Author's Note: I know, I know. A month and a half is WAY too long for ONE chapter. I can't even use my vacation as an excuse anymore. Well, school's coming up, so maybe I can use that instead. ;_;
Thanks to Ryokusan and Wizard-Majic for all the reviews! It's a bit of a songfic, so I hope you like it! ^_~
Disclaimer: Remember the one I posted at the very beginning of this fanfic? **hint, hint, nudge, nudge** Oh yeah, I don't own the song 'San Simeon' by Goldfinger, 'Guilty' by Russ Columbo or the design for the Parental Advisory poster.
On with the story!
Is it a sin? Is it a crime,
Loving you dear like I do?
If it's a crime, then I'm guilty…
A brown haired woman lay in a deep sleep on a brown, leather couch. Opposite to her was her husband, who sat in a large recliner, feet up on a foot rest with a newspaper in hand. A single painting rested on the wall above the couch she was relaxing on – an oil painting depicting the wilderness of upper North America, an illegibly written name scribbled hastily at the bottom-right corner with black ink. The crackle of an old fashioned phonograph sounded in the living room as a vinyl record span round and round, the needle slowly moving up and down as time passed by.
…Guilty of loving you.
It was pleasantly quiet, even though unusual for this time of day. Oh, what was their daughter up to this time?
The man ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair before continuing to read the H section of newspaper. Sections A through G were neatly stacked on the mahogany coffee table next to him; however he only wanted the one section he was holding. The comics. He let out a light laugh, keeping quiet in order to let his wife sleep. Slowly, he folded the newspaper to put it down on the pile beside him, taking the time to look at the large article on the front. 'Game Sells Over 30 Million Copies Outside Japan. Interesting,' he said, picking up the H section again and reading the article.
Maybe I'm wrong, dreaming of you.
Dreaming the lonely night through.
If it's a crime, then I'm guilty…
SAN SIMEON!
With a muffled 'oof!', the woman awoke. The painting had fallen down and landed flat on her stomach, squeezing all her breath out of her lungs and pulling out of her dream world filled with romantic walks on the beach and fine men. She tossed it to the ground in frustration. Why did she have to wake up at a time like this? Walls shook as their daughter's stereo system blasted loud music upstairs in her bedroom, which was situated right above the living room. The man nearly jumped out of his skin, dropping newspapers all over the floor.
They try to rob me,
Take away my integrity now.
They try to snake me,
Take away my dignity
But not my memory.
The words 'guilty of dreaming of you' was barely heard over the blaring punk rock, and the poor, old phonograph was quickly forgotten, left to spin round and round and round as the woman ran up the stairs. Oh, she's definitely going to be grounded this time, she thought, already picking out which chores for her to do, what restrictions to place and what limits to have during her 'grounded-time'. Dishes? Yes. Cleaning the house? Yes. Use of the phone, internet or having any other contact with friends? Forget it.
Wherever I go, wherever I stay
My mind will always be.
Wherever I go, wherever I stay
My mind will always be.
'Trista!' yelled her mother, pounding furiously at the door, trying to have her voice heard over the blaring music. 'Trista, open this door right now!' Her fist pounded twice more on the poster-covered bedroom door, mashing up a black one that read, 'Parental Advisory: This room is restricted'. Placing her hand on the doorknob, she began turning and jiggling it relentlessly, though unable to open it. 'Unlock the door! TRISTA!' Unfortunately, her voice was couldn't reach her daughter, who jumped up and down on her bed, oblivious.
SAN SIMEON!
'Did you hear something?' Trista asked Katami, who had come over after lunch. She continued to jump on her bed just like the music that had continued to play.
'What?' asked Katami from the hardwood floor. It struck her as odd that her friend would find jumping on the bed so amusing, but then again, Trista was almost like a young child – carefree and innocent. Well, almost innocent. Katami walked over to the stereo system, turning down the volume. 'What?' she repeated.
'TRISTA!' came a voice from beyond the door. Katami moved away from the stereo and towards the door. 'Open up right--!' The door opened, Katami's face meeting with hers. Flustered, she dusted off her grey, cotton skirt and continued softly, '…now. Hello, Katami.'
