{Alternate} Hey, Nobody’s Perfect {3 :: Roxas :: 3} But the Heart Makes it Hard to Tell {Universe}

♥Amunet’s Introduction♥

Lalala… chapter 3..! Technically, chapter 4 if you count the prologue… but only chapter 3, since prologues tend to be chapter 0. Which makes little to no sense; I wonder why it works that way..? Probably because prologues are supposed to be shorter then chapters… not really so with me. Hmm…

Edward: Hey… Amunet..?

Amunet: Yeeeeeeeeeess..?

Edward: Nobody cares. *blunt*

Amunet: The characters are all so abusive..! TT_TT

Adiana: Enjoy the chapter, everyone..! <3 *no-so-secretly plotting to usurp author power*

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♥Chapter 3 :: Hidden Hearts♥

“I love you, Ohm. I don’t tell you that often enough; nor do I tell you why.” Adiana said breezily, her fingers laced together behind her head. “So allow me to list the ways…”

“Would you shut up and drive the ship?” Ohm muttered. “Letting go of the controls with the thrusters engaged is just stupid.”

“You mean like I’m doing now..?” Adiana questioned, not looking overly concerned at the asteroid the Gummi Ship Haven was rocketing insanely towards. “Eh, I’m betting that asteroid will move. The reasons why I love you, however… those are fleeting and flux without warning.”

Ohm growled, a vein throbbing in his brow. He was actually riding along with Adiana for convenience; he got the sneaking suspicion she enjoyed driving recklessly only when he was present to experience the discomfort. The creature of darkness was not in his true form; he had become what Adiana often cheekily referred to as ‘travel sized’. For reasons not entirely known to him he appeared in the form of a mouse, his eyes still a lethal red and his body mostly covered by an ankle length leather coat. While nowhere near as fun useful as his true form, he was at least able to fit into the copilot seat.

And, he had to admit, the extra expensive seat cushions Adiana had just insisted they spend the entirety of a previous earning on weren’t a bad buy. The seats were surprisingly plush. He had to fight the mousey urge to snuggle.

“I just feel the urge to tell you how fantastic that wave of darkness was back at the Hearts Castle. Got rid of every one of those intruders..!”

“You mean employers…”

“Employers. Right. I do believe that was a Freudian slip…” Adiana didn’t wait for the response, stabbing a finger towards the space before her. “See? I told you that asteroid would move..! But enough playing… time to get this ship moving for Hollow Bastion.”

Adiana’s face was carefully concentrated as she focused on the controls, punching in coordinates and scanning in the various maps and dials in stride. The silence that filled the air was not the uncomfortable kind; it was one of silent contemplation and pretending. Adiana pretended she was completely engrossed in handling the controls, and Ohm pretended he was the patient sort as he waited for the girl to speak.

“Ok… we’re set. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to put in those numbers…” Adi finally voiced, giving the dial closest to her palm a fond pat.

“Glad to hear it.” He muttered, his crimson eyes watching her closely. “I didn’t think you were the sort to accept a job from an organized group like Ultima. A little too… righteous, coming from you. It was unexpected.”

“It’s not all about me; I had to think about my partner, whom I love so very much.” Adiana commented as she scanned space. “It was a good deal, a chance to clear our names with any Ultima scumbags we may happen across in the future… and it’s quite possible that we’ll get to break things, which I know gives you the warm and fuzzies.”

“Such things have never bothered you in the past. Though you pretend you don’t know, I would follow you into any moronic job you accepted. I have in the past, and I will continue to in the future.” Ohm said levelly.

It was a testament to the truth and underlying devotion the two shared that Adiana offered no smarmy reply to that comment.

“We might encounter Modgnik Straeh; sure you’re prepared for a big battle, Ohm?” Adiana’s cheerful tone was back; she spoke as if the conversation of seconds before hadn’t happened.

“Are you..? This is going to awaken some hard memories for you… I am not going to appreciate having to come save your sorry self if you become crippled by painful memories.” Ohm replied, an eyebrow twitching in irritation.

