Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.
Thank you, Rayne B! I really enjoyed reading your review! The whole time I tried to read it, though, my TV kept mooing at me. lol, I like to watch movies while I write because it offers a distraction (weird huh?), and it was just getting to the part in Monster's Inc. where the THX starts mooing…Anyway, I'm glad you liked it and gave me a chance! I had been thinking about making Sora and Riku a queer couple, but I decided against it just today during art class. To be quite honest, I hadn't considered how Sora would react yet, but I really like the whole jealousy issue. Oh, sorry, I keep forgetting to add that to my profile, but I am a girl. Yup.
K, here you go, I'm starting to have lotsa fun with this! It gets a little random toward the end, but I still liked it. It should get slightly fluffy within the next few chapters. And does anyone know how old Ansem is supposed to be? Kyle, you are allowed no suggestions! Riku loving psychopath…
~~~~~
Morning sunlight filtered through the half shut drapes, shining across the bed and warming Kairi's face. Groggily, she sat up, running a hand through her hair and gazing around the room.
"Where am I..?" She muttered, resting in the Chapel the last thing she remembered.
She looked around at her new surroundings, completely confused. A crumpled white heap at the foot of her bed caught her attention and she crawled forward to examine it. Picking it up, she immediately recognized it as Ansem's coat. He brought me here when he found me asleep in the Chapel? She thought to herself, gently folding it and placing it back on the bed.
She found her shoes on the floor and put them on, picking up Ansem's coat again and walking toward the door. A noise near the window made her jump.
Turning quickly, she cautiously made her way around the bed, examining the floor. A shadow rose out of the floor, circling her feet before it rose up in front of her and took on Sora's replica shape. She yelped and stepped back, confused when it didn't attack.
"W-what do you want?" She choked, getting nervous as it smiled at her.
The replica's shape began to change, melting away until Kairi saw herself standing there, smiling.
Kairi stared at it, dumbfounded. The Heartless bowed to her before grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the door. She could have sworn she heard it giggle as they burst into the hallway, yanking her to the double doors at the far end and entering what appeared to be a ball room.
There was a large carpet spread across the 60 foot grand hall, leaving a four foot edge around the walls. The left wall was lined with stained glass windows, circling around into the opposite wall and ending abruptly just before another set of double doors. The right wall had another set of double doors, which were decorated with the Heartless symbol.
The replica pulled her anxiously across the floor, skidding to a stop just feet from the doors opposite from the entrance. Cautiously, it pushed them open, peeking inside and quietly pushing Kairi in ahead of it.
Kairi looked around at the enormous dining hall, stepping forward and noticing Ansem standing with his back to her. He seemed to be staring out the tall glass windows covering the far wall, watching the clouds as they changed colors in the morning sunshine.
Upon hearing the door click shut, he turned, almost looking surprised when he noticed the Heartless standing behind Kairi. He walked over to her, "Good morning. I see one of the replica Heartless has chosen to remain by your side as well. Interesting." He said, examining the Heartless.
"You mean you saw others?" Kairi asked, glancing back suspiciously at the Heartless.
"Yes. Last night, after I carried you to your room, six of them appeared before me, ready for their orders. I'm not sure why, they simply returned." He said, looking back at Kairi.
She couldn't help but smile, "Aw, they like you." She giggled when he looked confused. "Oh, here." She said, quickly changing the subject. "You left this behind when you.. Carried me to my room.." She handed the coat to him, blushing lightly when he thanked her and put it back on.
"Are you hungry?" He asked, walking back to pull a chair out from the table. He motioned for her to sit, and she cautiously obeyed.
"A little.." She replied, shifting around in the large cozy chair and looked up at him, surprised by his manners.
He turned and motioned to the Heartless beside Kairi, watching as it walked happily trough the door to the kitchen, disappearing inside. He returned to his place at the window, watching the water down below as it shimmered.
The Heartless returned a moment later, carrying a tray of scrambled eggs, bacon, and two pieces of toast, along with a small bowl of salad and a glass of orange juice. Kairi smiled warmly at her new assistant as it set the tray down in front of her, receiving a nod in return.
Kairi poked around at it and found some silverware tucked under the plate. She dug into the warm food hungrily, having missed dinner the night before.
