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Simple/Clean Chapter 12

Simple/Clean: An Original Character’s Story

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts (1, with mentions of other installments)

Synopsis: There are many worlds, but they share the same sky. One Sky, one Destiny. And when that destiny is threatened, the universe calls on one hero to save the day. Or, more like, five. When the Earth is consumed into Darkness, Danielle Scott and her friends are given the Keys between light and darkness. If they are going to save the worlds and find her brother, they are going to have to go on a multiverse-wide road trip to find the Door to Light. If only they had a better weapon than keys.

Rated: +K for violence and occasional language

Disclaimer: The Kingdom Hearts series was created by Tetsuya Nomura and owned by Square Enix. The Final Fantasy series was created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and owned by Square Enix. The films depicted were created by the Walt Disney Animation Studios and owned by the Walt Disney Company. Any other work mentioned or homaged are property of their respective owners. This is a non-profit fan-based work that only seeks to entertain. Please support the official releases.

Chapter 12 of 12

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Chapter 12: And I Feel Fine

The Gummi Ship, already as small as it was, had never been this crowded before. Most everyone had to take up standing room in the space between the driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat that served for storage and kitchen space. Those that managed to secure seats usually had another person on their lap or at their feet. Space had been made by the fact that the Heartless that was Dim was more than comfortable clawing his way onto the ceiling. Space had been lost because of the Beast.

Of course, nobody really cared about the size of the ship at the moment. There was too much going on that they had to care about. The joy that Sora was back to life. The adrenaline of escaping the ending planet. The end of the planet.

Hanna had found some TS Eliot to read in her English textbook, but that didn’t seem to do much good. Katie had tried to play Taps by literally tapping on the English text book, but that seemed to do less.

“Where do we go now?” Sora asked.

For just a moment, Donald looked as lost as he sounded and she felt. “I suppose…we should head back to Traverse Town. At the very least, we need to drop these ladies off somewhere safe.”

“And after everything we’ve been through, why should I leave Sora?” Kairi asked.

“We still need to fight Ansem, and restore all the worlds.” Sora said. “It’s not safe for you out there.”

“Besides,” Dani spoke up. “Maybe it’ll help if we talk to Squall. He might know something about that guy who called himself Ansem.”

“I literally have no idea what’s going on anymore.” Leon said.

“We had always thought that Ansem passed away with our world.” Aerith said. “I had hoped that was the case. Ansem’s heart and body was eaten by the Heartless a long time ago.”

“Not that it matters. That place hasn’t been Radiant Gardens for a long time.” Leon sighed. His eyes looked upwards, not wanting to meet anyone else’s. “Why is it that you four have singlehandedly disproved everything we have ever known for sure?”

“It’s not our fault.” Katie shrugged. “None of us are pretending to be Ansem. By the way, apparently only Sora has the Keyblade and we’re just borrowing it.”

Leon looked like he was about to have a conniption.

Yuffie jumped in. “So what do we do now? Hollow Bastion was supposed to be the last Keyhole you had to seal to save the universe.”

“Well, there are other worlds, right?” Nadine asked. “The Princesses all came from somewhere. Maybe one of those worlds has the answer.”

Leon shook his head. “They aren’t connected to the other worlds the way Hollow Bastion was. Besides, you’re assuming they haven’t fallen into Darkness as well.”

“What made Hollow Bastion so special?” Hanna asked.

“How do you think it was destroyed in the first place?” Leon looked like he didn’t want to answer. “That Keyhole…Ansem tinkered with it. He wanted to link every world together, create a bridge that could connect the whole universe. It was practically gift-wrapped for the Heartless.”

“Is that a particularly bad thing?” Alice asked from the sidelines.

Aerith started to explain, but all of a sudden, Katie didn’t care anymore. There it was. That was so obvious. Why hadn’t she thought of that before?

“We are all idiots.” She breathed.

Everyone turned to her.

“Sorry, but think about it! This entire trip, the entire time, we’ve been complaining about one thing. Alice, where are you from?”

“W—Westminster, but—”

“And we don’t know where the Darling family lived, but it wasn’t Neverland and they have the same accent!” Katie continued. “Olympus Coliseum was Greece. The Deep Jungle was an unspecified African rainforest. Agrabah was fantasy-land Persia; Genis said as much! All of these things were familiar to us, as citizens of Earth, but not to Sora, a citizen of Destiny Islands, or to Donald and Goofy, citizens of Disney Castle. And if Hollow Bastion really was the Keyhole that connected every world to itself, how were we able to get back here once it went kabloowey?”

“It did what?” Leon snapped.

“Nevermind that, I’m being a genius right now! It’s not Hollow Bastion we’re looking for. It’s Earth.” Katie said. “A bridge between the worlds.”

“Assuming we believe that, how do we get there anyway?” Nadine asked. “It was destroyed with the Heartless just like Hollow Bastion.”

“We’re gonna need a telescope.”

“Do you ever think it’ll be the same between us?” Kairi asked. “I mean, Riku’s lost his—”

Without turning to her, Sora put his hand on hers. He didn’t look at her, trying too hard to think of what to say. “You helped me find my Heart. I was so lost in the Darkness. But I knew that you would come to help me.”

“I didn’t want to just forget about you, Sora.” Kairi said, almost defensively.

He interlocked his fingers into hers. “Our Hearts are connected. Yours, mine…Riku. We’ll bring him back. I promise.”

Kairi’s grip loosened. Sora, afraid he did something wrong, let go completely and turned to her. He barely had time to spit out an apology before he felt something forced into his hand. Thalassa charms, bound together to look like a star. A smiley face and a crude approximation of his hair had been carved on the top shell.

“That’s my lucky charm.” Kairi said. “Be sure to bring it back to me, okay?”

“Promise.”

Sora turned back ahead. Ahead was something that wasn’t there before. A figure cloaked entirely in black. Exactly like Dani had said the other Ansem had been.

Sora jumped to his feet and summoned his Keyblade. The figure lazily looked over towards him. It stared, as much as a being without a face can. Finally, it moved to lower its hood.

You make a good other.

Then the figure was gone, leaving nothing but raw sewage in its wake.

There were two telescopes in Traverse Town. One was Gepetto’s, a basic thing that was really only able to see that other worlds existed. The other was more in line to the needs of Traverse Town. Designed by the great Ludwig von Drake, its image could reach planets as far back as Hollow Bastion. It could give perfect vision to the surfaces of other worlds. If it were able to move about and weren’t mounted to the rooftop of Huey, Dewey and Louie’s shop, then it might as effective as the Hubble.

It could find Earth, no problem.

“That’s your world?” Leon asked. “That’s a world for whales.”

“Actually, whales freely roam through the depths of space.” Katie said. “But we did have whales once.”

Earth was surprisingly intact considering the last time they had seen it, it was exploding. However, it was clear to see the glue that held the world together. The streaks of white clouds were now Dark. Oceans churned. Orbs of Darkness sat on the landmasses, occasionally letting out a ripple of energy.

