Disclaimer: See the first chapter.
Author's Notes: So, I started a new Kingdom Hearts file today. All I can say is that now I am feeling very inspired…I was thinking about the Deep Dive video and I hope that all my ideas work into the story. A big thanks to everyone who reviewed as well:
Zero the Experiment, Chris the Anime Guy, juzlovnsora, Nessiegirl & Pixel.
Enjoy!
Kingdom Hearts II
Chapter 2 – Lingering Voice
"Help me Sora, please!"
"I'm coming Kairi," Sora cried. Swinging the Keyblade in wide arcs, he disposed of several Heartless with every sweep of the unique weapon. With every few swings, he managed to take a few more steps towards Kairi.
He could see her, surrounded by Heartless. Yet, no matter how hard he fought, he couldn't reach her. With every step he took, the distance between them seemed to increase. Concentrating harder, his blows to the shadowy enemies increased in ferocity and he started to slowly make his way towards the struggling girl.
Ignoring the ache in his chest, Sora crashed through a few Heartless blocking his way and ran towards the horde surrounding Kairi. The shadows encircling her seemed to sense his persistence, and closed their ranks around her. Pretty soon, Sora couldn't see her at all.
"Kairi!" he cried, breaking free from the shadowy ranks and running to where he had last seen her.
Before he could get there, a black hole appeared beneath his yellow sneakers, and an instant later, he was plunging into darkness.
~*~*~
Sora moaned, an action that caused him to return to consciousness. This also brought a wave of pain that hit him like a well-aimed throw with Tidus' Blitzball. His head was throbbing, and he couldn't see. Even with his eyes closed, the world seemed to be spinning in large, lazy circles.
Taking a few deep breathes, he waiting for the nausea to pass before opening his eyes, blinking and making an attempt to sit up. The effort proved too much, and he flopped back down into a…bed?
"Careful Sora," a kind, somewhat familiar voice scolded. "You should probably wait a minute so your head can clear before trying to sit up like that."
Sora realized his eyes had been squeezed shut from the pain, so he settled on opening them slowly and taking a look around before making another attempt at sitting up.
The light in the room was not so harsh that it hurt his eyes. There wasn't much in the room, just a dresser, night table and a rocking chair in the corner. The door he could just barely make out behind a woman sitting in a chair next to his bedside.
Kind brown eyes looked at him with concern. The few wrinkles that lined her face only seemed to add to the knowledge the woman had about her. Allowing his vision to adjust to the low lighting a little more, he realized he knew who it was.
"Mindy? Where's Kairi?"
The woman laughed. "You were always impatient Sora," she chided. Mindy had looked after Kairi when the little girl had mysteriously appeared on Destiny Islands so many years before. To Sora, Mindy was like a second mother, coming in second only after his own…
"She was supposed to be here," Sora said softly. Drawing his resolve, he succeeded in propping himself up to a sitting position in the bed.
Sighing, Mindy shifter her weight in the chair and looked at him from above the rims of her spectacles. "She was here. I never even knew she had left, because I hadn't been home. When I came home though, I found you, but no Kairi. Yours friends went looking for her."
"Goofy? Donald?" Mindy nodded. "Are they okay?" Sora asked, fearing they had experienced the same pain he had.
"They are much better then you," Mindy replied. "But rest up; your friends said they want you ready to leave by tomorrow. The duck was eager to leave, so eager, in fact, that he was about to march in here and drag you out by your 'spiky head' as he put it."
"Donald is like that," Sora said. Snuggling back down in the pillows, he watched as Mindy blew out the lamp.
Turning to him, she smiled. "Goodnight Sora." Then she left, closing the door behind her and leaving Sora with his new friend; darkness.
~*~*~
Sora…
Sora stirred.
Sora, can you hear me? Please Sora, answer me…
Opening his eyes, Sora saw that he was standing on…air. He was standing on the middle of what appeared to be a barrier. To his left, nothing but white, and to his right, everything was black. The two sides came together to form a perfectly straight line, and he was standing somewhere in the middle.
"Who's there?" he called. Even though he knew who it was…
It's me Sora. Her voice sounded like it was coming from very far away. Despite the distance, however, he could still hear the urgency in her voice.
"Where am I?" Sora asked. He took a step forward and enjoyed the feeling that overcame him. "Almost like flying," he thought.
We're in the Dream Realm, but I don't have time to explain. Sora, our hearts have been separated. I am speaking to you through the last echoes that remain of the bond we had. That's why we are here, because the bond is too weak to use in the real world.
"Where are you? Why aren't you here anymore?" Sora demanded. He tried to seek out the location of her voice, but it seemed to come from all around him.
The Heartless Sora, they've taken me…I can't...remember what happened…Something is wrong...I...I...can't see your face anymore…It's so dark here…My light, Sora, you're gone!
Sora heard the panic in her voice and wished he was there to comfort her and tell her that he would protect her. But he couldn't even do that, because he had no idea where she was. All he could manage to say was, "Hold on!"
I can hear your voice…keep talking…bring me back! I can't find the light without you Sora...
"Kairi! Please! Don't go!" Sora's panicked tone matched hers now. He was dreaming, he knew it, but something about this dream seemed all too real. He was losing her, that was why his heart hurt so badly. Now he knew why the pain was familiar…Their hearts had only been separated once before…but the pain had been nothing compared to what he had experienced on Destiny Islands…
Sora, listen carefully. He could barely hear her voice now. Even though you will no longer be able to hear my voice, please know that I still care, and I will always be with you.
"Kairi, I will find you, I promised you! Know that I will find you." A tear rolled down Sora's cheek as he felt her presence leave him. Drawing out the Keyblade, he played with the keychain dangling from the end. In the shape of a star, it has a little smiling face engraved on it, the detail of the face surprising for something so small.
"I still have to give you your lucky key chain back," Sora whispered to the nothingness.
Author's Endnote: Ah yes, these first two chapters have been filled with lots of dream/Sora unconscious sequences. This will stop, to any of you who don't like it, and things will start picking up. I now have the foundations I need for the plot. As for whoever asked about where Kairi was, this chapter gives hints, but you'll just have to read the story to find out where she really is!