Hmm… I'm starting this immediately after finishing the first chapter so it shouldn't take too long… To clear up any confusion, this is a rewrite of my story, "A Tale of the Future". I'm taking the basic idea that I had and making it sound more intelligent, and incorporating ideas from another fic of mine that I've been slaving over. So there you go.
If I have to do this every chapter, I'm going to burst. So I'll say it, and I'm not saying it again. I own Julie, Riku, and Zade. They're mine. Any other simple boring characters that are unfamiliar probably belong to me as well. Everything else goes to the beloved SquareEnix and Disney. Happy now?
I scanned the area looking for the source of the voice. My gaze settled on the dock where a smirking Riku and somber Zade stood. I swear, he hardly ever smiles!
"What took you two so long? I've been out here holding all of these Heartless while you two snoozed!" I smiled, loosening up a bit. There's actually some hope for winning now!
The three of us made quick work of the packs of heartless, until a pack remained on the peninsula where we had just been a few hours ago. I grinned and looked back at the guys.
"Last one there is a rotten paopu!" I said as I started running to the island. I had to quickly stop as I saw that Riku's parents, Sora and Kairi were standing at the beginning of the bridge.
"What the hell…" Sora said quietly as he stared at my keyblade.
"How did you get one of those?" Kairi said.
"Uh… well… I honestly don't know. I found it lying next to me when I woke up two years ago…actually right about this time." I stammered. It all was so weird… I had a nightmare of some sort, one that was so terrible that you don't remember it, and afterwards I turned over and felt my keyblade underneath me.
"I don't see how the heartless are back," Kairi said. "I thought the two of you had sealed the door…"
"I thought the same Kai, I thought we did." Sora said. His keyblade appeared in his hand as he made his way across the bridge.
"Sora!" Kairi yelled. "You're not getting mixed up with this again! I won't bear to be separated from you another time."
Sora looked back at her, and sternly said. "This is my duty, Kai. I have no choice."
Yes you do!
"I'll go, Sora." I said, walking closer. "Kairi needs you. I don't have much of a commitment to this place."
"Not much of a commitment?!?!" Riku exclaimed, apparently shocked. "What about us?!?!"
Even Zade looked shocked. "He's right. We're your friends." He said, just as somber as always. "I thought you said you never wanted to be separated from us."
Then it hit me. "We all can go. All three of us are young and energetic, so why don't we go? We can handle it. The three of us are unbeatable." I said quickly. The heartless are gathering, Sora. We don't have the time for this…
"Exactly. You're all too young. Zade and Riku are both seventeen and you're only sixteen." Sora said. "You have no idea what its like out there." He added.
"We're all older than you were, Sora. You and Kairi are finally together. Stay that way." Zade said convincingly. Thank goodness he's here. When Riku and I both wanted to do something, Zade was usually the convincing voice telling Sora and Kairi that he'd take care of us.
"Exactly." I said, nodding.
Sora shook his head. "You can't go out there not knowing what to expect. The four of us will go, and you can keep a hold on things here, Kairi."
Anger flashed in her eyes. Woah, big mistake Sora... I've never seen her this mad.
"No Sora. I'm not going to stay behind, useless and a pain in everyone's ass." She said firmly, her voice full of discontentment.
Sora looked in her eyes, as he tried to find reasons for her to stay. Her gaze softened into a pleading look.
"Please, don't leave me again." She said. Sora sighed.
"You can go for now. But only becauseour island isn't safe. Hopefully Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cloud are at Traverse. You can stay there." He finally said.
No more time for discussion. They're here.
"Guys, I hate to break this up, but the heartless are approaching." I said.
Riku swam to the ladder on the far side of the peninsula as Sora and I worked on the shadows on the bridge. We finally met up in the center, while Kairi watched from the main part of the island. We were just leaving the island, victorious,as a Darkside rose up from the ground behind us. None of us realized it was there until we saw a look of horror appear on Kairi's already worried face. We all turned around as it finished materializing.
"Enough already, damn it!" Zade said angrily. What the hell? I've never seen Zade this angry… I mean its like he wants them to leave even worse than us. Oh well I guess, I suppose he is just enthusiastic.
The four of us aligned in front of the darkside, and each of us took a body part. Zade and Riku took the legs, while Sora and I (The more agile of the four) took the arms. It seemed like we were doing well when it stumbled to its knees and pounded the ground, until we saw darkness emanating from its hand.
"What in the world is that?!?!" Riku said, backing away.
"I never really ever found out. I didn't ever want to. Lets head back to the main island!" Sora said. So we all took off at a run towards Kairi, not really knowing where to go from there. There was an incredible wave of hopelessness as we each warily watched the approaching darkness.
