A/N
Second chapter…sorry it's been a while. I just started Boot Camp right after I finished Chapter 1. So I apologize for this taking so very long; so without further ado, my second instalment of Valiant Hearts III.
Valiant Hearts III
Chapter 2
Light in the Darkness – Awakening
An empty void filled with darkness… slivers of light seeped through the shadows. The Girl's consciousness drifted throughout the darkness of her mind.
Was this a dream? She didn't know, what was there for here to dream of. The only memories that she could recall were those of her waking in that snow covered world and… defending herself?, is that the correct term to use. Or was fighting a more suitable term for what she remembered. Her mind told her she was being threatened, so the obvious response was to eliminate the threat.
That's what her instincts told her to do, to defend herself from any threat… So why did she have a feeling of… deep regret, as if she did something horrible. Why was she feeling it now, she's felt nothing up until now.
During that whole battle with that man and woman, the Girl felt nothing. No pain, no anger, no remorse; her instincts were all that led her in that fight. Yet now the girl felt wrong. Why now? What changed in the unfilled darkness that was her mind?
All of a sudden the slivers of light that drifted lazily throughout the Girl's consciousness began to descend more rapidly into the darkness, as if reacting to a change in her mind. She had noticed the small fragments of light before, but didn't pay them any mind until now.
They fell, the Girl thought, much like the snowfall from that world she first awoke in, Hollow Bastion…
What?
Was that the name of that snow covered world she was in? How did the information come to present itself from the depths of her empty mind? As far as she knew, she could only name the most common, or basic of objects in the world around her, but a specific name for a particular place…where was that information coming from.
Suddenly, the Girl realized that the shards of light that were drifting around here had to be coming from somewhere. Their presence didn't seem natural to the Girl's consciousness.
She instantly found the source of these fragments of light, looking up into the depth of her mind she saw; there at the very edge of her mind was a large body of light, just barely touching her mind. The slivers of light continuously fell from the mass of light…Like snowfall. The Girl mused.
Curiously, the Girl's consciousness reached out to the closest shard of falling light.
Immediately upon contact, the Girl's mind flashed with images of three women; a redheaded warrior, a powerful blond sorceress, and a brutal dual-wielding brunette.
The three women stood in a corridor surrounded by beings of Darkness, creatures that craved destruction and hearts. They were the Heartless, and the three women were about to be overwhelmed by these corrupt beings.
Flashes of light emanated from the center of the mass of shadows. The three women struck out at the Darkness and fought back wielding weapons of light to combat the darkness, Keyblades. A weapon the Heartless both fear and desire.
Withdrawing herself form the fragment of light, the Girl reflected on one more piece of information that confused her.
Another piece of information she knew, but had no memory of how she obtained such specific knowledge.
Why did she have this understanding of light and darkness? She had never been taught anything, so why did she know such detailed material of the subject.
The Girl searched her mind for the source of this information that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
All she saw was the usual empty dark void, and the streaks of the falling pieces of light… that continued to fall without stopping. Where those fragments of light going? There was nowhere to go in her mind… unless they weren't going anywhere at all, what if all the falling shard of light that already pasted were still in her mind, each containing a small piece of information?
Looking to the very depth of her mind to where the fragments of light fell towards, she saw the only thing that continued to change in her mind. She found a small, if not non-existent, puddle of light that continued to grow as more slivers of light fell in to join the pooling knowledge and memory, filling not even a fraction of her mind with light.
This must be the source of her new found knowledge she was obtaining. Each shard of light contained a memory or some kind of information…but from where though? Whose knowledge and memories was her mind being filled with?
-Valiant Hearts III-
Kairi had a headache.
For obvious reasons, the young redhead would have multiple side effects from all the constraining ordeals that have occurred throughout the day, but this headache felt… different, like something was tugging at the edge of her mind.
That or maybe it was just the stress of having to tell the two girls walking on either side of her that she died while she was missing.
Looking at her situation now, Kairi was starting to fear telling Olette, Naminé, and everybody else about her death. She knew this information could have server effects on everyone. But she knew that withholding this information would most likely cause more problems than it would solve.
What should I Do? Kairi thought distressed to herself.
After her group had been located then after her reunion with Naminé and Olette; Tifa, Aerith, Garnet, and Rydia changed into winter attire that Ashe and her unit brought with them while Kairi kept the Organization coat on since it kept her warm with no issue, plus she didn't want to expose herself to the freezing atmosphere around her; and while Ashe sent out a messenger to report to Leon about their findings, Kairi stood off to the side with Naminé and Olette while the brawler and mages changed.
