A/N: Before you read please be aware that this is a bit of a darker story. I don't tend to write them, but...I think we all have to write at least one. I think. x'D Anyway, there are also some slight scenes of gore. But nothing too bad, so you should be OK. I'm pretty squirmy, and don't really like gore, but I could handle it. Heck, I wrote it. xD But it's really nothing at all. But I must admit, I think this story is actually quite sweet, yet sad. But not too sad! More sweet than sad! x'D
Also, I like reading to this to semi-sad songs. Such as Lilium (Music Box Version) / Lilium (Full version) from Elfen Lied. Evacuating London from Narnia. Painful Feelings from InuYasha or Hidden Feelings from InuYasha. Those are my favorites to read to, but any other song you think will work would probably be fine. Hah. Hope you enjoy~
Thick, ugly black smoke wafted through the air. It stung Jade's eyes and flooded her lungs. It was getting hard to breathe, hard to see and hard to think properly. She held the Oath-Keeper out in front of her, trying to dismiss of some of the smoke, but it wasn't working. She coughed, only inhaling more of the smoke.
How this had all started, she wasn't entirely sure. But I guess that I could fill you in.
It was a normal day on Destiny Islands, all until an apartment building randomly burst into flames. That, and Heartless were showing up too.
Jade, Riku and Sora had all rushed over to help exterminate the Heartless, while the local firemen put out the fire. But the flames were strong, and weren't going down without a fight. It had been at least an hour now, since Jade had been trapped.
Hearing a desperate and young cry for help, Jade had advised the boys to stand their ground while she advanced further and higher into the burning building. Advancing so far that she didn't hear the firemen's call for the three Keyblade Wielders to get out of the building immediately. She heard something collapse, and another burst of flames produce. She hurried down the crumbling, weak flight of stairs only far enough to see her entrance and exit inaccessible.
She could hear one shouts above all the others.
"I need to go back in!" "She's in there! She didn't get out!" "Please, sir!" "I love her..."
Sora's.
Her heart probably sank to her waistline, as well as her hopes. How was she going to get out? That is... if she survived these conditions and if the Heartless didn't get her.
Now she was stuck, wandering around the second floor hopelessly. She'd been up and down and around only the second and first floor for the whole hour she'd been trapped. It seemed like no one outside was doing anything to help anyone inside. That was her, and whoever was in here with her. Whoever had made it unfortunate to her not to get out at the warning.
The cry sounded again. She knew what she had to do. She had to rescue whoever was trapped before she could even think about herself.
She started to the flight of stairs again, the elevators being far to dangerous to travel in. She ran up the steps, her heart pounding hard against her chest with every leap and every step. She could feel her body slowing down. Her lungs and eyes burned, her throat and mouth were dry, and every muscle in her body ached terribly. That, and her hopes were shot.
She nearly tumbled backwards on the burning steps when about forty Shadow and Neo Shadow Heartless appeared before her. She held her breath, swinging the Oath-Keeper around and trying to kill them off. She tried not to breathe too heavily, she didn't want anymore smoke in her lungs. There was already plenty.
She lost her footing, and slipping, laying on the steps and feeling heat beat down on her exhausted body. Could she last another minute? Let alone another hour? She could hear faint screams and shouts while the Heartless all crowded her, scratching her with their claws. With each new cut opened, her skin began to sting as if the claws of these nightmarish creatures held venom.
Her eyelids were half closed over her red, burning eyes. Her usually happy and shining chocolate brown eyes were hardly visible.
She groaned, slowly shaking the Heartless off of her and crawling up the steps, mustering all of her strength and telling her body to keep moving. All the while she heard soft crying, and wails for help. She was coming... I'm coming...
The Heartless followed her, not to her surprise. As she neared the third floor she slowly began to stand up with every new collapsing step. She sputtered, as she consumed dark and burnt ashes in her already parched mouth. The taste was awful. It made her feel even worse. The crying seemed louder here... Hopefully this person was here. On her floor. Hang in there, kid. She thought, assuming it was a child from the voice.
