Disclaimer:

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


KINGDOM HEARTS: Of Days and Memories

Face It!

Floor II


Corridors with high ceilings. Rooms with tall doorways leading into research labs and study rooms. The occasional congressional setups and lounges. But otherwise hallways and corridors leading deep, high, and low…

It was everything she recalled. Down to the last finesse of décor detail along paneling high and low and vases at each four-way intersection.

White coats and the pretentious air of research and eager nubile sprouts from the college came and went in slow, small increments. Castle guards in their gray-purples and grayed navy blues were chatting in alcoves or roving the halls equally in timespans.

Otherwise, the long stretches were quiet and lonely- so she found, with unease. Ari'd lowered her hood the moment eyes sharp and quick zeroed in on her and her unsettling appearance. A hooded figure? Suspicious.

Even in her smaller days, such a sight would be unwelcome in the city that radiated Light.

She did begin to reconsider showing her face, as the older faces froze in shock when she came into their line of sight. They stopped their actions, their paperwork and their discussions to see her auburn hair and blue eyes.

Ari was left uncomfortable and with the anxious feeling sinking deeper into her gut. 'I'm not who you think, just stop…'

She refused to look into their eyes. 'You're just an illusion from memory. Not real.' Then again- chances were likely only a small few of them made it back from the catastrophe that transpired almost ten years prior.

So she walked along the hallways. Following the main corridor, leading to another main point. More people. More whispers. She disregarded them all as she continued making her way towards the heart of the castle above ground.


Bypassing the stretch of lobbies, which preceded university lecture halls designed for the select few under a specific set of graduate programs- to which Ari could not remember their exact course of study; she was finally met between two sets of large double doors. She frowned, turning between the doors to her left, and the doors standing taller even, just ahead of her.

'If I recall correctly, the east wing leads to the library and the accompanying studies. But ahead…' She frowned thoughtfully. 'Ahead should lead to the stairwell that divides towards his chamber office and part of the lab.'

Rather than change direction, she proceeded forward. The door clicked like the white castle's, constantly reminding her that none of it was real. While in turn, it reminded her that she was lost in a place that no one in her company knew. It also brought clarity that what she was seeing was completely false. The illusion of the gardens in and of itself was throwing her hard through a loop, so clarity and grounding she welcomed willingly.

The doors opened, the appearance not matching the click and whine that followed their movement. Hard wood did not move like marble. Heavy, but hollow in comparison of the material; grains etching deep down and creating pockets for air to settle or stir.

A hall half the width to its long length made room for a set of shallow stairs that lead up to a partial second level, where three more doorways awaited. She knew all of this- she'd traipsed them time and time again in her early years. Preferably under adult care- but equally as often she'd crept along on her own.

So to see little mini-her standing on the stairs, looking up at the doorway ahead…

Ari froze in all movement; even her breathing ceased its function.

'Why…'

The placement was identical. The situation exact. From her dress to her hair- to the murmuring she heard herself mutter. Why, she had to wonder, why she was seeing that memory, that day. She had to wonder with a small wave of fright why it halted her heartrate nearly instantaneously.

'Why am I feeling this dread?'

The small girl placed both hands up, she surmised, to her mouth as they disappeared in front of her face. Her voice was prepubescent; higher in pitch and carrying the lilt of the city accent from the gardens. "'enzooo. Where are yooou?" A pause. "Ser'sly, where are you? You promised…!"

Ari knew that frustration well, as the child trotted up the rest of the stairs and disappeared on the upper level. A creak and the click of doors shutting were all she needed to know.

'So why does the notion of pressing on instill terror in my veins…?'


The study was as round as she remembered, having pressed on but kept her distance from the inquisitive six year old. The others had seen her, and best to avoid confusion. 'Even though this isn't real.' Better to be safe than cause some type of mayhem in a situation she wasn't equipped for. Falsehood or no- the white castle would lay traps if she didn't proceed carefully.

The office was empty. As expected. 'He'd been so busy for a while there, it was a miracle if I saw him within a twenty-four hour period.'

Though by the looks of her small self, he wasn't who she was after as she peered around corners, and the door from where she'd traipsed. Rather, the small one crept behind the desk with quick tip-toes. Taptaptap she went. A grunt, and she was shoving the heavy chair from out behind the desk; backwards until it collided with a wall. A huff, a heave- the little girl in the mint green dress she favored over half her wardrobe scrambled up into the worn leather of his seat. She peered over her shoulder the moment Ari pressed up into the shadow of a shallow row of bookcases.

