Rancoeur du Coeur
Disclaimers: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts 2, or any part of Disney or Square-Enix. I own the million of OC's you will be seeing inside this story and the story idea.
Authors Note: (Revised 9/17/10)
Well, not too much to say other than I've been pretty inspired with this story. I kind of promised a OWG update to several people but since I am trying to make that a lengthy update, I decided to continue on with this piece since I received an epiphany in the middle of the night with it. So here is another chapter for you guys who enjoy it! If you like it, don't forget to leave a review and let me know:D
This chapter will be interesting as we see Sora and Roxas get ready for their mission, and as we further see Sora dive into darkness.
DETAILED SUMMARY: To Sora, life was as perfect as it could be. He was engaged to Kairi, a well-respected Keyblade bearer, and just a happy go-lucky 21 year old. That was, until a new cult of fallen Keyblade wielders decided to eliminate the Princesses of Hearts. Helpless to save her, Sora vows to avenge Kairi's murder anyway he can, even if it means giving into darkness. And Roxas, who had lost Naminé when Kairi was killed, secedes from Sora to help him in his cause. But as they get closer to reaching their goal, Roxas starts to realize the consequences of what he and Sora intend to do. SK RN
QUICK SUMMARY: He couldn't protect her, but he would avenge her. SK RN
Chapter 3: The Art of Losing Yourself
Grief is a form of art.
A feeling that evokes more than one emotion to the performer, grief is expressed through various ways. Some choose to hold in their grief, by taking the feeling of bravery. Others let the feeling be expressed with sorrow, anger, or frustration. And then there are those who act on the emotion; and these are most commonly known as those who acquire a taste for the sentiment of vengeance. But whatever the emotion chosen, it is for certain that grief can be admired like a painting, a dance, or a statue.
Any outsider would view the grief in Destiny Islands as such beauty. Indeed, the piece of art would be considered sad and tragic, but also disturbingly beautiful in the aspect of how a community could be affected by one person. That one person being Kairi, whose funeral in the morning caused those in the night some restlessness. But none more than one spiky haired man in particular…
Sora had fallen in and out of sleeping throughout the night. His mind wouldn't let him forget the atrocious event that had befallen him the previous week. The more the blue eyed hero thought about it, the more pain it caused him. But he couldn't stop…
He kept hearing her laughter in his ears. His mind kept replaying images of her in her finest hours, looking like a goddess every time. Sora frowned as he was starting to accept that Kairi would only exist in his memories. And he knew very well that after a while, memories tended to fade.
As he continued to stare up at the ceiling, Sora contemplated what was going to happen that day. The funeral and all its gloom would indeed take up the majority of it. Afterwards, Sora and Roxas would start their mission to protect the princesses. More importantly, to find out who was behind this evil conspiracy.
Vulcan was about to face his maker; with Sora's help. Although the plan seemed simple, there was still much to worry about. The weapon Vulcan wielded was cruel and powerful. In order to be able to defeat him, Sora would have to learn exactly how to fight his way around the bludgeon.
"I'll find a way," he thought, "there has to be one."
He hoped his thoughts would prove to be correct.
Interrupted by a knock, Sora glanced over to the door, ceasing his thoughts for the moment.
"Can I come in Sora?" It was Riku. He was dressed up in the tux he planned to wear for the funeral.
"Yeah, I'm awake."
Riku entered to see Sora still lying on his bed, gazing upwards. "Were you able to sleep at all?" he questioned, taking note of the dark circles under Sora's eyes.
His friend shook his head. "Nah, not really," he said, "there was just too much on my mind…" Sora answered.
Riku nodded understandingly. "I can imagine," he replied to his friend, taking a seat at the edge of the bed.
Sora sat up and looked at the piercing blue eyes of his comrade. He began to speak in a soft voice, "…I guess I just still think that this is already some sort of nightmare and that I'll be waking up soon, hopefully."
"I wish it were true," the silver haired man answered. "It's been a week and the news still seems surreal," Riku muttered, "the pain still feels surreal…"
His friend sighed. "It fucking hurts Riku."
Riku frowned at the comment. "Sora, I know you're grieving but," he tried to think of the right words to say, "…I hope that you don't lose the light in you because of this."
Sora let out a laugh. It sounded pained and bitter. "Oh God," he chuckled sadly, "does my newfound vocabulary offend you, Riku?" he asked with an icy tone.
