End of Eternity
Chapter 3
The old gummi ship traveled steadily on the invisible pathway connecting the worlds. Sora stood at the back of the ship, looking out into the space through the round rear window. "I wonder if Kairi is ok," Sora said when Riku came over. "She's probably really angry right now, if she is."
"You wouldn't be the only one she's angry at, that's for sure," said Riku, thinking about how furious Kairi would be when she wakes up finding he left her behind again. Donald and Goofy seemed to be busily talking about King Mickey up the front than to pay attention to what they were saying.
Sora forced a smile. "I actually want her to yell at me than anything else right now," he sighed.
"Sora, what were you doing back in Wonderland?" Riku asked seriously. There were so many things he wanted to know. "You're not the one who's taking the princesses' hearts. But what are you trying to do?"
Sora clenched his fist. "I'll never let anything happen to Belle, Alice and the others," he said firmly. He turned his head to face Riku without moving the rest of his body. It was the same look he always gave Riku when he was about to ask him something. That alone, hadn't changed. "Riku, what if there is something you think is right, and that you have to do, but the whole world doesn't think so?"
"The whole world?" Riku repeated sceptically. "You'd need to ask every single person to be sure about that."
When Sora was about to say something in return, his face changed into a grimace. Clutching his shirt, he moaned in agony.
Shocked at first, Riku recovered in moments. "What's wrong, Sora?!" All he could see was Sora clutching over the position of his heart. In the past, Sora had always been healthy and energetic. Occasionally he fell sick like everyone did, but Riku had never seen him in such pain. There was no sign of injuries at all.
Donald yelled from the pilot seat. "Riku, Sora! Something isn't right, come over here!" He and Goofy didn't seem to notice what was happening to Sora.
"I'm ok," Sora swallowed and straightened himself. His face was a little pale, but he seemed fine otherwise. "Let's see what Donald has for us."
The front view had been changed from the monitor mode to the window mode, allowing them to look at the outside of the ship. There was nothing but endless space.
"We are supposed to be back to Destiny Island. But look, there is nothing!" Donald explained when Riku and Sora arrived.
Bending down, Riku calmly hit the keys on the control panel. Things had apparently ceased to make sense to him. He was certain that the ship's course was set to Destiny Island. They should be brought back automatically. It was all programmed. He decided to search for the nearest world. The locator picked up a response immediately. Destiny Island was very near.
"Phew, thank goodness we are not lost," Donald wiped his forehead and sank into his seat. Riku took a glimpse at Sora, who looked perfectly fine by then. He wondered if the pain Sora experienced was related to what happened in Wonderland.
It didn't take long after they reset the course that Destiny Island came within view. It was a world made up of vast oceans, making it look like a blue sphere from far away. Riku could already make out the shape of his island. Anxiety built up in his chest. He wished the ship would go faster and take him home a second sooner. It wasn't only Kairi he was worried about. Meanwhile, he couldn't help thinking about the ship's miscalculation, which caused them to arrive at the wrong place. Computers do not usually make mistakes, unless…the world moved.
The gummi ship trembled slightly as it entered the atmosphere. It was nighttime at the island. Before the ship had even landed, Riku saw it. From an aerial view, he could see people were running around on the streets. Clusters of black and white of various sizes were scattered everywhere. Heartlesses. Nobodies.
"Riku!" Sora called. He was already holding his keyblade, waiting impatiently for the hatch to slowly lower so he could dash out. Riku, too, readied himself. They landed at the pier. As soon as they got out, the first thing that hit them was the shouting and cries. The entire island was infested by heartlesses and nobodies. Some were on top of house roofs, some were down at the footpath, and others were straying on the beach. There were crying children who were just standing still, too scared to move. Men and women were calling names of their loved ones. Fright and confusion had driven the island into turmoil. In one swing of his keyblade, Riku eliminated two Shadows heartlesses near them. He scanned the crowd for Kairi. Sora was doing the same.
Sora spotted someone he knew out of the crowd. "Selphie!" he called out and ran towards a brown haired girl, who appeared to be looking for someone in the crowd just like they were.
"Sora, Riku!" Selphie exclaimed. "Where have you guys been? Have you seen Tidus and Wakka?"
"No, we just got back," answered Sora, distressed by the island's situation. "Why are there so many heartlesses and nobodies?!"
"That's what I'd like to know! They just popped out of nowhere since this morning. Everyone is scared and no one knows what to do. We're just trying to stay away from them," she said miserably.
"Selphie, have you seen Kairi?" Riku asked while keeping an eye out for enemies.
Shaking her head, Selphie replied. "Not since yesterday. I'm looking for her as well. Speaking of Kairi, a girl who looked a lot like Kairi asked for your whereabouts not long ago." Riku's heart skipped a beat. Selphie continued, "I thought she was Kairi because of those eyes, but she had blond hair. I didn't know where you were so I told her I didn't know."
"Where is she right now?" Sora asked quickly.
"I don't know. But I think she went over to the hut's direction," Selphie told them. Once Riku and Sora thanked her, they headed for the secret place. Only Riku, Sora and Kairi knew of it. If they were to find a place to hide, it would be the first place that came in mind.
