Part Two: A Time Before Destiny
This particular day on Destiny Islands was like every other day on Destiny Islands. The sea shone the same beautiful aqua under the same fair sky. The breeze that blew teased the fronds of the palm trees warmly. And on the white sand beaches that stretched across the coast of this little island, a sixteen-year-old boy was being woken not so delicately from a nap.
"Sora!" one of his friends called out as she shook him out of a troubled slumber. "Wake up, you lazy bum!" His eyelids fluttered a few times before opening completely to the face of one of his best friends, a girl his own age with dark auburn hair that reached down to her shoulders and a smile that never failed to warm Sora's heart.
"Aww...Kairi, can't you let up on me just this once?" Sora moaned as he woke up and brushed the sand off his red shorts and combed his fingers through his spiky brown hair to shake out any sand in there.
Kairi grinned and shook her head. "Nope! You're lucky that Riku and I didn't just take the boat back and leave you stranded here. He wanted to, you know."
Sora turned around to find his other best friend, a brawny, silver-haired boy he had known since childhood, looking at him with a with pity in his eyes. "Sheesh, I knew there was something wrong with you, wanting to come back to this little island again. I thought you'd outgrown that," Riku said as he crossed his arms.
"Hey! I'm not a kid! Not any more than you guys!" the brown-haired boy defended himself. He began walking down the beach toward the bridge to a smaller island.
"So," Riku said after they had arrived on the tiny island and settled on the bent trunk of the paopu tree. "Why exactly did you drag us here?"
Sora shrugged, wondering how much of the truth he should tell. "I just woke up this morning, and I wanted to come back here again. Hey!" he said as he noticed a couple of objects hidden between the tree trunk and the ground. Grasping at them, he discovered that they were two old wooden swords. "Do you remember these?" Sora grinned as he tossed one of them to Riku. In the corner of his eye, he caught Kairi sighing at them as she made her way off the island.
"Sure do. I remember how you used to cry for mercy when we dueled." Following some unseen script, Riku hopped down from his perch on the paopu tree and readied himself for an impending duel.
"Funny, I always thought it was the other way around," Sora said, circling his opponent. "You wanna find out?"
Riku charged, lunging at Sora and managing to land a scratch on him. "Ha! You mean, should I teach you a lesson?"
Sora said nothing as he counterattacked, just grunted as he hit Riku with a combination sequence: left, right, down in quick succession. Though his attack managed to knock Riku to the ground, Sora failed to move away in time to escape Riku's counterattack, a devastating kick that he performed as he picked himself back up, and for that Sora was rewarded with Riku's feet thudding into his stomach and knocking him back a few steps.
Riku began circling again, waiting for Sora to regain his balance and shouting taunts at his friend. Sora took advantage of this opening and charged towards Riku. Zealously, he swung his wooden weapon and caught Riku just beneath the eye, hard, and completely by accident.
The cool, questioning glint in Riku's eyes told Sora that he noticed the use of a less than fair move, but other than that, the older boy seemed to ignore any pain. Instead, he used the proximity to Sora to grab the younger boy by the waist and throw him to the ground. Sora's back and head hit the packed sand hard enough to make a spiky, soft crater, and Sora wondered if he lost consciousness for a few seconds. The wooden blade of Riku's sword pressed against Sora's jugular. Sora winced, an acknowledgment of his defeat, and an outstretched hand replaced the wooden sword in Sora's line of sight. Gratefully, he accepted the hand and pulled himself to his feet. A smirk of Riku's flashed in Sora's direction, and Sora understood that everything was well between them and said so with a grin that Kairi always said brightened any room that it was flashed in.
However, judging from the blue glare directed toward them from the bridge, Kairi still had a few issues to sort out with them. She crossed the tropical battlefield, blatantly ignoring the fact that both Sora and Riku were armed while she carried no weapon.
"What do you guys think you're doing? You could have gotten yourselves hurt."
"Come on, Kairi, it's just fun and games. I'm sure Sora didn't mean to hit me in the face. He's too clumsy for that." Riku gestured over at Sora, who, while looking down at his gangly arms and legs, blushed.
"Yeah!" Sora retorted, "And I'm sure that Riku didn't trip me on purpose."
"Trip?" Riku raised a silver eyebrow. "That was a tackle. I could show you what the difference is."
