Check (LonelyPuppet)

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"What a stupid little dog!"
"It looks weird!"
"Let's see if we can hit it with these rocks!"

A group of small children no olde than the age of possibly 8 were gathered at a small junkyard where a dog was stuck in some trash. They started to throw small pebbles at it, a lot of them messing. The small dog whimpered.

Then, Hero came.

"Hey, leave it alone. You're gonna hurt it."

Hero was what you could call a miserable mess. He wasn't dirty or smelly, but his head and sweater were stained with still wet blood, a portion of his shockingly blue hair was a deep, maroon red. However, his facial features did not show pain, but a mixture of monotone resentment. His voice was much onlike his appearance, as people would say. Accompanied by a shockingly blue-haired child, with an irrational pair of earphones that represented cat-ears, red jeans, and a thin, blue sweater - was a british and almost feminine kind of depth that mixed in like cream in coffee. He spoke, however, with the air of one commenting on the weather. His sharp eyes were a shade of deep violet - added to that a pair of lame, small pupils.

The children's faces showed utmost ridicule.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S HURT MORE!"

"I got run over for an pigeon with injured wings."

"GO TO THE HOPSITAL, STUPID!"
"Let's go, doing this aint' fun anymore.."

Hero started wadding out into the junkyard.

"Hold on a sec, I'm coming."

He scraped some trash out of the way and pulled the dog out amongst the rubble. It still whimpered, though, still finding strength to lick Hero's face. Hero set the dog down and pulled a thin first aid kit out of his handbag.

"Hold still, please."

As the dog whimpered, but stood rigidly, Hero applied bandaging to a bleeding leg and a few bruises from the pebbles. It barked happily and curled up in Hero's arms. A small smile emraced Hero's features, but still, wondered where this dog came from. It was quite the pitiful sight, the bloodstained boy sitting on a heap of trash, holding a small dog that looked equally ruined, though, looking more happy.

[xthelonelypuppetx]

Wandering around Traverse Town looking for worthy Heartless to vanquish was not an easy task. People didn't usually venture out into the areas of the world where Heartless ran the most rampant, and Helena had no reason to fight Heartless that weren't doing anything wrong. Besides that, there were just so many places to look. She had remembered all the little nooks and crannies throughout the town, like the doors that most wouldn't notice, the walls that no one ever tried to climb, the rooms that no one knew how to get to. There were plenty of places to look, but not much worth fighting. The concept was dizzying. Had Helena really been doing this almost every day for years? Was she really wandering around this town, looking for a fight?

Helena found herself in a small junkyard she didn't care much for. This was on the relatively safer side of town. A group of small children came whizzing by, jumping and shouting like a bunch of wild beasts, ignoring the girl they had seen walking around a million times before. She blinked after them, wondering what kind of discipline their mothers and fathers gave them. Her hand found Phoenix Feathers instinctively. As Helena turned, she sensed an unfamiliar presence. An enemy? Helena's muscles tensed. A few yards away stood a boy who looked not much older than herself. He looked beaten down, bloodied. A bandaged dog was curled up in his arms, content, but a little ragged around the edges as well.

Helena's hand fell away from her blade. She couldn't possibly raise a hand to either of them... They already looked so weak! And of course, she was not at all like her father. Her father would have approached the two, blade bared. He would have demanded the boy's name and maybe even the dog's name. No, she wasn't like him at all. Helena had vowed to protect the innocents, not condemn them. Her motherly instincts kicked in. She had to see that they were okay.

After closing the distance between her and the boy, Helena asked almost coldly, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

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Hero almost forgot to look up when Helena approached him.

When he did, he saw a stout looking girl with many dark garments to match her hair, looking apprehensively at him with rust-colored eyes. She spoke with the air of a teacher about to give a student detention, but there was something caring in her eyes that didn't make Hero feel offended or uncomfortable - it was a mixture of pity, warmth, and something tsundere-like that he couldn't identify, but a desperate mood that felt like she wanted to prove herself fearsome.

