[Riku] Trust Your Love [Taela] Chapter 3

“What's the meaning of this?” Riku demanded.

Taela had seated herself in the empty chair near the desk. Everyone except for the king watched her every movement carefully, as if she was going to turn on them at any moment.

“Let her explain Riku.” Mickey said calmly.

The room fell silent as they all waited for her to begin.

“As the keyblade bearers I know you have felt strangely since you returned home, as if your journey hasn't been completed yet. That's because Master Xehanort has returned.”

“Ansem's apprentice?” Sora questioned her. Xehanort did conduct experiments on the heart, and he did try to locate the heart of all worlds....but how could he have returned? His own experiments ended up destroying him and turning him into a heartless and a nobody. And he had defeated him....

She was trying her best to explain. “Yes and no. Yes because the Xehanort you all knew did study under Ansem the Wise, and no because he wasn't completely Xehanort.

“A little over ten years ago, before the heartless and nobodies, there was a war. A man named Master Xehanort and his apprentice disappeared, and three keyblade wielders were sent in search of him. Their names were Terra, Ven, and Aqua, and they too, like you, were from Destiny Islands.”

She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing.

“They fought a different enemy called the unbirths, who were controlled by Maleficent. After visiting different worlds in search for Master Xehanort, they discovered he was searching for the Princesses of Heart. Terra decided that if they found the princesses, then they would find him also. But Terra ended up giving into the darkness.”

“So he became bad?” As soon as Taela had mentioned that the three previous keyblade wielders were from Destiny Islands, they paid very close attention to everything she was saying.

King Mickey shook his head. “We're not exactly sure what happened after that, besides that Master Xehanort and his apprentice were defeated and haven't been seen since.”

There was something on Riku's mind that he wanted to be explained. “So how does this relate to now? You just said that he was defeated....”

“Yes, he was.” She confirmed. “But he took over Terra's body, causing a complete memory erase, and ended up in Radiant Garden. There he was taken in by Ansem the Wise and became his student.”

“Ohh, so that's what you meant by he was and wasn't Xehanort.” Sora said.

Taela nodded.

“When a nobody is destroyed after it's heartless, the body, mind, and soul are returned and they become whole again. Xehanort and Terra are no longer one person, and Xehanort is now strong enough to try and finish what he had started. Erasing darkness from the worlds.

“I don't know what happened to Terra, but Xehanort was last seen in Radiant Gardens. He must be stopped.”

They all nodded in agreement.

The king looked to his friends and allies. “So now that you know everything you should be prepared to leave tomorrow morning. Sora, Riku, Taela will be accompanying you on your journey.”

“But....” Kairi protested. “I have to go with them! We refuse to be separated again, right guys?”

The boys exchanged glances and Sora spoke. “Well, it might be better if you stayed here Kairi, you know, so you don't get hurt.”

“But....”

“Kairi.” Mickey interceded. “The last time, Master Xehanort was looking for the Princesses of Heart. It's a possibility that's his goal this time too. You need to be safe, just in case.”

She sat back down and was silent for a moment. “Alright. But I still don't like the fact that you're leaving me behind.”

Sora took her hand in his. “Don't worry Kai, we'll defeat them as soon as possible. Plus we'll even come visit you.”

“Yeah.” Riku agreed, trying to make the redhead feel better.

Her cheeks slightly flushed and she gave a half-hearted smile. “Okay.”

The meeting being over with, Taela created a dark portal and left. No one bothered to even question as to where she was going because Donald and Goofy had entered the room and were bombarding Sora.

They all left the room to go and get dinner, completely ignoring the fact that they were one person short.

Except for Riku. He took a moment and looked around, wondering if she was somewhere nearby in the castle. But he let it drop when he realized that he was falling behind.

 

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At about 11:00 that night Taela reappeared in the garden at Disney Castle. She removed her black organization coat, revealing the clothes she had on underneath.

She sighed, rubbing her temples and sat on the ground cross-legged. The day's events had tired her out and all she wanted now was to sleep, but it eluded her grasp. Leaning up against a nearby shrub, Taela closed her eyes and concentrated on relaxing her muscles. But they did just the opposite.

Suddenly she knew why. She felt a presence not to far away from where she sat, and approaching cautiously.

The person walked in front of her and stared directly into her eyes, not even flinching. It was Riku. He was supposed to be her ally now, but for some reason her body refused to let it's guard down while he was here.

“So this is where you disappeared to?” He questioned, a hint of ice in his voice. Just a hint.

“Maybe, what do you care?” Taela shot back. She didn't appreciate being disturbed, let alone his attitude.

He gave a small glare. “You had better not even be thinking of causing any trouble. Cause you'll have us to deal with.”

For some reason, she got the hint that it was more of him she would have been be dealing with.

“What reason would I have to betray you? I came to help, and I can understand if you're hesitant to accept that.” She stood up so that she would be even with him.

“I'm just saying that you should be careful, and make sure you know what side you're on.” And with that said, he walked away, leaving Taela glaring behind him.