The Brightest Star Lost At Sea, a kingdom hearts fanfic

Drums! Fanfare! Etc!

Heh, well this the first fic I've put on here for absolutely ages, and it's only a small one too. I know, I suck! Well, hopefully I'll be updating more frequently from now on. This particular item is Kindom Hearts 2 based, set just before Sora and Co. leave Hollow Bastion to the Land of Dragons. Hints at SoraxYuffie I guess, but could also just be a friendship thing – regardless, blame the fics of Chaotic Rei for this :)

I also resent having to call Squall 'Leon', but as that's his name in Kingdom Hearts then I'll grit my teeth and bear it. Grr.

Anyway…to wrap it up; I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor the characters, etc. The only thing that belongs to moi is the words/lyrics at the end. Enjoy.

The sky exhaled.

Like splintered glass; tiny shards of muted evening colour separated by hazy veins of clouds, it hung vividly above the great valleys on the outskirts of Hollow Bastion, both subtle and violent in its promise. A cool, soft breeze crept past the ramparts of the castle itself; and the promise of adventure carried by it invigorated Sora as he breathed in deep.

"Guess who!"

The view vanished suddenly from sight as two hands slid over his eyes. A giggle rang out from behind him, full of mischief, and Sora felt a smile cross his face as he remembered who it belonged to. Despite the passage of time, Yuffie's carefree voice was instantly recognisable to the young man.

"Gee, I really have no idea," he replied airily, and gently brushed her hands away with his own. "Oh, but if it's you Leon, you sound real different!"

"Hey!" Yuffie jabbed him playfully in the side with a finger. "Don't be a jerk; I'd be totally insulted if you'd forgotten me," she added, moving alongside him with a smile.

Sora looked thoughtful for a second. "Well…you know, I do remember a ninja by the name of Yuffie…noisy, clumsy, always getting in the way – oof!"

Yuffie had moved quickly, tripping Sora up and gently pinning him to the floor in one fluid moment. "Great ninja," she corrected, pushing down on his shoulders with her hands. "And you're not getting up 'til you do remember."

Sora couldn't help but smile at the mixture of humour and outrage on his friend's face, and raised his hands in submission. "Okay okay," he said apologetically. "I didn't forget you, great ninja Yuffie."

Yuffie grinned victoriously, and stuck out her tongue. "'Atta boy, Keyblade. That'll do." Climbing off, she held out a hand to the young man.

"Hey, you got taller" she observed as he rose to his feet.

"Yeah," Sora replied, rubbing his rear. "You won't be able to pull that trick on me for much longer. So, what are you doing up here anyway?"

"Looking for you of course. Leon and the others were discussing plans with Donald and Goofy. I hear you guys are setting off soon."

"Yeah, a passage opened up so we're going to see where it leads." Sora looked up at the sky. The conflicting colours, still scarred by clouds, were reluctant to reveal even the slightest trace of the pathway – but it was out there – and so was Riku and the King.

"Huh, rather you than me." Yuffie joined Sora in staring at the sky. She had a very strange look in her eyes, but Sora wasn't able to place what it was. "Hey, maybe you'll find your friends out there!"

"Yeah," Sora nodded in agreement, wondering if the reunion would occur as quickly as that. "Hopefully."

Yuffie rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove. "Man, when did you get so melodramatic? You'll find them – after all, you saw us all again, right? I told you earlier I knew we'd meet again."

Sora glanced at his friend. Curiously she was looking away. "Yeah, how did you know?" he asked.

"My amazing ninja training, obviously." She had replied casually, but Yuffie was clearly not being completely honest. Sora grinned, feeling an opportunity at last to get one over on his friend.

"Come on," he protested, creeping in close and trying to make eye contact. "How did you know?"

"Man, what's with you? I…just did. There's no particular reason." Yuffie poked him on the nose in admonishment, but was looking somewhat flustered at his persistence. Sora thought for a moment and grinned mischievously, before grabbing Yuffie's arm with one hand and holding the keyblade behind her legs. Pulling her quickly over the weapon, he allowed her to gently fall before pinning her to the floor in much the same way as she had done to him.

"My turn," he laughed. "C'mon, tell me how you knew! What's the secret?"

