Thunder clapped across the sky, warning of the storm churning in the darkness of the night. Kairi could barely see anything from under the cloak that had been draped over her like a tablecloth. It dangled below her ankles, tripping up her feet as she tried desperately to keep up through the garden. She tugged on the edges of the hood drooping in front of her eyes, smelling its intense over perfumed smell of chamomile. Her mother had let her borrow it special, and it was even in her favorite light pink color. The loam was uneven, slightly damp from the light pattering of rain already beginning to fall.
"Sweetheart, you must run faster!"
Urged by her mother, she tried to run. Her tiny foot sank into a pit and she tumbled into a puddle, staining the cheery pink cloth with smudges of something liquid and sticky.
"Oh..." She lifted her arm up, mournfully staring at the mess she had made of her mother's cloak. "Mommy, I'm sorry..."
Her mother wrung her hands and glanced about the garden, as if she was looking for someone. But who? The danger should be gone now, right? The guards were very strong, and she was always told to believe in them. They would save her from anything. Not only that, the horrid dinging of the alarm had already stopped some time ago. So everything must be okay by now! It must be safe!
Kairi simply couldn't understand why her mother had insisted on taking her out into the garden instead of just going back to bed. She did her best to stagger up to her feet, clumsily rubbing her mulch covered hands together to try and clean them. She lifted her chin hopefully up towards her mother, but saw only terror looking back at her. No, looking past her. Just over…
"Run! Run now to our little island and don't look back. I'll be right behind you, I promise."
Kairi shivered, suddenly feeling as if something dreadfully cold was right behind her. And she was too frozen to turn and look at it. Something hissed softly behind her.
"M-mo-"
"Kairi! Go!"
Somehow she gained enough energy in her tiny little legs to race towards the sea of sunflowers she knew would be ahead of her, just past the temple garden. Tears and nose streaming, she sniffled and stumbled her way across the lawn, a tiny pink speck moving through the darkness. A dark figure slid in front of her and she yelped, stopping so suddenly she splatted face first into the mud. Trembling, she pried herself up from the squelching grip of the muck and stared at who was looming ahead.
She remembered him! A castle guard, here to protect them! She remembered him because of his very broad shoulders and pointed beard.
"M-mister guard sir-"
Her tiny shaking words felt like they were plopping heavily into the mud and sinking. He wasn't acknowledging her at all. And there was something...wrong with him. His eyes were shining in the dark, like a cat, glowing a bright golden yellow. She could hear a steady dripping sound and tipped her fearful eyes down towards his boots, where a dark inky black pool was forming. It was seeping out from him, dripping down from his very skin.
"Princess, you have something of mine." He had a twisted smile on his face and took one soggy step towards her. "I will have it back."
"N-no! Get away from me!"
Her little fingers clenched around a clump of dirt and she hurled it at him, clawing her way back up to her feet. She didn't wait to see if her aim had been true. She shrieked, bolting towards the place her mother told her to go. Their safe wonderful place full of sunflowers and music.
Panting, she darted between the tall stalks of flowers, batting them to the sides as she rushed towards the center. Wheezing laughter rippled across the field of flowers, snapping her head back in the direction she had just run from. It almost sounded like a pig, squealing.
"Where have you gone, little princess?"
Dropping to her hands and knees, she crawled, crouching down amid the tall sunflowers, praying that the owner of that voice could not see her. Another voice, the same man with the pointed beard started calling out to her as well.
"Now isn't the time for playing games. Come out before we get angry."
She heard a swift metallic swish. No doubt swords were being unsheathed and she clamped her hands down over her mouth. It was uncomfortable and hot but every breath she took sounded so, so loud otherwise.
Snapping twigs and the soft thunk of sunflowers being crushed and slashed aside reached her, slowly drawing closer and she scuttled backwards as silently as possible.
Eventually they were going to find her. The field seemed so vast and endless but she knew, of course, that it wasn't.
She squeezed her eyes shut, shivering in the dark and the cold against her own knees.
"Leave Her Highness alone!"
A voice, a shockingly normal voice, triumphantly cried out across the field. It must have been a guard, but she couldn't see over the tops of the swaying flowers.
"Princess if you are there, you must flee to the temple! Your mother is-"
But she couldn't hear what he had to say about her mother. The sounds of battle interrupted whoever that knight was, and she took her chance to run once more. As she fled, she turned to look back at the guard who had saved her, but she didn't even know his name.
It felt so wrong that she didn't know.
He was standing against those two dark, dripping, and evil others all on his own. She wouldn't know who to thank after. And for the first time in her panicked run to the temple, she had a sudden heart-wrenching worry that, actually, perhaps...there wouldn't be an after.
It was only until she saw her mother reaching out to her on the steps of the temple entrance that she felt relief again. Many of the priests were still around, boarding up windows and shoving all available furniture in the direction of the doors.
Just as she stumbled inside they slammed them shut, piling the stack of chairs and tables behind her. There was one lone guard here who remained, looking just as terrified as everyone else, his spear rattling against the stone as he struggled to keep his grip on it. He was lost in his own mind, mumbling to himself.
"H-he was my comrade. Why would he turn on me? His eyes...those eyes..."
Kairi stood helplessly at the center of the chaos, turning from one harrowed face to the other, before finally gazing out at the sparkling water of the holy pool just next to her. She had spent so many hours every day trying to learn Refraction like they told her. But the light burned her fingertips, and a heavy weight felt like it was punching into her stomach over and over until she was so nauseous she had to stop. She just couldn't do it properly.
They said it wasn't her fault that she couldn't. That she was too young to handle it yet.
But from the horrified faces of the priests around her, and the ashen white face of her mother, sagging, clutching at her side with pained gasps...somehow Kairi knew that this all could have been prevented if she was just that little bit stronger. She ripped her dirtied shoes off, casting them to the side, wiped at the mud on her face and sped right into the shallows of the pool.
"K-Kairi!" Her mother called her name, hoarsely, limping after her. But Kairi kept wading further into the water until it reached up to her waist, shivering at the chill of it.
"I have to do it right this time!"