With a nervous laugh and a single hand behind his head, Sora began to protest before Kairi stepped in. "There's no need for that. Besides, there are better ways for you guys to compete than just beating each other with sharp sticks." Breaking into a sudden smile, she took each of the boy's hands and led them across the bridge and through the little shack that graced the edge of the beach near the sparkling waterfall.
As they exited through the lower door of the shack, Kairi dropped their hands and moved to one side. "I'll race you!"
"What?" Riku said, wiping sweat from his brow. "You have to be kidding!"
Sora had to agree as the air around him was so thick with humidity that he wondered if water would condense on his jacket, but he wouldn't dare say anything to Kairi, not when she seemed so eager to see them race.
Resigned, Sora glanced at Riku. "The usual?" he asked as Kairi led them across the beach and through the shack at the far end. Passing through the dark, bare structure, they emerged into the cove, an extension of the beach where a bunch of parents long ago had built a place for the children to play. Both the bridge that stretched over a narrow inlet and the watch tower that stood guarding the island were rickety now, but the perceived danger added to the appeal. Even a few years ago, it had drawn the adventurous boys, but now the true shabbiness of the structure was only too apparent.
"It seems that way. I suppose we should keep the stakes the same: a paopu fruit with Kairi." Riku shrugged.
The brunette girl shook her head and laughed a little as Sora began to sputter. A paopu? With Kairi? He wondered for a second if she had ever seen that picture they had drawn of each other after he had added the extra detail. Hopefully not. How embarrassing, to have to own up to the huge crush he used to have on her when they had only been fourteen.
An elbow to the ribs woke him up from his distraction. "Hey, Sora, the real world's calling," Riku called. Sora shook his head to clear it of these thoughts and focus on the race ahead of him. After losing in that duel, he would prove that he was superior to his more dexterous friend in something. They lined up against an invisible line, and Riku got into the ready position. Following his lead, Sora did the same.
Kairi raised her hand and then lowered it as if she had cut an invisible rope and released the boys. Riku took off at a running start, dashing across the bridge without a care that it could collapse at any moment. Sora lagged behind, navigating the bridge and leaping across the most unstable parts. As he usually did, Riku took the long way around, sliding down the rope on the watch tower, while Sora jumped directly from the bank and waded across the shallowest part of the ocean. Running up the ramp and making jumps from one treetop to another, he tagged the tree just seconds before Riku did. Before he remembered that he had to make it back to Kairi, he gloated for a second. He then jumped off the highest platform and landed solidly, if not gracefully, on his feet.
Sora took off running, retracing his earlier path and as he crossed the bridge the last time, he glanced back to see Riku barely behind him and yet too late to catch up to him. Sora pumped his fist in victory, thrilled to know that he was still faster than Riku.
Riku glowered at him. "It was just a joke about the paopu fruit. No reason to take it seriously."
Sora frowned. "It wasn't about the paopu!" It wasn't, he told himself, it really wasn't. He just wanted to prove to himself and his friends that he could still compete with Riku.
With a casual toss of his head and a roll of his aqua eyes, Riku dismissed that last statement. "Uh-huh, sure. I bet you still believe in that old legend. You know, all that binding through eternity garbage."
"I don't!" Sora protested. He didn't. Sure he had listened to Selphie, the hyper girl with the jump rope who used to play on the island, whenever she had rambled on about the paopu fruit, and one day after hearing the legend again, he had even drawn himself sharing one of the star-shaped fruits with Kairi, but he had never really believed. It was just a fruit, and the only reason that the adults refused to ever eat it was because it was poisonous. It had nothing to do with eternity. Nothing at all.
"Sora?" Kairi leaned in and peered into his face, "Are you okay? You're kinda spacing out on us."
"Uhh... huh?" Sora asked, eloquent as usual. "I'm not spacing out!" Kairi stepped back, and looked at Sora inquiringly with her hand on her hips. As usual, Riku just flashed a smirk. Both seemed to be less than convinced. "I'm not!" He protested, "I'm just remembering."
Somehow, the friends found themselves wandering back to the beach as the red sun dipped below the horizon and the sky took on a vivid crimson tint. Just as Sora remembered doing so often when they were younger, they rested on the little island where Sora and Riku had dueled earlier.
Kairi perched herself on the bent-over trunk of the paopu tree that graced the edge of the island. Sora rested next to her, closer to the base, while Riku leaned against the trunk where it was high enough to support his back. In silence, they watched the sun set before Kairi cleared her throat and asked the question that had been haunting them since they had arrived. "Do you guys still, you know, think about that day?"
