Disclaimer: I don't own it.
Sorry, Dormouse, I know exactly how you feel. Is this a little closer to being a whole bag of chips? Once you pop, you just can't stop, I hate it when I run out of chips before I'm done! Eventually I would like to turn this into a doujinshi. I will try to make the chapters longer now, so sorry if some parts get a little rushed or dragged out a bit longer than necessary. This chapter itself was meant to be longer, but I'm leaving this later today in the morning, and it's already after 3, so, yea.
Sometime, I'm going to take this story down so I can paste two or more chapters together, otherwise, there will be way too many chapters by the time I'm done with it. So don't be alarmed if it says there are suddenly only 8 chapters or something, that's just me trying to cut back. I won't shorten it at all, just reorganize. M'kay?
Aw, sorry, chibilinnet, that part really wasn't supposed to make you cry. That's cute, though! Thanks for your reviews, people! And yeah, I am a big Shakespeare fan. I like how this chapter turned out, and just in case you don't catch on, Riku is wearing that cool cloak thingy from KH II. Not sure how he got it, but meh. Mickey has Ebay, right? Please post more reviews, I love reading what you have to say!
~~~~~
The hallway was quiet as Sora led Kairi to her guest room. He hadn't said very much since the meeting, just cast nervous glances at her every few minutes. Pushing open a door, he stepped inside, dropping her stuff on the bed and turning to look at her.
"Here's your room." He said, shutting the door and flopping down on the bed. "So, uh, how was it?" He asked quietly, staring intently at her as she thought up an answer.
"Well, he left me alone most of the time.. He just let me wander around the castle and only came to me when he had something to say." She said simply, turning to unpack her bags of new clothing into her dresser.
Sora was silent, contemplating this for a moment. "He didn't, try anything? Didn't try to turn you into a Heartless or anything?" he asked curiously.
Kairi bit herself to hold in a giggle. "No, he was, quiet." She said.
Sora snorted, "That doesn't sound like the Ansem I know," He said, "Maybe he has a crush on you!" He laughed, ducking out of the way as an empty bag went flying at his head.
Kairi quickly turned back to the dresser, hiding the blush that had crossed her face. "Oh! Shut up, Sora!" She forced out a giggle, hiding the fact that he might as well have just squeezed her bruised heart.
He watched in silence for a moment, just happy that she was back safely. He stood up and walked over to her, leaning against the dresser. After a moment, she huffed, roughly pushing the bag down against the carpet and looking up at him.
"Sora, I want to go home." She said softly, biting back her tears.
Sora watched her, bending down and resting his hand on her back as her shoulders shook gently. He sighed, "We can ask the King, but I'm not so sure that's a good idea right now." he whispered in her ear.
He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned in to bury her face in his shoulder. She cried softly into his shirt, trying to enjoy the experience of being so close to him. She smiled grimly to herself, finding that she was unable to get Ansem out of her mind. It was almost funny, just a few months ago, she would have done anything to have Sora fawn over her like this. But now that he finally was, all she wanted was for him to be someone else…
Yuffie chose that moment to burst through the door, skidding to a stop a few feet from them.
"Yuffie!" Sora cried, jumping up and helping Kairi to her feet.
Kairi giggled, wiping the tears from her face as she watched the hyper ninja. "That's twice, Yuffie. You sure are good at bursting in on people!" She laughed.
Yuffie held up three fingers, "Nuh-uh! That's three times!" She said almost proudly, dashing forward and latching onto Sora's arm. "Now, out! I need to talk to Kairi, alone!" She hollered, yanking him toward the door.
"Wait! You got to be with her the whole time in the gummi ship!" He complained, trying desperately to get away from her.
"Usually, I might let you stay, but we really need to talk." She huffed, pushing roughly on his back as he braced himself in the doorway.
"But-!" He cried, cut off when Yuffie interrupted him.
"Girl problems!" She shouted, receiving a surprised look as he was thrown out into the hallway, the door slamming and locking after him.