She pinched her eyes shut and tried to force the light out, but it only hurt. She couldn't stop shaking, her weak body sending ripples across the whole pool as she sobbed, struggling to make more than a faint flickering pulse of light.
"Why...aren't I g-good enough yet?"
The priests started yelling, and she heard a crash, but she kept concentrating. A wave washed up against her back as someone entered the water behind her.
"Sweetheart, none of this is because of you..."
Her mother's voice was sweet and soft, but Kairi shook her head, burrowing her chin down into her chest and kept fighting against the horrible burning moving up her entire arm.
"Oh the contrary, all of this is because of her."
The gruff voice broke her focus and she spun around to see a mess of furniture splayed across the entryway and the guard with the pointy beard who had been chasing her stood amid the wreckage, next to another more stocky one. He must have been the one with the horrid pig-laugh. Priests were shrinking away, horrified. Some of them were clawing at the windows in an attempt to tear down their own barricades. The lone guard still stood, in shock, muttering to himself in the corner. Dark inky vines were snaking across the floor from somewhere outside, as if some plant made of licorice was growing up behind it.
Her mother was standing quite still in the water next to her. But there was something...odd about the water now. Kairi shivered and glanced down at it, nearly screaming when she saw the color was tinged red.
Why? Why was it red?
"Not going to run this time? Already resigned to your fate?"
Kairi said nothing, only glanced up at her mother in fear. Her mother also remained silent, still clenching at her side, breathing heavily.
Just as she suspected earlier, the stocky guard laughed at them, snorting and pig-like. He was covered in the dripping dark goop, and it began to spread across the tiles, stopping just short of the edge of the water.
"We will crush the light out of her if we must. It is ours."
One of the priests, with a yell, grabbed up a curtain rod that had been torn to the floor and charged straight at the former knights.
"You will not have her!"
Almost as if bored, both knights stepped aside from his charge, one sticking out their leg to trip him. The priest flopped across the ground. Before he could get up, the portly guard stomped down on his back and reached behind him to pluck something off the steadily growing plant just outside the door.
He sneered, then dropped what looked like a spiny black sea urchin right on top of the priest. He howled, and clutched at the injury, rolling across the floor but no matter how much he tried to pull it off, the spikes stayed lodged in his shoulder.
Wheezing, the priest staggered up to his feet. Only now did the muttering lone guard register what was happening, and backed away from the shuffling priest in fear.
"N-no! That's how it happened before! Like an infection!" He reached for his spear, almost rabid with fear. "It must be purged! It must be!"
Kairi could no longer see what was happening, as her mother stepped in front of her to block the sight. But she could hear it: gasps of pain, screaming, what sounded like the snapping of dry twigs. Even her mother seemed horrified by it, turning away but still refusing to step aside.
One of the knights from before clicked his tongue. "Don't fight it. You shouldn't deny the darkness. It can grant you strength. Answers. If you knew the truth you'd feel the same way."
More depraved screaming followed and she felt like throwing up. Were they really only here for her? She pinched her eyes shut and shivered in the cold water, not wanting to look at the dark red color. Not wanting to hear the screaming.
"S-stop it...stop it, please..."
"Don't worry princess. It will be over soon."
Her mother snarled at them. "If you think for one moment that I will ever let you hurt her..."
Kairi couldn't take it any more and sobbed even more heavily into the pool. Her mother moved closer, patting the outside of the hood that she still had draped over her head.
"My little one. This is very important, so listen closely."
It was so hard to. All the priests were screaming now. She nodded and tried to focus only on her mother.
"They have come for your birthright. To claim your power as their own. But you are so much more than that cursed magic. Your heart is so beautifully kind, Kairi. I believe the true light is inside of you. I was told the truth. Maybe I was foolish to seek the council of a witch, but..."
Dark laughter filled the air and a chorus of voices began to sing tauntingly awful things at them. It was getting harder to ignore.
Nowhere to run. Nothing to do. Your light will perish, here.
"Kairi, look at me. You are strong. I know you are. Never forget that you are more than just your titles. Who you truly are has nothing to do with your name."
Her mother's eyes smiled down on her, no longer marred by pain.
"You must survive. Your compassion and kindness is what will save this world, I know it. Perhaps everyone may hate me for this, but I will not let them take you. Even if your birthright is gone, as long as you live your light will be safe."
"I d-don't understand...m-mo-"
"I love you, Kairi."
Her mother's damp arms reached out and clutched her close, squeezing her tight. And suddenly the icy chill of the water was nothing but warm. The furious beating of her mother's heart pattered in her ear, so close to her, and she trembled in fearful awe at it.
A hug. The first one she could remember.
She looked up into her mother's loving face, just as she felt something gently brush across the side of her cheek, wiping away her errant tears.
Her mother's gloves, discarded, were gently bobbing across the waves of the pool. The one rule she was never supposed to break, so easily shattered in an instant.
Kairi froze. She expected to be afraid. But she was feeling nothing but the heat warming her face. Feeling nothing but her mother's love.
Her senses filled with the distinctive sharp scent of chamomile, and a glowing light steadily growing in intensity surrounded everything. She was vaguely aware of pain, but only sank into her mother's hug, seeking the one comfort she had never been allowed to have.
And everything around her faded to nothing.
Nothing was in the right place. Everything was damp and felt...heavy.
Groggily, she tried to lift her head and move, but her body was held fast, paralyzed. Something cold and stiff clutched her around her waist and she couldn't squirm away.
Everything looked so...fuzzy. It all felt too cold.
She glanced down and noticed the weighty object clutching her were her mother's arms, but they seemed...unusually stiff. Where had her mother's warmth gone? Her own arms were weak as limp grass, and it took everything she could to clutch at her mother, trying to feel for any fragment of the warm light that had so comforted her before.
But there was nothing.
Weakly, she collapsed and looked around her.
Where...was she? It smelled strange, like a musty closet. There was a constant dripping sound echoing around her, and she could vaguely hear two people talking just in front of her. No, they were shouting.
As her vision slowly focused she realized she was in a completely unfamiliar place. There was barely any light, it stank horribly and there was water and sludge everywhere. Her mother still refused to move, and there were two complete strangers standing at the other end of the room.
