Saving Kairi

Chapter 10: Lies

Sora​

As the gummi ship landed in Hollow Bastion, Sora was surprised at how peaceful the world appeared. The sun was shining brilliantly, not a cloud could be seen in the above sky. Shimmering particles fell out of nowhere, the way that Tron had made it happen so long ago. Any other time, he would have stopped to take in the beauty, but not with his injuries burning as if on fire and Kairi imprisoned in her nightmares.

This time, Riku parked the ship right by the marketplace entrance (rather than having a crash landing like their previous visit). By the time that Riku had unbuckled himself, he looked to his right and saw that Sora had already undone his straps and was now attempting to stand on his own. Although it was clear that his foot caused him great pain, Sora was fiercely determined not to depend on Riku. Sora looked to Riku and nodded. They exited the ship together and went towards Merlin’s house.

Riku walked in front of Sora, never quitting his searching for the foes that could possibly appear. Although Riku didn’t want Sora to know that he was worried, Riku couldn’t have acted more protective if he tried. Not that Sora didn’t appreciate it, but he was sick of being babied. Maybe this is how Kairi felt...he thought to himself as he hobbled after Riku to Merlin’s home.

Fortunately, no heartless or nobodies appeared. As the boys approached the house, the wooden front door opened. It was Yuffie. “Hey guys!†She yelled, excitedly waving hello. “How’s it goin...?†She said as the boys approached. Yuffie immediately noticed Sora’s special treatment of his left foot. She became silent as she stared at their guests.

“Yuffie?†A questioning voice came from inside. “Who’s at the door?†Leon appeared behind Yuffie. He stared at Riku and Sora as they all stood perfectly still. Sora shifted his weight off of his burnt foot. Leon turned his back to Yuffie and the others. “Get them inside.†He ordered as he moved out of the way.

Yuffie waved their visitors inside. Sora limped inside and immediately sat onto the available bed. Sora grimaced as he lifted the foot onto the cot. Leon, Yuffie, and Riku stood by the bed staring as Sora moved into a comfortable position. Sora ignored the gawking spectators as he looked around the room. “Where’s Aeris?†He asked, hoping she was nearby.

Yuffie shrugged. “I don’t know...I think she and Merlin are still doing some research in the town library...â€

“Can you go get her?†Riku asked while interrupting the female ninja. “To treat Sora’s wounds?â€

“No need for that, Riku! I’ve been studying medicine, so I can treat Sora’s injuries.†Yuffie pulled a chair over and looked quite official as she leaned back in the chair. “Tell me Sora: What are your injuries and how did you get them?â€

“Let’s see...†Sora said as he reflected on his misfortune. “The arm is just still sore from the ship crashing, fighting, and all that. As for my foot...well...I may have picked a fight with Maleficent and maybe she kind of breathed fire on my foot.â€

“I see.†Yuffie said as she leaned forward. She stared at him momentarily before she gently lifted up Sora’s shirt. “And why is your chest taped up?â€

“I took a bullet while in Twilight Town. But Olette treated that and it doesn’t hurt at all.â€

“Who is this ‘Olette’?†Yuffie asked as she pulled Sora’s shirt back down and reclined in her seat.

“She’s this girl from Twilight Town.†Sora answered. “She’s the one who gave us the cure for---Wait a minute!†Sora shot up in his seat, horror expressed on his face. “Riku, what if that was actually Maleficent? If that wasn’t Olette, then we don’t have the cure for Kairi after all.†Tears began to flood Sora’s eyes.

Riku shook his head. “I never thought about that.†Riku explained the situation to a very confused Leon and Yuffie. “There’s only one way to find out though.â€

Once Riku was done the recap, Sora nodded impatiently. “Right. We have to go back to Twilight Town.†Sora began to move his legs off the bed, momentarily forgetting his injuries.

“Whoa, hold on there cowboy!†Yuffie said as she rose to her feet and put out her arms to stop him. “You’re not cured yet. Now stay still for ten minutes while I go steal—I mean, borrow, some of Aeris’s healing herbs.†Yuffie walked across the room and towards a glass case. Sora heard a clicking noise as the case apparently opened. The ninja muttered to herself as clanging went off from her side of the room. Sora was surprised when he felt a box crash onto his lap. It was as light as a feather and made entirely of lace. Curious, Sora started to open the magic box.

Curiosity killed the cat, Roxas warned as Sora opened the box.

Oh come on, Sora replied. What could happen?

When he reached his hand inside, he was shocked when a flow of water erupted from the lace and forcefully splashed against his face. Panicking, Sora put up his injured arm to keep the water out of his face as his left hand scrambled blindly to close the box.

Phew, he sighed. Sora used his left hand to wipe the water out of his eyes and coughed out the water that had shot into his open mouth. As he composed himself, he was shocked that he didn’t hear Leon, Riku, or even Yuffie scolding his carelessness. The boy sat up and looked around the room. He gasped.

The world around him appeared in black and white, everything perfectly still. Time had been frozen. Sora rose to his feet, uncertain. He put his hand to his head as he began to feel lightheaded. Sora turned his sight back to the bed to sit back down. He nearly screamed when he saw a colorless version of himself lying in the bed. The boy frozen in time looked as if he was just opening the box. How did this happen? Sora asked himself. What is going on?

The teen began to stroll around the room when he began to examine his friends’ expressions. Leon looked tough, as always. Riku looked annoyed for some reason. And Yuffie...well, she was being Yuffie. Sora looked towards the back corner of the small home. Kairi! She wasn’t in black and white? This confused Sora even more. The boy walked back towards his friend. He laid his gentle left hand on Kairi’s shoulder as a bright light surrounded him.