Leon pulled away from the telescope. He didn’t notice the red circle that lined his eye now, or Huey, Dewey, and Louie’s laughter. “Where do you even start to search on a planet that big?”

“That one’s easy.” Katie said. “Home.”

“Why home?”

“Because when our world was destroyed, we were attacked by a big scary Heartless. Why would that Heartless be in some nowhere’s-ville resort town if it didn’t have something it wanted?”

“I hate to say it, but you have a point.” Nadine said. She leaned into the telescope herself and focused on where her hometown would be. The town was…fine. The buildings were intact and no mass pandemonium hadn’t taken over the streets. Actually, the streets were empty. That’s what made Nadine nervous.

Out of curiosity, she focused the view to Italy. The telescope panned through Darkness for a while, before finally settling on a coliseum where a blonde superhero was talking to a short minotaur. She panned over again.

“They’re all there. Why are they there?” Nadine asked aloud. “It looks like Agrabah and England are dealing with some big scary Heartless, but they’re there.”

“The worlds have been connected.” Cloud said. “And tied to the Darkness. Your Earth is now holding every world it can in place.”

“Maybe once we defeat Ansem, the Heartless will go away.” Sora said.

“We will lend you our strength.” One of the Princesses, Aurora, she thinks, spoke up.

“Save it for yourselves. You might need it considering how things might go.” Hanna said. “Maybe you could do something about my brother.”

“You better.” Cid scoffed. “He’s been playing with my Gummis like they’re tinker-toys. I’d complain more, but he’s the best assistant I’ve ever had.”

“Then let’s head off!” Sora said. “The sooner we get all of this fixed, the sooner we can all celebrate together.”

And all of a sudden, the rooftop fell silent. The members of Traverse Town looked at each other, trying to search for the person with the best people skills.

“The worlds were never meant to be connected.” Aerith spoke up. “Once you seal the Final Keyhole, and restore all the worlds, they will become separate again.”

“Even the Gummi Ship won’t do the trick.” Leon said.

The group fell silent for a minute. Leon seemed to think to himself for a minute, before walking over and putting a hand on Sora’s shoulder. It was a grossly kind action, and it looked like it pained him a lot to even do that, but he continued.

“We may never meet again, but we’ll never forget each other. Our Hearts will always be connected, even when we’re apart.”

That one, surprisingly, was sincerely kind.

It was ruined slightly as Cid started to cry. “You damn kids are startin’ to grow up!”

“—ck?”

Light enveloped the room, and where the Heartless was Dmitri now stood.

He was very confused.

“What?”

One of the women tried to approach him, but Dim couldn’t care right now. His mind reeled with his last memories. Dani and Hanna, and Riku…what happened? Where were his sisters?

He hadn’t realized he said that aloud until one of the younger girls spoke up. “I’m sorry, but they already left.”

“Where to? Take me to them!”

The woman in front of him, a brunette woman with a yellow ballgown, made a face. “I’m sorry, but it’s far too dangerous—”

“Then give me a ship and I’ll find them myself!”

“Like hell you will!” A new voice, obviously male and gritted, spoke up. “MOG! HIDE THE SHIPS THE KID MADE!”

“Kupo!”

Dim sighed and tried to clear his head. Panicking was going to get him nowhere. “You don’t understand. I have to help them.”

He would do it for his sisters.

Earth was, surprisingly, exactly the way they had left it. Yet there was stillness in the air. No cars roamed the streets, no people played outside, and no signs of activity could be seen through the windows to buildings. Aside from the seven of them, the town was empty. Earth was empty.

That worried Dani a lot more than what happened next.

Before anyone could think to ask what was going on, the ground shook violently under them. In seconds, the peaceful town was under fire. Dani felt herself fall, and fall even further into the Earth.

Sora caught her by the hand. He hovered above her, pixie dust flaking off of him. “Got any happy thoughts left in you?”

Christmas, Dani decided. Think Christmas.

Sora pulled, and she flew.

Once she got her bearings, she looked towards the source. The town crumbled. The mountains parted. And in her way, there was this…thing. Two enormous wings unfolded, and revealed the beast underneath. Two golden eyes lit up and focused on her, and it smiled.

“Okay, so I think that’s the devil—” Dani started.

The beast known as Chernabog attacked.

No one in Traverse Town really knew what to do next. The next few moments would decide the future: either return it to Light, or damn it to Darkness. The more common citizens returned to their homes. The Princesses continued to pray within Cid’s shop. The others stayed on top of the ducks’ shop, and watched.

Cloud resumed his brooding. He had never gotten a chance to see Traverse Town for very long. It had always passed in a blur of emotions. Grief. Defeat. Fear. Guilt. Rage. Foolhardiness. A sense of determination that he could change things that was clouded by the hindsight that he just made it worse.

Mostly rage.

But that did not make it a bad town. And now perhaps because the possibility that his old one could be returned, he decided to see it for the first time. It was a pleasant world. They had probably had to work to keep it that way, but the work shone through. Aerith would like it here.

Tifa would like it here too.

Somebody joined him. He was prepared to glare them away, but stopped as he saw who it was.

“It’s peaceful out here, isn’t it?” Aerith asked lazily.

His wing twitched. He gave a noncommittal grunt. Aerith sat down next to him, and he panicked.

“We’ve all missed you.” She said. “We thought you had passed away along with Radiant Gardens.”

Oh whatever god or lifeforce decided to take him, this was not the conversation he wanted to have oh no no no

He shrugged. “Got a bit lost along the way.”

“Oh?”

She fortunately decided not to press any further. That was the one saving grace in this entire conversation.

“I wonder if anyone else was able to make it.” She thought aloud.

Cloud didn’t answer. Did she know? Aerith always had a way of knowing things nobody told her. If she knew, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

“Miss Katie said that when they found you, you were looking for something. Have you found it yet?”

Cloud hesitated. “I don’t want you involved.”

“You don’t want our help?”

Memories of what could have been flashed before his eyes. “I don’t want you hurt.”

“I’m stronger than you think.”

“I know. And that’s why I don’t want you hurt.”

Silence fell over them. Just faintly, he could hear the sounds of crashing from within the building. Considering it was run by ducklings, he didn’t pay it too much mind.

“Alright. I’ll trust you. But make sure to come back to us, alright?”

And Cloud, take care of yourself. So you don’t have a breakdown, okay?

He had seen her die too many times, in worlds that were real and worlds that weren’t.

“Yeah.”

Something caught his attention on the town below. The boy, the one the others had been so worried about. He scrambled out of the shop and into a Corridor of Darkness. Cloud jumped to his feet, prepared to do something, but it happened too fast. He was gone before Cloud could even turn around.

“Where did he go?” Aerith asked. That was good, at least; she had never seen a Corridor of Darkness.

“At this rate, he could be anywhere.” Cloud turned his gaze to the stars above. “Let’s hope those kids fix this before he gets too far.”