The one facing her was a tall woman, wearing a very strange horned hat. She was emanating hatred and anger. Kairi was still groggy, but she already knew the last thing she wanted was for that woman to come any closer.
Luckily there was someone else standing between them. A boy. Maybe about her age. He was quite scrawny, his clothes tattered and covered in holes. Kairi was confused just looking at him. Why would his parents have let him go out dressed like that? Let alone have clothes in that state?
The woman, as if sensing she was awake, locked eyes with her and sneered.
"It seems the job is not yet finished...step aside, urchin."
Digging in his heels, the boy suddenly launched at the woman, scrabbling at her and biting down one her finger, hard.
"You bit me!? You mangy beast of a boy!" She swatted him away heavily, and he splashed into a shallow puddle of the slimy water.
"Since you insist on getting involved, I'll make sure you perish as well."
She outstretched her arm and a roar filled the entire room. Kairi had no idea what was happening, but she knew it was bad. Turning, she tried to shake her mother awake, but she wasn't moving.
"M-mommy..."
When she turned back to look, she was horrified at the wall of water charging straight towards her. A wave, surging from the tunnel beyond came crashing into the empty space, swelling even higher.
Kairi panicked, struggling even harder to rouse her mother before the wave hit them.
It was no use. The water struck her hard, knocking what little breath she had out of her body and for a moment she lost her vision, completely dazed. It also knocked her free from her mothers' grasp and she floundered, alone and dizzy.
Pain in her lungs stirred her back awake, but the currents of the water were still batting her around like a limp leaf and she could see only the grime and cloudiness of the dank water surrounding her. She swished her arms through the water, hoping to find where her mother was, but felt nothing.
Her lungs burned now, and she needed to breathe. She kicked at the water, but had no idea which direction was up. Or if there even was any more air left in that room. Somehow a whole flood had been summoned right there, and she could barely move as it was let alone fight against it.
No, no, no, no. She had to get out of here. Please…
And from the dark water that looked almost like smoke, she saw a lone hand reaching for her. The current threatened to pull her away, like an invisible hand tugging at her ankles. She hesitated, watching the hand more desperately struggle to get closer to her. She wasn't supposed to...
But…
You must survive
Her mother's words echoing through her mind, she kicked and struggled towards the hand offered to her. It was the boy from before, also spun out of control in the rushing water. The current was strong, but she kept swimming straight towards him, reaching up, knowing it was her only hope of escape. He struggled to reach her in return, fighting against the water.
And just as her fingertips brushed against his, his hand twitched in recognition and grabbed hold of hers firmly. Her vision was going dark, the pain unbearable. She had no idea who she was clinging to, where her mother was, or where the current was sweeping them, and was starting to give in to despair. Was there even a way out?
Their hands latched together, they rode through the tidal wave. For a brief moment, their eyes met. There was fear in his eyes, but something else entirely.
The tiniest speck of hope.
The ground was cold and hard, but it was ground nonetheless. She dragged herself onto the bank, spluttering, shivering, and alive. The boy next to her was gasping for air, coughing up the mucky water that had gotten in his lungs. She lay in the dirt, pressing her face to the side to check on him.
He glanced over at her, still coughing a bit, sopping wet, but inexplicably smiling.
"H-hey...we made it!"
She blinked back, stunned and numb. Never before had she felt so lost and confused. But at least his smile was comforting.
"H-hello..."
It was still night outside, and the sudden breeze made them both shiver at the same time. And that was when she noticed their hands were still connected, both still tightly squeezing each other. The sight almost made her panic again, her breathing still shallow from the water, coming out in choked gasps.
"Y-you're touching me."
She yanked her hand away from his. His face blinked back at her in confusion but he released his grip without a word.
"N-no one is supposed to! Not even...my mom, she...my..."
The chill of the fresh air caught her off guard again and she curled inwards, trying to escape it all as the memory flooded back. Determination forcing herself up to her hands and knees, she tried to figure out where she was. But it was all dark and unfamiliar.
"Mommy, she...I left her behind!" Her voice broke into a sob, and she clawed her way across the wet grass back towards the water. "I have to find her!"
"Stop..." The boy rushed over, holding out his hands, urging her not to crawl any further towards the raging storm water. "Your mom is...your mom…." He paused, and gulped as if the words were too difficult to say.
His whole body was trembling as well from the cold. "S-she told me to take care of you. And it's too dangerous in the water. Let's go find somewhere safe, okay?"
"But..."
Another cold burst of wind and her complaints caught in her throat. Her teeth rattled. The rush of the stream was still moving so fast. Even if she jumped in, there was no way she could swim back in to where her mother had been. It would just drag her further away.
The boy pointed over to a tiny hole chipped in the side of a rocky cliff behind them, barely big enough for one, let alone two small children to crawl into. She sagged, staring back at the dark stream, feeling more helpless than ever. Next to her, the boy kept looking like he wanted to lead her back to shelter in the small cave, but he hesitated at grabbing her hand again.
"I want to help you. Please?"
His hair was messy and stuck out all over the place, but despite its unruliness it didn't hide the soft kindness in his eyes. He was the only thing she had right now and she didn't even know who he was. She bobbed her head slowly at him in agreement.
It didn't matter any more.
The light was gone. She had felt it pouring out of her after her mother touched her face. She felt so...different, and changed, much like that odd feeling just after a haircut, only emptier. And heavier.
For so long she had thought it unfair that she had such a responsibility in the first place. Namine could do so many things she wasn't allowed to that it made her jealous. So many times she had wished the power gone. But now that it was...
Somehow she let him pull her back to the cave, where she slumped to the dirt still dazed; still so cold. They must have been washed out to the outskirts of town somewhere, further from the castle than she had ever been in her life. Once more she collapsed in on herself, and as much as she wanted to, she was too tired to cry.
"This is all my fault...because of me, everyone..."
"Don't say that! I dunno what is going on, but there's no way you caused any of it!" Without warning the boy wrapped his arms around her and snuggled up close. "I know it's scary out there but, I'm gonna stay with you."
She could feel his heart thumping against her, heat spreading across her body where he held her. She felt him against her arm, her skin prickling where he touched it. Instinctively she almost shoved him off, but couldn't bring herself to do it. It was...nice. She sank into him, swallowing her guilt back.
