"Please, you don't have to do this…"
Sora took a deep breath and turned around, a wide grin stretching across his face like always.
"Of course I do, don't worry Kairi, everything will be okay!" Sora said reassuringly. To be honest, he had no idea what was about to happen. He was more scared than he'd ever let on to Riku or Kairi; but he had to be strong.
"Sora, come on, there must be another way…" pleaded Riku, "We can figure it out, there's always another choice."
"I don't think so Riku, not this time…" Sora said, still smiling.
The three of them stood deep within Organization XIII's crumbling castle. The heartless were emerging from every corner of the world, swarming the land hungrily. After the battle with the Nobodies, the destruction caused tears in the barrier between the worlds of light and dark, and now the heartless were pouring out of these breaks. Sora knew there was no way they could fight them all, there was only one way he could stop this; re-seal the barrier.
"You always do that…"mumbled Kairi.
"Do what?" asked Sora, confused.
"You always smile and say everything is going to be okay right before you leave us…"
Sora looked away from her, he knew he couldn't go back home with them, even after he had promised earlier that they would all go back to the island together, and finish their raft. He took another deep breath to calm himself; the only way he knew to seal the tears in the barrier was to use the keyblade and himself to hold the heartless back.
He glanced back at his two best friends, flashed a wide grin and hopped onto the platform that stood before them. In the center of the dais was a large clear crystal that glowed softly. Sora knew this to be a powerful gem that repelled the heartless, which is how Organization XIII kept the heartless out of their castle for so long. If Sora could combine the strength of the crystal with his keyblade, he could project that power and push the heartless back into the dark and keep them there.
"Sora! You can't do this! Please! I won't leave you! You promised we'd go home together!" Kairi begged.
Sora smiled and said, "But Kairi, if I don't do this, then the heartless will take over! I have to save everyone from that!"
"But…when you're off saving everyone else, who's going to save YOU?"
Sora didn't reply, he looked pleadingly to Riku, who shook his head.
"Sora, I don't like this. You don't even know if this is going to work. What if you sacrifice yourself, and it doesn't do anything?"
Sora frowned, "Well, I'm sure it will work, so there's nothing to worry about!"
"But what about you? What's going to happen to you?"
"I don't know…but, if it stops the heartless…then it doesn't matter does it?"
"It DOES matter…to US… What about Kairi and me?"
Sora laughed, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon!"
"You say that, but you don't mean it. You won't be back."
Sora shook his head, and summoned the keyblade, "The heartless are coming, you two better take cover."
Kairi stepped forward stubbornly, "I'm not going anywhere until you come with us! You said you would never leave me alone again."
"I'm not though, you're with Riku…"
"You know that's not what I mean, I want ALL of us to stay together!"
Sora sighed, "I'll be back…soon. Don't worry! But I have to do this now."
"No…NO!" Kairi screamed as Sora lifted the keyblade over his head.
He smiled and looked at his two best friends one last time, he knew he was lying when he said he'd be back soon. He wasn't coming back. Sora felt a wave of sadness wash over him, he knew he'd never see his friends again.
"Well," Sora swallowed, "This is it…see you soon!" he plunged the keyblade into the heart of the crystal.
Kairi screamed and lunged forward, but Riku grabbed her arms and pulled her back.
"No Kairi!" Riku looked up, Sora had disappeared in a pillar of white light that extended through the collapsed ceiling and into the darkened sky. The light spread across the room, Riku and Kairi shielded their eyes from the blinding light as it expanded out, encompassing the entire castle, glowing like a miniature sun.
After what seemed an eternity, Riku lowered his arms and blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light.
"Sora…?" He looked to the center of the platform, where the crystal extended upwards and closed itself around the boy. "SORA!"
Riku and Kairi ran towards the large crystal, which was steadily becoming more opaque. Kairi pressed her hands against the smooth surface and peered through the misty gem. Sora was suspended inside, with his arms hanging loosely at his side, and a peaceful look on his face.
"No…Sora…you said you'd be back!" Kairi cried out, tears streaming down her face.
Riku growled and punched the wall angrily, he should have known Sora was lying.
"What do we do, what do we do!" Kairi said, "We have to get him out of there!"
"Dammit Sora! You always go off and do things on your own!"
Kairi stared at Riku in despair; deep down she had known Sora wouldn't come back with them. It wasn't like him to leave things as they were, he would sacrifice himself in a heartbeat if it meant saving everyone else.
