By: Naela
Summary: A being tied to Sora is awakening and now more than ever the Keyblade Master is needed. Only, no one seems to know where he is. How are Riku and Kairi tied into all of this and who are the Non-Existent Ones?
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. They're all property of Squaresoft and Disney.
Chapter Five: Seeing You
He heard the door slam shut behind him as he began falling. It was just about the only sound he heard, aside from the wind that howled in his ears. His other four senses had become absolutely useless. He couldn't see in this abyss of what seemed like unending darkness. There was nothing to smell, and the only thing he could feel was his body plummeting head first towards an unknown world.
Falling at such an incredible speed had little effect on Enigma. This was how people travelled to other worlds when they chose to go through a door instead of using dimensional portals. The first time was always disorienting, but one would eventually become accustomed to it--at least that was what he'd been told. He remembered little of his first trip, just that he'd been fairly young at the time.
Ahead, he could see the approaching world, at first a speck that was barely noticeable against the unbroken backdrop of darkness. That speck rapidly grew into a massive planet, the blue oceans becoming more detailed by the second. Around him, a shield of fire erupted, surrounding his body like a powerful aeroga spell that was meant to protect rather than harm.
There was a loud splash and then a hiss from his fiery shield, extinguishing when his body broke through the surface of the ocean. The water did very little to deter his plummet, and he crashed hard into the ocean's bottom, sending a storm cloud of silky sand billowing around him. He gasped sharply when his head banged against the ground, making him see an explosion of bright neon colours.
Enigma choked when the sandy water flooded into his mouth, and he quickly spat it out, losing the precious oxygen he had remaining in the process. Clamping one hand over his mouth, he kicked towards the surface, sending up another spray of dust.
Even if he was an Unknown, he still needed oxygen to function, and the lack of air made its took its toll on his muscles. The Unknown were supposed to be super human, and that was the miracle of why he wasn't being crushed by the pressure of the ocean; they were supposed to give him incredible powers, but he found at this moment that his powers were useless.
His hand reached up and penetrated the waters, reaching out into the cool air. Kicking hard again, he broke through the surface and felt a hand clamp onto his. Staring upwards, he could see the blurry outline of another figure staring down at him through the water. This figure reached forward and grabbed his other hand. His body scraped against the coarse wood of a crudely built canoe, and he was thrown onto his back. He coughed and saw his saviour come into his line of sight.
Enigma's gaze locked onto a pair of blue eyes, and he realized that he knew this person. Distantly, he heard a very feminine voice talking to him. He assumed that the owner of the blue eyes was also the owner of the voice.
"Hey, come on, stay with me," her tone was laced with panic as her hand hovered over his mouth. She looked relieved when she felt his breath escape from his lips.
His vision, he realized, had an irritating border of darkness that was slowly growing larger. A part of his mind demanded sleep, and Enigma fought back against the natural order. He wanted to stay with this girl for as long as he could, he had left her behind before.
Had he been in a full state of consciousness, Enigma would have questioned how he knew that. He would have also wondered why he chose to call the girl by her name when he shouldn't have known her name. Reaching forward, he grasped onto her hand and felt her stiffen.
"Kairi…" he croaked.
He smiled weakly when he heard her gasp and place her other hand over their clasped ones. Her head dipped forward, and Enigma inwardly cursed the creeping darkness in his vision. Half of her face was obscured by it, but still he could see the other half, and his smile grew wider at the sight of it.
Satisfied, Enigma allowed himself to fall into unconsciousness.
***
The first thing Enigma realized when he awoke was that his mouth tasted like salt and it was unbearably dry. He tried swallowing to compensate for the lack of moisture, and he blinked a few times when he realized that his eyes also felt dry.
Turning onto his side, he found himself staring at what appeared to be a child's room, toys were strewn all over the place, and it was decorated in a fashion that only a child would find satisfying. Confused, he pushed himself off a bed that was just a little too small for him, as his feet were dangling off its edge.
Sitting beside him, propped up in a chair, was a girl whom Enigma assumed was his saviour. She was staring silently at him and smiled when their gazes met. "Good morning… or should I say afternoon?" she asked as her eyes darted towards the window. "You've been asleep for quite a while."