Riku felt a shiver go up his spine.
"I'm changing inside, and it's quite possible that it's for the worst," Sora stated.
"You know you don't have to give into darkness…"
"Riku, Kairi was my light. She's dead. My light is dead," Sora continued. "There's no way to revive Kairi and that means I can't get that light back that all of you saw in me. It's not there anymore. It won't be coming back."
Riku stared solemnly at Sora. "Is that a promise?"
"I'd rather think of it as a certainty."
"You know you are fully capable of controlling your own destiny," Riku answered.
The Keybearer snorted. "The hell that I am," he began, "I couldn't control what happened to her."
Riku sighed. He felt compelled to argue but not today. Not on this day.
"Listen, let's just change the subject." He suggested. "It's 9:00 now and the funeral begins in an hour. We should get going as quickly as possible," Riku commented getting up and getting ready to leave. He gave his friend one last glance. "And please," he started to beg, "…don't be this way when we're there. She wouldn't have liked that…" Riku whispered as he closed the door behind him.
Sora let out a small scoff. "Whatever…" he murmured rising from the bed. He went over to his bag of clothes the hospital had recovered for him. The tuxedo he wore on the night Kairi died was not necessarily in mint condition; the fabric was torn in several places where Vulcan had struck him. Sora shook his head in disgust. "Now what am I going to wear?" he asked himself aloud. He sighed and decided to go find Riku and see if he had anything.
Down the hall of the house, Sora found Riku and the rest of his friends who spent the night in the kitchen. They were grabbing a quick bite to eat before leaving. Most of them were already ready, save one blonde haired companion.
"I would've gotten up earlier if you all needed me to," Sora said to them.
"You needed your sleep," Donald said.
"Yeah," Goofy continued. "We still have a while to spare. There's no rush," he stated.
Sora gave a quick nod to his old partners. "I'm glad to see you guys, even in these circumstances," he replied. The two beamed at him. Sora turned and glanced at Riku. "My tux was damaged last week," he informed. "Do you have anything else I could wear?"
"The same goes for me," Roxas added in. He smiled sheepishly. "I didn't necessarily have the time to go and pack," the blonde continued.
Riku frowned. "Even if my clothes were your size, I'm afraid I don't have anything you two could wear that's really meant for a funeral," he confessed.
"Well I'm screwed," Sora muttered upset at the situation.
"It shouldn't be that big of a deal to them, Sora," Riku stated. "I sure they would under-"
"It's disrespectful," The Keybearer interrupted looking solemn. "She deserves the utmost respect," he whispered.
Riku frowned yet again, knowing that the situation bothered Sora more than he originally thought. Noticing the upset the state of affairs had caused, King Mickey decided to address it with a solution he seemed to already have.
"Ahem," King Mickey spoke up, "I hope you don't mind Sora and Roxas, but I took the liberty of arranging for two outfits for you," he said taking out a box. "It came just a few minutes ago."
Upon receiving it, Roxas had a puzzled expression on his face. "…uh, they're not necessarily formal." He stated as he took the two outfits out.
"But they're black," Sora pointed out.
Both outfits consisted of dark combat suits that resembled that of Leon's from when Sora first met him. They came with two separate black jackets. One happened to be a full length jacket while the other one ended at the chest.
Still confused, Roxas question, "So…what are they exactly for? I somehow doubt they're for the funeral."
"You're correct Roxas," the King stated, "they're for you mission afterwards," he clarified. "Sora, I'm sure you haven't forgotten that your last suit allowed you to do drive forms with Donald and Goofy."
"…yeah, but what does that have to do with-"
"I'm getting there!" Mickey insisted. "With these outfits, you won't need to have Donald or Goofy around to activate the drive forms that come with it. Think of it as an upgrade to your old suit," he said.
Roxas raised an eye at the jacket. "Are the jackets necessary though? It'll make me look like a spy or something…" he commented.
"They're not normal jackets," Mickey told him. He took the fabric and attempted to tear it with no such luck. "It's a lightweight armor made with a non shred fabric," he explained, "it would take a lot to cause a rip in it," The King continued.
Riku let out a chuckle. "You certainly have a lot of time on your hand to order such detailed suits."
King Mickey grinned. "What can I say? I'm a mouse of many connections," he stated. "Workers at the castle have been working on several prototypes for the suits whenever Sora was needed to come back into action. And I simply requested that they send us two of them."
