Title: Reflections: Kairi ( 7 / ? )
Author name: Ari Powwel
Author email: eight_muses@hotmail.com
Spoilers: . . . a lot . . . and spoilers for Reflections: Riku if you haven't read that.
Summary: Hollow Bastion, and . . . a certain difference.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by various publishers including but not limited to Disney Interactive and Square Co., Ltd. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Will not make this extremely long, but will someone please hit me for waiting this long to write? **HEADDESK**
Statistics:
Day began: 15 January, 2004
Day completed: 17 January, 2004
Words: 2,784
Pages (script/total): 5/6
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'Riku . . .'

He smiled mournfully, and I knew that he now understood. He knew that Maleficent had been goading him, almost forcing him to believe that Sora had turned against him. He knew, and was sorry, but did not regret. But that was okay, because I knew what his parents had repeated to him, over and over: ­A Renegadu does not regret. That was behind us now, unable to be changed. And so I would not hold it against him; he'd do that enough himself, anyways. 'Riku . . . why are we here? And what's happened to you? You look like—' I stopped myself from finishing.

'Awful?' he supplied, and as I nodded, we laughed. He shook his head in helplessness and shrugged. 'It's Ansem. Haven't you seen his reports? 'My body is too frail for such a journey, but I must do this. I will cast it off and plunge into the depths of darkness.',' he quoted.

I understood what was happening. If Ansem didn't have a body, he'd use another, a sort of vessel (I shuddered at that thought; was that all Riku was to Ansem; a vessel?). But how did this . . . ?

'You see, a heart is what binds the soul to the body, a sort of lock. This lock is kept shut by your own life force, and when it weakens enough, the soul can break away, leaving the body behind. When the heart is moved, it also destroys the bond. And, of course, you know what happens when your heart is removed.'

'So . . . I'm dead?' I asked softly.

Riku nodded. 'Technically, yes. However, your heart was taken unnaturally, and never stopped.' He stopped. 'Well, I think so. I'm not positive.'

I wanted to scream, but held it in, instead asking, 'How do you know all of this?'

He shrugged. 'Some of it I figured out on my own, and some I learned from listening while the others talked.'

Yes, I could see Riku listening to them, hearing their plans. Perhaps they'd known, and if that Maleficent was a sorceress, as I'd heard, she'd have been able to do something, wouldn't she? My anger for the woman increased. I didn't even consider I might be wrong. But wait! Something was wrong . . . 'But what are you doing here? You said that your soul was bound to your body.'

Riku nodded. 'That's true. But there is another problem with using my body. There can only be one dominant soul.' He closed his eyes momentarily, and I could feel how hard it was for him to put it in such blunt terms. 'When he—when he took over, I'd been considerably weakened by the darkness. I couldn't fight them long enough, and he won.' He sighed, aqua eyes losing their normal spark, and looked away, to the opposite wall. 'I am merely essence, now.' He let out a short, bitter laugh. 'Fitting, for what I tried to do.'

'Riku . . .' I whispered, taken aback at his idea. Without even thinking, I crossed to him, grabbing his hands and forcing him to look into my eyes. ­'No-one­ deserves that, Riku, least of all you. Do you hear that? No-one! If you keep thinking that, you'll just let him win! . . . I want you to promise me you'll keep fighting. Okay?' I asked, anxiety filling me.

There was a minute of silence, but finally Riku nodded. 'I will,' he said quietly. 'I promise.'

That was all it took to get me started again. I embraced him tightly, and we sank to the floor, content to lean against the wall (though I was leaning on Riku, as well) and enjoy each other's company.

As I thought we are both about to fall asleep, Riku let out a cry. 'What is it?' I urged, silently hoping he'd tell me.

'It's Sora,' he replied. 'He's bringing you back, which is good, but—' the rest of his sentence was cut off as I was pulled away in a flash.

When I opened my eyes again, I found they were slow to do so. My limbs felt heavy, but were forgotten as I look around. Sora was looking at me, his body surrounded by golden light. He looked almost ethereal as he breathed a sigh of relief, afterward closing his eyes slowly and tipping backward. I stumbled as I got to my feet, calling Sora's name, and, still unused to having an actual form, rushed to him, trying to catch him before he falls, but as I reached him, arms coming up to catch him, he disappeared in a cloud of golden sparkles.

I looked up as the sparkles rushed upward, knowing, but still trying to disbelieve, that Sora is gone. 'Sora! Come back, Sora!' shouted one of his companions, Donald.

'Sora . . . are you really . . .' I wondered, a tremble in my voice. 'No!' I shouted, voice breaking in anguish. 'It can't be! I won't let him go!'

