Challenge [269]- Roles Reversed

[myrrh-darkwing.livejournal.com]

Title: Shadowed Games
Challenge: 269- Roles Reversed
Word Count: 567
Notes: I actually kinda like this one. It's a Shadow Heartless' take on its life and Sora.

A tiny little shadow pulls its way free of the larger puddle behind it, moving away to join others of its kind in their nightly sport. Vaguely it remembers another life, a life where it wanted so much to be a dancer… whatever could a dancer be? Dancers no longer exist in this fun new world, with games and friends everywhere (all it had to do was creep into a pool of shadow and meld with its kind).

Its goal is just up ahead, huddled waiting for them in a dark place, strange water droplets in its eyes. Another little shadow slithers along beside it now, murmuring something too quiet to be understood, and more shadows follow them because all of them have the same goal.

The tiny little shadow is the first to reach the goal, to be the winner of to-night’s game. It reaches out a silken paw, taps the goal lightly to draw its attention, and (as the other shadows watch silently from behind, for the victor makes the request always) whispers, we lost our hearts. The goal lets out a strange soft sound, and the tiny little shadow takes that to mean yes, go on.

We lost our hearts, it repeats, looking earnestly up at the goal with wide amber eyes. May we have yours?

The goal makes a high-pitched loud noise now and bats at the shadow, which must be the funny goal-language for yes, go on. It’s really very interesting how the goals have so many gestures that all mean the same thing. So the tiny little shadow stretches up its paw, gently tugs away the cover over the heart, and-

A silent scream cuts through the night, another shadow crying warning (it’s come! It’s come, the monster is here!) as it fades. The contestants scatter quickly, melting into the hardness beneath them, as a large hideous thing races into their midst, swinging a painfully glowing shiny thing that slices through the shadows and sends them scattering back into the void.

Only the tiny little shadow is not fast enough, as one claw catches in the goal’s blue covering. No, please don’t! it begs, shaking as the strange horrible thing advances and it struggles to free itself (but the goal is holding tight to it now, making high-pitched noises that must not mean yes, go on, or maybe they do, but to the monster). I don’t… don’t want to… stop… It didn’t want to go back to the void, never the terrible emptiness of the void.

The monster takes no heed of its pleas. The shiny thing burns as it cuts into the tiny little shadow, ripping it free of the goal and tossing it into the hardness where it begins to fade.

What… did I ever do to you? the tiny little shadow thinks. I only wanted a heart… only ever wanted a heart of my own…

But the monster turns away and crouches down next to the goal, making those funny noises again, ignoring all of the beings it had just condemned back into the terrible void.

Maybe someday the monster will lose its heart, too. Then maybe it might care; might possibly feel bad about all the tiny little shadows who faded around it.

But… the worlds were never fair, were they? sobbed the tiny little shadow as it finally stopped- was flung back into that nightmarish void.