Whew…it's been a while since I posted a chapter, mostly because I have been very busy with school work and life's little nuisances. Still I was able to get this one up, and I'm not fully sure when I will have the next one up. This marks the halfway point in the story, as we'll have 6 more chapters to go…I head to Myrtle Beach next weekend and then I'll have Easter Break following that, so maybe I will be able to have chapter 7 done by then.
Ankoku, Yamato, and Anne are all mine, everyone else's are the characters of Square-Enix and Disney.
Enjoy!
Chapter 6: The Best Time of the Year…For Some…
A harsh winter wind had violently inserted itself over the denizens of Destiny City. The meteorologists were in a tizzy, saying that it might be the worst winter the island had faced in quite some time. The mere fact that Destiny City could experience their first fall in seven years had many seeking shelter, seeking out a cozy fire. This was true at the Uchida household where Kairi, Riku, Naminé, and all their friends had gathered to have their own Christmas bash. Anne was making cookies in the kitchen while the teenagers were in the living room having an animated discussion about their struggle tournament. The meeting was going great until Olette brought the discussion to a halt.
"I want to participate!" Olette said, standing up.
Olette was dressed for the cold, wearing tight jeans and a red hooded sweatshirt, complete with furry boots. Her hair was done up in a pony tail, and she wore a serious expression on her face. Hayner looked up from stared out at his girlfriend with wide eyed look. Hayner was wearing his traditional camouflage pants and long-sleeved black shirt. In fact everyone was staring at Olette, who looked back with a steadfast gaze towards the group. Even Wakka, who by this point was so trashed off of eggnog, was sober enough to hear the previous statement. Wakka was wearing his board shorts, and long-sleeved shirt.
"You wanna fight too ya?" Wakka asked.
Hayner didn't move his gaze from Olette's eyes.
"Wha…what?" Hayner finally choked out.
"I want to compete too!" Olette stated firmly.
"But…why?" Hayner stuttered.
"Every time we get together the guys go out and struggle and the girls are expected to cook and talk!" She cried. "I want to have some fun too!" Olette explained to her bewildered boyfriend.
Hayner looked for something to say, but couldn't find the words. Fortunately Tidus was right there to say something for him.
"But…you're a girl!" Tidus exclaimed, earning him "the look" from not only Olette but now Selphie as well.
Tidus cowered from the look and shrunk back into his seat. Tidus was wearing a Destiny City Sharks hoodie, in addition to some board shorts as well, seemingly not realizing that it was winter outside.
"I agree with Olette… why can't we play?" Selphie said placing her hands on her hips. She too was wearing a yellow hoodie and jeans. "We may be girls but we're pretty tough!" Selphie said standing up for her gender.
"But you might get hurt…" Hayner said softly.
"I don't care…I want to participate too!" Olette responded.
"Me too!" Selphie chimed in.
Tidus and Hayner looked at each other and went off to a corner. They conversed about it for a second, before turning back to the girls.
"Well girls…the thing is…we would like to let you play…" Tidus began.
"But we'd have an uneven number if we did…" Hayner finished quickly.
Tidus turned to him with an irritated look on his face. He dragged him back to the corner to converse some more.
"You dolt!" He whispered angrily to Hayner, "We had uneven numbers last time!"
"Hey shut it! You weren't doing anything either!" Hayner responded.
The girls were watching this scene and overheard this, and were not amused by the antics of their boyfriends.
"That's right…it would be no different than last time!" Selphie said.
"Yes…but last time was a different system!" Hayner said quickly, further burying himself into a hole.
"I'll play!" Kairi said, coming into the picture.
Everyone turned to see Kairi raising her hand to volunteer. Kairi was sitting in the corner of the room with a white hoodie and jeans on. Like Olette she had her hair in a pony tail, and was watching this battle with amusement.
"This way we can have eight people, even numbers!" Kairi said cheerfully.
Olette and Selphie turned back to Hayner with smirks on their faces. Hayner looked around at other faces, looking for some help, but no one had any. He sighed as he realized that he was trapped.
"Fine you three are in…" He said begrudgingly.
The girls let out a cheer. Riku smiled and looked over at Hayner. Riku was wearing a grey long sleeved shirt and ripped jeans as well.