Kairi​

Kairi and Namine sat beside each other in the minute light that Namine’s being created. The world around them had turned to pure silence. Kairi could not relax. Every second, she had to survey the scene to make sure that nothing horrible was going to happen. She sighed as she finally closed her eyes and laid on her back. Will this ever end?

Kairi opened her eyes and was shocked that the scene in front of her had changed. She was staring at a white ceiling that had appeared above her. She quickly sat herself up into a sitting position as she looked around. She was in an unfamiliar room. The girl moved her legs off the side of the bed as her heart leapt at the sight in front of her. Sora!!

“Sora!†She yelled as she leaped to her feet. She ran into his arms. Apparently surprised by the force of Kairi’s lunge, the boy moved back a few steps as he got a firm stance again. He held the overjoyed girl in his arms. Kairi giggled happily as Sora held her in his gentle arms. Finally! It’s over. It’s really over.

When Kairi finally tore herself away from Sora, she looked deep into the boy’s eyes. Something wasn’t right. His returning stare it was...emotionless. “Sora?†Kairi said as he continued to gaze deeply into Sora’s eyes. “Sora, what’s wrong?†The boy shook his head and turned away. “Please.†Kairi pleaded. He shook his head again as he backed away and out the door. “Sora!†She cried as he disappeared out the door. She ran out the door to see where her best friend had gone. The area outside of the building was bright white...so brightly shining that Kairi could not see two feet in front of her. She gasped at the luminosity of the outside world. She raised her eyes towards the snow white sky. A huge black shadowy form appeared out of nowhere, standing out against the colorless sky. It had a heart-shaped hole in its stomach. The creature’s eyes were pure yellow. Its hair stood on all ends. Kairi was terrified as she saw the creature reaching its large hand towards her.

“Sora!†She cried as she back away from the creature. She turned herself around and ran back into the building, leaning against the door. She gasped as she noticed that Sora was standing by the bed where she had been lying. “Sora?†Kairi said to the statue-still boy. The girl stared in horror as the boy that she loved began to turn black and slimy. He was shrinking, his eyes turning untainted yellow. That wasn’t Sora. That was a shadow. That whole time...Sora was never there...?

“NO!!!†Kairi screamed as she felt her body jerked forward. The scene had disappeared. She was back in the darkness of her nightmare.

“Kairi!†Namine said as she stared at her friend’s distressed face. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?â€

Kairi shook her head, unable to speak of her horrible daydream. She sobbed as her miserable howling echoed through the vast nothingness.

Sora​

Sora quickly pulled his hand away from Kairi as a burst of electricity ran through his arm. He grabbed his arm to stop the vibrations. Huh? That was totally weird...

He turned his back towards Kairi and faced the room again. He shook his head in disbelief as he saw the still frozen world in front of him. The boy walked back to the bed and sat down, trying to reconnect his body and spirit. When that didn’t work, Sora jumped to his feet and stomped his foot on the ground. “WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!?†He yelled out in frustration. The world around him remained silent. “Ugh!†The boy stomped out of the house and to the outside world. He gasped when he saw the frozen sky. Meteors had been falling to the world when time had frozen. Sora raised his finger as his vision ran across the line of asteroids. The Market Place. Sora quickly ran in that direction.

The boy stopped his run and stared in awe when he saw that a meteor has feet from the ground, right in the middle of the marketplace. And there was someone directly in its path. Sora couldn’t recognize the figure, so he moved in for a closer look. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw movement on one of the rooftops. It almost looked like, no, it couldn’t have been. The Organization?

“Hey!†Sora yelled, his voice echoing in the silence. The figure walked away, its figure hiding behind the rooftop. “Come back!†He called as he ran towards the shape. Sora ran to the top of the stairs and stared at the dark-cloaked figure. “Who are you?†Sora asked. “Why are you here?â€

In the blink of an eye, the figure was gone. Just...gone. No portal had appeared or anything. One second, he was there, the next he wasn’t. Sora grabbed his head in confusion. “Oh great, now I’m going crazy...†he muttered. The boy looked out over the desolate battle field. He squinted his eyes. Something was out there.

Knowing that he would have to explore sooner or later, he ran through the bailey, through the curving mountain path and into the battle field. He couldn’t believe what he saw. A heartless army. Sora walked through the ranks to see how many there were. This is so eerie, he thought. Where did all these heartless come from?

“Sora?â€

Sora turned around at the sound of his voice. He looked towards the sky and mountains, but he didn’t see anyone. He turned his sites back to the army. Sora was horrified to see that they had come to life, their bodies moving, color returning to them. Anger spreading to his face, he summoned his keyblade and prepared for a tough fight. There had to be thousands of heartless out there. And Sora was standing right in the middle of them. Before the battle could even begin, Sora wisely fled to outside the circle so he wouldn’t be surrounded and killed.

“Sora?â€

That voice again! It sounded so familiar...but no matter where Sora looked, he couldn’t see its source. He shook his head as he snapped back to reality. The heartless army all stared at Sora as they all moved in around him. Sora charged into the crowd.

“Sora!â€

This time, Sora knew that he couldn’t ignore the voice. Making a quick decision, he fled from the heartless and began to climb one of the rocky slopes. Good thing the climbing was pretty easy; at least for the first 50 feet. As the climbing became tougher, Sora panicked and looked down below as he saw the heartless also climbing up the wall, close behind him.

“SORA!â€

The voice echoed through the area, shaking the world apart. The rock that Sora was holding onto with hand fell off the wall. The boy frantically tried to find another rock he could grip, but there were no other options. He screamed as he plummeted into the sea of heartless.

“Ahhh!†Sora screamed as he sat up in his bed. Sweat trickled down into his widened eyes. The boy was shocked at his new surroundings. He wasn’t fighting a heartless army. He was sitting up on one of Merlin’s beds.