She looked back at the crystal, it had become completely opaque, Sora could not longer be seen through the white misty stone.
"The heartless are gone…" Riku said softly.
Kairi whirled around, "I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE HEARTLESS! SORA IS GONE TOO!" she screamed as she drew back a small fist and punched Riku in the shoulder. Riku said nothing; Kairi sobbed into his shoulder.
"It's so unfair….it's SO UNFAIR! You two…you and Sora are always leaving me behind! I hate it! I hate not knowing what's happening to you…"
"I'm sorry Kairi…"
Kairi sniffed, and looked up, "Riku..? You won't leave me will you? Promise you won't leave again… I can't lose both of you…"
Riku fought back his own emotions, "I promise Kairi, I won't leave. Ever."
"I was afraid of this…" a voice spoke from the broken doorway.
Riku and Kairi spun around to meet their visitor.
"You..!" Riku said, "You're supposed to be dead…"
Ansem sighed, "Believe me, I had planned for that death."
Riku shook with rage, "YOU! You told me that I would be able to bring Sora back to the islands! YOU LIAR!"
Riku charged at Ansem, knocking him back with a fierce blow to the shoulder. Ansem took the blow full on without flinching.
"I had said you could use your powers to awaken Sora from his slumber, but I did not know something like this would happen" He chuckled softly, "To think, a great scientist like myself, all my plans thwarted by the actions of one boy."
"…Is…is Sora..dead..?" Kairi whispered fearfully.
Ansem turned to the girl, "No my dear, he is not dead, simply…frozen. Sora is using his own life so to speak, as a barrier against the heartless."
"Does that mean he can come back soon?" Riku said sharply.
"Not necessarily," replied Ansem, "Sora will come back, but only when his power as the keyblade master is needed."
"So we can see him again?" Kairi said hopefully.
"I'm afraid not…Should Sora awaken again, it will not be in either of your lifetimes…"
Kairi sank to her knees, "No…We're never going to see him…." fresh tears streamed down her face, "As soon as I finally found him again…he's gone…"
Riku glared at the ground, this was not how it was supposed to end. Sora had done his job, he had defeated Organization XIII and all the nobodies and the heartless. So why couldn't he just go home with them now?
"You two should return home. I will open a pathway for you." Ansem said solemnly. He opened a path behind Riku and Kairi and watched as the darkness swallowed them.
Riku watched the waves crash against the rocky outcropping upon which he sat. He and Kairi had returned to Destiny Islands just a few days ago, but everything felt alien to them, without Sora around, it didn't feel like home anymore. Riku spent a lot of time at the beach, he would watch their island from the shore. Neither of them had gone back to the island since their return, it didn't feel right, everything there reminded them of Sora, and they weren't ready to accept that he was gone.
Riku picked up a pebble in the sand and chucked it into the water; his fury at the way things had turned out had faded, only to be replaced with sadness. It wasn't doing him any good to wallow in regret and sorrow. Sora may be gone, but he would never want them to act this way.
Kairi has it worse…
Riku looked back at the small town behind him; Kairi hadn't left her room since they got back. He wanted to do something to help, but what could he do now? Nothing was going to fix the fact that Sora is never coming back…
Riku hopped off the rock and began walking towards town; he had made up his mind days ago, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. Riku knew he was never going to leave Kairi again, and he wanted to promise her that she'd never have to be alone.
Riku rang the doorbell to Kairi's house and waited. No answer. He rang again and waited. Still no answer. Riku furrowed his brow, was Kairi sleeping? He knocked on the door loudly, "Kairi! It's me.."
He heard a soft shuffling noise from inside, and the door opened a crack. Kairi peeked out at him, her eyes were puffy and red. Riku gave her a small smile, "Kairi…can we talk?"
Kairi nodded and opened the door wider and shuffled back a few steps. Riku looked her over quickly; she was wrapped in a thick blanket that trailed on the floor behind her, her cheeks were wet, and her hair disheveled. Kairi sniffed loudly and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand.
"What do you want to talk about?" she asked quietly.
Riku frowned, "Kairi…I…" he paused, he didn't know the best way to say this, he'd never done something like this before, "Kairi, I want to promise you again, that…I'm never going to leave you…"
Kairi looked up at him curiously. Riku shuffled his feet, he was a little nervous.
