Spiral: Bond of Reasoning
Desperate Alliance

When the smoke cleared, the head of the cat doll lay scorched on the table with stuffing poking out of the bottom of it. The walls were darkened from the smoke while the rest of the room now appeared dingy. Zefferia’s body lay sprawled on the ground by the outside wall. The arm that was holding the doll laid cast over her head. The hand and most of the lower arm were now gone.

Seeing the wounded Zefferia, Sora, Riku, and Kairi ran to the unconscious body. Hiyono and Rio looked on at the terrifying spectacle. Ayumu gritted his teeth and glared at Rio.

“Zefferia! Speak to me!” shouted Riku.

He rolled her onto her back and lifted her under her shoulders, checking for a pulse with his free hand. His head bowed forward, his hair drooping down the sides to conceal his face, signifying there was nothing. Rio trembled and looked like she was about to faint. She brought her hand up to her face, her wide sleeve covering her mouth.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was an explosive,” Rio apologized.

“Don’t blame yourself,” Hiyono comforted, “It’s not like you could have known. But we better call an ambulance, quickly!”

“Oh, right. I’ll go do that at once, it’s the least I can do,” Rio volunteered.

“You can quit the act,” Ayumu pressed her, “I know who you are.”

Rio gasped in shock and confusion. She shook her head as she replied, “What are you talking about?”

“You are one of the Blade Children” Ayumu accused.

Sora and Kairi stood and joined Hiyono and Ayumu staring at the small girl with silver pigtails. She looked so small and frail. Her voice was too light to be that of one of the sinister murderers that the Blade Children were described as. Then again, she did match the characteristics Ayumu had identified the killer to have.

“A what-children? What do you mean?” Rio questioned.

Ayumu explained, “I figured that with us closing in on the criminal, an attempt to get rid of Hiyono before she finalized the suspects would be made. That bomb was too small to kill, however. You came in, clutching the doll to your chest. I never imagined that someone would be insane enough to blow their own chest up to hide the fact that they are missing a rib!”

Kairi approached Rio. She turned to run, but found Ayumu was blocking the door. Rio looked around and shivered like a frightened little animal being cornered by a predator. Kairi reached out, grabbing Rio’s side and feeling up her rib cage.

“You’re right, she is missing a rib,” affirmed Kairi, retracting her hand.

Rio’s eye darkened as she looked down and her voice took on a sinister tone as she said, “You still don’t have any solid proof that I killed anyone.”

Before Ayumu could reply, a dark portal appeared near the wall. Sora and his friends recognized what it was while the other three looked on in awe and wonder. From the dark opening emerged a lady with jet black hair and bronze skin. Crimson linen drooped down from her shoulders to the ground. Loose, split sleeves hung around her crossed arms. A velvet, violet ribbon strapped around her midriff, accenting her developed figure. Under her collarbone on the left side was a brooch with a swirled design on it. Her oblong, gold earrings dangled as she glided towards the group.

“It seems like you got yourself caught, little one,” The lady’s voiced oozed towards Rio, “Have you rethought my offer?”

“Bashira!” Rio remarked snidely while frowning at the lady, “I told you my answer yesterday! I won’t help you!”

The lady that Rio referred to as Bashira laughed in reply, “But the others have already joined me. Would you rather stay cornered here?”

Rio gasped, “Wait, you mean Eyes-kun is with you too?”

A sly smile broke from Bashira’s pursed lips. She took a step closer and extended her hand to Rio. Rio looked at her hand hesitantly then back at how she had little option if she wanted to escape. She lifted her hand, but then retracted.

Sora sprung to intercept the two. He held his arms out to the sides as he looked down at Rio.

“I don’t know what’s exactly going on here, but you don’t have to take that path!” said Sora, “Going with this stranger is probably a bad choice.”

Bashira hissed towards Rio, “Do you really think he has your best interest at heart? Or does he just want to imprison you to your cursed fate?”

