Hello again! Sorry it's been a while since I've updated, but I've had the worst writer's block. We'll start with some shoutouts:
ElectronBeam: You were close! I really enjoy the little characters in stories because I think they add a lot of color, so I try to throw them in the mix when I can. Thank you for your response. And I'm glad you're rooting for Riku! I'm trying my hardest to make him defy his usual persona of "the bad guy" or "the best friend who doesn't care that Kairi doesn't choose him." I can't technically join your club, but I will endorse you!! Thank you so much for reading!
Aryn007 – Thank you for your review; I'm sorry you don't like the plot so far, but I'm really glad you keep reading. I will politely disagree with you, however. My Kairi is only seventeen – she doesn't have a lot of experience when it comes to making big decisions about her life, especially relationship-wise. She gets scared by what she's unfamiliar with, so she runs. Is it necessarily the best decision? Absolutely not. But is it what's right for her at the moment? Absolutely. Over the course of the story, I'm hoping she grows – but she doesn't really know where she's at right now. But once again, thank you so much for reading. I hope you continue.
Kinkajou Karata – Thanks! I've always pictured Naminé as one of those friends that's really soft-spoken until you get her alone with someone she knows really well; then she has a whole new persona. And I've never seen a situation where she's livid; it was fun to play around with!
Satan966 - Thank you so much! That means so much to me! I hope you like this next chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.
We had been flying for twelve hours. Naminé wasn't ignoring me, but she wasn't openly speaking to me either. Whenever I looked at her, she seemed lost in thought; of course, I knew she was thinking of Roxas. I eventually stopped trying to see if I could pull her from her reverie – every time I looked into her pained blue eyes it felt like a bullet through my heart.
So I sat at the controls and resumed reading the instruction manual. I had set the in-flight autopilot (which was actually pretty easy, once I had read the directions) to Radiant Gardens; a mechanical voice told me that we were almost there. I skimmed the chapter on landing for the fourth time; this wasn't something I wanted to mess up.
"Nami," I spoke to my silent Nobody, "I think we'll have to rejoin soon."
"Alright." She looked wearied, like she had been fighting an illness for far too long. I fought back tears.
"Nam, I'm so sorry," I barely whispered.
"Don't be. I understand," she reassured me. But something in her clear blue eyes made me think differently.
"We are within landing range of the chosen destination: Radiant Gardens," the machine informed. Two images of chipmunk holograms popped up on-screen.
"Hi! We're Chip and Dale," one greeted me. I stared on in amusement. "And we're here to walk you through the landing process. I'm Chip!"
"And I'm Dale," the other added. "Are you sure you want to land here?" Two buttons appeared on the touch-screen navigation system – one was green, bearing "Yes," while the other was red, reading "No." I pressed my finger to the "Yes" one, and it dinged.
"Good!" answered the one named Chip. "Please give us a few moments to analyze the landing situation." I felt the Gummi shift beneath me, shaking and spinning; I had to sit down so I wouldn't lose my balance.
"We're done analyzing!" Dale responded cheerily. "Are you ready to land Chip?"
"Yes I am!" Chip replied to his brother. He faced me. "Are you ready to land?" The two buttons popped up again; I chose "Yes" once more.
"Great!" Dale enthused. "Hold on tight!"
As he finished his sentence, the ship began to twist and twirl; once again, I was thrown to my seat. Our vessel spun and dove like some out-of-control roller coaster; I felt like I was trapped in a zany cartoon.
"Ahhhhhh!" Naminé screamed as she was thrown from her spot at the kitchen table. The Gummi continued to lurch and buck and toss beneath us; we clung to whatever was around for dear life. We tumbled downward in the sky.
"What kind of landing process is this?" I yelled above the din of things flying haphazardly around the cabin.
"Some would call it 'falling with style,'" Chip explained as he tumbled around on-screen. Finally, the crazy ride ended and we were left staring at the disheveled cabin.
"You ok?" Nami asked me. Her blonde hair fell awry around her delicate face, and her dress was twisted around her thin frame. One strap fell off her porcelain shoulder.
"Yeah," I replied. "Are you?"
"Yeah."
"Good." I looked at our interactive flight guides. "Thanks guys. Do you see the mess you made?" I mused sarcastically.
"Sorry. Don't worry – by the time you get back, the whole cabin will be spotless!" Dale responded.
"Yeah! We'll have it cleaned in a jiff! Just you watch!" Chip added.
"Kairi, let's get out of here before any more cartoon characters pop up. Who knows what will happen?" Naminé voiced quietly.
"Good plan!" With the press of a button, the door to the ship opened, and we stepped down onto solid ground. We were concealed in a forest just outside the gates to the town. A wave of warmth washed over me – although I had only been here briefly, I already felt at home.
"C'mon, Nami!" I encouraged my companion. "Let's go find the Committee!"
"Shouldn't we rejoin?" she questioned me.
"Nah," I replied. "Nobody here will recognize you, so no one will realize that you're different. Besides, I want you to see all this with your own eyes. And," I added, "I want you to meet my friends."
