Part Three: Three Boats Come In.
With due deliberation, Kairi tied the knot that leashed her boat to the wooden dock on the near end of the beach to make sure that her vessel wouldn't escape and, she barely admitted to herself, to stall for time. Sora and Riku were right -- something that they had been waiting for was finally going to happen tonight, and even now the orange sun began its descent. But was she ready?
Of course she was, she answered herself as she jumped onto the dock and made her way to the secret place hidden at the root of the oldest tree on the island. Watching that star flicker and go out before her eyes last night had convinced her that she had to be ready. Of course Sora and Riku hadn't noticed it happen, and as they were rowing back to their home island, Riku had wondered out loud if it had only been a trick of the light that had caused the star to just disappear. Sora had said nothing, but from the way that he had averted his eyes and managed to look apologetic when Kairi had looked his way, she could tell that he too didn't believe her.
The white sand path that Kairi was following finally reached her destination -- the entrance to the natural passageway that led to the secret place. Her fingers ran over the stone walls as she walked. Those rocks offered her reassurance of something solid -- something Kairi needed on this particular night. The walls remained unsullied at first, but as she ventured deeper and the passage widened slightly, chalk scribbles started to peek at her from little out-of-the-way places. A few of these she had done herself, although most of these had been drawn by other children who had explored the secret place after she had stopped coming to the island regularly.
Just as the passageway started feeling claustrophobic, it widened into the small cavern that the superstitious children called the secret place. Unlike the passage, where only a few drawings graced the walls, there were almost no blank spaces on the cave walls on which to start a new picture, except near the wooden door. For years, that door had confounded everyone who entered the cave. No knob, no handle, no way to open the door that anyone could see.
Distracting herself from thoughts of the door, Kairi looked at the artwork, most of which she remembered either drawing herself or watching someone else draw. Sora and Riku had drawn the monster on the big boulder when they were looking for something to fight against as children, and she and Sora had drawn the portraits of each other in a special niche. It was this picture that she knelt down to examine more carefully.
The same faces smiled at each other -- Sora's clumsy interpretation of her face and her neater representation of his. But an arm stretched from Sora to Kairi offering a star-shaped fruit – A paopu. Silly Sora, he must have added it back when he still had the biggest crush on her. Despite the momentary awkwardness it made her feel, she still smiled at the memories of the sweetness that the picture offered.
"This world has been connected." A voice, a low, ominous bass, interrupted her bout of nostalgia. Startled to hear someone other than Sora or Riku, Kairi turned from the picture on the wall and searched for the source of the voice. She hadn't heard anyone approach her.
"Who are you?" she asked, not caring that her voice betrayed most of the unease she felt. "What are you talking about?"
"Tied to the darkness...soon to be completely eclipsed."
Venturing to the center of the cave, Kairi saw a shadowed figure wrapped in a brown, hooded cloak. Kairi could make out neither eyes nor features, although he must have had something of a body, considering the way that the garment seemed to be filled out in the right places.
"You're really freaking me out," Kairi said as she tried to make sense of his words and the heavy sense of truth that they carried.
"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door," the hooded figured continued as if he were not speaking to Kairi in particular, but to any person who was around to listen and Kairi just happened to be the person there. Prompted by his words, Kairi looked again at the unassuming wooden door, plain except for a painted decoration of gold around the edges.
"So, what lies beyond the door?" she asked the figure.
"There is so very much to learn. You understand so little."
"What don't I understand?"
Instead of answering, the hooded figure merely regarded Kairi with a disdainful: "One who knows nothing can understand nothing."
"You know that's really rude-" Kairi started to chide before she realized that the figure had vanished just as suddenly as he had come. Where could he have gone? She took one sidelong glance at the door and then another as she noticed wisps of a dark fog seeping through the edges. From beneath the ground, tiny puddles of shadow formed, surrounding Kairi.
Sensing danger approaching, she backed away slowly from the door. Two thin columns of solid darkness rose from each of the puddles followed by a rounded shape that Kairi figured was a head as soon as she saw the hollow yellow eyes staring at her. Creatures rose all around her, comical in appearance if not for the fact that they simply did not belong in the secret place. The creatures stood only about three feet tall and appeared to have no muscle, even to the point of bearing a pot belly. Their limbs were far too short for the creatures to be humanoid, and their legs bent out at odd angles so that they didn't walk as much as they shuffled. Outside of the glowing yellow eyes, which were the only part of the creatures that were not black, their faces had no features. The antennae on their heads twitched in all directions as they homed in on Kairi.
While the others melted into the ground and spread out to the island beyond the cave, one in particular seemed to have its eye on Kairi. This shadow creature slithered towards her, and she started to run, stopping short as she saw a wall of the creatures between her and the safe exit. Halting on her heels, she turned to the lone shadow in front of her, and her eyes caught on the door behind it. While she calculated the chance of her escaping from the shadows and the chance that what lay beyond the door was worse than what awaited her in this cavern, uncertain of which direction she should flee.
Her hesitation proved unfortunate as the shadow creature targeting her thrust its comical clawed hand at her and sent a blast of air. The hand never touched her, but the air that it sent hit her directly, rippling through her tank top and burying itself deep into her chest. Her breath seemed to catch, and she could neither inhale nor exhale while it remained. Just as she thought she would suffocate, the feeling of a line tugging from the outside took over, pulling not only the feeling of suffocation out, but something else, something important.
