A/N: I've always wanted to write a KH fic. I've read so many wonderful ones over the years, and finally, I decided to do it! I have a lot of ideas in mind for this story, so it'll be a decent length. Here we go!
Chapter 1: Him.
Soft, blue-painted walls. Framed pictures of friends on the desk. Paintings, drawings, scattered on the carpet. The sunlight streaming through the youth's window seemed to urge Naminé out of bed, but the gentle caress of morning light could not stir the dreaming girl.
"Only you can help these people," the voice whispered to her. It seemed to come from all directions. She floated horizontally, only seeing white around her – white nothingness. If her body didn't feel so relaxed, she would feel more concerned; however, a pleasant fog curtained over her mind and body.
"What do you mean?" she asked, slightly befuddled.
"They need your help," the voice became more urgent. Naminé's eyebrows scrunched together as she stared up at white. White clouds… Pretty. Beautiful white clouds. She felt a raindrop and flinched.
"What people?" Naminé pressed. She sighed, as another raindrop landed on her cheek. This time she did not flinch.
The voice remained silent for a little while. "You know which people." It seemed to come from below her this time, echoing throughout the… room? She had no idea where she was. She just knew that she felt nice and could stay this way forever…
"No, I don't." Naminé stared up. Another raindrop on her cheek. She lifted her fingers to her face, her eyes. She blinked and another droplet rolled down her temple, soaking into her hairline. It wasn't raining… she was crying. But why? She didn't feel sad.
"Yes, you do. You see them everyday," the voice faded out towards the end, leaving Naminé to enjoy the silence and blankness of her surroundings. She blinked, and another raindrop trickled down her temple…
Naminé lazily yawned and sat up in her bed, rubbing at her eyes. She rarely woke up before her alarm clock and was surprised at how rested she felt considering she'd stayed up so late. She sighed contentedly, glancing at her alarm clock.
Her eyes met no numbers. Oh no, she mentally groaned. Not again. Her eyes followed the cord to the electrical input, finding the clock unplugged.
"Ahh!" she buried her head in her hands for a second before stumbling out of bed. Recently, she'd picked up a habit of unplugging her alarm when it beeped, too disoriented in the morning to remember how to properly turn it off.
She ran to her closet and rushed through her morning routine. She bumped into her older brother in the hallway, who seemed entertained at her disheveled look.
"Late again?" Cloud snickered.
"Shut up," she growled, kicking past him and zooming out the door.
She walked briskly to school, her backpack hanging off one shoulder. The dream – she'd had it again. Why? What did it mean, if anything at all? It wasn't unpleasant, and she'd take the dream over the nightmares she used to have. She only wished to discover the meaning behind it. She dismissed her thoughts as she approached her classroom door, mentally preparing herself for the school day and she entered.
It wasn't long before she found her best friend in the hallways.
"Hello!" Naminé playfully swatted her friend's hair, turning to open her locker as well.
"Not the hair! I took extra long on it this morning," Kairi exclaimed, making a face.
"It looks fine," Naminé drew out her words, "Besides; you have every guy in this school drooling over you already." She pointedly nodded towards a few guys down the hallway staring their directions.
"That's you they're looking at. You practically roll out of bed and look like a model." Kairi continued putting on make-up in a mirror attached to the inside of her locker.
Model? Not so much. Naminé didn't consider herself bad-looking, but she felt plain. Dull blue eyes and blonde hair that wouldn't curl no matter how long the hot iron stayed pressed in her tresses. Not only that, but she was 5'2 at most - didn't exactly stand out in the crowd.
The bell soon rang, and students scattered accordingly. She and Kairi walked towards their class, chatting casually.
"Back to school dance. Tonight. You're going." Kairi grinned excitedly.
Naminé moaned. "Only for a little bit. You know how I hate those."
"It'll be fun! Junior year, we need to make the most of it! Besides, what else do you have to do? School just started a few weeks ago, you can't have that much homework yet."