"So what are the match-ups now?" He asked.
Hayner rubbed his goatee, and thought about it.
"Well…the first round…let's see…Kairi vs. Pence sounds good…Olette and Selphie can face off too…" He mused aloud.
This brought up some complaints amongst Selphie and Olette. They didn't like that they were getting paired up without being able to fight the men. While Pence was a man, the reason they stuck him with them was largely because he was a horrible strugglist. Hayner paid no attention and quickly went over the other two matches.
"Let's have Riku square off against Wakka, and Tidus and I will have our match…" Hayner said before Olette interrupted him.
"We want a chance to face the guys!" Olette said.
Hayner looked at her, a little peeved but relented.
"Fine we'll switch your match with my match…the winner of your match will now face the winner of Riku vs. Wakka!" Hayner stated.
"That's better!" Olette said triumphantly.
"Okay fine…" Hayner began. "The match-ups are now Kairi vs. Pence, Tidus vs. Myself on one side of the bracket, and Riku/Wakka and Olette/Selphie will make up the other side." Hayner finished, recapping the events.
Everyone seemed to understand what was going on. Hayner was the first to his feet, a grin on his face.
"Alright then! Let's start struggling!!" He yelled as he led the way outside.
Back in the realm of Darkness…
The intrepid Keyblade wielders continued their trek, this time in the confines of Radiant Garden. They had been searching for a few days for the access point, but had been unable to find it. High and low they searched, but the access point remained elusive to them. One thing that was strange is that they didn't have any heartless bothering them. Roxas had eventually begun showing himself again, but he was understandably more subdued. The three continued their search but slowly the gray day turned into the dark night. The trio stopped on the highest point of the city; overlooking the remains of Maleficent's old castle, which had been completely gutted and turned into the government headquarters; where Sora was not long ago for his trial. They took a seat and relaxed as Yamato looked up at the moon that was rising above the castle. He shivered as he felt a chill, something that was uncommon in this area. Sora felt the chill too.
"Well, we should probably go get some sort of firewood…I guess…" Sora said, rubbing his arms to keep warm.
"This is strange…it's actually cold…it's never been hot or cold here…" Yamato stated.
"Well, we should get some wood quickly…before it becomes too dark to see…" Roxas chimed in.
"Right…well…Sora collected it last night…so I'll go and grab some…" Yamato said as he got to his feet. "Which way to the city gates?" Yamato asked.
"I'll show ya…" Roxas said as he floated off.
Yamato followed him, while Sora stayed behind. Sora sighed as he watched the two of them fade from his sight. He looked out at the castle, which looked barren and ominous in this disturbed world. Sora gazed out at the rest of the city, taking it all in. While it looked just like Radiant Garden, it lacked the hustle and bustle that the city possessed… and without that there was nothing redeeming about the city. The desolation really hit hard for Sora. He thought about every other city or place that they could visit, and realized that they would be just as desolate as this place. He thought about Destiny Island…and how barren the place would look, but quickly tried to push that thought from his mind. His mind then drifted off to all of his friends, and more specifically: Kairi.
Back in Destiny Island…
"I…I can't believe that just happened…" Hayner said as sweat poured off his face.
Everyone else shared Hayner's sentiments but they were too stunned to say anything. Riku and Naminé were the only ones that wore a small smirk on their faces. Everyone had seen it but few scarcely believed it. Pence looked at the scorecard again with wide eyes.
"The…the final score…K…Kairi 140…Hayner…60…" He said again to the shocked crowd.
"Unreal…ya?" Wakka said, stunned and sober by the victory.
The rest of the tournament was rather anticlimactic. Riku easily dispatched the incoherent Wakka 197 – 3, and Kairi had defeated Pence, which again wasn't a big surprise. The score of that match was 185 – 15. Selphie had defeated Olette which wasn't shocking since Selphie had actually sparred against Sora and Riku in the past and Olette had very little training; in fact the only match up that garnered some surprise was the anticipated Tidus/Hayner match that ended in a 101-99 tally in favor of Hayner. With the semi-final match-ups being Hayner/Kairi and Riku/Selphie…most of the group anticipated a Hayner/Riku one on one final. Sure enough; Riku was able to defeat Selphie with relative ease, so Riku was a lock in the final. However, with the defeat of Hayner, they were now going to be treated to a Riku/Kairi final…which stunned everyone. Riku and Kairi were getting ready to participate in the finals, doing some routine stretches as Naminé approached them.
