The Darkness in My Heart
You Can Talk!
Author's Randomness:
Hey y'all! Whew! I barely got this chapter done! I finished it, and then posted it. I was really busy this week, what with 4th of July and all. Then after that I got the Inuyasha first season box set … and well, let's just say that if you get up really early then stay up really late you can watch them all! It was so romantic! I love Inuyasha! I got new plushies! Yays! Of the Inuyasha ones I have Inuyasha (of course), Shippo, Kagome, and Miroku! Yays! This chapter is dedicated to Inumaru 12, R.A. Pointless, MagicianCyborg, Duelwielder, and Sai-ryo Aura Feena! Yays! (Hands out Sora plushies) Thanks! I'll treasure your reviews always! So, on you read!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts! I don't own anything, not even my mind! I sold it to my friend for a cookie, she sold it to Ansem for Riku, and I bought him from her for a doughnut, but he escaped! Darn it! I had such fun plans for him …
Riku: (comes out of his hiding place in a closet) Is she gone?
Sora awoke to the sound of bells, pulling him from a dream of him and a big box of Sora Snacks (A/N: Think Scooby Snacks, only for Sora and Riku. Lol :D Thanks Merodi Tora!). He had fallen asleep in the carriage, waiting for Cinderella to come out. The brunette soon realized that it was midnight. He sleepily got up, and then a thought hit him hard.
"Crud! It's midnight!" Sora yelled as he ran over to the steps. He saw Cinderella running down the steps, trying to get away, as the prince chased after her, telling her to wait. She hurried down the steps, and on the way, one of her glass slippers fell off.
"Huh? My slipper!" Cinderella said, going back to get her slipper.
"There's no time!" Sora yelled as he grabbed her arm. He pulled her into the carriage, and it took off, swiftly leaving the castle behind. They hurried away, and when the bell tolled the final ring, the magic ran out, and everything turned back to the way it was. The carriage became a pumpkin once more, making both boy and girl tumble on the ground. They got on the side of the road, and gathered up the mice and the dog. Cinderella was in her old dress once more, but she was missing a shoe.
"I'll never be able to get home on just one foot, and the ground has too many rocks and wood splinters," Cinderella said as she put the mice in her apron.
"Let me think … I got it!" Sora said. He pulled off his shirt, and ripped off the sleeves of the white t-shirt that he wore underneath his regular clothes. He wrapped the cloth around her foot, and they set off towards her home. "So … how was the ball?" Sora asked as the walked, breaking the silence.
"Oh, Sora, it was wonderful! We danced, and we talked … it was so … so … romantic!" Cinderella said, her eyes seeming distant as she remembered the moments she had spent with the prince.
"Well, did he ask you to be his bride? If he liked you that much, than he should have proposed. Isn't that what this ball was for?" Sora asked curiously.
"Umm … no, he didn't propose or anything, but then again, I did kind of have to run out on him. I didn't even get a chance to tell him my real name …"
"What! Why not!" Sora asked.
"Never got the chance," she said simply. By now they had arrived at the house, and they entered the dark rooms. "Sora, you should probably go back to the barn, because my stepsisters and stepmother should be home soon. Here, you can use this candle," she said, handing him a lit candle. He took it and went outside, and laid out a pillow in the hay. After today he was exhausted. He lay down, and went to sleep.
The next day, Sora woke up, hay imbedded in his hair. He stumbled outside, and was face to face with a much older woman. "So, you're the boy who is staying with us. You don't look like much, but nonetheless, if you're going to stay here you have to work to earn your keep."
"Uh … okay," Sora said, confused at the way this lady was treating a guest. 'Aren't you supposed to be nice to someone who is staying at your home?' Sora thought as she thrust a bucket and brush into his hands.
"You can start by scrubbing the walkway out front. After that, you can make lunch, assuming that you can cook," she said, walking back to the house.
"Nice lady … NOT," Sora muttered as he walked out to the front walkway. He found a hose, and he filled up the bucket. He took the bucket over to the walkway and started scrubbing the walkway. "I wonder what Kairi and Riku are doing right now …"
Riku was sitting on the paupu tree, looking out at the ocean as he usually did. Today was more because a lack of sparring partners, seeing as Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie were too scared to fight him. Besides, Sora was the only one who could actually keep up with him anyways. He was the only one who knew to dodge the attack when Riku did his infamous jump up from his back trick. Riku sighed, and slumped lower on the tree, bored out of his mind. He was wearing his usual outfit of a yellow shirt and blue pants, but on his hands were a pair of black leather gloves …
Kairi sat in the secret cave that only Sora and she knew about. She was busy scribbling on the walls, similar to the kind of designs that were on the cave walls of Riku and Sora's secret cave. She decided to take a break, and she leaned on the back of the wall. She had just finished a drawing of Sora, and now she was exhausted. She examined the artwork, while fiddling with a small necklace around her neck, which had come to her overnight …
Sora had just finished scrubbing the walkway, when he sat up and looked down the road. A carriage was coming up, and it looked very fancy. He examined it closely, and by the way the people were dressed, it seemed to be the prince's. He stood up and went inside.
