Sora walked in silence down the empty road, listening to the birds sing in
the neighboring trees as the night surrounded him. In the distance he
could hear waves hitting an unseen shore. He was lost, again. He had to
find her; he didn't want to lose Kairi after all they had been through.
Sora couldn't handle the pain once more. He had lost the people he cared
for one too many times and he began to wonder if he was destined to be
apart from them forever.
Reaching into his pocket Sora pulled out a small star shaped object. He smiled to himself. It was Kairi's good luck charm. She had given it to him long ago and he promised to return it to her, what ever the cost may be. Sora closed his hand around the charm and smiled to himself. His memories of Kairi kept him company in his moments of sorrow and feelings of helplessness. She is the force that continued to push him forward; to keep him moving and not to give up.
With a sigh Sora slowly opened his eyes. He paused as his eyes focused on what lay around him. The road split into four different paths, branching off from the point in which he stood. Neither road looked different from the next. Sora turned around, wondering where to go and soon wondering which road he had taken. He felt his heart skip a beat and slipped Kairi's good luck charm into his pocket.
All of a sudden there was silence. Sora raised his eyes to the heavens, watching as flocks of birds disappeared without a sound. He looked away from the sky and paused. 'Utter silence,' Sora thought. A strange feeling crossed over him and he felt like something began to tug at his body; his heart.
Sora turned slowly, his eyes rising to a boulder that he had passed only moments before. He couldn't move. He continued to stare at the boulder, wondering what could be there, what had drawn his attention to the simple object. Sora knew nothing was there when he passed it by and he hadn't seen another person in days. The feeling that he had, though, was something too familiar.
"A fragmented tale." a soft voice seemed to whisper, riding on the slightest breeze that suddenly appeared. "A world without you. . . . The eyes will close."
'That voice,' Sora thought. He narrowed his eyes and continued to stare at the boulder. 'Where have I heard it?'
Slowly a figure immerged from behind the boulder, dressed in, what seemed like, the shadows itself. Sora's eyes widened as the person continued to move forward, slowly making its way towards him. Instinctively Sora reached for the Keyblade but was frightened to remember he no longer had it. He took a step back but froze.
'. . . Something so natural. . . .' a voice whispered deep within Sora's mind. He had heard it once before, when had turned into a creature of the darkness.
"No." Sora whispered. His body shuddered as the unknown figure swiftly closed in on him. He stared up into the shadowed face, feeling his heart pounding.
Sora let out a frightened gasp as the person in the hooded over coat raised his head slightly. The person stopped a moment as a breeze passed by them. The hood to the person's over coat lifted, letting Sora catch a glimpse of a shinning yellow eye. A smile passed over the person's face as they began to walk once more. Sora braced himself, feeling terror wash over him, but the person faded and slipped through Sora, disappearing into a grey mist.
**********
Darkness had swallowed the nameless city as a strange storm slowly filled the air. Lightning flashed across the clouded sky, sending shadows dancing and rain falling to the ground. The town seemed dead but the neon lights from the stores blazed on, casting a rainbow of lights into the forming puddles of rain. Much had changed since Riku's endless drifting through the darkness.
Riku stood atop on one of the buildings. He had traveled through the darkness, swimming through its depths and managing to survive. One thing had troubled him; he had no memory of his return to the world outside of the darkness and his eyesight was all but gone. He moved around blindfolded, obeying his other sense which seemed to be heightened after his predestined journey through the world of the heartless. He wasn't on Destiny Island though or any of the other worlds he had seen. This place, this city was something completely new.
The rain around Riku began to grow and a gust of wind suddenly burst past him. He turned his head as the wind directed him and listened. Below the soft sounds of the rain he could hear footsteps. Riku turned his body towards the noise and listened. Beneath the blindfold he could see a burst of light and the sound of thunder followed close behind.
Slowly the footsteps grew louder; closer than before. Riku lowered his head as if straining to see the world below him. The footsteps stopped and the only sound he heard was the thunder rumbling softly. A strange feeling surged from within him and an image flashed in his mind. The stranger was looking up into the sky, looking towards him, and cloaked in darkness.
Riku felt a familiar pressure through his body as he heard the soft hissing and clicking of the Heartless. Even though Riku had forced himself away from the horrible past, the Heartless still listened to him. Riku didn't move as he heard the strange whispers from the Heartless as they slowly closed in on the strange figure. There were hundreds of them, each one of them wanting the same thing from this stranger.
