New story time :P I honestly don't know if it's right for me to post this right now, as I'm not that far in this story, but I do have the whole thing planned out, and if it wasn't one in the morning, I'd be so much more eager to write it... but I'm tired, and going to bed soon, sooo XD
So, for those of you who know nothing about me, I'm Sunechirei, author of Is there an Elephant in the Room? and other random KH one shots. I spend all my time reading, writing, playing video games, or sleeping, and I LOOOOOOOVE critiques. Seriously. I'm not one of those people who gets angry every time someone disses my story. I may get a little pissed if what they say isn't true and no one else agrees with them, but I confront those people calmly, and explain why I think they're wrong in a very civil manner. If they become pissy, I ignore them :) So, if you have something to say, please say it! :D I always reply to reviews :)
Okay, unlike in Elephant, where my main goal was to finish a long story with a good plot, this story is going to be mainly about description and flow, so sorry if the story's a bit... um... strange... I came up with this idea while visiting my family in Los Angeles. In the middle of the night. So it'll be a bit weird. I'm told it's a good idea, though, and I tend to be okay at coming up with interesting stories, so I hope I don't disappoint anyone :)
So, I hope everyone who reads this enjoys the story. I'm going to try and post a chapter a week, and sorry this is unedited :( I don't yet have a beta for this story, but I'll find one eventually :D
Read, review, enjoy, and tell your friends if you liked it, because this is my next big project!
This is, Il Pleut dans la Nuit.
(Means, It rains in the night)
~Sunechirei
Prologue
Smoke furled, flames licked, and pieces of wood collapsed all around Riku as the man stumbled through the once beautiful hallway of his best friend's house. Ignoring the burning sensation brought on by the gray smoke, he turned sharply around the corner, swiping his hand across watering eyes to clear them of the tears that had arrived with the intense heat. He narrowed them, scanning for the dark presence that had invaded the house. It was there, he knew it, but it was different from any other being he had ever met before. Not a Nobody; not a Heartless. The being was human, but so filled with darkness, it reminded Riku of the year he spent wallowing in self pity and watching over his best friend in hiding. Because of this, he knew that nothing good could come out of this.
Coughing a few times to clear his throat of smoke, Riku closed his eyes and tried desperately to focus on the location of the presence. Finally, he managed to pinpoint the exact location, and his sea-blue eyes snapped open, rising to the back of the hall where it resonated from. It was strongest in a small room, one that was completely insignificant a year ago.
The baby's room.
A desperate stroke of fear passed through Riku, nearly making his heart stop, and he dashed forward, towards the room with inhuman speed. Grabbing the handle, he felt the fear rise dangerously as he found that the door was locked, so he let go of the burning metal and backed away, letting out a with a single, simple kick. The door flew off its hinges easily, but Riku was unable to enter, as he was greeted by greater flames, and more smoke that trickled out of the room.
When the smoke finished bellowing out, Riku took the arm that was covering his eyes down to scan the room. Much to his surprise, and terror, a woman clad in a long dark dress was leaning over the small crib at the back of the room, long arms reaching towards the baby inside.
Without a second's hesitation, Riku summoned Way to the Dawn, and tensed to attack, but before he could even take a step, a piece of the ceiling came crashing down, blocking his way, and he let out a yelp, covering his face. Arm now stinging from the burning coals, he brought it down slightly, and hoping his set back wasn't long enough to have allowed the woman to escape. Luckily, she hadn't, but was facing Riku, one hand clenched near her breast as a sign of either surprise, or anxiety.
Riku tightened the grip around his Keyblade. He fell back into a fighting stance, observing the woman carefully. Her long, curly, auburn hair cascaded around a face that seemed to be olive toned, but the shadow casting across it hid not only her skin tone, but the eyes as well. This managed to keep Riku from finding any distinguishable features that would help him remember the woman in the future; after all, hair could be changed easily. He groaned in frustration, holding up his Keyblade as he took a slight step forward. Despite the darkness that dimmed her face, Riku could clearly see a smile forming on her lips.
"You're going to attack me?" The woman's voice could just be heard over the cackling of the flames, but even then, Riku could tell it was filled with pure malice. "Just like her father," she whispered, and with a shake of her head, the woman seemed to summon the swirling vortex of darkness that appeared behind her suddenly. Stepping into it, she muttered, "Such a shame," then vanished in an instant.
Heart beating madly, Riku bounded over the flaming rubble, ignoring the flames licking at his legs, burning holes in his pants, and branding his legs with what would eventually become scars, but he didn't care. His only thoughts were on the baby.