“Ha..! Like that would happen… nothing overly painful. Just the first step to where I am now; nothing really special about that.” Adiana said with a shrug. “Of course, I might be in trouble if Modgnik Straeh attacks me directly… methinks he took my leaving a little hard. Something about betraying his trust and, therefore, his heart…”

“Sounds crushing.” Ohm replied, clearly bored.

“Exactly. But if things go according to plan, we won’t need to go through any of that messy nonsense.”

“And the plan would be..?”

“We have to split up. Divide and conquer.” Adiana spoke with a smile, but her tone was serious… for once. “Hollow Bastion is a medium sized world, and a large portion of it is Modgnik Straeh’s castle, which consists of his living quarters, dungeon, servant chambers, scientific laboratory, and containment center. There’s also a library and a kick ass entertainment center, in case you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t.”

“The castle is designed like any good fortress: hard to get into. There is one weak point, the main entrance. It’s large enough for at least three Gummi Ships to navigate through; it’s to make the exchange of goods faster and more efficient. Since this is widely acknowledged as the weakest structural point in the castle, the forces guarding it are deployed in regiments that are planned to leave this main entrance under guard at all times; when there is an attack Regenerists are trained to gather at the gate and fortify it with their own bodies; if it comes to that. When the gate is under attack it draws the attention of the entire defensive force and all of the inhabitants of the castle, who have convinced themselves that it is the only way an intruder could gain entrance to the innermost sanctums.”

“I see… so you want me to attack the front gates to draw attention.” Ohm confirmed.

That was the reason Adiana got along so well with Ohm despite their personality differences; the sometimes-mouse-sized monster was quick on the uptake.

“Correct.” Adi said with a nod. “Go full darkness beast on them… think raging, rabid monster that has a serious problem with castles. Like… they are systematically being built on the graves of your family or something.”

“Thinking about your incessant babbling with be enough of a motivation for rage, I assure you. Where will you be..?”

“I’ll be sneaking about the back way, of course. I lived in Hollow Bastion for quite a while, and spent a lot of my free time exploring the castle. I’d say I know the place just about as well as Modgnik Straeh himself. And since I was taught everything I know by our dear High King, it’ll be a piece of cake getting in undetected. After all, not even he can make his castle Modgnik Straeh proof.”

“Once you’re in..?”

“Feel for me in the darkness; you should be able to tell once I’m inside. You’ll have to prepare for a retreat; make it slow and realistic while avoiding all possible harm. Meanwhile I’ll make my way to the lab, and from there to the holding center where the Hidden Hearts are kept. Releasing them will be no sweat; Modgnik Straeh never dreamed I would come back and therefore I should be able to override the security easily enough. Releasing of the Hidden Hearts should take ten minutes, tops. I’m not exactly sure how we’re going to transport them… it’s been a while since I was in contact with them, and they could have undergone experimentation since then. So I’ll create enough darkness in the holding center for you to step through; you’ll have to make an abrupt transport from the gate to me to keep them from finding us out.”

“You expect to need that much help transporting the Hidden Hearts..?” Ohm frowned slightly.

“Not really… my theory is that once I release them from the holding cells they will automatically fly back to their Nobodies. I’ll have the stupid communicator with me; I’ll check with Kumiko after releasing one to make sure things go as planned. But better safe then sorry… besides, if we have to retreat, it’s best to be within backing up range of one another.”

“You expect things to go wrong..?” Ohm almost felt the urge to sweat drop.

“Not really… but you know what they say: be prepared.” Adiana chirped.

Ohm sighed heavily at this, a feeling of doom draping across his temporarily small shoulders. He was not the superstitious sort, but something about the words ‘be prepared’ made him tense for disaster; especially if they were spoken by his purple haired partner. It seemed the first of many phrases that just invited disaster.

If only Ohm had known then just how right his superstition would prove to be.

