Okay, okay, okay, I'm sorry! I've been really busy as of late with...stuff and I haven't been able to write. I know this isn't a new chapter, but I'll get to that soon. The first Chapter 6 I had contained too many flaws (since I wrote it at about 12:30 am one day) and it skipped around a lot of stuff, so hopefully this makes more sense now...
Again, I'm really sorry for all the waiting and I will try to get the next chapter out either later today or..well, tomorrow.
Disclaimer (haven't done one of these in a while, so I'd just thought I'd throw it in here): Come on. Seriously. If I owned Kingdom Hearts, or FF, I would have replaced Kairi with my OC. But that's not gonna happen.
(By the way, the song I listened to while writing the part on the balcony and in the audience chamber (keep reading you'll see what I mean...) was "Bella's Lullaby" composed by Carter Burwell. I'm a Twilight fan...what can I say?)
"Tai, wait up!"
"Come on, Taki, you were the one that was bragging you could run faster than me!"
"I know, but seriously...jeez, what's up with you today, Tai? You seem a little...off."
"Eh, it's nothing. I was just thinking. You know those Heartless that everyone's been talking about?"
"Yeah, what about them?"
"You think—you think they're really, y'know, evil?"
"Of course they are! There the things that come out of the darkness in people's hearts!"
"Well, what if they could—you know what? Just forget it. Come on, let's race again!"
"Wait! You aren't—planning anything, are you, Tai?"
"Taki, you worry too much! I'll always be with you."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Hmm...what? Where—am I?" Takara's butterscotch eyes fluttered open and she focused them on a marble-tiled ceiling. She was way too comfortable, surrounded by an immense sea of pillows and blankets. "What--? Kairi? Riku...?" She gasped and shot up in alarm, remembering the last thing that had happened. "Riku!"
"He's not here." Takara whirled to the side, facing the person who had just spoken to her. His navy eyes were impassive and dark, the corners of his mouth turned down into a frown. Takara jumped off the bed, calling her Keyblade, and narrowed her eyes at this boy. "What have you done to me?" The boy stood up and withdrew two samurai swords from sheaths on his back. "I'm hurt, Taki. How could you not remember?It's me, your best friend, Tai." In one quick, swift motion, Tai swung one of his swords around his body and released it at the perfect moment, sending it swinging towards Takara. It was coming too fast for Takara to block, so she could only cringe at the sight of the blade coming towards her. The edge caught the collar of her shirt, pinning her back to the nearest wall.
Shiitake mushrooms.
She struggled to free herself from her temporary imprisonment...but it was no use. "Let me go! Sora! Kairi! Ri--!"
"I told you, he's not here!" Tai's eyes were a glowing, golden yellow and small tendrils of darkness wrapped around his hands and feet, lifting him up into the air. Soon, his whole body was engulfed in an inky blackness, and Takara fought to keep her mind and heart under control.
This isn't him. This isn't the Tai I remember.
"Tai, come on! What's wrong with you?" As she spoke, Takara tried loosening herself from the wall, and she could have squealed with glee as her shirt wrenched itself from the blade. Only a few more inches....
"You're not getting off that easy." The shadow Tai reached a hand up, dark claws fully extended, ready to rip out her heart. Takara's eyes widened in fear even more as she relentlessly tried to break free. Suddenly, the door to the room flew open, revealing a panic-stricken Riku. "Takara?" His Keyblade was gripped in his hand and he leaned against the door frame for support. His face went from panic to anger in a matter of seconds as he realized what was going on. "Get away from her!" Riku narrowed his eyes venomously at the dark form of Tai towering over Takara.
"No, Riku, don't! He--" A sudden slap to the face followed by claws raking over her shoulder caused Takara to scream out in agony, and the pain made her rip herself away from the blade. She collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily. A hand lifted her chin up, and her eyes met deadly golden ones. She shuddered. "We never have to be apart if you're a Heartless too. You can just leave everyone and everything behind and come back to the darkness with me."
