Disclaimer: I don't own it.
Thanks everyone! Please review! Thanks if you did. I meant to only post one new chapter tonight, but it turns out my idea required a bit more. I hope you guys enjoy it! Sorry if you don't like cliff hangers, I realized after I wrote that last chapter that this one will also require a cliff hanger, if I have time tonight I will try to get started on the rest of the story. This part will make a lot more sense after the sequel to Christmas on Destiny Islands is posted. And trust me, I am working on it.
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An explosion sounded behind them and Sora pulled Kairi roughly into the mangled forest, Tidus and Wakka following. A few minutes later they burst through the foliage onto the beach, the glow of the flames replaced with filtered moonlight. Squall, Cloud, and Yuffie stood farther down the shore in front of a gummi ship, waving frantically at them. They jumped aboard and helped Sora as he shoved Kairi inside, hoisting himself up as the ship prepared to take off. Tidus and Wakka collapsed on the floor beside Kairi, covered in blood and ash and breathing heavily.
Sora stood nearby, panting as he wiped sweat and dirt from his face. He looked out the window and grinned, the beach below them swarming with Heartless.
"We did it. We got out." He huffed, turning to face Squall, who looked equally exhausted.
Kairi stood shakily to her feet, her eyes slowly adjusting to the light. She stared in wonderment at Sora, he was much taller. Definitely more mature, he seemed a bit more muscular and the childish glow was no longer in his eyes.
"Kairi? Are you alright?" He asked, his voice noticeably deeper now, too.
Squall spun around, staring intently at Kairi. "Kairi?! I thought they'd taken you! How did you escape?" He cried. He didn't appear to have changed.
Tidus appeared next to her, "Yeah, did you see Selphie?" He asked, his voice also deeper. Kairi almost jumped when she looked up into his eyes. When had he gotten so much taller than her? She stared around at everyone on board, nearly fainting when she realized that everyone appeared to have aged at least two years older.
"Kairi? Are you feeling okay?" Tidus asked, leaning down to look into her face.
Yuffie shoved him roughly away from her, "Oh, back off! Come on, come sit down over here." Yuffie gently guided her towards the back of the ship, sitting her down where the others couldn't see them.
"Kairi, what's the matter?" She asked, lowering her voice so the boys couldn't hear.
Kairi gazed at her friend, glad that she didn't appear to have changed much, however, she was covered in ash and had small cuts all over her body. "Yuffie.. What happened here?" She asked, her voice shaking.
"What? You honestly don't know?" She stared quizzically at her. She sighed, thinking back several hours. "Alright. You see, yesterday, sometime in the evening, the Heartless attacked. There was no warning, and no way to fight them. They captured whoever they could, shoving them aboard gummi ships. Lucky for us, Sora caught on before it was too late and we were able to call Cid for help. I don't know how you got away from them, but I'm really glad." She said as she hugged Kairi. "I just wish there was some way we could have gotten to Aerith and the others.." She turned away, wiping her face with her hand.
"Yuffie, where's Riku?" She asked, suddenly realizing he wasn't on board and she hadn't seen him outside.
"Riku? That turncoat?" She snorted, "Probably off hanging out with his old buddy, Ansem." Kairi could almost see the bitterness in her voice, almost shocking her as much as her statement.
Before Kairi had time to react, Cid's urgent voice brought their attention back to the front of the ship.
"Heartless gummi ships! Hold on!" he called, the ship leaning sharply to the side as they avoided getting hit. "We can't fight 'em, we're gonna have to land! Maybe we can hide out and make a run for it when things calm down." He said over his shoulder as the Destiny Islands loomed before them.
"Incoming!" Tidus yelled from the window, watching as a nearby ship opened fire at them. Sora and Squall ran to the back of the ship, each grabbing one of the girls as they ducked behind the seats. Sparks erupted overhead and Kairi yelped, burying her face in Sora's shirt.
A glint of sunlight shimmered through the window as they drew level with the ocean, the sun rising to their right. The Islands were drawing closer, plumes of smoke visible in the weak morning light.
"We're going down!" Cid yelled, struggling with the controls as the ship dipped dangerously toward the waves. "I hope you kids can swim, cuz this thing ain't goin' any farther!" He called, slowing the ship down as it lowered towards the water.
The gummi ship jolted roughly as it skipped across the waves, finally landing with a splash as it sank into the ocean, knocking Tidus, Wakka, and Cloud off their feet.
Sora jumped up, helping his friends as Cid and Cloud forced the door open. Water began rushing in, covering the floor. Squall and Yuffie stepped forward, holding hands and waiting anxiously as the door was slowly opened.
Kairi let out a startled gasp as the water surged around her, lifting her off her feet as it consumed the ship. "Take a deep breath, we're down pretty far." Sora called to others as the rest of the oxygen escaped from the ship, leaving it completely submerged.
Kairi bit back her rising panic as the water closed around her, slamming her against the ceiling. She struggled to hold her breath as she watched her friends pull themselves out of the open door and into the vast ocean. Claustrophobia began to take effect on her, nearly causing her to black out as panic rose up inside her. She was used to this ocean, she grew up here, she loved it, but being this far down inside a sunken gummi ship was too much, especially after becoming so accustomed to the wide open beach. She was positive she was going to drown, and she closed her eyes in terror.