Hero smiled welcomingly.

"Not really, I suppose, but you're company helps."

( Lame post, I'm in a rush. )

[xthelonelypuppetx]

'Your company helps'? What kind of answer is that? The guy is bloody, beaten up, with a dog in his arms in a similar state, and he says that MY company helps? What's up with that? Helena wondered to herself, furrowing her brow as she thought. It was like the boy wasn't even present. She hadn't had proper company in such a long time that she'd forgotten about how to act in front of someone else. Helena had even forgotten to keep someone's presence in mind while thinking to herself. Secretly, the girl hoped to herself that the boy didn't mind that she was perplexed by his statement. She really did want to do something for him and the dog besides keep them company. Helena was a woman of action, regardless to say, and sitting there while the duo wasted away was not high on her potential responses to the situation at hand.

A little voice piped up in the back of her head. Maybe I should see to it that he ends up all right. I wouldn't forgive myself if he just... She dared not finish the statement. Regardless of how illogical the solution seemed-- company alone couldn't possibly heal wounds, could they? --Helena decided that she couldn't risk living with the regret if he was ambushed or didn't make it to safety.

Her furrowed brow relaxed. The perplexed expression fell away; he was there again, the dog still curled up in his arms. Helena nodded cautiously and looked him over. There was something definitely boyish and naive about him, but Helena could gather there was something else about him that struck her as rather odd. It wasn't the headphones that gave him the appearance of having cat-like ears nor was it the dark blue hair. It was something about his personality, something about the look in his eyes that seemed to pique her interest. What was it called...? Optimism? No, she told herself, that can't possibly be it... Could it?

"Well," Helena said at last, "I suppose if you feel that way, I guess I should oblige. The name's Helena." Her hand found her sword. Her rust-like eyes regarded him with cold warmth. "Allow me to see to it that you're okay... err, what's your name?"

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"It's nice to meet you Helena," Hero said, with a smile that looked so irregularly innocent that people almost recoiled from it, "I'm Hero. Your intentions are very kindly, so I'm gratefull."

He picked himself off the pile of junk, brushing some dust off of his pants. It was then that he noticed all the blood that had soaked into his sweatshirt.

Far from being surprised, Hero thought in a quite rational tone to himself,
"This stain is going to take some work to get off.."
"Anyways, I think I can manage my own self, Helena, but this dog will need more treatment then I gave him."

Hero finally reached the comfortable earth with a faint pitter-patter of footsteps.
He gave a small formal bow to the girl in the gentlemanly way he taught himself, but he didn't really seem in the position to do such a thing, seeing as a large portion of blood already dried on his shirt, pants, and face. His stature seemed pitiful in all, but a jovial expression tugged at his face as he studied Helena with some form of polite amusement. She indeed made herself look cold, but he could very well tell that there was some internal struggle within her. Hero decided to play along.

[xthelonelypuppetx]

Hero, huh? Interesting name for a kid. Can he live up to a name like that, I wonder? I'd like to see what he can do while he's not injured. Helena smirked to herself and noted silently to ask him to spar the next time she saw him. She wondered where he came from, for she certainly did not remember seeing him before. Well, perhaps she did at one time, but she didn't necessarily care before. All sorts of people showed up in Traverse Town, and Helena certainly had no interest in learning about every single person. However, this boy had made an impression on her. First he had attended to a poor dog when he probably needed a bit more cleaning up himself. This being an assumption, as Helena did not see him actually bandaging up the innocent thing, she continued. There was that unknown thing about him that she could never quite place a name for, but she was called to it instinctively. That was another plus. His name also incited interest in her. In the very back of her mind, she wanted to get to know him a little... All of these, among other things, found reason through her social logic. It was simply common sense. She wanted to befriend him.