Naminé stood on one side of the redhead, sniffling ever now and then, firmly holding onto Kairi's arm, as if she feared Kairi would disappear if she were to let go of her; while Olette was content with laying her head on Kairi's shoulder. She was so relieved that they had found Kairi so quickly that just being next to the girl she loved managed to melt away all the stress and worry she had not five minute ago.
Once Tifa and the mages had finished donning their newly provided winter wear, Ashe gathered the rest of her unit and began to escort them back to Sanctuary. She took the lead with Basch at her side, Tifa and Aerith followed after them with Kairi, Naminé, and Olette behind them, and Garnet and Rydia at the rear; all the while being surrounded by Ashe's men.
The former queen was thankful that she was able to find those that they were ordered to find so quickly and without any conflict, now it was all a matter of getting them to Sanctuary.
At the time Kairi was overjoyed, being alive and with the ones she loved after being brought back from that alternate world and the Darkness; but now…
Regarding the snow covered remains that were Hollow Bastion, and the faces of those in her group, the redhead began to run possible scenarios in her head on possible outcomes of telling everyone she had died.
Looking at Tifa and Aerith, whom were now wearing winter attire; Tifa wearing a black leather trench coat with a bottom that went down around her ankles, grey leather gloves and a black skullcap, while Aerith wore a light pink winter coat that went down around her waist, thick white leather gloves, and a pink winter cap with white lilies on it. Aerith clung to Tifa's arm with her head on the brawler's shoulder while Tifa had her head leaning onto the top of Aerith's as they walked with the rest of the group.
They, like Naminé and Olette, were the ones that she feared telling the most about what happened to her. Kairi knew how protective Aerith and Tifa were, Tifa more so.
She would have a stroke if she knew what happened to me, Kairi thought to herself as she considered what to do.
She was running out of time, her group that was being led by Ashe and Basch would find an underground entrance sooner or later, then there was no telling how long it will take to arrive at Sanctuary and most likely be asked multiple questions from…well everyone, and considering the situation, Leon won't be the only one trying to get every little detail of her absence in his "Death by Debrief".
Yeah, like that would help my headache at all, Jeez. Kairi mused to herself as her head continued to have that aching feeling like something was pulling at her consciousness.
But a more important matter that concerned her was that everybody will want to know everything that happened to her while she was MIA. So it all comes down to what Kairi tells them… the truth that could destroy them, or a lie that would betray them.
Kairi would have to decide what to do before they made it to Sanctuary.
-Valiant Hearts III-
Leon was in one of the more stable buildings in the underground shelter that served as the temporary HQ of the Hollow Bastion Militia when a messenger that he recognized from Ashe's party came in with word on Ashe's expedition into the frozen hell that was now Hollow Bastion.
Straightening up from the map of Hollow Bastion he was looking over, Leon addressed the messenger.
"Report" He was eager to learn what Ashe and her unit had found so soon, for any news important enough to send an individual messenger back rather than waiting until they returned and were debriefed. This courier must have urgent news that Ashe wanted reported back immediately, now weather the news was good or bad was the new question Leon had on his mind.
"Sir," The messenger gave a slight bow, showing this man had some formal training, which Leon had come to expected from Ashe's men. "News from Her Majesty, priority personnel Tifa, Aerith, Rydia, and Garnet have been located and are on root to Sanctuary."
These words took a massive amount of weight off Leon's shoulders, but he gave no outwardly expression that the news affected him; he kept his usual stoic face in front of the messenger as he continued his report.
"Along with those key members, and this piece of information, Her Majesty said, would interest you the most, we found the missing Keyblader Kairi in the Castle with them, she's alive and on root with the rest of the scout unit Her Majesty is in command of."
Now this was the new Leon had wanted to hear.
"What was Ashe's estimated time of arrival?" Leon questioned the former Rabanastre soldier.
"At the time before I was sent out, her ETA was 30 to 40 minutes sir." The soldier stated briefly.
This was everything Leon hoped for. Not only had Tifa, Aerith, Rydia, and Garnet been found, Kairi as well. Even after so many failures and losses, they had managed to survive. Leon was relieved at the new he had just received; now it was only a matter of time until everyone he promised himself he'd protect would be back together.
This Hollow Bastion would not end up like the Hollow Bastion that the Kairi and her group had traveled to during the "Blood Stained Hollow" incident. Leon would make certain of that.