"Looks like the prince's carriage is outside," Sora announced a little loudly. He heard a thundering from upstairs and just barely jumped out of the way as Cinderella's stepsisters came stampeding down the stairs. He climbed the stairs, looking for Cinderella. He found her cleaning in her stepmother's bedroom.
Sora heard a distant voice coming from downstairs saying, "We have gone around to every eligible maiden in the kingdom, and the one whose foot fits in this glass slipper is the one who shall marry the prince …"
"Come on, that's you," Sora said as he tugged on her arm.
"I'm coming," Cinderella said, and they went to open the door. But when they went to turn the handle, it was locked. Sora heard footsteps leaving the door, and he guessed who had done this.
"That witch!" Sora yelled as he pounded on the door. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't get the door open.
" … Are you sure there are no other maidens in this house?" a voice said from below.
"There are no others," said Lucille, as Cinderella started to sob. Just then, the fairy godmother appeared, and landed in front of them.
"Sora, use the Keyblade," she urged.
"But it's a Keyblade not just a key," he said, putting emphasis on the 'blade' part to show that it was a sword.
"But it will unlock things to," she said, and with that, she vanished.
"Fine," he said, and the Keyblade appeared in his hand. He pointed the tip at the lock, and a laser shot from it. A giant Keyhole appeared, and they heard a clicking sound. Sora tried the door, and it opened, letting Cinderella out. She ran downstairs, Sora close behind.
"Wait!" she yelled just as the prince was about to leave. "Let me try!"
"But she is just a scullery maid! She would never be - ," Lucille started, but then she saw the glare on Sora's face that said very solidly 'Don't even try it!' The man with the slipper put it on her foot, and it fit perfectly. "But that's impossible!"
"Oh it's possible," said the prince. "You are the one I danced with, aren't you?" he asked. She nodded yes, with an innocent smile on her face. He led her to the waiting carriage, and helped her inside.
"Sora, thank you for everything. I want you to have this," she said as she handed him a little blue jewel. "It was my good luck charm, but you will need it more than I will. Good-bye, Sora, and good luck!" she said as the carriage took off, heading for the castle. Sora hurried to the barn, where he saw Pluto waiting, everything all ready.
"You knew this was coming, didn't you?" Sora asked with a grin. The dog nodded, and put on the backpack. Sora put on his, and they walked out the barn door. But when they left the barn, it wasn't the outside they saw, but the hall way in Sora's heart. It seemed lighter, and they were farther away from the dark end.
They continued walking towards the light, and eventually Sora decided to take a lunch break. He got out the stuff for a sandwich, and he ate it, sharing with Pluto. They finished their lunch, and continued on their way. They continued on their way, and they eventually came upon another strange door. It was an orange-ish color, and when Sora touched it, his hand felt warmth.
"Okay, that's really weird," Sora said, as he took his hand off the door. He looked at Pluto and said, "How about we camp here tonight, then go in tomorrow? Who knows what we'll find in there." The dog nodded approval of this plan, and took off his backpack. Sora took off his, and pulled out the tent from Pluto's bag. He pressed the button, and the tent sprang up.
Sora went inside, and pulled out the hairbrush from the bag. He brushed his hair, because no matter how he had tried, he couldn't get all the hay out of his hair from the night before. The brunette brushed his hair, and was eventually satisfied that he had gotten all of the hay out. He used the water basin to wash his face and brush his teeth, and then went to his bed. He lay awake for awhile, wondering if Kairi and Riku were okay without him.
He took out the little gem that Cinderella had given him. It was a beautiful gem, and when you looked inside, it looked like a little blizzard trapped inside. He put away, and Sora eventually fell asleep, his dreams full of Kairi …
"Sora help me!" Kairi screamed as a giant wyvern started carrying her off.
"Kairi! I'm coming!" Sora yelled as he jumped over a large body cutting it down on the way. He did a spin, killing a ring of shadows that had formed around him. He ran a wizard through, and caught up to the wyvern carrying Kairi. It flew higher, just out Sora's reach. It flew higher and higher, heading for the top of Hallow Bastion. He ran through the castle, heading to the top.
