Sandy's blue-green eyes flickered open, and she began looking about her. Where was she? Oh yes…Kairi's house.
The dirty-blonde sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and running a hand through her wavy hair. She chanced a look out her window, only to see the dark clouds still there, looming over Destiny Islands menacingly. There was something very peculiar, and sadly familiar about those clouds, but she simply couldn't place what.
Wanting nothing more then to sink back into the pillows and let sleep wash over her again, the teenager rose from her mattress and pulled on her school uniform, darting around to get ready for the school day ahead.
"Oh, you're on time for once," Kairi remarked grumpily, pulling her backpack strap over her shoulder.
"What's your problem?" Sandy retorted, taking in Kairi's apparel-a pink dress with three zippers and a white undershirt. "You're going to get busted for not wearing your uniform, you know? You go change, I'll wait for you." Kairi shook her head, and though Sandy cocked her head to the side inquiringly, Kairi said nothing more on her decision.
"You know, I always thought you were a bit of a goody goody, so it is really weird to see you intentionally breaking a rule…" Sandy commented as they walked down the dirt path to school. Kairi still said nothing, and even when they were joined by Selphie, the auburn-haired girl was unusually quiet. Amazingly, the preppy brunette did not seem to notice.
Upon reaching the school courtyard, Sandy made a beeline through the crowd to where Sora and Riku were standing-today, they particularly stood out like sore thumbs, due to each wearing clothes that were definitely not their uniforms. The two boys were speaking in hushed tones, grim expressions planted firmly on their faces.
"Guys? What's going on?" Sandy asked hesitantly, almost afraid to interrupt their somber discussion. Sora jumped at her voice, then rested his hand over his heart and breathed deeply.
"Hey, don't sneak up on me, okay?" He said harshly, before turning back towards Riku, whom was observing Sandy quietly.
"What's his problem?" she mouthed to the silver-haired teen, whom replied with a mere shrug, much to her irritation.
"Here," Sora said suddenly, shoving something black that was poorly folded at her.
"What is it?" She asked dryly, crossing her arms.
"Just take it and put it on," Sora said, trying to sound a little more light hearted. He gave her a cheesy grin, as if he was apologizing for snapping at her.
Sandy took it, letting the black mass completely unfold before her. It had a zipper down the middle, and two chords for tightening the hood. The girl put it over her uniform, amazed to find it fit her perfectly. Sora then handed her some finger-less gloves, and smiled approvingly as she pulled them on.
"What are these for?" Sandy asked, looking up into those stunning blue eyes.
"We'll explain later," Riku cut across as Sora opened his mouth to reply. A bell rang somewhere, and Sora bid them farewell, running off to catch up with Kairi.
"Explain later?" Sandy asked, narrowing her eyes at Riku as he led the way to Algebra II/Trigonometry. "Why can't you just explain now? What the hell is going on?"
Riku looked over his shoulder at her, then shook his head. If he had intended this to calm Sandy down, it had quite the opposite effect, but she repressed the long string of curses that were forming in her mind.
Upon entering the classroom, the two were immediately sent to the office for dress code violation.
"Hey Sora, Kairi," Riku nodded at the two as he walked through the glass doors of the main office. Sandy stared at him-how could he be so casual that all four of them were now in trouble? She promptly dropped herself into the plastic seat between the two boys, letting out a sigh of irritation.
"Can someone at least tell me what the point was in getting in trouble for not wearing our school clothes?"
"Better to be safe then sorry, and these clothes are much easier to fi-" Sora began, before being silenced by a death glare from Riku.
"Fight?" Sandy asked, alarmed. "Is that…is that what you were about to say, Sora? We're going to be fighting? Look, I like you guys and everything, but I'd really rather not become a delinquent over some hair-brained scheme you came up with-" her voice was slowly rising with hysteria. Riku slapped his hand to his forehead, Kairi shifted uncomfortably, and Sora scratched his head and smiled apologetically at his silver-haired friend. "-And furthermore, I'm not enemies with anyone, so I have no reason to fight! You guys could have at least-"
The dirty-blonde stopped here as she saw something she had hoped never to encounter again slither its way out of the ground. Her eyes widened in terror and she pointed at it with shock, uttering one word that sent the other three into immediate motion.
"Heartless."
Riku, Sora, and Kairi immediately jumped up and spun around, staring at the shadow that had risen, its yellow eyes glowing in a curious fashion. It might have been cute, had Sandy not spent a year looking exactly like that, had she not come to associate anything with that magnitude of darkness about them with damnation. She stepped away from it slowly, mumbling about how now would be a good time to run, before a bunch of them sprouted out of the ground and attacked. Expecting that the others were right behind her, she turned on her heels and began sprinting, right through a door that led into a long white corridor, where classes were still in session. Her fellow students had no idea of the danger…But what could she do? How could she warn them that the island was under attack, when all it would really do is cause them to panic, and make them easy prey for the heartless? Perhaps it was better to simply leave them to their own, maybe that was the only heartless around?