'Hi, Anne!' she greeted in return, smiling. She'd always been on friendly terms with her, although sometimes it seemed Anne thought she was a bad influence on Trista. Whatever the case, she always welcomed Katami into their home, letting her stay over for dinner and whatnot. Sometimes she'd find her sleeping in Trista's room, having snuck in through a window and slept over. But it didn't really bother her.
Anne let out a 'humph' and eyed her daughter's friend. When did she get here? Oh, she probably climbed through the window again. Looking behind her, she looked at Trista, who was still standing on her four-poster bed. Her sky patterned comforter was bundled at her feet and the mattress had inched its way out of its wood frame when she'd jumped on it. 'Tell Trista…' Anne grumbled. She looked at Katami and let out a sigh. '…to lower the volume.' With that, she pulled on the door handle and left, shutting the door behind her. Silence followed, though shattered by the low whisper of the stereo. Suddenly Trista giggled, her voice getting louder and louder until she found herself erupting in a full fit of laughter.
Katami watched on as her best friend slowly fell onto the bed, only to roll off of it with a loud 'clunk'. 'Did you—' she laughed, 'did you see her face? She was so…mad!' She slowly picked herself off the ground and sat down on her bed. 'I was definitely going to get grounded, but—' she said, another fit of laughter coming along. 'I got away with it!'
'She always seems to go easy on you when I'm over,' said Katami, snickering, as Trista lay down on her bed with a sigh.
'Then you should come over more often!' she agreed. Katami walked over to her friend and began poking her ribs, tickling her. They both laughed as they started a poke-war.
!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!
Sora sat down on the ground with a 'thump'. His keyblade put away, he looked up at Kairi, who stood by his left side, looking up at the stars. Her arms were behind her back and her hair was ruffling in the night wind, the moon shining down on her face. Now that he came to think of it, it had always been night in Traverse Town. There was never even the slightest glimpse of sunlight or any clouds; just the sky that opened up like a window into the universe. How can they wake up in the morning and know that it's, well, morning? he thought, turning his attention to the full moon ahead of them. I could sure use a nap right now. He let out a yawn and stretched.
'Kairi,' he said, pulling on her hand. He wrapped his palm around her wrist. 'Can you help me up?' She answered, 'sure' and hauled him up; putting his arm over her shoulder and helping him stay on his feet. Her smile was one of good humour, but her eyes clearly showed the anxiety building inside of her. Ever since they arrived in Traverse Town, Sora had been optimistic and eager to continue his pursuit for Riku, yet at the same time he'd been drained of his energy.
The keyblade was powerful beyond comprehension, but tapped into the power of its master's heart in order to be as strong as it was. It thrived on the strength of Sora's heart and spirit, just as Sora thrived in the belief that Riku would come back to them someday.
'Sora,' said Kairi, concerned. He looked up at her with tired eyes, brown hair flopping over to the side and obscuring his vision. 'I don't think that travelling to other worlds without a ship was a good idea. You're too weak to keep doing this.' Her eyes locked onto his, watching as he stuck out his bottom lip and stared back at her defiantly. They were going to find Riku and bring him back, at any cost. And what did she mean, 'too weak,' anyway?
'Fine,' he said, looking at the accessory shop that stood looming before them. Kairi let out a sigh at her friend's response, relieved that he wasn't going to risk his health anymore. Maybe they'd be able to go back home and forget about the horrible past that lay behind them. 'Let's go see Cid.' He glanced back at the accessory shop Cid used to own. The chimney blew out smoke from the fireplace within, the same undying flame Sora had let live a long time ago – he still remembered lighting it, yelling out 'fire!' and watching a ball of fire come zooming out of his keyblade.
'Why see him?' Kairi asked as they slowly walked up a few stairs. The accessory shop gradually distanced itself from them as they moved on and neared Gepetto's house. A street lamp glared in the night and a crate rested on the next flight of stairs, acting as a perfect place for Sora to rest. He sat down, easing the pressure off his tired feet and trying to ignore his exhaustion. It hadn't been too bad at first, but now that they'd got up and started moving again, he was beginning to feel the after effects of travelling without a vessel.
'Because,' Sora replied, getting back to Kairi's question. 'We need gummi blocks to build a gummi ship, right?' He put on a wide grin and invited her to sit with him. She smiled back and let out a nervous laugh, though remained standing. 'After all, if I can't travel without one, we'd need one to continue looking for Riku. And… I'm looking forward to that.' He looked at his shoes thoughtfully.
