The Calm Before the Storm

L.A.: Okay, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Rin woke up early the following morning. For a few moments, she wasn't sure where she was. For some reason she thought there should be someone sitting at the end of her bed. These ridiculous idea soon vanished as she remembered she was in her room.

She wasn't sure why but she had had episodes like these several times a year. She wasn't sure what triggered them or what caused them. All that she knew was that she was very annoyed when it happened.

Still groggy, she threw on her clothes. She looked in the mirror and squinted at her reflection. She examined her hair in the mirror. She had been changing the color of her hair over the past couple of years. This was the longest time she had kept the same hairstyle. She wondered what type of hair color Riku liked on girls.

Rin sighed as she stepped away from her mirror. "I am so pathetic."

Grabbing her backpack, she headed downstairs to the kitchen. She peeped around the corner. "Hey…" she trailed off when she noticed the kitchen was empty. "That's strange. He's always here in the morning."

She shrugged as she entered the kitchen. "Oh, well, I guess there is a first time for everything."

As she passed by the table, she noticed that a book was opened. Curious, Rin peered at the page. Her eyes widened. "What the…"

A drawing of the creature she had seen the day before was in the book. There was writing beside it. "Heart…less," Rin frowned. "What's a heartless?"

"Oh, Rin," Her uncle said as he entered the room. "Your friends are here…" He trailed off as he saw her staring at the book. Quickly, he grabbed the book.

"Uncle, what's that book?" Rin asked. "And what's a heartless?"

Her uncle looked away from her. "Your friends are here. You don't want to keep them waiting."

Rin was about to protest when she noticed the worried look in his eyes. Whatever reason he was keeping it from her, she just had to trust him. Rin sighed. "Fine, I'll see you later." She turned to leave.

"Rin," her uncle called out.

Rin looked back.

"Be careful, okay."

Rin frowned. "Okay, sure."

As she went to greet Sora and Kairi she couldn't but be disturbed by her uncle's warning.

Be careful. Be careful of what?

Rin sighed as she walked down the sandy beach. Riku hadn't arrived yet so they all decided to wander off and have time to themselves.

The ocean is so nice She thought as she watched the waves crash. The cool sea breeze wrapped itself around her creating a feeling of relaxation.

Something glittered out of the corner of her eye. Looking down, Rin saw a small whitish purple Thalassa shell being rocked gently by the surf. Wow! I've never seen one that color before. Rin thought as she bent down and scooped it up. As soon as she picked up the shell, she felt as if she was being watched. The beach had become ominous, eerie, and quiet.

Unearthly quiet.

She was unsure why this feeling came over her. She was used to the beach being quiet in the morning and usually enjoyed the silence. Rin gasped when she realized what had caused her senses to tingle. She couldn't feel the sea breeze against her anymore or hear the crashing of the waves. Looking out at the ocean, she saw that the waves were completely still. It was almost as if time had stopped.

"You're not supposed to be here," a voice whispered behind her. Rin whirled around but no one was there.

"This isn't your part," the voice said to her right. She turned to face the speaker. A hooded figure stood before her with its arms crossed. The voice was distorted, making it hard for Rin to tell if the person were a boy or a girl.

"Who are you?" Rin asked as she shifted from one foot to the other uneasily.

"The question you should be asking isn't Who are You but rather Who am I."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rin asked angrily. She wasn't sure why she was so defensive all of the sudden. The person though was creeping her out.

"Our past help define who we are. Without it, we would only be half a being, a mere shadow of ourselves." The hooded figure vanished for a second only to reappear right beside Rin, merely an arm's length away. "I wonder, without your past, if you will even be able to survive?"

"Look, just cause I don't know who my parents are does not mean that I am not me," Rin said.

The figure laughed. "So naive. So weak. If only you knew..."

Rin was bright red at this time. "For your information, I am a lot stronger than I look. I can take anything that you can throw at me."

Before Rin could swat at the hooded figure, it vanished, reappearing in its original spot. The figure crossed its arms and laughed slightly. "You have spunk, I will give you that. But spunk alone will not save you. Without your past, you're not much use to anyone."

"Excuse me?" Rin asked as she clinched her fists. "What is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem," The figure shrugged. "I'm just stating what I observe. Those three are a close knit group. The bond they formed is tight. You, however, are the odd ball. The tag along so to speak."

Rin looked away. She didn't want to admit it but the figure was right. She shook her head. I've just met them, of course they don't know me well. She glared at the figure. What does this guy know anyway.

The figure turned its back on her and was silent for a few moments. Then, leaning its hooded head back at her, it said quietly, "Enjoy today. It will be the last peaceful day you will have for a long time." Before Rin could respond, the figure vanished.

