Yay! The next part of Open Up! *hands out party hats* I'm sure everyone is happy and joyous because it's two months later! X_x I'm not even sure if I should mention that this is a record for me . . . oh, the sorrows of being a slow updater. Anyway, have fun, this should be interesting, I apologize for my butchering of Donald . . . I think he's the only one to show any major out-of-characterness because he's simply impossible to write I tell you. Arg. Yeah, so once again, make note that this story is an experiment on my part, I'm trying to "paint a picture" baby, so please forgive if this gets a bit wordy. Now let's read on!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I don't, really, it's true. KH belongs to Disney and Squaresoft - not me. So don't sue, because I don't have any money to give you. In fact, I want some money but I spent it all on my Platinum Limited Edition of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix at ebay.com! It's so beautiful . . .
Story Key:
italics = emphasis/latin
". . ." = speaking
* * * = scene switch
'. . .' = quotes
Anyway, onto the fic . . .
Open Up
Part II: Fragments Of Sorrow
Electric blue eyes fluttered open softly and stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling blankly in the dim light, trying to remember where exactly they were and how they had gotten there. This wasn't an unusual occurrence, as the owner of these eyes never seemed to sleep in the same place for two nights in a row, but as the memories of the night before rushed back to him, he sat up abruptly.
It was still rather dark - the only light a faint, velvety glow coming from the entrance of the cave - and the only reason that Sora was awake at such an early hour would be due to the mental alarm clock that resided in the depths of his mind, planted there by the ever-strict Donald Duck. He blinked for a few moments, clearing his eyes of any sleep that still resided there and waiting for everything to come in focus as he directed his attention to the other side of the cave.
Against the opposite cave wall slumped the slightly familiar form of his auburn-haired friend Kairi. Her head titled forward in what promised to be a painful position when she woke up and her clothing slightly rumpled, giving her an almost exhausted look, along with the dark rings born from stress swirling under her eyes like paint smeared on by a small child. He smiled lightly at the image before his eyes trailed to the side, seeking a pale form covered in a fuzzy, tomato red blanket.
The storm had rolled in violently the night before, shaking the island down to the core with hot-white, flashes of light and rumbling thunder that caused sand lodged deep within the cracks of the cave to spiral downwards. It simply wasn't an option to attempt to get Riku back to Fate Island at the time, so Sora and Kairi had done the next logical thing.
After recovering slightly from the shock, the pair had hauled Riku onto a thick, foam mat - evidence of the sleepover from the night before - stripped him of the heavy raincoat that he wore, and had covered him in blankets. The brunette and red-head had pretty much collapsed on opposing sides of the cave after that, watching Riku with wary eyes as long as they could before the fabled Sandman powdered them with his magical dust, sending them into a dreamless sleep.
Yawning far wider than what seemed physically possible, making him look something like a lethargic cat, Sora stretched his arms out, grinning brightly as each kink was soothed by the morning ritual. To say the least, Sora was a morning person.
As he softly got up, he grabbed the blanket thrown across him and stepped forward to Kairi, placing it lightly across her shoulders and smiling softly as he realized that earlier she had done the same for him. Then, with a final glance towards his unconscious friends, he turned towards the barely lit tunnel leading to the outside world and padded forward.
Sora walked slowly down the tunnel that led to the Secret Place, running four of his fingers across the wall as both a guideline and a grip on reality. There were no sign of screaming outside of the cave, so he assumed that the storm must have diminished, fallen pray to itself in the night - but as he ducked beneath the glistening emerald leaves that hid the entrance of the cave, he was met with a most interesting sight.
Shock gripped him with an iron hold.
Shredded palm leaves loaded heavily with drops of dew were scatted across landscape, waving jaggedly in the light breeze to all who would pass by and several pieces of wood from the now lop-sided dock littered the beach in jagged, brown spikes. It was a disaster, but the sky, oh, the sky itself was a complete contrast to the destruction, a clear sheet of the thinnest of blown glass; shades of reds and oranges and golden yellows spilling across it dazedly in a kaleidoscope of color.
During all of the years that the brunette had lived on the Destiny Islands, he had never seen this much ruin caused by a mere storm. Yes, everything had always been glazed with a crystal coating of sand, but never before had the trees been bare and the dock ripped to pieces. It was simply a miracle that no water had gotten into the Secret Place, soaking Kairi, Riku, and himself.
He trotted down across the sand carefully, heading towards the dock and grimacing at the cracked seashells that littered the beach, wondering how many snails and crabs had died the night before - not to mention the pale, pink starfish that were scattered across the sand, groping wildly in the direction of the sea.
However when he got to his destination, he was disappointed to find that he wasn't going to be able to paddle over to Fate Island anytime soon as neither his nor Kairi's boat was anywhere to be seen. In fact, the only thing left of their boats was the lower half of an oar, split harshly down the middle and floating in the shallow waters.
He sighed at the sight, glaring half-heartedly as he turned and headed toward the Seaside Shack. Sora proceeded to stare in bewilderment for a moment at said Seaside Shack as the palm tree in which he had stolen a spotted seagull egg from three years prior had collapsed on top of it, causing part of the shack to cave in ungracefully.
As he reached the building and eyed the miraculously untouched door, he contemplated whether it would be truly wise to attempt to get into the building. After deciding that he would rather risk getting smashed than swim across the channel to reach Fate Island, he tucked several stray strands of mahogany hair behind his ear and pushed.
Sora winced and jumped back a good five feet as the whole structure menacingly creaked with a sharp whining noise and the tree crunched further into the roof. Starting wide-eyed for a moment at the shack, he realized that pushing the door inward was not going to have a positive effect, as it hadn't moved an inch. So, in a rather cautious manner, he edged slowly towards the building, slid his hands into the crack between the door and the shack, and pulled roughly.
