While playing Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, I came across this bit of the story plot that really made me want to write about it. So, guess what? I'm going to mess up my own mind, again, by not playing the entire game just to find out what happens and make up my own thing. "Treasured Memories," I'm coming back to ya...
If you've played Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, then you have heard the girl's theme. Such a lovely song... when I first heard it, I fell in love with the soft accompaniment of harp with the piano. It was like a fairy-tale like melody that made me enjoy this game even more. Once you defeated the fifth floor, regardless of world, there will be a cut-scene and the theme will play. My suggestion is play the song while reading the story. If you haven't played the game yet, I highly recommend it. Just make sure you've played the original... well, you don't need to, but just in case.
Amazingly, this will be my first implied boyxgirl coupling. Sorry, but I thought they make a cute couple, and I couldn't help but put them together. I just like them a lot better than I do SoraxKairi. Kairi just doesn't.... spark interest in me. Also, me and pink-haired girls really don't mix... at least, anime pink-haired girls. No offense to REAL pink-haired girls...
Have any of you bought a copy of Utada's Exodus album? There are some really good songs on there! I like the Japanese mixed in with Pop, and I'm not a huge Pop fan!
I hope everyone had a good holiday, regardless of what you celebrate. I celebrate Christmas, and I got a bunch of stuff, and I'm not even through with the other gifts I'm gonna get! Oh, boy...
Now, since the stupid babble is over with, it is time for the disclaimer; Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix and Disney. I make no money, but I do enjoy their games!
Particularly, and baffling to me, there isn't a whole lot of warnings. Just one: spoiler. Spoiling the world more than rotten fruit... don't mind that... that was really stupid.
NOTE: This is the revised version! I got further in the game and found out some information from some of the reviewers that needs to be put into the first chapter. Expect the second chapter soon.
-
"Memory Sketches"
Part I
-
Scribble. Scribble.
A flash and a giggle, and Sora saw his childhood once more.
A sun-bright day on the islands filled his exhausted senses and he became lost in his scattered memories. The two figures he saw before him, though younger, were still decipherable to his fragmented mind. Kairi and Riku were there... that was as simple as it came to him. He knew their names, birthdays, favorite foods... at least, he knew enough about them to know they were the best friends he had scoured the iridescent universe for. However, to his right, he saw a blurred image of a young girl with pale, golden tresses and bright blue eyes. Her smiled had charmed him ever since he had met her pretty face that seemed to glow without hesitation and her quiet nature stunned him into thoughtful reverie of what she could be thinking of herself. Kairi, if his memory still aided him in his childhood, had been slightly jealous of the fading girl. He knew her face... but, there came a problem along with the remembrance of a dear friend.
Her name...
Scribble. Scribble.
He was still a child back then, but he remembered enough to realize that she was the one thing that stood out in his broken images; She had been his friend. Though they had only been playmates for a short time, they soon grew a relationship that rivaled many other girl and boy friendships. At that time, Kairi hadn't even punctured her way to being his 'best' friend. Though Riku still had the top spot, his ripened-wheat haired friend still embedded herself in his most precious memories.
Now, if only he could recall her name...
To Sora, her name, when he had voiced it, was pronounced strangely. He could never pronounce anyone's name when he was about seven or eight. But he tried his hardest for her. He always blushed when she would giggle and correct him... but that deepened their bond. It clasped their hands together, intertwined them, and soon left them apart from each other. Sora just found himself... one friend less one day and he remembered how sad he was when she vanished. He had done nothing, ate nothing, spoke nothing... and that was how his heart had felt... like there was nothing there... It had taken him aback that such... baffling pictures, much like those seen in a renowned artist's sketch book- much like the one she carried with her so- had taken such an effect on him. After so many years of trying to forget how much he had missed her... they flung themselves right back at him with such intensity that he was literally speechless and puzzled.
Scribble....
But, though it all, he couldn't figure out her name...
-
"Sora..."
Azure irises held a sense of laughter and genuine happiness when they spotted the owner's dear companion approach. She walked up to him, her arm carrying her beloved sketch pad which was filled with the many different drawings she had etched out.. He chuckled and grabbed her hand before she could do anything to retaliate against the motion. "C'mon, N-a...-né! We'll be late if we don't hurry! And you know how punctual Kairi wants us to be!" Another sweet giggle, and sky met ocean in a loving glance. The day was warm, as always, and the two just stood silently, their eyes meeting once more. Sora held an embarrassed expression, as did the girl. She still allowed him to hold her hand and help her onto the boat where she promptly sat herself down before he joined her and took the oars into his hands. Positioning them perfectly, he began the row them away from the main island. One of the several islands had the name of "Play Island." The children had dubbed it so since it was the place of their many adventures. But, also among the adjoining land masses that made up Destiny Islands, were several other islands and a vast range of sea that secluded the population from any other civilization. But, this ignorance of other worlds was kept at bay and the people enjoyed the plain routine as much as they could. However, some like Riku, wanted to rebel against the silent and limited society the islands had set up. They wished to see the world around them to the fullest, and then some. Sora was slightly balanced between curiosity and the lovely life he already lived. He enjoyed the islands' warm sun and the sea that was just a walk away... but, he did wish to know if there were different elements out there past the expansion of cerulean.