Yuffie turned and faced Kairi, skipping quickly over to her. "So." She chirped. "You and Sora seem pretty close. He's a nice guy, didn't try to turn the world to darkness." She sang casually, slumping down against Kairi's dresser.
Kairi struggled to hold in the sudden surge of anger toward the ninja, turning instead to kick a half full bag across the carpet. "Yuffie.. Just, drop it. Okay?" She clutched her shoulders tightly and stared down at the floor, squeezing her eyes shut. "Why are you in here, anyway?" She asked, the bitterness in her voice stinging herself.
Yuffie sighed, "Because I know you need someone to talk to, and I'm pretty sure you're not about to go tell anyone else about what happened." She said quietly, moving over to stand in front of the younger girl. "I'm sorry, I guess Ansem isn't really that bad.. I mean, other than the weird obsession with darkness and the whole evil Heartless thing, I guess he's okay." She said quietly, suddenly finding the top of the dresser extremely interesting.
"Yuffie, didn't you say you grew up in Hollow Bastion back when Ansem was still king?" Kairi asked, wiping her face with her hand. "What was he like?"
Yuffie thought for a moment, "Well, the first few years that I can remember, he was kinda nice, quiet and a little solitary, but still nice. It's not like he was always evil, that didn't happen until way later. But I suppose before the Heartless, he was a good king. He really cared about the people of Hollow Bastion. His only real fault was his curiosity. He was always studying something, it was just a matter of time before it got him into trouble. I dunno, I'm really not the one to talk to about this, I never really saw him much before he went all crazy." She yawned, "Ugh, it's late. I'm going to bed. Good night." She waved over her shoulder as she turned abruptly and walked back out the door, closing it gently behind herself.
Kairi sighed, flinging herself back onto the bed and burying her face in her velvety pillows. After a while, she sat up, remembering the book Ansem had handed her before she left. Reaching down, she pulled it swiftly out of the bag at the foot of the bed, pulling herself up as she flipped it open.
It was written in a strange kind of calligraphy she'd never seen before, and it took her a few minutes to figure it out. She flipped quickly through the pages, watching as the words flew by. Her thumb slipped from the page, letting the book fall open on it's own account. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked down at the title on the page. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. There was a piece of paper wedged between the pages, and she gently pulled it out and unfolded it.
It was a beautiful sketch of a young couple, lips nearly touching as they embraced. The male had the Heartless emblem cut into his skin, blood seeping slowly down his bare chest. The girl was holding a small dagger poised above it, tears running down her face as she gazed up at him. Below the picture, Ansem had written in neat script, 'Parting is such sweet sorrow'.
Kairi's heart skipped a beat as she traced a finger over the paper. She smiled when she realized she had never thought of him as being an artist. Sitting up, she quickly flipped the page of the book and began reading.
~*~
The wind howled angrily as it swept around the castle, tearing around the empty courtyards and shredding the garden. Thick rain pounded unmercifully down on the earth, puddle forming rapidly as the storm worsened.
A crash of thunder jolted Kairi out of her sleep. She gazed around the room in surprise, eyes resting on the book that had slipped to her side. The picture Ansem had sketched marked the last page she had read before falling asleep. She picked it up, scanning the page as she noticed she had only made it to the beginning of Act II. Sighing sadly, she stood up, stretching her cramped muscles and walking to the window.
Another crash of thunder made her jump, and she gazed down at the thrashed courtyard below her. The rain pounded heavily on her window, and it blurred the glass. Noticing a dark shape against the back wall, she squinted into the storm. She was sure she had seen it move. A flash of lightening lit up the courtyard, and she caught a glimpse of silver. Turning abruptly, she grabbed her hoodie, quietly making her way out the door and down the hall.
~*~
Sneaking quietly along the corridor, she pulled open the courtyard doors and stepped out into the storm. Peeking around the corner of the wall, she gazed down the covered walkway that surrounded the yard, immediately noticing the hunched form leaning against the cold stone wall. Stepping bravely forward, she made her way down the walkway, pulling her sweatshirt tighter around her shoulders as a cold blast of wind hit her. The figure looked up, aquamarine eyes studying her from under the heavy cloak with mild surprise as she approached him.