~*~*~*~

Adiana sat quietly for a long moment, running a last check over her plan and her equipment. She hadn’t bothered changing much with her outfit; if the black body suit and boots worked for one job, they would work for another. Her hair had been pulled back into a tight pony tail, and the small bag secured to her thigh was full of the necessary tricks. The communicator was clipped smugly to her belt, fully aware of the important part it played in the plan. A small bud inserted in her ear twisted down into a microphone that hovered near her lips; the communicator was off, but she was prepared for it when it wasn’t.

The purple haired thief was situated comfortably at the back of Modgnik Straeh’s castle, perched atop a stern gray building. Everything was gray in Hollow Bastion… she was told that it hadn’t always been that way. Apparently, it used to be a beautiful world… Adi hadn’t been surprised to learn that Modgnik Straeh had ceased such nonsense. He had that effect on beautiful things.

Her ship was fully cloaked and hovering in orbit, ready to beam her up at any instant. She had dropped Ohm off a ways from the establishment they planned to crash; the roar the creature of darkness would give to signify the beginning of his attack would be her signal to move.

And, as if hearing her mental check, Ohm reared up in his full dark beast form to begin his assault on the front gate. His feral snarls sent chills down even Adiana’s spine, and her smile was a grim one as she heard the panicked screams of the innocent and screeching wails of the Regernerists mobilizing to deal with the threat. Still she paused, waiting, calculating… and then sprang down from the rooftops.

In seconds she was before the wall, a spot chosen without any particular method. Adiana pressed her palms against the stony surface, the barrier holding for barely a second before it crumpled silently. The wall was not destroyed… rather; it was more like something that had been impeding her was simply not there anymore. The lithe girl stepped through into the corridor and, with another wave of her hand, closed the hole behind her seamlessly. Not even pausing to watch the wall reform she started down the hall, the map of the place she had spent so much time in laid out in her mind.

As she expected, she met no one in the corridors; all the inhabitants of the castle had been drawn towards the action, curious who would have the audacity to attack the High King so outwardly. She hurried through the halls, smiling when she felt the slight tug of the darkness around her; Ohm was checking in. His retreat process would begin soon… right on schedule, as it was. She had arrived at the lab.

It was long, sterile, and vastly unimpressive; it had never been a place that caught Adiana’s attention overmuch. Despite her elevated intellect, she had never been one to seek out bonding time with the egg heads; they were too busy kissing up to be any fun. So it was without the slightest pause that she crossed that space to a plain looking door in the back. There was a basic key pad locking mechanism, but it didn’t bar her entry long; Adiana had all the numbers. Flinching slightly at the beep of confirmation, she tugged the door open and stepped into the holding center.

It was a large, dark room, very cool and lit with many overhead lights. From up on a platform Adiana scanned the room quickly, then clicked off the light switches closest to her before turning for the stairs. The room dipped into deep shadows at her movement, and Adiana was careful as she moved down the stairs; she could only imagine what sort of scorn she would have to endure from Ohm if she couldn’t complete the mission because she’d stupidly sprained her ankle.

It was not pitch dark on the bottom level; far from it. All of the overhead lights were off, but a soft white glow came from the three tubes situated there, surrounded by machinery and stacks of books and documents. There were three such tubes situated in a rough triangle around the room, each with its own observation equipment and monitors. The tubes were topped off at the top and bottom by thick silver metal, the extent of the body made of clear, bullet resistant glass that allowed observation of the things that hovered inside.

It was all just how Adi remembered it, and as she moved towards the closest tube she flicked on her communicator.

“You there, sister of mine..?” she murmured into the microphone.

“Adi..!” Kumiko’s voice came through the receiver instantly, and Adiana sweat dropped at a mental picture of her twin waiting around for this call. “Where are you..?”

“Deep in the heart of Modgnik Straeh’s holding center… no pun intended. So speak softly.” Adiana replied, pausing before the first tube with a fond smile. “You have the Nobodies there with you..?”

