Kingdom of Chaos

Chapter 6: Fork in the Road

Author: Sketchy Sunshine of OSTOCOM

Rating: PG-13, just to be on the safe side

See chapter one for summary, disclaimer and other goodness. Otherwise, here's chapter six! XD

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"How long do you think we were in that castle?" Sora asked Donald and Goofy as they ambled down the path. The day had risen dewy and promising, and the road still stretched before them like an eternity.

"Does it matter?" Donald waved it off. "It's still time we wasted when looking for the king. We need to make up for it."

"I just wish I knew how far away this clock tower is," Sora sighed, and folded his hands behind his head. "I mean, that castle creeped me out, but at least it was some kind of landmark. It feels like this road has no end."

"I sure hope it has an end…" Goofy sighed, trying not to notice how much his feet were hurting. While the group was trying to keep their spirits up, they were getting somewhat tired, and their provisions were running low. Even worse, the dirt road was beginning to thin out amongst the grass and rocks. The path that had been perfectly clear going from the castle was slowly disappearing.

There has to be an end… Sora thought to himself. We can't keep going like this forever. And Riku may have already gotten there…

The thought pressed Sora forward, and he quickened his pace a little. He barely noticed Donald and Goofy fall behind. His thoughts strayed to the note that had been left, and he pulled it out again to look at it. The sketchbook paper had become worn and creased from his constant handling of it. Everything about its contents seemed vaguely familiar…even their author.

Who's Toshi? And who wrote this?

"Sora!"

Sora snapped back to attention at Donald's cry. He suddenly felt a thickness in the air, as if a stray cloud had passed over the sun. He recognized it instantly.

Willing the Keyblade into his hands, he turned to face a series of darkened pools opening across the path before them. From the pools emerged familiar black shapes, with bright eyes that stared unblinking at their prey.

"Heartless!" Sora exclaimed, and rushed at them moments after they emerged. He fell back on his battle instincts easily, and was thankful they hadn't been lost during their untold time in the castle. Donald and Goofy joined him with their own war cries.

Sora swung the Keyblade at the nearest two Heartless, and struck them both as they raised their claws to strike. They stumbled back, wounded, but didn't disappear. With a second look, Sora realized these weren't normal Shadows…they were taller; nearly his height, and much hardier. Now more worried, he struck again, this time with more force.

The Heartless finally dissolved, leaving only the lingering traces of dark matter. However, just before they disappeared, he thought he saw a whitish figure flash where the Shadow had just been…

"They don't die fast enough!" Donald squawked as he summoned a thunderbolt upon another attacker. As it reeled in shock, Goofy finished it off with a hit from his shield. Out of the corner of his eye, Sora again saw the Heartless change into a warped, bright white form just before it disappeared.

"I don't think these are normal Heartless!" Sora told his companions. He barely had time to catch his breath before more Shadows emerged from the ground, their twisted antennae twitching with morbid curiosity. They were far outnumbered now, and completely surrounded.

Sora gripped the Keyblade with determination. He shot a look to Donald and Goofy, who were beginning to get nervous. "Come on! Let's finish these guys off!" he encouraged them with a grin.

The knight and magician were only too happy to oblige. Together the trio slashed their way through the gang of Heartless, taking only occasional injuries from their grasping claws. Whenever they were hurt, Donald stepped in with a quick cure spell.

Sora felt a part of him thankful to be fighting Heartless again…there was a familiarity to it, and a feeling of comradery with Donald and Goofy that he couldn't find elsewhere. But at the same time, something about this situation was unfamiliar and unsettling. These Heartless shouldn't be here in the first place, he reminded himself. If closing the Door to Kingdom Hearts really closed off all the worlds, how did they get here?

Deciding that question was better left for later, he sliced through the last remaining Heartless with a crushing finishing blow. The black creature seemed about to dissolve…but then changed completely. Its skin turned a lackluster white, its limbs shriveled into disjointed points, and its head became little more than a twisted, toothy maw.

Sora, Donald and Goofy stared at the newly-transformed Heartless in shock. "What is that thing?" Sora asked no one in particular.

The white Heartless seemed just as confused, turning and coiling its lithe body in a kind of dance of agony. It finally turned and began to shamble away from them across the grass. It moved in such a way as if to stretch its own form out of existence, and left a trail of black-and-blue energy spots in its wake.

Sora blinked twice, then began to run after it. He waved back at Donald and Goofy. "Come on, let's follow it!"