“I thought only the light of God could destroy the Devil.” Hanna said.

“Hanna, have we ever stepped foot in a church?” Dani asked.

Neither of them really noticed Sora approach the portal that stood in Chernabog’s place.

“Sora?” Goofy asked.

“I know this place…” Sora said. He put one foot inside.

“What are you doing?” Dani asked. “You don’t know where that place leads!”

“Yes I do!” Sora said. “Just trust me, alright?”

Hanna didn’t exactly have a choice. She jumped in quickly after him.

This was not Earth. It looked a lot like Earth, or at least what Earth had become. Yet the skies were purple, not blue, and clouds hovered around like they were trying to block something. The ocean beside them stayed still. No sun hovered above, even though it looked to be in the middle of the day. There was no breeze to feel, nor salt water or sand to smell, and she really didn’t want to try tasting anything here. Only what she could see, and hear.

“This is my home!” Sora said. “This is Destiny Islands!”

“…kinda a dump.” Nadine said.

“Hey, I don’t make fun of you for your homeworld, so—”

“Look at this tiny place.”

They turned to the source. Ansem stood by the water, looking positively bored.

“To a Heart seeking freedom, this is nothing but a prison. No wonder the boy decided to embrace the Darkness within.”

“You give Riku back!” Sora said.

Ansem glanced over his shoulder just to give them a condescending look. What a jerk. “Even if I desired to, it’s no use. His Heart has returned to Darkness, as will all Hearts in the end. That is the nature of the universe you decide to explore. That is the Heart’z true essence.”

“That’s not true!” Sora said. “Yes, the Heart may be weak. And sometimes, it may even give in. But I know that there’s a Light that never goes out!”

“You still understand so little.”

The ground shattered under them. It was actually an improvement, considering they were walking on sand.

“EVERY LIGHT MUST FADE! EVERY HEART RETURN TO DARKNESS!”

The rest of Destiny Islands shattered. In its place…

Darkness.

Darkness as far as the eye couldn’t see. No thing to interact with. No path he could travel. No person he could talk to.

At first, Riku thought he was in some kind of afterlife. He then decided that if he were, he wasn’t there for a good reason.

He wanted to apologize. Take everything back. Start all over. Even if he could, there was no way to escape this abyss. For the first time in a long time, Riku was actually alone.

And just as he realized it, he wasn’t alone anymore.

“Riku!”

Dmitri? Save for light signs of exhaustion, he looked the same as the last time Riku had seen him…whole again. Still, he wanted to make sure…

“Hey! Cut that out!” Dmitri swatted his hand away from his face.

“Why are you here?” Riku asked. “You were never a real Heartless, you should’ve been fine!”

“I wanted to find you.” Dmitri said.

“Why?”

“Because you’re my friend, and you’re hurting right now, and I don’t think you should be left alone.”

“I don’t have a Heart anymore! Or a body, for that matter! There’s no way I’m going to just escape with you!”

The revelation hit Riku. He struggled to maintain composure.

“You’re better off just forgetting about me.” He finished.

Dmitri was silent for a minute. Riku thought he had given up until he felt the weight of Dmitri’s hand on his shoulder.

“I’m not going to leave my friend behind.” He said. His eyes sparked with light and hope and determination.

Riku? Can you hear me?

“That is the silliest disembodied voice I’ve ever heard.” Dmitri muttered to himself.

“Who are you?” Riku asked instead. “Where are you?”

You were right when you said you lost your body. But you recovered your Heart. Because of that, it became trapped on this side of the Darkness.

But this isn’t quite as bad as it sounds! Two Hearts were always needed to close the Door, on both sides.

Two Hearts, and Two Keyblades.

Maybe you were destined to come here, just like me.

The world was ending.

Every world was ending.

The Darkness grew. Yet Light still shined in Dani’s Heart. They could still fight.

Oh, this is going to get so metaphysical! Dani thought as she summoned her Keyblade.

The real fight began.

From the Darkness, Ansem conjured Heartless. Legions of Shadows, Soldiers, Large Bodies, and a bunch of other funny names she didn’t quite remember to protect him with, and a larger one that hovered around him. The smaller ones were sliced through by Goofy’s shield and Donald’s magic. Bits of earth of worlds that were formed around them, making a path Dani could run on. She dashed along the platforms, and whatever Heartless she didn’t slice through was taken care of by Hanna.

Katie and Nadine made quick work of the familiar Heartless. Dani’s Keyblade slashed through him.

Ansem shifted again. He grew, to the size of worlds themselves (though most worlds were still rather tiny). Darkness engulfed him, in crude caricatures of muscles and body structure. The still human figure stood on the body, nearly consumed by his structure.

“Gross.” Nadine said.

“Can we shapeshift with the powers of Darkness too?” Katie asked.

“Let’s figure that out later!” Dani said as comets were fired towards them.

She flew through the comets, through the Darkness, through everything Ansem had to throw at her. When she landed, she landed on the writhing mass of visceral. She wasn’t going to stay there for very long. She launched towards Ansem, Keyblade at the ready.

He was a better swordsman than her, probably due to having actual training. Yet he could not stop three Keyblades. Or four. Or more.

“You’re wrong.” Sora said. “I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts is light!”

And the world turned to Light.

Ansem could not stand the Light. He burned. His body, both real and constructed, his Heartless, his Heart. In an instant, there was nothing left.

Except a door.

There was ground underneath them now so Dani allowed herself to stop flying and drop. In that time, she saw what lied on the other side of the door.

Darkness. More Darkness then there was now. And if it stayed open any longer—

Nobody wasted any time. They rushed towards it, and pushed. Even with all of the power of their teamwork, the Doors were massive. Not even Hercules could have closed these easily.

“This thing’s gonna have to be locked from the inside!” Nadine shouted. “Any ideas?”

“If we can get it closed, I’ll let you in on something!” Dani shouted back.

“Don’t give up!”

That was Riku’s voice. Something moved on the other side of the door.

Something tugged on the door Dani was pushing, and she could catch just a fragment of brown hair.

“We’ll close it together!” Dim’s voice.

“Don’t worry! There will always be another door to the light! Now let’s close this one for good!”

Not a voice Dani recognized. But judging by Donald and Goofy’s expression, they did.

“Your Majesty!”

“That’s your King?” Dani tried to poke her head in what remained of the open doors, but thought better of it. She could see a small figure, silhouetted in the Darkness, and gold Keyblade.

The three tugged at the opposite end of the door, and the seven resumed their pushing.

“Take care of her.”

The doors latched.

Sora jumped away from the group to pull out his Keyblade. The tip ignited in light and magic. A clicking sound echoed through the void as the Keyhole was sealed, then another as the one on the other-side followed. The Door faded.

And then there was nothing.

The adrenaline faded rather quickly when Dani realized there was nothing but they were still there. She glanced around in search of a path or something they could follow.

“Oh hey Sora your girlfriend’s here.” Nadine said nonchalantly.

“What!”

