AN: Chapter three is a very big chapter. The second half is more interesting than the first. Sadly, its also more confusing. If you
read this fic and like it I would really appreciate a review. As you can see I have very few of them, which is perfectly reasonable, but
still disappointing. This story will at least continue on into a forth chapter, however if it remains unpopular it is likely to stop after
that. Thanks much!
Disclaimer: It is still not mine
Through These Eyes
Chapter 3
Cosmic Philosophy
"Kiss me while I'm still alive,
Kill me while I kiss the sky.
Let me die on my own terms,
Let me live and let me learn"
-Life of my Own, Three Doors Down
"It should be melted down I tell you! Destroy the thing slave! I command it!!!!"
The boy sighed and tried to ignore Stan, who, three days into their journey, was still a shadow and still demanding the destruction
of the mysterious key.
It seemed to have just devoured the evil king's power, and now glowed softly while they marched, or in Epros's case, floated. The
former phantom evil king had taken on the burden of carrying it, since Stan refused to have it anywhere near him and began to rant
anew every time it came into his line of sight.
It had been an easy enough trip to the mountains, but once the foothills were climbed everything changed. The snow was deeper,
completely unpacked, and, Ari would swear, much colder.
The boy struggled through another deep drift, tuning out his talkative shadow. He didn't think they could go much farther, the wind
was picking up and it was getting dark, plus he was tired. They had been resolutely trudging through the snow, sometimes waist
deep, for almost 6 hours.
Epros looked concerned as well. "There is a great gale now brewing, we best take shelter, lest it become our undoing."
Ari nodded slightly in agreement and began scanning the sparse woods for a decent tree to use as windbreak. Then they could
stomp down the snow at set up the tent.
Funny how things never go as planned.
~~~~~~~
The crashes were loud and aggressive. Tidus stumbled back, eyes widening, he had never expected her to be this aggressive. He
pressed forward again, more cautious this time.
Kairi couldn't beat him, he had been doing this for years, and she had just picked up the sword after a 7-year absence, but she
was a hell of a lot better than he would ever have guessed. He blocked a poorly controlled blow and swung low, she stumbled back a
moment before the blow fell.
He had thought it was a joke at first. Then that she was lonely and just wanted someone to play with, no matter the game. She
didn't really have friends, although Tidus couldn't understand why, she was nice and a good listener, but she was always alone. It
was weird, when he thought back he never actually remember her being alone, he was sure he or Selphie would have talked to her,
asked her to play with them.
She was off balance and Tidus pressed his advantage, driving her back.
It had taken him about fifteen seconds to realize that she was actually serious. To realize that she actually wanted to fight. And
that she had the temperament to do it.
He struck out again, connecting this time and throwing her back down into the sand. The wooden sword flew out from her hand and
she lay still for a moment before making a sound like a gasping sob.
"Oh god, are you okay?" Tidus hovered over her, peering down intently, "I'm so sorry." He hadn't wanted to hurt her.
She sat up, shaking her head before turning her face toward him. She was smiling widely and, he was shocked to see,
breathlessly laughing.
"You alright?" His asked, more than a little off balance himself now.
"I'm fine!" She stood, hand going to rub her side gingerly, "or at least fine enough."
"Uh, th-that's good. I-I'm sorry I hit you so hard." he smiled apologetically.
"Well, isn't that the whole point of it?" Her smile grew to a grin, "can you teach me to fight like that? You're really good, and I...
Well, I'm really bad!"
Tidus felt his face grow hot and hoped he wasn't blushing too badly, he knew he was good, but it wasn't something people actually
told him often. "Well," he began, actually feeling modest, "I'm okay, but Riku's a lot" His brows knitted together, confusion coloring
his features, "better than me..." he finished softly.
Kairi felt her heart soar. He remembered them! Somehow, somewhere, deep inside, Tidus remembered. She didn't know why it
was so important to her, but it was, it made everything seem more real, it made their absence seem less permanent. For the first
time since she had found herself at home, the only one of their group to make it back, she thought maybe it was possible that Sora
and Riku would come back. Always before she had thought that one day it would be too much, one day the time would just be right
and she would have to leave, to find them. She didn't want to abandon her home, she knew that it ached enough at the loss of Sora
and Riku's as it was, but she had been sure there was no other way to see them again. Now she wasn't so sure.
"-I guess." Tidus was talking.
"Huh?" She focused back in on him.
