cutegirlmayra
Kingdom Hearts - Prompt
Some Couples sprinkled in here or there XD
I've been trying to watch a lot of KH stuff on youtube, this thought came to mind and I found it kinda cute but also exciting! So here's another one for the pile ^^
Prompt:
Once upon a memory…
Sora looked around the island, but couldn't find Riku or Kairi anywhere. He called out their names, but was stopped by movement within the trees.
The wind was rather pleasant, as though politely staying quiet as Sora called out again. Riku's hand went down as he saw Sora rushing over to the tree, looking to see him on a piece of land near the top of the palm trees.
"Huh?" He stopped when he saw Riku look up to one of the trees, "What's the matter… hmmmm… oh!" he tilted his head to lean more to see Riku's expression over the side fo the walkway up towards the star shaped sign they had constructed together. He glided his eyes over the tree tops before stopping to see Kairi was alone on one. "Kairi-! EMMPH!" he was immediately silence as Riku coiled an arm around his head and pulled him down by the side of his face, strapping his hand over his loud mouth.
"Can't you take a hint, Sora? She asked to be alone." After getting his message across, his eyes taking on a narrowed but playful expression of superiority, he let his friend go and went back to watching her.
Sora wiped his face from his muffled struggles against Riku's iron grip before stomping lightly down next to him, looking ready to fight if needs be. "Hey..! Did she… really say all that?"
"All of it..? No, I'm paraphrasing." Riku just closed his eyes, lowering his head, "… All she said was… she was feeling lost… thinking about stuff she couldn't remember…"
Sora's eyes turned gentler, coming out of his fighter's stance and standing a bit forelorn at such a message. "Oh…" He looked with concern over to the top of the tree line again… the mass of swaying, large leafs as Kairi sat quietly and contemplative…
He found himself watching in silence like Riku… as Riku opened his eyes and nodded, "We should give her some space… let her figure it out."
Sora made a fist and looked down at it, shaking it as though not able to contain the opposing feeling he felt towards Riku's statement.
"Come on!" he turned back to Riku, extending out a hand, beforing rushing up along the acending sand planks towards the palm tree tops, "You don't believe that!"
Riku's eyes widened at his retort, but smiled as he realized Sora couldn't be stopped, and got up from the edge of the curving sand bank and raced along after him.
Sora hopped from one tree to another, before Riku easily passed him, and got an ideal spot down by her side. he lifted a leg up and looked over his shoulder behind him to Sora, as though gloating that he was a slowpoke.
Sora puffed up his childish cheeks but continued to methodical approach to not falling down, finally making it over to her other side.
They couldn't all fit on the same tree, but they did their best…
Riku shifted so his shoulder was behind Kairi's and Sora did the same on the opposite side, this way, they could all face the descending sun but at different angles.
They remained silent… as Kairi finally spoke up, "Hehe, aren't you two going to say anything?" she teased.
Sora's face lit up, and Riku's looked relieved.
"Well… umm… How are you doing, Kairi?" Sora asked, earnestly.
"We just wanted to give you time… I… Didn't know if you were ready for us to chime in on your thoughts, yet." Riku admitted, as Kairi lightly pumped her back against his shoulder.
"Oh, you. Always on my back." she joked, but Riku just ruffled her hair.
"You mean 'got' your back." he charmingly stated, as Sora leaned from her right a bit, trying to get her attention again.
"But, seriously, Kairi… Are you okay? Riku said you had a lot of things to think about…" Sora looked up to the sky as he nodded his head while he spoke, a bit carefree, but still energetically curious if she was alright or not. "No one should be alone."
Kairi smiled sweetly to Sora's gentle proding,
"Well… I was thinking about the memories I can't remember anymore… and if they were worth remembering or not." She looked down, dangling her feet off the tree. "I was trying to decide… whether it was worth trying to dwell on them… or not." She looked up, "I think… what would that make of me? Would I be someone different if I remembered..? Or… would I still be the fun-loving Kairi you both remember… I didn't want to change anything, because I like how things are now. I don't know… maybe it's good to not remember anything… then, I'll have all the space in the world to fill my heart with new memories of you guys, and all our wacky adventures here, on the Island." she rocked back and forth a bit, making the two boys also rock side to side from her.
Sora grinned widely as Riku just accepted that was her choice.
"I don't want you to forget us… just to remember the past." Riku admitted, "That… in my opinion… wouldn't be a fair trade."
"I agree." she answered.
"Well…"
The strange counter made the two look over to Sora.
"What's wrong, Sora?" Kairi inquired.