“You’re finally awake!†Riku said as soon as Sora calmed down. “We kept on trying to wake you, but you didn’t respond or anything!†Riku sat down on the foot of Sora’s bed as he looked his pale friend in the eye. “Are you alright? You really don’t look good.â€

Sora nodded, confused. “I’ll be fine. But...what exactly happened, anyway?â€

“Yuffie was looking through the medicine over there and while we were all looking at her, you passed out for some reason.†Leon said, trying to keep his worry from showing on his strained face. “We’ve been trying to wake you for 15 minutes now.
Sora was shocked, everything was such a blur. Riku noticed his blank stare. “Relax, man, it’s over now.â€

“It was a nightmare!†Sora exclaimed. “It was so bizarre...â€

“Either way, it’s over now.†Riku said gently. “It was only a dream.â€

Sora nodded, still not convinced. But which parts were the dream?

*****
End of Chapter 10. This is possibly the last chapter I post for a while (Since my summer is going to get busy soon). But that’s what I said for another chapter and I posted one very soon after that. Oh well, we’ll see what happens!

 

Chapter 11: The Real Cure

Sora​

“So you guys haven’t found a cure for the disease?†Sora heard Riku say to Leon. Riku and Leon were standing a few feet away from the bed while Yuffie knelt by Sora’s bed, rubbing herbs on his burnt foot.

“Not yet.†Leon answered. “But we did find out some information about it. We found out how it’s spread. You see, there’s this germ in the air---â€

“Stop squirming.†Yuffie muttered, making Sora miss part of the conversation. Sora quickly obeyed, shushed her, and continued eavesdropping.

“---so depending on how strong a person’s immune system is, it may take longer for them to start showing the symptoms. And it may take longer for them to become comatose.†Sora felt Yuffie gently lay his foot back onto the bed as she reached for Sora’s arm.

“What are the symptoms? I know some of them, but not all of them.†Riku stated

“Fainting, sweating, nightmares, and sometimes cold like symptoms.†Leon listed as he looked briefly towards Sora for some reason. Sora turned away at his unreadable glance. Did he sense worry? Or was Sora just behind paranoid?

Awkward silence filled the room, which Yuffie immediately broke. “Ok, Sora, you’re all done! Your arm and foot are as good as new.†She gave him a stern look. “Just make sure it stays that way.â€

Sora laughed at her seriousness. “Thanks Yuffie, I’ll try my best.†Yuffie rose to her feet and nodded to Leon. Leon pointed towards the marketplace as he and Yuffie exited the room, the door slamming shut behind them. Sora rose to his feet and stared at Riku, who seemed troubled. Before Sora could ask why, a bright light filled the room and Roxas appeared between the friends.

Roxas put his hand on Riku’s shoulder. “Let’s talk.†He said as he gently pushed Riku outside. While walking outwards, Riku shrugged to Sora and pulled the door shut behind him. Thoroughly confused, Sora walked towards the door and put his ear against it, hoping to hear their conversation.

“You’re sure?†he heard one of them say. Sora couldn’t tell who, since the door was blocking out most of the sound.

“I’m positive.†The other one said. “He’s got it.â€

Silence followed. After a few moments, Sora felt the door open. He quickly backed away and tried to look as if he weren’t just eavesdropping. He put his hand in his hair and scratched his head. Roxas and Riku both entered the home at the same time. For a few seconds, they just stared at each other. “What’s up?†Sora asked, puzzled.

“Roxas thinks you have the nightmare disease.†Riku blurted, distress clear on his face.

This wasn’t what Sora expected at all. He stared at his other, but Roxas wouldn’t return his gaze. Sora shook his head in disbelief. “How would I have the disease? I haven’t shown the symptoms...have I?†He continued to stare at Roxas. When Roxas finally turned his eyes up and looked at Sora, he knew the truth. The fainting, the weird nightmare...he really was sick. Sora quickly put on a brave face and nodded. “Alright, let’s go find the cure then. Let’s go to Twilight Town.†Riku and Roxas turned to each other, unsure. Sora could see why they would be afraid, but there was no way that he was going to let them worry about him. “Come on, guys. If it took this long for me to start showing symptoms, then it’ll be a while before I’m comatose. Let’s get the cure before that happens.â€

Riku nodded, looking a little more hopeful than he had ten seconds ago. “You’re right, let’s go.†He turned towards the door and walked out. Roxas and Sora followed, close behind. As they walked through Hollow Bastion, Sora couldn’t help but worry. What was going to happen next? Who else was going to suffer before they find the cure? The threesome walked onto the ship. Riku sat in the driver’s seat, Sora sitting shotgun. Roxas took a seat in the row behind him. Why he didn’t merge back, Sora didn’t know. But he didn’t mind. He liked being able to see his other.

In the blink of an eye, the world around them changed. One second, they were in Hollow Bastion. The next, they were staring at the train station in Twilight Town. The three strolled towards the Usual Spot, where they knew they would find Olette, Pence, and Hayner. Again, Riku walked in front of the group, while Sora and Roxas walked side-by-side. Every once in a while, Roxas and/or Riku would turn to see if Sora was alright. Sora knew that it was because they cared so much, but he was so tired of feeling weak. “Let’s run.†Sora said as he began to sprint through the shopping area. He didn’t turn around to see if Riku and Roxas were following, but he knew they were.

As they ran, Sora was glad to see that the marketplace was alive and buzzing. He still remembered that during his last visit, the marketplace was completely empty when he and Roxas had been walking together. We never did find out why...Sora thought, knowing that his other could hear his thoughts.

Maybe the others will know. Roxas replied mentally.

But what if they don’t know? Sora asked back. Then what?

