Chapter Two – The Storm
Aurora rested back against the footboard of Kairi's bed, watching as the red-head went through the list of supplies she had written in her notebook.
"Alright, I think we have everything," Kairi said, finally looking up from the book. Aurora smiled.
"I think we do. Now all we have to do is wait for tomorrow," she said. Kairi nodded, glancing out the window, before doing a double take.
"A storm?" she gasped, before jumping up. "Oh no! The raft! We never secured it!"
"What are you going to do?" Aurora asked, standing as Kairi pulled her shoes back on. The red-head grabbed Aurora's shoes and tossed them at her.
"We need to get back to the island and make sure the raft is secure, so it doesn't float away or get destroyed," she said. Aurora nodded and pulled on her shoes, before glancing out the window at the storm. The feeling that something was wrong was only growing worse.
…
The two girls quickly made it to the island, docking their row boat, and started towards the path leading to the other side, where the raft was docked. Wind ripped at their clothes and hair, kicking sand up.
"Common, Kairi!" Aurora called when she noticed the red-head wasn't next to her. She glanced back, thinking the girl had falledn behind, only to gasp.
Kairi had vanished.
"Kairi? Kairi!?" Aurora called, looking around. Rather than spotting her friend, though, black creatures with glowing yellow eyes rose from the ground around Aurora, their movements twitchy and jerky.
"Wh-what are-ah!" Aurora cut off as pain flared behind her eyes. Jumbled images of these creatures, and bigger, more powerful ones, appeared behind her eyes, and with these images, fear and hatred.
"H-Heartless…?" Aurora muttered.
Suddenly, three of the Shadows lunged at the girl. Aurora fell backwards as she tried to avoid their claws, her eyes huge. Another Shadow attempted to attack her while she was on the ground, but she kicked out at it, scrambling to her feet and running.
'Aurora! Use your magic! Use Water!'
Another flash of pain behind Aurora's eyes. Images of a buckler shield, the size of a dinner plate forming from the silver bangle around her left wrist; infusing the shield in magic; water surging around her and slamming into the enemies, pushing them back and defeating them.
Aurora spun around and looked at the Heartless chasing her, some instinct or muscle memory prompting her right hand to press the back of her fingerless glove on her left hand. She felt something click into place, and the silver bangle on her wrist, that was attatched to the glove, suddenly spun off and explanded. In the hollow center, magical engery formed, completing the shield she'd seen in to flashes of memory.
"Water!" Aurora cried, holding her left hand forward. The energy that made up the shield pulsed sapphire, and water surged around her, slamming into the Shadows and washing them away.
"Yes!" she cheered, before looking around, trying to figure out where Kairi had gone. Instead, she spotted Sora running across the bridge to the small islet where Riku stood. She took off in that direction, quickly following the brunette and using her shield and water spells to keep the Shadows at bay.
"Once we step through, we might not be able to come back," Riku was saying as Aurora reached the boys. Aurora glanced up, gasping as she spotted a large black hole, high above their heads. "We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!"
Aurora's eyes widened at not just Riku's words, but also his tone. It was more then excited, almost fevered.
"Riku!" Aurora cried out in worry, at the same time as Sora. Riku turned his eyes to them, and reached out his hand. Darkness appeared around his legs, and Sora hesitated.
Another pain flashed behind Aurora's eyes. Disjointed images surrounding darkness, and fear chilled Aurora to the bone.
"NO!" she screamed, and rushed forward, grabbing Riku's hand in an attempt to pull him free from the darkness, to rescue him. The darkness, like hungry quicksand, latched on to Aurora's legs as well and sucked her in alongside Riku, who had a tight grip on her hand.
As darkness wrapped around the two of them, the Islands faded from view, and everything went black. The last thing Aurora was aware of was the sensation of ice sliding through her veins, and Riku's grip on her hand, before she lost consciousness.