Disclaimer: Not mine.
Author's Notes: Exactly 1000 words, thank you very much. Not counting author's notes and all that. I'm proud of myself. Dedicated to fantasy-riderkh for reading and reviewing!! Told you I'd update soon, even if it wasn't in my drabbles. :-)
Of Tears and Daggers
Everyone is born with a silver dagger at their heart. It waits to sink its sharp point into the beautiful thing, waits ever so patiently.
Children are blissfully unaware of the dagger's point. Every time it sinks in, every time an innocent tear falls, it is drawn out again just as swiftly. As a baby's first wail pierces the air, so the dagger pierces the protection around its heart. Just the tiniest bit. And the dagger is drawn back out again, and the baby forgets as it is rocked to sleep in its mother's arms, comforted by her hushed whispering.
Every time the dagger's point goes just a tiny bit deeper. But, in time, that tiny bits makes all the difference.
Older children are not quite as forgetful as the babies As they cry over their scraped knee or lost argument, they don't forget the pain entirely. As the dagger is drawn out again, their hurt mended, the children shove the unpleasant memories to the very back of their mind, not quite remembering but not quite forgetting.
Little do the children know that when the dagger enters their heart, it leaves a scar, each bigger than the last.
Even older children, the ones just beginning to mature, feel the pain more acutely. They do not forget, but do simply not dwell on it. They carry on, mercifully unaware of how much crueler the world can be than a lost toy or an argument with a friend. At this time, the dagger sinks deeper than ever, this time the point comes out slightly stained with blood. These children are just learning about the injustices of the world.
And those leaving childhood feel the pain more than any other. They know the world's terrible cruelty well, and are saddened by it. They are most susceptible to the dagger that represents heartache and sadness and despair and longing. The dagger goes deep into their hearts, for they have left their sheltered lives and met the world, and are powerless to stop its cruelty. All they can do is help pick up the pieces.
And as time goes on, and as life goes on, the dagger keeps piercing hearts. With every tear and regret, it goes deeper, and grows less willing to come out. Eventually, it will not come out at all, but its blade and the sadness it brings will stay lodged firmly in the heart.
Hearts become scarred, never forgetting the old pains and dealing with the new ones. And eventually, if not attended to, the heart will become full of holes, pierce by the knife too many times. There is no cure to help them forget the sadness, but love will help them forgive and friendship will help their hearts to heal. And the only scars left will be those of memory.
But Kairi, sweet, beautiful Kairi, standing on the shores of Destiny Islands waiting for him, has no friends to help her heart heal. They are fighting for their lives, and she doesn't even know where they are.
She has known more heartbreak than most. Every time she remembers his laugh, his smile, the way he and Riku raced, and the adventures they had wished for, her heart wrenched. She had watched him sacrifice himself, be put into danger countless times, be injured, be sad, and there was nothing she could do but stand by and watch and do whatever little thing she could to help. And wish upon every shooting star in the sky for them to come home.
And Sora, noble, goofy, Sora, has Donald and Goofy, but they're not the same. Every time he thinks of Kairi, her smile, how he left her on the beach the way he wanted to share a paopu fruit with her, and the way they watched the stars at night, his heart wrenched. Every time he thought of Riku, his ridiculous hair, the way they raced and the way he teased him about Kairi, his heart wrenched. He has known more heartbreak than anyone.
He has seen the ones he loved lose their hearts and be overtaken by darkness. He has sacrificed himself, and only wished that he would live to see her smile again. Sora has fought with and against his friends, for survival. He has taken countless lives, having to wonder whether the Heartless he just killed was maybe Selphie, or Wakka, or Tidus, or his mother. Sora had to see people whose hearts were ruined by the Heartless every day. And it hurt him, more than anyone knew.
Riku, mysterious Riku, overtaken by darkness. Every time he thinks of himself he is filled with loathing, but he thinks of his friends and how Sora deserves to return to the Islands, and his heart wrenches and he fights on. When he helps Sora, and thinks of how Sora would react, knowing who he really was, his heart wrenches. And all he can do is help in any way he can.
He knows things will never, ever be the same for him and his friends, and it breaks his heart. He can't live with himself, knowing he gave in to the darkness, and self-loathing is eating him from the inside.
They are all hurting immeasurably, and the healing process won't begin until they are all together again on Destiny Island's beautiful shores, resuming a semblance of their previous life and helping each other heal. For their hearts are torn and scarred, stabbed by the ruthless dagger so many times so that it nearly pokes through the other side. Their hearts have been through the world's worst, and have come out broken and shattered, but still hopeful and alive. Love, trust, and friendship will mend their hurts, and help them forgive.
Somewhere, deep inside themselves, they know they will be reunited. And they take heart from that.
And when they have healed, when they are reunited once again beneath the blue skies, the only scars left will be those of memory.