That seemed to startle Sora more than anything that had happened. He ran to her, jumping across the bits of world that remained and were reforming themselves.

“Kairi!”

“Sora!”

The ocean of Destiny Islands formed around Kairi’s feet and the ground shook. Sora grabbed her arm before she could fall all the way down.

“Remember what you said to me! I’ll always be with you too!” Sora said.

The worlds were repairing themselves. Destiny Islands was whole again, yet that was not where Sora was going. Sora’s grip on her arm loosened down to her hand as the worlds drifted apart.

“I’ll come back to you! I promise!”

Fingers clasped onto fingers. Kairi’s feet dug into the ground, desperate to hold on.

“I know you will!”

They let go.

For a while, Dani watched the stars form in the sky. She watched life be replaced on the other worlds as they flew past her, palm trees spring into life and people resume their ordinary lives unimpeded by the end of all things. She watched as they drifted away from her, into the unknown.

She didn’t know what happened after that.

“So…where are we?”

“Who knows?” Donald grumbled. “Probably some backwater planet that won’t have a town for miles!”

That looked to be the case, although Sora probably would have phrased it differently. They had walked the path for some time, and Sora no longer realized if they had walked that path as soon as the worlds had been restored or if he just woke up there. He no longer knew what happened to the other members of his group.

“Where do you think Riku and the King are?” Sora asked.

“Well, they’re probably still on the other side of that door.” Goofy said.

“But what about Dani and the others?”

Nobody quite had an answer for him. He sighed.

“We’ll just have to keep looking, then.” He said.

“Where do you suppose we’ll find them?” Donald asked.

The road had changed from Darkness to the absence of anything to rock and earth to dirt and grass. Yet up until now, there wasn’t anything on it except for the three of them. Now, a yellow dog crossed the road.

“Pluto?” Donald asked.

“Hey, Pluto, where’ve you been?” Goofy asked.

The dog froze, and turned to them. Something had been put into his mouth, but Sora could’t quite make it out. It looked like an envelope, sealed with a figure of three circles. The same figure on the back of his Keyblade, and Dani and Hanna’s for that matter. And it kinda looked like the King’s head…

“That’s the King’s seal!” Donald exclaimed.

“Hey, have you seen King Mickey?” Sora asked.

Pluto turned and ran.

Sora started after him. “Guys, let’s go!”

They ran towards their next adventure.

Dani woke up, and had no idea where she was.

That was becoming very common, recently, and she wasn’t sure if she liked it.

Forest surrounded her. Damp earth, thick trees, cool grass, yet nothing that she could identify for sure. Actually, it really looked like—

She stopped as she realized the cutest thing she had ever seen in her life sat in front of her. It looked like a fox, yet it was small enough to be a housecat. Its ear were nearly as big as it was, and from its head, a small horn protruded.

It dropped whatever was in its mouth, and Dani was surprised to hear it land to the ground with a thud. Hesitantly, she reached out for it. It vibrated in her hand. An icon told her she had one unread message.

CARBUNCLE: Hello? Can you read this?

CARBUNCLE: In front of you!

Dani’s gaze lowered to the fox.

CARBUNCLE: This is the land of your Dreams.

The story will continue in… Flights of Fantasy: An Original Character’s Story

Author’s Note: And we are done! This is it! If you have read all the way to the end, thank you so much. I am very proud of this project and I am so glad that it is out there now. Flights of Fantasy will start next summer around this time, but there will be more from the Original Character's Series in the meantime on here and on my blog.

Yes this is the end. Totally.

#Fic #OCS #Simple/Clean #Dani Scott #Hanna Scott #Katie Williams #Nadine Anderson #Dim Scott #Sora #Donald Duck #Goofy #Squall/Leon #Aerith #Yuffie #Cid #Cloud Strife #featured

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punalavaflow · 6 years

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Lava a hot topic for Puna council candidates

Puna sits on the most active rift zone of the world’s most active volcano.

And a river of lava runs through it.

Helping guide the district, where the Kilauea eruption has destroyed more than 700 homes, to recovery will be Hawaii County Council members for council districts 4 and 5, which both cover residents in the affected area. With two candidates running for each seat, both races will be decided in the Aug. 11 primary.

District 4

Running for District 4 (east Puna) is incumbent Eileen O’Hara and challenger Ashley Kierkiewicz.

Kierkiewicz, of Hawaiian Paradise Park, is a senior account executive with communications company Hastings &Pleadwell and a founder of Pu‘uhonua o Puna, which started a grassroots disaster relief center for evacuees. The group also is working on a transitional housing project.

She said that shows she can work with the private sector to get things done for the district.

“It’s about using government to expedite these processes and then get out of the way so government can continue focusing on its core function: maintaining its public spaces and the roads and public safety,” said Kierkiewicz, 32.

O’Hara also has been involved in the recovery effort through her office, which organized a lava insurance forum, and meetings with community groups to bridge the gap between residents and Civil Defense.

She said she has tried to make the county’s response less of a top-down approach.

Before joining the council two years ago, O’Hara, 66, was a recycling coordinator and planner for the county and was a state procurement officer. She was previously president of Hawaiian Shores Community Association and teaches economics online.

“I’m familiar with the players,” she said. “I’ve been working with them from the community side for years. I think it’s important because you have to have these relationships to move things forward.”

O’Hara was a proponent of the general excise tax increase the council recently passed, which she said is needed to fund much-needed improvements to the county’s bus system.

“For me, it was about creating a more diverse stream for our revenue,” she said.

Kierkiewicz said she also supports the tax increase, authorized by the state Legislature.

“This was a very unique opportunity that the (Legislature) was giving to all the counties,” she said. “I would have voted for it because we are cash strapped, and this was a way to get outsiders like tourists to be contributing to this tax base.”

Kierkiewicz said the tax is better than closing facilities or charging access fees for residents.

The tax surcharge expires Dec. 31, 2020. O’Hara said she would have liked it to be in place longer to allow county agencies, like Hele-On, to better plan for the future.

She said she would like to see some fees implemented for nonresidents at facilities like the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo.

As county officials look toward a land swap for displaced residents, O’Hara said they should avoid mistakes in the past when a land swap was tried after Kalapana was destroyed by lava. Lots were offered on state land nearby but few people have built.

“It took forever to get off the ground,” she said. “It was so little so late.”

O’Hara said infilling within existing subdivsions might be a better option. “On the other hand, our subdivisions have so many problems,” she said.

While it’s not known when the eruption will end, O’Hara suggested any condemnations by the county should be limited to properties “along the strip of new fissures” rather than entire subdivisions.

Kierkiewicz said it was premature to talk about condemnations.

“I feel we are going to have to have that conversation as a community before we make a decision about condemning the area,” she said.

Kierkiewicz said the county should look to “private-public partnerships” to help the evacuees find housing. She said she is “grassroots and community driven” and has the skills through her public relations work to help make that happen.

