Hello all! For those of you who don't know me I am Green Girl 13. I have written two other stories here on Both of them are based on the musical Wicked. The first is a one shot called A Change In The Weather, and the second is a longer story called Look To The Western Sky. Now I am starting a new story based on the video game Kingdom Hearts, by Disney and Squaresoft. This story, The Other Side Of The Door, is based on the story line of the game, only from Riku's point of view. As the story goes along, it may contain some spoilers from the end of the game (if you haven't finished it). But I'll warn you when those chapters come up. I hope you enjoy this new story! Please feel free to read and review! I would appreciate anything you have to say, good or bad. Thank you and enjoy!
GreenGirl13
Kingdom Hearts: The Other Side of the Door
Chapter 1: The Island
The bright sun filtered through some large, palm trees, into a clearing. The sand was a dazzling white, seeming to reflect the sun's light, and propel it back a thousand times brighter. There wasn't a breeze, all was still. And yet something lurked, something dark and terrible, that would soon shatter this peaceful scene.
Riku looked up at the golden sun, shielding his eyes. He sighed, then bent, picking up a large piece of wood. He had been gathering wood most of the morning, and yet he hadn't seen any sign of the others. Riku shifted his load to better suit him, and he walked on, coming out of the small clearing, to a bit of a ledge, overlooking the gentle stretch of beach that ran to the ocean.
Riku, along with his good friends Sora, and Kairi were building a raft. They had gotten the idea about a month earlier, while walking down the quiet carpet of sand that ringed their small island.
"Do you ever wonder...what else is out there?" Sora had said, looking out toward the horizon. He picked up a small stone, tossing it up in the air and catching it.
"How can you not wonder about it?" Riku had answered softly, staring straight ahead. Always, in his quietest moments, Riku would ponder their destiny. Why were they here? On this island, of all places? Surely there was more to the world than this, more beyond this world. That's when they had come up with the idea to build a raft. They had planned, and sketched it, made lists of supplies needed to build the actual raft, and also for the journey.
But as Riku remembered this, he also saw farther back in his mind, to another time, to something that had first sparked his interest in other worlds. Kairi.
She had appeared on a day almost like this one. The waves rhythmically pulsing as they splashed on the sand. Riku had been sitting near the waterfall, carving a new knife handle. His feet were dangling in the small pool of water, as the waterfall churned it softly. Suddenly another pair of feet had joined his, and Riku looked up to see Sora, a worried look on his face. He had been trying to call out to Riku, but Riku hadn't heard over the sound of the waterfall.
"There's a girl on the beach!" He said, casting a look over towards the water. Riku looked over as well, and gasped. He could see something lying on the sand, the water flooding around it's legs. In a flash Riku was up and running, Sora right behind him. As he came closer he saw it was indeed a girl. She was soaked through, and damp red hair covered her face.
Riku knelt down beside her, Sora doing the same. She was wearing a skirt, and a white tank top. Riku had never seen her before. He searched the ocean's surface for any sign of a shipwreck, but there was none. Just then the girl stirred. Riku looked down, gently shaking her shoulders. Sora was watching her face intently. Then her eyes opened. She blinked, looking up at the two of them, looking right back at her. Then she rolled over, coughing up water.
"Are you okay?" Sora had asked, helping her sit up. She looked around, her eyes searching the tiny island. Then she looked at Sora, then Riku. There was something in her eyes, like she knew more of the world, of herself than she thought.
"Yes...I think so...where am I?" She asked, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Sora grinned, and was quick to answer.
"You're on Destiny Islands, I'm Sora." He said, his grin widening. Riku shook his head, a small smile on his face. Sora was always eager to meet someone new.
"I'm Riku." He said, helping the girl stand. "Sora, go up to the tree house, and grab that blanket in the corner. She must be freezing." Sora nodded, then took off for the tree house. The girl looked at Riku again, then down at her feet. "So...were you shipwrecked? How did you get here?" Riku asked, unsure of what to say.
"I'm Kairi," she said softer than before. "And I...I don't know how I got here. Or..." She paused, looking unsure of what she was about to say. "Or even what happened before I came here." Riku thought about this, interested.
"You mean, you can't remember anything about your life before now?" He asked, wondering what she meant. But Kairi nodded, studying the sand under her shoe.
"It's like...I've lost everything, it's all a blank. You must think I'm really weird." She said, coming out of her thoughts. But Riku shook his head.
"No, I don't think you're weird at all." He said, what could this mean? That maybe there were...other places than their small home? Other, a shiver went through him as he thought it, worlds maybe? Just then Sora came running back, carrying a large, gray blanket.
"Found it Riku!" He said, handing it to Kairi, who wrapped herself up in it. She muttered a thank you, then began to walk up the beach, towards the small shack. Riku and Sora followed a bit behind her.
"Sora, her name's Kairi, and I think she's from another world." Riku said, Sora looked at him, puzzled. "She said she can't remember anything about herself before now, or how she got here in the first place." Sora's eyes widened, and he looked forward at Kairi again.
