A.N.: What's up everyone! This is Malcolm Yuy here. And this is the newest update for this fic. Now I know, some of you may be wondering (who don't read the Author's Notes) what is this? Where's the chapter? Well, I have written that after every five chapters, there will be an interlude. Think of this as an intermission…a break from reading all those long chapters (even though you may like reading them)…
Don't worry though, there will still be a Recommended Read at the end of this interlude.
From the previous chapter, it seems like Typical Sundays answered one of my questions correctly. Sora's license plate read Keyblade Master if you paid close attention to the way the letters and numbers were arranged, so a shout out to her!! Congrats!! Also, if you also noticed (or not), Migum is rearranged from Gummi. So think what you will. I hope you continue to enjoy reading this fic.
As for the song in the last chapter, I uh…wrote that. Of course, if it was by someone else I would've made a disclaimer saying I don't own the song for that chapter, but, I do. I hoped it was okay.
I just hope you enjoy reading this. That's all I really have to say about this.
This First Interlude is dedicated the memory of a relative of mine, the late Margie Saxon Smith. May she Rest in Peace.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, it's owned by Square-Enix and Disney. I'm just using the characters for story purposes.
Italics: Thoughts, flashbacks…
3/11/08- Edited for spelling, grammar, and storyline consistency.
Terms you should know:
Japanese:
Yokata- "What a relief," or "That's a relief."
French:
Jaune- yellow.
Tasse- Cup.
Ancienne- One way of saying "old."
"Portrait of a Young Woman"
By
Malcolm Yuy
Interlude I: La Vie Après
"Kairi…"
Oiseau whistles and faint sounds could be heard as the sky permeated a white-grey color, covering the backdrop of landscape. A relatively small, black automobile parked against the curb, as an aging man stepped out. Dressed in an attire of black, and a white cravat, a silver haired gentleman made his way toward the house, carrying a mahogany object, tucked under his left arm as he approached the maison. After looking around the front for a few moments, the gentleman rapped his hand upon the door, before having it retreat to the pockets of his dusk-shaded blazer. A small smile appeared on his features as the portal opened. An aging face, eyes blue as the sky peered back at the man's aquamarine ones. A small chuckle emitted from the other man's lips.
"Long time no see, Sora-kun…" An old man with unruly, aged hair regarded the man standing before him at his doorstep. Where once the man had long, shaggy hair, it had now been drastically trimmed to a short cut to emphasize his maturity over the years. Where his bangs used to cover his eyebrows, and sometimes his aqua eyes at one point, now were much shorter as they now stood, spiked in a neat order. Like himself, the other homme also had a beard, though his wasn't fully grown. It only covered the portion above and around his lips, and connected to his chin. The old man offered a smile to the other standing before him.
"It has been a long time, hasn't it Riku? Please, come in. I could use some company," a humble voice echoed, as he stood aside to let his friend through. The man known as Riku faintly nodded his head.
"Much obliged." The other man, known as Sora closed the door behind him as he and Riku walked within the house. Riku examined the walls, adorned with family portraits that had adjoined to the surfaces over the years. He smiled softly as he examined each one, until the two made their way into the living room. As the two stood at the entrance, Riku took the time to examine his long-time friend.
Unlike Riku, who was almost all adorned in black, Sora was adorned in a white dress shirt, along with a black vest as the tail of the white chemise peeked out from underneath. He wore violet-red colored slacks, and his feet were adorned in jaune chaussures. He quirked an eyebrow at the choice of his friend's attire, but taking a more observant view of it, a faint smirk came as he thought it worked. He then looked back up to the spiky-haired man standing before him.
"Please, sit down. Is there anything you'd like to drink?" Sora asked, as he stood near the couch. Riku nodded.
"Tea, if you have it please." Sora smiled.
"Then please remain here while I make the tea. It should only be a few minutes," the once colored brunet said, as he slightly bowed, before disappearing from the silver-haired man, retreating into the confines of his kitchen. Meanwhile, Riku leaned forward, his arms making his right angles against his legs as the homme had his hands clasped together in pondering position. As his irises regarded the windows ahead, one thought traveled across his mind as it made itself known.
"This house hasn't changed, after all these years…" he silently reflected.
"You say something..?" his companion made his way back into the living room, carrying two white tea cups and a matching pitcher upon a silver tray. Riku just shook his head as another chuckle escaped from his lips.