It was true. She didn't have a heavy workload, and if she stayed home all night she'd probably end up drawing some corny building outside her window while listening to music.
"Fine," Naminé agreed, sensing that she'd regret it – but who knew? A lot had changed in the past year, and maybe she'd enjoy this one.
The girls turned a corner in the hallway and Naminé felt her body slam into something hard. Air left her lungs as she let out a small gasp. Her books slammed onto the floor as she stumbled. She balanced herself and looked up.
Into the eyes of Roxas Hikari, one of the most feared outcasts in school. He stared down at her, appearing irritated. Naminé dumbly remained in her spot, frozen in the awkward position that had been necessary to catch herself: arms thrown out in front of her, her stance slightly wider. Her books remained scattered before her. Her eyes transfixed on Roxas's cold, deep blue ones.
"Naminé…" Kairi whispered to her worriedly, tugging on her sleeve. Naminé continued to stare, as if in some sort of trance. Her lips parted delicately to say something, but no words came to mind. She couldn't move. She noticed that the expression on Roxas's face changed from irritation to perplexity and back to aggravation.
"You're in my way," his hard tone reached her ears. His dark demeanor made Naminé feel fear and something else – something she couldn't quite name.
"S-sorry," Naminé apologized, forcing herself to breathe again. She moved slightly to the right and bent down to gather her books, her face tingling with warmth. She sensed him walk around her and she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She felt her heart start back up again.
Kairi quickly dropped and helped Naminé gather her things. "Are you crazy! What were you trying to do, stare him down?" she whispered violently.
Naminé still struggled to gather herself. "No, no! I just… didn't know what to say." Naminé tried to explain and stood up. The two began trotting down the halls again.
"Everyone was watching, you know," Kairi pointed out.
Naminé groaned. She thought that the deafening silence during the incident took place only in her mind. "It was an accident."
"You probably picked the worst person to run into. I wouldn't be surprised if he or his friends tried pulling some stunt on you now." The two shuffled into their class and sat down.
Naminé rolled her eyes. "They're not that intimidating." Okay, it was a slight lie. Naminé felt tingles of fear in her spine when she'd looked into Roxas's uncaring blue eyes.
Kairi shrugged. "Well, you're probably the only one who thinks so."
Naminé mentally shrugged off the event and tried to pay attention in class; however, remnants of the feelings she had while frozen in place remained. Fear. Wonder. Exhilaration. And something else, something other-worldly that scratched at her mind.
Lunchtime soon arrived and the girls made their way to the cafeteria, taking their regular seats with their group of friends.
"Heard that you bumped into Hikari today," Tidus casually mentioned, and Selphie gasped. Her eyes craved verification of this as they landed on Naminé.
Naminé groaned and scrunched her eyebrows. News traveled fast, and apparently the school had nothing better to talk about.
"I heard you punched him in the face," Olette chimed in energetically, chomping on a french fry.
Naminé buried her head in her hands and Kairi snickered. "Told you it was a big deal," Kairi stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I ran into him in the hall, that's all," Naminé explained to her friends.
"What did you say?" Selphie asked excitedly. The table waited attentively for an answer.
Kairi beat Naminé to it. "Oh God, you should have seen her. She stared at him like this," Kairi paused to cheaply mimic Naminé's expression, "and didn't say a word."
Naminé felt a blush grace her features again as she heard Kairi describe her actions. Or lack thereof.
"Have fun dealing with that mess," Hayner sarcastically advised, mouth full of food.
Naminé picked at her food, shrugging. "What's the big deal? It was just an accident. Besides, I said sorry."
"It's not a big deal, but… you know Roxas's crowd is one to stay away from," Tidus said, and Selphie nodded vigorously.
As of on cue, Naminé watched Roxas saunter into the cafeteria with Axel and Larxene. Naminé's eyes followed them as they took their seats at a table with their other friends. The senior group seemed to own the school without even trying. It was especially strange, because most of them were transfers – they hadn't grown up in Destiny Islands, yet they were such powerful forces.
