[IC] 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘬 𝘛𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘋𝘢𝘸𝘯 | 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒐 // 𝑻𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒂

[AlteredTundra]

Though he didn’t knwo how it exactly was to happen, it seemed as though Kai’s immidiate future had been decided for him. Staying on Traverse Town, while not a bad idea in theory, wasn’t in the cards. He had to find Aira no matter what it took. If he had to go to the many worlds that apparently existed, then Kai would cross the ends of the world to find her. Going along with Cielle in her ship was no doubt the only way to accomplish this. Kai didn’t have his own ship, so there really wasn’t any other choice for him.

“So, how do we know if your ship is ready?” Kai asked Cielle.

Yuffie interjected, “you go to Cid’s Accessory Shop, of course.”

“Cid? You mean that tall, blond man in the First District?”

Surprised, Yuffie turned to face Kai. “You’ve met Cid?”

Kai nodded, “he’s the one who initially told me about a girl my age that ended up being Cielle.”

Yuffie laughed, though it was Aerith who would respond vocally. “It does seem your fates were meant to cross.”

The blond teen gave Aerith a nod, smiling. “I suppose so.”

“Well, then let’s go see the old man!”

Yuffie took the lead in this short journey away from the Third District, and through a quick trek through the Second District. It was a relatively quick journey to Cid’s shop since the presence of the Heartless seemed to have disappeared. Kai didn’t know why. The Second District was swarming with the Heartless before, but now it seemed there wasn’t even a handful of Shadow Heartless. It wasn’t like Kai was complaining; he did find it weird, however.

Shrugging at it mentally, Kai looked ahead as he saw the sight of Cid’s shop. They all walked in and Cid was waiting for them, it seemed.

“You’re just in time. I got that Gummi piece you wanted.” Cid said to Cielle, though Kai was puzzled.

[Hero]

The trip to the First District was relatively uneventful. Once the Guard Armor had been slain, it seemed the rest of the Heartless had fled. If only the peace would last, but Cielle had long abandoned those naive desires. Her time would be better spent mentally preparing herself for a very long explanation with a multitude of questions from Kai. Not that it wasn't expected, but it was a rather daunting task considering his enthusiasm. He had been cooperative until now, but she dreaded the moment they would clash. Oh yes, it would happen: she was much too prideful and he was too determined whenever he set his mind on something. Aerith said their paths were meant to cross, but Cielle knew there was more to it,.

As the group entered the Accessory Shop, Cid greeted them immediately. Cielle approached the counter, though she hesitated for a moment. "I don't suppose you've already installed it?" She asked.

"Just about to get to it, I'll be done soon," Cid replied.

Excellent. "Then I will wait outside if you don't mind," She said. At Cid's nonverbal approval, she looked at Kai. "Follow me, if you will."

Leading Kai to the corner of the shop, Cielle would have him follow her outside, leaving the pair alone for a moment. "I understand you've already made up your mind, but I feel the need to inform you properly of the situation--or at least, warn you of the impending danger. As they say, knowledge is power...but I only ask that you leave your questions until I am finished."

Hopping backwards onto one of the boxes, the girl decided to sit down before she would speak. "A long time ago, the Heartless appeared and wrecked havoc on the worlds. Their masters, a group that call themselves The Darkness, sought to devour the light in its entirety. The only thing that stopped them were The Four Keys. It took a great sacrifice, but eventually The Darkness was quelled. Of course, peace never lasts, and so the worlds have once again been plunged into darkness once more. Your world is one of many...as was mine."

Pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts, she would continue. "Your Key, as well as mine, is one of the Four Keys that once vanquished The Darkness. With your Key, you become a target. They will search for you without rest. I can't say for sure what their ultimate goal is, but we mustn't falter. I admit my surprise to see that you came to this world on your own...although I admit my search for the other Keys hasn't exactly been a priority of mine. Recently I have been locking the Keyholes to the worlds so that they do not fall to the dark. It has also been a good way to evade their members, but I admit the task is rather daunting alone."

"That being said, should you choose to continue, you now know the risks...so...any questions...?"

