Ever since Adi had been little, he had been prone to injuring himself. His mother had said it was because of his best friend and older brother, who liked to get themselves into all sorts of trouble.
When he met Kyrie, Eliza had seen it as a blessing; as though having a girl for a companion would calm the rowdy little boys down.
Like Hell it would.
If anything, Kyrie, though polite and well-mannered in the presence of adults, was even wilder than- Well, she wasn't really the cure to hyperactivity, and that's that.
But if Adi was being honest-and he always was- Kyrie was probably the best thing that had ever happened to him. The two were soul mates, though not in a romantic sense. They had gone on a date once, three years ago, but all evening things had felt…wrong.
They were soul siblings instead, and they loved things that way.
Kyrie was strong, but she knew her limits. She was funny, but she knew when to be serious. She was slight, but had the presence to command an army.
His favourite quality about her though was that she helped him forget the hole in his life. The hole which had formed when they disappeared, the hole the two of them shad left. Kyrie didn't fill that hole-she had a place all to herself anyway- but she helped him forget it was there.
They pair were sitting on the ground, with their backs against the stone walls of the Bailey, resting.
"Here I was thinking I was going to have to do all the fighting, nice job Adi-kins!"
He looked at her incredulously. He wasn't the only one who'd done a good job kicking some ass.
"Oh yeah, and what exactly were those gloves about? You just chant a little poem-y thing and then they turn into weapons?" Truth be told; he wanted a pair.
She smiled, a sort of far-away grin that told him she was remembering something fond.
"They were a present from a great person I meant once when I was little."
Adi blinked at her, then smiled and closed his eyes.
"Tell me about this 'great person' then."
She'd heard rumors that someone important was coming today. Well, more like listening to her mother talking to friends about the rumors, but the sources were just as reliable.
What annoyed her was that she didn't know why they were important.
If they were someone opening up new businesses or something, then she could just go right back to her life and forget all about it. But if they were a celebrity, like a singer or actor, then she simply must go to see them.
She was only seven, but she knew enough about the world to know that important people were...well...important. Though only sometimes.
Kyrie was so lost in her thoughts that she bumped right into someone and went flying to the ground.
She made an 'ooff' noise when her back hit the hard stone pavement.
"Gosh! I'm really sorry 'bout that! Here, lemme help ya!"
Then a pair of warm...fuzzy? hands were pulling her up and helping her stand.
"No, it's alright, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Then, little Kyrie realized something.
"Well, are ya okay?"
She was talking to a mouse.
"You're a mouse," she told the mouse, as though he wasn't aware of his species. He chuckled, then smiled warmly at her. They were the same height, which seemed odd considering mice were supposed to be...little. Littler.
"I'm the King of the mice actually," he told her with a wink.
"You're the important person I heard about!" He smiled again, and nodded.
"I must be, huh?"
Kyrie blinked through her red bangs.
"Are you really a king?" Another nod.
She bowed as deeply as she could, so her nose was an inch away from the ground.
"It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty!" He rubbed the back of his head bashfully."Gee, you were fine just a second ago, how come your being all formal now?" The little girls face flushed.
"You're royal," she told him simply. The King shook his head and smiled weakly.
"Would ya like to hear a story?"
Naturally, the same as most young children, Kyrie got a little too excited at the prospect of a story; especially one from a king. She nodded frantically, getting a little dizzy from the quick movements. Her cobalt eyes were wide and happy.
"What kind of story Mr Majesty?"
The mouse grinned at his new companion. He would never admit it, but he loved telling stories. Preferably true ones, so that he could get especially into the tale. His favourites were the adventures that he'd had with all of the people he'd met over the years. Sometimes he felt as though several lifetimes worth of knowledge and wisdom and joy were within him. Surely it would be unfair if he kept all that to himself. He stared at the little girl. She was young, but somehow, there was a sadness in her eyes he had only seen on people at least three times her age.
"A very special story, about very special people, and how they all connect together through one, unique power. Does that sound like a good story to you?" Truth be told, King Mickey would rather spend his day with this girl. Even though he liked all of the people in this world, and in most other worlds as well, he was sick of them all acting like he was some sort of deity. The only reason she had bowed to him was because she'd been taught to do so.
Kyrie nodded frantically, her eyes lighting up like she'd just been promised the stars.