He found himself flying backward into the wet sand as the door jerked open, causing the shack to shudder and sand to fall through holes in thick, crystalline curtains. As he regained his composure, Sora crawled forward with the utmost care towards the shack, peering in at the disaster of sand, splintered wood, and waxy palm leaves, all shadowed by a glowing green circle.
Using the caution he had gained over the years, the brunette creeped in silently, sweating lightly with the hair on the back of his neck standing at attention in his nervousness as he headed towards the Rest Point, slowly so he would not disturb the careful balance positioned throughout the building.
A most peculiar thought struck Sora as he waded through the sand: would this sort of destruction have happened to the islands if they had not been torn to pieces and scattered across the skies last time he had seen such a prophetic storm?
To tell the truth, Sora was so lost in this thought that he gasped in surprise as a cool and refreshing wave of crystal green light washed over him, relieving his fatigue and coloring his features as he crawled into the Rest Point. With a slight smile and a fleeting thought of transportation he found himself seated in the gummi ship he had build over the years, appropriately named the Tomodachi for the friends he had made and the friend he had been searching for.
He stroked the control panel lightly, grinning as the colorful material bended according to his touches. It still amazed the brunette how gummi blocks were able to transport him across space and to other worlds and yet they were amazingly pliable and would wield to his every touch. However he soon abandoned this thought as he set the destination of Disney Castle in the controls and programmed the ship to operate in hyper drive.
With a blur of light an a compressed sensation similar to what one feels when riding a roller coaster, Sora found himself floating outside the world of the Disney Castle - the castle itself a tall pillar of white and blue brick stationed upon the small round world.
Glancing towards the onboard computer that showed him all of the Rest Points available, Sora selected the one titled Castle Courtyard. In the blink of an eye he found himself standing in a flower filled garden next to a very familiar dog man who seemed to be happily off in dreamland.
If the chocolate haired boy had been new to this garden he probably would have found himself staring wide-eyed at the huge floral designs that were vividly colored and far too gaudy for his simple island tastes. However, he had been to this castle many times and without a single glance towards the garden itself he stepped towards Goofy and performed a simple electricity spell to wake up his friend.
It was obvious that Sora hadn't been paying much attention to his spell casting, as he also managed to hit Donald, who had just entered the garden, with the spell and the duck proceeded to cry out - a squawking noise that was something of a combination between rapid stuttering and quacking. Goofy meanwhile, simply jumped a good inch and looked up with a lazy grin towards Sora and Donald.
"Sora!" he said good-naturedly, stumbling up, as opposed to simply getting up, off of the ground and clasping a hand on said boy's shoulder. It still amazed the islander how Goofy managed to be completely uncoordinated when it came to life in general and yet got along just fine. "What're you doin' here? I thought you were gonna take a break?"
"His break's over today," Donald told the knight as he shook his head in exasperation, fluffing his feathers slightly as he glanced towards Sora. "I didn't think you'd come back this early though."
"Well, something happened, and that's the whole reason why I'm back earlier," Sora said, his voice suddenly urgent and serious, which immediately gathered the full attention of Donald and Goofy. "Riku came back; and that got me wondering. Donald, Goofy - has your King shown up again? Has he come back?"
At this statement Goofy's cartoonish features literally lit up with a large grin and Donald frowned slightly and he crossed his arms across his chest.
"Yeah! How'd ya know?" the dog man cried out as he punched the air in victory, metal helmet titling at a very precarious angle and ears flinging every which way in his exuberance - Donald could not help but roll his eyes at the sight. "King Mickey came back just last night!"
"Really?" Sora asked, scattered thoughts throughout his mind getting all the more confusing as this statement settled.
Why would Kingdom Hearts suddenly kick King Mickey and Riku out into the world that they originated from for no reason what so ever? Or was it that the two had somehow found a way out? But wasn't it true that the door to Kingdom Hearts could only be opened on the outside? Not that anyone had ever actually confirmed this, but still, if the door had opened, Sora surely would have been the first one to know about it.
Donald nodded an affirmative before bring Sora back into the present as he stated his own opinion to the matter, "The King just came out of nowhere, mentioned something about 'mutatio,' and went to his room. It was strange."
"'Mutatio?'" Sora asked sharply, the word revolving in his mind rapidly. His brow furrowed in concentration as he wracked his brain, trying to figure out why the word sounded so strangely familiar. "What language is that and what does that mean?"
* * *
Kairi knelt down, carefully pushing needle fine strands of silver to the side as she placed the wet cloth across his pale forehead, water instantly draining from the towel into the dark fabric of the blindfold that hid his sharp eyes and dripping down the white sides of his face.
She didn't dare remove the now soaking blindfold, for there had to have been some reason it was there, wrapped around him like some sort of lifeline, chaining him down to this world. Maybe it was to cover a horrible wound or mask the emptiness of blind irises or maybe even to shield his eyes from something he didn't want to see, she didn't know, but she wouldn't risk.
She simply didn't know this Riku well enough.
He was freakishly pale, far too pale to have seen the sun in years. It wasn't often that it snowed on the Destiny Islands, but once every few years was there'd be a surge of weird weather and it got cold enough. In fact, it had snowed the previous year, a whirling flurry of white - she wished Sora and Riku had been there to see it.
Sure, it had been horribly cold and she had found herself sick with a somewhat moderate case of the flu for the next week, but seeing thousands of small ice crystals fall from the blanketed sky and form high drifts across the frozen sand - well, it was an experience she would never forget. But if her memory served her right, Riku's skin was not a shade darker than the snow itself, and she wondered that if it had decided to snow any time soon, would she lose him in it?