"It was nothing Sora-kun, nothing…"
"If you say so then." The tray was placed on a nearby table, and Riku made room as the two sat next to each other on the couch. As Sora poured the brown liquid into the two tasses, his hand placed on the violet-hued top of the white pitcher, his aquamarine-eyed companion took the time to examine his tea cup.
"This one looks a little chipped," Riku said, as he noticed that part of the cup was missing, as a small, upside-down triangular space filled the area of the missing piece. Sora looked alarmed at seeing it.
"Forgive me. This teaware this very ancienne. If you want, I'll gladly exchange cups with you," Sora replied. Riku quickly shook his head.
"No, don't worry about it. It'll be okay, I think…" His spiky-haired companion sighed in relief.
"Yokata…" Riku took careful notice to cup one of his hands around the miniature container as he lifted the warm mixture to his mouth. A hint of a reversed arch reached his visage as he sampled it.
"It's good." Sora smiled in kind.
"I'm glad you think so," Sora commented. The two sat in silence as they continued delighting themselves in the timeless liquid. Riku then sat his cup against the tray as he looked at his old comrade.
"So, how have you been doing, my old friend?" The silver-haired adult asked, as turquoise eyes looked at the unruly-haired man beside him. Azure eyes, filled with faint mirth turned to gaze at his.
"As well as I could possibly be. And you?" the elder Akari questioned in return. Riku lightly shrugged in his suit.
"You'll be pleased to know that I've been doing well too." Sora nodded lightly, and together, the two positioned themselves to face the window. Silence echoed throughout the residence as the two sat there, taking turns sipping from their cups of tea. After a few moments of tranquility, Riku's eyes softened as he opened his mouth, as he decided to break the quietness.
"Are you…hurting?" he asked, as he turned to observe Sora. Sora's eyes glanced at his for a moment, before their attention focused back upon the portal before them.
"As much as can be expected. I…I don't…I don't really know what to say," he responded, his eyes mirroring hurt and pain. Riku frowned, before looking back to the outside.
"It's okay. In all honesty, I'm sorry for bringing it up," he said. Sora shook his head as he closed his eyes.
"Don't worry about it. It's about time I speak about my feelings…and if there was anyone else I wanted to talk about them with, it'd be you…you're one of the people I hold closest to me Riku. You are my best friend after all, right?" the elder Akari questioned as he opened his eyes to glance at his friend. Riku only nodded his head.
"I'll always be your best friend. Don't ever forget that." Silence came again as the two men regarded the window. As they looked onto the dewed, light-colored yard, dotted with green clovers, the two both narrowed their eyes as they focused on something in particular.
"Hey Riku, what happens when a bird dies?" Sora asked. Riku turned to regard his friend. And as he did so, he thought he could almost see the young, marron-haired young man as he sat before him, his hair slightly swaying. But, as the silver-haired man blinked his eyes, the image faded, leaving him with a person almost as old as himself. A hint of a smile graced his lips as he looked at the elder Akari, before turning back to view the situation.
"Just watch." The two looked on expectantly at the unfolding event. Apprehension formed in the atmosphere, as the two continued waiting there for something to happen. Then, a few moments later, the faint sound of wings echoed, before a remorseful song filled the air.
"They sing…"
"Well, I'd like to stay and chat, but I really need to go. I have Orchestra rehearsal in half an hour. I'll keep you posted on things," Riku said, as he now stood at the doorway. Sora nodded.
"That'll be nice. And I will too," Sora stated, a small smile lighting his features. The elder Hakumei returned the smile.
"Good." He then placed his hands on each of Sora's shoulders, and gazed into Sora's sky-colored irises. "And remember, if there's anything you want to talk about, don't hesitate to call me. I want you to know that I'll try to help in any way that I can," Riku said. A light chuckle came from the Akari's lips.
"I know. Thank you, Riku," the unruly haired gentleman said. Riku's hands left his friend's shoulders as he slightly bowed.
"You're welcome. And now, if you excuse me, I must be leaving," he replied. Sora only nodded again.
"Okay." Riku then shifted his position and Sora noticed that Riku had something tucked under his left arm.
"Riku..?"
"Yes..?" Riku stopped to glance at his old companion. Sora only examined him in question as he pointed his finger at him.
"What's that..?" the old man inquired, his left index finger pointing towards the item tucked under the silver-haired man's arm. Aquamarine eyes followed his friend's digit as they observed the object that their own body held. Riku's eyebrows lifted as he looked upon it.
"Oh, this..? I almost forgot, silly me. This is for you," Riku sheepishly scratched the back of his head as he handed the mahogany book to Sora. The old Akari softly received the book, and examined the title, laden in white cursive.
