FicWad

Disclaimer: I own Kingdom Hearts! ...No, literally. Do I own any of the characters in it? Chya, right. That's a big, fat no. But, while we're taking about owning things, I own Mizu and the three sprites (Shima, Kiri, and Yama).

- b - e - g - i - n - s -

Sentinel Trinity
[Yuurei] Shima III

can it be done?

with a little time and patience

can we spare either?

can -you-?

you can't get all big and bad on me i've done my job we're depending on you for the rest

have you done anything to find the final sentinel?

sentinel this sentinel that they're working on it no one has any sort of clue

my work is meaningless if we can't find that world but we can only blame ourselves for not preparing them faster we're taking before for granted

i wouldn't know obviously

take it from me -find that world-

- c - e - n - t - e - r -

Mizu was gawking.

He had every -right- to gawk, reality rationalized, for how many times are you told a story that sounded similar to the long and tedious tales parents read to their children before bedtime, with clashing knights and maidens in peril, only to discover you play a secondary character in its plot?

Dinner was long over and no leftovers in sight; Riku retold the accounts of himself, a boy named Sora, a girl called Kairi, and a radical slew of other background characters, from pirates to good-men-gone-bad, from whales to battle tournaments, from deserts and magic carpets to the deepest pits of the jungle. And all the while Mizu listened with the same attention he paid to the contents of delivery packages; a famish soul desiring things he swore didn't exist any longer.

His ear to the story, his mouth and teeth on whole potatoes. If he'd been home, a telling like that would've given children sweet dreams and the adults....well, they're men and women of a life worse than death. To them, it would merely be a faerytale. Himself....

"I'm in this too?? I don't get it; how is that possible?"

Riku's cool regard unnerved him, as if saying Mizu should've already known this. "I was hoping you would be able to tell me, but your memory's proven to be worse than mine. I know that I travelled with you, and you knew much more than two Sponsors. But you vanished about six...seven months ago? And with you went everything important you told me." For a moment, he turned thoughtful and quiet, more an out-loud query to himself than for Mizu to comment on. "I don't even remember how we met you..."

Mizu dropped his gaze, his apprehension guilt-filled toward his own supposed memory-loss. All he remembered was the White taking him from the pain, and waking up with Riku. He didn't want attention drawn to himself right now; it was too much to look upon. He changed the subject as best as he could. "Who's 'we'?"

"His Highness, King Mickey. He rules the Magic Kingdom of Disney World, and is Sora's Sponsor. We--...all three of us travelled back there, once out of the Darkness, to restore his throne. And then...well, you and I set out."

"And what about Sora?" Mizu lifted his head, frowning sadly. "Why aren't you trying to find your world too? Or letting him catch up with you?"

"Sora's destiny is a much deeper path than mine." Riku started playing with a stick of chopsticks. "True I was the original Keyblade Master, but even an original's role doesn't have to go so far. This time, it's his protégé who must face the battles the original never will."

"....And what about Kairi?" He tread cautiously as he said her name, placing himself submissive. "The way you spoke of her...it made her sound important. How important is she?"

Riku stayed quiet, until he finally snapped the wooden utensil in half. "She's Sora's responsibility," he murmured. "I relinquished my right to protect her after I told him to take care of her." He straightened and was he not blindfolded, he would've been staring Mizu deeply in the eyes. "Understand this. I was the puppet stringing Sora along by the hands of my own twisted Sponsor. Ansem was in control of all those worlds from the very moment I surrendered my heart, thus forcing Sora to take up the mantle. And you were 'born' the instant Sora took the Heartbreaker blade, shoved it into his chest, and became a heartless to release Kairi's heart. Because hers beat inside him.

"There's something in your head that knows why this is all happening, what the connection is, and that's why you're coming with me. I won't stop looking for the answer, Mizu. It all has to end somewhere, and when the time comes, you, Sora, and myself will be there, with no questions left to ask. Because we'll know everything when it does."

The clock ticked louder and louder, and when it chimed the hour, it was ear-splitting in Mizu's head. "....Riku, please, this is too much. I-- Maybe I do know something, but right now I /don't/. And I wish I could answer everything you wanted to know, but I /can't/. So...maybe you could go easy on me? I'm not immune to pressure."