That thought seemed most prominent in Kairi's mind, wondering why in the world he was so pale - simply so white. It was creepy and she blinked suddenly as she realized that she was obsessing about it. So in response she just put another blanket across Riku's still form, ignoring the voice in her mind that was far too worried for its own good.
In fact, all of this worry had suddenly replaced the sadness that had dominated her thoughts for the past three years. It was tiring actually, to have all of the sorrow suddenly leak out and be replaced with an even more draining emotion.
With the feminine grace that she had gained over the years, the red-head reached down into a cardboard box and grabbed a rather large wheat cracker, munching on it absently as she eyed the mess of blankets and food scattered around the cave.
It was very lucky that Sora and herself had been lazy enough to leave their overnight supplies in the cave; amending the pick them up later at a more favorable time, preferably when Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka weren't looming over them. There was a large supply of overnight items too, as Kairi was not one to be unprepared - thick mats made of foam along with fluffy, feather pillows and several warm blankets accompanying them, a rather vast junk food supply, enough spare clothing for a month long trip and even a first-aid kit.
Sora had originally thought her to be a bit mental, wondering when in the world she had become so prepared for whatever was thrown at them and why he was the one who had to lug all of the supplies over to the island in the first place. But now, Kairi was very glad that she had over-prepared and was sure that Sora thought the same.
The red-head glanced over towards the tunnel that led out of the Secret Place and titled her head to the side, wondering when Sora would decide to come back and grace them with his presence. To say the least, she was not too pleased with him for simply taking off without a word or a note and was quite determined to give him a piece of her mind when he returned - it would not be pretty.
The girl sighed absently, eyes slightly unfocused as she mechanically shifted position for her right leg was slowly losing all feeling - only to be snapped back into reality as she bumped the bowl of fresh water that she had been using to bathe Riku's face. She stared for a moment blankly as the clear liquid spilled across the ground in a prismatic display of liquid crystal, a grimace slowly creeping across her face.
"Agh!" she grumbled, staring at the sight in dismay and pouting slightly at the sight, as if the childish display would stop the water from sliding across the cool soil and sinking in. With what was a rather un-feminine grunt, she got to her feet and grabbed the bowl, sparing a glance towards Riku as she headed to the dark passage that led outwards.
It wasn't that it was a time consuming task, going to gather fresh water all. In fact, all that was required would be to go to the waterfall which was mere meters away from the Secret Place, that is if you didn't mind getting soaked wet head to toe from the spray - which Kairi did mind, very much so.
The other option, getting water from the tunnel below that old, rickety bridge, wasn't particularly far away either, but it still peeved her slightly that she had to get up and leave Riku. Not to mention the fact that the bridge above the water hole was a constant hazard, as it was literally falling to pieces, on a daily basis no less.
Well actually, when Kairi had been there earlier, she had found that it could no longer be called a bridge per se, as the storm from the previous day had all but tipped it over out into the ocean. Yes, there were a few lopsided base poles, but that was it. Sora and Riku would be so disappointed at the sight - being boys, the dangerous area had attracted them like a pair of magnets.
The red-head smiled as she headed outwards, eyeing the thick roots with memories lacing their way through her mind. When she was younger, Kairi had always been afraid of getting lost in the Secret Place, although that was technically impossible as there was only one tunnel and a door that simply refused to open. But that day when Sora and herself had gone to scratch pictures into the rock, the brunette had pointed out the roots that grew overhead, saying that Riku had told him that if you always followed the roots, you'd never lose your way. From then on, Kairi had always glanced up at the craggy roots for the memory and the thought that she wasn't going to get lost anytime soon, and even if she did, there would always be a way back.
Stepping out from the Secret Place, Kairi shaded her brilliant blue eyes from the sun and grinned brightly, features radiating gracefully as she eyed the island that was looking far much better than it had earlier.
A faint breeze had swept away the layer of sand that had covered everything along with the shredded plant life and the tide had risen, dragging shattered sea shells to the depths and all of the starfish that she hadn't saved earlier by tossing into the sea. In fact, the only flaws that marred the landscape of the island were the boards that stuck jaggedly from the sand, the lack of what could officially be called a dock, and the giant tree that had crashed into the Seaside Shack.
She brought her hand down, tucking a clump of auburn hair behind her ear as she stepped forward, drinking in the fresh new sight as life was once again beginning to show itself island. Ants poured across the ground in a frantic rush to re-build their home, a lone gull floated in the salty winds in search for the carcass of some poor fish, and a small rodent had skirted across the ground in front of her feet and into a clump of brush.
The world seemed reborn and it was simply amazing.
Kairi soon found herself standing in the shallows before the small tunnel planted in the cliff-face, watching as fresh water spurted from the cave. With a glance to the side the girl tossed the bowl to the side, made a cup from her curved fingers, and filled them with the flowing, cool water that streamed outward. She sighed lightly, eyes softening in ease - becoming dewy pools of sapphire as she splashed her face before drinking as much as she could, for it simply wouldn't do for her to be drinking Riku's water later on.
She grinned brightly, imagining the ridiculous reaction she would have received from Sora if she dared to drink the water from the bowl - 'Riku needs to get better silly - you can't just be drinking all his water! What would he say to that?' he'd say before grinning cheekily and fetching more water for them without so much as a complaint.
Sora was just like that.
The red-headed girl glanced downwards, placed the tip of a sandaled foot beneath the rim of the upside down bowl, and flicked her foot just enough so that with a small spray of water, the bowl flew into her apt grasp. She grinned in accomplishment before stooping forward with the wooden bowl, filling it up to the brim with the crystal water, and sighing as the cool liquid splashed over her hands.
