That Night on Promise Hill

Chapter 1 || The Beginning

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Screams were still echoing off the cliff walls. They had been so sharp, the squealing voices of the heartless filled with more terror than Edge thought was possible. Did they feel anything as they burned out of existence? Did they feel anything, seeing the unnatural fire tear through the rocky landscape, carving rifts in the stone with the force of his pain?

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It was hard to think about, but it was harder to look at the spot where she lay. The way she’d screamed when that last strike took her down.

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The way she screamed his name.

 

“Tyle!”

 

The kitsune was still in a rage, flinging himself at straggling heartless trying to flee. When there were none left, he kept going, the fire consuming his body without harming it, but making for a terrifying sight. He was a brilliant light in the canyon, trying to burn itself out.

 

“Tyle, you have to stop!” Edge was screaming at him, racing alongside the burning boy, trying to catch his arm but wincing away from the heat before he ever got close enough. The fire returned his sentiments with something like a growl crossed with another anguished cry, its pace slowing.

 

“There’s nothing left!” He shouted again, and the fire started to slow. Little bursts of it trailed away from him, floating on an unnatural breeze before they died. As Edge watched, the flames receded into his friend’s skin, crawling across every inch of him before disappearing entirely.

 

Tyle looked tired – beyond tired. Edge had never seen him use so much magic at once. His long, pointed ears drooped slightly and his tail dragged flatly through the dirt. He didn’t say anything, barely even looked at Edge. His eyes had already found her, lying silently a few yards away.

 

He walked towards her slowly, almost cautiously. It still felt as if she’d sit up at any moment, smiling or growling. It was hard to predict her behaviors, but Tyle had always been good at calming her and brightening her otherwise gloomy disposition. Tyle had always made her smile, her eyes closing in that long blink of affection – a behavior she shared with her catlike ancestors.

 

Edge remembered the long conversations she appeared to have with the strays around Twilight Town. She never said a word, or at least, not one Edge or Tyle could understand. Every bit of communication was in tiny mews, growls, or purrs. Neko argued later that their language was one of the body, of blinks and subtle twitches of ears and tails. Neither of her friends understood a word of it, but they trusted her.

 

They trusted her more than anything.

 

That was why this was so hard to believe.

 

No heartless could have taken her down, not her, the girl who had survived on the streets with nothing but the clothes on her back. She’d had no magic, then, nothing but her wits, fangs, and claws. And she’d survived.

 

How could anything have taken her down?

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“Neko?” Tyle’s voice was soft, trembling with unspoken anxieties. Neko still hadn’t moved. Edge was struggling to believe she never would.

 

“It’s…it’s okay, Neko, it’s over now.” He kept talking to her, desperately, as he fell to his knees beside her limp form. Edge felt like he was hearing the kitsune’s voice from far away, snatched from his mouth by winds that weren’t there. He watched as Tyle touched his friend’s shoulder, shook her arm, and choked back a sob when it fell lifelessly from his grasp.

 

“I-I’m sorry there was so much fire, but it’s okay now, it’s safe…” He whimpered as he touched her arm again, shaking her more vigorously. She remained still. Tyle waited another moment, tears starting to roll down his cheeks as he whispered her name.

 

“Neko?”

 

Edge took a few steps closer, swallowing hard. He couldn’t stop himself from searching her for any sign of life, the slightest puff of a breath, a twitch of her tail. But there was nothing, no movement. The only sound he could hear was Tyle, starting to sob brokenly.

 

“Wake up, please…” He shook her again, a little harder. There was still no response. “Why won’t you wake up?”

Edge had to turn away, unable to watch as his friend put both hands on the little catgirl’s shoulders, shaking her almost violently. He didn’t have the heart to stop it. He didn’t look back until the boy started to beg her, whimpering in a way that made Edge’s heart ache.

 

“Just open your eyes…” He slid down, laying his thin body alongside hers, clutching her pale hand in both of his. “I-I don’t like this joke, Neko, please…”

 

Edge took in a sharp, shuddering breath, kneeling beside both of his friends. The only friends he had. He put a hand on Tyle’s shoulder, feeling how cold the kitsune’s skin had gotten. Was this from the amount of magic he’d used, or…

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“Tyle, we have to go.” It took every ounce of willpower he had to keep his voice even, to keep his thoughts straight. There was no helping her. They couldn’t even bury her, not here in the rocks. The only option was to leave her…leave her body behind, as much as that disgusted him. There was no choice.

 

Tyle shrugged his hand off, remaining silent and immobile. Edge put his hand back, but only for a second. Tyle’s skin had started to warm again, briefly flashing so hot that it burned his friend’s fingers.

 

“I won’t leave her.” His whisper was barely audible. Edge stared at the boy’s back, holding his hand close to his chest, away from the kitsune’s too-hot body. “She wouldn’t have left us, so I won’t leave her.”

 

It was the closest he’d come to admitting the truth. To accepting it. Edge nodded slowly, settling in to sit beside the two of them. He drew his knees up to his chest and put his head down, preparing himself to wait. He’d stay there as long as it took, but…he had no idea how long that would be.

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Hours passed without counting. Sunset came and went, but Edge and Tyle remained beside their silent friend without moving, without speaking. Edge remembered stories from home in that silence, stories of old couples passing on, one after the other, dying of actual heartbreak. Did…did things like that really happen? Could it happen even when…when the couple wasn’t old? Even if they were young, healthy?

 

Edge watched Tyle for a few moments, watching the gentle movement of his turned back, focusing on the soft sounds of his breathing. He was still here. Edge wasn’t alone, not totally.

 

He had to fight the little voice whispering ‘not yet.’

 

Tyle, on the other hand, was remembering a very different time.

 

They’d been sitting together, high up in a tree. Neko had climbed it without any trouble, and Tyle was only just behind her, remembering a time when she’d had to show him the steps to take, the places he could hold safely. She’d taught him so many things, all while keeping them safe, keeping them fed. He had no idea how she’d managed it, but she always had. She was amazing, especially right then, tucked into his side as the branches swayed gently around him. He remembered her taking his hand, whispering almost…frantically.

 

She was so scared. Neko didn’t admit to much, certainly not to anything that made her seem weak, but there was no denying it.

