Author's Comments: Finally! I can actually bring a Kingdom Hearts character into the story! If my descriptions are vivid enough, you should be able to identify who he is.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters, or its story lines (as noted by an *). I own Imani (and Aden).
Once again, darkness surrounds me. I have to tell myself to ignore the weight in my stomach and the sweat traveling down my back, repeating those words Aden offered me: This is just a dream.
Still, my hands ball into fists as I try to keep them from shaking. Anticipating the sucking noise drowning out my own thoughts doesn't ease the jitters leaping beneath my skin. Any second, those yellow orbs will blind me and those icy smooth claws will tickle my ankles…
No. This is just a dream. This is just a dream.
"Hey."
I jump, a small "eep" slipping out and echoing in the abyss.
"Whoa. Skittish, aren't ya?"
My eyes dart aimlessly in search of the speaker. This voice sounds different than the one I heard last night…
"I'm right here."
I whip my head to my right and nearly smash my nose into a figure standing very close to me. Whoever this person is, he appears to be pretty tall; my face must be level with his ribcage—his protruding ribcage, I amend mentally—over which a thick metal zipper snakes up his middle.
"Up here, short stuff."
Slowly, my eyes trail up the zipper to his collarbone. The back of my head starts to press into the base of my neck and right when I'm about to find his face, my eyes halt.
He has red hair. Wild, all-over-the-place red hair. I've never seen hair so crimson before...
"You've still got a few more inches to go."
I snap out of my daze, finally meeting his eyes. Bright, acid green eyes with a dark triangular tattoo under each. His smirk looks as if it could slice thin air. "If you think I look strange, you haven't seen anything yet," he purrs.
Stumbling over my feet, I manage to back away far enough to look at him fully. Everything about this man appears angular—his hips, his arms, his shoulders, his cheekbones, his spiky hair, his smirk...
A nagging sensation picks at the back of my head. He seems familiar somehow...
"I'm not gonna bite." He holds up his hands in mock-surrender. "I'm on your side. Really."
The only thing smooth about him is his voice...but not by much. The edge underlying the placating tones makes my ears itch—
A sucking noise cuts short my thoughts. Instantly my muscles go rigid and my eyes widen.
"Ah, jeez," the redhead moans dramatically, bringing a hand up to cradle the side of his head. "I was hoping I could have more time to talk with you."
His voice barely travels over the vortex-like racket. The first of the yellow orbs appear somewhere behind him, causing me to flinch and shut my eyes for a moment.
But why isn't the man panicking?
"They're pretty persistent even after the Superior was finished off." he comments casually, watching the yellow increase in number as if he's looking around at a flower garden with mild interest. "Huh."
I fix my eyes on him in disbelief, my jaw hanging. All he can say is "huh?" What is he talking about? Who is he talking about?
The man does a double-take at my stare. "You know," he slowly says, quirking an eyebrow at me like I've gone a little loopy. "Xemnas."
...Xemnas?
I repeat the word (the name?) in my head over and over...and I freeze. Everything freezes. My heart stops pounding. The sweat slipping down my back screeches to a halt. The vortex noise suddenly cuts off. The yellow orbs pause mid-apparition.
But my head...My head buzzes with activity...I feel movement of all sorts—shifting and pushing and tugging and hammering and pounding and BAM BAM BAM BAM RELEASE PLEASE RELEASE I HAVE TO REMEMB—
"Hey." The man (he's not frozen?) waves a gloved hand in front of my face. "Hello? Anybody in there?"
In an instant my heart jumps to life, the beads of moisture ride my spine, the noise floods my ears, the orbs burst forth faster than ever, and whatever was happening in my head ceases. I stare dumbfounded at the man in front of me. What just happened?
"You know," the man places his hands on his hips, "you're gonna have to fight all these Heartless. Shouldn't you…you know…get ready?"
I can only blink. Get ready?
He frowns, arching a thin eyebrow at me and glancing away uncertainly. "Well, this is awkward..."
