Chapter3: Second Chances
Axle stood in the pathway Betwixt and Between with Sora, Donald and Goofy. A flash of light and flames caught hold of each heartless incinerating them. He collapsed onto the floor and Sora, Donald and Goofy ran up to him. The words were muffled as they talked. Slowly darkness surrounded him and he disappeared.
As the vision dissipated Shadow stood up from where she had been kneeling on the pathway Betwixt and Between "so that's why they thought you had died. Bloody dark warping, I should never have taught you it." Then Shadow turned and left.
Shadow stepped onto a beach of white sand almost fainting from exhaustion "hmm reminds me of home." She mused as she stumbled to a large palm tree and sat in its shade only to fall asleep.
Riku was preoccupied all the way home but no one noticed as Sora and Roxas didn't stop talking the whole way. Suddenly "hay Riku, what did you think of Shadow?" Riku started.
"What? Oh, um she had a cool weapon. Wonder where she got it from." He answered then went back to staring out the porthole. Sora laughed. Then Riku turned back to him "hay Sora? Do you feel like something bad is going to happen?" his voice was worried, and when Riku worried, you worried.
"Hmm I don't think so. I feel like going to the island all the time and Roxas goes when I'm at school and he hasn't found any thing wrong there." At least it's the truth thought Sora, Roxas hasn't found anything.
Riku looked at Sora "what did you find?" Sora sighed, Riku never missed anything.
"Something, but I'm not telling you." Sora replied and turned away.
"Roxas what did Sora find?" Riku turned to the empty seat as Sora felt Roxas leave his body to materialize sitting. "Well Roxas?"
"Scorch marks." Roxas answered and Sora frowned "we found Scorch marks all over the stone at the beach like someone had burnt a pattern but we couldn't figure out what it was" Sora shot Roxas a death glare "well you weren't going to tell him…" he left it there as Kairi returned to the pilots seat.
As the group arrived at Destiny Islands as the sun was setting. Kairi (who somehow knew how to fly the blasted thing) set the Gummy ship down on the far side of the island with the papu fruit tree. Riku thought back on when they had all been kids and had played on the island every day. The island was only a 5 minute paddle from the main land but he wasn't going to leave just yet. He walked to the back of the deck and descended the ramp and began to walk down the beach toward the other side of the island.
He was about half way when he stopped and looked around; movement from behind a palm tree caught his attention. He walked towards it and rounded it giving it a wide birth. Laying asleep in the shade was Shadow. He stood still entranced for a few moments then moved to her side and knelt beside her.
Shadow felt someone shake her gently awake and her eyes flew open. At once her eyes registered a shadow above her "Lea?" her hopeful voice whispered.
"No it's me Riku, remember we met?" a male voice totally different to Leas said and the boy shifted so that sunlight fell upon his face. The silver hair marked him as one of the boys from the market place.
"Soz, I just thought you were someone else" she said as she struggled to her feet
"But I am someone else" he smiled at her and stood up. He held out his hand and she shook it. "So how did you get to Destiny Islands?" he asked looking around.
"P.O.D, what are you looking for?" she replied looking at the ocean.
He looked back at her "scorch marks. What's a P.O.D?" he asked noting her wistful look at the ocean.
"Portal Of Darkness, P.O.D got it memorized?" her eyes drifted to him and she noticed his eyes were sad and dull "you ok?"
Her question startled him "what? Um yea I'm fine" his reply was halting as he tuned away.
"We'll I saw no scorch marks." Shadow said as she walked to a clear space on the sand "so, um see ya." She said awkwardly and gave a half hearted wave.
"WAIT?" Riku ran over to her and she turned to him, generally she never spoke to someone for so long unless she was getting info out of them but this boy was an exception "tell me who are you?"
This question confused her, she had already told him her name "Shad…"
Before she had even finished Riku said "no, no, no I mean I know your name but, WHO are you?"
He looked at her until she turned away "I'm a traveler; I travel the worlds looking for lost people. Including someone I'm looking for, Lea. I have to find him, soon." Riku looked at her questioningly but she didn't see his face "there's an eclipse happening soon and I just…" she didn't finish.
Riku looked around her shoulder and reached towards her. She started as his hand blocked her vision and wiped away a tear "he means a lot to you doesn't he?" he asked and turned her to face him.
"He may have left me but he has my life." She replied not bothering to resist Riku as he turned her to face him.
"Why do you care so much about him if he left you alone?" he tried to look into her face as she stared at the sand.
She almost turned away again but his hand grabbed hers and held her close "because he is my life"
Riku looked at her silently "your not going to tell me what you mean. Are you?" I said and she shook her head. I smiled. "You said, when we met at twilight town, you've done bad things." I said and she stood up straighter. "i want to ask you something" she looked at me with those eyes. Now the color of a storm swept sea.
