Warnings: Death, angst, destruction, a bit of gore, bit of foul language, confusing plot… I think that's all.
Pairings: Heh… don't know yet. Definitely some Cloud/Leon. I'll make up the others as I go along.
Sassy's Note: Inspired by the dream I had last night… so you know it's going to make no sense for awhile, but I'm sure I can pull this idea off. I'm really excited about this one!! So, maybe my writing style will be better?
The World's Heart
He swung his Keyblade in a wide arch. Another Heartless was defeated. They had to be the strangest Heartless he had ever seen… and he'd seen some strange ones. They looked more like… shadow canines – hellhounds, or something. They were not particularly strong, but they were fast, and that made killing them exceptionally hard, especially since there were so many.
He continued fighting his way toward the large stone ruins. The others were around him, fighting the Heartless as well, but he was moving the fastest. The sweat dripped from his forehead, and he was constantly shaking his soaking bangs from his eyes. It was hot and humid. He could feel a tempest approaching, and that would only make things worse.
"Riku!!" Someone called his name – he wasn't really sure over the rest of the commotion – and he looked up. A clear shot to the ruins lay before him.
He charged forward, Keyblade poised high to take out any Heartless that got in his way. The ruins were huge before him. He scanned the sides of the stone wall, looking for any crack or crevice that might have allowed passage through.
Then, he was pulled back by a monstrous force. Twisting, he saw that one of the Heartless had his shoulder in its jaws and was hauling him back. With an angry yell, he swung the Way to Dawn around. It missed, and he struggled to regain his footing, but he was not alone.
The creature suddenly burst and dissolved into darkness. Riku stumbled a moment, before a hand steadied him. Leon just nodded at him, then jumped back into the fray, fighting back-to-back with Cloud, as always. The others were also doing their fair share, which meant Riku had to get his part done.
He studied the ruins again. He didn't recognize most of the archaic symbols and characters, but the ones he did recognize, he didn't like. From what he gathered, this stone wall told the story of the death of a prince.
He swore and struck one of the ruins with his Keyblade. A piercing ring rent through the battlefield. This filled the Heartless with even more fury than before. They attacked the party ruthlessly, and Riku could see the others struggling to defend themselves.
If striking the wall didn't work, then there had to be another trick to getting inside. He felt the wall with his hands. It was strange, but he could feel some form of life beating beneath his fingers. It terrified him. He pulled away and looked up at the higher ruins. He scanned them quickly until he came across what he had been looking for. One of the symbols he recognized. It was the character for "key."
He sprang back from the wall and raised the Way to Dawn high, and finally something happened. The light emitted from the Keyblade reached out in a grotesque imitation of a caress, and as soon as it touched the wall, the ruin gates opened, revealing an over-grown trail way inside.
"Come on!" he shouted over his shoulder. The others dropped their defensive stances and ran toward him. He waited barely a second before passing under the gate himself and hurtling down the path.
The others ran through the gate, the Heartless on their heels, but something happened as soon as they were all in the ruins. The Heartless stopped just before the gate. They were still growling and snarling and snapping their jaws, but they did not get any closer. The party stopped and looked back.
"Even they won't come in here," said King Mickey, looking highly disturbed and upset.
"Why?" Leon asked in little more than a whisper.
"Not allowed, or too afraid themselves, I don't know." The King glanced at his surroundings. "This place… is not right."
Riku bit his tongue to keep it in check. If this place was any semblance of right, they wouldn't be here. He didn't wait for any more conversation. He jogged down the path, and he heard the others follow. No words were said; they all pushed forward.
Finally, after was seemed like ages to Riku, the party came into a lighted clearing. The stone beneath their feet was cracked and covered in plant life.
"Look!" Goofy shouted, making Riku jump. He looked at where he was pointing. Up a few stairs and surrounded by two tall pillars was a stone… box? Riku couldn't really tell, but his blood ran cold because he really, really did not want it to be what he thought it was.
The small party approached it slowly, Riku in the lead. He stepped carefully on the stone steps and reach out to touch the cool stone. Only, it wasn't cool beneath his fingertips. It pulsed with life, just like the ruins of the gate. He was sure the others felt it too. With a deep breath, he placed his other hand on it.
"It's a tomb…" he heard Cloud mutter – just before he seized the top and pulled hard.
It came off with ease and he let it fall to the stone ground beneath. He looked inside, eyes hoping they wouldn't see…
He clapped a hand to his mouth and stumbled backward, trying not to get sick. The others gasped as well. Donald and Goofy all but ran from what they saw. Riku felt tears flooding down his cheeks and he swallowed repeatedly. He didn't hear what the King said; he didn't hear Cloud's shout of disbelief or Leon's cursing as the brunette caught Cloud from falling.
All he could think about was how this was Destiny Islands and how this could have happened here.
The ground beneath him continued to pulse, and a voice that was not his own whispered in his head, "Where the prince was born, there shall he return."
He didn't want to believe it; he couldn't believe it; but he had to believe it because there was no way that was anything but a tomb.
And there was no way the mummified corpse inside was anyone but Sora.
To be continued…
Sassy: Oh my god, I'm on drugs. Not really ,but it looks like it, huh?
Leave a review if you want this to make more sense.