Kierkiewicz said she hasn’t decided yet if she will continue with Hastings &Pleadwell if elected. If she did, she said it would be part time and she would avoid working with clients that could present a conflict of interest.

Her past clients include Hu Honua Bioenergy. Hastings &Pleadwell also previously represented Puna Geothermal Venture.

“But I think to stay connected to the community and to be that person that also grinds it out with everyone else, that 9-5, that will help keep me grounded and provide me with a valuable perspective that I could bring to the table as a working mom,” Kierkiewicz said.

Kierkiewicz also is president of the Hilo Zonta Club and sits on the YWCA board of directors. She interned with late Sen. Daniel Akaka.

O’Hara faced criticism for a bill she introduced seeking to create a buffer zone on properties that have more than five roosters. She said she thought it was unfairly portrayed as an attempt to restrict agriculture.

“It was not about any attack on agriculture,” O’Hara said. “It was an attack on a form of raising roosters that doesn’t result in agricultural activity.”

She said the issue is improper zoning and she might consider addressing the issue again.

“We have the right to have agriculture,” O’Hara said. “I feel very strongly about that. To me, that bill was more about the zoning debacle that is Puna.”

District 5

With Councilwoman Jen Ruggles deciding not to seek re-election, the race for District 5 (west Puna) comes down to Ric Wirick and Matt Kanealii-Kleinfelder.

Wirick, 57, wants to cut county administration salaries by half and focus on promoting local agriculture. Salaries for administrators and council members are controlled by the county Salary Commission, which approved hefty raises this year. He thinks voters should be asked to change that.

“If we have to change the (county) charter, we will,” said Wirick, of Orchidland.

He said he wasn’t concerned about 50 percent pay cuts driving away talent or having administrators make less than subordinates.

“You are going to get people there who want to do the job,” Wirick said. “They’re not going in there for the money.”

Wirick, who moved to the island in 2005, said he would donate the recent council member raises that exceeded 30 percent to the Kohala Center if elected.

Kanealii-Kleinfelder, 36, is an electrical journeyman for ProVision Solar, and he and his wife own Liko Lehua, a cafe and catering service. He said that gives him a unique perspective as a worker and business owner.

“I’m just kind of your normal, average guy,” said Kanealli-Kleinfelder.

He moved to the island from California in 2001, after visiting several times while growing up.

Kanealii-Kleinfelder of Kurtistown said he was motivated to run to make sure the county is on the right track.

“I don’t think they have any bad intentions,” he said, regarding county leaders. “I just want to ensure that we are thinking about (our children) as we’re making decisions about land and coastal access and things that really affect people now.”

Kanealii-Kleinfelder talked about “unifying the district” so people are on the same page about issues such as connectivity between subdivisions. He said he doesn’t try to pretend he has the answers to everything.

“What it’s going to take is being a teammate and be a team player and working with the other (eight) council members to achieve what we all want to achieve, which is hopefully for the good of the island,” Kanealii-Kleinfelder said.

Wirick said he and his wife run Creative Awakenings, which does container gardens for businesses and residents. He said one of their clients is the Prince Kuhio Plaza. Both are former national park rangers when they lived on the mainland.

His main focus is “food sovereignty” and becoming less reliant on imports from the mainland.

Wirick said regulations make it harder to farm and cited prohibitions on dairies selling nonpasteurized milk as an example. He also wants to see processing plants for meat production.

“We should be able to feed ourselves,” Wirick said. “We shouldn’t have to do it kind of on the black market. We should do it more like the roadside stands.”

Wirick also has tried to make an issue out of his opponent’s use of his hyphenated last name, claiming that a Hawaiian surname gives him an unfair advantage.

Kanealii-Kleinfelder said that became his legal name after he was married.

District 5 includes parts of lower Puna to the west of Leilani Estates, the epicenter of the eruption. While residents who have lost their homes are in District 4, some District 5 residents are impacted by laze and other hazards.

Regarding people living in Lava Zone 1, Wirick said there “should be no knee-jerk reaction as to what happens next.”

He said a land swap, where evacuees give their lava-covered lot to the county or state in exchange for land elsewhere, could be “dangerous” because public land might be ceded land.

“Who owns title?” Wirick asked. “If it’s the Hawaiian kingdom, again you have to work that aspect out.”

Kanealii-Kleinfelder said talk of a long-term relocation plan taking 18 months seems optimistic.

“It takes four to six months to get a (photovoltaic) permit, so to do a 18-month turnaround for development of a community seems a bit much,” he said.

Kanealii-Kleinfelder said he prefers infill in existing subdivisions.

“I like infill because that’s immediate,” he said. “These people need immediate homes.”

Regarding the county budget, Kanealii-Kleinfelder said he wants to see where the county stands after receiving money from the general excise tax increase.

“I don’t want to lay anybody off,” he said. “I don’t want to lose jobs.”

Kanealii-Kleinfelder said he doesn’t think there’s much fat left in the budget to trim.

“We just got to get efficient,” he said.

Email Tom Callis at [email protected].

The post Lava a hot topic for Puna council candidates appeared first on Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/2vggeLT

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justmegawatt · 7 years

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Journal Day 177 - Raven Rant

Tuesday, April 18th 2017

Megg’s Schedule for the Day:

7:45 – 8:00 = Write schedule for the day (Got distracted, went on Reddit for a while, done at 8:00) 8:00 – 8:15 = Cook food (Done at 8:04, just had to wash then boil some potatoes) 8:15 – 8:30 = Shower (Done and fully changed at 8:19 AM) 8:30 – 9:00 = Eat food (Done at 8:55 AM. Time to chill). 9:00 – 9:30 = Chill (Done at 9:30) 9:30 – 10:00 = Drive to work (Done at 10:02) 10:00 – 4:45 = Work (Done at 4:46) 4:45 – 6:00 = Drive Home (Done at 5:15) 6:00 – 6:30 = Go out for a walk (Done at 7:30) 6:30 - 7:00 = Read CS1102 Assignments (Did it this morning during my ‘Chill’ time) 7:00 – 8:00 = CS1102 Discussion Assignment, Check out Programming Assignment (Done at 9:35 PM) 8:00 – 9:00 = Online Course (Skip) 9:00 – 10:00 = Re-Edit Fast Typing Video, and re-upload to YouTube (Skip) 10:00 – 10:30 = Journal entry (easy, done at 11:50 PM) 10:30 – Onwards = Sleep

Do you see how much time work and driving time takes up in a day? It makes it difficult to do anything else because there is almost NO TIME to do anything else.

8:34 AM

Breakfast this morning. Prep time: 2 minutes.

“But where do you get your protein?” Every food has protein. The meat industry has people brainwashed to think that only meat has protein, the milk industry has brainwashed people to drink fluids from a non-human animal after their growth period, and to get them to believe that only milk has calcium.

8:57 AM

It’s time to chill, because I don’t want to drive to work right away. I’m going to spend this time reading my homework assignment for CS1102.