She clasped her chest and fell to her knees, trying to keep the important thing inside her. A coolness spread within her, unpleasant even in the humid air. Was this the big important thing that was supposed to happen? No, it couldn't be! She pulled back on the line, demanding that the important thing stay with her. The force tugging at her fought viciously, attempting to rip the treasure out of her body. Something started to emerge, and Kairi knew that it was a losing battle that she was fighting. The precious thing inside her was escaping and with it her strength of will to fight.
No, she thought, it can't be. Sora! Riku! Help me! The memories of her best friends surfaced in her mind. They were going on their adventure, and she was going with them. She couldn't let them down. Guys! The force pulling against her wavered, weakening a bit, and Kairi took the opportunity to grab at the treasure and pull it back into her until she found it slipping out of her grasp.
A flash of light just in front of Kairi distracted her from her goal as she was blinded. The light faded quickly, and all traces of her precious thing vanished along with her vision. She could tell that it was dark, pitch black even, but even though she could hear the scratching of the creatures' feet as they slithered away from the secret place and started infesting the outside world, she could not pinpoint exactly where they were. The suffocating feeling gone, Kairi picked herself up from the ground and tried to run and perhaps warn... she couldn't remember... someone...some important people. Why couldn't she remember who they were?
Maybe she should just wait for the answers to come to her. Nothing else seemed worth the effort of moving.
***
In quick, sloppy loops, Riku secured his boat to the dock, next to Kairi's. When the night fell, they would finally leave this island permanently, Kairi, Sora and him, and already the last touches of the sun descended below the horizon, turning the sky into a dark rainbow. In the growing darkness, the beach looked ominous, promising real adventures, not the children's games he and Sora had always played before.
Riku scanned the beach for Kairi and, not finding her on the main beach, began combing the island for her. She never ventured on the wooden paths above the island, at least not without a companion. Heights had bothered her ever since he and Sora had met her years ago. The little shack near the bridge nobody ventured into unless they were trying to cross to the island, so he watched for a few moments -- the time it would take for someone to go in the shack, walk up the winding stairs and emerge on the upper level ready to cross the bridge. He waited for a few extra minutes, just in case Kairi was being slow, and then turned his attention to the other places where she might be.
Of course! The secret place. She and Sora had been obsessed with that cavern, drawing pictures on the wall and dragging Riku along to join in their games. They had all agreed to meet that night on the little island with the paopu tree, but if Kairi had arrived early, she would have gone to the secret place first. Acting on his instincts, he rushed towards the secret place, planning to find Kairi there and bring her outside so they could wait for Sora and the grand journey that this night would bring the three of them.
He ran through the winding tunnel, taking passing notice of but otherwise ignoring the dark tendrils of fog that wafted past him. Kairi waited at the other end, as he had expected her to. She stood still, her back turned to Riku, and facing the door on the far side of the cave.
"Kairi," he called as he approached her. She turned to him, revealing blank, sleepy eyes. He ran to her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her furiously. "Kairi! Are you okay? Kairi! Wake up!"
Kairi was unresponsive, staring at Riku with hollow blue eyes. "Riku..." she breathed in a voice as expressionless as the rest of her before she turned away from Riku and faced the door again. Hands still lingering on her shoulders, Riku focused on the door for the first time. Curls of black smoke leaked through the edges of the door, which trembled as if massive pressure were building up behind it.
"Kairi!" Riku said, pointing at the door. "Kairi! Wake up. The door is opening. We have to go now. We need to meet Sora." At her lack of response, Riku attempted to pick her up and bring her back to the island only to find that she remained fixed to the ground, regardless of the effort he put into lifting her. "You wanted to go home." He gritted his teeth. "This is your chance."
Still nothing. It occurred to him that this complete unresponsiveness of Kairi's, her fixation on the door and particularly the dead look in her eyes signaled that something was wrong. Perhaps he should get Sora first and come back here. Together, perhaps they could do something.
Riku ran from the secret place and out towards the dock where Sora would tie his boat. He had made it just outside the entrance to the secret place when a curious black creature blocked his path. It looked wimpy. Short, chubby, and deformed, nothing indicated that it posed any danger except for the fact that it did not belong on the island. He arrogantly tried to walk past this oddity until it leapt at him and attempted to tear into him.
Those tiny claws on the ends of those comical arms were sharp, and Riku winced as he felt them dig into his skin. He used his superior strength to shake off the creature, but five more replaced it as Riku tried to start forward once again. Unarmed, he had no chance against them, especially as he saw more of them rising from the ground in the distance.
The little island! He and Sora had just dueled against each other the day before. The wooden sword might not be the best of weapons, but any advantage that he could grab would be a blessing when fighting an unknown opponent. He fled towards his island, just to get his weapon, he assured himself as he raced through the shack and crossed the bridge to the smaller island. The creatures followed him for a bit but seemed to lose interest soon after. They scattered, probably content to have caused some panic and to leave Riku unharmed. Still, better to be prepared. He found his old wooden sword, hoping that it could fend off the funny creatures if they decided to attack him again.
Where was Sora? Riku asked himself as he noticed the sky darkening with storm clouds. Sora might be an inferior fighter compared to Riku, but he wasn't wimpy enough to let something as insignificant as a rough sea get in the way of the start of an adventure. The sea was still unusually calm, as if it were waiting until the worst possible moment to unleash a nasty surprise on the island. The wind that seemed to whip so harshly only affected the island, it seemed. Experimentally, Riku walked over to the edge of his little island and stuck his arm out over the sea. Nothing. Complete calm.
