Disclaimer---Gah, these things are SO boring. -sigh- I don't own any of this, if u wanna sue, I have a nice collection of TY beanie babies...that's about all u'll have. But if u take them, I'll cry, I swear it! ;.;
The Heart of All Worlds
Prologue: Continuing On
As soon as the princess entered the room, Sora knew there would be news he would not like. Aurora, Princess of Light for the world she was born to, was the very embodiment of what royalty should be, she bore a simple tiara of gold upon her head, a silken dress of sky blue complimenting her mature figure and sun-kissed golden hair flowing to her lower back. Her back was straight and her posture exceptional as she glided to the throne before curtsying before him. Sora could not help but feel inferior to the woman before him. True, she was kind-hearted and pure, and he indeed held a status higher than her, but she intimidated, whether she intended to or not. This time, rather than a pleasant smile, her face wore a pasted on pleasant twitch of her lips as she entered the room, looking at nothing but the teenager sitting in the only item of furniture in the chamber.
There was a procession behind her filled with finely garbed nobles from both her world and this one. Thier eyes were respectfully turned away from the princess, facing ahead, converging at once, upon Sora when they came to a halt behind Aurora. In a practiced move, they knelt, brushing skirts and cloaks across the floor elegantly. Sora, for his part, could not hold back a wince and small shudder, they looked like zombies when they were all together like this. He decided it was better to see them one at a time. It may have been proper for a princess of any sort to appear with a procession of people following her, but Sora could hardly call himself proper, or used to this kind of life.
Aurora gave a graceful curtsy, allowing the long golden hair to obscure her vision for a moment before standing and pushing it behind one ear. No words were spoken and Sora had to admit to himself that he was getting slightly nervous, words were more than exchanged by this point usually, and the princess in question was on her way back to her world to resume her position. Sora still was not entirely sure of what they did; each time he asked Kairi, she said it simply was not his business and that she was not sure what he did so it was even. Sora had thought it was quite obvious, but apparently not . . .
Aurora suddenly swung her head to the side and waved her hand in a gentle arc toward the door, "What will be said here if not for your ears to hear." She stated brusquely Leave us now."
Uneasy expressions passed between the nobles as they rose. Troubled and confused expressions jumped from each other, to Aurora, Sora, then back. Murmurs gave voice to inner concerns as their intricate lines broke and they ambled to the door, as they opened, surprised shouts of "Your Majesty!" and deep curtsies came in the wake of Kairi. She tried to offer them back, but there were simply too many. eventually, she bustled through the door, staring with troubled eyes after them. The doors closed behind them as Yuffies final wave drew close to an end. The four were alone in the room.
Aurora shot a glance to Riku, opened her mouth to request his departure, but Sora stood before so much as a peep could pass her lips. "It's unlike you to dismiss them so adamantly," inside he smirked, yes, he sounded smart, and he liked the feeling, "whatever needs to be said, should be heard by all of us."
Reluctantly, Aurora dropped her gaze to the floor and sighed, quite unlike her previous posture, and VERY much unlike her typical cheery and gentle attitude. In her view, which was often expressed when Sora asked why everyone had to know, the people deserved to know what was happening around them, it instilled trust within them and opened up the opportunity for help if someone had the ability to do so. "Princess Aurora, please tell me. What's wro-" Sora stumbled forward a bit, surprising himself and scaring the others in the room. Aurora and Kairi raced to the throne, arms outstretched, ready to steady the flailing Keybearer, but found their arms conspicuously empty. Looking up, they saw Riku's arm securely around Sora's waist, holding him up from executing a rather nasty face plant on the marble tiling below him.
"You are such a klutz sometimes!" she exclaimed. The amusement was almost completely drowned by concern as he pulled the younger boy against him. He did not remove his arm.
Sora's arm fell limp and the Keyblade clinked on the floor as he relaxed in Riku's embrace, "Sorry, I guess I moved wrong and it," he brushed his hand gently across his shirt as he winced slightly as fabric brushed across still-very-tender skin, "hurt." He offered a goofy smile as an apology and assurance that he was just fine.
"Geez Sora, don't do that to us!" Kairi closed her eyes, shaking her head and crossing her arms across her chest.
"Yes, well . . . I'm entirely surprised such things as this are happening." Aurora herself seemed slightly annoyed at the almost ridiculous display. She tapped her foot rather animatedly at least.
"What do you mean such things like this? It was just me being stupid. I'm hurt and I guess I shouldn't be doing this. That's what people keep telling me anyway-" Riku had not let go of Sora, so he was forced to lean forward over the arm around his stomach.
"Well, I would have requested an audience with you in your sickbed if it had come to it. When you started just now, I felt something within me, as I'm sure Kairi did as well." Kairi nodded, the sudden serious atmosphere descending upon her and disolving the annoyance of just a few moments ago.
"And what was it?" It was true, the pain that sunk in just moments before had been more within his heart. It had been what started him, swinging his body to a position that pulled the healing wounds on his body rather uncomfortably. It had been happening for some time now and Sora had just learned to push it to the side, assuming that perhaps it was a side effect of the Keyblade, no sense getting everyone in an uproar because of a feeling. Thought somewhere inside him, he knew it was much more, that this strange feeling was not supposed to be there at all.