"Hey, Riku. What are you doing out here?" She asked, shivering slightly as gazing up at her friend with concern.
He smiled, looking back out at the vicious rain. "Nothing really, it just doesn't seem right, being inside this big castle all of the time. But even now, I'm still kinda inside the castle, I just can't get away." He laughed quietly, looking down at her, "King Mickey says I'm claustrophobic."
Kairi shuffled uncomfortably against the cold, cringing as a wave of rain was blown against them. Huffing, she stepped forward, unzipping the front of his cloak and snuggling down against his warm t-shirt. "It's freezing out here!" She complained, still used to the tropical weather of Destiny Islands.
Riku laughed, "What are you even doing out here?" He asked, wrapping his arms firmly around her shoulders.
"I saw you out my bedroom window, you looked so lonely. Different from back home, when I always saw you on the paopu tree." She giggled, reaching up and tugging gently on his silver hair. "So what's wrong, anyway?"
"You're so suspicious! Nothings wrong, I just, don't really like it here." He said simply, pulling her closer and shielding her as another wave of rain blew over them. "And what about you? Something's been bothering you since you got here. Did Ansem do something to you? Wanna talk about anything?" He asked, concern showing on his face.
"… Promise you won't tell? Not even Sora?" she asked, looking directing into his eyes.
He looked slightly hurt, "Kairi, you know I'd never tell." He said quietly.
She continued to stare up at him, "Not even King Mickey?" She lowered her voice.
Riku stared at her in surprise. "The King? What's wrong?" He asked, his voice taking on a slight tone of urgency. "Was it something Ansem did? What is it? You know you can tell me anything." He said when she lowered her gaze and didn't answer.
Slowly, she looked back up at him, taking a deep breath. "I-I kissed him." She said simply, a blush showing as she rested her forehead back down against Riku's chest.
At hearing her words, he almost fainted. "You- kissed him." He stated, unable to believe what he had heard. Shaking his head, he pulled her back by the shoulders, leaning down and looking into her face. "Why?" He asked slowly.
Tears formed in her eyes as she struggled to keep eye contact with him, "I don't know, it just felt right! I'm not sure why, but I love him…" She whimpered, closing her eyes and waiting for him to yell at her.
To her surprise, he pulled her back into a hug. He ran his hand reassuringly through her hair, think for a moment before forming his reply.
"It felt right… You didn't sense anything evil about him? How did he treat you?" he asked, barely able to believe he was actually reacting this well.
She sighed, "Sometimes there was something, different about him. Like when he was angry, then I could sense something dark around him. But he never tried to hurt me, he was quiet, and seemed lonely. He usually didn't even touch me, just kept his distance and let me wander Hollow Bastion alone." She said sadly, pausing as Riku gave her a suspicious look.
"Didn't usually touch you? When did he?" He asked, his voice reflecting how eager he was to dislike Ansem.
She looked up at him, startled. "Well, he picked me up once, when we were walking around Hollow Bastion. But it was only so he could fly us over to another platform or something. And I guess when I kissed him in the library, but I started that.." She trailed off, blushing furiously under Riku's questioning gaze.
He sighed. "How did you wind up stuck there anyway?" he asked, a flash of lightening lighting up his face.
She shifted nervously in his arms. "Well, the Heartless had gone after him, too, when they attacked us in the library. I didn't sense anything evil about him then, and it seemed wrong to not help someone when they need it. So I went back inside. Shows how much you guys care about me, taking off without me like that." She smirked at him, hiding in his cloak as another burst of wind blew rain into the faces.
He shook his head, hugging her tightly and bringing his mouth down to her ear. "Alright, I trust you, Kairi. But I don't approve. Now go back to bed before we both freeze to death." he said, guiding her back to the door.
