Argh. I worked so hard on this, and I really couldn't decide whether it should be Kingdom Hearts or Harry Potter. I chose Kingdom Hearts, but I many write a HP version someday.
A Note: All the page break song lyrics are written by me, please don't use them because I really have worked hard on them. You can use them for prompts, but please don't include them in your work.
A Disclaimer: I don't own Sora or Riku. The rest of it actually belongs to me. Quite a lot of this actually belongs to me. Wow.
Lifeless dolls
That's all they are.
Lifeless dolls
We'd come so far.
To others they are
Girls and boys.
To me they're just
My lifeless toys.
The congregation filed in silently, all of them dressed in black coats with their hoods up. Their eyes were cast downwards, gazing at the floor as if it held all the answers they were seeking. An outsider would have wondered why; the grand hall was simply amazing, to put it simply. It had a high, arched ceiling and large windows that let in lots of light and illuminated the hall. Simple but bright paintings lined the walls, making it seem all the more an inviting place.
At the end of the hall, where the congregation was the facing, was a throne lined with jewels. Diamonds and rubies glinted from the seat and the back of the throne, emeralds and sapphires prominent on the armrests. But on that chair sat one whose beauty caused all the other beautiful things in the hall to pale in comparison.
She had long, blonde hair that reached her waist, and wore a simple green dress. Her eyes were a beautiful brown reminiscent of chocolate, her lips were a light pink, and her face was perfectly moulded.
Her expression, however, would have looked ugly on any other face – she was pouting, and had the air of a spoiled princess. It was out-of-place, but mostly ignored by those whose gaze cast over her – but many of the crowd didn't even glance at her, so intent was their inspection of the floor. Goodness knows how many times they'd seen her and been to a meeting almost identical to this.
Once everyone was still and settled, the woman on the throne tried to arrange her expression into a more serene one, then stood and greeted her audience.
"We are all pristine and pure," she began, flashing her pearly white teeth. "The Empress loves us all, for we are good. We are all good and obedient. We are her good dolls."
"We are her good dolls!" the spectators chanted, and she rewarded them with another perfect smile.
"Those who are bad dolls, or not dolls at all are to be punished," she continued. "We are all powerful. We have given our minds and our souls to a good cause, unlike those who are selfish. We are dolls for the good of our selfish world!"
"The good of our selfish world!" was the answering cry from the crowd, nodding their heads, although their gazes were still levelled at the floor.
"Our Empress is good. We are all good. Our Empress is powerful. I am powerful. For I am your Empress!"
"You are our Empress!" they cried back, then turned and filed out of the room as efficiently and silently as they had before.
Why fail
When you can win?
Why be good
When you can sin?
Why be broken
When you can be whole?
Why be with them
When you can be my doll?
The short figure ran into the Empress's room, hurried and out of breath. Looking up from her chair by the window, the Empress narrowed her eyes dangerously at the female, who was not a girl, but not quite a woman either.
"You are late."
A small curtsey was bobbed. "I am sorry – "
"Hannah." The Empress spoke coldly. "You know why I chose to let you keep your own free will. This privilege could be taken away from you at any moment." She glared. "What of the boy?"
"He is nowhere to be found." Hannah spoke hurriedly, trying to dispel all the words in the shortest space of time possible so she could escape quickly. "But – " she ducked forward and whispered in the Empress's ear, then drew back, an anxious look on her face.
The Empress nodded. "Very well."
Relieved, Hannah turned to go. The Empress stood swiftly and grabbed her, pinning her against the wall. "I did not give you permission to leave."
Hannah began to stammer out her apologies, but was silenced by a look. The Empress studied her appraisingly, her eyebrows drawing together. "I will lose nothing."
There was no doubt as to what those words meant. Hannah closed her eyes and waited for the emptiness to come.
We're all the same,
Some faceless pawns
In someone else's game.
We're all trying to be somebody,
But really we're all nobody,
Nobody is what we all are.
The lone streetlight on Drazely Avenue flickered dangerously, threatening to go out altogether. Had any of the occupants of the street decided to venture out of their warm, safe homes, they would have retreated swiftly inside – it was freezing cold and pouring with rain.
The water dripped down the sides of the stone houses in rivulets, then gathered in puddles that were slowly spreading outwards. The small crack in the road – the one that Mr Pavela of number twenty-four had tripped on countless times – was filled to the brim as well.