 

“What if we lost each other, Tyle?”

 

The fireflies danced close to their tangled bodies, flickering between the leaves. Tyle had to think about an answer, had to find something more tangible than ‘we won’t.’ It was…it was possible. There had been a few close calls already, for both of them, and even Edge – Edge, who was stronger than both of them combined. Her fear was more than called for.

 

“What if…what if we don’t have forever?”

 

At the time, he’d pulled her closer, felt her whole body shudder as she wrapped her arms around him, as he did the same. She was so warm, then, vibrant and alive, but now…

 

“Well, even if we’re apart…” Maybe they didn’t have forever. Maybe they didn’t even have tomorrow, but he knew, somewhere deep inside, that she didn’t have to be scared. He’d been so confident then, so sure. “…as long as it’s together, we’ll be okay.”

 

He started to cry again, lying there with her cold body on even colder ground. He thought he’d run out of tears, but how could he, when her body no longer curled into him, when her hand didn’t clutch at his, desperate for the affection that had always been denied her.

 

Even after he’d tried to reassure her, she’d whispered one more thing.

 

“If there’s ever a tomorrow when we aren’t together, there’s something you must remember…” She’d taken an uneasy, shuddering breath, trying to steady herself. He hated when she felt this afraid, but he would’ve given anything to hear that sound now. “I’ll always be with you.”

 

How could she know it was all a lie? It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t know this would happen, didn’t know he’d feel so cold, so empty, so lifeless. So lost, and so like her.

 

So alone.

 

He heard Edge talking again, as if from a distance. Shadows fogged his mind, creeping tendrils reaching for all the deepest, darkest parts of him. He had to find her. She couldn’t leave, not like this. He knew she never would’ve, if she could’ve stopped it.

 

“She’s gone, Tyle…”

 

He was shaking, clutching her limp hand even tighter.

 

“I know.” He barely whispered it. “That’s why I’m going to her to bring her home.”

 

And before Edge could utter so much as a word in reply, Tyle’s body started to fade. With a sound something like a ‘pop’, he was gone entirely. A small shadow appeared in his place, a tiny thing with grasping claws and bright yellow eyes.

 

Edge stared at the little beast in absolute horror.

 

“T-Tyle?” He swallowed once, hard. This couldn’t be happening. How could he…how could he have lost both of them? His two best friends, gone, just like that?

 

The heartless turned its head, blinking at him once. It didn’t seem concerned about his presence, instead regarding him with a sort of curiosity.

 

“No…guys, no, please…!” Edge took a shuddering breath, his eyes wide and desperate as he stared at the creature that had once been his friend. “W-what do I do? What am I supposed to do? Please, you can’t…you can’t…”

 

His words seemed to disintegrate as they left his mouth. This wasn’t real, this couldn’t possibly be real!

But the heartless sat down next to Neko’s body, turning away from him. It wasn’t bothered in the slightest, only showing interest in her. Edge took another breath, feeling like he was barely able to get the air into his lungs. It felt like the entire world was collapsing on top of him.

 

He started to sob, fat tears rolling down his cheeks as he took in air like a fish out of water. Each gasp rocked his whole body. He hugged himself tightly as the tears kept falling, screaming pathetic nonsense into the silent canyon. How could this be happening? How could they both be gone?

 

He sat like that, outright ugly crying for hours. The moon shone high overhead by the time he came to a hiccupping stop. The heartless hadn’t moved. It seemed…lost, somehow.

 

“W-well…if this is the way you are now, we can…we can still travel together, right?” Edge knew he was losing it, knew this idea was insane. To travel with a heartless was to ignore everything this journey had taught him. They were supposed to be the enemy, thoughtless and cruel. But this once seemed…docile.

 

It turned to look at him again, as unconcerned as ever.

 

As Edge slowly dragged himself to his feet, gently lifting the creature up onto his shoulders, he cursed how desperate he was to not be alone. He couldn’t take it, not now, not after everything they’d been through. If this little monster was his only friend, so be it. He’d take that over nothing.

 

It let him pick it up, setting its little clawed hands on his head, almost…getting comfortable with its new arrangement. It still didn’t seem to care where it was or where it was going. Wherever seemed fine.

 

Edge took only one last look at Neko’s body before he set off, knowing he had to go somewhere, anywhere but here. He couldn’t help her now. Maybe…maybe if he got lucky, he’d find something to help Tyle. Maybe he’d find where the boy had come from, that city he had started to remember. Maybe he’d find the friends the little kitsune had talked about, though Edge doubted he’d even recognize them from what little he knew. But it was better than nothing.

 

And it was much better than sitting there, waiting for Neko to wake up.

 

Edge followed the doors his keyblade opened without thought, traveling through worlds without stopping for more than a night. He’d only been on the road for a few days before he realized he seemed to be heading towards something, though he couldn’t say what that something was.

 

Once, maybe twice, he’d seen a pair that seemed familiar. Someone tall, and dark, with a faint glow around their face, walking alongside a little cloud of pink hair. Both of them had a slump to their shoulders, a sort of pain in the way they walked, but he tried not to think about it. He had enough pain on his own.

 

He was still avoiding thinking about the two strangers until they were right in front of him, walking on a cobblestoned street that reminded Edge of his hometown. Tyle was still sitting up on his shoulders, antenna laid flat in a way that Edge had learned meant he was calm, perhaps even uninterested in the surroundings. The two had been traveling like this since dawn that morning, without any real aim or destination.

 

They just…walked.

 

But Edge had just recognized that haze of pink hair, somewhere ahead of them, when Tyle perked up. Before Edge could so much as ask the little creature what he was looking at, it had leapt from his shoulders, racing across the path. Edge chased after the heartless, more on instinct than anything else, seeing two faces turn as the little shadow grew close.

 

As if in slow motion, he watched rage come over the pink-haired elf’s face. His expression became a mask of hatred so intense that Edge felt it burn, even at a distance, and terror took his steps from a run to an outright sprint. The taller one seemed no more friendly towards the little monster running at them, and Edge knew he had seconds before his one and only friend was taken from him.

 

Again.