Before I could say more, however, another figure appeared before us. He had long silver hair and tanned skin, contrasting unnaturally. His amber eyes were startling, and at the same time giving him a perpetually eerie look. He wore a long, ankle-length grey overcoat, black pants and boots underneath His arms were covered in lighter gloves, and there was a white 'shirt' wrapped around his torso, leaving his chest bare but buttoned underneath. The man in general gave me an awful feeling, and I knew this was Ansem. 'So, you have awakened at last, Princess. The Keyhole is now complete. You have served your purpose. But now, it's over.'

In front of me, Donald and Goofy raised their weapons, Donald raising a wand and Goofy a shield. 'Don't make another move!' Donald ordered.

'Do you think we can stop him all by ourselves?' asked Goofy. It was meant to be quiet, but I could hear them perfectly well.

'I don't know,' answered Donald, just as 'quietly'.

Ansem, smirking, stepped forward, but stopped a moment later, looking at his hand. It was moving, seemingly of its own accord, and as he murmured, 'Impossible . . .' Riku's weakened soul appeared before him, apparently protecting us.

'No . . .' Riku said defiantly, although it was obvious that this was taking much of his energy. 'You won't use me for this!'

'Riku!' I cried. Even after all he'd been put through, he would still sacrifice himself for us? I felt tears stinging at my eyes, having begun when I'd seen Sora, and I had to work hard to keep them from falling.

'You've got to run,' Riku told us, an agitated tone in his voice. 'The Heartless are coming!'

Even as he spoke, a ring of shadows appeared around us, doing their jerky little dance, ready to pounce as soon as Ansem gave the word. I looked into Riku's overly bright eyes, seeing the unspoken promise there, and nodded. I turned, running from the platform where he was, hoping that he'd be all right. A final glance at Riku showed Ansem glaring at him murderously, though Riku was still watching us, as though to be sure that we would be okay. I shivered; Ansem was possibly the most sinister man I would meet in a long time.

I didn't know that this would be the last time I saw Riku.

We ran through the castle quickly, Donald leading us through countless corridors. However, sometimes I thought I knew which turn we'd take before we actually turned, and I wondered why I seemed to know this castle so well. I seemed to remember every twist and turn, each hidden Lift Stop and passage, the Chapel, the Main Hall . . . as we passed under a giant Heartless crest, I paused. 'Kairi, hurry!' yelped Goofy.

I shook my head. 'I can't leave them behind!'

'We can't stay here!' argued Donald.

'A Heartless is after us!' Goofy added, pointing to the shadow behind me. I rushed to the other two as I saw it, and it followed me slowly, tilting its head to the side as if debating over something.

'I'll take care of him,' pronounced Donald, readying the Violetta as the shadow moved closer. He tapped it sharply on the head, saying 'Confounded Heartless! Get lost, will ya?' It was obvious that this had worked before, as the rapping grew steadily harder and quicker as Donald grew more annoyed.

The shadow merely tilted its head again.

I paused. There was something very familiar about this shadow . . . 'Sora? Is that you?' Before I could receive any sort of answer, Goofy cut me off, 'Uh-oh!' I looked up, and saw that there was another group of shadows ringing us, ready to pounce. Donald and Goofy readied themselves for battle, and I turned to the shadow. 'This time, I'll protect you,' I told him, sure that it was Sora.

All at once, the shadows leapt. I turned, dropping my body to shield the Heartless, guarding him with my body, my soul, and heart.

I heard Goofy's surprised yelp, but after a moment, a flash of light momentarily blinded me, and a pair of arms were holding me. 'Kairi, thank you,' said Sora, and I looked up at him, surprised.

'Sora . . .' Was he really here? Had he really come back?

'Sora!' both Donald and Goofy shouted. Again, there was a group of Heartless surrounding us, and Sora drew his Keyblade, readying himself for the fight.

However, a roar split the air and the Beast appeared above the fountain, looking over at us. 'Go! Now!' Beast commanded, preparing to ambush the Heartless.

'Come with us!' Sora said, a mixture between a cry and an offer.

'I told you before, I'm not leaving without Belle,' Beast rumbled. 'Now, go! The Heartless are coming!' With that, he leapt over the fountain, rushing a Heartless and raking his claws through its black shadow-flesh. It exploded, a heart rising from it, freed at last, and Sora finally agreed:

'All right. Let's get out of here.'

'Tell me what happened,' Leon said, fixing Sora with a look. I shivered; the tone of his voice was cold, as though he wasn't asking. As per his wishes, Sora recounted the story of what had happened at Hollow Bastion, speaking for a good quarter of an hour. I didn't add anything—I didn't want everybody knowing about my and Riku's conversation.

