Chapter Seven: The Song Of The Heart
~Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall~
Aeris was in her room. She hadn't come out in four days. He had left. There was no use in her smiling if he wasn't there to see it. Yuffie and Squall, er Leon, were worried. Cloud had left and Aeris, who was normally happy, had locked herself in her room. She hadn't come out in four days. Yuffie sat next to the door during all hours to see if she would leave.
Four days ago, they had gotten a call from the Queen. She had told them about Sora and why he wasn't there. She had also told of Christa and her past. She was still in space and she guessed where they were heading. Cloud had decided to leave right then and there. He didn't tell where he was going, but it was somewhere.
Cloud never really loved Aeris. He felt sorry for her though. She loved him and he loved Tifa. There were no choices for him anymore. And as soon as he heard about Christa he remembered her instantly. He remembered how she would wander around the castle all day after her parents passed away. He remembered the sad expression on her face and in her eyes.
She never once cried around other people. The only way you could tell that she was hurt was the way her green eyes would look up at you. Tifa had loved that girl so much. She had told Cloud many times that Christa would be the perfect child to have around. She was so quiet and polite. The only problem with Christa was her emotions. She had such a great control over her emotions that you couldn't tell if she was lying or telling the truth.
Tifa had left long ago and Cloud had tried to find her. That was his light and even though Aeris was the only other person to love him in the same way Tifa did, he would never fall for another girl, ever. So he left to help the girl that Tifa adored so much and he also left to really find his light. He figured that where Christa was, Tifa would be too.
Cloud had broken the news to Aeris softly and he watched as her expression went from happy and exuberant, to sad and mournful. She'd run off too, right after he told her. That was when he took his leave. From what the queen had told them, Christa was in Castle Faith, or she would be there by the time he got there. So that's where he went. When he'd gotten there, he had another day until Christa and her friends arrived.
The next day, he wandered about the city surrounding the castle until nightfall. It started to rain and he sought out shelter in a bar. When he looked out of the window he was sitting next to, he saw a small figure of a girl with red hair huddled up and trying to keep warm. Cloud jumped up in alarm and fright and quickly left the bar to help what appeared to be Christa.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kairi sat on the rock at the beach. She was wearing a dark raven cloak with a hood on. It wasn't raining so she wasn't really sure why she had it on. Kairi looked out at the moon hovering just above the horizon. The waves splashed in a rhythm like pattern. She heard footsteps to her left and gave a cautioned glance.
It was Riku. Only, he had a glowing yellow eye like a Heartless. It was so weird. This guy and Riku weren't the same person though. The Riku she knew would have run up and hugged her, maybe even kissed her. They haven't seen each other in so long it wouldn't surprise her if he did kiss her. She never realized how much she had missed him till now. The Anti-Riku walked forward towards the rock she was sitting on.
When he was right next to her she slightly turned her head and looked at this strange guy standing next to her. That's when she realized it all. This was Riku's shell.
"He looks just like you." She says to the shell before her, "But you're not him. What are you?"
He simply says back to her:
"A creation born of ignorance."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Remi woke up an hour past the time he was supposed to. He looked around the room and realized that Kairi was asleep and Christa was gone. He went red in the face. This was all Kairi's fault. He stomped over to where Kairi was sleeping and lifted her up a little. While holding onto her shoulders he shook her violently, waking her up.
"You fell asleep and Christa's gone!!!" He harshly whispered. Kairi looked over to where Christa was sleeping and panicked. They both got on their shoes and jackets and went out into the rain to search the city. They didn't bother to wake Nova up; she'd probably freak.
"You go that way, and I'll go this way and in a half an hour we'll meet back here!" Remi yelled out orders like a drill sergeant. And they split up to find their friend that ran away.
Remi went down many streets yelling her name, but to no avail. Out of nowhere, a blonde haired man showed up behind him and offered to help. The man told Remi to get whoever else was helping him and bring them to a small house on the other side of the city. Remi thanked the blonde haired stranger and went back to find Kairi.
He told Kairi the situation and they headed towards the house together. Kairi then remembered Nova and told Remi she would go and get her. He, however, forced Kairi to stay with him.
"What if Christa's hurt? That guy might need you to help him. When we get to this place, I'll go back and get Nova. Okay?" Kairi nodded at Remi's suggestion. They got there in no time and Remi left back for the hotel.
The room that Kairi now sat in was a little dark. The house was a four room, one floor type of place. It had a bathroom, kitchen, living room, and bedroom. She sat on the couch in the living room and thought about her dream for a minute.
"A creation born of ignorance? What's that supposed to mean?" She whispered to herself in the bleak room.