~*~
"So. Let me get this straight. You want me, to go into Hollow Bastion, and gather information pertaining to Kairi, without getting caught, and then report back to you?" Yuffie asked, surprised that they were willing to let her go, and perhaps even more surprised that it had been Wakka's idea in the first place.
"Yes, so, can you do it?" Donald asked impatiently, already upset that the King had decided to tell her the next morning after walking in on her and Selphie's depression episodes the night before.
Yuffie snorted, "Of course I can! When do I leave?" She asked, puffing out her skinny chest and looking down at the duck.
He threw up his hands in despair, "We're doomed!" he quacked, waddling out of the room.
Yuffie, Sora, and Mickey watched him go, Sora stifling laughter. Mickey looked up at her, "Tomorrow morning. We have some things we'd like to cover with you." He replied, turning to follow Donald. "Sora has volunteered to assist you in training in the meantime, so if you two could work in the training room, I would appreciate it. Don't forget to come to lunch." He added, waving as he ran after his magician.
"Training?" Yuffie asked, looking over at Sora.
Sora nodded, "King Mickey wanted me to make sure you could take care of yourself, considering we haven't really seen you in action yet." he said, avoiding her as she glared darkly at his suggestion.
"Fine, great, let's get going." She said innocently, eager to spar with Sora again. She skipped to the door and out into the hallway, stopping abruptly and turning to face him. "Which way is the training room?" She asked, pouting slightly when he shrugged.
~*~
Kairi stacked her dishes back on the tray, leaning back and watching as the Heartless took the tray back into the kitchen.
She stood up, walking over to Ansem, who was still standing with his back to her, looking out the window. He glanced down at her for a moment, appearing slightly uncomfortable. He looked back out the window.
"I'm…sorry." He said quietly.
Kairi was mystified, "Sorry? For what?" She asked.
Ansem hesitated, "For losing my temper last night. I should not have stormed off like that."
Kairi watched him as he stood there, staring blankly out the window. This is not the evil Heartless King that Sora and Riku always told me about…Is this who Ansem had been? He seems so lonely and out of place. She thought to herself, resisting the urge to stroke his shoulder.
Clearing her throat, she turned, almost smacking into the Heartless that materialized behind her. It smiled, giggling along with Kairi as they faced each other.
Hearing the sound of the Heartless' giggle, Ansem watching the replica with curious eyes. How strange, these shadow replicas have grown to the point where they are capable of emotion. Fascinating, what form of Heartless has this replica become? He asked himself, startled when he heard Kairi's voice.
"Ansem? Are you feeling alright?" She asked, interrupting his thoughts.
"..Yes, I was simply thinking." He said, watching as she fidgeted with her skirt, having noticed a random dirt spot from sleeping on the Chapel floor.
He managed to tear his gaze away from her skirt, meeting her eyes when she straightened up again.
He cleared his throat and motioned towards her clothing, "If you like, there is clothing in the old bedrooms that you may have. They were left behind when my people fled, along with some other things. You can keep whatever you find." He said, watching as her eyes filled with excitement.
"Really? Where?" She asked, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the dining hall and back into the ball room. She burst through the doors at the other end, scrambling to pull Ansem with her.
He nearly knocked her off her feet when he stopped in front of the door immediately to their right. "This way." He said, pushing the door open to reveal a staircase leading upward.
Kairi giggled and yanked him up the stair case, stopping in the doorway when they reached the top. The hall was lined with different colored doors, a stained glass window at the end of the hall.
Ansem stepped forward, motioning to a red door on the left. "This was the bedroom of a young woman, she must have been around your age.." His voice trailed off, avoiding Kairi's gaze.
"Around my age? What happened to her?" Kairi urged, suddenly remembering she was holding onto Ansem's hand. She let go and smiled in apology, looking expectantly up at him.
"She was turned into a Heartless." He said abruptly, looking away.
Kairi felt a pang of guilt, pushing open the door and looking inside at the dusty unkempt room.
Suddenly, the Heartless replica burst into the room, spinning around in a circle before grabbing Kairi's hand and pulling her inside. It smiled happily and twirled around, Kairi watching it questioningly. It grabbed her shoulders and led her to the tall oak wardrobe, urging her to look inside.
"Well, I can see you two are busy, I'll speak to you later." He said, waving quickly before he disappeared, closing the door behind him.
