---Sora53: Yay! Long chappie! I guess.
Fans: It had better be! -growl- -holds out dark Keyblade bought on eBay-
Sora53: Hmm...there's lots of fan girls...you know what we need?
Fans: What? -sigh-
Sora53: FANBOYS! -opens door and hundreds of boys pour in-
Fanboys: Kairi? Corita? Sora53?
Sora53: ---
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, (or eBay...I guess) but I own Corita. I bet you're SO jealous!
Corita peered down into the two yellow orbs that were staring up at her. Sora's anntenae twitched a little, and Corita gently picked him up. Having never held a Heartless before, Corita didn't realize how freezing cold they were. She held Sora carefully in her arms, but far enough away from her heart that she could be comfortable. He was still a Heartless, after all.
"Sora, I'm sorry, but you truly are an idiot sometimes." Corita said to him as she walked out of the hall. "Couldn't you have done something else?" She asked. Sora shook his miniscule head, and they walked down the path they had come up.
"Oh, this is going to take forever." Corita moaned as she looked at the long path they had climbed up for an hour. She stepped back and peered over the ledge of the platform she was on. Below, she could see nothing but darkness.
"Sora, you owe me so much for this." She said nervously as she stepped up onto the railing. Gripping Sora's Thalassa shell in her icy cold hand, she looked down below one final time and lept off the edge.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
"Where is she?" Donald grumbled as he paced around the entrance hall. "If she isn't here in the next 17 seconds, we're leaving without her."
"I can't leave them behind." Kairi said firmly, and Donald quickly shut his mouth. They waited in silence for a few more minutes until the main door creaked open, and Corita stepped through it.
"Corita! You're alive!" Goofy cheered.
"Yep!" Corita said with a slight grin on her face.
"Where have you been? We've been waiting...CORITA! What's that in your arms?"
All four of them peered down at what Corita was holding. Sora peered up at them with his huge yellow eyes.
"Corita...I knew you were crazy, but you can't keep a Heartless as a pet!" Donald growled.
"Yes, like I really want an evil creature who can steal my heart as a pet." Corita grumbled as she put Sora on the ground as she shivered slightly.
"Wait...is that Heartless...Sora?" Kairi asked quietly. Corita nodded her head.
"Uh oh!" Goofy cried as more Shadows surrounded them. Goofy, Donald, and Corita ran to battle with their weapons, but Kairi stayed behind.
"This time, I'll protect you." She whispered to Sora as she guarded him from the other Heartless.
"That's the last one!" Corita said as she, Goofy and Donald stopped fighting. Turning around, however, they saw a terrible sight.
"Kairi!" Goofy called out. Kairi was kneeling over Sora, protecting him, but she was being attacked instead. As they ran to help her, a sudden burst of light shone out, knocking the Heartless away. In the blink of an eye, Sora was standing where he'd been moments before, holding Kairi in his arms.
"Kairi, thank you." Sora said quietly, back to normal.
"Sora..." Kairi said, looking up at him in awe.
"Sora!" Corita, Goofy, and Donald cried. The happy reunion was interrupted, however, when they were once again surrounded by Shadows. As the four of them prepared to fight, a loud roar interrupted them.
"Go! Now!" The Beast bellowed as he slashed at the Heartless.
"Come with us!" Sora called to him.
"I told you before, I'm not leaving without Belle." The Beast said firmly."Now, go! The Heartless are coming!"
"All right. Let's get out of here." Sora said, leading them out of the castle.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
"This is the Gummi Ship, Kairi. Watch your step." Sora said as he boarded the Gummi Ship, followed by Kairi, Corita, Goofy, and Donald.
"Wow, it's nice in here!" Kairi said merrily as she sat down in one of the seats. Goofy was driving this time, with Donald next to him in the cockpit. Donald had grumbled about this, but Goofy had convinced him to let Sora, Kairi, and Corita have some talking time to themselves.
"You're lucky I'm not driving, Kairi. I like to do dive bombs...is it just me, or is it really cold in here?" Corita asked as she sat down, shivering.
