A/n- An old fic but I decided, why not post it? I think I put my best efforts at the time, into it, so it's really maturely written for a happy bouncy KH fic. It's basically an 'unseen' addition to explain Sora, Kairi and Riku's delve into the other world. Mainly based on the first KH.
A/N: Okay, this caused a lot of controversy, the last time I had this story up, so I'm making it clear. In the first game, Kairi's eyes were BLUE—as BLUE as SORA'S. In the official art for the game, her eyes were violet. The colors I went by were the IN-GAME eye colors, so therefore her eyes, in this story are BLUE. So don't send me any complaints about the eye colors, allright? Just enjoy the story
Disclaimer: No I don't own these characters. Square-Enix/Disney do and whomever else associated with creating them, but not me.
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Heart to Heartless: 1st Essence
It was late in the afternoon on Destiny Islands and the sun had already begun it's decent in the West. As a calm breeze swept across the landscape, it shuffled past countless hinges and open windows, creating a soft whistling sound.
Keen to the sound, a young boy with platinum hair sat up in his bed. With the soft breeze caressing its wispy fingers through his locks of hair, he turned his head to face it—his nose taking in the salty scent it carried. With his eyes set on the warm sunset on the horizon, his mind relayed thoughts of only one person.
One with delicate features, with hair as soft as the heart warming laugh they carried, and with the prettiest pair of glistening blue eyes the boy had ever seen in his life…although, he was only 13.
He had decided. Today was the day and right now was the time to confess his feelings to this person. At that moment, he leapt out of bed, and gathered together a piece of paper and a piece of fruit. The moment he got to his door, he tripped and ended up dropping everything in his arms. Bending down to pick the parcels up, as his fingertips touched the fruit, he paused. There was a saying that claimed that any two people who share that special fruit with one another, their destinies would be intertwined forever. Though it sounded romantic, being eternally tied to someone else's destiny and life was a big responsibility and in some ways, a burden. What if two who shared the fruit were close when they were very young, but couldn't stand each-other once they got older?
What if, the saying meant not just for those in love but for good friends too--or family for that matter? Was this the right choice to make?
Two years had passed since that day and the boy still pondered that thought—the real meaning behind the legend of the Paopu fruit. Perched in the only tree that bore the fruit, he allowed his eyes to wade out in the waves of the ocean that spanned before him.
Quietly, he fingered a piece of the fruit in his hands that had fallen off the tree before it was ripened. He had been practicing his sword-fighting techniques on the trees near it earlier while he collected his random thoughts, and without knowing, smacked it down before it had a chance to grow properly. Now, with that piece of fruit in his hands, he had set aside his training sword and allowed his gaze to venture outwards towards the outstretched watery horizon before him. Fingering the fruit, as if it were an amplifier for his thoughts as well as his memory, he contemplated over how captivated he was when he spent the very first week with his secret admirer.
This love, or, deep emotion that he felt for this certain someone was something that had been on his mind ever since they had came to that island.
As a calm sea breeze flowed past him and trailed through his hair, the thought of this person he secretly liked having the same feelings for him as well passed through his mind. Then he quickly disposed of the thought.
"Tch, who am I kidding…" he muttered, curling a few fingers around the tender and premature Paopu fruit. "That'll never happen.." With that, he hopped off the tree, fruit in hand, and stood at the very edge of the outlook. He was about to toss the rare fruit in the ocean when the sound of footsteps behind him made him hold his ground.
Not many really cared to step foot on "his" outlook, so out of those few people, who could it be?
Was it Sora?
No, these footsteps were much to soft, and much too cautious to be the spiky-haired teen's. He knew that it wasn't Tidus because the current hour was past his bedtime.
That could only mean one person.
With a soft smile curling the ends of his lips, Riku turned around with an elated expression that showed that he was pleased to see this person more than he knew.