"How long?" Enigma asked and winced, his throat felt like raw meat.
"Less than a day." Her eyes became narrow as she recalled the information. "Probably five hours or so."
Slowly, Enigma pushed himself up on his elbows and winced as his muscles strained against the effort. His body felt as if he'd been running a marathon around the entire stretch of the World in Between. Taking in a laboured breath, he drew his gaze towards the window and blinked at the sight of the vast, peaceful ocean--the same ocean that had nearly swallowed him only hours ago. In the distance, not too far away, he saw a small island laden with palm trees and an assortment of tropical flora.
"What… I mean, where am I?" he asked, turning towards the girl for an answer.
"Destiny Islands," she answered, her smile growing wider.
Staring back across the azure waters, Enigma felt a memory tugging at the edges of his mind. This place was supposed to be important to him. "Destiny Islands…" the words rolled off his tongue. The name was familiar, but where he'd heard them he couldn't recall.
Behind him, he heard the girl's chair sliding back and then her soft footsteps as she drew to the back of the room. Tearing his eyes away from the panoramic view, Enigma turned back to her. The girl was about his age and was dressed in a short, light purple skirt and white tank top that were fit for the warm temperatures of the islands.
"You're not from this world, right?" she asked.
Now there was a surprising question, and it made Enigma raise an eyebrow. Normally, not many were aware of the fact that there were other worlds. Most were usually satisfied with the confines of their own world. They rarely considered the possibility of there being other places beyond the barriers of their home.
She grinned at his expression and held both her hands behind her back. "I thought so," she said. "The fact that you dropped out of the sky was a big clue."
"I see," Enigma said. He winced slightly as he positioned his body so that his feet were firmly planted on the ground. His jacket, he noted, was gone, and his normal dark attire was replaced with a white, short sleeved shirt and blue shorts.
Seeing his pain, she was immediately by his side, with a hand on his shoulder as she tried to gently push him back. "You shouldn't be getting up," she scolded. "You nearly drowned for Hyne's sake!"
"I heal quickly," Enigma replied tersely.
"You're still human," she said. Now both her hands were on his shoulders and her blue eyes were staring deeply into his.
Enigma stared back, startled by her intense gaze. Part of him felt calm, as if staring into her eyes was the most natural thing to do, as if he'd done it a million times before. All his worries simply vanished when he saw them.
Once the initial shock had worn off, Enigma frowned and slowly peeled both her hands off his shoulders. "I'm fine," he coldly reassured her and released his grip on her wrists.
"Oh…" the girl said. "Well, I haven't caught your name yet. I'm Kairi, though… I think you already knew that."
She extended a hand in greeting, and Enigma stared at it. Slowly, he accepted the hand, and she shook it vigorously. Enigma pulled his hand away in annoyance and stared warily at the girl. "I'm… Sor--" he bit down on his lip. "--Enigma."
He dropped his gaze to the ground, astounded at how he had nearly confused his name with someone else's. Enigma had never done that before, and he wondered why of all names he had nearly let that one slip. He cursed Riku for planting the idea into his head.
Bringing his gaze up, he realized that the girl was staring at him with a wide-eyed look. He frowned as he glanced around, wondering if there was something in the room that was shocking her.
"What is it?" he asked, unable to locate the source of her surprise.
Blinking, the girl shook her head and forced a smile. "It's nothing," she said. "I mean… well, uh… you just remind me of someone."
Stepping up to him, she brushed aside his lightly coloured hair, revealing his blue eyes, which contrasted sharply against his pale features. Her hand lingered near his cheek before she pulled it away and clasped it behind her back.
"I had a special friend who went away a while ago, to find another friend who'd gone off to another world," she explained. "They've been gone since then, and I've been waiting here for them. I just thought for a minute there that you were him."
Shifting uneasily on the bed, Enigma returned his gaze to the ground. He knew what would be coming next.
"He was Sora."
A heavy sigh escaped him. Kairi frowned and leaned forward. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No, nothing."
"You're lying!" Kairi exclaimed. "Something I said did bother you."
"It's nothing!" Enigma retorted.
Leaning forward, she smiled at him. "When you get angry like that… you really resemble Sora," she said, pointing a finger teasingly at him.