-Valiant Hearts III-
Kairi was seriously starting to panic now.
Ashe had led the group into one of the hidden underground entrances that led into the labyrinth like system that was under Hollow Bastion. A place Leon dubbed Old Hollow Bastion, now they were traversing one of the many different tunnels, making left and right turns at different intersections, undoubtedly getting closer and closer to Sanctuary.
Kairi was running out of time, and all she had managed to accomplish while they made their way through the snow covered streets of Hollow Bastion was effectively arguing with herself in circles on what to do. Giving reasons to withhold the information about her death, only to come up with a counter reason as to why she should tell them what happened to her.
Gah! this whole situation was a pain. Kairi thought irritated to herself.
Frustrated, Kairi tried her best not to show her inner struggles, but she could feel both Naminé and Olette's gaze on her, both looking concerned. They no doubt had questions, but refrained from asking them, and for that, Kairi was thankful for their restraint.
But Kairi knew that once they had regrouped at Sanctuary and as soon as Leon got everyone together, he'd have one of his "day long debriefs" even if everyone was exhausted and tired, it didn't matter to Leon, not when it was on the whereabouts of someone as important as a Keyblader during an assault on their home.
Kairi shivered at the prospect of having everyone's upmost attention bearing down on her during one of Leon's dreaded debriefs.
Damn it! What should I do? Kairi mentally struggled with herself on what to do.
Naminé could feel Kairi's distress as she held on to the redheads arm, she had no idea what could be causing such turmoil to the normally level-headed Keyblader, and so whatever was causing it must be very serious.
If only Naminé could simply take away whatever troubled Kairi, but all she could do right now was wait until they were alone and ask her what was bothering her and hopefully help get rid of whatever was on her mind that was troubling her so much.
The blond also had questions of her own to ask but she had the feeling that asking them here, around all these other people, would only cause Kairi more distress. Naminé didn't know why she had this kind of feeling, but something just told her that asking any questions would cause a more negative affect rather than a positive one.
For now, all she could do was wait, and stay by Kairi's side.
Olette on the other hand was chewing at the bit as she watch Kairi mental struggled with herself; she desperately wanted to ask Kairi what had happened to her. The brunette still had those horrific images of those that died in that explosion Luxord, Olette presumed, had caused burned into her memory; an explosion that may have been orchestrated to capture Kairi.
If that's true, if Kairi was captured by the Organization… then what happened, did she manage to escape on her own, why was she wearing one of the Organization's coats, just what happened to her? These were the questions that Olette wanted answered, and if that explosion initiated by Luxord was originally meant to capture Kairi… and Olette had the opportunity to prevent that explosion from ever occurring…
Then when she saw Luxord in the sky that time before the explosion, looking so pleased with himself. She should have found a way to engage him rather than ignore him the way she did; then maybe those people would be alive, than maybe Kairi wouldn't be so distressed.
Dammit! Why did I ignore that bastard!? I should have wiped that damn smirk off his stupid face. Along with his head. Olette chided herself.
She could have made a difference, she could have saved lives simply by engaging and forcing Luxord to withdraw from the area; but no, she ignored him, and in doing so condemning those that were caught in that explosion to death, and possibly causing harm to Kairi.
As always, Olette was jumping to conclusions; she needed to calm down; she was letting her mind run wild and blaming herself for things she may be totally wrong about. The dual-wielder needed to wait and ask Kairi what happened and find out for sure what actually happened rather than assume anything; this was a habit Olette needed to break.
On the other side of Kairi, Naminé saw that Olette seemed troubled by something as well as their redheaded lover.
What could be bothering her? The blond mage wondered as she watched the two girl's she loved struggle with their inner self's.
Naminé was beginning to worry more and more as they continued through the tunnels of Old Hollow Bastion. Both Kairi and Olette were at their limit, they all were; but Naminé knew them well enough to deduce what they were most likely thinking.
She knew Olette was, presumably, thinking about every way she could have done something different to change some kind of outcome to a situation she had experienced during the battle. To what situation the brunette experienced, Naminé could only guess at, but she was almost certain that that was what was going through Olette's mind.
As for Kairi… there was no way of Naminé knowing what happened to the redheaded Keyblader aside from the fact that she is wearing an Organization XIII coat, but whatever it was must have effected Kairi fairly badly for her to be this shaken up.
Naminé would have to wait for a chance ask Kairi what happened to her after they were separated during the battle to find out what caused the usually level-headed strategist to be this unsettled. She's learned at least that much from being with Kairi, Olette and everyone else she's met in Hollow Bastion.