He craned his head back and saw the probable source of the strange gale. A purple storm, contained in a neat sphere, roiled overhead. The lightning, the source of the eerie color, occasionally extended beyond the confines of the storm but never actually struck. Directly beneath the storm, a void opened, sending up a smoky curl of darkness. This was it, he realized as a shiver, born from excitement rather than the strong wind, passed through him.
This was what fate felt like.
***
At the late hour that Sora arrived on Destiny Islands, he didn't bother to tie his boat. From the main island, the one where he, Riku, and Kairi lived, the storm over Destiny Islands had seemed wicked, and once his mother discovered he wouldn't be coming to dinner that night, she would probably send out the local fishermen in search of him and his friends. His mother was over-protective that way. As it was, he was late enough. The three of them had agreed to meet just at sunset, and already night had fallen over the island, made darker by the thick clouds that shrouded the moon and stars that usually illuminated the night sky.
So, he hopped out of his little rowboat and onto the dock without bothering to secure it. Normally a foolish action, Sora no longer cared. Something told him that he no longer needed that old boat to go on his adventures. Unlike his younger days, he would no longer need to lurk in the secret place, listening to the waterfalls echoing through the stones and pretending that it was the churning of some monster hidden within the rocks.
From Riku's and Kairi's boats floating on the still waters, he assumed that both of them had arrived before he did, although he could see neither of them. Squinting, he could see a lone figure standing on the little island where he and Riku had dueled. Best to head over there, where he could find at least one of his friends.
With his mind made, he leaped onto the dock and headed toward the island. Or he would have if he had not been tackled then. His assailant attacked from behind, ripping black claws into his jacket and soon after into his back. The pain he felt was familiar, although he couldn't place where he would have known it from. That is until he shook his attacker into the water and noticed who, or perhaps more accurately, what surrounded him.
Those creatures from his dream -- he remembered them vividly. The way they moved, the way they attacked, their glowing yellow eyes were all imprinted on his mind, and his assailant and thousands of its copies dredged up reminders of his dream. They were replicas of his nightmare creatures, the little ones at least.
He couldn't fight them, not without a sword, an actual sword. Not some wooden toy he could pick up on the island. Would Riku know that? And Kairi? She couldn't fight them anyway, would she know to stay away from them?
His nightmares surrounded him, and he fled to the little island where one of his friends, he couldn't tell who from this distance, waited. He paused for breath only when he reached the shack, which the shadows did not enter for some unknown reason, although he heard them clawing at the door. He raced up the stairs and burst out of the upper level of the seaside shack.
He noticed the wind first. The beach, the sea, -- everywhere else but the little island stood in complete calm, accentuating the contrast between the violent storm and the eerie deadness of surrounding it. The wind lashed at him as he attempted to cross the bridge.
"Riku!" Sora called as he finally made it across the bridge and confirmed that Riku was indeed standing there alone, opening himself up to the storm. "Where's Kairi? Isn't she supposed to be with you?"
In the strange light, Riku's eyes seemed to glow as he lowered his head and looked at Sora. "The door has opened, Sora! Don't you get it? Now we can go to the outside world!"
Truly confused, Sora looked into his friend's manic aqua eyes. "What are you talking about? We gotta find Kairi!"
Was it just Sora's imagination, or did Riku seem to return to reality for a single moment? "Kairi... Kairi's coming with us! Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" Riku said the last part in the same tone of voice he used when he challenged Sora to a duel.
"Riku!" Sora called out to his friend, who now stepped into the shadowy void that had lingered directly beneath the storm. The smoky curls of darkness rose, swirling around Riku in the wind. Through the whirlwind, Riku reached his hand out to Sora, a gesture reminiscent of helping Sora up after the older boy knocked him down. This...this was his friend, Sora realized. This was his friend who was going crazy, being swallowed by the blackness.
"Riku!" he repeated, stretching out his hand but missing Riku's elusive grasp.
Lucidity returned to Riku's eyes for just a second, and while excitement lay there, fear was buried deep inside. His lips began to form the beginnings of words that Sora couldn't make out.
"What is it?"
Riku started to repeat what he had said, but the void opened then, sending forth a solid layer of darkness and obscuring Sora's view of his friend. Sora himself was pushed back by the sudden gust of wind. He regained his balance and waited for the dark smoke to clear only to find that Riku, along with the void, had disappeared. All around him, the creatures from his nightmare danced their shuffling dance, ready to pounce on him. He needed something, something he could fight with.
A flash of light, lasting a fraction of a second, caught his eye and drew his attention away from the creatures. A heaviness materialized in his right hand, and looking down, he realized that a sword accompanied the heavy feeling. Its weight, its length, the little detailing he could see in the darkness reminded him of the sword in his dream. Was it coming true?
It will do...for now.
The voice? That was the voice he had heard in his dream, but that wasn't important. What was important was that he could fight these creatures now and find Kairi. The shadows attacked him then, and Sora reciprocated, nodding with a grim satisfaction as his blade caught one of them in the stomach. The skin against his blade was more resilient than it had been in his dream, but straining himself, Sora discovered that he could tear through the shadow and send it to its death.
With effort, he could hold his own long enough to defend himself, he thought as he tore into another of the creatures. But he couldn't keep up a never-ending battle. Something had to give.