~*~*~*~~~~
Sorry, Dormouse, I know exactly how you feel. Is this a little closer to being a whole bag of chips? Once you pop, you just can't stop, I hate it when I run out of chips before I'm done! Eventually I would like to turn this into a doujinshi. I will try to make the chapters longer now, so sorry if some parts get a little rushed or dragged out a bit longer than necessary. This chapter itself was meant to be longer, but I'm leaving this later today in the morning, and it's already after 3, so, yea.
Sometime, I'm going to take this story down so I can paste two or more chapters together, otherwise, there will be way too many chapters by the time I'm done with it. So don't be alarmed if it says there are suddenly only 8 chapters or something, that's just me trying to cut back. I won't shorten it at all, just reorganize. M'kay?
Aw, sorry, chibilinnet, that part really wasn't supposed to make you cry. That's cute, though! Thanks for your reviews, people! And yeah, I am a big Shakespeare fan. I like how this chapter turned out, and just in case you don't catch on, Riku is wearing that cool cloak thingy from KH II. Not sure how he got it, but meh. Mickey has Ebay, right? Please post more reviews, I love reading what you have to say!
~~~~~
The hallway was quiet as Sora led Kairi to her guest room. He hadn't said very much since the meeting, just cast nervous glances at her every few minutes. Pushing open a door, he stepped inside, dropping her stuff on the bed and turning to look at her.
"Here's your room." He said, shutting the door and flopping down on the bed. "So, uh, how was it?" He asked quietly, staring intently at her as she thought up an answer.
"Well, he left me alone most of the time.. He just let me wander around the castle and only came to me when he had something to say." She said simply, turning to unpack her bags of new clothing into her dresser.
Sora was silent, contemplating this for a moment. "He didn't, try anything? Didn't try to turn you into a Heartless or anything?" he asked curiously.
Kairi bit herself to hold in a giggle. "No, he was, quiet." She said.
Sora snorted, "That doesn't sound like the Ansem I know," He said, "Maybe he has a crush on you!" He laughed, ducking out of the way as an empty bag went flying at his head.
Kairi quickly turned back to the dresser, hiding the blush that had crossed her face. "Oh! Shut up, Sora!" She forced out a giggle, hiding the fact that he might as well have just squeezed her bruised heart.
He watched in silence for a moment, just happy that she was back safely. He stood up and walked over to her, leaning against the dresser. After a moment, she huffed, roughly pushing the bag down against the carpet and looking up at him.
"Sora, I want to go home." She said softly, biting back her tears.
Sora watched her, bending down and resting his hand on her back as her shoulders shook gently. He sighed, "We can ask the King, but I'm not so sure that's a good idea right now." he whispered in her ear.
He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned in to bury her face in his shoulder. She cried softly into his shirt, trying to enjoy the experience of being so close to him. She smiled grimly to herself, finding that she was unable to get Ansem out of her mind. It was almost funny, just a few months ago, she would have done anything to have Sora fawn over her like this. But now that he finally was, all she wanted was for him to be someone else…
Yuffie chose that moment to burst through the door, skidding to a stop a few feet from them.
"Yuffie!" Sora cried, jumping up and helping Kairi to her feet.
Kairi giggled, wiping the tears from her face as she watched the hyper ninja. "That's twice, Yuffie. You sure are good at bursting in on people!" She laughed.
Yuffie held up three fingers, "Nuh-uh! That's three times!" She said almost proudly, dashing forward and latching onto Sora's arm. "Now, out! I need to talk to Kairi, alone!" She hollered, yanking him toward the door.
"Wait! You got to be with her the whole time in the gummi ship!" He complained, trying desperately to get away from her.
"Usually, I might let you stay, but we really need to talk." She huffed, pushing roughly on his back as he braced himself in the doorway.
"But-!" He cried, cut off when Yuffie interrupted him.
"Girl problems!" She shouted, receiving a surprised look as he was thrown out into the hallway, the door slamming and locking after him.