Laughter drifted on the wind as the sound of a weapon being unsheathed ripped through the storm. A brilliant light flashed before him and his heart faltered for a moment. Riku cocked his head to one side, listening to the battle commence below him. Who ever the stranger was, he was strong and he brandished two Keyblades. Riku smiled slightly as a sudden wind blew past him.
Silence. The man had killed them all and stood in the midst of nothing. He stared up at Riku and Riku returned the strange stare. The hooded man smiled and jumped onto the building's wall. Defying gravity he ran up the building's side, dodging the Heartless and attacking any in his way. More, though, began to file out of the wall, but the man didn't seem to be at any odd.
'Where's Sora?' a voice whispered, echoing in Riku's mind. Slowly he inched forwards to the edge of the building. 'We must find him.' the voice whispered harshly. Riku slowly pulled off his blindfold, keeping his eyes tightly shut. The rain hit his eyelids, causing sensations that were long forgotten.
Suddenly Riku fell forwards, the wind whipping around him. He reached out into the air, sensing that the man running towards him had thrown one of the Keyblades. His hand took hold of the Keyblade's hilt and Riku quickly slashed into a Heartless that had suddenly appeared. He heard the rushing wind and could hear the stranger running towards him as he fell.
An image suddenly flashed into Riku's mind. It was Destiny Island; the secret place that had lied beneath the trees. There was something there. The image of a door flashed in his mind suddenly, slowly opening. The image turned into that of a meteor shower, the one that had brought Kairi to the island. Something was happening.
'His voice. . . . .' Riku thought. 'It's left me.'
'This time, I'll fight.' Those words seemed to scream within Riku's mind as he and the unknown man passed each other in the air.
Time seemed to slow as word filled Riku's mind. Image flashed behind his eyes, bringing back so many feelings of hate and fear. "The third enemy. . . . Is Nobody." Riku whispered.
'Who is Nobody, you ask?' the voice whispered in Riku's mind. The sound of laughter filled his head. 'They are the non-existent ones.'
Riku let out a frightened gasp and he suddenly felt like he was floating. The sound of the rain was gone and he couldn't sense the Heartless. 'Something happened.' Riku thought. He forced his eyes open and saw nothing but darkness.
'We have come for you, my Liege.' someone said.
'You are the source of all the Heartless.' a voice whispered
"Sora?" Riku whispered, the word seeming to force its way out of him.
The sound of crying suddenly echoed through the endless darkness. 'Sora. . . . . Why?'
'Your Highness, but why?'
'Behind the darkness there is no light.' The voice that spoke seemed to whisper those words into Riku's ears. It sounded familiar.
"What is this place?" Riku yelled.
'Is this the answer you've been looking for?'
Riku twisted his body to the source of the voice, only to find the fading image of Sora. He reached out to touch his lost friend, but there was nothing but the continuing darkness that swelled with every breath.
'This is the world in it's true form.' the voice said, slowly fading out.
"Maybe. . . ." Riku whispered closing his eyes. He wrapped his arms around himself and sighed heavily. "Maybe our journey meant nothing after all."
**********
Kairi looked out across the beach. The waves licked at the shore and pulled away slowly. In the waters she could see the fish swimming happily around. Everyday she would sit on the dock, watching the sky and the ocean. A soft wind rustled through the leaves of the palm trees, pulling at her long hair. She had hopped that Sora would return, but it didn't seem like he would. It had been years since she lost him. Her world had changed even more than the time she had lost Sora to Ansem.
Sora had promised to return. Kairi always knew he would keep that promise. So she waited. Every day she returned to the island and waited. Her parents were worried but nothing could keep her away from the island and her memories. She had to be there when Sora arrived. Kairi wanted to be the first one to see him, to greet him, and to make sure that nothing would tear them apart. She knew she wouldn't survive another time of having Sora ripped away.
With a soft sigh Kairi stood. She stretched her arms sleepily and stared out into the ocean. There was nothing out there. There was no sign of life beyond the fish swimming in the sun bathed water. Kairi lowered her eyes and turned away from the ocean. She was only torturing herself but she had to keep some strand of hope.
A loud explosion from the sky quickly caught Kairi's attention. She had jumped at the sound and spun around quickly, gasping at what she saw. Her heart skipped a beat as she raised her eyes to the sky. The clouds parted as a bright object appeared. It fell slowly at first, looking much like a shooting star.