Naminé has been through a great many ordeals since she first awoken and was found by Axel.
Naminé's seen the horrors of this war between the forces light and the darkness. She's seen the destruction of Hollow Bastion, enduring the loss of everyone she came to know in Hollow Bastion, and fought some of the hardest battles imaginable, many of which she nearly died in; but Naminé managed to endure them and maintain her kind heart.
A heart she was ready to aid those she loved, and she will help the one's loved most; for that Naminé was certain.
Kairi needed to get her mind under control.
Breath in, breath out.
Breath in, breath out…
Kairi's heart began to slow and go back to its normal rhythm.
Ok. I need to think. How will I go about explaining this to everyone? Kairi told herself as their group turned down one of the many corridors that made up Old Hollow Bastion.
As soon as she turned the corner, Kairi's heart immediately slammed back into her ribcage at a familiar fast paced rhythm.
Dammit! Kairi thought as she saw the entrance to Sanctuary.
-Valiant Hearts III-
There was a shift in the Darkness of the Girl's mind; as if sensing some new presence.
Looking about her mind, the Girl saw nothing but the same black void with the slivers of light that made up her mind.
The pool of light that had been forming bit by bit at the very base of the Girl's mind seemed to ripple with…excitement. Was that even possible?
Moving through the darkness, the Girl's consciousness began to feel something as well, not the cold of her mind or the pain of her physical body that suffered damage and was mending the injures sustained from her battle with that man and woman, but a… warm feeling, a sort of familiar warmth that she never experienced before. The sensation seemed to be coming from the center of her chest; where her heart was…
At the base of her mind, the pool of light seemed to start resonating.
Curious, the Girl moved to be directly over the echoing pool of light. Looking into it she saw her reflection.
She saw herself for the first time, her shoulder length black hair, her blue eyes, her face devoid of expression, and she wore the black hooded coat she found when she first woke; nothing overly intriguing to the Girl's consciousness.
Suddenly, the light pool rippled and there was a different reflection looking at her this time.
This girl who appeared looked exactly like her.
Except… her expression and demeanor… they were the completely different.
The reflection of herself had the smile of someone who had nothing truly dire to worry about other than the miniscule tasks of her daily life. She wore some kind of uniform of some sort, but the Girl didn't know anything else other than that it was a uniform; more information that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
The uniform consisted of a short-sleeve white buttoned up collared shirt with a blue plaid skirt. The reflection had her hands behind her back with her shoulders hunched up and was smiled up at the Girl with her head tilted slightly to the side. As if she could see her.
The warm feeling the Girl felt in her chest grew and spread through her, enveloping her consciousness in warmth.
The feeling was so alien; the Girl didn't know how to respond to the change in her being.
Looking down, the Girl saw that her echo was waving to her with that same smile, than the reflection extended an arm forward, reaching out to the Girl, as if asking her to join her in the light.
Not knowing why, or not knowing what else's to do, the Girl reached out to her reflection. The closer her hand got to her reflections outstretched hand, the more that warmth spread throughout her being, and just as her hand was about to make contact with the pool of light, the warm feeling inside her seemed to swell.
Then the pool of light began to ripple and stir with excitement.
This made the Girl hesitate and cause her to pull her hand back slightly from the pool of unsettled light.
The Girl's reflection pulled back her extended arm and smiled sadly at the Girl, seemingly disappointed by the Girl's action, yet she continued to smile. Why?
She's clearly coming from the collectiveness of the slivers of light, each sliver containing a piece of memory. So that brings up the question she had before.
Whose memories was she taking in?
As if hearing the question the Girl's refection changed once more as the light continued to ripple.
The image that looked up at her this time was a girl that looked just like her, except this girl had dark-red hair that came down around her shoulders and she wore a flaming red outfit that looked like it was made for her, and after a moment, the Girl recognized the redheaded warrior from when she touched that sliver of light and was immersed into that memory of her and those other two women were surrounded by the beings of Darkness, the Heartless, only this was a younger version of the woman she saw in that fragmented memory.
Was that whose memories she was getting? The Girl though to herself while examining the new reflection.
The image of the redheaded girl looked up at her and smiled.
Out of nowhere, the warm sensation the Girl had turned into a severe heat that rapidly began to envelop her.
The Girl flinched away from the image of the redheaded girl and began to move away from the pool of light, hoping to lessen the intensity of the heat that she felt coming from her core.