"Kairi, this whole..mess… everything that happened…well… I just realized how much…you know…how much I missed you when I was away…" he finished quickly.
Kairi looked down, "If you missed me so much, then…why did you go?"
"Because…well I had things I needed to do…I had to help So-…" he trailed off as Kairi's eyes filled with tears, this wasn't going like he'd planned; his shoulders sagged.
"Well," Kairi hiccupped, "you can make up for it now… don't ever leave me behind."
Riku straightened up quickly and nodded, "I promise."
"Sora! Come inside sweetheart! It's time for lunch! And don't forget to wash your hands! I'll know if you haven't!"
A small red-haired boy frowned as he put down his toy trucks in the grass. He stood up, brushed the dirt off his shorts, and turned towards the little two-story house behind him.
"But I'm not hungry…" the boy mumbled as he trudged towards the house.
"Sora, please leave your shoes outside! I just mopped the floors. Go wash your hands quickly." His mother said as Sora stepped through the doorway.
His mother stood in the kitchen washing dishes with her back turned to Sora. A plate of sandwiches sat on the table behind her. Sora's stomach rumbled at the sight of the food.
Maybe I am hungry…
He plopped down on the floor and pulled off his sneakers and dropped them on the porch outside, Sora paused and his bright green eyes strayed towards his toys in the grass. Sora's mother walked over to where the child sat and scooped him up in her arms. He squirmed and laughed as she tickled him and kissed his forehead.
"Go wake your brother okay? I have some soup for him." she said as she set Sora down.
The boy nodded importantly and hurried up the stairs to his bedroom.
Kairi listened as her son charged up the steps and down the hall; she smiled and continued to wash the dishes. She paused and looked out the window, the backyard opened up to the beach and their island in the distance. She had gone back once, but left quickly. Being there just brought too many memories to the surface…
Sora pushed the door open loudly and ran over to the bed he shared with his twin brother.
"ROXAAAS! Mama says to get up!" Sora called as he shook the bundle of thick blankets.
The lump stirred feebly, and a small hand pushed the blankets back revealing a mess of pale hair and sleepy blue eyes.
"But I'm sleepy…" came the groggy answer.
"Come on Roxas, its lunchtime! You won't get better if you don't eat mama says!"
Roxas rolled over and ignored his brother. Sora scrunched up his face and put his hands on his hips; he was determined to get him out of bed. Sora grabbed the blankets and tugged as hard as his little arms would let him. All the blankets and pillows tumbled off the bed, taking a surprised Roxas with them.
Sora laughed gleefully, and pulled his brother to his feet. Roxas glared furiously at Sora and wrenched his arm out of Sora's grasp.
"Sora you're a big DUMMY!" said Roxas while storming out of the room.
Sora watched him leave, slightly confused, he didn't do anything bad…they were just playing around.
"Mommy! Tell Sora to go away!" Roxas whined to Kairi as he tugged on her dress. Kairi picked him up and stroked his hair.
"Why? What did he do this time?"
"He pushed me off the bed! I told him I was still sleepy but he wouldn't leave me alone!"
"I only did it because mama told me to!" cried Sora as he ran around the corner.
Kairi laughed, "You two shouldn't fight with each other like that! I did tell Sora to wake you Roxas, I have some soup for you, it will make you feel better."
Roxas stuck his tongue out at Sora, who did the same. Kairi set Roxas down in a chair and put Sora in the chair next to him.
"You two be good now! Dad will be home soon, you don't want him to see you fighting do you?"
"No…" the boys chorused.
Kairi smiled and placed a bowl of soup in front of Roxas. A few days earlier the two went to the nearby park to play and had gotten caught in a rain storm on the way home. Sora was fine, but Roxas had caught a cold and had been sleeping it off since.
Roxas stirred his soup absently, he was still tired and didn't feel like eating. He looked over at Sora, who was happily trying to stuff two sandwiches in his mouth at once. Roxas made a face at him.
"Sora, you're making a mess!" he said annoyed.
Sora looked down at his plate, there were pieces of bread and cheese all over the table. Sora swallowed and grinned, he reached over to a stack of napkins and scrubbed his face with one.
Sora perked up as he heard the sound of gravel crunching on the driveway under the weight of a car.
"DAD!" he cried as he dropped his sandwiches and bolted out the door.
"SORA! Come back and finish your food!" Kairi called.
Roxas stood up in his chair excitedly and made to run out the door after his brother. Kairi quickly reached over and grabbed him before he could vault off the chair.
