Yuletime: A Christmas Story Hey everyone! Just like I promised, here is that Christmas Oneshot! Enjoy! Disclaimer: KH is Square/Disney, Christie is mine. The lyrcs at the beginning and end are from Celine Dion's song "Taking Chances", and are also not mine. ------ Don't know much about your world, Don't know much about your life ------------ I sighed, curling into a ball against Riku's chest. He was still sound asleep, despite the fact it was past dawn. It was December 21st, 4 days to Christmas. It hadn't chilled much here, but it was still mid-winter. What to get for these people when only Axel and I even cared the holiday was coming. One look at RIku's bandaged wrist and I knew what to get for him, Naminé needed a new dress BADLY, and DiZ was running out of his Munny fund for Ice Cream. Kissing Riku on the forehead, I climbed out of bed. Four days, it was just enough time. ----- Maybe not enough time, eh Christie? I winced, none of these dresses suited Naminé at all. Exchanging length for low cuts, or vice versa. The white dress she had now did enough to show her thighs, thank you very much. Leaving yet another rack, I turned to the last one. All the dresses were the same, low cut, short as hell, and black. No, no , no, no, no. I sighed, Tifa might wear somthing like that, but not Naminé. I spun on my heal, heading back for the counter. Maybe a skirt and blouse? No, that wouldn't work. She never wore anything but those dresses. I yelped, having bumped headfirst into a another customer. We both hit the ground, and I winced. Just great. I'd bumped into the one person I wanted to avoid at all costs. Siefer Almasy. The boy rubbed his head, before standing up. He rolled his eyes before offering me a hand, pulling me from the ground. I muttered an apology, but he just waved it off, leaving the store with a bag under his arm. I headed after him, there was nothing here for Naminé. But before I'd even taken a step towards the door, my foor hit something. A bag, the ones they used here, with a note card attached to it. I picked it up, reading the note. I smiled, I'd know Siefer's hand written scrawl anywhere. I've got the feeling that you'll need this more that me. You can repay me later, Leonhart. -Siefer. In opened the bag and smiled. Perfect. This dress would do perfectly for the resident artist in the household. ------- Riku was a little tricky to ship for, no shop sold what I was looking for. SO i settled for the next best thing, I'd make his present myself. Cream colored cloth was easy to come by in this town, as was the thread and needle I'd need. Waving goodbye to teh shop keeper, I headed for the sandlot. If i tried to sew this together in the Mansion, DiZ would be hounding me all day to "get back to work". At least, at the sandlot I could find a moment of peace to do this right. Humming a Christmas tune to myself, I took a seat on one of the empty benches. Hayner was shodow boxing in the lot itself, with Pence snapping pictures here and there. I smiled slightly, those two were so much like Sora and Riku had been all those years ago. Blinking away tears, I set to work on Riku's present. Ever since we'd left castle oblivion, Riku had been covering his wrist for some reason. I knew he didn't want me to see whatever it was, but those bandages weren't good for him at this point. Thankfully, I knew Riku's measurements my heart, so the size would be alright. When I'd just begun to sew the cloth together on one end, Ollete took a seat next to me. After a moment of fideting, she spoke up. "What do you get for the boys who have everything?" I shrugged, setting down my half finished project in my lap. "Give them your love. It's really all you can do, if they have everything." Ollete looked at Pence and Hayner across the lot, and nodded. "I guess you're right. Thanks." Smiling, she walked across the lot to her boys. They left the sandlot hand in hand, leaving me to my devices. I finished Riku's present just as the clock struck six, tucking it back into the bag so as not to draw suspision. DiZ's present and the tree would have to wait until tommorow. ------ The next day dawned chilled and grey, and DiZ was in a foul mood. Naminé had overslpet the day before, and now DiZ's "schedule" was all out of wack. None of us liked DiZ all that much, and it was worse when he as in a bad mood. I winced, ducking my head as DiZ really started shouting. Naminé's shoulder's were shaking a little bit, and even Riku began to look a tiny bit afraid. After yalling at us for almost have an hour, the man stormed off into the basement. Riku and I exchanged bitter smiles, that giy... Naminé sighed, shoulders sagging as she headed back upstairs. Riku headed after DiZ for some reason, and I left the unhappy mansion for the more chipper town. DiZ either needed a giftcard for Ice Cream or Munny, i was leaning more towards the former. Thankfully, the Ice Cream shops here sold Gift Cards, and I was finished with my present shopping in that day. With the card tucked into my pocket, I started walking around the town aimlessly. Where to buy a Christmas tree around here? I shook my head, maybe a tree was too much to ask for in this town. I headed for the tunnels, maybe they'd have something in the other side of town. I passed one of the many alcoves, waving to Axel before I stopped in my tracks. Wait a minute.... Sighing, I headed back to the alcove I'd just passed, and sure enough, there was the pyromaniac that had been absent during the last three days. His cloak was looking a little worse for wear, and I could tell he was tired, but he waved off my concern, handing me a long box and some red flowers. At my confused look, he smiled. "The box is my present for Naminé. The flowers are for DiZ. Your brother said something about Ansem liking Galbana Lillies." I nodded, knowing where he'd come from. Of course, Leon would have roped a strong gut like Axel into helping with the restoration even a little bit. I was jolted out of my reverie by Axel kissing my forehead, and I looked up in surprise. "That was from your brother to you, so don't ask me to deliver a kiss to him. Only guy I'll kiss is Roxas, and goodness knows where he got off too." I smiled, Roxas would be safe for a little bit longer, and even after DiZ caught him, I had a plan. Axel rubbed the back of his neck, and I understood. We couldn't be seen together, or everything would go to waste. He portaled out, and I turned at footsteps through one of the stagnant pools of water. Someone had seen us. This, could get ugly. ----------- Remember when I said someone had seen Axel and I yesterday? Yeah, I thought so. It had been Riku. And a jealous Riku is a bad thing, especially on Christmas Eve day. Becuase a jealous Riku is a clingy Riku, and a clingy Riku makes it difficult to wrap presents. I had to wait until it was past midnight to get his own present wrapped and set on his nightstand. Naminé's things had been easier, as she always went to be at exactly 10Pm on the dot, every single night. DiZ was hardest, he didn't go to sleep until almost 3AM. For three hours, i sat up in bed just thinking. This was the first Christmas where I was the only one planning anything. On Earth, my adoptive mother would always surprise me on Christmas morning with a small gift, to tide me over for a little bit while the rest of the family got here. More often that not, it was a book or movie to keep my intrest occupied for a couple of hours. Then on Destiny Islands, Christmas was a huge affair. The entire village would pool together, gifts and food would be exchanged, all in all amazing. The entire Island was just one huge family. But here, not so much. Naminé suffered from DiZ's wrath, DiZ had revenge on the brain, Riku was more concerned with waking Sora up, and Axel was trying to find Roxas and stay out of trouble. "And what about you?" you ask? Well, I was more preoccupied with just keeping my friends alive. I looked to the door as the creaky board outside our shared room shierked. DiZ had finally come upstairs. I smiled, slipping from the bed and padding out of the room. I'd hidden DiZ's present in the most obvious place, in the middle of theroom, tucked away behind one of the Unicorn statues. I headed down the stairs, jumping the last two stairs as I knew they creaked. I grabbed the card and flower, tying the ribbon on my way down into the basement proper. I set them on DiZ's chair, he'd see the flower before he sat on it. With that done, I did the one thing I had left to do that night. Still barefoot and in my "pajamas" I headed for the pod room. Wishing Donald and Goofy a Merry Christmas as I passed them, Sora's pod greeted me with a continus hum. My cousin was sound asleep, like he'd been for the past year. Placing my head on the cool glass, I let one tear slip it's way down my cheek. "Merry Christmas Sora." I left the pod room, deep in thought. It wasn't until I heard bells ringing that I actually looked up. There was someone in the house besides us, Riku and Nami were sound asleep, and DiZ didn't wear bells. Best case scenario, it was Axel playing a prank. Worst case scenario, I didn't wanna think about it. I shouldn't have worried. I smiled as I came up the stairs, looks like Santa finds people wherever they are. I waved goodbye just as he exited the house through the garden door, and he smiled. Eyes twinkling, he waved back. I headed up the stairs just as he took off in that sled, and was already back in bed as he flew past the window. "Merry Christmas, and to all a Good Year!" -------- Riku and I woke to pounding on the door the next morning, and I buried my face in the pillow. If that was DiZ, I was going to kill him. The pounding didn't cease, so RIku got up to open the door. Imagine my surprise when in comes Naminé, dressed in the red, shortsleeved dress I'd gotten her, a Lily pendent hanging from her neck. Riku, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, almost fainted when he looked outside into the hall. I got up to see what all the fuss was about, only to smile.' Looks like Santa works in mysterious ways to. Naminé giggled, leaving the room to let Riku and I get dressed. Still confused, Riku peeked into the hallway before nodding. "So that's why you left so late last night. You decorated the whole mansion." Pulling on my tanktop, I shook my head. "Wrong. I didn't put a single light on out there. Sides, it would have taken hours to do all that." Riku shrugged as he zipped up his top, not really convinced. I left the room as he noticed the box I'd put on his nightstand, heading downstairs for the kitchen. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I smiled. I'd gotten my Christmas Tree after all. And it was decorated too. Standing in the middle of the main room, red ribbon garland, white light ands balls, and the star on top. Smelling of pine and snow, this tree was still chilled under hand. DiZ was looking at the tree from the door leading to the only room with a fireplace, a small brown box in hand. His only visible eye widened in shock at the sight of the gargantuan tree, but he smiled just the same. Riku came barreling down the stairs with Naminé fast on his heals, and they both skidded to a halt at the sight of the tree. I'm amazed that Nami hadn't noticed it before. Riku swung his arm around my shoulder, waering the wrist gaurd on his once bandaged wrist. Nami ducked under his other arm and smiled at me, beckoning to DiZ. At his hesitation, I slipped out from Riku's hold and took the wise mans hand, dragging him over to our ragtag little group. "All is forgiven on Christmas DiZ, lighten up." He still hesitated, but could do nothing to stop my dragging him across the room. Naminé, still on an apparent sugar high, shieked loud enough to wake the dead when the doorbell rang. Riku jumped a little, fist clenching instinctively. I headed for the door, ready to call on my daggers if needed, before my jaw dropped at who stood before me. "Oh my gosh..." Kairi smiled, blue eyes filled with joy. Riku, wondering was taking so long, appeared behind me. I swear he almost fainted at the girl in front of him. And it was no shock, she'd really changed in the three years since we'd seen her last. Her hair had grown out to be rivaling Riku's in length, and her face had become more delicate, almost heart like. Naminé wandered over, dragging DiZ behind her for some reason. At the sight of Kairi, I could have sworn DiZ was about to faint. Kairi made a choked sound in the back of her throat, gently pushing her way past Riku and I to stand in front of DiZ. Father and Daughter stared at eachother as the rest of us waited with baited breath. After a minute, Kairi made the first move. DiZ "oofed" as she threw herself at his chest, but wrapped his arms around her anyway. I smiled, pulling Riku and Naminé away from the family reunion. Better give those two thier privacy. We were almost out of the house when Naminé looked up and giggled, running on ahead. Eye twitcthing at all her running around, I looked up and smiled. Mistletoe. Ok, remind me to thank Mr. Claus when we see him again. Riku followed my gaze, before smiling mischievously. "Can't fight fate, can we?" I nodded, walking cloder to him and lacing my fingers with his. The rest, I'm sure you can piece together yourselves. ------- With Kairi lightening DiZ up, dinner was no longer a subdued, quiet affari. Everyone was laughing, even DiZ. He had taken off his mask for once, and it looked like he'd actually slept. He probably had. Naminé and Kairi were giggling over something or another, and I was hardpressed not to keep my hand in Riku's throughout the meal. We finished up at around 8, and much to DiZ's complaints, Kairi had to go home. I snapped my fingers, making everyone jump as I suddenly ran up the stairs. Sure enough, there was Axel, camera in hand. I laughed, taking it from him and sliding down the banister. Without saying a word, and against everyone's protests, I starting dragging hem in front of the huge tree. Kairi caught on quickly, helping me drag her father into position. Nami and Riku move to be standing next to Kairi as I set the timer on the camera, making a mental note to thank Axel when I see him next. While the timer ticked down the few seconds I'd set it to, I ran into my own spot, standing in front of Riku with Kairi and Naime next to me. I made a peace sign in midair as the camera flashed, and the night came to a close. "Merry Christmas everyone!" ------- 2 Years Later ------ The 20 year old woman smiled, setting down the picture frame. It seemed only yesterday that she'd taken that picture, when in reality it had been almost 2 years now. A pair of arms snaked around her waist as she returned to bed, her husband blinking sleep out of his eyes. "Finished wrapping everything?" The woman nodded, slipping into his arms. After a moment of just listening to eachothers even breathing, the Woman smiled. "Merry Christmas Riku." Riku hugged her closer, kissing her forehead. "Merry Christmas Christie." ------------ What do you say to taking chances? What do you say to jumping off the edge? Never knowing if there's solid ground below, or hand to hold, or hell to pay? What do you say? ---------- Merry Christmas everyone, see you next year! ~SH
(giggles) My timing must be good to get you in Business Tech. Yeah, it was fun to write that part. "Spring" 2008 is anytime between January 01, and March 22. I've got another story to finish before then, so don't worry. It won't be that long. Thank you for all your comments so far.
(bows) Welcome everyone, to the final chapter of CoH. I know that this story has been shorter than KoM was or it's KH2 sequel will be (I'm working on 100000 words for that one!) but CoM was the shortest game of the three. Regardless, do enjoy! Disclaimer: KH is Disney/Squares, Griever is Square, Christie/Kia are mine. --------- DARK: Christie, Basement Floor 2 --------- I knew the minute that Riku raised the Twilight Town card, that something was wrong. The light from the door was different, it smelled fouler. Whatever he faught in there, he was fighting alone. I grabbed King Mickey before the little mouse could be torn away into the Darkness, somehow managing to anchor us in place. We'd just have to wait this out. Mickey kept poking around the area, while I leaned back on my elbow. Be safe Riku, I'll be waiting here for you. ----- DAWN: Riku, Twilight Town ------- Shielding his eyes against the setting sun, Riku looked around with a confused look on his face. "Where am I now? I don't remember this place. Your Majesty, do you know where we are?" Riku started, there was no one beside him. "Your Majesty? Chris?!" Riku jumped back, Xehanort had appeared in front of him. "His Majesty and Christina are not here. You must battle me and the Darkness alone!" Riku snarled, Soul Eater ready to be swung, but he stopped. Something was different this time..... "Giving up already? Then accept your fate, and accept me as your master!" Riku smiled, Soul Eater fading away. "You're not Xehanort. Your scent, it's different. The Xehanort in my heart smells much darker, more foul. But not you. It's not the Darkness I smell, it's...something else." Riku tilted his head, then snapped his fingers. "You're the one who guided me when this all started. You pretended to be Xehanort and gave me the card, to make me face my Darkness." Xehanort nodded, almost seeming to be proud of Riku. "Correct." Xehanort disappeared, replaced by a man in red clothing. What could be seen of his skin was dark, and his one visible eye was dark amber. "Call me DiZ, it's as good a name as any. I've been watching you and Christina all along." Riku rolled his eyes, that was no surprise. "Who are you really? What do you want from me?" "I want you to choose." Riku raised a brow in surprise. "Choose?" DiZ nodded. "You are special. Both you and Christina exist between Light and Dark, standing in the Twilight. I want you to meet Naminé, then choose." Riku tilted his head in confusion "Naminé? Who's that?" DiZ chuckled. This boy really was Sephiroth's son, no doubt about it. "You'll just have to meet her and find out." DiZ took a step back, before fading away. "Hey, wait a second!" But DiZ was gone, and with no way to follow him, Riku was left alone. As he headed off down the only path there was, he lost himself in thought. "What did he mean, "standing in Twilight"?" Riku fisted his hands in his hair "UGH! None of this is making any sense at all!" During his walk, Riku hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings, so it didn't really come as a surprise to him that he crashed headlong into a wrought iron gate. Rubbing his forehead as he sat on the ground, Riku looked up at what he'd crashed into. The gate was set in the center of a stone wall, and inside the wall, past collapsing pillars and overgrown grass, was a mansion. Riku stood, wrapping one hand around a bar in the gate. "Maybe Naminé is in here...." Just as Riku was about to try and climb up the gate to get inside, he turned around. Someone else was here. "Hold it, Real Thing." Riku could have smacked his head on the wall, it just had to be HIM. Replica walked into view, before he chuckled. "Well, you've changed. Last time we met you were scared stiff of the Darkness, but not anymore." Riku rolled his eyes. "How can you tell?" "Becuase I'm you." Riku snarled. "No, I'M me." Replica scoffed. "'I'm me' he says. It must be nice, bieng real. A fake like me could never get away with saying that. That's right, I'm a phony! The way I look, the way I feel, everything!" Riku took a step back as Replica's dark powers began to swirl around his body. This kid, real or not, was incredibly angry. Add that to dark powers, and this could seriously get out of hand. "I thought that by finding some new strength I could be someone, someone who's not you! But nothing changes, I'm still just empty! Everything about me is borrowed. As long as your around, I'll never be anything better than a shadow!" Riku jumped aside as Replica lunged at him, fake Soul Eater catching Riku on the cheek. With a wince, Riku backflipped away from the threat. He shook his head, summoning the real Soul Eater into his hand. Replica looked at him with a snarl, before jumping at him once again. Riku sidestepped away from the weighted lunge, wincing in sympathy as Replica crashed into the iron gate. Replica shook the cobwebs from his head, but was unable to continue the fight as Riku took the chance available to him, plunging Soul Eater into Replica's gut. Just as he would have hit the ground, Riku caught his head. Replica smiled sadly. "So, this is the end. Figures." Replica bit his lip, tears somehow beginning to form in his eyes. "But I'm not afraid. Good riddance to an artificial life. I never even had a real heart. What I'm feeling now is probably fake." Riku bit his lip. "What are you feeling?" Replica continued on as if Riku had never spoken. "What happens when someone who's not real dies? Where will my heart go? That is, if it doesn't disappear completly...." Riku offered a sympathetic smile. "It'll go somewhere. Probably the same place my heart will go when I die." Replica smirked, nodding. "How original. Oh well." Leaving Riku with those words, Replica faded away into the sky. When his body finally faded, Soul Eater was left behind, tip stuck in the ground. Riku shook his head, retaking his weapon and walking away from the mansion. With Replica gone, it would seem the only trouble left to him was Xehanort. Leaving Twilight Town behind him, Riku reentered the white hallways. But this hallway had an open door at the very end, and past that door, stood a pale girl with blonde hair and pale blue eyes. Her white dress was wrinkled, and her sandals were a bit loose on her feet as she stood in front of a strange, lotus like device. Riku entered the room, and she turned, seeming to sense his arrival. "You're Naminé?" The girl, Naminé, nodded. "Yes." Riku smiled, crossing his arms. "So, it was you." Naminé tilted her head in confusion, but Riku only smiled again. "Nothing, never mind." "Please, come this way Riku." Riku followed Naminé over to the largest Lotus Pod, and it was all he could do to not draw his sword on the girl when he saw Sora inside. "Sora! What did you do?" Naminé shook her head. "Nothing, he's only sleeping. He has to, to get his memory back." Riku looked to his childhood friend, then back to Naminé. "Tell me what happened." Naminé explained why Sora was sleeping, and much to Riku's amusement, why she had done it. When she finished, Riku shook his head. "I see. Sora chose to forget about this castle and get back his old memories." "You have a desicion to make, too." Riku looked at her funnily. "Why? You haven't been messing up my memories." Naminé shook her head. "It's not your memories. It's about your Darkness. In your heart lies Darkness, and in that Darkness is Xehanort. Right now, he's a bay...but he'll eventually awaken and when he does, you'll be conquered. Before that happens, let me lock your heart tight. I can make it so Xehanort never escapes." "And what happens to me if I let you do that? I'll forget everything, just like Sora, won't I?" Naminé's silence answered well enough. Riku looked at the ground. "The Darkness in your heart will be sealed along with your memory. You'll stop remembering the Darkness, you can go back to the way you used to be. It's your choice Riku. So, choose." Riku sighed, shaking his head as he looked at Sora's sleeping form. "Sora looks like he hasn't got a care in the world. Will I sleep that well?" Naminé nodded, and Riku could only smile. "Sora always did as he pleased. It didn't matter what we were doing, he'd still go off and leave me and Chris with all the work. Take the raft we were gonna use to leave the Islands, that was all Chris and I." Riku smiled wider, shaking his head. "I've made up my mind. When this slacker wakes up, I'm gonna tell him off good. I told him to take care of Kairi, and here he is taking a nap! But I can't chew him out if I'm sleeping too. Keep your lock Naminé, I'll finish Xehanort off once and for all." Naminé put one hand to her mouth. "But if the Darkness he wields gets the better of you..." "I'll make that Darkness show me the way. Besides, Chris would fry me if I give up like this." Naminé giggled. "That's true." "Why do I get the feeling you knew I'd say that?" "I didn't know, I hoped. Becuase you're the one who can." Riku nodded. "So that's why you came to me in the Light. As Kairi." Naminé gasped, taking a step back as Riku moved towards the door. "You knew?!" Riku nodded, smiling. "I knew as soon as I met you. Somehow, you two smell the same. Look after Sora for me." Leaving Naminé with those words, Riku headed up the stairs onto the last floor of this place, grateful to be only one door away from freedom. ----- DARK: Christie, Basement Floor 1 ----- I looked up from my place kneeling on the ground as footsteps sounded behind me. Almost crying in relief, I ran into Riku's arms. He spun a little to compensate for my added wieght, but clung on just as tightly. Mickey walked up to us with a smile. "So, you decided not to go to sleep after all." Riku nodded, keeping his arm around my shoulders. "Yeah. But how did you know that?" Mickey gestured over his shoulder, and I huffed. "DiZ told us." Sure enough, the crimson clad man stood in front of the door leading to Castle Oblivion. Riku cocked a brow. "You know him?" Mickey shrugged. "I'm not really sure about that. I can't help but feel as if I met him somehwere before, but I can't put my finger on it." DiZ waited for us as we crossed the hallway to be closer to the man. "Hey, Voice. DiZ, whoever you are, just who are you?" "Nobody, or anybody. It all depends on whether you choose to believe in me or not." Riku rolled his eyes, and I planted my free hand on my hip. This guy... "Boy, you really like pushing decisions on other people." DiZ smirked. "And you pushed away slumber and chose to face Xehanort." "What, wrong answer." DiZ shrugged, and I began to understand why Xehanort had ousted this guy from home. So annoying with all his riddles. "It was your answer Riku, I'm just here to watch." Riku groaned. "'Watch' as in support me, or 'watch me get killed.'"