But to no avail, the heat continued to grow no matter how far she moved away from the pool of light. That of which was now swirling and churning violently around the image of the redheaded girl, who now looked up at the Girl with determined eyes and a smile on her face.
Then the image of the girl reached out to the edge of the pool of liquid light and burst through the surface as if emerging from an actual pool of water.
She now stood waist deep in the collective pool of light, her red outfit making her stand out in the background of the light and darkness. Her head was downcast and she seemed to be adjusting to the new atmosphere around her.
Then she suddenly looked up at the Girl's mental personification of herself with that same look of determination along with that smile she had before when she was still contained in the pool of gathered light.
The Girl had a hand clenched at the front of the coat she wore, still feeling that heat in her chest as she looked down at the redheaded girl, and when they made eye contact, the heat intensified even more.
This feeling, what was it? The Girl thought as she looked directly into the other girl's eyes.
She may have a blank expression on her face, but at her core, she was in pain and she knew it, her mind and her body seemed to be trying to reject the memories that have been pooling at the base of her mind, but the slivers of light continued to descend from the larger mass of light that still remained at the edge of her mind.
Only now the slivers of light seemed to be falling at a faster rate and continued to increase in speed.
The Girl watched as the fall of the shards of light continued descending and caused the size of the pool of light grow faster around the unknown girl that continued looking at the Girl's consciousness, whom continued to move away from the growing pool of light.
Suddenly the expression on the redheaded girl's face changed from that determined look to a kind and welcoming smile that caused to Girl to pause in her upward retreat.
The intensity of the heat in the Girl's heart slowly began to diminish until it was but a gentle warmth emanating from within her chest.
Looking down at the girl that remained in the collected form of light, who was still looked at her with that tender smile, the Girl felt something tingle throughout her mind, a sort of jolt of electricity as the redheaded girl suddenly disappeared from the pool of light and reappeared directly in front of the Girl.
For the first time since she awoke, the Girl felt something besides her dull curiosity of the world around her, she felt surprised by the girl seemingly materializing directly in front of her.
The redhead seemed to be… amused by the Girl's startled reaction; she then extended both her arms outward, as it to embrace the Girl, but she only looked at her, still smiling at the black cladded girl sweetly.
The Girl just looked at her, puzzled by the other girl's actions; not knowing what to do.
Then the redhead, with that same smile and her arms still outstretched, waved her hands towards herself, as if to say 'come on, its ok.'.
She didn't know why, but the Girl slowly began to move closer to the redheaded girl; there was something compelling her to accept this personified memory's embrace.
Once they were both separated by mere inches, the Girl had her eyes downcast, while the girl made of memories simple smiled at her and began to enclose her arms around the black haired girl.
The Girl could feel the other girl's arms hold her and pull her into a closer embrace, and the Girl laid her head down on the redhead's shoulder, giving into the welcoming touch that caused her to feel a strong wave of nostalgia, the origin of that sensation, as always, was unknown.
After a moment of being held by the redhead aberration, the Girl noticed that the pool of light was swirling excitedly and continued to churn faster.
Why was the amassed light acting like that? She wondered.
Suddenly a pillar of liquid light shot out of the center of the built up fragments of light like a geyser, sending the column of light straight toward the Girl and redhead.
Seeing this, the host of this mind attempted to move out of the path that the pillar was traveling, but the redhead didn't release her hold on her, instead she seemed to tighten her hold on her; however it was not in any way aggressive, it was gentle yet firm.
Nevertheless, the Girl struggled, as that portion of light closed the distance between them, and as the mass of light moved across the Girl's mind, it left a trail of light in its wake; spreading more fragmented memories all throughout the darkness, filling the Girl's mind with light more rapidly than the continues snow like fall of those slivers of light that joined together with the rest of the spreading light.
The Girl watched as the light spread throughout her mind and changed the character of it entirely, shifting it from its cold, dark atmosphere to one of warmth, and brightness at a steady rate, and as her mind filled with light, the Girl's entire being was flooded with warmth the more the light seemed to sweep away the darkness that once held dominion over the Girl's mind.
The sudden and drastic change in her mind stunned her.
This feeling… The Girl didn't know how to describe it. In the short time she existed, she never felt anything like this; only cold unforgiving pain, but this, this sensation of warmth… and the comforting embrace from this unknown figure only intensified the growing heat in her chest.
Then, as the column of light neared, being so bright that the Girl had to avert her gaze, she felt the redhead holding her give her one more comforting squeeze before she abruptly released the Girl entirely, and was engulfed in the mass of light just before it collided with the Girl who flinched as she was blinded and completely immersed in the light.