The water felt beyond wonderful. It had a far fresher feeling than the sea would ever have - being forever tainted with salt, and it seemed far more precious. The ocean surrounded everything, there wouldn't be a lack of salt water anytime soon, but fresh water could only be found in special little places within the deep wells found on all populated islands and where rivers poured outward.
Unlike the others, Kairi felt that she was much more appreciative to the nature of the island (who else would bother to muse about water?) and probably was the only person who was quite content to never leave again . . . or at least not any time soon.
Yes, three years ago she was perfectly happy with the idea of building a raft and escaping the island that had become a small hell-hole, but ever since she had found out who she really was and that her true home had been Hollow Bastion, everything seemed more real.
She blinked suddenly, snapping her thoughts back into place as water spilled over the edges of the wooden bowl, signaling that it was time to head back to the Secret Place and wait for Riku to wake up - which he would. Despite the fact that this wasn't necessarily true, Kairi couldn't help but think positive, if only to battle the worry that had built a settlement in the back of her skull.
The girl stepped across the sand lightly, carefully holding the bowl as to spill not a drop of water, and smiling at her blooming surroundings for it had been downright deathly earlier. How an island could recover in a few hours was a wonder, and she had the joy of being able to experience it first hand.
But, as she approached the familiar cluster of leaves that hid the entrance of the Secret Place, she found herself stopping as a soft yet strong noise drifted through the heavy foliage and out into the salt-tinted air, surrounding her with its deep melody.
"Excitate vow e somno, liberi fatali . . . somnus non eat . . . surgite."
The words of the drifting song certainly wasn't in any language that she knew, it all sounded a bit too, well, jerky but fluid at the same time in a weird way and she suddenly wished that she knew what the words meant. It sounded liberating but sad at the same time.
With a building curiosity, the red-head pushed the emerald leaves to the side as she stooped through the opening, walked blindly down the passage as quietly as she could, straining to hear the soft voice that filtered towards her. It finally occurred to her exactly who was singing as the next few words drifted down past her ears.
"Urite mala mundi . . . ardente veritate . . . incendite tenebras mundi."
"Riku . . ." she murmured, electrically clear eyes widening as the realization hit her. Shock induced adrenaline soaked her veins along with the sudden need to sprint down the tunnel towards the silver haired boy, yet she found herself trapped in a impossibly slow world counting each methodic step she took.
In seconds that seemed to tick as slow as the lives of a thousand different men, Kairi found herself watching a solitary figure sitting with a blanket spread across his lap, facing multiples of chalky figures carved crudely into the wall, and singing a most beautiful song.
"Incendite tenebras mundi . . . valete, liberi . . . diebus fatalibus."
She gasped, not knowing why. The song touched her with invisible fingers of a dream, making all the more sense as the words came to flow over and around her, speaking of fated children.
However, the singing stopped as soon as the dreaded sound left her mouth, yet the singer ignored her presence for a moment seemingly regarding his hands and making her wonder if the gasp of astonishment had been heard or maybe the song was meant to end so abruptly.
It was not silent for long.
"It's you," he murmured softly, voice resounding eerily as he turned his head to look up towards her, an empty smile adorning a pale face framed by wet strands of silver. But despite the fact that his eyes were hidden behind a veil of black, the girl simply knew that he saw her for all she was. "Hello Kairi."
But she could not see him.
To be continued . . .
I'll just say now that I'm not too fond of this chapter . . . it was difficult to write, Donald was being evilly annoying, nothing really happens except some character development, I could not think of another pronoun to use for Kairi except red-head, and I kept having to look things up - even replaying the beginning of the game at one point to find out the name of the Seaside Shack! Gah! It was evil I'm telling you and now I feel the need to quote the game: "It is I, Ansem, the seeker of darkness!" Bwahaha. Now that the author notes below this message are getting outrageously long, I think I'll wrap it up this little blurb. Hopefully you all have read the second part of Open Up and have an opinion on it - so go be a good child and write me a review telling me what your opinion happens to be and then I'll love you forever and ever!
Here are some general notes regarding things you may have noticed:
1. The song that Riku sings is 'Liberi Fatali' from Final Fantasy VIII and it is downright gorgeous so go download it now.
2. Yes, there are allusions to Deep Dive and the Final Fantasy games, such as Riku's outfit and the mention of Lulu, but this story is not a crossover and will not branch off into a cliché plot concerning the preview.
3. Mutatio is Latin and I shall not disclose what it means at the moment, so live with it.
4. Uh, yeah, all of the chapter titles are songs from the KH soundtrack . . . I guess you could say that not only do the titles fit, but they can be the background music for each chapter. Heh.
5. In my mind, the Destiny Islands are a chain of islands and so far there are about five islands all named for something destiny related: Fate being the main island where everyone lives; Shukumei and Unmei (Japanese for fate and destiny), two smaller twin islands whose purpose is currenlty unknown to me; Kismet, a small, isloated island that's quite exotic; and Mirai (Japanese for future), ther place where the story starts.
6. Yes, the story description is a bit, shall we say off? It needs to be changed and I'm on my way to fixing it as it is currently: Post-game fic in which Sora has a dream when he visits the Destiny Islands in order to take a break from his search for the door to Kingdom Hearts - causing a chain of events including the reappearance of Riku to spiral out of control.
To my reviewers . . . I love you all . . .
TennyoAngel711: Slow updaters unite! Yeah! ^_^;; Anyways, much thanks, I really appreciate it! Yes . . . cherrios are good to munch on, not only do they have more fiber that most other cereals they're tasty! Try it sometime! Ahem, yes.
Ari Powwel: I'm so happy I've gotten onto your favorite stories list! I saw that and was like, "Aie! I'm liked!" *lol* It was a happy moment. Also, I'm glad that you haven't seen this idea used anywhere else . . . it means I'm original! Hah!
