Chapter 12: Stay Gold
Memo: Ah, yeah! "Stay Gold" is by Utada Hikaru, and it's basically one of the best songs ever. :D I can't wait to see her perform it live. My heart might melt. Anyway, I love this chapter. :) This is most definitely the climax--enjoy!! :D
your pOv
"Just close your eyes, Rei," King Mickey tells you. You shut them immediately, walking into the beam of light.
"How will I know when to sing?" you ask quietly.
"You'll know," he responds.
Great. So you have no idea. At this rate, you're definitely not gonna make it. You might as well open your eyes!
Suddenly you feel the air grow pleasantly warm. The ground beneath your feet seems to disappear in a rush, and you realize you must no longer be with your friends. Holy crap. This is for real.
Shaking all over, you stand in silence, waiting for a sign. But when a loud, low growl tears through the stagnant air, you decide you'd better just start singing.
"I was walking home from school on a cold, winter day," you start, your voice shaking. "Took a shortcut through the woods, and I lost my way. It was getting late, and I was scared and all alone. Then a kind old man took my hand and led me home. Mama couldn't see him, but he was standing there. But I knew in my heart he was the answer to my prayer..."
Maybe this isn't so bad. It's just singing. You're naturally gifted. You just have to be perfect, that's all.
"Ohhh, I believe there are angels among us, sent down to us from somewhere up above. They come to you and me in our darkest hours to show us how to live, to teach us how to give, to guide us with the light of love."
You think of Okayama...that strange little kitten was actually one of your own kind. Strange that you didn't even realize the connection until just yesterday. Your heart pulses with hope. If Okayama could help you, then you can help your friends.
"When life held troubled times and had me down on my knees, there's always been someone to come along and comfort me," you continue, thinking of your friends...Kairi, Sora...Manders, Tashie...Riku. "A kind stranger to lend a helping hand, a phone call from a friend to say 'I understand.' Ain't it kinda funny at the dark end of the road, someone lights the way with just a single ray of hope."
You find it ironic that you're the angel. All along, you've considered Riku to be your guiding light, your strength in weak times. And yet, here you are, singing to save his life. Everyone's lives. If you do this, the Nobodies will disappear forever.
"Ohhh, I believe there are angels among us, sent down to us from somewhere up above. They come to you and me in our darkest hours to show us how to live, to teach us how to give, to guide us with the light of love."
Your heart pounds as you sing the chorus, feeling the surge of emotions run through you.
"They wear so many faces, show up in the strangest places. They grace us with their mercies in our time of need. Ohhh, I believe there are angels among us, sent down to us from somewhere up above. They come to you and me in our darkest hours to show us how to live, to teach us how to give, to guide us with the light of love...to guide us with the light of love..."
Hopeful, you pause just a moment before continuing on to the next song. The King said that you'd know when it was over, and you can tell it's not. You may have to sing for hours, but you're ready. You are prepared.
"Every night in my dreams, I see you, I feel you. That is how I know you go on," you sing, trying not to get too emotional. Titanic was one of your favorite movies, so Tashie thought this song was appropriate. It's one of your favorite songs ever.
"Far across the distance and spaces between us, you have come to show you go on."
Really, you just like it because it reminds you of Riku, and that fated day when he left you, and the even more fated day when he returned. It's a rush just thinking about it.
"Near, far, wherever you are I believe that the heart does go on. Once more, you open the door and you're here in my heart and my heart will go on and on..."
You could swear that you hear humming in the background around you, as if the other heavenly beings are wanting to sing along, to provide accompaniment.
*Do it,* you tell them, smiling, warm.
"Love can touch us one time and last for a lifetime and never go until we are one. Love was when I loved you, one true time I hold to. In my life we'll always go on."
This part is the sad part, the part Riku died, the part in your story where you were beyond alone.
"Near, far, wherever you are I believe that the heart does go on. Once more, you open the door and you're here in my heart and my heart will go on and on."
Breathing in deep, you prepare to belt your heart out. As if you aren't pouring it out already.
"There is some love that will not go away! You're here, there's nothing I fear, and I know that my heart will go on." This part is the conclusion you're waiting for, the happily ever after. "We'll stay forever this way. You are safe in my heart and my heart will go on and on..."
Smiling, you gently begin to sing the next song, remembering the memories that you have with it. This song was how you and Manders became friends...over this song.
"And give me wings to travel swiftly...o'er fields of green and skies of blue..." you begin, feeling hope overwhelm you. You can do this. "And let my wings lift me higher, and bring me home to you. And give me wings to ride the wind, through winter's storm and summer's light. And let my wings lift me higher, and bring me through the night."