11:12 AM

I’m in the office now. Had my 10 AM meeting. There’s at least 3 new people joining the company today, one of them is on our team. We’re going out to lunch later to celebrate a new member coming onboard. It’s also another team member’s birthday today so he will choose where we go, I think it’s his 35th birthday.

1:38 PM

Kind of bullshit. I was forced to go out into lunch and birthday boy chose to go out to a steakhouse grill restaurant. I looked at the menu and there was no vegan friendly choices on there, except for a salad. No one at work knows I’m a vegan, and I wasn’t about to be bugged about it. I chose to order the fish tacos, and I ate them. I felt like shit during and after. They didn’t even taste good. Destroying a life, harming the environment, contributing to the extinction of all ocean life, and damaging my health, wasn’t worth eating those tacos. I shook my head and looked down as I munched. Fucking bullshit.

The typical conversation around the table was about sports. Then it was about music. Then it was about dance floors and clubs. Society is pretty dumb. Those things are cool, but they’re not that exciting. There is so much more to do and talk about in life, why would I care about who the latest sports star is, or which new trap songs are nice?

But at least I know what’s wrong with the world and how to fix it. Am I going to be a revolutionary? I hope so.

2:14 PM

I feel sleepy. Must be the animal fats and cholesterol clogging up my arteries from the tacos I ate. High blood pressure leads to brain shrinkage. That’s why lowering my blood pressure is one of my main focuses. To get there, I’m focusing on losing weight first. I’m only strong when I’m powered by plants.

3:53 PM

Still insanely sleepy. I’m not the only one, everyone else in my team looks groggy as shit. People think this is normal?

4:21 PM

I actually went and took a nap for around 10 minutes. Those animal fats and cholesterol going through my veins, it’s been a while since I’ve had so much artery clogging.

5:16 PM

It’s about 44 minutes until I have to go out for a walk, so I’ll work on a video during this time. A quick Java tutorial.

6:58 PM

I got distracted for a bit and went on Reddit for the longest time. It took me around an hour afterwards to make the video and then render it. While the video was rendering I got distracted again and went on Reddit. But anyway, here is the end result of the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ggU_qbeV8k

11:13 PM

I’m definitely off schedule because I was supposed to go to sleep at 10:30 PM and not at 11:13 PM. However, it’s all good. Writing the journal entry throughout the day makes me not even have to write a journal entry later at night. I can skip that part entirely basically.

We live in a society where it is abnormal to not eat animals. But you’re crazy if you intentionally kill a bald eagle, or a kangaroo, or a panda, or a koala, or a chimpanzee. And we have no instinct to randomly just kill or eat any animal we come across. I have never seen a chicken, or a cow, or a pig, and thought “I need to kill these guys for food, these guys look tasty to me”, and same with fish, I’ve never had an instinct to kill or eat any fish, and I own goldfish, he should look appetizing to me.

91% of the Amazon Rainforest has been destroyed for animal agriculture. 2500 gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of beef. 1000 gallons are needed for 1 gallon of milk, one of the most unnatural ‘foods’ that we have, and it makes no sense that anyone even drinks it, besides that the dairy industry has a ton of money. We have nearly empty oceans and 99% of several fish populations have already been wiped out. The Great Barrier Reef is basically dead now thanks to all the environmental damage that we have done since more than 51% of earth’s CO2 emission is from animal agriculture.

More than 6 million animals are killed for food every hour, unnecessarily mind you. I’ve not been vegan my entire life, but I find completely unnecessary to eat meat at all. It’s not required in any diet. In fact the longest living populations on the planet are vegan. The people with the lowest cancer risk, the lowest heart attack risk, the lowest Alzheimer’s risk, the lowest diabetes risk, the lowest obesity risk, the lowest high blood pressure risk, the best looking people, the smartest people, the most energetic people, and so on, are vegans.

Veganism is the fucking healthiest diet in the world, the most sustainable diet in the fucking world, and the most humane diet in the world, and it’s abnormal in our society. In fact, if you’re a vegan, you’re a weirdo. That shows you that society is very retarded. I’m above the retardation however. I mean don’t be surprised that society is full of dumb fucks. You have people strapping bombs to their chest and committing suicide over their religion.

Women didn’t even receive the right to vote until the 1920s, black males received the right to vote earlier than women. So we enslave an entire race of people, then we free them. Then we give their males the right to vote. BUT the 50% of the population, WOMEN, we just ignored and didn’t give EQUAL RIGHTS AS MEN until ~100 years ago.

Not only that, segregation still existed until less than 50 years ago. LESS THAN 50 YEARS AGO. Before then, whites were still viewed as superior, and had more rights, more privileges. It took us until just 50 years ago to treat people of our SAME SPECIES as equal. I’m not surprised society is taking ages to understand how to treat other species better.

At the same time though, the main conversations you hear from people is about sports, music, or some other retarded shit that really doesn’t matter in the world. This is the first world. You have more people rioting in the streets for a sports game, rather than an actual important issue in the world. Fuck man.

This is the world I live in, and it’s full of shit. There is shit everywhere. But again, I don’t stay silent. I’m slowly, very slowly, getting to where I want to be. How long will it take? I think a decade or more. Crawling is slow, but it’s faster than standing still. I’m ashamed of people, we spent the majority of time doing nothing; watching tv, playing games, browsing social media. That’s what we spend our time doing. Instead of cleaning up the environment, solving world problems, or improving ourselves, we spend it wasting away. This society is fucked.

The world is pretty stupid. But that doesn’t stop the few of us who are trying.

Selfie for the day

#rant #raven rant #journal #day #177 #journal entry #diary #dear diary #veganism #vegan

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advocatewrites-blog · 7 years

Text

Simple/Clean Chapter 5

Simple/Clean: An Original Character’s Story

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts (1, with mentions of other installments)

Rated: +K for violence and occasional language

Chapter 5 of 12

Last chapter

Next chapter

Start from beginning

Chapter 5: Jungle Cruise

Things always started out so simply.

“Alright. What's our next course?” Donald asked as he settled into the Gummi Ship. He was quickly joined by two teenagers.

“I wanna fly!”

“Hey! Stop it!”

“C'mon Donald, I've driven before!” Dani said.

“Dani, you've driven a bumper car before.” Hanna said. “That's not the same thing as an actual spaceship.”

“Then you could teach us, Donald!” Dani said.

“There's no way you're flying this ship and that's final!” Donald said.

Hanna disliked flying, much less flying in space. As such, she usually kept her eyes inside a book during the time she was in the Gummi Ship. She didn't see what was going on at the pilot's seat. All she heard was them screaming, and then she decided to panic.

She found out later that they crashed into a meteor.

The Gummi Ship plummeted onto the surface of the nearest possible planet. The crash was slowed to a halt as the ship fell through trees, and once it landed on a somewhat-steady surface, for however long, Hanna decided to jump out of it. She was followed by Nadine, then Dani, then Katie, before the ship lost its balance on the cone-shaped roof and tumbled down. She didn't see Donald, Goofy, or Sora, and eventually lost sight of the ship in the thick of the forest.