"You shouldn't..." She shivered. "You shouldn't stay close to me. If you do you'll get hurt. If those monsters are still out there they'll come looking for me..."
"Monsters, huh? I'm not afraid! If any monster comes by I'll hit it so hard it'll go flying! " He made a little motion with his arm, pretending to whack something invisible in front of them. "Bam! Take that!"
He pulled a goofy face, sticking his tongue out towards his pretend defeated monster. She giggled, but immediately felt guilty again about having done so.
"But I'm still putting you in danger, and, I'm..." Fresh tears leaked out and she sniffed again. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me."
He knocked himself on the head and toothily grinned. "No worries here! My head is super tough! The toughest! Nothing'll hurt me!"
Lowering his head down, he pointed to it. "Wanna try?"
Even then in the dark and the cold, she was surprised she could still smile. "It's okay. I believe you."
He lifted his head, once more giving her a glimpse of his very blue eyes. "Besides, I promised your mom."
"R-really?"
He nodded, and once more showed her that unusually cheery smile, given the circumstances. "Really, really! And when I make promises I keep them. Honest!"
She curled into his hug, still shivering. The cave really wasn't the best shelter after all. The crawl space was small, and even huddled together they both barely fit.
There was no reason to trust this stranger, but there was something abut him that really did seem honest. Something she liked. And at least he was warm. Like her mother had been…
Deep in her heart she was sure she already knew what the boy had been so hesitant to tell her earlier. It was the same reason why her mother had felt so cold against her, before the giant wave. The reason why the water in the temple had been running red.
Her mother was gone. Her light was gone. Everything was...
It took her a while to finally stop sobbing, but the strange boy remained huddled next to her the whole time, never complaining once.
Yet even with him next to her, as night continued on it soon became unbearably freezing against the rock in their wet clothes. Even though she had her mothers' cloak, the only other thing she was wearing was a sopping wet evening gown. His clothes, all full of holes, probably weren't the best to be wearing out in these conditions either. But her mother told her to survive.
If she remained here like this, she wasn't sure if she could.
"Will the sun come out soon?"
He shivered and shook his head. "I d-dunno. B-but maybe we should get m-moving and find a better place to w-wait."
She took one more longing look back at the stream of water. It had calmed somewhat, but it still looked impossible to return to wherever they had come from.
Barely whispering, she nodded back to him. "Okay..."
The two of them struggled to stand up, their knees both frozen and stiff. His were so bone thin they almost rattled when they shook. She also noticed he had quite a few bruises all over. Wasn't he in pain? Maybe he had it much worse than her.
Shrugging off her cloak she spun around and draped it over him, tugging on it to pull it past his messy hair. He staggered in surprise, holding his arms out to stare at the pink jacket, stunned.
"Uh, thanks, but..."
"But what?"
"It's...pink." He frowned down at himself, still holding his arms out to get a better look at the stained cloak.
"What's wrong with pink? It's my favorite color!" She squished her lips together and crossed her arms, trying her best to emulate the look her mother often gave her when she was misbehaving. "And you'd better take good care of it too, it's my mother's."
It looked like he was opening his mouth up again to complain, so she interjected again before he had the chance.
"You can't possibly be warm in those clothes, they are full of holes. Just take it for now."
He begrudgingly nodded his head, but sniffed a bit at the hood and wrinkled his nose. "It smells funny..."
"Stop complaining, you doofus!"
Still looking a bit stunned for only a moment more, he suddenly burst into laughter. "You're funny."
Were boys always like this? Namine certainly wasn't anything like him at all.
"But are you really gonna be okay without it? You only have...that." He pointed over towards her dress and she huffed again, crossing her arms. It almost sounded like he had another stream of complaints coming her way.
"What's wrong with my dress?"
"Uh, well I dunno...I guess, maybe it's a little too frilly?"
Her jaw hung open. Was he serious? She stamped her foot on the ground and shivered. "I wasn't actually asking!"
"But you...huh?" He looked so honestly confused it was actually kind of cute in a strange way. It reminded her of a sweet little puppy. And she had a feeling he was mostly just worried about her being cold, not trying to insult her so she decided to let it go. It was far too cold to stand around arguing anyway.
"It's okay, I'll be fine." Another touch of wind brushed against her now bare shoulders and she rubbed at them, remembering how warm he had just been while he was hugging her. "B-but maybe we could stay close? Is that okay?"
He eagerly jumped to her side and bobbed his head. "Let's go! Uh..."
Glancing back and forth for a moment between the shadows of the trees and rocks, he finally jabbed his finger triumphantly off into the distance. "That way!"
Using each other for support, they managed to hobble forward into the dim forest around them. He seemed to be confidently leading their stunted charge, but she was utterly lost. Every one of the stooping trees looked just the same as the other.
"Do you know where we are?"
He paused a moment, glancing from tree to tree, nodded sagely to himself and laughed. "Nope. No idea."
She chewed at her bottom lip and blinked back at him. "Um, so...why are we going this way?"
It was clear he didn't have an answer, and he laughed again.
"Did...you wanna go somewhere else?"
Kairi saw the maze of trees swaying in the cold breeze all around them and tipped her head, considering. Maybe he did have a point. Any direction was as good as any other. But she couldn't help but wonder if maybe following the river would be a better idea. It must lead back into town, or at least to the farms just outside the city walls.
Pointing over to it, she offered her suggestion to follow the banks instead. Cheerily the boy nodded and followed her direction without complaint.
Wasn't he scared to be out here on his own? He certainly was strange. But maybe this was just how people outside of the castle were? It's not like she had really met anyone her age outside of the castle before. Or...any boys for that matter.
Together they followed the flowing river, and she tried not to think about her mother. No matter where she looked, however, there was nothing but darkening trees, rocks, and the river. Nothing that could distract her from the reality bearing down on her. She tried to sniffle back the tears, but they were impossible to hide and she noticed the boy kept glancing at her as they walked side by side. More than ever she wished she still had a tissue or something to wipe her nose.
"It's okay if you want to cry."