The teenager stopped running, gasping for breath.
"Guys…what…should we….do?" she turned around, intending to look at them meaningfully, only to find that she was alone.
"Kairi? Riku?" Sandy began, spinning in place, searching for them in the shadows, as if hoping they might suddenly spring out. "…Sora?"
Her friends, unfortunately, were not the ones to spring from the shadows. The Heartless molded themselves from the surrounding darkness, all staring at her expectantly. Could they sense the lingering shadows in her own heart? Yes…and they hungered for it so. She could see it in their ravenous yellow eyes.
"No, no not again. I don't want to be swallowed by the darkness again…" she said, stepping backwards, terror filling her voice. "Not again, not again." They all crouched down, then pounced in unison. She shrieked in terror, clamping her eyes shut and folding her arms across her chest, as if hoping that would stop them from taking her heart.
There was an odd gust of wind and a noise of something metallic cutting through the dark beings, and Sandy chanced a look.
Sora stood in front of her, knees slightly bent, legs stretched out, head bowed, left hand planted firmly on the ground to give him additional support. His right hand, meanwhile, was clamped tightly around the yellow hilt of an extraordinarily large, silver key, from which dangled a black keychain in the shape of that over-sized mouse's head.
The girl stared at this odd key in awe. Had Sora just driven off the heartless with that? Where had it come from? He hadn't been carrying it with him before…No way could that thing fit in his pocket. What was it?
Strong arms swept Sandy off her feet, causing her to shriek in terror before she realized it was Riku. He smiled in slight amusement, then began carrying her off, and called over his shoulder, "Come on, Sora, Kairi's already in the Gummi ship."
"Gummi ship?" Sandy asked, clinging onto Riku, as if afraid he would drop her back into the darkness at any moment. But he wouldn't do that…he knew what the darkness was like. She could feel it in his heart, as much as he could feel it in hers.
"Yeah…you'll see."
"I'll see? Riku, I want to know now, or else I'm not going anywhere."
"You don't really have a choice…See, I'm kind of holding onto you here. And, judging by the fact that you've wrapped your arms excruciatingly tight around my neck, I sincerely doubt you want me to put you down anyway."
Sandy's face flushed bright red, and she loosened her grip slightly, choosing to look anywhere but at Riku.
It wasn't long before the three of them were piling into a bright ship. The hatch closed almost immediately after Sora had gotten in, and Riku set Sandy down. She followed them up to the cockpit, where Sora took his place in the driver's seat. Kairi sat just behind him to his left, and Riku to his right. There were only three chairs…
"Um…where am I supposed to sit?" Sandy asked.
"Just go sit in the gaming room, like you always do. I'll join you once I'm sure it's safe to put this thing on auto-pilot," Sora replied absently. "Don't forget to buckle your seatbelt though, Dyxsan, we don't want another accident."
Sandy cleared her throat with irritation.
"Sora…my name is Sandy. I've never seen this ship before. I don't know where the gaming room is," she said icily. Sora looked over his shoulder in shock.
"Oh…right. Er, walk through that door and to the left. Sit in the really puffy purple armchair and buckle your seatbelt-yes, we nailed the armchair to the ground, and installed a seatbelt. That is, Donald, Goofy, Dyxsan, and I…" Sora scratched his head in some embarrassment. Sandy sighed, walking out of the cockpit to sit alone in a purple armchair.
"Feel free to play some of the games!" Sora called after her.
A few moments later Sandy plopped down into the puffy chair, strapping herself in hesitantly and staring at the blank screen. She wasn't quite in the mood for games.
The girl wiped some cold sweat off her brow, sighing. After finally escaping the void of darkness, she'd been so close to being engulfed in it again. The teenager could still feel the dark tendrils creeping up her skin, ensnaring her, suffocating her…
Sandy put her head in her hands. If Sora hadn't been there…
Jeese, you act so helpless! Why didn't you just summon the dark blade? Came an unfamiliar voice. Sandy nearly jumped out of her skin, looking around her. Where had the noise come from?
Uh, duh. Man, you would think my somebody would do at least a little better than that! No more Damsel in Distress, 'kay? Next time you see a heartless, you show him who's boss. Don't let Sora do all the work for you, how can you possibly impress him like that? Exactly. You can't.
"What? I'm not trying to impress-"
Don't even pretend. I'm in your head, and I share your heart. As far as you go, I know all that there is to know.
"Alright then. Make it fair. At least tell me who you are."
There was a short pause, and Sandy silently cursed herself for going crazy and imagining voices, but it came again a moment later.
"The name is Dyxsan. Number XIV. And as my good friend Axel might say in this situation, got it memorized?"