? DiZ smiled, a card appearing in his hand. "You choose. Then you need only believe in your choice." He threw the card at Riku, nose twitching under his red bandaged as the boy barely managed to catch it. "That card will draw out the Darkness inside of you into this world. Finish your business with Xehanort." DiZ left us with those words, fading away once more. Riku looked at the card in his hand, then to the King and I, nodding towards the door. "Let's go, Your Majesty, Chris." The last hallway was calm and cool, with no trace of the Heartless or Xehanort. I slipped out from beneath Riku's arm as he came upon the door, holding the card between his fingers. "So this card will draw out Xehanort." Mickey smiled. "Don't you worry Riku! Together, the three of us can defeat him." Riku smiled, biting the inside of his lip. "I'm glad you said that, but I have to face Xehanort alone." The resignation in his voice almost made me cry, and from the look on Mickeys face, I knew he was feeling the same . "But...but why?" Riku looked at the ground. "There's no point in doing this if I can't do it on my own. But I do have a favor to ask the both of you. If Xehanort wins, he's going to enslave me. If that happens, I want you to destr--ow." I smacked him upside the head, glaring at him for even thinking about that. "Sure, we'll save you." Still rubbing the new bump on his skull, Riku looked at us funny. "What? You two aren't listening. I want you to destroy Xehanort and me with-Chris, stop that!" I'd smacked him upside the head again, before placing my hands on my hips. "You're the one who's not listening Ri. I've made my choice. No matter what happens, I will be there to help you. I'm not backing down here. Unless you don't believe that the King and I will come through for you..." Riku shook his head, smiling at the both of us. "It's my choice to believe or not. I know that niether of you would ever let me down." Mickey smiled as I hugged Riku tightly. "Same here. You won't lose, not in a million years." Riku laughed, nodding. "Not in a billion years!" Mickey headed back towards the other end of the hallway to give us some privacy, and I took a deep breath. "Riku, I want you to promise me that you'll be careful in there." Riku smiled gently, cupping my face with his hands. Our foreheads touched for a moment, and he nodded as he kissed me. After we broke apart, we both smiled at one another. "I promise." Squeezing my hand tightly, he headed up the stairs to the door. Just before he raised the final card, I spoke up. "I love you." The light engulfed him, and he smiled. "I love you too, Christie." Riku disappeared, leaving me standing at the foot of the staircase, with a tiny mouse King across the otherwise empty hallway. I raised one hand to my neck, feeling the comforting warmth of my shell choker. It moved against my fingers as I swallowed, suddenly afraid for someone other than Riku, the King or myself. I still don't understand why, even after all these years have passed. ------ DAWN: Riku, Castle Oblivion -------- The white room was empty, even Heartless chose to avoid this place. Riku's nose twitched, he knew why. "Come on out Xehanort. I can smell you." Adding a silent who wouldn't? to that sentence, Riku crossed his arms with Soul Eater in one hand as Xehanort appeared in front of him. "Oh, I know what you can do. Your skill with the Darkness has certianly matured. But I don't understand, why accept Darkness and still refuse me? You and I arevery similar. We both follow where the Darkness leads, we exist in the same space. So why deny me? Perhaps some part of you still childishly fears the Dark?" Riku smiled, that had once been true, but not anymore. Not since Christie had come into his life two years ago. "Wrong. The truth is, you just really stink." Xehanort scowled, eyes livid. "You're a fool to choose a fight with me. You've been conquered by me once before. You should know what sort of power you face." Riku rolled his eyes, this guy was crazy. Living space in his head was not going to be cheap after this. "Oh, I do know. I used all the power you had to give and still lost to the Light. I'm not impressed." Xehanort schooled his face into an impassive mask once more, summoning his gaurdian Heartless. "Very well. Then sink into the Dark Abyss!" Riku lunged aside as the Guardian swiped at him. He hadn't spent years sparring with Sora, and then Christie for nothing. This creep was NOT going to beat him, not here. Not after he'd promised to come back to her. Xehanort left himself open to attack after the Gaurdian's lunge, so Riku took his chance. Blood hit the floor as the cloth on the dark-skinned man was ripped under Soul Eater's biting edge. With a roar, Xehanort sent Riku flying towards the wall. But the teen smirked, passing out of existance and reappearing behind his foe, Soul Eater dealing the death blow not five minutes before the fight had even begun. Xehanort's gaurdian faded away as the man fell to his knees, Riku standing just a few feet in front of him. "Insolent brat!" In a last ditch attempt to garner a chance to win, Xehanort used a dark pulse to try and push Riku away. It didn't even make the boy wince, only made him angry. With a snarl, Riku lunged foward. Soul Eater easily tore through Xehanort's body, forcing the man into a heap on the ground. Riku looked over his shoulder, some pity in his eyes. "You're finished. It's over." Xehanort chuckled, almost choking on his own fluids. "Hardly finished. I gave you, the Darkness. My shadow will linger." With a flash of Darkness, Xehanort disappeared. Riku let out his held breath, hold on SOul Eater relaxing. It was finally over, Xehanort was beaten. Riku jumped slightly, a pale purple orb of light was dancing in front of his face once more. "Chris?" The orb chimed, circling his head, then floating over to the, in some kind of gesture to follow it. Riku smiled. "I'm coming, keep your shirt on." The orb smacked into his nose, making it sting. "I deserved that, didn't I?" "Damn straight." ----- DARK: Christie, Castle Oblivion Floor 1. ------ "Damn straight." I crossed my arms, but smiled anyway. Not a scratch on him, and Riku looked much better then he did earlier. Mickey walked up to my side as Riku took a seat on the stairs. "So, Riku...what's next? Are you two going home?" Riku bit his lip, before shaking his head. "I don't know if I can. It's still there. His scent. It's faint, but not gone. I can't go home until it is. His Darkness may still have a hold on me..." I licked my lip, taking a seat beside him. Tiredly, he leaned his head on my shoulder. We were gettin to old for this crap... Mickey tilted his head. "Your Darkness is your own. Just like your Light. Until now, I thought that Darkness was nothing but bad. But my time with both of you has made me change my mind. You've chosen a road I never even dreamt of. Light and Dark, back to back. With you two, they mingle in a way no ones ever seen before. I want to see where that road leads. And if it's ok, I want to walk that road alongside the both of you." The Mouse King extended his hand to us, and Riku smiled, giving his own hand to Mickey. "Wow, Your Majesty, I don't know what to say. Thank you." Mickey nodded, before chuckling. "Oh, neither of you have to call me that." I smiled, taking Riku's hand as we left the castle behind us. "Fair enough, Mickey." ------ DUSK: Kia, Pod Room ----- The brisk winds toyed with her hair as they headed down the only bath leading away from the castle. I guess, I was wrong to try and take her life away from her. She had the chance to kill me, she could have made Griever kill me. But she didn't, even though I'd tried to kill her. Surely, it takes a better soul than I to do that. Riku stopped, meeting DiZ's sole visible eye with a snarl. "What are you making me choose now?" DiZ looked to the roads behind him. "Will you take the road to Light, or the road to Darkness?" Riku shook his head, walking past the old sage and onto the middle road. I smirked. He was one smart kid. "Niether. I'm taking the middle road." DiZ turned to look at the boy as Christie and the King ran after him. "You mean the Twilight road to Nightfall?" Riku shook his head with a smile, taking Christie's hand. "No...The road to Dawn." I smiled, watching them walk out of sight. I changed my appearence to Christie's, before walking though the open portal to Earth. I would still have her life, but this one, I could meld to my own liking. This match is a draw Christina, but next time, I'll win. -------- Walking this road without you to remake forgotten promises and meet you at road's end. -------------- TRAILER BELOW ----------------- Bonds, are strange things. They can help people. -------- Cloud barely grabbed Leon's shoulder as the younger man nearly fell over, keeping him from hitting the ground. "Stupid Leonharts. You need to learn how to sleep!" ---------- But they can also hurt people. ------- Christie clenched her fists, brown eyes staring into Riku's now orange irises. "Dammit Ri! Why didn't you wait?! Had you waited 5 minutes!" Riku shook his head, backing into a dark portal. "I'm sorry." Christie didn't say anything, too busy trying to keep her tears from spilling. "Why didn't you wait...." ---------- Regardless of what they do to us, we need bonds. -------- Leon winced, standing back to back with his sister as Heartless threatened to overwhelm them. "Any ideas?" She nodded with a shrug, then winced as the motion jarred her already damaged ribcage. "One, but you won't like it." Leon smirked. "Then let's go for it." ------- But when those bonds are heartlessly severed, the people they connect, sometimes don't survive. ------- One, two, three pairs of feet on the cold tile, two pairs of skidding knees, the final pair stopping close to the one who's not moving, but no breath sounds from his nose or mouth. The other person isn't getting a pulse, and chokes back her sobs as she tries to revive him. "Damn it Silver, don't you dare do this to me!" One, two, three, four, five tries, nothing works. The Princess cries into her Knights arm, the artist crying silently as the Dark Knight embraces her from behind. The Pheonix only shakes his head, theres nothing that can be done. Even as she sobs her heart out, the girl dosen't stop trying to bring him back. "RIKU!" ------------ Fate bonded us together, and it tore us apart. --------- Bonded Fate, coming Spring, 2008 ------ I hope you enjoyed reading CoH, for despite all the grief it caused me (and many a sleepless night thinking of what to do with Kia) it was fun to write. Christmas Oneshot will be here ASAP, and until then, ~SH
Kairi2011: Thanks for commenting, the next chapter is here right now! --- Hey guys! I'm back again! Disclaimer: KH is Square/Disney. Griever is Square, Christie/Kia is mine. ------ DARK and DAWN: Christie and Riku ------ Riku must have stared at that card for at least 10 minutes before he moved. Taking my hand into his own, he moved towards the door. Before he raised the card, he turned to me. "Chris, are you with me?" I smiled, nodding. "Always." Riku swallowed thickly, then turned towards the door. He raised the card, and the white hallways of Castle Oblivion faded away to the warm sands of Destiny Islands. Once more, if only for a moment, we were home. Riku raised one hand to brush errant strands of his hair away from his face, a small smile on his lips. "I never thought I'd miss the Island Winds so much. It's funny, there was a time I couldn't wait to get off this rock. And now I'm acting all relieved to be home." We walked down the beach a little while, before Riku looked up in surprise. " Is that...? Hey!" He ran forward, but I stayed behind. Tidus, Wakka and Selphie were all there, but instead of the happy teens they'd been in my memory, they were silent here. Riku stopped suddenly. "What's with you guys? I don't think I've EVER seen the three of you so quiet." When they didn't answer, he tilted his head. "What? Is there something on my face?" In a moment, they vanished. Riku stepped back in surprise. "Guys?!" As if expecting me to disappear next, Riku turned to look me in the eyes. I shook my head, walking to his side and taking his hand. He squeezed it tightly, like a drowning man would a life raft. I led him to the little islet he always sat on, before my shoulders sagged. Kairi. Riku's hand left mine as he walked towards her, hope seeming to radiate off of him. "Kairi. Please don't tell me you.." She vanished before he could even finish his sentence, and Riku fell to his knees on the wood. His hands clenched into fists at his side, and he punched the bridge with every word. "No. No. NO!" My daggers appeared in my hand as Zexion appeared in front of Riku. But he stayed on the ground, not responding to what could have been a life ending threat. "Surely you knew this would happen." "Why would I know that?!" Zexion shook his head in pity. "You've been to a number of worlds in your memory before this one. And in those worlds, you met only dark beings. Sometimes, not even that. All that's left in your heart, is Dark memories. Your memories of your home are gone, each and every one." Riku shot up, aqua eyes livid as he looked at Zexion. "That's a lie! I remember everyone from the Islands! Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, Grandpa, Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo, and Kairi and Sora too! They're my, my freinds and family." Zexion scoffed, and it took all my willpower not to punch his lights out then and there "And who threw that away? Maybe you forgot your own actions! It was because of you that your home was destroyed, you called the Darkness here!" The little islet in front of us started to break apart, until nothing was left but wooden planks and palm tree leaves. The once peaceful blue sky had turned a dark, murky purple, with winds blowing this way and that. Riku looked around, shoulders tense. "This is, that night!" Zexion smiled evilly. "The Islands you grew up on were sundered, scattered. Many hearts were lost to the Darkness, because of you!" Things changed here, and I realized that not everything was as the games had portrayed. Riku hadn't opened the door on purpose, it had been an accident. The Heartless shouldn't have come, but they managed to squeeze through the cracking defenses of the Island's Heart. My arrival, had sped things up considerably. The blame didn't fall just to Riku, not this time. This time, it was also my fault. I walked forward, placing a hand on Riku's shoulder for support. He had his eyes squeezed shut, but I knew he felt it. Zexion continued in his tirade. "You hated being an Islander, cut off from the outside world. So you called upon the Heartless to open the door which destroyed the Islands. YOU did that! And now you belong to the Darkness! Look and see what you are!" Zexion faded away, leaving a Darkside in his place. Riku took a step back, eyes wide. "This...this can't be ME?!" We leapt aside as the Darkside swung it's massive fist at us, only for it to hit solid ground. Riku snarled, charging at the creature before I could stop him. Instead of his recklessness getting him hurt this time, it caught Darkside off balance. Riku clambered up the arm and onto it's shoulder, slashing at the vulnerable yellow eyes. After a moment, it caught on to his strategy and began trying to swat him off. A particularly close call left Riku hanging off of Darksides "hair", in danger of being pummeled by the falling debris. With a cry, I charged forward, sending my daggers in to attack Darksides eyes while I hung back, peppering the giant with Thunder and Fira spells. With it's attention switched from Riku to me, it left the boy alone long enough for him to climb back onto it's shoulder and finish it off. Riku leapt to the ground as Darkside faded away, leaving noting but wisps of shadows. In the darkness that followed, we didn't hear or see "Sora" sneak up behind us until his swings sent Riku and I across what was left of the islet. "Sora?!" The younger boy swung at Riku again, forcing him onto the defensive to keep "Sora"s blade occupied with something other than his body. "Stop it Sora! Don't you recognize us?" The keyblader growled, increasing the pressure on Soul Eater. "Yeah! I recognize you both. I can see exactly what you've become!" "Sora" put all his weight onto the Keyblade in his hand, forcing Riku to ground with a pulse of light. He cried out as he hit the sand, silver hair meshing with the darkened sand. "Sora" jumped backwards, not paying me any mind. "Look at you, shrinking away from the Light. You're not Riku anymore, you're just a pawn of the Darkness now." He shook his head, raising the keyblade to the sky. As stars swept around the blades tip, he closed his eyes. "So be it. It's time for you to face the Light!" As if he was sealing a keyhole, "Sora" pointed the keyblade at Riku. A beam of pure light flooded through Riku's heart, and he disappeared. I stood on my knees, eyes searching for any sign of him, but finding nothing. Despite the calming influence of Griever and the knowledge that he would be alright, I was still panicking. "RIKU!" ----- DAWN: Riku, Destiny Islands ----- Falling...falling...Chris? Where are you? "I'm fading...consumed, by the Light..." Unable to slow his descent through the mythical ether, Riku closed his eyes with a bitter smile. "And to think, I never said goodbye..." "You won't have to, because you won't fade." Riku opened his eyes, but seeing no one, closed them again. "You can't fade. No power can defeat you, not the Light, not the Dark. So don't run from the Light, and don't fear the Darkness. Both will make you stronger." Riku began to struggle his way upright, eyes filled with something undecided. "Darkness too?" "Especially Darkness. That power is yours alone. The Darkness in your heart is vast and deep, but if you can stare into it unflinching, you'll never know fear again." Finally understanding, Riku planted his feet firmly on the "ground. "All this time, I've been pushing the Darkness away." "Just be brave. Know that the Darkness is there and don't give in. Do that and you'll gain strength like no other. You'll be able to escape the deepest Darkness unscathed..." Riku smiled, eyes gentle. "And I'll be able to see through the brightest Light." "Follow the Darkness, Riku. It'll show you the way to the friends you love." Riku looked at his feet. "But can I face them?" "You don't want to?" Riku smirked, understanding. "You know I do. And I will! The Darkness, my Darkness, will show me the way." In a flash of Darkness, the Island garb he was wearing faded into the Dark Cloak that Replica had been using. Riku turned, there was that scent again! The bitter scent of Darkness, but underneath it all, was something sweeter. Something, comforting... "Chris. Thank you..." ----- DARK: Christie, Riku's Island ----- Reappearing in a flash of darkness, Riku swung at "Sora", shattering the illusion before our eyes. "Sora" was revealed to be Zexion, and I sighed in relief. He was ok. "How did you find me in the Light?!" Riku smirked, Soul Eater held loosely in his hand. "You reek of the Darkness. Even the Light can't block out that stench. I just followed Darkness right to you." Zexion scoffed. "After all your protests, you're just another Darkling." Riku shook his head. "I know who I am." "Since when? You were terrified of the Dark before!" Riku leapt at the man. "I'm not scared anymore!" Zexion somehow blocked the strike, and with a flash of light, escaped. "Hypocrite!" Riku sighed, Soul Eater fading from his hand as his clothes returned to normal. "He got away." I licked my lips, relief making my legs shaky. Riku turned to face me with a gentle smile as he walked to my side. Offering his hand, he pulled me from the ground and into an embrace. "Thank you." Not really understanding, I just hugged him back. We stood there, in the storm, for who knows how long. Riku pulled back first, leading me by the hand back into the Castle proper. I winced just as we cleared the stairs onto the second to last basement floor. Replica had killed Zexion, I was sure of it. I shook the thought from my mind, a more pressing issue had surfaced. "Riku...Riku..." We both jumped, looking around the empty hallway. "Who's there?" He snapped his fingers as I summoned my daggers. "Of course, that voice!" "I know you can feel it Riku, the grip I have on your heart. You've let the Darkness in. And all-consuming Darkness is what your heart shall become." Riku clenched his fist, shaking his head with confidence. "I'm not like that anymore!" Xehanort laughed. "Oh, I think you are." All of a sudden, I was sent skidding across the hallway, until the stairs were biting into my back. Riku was bieng held aloft in midair by something, but even Griever couldn't tell where it was coming from. Riku grit his teeth. "I..I can't move!" "The deeper the Darkness runs in you, the stronger I become. Controlling your body is an effortless task now. I could have you kill that beloved girl of yours, and you could do nothing to stop it." A bell rang in my ears, and I smiled in relief. The ball of Light that was King Mickey's powers had arrived to save the day once again. Xehanort didn't like this one bit though. "Graah! You interfering again!" With a sigh of relief, Riku hit the ground gently. A third voice rang throughout the area, making both of us towards the stairs. "Golly, I'm glad I made it in time. That should keep Xehanort tied up for a good while." Good ol' King Mickey. He comes when you really need him to be there. "Sorry I couldn't come sooner, Riku, Christie." Mickey walked over to where Riku stood, a big smile on his face. "Your Majesty, it's you!" Mickey nodded. "You betcha!" I sighed in relief, leaning back against the stairs. We were going to be ok now. Riku stumbled forward, one hand tickling Mickey's round ears. The tiny king jumped at least a foot in the air, laughing. "Hey! Cut it out, that tickles." Riku laughed, relief dancing across his face. "This time you're real. No illusions. I'm so glad you came." Mickey smiled gently. "I promised I would, didn't I?" Mickey's gentle smile faded into a look of concern and surprise as Riku fell to the ground. Seeming to sense the King's worry, Riku shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm ok. Just really relieved is all. I was alone for so long before Christie came that having someone else around is a tad, overwhelming for me." I sighed, leaning my head back against the stairs. "But how did you get here, your Majesty? Didn't you say you were really far away?" Mickey nodded, taking a card out of one of his many pockets. "This card showed me the way. I was looking for a way out of the Realm of Darkness, and then this card just came along outta nowhere. As so as I picked it up, it showed me your hearts, way out beyond the Darkness. And that's how I tracked you both down. I guess the card thought it belonged with you." Riku took the card from the King's hand, flipping it over in his own as he looked between the door and me. "Maybe, maybe you're right." --- And we're nearing the end. Two or 3 chapters to go, before CoH comes to a close. After that, KH2! But first, a Christmas Oneshot, which i will post here when it's finished. Until next time, ~SH
GAH! Gosh darnit! I'm falling behind again! Stupid, stupid, stupid. Pardon the fact that I've got to run, and enjoy! --- Disclaimer: KH: CoM is Square/Disneys. Griever is Square, Christie/Kia are mine. WARNING: Violent Battle in Christie's sector, Slight Zemyx in Axel's second sector. -------- TWILIGHT: Axel and Namine, Pod Room -------- Namine was angry. No, angry wasn't the right word. Livid was more like it. Even Axel could see this, and had the sense to back off as his little princess stared down at the girl that had tried to replace Squirt. Her blue eyes flashed, and the Imposter had fear in hers. "Listen here Kia, try and do anything like that again, and I will personally make the rest of your very short life as painful as possible! Am I clear?!" The imposter nodded quickly, before running out of the room in sheer terror. Namine glared after her, shaking her head as she sat down to continue her work. Axel chuckled, making the blond look up at him in surprise. "What? I only said what was on my mind, like you said." Axel smiled, sitting against the wall with a sigh and a wince as his back cracked loudly in protest. "It suits you. You should speak up more often." Namine nodded, but a smile was now set onto her face as she finished the sketch of the day Christie had arrived. "No one can replace Squirt, that's for sure." Namine couldn't help but agree with Axel, Christie was someone who no one could replace. ------- DAWN and DARK : Riku and Christie, Basement Floors 4-3 ------- Theres a saying, on Earth. "Cherish what you have while you have it, for it can be gone in an instant." I don't know who said it, but they were right. I never though that Kia would try to take my life away from me like that. I'm just glad she didn't succeed. Riku squeezed my hand, smiling at me. I smiled back, only to have to smother a yawn with my free hand. Riku chuckled, before yawning himself. It was my turn to laugh, I guess we were both exhuasted after everything that happened. It was probably really late anyway. Unfortunately, the next hallway was far from empty. Unlike when Axel and I had come down through here, Lexaeus was standing in the middle of the hallway, giant tomahawk at his side. Soul Eater appeared in Riku's hand as my daggers appeared in mine. This wouldn't be easy, and there was no rediong it if we lost. Losing was not an ption here. Riku screwed up his face with a cough, and even I had no trouble identifying why. Lexaeus was making this place reek! "That scent.. You're another Nobody!" Lexaeus nodded. "You've both done well to make it this far, Riku, Christina. Your reputations are well deserved. But for you both to fear the Darkness, what a waste of talent." Riku's hand twitched as I growled. That again huh? "I'm not scared." Lexaeus crossed his arms, shaking his head. "I can see that you both are. You've the potential to control it, so cast away the fears that weaken you. Unbind your hearts, and take hold of the Darkness within." I shook my head, looking the man in front of us straight in the eyes. "And if we say no?" Lexaeus smirked, dark green eyes angry. He uncrossed his arms, leaning slightly to lower his center of gravity. "Then you both end here, Light, Darkness and all!" With a yelp, both Riku and I were forced onto the defensive as Lexaeus' dark pulse near sent us flying. He was strong enough to keep up the energy level for near a minute, and when it finished, he still wasn't out of breath. Riku and I on the other hand, were struggling to stay on our feet. Lexaeus took his Tomahawk by the handle, swinging it like it was feather. "See the power of the Darkness! I, Lexaeus, will not yield to frail-hearted cravens! Now, end your resisitance, and let the Darkness into your hearts!" He charged from his place in the center of the hallway, sending us to opposite ends of the room. I ended up near the stairs going up onto the next floor, while Riku was getting forced back onto the last floor. He was meeting Lexaeus' weapon swing for swing, but his back was to the wall, and at the rate they were going, this wouldn't end well. Letting one of my daggers hit the ground and fade away into the void, I gathered magic in my palm. Ice magic to be presice. After a moment to let it gather pwer, I let the Blizarra spell fly. Hitting such a large target was easy, and the spell sent the large man reeling to the ground, letting Riku get away. He smiled at me in thanks, before jumping back into the fray. Thunder and Fire spells proved to be useless, so Ice was the way to go. After I'd peppered him with spells for a little while, Lexaeus turned on me. Raising one hand to the cieling, he cast boulders from the ground into the air, sending them flying every which way. With a yelp, Riku hit the ground to avoid the larger boulders, while I flipped and danced around the smaller ones. The attack left Lexaeus out of breath and panting, it had been his final shot at us. Riku growled, taking Soul Eater into his hand once more. He glared at Lexaeus as I dusted myself off. "Lexaeus!" My head shot up, Riku had played the fool once more and jumped at Lexaeus. The man was ready for him though, and grabbed his Tomahawk from the ground beside him. "Perish!" Before either of us could react, Lexaeus had swung his Tomahawk at Riku, catching him in the middle of his torso. He coughed blood, and for ine fleeting moment, he was suspended on the weapon. But that moment didn't last, Lexaeus swung his giant weapon in the opposite direction, sending Riku flying into the cieling. He hit the cratered tile with a cry of pain, before falling to the ground. In the few seconds before he hit the floor, something in me clicked. I ran forward, barely managing to catch his head with my stomach upon his impact with the ground. I coughed, he was heavier than he let on. Soul Eater clattered to the ground beside his hand, before lying as still as it's wielder. I sat up slightly, before spinning a glare on Lexaeus. He took a step back, but glared at me anyway. "Such power, gone to waste." He started walking towards us, but before I could make a move to get up and stop him, Darkness started to waft from Riku's body. Lexaeus stopped short in surprise, jaw dropping. I was blown back a little as Riku was covered in Darkness, Island garb replaced by the suit I'd seen him wear in Hollow Bastion all those months ago. Seemingly ignoring his injuries, he pushed his way off the ground, grabbed Soul Eater, And disappeared. Barely a moment later, Lexaeus was hitting the ground with a loud thump, tomahawk falling beside him. I looked behind the still falling man, daggers unconciuosly appearing in my hands as Riku stood up straight. Lexaeus disappeared, and Riku smirked. But that smirk was quickly replaed by a look of pain, and he fell to the ground. I let my daggers fade away as I ran to his side, rolling him onto his back and running one hand down his chest. I winced. More than 3 broken ribs, and I wouldn't be surprised if he'd cracked his spine when he hit the cieling. I bit my lip, Cura spells wouldn't work here, they didn't target certain areas during the healing process. Come child, do not tell me that you have forgotten what the Sorceress taught you. I smacked my forehead, thanking Griever as I placed my hands on Riku's chest. ------- 12 Years before ------ Rinoa smiled at Christie. The teenage sorceress nodded, taking the little girl by her hand and leading her over to a table. Squall slept on top of it, fresh scar still bleeding slightly. Rinoa lifted Christie onto the table, careful to avoid Squall's twisted ankle "If you concentrate your magic into your hands, you can heal things that a spell never could do on it's on." Christie nodded, closing her eyes and placing her small hands in front of her, pale fingers ghosting up Squall's scar. Pale green sparks danced between her fingertips and the red skin on her brothers face, and the scar closed up. His brow relaxed now that it didn't hurt, and steel grey eyes opened up. Christie smiled at him, fingers still having that tiny glow. Leon pieced what had happened together, and with a lunge, grabbed his sister into a fierce hug. "Thank you." Christie nodded, dozing off in his arms. That healing spell had taken a lot out of her. Leon stood, and with the help of Rinoa, headed back to the residential quarters, sleeping sister in his arms. ----- I smiled, the memory was still strong. I closed my eyes, concentrating on the healig magic that ran