Writer: israelproject
It took a few steps for Kairi to realise that something was – very wrong. She faltered, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. Looking around, she took in the landscape – a quiet sort of area, peaceful. But – off. She took hold of Pluto's collar, fingers momentarily tightening as, still slightly dazed from the drop, the sudden cut from the island to this new destination, her brain took a while to process exactly what information her eyes were feeding in. And then it struck her – she gasped, amazed and astounded all at once, bewildered. She released Pluto, straightening, looking around wildly for a moment. "Where's the…?"
Black and white, as far as the eye could see. So alien, it hadn't registered properly until she'd had time to think about how very wrong the whole thing was. Her mouth dropped open slowly, eyes darting to the dog, who, happy as ever, utterly undisturbed by the anomaly, panted and grinned. Kairi swallowed, noticing how odd the canine appeared in this new world – simpler, almost. She lifted her hands, plucked at her dress, took a few minutes to get used to the fact that somehow, while she'd been in the darkness, colour had leaked away. The question that occurred to her, with a spike of nervousness, was whether or not it had been like this before she got here, or if… the darkness had changed her.
A small breeze came along, ruffling her hair, making Pluto yawn. Slowly, Kairi's uncertainty morphed, became determination again. What did it matter if the darkness had changed her? She glanced around. Even if she never ended up seeing colour again, wouldn't it be worth it, if…? Her hands formed fists by her sides, a short nod of confirmation, to dispel whatever small doubts that had been forming, the little wondering in the back of her skull. Flashing Pluto a small smile, content that at least she wasn't dealing with this alone – Pluto was always around when he was needed – she slapped her thigh. "Come on, boy," she said, voice firm. "Let's see what we can see, okay?"
They travelled through the countryside, small, rolling hills, swaying, hip-height, grey grass. Soon, Kairi found herself forgetting that anything was different at all. Her mind automatically attributed colours to the landscape, so that even grey ended up being bright. She and Pluto slogged through the hard grass, until it softened, started to flatten instead of simply bending, growing shorter. The sound of running water filled the air, the pair brightening and automatically heading over to the right, emerging after several minutes in front of a free-flowing, murky-looking river. Blue, her mind said, and Kairi didn't notice anything but the white sparkles of sunlight glittering against the undulating surface. When she knelt at the bank, dipping her hands in, the water was just – water. She splashed her face, gasping a little at the cold, savouring the new alertness it brought. Beside her, Pluto enthusiastically lapped the running fluid up, thirsty from his efforts. Sitting back on her heels, Kairi sniffed in, blinking widely, looking around. She paused, squinting, brought a hand up to cover her eyes and gazed keenly into the distance. "Look at that," she murmured, drawing the dog's attention. "A boat!" She pointed, Pluto lifting his head as if to try and see, ears perking. It puffed away in the distance, sending up alternating clouds of black smoke, heading in the opposite direction. He gave a sharp bark, startling the girl, who then smiled. "At least we know this place is populated, right boy?" She pushed against her knees, leaving small smudges of dirt, brushed herself off, glancing down at her companion. "How about we find someone to talk to around here?"
Pluto wagged his tail, apparently in agreement, and once again they started walking. After a couple minutes of following the river, Kairi found herself at the foot of a path winding back up the bank, away from the water. Eagerly, she followed, breaking into a jog, the dog trotting easily alongside. Passing between earthen walls, Kairi saw a wooden fence messily zig-zagging along the side of the trail. This was getting more encouraging by the second. Maybe there was a village nearby?
When they broke into a new clearing, in the middle of a field, the sight that met her eyes wasn't what she was expecting at all – definitely not a village. Jerking to a halt, panting a little, Kairi raised a hand to push through her hair, bewildered. "What the heck is that?" she wondered aloud. She glanced about, saw no one in the immediate vicinity, approached the strangeness – an enormous ball, seemingly made of glass, filled with…
"Light…" Kairi frowned in momentary thought. "This – this is familiar," she murmured. She placed a hand on her hip, finger pressed to her lips as she craned her neck, taking in the expanse of the giant sphere, sitting on a white dais. "This – " She shook the finger thoughtfully at the structure, speaking as much for her own benefit as Pluto's – it was hard to not treat the canine like another active mind, listening and paying attention. "This is the Cornerstone of Light… isn't it?"
