The Meeting

This takes place just a month after Riku, Sora, and Kairi return to the Islands at the end of KH2.

"It's not like you to be sleeping at this time of day, Riku."

I blink, trying to clear my vision, a girl with auburn hair slowly coming into focus.

"Kairi?"

"Who did you think I was? Why were you asleep in broad daylight? It's not like you."

". . .I just. . ."

I look out at the ocean. (How could I bring myself to tell her about that dream?) I look back at her.

"I just didn't get enough sleep last night. . . I think something big is coming. . ."

"Yeah, sure. Anyways, Sora was hiding for two hours while you were out here sleeping."

"What?"

I jump up, quickly running off to the cave where a rock was crudely pulled over to block the opening to Sora's hiding place.

"Sora? Are you okay in there?"

"Riku? What took you so long?"

"I must have passed out again. . . I didn't even know I was asleep until Kairi woke me up."

"Don't worry about it. I brought some water with me, since sometimes you do take forever to get here. I know you liked making me think I found a good hiding place every time, but try to be less obvious next time, okay?"

I can't help but laugh, finding his sense of humor to be quite funny. My mind wanders back to the dream I had, wondering if the whole thing was more than just a dream, only to push the thoughts away. (Don't be ridiculous. There's no way that dream could be anything but just that. It could never be real.) I let out a sigh.

"What's wrong, Riku?"

I start to answer, only to be cut off by a strange whooshing sound. A sound that I feel to be oddly familiar. . .

"Now where did you take me?"

I look around, spotting what looks like a blue police box out in the middle of the beach. I am now dealing with a sudden feeling that I know the man who's speaking from in that very same box, even being familiar with the box itself. I decide immediately to keep this to myself as the doors open to reveal a man with brown hair and blue eyes, his outfit consisting of a pair of brown pants, a white shirt, a red bowtie, and a brown jacket. I quickly find myself staring, unable to look away from him.

"Oh, hello. Sorry about the box. Just ignore it and it'll be gone before you see it."

"Wait a minute. You only just got here, yet you insist on leaving?"

"Uh, yes. I mean no. I mean. . . Who are you?"

"Riku. That's Sora. The girl is Kairi. And who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor."

"You never answered my other question. What are you doing here if you're not staying?"

That got him. I already know enough to not get on his bad side, yet I know I shouldn't be familiar with him. Just then, the dream from a couple years ago pops back into my mind uninvited. I shove it far into the back of my mind, not wanting to remember it, or the "drums" that plagued me ever since I first had that dream. (Leave me alone. I don't want to pass out again.) I continue the silent arguing, looking up only to find the man staring me in the eyes, only a foot away from my face. I automatically yell at him, just as I normally would yell at someone who lives on the Islands.

"Holy crap! Don't do that to me!"

"What were you thinking about?"

"The weather."

"Liar."

I blink, caught completely off-guard.

"What did you say?"

"You weren't thinking about the weather. You were avoiding something."

"I'm fine, okay? Stop bothering me!"

If I didn't have his attention before, I definitely have it now.

"If you felt fine, you wouldn't be twitching."

"I'm not used to seeing a blue box appear out of nowhere in the middle of a beach. It doesn't happen every day and you should know that."

"And how would you know?"

"It's just obvious, okay? A blue box does not fit in on a beach. Common sense. Get some."

Now he's got me irritated. I'm already tired of the Doctor.

"You act just like him."

"Like who?"

"Nothing. You just remind me of someone I used to know."

A hint of sadness in his voice?

Dum-dum-dum-dum, Dum-dum-dum-dum, Dum-dum-dum-dum. . .

(Great. Now they're even louder than in that stupid dream. . .) I look at the Doctor, only to see him staring.

"Why do you keep staring at me?"

Big mistake at yelling like that.

(Are you like me?)

I freeze, feeling as though someone just invaded my privacy, only this isn't anything physical. . .

(Get the hell out of my head! I don't want people thinking in my head! It's called, "Invading privacy", now stop it!)

The Doctor only shrugs, dragging Sora into the box. I automatically run after them, only to be hit with a wave of nostalgia the moment I step into the box. . .

"I feel weird. . ."

Blackness invades my eyesight, the room spinning. . . (Room?) The box is bigger on the inside. I feel something collide with me, unaware that I was the one falling.