Eru's Note: This is actually a remake of an old fanfiction. I changed the name (and then forgot the old name), but the first few chapters should be pretty familiar.
I didn't like the way the old one was heading, because it got pretty confusing as to who-went-where and things like that. D; So I gave up on that, re-did it and - after a lot of refining - here is the finished part.
Enjoy it
Act I
clocktower tempest
Sora thought he was going to die, as he laid there on the floor. Face-up, he felt pain course through his body and blood gush out of it. The crimson liquid felt warm on his fingers, but he hadn't the strength to move.
He could hear Kairi's voice, calling out to him. "Sora! Please," she sobbed, "don't leave. Don't leave us alone again!" yet he couldn't see her face, or the tears that were rolling down it. In the background, he could hear chill laughter, and the cries of Riku and Naminé. He couldn't hear Roxas, but he somehow knew. Roxas was disappearing ...
Would he disappear, too?
"Help me adjust this one,
All I need right, since utter sweet love
Ten-year old would send ya a hero,
In you, it would end, endlessly,
In you, suddenly it's a real planet, oh,
In you ...
"Help me adjust this one,
All I need right, since utter sweet love
Ten-year old would send ya a hero,
In you, it would end, endlessly,
In you, suddenly it's a real planet, oh,
In you ...
"Hug it, then let go
Stay!
Stay and sleep ...
It would begin the planet of -
Eternity of Memories
Why won't he of Evil cease?
Just seeing, Riku was moving,
Now, they are all moving,
Whoa!
"He was like you, my savior,
He noticed me
Under the sun, oh,
Tell them all - "Natural"
All the mutual right of him,
Could offer,
In you, I had your desires, no?
Furthermore, we had one ...
"In your arms, is me,
In your heart ... I can't be there
Myth that I lost
The Kingdom's Greed ..."
- fifteen days before -
A girl was waiting on the shores.
Standing there anxiously, with a worried look in her blue eyes. She kept shifting in her spot, digging the toe of her lavender and white boots into the sand, the sea wind gently moving the strings tied above her ankles. She would move her arms from behind her to in front of her, and then back again. Sometimes, she would play with the silver and gold bracelets on one of her wrists, or adjust the open-zipped pink dress that she wore or the purple pouch resting on her hip. When the wind would play, it would toy with her shoulder-length red tresses and the blue hoodie resting on her shoulder-blades, connected to a white tank-top.
But she never took her eyes off the water.
Behind her, the jade leaves of coconut and palm trees were in full bloom on the small island. She stood at the edge, close enough without being touched by the warm waters that rushed up and down the shores. Behind her was a thicket of old clubhouses and even older trees, intertwined to become a single mess. The haphazard bridges were uneven and the ladders appeared to be weakening. In the distance, over the salty ocean, there could be seen the magenta outline of a city.
A light caught her eyes and she looked up – a shooting star. Two! She smiled and turned over her shoulder, and said, "They're coming!" brightly to seemingly no one. She quickly looked back and watched as the shooting stars fell out of the sky and landed with a loud slap! into the ocean.
It was only revealed then that they were not stars, but boys: Teenage boys at the ages of fifteen and sixteen.
After a few seconds, they burst from beneath the waters, gasping for air. Both appeared to be of Japanese descent, with angled faces and almond-shaped eyes. The younger of the two had spiky hair, colored dark brown, hazel, brown and dirty blond. All of it stuck out in odd directions, weighed down by the water and plastered to his face, over blue eyes. The dying sun reflected off the silver crown-shaped pendent of his throat, but the rest of his clothes were hidden by the ocean.
The older had darker skin, and long, white hair that ended in spikes, weighed down by the water. His blue-green eyes almost couldn't be seen except as jewels, peering out between the strands of his lengthening bangs.
As both gasped for air, they heard the girl's call. "Sora! Riku!" her name echoed in the distanced, bouncing off the waters. Both turned and grinned, seeing her bounce in her spot and wave her arm eagerly.
At once, both boys set off and began to swim quickly for her and the shore that she stood on. Neither hardly noticed the water that weighed down their clothes, barely glimpsed in the waters. The brunet was faster than his white-haired friend, and soon made it to shallower waters. He quickly jumped to his feet, watering pouring out of the folds of his clothes, and trudged through the knee-deep waters.
