Disclaimer:

I own nothing but my OC(s). Everything else belongs to either Square Enix or Disney.


KINGDOM HEARTS: Of Days and Memories

Thirteenth Discretion

Floor II


~.:*:.~

"Rejoice, Naminé. The time is near for you to meet the hero that you've been longing for."

"…Nn? Oh. I…I'm…glad."

"But I'm warning you-"

~.:*:.~


"How are these rooms changing…?" She skidded to a halt only briefly. For though the white walls had not changed, the echoes of a street littered with markets and people surrounded her entirely. Ari was disoriented at best, but at least, to which she was grateful about, she could still recognize that the floor had changed.

It was larger. The main corridor was longer. There were doors tacked now along the walls to her left and right. When originally, there may have been one at best.

She ignored the side-corridors, sprinting down the stretch instead to the main entrance at the other end; where she'd originally traveled through.


~.:*:.~

"Sora… Even if you come for me, what then?"

~.:*:.~


"W-what…?"

Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated thin. The door was locked. She grabbed the handle of one of the doors, tugging hard. It didn't budge.


~.:*:.~

"It doesn't matter what happens to him. I'm protecting Naminé from you."

~.:*:.~


She switched to the other door of the two. Arms braced, foot against the frame to steady her body, she yanked the stone back with her. To no avail. Ari quivered from the strain, foot sliding down until it met the cold floor. Her knees followed after.

She slumped, clinging only to the handle as a means of support as she tried to tame her breathing.


~.:*:.~

"I promised to…keep her safe."

"You…did?"

"There was a meteor shower…this one night when we were little. Naminé got scared, and said- 'What if a shooting star hits the islands?' So I told her: 'If a shooting star comes this way, I will protect you!'"

"You made a promise…! With a toy sword!"

"W-what…? How do you know about that!?"

"Because…-"

~.:*:.~


"Dammit…" she'd tried another, weaker tug. But the doors just wouldn't budge. With eyes closed, she frowned; face buried into her forearm as she still hung tight to the handles. Her brow furrowed. "…Wait…"

She let go, stumbling to stand up as she rummaged in her hoodie pocket for the card. "Maybe…"


~.:*:.~

"You've done well, thus far. However…for you to possess such power, yet fear the Darkness? What a waste."

"I…I do not, fear it!"

"I sense that you do."

"Tch…!"

"You're also quite capable of controlling said Darkness. Why not cast away your useless fear? Open your heart; embrace the Darkness."

"And if I say 'no'?"

"Then you lose both Light and Dark- and disappear!"

~.:*:.~


Nothing.

Her breathing fell into a ragged, immeasurable pattern. The doors did not respond to the card. "This…" she switched her focus between card and doors, and back again to her trembling grip. "Doesn't…what's going on…"

Knuckles white from the strain of the grip she had on the card, she whirled around on her heels. A quick count, she found twelve doors.

"One…at least one has to open."


~.:*:.~

"Her what…?"

"See?"

"Tell me…where did you get that? Gahg…!"

"Riku…? Are yo-"

"Tch… Sora- good try."

"Huh?"

"That must be a fake. I've got the real one right here!"

"Wha- TWO of them!?"

~.:*:.~


The entire endurance of her dilemma, the echoes of busy streets never waned, never died out. Ari tried to shake it off, to block out the noise. But all it seemed to do was taunt her as she tried to pry open the closest ivory door.


~.:*:.~

"Riku…? Riku- wait!"

~.:*:.~


"Nothing…?"

Three doors in. None would budge. Switching strategies, she ran for the doors closest to the other end of the stretch. Bypassing the loudest of the sound in the center, she covered her ears to block out the ghosts she couldn't see.


~.:*:.~

"-It doesn't matter."

"It does matter. How can you two have the same memory? You can't both by right, Sora."

"I'm wrong? Fine- then don't believe me!"

"That's not what he meant. We're just kinda worried."

"Then let's ask Naminé. That'll clear it up."

~.:*:.~


"Dammit, dammit…DAMMIT." She kicked at the fifth door she'd tried altogether. Not a single one had budged. 'Seven more to go, Ari,' she pushed her messy hair from her face, wiping away the gathering of cold sweat from her temple. 'Stay calm. There are seven more doors to try.'


~.:*:.~

"Sora, what happened to ya?"

"What's that mean!?"

"Well, ya always get real touchy when it comes to stuff about Naminé. But, before we came to this castle, you didn't even remember what her name was."