The sea breeze rushed to greet her and the welcoming sound of the crashing waves filled her ears. Even though it was warm, Rin couldn't help but shiver.

By the time Rin had wandered back, Riku had arrived.

She was half tempted to tell them what had happened but she decided against it. She still wasn't sure if it was a figment of her over active imagination. Also, she was pretty sure they wouldn't believe her and she definitely did not want to make a bad impression on Riku.

"Hey!" Rin called as she ran up to them.

Riku frowned. "Where have you been?"

Rin blushed as she looked away. "I went for a walk." She glanced to her right and saw Sora glaring at everyone with half closed eyes. "Um, are you alright?"

"Mornings are stupid," Sora said. "I don't see how anyone can be happy about them."

"He's not a morning person, if you can't tell" Kairi whispered.

Rin giggled but immediately stopped when she saw Sora glaring at him. "So," Rin said innocently, "what's on the agenda today?"

"Well," Kairi said. "We are going to collect food later on..."

"But?" Rin asked with a raised eyebrow. She could always tell when there was more to what Kairi was saying.

Kairi grinned. "But first, Sora and Riku want to race each other."

Rin couldn't help but roll her eyes as Sora and Riku sized each other up.

They took their racing stances while Rin and Kairi stood on either side of them.

"On your mark" Kairi said as she raised her hand.

"Get set" Rin said as she too raised her hand.

"GO!" they yelled as they both brought their hands down simultaneously.

The boys speed off kicking up a cloud of dirt.

Both Rin and Kairi tried to wave away the dirt as they coughed.

"You know," Rin said in between coughs. "They didn't have to be so dramatic about it."

"Well," Kairi said, "qhile they're acting all macho, how about we have some girl talk of our own."

Rin grinned. "Oh, can we wear pink frilly dresses and drink teas?"

Kairi grinned. "And talk about the latest fads and who is cute."

They both laughed as they sat down.

"Can we be more girly," Rin asked.

"I wouldn't rule it out," Kairi said. She frowned. "Hey, what's in your hand?"

Rin looked down at her hand in surprise. She had forgotten that the purple thalassa shell was still in her hand. "It's a shell I found on the beach."

"Aw, it's pretty" Kairi grinned. "You should totally put it in a necklace."

"Really?"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, sailors used to make Thalassa shells necklaces for good luck." She hit her fist into her palm. "You know what, if we have time, we should both make one. After all, we are going to sail off into the sea tomorrow."

"Sounds like fun," Rin said.

They both looked up and saw Riku running up followed by a thoroughly soaked Sora.

"What happened to you?" Rin asked as her lips twitched. She was trying really hard not to laugh. By the glare Sora had on his face, she figured it wouldn't be a good idea.

"The plank broke and I fell in the water," Sora grumbled.

"Well," Kairi said. "I guess that makes Riku the winner."

Riku grinned while Sora continued to pout.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Sora, don't be like that. I was only kidding about the bet anyway."

Rin and Kairi looked at each other before looking back at the boys.

"Bet?" Rin asked.

"What bet?" Kairi added as she looked from one to the other suspiciously.

Sora straightened up. "It was nothing." He said quickly. "Don't we need to get supplies?"

Rin and Kairi continued to eye him suspiciously but let it go.

I am going to kill Kairi, Rin thought as she dug a mushroom out from the ground. They decided to split up in groups of two in order to expedite the process.

Kairi had suggested Rin went with Riku while raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Rin was about to protest when Riku agreed.

Now, she was gathering mushrooms wondering how the heck to start a conversation with him.

Maybe I should have brought note cards, Rin thought. Then I could have conversation topics.

She smacked her forehead. Seriously, did I just think about having note cards? Am I really that incapable of talking with a boy?

"Are you okay?" Riku asked, disrupting her thoughts.

Rin grinned. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well," Riku looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh. "When you smacked your head, you kind of left a huge dirt smudge on your forehead."

Rin turned bright red as she turned away and frantically rubbed at her forehead. This is so embarrassing.

Riku laughed. "Really, you don't have to worry. I'm probably just as dirty."

Rin looked back to see that Riku was covered in a sheen of sweat that seemed to make him glow. Even the few patches of dirt just added to his manliness. While she looked like a hag, he looked like an Adonis.

"Not really," she said.

They lapsed into silence.

"So," Rin said after a minute. "Nice weather we're having, huh?" Seriously, did I just ask him about the weather? She resisted the urge to smack herself because that would only end up with her having more dirt marks.

Riku nodded. "Yeah, I love days like these. I've always been a summer person myself."