"So wait," Sora interrupted, "they're not finished yet?"
"I never said that…"
"But you just said that they're prototypes," Sora pointed out.
"Sora, I wouldn't worry about it too much," The King said. "If you run into any problems with them, simply contact us and we'll see to it that it's fixed."
Sora sighed. "If you insist," he commented.
Roxas grinned. "Dibs on the half jacket!" he exclaimed seizing it from the box. He smiled at Sora like a child. "You can be the one who looks like Shaft." Roxas told him.
Obviously not amused by the comment, Sora took the long jacket and his suit and went into the other room to change. He muttered a "Hmm," before leaving.
"Not really the best thing to say to the guy," Riku said.
Roxas shrugged. "Eh, I thought I'd take a jab at cheering him up," he admitted. A frown appeared on his face. "But I guess he isn't as light hearted as before," the Nobody stated.
"Can you blame him?" Riku questioned.
"No," Roxas said. He had a sorrowful look on his face. "I know where he's coming from…" Roxas continued. An image of Naminé crossed his mind. He shook his head to try and rid himself of it. Thinking of her was too painful for him.
"Are you ok?"
Roxas snapped back to reality. "…yeah, I'm good," he said. The blonde grabbed the rest of his outfit. "I'm going to go change in the other room," Roxas stated as he left.
"He's hurting in a different way," King Mickey said.
"What do you mean?" Riku asked.
"Roxas lost Naminé just like Sora has lost Kairi, but Roxas is trying to not think about it whereas Sora is dwelling on the memories of Kairi."
"When you don't think about painful memories, it makes the hurt diminish a little," Goofy added into the conversation.
"But would you really want to forget the person completely?" Donald wondered in response.
King Mickey sighed. "Everyone handles grief differently, so it's hard to say which method works the best," he said. "I think both of them will need to learn how to handle their pain with the time that comes. Otherwise, I'm not so sure of how that will begin to affect them."
Sora came out of his room and reentered the kitchen in his new attire. He seemed pleased with it for the most part. In all honesty, Roxas was correct about him looking a bit like Shaft but Sora didn't seem to mind too much. He thought it went well with not only that of an outfit for a funeral, but also it embodied a bit of how Sora felt.
"Not too shabby," Riku told him, examining the outfit.
"It works, I suppose," Sora responded.
Roxas came out with his own suit moments later. "I'm liking this better than I had originally thought," he said as gave off a few tiny poses.
"I'm glad," Mickey stated. "Well now that you two seem to be settled, we should head over to the church," he commented.
The others nodded in agreement, and they all followed the king out to the car.
The Church (9:45)
While King Mickey, Riku, Donald, and Goofy had gotten out of the car right when Riku parked, Sora and Roxas remained. Sora due to his thoughts, and Roxas out of waiting for Sora.
"I don't know if I can go in there," Sora admitted to his other half.
"I know it may not seem like it, but I think it'll make you feel better having something to say goodbye to," Roxas said.
"Why bother? She's already gone," Sora stated. "Saying goodbye to an inanimate shell isn't going to help. If anything, seeing her will make matters worse."
Roxas was pensive for a moment before he spoke again. "I think she would want you there," he told him.
"How would you know?" Sora posed with a bit of iciness in his tone.
His Nobody frowned slightly. "Because I know that Naminé always made me say goodbye to her every time we had to part way," he whispered. "And I think she would want that even in death," Roxas continued. "It's fair to say that I believe Kairi would want something similar," he said. "And you at least have a body to say goodbye to…"
Sora regretted his original response to Roxas' thinking. "I-I didn't mean to answer you like that," he muttered. He sighed. "You're right though," Sora admitted. He opened the door to get out, as did Roxas. "We should go inside," He told him.
"Out of respect I think I should kind of stay in the back of the church," Roxas said. "After all, I was never formally introduced with her and I am sure there are others who'd rather be up close," he informed Sora.
"If that suits you," Sora told him as they traveled up the stairs to the church entrance. The cathedral was placed atop of a mountain on the island that overlooked the sea. In the back there was a graveyard near the cliff's edge. In its own little spot away from the other graves, a new hole was dug by the verge. A Sakura tree was looking over it. Sora frowned as he realized that would be Kairi's grave-site.