Sora had pulled his legs up, criss-cross with an elbow on one leg and leaning his thinking–though adorably crinkled eyebrow expressioned–face on his hand as he gave it a hard task…
"What if… you didn't lose anything at all?" He stated, pressing his chin further into his hand. "Hmmmm… What if what you remember… is sad?" he looked over to her, and held up a pointer finger, "I think… if it's sad… you should still know why it's sad… but if you can't… then you probably will remember something similiar to that feeling of whatever the memory was, right?" He then looked to Riku, "If it was up to me, I'd let those memories come whenever they wanted to! I'd rather be me, with all of you, then worry about what me I'll be when they do come back."
Riku shook his head, "That's some roundabout thinking." He stated, but Kairi placed a hand to her heart, looking down to think about it harder, too.
"… To go back… and be someone I was… or to continue on… as though this has always been me… not waiting for a feeling to return my memory… but trusting that those memories… in turn… have already made me who I am." she looked up, "In that case..! I haven't lost anything of me at all!"
Sora's eyes shined at seeing her not so upset anymore… and Riku looked to how Sora was admiring Kairi…
He smiled and rubbed the top of his head, realizing more than Sora was, and nodded sharply. "That settles it… Guess, no matter what you went through, you're still our Kairi… the girl we both know and like… right, Sora?"
Sora suddenly got flustered out of his awed expression of Kairi, "H-huh, what? Like what..?" He looked a bit like he was snapped out of a daze, and trying to understand what Riku had stated.
Kairi and Riku laughed in small chuckles.
"Come on, Sora, daydreaming already?" She put a hand up to her mouth, "And I thought you were caring about me."
Sora immediately sprung to what appeared to be life, "I-I was caring! Kairi, honest, I- Ahh!" he bum slid slightly off center, and he turned his torso around to hold on to the tree's top.
"Sora!" Kairi called out in alarm as she took one hand and Riku took the other.
"Hang on..!" Riku called out.
Sora kicked his feet out into the wind, "He-He-He-HEEELPPP!"
The two pulled him up as they laughed again at his silly antics.
"Oh, come on, you guys… Knock it off!" Sora complained… "I thought I was toast!"
When Riku had heard from Namine that Sora had decided to sleep to regain his lost memories, he chuckled inwardly and found that amusing.
He told Namine he accounted it for Sora's laziness… always a bum… never getting anything done… but later… he thought about what Sora had said to Kairi…
"Even though you'll forget what you've experienced in Castle Oblivion… the feelings your heart gained there… it will always be apart of you,… making you still our lovable Sora." he once spoke outloud to himself, finally seeing the comfort in that.
"Though you'll miss a year… sleeping away… You'll still always be our Sora… Your heart can only grow, even if you forget… your heart knows. You'll still be you when you wake up."
He had worried that without Roxas, without Xion… Would Sora still be himself?
But having those two, crucial pieces found… seeing how they acted and for a moment, doubting if they even were Sora… he was finally comforted to know that no matter what other traits or personalities they expressed… both were still his best friend… and Sora would still be himself.
It was this lesson that gave Riku strength when he entered Quadratum, and finally finding Sora, continuing in the adventures, the two finally found all the pieces necessary to bring them back home.
Once arriving, everyone welcomed them with relief, wonder, and joy at being reunited again.
But Sora couldn't find one face he truly wanted to see in the crowd…
"Where's..?"
Darkness suddenly sprung out in a blast from his chest.
"Ahh..! Ugh…" he stumbled as everyone gasped, having worried expressions while Riku caught him.
"Sora, what's wrong?" he asked, seeing him gripping his chest.
He wrapped Sora's arm around his shoulders to keep him up, as Sora wearily spoke out, "M-my heart… it's… breaking…"
"I feared this may happen…"
The crowd of Sora and Riku's friends turned around to see Yen Sid, walking out from the back of them towards the two. "We had told you both that the necessary elements to your return… were also linked to everyone's memories of Sora…" he expounded, before closing his eyes in great reverence and pain, "But… I'm afraid I failed to mention… that Kairi, although arriving at the conclusion to explore countless worlds in helping those connected to Sora's heart remember him for our endeavours, has unfortunately gone missing… Her last report to me was about a world entirely revolving around a Circus… and an Elephant… who appeared to have known Sora…" He looked to Sora as he lifted his head, weakly.
"Dum… Dumbo." He recollected, "But… Then what happened to Kairi?"