He said this so simply she couldn't help but stare. Most people taught her the exact opposite. It was impolite to cry in public, let alone let her nose run and stain her dress. A princess wasn't meant to be weak and cry. She had to be elegant, regal and above all, never show weakness that could be exploited. Not only had she been caught, but he so casually dismissed the rules it was shocking. She had no idea how to respond, but luckily he seemed content to let her keep walking and say nothing at all.
As it turned out, rounding the bends of the river ended up being a good idea after all.
They stumbled, shivering upon the edge of a lonely farm. It was quiet, which was both slightly eerie but comforting. At least there weren't any more screams or cries from fighting.
She stood up on her tip-toes so she could peek over the fence at the house beyond. "Shall we ask them for help?"
"Worth a try..." The boy cautiously approached the front gate and vaulted over it before cupping his hands around his mouth. "Heeey! Anybody home?"
She winced at the sudden volume in his shout, but nothing stirred. Perhaps there really was no one here any more. Unnervingly, the front door lay open, and the field looked like it had been torn up by a whole stampede of boots and wagon wheels being dragged across it. She struggled with the latch on the gate, nervous about copying the boy's movements in leaping over it. That would be quite undignified after all. But…what was she to do? The gate wasn't budging.
The boy noticed her trying to open it and started back.
"Hang on a sec..."
She didn't wait for him. Another sweep of the area confirmed that they were alone...so, might as well! She hiked up her skirt a little bit and stuck one of her sandals into the gap in the fence. Then climbed one foot after the other up to the top, wobbled to steady herself and jumped off with a satisfying thump.
Her guards would never have let her do something like that.
The boy backed up a few steps, eying her in surprise. "Oh! I guess you really aren't like most girls."
He shrugged before turning back towards the house, but she wasn't going to let a comment like that slide. Not at all. For the first time that evening, her fear retreated. She put her hands on her hips and frowned, feeling more insulted than anything else. She had let the dress thing go, but not this time.
"E-excuse me? Are you mocking me?"
"N-no...?" He seemed confused again by the question, as if he couldn't comprehend why she would take offense to such a thing. "At least, I don't think so. I don't know how to write."
"You don't know how to-what are you talking about?" She stared at him, bemused, not sure what to make of his answer.
"I mean, I like marking some rocks with drawings sometimes...is that the same thing?"
For the second time, her jaw was left hanging. Was he trying to dodge her question, or act stupidly on purpose? She hadn't said marking. Was it possible he...didn't know the word?
"I said mocking."
Yep, he looked clueless. And this time that puppy dog face wasn't going to work on her.
"It means...it means you were teasing me and it was rude!"
He still looked baffled. "Did you want tea...?"
Before she could splutter out her response, he suddenly brightened, and raced towards the door of the farmhouse.
"I'll go see if I can find some!"
Watching him run towards the cottage, she concluded simply that his vocabulary must be laughably bad. Did he not go to school? Did he not have a tutor or lessons either?
To her horror, he charged right through the open door without a cursory bow or greeting to anyone inside, either. She rushed to catch up with him, uttering apologies as she entered the house after him. But as soon as she entered, her apologies stuttered to a halt.
While the outside of the home seemed quiet, the inside told a different story. Furniture was smashed and broken, with barely anything salvageable. It was a complete mess.
By the time she found where he was among the disaster, the boy was already rifling through the house, pulling open cabinets that were still intact enough to use. He wasn't being careful with the contents and had already pulled open several jars to presumably smell them, leaving the rejects without lids, strewn about his feet. When he finally did find one he liked, he stuffed his fingers inside and took a huge bite, wolfing the entire thing down before she could even see what it was. It was yellow and a bit slimy, like it was maybe some canned fruit.
As she saw the juice from the fruit dripping down onto his shirt, she was glad that he had at least had the care to remove her mother's cloak before digging in. The only problem was he had draped it across a chair, likely soaking the upholstery.
Mouth full, he turned and offered the jar, still half full and vaguely smelling sweet over towards her but she backed away in disgust. What was he doing? This kind of behavior was absolutely atrocious. She maybe understood now why he was wearing such ratty clothes—they certainly became his manners.
He shrugged and placed the jar on the floor carefully. Then, giving up on the rest of the jars, went over to a tall cabinet and started yanking the drawers open, smearing sticky processed peach slime over the knobs.
Finally, she couldn't stand it any more and raised her voice. "What are you doing!?"
"Lucky! Look what I found!" He pulled some light purple fabric out from the drawer and turned, proudly displaying a dress out to her.
She stared at it and crossed her arms. "It's a dress."
For some reason he kept holding it out to her, as if it was something special. A bit cross at already having entered someones home uninvited, she stamped her foot a bit impatiently on the floor.
"Put it back already!"
He tipped his head back to her in confusion. "What's wrong with it? I thought it looked nice..."
"I don't want it!"
He lowered the dress down to his lap and frowned. "I'm confused...earlier you seemed really upset when I mentioned your clothes, so I thought you might want something else-"
Was he really that dense? She snatched the fabric out of his hands, smoothed it out and gently folded it back up to put back into the drawer.
"It's not yours! What are you, a thief?"
Pouting, he stuck out his lower lip and grumbled. "I'm just trying to help. Did you want to stay in wet clothes?"
She glanced down at her sopping wet dress and scrunched up her face. "No, but...I'm not a thief. And you shouldn't be one either!"
For the first time she noticed something sad pass behind his shining blue eyes, like a cloud covering up the sun. "I don't wanna be a thief..."
This boy made no sense at all.
"Then don't! Look at the mess you've made!"
Lowering his eyes to the floor, he shamefully sniffled at his feet, and she only just realized he had no shoes on at all. "I'm sorry, I was hungry..."
She wanted to scold him, as was so often done to her when she was too childish, but she realized perhaps it would have much less impact than when an adult like her father said it. She hadn't quite mastered chiding, it seemed, despite all the practice on her stuffed unicorn at their tea parties.
"We should wait for the owners of the house to return, then ask them for help. It's the right thing to do."
Why was he looking like he didn't believe her? Did townspeople not follow any etiquette at all? At least he seemed repentant for making a mess with the jars. He had been tearing at them like an animal, and it was incredibly improper. She felt slightly hungry herself, but it wasn't even time for breakfast yet so she ignored the slight rumbling in her stomach.
