Reunited, once again
I have no clue where I am. I don't know what time it is. I'm not sure how I got wherever I am. I don't even know if I'm alive for goodness sake!
And yet, I'm not panicking.
I couldn't panic even if I wanted to anyways. A fog was clouding my head and prevented any emotions from springing forth. As my mind became more active, so did the rest of my consciousness. My senses were fighting the fog, allowing thoughts and feelings to register in my mind. But as I was able to register the emotional signals from my brain, anxiety was the only emotion that I could feel. As my mind slowly reined its full awareness, a throbbing pain hammered across my body. It felt like I had been crushed by a bulldozer. Every inch of my body hurt from head to toe. Every muscle throbbed and every breath I took caused my lungs to seize from the pain. I know that I'm not dead, but I had to be well on my way there. Or at least that's what it felt like.
I could smell salt everywhere. Like I had been swimming in the ocean all day and never took a shower. I guess my drowning experience was worse than I thought. Not to mention the Awakening. I don't want to move. I don't even want to open my eyes to see where I was. I just want to sleep.
But I can't.
I have to get up and find out what is going on. I don't really like not knowing where I am. And I was getting worried about Kaity. We both had drowned. We both had disappeared. So I guess we both went through the Dive into the Heart thing.
I wonder if she's here too...I thought slowly. Wherever here is…
Lifting a hand to my eyes, I gently wiped away the dried salt gathered there so that I could open my eyes. When I was sure no crap was going to stop my eyes from opening, I slowly cracked them open. The room was very dim, but my eyes still stung from the little light in the room. Refusing to close them, I kept them cracked until they adjusted to the level of light. Once my eyes were fully opened I could see the pale outlines of the objects in the room around me.
Wanting to see my complete surrounds, I pushed myself up to a sitting position, hissing at the sharp pain that shot up from my bruised ribs. What happened to me? How the hell did I end up so thrashed? Maybe this is what happens to you when you take a trip through the darkness. Although, they had never shown Sora in so much pain after he traveled through it. The ache around my ribs was a dull twinge now. Maybe the pain just doesn't last long... Something to ask about. Pushing my hair behind my ears, I looked around myself.
The room was fairly small and plain. A guestroom, for sure. I was sitting in a twin sized bed covered with a fresh white linen sheet. To my left, there was a window with dark colored curtains drawn across the panes so that any light that tried to enter the room was concealed. That would explain why it was so dark in the room.
Sliding my attention from the window, I took in the rest of the room. The walls surrounding me were a shade of baby blue, a white dresser sat across the room on the far wall, and a bed side table sat to my left under the window, a white shaded lamp sitting upon it. Other than that, the room was pretty much empty.
I pushed back the crisp sheets to examine the condition of my body. All over my body there were faded yellow bruises. That would explain the ache that covered my skin. Holding my breath, I gently ran my fingers along a stitched up gash that spanned my whole belly above my navel. With each stitch I touched a twinge of pain shuddered across my skin. Where did I get that? The gash seemed mostly healed. Now that I look at it, most of my injuries were healed.
Sure that there were no more mysterious gashes, I swung my legs over the side of the bed to the chilly floor. I groaned at the ache of my muscles moving. I stood up and immediately toppled to the side. I gripped the bed post to stop myself from falling over. Stupid two left feet. You're going to end up giving me more bruises.
I gained my balance and moved to look out the window. I could remember every detail about what happened before I passed out: the voices, the fight, and the words as I fell into darkness... I knew that I had somehow ended up in the Kingdom Hearts universe, but I was in denial. Things like this just don't happen. Not to me.
Timid, I reached out and pushed aside the curtains. Blinking at the sudden light, I peered out into the late morning sunlit town. Dazed, I unlatched the window to push it open. It was true.
It's all actually real, I thought leaning out the wide window.
Behind the curtains was Destiny Islands. The sunlight rained down across the mainland, creating breathe taking patterns. Buildings sat everywhere and went on to the edge of the beach and just a ways off shore, there was a small island with many trees. It was really Destiny Islands. But this is impossible, right? I mean, how could I be in the Kingdom Hearts realm? I had to be dreaming. That has to be it. Pinching the skin of my left arm, I jumped and gasped at the sharp pain. How could this not be a dream? How did I even get here?
The ocean. Something grabbed my leg and pulled me under. Somehow I must have been pulled through some kind of portal into the ocean of Destiny Islands. Then I must have been washed upon the beach unconscious. While I was out, I must have had my Dive into the Heart. Well, if I was being tossed among the waves, that would explain the bruises and gash. I must have hit some rocks. It's amazing I didn't drown.
Pushing off from the window ledge, I peered around the room. Now I had to make my next move.
I need to get out of here.
But I don't want to go down stairs… I thought while staring at the closed door. I'm too scared to face them. I'm actually more afraid of fainting then them smiting me or something. But there's also another problem...
If this really is the Kingdom Hearts realm, my being here could destroy the order of the whole realm. Like the whole space time continuum thing. Anyone encountering me could mess some predestined event up and then time would collapse in on itself. Was there any way to prevent this? I looked back to the window. I was about two stories high and there were no trees anywhere close to the window. So escaping through the window wasn't an option. And what was I going to do if I could escape? I'm completely alone in a realm that isn't mine. Well, not really alone. Kaity is here somewhere... I tore my eyes from the window and to the door.
It looks like I really don't have a choice... I thought defeated.
I let my eyes roam over the bed and spotted some clothes folded on the edge of the bunched up sheets. I walked over and picked up the article of clothing on top, holding it out to see. It was a white tank top. Sorting through the pile, I had a whole outfit laid out across the bed and a pair of white ballet flats. Checking that the door was firmly closed, I started changing.