through me. Diverting the flow into my hands, I called upon the highest level of the white magic I knew. Curaga My hands glowed green, with tiny amounts of white and pale blue twisting and turning through the magical currents. Satisfied I had enough Mana left, I ran my hands down Riku's chest once more. I could feel the broken and cracked bones mending themselves under my fingers, and Riku twitched. Sighing in relief as he opened his eyes, I sat back on my hip. Riku looked around, one hand on his chest. He looked at me, and smiled. I smiled back, before letting out a gigantic yawn hidden behind my hand. Those spells still took a lot outta me, even after all these years. Riku laughed gently as he stood, offering me his hand. I took it, shaky on my feet. Riku led me over to a corner, before sitting against the wall. I don't know if he pulled me down or if I fell, but i ended up in his arms. My head was on his shoulder, his breathing lulling me to sleep. "Chris?" Sleepily blinking, I looked at him. "Hmm? What'sa matter?" Riku chuckled, wrapping his arms around my back. "Your cure spells taste like vanilla." I smiled, relaxing into his arms. "Everybody's spells taste different, it's a magical signature." Riku nodded, my hair moving on his cheek. I fell asleep before he could ask anymore questions, with him following me into the land of dreams a moment later. We could afford to relax a moment, we would be alright. -------- TWILIGHT: Axel, Namine and Zexion, Pod Room -------- Axel sighed, brushing some hair away from his sleeping princesses face, then turned from his place at Namines bed as a Dark Portal opened up behind them, only to relax slightly. It was Zexion, not Saix. Dark grey eyes met Axel's emerald green, before Zexion sighed. "First Vexen, and now Lexaeus is gone. What's to become of this broken Organization?" Axel shook his head. "Larxene's outta the picture too, same as Marluxia. Namine and Sora took them out. I wonder who's next?" Zexion chuckled bitterly, leaning against the wall. "Maybe you." Axel smirked, crossing his arms. "Me? Nah. I already took my pounding from Sora, he thinks I'm done for good. I don't plan on doing a repeat performance anytime soon. The only ones left, are you and me. Demyx won't be happy about it either way." Zexion looked away, before bringing out a blue covered book. At Axel's confused look, he handed it to the fire haired man. "I'd like for you to give that to Demyx, if I don't make it. He will understand what it means." Axel nodded, tucking the book into his cloak. Zexion was halfway through his portal, when he turned around. "We won't be needing Riku or Christie any longer." Axel scoffed. "Good luck disposing of them. You wanna take on someone who wasted Lexaeus? Besides, I'm not hurting Squirt anymore than I already have." Zexion smirked. "That's not how I do things. Tell me, did you manage to retrieve the data on Riku's home?" ------ DARK and DAWN: Riku and Chrisite, Basement Floor 3-2 ------ I woke up before Riku, and that gave me the time to notice something. "The air doesn't stink much anymore." My voice woke Riku from his slumber, and he sighed in relief. "Yeah. No wonder I slept so well." I smacked his shoulder playfully. "I could have sworn that was becuase of the company." Riku chuckled as I stood, offering my hand. He took it. "That to." Still with smiles on our faces, we headed up the stairs. I knew Riku was out of cards, so it wasn't a surprise when Zexion appeared on the staircase next to the door. What was a surprise though, was how ragged around the edges he looked. No rest for the weary I suppose. "The scent you both speak of was Marluxia. The ex-keeper of this castle, the Keybalde Master finished him off a while back." Riku jumped at least a foot in the air. "Sora?! Sora is here?!" Zexion nodded. "Would you like to see him? Or should I say, can you face him as you are?" My eye twitched. This again. "What is THAT supposed to mean?" "Darkness and Xehanort's shadow nest themselves withoin your hearts. Aren't you both ashamed to face Sora in these states?" Riku cocked a brow, but anger still ran underneath his eyes. "What?" "Sora's fate is to battle the Darkness. As the Hero of Light, he must oppose hosts of the Darkness. In other words, both of you. If you don't beleive me..." Zexion tossed a card towards us, Riku catching it in midair and turning it over. "Then you had best see the truth for yourselves.." Riku looked down at the card, gasping in surprise. I winced, it just had to be that one. "This card! This is our..." Zexion nodded. "Yes. It is your home." Zexion faded away, leaving Riku and I to our thoughts. I looked from the door to the card still in Riku's hand, then at his face. I couldn't see his eyes, but I knew he was troubled. I was too. This, was getting far out of hand. ---------- UGH! Almost outta time, darnit! See ya later everyone! ~SH
Hey everyone! I'm back again! Disclaimer: KH is Square/Disney, Griever is Square, Christie/Kia are mine. ---- DAWN: Riku, Basement Level 6 ---- Riku sighed, blowing a loose strand of his hair away from his eyes. Every single floor he'd been through was empty of people, only Heartless served as a mediocre diversion from all the loneliness. He clenched a hand around the card Christie had given him, bringing it out of his pocket for it to lay flat on his palm. He was about to call out to her, when he dropped it, clutching his hand in pain. The now burning card hit the floor, becoming a pile of ash before Riku could react to stop it. Eyes wide in shock, Riku looked around. There were no Heartless here, and no men in black cloaks. The card had just, caught fire in the air. Riku shook his head, confusion in his eyes. "This doesn't make sense. Why would it do that?" Riku watched with a heavy heart as the ashes faded away into the floor, blinking to avoid the stinging moisture at the back of his eyelids. Taking a deep breath, Riku continued up the stairs, only to get toppled back down them by a black blur. Riku hit the floor with a great "oof", the thing that had tackled him wrapping it's arms around his neck. Instead of the cold feeling of a Heartless, whoever had shoved him to the ground had a warm feeling to them, smelling vaguely like the orange trees back on the Islands. With a jolt, Riku realized who that scent belonged too. He wrapped his arms around the girls back, not bothering to hide his tears of sheer relief this time. "Christie. You're really here?" The girl nodded into his shoulder blade, fingers digging into his shirt. They stayed that way for at least five minutes, before Christie sat up, offering her hand to Riku. He took it, letting the love of his life pull him up off the ground. Riku smiled, taking her in. She still looked exactly the same, same clothes and hair, same posture, same eyes, and he could feel it, the same heartbeat. The girl licked her lips before opening her mouth, but Riku silenced her by placing a gloved finger to her lips. "No, don't say anything. Just you bieng here is enough." Christie smiled, hugging him around the neck once more. "I'm glad you're alright Ri, I thought I'd lost you." Riku nodded, aqua eyes alight with joy. Christie pulled away, leading him by the hand onto the next floor. But throught the whole trip, Riku couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. ----- TWILIGHT: Axel, Pod Room, Castle Oblivion Floor 13 ----- Axel sighed, watching Christie burrow deeper into his cloak. He'd taken it off and given it to the girl for warmth, but she'd curled into a ball beneath it and hadn't come out for the last two hours. Her breath was still hitching, and she'd sniffle every few minutes, but other than that the girl was silent. Namine bit her lip as she looked from Christie to Axel, the man placing his arm around the blonds shoulders. Namine shook her head. "Her heart is breaking into pieces. There's nothing I can do to help her." Axel swallowed thickly, sympathy flooding his eyes as he looked at Christie again. "Then I'll just have to take her to Riku." Namine shook her head, periwinkle blue eyes flooded with sadness and anger. "Kia has already reached Riku. Taking Christie to him now won't help matters, it's impossible to stop this." Axel opened his mouth, wanting to protest, but Christie cut him off. "I can do the impossible." She stood, Axel's cloak draped around her shoulders. The man smirked. "That's the squirt I know." Christie smiled slightly, a ghost of her former self, but she smiled none the less. Namine stood, white dress crinkling with the movement as Christie headed over the Axel for the portal down. "Kia is you, so you can use her powers as well. Summon your daggers, and you can win this fight." Christie handed Axel his cloak, nodding to Namine. "I'll be ok. I'm not alone." She fiddled with her fingers, following Axel through the portal. Namine smiled, before returning to work on Sora's memory. "I know, you are never alone. Daughter of Griever, I wish you luck." ----- DARK: Christie, Basement Level 4 ----- I winced against the brightness of the hallway, closing my eyes as the portal faded away behind us. Axel put a hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to do this. We can just wait for them upstairs." I shook my head, squaring my shoulders with a wince. The bone still hadn't healed all the way. "No. I have to do this now." I set off down the hall, Axel's bootsteps a welcome reprieve from what would have been complete silence otherwise. Riku was 1 floor below us, and I planned to meet him there. I was mentally preparing myself for Kia, all the while barely keeping my shoulders from trembling. 'I'm a short range fighter, which means Kia is too. I can use magic to stay away, and if push comes to shove, I can summon my own daggers back to me. And then there's... No, it's too risky to summon him. This place is too small, I might bring the whole place down if I summon him. So I'll just have to rely on my own magic. Sounds easy enough. I hope.' My footsteps, and Axels, came to a halt as I stared Kia down from across the hall. She was playing me rather well, her hair had become a darker shade of brown, her eyes were my own green rimmed brown, and she even had the bandages around her left palm, which were conviently missing from my own, baring the scar for the world to see. She whimpered, hiding behind Riku. It took all my willpower not to go over there and carve her a new one, but I stood my ground. Riku summoned Soul Eater, brandishing it at me. I knew then that negotiation wouldn't work here, she had him wrapped around her little finger. "I don't care who you are, but your scaring my girlfriend. Back off, or I will hurt you." Axel seethed from behind me, and the temperature rose by at least five degrees. "You little prick! Don't you get it! Don't you see!? You're bieng tricked by this witch, the real Christie is right in front of me, don't you get---" I raised a hand to shut Axel up, but smiled at him anyway. "Thank you Axel, but this is my fight." I turned back to face Kia, taking three steps forward. She whimpered again, the fear in her eyes reflecting in my heart as Riku raised Soul Eater higher. "Not another step." I stopped, sighing. "Fine. I didn't want to do this, but you give me no choice." I met Kia's eyes with a fierce stare, forcing her to make a choice. "Are you going to play along with this charade and hide behind him, or will you fight for your right to exist?" Her eyes widenend, traces of blue shining through as she began to lose her concentration. "You fight me, the winner lives. The loser, well, she dosen't." Kia swallowed thickly, but she stepped forward anyway. Both Riku and Axel mae steps to come to our sides, but Kia and I turned in unison, shouting over our shoulders in perfect tandem. "Stay outta this!" Riku "meeped" and even Axel seemed shell shocked. A barrier went up, and with it, Kia's technique of mimicry fell into Oblivion. Her true colors shown through, the clothes she'd copied from me fading away into a knee-length balck cloak, the sleeves only coming up to her elbows. My daggers appeared in her hands, the hilts carved a bloody red. I smirked. "Don't you know? Those daggers only accept the first person to use them. Me. They'll keep making your hands bleed like that until you give them back." She growled, sending one flying towards me. In a lucky stroke, I caught it mid flight, the blades on the hilt retracting at my touch and it settled into my palm once more. Fear once more shown in her eyes, the playing field was even now. She lunged with a cry, forcing me to side with a yelp as I fell onto my rear to avoid her Kamikaze charge. It didn't do me much good, she was up and charging agin after barely five seconds, forcing me to stay low and fire spells from afar. She couldn't dodge my spells at all, and with every one that hit her, she became more and more desperate. I couldn't use any more spells, she was moving to fast for me to hit at all. Hitting the ground with a hiss of pain as a cut opened on my forehead, I rolled away from another strike to my head, standing and staring her down. We were both running out of steam to keep fighting, this would be it. Kia summoned the dagger in my hand back into her own, crossing them in front of her face. Magical energy began to flow through the hallway, not only refreshing my own Mana reserves, but giving me an idea. I drew my fingers through the blood on my forehead, swiping it down my left palm. Lifting mh hand in front of my face, I closed my eyes. "Listen to me little one, only through forgetting, can you remember what your blood already knows." My eyes sprang open, the blood on my palm now in the Leonhart symbol. I slammed it into the ground just as Kia's spell took flight towards me. "Griever!" The magical energy's clashed with a massive crash, and my vision went white. ------ DAWN: Riku, Basement Floor 5 ------ Riku covered his eyes with a yelp as the white light made the tile floor and walls glow painfully. The girls fighting inside the barrier vanished from his view for a moment, and when the light finally cleared, his jaw dropped in surprise. Instead of just both girls bieng inside the barrier, there was now a third person. Well, maybe person wasn't the right word. Lion would have been more approiate. A golden lion stood in front of the girl that had come down the stiars with the redheaded man, tail swishing back and forth in agitation as it roared, the protective barrier in front of it's head having deflecting the massive ball of fire from hitting the girl who'd summoned it. It shook it's head, dark gold mane swishing with the movement as the barrier faded. Roaring once more, the lion sat back on it's haunches to await another order. It finally clicked, the firl who had found him one floor down, Wasn't Christie. Teal eyes filled with anger as the imposter charged at HIS Christie, but he needn't have worried. Christie jumped aside, and the lion jumped with her. The imposter hit the ground, the lion placing a paw onto her chest. With one more flash, the barrier faded away. The imposter's hair was a pale, dusty brown, and from Riku could see around the lion, her eyes were blue. The lion growled, baring it's teeth, but Christies hand on it's mane kept it from actually hurting the imposter. The imposter was struggling to get away, but she couldn't wriggle out of this one. Christie turned to the red headed back, before she nodded. He nodded as well, a gentle smile on his face. He walked over, took the imposter out from underneath the lions paw with a pat on it's head as a reward, then faded back into a portal, imposter slung over his shoulder. The lion nuded Christies hand, got a hug as a reward, then faded away into a cloud of golden sparkles. Riku bit his lip, meeting Christie's brown eyes with his own aquamarine. She sighed, taking a few steps closer to Riku, with him doing the same. Her face was calm, no emotion showing in her eyes or face. Riku swallowed, afraid she was incredible angry at him for falling into the imposters trick, but she only stepped forward once more, calm face turning into a gentle, loving smile. He cupped her cheek in one gloved hand, drawing her into his arms. They stayed that way for almost ten minutes, before she pulled back. Blushing, she met his lips with her own. Riku could only lose himself to the emotions flowing thorugh his soul as he met his mid kiss. From somewhere deep within the boy, a gentle, deep voice rang out. "Take good care of my little one, she will care for you." -------- And there we have it! CoH is beginning to wind down to a close, this story, is almost over.
I'll aske again, is it a double post after 5 days? Back again! Disclaimer: KH is Square/Disney, Christie/Kia/The Prophecy are mine. ----- DAWN: Riku, Basement Floor 8-7 ---- Still shaking off a lingering stinging feeling in his palm from having Soul Eater knocked from his hand by Ursula's tentacle, Riku didn't notice someone else enter the hallway until they near crashed into eachother. Stepping back to be near the door, Riku looked up before his jaw dropped. What he saw was more than a bit of surprise. "What the? What are you supposed to be?" The boy in front of him, a perfect replica of Riku himself, laughed. "Surprised? I guess you would be." He walked forward, the same gait that the real Riku had. "I bet it's not everyday you meet your twin. Too shocked to speak? Then this should come as a relief. I'm a replica of you that Vexen made." Riku rolled his eyes. "A fake me then." The Replica growled, snarling at Riku. "I didn't mean "fake"! Just because you're real dosen't mean you're better! We share the same body and the same talents. There is one easy way of telling though. Know what it is? Unlike you, I'm not afraid of anything." Riku scoffed. "And that makes you better? I'm not getting the point here." "YOU are a coward. You're afraid of the dark, and of losing that girl! Both scenarios scare you witless!" Trying to resolve this without conflict, Riku raised one hand in a peaceful gesture. "Look, I don't want a fight---" "You really are a coward! I'm different, I embrace the darkness and that girl means nothing to me. Becuase of that, I can make the dark do whatever I want it to. In simple terms, that means I can wipe the floor with you!" Replica pounced, forcing Riku to roll out of the way or lose his head. Replica wasn't afraid to throw Dark Firagas around like party favors, and by the time the fight was over, both the hallway and Riku were coated in singe marks. But Replica hadn't gotten away unscathed either, his right arm was hanging limply at his side from a solid blow of Soul Eater's hilt, and blood trickled down his face from a cut on his brow. Riku smirked. "Hey, fake, I thought you were gonna wipe the floor with me." "Go ahead, laugh. I'm still new. I'll get stronger and stronger, just you wait. It won't be long before I surpass you. Next time we fight, you're finished." Riku cocked a brow. "Sorry, you missed your only chance. I'm finishing you first, right here and now!" Riku leapt at his copy, only to get knocked back onto the ground by a pulse of Darkness from the Replica. Said Replica laughed as he stood. "It's nice to have the Darkness on my side." He walked to Riku's side, smirking evilly. "How could you be scared of such a thing? You're really missing out on a big thrill." Riku swung his fist at Replicas face, causing the copy to jump back. "Shut up!" "So now the coward is playing tough guy? That's really cute. See you next time, Real Thing. Try not to miss me too much." He ran off up the stairs as Riku's face contorted with anger. "Come back here! I show you who's a coward you punk!" Riku ran after his copy, skidding to a stop as he reached the top step. "Come out you fake! Show yourself and fight!" Riku jumped as another voice responded. "Fake? Oh, I seriously doubt that's the right word." Xehanort appeared in front of Riku as the teen glared at the man. "What are you saying? He's just a copy of me, he said as much himself." Xehanort tilted his head. "A copy yes, or maybe a model. He is an example of what you should be. He accepts the Darkness, just as you once accepted me. But now, you are afraid. Perhaps you are the one who is bieng fake." Riku crossed his arms over his chest. "Name once that I've been afraid of the darkness." "In the card worlds, you grappled desperately with the darkness. Desperation is a product of fear. You fight the Darkness becuase it frightens you." Riku bit back a smart-aleck retort, letting his head take over. "Oh, I get it. You think I'll stop fighting the Darkness just to prove I'm not afraid of it. Nice try, but I'm gonna keep fighting." Xehanort rolled his eyes, a small deck of cards appearing in one gloved hand. "Tch, so stubborn." He threw the cards to Riku, and the boy caught them without a hitch. "Then continue your fight, if you must. Eventually, you will see. You cannot resist the Dark, Riku." Xehanort faded away, leaving Riku by himself in the quiet hallway. Riku toook one of the card and walked to the door, and it was only once he was through it that he realized something. Something important. "She didn't come this time..." Riku clenched his eyes shut. "Christie..." ---- DARK: Christie, Twilight Town ---- Twilight Town. The town that Roxas wakes up on, and where DiZ will hide Sora when the time comes. It's peacefull really, a calm feeling evoked by the orange sunset, But something, or someone, lies beneath the surface. I growled, putting my hands on my hips. "Alright. Whoever you are, come out right now!" Zero's and Ones appeared in a blaze of light in front of me, DiZ shaking his head. "It's been a long time, Christina." I rolled my eyes. "Ansem the Wise. It has been a while." Ansem uncrossed his arms, turning and gesturing for me to follow him. "Come, I have much to teach you and very little time to say it all." I nodded, running after the man. During our tour of the town, Ansem explained everything that had happened the night of the attack on Radient Garden. Apparently Xehanort had sent Ansem into the Dark Realm before throwing the keys to Radient Garden's heart to the Heartless. With both the remnants of the portal and the World Heart exposed, there was nothing to hold back the Heartless from attacking. The rest was simple. The Heartless poured out of the Darkness and nearly destroyed our home. I sighed as I leaned back against the fence of Sunset Hill. "Xehanort is dead. His Heartless possesed my boyfriend, and his Nobody is somewhere out there for all I know." DiZ' visible eye widened slightly at the boyfriend comment, but he nodded. "I know of Riku's plight. I have been aiding him since he first awoke in this Castle. Christina, I ask for your assitance in defeating the Nobodies." I shook my head. "I won't help you with revenge. Axel and Naminé are my freinds." DiZ growled, and I glared at him. "Revenge makes you the fool Ansem. Kairi is alive, and she misses her father!" One amber eye flooded with sadness, but he banished that from my sight. "Kairi will survive without me." I sighed. It was pointless to try and change his mind. I pushed off the fence, heading down the hill and out of the town back into Castle Oblivion. "Maybe she will, maybe she won't. I stand on my statement, I won't help you with revenge. Thank you for explaining to me what happened that night, and thank you for helping Riku. But for revenge, you're on your own." Before I left earshot, DiZ muttered one final sentence. "I know. Your brother said the same thing." ---- LIGHT: Leon, Hollow Bastion Library. ---- Yuffie winced as Leon punched the wall hard, making a cloud of dust fall onto the floor. Aeith ran forward to grab him arm before he could make the dent any larger. "Leon! Stop hurting yourself! You would have felt it if Christie was dead, that man was lying!" Leon panted harshly, but Cloud grabbed his other arm before he could shake Aerith off. "Leonhart! Stop this right now, Aerith's right!" Leon nodded, heavily setting his wieght down onto the chair near the window. Vincent padded down the stairs, a heavy tome in his hand. Yuffie followed him down by sliding down the banisters. "Come on Sqaullie, Chrissy's harder to kill than you, and that's saying something." Leon didn't correct Yuffie on his name, so Aerith relaxed into Cloud's arms. Vincent set the book he'd carried downstairs onto the desk, open to a page in the middle of the book. At Leon's confused look, the gunner spoke up. "It's a prophecy. Christina is in it." Leon stood immeadiatly, looking over the book's page. "Born of days bane, Nights Will defends the one of Dawn. Four as one, one as four. Twilight Crown, Daylight Pearl, Dawn Star, Night Lion. Weak on thier own, straong as one force. Destroying the one who cuased the worlds pain, dawn, twilight and light will become strong, while night fades away, never seen as it fades into the shadows" Leon looked up at Vincent in confusion, and the gunner sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Twilight Crown speaks of Sora Isumaru. His pendant was passed down from his grandfather. Daylight Pearl is Kairi Hikari, that pendant is from her Great-Grandmother. Dawn Star is Riku Takemaru, his grandfather was the previous weilder of Dawn. As for Night Lion, it's obvious. The Leonhart family crest is the crest of Griever, the Lion." Yuffie bit her lip, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "But if Chrissy is the "Night Lion", dosen't that mean she'll fade away?" Vincent nodded, his crimson eyes clouded with sadness as Leon stiffly walked up the stairs. "I'm afraid, that Christina may very well be lost to us already." ---- DARK: Christie, Attic Floor 1. ---- I sighed as I headed down the stairs. The gatway into Castle Oblivion proper was wide open, so I headed on inside. All of the floors but the one leading to the Pod Room were locked, but something was wrong. I turned around, heading back upstairs, and it was there I met one of my worst fears. "Welcome to Pain, Christie." I backpedalled, grabbing one dagger from my sheathes as Kia moved closer. She never went on the offensive, but my gut was screaming at me to get out of there, to turn around and run. I really regret the fact I didn't listen to it. Kia stuck her arm out at a 180 Degree angle to her side, clenching a fist. I almost sqawked in surpirse as my remaining dagger appeared in her hand, but that sqauwk turned into a screech as I had to hit the ground to avoid getting my head cut off. "Why make this anymore painfull than it has to be? Let me end this here and now. Let me take your place!" Kia went all out, and it was all I could do to stay alive. I lost count of the number of times I hit the ground hard, either nearly cracking my skull or back open. I never managed to land a hit on her, but I'd apparently seriously annoyed her. After ducking another swipe at me, she snarled. "Hold still! Blind!" Cursing as my vision went black, I backed up until I hit a wall. Hearing nothing but my own breathing, I wasn't able to hear which direction Kia would come from, so she caught me off gaurd, tossing me to the ground hard. I landed with all my weight on one shoulder, and the bone cracked. Kia laughed as I yelped in pain, her foorsteps coming close until they stopped directly next to me. She rolled me over with a harsh shove, unclasping the necklace that Riku had given me back on the islands. "I told you I'd take everything from you. This will hurt." I would have clenched my eyes shut if my vision wasn't already black, but the killing blow never came. Kia screamed as something or someone knocked her back, and the sound of a dark portal and a pair of running footsteps was all I could hear. "Squirt!" Using my good arm, I shoved my way onto my hands and knees as Axel skidded to a stop directly in front of me, kneeling with his hands on my shoulders. "Are you alright?" I shook my head, launching myself at the red headed man. I don't really remember what happened after that, it's all fuzzy. But I do remember crying in his arms. I don't think I'll ever get over that day. I don't think I'll ever get over having my life stolen from me. ------ Finally, the prophecy is explained, and Kia has shown her true colors. What will happen to Christie and Riku's relationship now that she's been replaced? That's for me to know, and you all to find out. Don't worry, it won't be long. Originally, I'd planned to have Christie and Kia's fight take place in the Garden of Twilight Town's Mansion, but it didn't sit right on paper/computer files. ~SH
DOH! I knew something was off! Thank you for pointing that out, I'll be sure to go edit that. Christie came to the KH Universe from Earth, and since she played the games, she knows "Ansem" as Xehanort. Riku knows because she explained to him what was going on during the six month time they were in Kingdom Hearts. Hee! Thankies! Yes, they are cute. I'm working on another chapter, just trying to figure out what to do with Christie at Twilight Town. GAH! WHere's my R/R Script?!