[AlteredTundra]

Kai had done as she asked. Though he had several questions after every bit of information she told him, he wanted to hear the entire story before he would ask her any sort of follow-up questions. Truth be told, as she had told him everything, he wasn't sure what to ask or what to say first. He had so many questions about — well, everything. He had questions about this mysterious group known as The Darkness. He had questions about what their plans were. He wanted to know if they were after him simply because he was one of these 'Keys', or if there was a grander scheme of things that they seemed to be after. Kai wanted to know why they felt the need to plunge worlds into darkness. Then, on the menetion of these things called Keyholes, Kai wanted to know what they were, too. Just so many questions Kai had and so little time to ask them. Then Cielle simply asked him one question that put all others to rest.

Do you want to continue?

Kai thought about it for a long, hard minute. This was an important thing to consider. The danger was likely going to be higher than it had been. There was no guarantee that Kai wouldn't face additional danger - a danger that exceeded the sort here in Traverse Town. If he really wanted to continue, Kai would have to put that into his mind that, if he went forward with everything and wanted to continue, he acknowledged that he'd be putting himself into more dangerous situations.

"I.." Kai began to speak, then he stopped himself. Like before, it seemed like his mind was far ahead of his mouth because the sight of Aira came to him. The specific sight was her being taken by this Despa."I only have one question. When do we leave?"

[Hero]

Kai's hesitation had her worried for a moment, but he proved he wouldn't falter. If he held true to his beliefs, then they had a fighting chance. Part of her still felt he would be safer here, in Traverse Town, but there was no way he would stay. Maybe that's why she wasn't really surprised when he asked when they would leave. For a moment, the tables had turned, and now Cielle was the one staring at Kai. She looked like there was something more she could say, something else she wanted to tell him.

But the words never came. Instead she hopped off the box she had used as her seat, lightly patting her skirt to make sure nothing got caught on it.

It would be another moment before she would decide to talk again. "Cid should be finished, we can head on over to the dock and leave now, as long as you have no other qualms," She told him, placing her hands behind her back. "As I was meant to leave before you appeared, I've already taken the liberty of supplying ourselves with potions and ethers--which reminds me..."

Summoning her keyblade, she would take a few steps away from Kai. She hesitated for a moment, staring at him again, though she broke it with a nod. "I'll teach you a spell that I think will come in handy for you especially. Your offensive capabilities are alright, but it's good to have some defensive measures, just in case. The good thing about this spell is that once you have the basics down, you can adjust it to your liking. Like so,"

Lifting her Keyblade off the ground, she yelled, "Aero!" A small whirlwind picked up and spun around her, creating a wind barrier. "The spell normally sends a gust of wind in one direction, but you can manipulate it however you like," She explained, slashing her keyblade vertically and dissipating the spell. "Go ahead, give it a try."

[AlteredTundra]

Kai watched Cielle’s movements closely, seeing her not only summon her Keyblade, which he just now realized was a totally different one that he had. Unlike his, which was a longer, mono-colored Keyblade, hers was bright and patterns of a night sky along with it. Kai also noticed the top of the blade was shaped like a moon and had a star in the center. It was almost as if it sought out the stars for the light. Whoa, where did that come from? Kai shook his head, bringing himself back to planet Traverse as Cielle did another action.

“What is that?” Kai muttered to himself, seeing a bright light come from Cielle’s Keyblade. The light then surrounded her as he felt a gust of wind pass through, revealing itself around Cielle’s person.

It wasn’t an intense wind that had been created, but it was enough to cause Kai’s hair to be blown back from over his eyes. Though, he didn’t notice that. His focus was on the barrier surrounding Cielle and how it spoke to him. He couldn’t really explain it, honestly, but Kai felt drawn to this wind. Almost as if it was meant for him and Cielle was just the middle woman. And then she told Kai to try. This made Kai jerk his stance a bit, giving Cielle a raised-eyebrow glance. He didn’t know how he was supposed to go about it. Would he simply have to call the name of the spell out?

Don’t overthink it. Just do what feels natural.

Kai couldn’t explain why those words popped into his mind, but they felt familiar.

“Okay..”

