The Calm Before the Storm
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. However, the plot and the characters not featured in Kingdom Hearts belong to me. Kingdom Hearts and its characters and any quotes I might use are copyright to Square Enix and Disney._____________________________________________________________________ __
Kairi stared up at the sky, wondering. Had it really been only five months since the darkness had come? She looked around her. Their little island had not changed much since then. She could see Selphie sitting on the dock, swinging her bare legs over the water and probably dreaming some romantic fancy. Kairi grinned when she saw cocky, and yes, sometimes annoying little Tidus practicing his sword techniques against one of the island's many lush, palm trees. Wakka was over in the cove, out of sight, but sometimes she could hear his yells as he practiced battling with his blue blitzball. No, not much had changed at all.
Except the two things that mattered most to her. Riku and Sora were gone. Everyone else had resigned themselves to the fact that they might never come back. Everyone, that is, except Kairi. Sora promised to come back. She knew that he would bring Riku with him. They just had to come back! She felt the rough bark of the tree scratch her bare legs as she slid off. She smoothed her skirt and pushed one unruly strand of hair behind her ear. Then she clenched her fists and stared out to sea. She wouldn't give up on them! No matter what, they were her friends! She refused to just forget! They would come back!
Suddenly she saw a glimmer, far out on the horizon. A sparkle of the sun hitting something. She climbed back onto the tree and made makeshift binoculars with her hands. She strained her eyes to see what lay out there. She could faintly make out a white sail... It was a raft! Could Riku and Sora be on it? Who else could it be? As far as she knew she was the only one who had come on the island without being born here, well, recently anyway.
She jumped off the tree, hope filling her heart. She ran across the wooden bridge, into the seaside shack, down the stairs, out the bottom level door, across the hot sand, up on to the dock, and then she jumped into her boat. She grabbed her paddle and began to paddle vigorously out to sea, towards where she had last seen the raft.
"I'm coming Sora! I'm coming Riku! Just hang on!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. _______________________________________________________________________
Selphie sat on the wooden dock, swinging her legs and fantasizing. She wished that there were more boys on the island. Nothing against Tidus or Wakka, but they weren't really the tall, dark, or romantic type. She sighed. Things were so boring she wanted to scream! She watched Tidus beat up a palm tree, giggling at his cries of "Take that!" or "Had enough yet?". She was about to go challenge him to a real batlle when she suddenly saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned, startled to see Kairi running at full speed across the sand towards the dock. She wondered what Kairi was doing now.
The day that people realized that Sora and Riku were missing, Kairi had become a little, well, odd. She talked about crazy stuff, like that Sora was the Keyblade master or that her heart had been taken by Heartless. She said that Destiny Islands had been swallowed by darkness and Sora and Riku were missing because Sora was looking for Riku. She had also said that she was a "princess of heart". Whatever that meant. Selphie had never been really close to Kairi, but now she was even more distant. Not that Kairi sought anyone else's friendship. She kept to herself and the others kept to themselves. Selphie stood up. She'd never seen Kairi do anything odd before. It might be kind of interesting.
Kairi was racing at full speed towards her. When Kairi reached the dock she raced past Selphie and jumped in her boat. As she started to paddle out, Selphie heard her cry, " I'm coming Sora! I'm coming Riku! Just hang on!"
"What are you doing, Kairi? Where are you going?" Selphie called.
Kairi never stopped paddling, just called back over her shoulder, "I think Sora and Riku might be out there! I saw a raft!"
"Kairi! Wait! The currents get dangerous if you go out to far! Don't do anything stupid!"
Kairi didn't even answer just paddled out farther and farther. Selphie turned to see that Tidus had stopped his tree abuse and was walking towards her. He had a confused expression on his face. He put his red, wooden rod in his makeshift sheath and jumped up on the dock next to Selphie.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"It's Kairi. She said she saw a raft out at sea. She thinks Riku and Sora are on it. She was really convinced it was them!" Selphie scratched her head.
Tidus put his hand over his eyes and stared out at the horizon. "Sora and Riku? Hmmmmm. Wait, I see the raft! Do you think it could be Sora and Riku?"