"Yeah," Hayner agreed, "I heard their involved in all types of gang stuff. Like drugs… and murder." Scandal and excitement lit up his eyes.
"Yeah, right," Naminé responded. She knew Roxas was bad news, and his friends seemed the same – if not worse – but murder? Not a chance. Destiny Islands was a safe place, after all. Naminé never heard of any murders.
"It's not like he's ever at school, anyways. I'm sure I'll be fine," Naminé assured, more for her own benefit than theirs. She changed the subject. "Are you guys excited for the dance?"
xx
The led of her pencil broke on the paper with a crack – ruining the smooth line she drew – at the sound of a honk blaring from her driveway.
"I'm coming!" she yelled out her window at Kairi before rushing downstairs.
"Call me if you need anything!" Cloud shouted out the door as Naminé jumped the car. She waved over her shoulder at him.
"Let's do this," Kairi grinned and put the car in reverse. Excitement danced in her eyes.
Once at the dance in the student center, Kairi dragged Naminé onto the dance floor. They danced, chatted, and bounced from social group to social group before settling with their better friends.
Hayner, Selphie, Tidus, Olette, and Wakka excitedly engaged in conversation with them. The group found things to do, enjoying themselves – however, Naminé could not get into it. Something knocked at the back of her mind, refusing to leave her alone no matter how much she forced it away.
Naminé rubbed at her temples, feeling a headache come on. "Kairi," she tugged on the redhead's sleeve. "I think I'm going to head home. I don't feel very good."
Kairi rolled her eyes. "Come on, Naminé! At least wait 'til the after-party!" she threw up her hands excitedly.
"I'm sorry, I'm just not in the mood. I promise I'll make it up to you?"
Kairi's disappointment leaked through her features, but she nodded. "Okay then… how are you getting home?"
"I can walk!" Despite not feeling good, Naminé didn't want to ruin her friend's night as well. Kairi looked skeptical. "It's only a ten minute walk, Kai. I do it every day."
"Alright," Kairi agreed reluctantly, narrowing her eyes. "Give Cloud a call. He'd probably pick you up."
"Mhm, I will. You guys have fun!" she yelled to the rest of the group before heading out.
Once off campus and out in fresh air, the pounding in her head began to subside. She let out a sigh of relief and walked towards the beach, which was not too far from school. She needed to clear her head. It was only 10:30pm, and the dance didn't end until midnight. She had a few hours before Cloud started wondering where she was.
Once at the beach, she plopped down in the welcoming sand and buried her toes in it. So beautiful… she thought. The waves licked at the shore as they came in and out.
The sea refused to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it's turned away. Where had she heard that? Naminé laid back and closed her eyes, feeling the breeze rustle through her bangs and listening to the waves crash.
She didn't know how she'd drifted off, but Naminé awoke to ice cold water rushing her as the tide came in. She squealed before scrambling up and backwards, away from the intruding water.
"No wonder the shoreline doesn't love you. Too cold," she murmured, her clothing drenched. She hugged herself and began pacing up the beach towards the pier, where she would then begin walking home.
After a few minutes of walking, Naminé noticed two figures up ahead. She slowed her gait, before stopping completely. What..? She squinted past the darkness. A cloaked, dark figure stood on the sand with another man in front of him, levitating off the ground. Naminé rubbed her eyes. Was she seeing things? She cautiously moved a little closer, partially hidden by a palm tree.
No, the man was lifted off the ground by an invisible force. His mouth was opened in a silent scream, his face angled towards the sky. The hooded man omitted a strong feeling of evil – something that chilled Naminé to the bone more than the actual event occurring before her. The cloaked man had his arm out towards the floating man's chest, his hand angled like a police man signaling a car to stop. A dark purple, swirling ball of energy emerged from the levitating man's chest and came towards the figure's outstretched hand – It was as if he was strangling the man without touching him.