KyrieTanaka: Oh, but you must admit, cliffhangers are so fun! Mwahahaha! Thanks so much I get all happy skippy whenever I read your review - it's so encouraging! Hee. Hope you liked this chapter - despite that it's . . . odd.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I don't, really, it's true. KH belongs to Disney and Squaresoft - not me. So don't sue, because I don't have any money to give you. In fact, I want some money but I spent it all on my Platinum Limited Edition of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix at ebay.com! It's so beautiful . . .
Story Key:
italics = emphasis/latin
". . ." = speaking
* * * = scene switch
'. . .' = quotes
Anyway, onto the fic . . .
Open Up
Part II: Fragments Of Sorrow
Electric blue eyes fluttered open softly and stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling blankly in the dim light, trying to remember where exactly they were and how they had gotten there. This wasn't an unusual occurrence, as the owner of these eyes never seemed to sleep in the same place for two nights in a row, but as the memories of the night before rushed back to him, he sat up abruptly.
It was still rather dark - the only light a faint, velvety glow coming from the entrance of the cave - and the only reason that Sora was awake at such an early hour would be due to the mental alarm clock that resided in the depths of his mind, planted there by the ever-strict Donald Duck. He blinked for a few moments, clearing his eyes of any sleep that still resided there and waiting for everything to come in focus as he directed his attention to the other side of the cave.
Against the opposite cave wall slumped the slightly familiar form of his auburn-haired friend Kairi. Her head titled forward in what promised to be a painful position when she woke up and her clothing slightly rumpled, giving her an almost exhausted look, along with the dark rings born from stress swirling under her eyes like paint smeared on by a small child. He smiled lightly at the image before his eyes trailed to the side, seeking a pale form covered in a fuzzy, tomato red blanket.
The storm had rolled in violently the night before, shaking the island down to the core with hot-white, flashes of light and rumbling thunder that caused sand lodged deep within the cracks of the cave to spiral downwards. It simply wasn't an option to attempt to get Riku back to Fate Island at the time, so Sora and Kairi had done the next logical thing.
After recovering slightly from the shock, the pair had hauled Riku onto a thick, foam mat - evidence of the sleepover from the night before - stripped him of the heavy raincoat that he wore, and had covered him in blankets. The brunette and red-head had pretty much collapsed on opposing sides of the cave after that, watching Riku with wary eyes as long as they could before the fabled Sandman powdered them with his magical dust, sending them into a dreamless sleep.
Yawning far wider than what seemed physically possible, making him look something like a lethargic cat, Sora stretched his arms out, grinning brightly as each kink was soothed by the morning ritual. To say the least, Sora was a morning person.
As he softly got up, he grabbed the blanket thrown across him and stepped forward to Kairi, placing it lightly across her shoulders and smiling softly as he realized that earlier she had done the same for him. Then, with a final glance towards his unconscious friends, he turned towards the barely lit tunnel leading to the outside world and padded forward.
Sora walked slowly down the tunnel that led to the Secret Place, running four of his fingers across the wall as both a guideline and a grip on reality. There were no sign of screaming outside of the cave, so he assumed that the storm must have diminished, fallen pray to itself in the night - but as he ducked beneath the glistening emerald leaves that hid the entrance of the cave, he was met with a most interesting sight.
Shock gripped him with an iron hold.
Shredded palm leaves loaded heavily with drops of dew were scatted across landscape, waving jaggedly in the light breeze to all who would pass by and several pieces of wood from the now lop-sided dock littered the beach in jagged, brown spikes. It was a disaster, but the sky, oh, the sky itself was a complete contrast to the destruction, a clear sheet of the thinnest of blown glass; shades of reds and oranges and golden yellows spilling across it dazedly in a kaleidoscope of color.
During all of the years that the brunette had lived on the Destiny Islands, he had never seen this much ruin caused by a mere storm. Yes, everything had always been glazed with a crystal coating of sand, but never before had the trees been bare and the dock ripped to pieces. It was simply a miracle that no water had gotten into the Secret Place, soaking Kairi, Riku, and himself.
He trotted down across the sand carefully, heading towards the dock and grimacing at the cracked seashells that littered the beach, wondering how many snails and crabs had died the night before - not to mention the pale, pink starfish that were scattered across the sand, groping wildly in the direction of the sea.
However when he got to his destination, he was disappointed to find that he wasn't going to be able to paddle over to Fate Island anytime soon as neither his nor Kairi's boat was anywhere to be seen. In fact, the only thing left of their boats was the lower half of an oar, split harshly down the middle and floating in the shallow waters.
He sighed at the sight, glaring half-heartedly as he turned and headed toward the Seaside Shack. Sora proceeded to stare in bewilderment for a moment at said Seaside Shack as the palm tree in which he had stolen a spotted seagull egg from three years prior had collapsed on top of it, causing part of the shack to cave in ungracefully.
As he reached the building and eyed the miraculously untouched door, he contemplated whether it would be truly wise to attempt to get into the building. After deciding that he would rather risk getting smashed than swim across the channel to reach Fate Island, he tucked several stray strands of mahogany hair behind his ear and pushed.
Sora winced and jumped back a good five feet as the whole structure menacingly creaked with a sharp whining noise and the tree crunched further into the roof. Starting wide-eyed for a moment at the shack, he realized that pushing the door inward was not going to have a positive effect, as it hadn't moved an inch. So, in a rather cautious manner, he edged slowly towards the building, slid his hands into the crack between the door and the shack, and pulled roughly.
He found himself flying backward into the wet sand as the door jerked open, causing the shack to shudder and sand to fall through holes in thick, crystalline curtains. As he regained his composure, Sora crawled forward with the utmost care towards the shack, peering in at the disaster of sand, splintered wood, and waxy palm leaves, all shadowed by a glowing green circle.