Upon entering the building, Roxas remained in the back rows as Sora slowly made his way down the long aisle. Dimly, he saw the outline of an open white casket. He swallowed hard as he came closer to the site. It was the longest walk of his life.
Sora was received by his friends near the front. It was obvious to see that they had been either crying or tearing up. The most evident of these happened to be Selphie, who embraced the blue eyed man in a tight hug.
"Oh Sora," she whimpered with her hot tears running down her cheeks. "I can't believe this is happening…"
Unsure of how to exactly comfort her, Sora just simply returned the hug. "I know," he whispered. "It's all unreal," he continued.
Tidus placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. His face was red as well. "I'm glad to see you're alright," he said.
"I have you two to thank for finding me," Sora told to Tidus and Wakka.
"You would've done da same for us, brudda," Wakka stated.
Tidus let out a sigh. "I'm so sorry man," he apologized. "We'll miss her," Tidus continued.
"At least she's not in pain," Wakka added, trying to make light of the situation. "We'll see her soon,"
"…but not soon enough," Sora stated leaving them and headed towards the casket.
And there she was; still glorious looking even in death. Kairi was placed in a dark blue dress that Sora recalled as being her favorite. In her hands there was a white rose tuck underneath. Sora desperately tried to hold back the tears that wanted to form.
"God, you're still beautiful," he whispered quietly to the lifeless corpse.
Sora looked at her fingers and noticed the ring wasn't there. A wave of panic overtook him at the moment. He turned to face his friends.
"Where's her-"
"…ring?"
The Keyblade Master turned to see that the voice that answered him belonged to the mayor. He frowned as the elder man approached him. "I'm sorry for your loss, sir," Sora whispered.
"Oh Sora, it's not just my loss," The mayor answered in a sad tone. "She was as much yours as she was mine," he continued handing Sora the diamond ring that belonged to Kairi. "I…didn't know if you had wanted to keep it on her or if you wanted to have it for yourself to remember her by."
The blue eyed man examined the item placed in his hands. He thought it would be appropriate for her to be buried with the ring; it would bury the hope of ever being married along with it. But Sora felt compelled by another force; the feeling of selfishness for certain memories.
"You know mayor," he began, "I think I'll keep it after all."
"Very well then," the mayor answered him. The church bells rang as everyone else took their seats. "I believe the ceremony is starting," he said quietly to the younger man as he sat down. Sora took a seat by Riku and put the ring in his pocket.
Sobs could be heard all over as the priest conducted the ceremony. Sora attempted to pay attention to the words spoken, but failed. He kept thinking of memories between him and his departed loved one.
"Look Sora! A shooting star!"
Sora adverted his eyes to the sky, trying to eye the site that the 17-year-old Kairi had pointed out. They were atop of the tree house that was above the secret place. It was just the two of them on a late night picnic. Although they had been dating for a year, their relationship wasn't too serious at the time. None of them had ever exchanged the phrase "I love you," yet. They were sitting on a blanket, stargazing. Kairi was snuggled in Sora's arms.
"I don't see anything Kairi…" Sora admitted.
Kairi giggled. "Oh well," she started out to say, "I guess you don't get a wish then!" Kairi exclaimed.
He stuck his tongue out at her. "Whatever," Sora commented. A few moments had gone by before he spoke up again. "Say Kairi," he began, "What exactly did you wish for?" he wondered.
"Wouldn't you like to know…" Kairi answered with a wink.
Sora tickled her slightly. "I'm serious," he said.
Kairi laughed for a few seconds. "Okay, okay I'll tell you!" she replied.
The brunette chuckled. "Now that's a good girl…"
"I wished…" Kairi started out. She turned red. "Ahh, I can't do this," Kairi said.
"Oh c'mon, you're not getting off that easily!"
"Sora, I really don't think I can tell you. Not only is it against the rules of wishing on a star, but it's slightly embarrassing."
"Kairi," Sora stated, "you know you can tell me anything. Even if it is embarrassing, I won't laugh!" he promised.
"You swear?"
"I swear,"
Kairi took a breath. "Alright," she said. "…I wished," Kairi began, "…I wished that you and me could always be together. That we wouldn't be separated again like we were before," she admitted.
Sora smiled at her. "Kai, that's not silly at all," he said.
"Don't lie to make me feel better Sora!"