“Correct.” Kumiko, far, far away in Ultima headquarters, was perched on one of her precious monitors as she cast her violet gaze around her abnormally crowded information center. Sora was at her side, looking at her expectantly; Riku was sitting with Kairi within viewing range, Zenith was leaning against the doorway; Leon, King Mickey, and an assortment of others were there to observe the historic moment. “They’re right in front of me.”

Roxas’ eye twitched at Kumiko’s words; he was in fact in the center of the room of people. Standing alongside Axel and Demyx, he felt rather like some sort of circus exhibit. Everyone wanted to be there when the Hidden Hearts were reunited with their Nobodies… and their lingering gazes on him were unnerving. Instead he focused on the communicator link, through which was flowing the voice of the young woman who was on the hunt for their Hidden Hearts.

“Good… I’m standing in front of the first Hidden Heart as we speak.” Adiana said, turning her attention to the monitoring equipment, her quick fingers moving to completely disconnect the many wires and lines.

“Describe what you’re seeing to us.” Mickey requested, his expression tense.

“Hmmm…” though her more practical side told her silence was golden, Adiana set herself up to speak as she worked. The face of a certain golden haired Nobody flashed through her mind; she found herself wondering in a distant sort of way just how he was ‘feeling’. “Alright. The Hidden Hearts are kept in containers that are made of enchanted glass, allowing for observation. The Hidden Hearts themselves look exactly like the Nobody they belong to; but transparent. They glow with a white light… right now I’m looking at Hidden Demyx. Looks like you’re sleeping, my boy.”

“Wow, really..?!” Demyx made no effort to hide his ‘excitement’.

“Well what are you waiting for..? Get it already..!” Sora practically cheered.

“And they make it sound so easy…” Adiana made a show of complaining as the disconnected the last safety line, moving closer to press her palms against the glass. Something like a scanner light went across her palms, and Adi smirked as she sensed Modgnik Straeh’s security system accept her. “How arrogant…”

“Who..?” Kumiko spoke, confused.

Adiana didn’t reply, watching closely as the glass and metal dissolved into bright orbs, drifting towards the distant ceiling only to dissolve away before getting far. She didn’t let herself be distracted by that for long; her gaze was immediately drawn to Hidden Demyx. As the last of the caging fell away the glow around the Hidden Heart brightened, the ghost-like body pulling into a glowing blue orb. It hovered for a second longer, then shot up and away in an abrupt flash, leaving Adiana in darkness.

“O….kay…” Adiana said slowly, turning towards the second pillar of light. “Demyx’s Hidden Heart is either on its way to him as we speak… or has been lost forever.”

“What..?!” the room squawked in unison.

“Adiana, please say you’re joking…” Kumiko moaned into the microphone.

“Nope; I never joke.” The blatant lie didn’t slow Adiana’s steps as she moved within range of the second tube, in which appeared to be a sleeping Axel. “Stop freaking out and look around you. If my guess is correct, a big blue ball of Demyx should be appearing to him as we speak.”

Demyx’s eyes went wide; it was as if the purple haired girl had summoned the blue orb by words alone. Floating down from the ceiling was a bright blue orb of light, the substance shifting under his gaze. A hiss of surprise was elicited from the onlookers; people jumped to their feet or withdrew, all with matching wide eyes.

“Now your turn.” Adiana spoke into the microphone as she busied her hands with dismantling the security around Axel’s Hidden Heart. “Tell me what you see.”

Kumiko gulped and dutifully relayed what unfolded in a soft voice: the blue orb seemed drawn to Demyx, who only stared at it. The orb flattened and stretched, and the room’s inhabitants were granted a brief view of two Demyxs, as if the original was standing nose to nose with a mirror. The Hidden Heart then dissolved, swayed back and forth as if on waves, and then surged towards the Mohawked Nobody, sinking into his skin.

After which Demyx abruptly dropped to the ground, unconscious and bringing everyone else to a panic.