Kairi then heard a light rapping on the door. She got up quickly and opened the door to let whoever was there in. It was Cloud. She recognized him immediately and let him in. On his back, was Christa. She was soaking wet and shivering slightly.
"She's sick! Help me!" He too yells out orders like Remi. They lie her down on the bed and Cloud turns around and starts to leave.
"Where are you going?" She turns and shoots him a death glare for even thinking of leaving her there.
"I have to find that other kid. He could get lost. You change her into some dry clothes and get her warmed up. I'll be right back." And with that he opened the door and left Kairi to search the house for some dry clothes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hallow Bastion. The gates opened wide to welcome its visitor. The Heartless in the huge castle where hiding from her, ready to strike. But they wouldn't attack, she knew that better than anyone. She continued on her way past their feeble attempts at a hiding place. The doors stood before her. Those accursed doors that ruined her life and her family. She passed them, without a second glance.
Christa walked on. She examined the now practically different castle. 'This isn't my castle....' She thought as she realized there were many new passages waiting to be discovered. Some lead to another hallway. Others led to balconies with those strange elevators she always got herself lost on. Things were still the same, but most were very different. One thing was for sure, her uncle was no where to be found.
"I guess this will be a good dream for a change." She said as she kept going. Christa found the entrance to the Waterways. Her heart beat faster as she slowly descended the staircase. She heard voices, but none were human. They were Heartless voices. At first they were mumbled sounds, but as soon as she got down to the floor she could hear them entirely.
"Utter silence...."
"A fragmented tale....."
"A world without you....."
"The eyes will close."
"Something so natural...."
"The memory beyond...."
"Something so simple....."
"What are you all mumbling about?!?!" She yelled into the darkness.
"The key master?"
"No.... she has no key."
"Then, what is she?"
"Who cares..... let's have lunch."
They advanced on her and she turned to run. A familiar hand grabbed her shoulder to stop her. When she spun around to see who it was, the whole room went dark and she found herself in what seemed an endless dark void. And those familiar green eyes were staring into her own.
It was that girl again. That same girl who had the long, dark red hair with black streaks running through it. Her eyes pierced Christa's and she felt her heart burning with fear.
"Let go!!!!" Christa yelled at her evil self.
"Why? So you can kill my friends again and then steal the Keyblade from me?" The girl seemed so calm. She seemed like she wasn't lying at all.
"What do you want? Why do you keep showing up here? Who are you?" She yelled into the lifeless eyes she saw in front of her.
"Me? I'm you! I'm your darkness. I'm here because this is where I belong. And you and I are gonna become good friends."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Her eyes jumped open when she heard that. Christa was lying on a bed in some strange place she'd never been before. She tried to sit up, but her whole body ached. She moved her head and looked around to see who was there. She heard a shuffling and shifting of a body and expected to see homeless people on the floor of this shack. It was only some guy watching her. He was leaning towards her and staring with piercing blue eyes.
"You shouldn't try to move so much. You have a fever and Tifa would kill me if you got any sicker." He said calmly as he pulled the blankets up to her chin.
"Hey, Cloud.... Never thought I'd see you again....." Christa smiled weakly as she let her head sink back into the pillow.
Cloud smiled back as she fell asleep. He was glad she remembered him. And he was glad she was here. Maybe she could bring Tifa back?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Remi had woken up during that long night at the small house. Nova and Kairi were both sleeping with their heads on his chest. If he didn't like Christa already, he'd consider himself to be very fortunate for these two beauties. He looked over where Christa was sleeping and realized that Cloud was still sitting by her. Cloud was so worried about her; it was like he was her older brother. Remi also noticed that Christa was really sick.
She was flushed and breathing heavily. Christa rolled over twice to get comfortable. Remi blamed himself for her getting sick. She was scared because he didn't help. She was scared of her past and he felt that he was the cause of her pain and fear. That was why she had run from them. 'It's all my fault!' He thought as he watched her suffer in her sleep. He finally got up and disturbed the two girls sleeping on him. They soon got comfortable anyway.
He walked over to the door and left. Remi couldn't sit in that room anymore. He took a walk around the block. "How can I help her?" He racked his brain for the answer that never came. Remi soon became frustrated with himself and just broke out into a dead fast run around the rest of the block. "Why am I so helpless?" He said to himself in between breaths.
The stoop to the house they were currently in was up ahead. Remi slowed to a jog and sat on one of the steps. He heard the door open and then close and suspected it was Nova. The person who came out kneeled behind him, pressed their body onto him, and swung their arms around him. Remi turned around and realized immediately it was Christa. He ran his hand across her cheek. Still burning hot.
"You shouldn't be out here. You're sick." He told her.
"I was worried when I woke and couldn't find you. I heard you outside the door." She admitted.