She saw nothing to deter her advancement, and turned back to the wall next to the locked door.

'Wait…no…'

She found the contraption, sending a chill down Ari's spine.

'I know what you're doing- don't!'

A keypad emerged from the wall- a bypass to the fingerprint scanner she'd seen them use countless times before when in a hurry.

The softest beeps of the digital pad as the child inputted the code. '8394.' She knew it by heart still, nearly a decade later.

Satisfied by the click of the internal locks tumbling, the girl giggled and hopped down from the chair. "Come out come out wherever you are 'enzo. Can't hide from me forever!"

Her older counterpart remained behind by the concealment of shadow, face ashen and arms trembling.

"W-wait…don't. Don't go in there… Don't do it!"

The child paused midway through the door, as if she'd heard her call. But Ari felt dread fill her gut to the brim as the child shrugged and marched along down the suspended metal platform joining the laboratory to Ansem's study.


It was when the girl made it past midway over the suspension, that Ari's legs came back to life and sprinted after the child. "Don't do it!"

To which the girl never heard her. She continued along, marching with a six year old's determination. "'enzo come ooon. You've been in here for…" her speaking slurred and paused as she rounded the corner, coming to the entry to the top of the lab; housing the main computer system for it. "…hours…" her voice squeaked out.

Ari skidded to a stop behind her younger self on the last syllable. An audible gasp came from the smaller, and searing pain racked through the older's body; stemming from where her heart stuttered on uneven beats.

The air distorted around her, blending memory and clarity to create a wave of hazes around her. "No, not this…" she hissed, grabbing at the side of her head. "Not this…not them…"

~.:*:.~

Three bodies, one of which still gasping weakly, lying splayed across the cold metal floor. Dark tendrils leaking from their chests, blood dripping from mouth and over their sides. Even was already gone. Lifeless. Braig was haggard on his breathing, any speech slurred and drowned by his own blood as it continued to pool up from his throat. And Ienzo…barely alive, his little body almost entirely still- save for the very eyes that matched hers in hue. Her voice had called him, in his fading state; called his attention to his little sister. He twitched, head shifting as Darkness continued to build and stem from his chest cavity. His visible eye zeroed in on hers. "R'n…" it was garbled.

Down at the other end of the room, his back was turned to her. But the sound of hoarse whispers behind him, and the man turned. White hair in contrast to a deep tan on his flesh. And what had been brown eyes, were drowning in gold.

Her heart entirely stopped its beating as his eyes focused only on her.

"Well, well," something about the pitch of his voice had changed. And it still made her cold, just the sound of his lazy lilt.

He stepped. One. Another. Left. Right. Left. Though his approach bypassed Even, and he ignored the dying child on the floor. Rather, his approach came to a halt at choking guard's side. He crouched, grabbing the handkerchief Braig always wore around his neck. The man in the white coat chuckled, after a beat, and used his other hand to pull away the eyepatch covering Braig's damaged eye. How that one had happened, no one knew. He went from having two sharp eyes, to suddenly incapacitated and having trouble with his depth perception.

"You're not yet gone, so why couldn't you mention we had a guest at our door?" He dropped the guard, ignoring the splatter of blood from his coughing splotching the sleeve of his lab coat.

"Little song, what are you doing here?" He stepped over Braig's convulsing body. Step by step. Strong, slow, and deliberate. But she couldn't look away from those gold eyes he wore too perfectly. "Little one, you should be outside. It's not raining today. Where are your friends?"

He crouched, when two feet separated them, and knelt down to eye level. He raked to fingers, delicate, as he took a few strands of her curled auburn hair. "Little girl, where are they now?"

"'ri, r'n."

And it clicked. Everything clicked at the sound of her brother's last plea. She shoved him off of her and ran- sprinting back the way she'd come.

His hollow chuckling blended with her screams.


The air continued to pulse, pounding down on her in savage rhythms and aggression to the point that her steps were messy and sluggish between assaults. But moving she continued to do- running as she pushed to keep going.

With every violent tremor in the air, her vision distorted. Ari could no longer discern between herself then and herself now. She was trapped in the same loop, same cycle of events, that had led to her arrival to the islands. 'I won't relive this, I can't do this again!'

So she continued to sprint. Between the figure of six years old and a nearing sixteen year old- she fumbled over tile and carpet and worried murmurs at the sound of her six year old voice wailing for them to "run!"