"Pleasure's all mine, I assure you, Hero. I'd be happy to get the dog taken care of for you." The hand that had been fingering Phoenix Feathers for quite some time found refuge in her pocket. A sense of relaxation filled her being. There was virtually no reason to be as cold and as socially secluded anymore. Warmth tugged at her once more, almost like it did whenever she would help those people who had been wrongly accused out of the prison that was the cave on her home world. It was even similar to the warmth she felt whenever Helena's mother would lend her some kind words after her father condemned Helena for 'consorting with the enemy'. Maybe she was just feeling sentimental because Hero was covered in blood, because no one usually got past Helena's logic. In her head, she told herself that it was because she was cynical, but in her heart, it was evident that she couldn't go through the pain of losing someone again.

Helena brushed aside those thoughts as swiftly as she could. Those hopeless emotions would not be allowed to stand in her way. Logic solved problems. Emotions just complicated them.

At last, Helena managed to mumble with reasonable numbness, "But please, allow me to see you to safety, Hero. I hope you would understand that I'd feel personally responsible if something were to happen to you. If you're sure you can manage, though..." A twinge of fear struck her with those words. "...I'll step aside."

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"If you're sure you can manage, though.. I'll step aside."

Suddenly, Hero saw Helena break through some sort of emotional barrier. Just what it was, Hero wasn't sure, and he didn't know whether it was good or not, but instead of looking cold, her features showed a bit of fear. Hero merely chuckled.
"If it's help your offering.."
He transported the dog to his left arm and used his free hand to grasp Helena's,
"..I'll be happy to accept."

It wasn't really mocking, it was sincere. Suddenly, Helena cared for some reason, and Hero wanted to encourage that.

He felt the same way when he first entered existence - or rather, re-entered existence. The memories of what he had before he woke up in the frozen gummi ship were all scrambled and unrecognizable. When he finally figured out how to work the gummi ship, he faced plenty or ridicule from many people, both from his appearance and his personality. He built resistance against it, but it felt degrading, being so distant from society. The only thing he had was himself and some other person that lived in his consciousness, though, he rarely spoke to him. Hero smiled reassuringly at Helena, but his eyes told a sad tale. Perhaps this girl had a past, he didn't know what it held, but all Hero knew was that he didn't have one. That was all very well - many people couldn't continue in life just due to their tragic pasts. Hero had already decided, upon his re-birth, that he wanted to keep looking forward. He looked forward to meeting new people and making friends, but they never came.

Divine one, you shouldn't worry about such things.

Hero ignored him.

"Please take care of me."

[xthelonelypuppetx]

Is this... warmth in my cheeks? When was the last time I blushed, anyway? The first instance that came to Helena's mind was the time the kids at school ridiculed her for wanting to help those who had been condemned as potential Heartless. That time was different though, and it was so many years ago. Around the time her world came to an end, nobody even spoke of it anymore. They stopped getting a response from her, and so it was no longer enjoyable. The only other time that came to mind was probably the last time Helena had felt a similar warmth in her cheeks. Yes, she remembered that night clearly. It was only a few nights before that Fateful Day, the day when whatever was left of the old Helena was incinerated and what she was today rose from the ashes. She had saved that mother and her little boy. Though it was, in itself, of little consequence, Helena was able to remember this particular event because those were the last people she'd saved in Moonlit Lake. Helena could remember that she and another boy she had saved, Kato, were rowing to the side of the lake opposite from civilization, where the innocents had set up a camp. The little boy had been gazing at Helena with his moon-like eyes. At last, he'd murmured, "Wow, you're pretty, Ella." That was the last time she'd ever blushed. A few nights later, she was reborn. And now, the feeling was back again, as if finally stirring from a four-year long sleep...

Was the old Helena returning?

No, she's been dead for too long to ever come back. Think logically, Helena. Blushing is caused by emotional stress or embarrassment. It's just the dilation of blood vessels that cause the reddening of the cheeks. It's nothing but science.