"Let's go back inside, now." Remi grabbed onto her hand and lead her back into bed so she could rest.
Christa sat down and Remi sat next to her. They enjoyed each other's company until Christa laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.
"I'm so comfortable just to be around you. I've never felt this way before in my entire life. I'm just so happy." She told him. Her eyelids closed and she sat there in silence for a while.
"I know the feeling." He touched her forehead to see about her fever, "Lay down. You need your rest."
But she already fell asleep on him. Remi laid her down on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Cloud woke up from his spot on the chair next to the bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked towards Remi.
"What did I miss?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Drip drop.... Drip drop.... Drip Drop...
"Water? Why do I hear water?"
Drip drop.... Drip...
"What is this place?"
"...Having weird thoughts lately..."
"Sora? Is that you?" Christa slowly fell into the darkness around her.
"Is any of this for real, or not?" His voice echoed throughout the place.
Christa's feet touched the ground and she stood there looking around. She knew she had heard Sora somewhere, but where was he? The brown haired 16- year-old came bounding towards her at the site of his friend. He had thought that she was in danger. He always had that type of sixth sense.
"Hey!!! How're you feeling? Happier now?" Sora said with his trademark grin across his face.
"Yeah. I found Kairi by the way. She misses you a lot. I brought her with me so we could find you. Speaking of which, where are you?" She asked.
"Really?! I miss her, too!" He blushed, "Right now, a friend of mine and I are in Traverse Town. Don't bother coming though, 'cause we're leaving to go to Kingdom Hearts."
"How can we get there?" She pushed onward with her questions.
"All you have to do is go through the End Of The World. It's Ansem's domain so you should be careful." He reminded her.
Christa looked down for a minute. 'Great, another encounter with him.'
"By the way, I never got your name." Sora was constantly wondering that since their first encounter.
"It's Christa. If you want, you can call me Chris." She replied.
Drip drop.... "Where's that noise coming from? Do you know, Sora?"
They looked around. Drip drop. The noise never seemed to end. Then, they heard his maniacal life. They turned around again to see Ansem standing there with a Darkside at his back. Sora stepped in front of Christa to protect her from the demon before them. He laughed harder and moved his hand to face Sora. The blast that came from his hand had Sora flying through the air and on his back in no time.
"Sora!!!!" But she couldn't get to him. Ansem had grabbed her wrist. That's when she got a good glimpse at where the noise was coming from. Her parents were lying behind him. She gasped when she saw his sword dripping with her parent's blood.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Christa woke up slightly wet and shaking from her own dream. It was true that her parents died, but she never knew that he killed them.
Nova, Kairi, Cloud, and Remi were all in the living room of the small house getting ready to leave. Christa slowly dragged her tired body in and grabbed her now dry clothes. She got dressed in her dark blue Capri's with the red t-shirt and jacket. Sora's chain now hung at her left side. Nova was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, her gray jacket accompanied this ensemble. Kairi was dressed in a maroon skirt and white tank top with a black jacket. Remi was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Cloud was wearing his trademark clothes that he always wore.
They left the house after Christa took an aspirin and got into the Gummy Ship. All five of them went back to Hallow Bastion to drop Cloud off. Christa didn't even dare to leave the ship for fear that she would have a nervous breakdown in her former home.
"Where should we go now?" Remi asked once they were all back in the ship.
"Sora told me to go to The End Of The World." They all looked at Christa, worried.
"When did you talk to Sora?" Kairi asked looking rather puzzled.
"Never mind that. We just have to go through the End Of The World to get to Kingdom Hearts. The only problem is that Ansem might be there waiting for...." She paused and looked down at her feet, "me."
"No matter what happens, we'll be there for you, Chris! I won't let him!" Remi decided out loud.
"Okay, Lover Boy!" Nova teased the 15-year-old who was once again driving.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He walked around Kingdom Hearts looking for a sign of human existence. Riku had hoped that there'd be somebody besides the Nobodies to chill with. He hadn't gone but a mile, when he encountered the one person whom he didn't want to see ever again. It was King Mickey.
"What are you doing back here?" He said, rather snobbishly.
" I came to check on you and to give you good news." The royal mouse replied.
"What good news can come from you?" Riku looked away.
"I came to tell you that two parties are coming for your rescue as well as fulfill the prophecy. Of course, they know nothing of the prophecy yet. But it's Sora's party of two, and Christa's party of four."
"Who's Christa?" He was now interested at the sound of a new name.
"I had saved her from Ansem two years ago. She's coming with Kairi and a girl named Nova as well as a boy named Remi." They walked onward.
"I hope they get past Ansem....." Riku stared off into the darkness.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Are we there yet?" Kairi bothered Remi every chance she got.
