DISCLAIMER: I believe I may have said before that Square Enix and Disney own Kingdom Hearts. Oh well, can't hurt to reiterate it.
CHAPTER TEN: CONFESSION
"Look! She's moving!"
She could hear voices as though they were far away, whispering words as if they were separated by a long tunnel. But she heard them nonetheless. She could hear. She shifted under what felt like a blanket, grabbing at a cotton sheet. She had hands, a sense of touch. Groggily she opened her eyes, a blurry, shapeless world slowly coming into focus.
"How are you feeling?" a blonde woman, bangs framing her face, hovered over Kairi. She shifted her framed glasses, observing the girl.
Kairi tried to sit, but found her limbs were too weak from her sleep. "Where am I?" her voice rasped from going so long without speaking.
The woman smiled. "You're in Balamb. Welcome, my name's Quistis."
"I'm Kairi," she smiled weakly. "Thanks for taking me in."
"She's awake!" Kairi turned her attention to another woman who appeared in the doorway. Straight brown hair fell upon her shoulders as she drifted over to Kairi's bedside, standing next to Quistis.
"Nice to meet you, Kairi. My name's Rinoa."
Kairi smiled in greeting. "How did I get here?" she asked, furrowing her brow.
Quistis shrugged. "I don't know. We heard a knock at our door. When we opened it, there you were, laying on our stoop. You must have walked a long way and were so delirious that you don't remember. Where in Gaia are you from?"
"No…" Kairi shook her head. "No, I'm not from… what'd you say? Gaia? Ansem did this to me. He turned me into nothing, or at least surrounded me in nothingness. I'm not from this world. I don't know how I got here."
"Where are you from?" asked Rinoa.
"Destiny Islands," Kairi rubbed her forehead with a weak palm.
Rinoa and Qusitis shrugged to each other.
"Never heard of it," said Quistis. "Is that where you disappeared from?"
"No, I was on a different world at the time… well, I guess it's technically my home world, but I don't remember anything about it. My friends and I were helping our friends defeat the Hybrids on their world."
"So they've spread past this one," Rinoa nodded. "I'm not in the least bit surprised. Where were you? Camelot? Narnia?"
"I've never even heard of those worlds," Kairi shook her head. "No… Radiant Garden. Hollow Bastion, some call it." The two women looked at each other confusedly.
"That's impossible," said Rinoa, her voice skeptical. "Radiant Garden was destroyed when our world was split in two. All the people there… died."
"Huh?" Kairi narrowed her gaze. "The people there are alive and well. I never heard anything about your world being split in two though."
"It was because of the Darkness," said Quistis, waving the thought away. "Never mind that… If you really were in Radiant Garden, then what's it look like?"
"The land is a depressing, muted purple, and it's really mountainous. The town looks medieval, run down… I think that's from the Heartless though."
Kairi could not have imagined the two women's reactions to her recount. Rinoa fell to her knees, weeping, murmuring to herself in worlds Kairi couldn't hear. Quistis clasped her hands together and walked over to the window, repeating: "Oh, thank God, thank God…"
"I can't believe it," said Rinoa, a tear falling from her eye. "There's a chance they're alive."
"Did you know anyone there? Anyone at all?" Quistis asked eagerly. "I doubt it's anyone we would know, but still…"
"Oh, sure, several people in the resistance," responded Kairi. "Cloud, Yuffie, Cid…" Their faces lit up. "Aerith, Leon… I think his real name's Squall-"
"Squall?" they exclaimed.
"Squall… Squall's alive…" Rinoa whispered, putting a hand to her heart as tears streamed from her eyes. "I can't believe it."
"They're all okay? You're sure?" asked Quistis, her voice quiet.
"Alive and well," Kairi nodded. "They're a resistance group that fights Hybrid uprisings. My friends and I were helping them."
"Still… I find it hard to believe that Squall and the others never mentioned us," said Rinoa crossly.
Quistis shrugged. "I'm sure it's nothing personal, Rinoa. You know how Squall used to be: 'tell it to a wall', 'everyone has to take care of themselves'. I'm sure he's giving the illusion of having got over what I'm sure he thinks are our… deaths. Deep down he's dwelling on it."
Rinoa gulped. "Does he have a - a girlfriend, or a wife or anything?"
"Nah, he's too cynical," Kairi shook her head. "Le- I mean Squall, is really reserved."
Rinoa looked relieved. "What about you, Kairi? Do you have anyone waiting for you at Radiant Garden?"
"I hope so," she sighed dreamily. "His name's Sora… But you see, I thought I was dying. I told him to let go, to find someone else. Who knows how long it'll be before I can see him again? If I'll ever see him again?"