“Calm down, calm down..!” Adiana snapped, irritated as the sound of chaos filled her ear. “This is a reverse removal of a heart… I’ll bet you didn’t skip about ready to party after your heart was snatched from you, Sora. This is the same only inverted… things worked as I thought they would. The Hidden Heart was drawn to him; he accepted his Hidden Heart, his body went into repair mode. Put him somewhere comfortable and have plenty of food ready for him when he wakes up.”

“I can’t believe it… this is actually going to work.” Axel murmured as Leon and the silent lurker only introduced as Cloud moved forward to crate the slightly snoring Demyx off to someplace where his snoring would not get him kicked in his sleep.

“You bet your bottom buttons it is.” Adiana said as Axel’s Hidden Heart grew in intensity, twisting into what looked like a ball of flame before rocketing upward. “If there’s anything you’d like to do in your last moments of being a heartless Nobody you should act fast, Axel.”

“Nah… I think I’ve had long enough to do any of that.” Axel replied, jade eyes never leaving the red orb that floated down, twisted into his reflection… and then merged with him to send him slumping to the ground, blissfully unconscious.

“Axel’s merger was successful..!” Kumiko practically laughed into the microphone.

“Only one more to go..!” Sora said, giving his Nobody an encouraging smile.

Roxas blinked and, after a second of hesitation, offered him a small smile in return. It had seemed a bit far fetched, putting their faith in this weird girl with questionable morals… but she was coming through for them. She had be worth the risk… he would owe her a thanks if he saw her again. A thanks… and maybe an apology. Maybe.

Adiana had to resist the urge to hum to herself as her fingers danced over the machinery, disabling codes and unhooking monitors. It was nothing under her hands; within seconds only the magic barrier glass Modgnik Straeh had personally put up kept the serenely sleeping Hidden Heart of the Nobody Roxas caged. He looked so young and vulnerable floating there before her, and as the purple haired girl looked up at that transparent face she paused, stunned by an odd and uncalled for pang in her own heart.

She should never hesitate when she was working, especially not when she was working in a place in which the people occupying it would react in a hostile manner if her presence was discovered... Adiana knew that. It was an ideal she had pounded into her head for ages; it was Ohm’s constant anthem; it had been shoved down her throat even by High King Modgnik Straeh.

This explained why, when the voice spoke from the shadows, Adiana’s first impulse was not to run or attack, but to kick herself soundly in the shin. Twice, if she could manage it before loosing her balance.

“Ah, Adiana… you’re back. I knew you would be one day…” this voice was male, silky and convincing… not the rough growl of Ohm, but the tones of…

“Modgnik Straeh…” Adiana’s voice came in a sigh as she turned her back on the only remaining Hidden Heart, her keen eyes staring boldly through the darkness at the figure moving carefully her way.

“What did she just say..?” Kairi murmured, back in the safety of HQ and squinting at the microphone as if hoping it could suddenly reveal pictures to the room.

“Modgnik Straeh..?” Kumiko gulped, her fingers dancing across the controls. She turned the volume up as loud as she could to better catch other speakers.

“Oh no…” Roxas muttered, his fingers curling into fists at his sides.

“Adi… Adiana! What’s going on..?!” Kumiko spoke into the microphone.

Adiana ignored the voice in her ear, tempted to cast the obnoxious thing away. But she didn’t want to draw attention to the listening device; Adi wasn’t a lot of things, but she was loyal to the secrecy of her clients. People didn’t tend to want it widely known they had sought out the services of the purple haired girl and her monster partner. She would not so quickly give away who had sent her.

“Your security sucks, Modgy.” She replied breezily, planting her hand lightly on her hips. “I got in easily… you should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Why would I be..?” the hooded king stepped into the glow of the Hidden Heart, his face cast into even deeper shadows. “It would be foolish to expect to keep you out when you want to be in, Adiana. As I said, I knew you would be back at some point, my treasured apprentice.”

“Apprentice..?” Roxas breathed, shooting a stern look at Kumiko. It didn’t falter as he saw the shocked expression on Kumiko’s face; it seemed the sort of thing a sister would be expected to know.

