Promise
'I've been alone for so long.'
You looked out to the little island across the waters. The island that you and your three friends had played on... before they had disappeared.
'Then Kairi came back.'
But before you knew it, she had disappeared again. Leaving you and Selphie alone. You and Selphie weren't very close, and nothing changed between you two when Kairi had gone missing. You had waited, looking up at the stars every night. To each star, you gave the wish that your friends would return to you soon. It was a long wait, one in which you became disheartened, but they reappeared in the end... for now.
'And they seem so much closer now. Like they don't need me.'
"Hey! What are you doing?" yelled a voice from behind you. The voice was one that once made you warm, but now, it seemed to cause you pain.
You turned to see the spiky brown haired Sora. Kairi stood behind him, as well as Riku.
"Just looking out to the old times," you said, smiling up to them. You quickly turned around, throwing your hands behind your back and showing them the friendly smile that you always gave them. It seemed fake to you, but they would never know the difference.
"You looked... sad," Sora pointed out. You bit your lip and quickly replied, "No! I was just in thought. Don't worry!"
Sora took your answer and approved it with his big smile. "We're going to the islands, do you want to go with us?"
You looked to each of them, surprised that they even had to ask. "Of course."
"Great!" Kairi exclaimed. She, Sora, and Riku turned quickly and made there way to the boat that would take the four of you there. You, yourself, were feeling nervous. You had not been to the island since, Riku, Sora, and Kairi had disappeared. As you began to climb in the boat, you looked out to the island once more.
"It's been so long," Kairi said, looking out as well.
"Yeah, the last time we went there was when the darkness came," Riku said. And that seemed to trigger a conversation that you could not take part in. They talked about there adventures on different world and the friends they had met.
'But in the time they were gone, they didn't seem to think about the friend they left behind.'
You looked around, trying to find the source of the voice you had heard. Sora and the others didn't seem to have noticed the strange voice. You wanted to just ignore it, but the voice was so clear, that you couldn't.
"What about you? What all did you do?" Kairi asked, turning all of the attention over to you. Attention you didn't want.
'Now they want to know what you did with your time alone. They didn't have the decency to ask you when they first got back, but now they do now that they have nothing else to talk about.'
You heard that voice again, but you couldn't panic about it or the others would start to question you more. You really weren't in the mood to talk right now and a bombardment of questions would really annoy you.
"Nothing really, I just waited," you replied. Before the others could say anything in reply, the boat you were in hit shore, throwing you all forward.
"I guess we're here," Sora laughed with his big smile. You smiled in return, just to satisfy the moment. You weren't happy you were here, now that you thought about it. You were actually afraid. What if they left again?
'It's not like they would miss you if they did leave again. Maybe you should leave them first. Just to show them what it was like for you.'
"What?" you said aloud. Sora, Riku, and Kairi looked at you. You blushed slightly at your outburst.
"I said, we should go and sit by the waterfall. Are you going deaf?" Kairi laughed.
"Oh," was all that you could say. You caught a lucky break with that slip up, with Kairi talking and all.
'But maybe that voice is right… Maybe I should --- What am I talking about?! This is insane!"
You quickly turned on your heel and followed the others to the waterfall.
'But is it really insane? It's what you want deep down after all.'
'How do you know what I want?'
'I've watched you for a long time, . I know a lot about you. I know how you felt when they were gone. Riku… Kairi… Sora… I know how you cried sometimes in your sleep, dreaming about how they had abandoned you. How Sora had abandoned you.'
'…… Who are you?'
'I know you better than any of them do. While they were gone, I watched over you. I protected you. I was your only friend.'
"AH!" you yelled as you fell into the pool of water below the waterfall.
You surfaced and found your three friends in a laughing fit. You glared at them all.
"Watch where you're going next time," Sora chuckled. You merely sighed and decided that was what you got for talking to strangers in your head. But even as you thought that, you wanted to continue talking to the voice. Find out more about it, and even who it really was.
"This place hasn't changed at all," Kairi said, picking a leaf out of the pool. You looked around, taking in the surroundings for the first time in a long time. You felt oppressed by the feeling of loss. The feeling of pain.
"Ah, but you got to admit, it doesn't compare to Radiant Garden," Sora deemed. The others agreed and once again converged into a conversation excluding you, which made you extremely annoyed.
You made your way into the little cave beside the waterfall, hoping to get away from the three for a moment while they chatted away. You glanced at all of the cave drawings and reminisced about the old days. The days when you were happy.
'Do you want to find true happiness?'
You looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone. But deep down you knew that you wouldn't.
'What would you know about what would make me happy?'
'I told you already. I've watched you. I know that you are not going to find happiness here. They have grown so close together, that they forget about you half the time. You have noticed, and I know that makes you angry. It makes you want revenge.'
'I don't feel that way…' But as you said that, you knew you were lying. You felt it deep inside you. A fire that burned in hate and remorse. Why let them be happy, if it left you to suffer. They had no idea what it had been like for you. All you had to endure emotionally and mentally. They had been your true source of happiness all those years ago.
'Do you want true happiness?'
"I want… I want to show them what it was like for me," you said. "I want to show them the pain and loneliness I had to go through."
"Then come with me," came a voice behind you. You turned and looked to see a swirling mass of black.
"?" came Sora's voice from the entrance. He appeared to see you, as black vines began to twine around you. He stood there, caught off guard. "!" He lunged at you, hoping to pull you away from the darkness. But black vines pulled him off of you and threw him into the unsuspecting Riku and Kairi.
"!" Sora yelled to you. But you could barely see him now, with so much darkness clouding your vision. "!"
It was dark. You couldn't see anything, and you felt cold.