She approached cautiously, circling closer, wary. Sora had told her about this – it was what kept Disney Castle free of darkness, of evil. It was vital to all the creatures under the King's care – but what on earth was it doing here? Memories stirred in the girl's mind, suspicion growing, eyes narrowed as she gave the area another, harder look. Her gaze fell to the dog, who watched curiously, head cocked to one side. "I think I know where we are," she told him. Her face rose again, solemn this time. "Or at least – when."
Sora, with Donald and Goofy, had – gone back in time, the boy had informed her, during one of the quiet storytellings he occasionally indulged in. At the time, Kairi had been – well, not quite sceptical, but wondering how such a thing was possible, especially simply by passing through a door. She had attributed it, in the end, to Merlin's magic. Such a powerful wizard would be more than capable of achieving such reality-bending… but Kairi was no wizard. She had passed through a regular door, not a – a time door. It's not like they were just left lying around – right?
She passed around the massive orb, to the opposite side to the sun of the black-and-white sky, wincing a moment later at the way the light of it mingled with that of the Cornerstone, seeming to pierce straight through her. She shied away, covering her eyes from the burst of brightness, stepping out of the direct path of the beam… never noticing the long shadow left in her wake.
She continued until she came full circle, letting out a soft, "Huh," with hands on hips. She pursed her lips, looked at Pluto, a worried crease between her eyes. "Well – what now? We're in the past." She drew in a breath, let it out in a frustrated sigh. "Just great. This wasn't what I wanted at all." Grimacing, she found a rock to sit on, hands propping her face, elbows on knees. Pluto, whining uncertainly, sat in front of her. She gave another, slightly shaky exhalation. "I just – I didn't mean to come here." She scowled. "I don't even know where I was trying to go. I just – I just want to know about my old life," she explained plaintively to the canine, lifted her chin. "Is that so bad? I mean – don't I deserve to know?" Pluto lapped her cheek, the girl making a face, a reluctant chuckle exiting her throat. "Uhhh… thanks, boy."
A second later, Pluto was growling. Startled, Kairi jerked back from his bared teeth, before realising that she wasn't the target of his displeasure. Pluto turned fast, hackles raised, taking on a defensive stance. Kairi stood swiftly, brows drawing sharply together, ready to fight or run. They sprang up again, though, as she realised the source of the tension. A line of hovering – things – had appeared, several feet away, simply – hanging in the air. They were covered in thick, red-velvet curtains, a golden-twine pull-rope hanging to the side of each. Bewildered, wondering, the girl approached, Pluto following with a suspicious sniff.
Hesitating, Kairi neared the closest one, pausing to study it, before peering dubiously around behind it. The back was blank. She glanced around, was still alone except for the dog and the massive ball of light in the centre of the clearing. She puffed out a breath, fingers stretching as she returned to the front, staring at the curtains. Then, on a snap decision, she grabbed the thick rope and pulled hard. Like clockwork, the heavy drapings slid apart, revealing a screen which flickered, hummed, and sparkled to life. Kairi gasped, as a fuzz of static sharpened abruptly to become – "Ah!" She ducked instinctively, away from the image of Sora and Riku. Wide-eyed, she rose again, slowly, Pluto's ears pricking at the familiar voices that came filtering dully out. They were faint, and it was impossible to make out the words they were saying, but it was undeniably them. Clasping her hands at her throat, the girl watched for a while, as they conversed seriously. They were – on the beach… Home. It looked like it was night, but it was hard to tell – they were as black and white as this place. They kept glancing at the sky, impatient, looking tense, and it was all she could do to not reach out and try to touch them.