“I’m not here to join up with you again, Modgnik…” Adi replied smoothly, her mind moving quickly to form a way to deal with this new twist. Prospects were grim. “I’m just here for the Hidden Hearts.”

“Oh really..? And what interest do you have in the Hidden Hearts..?”

“They’re shiny. And you know how much I adore shiny things.” Adi replied calmly, her eyes flickering about in the darkness. Her only option was another distraction, release the Hidden Heart in the chaos, and run like cowards. Not her favorite way of doing things, but better then nothing.

“And I remember how you like a challenge even more.” Modgnik Straeh chuckled, watching her every move with amusement. “It must not have taken much convincing on the behalf of Ultima to get you to agree… the only mystery I see here is how in the world they managed to find you.”

“Simple; space bloodhounds. They’re incredible.” Adi retorted. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a Hidden Heart to be releasing and a large amount of munny to be collecting.”

“What a shame… I was hoping you would have a change of heart and come back to serve under me, little Adi.” The High King’s chuckles turned dark. “You’re the brightest star I’ve encountered yet… you could do well in my kingdom. You proved it to me long ago… and if you managed to sneak in here, then you’ve only managed to improve over the years. Impressive, my dear.”

“I do live to impress my former bosses.” Adiana said, glad for the radio silence but not for Ohm’s continued absence. He should have arrived by that point in the plan..! “However, I make it a point to never do the same job twice. So sorry Modgy, but I think I’m stuck in the mercenary thing.”

“Oh Adi… I was hoping the time away showed you a bit of the real world. That traveling would give you some time to realize just how badly you betrayed me… I suppose I put too much faith in your powers of deduction. Looks like I’ll have to begin taking a more… active role in your education.”

“Adi… this sounds bad! You have to get out of there..!” Kumiko yelped into the microphone, her eyes wide.

“What do we do..?” Sora murmured.

“We have no one in the area…” Roxas muttered, going through the options.

“And she wouldn’t let us send backup… the stupid girl..!” Riku growled. “This is bad…”

Adiana was annoyed by the voices streaming in through the ear piece. If she was going to have voices in her head, she wanted them to be happy, optimistic voices. But Adiana honestly didn’t have the time to yank the piece from her ear, because in that minute Modgnik Straeh and Adiana both moved.

Modgnik Straeh’s movement was minimal; he lifted a leather clad hand and snapped his fingers. At his command his specialty minions, Reginerists, crawled towards the purple haired intruder. Hard, angular, molten gray in color and dragon-like in appearance, the spidery creatures were stronger then they looked, spiked tongues rolling madly from their mouths. There were dozens of the monsters, sliding forward on command to surround her.

Adiana also threw a hand in the air in summons, but it was not monsters she called. There was a hollow bell’s chime as a dark Keyblade rocketed from above with the deadly precision of a missile. Crafted from black metal, it was artfully curved with a sinister artistic flare: the Dark Keyblade, Adiana’s weapon of choice. The girl twisted and snatched the ominous weapon from the air, easily sliding into an attack ready pose.

“You do not want to unleash those things in here, Modgnik Straeh..!” Adiana hissed through her teeth. “They’ll break things, and I am not going to let them damage Roxas’ Hidden Heart. I promised I’d bring it back, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

“Roxas… ah, have you met him then? The Nobody this Hidden Heart is linked to…”

“I never leave until the job is done.” Adi murmured, though whether she was explaining her stubbornness to Modgnik Straeh or the reason she remained to the people listening in was unclear.

“Adiana, no, come on..!” Kumiko breathed into the microphone. “Guys, she’s not listening to me..!”

“There’s no choice…” Roxas didn’t hesitate as he nudged Kumiko out of the way, speaking sternly into the microphone. “Adiana, you have to get out of there. Now that I know where my Hidden Heart is, I can get it back myself.”

“Feh… yeah right.” Adi scoffed, pausing only to yank the bud from her ear before she sprang into action.

