Disclaimer: Why does winter have to be so cold?
I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, I really needed to type this up, the idea has been pestering me for weeks.
Thanks Dimitri Plabato/Drake Dragon for your review! I appreciate your honesty and that you are willing to give me a chance! I'm not sure how old Ansem is, but the thought had crossed my mind. He can't possibly be terribly old, he looked just like Legolas! lol
I hope you guys like this chapter, I'm really happy with how it turned out! Sorry if some people are a little out of character, I never played any of the FF games except a little bit of FF7, so I am trying my hardest with what little glimpses of character you saw in the game.
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Kairi knelt next to Riku as the gummi ship took off, headed to Traverse Town to rendezvous with Squall, Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud, and Cid. Tidus had promised to meet them there later, he was going to straighten things out on Destiny Islands before he, Wakka, and Selphie caught up.
Kairi looked up at Sora, steering the gummi ship while Donald and Goofy fussed over Riku's unconscious form. She stood up and sat in the seat next to him, watching Hollow Bastion disappear below them.
"You felt it too, you had to." She whispered, not wanting the others to hear.
Sora glanced quickly at her, confusion on his face. "What? When?" He asked, not catching on.
Kairi sighed, flopping back into the chair and watching the stars out the window. "So you didn't feel it? When Ansem was close to us… He was just the same as always to you?" She asked, chewing on her lip as she meditated on it.
"Yeah, he was still the same morbid bastard as far as I could tell, why?" Sora was obviously stressed out about the issue of Ansem's return, so Kairi didn't want to press the matter, deciding it was her own overconfidence in people.
"Nothing, forget it.." She stated simply, resting her head on the seat and closing her eyes as she awaited their arrival in Traverse Town.
~*~
Sora gently nudged her awake, laughing as she reached up to slap him away. "Come on! We're here!" He cried, picking her up and dumping her on her feet.
Kairi stumbled and fell against Riku, looking up into her friend's deep turquoise eyes. She smiled happily and hugged him. "You're alright!" She cried, releasing him and bounding off the ship, attaching herself to Yuffie, who had been waiting for her.
Riku shook his head as he watched the two girls giggle as they got reacquainted. He helped Sora unpack their luggage, taking a large duffel bag from him and grabbing his shoulder tightly.
"Hey, thanks. Sorry if I caused you guys any trouble, I just.. didn't want to see him use anyone else like he used me.." He said, looking away shamefully. "Guess I'm not as indestructible as I thought.." He laughed weakly.
Sora stood there for a moment, a look of understanding on his face. "Riku, you're like family to us. We would do anything for you, don't forget it. But next time you feel like stealing a gummi ship and running away, why don't you leave a damn post-it note or something? It took us days to track you down." He smirked at the older male, shuffling past him with Kairi's hastily packed bags.
~*~
The bells of the clock tower could be heard all through town, ringing out to tell everyone that it was one in the morning. Tidus and the other islanders had shown up around eleven, carting huge boxes of snack stuffs and gallons of soda, demanding that they have a party.
A distance odd thump awoke Kairi, and sat up groggily to gaze around the room. She had fallen asleep propped against Squall, shifting her gaze from his sleeping form to Sora and Riku, who were sprawled out awkwardly across the floor, video game controllers still in hand. Yuffie and Aerith had curled up on the bed, while Cloud had propped himself up in the doorway. Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie had collapsed in a random heap on the floor, and just behind them, Cid lay stretched against the wall. She smiled oddly to herself, resting her head back down against Squall.
She jerked her head up again when she hear another thumping sound, closer this time. She thought at first that it was one of the sleeping figures in the room, abandoning that thought when she realized something. The window was open.
Nervously, she scanned the room, her blood freezing when she saw a flicker of shadow against the far wall. Reaching up, she grabbed a hold of Squall's shirt and tugged roughly on it, pulling herself up closer to him in sudden fright. When he didn't stir, she tugged again, more urgently this time. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked down at her, immediately registering the fear in her eyes.