Sora could picture Roxas shrug. I don’t know...but let’s just hope that they do know. Besides, I don’t really think it matters that much.The three slowed their run when they arrived at the usual spot. Sora was the first to enter, then Roxas, then Riku.

“Hey, guys.†Pence greeted them. He rose from the couch where he had been sitting. Olette was sitting there, while Hayner stood against the back wall. Pence turned to the nobody. “You must be Roxas. We’ve heard about you.â€

Roxas nodded. “Yeah, nice to see ya.â€

“Sorry that we don’t have time for small talk.†Sora interrupted. “But we have a few questions that we need answers for, quick.†Pence nodded and sat back down.

“What’s up?†Hayner asked.

“After our last visit here, Riku and I went to The World That Never Was, to get the water.†Sora began. “When we went there, we saw one of our old enemies, Maleficent. She disguised herself as Olette and was trying to trade her nasty looking vile for the red one that Olette gave us. We have no idea why...do you guys?â€

The three Twilight Town teens shook their heads. “Do you still have the red liquid?†Olette asked Sora.

“Yeah,†Sora said. “It’s in my pocket.†He reached his hand into one of his pant pockets. It was empty. He reached into the other. It was also empty. Panicking, he felt all of his pockets. Nothing. It was gone. Sora turned to Riku, who stared back at Sora sadly. Then he turned towards the girl. His eyes showed Olette his despair.

“Don’t worry.†Olette said, showing off a tiny smile. “That red potion...it was a simple potion mix that I created. All that it did was make plants grow. It wasn’t the real cure.â€

Sora, Riku, and Roxas stared at the girl in awe. “But...how did you know?†Roxas asked.

“I didn’t.†the teenager admitted. “But somehow I just knew that something wasn’t right, it felt like someone was listening in for some reason...and I knew shouldn’t give you the real potion. It’s like...the Market Place was deserted, and that never happens. So I kind of figured that something wasn’t right. It was a lucky guess, really. Anyway, this is the real cure.†Olette held up a smaller bottle with a cherry red mixture inside. It sparkled with brightness. It was almost as if it created its own light.

Riku stepped forward and stared into Olette’s eyes, his eyebrows down. “But how do we know that you really are Olette? How do we know that this isn’t a trick?â€

Olette put her finger on her chin, thinking. “Why don’t you guys ask me questions that only I would know the answers for?â€

Sora rubbed his head, trying to think of a good question. “Alright,†he said once he thought of one, “What made us look into the alternate Twilight Town last year?â€

“Oh, that’s an easy one.†Olette said. “It was because you guys had the same wallet that I did, the one that I made myself. And that blue trophy gem, it was impossible for there to be two of them. That’s why.â€

“That’s Olette.†Sora said, without a hint of doubt in his voice. “Just one more question, for everyone. What was the password to Ansem’s computer?â€

“Sea-Salt Ice cream.†Hayner, Pence, and Olette answered at the same time. Sora laughed with relief. Before he knew it, everyone had joined in and was laughing with him. When things had finally settled down, Sora asked another question.

“So, is this the whole cure? Or is there more?â€

Olette smiled. “That’s most of it. Your friends in Hollow Bastion have a few more ingredients that I forgot to tell you about. All you have do to is mix together the ingredients (mashing the solid ones) and then have the person swallow just one drop, and then they’ll be cured. The nightmares will stop...and if they’re already comatose, they should wake up soon afterwards.â€

“Thank you so much, Olette. This is great!†Sora said excitedly, taking the bottle from Olette.

“Just one thing, though. If a person is in a coma for too long, there may be side affects. They may even die.â€

“DIE!?!†Sora, Riku and Roxas yelled at the same time. “We’ve got to go. Bye!†Sora said as he ran out of the building, Riku and Roxas running close behind. Sora didn’t care if he was rude; all he could think about was Kairi. Kairi. Kairi. Kairi...

You know, Roxas thought, this reminds me of a song a heard one time. It goes like this:

If you fly away tonight
I want to tell you that I love you
I hope that you can hear me
I hope that you can feel me
If you fly away tonight
I want to tell you that I'm sorry
That I never told you
When we were face to face

Here’s the last part, it’s very sad, but sweet:

So goodbye for now
And I'll see you again
Some way, somehow
When it's my time to go
to the other side
I'll hold you again
And melt at your smile
Now all I have
Are the ones that I'm with
And you taught me not
To take for granted
The time that we have
To show that we care
Speak into their minds
And their hearts
While they're here
And say I love you

This is no time for music! Sora snapped. Especially not that music...about death and sadness!

You’re right, I’m sorry man. Roxas apologized. The three were now at the gummi ship. They all entered quickly. Each boy took the same seat that they had before. Time moved extremely slowly for Sora. He wanted to get back to Kairi...before it was too late. As soon as the ship landed in Hollow Bastion, Sora hopped out of his seat and ran towards Merlin’s house, the medicine clanking against each other in his pockets. His heart was beating 1000 miles per hour. Each beat screamed her name. Kairi! Kairi! Kairi! He burst into Merlin’s home, where Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith stared at Sora, shocked at how he had crashed into their house. Without stopping to say anything, he checked Kairi’s pulse (which was normal), and breathed a sigh of relief

“No time to explain.†Sora said to the others as he walked to the table and laid out the medicine. “I’ve got to mix this, put it in a new bottle, and give a drop to Kairi, before it’s too late. Can someone get me a bottle?†Aerith quickly walked over to a cabinet and got out a big bowl so Sora could mix everything. “And I need someone to chop up this leaf.†Yuffie grabbed the bottled leaf and grabbed a knife. Sora mixed all the ingredients that they had received: A bottle filled with a mysterious substance from the King, the red liquid from Twilight Town and the rain water from the World That Never Was. Sora nodded his thanks to Yuffie as he put in the chopped leaf.