“Wow.” Katie said. “If I had a nickel for every time I've seen a dog and a duck plummet to their death...I'd have three nickels.”

The others stared at her.

“I'm just saying, it's weird that it's happened thrice.”

“How are we going to find them again?” Hanna asked.

“I suppose we're going to have to climb down.” Nadine answered. “Let's just hope we can find them.”

“Why would we climb down?” Katie asked. “We're in a tree-house!”

Dani looked around. Her eyes lit up. Hanna got worried.

“Yeah! This place is awesome! Let's just retire here!” Dani said.

All four stopped when they heard a growl behind them.

“Okay.” Nadine said once they had escaped the cheetah. “We're going to have to go find the others and the ship. And by the looks of things, we just got dropped off in the rainforest. We need to work together and stay focused. No side quests, no Heartless!”

“So we're going on a safari?” Dani asked.

“Well, safari is more of an eastern African thing, and we're definitely off the coast if we could be considered on an Earth-like planet at all--” Katie started.

“So we're on a safari!” Dani said. “Let's go!”

“Could you tell me what this place is?” Sora asked.

“This place, this place.” The man said. He seemed to think that was a good answer.

“Right...” It was then that Sora fell into a trap plagued by tourists of any kind.

“I'm looking for my friends.” He spoke slowly and clearly, and gestured as needed.

The man mimicked the actions. “Friends.”

“Yes! The loud on is Dona--” Sora stopped. That wasn't what he was interested in asking. “I'm looking for my friends, Riku and Kairi.”

“Riku, friend?” The man asked.

“Yes!”

“Kairi...friend?”

“Right! Do you know where they are?”

“They are...here.”

“Really! Can you show me where!?”

The man let out a series of noises Sora had only heard in monkeys before. “Here.”

“Really? Can you show me where?” Sora repeated, and tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. He failed.

The man nodded briskly, and grabbed Sora by the wrist. Sora suddenly regretted every decision that led him up to this point. They leaped through the window.

“Good afternoon ladies and—well, there are only ladies here. My name is Kaitlyn and I'll be your skipper, your tour-guide, your alligator wrestler, your Swahili translator, your hula instructor and your hula dancer! And if you don't laugh at any of my jokes, I'll also be your swimming teacher!”

“Is this going to be full of puns?” Hanna asked.

“You better know it! Today we are going to be traveling through this Deep Forest in vaguely South Africa, looking for wildlife and buried treasure!”

“Is that what people do on safaris?” Dani asked.

“No, mostly it's big game hunting.” Nadine answered.

“Yeah, but what are the chances we're going to find some big game in this jungle?” Katie said. “Oh look, a cheetah!”

“I wonder where we are...” Goofy thought aloud. That was actually how he did most of this thinking.

Donald didn't say anything.

“I hope the others are alright.” He added.

“Ah, who needs 'em!” Donald snapped. “We can find the King on our own!”

He spun, and came face to face with a gorilla.

“Hey, did you hear that?” Nadine asked.

“Ah yes, the wonderful sounds of nature!” Katie said. “That would be the lovely tropical birds!”

“It sounded like Donald.” Hanna said.

“He's a duck, ducks exist in nature, don't be racist.”

“I think 'we've passed the point of casual racism when we couldn't figure out which part of Africa we're in.” Nadine said.

Silence fell upon the group, save for the noises of a duck and a gorilla screaming in the distance.

“Hey, why don't we move on? I think I've found our treasure!” Katie said.

Dani had to stand on her toes to see past her. “Wait, that's not buried treasure. That's our ship!”

The once proud Gummi ship was in a sorry state. The front had been hit a dead on collision, and had been crushed inwards. Wings were bent down. A steady stream of smoke rose from the tailpipe.

“We're okay!” Chip and Dale squeaked from inside. The two chipmunks scurried out from the broken windshield to meet the four humans.

“Can't say that much for the ship.” Hanna said. “How are we going to get out of here?”

“We might have just enough gummi pieces for a quick repair!” Chip said.

“Yeah!” Dale added. “And if we're really lucky, it'll be just enough to get us to Traverse Town before we’ll have ta hire Cid ta make us a new one!”

“You really think so?” Dani asked.

The two pilots nodded enthusiastically and jumped.

“Alright then! Let's get--”

And all of a sudden, there was a person in her path. Probably more than a little older than Dani herself, probably human. Though the rest of him was hard to see, Dani could see his face; cold calculating eyes, stricken with grief. Big, thick forehead veins. Antlers for hair.

“Hello there!” Katie said. “Are you lost too?”

The man smiled. The hairs on the back of Dani’s neck stood up.

Death is a sweet slumber

All the pain of life is gently swept away

Ah yes

If all life were to end on Spira…

all suffering would end.

Don't you see?

Those weren’t words. Those weren’t real words that were released via soundwaves into the air to eventually reach her eardrums. But they were there, echoing through the clearning.

“What's a Spira?” Katie asked.

“What's with his hair?” Nadine asked.

Come with me, Lady Yuna, to the lost city of Zanarkand, the city of the dead

“I’m getting a bad feeling from this guy.” Hanna said.

With death on our side, we will save Spira...

“What, do you think he’s a Heartless?” Nadine asked.

“Don't ask me, I failed the test!” Katie said.

I will be the one to save Spira!

I will destroy it!

“Those seem like mutually exclusive goals, buddy.” Hanna said.

The figure shifted again, becoming one with the Darkness around him. Suddenly, the thing standing before then wasn't human, or even human passing. It was a Heartless. A big one at that. Thick armor grew over his entire body. His hair, as ridiculous as it was before, thickened and grew into a form of armor behind him. Lights swirled around him, and he rose above the ground. A scorpion-like creature nearly as big as Dani crawled around his shoulder, and on his back Dani could make out the Heartless emblem.

But there is no salvation for the damned! Enjoy your peace, in eternal darkness!

The fight began. Dani jumped, avoiding a set of spells that looked like they would have roasted her to a crisp if she weren’t as fast. She summoned her Keyblade and jumped forward.

The Heartless creature swung its tail at her, and Dani collided with the closest tree.

The branch she landed on was huge, probably big enough to be its own tree. It held her weight easily as she was able to get back up to her feet. She surveyed the scene. With that Heartless hanging there, she wasn’t sure how much she could do. So that would just be her first target.

She fired what magic she knew towards the Heartless. The Heartless froze, however temporarily, but that just gave the others time to spring into action. Katie got there first, and reached for the Heartless’ tail. Bright lights obscured her vision.

The Heartless thrashed against her, causing her to fall. She caught herself on the tail, and swung up just high enough to kick it in the face. She switched hands to slash the Heartless across the face with her Keyblade. She switched hands again. She slashed the Heartless across the face with her Keyblade. She tried again, and realizing there were two Keyblades in her hand, fell to the ground.

