And, we're back! Some more songs in this chapter, and I think that thet came out pretty well. Hope that you like the choices. And to a certain girl reading this right now, no there is no U2 in this, I apologize.
Bariss: (Raises an eyebrow) "Trying to pre-empt a disappointed comment?"
Uh-huh.
Bariss: "DarthKingdom doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square Enix, any songs used in here, or anything else."
!
Chapter 88: Schemes and Music
There was only one person who wasn't enjoying the show, but she was several miles away.
"'Teardrops on your guitar?'" Morgana repeated, disgusted for some reason. "For crying out loud, you've likely never played an instrument in your life, you little brat!"
She swiped a hand through the magically projected image of Namine over her shell-like cauldron, dismissing it from view. It bore a slight resemblance to the one that Ursula had once used. But that particular one was still lying in her empty lair.
The cauldron was in the center of a huge cavern at the northernmost pole of the world. Morgana's current base of operations was situated beneath a massive glacier, which was just one of many in the area. The underwater cavern had a few chunks of ice from the glacier protruding from the sides. The cauldron, and a large shell-like bed were situated on one of these.
On some of the walls were various vials filled with ingredients for magic, some of them alive, and hoping beyond hope to escape. There was also an old photograph of Ursula which had several starfish stuck to it as if they were throwing stars.
Undertow (who seemed to have been genuinely touched by the song) swam over to Morgana. "Just because you don't have any taste in music..."
She growled, and swiped at him with one hand, though he was able to duck under it. "You have no idea how-"
"Am I interrupting?" A voice interjected.
They both twisted around to discover a new image hovering over the cauldron.
They saw Crucion as if he were looking through a round sort of window. He was sitting in front of a dark table, and had one arm on it. His fingers were drumming on the tabletop as if he were irritated. He looked incredibly bored, but his dull green eyes were burning.
"Ah, Crucion, my friend!" Morgana's tone changed immediately. "How are you?"
"I'm very bored, Morgana. My favorite prisoner finally died. So now, unless the master elects to let me near the rest, I've got nothing to do."
"What a shame... I'm so sorr-"
"You know this isn't a social call." He cut in. "Did you succeed in your mission?"
"Um, uh... well, you see I-"
"Your idiotic stuttering is the only answer I need." Crucion closed his eyes and growled low in his throat. "You're off the assignment."
"What!" Morgana panicked. "But this is my world! Who else could accomplish this better than me!"
"A Moogle with one leg and a mental disorder could accomplish it better than you, I believe."
Undertow snickered very quietly behind Morgana.
"I only need one more chance, Crucion!" Morgana pleaded. "I have a sure-fire way to get the trident! And I promise, I'll get the Keybearers for you, as well!"
Crucion was completely silent for a few moments, and merely continued drumming his fingers on the table. "Very well. I'm sure I can persuade Klaxam to keep you on a while longer. But-"
He summoned one of his gleaming silver daggers to his hand. "If you fail, and by some miracle the Keybearers aren't the end of you, I'll personally slice you into calamari."
On that frightening note, he cut the connection, and the image faded away.
Morgana gulped, and wrung her hands together nervously. She turned around, and moved over to her cauldron. She stared into its glowing green depths, and then at the picture of Ursula on the far wall.
She snarled. "I refuse to be second best any longer!"
!
When Namine and Roxas faded from view, and back into Sora and Kairi, Riku got ready.
He hurriedly swam to the other side of the stage from which he'd make his entrance for the crowd.
He arrived just in time. He had just enough time to catch his breath before he heard Sebastian exclaim, "That was a beautiful performance from dear Lady Namine, but now it is time for a change of pace! Ladies and gentlefish, please welcome Keyblade Bearer Riku!"
Riku burst from the area in which he had been hiding, and swam high over the crowd for a moment. They ate it up when he shot straight down to the center of the stage, covering the distance in about three seconds.
He spun into a light landing right above the stage, and swam to the mic stand while the audience clapped enthusiastically. It wasn't hard for Riku to notice Yuffie screaming at the top of her lungs from the front row, her arms up in the air.
He chuckled. "Hope you enjoy the show." Was all he said, and then an electric guitar started playing. Softly at first, but gradually getting louder.
When a second guitar joined in with the melody, Riku began.(1)
"I walk a lonely road,
The only one that I have ever known.
Don't know where it goes,
But it's only me,
And I walk alone."