"You are not going anywhere!" she said sternly.
Sora's father walked in through the doorway with the boy in his arms. Kairi looked over at him and breathed a sigh of relief. Riku. It always worried her when he left for work, she didn't like him leaving her sight for even a minute. Her deepest fear was that one day, he'll leave and never come back.
Riku grinned at Kairi, "I'm back!" he said.
"You're home." She replied.
Sora looked back and forth between his mother and father and wiggled excitedly, "Let's go play dad!"
Riku laughed, "Okay, okay buddy, give me one minute." He walked over to Kairi and ruffled Roxas's hair.
"How are you feeling Roxas? Any better today?"
Roxas nodded excitedly, and looked at Kairi, "can I go play too?"
Kairi sighed, she wasn't going to win this one, "Alright, but be careful. Not too much." She said seriously.
Roxas reached his small arms out to his father, who pulled the child out of Kairi's arms.
"GRRR!" Riku growled as he lifted both his sons onto his shoulders. The boys laughed gleefully in response as he jogged up the stairs.
"Tell us a story mama!" Sora begged.
Kairi smiled, "Alright baby, only for a little while..." she said as she pulled the thick blankets to her sons' chins.
Kairi gave the children a mysterious look and said, "Sora, Roxas, do you know where your names came from?"
The boys shook their heads wide eyed. Sora gripped the blankets tightly in his fists and settled into the bed; he could tell this was going to be good.
"Your daddy and I named you after the two boys who saved the world!" Kairi said dramatically.
Sora and Roxas gasped, she had never told them this before.
"Really mom?"
Kairi made a shocked face, "Of course! I wouldn't lie to you!" she smiled, "Sora and Roxas saved the entire world many years ago, with the help of your daddy of course."
Sora leapt out of bed, "REALLY! DADDY SAVED THE WORLD! "
"You KNEW the people who saved the world!" cried Roxas.
"Sora! Get back into bed!" Kairi said as she gently pushed the boy back into bed.
She straightened up and continued, "Yes I knew them very well, Sora was our best friend growing up, the three of us lived here, and used to play on that island all the time."
"No way…" Sora and Roxas said in unison.
Kairi smiled sadly as she told her children about Sora's adventures, but she abruptly stopped before Sora re-sealed the barrier.
"So, where are Sora and Roxas now?" asked Sora as he looked around the room expectantly as if he would pop out from behind the furniture.
"…They're not here anymore." Said Kairi.
"What do you mean they're not here? Where did they go?" asked Roxas curiously.
Kairi sighed, "They're off on a long mission to keep the world safe!" she said quickly, "now, go to sleep you two."
I'll tell them the truth when they're older…
Sora and Roxas groaned as their mother stood up, kissed them both on the forehead and flicked off the lights.
"Goodnight boys." She said as she went to shut the door.
"Wait!" cried Sora. Kairi paused, "Leave it open a little…" Sora mumbled softly.
Roxas made a face at his brother, "You are such a big baby Sora."
"I am not!"
"Are too!"
"That's enough! Go to sleep!" Kairi snapped.
She walked down the hall and saw Riku leaning against the wall smiling at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing. How come you told them about Sora?"
Kairi shrugged, "I don't know… It just kind of came out… They should know…right?"
"Of course, of course…" Riku smiled, "I just didn't think you would talk about it."
Kairi sighed and hugged her husband, "I miss him Riku."
Riku hugged her back, "Me too."
"Psst…PSST…Roxas!" Sora whispered loudly.
"Whaat…" Roxas groaned.
"That was a cool story wasn't it? Do you think it's true? Mommy didn't just make it up?"
"I believe it," Roxas yawned, "mommy doesn't tell lies."
"I know..." Sora giggled, "I'm so cool!"
Roxas snorted, "That's not YOU in the story. You're not that cool."
Sora scowled at Roxas in the dark, "I am too. Why would mom and dad name me after someone so cool if I wasn't cool too?"
"That doesn't mean anything Sora. Just because you have the same name doesn't make you the same."
"Hmph. Fine, be that way. I still think I'm cool. But…what do you think they're doing now?"
"Mom said they were keeping the world safe."
"Do you believe that? It sounded like mommy made that part up…"
"Maybe…" Roxas yawned again, "Sora I'm tired, I wanna sleep."
"Okay…Night Roxas."
"Night Sora."