 

“DON’T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HIM!” He was screaming, now, unable to recognize his own voice, warped by a fear that cut him down to his core. Almost as soon as Tyle had stopped, antenna alert and watching the pair ahead of him, Edge was sliding in front of him, dropping to his knees to cover the heartless from harm. There was still screaming behind him, an agonized wail of rage and hate and pain, but he didn’t dare look.

 

“Vex, wait!”

 

And then there was another voice, coupled with the sounds of a struggle. Edge didn’t dare look up at first, remaining curled around his friend like a protective shield. He heard the two arguing, saying things that…that made no sense.

 

“Wait, no—nononono, oh Gods, Vex, it’s…it’s Quinn, that’s Quinn!”

 

The scream came again, the rage lessened, but the pain growing stronger. Edge clutched Tyle to his chest, felt tiny claws digging into his shirt, gripping him just as tightly. When he looked back, he watched as the taller one grabbed their friend, forcibly holding him back with a strength Edge couldn’t imagine. The two were struggling with one another, fighting for dominance and arguing in breathless half-screams.

 

“It’s Quinn!”

 

Tyle poked his head up a little higher, peeking over Edge’s shoulder to look at the two of them. He didn’t seem scared, at least. The two strangers were slowing, now, as the pink-haired boy seemed to…come back to himself, to something like sanity. Edge swallowed hard, knowing that if it weren’t for that dark, horned person, he’d have been killed. Killed over a heartless.

 

Both of them were staring at him now, holding the little creature they seemed to think was ‘Quinn.’ Edge stared back for a moment, unsure of what to say, but Tyle decided the situation for them. He pushed his way out of Edge’s arms, leaving little claw marks on his way, and walking right up to the two strangers.

 

Edge heard the tiefling bite back a sob.

 

“Oh Gods, not again…angel, please…” Both the tiefling and the elf knelt down on the cobblestones, each touching one side of the heartless’ face. Its little antenna laid flat again, a clear sign that it felt safe and relaxed, despite how close to death it had just come.

 

Edge didn’t feel so safe, but he still watched as the two wrapped the little heartless up in a hug, one that would’ve been bone-crushingly tight, were Tyle still…Tyle. Slowly, Edge started to realize this must’ve been the two friends Tyle had talked about. Perhaps…they were what Edge had been traveling towards, without ever knowing.

 

“Who…who is Quinn?” Edge’s words were slow to come, and the response came even slower. He didn’t factor into the strangers’ awareness, he…he didn’t matter.

 

“This is Quinn.” The pink-haired elf still had an edge to his voice, something like a snarl. In a strange way, it reminded Edge of Neko, of the soft growls that tinged her speech when she became frustrated. He choked down a quiet sob of his own. It still hurt. God, it still hurt.

 

“Who are you?” The tiefling’s voice was softer, as was their gaze when they finally turned to look at Edge. Neither of the strangers had let Tyle go.

 

“I’m…I’m Edge. That’s my friend, Tyle, he never…never called himself Quinn…” Edge swallowed again, nervously running a hand through his hair. “Neko…never called him Quinn…”

 

Tyle hadn’t remembered where he’d come from for so long, for most of the time Edge had known him. Hell, he’d only started sharing what he remembered a scarce few weeks ago. Would he…would he have even known his own name?

 

“Neko?” The elf scowled as he said it, but Edge saw more confusion than anger. They wouldn’t know her, either, they never…they never got to meet her…

 

Edge turned his head away, blinking away the immediate tears that welled up at the thought of her never meeting Tyle’s friends. She’d been excited at the prospect, like a small kitten, and Edge remembered all too well the way she’d bounced around, eagerly encouraging Tyle to tell her more of his home, his friends, the home she would eventually have too.

 

He’d wanted so badly to share it with her.

 

The tiefling was kinder when they spoke, allowing Edge a moment to collect himself.

 

“I’m Gray, this is Vex. Is…is Neko a friend of yours and Quinn’s?”

 

Edge shuddered. “She…was. Something happened, and she…she…” He couldn’t get the words out at first, feeling his tongue trip over the very idea. “…she died.”

 

Both Gray and Vex looked down at the heartless in their arms, content in their embrace.

 

“…is that when he…?” Vex was unable to finish the sentence, but Edge nodded anyway.

 

“I think he loved her.” Before the words were even out, Edge felt tears rolling down his cheeks. He didn’t dare look at the other two, unable to see the pain that must’ve come over them. This was their friend, their friend who’d found someone for himself, someone he truly cared about, and she…she was gone.

 

“Where…where did she die? What happened?” Gray choked a little on the words, but still remained the most composed. Edge envied them. “Did you…did you leave her there?”

 

“I had to. We…we had to.” Edge cursed under his breath, hating the weakness in his voice. “It was…it was in Radiant Garden, at the cliffs, and I couldn’t…I couldn’t take both of them, I didn’t…I didn’t know what else to do…”

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He bit back another sob, angrily swiping tears away from his face. He had to be better than this, more…put together, somehow. She deserved more from him than this. Another moment passed before Gray spoke again, as if they were trying to allow him space to breathe. He hardly wanted it. It wasn’t worth it without his friends.

 

“…perhaps we should go back. All of us.”

 

Edge turned to stare at him, mouth open in a little ‘o’. Before he could ask any questions—like ‘are you crazy?’ – Gray continued.

 

“We can give her a proper memorial service. Like she deserves.”

 

Edge didn’t need much in the way of convincing. He would’ve done anything to give her more than just a ‘goodbye’ and his tears. They stayed at an inn for a couple of nights, pulling themselves back together and giving both groups time to catch the other up on everything they’d seen, everything they’d done.  The three of them even worked together to keep Tyle— Quinn –from being seen, finding they worked surprisingly well as a team.

 

If only they still had Neko. Everything would’ve been perfect if all of them had made it here, alive, to be with each other.

 

She would’ve loved them.

 

On the third day after their meeting, they set out for Radiant Garden. Gray seemed a little troubled on the way there, but as they weren’t sharing, Edge found it best not to pry. He wasn’t sure Vex even noticed, occupied as he was by the heartless now riding atop his shoulders, digging little claws in without ever meaning to. Edge imagined that made the trip a little uncomfortable, but…he’d gotten used to it already, and Vex didn’t seem upset in the least.