"Me too," Rin sighed dreamily. "I just love being able to walk around in tank tops and shorts. You have the excuse to let the sand in between your toes…"

"No school," Riku and Rin said at the same time.

They both looked at each other and laughed.

"Looks like we have something in common," Riku said.

Rin blushed. "Yeah, it does." She paused in her mushroom digging. "You, Sora, and Kairi have been friends for a long time, right?"

Riku nodded. "Sora and I were practically raised together and Kairi became friends with us almost as soon as she arrived on the island." Riku grinned and leaned towards her. "Don't tell her this; but, when we were little, she used to say she was a princess from another world."

Rin's lips quirked. "Really?"

"We didn't believe her, of course, but she was bound and determined to be a princess in every game we played."

Rin laughed. "That sounds like her."

"Hey Rin," Riku said, suddenly serious. "I'm really glad that Kairi's friends with you. It's nice to know that she has a close female friend." He grinned sheepishly. "Kairi's always hung around us and I think she was sad that she never had someone she could talk to about girls stuff." He motioned to himself. "Neither Sora nor I are good with that. So, I just wanted to tell you thanks."

Rin snorted causing Riku to look at her startled. "You make it sound like I was forced to be friends with her." She rolled her eyes. "I really can't take credit for starting our friendship. If Kairi hadn't commented on my hair we probably never would be friends." Seeing Riku's confused expression, Rin realized how weird this conversation must have been to him. Rubbing the back of her neck, she said. "So, uh, we should probably get back to getting those mushrooms, huh?"

Riku nodded as he returned to his work. "I can see why Kairi and you are so close," Riku said with a grin. "You're one interesting person."

"Thanks?" Rin said slightly unsure. Interesting? She thought as she dug out another mushroom. What the heck did he mean by that?

They decided to leave the raft at the island ready to launch for the following morning. After saying good bye to the guys, Kairi and Rin walked home in silence.

Rin was nervous about the following day. They were going to launch the raft and try to see other worlds. In her entire life, she had never done something so big or bold. She wasn't really sure how she felt about it yet.

"So," Kairi said slowly. "I think Sora likes me." She glanced at Rin. "But, you already figured that out, huh?"

Rin nodded. "Yeah, I did." She raised an eyebrow. "How do you feel about him?"

Kairi sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. I've been friends with them for so long that I hadn't thought of either one of them as anything more." She whirled around and began to walk backwards. An evil grin was on her face. "Enough about me, what happened between you and Riku?"

Rin glared at her. "You just reminded me that I had to kill you."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "It couldn't have been that bad."

Rin's shoulders slumped. "I thought about having note cards and asked about the weather."

Kairi winced. "Okay, so you had a rough start."

"He likes summer," Rin said. "And, we ended up talking about you."

Kairi giggled. "Well, I am a wonderful conversation topic."

Rin stuck her tongue out. "Yeah, well apparently he thinks I'm interesting."

"That's good."

Rin crossed her arms. "He could think that I'm interesting as in cool or he could think I'm interesting as in weird."

Kairi threw an arm over her shoulder. "You are not weird. Eccentric, maybe, but not weird."

"Thanks for the self-confidence boost," Rin said sarcastically.

Kairi nudged her. "Stop being so pessimistic. At least, he knows you exist now."

They stopped walking and stared at each other. They were about to head in separate directions.

Rin let out a deep breath. "So, tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow," Kairi said. "Bright and early."

They both let out a squeal of excitement.

Kairi was surprised when someone knocked at her front door. She had just finished dinner and was about to go to bed. When she went to answer it, she was surprised to see Riku standing there.

"Uh, hey Riku," She said with a frown. "What are you doing here?" She was surprised to see how uncomfortable he seemed to be around her. He was shifting from one foot to the other and was avoiding eye contact.

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay," Kairi said as she stepped outside and closed the door behind her. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Do you like Sora?" He blurted out. He immediately blushed as did Kairi.

"Why are you asking me this?" She asked slowly.

"I just," He sighed. "I just need to know, alright?" He looked her straight in the eye. His blue eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight and for a moment, she felt her heart flutter.

As she realized this, horror filled her. I can't be feeling like this, she thought, unable to take her gaze away from his. I promised to help Rin… and what about Sora? I can't hurt him.

Riku frowned as he stepped forward. "Are you alright, Kairi?"

She shouldn't be thinking about how close they were. She shouldn't be thinking about how her heart fluttered when he looked at her in concern. And she especially shouldn't be thinking about…

Thunder rumbled in the distance startling them both from their thoughts. She was grateful to have her train of thoughts broken since she didn't like where they were headed.

As the thunder rumbled again, a sudden realization dawned on both of them.