Using the caution he had gained over the years, the brunette creeped in silently, sweating lightly with the hair on the back of his neck standing at attention in his nervousness as he headed towards the Rest Point, slowly so he would not disturb the careful balance positioned throughout the building.
A most peculiar thought struck Sora as he waded through the sand: would this sort of destruction have happened to the islands if they had not been torn to pieces and scattered across the skies last time he had seen such a prophetic storm?
To tell the truth, Sora was so lost in this thought that he gasped in surprise as a cool and refreshing wave of crystal green light washed over him, relieving his fatigue and coloring his features as he crawled into the Rest Point. With a slight smile and a fleeting thought of transportation he found himself seated in the gummi ship he had build over the years, appropriately named the Tomodachi for the friends he had made and the friend he had been searching for.
He stroked the control panel lightly, grinning as the colorful material bended according to his touches. It still amazed the brunette how gummi blocks were able to transport him across space and to other worlds and yet they were amazingly pliable and would wield to his every touch. However he soon abandoned this thought as he set the destination of Disney Castle in the controls and programmed the ship to operate in hyper drive.
With a blur of light an a compressed sensation similar to what one feels when riding a roller coaster, Sora found himself floating outside the world of the Disney Castle - the castle itself a tall pillar of white and blue brick stationed upon the small round world.
Glancing towards the onboard computer that showed him all of the Rest Points available, Sora selected the one titled Castle Courtyard. In the blink of an eye he found himself standing in a flower filled garden next to a very familiar dog man who seemed to be happily off in dreamland.
If the chocolate haired boy had been new to this garden he probably would have found himself staring wide-eyed at the huge floral designs that were vividly colored and far too gaudy for his simple island tastes. However, he had been to this castle many times and without a single glance towards the garden itself he stepped towards Goofy and performed a simple electricity spell to wake up his friend.
It was obvious that Sora hadn't been paying much attention to his spell casting, as he also managed to hit Donald, who had just entered the garden, with the spell and the duck proceeded to cry out - a squawking noise that was something of a combination between rapid stuttering and quacking. Goofy meanwhile, simply jumped a good inch and looked up with a lazy grin towards Sora and Donald.
"Sora!" he said good-naturedly, stumbling up, as opposed to simply getting up, off of the ground and clasping a hand on said boy's shoulder. It still amazed the islander how Goofy managed to be completely uncoordinated when it came to life in general and yet got along just fine. "What're you doin' here? I thought you were gonna take a break?"
"His break's over today," Donald told the knight as he shook his head in exasperation, fluffing his feathers slightly as he glanced towards Sora. "I didn't think you'd come back this early though."
"Well, something happened, and that's the whole reason why I'm back earlier," Sora said, his voice suddenly urgent and serious, which immediately gathered the full attention of Donald and Goofy. "Riku came back; and that got me wondering. Donald, Goofy - has your King shown up again? Has he come back?"
At this statement Goofy's cartoonish features literally lit up with a large grin and Donald frowned slightly and he crossed his arms across his chest.
"Yeah! How'd ya know?" the dog man cried out as he punched the air in victory, metal helmet titling at a very precarious angle and ears flinging every which way in his exuberance - Donald could not help but roll his eyes at the sight. "King Mickey came back just last night!"
"Really?" Sora asked, scattered thoughts throughout his mind getting all the more confusing as this statement settled.
Why would Kingdom Hearts suddenly kick King Mickey and Riku out into the world that they originated from for no reason what so ever? Or was it that the two had somehow found a way out? But wasn't it true that the door to Kingdom Hearts could only be opened on the outside? Not that anyone had ever actually confirmed this, but still, if the door had opened, Sora surely would have been the first one to know about it.
Donald nodded an affirmative before bring Sora back into the present as he stated his own opinion to the matter, "The King just came out of nowhere, mentioned something about 'mutatio,' and went to his room. It was strange."
"'Mutatio?'" Sora asked sharply, the word revolving in his mind rapidly. His brow furrowed in concentration as he wracked his brain, trying to figure out why the word sounded so strangely familiar. "What language is that and what does that mean?"
Kairi knelt down, carefully pushing needle fine strands of silver to the side as she placed the wet cloth across his pale forehead, water instantly draining from the towel into the dark fabric of the blindfold that hid his sharp eyes and dripping down the white sides of his face.
She didn't dare remove the now soaking blindfold, for there had to have been some reason it was there, wrapped around him like some sort of lifeline, chaining him down to this world. Maybe it was to cover a horrible wound or mask the emptiness of blind irises or maybe even to shield his eyes from something he didn't want to see, she didn't know, but she wouldn't risk.
She simply didn't know this Riku well enough.
He was freakishly pale, far too pale to have seen the sun in years. It wasn't often that it snowed on the Destiny Islands, but once every few years was there'd be a surge of weird weather and it got cold enough. In fact, it had snowed the previous year, a whirling flurry of white - she wished Sora and Riku had been there to see it.
Sure, it had been horribly cold and she had found herself sick with a somewhat moderate case of the flu for the next week, but seeing thousands of small ice crystals fall from the blanketed sky and form high drifts across the frozen sand - well, it was an experience she would never forget. But if her memory served her right, Riku's skin was not a shade darker than the snow itself, and she wondered that if it had decided to snow any time soon, would she lose him in it?
That thought seemed most prominent in Kairi's mind, wondering why in the world he was so pale - simply so white. It was creepy and she blinked suddenly as she realized that she was obsessing about it. So in response she just put another blanket across Riku's still form, ignoring the voice in her mind that was far too worried for its own good.