A quick glance at the dark sky would dash any hopes of the storm ending soon – in fact, even the smallest of glimpses would instil a feeling of dread in the stomach of the one who was glimpsing. The sky showed no mercy, and in the past this had been proven to be catastrophic.
A rich, musky smell filled the air – it was almost sweet. All that could be heard was the pounding of rain on the roofs of the houses and the rutted road.
At the end of the street, a small figure shrouded in black was hunched in the shadows, away from inquisitive, prying eyes. Why, nobody was sure; everyone knew that this person liked to sit there whenever it rained, but nobody could quite work up the courage to speak to him. Not even the police.
If it had been light, and someone had been watching him, that person would have seen his mouth moving soundlessly. He was mouthing something over and over again, reverently and (as the night drew on) desperately.
He was waiting for his angel.
Devils all around,
Devils in my head.
Angels fight them out,
Angels leave me dead.
Angels can never sate
The fire deep in me.
Devils hear my calls,
Devils cut me free!
I'm a devil angel.
I'm not that nice girl.
You can only watch in horror
As my wings unfurl!
The Empress stood at the other end of Drazely Avenue, impervious to the rain pouring down. It seemed to filter around her, keeping her dry.
Her sharp eyes peered down the street, stopping when they found the hunched figure they were searching for. She made her way purposely towards him, sneering when he didn't look up or acknowledge her presence.
"Where is he?"
She asked it in a throaty whisper, a voice that she could be sure he heard, but wouldn't cut the silence of the night. He turned up to smile at her, a secretive smile that gave nothing away.
"You'll never find out."
The Empress raised her eyebrows, taking off one of the black gloves she wore. She placed her pale hand under his chin, pulling his head upwards.
"Where is he?"
The man shook his head stubbornly, but the hand on his chin seemed to be having some sort of effect on him. A blackness seemed to swirl around the hand, seeping into his skin and starting to slip through his mouth.
"Where is your son?"
She hated the light,
The birds that sang,
She hated the smiles,
And so she began…
She stopped the waves,
She stopped the breeze,
She killed the light,
She stripped the trees.
She took the world
In her white, pearly hand,
And crushed it up
As if it was sand.
Over the past few days, Sora had been finding himself waking from what had seemed like a very deep sleep; his thoughts had become clearer and more sharpened, he was more aware and, above all, he began to start thinking for himself.
Where his brain had been for years, he wasn't sure – he continued with his duties, as they were a habit ingrained in his mind, but all the time he was wondering why. Why did they all serve the Empress, why was everyone brainwashed, and why did the world have to be cleansed? It all made no sense.
But as the days grew on, everything all started making more sense to Sora. It seemed that now he had gained a free will of his own, his memories of being brainwashed were slowly coming back to him.
It was around this time that he was patrolling the corridors, checking for intruders and anyone who was where they shouldn't be. It was this one night where everything was normal – like it always was – until he had caught sight of a shadow of someone sitting by the window.
He stopped in his tracks, then slowly backed up, observing the person bathed in moonlight. The person was male, and was probably only a few years older than him – but there was something different about him. It wasn't his silver hair (though that was odd), it wasn't his strangely beautiful face (and that was odd too), but his expression. It was a faraway, thoughtful expression that, on closer inspection, was almost ethereal.
Sora could have stood there for hours, just standing and puzzling over this mystery of a being. It wasn't long, though, until the boy sensed his presence and turned.
"What do you want?"
It wasn't a demanding tone of voice, it was just quiet and slightly contemplative. Nevertheless, Sora flushed a dark red.
"N-nothing."
He turned to leave, but the boy spoke again.
"Who are you?"
Sora turned, and opened his mouth to reply, only to be cut off.
"You think you know who you are? The others have no clue about themselves."
"Well, I have a clue about me!" Sora retorted defensively. "I'm Sora, and I know exactly who I am, unlike the other people here. And I'm to be trusted."
The boy smirked. "When did I say I needed to trust you? But since you introduced yourself so nicely, I'd better return the favour. My name is Riku – and I'm pretty sure I'm to be trusted as well."
"I haven't seen you around before," Sora stated. "And why aren't you brainwashed?"
"The Empress wanted me," Riku shrugged. "I'm her special guest – for now, anyway. I'm to be killed in the end."
He swung his legs down from the window ledge, then stood in front of Sora.
"Do you want to make a difference – do you want to change what she's doing? Do you want her to stop cleansing the world?"
Sora nodded stiltedly, because yes that was what he wanted and finally someone understood him.