A gummi ship? she thought, suddenly dreading their reunion with Cid. It wasn't that she didn't miss Riku or want him back; it was very different from that. She missed Riku a lot. He was, no, still is one of her best friends, and she'd lost him forever after he was locked in Kingdom Hearts – she had seen him look out at her before the doors shut. It was painful to watch him disappear from her life forever, especially since she had always believed that it could never happen. She truly believed that no one could ever lose anybody important in their lives, and that no matter how far apart you were, you were still together if you held each other in your hearts. But now she knew. It was possible to lose someone you loved, no matter how close you held them to your heart or how much you wanted them to stay. And what if, she thought, I lost Sora, too? I can't let him go, I have to get him back home–
'You're not going to sit, Kairi?' asked Sora, bringing her back to the real world. He scooted over a bit to give her some room to sit, but began to pout when she shook her head.
'Well, you wanted to see Cid, right?' She pulled him back to his feet, giggling. Maybe going on adventures and quests weren't her ideal pastime, but she would always enjoy time with Sora. He was so persistent, but lazy. 'You're such a lazy bum!' she laughed again as they began walking up the stairs. She'd always called him that, not to be mean or to tease him, but because it was true. They slowly walked up yet another set of stairs before stopping in front of Cid's gummi shop.
'Sora?' Cid asked, half greeting them and half taken aback by their appearance in Traverse Town. He stood where he had always stood; keeping an unlit cigarette gripped between his teeth and wearing the same blue jeans, white T-shirt and beige tummy-thing he always wore. Sora had never really known what the beige thing was, and now that he thought of it, it made Cid look like he was wearing a barrel. He cracked a broad smile, trying to hide his laughter. It was a funny thought, actually, to have Cid walking around with a barrel wrapped around his waist.
'Hey, Cid!' he greeted in return, still holding his grin. Cid turned to Kairi, crossing his arms, then turned back to Sora, a look of bewilderment etched over his features. Just how in the many worlds did they get here? Nobody has ever come to Traverse Town in a long time, not since all the worlds were restored and blocked off, and Kingdom Hearts was shut. So what were these two kids doing here?
'What are you doing here?' he asked, voicing out his thoughts. 'I thought the worlds were—' He stopped when he saw Sora's expression change dramatically. When at first it had been a happy one, it now was one of dejection and unhappiness. His eyes were looking toward the ground and his smile slowly turned itself into a frown; Sora had transformed from an optimistic, upbeat teen to a heavy-hearted adult before his very eyes. 'Are you alright kid?' he asked, concerned.
No, Sora thought, I'm not. I don't want them to be separate. They can't be… if they are, how would I find Riku? He shut his eyes forcefully, trying not to imagine a life without his best friend; a world where the moon was without the sun, where the ocean was without the shore, and where a boy was without his companion. But I've got Kairi and Cid, and everyone else to help me. Besides, with a ship we can look for him. He felt what seemed like a smile begin to spread across his lips. Yes, they would find Riku.
Instantly, the melancholy in Sora's eyes disappeared, like the fear that is forgotten when a nightmare is over. 'We're going to build a gummi ship!' he replied, ignoring Cid's question. Joy filled him as he remembered travelling with Donald and Goofy. It was an enjoyable experience he was never going to forget – sailing past stars, worlds and unknown planets, each being a journey on its own. He was happiest when all the worlds were connected, as if somehow all their hearts were connected, too. But when Cid had mentioned the worlds being separate, his heart sank. They just couldn't be, because otherwise they wouldn't be in Traverse Town right now. And even if they were disconnected somehow, he was just going to connect them all back together again, like those nights long ago when he and Riku would play connect-the-dots with the stars. Those nights where they looked up at the sky and promised themselves to lead a life of adventure and excitement… He began to frown (thinking of the good times he had with Riku always made him frown, nowadays), but he pushed his memories away instead and held a wide smile.
You can't come along looking like that. Understand? No frowning. No sad faces. Okay? This boat runs on happy faces.
'A gummi ship?' Cid unfolded his arms and scratched his nose, a bad habit he was unlikely to get rid of. 'Fine. What do you need? A blueprint, for one thing,' he said, answering his own question.
'We'll get one from Gepetto,' Sora announced eagerly, motioning to Kairi to go get one as he spoke to Cid. Sensing her leave his side to do as he asked her to, he returned to the task at hand. 'So, do you have any spare parts?'