He should go home. The sea was still calm, there was still time to make it back, and he needed to get away from the creatures. He passed back over the bridge, his hair and clothes settling down as the wind died away. Exiting the shack and crossing the beach, a realization came over him. What if he didn't want to go home? He, Riku, and Kairi had been waiting for the opportunity to get off the island for at least two years, longer even. Who said he had to go home? He just needed to get away from the shadows. His gaze was drawn to the opening to the secret place, looking completely different than it had before. Instead of just a crevice between a tree and a rock, a shining white door marked its entrance.
The door would be there. Would Kairi be as well? Fixing the entrance in his mind, Sora fought his way through the dark creatures, ignoring the gouges they so easily inflicted on him. His progress remained slow for all that he was exerting himself. The closer he got to the door, the thicker the hordes became until all he could do to make progress was slash at the group directly in front of him and plow through them. Crude but effective, the strategy was pain-intensive as he was not guarding himself from the shadows at his back or sides. These creatures took advantage of his weakness and attacked with fervor. The remains of his jacket were little more than rags, and his shirt was not in the best of conditions either. The burning in his shoulders and back warned of numerous deep scratches. He needed to escape them, now.
Sora had never considered himself one to run from battles. As a kid, he had actively sought out challenges from the other children on the island, and he and Riku had originally become friends out of a sense of rivalry, as they were the best at swordplay. Years of climbing and fighting had left him accustomed to running around with bruises and scrapes. That was play, though. This was serious, and if he had the time and if there weren't so many creatures, he could fight them off. But he hadn't the time, and they were a legion.
Sora could run away. No one would blame him, not with the situation as it was. The door was so close, just on the other side of the springs from him. He focused in that direction, fixing the location of the door in his memory. Holding a deep breath in his lungs and closing his eyes to block out the image of the gauntlet he would pass through, he started to run.
From all directions the creatures assailed him, and all he could do was speed up. The less tenacious shook off easily as Sora moved faster toward the door, while the most persistent of them melted off only as he reached the door. Did they fear it? he wondered as he opened his eyes and noticed the shadows that crowded the beaches of Destiny Islands kept their distance from the door. White and ornate, it matched the one in his dreams perfectly, except that this one shone a little as Sora looked at it.
Knowing the door was his only way out, Sora opened it, relieved to discover the same winding tunnel lay beyond it. The nightmare creatures didn't follow him, and he slowed down to take a breath and drink one of the potions he had brought for this journey. Sora rested the sword on the ground as he gulped down the bottle of glowing green liquid. Almost immediately, the searing pain in his back and shoulders died down until it was just a dull throb, annoying, but not at all debilitating.
He did not stop for long, a sense of urgency compelling him to retrieve his sword and tugging him through the dark passageway and into the cave. A familiar figure stood inside, facing the door in the back and unmoving except for a dark wind pushing at her hair and clothing.
"Kairi!" Sora reached out to her, happy to have found her and yet afraid that something had happened.
The girl turned, and her blue eyes looked different than they usually did. The gleam that lay within them was dormant, and they betrayed no emotion whatsoever. "Sora," Kairi called sleepily. Her hand twitched as if she were trying to lift it or move it somehow. Was she reaching out to him?
Sora stumbled, reaching out to her and tripping over some invisible stone or root on the way. Whatever he had tripped over, he missed her hand. Behind her, the door trembled, sending a low rumble through the ground reminiscent of thunder. The blackness that leaked through the door stopped for a second, stilling the air in the chamber long enough for Sora to notice. The door flung open again, sending a strong gale through the secret place. The boy planted his feet firmly into the packed dirt ground and shielded himself with crossed arms in front of his face.
Kairi did no such thing, and the wind pushed her back as easily as it would have a piece of cloth, sending her through Sora. Despite himself, he dropped his guard, looking at the empty spot where his friend used to be. The wind took advantage of this opportunity, blowing Sora out of the secret place. He would have enjoyed the sensation of flying as the wind carried him into the air, except for one thing: the direction it was carrying him in.
He was going into the eye of the storm itself.
***
Author's Notes: Before I get to the ritual handing out of soul, I have a few announcements. First, the next update will probably be delayed due to the fact that both my editor and I are of the mysterious breed of humans called college students, and next week happens to be finals... joy ^^;;. Add that to the fact that I'm too cheap to buy gifts for all my friends and so are force to write or draw something for Christmas, and my Starless time is shot. So, just to keep everyone aware, no updates until Christmas pro'lly. Second, due to the fact that I had to cram way too much into this chapter, the next one will seem quite bare. Please bear with me. Third, and most importantly, if you were on Fanfiction.net on December 7th, check your computer for viruses. Supposedly during the hardware upgrade, a hacker was able to get in and send a virus.
And remember, only one of you is actually close enough to kill me for this ending ... I hope ^_^;;. So I ask you, don't kill me.
Now, for the bits of the soul to pass out:
Koorino Megumi: As always, thank you for your beta-reading, editing, and general wonderfulness as I write this story. And you deserve every drop of praise that I can offer you. I'm glad that you actually like reading it.
Ginger Ninja: Thanks. I'm glad that I managed to achieve that sad mood. Again, glad you liked it.
None of your Business: I've decided to be lazy and let any pairings that arise come up and develop on their own. It's much easier, and I don't have to make a commitment until something major happens.
RainWarriorPrincess: Wow!! Thanks. Those are some major compliments, especially because I'm new at the really descriptive stuff.
