Chains of the Heartless

The Destiny Islands



“Kairi! Kairi wait! It’s not safe!”



With a curious expression Kairi turned, looking back the way she came to see her friend Selphie come running over the hill, her eyes wide, her school uniform in disarray but a small smile on her face. Kairi smiled, stopping along the path to wait for her.



Selphie finally caught up, stopping with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Kairi stifled a giggle, looking to her. “So what’s not safe?”

Selphie grinned impishly. “Going off alone. With all the boys, you’d be in horrible danger.”



The two girls shared a laugh as they continued on. “Well, if you didn’t keep me waiting every day maybe we wouldn’t be in trouble at school. Thought I’d teach you a lesson.”



Selphie grinned back up. “You don’t lose me that easily.”



As the two girls walked down the paved road, heading for the bridge that would lead them to the school, two eyes followed them, gleaming deep red, forming out of the shadow of a tropical plant. Gradually the heartless slipped back into the foliage, hidden as it continued to stalk them.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Old Mansion



Ansem the wise wore a smile of self-satisfaction. The sounds of classical music played around him as He stood before a round experimental table in his laboratory, dials and indicators decorating the device’s cold edges. In the middle of it, barely fitting within a clear tube was the naked form of Fuu. The young girl took harsh, frightened breaths, the fear showing even on her stoic face as she looked out with her one good eye, her silver hair covering the rest. She sat, one leg curled up to her chest, the other under her, cramped and uncomfortable, her hand pressing against the side as she looked out at her captor. Ansem’s grandfatherly face only returned a simple smile as turned the machine before him on.



The silver-haired girl’s eye widened as she began to feel lifted, a light glow showing around her lovely form, playing over her soft curves. Her hair began to rise up as if from an electrical charge as the machine vibrated, and then her body began to lift as well. She looked around in a panic, beginning to float in the middle of the tube, her hands and legs spreading as the light danced around her body, building, until a pulse shot through the tube, light flowing from top to bottom, and as it did Fuu screamed, her cries echoing through the room as sudden pain seemed to flow through every nerve of her body, matching the pulsing light.



Ansem forced himself to take his eyes off the suffering girl, turning to look at the view screens lining the walls around her clear cage, four columns of three, two to either side of her. Most showed only static with red lights flashing above them, but the one to the upper left was different. As he watched a flickering image came up, showing city streets, a peaceful image of Twilight Town.



“Wonderful, my dear.” Ansem said, his deep rich voice filling the room as he looked back up to Fuu, watching as she danced in agony within the tube, her screams muted only by the thick glass. “I believe we can call this experiment a success. You see, through the wonders of both science and magic, I have been able to tune this device to work off of the residual dimensional energies around your lovely form, synch to them, and trace them.” He spoke as if lecturing a class, though his only pupil could barely make out his words, her eye rolling down to try and see him, begging wordlessly for him to stop the pain. “In short, I can see the worlds where you’ve been, and open a gateway to them.” He smirked, looking to the one screen that didn’t display static. “I would say you need to get out more, my dear. But no worries, we shall fix that soon enough.”



The barely audible noise of sliding doors interrupted Ansem’s thoughts. He turned , raising an eyebrow as Seifer entered, his body showing the red chain tattoos of Ansem’s new heartless, his eyes an insidious red on black.



“What news?” Ansem asked casually as Seifer bowed.



The teen looked up with a grin. “The way into the Radiant Garden has been found.”



Ansem the Wise’s face practically beamed with joy. “Excellent, my boy! Then we shall have our doorways to the princesses’ in swift order, and with them our key to the true dark.” He raised an eyebrow, his expression growing serious. “And what word from our potential allies?”



“We’ve heard back from most, Lord Ansem, and so far all have found your offer,” Seifer let his eyes travel over the suffering form of his former girlfriend, “appealing.”



“Excellent. In that case, let us make ready. We have much to do.”



Seifer rose up, turning to follow Ansem out. He paused then, looking back over his shoulder to Fuu’s still struggling body, watching as she hung in the pulses, crying out with each new wave. “What about her?”



Ansem looked back, drawn from his own inner thoughts. “Oh, don’t worry about her. Let her decorate the lab for awhile.” He chuckles as he saw the lustful look the boy cast back. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll find new pets for you to enjoy in the Radiant Gardens.” He said, patting Seifer on the shoulder as they walked out. “Besides, your little friend will have some time to think about how to respond next time she’s told what use to put her mouth too.”



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Radiant Garden



The sun was setting slowly over the city, casting the sky in beautiful shades of pink and purple, the rays stretching out down into the flowery back alley, illuminating three pixie-like figures as they flew towards the mysterious door.



“This is is, Yuna was right.” Paine said, grinning back to the other Gullwings. “And if it only appeared this morning, then I bet no one else knows about it.”



Rikku spun in the air, her scarves flowing around her. “Wheee! We’re gonna be rich!”



Only Yuna seemed less certain, pursing her lips. “I don’t know. It could be dangerous. Something back her in the shadows…. And it looks like it doesn’t belong. It looks like it should be in Hollow…”



She was cut off as Rikku flew into her. Catching her head in her arm and giving her a rough noogie. “Of course it’s dangerous! That’s what being friendly-neighborhood treasure hunters is all about. Check it out Paine.”



The darkly dressed Gullwing smiled, and fluttered down to the door, disappearing into the shadows below. The other two looked down, listening.