As she spoke, she bent over and placed her hand on Sora’s shoulder. A Heartless in the shape of a cobra slipped out of her sleeve and wrapped around Sora’s neck. Sora spun around as he tried to get a hold of the slippery serpent. Bashira took the opportunity to grab Rio’s hand and leave through the portal. She paused however, as she witnessed Sora grab the cobra, throw it off of him, and instantly pull out his Keyblade to extinguish the small foe.

“Ah, so the Keyblade has come to this world too,” Bashira observed with a chuckle, “Well, that will make things easier. You shall hear from us soon enough.”

With that, she waved her hand, causing many cobra-like Heartless to emerge from the floor, leaving the others to fight while she and Rio escaped through the dark portal. Sora fought his way through the Heartless, but they fulfilled their purpose in blocking him from the portal before it closed.

The height of the moment over, everyone was able to settle down and think about what just happened. Ayumu growled in the back of his throat then swung his arm, hitting the wall.

“She got away! I was so close,” snarled Ayumu.

“Don’t worry, you did your best. And it sounds like we’ll hear from them again soon,” Hiyono comforted.

Sora pitched in, “Yeah, that was amazing how you deduced Rio to be the culprit.”

The words seemed to have little effect on Ayumu. As he stewed, an inhaling breath could be heard where Zefferia was. Riku opened his eyes to see Zefferia’s head stirring in his arms. Sora, Kairi, and Hiyono gathered around her. She looked up and smiled.

“Good morning,” she yawned.

“Hang on Zeffy-chan, we’ll get an ambulance right away,” assured Hiyono.

“What for?” Zefferia questioned quizzically.

“What for?! Goodness sake, you’re arm is gone!” Hiyono cried, “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Hurt? What’s hurt?” Zefferia asked as though she had never felt pain.

Riku grabbed her elbow to bring the remains of her arm into view. Indeed her hand and most of her lower arm was gone. Zefferia gazed at the damage thoughtfully, then looked at Riku.

“You can just imagine it back, you know,” she explained.

“So much for being discreet,” Riku sighed, flashing a look over to Hiyono.

Riku closed his eyes as he wrapped his hand around the stub. He recalled how her arm felt in the darkness as he slipped his hand up to where her wrist would be and continuing over her hand. Imagining her arm present, it resumed its appearance to the others.

Hiyono shrieked, “Wha-! You’re arm was gone just a second ago and now it’s back like nothing happened! Something is not right about that! Are you a demon, a ghost, or an alien of some sort?”

“I’m not a real person,” Zefferia confessed, “Forgive me for deceiving you, sempai.”

“But that came in handy just now,” reassured Sora, “Because of you, no one got hurt by the bomb.”

“I suppose I can let that slide then,” Hiyono thought out loud, “But, only if you give me an exclusive interview over deluxe fermented beans pumpkin and squid ink strawberry parfaits…Narumi-san’s treat!”

“Shouldn’t we be worrying more about what just happened?” Kairi reminded.

Zefferia sat up and said, “Oh yeah, did I miss anything important just now?”

They all stood up and Sora explained Zefferia what just happened as she went over to the counter. She kept eye contact to show she was listening as she reached for the journal with her repaired arm. Turning back towards the group, she gave a brief glance down to see the journal was in her hand, but did a double take to find it wasn’t there. She looked back at the journal and reached to grab it again. This time, she saw her hand go through it. She brought her right hand up to double-check her regression. The book stopped this hand so she was able to slide it with her right. She picked the book up with her right hand before turning back to the group.

“Oh great,” Zefferia moaned, “I guess the bomb did effect my tangibility. This will make the record keeping difficult.”

Riku commented, “At least you can still write.”

“Yeah, but you’ll have to hold the book steady or something while I do,” Zefferia sighed.

“Narumi-san, do you think the ‘Eyes-kun’ that Rio-san mentioned could be the Eyes Rutherford that we met earlier?” Hiyono asked Ayumu.