But no. They – they betrayed her. They wouldn't tell, not even when she asked. They were… trying to keep her from herself! Her heart hardened, the slightest amount, a frown falling over her features. She backed away from the image, and, with one last glance at the boys, she turned from them, shifting her attention to the second of the three windows. Knowing, now, what to do, she grabbed the rope without hesitation and yanked, watching with tight muscles as the curtains slid apart, wondering what would be shown this time. At first, it was hard to tell – everything seemed chaotic. It took a little while for her to understand the image, a little murmur of curiosity escaping her. It was a busy street, as if someone had taken a camera and set it up on the ground, at the slightest upward angle. She could see legs, masses of them, walking back and forth – and cobblestones, and market-fronts, it looked like. It continued this way for over a minute, in which she grew increasingly uncertain. This wasn't even Riku and Sora – what was the point of this little movie?
That's when they came into view. Kairi nearly choked, seeing the small girl holding the old woman's hand, the pair of them passing slowly through the crowd. People kept turning to them, smiling, and the woman smiled and nodded back, while the girl was simply clutching tight and looking brightly around. Kairi let out a breath, knowing without needing colour that the little girl's hair was red like wine, her dress white, trimmed with pink. This was the girl she'd been dreaming about.
This girl – was her.
Just as she extended a hand to brush against the screen, the image flickered, died, the curtains sliding noiselessly back into place. She was tempted to pull the rope again, see if the scene continued, see if it followed the two… but maybe that was what the third one was for? Steeling herself, sucking in, Kairi marched determinedly over to the final window, Pluto at her heels. This was it – after this, she only had what she'd already seen. Maybe she'd come to this place for a good reason after all. She gripped the rope, tugged back, watched the red velvet part smoothly. For a long time, nothing happened. Small lines darted across the screen, proof that something was coming, the image was playing – but other than that, nothing. Kairi frowned in disappointment.
Pluto started growling, the girl glancing down. "What is it, boy?" she asked with concern. In a matter of seconds, Pluto was hunched over, teeth bared, snarling viciously. Kairi backed away, startled. "Pluto?" This was all directed at – the screen?
She blinked, as something dark seemed to flick through the white. Eyes narrowing, she stepped closer, ignoring the canine's distress. Pluto gave one loud, sharp bark. Kairi peered closely, trying to see what could be disturbing him so badly – it was just an image, after all…
A sweep of black, just a shiver. Kairi reached out to tap the screen, and the instant her skin touched it – she let out a piercing scream, Pluto's snarling barks erupting non-stop, as a shadow lunged forward, slamming into the glass on the other side, clawing frantically, eyes glowing. So terrified was the girl, she didn't even notice just how familiar the shadow looked… or the fact that she was lacking her own, on the ground behind her. She fell back, scrambling to get away as the window shook and shuddered, the shadow punching the invisible separation, teeth bared, irises aflame. Pluto quickly passed in front of her, a shield between her and the display, which was shuddering more and more violently. "Pluto, come on!" she cried, starting to run. She stopped sharply, letting out a startled, wondering noise – a door had appeared, out of nowhere, near the Cornerstone of Light. Glancing fearfully over her shoulder, she called again, "Come on!" and started towards it. She circled it quickly, not knowing where it had come from, nor where it led – only that this was a world in which time was a river, which could be swum forward, or back. She thought of the screen again, the one of her with the old woman – she thought briefly of the one of Riku and Sora – she let out another, small scream as the one housing the shadow tipped suddenly onto its side, still in midair, but only moments from tumbling. What would happen if it did?
Would the monster be free, then?
"Pluto!" At last, the dog turned tail, galloped to where she stood, his barking finished but an endless series of whimpers and whines coming from his chest, obviously worried. "Okay, let's get out of here," Kairi gasped, too frightened to look back again. She grabbed the handle, wrenched – thought, please! I want to see them again! Her necklace turned hot and jumped against her skin, at the exact moment that the erroneous window went crashing to the ground. The door flew open, and the girl-dog pair leapt through, Kairi keeping her wits enough to snatch the handle on the opposite side and slam it in their wake.
She could only hope that the shadow, whatever it was, wherever it came from, wouldn't be able to follow.