"How are you so hungry? Did you not eat supper?"
He glanced once more, longingly, at the half-full jar of peaches. "No..."
She suddenly felt a bit guilty, eying his scrawny arms again. No wonder he was hungry, if he hadn't had anything to eat for dinner.
"W-well, um...that still doesn't excuse acting that way! Almost as if you haven't eaten for days..."
He didn't say anything, just returned his gaze back down to his dirt-smudged feet, as if he was too embarrassed to really say anything else. And she felt a lot more guilty now. She couldn't even understand how it was possible to go that long without food.
"D-didn't your parents cook you anything?"
Looking much more uncomfortable now, he shook his head. "I don't have any parents."
She understood what he said, but she didn't understand at all. "No...parents?"
"Yep, just me! Oh, and my animal friends! I know a lot of pigeons and spiders."
She had been feeling so hopeless being on her own, but he had probably been all alone for much longer than that. Maybe being alone was all he really knew. He certainly seemed so bright and cheerful despite it all. She immediately sympathized with the thin boy in the just as thin clothing. If all that he had said was true, she felt quite sorry about giving him such a hassle about the single jar of peaches.
"I'm sorry..."
Inexplicably smiling, he perked up and thumped himself in the chest. "Don't worry! I might not remember them but they are still here. See?"
He shrugged off a small satchel strapped to his back and flipped open the biggest flap. It was filled with random...junk was far too harsh a word. Among them she spotted a feather, some sparkling rocks, a pine cone, a stick, and a small glass bottle filled with some sea shells. They were his strange assorted treasures. With the way he very gently sorted through them, he was very fond of every single one. From the depths of his little bag, he withdrew a very dirty stuffed animal that looked like a purple dragon.
"This is Figment! I think my parents gave him to me. I don't really remember, but it makes me feel like they are still with me somehow. He protects me, too!"
Kairi smiled down at the tiny little purple dragon, with a silly smile on its face, tongue ajar. She gave it a soft pat on the head. "Hello, Figment. It's nice to meet you."
She was honestly a bit shocked that he had a stuffed animal himself. She liked animals and Namine liked collecting dolls, but she had always thought boys hated that sort of thing. It was a nice surprise. Maybe boys weren't so different after all.
"You're the only boy I've met that has a stuffed animal."
His face reddened a bit and he abruptly looked back down at his toes. "O-oh."
She realized all at once maybe she should have clarified he was the only boy she had ever met at all, but he looked so uncomfortable now she decided to just change the subject.
"Um...well maybe if we tell the people who live here how hungry you are they won't be so mad about the food."
"Y-yeah, maybe..." He smiled again, but she could tell there was something more he wasn't telling her.
Honestly she had no idea how she was going to explain anything to the farmer when he returned home, but she hoped that if they knew the truth they would understand. And apart from having food, at least the home was offering some sort of shelter. It was still a bit cold, though.
The boy cheerily replaced the dragon on top of his pack of goodies and glanced around the kitchen.
"You still wanted tea though, right? I'll see if I can make a fire!"
She didn't really have a chance to correct him about the tea issue, she was far more concerned about the second half of what he had just said. "F-fire…?"
He went over to the nearby hearth and started poking around, shifting some logs and twigs underneath a large cauldron still hanging over it. It was much more primitive than the stoves in the castle that was for sure. She definitely wasn't allowed to touch those. Or have anything to do with fire. She shifted her weight back and forth anxiously, watching him strike at some rock with another rock. Sparks shot out of it and she gasped, wanting to rush forward to stop him but not wanting to draw closer to the dangerous hearth.
The sparks landed on the dry wood and grass under the pot and caught easily. Soon, a flickering orange light burst out of the wood, grabbing at the twigs and bark. He reached in to adjust some of the wood and yelped a bit at the heat, sucking on his finger for a moment before smiling broadly at his creation.
"I did it!" Curious, he stood up on his tip-toes and shifted back the lid of the cauldron to peek inside, his smile only growing. "Hey, they left some stew in here too!"
Suddenly realizing something, he winced slightly and turned back to look at her. "But...I guess we gotta wait until they get back?"
Kairi had no idea what it would be like to miss one meal, let alone more than one. But she understood the hunger in his eyes and could only imagine it was way stronger than anything she had ever felt after her lessons had delayed lunch a few times.
Besides, it was incredibly hard to say no to eyes like that.
"Maybe a little wouldn't hurt…"
He cheered and searched for a bowl, but, finding none, just used the giant serving ladle to slurp out of, dripping broth all over his already soiled shirt. This time she decided not to comment, and instead plunked herself down on the wooden floor to watch him munching away happily at the stew.
"This is really good! Did you wanna try some?"
Offering the ladle over she wrinkled her nose up at it. She might be willing to overlook him getting something to eat, but she certainly wasn't going to steal anything herself. "No, thank you. I'll just eat when I get home."
"Oh..." He withdrew the ladle and frowned for a moment before recovering and smiling again. "Then let's try to get you home soon. Oh, right! Tea!"
Springing to his feet, almost with renewed energy, he began shuffling through the cabinets again, very gently pulling out some cups and setting them on the floor before searching around for something. Spotting a small step-stool, he retrieved it from the corner and plopped it down in front of the sink. Climbing up while balancing the cups in his hands, he filled them both up with water before returning back down to the fire and setting them close to the heat.
Not yet finished, he then scurried over back to the cabinet of jars and fished around for something. It wasn't long before his pace slowed and he squished his face up, perplexed, as he lifted the glass jars one by one in front of his face, scrutinizing them closely.
"Uh...do you know what tea looks like?"
She still wasn't sure why he insisted on making her tea. Probably another misunderstanding. "It's, um...just the water is fine."
"Huh? But you said-"
Again, maybe it wasn't worth arguing about. Rather than explain, she went over to the jars to help him find something that could possibly be tea leaves. There were plenty of spices, and luckily among them there was one jar of dried jasmine leaves. They didn't have a tea pot, or it was hidden somewhere up too high for them to reach, so they had no choice but to drop them straight into the cups and wait.
