Welcome one, welcome all, to book 2 of my Dark Side of the Moon trilogy. With that being said.
STOP NOOBS!
ADVANCE NO FURTHER IF YOU HAVE NOT READ MY ORIGINAL FANFIC KINGDOM HEARTS: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON! THIS STORY IS A SEQUEL! YOU WILL BE UNDENIABLY CONFUSED IF YOU PROCEED WITHOUT READING MY FIRST FANFIC. SO GO TO MY PROFILE AND READ IT! Than you can come back here and read this one :)
*ahem*
Sorry for the wait guys! But here you are, the first chapter of book two. I don't want to delay you guys to much in reading, so I'll just do the disclaimer and let you guys proceed!
*Disclaimer*
Natcat5 does not own Kingdom Hearts. Just this story plot. And her OCs. Amen.
Oh, and please read the song lyrics I have provided. The lyrics will provide insight into the chapter. Especially in upcoming songs in some other chapters I have planned ;p
Another Sky, Another Destiny
Chapter 1,
So Far Away
"And honestly I have been begging for answers, that you and only you can give to me. A voice crying loud, I've been crying for days now, and as I start to run, I stop to breathe. And I was nearly scared to death...for why you left in paragraphs...the words were nearly over us...you stop and turn and grab your bags.
And I'll be here by the ocean, just waiting for proof that there's sunsets and silhouette dreams. All my sand castles fall like the ashes of cigarettes, and every wave drags me to sea. I could stand here for hours just to ask God the question, 'Is everyone here make believe?' With a tear in His voice he said 'Son, that's the question'. Does this deafening silence mean nothing to no-one but me?"
-You be the Anchor That Keeps My Feet on the Ground, I'll be the Wings That Keep Your Heart in the Clouds -Mayday Parade
"Fira!"
Kairi watched with grim satisfaction as the Heartless was engulfed in flames of light, collapsing onto the ground and disappearing in a puff of dark smoke. She then turned to see how her partner was doing with those remaining.
Yuffie was having no trouble dispatching the Pureblood Heartless that had surrounded her. She wielded her shuriken with expertise, calling out taunts and back flipping away from her quarry's clumsy attacks.
"Nyah! Stupid Bug-eyes! Can't catch me!" teased Yuffie, sticking out her tongue and pulling down her eyelid at one of the Heartless. The Heartless swiped at her and the ninja somersaulted away, laughing gaily as she did. Kairi smiled and turned back to see more Pureblood Heartless rising from the ground. Her smile faded and she sighed as she lowered herself once more into a battle position, raising Blossoming Light.
"MIGA NAGA QUEESTA!!!!!!"
Kairi blinked in mild surprise and then smiled again as a blue ball of fur barrelled into the Heartless, sending them flying. As the Heartless dissipated, the blue ball uncurled itself, revealing a small koala-dog like creature with four arms, each holding a blaster.
"Hi Kairi!" said Stitch cheerfully, before blasting several Heartless into oblivion.
"Hello Stitch," replied Kairi, running over to help him with the seven or so Heartless that remained. Yuffie, having dispatched her Heartless, flipped over to help them. The Heartless were only low level Purebloods, and the three of them disposed of them quickly.
"Yay! Heartless: 0. Kick-ass Ninja Squad: 1 hundred bijillion!" exclaimed Yuffie, pumping her fist into the air.
"Stitch, Kick-ass ninja! Woo-hoo!" cheered the furry blue alien, pumping all four of his fists into the air. Yuffie laughed and knelt down to share a high five with experiment 626. Stitch then turned to Kairi raising all four paws and tilting his head to the side.
"High-five?" he asked, looking at the redhead questioningly. Kairi hesitated and then smiled. "Sure, high-five," she said softly, raising her hand and letting Stitch enthusiastically slap her hand with each of his.
"I think we got the lot of them Kai. What do we do, head back to RG or what?" asked Yuffie, lifting her hands behind her head.
Kairi hesitated, looking around at the surrounding area.
They were on Stitch's home world, a place called "Hawaii", aiding the blue-furred alien in taking out the Heartless had that suddenly appeared in his home.
Stitch had appeared in Radiant Garden in Merlin's study, startling both the magician and Cid, who had taken up something of a permanent residence there to keep an eye on his security system.
Stitch had caused a bit of a ruckus, running amuck through the headquarters of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee in his mad search for "Spiky-boy".
The combined efforts of Leon and Yuffie had finally managed to wrangle Stitch down and get him to explain himself. Stitch had then rapidly explained that his 'Ohana' was in danger and that the 'icky bug-men' had invaded his home. He had ended his barely discernible explanation with the loud proclamation: "Need Sora NOW!"
