Welcome Back to Shadow Prince X3 This is the first chapter, woot! Guh, this chapter took a lot of work. My mom accidentily deleted half the work I did on it at first TT oh well. I think it's better then what it was, but still a lot shorter then I'd have liked. Oh well, I'll make the next chapter very long for you D Enjoy the read!
Disclaimer: Not in a bajillion years
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Shadow Prince
Chapter One
Shadows
In which Kairi meets a kind traveler, and comes face to claw with the Shadow Prince
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Kairi closed her book. It was by her favourite author, Rain Gray. She stared at the title of the book for a moment; this was her favourite out of all the books Rain Gray had written. She was almost tempted to ask the librarian if she could buy it from him, but she knew she needed the munny for more important things. With a sigh Kairi got up and grabbed her dark brown cloak from the chair. She picked up the book and put it back on the shelf. Kairi put her cloak on and walked towards the door, she nodded with a smile at the librarian and muttered a "thank you" as she pushed open the door and walked into the cold November air.
Her head turned back and forth as the walked down the dirt road, trying to memorize the quaint little town before she had to leave. Kairi had been here for a week now, she felt ashamed of herself for staying so long. She was doing laundry just to pay for this last night at the inn.
"Oh well," she breathed looking up to the grey sky, "I'll find you no matter what, father." Kairi continued walking, saying hello to anyone she passed, until she reached a large fountain. Beyond it was the inn she had been staying at. She walked past the building and slipped into the stable. It reeked of manure and some other things Kairi couldn't quite identify, but she was used to it. Her horse was in the back.
"Hey boy," she chirped happily holding out her hand for the animal to sniff. She petted its snout gently and spoke to it in a gentle voice. "We're leaving first thing in the morning, I promise." She grabbed an handful of oats from a bucket on the floor and held it out to her horse for him to eat. Kairi gave him one last pat and left the stable.
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Inside the inn Kairi tied her red hair back into a ponytail and tied an apron around her waist. She grabbed a large wicker basket and walked out of the basement of the inn. She climbed the stairs and began knocking on doors to gather the last night's bed sheets. Kairi's basket was filled to the brim with sheets as she began climbing the narrow stairwell to the second floor. Kairi climbed up slowly, trying not to drop the basket filled with bed sheets and pillow cases. She didn't notice someone trying to go down and she bumped into him, causing her to drop the basket and the other person to drop their belongings. White bed sheets scattered everywhere and a number of books lay at the foot of the stair well.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Kairi exclaimed as soon as she realized what had happened. She turned to the person and bowed slightly repeating the same line, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," until she felt a finger slowly tip her head up so she was looking at them.
It was a man, probably older then herself, with silver hair that fell over his shoulders. His clothes looked rather strange to Kairi. It looked somewhat like knights clothing, with armored shoulder pads and gloves. It was mainly green, white, and silver, and there was a strange heart shaped symbol on the front of it. He smiled at Kairi and removed his finger from her chin.
"Now, now, miss, accidents happen." He said kindly, his teal eyes shone through his silvery bangs. Kairi suddenly felt a little calmer. "My name is Riku; may I be so bold as to ask yours?"
"Oh, uh, I- I'm Kairi! Uh, I'm pleased to meet you!" Kairi stuttered and bowed again. "I'm really sorry for bumping into you! I'll pick up your stuff for you," She ran down to the bottom of the stairwell and started picking up the books as fast as she could.
"No, no Miss Kairi, it's quite alright. I wasn't in a rush to go anywhere." Riku laughed and joined Kairi at the bottom of the stairs. Kairi looked at the titles of the books she was picking up, and was particularly surprised when she saw a Rain Gray book.
"Uh, you read Rain Gray?" Kairi asked somewhat timidly, her voice shaking with slight embarrassment. Riku smiled and took the book from Kairi.