A tall man in a hooded dark cloak stood amongst several dusty shelves crammed with thick books, flipping through them hurriedly while glancing around frequently. The room was dark save for the soft glow of the single candle the man was reading by. He had an air of someone who should not be there. A crow cawed nearby causing him to jump slightly.
"Quickly..quickly…" He muttered to himself.
He closed the book in his hands and carefully stuffed it back into the shelf. Lifting the candle to eye level, he ran his fingers across the spines of several books quickly reading the titles before his hand stopped at a book pushed back further than the others. It was thinner, and much dustier; as if it hadn't been touched in generations. The man glanced around quickly, and wiggled the book out of the shelf. It was smaller than the others which dwarfed the book so it was almost invisible. He set the candle down on the edge of the shelf and blew the dust off the dark red leather cover. Squinting in the half light, he could barely make out the peeling gold letters reading XIII.
The man's face split into a wide triumphant grin as he flipped through the pages excitedly. The book was filled with faded colorful pictures and large blocks of text.
A loud clang echoed in the distance, the man stuffed the book into his cloak and blew out the candle. Someone else had entered the room. He soundlessly ran down the aisle and pushed on the wall. A portion of the stone wall slid away revealing a dark path.
"Hello? Who's there?" a gruff voice called as loud footsteps slapped against the cold stone floor.
The man held his breath and slipped into the opening, and pushed the wall back into place. He sighed in relief, no one else knew this path but him, for he was the one who created it. He took one step forward and froze in horror; he had left the candle on the shelf.
"Shit…" he whispered into the damp air.
Suddenly a loud angry alarm filled the air; they knew something had been stolen. The man sprinted down the path which opened to the outside of a massive stone fortress. He pulled the book out of his cloak and thrust it under a bush, muttered a few words and watched as the book blended in with its surroundings.
"Can't use this again…" he said irritably as he pressed a large hand to the wall and permanently sealed off the passage he had created.
Loud yells and cries of anger echoed from the building behind him, the man swore under his breath and quickly circled around the fortress to the front. As he neared the entrance, he slowed down to a brisk walk and put on a concerned face.
"What happened?" he called to a guard standing in the doorway.
"Who's there!" the guard called back.
The man walked into the light, "Oh it's you Geryon. You're back already?"
"Yes," Geryon replied, "it took less time than I thought…Never mind that, what happened here?"
"Someone stole something important." The guard growled.
"What was it? Surely it couldn't be that important if it was stolen so easily."
"It was a book, taken from the archive section of the library. No one has access to that part of the library but maybe one or two people, and neither of them are here tonight."
Geryon rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well, it must be someone from here then…but who would do such a thing? What exactly was in this book?"
The guard made a face, "I don't know, do I look like people tell me anything here? I think it was some old historical record book…"
Geryon frowned, "I'm going to ask The Circle."
He moved forward to enter the fortress when the guard stopped him, "I'm not allowed to let anyone in or out."
Geryon blinked, "But…its ME…"
The guard thought about it for a moment, "Well…yeah, I suppose you're fine…"
"Right. Thanks. I'll be going then."
Geryon walked past the guard and through the thick doors that sealed the rest of the world off. As calm as he made himself sound, he was afraid the guard may have heard his heart pounding against his ribs. He took a deep steadying breath and joined the other cloaked people ascending the spiral staircase that extended upwards to the highest tower.
Geryon hurried up the steps, to the top of the tower where a single large door blocked the way. He knocked loudly, and the door swung open.
"Ah, Geryon, you have returned." Said a deep voice.
Geryon walked forward, and bowed deeply. Without rising he addressed the five hooded figures that stood before him, "I have completed my assigned task and returned safely, Circle."
The man who spoke stepped forward, "I suppose you would like to know about the recent theft?"
"That is why I am here. I would like to know what was stolen so I may help find it."
"Yes, it was a very old and very valuable book that no one, save two of our number have access to."
Geryon straightened, "May I ask what is contained in this book?"
"That is not for you to know." Snapped the figure to the left of the first man.
The first man moved closer, "Why Geryon, your cloak, it is covered in dust."
Geryon's heart skipped a beat.
Shit.
The man laughed, "Nothing happens in this castle without my knowledge, you walked through the front gate moments ago under the pretense of having just returned." He paused and looked at Geryon, "but you were back two days ago, were you not?"
Geryon stared back expressionless.