Kairi felt a smile form across her face. "Sora." she whispered. She turned and ran down the length of the pier. Every so often she would steal a glimpse of the falling object and her joy would grow. After the years of separation they would be together again.
The sun washed over Kairi as she slowed to a jog on the sand. As she neared the water she slowly came to a stop. Kairi put her hands behind her and watched, in silence, as the meteor fell from the sky. A wind rushed past her, causing her hair to flutter behind her. The meteor's tail grew and it slashed angrily through the clouds.
Suddenly the meteor disappeared. Kairi cocked her head to one side. 'What happened?' she thought. She took a few steps forwards and stopped when the water began to wash around her ankles. 'Did I imagine it?' she wondered. Another gust of wind pushed by her, this one stronger than the last.
A clap of thunder suddenly burst through the sky. Kairi jumped and took a few steps back. She gazed up into the sky only to find a mass of black clouds forming. Her eyes widened as she watched the clouds in silence. Kairi shudder and felt a wave of fear creep through her body.
"Hey, Kairi."
Kairi spun around quickly. Tidus was waving at her franticly; the other kids were pushing past him in a hurry. She glanced over her shoulders. The clouds were growing and seemed to reach out for the island. There was something about those clouds that reminded Kairi of when she was kidnapped. Deep inside her, the same feelings of fear and loneliness were churning slowly.
"Come on, Kairi." Wakka yelled. He had pushed Tidus away, telling him to get going. "A bad storm is comin'. We gotta head home."
"Okay." Kairi said. She hurried up the beach, following the others to the dock. They began to file into their own boats, feverishly untying their crafts from the small pier. Some of the other children would help the smaller ones but they seemed to fend for themselves.
Kairi came to a stop on the pier and looked out at the ocean. Large waves were beginning to form, smashing into the dock slowly. She let out a nervous breath. "Sora."
"Are you okay?" Wakka asked, putting a hand on Kairi's shoulder.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Kairi replied with a forced smile. Wakka helped her into her boat and untied it skillfully. Her boat slowly began to float out into the deepening water. Every wave seemed to take hold of the boat a pull it deeper and deeper into the ocean.
Kairi looked up into the dark sky and then back at the island. It was empty of life. She heaved a heavy sigh and took the paddle from her boat, dipping it into the water. 'I'll be back tomorrow.' Kairi thought as the first drop of rain hit her.
Reaching into his pocket Sora pulled out a small star shaped object. He smiled to himself. It was Kairi's good luck charm. She had given it to him long ago and he promised to return it to her, what ever the cost may be. Sora closed his hand around the charm and smiled to himself. His memories of Kairi kept him company in his moments of sorrow and feelings of helplessness. She is the force that continued to push him forward; to keep him moving and not to give up.
With a sigh Sora slowly opened his eyes. He paused as his eyes focused on what lay around him. The road split into four different paths, branching off from the point in which he stood. Neither road looked different from the next. Sora turned around, wondering where to go and soon wondering which road he had taken. He felt his heart skip a beat and slipped Kairi's good luck charm into his pocket.
All of a sudden there was silence. Sora raised his eyes to the heavens, watching as flocks of birds disappeared without a sound. He looked away from the sky and paused. 'Utter silence,' Sora thought. A strange feeling crossed over him and he felt like something began to tug at his body; his heart.
Sora turned slowly, his eyes rising to a boulder that he had passed only moments before. He couldn't move. He continued to stare at the boulder, wondering what could be there, what had drawn his attention to the simple object. Sora knew nothing was there when he passed it by and he hadn't seen another person in days. The feeling that he had, though, was something too familiar.
"A fragmented tale." a soft voice seemed to whisper, riding on the slightest breeze that suddenly appeared. "A world without you. . . . The eyes will close."
'That voice,' Sora thought. He narrowed his eyes and continued to stare at the boulder. 'Where have I heard it?'
Slowly a figure immerged from behind the boulder, dressed in, what seemed like, the shadows itself. Sora's eyes widened as the person continued to move forward, slowly making its way towards him. Instinctively Sora reached for the Keyblade but was frightened to remember he no longer had it. He took a step back but froze.
'. . . Something so natural. . . .' a voice whispered deep within Sora's mind. He had heard it once before, when had turned into a creature of the darkness.
"No." Sora whispered. His body shuddered as the unknown figure swiftly closed in on him. He stared up into the shadowed face, feeling his heart pounding.