-Valiant Hearts III-
Voices…
That was the first indicator that told the Girl she had finally awoken from her unconsciousness.
She felt that her hood was back over her head, and she could feel a heavy weight on her shoulders, noting she could not move her arms that were crossed over her chest, or move her legs that she was sitting on.
She appeared to be chained down to the ground, and to a wall behind her, learning that merely by moving her arms and legs slightly, getting a feel for the directions the chains were going. So all she could do was listen to what was around her.
She could hear the chatter of the people around her, all talking at different volumes in different directions all around her. Some words she could comprehend, but others she couldn't make out; the words she could understand were only bits and pieces of separate conversations.
What she did hear drew her curiosity and while she eavesdropped, she kept her eyes closed and concentrated on listening to her surroundings.
"… sent out to the residential district." She heard a male voice say.
"Yeah, a messenger came back from Her Majesty's unit from out on the surface. Apparently they found the mages along with Tifa, and the missing Keyblader all in one go." A female voice answered back.
Keyblade… A weapon created by light and used by warriors chosen to seal the Keyhole of any world, to protect their hearts from the forces of Darkness, or from those looking to abuse or corrupt it.
The Girl knew what those weapons were, and after experiencing those visons while unconscious, the images of those three women surrounded by those beings of Darkness, the Heartless; as they fought back against the tide of shadows using Keyblades.
The Girl listened to the pair converse for a few more moments, to see if they would say anything else concerning the Keyblader that was located, but the man and woman only went on to discuss what they thought about the change in the world's atmosphere.
Losing interest in their conversation, the Girl began to think about what she heard, and what she experienced while in her mind.
That girl that appeared in her mind… she was the same woman she saw in that fragmented memory using a Keyblade. Was she the Keyblader that was found?
Suddenly the Girl heard a rise in voices off to her side.
Wanting to know what was causing this new round of voice to stir, she finally opened her eyes and took in her surroundings for the first time.
She saw that she was in fact chained up to the wall behind her and to the ground directly surrounding her. Looking around, she saw that she was in a massive cavern that was filled with ruined buildings and campfires with various sized tents scattered around each one with people going on about their own business.
The stir of voices was coming from the Girl's left side.
Looking over, she saw that there was a small crowed of people gathered around one of the cavern walls that had a passageway leading out into what appeared to be a series of tunnels.
At the head of the small crowed stood a man with brown hair wearing a leather black long sleeved jacket with similar black pants, and he carried a sword strapped to his belt… only it was a strange shape in comparison to what her mind showed when she thought of a sword.
He appeared to be waiting with his arms crossed as he subtly tapped his foot, other than that; there was no other outward expression that said he was anxious, not with that stoic look on his face, giving nothing away.
Next to him stood a girl with blond hair tied back into two separate pigtails with a short fringe and two long side bangs. She wore a thick dark yellow leather coat over a slim blue and gold outfit with brown leather shoulder guards and knee-high blue and brown leather boots. She also had a pair of daggers sheathed in an X on her lower back along her belt, they had red and blue grips and the blade split briefly than connected, creating gold incrusted silver blades that were a foot long.
She, unlike the man, was openly anxious with her crossed arms and was constantly shifting her weight from foot to foot while she tapped her finger constantly with her right arm onto her left.
What here they waiting for? The Girl wondered.
Suddenly, the two's stance relaxed along with their facial expressions as they looked into the tunnel they, and a number of other armed people had gathered around, as if they saw something coming out of the tunnel that they've been waiting for.
Than that's when the Girl saw the group of people coming out of the tunnel, she watched curiously as the other group entered the main cavern, until she spotted a splash of red in the new arrivals, causing her to stiffen as she saw exactly who was in the group.
-Valiant Hearts III-
Kairi felt like she was being watched.
Well, aside from the number of people that stood just outside of Sanctuary's entrance; who, Kairi assumed, were posted as guards to make certain that no enemies could enter Sanctuary without being noticed since this was the only way into the large cavern.
But this feeling wasn't the same as being watched while walking into an open area; this feeling sent shivers down her spine, as if someone was specifically watching her.
Not only that, but Kairi could feel her headache's pain spike to a new level; causing the redhead to rub her temples as they continued further through the small crowd of onlookers.
Thinking back, ever since her group entered the corridor of tunnels that made up Old Hollow Bastion, Kairi's headache slowly began to worsen the closer she got to Sanctuary; but she was too busy mentally to really register her discomfort.