That day, that day. Kairi didn't have to say anything more; Sora knew the exact day she was talking about, and from the frown on Riku's face, he guessed that his best friend did too.
"We built the raft..." Kairi continued before she trailed off.
They had built a raft -- the idealistic, curious children they had been even two years ago. Sora remembered eagerly perusing the island, searching each nook for pieces of old logs and weathered cloths and used clothesline. They had slapped together the best raft they could, and even the adults had admitted that it looked pretty impressive. They would have sailed off to another world on it, maybe even found Kairi's real home with it.
"Yeah..." Sora said, caught in the memories, "And we were going to sail away, and we were going to see your hometown."
Even Riku lowered himself to reminiscing. "It wasn't that, but we were going to see what was out there. And now..." He shrugged. "And now I wonder if those other worlds even exist."
Sora understood his friend. Two years ago, the possibilities of other worlds had seemed so fresh, so real. He had known they existed just because, to his expansive mind, they had simply had to, just as the sun had to rise and set. But now, as he looked out at the night that wrapped around the sky, he had never felt so unsure of anything before.
"I know. What if the storm hadn't eaten up the raft? We could be on another world right now. We could have had the best time ever."
Riku shook his head. "It wasn't just the raft." he said bitterly.
No, it wasn't just the raft. The night of the storm, the three of them had rushed to their little island, but as soon as they had seen the wind-torn wreckage lying scattered on the beach, they had mourned but accepted the loss. But as they had walked back to the island, they had expected something to happen. They had watched the lightning play across the sky and ignored the rain that stung their faces for what seemed like hours, just waiting for something to happen. Admitting their defeat as the storm rolled away, they left the island in shambles and the three of them soaked and ragged.
"I know. But that thing we felt that night. I think it's coming again!" Sora brightened. "I know it's coming again."
Riku and Kairi stared at Sora, silent for several minutes. Then Kairi burst out into forced laughter. "You're silly, Sora. It's like you haven't changed a bit."
Sora shook his head. "We've all changed too much. But I feel it this time, I really do!"
"Ahh." Riku crossed his arms and gave Sora a penetrating gaze. "So that's why you dragged us here. I knew there was a reason." Despite the harsh words, he smiled too. "I feel it too. It'll be soon."
A collective sigh filled the air, and Sora rested against the paopu tree as a comfortable silence settled among them. The stars twinkled above, and the sense of wonder he had felt those years ago came back as he watched the tiny lights play. One star burned brighter that the rest, the light wavering irregularly. He tracked the pattern of its flickering glow carefully. At least, he did until he felt Kairi's hand on top of his. Turning to her in surprise, he felt his cheeks heat up before he caught the look on her face. Her gaze was still fixed upwards, and the half moon illuminated a tear running down her cheek.
When he took her hand, she squeezed it urgently, taking all the comfort from him that she could.
"Kairi!" Riku called, and Sora realized that he had her other hand. The silver haired boy wrapped his arm around her and shook her gently.
"I want..." she whimpered, "I want to go home."
Sora helped Kairi to her feet. "Come on, we can go now, Kairi," he offered. "We don't have to stay on this island. "
Kairi shook her head and smiled sadly. "That's not it. I want to go home. Back to my hometown."
Apparently unfazed, Riku gave her a reassuring smile. "Soon Kairi, soon. You can be home again."
Sora could just stare. Kairi? Going home? But why?
***
Author's notes: A little more alternate time line here than in the first chapter, nee? Hopefully, some of the deviations from the original game are becoming more obvious as the story continues. Trust me, it's going to get much further out there before it all ends. Heh heh.... This is THE unholy conglomeration of KH, Another Side, Another Story, Final Mix, Deep Dive, and a few strange things from my strange little headland.
Now, for the pieces of soul to hand out.
Koorino Megumi: You'd better be reading it. ^_~ I expect no less from my editor. Remember, folks: if anything in my story makes any sense, it's because of this wonderful person right here. A big thank you to her.
Naela: The apocalypse? Really? I just thought that the dead had risen. M'dear, they're saving up the apocalypse for the day that you update Behind the Darkness. And the title isn't anything cool, it just fit. But thanks.
Ginger Ninja: Thanks. ^_^ Hope you get a kick out of the later parts as well.
None of your Business: Anything is possible, even a good novelization of Kingdom Hearts, which sadly this is not. But I'm glad that you're liking it.