Catty Engles: I never thought about that before, but it's such a nifty idea. Watch out, it might appear in a future chapter, with credit of course. ^_^
Until next time. ^^
With due deliberation, Kairi tied the knot that leashed her boat to the wooden dock on the near end of the beach to make sure that her vessel wouldn't escape and, she barely admitted to herself, to stall for time. Sora and Riku were right -- something that they had been waiting for was finally going to happen tonight, and even now the orange sun began its descent. But was she ready?
Of course she was, she answered herself as she jumped onto the dock and made her way to the secret place hidden at the root of the oldest tree on the island. Watching that star flicker and go out before her eyes last night had convinced her that she had to be ready. Of course Sora and Riku hadn't noticed it happen, and as they were rowing back to their home island, Riku had wondered out loud if it had only been a trick of the light that had caused the star to just disappear. Sora had said nothing, but from the way that he had averted his eyes and managed to look apologetic when Kairi had looked his way, she could tell that he too didn't believe her.
The white sand path that Kairi was following finally reached her destination -- the entrance to the natural passageway that led to the secret place. Her fingers ran over the stone walls as she walked. Those rocks offered her reassurance of something solid -- something Kairi needed on this particular night. The walls remained unsullied at first, but as she ventured deeper and the passage widened slightly, chalk scribbles started to peek at her from little out-of-the-way places. A few of these she had done herself, although most of these had been drawn by other children who had explored the secret place after she had stopped coming to the island regularly.
Just as the passageway started feeling claustrophobic, it widened into the small cavern that the superstitious children called the secret place. Unlike the passage, where only a few drawings graced the walls, there were almost no blank spaces on the cave walls on which to start a new picture, except near the wooden door. For years, that door had confounded everyone who entered the cave. No knob, no handle, no way to open the door that anyone could see.
Distracting herself from thoughts of the door, Kairi looked at the artwork, most of which she remembered either drawing herself or watching someone else draw. Sora and Riku had drawn the monster on the big boulder when they were looking for something to fight against as children, and she and Sora had drawn the portraits of each other in a special niche. It was this picture that she knelt down to examine more carefully.
The same faces smiled at each other -- Sora's clumsy interpretation of her face and her neater representation of his. But an arm stretched from Sora to Kairi offering a star-shaped fruit – A paopu. Silly Sora, he must have added it back when he still had the biggest crush on her. Despite the momentary awkwardness it made her feel, she still smiled at the memories of the sweetness that the picture offered.
"This world has been connected." A voice, a low, ominous bass, interrupted her bout of nostalgia. Startled to hear someone other than Sora or Riku, Kairi turned from the picture on the wall and searched for the source of the voice. She hadn't heard anyone approach her.
"Who are you?" she asked, not caring that her voice betrayed most of the unease she felt. "What are you talking about?"
"Tied to the darkness...soon to be completely eclipsed."
Venturing to the center of the cave, Kairi saw a shadowed figure wrapped in a brown, hooded cloak. Kairi could make out neither eyes nor features, although he must have had something of a body, considering the way that the garment seemed to be filled out in the right places.
"You're really freaking me out," Kairi said as she tried to make sense of his words and the heavy sense of truth that they carried.
"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door," the hooded figured continued as if he were not speaking to Kairi in particular, but to any person who was around to listen and Kairi just happened to be the person there. Prompted by his words, Kairi looked again at the unassuming wooden door, plain except for a painted decoration of gold around the edges.
"So, what lies beyond the door?" she asked the figure.
"There is so very much to learn. You understand so little."
"What don't I understand?"
Instead of answering, the hooded figure merely regarded Kairi with a disdainful: "One who knows nothing can understand nothing."
"You know that's really rude-" Kairi started to chide before she realized that the figure had vanished just as suddenly as he had come. Where could he have gone? She took one sidelong glance at the door and then another as she noticed wisps of a dark fog seeping through the edges. From beneath the ground, tiny puddles of shadow formed, surrounding Kairi.
Sensing danger approaching, she backed away slowly from the door. Two thin columns of solid darkness rose from each of the puddles followed by a rounded shape that Kairi figured was a head as soon as she saw the hollow yellow eyes staring at her. Creatures rose all around her, comical in appearance if not for the fact that they simply did not belong in the secret place. The creatures stood only about three feet tall and appeared to have no muscle, even to the point of bearing a pot belly. Their limbs were far too short for the creatures to be humanoid, and their legs bent out at odd angles so that they didn't walk as much as they shuffled. Outside of the glowing yellow eyes, which were the only part of the creatures that were not black, their faces had no features. The antennae on their heads twitched in all directions as they homed in on Kairi.
While the others melted into the ground and spread out to the island beyond the cave, one in particular seemed to have its eye on Kairi. This shadow creature slithered towards her, and she started to run, stopping short as she saw a wall of the creatures between her and the safe exit. Halting on her heels, she turned to the lone shadow in front of her, and her eyes caught on the door behind it. While she calculated the chance of her escaping from the shadows and the chance that what lay beyond the door was worse than what awaited her in this cavern, uncertain of which direction she should flee.
Her hesitation proved unfortunate as the shadow creature targeting her thrust its comical clawed hand at her and sent a blast of air. The hand never touched her, but the air that it sent hit her directly, rippling through her tank top and burying itself deep into her chest. Her breath seemed to catch, and she could neither inhale nor exhale while it remained. Just as she thought she would suffocate, the feeling of a line tugging from the outside took over, pulling not only the feeling of suffocation out, but something else, something important.