"I said, 'yeah, I guess.' you know, about teaching you to fight."
"Really? Thank you so much, Tidus!" If she did have to find them, she would be ready this time.
~~~~~~~
"Ewww, Reno, throw up that way." Elena gestured vaguely to the right, face disgusted. She knew it was a mistake to go out
drinking with them, but Tseng had to play bodyguard to Rufus at a dinner party so there was no use staying at work, and her
apartment, for all its beauty, always felt so empty. So when Reno asked if she was coming out to drink with them she had said
'sure'. He didn't usually invite her along to those things, and she had felt a little flattered that he finally seemed to see her as real
Turk, as one of them. She realized now that he probably just wanted someone who could see straight to drive him home.
Reno urked disagreeably and leaned against the large picture window set in the front of the Graphic Designs office tower.
Rude came up quietly behind them, content to be a nonentity.
"Come on," Elena glared, "I, for one, want to get home."
Reno muttered something like 'yeah, yeah,' and pushed away from the building, leaving hand prints on the once clean glass.
"Stagger that way." She pointed toward her car. She followed behind as Reno ambled his way to her small but spotlessly clean
four door. She shook her head, mildly impressed at his ability to walk in straight line.
It was then that she tripped over something in the dark of the parking lot. She stepped away quickly with mild disgust, what a
wonderful night, first the bitchy new secretary on the twelve floor demand a report she had never even heard of, next she got to face
the closet of eternal night, then listen to a drunk Reno talk in an over loud voice about the assets of the waitress and now she had
nearly fallen over some drunkard.
"God," she muttered, in utter disgust with the world. Then she glanced down to see what degenerate being she had kicked.
He didn't look like a drunkard.
He was too young, for one, Elena guessed him to be about 14, give or take a year. Two, his clothes looked quality, a little dirty
maybe, but not something you saw on someone who burned all their cash on beer.
Her anger evaporated into instant concern. "Oh god." She kneeled down next to the boy, Turk brain unconsciously checking him
for injuries. "Do you think he was mugged?" close up there was the unpleasant odor of sweat, dirt and dried blood, almost identical
to the reek that filled the SOLDIER locker rooms.
"...Probably a runaway," Rude offered from behind her. "Check for I.D."
"Nothing, he doesn't even have pockets." Elena rolled him hesitantly onto his back, "We should take him to the hospital."
"Oh for god sakes," Reno said, walking back to them, "We're Turks, not social workers, just leave him, Elena. I thought you
wanted to go home."
Elena glared, "He's just a kid, we can't just leave him here. What if he gets hurt?"
There was a brief battle of wills, as Reno and Elena matched glares.
"...I'll carry him." Rude offered, breaking the silence, and without another word easily plucked the unconscious boy from the
ground.
Reno threw up his hands, "Whatever. Just, whatever." He followed behind; drunken cloud pierced by the stabbing light that was
Elena. He didn't like light.
~~~~~~~
Sora sighed. He had asked everyone in town about the keyhole, but no one knew where it might be, no one even knew what it was.
The townspeople had always had monsters in their lives, it even had specially trained heroes to battle them, so the arrival of the
heartless didn't cause much of a stir.
"I wish Donald and Goofy were around, they'd have some idea." He heaved a sigh, and sat down a pile of nets. A chicken settled
comfortably next to him, pecking at the rope.
Everything was terrible. He didn't know where he was, what he was doing, or even know how he had managed to get here, let alone
how to make it home. And he was lonely, so terribly lonely. He rested his head in his hands; tears beginning to slide down his
cheeks. What was he going to do? The heartless were here, he knew that, so he had to lock the door. Which brought him back to
his original problem, no one knew where the door was.
Why was this still happening anyway? He had closed kingdom hearts, saved and separated the worlds. At least that's how it was
supposed to go. But here he was, in yet another world, with more heartless. Come to think of it, the last door he had locked had
borne a close resemblance to the universe's core. Not that he knew what that meant, for all he knew the world might just have been
completely infected... Donald would have known what it meant.
Then there was the thing with the other keyblade. The one that had disappeared sometime after he had fallen asleep. He didn't
think it was Riku's, wouldn't think that it was Riku's. So that left what? And where? And who? No more Ansem meant no more
heartless master but not no more heartless? "Why won't it make sense? Why, why, why?"
"Why what?" The voice was clipped, haughty, and coming from his right.
