This is a fiction I am currently working on about my Kingdom Hearts character, Rei Tamashii, on the rpg board, Kingdom Hearts: Another Story. The whole rpg takes place about 150 years after the first Kingdom Hearts, so Sora, Riku, Kairi, and everyone else are gone. This is a story about the descendant of Cloud Strife, a one-winged angel just trying to find her place.

Disclaimer: I'm only doing this once. I do not own Kingdom Hearts. But I do own Rei Tamashii, the Curseds, and everything on Benith.

Enjoy, minna.

Prolong: Sound Life

I came into the world the usual way, a small helpless baby. Most knew I was of a powerful heritage, being both of my parents were part of the royal guard,, but very few thought I would be anything extraordinary. However, I was far from normal. This is my story.

A small cry rang through the silent halls, but that was soon followed by a few cries of happiness. In a small room in Hollow Bastion, three people stood around a bed that held a mother and her newborn baby. The doctor, a skilled magician and healer, smiled as Heaven Strife observed her little sister.

"What are you going to call her?" Heaven asked, tilting her head slightly as she poked at the small baby in the mass of blankets.

"I think we'll call her…Kalani," Raena, their mother, announced softly, smiling down at her newborn. The baby bubbled for a few seconds as her older sister poked at her before grabbing her finger in a tight grip. "I think she likes you already." Heaven smiled proudly, happy that she had already accomplished something before her father put his hands on Heaven's shoulders and started leading her out.

"I think we need to give your mother a rest…" he laughed as Heaven's finger slid out of Lani's and the baby started bubbling some more. "Come on."

"Night mom…night sis," Heaven laughed and then followed her father out of the room.

"I believe that we can expect some very special things from your young daughter there…" the doctor stated, having observed something as Kalani was born. Although it was only a crimson silhouette to his trained magic eyes, he could see a single wing from her left shoulder. This symbolized one thing; she was a one-winged angel. "She is destined to save worlds."

"Whoa!!" Lani shouted, nearly crashing into a statue of the main hall of Hollow Bastion. Several of the butlers around the palace were chasing her, trying to stop the chaos she was creating and how she might upset the royalty. "Hey!! Don't touch me you psychos!" she yelped, skating to the left and dodging a maid. Jumping up, she leapt upon the banister and slid down sideways in a technique she had perfected a while ago. Let's just say that this wasn't the first time she'd tortured everyone.

Pushing her way out the doors, she came to the balcony and was about to skate past the statues when somebody suddenly grabbed her shirt and yanked her back and out of sight from the other people as they rushed out also. Lani turned to see who had saved her skin and smiled sheepishly when she saw Heaven glaring harshly at her. "How many times have I told you not to skate in there?!" she reprimanded in a cold whisper.

"A…lot?" the white-haired girl winced under Heaven's glower. "But…it's so much fun!! All those people are so full of themselves that they need to get a good exercise!" Kalani countered, matching Heaven's glare with her own. Heaven sighed in exasperation and grabbed her sister's hand, heading to the lifts and to a field not far away. "H-hey! Where are we going?"

"I'm going to teach you something else 'fun'," the older sister announced and continued to drag Kalani away.

"Aww…sis! Please! Lemme go!!"

Lani sat perched on a rock, her chin resting on one of her hands and a pout on her lips. "What are we doing here?" Lani drawled, looking over the grassy fields where several chocobo of all colors roamed. Heaven stood not too far away, gazing around. They had been here many times; she had learned how to catch and ride chocobos at the age of three and had almost perfected the art by age four.

"I saw a black chocobo earlier today," Heaven smiled, turning around to face her younger sister. "Won't it be a prize to bring it home?"

"You're insane…" Lani muttered sullenly, closing her amethyst eyes and resting her chin on a knee pulled up to her chest. "You and I both know that catching a black chocobo is nearly impossible."

"Who said we're gonna catch this one?" Heaven chided, walking over to her and giving her leg a small tug. Kalani's head fell as its support was jerked from underneath it. There was a small yell as Lani's head bonked her other leg, followed by an irritated 'what was that for?' "You don't catch a black chocobo. You befriend it."

"Oh yea?" Lani retorted, standing up along with her sister. "We're just going to walk up to it and say 'hey, want to be my friend?'"

"Sure, why not?" Heaven shrugged, gaining an incredulous stare from her younger sister. "I'll try and then you try, okay? One thing…don't forget that you can't show fear, okay?" Kalani nodded and watched as Heaven walked away, towards a black chocobo in the middle of the flock. He immediately noticed her and his feathers puffed up.