She closed her eyes, trying not to think of the implications of her last sentence. Never seeing Sora again? She didn't think she could bear it.
Quistis smiled warmly. "Don't worry, Kairi. Now that we know they're alive - thanks to you - we might be able to get to them."
"But… but the worlds are veiled in Darkness. We can't take a vessel."
"There are other, more dangerous, ways," said Rinoa. "I'd be willing to chance it."
"As would I if it means seeing Squall and the others again," said Quistis. "But we don't even know where Radiant Garden is. We're on the outer fringes of the worlds, which explains why they never found us, and why we were never able to find them. But how was Kairi transferred from Radiant Garden to Balamb when we couldn't manage it?"
"Namine…" Kairi whispered.
"What was that?" Rinoa raised an eyebrow.
"Namine, she's my Nobody," Kairi explained. "We haven't been separated in over five years, but I can still tell she's there… especially when I'm with Sora. When I was floating through nothingness, I heard her voice. She told me to hold on. Since she's a Nobody, I bet she was able to navigate her way through and get me here.
Quistis looked at her quizzically. "Wait a minute… If you have a Nobody, that means you were once a Heartless."
Kairi shook her head. "Surprisingly, no. I used to be a Princess of Heart. Since I had no darkness in my heart, it was just harbored in the heart of my friend. If something happened again, then yeah, I would turn into a Heartless." She shivered at the thought. "Still, I don't think even that would be as bad as what I went through before I ended up here."
"What happened, exactly?" asked Rinoa.
"Well, I tried to open a door with my Keyblade and it sucked me into a portal instead. I was in a world surrounded by this weird white mist. Then Ansem's Hybrid came with this… scythe, I guess… It broke my Keyblade and stabbed me in the heart. Then I faded away. I was nowhere. I was nothing but a mind."
Quistis looked at Rinoa, their faces paling. "Heart Reaper," Rinoa whispered, the words barely audible. "It's the most powerful weapon we know of. It holds an evil that a Keyblade never could. They're twin weapons, actually. There used to be more, but they were destroyed because, well, no one deserves that kind of fate."
"It's amazing that you got out of that realm," agreed Quistis. "It has to be because of your Nobody."
"I'm really worried about those Heart Reapers though," Kairi frowned. "What if they go after our friends? Is there anything that can combat them?"
Rinoa shrugged, looking uneasy. "Not unless they have a supply of Adamant and know a really good blacksmith."
Kairi looked at them with a confused expression.
Quistis smiled. "We'll explain later."
After a few minutes of idle talk, the two women left Kairi to prepare for the day. She stood on wobbly legs, shuffling slowly at first before taking more confident steps. She walked over to the mirror in the small bedroom, gasping at the sight of herself. Her auburn hair had grown several inches and snarled in ugly knots. Her face was pale and shallow, as though the sun had not graced it in months. She frowned. It probably hadn't. Her pink skirt and shirt were dirty and torn, she assumed beyond repair. She sighed, walking into the connected bathroom to shower. When she returned to her room, she found new clothes laid out for her. Kairi dressed and observed herself in the mirror. A light blue shirt with a flowing sleeve lead to a pair of short black shorts with a knee-length skirt-like addition flowing off to the left side. Kairi shrugged. It wasn't her usual style, but it would do.
She drifted into the next room, where she saw Rinoa, Quistis, and two men absorbed in conversation.
"Hey, Kairi; are you feeling better?" asked Rinoa.
"Yeah, much better," Kairi smiled. "Thanks for the clothing rental."
"No problem whatsoever," she answered. "Let me introduce our friends. Zack, Zell, this is Kairi."
She greeted the two men shyly. The one was stunningly handsome, bangs falling to either side of his face, black spikes sticking up in a unruly fashion. The other had an almost childlike charm. He smiled at her, and Kairi noticed an unusual tattoo on the side of his face.
"Nice to meet you," said Zack. "Is what Rinoa and Quistis told us true? Cloud and the others are still alive?"
Kairi nodded eagerly. "Alive and well. Or alive, at least, in Cloud's case."
The four chuckled at her joke.
"He didn't used to be that bad," said Zell. "I figured Tifa or Aerith would've beaten it out of him by now."
She frowned. "Tifa's not with them at the moment. Something happened between her and Cloud. I don't know; the details I got were really hazy. I figured it wasn't my place to ask."
"I just… can't wait to get back to them," sighed Rinoa, a slight smile appearing in the corners of her mouth. "How long until Bugenhagen's experiment is ready to be tested?"
Zack frowned. "Rinoa, I think you're forgetting that being able to transport from one place to another with that machine requires the proper coordinates."
