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Chapter 30- Mournful Melody

"Look at all the wonderful things Flounder and I have collected. I think its all from the outside world. Someday, I'm going to see what's out there. I want to see other worlds." Ariel looked lovingly at her collection of old objects. She lightly touched a few of the items, a pile of cutlery, a hairbrush, a small pencil tin… Ariel sighed. "Does that sound strange?" she asked Sora and the others.

Sora blinked. "No, not at all... I used to feel the same way."

"Used to?" Ariel repeated curiously.

"Uh, I mean I still do." Sora corrected himself quickly.

Ariel's frown melted into a smile. "Hey, why don't we try looking for that Keyhole you were talking about?"

"But your father said…"

The mermaid pouted. "Oh, he treats me like a little girl. He never lets me do anything. He just… He just doesn't understand. Anyway, let's get going."

Sora started forth after her then stopped. Iji was staring down at something, not moving. He waved Donald and Goofy on and mouthed an 'I'll be there soon' at them.

Iji stared at the relief in the wall. She turned around to Sora. "It's the Keyhole, Sora."

The Keyblade Master's head jerked back slightly in shock. "What? Can you reveal it for me then?"

Iji put a hand up onto the relief as Sora held up his Keyblade. "Reveal yourself." It glowed blue then faded, revealing nothing.

"What happened?" inquired Sora, letting his arm drop.

"It won't let me." Iji frowned. "I don't know why."

Sora inspected the relief. "It kind of looks like something used to belong here, but was taken away. Maybe we need to find it?"

Iji nodded and floated down to start swimming out of the grotto. On the way, one of her wings hit a music box. The box sprang to life and started to churn out a mournful melody. Iji's eyes glazed over as the melody swallowed her.

"Come on, Iji. Let's get-" Sora grabbed Iji's hand and froze. His eyes became clouded over with a vision. "What is this?" asked Sora. The vision became more vivid and Sora closed his eyes.

*****

When Sora opened his eyes, he saw he was in a large field surrounded by flowers. But there was something wrong with it. The flowers were blackened and shrivelled. The grass was brown and wilting.

"My poor field…" cried a soft familiar voice.

Sora whipped around and saw Iji. She was different though. Her wings were gone and her eyes were both a loving shade of magenta. She was dressed plainly in a greying white dress and faded pink shirt that lay under the dress. She wore no shoes and her hair was messy. She was bent over, cradling a flower in her cupped hands. Sora approached her. "Iji? Where are we?"

Iji ignored him and continued to hold the flower. "Poor little things… What could be happening to you? Maybe this will make you feel better?" She reached into a bag beside her and pulled out a music box and turned the handle. A mournful melody churned out.

"Such a small human… You must be one of those children we hear so much about from the Hearts of the older humans." whispered a cold voice.

Iji turned around, startled. Before her was a Shadow Heartless. It stared up at her and twitched its antenna.

"Iji! Quick! Run away!" Sora tried to attack the shadow with his Keyblade, but the weapon passed right through it. Sora attacked it several times, but with the same results.

Iji squatted down to the Heartless' height. "Who are you?" she asked, unaware of what it was capable of.

"We are the darkness, born from inside the Hearts of those who fight over the Great Light. We are the Heartless." explained the creature without speaking. Its voice echoed up from the dying ground.

"When we lived close to the Great Light, Mamma and Dada disappeared. People came and destroyed our village." Iji stared at the horizon towards a brilliant light in the distance. She looked back down at the Heartless. "Where is Mamma and Dada now? Do you know?"

"Their bodies were destroyed most probably. It is what you humans call 'death'. Their Hearts and Souls live on, but not on this plane. They no longer exist here." The Heartless twitched an antenna.

"I had-I had always hoped that Mamma and Dada would come back one day… But they aren't, are they? I'm all alone." A solitary tear fell down Iji's cheek as she fell to her knees.

The Heartless put a clawed hand on her shoulder. "We could make the loneliness end for you, if you allow us."

"Don't trust it, Iji!" yelled Sora, then realised Iji couldn't hear him.

Iji wiped her tear away. "I want it to end. All of it."

Sora could only watch in horror as the Heartless stuck its claws through her chest. Blood dripped onto the ground. Iji's eyes went blank and a light smile appeared on her face as she fell forward onto the ground. "Mamma… Dada…"

"Iji!" Sora cried out, reaching for her.

The Heartless held the shining Heart in its claws. "A child's Heart is a very pure thing indeed. Very satisfying… We shall have to take more of them." The Heartless looked down at Iji's bleeding body and paused. "The child's body should have disappeared by now. How come it is still here?" The Heartless looked back at the Heart in its claws. "And why hasn't this Heart become one of us yet?"

A bloodied hand reached up from the withered grass and latched onto the Heartless's arm.

"The time of the Great Light is over…" Iji whispered as she shakily looked up and grinned.

The melody from the music box faded away…

*****

Sora's eyes flew open with a gasp. He clutched at his chest as he tried to breathe. He caught his breath back and looked around for Iji. She was still holding his hand tightly, staring into nowhere with wide eyes full of fear.