"Be careful!" Kalani shouted after her sister and Heaven only waved vaguely to show that she heard. Lani gazed at her sister as Heaven walked up, displaying little to no emotion at all. It all seemed surreal…how Heaven walked and stood in front of the black chocobo. Both stared at each other for a few seconds and the black chocobo leaned slowly towards Heaven. Lani was almost sure that her sister had succeeded when, without warning, the black chocobo struck out at Heaven.

Kalani let out a short-lived yell as the black chocobo's beak descended upon Heaven. The older sister yelped and jumped back just in time to avoid the fatal attack. A chocobo, especially a big black chocobo, was nothing to fool around with in terms of strength. "Nee-san! Are you okay?!" Kalani shouted as Heaven retreated.

"Hai!" Heaven smirked, giving Lani a thumbs up. The younger sister didn't know if she should slap her for messing around, but decided against it. "Now, it's your turn!" Lani gaped at her, wondering if she was serious. If Heaven couldn't handle the black chocobo, how was she able to? Ignoring her little sister's stare, Heaven gave Kalani a soft push and sent her towards the black chocobo. "Don't blink."

Lani shakily walked towards the black chocobo, ashamed of her less grace then her sister. Slowly, she neared the ever-watchful black chocobo until she was only a couple meters away from it. Lifting her gaze up to its eyes, she forced all emotion from her face as her crystalline eyes stared back at the deep black of the chocobo's eyes. "Hi," she stated bluntly, lifting up her hand. The black chocobo's stare faltered and it blinked, obviously confused about the sudden statement. "Do you wanna be my friend?"

The black chocobo lowered its head to gaze at the smaller being closer, not quite sure what to make of the odd girl. It couldn't read her emotions, since everything seemed blocked out, but it didn't sense anything hostile from her either. Slowly, Lani reached up and rubbed the side of the big chocobo's beak, her small hand not covering much area. Despite this, the black chocobo still chirped slightly and settled on the ground beside the girl. Lani finally lifted her curtain and smiled, moving to rub the chocobo's neck.

Heaven watched from a distance, smiling. She herself could have succeeded in the attempt to befriend the chocobo, but it wasn't her who needed a friend at the moment. Kalani laughed happily as she climbed on the chocobo's back and rubbed its neck, getting a contented chirp from it.

Kalani didn't have many friends, if any. She was usually by herself, reading, watching, or just thinking. She was very different from everyone else, especially how she could think and act twice her own age. The young one-winged angel was the brightest of her age ground, already doing things that were done by kids nine years older than her. This made the other kids tease and isolate her from the group, so Lani decided that she didn't need them and became a loner.

Heaven often protected Lani from bullies and what the other kids said. She felt it was her duty, despite how it made her look, to protect her little sister, even if they were very different.

flashback

"Mom, why is imouto so different?" Heaven asked, looking up at her mother as she prepared supper. Kalani sat in the other room, lying on a big fluffy blanket and reading. "All the other kids tease her because she's so smart and because she's really strong and fast. Why?"

"Heaven…let me tell you something," Raena sighed, wiping her hands on a cloth and turning to her oldest daughter. "Your little sister isn't…human, like you and your father. She's special. She inherited something from her grandpa and I that makes her very special."

"Is that why she's so smart and strong?" Heaven asked, gaining a nod from Raena. "Well, if she's so special, we've got to protect her right? I'm going to protect my imouto from all those big meanies!"

Raena smiled and ran her hand through Heaven's blond hair. "You do just that…I'm sure all Kalani needs is a friend and big sister." Heaven smiled broadly, happy that she found a purpose. "Now, go tell your little sister that supper's ready. It's your two's favorite tonight; sweet buns and chocobo wings."

"They're not really chocobo wings, mom," Heaven chided, starting towards the door. "They're too small! They have to be chicken wings!" Raena laughed and gave her daughter a small push out the door.

end of flashback

I want to protect her…Heaven thought silently, watching her younger sister. But I don't know if I can forever.

Kalani walked through a strange city she had never seen before, gazing around. It was dark out and her breath froze in the cold night air. Rain poured in heavy sheets, almost completely obscuring anyone's view. The sound of the large drops created a loud roar against the rooftops and streets of the weird city. Large neon lights lit up doorways and shops, but strangely, she didn't see anyone.