“Don’t forget these.†Leon said as he handed three more bottles to Sora. One had an orange liquid inside. Another was filled with a white/silver powder. The last looked like a shinning diamond.

“Where did you guys get all of these?†Riku asked from behind Sora. In all the excitement, Sora didn’t even notice that his other friends had arrived.

“The orange liquid was found in this world. Donald and Goofy stopped by to drop off the other two ingredients. The King must have told them about the situation.â€

Sora nodded. Good old Donald and Goofy. They were nice friends. He shook away his thoughts and turned his focus back to Kairi’s cure. He poured in the new ingredients (the gem was already mashed) and stirred them with a spoon that had appeared by the bowl. The only noise that could be heard in the entire room was Sora’s wooden spoon clanking against the metal bowl. When the ingredients were mixed thoroughly, the bowl was filled with a thin, bright pink liquid, which sparkled so brightly that it almost seemed as bright as the night stars.

Aerith placed a large bottle by the bowl. Sora slowly poured the mixture into it, careful not to let a single drop fall onto the table. As Sora walked towards Kairi, bottle in hand, Riku stopped him. “You need to take some.†He said, not making it optional. Sora nodded and gently turned the bottle. A small drop fell into his open mouth. The potion tasted surprisingly good. He closed his mouth and swallowed. Although he didn’t feel any different, he knew that the remedy had served its purpose with him.

Sora turned around to see Riku and Roxas smiling at him, encouraging him. He nodded solemnly and turned back to Kairi. The boy knelt by her bed. “Hold on, Kairi.†He whispered as he gingerly tilted her head upward. With his left hand, he held the potion above Kairi. Sora held his breath as he saw a drop fall into Kairi’s open mouth. Slowly, the boy lowered Kairi’s head back onto the pillow. He held the potion in both hands as he slowly rose to his feet. All eyes were on Kairi. Sora stepped back a few steps and set the bottle on the table.

ora, Roxas, Riku, Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith all stared at the teenage girl as color returned to her still body. How beautiful she looked when she had color! Sora briefly noticed that he was holding his breath. He was sure he wasn’t the only one. The boy continued to stare at the girl as he eyes flickered open slowly. When finally awake, Kairi jumped out of bed, her wide, shining, blue eyes explored the room, confused.

“Where am I?â€

*****
And this is where the chapter ends =)
The song lyrics are from a song called “Things Left Unsaid†by Disciple. I just happened to be listening to it, and it fit so perfectly that I couldn’t resist putting it in xD. Leave comments and criticism.

 

Wow awesome chapter
this isnt the last is it? :(

lol really random how Roxas just started to sing in the middle but it fitted well :)

i need to catch up, i read the first few and the last two chapters but i missed out the middle darn it

 

Chapter 12: It’s Not Over Yet

Kairi​

Kairi’s eyes darted around the room, expressing her confusion. Namine, where are we? I don’t remember ever being here before.

I don’t know...but these people must know you somehow. Look at how they keep staring at you.

Yeah. This is totally awkward.

“You’re finally awake!†A brown haired boy squealed cheerfully as he wrapped his arms around Kairi. Kairi wasn’t sure what to do. Should she return the hug of a boy that she didn’t even know? No, she decided. I’ll just stand here...I guess. When the boy finally let go, he stepped away and looked Kairi in the eyes, happiness obvious in his own sparkling blue eyes.

“How do you feel, Kairi?†A silver haired boy asked from the other side of the room. He looked happy too, but he also looked worried.

“Alright, I guess.†Kairi said as she looked around the room and at the other people. Her eyes widened when she remembered a few of them. “Hey, I remember you guys. You were in that place...â€

“Traverse Town.†The familiar man said. “I’m Leon. That’s Yuffie,†he pointed to a ninja girl, “and this is Aerith.†He motioned to a shy looking girl that was too his right. “Right now, you’re in our world.â€

“Which is...?â€

“Hollow Bastion.†A blonde haired boy said.

“RADIENT GARDEN!†Yuffie boomed. “Don’t tell me you’ve been calling it Hollow Bastion all this time, boys!â€

“I forgot, sorry, Yuffie.†The brown haired boy said said, not really appearing to be sorry. He turned back to Kairi. “I’m so glad you’re alright, Kairi.†He said, appearing genuinely happy.

“Thanks...†the red head said slowly. “And you are...?â€

The boy’s smile immediately disappeared. “What do you mean? It’s me, Sora.â€

Sora? What a strange name. And what was up with his clothes anyway? “Sora?†She said aloud. “Have we met before?â€

Sora looked so shocked that he couldn’t say anything. The silver haired boy put his hand on his shoulder and pulled him away. “Excuse us for a second.†He said politely to Kairi as he motioned for everyone to follow him outside. Oh no! What did I say wrong? Kairi thought to herself. The door closed behind them. Kairi felt so alone. What in the world is going on? That boy...he seemed heartbroken. Why? After a few minutes, everyone returned inside. The three young boys looked as if they were trying to hold back tears, while the older people just looked sad. Kairi felt as if she could cry. What had she done to make them so miserable?

“What’s going on?†the girl whispered, confused and depressed.

“Kairi...†the silver haired boy said. “A few weeks ago, you caught a horrible disease...it traps people in a comatose sleep, making them suffer with terrible nightmares. But we just gave you the remedy, and now you should be ok.†He hesitated.

Leon spoke for him, almost too bluntly. “But the disease has some after affects. You have amnesia, Kairi.â€

Kairi looked down to her feet, shocked. “How bad is it? Will I ever be normal again?â€

“You’ll be back to normal someday. We’re positive that it’s only temporary. So far, it seems like you only forget certain people and memories that are connected with them. We don’t know why, but that’s the way it is.†Riku explained gently. Kairi’s heart jumped. He was being so sweet.