"Well…are you two ready?" Naminé asked them.
Both nodded and then took their places to start the match. They looked at each other, as a cold wind whipped up around the two. Riku seemed hesitant about fighting with Kairi, but the determined look in Kairi's eye caught him off guard. Kairi saw the hesitation in Riku's eyes.
"Don't go easy on me…" Kairi said sternly.
Riku simply stared back at her for a few seconds, as if he was contemplating her words. Slowly he nodded and adopted a fighting stance. Kairi did likewise and Naminé came into the middle of the two combatants. She looked at both of them to make sure that they were ready for this. The others watched with baited breath, not really sure what could happen now.
"I'll be perfectly honest guys…I don't know who's going to take this…" Hayner said quietly.
The others looked at him with surprise.
"Come on…she can't be that good can she?" Tidus said.
"Going against her…was like facing Sora or Riku…" Hayner said solemnly.
"Those two were responsible for most of her training…" Selphie added into the conversation.
"Still though…do you really think she got a chance against Riku?" Wakka asked.
"Who knows…she dominated Hayner…which leads me to believe that she can beat anyone here…with the exception of Riku…" Pence deduced.
"Height, reach, experience, speed, skill…Riku has the edge in every category." Tidus pointed out.
"Kairi is determined though…like she has something to prove…" Olette stated.
"I'll take Riku by forty." Tidus said bluntly.
"Riku by forty-five ya?" Wakka chimed in.
"Riku by thirty…" Pence stated.
"I gotta go with Riku too…I'll say by twenty." Selphie added.
"I'll take Riku by twenty too…" Olette finally stated.
Everyone looked to Hayner who continued to stare at Kairi…almost as if he was analyzing her. He felt a nudge on his shoulder which broke his train of thought. He looked up at Olette.
"Who's your pick?" She asked.
Hayner looked out towards both Kairi and Riku.
"Kairi by five…" He said without turning towards the rest of them. His friends looked at Hayner with shocked looks.
"Are you serious?" Tidus asked, bewildered by the thought.
Hayner said nothing, merely stared out at the two of them, waiting for the battle to start. Naminé finished with the formalities and turned towards the group.
"Are you both ready!?" She cried out, which drew everyone's attention off Hayner and towards the fight.
Both Kairi and Riku nodded.
"Okay…" Naminé said before taking a calming breath, no doubt nervous for her friends.
"3…" Naminé started the countdown, as the combatants tightened their stances.
"2…" she continued, as the rest of the friends were on the edge of their seats.
"1…" she finally said, as Kairi raised her struggle stick to eye level, and locked eyes with Riku.
"STRUGGLE!" Naminé cried, and with that the battle was underway!
Back in the realm of Darkness…
"Yamato there's some over here…" Roxas called out, as he wandered dejectedly through the forest that surrounded Radiant Garden.
"I see it lad…" Yamato said coming over to where Roxas was hovering.
Yamato called his Keyblade forth and promptly sliced up a few branches of the tree, neatly landing two separate piles of logs on the ground. Yamato grinned at Roxas, but Roxas wasn't even paying attention. Roxas was merely staring at the ground, not saying a word.
"Something on your mind lad?" Yamato asked, though he knew full well what was bothering Roxas.
"I…I was whole again…for the first time in a long time I was whole…" Roxas stammered out.
"I know lad…I know…" Yamato began to say, before Roxas turned around and glared at him.
"Do you? Do you really know what this is like? I'm useless!" Roxas fired back at Yamato.
"Every time someone has the idea to do something fun, such as go bowling or go on a bike ride, or eat something…all I can do is watch, or be a referee…I never get to do anything!" Roxas continued ranting and raving to Yamato, who merely sat there and listened to Roxas.
"You think I like being a scout? I want to mix it up! I want to fight back against the heartless! But what can I do without a blade?" Roxas asked Yamato, his lower lip quivering with anger.
"Not very much…" Yamato admitted.
Roxas lowered his head.