"Kairi…" he called breathlessly, quickly tucking the piece of fruit in his pocket and walking over to her. Needless to say, he was very surprised to see her, but he was even more joyful at the display of her presence. Loosely trying to conceal his elation with a thin mask of suaveness, he tilted his head to the side and nonchalantly crossed his arms across his chest—trying to ignore the wild thumpings of his heart beating against it. "Well, well. What brings you up here?"
With a small smile, that was the total opposite of her usual big and bright beautiful ones, Kairi glanced at Riku with an unreadable expression, then looked away from him and shook her head. "It's nothing." she replied unsurely. She then bit her lip, feeling the guilt rise up inside her for telling a lie. "I just…saw you here all alone, and I wanted to keep you company."
A deep chord was struck within Riku as he became flattered by Kairi's words, but that feeling faded almost as quickly as it arrived. Kairi wasn't herself. He knew something was awry. Deciding that he'd get her to tell him, he stepped closer to her and called her name softly.
On command, her head lifted as her eyes were met with Riku's. As they both beheld one another, time seemed to have stopped.
In the back of her mind, Kairi knew something like this would happen, but she gave little signs of resisting it now. "Yes?", she answered, her eyes wide with curiosity and perplexity. Riku paused while the in spotlight of those azure blue jewels as they stared straight at him; their deep color beading his forehead with sweat, the weight of their vastness gravitating his own eyes and body towards her. It was almost as if they were taunting him---daring him to take his eyes away from hers.
And from the looks of the situation, it appeared to be working.
Nearing closer to her, Riku unhesitantly extended an arm and lightly brushed Kairi's arm with a finger. Not much to his surprise, she jumped at his touch.
Not the reaction he wanted, but it was the one he expected. Why was she acting like this? Why had she even come to see him? She rarely seemed to care about his whereabouts, so what had changed this time around?
His eyes narrowed at the thought. Did she want something specific from him?
Nervously rubbing her arm where Riku touched her, Kairi looked down and away from him for a moment and it was then that Riku got an answer.
"It's Sora…", she said in a wavering voice.
"Sora!" Riku repeated, almost jubilantly at hearing his friend's name. Taking heed of the burst of emotion in his voice, Riku cleared his throat and quickly recomposed himself. "What about Sora?"
Setting aside the blonde boy's folly, Kairi continued to hesitate in her body language as well as her words. Finally mustering the courage to tell Riku of her weighted words, Kairi lifted her eyes slowly to him but wasn't surprised to find his elsewhere. They were adverted away from her and off to the side.
'He's probably looking for Sora…' she thought, biting her lip.
Soon realizing that he was being stared at, Riku seamlessly and coolly returned his gaze to the troubled girl in front of him, hardly aware of the thin and wispy fingers of the wind as it playfully tussled through his and Kairi's locks.
Kairi inwardly shuddered upon meeting with the older teen's mystical emerald studs and witnessing the alluring display of his features. Riku was very attractive, but he let his being older take the fun out of him sometimes, in Kairi's opinion. And from that, many questions and wandering thoughts arose within her being, but she pushed them aside. Sighing heavily, she fingered a lock of her auburn hair and finally spoke her words, finding it hard to look directly at Riku for what she was about to say. "...Earlier today, Sora and I were down at the Cove just talking and joking around…"
Unbeknownst to himself, the words "Sora", "Cove" and "Joking around" triggered Riku's eyes to narrow as random thoughts flew through his mind. Just what were they joking around about…?
Becoming nervous by the was Riku looked at her, Kairi's eyes hesitantly fleeted between Riku's and the horizon beyond him as she continued.
"…We went on about this and that and were just being playful, until…", she paused, preparing to release the buildup of tension inside her, "…Sora instantly got serious and told me that…that he loved me…"
Feeling the murderous pounds of weight those words carried, Riku had temporarily lost track of the ability to breathe, as Kairi's words each took a smashing blow at his heart and dug into his very core. He could barely keep his focus, not to mention lose his balance by the verbal onslaught his body was struck with. He tried to not think about it, but the tension was too much.
