Surrendered Innocence
Disclaimer: Not mine, never have been, never will be, etc. etc., I'm sure you all know the drill by now.
Author's Notes: This is going to be a Riku/Kairi fic. I happen to like the pairing. Those that don't, don't have to read. For those that do, a few quick facts so you aren't left wondering what this lunatic is babbling about now. This is set five years after the end of KH. For those concerned with spoilers, I've taken a few ideas from the special ending and incorporated them into my story, so you have been warned. Don't worry, this is probably going to be my longest AN in the entire story. Enjoy.
Chapter One
She sat there on their island, and watched the sunset. She didn't do it often, because it often stirred up memories, both good and bad, and some days you just don't have the strength to deal with either. Today, though, she wanted to remember. She wanted to remember those years that seemed a lifetime ago, that time that seemed to be as distant as any world she had ever traveled to. She wanted, perhaps even needed, to remember the two boys who would more often than not sit next to her and talk about what ever happened to be on their minds that day.
Usually, Riku would actually talk about something in that serious manner of his, while Sora sorta just drifted along with the conversation, and she, Kairi, would sit there and laugh at both of their antics. She would giggle as Sora made a goofball comment and Riku did his best to correct him without losing his mature façade and start laughing. She would laugh when it took Sora a full five seconds before realizing that what Riku had just said was, in fact, insulting. Sometimes, they all just laughed together at some comment that would be funny only to them, only then. Only five years since.everything, but it seemed so much longer.
With a sigh, the starry blanket of the night sky cast across the heavens long ago, she stood up and walked back to the docks, back to her boat and rowed it back to the mainland. Five years without a word from either. Five years of waiting. Five years.that were about to end.
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Sometimes, he liked to wander off from the rest and just stare. Not that he could see anything, mind you, but that really didn't make that big of a difference. He vaguely remembered Hollow Bastion as a magnificent sight. Of course, all his memories from that time were a bit.colored. Everything had such sinister shapes, such dark edges to them.
Frowning, Riku shook his head to dispel the cloud of depression that threatened to engulf him. He came out here to relax, not brood. Taking several deep breaths, he slowly managed to clear his mind once more, focusing his remaining senses to his surroundings.
The cathedral was always quiet compared to the library, which tended to be a hub of activity. It annoyed Riku to no end. It was suppose to be a library, for crying out loud! Weren't they supposed to be quiet places where people read silently? Pushing the thought out, he took another deep breath, held it, and slowly released, letting the tension drain out of him with it. Letting his mind detach, he could feel his senses sharpening. He could feel the coolness of the stone that surrounded him, could smell the vines that grew through the rock, could nearly taste the ambient water that managed to pervade the air. When he was relaxed like this, it was almost like he could still see. It was close, so close, to what it was like when he didn't need the blindfold and didn't have to worry about the slightest sliver of light causing additional damage to his already hypersensitive eyesight.
Three years in total darkness can do that to you.
Pushing the bitter thought back to the shadowed part of his mind it came from, he soaked up the peace of the ancient sanctuary, listening to a bird high above as it chirped happily at it's work. Here, he could let the self-loathing go, put the nightmares to rest and just relax.
Or at least, he normally could because normally no one would bother him here. The echoing clomp of boots on the stone told him that today's session was getting cut very short. He favored the intruder into his peace with a cool tone, feeling his eyes reflexively open as he came out of the meditative trance.
"What"
Cloud frowned under the scarlet scarf. He was still adjusting to everyone being able to hear him coming so easily. When he was first thrown out into the other worlds, part of what had helped him to survive was the fact that despite his build and obvious differences, no one noticed him coming. Since returning to Hollow Bastion, though, he had yet to sneak up on a single person. He couldn't even catch Aeris off guard. Naturally, he didn't let any of this be heard in his voice.
"They think they've done it."
Riku couldn't fully control the tremble that ran up and down his spine, but he was every bit as much an expert at hiding such things as Cloud, and so it did not reach his voice.
"When?"
"An hour. Two, tops. Shouldn't take any longer than that to pack."
Not trusting his voice at the moment, Riku simply nodded to Cloud, "watching" as the shadowy blob he could almost see through the blindfold turned and walk away without further ado. Once he was sure Cloud was gone, he let his head fall back against the cool stone that only moments ago he had found so comforting. Now it was cold and uncomfortable.
Five years. Five years and several lifetimes. But it was all coming to an end now. After all this time, he was going to catch the dream he had chased for so long. It sent a thrill through him just to consider it. And yet a pit seemed to open up in his stomach at the same time.
So many nights he had awoken from nightmares that centered on this, around what could be and what might happen. It was time though. One way or another, he was going to catch that dream that had kept him going these long years and find out if it was a dream at all, or if it was like the last one he had chased. A nightmare waiting to consume him, mind, body, and soul. With a shuddering breath, he allowed the thought to be voiced, if only in his mind.
Today I return to the Destiny Islands.
AN: And there we are. The first chapter in my Kingdom Hearts fic. Be they ever so humble, all fics have one thing in common. To truly flourish, they need support and attention. Please, R&R.