He leaned forward, "What's wrong?" he whispered, following her gaze around the room. She gasped quietly and he put a reassuring arm around her, following her gaze toward the far wall.
"Holy Shit!!" He screamed, flinging himself to his feet as he pulled out the gunblade, leaping to the side and pulling Kairi with him just as a shadow replica of himself crushed the wall.
Startled cries sounded all around the room as the sleeping party was rudely awoken. Squall dodged the Heartless, slicing it in half with one powerful move.
"Sora!!" he yelled, pulling the keyblade master to his feet. "They're everywhere!" He shouted over the sound of grinding metal.
Immediately, weapons appeared around the room, along with dozens of shadow replica heartless, each taking the form of Squall, Cloud, Sora, or Riku.
Cloud spun around, "Tidus, Wakka! Get the girls to safety!" he yelled, covering them as a replica of Riku leapt at Tidus and Selphie.
"No way! We can fight!" Yuffie cried, scowling at Cloud. She was interrupted when Squall and Sora began shoving people toward the door.
"Get out! Run! There are too many!" Sora shouted, shoving Kairi into Wakka.
They burst out the door, weapons flashing in the moonlight. Tidus led the small party through the alley, running to board the gummi ship. Aerith and Selphie pulling Yuffie away from the fight, followed closely by Cid. Wakka followed them, holding Kairi's arm firmly as she struggled to help.
"No! Sora! Riku! Please!! I don't want to lose you again!!" She shrieked, pulling free and dashing back down the street. Wakka spun and caught her around the waist, hoisting her over his shoulder and grunting under the strain of keeping her still. Tidus leapt down from the gummi ship, helping Wakka lower Kairi down and hold her against the floor, trying to keep her from hurting herself.
"Calm down! They'll be fine, you'll only get in the way if you barge into the Heartless like that!!" Tidus shouted at her.
She froze when she heard him say that, remembering what Sora had told her just before he disappeared in End of the World. She had wanted to help then, too, but he had said that she would probably just get in his way. She reached up and grabbed Tidus's shirt, pulling herself up to bury her face in it, sobbing. She cursed herself for being so useless, Sora and Riku had been in trouble again, and once again, she couldn't help them.
Yuffie stormed over, slapping Tidus and pulling Kairi away from him, back to where Selphie and Aerith sat, all three girls trying to calm her down.
"What was that for?!" Tidus howled, holding a hand against his bright red cheek.
Yuffie turned to give him an icy glare. "You made her cry, stupid!" She huffed and turned back to comforting her friend.
"If I made her cry then why did she hug me?" Tidus asked Wakka, extremely confused.
Selphie looked up, "Tidus, you're so insensitive sometimes! Why are you always being such a butt-head?!" She growled, her sharp words stinging him like another slap in the face.
Wakka began laughing at Tidus, who was developing a head ache from trying to figure out what he had done.
"Knock it off, Wakka! You're just as bad as him! Always playing with your stupid little blitzball all day, I bet you wouldn't know sensitivity if it came up and bit you in the neck!!" Selphie shouted, sending both boys into brief depression episodes.
"All right, that's enough." Cid called from the gummi ship controls. "We're just about there." He said, watching the brutal fight below them. Yuffie and Selphie rushed to the window, gazing down at the bloody mess on the street.
"There's Squall and Cloud! Right over there! Can you get to them, Cid?" Yuffie called, pointing down to the left.
"Hold on.." He said, the ship dropping suddenly, everyone but Cid letting out little startled gasps. He looked over his shoulder, opening the side door from the controls.
"Wakka, Tidus, get out there and give them some cover as they climb aboard!" He called, the two boys nodding.
The door finished opening and the two boys jumped out, calling out for Squall and Cloud to hurry. A Heartless dropped down onto Tidus, biting his shoulder viciously. He screamed in agony and Wakka kicked it off, pulling his friend to his feet and helping the two older males leap aboard. The door slammed shut behind them, locking the Heartless out. Cid brought the gummi ship back up and circled around the town, trying to locate the two missing boys.