"Whatever you do, stay together!" Sora yelled over the now high winds. I struggled to see as the erratic winds whipped my hair around my face, trying to grab someone's hand. I ended up in between Riku and Zade. I could easily tell Riku and Zade's hands apart, for Riku had a very firm, almost worried grip, like he was holding on for dear life. On the other hand, Zade's hand was soft, comforting. Don't ever let me go.I gripped both of their hands a bit tighter as everything slowly became dark…
I slowly opened my eyes. Directly in front of me was a grey stone wall; I was in an alleyway. I was sitting with my back against one side, and my feet flat on the ground. I looked to the left of me, where Riku was sleeping in a similar position to me, laying against me. On my right was Zade, with a peaceful expression on his face, and his head on my shoulder. This sure is comfortable…I think I'll let the two of them sleep a bit longer. They look just so peaceful.
So much for that idea. I had stirred enough that Zade was slowly waking up.
"Morning sleepy head" I mumbled, my voice still sleepy as well. Zade sat up and turned around to look at me. He then smiled.
"Well, it looks like you got your wish, Jules. We're all here together." He said quietly.
He sure is acting funny. I've never seen him act like this, smiling and being so…sweet.
"Yeah, I guess I did. And we're in a new world. Who knows where though." I commented.
"We're in a new world?" said a very sleepy sounding Riku. He had woken up while I was talking with Zade without me noticing. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "This looks like how my dad described Traverse Town to be." He added.
I smiled. Whenever Sora described Traverse, it always sounded like a place I'd like to visit. I guess the atmosphere of a world that is forever dark was appealing to me. I'm a night owl, I suppose. Unless I'm extremely tired, I stay up until all hours of the night, thinking. Whether its day dreaming or just sorting things out in my mind, it just won't ever give up.
The three of us got up, having decided that we should try and locate the item shop to look for the owner, who we knew to be Cid. If it really was Traverse, then he would be there. We exited the alleyway, and made our way through the city until we came to a building with a brightly lit sign that said "Item Shop". We opened the doors and walked in. An gray haired man stood at the counter, with a piece of wheat in his mouth, chewing it like the end of a pencil.
"How may I help you kids?" He said boredly as if he weren't really paying attention to us. He continued to chew on his wheat.
"Could you tell me if this is Traverse Town?" I said, stepping forward.
"Mmm Hmm."
"I assume you are the owner of this shop, Cid?" I continued.
"The one and only."
"Then you know who we're looking for. Have you seen a man named Sora or a woman named Kairi recently?" I said. He looked up. I guess we got his attention.
"Sora? Kairi? That old?" He said, shocked. "I suppose they would have grown up after all these years. I haven't seen either of them in about fifteen years or so. How come?"
Each of us sighed unhappily. So much for all of us staying together.
"We're trying to find them." Riku commented. When Cid looked at him as he spoke, his jaw dropped open.
"Are you related to Sora? Because you look just like him." Cid said. Riku and I both burst into laughter. Even Zade chuckled a bit.
"Related?" Riku finally said. "He's my dad, and Kairi is my mom!"
If it was possible, Cid's jaw dropped open even further. "They're what?!?!" he exclaimed.
"I didn't stutter. They're my parents. I'm their son. They're married." Riku explained.
"Damn, time really does fly in this place." Cid commented. "Well, as I said. I haven't seen them in fifteen years. What you can do though is go to the hotel. There you'll find a man named Leon and his wife Yuffie, and another man named Cloud and his wife Aerith. All four of them knew your parents. They might know. The hotel is in the second district. But watch out- the second district has gotten pretty heartless infested. You'll need to be prepared."
"Thanks!" Riku said, and immediately ran out the door. Zade and I quickly threw a thank-you over our shoulders as we ran out behind him to catch up.
"No problem." He called after us. After we were gone, he shook his head. "Kids these days…"
After a few minutes of searching, we finally found the door that led to the second district and the hotel. Once we entered, we found a card sitting on the front desk. It read: "Red Room: Leon Leonhart and Yuffie Leonhart. Blue Room: Cloud Strife and Aerith Strife."
"Lets try Leon and Yuffie first. I remember my dad talking about them the most." Riku said. Zade and I followed him to the room, where Riku was already knocking on the door.
After a few moments, Squall came to the door.
"What do you kids want? I don't have any munny, so if you're trying to sell me something, you can go ahead and leave." He said grouchily.
"Squallie dear, I'll be waiting in the shower whenever you're done with your friends." Said a flirty,unseen, feminine voice. All of us assumed it was Yuffie, and we all snickered. A faint blush appeared over Squall's cheeks as he said to her,
"Yuffie, I told you not to call me that in front of other people."
