{Okay my Peeps (marshmallow chickens), this is the second installment of, apparently, my fanfiction series. Now, I am going to be using limited third person since that is what everyone officially voted for, M'kay? However, because I will be introducing two new OCs--THAT'S RIGHT, TWO NEW OCS--as well as encorporating more of the canon KH characters we did not see in the last story, some chapters will be from Berri's point of view..well, most chapters will be from Berri's point of view, but a couple won't make sense unless they are from the other female OC's, Constance's point of view. And do not fret, this is not a sad story. I'm just setting up the conflict a little early again. xD Now, remember, this is not an independant story, so it won't make sense unless you have read No Comrade Left Behind FIRST. Love you all, darlings! -H. Requiem. }
--Chapter One: Another Heart Calls--
The vast expanse of water stretched across the landscape, farther than any eye could every hope to see. What was generally a dazzling shade of blue and green during the day had shifted dramatically. From the rolling crash of the closer waves, to the gently wavering ripples farther off towards the horizon each glittering droplet of water had been painted a fiery golden hue as the sun swept swiftly down. There was complete silence in regards to organic creatures, but nature itself was abuzz with sound in the twilight hours. Palm leaves brushed against one another, whispering tales of days since past as the crippling sound of waves on soft sand repeatedly reverberated across the beaches. A few stray breezes whistled between the sloshing posts that held up assorted platforms of wood, causing the rickety structures to creak and groan to some inaudible rhythm.
Berri sat alone, her back facing the wonderous splendor of the world she had learned to call her home: Destiny Islands. It had been two years since the venture that brought her there. Two years since Zee and Krysta had wished her a happy journey and sent her on her way. Her hair was longer, though it had not lost any of its gravity-defying skill. She let a gentle wistful sigh slip past her lips as the girl reached up to ruffle her delicately curved fingers through her hair. Her home was Destiny Islands, but every so often she could not help thinking about the valley. It was a great deal of effort every day to keep her rising thoughts to herself. Stress had begun to bubble beneath her skin like an oozing wound, but she kept her worries private. The more she thought about home and her old life, the more the emerald-eyed girl thought of herself.
Two years earlier she had battled great enemies, travelled across worlds all after a boy named Riku. Using the world boyfriend still tickled her in some way, but it was the truth. Two nights after she had arrived on the islands Riku had asked her, in a rather nervous way, if she would be his girlfriend. Her agreement had made him smile, and that was her favorite memory. The way his lips would turn, expression softening until a glorious light seeped its way into his eyes. It was a perfectly contagious grin; one that she would kill to see. The very thought of his smile made her fingertips tingle, and her heart warm considerably. He would have been at home by then, sleeping soundly in preparation for the group bonfire the following night. She sighed, leaning forward from her previously sagging position on the sandy beach and let her hands fall limply into her lap. Berri could not sleep.
Her clothing choices were different, as the influence of her new home and friends had affected her severely. Her pants that would have once been jeans were of a new and peculiar nature. They hung at her hips, much like a pair of hiphuggers would, and clung to her legs' form all the way down to her knees where the purple fabric came to a stop. Six red leather straps branched off from this point and secured themselves to the second half of the pant leg that flared out in a bell-like shape all the way down to the tops of her shiny black shoes. The gap in her pants just around her knees had been cold the first few times she'd worn the outfit, but Berri had grown accustomed to the flexibility of the style. All up the sides of the pants were spiraling designs in a pale, pastel blue--so lightly colored and intricate that they almost appeared as white, flaming spirals. Her midsection was partially revealed, but her torso was firmly covered in a blue tubetop with matching spirals of pastel blue up the right and left sides. Two belts, one red, and the other blue crossed in an x-formation over her waist at the top of her new pants. Her sash had long since torn and been forgotten, but the girl wore Zee's necklace almost religiously. It still shined brightly whenever the light caught it, and the blackberry seed inside was as glossy as ever.
They were obviously more elaborate clothes, and it was a big leap considering her old style of clothing. Compared to another change Berri had experienced, these alterations were nothing more than a speck of dust on the windshield of life. Her heart was changing. Every day she could feel a tiny piece of it shift, morphing into something new, something potentially dangerous. The flickering light of her own being paled in comparison to the rushing vibes of pure honey that often drifted about Kairi. The fuschia-haired girl's heart was radient in all ways. Berri was surprised it had not yet burst from holding in so much light. Once upon a time, her heart had seemed that way as well. Not anymore. Riku would have insisted everything was fine, and so the girl had not even bothered telling him about the changes she could feel taking place within herself. Each night as she let herself fall into the feathered pillows and closed her eyes she could see into her memories as though a reel of film were playing on the back of her eyelids. The images refused to die, and the sickening, sultry voice of Xemnas would drift through her dreams, turning them into nightmares....