"Why follow it? I thought the point was to stay away from Heartless!" Donald protested.

"Because there's something not right about it," Sora insisted. "All of the other Heartless were acting that way, too. Don't you want to find out what it is?"

"No, I don't!" Donald said, although he knew his reasoning would be lost on the Keyblade master.

"What about Riku and the king? Shouldn't we still be going to the clock tower?" Goofy pointed out.

Sora bit his lip. For some reason, he found himself reluctant to let this Heartless go. "The road's starting to get lost anyway. If it's still a Heartless, it will go where there are people to take hearts from. There would be people in a town, and a town would have that clock tower. Right?"

Goofy had to think over that for a second. "Uh, sounds logical, I guess…"

"Not really…" Donald grumbled. He exchanged glances with Goofy. They both knew there was no stopping Sora once he got an idea into his head. "But we'll go anyway."

Sora nodded, grinning with rediscovered excitement. He started into the grass after the retreating Heartless, with Donald and Goofy barely managing to keep up. The new path the Heartless left seemed much clearer than the old road, even if it was barely visible beneath the long stalks of grass. At the very least, it was a change…some new direction they could take. Maybe we're closer than we think.

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The day was ending on Destiny Islands. The waves became a soft reddish-purple as the tide rolled in, lapping against the sides of the dock with a sense of careless ease. The wind was picking up a little, buffeting the tops of palm trees as it whistled overhead. As the sun's light began to die away, it was replaced by stars…immobile stars.

Kairi stared up at the darkening sky, allowing her bare feet to trail in the gentle waves. She scoured the heavens above her, searching for a movement, any movement. She didn't even notice Tidus and Selphie approaching until they were directly behind her.

"Hey, Kairi! Aren't you coming in?" Tidus asked, startling her somewhat.

She looked back up at her two friends, only half paying attention. "Huh? Yeah…I'll be in in a minute."

Tidus sighed. He and Selphie both knew why Kairi was acting that way…her thoughts were miles away, to two friends that had not been seen for several months. "Kairi, you really shouldn't stay here all the time. I mean, you haven't moved since lunch."

"They might be back today," she said quickly and quietly. "They may need help if they're…"

"I know, I know," Tidus stopped her. They all remembered how Kairi had come running to them earlier that day, telling them with excitement how she had seen a falling star. It was the first sign they had seen from outside the islands…the first change in an unchanging world. Tidus figured Kairi would use that falling star as fuel for sky-gazing for days. "Just come in whenever you're ready."

Kairi waved as her two friends left for their respective homes. She turned back to the sky and sea, but somehow her convictions lessened. The sea was colder, quieter. After waiting awhile to see if the feeling went away, she sighed. They're not going to come back tonight…just like every other night.

Kairi stood, brushing stray sand off of her knees. She felt no sadness…just a hollow loneliness, a weight inside that seemed to grow heavier every day. She had to ignore it in order to keep getting through the passing weeks, and today couldn't be an exception.

She tread the wooden paths back to her house, leaving the sunset sky to look after itself. She gave a brief goodnight to her parents before walking up creaky stairs to her bedroom. Through the hall window, she could see the lights of the island homes winking out with the onset of night.

Kairi walked into her room. Her breath stopped as the door clicked shut behind her.

Sitting at her desk was a young blonde-haired girl, about her height and build. She was doodling in a sketchbook, but looked up when Kairi entered. For some reason, the girl before her seemed distantly familiar.

Kairi felt a sense of vague dread pass over her as the girl stood. The girl's blue eyes seemed apologetic. "You must be Kairi," she said in a quiet voice.

"Do I know you?" Kairi asked.

"I doubt it…but I know you very well," the girl said as she approached. "I wish we could've met under better circumstances."

"Did you come from outside the islands?" Kairi asked. She sucked in her breath as another thought occurred to her. "Have you seen Sora and Riku?"

Kairi saw an answer in the girl's eyes, although she wasn't sure it was the answer she wanted. "There isn't time to explain everything. But they'll need your help."

"How can I—" Kairi bumped against her door, and realized she had been slowly backing away. "Where are they?"

"I'm sorry…" the blonde girl said. "I hope this doesn't hurt."

The girl touched a finger to Kairi's chest. Kairi felt a sudden chill course under her skin, and the world went dark.

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The end of this chapter! I'm nearly done writing the next one, and at least have a good idea for the one after, so those will be up quickly. It's back to Toshi next time! XD