When I glance away and find the yellow orbs—the claws, the teeth—creeping closer, I let out a yelp, jumping away and crossing one leg over the other. Oh, no...
From the corner of my eye I see the man's chest inflate slowly before he utters, "I gotta run."
I nearly lose my balance as I snap up my head and stare at him incredulously. He's leaving?
"I'll be back," he reassures as his body becomes enveloped in a dark aura, a grin on his narrow face. "You know I will!"
With the wisps of the strange aura he disappears completely, abandoning me in the middle of the sea of yellow orbs. How I wish I could just disappear like that.
"Imani!"
I flinch. That voice is back...
"Imani! Fight!"
Something cold and velvety slides across my calves firmly. With a scream I jump away from the touch and start hopping from one foot to the other because maybe they'll scatter away if I stomp on them please go away please go away —
"FIGHT, Imani!"
Shaky sobs rack my lungs. Icy feathery touches brush my ankles, climbing higher and higher despite my jumping. Fight with what?
"Call it with your heart!"
Help me! Please! Help me!
"You have to trust your heart! You can do it, Imani!"
"Imani!"
My eyes fly open. Heavy sobs pour from my mouth as I try catch my breath. A pair of strong arms rocks me back and forth.
"Shh, it's okay," Aden whispers. "You're okay, Imani."
I bury my face into his neck, relief washing over me when I realize I've woken up. "A-Aden…"
"Shh. Just let it all out."
We sit together on my bed with nothing but the sound of my breathless sobs filling the room. Breathing in Aden's scent and listening to his heart beat peacefully, I can feel my own heart calming down and my fears seeping away.
"What time is it?" I murmur after long moments of quiet.
"Two A.M.," his voice rumbles softly in his chest.
I swallow thickly, reaching up to grip his arms as if they are a life vest keeping me afloat.
"You wanna talk about it?"
My hair rustles against his shoulder as I shake my head furiously.
"You sure?"
"It was just a dream," I whisper. "It's nothing."
"It's something if it's bothering you this much."
I swallow again, gathering up whatever courage I have left in me to recount the nightmare. "There was a man this time," I croak.
He shifts a little. "A man?"
"He said some strange things." I move my head away to look him in the eye. "He called those things that were attacking me 'Heartless,' and he mentioned someone named—"
Xemnas.
The name launches my mind into overdrive again. My head throbs and shifts and moves and buzzes and RELEASE BAM BAM BAM RELEASE PLEASE RELEASE SOMETHING IS WRONG BAM BAM I HAVE TO—
"Imani?" Aden murmurs. "You okay?"
As quickly as it started, the activity halts, leaving my head in a sluggish daze. I sigh. What's happening?
"Imani?"
"I-I'm fine," I stutter, quickly giving him a reassuring smile. "Just thinking."
He eyes me suspiciously for a second. "So who did this guy mention?" he prompts.
Hesitating, I try to mold my mouth to form that strange name. "X-Xemnas."
"Who's that?"
"I…I don't know…" I bite my tongue as I skip around in my memories, refraining as best I can from shivering. "The voice that was calling my name and telling me to fight said something more. He said, 'Call it with your heart.'"
"Call what with your heart?"
I frown. "I don't know."
"Hm." His arms wrap around me even tighter.
"I still didn't see who it was," I sigh, "but I feel like I've heard that voice somewhere before…"
"What do you mean?"
"Like…Like I know who it belongs to. And I feel like I know who the red-headed man is and who this 'Xemnas' is…"
"Right. Okay."
I roll my eyes, elbowing him softly. "I'm being serious."
"I didn't say you weren't."
A few moments of silence slips between us. Against my will my eyelids begin to droop...
"You planning to go back to sleep?" he asks.
In a snap my eyes open completely. My heart skips a beat and I lean into him further. "I-I don't know..."
"It's too early to get ready for the day. Let's get some sleep" He doesn't give me a chance to reply. He slides under the covers, pulling me down with him.
Author's Afterthought: I'm sure my description of the "stranger" was enough to go on. :) Thank you for reading! Please leave a review!