"No we're not!" He answered for the 14th time in a row.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm absolutely, positively, sure!" He answered and hoped that she'd stop. Christa snickered. This was too good a chance to pass up.
"Are we there yet?!" All three of the girls asked at the same time.
"NO WE'RE NOT!!!!! GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT!!!!!" Remi screamed at the girls who were now laughing hysterically.
Poor Remi. He was the only guy on this damn ship. They spotted the vortex known as the End Of The World and immediately stopped laughing. Christa stopped first and her hands began to shake uncontrollably. They were finally there. Finally at the place that could be their final resting place.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sora and Manic had gotten up extra early to leave for the trip. Sora was ready to kick Ansem's butt for hurting Christa like he did so many times. He would give his life for any of his friends and that included her. They had left in the Gummy Ship with the fake Riku. King Mickey told them they'd need that thing. It had taken them six hours to get to the End Of The World. Sora had suggested to Manic that they hung out by the entrance for a while. Sooner or later they'd find his friends.
About an hour after they arrived, Christa, Kairi, Nova, and Remi waltzed through the entranceway. They were oblivious to Manic and Sora's presence.
"What took you so long, Kairi?" Was all Kairi needed to hear to turn around and run to her childhood sweetheart. They embraced each other and then turned to the others. Manic hid in the shadows at the site of his little sister standing there.
Sora approached Christa next and they hugged too. But it wasn't a loving hug, more like a friendly one. Kairi looked puzzled until they explained. Sora then was introduced to Nova and Remi. Manic was still hidden until Sora ran over and dragged him out of the shadows. Nova gasped and ran over to her big brother. She threw her arms around him and started to cry tears of joy. Manic smiled the warmest smile he could muster.
After reunions and introductions were complete, the six companions ventured onward into the End Of The World. They encountered countless Heartless, that Sora and Manic fought off. Remi had occasionally taken out his sword, but wasn't needed.
They made it to a large empty area soon and while they were looking around something strange happened. Christa's feet were suddenly engulfed in black and her friends were flung against the wall and held back by black chains.
"What's happening!?" Nova yelled in alarm.
"Guys! Help!!!" Christa screamed as she tried to get free. Her friends were so far away and she slowly felt the aspirin she took earlier wearing off.
"You all are now my prisoners..... Get used to it!!!" Ansem showed up behind Christa as she panicked. "Hello again, dear niece!" He bent down to stroke her hair.
"Don't you dare touch her!!!!" Remi screamed from his place on the wall. Ansem calmly floated over to him and went to grab his neck when something stopped him.
"I'll get you later..." He mumbled to the boy, "I now have some business with my niece." He then walked to where Christa was still standing.
He stood beside her as she stared at him, horror-stricken. He slowly raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Christa then looked over at her friends as he heard their screams fill the area. Their bodies were covered in a red aura and the black chains were squeezing the life out of them. It felt like they were slowly being ripped into tiny shreds.
"STOP!!!! I BEG OF YOU, STOP!!!!!!" Christa fell to her knees as the torture ended and tears slid down her cheeks. "I can't watch you do this to my friends, what do you want?"
"Don't....give in, Chris!!!!" Sora weakly yelled to her.
"I want you to give up your heart and your Keyblade." Ansem answered, ignoring the other's presence.
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT, CHRIS!!!!! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!!!!!" Kairi screamed at the top of her lungs. Ansem raised his hand again and got ready to snap.
"No! Don't hurt them again! I'll do it!!! I'll do it!!!" She said, trying to stop the madman before her.
He poised his hand so that he ripped her chains off with magic. Ansem then raised himself in the air, so that he was a couple of feet above her. She watched, not daring to flinch, as he called forth some Heartless.
"CHRIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Remi yelled as she too, rose into the air.
This time, Ansem didn't use any type of spell. Christa just willingly gave up her heart and the Heartless barely had to do a thing to her. When her heart disappeared, the key that was around her neck fell to the floor. It wasn't silver anymore; it had turned black. Christa's body began to disintegrate and Ansem then cast a spell so that she'd keep the body and not the heart.
Christa's new body fell to the floor glowing gold. When it was done, she rose up to her feet. Remi, Sora, and Kairi all had tears streaming down their faces. Christa's eyes were now purple, her clothes now bore the Heartless symbol, and her hair was long and had black streaks in it.
*~*
~I can't look back~
*~*
AN: This is my all time favorite chapter!!!!!!!! I had so much fun with this one!!! I'm so sorry that it took so long though!!! That was my fault entirely! If you don't know already, the next chapter shall be my last! Sorry! I only need 8 chapters though!!! I'll see you guys next chappy!!! It'll be called Chaos, Darkness, and Death!!!!! Can't wait!!!!!!! =^.^= meow!!!
~Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall~
Aeris was in her room. She hadn't come out in four days. He had left. There was no use in her smiling if he wasn't there to see it. Yuffie and Squall, er Leon, were worried. Cloud had left and Aeris, who was normally happy, had locked herself in her room. She hadn't come out in four days. Yuffie sat next to the door during all hours to see if she would leave.
Four days ago, they had gotten a call from the Queen. She had told them about Sora and why he wasn't there. She had also told of Christa and her past. She was still in space and she guessed where they were heading. Cloud had decided to leave right then and there. He didn't tell where he was going, but it was somewhere.
Cloud never really loved Aeris. He felt sorry for her though. She loved him and he loved Tifa. There were no choices for him anymore. And as soon as he heard about Christa he remembered her instantly. He remembered how she would wander around the castle all day after her parents passed away. He remembered the sad expression on her face and in her eyes.
She never once cried around other people. The only way you could tell that she was hurt was the way her green eyes would look up at you. Tifa had loved that girl so much. She had told Cloud many times that Christa would be the perfect child to have around. She was so quiet and polite. The only problem with Christa was her emotions. She had such a great control over her emotions that you couldn't tell if she was lying or telling the truth.
Tifa had left long ago and Cloud had tried to find her. That was his light and even though Aeris was the only other person to love him in the same way Tifa did, he would never fall for another girl, ever. So he left to help the girl that Tifa adored so much and he also left to really find his light. He figured that where Christa was, Tifa would be too.
Cloud had broken the news to Aeris softly and he watched as her expression went from happy and exuberant, to sad and mournful. She'd run off too, right after he told her. That was when he took his leave. From what the queen had told them, Christa was in Castle Faith, or she would be there by the time he got there. So that's where he went. When he'd gotten there, he had another day until Christa and her friends arrived.
The next day, he wandered about the city surrounding the castle until nightfall. It started to rain and he sought out shelter in a bar. When he looked out of the window he was sitting next to, he saw a small figure of a girl with red hair huddled up and trying to keep warm. Cloud jumped up in alarm and fright and quickly left the bar to help what appeared to be Christa.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kairi sat on the rock at the beach. She was wearing a dark raven cloak with a hood on. It wasn't raining so she wasn't really sure why she had it on. Kairi looked out at the moon hovering just above the horizon. The waves splashed in a rhythm like pattern. She heard footsteps to her left and gave a cautioned glance.
It was Riku. Only, he had a glowing yellow eye like a Heartless. It was so weird. This guy and Riku weren't the same person though. The Riku she knew would have run up and hugged her, maybe even kissed her. They haven't seen each other in so long it wouldn't surprise her if he did kiss her. She never realized how much she had missed him till now. The Anti-Riku walked forward towards the rock she was sitting on.
When he was right next to her she slightly turned her head and looked at this strange guy standing next to her. That's when she realized it all. This was Riku's shell.
"He looks just like you." She says to the shell before her, "But you're not him. What are you?"
He simply says back to her:
"A creation born of ignorance."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Remi woke up an hour past the time he was supposed to. He looked around the room and realized that Kairi was asleep and Christa was gone. He went red in the face. This was all Kairi's fault. He stomped over to where Kairi was sleeping and lifted her up a little. While holding onto her shoulders he shook her violently, waking her up.
"You fell asleep and Christa's gone!!!" He harshly whispered. Kairi looked over to where Christa was sleeping and panicked. They both got on their shoes and jackets and went out into the rain to search the city. They didn't bother to wake Nova up; she'd probably freak.
"You go that way, and I'll go this way and in a half an hour we'll meet back here!" Remi yelled out orders like a drill sergeant. And they split up to find their friend that ran away.
Remi went down many streets yelling her name, but to no avail. Out of nowhere, a blonde haired man showed up behind him and offered to help. The man told Remi to get whoever else was helping him and bring them to a small house on the other side of the city. Remi thanked the blonde haired stranger and went back to find Kairi.
He told Kairi the situation and they headed towards the house together. Kairi then remembered Nova and told Remi she would go and get her. He, however, forced Kairi to stay with him.
"What if Christa's hurt? That guy might need you to help him. When we get to this place, I'll go back and get Nova. Okay?" Kairi nodded at Remi's suggestion. They got there in no time and Remi left back for the hotel.
The room that Kairi now sat in was a little dark. The house was a four room, one floor type of place. It had a bathroom, kitchen, living room, and bedroom. She sat on the couch in the living room and thought about her dream for a minute.
"A creation born of ignorance? What's that supposed to mean?" She whispered to herself in the bleak room.
Kairi then heard a light rapping on the door. She got up quickly and opened the door to let whoever was there in. It was Cloud. She recognized him immediately and let him in. On his back, was Christa. She was soaking wet and shivering slightly.