She clasped her chest and fell to her knees, trying to keep the important thing inside her. A coolness spread within her, unpleasant even in the humid air. Was this the big important thing that was supposed to happen? No, it couldn't be! She pulled back on the line, demanding that the important thing stay with her. The force tugging at her fought viciously, attempting to rip the treasure out of her body. Something started to emerge, and Kairi knew that it was a losing battle that she was fighting. The precious thing inside her was escaping and with it her strength of will to fight.
No, she thought, it can't be. Sora! Riku! Help me! The memories of her best friends surfaced in her mind. They were going on their adventure, and she was going with them. She couldn't let them down. Guys! The force pulling against her wavered, weakening a bit, and Kairi took the opportunity to grab at the treasure and pull it back into her until she found it slipping out of her grasp.
A flash of light just in front of Kairi distracted her from her goal as she was blinded. The light faded quickly, and all traces of her precious thing vanished along with her vision. She could tell that it was dark, pitch black even, but even though she could hear the scratching of the creatures' feet as they slithered away from the secret place and started infesting the outside world, she could not pinpoint exactly where they were. The suffocating feeling gone, Kairi picked herself up from the ground and tried to run and perhaps warn... she couldn't remember... someone...some important people. Why couldn't she remember who they were?
Maybe she should just wait for the answers to come to her. Nothing else seemed worth the effort of moving.
***
In quick, sloppy loops, Riku secured his boat to the dock, next to Kairi's. When the night fell, they would finally leave this island permanently, Kairi, Sora and him, and already the last touches of the sun descended below the horizon, turning the sky into a dark rainbow. In the growing darkness, the beach looked ominous, promising real adventures, not the children's games he and Sora had always played before.
Riku scanned the beach for Kairi and, not finding her on the main beach, began combing the island for her. She never ventured on the wooden paths above the island, at least not without a companion. Heights had bothered her ever since he and Sora had met her years ago. The little shack near the bridge nobody ventured into unless they were trying to cross to the island, so he watched for a few moments -- the time it would take for someone to go in the shack, walk up the winding stairs and emerge on the upper level ready to cross the bridge. He waited for a few extra minutes, just in case Kairi was being slow, and then turned his attention to the other places where she might be.
Of course! The secret place. She and Sora had been obsessed with that cavern, drawing pictures on the wall and dragging Riku along to join in their games. They had all agreed to meet that night on the little island with the paopu tree, but if Kairi had arrived early, she would have gone to the secret place first. Acting on his instincts, he rushed towards the secret place, planning to find Kairi there and bring her outside so they could wait for Sora and the grand journey that this night would bring the three of them.
He ran through the winding tunnel, taking passing notice of but otherwise ignoring the dark tendrils of fog that wafted past him. Kairi waited at the other end, as he had expected her to. She stood still, her back turned to Riku, and facing the door on the far side of the cave.
"Kairi," he called as he approached her. She turned to him, revealing blank, sleepy eyes. He ran to her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her furiously. "Kairi! Are you okay? Kairi! Wake up!"
Kairi was unresponsive, staring at Riku with hollow blue eyes. "Riku..." she breathed in a voice as expressionless as the rest of her before she turned away from Riku and faced the door again. Hands still lingering on her shoulders, Riku focused on the door for the first time. Curls of black smoke leaked through the edges of the door, which trembled as if massive pressure were building up behind it.
"Kairi!" Riku said, pointing at the door. "Kairi! Wake up. The door is opening. We have to go now. We need to meet Sora." At her lack of response, Riku attempted to pick her up and bring her back to the island only to find that she remained fixed to the ground, regardless of the effort he put into lifting her. "You wanted to go home." He gritted his teeth. "This is your chance."
Still nothing. It occurred to him that this complete unresponsiveness of Kairi's, her fixation on the door and particularly the dead look in her eyes signaled that something was wrong. Perhaps he should get Sora first and come back here. Together, perhaps they could do something.
Riku ran from the secret place and out towards the dock where Sora would tie his boat. He had made it just outside the entrance to the secret place when a curious black creature blocked his path. It looked wimpy. Short, chubby, and deformed, nothing indicated that it posed any danger except for the fact that it did not belong on the island. He arrogantly tried to walk past this oddity until it leapt at him and attempted to tear into him.
Those tiny claws on the ends of those comical arms were sharp, and Riku winced as he felt them dig into his skin. He used his superior strength to shake off the creature, but five more replaced it as Riku tried to start forward once again. Unarmed, he had no chance against them, especially as he saw more of them rising from the ground in the distance.
The little island! He and Sora had just dueled against each other the day before. The wooden sword might not be the best of weapons, but any advantage that he could grab would be a blessing when fighting an unknown opponent. He fled towards his island, just to get his weapon, he assured himself as he raced through the shack and crossed the bridge to the smaller island. The creatures followed him for a bit but seemed to lose interest soon after. They scattered, probably content to have caused some panic and to leave Riku unharmed. Still, better to be prepared. He found his old wooden sword, hoping that it could fend off the funny creatures if they decided to attack him again.
Where was Sora? Riku asked himself as he noticed the sky darkening with storm clouds. Sora might be an inferior fighter compared to Riku, but he wasn't wimpy enough to let something as insignificant as a rough sea get in the way of the start of an adventure. The sea was still unusually calm, as if it were waiting until the worst possible moment to unleash a nasty surprise on the island. The wind that seemed to whip so harshly only affected the island, it seemed. Experimentally, Riku walked over to the edge of his little island and stuck his arm out over the sea. Nothing. Complete calm.