That exclamation had been made at the best possible time, just as Kairi had come back from a mission on the outskirts of Radiant Garden.
An awkward silence had fallen at Stitch's request, increased by the untimely arrival of the Princess. Kairi, however, had surprised them all. She had walked up to Stitch, dry-eyed, and knelt before him, saying: "Sora's not here right now. Do you think I could help you? Sora is my friend, and I have a Keyblade too."
Stitch had looked at her strangely, before inquiring 'where spiky-boy go?'. Kairi had retained her composure, merely stating that Sora had to go away, and that he was going to be gone for a very long time and couldn't help Stitch right now. Stitch had then begun to mutter incomprehensible, irritated things, until Kairi had firmly said that she would help him instead.
Stitch had wanted to leave immediately, even though Leon and Cid wanted to question the blue-furred creature on just how he had managed to get into Merlin's highly magically protected study. Leon had also hesitated at sending Kairi alone to an unknown world. Even after 7 months, he didn't completely trust her abilities, or her mental stability.
"She said is, Aerith," he had said to the ribbon-wearing woman. "She said Sora is my friend." Yuffie, sensing another one of the now famous arguments between Aerith and Leon over the keybearers, had opted to go with Kairi.
"I could use a little fun!" the ninja had said excitedly. "I haven't left this boring old town in ages."
The two girls had left immediately, using a ship that Cid had thrown together out of discarded gummi blocks and other things that he had found and were undeniably questionable. The only true Gummi ship that the Radiant Garden committee had was currently being used by Riku, who was in Twilight Town.
Kairi had spent the last seven months trying to prove to the residents of Radiant Garden- and to herself- that she was strong, and that she was capable of being a Keybearer. That she had moved on, and that she was okay....that she wasn't a trembling wreck on the inside....that it didn't take tremendous effort to simply get out of bed in the morning...
That she wan't missing Sora so much that it simply hurt to breathe. To breathe and to realize that Sora would never take another breath....
"Kai? Kairi? Earth to Kairi? You there Princess?" asked Yuffie, knocking on Kairi's forehead with a grin. Kairi jerked back in alarm, and then smiled hesitantly. "Yeah, sorry Yuffie. I spaced out for a moment there," she said with a nervous laugh.
Sometime ago, Leon had taken to calling Kairi 'Princess'. It had annoyed the red-head at first, and when she had questioned Leon on it he had simply said: "It's what you are. This place is no longer Hollow Bastion, it's Radiant Garden, and you're the Princess of Radiant Garden. I'm a citizen, and therefore, I'll address you as Princess." It had annoyed Kairi a lot at first, more so when Cid, Merlin, and occasionally Yuffie followed his example. The only one who didn't call her that was Aerith, as she had sensed how uncomfortable it made her feel.
"You're still just a child right now Kairi," the flower girl had said sweetly, "The Princess bit will come later."
The whole 'later' bit made Kairi uneasy, and she got the feeling that the Radiant Garden crew were more serious about this whole 'Princess' thing then just addressing her by a title. It was unsettling, and Kairi feared that Leon would soon want her to deal with the responsibilities of being a Princess on top of those of a Keyblade Wielder. Not to mention the fact that she still considered Destiny Islands home, and couldn't be a monarch to a completely different world.
She didn't tell Aerith, or Leon that though. She had just smiled at both of them, nodded and went on her way.
It gets easier and easier.....she thought to herself. My smiles are fool-proof, my laughs sound genuine....I can prove to everyone that I'm stronger than they think.....
Even though I'm breaking on the inside.
"Icky bug-eyes gone!" exclaimed Stitch happily, doing several backflips and cartwheels. He then stopped abruptly and turned to face Kairi. "Princess, come, come. Meet Stich's Ohana," said the blue-furred creature, tugging on Kairi's hand. Kairi hesitated. "I-I don't know Stitch. Yuffie and I should probably return to Radiant Garden if the Heartless are gone...."
"Aw come on Kairi! I dunno what the heck an Ohana is, but it sounds hella interesting! C'mon! You're not gonna let this little guy down are ya?" implored Yuffie, picking up Stitch teddy bear style and making puppy dog eyes at the Princess.
Kairi forced a laugh out at Yuffie's ridiculous face, all the while burning up inside.
How many times did he look at me with soft, puppy dog eyes?
"Haha, sorry Yuffie, but that face isn't going to work," said Kairi with a teasing smile.
"Sorry Sora, but that face isn't going to work!"
"Aw, really?" said Yuffie with a pout. "And I really wanted to find out what this 'Ohana' thing was!"
Stitch struggled out of Yuffie's arms and landed on the ground, looking up at the two girls.
"Ohana means family!" he said enthusiastically. "And family means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten!"
There was silence, and Kairi's felt her heart twist painfully, and a choking feeling rose up in her throat.