Riku, don't ever leave me, okay?
Promise.
"No," she whispered softly. "I had someone promise me something, and I promised him the same thing too. I'm not leaving him!" Her maroon colored Keyblade materialized into her hand again and Takara swung blindingly at Tai. His form flew halfway across the white marble room and crashed into an intricately carved wooden table. Takara stood up, her eyes cold and unfeeling. She raised her hand up to eye level, and flicked her index finger towards Riku. A barrier separated him from her. "No! Takara, are you crazy?"
She smirked. "Maybe. Aren't we all?" Bringing her hand back to her face, Takara drew her thumb and middle finger together and snapped; a clear, loud sound that resonated throughout the whole room.
Her heart pendant emitted a dark violet light and turned the walls the color of blackest night. Takara's lips formed into a peaceful smile and whispered one word. "Come."
The light on her necklace shone brighter and an army of about one hundred Neoshadows appeared behind her, unmoving. Takara pointed her hand towards Tai, who was now on his feet, glaring at the mass of Heartless. "Go attack him. You have one minute." They did as they were told, moving their long, slender legs towards their target, then running towards him with a backbreaking speed. While her Heartless were busy, Takara snapped her fingers again, and this time a stunning array of Dancers appeared behind her, their pink scarf-like garments flowing around them. "When they're through, you go. Thirty seconds."
In a matter of minutes, the Dancers were upon their prey, the graceful assassins they had become known to be. Takara snapped her fingers yet again, and all of the Nobodies and Heartless vanished into thick pools of darkness. Shadow Tai stood in the center of the room, fading to reveal the form of a boy. His shoulder length black hair was straight and his navy eyes returned to their original color. The form of his Heartless faded away until he was standing there, in front of Takara, his eyelids heavy.
"Sorry, Taki. That reunion wasn't what I had expected." He collapsed.
"Tai, no!" She ran to him, arms outstretched to catch his falling body. The weight of him nearly sent her falling to the ground, but she withstood gravity's pull and rested Tai lightly on the ground. His breathing was slow and steady, but the aura around him reeked of darkness. "Oh, Tai...what have you become? Is this—is this what I've done to you?"
"Takara!" The barrier separating Riku from the room vanished and he ran over to the princess. She turned to face him, a hopeless look on her face. "At this rate, I'll kill all my friends before I turn seventeen. Oh, Riku, what have I done to him?"
Takara collapsed into Riku's arms, unaware of what she was doing. She cried her eyes out, feeling immense guilt for everything she had done to her friend.
First Kairi, then Tai...who's next? Riku?
This thought only made her cry even harder, and by this time, Riku had secured a firm hold on the crying girl, wrapping his arms around her waist. She rested her head on his shoulder and cried into the collar of his shirt.
When she finally stopped sniffling, Takara unwound herself from Riku's unsure embrace. She refused to meet his eyes.
What's more pitiful than losing to a couple of Neoshadows when you can control them in front of a guy? Oh yeah, crying in front of him.
"Sorry—I normally don't....I didn't mean to..." Takara was at a loss for words, and Riku could only blink, still reeling in shock from what he had just seen.
"Don't, Takara. You don't have to explain. Somehow, I understand. It's not your fault, not by a long-shot. He'll get better, don't worry."
Takara managed a weak smile and turned back to her friend's lifeless form. Suddenly, her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Where am I? And where are Kairi and Sora?"
Riku laughed, despite the tension in the room. "I'll explain after we get help for Tai."
"Oh my, this is quite serious. In fact, it's not good at all. You say, he attacked you using the power of darkness? I'm sorry to say this, Takara, but that's not very surprising."
Riku and Takara had taken Tai to Merlin's House in order to see what the wizard could do for him. Tai's body lay outstretched on Merlin's small bed, his black hair hiding his face, his chest rising evenly with each breath. Takara looked down at him fondly. She reached a hand down to him, pushing his hair out of his eyes.