'Oh, hello Kairi!' greeted Gepetto as he opened the door, inviting her in. He peeked over her shoulder to see Sora speaking with Cid, apparently trying to compromise something. 'What brings you here?' His round glasses nearly slipped off his nose as he turned back to Kairi, closing the door.
'Well,' Kairi began, 'Sora and I are going to build a gummi ship, but we need a blueprint. I don't suppose you would have any for us?' She joined her hands together behind her back and stood on her tip toes, hoping that she hadn't been rude.
'Oh, of course!' Gepetto clapped his hands together before shuffling off to find one, leaving Kairi to trail behind. 'I have so much time on my hands, so I always draw out a few to keep me busy. Pretty interesting little things, those gummi blocks are. I like to experiment with them…'
As his long talk about gummies continued, Kairi looked around the room. Next to the dresser, she spotted Pinnochio sleeping peacefully on his bed, faithful Jiminy beside him on his old notebook. All of the many clocks that adorned the walls ticked loudly, and she wondered how anyone could sleep at all in this house. The noise was almost unbearable and the pendulums were forever swaying back and forth, like children on swings at a park. Suddenly, a bird jumped out of one of them, coo-cooing loudly as the hands struck 11. Next, it was accompanied by dwarf smiths hammering down on an anvil, as well as a band leader beating on a drum, a train whistle tooting and a variety of other sounds. Together they formed a not-so-harmonious orchestra, all playing together every hour on the hour, but Gepetto paid no attention to it. Kairi jumped at the loud sounds, but after a moment began to examine each clock and their individual decorations. They stopped after a minute or so, the last being a small group of wooden children singing a song.
It's a small world, after all.
Pinnochio and Jiminy had slept through the entire thing.
'Here it is,' Gepetto said triumphantly after searching inside the blueprint-filled dresser. Pulling one out, he looked it over for a second and handed it over gently to Kairi. 'It's named after Cloud.'
'Thanks, Gepetto,' she replied, examining the blueprint herself. He smiled at her and showed her to the door.
'I'm sure Sora is waiting for you.' The wooden door swung open, creaking. Yet another loud noise to add to the collection of sounds in this house, she thought. It's a wonder they don't go deaf.
'Thank you!' she repeated as she began to step out. 'Maybe we'll come and visit you again.'
'You're always welcome. Come back anytime you like.' With that, the door shut and Kairi turned on her heel, ready to meet up with Sora. Finding him wasn't difficult, since Cid's shop was just across from Gepetto's home. Sora turned to her and waved, a smile plastered on his face.
'Hey, Kairi!' He let out a laugh before turning back to Cid. When she arrived, Cid had gone behind his shop's counter and into the safe, pulling out various, colourful pieces of gummi. 'Cid agreed to give us some free pieces for our gummi ship!' Sora said, grinning. Cid jumped over the counter to join them, carrying a large bag.
'You couldn't just pay him?' Kairi laughed.
'Yeah, why didn't we ever think of that?' Cid asked sarcastically. He lifted an eyebrow as Sora and Kairi began to laugh together this time, their voices echoing in the night. 'So, you've got a blueprint?' He dropped the bag and let it slump on the ground beside his feet.
'Yup!' she replied, looking at the thin, blue sheet of stencilled-on paper she grasped in her hand. 'Gepetto said it was called Cloud.'
'Hey, I remember him!' Sora exclaimed, recalling his fights at the Olympic Coliseum. 'I wonder where he is now…' He rested his chin on his hand thoughtfully and tapped his foot before continuing. 'He's probably at Hallow Bastion with everyone else.'
Home… Kairi thought. It would be nice if we could go visit there…
'Well, anyway,' Sora said, interrupting her train of thought. 'Since we've got all the parts we need, we can probably start building the ship right now!' A look of eagerness and anticipation returned to his blue eyes as he imagined what their finished product would look like. We'll call it, he thought, Highwind. The goofy grin that had crawled across his lips began to slip away again as Cid shook his head.
'It's late. You kids should get some rest and start working on it tomorrow.'
'Why? So we can at least do it in daylight?' Sora asked dryly before letting out a laugh. Kairi giggled and thought, I guess Riku's rubbed off on him. 'Okay, we'll stay at the hotel and start tomorrow.' He smiled before picking up the bag of gummies and turning to leave. 'Thanks for the blocks, Cid!'