Quietly, they both sat down by the fire and watched the water slowly heat up. Clutching her knees, she watched the fire crackle, finally feeling her shivering subside.
"Um...I don't think I ever said thank you properly. For before."
"Hmm? Oh...don't worry about it. Like I said, I made a promise so it's fine. And you let me borrow your coat so we're even."
Another silence passed between them. The boy reached over and tested the temperature of the water with his finger, but it didn't seem ready. He shrugged casually and sat back down, bouncing his knees impatiently. His whole demeanor wasn't something she expected from someone who had nearly drowned, or was in a kingdom being surrounded by some unknown evil.
"Aren't you...scared? Something out there is turning everyone into monsters. I heard someone say they were all infected. Maybe we could get infected, too."
"What's that? In-fect-ed?"
"Um...like being sick, I think." Just thinking about everything made her stomach clench and she squished her eyes shut. "Maybe all that evil stuff is already inside of me..."
She suddenly felt a hand pressing against her forehead and her eyes popped open in surprise. He tipped his head side to side as if considering her temperature.
"You don't feel sick. And you seem like you're a good person so far!" He withdrew his hand with a smile. "I think you're safe."
"T-thank you..."
It was still so hard to get used to other people touching her, let alone someone her own age. Every now and again some grown-ups would have to put on gloves to help her with things, like when she went to the doctor. But this was very different.
Eventually the tea was hot enough to drink, and she helped pluck the leaves out. He choked his down in one gulp, but it was obvious from his face he wasn't a fan of the flavor. Jasmine wasn't her favorite either, but it was nice to have something warm. She sipped at it, glancing up at the window nearby, spotting a few star still visible in the sky. And quite suddenly, she still started to feel extremely drowsy. She drooped, her head accidentally smacking the boy in the shoulder.
Apologizing sheepishly, she shuffled a bit away from him so it wouldn't happen again. Thankfully he didn't seem mad, he just laughed again.
"Tired? I am. Let's go to sleep here."
It was a good suggestion, but the cottage itself was fairly small, maybe built for one. The lone bed she could see was over in the corner, half smashed, mattress ripped apart. And, even if it was still intact, there was still only one room.
"But, um...where will I go?"
He glanced around the room and shrugged, pointing close to the hearth. "Here? Where else?"
Did he really not see the problem with that? Starting to feel frustrated again, she petulantly puffed out her cheeks. "I can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"It's absolutely unthinkable! I can't possibly spend the night in the same room as you. Let alone a boy whose name I don't even know!" She plunked her tea cup down to the floor and stood up, crossing her arms with a humph. Every time she started to feel comfortable with this one he always did something to make her cross with him again.
"Sora."
"...What?"
"My name. So you can go to sleep now, right?"
There was just something about his casual manner that she wasn't sure what to make of. On the one hand it was intriguing, on the other it was so baffling it was infuriating.
"No, I can't! Don't you know who I am?"
"Uh..." He shrugged, his face completely blank.
"I am Kairielis Aeterna Luxilla. How could you not know!?"
"Keels...ate a...lushy?"
He was definitely mocking her this time.
"Kairielis. Aeterna. Luxilla." She repeated it back slowly, accenting each of her names, but he still looked baffled.
"Kellis...Karis..." Growing frustrated at his own inability to sound it out, he ruffled at his hair and groaned. "What kind of a name is that, anyway? It's way too fancy!"
"It is not! It's not my fault you can't say it."
"Aw come on, isn't there anything easier I can call you?"
She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, just forget it. The point is, I can't possibly fall asleep near anyone else. Especially not a boy."
This time it was him who pulled the petulant face, puffing out his lower lip. "What's wrong with boys?"
He was missing the point entirely. Arguing with him was like trying to pin her shadow to the wall.
"I just can't, okay? It's incredibly improper."
"Im...pepper?"
"It means bad."
"I'm not bad!" At first he seemed a bit offended at the accusation, but she saw his eyes briefly glance back at the still open cabinet and he sagged. "I mean...I know that I maybe take some stuff now and again but I-I don't think I'm a b-bad person...am I?"
The sorrowful look in his eyes was heartbreaking and her anger melted. "N-no, it's not you, I just...it's the rules."
"Rules…?"
"It's...something important...to me." She really wasn't sure how to explain what a rule was, but he seemed to understand the word important, at least, and was nodding along now.
"I'm not sure I understand, but...if it's important to you I'll try to do my best." He glanced once more about the room and instantly burst into a wide grin. "Oh! I got an idea!"
Again scurrying over, he untangled some sheets from the collapsed bed and dragged them over along with some of the broken pieces of wood. He began assembling something together, dragging the sheet over two towers to make a small enclosed cave. When he was finished, he took a step back and gestured to it grandly.
"Ta-da!"
She stared. "What is it?"
The cloth was stretched across two lumpy stacks, like a bridge, leaving a gap of space beneath.
"Uh, well...it's a tent! See?" He gleefully dropped down to his hands and knees and crawled under the sloppily constructed mess.
"A...tent?"
"If you stay in here I promise I won't go inside. And when I promise something I keep it!"
"You said that before..."
"Oh...I did? Well that means it's doubly true!" He crawled back out and offered her one of the two pillows he had fetched from the bed. "So, is staying in the tent okay?"
Sleepiness was taking over her exhausted body and she knew there really wasn't much choice. Her mother had told her to survive. And...so many rules were just being shattered in front of her, what was one more? Maybe it would be good enough to be in a separate little tent like this. It wasn't exactly a separate room, but it was as good as she was going to get for now.
She accepted the pillow and scuttled under the draped sheet. It was surprisingly warm inside, perhaps being so close to the fire. Setting the pillow down on the hard floor, she tried to find a comfortable spot.
And for the first time in a while she was technically alone in her own space. It was what she had asked for, after all, but she was far from happy. Sora was such a strange boy. He couldn't even say her name properly. He didn't seem particularly educated, and was perfectly content just doing his own thing, it seemed. But he was the only little shred of humanity she had in this dark night. And there was something...hopeful about him. Cheerful. She couldn't imagine being alone like he had been for her whole life.
