Author's Note: The horror! Writer's block. . .yet I managed to write
chapter 1 of my .hack fic. Erm. . .anyway, thanks to everyone that's
reviewed so far (I would list, but I don't feel like it). It's really
supported me. ^.^ It's just a shame the story doesn't appeal to other
people skimming through the KH list. *sob* Oh. . .uh. . .and if any
questions come up, I usually end up answering them in my profile for some
reason. I'll try answering them here from now on. Sorry, everyone. If the
story gets boring during this chapter, I'm sorry for that too. Just don't
hurt me.we're nearing the climax, ya know.
Disclaimer: One time, Vanilla Coke made me hurl.
The Real Disclaimer: It's true.
Okay, *This* is the Real One: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. This story is mine. The idea is not. Story, yes. Idea, no. Game, no. We clear?
Since my HTML is being a bitch: 'Thoughts', *emphasis*
Anthem's Report: Chapter 7
By Deus Magi
For a long while, the people of Hollow Bastion didn't seem to notice the rapid decline of the population. In fact, they still wouldn't admit that anything bad was happening. Many of the children would cry to their parents about spooky shadows infesting the corners of their rooms, which would result in the harsh resumption that there were no such things as "monsters". The children would placidly agree. For a time at least. Up until the shadows returned. Consequently enough, they seemed to grow larger with every doubt.
Kairi didn't worry too much. She spent most of her time in the Library with her grandmother and she knew for a fact that that was the safest place she could be. The only thing that lingered on her mind for an extended period of time was Ansem. Lately he had been turning up less and less. Every time she offered her company, he would wave her off, insisting that he was busy. Each denial seemed more and more persistent. Kairi admitted he probably *was* busy, but it felt like he just didn't want to talk to her. Desperately she looked to Aerith for guidance, which did not prove to be the biggest help either.
"You're not the only one, Kairi," Aerith had said, sadly gazing over the rail at Ansem as he hurried along through the Entrance Hall below. "We all feel as though he's ignoring us. It's almost as if he refuses to believe we exist anymore."
Kairi watched Ansem as he passed through the doors. When he had escaped her sight she glanced up at Aerith questioningly. "That's a weird way of putting it. I don't think I quite understand, but thanks."
Aerith shrugged and straightened. "It doesn't matter, really." Aerith pulled her long braid over her shoulder and stroked it aloofly. Kairi didn't try talking to her by then. Besides, she had already headed back for the Library.
Silently, Kairi vowed she would get to the bottom of this - Somehow.
Pushing open the door to the Library, Aerith was genuinely startled to find herself face-to-face with a spikey-haired man in his early twenties. Of course, that meant only one thing.
"Oh, Cloud!" Aerith fumed, exasperated. "Don't sneak like that."
The man raised his hands defensively. "Sorry, didn't mean to. You know, you sure have a way of disappearing for a while. Where've you been?"
"Me! What about you?" Aerith was right up in his face. "I can't believe you! Where exactly have *you* been for the past three weeks?"
Cloud averted her gaze, looking off at nothing in particular. "Around. It's hard to say really. So, any luck with Ansem? I heard he's been acting kind of weird."
Aerith glared at him. "Don't even remind me. Weird isn't even the word!" She shoved her way past him, heading over to the desk. Cloud followed, evidently curious. "I just don't get him sometimes. He's just too curious for his own good."
Cloud frowned, staring at her for a while. "I won't ask, then. So where are Yuffie and Squall?"
"Dinner. I wanted to join them, but Squall said he had something he wanted to talk to Yuffie about alone." Aerith smiled genuinely. "It's about time something happened between those two."
"I wonder why I even brought it up." Cloud chuckled at Aerith's second glare, leaning against a bookcase. "But you know, now that I think about it, what did you mean you said Ansem was too curious?" Aerith wrinkled her brow, seemed about to speak when the doors were flung open. "Oh - hey, Master."
Ansem glanced warily at Cloud. Then half-smiled. "What did you find?"
"Nothing, really. Just some weird black thing with an antennae. That wasn't what you were talking about, was it?" Cloud looked expectantly at Ansem for an answer. Ansem pursed his lips together, looking almost angry. Finally, he shook his head.
"No. No, it was. . ." Ansem shot the shortest look at Aerith, just to make sure she didn't know anything. "It was something else, I'm afraid. But thank you nonetheless."
Cloud nodded. "Sure thing, Master Anthem." He looked at Aerith, who was exchanging a conversation via the eyes with Ansem at that moment. "Want to go see what Yuffie and Squall are up to?"
Aerith blinked and turned to Cloud. "Sure. Let's go."
Ansem wasn't upset to see them leave. Quite the contrary, he felt it was about time he had the Library to himself. This probably wasn't the best place to be if he wanted to avoid company, but something kept him from going to the room with the Door. Sighing, Ansem slunk off to the desk where he could continue studying the "meteors".
In the midst of his research, the desk acquired a pair of glowing yellow orbs, and the orbs acquired the Heartless that had been following Ansem since he set it loose in the castle. Without thinking, Ansem set it on ice and knocked it off the desk. The Heartless was soon free of its prison (again) and leapt back on the desk - the opposite side, that is.
Ansem leered at the Heartless dangerously. "Somehow I can't help but think you've found a way to activate the lifts." Regarding this as little more than a nuisance, Ansem looked back down at the meteor. The Heartless squirmed about on the desk but did not leave. After a short while, Ansem removed his files from the desk's drawer and turned to a fresh page.
"I am studying material from the meteors that rained down that fateful night. What a find! The material is foreign to our world. It is elastic to the touch, and when two pieces are combined, they bond easily.