He cut down two more defenders and another wizard on the way there. He burst through the door, and saw the wyvern holding an unconscious Kairi in its talons. Well, Kairi never did like heights.
"Let her go!" Sora demanded, holding the Keyblade threateningly. The creature's only response was to fly over the edge, a long drop to the bottom. "Fine then! Strike Raid!" Sora screamed, and he flung the Keyblade at the wyvern. It struck the giant Heartless, and disappeared, dropping Kairi from the height. He ran to the edge, and jumped off; falling a little bit before he used his glide ability, catching Kairi on his back as he glided to safety. He let her down carefully, because by now she had regained consciousness.
"My hero!" Kairi yelled as she hugged Sora tightly. He hugged her back, and then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before Sora suddenly realized that he was dreaming.
Sora woke up, and checked his watch. It was 7:30 am, and he knew that he should probably get up. "Darn it! It was just a dream!" Sora said as he stood up and walked over to the water basin. He washed up, and then left the tent. He put on his backpack and pushed the button on the tent. The tent folded itself back up, and he put it back into the bag. Pluto sat next to him, and Sora sighed. "Ready?" Sora asked. The dog nodded, and Sora walked to the door. He felt the warmth on his hand, and he turned the doorknob. He entered the doorway, and found himself in what looked like the savannah.
The air was hot and moist, and there were very few trees. There were a lot of animals, but he didn't see any people. He stepped all the way out of the doorway, and it vanished, leaving Sora and Pluto in this strange, vast land.
"Hey, Sora, let's go that way," said a voice that he didn't recognize. He looked around, and didn't see anyone, but he was sure that he had heard a voice. The only creature who was next to him was Pluto. "You know, if you look around wildly like that, people are going to think you are crazy," said the voice again. Sora was now very flustered. Where was that voice coming from?
"Hello?" Sora called.
"Hello to you to," said the voice in a sarcastic way.
"Umm, where are you?" Sora asked, confused.
"Where I've been the entire time. Right next to you," the voice said.
"Umm, what's your name?" Sora asked the voice.
"Oh, come on Sora! It's Pluto!" the voice said. Sora looked down at the dog, who was staring up at him. "What?" the dog said to the confused boy.
"You can talk!" Sora yelled, a little worried that he was dreaming.
"Well, of course I can! Well, here anyways," the dog said, trotting off in the direction he wanted to go. He stopped for a second and looked at the boy who was still standing there in shock. "Coming?" the dog asked.
Sora shook off his shock and confusion and followed the dog. "So wait. In this world you can talk?" Sora asked, confused.
"Yes," the dog replied, still walking.
"Okaayyyy," Sora said, deciding to let the matter drop. "So, do you know where we're going?" Sora asked the dog.
"We're going to Pride Rock. It's where the lions live," Pluto said.
"L – lions?" Sora asked as nervousness started creeping into his voice. "I don't know if you know this, but where I come from, lions eat people," Sora said.
"Well, not these ones. Well … not usually," Pluto added. "They'll only hurt you if you hunt their cubs."
"Okay," Sora said, a little relieved. Sora saw a large rock up ahead, and Sora guessed that was Pride Rock. They walked for awhile, and they eventually came upon the rock. But something seemed … wrong. The sky was dark here, and there were very few animals around. He saw many hyenas, but very few lions. 'Didn't Pluto say that this was where the lions lived? Then why are there so many hyenas?' Sora thought to himself. "Pluto, something doesn't feel right. It feels as if there's something … evil here," Sora whispered to Pluto.
"I feel it too. We must find Prince Simba," Pluto said, as he climbed the rocks. Sora followed, and they reached the top. Pluto ducked behind some rocks, pulling Sora with him. They peeked out from behind the rocks, and saw a black lion there, barking out orders. "Scar? What is he doing in charge?" Pluto asked softly. They snuck into the cave and found a young lioness that Pluto seemed to know. "Nala?" he whispered.
"Pluto?" the lioness asked.
"Come with me," the dog said, and all three of them snuck outside. "What's going on here? Why is Scar in charge, and where is Simba?"
"Well, Simba disappeared, and Scar was the only one who was eligible for leader, so … Who's the kid?" the lioness asked.
"Hi, I'm Sora," the boy said, kind of nervous because he was talking to a lion! "I'm the Keyblade bearer," he said.