"Kairi must still be alive," Yen Sid stated, opening his eyes and handing the letter to Riku's free hand. "Otherwise… Sora… without your heart still contained within her own… you wouldn't have been able to manifeast yourself here so clearly…" He looked back to the gang, "I'm sorry to have concucted this experiment so in the shadows… But I had to confirm whether Kairi had lost her heart… along with Sora's… before I made any inferences concerning the matter." He then turned to Sora, "Sora… If you wish to be fully realized upon this realm of known reality… you'll have to regain your heart… which means… Your search for Kairi… will undoubtably be resumed once again."
"It seems that's always the start of our quests," Riku found it saracastically funny, but felt wrong to say more than that. He looked to Sora, "What do you say, buddy? One more round..? Then, just like we've always wanted…"
"We… can go back to the island… together…" Sora gripped his chest, "But…" he clutched and twisted the fabric of his jacket and shirt tighter. "Master Yen Sid… H-how… how will we find her?" He looked up with sorrowful eyes, full of worry and concern… and perhaps… yes, even love.
"Hmm… Since she still holds your heart intact,… the closer you get to your missing Heart, Sora… the closer you'll be to Kairi." He said this as though thinking it through whilst relaying it. "It's only a theory… but since you're still present and accounted for, it must then stand to reason, that Kairi is also still present… in her present form… and she must return your heart to you… Or your powers will cease to be returned to you, as well." He shook his head in the grave consequence he was referring to. "You should seek a clue upon this… Circus world, first, Sora… Trust… that the empty void you feel inside you will be filled more and more… the closer you get to finding Kairi."
Yen Sid certainly loomed with wisdom on the matter, but it didn't help the uneasy feeling the rest of the group felt.
"Why didn't you tell any of us sooner?" Axel turned to Yen Sid, gesturing a hand out. "Why in the world would you keep this from us? How long has Kairi been missing?"
"Hmm… Not too long." Yen Sid responded without looking directly to him.
"We can search the dark realm?" Aqua chimed in, looking to Venus and Terra, who nodded to her in a resounding–'Right!'
She looked back to Yen Sid, holding a fist to her heart, "Kairi is my pupil, it's my responsibility if anything has happened to her. She insisted on going off alone… so she could inspire people to the memory of Sora again… I'm sure her efforts weren't in vain… and that she's still out there… it's comforting." she nodded and closed her eyes while looking down.
Riku also looked around, "Where's Namine?"
"Ah, that's another piece to the puzzle I was going to mention to you." Yen Sid smiled at the mention of her name. "I hadn't known about Kairi's disappearence… only that her letters to me were becoming slim and few… when Namine then reached out to me… a curious picture she had forged… I'm sure it's connected to Kairi's current memories…"
He pulled out from his extremely long, blue sleeve, a colored-in crayon drawing of Kairi, Keyblade out, facing down a large, looming dark entity…
"Ka… Kairi…" Sora tried to reach out to the drawing, but his body failed him and he collasped, going limp as Riku held him up.
"Sora..! Sora!" Riku called out to him.
"He needs his heart… Riku." Yen Sid gave a deep, underlining urgency to his rather calmed, but darkly serious wording.
Riku hoisted him up by his pants and his arm around him, nodding to Yen Sid with a truly serious expression as well. "I just got my best friend back, I don't intend to lose them both again, either."
"Well said." Yen Sid nodded, putting his hands into his sleeves together. "Aqua… You and your friends will search the darkness… leave no spot unsearched."
She nodded to him, "It will be done, Master Yen Sid." She immediately took off with Ventus and Terra.
He then turned to the next group, "Axel… you, Roxas, and Xion must attempt to search the worlds inbetween… Find Kairi… or any trace that she might be there." He nodded solemnly to them as well.
Xion placed her hands together, "I know one of us… we'll… we'll find her." She looked up to Roxas, who nodded, then to Axel, who smiled and flicked his nose.
"Sure will, we're the best search party there is. Uh… no offense." Axel shrugged to the others. "I'll get Saix–err… Isa to hop onboard, too. Brainiac needs a little side quest, anyways." He joked, trying to make the mood a little lighter.
"The more the merrier." Roxas agreed, and looked to Sora, "Sora… don't worry. We'll get your heart back… and Kairi too."
The trio also went their separate ways, but hurrying as best they could.
"Now, Riku-"
"It's okay, Master Yen Sid," Riku interupted, surprising Yen Sid a moment as he raised an eyebrow to him. "I'm going to take the Gummi Ship and meet Namine on Destiny Islands… I'll have her draw whatever Kairi's seeing and experiencing. Whatever she knows… it may help us, with Sora as a compass pointing hot or cold, we'll get a reading through both of them as a combined radar."