His clothes were revealed: A navy blue tank-top, and a black and white t-shirt hoodie, with metallic shoulders. His pants were baggy, weighed down with water, and stopped right below the knee. They were held up with a yellow and red belt, and similar belts were strapped to his thighs, holding up red pouches on either one. His shoes were black and yellow boots, seemingly too large for him, though he walked through them just fine. On his hands were black and yellow fingerless gloves, and that silver pendent at his throat.
Behind him, the older of the two reached the shallower waters and stood up, walking through the waters behind the brunet. His clothes were simpler: A partially unzipped black tank-top, under a yellow vest. His baggy pants were a light cotton blue, and his sneakers were striped gray, white and black with orange laces. On one hand was a pale yellow wristband.
The girl giggled, when two more silhouette's burst from behind her. One was a very large, white-feathered duck, with short yellow legs and wide, webbed feet. He was dressed in a blue and purple sweater, bearing many zippers and pockets, with gold bracelets on his wrists. On his head was a plain, floppy blue hat and he carried a gnarled, wooden staff with a tiny, pointed purple hat at the top.
The other was a lanky, tall dog, carrying a small multi-colored shield and a large mouse-shaped insignia in the center. On his head was a yellow hat and a pair of goggles, from beneath his ears drooped, framing his face. He was dressed in a green turtleneck sweater and a navy vest, and white gloves on his hands. His pants were yellow shorts that stopped some inches above his ankle, and his shoes were floppy boots colored tan.
Both were grinning, and the brunet yelled out in surprise before they tackled him, splashing water everywhere. The three were laughing, soaked, as though they hadn't seen each other in a long time.
A third figure emerged from beyond the girl, this time a short, black mouse with wide eyes and even wider, round ears. He was dressed in a black and white t-shirt and a pair of red pants, white gloves on his hands and golden shoes. He wasn't carrying a weapon, but ran into the water and jumped the white-haired boy, who caught him, grinning.
As the reunions were over, the red-haired girl and the brunet looked up at each other, grinning. The boy reached into his pocket and brought out a charm: Five shells tied into the shape of a star, with a smiling face at the stop. When he looked up, he became someone else, just for an instant.
The boy's hair shortened and became side-swept, a light blond color, but his blue eyes and baby-face were the same. His clothes changed with it: Into a white and black-bordered t-shirt, unbuttoned over a dark olive shirt, and his pants changed into a pair of baggy light olive and dark olive pants. His shoes became flat black and dark olive sneakers with red laces; the gloves were replaced with a black and white ring on two of his fingers. The pendent disappeared.
The girl changed as well, her red hair becoming blond hair flipped over one shoulder. Her dress became a short, white nightgown stopping above her knees, and her boots became cyan sandles, dotted with golden stars.
And in that instant, both were gone, back to their former selves.
"W-we're back," the boy said.
The girl held out her hand to help him from the waters. "You're home," she said.
The boy grinned and held up his hand, pressing the star between his and hers.
-xxx-
The group was now standing on the shores of the beach. Nearly everyone was still damp, and the ocean winds weren't making it any easier. The chill air slapped against their wet clothes, making them feel frozen. The skies had died with the sun, becoming darker. But there were many stars out, and the moon, which all shone brightly, illuminating patches on the suddenly pale sand.
The brown-haired boy stood with his friends against the other three. Sora, Riku and Kairi, the two boys that had fallen from the sky and the girl that had waited for them. Before them, were the other three. His Majesty, King Mickey, stood in the center. Donald Duck stood to his left, holding his staff, and Sir Goofy stood to his right, holding his shield loosely.
A small cricket had popped out of the folds of Donald's jacket and was now sitting on his head: Jiminy Cricket was this cricket's name! A bright but small fellow, dressed in a top hat, a black overcoat, and a pair of tan shoes. Between them wove a yellow dog with black ears and a long, slender black tail. Pluto, the canine, wore a red collar much too big for his scrawny neck, but his tongue hung out and his tail was wagging rapidly; a sign of affection and mourning at the same time.
The time had come that the group would be parting.