Kai took a few steps back, glancing over to Cielle. She seemed supportive of his endeavor. He found that comforting, at least. He then faced forward, holding his hand out in front of him., summoning his Keyblade. As he felt a strange pass through him, Kai did just as she told him to do. With the determination of a furious storm, Kai’s mouth uttered the single word.

“Aero!”

At first, nothing happened. Kai wasn’t sure what he did wrong. Maybe he didn’t pronounce it correctly? Or perhaps he didn’t have it in him. Just as he was about to give up, Kai felt something inside him pull for the surface. This sensation felt like a cool breeze passing through him, his entire body was pushed back about one or two feet, throwing Kai off his balance. In just a few seconds, Kai heard the whisperings of the wind suddenly get extremely loud. And close. He didn’t know what was happening. And then Kai saw the look of pride on Cielle’s face. It was only then that Kai looked forward. It was faint, but he saw the sight of an ever-rotating wind barrier around him. He went out to touch it.

That was a mistake.

“Ow!”

[Hero]

I knew it.

The spell came naturally to Kai, the wind heeding his call as the silvery winds erupted around him. Cielle was impressed; she had been expecting a simple gust, but he managed to copy her technique perfectly. Her heart beat against her chest as her eyes followed the wind, but she wasn't exactly sure why. Anxiety? Maybe. His display showed that he definitely had the aptitude for magic, all she needed to do was pry it out of him. If he kept it up, he'd probably match her skill level in no time. Which was a feat in itself, as she had been training for years.

And then he touched it and all those positive thoughts flew away.

There he is... Cielle shook her head, placing her hand on her hip. "I suppose that'll do for now," She stated, dismissing her keyblade. "Let's get to it, I'm sure Cid is done by now."

Leading Kai to the large doors, she pushed them open, revealing a view that clashed with Traverse Town's rustic nature. The dock was on the smaller side of things, but it did its purpose: housing Cielle's Gummi Ship. It really looked like an oversized toy, but she felt it was charming. Cid was at the control panel, likely putting the finishing touches on it.

"About time you showed up, Yuffie and Aerith said their goodbyes at the shop," Cid told the pair.

Cielle nodded. "Alright, I'll be back soon," She told him, bowing.

"Stop that, you know you I'm happy to help," He waved her away, grinning.

Placing her hand on the ship, a small door opened. Cielle beckoned Kai to follow suit, and once the pair was in, she gave Cid a thumbs up. He nodded, hitting something on the control panel, and they were off.

[AlteredTundra]

Something that Kai had to admit to himself was the surprise of just how large the Gummi Ship actually was. He didn’t doubt it, but he also never had seen a spaceship in person. The experience of just seeing it had thrown him for a loop. Thankfully, Cielle was quite patient with him. After gawking at it and somewhat stuttering on his words, he managed to collect himself enough to get into the cockpit (as Cielle called it). He didn’t understand how something that seemed so compact could take off in such a blur. Kai nearly lost his lunch when it left the docks and..

“This is Amazing!!”

That was all Kai could muster when he saw--when he saw--outer space. He didn’t know how to process it all. A kid from Twilight Town never dared to dream that, someday, he’d be able to leave his town. He had no idea other worlds that were just as expansive and rich with their own civilization existed at the same time his life did.

It was just...overwhelming.

Kai spun around in his seat, feeling like he could do this all day, though he looked at the array of buttons. “There’s so many!”

[Hero]

Was it? The novelty never was there for Cielle. The lanes in between were nothing short of terrifying, a constant reminder that in the grand scheme of things, she was just a child running around in the dark. Admittedly her first time in a gummi ship was less than pleasant; Leon pulling her along as he ran, her watching everything get swallowed in the darkness, and the sight of their world blinking out from the ship soured her thoughts on traveling. She did it out of necessity, though if there was another way, she wouldn't hesitate to abandon her ship and never look back.

Kai's second exclamation snapped Cielle out of her thoughts, and she let out a sigh. "Because it's you, I'll have to ask that you not touch anything," Cielle stated, her fingers already tapping the numerous buttons. There was a world not too far that she figured they could check out first, considering that she had locked several worlds already. "I'd rather not have a malfunction happen due to you being 'curious'."

[AlteredTundra]

Too late.