The young one-winged angel was about to call out when a strange ringing sound filled her ears. Kalani looked around to see where it was coming from, but the omnipresent tone seemed to come from everywhere at once. It sounded like a child crying, and only moments later, it was joined by more and more voices. Babies, young ones, and older children's voices all meshed together in a wail of cries. It was unrelenting a Lani looked around for the source frantically, her eyes wide with terror.

Kalani backed up and covered her ears and screamed out herself, in an attempt to block out the terrible noise. Her own scream was drowned out by the voices of the many other children, all talking and crying but unseen. Kalani opened her eyes wide and in a burst of speed, ran forward. Her destination was unknown...she just needed to get away from the voices. The haunting voices…

She ran and ran, not coming upon one soul in the merciless rain. Puddles splashed as she stumbled through them and undetectable tears rolled down her cheeks. Not matter where she ran, the voices were just as strong as before and it only drove her further into desperation. Without warning, her foot caught in a jut and she fell forward, tumbling to the ground. The water splashed as she landed in a puddle, lying on her stomach. She didn't move as the voices probed at her, begging her, taunting her…

"STOP IT!" Kalani screamed, clenching her eyes shut. She grit her teeth and fists, but didn't move otherwise. "Just leave me alone!"

"They're crying for you child…" a voice said above all of them, clear and sinuous. "Crying for what you are…what you will become. You have to save them from their tears…"

"Just leave me alone!" Kalani repeated, getting to her hands and knees and opening her eyes. Almost instantly, her heart stopped beating and her breath caught short. The rain and puddles were slowly becoming a deep blood red, and a strange stench filled the air. The crying seemed like a dull roar against the sound of her heart beating.

"They're crying for you…You have to save them…save them…save them…" The voice sounded like a broken record as it repeated the last two words over and over. Kalani shut her eyes to keep out the horrible sight of all the blood, but it almost seemed like the image had been burned on the back of her eyelids. The crimson slowly ate away at her vision and the voice at her mind.

"Shut up!" she screamed desperately, almost pleadingly. However, everything was relentless and the voice didn't stop despite the small girl's pleas. The crimson blood, the voices, the repeating words…Lani's eyes shot open, to reveal pupilless crimson orbs in place of her normal crystalline amethyst irises. An unearthly scream tore itself from her throat as the whole city became red, threatening to swallow her whole…

"KALANI!" The young one-winged angel eyes snapped open, wide and frightened. Ragged gasps caused her chest to rise and decline rapidly as she looked at her surroundings carefully. The room was familiar to her…and so was the concerned face looking at her. "Kalani? Are you okay?"

"Mom?" Lani gasped, her eyes closing slightly as she slowly gained control of her actions. The blankets were tangled around her legs as if she had been running and sweat dripped from her forehead. In a split second, Lani had sit up and was hugging her mother tightly, tears cascading down her face. "Mom! It was terrible! All these people were crying and there was blood everywhere!"

"Shhh…shhhh…" Raena smiled as she patted her daughter's back comfortingly. "It's okay now…it was just a nightmare. Just a dream."

"It didn't feel like a dream…" Lani stated stubbornly, looking up at her mother with tearful amethyst eyes. "They were all saying it hurt…and that no one cared…something about being cursed…" Raena stiffened momentarily and Lani was afraid she had said something wrong when her mother smiled again.

"Like I said…just a silly dream," Raen smiled, patting her daughter's head. "It's all gone now, nothing to worry about." Lani nodded obediently, though she was still doubtful. "Oi, I heard that you and Heaven went to the chocobo fields today while your father and I were away. Was it fun?"

"Hai!" Kalani smiled, momentarily forgetting the dream. "I befriended a black chocobo! He is really nice when you get to know him!"

"Oh?" Raena laughed, hugging her daughter. "That's great. You can tell me more about it the day after tomorrow, okay?"

"You're leaving again…?" Lani murmured, her smile fading.

"I'm sorry, Kalani," Raena sighed, hugging her daughter tightly again. "But work calls, so I have to go and visit a world that's currently having trouble with some ambassadors. I should be back the day after tomorrow, okay?" Kalani nodded silently and Raen kissed her on the forehead. "Now, time for sleep."

Kalani watched as her mother got up and walked towards the door. "Don't let the nasty bed bugs bite!" Lani smiled, waving goodnight. "They leave red bumps." Raena laughed at Lani's blunt statement and waved back before disappearing beyond the doorway.

"Get back here you little brat!" a guard shouted as he chased Kalani through the castle hallways. The one-winged angel herself was in her rollerblades, skating through the long, dark hallways of Hollow Bastion yet again. She wasn't even trying anymore…this guard was so much slower than the maids and mages.