Riku's lips twitched. "I apologize. ...Look, this is what we're doing. We need to see King Mickey and we'll see about getting you back in form once we're done there."

"......Huh??"

The teen managed a chuckle, and his smile was half-empty. "I do recall saying something about a keyblade... Forget so soon?"

Mizu promptly blushed. "Oh! Um, no, I didn't, but how am I supposed to-- HOLY!" He lurched backwards, and gravity's groping hands caught both him and his chair, and pulled them crashing into the floor. The predominantly gold key with silver-accents manifested in Riku's outstretched hand, a spiraled shell chain dangling from the base of the hilt. Mizu's eyes boggled at the splendor of it, and shocked to all hells and back that it could appear out of thin air. "How the heck did you do that?!"

Riku shrugged.

Mizu choked and flailed out of his awkward position, rolling onto his hands and springing to his feet. Off-centered, he tripped in his standing, but stumbled without further injury to Riku's side. Riku turned the blade horizontal, offering it, and tentatively, Mizu took it in hand.

It radiated warmth, and was heavy the first moment it fell into his hands. But no sooner had the thought came to mind, it lightened into a balance that was perfect. Mizu held it upright. "....This is yours."

"Yep."

The younger teen took an experimental downward diagonal slice, suddenly entranced and unaware of his motions. "..It's called the....it's the Spiral Key. Its sentinel origins are from the world Spira."

"Yep."

Pure wonderment blossomed on Mizu's face and spun with the blade out, pivoting on his foot. "Its Sponsor is a woman, the second since the keyblade was called upon."

"...Yes."

A grin broke free and excitement shined in his eyes when he gazed back to Riku, having not heard the hurt in Riku's voice, previously held in check with the acknowledgement of his Sponsors. "Its telling me this."

"It has every right to," he remarked in a casual air. "You're its comrade, a brother-in-arms to its partner. It will not hide anything from you."

His grin faded, and brought the sword back into view. He ran his fingers over the cursive-like protrusion at the end. "What about mine?" he asked. "I...don't know what to do."

Riku cocked his head upward and stood from his chair, taking his spot beside Mizu and relieving him of the keyblade. "Don't worry, you had yours when I found you, but I had to send it away. ..Look, you know how the keyblade adjusted to your grip, right? The weight?"

"Y-yeah." Mizu nodded rapidly.

"Then we'll do this." Riku stiffened his back and placed his feet together, held the square hilt down at his beltline and aimed the blade up at an angle. "Copy my stance, do what I do, and remember what it felt like to hold my 'blade, because that's how yours will feel to you. The weight, balance, its very presence will be a light in your mind. It's in you somewhere, and when you find it, you can call it out without even thinking to. It'll just happen, every time you need it to be in your hand. Left foot back."

Mizu mimicked Riku pose per pose, confused by it all. It didn't feel familiar, and neither had holding the adjusted Spiral Key. It felt -good- to have a keyblade in hand, but beyond that, there was nothing. Can I really call on it like he says I can? I...haven't held it yet. Oh man, I look silly.

"And you're not focusing."

The darker teen's heart -stopped- at the intrusion of his thoughts, his breath trapped in his lungs. Where he came from, being caught off-guard meant death; that instinct wouldn't be taking a back seat any time soon. "Ah..sorry."

He swore Riku rolled his eyes underneath the blindfold. "You are not leaving this hotel room," he stated, "without the keyblade. Concentrate."

"Yessir."

- c - u - t -

Mizu sighed in forlorn. The plastic-covered water under his back lulled at him, but he wouldn't fall asleep to its waves. Beside him, Riku shifted in his sleep, his bare and pallid back to Mizu. Of course he can sleep so easily, Mizu thought in disappointment. He's been out here; he knows what to expect. And he doesn't have to worry about being defenseless.

They'd worked and worked on it, and time passed and passed. Mizu was surprised to find the sun didn't rise in this...'Traverse Town'. How could a world not have sunlight?