Kai’s curious, little fingers had reached out before Cielle had a chance to stop him. The button in particular that Kai seemed to focus on was the green button on the top row closest to where Kai sat. As it would turn out, touching the button wasn’t so bad. It seemed to have resulted in a message to Cielle from Cielle herself.

“Oh?” Kai mused curiously, looking over to Cielle curiously, “daily reminders are important. I used to give them to myself a lot, though it was mostly to remember to wax my surfboard--” And then suddenly Kai was overcome with a sudden, bummer-like feeling. He wouldn’t ever get to surf on the beaches of Sunset Terrace again because it was now lost to darkness. Kai leaned forward, accidentally pushing another button. This one, however, was not a self-reminder that was in Cielle’s voice. It was the turbo booster button. And before either of them knew it, the Kingdom Gummi Ship was going full-speed ahead.

[Hero]

Who was that screaming? Oh wait, that was her voice, wasn't it?

They were going so fast that Cielle's reaction was delayed, her scream erupting before her brain had a chance to process what was actually happening. She had essentially been thrown back in her seat, the speed pinning her back. Didn't she tell him not to touch anything?! Struggling to properly sit up, she stretched her arm out with difficulty, her arm shaking as she made very effort to make her way to the panel. After groping it for a moment, she managed to press her fingers into the right button to stabilize the ship, though it was clumsy, and she nearly got thrown to the glass.

Gasping for air, she immediately stood up from her seat, practically slamming the buttons down in rapid succession. Once she was finished, she glared at Kai. "Did I not just finish telling you not to touch anything?!" She screeched.

[AlteredTundra]

In hindsight, pushing that particular button wasn’t a good idea. Kai had no idea that was the maximum overdrive button. Had he been in the know of that specific knowledge, he would’ve never pressed the shiny, red button, because he wasn’t prepared for the sheer speed of the ship. This was noted in the amount of terrified screaming that both Kai and Cielle seemed to unleash in unison, likely not even realizing that they were doing it at the same time. At some point, however, Cielle managed to cancel the turbo boost and the ship had soon returned to its normal speed, though not without it jerking both of the ship's occupants against the glass. At the angle Kai was at, he could see they were nearing a world that appeared to be blue and silver in color.

Whatever awaited them there, however, would have to wait. Kai saw Cielle’s eyes shoot him a nasty glare. She didn’t seem happy with him at the moment. When Cielle had stood up as sudden and as fiercely as she did, Kai immediately put his hands up in the air, signaling his surrender to her impending rage. “I didn’t hear you.” That was Kai’s only response to her previous order not to press any buttons. In his defense, he was too busy deciding what button to push to listen to what she had to say.

[Hero]

"You didn't hear--" Cielle managed to catch herself at the last moment, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers as she tried to quell her now raging headache. She needed to remain calm, she needed to be rational, she needed to...Screw it! What he did was incredibly dangerous! "You have to be more careful, we could've crashed straight into the world! And then what? We'd probably get stuck considering most worlds aren't even aware there are other worlds! And Gummi technology isn't really something you find everywhere! So we would effectively be trapped until The Darkness found us!"

Panting slightly as she finished her rant, she shook her head. Ugh, if Leon or Aerith saw her, they'd be so disappointed. She needed to control her emotions better, how could she possibly lead like this? "Oh, forget it," She grumbled, throwing herself back into her seat and pouting. "Just...don't touch anything, we'll be arriving soon, so just sit still."

[AlteredTundra]

Kai simply remained completely still and quiet for the remainder of the trip. He felt like if he said anything or even moved a single finger to itch his face, she would explode at him, in fear that scratching his nose might set off the nasal alarms. Kai didn’t think someone could be so rigid. He never met anyone like that in his fourteen years of being alive. Though it was plenty obvious to Kai that she resembled Aira a great deal and was likely her twin sister (the jury was still out on that one though), Kai knew one thing to be true.

They were not alike one bit. Where Aira was kind and understanding and sweet, Cielle seemed to be the inverse. While it was true that she had some kindness about her, this didn’t apply to some of the things that Kai himself was used to getting away with. Cielle was far too strict and on-edge. She should lighten up a bit. “Man where’s Alexander with his Berry Jelly Dog when you need it.”