Hurt, Riku's mind reeled back to when he and Sora were younger and had always spent time together. He looked up to Sora, and Sora looked up to him. Both had a profound and meaningful admiration for the other that none dared to speak out of embarrassment, but rather showed throughout their competitive nature. Then when Kairi arrived on the island, everything between Riku and Sora was dislocated and strewn about. Both had acknowledged that they were attracted to the new girl, but one was more than the other. One talked almost endlessly of Kairi, while the other sulked and ultimately felt left out and almost replaced.
Riku's eyes narrowed, and unknown to Kairi, a fleeting glint flashed within them, rendering the crystal depths of his eyes a tad greener than usual.
He and Sora had been the best of friends for a long time, and to think that they almost let a girl come completely between them. They both refused to admit a girl would ever tear their friendships apart, but with abundant proof, Riku painfully found that theory to be true.
Feeling the aftershocks of Kairi's statement, he was about to tell her to leave him, until she stopped him with a soft hold on his arm.
Riku would have shaken her off if he hadn't the urge to look her in the eyes first. And meeting with such pure sincerity, he felt most of his anger stir before gradually starting to dissipate.
"What is it…?", he placidly asked, showing that some remnants of anger still lingered.
Acknowledging his behavior, Kairi chose to pick her words more carefully as she spoke. Looking away, so she wouldn't have to see Riku's exploding emotions again, she explained the rest of her story. "After telling me how he felt all of a sudden…he was waiting for me to say the same thing, but I couldn't, and…I hesitated…"
"Hesitated!" Riku repeated, with an emphasizing edge to his voice. "What do you mean, you hesitated?" Scoffing, he threw in with a low tone, " …I thought you liked Sora…"
Catching her immediately off guard, Kairi's eyes darted to Riku as her mouth dropped open, as her mind scurried to form the right words. "I do! But only as a friend!"
A friend? This got Riku's mind to wander.
If Kairi saw Sora as just a friend, then there was still hope for him after all. With his deep beryl eyes on Kairi, Riku neared even closer to her, but made sure she stayed where she was and didn't recoil at his closeness.
"You only see Sora as a friend, huh? Well, then what did you come to me for?"
"Because I felt you could help me."
Riku scoffed inwardly. "Oh really…? Well then, what did you tell Sora after he expressed his feelings to you?"
Kairi hesitated and looked away. "I…"
"What did you tell him?" Riku pressed, getting closer to Kairi. He was so engulfed in their conversation and practically fed on every one of her words, that he didn't notice his hands grasping her tender shoulders. He was sure that Kairi noticed, and if she had, she wasn't doing anything about it to resist. Riku found that strange, yet admirable, but still, he continued on.
"What did you say to Sora?"
"I told him I was sorry! I told him I only saw him as a friend!" Kairi expressed, throwing her words painfully at Riku. Both being in awe at what they heard—Kairi, for finally saying how she really felt, and Riku for having to handle the pressure of hearing it---Riku was speechless as the emotional Kairi fell to his chest. Feeling the girl shake and tremble against him struck something deep within his being, and his arms automatically encircled around her quivering body.
The instant her lush body made contact with his, Riku found himself enjoying the feel of her in his arms. From the weightlessly thin clothes she was wearing, he could easily feel the smooth tactility of her skin and the tinge of hotness that it absorbed from the setting sun beyond them. She was gentle to the touch as well as stimulating to the senses.
And she was also suffering.
Pushing his masculine insights aside, Riku gingerly stroked her back, but then moved his hand up to the back of her head when he felt even the slightest flinch from her, as to not disrespect her.
With the young girl in his arms like this, it rendered his curious mind to wander.
What if Sora saw them like this? Riku frowned. As much as he cared for Sora, for right now, he would have to put his focus on Kairi and her anguish.
As if she could hear him thinking about her, Kairi slowly lifted her head a little, but did not look at Riku. With small trembles in her voice, she spoke. "…Even though…I do like Sora…I think we're all too young…for love right now…including you."