The Reginerists moved with her, and when she swung the Dark Keyblade up they were prepared. The young woman sprang back and whipped her arm to the side, catching one of her attackers in the side to knock it to the ground. Pressing her blade to its chest and running it through took only seconds; she was twirling to slash at another before the vanquished even hit the floor.

Adiana was not fooling herself: she had been wielding the Dark Keyblade for ages, and was rather skilled from it. But she was not a natural at swordplay; what skills she had learned were forced by necessity. Her power was in deduction, not in fending off a seemingly endless supply of grunts. So even though her movements were smooth and fluid, she knew it couldn’t keep it up.

“Ohm..!” she hissed through her teeth as she stumbled back after the clashing of metal. "Where the heck are you..?!”

But there was no reply from the darkness, and Adiana resisted the urge to groan in impatience as another pair of Reginerists sprang towards her. Their combined attacks sent her stumbling back, but it wasn’t the blows that made her breath leave her in an abrupt gasp: it was the screeching of metal against glass. She twisted and cursed at the Reginerists that were circling behind her, brushing against the holding container of the only remaining Hidden Heart.

“Damnit..!” Adiana cursed. “Go ahead and attack me, but call them off the Hidden Heart..!”

“Why should I..? You’re so keen to defend him… defend him..!” Modgnik Straeh chuckled from his perch.

“You loose too if that Hidden Heart is damaged..!” Adi yelped, springing up to land on the back of a Reginerists. Her mount scrambled to scrape her off, but she sprang away, grimacing as another of the creatures impaled the other.

“My containment spell is still activated, as is the hover beam containing it.” Modgnik Straeh replied breezily as he watched the girl dodge and barely twist out from under a ruthless barrage of attacks.

For the first time in years, Adiana felt panic twisting in her chest. It was a distinctly one sided battle; though Modgnik Straeh had seemed impressed with the growth she had undergone while on the outside, it was painfully obvious to her that she was no longer as close as she had been to being Modgnik Straeh’s equal. She was no fool; she knew why Modgnik Straeh had accepted her into his company as an apprentice. It was not because he liked her, because he wanted to help her… it was because, even as young as she was, she had been a threat. Under his care, she would have grown as he had grown, expanded as he had… powerful, but on a leash.

But she had left. And Modgnik Straeh had more then surpassed her.

A loud cracking made Adiana curse once again. It was the distracting noise of metallic hides breaking glass, and her purple eyes were instantly drawn towards the Hidden Heart. She was only barely able to acknowledge the spidery cracks in the glass before a spiked tongue slashed through the side of her neck and shoulder, tearing her black suit and sending blood cascading down her arm. The blow almost made her loose her balance and she only avoided the next strike by accident.

“Well, that does look painful...” Modgnik Straeh commented as Adiana righted herself, securing her grip on the Keyblade before jumping forward to slice her attacker in half. “This is such a waste of time… why don’t you stop being foolish and lay down your weapon? You could stay here and learn once again… your monster friend could stay as well, if you’d like. If you surrender, I’ll call them off..!”

Adiana didn’t bother replying; she was too busy fighting for this foolishness. Things were slowly spiraling out of her control, and she didn’t like it. She slashed again, urging her brain to think with frustration as she battled. Nothing was coming to her… rather, all situations that played in her mind ended in her death or capture unless Ohm appeared. Where was Ohm..?!

She was fast, smart, and spry, but Adiana knew she didn’t have long before the blood loss impaired her movements. It took seconds; she leaped over an attacker and flinched as the wobbled on the landing, her guard slipping. She saw stars as the flat of an arm slammed into her temple, sending her toppling to the ground. She swallowed hard and dragged herself to her feet, wincing through her daze as the Reginerists climbed over the containment tube, cracking it more and more.

Bullet resistant glass… what were the chances anyone would ever be firing a gun in the holding center..? It seemed to Adiana that they should have made it capable of bearing the weight of several Reginerists. Now that would have been useful.