Selphie shook her head. "Maybe, but I don't think so. Do you really think that Riku and Sora would really just turn up on a raft out of nowhere?"
Tidus shrugged. "You never know. She had to have seen something."
_______________________________________________________________________
Kairi was deperate now. The raft was getting closer, but not close enough to make out any details. It had to be Sora and Riku! They had to have come back! She paddled furiously. Looking back, it may not have been a very good decision to come out here alone. Her arms were already starting to ache and she was only half-way to the raft.
Suddenly, out of thre corner of her eye, she saw a mountain of water start to rise up from the sea. At first she couldn't figure out what it was, but then she realized she was seeing a monstrous wave.
"No!" she cried. She tried to paddle faster, realizing she would never reach it in time. She dropped her paddle in the bottom of the boat and curled up, sheilding her neck and face from the impending blow.
When the wave hit, it was like a freight train had landed on top of her. She felt the air being squeezed out of her lungs. Her boat flipped over and over, throwing her off into the wave. She was struck by something and before she descended into the darkness she thought that now she would never see if Sora and Riku came back after all...
_______________________________________________________________________
"Tidus, look! I've never seen a wave that big before! It's huge!" Selphie cried.
Tidus looked up, horrified at what he saw. Selphie was right, the wave was huge!
"Selphie, hurry! We have to get to the tree house! That thing'll crush us if we stay here!"
"What about Kairi?" she asked.
"There's no time for that! We have to get to safety! C'mon! Hurry!" he grabbed her wrist and dragged along as he ran along the beach.
"Wait! What about Wakka?! The wave will swallow him too!" she screamed as they ran.
"We don't have time! We just have to hope he's okay!" Tidus yelled as they ran up the steps, along the path, then up the wooden pathway, then finally they darted up the ladder, ran along the balcony, and threw themselves in the tree house.
"I hope the tree will hold." Selphie whispered fearfully
"I do too." Tidus said, noting the eerie quiet that had fallen over Destiny Islands. He pushed against the wall and waited. It was the calm before a storm.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. However, the plot and the characters not featured in Kingdom Hearts belong to me. Kingdom Hearts and its characters and any quotes I might use are copyright to Square Enix and Disney._____________________________________________________________________ __
Kairi stared up at the sky, wondering. Had it really been only five months since the darkness had come? She looked around her. Their little island had not changed much since then. She could see Selphie sitting on the dock, swinging her bare legs over the water and probably dreaming some romantic fancy. Kairi grinned when she saw cocky, and yes, sometimes annoying little Tidus practicing his sword techniques against one of the island's many lush, palm trees. Wakka was over in the cove, out of sight, but sometimes she could hear his yells as he practiced battling with his blue blitzball. No, not much had changed at all.
Except the two things that mattered most to her. Riku and Sora were gone. Everyone else had resigned themselves to the fact that they might never come back. Everyone, that is, except Kairi. Sora promised to come back. She knew that he would bring Riku with him. They just had to come back! She felt the rough bark of the tree scratch her bare legs as she slid off. She smoothed her skirt and pushed one unruly strand of hair behind her ear. Then she clenched her fists and stared out to sea. She wouldn't give up on them! No matter what, they were her friends! She refused to just forget! They would come back!
Suddenly she saw a glimmer, far out on the horizon. A sparkle of the sun hitting something. She climbed back onto the tree and made makeshift binoculars with her hands. She strained her eyes to see what lay out there. She could faintly make out a white sail... It was a raft! Could Riku and Sora be on it? Who else could it be? As far as she knew she was the only one who had come on the island without being born here, well, recently anyway.
She jumped off the tree, hope filling her heart. She ran across the wooden bridge, into the seaside shack, down the stairs, out the bottom level door, across the hot sand, up on to the dock, and then she jumped into her boat. She grabbed her paddle and began to paddle vigorously out to sea, towards where she had last seen the raft.