Then again...maybe she had been alone in her own way. No one really was allowed to get close to her. She never knew anyone's name. But at least she always had Namine to play with if she got too lonely. And she knew so many people cared for her. Her mother, her father, uncle, and auntie, all the nice guards and cleaning ladies...
She hoped they were doing well.
Being alone was terrible. Scary.
She hated it.
If she was with him she wasn't alone any more.
Tears filled up her eyes again and she clutched at her pillow. It didn't help much. She tried to cry silently, but knew her sniffling probably gave her away. A rustle in the blanket caught her attention and she saw a small little purple dragon head peeking up at her from under the sheet.
"H-hi, Figment."
"Did you wanna borrow him tonight? It's okay if you do. I think...he likes you. He likes people who are strong and kind."
"I'm not..." She wiped at her heavily streaming nose. "I'm nothing like that at all."
"That's not what your mom told me! And I don't think she was a liar." He wobbled the dragon back and forth a few times like it was dancing. "He will protect your dreams! Rawr, rawr! Oh..."
The dragon retreated slightly from the gap, but she could still see his snout. "Uh...he's a boy too. Is that against the rule?"
Giggling, but with fresh tears pouring down her face, she snatched the stuffed creature up immediately.
"Dragons don't count."
It didn't heal the strange emptiness inside of her, but it helped. After cuddling with it for a moment, she slid closer towards the edge of the tent and slipped her own tiny hand underneath the sheet.
"S-Sora? Are you...going to stay right here too?"
"Yeah."
He held her hand and she trembled, clutching his little dragon close. It was something so precious to him and he had let her borrow it. The dragon was clearly well loved, and she patted it gently on the head and sighed, wiping away the rest of her tears. They were both practically strangers, and he had no reason to treat her so kindly, but everything about him was unexpected and warm. And despite all the rules telling her not to think that way, she was very glad he was there.
"...Kairi."
"What's that?"
"That's my name."
He hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "Kairi, huh…why didn't you just say so earlier! I can definitely remember that."
She flicked at one of Figment's ears. "Um...and do remember anything else that my mom told you?"
"Not...much else..."
"Oh..."
Even just from the tone of her voice, he must have caught on to her sorrow, and he hastily interjected again.
"B-but, uh I'd really like to hear about her!"
She hesitated, but only slightly. He sounded so eager and encouraging it was hard to turn down. Her voice was trembling, and interrupted by sniffles and hiccoughs, but she did her best to tell him everything. Everything she could remember.
And he listened closely, laughing along with her, asking her questions and keeping her talking until she couldn't even remember exactly when she fell asleep. She knew only that eventually she slipped into a calm, happy dream feeling like she was floating away on a cloud.
When dawn came, she stirred. She could hear light snoring outside the little makeshift tent and realized that Sora must still be asleep. His hand was still loosely clinging to hers and she felt bad moving it, so she lay there in the quiet for some time, just listening to his breathing.
And, when she felt brave enough, used her one free hand to pull up the sheet a bit and peek out at him. His hair, now dry, was sticking up every which way. She wasn't sure what he was dreaming about, but it must have been something good. He was smiling quite a bit. It was a bit mysterious, to see someone else sleep and she stared at him in awe. He was a very strange boy…
But she was still very glad he was with her.
When this was all over she would be sure to tell her guards to let him come into the castle to play with her and Namine. Or maybe...he could just come live there. If he didn't have parents, maybe that meant he didn't have anywhere else. He could finally get lessons and get food every day! Yes, he should come live with her!
Living…
She was still alive.
But she had no idea how many other people had survived the night, while she sat curled up by a fire doing nothing. She had caused this mess, and just thinking about it made something clench tight in her stomach again.
She had to set things right.
Gently pulling her hand out of his, she did her best to free herself without waking him. He stirred and mumbled, flexing his hand as he searched for hers again. She stuck Figment's little tail in his hand and he grabbed it greedily with a smile before returning, mumbling, to his happy dreams.
Now, she just had to look around the garden out front she had seen yesterday. Surely there was something she could use…
Rooting around amid the plants in the garden blessed her with quite a few medicinal herbs that she recognized from her coloring books. She had amassed a nice stack before she heard a thunk from inside the house and a panicked scrabbling.
The door flew open and Sora came rushing out the door, tripping on the entryway and rolling head over heels before coming to a dusty flop in the dirt.
"Good morning, Sora."
She leaned over him and he immediately breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Kairi!" He sat up, quickly checking around the rest of the farm. "What are you doing out here alone, it could've been really dangerous!"
She lifted up her handful of herbs for him to see. "I picked some medicine."
"Medicine?" His eyes opened up wide. "Are you a doctor? That's amazing!"
"N-not exactly, but...maybe I can help a little. I want to go find who else is out there and help them."
He smiled up at her and jumped up to his feet, dusting off his tattered clothes. "Sounds good to me."
Leaning in closer to her hands to look at the leaves for a moment, he then pulled back and itched at the back of his head. "But, uh...I don't really know much about plants and things. Is that okay?"
"Mm. Can we put them in your rucksack? I don't have any pockets."
"What is that? A bag for rocks?"
She giggled again, almost glad he had those little misunderstandings. "I mean your little pack from yesterday."
"Oh, right! No problem, I'll take good care of them!" He started back to grab his pack out of the house.
And there really was hope in his eyes.
She had already decided. Today, going forward, she was going to start over. Her mother had told her as much. Use her kindness to change the world. She might not have the light to bless the water like the priests always wanted her to, but she was still going to make herself useful. She didn't have a lot of skills, or knowledge, or really...anything, but she was going to try.
Maybe...just maybe that was good enough.
A/N: Just wanted to say thank you again for reading so far! Also wanted to apologize the updates are taking a bit longer than before, but these last few chapters have been a bit more difficult to pull together. I'm still working away at it though! Thanks for your patience.
A little off topic, but I am a tiny bit curious how many people have been able to spot all the little references I've peppered in the story so far. (Some are more obvious than others, of course). I don't think I will be able to reference every single final fantasy, but I've been trying to include what makes sense. (^.~)v
Let me know if there's someone you are dying for me to include and I'll see what I can do. No promises, obviously-they would have to fit in with the rest of what I have planned. But I'll do my best!