SadSongs

Kingdom Hearts: Somebody and Nobody

Umi limped through the darkness. She was hurt in a dozen different places. Several light wounds torn into her exposed hands and arms, a large gash near the shoulder that was bleeding profusely, a cut running from her mouth to nearly her left ear. A bite had even been taken out of her leg, but that wasn't the worst of it. No, the worst was when the clawing hands of those monsters had struck to her core and taken something precious to her. Something so precious...that without it she was nothing. Nobody. She could cry, if only those monsters hadn't taken away that emotion as well.

The last attack had come without warning. Her home world was one of the Realms Between, perilously close to the Realm of Darkness. Her people routinely dealt with attacks from the monsters. But this last attack was by far the worst. Countless beasts had poured from the shadows, unceasing, giving no reprieve until their whole world was no more. Even her friends, her city's strongest fighters, couldn't stand against them. By now they were surely dead...NO! When the world was engulfed in darkness she lost sight of them, but could they not have survived just as she did? Alive, if not whole. Nick, Star, Bas, Alexander, Michaul-she couldn't give up on them yet. She would find them, one day. But first she had to escape these shadows, before the creatures attacked again...or she collapsed.

Heaving, she raised her hand and concentrated. It was more instinctual than anything, but it felt right. She focused on the darkness, the cool shadows that brushed against her. The world pulsed like a single vessel, but it was not alive. The darkness gave the illusion of substance, but in truth it was empty. Like her. If she just focused she might be able to...rip it open. She mustered the remaining energy inside herself, pictured it flowing to her hand, the pushed.

An ovular portal appeared, hardly visible against the darkness but she'd take it. she put a hand against her bad leg to steady herself, then took a step forward. Then a second and third. She stumbled into the portal then felt a sensation like she was falling, but only for an instant. The shadows parted and she found herself on pristine cobblestone.

Her legs promptly gave out, adrenaline fading now that she was safe. Her consciousness followed close behind.

The sky was growing dark as Jane made her way down the road, clutching a stuffed rabbit to her chest. Most people were inside at this time of night, not because of the heartless, but because this was when less then kosher people roamed the streets. The seventeen year old didn't by any means believe herself to fall under this category of lowlifes... not that she felt herself to be under any category at all. She honestly viewed herself as more of a recluse then anything else.

The truth was that no one around here really liked the girl; she was too... odd. Not even Jane's parents really cared about her; so the child made her own friends. Who needed friends anyways? People always stabbed you in the back, and they didn't like different; and boy was she different.

A cool breeze danced through the town, the brown curls framing her face bouncing and bobbing as it passed by. As the cobblestone streets were illuminated by the timed lights, Jane took a turn down a dark alley; a short cut home as it were, not that her parents would be missing her; they hadn't themselves been home in three days, leading the child to believe they had gone on holiday without her. However, as the teen made her way to the apartment she was blocked by the most peculiar sight in front of the door. "Curious, isn't it BunBun," she commented, taking a cautious step back and watching to see what would happen. 

Had heartless been coming through the portal opening now, her curiosity most certainly would have been the death of the reclusive teen; however, it would seem she would be lucky enough to live another day, as none other then a woman passed through, falling to the ground instantly with a deep thud. The girl poked her cheek with one finger, looking her over with big and rather deep brown eyes. 

The portal disappeared, leaving the human as she squatted over the woman bellow her. "Look what has been left on our doorstep BunBun...we can't just leave her in the cold for the thugs now can we." Delicately stepping over the woman, the girl unlocked her door; taking the unconscious body under the arms and, with much struggle as Jane was a rather small specimen of humanity, dragging her inside.

When she awoke, the woman in question would be laying on a couch in a dimly lit room. She could see a fair amount of light shining from an archway and, upon further investigation, would find Jane all by herself... talking to the rabbit set on the other side of the table.

"I wouldn't know BunBun, what do you think of it?" There was a slight pause as the girl took a sip of tea from a chipped teacup. The rabbit had some tea, as well as a piece of cake, sitting in front of it's lifeless fabric body. "Well I suppose you're right, I hope she speaks our language so we can find out..."
"She's awake BunBun?" 
The girl turned, to look up at the person she had taken into her home. "Hello miss stranger, can I offer you some cake?"

Umi slowly opened her eyes. She had not dreamed while she slept: most Nobodies could not be said to dream at all. Although her body was exhausted, her mind picked up right where it left off.

She felt the leather couch beneath her and realized she'd been moved. No time for resting. She took a glance to confirm she still had her weapons then jolted up, stifling a moan as her shoulder protested. She turned to survey her surroundings.

There was a small girl having tea with a stuffed rabbit. Maybe 14 years of age? Umi's eyes shifted some more, but no one else seemed to be in the room. Why? Had this fourteen year old brought a potentially dangerous stranger into her house without an adult's supervision? Umi had been entrusted with much responsibility from a young age, she might have done the same if the situation were reversed. But most kids weren't that mature; they'd run screaming from a bloodied body and only maybe grab an adult afterwards.