"But I'm not," Sora answered looking into her eyes. The stars seemed to twinkle in them. "If I had seen the star, I would've probably wished for the same thing," he admitted. Sora tightened his grip around Kairi. "I don't ever want to have to leave you again," he whispered.
Kairi rested her head on his shoulders. "You really mean that?" she asked with a slight tremble.
In response, Sora cupped her chin and kissed her gently.
That was all Kairi needed to be reassured of Sora's legitimacy.
"...is there anyone here who wishes to say something on behalf of Kairi's memory?"
Sora's thoughts were interrupted as the priest posed his questioned. He looked around to see who would go up. Riku decided to break the ice.
"I will," he said softly. The priest nodded his head as he let Riku take the place at the podium. Up there, the cerulean eyed man let out a soft chuckle. "It's fitting for her to be in a white casket," he murmured. "She always was the epitome of purity and light," Riku continued.
More sobs could be heard as he talked.
"The way I remember Kairi, is the way I think most of you here today remember her," the silverette continued. "She was always smiling and happy. God it was annoying sometimes how she could always remain so optimistic," He chided. He received a few small laughs from the crowd. "Kairi never thought of herself, but always those she held dear to her," Riku whispered. Tears started to formulate in his eyes. "I'm really going to miss that about her." He said softly.
A tear managed to slide down his cheek. "I know I am honored to not only have known her for the wonderful woman that she was, but to be consider one of her closest friends," he continued on. "I loved her like she was my own little sister. Growing up with her was a joy because she made everything we've been through an enjoyable experience," He continued. Riku let out a sigh. "I almost can't fathom how it's going to be without her."
"Stop," Sora's mind begged. "Don't even let me think about that…" his inner self pleaded.
"I apologize if I sound cliché but even though she is no longer here physically, I know Kairi will continue to exist in all of our memories and in our hearts."
"God," Sora thought holding back tears. "Please stop it. I can't take it anymore…"
Luckily for Sora, Riku was just about finished. His friend turned and faced the casket. "Rest in Peace Kairi," he whispered. "You'll be missed," Riku finished as he left the podium and proceed to his seat.
Sora was digging his nails into his hands. Holding back his tears was a harder task than originally thought. The Keybearer observed those around him. It seemed as if everyone was looking at him, expecting to go up. But he knew he wouldn't be able to handle saying anything.
King Mickey leaned over and whispered in Sora's ears, "Don't feel obligated to do anything you don't have to."
But Sora did feel obligated. Kairi was after all, the love of his life.
His conscious eventually got the better of him.
Sora proceeded to the podium. He looked out to everyone. The people in the church appeared so distraught. Everyone ranging from his friends, to strangers, to Roxas all the way in the back…the sorrow in the room was intense.
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
The hero of the worlds tried again, but he couldn't seem to formulate any type of terminology. His heart ached at his inability to do so. "I give up," he thought. Sora, instead of speaking, left the podium and headed to the casket.
He looked down upon Kairi once more and examined her. Her mouth was tight and her expression did not convey any form of life of happiness. It was so unlike her…
"They want to know how I feel about her," Sora thought. He leaned over Kairi's face. "This is how I feel…" he whispered, giving Kairi a kiss. He drew back though.
She was so cold.
Sora's chest became tight again and he was getting dizzy. He quickly took his seat and stared at the floor of the church. The audience remained silent.
Roxas felt a tear slide down his cheek. Sora's act was very moving to him because he knew exactly how he felt. "Oh Naminé…" he whispered. More tears came down his cheeks. "I'm sorry I wasn't there…" he murmured. Roxas buried his head in his hands.
The priest conducted the last prayers as the ceremony closed. "At this time we ask that whoever wishes to view the body for one last time to do so now," he said.
The aisle filled quickly. Sora, although in the first row, let others before him. Roxas had risen and was walking towards him. Sora decided to wait for him at the end before he said goodbye one last time.
Selphie sobbed uncontrollably as she said her farewells. Tidus took Selphie and comforted her as she finished and the line progressed. Wakka touched his heart and then Kairi's hand. Goofy and Donald removed their hats and bowed slightly towards the casket. A few glimpses of tears could be seen in their eyes. King Mickey tipped his head towards Kairi. Riku affectionately stroked her arm as he passed by.