Riku smiled – more secretively than anything else – then stepped forward, taking Sora's hand and kissing the palm.
"That's good to hear – but who's to know I'm to be trusted?" were his parting words, as he made his way down the corridor.
Sora never saw Riku again – but he was besotted.
And they say 'Just try to be yourself',
Well, who am I?
Just some stranger watching
As the years go by.
And I can't pretend to be
The next famous drama queen,
For the world that I have seen,
Is unfair for those like me.
The silhouettes of two female figures moved swiftly down the long corridor.
"Anna, where are we going?" asked one, drawing her coat closer to her body to retain the heat in the chilly hallway.
"To see Sofiana Akok. We should be able to sneak out and be back before anyone notices."
Her companion stopped dead. "What?"
"Oh, come on, Isabel. I want to find out what really happened to Alice."
Isabel sighed. The letter Anna now had in her pocket was the root of the problem. It had been sent by Alice Appleby, a friend of the college they lived in. It read:
Dear Mr Atraight (or should I say 'The College Director'?)
I would like to let you know I will be travelling. I don't know when I can return or if I can return. But if I return, do not bombard me with questions. I will tell you when I see fit.
Be good to the children. They have had hard lives, and they deserve kindness. I will always be there to help, even if I am round the other side of the world. Just give the word and help will come.
Goodbye, but just for now,
Yours, Alice.
"Anna, I told you. The note wasn't meant for you, but the Director."
"Well, if something strange is going on, I will take a role. This is our home, Liz, and we need to find out where Alice is going."
"Has it crossed your mind that maybe what's going on is just what the letter says? She's travelling. Has to work somewhere different or something. Get over it, Ann. Nothing exciting happens here."
"Yes, but what's this about help? It sounds quite peculiar."
As she spoke, Anna opened the wooden doors, making a cold breeze and flakes of snow blow in. Shivering, she took the brass key off the hook and slipped it into her deep pocket.
"Are you coming or not?" she asked, turning to Isabel.
"Well, I don't know…" She glanced behind her at the long winding corridor. "Oh, all right." She stepped out onto the snow and Anna closed the door behind them.
"So remind me, what's Sofiana Akok got to do with all this?" asked Isabel, blowing on her hands as they trudged down the main street.
"Well, she supposed to fortune tell, right? So why can't she tell us where Alice is."
Isabel smiled. "Don't be daft."
Anna rounded on her. "It's our only chance."
They had come to a small black door at the end of the alleyway. Anna raised the bronze doorknocker and a sharp ring resounded through the small prophesizing shop. Floorboards creaked as footsteps made their way to the door. They paused for a moment, as if debating whether to let the unknown people outside in. Then the door was suddenly flown open, letting warmth and light engulf them.
Sofiana Akok's old, wizened face stared at them, as crinkled as an old prune. Her white grizzled hair fell down her back, blowing in the wind. She was swathed in a purple-red cloak, fastened under her chin with a pin with a gemstone on it that could have possibly been an amethyst, but old and chipped, from the time she had been the queen's diviner. Her voice was old and cracked when she spoke.
"What do you want?"
"We've come for information," Anna whispered, but despite the gale, Sofiana Akok heard.
"Information? You'd better come inside. I hate to see you freezing while you could be snugly and warm inside."
Isabel and Anna gladly followed her inside the small shop, and sat by the fire while steam rose off their wet coats.
"What do you want to know?" asked Sofiana Akok, sitting down in the armchair opposite them.
"We found a letter, from Alice Appleby. We want to find out where she's gone, and what the letter means. I know she needs help, I want to see her. Please. Tell us." Anna averted her eyes from the elderly woman's stare.
"Without a price?"
Isabel felt Anna stiffen beside her. They hadn't thought about money.
"We haven't any money," Anna told.
"I can see that. I'll strike a deal with you. I'll tell you all you want to know, as long as you do something for me. Agreed?"
Without consulting Isabel, Anna quickly smiled. "Agreed."
"Well. Alice Appleby is a prisoner in a place called The Church's Supplements. It is as far north from here as possible, without looping onto the other side. To get there you must get the tram to Aison, where you must go to The Priest's Quarters. Opposite the station, turn ninety degrees when the sun sets. You will see a small door where there wasn't one before. Knock on that door, and you will be escorted into the Charm Room. There you will be armed with a special herb called Ambeno, and will be told how to save your friend. That is as much as I can tell you."
Anna was already getting up. "Come on Isabel, let's go."
"Wait." Sofiana Akok grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her back down. "What about what I want?"