“So...I’m friends with you guys?†Kairi asked, pointing to Sora, Riku, and Roxas. “What are your names again?â€

“I’m Sora.†The brown haired boy repeated, emotionless. “That’s Riku with the silver hair. And the blonde is Roxas, my nobody.â€

“Your nobody...†Kairi said, a gleam of understanding in her eye. “Like Namine is mine?â€

“Exactly!†Sora said, excitedly. “Did you just remember something?â€

Did she just remember something? Kairi looked towards the ceiling, trying to remember. She was drawing a blank. So she tried harder to remember. Her head began to hurt, so she stopped trying. She looked back into the six hopeful faces and shook her head. Tears began to flow down her face. This wasn’t fair! Why did she have to make them all worry so much?

“Kairi, don’t cry.†Sora pleaded. “Everything will be alright, you’ll see.†The boy opened his arms, offering Kairi a comforting embrace. Kairi wiped away her tears and shook her head. She didn’t even know this boy, not now, anyway.

Once Kairi stopped crying, Roxas spoke. “Kairi, is Namine alright? Can we talk to her too?â€

Kairi nodded. Namine, come out, she said to her nobody. A bright light momentarily filled the room. When it disappeared, Namine was standing next to Kairi, holding her hand.

“Namine...†Roxas said, stepping forward. “You wouldn’t....happen to remember us, would you?†The blonde girl shook her head sadly. His gaze fell to the ground. “I see...†he said sadly.

“I’m sorry.†Namine said quietly, but ever so gently to the boy.

“It isn’t your fault.†Leon said firmly. “Don’t worry; you girls will be back to normal soon.†Kairi nodded a thanks to the kind man.

“Let’s go home, maybe that’ll trigger something and help you remember.†Riku said. “Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, thanks for everything.†The boy turned to Sora, who was standing right next to him. He placed his hand gently on Sora’s shoulder. “Let’s go home.â€

Sora nodded, numb. He waved goodbye to his Radiant Garden friends and followed Riku out the door, then Roxas, then Kairi and Namine in the rear.

Namine, we’ve got to try everything we can to get our memories back. I can’t stand this already, and I’ve only been awake ten minutes! Kairi whined, upset with the circumstances.

I know, it’s driving me crazy too. But maybe Riku’s right; being at home may help.

As they walked through the town, the whole group was silent, which was making Kairi feel even guiltier. She knew that she was the reason for this silence. As she felt the sadness returning to her heart, she quickly shook it off. Being sad wasn’t going to help anything. Kairi made a vow to herself: Get back her memory at any cost. They rounded a corner and the girl was shocked to see a huge space ship in front of her. She looked to the guys, following their example. As they boarded the ship, Kairi couldn’t hold back her awe. “This is your ship?â€

Sora nodded. “The King gave it to us last year.†Kairi continued looking around the ship, not really listening to Sora’s response.

Amazing...the girl thought to herself. She finally turned her attention back to the boys and saw that they were buckling into seats. Namine moved towards a seat in a middle row, which left Kairi in the rear seat.

“Everyone buckled up?†She heard Riku call from the driver’s seat. He turned around and saw that everyone was set. “Then here we go.†The boy looked down at a computer and pressed a button. Kairi gasped when she saw the world change in front of her eyes. One second she saw a stone entranceway, the next she saw a beautiful beach, which she recognized immediately. They landed on the island.

I’m home, she thought happily, momentarily forgetting the amnesia. The sun shone gloriously onto the wet sand. The blue water shone with an explosion of sparkling waves. It was so beautiful that Kairi almost cried in sheer happiness. She looked out her own side window to her left and gasped when she saw familiar faces. It was Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka! What a glorious feeling it was...knowing that she hadn’t forgotten everyone near and dear to her. Namine turned around and smiled at Kairi, seeing happiness in her eyes. But Kairi was too busy looking out the window and waving frantically to her friends. She finally decided to stop waving and go out and hug her friends...especially Selphie. Kairi unbuckled herself and looked out the window again as she rose to her feet. The boys were already outside, talking to the three Destiny Island teens in hushed voices. Selphie’s eyes widened as her hand covered her mouth. The girl quickly glanced at Kairi, and then turned away when she saw Kairi looking at her. Kairi took a deep breathe and closed her eyes. They knew about the amnesia, which had already begun to slip her mind. She turned towards Namine, who looked awkward. “What’s wrong, Namine?â€

“Well...do you mind if I merge back with you? I’ve never actually met these people outside of your body, and I don’t want it to be uncomfortable.†Kairi nodded, giving Namine permission to merge back. In a flash of pure white light, Kairi stood alone in the ship. Don’t forget, Namine’s voice came from the back of her mind, I’m always with you. Always.

Thanks, Namine. That’s one thing that I’ll never forget. Kairi walked out the rocket door and down the ramp. All of the other teens stared at her as she stared back, unsure.

“Kairi!†Selphie screamed as she ran to embrace her friend, acting as if nothing was wrong. That’s what Kairi loved about her spunky friend: her ability to banish any awkward moments. Kairi smiled happily as she ran towards Selphie. The two met in the middle and held each other in tight embrace. Kairi liked being in her comforting arms. It reminded her of...something. When Selphie pulled away and looked Kairi in the eye, her eyes must have shown blankness. “Are you alright?â€

Kairi snapped out of it, forgetting what she was trying to remember. “I’m fine...I was just thinking of something.†Selphie nodded, understanding. The girl wrapped her arm around Kairi’s shoulders and walked towards Tidus and Wakka. When they stood right in front of them, Kairi shyly waved with the arm that wasn’t being pushed into Selphie’s side. “Hey Tidus. Hey Wakka.†She said shyly. The boys both smiled and Tidus gave a small returning wave. They all stood in silence for a few moments. Kairi looked up to the sky. It was probably around 3:00, guessing by the position of the sun. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn’t remember anything, she’d been away from home for who knows how long, and her head was still throbbing from thinking so hard. Kairi decided that she really didn’t feel very social right now. “I’m going to go check on my cat, bye guys!†She excused herself as she walked towards her boat. She heard a few people mutter goodbyes as Kairi got into her boat.