"Welcome, bearer," she said. "We have to find food, otherwise the pride will starve. We should go to the jungle to find some," she said, walking away. Sora and Pluto followed her, and they were soon on their way towards a jungle. They first had to cross a small desert, but they eventually found themselves in a large, luscious jungle. They found a large pool of water, and Sora took long drinks. Crossing a desert wasn't typical exercise for him, and he was worried he was going to die of thirst. After he had had his fill, he sat down and rested.
"So, when did Simba go missing?" Sora asked as he rested against a tree.
"A couple of years ago," Nala said. "I'm going to go hunting. If you want, you can wait here," she said as she walked off.
"So, Pluto, how do you know Nala?" Sora asked while fingering the gem in his pocket. He had been doing that without realizing it, and the coolness it held felt good in this heat.
"I knew both her and Simba as lion cubs. One time they ran off and started playing in the elephant graveyard. They almost got eaten by hyenas. It was Scar's fault that they went in their, and somehow he's taken over the pride," Pluto said, scratching behind his ear.
"Well, how did Scar get to them?" Sora asked.
"Uh, well, he is Simba's uncle," Pluto said.
"What? And he sent them in there?"
"Well I think -," Pluto started, but was cut off by a loud scream, and then a roar. Sora jumped up from where he was sitting, and they both ran over to wear they heard the noise. When they arrived, they saw a very strange sight before them. There was a fat warthog wedged between two roots, a Mir cat trying to free him, and two lions celebrating. Wait a second, that was Nala!
"Whoa!" Nala cried as she and the other lion circled each other playfully.
"Um, a little help here, please," the Mir cat said, still trying to get the warthog free.
"Oh, yeah!" Sora said as he went over to the stuck warthog. He pulled on a tusk, and a few more tugs, he was free. Sora went over to the nuzzling lions, and watched as they caught up as old friends. "Prince Simba?" Sora asked the dog.
"Yep," he replied.
"So, you're Prince Simba," Sora said, walking up to the lion.
"I guess, but here, I am just Simba. Nala tells me that you are the Keyblade bearer, Sora. My father used to tell me tales about the first Keyblade bearer. He saved the universe, by sealing the keyholes. But you seem … younger than the last one. Well, it doesn't matter. Like I was saying before, Nala, I can't go back! I like it here, living the Hakuna Matata lifestyle," the young lion said.
"'Hakuna Matata?' What's that?" Sora asked.
"Hakuna Matata, is the lifestyle that we in the jungle live by. It means 'No Worries,' the Mir cat interjected. "I am Timon, and the giant warthog over there is Pumbaa."
"Hello," the warthog said.
But Simba, you have to come back! The pride is starving! There is no more food because the hyenas and Scar have eaten it all! Everyone thinks you're dead! If you come back, Scar won't be in charge anymore," Nala said in a serious tone.
"I told you. It's not my problem anymore! Now leave me alone," Simba said, running off into the jungle.
"Simba! Wait!" Nala yelled, before looking down in sadness. Sora ran after the lion, and found him by the side of a pool.
"Simba, you have to come back to Pride Rock. The people there are suffering," Sora said as he approached the lion with caution
"I know, but he'll be there," Simba said, looking down at the water.
"Who? Your uncle?" Sora asked as he sat down next to Simba.
"Yes, him. When I was younger, my father died. Scar was there. He said that it was my fault that he died. He told me that everyone would hate me, so I ran. Timon and Pumbaa found me, and took me in. They taught me how to live in the way of Hakuna Matata. But the reason I don't want to go back is that I can never be my father. He was a strong leader, and everybody looked up to him. He taught me about how all the kings of the pride live in the stars and look down upon us. Now he's up there, always looking down on me. But I can never live up to him," Simba said, reminiscing about the past.
Sora considered this for a moment, then lay back. "Your right," he said. "You'll never be your father. You'll be you. I spent my whole life trying to live up to my friend. He was always better than me, at everything. But recently I realized that if you try to be someone else, you'll never be yourself, which is all you really should be. So, sure. You aren't your father. You'll be Simba, the one people look up to"
"Sora … thanks. You've helped me realize that I don't need to be my father. We should probably get back to the others, shouldn't we?"
"Yep, probably should," Sora said, as he stood up. And together they walked towards their friends.
Author's Randomness:
Okay, so did you guys like this chapter? I know that it didn't have a lot of action, but I needed to have something like this to move the story forward. But since I didn't have a lot of action, I tried to put in a little fluff! It wasn't much, but it was there. Don't worry! Next chapter has a ton of action, because they meet … dun, dun, dun … Scar! Ohhh, scary! Okays, so toodles, review, and Ja Ne!