~*~*~*~~~~
I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, I really needed to type this up, the idea has been pestering me for weeks.
Thanks Dimitri Plabato/Drake Dragon for your review! I appreciate your honesty and that you are willing to give me a chance! I'm not sure how old Ansem is, but the thought had crossed my mind. He can't possibly be terribly old, he looked just like Legolas! lol
I hope you guys like this chapter, I'm really happy with how it turned out! Sorry if some people are a little out of character, I never played any of the FF games except a little bit of FF7, so I am trying my hardest with what little glimpses of character you saw in the game.
~~~~
Kairi knelt next to Riku as the gummi ship took off, headed to Traverse Town to rendezvous with Squall, Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud, and Cid. Tidus had promised to meet them there later, he was going to straighten things out on Destiny Islands before he, Wakka, and Selphie caught up.
Kairi looked up at Sora, steering the gummi ship while Donald and Goofy fussed over Riku's unconscious form. She stood up and sat in the seat next to him, watching Hollow Bastion disappear below them.
"You felt it too, you had to." She whispered, not wanting the others to hear.
Sora glanced quickly at her, confusion on his face. "What? When?" He asked, not catching on.
Kairi sighed, flopping back into the chair and watching the stars out the window. "So you didn't feel it? When Ansem was close to us… He was just the same as always to you?" She asked, chewing on her lip as she meditated on it.
"Yeah, he was still the same morbid bastard as far as I could tell, why?" Sora was obviously stressed out about the issue of Ansem's return, so Kairi didn't want to press the matter, deciding it was her own overconfidence in people.
"Nothing, forget it.." She stated simply, resting her head on the seat and closing her eyes as she awaited their arrival in Traverse Town.
~*~
Sora gently nudged her awake, laughing as she reached up to slap him away. "Come on! We're here!" He cried, picking her up and dumping her on her feet.
Kairi stumbled and fell against Riku, looking up into her friend's deep turquoise eyes. She smiled happily and hugged him. "You're alright!" She cried, releasing him and bounding off the ship, attaching herself to Yuffie, who had been waiting for her.
Riku shook his head as he watched the two girls giggle as they got reacquainted. He helped Sora unpack their luggage, taking a large duffel bag from him and grabbing his shoulder tightly.
"Hey, thanks. Sorry if I caused you guys any trouble, I just.. didn't want to see him use anyone else like he used me.." He said, looking away shamefully. "Guess I'm not as indestructible as I thought.." He laughed weakly.
Sora stood there for a moment, a look of understanding on his face. "Riku, you're like family to us. We would do anything for you, don't forget it. But next time you feel like stealing a gummi ship and running away, why don't you leave a damn post-it note or something? It took us days to track you down." He smirked at the older male, shuffling past him with Kairi's hastily packed bags.
~*~
The bells of the clock tower could be heard all through town, ringing out to tell everyone that it was one in the morning. Tidus and the other islanders had shown up around eleven, carting huge boxes of snack stuffs and gallons of soda, demanding that they have a party.
A distance odd thump awoke Kairi, and sat up groggily to gaze around the room. She had fallen asleep propped against Squall, shifting her gaze from his sleeping form to Sora and Riku, who were sprawled out awkwardly across the floor, video game controllers still in hand. Yuffie and Aerith had curled up on the bed, while Cloud had propped himself up in the doorway. Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie had collapsed in a random heap on the floor, and just behind them, Cid lay stretched against the wall. She smiled oddly to herself, resting her head back down against Squall.
She jerked her head up again when she hear another thumping sound, closer this time. She thought at first that it was one of the sleeping figures in the room, abandoning that thought when she realized something. The window was open.
Nervously, she scanned the room, her blood freezing when she saw a flicker of shadow against the far wall. Reaching up, she grabbed a hold of Squall's shirt and tugged roughly on it, pulling herself up closer to him in sudden fright. When he didn't stir, she tugged again, more urgently this time. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked down at her, immediately registering the fear in her eyes.
