Kingdom Hearts: Warriors of Light
At Last-Chapter 24
Kita was slowly starting to wake. She slowly opened her eyes to a sunny room made of marble and stone. She looked out of the corner of her eye without moving her head to see curtains blowing in the wind. There was an arched doorway with a curtain blocking the view of whatever may be on the other side. Kita lifted her head slightly to look around. The first thing to catch her eye was Riku whose head was lying on the bed next to her. He was asleep. Kita continued to look around the foreign setting trying to figure out where she was. She sat up for the first time noticing she was now wearing something different. For a moment she looked at Riku hoping with all hope it wasn't him who had changed them.
The last thing she could remember, she had fainted underwater. She thought to herself that Riku may have saved her, but where were they now? As she moved around to look more, Riku woke up. "Hey, you're awake," he said.
"Riku, where are we?" Kita said sounding worried.
"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you," Riku said smiling.
"Tell me! It's probably insane no matter how true it is," Kita said.
"We're in Atlantis," Riku explained. "Someone rescued you and I followed them in and ended up here. It really is a crazy place. This whole world is underwater, but there's a sky and land… I don't know how to explain."
"That is strange," Kita said. "Is this the same world we landed on and got attacked by the heartless?"
"Yep," Riku said. Kita got up and wondered over to the window. She seemed so curious to figure out where she was and how she'd gotten there. The sun hit her face and made her new silky cream colored dress glow. The sun was setting outside the window as Kita watched all sorts of people walking around and bustling about in the city.
"They all have white hair," Kita said. "That's so strange."
"Hey, at least we fit in," Riku said jokingly.
"Riku, who saved me?" Kita asked. She sounded nervous.
"I'll think I'll let her tell you," Riku said. "Let me go get her. Maybe you should sit down for this." Kita gave Riku a strange look as he exited the arched doorway.
Kita made her way back to the bed though she didn't know why she was taking Riku's advice. Moments later Riku returned with an adult woman who had long white hair and bright pink eyes. Kita's mouth dropped open feeling she may know who this woman was. "Hello Kita," the woman said.
"Mom?" Kita asked quietly finding it hard to speak. The woman smiled confirming Kita's suspicion. Tears started to come from Kita's eyes as she starred into her mother's eyes hardly able to believe it was really her. Riku left the two alone to catch up on quite a few years that Kita had never been able to share with her mother before now.
"This might sound like a stupid question, but I don't know your name," Kita said. Ansem had never shared his wife's name with Kita even though she had heard of her mother many times.
"My name is Lollahec," she answered.
"I know that name, but from where?" Kita said thinking out loud. "Oh yeah, it was written on a plaque above dad's laboratory door.
"I remember that lab," Lollahec said. "Your father worked there all the time. He was studying plants. But if he's the one responsible for the heartless, I'd say his experiments took a wrong turn somewhere."
"Yeah, he met King Mickey who came from another world and ever since all he wanted to do was find out how to get to other worlds," Kita explained. "He was obsessed. I hardly ever saw him. And then when I did, he was different." Kita started trailing off. She remembered so clearly the day she saw her father after several weeks down in his lab. He looked different and acted different. From that day on, nothing was the same. "It's like he stopped loving me."
"The Ansem I married was nothing like that," Lollahec said. "I fear that because I left so suddenly, he's been working too hard at finding me and it's lead to dark intentions and corrupted his mind. But he really seemed like someone who would know better…" Kita and Lollahec were looking sad now thinking about the man they were both connected to who had strayed so far away. Trying to switch to a better topic, the two talked late into the night. It was dark now in the undersea world of Atlantis and even though Kita had been sleeping most of the day, she was pretty tired again.
Kita, Riku and Lollahec moved from the healer's to Lollahec's house. It was just a little place since there was no need for more room than one. Lollahec greatfully gave up her bedroom for Kita. Riku offered to sleep outside, but Lollahec wasn't about to let him suffer. She made up a little pile of blankets across the room from Kita attempting to make a mattress enough to sleep on. The floors were too cold and hard to sleep on, so Lollahec tried her best. She ended up moving out to a homemade hammock in her kitchen.
