No Middle Ground

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

A/N: This is my first foray into the fandom, so please enjoy!

Prologue

If there's one thing that I'm not, it's a fighter. I detest fighting. My scrawny body isn't meant for that sort of thing at all. I've been in many one-sided fights where I let the other person beat me to a pulp; I've been in fights where I try to defend myself but ultimately fail; and I've been in fights where I've been outnumbered. Yet for some reason, today is different.

"Stupid little witch! I knew there was something weird about you. What a freak!"

Another thing I despised was the word 'witch.' I hear it every day, and it never ceases to make me upset. I know that whatever I am isn't normal, but I don't take well to being called a witch. You'd think that people would realize that the oppressed can only be pushed into a corner for so long. Today, I've had it with being passive and weak. If it's a fight this bitch wants, it's a fight she'll get.

Yuffie Kisaragi is a strong girl. She grew up in Hollow Bastion, the slums of Radiant Garden that were sectioned off from the rest of the city by a huge castle-like fort. I'm sure she's had her fair share of brawls before she decided to target me. She's slightly taller than me and mirrors my build almost exactly. Unfortunately for me, she knows how to use her body for violence.

Yuffie waves my sketchbook around, stepping on all the pages that she tore out. My eyes rock back and forth like a pendulum as I watch it dangle from her hand. I lunge at Yuffie, taking her by surprise. She drops the sketchbook and stumbles back a few steps, but she regains her balance and the upper hand. She grins at me and throws me to the marble floor. My head ricochets off it with a thud and it hurts like hell. My first reaction is to check my head for any wounds, which proves to be a big mistake. Yuffie kicks me square in the ribcage and my body starts to burn. With each kick, I remember everything.

Every smile she ever sent my way.

Every compliment she ever gave me.

Every lie she told me.

Every kiss she pitied me with.

And so much more.

All the more reason for me repay her for what's she's done to me.

I grab her leg mid-kick firmly. She tries to shake me off, but my grip is tight. I use her leg as support, dragging her down as I go up. Equilibrium is made, and we're both bending over. I bring one hand to her cheek, slowly followed by the other. Now she looks scared. She finally realizes that I'm the one who's ultimately in control.

"Let me do you a favor, babe," I whisper mockingly. My voice bounces off the walls and amplifies its volume. That alone brings Yuffie to tears. I've never seen her cry, and before this moment I never wanted to see her let her guard down. Keeping up her walls made me feel safe once upon a time, but now I'm loving every second of it.

"I'll make sure you forget everything. Goodnight, Yuffie."

After that, reality goes into fast motion. For a fraction of a second, I hear a high-pitched scream. It fades out before I know it, but I know that her shrill scream lasted a lot longer than I thought. When I release her, she drops to the floor instantly. I allow myself to look at her lifeless body for two seconds. That's never happened before, and I really hope that I didn't kill her.

For the first time, I get really scared myself. I run away as fast as I can through the twisted corridors of the castle-fort. The place that used to be our safe haven is now forbidden territory. Not even my home is a sanctuary. Tears blur my vision as I take the back roads and alleyways of Hollow Bastion back into the main part of Radiant Garden. I make sure no one can see me in this terrible state. Should anyone see me, they'll know something is wrong – and think I'm the cause of it. This time, it wouldn't be too far from the truth.

When I get home, I burst through the door and find my dad in the kitchen. He rips his eyes away from the dinner he was preparing and is horrified by what he finds. I know I look a mess. The back of my head is warm and throbbing relentlessly, and I wonder if the headache is coming from the wound or my chronic migraines. My lungs press against my ribcage with each pant, and the pain in my body is doubled. We don't need to verbally communicate because we already know what we have to do.

It looks like our time in Radiant Garden has come to an end.

-End Prologue-

Tell me what you guys think of this so far! Til next time

Serenity101