“That world-renown prodigy pianist? I suppose it would make sense that he is one of them too,” Ayumu theorized.

“‘Eyes-kun?’ Isn’t that what that girl called you when we got here?” Sora asked Riku.

“Ah-ha! I thought you looked familiar! You do look like Eyes Rutherford, so that must be who Rio-san was referring to!” Hiyono deduced, “But don’t worry, I don’t think you’re him in disguise or anything. After all, you guys traveled a lot farther than he did to get to this town!”

Sora gasped, “How did you figure that out?”

Hiyono giggled, “That’s…a trade secret!”

“Oh, so you’ll tell me?” begged Zefferia.

“Not on your life,” Hiyono countered, “…But as a hint, you did keep the journal unattended here on the counter for some time.”

Zefferia hung her head in shame and walked back over to Riku. She plopped the book open next to him and attempted to write the recent events inside. The book wobbled with her hand so she tried to steady it with her opposing elbow as now her lower left arm was superfluous. Her elbow only gave the book a pivot point as her pen scratched up and down along the paper. Riku sighed and gave in by placing his hand on the top of the book to steady it.

“Still, that woman that took Takeuchi Rio is also not from this world,” Ayumu inferred.

Sora nodded, “She was controlling creatures called Heartless, so either she is a Heartless herself, or a Nobody, or…”

“Or something else entirely,” finished Riku, “She was different than the others that we’ve faced in the past.”

“Like that mysterious man from back home,” Kairi said, “He controlled Heartless, but he also had another type of creature that came out.”

“Come to think of it, he was wearing red too, wasn’t he?” Sora recalled.

“It looked like he was sending the Heartless to find the Heart of our World; do you think that would mean that lady is trying to get the Blade Children to help her do the same thing here?” theorized Kairi.

“That would mean this world is in danger,” Sora exclaimed, “We’ll do what we can to help while we’re here!”

The next few days were unexpectedly uneventful. No clues could be found about the elusive Blade Children or a key to open a new gateway. This gave the group time to attend classes at Tsukiomi Private High. Sora and Kairi were in a junior class together, while apparently Riku and Zefferia were placed in senior classes.

After one particularly drab morning of lessons, Riku went by Sora’s and Kairi’s class during lunch. He looked in the room to see them both in the back, eating at their desks. They were sitting by each other, and talking to each other, and laughing with one another. They failed to notice Riku waiting for them outside.

A small group of girls, however, did. They began talking in hushed tones and frequently glancing over to Riku. He silenced their giggles with one look before continuing down the hall.

Riku made his way to the roof, where it was quiet and peaceful, or at least devoid of people. Obnoxious, selfish, superficial people. People who went about day by day in their own little worlds, despite the problems that surrounded them. People who wouldn’t notice or care if one person disappeared.

Riku found a spot to lie down and watch the clouds overhead as he thought. He thought about Sora and Kairi and if he really meant anything to them. They seemed to get along just fine without him. Perhaps he should just let the darkness take him so he wouldn’t be in their way. He had already been freed from it, but his thoughts made it seem easy to return. Return to the darkness. Return to the seclusion. Return to where life was comfortable. If only Kairi was there with him.

His thoughts were interrupted with Zefferia popping her face over his. He remained unfazed at her appearance. She analyzed his dejected demeanor then walked around to lie on her side next to him, propping her head up to look down at him.

“Okay pussy-face, what’s wrong?” she asked.

Riku looked away as he sighed, “Kairi and Sora seem to be secluding me a lot.”

Zefferia soothed, “Well, at least I’m here. Isn’t that good enough?”

She nuzzled her head on his shoulder, under his cheek. She laid her surreal arm across his chest. Worldly objects still did not acknowledge its existence, nevertheless Riku could feel it. He bent his outside arm to place his hand over hers. Her thumb brushed up and down over his fingers. His chest expanded then a deep sigh escaped his lips as he gazed longingly up at the clouds.