"Ok," she replied timidly. I didn't tell her my main reason for not wanting to rejoin – I knew she'd fill me with feelings of doubt, uneasiness, and guilt. I didn't want to tarnish this silver moment; I was really happy to see everyone again.
We grabbed hands and ran through what little forest we had left, leaving our only vessel back home behind.
The gates to Radiant Garden were much bigger than I recalled. The charcoal-grey stones that made up the high walls surrounding the kingdom nicely complimented the polished silver gates in the same way a girl wears a blue shirt to bring out her even bluer eyes. An intricate crest adorned the enormous gates, making the land seem so much statelier.
I was proud to have been from here.
We walked forth; the gates opened upon touch. Naminé grasped my hand once more as we strode through the entrance and followed the cobbled road. Up ahead, I could see the bustling town, and I fought the urge to run lovingly towards my homeland. In the distance, the destroyed castle stood as a dark reminder of what had come, but the surrounding village bore no mar of the darkness. I felt pride that my people were so willing to overcome the obstacles that had crushed us before.
As we walked into the town square, I gawked at the many small shops that had arisen; I didn't remember them being there before. We strode past a weaponry shop, an accessory shop, a clothing shop…the varieties were endless.
"Have you ever seen anything so wonderful?" I questioned Naminé excitedly. "I'm so happy to be home!" She halfheartedly nodded in response.
Many onlookers cast wary eyes in my direction; I knew that I looked awful. I had tried, in vain, on the Gummi Ship to clean my appearance – washing the blood off of my body was the best I could do. My shirt remained ripped, hanging loosely at my stomach, and there were still cuts and bruises all along my legs and arms. My lip remained swollen and bloodied in one corner as well. I wondered what the passerby's thought, holding hands with the pristine girl to my left. We looked like sisters; did they think we had gotten into a fight, and she had beaten me severely while she remained unscathed? Or did they think I had protected my beautiful counterpart from something dangerous and sinister? Or did they think I was just a klutz?
Perhaps it would be best if we hurried to find the committee.
We continued down into the bellows of the little town, trying to escape the questioning eyes of the onlookers. Finally we reached a little home-like building far away from the rest of the shops, for this building was not a store, although it bore a merchant's sign above the door; it read "Restoration Committee" in green cursive letters. I eagerly grasped the knob and pushed the door open.
A wide grin broke loose upon my face as I saw my friends inside the dimly-lit room. Cid sat at his gigantic computer, monitoring the Heartless levels of Radiant Gardens through some complex-looking grid thing. Aerith and Tifa sat in the corner, noses engorged in books. Yuffie stood, looking at a picture of Leon and Cloud, neither of whom were to be seen.
Aerith was the first to notice me. "Kairi!" she exclaimed. The others looked up, first in shock, then in happiness. Yuffie ran forth to hug me.
"It's been so long!" she proclaimed happily. "We've missed you!" She wrapped me in a warm hug.
"I missed you guys too!" I replied, wrapping my arms around her waist. I winced in pain at her strength, and she quickly let go.
"What on earth happened to you?" Tifa asked.
"Don't crowd the kid," Cid reprimanded sternly.
"Oh my god, you're a mess!" Yuffie added, completely ignoring Cid. "What'd you do, get into a fight with the Keyblade master or something?" she joked.
"Actually…" I started.
"Let me see," Aerith said warmly. "Wow, you really did get into quite the scrape. But this should help." She waved her hands gently, and the green healing bubbles surrounded my body once more. These were much stronger than any I could procure; in an instant, any remnants of my disastrous last night on the Destiny Islands vanished. I felt better-rested as well, like I had slept in the most comfortable bed ever made the previous night, not tossed fitfully in a cramped bunk.
"That's better," she said, satisfied. "Now you look more like a human, less like a ragamuffin."
"Now what happened to you?" Tifa prodded. "I thought you were staying on the Islands until you were eighteen."
"And why'd it look like you got into a fight?" Yuffie added indignantly.
"It's a long story…" I started.
"Who's this?" Cid questioned, motioning to the frail girl hiding behind me. Naminé peeked out around my shoulder, giving a shy wave.
"This is Naminé, my Nobody." I explained. Four pairs of shocked eyes looked back at me. I felt Naminé cower behind me. "Don't worry, she's not the bad kind," I quickly added. "I just wanted her to meet all of you first-hand. She's my best friend," I said proudly.
"Welcome, Naminé," Aerith greeted warmly. "You have a beautiful name."
"Thank you," Nami replied softly. "It's nice to meet all of you too."
"Kai-ri," Yuffie whined, yanking on my arm. "Explain why you got into a fight!"
"And why are you here?" Tifa asked. "Not that we're not happy to see you, but…"
"Is everything alright back home?" Aerith finished for her, eyes filled with concern.
"Well…let me start at the beginning."
I had told them everything, starting with my morning with Selphie and ending with walking into the base for the Restoration Committee.
"Wow," Yuffie breathed. "You've had a long day, haven't you?"