Disclaimer: Not mine, never have been, never will be, etc. etc., I'm sure you all know the drill by now.
Author's Notes: This is going to be a Riku/Kairi fic. I happen to like the pairing. Those that don't, don't have to read. For those that do, a few quick facts so you aren't left wondering what this lunatic is babbling about now. This is set five years after the end of KH. For those concerned with spoilers, I've taken a few ideas from the special ending and incorporated them into my story, so you have been warned. Don't worry, this is probably going to be my longest AN in the entire story. Enjoy.
Chapter One
She sat there on their island, and watched the sunset. She didn't do it often, because it often stirred up memories, both good and bad, and some days you just don't have the strength to deal with either. Today, though, she wanted to remember. She wanted to remember those years that seemed a lifetime ago, that time that seemed to be as distant as any world she had ever traveled to. She wanted, perhaps even needed, to remember the two boys who would more often than not sit next to her and talk about what ever happened to be on their minds that day.
Usually, Riku would actually talk about something in that serious manner of his, while Sora sorta just drifted along with the conversation, and she, Kairi, would sit there and laugh at both of their antics. She would giggle as Sora made a goofball comment and Riku did his best to correct him without losing his mature façade and start laughing. She would laugh when it took Sora a full five seconds before realizing that what Riku had just said was, in fact, insulting. Sometimes, they all just laughed together at some comment that would be funny only to them, only then. Only five years since.everything, but it seemed so much longer.
With a sigh, the starry blanket of the night sky cast across the heavens long ago, she stood up and walked back to the docks, back to her boat and rowed it back to the mainland. Five years without a word from either. Five years of waiting. Five years.that were about to end.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------
Sometimes, he liked to wander off from the rest and just stare. Not that he could see anything, mind you, but that really didn't make that big of a difference. He vaguely remembered Hollow Bastion as a magnificent sight. Of course, all his memories from that time were a bit.colored. Everything had such sinister shapes, such dark edges to them.
Frowning, Riku shook his head to dispel the cloud of depression that threatened to engulf him. He came out here to relax, not brood. Taking several deep breaths, he slowly managed to clear his mind once more, focusing his remaining senses to his surroundings.
The cathedral was always quiet compared to the library, which tended to be a hub of activity. It annoyed Riku to no end. It was suppose to be a library, for crying out loud! Weren't they supposed to be quiet places where people read silently? Pushing the thought out, he took another deep breath, held it, and slowly released, letting the tension drain out of him with it. Letting his mind detach, he could feel his senses sharpening. He could feel the coolness of the stone that surrounded him, could smell the vines that grew through the rock, could nearly taste the ambient water that managed to pervade the air. When he was relaxed like this, it was almost like he could still see. It was close, so close, to what it was like when he didn't need the blindfold and didn't have to worry about the slightest sliver of light causing additional damage to his already hypersensitive eyesight.
Three years in total darkness can do that to you.
Pushing the bitter thought back to the shadowed part of his mind it came from, he soaked up the peace of the ancient sanctuary, listening to a bird high above as it chirped happily at it's work. Here, he could let the self-loathing go, put the nightmares to rest and just relax.
Or at least, he normally could because normally no one would bother him here. The echoing clomp of boots on the stone told him that today's session was getting cut very short. He favored the intruder into his peace with a cool tone, feeling his eyes reflexively open as he came out of the meditative trance.
"What"
Cloud frowned under the scarlet scarf. He was still adjusting to everyone being able to hear him coming so easily. When he was first thrown out into the other worlds, part of what had helped him to survive was the fact that despite his build and obvious differences, no one noticed him coming. Since returning to Hollow Bastion, though, he had yet to sneak up on a single person. He couldn't even catch Aeris off guard. Naturally, he didn't let any of this be heard in his voice.
"They think they've done it."
Riku couldn't fully control the tremble that ran up and down his spine, but he was every bit as much an expert at hiding such things as Cloud, and so it did not reach his voice.
"When?"
"An hour. Two, tops. Shouldn't take any longer than that to pack."
Not trusting his voice at the moment, Riku simply nodded to Cloud, "watching" as the shadowy blob he could almost see through the blindfold turned and walk away without further ado. Once he was sure Cloud was gone, he let his head fall back against the cool stone that only moments ago he had found so comforting. Now it was cold and uncomfortable.
Five years. Five years and several lifetimes. But it was all coming to an end now. After all this time, he was going to catch the dream he had chased for so long. It sent a thrill through him just to consider it. And yet a pit seemed to open up in his stomach at the same time.
So many nights he had awoken from nightmares that centered on this, around what could be and what might happen. It was time though. One way or another, he was going to catch that dream that had kept him going these long years and find out if it was a dream at all, or if it was like the last one he had chased. A nightmare waiting to consume him, mind, body, and soul. With a shuddering breath, he allowed the thought to be voiced, if only in his mind.
Today I return to the Destiny Islands.
AN: And there we are. The first chapter in my Kingdom Hearts fic. Be they ever so humble, all fics have one thing in common. To truly flourish, they need support and attention. Please, R&R.