'Heh. You're going to owe me after this,' Cid stated jokingly. He scratched his nose again, obviously a reflex action. Kairi and Sora walked side by side to the large, wooden door that led to the Second District, slowly pushing it open. Before they stepped through though, they both turned around and waved to Cid.
The door slowly creaked shut, the metal handles jingling in the still night air. Sora looked around and found everything in the same place that it had always been; the gizmo shop ahead, the hotel to the left and the clothes store to the right. Veering towards the left, towards the hotel, a memory suddenly flashed through his mind, causing him to stop mid-step.
An image of a brown haired man blurred his vision, pushing aside the present. The man stumbled on the ground, his white shirt dirtying itself beneath his blue vest. His cries were frantic, frenzied, one of true terror. Lying on his back, a shadow jumped over him and slowly pulled out his heart, watching with wicked pleasure as he gradually disappeared. Where once was a man he now was not, his inner essence stolen and his body taken away from him, only a memory kept within Sora's mind. The image was enough to send a shudder down his back, but knowing that someone lost their life exactly where he was standing was worse still. How was it possible that you could lose all and everything so quickly? One second you'd be walking down the street, and the next thing you know, you don't exist anymore.
'What's wrong, Sora?' Kairi asked, noticing his pause. He looked up at her and shook his head to say that everything was alright, though deep down inside, he could feel fear building within him, being bottled up and kept inside. Just like that, he thought, and he was gone… At this moment he thought of not just the unfortunate man he'd seen, but also of Riku, his best friend who, like the man, had disappeared in an instant. Does anyone miss him? he asked, referring to the stranger. Nobody seems to… In his mind, he saw the same heartless, tearing the man's heart out of his body ruthlessly, somehow having a very wicked grin on its non-existent lips. It took away the very soul of somebody, hoarded their essence and sent them to darkness, relishing in the evil of the sin it'd committed. Suddenly, he realized –
(He gave a nod, feeling his brown hair flopping on the top of his head, scrunching his lips into a pout and furrowing his eyebrows together. His palms flat against something; something heavy, and he gave it a hard push. He felt his feet slip beneath him but he pressed on, knowing that others were helping him and that together they could do anything. Silence drifted over them like unseen rain clouds, showering them with quietude and stillness, shattered by the clamorous thunder of their heavy breathing. Finally, their task was accomplished.)
'Sora, are you sure you're okay?' Kairi's voice was nothing but a faint echo in the back of Sora's mind; heard but not listened to, known of but ignored. Her words were pushed aside by Sora's memories, smothered by the silence of the past that was taking place in the present.
Clang.
He'd done it. He'd shut the door. He'd just done what that very heartless had done. He'd shut that door intentionally, sent his own best friend into the darkness in the name of doing good. Riku was the victim and he was the heartless, sending him into eternal shadow. And even if Riku had let it happen, it didn't mean that Sora hadn't shut him in, did it? I wouldn't have made what he did any better, would it? No, it wouldn't. Taking someone's heart – and life – was still taking someone's heart, no matter how you looked at it. But didn't Ansem take his heart? Ansem was the one who did it, not Sora.
Does anyone miss him? he remembered thinking, but then he thought, Of course, I do. Maybe he hadn't done anything wrong, and that what he did was definitely the right thing to do. I'm missing him, looking for him right now. If I were really like the heartless, I wouldn't miss him, would I? But all that did was prove the fact that Ansem was right about at least one thing. Darkness was in every heart, whether it was brought out through good or bad intentions alike.
'Sora?' Kairi looked at him, worried. Her face came into focus as images of Riku and Kingdom Hearts faded away, bringing him back to their task at hand. By the time he looked up again, he'd found that they'd arrived at the hotel, and were waiting just in front of the door.
'What? It's okay Kairi, I was just thinking, that's all.' He smiled to assure her that it wasn't anything to bother about, though he could tell that she was still concerned.
'Can't think and walk at the same time?' she laughed, looking at him warily. 'You know, for a while you just kind of stood there.' They caught each other's eye. He let out a laugh to ease the building tension and began to push on the two wooden doors that lead inside, a yellow, neon light blinking the word 'hotel' above their heads. An image of his hands doing the same motion flashed through his mind, though only a blur of white. He pushed it aside, ignoring it.