Hey everyone! Disclaimer: KH is Square/Disney, Christie/Kia are mine. WARNING: Dark!Undertones in Christie's portion --- DARK: Christie, Attic Floor 2 --- Digging my hand into my pocket, I sighed. Only one card left, Destiny Islands. I really wasn't looking forward to this one. Ah well, time to face the music. Squaring my shoulders, I walked forward. Holding the card to the door, I closed my eyes against the light, opening them only when the sweet smelling Island winds blew through my hair. Seeing no one around, I toed off my shoes and socks before wading into the cool ocean water. I really had missed this place, more than I wanted to admit. "Chrissy!" I jumped as someone tackled me from behind, barely catching myself before I fell into the ocean. Two male laughs rang out from behind me as the wieght on my back dropped into the water. I turned, smiling at Selphie, Tidus and Wakka. Tidus still had that silly little bo-staff in his hand, and Wakka was spinning his blitzball on one finger. Selphie grabbed my hand, draging me out of the water and back onto shore. Tidus smiled even wider as Wakka trapped my head under his arm, ruffling my hair. "Girl, where ya been! Are the others with ya?" Popping out from Wakka's arm, I shook my head. Selphie tried to hide her disapointment, but it didn't go very well. Tidus patted her on the pack as I padded back into the water, letting the tide flow around my ankles. Tidus turned to me, confusion in his bright blue eyes. He turned towards the docks as another pair of footsteps sounded on the sand, and I glared slightly as I caught sight of the person he was looking at. "Naminé! Perfect timing, you remember Chrissy, right?" The blond girl nodded, and I had to force a smile as I walked forward to shake her hand. "It's good to see you again Nami, I was worried about you." Something flashed in her pale eyes, but she nodded rapidly to cover it. Tidus seemingly caught on to her nervousness, as he dragged Wakka and Selphie to the Cove. "We'll just leave you two to talk alone." Selphie waved as she squirmed out of Tidus' grasp and ran on ahead of her boys. I waited till they were out of earshot before I turned to Namine. She sat down on the sand, hands fisting around the pale yellow grains. "I'm so sorry. I can't make your memories fade. I can't get inside your heart." I shook my head. "Not true." She gasped a little, before looking up at me. "Maybe you can't force your way into my heart Nami, but you're already in it. I don't know if it's becuase you seem to be a little like Kairi or what, but you've already got a place in my heart. That won't change for anything." As the last of my words left my mouth, I turned to face the younger girl with a smile on my face. She bit her trembling lower lip as I helped her to stand, still smiling. She sniffled, wiping her eyes. "Thank you." I nodded, walking out of the water as the sun began to set. Namine walked off somewhere about an hour or so later, just as night began to tint the sky black. I put my shoes back on, climbing back up to the Treehouse. I sighed as I entered the room, everything was exactly as we'd left it the night of the attack, even the book Riku had been reading. I sent a silent "thank you" to whomever had made the world cards Axel had given me, as this one was really appreciated. I sat down onto the bed, letting my wieght settle heavily against the soft matress. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing i knew, it was dawn and Namine was screaming. I bolted off of the bed, jumping down the ladders and onto the sand. Shadows were licking at Namine's heels as she ran up the beach, but they quickly fell to my blades. Namine skidded to a halt directly in front of me, only to fade away with most of the Islands. Only the part of the beach I was standing on survived, even the shadows had been left to fall away into the void. I swallowed my rising fear and panic, turning as a pair of footsteps crunched on the sand. "Kia..." The girl nodded, a harsh smirk on her face as she tossed dusty-brown hair back over her shoulder. I stood firmly as the rock beneath our feet trembled in the darkness rising from below. Periwinkle blue eyes met my own brown, and it was then I remembered what she had said. ---- "Who are you?!" "I'm you. At least, i'm your nobody." "My Nobody?! But thats crazy, i've never become a heartless!" "Not yet anyway, but you will, just as those three you know of will." ---- "I still haven't become a Heartless Kia. There's no way you could be my nobody." She laughed, circling me like a vulture does its prey. "You still don't get it do you?! You didn't become a Heartless, you let the Darkness into your heart!" She pointed to my left hand, and the bandages still wrapped around it. It clicked then and there. By absorbing the Dark Flare that "Riku" had sent at Sora, I'd created Kia. I shook my head, unsheathing my daggers. She rolled her eyes, raising one hand in a gesture of peace. "Relax Christina. I don't want a fight just yet. Just thought I'd warn you." She vanished in a flash of dark smoke, before she reappeared just behind me. Whispering in my ear, she sent shivers up and down my spine. "I'll take everything you have, and theres nothing you can do about it." She faded away, leaving me feeling shaky. The little Island I was still standing on began to to slowly descend, leaving me directly in front of the door to the Hallway. Shaking off the lingering feeling of dread that remained, I walked forward. Axel was waiting there, looking oddly pissed off. My sneakers clicked on the white floor, making him look at me. His anger seemed to fade away as he looked at me. "Squirt? You ok? You loook like you just saw a ghost or somethin." I swallowed, licking my lower lip. "Something like that." I took a deep breath, taking the Twilight Town card from Axel's outstrecthed hand. He ruffled my hair as he walked down the stairs beside me, causing a small laugh to escape my lips. Once we reached the door, Axel stopped. "Still can't go with ya." I nodded, waving over my shoulder as he portaled away. I plopped down the stairs once he was fully gone, looking over the card. "Will this take me to you, Ri? I hope so." ---- DAWN: Riku, Castle Oblivion Basement Floor 9 ---- Riku dusted his arms off, sneezing away the pollen from Wonderlands flowers. "Stupid flowers, useless things." The next floor was dark, only one light from the wall casting a silveryglow over the hall way. An older man stood blocking the stair case. Dingy blonde hair extending to the small of his back, beady blue eyes set in a pointed face. His voice sounded like someone who'd been hitting the fermented Paopu juice a little to hard. "Riku, I presume?" The teenager tensed, one hand instinctively clenching, ready to summon Soul Eater if needed. "Who are you? Are you with Xehanort?" "You are half correct. Let us say that it's not the Xehanort you know. His is Xehanort and he is not. Which means to say he is nobody." Riku cocked a brow, confused. "Nobody huh? Sorry, riddles aren't my thing. Try to make some sense and I may listen." "He belongs to niether the Light nor the Darkness, but walks the Twlight between. As so I. You and Christina for that matter, walk the same path as I." Riku jerked back in surprise, and the man -Vexen- laughed. "Thats right! We have much in common Riku." Riku shook the surprise away, letting it be replaced by determination. "Maybe we do. But so what?! Is that an invitation to join your club? Yeah, there's Darkness inside of me, just like you said." Riku tensed, drawing Soul Eater up into a fighting position. "But Darkness is my enemy! And you are too, for making everything around here reek of it!" Vexen scoffed, a shield made of Ice that appeared on his arm glimmering in the dim light. "Oh, so it's a fight you want. Very well Riku, it is a fight you shall get!" Riku leaped into action, Soul Eater aimed at the man's head only to be deflected by his shield. Jumping back, Vexen blasted shards of ice at Riku, who barely managed to dodge them.Vexen tried again and again to pin RIku down with a spear of ice, but was never successful. Using Vexen's shield as a springboard, RIku jimped over the older mans head and struck his back. Tumbling to the floor, Vexen sent out waves of ice energy. Shivering, Riku ket on the defensive as Vexen leaped up at him. Finally having had enough to do with the ice coating the floor, Riku took one final leap at Vexen. The man was exhausted from using sp much power againt the teen, and didn't see him strike until it was too late. He managed to get away from Soul Eater's blade, floating back to the door. Laughing to himself, he looked at Riku. "This battle has made it clear. The darkness coursing through you is a tremendous power. All you needed was the right provocation." Riku snarled. "Great. So this was just a trick?" Vexen nodded. "Precisely. Your fiery reaction provided just the data I needed. You have my thanks Riku!" Leaving the confused boy with those words, Vexen faded away into a Dark Portal. Riku clicked his tongue, before shivering once more. Bolting up the the stairs to get away from the cold, Riku let his mind wander. What had the man meant by "data"? Why him? Riku shook his head, shoulders sagging as a weight settled onto his head. "Don't let Vexen get to you. He's just a maniac." Christie's small hands were stroking Riku's forehead as she kicked her feet back and forth in the air, but he didn't mind at all, as it was comforting. Taking a deep breath, he paced the length of the hallway, before turning around and doing it again. "You're where now?" "Floor 1 of the Attic. Almost down here, so no worries!" She giggled at the look on his face, floating to be in front of his face. She crossed her arms over her chest, "sitting" cross legged in midair. Riku smothered a smile at the look on her face this time, and the little fairy-girl laughed. "Finally! I got you to smile again!" Riku nodded, and the girl kissed him on ths cheek. "Love you Riku." The boy nodded as she faded away. "Love you too, Chrissy." --- Done! Till next time! ~SH
(walks into sight, all teary eyed) Sorry guys, the end of the most recent Spyro Game has me like this. Stupid dragon, you're such a fool! Disclaimer: KH is Square/Disney, Christie/Kia are mine. ------ DARK: Christie, Hollow Bastion ------ Hollow Bastion, the place I was born. It won't change much over the coming years, theres to much Darkness here. Clasping my hands behind my back, I walked through the abandoned hallways, leaving footprints in the dust. It wasn't long before I realized, I wasn't alone in the castle. Ducking my head around one corner, I winced. Belle and Beast were in the middle of an argument. "But Belle, I don't understand! I came here to rescue you!" Belle looked away, not meeting Beast's eyes. "I didn't ask you to come. And it dosen't matter anyway, I'm not going back with you. You're just wasting your time." Beast stiffened, clawed paws clenching into fists. "Have you lost your mind?! How can you stay here with that witch?" Belle turned away, towards te hallway leading to the Library. "I've nothing more to say. Now leave, before Maleficent finds you." She walked away, shoes clicking on the tile. Beast just stood there, shock in his eyes. I sighed, coming out from my hiding spot and walking to his side. "I'm not sure what just happened, but are you ok?" Beast turned away, heading down another hall. "No. Not without Belle..." I shook my head, this guy was worse than I was when it came to Riku, and he was just a memory! Sighing, I took off after Belle. The Library doors were wide open, Belle looking out the large windows. She turned as I entered the room, padding forward on bare feet to meet me in the center of the room. "Who are you? Did Maleficent kidnap you too?" I shook my head as I looked around the ancient room. Nothing's changed at all. "No. It's a bit of a long story, I used to live here, when I was little. Wanted to see the place again. Still, I'll take it you don't want to be here?" Belle looked at the ground, discarding her yellow gloves onto the desk. "No, I don't. That witch Maleficent forced me to come here. I've no one to talk, books are all I have to ease my loneliness." She smiled, love coming over her eyes. "And theres him. Oh, I've missed him so much." Fiegning confusion, I tilted my head. "You mean the Beast? If you miss him so much, why were you so mean? Seems to me that you really hurt his feelings." Belle met my eyes, her borwn pools filled with something I couldn't figure out. "You don't understand! I can't let him see how I really feel for him." "Why not? If you love him, you should say so, before something happens to either of you." Belle bit her lip. "It's just that.." Suddenly, she looked behind me at the door. I stiffened, Maleficent was coming. Turning to have Belle directly behind me, I withdrew my daggers from thier sheathes. Belle stifled a yelp as Maleficent entered the room, the witch having a vague look of surprise on her face as she looked at me. "Well well, who do we have here? A guest in my castle?" I snarled, charging at the witch. Word of advice for all you girls and guys out there, never charge at a witch who can throw you completly across the room only by flicking her fingers. Belle cried out as I crashed into one of the book cases, it toppling over just as I managed to roll away. Dodging Maleficents blasts was harder than I'd expected, as her final attack blew me clear over the stairs and onto the second level, where I crashed headfirst into the wall. Trying to shake the spots from my vision, I stumbled to the over hang just in time to see Belle and Maleficent vanish into a dark portal. Growling, I recollected my thoughts and ran after them through the still open portal into the Great Hall. Maleficent had Belle at the edge of the raised center platform, where a waiting Neoshadow was ready to take her heart if she fell. "What are you waiting for? Call to him!" Belle shook her head, eyes shining with determination. "No! I won't let you harm him!" Maleficent snarled. "Then I shall make you scream! The fool will come running the moment he hears your cries." With a flash of silver light, my daggers cut down the Neoshadow, returning to my hands as I sprinted up onto the platform, placing myself between Belle and Maleficent. Surprise filled the witches eyes. "You again? Ah, you wish to join in the screaming! Yes, when that brute hears your cries of pain, he'll certainly come right to me!" I braced myself for an attack, ready to shield Belle from harm. But the attack never came. Beast had arrived. "Don't trouble yourself Maleficent, I'm here." Belle hopped off the platform to stand directly in front of Beast. "You came!" Suddenly, she remembered what was going on. "No! You mustn't! I told you to leave this place! Leave me alone! I never want to see your face again!" I winced at the look on Beast's face. Still, he stood his ground. "All right. If that's how you feel, I understand. My hideous form is punishment for bieng selfish and unable to love. Transformed into a monster, loved by no one, I only bacome more selfish." He looked Belle in the eyes, his own filled with love. "And then, I met you Belle. You're the only person who accepted me. Little by little, you warmed my cold, selfish heart. The memories of our days together are my most precious, I won't cast them aside. So I'm sorry, but I can't leave you here. Even if you hate me for it. Consider it my last selfish act." Tears dripped off of Belles face onto the ground. "But why...?" I cried out in surprise as Maleficent tossed me into the wall, the witch taking the stairs down to Belle and Beast as I crashed to ground in a heap. For bieng just a memory, that woman's got a good throwing arm! "Well well, I never dreamed such ugliness could hide so beautiful a heart. This most certainly calls for a change of plans. Beast, I shall claim your heart instead of Belle's!" Maleficent raised her staff, before launching the ball of energy at Beast. Belle ran in front of him, taking the blast directly to the chest. Her heart was released in a flash of white light, floating into Maleficent's staff. The witch cackled. "Well, so much for the change of plan. Belle's heart it is. It seems that her cold worlds spoke little of her true feeling. She loves you Beast! I can feel it shining in her heart!" I winced, shoving my way off the cold floor as Beast roared at Maleficent. Belle had sacrificed herself to keep him safe out of her love for him, he still didn't realize it. Maleficent left our sight in a flash of green fire, leaving Beast to roar once more. I picked up the card that Maleficent had dropped, slipping it into my pocket as I walked to Beast's side. "Come on, we've got to get her back." He shook his head, looking at his claws. "Why did Belle give her life for mine? I'm nothing but a Beast." I sighed, getting to work on prying open the nearly sealed Great Hall doors. Now I know why Maleficent portaled in! "She didn't seem to care about that. She cares for you." Beast's surprised ice blue eyes met my own determined brown, before he stood. He padded over, ripping the heavy metal doors from thier hinges and tossing them aside with a roar. I grimaced as they hit the walls, ancient metal bending as some loose roof stones collapsed onto them. Beast payed it no mind, and I had to sprint to keep up with the man as he ran through the hallways. The Castle Chapel was where Maleficent was holed up, and the Heartless were adamant in defending it. Invisibles, Defenders, Wyverns and Wizards all jumped to attack us the moment we got close to the door, not giving us a moments rest. Ducking underneath another Wyvern's swooping claws, I cursed as I sent my daggers flying into it's back. With a flash of black and deep purple, it faded away. Beast finished his prey as I retrieved my daggers, shaking his claws of the Heartless blood. He nodded, and we worked together to push the heavy doors open. Maleficent turned as Beast ran up to be directly in front of her. "You've done well to make it this far Beast. As your reward, I'll tell you why Belle rejected you. My dark magic requires hearts of utmost bueaty. Belle was perfect for the task. For deep in her heart, he love for you shone with an uncommon radience. But she somehow guessed my plans, and by denying her love for you, she had put her heart beyond my reach." Beast clenched his fists. "But she saved me! She protected me!" I bit my lip, hand going to the shell necklace I still wore. "She couldn't hide how she really felt." I looked up as Beast roared at the witch. "I've heard enough! Release her heart Maleficent! If you don't..." Maleficent laughed, making shivers run down my spine. "Witch! Don't try my patience!" She halted in her cackles, looking directly at Beast. "Don't you realize why I am telling you all this? Did you think it was out of kindness? I did it to erase your doubts of Belle. Now your heart is beginning to shine with love for her, and it is the perfect fuel for my dark magic! I shall have your heart as well, monster!" I snarled, jumping in front of Beast with my daggers in my hands. "Not if we stop you!" Maleficent glared at me as Beast readied his claws. "You dare to challenge me? You pitiful fools!" She raised her staff, releasing her power and transforming into a dragon. Beast and I scrambled for cover as she doused the area with fire and fangs, her stomping nearly crushing us both. Beast charged at her, tearing scales from skin as my daggers tore into that exposed skin. Maleficent's death throes spread fire through the room, forcing Beast into an Alcove as I ducked behind a piece of rubble from the ceiling. She faded away into a puddle of black blood as Beast and I reappeared from our hiding spots. I covered my eyes as a flash of light swept through the room from Maleficents destroyed staff. Belle appeared from it's tip, looking none worse for the wear. Beast's eyes filled with joy as he ran to her. "Belle! Thank goodness.." Belle looked away, lacing her fingers. "Please forgive me. I had to be cruel to you. But I suppose, I couldn't hide my true feelings." Beast shook his hjead, and the young woman looked up at him. "I'm the one who should apologize. For just a moment, I doubted your love. I never want to remember those feelings of despair." Belle smiled gently, placing one gloved hand on Beast's face. "Then don't. Let's replace the sad memories with happier ones. Starting now." "Belle..." Blushing crimson, I ducked out of the Chapel. Let's just say those two needed their privacy. My face was still red as I left Hollow Bastion for the hallway of Castle Oblivion, prompting Axel to laugh at me. "See something nice Squirt?" I glared at him, only making him laugh harder, emereld eyes filled with mirth. By the time he'd stopped laughing, my face had gone back to it's normal color, cheeks having cooled. Axel coughed once, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry about this." I yelped, quickly rolling away from the thrown chakram. Wincing as the heat from Axel's flames seared at my back, I withdrew my daggers into a defensive postion. I backpedeled away from his throws, careful to duck and dodge away from what I could, deflecting what I couldn't. After nearly ten minutes of my dodging his attacks, Axel bent over to recover his breath, and I took my chance. Knocking his chakrams from his hands, I placed one of my daggers to his throat. His weapons disappeared in a flash of fire, and Axel sighed. "Fine, you win Squirt. Now, you gonna let me up or not?" I jumped back off of him, resheathing my daggers as he dusted himself off. Digging out another deck of cards from his pocket and handing them to me, Axel leaned back against the wall. "Now, what do you want to know?" I plopped down onto the floor, leaning back on my elbows. "For starters, what was that all about?" Axel sighed. "Orders. I'm to 'test your strength and recover any data.' Useless if you ask me, don't know why Vexen needs data on you." I cocked an eyebrow, Axel's questioning tone gnawing at me. "Vexen?" He nodded. "Number 4 in the Order. Cheif Scientist and Number 1 lunatic." I swallowed a laugh at the look on Axel's face, before he leaned down and pulled me from the ground. "Seriously Squirt, my orders are to 'babysit' you. Not that you need it, but orders are orders." I nodded, heading down the stairs with Axel directly behind me. He looked at the cieling before he sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I've gotta go. I'll see you again when those cards run out." I nodded to him, waving as he disappeared into the dark portal. Sighing tiredly, I sat against the wall before letting myself drift off to sleep. "At least I'm getting somewhere with all this." ------ DAWN: Riku, Floor 11 of Castle Oblivion Basement. ---- Riku blinked, swallowing thickly. "Something, tastes kind of funny." He looked around the hall, but seeing nothing, looked back at his palm. "What is this? It's so familiar..." He snapped his fingers, understanding and sadness filling his aqua eyes. "Darkness. The taste of Darkness. What's happening to me? The Darkness even seeps into my senses..." Riku squeezed his eyes tightly shut, one hand clenching around the card Christie had given him. "Don't you worry, Riku." Opening his eyes at the King's voice, Riku cried out in surprise. "Your Majesty!" The bright white orb touched the ground with a flash, turning into the king Riku had last seen six months ago. The key difference was this one was all staticed and fuzzy, like an old TV screen. "What happened to you? You're all, fuzzy?" "I can only send a little bit of my power here." The kind turned on his heel, looking at his tail before turning back to Riku. "But, I have a request." Riku looked at the king in surprise. "A request, from Your Majesty?" The little king nodded. "Riku, don't let go of yourself just because the Darkness has a hold on you." Mickey walked closer to Riku, extending one gloved hand to the teen. "Fight the darkness inside of you! It won't be easy, but don't forget that even in the darkest night, dawn isn't that far away. There's always a little light." "Light, within Darkness?" Mickey nodded, smiling up at Riku. "You, Christie and I have seen it. The far off, welcoming Light inside the Door to Darkness. The Light of Kingdom Hearts. Riku, it'll show you the way. Please don't give up. Believe in the light. That's all I ask of you." Riku smiled, nodding. "Okay. I'll try my best." "And I'll try to find a way to reach you. I'll come, I promise." Mickey extended his hand to Riku once more, but the boys hand passed straight through his. Riku looked at his gloved hand in surprise. "You're, an illusion? My hand passes right through you." Mickey shook his head. "But we shook hands, in our hearts. We're connected, you and me." Riku nodded slightly, watching the king dissappear. "Yeah, I guess so." Riku took Christie's card out of his pocket, but before he could summon her, a bell like chime sounded from behind him. "He's got a point you know. We're all connected somehow." Riku turned to meet a pair of small brown eyes, thier owner looking a bit ragged around the edged as she perched on his shoulder. Her clothes were slightly singed, and she smelled like smoke. Riku cocked an eyebrow. "What happened to you?" "Maleficent. We both fought her apparently." Riku sighed, shoulders sagging. Christie yelped as the motion near sent her flying, but the little fairy managed to hold on. Riku smiled sheepishly as she playfully glared at him. She fluttered off his shoulder to float directly in front of him, kissing him on the nose. "Get moving mister, you've got a lot of ground to cover." Riku laughed as she tried to push him from behind, before heading up the stairs. A though struck the boy just before she began to disappear. "Are you with the king?" Christie shook her head, pointing up at the cieling. "I'm upstairs, Attic Floor 8 to be precise. Like I said, get moving." She disappeared in a cloud of pale purple sparkles, leaving Riku alone with his thoughts. He turned to the door. "We're all connected. Right." ---- Done for now! Hope you liked it. ~SH
Ok, according to your profile, you're 13. I don't know about where you live, but down here in Texas, any 13 year old that spells like this would be held back a year or more in school. I understand if computer problems are keeping you from quickly proofreading your work, but that's no excuse for keeping what could be an excellent story like this. Take the time to look over your story, sound out the words, if something dosen't look right, ask your Mom or Dad to look it over. Also, Google has a free downloadable toolbar that has a spellchecker. Ask your parents, it might help out the whole family. I don't mean to sound offensive or insulting, but all these, errors, for lack of a more appropriate term, is keeping this story from being it's best. You seem creative, but we have nothing to go on for your characters or your potential. I'll try to give as many tips as I can, but stories, are really something that you have to do yourself. If they don't come from the heart, they won't mean anything. ~SH
Oi vey, what a mess. Ok, a few pointers. 1: Capitalization. Sentences always start with a capital letter. "The cat in the hat." Not, "the cat in the hat". 2: Spelling. I can't stress this enough. Kh-Vids has a spell checker on the "Post Reply" page, it's there to be used. 3: Punctuation. Some of your sentences don't need Periods where you've placed them, Commas would do just fine. 4: Length. This is just a presonal quirk, but chapters should be longer than what you've posted. Regardless of all the errors, this is a decent story, and hey, you're not using ChatSpeak. That's always a plus. ;) Do keep it up.