Nobody gets left behind....
"Aw! That's so cute! So your Ohana is your family? How sweet! You guys have an adorable little pet name for each other! And a motto to boot! Come one Kairi, we have to check out this kid's Ohana. It'll be fun!" said Yuffie, turning to Kairi with a pleading look on her face.
Kairi tried to force words out of her constricted throat, but words had been taken from her, as her eyes were filled with the vision of Sora as she had last seen him, chest torn open and with the life fading from his eyes. She had left him behind, left him to die....all alone....
"Kairi!"
Kairi jerked back to reality as Yuffie roughly grabbed her and shook her back to the present. The Princess blinked and quickly regained her composure.
"Oh....Oh sorry Yuffie. Sorry, I just....I just have a lot on my mind. Oh, Stitch, I'm sorry, but I really can't stay," she said with an apologetic smile. Yuffie stared at the Princess, the Kairi's behaviour actually being concerning enough to get past the hyperactive ninja's obliviousness and short attention span. "Yo, Princess....you okay? Maybe we should rest awhile...," said Yuffie with uncharacteristic seriousness.
"Rest with Stitch's Ohana!" said the blue-furred alien excitedly.
Kairi knelt down and ruffled the fur on top of Stitch's head. "Sorry Stitch. Not today. But Yuffie and I will come back and visit again and we'll meet your Ohana then, okay?" she said with a smile. Stitch pouted and then sighed. "Promise?" he asked, looking up at her with wide eyes.
"Promise!" said Kairi with a laugh. Then, the Princess stiffened.
"I promise you Kairi, I'm not going anywhere."
Kairi stood up abruptly and turned around, walking back to where the ship was with stiff, jerky movements.
"Come on Yuffie, Leon is probably suffering from a minor ulcer right now. You know how he is when it comes to Riku and I," she said, with little to no inflection in her voice.
Yuffie narrowed her eyes, and peered closely at Kairi, clearly noticing the change in the girl's behaviour. However, this didn't stop the ninja from skipping forward and once again, asking to join Stitch's Ohana.
"Aw, but Kairi, please? I really want-,"
"FINE!" snapped the Princess, whirling around and causing both Yuffie and Stitch to jump in surprise. Kairi winced, and then repeated in a softer tone: "Fine. Go ahead Yuffie. I-I'm going to go to the beach. I'm feeling a bit tired, you were right, I need to rest a bit, and I don't think I'd do so well in a crowd. We'll meet up at the ship in an hour, okay?" said the Princess, whirling around and running off before Yuffie had time to protest.
xoxoxoxooxoxooxo
The beach...great idea Kairi.
Kairi wrapped her arms around herself and stared out at the ocean, watching the blue green waves lap at the shore.
Hawaii was very similar to Destiny Islands. It had essentially the same make up; a series of islands very close together, and functioning as one single world. It also had the same climate, and scenery. The only difference being that Hawaii was more developed and had a lot more people.
Kairi however, could almost forget about that, down here on the beach. The waves sounded the same, the sand felt the same, the wind blew through her hair as it had always done back home....
The only difference was that there weren't two obnoxious boys running around her, performing mock battles and constantly competing with each other. There was no playful laughter or bantering, no calls for her to come up and join them, nothing but the wind and the waves.
A single tear rolled down Kairi's cheek and she looked out across the waves.
The sun was beginning to set, sinking into the horizon. The sky was cast into beautiful hues of orange and red, the sun's dying light reflecting the same magnificent colours onto the water. The waves crashed against the shore, lapping against Kairi's shoes and splashing droplets against her bare ankles, causing her to shiver.
Namine?
.....
.....Nami?
....don't....don't call me that.
I'm sorry.
It's....okay.
Namine and Kairi didn't talk much anymore. The former had become somewhat catatonic, disappearing to become nothing but an after thought in the back of Kairi's mind, coming only when Kairi asked her something directly.
Somehow, it hurt her more than it hurt me. Thought Kairi. I guess it's because...she and Roxas were already dating...
Kairi...please....don't....
Kairi winced as a wave of pain from Namine washed through her and she quickly wiped away tears that were not her own.
I'm sorry. Namine...are we doing the right thing?
What do you mean?
I mean....everything. Staying in Radiant Garden, doing these missions, separating from Riku, not going home to Destiny Islands....
I....don't know Kairi....
Soon after her recovery, Kairi had made the decision to remain in Radiant Garden, and to go on patrol around other worlds. As a result, she had decided to not return to Destiny Islands. She had told Leon that she wanted to do her duty as a Keyblade wielder and protect the worlds, but in truth, she really didn't want to return home and face the islanders, all of them sure to be expecting all three of them to return home. She had also made the decision to 'separate' from Riku. That is, she trained separately from him, and didn't go on missions with him, trying to be more independent. They were still very close friends, and Kairi was always uneasy being away from him, scared that the second she looked away he'd leave her, just like....