 

They arrived at the cliffs by mid-afternoon. The sun was a little low by now, its burning gaze mitigated by the sheer rock faces around them. Edge, both terrified and eager of seeing Neko again, skated on ahead of his new companions, leading the way.

 

Would she still look like herself? It was a disturbing thing to consider, but…it had been just over a week. The burning sun here would’ve given Edge himself a wicked tan had he stayed long enough, but Neko’s body…

He shuddered, deciding it was better not to think about it. He’d just have to deal with it when the time came.

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Soon, the group came upon scorch marks, evidence of Tyle’s rampage through the canyon. Both Vex and Gray looked a little uncomfortable, now faced with the physical manifestation of their friend’s pain. Edge couldn’t imagine what they were thinking, what they must’ve been feeling, seeing nothing but the aftermath of the worst day of his life. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

 

They only had to travel a few more minutes before Edge found claw marks in the dirt, marks he recognized as Neko’s. It was strange, though…surely they wouldn’t look this fresh after all these days had passed?

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Edge shook his head, telling himself to stop working up false hopes. She was gone. He’d seen her collapse, he’d seen…too much.

 

Then they found the blood.

 

It was dark on the rocks, staining them deeply. Edge had a hard time looking at it, and even his new friends shied away from the sight.

 

Tyle didn’t seem bothered, instead hopping off of Vex’s shoulders and wandering away in the dust, soon sitting beside the place Edge knew Neko had fallen. Of course he’d sit there, of course he’d want to be next to her—wait.

Edge took a few more steps that way, blinking rapidly in disbelief. Despite the blood stains, despite the claw marks and burned rocks and all the evidence of their battle, there…there was no body. Neko wasn’t there.

 

He started to scream, frantically running around the canyon without a thought for his companions or what they must’ve been thinking. He could only think of Neko, one of his best friends, alone and scared and hurt. He screamed her name until his throat hurt, barely noticing when Vex and Gray tried to assist, searching with less fervor and more…thought.

 

And while they searched, Tyle didn’t move. He stayed where he was, sitting on the dirt floor and staring at the place her body had been.

 

Eventually, Edge had to give up the search. He didn’t know what had happened, but Neko clearly wasn’t here anymore. But…but where could she have gone? Where would she go, without anyone to tell her what had happened, or where her friends were?

 

Slowly, he returned to the little heartless, sitting down beside him. Vex and Gray came soon after, quiet, unsure of what the plan should be now. There was no body. There was no real sign that Neko was alive, either, but neither wanted to break that to Edge…

 

…or to Quinn.

 

It took the group a few minutes to realize that their creature-friend was staring at something more than just the stain where Neko had laid. Glinting softly in the sunlight was a small orange crystal, dusted with dirt and blood. Edge leaned closer to it, picking it up gingerly and turning it over in his hand.

 

“What is that?” Vex was the first to ask, one eyebrow raised as he looked over.

 

“…is it Neko’s?” Gray asked soon after, when Edge didn’t respond.

 

Edge wasn’t quite sure how to answer. It definitely looked like one of the crystals Neko always had on her little chain belt, things she described as souvenirs from her home island. According to her, they weren’t anything special, just a little gemstone that the local caves were full of.

 

But…this one was broken, clearly split on one side. If he thought about it, Edge supposed he could imagine the full piece, and it was definitely one of Neko’s…but what was it doing here, alone in the dirt?

 

He flinched when Tyle’s little claws grabbed at his hands, snatching the crystal away from him and clutching it close to his chest. It took Edge a few moments of stunned silence to even realize what had happened, but…it answered Gray’s question, at least.

 

“What is that?” Vex asked again, sounding a little more annoyed for the lack of an answer.

 

Edge took a breath, biting his lip as he watched the little heartless cradle this one piece of Neko they’d found.

 

“…Neko…had this belt. There were little crystals on it, from…from her home.” He explained. “There were three of them, I think, and that…that’s definitely one of them, but it’s broken now.”

 

Gray nodded as they listened, working through possibilities in their mind. They sensed magic in that little crystal piece, and…something like a heart, calling out for help, wrapped in endless turmoil. It wasn’t familiar to them, though, not like Quinn, or even Vex. Could it have been Neko’s?

 

They didn’t dare share the idea, unwilling to give their new friend any false hope. Perhaps something had taken Neko’s body, but perhaps…

 

“Is there a town near here?” They asked, their face a mask of calm to hide the sinking feeling in their gut. Something wasn’t quite right here. They just didn’t know what. “If she…if she was moved, wouldn’t it be to the nearest town?”

Edge was quiet for a few moments, considering the idea. If Neko was alive, not moved, alive, she’d…she’d look for them right? She’d absolutely try to find Tyle and Edge, no matter what it took, as they would for her. And the nearest town would be the best place to start a search, to see if…if they’d come through…

 

He nodded, once, meeting Gray’s glowing eyes. “There is. She’d definitely look for us there, I know she would.”

 

Neither Gray nor Vex had the heart to tell Edge that they likely wouldn’t be looking for his friend, only…only her body. Still, the next plan of action had been decided, and they were all more than ready to go.

 

Edge tried to take the crystal back from Tyle before they set out, planning on carrying it with him, but was clawed each time he tried to pull it away. The group stopped for a few minutes to allow Edge to pull a bit of string from his pocket, and Tyle allowed him to take the crystal so long as he sat down and stayed close. It took a few minutes of silent concentration, but before long the broken crystal hung from their heartless friend’s neck. He seemed content with the arrangement, finally allowing himself to be lifted back onto Vex’s shoulders so the four of them could continue on their way to town.

 

No matter how far-fetched it seemed, Edge couldn’t shake the idea that Neko was alive. He didn’t know how, and he didn’t know where, but she was out there, and he was determined to find her.

 

Maybe…if she could be saved, maybe Tyle could be too.

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Chapter 2 || Alone

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When she woke, she was alone. Neko didn’t recognize the cliff walls surrounding her, but the blood seemed familiar. Was it hers? No, couldn’t have been. She felt fine. Ish.