In fact, all of this worry had suddenly replaced the sadness that had dominated her thoughts for the past three years. It was tiring actually, to have all of the sorrow suddenly leak out and be replaced with an even more draining emotion.
With the feminine grace that she had gained over the years, the red-head reached down into a cardboard box and grabbed a rather large wheat cracker, munching on it absently as she eyed the mess of blankets and food scattered around the cave.
It was very lucky that Sora and herself had been lazy enough to leave their overnight supplies in the cave; amending the pick them up later at a more favorable time, preferably when Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka weren't looming over them. There was a large supply of overnight items too, as Kairi was not one to be unprepared - thick mats made of foam along with fluffy, feather pillows and several warm blankets accompanying them, a rather vast junk food supply, enough spare clothing for a month long trip and even a first-aid kit.
Sora had originally thought her to be a bit mental, wondering when in the world she had become so prepared for whatever was thrown at them and why he was the one who had to lug all of the supplies over to the island in the first place. But now, Kairi was very glad that she had over-prepared and was sure that Sora thought the same.
The red-head glanced over towards the tunnel that led out of the Secret Place and titled her head to the side, wondering when Sora would decide to come back and grace them with his presence. To say the least, she was not too pleased with him for simply taking off without a word or a note and was quite determined to give him a piece of her mind when he returned - it would not be pretty.
The girl sighed absently, eyes slightly unfocused as she mechanically shifted position for her right leg was slowly losing all feeling - only to be snapped back into reality as she bumped the bowl of fresh water that she had been using to bathe Riku's face. She stared for a moment blankly as the clear liquid spilled across the ground in a prismatic display of liquid crystal, a grimace slowly creeping across her face.
"Agh!" she grumbled, staring at the sight in dismay and pouting slightly at the sight, as if the childish display would stop the water from sliding across the cool soil and sinking in. With what was a rather un-feminine grunt, she got to her feet and grabbed the bowl, sparing a glance towards Riku as she headed to the dark passage that led outwards.
It wasn't that it was a time consuming task, going to gather fresh water all. In fact, all that was required would be to go to the waterfall which was mere meters away from the Secret Place, that is if you didn't mind getting soaked wet head to toe from the spray - which Kairi did mind, very much so.
The other option, getting water from the tunnel below that old, rickety bridge, wasn't particularly far away either, but it still peeved her slightly that she had to get up and leave Riku. Not to mention the fact that the bridge above the water hole was a constant hazard, as it was literally falling to pieces, on a daily basis no less.
Well actually, when Kairi had been there earlier, she had found that it could no longer be called a bridge per se, as the storm from the previous day had all but tipped it over out into the ocean. Yes, there were a few lopsided base poles, but that was it. Sora and Riku would be so disappointed at the sight - being boys, the dangerous area had attracted them like a pair of magnets.
The red-head smiled as she headed outwards, eyeing the thick roots with memories lacing their way through her mind. When she was younger, Kairi had always been afraid of getting lost in the Secret Place, although that was technically impossible as there was only one tunnel and a door that simply refused to open. But that day when Sora and herself had gone to scratch pictures into the rock, the brunette had pointed out the roots that grew overhead, saying that Riku had told him that if you always followed the roots, you'd never lose your way. From then on, Kairi had always glanced up at the craggy roots for the memory and the thought that she wasn't going to get lost anytime soon, and even if she did, there would always be a way back.
Stepping out from the Secret Place, Kairi shaded her brilliant blue eyes from the sun and grinned brightly, features radiating gracefully as she eyed the island that was looking far much better than it had earlier.
A faint breeze had swept away the layer of sand that had covered everything along with the shredded plant life and the tide had risen, dragging shattered sea shells to the depths and all of the starfish that she hadn't saved earlier by tossing into the sea. In fact, the only flaws that marred the landscape of the island were the boards that stuck jaggedly from the sand, the lack of what could officially be called a dock, and the giant tree that had crashed into the Seaside Shack.
She brought her hand down, tucking a clump of auburn hair behind her ear as she stepped forward, drinking in the fresh new sight as life was once again beginning to show itself island. Ants poured across the ground in a frantic rush to re-build their home, a lone gull floated in the salty winds in search for the carcass of some poor fish, and a small rodent had skirted across the ground in front of her feet and into a clump of brush.
The world seemed reborn and it was simply amazing.
Kairi soon found herself standing in the shallows before the small tunnel planted in the cliff-face, watching as fresh water spurted from the cave. With a glance to the side the girl tossed the bowl to the side, made a cup from her curved fingers, and filled them with the flowing, cool water that streamed outward. She sighed lightly, eyes softening in ease - becoming dewy pools of sapphire as she splashed her face before drinking as much as she could, for it simply wouldn't do for her to be drinking Riku's water later on.
She grinned brightly, imagining the ridiculous reaction she would have received from Sora if she dared to drink the water from the bowl - 'Riku needs to get better silly - you can't just be drinking all his water! What would he say to that?' he'd say before grinning cheekily and fetching more water for them without so much as a complaint.
Sora was just like that.
The red-headed girl glanced downwards, placed the tip of a sandaled foot beneath the rim of the upside down bowl, and flicked her foot just enough so that with a small spray of water, the bowl flew into her apt grasp. She grinned in accomplishment before stooping forward with the wooden bowl, filling it up to the brim with the crystal water, and sighing as the cool liquid splashed over her hands.
The water felt beyond wonderful. It had a far fresher feeling than the sea would ever have - being forever tainted with salt, and it seemed far more precious. The ocean surrounded everything, there wouldn't be a lack of salt water anytime soon, but fresh water could only be found in special little places within the deep wells found on all populated islands and where rivers poured outward.