“Tell me everything.†She heard a female voice say to one of the boys (which could have only been Selphie). That was the last Kairi heard. She paddled her boat home, tied it to a pole, and walked strait into her house.

Its days like this that I wish I didn’t live alone, Kairi thought to herself. At least I have my kitten, she makes me happy. Pause. I think. “Butterscotch! Where are you, girl?†She called, her voice echoing in the stillness. Her beloved cat walked up to her. She looked fatter than Kairi had remembered. “Hey pretty girl,†she cooed, “did someone feed you while I was gone?†Kairi made a mental note to thank Selphie later. She knelt down and picked up her feline friend and hugged her tightly as her tears of misery soaked Butterscotch’s fur.

*******
Kairi sat on her couch, holding her cat for a long while. Had she actually fallen asleep? No, but she did begin to realize that she was exhausted from the stress and anxiety. She kissed her cat lightly on its head, set her down, and dragged herself up to her bed. Kairi pulled away the sheets and laid down in her comfortable bed. It was a cold night. She shivered as she pulled her blankets up to her chin. The girl closed her eyes. Bright, enormous, creepy yellow eyes stared back at her. She gasped as her eyes opened up, very wide. What was that thing? And why did it scare her so much? That fright had woken up Kairi, or at least that’s what she told herself. She reached into her closet and grabbed a jacket. She slipped on her sneakers and slowly walked down the stairs. When she opened the front door, she could see the stars shining in the sky above her. I’ll go for a walk, the girl decided as she closed the door behind her.

She breathed in the air, enjoying the smell of the ocean. The red head walked along the water line, looking out towards the calming sea. A full moon hung behind the ocean. Its light bounced off the waves and made the sea sparkle and glimmer. Kairi sighed. It was so beautiful. She backed away from the water and laid flat on her back in the dry sand, staring into the starry night. The girl closed her eyes in relaxation.

“You couldn’t sleep either?†Kairi heart leaped at the voice as her body rose into a sitting position. She turned around and saw that Riku was walking up to her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.â€

Kairi shook it off, trying to act as if she wasn’t just terrified. “It’s alright. And no, I can’t sleep. I was just in a coma; you would think that I got enough sleep to last me for a month, right?†She joked halfheartedly.

Riku looked down at her, concerned. “Sure. But you look pretty exhausted to me. Everything alright?†He sat down beside her.

Kairi looked down to her feet. She couldn’t hide her feelings from this guy. She let out a heavy breath. “Ok...the truth is...I’m afraid to fall asleep. When I tried a little while ago, I just saw this freaky pair of eyes staring back at me, so I came out for a walk.†Pause. “What are you doing up?â€

Riku shrugged. “Same as you...couldn’t sleep. Whenever I can’t sleep, I always go for a walk by the beach, it relaxes me.â€

Kairi nodded as she stared out at the full moon. With Riku sitting there next to her, she felt...safe. I must have had a crush on someone before the disease, right Namine? Maybe it was him. He’s so sweet, and his very presence makes me happy.

Don’t get carried away, came the reply. You know nothing about either guy...or yourself right now. Wait until we’re both healthy and THEN you can fall in love.

But we don’t know how long that’ll be! Kairi pointed out. What if I never get my memory back? Then my life will be a complete waste.

Kairi, you’re not thinking clearly. You know tu’ll get your memory back someday.

“I’m going to bed.†Kairi said aloud, breaking the silence. She rose to her feet. “Goodnight, Riku.â€

“Goodnight, Kairi.†He said sweetly. “Do you want me to walk you back?â€

The girl shook her head. “No, thanks anyway.†She turned away and walked home, feeling strangely warm inside. As soon as she got home, she went up the stairs and straight to bed, leaving her jacket on. Kairi didn’t even think about the creepy yellow eyes. Riku was the only thing on her mind as she fell into dreamless sleep.

*****
The end. As the title says, it aint over yet! And for those of you who say that aint aint a word, I say “shut up!†This one was hard to write in the beginning, but I personally think it gets better as you read on. Opinions?

 

OMG OMG OMG

DUN DUN DUN!

Kairi... and Riku? I knew somebody would dare to do it!
Forget my username... Riku is still hotter than Sora. Go Kairi!

Butterscotch is such an adorable name for a cat... awwww.

Giving her amnesia is just... just... wow.

Ooh, maybe when Kairi sees something like a paupu fruit itll jolt her memory back.
oooooh this is great!

 

Chapter 13: Not Quite Back to Normal

Kairi​

The red head woke up the next morning to the sound of birds chirping outside her bedroom window. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up in bed. She felt fully refreshed, despite her initial fear of falling asleep. The girl got out of bed and raised her arms above her head as she stretched, trying to get rid of the sleepiness. Before she could even leave her room, her phone rang. She reached onto her nightstand and flipped it open without bothering to look at the caller ID. “Hello?” She said groggily.

“Hey Kairi!” Selphie’s warm voice greeted her. “How ya feeling?” Kairi smiled at her friend’s genuinely caring voice.

“I’m fine.” Kairi said, now fully awake. “Just woke up a few minutes ago. What’s up?”

“Nothing much. Just wondering if you wanted to hang out with me on the island today. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“On what?” Kairi asked, confused.