"You know, I recently found a passageway that did not exist before. Do you know where it leads?"
Geryon stiffened, "I do not sir."
"Right to the archive library. Seize him."
Several guards burst through the door and charged at Geryon who swung around swiftly killing the nearest guards with a short blade hidden in his sleeve.
"You should have known that nothing is kept secret from us Geryon." Said the hooded man.
Geryon swore loudly and vaulted through the arched window, shattering the colored glass. The wind whipped past his face as he plummeted towards the ground. He muttered several words and thrust his hands before him, and stopped his plunge several inches from the hard earth. Rolling swiftly to his feet, Geryon threw a quick glance back at the broken window, and ran towards the bush where he had concealed the book.
I'm not giving this up now, not after I worked to this moment for years…
The bush came into view several feet in front of him just as a group of guards came charging at him from either side. Geryon dove at the bush and snatched the book safely into his hands. The guards flung their weapons at the cloaked man, only to see them pass through the air where he had stood moments earlier. The man was gone.
Geryon re-appeared miles away clutching the red book tightly. He glanced over his shoulder, the fortress could not be seen any longer. He took a deep breath and rushed forward.
"Haaah… No matter how many times I see it, the sunset never gets old…right?" said a young dark haired girl as she tilted her head to the side.
"Mhmm…"
The girl looked over at the light haired boy sitting next to her. He had his nose buried deep into a book.
"Kieran, you're not even LOOKING." She said irritably.
The boy looked up, "Come ON Rori, you drag me here every day to watch the sunset. We must have seen it like a thousand times. It. Doesn't. Change. Let me read."
"Wow okay, freak out why don't you." Rori rolled her green eyes and pushed her black hair out of her face, "You're missing out…" she sang.
Kieran ignored her.
"Ughh Kieran you're so boring." Rori whined.
Kieran shut his book, "Fine, what do you want me to do?"
"I dunno…watch this with me…"
Kieran sighed, "Alright. Not that it's any different from yesterday or the day before."
The two stared across the water at the fiery sun sinking behind a large island.
"Let's go there…" Kieran said suddenly.
"Huh? Go where?" asked Rori.
"The island…"
"Why? We've never gone there before…No one goes there anymore."
"I wonder why…"
Rori shrugged, "Dunno…maybe it's haunted or something!"
Kieran turned to Rori, "Don't be ridiculous."
Rori laughed, "Alright Kieran, let's go right now!"
Kieran grinned.
"Whose boat is this?" asked Rori.
"I don't know."
"You're stealing!"
"NO! Just borrowing. We'll bring it back."
Kieran heaved at the small rowboat and slowly shoved it into the water, "There, now get in!"
Rori climbed into the tiny boat and was followed by Kieran who picked up an oar and pushed off the beach.
Rori smiled as she dipped her fingers into the water, "We used to do fun stuff together all the time when we were kids!"
"Mhmm..but now we don't have much time to do anything but study."
"Right…"
Kieran pulled on the oars and looked over at Rori. She was his first cousin, two years older than he was, and his best friend. Rori was with Kieran ever since he could remember; there wasn't a time in his life when she wasn't around. But that was about to change; Rori had just graduated from their local high school, and was going off to college somewhere far away. This was their last summer together, and both of them were determined to spend as much time as they could with each other.
"Whoa Kieran where are you going? The island's that way." Said Rori as she nudged Kieran and pointed to his right.
"Oh…right..oops." He laughed, Kieran had sunk too deeply in though and veered off course.
Several minutes later, they had arrived at the island. Rori hopped out of the boat as Kieran tucked the oars into the floor of the boat and followed suit.
"I can't see anything…" said Rori. The sun had set completely and darkness blanketed the island.
Kieran squinted around, it looked as if no one had set foot on this island for many years, he couldn't imagine why. The trees and plants were overgrown and the little wooden shacks and bridges the scattered the island were crumbling and sprouting with various trees and bushes.
Kieran walked towards the nearest shack and peeked inside; it was empty save for some small growing plants. Something to his right caught his eye, it was a little door.
"Rori come here!" he called to his cousin.
"What? You find something?"
"Kind of, follow me…"
Kieran pushed through the door which opened up to a rickety bridge that was too high to reach from shore. They carefully crossed the bridge which had several planks missing to an elevated island with a few scattered palm trees.
"Hey… look at this one!" said Kieran as he walked towards a tree that looked as if it had been pushed over and was now growing sideways.