"I'm not Sora!"
Kairi clasped a hand over her mouth and giggled; her scepticism was all too apparent. "If you say so," she replied, winking in an exaggerated manner.
Turning towards a small table in the corner of the room, she picked up a tray and plopped it down on his lap. Enigma was careful not to make any sudden movements when he saw that on the tray were plates and bowls full of food.
"Eat up," Kairi said. She headed for the door and paused with her hand was resting on the knob. "Sora's mother cooked it."
She was gone, leaving only a closed door and a thoroughly confused warrior behind.
***
It was dark when Enigma awoke, but there was enough light from the night sky for him to make out the shadowed objects in the room. He couldn't remember when he'd fallen asleep, and he supposed that the strain of the day had taken its toll on him.
Enigma sat up and found to his satisfaction that his movements were no longer as agonizingly slow as before. He hadn't been lying when he had told Kairi that he healed quickly. An Unknown that couldn't fight because it was injured was a worthless creature. Injuries as minor as his were gone with a few hours of sleep.
Swinging his feet over the edge of the bed, he stood up and stretched. Though the bed was uncomfortable, he had to admit that it did put him at ease. In fact, this entire room was familiar, though he could have sworn he'd never been here before. Of course, there was always the possibility that he'd been here during a time when he actually had a real name.
Going towards the far wall, he switched on the light and winced at the sight of the place. It was certainly a child's room and looked as if its previous occupant had left it in a hurry not too long ago, as there were toys and other childish objects strewn all over the place. The dust and cobwebs that many of these objects had collected stated otherwise. This was a room that'd been abandoned and left alone for years.
Tugging awkwardly on his t-shirt, Enigma's eyes scanned the room, searching for his normal clothing. There was no sign of it, though he did spot a closet door. There was a possibility that whoever had undressed him had tossed his clothes in there. Approaching the door, he opened it and immediately sneezed when a cloud of dust invaded his sinuses. Bringing a hand up to his nose, he turned away and slammed the door shut. He doubted his clothes were in there with that much dust. Enigma sighed and decided to just ask Kairi where his stuff had been placed.
Opening the door, he stepped into a darkened hallway and paused as he approached the steps. Below him a light was turned on. Enigma peeked over the railing and saw the back of a woman's head. He could tell immediately that she wasn't Kairi. Backing away from the stairs, Enigma turned and looked for an alternative route to get down. Most of the doors he opened led to bedrooms and closets, and none of them had his clothes.
The last door of the hall led to a bathroom. His eyes lit up when he spotted his clothing--the leather jacket that nearly reached his boots, the black shirt and pants, they were all here, draped over the shower bar to dry. Tugging them down, he examined his jacket; it was still the same, a little worn with the strain of combat but not ruined after his little dunk in the ocean. Bundling the clothing in one arm, he strolled out of the washroom and was about to head back to the child's room when he paused.
Why was it that he was given a room with a bed that was obviously too small for him when there were other bedrooms that appeared unoccupied?
He got his answer when his eyes came upon a framed picture that hung on the wall next to him. In it was a family of three: a father, a mother, and their son. The boy looked young, barely past ten, and he was grinning like an idiot. What made Enigma frown was the eerie resemblance between himself and the boy. There were a few differences, but the boy bore enough similar features to almost be a younger reflection of Enigma.
Enigma's grip on his clothing tightened, and he could almost hear the leather stretch. He stared towards the door that led to the child's room and then back towards the picture. He finally understood.
"You must be Sora," he said softly to the picture. He turned towards the stairs and stared directly at the aged woman. "Your son."
She stood there, dressed in a faded blue dress that reached towards her knees and was wrapped in a lacy shawl. Her brown hair was a mess, and some strands had strayed to cover her eyes. The woman held his gaze and even graced him with a pleasant smile.
"He'd be about your age now," she replied and went directly to the picture to straighten it, even though it didn't require readjusting.
"What a coincidence," Enigma muttered. He didn't notice when the woman pulled the bundle of clothing he held out of his grip.
"You should be in bed," she said as she folded the clothing and then handed it back to him.