Any fangirls in the audience that knew the song immediately began to scream, and Riku smirked.
"I walk this empty street,
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams,
Where the city sleeps,
And I'm the only one,
And I walk alone."
"I walk alone
I walk alone."
He gripped the mic stand tightly when he hit the chorus.
"I walk alone,
I walk a-"
"My shadow's the only one who walks beside me.
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating.
Sometimes, I wish someone out there will find me.
'Till then, I walk alone."
He had to restrain a laugh when he saw one girl attempt to swim out of the stands to the stage, only to be stopped by an older man that was apparently her father.
"Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ahhh-ah.
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah"
"I'm walking down the line,
That divides me somewhere in my mind.
On the border line,
of the edge, and where,
I walk alone."
"Read between the lines of,
What's screwed up, and everything's alright.
Check my vital signs,
To know I'm still alive,
And I walk alone."
Riku reflected that this song better suited the old him- The one who had walked alone through Darkness for over a year, refusing all outside help.
He never forgot how lucky he was that that had changed.
"I walk alone,
I walk alone."
"I walk alone,
A walk a-"
"My shadow's the only one that walks beside me.
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating.
Sometimes I wish someone out there would find me.
'Till then, I walk alone."
"Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ahhh-ah.
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah.
I walk alone,
I walk alone,"
A long instrumental solo followed that last verse. And Riku had something up his nonexistent sleeve that the audience would never forget as long as they lived.
He swam into the center of the stage, and floated ten feet above it. With rapid flourishes of his hands, great, bright bursts of Dawn energy shot from the stage like the special effects at a rock show.
For every beat of the guitar, a blast of Dawn shot from the stage, lighting up an entire section of the audience each time.
And finally, on the last beat, ten gigantic pillars of Dawn shot up from the stage, more than fifty feet toward the sky.
The music stopped for a split second, and Riku went back to the mic.
"I walk this empty street,
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams,
Where the city sleeps,
And I'm the only one,
And I walk a-"
"My shadow's the only one that walks beside me.
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating.
Sometimes I wish someone out there would find me.
'Till then, I walk alone!"
A few more strums of the electric guitar, and one more giant flash of Dawn.
Riku floated over the center of the stage with the crowd going absolutely wild around him. He held his arms up, and waved. "Thanks, everybody! Have a good evening."
He swam off the stage (past Nehrut, who was waiting his turn) and a good distance away so that the fan girls wouldn't be able to find him if any were insane enough to try and follow him.
But, he did meet a certain dark-haired ninja fan girl when he stopped, and didn't regret it for an instant.
As Yuffie pinned him against a rock with a mischievous smile on her face, she said, "I have never been more attracted to you in my life."
So, as their make-out session began, Nehrut was trying to keep Bariss from passing out.
"Relax, Bariss." He placed both hands on her shoulders, and gently shook her. "You were incredible in practice, you're just getting way too worked up."
"I'm sorry, I just can't sing in front of a crowd."
"Then sing to me."
Bariss was silent for a moment, and looked at him. "What?"
"Shut out the rest of the world, and just sing to me."
"...Okay."
"Ladies and gentlefish!" Sebastian exclaimed. "It is time for a very special duet! I give you Nehrut, and the lovely Bariss!"
"Remember, sing to me!" He whispered quickly, before swimming away.
Nehrut touched down in front of the mic stand, and waved. A guitar began to play gently, and a keyboard came in just a bit later.
Nehrut began to sing in a low voice that was mostly unlike him.(2)
"I wanted you to know,
That I love the way you laugh.
I wanna hold you high,
And steal your pain,
Away."
"I keep your photograph,
And I know it serves me well.
I wanna hold you high,
And steal your pain."
Bariss's voice floated up from behind him, and they sang the next verse together.
"'Cause I'm broken,
When I'm lonesome.
And I don't feel right,
When you're gone away."
Nehrut turned slowly around, and saw Bariss swimming slowly towards him, with a mic in her hand. The audience was cheering for her, but softly enough so that they could still hear the music clearly.
He took his mic, and moved slowly toward her.
"You've gone away.
You don't feel me here,
Anymore."
They met in the center, and the next verse belonged to Bariss. They never took their eyes off each other.
"The worst is over now,
And we can breathe again.
I wanna hold you high,
And steal my pain,
Away."
"There's so much left to learn,
And no one left to fight.