"Fated Meeting," navy eyes read. Riku shortly nodded.
"The wife and I thought that it was very appropriate, considering what's inside. I hope you enjoy that," the Hakumei said, as he glanced to it. Sora continued regarding the cover until his eyes re-directed themselves towards his companion's.
"But Riku, what is this exactly..?" he questioned. His best friend could only chuckle in response.
"Well, that's for me to know, and for you to find out. Until next time Sora, ja," Riku waved, before he began to walk off towards his car. Sora smiled, remembering how the other man used to do that all the time in his youth.
"Ja, Riku…" the old man stood there for a few moments, watching his companion move into the car before driving off into the street. He then closed the door, and made his way back into the maison. After making his way back into the living room, the former brunet placed the book onto the table. He then sat, and poured himself a cup of tea, now cool from sitting in the pièce for so long. He traced the lettering on the book cover, before opening it to reveal its contents. A hint of a smile graced his features as he saw what was inside.
"Those were good times…"
His eyes continued scanning the pages, before he closed the book after viewing the item in its entirety. His smile only widened as he took another sip of tea.
"The Estival Hei...where it all began…" His eyes then dimmed as they gazed off into space.
"Where it all began…if only he knew…"
And that concludes the First Interlude. I hope all of you enjoyed the brief break. It was short, and basically to the point. I enjoyed writing it.
Also, I wonder if any of you notice the little things I put in there…we'll just have to see. This time, I'm going to see if you actually took notice of what I wrote in there…heh heh heh…
Next week is Spring Break for me! Wahoo!! That means relaxing and finally working! Maybe I can write new chapters soon!! (I'll probably end up playing God of War II A LOT, I plan on getting it on Friday) Anyway…
Speaking of video games, has anyone seen the trailer for Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix +? It looks sweet. I wish it would be released worldwide. I want all the extras so bad, along with the Chain of Memories remake for the PlayStation 2…and Kingdom Hearts Final Mix as well. But it'll probably never happen. The only way I can import those games is if I could get my PlayStation 3 modded…which is risky. Whatever. If you want to see the trailer, just go to YouTube and search for it. It's awesome!!
I kept on trying to relay the site so you can get access to translating from English to other foreign languages, but FFN won't let me put the website name on here. So, if any of you are interested, just drop me a line if you review.
And now for Recommended Read #4: for this interlude, I pick "Wheels on the Bus" by Gray-Rain Skies. Like last chapter, where the Recommended Read was an AU Namixas, this one is an AU Sokai, about Sora and Kairi sharing an eight-hour bus ride to a certain location for a certain event that shall remain disclosed for the moment. And couple the fact that the two seem to hate each other's guts, so one can only imagine how many problems can ensue between the two…can they survive the bus ride? And can something more be forged from it? Only one can wonder. I highly suggest this one if you haven't read it already.
And one more thing…next week is the BIG UPDATE…expect to get the following:
Most chapter errors will be addressed
Format will be changed to fit the current one
Inconsistencies will be fixed (Ch. 2, or in FFN's case, Ch. 3 for example)
New chapter (Ch. 6 !!)
And revealing of the new summary!!
If you still you want to vote, you can. For those of you who missed out on last chapter, here are the summaries again. Just pick the best and tell me your choice when and if you review:
Summary A) If I could make one wish, one wish at all…it would be that I could find someone to share my hopes, and my dreams…But for me, being who I am, that wish will probably never come true…All Sora wanted was to find something, or someone, to help make his life complete. What happens when he meets a mysterious redhead beauty? Will his wish be fulfilled? Only time will tell…
Summary B) Forty years ago, I thought I would never love…That was, until I met you, Kairi…Little did I know that meeting you would change my whole perspective on life…And make me a better man because of it…An aging man reflects upon his memories of a surreal past, through the telling of a portrait. Sometimes, one object can reveal it all…
Summary C) I sketch, I draw, I paint. I am…an artist. A fledging artist ponders his unknown fate while he stands upon the sands. An unnamed beauty, and a not-so-expected meeting. What could all of this mean? Is this fate? Throughout the road of life of Sora Akari, only one can wonder…
Notice that Summary C has been changed…I just wanted to make it sound better. Remember to vote, as the summary will be revealed when the next chapter is posted!!
Well, until the next chapter, please remember to review, and you'll hear from me next week!! Later fanfic readers!!- Malcolm Yuy