"You're still cold?" Sora asked her. Corita nodded.
"Thanks to you...I'm going to to get a sweater, or blanket...hot chocolate...something..." Corita muttered as she entered the back room. After she came back with a warm blanket and three mugs of hot chocolate, they sat and caught up a bit.
"Corita, what really happened during the battle with Maleficent?" Sora asked. Corita put down her mug and thought for a moment.
"Hmm...I remember running into battle, getting hit a few times, healing you, and then..." Corita said, thinking hard. "I don't really remember anything past that. Everything went dark..."
Kairi finished her hot chocolate and put the mug down. "You know, that last night on our island...I don't remember much from it either..."
"Well, I guess some things are better forgotten...WHY IS IT SO COLD IN HERE? SORA!!" Corita cried as she pulled the blanket closer to her. "Why aren't you freezing cold?"
Sora shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know...hey, it looks like we're here!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
"Tell me what happened." Leon said, peering down at Sora. They had arrived safely in Traverse Town, and had met up with Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie in the small vacant house in the Third District.
Sora started to tell everything. Donald, Goofy, and Corita (who had slowly started to warm up), added things to the story as he spoke. They kept talking for about 15 minutes until Leon spoke again.
"So the darkness is flowing out of that Keyhole..."
"No wonder there are more and more Heartless everywhere." Aerith said. "The only way to stop them is-"
"Seal the Keyhole, right?" Sora suggested, holding up the Keyblade.
"Maybe. But no one knows what will happen once it's sealed." Leon said.
"Well, we can't just stay here!" Corita said, giving a very small shiver under her sweater she'd pulled out of the Gummi Ship's storage room. "We have to do something!"
"We have a friend back there!" Sora said.
"That's right. You have one more friend to worry about." Leon said quietly. "Riku's Keyblade must have been born of the captive princesses' hearts." He said as he stole a quick glance at Corita, who was finally pulling off her sweater. "Of course, without Kairi's heart, the Keyhole which was also born of their hearts remained incomplete. Once that Keyblade was destroyed, the princesses' hearts were freed. Don't worry, Sora. If anyone can save your friend, you can."
"Corita...are you okay?" Yuffie asked curiously as Corita furiously pulled her sweater back on.
"Never...ever...hold a Heartless...for more...than a few...seconds." Corita said as she yanked it over her head. Yuffie looked at Leon and shrugged.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --
After Corita had gotten her sweater back on, the four of them left the small house and walked to the First District. Donald was busy asking Sora questions.
"So, what did it feel like to be a Heartless? Was it an enjoyable experience? Why do you think Corita's so darn cold? What-"
"Donald, if you don't mind, I think Sora has a few questions for me." Cid growled when they had reached him. Donald quickly stopped.
"Cid, I need to get back to Hollow Bastion." Sora said firmly.
"I don't think I can let you do that, kid. The Heartless there are multiplying by the minute. They'd eat your ship up." Cid said, turning to Sora.
"Then what can we do?" Sora asked.
"Simple. Go around 'em instead of through. Install a new navigation gummi and take a new route."
"A new gummi? From where?" Sora asked.
"The secret waterway. When I came here 9 years ago, I stored it there in case I ever needed it." Cid turned his back on Sora for a moment. "Never thought a kid would be the one to use it!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- "Urhg, this place gives me the creeps." Donald muttered as they moved along the slippery stones in the secret waterway, looking for the gummi Cid had mentioned.
"Sora...look!" Corita said, pointing at something in the far back of the small path. It was a mural shaped like the sun.
"What a strange mural..." Sora said, reaching out and touching it. A bright flash of light followed, and a gummi appeared in Sora's hand.
"That works." Donald said. "Let's go!"
Sora had stopped in the front of the waterway where Kairi stood, watching him. Donald stopped next to him, and Goofy did as well. Corita, however, grabbed Goofy and Donald's arms and pulled them away.
"We'll be at the hotel!" She said brightly as Goofy and Donald struggled. Kairi giggled softly and looked at the end of the path.