A hand wrapped itself roughly around her wrist, pulling her forcefully toward the door. She looked up and saw Sora, struggling to support both of them as they broke free of the ship, leaving it on the empty ocean floor. They sank down, resting calmly on the sand before Sora released his grip, motioning urgently for her to swim to the surface. She nodded, mentally slapping herself for making Sora rescue her. She kicked off from the sand, rushing quickly towards the surface as Sora swam next to her.
"What was that all about?" he coughed as they broke the surface, swimming a quarter mile out at sea.
Kairi choked and coughed next to him, extremely grateful for air. "I don't know, I just, couldn't move in there.." She cried, resting for a moment before she began swimming towards the nearest island.
She could see the others up ahead, Yuffie and Squall already climbing out of the waves.
After a while Kairi finally felt sand under her feet, sighing gratefully as she climbed ashore. "We made it, Sora." She said, looking over her shoulder for her spiky-haired friend. A feeling of dread filled her as she realized he wasn't there.
"Sora?" She called, turning back to the ocean and scanning the waves. She knew he was a stronger swimmer than her, and if she had made it, he had to be alright. Maybe he's already here, she though, doubting herself already.
"Sora!" She called down the beach, searching for any sign of the keyblade master. She realized with rising horror that none of her friends were in sight. She ran down the beach, running under the bridge leading to the small jut of land where she, Riku, and Sora loved to hang out. She came to a sudden stop, "Sora!" She called desperately, spinning around when she heard footsteps behind her.
"I thought you loved me, but here you are, calling for my best friend." Came the familiar voice.
"Riku.. What are you doing..?" Kairi asked him, noticing the long black cloak he was wearing, black boots visible underneath the flowing material.
He lifted up his dark keyblade, resting it heavily on his shoulder and smiling at her. He looked older, too. Just like all the others had. Quite a bit taller, his shoulders slightly broader and his face more mature. Kairi bravely looked up into his eyes, gasping and stepping back when she saw them. Orange, piercing orange, like Ansem's eyes.
"Riku.. No.." She moaned, stepping back and crying out as she tripped, landing awkwardly in the sand.
Riku stepped forward, drawing his keyblade up, ready to strike. "I love you, Kairi. I want you to always be with me. But now that I'm king of the Heartless, and Destiny Islands, some things are going to have to change." He grinned as he brought the keyblade down, aiming for Kairi's heart.
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Thanks everyone! Please review! Thanks if you did. I meant to only post one new chapter tonight, but it turns out my idea required a bit more. I hope you guys enjoy it! Sorry if you don't like cliff hangers, I realized after I wrote that last chapter that this one will also require a cliff hanger, if I have time tonight I will try to get started on the rest of the story. This part will make a lot more sense after the sequel to Christmas on Destiny Islands is posted. And trust me, I am working on it.
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An explosion sounded behind them and Sora pulled Kairi roughly into the mangled forest, Tidus and Wakka following. A few minutes later they burst through the foliage onto the beach, the glow of the flames replaced with filtered moonlight. Squall, Cloud, and Yuffie stood farther down the shore in front of a gummi ship, waving frantically at them. They jumped aboard and helped Sora as he shoved Kairi inside, hoisting himself up as the ship prepared to take off. Tidus and Wakka collapsed on the floor beside Kairi, covered in blood and ash and breathing heavily.
Sora stood nearby, panting as he wiped sweat and dirt from his face. He looked out the window and grinned, the beach below them swarming with Heartless.
"We did it. We got out." He huffed, turning to face Squall, who looked equally exhausted.
Kairi stood shakily to her feet, her eyes slowly adjusting to the light. She stared in wonderment at Sora, he was much taller. Definitely more mature, he seemed a bit more muscular and the childish glow was no longer in his eyes.
"Kairi? Are you alright?" He asked, his voice noticeably deeper now, too.
Squall spun around, staring intently at Kairi. "Kairi?! I thought they'd taken you! How did you escape?" He cried. He didn't appear to have changed.
Tidus appeared next to her, "Yeah, did you see Selphie?" He asked, his voice also deeper. Kairi almost jumped when she looked up into his eyes. When had he gotten so much taller than her? She stared around at everyone on board, nearly fainting when she realized that everyone appeared to have aged at least two years older.
"Kairi? Are you feeling okay?" Tidus asked, leaning down to look into her face.
Yuffie shoved him roughly away from her, "Oh, back off! Come on, come sit down over here." Yuffie gently guided her towards the back of the ship, sitting her down where the others couldn't see them.
"Kairi, what's the matter?" She asked, lowering her voice so the boys couldn't hear.
Kairi gazed at her friend, glad that she didn't appear to have changed much, however, she was covered in ash and had small cuts all over her body. "Yuffie.. What happened here?" She asked, her voice shaking.
