Mad at Mouse Part 42

Mickey watched Destiny through the window of intensive care.

For now the machines beeped steadily. It wouldn’t last.

The first time they had stopped, Ludwig and the nurses had rushed in, everyone had been alarmed.

Mickey hadn’t been there, but Riku had come to him in near panic.

That time she had been fine.

The machine wasn’t.

Ludwig didn’t know how she was doing it, but she was draining the machines. A few hours away from Destiny and they were fine again. Not that they were trusted but...

After the third alarm when the machines failed Ludwig started looking into protecting the machines.

There was a method to her draining. Mickey hadn’t even thought to ask. No one had. It had to be unconscious. She had apparently done the same thing before, but no one had taken any note of it. Distance was a factor, but only a minor one.

Living things first. Then magical devices. Then batteries.

She rarely drained something dead, but anything living became sleepy around her after a while. It didn’t explain why he had passed out.

From here she would be draining him. He couldn’t feel it, but he hadn’t felt it before until he touched her. It wouldn’t kill him. She wouldn’t kill him.

They needed to know what she knew.

Minnie was going to kill him for this.

He opened the door.

Mad at Mouse Part 41

On the edge of the Wild Dark a proud warrior race stood awaiting their fates.

Two young princes watched as the sky cracked open, blue bleeding into reds and purple, an ugly scar across the sky.

“Are you ready brother?” The larger of the brothers asked, hand clenched around his war hammer.

The first of the Demons came through, swiftly felled by a blast of fire.

The Darker brother nodded, “Let them blunt their teeth on Asgard’s might.” He responded with a blood thirsty barring of teeth.

The Blond brother laughed, a great booming sound, and the warriors surrounding them took heart from the sound.

The sky cracked open.

Hundreds, nay thousands of demons flooded through the gap.

“To Battle!” The blond proclaimed, swinging his hammer and summoning the storm.

Mad at Mouse Post 40

Riku rushed through the portal, barely giving it time to open.

“Help!” He yelled and gestured to the woman in his arms “She’s hurt.” Sending the guards running, hopefully for someone useful.

Doofenschmirtz followed him out the portal, Perry perched on his shoulder, and looked around. “So this is Disney Castle?” He asked, a strange note to his voice.

Riku nodded, trying to ignore the feeling of dread that was descending on him. It had been a cure spell. Who passes out from a cure spell?

She was so light, it was like she was just an empty shell, Riku was surprised she hadn’t blown away in the wind.

Doctor Von Drake came running out with his med bag and Riku felt a moment of relief.

“Now what’s this then?” Von Drake asked, crouching down next to where Riku was kneeling with Destiny.

“I cast a cure spell and she fainted.” Riku explained.

“We think she had a concussion.” Doofenschmirtz expanded. “She hit her head yesterday.”

“That was very foolish.” Von Drake said, “You boy, should be knowing better. The brain is a delicate piece of equipment! You can’t just go slinging magic at every klein problem. Head injuries are berüchtigt for causing problems.”

Riku drew away, “I... I didn’t know.”

Von Drake hmped at him, “That is being no excuse. Now let’s be seeing the problem.” He ran his fingers over her head. “No no no no.” He muttered. “Ah ha! Found it! Now isn’t that a pretty big bump.”

“So?” Doofenschmirtz leaned in, “Is she gonna live?”

“Ah! Yes, no, maybe. Well.” Von Drake gestured, “She shouldn’t have been a walking around before. She was worse off than a hot potato when she first came in. Overcooked don’t cha know.”

Riku looked up, “But she was fine before she left.”

“That wasn’t what I said.” Von Drake replied, “I be telling the Queen, that girl is in need of fixing up. But does anyone listen to Ludwig Von Drake? You can bet your tooties they don’t.”

“I killed her.” Riku said hopelessly, “I chased her out, I’m the reason she left. I made things worse.”

Mad at Mouse Part 39

I must have been really out of it not to notice there was a Keyblader practically on my doorstep last night.

Well, I knew that already, my mind is still throwing up strange images and words.

I don’t think Doofenschmirtz noticed I was having problems, or if he did he hadn’t said anything.

We were in the same part of lunacy for who knows how long.

He did seem to be keeping an eye on me, but that might have been because I was carrying Perry who appeared to be dozing off.

Doofenschmirtz kept talking and it was nice, the words washed over me and reaffirmed my vocabulary. I responded to a question, barely paying attention to my answer as I shielded my eyes from the windblown sand.

And I know there must be something wrong with my mind because

Twilight! Right in front of me.