"A light at the end of the tunnel..." She whispered, looking at the mural.
"Oh, your grandma's story, right?" Sora asked.
"That's right." Kairi said, slightly suprised. "We were together."
"You know what's funny? I looked everywhere for you, but you were with me all along. Finally, we're together, Kairi. Corita's been here the whole time...now, it's time to get Riku back."
"You think it'll ever be the same again between us?" Kairi asked. "Riku's lost his..."
"When I turned into a Heartless, you saved me, remember?" Sora said softly. "I was lost in the darkness. I couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through the dark, I started forgetting things-my friends, who I was. The darkness almost swallowed me. But then I heard your voice-your voice. You brought me back."
"I didn't want to just forget about you, Sora. I couldn't."
"That's it!" Sora said with a sudden burst of understanding. "Our hearts are connected. And the light from our hearts broke through the darkness. I saw that light. I think that's what saved me. No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within. I guess it's more than just a fairy tale."
"Well, let's go!" Kairi said boldly.
"You can't go!" Sora said quickly.
"Because it's...way too dangerous!"
"Come on, Sora. We made it this far by sticking together. You can't go alone."
"Kairi, even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore. Right?" Sora asked.
"I can't help?" Kairi asked.
"You'd kind of be in my way." Sora said jokingly. Kairi gave another soft giggle.
"Okay. You win..." She said quietly. Kairi reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, star-shaped charm she'd once made on the Destiny Islands.
"Take this. It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me!" Kairi said bossily.
"Don't worry, I will." Sora said.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
They stood in silence for a moment until Kairi spoke one final time.
"Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --
---Sora53: Oh, that's so darn sweet!
Fanboys: Uh huh...-are watching DVDs and eating pizza-
Sora53: ¬¬ -unplugs DVD player-
Fanboys: NOO!!! -dies-
Sora53: Good...I missed the Fangirl's pathetic attempts at attacking me!
Fangirls: GET HER!
Fans: Hahaha...this is entertainment! -watches Sora53 being chased and hit with grape lollipops-
Fans: It had better be! -growl- -holds out dark Keyblade bought on eBay-
Sora53: Hmm...there's lots of fan girls...you know what we need?
Fans: What? -sigh-
Sora53: FANBOYS! -opens door and hundreds of boys pour in-
Fanboys: Kairi? Corita? Sora53?
Sora53: ---
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, (or eBay...I guess) but I own Corita. I bet you're SO jealous!
Corita peered down into the two yellow orbs that were staring up at her. Sora's anntenae twitched a little, and Corita gently picked him up. Having never held a Heartless before, Corita didn't realize how freezing cold they were. She held Sora carefully in her arms, but far enough away from her heart that she could be comfortable. He was still a Heartless, after all.
"Sora, I'm sorry, but you truly are an idiot sometimes." Corita said to him as she walked out of the hall. "Couldn't you have done something else?" She asked. Sora shook his miniscule head, and they walked down the path they had come up.
"Oh, this is going to take forever." Corita moaned as she looked at the long path they had climbed up for an hour. She stepped back and peered over the ledge of the platform she was on. Below, she could see nothing but darkness.
"Sora, you owe me so much for this." She said nervously as she stepped up onto the railing. Gripping Sora's Thalassa shell in her icy cold hand, she looked down below one final time and lept off the edge.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
"Where is she?" Donald grumbled as he paced around the entrance hall. "If she isn't here in the next 17 seconds, we're leaving without her."
"I can't leave them behind." Kairi said firmly, and Donald quickly shut his mouth. They waited in silence for a few more minutes until the main door creaked open, and Corita stepped through it.
"Corita! You're alive!" Goofy cheered.
"Yep!" Corita said with a slight grin on her face.
"Where have you been? We've been waiting...CORITA! What's that in your arms?"
All four of them peered down at what Corita was holding. Sora peered up at them with his huge yellow eyes.
"Corita...I knew you were crazy, but you can't keep a Heartless as a pet!" Donald growled.