The annoying little voice piped up again. I just need to loosen up a bit.

"Please take care of me," Hero had said to her. Helena was quite capable of that much, to say the very least. She had a certain procedure she followed whenever she accompanied those who were lost or needed help back home. She'd take them back to wherever they needed to go, make sure they were okay, and then leave. Oddly enough, this was the first time she had ever said more than a few words to someone she had helped out. Even more strangely, this was the first time she had ever cared to offer her name.

"Okay, well, where do you need to go, Hero? I'll take you there. I know where everything is around here. Happens when you've been wandering around the same place for four years." Helena took a few wary steps foward. It was sad, actually--she had been stuck in the same place for such a long time. Helena was well aware that there were many other worlds in the universe, but she had never thought about leaving. Who else would be so willing to offer protection without discrimination, after all? However, the idea seemed fascinating to the girl. There were hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of worlds out there. She had no doubt that someone out there needed help... and what if she had the chance to offer help to them?

"If you don't mind me asking as an aside, where did you come from?" Helena asked softly. Her tone still did not demonstrate much emotion, but in comparison to every other time she spoke to someone else, it was vivid with color.

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"Where I come from, hm?"

Hero repeated, contemplated dreamily at Helena's face. He normally felt a little bemused over admitting it, but there wasn't any hesitation this time. With sagacity, he spoke clearly.

"I don't know."

Unprepared for derision, he kept his explanation adamantine, without condescension. Hoping Helena would not feel too guiled by his explanation, he continued,

"I have no memory of who I used to be, what I will be in the future. I'm only nine years old, despite my appearance, even."

Hero didn't speak with heaviness or regret - true though it was that when he first rose from his state of cryogenic freezing, he held a very zombie-like attitude towards life during his stay at the hospital, he decided later to solve all mysteries with audacious alacrity, and look to his future with a clear plan of what to do. He kept walking with Helena, his gaze sometimes morosely directing itself away from Helena's face or on the ground. Clearly, he wasn't that used to this, but he did not want to seem eminecent, or furtive. Hero always assumed that he had lost all memories of his past life, but somehow, he doubted it. Random thoughts and sensations of deja vu came to him at unsespected moments, and death rattling voices and images stalked his nightmares..

Helena seemed a bit troubled. Hero managed to see that her cheeks had somehow turned a bit red, and her features hardened, but it was the same face she gave him when they first met. That was only on the outside. Still, Hero didn't know what it meant.

"You can just consider me another amnesiac for the moment, Helena."

Hero stopped walking, scratching his head with a rather preplexed look on his face.

"Say, Helena is a kind of mouthful."
"You would not mind if I reffered to you as 'Ella' would you?"

[xthelonelypuppetx]

A single breath, a slight gasp of realization, was all Helena seemed to be capable of at that present moment. Hero--poor, amensia-stricken Hero--was not even into his teens yet as far as his age went. At least he can remember that much. What would it be like, I wonder, to forget nearly everything? What if I couldn't remember the love my Mother had or the sins my Father committed? Where would I be now? Who would I be? These questions perplexed Helena. From what she knew of memories (which was very little), Helena had this abstract idea that maybe memories couldn't be totally and utterly destroyed... just lost. Maybe Hero had those memories somewhere in him, waiting for their chance to come to the surface. Perhaps there was a chance that Hero could find out who he was. The idea was yet another object, upon digestion, that seemed to puzzle Helena. Do people change once they find out who they really are?

An image flashed before her mind. A figure stood, in the midst of flames consuming her homeworld. Before Helena could ever figure out who the figure was, the image was gone.

Understandably, Helena softened up toward Hero and the situation itself after that. Honestly, she had no problem with his actual age or his amnesia. It made her all the more interested to see where he'd go from here. Helena had latched onto the truth without knowing it just minutes ago when she noticed something boyish about Hero... And now that she knew, Helena was curious to know where this boy would go. She digested that silently to herself. As an aside, after spilling the truth, Hero seemed to avert his gaze gloomily from her as if to avoid a cold stare. She couldn't help but wonder why.