"Now Naminé's the only thing you talk about."

"It doesn't make sense. 'nd what about Ari…? She's been gone an awful long time."

"I'm worried…"

"She…she took off on her own- that's her problem!"

"Sora…"

"Maybe we oughta just slow down and think ahead about some of these things, b'fore we leap into somethin' we're not ready for."

"What is the matter with you guys!? You want me to just abandon Naminé? We're running out of time!"

"No that's not-"

"Then do whatever you want! Lay down and nap for all I care- that'll give you all the time in the world! I'm going to find Naminé!"

"Sora!"

~.:*:.~


The seventh door almost budged. And behind the eighth and ninth she heard the same ghostly echoes replicating a busy town. She was at the tenth, bent over and panting. "I'm so close…" her voice cracked. "So close…"

'Riku…Sora…hang on. Please just hang on…!'


~.:*:.~

"What are you…saying?"

"Just that there's no one here who would want to get in your way… Just make it count."

~.:*:.~


It was the final door, almost dead center on the right-hand wall. It was heavy, she found out quickly. But it budged without need of the card. Hinges screeched under the pressure, to which Ari winced. Though it deafened the sound of ghost and memory.

The room was large, from what little she could see. Small light illuminated pockets of areas, otherwise white-wash bled into dark grays.

The door slammed behind her with the same anguishing creak that it had opened with. She threw a look over her shoulder, knowing full well that she was locked in by the sound of the loud thud and echoing click of bolts setting into place. 'You just don't want to make it easy for me.'

She had to admit- at least the noise of busy streets had quieted since she set foot inside the corridor. So, she breathed.


~.:*:.~

"I'm not going crazy, am I…?"

~.:*:.~


Letting out an exhale, her breath hitched at the sound of-

"Is that…?"


~.:*:.~

"I…I know exactly where this is…"

~.:*:.~


She opened her eyes, frowning into the faint glow of lights leading her farther and farther in. 'I hear…running water? Not a sink or faucet.' She frowned into the wash of dark. "Fountains…?"

Though real or not, she was likelier to assume it was another apparition with no physical form. 'These walls are trying to throw me,' she reasoned out. 'That's all. Nothing more than an illusion to fool the senses.'

Eyeing the nearest source of light, Ari trekked with cautioned weight into her steps towards the point light.


~.:*:.~

"Whassup, Sora?"

"So what'cha wanna do today?"

"Hey, guys! Am I glad to see you, uh…"

~.:*:.~


She nearly tripped on shallow steps. There wasn't enough light for her to see every aspect of the floor- and the sudden dip and decline, while shallow, was enough for her to rethink how cautious she was being.

Heartbeat erratic, she took a sharp inhale and held the oxygen in her lungs. 'Easy, Ari. Small steps. No point in rushing when you can't see two feet in front of your face.'


~.:*:.~

"I bet you want us to take a hike so you two can be alooone, huh?"

"Um…I guess."

"All right, all right. We'll disappear for awhile. Go find her, cowboy."

~.:*:.~


The light was blinding in front of her face, due to its sheer contrast to the washed out shadows otherwise drowning out the room. She winced, squinting into the light only briefly, turning her gaze towards the next small beacon. "It's lower."

Ari stepped diagonally, finding a wall behind the first light to use through touch to guide her along the way. One step. The next foot crossing over. Repeat.

The sound of running water growing steadily stronger.


~.:*:.~

"Gee, thanks for remembering me. It's been, what? A couple of hours?"

"Er…uh… Know what? Never mind. Are you okay? Are you still under Vexen's control?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Vexen…?" She looked up from her book, leaning up from her perch in the bend of the Paopu tree. The sight was so familiar to him. "What's gotten into you?"

"I…I think I understand. You're the Riku and Ari from my memory."

"Sounds more like you're in the land of make-believe."

"Seriously. Whatever, Sora. You've been out in the sun too long. No doubt daydreaming about her."

"H-hey!" But he was laughing. To which the Riku and Ari he was seeing before him echoed. It was…nice.

"Still such a kid- how're you going to take care of her if you act like that?"

"He's got a point, y'know. A real knight isn't gallivanting with imaginary apparitions, goofball."

"Oh come off it! Speaking of her-"

~.:*:.~


She was passing along walls, finding locked doors that wouldn't budge. Only a few lined the walls, but their lack of opening killed her interest quickly. The lights weren't illuminating far enough for her to see everything, but she knew damn well the lack of balance in the contrast was starting to nag at her head.