​

She was lying on her side, trying to remember how she’d gotten there. Her thoughts were surprisingly blank, any memory of a battle missing. But surely there’d been one? There were scorch marks along the rock near her, and more even further away. Little traces of fur in the dirt, and blood. So, so much blood.

 

She touched her stomach, remembering claws tearing through her flesh, remembering the searing hot agony of it. Her clothes were torn, but the only things she could find were old scars, far older than the blood surrounding her. Couldn’t have been hers. Impossible.

 

Neko put one hand down in the dirt, starting to push herself up, at least onto her elbows. She’d barely made it there when a wave of horrific pain struck, bubbling in her gut and up through her chest. When she started to cough, blood splattered on the ground, continuing in a small, but steady stream even when the fit had passed.

 

Something was very wrong.

 

The blood kept dribbling down her chin even as she tried to wipe it away, swallowing it down as it tried to come up. No matter what she did, it kept coming. The only thing that seemed to stop it from dripping out was to keep her mouth closed, to remain soundless and just. Keep. Swallowing.

​

It scared her. Surely something like this meant she was hurt, meant she was…she was dying. Right?

​

But she couldn’t find a wound.

​

Slowly, she started to push herself to her feet, wiping her mouth on her sleeve again. She needed to wash her face, clean up her hands, she needed to…

 

A flash of light burst behind her eyes. She stumbled back, gasping even as blood leaked out again, dripping onto her clothes. The rock wall was hard against her spine, but it steadied her, gave her a moment to catch her breath and figure out what she’d just seen.

 

It was her first memory of whatever battle she must’ve been in. There’d been a boy at her side, barely taller than her, with pointed ears and a massive tail. He’d smiled at her, brightly, his warmth so strong that now, even in her memory, she winced away from it. Was that…was that love, then?

 

Did that boy love her?

 

Neko shook her head, unable to believe it. She couldn’t even remember his name, so there was…there was no way he’d loved her. Still…seeing his face…

 

It was the first warmth she’d felt since waking up. It was the first time she’d wanted to smile, and she couldn’t help the urge to reach out, to touch the boy that wasn’t actually there.

 

Who was he? Where had he gone?

 

Surely, he knew her. He knew…what had happened. She had to find him. If she found him, things would make sense again.

 

She lifted her head, glancing at the sky. There was a town nearby, she could smell it. Where people gathered, there was the smell of food, of industry. Smoke and people and meat. The boy would go there, she thought. She could find him in a town.

 

One step, then two. Hers was a slow start, but it became easier as she went further, trying to remember the boy she was searching for. Pointed ears. A black tail. Green eyes, like a grassy meadow, and a scar through one eyebrow. A smile like the rising sun.

 

She repeated these traits to herself as she walked, as the memory of the boy slid away again. She would find him. Wherever he went.

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Chapter 3 || Her

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Everything was worse than she ever could’ve expected. The town seemed familiar to her, like she’d been there, but also like every town she’d ever been in. It was the equivalent of home, only her familiar oceans had been replaced with the cliffs she’d left behind.

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The buildings rose up around her in nearly haphazard patterns, and people bustled by without looking at her or anyone else. She hated it, hated the feeling of being invisible and alone, but knew it was for the best. There was still blood on her clothes, on her face. She didn’t know how anyone else would’ve reacted to it, she didn’t…

 

God, she didn’t even know what that boy would do. Would he be scared? Would he think it was hers, or…or someone else’s?

 

Would he think she’d hurt someone?

 

Had…had she hurt someone?

 

She couldn’t remember the fight, only that there had been one. Who had they been fighting? Not another person, surely, she wouldn’t do that…she hadn’t fought anyone, not even her own brother, years ago. She wouldn’t hurt anybody, right?

 

She couldn’t remember.

 

Neko kept walking, pulling her hood up as she went. Her ears always drew the most attention, but the blood on her face had her feeling more self-conscious than usual. It took time to find a public restroom, and it took more to wait until it was empty enough to let her quickly scrub her skin and clothes clean. Some of it had already dried too well to come out, and she hoped…she hoped the dark stains would be mistaken for dirt, for the grime that came with travel.

 

It…did come with travel, right? She hadn’t imagined that, but she couldn’t remember what it was like to travel. She only remembered being home, and that…that boy.

What was his name?

 

She left the bathroom, grumbling as she went. Trying to remember was giving her a headache, but she knew she couldn’t stop. If she stopped, she’d forget entirely, and she couldn’t…she couldn’t risk that. That boy was important to her, she knew it, but she was missing so much information. His face kept slipping in and out of her mind’s eye, and even as she walked, looking at the faces of strangers in the hopes of finding familiarity, she knew she was going to forget.

 

God, was he even real?

 

Had she made him up in her desperation to understand where she was and what had happened?

 

She wasn’t sure.

 

That scared her more than not being able to find him.

 

If he wasn’t real, then…she really was alone.

 

“Excuse me, miss?”

 

Her gaze had wandered away from the people around her. She’d been looking at the ground, at the scuffs on her ratty shoes. She hadn’t expected anyone to notice her, god forbid talk to her. She wasn’t…important. Just a stranger, filthy and tired and confused and scared.

 

Who would care about a stranger?

 

“Miss, are you…alright?”

 

Her eyes wandered up to his, and the boy’s face came back with another white-hot jolt. For a second, she thought it was him, thought she was looking into the meadow green eyes she’d been hunting for, but the second passed.

 

He was just another stranger. He looked concerned, sure, but she didn’t believe it. Why should she? Her family hadn’t cared. The other townsfolk there hadn’t cared. This man didn’t care.

 

He was faking it, like all the rest.

 

Except that boy.

 

That boy she only half-remembered.

 

“Are you lost, maybe?”

 

Her eyes narrowed as his questions continued. Other people were walking around them, streaming to the left and right in what felt more like a rushing river than the easy-going pace of a town at sunset. Could she get away from him, if she tried? Would they let her through?

 

Were they working together, this man and the crowd?

 

No, no, that would be insane, that didn’t make sense, that…

 

She blinked, and suddenly she was hearing him as if from far away. His face was…changing, right in front of her eyes. Shadows crept in, staining his light hair to an inky black, his skin darkening in the half-light until it looked like…looked like the old cave drawings she used to stare at for hours. His eyes had started to glow with that same unearthly golden light.