~*~*~*~~~~
Thank you, Rayne B! I really enjoyed reading your review! The whole time I tried to read it, though, my TV kept mooing at me. lol, I like to watch movies while I write because it offers a distraction (weird huh?), and it was just getting to the part in Monster's Inc. where the THX starts mooing…Anyway, I'm glad you liked it and gave me a chance! I had been thinking about making Sora and Riku a queer couple, but I decided against it just today during art class. To be quite honest, I hadn't considered how Sora would react yet, but I really like the whole jealousy issue. Oh, sorry, I keep forgetting to add that to my profile, but I am a girl. Yup.
K, here you go, I'm starting to have lotsa fun with this! It gets a little random toward the end, but I still liked it. It should get slightly fluffy within the next few chapters. And does anyone know how old Ansem is supposed to be? Kyle, you are allowed no suggestions! Riku loving psychopath…
~~~~~
Morning sunlight filtered through the half shut drapes, shining across the bed and warming Kairi's face. Groggily, she sat up, running a hand through her hair and gazing around the room.
"Where am I..?" She muttered, resting in the Chapel the last thing she remembered.
She looked around at her new surroundings, completely confused. A crumpled white heap at the foot of her bed caught her attention and she crawled forward to examine it. Picking it up, she immediately recognized it as Ansem's coat. He brought me here when he found me asleep in the Chapel? She thought to herself, gently folding it and placing it back on the bed.
She found her shoes on the floor and put them on, picking up Ansem's coat again and walking toward the door. A noise near the window made her jump.
Turning quickly, she cautiously made her way around the bed, examining the floor. A shadow rose out of the floor, circling her feet before it rose up in front of her and took on Sora's replica shape. She yelped and stepped back, confused when it didn't attack.
"W-what do you want?" She choked, getting nervous as it smiled at her.
The replica's shape began to change, melting away until Kairi saw herself standing there, smiling.
Kairi stared at it, dumbfounded. The Heartless bowed to her before grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the door. She could have sworn she heard it giggle as they burst into the hallway, yanking her to the double doors at the far end and entering what appeared to be a ball room.
There was a large carpet spread across the 60 foot grand hall, leaving a four foot edge around the walls. The left wall was lined with stained glass windows, circling around into the opposite wall and ending abruptly just before another set of double doors. The right wall had another set of double doors, which were decorated with the Heartless symbol.
The replica pulled her anxiously across the floor, skidding to a stop just feet from the doors opposite from the entrance. Cautiously, it pushed them open, peeking inside and quietly pushing Kairi in ahead of it.
Kairi looked around at the enormous dining hall, stepping forward and noticing Ansem standing with his back to her. He seemed to be staring out the tall glass windows covering the far wall, watching the clouds as they changed colors in the morning sunshine.
Upon hearing the door click shut, he turned, almost looking surprised when he noticed the Heartless standing behind Kairi. He walked over to her, "Good morning. I see one of the replica Heartless has chosen to remain by your side as well. Interesting." He said, examining the Heartless.
"You mean you saw others?" Kairi asked, glancing back suspiciously at the Heartless.
"Yes. Last night, after I carried you to your room, six of them appeared before me, ready for their orders. I'm not sure why, they simply returned." He said, looking back at Kairi.
She couldn't help but smile, "Aw, they like you." She giggled when he looked confused. "Oh, here." She said, quickly changing the subject. "You left this behind when you.. Carried me to my room.." She handed the coat to him, blushing lightly when he thanked her and put it back on.
"Are you hungry?" He asked, walking back to pull a chair out from the table. He motioned for her to sit, and she cautiously obeyed.
"A little.." She replied, shifting around in the large cozy chair and looked up at him, surprised by his manners.
He turned and motioned to the Heartless beside Kairi, watching as it walked happily trough the door to the kitchen, disappearing inside. He returned to his place at the window, watching the water down below as it shimmered.
The Heartless returned a moment later, carrying a tray of scrambled eggs, bacon, and two pieces of toast, along with a small bowl of salad and a glass of orange juice. Kairi smiled warmly at her new assistant as it set the tray down in front of her, receiving a nod in return.
Kairi poked around at it and found some silverware tucked under the plate. She dug into the warm food hungrily, having missed dinner the night before.