Sora let out a frightened gasp as the person in the hooded over coat raised his head slightly. The person stopped a moment as a breeze passed by them. The hood to the person's over coat lifted, letting Sora catch a glimpse of a shinning yellow eye. A smile passed over the person's face as they began to walk once more. Sora braced himself, feeling terror wash over him, but the person faded and slipped through Sora, disappearing into a grey mist.
**********
Darkness had swallowed the nameless city as a strange storm slowly filled the air. Lightning flashed across the clouded sky, sending shadows dancing and rain falling to the ground. The town seemed dead but the neon lights from the stores blazed on, casting a rainbow of lights into the forming puddles of rain. Much had changed since Riku's endless drifting through the darkness.
Riku stood atop on one of the buildings. He had traveled through the darkness, swimming through its depths and managing to survive. One thing had troubled him; he had no memory of his return to the world outside of the darkness and his eyesight was all but gone. He moved around blindfolded, obeying his other sense which seemed to be heightened after his predestined journey through the world of the heartless. He wasn't on Destiny Island though or any of the other worlds he had seen. This place, this city was something completely new.
The rain around Riku began to grow and a gust of wind suddenly burst past him. He turned his head as the wind directed him and listened. Below the soft sounds of the rain he could hear footsteps. Riku turned his body towards the noise and listened. Beneath the blindfold he could see a burst of light and the sound of thunder followed close behind.
Slowly the footsteps grew louder; closer than before. Riku lowered his head as if straining to see the world below him. The footsteps stopped and the only sound he heard was the thunder rumbling softly. A strange feeling surged from within him and an image flashed in his mind. The stranger was looking up into the sky, looking towards him, and cloaked in darkness.
Riku felt a familiar pressure through his body as he heard the soft hissing and clicking of the Heartless. Even though Riku had forced himself away from the horrible past, the Heartless still listened to him. Riku didn't move as he heard the strange whispers from the Heartless as they slowly closed in on the strange figure. There were hundreds of them, each one of them wanting the same thing from this stranger.
Laughter drifted on the wind as the sound of a weapon being unsheathed ripped through the storm. A brilliant light flashed before him and his heart faltered for a moment. Riku cocked his head to one side, listening to the battle commence below him. Who ever the stranger was, he was strong and he brandished two Keyblades. Riku smiled slightly as a sudden wind blew past him.
Silence. The man had killed them all and stood in the midst of nothing. He stared up at Riku and Riku returned the strange stare. The hooded man smiled and jumped onto the building's wall. Defying gravity he ran up the building's side, dodging the Heartless and attacking any in his way. More, though, began to file out of the wall, but the man didn't seem to be at any odd.
'Where's Sora?' a voice whispered, echoing in Riku's mind. Slowly he inched forwards to the edge of the building. 'We must find him.' the voice whispered harshly. Riku slowly pulled off his blindfold, keeping his eyes tightly shut. The rain hit his eyelids, causing sensations that were long forgotten.
Suddenly Riku fell forwards, the wind whipping around him. He reached out into the air, sensing that the man running towards him had thrown one of the Keyblades. His hand took hold of the Keyblade's hilt and Riku quickly slashed into a Heartless that had suddenly appeared. He heard the rushing wind and could hear the stranger running towards him as he fell.
An image suddenly flashed into Riku's mind. It was Destiny Island; the secret place that had lied beneath the trees. There was something there. The image of a door flashed in his mind suddenly, slowly opening. The image turned into that of a meteor shower, the one that had brought Kairi to the island. Something was happening.
'His voice. . . . .' Riku thought. 'It's left me.'
'This time, I'll fight.' Those words seemed to scream within Riku's mind as he and the unknown man passed each other in the air.
Time seemed to slow as word filled Riku's mind. Image flashed behind his eyes, bringing back so many feelings of hate and fear. "The third enemy. . . . Is Nobody." Riku whispered.
'Who is Nobody, you ask?' the voice whispered in Riku's mind. The sound of laughter filled his head. 'They are the non-existent ones.'
Riku let out a frightened gasp and he suddenly felt like he was floating. The sound of the rain was gone and he couldn't sense the Heartless. 'Something happened.' Riku thought. He forced his eyes open and saw nothing but darkness.
'We have come for you, my Liege.' someone said.
'You are the source of all the Heartless.' a voice whispered
"Sora?" Riku whispered, the word seeming to force its way out of him.