Enigma stared at the folded clothing. "I'm fine," he said, telling her the same line he'd used to reassure Kairi. "I heal fast."
Unlike Kairi, the woman didn't protest. She merely pursed her lips into thin red lines and nodded, though disapproval was finely etched on her brow. Enigma averted his eyes and felt the urge to escape from that gaze. Slowly, he moved towards the room he'd been given and paused at the door. Glancing up, he saw that she was still staring at him, though this time with an almost wistful look.
"I'm sorry about your son," he said, and quickly clamped his mouth shut. What a strange thing to say; even stranger was that the condolence was a product of his need to comfort this person, a woman he shouldn't know.
"I've had five years to accept it," the woman replied. She smiled ruefully. "You'd think… that the pain would lessen by now."
A spike of guilt, one that was driven into his back and piercing through his chest. "He must have been an ungrateful child," he said.
There was a flash of anger in her eyes as she quickly shook her head. "No! Sora was always a loving and wonderful son!"
"I'm… sorry," it was all Enigma could say.
"Never mind," the woman said; her eyes lost their anger, and the two lapsed into silence. Enigma was staring away, unable to meet the woman's gaze. He knew exactly what she was thinking when she looked at him like that.
He glanced up when he heard a sound escape from her lips. She was crying; he saw the tears clearly and saw how she vainly tried to wipe them away, only succeeding in smearing them across her cheeks. The woman saw his stare and quickly turned away, but he could still see her shoulders shaking and could still hear her sobs.
Closing his eyes, he came to a decision and stepped forward, placing his hands on her shoulders. He gently spun her around and pulled her into an embrace. She cried into his chest, and on occasion he could hear her muttering for her son.
"I want him back," she cried. "I want my little baby back."
"He'll be back," Enigma soothed. "I'm sure he will."
Stepping back, she glanced up at him and forced a smile. "But isn't he already?"
Enigma remained silent as he began leading her towards a bedroom. He presumed that the one that looked the most lived in was where she slept. He left her there, closing the door behind him, and headed for the washroom. There he changed back into his normal attire and made his way out of the house.
Most of the island was asleep; only a few houses had their lights switched on. From the top of the hill, he could see the entire place. A supposed paradise, he imagined, where children played all day and parents relaxed, no worries, no sorrow.
A corner of his lip turned upwards as he made his way down the hill, ignoring the chilly breeze and the absolute emptiness of the island. He walked about, exploring the small area before ending up on wooden pier. It was crudely built looked ready to collapse; tied onto the posts were wooden canoes. The pier was pointing towards that small island he'd seen earlier that day.
Sitting himself down, he stared upwards. There were fewer stars than before. Worlds were disappearing, and here he was, just idly sitting and admiring the scenery. He turned when he heard footsteps, and he saw Kairi approaching him. He didn't invite her to sit beside him, but she did anyway, holding her hands in her lap.
"You look okay," she said.
Enigma shrugged and continued staring at the sky.
"You'll be leaving soon?"
"Yes."
"Oh…" She shivered as a cold wind brushed against them, and she leaned closer towards him. "What are you doing out here anyway?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Enigma retorted.
"I saw you wandering around from my room," she said and grinned. "I thought I'd follow you."
"Figures."
"If you're leaving soon," Kairi said. "Then can you do me a small favour?"
Turning to face her, Enigma raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"I have two friends that are missing. You know about Sora… but then there's Riku." There was a nearly pained look on her face as she thought of her missing friend. "He disappeared around the same time as Sora."
"Riku…" Enigma said the name. He thought of the wayward boy. "He has silver hair?"
Kairi glanced sharply at him. "You… you've seen him?"
Enigma nodded. "I was travelling with him only a while ago; we got separated, and I ended up here."
"I wonder if he'll come back soon," Kairi murmured. Her gaze had turned from him, and it seemed as if she were speaking to the stars.
Enigma remained silent as a strong gust of wind blew up behind them and forced his hood over his head. He grunted in annoyance and pulled it down. Turning to face the girl, he saw her blinking wide eyed at him.
"What is it?" he asked.
Realizing that she had been staring, the girl pulled back and shook her head. "Nothing!" she blurted. "I… uh… was just thinking."
"About?" Enigma pressed on.
