Kingdom of Chaos
Chapter 10: Cognitive Dissonance
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 ten! XD
3 3 3 3 3 3
Kairi was fighting a war in her head.
She felt as if she were lying against something hard and textured…her bedroom floor. But anything that could have been considered natural or familiar was a million miles away. Her entire body felt numb, paralyzed, immobile except for occasional twitches. In the struggle to regain control of her senses, she was losing.
What are you doing to me? She cried out, although her voice made no noise.
Please…I need you to help me. The blonde-haired girl's voice said in her head. She sounded just as desperate. For both our sakes…I need you to let me in.
In where?
Into you. Into your heart. Kairi felt herself strain against the floor. The girl's presence was everywhere in her mind; behind her eyes, at her fingertips.
Who are you? Kairi asked.
I am you. And you are me. We're the same person.
No… Kairi resisted again. A frozen electric current traveled through her. Her mind was suddenly consumed by a barrage of images, sounds, feelings and emotions that seemed lost on the tip of her memory. Please don't do this…
Don't let go, or else—
NO!
Kairi jolted again, and suddenly felt as if every nerve in her body had been snapped in two. She released a long breath, and lay still.
Naminé rematerialized beside her moments later, shaking and gasping for breath. She couldn't move her limbs for a moment, but finally managed to sit up. She noticed Kairi's prone form behind her, and sucked in a startled breath.
"Kairi!" Naminé crawled over to her, and began shaking her gently. "Kairi, I'm so sorry…please, wake up…"
The wind rattled against the small bedroom window, and the air around them seemed to grow colder. A shadow passed over the two girls. Naminé looked up, and saw Axel standing over them. His image flickered in and out of transparency, indicating that he was not physically present. However, his personality was still completely potent.
Axel appeared only slightly concerned. "Hmm…it didn't take, I assume?" Naminé swallowed hard. "Then again, I suppose it was foolish of me to believe that you'd be able to merge on your first try."
"I…I didn't mean to hurt her…" Naminé seemed on the verge of tears.
"Give her time, she'll come around," Axel said nonchalantly. As if to prove his point, Kairi groaned and stirred.
Naminé looked at Axel with pleading eyes. "Please…don't make us try again. It just won't work! We can't…I mean, I don't want to…"
"Now, Naminé. This bargain won't work unless you manage to merge with Kairi," Axel reminded her. She looked away from him. "I brought you here in the first place. And I will reunite you with Sora…and with your brother. I doubt the rest of the Organization would even consider that possibility."
"No…" Naminé mumbled.
"As long as you do what I ask, you can be left alone with your friends…and if things go as they should, you'll never have to worry about the Organization again," Axel mused, slowly treading around the two girls. "If I were you, I'd be working hard to make this happen."
"I'm just…" Naminé hesitated. "I'm just afraid that we won't be able to separate again if we do merge."
Axel thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Can't help you there. I suppose you'd have to try it to find out."
"I can't do it…we can't be the same person…" Naminé hung her head, and choked back a sob.
Axel felt a twinge of sympathy at the frightened young girl before him. He let out a long sigh. "Listen, Naminé. You don't need to try again for awhile. Take some time to get to know Kairi better…to really understand her. Maybe then you'll find it easier to merge."
Kairi moaned again, and grimaced. She moved as if attempting to get up. Naminé looked up at Axel worriedly. "What if she doesn't want to?"
"I'll leave you to explain the details to her," Axel said. His image flickered even more rapidly. "As it is, I'm late for a meeting with another prospect."
Naminé realized what he was saying. "You…you're already involving Riku and Sora?"
"I told you I'd reunite them with you, didn't I?" Axel remarked as he began to hover off the ground.
"But…I can't get off these islands by myself! I don't have the power!" Naminé cried.
"I'll come back to get you same time tomorrow evening. I'll have enough power for both of you by then." Axel looked directly into Naminé. "I'll expect you two to be on much better terms as well."
Axel gave a curt bow, and was gone. The wind rattled against the sides of the house once again, signaling his departure. Naminé hugged her knees to her chest. She stared around at the darkened, cozy bedroom…and slowly realized that it felt deeply familiar. Is this what Kairi feels like with me, too?...
Naminé jumped as Kairi slowly rolled over. She blinked, and propped herself up on her elbows. When she finally set her gaze on Naminé, she became completely alert, and quickly backed away.
"Now…I don't know what you did to me, but I won't let you do it again—" Kairi began.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Naminé raised her hands in defense. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't want to do that to you again…"
Kairi sensed apology and regret in the girl's eyes. She relaxed a little, but was still somewhat tense…something in her said she should take a chance on this strange visitor. "Who are you, exactly? Where did you come from?"
"My name is Naminé. I'm from…someplace far away from here," she replied.
Kairi immediately remembered the falling star she had seen earlier. However, as she recalled the image, another jumped to her mind…the outside of a bizarre-looking castle with black and green roofing. Kairi rubbed her forehead in pain…it felt as if someone had remolded her mind, adding in new and only vaguely familiar memories. "I heard you say something in my head…" she winced again. "You said we were the same person. But how can there be two of me?"
"It's not so much that…more like I'm half of you."
Kairi's face fell. "That doesn't make any sense, either."
"No, I know…" Naminé turned away from her as if ashamed. "I don't really understand it myself. All I know is what other people have wanted me to know."
"What people?" Kairi asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer.
Naminé looked around the bedroom with worried eyes, as if fearing someone else was in the room with them. "They're the reason Sora and Riku are in trouble. We need to help them."
Kairi's heart skipped a beat. "How can I help them? You haven't even told me where they are."
"Someone will help us get off the island. But in order to do that, we need to…" Naminé trailed off. She knew Kairi understood.
Kairi sat cross-legged on the floor, trying to look anywhere but at Naminé. "I…I don't want to."
"Me neither."
"Because I'm scared," she added quickly.
"Me too."
Kairi shut her eyes. In the darkness, she felt more images of Naminé's memory that had been imprinted on her mind. She saw Sora smiling, just for a moment, smiling as if nothing in the world could go wrong. Kairi felt a pang in her chest at the memory that was not hers. I can't remember the last time I've seen his smile…
Kairi stood up, filled with a sudden determination that startled Naminé. "Sora wouldn't give up if he was scared…nor Riku! We can't let that stop us, either. Not if we need to help them this time."
Naminé was surprised at Kairi's sudden change of mind…yet something in her said she should have been expecting it. "You want to try and merge?"
Kairi swallowed back her anxieties, and sat down again across from Naminé. She now looked directly into her eyes…and couldn't shake the feeling that she was staring directly into a mirror. "Show me what we need to do."
3 3 3 3 3 3
Thaaat's it for now! Wow, ten chapters already…craziness! XD Next chapter is written, and should be posted tomorrow evening.
Check it, I'm doing fanart-ish-type things for this fic here: http : lynxgriffin . deviantart . com (spaces added so that the addy wouldn't be deleted.)
Reviews are greatly appreciated! XD