The sound of crying suddenly echoed through the endless darkness. 'Sora. . . . . Why?'
'Your Highness, but why?'
'Behind the darkness there is no light.' The voice that spoke seemed to whisper those words into Riku's ears. It sounded familiar.
"What is this place?" Riku yelled.
'Is this the answer you've been looking for?'
Riku twisted his body to the source of the voice, only to find the fading image of Sora. He reached out to touch his lost friend, but there was nothing but the continuing darkness that swelled with every breath.
'This is the world in it's true form.' the voice said, slowly fading out.
"Maybe. . . ." Riku whispered closing his eyes. He wrapped his arms around himself and sighed heavily. "Maybe our journey meant nothing after all."
**********
Kairi looked out across the beach. The waves licked at the shore and pulled away slowly. In the waters she could see the fish swimming happily around. Everyday she would sit on the dock, watching the sky and the ocean. A soft wind rustled through the leaves of the palm trees, pulling at her long hair. She had hopped that Sora would return, but it didn't seem like he would. It had been years since she lost him. Her world had changed even more than the time she had lost Sora to Ansem.
Sora had promised to return. Kairi always knew he would keep that promise. So she waited. Every day she returned to the island and waited. Her parents were worried but nothing could keep her away from the island and her memories. She had to be there when Sora arrived. Kairi wanted to be the first one to see him, to greet him, and to make sure that nothing would tear them apart. She knew she wouldn't survive another time of having Sora ripped away.
With a soft sigh Kairi stood. She stretched her arms sleepily and stared out into the ocean. There was nothing out there. There was no sign of life beyond the fish swimming in the sun bathed water. Kairi lowered her eyes and turned away from the ocean. She was only torturing herself but she had to keep some strand of hope.
A loud explosion from the sky quickly caught Kairi's attention. She had jumped at the sound and spun around quickly, gasping at what she saw. Her heart skipped a beat as she raised her eyes to the sky. The clouds parted as a bright object appeared. It fell slowly at first, looking much like a shooting star.
Kairi felt a smile form across her face. "Sora." she whispered. She turned and ran down the length of the pier. Every so often she would steal a glimpse of the falling object and her joy would grow. After the years of separation they would be together again.
The sun washed over Kairi as she slowed to a jog on the sand. As she neared the water she slowly came to a stop. Kairi put her hands behind her and watched, in silence, as the meteor fell from the sky. A wind rushed past her, causing her hair to flutter behind her. The meteor's tail grew and it slashed angrily through the clouds.
Suddenly the meteor disappeared. Kairi cocked her head to one side. 'What happened?' she thought. She took a few steps forwards and stopped when the water began to wash around her ankles. 'Did I imagine it?' she wondered. Another gust of wind pushed by her, this one stronger than the last.
A clap of thunder suddenly burst through the sky. Kairi jumped and took a few steps back. She gazed up into the sky only to find a mass of black clouds forming. Her eyes widened as she watched the clouds in silence. Kairi shudder and felt a wave of fear creep through her body.
"Hey, Kairi."
Kairi spun around quickly. Tidus was waving at her franticly; the other kids were pushing past him in a hurry. She glanced over her shoulders. The clouds were growing and seemed to reach out for the island. There was something about those clouds that reminded Kairi of when she was kidnapped. Deep inside her, the same feelings of fear and loneliness were churning slowly.
"Come on, Kairi." Wakka yelled. He had pushed Tidus away, telling him to get going. "A bad storm is comin'. We gotta head home."
"Okay." Kairi said. She hurried up the beach, following the others to the dock. They began to file into their own boats, feverishly untying their crafts from the small pier. Some of the other children would help the smaller ones but they seemed to fend for themselves.
Kairi came to a stop on the pier and looked out at the ocean. Large waves were beginning to form, smashing into the dock slowly. She let out a nervous breath. "Sora."
"Are you okay?" Wakka asked, putting a hand on Kairi's shoulder.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." Kairi replied with a forced smile. Wakka helped her into her boat and untied it skillfully. Her boat slowly began to float out into the deepening water. Every wave seemed to take hold of the boat a pull it deeper and deeper into the ocean.
Kairi looked up into the dark sky and then back at the island. It was empty of life. She heaved a heavy sigh and took the paddle from her boat, dipping it into the water. 'I'll be back tomorrow.' Kairi thought as the first drop of rain hit her.