"Are... we going...?
Sora jumped, surprised that the girl he cared for spoke so abruptly. He gained his composure and grinned childishly. "... Yeah..." And yet, he lingered at that spot for an instant as he observed her figure. She was petite and her woven locks of aureate accented her sapphire irises. Her simple white dress matched her sandals, which were decorated meagerly with tiny artificial flowers. Her face was divine and soft, her skin of a creamy pale, and all and all... she was simple... but, to him, she was the most complicated being he had ever come across. Like girls were already tough to figure out....
Scribble.
He watched her take her pencil and gaze at him for a while before setting to work on one of her many drawings. Her eyes averted to him, towards the paper, and to him again. Her emotionless face told him not to interrupt and he did nothing but begin to row again, noticing that he had stopped suddenly before she had voiced it, though not bluntly. She was not usually straightforward and that did nothing more but add to the aura of abstruseness that hung around her small form. He kept a steady pace and just watched her work, relishing the sound of wood meeting water and pencil meeting paper. This lasted for several minutes before Sora's boat met with the dock and he proceeded on and just waited once more on her. After a few more moments, her face beamed with accomplishment, and she turned her sketchpad so he could gawk at her labor. He was amazed, as always, but this time, there was a feeling of flattery fluttering rapidly in his chest and ruby leaked into his cheeks.
It was of him rowing... with a smile that even entranced himself.
-
Scribble... Pause.
He sighed as the gentle memory of long ago met many more, but they were trivial compared to the one that stuck out more profusely. It seemed peculiar that, of all the times he could have remembered her, now was the time. It wasn't mere coincidence. Being in Castle Oblivion triggered something deep within his mind, and, in a way, he couldn't have been happier. These cherished recollections were something that Sora wished he had never lost. He had once told himself that he would never forget her... then, when denial finally faded away... he repelled the images away, never wanting to remember how much he... he...
"Ahead lies something you need- but to claim it, you must lose something dear."
"In this place, to find is to lose and to lose is to find."
"...Those you hold dear..."
"A promise."
Personally, Sora was growing tiresome of losing bits of memories. But, losing everyone he knew... losing Kairi and Riku... it wouldn't match up to the feeling of guilt and melancholy that he would live with if he forgot about... N-... he still couldn't remember... but, nonetheless, he would still be devastated if he forgot her again. To forfeit her hand going across the paper... to throw away her silent understanding... to turn his back on her precious countenance... it would be like killing himself... And it wouldn't be fair if he just saved Kairi and Riku without giving an ounce of effort to save her... It just seemed curiously strange to him that after so long, he would remember the young artist and wished he had never forgotten her in the first place.... Maybe those old feelings were coming back...
He just couldn't help but blush bashfully everytime he thought about how they touched or how she drew him with time and grace more than she did anyone or anything else... Things, to Sora, might've been different if he had tried to get her to open up a bit more. She had been on the verge of being known as a mute and he didn't like her being so quiet, being the loud, happy-go-lucky-fourteen-year-old he was... but he always made an exception for her. And, with slow realization, he finally understood why he brooded so much over the cabalistic sketcher with such care and precision, like she did with her sketches.
... 'I miss her... and maybe... I... I loved her when I was younger....'
However, when he made that statement, Kairi immediately filled his already heaven-bound thoughts. He sighed, defeated. How could he love the girl and Kairi? Why, in such a manipulated twist of fate, did he remember the face of the person he used to care for above others? Why did he just proclaim that he was in love with the girl he could hardly recall correctly? Did he ever really love Kairi? ... He grimaced, for now... it seemed quite possible. Ever since their splitting back at Kingdom Hearts, he just felt... relieved that Kairi would be all right, and that their islands would be restored. He didn't really... 'miss' her. He had just said good-bye to her and yet... he felt like one of the many burdens was taken off of his shoulders. The knowledge that Kairi would be safe just gave another reason to check off his 'to-do' list. 'Save Kairi and get her home' had been marked, and now Sora could work on the other things in life... like find Riku. However, the Castle, regardless of what the hooded man had said to him, kept Riku far away from him. But, in light of this, he was remembering whom he used to consider as the 'greatest artist in the whole world.' And he loved her, despite the fact he couldn't recall her name. He wanted to see her face again... not just some out-of-nowhere memory... he really desired to see her in person.