When he finally reached her, Riku stared down into the crib for a brief second, unable to understand how the baby was still asleep, her eyes closed gently, as he assumed she would be wailing from the intense heat and crackling noises. But no. She stayed slumbering as he lifted her carefully out of the crib, his eyes wandering around the room for a place to escape the burning wreckage. The baby was cool, almost as though there were a protective charm over her, which wouldn't be surprising. Her mother, was a master at magic, so a spell of protection wouldn't seem unfathomable, and it was the best explanation as to why the baby had yet to awaken.
What seemed like forever, but was really only a few seconds, Riku's blue eyes sought out a split in the wall next to what used to be the door, and he dashed towards him, holding the baby as close to him as possible. Keep her safe. That's all he thought of doing.
"Riku!"
The familiar voice of King Mickey resonated in Riku's ears, and he turned sharply to see the small mouse-like creature hovering above the ground in a small, translucent, blue, bubble of magic.
"This way," he called. Without waiting another moment, Riku headed over there, and together, the two dashed out of the burning building, the sounds of sirens reaching them as they burst out. Finally, the firemen had arrived, but it would be too late to save anything in the house, living or not. It was such a shame.
In Riku's arms, the baby girl began to squirm slightly, and he glanced down at her, long silver hair falling into his face. The infant's eyes were bunched up, almost as if she were about to cry and her one year old hands waved around as though she were trying to swat some invisible creature away from the auburn mop of hair on her small head. Around the baby's neck donned a small, silver necklace with two trinkets at the end; a golden key that held the same shape as her father's Keyblade, and the blue charm her mother had once worn all her life. A yawn escaped the baby; then she opened her crystal blue eyes, and stared up at Riku with dazed wonder.
"What happened?" Mickey caught Riku's attention again, and he glanced up at his friend, brow creased with worry.
"I'm not sure," he muttered quietly, brushing his hair back behind his ear. "I was coming here for a short visit, but when I got closer to the house, I could see smoke rising from it and-" Riku's grip tightened slightly around the baby's body as he hesitated to say what was on his mind. "-and then Kairi's presence... it just... just vanished." Next to him, Mickey gasped, horrified, but Riku continued before his voice was lost, "I ran as quickly as possible to the house, but before I could get there, Sora as well..." Much to Riku's irritation, his voice cracked, but he shook his head anyway, trying to rid the horror of his best friends being lost, "Then," he continued, "there was an overwhelming darkness in her room," he gestured at the now wriggling baby in his arms, "so I headed there."
"What do you mean?" Mickey asked as Riku fell to his knees, exhausted.
"A woman...," he muttered, "I don't know who, but she was standing over the crib; almost as if to kill-" he stopped talking at this point, finally losing the ability to speak.
Mickey placed a gloved hand on the man's shoulder, trying to comfort him in any way possible, but it was hopeless. A tear slid down Riku's cheek, and he shook his head violently. Slowly, the burning fire of the house began to subside, from both lack of food, but also from the water gushing out of the fire truck. Riku could only watch in anguish.
"What are you going to do with her?" Mickey asked after a time, leaning over the baby who had started to whine and wriggle with hunger. "Minnie and I could probably raise her-"
"No!" Riku stood, cradling the baby. "She's my goddaughter. I can take care of her myself!" He glared at his friend, though not in a completely harsh way.
"But your studies-" Mickey protested.
"Aren't as important as this," Riku interrupted, shaking his head. He looked out towards the sea, and noticed that most of the residents of Destiny Island had gathered, on the sandy beach, muttering to each other. Out of the corner of his eye, Riku saw two police heading his way, most likely to get a witness report. "Kairi and Sora... they..." His eyes once again traveled to the girl, who was by now desperate to get out of Riku's arms and toddle around. She had just begun walking a few weeks before, much to Kairi's delight, and had taken a liking to the action.
With a sigh, Mickey summoned the Kingdom Key in preparation to leave before anyone really noticed him. "I understand. We'll help you though, if you ever need it." With a flash of light, the king was gone, leaving Riku to deal with his old childhood friends who had joined the law enforcement; Tidus and Wakka.
Though he didn't want to stay on Destiny Island, he knew it would be the best thing for the girl, and friends were more important to him than studies. The baby had managed to crawl out of the blanket she was wrapped in, was now looking up over Riku's shoulder, her tiny hands using his body as a support. She seemed slightly frightened at the sight of her charred house, though Riku doubted she really knew what was going on. The woman in the room still bugged him, but there were more important things to do right now than worry about it, so instead he pulled the girl away from his shoulder and set her down on the ground. As soon as her feet touched, she wobbled at bit then fell backwards onto her bottom.
Laughing quietly, Riku leaned down towards the confused girl.
"What am I going to do with you, Rain?"