Even though Riku was a year older than both Kairi and Sora, a part of him still agreed with her words. Just as that thought passed, a drop of something cool and wet fell onto his arm, bringing him instantly away from his deliberation.
Looking down, he was in awe to find Kairi crying--and in his arms at that.
Instantly, his thoughts left him as his body acted on it's own. A hand went to caress Kairi's face as a finger traced along her jaw-line and rested under her chin. As Riku lifted her face upwards to meet his own, the beauty that looked back at him made him pause in his actions.
Even when saddened, Kairi's features were nothing short of gorgeously unspeakable. Her deep lupine eyes luminously glistened as reflections of the setting sun reflected within them—making her tears prove as an amplifier for her unparalleled beauty. Her lips quivered as she looked at the platinum blonde with pure sincerity. Riku's eyes narrowed as he looked at her.
She was a strong one. Her passion for her friends burned almost as brightly as her fiery crimson locks, which were amplified in hue by the hot touches of the sun, and increased her features a thousand fold.
Now Riku knew why he had fallen for this girl once, became jealous of her, then accepted her again. Her fairness was truly breathtaking, and all that beheld her couldn't help but notice. Riku could now see how Sora fell so easily for Kairi and so deeply as well. The girl did seem special...even if she did, in a way, slightly separate him and Sora for a while. He was sure she didn't mean it. Over time, he found himself semi-attracted to her. But he wasn't sure if he liked her because Sora did or if his actual feelings were directed towards her. Concerning Sora, and because of his competitive nature, Riku saw getting Kairi's affection as a challenge and wanted to show Sora that aside from hardly able to best him at sword fighting, he couldn't best him in romance either. And if Sora couldn't even get the girl he loved, then he'd probably give up on Kairi, and turn to Riku for support.
Then it would have been Riku and Sora again, like it had been many years before—before Kairi came and tore their feelings asunder.
But, even still, Riku couldn't be mad at her, even if he, at times, did get jealous.
But it wasn't just jealousy he had for Kairi, was it?
Still not saying a word and gazing into her eyes, Riku leaned in closer, with the thought of kissing her crossing his mind, and gently pressed her into his embrace as he held her close while she sobbed on his chest.
'Sora…', he uttered in his mind, '…you better know what you're getting yourself into…'
Glancing down at the girl in his arms, Riku brushed a hand through her strawberry locks. Just out the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of someone standing down on the beach. Darting his attention to the area, he felt a sensational rush go through his body at the sight of no one other than Sora.
The younger teen had been standing there for a little while, allowing the lucid waves of the sea lap against his ankles. His eyes were fixed on the fiery sun setting beyond him into the water as far as his eyes could see. From Riku's point of view, Sora looked rather devoid.
"Sora…" Riku whispered to himself. Hearing the boy's name, Kairi removed herself from Riku's arms enough to look for herself. Feeling the young girl suddenly move about in his arms, Riku's attention went to her for a second and noticed that something caught her attention... When he returned his eyes back down to the shore, he found himself beheld by Sora. The younger was infuriated beyond what certain words could explain at the sight of Kairi and Riku together. He didn't know what was going on, but he had his eyes aimed dead at Riku's.
Riku grimaced, as he felt the sour tug of betrayal in his heart, coming from within Sora's being.
'Sora…', Riku spoke gently in his mind, as Kairi whispered the same.
With a scowl, Sora gave Riku a painful glare as he fought back the almost irresistible urge to breakdown into tears.
Seeing his best friend in such malaise and hurt, Riku cast everything else behind him as he called out to him.
"Sora!"
Unknown to himself, he had been so indulged with being concerned with Sora's anguish, that he didn't realize that he had left Kairi and ran across the bridge that lead to the Cove.
He was a little sorry that he had left her there, but there was no turning back now.
There was only place he knew of that Sora would be able to disappear to in such a short time.
Continuing his descent, he called over his shoulder to Kairi that he'd be back, as he made his way across the hot sands to the Secret Place.
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Whew…my first KH fanfic..
It may get a little more maturely written from here
-Mel