After Sora finished, Leon nodded. 'So, the darkness is flowing out of the Keyhole . . .'

'No wonder there are more and more Heartless everywhere,' mused Aeris. 'The only way to stop them is—'

'Seal the Keyhole, right?' Sora interrupted, grinning and holding out his Keyblade, which he'd told me was called the Lady Luck.

'Maybe,' cautioned Leon. 'You have one more friend to worry about. Riku's Keyblade must have been born of the captive princesses' hearts—just like that Keyhole you saw.' He looked at me as he continued, 'Of course, without Kairi's heart, it remained incomplete. Once that Keyblade was destroyed, the princesses' hearts should have been freed. Don't worry, Sora,' he said to the boy, who looked despairingly at where Hollow Bastion would be. 'If anyone can save your friend, you can.'

The Secret Waterway wasn't easily accessible. To get there, you either swam through a grate in the alley, or visited Merlin, a wizard, who could send you down on a piece of stone. It was mostly filled with water, though there was a fair spit of land on one side, lit with torches that lit the cavern with a eerie green glow. On the far side of the water was a mural, of a moon. It gave off a soft blue glow; a calming sight in this time of mystification and chaos. Also near the mural was a boy, russet locks defying gravity. He was with two others, a duck and a dog, standing on two legs and walking easily as though human. As I watched, Sora took something from the mural, which then reverted to a sun, glowing with a harsh golden light. As he walked back, I found myself murmuring, 'A light at the end of the tunnel . . .'

'Oh, your grandma's story, right?'

'That's right,' I said, smiling. 'We were together.'

'You know what's funny?' asked Sora, a distant look growing in his eyes. 'I looked everywhere for you, but you were with me all along. Finally, we're together, Kairi.' He paused, and seemed to come back to the present, looking me straight in the eyes. 'Now, it's time to get Riku back.

I looked away. 'You think it'll ever be the same again between us? Riku's lost his . . .' I trailed off. I knew that I would treat him the same. Sora more than likely would, as well. However, Riku had been known to take everything to the extreme. He would probably still think it was his fault when he came back. He wouldn't want to see us, and I didn't want that to happen.

'When I turned into a Heartless, you saved me, remember?' Sora said, misinterpreting my question. '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 a voice—your voice. You brought me back.'

I looked away again. 'I didn't want to just forget about you, Sora. I couldn't.' And it was true. Riku was a spirit, now, and I couldn't bear to have both of my best friends taken away. I also knew that without Sora, we'd be lost. All of us. There would be no hope for the us, for the worlds . . .

For the light.

'That's it!' cried Sora. '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.' My heart leapt at his next words, 'No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within.' This meant we'd be able to save Riku, didn't it? We three had such a strong friendship; we had to be able to! 'I guess it's more than just a fairy tale.'

'Well, let's go,' I said, a bit happier now that I knew there was a way.

'You can't go,' protested Sora.

'Why not?'

'Because it's way too dangerous!'

'Come on, Sora. We made it this far by sticking together. You can't go alone.' I pleaded. I didn't want to stay behind while Sora went off and fought. I needed to be with him. I wouldn't be able to stand the anxiety of wondering if he was all right or not.

'Kairi, even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore. Right?' Sora asked, and I scowled to myself. He was making too much sense. I was fighting a losing battle.

'I can't help?'

'You'd . . . kind of be in my way,' Sora grinned, and I sighed. I knew the frustration there was to be had when someone couldn't take care of herself. And although Aeris had been helping me to train, I was no-where near ready to fight for such high stakes.

'Okay. You win.'

Slowly, I unfastened my bracelet from my wrist. It was a silver chain, a paopu fruit charm dangling from it. If I can't come with you, I'll be with you in spirit. Always remember that, Sora. 'Take this. It's my lucky charm, so be sure to bring it back to me.' And if you do, then that means you'll come back, too.

'Don't worry. I will.'

'Promise?'

'Promise.'

'Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you.'

I stood on the dock of Traverse Town, watching Sora, Donald, and Goofy loading their bags with supplies. They attached various chains and ribbons to their weapons, raising the powers they contained, and I noted with a slight smile that Sora was using my bracelet as a Keychain. After they finished loading the Gummi ship, they climbed in, Sora giving me one last smile through the quartz windowpane of the ship. His mouthed five words.

'We'll come back to you.'

As they took off, I stood on the dock, watching it for as long as I could, before it finally vanished from sight. As it did, I repeated to myself, holding the wand I now used tightly:

'Don't you ever forget, Sora. You promised to come back. And don't you forget, Riku. You promised to keep fighting.