This particular day on Destiny Islands was like every other day on Destiny Islands. The sea shone the same beautiful aqua under the same fair sky. The breeze that blew teased the fronds of the palm trees warmly. And on the white sand beaches that stretched across the coast of this little island, a sixteen-year-old boy was being woken not so delicately from a nap.
"Sora!" one of his friends called out as she shook him out of a troubled slumber. "Wake up, you lazy bum!" His eyelids fluttered a few times before opening completely to the face of one of his best friends, a girl his own age with dark auburn hair that reached down to her shoulders and a smile that never failed to warm Sora's heart.
"Aww...Kairi, can't you let up on me just this once?" Sora moaned as he woke up and brushed the sand off his red shorts and combed his fingers through his spiky brown hair to shake out any sand in there.
Kairi grinned and shook her head. "Nope! You're lucky that Riku and I didn't just take the boat back and leave you stranded here. He wanted to, you know."
Sora turned around to find his other best friend, a brawny, silver-haired boy he had known since childhood, looking at him with a with pity in his eyes. "Sheesh, I knew there was something wrong with you, wanting to come back to this little island again. I thought you'd outgrown that," Riku said as he crossed his arms.
"Hey! I'm not a kid! Not any more than you guys!" the brown-haired boy defended himself. He began walking down the beach toward the bridge to a smaller island.
"So," Riku said after they had arrived on the tiny island and settled on the bent trunk of the paopu tree. "Why exactly did you drag us here?"
Sora shrugged, wondering how much of the truth he should tell. "I just woke up this morning, and I wanted to come back here again. Hey!" he said as he noticed a couple of objects hidden between the tree trunk and the ground. Grasping at them, he discovered that they were two old wooden swords. "Do you remember these?" Sora grinned as he tossed one of them to Riku. In the corner of his eye, he caught Kairi sighing at them as she made her way off the island.
"Sure do. I remember how you used to cry for mercy when we dueled." Following some unseen script, Riku hopped down from his perch on the paopu tree and readied himself for an impending duel.
"Funny, I always thought it was the other way around," Sora said, circling his opponent. "You wanna find out?"
Riku charged, lunging at Sora and managing to land a scratch on him. "Ha! You mean, should I teach you a lesson?"
Sora said nothing as he counterattacked, just grunted as he hit Riku with a combination sequence: left, right, down in quick succession. Though his attack managed to knock Riku to the ground, Sora failed to move away in time to escape Riku's counterattack, a devastating kick that he performed as he picked himself back up, and for that Sora was rewarded with Riku's feet thudding into his stomach and knocking him back a few steps.
Riku began circling again, waiting for Sora to regain his balance and shouting taunts at his friend. Sora took advantage of this opening and charged towards Riku. Zealously, he swung his wooden weapon and caught Riku just beneath the eye, hard, and completely by accident.
The cool, questioning glint in Riku's eyes told Sora that he noticed the use of a less than fair move, but other than that, the older boy seemed to ignore any pain. Instead, he used the proximity to Sora to grab the younger boy by the waist and throw him to the ground. Sora's back and head hit the packed sand hard enough to make a spiky, soft crater, and Sora wondered if he lost consciousness for a few seconds. The wooden blade of Riku's sword pressed against Sora's jugular. Sora winced, an acknowledgment of his defeat, and an outstretched hand replaced the wooden sword in Sora's line of sight. Gratefully, he accepted the hand and pulled himself to his feet. A smirk of Riku's flashed in Sora's direction, and Sora understood that everything was well between them and said so with a grin that Kairi always said brightened any room that it was flashed in.
However, judging from the blue glare directed toward them from the bridge, Kairi still had a few issues to sort out with them. She crossed the tropical battlefield, blatantly ignoring the fact that both Sora and Riku were armed while she carried no weapon.
"What do you guys think you're doing? You could have gotten yourselves hurt."
"Come on, Kairi, it's just fun and games. I'm sure Sora didn't mean to hit me in the face. He's too clumsy for that." Riku gestured over at Sora, who, while looking down at his gangly arms and legs, blushed.
"Yeah!" Sora retorted, "And I'm sure that Riku didn't trip me on purpose."
"Trip?" Riku raised a silver eyebrow. "That was a tackle. I could show you what the difference is."