Sora had a frown on his face under his matted, spiky brown hair. "Do you really have to go?" he asked. "I mean, it's late. We could all crash together, and you can leave tomorrow!" he said.
King Mickey shook his head, water running down the folds of his short red pants. "Sorry, Sora. But our time has come. And Disney Castle is waiting for us to return too. I don't wanna make Queen Minnie worry anymore than she already has."
Sora hung his head; he inwardly agreed with King Mickey.
"But we'll be coming back soon," Goofy said quickly, "a-hyuck! Just because our adventure's over doesn't mean we'll never see each other again!"
Donald nodded; Jiminy clutched his hat to stay on his head. "Of course! As soon as everything settles down at the Castle, we'll come back here for a visit," he squawked.
"Hai," Riku nodded, "and we'll be waiting for you here. We've got our own lives to catch up on," he said.
"But try to stay longer next time we see you," Kairi said, "I know Sora-kun will be missing you guys a lot," she said and looked over at Sora.
Sora looked up at them, and stretched his arms above his head, then folded them behind it. "Hai! I guess there's no stopping you, so we'll see you the next time you come!" he said in a falsely cheery voice.
Pluto barked and sat down next to King Mickey, then cocked his head to one side, looking up at Sora.
"Well then, I suppose it's time we left, isn't it?" Jiminy asked, looking to the horizon. "It's already getting dark!"
"We should hurry then, or else everyone will be asleep when we arrive," King Mickey said.
King Mickey glanced at Donald, who understood the silent message. He held out his staff-arm and pointed the golden bracelet on his wrist up to the sky. With white feathers, he pressed a tiny jewel on it and it began to flash a small red glow. At that moment, the sky above them shifted, faint wisps of clouds began to part as a star moved towards them. The small beam of light shifted in the sky, flying towards its destination.
"Send us a message that you got home safe, okay?" Sora told them.
The group nodded. Jiminy beamed, "Of course, Sora! But it'll be so late when we get there, don't mind if it takes a couple days," and laughed.
The star had reached its destination and hovered above Destiny Islands. It then sank lower to the ground, drawn in by the small planet's gravity. Soon, the star revealed itself not to be a star – but a ship. A very large ship, with a bubble-shaped windshield at the very top. The white wings were small, and the rockets at the back blazed with blue-red heat. The body was made up of brightly-colored orange and yellow blocks. Gummi Blocks, to be precise. In the windshield danced two little chipmunks, each wearing yellow aprons. Chip and Dale, the ship's engineers.
Behind the group, there appeared a green spot. More like a platform, which pulsated in yellow-green waves and was rimmed in flames of the same color. It dropped down directly below the Gummi Ship. King Mickey, Donald (with Jiminy on his head) and Goofy walked over to the circle and stood there. Goofy called over Pluto and the yellow dog happily bounded over to them.
"See ya later!" King Mickey waved, and the trio followed suit. A green light washed over the five and they vanished – the flames and circle along with them.
Minutes later, Donald and Goofy joined Chip and Dale in the window and began to wave down at the three. Sora stepped forward, both arms above his head. The ship kicked to life once again and rose higher in the air. It changed direction so they could no longer see the four, and the rockets blazed wildly. With a few seconds, the Gummi Ship rocketed off through the clouds and became a disappearing star in the sky.
Sora continued to wave, even after they were gone. "Ja ne," he said quietly.
-xxx-
Not long afterwards, the trio decided to head home. Home; that was what Sora missed. His comfortable bed and his mother's cooking. He tucked his hands behind his head as they walked towards the docks. The island was completely separate from the town, but there was a dock where the boats were tied up.
Looking around, past the rickety bridges and old clubhouses and many trees, Sora realized that there wasn't many differences since he had last seen it. "It sure hasn't changed much here," Sora said.
"You would be surprised," Kairi said, "Destiny Islands hasn't changed, but the people have. Now that I think about it."
"A whole year has passed," Riku said, "of course the people have changed. Speaking of which, that brings up certain problems. Like ... what's our excuse for disappearing for a whole year?" he asked.
Sora shrugged and lowered his hands. "If we have to, we'll think of something," he recited.