Yen Sid lightly chuckled at his leadership and intuitive approach. "Hmm, hmm, hmm,… Spoken like a true Keyblade Master." he nodded his respects to Riku.
Riku smiled and nodded back, "Thanks." He then helped Sora as they headed to the Gummi ship.
Upon Destiny Islands, the Gummi ship descended it's opened mouth to let Riku out, but before he did, Sora spoke up from laying across one of the chairs. His face was turned away from Riku… darkness licking up like smoke around his chest… small at first… then growing… "Say…. Hi to Namine… for me, Riku."
"She's coming with us, Buddy." He turned back and tried to not act like he was concerned… But he didn't know what the darkness meant. "You can tell her yourself when I find her."
"…Heh… how lucky." Sora chuckled, "You get to see… someone important to you again… Hey, Riku… Does it feel like… this emptiness when you're not with her?"
"What are you talking about?" Riku looked concern now, his smile more and more a mask as he heard Sora's sudden down-talk. "What's with the gloomy aura?" he tried to joke, but Sora just smiled and turned his head over to him…
"I feel like… Like there's this big hole inside me… Like… I was once this pot, that carried around a seed. Then the seed grew, encompassing all of me. Giving me life inside of myself. And it's roots… they got hold of the soil that was within me… Every ounce became the plant that grew more and more beautiful and vibrant… alive within me…" He turned his head away from the light of the outside of the Gummi Ship… Where Riku stood. "But now, something or… someone has uprooted my flower… and all the roots that clung to every corner inside of me… has been taken with it."
The tone of that hollowing confession made Riku's shoulders drop, "Sora…"
Riku shook his head, "No, stop that, Sora! Listen to yourself," he wasn't going to allow Sora to get so down again… he had seen what happened when that occurred… the darkness… the Keyblade Graveyard… "Kairi's still out there… She's still filling the space of your heart that's connected to hers! No matter where you two are… remember? That goes for all your friends!" He gestured around his arm while he spoke, swiping it in defiance of Sora's hopelessness.
"… You're right… but I've just forgotten… so much of how it felt…" Sora raised his hand up, seeing the fading of his form in this world once more… without a heart to return to. "To have her hand in mine…"
Riku stared long and hard at him… before finally deciding that nothing would get better just standing around and reasoning with him. "Hang on, Sora… you're not acting like yourself… Let me find Namine and… and we'll set sail." he lowered his head… and then took off into the light.
When he found Namine, she was surrounded on their small island bridge with layers upon layers of spread out drawings… she had them scattered in a order all across the bridge, and Riku was careful to not step on any of them.
There was always a breeze on the island… she should know better. They'd get further away from her on their tiny island deattached from the rest of the shore eventually, if she didn't pin them down.
She looked in distress, crying softly as she continued to draw everything…
He lightly lowered himself to a squat, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Namine…" He spoke kindly, gently pulling her away from her work.
She gasped and turned around, having sitting on the ground to draw. "Riku!" she flung herself into his chest and he had to brace back a moment with his hand, catching him from falling. He slowly regained his balance and placed his hand that was once on her shoulder, to her back. "Riku, she's-!" she shook her head and moved from being so close to his chest, her hands still up on them, tightening into fist. "Where's Sora?" She looked up, her bloodshot eyes from crying ringing a powerful image into Riku's mind.
He was speechless a moment, the drama of the situation seeming to exceed that of his expectantations. "Uhh… umm…" He searched her face for any soothing line or feature that lined up with his memories of her… he had never seen her in such dismay. "He's on the ship… back by the beach… on the other side."
"We have to go," her voice slightly strained and cracked as she rubbed her eyes. "He's the only one that can trace where she's gone."
"You mean… you don't know?" Riku inquired, as she got up and he followed her lead.
She shook her head, "No matter how hard I try and connect to her… I can only see the memories she's previously just had or made… It's like… I'm a few minutes behind whatever she has been going through or done." She put her hands together, explaining what she has been experiencing.
"My link with her… it's delayed, but I can't… I can't tell why." She held herself, "Kairi is battling something… All I know, is that it's trapped her and she needs to get out to find Sora… But there's something there… that's keeping her from getting to him." She took Riku's hand, startling him even the more. "That's why I ask… Whatever has Kairi, doesn't want her to return Sora's heart to him. So I'll plead again, Riku… My dear friend… Where is Sora!?"
The two rushed back to the Gummi Ship, and she gasped as Sora was surrounded in further darkness.
"Sora!" she cried out, and jumped to fall across his body, "Leave him alone!" the darkness disipated, as Sora opened his eyes as though in a dream.