"It is Namine, Riku!" Sora said in excitement as they were running along the beach.
"It can't be," Riku said. He could hear the uncertainty in his own voice. "She can't exist physically. Because…she's a nobody."
"But it has to be her!" Sora insisted. He gasped and stopped when a row of heartlesses of all shapes and sizes suddenly appeared in front of them, blocking their way. Riku recognised they were morning stars, sky pirates, operas – all high level heartlesses. Sora turned around to see a row of nobodies, made up of samurais, creepers and berserkers, coming from behind. There were at least twenty of them on each side. Riku and Sora were trapped in the middle. The heartlesses and nobodies were approaching them at an alarming speed. Riku looked at both sides. There was no place to run. There was no choice for them but to fight.
They reached them in seconds. Taking initiative, Riku rushed forward and plunge his keyblade into a berserker. The large nobody swang its huge baton at Riku, who dodged it by ducking down. Instead, the berserker hit the sky pirate behind Riku. The heartless was eliminated before it was able to counter. With his eyes locked on the enemy, Riku prepared for the next attack. But it never came. The berserker picked the next closest heartless and began smashing it with its powerful blows. Stunned, Riku lowered his keyblade and watched.
With skilful timing, Sora interrupted a morning star's spin attack. In the clean strike, he sliced it in half. He had eliminated quite a few heartlesses and nobodies. But for each one he eliminated, two came back.
"Sora, don't attack them!" Riku shouted above the clashing sound of weapons.
Hearing Riku's call, Sora jumped up high, causing a few nobodies to crash into each other instead of into him. "What?" he yelled as if Riku just suggested they should have a picnic right there right then.
"They're not attacking us!" Riku yelled back.
It took Riku and Sora some time but they managed to retreat out of the tangle of berserk heartlesses and nobodies. They both watched in disbelief whilst their previous enemies fought each other heatedly. When Riku thought about it, they never saw any heartlesses or nobodies attacking people. They were fighting each other. It was because the island's people had been attacked years ago they assumed the same thing would happen, that the heartlesses and nobodies would target people.
"Let's find Namine quickly!" Sora urged. When they arrived at the secret place, Sora called into the dark tunnel. "Namine! Are you in there?" They waited for a moment. There was no reply.
"I'll go in," Riku told Sora. He pushed away the obscuring branches and went in. When they were children, they used to be able to enter the tunnel just by bending down slightly. Now that Riku has grown, he really had to crouch down low. The secret place was a natural cave created by the roots of a very old oak tree. Inside it was dark enough during daytime. Now that it was night, Riku could barely make out what was what in front of him. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness by the time he was inside the actual cave. He was able to vaguely see that someone was behind a large root.
"Namine?" Riku asked as he walked closer to that person.
"Riku?" The person stepped out from behind the root. It was who Sora thought to be; it was also who Riku thought he would never see again. Namine ran straight into his arms. Riku was a little surprised by her action at the start, but he then put his arms around her.
"I thought I would never see you again," said Namine, holding onto him tightly.
Wondering if this was illusion or reality, Riku caressed her soft hair. Their meeting was meant to be impossible. Yet she was there. But it didn't matter anymore.
"If this is a dream," Namine said softly. "I wish I can sleep on forever."
Riku pushed her away gently. "Tell me what happened, Namine," he asked. There was so much he wanted to know.
"I'm not sure. I don't know why I am here, or why I can be here. When I woke up, Kairi was already like this. I think it was this man who has taken her heart," said Namine. She took Riku to Kairi, who was "sleeping" like Alice and Belle.
"Man? You sure it wasn't a woman with blue hair?" asked Riku as he kneeled down to check on Kairi.
"I'm sure it was a man. But he had very strange blue coloured hair. He looked a lot like…" Namine paused in hesitation. "No, it's not important." She took a glance over Riku's shoulder. "Did you come by yourself, Riku?"
"I came with Sora," Riku told her. With help from Namine, Riku carried Kairi on his shoulder. It took a great deal of effort but they managed to exit the cave, making Riku wonder how Namine was able to take in Kairi in the first place.
Sora was waiting for them outside. "Namine!" Sora ran to her.
"Sora-" Namine froze when she saw him. Her eyes widened in distress.
"Namine? What's the matter?!" Riku asked urgently, looking back and forth at Sora and Namine. Sora was also taken aback by her reaction.
Namine put a hand over her mouth. "Sora, why are your memories…?"
"Memories…?" Sora said, undoubtedly confused. Unexpectedly, as if he was struck by an invisible jolt, he staggered and winced painfully, dropping his keyblade on the sand.
Author's note: Took me a while to write this, hope you like it. There are still many unanswered questions in the story. We should find some answers in the coming chapter though. So stay with me!
Sorry that I can't make any promises to post chapters regularly. I've been busy and don't want to make promises I can't keep. But I'll work on the chapters as much as I can. And many thanks for the reviews, you guys are the best. The reviews keep me going.