Disclaimer: I do not own any Kingdom Hearts characters nor Disney and Final Fantasy.
The door to Beginning
Chapter 9: Our last day
"Thank, Sora! I had something for you too. Here, it's yours."
Kairi pulled out another bottle of Hi- Potion and handed it to Sora. Sora laughed as he took it from her. "Is this all you ever have for me, Kairi?"
She frowned in an attempt to look mean. "Hey, no complaining. Be grateful for what you have." Then, as though she couldn't keep up with the acting anymore, Kairi smiled. "Tired? Wanna call it a day?"
"Yeah, we should get home soon." Sora said, slowly glancing over his shoulder as though expecting something to be there. He then looked up into the sky, noticing it was already scarlet as the sun was setting down. It was getting darker. The sky was shifting from clear blue to deep crimson.
"Okay!" Kairi said with a small giggle. "Tomorrow is a big day! We should rest up!"
Both of them walked together toward their boats. Riku had already took off for the pier at a brisk pace, as if he tried to get away from them. But as Sora was about to jump into his boat, Kairi walked toward the end of the dock and sat down, dangling her feet over the egde. Sora tilted his head slightly to one side, confused, then walked over and sat next to her. They sat in silence for a while, looking out toward the horizon at the sunset. The water glimmered in the orange light as the sun was just beginning to sink and set the sky aflame.
Sora leaned back, propping himself up with his arms as he stared out into the sunset. He smiled slightly as he watched the water gleam in the failing light.
"You know, Riku has changed."
He looked over at Kairi, his curiosity raised. Her face was solemn, her hands folded in her lap, her eyes lowered slightly. The seriousness in her voice had surprised him. Kairi wasn't always like that. "What do you mean?"
He asked. If anything different about Riku, he couldn't really tell. It seemed like the usual Riku to him. Quite, keeping everything to himself. And especially the very same Riku that always like to bottling up everything he felt inside, the very same Riku who never let anyone understand what he is holding in.
Kairi closed her eyes slowly, taking in the ocean breeze, and then looking up at the sunset. "Well … hum … " She seemed hesitated when she thought of the answer as though it was right there before her but she couldn't explain it probably for Sora to understand.
Sora kept his glance on her face as he awaited the answer. "You're okay?" He asked worriedly. Kairi was becoming more and more like Riku when it came to let her mind wandering somewhere else.
Kairi looked over him when she heard him asking her with concern. A warm smile came to her face. "Well … Hu=mm. You don't think so?"
"Nope, it's just you."
Kairi looked down a bit sad at that. But then, she blurted.
"Sora, let's take the raft and go, - just the two of us!"
What she said completely caught him off guard. It was unusual to heard such thing coming from Kairi. Her words made his face turned scarlet, rivaling the sky of the setting. Lucky for him, the orange hint of the sunset covered up his red face, lessen the redness of it. "Huh?"
He managed to say.
Kairi peered at Sora with a mischievous grin. But then, she looked away quickly, returning her attention back to the crimson horizon. She giggled lightly, rocking slightly back and forth. "Just kidding."
Sora looked away slowly, also gazing into the fiery sunset. "What's gotten into you?" Sora asked her, his voice shaken with nervous laughter. "You're the one that's changed, Kairi."
Her face was solemn again, her eyes having once again lowered so that she was staring into her lap, at the hands that clutched her knees tightly. "Maybe." She stared ambling down the beach then leaning forward, putting her weight on her hands, her eyes lifting toward the sunset again. "You know, I was a little afraid at first, but… Now I'm ready! No matter where I go, or what I see, I know I can always come back here."
Kairir looked over him, speaking like she had made up her mind.
She looked at Sora with a smile. "Right?"
He looked back at her, slight taken aback, and nodded. "Yeah, of course."
'It is the very same thing I wonder this morning. Like what I try to convince myself. There is just no point of worrying about it anyway. There is just no point of regretting something that has never happened. If we just let all our regrets got the best of us, then we would never able to do anything, just because we are worried that everything we have and cherish would come to ruins because of that action. And I'm not worried, 'cause I know, when I found my parents, I can always go back here. Knowing that you'll always be welcome here no matter how much has changed, that is what having a home is all about. That is what I want her to believe.'
"That's good," she said quietly, looking into the sunset again. She rubbed the palms of her hands on her knees. She took a deep breath. "Sora, don't ever change."
"Huh?" He watched with wide, alarmed eyes as Kairi rose to her feet. What… did that mean?
"I just can't wait," Kairi said, even quieter than before, putting her arms behind her back. "Once we set sail… it'll be great."
Sora leaned back, looking back out into the sunset. Once they set sail…
The sun was nearly gone now. The waves went on with their calm, soft rush.