This observation on her part was lost; for before Adiana could turn around another Reginerists slammed its shoulder into her back. The blow was crippling; she felt wounds opening along her back from the contact. But that wasn’t the immediate problem in her mind, for the hit had brought on two things: first, the Dark Keyblade slipped from her bloody fingers, falling to clang against the floor at her feet. Feet that were no longer on the ground, because the second thing the blow brought was to send her flying through the air.

Thankfully, the severely cracked side of the Hidden Hearts holding tube broke her fall. Has she not smacked into it face first she might have had a smarmy remark to add; as it was she only contributed a brief stint of unconsciousness as the glass shattered around her. The sharp pain brought her world back into focus as she slid to land hard on her knees, gasping for breath as glass fragments fell around her.

Modgnik Straeh was saying something, the small, frantic voice of Kumiko was streaming from the ear bud that dangled from the communicator still secured to her hip… but it all seemed very far away. She knew it was the effect of the pain… the pain and the intensely bright light were making her head throb terribly.

Light… breaking… the Hidden Heart..! Her mind snapped back to attention abruptly, and Adiana swallowed hard as she pulled herself together. Reginerists were closing in on her back; she could clearly hear their clattering steps and Modgnik Straeh’s condescending comforts. Trust, trust, trust… trust and you will be saved. Adiana gritted her teeth as she tried to stand… and stiffened when glowing feet entered her vision.

It was not wise to allow ones self to be distracted during battle, to hesitate, to let their guard down. Yet Adiana violated every one of those sacred rules of battle once again as her eyes snapped up, widening in incomprehension as the Hidden Heart of Roxas slowly moved to crouch before her, his eyes open. There was an almost childish expression of concern on his face as he gazed at her, paying no mind to the chaos that surrounded them.

Adiana’s reason failed her as she gaped at the transparent creature, her mind scrambling to explain the logic behind this strange encounter. The simple answer was that there wasn’t one: the Hidden Heart shouldn’t have will by her figuring. It was just a heart, feelings, emotions… the power to direct them should lay in the mind, in the Nobodies the Hidden Hearts were drawn to. There should be no Hidden Heart crouching before her; upon breaking the glass it should have darted away to safely reunite with Roxas.

Her eyes snapped to the tube, the top of which was sparking madly… a malfunction..?!

There was no time to process the possibilities this unfolded; the Hidden Heart of Roxas had its own agenda. A small smile curving the transparent lips, he reached hand confidently for the girl’s face, cradling her chin between insubstantial palms. Their faces leveled, the Hidden Heart’s eyes closed as their noses brushed… and the hidden heart disappeared against her.

Gazing with wide eyes, Adiana instantly understood what had happened to Axel and Demyx was not happening to her. For one, she already had a heart; there was no void to shelter it… not a void, but a shadow deep enough to hide… But she couldn’t linger on that, for the second hint she was experiencing something unique suddenly overcame her.

This second hint was intense, agonizing pain that sent her reeling to land on her back, unable to do anything but scream in agony as the Reginerists and their sovereign closed in around her.

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♥ ♥ ♥

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Annnnd it’s over. I’m mildly fond of this chapter… very mildly. It was long, and it feels like I’m drawing out the opening of this series a bit much for what was at first assumed to be a short series. Oh well… if I don’t type it all out, I’ll get the twitchies and never be able to finish this series in any sort of timely manner. Sorry. ^_^

You know… for a romantic comedy, there hasn’t been much romance yet. Or comedy… but worry not..! Though it’s set up to be about Modgy-kins and his many evils, it’s not centered around that conflict; it’s centered around what just happened to poor Adi. Poor Adi… my characters are so abused. TT_TT;

I seem to be doing quite a bit of banter and focus on characterization in this series… methinks that I am subconsciously assuming that people have read either AKFYH or SV OR my KH one shots before reading this, and have at least some appreciation/love for the characters themselves and not just the romance aspect of the story. The latter of which will, I reiterate, be coming into play soon! This is a romantic comedy, after all… just a romantic comedy LadyAlchemist style..!

Don’t throw tomatoes… think of the Earth..! *also has no idea what she’s talking about*

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! Rate and message, por favor!