Hey everybody! I'm back again! . Disclaimer: KH is Disney/Squares, Christie/Kia are mine. ----- DARK: Christie, Traverse Town. ----- I bit my lip, crossing my fingers as Leon looked me over. He shook his head, sheathing his gunblade. "Sorry, you're not ringing any bells. Besides, my sister would be 15 now, not 16." I swallowed my response, shrugging as I leaned back against the walls. "It's ok. Sorry, for getting you mixed up with someone else." He smirked, gesturing for me to follow him. "It's alright. You're a good fighter, who taught you?" "My brother, when I was little. The rest was trial and error." Leon stopped dead in his tracks, making me crash into him. He turned, grey eyes meeting my brown. I tilted my head as he licked his lower lip, placing one hand on my shoulder as he leaned down to my level, me being a good head shorter than him. I held his eyes with my own as he looked for something inside me. relief and love filled his eyes as he straightened, before he pulled me to him. "Nee-chan." I wrapped my arms around his back, grateful for the fact this memory was remembering me. He pulled away a moment later, lips quirking into a smile. "Aerith and Yuffie will be so happy to see you." I nodded, tripping as the ground shook beneath our feet with the ringing of the Gizmo Shop bell. Leon cursed, quickly unsheathing his Gun blade from it's sheath at his waist. He turned around, smirking. "Double team?" I nodded, unsheathing my daggers as I walked to his side. The heartless were cut down quickly enough, both of us complimenting the other as our fighting styles were nearly exact opposites. Once all the shadows were gone, Leon led the way to the small house in the third district. He held the door open for me, but I stepped aside to avoid Yuffie's glomp attack. "STILL GOOD AT THAT!" She hugged me anyway, Aerith's gentle laugh making both of us look at the pink clad woman as Leon walked into the house. Yuffie pounced onto the bed, burrowing back under the rumpled covers as Leon sat on the edge of the bed, running his fingers through the ninjas short black hair. Aerith smiled, fiddling with her Holy materia shard. I winced slightly, Cloud and Vincent weren't here. Aerith took a seat at the table as I hopped up onto the window seat, looking out onto the third district. "Ten years. That's how long it's been. We all thought you were dead." I shrugged, looking back over at them. "No way to know otherwise, it's alright." Yuffie sat up, draping herself over Leon. "Still, we should have tried harder." Nii-san looked at the floor, but before he could add to the girls sentence, a tremor rang through the District, sending me to the ground. Aerith sprinted to the window, green eyes narrowing at what she saw. "It's the Guard Armor again!" Leon stood from the bed, gently setting Yuffie on the ground. "Yuffie, go and find Cid. Christie, Aerith, let's go." Yuffie shoved her feet into her shoes, before sprinting back into the second district. Aerith, Nii-san and I headed down the stairs into the plaza. Only I made it into the plaza itself. I turned on my heel as pillars of stone shot up from the ground, blocking my ways out. Taking a deep breath, I withdrew my daggers from their sheaths. Guard Armor attacked with a vengeance, limbs spinning and kicking around. Ducking and weaving under the flying pieces of metal, I sent my daggers flying into the things body, cutting it to shards from the inside. With it's death throes, it's limbs took chunks off the pillars. I yelped, rolling away from one that would have taken my head off as teh Guard Armor faded away. The destroyed pillars faded into the ground, letting Nii-san and Aerith into the plaza just as Cid and Yuffie made thier appearance. I dusted myself off, smiling at them. Cid shook his head. "Dang it midge, you got big." Yuffie hopped onto Leon's back, making a peace sign over his head. Leon looked at me, nodding. "Go. Do what you have to." Leaving me with that, Cid, Leon and Yuffie headed out to the second district. I stared at the first district doors, before Aerith caught my shoulder with her hand. "Be careful. Don't be afraid of your darkness." She disappeared into thin air, leaving me shaking my head. I exited Traverse Town, closing my eyes against the white of Castle Oblivion. I sighed, jogging down the stairs and through the next 4 empty floors. "So close, and yet so far." ----- DAWN: Riku, Hollow Bastion ----- Riku's jaw dropped as he looked around. After a moment of scanning his surroundings, he gave voice to his thoughts. "This is Maleficent's castle! How'd I end up in here? Did someone bring me here while I was sleeping?" He jumped slightly, the Voice ringing out across the abandoned hallways. "What you see is not real. It's just a memory." "Just a... Memory?" Had the voice been beside him now, Riku was sure it's owner would have nodded. "The things you remember of Maleficent's castle from your time here. Those memories became a card, and that card became this world. The things you see, you've seen them all before, haven't you?" Riku nodded, hands on his hips as he looked up. "Yeah. So, what now? Am I supposed to learn something while I'm here? Maybe run into Chris or Sora?" "Ordinarily, yes. You would meet the people in your memories." Riku screwed up his face, what was that supposed to mean? "Ordinarily? Hey, I'm asking you a question!" When the voice didn't answer, Riku rolled his eyes, lip curling into a snarl. "Fine. But it better be you I run into next, I'm sick of talking to thin air." The castle was more than abandoned, for not ever Heartless patrolled it's halls. After ten minutes of aimless walking, Riku stumbled upon his old room. Looking around the dusty area, Riku sighed. "It's like he said. Every thing's just how I remember it. Even this room." The boy jumped as the voice spoke up once more. "It must be nice. Being back in your old bedroom. Think of all the memories." "You again. Sorry, but I could do without these memories. Maleficent gave me this room." The voice laughed. "So she did. And you lived here, tempted by the darkness so you could protect Christina. You cast away your home, your friends, everything, all to protect that one girl. At least they gave you a nice room." Riku snarled, turning on his heel and running from the room. More rooms all turned up empty, although the room that Christie had used was more lived in, still smelling like her. Riku bit his lip as he left the room, shutting the door behind him. "No one in there either. Theres no one in this castle." He looked towards the castle ceiling, aqua eyes filled with rage, and sadness under that. "Voice! I know you're watching, so explain this. Where are the people in my memories? Tell me!" "Are you sure you want to see them?" "Of course I do. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't." "But you cast them aside. To reach the outside world and protect your friends, you passed through the door to darkness. Behind you, you left family, friends, home, everything, all in the pursuit of darkness." Riku snarled again, fisting his hands. "But I cast that aside too!" "Then what do you have to show for it? First your home, then the darkness. Your heart only knows how to throw things away. It's empty, like this castle. Like your memories. That's why no one is in the castle with you, for your heart is hollow except for the dark you couldn't quite shake off." "You're full of it! I rejected the darkness!" The voice laughed as Riku sprinted down the hall. "Did you really, son of Sephiroth?" Riku pretended not to hear that, running through the doors of the castle chapel. Maleficent faced him once he entered the massive room. "I knew you'd return, Riku." Soul Eater appeared in his hand "Maleficent! You're still alive?!" The witch laughed. "You haven't been paying attention, have you? I am but a figment of your memory." Riku looked at the ground, knuckles going white beneath his gloves. "Of all the people I could run into, it had to be you." "Who else? Christina or Sora? Your heart is stepped in the darkness. You can only see people who exist in that same darkness. People like me." Riku squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the moisture pooling beneath his lids. "No..." "Be grateful that you have someone to keep you company. Your heart is empty. Were it not for the darkness in your heart, you would be completely alone." Riku laughed, trying to keep his voice from cracking. "That's sounding pretty good right about now." Maleficent opened her arms, waiting. "Come now. You once clung to me to sate your hunger for the darkness. You want me to be here. Who else but I can give you the darkness you so long for?" Riku looked up, aqua eyes meeting the witches green cat slits. "There was a time that I did want you around. I surrendered my heart to the dark. But never again. You and your darkness have nothing left to offer." He turned around, fist clenching tightly around Soul Eater's hilt. "All I did was lose myself. Empty myself! I'm finished with that, If I'm going to be stuck seeing people like you, people of the darkness..." He turned back around, aqua eyes once more steeled on his target. "Then I'll just have to take you out one by one." Maleficent glared at the boy. "Then don't forget to take yourself out last. After all, you are one of the darkness." "That's fine with me. I turned to the darkness because my heart was weak. I hate that weakness. It's like I'll always be my own worst enemy." He took a step closer to Maleficent. "And seeing people like you embrace the darkness just makes it worse!" He drew Soul Eater into a fighting position, aqua eyes filling with anger. "Enough talk Maleficent, I've had enough." Maleficent laughed, a haunting cackle that would have made anyone want to run and hide. "So you hate the darkness enough to fight it. Oh, the agony you must feel!" She lifted her staff into the air, it's orb tip glowing a harsh yellow. "Let me end your pain Riku, end it forever with the wondrous power of Darkness!" With a flash, she had transformed from the humanoid form she'd undertaken, into that of a humongous dragon. Riku ran forward to combat her, yelping as he had to roll away quickly to avoid her slashing claws and teeth. Her underbelly was within range, so he struck at it. He winced as she cried out in pain, her shriek dumping stones from the ceiling to the ground. Crying out in pain as she singed him with her flame breath, Riku rolled out from beneath her, crouching behind the stones to catch his breath and assess his wounds quickly. His left arm was now sporting a rather odd burn mark, and his cheek was also burned. Cursing himself for getting sloppy, Riku jumped up onto one of the taller pieces of rock, before tossing Soul Eater into the crack he'd made in Maleficent's under scales. With another earth shaking shriek, she tumbled to the ground. Disappearing in a pillar of green fire, Maleficent faded away. Riku sighed in relief, wincing as his arm began to throb with pain. Leaving the castle chapel behind him, Riku exited Hollow Bastion, coming back to the same dreary white hall he'd arrived in after accepting the card. In this hallway however, there was a spinning, diamond shaped crystal, pulsing a crystalline blue. Curiosity getting the better of the sixteen year old, he touched it with his good arm. A feeling much like a cure spell ran through his battered form, lingering longer on his wounded arm and cheek. And as sudden as it came, the feeling gone, taking the burns from Maleficents flame with it. The skin that had been burned away was now just like before he'd fought her, without even a scar to remind him. Riku shook his head before heading up the stairs. Upon reaching the hallway, the voice spoke up once more, making Riku stop midway to the next door. "Why do you shun the dark?" "Oh come on. I know you head every word I said to Maleficent." "Darkness is your weapon, I need you to accept that." "What do you care?" "Stop resisting and accept the darkness. You must, if you are to serve me again!" With a bright flash, Xehanort appeared in front of Riku. "Xehanort. Just as I thought." The dark skinned man laughed. "You don't seem surprised." "You always were chatty when it came to the darkness. So, let me guess. You want to pull me back into the darkness and play puppet master again, right?" Xehanort smirked. "Clever boy, so much like your father. You'll make a fine host once more. No, surrender to me again and.." Riku snarled, Soul Eater appearing in his hand. "You're insane! There won't be an again!" He lunged at Xehanort, only to get forced back by some kind of barrier. Sent flying through the air, Riku crashed onto the hard floor face first. Xehanorts booted feet clicked on the tile as he walked closer to Riku. The boy groaned, trying to settle the raging pain in his heart. "Did you really think you could harm me? A weakling like you couldn't even defeat an Invisible, and you had Christina on your side." Riku curled into himself. "Excuse me, for being weak." Xehanort laughed, but, for some reason, it sounded hollow to Riku's ears. "You need the darkness. Submit! Bow to the darkness, and bow to me once more." Another step, forcing the panic that Riku had tried to hard to hold back to flood his veins. "Not a, chance." Another step. "Only darkness can help you now." Riku squeezed his eyes shut, mental apologies flying across his consciousness as Xehanort was nearly on top of him. "You're wrong!" Riku's eyes flew open, and he shoved him self to his knees. "That voice...Your Majesty!" A bright white orb flew between the young boy and Xehanort, before hovering in a circle around Riku. "You betcha! Riku, you're not alone. Christie and I are rootin' for ya!" The orb flew back in between Riku and Xehanort, disappearing with a flash. But the Kings voice remained a moment longer as Riku stood, facing away from Xehanort. "Listen carefully now Riku. The light'll never give up on you, you'll always be able to find it, even in the deepest darkness! But you have to believe!" Riku nodded, looking over his shoulder at Xehanort. I will. "You hear that Xehanort? I'm not losing to the dark today." Soul eater in hand, he readied himself to attack. "You think some feeble light can save you from the darkness I command? Foll! You don't stand a chance---" Another orb of light, this one a pale purple, placed itself between Riku and Xehanort. "Stuff it you old geezer! You don't know him at all!" Relief flooded though Riku's viens at that voice, making his voice choke. "Chris?" The orb circled his face, before coming to a stop in front of it. With another flash, the orb turned into a much smaller version of the Christie that Riku had last seen, with a major difference bieng that this one had a small pair of black angel wings that were keeping her aloft. She put her hands on her hips, smirking at him. "Yup! Someones gotta cover your rear." A small smile overtook Riku's face, before he turned back to face Xehanort. Xehanort shook his head. "It seems you are intent on resisting the darkness. Very well, see with your own eyes." A small deck of cards appeared in Xehanorts hand, beofre he tossed them to Riku. Christie dodged upwards to avoid getting clobbered, giggling as Riku caught them quickly, fumbling as they nearly slipped through his fingers. "What are these?" "Those are cards crafted from your memory. Advance through the worlds they beget, and you will come to understand. Chasing the light will not distance you from the darkness. You cannot run away." Had Christie's true body been thier as well as her daggers, Xehanort would have turned tail and run from the glare she was giving him. "Who's running you old coot?!" Riku smothered a laugh as Xehanort took a step back from the little fairy. With a final spark of thunder magic at the elder man, the little fairy flew back to Riku's side. "I'll enter those worlds Xehanort. And in the end, if I haven't given up, I win." Xehanort nodded. "Very well. I have one more gift for you." Extending a hand to Riku, he called something from deep within the boy's heart. A green aura encircled Riku's, fading as quickly as it came. He looked up at Xehanort, Christie circling around him in concern. "What did you do?!" "I tempered the darkness that remains in your heart." With a glare, Riku straightened up as Christie perched on his shoulder. "What, you still think that I'd still rely on the darkness?" Xehanort tilted his head before he crossed his arms. "Whether you use it or not is your choice." He floated back towards the door that Riku was about to go through, before fading from sight. But his voice remained. "I'll be waiting, Riku. For you to come to your senses and yield to the Darkness!" Christie flew off Riku's shoulder, shaking her fist at the cieling. She turned back to face the boy she loved, laughing slightly as he plopped down to lay on the floor. Flying to be directly in front of his face, she smiled. One hand swatted at her, making thr young girl giggle as she avoided it. Riku sat up, looking over the cards he'd recieved. "I'm not running, am I?" Christie shook her head, kissing Riku on the nose. "Of course not. Running would mean going back to sleep. What you're doing is called courage." The little fairy looked over her shoulder, nodding to something Riku couldn't see before turning back to face him. With some effort, she dragged one of his gloved hands up into the air. "I have to go now. If you ever need me, use this." With her words, a small, green card had appeared in Riku's hand. A picture of a black wing decorated the card, with a small blue heart on it's back. Riku nodded, and Christie kissed him on the nose once more before flying towards the door . "See you soon Ri." She disappeared in a flash, leaving Riku sitting on the floor. As he looked at the card she'd given him once more, he smiled sadly. "Yeah. See you soon." ---- Hee! I had fun with that last bit. Enjoy! ~SH
Hey everyone! Back again, this time with an all new story. Welcome, to Chain of Hearts! MiniSummary: Our hearts, and our memories, are intertwinced in such a way that they make a web. But what happens, if the web is broken? What awaits, where the threads are supposed to meet? ---- Disclaimer: Christie and Kia are mine, so no stealing! The rest is Square/Disney ---- Our journey began with a simple day, followed by some not so simple days. Followed by some simple months spent in Darkness. Funny, how spending six months in the Realm of Darkness can change a girl. I suppose, I should start at the begiining. My name is Christie, and I'm 16. Ha, you thought I'd use Tidus' line, didn't you? I digress. It's been six months since Sora and the King shut the Door out of here. Six months of walking, talking and sleeping with Riku. Not like that you perverts. Not like that at all. Again, I'm getting off topic. The Realm of Darkness is behind me now, we made it out somehow. At least, I did. We are all connected, by an invisible Chain of Hearts. ---------- I groaned, opening my eyes slightly. It was bright here, not dark like it should have been. I was still half asleep when I shoved my way up onto my knees, so when I saw the grey walls instead of Darkness, it didn't register that I wasn't in the Dark Realm. "Finally awake?" I yelped in surprise, falling back onto my rear at the sound of a male voice that wasn't Riku's or the Kings. "Sorry Squirt, didn't mean to scare you." I shook my head as I took Axel's hand, dusting myself off. "It's ok. Where are we?" Axel sighed, stretching slightly like a cat. "Floor 39 of Castle Oblivion. The 13th floor of the Attic to be exact." He laughed at my expression, digging into a pocket of his cloak and handing me a deck of cards. "Since you can't portal around on your own, and I have to be somewhere, these'll get you through here." He stepped back, a Dark Portal appearing beneath his feet as he saluted. "Good luck Squirt!" He disappeared before I could say anything else, and I pouted. "Thanks for running away on me again Ax. Thanks so much." I lifted one card from the deck, put the rest in my short's pocket, and walked down to the door. I took a deep breath, and held up the card. I shielded my eyes against the light, before dropping my arm and letting my shoulders sag when I saw where this card had taken me. "Traverse Town." --- Basement Level 13: Riku --- Riku twitched, floating in the grey ether. Aqua eyes cracked open, and he looked around. "Where...?" He closed his eyes again, trying to regain his thoughts. The last thing he remembered was going to sleep with Christie in his arms, then...nothing. "You've been sleeping." Riku shot upright, eyes wide as he cried out. "Who's there?!" The voice responded, but not to his question. "You've been sleeping. Here, between light and dark." Riku scanned the area, but saw nothing but the grey fog. "Between light and dark?" It was then he realized he was alone. "Hold on, where's Christie?! And the King?! We all closed the door together, but after that..." The voice's tone was annoyed. "You're the only one who washed up here. Christina is alive, as is the King. But you, you didn't have the power to prevail over the Darkness. No, you should have embraced the Darkness." Riku scoffed, lips curling upward in a half snarl. "Hmph. You talk like I'm some kind of demon of the dark." "You turned your back to the light, before you closed your eyes. Here, blanketed by Darkness, sleep is safety. Sleep is eternal. But..." Riku closed his eyes as a ball of light appeared in front of his face, the light turning into a card. Said card floated around him in a slow, lazy circle. "Is this...?" "It is a door to truth. Take it, and your sleep ends. Take it, and take the first step towards the truth. But, the truth will bring you pain. Will you still go?" The card came to a stop in front of Riku's face. "There can be no returning to the sweet security of sleep." Riku closed his eyes, before grabbing the card. A smug smile flitting on his face. "Seems like a boring place to take a nap anyway." The voice laughed. "As I expected from you, Riku Takemaru." The card lit up in a bright flare, and a sound of pain ecaped Riku's throat as he clamped his eyes shut. when he opened them again, he was no longer floating in the ether, but rather had his feet on solid ground. White walls and floor greeting his as he looked around, before looking bak over the card. "A door to the truth, huh? If it takes me to Chris, I couldn't care less." ---- Sorry it's so short, It's the best I could do. This won't tell Sora's story, just how Riku and Christie's stories connect. By the way, Kia will make her appearence later.