Yuffie turned and faced Kairi, skipping quickly over to her. "So." She chirped. "You and Sora seem pretty close. He's a nice guy, didn't try to turn the world to darkness." She sang casually, slumping down against Kairi's dresser.
Kairi struggled to hold in the sudden surge of anger toward the ninja, turning instead to kick a half full bag across the carpet. "Yuffie.. Just, drop it. Okay?" She clutched her shoulders tightly and stared down at the floor, squeezing her eyes shut. "Why are you in here, anyway?" She asked, the bitterness in her voice stinging herself.
Yuffie sighed, "Because I know you need someone to talk to, and I'm pretty sure you're not about to go tell anyone else about what happened." She said quietly, moving over to stand in front of the younger girl. "I'm sorry, I guess Ansem isn't really that bad.. I mean, other than the weird obsession with darkness and the whole evil Heartless thing, I guess he's okay." She said quietly, suddenly finding the top of the dresser extremely interesting.
"Yuffie, didn't you say you grew up in Hollow Bastion back when Ansem was still king?" Kairi asked, wiping her face with her hand. "What was he like?"
Yuffie thought for a moment, "Well, the first few years that I can remember, he was kinda nice, quiet and a little solitary, but still nice. It's not like he was always evil, that didn't happen until way later. But I suppose before the Heartless, he was a good king. He really cared about the people of Hollow Bastion. His only real fault was his curiosity. He was always studying something, it was just a matter of time before it got him into trouble. I dunno, I'm really not the one to talk to about this, I never really saw him much before he went all crazy." She yawned, "Ugh, it's late. I'm going to bed. Good night." She waved over her shoulder as she turned abruptly and walked back out the door, closing it gently behind herself.
Kairi sighed, flinging herself back onto the bed and burying her face in her velvety pillows. After a while, she sat up, remembering the book Ansem had handed her before she left. Reaching down, she pulled it swiftly out of the bag at the foot of the bed, pulling herself up as she flipped it open.
It was written in a strange kind of calligraphy she'd never seen before, and it took her a few minutes to figure it out. She flipped quickly through the pages, watching as the words flew by. Her thumb slipped from the page, letting the book fall open on it's own account. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked down at the title on the page. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. There was a piece of paper wedged between the pages, and she gently pulled it out and unfolded it.
It was a beautiful sketch of a young couple, lips nearly touching as they embraced. The male had the Heartless emblem cut into his skin, blood seeping slowly down his bare chest. The girl was holding a small dagger poised above it, tears running down her face as she gazed up at him. Below the picture, Ansem had written in neat script, 'Parting is such sweet sorrow'.
Kairi's heart skipped a beat as she traced a finger over the paper. She smiled when she realized she had never thought of him as being an artist. Sitting up, she quickly flipped the page of the book and began reading.
~*~
The wind howled angrily as it swept around the castle, tearing around the empty courtyards and shredding the garden. Thick rain pounded unmercifully down on the earth, puddle forming rapidly as the storm worsened.
A crash of thunder jolted Kairi out of her sleep. She gazed around the room in surprise, eyes resting on the book that had slipped to her side. The picture Ansem had sketched marked the last page she had read before falling asleep. She picked it up, scanning the page as she noticed she had only made it to the beginning of Act II. Sighing sadly, she stood up, stretching her cramped muscles and walking to the window.
Another crash of thunder made her jump, and she gazed down at the thrashed courtyard below her. The rain pounded heavily on her window, and it blurred the glass. Noticing a dark shape against the back wall, she squinted into the storm. She was sure she had seen it move. A flash of lightening lit up the courtyard, and she caught a glimpse of silver. Turning abruptly, she grabbed her hoodie, quietly making her way out the door and down the hall.
~*~
Sneaking quietly along the corridor, she pulled open the courtyard doors and stepped out into the storm. Peeking around the corner of the wall, she gazed down the covered walkway that surrounded the yard, immediately noticing the hunched form leaning against the cold stone wall. Stepping bravely forward, she made her way down the walkway, pulling her sweatshirt tighter around her shoulders as a cold blast of wind hit her. The figure looked up, aquamarine eyes studying her from under the heavy cloak with mild surprise as she approached him.