"Yes, like I really want an evil creature who can steal my heart as a pet." Corita grumbled as she put Sora on the ground as she shivered slightly.
"Wait...is that Heartless...Sora?" Kairi asked quietly. Corita nodded her head.
"Uh oh!" Goofy cried as more Shadows surrounded them. Goofy, Donald, and Corita ran to battle with their weapons, but Kairi stayed behind.
"This time, I'll protect you." She whispered to Sora as she guarded him from the other Heartless.
"That's the last one!" Corita said as she, Goofy and Donald stopped fighting. Turning around, however, they saw a terrible sight.
"Kairi!" Goofy called out. Kairi was kneeling over Sora, protecting him, but she was being attacked instead. As they ran to help her, a sudden burst of light shone out, knocking the Heartless away. In the blink of an eye, Sora was standing where he'd been moments before, holding Kairi in his arms.
"Kairi, thank you." Sora said quietly, back to normal.
"Sora..." Kairi said, looking up at him in awe.
"Sora!" Corita, Goofy, and Donald cried. The happy reunion was interrupted, however, when they were once again surrounded by Shadows. As the four of them prepared to fight, a loud roar interrupted them.
"Go! Now!" The Beast bellowed as he slashed at the Heartless.
"Come with us!" Sora called to him.
"I told you before, I'm not leaving without Belle." The Beast said firmly."Now, go! The Heartless are coming!"
"All right. Let's get out of here." Sora said, leading them out of the castle.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
"This is the Gummi Ship, Kairi. Watch your step." Sora said as he boarded the Gummi Ship, followed by Kairi, Corita, Goofy, and Donald.
"Wow, it's nice in here!" Kairi said merrily as she sat down in one of the seats. Goofy was driving this time, with Donald next to him in the cockpit. Donald had grumbled about this, but Goofy had convinced him to let Sora, Kairi, and Corita have some talking time to themselves.
"You're lucky I'm not driving, Kairi. I like to do dive bombs...is it just me, or is it really cold in here?" Corita asked as she sat down, shivering.
"You're still cold?" Sora asked her. Corita nodded.
"Thanks to you...I'm going to to get a sweater, or blanket...hot chocolate...something..." Corita muttered as she entered the back room. After she came back with a warm blanket and three mugs of hot chocolate, they sat and caught up a bit.
"Corita, what really happened during the battle with Maleficent?" Sora asked. Corita put down her mug and thought for a moment.
"Hmm...I remember running into battle, getting hit a few times, healing you, and then..." Corita said, thinking hard. "I don't really remember anything past that. Everything went dark..."
Kairi finished her hot chocolate and put the mug down. "You know, that last night on our island...I don't remember much from it either..."
"Well, I guess some things are better forgotten...WHY IS IT SO COLD IN HERE? SORA!!" Corita cried as she pulled the blanket closer to her. "Why aren't you freezing cold?"
Sora shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know...hey, it looks like we're here!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
"Tell me what happened." Leon said, peering down at Sora. They had arrived safely in Traverse Town, and had met up with Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie in the small vacant house in the Third District.
Sora started to tell everything. Donald, Goofy, and Corita (who had slowly started to warm up), added things to the story as he spoke. They kept talking for about 15 minutes until Leon spoke again.
"So the darkness is flowing out of that Keyhole..."
"No wonder there are more and more Heartless everywhere." Aerith said. "The only way to stop them is-"
"Seal the Keyhole, right?" Sora suggested, holding up the Keyblade.
"Maybe. But no one knows what will happen once it's sealed." Leon said.
"Well, we can't just stay here!" Corita said, giving a very small shiver under her sweater she'd pulled out of the Gummi Ship's storage room. "We have to do something!"
"We have a friend back there!" Sora said.
"That's right. You have one more friend to worry about." Leon said quietly. "Riku's Keyblade must have been born of the captive princesses' hearts." He said as he stole a quick glance at Corita, who was finally pulling off her sweater. "Of course, without Kairi's heart, the Keyhole which was also born of their hearts remained incomplete. Once that Keyblade was destroyed, the princesses' hearts were freed. Don't worry, Sora. If anyone can save your friend, you can."