"What?" her voice was quiet. The breeze that blew of the water threatened to blow it away before I could here it.
"do you believe in second chances?" as I said it I turned my eyes to the horizon "i've done bad things too and I wanted to know if you believe..." I let my voice fade.
She rested her hand on my shoulder "I believe." her voice was strong. I looked down at her and she gave me a smell sad smile "but I think your question should be if you believe in second chances" I looked at her as she sighed "i was once told that if you don't believe in something yourself, then why ask if someone else does. You aren't them, they aren't you" I thought about what she said.
I looked around for her and just caught sight of her leaving through a P.O.D. I smiled sadly, she was the only person who understood me and I barely knew her. I walked toward the small dock. It almost physically hurt to think that my friends didn't understand me as well as this stranger. Shad walked into P.O.D's without hesitation but the others had rarely been in the darkness at all. This stranger knew me better.
Behind me I heard something and turned to see Shad lying motionless on the sand. I ran back to her.
His knees crunched on the dry sand beside me and I felt him turn me onto my back. I looked up at the sky through half lidded eyes "ouch" I said and he pulled his hands away from my shoulders.
"did I hurt you?" he asked and I smiled.
"no. I just fell out of the P.O.D." I said and a shock of shivering wracked my body. Silver took off his coat as I puled myself into a sitting position and wrapped it around my shoulders.
"your exhausted." he said and touched my cheek "your skins boiling!" he said and I sagged.
"i don't have time to be sick, no time to stop" I thought he hadn't heard me until he pulled back my eyelids.
"you can stay at my place if you wan't" I shook my head but he was already wrapping his arms around me. Then I was in the air! I threw my arms around his neck as he picked me up "you can use my guest room"
I shook my head more vigorously "i cant stop. I have to keep looking" my words made no difference so I just settled into his arms and fell asleep.
I carried her to the boats and made for home. On the main island I carefully carried her to my house. I placed her on the guest bed and walked out into the hallway. The sun was setting and I smiled. I didn't know what possessed me to help her but I was willing to do what I could. I was about to walk into my room when "WHERE THE HEACK AM I NOW?" I turned and ran back to the door.
"whats wrong?" I said and saw her siting pushed up against the head board "its ok Shad" I took a step inside and she drew back even further. "its ok, your safe here" Shad looked at me and something changed, he eyes paled a little.
"i have to leave, get somewhere where its day, I can't be in the night" she slid off of the bed and stumbled. I stepped closer "silver, I cant be near the moon, please... help me?" I looked at her and my heart throbbed.
"ok, where to?" I asked and stepped in front of her. She took my hand and a P.O.D opened. We stepped through and then again and we were in a bamboo grove. The mid day sun shone down and Shad collapsed. I caught her and helped her over to a bed of moss. "Rest now. I'll wake you up before sun down" I said and she was asleep in an instant. Shad slept quietly on the moss as I kept watch. Her ice blue hair would grow or shrink or change every now and again. She muttered and rolled onto her side.
# #
I floated in the middle of the sky. Stars surrounded me but there was no moon. No pain, no force compelling me to hurt. I watched the sun slide around behind a planet and the moon began to rise from its other side. I cringed. I looked over the arm that I had raised to protect myself. There in front of the moon was Silver. He stood in between me and its revealing rays of light. "its ok. I'll protect you" he said and I slipped. I was falling from the sky in a meteor shower. Falling stars fell beside me. I kept falling until I slipped beneath the surface of the water. I dragged my self toward the beach and collapsed onto the sand. I turned and saw the sky cloud over. The papu island was a shadow looming out of the ocean. Red lightning flashed and I saw Silver and Sora standing. Looking at each other. Then everything wen't dark. Lightning flashed again and I saw Sora reaching for his friend. It went dark again and I shivered. The lighting flashed once more and Sora was alone. Silver was gone. Riku. I watched as the world was ripped apart and didn't try to stop myself being sucked into the swirling orb of darkness above.
I lay on something cold. A huge disk of stained glass. I stood up and looked at the pattern. It was Riku, black wings spread from his back and a Keyblade rested in his hand. I looked at his face and saw it was tear streaked.
This is what will become of him, if you don't tell him.
I touched my face and felt cold tears roll down. "i can't, i'll just hurt him like i've hurt everyone else" I cried out into the darkness.
His heart is strong enough. Trust him.
I fell to my knees. At the other side of the giant glass podium was a path to the next podium but my tears blurred my vision so bad that I couldn't see it. I fell off of the podium. And kept falling.