"What? You honestly don't know?" She stared quizzically at her. She sighed, thinking back several hours. "Alright. You see, yesterday, sometime in the evening, the Heartless attacked. There was no warning, and no way to fight them. They captured whoever they could, shoving them aboard gummi ships. Lucky for us, Sora caught on before it was too late and we were able to call Cid for help. I don't know how you got away from them, but I'm really glad." She said as she hugged Kairi. "I just wish there was some way we could have gotten to Aerith and the others.." She turned away, wiping her face with her hand.
"Yuffie, where's Riku?" She asked, suddenly realizing he wasn't on board and she hadn't seen him outside.
"Riku? That turncoat?" She snorted, "Probably off hanging out with his old buddy, Ansem." Kairi could almost see the bitterness in her voice, almost shocking her as much as her statement.
Before Kairi had time to react, Cid's urgent voice brought their attention back to the front of the ship.
"Heartless gummi ships! Hold on!" he called, the ship leaning sharply to the side as they avoided getting hit. "We can't fight 'em, we're gonna have to land! Maybe we can hide out and make a run for it when things calm down." He said over his shoulder as the Destiny Islands loomed before them.
"Incoming!" Tidus yelled from the window, watching as a nearby ship opened fire at them. Sora and Squall ran to the back of the ship, each grabbing one of the girls as they ducked behind the seats. Sparks erupted overhead and Kairi yelped, burying her face in Sora's shirt.
A glint of sunlight shimmered through the window as they drew level with the ocean, the sun rising to their right. The Islands were drawing closer, plumes of smoke visible in the weak morning light.
"We're going down!" Cid yelled, struggling with the controls as the ship dipped dangerously toward the waves. "I hope you kids can swim, cuz this thing ain't goin' any farther!" He called, slowing the ship down as it lowered towards the water.
The gummi ship jolted roughly as it skipped across the waves, finally landing with a splash as it sank into the ocean, knocking Tidus, Wakka, and Cloud off their feet.
Sora jumped up, helping his friends as Cid and Cloud forced the door open. Water began rushing in, covering the floor. Squall and Yuffie stepped forward, holding hands and waiting anxiously as the door was slowly opened.
Kairi let out a startled gasp as the water surged around her, lifting her off her feet as it consumed the ship. "Take a deep breath, we're down pretty far." Sora called to others as the rest of the oxygen escaped from the ship, leaving it completely submerged.
Kairi bit back her rising panic as the water closed around her, slamming her against the ceiling. She struggled to hold her breath as she watched her friends pull themselves out of the open door and into the vast ocean. Claustrophobia began to take effect on her, nearly causing her to black out as panic rose up inside her. She was used to this ocean, she grew up here, she loved it, but being this far down inside a sunken gummi ship was too much, especially after becoming so accustomed to the wide open beach. She was positive she was going to drown, and she closed her eyes in terror.
A hand wrapped itself roughly around her wrist, pulling her forcefully toward the door. She looked up and saw Sora, struggling to support both of them as they broke free of the ship, leaving it on the empty ocean floor. They sank down, resting calmly on the sand before Sora released his grip, motioning urgently for her to swim to the surface. She nodded, mentally slapping herself for making Sora rescue her. She kicked off from the sand, rushing quickly towards the surface as Sora swam next to her.
"What was that all about?" he coughed as they broke the surface, swimming a quarter mile out at sea.
Kairi choked and coughed next to him, extremely grateful for air. "I don't know, I just, couldn't move in there.." She cried, resting for a moment before she began swimming towards the nearest island.
She could see the others up ahead, Yuffie and Squall already climbing out of the waves.
After a while Kairi finally felt sand under her feet, sighing gratefully as she climbed ashore. "We made it, Sora." She said, looking over her shoulder for her spiky-haired friend. A feeling of dread filled her as she realized he wasn't there.
"Sora?" She called, turning back to the ocean and scanning the waves. She knew he was a stronger swimmer than her, and if she had made it, he had to be alright. Maybe he's already here, she though, doubting herself already.
"Sora!" She called down the beach, searching for any sign of the keyblade master. She realized with rising horror that none of her friends were in sight. She ran down the beach, running under the bridge leading to the small jut of land where she, Riku, and Sora loved to hang out. She came to a sudden stop, "Sora!" She called desperately, spinning around when she heard footsteps behind her.
"I thought you loved me, but here you are, calling for my best friend." Came the familiar voice.
"Riku.. What are you doing..?" Kairi asked him, noticing the long black cloak he was wearing, black boots visible underneath the flowing material.
He lifted up his dark keyblade, resting it heavily on his shoulder and smiling at her. He looked older, too. Just like all the others had. Quite a bit taller, his shoulders slightly broader and his face more mature. Kairi bravely looked up into his eyes, gasping and stepping back when she saw them. Orange, piercing orange, like Ansem's eyes.
"Riku.. No.." She moaned, stepping back and crying out as she tripped, landing awkwardly in the sand.
Riku stepped forward, drawing his keyblade up, ready to strike. "I love you, Kairi. I want you to always be with me. But now that I'm king of the Heartless, and Destiny Islands, some things are going to have to change." He grinned as he brought the keyblade down, aiming for Kairi's heart.
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