Thanks you guys. Kairi2011: It probably will come earlier than December, but family messes are arriving on a galactic scale, and my computer time is limited by schoolwork already, so I put December as my deadline. I'll PM you when I make the new thread for CoH, so you can read ASAP. Tell me if you'd rather I don't. Kairi1995: Thank you! JapAnimeFanatic: :o Thanks for saying that. Sequel will be up ASAP.
This, is it. It's over. I finished. KoM, has come to a close. 6 months, over 50000 words. Heh, i'm such a sentimental baby. Disclaimer: Not mine, no own, no sue. ---- The tremors that had swept throughout the Dark Realm stopped not long after Kingdom Hearts was opened. But, unfortunately for Riku and I, it brought the Heartless streaming towards us. Kinda like flies to a buffet table. There were far to many to fight after five minutes, so we just ran. Ducking and dodging claws, rolling under Invisible swords, jumping clear of Defenders, it was a friggin obstacle course! Eventually, being only human, we had to stop running. Riku tumbled to the ground, chest heaving from the sprint. I leaned over onto my knees, coughing as I tried to catch my breath. We were standing directly in between the Door and the Light I had seen from the Keyhole. The smaller Heartless didn't follow, but I could sense that our problems were just beginning. Sora, hurry! ----- Infinity's AI stirred as Sora circled the ball of Dark energy floating in space. She had a very bad feeling about this, something was very wrong. She could tell the boys on board her could tell the same thing, for they clutched tightly at thier weapons. She automatically made a transport beacon, saving Sora the trouble. The safest place she could find, is where she would send them. There! That spot would do nicely. The beacon formed, sending a strong signal back to her computers. Sora patted on the wall on last time, before joining Donald and Goofy on the transporter. They were gone quickly after. Infinity sighed, turning her systems onto Stand-By mode. One last thought process escaped her mind before she herself entered Hibernation "Captain, Sora, good luck." ------ Sora bit his lip, looking around. A large open space was all there was, dotted with small rocky points and large balls of darkness floating around, some dropping into a distant star like formation. Goofy looked torn. "Gawrsh, is that all that left of the worlds taken by the Heartless?" "These worlds will be restored if we beat Xehanort, right?" Donald looked up at the young boy, a cocky smile curving his bill. "You betcha!" "But if we do beat him, and all these worlds become restored and disconnected, what's gonna happen to this place, and to us?" Donald couldn't answer. Goofy, however, could. "This is a Heartless world, so maybe it'll just disappear." At Sora and Donald's panicked looks, he smiled. "But no worries. Even if this place goes poof, out hearts ain't goin' nowhere. I'm sure we'll find our friends and families again. Yup, I just know we will!" Sora nodded, face alight with determination. "Yeah. You're right." He looked down at his right hand, Kairi's charm glittering in his palm. He clenched his fingers around it, before re-clipping it to the Kingdom Key, transforming it back into Oathkeeper. I'll return this, I promise. Sora sighed, looking back over the landscape. With no visible path, there was only one thing to do. He put his trust in the light, stepping over the edge. Donald and Goofy made noises of shock and surprise as something supported Sora's foot, the ground sending out pale purple ripples from where his feet were. He smiled. Donald and Goofy followed suit, keeping close behind Sora. Chest's littered the rocks, and Sora popped each and everyone of them open, splitting the rewards between the three of them. Of course, some of these chests contained portals leading to enemy infested platforms. The boys made quick work of them, and were returned to the platform they'd been whisked away from. The final portal was at the star shaped formation at the back, and it led to a Behemoth. Donald kept it distracted from a safe distance with spells, while Sora and Goofy attacked it directly at it's horn. It was quickly defeated, and the portal it left behind whisked the boys to a deep chasm, it's walls littered with Gummi boulders. Goofy walked to the edge of the platform they landed on, looking around. "Gee, I wonder where that Xehanort feller could have gone?" Donald glided after Sora to the bottom, squawking in alarm as Sora jumped headlong into what looked like a cauldron of light. Jiminy popped out from underneath Donald's hat. "Sora's got the right idea, dive into the most dangerous place, and we're sure to find him! After him you two!" He quickly huddled back under Donald's hat, and the two Disney Castle citizens followed his advice. Once down the hole, they found Sora, staring a pillar of oddly colored light. "Traverse Town is in there. I think, that this is the Heart of all Worlds." The remaining pillars only served to strengthen that theory, for the last one they found was of Hollow Bastion. Donald's Blizzaga spell did wonders on the Invisibles guarding a door, as they were quickly dispatched. Once they were gone, the door opened, revealing a machine that looked much like a round disc, with a small computer directly in front of it. Five hearts were floating in tubes around the room, red glow casting an eerie light on the already bloodstained machine. Sora stepped forward, computer coming alive at his touch. He jumped back as a hologram of a blond man appeared above the computer, his lab coat stained with blood of Heartless and humans alike. "Ones born of the Heart and darkness, devoid of hearts, ravage all worlds and bring desolation. Seize all hearts and consummate the great heart. All hearts to be one, one heart to encompass all. Realize the destiny: the realm of Kingdom Hearts. The great darkness sealed with the great heart. Progeny of darkness, come back to the eternal darkness. For the heart of light shall unseal the path. Seven hearts, one keyhole, one key to the door. The door of darkness, tied by two keys. The door of darkness to seal the light. None shall pass but shadows, returning to darkness. Ones born of the heart and darkness, hunger for every heart until dark door opens." More Invisibles appeared as the message came to a close, and in the battle that followed, none of the boys heard the last bit. "To whoever hears this, please, grant this old fool one last wish. Tell my daughter, Kairi, that I'm so sorry. She will understand, when you tell her that Ansem the Wise is the one who asked it of you. You have my thanks if you do, and even if you don't, my thanks go out to you for listening to the last words of a fool. Farewell, and good luck." ------- While Sora was busy fighting his way back to the platforms that linked the pillars, the others at Hollow Bastion were busy as well. The library needed to be reorganized, and cleaned. Did I say cleaned? My apologies. I meant, sterilized. Aerith daintily sneezed as more dust entered her nose, causing her to tumble off the chair she'd been using as a platform and into Clouds arms. He smiled as she sniffled, setting her back onto the ground. "Be careful." She nodded, replacing the chair at the desk just as Yuffie slid down the banister, crashing straight into Leon. She blushed as he gently set her back on her feet, kissing her on the cheek. Vincent smiled from the upper level at this happy sight, fiddling with a locket tucked under his collar. Inside, if anyone would look, was a picture of himself and a woman with red eyes, brown hair, and rather large, ahem, assets. In the picture, they both were smiling at the camera, although they both looked flushed from the bruising kiss they'd just been caught in the middle of. Vincent had conned the picture out of Cloud the next day, giving the blond SOLDIER recruit Aerith's phone number in exchange for the small photograph. He'd kept it close to his heart ever since, and it was the only memory of her he had in the physical world now, now that she was gone. I miss you, Tifa. ----- I bit my lip, quickly casting Cura as another Invisible took a chunk out of my leg. Riku hopped away from his target, before quickly striking it, leaving it without a weapon, and a moment later, without a head. Without it's partner, the Invisible I was fighting was ripe for the picking. Both faded away leaving only wisps of black smoke, as Riku and I sagged against each others backs. His heavy breathing, along with my own, it was enough of a sign that anymore Heartless would be our end. I chanced a look at the door, biting the inside of my cheek as I noticed the cracks in it's gilded patterns. The blasted thing was falling apart at the seams. Once it opened, it might fall into little shards all around us. Riku looked over his shoulder at me. "Chris...I'm sorry I got you into this mess." I shook my head, grabbing one of his hands with my own. "No need to apologize, you're worth all this trouble." He smiled, squeezing my hand tightly. "Once we get out of here, are you going back to the Islands with me?" I looked away. "I can't answer that now." He just squeezed tighter. "Don't worry, I can wait till we're out of this heckhole." I nodded, drifting into my thoughts. I can't make that choice. You, or Nii-san. I'm going to let someone down, whichever I choose. ---- Sora wiped blood off of his lip, sighing as he, Donald and Goofy stepped through the Emblem shaped portal into a small chamber. Inside the chamber was a Transport Beacon, along with numerous small pools of liquefied Gummi. Bu what made Sora grimace was at the back of the chamber. A door, exactly like the one in his dream back home on Destiny Islands. He stepped forward, stopping as he heard something. Blue eyes widened in questioning, he turned to Donald and Goofy. "Did either of you, hear something?" Both of them shook thier heads, Donald looking up at Sora as the young boy looked at the door in shock. "There!" Careful. This is the last Haven you'll find here. Beyond, there is no light to protect you. But do not be afraid. Your heart is the mightiest weapon of all. Remember Sora, you are the chosen one, who will open the door to Light. Donald shook his head. "I didn't hear anything." Sora bit his lip. "Maybe it's just my imagination." Goofy stepped up behind the young boy, placing a gloved paw on his shoulder. "Maybe you should take a rest. Xehanort isn't far away." Sora shook his head, grabbing at the door's handle. "No time to rest. If we let him get away, everything that's happened, Christie and Riku's sacrifice, it'll all be for nothing." The door came open with a mighty heave from the young boy, bathing the chamber in a white light. When the light finally cleared, Sora nearly fell to the ground in surprise. Soft sand was beneath his feet once more, and a sweet smelling breeze caressed his face. "Is this...Is this my Island?" Suddenly, he took off running for the Secret Place, skidding to a stop as Xehanort's voice was heard. "This world has been connected." Goofy looked around, but didn't see anything. "What was that?" "Tied to the Darkness. Soon to be completely eclipsed. You all understand to little. A meaningless effort. Ones who nothing can understand nothing." Throughout Xehanort's monologue, bits and pieces of the Island disappeared, or were warped into shadows of thier former selves. The massive tree that had served as Christie's home for nearly two years had been completely hollowed out, leaving nothing but an empty husk of bark. The beach itself had cracked, tinted a deep purple by the now black ocean. Riku stood on the very edge of the beach, his Island garb once again replaced by the "Dark Suit". Sora bared his teeth, running forward to meet his friend. Once there, "Riku" turned one hand palm-up, pointing out across the water as Xehanort's voice came from his mouth. "Take a look at this tiny place. To the heart seeking freedom, this Island is a prison surrounded by water. And so this boy, he sought out a way to escape from this prison. He sought a way to cross over into other worlds. And although he managed to do so without any help from the Dark, he had opened his Heart to Darkness in order to protect the girl he loved." "Riku" turned to face Sora, his form morphing into that of Xehanort's Heartless. Sora reached out a hand to his old friend, crying out. "Riku!" Xehanort laughed, amber eyes filled with an evil mirth. "Don't bother. Your voice can no longer reach him where he is. His heart belongs again to Darkness. All worlds begin in Darkness, and all so end. The Hearts of people are not different in anyway. Darkness sprouts within it, grows within it, and then, consumes it. Such is it's nature. In the end, every heart returns to the Darkness from whence it came!" Sora jumped back, Oathkeeper appearing in his hand as he faced Xehanort down, sky-stained eyes livid. "That's not true! The heart may be weak, and sometimes, it may even give in. But I've learned, that deep down, theres a light that never goes out!" Xehanort snarled, his guardian appearing on his back. "So, you've come this far and still, neither you nor Christina understand. Every light must fade, every heart return to Darkness!" ---- My daggers cut through another Neoshadow, and I swallowed thickly. This was not going well, and my legs were shaking. Riku jumped back to avoid getting his face slashed into ribbons, but his heel caught a rock, and he stumbled, landing harshly on his back. In my worry, I didn't notice my own target make a flying pass at me. The position my daggers had been in saved me from getting hurt, but i landed with by back against Riku's head. The Neoshadows circled around us, yellow eyes filled with a predatory hunger. Soul Eater disappeared in Riku's hand as he shoved his way up, leaning against me. "It's over, isn't it." I nodded. Letting my daggers fall from my hands, I closed my eyes waiting for the feeling of claws on my chest. It never came. "Get up, both of you!" The smell of citrus fruit and the taste of honey overcame Riku and I, as King Mickey cast Curaga on us. I grabbed my daggers, throwing them to cast Neoshadows out of the air, as Riku and the King bobbed and weaved, killing thier targets with vigor. I smiled. It's far from over. ---- Oathkeeper returned to Sora's hand after one final successful Strike Raid, having dealt the final blow to Xehanort. Said evil overlord floated in front of our heroes, clutching at where his heart had once been. "It is futile. The Keyblade alone cannot seal the Door to Darkness." He turned to face the gigantic doors, extending a hand. "Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of Darkness!" The massive doors creaked open, wisps of a dark miasma creeping out. Sora growled. "You're wrong. I know now, without a doubt. Kingdom Hearts, is LIGHT!" At Sora's words, the wispy Darkness turned into a bright column of light, which quickly overwhelmed Xehanort. "So..warm...but...how?" He disappeared as the boys landed on the platform that housed the door. They all began pushing. "Come on!" Goofy peeked inside the door, yelping in surprise at what he saw. Donald yelled at his old friend. "Stop staring and keep pushing!" Unable to cub his curiosity, the mage chance a look, also crying out in surprise. Both Disney Castle citizens spoke in unison. "The Heartless!" Donald redoubled his efforts to close the doors. "Hurry!" Sora kept trying, but the doors hadn't budged an inch. His arms shaking, Sora let the tears pool in his eyes. "I can't..." Two pairs of hands, one in black gloves, the other with a bandaged left hand appeared in Sora's vision, the owner of the black gloved pair speaking up. "Don't give up! Come on Sora, together we can do this!" ---- The hope in Sora's eyes was reflecting in my own, as we began pulling on the doors from the inside. They slowly began to move, bhut hey were far to heavy for just the five of us. Chills ran down my spine as two Darksides rose from the slain shadows behind us. Donald cried out. "It's hopeless!" I smirked as the Darksides dissapeared under King Mickey's blade. Once more, the denizens of Disney Castle cried out in unison and surprise. "Your Majesty!" The tiny King stood just before the Light in the Darkness, a gentle smile on his face. "Now Sora, let's close this door for good!" Donald nodded vigoursly. "Close it Sora, quick!" The boy looked down. "But, you three..." Riku shook his head. "We can't leave yet. Trust us Sora. You have to close this door." He turned to face the King once more, nodding. The King answered with a nod of his own, facing Sora. "Don't worry. There will always be a Door to the Light." He looked at his friends. "Donald, Goofy, thank you." They nodded, tears in thier eyes. Sora jumped back, his lower lip trembling. He looked once more at Riku and I, Oathkeeper in hand. "Stay alive you two, I'll find a way to get you out." I smiled, and Riku nodded. "Take care of Kairi." Sora blinked back his tears, raising Oathkeeper to the heavens as King Mickey raised his own Keyblade in the same direction. Stars gatrhered around the tips of thier blades, and the Door closed the rest of the way on it's own. It faded away in pale sparkles, leaving nothing but a black void where it had been once. Riku sighed, taking my hand in his own as we walked over to meet the King. Once more, the door is closed. We'll find a way out, I just know it! ---- Tears blurred Sora's vision as he sealed Riku, Christie and King Mickey inside the Dark Realm. It was over. Xehanort had been defeated, the door was sealed. Sora wiped his eyes with his hand, turning as footsteps on the platform heralded the arrival of another person. Red hair stood out against the black sky, and Sora ran to Kairi. Donald made a move to run after the young boy, but Goofy's hand on his shoulder made him stop. "Let him say goodbye." --- Kairi stepped back, eyes filled with apprehension as the sand she was standing on started to seperate from the platform that Sora was running from. "Kairi!" "Sora!" She stepped forward, pitching into Sora's arm as the platforms shook. They started to seperated, as Sora held on to Kairi's hand. "Kairi! Remember what you said before? I'm always with you to. I'll come back to you! I promise!" Kairi nodded, holding Sora's eyes with her own. "I know you will." The platforms finally split apart, forcing the teens to let go of eachothers hand. Sora continued to try and reach for Kairi, but he was unable to grab her hand. Kairi clutched her hands together, closing her eyes in a small prayer. A small ball of warm light fell into her hands, making the girl look up at the sky. Stars were falling to the ground, reforming the Island. Sand strecthed into water, trees grew from the ground. Kairi took it all in, befpore looking back at where Sora had stood. He was barely visible now, one hand cupped around his mouth. Kairi couldn't make out what he was saying, but from the way his mouth moved, she understood. Tears streaked down her face as she fell to her knees. "I love you to, Sora." ---- Three days later ---- Kairi entered the secret place, taking comfort in it's cool depths. She traced some of the drawings with her fingers, before stopping under one of them. "Sora..." He'd drawn a hand extending a Paopu fruit to the drawing of her. Tears streaked down her face as a sob escaped her mouth. She took a chalk rock from the ground, extending her own hand to Sora. With blurry vision, she left the cave, facing the dimming light. She would be alright, until they got back. ---- Four days after the Sealing of Kingdom Hearts ---- Sora held his hands behind his head, Donald and Goofy walking beside him. Donald looked up at the young keyblader. "Well now what do we do?" "We gotta find Riku, Christie and King Mickey." "But where do we start looking for that there Door to the Light?" Sora grimaced, holding one hand to his mouth, before sighing and sagging at the waist. Donald and Goofy followed his gesture, before a yellow dog crossed Sora's vision. His of surpise made Donald look up. "Pluto!?" "Hey Pluto! Where have you been boy?" Pluto tilted his head in thier direction, showing a letter with the King Mickey Crest stamped in wax on it. "Hey! That's the King's seal!" Sora bent on his knees, making himself seem smaller. "Have you seen King Mickey?" Pluto just ran off. The boys looked at eachother, smiling as Sora went two steps ahead of them "Guys, let's go!" All three took of running. The wind caught their laughter, sending it to a red cloaked man hiding just at the treeline. "Do not forget Sora. You are the one, who will open the door to light." KoM End. And we're done. For the last time, I'm typing this. No worries though, two seqeuls are just around the bend. Thanks to everyone for sticking with me for so long. Trailer Below: --- Theres a saying on Earth, "When one door closes, another opens. Even if the door dosen't open, look for a window." But what if, this time, there was no way out? ----- The Attic of Castle Oblivion, grey with dust. Christie, barely 16, brown hair and dark clothes tussled and covered in dust. She groans, beginning to wake up from her undisturbed slumber. --------- When every passage is blocked, and theres no visible solution to the problem, what do you do? ---- Sora's stomach rising and falling with peaceful, deep breaths. Brow unmarred by nightmares tonight, but still he tosses and turns in his grassy bed. ------ When every last course of action is stopped, do you stop? Or do you keep going? ------ Riku, floating in the mysterious fog of the world InBetween, sleeping as if nothings happened. His fingers twitched. ------- The choice is yours to make, i hope you make the right desicion about the road you'l travel. Becuase, once your through, you can't go back. ----- Somewhere deep in Castle Oblivion, a pair of periwinkle blue eyes cracked open, their owner tossing pale brown hair over her shoulder. "This, is gonna be fun." ----- Chain of Hearts, coming December 2007 ------- ~SH
Please get the name right. Well, lookie what I find, when I log on to post a new chapter. This beauty of a comment. Yes, there will be a sequal. 2, to be precise. But, I'm not done with KoM yet. I digress, I came her to post this, not rant. :) And please, call me Silver. ----- Back again! Disclaimer: Read previous chapters, I don't own. The lyrics belong to Enya. ----- Sora pulled Infinity into the port left from the first trip to Hollow Bastion. Once pulled back into orbit, Sora, Donald and Goofy teleported back down to the surface. Beast was on the lower most platform, looking up at the Castle. "Wheres Belle?" "Still in the Castle." Goofy looked at Beast. "Against her will?" Beast shook his head, giving Sora a boost up onto a higher platform. "No. She stayed for a reason. The other Princesses are inside as well." Donald hopped up onto the main platform, calling the lift. "I wonder why." "Let's go ask them." Beast nodded, joining the others on the lift just as it arrived. "You may need my strength. I'll go with you." -------- May it be an evening star Shines down upon you ------------I shook my head, returning my daggers to thier sheathes. There was a steep climb ahead, I'd need my hands free. I cracked my knuckles, beginning the climb. Every handhold was slippery, and my feet kept fighting for hold. After a number of slips, I growled. "Now I'm pissed." Theres something you should know about a Leonhart. When we get angry, we start thinking. None of that lose our tempers crap, we actually use our heads. I looked over the rockface, grabbing at a larger hold. My feet actually were able to get some purchase on the slippery rock, and the climb became easier as I got higher. Once I reached the top, I dusted off my hands, looking around the area as a cold wind blew through my hair. Theres a strange bueaty in the Darkness, it's not scary at all, really. The light was much closer now, and I could see the Keyhole far away in the distance. It's what I saw next that made me swallow in slight fear. The Door of Darkness. Large, gilded pastel doors, shining with an aura of Darkness far off into the Dark Realm. At least five miles away from my current position. I sighed, then looked up once again. Relief coursed through me as I caught sight of the boy I'd come looking for. "Riku...." I put my fingers to my lips, and whistled shrilly. He turned on his heel, and our eyes met. --------- May it be when darkness falls Your heart will be true ------- Sora and the others arrived at the Castle Chapel with very little opposition from the Heartless. Defenders had tried to block thier path, but Beast had quickly torn through them. Five of the Seven Princesses were standing in verious places around the room. One of them turned around to face Sora, blond hair set up in a bun and silvery blue dress slightly rumpled. "We have been waiting for you, Keyblade Master." "Where's Ansem?" Cinderella closed her eyes. "Gone." Another blond, this one in a pink dress turned to face Sora from her place next to Cinderella. "When the Keyhole appeared, and after Christina jumped into it, Darkness flooded out of it. It swallowed Ansem, and he disappeared." Cinderella turned back to Sora. "Aurora is correct. Although Ansem is gone, the flood of Darkness has yet to stop. We're working together to hold it back." Aurora rubbed her hands on her arms, shivering. "I will never forget the look on his face. As the Darkness swallowed him, he was smiling." Cinderella placed a hand on Aurora's arm. Sora left the ladies alone, walking over to Jasmine, Alice and another girl, with black hair and a blue and yellow dress. Jasmine turned to Sora. "Sora! Please, hurry! Darkness is pouring from the Keyhole." Alice looked up at the young Keyblader. "It's all we can do to hold it back. But we..." She looked down, tears leaking from her eyes as the other princess wrapped her arms around the blond girl. Her black eyes met with Sora's blue. "I don't know how long we can even manage that." Sora nodded. "All right, I'm on my way." Snow White nodded. "We're counting on you, Keyblade Master." Sora ran off into the hallway leading towards the Great Hall, Donald, Goofy and Beast close on his heels. Please, just hold on a bit longer.... ----- You walk a lonely road Oh! How far you are from home --------- Riku whirled around, facing the direction of the shrill whistle that had sounded in the darkness. Following the sound, his eyes met with Christie's. Relief and happiness coursed through his viens, and he took of running. Christie sprinted down the steep slope that made up a small mountain. No heartless got in their way, and both youths skidded to a halt an arms length away from eachother. Riku licked his bottom lip, smiling slightly. Christie made an odd sound at the back of her throat, before hugging Riku tightly around the shoulders. Riku spun around to