By the time Roxas arrive, Sora and he were the last in line. Roxas nodded towards Sora, going before him. He looked at Kairi and let out a gentle smile. "I love you Naminé…" he whispered towards the body so that no others could hear him. Roxas gave a quick squeeze on Kairi's hand. "I'll see you both someday soon," he said leaving.
Sora peered into the casket for a third and final time. He knew that they had to get going with her burial. He bent down and whispered into Kairi's ear.
"You were my everything, Kairi," he murmured. Sora kissed her cold cheek one last time. "I'll love you forever," he continued with his words getting choked up. Sora memorized the vision of her in his head so that he could remember it. But truthfully, he didn't want to remember her like this…
The spiky haired man moved away from the casket and allowed the pallbearers to close the casket, and take it out to the back.
On the site, the crowd gathered for one last time as they lowered the casket into the ground. Sora's face remained solemn and without tears. His inside was eating away at him.
"She's really gone…"
I know,
"Do you really?"
Yes…
By this time, the casket was in the ground and the dirt had been placed back over the hole. People were starting to head towards their cars and getting ready to leave. Sora wasn't ready though. He still had some things to say…
"Do you want a few minutes alone?" Riku inquired.
Sora nodded. "I would like that," he muttered.
Roxas and Riku nodded and started to head down to the parking lot. Sora was left to stare at the freshly covered ground. Flowers were placed atop of it. Sora gazed up for a moment. He could see the sea so clearly from the edge. It was stormy off in the distance, causing the sky to become dark. He knew it would rain soon so he tried to hurry up.
"I-I loved you first," Sora whispered to the grave.
No answer.
"I hope you know that," he continued on.
Still nothing…
The Keybearer suppressed a cry. "It's not fair that this happened to you…to us," he whispered. "I wish I was down there with you right now," Sora admitted.
Silent as the grave had a whole new meaning to him…
His expression grew angry. "I swear they'll pay for this," the man stated.
Sora's voice became filled with hate. "I couldn't protect you," he said softly, "but I will avenge you," Sora continued, "I swear it."
God, why couldn't he at least imagine her answering him?
"I'll come to visit you soon, when I'm done with everything," The brunette said. He looked up at the Sakura, which was in bloom and he plucked a flower off of it. Sora kissed it and tossed it on the grave. It was now oh so conveniently raining, casting an ever darker cloud on the day.
Sora quivered for a moment. "Goodbye…Kairi…" he whispered as he turned to leave.
All the cars had left already except for one. Riku, Roxas, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were all waiting for Sora. The Keyblade Master got into the car as Riku proceeded to head out.
"Did you get to say goodbye?" his friend wondered.
Sora hesitated a bit, but nodded. "Yeah, I did…" he whispered.
Riku let out a small smile. "I'm glad," he responded.
King Mickey spoke up from the back, "The Highlander has been prepared for you and Roxas," he said, "Riku is taking us there right now."
"So, exactly how is this going to play out?" Sora asked.
"You're expected to arrive at Hollow Bastion sometime today. Leon and the rest of them will be expecting you." Mickey explained. "I sent a radiogram to them last night and informed them of the situation. Aurora was brought there for protection and you and Roxas will be going to see if everything's alright," he continued. "After that, proceed to the worlds and check on the other princesses as well. While you're there you might learn some things about our new enemies. We'll be searching for answers as well," The King informed, "You'll be able to contact us for help through the ship if you need it."
"We should be able to do that," Roxas said with a small grin.
Sora nodded slightly. "It sounds like a plan."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you guys?" Riku asked.
"I need you here, Riku," King Mickey said before anyone else. "You'll assist me in trying to figure out what we're up against."
Riku frowned. He thought he'd be spending his time more wisely on the ship with Sora and Roxas, trying to protect the other princesses.
"We'll be fine Riku," Sora assured him.
"You think you can handle it at this time?" Riku wondered.
"I think we can," Roxas replied.
Riku sighed. He still wasn't convinced, but what choice did he have?
They had finally reached the beach where the Highlander was parked. Sora and Roxas got out of the car and placed their jackets over their head to block the rain.
King Mickey looked at them and smiled. "I have faith in you two," he said. "If anyone can do this task, it's the both of you," the mouse continued.
"Be careful you guys," Riku added in a cautious tone.
"We'll try to be…" Sora stated with a sly smile.
Riku let out his own tiny smile. Sora shook his hand tightly. "See you soon," he continued.