"None of the records even mention such a substance. Was it introduced to this world when I opened the door? I wonder how many other such materials drift through the atmosphere of this tiny world... I wish I could soar off and find out!
"Could there be uncharted worlds up there? My curiosity never ceases to grow. But I should stop speaking of such unrealistic dreams. For now, there is no way to venture outside this world. My people and I are all but prisoners of this tiny place."
Disclaimer: One time, Vanilla Coke made me hurl.
The Real Disclaimer: It's true.
Okay, *This* is the Real One: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. This story is mine. The idea is not. Story, yes. Idea, no. Game, no. We clear?
Since my HTML is being a bitch: 'Thoughts', *emphasis*
Anthem's Report: Chapter 7
By Deus Magi
For a long while, the people of Hollow Bastion didn't seem to notice the rapid decline of the population. In fact, they still wouldn't admit that anything bad was happening. Many of the children would cry to their parents about spooky shadows infesting the corners of their rooms, which would result in the harsh resumption that there were no such things as "monsters". The children would placidly agree. For a time at least. Up until the shadows returned. Consequently enough, they seemed to grow larger with every doubt.
Kairi didn't worry too much. She spent most of her time in the Library with her grandmother and she knew for a fact that that was the safest place she could be. The only thing that lingered on her mind for an extended period of time was Ansem. Lately he had been turning up less and less. Every time she offered her company, he would wave her off, insisting that he was busy. Each denial seemed more and more persistent. Kairi admitted he probably *was* busy, but it felt like he just didn't want to talk to her. Desperately she looked to Aerith for guidance, which did not prove to be the biggest help either.
"You're not the only one, Kairi," Aerith had said, sadly gazing over the rail at Ansem as he hurried along through the Entrance Hall below. "We all feel as though he's ignoring us. It's almost as if he refuses to believe we exist anymore."
Kairi watched Ansem as he passed through the doors. When he had escaped her sight she glanced up at Aerith questioningly. "That's a weird way of putting it. I don't think I quite understand, but thanks."
Aerith shrugged and straightened. "It doesn't matter, really." Aerith pulled her long braid over her shoulder and stroked it aloofly. Kairi didn't try talking to her by then. Besides, she had already headed back for the Library.
Silently, Kairi vowed she would get to the bottom of this - Somehow.
Pushing open the door to the Library, Aerith was genuinely startled to find herself face-to-face with a spikey-haired man in his early twenties. Of course, that meant only one thing.
"Oh, Cloud!" Aerith fumed, exasperated. "Don't sneak like that."
The man raised his hands defensively. "Sorry, didn't mean to. You know, you sure have a way of disappearing for a while. Where've you been?"
"Me! What about you?" Aerith was right up in his face. "I can't believe you! Where exactly have *you* been for the past three weeks?"
Cloud averted her gaze, looking off at nothing in particular. "Around. It's hard to say really. So, any luck with Ansem? I heard he's been acting kind of weird."
Aerith glared at him. "Don't even remind me. Weird isn't even the word!" She shoved her way past him, heading over to the desk. Cloud followed, evidently curious. "I just don't get him sometimes. He's just too curious for his own good."
Cloud frowned, staring at her for a while. "I won't ask, then. So where are Yuffie and Squall?"
"Dinner. I wanted to join them, but Squall said he had something he wanted to talk to Yuffie about alone." Aerith smiled genuinely. "It's about time something happened between those two."
"I wonder why I even brought it up." Cloud chuckled at Aerith's second glare, leaning against a bookcase. "But you know, now that I think about it, what did you mean you said Ansem was too curious?" Aerith wrinkled her brow, seemed about to speak when the doors were flung open. "Oh - hey, Master."
Ansem glanced warily at Cloud. Then half-smiled. "What did you find?"
"Nothing, really. Just some weird black thing with an antennae. That wasn't what you were talking about, was it?" Cloud looked expectantly at Ansem for an answer. Ansem pursed his lips together, looking almost angry. Finally, he shook his head.
"No. No, it was. . ." Ansem shot the shortest look at Aerith, just to make sure she didn't know anything. "It was something else, I'm afraid. But thank you nonetheless."
Cloud nodded. "Sure thing, Master Anthem." He looked at Aerith, who was exchanging a conversation via the eyes with Ansem at that moment. "Want to go see what Yuffie and Squall are up to?"
Aerith blinked and turned to Cloud. "Sure. Let's go."
Ansem wasn't upset to see them leave. Quite the contrary, he felt it was about time he had the Library to himself. This probably wasn't the best place to be if he wanted to avoid company, but something kept him from going to the room with the Door. Sighing, Ansem slunk off to the desk where he could continue studying the "meteors".
In the midst of his research, the desk acquired a pair of glowing yellow orbs, and the orbs acquired the Heartless that had been following Ansem since he set it loose in the castle. Without thinking, Ansem set it on ice and knocked it off the desk. The Heartless was soon free of its prison (again) and leapt back on the desk - the opposite side, that is.
Ansem leered at the Heartless dangerously. "Somehow I can't help but think you've found a way to activate the lifts." Regarding this as little more than a nuisance, Ansem looked back down at the meteor. The Heartless squirmed about on the desk but did not leave. After a short while, Ansem removed his files from the desk's drawer and turned to a fresh page.
"I am studying material from the meteors that rained down that fateful night. What a find! The material is foreign to our world. It is elastic to the touch, and when two pieces are combined, they bond easily.
"None of the records even mention such a substance. Was it introduced to this world when I opened the door? I wonder how many other such materials drift through the atmosphere of this tiny world... I wish I could soar off and find out!
"Could there be uncharted worlds up there? My curiosity never ceases to grow. But I should stop speaking of such unrealistic dreams. For now, there is no way to venture outside this world. My people and I are all but prisoners of this tiny place."