compensate for her wieght, hugging her just as tight. The world stopped for both teens as Christie buried her face in Riku's collarbone. For five long minutes, neither teen let go. Riku was the first to let go, still smiling. That smile fell off both of thier faces as the ground shook beneath thier feet. Once the tremor stopped, Christie looked up. The Keyhole was now being sealed, and Kingdom Hearts was coming open. ------ Mornie utúlie Believe and you will find your way Mornie alantie A promise lives within you now ------------Sora sighed in relief, dusting off his pant legs as the Behemoth released it's stolen Heart. The pale blue heart floated up into the air, disappearing in a flash of white light. Goofy returned his shield to his back. "Now, let's go and seal that big Keyhole!" Sora nodded, Oathkeeper glowing in the dim light as he sealed the Keyhole. He smiled sadly, turning on his heel as Leon's voice sounded from the exit. "Sora. You did it." The boys ran out of the Dark Depths, Sora skidding to a halt directly where Kairi had been laying. "What are you guys doing here?" Yuffie hopped up on the railing, leaning against Leon's arm. "We came in Cid's ship." Aerith came up the stairs, Cloud and Vincent behind her. "This is our childhood home. We wanted to see it again." Leon looked at the ground, clenching a fist. "It's in worse shape than I feared. It used to be so peaceful." Cloud shook his head. "Don't worry Leon. If these guys can defeat Ansem, all should be restored. Including your Island, Sora." Hope came alive on the Keybladers face. "Really?!" Yuffie nodded, but a sad look had overtaken her eyes. "But, it also means goodbye." Aerith looked at Sora, making thier eyes meet. "Once the worlds are restored, they'll all be seperate again." Yuffie looked up at the ceiling "Everyone will go back to where they came from." Sora shook his head, not fully understanding. "Then, I'll visit you guys with the Gummi Ship." Vincent stood from his position against the wall. "It's not that simple Sora. Before all this, you didn't know about other worlds except that Christina and Kairi came from them, correct?" At Sora's nod, Cloud took up from where Vincent had left off. "That becuase every world was isolated. Impassable walls divided them. The Heartless destroyed those walls. But if the worlds return, so will the walls. It'll make Gummi Ships, even Infinity, useless." Sora looked at the ground. -------------------- May it be the shadows call Will fly away May it be your journey on To light the day When the night is overcome You may rise to find the sun --------------------- "So you're saying we'll never..." Leon shook his head, placing one arm around Yuffie's shoulders. "We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other." Aerith smiled. "No matter where we are, or how far apart we are from each other, our hearts willl bring us together once again. They did this time, I'm sure they can do it once more." Yuffie hopped up onto Leons' shoulders, left hand forming a peace sign. "Besides, We couldn't forget you guys and Chrissy even if we wanted to!" Sora laughed. "What't that supposed to mean?" Leon shook his head, turning as the door from the Castle Chapel opened, the 5 princesses bieng led in by Belle. Beast's eyes lit up with joy as he ran forward, taking Belles hands into his own. Sora couldn't hear what they were saying from his place, but he let them be. The others walked onto the platform, no longer scared. Alice hugged Sora around the waist for a split second, pulling back quickly afterwards. "Thank you Sora! I think the Darkness had begun to weaken." Jasmine nodded, looking up at the Keyhole. "But we all feel a powerful Darkness growing somewhere far away." Aurora shifted, skirts making a noise like paper in the wind. "It's the Heart of Darkness. It is where Ansem and Christina have gone. Although for very different reasons, they have both gone to the same place. Find one, and the other will not be far away." Leon tensed, but Sora only smirked. "Then we'll take the gummi ship and deal with both Ansem and the Heartless. We'll bring back Christie, Riku and the King, then we can all go home with Kairi." Leon looked away, causing Yuffie to hug him around the neck from behind. Oathkeeper glimmered to life in Sora's hand, and he turned to face everyone just before leaving the Great Hall after Donald and Goofy. "Believe in me, I'll come back." --------- A promise lives within you now ------ ---------------------- And we're done! Hope you enjoyed! (i hate it when this thing takes away my italics and spacing!) ~SH
Hah! Okay you guys, settle down! It's ashort updae this time. Sorry. Disclaimer: Go check earlier posts, no longer am I going to type this. ---- My Granpa once told me, "Mija, todo lo que pasa, pasa por una rason. Tal vez no lo sabemos porque pasa, pero todo teine una razon." To be frank in translation, he meant that everything that happens has a reason, and despite the fact that we may not know the reason, everything does have a reason. He was right, normally always was. Still, fear is a natural response to an unknown situation, but curiousity goes hand in hand with fear. But I digress. I have to walked at least two miles by now. I wiped my brow, taking a second look around. The light in the distance was certainly much closer than when I'd arrived, but I was tired. There goes my theory that you can't feel anything in here. I sighed, sitting down on the cool earth. It seemed to be a mixture of dirt, gravel, and dust. Common stuff to find in a backyard. It didn't matter now, this stuff wasn't flammable by any means, and there was no wood. I'd have to make due without a fire if I was going to get any sleep at all. I lay on my side, one hand on my sheathes, the other supporting my head. Nothing's making sense anymore, and I'm scared. Sora should be getting back to Traverse Town by now, I hope that he's alright. With thoughts of my friends in my mind, I drifted off into a light slumber. ---- Sora winced as Leon fixed him with a steely eyed glare when Christie didn't come off the ship. Yuffie's hand on his arm calmed the angry man slightly, and he beckoned them forward, Kairi keeping a half step behind the Keyblader. Once inside the Cafe, Leon leaned back against the wall. "Tell me what happened. Nee-chan is still back there?" Sora nodded, grasping at Kairi's hand as he told the story of what had happened at Hollow Bastion. Once he was finished, Leon nodded. "So the darkness is flowing out of that Keyhole...." Aerith tilted her head, green eyes clouded with sadness. "No wonder there are more and more Heartless everywhere. The only way to stop them is by...." Sora looked at her. "Seal the keyhole, right?" Leon closed his eyes, leaning heavily on the wall. "Maybe. But no one knows what will happen once it's sealed." Sora growled, clenching a fist. "Well, we can't just stay here! We have to do something! I've got two friends back there, and your sister stayed behind!" Leon looked away, but nodded. "That's right. You have Riku and Nee-chan to worry about. That dark Keyblade must have been born of the captive princesses' hearts. Just like that keyhole you saw. Of course, without Kairi's heart, it remained incomplete. But, once the Keyblade was destroyed, the princesses' hearts should have been freed. Don't worry Sora, if anyone can save Riku and Nee-chan, it's you. Go talk to Cid about going back to Hollow Bastion, he'll know what to do." Leaving everyone in the cafe with those words, Leon walked off into the plaza of the First District. Cloud, from his chair next to Aerith, shook his head. Vincent nodded at the blond man, looking to Sora. "He's worried about Christie. She always kept her promises as a little girl, so it's a first that she hasn't." Kairi looked torn as she looked out at Leon. Aerith stood, placing a hand on the young girls shoulder. "We're going to go back to Hollow Bastion, you're welcome to come along. After all, it's your home." Neither teen said anything. ---- Riku panted, wiping more heartless blood off his skin. He'd lost count of the hours he'd been fighjting through the seemingly infinite shadows. Every one he cut down only brought five more to the surface, and he was quickly losing stamina to continue fighting. As at least ten more of the spindly creatures rose from the ground, he groaned, turning around and running, Christie's voice coming into his mind, a time when everything was still peaceful back on Destiny Islands. ---- Riku hit the sand back first, letting the air out of his lungs in a loud "whoosh" Sora had challenged him to fight Wakka. Little had he known, the blitzer was in a very foul mood, and had throughly thrashed Riku. Everyone else had left the island already, Tidus dragging the steaming Blitzball player off the little spit of land. A gentle laugh hit Riku's ears, and he turned his head to see Christie sitting on the little platform just above the sand level. "There comes a time when running away is allowed by a mans pride Riku. You'd do well to learn when that is." She helped him up, bade him a good night and safe journey back to his home, then climbed up the ladder into the treehouse. The next morning, Wakka apologized for beating him so soundly, but Riku waved it off, saying he need the blow to his ego. Sora and Kairi had both worried if he was getting sick, but Christie only nodded. ----- Riku sighed as his back hit the ground behind a rock, safe for the moment. "I hope they're all alright." ----- Leaving Kairi with Yuffie, Sora headed for the ledge above the Alley wall, catching Cid's eye. "Cid, I need to go back to Hollow Bastion." The old pilot rubbed the back of his neck, wincing as it cracked. "The Heartless there are multiplying by the minute. They'd eat your ship up faster than Yuffie eats those Insta-Noodles." Sora grimaced, that was to fast for his liking. Still, he shook his head. "Then what can we do? I have to get back to Hollow Bastion somehow." Cid chuckled. "Simple. Go around 'em instead of through. Install a new navigation gummi and take another route." Sora tilted his head in curiousity. "A new gummi? From where?" "The secret waterway. When I came here nine years ago, I stored it there in case I ever needed again. Just never thought a kid would be the one to use it." Cid walked off laughing as Sora shook his head. "Whatever you say Gramps." ----- I don't know how long I'd been sleeping, but I woke up to a feeling of dread. Something was very wrong in the Darkness, and I was working blind. Daggers spinning into my fingers, I shook off the lingering sleep, running further into the direction that the light was coming from. Shadows flitted around my feet, not bothering to attack me, but more so, seemingly heading in the same direction. There was someone here besides Riku and I, and they wanted whoever it was very badly. I almost smacked myself as I remembered that the King was also back here, and his Heart would be a very tasty snack for these blasted creatures. I skidded to a stop as columns of light sprung up just ahead of me, scattering the Heartless like wind scatters the autumn leaves. I smiled as I saw the kings tiny figure standing on one of the highest ledges in the area, Keyblade in hand. Crazy mouse. He nodded in my direction, before running off out of sight. I rolled my eyes, continueing my run. I had to find Riku beofre Sora arrived to close the door, otherwise, who knows what'll happen. ---- Sora waded his way into the Waterway, eyes opening wide as he noticed Kairi standing on the platform, staring at the Mural just at the end of the small tunnel that led to nowhere. "What a strange Mural. It's almost hypnotizing." Sora nodded, walking over and laying a hand on the Mural. The sun motif glowed under his hand, releasing a small gummi into his grasp. The sun faded away, revealing a crecent moon design that more blended in with the area. He walked back to Kairi, Navi-Gummi safely in his pocket. "Let's go back and join the others, we should rest up." "Okay." Sora led the way out, stopping as Kairi looked back at the tunnel. "A light, at the end of the tunnel..." "Oh, your Gramma's story, right?" Kairi turned to look at Sora in surprise, but nodded. "That's right. We were together. Sora?" Sora had looked away from the red headed girl, closing his eyes and biting his lower lip. "I thought you were safe and sound here at Traverse Town the entire time, but you were really in danger Kairi. I'm sorry." Kairi put her hands on her hips, making Sora look up at her. "You came for me, that's all that matters. Besides, we're here." Sora, nodded, wiping his eyes with the back of one gloved hand. "Right. Now, we just have to get Riku and Christie back." Kairi looked back at the mural. "You think it'll ever be the same between us? Riku's lost his..." Sora cut her off. "When I turned into a Heartless, you save me, remember? I was lost in the Darkness. I couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through the Dark, I started forgetting things. Who I was, my freinds. The Darkness almost swallowed me. But then, I heard a voice. Your voice. You brought me back." Kairi smiled. "I didn't want to just forget about you Sora. I could never do that." "That's it! Our hearts are connected. And the light from our hearts, broke through the Darkness. I saw that light. I think, that's what saved me. No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within. I guess it's more than just a Fairytale now." Kairi nodded. "Well, let's go." "You can't go." "Why not?" "Becuase, it's way to dangerous." Kairi rolled her eyes at Sora's protective nature. "Come on Sora. We made it this far by sticking together. You can't go alone." Sora smiled slightly, taking Kairi's hand into his own. "Kairi, even if we're apart, we're not alone anymore. Right?" "I can't help?" Sora rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "You'd kinda be in the way." Kairi giggled, nodding. "Okay. You win. But take this with you." She reached into her pocket, placing the thalassa shell charm that she had been making back on the Islands into Sora's palm, the pinkish-yellow shells glimmering in the dim light. "It's my lucky charm, be sure to bring back to me!" Sora smiled, closing his hand around it. "Don't worry, I will." "Promise?" "Promise." Kairi smiled sadly, violet eyes meeting Sora's sapphire blue. "Don't ever forget, wherever you go, I'm always with you." Sora nodded, and they walked out of the waterway hand in hand. Merlin smiled from the top of the stairs where he had been listening with the Fairy Godmother. "I do believe, you owe me twenty munny my dear." The Fairy Godmother huffed, digging into her large sleeves for the Munny Gem. "Blast it Merlin, you and your bets! ------- With Kairi safely back at the Cafe with Yuffie, Cloud and Aeris, Sora headed back for Cid, handing the old pilot the Navi-Gummi. Cid's green eyes opened in slight surpirse. "You found it? All right, I'll go put this in Infinity for ya." Sora nodded, leaning back against the wall of an empty food stand, it's owner having been lost to the Heartless. Fifteen minutes later, Cid came back into sight, rubbing his hands on a dirty, oil covered rag. "All set! You can get going any time." Sora smiled, thanking the pilot and jumping off the ledge. Once down at the cafe level, he motioned for Donald and Goofy to meet him aboard Infinity, hugging Kairi tightly one last time. Cid smiled sadly. "Kid, I gotta say, I wish you and the Midget didn't have to face all this danger." -------- And we're finished for now. Sorry for the major cliffhanger. (smirks) Since Halo 3's release date is only two days away at the time of this update, i have this to say. For those of you who play the Halo series, Good luck. Go kick some Covenent butt! ~SH
Yes, only 4, er, now only 3 chapters left. (sighs) There will be at least two sequels though, no worries. Disclaimer: I own Christie (me), The Infinity, The Crest Lock system, and The Koukennin no Ariake. Everything else is Square/Disneys. ----- ------ Upon arrival in Hollow Bastion's airspace, it became obvious that docking where Infinity had taken off from was going to be impossible. We'd have to take the long route this time. I sighed, pulling the ship into a low orbit just over the Rising Falls, inputing the codes for a transport beacon. Once the process was complete, We all stood, heading down into the world itself. Once down there, Goofy pointed at the castle. "Garwsh look at that!" A strange look crossed Sora's face, a cross between recognition and questioning. "I know this place..." "Hmm, that's strange." Sora closed his eyes, one hand over his heart. "I wonder why... I can feel this warmth inside, right here." Donald rolled his eyes. "Aw, you're just hungry." "Hey! I'm serious!" Sora opened his mouth to protest further, when Beast's roar rang throughout the area, shaking us to our cores. Sora looked further up the platfroms, and I followed his gaze, catching sight of silver hair. "Riku! Sora, let's go!" We took off across the platforms, stopping on the one directly below where Riku and Beast were, listening to them exchange words. "No vessel, no help from the Heartless. So tell me, how'd you get here?" "I simply believed. Nothing more to it. When our world fell into darkness, Belle was taken from me. I vowed I would find her again, no matter what the cost. I believed I would find her. So, here I am. She must be here. I will have her back!" Beast roared in anger, and Riku took a half step back. He snarled at Beast, Soul Eater appearing in his hand "Take her, if you can." In a flash to fast to follow, Riku attacked Beast, making the large creature fall to his knees in pain, blood splattering onto the tile floor from the wound on his chest. By this time, Sora had had more than enough, and we rushed onto the platform. Sora faced Riku down, while I stood in front of Beast. "Stop!" Riku shook his head. "So, you finally made it. About time. I've been waiting for you, Sora. You've always pushed me, as I've always pushed you. We've always been rivals, haven't we?" "Riku.." "But it ends here.. There can't be two Keyblade masters." "What are you talking about?" Riku extended his hand. "Let the Keyblade choose... It's true master." I growled, Donald and Goofy making noises of surprise as the Keyblade began to shake in Sora's hand. The young boy struggled to keep the weapon in his hand, but it was to avail. In a flash of silver light, the Keyblade left Sora's hand, appearing across the platform in Riku's hand. He looked over the blade's hilt with an appraising eye. "Maleficent was right. You don't have what it takes to save Kairi. It's up to me. Only the Keyblade master can open the secret door, and change the world." Sora fell to the ground, hands clenching into fists. "But that's impossible. How did this happen? I'm the one who fought my way here with the Keyblade!" Riku scoffed. "You were just the delivery boy. Sorry, your parts over now. Here, go play here with this." Riku threw a wooden sword at Sora's feet, the play weapon creating a clacking noise upon the tile. Donald walked after RIku, stopping as he realized that Goofy wasn't following him. "Goofy, let's go. We have to remember our mission." "Oh! Well, I know the king told us to follow the key and all, But...." Sora shook his head, and Goofy walked after Donald. A few steps away, Donald turned back to look at Sora. "Sora, sorry." I glared at the duck, and he turned away, following Goofy. I sighed, walking over to Sora and kneeling beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He kept his eyes closed, but by the silent trembles in his shoulders, I knew he was hiding his tears. I could hear Beast struggle his way up from the ground, and he walked past us. Sora shot up when he did, placing a hand on the Beast's cloaked shoulder. "Hey, don't move. You're hurt." I stood as Beast spoke up, the poor man already out of breath. "Why... Why did you come here? I came to fight for Belle. And though I am on my own, I will fight. I won't leave without her." Sora nodded, walking over to the toy sword and picking it up. His hand clenched tightly around the hilt. "Me to. I'm not gonna give up now. I came here to find someone very important to me. I won't leave until i know she's alright." I smiled, casting a Cura spell on the Beast's wound as we took the lift up. Thankfully, the doors were still open from the second time Riku and I had come here, so there would be no galivanting around in the dungeons trying to get the doors open. We headed into the entrance hall, stopping as Beast did. "Be on your gaurd. Their close, I can feel it. Are you ready for them?" Sora didn't answer, just walked further in. I ran after him, stopping in midstep as I remembered what would happen. I turned, trying to grab onto Beast. Didn't work. "Belle?" The woman in the yellow dress that had appeared behing us in the doorway turned into a small shadow, and Beast roared, making me fall back as he ran after it, the front door slamming behind him. Sora turned to see what the scuffle was about, but turned to face the fountain again as Riku appeared, Donald and Goofy watching from the upper walkway. I stood up, walking to be one step behind Sora. "Quit while you can." Sora shook his head. "No, not without Kairi." "The Darkness will destroy you both." "You're wrong Riku. The darkness may destroy our bodies, but it can't touch our hearts. Our hearts will stay with our friends. They'll never die!" Riku shook his head, a dark flash appearing around his body as his clothes changed from his Island Garb into the Dark Suit that was so often called the "Kilt". "Really. Well, we'll just see about that!" With one quick movement, he fired a Dark Firaga at Sora, aiming for the younger boy's heart. Noises of shock from Donald and Goofy caught my ear, along with Sora bracing himself for the blow. Goofy began to run down the stairs, but it was obvious to all of us that he wouldn't make it in time. There was no time to think it through, and although my stomach was in knots and doing the can-can, I jumped in front of Sora, left hand outstretched in front of me to stop it. But things, don't always go as planned. Instead of my hand stopping the blow, it seemed to absorb the fire, chilling my arm all the way up the shoulder. Then the pain kicked in. I dropped to one knee, hand that had absorbed the fire fisting of it's on accord, blood leaking out from between my fingers. I looked up at Riku, eyes narrowing. "It dosen't matter what you do Riku, Sora's not going anywhere!" "You'd betray me to defend him?" I stood, shaking my head as Donald and Goofy reached the foot of the stairs. "No, I can't betray you. But I won't betray Sora either. After everything that's happened, I can't abandon a preciuos friend, and Sora's one of them!" Goofy ran over to us, shield in paw as he stood in front of us. "Christie's right! Sora's a trusted friend for us, and you won't hurt him!" He turned to Donald as I grabbed the bandages from my pocket, quickly tying them around my injured palm. Yuffie must have known somethng like this would happen. "See ya later Donald, could you tell the King I'm really sorry?" "Hold on Goofy! We'll tell him together!" He ran over, webbed feet flapping on the tile floor. He stopped in front of Sora. "Well, you know. All for one and one for all!" Goofy turned, giving Sora a thumbs up. "I guess you're stuck with us Sora." Sora swallowed thickly, one hand rubbing at his eyes. "Thanks a lot, Christie, Donald, Goofy." Riku scoffed, Kingdom Key appearing in his hand. "How will you fight without a weapon?" Sora stepped forward. "I know now that I don't need the Keyblade. I've got a better weapon. My heart." "Your heart? What good will that little thing do for you?" "Although my heart may be weak, it's not alone. It's grown with each new experience, and it's found a home with all the friends I've made. I've become a part of thier heart, just as they've become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then, if they don't forget me, then our hearts will be one. I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!" We all dropped into offensive crouches, Sora's toy sword in his hand. At least, until the Keyblade had enough. In a flash of silver light, it returned to Sora's hand, transforming from the Kingdom Key back into the Fairy Harp that Tinkerbell had given him. Riku snarled, Soul Eater appearing in his hand as he ran forward. We scattered across the room, Goofy sticking close to the combat weak Donald as Sora glided around the area, getting in some actual hits from the air. Riku's movements were quick and precise, and I found myself running for higher ground as he went crazy with the sword swings. I sat with my back against a ledge wall as I caught my breath, listening to the fight below. Cura and Aero spells flew like party favors, both repairing and limiting the amount of damage we took from Riku's blows. After a particularly nasty yelp from Sora, I jumped back into the fray, catching Soul Eater mid-swing inbetween my daggers. Sora quickly dealt the final blow as Riku tried to free his blade, and the elder boy ran off, Dark suit changing back to his Island cloths. Sora made a move to run after him, but I caught his shoulder, shaking my head. We all turned as the front doors creaked open, and I winced as they fall off their hinges, Beast walking through. "So, your hearts won this battle." Sora nodded, and I ran up the stairs to the Emblem Door, placing my hand where Vincent had not so long ago, forsaking the need to run after all the emblem pieces. We quickly ran through the halls, fighting our way through the Heartless. Beast is a lot like Vincent really, don't get in his way when he's pissed. We arrived at the room before the Castle Chapel in good shape, and Sora and I worked to push open the heavy doors. Once inside, Maleficent came to greet us. "I'm afraid you're too late. Any moment now, the final Keyhole will be unsealed. This world will be plunged into darkness. It is unstoppable." Sora crouched down, Keyblade appearing in hand. "We'll stop it! After coming this far, theres no way we're gonna let that happen!" Maleficent's staff tip started glowing. "You poor, simple fools. You think you can defeat me? Me, the mistress of all evil!" The platform she'd been standing on rose up from the ground, and for the second time that day, we scattered across the room. The fight was much more difficult than Riku, as Maleficent had magical abilities. Her meteors were a nightmare to avoid now, and I often found myself hitting the tile floor to avoid one that passed a meer inch over my head. Sora and Donald kep casting Gravity on her platform to bring her down into combat range. Beast went wild on her, claws catching both cloak and skin as he channelled his rage into defeating the evil witch. The final blow was dealt ten minutes after the fight