I wanna hold you high,
And steal your pain."
They took each other's free hands.
"'Cause I'm broken,
When I'm open.
And I don't feel like,
I am strong enough."
"'Cause I'm broken,
When I'm lonesome.
And I don't feel right,
When you're gone away."
After this verse came a long instrumental break, and Nehrut gently took Bariss's mic from her hand. He lifted both into the air, and let them float there, while he took her other hand in his.
They danced slowly, to the delight of the crowd, who was eating up what they thought was romance between a pair of lovers.
They weren't too far off.
As the music swelled, they spun together, and came to a halt, staring into each other's eyes. Without moving a muscle, Nehrut called their mics back to their hands. The two moved apart.
"'Cause I'm broken,
When I'm open.
And I don't feel like,
I am strong enough."
"'Cause I'm broken,
When I'm lonesome.
And I don't feel right,
When you're gone away."
"'Cause I'm broken,
When I'm lonesome.
And I don't feel right,
When you're gone away."
The music slowed, and softened. Then, Nehrut pulled Bariss close to him, and softly sang,
"You've gone away.
You don't feel me here,
Anymore..."
The audience cheered and clapped, tears leaking from their eyes. Nehrut and Bariss looked into each other's eyes for a moment longer, neither moving nor speaking. Finally, they smiled at each other.
Bariss threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly, and laughed. Nehrut hugged her back, and whispered in her ear, "You were wonderful."
She pulled back slightly, and pecked him once –very, very quickly- on the lips. "Thank you." She smiled. And the two swam off-stage together.
They met Kairi almost immediately. She rushed toward them, and enveloped them both in a congratulatory hug. "Great job, guys! Bariss, could I see you for a second?"
"Um, sure."
Kairi pulled her over to the side, separating her from Nehrut for a moment. She checked to make sure that he was out of earshot before whispering to her, "Stop beating around the bush. Stop kidding yourself. And stop pretending. He's interested."
Her eyes bugged out in surprise. "What?"
"And now, please welcome Princess Kairi!" Sebastian announced.
"Wish me luck!" Kairi said, winking as if she hadn't just dropped a bombshell into her lap a few seconds ago.
Kairi swam onto the stage, her tail fin reflecting all the light shining on her. She waved to the audience in front of her, and took the mic from its stand. Without preamble, she sang. She sang softly at first, but gradually grew louder.(3)
"I still hear your voice when you sleep next to me.
I still feel your touch in my dreams.
Forgive me my weakness,
But I don't know why,
Without you, it's hard to survive."
The tempo increased, and she grinned widely.
"'Cause every time we touch,
I get this feeling.
And every time we kiss,
I swear, I could fly!
Can't you hear my heart beat fast?
I want this to last.
I need you by my side."
She looked at Sora, floating behind the stands, smiling.
"'Cause every time we touch,
I feel the static.
And every time we kiss,
I reach for the sky.
Can't you hear my heart beat so?
I can't let you go.
I want you in my life."
It's one-hundred percent true, Sora. You know that, right?
And, unexpectedly, he nodded.
When the instrumental began, she swam to the center of the stage, her Light illuminating her body. Sora swam down to meet her immediately.
She swam into his arms, and he spun her around. Her Light spread to his body, as well, and they danced.
"Your arms are my castle, your heart is my sky.
You wipe away tears that I cry.
The good and the bad times,
We've been through them all.
You make me rise when I fall."
Sora spun casually off the stage to applause, and Kairi went on.
"'Cause every time we touch,
I get this feeling.
And every time we kiss,
I swear I could fly.
Can't you feel my heart beat fast?
I want this to last.
I need you by my side."
"'Cause every time we touch,
I feel the static.
And every time we kiss,
I reach for the sky.
Can't you feel my heart beat so?
I can't let you go.
I want you in my life."
Sora came back on stage, and they went into another fast-paced dance. They danced closer this time, and their Light shone brighter than ever before, to where it was almost painful to look directly at them.
"'Cause every time we touch,
I get this feeling.
And every time we kiss,
I swear I could fly.
Can't you feel my heart beat fast?
I want this to last.
I need you by my side..."
The music came to a sudden stop, and so did the dance. Sora dipped Kairi, and their lips met in a passionate kiss.
The cheering was louder than ever, and a good deal of people were literally 'leaping' from their seats.