He leaned forward, "What's wrong?" he whispered, following her gaze around the room. She gasped quietly and he put a reassuring arm around her, following her gaze toward the far wall.
"Holy Shit!!" He screamed, flinging himself to his feet as he pulled out the gunblade, leaping to the side and pulling Kairi with him just as a shadow replica of himself crushed the wall.
Startled cries sounded all around the room as the sleeping party was rudely awoken. Squall dodged the Heartless, slicing it in half with one powerful move.
"Sora!!" he yelled, pulling the keyblade master to his feet. "They're everywhere!" He shouted over the sound of grinding metal.
Immediately, weapons appeared around the room, along with dozens of shadow replica heartless, each taking the form of Squall, Cloud, Sora, or Riku.
Cloud spun around, "Tidus, Wakka! Get the girls to safety!" he yelled, covering them as a replica of Riku leapt at Tidus and Selphie.
"No way! We can fight!" Yuffie cried, scowling at Cloud. She was interrupted when Squall and Sora began shoving people toward the door.
"Get out! Run! There are too many!" Sora shouted, shoving Kairi into Wakka.
They burst out the door, weapons flashing in the moonlight. Tidus led the small party through the alley, running to board the gummi ship. Aerith and Selphie pulling Yuffie away from the fight, followed closely by Cid. Wakka followed them, holding Kairi's arm firmly as she struggled to help.
"No! Sora! Riku! Please!! I don't want to lose you again!!" She shrieked, pulling free and dashing back down the street. Wakka spun and caught her around the waist, hoisting her over his shoulder and grunting under the strain of keeping her still. Tidus leapt down from the gummi ship, helping Wakka lower Kairi down and hold her against the floor, trying to keep her from hurting herself.
"Calm down! They'll be fine, you'll only get in the way if you barge into the Heartless like that!!" Tidus shouted at her.
She froze when she heard him say that, remembering what Sora had told her just before he disappeared in End of the World. She had wanted to help then, too, but he had said that she would probably just get in his way. She reached up and grabbed Tidus's shirt, pulling herself up to bury her face in it, sobbing. She cursed herself for being so useless, Sora and Riku had been in trouble again, and once again, she couldn't help them.
Yuffie stormed over, slapping Tidus and pulling Kairi away from him, back to where Selphie and Aerith sat, all three girls trying to calm her down.
"What was that for?!" Tidus howled, holding a hand against his bright red cheek.
Yuffie turned to give him an icy glare. "You made her cry, stupid!" She huffed and turned back to comforting her friend.
"If I made her cry then why did she hug me?" Tidus asked Wakka, extremely confused.
Selphie looked up, "Tidus, you're so insensitive sometimes! Why are you always being such a butt-head?!" She growled, her sharp words stinging him like another slap in the face.
Wakka began laughing at Tidus, who was developing a head ache from trying to figure out what he had done.
"Knock it off, Wakka! You're just as bad as him! Always playing with your stupid little blitzball all day, I bet you wouldn't know sensitivity if it came up and bit you in the neck!!" Selphie shouted, sending both boys into brief depression episodes.
"All right, that's enough." Cid called from the gummi ship controls. "We're just about there." He said, watching the brutal fight below them. Yuffie and Selphie rushed to the window, gazing down at the bloody mess on the street.
"There's Squall and Cloud! Right over there! Can you get to them, Cid?" Yuffie called, pointing down to the left.
"Hold on.." He said, the ship dropping suddenly, everyone but Cid letting out little startled gasps. He looked over his shoulder, opening the side door from the controls.
"Wakka, Tidus, get out there and give them some cover as they climb aboard!" He called, the two boys nodding.
The door finished opening and the two boys jumped out, calling out for Squall and Cloud to hurry. A Heartless dropped down onto Tidus, biting his shoulder viciously. He screamed in agony and Wakka kicked it off, pulling his friend to his feet and helping the two older males leap aboard. The door slammed shut behind them, locking the Heartless out. Cid brought the gummi ship back up and circled around the town, trying to locate the two missing boys.
~*~*~*~~~~