"She's sick! Help me!" He too yells out orders like Remi. They lie her down on the bed and Cloud turns around and starts to leave.
"Where are you going?" She turns and shoots him a death glare for even thinking of leaving her there.
"I have to find that other kid. He could get lost. You change her into some dry clothes and get her warmed up. I'll be right back." And with that he opened the door and left Kairi to search the house for some dry clothes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hallow Bastion. The gates opened wide to welcome its visitor. The Heartless in the huge castle where hiding from her, ready to strike. But they wouldn't attack, she knew that better than anyone. She continued on her way past their feeble attempts at a hiding place. The doors stood before her. Those accursed doors that ruined her life and her family. She passed them, without a second glance.
Christa walked on. She examined the now practically different castle. 'This isn't my castle....' She thought as she realized there were many new passages waiting to be discovered. Some lead to another hallway. Others led to balconies with those strange elevators she always got herself lost on. Things were still the same, but most were very different. One thing was for sure, her uncle was no where to be found.
"I guess this will be a good dream for a change." She said as she kept going. Christa found the entrance to the Waterways. Her heart beat faster as she slowly descended the staircase. She heard voices, but none were human. They were Heartless voices. At first they were mumbled sounds, but as soon as she got down to the floor she could hear them entirely.
"Utter silence...."
"A fragmented tale....."
"A world without you....."
"The eyes will close."
"Something so natural...."
"The memory beyond...."
"Something so simple....."
"What are you all mumbling about?!?!" She yelled into the darkness.
"The key master?"
"No.... she has no key."
"Then, what is she?"
"Who cares..... let's have lunch."
They advanced on her and she turned to run. A familiar hand grabbed her shoulder to stop her. When she spun around to see who it was, the whole room went dark and she found herself in what seemed an endless dark void. And those familiar green eyes were staring into her own.
It was that girl again. That same girl who had the long, dark red hair with black streaks running through it. Her eyes pierced Christa's and she felt her heart burning with fear.
"Let go!!!!" Christa yelled at her evil self.
"Why? So you can kill my friends again and then steal the Keyblade from me?" The girl seemed so calm. She seemed like she wasn't lying at all.
"What do you want? Why do you keep showing up here? Who are you?" She yelled into the lifeless eyes she saw in front of her.
"Me? I'm you! I'm your darkness. I'm here because this is where I belong. And you and I are gonna become good friends."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Her eyes jumped open when she heard that. Christa was lying on a bed in some strange place she'd never been before. She tried to sit up, but her whole body ached. She moved her head and looked around to see who was there. She heard a shuffling and shifting of a body and expected to see homeless people on the floor of this shack. It was only some guy watching her. He was leaning towards her and staring with piercing blue eyes.
"You shouldn't try to move so much. You have a fever and Tifa would kill me if you got any sicker." He said calmly as he pulled the blankets up to her chin.
"Hey, Cloud.... Never thought I'd see you again....." Christa smiled weakly as she let her head sink back into the pillow.
Cloud smiled back as she fell asleep. He was glad she remembered him. And he was glad she was here. Maybe she could bring Tifa back?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Remi had woken up during that long night at the small house. Nova and Kairi were both sleeping with their heads on his chest. If he didn't like Christa already, he'd consider himself to be very fortunate for these two beauties. He looked over where Christa was sleeping and realized that Cloud was still sitting by her. Cloud was so worried about her; it was like he was her older brother. Remi also noticed that Christa was really sick.
She was flushed and breathing heavily. Christa rolled over twice to get comfortable. Remi blamed himself for her getting sick. She was scared because he didn't help. She was scared of her past and he felt that he was the cause of her pain and fear. That was why she had run from them. 'It's all my fault!' He thought as he watched her suffer in her sleep. He finally got up and disturbed the two girls sleeping on him. They soon got comfortable anyway.
He walked over to the door and left. Remi couldn't sit in that room anymore. He took a walk around the block. "How can I help her?" He racked his brain for the answer that never came. Remi soon became frustrated with himself and just broke out into a dead fast run around the rest of the block. "Why am I so helpless?" He said to himself in between breaths.
The stoop to the house they were currently in was up ahead. Remi slowed to a jog and sat on one of the steps. He heard the door open and then close and suspected it was Nova. The person who came out kneeled behind him, pressed their body onto him, and swung their arms around him. Remi turned around and realized immediately it was Christa. He ran his hand across her cheek. Still burning hot.
"You shouldn't be out here. You're sick." He told her.
"I was worried when I woke and couldn't find you. I heard you outside the door." She admitted.
"Let's go back inside, now." Remi grabbed onto her hand and lead her back into bed so she could rest.