"It's got some kind of weird fruit on it…"
Rori hopped onto the trunk and walked its length with her arms spread wide for balance. She leaned down and plucked one of the fruits and tossed it to Kieran.
"It's a paopu fruit Kieran! I didn't know it grew here…Mom told me stories about it, but I didn't think it actually existed"
Kieran turned the yellow fruit around in his hands, it was star shaped and smooth.
"Can I eat it?"
"Probably…" Rori shrugged.
"Hmm…" Kieran handed the fruit back to Rori and walked to the edge of the island. Something crunched under his foot as he took a step forward, Kieran lifted his foot and saw the remains of what looked like a little wooden sword. He crouched down and picked up the pieces.
Someone used to play here…
"Kieran… no one's been on this island for years right?"
He looked up, "Yeah...why?"
"Then who's that?" said Rori as she pointed to a leaf covered ledge.
Kieran squinted in the moonlight and saw a dark figure standing next to a cave facing away from them.
"HEY! WHO'S THERE!" he shouted.
"Kieran! What the hell?" said Rori as she clamped a hand over her cousin's mouth, but it was too late.
The figure turned to face them, and suddenly vanished. Rori froze with her hand tightly over Kieran's mouth and nose.
"And who are you?" came a deep voice behind them.
Rori and Kieran whirled around to see a tall cloaked figure standing behind them. Kieran stared wide eyed and looked back to the place the figure had been standing moments earlier; it was not humanly possible to move that fast let alone disappear like that. Rori sucked in her breath and stepped forward, she was the eldest and she was going to protect her cousin.
"We're from the mainland. Who are you?"
The man paused, "I'm looking for someone."
"Answer the question." Rori snapped.
"Maybe you can help me find what I'm looking for." The man ignored Rori and turned to Kieran, "Why did you come to this island tonight?"
Kieran blinked, "Uhh… I don't know, we just felt like it."
"Really?" he said thoughtfully.
"HEY! Don't talk to him!" Rori yelled as she pushed Kieran back and glared fiercely at the strange man.
The man sighed, "My name is Geryon. I am not from around here. I came here looking for someone, and I need to find them quickly."
"Well I know everyone on these islands, and I doubt any of them are looking for YOU, Mr. Geryon." She said as she stared into his hooded face.
Geryon paused as he studied her face, then his own split into a wide smile.
"Ah, but I think I've found who I'm looking for."
Rori's courage faltered as she stepped back. She looked over at Kieran who seemed just as shocked as she was.
"What do you mean? We don't know you…"
"Not yet. I believe you two hold the key to something extremely important."
"Like, some kind of treasure?" asked Kieran. He was less disturbed by this man than Rori, as odd as his appearance was, he didn't seem particularly hostile to him.
"In a way, yes." Came the mysterious reply.
"But… all I have are my house keys…" said Kieran.
The man laughed, "Not that kind of key." He leaned forward and poked the boy in the chest, "In here is what I'm looking for."
"That's ENOUGH!"
Kieran jumped and looked over at Rori, whose fists were shaking in anger.
"We're leaving Kieran!" she grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the boat. As they drew nearer to the sand, Kieran twisted his arm out of her grip.
"What is WRONG with you?" he demanded.
"I could ask you the same question!" Rori shrieked, "conversing happily with some man you don't know who by the way, in case you forgot, DISAPPEARED in front of our eyes like a frickin ghost or some shit like that!"
"SO what? He's a little weird, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy!"
"Doesn't seem like a bad guy! What exactly are you basing your opinion off of? You know NOTHING about him!"
"Wow Rori, calm down! If he wanted to kill us or kidnap us, he'd have done it already!"
"Oh shut up! We're going home NOW."
"NO! I want to know why this guy is looking for us!"
"Excuse me young lady," Rori and Kieran both jumped as Geryon appeared behind them, "I don't want to kill you if that's what you're worried about. I need your help, won't you hear me out? I promise I won't do anything to either of you."
Rori looked at her cousin, then the man's hooded face, and her shoulders sagged a little.
"Fine. But quickly…"
"So you're telling us that the children's story about the kid who defeated the heartless and the nobodies and saved the worlds is TRUE?" asked Rori incredulously, "it can't be, that's just some old bedtime story."
Geryon shook his head, "It's as real as you and I on this island."