His keyblade remained elusive, and Mizu couldn't help being overly worried about his future. As it stood, it was a short one. He'd even brought up the possibility that...-whatever- he'd done was all he was supposed to do. That maybe his role was over and done with. Riku simply countered with, 'why did you come back then?'

It was a sound argument, and even now, Mizu's tongue was still rolling around for another approach. It was bad enough he couldn't manifest the keyblade, which only made him sink further into despair. Why did you have to send it away, Riku?? he whined wordlessly.

Shima hadn't returned at all. Mizu didn't know what to think of her vanishing act. Riku was blunt about his unconcern, and Mizu accepted his words because there wasn't much else to fall back on. Their relationship was months old of constant company with each other; Mizu would only assume Riku knew her well enough to trust she'd come back.

Then again, what was a Compass?

Too much addled his thoughts. With a desperate thrash, he sat up and got to his feet, padding over to the table still covered in cartons. He rummaged through them, each sound louder in the quiet than in the air of activity. A few scraps were amazingly missed in Mizu's gluttonous raping of the four-course meal, and silently, he devoured the small portions without minding to chew most of it.

"For of choking fear, Water-borne," came the sharp, soft voice he was beginning to recognize rather well. "Slow down."

Over his shoulder, Mizu could make out Shima's viridescent glow bathing the outer frame of the open window, her vibrant color no longer life-green, but grey-green. "Shima?" He dropped the hunt to physically feed his remorse and near-soundlessly bound across the room to the small fae. "Are you okay, Shima?"

Her yellow eyes were round and glassed with sadness, and she lay her head on the wood of the window frame. "Know not Shima do. Inside hurts heart of, against painful hits."

"He didn't mean it." Despite the conviction to convey its worth, Mizu didn't feel it convince him. And when Shima's tiredly shook her head, the boy sighed. "Sorry."

"Okay is it, Legend hero Mizu." She was in the air again, floating directly in front of his face. The faerie managed to smile. "Sleep able not?"

"Ah....no. No. It's not a department I excel in anyway." He rubbed the back of his head and looked away. "Y'know, when there're monsters trying to take you away and all."

Her eyes widened, round and glassy; the luminescent yellow became more pronounced, as it overtook the white pupil. "Monsters? Ravage world monsters from?"

Mizu gave a short, sad laugh; she wasn't so hard to understand, when her vocabulary was limited. "Yeah, monsters came from the sky or so...Jeomn said..." He tapered off, his expression growing distant. "...Jeomn is like my grandfather," he whispered. "I hope he's okay."

Shima's heart plummeted like a dropped stone; she hadn't once thought about explaining to the third Keyblade Master that his world was gone, snuffed out, and sacrificed for the greater good. Apparently, Riku hadn't either, or purposely withheld the information. She'd have to talk to him about that, once Mizu was out of earshot. "Nice sounds he."

"Very nice..." Mizu frowned, and his body unwound into melancholy. For the first time in this world, his thoughts strayed to home in general, and not just the last he saw of Shelique. The people and the responsibilities he left behind, Jeomn...Furiol.

His brow furrowed, curious. The stuffed toy. He recalled Furiol teasing him about it, and having it tucked away at his waist before Shelique's interruption. But past that, he had no memory of removing it or giving it another thought. Had he lost it?

"Shima," he murmured, glancing back at the eye-level faerie, "I just don't know about any of this. Riku's nice...in," his face flushed, "an assertive sort of way, and he's so sure I'm who and what he says I am. ...Am I?"

She nodded firmly, now very somber. "Is Shima seen blade not, is sure Shima think would be Riku daffy."

Mizu's face scrunched into a pensive, hesitant pout. "You...actually did see the keyblade then."

"Is Shima think blade not miss hard, like shiny is blade eyesore. Is no Riku's different."

Having that second confirmation did his insides some good, as little butterflies calmed down in his stomach. He smiled hesitantly, unsure of what this could mean for him in the long run. "Is it ugly?"

"Is blade brazen eyesore!" she softly cried in woe. "Is blade antique like ugly!"

