Fan Fiction ❯ Black Orchid ❯ Growing Up ( Chapter 5 )

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"Taken?" asked Sora in surprise.

"Apparently, the Heartless remembered Squall, and he was one of the ones they concentrated on trying to get," explained Arc. "All he said to us as we fled Hollow Bastion was 'find the Key Bearer'. So we ran. We think Cloud and Aerith escaped too, but we haven't seen them since."

"Wait a second," said Sora. "So it started in Hollow Bastion again?"

"No," said Yuffie. "Though Hollow Bastion was one of the first worlds to fall. We don't know where the Heartless came from this time. I think that Arc is right, and they wanted to eliminate Squall and the rest of us first. Similar to how the Destiny Islands were taken I assume?"

Sora gave no answer. None was needed.

"Wow, such gloomy group…" said Rikku.

"She's right, you know," said the man with the tattoo, smiling. "If we doom and gloom ourselves like this, the Heartless won't even have to do anything."

No one spoke. Then there was a chuckle. Arc was smiling.

"Yeah, let's not dwell on it for now," he said. "I think introductions are in order. The man here with the doodle on his face is Zell Dincht. My name is Arc. The girl who can't stay still is Rikku, and I think you all know Yuffie. And of course, I trust we all know our new Key Bearer, Orchid?" he finished, flourishing his left towards her.

"Yo," said Zell, waving at her.

"So, are you the leader of all these?" Orchid asked Arc.

"Huh? Oh no, course not. Zell could probably kick my butt around the town," said Arc, smiling ruefully. "If you need to think as someone as the head of our outpost, then look to Cid. He was the Judgemaster after all."

"Um, what is that anyways?" asked Sora.

"What I want to know," interrupted Orchid, "is 'Why me'?"

"Because the Keyblade chose you, that's why," said Arc indifferently.

"I don't want to fight for the universe, I never asked to carry the fate of us all, I didn't even want to leave Arcadia!" shouted Orchid. "So why me?"

"There isn't any reason, nothing that substantial," answered Arc, hints of annoyance touching his voice. He pushed up his shades again. "It's just what happens, so deal with it."

"I just want to go home, why should I have to save someone else's?"

Arc stood up suddenly, and the lights seemed to dim, but his shades, which hid his eyes, glowed menacingly.

"You brat. Do you really think you can just go home and it will all be fine and dandy? Is that it? Well guess what," he said, his voice heavy with menace. "You have to fight the Heartless. If you don't, they're just going to keep drowning worlds in darkness, and nothing's going to stop them short of the keyblades and their champions. And they'll get to your home, your Little Arcadia, eventually. It may not be tomorrow, or the next day, or the next, heck, it might not even be in the next month, but they'll find it. As long as your world's little heart beats, the Heartless will hunger for it. And while you hide away, trying to pretend it's all right, lying to yourself, more and more people will be absorbed into the darkness. All because you didn't feel like doing what you've been assigned!"

"She's just a kid, Arc," defended Yuffie. Everyone else was in stunned silence.

"Exactly! And in times like these, kids need to grow up! The only difference the Heartless make between kids and adults is that kids are weaker! So tough up, or we're all in trouble, got that? I don't care if you didn't want this! Do you think any of us asked for this? Huh? Well do you?" he yelled.

No one spoke. The silence was only broken by Arc's heavy breathing as the light returned to normal.

"Well do you?" he said quietly, sitting down and hunching over.

Orchid turned and ran out the door.

"Orchid!" squeaked Montblanc.

"Let her go," said Cid softly. "She'll have to sort things out for herself."

"He's right," added Sora. He glowered at Arc. "I don't like it, but he's right."

* * *

Whole worlds away, Riku screamed. The pain never ended. Not just physical pain, but mental anguish, guilt racking his soul, stabbing into his mind like a million jagged shards of glass. He had failed. He was separated again. Though he always acted tough, without his friends for support, to give him purpose, something to fight for, he knew he was weak. As much as he fought it, it pained him so. Memories of his betraying Sora for the darkness still haunted him; old wounds were ripped anew.

A voice in his head whispered to him, Give in.

In his own private dimension, Riku screamed.

*

Only a paper's thickness from Riku, yet also a galaxy away, Squall, who once more considered himself Leon in light of the loss of his home, was lost in his own little reality. There was nothing. No light. No dark. No heat. No cold. No sound, nor silence. No space, yet he could walk forever without finding an end. No time, not that it mattered. He felt he could wander forever, and still not have done anything.

The same voice whispered to him. It told him how he could escape. Give in.

Leon tried to ignore it. But it's so hard to ignore something, when it's the only thing that exists.

* * *

Orchid was crying. Too many things had built up, and now the dam had burst. She was lost, alone, had no way home, and had to save the universe. On top of that, no one cared. On top of the roof of the hotel, alone with the Keyblade, Orchid cried.

*

"I wonder if she's okay," sighed Yuffie. She had been looking out the window, and was getting nervous. It had been almost a half hour since Orchid had run out of the room.

"I don't know," said Rikku. She stared daggers at Arc's back. "I wouldn't be if I got chewed out by some big, stupid, brick-handed meanie."

Arc didn't react.

"Especially if I had just gotten taken from home, thrown somewhere faraway," she continued, getting louder and getting closer to Arc with each word, "forced to fight monsters, told the universe depended upon me and BEATEN UP BY SAID MEANIE!"

At this point, Rikku was actually beating on Arc's back with her fists. He turned and brushed her arms away with his giant stone right hand, then got up to lean against a wall. Rikku scrunched her face in a pout, then stalked off to complain to Zell and Sora. Montblanc was reading in a chair, trying to look calm, but betrayed by the fact that he looked anxiously to the door every few seconds with his antenna pompom twitching like mad.

Cid sauntered over to Arc, then leaned back against the wall next to him.

"You know, even if you were right, it doesn't mean you had to tell her like that."

"…"

"She looked like she could use some comforting when she left."

"…"

"Of course, that would take a little maturity."

"…"

"You should fix what you broke."

"…"

They both stood there in silence for several minutes. Finally, Arc got up and left through the door.

*

Orchid had been thinking. Arc was right. As much as she hated it, he was right. She was being selfish. The keyblade had chosen her and that was that.

She sniffled, then wiped her eyes on her sleeves. Eriks would probably be making fun of her if he could see her now. She laughed weakly at that. Then she smiled.

"I guess," she started, "I'll just have to deal with it."

Just then she felt someone touch her right shoulder. She turned, irrationally half expecting Eriks to be there.

"Hey," said Arc softly. He sat down next to her and just sat there, staring out across the town, not saying anything. Orchid felt a little resentment that he, of all people, would disturb her, but tried to forget it by staring out with him at all the little lights and houses.

"It's peaceful up here," he said. Orchid turned, but he was still staring out. "Just looking at the town from so far up. In reality, I know it's a lively town. But when you step back…"

They sat there in silence, both just staring out across the town. Orchid found it relaxing, and she could almost hear herself unwinding.

"You just gotta step back sometimes, or you'll snap," said Arc. This time Orchid turned to see him smiling at her. She smiled back. "Feeling better, little bud?"

She nodded.

"Sorry for yelling at you."

"I shouldn't have been so childish."

"You shouldn't worry about it so much. You're still just a kid."

And for that moment, just for an instant, he seemed like Eriks.

Then it passed, and the first rays of the sun reached out and touched their faces.

"The sun's coming up," said Arc, getting up and offering a hand to her, his white trench coat flapping slightly in the morning breeze. She took the proffered hand and smiled at him.

"And today is a new day," she replied.