"Huh?" He sat up quickly, head snapping around to see who had spoken.
She had red eyes, long golden hair, and a very commanding air.
"I said, why what?" She looked generally annoyed with him.
"Nothing. I was just thinking." He smiled up at her, trying to be polite.
"Hmph," It was a prissy little sound, "Well then, are you the boy who's been asking odd questions?"
"What?" Sora said, cocking his head, confused.
She sighed, as if horribly put upon, "Are you the foreign boy who's been going around asking about a keyhole or some such?"
"Huh? Foreig- Yeah!" he jumped up, eyes wide and hopeful, "do you know where it is? I have to find it. Its real important."
"Of course it is," her tone said otherwise. "Well, I believe I know where this... keyhole is."
"That's wonderful," finally something was getting done, maybe if he locked the door he could find his way out of this place. "Where
is it?" He smiled broadly, eyes bright.
"I'll show you." She paused, and her smile was sharp, "If you do something for me."
~~~~~~~
He woke to blinding light.
He reached out, hands scraping over cold metal and soft thin fabric. He shook his head, confused, fingers grazing textured plastic
smooth buttons and sealed wood. This was wrong, all wrong.
"Wha-what?" His voice was rough and cracked. "Where- where am I?"
"You're in the hospital, kid."
Riku forced his eyes to stay open, turning his head in the direction of the voice. "Why? Did something happen?"
He couldn't see Reno shrug. "We found you in the dirt, kid. You should know what happened."
"I-I, oh, I... Yeah, I remember, they attacked me." He struggled to focus on his companion. "Some kids, they had knives, I-I guess
they wanted money, but I-I didn't have any." Riku was not a particularly skilled liar, he wasn't used to it, it was hard for him to sound
weak and frightened. Still, he was going to try it, there was something about the red haired man that he didn't like, didn't trust, and
he planed on telling him as little as possible.
Reno sat in a metal-armed chair and blatantly ignored the 'no smoking' sign on the wall. He smiled at the silver haired brat, "Yeah,
lotta bad gangs around here." he nodded to himself and took a drag from his cigarette, "I bet they would have loved getting their
hands on that fancy knife of yours... I guess they just over looked it, eh?"
For the first time Riku realized that the red haired man was holding his curved sword. He cursed silently, the keyblade he had
vanished, but he had forgotten his other weapon, leaving it quietly and incriminatingly sheathed at his side.
Reno blew smoke into the teen's face. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
~~~~~~~
Glowing eyes snapped open. Red rimmed nostrils whuffed at the air, and an invisible ear strained to ear individual thoughts. It had
been abandoned, years ago, left by its master alone in an icy cave. The creature's empty chest ached, filling it with anger, pain, and
loneliness.
It thought, if it were very quiet, it could hear him. If it were very still, it could smell him. And, if it were very careful, it could find
him.
It flipped its tail hard against the cold stone, and outside, the thunder began.
~~~~~~~
Lost. They were lost.
What had only a moment ago been thin forest had turned into a massive twisting woods. Snow flew through the air, hitting them
from all sides.
The tent had been forgotten. Now they looked for a cave or a hollow or an overturned tree.
Epros was carrying Linda and gripping one end of Rosalyn's closed parasol. She hung reluctantly onto one of Stan's shadowy
hands. She didn't know how he managed to remain solid to maintain any type of physical contact, but if he wasn't complaining
(more than the usual) than she certainly wasn't going to say anything.
Ari raised a hand, shielding his eyes. "I think there's a cavern ahead." He pushed forward, squinting, the human chain following
behind.
The cave was wet and slimy. Bats slept on the ceiling while rats huddled together on the floor.
Ari worked his way deeper, feeling carefully along the walls. It was dry past the first bend, and by the second he could feel warm
air on his face.
"We can rest here," said Rosalyn, looking around. "Set up the tent. We'll want it to keep out the rats."
Ari nodded tiredly and pulled it from his pack.
Rosalyn stood for a moment, staring into the darkness before resolutely turning away.
Epros raised an eyebrow, head cocked in a silent question.
Rosalyn nodded slightly.
The former Phantom Evil King's closed his eyes briefly, acknowledging, before turning to smile at Ari. "Here. I really must insist,
that you let me help with this."
In the darkness something growled.