"Hollow Bastion's coordinates?" asked Kairi. "Oh, that's easy. X4183.5, Y6087.1"
The others looked at her, astonished.
"What?" she asked innocently. "Sora had Riku and me memorize coordinates to different worlds in case anything happened to him and he wasn't able to fly the ship."
Zell grinned. "I swear this girl is our blessing."
Kairi smiled, glad to be in the company of others again. Granted, she was grateful just to be in a realm of existence once more. She didn't know how long it would take - several days, maybe months, even years, to get back to her friends, but she held a likeness with the people of Gaia. They were all searching for a way to reunite with their comrades, and in this commonality they bonded.
Her heart ached as she remembered her friends, Sora grieving over what she was sure he thought was her death, of Riku, who surely mourned as well. She hoped that they could find some sense of comfort in each other, that they could move on until the three were together once more. Kairi sighed, thinking of the day they would finally be reunited.
"Sora, I'm beginning to think Leon was way off with his keyhole theory," Riku fell onto the couch at Merlin's house and stared into the empty fire hearth. They had been out scouting for keyholes the entire morning, and had only managed to run into a few weak Nobodies and Hybrids.
"I'm sure they're here somewhere," said Sora optimistically. He plopped down next to Riku, his arm brushing against his. Riku tensed slightly, but it went unnoticed by Sora. He slouched down so that his head was parallel with Riku's shoulder, his spiked hair grazing Riku's skin. He shivered visibly, but Sora was oblivious. Riku rolled his eyes. Why was Sora doing this to him? Did he even realize it? Riku decided to test his theory.
"We're on house watch tonight, right?" asked Riku.
"Mhm. The others are at the keep."
Riku smirked. "Man, it's going to be boring without them, don't you think?"
"Nah," said Sora. "I mean, we haven't had a lot of time alone together in awhile."
His jaw dropped. Riku was too baffled to say anything. Had Sora just vaguely insinuated… Was he really doing this consciously, or was he just so comfortable with Riku that he didn't hear the obvious innuendo in his speech? But Sora had said things with such heavy implications before… they both had, and neither ever called the other out on it. When Riku had given Sora the paupu fruit, when they were reunited in the World That Never Was, when they were together in the Darkness before returning to Destiny Islands… He remembered Sora being completely content at the idea of staying with him in the darkness. Had he really meant it?
"Just the two of us, alone. There would be no judgment." Riku thought, and in his mind it made sense. But ever since Sora and Kairi had gotten together, those comments - some more suggestive than others - had almost completely disappeared from their conversations. And it was Sora who had brought them back, not he. Did he even realize he was doing it, or was Kairi's absence and his loneliness bringing this out of him?
"Yeah… That'd be nice," said Riku, slouching down to Sora's level. His heart pounded into his throat as he looked into Sora's azure eyes. He prayed that his cheeks had not reddened. He decided to play along. "But there's really… nothing to do, is there?" He nudged Sora's knee with his own. Riku swallowed the lump in his throat. Was he honestly flirting with Sora? More importantly, was Sora flirting back?
"I'm sure we can think of something," Sora raised an eyebrow mischievously. He brushed his hand lightly against Riku's leg as he stood up. Seriously, was that accidental? Riku felt thoroughly confused. Surely Sora was not as naïve as he had been a few years ago about such things. He couldn't be acting this way without merit.
Riku let his thoughts drift as he watched Sora prepare the fire. His arms flexed as he picked up two heavy logs. Riku had to stop himself from staring as Sora turned around. Gone were the signs of awkward adolescence. They had been replaced by a strong confidence that had always lurked in his personality, scrawny limbs replaced by ripped, lean muscles.
Sora smiled, looking at Riku as he placed the logs into the fireplace. "What?" he asked, catching Riku's eye.
"Nothing," Riku shrugged. Yeah right, nothing. Sora's smile still captivated him, the same one he had at the age of fifteen, though his features had changed somewhat. Riku wondered how he had lasted harboring feelings for his friend. He had kept them at bay, laying latent for years. After all, it hadn't been fair to Kairi. She was such a sweet girl, certainly more deserving of Sora than himself. He froze, realizing his feelings toward Sora were resurfacing because of Kairi's absence. Was Sora clinging to him because he had lost Kairi, or had these emotions existed as Riku's, coming back only in her disappearance?
"That doesn't make it any better. That's still horrible to Kairi," Riku thought bitterly. "Just because she told Sora to move on doesn't mean it's right for me to…"
To what, take a chance with him? Was Riku actually considering it? What if Sora's supposed attraction to him was fleeting, created only from the loss he felt for Kairi? In that case, starting anything was out of the question. But what if it wasn't? What if it was, purely and simply, a mutual attraction, if not… No, Riku wasn't going to throw that word around, no matter how much it was based in truth.