Kairi clenched a hand into a small fist and held it against her heart. "That you reminded me of someone."
A frustrated sigh escaped Enigma's lips. "Sora," he stated. Shaking his head, he thought of how irritating it was getting to be every time someone confused him with the elusive boy.
"Actually…" Kairi began and let the thought trail. She glanced up at him and studied him in the same manner as she'd done earlier that day. The way she stared at him, with her eyes looking hopefully for a sign of the boy she cared for, made Enigma shift uneasily.
"Do you really think I'm him?"
There was silence as the girl mulled over her answer. "Yes," she said with an almost shy expression.
Enigma nodded, though not appearing too pleased with her response. "Because I look like him," he said.
"Yes," she said softly. She reached up with her hand and touched his face. He closed his eyes as she brushed aside his light bangs. Smiling, she let her hand drift downwards until it was on his chest. "But also because I can feel it."
The warrior opened his eyes and held his hand over hers, gripped it tightly. "In some deeper sense I do feel as if I'm Sora," he admitted. "On another level I don't quite believe that I'm him."
"Then we'll go find him," Kairi replied. "We'll search every world, and if we can't find him then you'll know that you are Sora."
He pulled his hand away. "It's not that simple; what if we miss him on one world? What if we leave a place and he goes back to it?"
"Stop making things so complicated," Kairi scolded, waving a finger in his face. "Things will come together, simple as that."
Feeling a corner of his lips tugging into a smile, Enigma allowed himself the pleasure of a smirk. "Your method is going to take an entire life time and more."
"We have time," Kairi replied. She held a hand over her mouth as she giggled.
Gracing her with a smile, Enigma partly wondered in the back of his mind if the real Sora actually knew how lucky he was to have so many caring friends.
***
The sound of children laughing and screaming echoed into the far recesses of the tiny cave. It was barely large enough to fit the hooded warrior, but somehow he'd managed to crawl his way inside. He'd sensed the door immediately when he arrived at the children's paradise and headed directly for it, forgetting about his original intent of meeting the other residents of the island.
Mould and other brown fungi thrived on the slimy rocks of the cave. It was surprisingly cool, with a sandy floor and tree roots that had managed to burrow their way through underground and were exposed in the open space of the cave.
The cave contained a collection of horribly drawn images scratched on the rock. Etched on the walls were dreams of adventure, huge looking birds, and even names of those who had visited the place and the year they had visited. His eyes, however, were drawn to the door.
"Enigma?" a voice shouted into the cave.
Turning to face the entrance, Enigma said, "I'm here!"
There were footsteps; he heard the familiar soft sound of rubber-soled shoes crunching sand against hard rock, and then Kairi rounded a corner. Her gaze drifted from drawing to drawing on the wall before landing on him. Placing her hand gently against the cool surface of the rock wall, she smiled at him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Enigma nodded towards the door. "This thing drew me here."
A panic stricken expression came across her face. "You're leaving?"
"I need to find Riku," Enigma explained.
"Then… just wait a second." Kairi dashed out of the cave, nearly tripping over a tree root as she made a hasty exit.
Enigma brought his eyes to the ceiling and called to whatever celestial being there was for strength. Bringing his gaze back towards the cave walls, his eyes landed on a drawing. It was a simple collection of scratches that formed a crude image of two people giving each other a star.
Paopu fruit.
Exchanging their destinies so they could share the same one. Enigma smiled and wondered what two children would do that. His attention was brought to the entrance when he heard Kairi's thudding footsteps against the floor. She came to a halt inches away from him with her hands on her knees as she took in deep breaths.
"I… here…" she managed to say in between breaths.
"I can see," Enigma said, his eyes on the staff she had strapped to her back. "What do you need that for?"
Kairi grinned sheepishly at him and took out the staff, twirling it expertly in between her fingers before holding it towards him. "If we're gonna go and find Riku, then we're bound to come across some dangerous creatures, so I'm gonna need this to protect myself."
"We?" Enigma asked.
"Yes, we!" Kairi exclaimed, smacking the cave floor hard with the end of her staff. "I'm not going to leave you!"