"But then for one brief moment…I was able to fight alongside you two…somehow someway I was whole again…" Roxas said quietly.
Yamato looked at Roxas, trying to find an answer.
"But…you were whole though…so what's to say that you can't become whole again?" Yamato asked.
Roxas looked up at Yamato with gloom.
"But how did I do it though? I mean…you two were in trouble…and I heard Naminé's voice…and then everything went dark…and when I woke up there was a Keyblade in my hand…" Roxas explained.
"…You heard Naminé's voice?" Yamato asked, slightly surprised.
"Yeah…" Roxas added.
Yamato just stared at him…not really saying anything. He had been telling Sora and Roxas that the voices they were hearing were just tricks being played on them by the darkness, much like the voices that he heard…but maybe…maybe he was wrong…and if he was wrong…than that meant…
"No…" Yamato said aloud shaking his head, trying to clear the horrible thoughts that sprang to his mind.
Roxas looked at him, somewhat confused by his outburst. Yamato caught his eyes and waved him off.
"Who knows Roxas…maybe some connection exists between your being whole and that Keyblade that you had…?" Yamato queried.
"What about the voice?" Roxas asked.
"I wouldn't trust anything in this realm like that…" Yamato quickly said.
Roxas looked at the ground.
"Don't worry lad…you did it once and you can do it again…once we get out of here…you will have all the time in the world to figure it out…and I know that Sora and I will do everything in our power to help you do that!" Yamato said with a smile.
Roxas thought about this, and then looked up at Yamato. A thin smile formed on Roxas's face.
"You're right…thanks Yamato…" Roxas said.
"No problem lad…now let's find some more firewood…and some fruit for dinner!" Yamato said as the two trekked further into the woods.
Back on Destiny Island…
"Wow…just…wow…" Tidus said, disbelieving what he had just witnessed.
Pence was busy counting up all the orbs, while Naminé was waiting for the final call. The others were replaying the fight over in their heads, trying to figure out who the winner was. The battle had been much closer than any of them had thought it would have been. Kairi and Riku were standing over in the corner, discussing the battle.
"You've improved Kai…" Riku told her.
"Thanks to your training…" Kairi responded, smiling at Riku. "Thanks for not going easy on me." Kairi said.
"Don't mention it…you actually gave me a workout…" Riku responded.
Pence finished up his calculations and then began conversing with Naminé. Everyone turned to them, as they approached with the final results. Naminé looked at the expectant faces and opened her mouth to speak.
"By the score of 105 to 95…the winner…and NEW struggle champion…is RIKU!" Naminé announced.
Everyone was stunned, but not because Riku won. The mere fact that Kairi had taken Riku to the limit was the main subject of discussion.
"That was amazing Kairi!" Olette squealed.
"You got the moves ya!" Wakka said.
Riku stood back and laughed at the attention that was being paid to Kairi. Eventually Anne came out to the front porch.
"I have hot cocoa in here for anyone that wants it." She called out.
"That sounds great…it's getting really cold out here…" Selphie said, through chattering teeth.
They made their way inside and took seats in the living room. Anne brought out the cocoa and they all sat there chatting about life, and other various things. This continued for about thirty minutes, with everything from fashion to movies being discussed by everyone. Wakka continued his spree of consuming "special" egg nog, and got to the point where he was dancing with a lampshade on his head. Kairi was laughing at this, but looked out the window and saw that Riku was out on the back porch staring out at the open sea. Kairi excused herself and went outside.
"Party is inside…" She said, as she looked at his face.
Kairi recoiled a bit when she saw a small tear forming in Riku's eye.
"Riku…are…are you crying?" Kairi asked.
Riku quickly brushed the tear away and turned to her.
"No…No…I was just thinking about…uh…onions!" Riku said, lying through his teeth.
"Riku…you can tell me what's wrong…" Kairi said in an effort to comfort him.
Riku looked at her, and Kairi gave a comforting smile. Riku opened his mouth to say something, but ended up closing his mouth and turning away.
"It's nothing Kairi…" Riku said.
"…Riku…I get the feeling that there's something you're not telling me…" Kairi began. "You've been acting strange ever since…" Kairi said before trailing off, as it was still hard for her to say it.