Rori shook her head, it was difficult to believe and was not convinced. Kieran on the other hand, seemed very interested and was drinking in every word Geryon said.
"So…" the boy began, "what exactly do Rori and I have to do with any of this?"
"Ah, well there's a part of this story that was never included in the version that you know." Said Geryon, "In truth, the boy did not continue to travel and keep the worlds safe. He actually re-sealed the tears in the barriers between the worlds of light and dark using himself as a sort of sacrifice."
Kieran leaned back against a tree, they were sitting on the elevated island where the man had built a small fire. He had removed his hood to reveal a strong, scarred face and very dark hair and eyes. Kieran noticed that the man's eyes were dangerous and deadly, but also held a sort of kindness hidden behind the fearsome face.
"A sacrifice? So he's dead then?" asked Rori, who was beginning to open up unconsciously, her curiosity evident. The story of the young boy who travelled the world on a magical ship, defeating monsters and saving princesses with a keyblade was her favorite as a child, but that's just what it was, a story.
"No, he is not dead. The keyblade combined with the Nobody Crystal have frozen him in a sense."
"Riiiight…" said Rori unconvinced, "so, what you're saying is that this kid who saved the world hundreds of years ago is frozen in a block of ice?"
"Not ice."
"Whatever, but he's alive inside this thing?"
"Yes."
"Yea, I don't believe any of this, but what does it have to do with us again?"
Geryon pulled a ragged red book out of his cloak, "This, has all the answers. I have searched for this book for many years and went through a great deal of trouble to get it."
He flipped open the old book and turned to a page with a large faded drawing of a white room with a large crystal at its center.
"This is what I'm looking for."
Kieran leaned forward to get a closer look at the picture, "So he's in that? The boy?"
"Exactly. This is the castle of the Nobodies. They no longer exist, but the castle still stands today."
"So, you want to get him out of there? Why?" asked Kieran.
Geryon sighed, "For many years, our world has been completely free of heartless because of the strong barrier between the worlds of light and dark, but there are people in this world who are battering away at the barrier with the hope of releasing and commanding the heartless. I need to release the keyblade master to stop them. Heartless are leaking out of the cracks made by these power-hungry fools, and we have no means to defeat them."
He turned to another page and pointed to a tiny picture the corner illustrating what looked like two children, one was a young girl with red hair, and the other was a boy with silver hair.
"And these two," he said, "are the key to releasing the keyblade master."
"Who are they?" asked Kieran.
Geryon gave the boy a long look before he asked, "Do you know what the keyblade master's name was?"
Rori and Kieran exchanged glances, "No…" they replied in unison.
Geryon smiled, "His name is Sora."
Kieran cocked his head to the side, "That sounds familiar."
"It should, one of your ancestors was named after him."
"Oh YEAH.." said Rori suddenly, "I remember, he was our…great great…great…great grandfather or something…"
Geryon nodded, "Fraternal twins, Sora and Roxas." He held up the book again with a large finger under the tiny drawing of the two children, "Their parents; Riku and Kairi."
Kieran's eyes widened, "So, we're related to those people in the book?"
"Indeed, in fact, the two have you have inherited the hearts of Riku and Kairi."
"And…that's why you need us, because…Our ancestors were the key to freeing Sora, and now we are?"
"Exactly." Geryon smiled.
He stood up and kicked dust over the fire smothering it, "Now, time slips by us, we must leave immediately."
"Whoa," Rori threw her hands up, "what do you mean by WE? You said you weren't going to do anything to us!"
Geryon gave her a mildly surprised look, "Surely you didn't think you could release Sora from here did you?"
Kieran hopped to his feet, "Come on Rori, let's go with him! It's like he said, no one else can do this!"
"Oh hell no. What am I going to tell your parents? We're going back to the mainland right now."
"Seriously Rori? You are going to pass up the chance to save the world?"
"And you believe this weird man?"
"Yes. I do, and what if he IS telling the truth, and you're dooming us all!"
"Now is not the time for this, you both are coming with me, this is no longer a choice for you to make." Interrupted Geryon.
He quickly grabbed Kieran and Rori's arm, thrust one hand in front of him upon which a dark vortex-like portal opened and flung the two into it before stepping through himself. The portal disappeared without a trace, and the island fell silent once again.
Reviews *loves*
Note: I don't Kingdom Hearts 1 2 or anything related to it, just the people I make up. And the title has no relevance whatsoever! I'm just horrible at making titles! :3