King Mickey smiled, then snapped his fingers as though he'd gotten an idea.
"I've just realized something kiddo; I don't know what your name is!"
She looked dumbstruck, then grinned.
"I'm Kyrie, Mr Majesty!"
"Well, I'm Mickey," and he bowed to her the same way she had done with him.
"Well, our story begins with a young King, who didn't really know how to be responsible. No matter what his lovely Queen said, nothing could help him rule over his people like he was supposed to. So, one day she told him firmly that he was to go off and visit other worlds, make friends, and learn how other people lived. And when he felt that he had seen enough, and that he'd matured, he could return and rule properly.
So the next morning the young King left in his ship, and went to a world called Traverse Town. This was a world that was like a big city, with lots of people from all kinds of places. He made friends with so many of the people there that it amazed him. They told him about where they were from and where they were going. One man told him of a place that sounded so enchanting, that he wanted to go there himself.
After one month of living in Traverse Town, the King left, ready for his next destination."
"And where was his next destination, Mr Majesty?" Kyrie inquired. The mouse King grinned, he had a glint in his eye.
"It was a world called Agrahbah.
Agrabah, was a large desert world. It was always hot, and there was barely a cloud in the sky even at night, so the young King would stay up late so he could see the stars. A merchant in Agrahbah told him that stars were in fact other worlds, far, far away, and that their light was all of the hearts from the people on those worlds connecting, lighting up the lives of others.
The King once again made many friends; merchants, thieves, poor people, rich people, royalty, street rats-every one of them unique, and yet the King somehow felt that all of them had something in common, though he could not figure out what.
Again one month later he left, with another world in mind.
The young King continued on like this, quite happy. Yet, something was bothering him. Why was it, that with every new person that he met, it felt as though they shared something with another, even if their personalities and appearances were completely different? The young King decided that he was almost ready to return home to his castle and his lovely Queen; there was just one more place he wanted to see."
Kyrie couldn't help but smile happily every time the King mention the Queen in his story, because for a few seconds, his eyes would appear to be looking far away, like he could see her in the distance.
"He went to a world called Radiant Garden." The girl gave a delighted gasp- her home had finally been mentioned.
"When he was there, he found lots of people interesting, but there was one man there who fascinated him more than anyone else. A man named Ansem the Wise." Kyrie was sure that she had heard of that man, perhaps her mother had mentioned him a few times. Even she could guess that he was important somehow.
"Ansem the Wise was researching something, something very important. When the young King heard about it, he decided he wanted to know more, he wanted to help Ansem the Wise. So, he went to his study and introduced himself. Ansem seemed reluctant to let the young King know what he was doing, until he heard just what he had to say.
The young King said to Ansem the Wise 'I have seen many worlds, and met and befriended too many to count with six pairs of arms. But, whenever I meet someone new, I always feel as though they have something very important in common with everyone else I have met before them. Even if they appear completely different! Perhaps you could tell me any theories you might have about this...' "
King Mickey smiled again, almost sadly it seemed.
"Ansem the Wise gave the young King a knowing smile and told him 'Your Majesty, I believe that without realized it, you have discovered the main topic of my research. What I am looking into is something called the Heart. I have discovered that it is far more than something that keeps one alive; it is the very center of who we are. Every emotion comes from the Heart, be it good or bad. In fact, the darker side of the Heart is something I've become quite interested in.'
When the King asked why someone as wise as Ansem would be interested in something so sinister, the man didn't seem to care.
'I'm curious as to where the power of the Heart comes from, and from the information I have been able to gather, Darkness seems to be the likely source.'
Simple as that. Ansem the Wise told the young King more about his projects, and when he was finished, the young King decided to go home. He was certainly mature enough by now, and he had been gone from home for just over a year; he missed it. He left happy, finally knowing the answer to his question.
When he arrived at the castle, he was immediately met by his Queen, and when he saw her, he knew Ansem had been right.
"I see," Adi said, when Kyrie had reached this point in her story. To be frank he was surprised she remembered it all so clearly. He didn't realized he was repeated the same words that his friend had said so many years ago.
"So the one thing they all had in common, the thing that the young King kept seeing in everyone, even when they were all different..." Kyrie nodded, smiling.
"They all had strong Hearts..."