 

He wasn’t…he wasn’t human.

 

“You’re always lost, aren’t you?” The voice wasn’t his, didn’t match up with his mouth. It took Neko a minute to realize it was coming from somewhere else, somewhere behind her, but there was nothing there but more shadows. Where had the people gone? Where was the light?

 

Her ears folded back against her head. The fur of her tail bristled outward as an unnamed fear slid down her spine. How was she supposed to fight, alone like this, with nowhere to run?

 

“You’ve always been lost, never found, never found…”

 

The other voice laughed at her, but she still heard the man, watched the shadows on his face fold into something like concern, but…a sick imitation of it. Like a monster playing at being human.

 

“Let me help you.” The shadow-man reached out for her. She slapped at his hand without thinking about it, watching him reel back, realizing too late that her claws had dug sharp lines into his skin. The shadows melted along his arm, showing a brief flash of tan skin and ruby red blood, welling up and dripping down.

 

And still he just stared at her with those terrifying golden eyes, waiting for…for what? For an opening, a moment of weakness?

 

She’d started to shiver. The shadows pressed in all around her, swirling as they formed more creatures, little copies of the shadow-man in front of her.

 

Heartless.

That was what they were called.

 

Heartless.

 

They started to surround her, and in a panic, she shoved past the shadow in her path, running blindly into a crowd of unmoving black forms. Not one of them tried to stop her, but that didn’t stop the fear, the blood pumping at an insane pace through her veins, her heart slamming like a massive drum.

 

Where was she supposed to go? She didn’t know where she was, where the town had gone, how to get out, how to…

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But as she ran, the shadows started to thin. When she slowed to a stop, they were nearly gone, and the town had returned. It looked the same as it had before, but…different. A different part of town, that was all. She must’ve gotten towards the edges.

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Yes, that was it.

 

The edge of town. No more heartless out here. Just her.

 

Her.

 

Who was she, again?

 

She touched her face, wiped away a little dribble of blood at the corner of her mouth. If she could find a mirror, she’d remember. A little sliver of glass to look into, see what she looked like, see that she was real.

 

She took a few more steps forward, blinking slowly as her racing heart settled back into a steady rhythm. There were a handful of houses out here, fading in the distance as the sun sank lower. Outside what must’ve been the edge of town, there were just open fields, a distant hill rising into the fireball of a sunset. She paused outside of the last house, looked at the last window on the building. It was dark inside. She could only make out shadows of furniture, dust and spiders on the window frame.

 

And her own reflection, familiar but…strange.

 

She stared at herself, at the mane of brown hair half-hidden in her hood. She knew there were a pair of pointed ears beneath that hood, felt a tail swinging freely at her back, right at the base of her spine. Connected, probably. It all felt real, felt right.

 

She took a closer look at her face, self-consciously wiping her mouth. The little stains of blood were back, but worse…her eyes weren’t right.

 

She could’ve sworn they were brown too, or were supposed to be, but she was looking into eyes as gold as that shadow-man’s had been.

 

As soon as she realized it, she hopped a step back from the window in alarm. What was wrong with her? The blood, and the eyes, and everything she’d just seen appearing and disappearing so quickly, without any rhyme or reason…

 

She had to get away from here. Whatever was wrong, it seemed worse around people, much worse than coughing up blood on the rocks had been. She just…she couldn’t go far. She wouldn’t find him if she wandered away from town, she knew that. She didn’t know why, precisely, but…she had to stay close. She’d find him if she stayed close.

 

But distant.

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Chapter 4 || Strangers and Monsters

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In the two weeks that followed, most of the townsfolk noticed nothing new. There were occasional stories being passed around about a strange creature near the edge of town, but there was nothing concrete. Most people had never seen it, but a few boys knew there was truth in the tale.

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They’d seen her.

 

She was no monster, no matter what the rumors said. She looked surprisingly human, in fact, the only indicator of her otherness coming in the form of a slim brown tail that puffed up like a cat’s when she got frustrated.

 

Each of the ones who had seen her could attest to how often she got frustrated, but none were quite sure why.

No one could even figure out why these boys in particular had been attacked, why this girl-thing had come rushing out of the shadows to grab them by the arm, by the shoulders, to push them up against the nearest wall and just…stare.

 

She never did anything bad. She never tried to hurt them.

 

But she’d run her hand along the right side of their faces, narrowing her eyes like she was thinking hard. She’d look away from their face for a moment to look somewhere behind them, and then her tail would bristle angrily. She’d touch their ears and look at their face again, her grip like iron the whole time.

 

And then she’d let them go, not waiting for them to run away from her, but instead running away from them.

 

It took him some time to gather all of the information, but young Makino knew what she was up to. She was looking for someone, someone in particular, but who?

 

He didn’t know, and he spent a lot of his time thinking about it. Even now, late at night, with the moon shining into his bedroom window, he was awake and pacing, thinking about the girl-monster.

 

Every boy she attacked had something in common with the next. Rylan had a thin, tiny scar through his left eyebrow, while Janek had one across the entire left side of his face. It was a coincidence that it also cut through his eyebrow. Janek also had emerald green eyes, not that different from Biran’s. And Biran had a tail, a thin whip-like thing, not like hers, but she’d still stopped him, and she’d still stopped Barlow, Biran’s brother.

 

She was looking for someone with a very particular set of traits. A boy. Green eyes, a tail, a scar on his face. Once, she’d stopped an elf, a tourist who Makino didn’t know. She’d touched his ears. A lot of people were up in arms about that one, thinking it to be some racial thing for a short time, but no one could find the monster who’d done it.

 

And so they forgot again, and the elf left town with his family.

 

But Makino didn’t forget, and he didn’t stop thinking about her.

 

Why was she searching so earnestly, and why…why like this? Couldn’t she recognize her target on sight? Was her eyesight that poor, or was it something else? Surely she didn’t have to get her hands on someone to remember what it was she was searching for, but she always grabbed them, always touched.

 

And always ran away.