He craned his head back and saw the probable source of the strange gale. A purple storm, contained in a neat sphere, roiled overhead. The lightning, the source of the eerie color, occasionally extended beyond the confines of the storm but never actually struck. Directly beneath the storm, a void opened, sending up a smoky curl of darkness. This was it, he realized as a shiver, born from excitement rather than the strong wind, passed through him.
This was what fate felt like.
***
At the late hour that Sora arrived on Destiny Islands, he didn't bother to tie his boat. From the main island, the one where he, Riku, and Kairi lived, the storm over Destiny Islands had seemed wicked, and once his mother discovered he wouldn't be coming to dinner that night, she would probably send out the local fishermen in search of him and his friends. His mother was over-protective that way. As it was, he was late enough. The three of them had agreed to meet just at sunset, and already night had fallen over the island, made darker by the thick clouds that shrouded the moon and stars that usually illuminated the night sky.
So, he hopped out of his little rowboat and onto the dock without bothering to secure it. Normally a foolish action, Sora no longer cared. Something told him that he no longer needed that old boat to go on his adventures. Unlike his younger days, he would no longer need to lurk in the secret place, listening to the waterfalls echoing through the stones and pretending that it was the churning of some monster hidden within the rocks.
From Riku's and Kairi's boats floating on the still waters, he assumed that both of them had arrived before he did, although he could see neither of them. Squinting, he could see a lone figure standing on the little island where he and Riku had dueled. Best to head over there, where he could find at least one of his friends.
With his mind made, he leaped onto the dock and headed toward the island. Or he would have if he had not been tackled then. His assailant attacked from behind, ripping black claws into his jacket and soon after into his back. The pain he felt was familiar, although he couldn't place where he would have known it from. That is until he shook his attacker into the water and noticed who, or perhaps more accurately, what surrounded him.
Those creatures from his dream -- he remembered them vividly. The way they moved, the way they attacked, their glowing yellow eyes were all imprinted on his mind, and his assailant and thousands of its copies dredged up reminders of his dream. They were replicas of his nightmare creatures, the little ones at least.
He couldn't fight them, not without a sword, an actual sword. Not some wooden toy he could pick up on the island. Would Riku know that? And Kairi? She couldn't fight them anyway, would she know to stay away from them?
His nightmares surrounded him, and he fled to the little island where one of his friends, he couldn't tell who from this distance, waited. He paused for breath only when he reached the shack, which the shadows did not enter for some unknown reason, although he heard them clawing at the door. He raced up the stairs and burst out of the upper level of the seaside shack.
He noticed the wind first. The beach, the sea, -- everywhere else but the little island stood in complete calm, accentuating the contrast between the violent storm and the eerie deadness of surrounding it. The wind lashed at him as he attempted to cross the bridge.
"Riku!" Sora called as he finally made it across the bridge and confirmed that Riku was indeed standing there alone, opening himself up to the storm. "Where's Kairi? Isn't she supposed to be with you?"
In the strange light, Riku's eyes seemed to glow as he lowered his head and looked at Sora. "The door has opened, Sora! Don't you get it? Now we can go to the outside world!"
Truly confused, Sora looked into his friend's manic aqua eyes. "What are you talking about? We gotta find Kairi!"
Was it just Sora's imagination, or did Riku seem to return to reality for a single moment? "Kairi... Kairi's coming with us! Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" Riku said the last part in the same tone of voice he used when he challenged Sora to a duel.
"Riku!" Sora called out to his friend, who now stepped into the shadowy void that had lingered directly beneath the storm. The smoky curls of darkness rose, swirling around Riku in the wind. Through the whirlwind, Riku reached his hand out to Sora, a gesture reminiscent of helping Sora up after the older boy knocked him down. This...this was his friend, Sora realized. This was his friend who was going crazy, being swallowed by the blackness.
"Riku!" he repeated, stretching out his hand but missing Riku's elusive grasp.
Lucidity returned to Riku's eyes for just a second, and while excitement lay there, fear was buried deep inside. His lips began to form the beginnings of words that Sora couldn't make out.
"What is it?"
Riku started to repeat what he had said, but the void opened then, sending forth a solid layer of darkness and obscuring Sora's view of his friend. Sora himself was pushed back by the sudden gust of wind. He regained his balance and waited for the dark smoke to clear only to find that Riku, along with the void, had disappeared. All around him, the creatures from his nightmare danced their shuffling dance, ready to pounce on him. He needed something, something he could fight with.
A flash of light, lasting a fraction of a second, caught his eye and drew his attention away from the creatures. A heaviness materialized in his right hand, and looking down, he realized that a sword accompanied the heavy feeling. Its weight, its length, the little detailing he could see in the darkness reminded him of the sword in his dream. Was it coming true?
It will do...for now.
The voice? That was the voice he had heard in his dream, but that wasn't important. What was important was that he could fight these creatures now and find Kairi. The shadows attacked him then, and Sora reciprocated, nodding with a grim satisfaction as his blade caught one of them in the stomach. The skin against his blade was more resilient than it had been in his dream, but straining himself, Sora discovered that he could tear through the shadow and send it to its death.
With effort, he could hold his own long enough to defend himself, he thought as he tore into another of the creatures. But he couldn't keep up a never-ending battle. Something had to give.