"Why yes, she's a brilliant author, don't you agree? Her stories are so captivating." He said with a passion. Kairi smiled despite herself and nodded. She and Riku began a very engaging conversation, and Kairi forgot all about the laundry.
"Driftwood is defiantly one of my favourites, but Dusty Floorboards is my absolute favourite," Kairi said cheerily, she was smiling brightly and was thoroughly enjoying Riku's company. She'd never been able to talk about her favourite books with anyone before. "Actually, that's the reason I've been here for the last week."
Riku raised an eyebrow, "You don't live here?"
"No, I don't. I'm actually doing to laundry to pay- OH NO THE LAUNDRY!" Kairi shrieked in sudden shock. She hurriedly picked up the basket and began stuffing all the fallen sheets back into it, somewhat messily too. She rushed up the stairs to pick up the rest of the laundry, when she reached the top she twisted her head around to look at the man she had just left behind and gave him a somewhat sheepish, apologetic smile.
"Perhaps we can continue this conversation in the morning?" Riku called from behind her and Kairi nodded against her better judgment.
"Maybe for a bit." She saw Riku smile and told her that he would be at the library at nine. Kairi told him she'd see him there with a smile and continued down the hall to pick up the rest of the laundry.
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Kairi walked down the stairwell with a yawn. She had been up late last night doing the laundry and hadn't gotten much sleep. She didn't mind and waved it off with a smile. She walked into the lobby and up to the front desk. A girl was standing behind it, her back turned to Kairi. Kairi dropped her key onto the wooden structure and the girl turned around, somewhat startled.
"Oh! Kairi, you startled me!" The girl said kindly. She had dark brown hair laying over her shoulders and slightly sticking out at the sides. Her green eyes reflected a kindness that made Kairi smile. She looked down at the key and frowned. "I take it you're leaving then?"
"Yeah, I am. I'd love to stay and help out here Olette, but I really need to find my father," Kairi said with a regretful tone in her voice. Olette looked up and sighed, taking the key in her hands and gripping it tightly.
"No, I knew you'd have to leave eventually. It was nice having someone else help around here for a while though. Hope you find your father, Kairi." Olette replied sadly, a sad smile on her face. Kairi smiled and nodded then turned and walked towards the door. Just before leaving Kairi turned around and called back to Olette,
"I hope your father gets better!" Olette smiled and waved as Kairi ran down the street to meet Riku at the library. He was already there by the time she got there. They sat down at a table close to the back of the building. Riku broke the silence by asking the first question,
"Kairi, I'm curious, why are you in this town if you don't live here?" Kairi was a bit thrown off by the question. She had hoped to talk about books, but answered regardless.
"Er, well, my father has been traveling around the country. I'm not actually sure why, but he went anyway. He sent me letters describing all the places he went and all the things he saw. Perhaps he wanted to show me the world without me having to go," Kairi laughed, thinking about how protective her father was, "about two years ago his letters stopped coming. After a year of waiting, I made a list of all the places he'd sent letters from and went after him."
"Kairi… do you think he's alive?" Riku asked in a timid fashion. Kairi just smiled.
"Of course he's alive."
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By the time Kairi and Riku had run out of things to say, it was well into the afternoon. She had learned that Riku was a traveler, who had had many grand adventures. Tales of monsters and bravery had captivated her, but she didn't really believe most of it. Her heart sank like the setting sun as she realized what time it was.
"Oh! I'm sorry Riku, I have to go!" She said hurriedly, pushing her chair away from the table and rushing to put on her cloak.
"Wh- what? Do you have to do work at the inn again?" Riku asked, getting up as well. Kairi turned around to look at him and smiled.
"I was planning on leaving today. It seems I lost track of time, my horse won't be happy with me…" Kairi trailed off thinking about what it would be like to be stuck in a cramped, stinky stable for a little over a week. She winced a little at the thought. It took her a second to see realized that Riku had a rather worried look on his face.
"You're going to leave… now?"