The new Keyblade didn’t look like any of the others. At one point, it actually might have looked like a proper sword. Golden latticework had been added on top of it, giving the blade better reach and width even at the cost of structural integrity.

“I can summon two weapons?” Katie asked as she stared at the new Keyblade.

“No fair! I wanna duel wield!” Dani said.

The Heartless was now off of its owner’s shoulder, and it wasn’t happy about it. More spells summoned underfoot and the other three jumped to dodge them. Dani changed her targets, and jumped off her perch. She charged with her (one) Keyblade, and swung towards the figure of the man.

Katie joined her.

“Do you know how to use two?” Dani asked.

“I barely know how to use one!” Katie answered.

“Friends here. See friends.” Tarzan said.

Sora looked around. As beautiful and majestic as the cave was, they were the only ones inside.

Tarzan let out a series of ooks again, and looked proud of himself.

“Oh, I think I understand.” Jane spoke up. “I think he means ‘heart’.”

“Heart.” Tarzan repeated carefully. “Friend, same heart. Clayton, lose heart. No heart, no friend.

“Oh.” Sora said. He tried to hide his disappointment.

Tarzan seemed to realize this and turned back to him. “Heart, guide home.”

A flutter of butterflies flew past, and as they cleared, Sora saw the Keyhole on the cave wall.

More spells were fired haphazardly in their general direction. Nadine batted away the ones that got too close with her Keyblade. Hanna crawled under her and slashed at the scorpion Heartless. Its tail twitched and swung. Easily dodged. But in that time, it started to crawl back to its owner.

Nadine tried to fire off what magic she knew to knock it back. A bright light, the same that usually occurs when she summons the Keyblade, obscured her vision however briefly. Pinpoints of magic, almost like bullets, shot from the tip of her Keyblade and collided with the Heartless.

She pulled her Keyblade back and stared at it. “How long could I do that?”

She didn’t have enough time to think about it. Dani jumped, chopping the man down with her Keyblade and moving to do the same to the scorpion. It moved before she could. She recovered and grabbed onto the tail for dear life.

The scorpion, seeming to realize it had already lost, crawled onto the walls and leaped towards the tree. Dani refused to let go.

“Nevermind how, can you shoot that thing?” Hanna asked.

Nadine gave her an incredulous look. “I barely know how to use this, you want me to make that shot?”

Hanna made a face. “Alright. I will.”

She pulled herself onto a branch and ran. It was hard to make her out amongst tree, but when she saw her again, Nadine could tell that there was another Keyblade with her. The same Keyblade that Sora and Dani used, but it was still new to her. And when she swung, magic formed around her. Magic that probably did more than the actual physical attack.

That was all they needed. The Heartless’ tail stopped as it fell to the ground. Darkness it the ground before the body did.

No one said anything for a minute, not even Dani or Hanna as they got there. Not even Chip and Dale.

Dani cleared her throat first. “So, uh…looks like we kick butt, right?”

Nadine wasn’t sure.

Just what was going on here?

“What did you say this man looked like again?”

Dani had no other way to describe him other than a vague motion around her head to represent antlers. Leon nodded sagely.

“He spoke a lot about death and suffering and release from suffering...” Nadine said. “He wasn't talking to us, that's for sure.”

“What do you think? He was already dead?” Leon asked.

“That would make a lot of sense.” Katie said. “He talked about death and suffering and release from suffering a lot.”

Leon hummed in thought. He tugged a leg a bit closer to him, almost defensively. “I haven't heard of a Heartless every delaying their turning. If it's true, it can't be good.”

“If you think he was dead to begin with,” Aerith spoke up. “Then maybe what you saw was just his ghost.”

Leon scoffed. “Ghosts don't exist.”

“We travel the universe with a dog and a duck, I’ll believe anything at this point.” Dani said.

“Considering my previous employer, I would not rule ghosts out just yet.”

All turned towards the new voice.

“Mr. Moody Pants!” cried the four girls.

“Cloud?” asked the adults in the room.

“Does nobody say ‘hello’ in this great big universe?” Katie asked.

Cloud shifted under the attention.

“It’s good to see you again, Cloud.” Aerith said. “Tea?”

“Didn’t think you would show up here again.” Leon said, just a hint of venom in his tone.

“I’m not here on a personal visit.” Cloud replied. “I have a message.”

“It took me forever to find you, Sora.”

It was Riku. Save for the sword in his hand, it looked like he hadn't changed at all since they left the island. Still, Sora wanted to make sure…

“Hey, cut that out!” Riku swatted Sora's hand away from his cheeks.

“Wow! You're for really real, Riku!”

The joy was short lived as Sora looked behind him. “Wait, where's Kairi?”

“I thought she was with you.” Riku answered.

Riku seemed to sense Sora's disappointment, because he patted Sora on the shoulder. “Relax. She probably made it off the island too. We'll be together soon.”

Sora peered over Riku's shoulder. It was just a glimpse of a shadow.

“Just leave it all to me and--” Riku continued, then froze. He sensed it too.

Well, he might as well show off.

Sora jumped past Riku and took care of the Heartless in one single sweep. Riku barely had enough time to turn around before the Heart was released.

Sora posed dramatically. “Leave it to who now?”

“Sora...what did you--”

“Hey, I've learned a few tricks along the way!” Sora said. “With the help of my buddies here!”

“A-hyuck! That's right!” Goofy chimed in. “Sora's one of the Keyblade Masters!”

Sora's confidence faltered. “Hey, you didn't have to tell him there was more than one.”

“So this is a Keyblade...” Riku said. There was something different in his tone, but Sora couldn't quite place what it was. It was probably just confusion.

It was then that Sora realized the Keyblade wasn't in his hands.

Riku hummed in thought as he inspected the Keyblade. Eventually, he wrinkled his nose. “Catch.”

Sora barely did. He could hear Donald and Goofy mumbling behind him, but he didn't care. “You're coming with us, right? We've got this awesome ship! And...things might be a little cramped but I'm sure we can find room for you!”

“Sora!” Donald squawked. “You just cant' invite people on board!”

“Oh relax! Riku's my friend! Right Riku?”

Sora turned back. Riku was gone.

“Riku?”

Author’s Note: I’ve never found a version of Tarzan that I’ve really liked, which is a shame because I love classic adventure novels. The Disney movie probably comes close to me, but that also may be more of a nostalgia thing.

Anyway, the plot thickens. The character’s power ups are based on Drive forms. Nadine is Wisdom, Katie is Valor, and Hanna is Master form. Why didn’t Dani or Sora get any? We’ll get to that. Our new character, if you could not tell, is Seymour from Final Fantasy X. If you haven’t seen anything from that game, I recommend you give him a good Google search because he is quite silly-looking. He’ll be playing a much bigger role down the line.

#Fic #OCS #Simple/Clean #Dani Scott #Donald Duck #Sora #Goofy #Hanna Scott #Katie Williams #Nadine Anderson #Squall/Leon #Aerith #Cloud Strife #Riku

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