Riku smirked. He had been the one to say that, over a year ago.
"Oh!" Kairi said suddenly and stopped. Sora and Riku followed suit once they saw why she had stopped: A figure had appeared before them; a young girl, who had once appeared already.
She only appeared to be fourteen, with small shoulders and a heart-shaped face. Her blond hair was flipped over one shoulder and her ocean-blue eyes were focused intently upon the trio. She was dressed in a thin-strapped night-gown, stopped above her knees and rimmed with lace. Her sandles were cyan, dotted with small golden stars. All three could see through the center of her, but the edges of her body, her fingers and feet were solid.
"Naminé," Riku said.
Naminé smiled in response. "I'm ... relieved to see that you both made it home," she said, tilting her head slightly.
Sora blinked, his mouth agape. He was surprised to her just ... materialize out of thin air like that. "Matte," he said after a moment, "you're ..."
"You probably don't remember me," she said, "but we've met once before. But I come here not because of the past, but for the present. For helping me out so much, I was hoping I could help you. With the memories of the towns-folk."
"What do you mean?" Kairi asked.
Riku looked from Naminé to Kairi. "Naminé is a ... witch, so to speak. She manipulates and creates memories." he explained.
Kairi nodded. "Oh ... I had no idea," she said.
"I can change the memories of the towns-folk, so they forgot that Riku and Sora had ever left them," Naminé explained. "It's the least I can do."
"You can do all that? Really?" Sora asked.
Naminé nodded.
"Cool!" Sora gasped. "But wouldn't it take you a really long time? Where would we go?" he asked.
Naminé shook her head. "Iie, it would only take me a night. I'm sure you guys can think of something. You've been through worse, ne?" she asked gently.
"Our own families would require a lot of explaining," Riku said and threw an arm around Kairi's shoulders, "why don't we stay at your place for the night?"
Kairi blushed. "Ano ... I-I think you might be able to," she said after a pause, "oh! We could stay up all night watching movies and eating popcorn!" she said brightly, then giggled.
Sora inched closer to Kairi. "Why are you blushing?" he asked suspiciously.
Her cheeks darkened to a deeper shade of magenta. "Ah! Sora!" she complained loudly.
Naminé smiled gently, watching as they teased each other so. "Okay, so it's settled. We'll start to work on the memories tonight. I should have it done by tomorrow."
Sora watched as she began to disappear. "Naminé, matte!" he said, but it was too late – she had already disappeared. He sighed. 'I wanted to thank her,' he thought.
-xxx-
Kairi was the adoptive daughter of a politician. As for who her real father was, none of them knew and Kairi couldn't remember, but when she fell to Destiny Islands at the age of five, she was adopted by Destiny Island's then-Mayor. He was a big man, very strict and decisive and didn't give in to arguments very easily. Which made him such a great Mayor, but he had recently retired before Sora and Riku disappeared. However, the cameras lingered around, so when they approached the two-story house to find the front lawn deserted, the boys were rather surprised.
The former Mayor was surrounded by cameras almost constantly. In fact, somewhere on the Internet, there was a documentary of one of the Mayor's speeches that was rudely interrupt by six-year old Sora belching his alphabet for the cameras.
The house was a big two-story house with four bedrooms. One was for the Mayor and Kairi's step-mom, the second was for her, but the other two had been converted into a study room and a guest room. The kitchen and the living rooms were spacious, with pretty, expensive things decorating the house. A few windows were dark, but the living room window was lit up, signaling that someone was still awake when they approached the burnt orange house.
The front door opened to reveal the silhouette of a large man dressed in a button-up shirt and slacks, with a bushy brown beard and short brown hair. His watery blue eyes gazed down as Kairi, Sora and Riku walked up the sidewalks, with Kairi in the lead.
She breathlessly said, "Konban wa, Otoo-san!" as they stopped before the door.
"Kairi, I'm very disappointed in you," he lectured her, "you disappeared for hours without calling us or notifying us of where you were or who you were with!" he said in a strict voice.
Kairi couldn't reply. The truth was that she had been kidnapped by Axel, a Nobody from Organization XIII. Unfortunately, she couldn't tell him that because he didn't know what Nobodies were. So she hastily shifted the subject to Sora and Riku. "You remember my friends, ne? Sora and Riku, I used to play with them. Is it alright if they stay the night?"
