Author Notes: Yay! My first chappie! I'M SO PROUD! -tear-
The main character of this story is Taiyou, which means 'sun' in Japanese. I just thought it was appropriate- you'll find out why later. Her best friend is Shanteru, who was named after my friend Chantsi.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Or anything related to that 'cept this story. Actually, there aren't any Kingdom Hearts related things in this chapter... -gets pelted with marshmellows- O-o;; But the next chappie... will... -flees-
"Race you to the shore, Taiyou!"
A blur of pale skin and sandy blonde hair bounds past her friend and toward the ocean. "Hey!" Taiyou called to her, jumping into a sprint, "No fair, Shansti!"
The two friends dashed head to head, leaping onto the stone barrier that separated their town from the beach. Shanteru flashed a smirk at her company- "I win!" she said mockingly.
Taiyou brushed some of her light brown hair from her face, mild perspiration forming on her forehead and cheeks, "Well, you had a head start!"
"Excuses, excuses," Shanteru shrugged, "I still beat you." She beamed proudly.
Before Taiyou could retort back, her friend looked out at the sky. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Taiyou faced the horizon herself. The sun was setting; tinting the usual azure sky into a rosy pink. The waters were also colored a bright orange, and the tranquil colors danced on the verge of the clouds. The ocean seemed to be sucking the sun into its watery depths, and without even knowing Taiyou's consciousness began to ebb and flow like the tides on the beach.
She was awaken to her friend prodding her in the shoulder. "Tai!" she said, "What's up with you?" Taiyou shook her head and returned to reality, "Wha...?" she mumbled.
"C'mon, we should head back." Shantsi cast a look of wonder at her friend, "Your mother will kill the both of us if we're late again." Without a word, the duo hopped off the wall and set out for home.
Suddenly, Taiyou was overcome with a strange feeling. This force tugged at the back of her mind to just take one last look out at that scenery. Unable to deny it, Taiyou stopped in her tracks and turned to overlook the landscape once more.
It was just the same as a few minutes ago... but wait. What was that in the distance? Squinting, she could only make out what appeared to be a shard of light falling from the sky. She was taken aback for a moment as the shooting star descended into the ocean and disappeared from sight. Her eyes widened, What was that? she thought for a heartbeat. "TAIYOU!" Shanteru called, already far away from her friend, "It's just a sunset, we can see it tomorrow, too, y'know!"
"Tomorrow..." Taiyou whispered, her pale blue eyes still fixed on where that source had plunged into the sea. Then she shook her head, returning to the present. What is wrong with me? she pondered absently, then went to catch up with Shantsi.
--x--
By the time the two girls had reached Taiyou's house, night had dominated the sky. A few specks of light swirled around a hypnotizing full moon, and the grass glistened in the moonshine, hinting of earlier rain. "So..." Taiyou began nervously, observing her friend as she traced the intricate pattern carved into her doorbell. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." The tone in Shanteru's voice made it seem like a demand. Her serious gaze met up with Taiyou's, "Summer is almost over, y'know."
Taiyou's heart lurched at her words; for after summer break, the girls would be separated. Taiyou was summoned to a private school far away from her best friend, her home, her old life. The pair attempted to push away the dreaded thoughts- but she knew they would have to face it eventually. Anxiously leaning against her door, her hand inconspicuously placed on the knob, she replied hopefully, "Well, how about if we visit that old church tomorrow? I mean... if you're brave enough to venture inside."
Her eyes darted to her worn-out sandals, but Shantsi slightly smiled. "Me?" she retorted in a taunting manner, "You're the chicken!"
"Oh, we'll see who's the chicken tomorrow." Taiyou playfully stuck out her tongue, and slipped inside her abode. Waving a tiny farewell as she entered.
"Well, there you are!" A tall yet stout woman greeted Taiyou as soon as she had closed the door. "Come, now, your dinner's getting cold!"
"Sorry, Mom." She grinned sheepishly and headed for the table, just realizing how hungry she was.