She stood up, her muscles screaming at her to stop and rest as she did. She gripped the handle of her Oath-Keeper tightly, and let her muscles ready themselves. She rammed herself against the door, breaking it down. She tripped into the third floor, and glanced over her shoulder to see the Heartless coming up the stairs. She coughed, her vision becoming blurry from all the smoke, and slammed the door shut on the black creatures, with their devious glowing eyes.
She leaned against one of the slightly burnt walls, and tried to catch her breath. She couldn't lose her mind in here... She needed to keep her cool. She needed to think straight, no matter how hard it was.
She looked up, seeing more Shadows and Neo Shadows wandering aimlessly around the hallway. She almost smirked, but her lips were too dry to even move.
"You're making this harder than it already is, you know..." she whispered, her lips hardly even parting. She stumbled away from the wall, and shook her body, preparing herself in a manner. With one last cough, and one last consumption of smoke and ashes, she charged forward at a small flock of Heartless. She swung the blade of the Oath-Keeper at them. As she fought them, she couldn't help think of the ones outside. Most of them probably anxious to see what happened to her, and what was going to happen to the building. Most probably lost hope for her—probably thinking that she was dead. She could see Kairi, Riku and Sora—worry in their eyes. She could see Sora difficultly trying to look at the building, reminding himself that everything would be fine. And she could see Riku with his eyes exchanging their attention from the building to the younger boy. The way his eyes glistened told Sora to stay put—he wasn't going in. Not even for her.
And Kairi. Even thought they weren't the best of friends, she could still see Kairi worried to death. Suggesting plans on structures of help to get her out. But most likely her suggestions weren't taken. Or at least seriously.
She demolished the first few flocks of Heartless, until coming upon one rather large one. She swung at them, slaying enough to see what they were all crowding. They all wiggled their claws at a small girl, hissing and fighting over her heart. The girl cried silently, her face nearly black from the ashes and smoke.
She furrowed her eyebrows, swinging at more of the Heartless and watching as deep magenta coloured crystal hearts floated up into the air and disappeared.
"Here!" She coughed again, extending her weak and ash covered hand to the small girl. Her eyes darted around, seeing Heartless coming towards her, seeking the pure heart she possessed. The stronger Neo Shadows pounced at her all at once. She jerked the young girl up quickly, and began running with her. But the Heartless soon surrounded them in a loosely based circle.
I'll fight. I'll fight. I don't always need Sora. I'll fight.
She let go of the girl, and began fighting off the dark, heart seeking creatures.
I'll fight. I'll fight. Sora said he'd protect me. He's supposed to protect me. But I'll fight.
Her eyes lingered on the immense amount of Heartless for a minute, before she swung her blade again.
I can fight.
She panted, her muscles all screaming at her for moving. It ached terribly even to shift her fingers' position on the handle of the Oath-Keeper. This was torture. She had to be swift, and quick on her reflexes. But it was hard... It had been a long time in here. The smoke and heat was getting to her... Nothing was setting straight, anymore.
The Oath-Keeper chose me for a reason. I have a strong heart. I can help others see the Light, even if I'm not always in it myself. I'm strong. And I can fight.
She was in the midst of a swing, when she felt her mind beginning to close. She screamed silently, as her body wavered and threatened to fall over and shut down. She lost her footing, with the help of some attacking Heartless, and fell to the ground with a thud.
The young girl screamed, even though the Heartless weren't bothering her. They didn't want her heart anymore.
They want mine.
She felt their venomous claws digging into her. Heat pounded down on her, until she suddenly began feeling chills. She was on her stomach, the Oath-Keeper loose in her hands. She didn't have the strength to get up. She hardly even had the strength to scream. But she did. She screamed when a Heartless made it's way inside of her. Accessing her from the small of her back. She whimpered quietly, as the young girl watched in terror, her eyes wider. She caught her eye, her eyes hollow looking and dead. Almost... almost....dead...
"Dead..." she whispered, as she felt the Heartless tear through the second layer of her flesh. She squinted in plain, but suppressed her scream. The sharp and venomous claws dug around on her exposed flesh, before diving deep into her. Feeling around... searching... Searching for her heart.
Tears trickled down her chin, and caught in her mouth.
Sora... I can't... I can't anymore... I can't fight. I... I feel cold...