~~~~~~~
Princess Marlene resolutely refused to ask the question that was plaguing her. Instead she focused on briefing her new, temporary,
servant. "The townspeople just think it's a new evil king. We've had it happen before. For every demon the heroes destroy another
three come out of the woodwork. But this is different. In the past the monsters have always been clumsy, cowardly, dumb, or
generally decent. This one isn't. This one hasn't just been casting silly curses, it's been destroying people, playing them as puppets,
and making its own monsters. Silent black creatures."
"The heartless," Sora said. He glanced over at her. "No one else here seems to notice them though."
"The people here are all classified oblivious. Well, until one of the monsters gets to them, then they're zombies. Luckily attacks
have been limited to the Northern Mountains, where the leader of these creatures seems to be nesting." She turned to look at Sora,
"What are these heartless doing to them? It's like they're dead, though they still breathe."
"Well," Sora started, "They steal hearts. Without a heart, people can be controlled, devoured, or left in a deep sleep forever. I can
fight them, the keyblade hurts them, but most normal weapons don't do a thing." Sora explained, then blinked as Marlene quickened
her pace. "Wha?"
"We have to hurry." There was fear in the princess's red eyes. "You said they can't be killed by regular weapons? Then it can't be
killed by weapons either... Can't be... Wonderful, just wonderful. And Ari's marching right into its lair, I just know it. I know it."
Sora didn't ask if she was crying. "We'll hurry."
~~~~~~~
"How are you doing?" Concern etched the blondes features as she smiled down at the silver haired teenaged.
"Uh, much better, thanks." Riku smiled weakly. He wished these people would leave so that he could get on with his job. He
needed to find Sora or Mickey, someone who could lock the worlds. His key hadn't been designed for such purposes, and the best
he could do was put a magic seal on the door and pray it would hold until one of the others stumbled upon it to finish the job.
"So, where are you from? Is there anyone we can call?" Elena said.
"I live pretty far from here, I've been traveling. Trying to make my fortune, you know." Some of his cockiness had returned.
"That's going to be difficult, with the broken ribs and all." The concern was back again. "Do you have anywhere to stay?"
Riku shrugged, "I can find somewhere, I always do."
"I don't know..."
"You can stay with me, kid." Reno ambled into the hospital room, holding a steaming cup of doctored coffee.
Elena shot him a quick look, eyes narrow; it wasn't like Reno to play Good Samaritan.
"That's okay, I can manage." Riku sat up straighter in bed.
"I insist." Reno smiled like an alcoholic shark. "Someone has to wake you every few hours anyway, the concussion thing, ya
know. I got your check out papers." He held them up as evidence before dropping them in Riku's lap. "A nurse'll be around with a
wheelchair in a few."
In less than an hour they were outside in rain-dampened streets with Reno shuffling him into Elena's beige four door.
~~~~~~~
It could feel the mind.
It tossed its pointed head, claws digging into the earth. It was restless and anxious to fly, but it didn't know where to go. Growling
deep in its throat, it lashed its tail against the ground, thrilled when the earth shuddered and shook beneath it.
It could feel the mind, and it was close.
~~~~~~~
"Reno what are you doing?" Elena grabbed Reno's arm, preventing him from following Riku into the apartment.
"Its really pounding out there, isn't it?" Reno said, as thunder crashed outside.
"Reno..."
"He's lying."
Elena leaned against the wall, "I know."
"And that doesn't worry you?" Reno cocked an eyebrow.
"Why would it? He's only a kid."
"Sure, a really weird kid. He doesn't dress like us, he doesn't talk like us, he won't say where he's from because he doesn't know
where anything is... And it's raining."
"What does rain have to do with anything?!" Elena asked, eyes rolling.
"Its been going since he woke up... And getting worse." Reno lit up a new cigarette.
"I never knew you were so superstitious."
"I'm not, I just think it's worth knowing." He said, and walked into the apartment.
~~~~~~~
Ari rolled over, he couldn't sleep. There was something about the place that made him uncomfortable. He kept expecting to see the
dancing urns that were always present in dungeons, or to find that something was following behind him. He rubbed his hands
together and rolled over again before finally giving in and sitting up. He could see Rosalyn's golden eyes glowing in the dark. She
was sitting at the entrance of the tent, alternately staring out and glancing back in, like a sheep dog watching the flock. "Rosalyn?
What's wrong?"
"Nothing, go back to sleep."
He stared for a moment. "What's wrong?"
She glance over him, "I'll wake you if something's happens."
"Rosalyn? Why are we waiting?"