“Hello miss stranger, can I offer you some cake?” The girl said calmly. Yes, she was unusual. Umi appreciated the unusual, back when she was a human.

“I gladly accept,” Umi said. No point in being rude. “However, I am afraid my blood is staining your couch. Might I first have some bandages to remedy that?”

"Oh..." Jane muttered quietly. She hadn't even noticed the cuts until now... not that she didn't see them; the teen simply hadn't registered them as worth noting when she first dragged the woman in here. "She needs bandages BunBun, why don't you go fetch them." The lifeless doll didn't seem to respond, though Jane had heard something as she stood with a look of frustration on her face.

"Well Fine! I'll take care of her! Just like I have to take care of everything else!" She pushed in her chair before storming to the bathroom in a fit of furry, returning with a well equipped first aid kit. The Seventeen year old handed it to the woman with a smile before giving the stuffed bunny a glare and returning to her seat, pouring her guest a cup of tea and cutting her a piece of cake. Once it was set at the seat between her and the rabbit, she looked up wide eyed. 

"My name is Jane Miss stranger... and this is BunBun. Don't worry about the couch, I'll clean it up later. May I have the pleasure of knowing the name of the guest who dropped on my doorstep?"

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"Oh..." the girl muttered quietly. Had she seriously not noticed? "She needs bandages BunBun, why don't you go fetch them,” she said, addressing the stuffed rabbit. Was she unhinged?

The rabbit predictably did nothing for a bit, then "Well Fine! I'll take care of her! Just like I have to take care of everything else!" Yes, definitely unhinged. That at least explained why she'd brought a stranger into her house. And she'd been abandoned too? Umi's memories told her she'd normally be feeling strong sympathy right about now.

The girl returned with a first aid kit and handed it to Umi before returning to the table. While Umi started dabbing her wounds with disinfectant, the girl poured some tea and cut a piece of cake, surely for Umi once she was ready. Oddly enough she wasn't feeling very hungry. Did the being she was now even need to eat?

"My name is Jane Miss stranger... and this is BunBun. Don't worry about the couch, I'll clean it up later. May I have the pleasure of knowing the name of the guest who dropped on my doorstep?"

“My name is Umi. The pleasure is mine.”

"Umi, that is a lovely name, isn't it BunBun. Where are you from Umi? You just dropped through a portal and in my way. Mind you you're lucky it was my doorstep, I would hate to see what the thugs around here would do with you; you're very pretty." She looked at the rabbit as though she was waiting for him to contribute, but frowned as he did nothing. "Pardon him, he's shy with new people."

There was a long pause in which Jane waited for Umi to respond, taking a sip of her tea and eating some cake. Jane was a very open person, and if the nobody had any questions she ought to ask them. Until then she sad there, here emotions unchanging as she watched the stranger with big brown eyes. She was curious about the woman of course...

"Umi, that is a lovely name, isn't it BunBun. Where are you from Umi? You just dropped through a portal and in my way. Mind you you're lucky it was my doorstep, I would hate to see what the thugs around here would do with you; you're very pretty." She looked at the rabbit as though she was waiting for him to contribute, but frowned as he did nothing. "Pardon him, he's shy with new people."

There was a long pause in which Jane waited for Umi to respond, taking a sip of her tea and eating some cake. Jane was a very open person, and if the nobody had any questions she ought to ask them. Until then she sad there, here emotions unchanging as she watched the stranger with big brown eyes. She was curious about the woman of course...

"I..." Umi began. Should she tell this girl the truth? It might complicate things, and wasn't a tragedy something you keep close to your chest? She wanted to go looking for her friends; they were valuable to Umi, and so they should be valuable to her current self as well. In the state she was currently in though, she might not be able to move around for a while. No point in leaving as fast as possible if it was just going to extinguish what little existence she had left. Then again, now that her heart was gone, would those creatures even bother with her anymore? In any case, Umi needed a place to stay, and telling the truth was easier than coming up with elaborate lies on the fly. The person she once was hated to lie.

"I come from a place called V World. It's a very chaotic world, full of powerful allies...and enemies. The endless battles aside, many call it a utopia...or at least they used to. That world is no more."

Jane blinked a few times, an expression on her face so blank that the nobody would be unable to read it. She looked at BunBun and then back at Umi.
"That sucks..." the silence was broken, "you must be hungry, have some cake..."

She then glared at the rabbit, wrinkling her nose as though he had said something she didn't like. "I can't ask that it would be rude.... "
"..."
"Well if her world is destroyed she obviously has no place to stay!... "
"..."
"What do you mean her age is relevant?"
"..."
"Well I'm seventeen and I don't have a job"
"..."
"I am not lazy, you've seen the economy!!"

The frustrated child looked as though she was ready to blow before suddenly relaxing, looking over at Umi as though nothing had happened. "I'm very sorry, it's rude to argue in front of guests. You are free to stay here as long as you would like, I don't think mom and dad will be home for a while, they just upped and left for holiday without me; didn't even pack a suitcase."