As you sing, you can practically hear the harmonies. Maybe they're implanted in your brain since middle school, when you and Manders really became friends. This song brought you so close, it really did give you wings.
"Carry my high above the water. Carry me high above the plain. Carry me far beyond the rising of the sun. Bring me home again. And give me wings to see the mountain to ride above the clouds so high. And let my wings lift me higher and bring me through the night. And give me wings, and give me wings to feel the wind-song and let me fly, and let me fly above the sky. And let my wings lift me higher and bring me to your side."
Stretching out your arms, you feel a strange wind pass through, knocking you off your feet. But you embrace it, smiling, forgetting your worries. Everything around you seems beautiful and calm, rising with your emotions, even though you can't see it. You can feel the end of this trial...it's coming.
"Carry me high above the water. Carry me high above the plain. Carry me far beyond the rising of the sun. Bring me home again." You can feel tears in your eyes, but you don't dare stop now. "Carry me high, high above the water! Carry me high, high above the plain! Carry me far beyond the rising of the sun! Bring me home again! Bring me home agaaain!"
Opening your eyes to blink back tears, you suddenly realize what you've just done. But panic isn't what comes to your mind. No, as you stare down the giant creature that's been listening to you this whole time, you think how beautiful it is, and how it was created. It looks like a dragon, powerful, but beautiful like a bird. Like an angel.
"Bring me home...A-GAAAAAAIN!"
As you belt the last note, the dragon roars and rushes toward you, the beauty now terrifying. Gasping, you reach out to it, and
third person pOv
They had been standing for what felt like hours, but really had only been about fifteen minutes. Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, Manders, and Tashie had gotten nervous, so they opted to sit inside Rei's ship and wait. But King Mickey, Sora, Kairi, and--of course--Riku waited outside.
Riku's eyes searched the sky endlessly, but all he could see were clouds for miles and miles. The light that had brought Rei up had yet to come back. The sky looked calmer than it had earlier when they first arrived. Rei was still up there...
"Hey, hear that?" Kairi said, cocking her head toward the sky. Riku, Sora, and the King held still, completely silent. "It's her."
Sure enough, after a moment, they could hear a beautiful voice ringing out across the sky.
"Bring me home again! Bring me home agaaain!" There was a pause, and suddenly the clouds became dark and ominous again, rolling about in the dark night sky. The silence broke with the voice again.
"Bring me home...A-GAAAAAAIN!"
The sound of clouds rumbling plus Rei's voice was nearly deafening. The panicky noise drowned out everything else, and soon a bright light filled the area, blasting through the grey clouds. The ground shook terribly, the air was thick. The group had to cover their eyes because of its radiance, but soon it was quiet again, and the sky was once more grey. The light had disappeared.
Kairi was the first to open her eyes.
Kairi's pOv
The first thing you notice is a huge chuck of rock just a few feet in front of you.
"What is that?" Sora asks, pointing. He wrinkles his nose. "It's smoking..."
Riku frowns at it, then looks at the King. "Where's Rei? You said she would live if she did this right!"
"And she did! Look!"
You all look to where the Nobodies were once standing, but they are all gone. Rei definitely succeeded.
"But..." Mickey looks at the sky nervously. "...I'll admit I don't know where she is."
"Look!" Sora shouts, pointing at the rock again. It has a large crack in it and is still smoking. He kicks it gently, and a part of rock chunks off. But something in the middle is holding it together. You hope your intuition is wrong.
"...No," Riku says, dropping to his knees by the meteor. He grabs the biggest chuck he can find and rips it off, away from the rock, to reveal a frozen mouth, and outstretched arm, and cold grey eyes. This only confirms your worst nightmare.
"You said she'd be okay--!" you cry, unshed tears choking your voice.
King Mickey can't reply. He simply stands there, looking horrified.
"..." Riku doesn't say a word, but he doesn't need to. The look on his face spells it all out. You can practically see him breaking down, relapsing, dying.
*This can NOT be real,* you think, hugging Sora tightly. You can barely look at what Rei's become: a solid piece of stone.
"Let's go," Sora whispers in your ear, his voice cutting out, thanks to supressed tears. "Riku needs...time."
*Time isn't going to fix anything,* you want to reply, but instead you nod. King Mickey is already walking back toward the ship, staring at the ground. He has to deliver this news to the others. You feel like getting sick.
But you simply walk with Sora back to Rei's ship, leaving Riku sitting there in silence.
Riku's pOv
...