'Good thing I wasn't chewing gum, either.' She stood still as he walked halfway through the doorframe, turning around to grin at her before turning his head back in front of him. 'Anyway,' he said, peeking his head through the door to look down the hall. 'We'd better get to bed.' It was strangely empty, though then again, it always was. He walked over to the green room, placing his palm around the round, brass knob. It felt cold to the touch (he realised he wasn't wearing any gloves, and that he could feel everything he got his hands on), something he had got used to once he left the hot, sunny beaches of Destiny Islands. But somehow, it was an unusual, icy cold feeling that shot up through his arm and pierced into his heart. It made him feel almost frozen as his heart thumped faster and faster in his chest, and his voice lodged itself in his throat as a gut wrenching feeling came over him. Adrenaline pumped into him and coursed through his blood like sand being swayed in the ocean's tide. This was definitely not a safe place. Something was in there, he knew it. His body stalled itself and he stood before the door, motionless, cold and very scared.
'Sora?' Kairi asked, stepping forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, his muscles tensing and feeling stiff, like a piece of rough cardboard.
'Kairi,' he replied, turning his head round. Their eyes met, blue against blue; calm, warm waters of the ocean against the ice cold of fear. Sora held a scared but serious look; an expression Kairi didn't like to see him wear, but that was being worn more and more often. 'Don't go in! It isn't safe.'
'What're you talking about, Sora?' she asked incredulously. 'There's nothing in there...' She shifted her eyes and looked down the hallway. The more she tried to convince Sora it was safe, she realized, the more it seemed that she was trying to convince herself. Her voice began to waver as she hid herself behind him, afraid of being wrong. 'Is there?' She looked over his shoulder and into his deep blue eyes.
'I don't know,' he said, shaking his head a bit and looking at the green door in front of him. He stared at it for a long time, debating on whether he should go in or just leave. Maybe, he thought doubtfully, maybe it's nothing. When he found the strength to move again, he put his hand back on the knob. 'I'm going in first. Wait here,' he said. With a quick flick of the wrist he turned the doorknob to the right and felt a cold breeze wash over him. It burned his cheeks and they flushed a bright red – how was it so cold in there? He took a step forward and flung his arms in front of his face, the cold, black wind blowing against him. 'Kairi!' he exclaimed, and a memory chose this moment to show itself to him, just as the dark wind began to dissipate and melt away.
Sora… Kairi turned to around to face Sora, who'd found that he was in the Secret Place. She raised her arm to reach him, her eyes half shut, half open and bleak; they'd lost their shine and brightness. She seemed gaunt and sickly, as if she'd been lost at sea for a year or so before being found. Dark bags clung to her, just below her eyes. Suddenly, a strange little wooden door (with no knob, he noticed) flung open, a dark wind spewing out of it and encircling him, pushing Kairi closer and closer. He opened his arms to try and catch her, but as they touched she disappeared, and the wind became too powerful for him to keep his feet on the ground.
'Sora?' Kairi asked. She furrowed her eyebrows and frowned; Sora was still standing, though by now he'd covered his face with his hands and fallen to his knees.
'What does this mean...?' he mumbled. He shook his head as his memories continued to flow: rough sand, circling winds, a looming shadow…
'What's wrong?' Kairi asked breathlessly, exasperated. The last remnants of the cold air blew by, gently tossing their hair and clothes and making them seem like algae in the ocean, swaying whichever way the current takes them. She waited calmly for a response but only received silence as a reply, fear slowly bubbling inside of her and ready to show itself at any minute.
This has to mean something, thought Sora. The darkness, the wind, the cold…
Kairi raised an arm to reach him, but held back just as her trembling fingertips grazed the back of his cotton shirt. Looking over his shoulder, she saw that the room was completely dark, without a single candle or lamp or light within. The hallway lights gradually seeped into the room at an agonizingly slow crawl. It's so dark, she thought. The darkness was like a thick wall, a substance that filled the entire room and kept light from coming in.