Erratic rhythms, her steps constantly changing from quick and hurried to sluggish and heavy. She could hear her breathing above the murmurs and her crying. It was heavy like large drums. Boom. Boom

Boom.

When her weight shifted unevenly, and her body started to fall forward, a pair of large hands and a dry "hmph" followed suit, her eyes widened when they gazed upwards to find two of the top guards looking down at her inquiringly. Aeleus, with his towering form and hard face, eyed her with kinder eyes than his partner Dilan. The latter had scoffed, and held subtle accusation for her and her echoing wailing.

"Arina…?"

She could hear herself sniffle, while she also heard herself struggling to breathe. Her mouth moved of its own accord, and she could no longer control her actions.

"I-it-it's…he got them…he took my b-brother…!"

"Ienzo?" Dilan interjected. "What happened to the boy?"

"Easy now kiddo," Aeleus tried his hand again to calm her sobbing. "What happened?"

"He got my brother!" she heard her voice wail. "He's gone. Even too…"

Aeleus and Dilan shared a look, both frowning deeply at what the child was telling them. Dilan took two steps closer, crouching down. "Who?"

She saw her reflection in their eyes, how her eyes widened unbelievably large; whites showing and pupils retracting. "X-X…Xe…"

"We need to know, Ari-"

"Now."

Her voice cracked, tongue feeling like lead in her mouth. "X-Xeh-ah…"

Another look shared between the two men. Both frowning. "Xehanort."

She winced at the name, both then and in the present. Her voice having escaped her, she could do nothing as she had back then, as Aeleus placed his hand in her auburn hair. Giving her a soft pat, he stood again with Dilan. Both men gazed down the corridors from where she'd come sprinting from; both frowning with otherwise stone-still faces.

"Wait here, kiddo." Aeleus instructed.

"We'll be rid of this nonsense momentarily." Dilan brushed off nonchalantly, as was his demeanor.

And all Ari could do, was watch them walk away from her again. Their backs departing farther and farther. The last memory she'd ever have of them, imprinted in her memory.

She knew what followed. And her heart felt icy cold as it pounded hard against the bones of her ribcage.


Time proceeded, to which she was prisoner to her younger self. Of who, waited as the two guards had commanded of her. But Ari knew what followed- and right on schedule, it did.

Shadows. Or, perhaps just one. It was moving, and it took a moment or two for her sharp young eyes to see it. She rubbed at them after she saw it shift in the shadows of the lobby-like hall. It danced after a moment- jerking movements hither and thither as it moved to a rhythm only it could move to and comprehend.

And then, its beady golden eyes scourging the shadows; mouth dripping with its own matter- Darkness. Two more sets of eyes peered around corners and obstructions, eyes setting on the youthful heart of the girl.

Ari felt her pulse echo that of her younger self's when the first Shadow lunged forward. It's claws etched her skin lightly; she kicked it off of her as soon as her back collided with the ground.

Screaming, she ran. The Shadows pursued. Neoshadows calling in the distance at whatever noise the smaller Shadows made.

Ari knew their tones. For months, she'd had to distinguish noises, calls, and sounds of varying movements.

Her small form ran, the pulsing of the air wrapping around her again. Older? Younger? It didn't matter as doors opened to more corridors. Up a series of stairs; up, up up. Winding passages, outside corridors. She knew the routes she was running along. Another set of stairs, spiraling downwards though, met her at the end of an outer corridor. Skidding like she had back then, adding another bruise to the scrapes along her legs, she scrambled down. Down, to the archway, leading to a separate tower-like structure that was housed behind the castle's dominating architecture.

An archway over the bridge; etched intricately depicting script long forgotten with god-like creatures covering it from bottom to its arching centerpiece. The shadows moved behind her, gathering slowly as they pursued her Heart.

But she pressed on, gasping and tripping and righting herself again as she sprinted down the path towards the chapel's doors. Particles of Light trailing in and around the tower- a first floor structure with ceilings and rafters reaching high into the sky.

'Mama said that this place was 'holy'.' She heard her thoughts from then murmur through her own head and heart. 'I don't know where else to go…!'

And even in the present, she hadn't a clue.

Her small hands reached, and she leaped for the ring of the door's handle. With the adrenaline coursing through her small body, she yanked it open and dove inside, yanking the door closed as clawed hands and appendages made to grab her again.

She could feel the aches from those wounds, flickering between child and teen in her form as memory fought the present for dominant control again.