"Sora......" sighed Kairi, looking up at the reddening sky as she did. Her hand unconsciously went to her chest, and she closed her eyes, remembering the feeling she used to have there. That extra feeling of warmth and security, that feeling of love and hope, and of being complete. That no matter what, there was always something there....always light....always his light...
Kairi gasped suddenly and folded her arms across her chest, squeezing herself tightly.
Namine.....did you......
....Did I what?
......Feel that?
.......No.......
Kairi opened her eyes and stared down at her feet. Why? Why was this still happening? Why did she still get those twinges.....those small bursts of....something, deep within her heart? Why? Why was there still something lingering there?
Why did she feel like.....just maybe......
"Kairi!"
Kairi turned around to see Yuffie running towards her, panting and looking extremely dishevelled.
"Ah, Princess! I've been looking all over for you!" exclaimed the ninja, putting her hands on her knees and squatting as she regained her breath.
Kairi frowned. "I told you I was going to the beach, Yuffie," she deadpanned. Yuffie looked up in surprise. "Huh? You did? Seriously? Aw man, all that running for nothing! Maybe Leon was on to something with the whole 'you need to pay more attention' thing...." she said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
Kairi smiled at the ninja, and then sighed. "Sorry for running off Yuffie.....I....I had a lot on my mind....."
"Aw, it's okay Kairi! I know it's probably hard for you, this place. It's gotta beach and it's all sunny and junk, so it reminds you of Destiny Islands, right? And then, the little blue dude started talking about family, so you got sad!" said Yuffie, smiling knowingly at Kairi.
Kairi blinked, and then sighed inwardly.
Oh well, she's sort of right. I'm surprised she noticed that much....
.......
Namine?
Hm?
.....nothing.
Kairi sighed again and then looked at Yuffie, who was staring at her with....pity?
Oh hell no.
She would not be pitied.
Not anymore.
"Come on Yuffie," said Kairi, teeth clenched as she grabbed Yuffie by the hand and marched purposefully away.
"Huh? Wha-where are we going Princess?"
"We're going to find Stitch."
"The little blue dude? Why?"
"Because we're going to meet his Ohana."
"R-really?! But I thought-,"
"I changed my mind."
"But you said Leon-,"
"Will just have to deal with it."
"Are you sure-,"
"Yes Yuffie, I'm sure."
"You're really okay-,"
"Yes. I just needed a moment to clear my head."
"Well then, alright!"
Kairi continued walking up the beach, back towards the road so that they could make their way back to where they had parted way with Stitch. The Princess didn't think that the blue-furred alien would be too far away, and if he was, she could always get the Great Ninja Yuffie to scour the area and look for him. Yuffie would probably love that.
Kairi closed her eyes momentarily, blocking out Yuffie's excited and senseless babbling as she strode forward. Yuffie would occasionally break in her meaningless chatter to shoot the Princess uncharacteristic looks of worry that brought a frown to the normally bubbly ninja's face.
But Kairi didn't notice that.
She had to stop doing this, living in the past. It wasn't helping her. She needed to stop holding on to false hopes and just move forward and be strong.
....But the only reason I'm being strong is for Sora.
Kairi sucked in a sharp breath as something, once again, throbbed deep within her heart.
What is this? Why...why is this still happening...why can't I just move forward? Thought Kairi, distraught.
Sora....is it possible....could it be? I...can't see how, but I can't shake this feeling....this feeling that somewhere....
I might be crazy, I might be holding on to false hopes, but maybe....
You promised you'd never leave me, right? Well maybe you didn't. Maybe I just need too....
Maybe I just need to grow up and stop holding on to false hopes.
"Tell me once again,
That you'll love me to the death, and should I die, you swear that you will come for me
As I fade away, you reach out your hand.....
And please don't let me go...
(And please don't let me go!)"
And, end.
How was the first chapter? Horrible? Decent? Sorry for starting off with Kairi's POV Kairi haters, but it's how the story rolls! Actually, if you're a Kairi hater, you should probably jump ship now, as I actually like Kairi (well, maybe not like...) and I'm not gonna write her off in this story or make her overly useless.
So reviewers, REVIEW! First chappie, man! Don't leave me hanging! Tell me your speculations on what might happen next! What do you think of the song lyrics?! What do you think of the STORY?!
I shall update in an undetermined amount of time because I am lazy and when I do try to write I get distracted by spoons and other glittery objects. Honestly though, I try harder to update when I get lots of reviews. So if you liked ze chapter.....
REVIEW!
xoxo, natcat5 ;p