Her complaining caused him to chuckle, pressing his fist to his mouth. "Thanks Shima. That makes me feel a little better."

She beamed, and Mizu was elated to see some of her luster come back to her faerie glow. "Is Shima better feeling too. Is should Mizu sleep trying again?"

"I probably should." He glanced at the bed and, more importantly, at the motionless figure upon it. "...Shima?" Mizu inquired in a hush. "What do you know about Riku?" At her inflamed look of insult, he quickly added, "Truthfully."

The faerie peered up at him with doe eyes, feigning ignorance, which caused Mizu to sigh noisily and murmur a 'never mind', planning to tuck himself back under some covers. But Shima made a sound crossing a bell's twinkle with a squeaky 'eep', and flit forward to block his way -- not that she could have stopped him had he chosen to ignore her presence. Her expression was accusing. "Is Water-borne too not rather persistent. Is in giving easily!" Quieter, she continued. "Is Shima knowing rude man. Is he that everything knows. ...Accurate. Reliable. Correct. Is be he to trust."

Believe his words, then.

It was no easier to fall asleep than it had been when he first tried, but once he finally found himself on the other side of the door, Mizu decided that keyblade or no keyblade, he might finally be safe enough to dream. And he liked that.

- c - e - n - t - e - r -

"My my, what an appetite," commented the tavern matron, fairly amused at her station. "I doubt even that Highwind fellow could compete."

Watching the new boy and his breakfast was a treat like none other. Before even entering the alcove of the bar, he was priceless entertainment, spinning like an endless top with the expression of pure awe etched into his entire body. He'd been wary when she'd approached him, skittish as a rabbit surrounded by hawks. In seeing him, though, she was sad. Some half-a-day ago, Riku mentioned that a world had collapsed, and she should, perhaps, start expecting one or two new permanent residents to the thin population.

'Permanent' was not a word to be taken lightly in Traverse Town.

Just a babe, she mused to herself, then found herself smiling her laughter. French toast with maple syrup and powdered sugar was an everyday example of a main course, and the newcomer had lit up in wonder at the barest taste of sweetness. And now, he was on his third plate; she hoped he'd open up after his belly was sated. Poor thing, in the barest of rags and dirty to the hundredth power; he was small and thin enough that a pair of child's pants might not fit properly.

But if he continued to eat like he was, that won't be a problem much longer.

".....Miss Ruby?.."

He was done. Ruby sauntered over to the table, as the boy sucked his fingers clean. "Want more, honey?"

He beamed. "Mm hmm!"

"Alright, but just one more!" she warned teasingly. "And then I'll tell you about the town, 'kay?"

"Okay."

- c - u - t -

In light of the entire 'big picture', Mizu would say he was taking the experience well. He kept away from thinking about it too much, no further than the basic questions one could ask when faced with a universal debt to society. Riku's credentials and claims were backed up, directly or otherwise, by his late-night encounter with Shima. She never seemed to make light of him, but if the faerie got in more insults on Riku's behalf versus ever complimenting him, he could believe her few choice words of positive assurance.

Mizu sighed noisily, staring blankly down into the alley below. He wanted to see more than just a dingy backroute with a channel, closed in by window-lit buildings and the tenants who weren't visible.

"Only a handful or so actually live here. The rooms are kept lit to cast the illusion of comfort. It helps cope with loneliness."

Maybe his imagination was playing games with him, but Mizu would've sworn there was something he was suppose to understand, between the lines. Then again, the entire experience was heavy on the brain; Mizu didn't trust his instincts on that call, so kept his mouth shut and forged to forget. So practice continued, until the next break.

Riku wouldn't let him step outside the hotel. But the terrace was technically apart of the room, and Mizu indulged in the opportunity for fresh, chilled air. It made him shudder, looking up to the starry sky, to remember there wasn't sunlight here, that the town was cast in perpetual darkness forever. The same darkness the beasts of his world thrived under, the scarier ones by far; next to the hunt-and-gathering ones of the daytime, the night-beasts stripped their fear ten-fold. It was a battle to remind himself they weren't in Traverse Town, and if they were....Mizu had a haven in preparation.

