The Heart's Balance
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I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any other copyrighted material or characters in here. Copyrights belong to Square Enix, Disney, and their other respectable owners.
The copyrights for Final Fantasy characters also belong to SquareEnix.
The Chronicles of Narnia and all related characters are copyright C. S. Lewis.
I do own any original characters, keyblades, stories, items, ect. They are copyright me, Adrianne Masling.
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Chapter 9: Blind, But Now I See
Riku flinched. Where was he? He couldn't see a thing. There was darkness all around him. Darkness everywhere. It was true, the Keyblade was the only thing that kept Riku's light burning.
What's going to happen to me? Riku though in his subconscious. Am I going to be in Darkness forever? Will, will I loose my heart. No! No! I want to see it! I want to see the light! Where is it?! Where's my light?!
He felt himself look around in the Darkness, but he saw something. That smallest light. Just enough to give the silhouette of a figure standing in front of it. Who was that figure? He edged closer to see who it was, reaching out. He wanted so bad to touch that light.
Slowly the figure began to turn around. . . .
"Aaaahhh!" Riku sat up screaming and holding his head.
Micket quickly ran to his aid. "Riku, Riku! Settle down!" He tried to coax his friend, but Riku kept holding onto his head and screaming.
"Where?! Where is it?! Show me!" he yelled.
"Riku, please!" Mickey begged, he grabbed onto the teenager's wrists.
Riku, feeling the touch of his friend began to settle down. He kept breathing hard and looking strait down. Mickey let him go Riku put his hands down and clutched the blanket that was over him. "Mickey. . . what's wrong with me?"
"You're alright, Riku," Mickey said. "We were able to get away. We had some help, and that witch ran with her tail between her legs. You'll be alright, don't worry. You've been sleeping for a few days now."
"No," Riku said. He began to shake uncontrollably. "I'm not okay, Mickey. There's no light. I can't find any light." He looked up at where the mouse was. Mickey was taken back completely by the sight in front of him. Riku's eyes lost their color and pupils to them. They were just a pale grayish blue. Riku was blind.
The silver hair boy held up his hand against his eyes. "I can't see anything." Mickey slumped. The White Kingdom Key had guarded Riku's light more that in one way. Of course the light in his heart was saved, thanks to their rescuer. Still, the keyblade was destroyed, and with it was the young boy's sight.
Mickey didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to comfort Riku. He couldn't even begin to imagine what was going on in the young boy's head right now. He couldn't imagine the pain he was feeling. Without that knowledge, he could not comfort his friend.
Riku continued to feel at his face and he touched his eyelids. It was worse than he imagined. He thought that he was still sleeping, but no he was awake. He was awake, and still, there was no light to be found. He couldn't see. . . he couldn't see. . .
"I'm. . . I'm really blind," he said in complete awe. He could feel his eyes become watery and tears began to flow down his cheek. Here he was supposed to be saving the world and now he was sitting there, completely blind, completely dark, and completely useless. The Keyblade was gone. Even if Sora and the other Keyblade Hero got to Kingdom Earth on time, there was no way he and Mickey would make it. It was hopeless now, all was hopeless. Kairi, I'm so sorry.
Then the door opened. Mickey turned around. "Oh, it's you," he said. He gave a slight bow. He didn't know why, but he felt he just had to. This one's presence was just so great that he felt he needed to. "Thank you so much for saving us and everything else you've done for us."
Riku felt the presence as well, though he choose to block out the majority of it. He knew someone was there, but he didn't want to feel what that someone was offering.
"I heard he had awoke," the powerful, but warm voice stated. He walked over to Riku, his huge paws padded the wooden floor. "It is good to see you well."
"Well?!" Riku demanded. "Well?! Does this look well to you!? I can't see! I'm useless now! Baka, you should've left me for dead!"
He did not raise his voice at Riku. He did not at all grow angry. He was so patient. "Have you lost hope already, Riku?" he questioned.
"There is no hope," Riku stated turning his head away.
"There is always hope."
Riku didn't reply.
"Stand up."
Riku turned his head back to the voice. It was a stern command he was given, but it wasn't harsh, and it had this odd gentleness to it. Riku couldn't help it, as much as he wanted to rebel to the command, he complied without argument.
"Reach out and touch, my face. I am right in front of you."
Once again Riku couldn't argue against the strong, warm voice. He reached out his hand. It contacted with his face. The first thing that shocked Riku was he felt fur. He felt fur and a muzzle. He used both hands and felt around until he came to a mass of hair behind his rescuer's ears. "You're a lion," he stated. A rather large lion he was indeed. He was face to face with boy and he only stood on his four paws.