We heard a girlygiggle, and the sound of a door shutting.
"Well, we were just wondering if you had seen Sora or Kairi recently. You do remember them, right?" Riku said. Squall blinked. He then stared at Riku.
"Holy shit, you look just like him. Are you and Sora related or something?" Squall said.
Riku slapped his hand on his forehead as I burst into laughter. Even Zade is laughing. He must be in a really good mood today...
"He's my dad, and Kairi is my mom." Riku said, shaking his head.
"What the hell? They're just kids no older than you!" Squall said.
"What is your deal? Do you have amnesia or something? Its been just a few years you know." Riku said. He looks…frustrated.
"Damn… I can't believe that it's been that long. I haven't seen either of them since they left to seal Kingdom Hearts." Squall said. "They didn't even cross into my mind when the heartless came back. I guess… I don't even know what I thought when they came back. I assume you three were stuck here when your world was swallowed then?"
Riku nodded. "Something like that."
"Well then you'll need a place to stay. Go next door to the blue room and ask to speak with Aerith. She owns this place, and she'll give you three the keys to the yellow room."
"Thanks Mr. Leonhart." Riku said.
"Ugh, don't call me that. You make me feel old. The name is Leon."
So the three of us went next door to visit Mrs. Strife. I decided to knock this time, figuring that she might be more receptive to me. Once she opened the door, I introduced myself and the guys.
"Hi Mrs. Strife, I'm Julia. This is Riku, and that's Zade. Leon told us you could give us a room? Our world got swallowed up by the heartless." I said formally. Aerith looked us over, letting her eyes rest on Riku a bit longer.
"Riku, you look really familiar. Do I know you?" she said.
"No, but you know my parents. Sora and Kairi." Aerith's eyes opened wide. "Wow. Well since you're their son, I have no problem renting out the last two rooms to you three. In an hour or so, you can join the Leonharts and me and my husband for dinner in the Café, if you'd like. Here are your keys." She finally said. She pulled a green and yellow key out of the pocket of her pink dress.
"Thanks!" I said, as we left.
Later that day, the seven of us sat at a table in the café, plates full of food in front of us. Riku, Yuffie, and Cloud were both talking about video games, while Zade and Squall quietly ate their food. Aerith was sitting next to me eating her food quietly when she spoke to me.
"So who are you rooming with. Which one of the guys?" she asked, a curious smile on her face.
"Well I assumed I'd take the yellow room by myself. It would be rather awkward to have to share a bed with one of them, and I don't want for them to have to sleep on a cot." I answered, a slight blush creeping up on my face. Although I wouldn't mind rooming with Zade… Wait. Where did that come from?
"You do have a keyblade right? Heartless are attracted to your heart. You can't take the risk of being ambushed alone in your sleep. You need to room with one of them." She said, her happy tone changing into that of something resembling a concerned friend.
"But… I wouldn't know which of them to room with."
"I'm sure that you'd like to room with at least one of them, wouldn't you." Her smile reappeared and widened. I blushed even more and quietly giggled.
"I trust Zade the most, and he's older and stronger." I finally said. A pleased look appeared on her face.
"I figured so. You watch him a lot."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, it's obvious. You like him."
"I WHAT!?!?!" I exclaimed. Everyone looked at me funnily. Aerith explained.
"Nothing guys, go back to your food."
"I resent that." Yuffie said jokingly. After everyone had become wrapped back up in their activities, Aerith continued.
"Why else would you look at him so much?"
"Because he's fun to watch and nice to look at?"
"Exactly. You like him."
"No way! He's like my best friend!"
"Leon is my best friend, but I don't stare at him."
"Humph. Whatever."
"So are you going to room with him?"
"I couldn't ask him that! He might think I like him! Not that I do or anything…"
"Uh huh. Don't worry. I'll do this one favor for you. But then you're on your own. And if you ever need any advice, you know who to come to."
Chapter Two Complete: Wow. That's two chapters in a week. Don't get to used to this. I'm rarely ever this fast. I just happen to have a LOT of ideas for this. Ok so it might be like this for a while. But don't get accustomed.
Major thanks to Lvkishugs for reviewing.
Lvkishugs- Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I appreciate you. I think you've reviewed every single piece of work that I've put out since I've known you. I cannot thank you enough. I'm really glad you're liking it. I really like as well where I'm heading with this. I've got a LOT in my mind about it though. I just have to put it all on paper.
I'll start on the next chapter tomorrow most likely. Make my day, review for me. I'd love you forever. Thanks in advance!(Hopefully)
-classengurl