"What are you talking about, Merlin? What—what happened to him?"
The white-haired wizard scratched his head and looked down at the floor in thought. "'Well, after you disappeared, Tai went searching frantically for you. He wouldn't stop to eat, sleep, or even think straight while you were gone. Leon and the others, myself included, tried to bring some sense into that boy's head. A couple of months had gone by while we were still here, and we received word that Maleficent had returned to Radiant Garden."
Takara narrowed her eyes in anger. "Don't tell me what you're about to say..."
Merlin nodded his head sadly, and placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "Yes, my dear. Maleficent convinced him. He gave into the darkness to try to find you."
"But he's not all bad! He stopped attacking me!"
"Only after he had hurt you. Tai's case is a very special one, my dear. He had given into the darkness, that is true, but he has not fully overcome it. The power still remains his. His heart will always be overshadowed."
Takara glared at Merlin, and pushed his hand off her shoulder. "That's not true! Tai's not evil, and you know it. The light will always be there."
Merlin sighed, took off his glasses, brushed them off, and replaced them back on his face. "I know. The question is, how much light remains?"
Merlin poofed away in an instant into a white, misty cloud, leaving Takara alone and heartbroken. She slumped down to the floor, both of her hands grabbing one of Tai's cold ones.
"I'm so sorry, Tai," she whispered. "I should have never left you."
"Takara?"
The girl's head snapped up at the sound of Riku's voice, and she turned her head to see the rough wooden door of Merlin's House creak open, revealing a tall, silver-haired boy.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here, but King Mickey needed to talk to me and--where's Merlin?"
Takara shook her head, waving a hand in the air. "He's gone. We got into an argument over Tai."
Riku shut the door behind him, and walked over to where Takara sat.
"Wanna tell me about it?"
"Merlin said that after I left, Tai was persuaded by Maleficent to use the power of darkness to find me."
Riku's eyes narrowed in anger. "Go on."
"He traveled from world to world to try to find me, but he finally came back from the darkness. Problem is, the darkness isn't fully gone. He's--" Takara cut off suddenly, and Riku looked at her questioningly.
"What is he?"
"He's not as strong as you, Riku. He couldn't live in both light and dark. He's not like us. He's not Twilight. I guess...some people, no matter how much you care for them, aren't meant to live in the light."
Riku could only look at Takara in amazement: he was strong?
I'm nothing compared to her...
"Thank you," he mumbled.
"You're welcome."
"Come on." Riku grabbed Takara's hand and pulled her to her feet. He smiled at her, and towed her out of Merlin's House and into the busy streets of the city. "We need to get you out of here. I know somewhere we can go."
Takara raised one eyebrow. "Two things, Key-boy. One, and I quote, "we"? Two, I probably know this "place" better than you do."
Riku smirked, but nonetheless, kept leading Takara onward. "Yeah, you probably do."
Riku and Takara now sat on the edge of a balcony overlooking the entire city of Hollow Bastion. The sun was just beginning to set and Takara swung her feet back and forth through the air. "I can't believe it. I'm back at the castle." Sure enough, the familiar sight of the Rising Falls greeted Takara's eyes and her heart swelled with happiness.
Riku laughed quietly. "It's funny to think that almost two years ago, I woke up in that exact spot, down there," Riku pointed to a section of the falls partially hidden by one of the castle's looming towers, "and had no idea where I was. Now...I'm back."
Takara's auburn hair flew about her face with a sudden breeze, sending the scent of honeysuckle and roses into the air.
"Hmm, it's strange. I never thought I'd be back here...Riku, what happened out in the courtyard? When we were fighting those Heartless, I couldn't hear you."
"I don't know. I was calling to you, as loud as I could, but I guess...the darkness has a funny way of messing with things. Makes you feel cut off from everyone you care about."