She let her eyes settle on him. "Because we're tired. And cold. And its nighttime. We should rest as much as we can before..."
She shrugged, "We start anything."
Ari nodded, and lay back down, eyes open. He shivered despite the warm air because anything bad enough to frighten Rosalyn
into being cautious had to be terrible indeed.
~~~~~~~
The wind was biting cold. Ice crystals blew into their faces, burning cheeks and stinging eyes. "How much farther?" Sora called,
arm raised in front of his eyes.
"There should be a cave around here. That should be where it lives." Marlene called back. She smoothed her dress back down
before pointing to the east. "That way, past those rocks. It should be just beyond them." She prayed briefly that her rather scattered
informant's memory had been accurate. They couldn't take much more of this cold.
Sora nodded. "Don't worry, we'll find it."
~~~~~~~
Riku lay awake in the guest room, listening to the rain beat against the windows. He sighed, crossing his arms beneath his head
and stared up at the ceiling. All his muscles ached.
He saw it before he heard it. A small black shape rising from the floor and rushing to the foot of the bed, a second later the little
shadow's 'voice' bloomed in his head.
'Master.' It twisted the sheets between is black clawed hands. 'Master, runaway.' It creeped up the bed, until it was crouched at his
side, 'runaway.'
Riku sat up, "Run away? From what?" The shadow itself hadn't worried him, he was used to it popping up from nowhere, but rarely
did it talk so much, or seem so distressed.
It hesitated for a moment, and then seemed to gather its wits. 'Lizard has woken up. It is very, very mad.' the shadow mimed a
growl, and its thought to him was of furious raging aggression. 'It will kill you, if you do not run.' the feelings filled Riku's mind,
painting a better picture than words ever could. 'Run away.'
Riku narrowed his eyes and pushed himself out of bed, ribs burning. He smiled grimly and called his keyblade, smirking as it
materialized in his hand, "Let it come."
~~~~~~~
The lizard tensed in its icy cavern. There. There. That pulse of violent power. The vicious magic gathering itself in one place, one
building, one room. One person.
20 miles away.
The lizard leapt forward, surging from that cave and unfurling its tattered wings.
It would have its revenge. It would not be forgotten again, not this time. Ansem would regret abandoning it.
Because 20 miles was nothing when you could fly.
~~~~~~~
Things always happen in twos.
So it would come as no surprise to a cosmic philosopher that the it, the lead heartless growling deep in the Northern Mountains,
would also choose now to awaken.
Ari was not a cosmic philosopher. So he was decently shocked when suddenly red-hot fire shot from deep within the cave. He
reacted instantly, on his feet without realizing it, sword he had so desperately wanted to put aside in his hand.
It surged up from the cavern, a black man shape wreathed in fire.
He dimly realized that the others were up as well. Standing besides him. Rosalyn had her rapier at the ready and Epros was
already casting spells.
Ari lunged forward, striking out, and then stumbled in shock as his sword passed right through the monster without so much as
scraping it. He backed up, eyes widening, before desperately casting blaze sword.
It worked.
"Rosalyn! Rosalyn, your weapon needs to be spelled!"
The pink hero didn't seem to hear him.
~~~~~~~~
"What the fuck?!"
Reno leapt back from the 12-story window at the same time the dragon crashed through it. Glass rained down from the shattered
remains of the wall, landing on the plush carpeted floor and lodging themselves in Reno's raised arms. The lizard twisted its head
around and stared at him through yellowed eyes. It snorted once before turning away, bulk slamming into the wall and through the
plaster.
It thundered down the hall, feet falling heavy on thinly carpeted concrete. It stuck its head through a door, sniffed deeply and
smashed back through the living room wall, the splintered doorframe round its long neck like choker.
Its eyes slitted when it reached the guestroom door. Its head weaved back and forth, snake like, before throwing itself against the
boundary.
The wall didn't explode. It disintegrated. Microscopic plaster particles floated in the air between Riku and the lizard.
Both stared. The dragon's eyes dilated, devouring the image before them. It lowed its head; eyes still locked on Riku, and crooned
gently, the vibration blowing Riku's hair into his eyes.
They stared.
Then the dragon's eyes contracted again, slitting into a furious glare as it reared up, arched its serpentine neck and shot black-blue
fire at its betrayer.