"You know, Xeron's been snooping around the house lately," Sora warned, glancing out the window behind him. He called his Keyblade and cast a low grade Fire spell, lighting the hearth instantly. He walked to the front of the house and peered out the window.
"I wouldn't worry about him," Riku waved away the thought. "The guy's a joke. I mean, c'mon, I know he's their friend's Hybrid and everything, but he's completely worthless."
"When the time calls for it, he's probably as useless as Demyx," Sora frowned.
"Yeah, exactly. I don't see what the problem is,"
"Eesh, that's not what I meant," Sora put a hand on his forehead. "You never had to actually fight Demyx, did you?"
"No, but-"
"Yeah, that's just it. Demyx acted like a total wuss until he was cornered. Then it was all 'Dance water, dance!', and you were in for a battle of epic proportions. Water at accelerated speeds hurts like hell, let me tell you what."
Riku laughed. "You're still bitter about having such a hard time beating him, aren't you?"
Sora raised an eyebrow. "He was tougher than he looked. I'm just saying that we shouldn't underestimate Xeron's ability kick ass. We need to take care of him without destroying him, just in case there's any chance of him being returned to his original self."
"So we need to defeat him without annihilating him," agreed Riku.
"Exactly, like you did to Roxas" Sora nodded. "So the next time we see him snooping around, we pounce. We can't keep treating him like a slightly dangerous joke."
"This better not be the same situation as it was with Roxas," said Riku. "I am not taking on Ansem's form again."
Sora snickered. "You'd better not. I'm not going to lie to you, Riku. It was creepy."
Riku had expected to be angered by Sora's remark, but found that he could only laugh. "Hey, you wouldn't be so condescending if you were the one turned into Xehanort's Heartless."
"Fair enough," Sora agreed.
The early afternoon dragged on with little incident. Sora and Riku took the opportunity to laze around for the first time in weeks. As of late they had been searching endlessly for keyholes that neither were certain actually existed, destroying Heartless, Nobodies and Hybrids, all while trying to bring peace to the world upon which they were trapped. Riku slouched against the wall as he observed the town from the window. He frowned. A familiar, unkempt, dark haired man scouted the area, a menacing sword swung over his back.
"Sora," said Riku apprehensively. "Look: Fuzen's back."
"Fuzen? What the hell is he doing hanging around here?" asked Sora as he jumped to the window. He called Ultima, stuffed a few potions into his pockets, and ran out the door. Riku hurried after him, Way to Dawn materializing his hand.
"Why did you come back here, Fuzen?" asked Sora angrily as he paced toward him.
Fuzen met Sora's eyes with a bored expression. "I've been busy elsewhere. With you unable to travel through worlds, Hollow Bastion has become the least of my worries."
"Well you're here now," growled Riku. "So we might as well finish this."
"Indeed, that was my intention, foolish boy."
Angered by Fuzen's comment, Riku tightened his grip on Way to Dawn. "Please… how old are you, like two?"
"I have all the memories of my former self, and that's what's important," he snarled. He raised his double bladed sword and leapt at the two. Riku and Sora blocked his attacks with their Keyblades, trying to move past him to strike. Fuzen's movements were swift, and the two struggled to keep up with him. He swung the blade hard at Sora, hitting him in the stomach and throwing him into the wall. Sora gave himself a potion and jumped back up, striking him repeatedly with Ultima. Riku took this opportunity to attack, bashing Fuzen in the head with Way to Dawn. He faltered and stumbled backward, Sora and Riku taking advantage of his weakness. Fuzen's sword slipped from his grip.
"Argh…" Sora yelped in pain. Before Riku could ask what had happened he felt a sharp blade rip through his shoulder. He turned around to face another enemy as Sora continued to fight a weakened Fuzen.
"Xeron!" he yelled.
The Hybrid stared back at him with mischievous green eyes. "I'm going to have to hear it from the boss if you destroy my superior… And as much as I'd love to run away from this one, I'm a little more afraid of his wrath than I am of yours."
Xeron whipped a handful of throwing stars at Riku. He dodged and reflected them as he lunged toward the Hybrid. "Looks like you've got your priorities wrong," he said, hitting Xeron straight across the chest. Riku felt victorious. He was too close for Xeron's weapons to have any effect on him. He crashed Way to Dawn into the Hybrid repeatedly until he cowered over.