[Hero]

And now Kai was completely and utterly quiet. Which should have been a good thing, except her guilt kept pulling at her, letting her know that she was in the wrong. Well, she wasn't in the wrong, he really did do something reckless, but she should have handled the situation better. He was just a kid--well, they were both kids, but...ugh, what was she thinking? She wasn't any better than him, but she was responsible for him. Especially now that she confirmed his status as a Key of Light. It was her job to guide him, and all she was doing was yelling at him.

Closing her eyes, she took in another deep breath. She needed to be friendly. Approachable. Except now that she made up her mind, it was hard to find the words. Should she apologize maybe? What was the best way to tackle the situation? Tapping her fingers on the dashboard in front of her, she dared herself to steal a glance at Kai. He was perfectly still, completely rigid, as if afraid to move. Honestly, it made her feel even worse, and she ended up dropping her head on her hands, barely containing a small whimper of despair. No! She needed to be brave!

Sitting up, she casually turned to Kai. "I...didn't get the chance to ask if you had questions..." Her voice trailed off into a mumble.

[AlteredTundra]

When the brief silence was broken by Cielle, Kai, who still had a feeling of anxiety from her previous outburst that was caused by his own actions. His hands were on his thighs and he was sitting in a perfect, ninety-degree angle. What Cielle had said previously stuck to him, or rather, it was the way she said it that made an impression him. If anything, Kai had the feeling of tyranny grilled into him. He was her guest and this was her ship. Regardless of anything, Kai had to respect the way she had everything from the buttons to the way the seats were aligned to an artform. She couldn’t have some newcomer ruining it.

As Kai returned her gaze, carefully might one add, he thought about it. Did he have any questions? Okay, that was a dumb thing to ask himself. He had a lot of questions, but where to start?

Kai was once again silent for almost a full minute until he wasn’t. “These things called Gummi, what are they? And how exactly are these ships different than others? Are there more out there? What world did you come from? Why is that Despa girl after you? Oh and do you know if there are any worlds out there that sell Berry Jelly Dogs? Oh! And what about that Leon guy? Does he not have any emotions? Or is he just always stoic like that? What’s a Keyhole? What do you call your Keyblade?” Kai asked without pause.

[Hero]

No wonder most people don't put in the effort. Cielle had gone up to the dam and pulled out a twig, and the entire thing came crashing down. Question after question, things that admittedly she hadn't really thought of, but she wasn't going to go back on her word, no sir. Especially with that kicked puppy look Kai gave her right before answering.

Processing his questions, Cielle decided to tackle them on one at a time. "From what Cid has told me, Gummi blocks are made from meteors that fall upon the world as a result of their doors being opened. I do not know the specifics, I admit, but the material enables us to safely travel from world to world. Cid told me once that the idea of the Gummi ships came from someone else, a king, I think," Cielle explained to the best of her ability, though it was obvious her knowledge of Gummi ships in general were limited. "This ship in particular is his creation--The Highwind."

As for where she came from, she hesitated, choosing to skip the question instead and go to the next one. "Despa is of The Darkness. And as you know, The Darkness is searching for the Four Keys. You have the Key of Light, I have the Key of Dawn," She said. "Berry Jelly Dogs? It sounds familiar, though I admit I haven't the slightest clue if it does exist in other worlds."

She couldn't help but smile a little as she thought of Leon. "Stoic is the right word. He may be cold, but Leon has a gentle heart. He has watched over me ever since--well, for many years."

"Keyholes lead to the very heart of the world. If the Heartless find them, they'll devour the world and it will be lost to the darkness. If we seal them, the Heartless nor The Darkness can get to them," She explained. "As for my keyblade? I don't call it anything. Its name is Star Seeker."

[AlteredTundra]

When Kai had asked all of those questions, he wasn't sure what to expect from Cielle. He wasn't certain if she was going to respond to every question or feel lost in the quantity he had asked. Frankly, it was amazing that she had answered just about every single one he had asked her. And it was interesting to him knowing some of the information and fun facts that she told him. The most interesting answers she told him, at least from where Kai was sitting, was about The Darkness and that Despa person. She let it slip that they were two of four Keybladers, as it were. Kai's first thought was to inquire further about that.