Ugg! Why is my head hurting this much?
Kairi continued rubbing at her temples to try and ease the pain, but to no avail.
As her group reached the head of those assembled, Kairi saw who obviously caused such a… 'warm welcome' at the very entrance of Sanctuary.
In all his stoic glory, Leon stood with his arms crossed in his usual attire, except he wore a long sleeve leather jacket rather than his regular short sleeve jacket.
What. Does he have his own collection of different black leather jackets of various styles? Even with her headache a small smile played across Kairi's face at the idea.
Next to Leon stood the girl who was friends with Ashe and Basch; if Kairi remembered correctly, her name was Penelo.
She wore a dark yellow jacket over her usual attire, and she looked relieved to see their group, or more pointedly, Ashe and Basch.
Once Kairi's group stopped in front of Leon and Penelo, the swordsman ordered the medics and mages that were scattered throughout the crowd of people to check the condition of those that have finally returned or were found out on the surface of Hollow Bastion.
Tifa, and Aerith were led off together to be examined in one of the many tents scattered throughout the cavern; while Rydia, and Garnet also went to be examined in separate tents as well. Ashe and Basch met with Leon and Penelo, most likely to be debriefed by Leon.
As a woman, who was one of the medics, approached Kairi to examine her for any injures or side-effects of being exposed to the unnatural winter atmosphere that now dominated Hollow Bastion, Kairi gently tugged the arm Naminé clung to slightly, signaling for her to let go.
"Naminé, I need my arm back please."
Looking into the blonde's glistening eyes, the redhead smiled reassuringly, a feeling she didn't have, but she wanted to comfort her blonde lover.
Seeing this, Olette moved around to stand next to Naminé and wrapped an arm protectively around the smaller girl's shoulders.
"Come on Naminé; let's let Kairi get checked out, and while she's doing that we can get some food for us. I'm starving, and I know you and she are as well."
The brunette said while lightly pulling at her blonde girlfriend.
As if on cue, Naminé's stomach gave a fairly loud growl, causing the blonde to blush lightly as she looked at Olette.
"I'd rather stay with Kairi… but…I am a little hungry."
Naminé said adorably with a fading blush on her cheeks that Kairi found extremely cute.
The redhead smiled at both Naminé and Olette.
"Don't worry Naminé, I'll get checked out really quick and join you both for something to eat. I'm pretty hungry myself."
Olette, whom was grinning, nodded her head and lightly tugged at Naminé again.
"Let's get going Naminé, the sooner we let Kairi get examined, the sooner we get food, and the sooner we get to eat together."
With one last look, Naminé quickly peck a kiss on Kairi's cheek as she reluctantly let go of the redheads arm and went with the brunette to find something to eat for all of them.
As they walked away, Kairi heard Olette tease Naminé.
"Awww, that was so cute Naminé, I guess I'll have to step up my game. I don't want you stealing her away from me."
Kairi couldn't hear Naminé's response as they move out of ear shot, but she found there bantering funny and adorable.
As the medic guided the redhead to one of the unoccupied tents to check her for injures, Kairi felt that strange impression of being watched again as she followed the medic towards an empty tent.
While she walked, Kairi looked around for whatever was causing her to feel this sensation.
Looking around, all she saw were people going on about their business, people going in and out of tents, others either resting or doing something else around the campfire. Just when Kairi was about to just stop worrying about this feeling.
She saw something out of place.
To her far right, Kairi saw a figure sitting on their knees up against the cavern wall… Nowhere near any campfires or tents…
Kairi stopped in her tracks as she tried to focus her vison on the figure, trying to make out their features better.
Suddenly Kairi's headache spiked, causing her to closer her eyes and press her palms to her temples as the pain grew, then abruptly faded to a low throbbing behind her eyes.
Opening her eye again, Kairi looked back at the figure once more, and after a moment, feeling a wave of familiarity, she began to walk toward the silhouette that sat by the far wall.
The Girl watched the redheaded girl cloaked in black since the moment she entered the cavern.
She watched the girl's interaction with the other two girls, the affection they showed for each other… Seeing it sent a wave of longing through the Girl, this alien feeling caught her off-guard as she watched the two girls, one blonde, the other a brunette, walk away from the redhead that she couldn't help but watch.
Once the other two girls had gotten a decent distance from her, the redheaded girl began to follow after the woman, who appeared to be of a medical background, to a tent that was to the Girl's right.
But while she watched the redhead follow the woman, she saw that the redheaded girl was observing her surroundings with a great interest, as if looking for something specific.
