the people of this world and all they made, it was a lot more peaceful here than it was back home, although he still remained on guard, his eyes scanning the area expecting trouble at a moments notice. "Say what sort of trouble has this Light Chaser been stirring then that Torrin has been fighting him for the duration of a year?"​

 

​

Take had always been a light sleeper, or perhaps the term was 'alert sleeper'. When something seemed amiss he always woke up instinctually, and hearing Jim make a pained noise, in a place he was unfamiliar with, made him sit up quickly. It made Nini mewl slightly over being woken up as well. Take gave her a quick pat on the head before he tried to look for wherever Jim ran. He hoped it wasn't actually something important but, well Take was awake now so he might as well get up and grab something to eat if anything else. The boy grabbed his jacket and his bag, Nini hopped onto his shoulder before finessing her way back into the bag while Take put his jacket on as he moved to follow Jim. He rubbed his eyes and followed Jim asking, "Everything alright? I heard an 'ow' before you started running off." he yawned a little while he asked.

 

Chrys followed Avra down the river in silence. Following the other wielder, focused on her mission as she was, Chrys privately was entertained by the contrast between them. Chrys herself was hardly ever as focused as she would like to be, or at least that was her opinion. She was a naturally curious person, so she found herself asking a great deal of questions, though only to herself. One such example right that moment would be her wondering at the exact intent of the keyblade master who had apparently enhanced the tree with magic. Had they known that one of the princesses would be born on that world at a later time? Or had there been some other reason? Perhaps, if things went well, she could as the tree itself. She sincerely hoped that things went well, for several reasons beyond satiating her own curiosity. A tree enhanced by the magic of a keyblade weilder would be no easy opponent after all. Still, she would do what she had to for her Master and her Brother. It was not long after this thought that they came within view of the Willow.​

 

​

It was that nightmare again.

Aria was frozen in place. She could hear her rapid breathing in the darkness and feel her heart thud in her chest. Her arms were outstretched on either side of her, bound by some dark chain so she couldn't lower them. Her legs were bound too, making it impossible to move. She jerked her arm to try to get free, but it was no use. She was stuck in place, suspended partially off the ground like this.

She heard the familiar gurgle and cringed as she shut her eyes. She could feel its cold breath on her skin, and feel its powerful energy nearby. Aria clenched her fists and tried to move free. Suddenly she heard it snarl at her and cried out when she felt searing pain in her shoulders. She was forced to open her eyes, and she was faced to face with the cloaked beast with sharp, jagged teeth. Its skin was ebony, and its presence was suffocating. It was the same monster that haunted her in her dreams since she was a baby.

It dug its claws deeper into Aria's shirt, making the girl wince and cry out. She had seen what it could do to others in her dreams, but only recently had it actually had its hands on her.

"Aria."

A strange, womanly voice echoed all around Aria. The creature seemed to shudder and looked over to where the voice was coming from. Just then, a white light began to wrap around the shadows, making the creature shriek. Aria turned her head to look when-

The creaking of the ship woke her up with a start. Aria gasped and sat up, only to hit the low ceiling above her bunk bed hard. "OW!" She hissed between her teeth as she grabbed her head, curling her toes and rocking herself as the pain throbbed through her noggin. "Ow, owy, ow, ow, ooooow...." After a moment of self-soothing herself, Aria rubbed at her head and had a look around. She had taken the top bunk for that night, leaving Illiana at the bottom one. The bed was sturdy enough to not really notice the difference, save for the lower ceiling above Aria's head.

The girl shivered as a sudden chill ghosted her skin. She looked down at herself and groaned, realizing that she had woken up in cold sweat. It wasn't the first time this happened, and it she knew it wouldn't be the last. Well, now that she was awake, she couldn't fall back to sleep in this cramped area. Last night was easy enough since she fell asleep talking to Illiana and then was forced to go to bed. How she got into the top bunk in that state, she would never know.

Aria softly grumbled to herself as she carefully made her way out of bed, taking a stray blanket with her from the foot of the bed. She reached the floor and slipped on her shoes, checking on the older girl to make sure she didn't wake her up. When it seemed like she was still out, Aria wrapped her blanket tightly around her like a cloak and meandered her way to the door to get out into the open air.

The cool, morning air greeted her happily, which Aria was not really in the mood yet and huddled in her blanket like an old lady as she made her way to the railing of the ship. She carefully leaned on it as she pulled her blanket up over her head like a hood, her teeth chattering as she was becoming accustomed to the outside air. It was strange how her dream was interrupted... Usually she would have to face the dark creature one on one... But that voice. It almost seemed familiar to her. She was mad at herself she couldn't get a better look.

Aria felt her head throb a little and sighed out as she rubbed the goose egg on top of her head. "Happy morning to meeeeee~," she sadly sang to herself in the tune of Happy Birthday.