Sora and Kairi parted. "Here's a bunch of people who don't seem to mind our PDAs..." Sora said, making Kairi laugh.
"And now, ladies and gentlefish: Somebody that I'm sure you'll love!" Sebastian was clearly very excited, wherever he was. "Please welcome the Keyblade Master Sora!"
"You're up!" She winked at him, and passed the mic over to him. She kissed him one last time, and swam away.
He watched her go before going to the mic stand, and placing it back in place. He took a deep breath, and looked up into the stands.
"Before I sing," He said, "I want to ask that everybody really listens to this song, and takes it to heart."
A keyboard played softly. And as soon as Sora sang, there was a guitar.(4)
"From underneath the trees, we watch the skies,
Confusing stars for satellites.
I never dreamed that you'd be mine,
But here we are,
We're here tonight."
"Singing Amen I, I'm alive... I'm alive
Singing A-amen I, I'm alive..."
What Sora really wanted for the audience to hear, and what he really wanted to spread came next. The chorus said it all perfectly.
"If everyone cared,
And nobody cried,
If everyone loved,
And nobody lied,
If everyone shared,
And swallowed their pride,
Then we'd see the day...
Pause for effect. There was total silence, until Sora finshed,
"When nobody died."
"And I'm singing A-Amen I, Ame-en I, I'm alive.
Ame-en I, Ame-en I, Ame-en I...
I'm alive."
The lights shining on the stage had all gone out, save for one spotlight illuminating the young Keybearer from above. He could see Axel's burning thumb, and the natural lights of several forms of ocean-life glowing through the darkness of the stands.
"And in the air, with fireflies,
Our only light in paradise,
We'll show the world they were wrong.
And teach them all,
To sing along."
They were listening. He saw a girl in the front row wiping tears from her eyes. And even Triton, in a special box reserved only for him, looked touched.
"Singing Amen I, I'm alive... I'm alive
Singing A-amen I, I'm alive."
"If everyone cared,
And nobody cried,
If everyone loved,
And nobody lied,
If everyone shared,
And swallowed their pride,
Then we'd see the day,
When nobody died."
He took the mic off the stand, and started swimming slowly around the perimeter of the stage, waving his free arm back and forth to the music as he did. The audience repeated his actions, waving both hands.
"If everyone cared,
And nobody cried,
If everyone loved,
And nobody lied,
If everyone shared,
And swallowed their pride,
Then we'd see the day,
When nobody died!"
"When nobody died..."
He stretched out the final word, and let the guitar play a little longer on its own when he got back to the mic stand. The music softened considerably. He looked up toward the area where Kairi was standing, and locked eyes with her as he sang the next verse.
"And as we lie beneath the stars,
We realize how small we are.
If they could love like you and me,
Imagine what,
The world could be?"
The tempo kicked back up.
"If everyone cared,
And nobody cried,
If everyone loved,
And nobody lied,
If everyone shared,
And swallowed their pride,
Then we'd see the day,
When nobody died!"
"If everyone cared,
And nobody cried,
If everyone loved,
And nobody lied,
If everyone shared,
And swallowed their pride,
Then we'd see the day,
When nobody died!"
One-by-one during the verse, his companions that had sang in the concert swam onto stage, and joined him in singing. First came Kairi, then Riku. Nehrut was third, and Bariss was only one second behind. Roxas and Namine reappeared in flashes of light from their others.
"We'd see the day, we'd see the day,
When nobody died!
We'd see the day, we'd see the day,
When nobody died,
We'd see the day,
When nobody died..."
The music faded away. But before it had even totally stopped, the entire crowd burst into the loudest round of applause and cheering of the evening. About half of the audience had been reduced to tears, and every last one of them was out of their seat. Sora saw Triton and Flounder up in the private box, perhaps cheering the loudest.
Sora took Kairi and Riku's hands (they were on either side of him) And in turn, they took Nehrut and Bariss'. Roxas and Namine stood to either side.
All together, they bowed.
!
So, the concert is over! Hope you enjoyed it, but the guys will not be doing any encores just yet.
1) 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' by Green Day. Works for him, I thought.
2) 'Broken' by Seether and Amy Lee. I wanted a duet here, and figured I'd use Nehrut and Bariss.
3) 'Every time we touch' by Cascada. I like it, but had some other songs in mind as well to choose from.
4) 'If Everyone Cared' by Nickleback. One of my favorites.
Please review!