Riku lowered his head. "What does it matter?" He looked strait ahead at the lion blindly. "I can touch. . . but, there's no light."
"Close your eyes," the lion told him.
Riku did as told. It was still the same darkness, but he still reached out again to touch the face of the lion. Riku gasped as his body was flooded with warmth. He felt so awesome and so good. His spirit was suddenly lifted, and in the mist of the blindness of his closed eyes, he knew there was light there. No, he didn't see the light, but he felt it. He felt it's warmth, his gentleness, and it's love. Riku begin to weep. It wasn't because he was sad though, it was because he was happy. He was so happy. A moment ago he felt so lost, and so broken. Now, now he felt so warm, and so full of life. He felt. . . . loved.
"There are more ways to see light then with eyes alone," the lion said.
Riku pulled himself closer to the lion. "Who are you?" he questioned.
The lions eyes softened even more than they already were. "You know who I am already. In every world, I am called something different. Here, I am Aslan."
"Aslan," Riku sounded out the name. However, it didn't sound right coming out from his mouth. "My Lord," he said, it had sounded better than that of Aslan. "Thank you."
Mickey stood there and watched the boy have the tender moment with the large lion. It was an odd sight to see, but then again he didn't have room to talk. He, himself, was a three foot told mouse, he was quite an odd sight to see.
Riku opened his eyes, he started to feel the light fade when he did. At this notion he instantly closed them again. "You depend too much on your eyes," Aslan told him. He looked over at Mickey. "In that drawer there is a blind fold, bring it to me."
Mickey nodded and did as told. He too, didn't know why he had to listen to all of the lion's commands. He just couldn't say, "no." Sure, it could've been the result of fear. He did witness what Aslan has done to the remaining heartless, and how Jadis was struck with fear herself. However, it wasn't out of fear. It was quite simple, the reason was simply because he wanted to do what Aslan told him to do. He wanted to.
Mickey brought over the black blind fold. "Now, tie it around his eyes," Aslan told him again and Mickey did so.
"This will stop the temptation of using your eyes," Aslan told Riku. "Until you are capable on depending on your heart to see light than your eyes on your own."
Riku stood up and nodded. He turned his head in different directions. It was odd, without his eyes, everything seemed so more clearer to him. He "saw" better than he did before when he could use his eyes. Still. . . .
"Don't worry," Aslan told him. "I have one more thing for you. This will help you, Riku, defeat Jadis and move on so that you can restore the universe."
"Defeat Jadis?" Riku questioned. "Like this?"
The lion smiled, and Riku felt it. "I know you can Riku," Aslan said. "I have deep faith in you. You know, you remind me so much of a boy I used to know. His Faith, Hope, and Love were very strong. Stronger than any human's I have ever known. However, human he still was. Drained he was, he gave away all of his Faith, Hope, and Love, and no one ever thought of giving it back to him. Thus, he was drained, and now he's in a deep sleep, in need of awaken. You, Riku, your friend, Sora, and the boy's old's companion, the wolf girl, Midori, are the ones to do that. You are his Hope Riku. While Sora is is Faith. Thus, Midori his love."
"Eh, you're talking about Evan!" Mickey realized. "You knew Evan?"
"I've always known Evan," Aslan replied. "I still know Evan. It is Evan however, who has forgotten me."
"Lord!" Riku called. "I'll never forget you! I promise! You've saved me. I'll never forget you. I'll always love you! I'll always have faith in you! And I will keep hoping."
Aslan smiled at the boy. Such a brave boy. "Get dressed, Riku. Meet me then in my courtyard when you are through. I have kept your cape that the faun has given you. I have provided you with new clothing."
The lion turned and walked from the room.
"Riku. . ." Mickey looked up at him.
"I can do this, Mickey," he said. "I will keep hoping."
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I was going to make this chapter a little longer but I decided to split it into another one. I want to go back to Midori soon and of course to the Kingdom Heaven group. Then there are the girls, Yuffie, Dagger, and Kairi. Let's see what you fella's want.
So at any rate, I'm not sure that everyone has realized what.. . well Who Aslan represents in The Chronicles of Narnia and how C. S. Lewis portrayed the great lion. If you do, then you totally understand why Riku is reacting the way he did. I don't like to come out and say it directly, for I know there are a lot of readers that aren't the same as myself, and take Aslan in a different way that I do.
Hopefully though, you, my readers are starting to notice my own allusions in this story. They are greatly inspired by the wonderful mind of C. S. Lewis. -