"I'm not so sure what that means, but it sounds to me we need to find some traveling companions," Kai told her, nodding to himself. He gave her a curious glance. And as Kai did look at her, he thought about something. "So, if your Keyblade is called Star Seeker, is that why you're so touchy about me being touchy with these buttons?"

[Hero]

There was no saving Kai from Cielle's rather stern look, though she softened considerably as she reminded herself to be more patient with him. However, she wasn't entirely sure where he was getting at. Her keyblade had little to do with why she was 'touchy', wasn't it obvious? Had he missed the entirety of her previous rant? She had to be strict. She had to be uptight. You can't afford to let your guard down when you're alone. The way she did things, even if they weren't understood, it had to be done. It just had to.

But saying that would go right over his head. Perhaps she had expected too much of the young boy. If things were the same as they were back then...

"I cannot say I understand the corolation between touchiness and my Star Seeker, but I am 'touchy' because you are reckless," Cielle couldn't help but reply, though she kept herself from being too harsh. "This may seem like fun and games to you, but as someone who has been doing this for a while, I wish you would try to understand things from my point of view."

[AlteredTundra]

It’s because you have a ship. Duh.

Or at least that’s what Kai wanted to say to her, but he decided against it. She seemed to be angry with him as it was. If he were to give her yet another reason to berate and act as if he was completely in the wrong, then Kai wouldn’t get away with anything or be able to have any fun. He didn’t really understand what crawled up her butt, though. What was her problem with how Kai was? Aira never had any problem with it. She actually encouraged it instead of judging and trying to change him. Granted, there weren’t any life or death circumstances when they had grown up in Twilight Town, but there were still some things that could’ve gotten them into some trouble, but Aira never once berated Kai.

It was safe to say that Kai wasn’t exactly in the best of moods. He wasn’t about to let her ruin his good vibe, but he also found himself curious about certain things. He didn’t do much. The only thing that he did was push a button and make the ship experience some serious speed. Was it uncomfortable for them? Yeah, it was, but Kai found it exhilarating. The uncertainty of not making it really made him feel alive. Better to live fast than not to live at all. But perhaps Kai was thinking too much about what he wanted and not enough about what Cielle was feeling. Truth be told, he didn’t know her that well. The only thing he knew was that she was looked after by Leon and the others in Traverse Town. Anything else was a mystery to him.

So, finally, after about a solid minute or two of not talking or even looking Cielle’s way, Kai would do just that, though this time he had the facial expression of someone confused and who felt guilty. “I guess we really don’t know each other that well. I keep thinking that, because you resemble Aira, that you would be okay with what I’m used to. I guess I need to remind myself that you two aren’t the same.” In a rare moment, Kai had admitted that he was wrong in assuming something about Cielle. “So, perhaps you can explain that to me and explain what your point of view is.”

[Hero]

Somewhere in her mind, she had wanted to him ask. But now that he did, she didn't even know where to start.

Cielle kept her eyes straight ahead at the space before her. Great, now that Kai wanted to understand, suddenly she was hesitating before telling him? Truthfully, it was relieving to hear him admit that he shouldn't keep confusing her for his friend. At the same time, however, it still hurt to hear. No matter what she did or said, he would always see Aira first, her face belonged to Aira in his mind and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. Maybe that's why she felt so touchy. He was too comfortable around her, they were complete strangers until just a little while ago.

As promised, however, she would compromise. She had to give him that much. It wasn't entirely his fault.

So after another moment of silence, she finally decided to speak once again. "Listen...I have to apologize," She said softly, her gaze dropping down to her hands on her knees. "It's been a very long time since I've traveled with anyone. Only those with a keyblade can lock the world keyholes...so I suppose I got used to going at the beat of my own drum, so to speak. I do not mean to be so harsh, we just need to be careful."

Lifting her face, she wasn't sure what to say next, but figured she could wing it. "Perhaps your carefree nature and my...austere attitude could work hand in hand. If we give it a chance," She said, finally looking at him. "It would be in everyone's best interest if we worked together, after all. Don't you agree?"