He should go home. The sea was still calm, there was still time to make it back, and he needed to get away from the creatures. He passed back over the bridge, his hair and clothes settling down as the wind died away. Exiting the shack and crossing the beach, a realization came over him. What if he didn't want to go home? He, Riku, and Kairi had been waiting for the opportunity to get off the island for at least two years, longer even. Who said he had to go home? He just needed to get away from the shadows. His gaze was drawn to the opening to the secret place, looking completely different than it had before. Instead of just a crevice between a tree and a rock, a shining white door marked its entrance.
The door would be there. Would Kairi be as well? Fixing the entrance in his mind, Sora fought his way through the dark creatures, ignoring the gouges they so easily inflicted on him. His progress remained slow for all that he was exerting himself. The closer he got to the door, the thicker the hordes became until all he could do to make progress was slash at the group directly in front of him and plow through them. Crude but effective, the strategy was pain-intensive as he was not guarding himself from the shadows at his back or sides. These creatures took advantage of his weakness and attacked with fervor. The remains of his jacket were little more than rags, and his shirt was not in the best of conditions either. The burning in his shoulders and back warned of numerous deep scratches. He needed to escape them, now.
Sora had never considered himself one to run from battles. As a kid, he had actively sought out challenges from the other children on the island, and he and Riku had originally become friends out of a sense of rivalry, as they were the best at swordplay. Years of climbing and fighting had left him accustomed to running around with bruises and scrapes. That was play, though. This was serious, and if he had the time and if there weren't so many creatures, he could fight them off. But he hadn't the time, and they were a legion.
Sora could run away. No one would blame him, not with the situation as it was. The door was so close, just on the other side of the springs from him. He focused in that direction, fixing the location of the door in his memory. Holding a deep breath in his lungs and closing his eyes to block out the image of the gauntlet he would pass through, he started to run.
From all directions the creatures assailed him, and all he could do was speed up. The less tenacious shook off easily as Sora moved faster toward the door, while the most persistent of them melted off only as he reached the door. Did they fear it? he wondered as he opened his eyes and noticed the shadows that crowded the beaches of Destiny Islands kept their distance from the door. White and ornate, it matched the one in his dreams perfectly, except that this one shone a little as Sora looked at it.
Knowing the door was his only way out, Sora opened it, relieved to discover the same winding tunnel lay beyond it. The nightmare creatures didn't follow him, and he slowed down to take a breath and drink one of the potions he had brought for this journey. Sora rested the sword on the ground as he gulped down the bottle of glowing green liquid. Almost immediately, the searing pain in his back and shoulders died down until it was just a dull throb, annoying, but not at all debilitating.
He did not stop for long, a sense of urgency compelling him to retrieve his sword and tugging him through the dark passageway and into the cave. A familiar figure stood inside, facing the door in the back and unmoving except for a dark wind pushing at her hair and clothing.
"Kairi!" Sora reached out to her, happy to have found her and yet afraid that something had happened.
The girl turned, and her blue eyes looked different than they usually did. The gleam that lay within them was dormant, and they betrayed no emotion whatsoever. "Sora," Kairi called sleepily. Her hand twitched as if she were trying to lift it or move it somehow. Was she reaching out to him?
Sora stumbled, reaching out to her and tripping over some invisible stone or root on the way. Whatever he had tripped over, he missed her hand. Behind her, the door trembled, sending a low rumble through the ground reminiscent of thunder. The blackness that leaked through the door stopped for a second, stilling the air in the chamber long enough for Sora to notice. The door flung open again, sending a strong gale through the secret place. The boy planted his feet firmly into the packed dirt ground and shielded himself with crossed arms in front of his face.
Kairi did no such thing, and the wind pushed her back as easily as it would have a piece of cloth, sending her through Sora. Despite himself, he dropped his guard, looking at the empty spot where his friend used to be. The wind took advantage of this opportunity, blowing Sora out of the secret place. He would have enjoyed the sensation of flying as the wind carried him into the air, except for one thing: the direction it was carrying him in.
He was going into the eye of the storm itself.
***
Author's Notes: Before I get to the ritual handing out of soul, I have a few announcements. First, the next update will probably be delayed due to the fact that both my editor and I are of the mysterious breed of humans called college students, and next week happens to be finals... joy ^^;;. Add that to the fact that I'm too cheap to buy gifts for all my friends and so are force to write or draw something for Christmas, and my Starless time is shot. So, just to keep everyone aware, no updates until Christmas pro'lly. Second, due to the fact that I had to cram way too much into this chapter, the next one will seem quite bare. Please bear with me. Third, and most importantly, if you were on Fanfiction.net on December 7th, check your computer for viruses. Supposedly during the hardware upgrade, a hacker was able to get in and send a virus.
And remember, only one of you is actually close enough to kill me for this ending ... I hope ^_^;;. So I ask you, don't kill me.
Now, for the bits of the soul to pass out:
Koorino Megumi: As always, thank you for your beta-reading, editing, and general wonderfulness as I write this story. And you deserve every drop of praise that I can offer you. I'm glad that you actually like reading it.
Ginger Ninja: Thanks. I'm glad that I managed to achieve that sad mood. Again, glad you liked it.
None of your Business: I've decided to be lazy and let any pairings that arise come up and develop on their own. It's much easier, and I don't have to make a commitment until something major happens.
RainWarriorPrincess: Wow!! Thanks. Those are some major compliments, especially because I'm new at the really descriptive stuff.
Catty Engles: I never thought about that before, but it's such a nifty idea. Watch out, it might appear in a future chapter, with credit of course. ^_^
Until next time. ^^