"You can just consider me another amnesiac for the moment, Helena." Another amnesiac, huh? You'd be the only one I've ever met. That was yet another vexing statement for Helena.

Hero came to a stop. Abruptly, Helena followed suit.

"Say, Helena is a kind of mouthful. You would not mind if I referred to you as 'Ella' would you?"

'Ella', huh? A touch of light enthusiasm found its way back into the immoveable rock that was Helena's heart. Her features finally softened. Nobody's called me that in a while. I kinda missed it.

"I wouldn't mind at all, Hero."

A slight instance of silence passed.

"And don't think that I'll be repelled just because you've lost your memory. I guess you can say I'm a little harder to get rid of than that." She smiled at her own joke.

And again, Helena was vexed by such an action.

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And don't think that I'll be repelled just because you've lost your memory. I guess you can say I'm a little harder to get rid of than that."

Hero's features showed a bit of mild surprise, and his walking slowed down a bit. Suddenly, his headphones picked up a nearby signal and played a soft piano tune, the notes and melody small, but innocent. Since the headphones were multi-purpose, it started playing whenever it picked up a hazard signal. Hero grasped one side of the headphone's ear coverage and flicked what seemed to be the of switch. However, he looked at Helena with an optimistic grin.

"That's great! Let's stay together for a long time then."

Hero felt unbelievably cheerful - like he just made another friend. Even though his personality was soft, gentle, and knowing, he didn't come across many people who wanted to know him very well. Explaining his condition to somebody made him feel more comfortable around them.

Master.. Do you honestly wish to live under such circumstances?

.. Like this other condition he had. An odd, rattling voice that spoke every now and then - and when Hero was fatigued - took control of his own body. He tried his best to ignore it - the voice was nothing but a trauma, or a split-personality - nothing big. He hoped.

Speaking of which, it was now Hero's turn to wonder about Helena. A minute ago, she seemed hardened and cold - now, it seemed pleasant and easy to get along with. Hero wondered how it happened. Helena also had a past - something he didn't own. Curiosity filled him as he thought about what exactly Helena might have experience before in her life.

[xthelonelypuppetx]

Helena received Hero's smile warmly by widening the one that had somehow curled its way into her lips. He visibly relaxed and adjusted some setting on his headphones. There was suddenly a prickling sensation on Helena's skin. Is there someone else around? Or something else...? Helena quickly dismissed those thoughts and went back to the situation at hand. Helena adjusted her pace to keep up with his. Up at this point, they were just walking without direction. Did all friends do that? The inquiry entertained Helena with all the possibilities.

"Well, I suppose since you told me about yourself, I should tell you about myself, right?" Helena questioned, contemplating Hero softly. Her entire backstory was a little long, but she was very capable of shortening it up... At least, she thought so. Helena had never tried to explain her background to another person. This was all a bit new to her, so she tried her best to sum it all up as smoothly as possible. Helena's rust eyes settled on the path ahead, and before her she could see the ghost of her past... A hand found Phoenix Feathers. The ghost always seemed to incarnate itself as her father. "I came from this world called Moonlit Lake. Nice place, I guess, but I've only seen two worlds so I really haven't formed an opinion as to what a beautiful world looks like. Anyway, there was this organization called the SCARECROW that ran pretty much everything. They would cast all of the people they deemed too corrupted by darkness to a place where they couldn't harm anyone. Eventually, the SCARECROW started arresting innocent people..." Helena's brow furrowed at the coming statement. "My father was the one who led my home world down the path it took. He was the one who gave out all the orders. I tried my best to save those people that were wrongly persecuted. Eventually, I was arrested by my old man because the rest of Moonlit Lake's population willed it. As he was in the midst of deporting me he apologized and gave me his sword... Then the guy went and gave himself over to darkness. My whole world went and died with him. To make a long story short, I discovered my powers and ended up here about four years ago." The ghost grinned and disappeared back into her memory. "I swore that I'd never end up like my father, so I decided to use his sword to protect." Helena paused for a moment, contemplating. The prickly feeling wouldn't go away.