The former Mayor bristled. "Two boys spending the night with my daughter?" he asked. "And why should I trust you?"
Sora turned beet-red. "I-iie! We just wanted to camp out in the living room and watch a bunch of movies. Y'know ... that," he said, failing to come up with anything other than what Kairi had suggested earlier.
"I trust them," Kairi said, "nothing will happen. Promise!" she said.
-xxx-
It took a while for the former Mayor to give in to the idea of letting them stay over. Sora was very relieved too; he didn't want to have to go home and have his mother lecture him on disappearing for a whole year. All they needed was to lay low for a few hours. Thankfully (and Sora couldn't realize he was so happy) dark clouds rolled in and it started to pour. The man finally gave in when he saw the three being drenched and decided to take up Kairi's word, so he let the group inside to dry off.
The embarrassment didn't end there either. After they piled a bunch of blankets, pillows and a few sleeping bags for comfort in the living room, Sora and Riku were faced with their own wet clothes as an issue. Kairi suggested drying them off, but they had nothing to wear while their clothes were in the dryer. The only thing left for them was Kairi's pajama's; two pairs of shorts and tank-tops were handed out (Sora was, again, happy that Kairi didn't only sleep in nightgowns) and they changed. Sora immediately dove into the blankets, refusing to let anyone see the frilly pink shorts he was wearing while Kairi threw their wet clothes in the dryer.
Outside, lightning struck. A few seconds later, thunder boomed loudly. They could hear the rain pouring against the sides of the house and beating against the roof. As Riku put in a horror film, Sora said, "It sure is getting loud out there."
"The storm is pretty close," Riku said, "the lightning is near. Don't worry, as long as we don't go outside we'll be fine."
Another bolt. Another boom. Sora shivered. "Man, that lightning's freaking me out!" he said, clutching the blankets. "I wonder why," he said, pulling the blankets close.
Kairi giggled. "Don't worry, Sora-kun. I'll protect you from the lightning," she said playfully.
Sora blushed and tried to shoot her a dirty look, but it failed. He found it weird to treat Kairi the same way he treated Riku. She looked more ... delicate.
"I bet I know why," Riku said and then began to chant, "Heartless hero! Heartless hero!" in a high voice.
Sora scowled. "Aa, you had to remind me! And how do you know that's what Larxene used to call me?" he asked.
Riku rolled his eyes. "I had a year to bum around the worlds all by myself. I learned a lot," he said as the movie began to play.
About the time the movie started and the TV lit up, an awful screeching noise came from outside. Like fingernails on a black board, but there were no trees to rake against the windows outside of the house. The color drained from Riku's face, and his eyes suddenly appeared darker, but Sora was looking at the window and didn't notice.
"Wh-what is that?" Sora shivered again.
"Probably nothing," Riku said after a moment. He stood up and walked over to the window, then looked outside behind the curtains. Sora and Kairi waited for him to come back, assuring them nothing was outside, but he didn't.
"Riku?" Sora asked and the two stood up. They joined him by the window as the awful screeching noise rang in their ears again.
As Sora looked outside, he wasn't sure, but he thought he saw something moving. A big black shape, but it was too dark and too far back for him to make out any detail of it. Sora's gaze was fixated on the shape, trying to make it out. So much so that he almost didn't hear Kairi say, "I don't see anything out there. I can't imagine what that sound would be."
After a very long pause, Riku said, "Well, that's enough sight-seeing. There's obviously nothing out there, so let's get back to the movie," and left the window.
Sora was the last to leave. He didn't want to tear his eyes away from the big black shape, but his friends called him over. As he sat down, he glanced at Riku's pale face and saw the expression on it. He felt, inside, that Riku had seen the same thing he did.
It wasn't until the next day that Sora discovered what it was. A Clocktower had moved into the neighborhood when the storm passed the next morning. The three got a good look at it as they were leaving for school (Kairi insisted). Sure enough, a dark-stoned Clocktower with four faces had appeared in the center of the town, almost literally. Sora had a sinking feeling that was what the screeching noise was.
