Translucent memories

Groaning from the ache in my ribs and head, I blinked open my eyes to the dark void above me. This whole dropping into darkness has got to stop. I'm not going to be able to move once all of this is over. Squeezing my eyes shut, I pushed myself up and bunched my legs under me to push myself to my feet. I ran a hand gently over my forehead, my eyes still closed. Why couldn't this place give me stairs or whatever the heck they are? Sora and Roxas had them, why can't I? Maybe it's because I'm a girl and this place is just sexist. Typical.

Sighing, I ran my hand down my face and opened my eyes. My hand froze over my mouth and my eyes spread to the size of plates.

Where is the platform?

The space underneath my feet wasn't a stained-glass platform, but the darkness stretching forever on. I froze. The platform was clear! All I could see was the darkness. I couldn't see the edges. I couldn't even see if the heartless were nearby. Hell, I couldn't even see myself. I waved my hand in front of my eyes, but could only feel a light breeze sweep over my cheeks. Lowering my hand to my side, I stood absolutely still. I need a light. Just something to see where the edges of the platform were. Maybe...

Bending over, I felt along the ground until my fingers bumped into a smooth object. I grasped the object and closed my eyes. I pulled on the thin, warm strand of light within me and channeled it to the cord of the bow. Feeling the warmth spread from my hand to the cord, I opened my eyes to see a sudden light sweep the area around me. Once the change was complete, the bronze vines and jade leaves gave off a subtle glow. It was better than pitch black darkness. With the light, I could see the edges of the platform. Now at least I won't walk right over the edge.

The memories you keep are unseen,
Locked away from this side of your heart.

In the glow of my bow, the darkness of the platform seemed to ripple and about ten feet away and... Things started to rise out of the platform. They almost looked like creatures made out of water or glass. One pulled itself up and stood gazing at me as its skin glazed over and took on a glassy shimmer. The figure was about as tall as me and stood in a stance that gave off a feminine feeling.

Memories of hidden trials of sorrow and anger.

A second glassy figure rose out of the rippling darkness. This one was the same height and stood with a sense of vulnerability of the body, but strength of the soul and mind as the creature fixed me with an unrelenting stare.

Memories of truth and lies.

The platform rippled once more and a third glassy figure rose up. This one was different though... She stood with the stance of a child, but had no physical features of one. Her gaze held innocence and warmth, but you could see that by the way her head was tilted and the way she held her arms that she was no child.

Memories of the door to the past and future.

The three figures walked forward toward me. Slowly, taking careful steps, but not stopping. Even when it seemed that they were going to collide with each other. I took small steps back, glancing back to be sure I wouldn't walk off the edge. But the figures wouldn't stop. When it finally seemed that they would knock into the others, all three closed their eyes and stepped into each other. Literally. They stepped into the other. A bright white light emitted from the creatures, blinding me. I covered my eyes with the back of my hand, squeezing my eyes closed.

The keepers merge and form to become one.

When the light faded, I removed my hand and blinked open my eyes. Staring straight ahead of me, my jaw dropped open and my eyes widened in shock. Standing before me was... me. Not exactly me, but she looked like me. Those creatures merged with each other and created a copy of me. Although, I didn't really look like me...

The girl who looked like me wasn't wearing a swim suit like I was, but a completely different outfit. She was wearing a white sleeveless turtleneck with two black belts crossing over her chest, forming an 'X'. A pair of white short shorts with a thick silver belt was around her waist with a golden heart shaped moon as a belt buckle. Sleek white boots stretched up to her knees, stopping just below them. A charm bracelet hung on her left wrist and three silver bangles were on her right. Two necklaces hung around her neck. One necklace sat close to her neck, bearing Sora's crown charm. The other hung a bit longer and bore a strange symbol of a crescent moon with four points and a blue gem. The part of her appearance that was weirdest though was her face and hair. Her skin was a lightly dusted bronze, but her hair was the purest white I had ever seen. It was like the white of newly fallen snow or that of a bright star. And her eyes... they were like molten gold. Churning as though reflecting the thoughts of her mind. Other than that, she looked almost exactly like me. How strange...

But don't be afraid;
this is your fate.

The clone snapped those gold eyes to my own green and narrowed them. She held out both her hands and a shimmering light enveloped them. When the light disappeared, a keyblade was in each hand.

Holy crap... I thought taking a step back.

And always remember...