Hmmm…I wonder, if this keeps up, will the royal family come after me? Maybe if I plant some of those chobi bombs that I made the other day, they'll come out to play. But then mom and dad might ground me…or nee-san will make me sit in the awful, boring corner again. That wasn't any fun at all…

Kalani blinked and looked back, realizing that the guard had fallen flat on his face several paces back. "Are you alright mister?" Lani asked, calling out to him. There was a muffled 'I'll get you yet' and a pointed index finger, before the hand fell to the ground with a clank and the man silenced. Kalani blinked once and then twice before shrugging and turning around. He wasn't that much fun anyway.

She was about to start forward again before something out of place caught her eye. Turning, the girl noticed a statue that seemed very out of place…almost like it had been put there after all of the others. It was made out of a different material then all the others, though the material looked the same. And although it hardly looked it, Lani could tell that the statue was less faded than the others.

Curious, Lani reached forward to touch it. As soon as the tips of her small fingers brushed against the strange stone, it trembled, forcing her to jump back in surprise. Slowly, the statue slid to the side, the sound of stone scraping against stone rising through the air. Lani looked around to see if anyone had heard or seen before glancing down the dark hallway that snaked away from the opening. Cautiously, the girl inched forward and descended the stairs.

Only seconds after she had started down the stairs, she could hear the statue close behind her and cut off the only source of light she had. Letting out a startled yelp, Kalani turned a little too quickly and her foot caught on a small groove, tripping her. With a short-lived scream, the one-winged angel tumbled to the bottom of the steps and landing harshly on her back. "Itai…" Lani groaned, sitting up and rubbing the back of her head.

In front of her was a room littered with gadgets of all shapes and sizes, crammed into the corners and shadows. Machines of all kinds laid cluttered and a big platform stod before her. But what caught the one-winged angel's attention was a huge pulsating heart in the middle of the room. It looked like a doorway of some kind to her, but the door was replaced by a mix of several colors. Although it was very pretty, Lani felt nothing but bad things from this doorway.

"Sora!" a voice suddenly shouted, causing the tensed girl to jump and look around. She couldn't see anyone in the room, but it seemed as if she could feel it. "What's…"

"Don't you see yet? The princess's heart is responding. It has been there all along. Kairi's heart rests within you!" Another voice replied. Something seemed to faze in and our of view, like a broken holovid. Three people…each in their young teens. One had silvery-white hair just like her, another had brown hair and blue eyes, and the third, the only female, had long brown hair while her eyes were closed.

"Kairi…Kairi's inside me?" Lani stumbled back as two more ghostly beings ran into her view. Lani reached out to help them, but her hand ran through them and they fazed out of view.

"W-what is going on?" she stammered, looking around. That scene…this place. It was from over a hundred years ago. When the castle had been taken over by the evil heartless…it was written in history books held in the castle's library. Almost everyone in Hollow Bastion knew about it.

"You have to save them…" Lani stiffened, her whole body going cold. The voice that had haunted her dreams for many nights still ringed clear in ears. The words that sent chills up her spine left her frozen in place though her mind screamed for her to run. "Save them from their tears." A figure in a black cloak appeared from the multi-colored doorway, a black hood hiding the figure's face.

"Wh-who are you?" Lani stammered and backed up quickly, trying to distance herself from the figure. "What do you want from me?!" Before she could get very far, the cloaked person blurred and appeared beside Lani, giving her a sharp shove forward. Lani yelped and fell towards the doorway, turning quickly to face the shadow again. However, as she turned, the shadow drew a sword and swiped at her, cutting through her fabric and giving her a piercing gash in her chest.

All motion seemed to slow as Kalani fell back, her crystalline eyes wide with pain and surprise. Her pure white silvery hair drifted above her as she fell back, hand outstretched as if trying to grasp something not quite within reach. Before she could hit the ground, a dark light enveloped her and her mind greeted the black state of unconsciousness.

A small girl, no older than the age of five, laid up against a tree in a forest full of mist. Slowly, carefully, bright amethyst eyes opened and focused, looking around with a dazed glance. With a small groan, the girl sat up and looked at her hands and her bloodied clothes. After she seemed satisfied with studying herself, she slowly shifted her gaze to her surroundings, all trees and endless mist.

"Where am I?" she asked to no in particular. Then, another question formed in her still numb and agonized mind. "Who…am I?"