Scribble. Smile.
-
A young girl sat on her chair in the room she was given when she had first arrived. Her sketchpad no longer being traced upon, but being admired by the artist. On the paper was a young boy, no older than fourteen, smiling brightly as he held out a yellow star-keychain in his hand, as if offering to the onlooker. That particular fruit, from Sora's deepest recollections, had been a little bit of a subject for teasing for the boy in the drawing. He was too far out into his own adventures to realize that there was something bigger than his own heroic conquests. She always saw him as an excellent piece of artistry to work with, always doing crazy things that begged for attention. She would draw him, suddenly seeing the faultless aesthetic masterpiece that was his amazing positions or his wild behavior that never ceased to spark a definite interest in her.
If only she hadn't have done....
She knew that other girl would be completely jealous of her because Sora was spending more time thinking about her than he did about that spoiled-pink-haired brat. The brunet would absolutely disregard... Kairi, if she recalled precisely, and go towards her instead. She smiled warmly at familiar reminiscences of that silver-haired boy and Sora fighting over who would be next on her sketchpad... at least, that's what she wanted them to think. She couldn't help but sit back and watch that oh-so-adorable pout come upon those lips that did nothing more than scream 'kiss me.'
If only she could get away with it.
Sora, still young and unable to comprehend the rules in a relationship that was deeper than friendship, would probably have stuck up his nose in disgust and claim that girls were, as he would say, yucky. But that was the simplicity that Sora had made himself known for. From what she could form from his memories, he was adorable, bright blue-eyed, spiky brunet that had all the islands mothers' love. He knew the art of bending the rules with his cute puckered bottom lip and big ocean orbs blinking right up at the superiority. In other words, Sora was a sly little sweet puffball that could win over your opinion in a mere second if given the chance. But, that was what she loved about Sora... his laid back attitude could easily put a beacon of light in any situation. Ironic that he was the savior that the Keyblade had chosen to be everyone's light.
But, most of all, he was her light... and she was supposed to be the precious item that he curled to his soul, cautious and so tender with the treasure he had. She had her heart with him, supposedly, embedded into that keychain for the use that his luck would be bright and he would always smile. Now, he could not remember her name, which was supposed to have been given to him! Of all the things his mind had not perceived yet... the things he could have lost through the ageless abyss of oblivion's cherished lullaby of memories...
He forgot her name... How come he couldn't 'recall' it?
She let her hand fall astray, gliding down to the picture of Sora's. A lone tear fell onto the paper, leaving a spot. "Oh, Sora... I would have loved to share the Paopu with you... But, to me, we never truly... met..." Then, as if the gods themselves wished for it to occur, her milk-white and fragile smile turned into a grimace of spite and hate. A feral glare fired in her eyes at the once held dear vision of something more treasured than any sketch or artwork she had ever done or laid eyes on. Soon, her small hand that had stroked the still image lashed at it with a malicious growl that would scare even the bravest into hiding within the ambuscade of their own territory. The ivory page tore apart, its pieces falling around her in a tormented hover that resembled snowfall. She ended her violent assault with bitter pants, her youthful chest rising and falling swiftly as the after-effects of her rage had subsided. The scattered fragments that once were one her greatest sketches and most beloved person sat quietly on their fallen areas of the room. Her eyes glanced over the broken paper that seemed to relate with the state of her heart. She slipped out of her chair and onto her knees as they touched the cold tile of Castle Oblivion, her body limp as she threw her arms out to catch her wavering form, her sketchpad falling with a clump onto the floor along with her. She stayed there in such a position for a moment before her eyes rested upon the nearest piece that was product of both her fury and undying love.
It was the keychain... and that small sight was enough to give her just a bit of hope again. That was, before Axel came through the door and found her out of her chair. He had dropped to his own knees in worry and curiosity, his voice inquiring a thousand questions over and over again... but she never spoke. She could only stare at the penciled star-chain as an emotion so familiar, yet still unknown beyond all aspects of her philosophy ran through her prone form.
What had she done?
Axel tried his hardest to get her to react to his presence... however, she was deaf to any attempt he had. She let her fingers trail along the shape, following the star's form that had been passed along the stories of time's journal. Every little detail of Sora's face came back and the tears of unhappiness slipped back into her eyes regardless of how hard she tried to fight them back. Several droplets fell onto the paper below and she couldn't help but sob over her most precious sketch... the one person she could never have.
The Keyblade Master... Her Masterpiece...
-
The End
-
::blinks:: It's done. ::yawns:: For my Servants, Obey Thy Masters fans, the second part of Zutto Futari De will be coming out soon, I promise. Just wait a little longer!
Have fun in the New Year!
-
There. Expect another chapter of "Memory Sketches" soon.