"Ever since Sora left…" Kairi said finally.
Riku just looked at her and said nothing.
"I do miss him…" He finally said.
"But that's not the real reason is it…?" Kairi asked.
Riku turned to her with a shocked look. Kairi's face remained unchanged as if she was waiting for Riku's response. Riku seemed to look for an answer that would convince her otherwise, but knew that he was out of luck when it came to Kairi.
"You're right Kai…but…I really don't feel like talking about it now…" Riku finally admitted to her.
Kairi looked at him, with some shock. Riku was usually quite forward with whatever was on his mind, so this had to really bother him.
"It's okay Riku…you can tell me whenever you are ready too." She said to him.
Riku gave a sad smile and walked back indoors. Kairi watched him leave and then turned back out to the open sea. She looked down at the rocks below, and felt something on the back of her neck. She brushed her hand across it, and felt a small wet drop of water. She felt another one and looked up into the sky. Kairi was surprised to see small white flurries of snow falling to the ground. From inside the house she could hear her friends yelling that the snow was falling, and heard them scamper out the front door to the front yard. Kairi stayed right where she was and watched the snow fall. Memories of the last snowfall came springing back to her...and with those memories…came ones of Sora…
Destiny City…7 years ago…
"Come on Kairi! The snow is coming down!" He called to me from the front of my house.
"I can't Sora…I'm sick…" I said, torn up over the fact that I wouldn't be able to go outside and play in all that snow.
"Aw come on! You never know when it's gonna snow again!" He continued to call, seemingly trying everything in his power to get me to come outside.
He was right…the last time it snowed was twenty years ago…
"I want to but I just can't!" I cried out to him.
Suddenly the door to my bedroom opened and my mother walked in. She peered out of the window and saw Sora standing down there.
"I'm sorry Sora, but she can't come outside until her fever is better." Mom told him.
Sora seemed to sense defeat and trudged away in the snow. Mom closed the window, and tucked me in tighter.
"I made some lunch…do you think you can eat it?" Mom asked me.
"I guess so…" I replied, still bummed that I was unable to play outside.
"Okay…I'll be back up with some soup." Mom said, leaving the room.
She returned a few minutes later with a bowl of chicken noodle soup, that I promptly ate. After that I took a nap for a few hours, only to be awaken by a giggling sound. I opened my eyes to see Sora standing by my bed, with his hands behind his back.
"SORA!" I shrieked in surprise. "What are you doing here!?" I asked him.
"Sheesh mellow out Kai! I just came to bring you a present!" He said, with a smile from ear to ear.
"Oh…well…you should be careful…I don't want you to get sick…" I said, as I felt myself blushing at my outburst.
"Nah don't worry about it!" Sora said, as he brought his hands back out in front of him.
He was holding a bowl in his hands, but it was what was inside the bowl that caused me to squeal with glee.
"Snow! You brought me some snow!" I cried.
"Yeah…I figured that if you can't come outside and enjoy it…I would bring it to you!" He said, with that big goofy grin of his.
"There wasn't a lot of it on the ground…but I collected as much as I could…" He explained, but I was too fascinated with the gift to care how much was in there. This was the first time that I had ever seen snow, or felt it in my hand.
I looked up at him, and quickly gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He blushed a bit, before realizing what I had just done, and began furiously rubbing his cheek.
"Why did you do that!?" He snapped.
"You said you didn't care about getting sick…" I said, slightly confused.
"Well…yeah...getting sick is one thing, but now you're talking cooties!" Sora said.
I rolled my eyes.
"Boys…" I muttered under my breath.
"Well I just wanted to give you that…I have to go now…but we can hang out when you feel better!" Sora said, as he walked out of my room.
"Okay! Bye Sora…and thanks again!" I called out after him.
I played with that snow for an hour before it finally began to melt. Mom went out and refilled the bowl for me, but by the time she got back with it, I had already fallen asleep. When I woke up the next day, the snow was melting, and two days later when I was finally able to go outside, the snow was gone. I never forgot the gift that Sora gave me that day…it was something that I will always carry with me…
End Flashback
Kairi looked up into the sky as a flood of emotion came over her. The snow continued to fall as she heard the squeals of her friends from the front of the house. From a crack in the window, Kairi could hear the radio from inside the kitchen playing some music. The song ended, and a new one began, one that Kairi instantly recognized. The melody seemed to enhance her longing to be with Sora. Before long she too was singing along with the radio, as if she was singing to Sora.