"Say, Hero, do you... feel something? I might just be a little paranoid, though." The hand that touched Phoenix Feathers tightened around its hilt. The dog in Hero's arms--or rather, arm--whimpered softly.

What is this feeling...?

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Hero's face fell a bit as Helena explained. He didn't know somebody could have a past so deep. Yet, without a biography, it made Hero feel.. incomplete, somehow. Unsatisfactory. Yet, all of what she explained is what made the Helena he was seeing now. How could that be?

Then, suddenly:

"Say, Hero, do you... feel something?

"Feel.. something..?"

Hero looked oddly concerned. He didn't exactly know what she might have been feeling, but whatever it was, the dog was feeling it as well. It was shaking uncomfortably in his arms and whimpering in a low, sad drone. The two continued to walk, but a little slower, and Helena's expression and body tensed.

Divine one..[/font]

(( Fail post. ._. On the contrary, it's quite late where I am. ))

[xthelonelypuppetx]

"Feel... something?" Helena slowed to a halt. The prickling feeling had found its way up her arms and into her spine. She knew this feeling well. It was the same feeling she'd had whenever her world had fallen to darkness, and all she could see were those beady yellow eyes... There were Heartless nearby, looking for an easy kill. Helena was as sure of it as she was sure her heart was pounding in her chest. Her fingertips were itching--this was sign that she was about to switch gears from protector to attacker. The dog continued whimpering sadly and yet at the same time with a touch of fear. Helena threw a glance over her shoulder.

"Hero..." This was the first time in a while that Helena felt wary for someone else. She was always fearless around everyone else, but she knew she had a duty, an obligation, a want to keep Hero safe. Helena turned on her heel and unleashed Phoenix Feathers. "I'll take care of these guys." Three Soldiers had approached from behind. The three sets of yellow eyes probed Helena first, then turned to Hero and repeated the process.

"You guys better walk off now, or you'll be sorry." Of course, being Heartless, they couldn't understand her and made their approach. A smirk came to Helena's lips. "Hero," she addressed the boy again, "Unless you're well enough to help out, I can take 'em without any problem. Besides... I never mentioned what my powers were, did I?" Her smirk widened. Helena's blade glinted with unknown intent. She'd strike to incinerate.

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"Sorry, what did you just say just now?"

It all happened within a few seconds - Hero was covered in some sticky black essence he received while he was bashing the small heartless with his crowbar. The dog was held safely under his cloak. The diminishing corpses of the wrecked heartless lay for a moment at Hero's feet until the dissolved into nothingness. Hero was different while he fought - there was more of a mad glint to his eyes - somewhat red, and though he never smiled, his feature were maniacal - and most strangely, his pale, brown cloak turned a brooding shade of black. His expression softened, and Hero laughed a bit.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away, didn't I-"

Another soldier emerged behind Hero. Not having any time to pull out his crowbar again, he quickly turned about face, lifted a palm in front of the soldiers face. A loud, crackling noise whipped the air, and what sounded like super-fast currents of air pierced the wind as the soldier was blown back and landed in an uncomfortable heap somewhere near a trashcan.

Hero cringed. He just made himself look uncomfortably murderous in front of a person he really liked - now what did she think of him? The black essence that clung to Hero's outfit seemed like blood, and his crowbar deemed the appearance of a murder weapon. Well, there was no time to worry about what he looked like now. They weren't in a very safe place within Twilight Town, so Hero guessed that they would have to leave quickly, less more heartless showed up. His cloak went back to it's usual color.

"Um, so - what were your powers?" said Hero in a slightly sheepish tone.