Anna allowed herself to be pulled down. "Right."
"When you reach the prison, the first door you see will be a marble, clean door that is always unlocked. Open it and go inside, being careful not to be caught. You will see a box. You will see it immediately, do not open it. Take it to me. If you open it, you will be stung by temptation of whatever's inside it. Heed what I say."
Isabel nodded, but Anna asked, "How do you know we're going to do as you say?"
Sofiana Akok smiled. "I am getting old. I need a young one to help me with my washing and cleaning, while I manage the shop. One of you must stay here with me, while the other one goes." She got up. "Tell me when you've decided who." Then she walked out of the room, into an adjoining side door.
They stared at each other.
"I'll stay here," said Isabel. "You go. I took the housework course. You'll have better luck by yourself."
Anna shook her head vehemently. "No! I couldn't just leave you here! It's my fault we have to pay the price, anyway… Suppose we could just run?"
The two stared anxiously at the closed door Sofiana Akok had just walked through.
"Maybe…"
Making up their minds at the same time, they pulled open the front door, and fled into the night.
They were never seen again.
But in the faces of man,
I saw that nothing had began
And nothing had been left
After the theft of my sanity.
And now I'm away with the hurricane
And you'll never see me again
Is there anything you wish to say
Before I go on my way?
You could, you should
You're so misunderstood
I know and so
I think it's time that I should go.
Sora awoke with a start, then leant back into his bed, shaking his head. It had been a strange dream – not only the events were peculiar, but it was odd how vivid it had been and how clearly he could recall it right now.
It had been an improvement, though – up until this night, all of Sora's dreams had been haunted by one person, one face – Riku. Sora didn't know why he was so infatuated; they had only talked for a few minutes, and he hadn't seen the other boy since.
But Sora was no stranger to oddity, so simply rose out of bed to face the day and tried not to dwell on his dreams.
I'm in deep trouble,
I'm in fallen rubble,
And if it doesn't end,
I'll go around the bend.
And I say 'help me!'
And you say 'why?'
And I say 'save me!'
But you don't try.
Sora was called to the Empress's room later that day for instruction. When he entered, she was sitting on her bed, clothed in a simple white dress. Feeling himself being scrutinised shrewdly, he carefully made his way into the room, inclining his head respectfully.
"So you have met Riku," the Empress stated, her eyebrows raising. "And you are free – it seems you have replaced Hannah, then."
At Sora's questioning look, she gave a small laugh and explained. "Hannah was my old server. She had to do exactly what I wanted, and in return I granted her a free will. But she disappointed me, and that privilege had to be taken away. As for you meeting Riku, you have the look of someone he's talked to you. They all look the same.
"You getting your own free will means you are destined to become my new server – but you have met Riku, which means you can't guarantee that you are completely loyal. Adding to this, I'm guessing that you are Dreamer. You can Dream peoples' memories – and you have dreamt some of mine."
Sora's head was beginning to hurt. "There were two girls, and an old magician… She gave them information, but they didn't repay her and ran away instead."
The Empress nodded, a slow smile spreading across her face. "And who do you think was right?"
Sora bit his lip. "Well, the magician did give the information, so the girls were betraying her by running away. But I think she should have trusted them and not separated them, because then they wouldn't have run away and would have repaid her."
"I admit I was perhaps a little harsh," the Empress said, smiling a little. "But I trusted them not to run away, and they ran away with the information."
"You're the magician?" Sora spluttered, wondering how Sofiana Akok and the Empress could be the same person.
"I am a Shapeshifter – I can take many forms. Sofiana is my true form, but I hate how I look. I prefer to take the body of a charismatic young woman.
"Those two girls ran from me – I wanted to punish them, but after searching high and low, I never found them. Years later, I discovered that Anna had died, but Isabel had had a son, but I never found him.
"I did, however, find his son's son's son – Riku. I then found out that he was a Whisperer – like you are a Dreamer and I am a Shapeshifter. He can manipulate people easily, and I see you have already fallen under his spell. But never mind – I have finally cleansed the world."
Sora could barely believe what he was hearing. "You've killed him?"
"He has simply ceased to exist. Only you and I remember him now, and when you leave this room you will forget about him. But here I am spilling my life story out to you – we have business to attend to."
Don't mourn for me.
Don't cry in vain.
For I will be long gone
By then.
Please review…
For the record, I hate that ending. I'm pretty sure I could have done better.
But this is the longest one-shot I've ever written, so yay!