Everything seemed to slow down. The flames that were vibrantly dancing around a few seconds ago, now slowly pulsed around. The Heartless which were wiggling around her impatiently, now looked as if they had stopped moving completely. Even sound was countered out... She couldn't hear the young girl's cries, her own cries or the hiss of the Heartless.
She once felt devastatingly hot. But now she felt cold... Deathly cold. Which was what was probably coming up next.
Death.
I didn't want this Sora. I wanted to be with you... from.. day one... But I... I can't fight anymore. I tried... I can't... I feel cold... So cold...
She felt a devious darkness touch her heart, and spread throughout her body.
The Heartless had found what it was looking for. And it obviously liked what it had obtained. It's claws clenched and squeezed around her heart, trying to feel each and every emotion it contained. She continued to whimper. Maybe going in for the girl wasn't the best idea. Maybe she should of concentrated on getting out. Maybe...
Maybe...
But it was what her heart told her to do.
My heart...
The Heartless was trying to rip her heart out, so it could devour it, obtaining it for itself. It would have a heart. It would have what it was looking so depressingly for.
I feel so cold, Sora. I feel so cold. My heart feels cold. It feels cold...
She could hear dark whispers now. They were from the Heartless. She could hear them properly, while other sounds were still mute, and movement was forbidden.
Cold... I love you, Sora. I love you. I love you.
She couldn't even feel pain anymore. It would be over soon. She knew it... She knew it...
The Heartless was still trying to take her heart. It had found it, and it had gotten a hold of it—it wasn't letting go that easily. It had looked for this for so long...
You have my heart Sora. You'll always have my heart. You'll always have it...
Her eyes closed over. All she saw was black. Darkness. Darkness that stretched on forever.
Forget it all... Forget it...
In the distance though, was a light. A light glowing so marvellously... Warm emotions began to flood back into her heart. Her heart... Her heart...
She slowly opened her eyes, cracking them open painfully to see a blur. She felt like she was floating... Floating... Everything was a blur.
Slowly her sight returned to her, as well as her hearing. She could see the burning walls of the third floor. She could hear her name being whispered desperately. She could see herself above the ash covered ground, being held in a pair of strong arms.
Strength....
She slowly looked up to see the face of her saviour.
...of the heart.
"I couldn't lose you. I wouldn't. You have my heart. You'll always have it. I'd give it all up just for you. Just for you love, just for you."
That was the last thing she heard gazing into those ocean blue eyes, before her vision turned black again. She had passed out.
I'm warm, Sora. So warm...
I'm glad. So glad...
When she opened her eyes again she was outside. The building was still burning, but the flames had reduced since she had last seen it. She turned her head to see Riku and Kairi looking down at her. Kairi's eyes lit up, "Hey! Hey!" She turned and ran towards a big white ambulance, the only thing coming from her mouth being "Hey!"
Riku gave her a small smiled, "You're alive. You're alive." He repeated. "You've got a strong heart in there. And the person in it... He has a strong heart, too."
Love is bigger than us. Love is bigger than us.
We all want something bigger.
But Love is bigger than us...
"He has my heart," she whispered, her lips unbearably dry, hardly moving.
"Tell him that yourself."
She turned slowly, moving the green grass beneath her, to see Sora. A light seemed to radiate off of him, but she knew she was the only one who was seeing it.
"You pulled through," Riku said from the other side of her, before getting up to talk to the doctor with Kairi. "We almost lost you. We almost lost you..."
"I couldn't lose you..." she whispered, Sora's eyes locking on hers. "I wouldn't. You saved me, and I pulled through... Just for you. You have my heart. You'll always have it. I'd give it all up for you... Just...for you..."
There was the ghost of a smile on his face as he sat her up, letting her sit between his outstretched legs and lean against his chest.
"Just for you..." he whispered back, brushing her bangs to the side and leaning down to kiss her forehead.
And when he did, she felt her heart and all of it's emotions return.
...Just for you, love. Just for...You.
A/N: So I wrote this a while ago..And never decided to upload it until now. I don't know...maybe I never did because it's one of my few, rare darker stories. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Review!