His warnings about paradise coming to an end, coupled with the promise that two princesses could not reside in one world made her shiver. The lack of cold around her made the motion seem out of place, but Berri did not care. She had often come down to the beaches to watch the sun set and wonder herself if, perhaps, the light in her own heart was fading.
"Is it possible," she whispered, "to be demoted as princess?"
The wind carried her words far away even as she spoke them. The gentle breeze that had kissed her lips twirled and faded away, racing across the ocean to foreign ears carrying a message that would be far too silent for them to ever hear. The girl let her emerald eyes fall slowly towards her shiny black shoes. They were slightly oversized, but not to the same ridiculous amount as Sora's or Riku's. It made her smile to think about them again. Berri looked towards the sky, winked at the stars, and quickly shifted herself to a standing position. The time for depression had passed, and the cool seaside winds were beginning to leave a biting chill against her skin.
As the last fleeting fragments of light shattered and fell broken against the clouds at the horizon the girl turned, heading back to the docks and her longboat. She could imagine the softness of her pillow, the gentle hum of her ceiling fan as she snuggled under the covers, and even the welcoming blanket of darkness as night settled firmly into place. It was unfortunate that she never got to taste such luxuries. Her gaze fell upon the docks, but her heart held her fastly still. She could sense despair, the rotting of hope and spirit laced with fear somewhere nearby her. A gentle soul was in danger, but no matter how hard she strained her eyes the images would not come to fall before her. Berri dashed forward, pulling herself up onto the docks and let her light stretch far beyond her body to seek out the missing persons until finally a ringing sort of chill crept up her left arm and spine. Her eyes flashed in the dimming light as she turned to see another longboat bobbing up and down in the sloshing waves. They became more violent by the second, though she could not for the life of her find any signs of a storm in the serene sky.
A frown settled itself into her features as the black-haired girl set one hand delicately over her eyes, hoping to focus her vision on the longboat. One ore was strewn carlessly about the interrior, a still dripping fin hanging over the rim of what she assumed was starboard. Only after the fact did she realize the second oar was floating freely in the water, completely discarded as if in a hurry. A strained gasp escaped her lips as the swooshing hiss of darkness errupted from the center of the boat. A tiny shadow heartless turned towards her, and Berri watched as the eerily glowing yellow eyes locked onto her own emerald orbs. It was hunched over something, or more likely someone, but the teen did not give herself any opportunity to ponder who. Before her brain had fully processed what she was seeing Berri had lept off the pier in a glorious dive--for Riku had insisted on teaching her everything there was to know about swimming--and set off at a gruelling pace to reach the longboat in time.
Hissing in fury the shadow heartless shrunk back from her presence as Berri lifted her arm from the water in a spray of glittering droplets. She heaved herself into the boat and backhanded the creature across the ant-like face. It flinched back, flipping into the thrashing waters and sinking until she could no longer sense the yellow-eyed monster's presence. The occupant of the boat was her next major concern, though they appeared to be breathing evenly. Aside from her own soaked cloathing the boat was in tact and not full of any water or signs of moisture that would instigate water damage. Berri calmed her labored breathing that had started up in response to her swimming and gently shook the stranger's shoulder. They had golden-blonde hair, and it was long, almost down to their hips. She could see from the figure it was a girl, though her style suggested she was not a very outgoing person--or perhaps just shy. Her colors ranged from gray to pink, and perhaps a tiny smidge of robins egg blue. The only defining feature of the girl was a navy scarf, tattered at the ends where the dye had faded to a light liliac purple. When her shaking and tapping did nothing Berri sighed, rolling the girl over onto her back to check for breathing. It was all fine, and the teen could still sense the presence of a heart..
That was it. The girl's heart. It was emanating the feelings of despair and danger, of anger and sorrow, all the things that had called Berri to her rescue. She smiled a grim, dismal smile of realization as the girl's true source of peril made itself known through the use of Berri's natural intuition. This blond-haired girl had not been afraid for herself, but for someone she loved. This blond-haired girl was feeling the same emotions Berri herself had experienced when she first truly believed Riku had been injured, lost, and ripped away from her forever. The princess was not sensing this girl's trouble, but the trouble of a loved one that needed her help.
"You're lucky," She mumbled, fishing over the edge of the boat for an oar, "I might not have heard you in a few months.."