began, and her platform crashed to ground, sending shrapnel into the walls. I shoved Sora to the ground as a rather large piece flew over his head, almost taking said head off as it impacted with the wall. Meleficent used the last of her strength to open a Dark Portal in the wall behind her, walking through it. Beast roared, running through it with us on his heels. We came through to see Riku already standing there. I took a step back, hands moving back to my sheathes as i took one good look at Riku. If he hadn't been possesed earlier, he certainly was now. Everything on him now reeked of darkness, this was not the boy that had kissed me back in Halloween Town only two days ago. Sora cried out to his friend, stopping my thoughts. "Riku!" "Is that?" Riku spoke up, and from the look on the others faces, I knew I was hearing Xehanorts voice in the undercurrent of Riku's voice. "Yes. A Keyblade. But unlike yours, this Keyblade holds the power to unlock peoples hearts. Allow me to demonstrate. Behold!" With a quick movement that niether Maleficent or I could trace, he stabbed her through the heart, releasing the Darkness in her heart in the form of black and green flames. He backed out into a dark portal as the witch transformed into a dragon that nearly filled the room. Sora gulped in fear. "Oh man." We scattered to avoid her fire, ducking into seperate alcoves formed by what felt like tree roots. Every so often, we had to return to those alcoves to recover our breath and to stave woulds from bleeding or burning. After about five of these trips, Sora and I ended up in the same alcove, both out of breath and ragged around the edges. I swallowed thickly, before noticing something across the room. A gaping wound in Maleficent's scales. I nudged Sora to make him notice, and he nodded. We took off, me distracting the witch turned dragon, while Sora dealt the killing blow. We all hit the ground to avoid her death throws, standing up as she burned away in front of our eyes. I knew she would be back, no witch dies that way. Riku stepped back into view, rubbing his boot in the puddle of black blood that had been left behind. "How ironic. She was just another puppet after all." "What?" "The Heartless were using Maleficent from the beginning. She failed to notice the darkness in her heart eating away at her. A fitting end for such a fool." That's it. I've had it! "But aren't you the same?! Xehanort!" Riku started, turning back to face us as his eyes turned orange. I could feel the others looking between me and "Riku" in surprise. It dosen't matter now, to much has gone to hell for it to matter anymore. "How did you know?" I scoffed, eyes livid. "You think I'd forget what you did to our world! We took you in with the goodness of our hearts, and you destroyed our world!" He smirked, an odd look on Riku's face. "A fitting end for such fools." I snarled as he backed out into a portal, turning on my heel and running out into the Castle Chapel as the door leading to the Grand Hall opened up. Sora was barely able to keep pace with me as I tore off through the hallway, overriding the crest lock blocking the way. Benefits of bieng a Leonhart is that we controlled the security measures in the castle, crest lock's included. Beast stayed behind to gaurd the door, as Sora, Donald, Goofy and I ran forward, up the stairs. We reached the top of the platform, Sora running onto it as he noticed Kairi's still form. Donald and I turned as we noticed Goofy get blown back. Sora took Kairi into his arms, shaking her. "Kairi! Kairi! Open your eyes!" "It's no use. That girl has lost her heart. She cannot wake up." I looked up, taking a step back as Xehanort, in his true form, stepped forward from the Keyhole. There was no possesed Riku here anymore, Xehanort had recovered his body from the void. Sora gently set Kairi down, glaring at Xehanort. "What are you talking about? What have you done with RIku?!" Xehanort ignored him. "The keyhole cannot be completed, so long as the last Princess of Heart still sleeps." "The Princess? Kairi's a Princess?!" "Yes. And without her power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened. You hold her heart within you, so you must release it. This was crafted for just that purpose." The Dark Keyblade appeared in his hand, and he tossed it to Sora. "Place this to your chest, and unlock your heart. Go on. Release her." Xehanort faded away, leaving the Dark Keyblade. The barriers faded away, letting Goofy enter the platform. He and Donald walked up to the Keyhole. Sora paced around, Dark Keyblade in hand. Goofy tilted his head as he looked over the Keyhole. "What did he mean, Kairi's inside Sora?" I bit my tongue, shaking my head. "Kairi's heart is inside Sora, and she won't wake up until it's free." Sora looked at me, nodding to himself. He tossed Fairy Harp into my hands, smiling at us. "You guys can handle the rest." Donalds eyes opened wide as Sora stabbed himself in the heart, letting the Dark Keyblade fall from his grasp as he leaned back. Six balls of light flew from the Keyblade, flying out of our line of sight into the sleeping princesses bodies, returning to thier owners. A seventh ball of light flew out of Sora, landing in Kairi. Her eyes cracked open, and she leaned up to get a look around. She and Donald both screamed Sora's name, running toward his falling body. Neither arivved in time. In my hands, Fairy Harp faded away, with it's master gone. Kairi placed her hand over her heart, a look of sadness on her face "Sora, are you really.... No. He can't be! I won't let him go!" I nodded. We both looked up as Xehanort made a second appearence, now in his garb that he had worn during the game. I skidded in front of Kairi, shielding her from view. My daggers found a place in my hands as Donald and Goofy stepped in front of me. "So, you have awakened at last, Princess. The Keyhole is now complete. You have served your purpose. But now it's over." He bagan walking over to us, malice gleaming in his orange eyes. I tensed, ready to quickly make a move. "Don't make another move!" "Donald, you think we can stop him with just us three?" "I don't know! But Sora would have wanted us to try!" Goofy nodded, stepping closer to us as Xehanort kept walking close. Suddenly, he stopped, twitching. "No, impossible!" I sighed in relief as Riku made an appearence, despite the fact that he wasn't physically there. He streteched his arms out, barring Xehanort's passage. "No. You won't use me for this." Kairi peeked out over my shoulder, gasping at the condition he was in "Riku!" "You've gotta run, all of you! The Heartless are coming!" Kairi hesitated, but I pushed her on, shoving Donald and Goofy after her. Kairi stopped herself when she realized I wasn't following them. "Chrissy!" I looked at her over my shoulder, making our eyes meet. "I'll hold him back as long as I can. Donald, Goofy, get Kairi out of here! Sora will be with you guys as soon as he can. Now go!" Xehanort glared as Kairi escaped, Riku's spirit having long since disappeared. As the shadows dispersed into various rooms of the castle, I growled, dodging various dark fire projectiles, somehow knowing I wouldn't be able to absorb these. After I dodged the fifth one, I returned my daggers to my sheathes, carefully moving to have my back against the Keyhole. Xehanort smirked, and I shuddered at the sight. "It would appear that you have run out of options, Christina." I shook my head, allowing myself to fall into the darkness through the keyhole. "A true fighter always has an escape plan." I flipped as I landed, closing my eyes as I dusted myself off. When i opend them, I bit my lip. The Dark Realm is certainly bigger than the game showed. Ah well. I set off walking to the west, where a light was glowing brightly. That's where I would find Riku, I know it. ----- RIght. We're done for now. (sighs) The important note that I have to mention is: I'm back in school. I've been homeschooled since i was little, and i'm back in it now. Some things happened, and I have a year and half to catch up on. Becuase of that, updates are going to be a tad bit slower. I'll finish this story, no worries.
I come bringing updates! Brainstorms come at odd times, and you can't stop them! Disclaimer: Christie, The Infinity, The Crest Lock System, and The Koukennin no Ariake are mine, the rest is Disney/Squares. ----- The flight back to Traverse Town with Cid was surprisingly quiet, Infinity being towed behind us. No Heartless halted our progress through the Space Lanes, so Sora saw it fit to take a nap. I gotta say, he's cute when he sleeps. I dozed off about halfway through the trip, only waking up when we docked back in the relative safety of Traverse Town. Sora woke up, stumbling his way off the ship and into the First District. Yuffie was quick to follow him too make sure he didn't get into trouble, while Donald and Goofy headed into the Items Shop. I stood up, rubbing my eyes, walking out of the transport, yawning as I stumbled down the ramp. With sleep still chasing competent thoughts around my brain, I could barely notice the state Infinity was in. But from Cid's cursing, I knew that more than the engines were scrapped. At least half of the port side wing gummies had been knocked off into the space lanes, and with the crash, the Auto-Regen program in the computers had been knocked offline. I sighed, running a hand through my hair, surprised as the tips of my fingers came back covered in blood. I winced, walking into the Second District Hotel, padding into the Blue Room, and into it's bathroom. One of the benefits of staying at the hotel free of charge was the hot water. I shrugged off my clothes, leaving them in a heap on the sink. I would need to borrow some from Yuffie, the ones I'd been using had been soaked in a disgusting mixture of sweat, heartless blood, and bug innards. Strange what you don't realize in combat. I gave the water a moment to heat up as I gathered the courtesy towels, hopping into the shower the second steam started to rise up from the tile floor. I don't know how long it had been before the bathroom door opened, letting the steam, and heat, out. I shivered. "Nee-chan?" Oh-crud. I winced, sticking my head out of the shower door, some hair falling from behind my ear and dripping soapy water onto the floor. Leons storm cloud grey eyes met my own, and he raised a pair of khaki shorts, a black tank top, and clean undergarments. I smiled as he placed them on the counter, taking my dirty clothes with him. "Come see me at the Gizmo Shop when you're done. We need to talk." I nodded, ducking back into the shower stall to finish up. The hot water had petered out by the time I was finished, and I shivered as it quickly turned ice cold. I turned it off, almost slipping on the puddles I left in my wake. I smiled as I noticed the note that Yuffie must have left in her shorts for me. "Sorry, smallest clothes I got. You need to grow up ya midget!" It didn't matter, they fit fine. My hair was still damp as I clambered up the ladder to the Gizmo shop roof, walking to the edge and plunking down, sneaker laces clicking against the stone building. Near silent footsteps behind me made me look up to meet grey eyes as Leon say beside me, putting his arm around my shoulders and leaning his head on my own. "Sorry, for worrying you." He made an odd noise, but held me tighter. "It's alright. I should have realized you can take care of yourself. Cid's thinking of hiding the access key to Infinity, she's pretty banged up." I laughed. "I'm Infinity's captain, Cid'll have hell locking me out of it." He let go, looking at me funny. "Don't you mean she's your ship?" I shook my head, standing up and dusting off my borrowed shorts. "The ship chooses it's captain, much like a Keyblade chooses it's master." Leon pulled himself up off the ground after me, and we both headed down the ladder. Despite the fact that it had been nine years since we'd had a peaceful moment as siblings, I was happy with this. Unfortunately, the peace can never last. I walked back into the hanger as Nii-san went to find Aerith, only to clamp my hands over my ears as Cid came out of nowhere, yelling in my ears. "Ya idiot! How the hell could ya let Chrissy go off on her own like---oh." The old pilot turned crimson in the face as he noticed me standing there instead of whoever he'd been planning to yell at. "Sorry midget, thought you were Leon." I uncovered my ringing ears, walking over to a small cabinet that housed ship keys. A box crashed to the ground behind me, and I winced. Cid really was a clumsy idiot. I turned, keys in hand. "Is ship B-8 in harbor?" The pilot nodded as I tucked the keys in my pocket, giving him a hand with the box before walking off to Dock B-8. A simple Highwind model, but it would do. I climbed up into the small ship, three seater. It would definitely do. Aerith tumbled through the doors at that moment, catching herself on the railing as Leon shut the door into the plaza behind her. She growled slightly, but came down to to my location, taking in the keys jingling in my hand, and the three seats. The captains seat was at the front, with all the switches and buttons within easy access, while the two passenger seats at the back had securely installed seat belts. It wasn't Infinity by any means, but it would work for what I was planning. Aerith took a seat, buckling up as the launch procedure took place. According to the StarMap, Olympus Coliseum was an hour way. Perfect. We could grab Cloud, and be back by dinner. I could hear Aerith fidget in her seat for the entire trip, she must not have known what my plan was. The trip was quiet, a little to quiet for my tastes. No Heartless that could have been a threat crossed out path during the entire trip, and I was worrying by the time we docked. Aerith walked off the ship quickly, heading for the registration desk and looking around at the lack of people. Tall people that is. Phil made his appearance then and there "Hey, sweetie! If you're here for the games, you'll need a partner" Aerith shrieked in surprise as the satyr came into view, and I jumped at her shriek, having been examing the trophies that Sora, Donald and Goofy had won. Phil laughed as Aerith recomposed herself, having understood the reason she had screamed. "Sorry, that happens a lot. You two here for the games?" I shook my head. "We're looking for someone, he's about six foot, has blond hair that's really spiky, and blue eyes. He carries around a big sword, and goes by the name of Cloud Strife." Phil nodded, walking over to a clipboard set at his height on the wall. "Yeah, he's here. He's in the second tier, so if you wanna see him, you'll have to fight. Hope you two cuties brought weapons, fists don't hurt the creatures you'll be fighting." One of my daggers cutting the rope that held the clipboard answered his question, as Phil had to jump quickly to catch the falling item. "Fine. Good luck, you're starting now." Aerith nodded her thanks, readjusting her materia bangles as various Heartless appeared in the Arena, us walking forward to meet them in combat. I grabbed my daggers from thier sheaths, Dolphin's Fin spinning with blue light. "Come and get it!" ----- Six rounds later, we sat just outside the Arena's edge, Aerith sipping at a water bottle as Phil prattled on about how good we fought. "Man, if only Herc could see you two, he'd be so impressed!" My eyes narrowed, but I said nothing as Aerith cocked her head. "Herc?" "Yeah, he's my champion. The only one I trained that actually made it past training! Heh, he's a real Hero. To bad he's off visiting his father right now, he's a real sweet kid, woulda loved to meet you both. Well girls, time to go. You're next fight is against Cloud, and he's never late." Phil took the water bottle from Aerith, walking up to the stands as Aerith and I reentered the Arena. Cloud arrived right on time, and Aerith's staff clattered to the ground as Cloud looked up, Mako blue eyes widening at the sight of his beloved Flower girl. The Buster Sword fell from his grasp as Aerith took one shaky step forward, before they both ran towards each other, Cloud clutching at Aerith's dress like it was the last thing on the world, Aerith burying her fingers into Clouds shirt. I smiled, bouncing on the balls of my feet. Even Phil seemed happy, as he was jumping up and down, pumping his fists in the air. Unfortunately, every happy thing has to end, and this is no different. Hades appeared in a flash of smoke, making Cloud push Aerith behind him. I groaned, grabbing Aerith's staff from the ground, starting to run over to them, but Clouds near invisible shake of his head made me stay put, clenching my jaw. I could easily make out Hade's voice from here . "Cloud, Cloud, Cloud. Your contract says to take out anyone with ties to the key bearer, not to HUG them!" Hades flames went red, and Cloud snarled. "That contract went null and void when you tried to kill me! Sorry, I don't work for you anymore." Cloud took Aerith's hand, leading her out of the Arena as Hades fumed "Fine. Enjoy your life with that Flower Girl, whatever's left of it." I cast a quick Blizzard spell before turning and running after them, Hades' sounds of surprise making Cloud's mouth twitch upwards. I handed Aerith her staff back, running into the ship. I rolled my eyes as Cloud and Aerith shared another kiss, calling out to them. "As much as I'm glad to see you two going at it like rabbits again, we need to get back to Traverse Town, theres still some things I need to do!" I laughed as Cloud playfully glared at me, before escorting Aerith onto the ship. I took my place at the captains seat, silently guiding the ship out of the Olympus Coliseum docks as they buckled in. Once we were in the space lanes, I chanced a look back, smiling sadly as a saw them holding hands from their chairs, turning to hide my tears. No time to cry, we'll have him back soon. ---- About 5 minutes into the trip, Aerith nodded off. Cloud stood, unbuckling his seat belt and walking into the cockpit. "You've grown up well. Squall must be proud." "Leon. I think he is, he's not one to tell people that kinda of thing outright." He chuckled, mussing with my hair before moving to take his seat, Aerith's hand grasping at his the moment he sat down. A quiet beep made me look down at the radar, eyes widening at the size of the object coming up behind us at an alarming speed. I turned to face Cloud. "Hang on tight you two, this is gonna get rough!" I pulled on the brakes, slowing the ship down long enough to let the target pass us by. Aerith jolted awake with the slow down, and the sound of the gun turrets coming active made her sit up straight. As the gun's targeter came online, I chanced a look at the target, growling as it became visible as a Hunter. "Darn it. Hold on back there, we're gonna have to run from this thing!" With a quick flip of the switch, I returned the targeter to it's compartment above the captains seat, pulling on the speed as the Hunter came back for another pass. Buttons were pressed, routing power from the guns to the shields, and I could vaguely hear Cloud calming Aerith down in the back. With it's last pass, the Hunter had fired on us, sending visible jolts through the shields. I growled, flying the ship under it like a hyper puppy diving through it's owners legs out the front door. Traverse Town came into sight just as the shields fell, and the engines coughed up their last drop of high speed fuel, returning to normal. Aerith whimpered as the Hunter came back around, stopping in front of us. I glared at the creature, one hand coming off the steering wheel to finger at the necklace I'd been given the day before this whole mess started. It's only been a week and a half, we're not finished yet! Shots fired from behind the Hunter made all of us look up as it was chased off, and I smiled as Infinity came into view, Cid's grizzled face filling the visual radio screen. "Do I have to save your bums every dang time?! Get back in there before this piece of trash comes back!" Aerith laughed, and I quickly guided the ship back into safe harbors, Cid coming in a second later as the hanger doors closed behind him, shutting the Hunter out. I sagged back in the seat as Cloud helped Aerith out. That was too close, had Cid not shown up, we'd have been toast. Yuffie's joyful shrieks made me exit the ship, nodding my thanks to Cid as he tossed me Infinity's keys. "She's all ready to go, but talk to your idiot brother first, he's got something to give ya. He's in the waterway." I nodded, leaving Yuffie hanging off of Clouds back. They'd be fine. I took the back alley entrance from the second district, cutting through the Shadows and Soldiers that appeared in my way, jumping into the ankle deep water and shoving the gate open. It gave a loud creak in protest, but opened anyway. I shut it behind me to make sure the Heartless didn't follow, and none of the ones in this world liked the water enough to follow someone into the Waterway. Just like Cid said, Leon was sitting on the steps that led to Merlin's place, head leaning on his laced fingers, a small pouch in his lap. My splashing onto the main platform made him look up, standing to walk to the center of the platform. He walked past me, placing the pouch in my hand and closing my fingers around it, before leaving the waterway all together. He looked over his shoulder for a moment. "Those are from Vincent and I, a late birthday present. Get Sora, I'll see you off." I nodded as he sloshed through the water, opening the pouch and letting it's contents tumble out into my hand. Two chains of two small crystal hearts, one garnet red, the other made of blue topaz. Now I knew what Nii-san had meant by Vincent and him. I took Dolphin's Fin off of my daggers, slipping them into the pouch and tying it to a belt loop on the shorts that Yuffie had lent me. I attached the new keychains to my daggers, unsheathing them and taking in the new changes. The hilts were made of silver, the symbol for Light etched onto the handle to allow for extra grip. The blades shimmered like opals in the dim light as the keychains made gentle sounds. I smiled, returning them to my sheathes as I left the waterway, the comfort of knowing that I would have a piece of Nii-san and Vincent where ever I went, along with Riku's shell necklace was more than enough to give me strength. I walked up the stairs into the hotel, knocking on the door to Sora's room. When I got no answer, I knocked again. This time, there was a response, as the spiky haired keyblade master answered the door, spikes mussed and flattened from sleep. His jacket was nowhere to be seen, neither were his shoes. I sighed. Waking him up was never good. "Infinity's fixed up, we're good to go. Just need you." Sora nodded, leaving the door open as re put on his shoes and Jacket, running a hand through his spikes. "I had a dream, about Kairi. She was little, like when she arrived on the islands, and she was talking to an old woman. The woman was telling her a legend or something." I nodded. "The woman was her Grandmother most likely, Kairi's Mom died when she was just a baby, and her Dad had a lot of work to do around he castle. Kairi always asked for the legend of how the worlds started, if I remember correctly." Sora stood, and we left the room. As Sora shook Donald and Goofy awake in the next one, I dug into my memory of that legend, as Kairi's Grandma had told us both once. ---- An old woman sat in a chair, two young girls sitting on the ground in front of her. "Well girls, which story would you like to hear today?" The girl with the red hair, Kairi, giggled. "The legend of the Worlds, like yesterday Gramma Rose!" Gramma Rose laughed, nodding as the second girl smiled. "Alright Kairi, I'll tell you both that story once more." Kairi clapped, stopping as Gramma Rose sat up straight in her chair. "Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of the light. Everyone loved the light. Then, people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in thier hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light in many peoples hearts. But small fragments of light survived, in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why teh worlds are scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And true light will return. So, listen well children. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with it's power and push the darkness away. Do you understand, Kairi, Christie?" Both girls nodded, and Kairi jumped up at a mans voice, running into a pair of outstretched arms. "Telling my niece and daughter that old fairy tale again Mother?" Gramma Rose laughed, a joyous sound. "Your daughter asked for it, Ansem the Wise." ----- I sighed. It was certain now, DiZ was Kairi's father. He was different back then, much kinder. He'd spend hours with his daughter, reading together until it was either time for a meal, or she'd fallen asleep. I sighed as we left the Hotel, Donald grumbling about the late hour. Goofy chuckled good naturedly. "Well Donald, if we go now, the Heartless won't see us coming! See, we're safer like this!" Donald glared at his friend, and Sora laughed. I shrugged. "Goofy's right Donald, the Heartless shouldn't expect us to go in at four in the morning." We entered the first district, walking down into teh plaza. Yuffie was standing at the entrance to the World doors, and she ran in front of us, dragging me through the doors and aking me aside, placing a small white thing into my hand. "A roll of bandages, I've got a bad feeling." I nodded my thanks, tucking the roll into my pocket as Sora, Donald and Goofy boarded the ship. I hugged Nii-san tightly one more time, taking in his scent. I didn't want to let go, but I had to, so I made it quick and ran up the hatch into Infinity, closing it as Sora took his place in the Co-Pilots seat. Infinity's AI came online as I started the manual flight control "Sorry I wasn't of much use earlier Captain." "It's alright, we never thought a situation like that could happen. Just keep us alive now, and I'll be happy." "Understood! Cooridinates set, shield, engines, and guns running at 100 Percent! Iniating launch sequence." The Visual Radio came on at that moment, Leon's face appearing. "Nee-chan, be careful. I know I can't stop you, but I've got a bad feeling." "Don't worry Nii-san, I'll come back." Leon nodded, adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he swallowed. "I love you Nee-chan." "Love you to. I'll come back, I promise." Leon nodded, then disappeared from my screen as we left Traverse Town's hanger, heading directly into the hornets nest that was Hollow Bastion. --- I don't know if I'll be able to keep that promise Leon, I'm sorry. ---- And we're done for now! Only 4 chapters left, and then KoM comes to a close. (sighs) Anyways, I hope you like!