'If I wasn't stressed before, I am no-'

Ari didn't catch herself as the walls and floor suddenly declined.


~.:*:.~

"Whatever it is, it can't be good. Ari- let's go warn the others!"

"Yeah, alright- before this gets worse."

"Then I should go-"

"Duh."

"We know already- it's your job to look after her."

He saw the look they shared. "Go, Sora!"

To which they vanished beyond that small bridge. But… Sora was puzzled. He could have sworn Ari's hair was…darker…

~.:*:.~


She yelped loudly the moment her thighs splashed into chilled water.

"What!?" Ari scrambled to grab what wall she could, or even railing if her luck favored her. It didn't. She found cold wall and water pouring out from openings high above her head.

She spluttered when she was engulfed by the stream of cold fountain water cascading down, tripping away from the wall and nearly falling backwards. "This…"

She whirled around, movement having slowed from her immersion. The water remained chilled. "There shouldn't be water here… There shouldn't be fountains and pipes in these walls…!"

The cold and the jolt of abnormality embraced her in ice.


~.:*:.~

"Oh no- the island!"

~.:*:.~


She stumbled, colliding with stairs and scrambling up; clawing and scraping her way until she lay sprawled on cold white flooring. Her shoes were water-logged, squelching with every shift she made. The temperature of the water was decreasing her body's at a rapid rate.

"Didn't…think I'd…feel those cold springs again…" Ari bit on a gasp, curling in on her side as she violently shuddered against the cold setting in. It was increasingly becoming harder for her to breathe. From exertion, to high stress, now a chill settling deep into her bones. 'At least now I understand where I was hearing the running water…but…'

Though luck just may have decided to grace her. Her eyes squinted when they cast over the next point light- just feet from where she lay.

"Hm?"


~.:*:.~

"-. But this isn't right. I messed up. I wanted to see you… But this isn't the right way."

"Naminé?"

~.:*:.~


In the hallowed light, the same white polished stone that structured the castle's interior almost entirely…

Well, Ari could see the outline of a set of double doors glistening in the dim light.


~.:*:.~

"You… Sora, you came for me. And I'm so…so happy, but…but to your heart I had t-"

~.:*:.~


She rolled onto her knees, looking up to the shadowed doors. The color, though, was off. That was the first alteration in detail she spotted in what little light her sight could break through. The color of the polished doors were stonier- gray slate and marble. Carved to perfection. 'For nothing else was good enough for the Gardens…'

As she crawled onto her feet, still sopping wet from the thighs down, she fished the card once more from her pocket. The outline of the card reflected a metallic sheen; to her bafflement it was tracing the outline of the doors as she looked up to see the same shine glimmer in a path along the double doors' edge.

"So…it's this way?" 'Whatever it is.'

Her eyes scanned the card. Tilting it so the light reflected down onto the dark black square, she frowned. Pieces were filling in.

'The fountains…at the base of…'


~.:*:.~

"Think, Sora. Think just one more time. About who's most special to you. Call out to that piece of memory, that glimmers faintly deep inside your heart. No matter how far away that light gets, your heart's voice will always reach it."

"Who's…most special to me? Heh. That's an easy one. It's you, Nami-"

~.:*:.~


She shoved the card into her pocket for the last time. "Only forward. Whatever's going on…well…"

'I got myself into this mess, too. I'm not blameless.'

She swallowed, and shoved at the doors' handles. It was heavy, but swung open for her as they pulled her deeper with a blindingly cool-colored light.


~.:*:.~

He was gasping for air. But the hulking man before him- he wouldn't lose to that. He had too much still on the line for him to give in. Riku gripped his blade tightly, breathing haggard, and readied for one last blow to the weakened "Nobody" before him.

"You're finished!"

He didn't expect the sudden exertion when he went in to strike from the other. "Don't mock me!"

Or the feeling of his spine colliding with ceiling. The only thought he held onto while his vision dimmed too rapidly for him to prepare for?

'I can't…breathe…'

~.:*:.~


Author's Endnote:

Confused? Good. This chapter is simply reflecting on everything going on as Ari ends up deeper locked in Castle Oblivion. Next chapter focuses back on her. I promise. (And poor Riku. Ow…)

And I'm sorry I can't update once a week. :( Just too much going on. Including a minor writer's block. ;) But that will ease back. I have plenty of chapters written already, so expect an update every other Sunday! :D

Much love,

~ AoZ