"Corita...are you okay?" Yuffie asked curiously as Corita furiously pulled her sweater back on.
"Never...ever...hold a Heartless...for more...than a few...seconds." Corita said as she yanked it over her head. Yuffie looked at Leon and shrugged.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --
After Corita had gotten her sweater back on, the four of them left the small house and walked to the First District. Donald was busy asking Sora questions.
"So, what did it feel like to be a Heartless? Was it an enjoyable experience? Why do you think Corita's so darn cold? What-"
"Donald, if you don't mind, I think Sora has a few questions for me." Cid growled when they had reached him. Donald quickly stopped.
"Cid, I need to get back to Hollow Bastion." Sora said firmly.
"I don't think I can let you do that, kid. The Heartless there are multiplying by the minute. They'd eat your ship up." Cid said, turning to Sora.
"Then what can we do?" Sora asked.
"Simple. Go around 'em instead of through. Install a new navigation gummi and take a new route."
"A new gummi? From where?" Sora asked.
"The secret waterway. When I came here 9 years ago, I stored it there in case I ever needed it." Cid turned his back on Sora for a moment. "Never thought a kid would be the one to use it!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- "Urhg, this place gives me the creeps." Donald muttered as they moved along the slippery stones in the secret waterway, looking for the gummi Cid had mentioned.
"Sora...look!" Corita said, pointing at something in the far back of the small path. It was a mural shaped like the sun.
"What a strange mural..." Sora said, reaching out and touching it. A bright flash of light followed, and a gummi appeared in Sora's hand.
"That works." Donald said. "Let's go!"
Sora had stopped in the front of the waterway where Kairi stood, watching him. Donald stopped next to him, and Goofy did as well. Corita, however, grabbed Goofy and Donald's arms and pulled them away.
"We'll be at the hotel!" She said brightly as Goofy and Donald struggled. Kairi giggled softly and looked at the end of the path.
"A light at the end of the tunnel..." She whispered, looking at the mural.
"Oh, your grandma's story, right?" Sora asked.
"That's right." Kairi said, slightly suprised. "We were together."
"You know what's funny? I looked everywhere for you, but you were with me all along. Finally, we're together, Kairi. Corita's been here the whole time...now, it's time to get Riku back."
"You think it'll ever be the same again between us?" Kairi asked. "Riku's lost his..."
"When I turned into a Heartless, you saved me, remember?" Sora said softly. "I was lost in the darkness. I couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through the dark, I started forgetting things-my friends, who I was. The darkness almost swallowed me. But then I heard your voice-your voice. You brought me back."
"I didn't want to just forget about you, Sora. I couldn't."
"That's it!" Sora said with a sudden burst of understanding. "Our hearts are connected. And the light from our hearts broke through the darkness. I saw that light. I think that's what saved me. No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within. I guess it's more than just a fairy tale."
"Well, let's go!" Kairi said boldly.
"You can't go!" Sora said quickly.
"Because it's...way too dangerous!"
"Come on, Sora. We made it this far by sticking together. You can't go alone."
"Kairi, even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore. Right?" Sora asked.
"I can't help?" Kairi asked.
"You'd kind of be in my way." Sora said jokingly. Kairi gave another soft giggle.
"Okay. You win..." She said quietly. Kairi reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, star-shaped charm she'd once made on the Destiny Islands.
"Take this. It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me!" Kairi said bossily.
"Don't worry, I will." Sora said.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
They stood in silence for a moment until Kairi spoke one final time.
"Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --
---Sora53: Oh, that's so darn sweet!
Fanboys: Uh huh...-are watching DVDs and eating pizza-
Sora53: ¬¬ -unplugs DVD player-
Fanboys: NOO!!! -dies-
Sora53: Good...I missed the Fangirl's pathetic attempts at attacking me!
Fangirls: GET HER!
Fans: Hahaha...this is entertainment! -watches Sora53 being chased and hit with grape lollipops-