Naminé choked back a scream at the terrifying site before her, but a strangled whimper escaped her lips. Her hands shot up to cover her mouth as she stumbled backwards. No, no, no, no, no, no. Had the evil figure heard her? She should call someone – She should call for help at least, or something!
She fumbled for her phone and just as she found it, she received an incoming call. Her hands shook as she tried to silence the ringer, but it was too late: the dark figure's head whipped towards her accusingly.
She froze, feeling as if she'd been punched in the gut. All air left her lungs as blue eyes pierced her soul and left her paralyzed. Roxas.
No, Naminé thought. The man who'd been floating above the ground dropped with a thud as the Roxas withdrew the arm angled towards his chest, still facing her.
Move! Naminé ordered herself. She scrambled to straighten back up. As she did, she got a better look at the man crumpled on the floor, drained of energy. She recognized him! Her science teacher appeared lifeless now, his eyes open and his mouth forming an 'O,' as if the pain he'd been experiencing followed him into the afterlife.
"They're people you see everyday…" she remembered the voice from her dream. Maybe this was someone she needed to help. But what could she do? She panicked, her chest tight.
"L-leave him alone!" she cried out, trying to appear threatening. She cursed her shaky voice.
Roxas observed her and then began to laugh darkly. He slowly walked towards her and Naminé felt whatever courage she had vanish.
"Don't you think it's a little late to save him?" his smooth voice lashed her ears. Everything about him was cold, a hundred times worse than when she saw him at school. In fact, even his usual cerulean eyes were now a dark blue, shaded over with grey.
Naminé began taking steps back. This would be the end of her. All her 16 years coming to an end like this. She felt her heart rate increase and she struggled to breathe normally.
She suddenly felt her legs give out beneath her as she tripped over her own feet. She fell backwards. He was now standing directly in front of her, and she fearfully peered up at him.
"Get away from me, Roxas!" she yelled, and he put his hand up once again. Time stopped. Everything seemed to freeze. Palm leaves remained bent at unnatural angles, previously whipped by the wind and now left frozen in place. Waves remained in mid-crash. The environment was eerily quiet, and Naminé heard felt her heart pounding.
Her heart… It was beating so slow! Naminé went to lift her arm and found that it felt weighed down, as if it weighed a hundred pounds. "What… what did you do?" She cried out fearfully. She dragged her eyes away from her arm and up to those blue, cold orbs. Her arm continued to move slowly towards her chest.
His gaze pierced her. "How… how are you moving?" he seemed genuinely intrigued. And annoyed. "Hm," he knelt down in front of her and observed.
Her heart rate sped up out of fear, yet it was still unnaturally slow. Time around her had stopped, and she seemed to feel half of the effects of whatever spell he had cast. Her body had slowed down dramatically, as if she was moving in slow motion.
He put his hand on her chest, feeling her heartbeat himself. "What are you?" he murmured quietly.
Her spine tingled at the physical contact. His touch seemed to trigger something. Adrenaline rushed through her body, and her hands shot out in front of her. "Get away!" she shrieked, pushing at his chest. Light bursts from her hands and he flew backwards a couple feet.
Suddenly, Naminé found herself able to move normally again. She scrambled up and began to sprint in the opposite direction, away from the monster. What is going on? She struggled to think. Dance… go back to the dance! Someone will help you there.
She heard his rough footsteps gaining on her before an arm wrapped around her midsection and immediately forced her to a halt. The air left her body at the impact. He swung her around and threw her over his shoulder. Muttering a string of curses, he did not seem happy as he opened up some type of black hole and walked into it with her kicking and screaming.
A/N: Review and let me know what you guys think! This isn't my first story, but it's my first story on Fanfiction and I'm stoked. Reviews REALLY inspire me to write, so if you'd be so kind… I'll update soon, I'm already working on chapter 3 but I'm trying to spread out my updates to cushion writer's block… Anyways, I'd love to hear from you. Really
-J