~*~
"So. Let me get this straight. You want me, to go into Hollow Bastion, and gather information pertaining to Kairi, without getting caught, and then report back to you?" Yuffie asked, surprised that they were willing to let her go, and perhaps even more surprised that it had been Wakka's idea in the first place.
"Yes, so, can you do it?" Donald asked impatiently, already upset that the King had decided to tell her the next morning after walking in on her and Selphie's depression episodes the night before.
Yuffie snorted, "Of course I can! When do I leave?" She asked, puffing out her skinny chest and looking down at the duck.
He threw up his hands in despair, "We're doomed!" he quacked, waddling out of the room.
Yuffie, Sora, and Mickey watched him go, Sora stifling laughter. Mickey looked up at her, "Tomorrow morning. We have some things we'd like to cover with you." He replied, turning to follow Donald. "Sora has volunteered to assist you in training in the meantime, so if you two could work in the training room, I would appreciate it. Don't forget to come to lunch." He added, waving as he ran after his magician.
"Training?" Yuffie asked, looking over at Sora.
Sora nodded, "King Mickey wanted me to make sure you could take care of yourself, considering we haven't really seen you in action yet." he said, avoiding her as she glared darkly at his suggestion.
"Fine, great, let's get going." She said innocently, eager to spar with Sora again. She skipped to the door and out into the hallway, stopping abruptly and turning to face him. "Which way is the training room?" She asked, pouting slightly when he shrugged.
~*~
Kairi stacked her dishes back on the tray, leaning back and watching as the Heartless took the tray back into the kitchen.
She stood up, walking over to Ansem, who was still standing with his back to her, looking out the window. He glanced down at her for a moment, appearing slightly uncomfortable. He looked back out the window.
"I'm…sorry." He said quietly.
Kairi was mystified, "Sorry? For what?" She asked.
Ansem hesitated, "For losing my temper last night. I should not have stormed off like that."
Kairi watched him as he stood there, staring blankly out the window. This is not the evil Heartless King that Sora and Riku always told me about…Is this who Ansem had been? He seems so lonely and out of place. She thought to herself, resisting the urge to stroke his shoulder.
Clearing her throat, she turned, almost smacking into the Heartless that materialized behind her. It smiled, giggling along with Kairi as they faced each other.
Hearing the sound of the Heartless' giggle, Ansem watching the replica with curious eyes. How strange, these shadow replicas have grown to the point where they are capable of emotion. Fascinating, what form of Heartless has this replica become? He asked himself, startled when he heard Kairi's voice.
"Ansem? Are you feeling alright?" She asked, interrupting his thoughts.
"..Yes, I was simply thinking." He said, watching as she fidgeted with her skirt, having noticed a random dirt spot from sleeping on the Chapel floor.
He managed to tear his gaze away from her skirt, meeting her eyes when she straightened up again.
He cleared his throat and motioned towards her clothing, "If you like, there is clothing in the old bedrooms that you may have. They were left behind when my people fled, along with some other things. You can keep whatever you find." He said, watching as her eyes filled with excitement.
"Really? Where?" She asked, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the dining hall and back into the ball room. She burst through the doors at the other end, scrambling to pull Ansem with her.
He nearly knocked her off her feet when he stopped in front of the door immediately to their right. "This way." He said, pushing the door open to reveal a staircase leading upward.
Kairi giggled and yanked him up the stair case, stopping in the doorway when they reached the top. The hall was lined with different colored doors, a stained glass window at the end of the hall.
Ansem stepped forward, motioning to a red door on the left. "This was the bedroom of a young woman, she must have been around your age.." His voice trailed off, avoiding Kairi's gaze.
"Around my age? What happened to her?" Kairi urged, suddenly remembering she was holding onto Ansem's hand. She let go and smiled in apology, looking expectantly up at him.
"She was turned into a Heartless." He said abruptly, looking away.
Kairi felt a pang of guilt, pushing open the door and looking inside at the dusty unkempt room.
Suddenly, the Heartless replica burst into the room, spinning around in a circle before grabbing Kairi's hand and pulling her inside. It smiled happily and twirled around, Kairi watching it questioningly. It grabbed her shoulders and led her to the tall oak wardrobe, urging her to look inside.
"Well, I can see you two are busy, I'll speak to you later." He said, waving quickly before he disappeared, closing the door behind him.
~*~*~*~~~~