"But, what makes you think she's from another world?" Sora said, bringing his gaze back to Riku.
"I...I don't know, it's just...odd, something that wouldn't happen here." And he also had a feeling, in the pit of his stomach, telling him that Kairi was different, not like them. But he didn't share this with Sora. He just kept walking up the beach, staring after the mysterious girl who had brought so many questions on the tide with her.
Riku shook his head, scattering the memory. He had been ten when Kairi came, Sora was nine. Even after four years, her past was still as much of a mystery as it was on that day. Riku grabbed another plank of wood, walking down towards the beach, where sand met water. As he came closer he saw Sora sitting down on the sand, Kairi standing above him. They were talking about how they were excited to finally be getting the raft finished.
"Hey, what about me?" Riku called jokingly. Sora and Kairi both turned around. "I don't see you slowpokes gathering wood." He said, walking over to them. He tossed his wood to Sora, who struggled to catch it. "You too." He said, pointing at Kairi.
"Okay, we can work together." She said, giggling. Riku sat down, tired from finding all that wood. "I'll race you." Kairi baited. Riku raised an eye brow at her.
"Are you kidding? No way." But Kairi knew Riku and Sora couldn't resist a race.
"One...two...three!" Riku looked at Sora, grinned, then took off. Sora was right behind him. He could hear Kairi laughing as she tried to catch up. He grinned and sped up, pulling ahead even more. Finally they went under the bridge that led to a smaller island, and the shack came into view. Riku touched it first.
"Beat you!" He shouted, as Sora came up, panting, Kairi soon joined them, smiling. "Now," he said as soon as they had caught their breath. "Let's get started."
They split up. Sora was to look for a few more logs, some fish, and some mushrooms. Riku was to find another cloth for a spare sail, and to carve the last paddle. Kairi was preparing their bags, and double checking supplies.
Riku quickly found another cloth that would make a perfect sail, then grabbed his knife, and went off to carve. He ducked into the shack, climbed some stairs, then went around a curve to another door. This was his place, his spot where he came to think, or just relax. It overlooked the ocean, and had a series of wooden platforms, and trees leading to a slope, and a paupu tree. This is what he and Sora called the obsticle course. They would often challenge each other and see who could touch the tree and make it back to the ledge first.
Riku sat down, with a partially made oar, took out his knife, and began carving. They had other friends on the island. Wakka, who always carried around his blitz ball, often challenging the others to a fight. There was Selphie, a younger girl, of about 11 or12, who never went anywhere without her jump rope. And then there was Tidus. He was about Selphie's age, with spiky blond hair and blue eyes. He loved to duel with the wooden swoards that they all had. Riku always teased that Tidus was Sora's younger brother, they looked so alike. Sora had spiky brown hair, and very clear blue eyes.
About an hour later, Sora came onto the ledge, followed by Kairi, who was making something. Riku stood up and handed her the oar.
"All done. There you go." He said, Kairi smiled, and took it.
"What are you making Kairi?" Sora asked, and Kairi held it up.
"It's a necklace, made of shells. It's supposed to be good luck for sailors." It was indeed a necklace, which ended in a star shape. Riku nodded. Kairi went to go put the oar with the raft. Riku picked up a star shaped fruit, handing it to Sora. "Sora, here. You wanted one didn't you?" Sora looked confused.
"What?"
"It's a Paupu fruit, they say that if two people share one, their destinies become intertwined, and they will remain a part of each other's lives forever." He grinned, turning to study the obstacle course.
"Uh...thanks..." Sora stammered, setting the paupu down by a rock.
"What do you think the raft should be called?" Riku asked suddenly, an idea forming in his head.
"Hmm...how about...Jewel of the Ocean?" Riku seemed to think a moment.
"I was thinking Half-Wind" Then he turned to Sora. "How about this, we'll race, first one to touch the tree and make it back gets to name the raft...and share the paupu fruit with Kairi."
"What?...But I mean..." Kairi came back, and Riku asked her to count them off.
"Ready? One...two...three...go!" Riku shot from the starting point, but Sora was close on his heels. He leaped across the platforms, then climbed the largest one. As he looked down, he saw Sora cut across the beach. Riku set a determined look on his face, grabbed the glider, then pushed off. The handles zoomed across the wire, ending in a slope to the ground. He leaped off, and jumped across the rocks, his breath coming hard. Sora was almost there. Riku pushed himself, his hand scraped the tree's bark. He whirled, leaping across the trees. He reached the platforms just ahead of Sora. He jumped, trying to gain speed. There was the finish line. Riku pushed harder,...and they tied.
Riku looked over to see Sora panting on the ground beside him. A flash of anger went over his face, but Riku controlled it, and helped Sora up.
"Good race..." he said, Sora looked at him, a strange look on his face. "You're not upset over that Paupu thing are you?" Riku said suddenly, forcing a laugh. "That was just a joke." Then he turned, and walked out the door, back to the main island.