"Darkness . . . "
Sora nearly jumped out of his skin, he had almost forgotten Riku was there. The older boy had been so quite and his touch so familiar that it had slipped Sora's mind. That was it, no taking anything else for granted, he hated being startled and had been told many times so far that it could very well endanger him if he failed to get a clue.
"Yes," Aurora cast a troubled glance Riku's that was returned with a cool glance, just challenging her to say anything. She did not. Instead, she sighed and continued on, deciding how to put her thoughts into words, "It is a highly unusual fluctuation in the darkness-" A vein in Aurora's forehead pulsated as she tried to control herself, Sora's expression was dumbfounded, he had a mote idea what she was talking about. Normally she was a very calm, understanding, and kind person, but this was IMPORTANT!
Kairi placed a gentle hand on Aurora's arm and looked up at Sora with that cold glare only a female could manage. Having no idea what he did, he just gulped loudly and returned her glare with a meek apologetic one which seemed to say, "Bear-with-my-stupidity-and-feel-bad-because-you-know-you-love-me."
Kairi sighed once again and started to simplify, "There's an imbalance between light and darkness and we're not quite sure why. There's been a small increase in darkness in this world" Kairi shot a worried glance at Aurora, "I've spoken with everyone, but I haven't been able to get ahold of Alice. Do you think something happened to her, all of this started just as she vanished."
"I'm afraid this may be the cause of Alice's disappearance. It's all linked somehow." The troubled air returned tenfold as the Princesses spoke of the "important" incident, forgetting Sora and Riku were even in the room.
"Sora, you wanna go rest?" Riku grinned at the younger boy who was practically falling asleep as was.
"Yeah, Kairi'll tell me everything that's going on whenever they're done talking about it." The two men left the women to exchange information and worries, Riku practically carrying Sora to his rooms.
-
The figure clad in darkness stared into the small puddle of light, the only light within the chamber, and smiled, although perhaps it would be best described as a sneer of sorts. Either way, it was a frightening sight to look upon, especially when illuminated by the eerie light from the puddle. The figure appeared female, but in this darkness, it may have been hard to tell.
A figure materialized behind her, oozing a strange greenish aura, flowing off of him like water. "Are you quite ready yet?" It stayed a respectable distance from the one looking into the puddle, but still poised the question rather arrogantly.
Irritation deepened the frown that was forming on the strange woman's features, "You are in no position to question me. You will obey me now and be patient as the rest of them are!"
The figure behind her snorted in disgust before turning as he left the dark chamber and the decidedly insane woman.
"We will draw him out slowly, draining worlds as we go. It is doubtful he will find any of the keyholes."
"You underestimate him so easily, don't be a fool." The figure was next to her before she had actually registered he had moved. She would have shot back a nasty retort, but he was speaking again, and what he had to say actually sounded sensible. "Why not draw out his little paramour(1)? Destroy his heart and he will fall into our hands." The picture in the puddle focused on a silver-haired teen dressed in black clothing, carrying a now-very-much-asleep brown haired youth. There was a very protective air about him.
"Yes," the woman gently placed on very long nailed finger on the surface of the puddle, caressing the silver-haired youth. "Without his heart, the Bearer will be nothing." Laughter echoed through the room, and the shadows shifted, almost as if trying to escape the mad woman.
A/N: HEY I'M BACK! Look it's the sequel you've (well a few of you) have been waiting for! I'm so happy for it! It's turning out a HECK of a lot better than I expected it to! I'm soooo sorry for the delay, but writer's block has been a disease for me lately, I've barely been able to crank out ANYTHING! ;.;
I've got a new name too, I figured it was time for something new...maybe it'll help, maybe not. Either way, I'm here again! A note for this story, if you're even reading these author's notes: this story probably won't get posted out as fast as the other one did...I really don't know what direction this will take and I'm not entirely clear on what direction I want it to go in so it'll take some thinking.
I CAN'T BELIEVE NO ONE FLAMED ME FOR THE ENDING OF THE FIRST ONE! I went back and read it and realized I had left a HUGE cliffhanger unresolved! I'm so sorry, that's totally not like me, I have no idea where my brain was. I plan on resolving it in here though, that I promise!
This fic will swing more in the direction of the original Kingdom Hearts game, though there will be MAJOR differences. IT WILL NOT BE THE SAME THING I totally promise! Note, I haven't played Chain of Memories and I don't know how KH Two goes, so if u have played it and / or know anything about them, and something seems wrong in this fic, keep in mind it IS an AU, and please bear with me kk?
Ok, I think I've said all I needed to say. I'M SO HAPPY I'M BACK AGAIN! Go me! Lol anyway, I'm gonna let ya go and start on work for the next chapter!
(1) Ok, so paramour actually refers to a lover in the sense that it's adultery...what I'm aiming for here is just mocking them. The "strange figure" is demeaning them juu see?
I don't mean to make Sora out to be an idiot...and I'm sorry if that's the impression you get. He has his moments! He's not stupid! It's just for comedy purposes and in the game, he doesn't really come across as a genius, not stupid, just average...I guess. I love Sora, I want a Sora doll that I can hug!
-Hugglz her beta reader almightyponcho- Wuverz u hunnie!
TTFN!
OH P.S. - One more thing I failed to mention in the Between Black and White is that the epilogue, and this story, happen a few months AFTER the events of BBaW