Traveling Hearts {Discontinued}

[Chapter 2] Water & Worries

Water.

[Name] felt like she was floating peacefully in it. She relaxed thinking it  was simply a pleasant dream. The water was refreshing and the perfect temperature. She slowly blinked her eyes open and stared at a perfectly blue sky with a smile.

"Hey!" she heard a faraway voice shout. That's when reality hit. [Name] once relaxed body tensed. The water then began to swallow her. She took in a deep breath as she thrashed against the water. She flapped her arms trying to reach the surface. As [Name] sunk, she looked down with wide eyes at the bottomless lake. Kicking her feet, panic began to spread through her body.

A hand then harshly pulled at her arm. She felt her arm and shoulder being strained and heard a pop. As her head reached the surface, her vision blurred and she began to cough. [Name] felt whoever saved her drag her along the water. They then threw her to a patch of grass. She rubbed her eyes hoping her vision would return.

Breathing heavily, she blinked. [Name]'s vision began to clear. A large male glared down with a menacing gaze. Cringing back, she noticed a much thinner man with cold, harsh eyes.

"Found it," the large of the two grinned. His smile sent chills down her spine.

"So are you going to give the Star Shard up?" the thinner man spoke softly.

"What's a Star Shard?" [Name] asked with a croak. She jumped at the loud laughter of the huskier man. He continued to howl while the other man just snickered.

"What your parents never told you the legend?" he wiped tears from his eyes. She gave him a questioning look before he pointed down to her hand. [Name] looked down to see the star in her hand emitting a low glow.

"She must be playing stupid," a chubby arm then shot at her clamping onto her arm. The thinner of them then sharply turned to his left.

"We have to leave now," he growled. "The Cloaked Schemer is coming closer."

"No offense but we don't have time for this," his other arm attempted to grab the star. As she pulled back, the glow swallowed [Name] again. This time she landed on her feet a few feet away from the men. They both looked up with the same shock she displayed.

"I thought that thing was dormant," the huskier one gave a low chuckle. "Didn't work for us." [Name] could see both reach to their sides. They unsheathed their swords as her eyes widened. Instinct and fear pushed her to move. Adrenaline increased, coursing through her veins. Turning on her heel, [Name] clumsily ran through the uneven forest. She could hear two pairs of heavy steps follow after.

A shimmering glow enveloped her. She stared in shock at the pace she was running. Each step she took resulted in a short burst of light. Each step landed her yards away from her original position. She stopped and inspected the star. The unknown object was the source of this new power.

[Name] looked behind her with relief, as she hadn't heard the men shouting. She then noticed the light surrounding her fade away.

"If a single step gets me this far," she looked forward. "Where will a jump lead me?" She searched the lush, crowded forest for a clear strip. Moving to the right she found one. Stepping a few paces back, she inhaled deeply then pushed forward.

As she gained speed, she regained the radiance from earlier. Pushing down on the earth, she leapt. Her surroundings dissolved to a bright white. Excitement swelled her heart. Her feet finally touched the stone-paved floor.

"Where the heck am I?" her voice filled with relief and anxiety questioned.

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A young teen lied on the floor of a grand ballroom. He stared up at the detailed, night sky painted on the ceiling. His bright, cobalt blue eyes traced the intricate designs on the pillars. His skin was lightly tanned. He ran a hand through his caramel brown hair that spiked in different directions. He wore a plain blue shirt under the black leather of his short-sleeved jacket.

"Who is it?" he asked then turned towards one of the doors. Standing at the door was a silver haired youth. He rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation as he walked into the ballroom. His long, white and yellow coat trailed behind him elegantly. His silver bangs hid two aquamarine eyes that glanced around. His hair ran down his shoulder in layers.

"Oh, it's only you, Riku," the brunet sighed sitting up.

"Thanks," Riku responded flatly and after a moment of silence. "What's wrong?"

"Everything!" Sora shouted and threw his hands in the air dramatically. "First, there's Leon. He hasn't sent any word since he entered the Beast's territory. Next, the advisors have me studying without break instead of training with the soldiers. Seriously! We're at war! I could be knocking down some of those Heartless things but no! I'm stuck here in the castle while Vanitas gets to travels around."

Riku stared but not with surprise at the many worries. He shook his head and knew telling him the news from DisneyCastle would upset him even more.

"Let's go spar!" Sora announced and stood.

"Alright," Riku shrugged and then gave a cocky smirk. "But I see no point in beating you again." Sora stuck his tongue out and then froze. He turned to the large windows separating the ballroom to the courtyard. A faraway and searching gaze accompanied his steps back. Riku frowned. He clenched and unclenched his fists. They both felt a change. Both knew the world's stability was disturbed.

"Someone's used the Star Shard?" Sora furrowed his eyebrows. Confusion clear on his face as he turned back to Riku.

Riku nodded, "A messenger from Disney Castle has informed us that late last night it was taken."

Sora's eyes widened grabbing onto his arm, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I barely found out," Riku exhaled. "They're just two petty thieves. They didn't believe they'd be able to use the Shard so that's why I barely learnt about the situation. They already have a few Organization members looking into it. They guaranteed to have them by the afternoon."

Sora turned to the window with the same faraway look, "They shouldn't be able to use it though."