"GOOD LUCK!" Donald and Goofy chimed from the back seat.
Both Roxas and Sora smiled at them and waved goodbye. They then quickly dashed for the Highlander as the rain poured ever harder. The two got in without any trouble.
King Mickey sighed. He hoped he would be correct about them being alright.
"Should we stay to see them take off?" Riku asked.
"No, we should head to the reception and probably inform the guests on why Kairi's fiancée will not be attending," The King said.
"I'm sure by now they're wondering where we've gone to," Goofy added.
Riku hesitated for a moment, but took once last glance at the Highlander, and then drove away.
"Good luck Sora…and Roxas. I hope you'll be ok."
"Do you know how to fly this thing?" Roxas asked as he looked around the ship. It was more spacious than when Sora had originally traveled in it. There were a couple of bedrooms and the cockpit had some walking room.
Sora paused for a moment. "You want the honest to God truth?" he asked.
"Usually when one poses a question, that's what they expect," Roxas answered with some amusement.
"Donald was always the one to fly this thing," Sora admitted.
Roxas walked over to the controls. "Hmm, maybe we can just start it and then put it on auto-pilot." He suggested. Roxas began to reach for the ignition.
"You know," Sora began, "I wouldn't…"
Roxas started the ship and entered the coordinates to get to Hollow Bastion.
"…do that," Sora stated.
"Destination: Hollow Bastion. Auto-Pilot: Engaged," The computer said monotonously.
And with that, the ship began to fly into the air instantly with an enormous amount of speed. Luckily for Sora, he had already strapped himself in. Roxas, however, happened to still be standing, causing him to fall back. And by the time the ship had slowed down in space; he was in the back of the cockpit.
Sora couldn't help but let out a snicker.
Disheveled a bit, Roxas tried to regain himself and proceed back to the front. "…I…am…never…doing that again," he stated.
"Glad to hear it," Sora said. "You might want to sit down and buckle up in case we run into any trouble while in the air," He suggested.
His Nobody agreed with that suggestion and immediately strapped himself in.
Time passed by and the ship was silent for a bit. Roxas, never one to enjoy the silence, decided to speak.
"…you did a nice job up there, today."
Sora turned to his counterpart. "I didn't do anything really…" he admitted.
"But you did," Roxas began to explain, "you showed us what she meant to you."
The brunette shrugged. "I guess," he whispered.
Roxas frowned. "…would it be better if I didn't discuss that topic anymore?" he asked.
"…yes actually. I think it would be a bit better." Sora answered.
Roxas nodded. "Alright then," he said.
Silence overtook them once more. Roxas had wanted to think of other things to talk about, but he looked at Sora who was filled with sorrow and realized that Sora didn't want to speak about anything at the moment. He was way too busy in thought.
Sora gazed out into the galaxy in front of them. All he could think about was Kairi. She just couldn't leave his mind. And Sora thought he was just day dreaming, but he swore he saw a shooting star go by.
"Arriving at your destination of HOLLOW BASTION," The computer informed.
The brunette shook his head out of thought as he and Roxas gazed at the planet before them.
"That wasn't too bad of a flight," the blonde said. "I think we got it down!" he exclaimed cheerily.
"Yeah, if you exclude the actual getting down part," Sora answered.
Roxas' face grew still as he realized that neither one of them knew how to land. "Oh…no…" he muttered.
The ship's alarms went off as Hollow Bastion's gravity pulled the Highlander down.
"SHIT!" Sora exclaimed. He started pressing buttons to try to land the ship correctly as it was hurling down. "SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" Sora continued to yell.
He and Roxas both screamed as the Highlander crashed into the world known as Hollow Bastion.
…and I'll leave you off there :D
I am really starting to love this story and once the next few chapters come out, it'll really get juicy!
But yeah, if you guys like music that goes with a story, download "Seize the Day" by Avenged Sevenfold. I originally had the lyrics in this story but was advised against having them in a fanfic. Listen to song though, and see how it flows perfectly with how I see both Sora and Roxas dealing with the deaths of their loved ones. "Videotape" by Radiohead is another gorgeous song that seems to fit too.
Next Chapter: Sora and Roxas make it to Hollow Bastion barely alive and discover some news that they certainly did not want to hear.
Many thanks to my reviewers; your words of encouragement keep this story alive. You all know who you are.
Love,
SonChan