"Enough! Enough!" he begged. Riku backed off slightly as Xeron raised a hand to him in a manner that Riku assumed meant he had given up. Riku held his Keyblade defensively, still worried that the Hybrid might attack. He was taken completely off guard as the Hybrid shot a ball of dark lightning toward him, hitting him square in the chest. Riku fell backward, his heart jolting from the shock. He lay on the ground unable to move from the strong surge of electricity.
"Riku!" Sora yelled. He felt the familiar relief of Curaga wipe over him, and Riku jumped to his feet to help his friend. Xeron looked baffled at his quick recovery, bracing himself for an attack. Riku lunged at him and hit him square in the head, causing the Hybrid to double over, stumbling to the ground.
"Get out of here!" Riku ordered. "You're lucky we know your former friends!"
He looked up at Riku in an almost apologetic manner before surrounding himself in gray vines, disappearing from the scene. Riku took no time to contemplate his actions, but instead ran to the aid of his friend. He struck at Fuzen as he blocked Sora's fast attacks. As he struggled, Riku noticed that the Hybrid wasn't holding his weapon; it seemed to float with his hand, sweeping across powerfully as it assailed both Riku and Sora simultaneously. Riku pushed past his attack as Sora evaded a deadly swipe. They plunged their Keyblades toward him, sinking them into his chest as Fuzen fell to the ground, his weapon clanging on the stony walk beneath his feet.
"Damn you, Keyblade Masters," he choked weakly. "I just wanted a heart… Is that so wrong?"
Sora and Riku backed away slowly as a gray mist began seeping from his body. It overtook him, and the Hybrid faded away from the world.
Sora looked out the window at the dimly lit cobblestone street. The moon illuminated the somber town, casting its pale light into the room. It was a peaceful night despite the battle that had partaken earlier. He felt content to stand there, staring out at a landscape he knew did not hold the tranquility it seemed to this night.
Sora turned around quickly as the lamp behind him clicked on, its dim light casting long shadows through the room.
"Hey," he smiled wryly at Riku.
"So that really was a battle of epic proportions," Riku laughed. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Sora shrugged. "You're the one who got hit the hardest," He approached Riku, stepping toward him and closing their distance, mere inches separating them. Riku's warm breath swept across his face once more, washing down his neck. He closed his eyes briefly, wondering if he held the courage to take the path he so desperately wanted to pursue.
"Sora, how many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to worry about me?" his voice was light in his accusation.
"I know," whispered Sora, looking into Riku's sapphire eyes. "I just… if anything were to…" he trailed off, extending his hand toward Riku's and entwining their fingers together. To his surprise Riku wrapped his fingers around his hand, squeezing it firmly.
"I'm not going anywhere, Sora," he whispered, his lips nearly grazing Sora's ear. Sora felt a free hand snake around his waist. He untangled his fingers and put his hand lightly to Riku's cheek, his fingers resting on his jaw. Sora leaned forward slowly, his eyes shutting as he pressed his lips to Riku's, kissing him softly. Riku responded, his lips moving in rhythm with Sora's. He slid his hand across Riku's face and slipped it into his hair, wrapping his fingers around silver locks. He slinked his other hand up Riku's back, gripping his shirt tightly. Riku kissed more fervently, a strong desire stemming from the embrace. Sora slid his tongue along Riku's lips, and he parted them slowly. He grazed his tongue lightly against his friend's as Riku reacted with a strong want, clutching at Sora's chest, pulling him even closer. Sora kissed him deeply, Riku's tongue brushing against his lips as they slowly pulled apart.
They broke the kiss, staring into each other's eyes for a long moment. Sora's heart beat rapidly, and he knew Riku could feel it, his palm lightly pressed against his chest. Sora relaxed his grip on Riku's hair, fingers moving to carress his jaw as he cupped Riku's cheek lightly. He couldn't believe it. He had kissed Riku. The wall had finally crumbled, water rushing through a shattered levy. That boundary that had separated them from friendship and love dissolved instantly as though it had never been meant to exist in the first place.
"Promise?" asked Sora, words failing him.
"Of course," breathed Riku as he kissed him again.
So there's Chapter Ten, yay! Sorry if the update was slower than usual; it took me longer to write than most others because I've had a lot going on lately. Anyway, so yeah, I decided to ressurect Zack. Aerith's alive, so why not? I also thought it'd be interesting to bring some more FFVIII characters in as well... I always kind of assumed that the reason Squall still went by Leon in the second game even though they had taken back their world had something to do with Rinoa. As for the Adamant reference, that goes wayyyy back into Final Fantasy history. You'll see.
And we've finally got some Soriku going on. Should be interesting if Kairi manages to get back to Radiant Garden sometime in the future...
Peace out 'til Chapter Eleven!