His hands are out and free of his Keyblade, but that won’t last for long.

He’s babbling, King, stars, darkness, coming with me, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Or maybe I’m just out of focus.

“We don’t have time for this.” I interrupt, only there’s a flicker of confusion in the Keyblader’s eyes. I take a step to continue on, and abruptly there is a noise, it sounds like someone is ringing all the bells in the World at the same time, I waver and there’s a Keyblade in my path.

“Is that a weapon?” Doofenschmirtz asks, circling around to get a better look. Perry has tensed in my arms, but he isn’t reacting, still pretending to be asleep.

Twilight is giving Doofenschmirtz a wary look and not answering.

There’s odd little black dots in my vision, is something coming?

“It’s a Keyblade Heinz.” I respond to his interest, trying to track the spots without appearing to look at them. “A Soul bound blade. It lends it’s power to those it judges worthy.”

Twilight seems to calm slightly at my explanation.

“You know about Keyblades?” He asks, and I nod discreetly.

“Pfft. And how do these blades judge worthiness?” Doofenschmirtz asks, his voice full of derision.

“Strength of Heart and Conviction.” Twilight states firmly, it’s easy to tell he has taken offense at that. I suppose it’s easy to see why, Doofenschmirtz appears to be questioning his worthiness. I don’t think that’s it, Doofenschmirtz is never that clear cut, but my head is fuzzy and there’s sand in my mouth.

“Each Keyblade is different.” I add for Doofenschmirtz, “They look for various traits. Heart is important but there are other things they value.”

Twilight looks interested, but I gesture towards the factories. “We need to move Twilight.”

“My name is Riku.” He growls at me, ignoring the fact that we are too exposed out here.

I shrugged, and black lights zig zag across my vision. “Your mouth says Riku, your heart sings Twilight. Which do you think I should believe?”

Twilight rubs at the bridge of his nose. “Why don’t you make sense?”

“Concussion!” Doofenschmirtz declared, coming to stand beside me again, “You should have heard the crazy stuff she was spouting last night! It was insane, all about War and darkness and puddings out to get her.”

And Riku looked even more confused. We really didn’t have time for this.

“What’s a concussion?” He asks and for a moment me, Doofenschmirtz and yes, even Perry stare at him in disbelief.

“I am going to use really small words” Doofenschmirtz says, “Itsy bitsy words. A concussion is when a person hits their head really hard and all their brains go mushy.”

Riku looks at me, “Oh.” Considers this, and in a moment of prescience I know what is going to happen next. “Cure.” And I’m flooded with healing energy.

Uh no.

Everything went black.

Mad at Mouse Part 38

Riku had explored the city, going around and around until he was quite certain he was lost.

It didn’t happen often, but when you were used to a small island, it took a while to get used to cities. He thought he had the hang of it, then he wouldn’t find himself someplace new and keep getting turned around.

Destiny wasn’t here.

Hadn’t been here as far as he could tell.

He wasn’t entirely sure she intended to come here.

The natives were few and far between, and after the first day when he had seen a cloaked figure disappear into the desert, he hadn’t seen another soul.

Even the Heartless were keeping a low profile. There were some, but they seemed to be hiding out down below, and he hadn’t been able to find a way into the catacombs.

His first break was noticing the sand had been moved.

Someone had cleared one of the houses during the night.

It wasn’t much to go on, but he was sure it hadn’t been the wind at work, and there were faint traces of a trail in the sand, someone forcing their way through.

It wasn’t Destiny, or at least it wasn’t just Destiny. She was small and light enough to dance over the sand dunes with few problems, she wouldn’t have had to force her way through.

Riku followed the trail, whoever it was seemed to be heading directly to their destination, which was curious. Only the foolish, the desperate and the insanely powerful took straight  routes on Worlds touched by heartless.

Sora was often all three. Riku thought a little sourly. His friend really needed to learn to think once in a while.

Riku was catching them up, he could hear voices.

A man’s voice was monologuing, and. Riku rolled his eyes, having heard enough of those to last a lifetime and a half.

Riku took a short cut, darting over a high rise and up a wall so that he would be able to see those he was tracking before they knew he was there.

A tall man in a lab coat was struggling through the sand, and walking just ahead of him was a child sized woman carrying something... it was green, furry and beaked.

Riku’s brain took a short while processing the image.

The small woman said something in response to the monologue, and Riku catch the voice on the wind.

It was Destiny. Her hair had faded to silver, but Mickey had said as much.

Now how to convince her to return with him?