Christa sat down and Remi sat next to her. They enjoyed each other's company until Christa laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.
"I'm so comfortable just to be around you. I've never felt this way before in my entire life. I'm just so happy." She told him. Her eyelids closed and she sat there in silence for a while.
"I know the feeling." He touched her forehead to see about her fever, "Lay down. You need your rest."
But she already fell asleep on him. Remi laid her down on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Cloud woke up from his spot on the chair next to the bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked towards Remi.
"What did I miss?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Drip drop.... Drip drop.... Drip Drop...
"Water? Why do I hear water?"
Drip drop.... Drip...
"What is this place?"
"...Having weird thoughts lately..."
"Sora? Is that you?" Christa slowly fell into the darkness around her.
"Is any of this for real, or not?" His voice echoed throughout the place.
Christa's feet touched the ground and she stood there looking around. She knew she had heard Sora somewhere, but where was he? The brown haired 16- year-old came bounding towards her at the site of his friend. He had thought that she was in danger. He always had that type of sixth sense.
"Hey!!! How're you feeling? Happier now?" Sora said with his trademark grin across his face.
"Yeah. I found Kairi by the way. She misses you a lot. I brought her with me so we could find you. Speaking of which, where are you?" She asked.
"Really?! I miss her, too!" He blushed, "Right now, a friend of mine and I are in Traverse Town. Don't bother coming though, 'cause we're leaving to go to Kingdom Hearts."
"How can we get there?" She pushed onward with her questions.
"All you have to do is go through the End Of The World. It's Ansem's domain so you should be careful." He reminded her.
Christa looked down for a minute. 'Great, another encounter with him.'
"By the way, I never got your name." Sora was constantly wondering that since their first encounter.
"It's Christa. If you want, you can call me Chris." She replied.
Drip drop.... "Where's that noise coming from? Do you know, Sora?"
They looked around. Drip drop. The noise never seemed to end. Then, they heard his maniacal life. They turned around again to see Ansem standing there with a Darkside at his back. Sora stepped in front of Christa to protect her from the demon before them. He laughed harder and moved his hand to face Sora. The blast that came from his hand had Sora flying through the air and on his back in no time.
"Sora!!!!" But she couldn't get to him. Ansem had grabbed her wrist. That's when she got a good glimpse at where the noise was coming from. Her parents were lying behind him. She gasped when she saw his sword dripping with her parent's blood.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Christa woke up slightly wet and shaking from her own dream. It was true that her parents died, but she never knew that he killed them.
Nova, Kairi, Cloud, and Remi were all in the living room of the small house getting ready to leave. Christa slowly dragged her tired body in and grabbed her now dry clothes. She got dressed in her dark blue Capri's with the red t-shirt and jacket. Sora's chain now hung at her left side. Nova was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, her gray jacket accompanied this ensemble. Kairi was dressed in a maroon skirt and white tank top with a black jacket. Remi was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Cloud was wearing his trademark clothes that he always wore.
They left the house after Christa took an aspirin and got into the Gummy Ship. All five of them went back to Hallow Bastion to drop Cloud off. Christa didn't even dare to leave the ship for fear that she would have a nervous breakdown in her former home.
"Where should we go now?" Remi asked once they were all back in the ship.
"Sora told me to go to The End Of The World." They all looked at Christa, worried.
"When did you talk to Sora?" Kairi asked looking rather puzzled.
"Never mind that. We just have to go through the End Of The World to get to Kingdom Hearts. The only problem is that Ansem might be there waiting for...." She paused and looked down at her feet, "me."
"No matter what happens, we'll be there for you, Chris! I won't let him!" Remi decided out loud.
"Okay, Lover Boy!" Nova teased the 15-year-old who was once again driving.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He walked around Kingdom Hearts looking for a sign of human existence. Riku had hoped that there'd be somebody besides the Nobodies to chill with. He hadn't gone but a mile, when he encountered the one person whom he didn't want to see ever again. It was King Mickey.
"What are you doing back here?" He said, rather snobbishly.
" I came to check on you and to give you good news." The royal mouse replied.
"What good news can come from you?" Riku looked away.
"I came to tell you that two parties are coming for your rescue as well as fulfill the prophecy. Of course, they know nothing of the prophecy yet. But it's Sora's party of two, and Christa's party of four."
"Who's Christa?" He was now interested at the sound of a new name.
"I had saved her from Ansem two years ago. She's coming with Kairi and a girl named Nova as well as a boy named Remi." They walked onward.
"I hope they get past Ansem....." Riku stared off into the darkness.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Are we there yet?" Kairi bothered Remi every chance she got.