“I think there might be a way underneath.” Paine’s voice called out. “There’s an opening and… I think it’s moving. Something is…” her voice cut off suddenly.



There was a rustle in the bushes, and then Paine’s voice cried out, screaming.



Yuna and Rikku were stuck motionless at first, there eyes wide in shock at the sudden sounds. As they looked down, trying to see their friend, evil red eyes formed out of the darkness, glaring back up.



The heartless spilled out of the shadows, leaping at the two pixies. Yuna barely dodged out of the way, planting her feet off of one’s head and leaping back, somersaulting in the air to draw two tiny guns, firing them into the thing’s face. Rikku zipped in between the forms of the heartless as they leapt up, slashing at them with her knives until she heard a new, sharp cry from Paine’s hidden form. Rikku froze, looking back, but the distraction left her still for too long, and one of the heartless seized the opportunity, grabbing her in its claws and bearing her tin form down to the ground.



Rikku gasped as the thing slammed her into the soil, driving the air from her. It towered over her little body, filling her vision with its macabre red eyes. Its claw encircled her body, pinning her arms to the side as the kicked and squirmed trying to get free. Rikku grimaced as it raised its other hand, preparing for it to slash at her. She turned her head away, eyes closed tight, flinching as the claw came down.



It did not slash her. Instead she felt it grab the front of her yellow top, flexing and ripping it off of her body, making her little pixie breasts jiggle as they were uncovered. She looked up in amazement, feeling it leer down at her, then screaming as it raised her body, its claw moving now between her kicking legs. “NO! No stop it! Help, Yunie!” she cried out, now understanding Paine’s screams, and the strange rhythm they were coming in. Her own voice cried out as the thing hooked its claws in her skirt and thung, ripping them apart, leaving her in only her stockings, sleeves, and boots. “YUNIE! HELP!”



Yuna cringed as she heard her friend’s cries, but her attention was caught by something else. The door was opening.



Black mahogany in a steel frame that flowed almost organically into the wall, the door itself was imposing. But as Yuna hovered there it was a feeling of dark dread that held her still, eyes wide as she watched in horror. Darkness seemed to spill out of the slowly opening doorway, red eyes decorating it as the heartless spilled out. Shadows seemed to rise with them, running along the walls, giving the alley a gothic feel more fitting the corrupted Hollow Bastion. And as Yuna looked up, the cries of her friends echoing in her ears, her heart seeming frozen still, a man stepped out, fixing her with a cruel but somehow charming gaze.



Ansem the wise reached out, and a tendril or darkness shot from his hand, wrapping around the Pixie’s neck. Yuna tried to cry out, grasping at it, but the darkness flowed along her body, down her arms, wrapping around them and jerking them cruelly behind her, forcing her elbows together tightly as it bound them together. The thin tendril tightened, reeling her in so the man amidst the darkness could look over her tiny form.



“Fascinating.” He said, as if inspecting an insect. “But altogether too inconveniently sized.” The black tendril continued to flow along Yuna’s body, holding her still, sinking under her clothes before suddenly twisting, ripping every inch of her clothing off her form. Ansem held up his hand, a glow forming within that sieged out, covering the area.



Yuna’s world filled with the strange light, and then suddenly she stood before the man, no longer a pixie, her body that of a full-sized girl. To either side she could see the other Gullwings, now human-sized as well, panting as they had suddenly grown too large for their captors. There was only a momentary respite however as the heartless surged around them, their black bodies forming into leather straps to drag the girls down, binding them tightly, gags forming in their mouths to muffle their cries.



Yuna could only barely see the distress of her friends. Her own gaze was captured by the steely eyes of Ansem. She stood stock still, her beautiful form on display for him, too frightened to move, even had the bonds holding her allowed it. He reached out, stroking her cheek, his eyes playing over her delicate body.



“I think there is much more to this little toy then meets the eye.” He smiled, lifting her chin as the black tendril of darkness coalesced into a leather collar around Yuna’s slim neck, extending into a leash held tightly in his hand. “Bring her friends along as well.” He said, turning to leave, tugging Yuna’s leash to keep her in tow, her dainty feet now bare, struggling to keep up as they were now bound at the ankles by a short hobble-chain.



Rikku squealed into the ball-gag filling her mouth as she felt powerful arms grab her from behind, hauling her up by the leather straps that now trapped her wrists together behind her. She found herself turned, looking into the glowing red eyes of a man not much older than her.

Seifer grinned sadistically as he looked over the fiery blond, twisting Rikku’s wrists up behind her so they were between her shoulder blades, forcing her to arch her back. He fastened a short chain then between her cuffs and her collar, keeping his new prize in the position, forcing her to display her small but pert breasts. She screamed uselessly into the gag as his hands grasped her breasts, exploring and molesting her soft curves. “The big man said we’d find some nice new toys. Looks like he was right.”



Rikku tried to struggle away but Seifer grabbed a hold of her intricate braids, pulling her along as he followed behind Ansem. As they left the alley, Rikku was able to look up, and impossibly she found her heart sinking even further.



Shadows were claiming the Radiant Garden. Heartless crawled over the walls, of all shapes and sizes, spilling across the city. In the distance she could hear screams and crashes.



“Welcome, my friends,” Ansem said, arms raised, displaying his triumph, “to the new Hollow Bastion.”