Unlike the others, Kairi felt that she was much more appreciative to the nature of the island (who else would bother to muse about water?) and probably was the only person who was quite content to never leave again . . . or at least not any time soon.
Yes, three years ago she was perfectly happy with the idea of building a raft and escaping the island that had become a small hell-hole, but ever since she had found out who she really was and that her true home had been Hollow Bastion, everything seemed more real.
She blinked suddenly, snapping her thoughts back into place as water spilled over the edges of the wooden bowl, signaling that it was time to head back to the Secret Place and wait for Riku to wake up - which he would. Despite the fact that this wasn't necessarily true, Kairi couldn't help but think positive, if only to battle the worry that had built a settlement in the back of her skull.
The girl stepped across the sand lightly, carefully holding the bowl as to spill not a drop of water, and smiling at her blooming surroundings for it had been downright deathly earlier. How an island could recover in a few hours was a wonder, and she had the joy of being able to experience it first hand.
But, as she approached the familiar cluster of leaves that hid the entrance of the Secret Place, she found herself stopping as a soft yet strong noise drifted through the heavy foliage and out into the salt-tinted air, surrounding her with its deep melody.
"Excitate vow e somno, liberi fatali . . . somnus non eat . . . surgite."
The words of the drifting song certainly wasn't in any language that she knew, it all sounded a bit too, well, jerky but fluid at the same time in a weird way and she suddenly wished that she knew what the words meant. It sounded liberating but sad at the same time.
With a building curiosity, the red-head pushed the emerald leaves to the side as she stooped through the opening, walked blindly down the passage as quietly as she could, straining to hear the soft voice that filtered towards her. It finally occurred to her exactly who was singing as the next few words drifted down past her ears.
"Urite mala mundi . . . ardente veritate . . . incendite tenebras mundi."
"Riku . . ." she murmured, electrically clear eyes widening as the realization hit her. Shock induced adrenaline soaked her veins along with the sudden need to sprint down the tunnel towards the silver haired boy, yet she found herself trapped in a impossibly slow world counting each methodic step she took.
In seconds that seemed to tick as slow as the lives of a thousand different men, Kairi found herself watching a solitary figure sitting with a blanket spread across his lap, facing multiples of chalky figures carved crudely into the wall, and singing a most beautiful song.
"Incendite tenebras mundi . . . valete, liberi . . . diebus fatalibus."
She gasped, not knowing why. The song touched her with invisible fingers of a dream, making all the more sense as the words came to flow over and around her, speaking of fated children.
However, the singing stopped as soon as the dreaded sound left her mouth, yet the singer ignored her presence for a moment seemingly regarding his hands and making her wonder if the gasp of astonishment had been heard or maybe the song was meant to end so abruptly.
It was not silent for long.
"It's you," he murmured softly, voice resounding eerily as he turned his head to look up towards her, an empty smile adorning a pale face framed by wet strands of silver. But despite the fact that his eyes were hidden behind a veil of black, the girl simply knew that he saw her for all she was. "Hello Kairi."
But she could not see him.
To be continued . . .
I'll just say now that I'm not too fond of this chapter . . . it was difficult to write, Donald was being evilly annoying, nothing really happens except some character development, I could not think of another pronoun to use for Kairi except red-head, and I kept having to look things up - even replaying the beginning of the game at one point to find out the name of the Seaside Shack! Gah! It was evil I'm telling you and now I feel the need to quote the game: "It is I, Ansem, the seeker of darkness!" Bwahaha. Now that the author notes below this message are getting outrageously long, I think I'll wrap it up this little blurb. Hopefully you all have read the second part of Open Up and have an opinion on it - so go be a good child and write me a review telling me what your opinion happens to be and then I'll love you forever and ever!
Here are some general notes regarding things you may have noticed:
1. The song that Riku sings is 'Liberi Fatali' from Final Fantasy VIII and it is downright gorgeous so go download it now.
2. Yes, there are allusions to Deep Dive and the Final Fantasy games, such as Riku's outfit and the mention of Lulu, but this story is not a crossover and will not branch off into a cliché plot concerning the preview.
3. Mutatio is Latin and I shall not disclose what it means at the moment, so live with it.
4. Uh, yeah, all of the chapter titles are songs from the KH soundtrack . . . I guess you could say that not only do the titles fit, but they can be the background music for each chapter. Heh.
5. In my mind, the Destiny Islands are a chain of islands and so far there are about five islands all named for something destiny related: Fate being the main island where everyone lives; Shukumei and Unmei (Japanese for fate and destiny), two smaller twin islands whose purpose is currenlty unknown to me; Kismet, a small, isloated island that's quite exotic; and Mirai (Japanese for future), ther place where the story starts.
6. Yes, the story description is a bit, shall we say off? It needs to be changed and I'm on my way to fixing it as it is currently: Post-game fic in which Sora has a dream when he visits the Destiny Islands in order to take a break from his search for the door to Kingdom Hearts - causing a chain of events including the reappearance of Riku to spiral out of control.
To my reviewers . . . I love you all . . .
TennyoAngel711: Slow updaters unite! Yeah! ^_^;; Anyways, much thanks, I really appreciate it! Yes . . . cherrios are good to munch on, not only do they have more fiber that most other cereals they're tasty! Try it sometime! Ahem, yes.
Ari Powwel: I'm so happy I've gotten onto your favorite stories list! I saw that and was like, "Aie! I'm liked!" *lol* It was a happy moment. Also, I'm glad that you haven't seen this idea used anywhere else . . . it means I'm original! Hah!
KyrieTanaka: Oh, but you must admit, cliffhangers are so fun! Mwahahaha! Thanks so much I get all happy skippy whenever I read your review - it's so encouraging! Hee. Hope you liked this chapter - despite that it's . . . odd.