Kingdom Hearts {Reader Insert}

11. The Trio of Terror

You glanced around you as you entered the town square. Apparently the ghost heartless had recruited the help of some tall, lanky heartless that appeared to be all wrapped up like mummies. You quickly learned that these heartless liked to use their claws, and their attacks involved a lot of launching themselves at their enemies and slashing ferociously. They were very offensive and you found yourself blocking often to avoid their rapid attacks. While you were doing that, there were also the teleporting ghosts to worry about, so by the time you got back to the doctor's lab, your group was fairly tired out. You noticed that the rest of your group was no longer here.

Jack walked up to the doctor's wheelchair, which was turned away from your group and facing the large book that sat open against the far wall. He presented the flowers to the doctor who took them, saying, "Yes. This is it. Now, just one more ingredient. I sent your friends to get 'surprise' from the mayor."

Jack and the Doctor started talking about the festival, and what Jack hoped to accomplish when the heart worked. You took the time to glance more thoroughly around the lab. It was all very industrial. Though the room seemed to be large, it was one of the only rooms in the building. You figured this is where the Doctor spends most of his time. There were several contraptions you didn't recognize, some of them you were sure you didn't want to know their purpose. Almost everything was metal. The floor, ceilings, and walls were pieces of metal bolted together. The tables were all shiny metal. There was a large bookshelf on the wall by the door. By the large book across from you was a large vat of some glowing green substance. It looked similar to what was in the fountain in town, but you couldn't be sure it was the same goop. One wall of the room was dedicated to bottles and boxes of strange things, some you didn't care to look at for long. Then your eyes found your group... except not fully. You were missing one.

"Where did Yuffie go?" you asked Cloud.

He glanced behind himself, muttering something about it being quieter than before, then turned back to you and shrugged.

Your brow furrowed. What could she be doing by herself? Sure, she seemed like the curious type, but to just wander off when you were all on a mission didn't sound like the Great Ninja Yuffie to you. Maybe she had stayed outside to continue fighting off heartless. Maybe she had found something interesting and forgotten to tell the group. You had no idea, but Cloud seemed calm about the matter- perhaps more calm than when Yuffie hadn't been missing- so you decided that it must not be a big deal. Maybe going off and investigating on her own was something she did more often before you joined the group and this was just the first time you had seen it. At any rate, you figured it wasn't a problem if Cloud didn't think it was a problem.

"We have 'surprise.'" Tifa announced as her group entered the room. She held out a Jack-in-the-Box to the Doctor, who took it with a smirk. He quickly went to work incorporating the ingredients into the heart. His back was turned to the group again as he worked at the table, but you could hear some strange gushing sounds along with the whirr of machinery turning on and off.

"Where'd Yuffie go?" Leon asked as he walked up to Cloud. The blond shrugged and Tifa joined the group, shaking her head.

"Yuffie is going to get herself into trouble. I told her not to go off on her own anymore," the dark- haired girl sighed.

"Should someone go look for her?" you asked.

Tifa pondered for a moment. "No, not right now, anyway. She's always come back to us somehow before, albeit occasionally with the enemy chasing after her."

Tifa had chuckled jokingly at the end, but your eyes widened a little at the thought of Yuffie running back to your group, a swarm of heartless trailing behind her.