'Did you trick me? Was everything you said a lie?'
'No, I am keeping you here to keep you safe. We are now going to make them pay for what they did to you.'
'I'm… scared.'
'Don't be. I am here to protect you.'
'But who are you?'
There came no answer.
Sora, Riku, and Kairi sat quietly as the boat they were in sailed quietly toward an island. This island was there only lead because of the faint dark aura that surrounded it. Sora looked determined more than anything. It was his fault that this had happened to you. He didn't save you in time.
"What is it?" Kairi asked. "Heartless? Nobodies?"
"I really don't know," Sora said, continuing to look out to the nearing island.
"It's not really the style of any of them. It may be something new. Something we have never faced before," Riku said, throwing his opinion to the others.
"I don't know, but we have to get back," Sora said.
'I'm so cold. And I feel so weak.'
'Don't be worried. Just rest. Sleep if you must. I will be here watching over you.'
Something about those words unnerved you. This wasn't right. And whatever it was, you felt that you shouldn't go to sleep.
'They are here.'
Sora, Riku, and Kairi pushed there way onto the shore. They tied the boat down and quickly made there way inland. It was a miniscule island, so it would take long to search.
And it didn't.
There, standing there waiting for them, was a woman dressed in a long black dress with red sashes. Her black hair almost went to here feet and her piercing red eyes threatened everything.
"Are you the one that kidnapped ?" Sora yelled.
"I am surprised you have come," the woman said.
"Why wouldn't we? is our friend. We wouldn't just leave her to you!"
"Then why did you leave her alone for years. Left her to wait for you!" The woman swung her hand at the three and large balls of black matter flew at them. Sora and Riku dodged each one, but Kairi was clipped by a few of them. The ones that hit her stuck to her.
"Ah!" she yelled out as the matter formed around her. She fell to the ground unable to move. Riku took out his sword and swung to free Kairi, but the matter stuck to it and seemed to pull it in. Riku pulled as hard as he could, but the sword was swallowed up in the matter.
"What do you want with ?" Sora yelled, as his Keyblade appeared.
"I am just helping her," the woman said. She looked from Sora to Riku to Kairi, who was struggling on the ground. "You left her alone, so now you will feel the same she did!"
Sora swung at the woman, but she dodged. Riku joined in, throwing several punches.
"I don't know what you are talking about, but wasn't the only one alone for a long time," Riku said. "We were all separated from each other."
"And besides, we never wanted to leave her. If I had had the choice, I would have wanted her by my side the entire journey," Sora yelled, thrusting the Keyblade into the air and then down at the woman.
'Sora…! I didn't know.'
'Shut up. He lies to trick you! Don't fall for it!'
'I don't think he's lying.'
'He is! You can't tell that he's not!'
'I can… because I love him. I have ever since before he disappeared. He's the one I waited for all this time.'
You struggled to move your body. You felt numb, but you had to do something to get out of here.
'Let me out!'
The woman seemed to hesitate. And in that hesitation, Sora landed a blow across her stomach. She fell to her hands and knees, and Sora jumped back to look at her.
"You… you don't know what it was like for me!" the woman said, clutching her stomach. "I was so alone. And I hate you for leaving me alone!" She slammed her hands into the ground and black vines rose up and wrapped around Sora and Riku.
"What?" Sora asked, confused. "We never left you."
"You did! You left me the day the darkness came!" the woman yelled. She threw dark blades as the two. Sora managed to cut himself loose and block the blades. He slowly made his way toward the woman.
"What are you doing?!" she yelled, her attacks growing more furious.
"," Sora called out.
'Sora…?'
He continued blocking the attacks as he made his way closer to the woman.
"Stay away from me!" she yelled. "Please!"
Sora reached out and took the woman in his arms. "I didn't want to leave you, ."
'What is this warmth?'
Then, all at once, the memories of that night came back…
", something is going on at the island. I'm going to go, but I want you to stay here," Sora said, as he, Kairi, and Riku climbed into the boat. "We're just going to make sure the raft is okay."
You watched as your friends left for the island, leaving you behind. Why though? Why couldn't you come to help him? That was all that you wanted to do. You glanced over the other small boat that could take you to the island.
"Riku!" you heard Sora yell as your boat hit shore. You looked to see Riku disappear into a black mass. Kairi was gone too. You quickly ran to Sora to help him on his feet.
"! I told you to stay away!" Sora yelled.
"I wanted to help you!" you explained. Suddenly, a giant black creature rose out of the ground. You could only look up at it in fear. Sora reached over to you and threw you off of the dock. When you surfaced from the water, you saw him running at the monster. Now matter how hard you tried to swim back to shore, the waves just seemed to carry you out farther. You could only watch helplessly as Sora was swallowed up by the darkness.
You looked up, and through the darkness, you found the source of the warmth. A light glowing in the vast darkness. You smiled.
'So that's how it was.
Riku and Kairi watched as Sora and the woman were engulfed in a bright ball of light. The matter that was holding Kairi disappeared, as did the vines hold Riku. They both looked at each other and then to Sora, who was embracing you.
You slowly opened your eyes, and looked up at Sora. You slowly pushed away from his warm embraced. He smiled down at you.
"Welcome back," he said.
"So, I guess that means that woman was the dark part of ," Riku said, trying to understand everything. Kairi looked at him and nodded.
"I'm so sorry!" you yelled. "I was just thinking about myself! I didn't once think that you guys were going through the same thing as me. I couldn't control my anger, I'm sorry."
Sora embraced you once again, and whispered so that only you could here, "I never wanted to leave you. I never wanted for you to be alone. I just wanted to keep you safe."
You embraced him back, taking in his light and warmth. "Promise you'll never leave again."
"Promise."