Meanwhile, the sloshing of the canal below, as soft as it was, could only be described as a dying man's noise-breaker. Alongside there being no life in this district, it was soundless too, and Mizu clung to the stream, despite wishing he were elsewhere in comparison to it and his vicinity. The bells atop the tower chimed with their baritone bellows, but did so too few times to make a difference, as he required a constant hum, not brief intervals of clamoring giants.

Like the den had been.

With a look hovering between disappointment and disgust, Mizu stared down at his hands. His empty hands. No keyblade. His days would end here trying to make it materialize, at the rate progress was going.

There was no denying Riku's skill as a fighter, having inadvertently shown off several moves for Mizu to mimic. Mizu himself was not too shabby, though Riku pointed out that he spent too hard concentrating on the gestures, and not on his life. A good teacher, no doubt, but making a keyblade appear?

There should have been a manual.

- c - u - t -

"Yo, Ruby."

The woman was just dropping off fresh plates to an occupied table, when he called out. She was all smiles, perhaps to keep the customer settled, but Riku saw the apprehensive light in her eyes. "Ah, sugah! Your order is right on the counter."

"Thanks." He brushed himself around the furniture, only minutely focusing on the boy barely big enough to sit taller than the chair-back. Riku mused he must've only just gotten used to Ruby's presence, as he was now hunched over as still as a board, taking quick, shy peeks at Riku's back.

The same dirty complexion as Mizu. There was no question that the kid came from the same world.

At the counter, there was the pile of take-out boxes he'd requested. But he didn't take them right away, just pretended to look then over. "Ruby? Could I speak with you?"

"What is it, hon?" she inquired, once out of the boy's company and in his. "Did I miss something?"

Riku shook his head and spoke in a subdued tone. "No. Your thoroughness always pulls through. I want to know about your new friend."

Ruby's whole body seemed to ride on her sorrowful sigh. "He just got here not even two hours ago. Came up right across the square by the Third District doors. I don't even know his name yet."

"But you've established how much of a hungry little troll he is, right?"

She smacked him on the shoulder, and exclaimed in the same hushed voice, "Riku! You know better!"

He couldn't help but note her inclusion of humor. "It's apparently runs with the general populace." He spared a glance toward the boy and said even quieter, "Mizu ate like a starved dog, much like last time. I expect anyone else from that world to be the same."

Sullen was not a mask Ruby wore well. "How's he doing anyway?"

"Same as yesterday, if not somewhat more informed. ...Maybe it's me?"

Ruby huffed. "I will not take that from you," she said, exasperated. "You are capable of amazing things, and he is too. So I have some faith in whatever it is you're trying to do." Surprisingly, she leveled him a hard stare. "So do not start thinking you're an inadequate teacher. You don't have the luxury to think like that."

Riku grimaced, and began collecting his take-out. "Why don't you just adopt me already?"

"Why adopt when I can simply mother you without being responsible for your actions?" she countered.

"Because I don't have to listen, otherwise." He spared a wave of parting. "I'll see you later."

Ruby let her head shake ruefully, silvering waves of hair washing over her face. There would never be peace in this town for Riku, or any of the other world travelers. They could not remain and be content, longing to be uncaged of this empty space. Only the ones who emerged unbroken from their world's death were draped in the linens of unnatural settlement; they would not wish to wander, to leave through the doors into a special oblivion only world travelers could pass through successfully.

The boy, who couldn't help but watch Riku exit, would never have a single thought of leaving. He would remember his home, wish he could return, and deny the truth constantly, but he would never think of leaving.

Riku could leave, whenever he wanted, and soon, Mizu would discover what it was like to leave Traverse Town all over again. It was all taken for granted. Ruby's apprehension was suitably justified, because she knew. As the world's Heartkeeper, she was well into the Know, and she knew what was beyond the doors that kept the stranded townies safe and unharmed.

...She wasn't ready to lose those boys to Destiny.