Then when the girl's gaze finally traveled in the Girl's direction, her eyes seemed to land directly on the Girl, causing her to feel a faint spark in the back of her mind as the redhead seemed to be trying to focus her sights on the Girl.
At this time, the medic that had been leading Kairi to the tent had noticed the Keyblader had ceased following her, and began to call after her.
"Miss?"
Kairi paused mid-stride to look back at her.
"Oh. Um… sorry, could you wait for me in the tent please; I'll be there in a moment. I just need to check on something really fast."
Without waiting for a reply, Kairi continued her stride closing the distance between her and the slumped figure; and the closer she got the better she could make out their features.
What she could distinguish was that the figure appeared to be wearing an Organization XIII coat, although this person was much smaller up close and in comparison to Organization member Kairi's seen… was significantly smaller, and clearly a girl.
Seeing this caused Kairi's heart to quicken… actually it was already doing that, she noticed, the closer she got to the coated figure that gave off such a feeling of familiarity.
Suddenly there was a flash of images in Kairi's mind along with a recognizable spike of pain; causing her to flinch and grab at her head, again trying to sooth the pain that pulsed from the depths of her mind as these images played across her vison.
Images of memories Kairi never lived, memories of that false world, a world she knew wasn't real, showing her images of Xion, the "sister" that never existed.
Now Kairi's vison was filled with light and images of Xion smiling up at her, only causing the flood of memories to increase as she was reminded of the loving sister Kairi had in memory but not in reality.
The idea only brought on a wave of tears to stream down her face.
Why? Why am I seeing these memories all of a sudden? Kairi thought as her head pulsed with every flash of images.
What was causing this sudden burst of memories?
Still holding her head in her hands, Kairi slowly opened her eyes as her tears began to subside along with the flash of memories that seemed to take the pounding in her head with it.
Slightly panting, Kairi waited a moment to see if there would be a relapse, but nothing came. Pulling her hands from her tear stricken face, said tears that were beginning to freeze onto her cheeks until Kairi quickly wiped them away; she closeted her eyes and took a moment to calm her breathing before trying to regain her composer.
Breath in, breath out…
After another moment, Kairi opened her eyes again and looked up at the figure that was only a couple yard away once more, able to see the figure clearly for the first time and what she saw stopped her in her tracks, and left her shocked.
That can't be. Kairi thought to herself feeling shell-shocked.
Looking up at Kairi were the familiar blue eyes that, at least in her memories, once looked at her with a brightness that was full of unconditional love and adoration, but now they looked at her with a dull light but other than that, there was nothing. No love, no hate… just… nothing.
There's no way… How is she even her? Kairi didn't know whether she was still in a dream or if reality was just playing a cruel joke on her.
Sitting before her, chained to the wall behind her and to the ground around her in an Organization XIII coat, was her sister Xion.
The Girl finally made direct eye contact with the redheaded girl, who stopped only a few feet in front of her, looking pale and wide eyed at her, as if in shock.
They continued to watch each other for a few moments.
Until the redhead slowly approached the Girl, who could do nothing but watch as the girl in front of her slowly closed the distance between each other.
Once Kairi stopped directly in front of the girl that looked like an slightly older vison of the little sister she remembered; she looked to be the same age as Kairi now rather than being a couple of years younger than she was like she remembered.
They both just stared at each other, as if trying to decipher each other's thoughts.
The Girl couldn't read the emotions in the redhead's eyes clearly, there appeared to be a light in them that was filled with love, but there was also a pain in her eyes that showed how tormented she felt.
After another moment passed, the redhead made the first move of interaction between them.
Kairi slowly lowered herself down and took a knee in front of the chained girl, her face was still pale, but she had managed to regain her composer.
Xion just continued to watch her intently.
The Girl truly didn't know how to react to the girl in front of her. She knew that this girl was important to her; the memories that now filled her mind were originating from the redhead. So logic would dictate that they were connected in some way, but the warmth this girl managed to bring out in her… The Girl needed to know who this girl was and what she was to her.
Sitting in front of her, the redhead extended her right hand out, reaching toward her face; seeing this, the Girl's body instinctively tensed up, naturally trying to defend itself, just like when she first encountered those people in the snow covered town she was in before she was knocked out by whatever had hit her from behind, and whatever it was had immense strength.
Just as the Keyblader laid her hand on the Girl's cheek, she broke the silencer that surrounded them with one word in a trembling voice.
"Xion…"