Kita lay awake for a while in bed staring out a window up at the stars. She thought about Ti-Day and how far away he was. Without him she was sad and felt alone and weak. He was like a brother who had taken the place of her parents when they fell void in her life. Now she was with her mother and Riku somewhere far away feeling lost. Tears were coming out of her eyes uncontrollably. She made a few weeping noises on accident.
"You ok Kita?" Riku asked from the floor. Apparently he hadn't fallen asleep either.
"Yeah," Kita said trying really hard to make it sound like she wasn't crying. Riku stayed silent doubting it, but he didn't want to bother her if she didn't feel like talking. Too many times had he rubbed her the wrong way when she'd rather have been left alone. This time, he knew better. He laid in silence only to hear Kita continuing to sob.
"I feel so lost," Kita said. "I just found my mother after all these years, and it feels like she's only a stranger to me. I find it hard to love my father after how much he's changed. And the only person who's ever really been there for me is far away right now. I don't know who I'm trying to fool by acting like I'm strong… because I'm not."
Riku sat up figuring it would be ok to speak since Kita had started it. "I think you are. It takes a lot to live through everything you have. I don't know if I'd be able to handle it all as well as you have."
Kita let out a tiny laugh that seemed a little sarcastic. "Yeah right… I've been treating you like crap since the day we met. Let me ask you something. If you knew what was in store, would you still have saved me from drowning in that tank?" It had been awhile since either of them had thought about the dream in which they first met. Riku was a little caught off guard by its mentioning.
"Yeah," Riku said with a smile on his face. "I don't regret doing that." Kita rolled over to see Riku on the floor. By now her eyes had adjusted to the dark and the little bit of moon like coming into the room made Riku visible on the floor. He was looking at her with a serious look on his face. His electric blue eyes were glowing and seemed too entrancing to look away from. It was like seeing him for the first time. Somewhat unreal like the dream. Kita's heart was racing as he stared back at her.
"Will you be alright now?" Riku asked.
"Yes," Kita said in barely a whisper. Then Riku smiled, rolled over and closed his eyes to go to sleep. Kita however remained starring wide eyed for a while, so many mixed emotions flooding through her. It wasn't until a few hours later that she finally fell asleep.
"Where is everyone?" Sora asked walking through Town Square with Donald, Goofy and Hercules. The foursome had returned to Halloween Town after many pointless hours of searching for Kita's ship in outer space. "I thought this place was getting repaired."
"Looks pretty good to me," Goofy said. "I'd say they've already finished."
"Yeah, but where's everyone now?" Hercules asked. "Think the town's people have come back yet?"
"I doubt Ti-Day, Ni-Ne, Jack and Pom-Pom fixed the entire town themselves this fast," Sora said. "Ti-Day! Ni-Ne! Kita! Riku! Anyone!"
"Kita's not here. How many times do I have to tell you that," Donald said.
"How do you know?" Hercules said.
Just then Pom-Pom showed up hurriedly flying through the town square towards the group. He was squealing frantically and trying to get everyone to follow him. "What is it boy?" Donald asked. Pom-Pom bounced behind Donald and pushed him in the back. "Ok! Don't be so pushy. He wants us to go to the graveyard."
"Well then, lets go!" Hercules said charging towards the woods. It didn't take long for the group to reach the graveyard. They're questions where answered as to where everyone was. Jack and a group of Halloween Town inhabitants were standing in a circle around Ti-Day who was looked like he'd just woken up.
"Ti-Day, where's Ni-Ne?" Sora asked.
Ti-Day hung his head. "I don't know," he said. He looked scared. "I saw her come out of Jack's house and she didn't look right. So I followed her and I found her singing here in the graveyard, but I fell asleep before I could reach her. And I just woke up to find out she's no where to be found."
"I wonder where's she gotten to," Goofy said scratching his head. "Have you seen Kita and Riku by any chance?"
"No, why? I thought she left with you guys," Ti-Day said.
"Well, somewhere out there we lost track of her ship and now it's like they've disappeared entirely," Sora tried to explain.
Ti-Day looked worried. He hung his head again and grabbed his forehead. "More to worry about."
"Jack, do you think Ni-Ne was kidnapped?" Sally asked, also concerned about Ni-Ne's whereabouts.
"It's possible," Jack said. "And I think I know just who to ask."
"Who's that?" Donald asked.
"Oogie Boogie," Jack said looking mad.