- c - e - n - t - e - r -

"Ri~kuuu~!" He was whining. When in his life had he ever whined like a child -- Mizu amended himself. When had he ever had the -chance- to whine like a child? What this the sort of person he'd been all along, hidden beneath the grime? Or just the result of cabin fever? "Can we please take this training outside? A change of scenery might hel--"

Food. Hot, steaming, delicious smelling edibles. Like last 'night'. Different than last night, but just as desirable. The waft was physically telling him to devour it all, and Riku's packages weren't even on the table, let alone open to obey their demands. He salivated slightly.

"You were saying?"

That's what Mizu wanted to know, too. Instead, his stomach gave a mighty rumble, like thunder directly overhead during a storm, and would not let up. He had enough courtesy to blush in embarrassment. "Ah...breakfast?"

Riku shrugged nonchalantly. "Brunch, probably, but it all looks the same in your stomach; it doesn't need a name. Here. Sit."

Both boxes were deposited onto the table, Riku taking the smaller one for himself and pushing the other opposite him. Mizu didn't have to be told twice.

Eating was a safe zone. There was no requirement to talk, but the stage was left open for any request. And he was inhaling the greens, after Riku had long finished, that he remembered what he wanted to complain about. "Can't we take the training outside??" he garbled around cucumber slices. "It has to be more spacious than this."

He expected Riku to shoot down his request in favor of more restrictive boundaries, but was nothing short of surprised when Riku nodded once. "I'll take you somewhere where we won't disturb anyone."

Disturb 'who', exactly? It wasn't a fair question, even to himself. Yes, Riku mentioned Traverse Town's sparse population, but that didn't mean there were only four people. "...How many people are in town, anyway?"

"About twenty, twenty five. Plus one; they have a new resident that popped in not too long ago."

Twentysomething people, stuck in a box.

Mizu frowned, suddenly perturbed. A box? He hadn't even seen what the front of the district looked like, let alone the entire town. So where did a comparison like that come from? He decided it wasn't worth the trouble, but his gorging suffered as a result, dropping from inhaling to something akin to decent etiquette. Riku didn't remark on the erratic loss of appetite.

- c - u - t -

The waterway wasn't too special. Rounded stones covered in a light slime, water lapping between the crevices, and then there was the story of the mural across the pool. Nothing too extravagant, or radical. It was an everyday cavern. With a wizard's elevator at the end of a stairwell.

"Is there anything normal about this place?" His tone implied the town in general.

A small half-grin flourished in the vague light. "Not particularly."

Training was no longer the watch-and-copy sessions of the last twenty-four hours, but a full-on survival camp. Two polished-down poles were substituted for 'blades, and between slipping every other step on the rocks and dodging mediocre attacks, the Blue Room was looking cozier and cozier every second.

After a distinctly rough fall, Mizu was astonished. Stunned silly with the possibility of a lump on his head, but astonished none the less. It wasn't that he couldn't defend himself properly and Riku always had the upper hand, even when Mizu was supposed to be on the offensive. It was because he was losing his balance every which way, while Riku never faltered.

Blinding reaching out for his disarmed weapon as he sat up, Mizu muttered, "I had to ask for something different."

"You'll learn in time."

Mizu frowned, disallowing his agitation toward himself to seep into his words. "Don't you mean 'relearn'?"

Riku shrugged a shoulder. "Learn, relearn. It's all the same when it comes down to it."

"What am I supposed to be 'learning', anyway?"

A small, enigmatic smile appeared; Riku said nothing.

Mizu's fingers finally closed around the short pole and he staggered to his feet. He was frustrated inside, upset over these setbacks, and couldn't grasp why he didn't doubt his authenticity anymore. It was as if a fog haze prevented him from asking the questions which needed answering, a subdued coolness that kept him from inquiring, mentally or verbally, any more deeper than he had. Everything told to him was oddly accepted at face value, and no thought shimmered free to whisper, 'Lies.' His suspicions of this nature had all but been erased...

"Show me how you did that last move?"

"Pay attention, then."

- e - n - d - i - n - g -

A/N: This pixie grammar is killing me. Granted, it wasn't so hard when I first used it, but it gets worse as time goes along. Curses.

Ruby, for the curious and the nosey, is the darling actress from FF9, the one with the southern accent.