With a nervous laugh and a single hand behind his head, Sora began to protest before Kairi stepped in. "There's no need for that. Besides, there are better ways for you guys to compete than just beating each other with sharp sticks." Breaking into a sudden smile, she took each of the boy's hands and led them across the bridge and through the little shack that graced the edge of the beach near the sparkling waterfall.
As they exited through the lower door of the shack, Kairi dropped their hands and moved to one side. "I'll race you!"
"What?" Riku said, wiping sweat from his brow. "You have to be kidding!"
Sora had to agree as the air around him was so thick with humidity that he wondered if water would condense on his jacket, but he wouldn't dare say anything to Kairi, not when she seemed so eager to see them race.
Resigned, Sora glanced at Riku. "The usual?" he asked as Kairi led them across the beach and through the shack at the far end. Passing through the dark, bare structure, they emerged into the cove, an extension of the beach where a bunch of parents long ago had built a place for the children to play. Both the bridge that stretched over a narrow inlet and the watch tower that stood guarding the island were rickety now, but the perceived danger added to the appeal. Even a few years ago, it had drawn the adventurous boys, but now the true shabbiness of the structure was only too apparent.
"It seems that way. I suppose we should keep the stakes the same: a paopu fruit with Kairi." Riku shrugged.
The brunette girl shook her head and laughed a little as Sora began to sputter. A paopu? With Kairi? He wondered for a second if she had ever seen that picture they had drawn of each other after he had added the extra detail. Hopefully not. How embarrassing, to have to own up to the huge crush he used to have on her when they had only been fourteen.
An elbow to the ribs woke him up from his distraction. "Hey, Sora, the real world's calling," Riku called. Sora shook his head to clear it of these thoughts and focus on the race ahead of him. After losing in that duel, he would prove that he was superior to his more dexterous friend in something. They lined up against an invisible line, and Riku got into the ready position. Following his lead, Sora did the same.
Kairi raised her hand and then lowered it as if she had cut an invisible rope and released the boys. Riku took off at a running start, dashing across the bridge without a care that it could collapse at any moment. Sora lagged behind, navigating the bridge and leaping across the most unstable parts. As he usually did, Riku took the long way around, sliding down the rope on the watch tower, while Sora jumped directly from the bank and waded across the shallowest part of the ocean. Running up the ramp and making jumps from one treetop to another, he tagged the tree just seconds before Riku did. Before he remembered that he had to make it back to Kairi, he gloated for a second. He then jumped off the highest platform and landed solidly, if not gracefully, on his feet.
Sora took off running, retracing his earlier path and as he crossed the bridge the last time, he glanced back to see Riku barely behind him and yet too late to catch up to him. Sora pumped his fist in victory, thrilled to know that he was still faster than Riku.
Riku glowered at him. "It was just a joke about the paopu fruit. No reason to take it seriously."
Sora frowned. "It wasn't about the paopu!" It wasn't, he told himself, it really wasn't. He just wanted to prove to himself and his friends that he could still compete with Riku.
With a casual toss of his head and a roll of his aqua eyes, Riku dismissed that last statement. "Uh-huh, sure. I bet you still believe in that old legend. You know, all that binding through eternity garbage."
"I don't!" Sora protested. He didn't. Sure he had listened to Selphie, the hyper girl with the jump rope who used to play on the island, whenever she had rambled on about the paopu fruit, and one day after hearing the legend again, he had even drawn himself sharing one of the star-shaped fruits with Kairi, but he had never really believed. It was just a fruit, and the only reason that the adults refused to ever eat it was because it was poisonous. It had nothing to do with eternity. Nothing at all.
"Sora?" Kairi leaned in and peered into his face, "Are you okay? You're kinda spacing out on us."
"Uhh... huh?" Sora asked, eloquent as usual. "I'm not spacing out!" Kairi stepped back, and looked at Sora inquiringly with her hand on her hips. As usual, Riku just flashed a smirk. Both seemed to be less than convinced. "I'm not!" He protested, "I'm just remembering."
Somehow, the friends found themselves wandering back to the beach as the red sun dipped below the horizon and the sky took on a vivid crimson tint. Just as Sora remembered doing so often when they were younger, they rested on the little island where Sora and Riku had dueled earlier.
Kairi perched herself on the bent-over trunk of the paopu tree that graced the edge of the island. Sora rested next to her, closer to the base, while Riku leaned against the trunk where it was high enough to support his back. In silence, they watched the sun set before Kairi cleared her throat and asked the question that had been haunting them since they had arrived. "Do you guys still, you know, think about that day?"