She's...really gone. You'll never get to see her again. What were the last words you said to her? "I love you"? Was that enough? You weren't expecting this at all. What could've happened? If she still succeeded in destroying the Nobodies, how did she end up dead? Frankly, how did she end up in this mess anyway?
"...Your destiny was too big for you to fulfill," you murmur, gently touching her frozen hand. You wish you could just hold her hand again.
But...at least it's over. At least she's in a better place.
"I look pretty freaked out, don't I?"
Jumping to your feet, you whip yourself around, and, at first, you're blinded by an insane radiance. You can't even shut your eyes; you just stare into the light. Within a few moments, though, your eyes come into focus again. The first thing you notice is a pair of glittering silver eyes with no pupils, surrounded by beautifully clear skin. That ivory face is encompassed in golden-white hair that swirls around as if some sort of wind is blowing only at her.
"It's me," she says, her voice echoing in your skull. You feel a sudden lump in your throat. This...can't be right.
"How...?" you manage to gasp. You reach out to touch her, but your hand only passes through. "I...must be dreaming."
"Unfortunately, you're not," she replies, frowning. That's when you realize...she's in the air. She has wings... No...
"What happened?" you ask, your voice hardening. "What's going on?"
"I... I couldn't just leave... I-I had to say goodbye." Her face points at the ground, her frown deepening. Even when she's sad, she still amazingly beautiful.
"...No." Your thoughts spin. Could this whole situation be any more vague?
"Don't you understand?!" she cries. "This is who...no...what I am. This is what I have to do... Why...? Why did you let me go through with this?! You could've stopped me, Riku!" Her voice catches, and she inhales sharply, sighing out all the air in return. You can see tears in her eyes, which squeeze shut. "I'm sorry. This isn't your fault at all. It's just..." She bursts into tears.
"Don't cry," you tell her, feeling sick that there's literally nothing you can do.
"I can't help it!" she practically wails. "I'll never get to see you again! There will be things I'll never get to do! Places I'll never go!" She hugs herself around her waist, bending over and sobbing. "I can't even hug or kiss you goodbye!"
"..." You feel your mouth go dry as you watch her break down and dissolve into tears.
"...I..." She lifts her head to look at you, tears streaming down her cheeks. They fall to the ground, and when they hit, the dry rock becomes fresh brown dirt and tiny green blades of grass. "I'll always be with you, Riku. Okay? Just never give up hope because...I'll be there. Okay? Promise me."
"I...promise."
"..." She smiles weakly, standing upright. A supressed sob manages to escape her throat, and she purses her lips. "I still...love you."
"I know." That just made this whole ordeal about fifty times more difficult to deal with.
She inhales slowly, mustering up the courage to say just one word:
"Goodbye."
"..." You can't even say anything. Saying goodbye would only make it even more final.
As she stars to ascend into Heaven, she calls out, "I'll protect you, okay?"
"...Okay...Rei..."
The last thing you see is a small smile on her face. And then, just as suddenly as she appeared into your life, she disappears. She's gone.
Forever.
You can't seem to tear your gaze away from the dark grey clouds. Maybe this was all a mistake. She just can't be gone...
Apparently, her life had a greater purpose in it than either one of you could've ever imagined.
Sighing, you feel your body grow heavy, and a few tears escape your eyes. You can't kill yourself by waiting here forever. You've got to go home. Slowly, each step more painful than the next, you walk back toward the ship.
Suddenly you hear raised voices. They sound sound familiar at all, and they definitely don't sound like they're coming from the ship.
"It's her responsibility! We can't control that!"
"Let her go!"
The strange, pointless bickering continues in rumbles until finally you hear a loud crack, like thunder, mixed with a shout of "SILENCE!" Your ear drums throb.
Dude. Somebody's really mad.
It's quiet for a moment, the thunder still rolling a little, but then it's interrupted by a more familiar voice.
"Whaddya MEAN I have other stuff?!"
Your head shoots up to the sky.
"Rei?" you mouth.
As if in response, and large flash of light appears in the distant clouds. Something glowing falls from the sky above you. You hear a piercing high-pitched noise that seems to be getting louder and closer.
The next moment happens so fast you don't know what hits you. Literally. Whatever crashes into you sends you skidding across the rocks, tearing up your clothes and arms. When you finally come to a stop, it falls out of your arms, rolling over a bit.
Your heart stops as you stare at the white-blonde hair.
"Rei?" you say audibly this time.
At the sound of her name, she jumps, startled, then slowly pushes herself up.
"Rei--"
"They said...I couldn't protect you because...I had something else to take care of..."
With a gasp, she flings herself to her feet and sprints toward the ship.