You promised.'

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u.u I told you this chapter would be short. . . .

And yes, part of the reason this was so long to come out was because I'm STILL angry at Kairi about that remark. **smirks** But I've come up with a good cover:

'Where's Riku?' I asked, hoping that he'd already managed to find him. 'Isn't he with you?' I sighed. 'Oh, well, he'll be okay. He can take care of himself,' I finished, trying to convince myself that he was doing what I had just said. I knew that it probably wasn't true, but I wanted to think of him this way, as the strong boy he'd been on Destiny Islands, able to defeat anyone and still so enigmatic.

**twitches** I just got a comment on deviantart that pissed me off . . . (someone said that my picture was just plain bad. I don't mind being told that, but he didn't even say WHY it was bad. He also tried to say I put NO effort into it, and in truth, I worked on that for a half-hour? **twitches**) so forgive me if I cut this a bit short.

Thanks to the following reviewers!

~ _|AeRiS|_ ~
**hand behind head in anime embarrassment pose** heh . . . didn't really manage to update soon . . . ^^; oops . . .
Glad you liked it, and hope this chapter was satisfying, as well!

~ YamiMarita ~
a;sldkfja;sldkfja;sldkfj
NuuuU!!!! **shrinks into corner to avoid clapping hands**
YAY! Lightning! Lightning cool! ^^ and sugar isn't bad!! YAY for sugar!! **dances around with a bag of sugar and hums a song**
Ahh . . . heh heh heh . . . didn't write more soon . . . ^^;; should've, but didn't . . .
**stares at award** What's this for? O.O

~ Mizutaka ~
Yay! Sophomore party is STILL on halfway through the year **dances** **and hands you an Elixir** This had BETTER work! **threatens sickness**
Yesh, long chapters are fun . . . this was a short chapter . . . ;.; and XD on 'What happened to Riku's voice?!'
The insane villains ARE hilarious. They're SO sure they're gonna win, and it blows up in their face **cackles**
XD I can't write long battles . . . it doesn't work. Especially because throughout the entire game, I hack-n-slash. There are no Strike Raid, Ragnarok, Ars Arcanum, Trinity Limit . . . they're not used at all ^^;; I just rapidly tap X into infinity. Therefore, I havta make it up entirely . . . and that's hard . . . so they're short. Let's just assume Sora was madly leveled up, ne? ^_~
My favourite cut-scene is after Sora stabs himself and Ansem comes out and then Riku protects them . . . I cry . . . but I love it. I'm strange ^^;;
**dances** I got the first box of subtitled dvds!! But they weren't the ones I was hoping for u.u I wanna see the ones without the card game . . . with the burning ferris wheel, Bakura trapping them all in Monster World dolls . . . etc etc. **sighs** BUT~ I shall get them still! **cackles again** Shall try yesasia.com . . . ANY site that I can buy them from. Except eBay. **nods**

~ Zoshi the Confused ~
**torches Fido** He's a pain in the ass.
**grins** See above for the fix on the 'Isn't Riku with you?' statement.
**sobs** But I don't wanna sleep!! It's not FUN to sleep at night!
YOU get more sleep! **maniacal laughing** And YES, your last chapter of These Wings that Ache was worth waiting for! **bounces around** When's the next one coming out? Huh? Huh? Huh? **has just won her argument with that arrogant person from deviantart**
**passes you a torch** Now you can torch Fido, too! **cheesy salesperson grin**

~ VixettaremIx ~
XD remembering scenes? More like searching frantically for a game script and then trying to tape all the cut-scenes from Kingdom Hearts, then accidentally destroying the tape and just saving near each scene. ^^;;
Yesh, quick and to the point . . . trying to slow down so that I can add more detail/delve into character thoughts more/make more refined lol but it's probably not gonna happen for awhile ^^;;
Eh, school's a bitch anyways. **torches it** There ^^ Now it's not!
Chapter 7 took a while in coming, but in its wake, Kowaii Yo is about ready to be posted! **schemes** ^^


Am working on chapter eight tomorrow when I wake up, because it is now past midnight and I'm tired. **complains like this** Exams were this week. I don't like exams. HOWEVER . . . the history exam is what led to me finding the beginning of this, which destroyed the writer's block on this! Yay! **dances around happily**


Random Notes that Were Written During the Chapter:
Note 1: The description of Ansem is completely from memory ^^
Note 2: I just forgot how to spell 'awful' . . . *
Note 3: If I don't capitalise Keyblade, my computer does it for me ^^ further proof that Keyblade is capitalised.
Note 4: I keep writing in present tense . . . XD! From my other stories, especially Kowaii Yo . . .