KINGDOM HEARTS: DARK AND LIGHT
A Fan Fiction by: sore wa himitsu desu
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Many thanks go to me pirate-lubbin' super-duper English tutor friend: Kat-chan! =^.^= She be a-helpin' me out on the grammar, savvy? ^__________^
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KEY:
Stuff in this font is either description when someone is dreaming, a bit of flashback stuff, or Heartless talking.
Normal font is, of course, the main text and dialogue in the dream sequences.
'Thoughts are in those single quotation mark thingies.'
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DISCLAIMER: The only character that I can safely say I own is Seilem…^_^"
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CHAPTER 03: DREAMS
The castle was old, but kept a strong aura about it. It reminded Riku of Hollow Bastion, but something about the castle gave him the impression that it was from another time, another place. He gave the surrounding landscape a cursory look, but could not see past the fog that enveloped the tall ramparts of the bastion. He started for the main gates that stood broken and rusted with age. When he passed through, he found himself in a great courtyard surrounded by waterfalls that seemed to fall from nowhere. In the middle was a large, circular fountain with water that rose to the skies. A large, crystalline ball floated within the water tower. It gave off a faint blue glow as Riku neared it. He circled around the fountain and continued forward. Two large, stone doors awaited him at the end of the courtyard. The Keyblade Master pushed them open and walked inside.
A familiar dark aura flooded Riku's senses as he entered the castle. He readied his two Keyblades and searched the area for any signs of the Heartless. He caught sight of a Heartless as it scurried in and out of the shadows. It did not seem to take any notice of the Keyblade wielder, but its presence alarmed the silver-haired youth.
What were Heartless doing here?
With his Keyblades in hand, Riku began his exploration of the castle.
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Seilem walked down the winding hallways of the castle. Around her, she could feel a dark aura building – Heartless. It puzzled her that the Heartless found their way into the dreamscape. It also troubled her, but not because they would find Sora and harm him physically. There was no physical contact or pain in dreams. One only felt physical pain or contact because in their mind, when they were hit or touched, they perceived that it was felt. Everything focused on the mind and heart in dreams.
If the Heartless were to hurt Sora, they would do so by mind games and trickery.
She increased her pace and rushed down a hall to her right before veering left into another darkened hallway. She continued, turning where needed, until she reached two large ornamented doors. She let out a small sighing breath before she reached up and pushed at the doors. They gave way, opening with a slow lurch, and Seilem walked in. Two thrones sat at the end of the spacious room. Her breath caught as her gaze fell on someone sitting in one of them.
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Kairi shivered as she walked through the maze of hallways. Hollow Bastion, her home, made her wary, but this castle had a dreary atmosphere to it – as if it were mourning the loss of something dear. It did look really old and the Maiden of Heart wondered why she was here. She had no memory of dwelling in such a place.
She jumped when she heard several scratchy noises echo throughout the hallways and quickened her pace until she was jogging. She turned pass corners, not knowing if she was heading the right way. Her footsteps echoed as she ran through the empty corridors. She was halfway past a corner when she caught sight of Heartless. She pulled back and pressed against the wall behind her. A worried look came upon her face and her heart wrenched. Kairi bit her lip and continued down another hallway. Why was she dreaming about the Heartless?
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Seilem knelt before Sora and called his name several times, but the boy did not respond. His midnight blue eyes stared out at nothing as he sat motionless like a doll on a dusty shelf. She looked at him in despair. Something was wrong with him, but she did not know what.
The seer stiffened as she felt a tinge of dark energy wash into the room. She stood and turned. Several black heads rose from the stone floor and her amber eyes narrowed. Did the Heartless have something to do with Sora's condition?
She reached down and touched Sora's hand. The boy did not respond to the touch and sat oblivious to the world around him. The seer watched the Heartless carefully as they swayed and chattered in low whispers. Their dull gold eyes fixed on Sora, and Seilem beckoned the boy out of the throne. The boy complied and stood, but did nothing else.
Seilem positioned herself in front of Sora as the boy stood still, his hand in the seer's and his eyes staring out. The Heartless crept towards the two with their claws outstretched. She called several Holy spells, and arrows of white light pierced the shades. Her hand tightened around the younger boy's and she gave a small tug, beckoning him to follow her.
Seilem led and Sora followed compliantly. Sora kept up with her brisk pace despite his state, and both ran through the halls. The Heartless chased after them – some darting through the walls, others scurrying behind the two. Seilem looked back. Sora did not seem aware of the chase, but followed the seer as she pulled him this way and that way. She let out a sigh. Hopefully, his condition was not permanent. As she turned around a corner, she bumped into someone.
Both let out surprised yells and tumbled backwards. Seilem pulled Sora down with her and the boy fell against her. The seer looked up as she wrapped her arms around the unresponsive boy protectively. Her amber eyes widened in curiosity. The person she had bumped into was a teenaged girl about the same age as Riku. Her ginger colored hair fell lightly at the sides of her tanned face and violet eyes stared up.