"I know the feeling. Hmph...I really don't want to go back inside. I know I have some "governing" to do since I've been gone so long, and I have a Council Hearing coming up, but...Who knows what awful monstrosity they call a "dress" they're gonna force me to wear looks like?" Takara shuddered. "If there's one thing I haven't missed, it's being a princess." She stood up, facing towards the sun. Riku did the same, a smirk on his face.
"I thought all girls wanted to be princesses when they grew up."
"Hmm. Not the smart ones. Not being able to choose for yourself, having to accept so much responsibility at a young age, being portrayed as the damsel in distress every single time there's a fight," Takara glanced annoyingly at Riku, "having to make decision after decision, ruling a world all on your own, and of course, not being able to pick who you marry."
"What!?" That last question hadn't exactly come out as Riku had planned it, and he bit his lip in frustration.
Way to be cool, calm, and collected...
Takara blinked in astonishment. "You didn't know?" She laughed without humor. "I have no choice whatsoever in who I marry. Doesn't matter who I fall in love with—my husband is chosen for me. Kind of sad, really..."
"But...you aren't—free. That makes no sense. It's not fair..." Riku' s voice held a twinge of sadness, undetectable—except to Takara.
"Why? Do you know someone who—loves me?" Takara struggled to meet Riku's aquamarine eyes, but he averted them from her face.
His usual expression of coldness and indifference settled on his face again, and Riku met Takara's anxious stare with passive eyes. "No." He shrugged. "Just curious, and I got a little carried away, that's all. Besides, don't you have somewhere to be?"
Just then, a clock somewhere far in the distance rung six times, and Takara's eyes widened in horror.
"Oh my gosh, they're gonna kill me! Come on Riku, I can't be late!" She grabbed his hand, pulling him through large ornate wooden doors towards the main hallway of her castle.
Riku chuckled in amusement at the girl's rushed and frantic appearance as she sped to her room, leaving Riku in a blind daze when she was finally gone.
"This room will now come to order!"
Almost every citizen in Radiant Garden was gathered in the ridiculously large audience chamber awaiting Takara's arrival. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Goofy, Donald, and King Mickey stood closest to the throne, Keyblades and various weapons out and ready to protect the princess at all costs.
Large, purely white ceiling-to-floor doors marked the entryway for the city's princess, and her throne was a white chair studded with clear, diamond crystals.
Suddenly, a loud voice echoed throughout the room. " The citizens of Radiant Garden will now welcome Princess Takara Hisaishi!"
The white doors swung open, revealing a sixteen-year-old girl standing before them, looking more like an angel than anyone had ever seen.
Her dress was the same color as Riku's eyes—a mix between a green and blue, and her hair sported loose curls. Her eyes were lit up like stars in the night sky, and she walked with purpose, her head held high, unafraid of anything that the worlds could throw at her.
She made her way towards her throne, a roll of red carpet lay beneath her feet, separating the crowds of people on either side. As seconds passed, she finally stood in front of them, an angelic smile on her face.
Riku couldn't help but stare at her, much to the amusement of Sora and Kairi. Her appearance sent a wave of memories through his head.
"Twilight."
"My heart is full of darkness. There is no light there..."
"You're wrong."
"We're not as different as we think."
"We will meet again, I promise."
"I feel...that she can help me overcome this darkness."
"Don't feel sorry for me."
"I promised myself, a long time ago, that I'd give this back to you."
"Would I still have met you...if you hadn't succumbed to the darkness?"
"Promise."
It was then that he knew he loved her.
.:Author's Notes:.
Yeesh, that seems like a mouthful to swallow! Sorry, about all the memory flashbacks and whatnot, it's just I really like putting those in my stories. I need to lessen up on that though..
Thanks so much, everyone, for putting up with all my late updates!I hereby give a big, giant, virtual cookie to all of y'all!! XD
Reviews appreciated! :D
kingdomheartsgirl1770