Remember? Remember what? Finish your sentence! You stupid- My thoughts were interrupted as the girl ran forward and swiped at me with her keyblades. I screamed and just barely dodged them. She swiped at me again. I held up my bow to block her attack and turned and sprinted away from her. I didn't know what to do. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw her running after me. I stopped and turned just as she was a few feet behind me and stuck out my leg to trip her. She couldn't stop fast enough and slid across the ground. I looked to the ground and saw the glow from my bow illuminate the edge of the platform a foot away from where the girl landed. A shiver ran down my spine from how close I was to running over the edge of the platform.

The girl got to her feet and charged me. I held my ground. She swiped both keyblades at me, and I dodged both swings. Too quick for me, the girl kicked out her leg and hit the back of my knees and hit my chest with the butt of one of her keyblades. Balance lost, I started falling backwards and impulsively reached up to grab her. My hand grabbed something in the dark, but whatever it was snapped from my weight. The girl opened her mouth in a silent scream and dissolved in a flash of white and gold. My back hit the ground, my hand still clutching whatever I pulled off her. I lifted it up to the glow of my bow and saw the necklace with the moon crescent, four points, and blue gem. As I looked at it, a faint golden light emitted from it. It seemed to be a sort of pattern or something being imprinted into the moon, but it wasn't bright enough to see.

The breath completely knocked out of me, I lied on the platform waiting for whatever was going to happen next. However, nothing was happing. I tried to move my arms, but found that I couldn't lift them. Rolling my head to the side, I saw a faint purple and black glow surrounding my forearm and shoulder. I pulled harder, panicking, but the darkness wouldn't budge. I looked to my other arm and saw it in the same state. To make it worse, I think I'm slowly sinking into the platform. I tried to move my legs, but they, too, wouldn't lift out of the slithering blackness. I struggled with its hold, but I was quickly disappearing in the dark portal beneath my body.

It was like quicksand. The more I struggled against it, the faster I was pulled in. I screamed as the darkness crept through my hair and over my mouth and eyes. Cutting off all sound. I tried to breathe through my nose, but it was suffocating me. I don't know how I heard it, because my ears had been covered long ago, but somewhere in the darkness I heard the voice whisper the last words I would ever hear it say.

And always remember...
You are the one who will end this war.

The whisper echoed in my head until unconsciousness over came my senses. The last thought I had was if Kaity had somehow gotten out alive...

~x~

Well, I can't really say I was conscious. I thought I was dreaming at the time. Or dead. Whatever physical state I was in, I just knew that I could focus on the sounds around me. Although, the sounds seemed to be just whispers echoing through my head.

I heard the sea. The soft waves crashing against the shore. I heard the wind as it rustled the leaves of some trees in the distance. But closer was the sound of shifting sand as though someone were walking across it. I focused on the voices that came with the footsteps.

"-e on, Riku. Just a quick race?" I heard a boy say somewhere in the distance to my right.

"I already said 'no', Sora." Said (what I guessed to be) an irritated Riku.

A nagging feeling pulled on my semi-conscious mind. The feeling of familiarity. But when I tried to think about it, my mind threatened to black out again. So instead I let it go and just listened to the voices.

"He'll just win again, Sora. He always does." I heard a boy, that wasn't Sora, sigh.

"You two are just too slow," Riku teased. His voice seemed closer. "I could- Hey, who's that?" I heard the footsteps speed up and stop close to where I guess I was lying.

"Who is she?" I heard Sora ask.

I heard someone kneel in the sand next to me and check my pulse. "She's alive," Riku assured, ignoring Sora's question. "But just barely. Her heartbeat is really faint." I felt a hand brush back the hair from my face. The pressure stung my skin like I had a sunburn, but I know I don't because my skin doesn't feel hot.

"Do you think she's with that other girl?" I heard the other boy ask.

"I don't know. Roxas," I heard Riku say. "Grab that weird object over there. It could be hers."

A whole new feeling of pain washed over me as I felt two arms pick me up and cradle me. My lungs seized and let out short gasps of breath. What happened to me? How did I become so beat up? Could it have been the darkness? The questions slowly slipped from my mind as my head rested against a warm chest. The sinking feeling of losing consciousness was coming back.

"I'm going to take her to Kairi's. She needs help" Riku stated as he started walking through the sand again. The rocking sensation wasn't helping me stay awake.

"Wait a second," I heard Sora say as he walked to Riku's right. "What if she's an enemy?"

"We'll just have to find out when she wakes up, won't we?" Riku quipped, his voice rapidly fading from me. And that was the last thing I heard before everything was enclosed in darkness once again.