"Yep! I better get going. The sooner the better, right?" Kairi said cheerily and walked out the door. Riku followed behind her as she ran down the street towards the stable. Riku looked on as she spoke to her horse in a gentle manor, and fastened his saddle to his back, "I broke my promise, didn't I boy?"
"Look Kairi, I'll gladly pay for another night at the inn for you. It is my fault you didn't leave today," Riku offered in a worried tone. They were standing at the edge of the forest, Kairi was ready to say her goodbyes.
"No, I don't want to trouble you. Besides, I don't think he could stand another night in that stable!" Kairi exclaimed with a laugh. Riku just looked at her sternly, Kairi frowned at his expression, "Oh come on, smile!"
"Kairi, didn't you hear a word I said today? There's a horrible monster in that forest, you can't go in there at night!" Riku hissed threateningly. Kairi suddenly burst out laughing, startling Riku.
"Haha, I'm… I'm sorry…" Kairi gasped, she desperately tried to contain her laughter. "It's just… ha… you really believe that stuff don't you?" She stiffened as his face did not falter and he nodded solemnly. She wiped her eyes and looked at him, the man before her seemed different from the one she met on the stairs. Kairi sensed something angry, something scared, and overall, something power hungry. She had a knack for doing that, ever since she was little, peoples feelings seemed so clear to her. It was almost like she could pear into their hearts and see everything bad.
"I'm not lying to you. You really shouldn't go, ever since a hundred years ago… something terrible has lurked in that forest." Riku said, Kairi shook her head and smiled.
"I don't believe in monsters."
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At first the ride had been pleasant, the setting suns rays through the leaves in the trees. It had been beautiful. But as soon as the sun had disappeared and the moon covered by cloud, the forest became gloomy and depressing. Kairi pulled her cloak closer around her. She was glad that it wasn't quite winter yet, otherwise she could have frozen by now. She patted her horses neck, trying to calm him down.
"I know boy… You don't like riding in the dark… Please bare with it a little longer…" Kairi breathed, she took hold of the reins in both hands again. "Just a little longer," Her horse whinnied but continued on. The ride was silent for another hour.
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Kairi had begun to nod off, her eyes gradually beginning to close. Something stirred in her senses suddenly, and her head jerked up. There was someone else there, she could feel it. Something shattered, scarred, angry. It felt similar to Riku, and yet not at all.
"Hello? Is something there?" Kairi called out, "Riku? Is that you?" she pulled on the reins and her horse stopped. Kairi looked around, but all she could see was darkness. She shook her head, trying to dispel of these strong feelings. Kairi urged her horse forward, and it continued on at a slow pace. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, when she opened them again she saw a pair of bright yellow, disk like eyes in the distance. She gasped and shut her eyes tight.
"No such thing as monsters, no such thing, no such thing…" She whispered to herself over and over. She opened one eye slowly and saw nothing, so she continued on. The trees gradually began to thin, and a clearing appeared. Out of the clearing suddenly loamed a gigantic castle surrounded by a large black steel fence on a stone base. It was amazing.
"A castle… out here?" Kairi muttered to no one in particular. She dismounted to get a better look. As she approached the fence, her horse reared and ran off.
"W-wait! Come back!" She yelled, and then gave up with a sigh. "I really should've named that horse…" Kairi continued to walk towards the fence. The feelings she felt earlier became stronger. She looked around, and still saw no one. She looked at the fence, it was high and the tips seemed to be pointed. It was almost like this fence was meant to keep something in.
Kairi suddenly felt a pain in her head, and she was knocked down. She could see the hard stone base quickly approaching; her head collided with the edge of the stone. Her senses slowly dimmed and her eyelids began to close. But before she lost full consciousness, Kairi saw those bright yellow eyes.
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Ooooh! Spooky. I think, I hope. Well yeah, that is everything I wanted in this chapter. And can you tell I'm a suck up? P Anyway, I hope everyone will PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks for reading!
p.s, reviews make me write faster and better so if you like the story, you'll review!