Enigma was in no mood to argue; the need to just leave the island was an overwhelming feeling, and to waste time arguing about whether or not the girl could come wasn't a high priority on his schedule. He shrugged at her and saw the girl's eyes light up; her vehemence quickly melted away, leaving only elation behind.
"You're not going to regret bringing me along, Enigma!" she said, swinging her staff and nearly clubbing the warrior on the side of his head. "This time, I'll fight! I won't need Sora or Riku or anyone to protect me."
Enigma caught the wildly swinging staff with one hand and brought it down. "If that's so, then I hope you're good."
Wagging a finger at Enigma, Kairi pulled the staff out of his grip. "I've been training since I was fourteen; I think I can handle myself."
"I can see," Enigma muttered and quickly ducked a wide swing of the staff. Taking a few large steps away from the girl, Enigma eyed her warily. "I think it'd be best if we left."
Calming down, Kairi frowned at him. "What about saying goodbye?" she asked. "Tidus and Selphie and Wakka wanted to meet you."
"I don't need to see them," Enigma replied. He thought of the woman sitting alone in a house on the hill. "Besides… goodbyes hurt too much."
Kairi stared at him questioningly and saw Enigma wasn't going to expand on what he'd just said. Instead, he stepped up to the door, reached into his jacket and pulled out a weapon. She gasped sharply at the sight of the keyblade. Her keyblade, the one that she had given to Sora, was now in his hands.
"What is it?"
"Nothing!" Kairi answered immediately but saw his scepticism.He didn't question her any further and held his keyblade towards the door. The very tip began glowing white, and, before him on the surface of the door, the shape of a glowing keyhole appeared. A beam of light jumped from the Oathkeeper to the keyhole, and there was the soft but very clear sound of a lock being released.
Lowering the keyblade, he stepped back and silently watched as the door shook, as if pressing against an unseen force, and finally swung open. Behind it was a world completely obscured by darkness. Enigma faced Kairi, with one hand stretched towards her,and stared at her expectantly.
Gingerly, she took a step forward. Kairi held one hand against her chest as if to calm her rapidly beating heart. Reaching out with her other hand, she took Enigma's and was pulled forward into the darkness. Behind them, the door slammed shut.
Yay!! Kairi's joined the adventure now, how well her journey with Enigma will be depends on the fates... ME!! So with Enigma having landed in Destiny Islands, we've received small clues to his past. I think it's become blindingly obvious who he is but for the sake of the story we'll keep up with this little charade. The best part of writing this chapter would have been the interaction between Enigma and Sora's mother. I'm sorry to those of you who would have liked Enigma meeting up with Tidus et all but hey! Who says this is the last time we'll be seeing Destiny Islands? ^_~
On another note, I'd like to thank Koorino Megumi for beta reading this chapter along with Deja Vu (I'm very sorry for what happened!!). Next chapter is more focused on Riku, we'll find out where he's ended up and just what he might do about his situation!!
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Destiny: LOL Thank you very much for your review, I try my hardest to make each chapter enjoyable to read but as for the mystery factor... well that was really unintentional!!
Chibigenius: Actually, that was pretty fun to write as well, Riku's always been a bit naive in my opinion anyway. And the fact that he's literally and figuratively stepping into a new world (several new worlds in fact) has made him a little how shall I put this? A little dumb!!
shadowwind: Oh that part, well, I'm not certain if I've made it clear enough, but Enigma really has no clue about his past and he's been around a few people that's really influenced the development of his personality. Enigma in short is just as his name states thought pretty soon everything will be unravelled.
Refugee: Wow!! A threat from one of my favourite authors! Oh yeah... I can definitely relate to you about keeping authors guessing... COUGH COUGH HINT HINT!!
Dragonmaster Dyne: Well I wouldn't really worry too much about Squinoa seeing how this fic's revolving around Enigma, Kairi and Riku and of course I'd mention your fic, it's great!!
Koorino Megumi: Once again, THANK YOU FOR BETA READING!! And also, the typing errors would be due to the fact that the chapter was a little bit rushed during the beta reading process and of course you had to spot em!! :P Action sequences are fun to write and don't be shy about your theories!!
Cynthia Chen: Ah... Enigma... well he's certinaly... enigmatic XD!!!!