Although, one look at her mother's hamburger and rice, and something-or-other casserole left her appetite ruined. She sighed, watching the steam rise and evanesce as it tickled her nose. She took a few gulps of milk and stabbed at the mess, moving it around so it looked like she ate it. As soon as her mom took a seat at the table, Taiyou wrapped her scrawny arms around her abdomen. "Mom, may I be excused? I don't feel too well..." Her mom bestowed a sympathetic look, but granted her permission. With a small thanks and apology, Taiyou practically flew upstairs into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
With her mind in pandemonium, Taiyou curled up on a wooden chair next to her window. She opened the window in desire for some fresh air to release her from this whirl. She viewed the scenery from her front yard; a bench swing gently creaking in the gale, the invisible crickets in an orchestra. Her whole lawn just seemed like some different celestial dimension- with the shimmering silver moonlight reflecting a metallic shine on all it touched.
Taiyou's regard turned to that complete moon that seemed so beautiful- as if she could just reach out and touch it. Then that same feeling returned. The similar force that occurred just before at dusk, when all she could stare at was that planet in the sky; soaking in her consciousness like everything else dissolved around her. However, as she watched, something amazing happened. The moon began to twist and turn as if taking another shape. A gasp escaped the girl's compressed lips. How she wanted to look away in her disbelief, to keep it from happening, but that impel kept her from averting the situation. Finally, the shape shifting had cease, and the moon had switched to another form- the form of a heart.
A heart. It all seemed so unreal, like she was caught in a dream, trapped, with no way out. The moon changing before her very eyes, it just couldn't have happened. It wasn't logical! A whine echoed throughout the room, followed by an eerie silence and, soon enough, a steady breathing of slumber.
That night, Taiyou's dreams were filled with nightmarish scenes depicting that different moon. Merely this time, a shadow of a human was silhouetted against its shape. Out of the dark haze, a terrifying voice whispered and coaxed to her, "Chaos is coming... death at your door..."
--x--
Birdsong permeated the air, ringing through the morning like a bell. This awoke Taiyou from her sufferable sleep, and once she realized that she accidentally fell unconscious by her windowsill, she grabbed a tatted notebook in her reach, and freed a pencil from its unruly binds. 'Dear Diary...' she began to write on the crinkled pages, before she noticed that something was already written upon them, and in her own handwriting:
Visions in my mind-
Memories of a past life
As pieces of the sky
Fall, one by one.
Like the ocean waves
My spirit ebbs and flows
The rest of your future
Rests in my arms.
"Taiyou!" a familiar voice split the wordless atmosphere, and Taiyou's focus was weakened. She blinked a few times, slightly in shock, but eventually recovered and poked her head out the window to discover Shanteru standing at her front door. Slightly waving, she dived downstairs and opened the door, calling out to her mom; "Mom! I'm going with Shantsi! Be back soon!" With a word of confirmation from her mother, the duo was out on their paths to the old church, Taiyou nearly forgetting the mysterious poem.
Carving out a path in the trees and shrubs, Taiyou and Shantsi finally found what they were looking for. Ghost stories from their childhoods told them of this wretched place- a dreary establishment where two go in; but only one comes out.
The church was illustrated just as the fables, its stone walls slightly crumbled, the door broken off its hinges; the whole place had a haunting aura. Its entrance welcomed the shivering girls to infinite darkness. "So..." Taiyou urged, "Go on in."
At first Shantsi looked at her friend as if she were crazy, but deeply her eyes glowed with fear. She inched her way to the opening, not glancing back, and vanished within the tempting black. Worry stuck Taiyou's chest and she nearly rushed in after her.
Nothing. That was all they could see. It was so dark, and so large, that although there were a few windows, that was all the light they could receive. Taiyou could hear Shantsi whimper, and suddenly felt very guilty. "Aww, Shantsi. C'mon, there's nothing to see in here. Let's go." Turning around, she took hold of Shantsi's arm and guided her to the exit.
But the further they went towards it, the farther away it seemed. Soon enough the light of the egress shrunk until it was no more. Taiyou freed her friend's wrist from her grasp; the void was overwhelming, and her head began to spin. Moments of sheer silence passed as Taiyou re-collected herself. "Shantsi?" she called out. No answer. She began to shake uncontrollably, and found herself starting to scream out Shanteru's name.
--x--
How long has it been? It seemed like Taiyou was wandering in the eternal blackness forever. Even the light from the windows was gone- like it evaporated along with her friend. She was in tears, and fell to her knees in a heap of misery. What was going on lately? Will she ever get out of here? Questions raced through her mind- questions she just couldn't answer. Sobbing resounded in the emptiness, and the young girl was in so much shock she collapsed in unconsciousness. I never should have come here... this is all my fault... repeated in her head throughout her unconscious state.
There was no way out.