They both looked at each other with horrified expressions. "The raft!"

Rin let out a sigh as she flopped onto her bed. Although she was exhausted, her mind wouldn't stop spinning.

She had decided that Riku thought she was weird. She had come to this conclusion because she was pretty sure he thought she was an idiot for not having an answer to the question about other worlds.

Really, she should have an answer. Wasn't it every kid's dream to go to other worlds? The truth was that the only thing she knew was Destiny Isles. She loved her home dearly and never really thought of ever leaving it. In fact, if Kairi had never mentioned it, she probably would have never thought of it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. Rin frowned as she sat up. Although they had tied the raft securely, the rough waves could do a lot of damage.

Her eyes widened as another thought occurred to her. "They wouldn't," she said as she stood up. Considering the amount of work they put into the raft, she knew the answer. "Crud," she said as she scooped up her backpack. She had already packed medical supplies inside so she could use them just in case.

I really hope there isn't a just in case. She thought as she ran downstairs. She was about out the door when her uncle called. "Rin! Where are you going?"

"I have to go stop my friends from being stupid," Rin said. "I'll be back soon."

She felt a hand on her shoulder preventing her from leaving. She looked back at her uncle and frowned.

"You don't have time for that," Her uncle said as he dragged her away from the door. "We have to leave now."

Rin frowned. "Where are we going?"

Her uncle sighed. "I can't explain that right now."

"No," Rin said as she ripped her arm from his grip. "I'm tired of secrets. Until you tell me what's going on, I'm not going to go with you."

Her uncle took a deep breath. "Rin, your friends will be fine. Right now, you just have to trust me."

"But…"

"This isn't your part," He said. She was slightly disturbed by his words since they reminded her of what the figure had said earlier that day.

She glared at him. "No."

Her uncle frowned as he crossed his arms. "Rin, I am your uncle. You will do what I say."

Rin sighed as she gave him a sad look. "Not today." Before he could react, she ran out the door.

She could hear him calling to her, but she ignored him. Right now, she had more important matters.

I just hope he doesn't ground me until I'm fifty, she thought as she headed towards her boat.

The ride over was a lot harder than last time. The waves were rough due to the storm so it took every ounce of her strength to paddle.

She panted hard once she tied her boat up. She noticed that Riku's, Kairi's, and Sora's boats were here. Guess I was right.

She let out a gasp as she looked up at the sky. She had been so focused on getting to the island that she failed to notice the hovering purple ball within the night sky. "What's going on?"

As she walked down the beach, she couldn't hear any human voices. She called out to them a few times but her only response was the wind whipping sand into her face.

After the fourth time, Rin was about to quit when she noticed movement off to her right. "Kairi?" Rin called as she went closer.

Her eyes widened when she saw what was there. It wasn't Kairi.

It was several of those creatures she had seen before.

She gasped as she slowly stepped back.

The creatures looked up at her with big yellow hungry eyes.

What am I supposed to do? Rin thought frantically. You're supposed to play dead when there's a bear, but what about these creatures?

The creatures made growling sounds as they started to creep towards her.

"Crud," Rin said as she took off running. She could hear them following her.

Unfortunately the sand didn't have good traction and before she knew it, she was on the ground. She felt a weight on her back. Craning her neck backwards, she saw a pair of yellow eyes staring at her.

She brought her head back down in the sand and closed her eyes. This is it, she thought. I'm going to die by some creepy animal.

Don't be afraid.

Rin's eyes widened at the sound of the voice.

I'll protect you.

The weight vanished from her back as she felt herself set back on her feet. The strange creatures from before had disappeared and in her hands was the most beautiful staff she had ever seen.

It was white with the outline of a heart for a topper and little white wings at the topper's base. In the center of the heart was a glowing white orb. The orb seemed to rotate and shimmer.

"What in the world," Rin said as she examined the staff. It felt good in her hands. Like she had held it all her life. It was cold and smooth. It was lightweight so she could twirl and handle with ease.

A loud cracking sound disrupted her thoughts. Her eyes widened when she noticed that her little patch of sand was hovering in mid air. Up above was another island which seemed to hold a giant black monster with a cutout of a heart on his chest.

"This has got to be a dream" Rin whispered. "A cracked out messed up dream."

All of the sudden the wind whipped up around her sending objects up into the sky and into the strange purple ball.

She felt her grip on the sand give as she too was sucked up into the sky. She let out a startled yell as she clutched tightly to her staff.

The last thing she remembered was seeing Sora clinging desperately to a board.

Then nothing

But darkness.

L.A.: And, now things get interesting. I left out a lot of Sora's parts because I figured most people have played the game and don't want to have an exact script. Anyway, tell me what you think!