As I reached back to untangle my hair from the straps of my swim top, I felt something metallic under my fingers. Following the strand, my hand came to the front of my top and landed on a smooth charm. Lifting it so that I could see it, my breath froze.
It was the same charm. The same necklace that girl was wearing. Placing the silver object in the palm of my hand, I traced the crescent moon and four points jutting out from it like an 'X'. The gem was a beautiful shade of Carolina blue and seemed to have a subtle shine to it. Etched into the crescent moon was an outline of Sora's crown and two Wayfinders among gentle swirls. One Wayfinder was green and the other pink. I turned the charm over and over between my fingers. Why do I have this? Is it because I pulled it off the girl?
Deciding to just keep it on, I pulled off my suit and shorts and put on the clean bra and underwear that was also in the pile. Picking up a pair of short denim shorts, I slipped them on and pulled on the tank top. A light blue jacket was also in the pile and I pulled that on too. Everything fit perfectly. I wonder how they knew my size…
I tucked the necklace into the tank top and slipped on the flats. I threw my suit and shorts into the waste basket in the corner. I wouldn't need them anymore. Pulling my fingers through my hair, I walked over toward the door and opened it, careful not to make a sound. Once I saw that the way was clear, I slithered into the hall.
I didn't bother closing the door. Instead I stood in the empty hall, listening for any activity in the house. A low hum was coming from down the stairs at the end of the hall. A TV? Do they even have TV's in this realm? I cautiously moved toward the sound. Taking one step at a time. I was three doors away from the stairway when low thumps echoed from the steps.
Oh God, someone's coming up! What do I do? What do I do? I looked around franticly and grabbed the nearest door knob on my left and yanked it open. I dashed into the room and quietly shut the door just as the steps touched the landing.
I stayed in my spot, holding the knob in a death grip. What if I'm in the room they need? What if they saw me? I held my breath as the person walked down the hall toward me... and continued walking. Letting out a relived sigh, I let go of the knob and relaxed. Turning around, I lifted my eyes to see a rush of blonde and blue. I let out a yelp and fell against the door behind me.
"Sam!" a happy voice exclaimed, "Oh my god, am I glad to see you! I thought you died or something!"
"Shhh! Keep down your voice," I snapped, scared that whoever was in the hall heard her. I didn't hear rushing footsteps, so I guess they didn't. With the danger gone, I hugged the blonde haired girl with all my might.
"I thought I lost you," I whispered. "You won't believe what I've been through," I added, pulling away. Kaity smiled and walked over to a bed in the room. Looking around, I saw that it was another guestroom. I walked over to the bed and sat on the end.
"I bet I've been through the same thing," she speculated while slipping on a pale purple pair of flip flops. She wasn't wearing her swim suit anymore, either. Instead, she was wearing a pair of shorts, a purple tank top and a three quarter sleeve white jacket. These clothes must be Kairi's. If I see her, I'll make sure to thank her for them.
"Kaity, do you know where we are?" I asked.
"I sure do! And I'm confused, excited, scared, and happy all at the same time!" She laughed. "It's really overwhelming."
The understatement of the year, I thought tiredly. Only Kaity could feel so many emotions and not explode on the spot.
"I mean, Sam, we're in Kingdom Hearts," she breathed, sitting next to me. "It's a miracle. A dream come true. And you don't seem the slightest bit excited as you should be. I'm over hear about to break a nerve and your sitting there like a heartless in the realm of light. What's up?"
I looked at her face and cracked a small smile at her statement. Then I stood up and faced her open window, crossing my arms. "I don't know. There's just this feeling in my gut that something's wrong." I glanced at her. "Don't be mistaken, I'm overly happy of what's happened, but I'm also scared to hell. My confusion and anxiety are over riding every thing."
"Don't be too scared," she assured me, getting up. "Number one; I'm here and I'm freaking too. Number two; just think, now we'll get to meet Sora and Roxas in person!" She wiggled her eyebrows and I laughed at her. "Why not live in the moment and ask questions later. Just for now."
That's the kind of person Kaity is. Living in the now, not yesterday or tomorrow. I, on the other hand, am one of those people that look to tomorrow and spend the now preparing for it. Yeah, bad way to look out on life, but that's who I am. Maybe that will change one day. Maybe not.
"But, just out of curiosity, what's your theory, oh Deep Thought?" She asked. The Deep Thought part is a joke 'cause I over think everything.
Ignoring the name, I pushed my hair behind my ear, "I don't know."
She groaned and frowned at me, "Don't lie."
Curse you nervous tell-tale sign! When I push my hair behind my ears, I'm ether nervous or in really deep thought and on the verge of a revelation. Over the years, Kaity has picked up my body language and I hers. Comes in handy when, if for some reason, we can't talk to the other.
"I'm not sure what to think. I need to assess the situation," I muttered flickering my eyes to the door. Even though I really don't want to venture about this world, we have to know what's going on.
Kaity sighed, "Right. Well then, we better get going."
The two of us went to the door. Kaity grabbed the knob and turned it. She glance at me before sticking her head out the door. Then she walked out and I followed her. The hall way was empty. I looked back to the room I had been in, seeing the door still open. I didn't think I left it that wide though. Huh, maybe I did.
We walked down the hall and came to a stop at the top of the staircase. We stopped on the top step, peering down into the lower level. Voices wafted up to us. A shiver of dread ran down my spine. I was so not going down first.
I cleared my throat and whispered nervously, "G-go ahead, Kai. No need to wait on me."
"Are you kidding?" She hissed at me. "I am not going to walk down into the unknown and suddenly have my head chopped off. You go."
"What, so that I can have my head chopped off?" I scoffed.
"Exactly," she admitted, pushing me in front of her.
"Kai! No, stop. I am not going down first!" I growled at her as she pushed me forward. "No, seriously-"
"What are you two doing?"