The lamp is burnin'
low upon my table top If I could only have you near The smoke is rising in the shadows
overhead Back
in the realm of darkness:
The snow is softly fallin'
The air is
still within the silence of my room
I hear your voice softly
callin'
To breathe a sigh or
two
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
Upon this
winter night with you
My glass is almost empty
I read again between the
lines upon the page
The words of love you sent me…
Sora was still staring out into the distance at the castle that he had clashed with Maleficent all those years ago. He was deep in concentration, thinking about all that he had to go through, and how much he just wanted to go home. A small drop broke his concentration. He looked down at his wrist, and saw a small droplet of water. He stared at it wondering where it came from. He looked up, and something stung his eye, causing him to look away and rub his eyes. When he was able to see again, he looked out at the castle and was shocked to see white snow falling to the ground. He was stunned.
"How is this possible?" Sora wondered.
Suddenly he heard a beautiful voice, singing a song that he remembered from home. He recognized the voice instantly…it was Kairi's. Sora listened to her song, and looked out over the bailey and watched the snow fall to the ground as the song continued. It was if she was singing to him, and she was right there beside him…
If I could know
within my heart The
fire is dying now, my lamp is growing dim
That you were lonely too
I would be happy just
to hold the hands I love
Upon this winter night with you
The shades of night are
liftin'
The mornin' light steals across my windowpane
Where
webs of snow are driftin'
Over on the other side of the area, Roxas and Yamato were staring in awe at the falling snow.
"This has never happened before…" Yamato cried out.
Roxas was meanwhile laughing at the falling snow and Yamato's reaction to it. Yamato was grabbing at the snow and trying to catch it on his tongue. It was the first sign of the outside world that he had seen in a long time. While he was excited about the snow, he also realized that this was no apparition either. He looked over at Roxas, who seemed to be enjoying the falling snow. He eyed him closely.
"Something is different with those two…" He thought to himself.
They kept claiming to hear the voices of their friends, and now this change in weather prompted even more suspicion about them. Perhaps there was some connection between the two and their friends that transcended the plane from the world of light to this place. A new thought, a ray of hope seemed to come over Yamato at that point, and a smile formed over his face as he gazed up at the falling snow.
"Maybe…just maybe…they really can get us out of this place…" He said to himself.
Back in Destiny City:
The song was winding down, as Kairi finished up.
If I could only have
you near
To breathe a sigh or two
I would be happy just to hold
the hands I love
And to be once again with with you
To be once
again with with you…
She stared out into the abyss, not saying nor doing anything. The snow continued to fall, and the sound of her mother interrupted her concentration.
"Kairi…your friends are in the front yard…why don't you go and spend time with them?" Anne asked her daughter.
Kairi turned to her mother.
"I will…I just want to stay out here just a bit longer…" Kairi said, slightly in a trance.
Anne nodded, and then headed back inside. Kairi turned back around and continued to sit there and watch the falling snow. Thoughts of Sora continued to flow through her mind, and the longing to see him grew and grew. Finally she turned around and began to head back inside. Just as she was in the doorway, Kairi turned back out and looked at the sky.
"Merry Christmas Sora…wherever you are…" She said quietly, and then headed back inside to join her friends.
Back in the realm of darkness:
Sora listened to the song winding down, and then suddenly vanished. He stared out across the bailey towards the castle, not saying anything.
"Kairi…" He thought to himself.
He thought about various people back home that he couldn't wait to see, and what he would do when he saw all of them, more specifically Kairi.
"I'll be home soon Kai…I promise…" Sora said. "And when I do get home…I'll tell you what I've wanted to tell you for a long time…" Sora said as he watched the snow continue to fall to the ground below.
End of Chapter 6
The song in this chapter was Sarah McLachlan's "Song for a Winter's Night". Well that's chapter 6, kind of an intermission chapter really, the second part will be a lot more action packed, and will give us some big storylines for the final installment. So keep reading and watching guys!
Later!