In a world that the grass spread as far as one could see, a young woman who had her face hidden under a hood, stood silently, watching the world around her. She let out a sigh, taking a deep breath as she stared blankly at her surrounding. A plain with nothing but grass grown bored into her crystal blue eyes. The place seemed to be holding no interest to her. After all, it was just another of those outside worlds. She had been to so much that none of them meant anything to her anymore.
"The king's friends have left." A young girl voice came from behind. The hooded young woman turned her head around slightly as she looked at the young girl. She had barely passed her 12 year-old birthday with short hair of cold metal pink. The hooded woman considered her words thoughtfully before replying.
"They'll never able to find the key if he never leaves the island." The hooded woman said. Her voice was blank as if it was a simply fact of knowing. Her eyes didn't turn away from the opened field before her.
"So, what should we do? Go to that place ourselves and burst the door gateway open? Nah! The old man already has everything planned out, C. We're playing his game for years now." The young girl spoke, shaking her head as she rejected the thoughts that came to her mind immediately.
"But why would he spare Sora?! He has already got me out of the picture and so goes with everyone else. Why not Sora?" The older woman who seemed to be called as C, asked. Her voice was raising as though she tried to look for the answer for so long, yet she couldn't find it.
"I don't know." The girl only look away, staring carefree up the now blue sky. She always prefer it to the dark abyss that they were just in not long ago. Yet, wherever C went, she had to follow. The little girl sat down the glassy land then lay her back on it, her cyan eyes stared at the deep blue sky.
'The world is so peaceful though.' She thought and let out a breath.
'I wish all worlds could be like this. If only everyone would simply cherish what they have without being so greedy about others then the darkness wouldn't be here in the first place. If only they understand. Still, no one is perfect. That is the truth no one can run away from. I got a share of my problems too. Yet, that doesn't mean I'll stop trying … Until the day where the light is brought back to the lost worlds. I won't stop until then … Even if there isn't much I can do.'
"He is targeting someone …" The woman continued, breaking the young girl though. The girl pouted slightly. C always had her ways with bringing unthinkable thoughts to everyone in a not so perfect time.
"But who ?" She asked without turning her eyes from the sky.
"Can't say. We'll find out one way or another." C said plainly and seated herself next to the girl.
"I miss home a lot you know…" The little girl finally spoke up what she was thinking which caused C to turn her gaze to the girl. The woman didn't think that she would bring this up now. Yet, she listened nonetheless.
"You wanna go back?" C asked expressionlessly. Even if the words caught her off guard, she tried to make it seems like a normal thing as she hided her surprise. Emotions are sign of weaknesses and she would simply not tolerate with such thing even when it was herself. Due to how things were in front of her eyes, she would simply not allow it.
The girl shook her head. Taking a deep breath, she explained. "Nah. I don't wanna go home when every time I look around, I see people lose their home and screaming for help. I just don't want to leave them by themselves, not when I can help them."
"Must be hard. I never dare to show my face to anyone anymore." C said, staring up to the sky as well.
'Hearts are where prayers come from. Yet, I never really understand why. For long I had casted my needs aside, turning my heart away from everything. Both light and darkness. From the light, I hide away in the shadow and battling the shadow to find a way to restore the light. But no matter how hard I try, there is always people suffering.'
"It is lot easier than it seems, C. You just gotta open up to everyone. You can't help anyone if you can't help yourself first." The young girl said, her eyes sadden down.
"It's lot easier to say than done."
"You'll see." The young girl smiled knowingly.
"Maybe." C then stopped for a moment. "After all of this what are you going to do?"
"Huh?" The young girl turned her eyes to her at the sudden question. "Why all the sudden?"
"…" The young woman only shrugged in return. Taking the cue, she thought for a moment.
"Maybe I just wanna go home." She stopped and smiled brightly. "Even if we are like to be running around, fighting battle after battle, no way of telling how tomorrow would be, I glad it is that way."
"How come?"
"They didn't have to suffer because I already did for them. My parents i mean. And I wonder what that idiot brother of mine is doing right now. I have never gotten the chance to meet him in person."
"You will someday."
"You, as well, C." The woman casted her eyes to the girl and then away. She quickly stood up, straighten herself.
"We should get going." She said, trying to change the subject for some reasons. Noticing the meaning of her voice, the girl got up as well.
"You can't run away forever C. He is only family!"
"I'm not running away. But he doesn't have to know, and neither your brother. I just don't want to face anyone right now." With that, the young woman disappeared within a bright light. The girl pouted and sighed.
"You have to face it one day, C. It doesn't matter if you choose sooner or later. What will happen, just happen. You can't avoid it." She too, then disappeared.
As promise, a chapter every Sunday. I wish i could do more but my spring break will be over by tomorrow. School is back. Sadly.
But the story will be updated weekly as now. ^^
Review and see you in a week.