Screeching came from outside, unsettling her then as it had before. Wrapping her arms around her torso in both forms, she peered behind her. Scratching and wailing erupted outside, followed by perfectly timed silence.

Particles of Light danced as they had, some coming in closer, others drifting through the air of their own accord. Gardens and fountains; a trickling stream. The entire place was a sanctuary. A place to grieve, a place to seek guidance. 'It's strange how the dead bring comfort over those things.' Both of her voices murmured in thought.

The sky dimmed, her eyes flicking up to one of the high set windows not entirely comprised of stained glass. Through the clear material, she could see violet clouds forming, mixing with plum and orange as the sky was overcome by a storm unlike any other.

She took another step in deeper. And another following that. Mosaic formed by pretty stones, painting the way to a circle of marble benches and a pool of crystal-clear water, housing a growing young tree in its center. More steps in, and her eyes never leaving the clear glass of the window.

She was three feet from the opening to the sacred circle, when his voice cut in.

"A wonder, is this place. Untouched by the Dark; but a place inhabited by death. Tell me, child. Did you think you'd be safe here?"

She whirled around. Darker skin, gold eyes. Pale hair bordering between silver gray and snowy white. Her face paled at the sight of him. Heart stuttering, she dared to move backwards, keeping him in her line of vision.

His growing grin was calm. He had all the time in the world, by the lax in his facial muscles. "For death awaits you not. But one must wonder," and he began his approach. Predatory. Domineering.

She was only a child. A whimper escaped her throat. And he heard it; grin growing at her fear.

"Can you withstand what I will put you through? You were chosen. But are you worthy? I'll decide that."

Her back met a pole, indicating the entry to the circle. He knelt before her, nearly touching noses. All that she found in her scope, were gold eyes flecked by amber and dying brown.

There was no soul within, to give rise to sympathy or empathy.

"Just how strong is his successor?"

The shadows moved in, glass smashing from outside-in as they came to his silent call- the moment his fingers wrapped around her throat.

And something inside her shattered. Then and there. Searing pain enveloped her from within. She was no longer six. Ari was fifteen and she was buckled in on herself. Hands over ears, she was trembling.

And all she could do, was let loose a bloodcurdling scream.


~.:*:.~

"Who was it?" He had to wonder. "Who's most important to me?"

In his hand, he held a star-shaped charm, entirely put together with sailor's yarn and Thalassa shells. Each detail, down to the spikey hair and cheeky grin carefully etched onto it, he mapped it all. But Sora could find no trace of her in his memory. And so, he shook his head.

"Nothing…"

Donald and Goofy turned back to him as he pocketed the charm again.

"You okay, Sora?"

"Ye-," he began, but stopped. He frowned; a trembling hand suddenly clutching at his heart. His eyes raised upwards, as a scream resonated in his heart. "Ari…?"

~.:*:.~


~.:*:.~

He could barely stand, let alone see straight. It took all of his effort, and then some, to push up and brace his weight as he tried to stand again. But he buckled, falling to a knee and fingers kissing the floor. Grunting, he spat to the side; a mixture of saliva and blood marring the white-white floors.

Riku turned his head, grimacing at the pain shooting through his skull with every movement. "The king," he tested his tongue. So far, so good. "He…protected me."

Taking a slow breath, he tried again. Pushing slow and steady, his legs bore his weight better the second time around.

"Your Majesty…" he tried, voice growing louder despite the pain from cracked ribs. "Where are you?" His voice started to echo with its growing resonance. "Please answer!"

There was no sign of the small king, nor were there any responses.

He was entirely alone.

Gingerly, and resigned with that, he placed his fingers over his heart. "You're with me…in here, aren't you?"

He could accept that. A fragile smile pulling at his lips.

His legs buckled, and he allowed himself the long reprieve as he sank back to the ground. He was in pain, and he didn't have the equipment to fully restore his mana or his energy. And he was low on any healing remedies.

But he'd be fine. He'd press on. He had to.

And then, he felt it. Out of nowhere, it came upon him like a cold sheet in winter. Something felt wrong. His heart murmured, quivering as it resonated to another's hurt.

Riku's tired eyes shot up to the ceiling when he felt her scream run his blood icy cold. "Ari…"

~.:*:.~


Author's Endnote:

As promised, it's here! Not perfect, but then nothing is.

So here we have it! Not so happy, no? Poor girl…

~ AoZ