Oh… The girl smiled sheepishly. Sorry about that.
She gave Seilem a quick look over before her gaze fell upon Sora. Her eyes widened and she gasped.
S … Sora!!
The boy did not respond to her call. Seilem was about to ask who the girl was when several Heartless appeared behind them. The seer pulled the boy up and Holy spells rained down on the black forms and the two, plus the girl ran. The girl gazed worriedly at Sora from time to time.
I wonder if Riku is around. He'd flip, but at least we'd be safe from those Heartless.
Seilem nodded.
You must be Kairi, then.
Huh?
I've heard of you from Riku and Sora.
You know Sora?
Only from dreams … I would like to meet him in real life.
So, Riku hasn't found him yet? There was a hint of disappointment in Kairi's voice.
Riku's been asking Sora where he is, but he eludes the subject.
Yeah… Kairi gave a sad look. She did not like finding Sora like this. The fact that the Heartless had come into the dreams also alarmed her. If there were Heartless lurking about, then what would happen to Sora if they caught him? Do you know what's wrong with him?
No, but I am worried that the Heartless had something to do with it.
Me too.
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Riku found himself wandering in a labyrinth of walls lined with tall, statuesque pillars. He had no clue as to where he was heading, but one thing was clear in his mind: Sora was nowhere to be found. Riku did not like that.
As he neared a corner, he half expected Sora to leap out in an attempt to scare the crap out of him. Nothing popped out and Riku was left with his concerns for his younger friend. A little way down from the corner, the Keyblade Master stopped. The dark aura of the Heartless came again, but stronger this time. A few moments later, several black heads rose from the shadows. What were Heartless doing here?
He charged at the Heartless and within seconds, many fell. They swarmed in, but Riku held his ground. Thundaga spells rained down on the Heartless as Riku spun through the massing black bodies. His Keyblades sliced through them and their screeches raked at his mind. After a few minutes, the Heartless retreated, scurrying off or melting back into the shadows. Riku watched them leave, but his worry had increased. He had to find Sora before the Heartless did.
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Sora…
Kairi reached out and took Sora's hand in hers. They were in a small room waiting for Seilem to come back. The Heartless had given up the chase and the seer took this opportunity to search for Riku. Kairi wondered how the black-haired girl knew that Riku was here. She felt wary as well. The Heartless probably wanted to separate Seilem from them. If they found them here before Seilem comes back, what would she do? She had no weapon….
Sora did not respond to anything Kairi said or did and sat against the wall. His eyes remained unseeing and dull. Kairi squeezed his hand and called his name again, but no answer came. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she wiped them away. Sora had been worried like this when she was asleep during his battles against Ansem. She felt the sadness, but knew that he did not show it to the others. He had a way of hiding things, even from his best friends.
He would always insist that everything would be fine when they were together on Destiny Islands. She wished she could believe his words, but they seemed empty. She knew Sora was hiding something. Ever since Riku had begun to ask where Sora was, he always avoided the subject.
Kairi brushed at the brown locks and her finger traced down the side of the boy's face. For some reason, he remained his fourteen-year-old self. It puzzled the Maiden of Pure Heart, but what she really wanted to know was where Sora was in the real world. Was he all right? Or had something bad happened to him? She could only guess from his current state, but the mind worked differently than the physical body. It could be filled with pain and sadness, yet one would still smile and assure those around them that everything was fine.
The maiden sighed as she stared into Sora's eyes.
Why won't you tell Riku where you are, Sora?
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Riku ducked behind one of the marble pillars that lined the hallway as a group of Heartless scurried past. His eyes narrowed as he focused on their whispering voices.
Light Key.
Light Key.
Light Key.
The Heartless seemed excited as they repeated the two words. Riku was not amused at all and his grip on the Keyblades tightened. Sora was somewhere in this castle and the Heartless knew it. He followed the Heartless, careful not to stray too near and alert them. They seemed to know their way about the old castle, but after noticing familiar tapestries, Riku began to suspect that they were going in circles. This did not register well with the Keyblade Master.
Keyblade Master.
Not found.
Light Key.
Riku stiffened, then gave the shades a disgusted look. The Heartless knew he was following them! They seemed amused at the youth's distress and laughed. Their black bodies swayed as their soft, hissing voices spoke to the platinum-haired teen. Each Heartless repeated the words, echoing the former, and the halls filled with hushed whispers.
Two Keyblades.
Dark.
Light.
Riku gave the Heartless a puzzled look. What were they talking about? The humanoid shades continued.
Two Keyblades.
Kingdom.
Heart.