"No we're not!" He answered for the 14th time in a row.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm absolutely, positively, sure!" He answered and hoped that she'd stop. Christa snickered. This was too good a chance to pass up.
"Are we there yet?!" All three of the girls asked at the same time.
"NO WE'RE NOT!!!!! GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT!!!!!" Remi screamed at the girls who were now laughing hysterically.
Poor Remi. He was the only guy on this damn ship. They spotted the vortex known as the End Of The World and immediately stopped laughing. Christa stopped first and her hands began to shake uncontrollably. They were finally there. Finally at the place that could be their final resting place.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sora and Manic had gotten up extra early to leave for the trip. Sora was ready to kick Ansem's butt for hurting Christa like he did so many times. He would give his life for any of his friends and that included her. They had left in the Gummy Ship with the fake Riku. King Mickey told them they'd need that thing. It had taken them six hours to get to the End Of The World. Sora had suggested to Manic that they hung out by the entrance for a while. Sooner or later they'd find his friends.
About an hour after they arrived, Christa, Kairi, Nova, and Remi waltzed through the entranceway. They were oblivious to Manic and Sora's presence.
"What took you so long, Kairi?" Was all Kairi needed to hear to turn around and run to her childhood sweetheart. They embraced each other and then turned to the others. Manic hid in the shadows at the site of his little sister standing there.
Sora approached Christa next and they hugged too. But it wasn't a loving hug, more like a friendly one. Kairi looked puzzled until they explained. Sora then was introduced to Nova and Remi. Manic was still hidden until Sora ran over and dragged him out of the shadows. Nova gasped and ran over to her big brother. She threw her arms around him and started to cry tears of joy. Manic smiled the warmest smile he could muster.
After reunions and introductions were complete, the six companions ventured onward into the End Of The World. They encountered countless Heartless, that Sora and Manic fought off. Remi had occasionally taken out his sword, but wasn't needed.
They made it to a large empty area soon and while they were looking around something strange happened. Christa's feet were suddenly engulfed in black and her friends were flung against the wall and held back by black chains.
"What's happening!?" Nova yelled in alarm.
"Guys! Help!!!" Christa screamed as she tried to get free. Her friends were so far away and she slowly felt the aspirin she took earlier wearing off.
"You all are now my prisoners..... Get used to it!!!" Ansem showed up behind Christa as she panicked. "Hello again, dear niece!" He bent down to stroke her hair.
"Don't you dare touch her!!!!" Remi screamed from his place on the wall. Ansem calmly floated over to him and went to grab his neck when something stopped him.
"I'll get you later..." He mumbled to the boy, "I now have some business with my niece." He then walked to where Christa was still standing.
He stood beside her as she stared at him, horror-stricken. He slowly raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Christa then looked over at her friends as he heard their screams fill the area. Their bodies were covered in a red aura and the black chains were squeezing the life out of them. It felt like they were slowly being ripped into tiny shreds.
"STOP!!!! I BEG OF YOU, STOP!!!!!!" Christa fell to her knees as the torture ended and tears slid down her cheeks. "I can't watch you do this to my friends, what do you want?"
"Don't....give in, Chris!!!!" Sora weakly yelled to her.
"I want you to give up your heart and your Keyblade." Ansem answered, ignoring the other's presence.
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT, CHRIS!!!!! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!!!!!" Kairi screamed at the top of her lungs. Ansem raised his hand again and got ready to snap.
"No! Don't hurt them again! I'll do it!!! I'll do it!!!" She said, trying to stop the madman before her.
He poised his hand so that he ripped her chains off with magic. Ansem then raised himself in the air, so that he was a couple of feet above her. She watched, not daring to flinch, as he called forth some Heartless.
"CHRIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Remi yelled as she too, rose into the air.
This time, Ansem didn't use any type of spell. Christa just willingly gave up her heart and the Heartless barely had to do a thing to her. When her heart disappeared, the key that was around her neck fell to the floor. It wasn't silver anymore; it had turned black. Christa's body began to disintegrate and Ansem then cast a spell so that she'd keep the body and not the heart.
Christa's new body fell to the floor glowing gold. When it was done, she rose up to her feet. Remi, Sora, and Kairi all had tears streaming down their faces. Christa's eyes were now purple, her clothes now bore the Heartless symbol, and her hair was long and had black streaks in it.
*~*
~I can't look back~
*~*
AN: This is my all time favorite chapter!!!!!!!! I had so much fun with this one!!! I'm so sorry that it took so long though!!! That was my fault entirely! If you don't know already, the next chapter shall be my last! Sorry! I only need 8 chapters though!!! I'll see you guys next chappy!!! It'll be called Chaos, Darkness, and Death!!!!! Can't wait!!!!!!! =^.^= meow!!!