~~~~~~~~
She had spent the day training with Tidus and his friends. Mainly she had practiced timing, learning to block Tidus and knock
Wakka's blitzballs back at him. It had been both fun and exhausting. For once dinner had been eaten cheerfully and sleep was
easy.
She curled comfortably on her bed, down comforter wrapped around her legs while her she dreamed of reality.
Sora was there. Sitting on the floor of the mayor's house and playing solitaire.
He was loosing.
Kairi came up behind him, peering over his shoulder at the game. "Sora," She said, "You can't win with just one ace."
He shrugged, "I know, but it's all I have." He waved his hands at the cards. "See?"
Kairi smiled and kneeled down next to him, lifting first one hidden card, then another, until she finally found the ace of spades.
"Now you have two," She placed it next to the uncovered ace of hearts.
He looked up at her, "That's cheating, Kairi." He reprimanded, but didn't put the card back.
"Take it," Riku always appeared behind her, no matter the dream. "You need all the help you can get."
Sora stuck his tongue out at the other boy.
"Lovely."
Kairi smiled, giggling gently, before hugging Sora tight. "I miss you guys so much."
"We miss you too." Sora's eyes were the color of the deepest ocean, or the darkest sky.
~~~~~~
Sora was, in actuality, very awake and sprinting across the very cold snow towards the very bright fire burning in the cave ahead.
He could hear shouts, crashes and deep guttural snarls. His keyblade was heavy in his hand, dragging him down as he raced
toward the battle.
The snow was melted in a 5-foot semicircle around the cave entrance. Inside the fire creature slashed at its enemies with horned
fists. They were cornered; somehow the beast had gotten around them, and now stood between them and the cave entrance.
Sora was surprised when he layed eyes on the fighters. He had expected to see power and might, but Ari looked little older than
him and very small for a great hero.
Sora sprinted across the dusty ground, sliding to a stop behind the man monster. "Hey, over here!" He didn't wait for it to focus on
him before lunging.
~~~~~~
She had gone outside. To look at the stars. To watch them flicker thousands of miles away. Her star chart sat in her lap. She had
half a dozen solar systems labeled and another million to go. The pinpoints of light were infinite, going ever on within space and the
black mat of Sora's eyes.
Heartless were playing in the shallows. Waves lapping around them.
Kairi jerked back, eyes wide with fright. Carefully she kneeled, head down, and crawled toward her house.
In the surf gold eyes glowed.
Kairi froze for a moment, muscles tense and trembling. Then she ran.
The heatless followed.
She raced forward, sandal flying off her foot and she leapt over a bush. Her entire body was shaking, terror giving her speed. They
clattered behind her, dashed beside her, materialized in front of her. She jumped over them, feet pounding and breath caught with
sobs and gasps. She pulled ahead when she reached the trees, but she could hear them all around her.
~~~~~~
Riku lay bleeding on the floor. The lizard loomed over him, insane beer yellow eyes locked with his. One sharp talon held him
down; it was as big as his torso and weighed heavily on his chest. He gasped in pain as the weight increased.
It leaned down, tongue flicking out and grazing across its almost-master's face. Lapping at the blood.
It began to press harder.
It would crush him into the ground.
~~~~~~
In complete terror she slammed into her door. Twisting the knob desperately only to feel the hard resistance of the deadbolt.
As she fumbled for her keys she wondered when her parents had put a lock on the door. She wrenched the jellyfish key chain from
her pocket and isolated a single bronze key from the hundreds on the metal loop. She shoved it roughly into the lock; twisting it
around twice before realizing it was the wrong one. She tried another. And another. And another.
She could hear the heartless behind her, sprinting up the gravel road in a seething mass of black death.
She tried another. Slamming her fist against the wooden barrier, screaming and crying and separating out another key and then the
armor was there, inches away, its obsidian claws reaching to rip her heart from her chest and there was nothing she could do, no
one left to help her on this black dead island as she felt her heart stolen again and she didn't even get to warn Sora...
Kairi woke screaming. She curled up on her bed, huddling in the darkness with sticky tears sliding down her face, too afraid to
move. She struggled to be silent, sure they were in here like monsters under the bed.
All those keys.
All wrong.
All those stars. A zillion universes.
All those keys. Gold and bronze and heavy and notched and different.
A billion constellations.
All those keys.
"Oh Sora," She curled up tightly, "Oh Sora, it won't work. It won't work... Its not the right one anymore. Oh Sora..."
How foolish they had been to think that one key would lock all the doors.
~~~~~~~