It's the same wind that came out of that door, he realized, and after that happened; I fought Darkside…
She slowly stepped into the room and groped blindly for a light switch. In a second, she found one mounted on the wall beside the door and flipped it upwards, waiting for a light to come streaming down on her. None came. What's wrong with this? she thought, and repeatedly flicked the switch on and off. Maybe the bulb's broken, or maybe… She turned around and looked back at Sora, who seemed to have come out of his daze, but was in deep thought. Maybe Sora's just overreacting; he's been zoning a lot. She noticed how the hallway lights glared in her eyes now that she was in the dark. It was almost as if the world was cut in half, one half being the light side and the other the dark side…Turning around again, she looked up at the lamp that hung from the ceiling and slowly began walking towards it. Maybe the bulb was broken. She peered upwards.
It was completely dark inside the room, but suddenly, the lamp flashed a yellow light that left just as quickly as it came. The last flicker of a dead light bulb, she presumed, and began to walk towards Sora. What's gotten into him? she wondered. Ever since we left the Islands again, he's been acting different. I thought you said you wouldn't change? She let out a deep breath and let the memories come back to her, envisioning their world before it came tumbling down on them.
They both sat on the dock, looking out at the sunset that would lead to the day that lay before them: the day they would leave in their search for new worlds. Riku was nowhere in sight, and she figured that he'd probably run off to prepare for their adventure and to say his goodbyes. I should probably do that too, she'd thought, but instead she continued to gaze out at the ocean. The sun's orange rays hit the water and gave her face a lovely, pinkish glow as she sat quietly next to Sora, swinging her legs over the edge of the dock. Luckily it covered the red flush of colour that came over her cheeks; she'd always waited for a time like this where she and Sora could be alone together. Ever since they were little, she'd always wanted to be able to tell him…
Oh, this is silly, she berated herself, this whole adventure is.
'You know, Riku has changed,' she said, trying to keep her mind off things.
'What do you mean?' asked Sora, surprised by his friend's words. Oh great, what did I say that for? she asked herself, mentally slapping herself in the forehead. I just want to tell him how feel, right? She side-glanced over to her friend, slightly embarrassed at her childish shyness and uneasiness when it came to something as simple as-
'Well…' she said, trying to find a way to explain her abnormal behaviour. Ever since we were little, she thought, but couldn't get the emotion to be said in words.
'You okay?' Sora asked in a concerned, but joking manner. Locks of brown hair flopped over in the wind sloppily, framing his sunset tainted face. Sora, I really, really like you, Kairi thought. No. Sora, I love you…Why can't I say it?
'Sora, let's take the raft and go, just the two of us!' she exclaimed, standing up suddenly.
Was the only way I could say it? Kairi asked herself, her mind returning from its drift from reality. She found her feet placing themselves one in front of the other, slowly carrying her towards her destination: Sora. It was nothing more than a numb-feeling, automated action, a reflex. Once she began thinking about it, however, she felt her feet slip beneath her and her legs wobble. She caught herself and continued walking, wondering why Sora changed so much since they arrived in Traverse Town.
That's it! he thought, looking up to see Kairi walking over to him unsteadily, like a foal with legs too long to control. Finally, he'd discovered what that wind was, he thought, and frowned. It could only be…
'Sora?' She held a puzzled expression, one eyebrow lifted and her lips pursed into a frown. It seemed as if she'd called his name a thousand times today…or perhaps it was her heart calling out to him. 'Are you alright—'
'Kairi! Get out of the room!' Sora exclaimed, despite the fact that she was already a few steps into the hallway. He placed an un-gloved hand on her shoulder and pushed her aside (which was fairly easy, he noted), pulling out Oathkeeper in the process.
'Sora, what're you doing?' she squeaked as she was tossed further out into the hall. She stumbled clumsily on her own foot before toppling to the ground with a thump and an 'ow', her backside definitely feeling bruised. 'There's nothing in there! The light bulb—'
Before she could say another word, Sora rushed into the room, keyblade in hand. She placed a hand onto the nearest object (a mop that had been carelessly left behind by a chamber maid, unnoticed by Kairi until this moment) and hauled herself up off the ground, running into the room quickly.
Her heart raced and her voice lodged itself in her throat as she examined the sight before her.
'Heartless!'
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PipHobbit: Dun dun dun! Sorry for the cliffy, even after I made you wait an eternity for this chapter. Hopefully it's all made up for though…TEN PAGES!! I wrote ten pages! . Just wait till I finish the next chapter… Oh yeah, I also plan on re-writing the prologue, whee!