"Hey, Riku. What are you doing out here?" She asked, shivering slightly as gazing up at her friend with concern.
He smiled, looking back out at the vicious rain. "Nothing really, it just doesn't seem right, being inside this big castle all of the time. But even now, I'm still kinda inside the castle, I just can't get away." He laughed quietly, looking down at her, "King Mickey says I'm claustrophobic."
Kairi shuffled uncomfortably against the cold, cringing as a wave of rain was blown against them. Huffing, she stepped forward, unzipping the front of his cloak and snuggling down against his warm t-shirt. "It's freezing out here!" She complained, still used to the tropical weather of Destiny Islands.
Riku laughed, "What are you even doing out here?" He asked, wrapping his arms firmly around her shoulders.
"I saw you out my bedroom window, you looked so lonely. Different from back home, when I always saw you on the paopu tree." She giggled, reaching up and tugging gently on his silver hair. "So what's wrong, anyway?"
"You're so suspicious! Nothings wrong, I just, don't really like it here." He said simply, pulling her closer and shielding her as another wave of rain blew over them. "And what about you? Something's been bothering you since you got here. Did Ansem do something to you? Wanna talk about anything?" He asked, concern showing on his face.
"… Promise you won't tell? Not even Sora?" she asked, looking directing into his eyes.
He looked slightly hurt, "Kairi, you know I'd never tell." He said quietly.
She continued to stare up at him, "Not even King Mickey?" She lowered her voice.
Riku stared at her in surprise. "The King? What's wrong?" He asked, his voice taking on a slight tone of urgency. "Was it something Ansem did? What is it? You know you can tell me anything." He said when she lowered her gaze and didn't answer.
Slowly, she looked back up at him, taking a deep breath. "I-I kissed him." She said simply, a blush showing as she rested her forehead back down against Riku's chest.
At hearing her words, he almost fainted. "You- kissed him." He stated, unable to believe what he had heard. Shaking his head, he pulled her back by the shoulders, leaning down and looking into her face. "Why?" He asked slowly.
Tears formed in her eyes as she struggled to keep eye contact with him, "I don't know, it just felt right! I'm not sure why, but I love him…" She whimpered, closing her eyes and waiting for him to yell at her.
To her surprise, he pulled her back into a hug. He ran his hand reassuringly through her hair, think for a moment before forming his reply.
"It felt right… You didn't sense anything evil about him? How did he treat you?" he asked, barely able to believe he was actually reacting this well.
She sighed, "Sometimes there was something, different about him. Like when he was angry, then I could sense something dark around him. But he never tried to hurt me, he was quiet, and seemed lonely. He usually didn't even touch me, just kept his distance and let me wander Hollow Bastion alone." She said sadly, pausing as Riku gave her a suspicious look.
"Didn't usually touch you? When did he?" He asked, his voice reflecting how eager he was to dislike Ansem.
She looked up at him, startled. "Well, he picked me up once, when we were walking around Hollow Bastion. But it was only so he could fly us over to another platform or something. And I guess when I kissed him in the library, but I started that.." She trailed off, blushing furiously under Riku's questioning gaze.
He sighed. "How did you wind up stuck there anyway?" he asked, a flash of lightening lighting up his face.
She shifted nervously in his arms. "Well, the Heartless had gone after him, too, when they attacked us in the library. I didn't sense anything evil about him then, and it seemed wrong to not help someone when they need it. So I went back inside. Shows how much you guys care about me, taking off without me like that." She smirked at him, hiding in his cloak as another burst of wind blew rain into the faces.
He shook his head, hugging her tightly and bringing his mouth down to her ear. "Alright, I trust you, Kairi. But I don't approve. Now go back to bed before we both freeze to death." he said, guiding her back to the door.
~*~*~*~~~~