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Makino sat down on his bed with a heavy sigh, looking out his window at the shape of Promise Hill in the distance.

 

There was another strange thing that had been happening recently, but no one else was talking about it. Makino didn’t think anyone else even knew. He only knew because his bedroom window faced the hill, and because he was often up in the middle of the night, when the moon was at its highest.

 

For the last two weeks, there had been lights at the crest of the hill. Strange, flickering things that pulsed like a heartbeat, and small, wispy clouds of smoke rising above it. He knew it was a fire, but it wasn’t one that alarmed him. The way it moved was unnatural, controlled but still wild, like magic. He hadn’t seen a lot of magic, but he’d seen enough. Biran had a little power over flames, and his worked a lot like the lights on the hill.

 

Every tiny ember he lit, usually on the tips of his fingers, pulsed in time with his heartbeat. The flames on the hill pulsed faster than that, but still with the same rhythm. It was just faster, more…frightened.

 

And Makino was certain who was causing the lights to appear. He didn’t know how, beyond his cursory understanding of magic. But the girl-monster was there, every night, her flames running wild over the hilltop. He was sure of it.

 

But when the strangers showed up, asking for stories of any strange happenings in town, he hesitated. His friends told them about the monster, told them about her as they each understood her, but the stories were fragmented, injected with untruths to make it all the more interesting. Some had been using the attacks on their person to get attention, for whatever reason, and it was much more attractive to say they’d fought off a monster, rather than admitting someone had grabbed them and just…ran away.

 

The tallest one, a tiefling, listened intently to each story. They seemed to be considering each piece individually, but Makino thought they were also gathering the information into something larger, the way he had. The elf listened, but a lot of it seemed to go over his head, too.

 

The third, though…

 

The third was the one Makino watched the most. The boy was always on his skateboard, falling every now and again and getting right back on board, rolling through the town and occasionally glancing over his shoulder, at his backpack of all things. Makino could swear this boy talked to it, too. His backpack.

 

He wanted to get answers from them more than he wanted to give them, but after two days of interviewing townsfolk, the tiefling noticed him. They didn’t hesitate, either, marching straight over to him, right in the middle of town square.

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Makino had been sitting on one of the benches as he often did, listening without looking, but he looked when three people suddenly appeared in front of him. The tiefling, the elf, and that clumsy skateboarder, all of them staring down at him and looking…serious.

 

Were they looking for the girl-monster? She wasn’t looking for them. She might’ve stopped the elf, if she saw him, but she wouldn’t be interested in him for very long. No, they couldn’t be looking for her, not if she wasn’t looking for them.

 

“Have you heard about anything strange happening around here?” The tiefling opened with the same question they’d asked everyone else. Makino watched the skateboarder look behind him again and shush something. No one else was anywhere near him.

 

“C’mon, I bet you know something about that monster everyone’s been telling us about.” That was the pink-haired elf, but Makino barely glanced at him. Those two were straight forward enough. But the skateboarder was up to something.

 

And then that skateboarder looked at him, and Makino was stunned by the amount of pain in his gaze. It was easy to miss from afar, when the boy was on the move and letting his friends talk for him. But when he was this close, it was obvious that he was struggling with something intense, something he wasn’t talking about. It weighed heavily on his shoulders, bowing them more than any physical weight could’ve.

 

“…she’s not a monster.” The words slipped out of Makino’s mouth before he knew what he was saying.

 

“Then what is she?” The tiefling asked immediately, pouncing on this one shred of information. The skateboarder was mouthing ‘who?’

 

“She’s lonely.” He looked away again, running a hand through his mousey brown hair. It was weird to talk about her, this girl he didn’t know and had never seen, but the group was easy to talk to, and they were…they were interested. They didn’t question his honesty, only…only the details.

 

They wanted the details, like Makino did.

 

“She’s…she’s looking for someone. I don’t know who, I’ve never actually seen her, she’s just attacked a lot of my friends—”

 

“Attacked?” The skateboarder was speaking, for the first time that Makino had seen. He was also staring, his yellow-gold eyes wide with surprise and something like excitement. Maybe they were looking for her, or at least…maybe this guy was.

 

“It wasn’t…she wasn’t…” Makino paused, stumbling over his words as he stared back. “She grabbed them for a second, but she never hurt anybody. Anybody who says she did is lying.”

 

He hardly noticed the tiefling nodding seriously, or the elf rolling his eyes and mouthing ‘of course.’ All he could focus on was the little shift of movement over the skateboarder’s shoulder, and the way he clutched his chest as if he’d just been given the first good news of his life.

 

“Do you know where she is? We’re…we’ve been looking for her. We know her. We know who she’s looking for.” It was the most words Makino had heard out of the guy, and he found himself nodding immediately. He didn’t know, not for sure, but if anyone deserved to know about the lights…

 

“I think she goes to Promise Hill every night.” He paused, noticing the look of confusion that came across all three of their faces, and sighed. “It’s the big hill on the edge of town, you can’t miss it. Kids always go up there to make promises to their best friends and stuff, it’s…”

 

He shook his head. They hardly needed all the details.

 

“…I can see the lights from my window, in the middle of the night, when the moon is at its highest. I don’t know what they are, but they just…they feel like her. It makes the most sense.”

 

The skateboarder took a couple steps back, looking over his shoulder again. Makino watched him as he did, and watched two little antennae poke out of his backpack before the tiefling was moving into his line of sight, their eyes shuttered and cold but their grin frighteningly wide.

 

“Thank you.” Was all they said before all three of them were off again, heading in the direction of the edge of town. As they went, a whole shadowy head popped out of the skateboarder’s backpack, staring at Makino for a minute as the backpack’s owner skated away.

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Makino blinked, and the golden eyes that watched him were gone.

 

What was that thing?

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Chapter 5 || Promise Hill

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The hill was empty when they arrived.

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Edge didn’t know what he expected, really.

 

It would be crazy for his dead friend to just be sitting there, waiting for them, patient and smiling.

 

It wouldn’t have been like her, either.

 

He wondered if she had been scared, waking up by herself. She would’ve been, he knew that, but he was still trying so hard to picture what had been going through her head, what she must’ve been thinking. Did she scream, like she had when she’d fallen? Did she search like he had, after he found her body gone, screaming for Tyle, screaming for Edge?