"Ah, gerroff, you big jerk!" Yuffie's protests were very vocal, although she made little effort to actually escape. "I'm gonna make you so sorry for this!"

The outrage in for voice made Sora laugh. "Guess you leave me no choice then," he replied, and tickled her under the arms. Yuffie emitted a very un-Yuffie like squeak and pushed the young man off so he was lying next to her.

"Man, you're persistent, Keyblade." She said, gasping for breath, and then laughed.

Sora grinned, feeling somewhat victorious. "Well, you should have just told me then."

Yuffie didn't answer at first; instead, she folded her arms beneath her head and looked up at the sky; silent, as if contemplating something. "Hmph," she said after a while. "Well…you better not laugh."

"Of course not." Sora followed his friend's lead and rested his head against his folded arms. The sky above was cooling and calm, and the first pinpricks of stars could just be seen beyond the colours.

"I mean it," Yuffie gave Sora a suspicious look. " Don't forget how great a ninja I am! I know moves that will hurt you so b– "

"Hey, threat acknowledged," laughed Sora. "You gonna tell me or what?"

Yuffie closed her eyes. "Fine. I had a dream."

"Huh?" Sora looked across at the young ninja. "That it? A dream?"

Yuffie opened her eyes to stare up at the sky. "Yeah. I dreamt I was sitting alone on a beach, and as the sea came in I saw the reflection of a bright star appear suddenly amongst the waves."

Sora frowned, nonplussed. "A bright star huh?"

Yuffie rolled her eyes, and a somewhat smug grin crossed her face as she looked over at him. "Hah, don't pretend you know what I'm talking about. Where I'm from, the bright star represents an important thing in the life of whoever dreams about it. Some time ago I had a dream where a bright star's reflection was lost in the waves of the ocean – waves represent the passage of time," she added, noticing Sora's confused expression.

"Oh…they do?"

"Yup." Yuffie's tone had taken on a superior quality, like she was an impassioned teacher addressing a pupil. "You see, they move forward, never going back, until they crash down onto their final destination. Anyway, that's it – I had a dream where I saw the star return, and I woke up knowing I'd be seeing you soon."

"Woah." Sora exhaled, only then realising he had been holding his breath. "That's quite a cool dream Yuffie. Hey, what's the matter?"

Yuffie had looked away suddenly, her whole body trembling. At first, Sora thought she was crying, but as he listened it dawned on him that this was not the case.

"Yuffie, why are you laughing?"

Realising that Sora had noticed, Yuffie gave up trying to suppress the laughter, which then burst uproariously from her mouth.

"Oh man," she giggled, slapping her hand on the ground. "I can't believe you fell for it! You are such a sap, Sora!"

"What?" Sora sat up, feeling his face flush with embarrassment. She had fooled him. "You mean you made it all up?"

Yuffie wiped away the tears from her eyes and nodded. "Oh man, that was so funny – you should have seen your face!"

Sora climbed to his feet with a sigh. "You're unbelievable!"

Still giggling, Yuffie leapt up and made a dramatic bow. "Hehe, I know. But thanks anyway, Keyblade. Maybe I'll tell you the real story one day." She looked across at the doorway behind them. "C'mon, let's go down before the others send out a search party for us."

"Yeah, you're right," Sora gave up on objecting to her prank, and started walking towards the doorway. As he reached it he looked back with a smile. "I'll hold you to that though."

"Sure!" Yuffie smiled brightly and waited for the young man to descend the stairwell. When she was certain he was out of earshot, the young ninja gazed back up at the sky.

"Stay in my skies, bright star," she whispered.

I won't fight against the passage of time; rather, I'll just sit and watch your brightest reflection fade amongst the crashing waves. Your star burned best when it was dying out; mine whenever you were around. We punctuate different skies now, but if I close my eyes and trace the routes then our constellations will cross again. Promise me you'll never change, and I'll promise you I'll change for the better. Keep your cool and I'll hold my breath and pray your presence hasn't blunted my sharp tongue. Your shyest smile is what I've always aimed for, and I hope that one day my aim is true.

Hehe, it's taken me a while to get back into writing fanfiction again, so if this sucks a little then all apologies. I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a review if you like, or pm me with comments, challenges etc. See ya next time.