"H-huh? Kairi..?" he blinked his eyes and saw Namine, gripping his body before looking up to him, "O-oh, Namine… for a minute… I felt like… I must have dozed off, somewhat. Sorry, I didn't mean… to scare you." He gave her an apologetic look, but Namine shook her head.
"Sora, someone, or something, is trying to turn this reconstructed form into a Special Nobody." she explained, as Riku stepped forward.
"A what..?"
"Without a heart, Sora will become one." She slightly turned her head back to Riku, nodding as though she was certain of this.
She looked back to Sora… but his mind was in a haze… He could hear Kairi… as though his heart was showing him an image of what she was seeing… from within her, he could hear her panting… running from something, grunting as she swung her Keyblade and dissipated Heartless…
"Kairi…" he outstretched his hand, and she stopped running.
"Sora?"
"Sora!" Namine's voice echoed back, overlapping as Sora was brought back to where he currently was. "He's being split between Kairi and this form." she looked as though urgently to Riku. "We have to find out where Kairi is, use me and Sora as a type of compass. We'll guide you to where she is."
Riku nodded, taking the front of the ship and immediately taking off.
"Oh, boy, oh gosh!" Dale rushed around from their HQ, hearing everything.
"Jeebers! Jiminy never mentioned any of this in his reports to us!" Chip stated, remembering only that they needed to get the Gummi Ship ready for the two of them.
"Sorry, we'll have to let the King-I mean,… Mickey, and everyone else know what's going later." he didn't bother with his Gummiphone, and simply shot off towards a direction. "Anything?" He called back to Namine.
She was hurriedly drawing, and looked to Sora. "No, try another way."
He took another path through a few worlds, crossing around them, trying to not skid by them too closely in his rush. "Now?"
She looked up and saw Sora's arm wasn't disappearing… and looked excitedly relieved, "Yes! Yes this is the way!"
She drew dark purple clouds and a swirling black and pink vortex. "Here…" she held up the drawing to Riku, "Also…" she looked away a moment, before leaning her head to his shoulder, "I'm… so sorry… I hoped to greet your safe return very differently…"
He smiled, shaking his head, "Don't sweat it, we'll have plenty of time to catch up and hear from everyone when we get this sorted out." he kept his eyes searching for her image. "Just… make sure Sora's okay, can you do that for me?" he gave her a kind look she recongized from the past, and nodded with joy at his comforting reminder.
"Yes." she agreed, "You can count on me."
Teh ship was suddenly pulled into an gravitational orbit.
"Ahh..!" she gripped his chair to keep herself stable, then threw a hand back to Sora, who had fallen off his own chair he was laying on. "Sora!"
"There!" Riku cried out as he saw another Gummi ship, looking abandoned and twisting around as though unoperational. "That's gotta be Kairi's!"
"Look!" Namine had gotten Sora up off the ground, but his body was restoring, though his eyes were closed and he looked fast asleep. "His body..! It's coming back!"
"Then… he won't become a Nobody?" Riku looked back over his seat, but the controls suddenly powered down, along with the rest of the ship. "Great…" He gritted his teeth, "We're gonna have to jump in!"
"Wha..?" Namine looked afraid, but he rushed back to her and helped pick up Sora.
Realizing that wasn't going to be efficient, he turned to his back and got Naimine to help him, "Get him on my back." he instructed.
Namine helped and once up, Riku got up and offered her his arm, "We're going in that thing… after Kairi." he stated.
"B-but…" Namine worriedly watched as the Gummi Ship lowered it's landing platform, and clung closer and tighter to Riku's arm.
"…Namine…" he spoke her name lightly, making her look up at him with delicately blinking eyes. "Trust me… She's not on that Gummi Ship anymore, right?"
Namine, a little lost by the reassuring eyes and… handsome smile… that she just nodded and gulped quietly, finally quieting her racing, adrenaline fueled heart that was full of fear to have faith and courage in each other. "No,… she's not."
"Then we have to jump." he looked out the port… instead of light… it was violently swirling darkness. "I've plunged into the darkness before… but you were also there to help me out of suffocating light." he looked back to her, "Namine… jump with me."
She looked at him, wanting to be brave, and then placed a hand on Sora's shoulder.
"… No matter what we may face… We'll do it together, and for him." She nodded, finding her resolve and then hugging him close to his arm. "I'm ready..!" she nodded.
Riku nodded, and looking back to Sora, scrunched up his face in concern, before rushing out and jumping into the graviational pull of the dark vortex…
(I don't know, I thought it was fun and engaging, what did you guys think?)