 

They were family. Her family was gone.

 

She must’ve been so scared.

 

“Edge?”

 

He didn’t come back to himself until he felt Gray’s hand on his shoulder, gentle but firm, pulling him back to the present. The tiefling watched him in silence for a moment before Edge could even manage a smile, a soft, ‘I’m okay.’

He wasn’t.

 

But he had to try to be, just for a little while longer.

 

They were so close.

 

She must’ve been so close.

 

The hill had been empty, but there were signs of her, just like the boy in town had said. What he’d called lights must’ve been fire, for the crest of the hill was crowned with a series of burnt circles of grass. It was darker in some places, like the fire had burned longer, but pulsed outward at least a few meters. In the center of it was a portion of what had once been the wall of a larger structure, bricks stacked haphazardly now. Little splashes of blood decorated it, fully dried but not near as old as they should’ve been.

 

And in front of the little brick wall, a space of grass that had been pressed down into the dirt, like someone had been sitting there for a while. Maybe whole nights, waiting for someone she knew to appear.

 

“She’s not here.” Vex was the first to say it out loud, his arms crossed over his chest as he paced circles around the bricks.

 

Edge watched him for a moment, finding a real smile crossing his face. “But she was. She’s alive, she has to be.”

Gray was still watching him with a hard look, but…it was hard to deny the boy his hope. Someone had definitely been here, and someone had been behaving strangely in town. The ‘monster’ was real, as was the burnt grass. But who was to say it was this Neko girl they were looking for?

 

Who was to say it wasn’t actually a monster?

 

It was hard for Gray to swallow their worries, but for the sake of their newfound friend, they did. They would know very soon whether or not Edge was right. It did no good to shoot him down now.

 

The group decided to wait for the mysterious monster at the base of the hill. Surely, from there, they’d see it coming and be able to corner it on the hilltop.

 

Vex grew impatient as they waited, pacing beside an old building, while Gray did most of the watching. Edge, to Gray’s surprise, was focused on Quinn- no, Tyle. The skateboarder kept murmuring to his little heartless friend, smiling in a distinctly broken way.

 

“We’re going to find her, Tyle. This is it.”

Gray looked away.

 

They passed hours in this fashion, Vex pacing, Gray watching, Edge whispering. The sun sank lower and lower as night came on in full. Finally, when it was little more than a sliver of light on the horizon and the sky was dark overhead, light appeared at the top of the hill.

 

Gray was the first to notice it. It shone like a second sunset above their heads. Gray signaled to their party, and without speaking the group readied themselves. Edge tucked his shadowy companion into his backpack and Vex flexed his hands, ever ready for a fight. As one, the three began the climb, not knowing what to expect, but doing their best to prepare for it.

 

At the top, Edge gasped. Then he started screaming.

 

“NEKO!”

 

The hilltop was being smothered by a great ring of fire, which pulsed like a heartbeat. Inside the circle, a lone figure sat against the crumbled wall, a hood and mask obscuring their face. Still, Edge was sure. He recognized her clothes, her lithe figure. That was definitely his friend, and she was definitely alive.

 

“NEKO, IT’S ME! IT’S US!”

 

Gray and Vex both grabbed one of Edge’s arms as he began to walk nearer to the fire, trying to find a way in. Neko never turned her head, never so much as twitched in the groups’ direction. It was like she didn’t even hear Edge screaming, hear the desperation coloring his voice.

 

“LOOK AT ME!”

 

The boy was practically roaring in the hopes of being answered, but still the girl didn’t move. As Gray and Vex both worked to keep Edge from throwing himself into the flames, trying as he was to reach her, a little black mass leapt from his back.

 

Before anyone could stop the creature, it flattened itself into the ground, sneaking forward and beneath the ring of flames. Edge screamed louder still, now seeing his friends kept from him by a fiery wall. He had to get closer, but how? If he could only touch her, surely, she’d speak, tell him she was okay and not to worry. She always told him not to worry. Why wouldn’t she say so now?

 

As the heartless came closer, the girl in the flames finally stirred. When she turned her head, Edge caught sight of a pair of golden eyes, far removed from Neko’s natural chocolate brown. His screams were cut short by the horror of it. Her eyes…they looked like a heartless’. Was that why she wasn’t responding? Was she…still herself?

 

Gray and Vex began to scream as well, each shouting that unfamiliar name.

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“QUINN!”

Even this had no effect on the catgirl ahead of them. The heartless approaching her didn’t look back either, instead coming to stand beside her curled in form.

 

“Tyle?” She spoke his name so softly, so sweetly, running her fingers along the curve of his face. His new face. Edge couldn’t see her mouth, given the mask she wore, but he could sense a smile and bit back a sob in return. He had no idea how she knew it was him, her boy, but the recognition in her eyes was obvious.

 

Gray’s grip on Edge started to loosen. There was a new pulse in the air, a magic that seemed to have nothing to do with the fire that raged in front of them. They watched as Quinn – Tyle – clambered into a stranger’s lap, settling in as if it were the most natural place for him to be. In return, the girl wrapped herself around the little shadow, hiding it from view.

 

The image burned into all three companions’ eyes as a flash of bright light overtook the hilltop. It only lasted a handful of seconds, but it faded slowly. Edge, having thrown an arm up in front of his face, slowly lowered it as the darkness returned to them, eyes searching for his friends.

 

Neko’s eyes were closed now, but there was a new figure in her lap, wrapped in her embrace. His little black paws and signature red scarf were impossible to mistake. Tears started streaming down Edge’s cheeks, as Gray put a hand over their mouth and Vex stared in open-mouthed surprise. How?

 

“The pulsing has stopped.” Gray whispered, mostly to themselves, but Vex and Edge look at them anyway. Neither understand the tiefling’s cryptic words.

 

Instead of asking, the three start to move forward as one. Neither Neko nor Tyle have moved a muscle, instead continuing to hold onto each other as if nothing had ever happened. When the trio approaches, both cat and fox look up in unison, tears shining in their eyes.

 

Together, they smile. It’s finally over.

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Chapter 6 || Their Promise

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