The Keyblade Master shook his head. He could only guess at what the shadows were pulling off this time around; though, their talk about the Keyblades was not off the point. In his hands were the Twins, as Seilem called them. One was Dark, the other, Light. Besides these two, there were two more. He knew of the Kingdom Key, Sora's Keyblade, but the other Keyblade, the one of the Heart, did not ring any bells. Unless they were talking about King Mickey's Keyblade, but it had disappeared after Mickey used it to seal the Doors.
Riku narrowed his eyes. He knew now, though unwanted memories came as he recalled that Keyblade.
The Keyblade that unlocked people's hearts.
He did not know what had happened to that Keyblade after he fought Sora in the Bastion. It might have been destroyed. Either that or it had found someone else to wield it. The Heartless let out low hisses and their bodies arched up as one. Riku stood battle-ready, bracing himself for the onslaught of attacks. A torrent of Holy spells fell upon the shades as they made their way towards the Keyblade Master and they disappeared in several bursts of black smoke. Riku blinked a couple of times before his eyes focused on Seilem. He gave the seer a light smirk.
Gee, I guess you're worried that I'll overexert myself fighting in my dreams.
I found Kairi and Sora.
Riku's eyes widened and he started forward.
Where are they?
Seilem turned and headed down the hallway. Riku followed and the two came upon the small, hidden room in one of the high towers – where Seilem had left the two younger teens. When they entered the room, Kairi and Sora were no where to be seen. The seer narrowed her eyes. Where could they have gone? Riku gave the black-haired girl an irritated look.
Well, they're not here…
Seilem looked down.
They left this place.
Aren't we gifted at pointing out the obvious…
It was not intentional.
O-kay, so what?
The seer took hold of Riku's hand and closed her eyes. The castle disappeared, fading into a white mist. Darkness surrounded the two and Riku clutched the seer's hand tighter. Kairi's worried voice came to the boy's ears.
Sora! Sora, where are you?!
Riku looked about, but saw no one in the darkness. He called out to Kairi often, and the girl would respond, but could not find him. Finally, Seilem opened her eyes and the darkness lifted, revealing Destiny Islands.
Riku!
The Keyblade Master turned at the voice and found Kairi running towards him.
What's wrong, Kairi? Where's Sora?
I don't know. One minute we're in this small room together, the next, I'm here and Sora's…
He's here.
The two looked at Seilem. The seer studied the surroundings for a moment before walking off. Kairi and Riku followed after the silent girl as she made her way towards the Secret Place. The two teens exchanged worried looks before entering the small cave. It seemed to take forever to reach the heart of the tiny cavern and when they finally reached it, they saw their missing friend standing in front of the mysterious wooden door. Riku would have gone up to the younger teen and knocked his block off, but something about Sora did not feel right.
Sora?
Riku moved towards his best friend, but Sora remained still. Riku's eyes moved from Sora to the wooden door. It glowed with the same eerie blue energy that he had seen on that night when Destiny Islands was taken by the darkness – when the three of them were separated from each other and thrown into the raging waves of fate. The teen gave the door a wary look. Why was the door activating?
He was in arm's reach of his friend when the door began to radiate with the dark blue energy. Tendrils of black burst out from the wood, causing Riku to fall back. Kairi and Seilem ran up to him and pulled him away as the black tentacles slithered through the air like wriggling snakes. They wrapped around Sora, lifting the boy up, and pulled him into the doorway. The three gave frightened looks as Sora disappeared behind the door. Bright light flooded the cavern and the group looked away. When it cleared, the door was back to normal. Kairi stood and headed for the door. She placed her hands on the wooden surface.
Sora?
She hoped that the door would open for her and she would be able to see Sora, but nothing happened. Her hands curled and she banged against the door, calling for Sora. Riku came up to her as she slid down to her knees, her fists still pushing against the door. He knelt beside her, but she did not look up.
Riku?
Yeah?
I know this is just a dream, and I … I'd like to think of it that way, but I can't. Dreams like this … they're always telling us something, you know?
Kairi looked up, showing the full extent of her worry. Riku could not blame her though; it had been three years since she had seen Sora. She waited night and day for his return, keeping him to his promise and like hell would she let him break it. Kairi stood and stared at the wooden door; her fists clenched at her sides.
I don't want to lose him, Riku.
Riku sighed and placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder.
Me neither.
The Maiden of Pure Heart nodded, giving Riku a determined look.
I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I'm going to find Sora!
What?! You can't! The worlds are separated on the other side of the door; you won't be able to find your way here.
Who made it final that Sora's in Kingdom Hearts, Riku?
Riku paused, then shook his head.
Donald and Goofy are in Kingdom Hearts. If they made it, then Sora did, too.
Kairi looked away, back towards the wooden door. She gritted her teeth and dug her nails into her palms.
I'll find a way! I know I can!
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The end! Well, of the chapter … ehe. Yeah, that was not a long one and after two months I should at least have written two or three… ~_~ Go me. Oh well, second quarter's almost finished and I'll have a week to mess around. I should get two or three more chapters down during that break. Wish me luck! =)