That day, that day. Kairi didn't have to say anything more; Sora knew the exact day she was talking about, and from the frown on Riku's face, he guessed that his best friend did too.
"We built the raft..." Kairi continued before she trailed off.
They had built a raft -- the idealistic, curious children they had been even two years ago. Sora remembered eagerly perusing the island, searching each nook for pieces of old logs and weathered cloths and used clothesline. They had slapped together the best raft they could, and even the adults had admitted that it looked pretty impressive. They would have sailed off to another world on it, maybe even found Kairi's real home with it.
"Yeah..." Sora said, caught in the memories, "And we were going to sail away, and we were going to see your hometown."
Even Riku lowered himself to reminiscing. "It wasn't that, but we were going to see what was out there. And now..." He shrugged. "And now I wonder if those other worlds even exist."
Sora understood his friend. Two years ago, the possibilities of other worlds had seemed so fresh, so real. He had known they existed just because, to his expansive mind, they had simply had to, just as the sun had to rise and set. But now, as he looked out at the night that wrapped around the sky, he had never felt so unsure of anything before.
"I know. What if the storm hadn't eaten up the raft? We could be on another world right now. We could have had the best time ever."
Riku shook his head. "It wasn't just the raft." he said bitterly.
No, it wasn't just the raft. The night of the storm, the three of them had rushed to their little island, but as soon as they had seen the wind-torn wreckage lying scattered on the beach, they had mourned but accepted the loss. But as they had walked back to the island, they had expected something to happen. They had watched the lightning play across the sky and ignored the rain that stung their faces for what seemed like hours, just waiting for something to happen. Admitting their defeat as the storm rolled away, they left the island in shambles and the three of them soaked and ragged.
"I know. But that thing we felt that night. I think it's coming again!" Sora brightened. "I know it's coming again."
Riku and Kairi stared at Sora, silent for several minutes. Then Kairi burst out into forced laughter. "You're silly, Sora. It's like you haven't changed a bit."
Sora shook his head. "We've all changed too much. But I feel it this time, I really do!"
"Ahh." Riku crossed his arms and gave Sora a penetrating gaze. "So that's why you dragged us here. I knew there was a reason." Despite the harsh words, he smiled too. "I feel it too. It'll be soon."
A collective sigh filled the air, and Sora rested against the paopu tree as a comfortable silence settled among them. The stars twinkled above, and the sense of wonder he had felt those years ago came back as he watched the tiny lights play. One star burned brighter that the rest, the light wavering irregularly. He tracked the pattern of its flickering glow carefully. At least, he did until he felt Kairi's hand on top of his. Turning to her in surprise, he felt his cheeks heat up before he caught the look on her face. Her gaze was still fixed upwards, and the half moon illuminated a tear running down her cheek.
When he took her hand, she squeezed it urgently, taking all the comfort from him that she could.
"Kairi!" Riku called, and Sora realized that he had her other hand. The silver haired boy wrapped his arm around her and shook her gently.
"I want..." she whimpered, "I want to go home."
Sora helped Kairi to her feet. "Come on, we can go now, Kairi," he offered. "We don't have to stay on this island. "
Kairi shook her head and smiled sadly. "That's not it. I want to go home. Back to my hometown."
Apparently unfazed, Riku gave her a reassuring smile. "Soon Kairi, soon. You can be home again."
Sora could just stare. Kairi? Going home? But why?
***
Author's notes: A little more alternate time line here than in the first chapter, nee? Hopefully, some of the deviations from the original game are becoming more obvious as the story continues. Trust me, it's going to get much further out there before it all ends. Heh heh.... This is THE unholy conglomeration of KH, Another Side, Another Story, Final Mix, Deep Dive, and a few strange things from my strange little headland.
Now, for the pieces of soul to hand out.
Koorino Megumi: You'd better be reading it. ^_~ I expect no less from my editor. Remember, folks: if anything in my story makes any sense, it's because of this wonderful person right here. A big thank you to her.
Naela: The apocalypse? Really? I just thought that the dead had risen. M'dear, they're saving up the apocalypse for the day that you update Behind the Darkness. And the title isn't anything cool, it just fit. But thanks.
Ginger Ninja: Thanks. ^_^ Hope you get a kick out of the later parts as well.
None of your Business: Anything is possible, even a good novelization of Kingdom Hearts, which sadly this is not. But I'm glad that you're liking it.