"I'm coming Sora! I'm coming Riku! Just hang on!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. _______________________________________________________________________
Selphie sat on the wooden dock, swinging her legs and fantasizing. She wished that there were more boys on the island. Nothing against Tidus or Wakka, but they weren't really the tall, dark, or romantic type. She sighed. Things were so boring she wanted to scream! She watched Tidus beat up a palm tree, giggling at his cries of "Take that!" or "Had enough yet?". She was about to go challenge him to a real batlle when she suddenly saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned, startled to see Kairi running at full speed across the sand towards the dock. She wondered what Kairi was doing now.
The day that people realized that Sora and Riku were missing, Kairi had become a little, well, odd. She talked about crazy stuff, like that Sora was the Keyblade master or that her heart had been taken by Heartless. She said that Destiny Islands had been swallowed by darkness and Sora and Riku were missing because Sora was looking for Riku. She had also said that she was a "princess of heart". Whatever that meant. Selphie had never been really close to Kairi, but now she was even more distant. Not that Kairi sought anyone else's friendship. She kept to herself and the others kept to themselves. Selphie stood up. She'd never seen Kairi do anything odd before. It might be kind of interesting.
Kairi was racing at full speed towards her. When Kairi reached the dock she raced past Selphie and jumped in her boat. As she started to paddle out, Selphie heard her cry, " I'm coming Sora! I'm coming Riku! Just hang on!"
"What are you doing, Kairi? Where are you going?" Selphie called.
Kairi never stopped paddling, just called back over her shoulder, "I think Sora and Riku might be out there! I saw a raft!"
"Kairi! Wait! The currents get dangerous if you go out to far! Don't do anything stupid!"
Kairi didn't even answer just paddled out farther and farther. Selphie turned to see that Tidus had stopped his tree abuse and was walking towards her. He had a confused expression on his face. He put his red, wooden rod in his makeshift sheath and jumped up on the dock next to Selphie.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"It's Kairi. She said she saw a raft out at sea. She thinks Riku and Sora are on it. She was really convinced it was them!" Selphie scratched her head.
Tidus put his hand over his eyes and stared out at the horizon. "Sora and Riku? Hmmmmm. Wait, I see the raft! Do you think it could be Sora and Riku?"
Selphie shook her head. "Maybe, but I don't think so. Do you really think that Riku and Sora would really just turn up on a raft out of nowhere?"
Tidus shrugged. "You never know. She had to have seen something."
_______________________________________________________________________
Kairi was deperate now. The raft was getting closer, but not close enough to make out any details. It had to be Sora and Riku! They had to have come back! She paddled furiously. Looking back, it may not have been a very good decision to come out here alone. Her arms were already starting to ache and she was only half-way to the raft.
Suddenly, out of thre corner of her eye, she saw a mountain of water start to rise up from the sea. At first she couldn't figure out what it was, but then she realized she was seeing a monstrous wave.
"No!" she cried. She tried to paddle faster, realizing she would never reach it in time. She dropped her paddle in the bottom of the boat and curled up, sheilding her neck and face from the impending blow.
When the wave hit, it was like a freight train had landed on top of her. She felt the air being squeezed out of her lungs. Her boat flipped over and over, throwing her off into the wave. She was struck by something and before she descended into the darkness she thought that now she would never see if Sora and Riku came back after all...
_______________________________________________________________________
"Tidus, look! I've never seen a wave that big before! It's huge!" Selphie cried.
Tidus looked up, horrified at what he saw. Selphie was right, the wave was huge!
"Selphie, hurry! We have to get to the tree house! That thing'll crush us if we stay here!"
"What about Kairi?" she asked.
"There's no time for that! We have to get to safety! C'mon! Hurry!" he grabbed her wrist and dragged along as he ran along the beach.
"Wait! What about Wakka?! The wave will swallow him too!" she screamed as they ran.
"We don't have time! We just have to hope he's okay!" Tidus yelled as they ran up the steps, along the path, then up the wooden pathway, then finally they darted up the ladder, ran along the balcony, and threw themselves in the tree house.
"I hope the tree will hold." Selphie whispered fearfully
"I do too." Tidus said, noting the eerie quiet that had fallen over Destiny Islands. He pushed against the wall and waited. It was the calm before a storm.