"Yeah," I answered. "I'm exhausted. I couldn't sleep last night. I feel so guilty for leaving, but I had to!"
I said wearily. "For myself. I know I must be a horrible person, but –"
"Nobody's blaming you, Kairi," Aerith replied soothingly. "You've been put in a really difficult situation. And nothing's wrong with wanting to make the right choice."
"And it's ok to feel bad about hurting one of your friends," Tifa added.
"Which you're probably going to do," Yuffie said.
"Yuffie!" both Aerith and Tifa exclaimed, glaring at her with I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that eyes.
"What?" Yuffie said innocently. "It's true!"
"I just feel so defenseless!" I yelled, rising to my feet. "I count on them to help me with everything – friends, fights, love, life – and I can't do anything by myself! I want to feel capable for once in my life! They're amazing – don't' get me wrong, but I want to feel like I can actually do something!"
"Like, fight for yourself?" Yuffie asked.
"Yeah. Like fight for myself. Be respected because I'm strong." I shrugged. "I mean, look at you guys. People look up to you because you're capable of defending yourself – you can make changes. I'm just meek little Kairi who always needs to be saved."
"So you want to be strong?" Tifa asked. I nodded.
Both Yuffie's and Tifa's eyes lit up with excitement. I looked at Naminé, silently asking her if she knew what was going on. Her returning glance said that she didn't. Yuffie just grinned bigger.
"We can help with that."
"You're doing what?"
"We're leaving. And taking them with us," Tifa replied indifferently, gesturing to Naminé and me.
"To train them in battle?" Cloud asked incredulously.
"Yes. Among other things," Yuffie answered.
"And why are you doing this again?"
"Because it's what Kairi wants. And we think it's a good idea." Tifa retorted, looking her boyfriend in the eye.
"There's still a lot of stuff to fight out there, Cloud," Aerith said softly. "There are a lot of people who haven't been found yet too. Kairi needs to know how to protect herself from the Darkness – among other things."
"And why can't you do that here?" Cloud snarled.
"Because she'll be found," Tifa answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"And why is that such a bad thing?"
"Because she doesn't want to be found, Cloud."
"Maybe Sora and Riku can help her."
"Maybe she doesn't need help."
"Maybe she just doesn't think she needs help."
"Maybe she just needs us!"
"Maybe you're making a bad decision!"
"Maybe you're being pigheaded about this entire situation!"
"Maybe," Aerith interrupted the fighting couple, who were slowly growing closer and angrier with each remark, "you two should stop fighting because it's going to get us nowhere."
"Cloud," Leon spoke for the first time since the two came back from their rounds, "the idea has merit."
"How so?" Cloud asked his brunette counterpart.
"There is a lot left to fight out there. Heartless numbers are still rampant." Cid nodded his head in agreement – he wasn't happy with his findings from his routine check on the Heartless numbers in Radiant Gardens earlier today. "And there's nothing wrong with Kairi wanting to learn how to fight. As she's heir to the throne of our kingdom, it's probably for the better that we have a strong ruler who is familiar with the plagues of the Darkness. Even better, it's good that we have a ruler that wants to fight the dark, not cause it."
"I suppose," Cloud agreed. "Go on."
"However," Leon said, shifting his piercing gaze to me, "you need to realize what you've done to your friends. If they care about you as much as you say they do, then they'll be devastated at your leaving. Knowing them, they'll do everything they can to find you. They'll be angry, hurt, upset, antsy, impatient – not to mention they're teenage boys with raging hormones, which is just fuel to the fire at this point. You've given two of the most powerful people in all the worlds a big reason to be upset," he chastised, "and either of them are liable to snap. One's already been previously infatuated with the Darkness."
I could feel my heart dropping.
"Unless you're willing to go back – which I don't think you are – what's done is done. But you need to realize that if either of them suddenly lose it and snap, whatever happens is your fault."
"Leon!" Aerith scolded. He blew her off with a toss of his calloused hand.
"She needs to know that, Aerith – I'm not being mean; I'm being truthful."
"I accept that, Leon. I know what I've done."
"Good. Then go. I look forward to seeing the new-and-improved Kairi when she returns," he said, finally smiling. I grinned back.
"Thank you, Leon." I turned to leave with the others, Naminé nervously in tow.
"Hey kid?" Leon asked; I turned around. "I know how you feel. Sometimes I wish I had done what you're doing – I can't picture ever calling you 'Hanner.'"
"Thanks. That means a lot."
"Don't forget about those who care about you," he reminded sternly.
"Kairi, we have to go!" Yuffie said impatiently. "We only have so much time! Besides, we all know they're already trying to find you."
"But I have the Gummi," I replied.
"Like that'll stop them?" she asked me.
"I know."
"Good thing we're taking you somewhere they'll never look," she grinned.
"And where's that?"
"You'll see," Tifa smiled. "But we promise they'll never find you."
Any guesses as to where they're going?
Sorry it took so long to update! Hope you guys liked this! Don't worry – the boys won't be out of the picture for long. The next chapter's an update on them.
Once again, reviews make the world go 'round.