Selphie was quiet for a second before speaking in a more hushed tone than before. “Don’t you want to know what’s going on, and what you can’t remember?”

Kairi’s eyes widened. “Of course I do! Where do you want to meet?”

“I’ll come over to your house in, like, five minutes.”

Kairi and Selphie exchanged their goodbyes and hung up. The red head looked to her wall clock. 10:36?! Wow, I really overslept! I’d better hurry up and get ready. She thought to herself as she ran into the bathroom to get a quick shower.

Selphie​

The spunky teenager hummed as she walked from her home on the south side of the island to Kairi’s home on the north side. After Sora and Riku had filled her in on the events and details on Kairi, Selphie was shocked to say the least. All that she could do was feel sorry for Kairi and her horrible predicament. At the moment Sora finished the story, Selphie knew what she had to do. She had to try and help Kairi get her memory back, without making her friend feel despair or get upset. Since Kairi remembered her, Selphie was the perfect person to tell her what was going on.

She knocked on Kairi’s front door when she had arrived. The walk had taken longer than she thought it would be. “Just a minute!” She heard Kairi yell from upstairs. Selphie smiled and sat down on the porch swing. A few minutes later, the front door opened and Kairi walked out. Her wet hair was tied back in a pony tail. She wore the usual outfit and sneakers. “Hey.” Kairi greeted her friend, clearly excited to know what Selphie had to say. “Ready to go?”

Selphie smiled and nodded. She rose from her seat and flung her purse over her shoulder. She and Kairi walked side by side down the beach. The girl debated on whether she should just talk to Kairi as they walked, but in the end, she decided it would be better for them to be someplace private before she spilled the beans. So the two walked in silence.

Sora​

Sora had a hard time waking up that next morning. The first thing that he thought of was Kairi. How could he not think about her? She was more than a best friend to him. He loved her so much! Sora realized that maybe he didn’t know what true love was, but he knew that he felt so many strong feelings for her, and he cared deeply for her. And now...the girl he was crazy about couldn’t even remember him. It felt like he was stabbed in the heart, and the wound was only getting worse. Sora felt himself falling into deep depression. This kind of hopelessness was a new emotion for the boy. He was always optimistic before, but things had never been so bad before. Seeing Kairi sick really hit him hard. Last year, he thought he could withstand any trial without feeling too down. Now he knew he was wrong. Horribly wrong.

He got out of bed at 11:00, even though he didn’t feel like it. He crawled out of bed and was walking towards the bathroom when his cell phone began to ring. The boy slowly walked towards it, feet dragging on the carpet of his bedroom floor. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Riku. How are you feeling today?” His voice sounding gentle and caring.

“Fine.” Sora lied. “I just woke up.”

“You just woke up? You sure you’re alright? You never sleep in so late.”

“Yesterday was tiring. I got to bed late and must have taken too much medicine for my headache. I guess it made me sleep later.” A total and complete lie. But Sora knew that Riku wouldn’t question him...at least not now.

“Ok.” Riku said, letting the subject drop. “You want to hang out today?”

Sora took a deep breath. Did he really want to do anything? No. All he felt like doing was sleeping. “Maybe later this afternoon. I still need to each breakfast and lunch and take a shower and all that.”

“Alright. We’ll meet on the island around 3:30.”

“Ok, bye.” Sora said as he hung up. He sighed as he threw his phone onto his bed. He looked back towards the bathroom door. The boy shook his head; letting his body collapse as he sprawled out on his unmade bed, staring into the pure white ceiling.

Kairi​

“So, that’s what happened.” Selphie concluded. She and Kairi were sitting on the pier on the island, where Selphie always used to sit while waiting for a battle challenge from one of the guys.

Kairi was stunned at what Selphie had told her. At how close she and those boys used to be, the horrors of the disease, and most importantly, how she couldn’t remember any of it. She was mostly curious about Riku. “Tell me more about the guys.”

“Sora is really kind, optimistic, and goofy. You guys have always had a thing for each other. Riku is tougher, but deep down, he’s really gentle and loving.”

“Me and Sora?!” Kairi exclaimed, shaking her head. “That’s impossible. I have no clue who he is!”

“Kairi, you have amnesia.” Selphie gently pointed out. “Of course you don’t know who he is.”

“But I thought...” she trailed off. Should she tell Selphie about her attraction to Riku? The red head decided to tell. “I thought that I had a crush on Riku. He’s so sweet! And just being with him, I feel so safe and loved.” Selphie stared at her in awe. Kairi could practically read her mind. How could Kairi be thinking about love at a time like this? Those were probably her thoughts right about now. Kairi sighed. She should have kept her big mouth shut.

“Personally, I think you’re crazy to be thinking about love right now. But I’ll tell ya what, I’ll help you get back your memory and then you can choose your boy, ok?”

Kairi nodded, truly thankful that Selphie let the subject drop before it turned ugly. “Thanks. But how can we get my memory back?”

Selphie took a minute to think. “Maybe if you see certain things, then you’ll remember stuff!” Kairi stared at her friend in amazement. What a great idea! Kairi smiled, her eyes showing her excitement.

“Let’s get started!” Selphie said as she got up from her seat on the pier. “I know just the place to begin.”

Kairi laughed as she quickly rose to her feet. Selphie glanced one last time at Kairi before running towards the other side of the island. Kairi jumped off the pier and quickly caught up to her spunky friend. She was too thrilled to question what her friend had in mind. All that Kairi knew was that she wanted her memory back and Selphie was helping her get it. That was good enough for her.

The girls slowed down at the door that led to the other side of the island. Selphie opened the door and walked through, Kairi close behind. Selphie walked over by a tree and pointed to the bridge, which was always falling apart. “Does this remind you of anything?”

Kairi thought for a minute, hoping for some remembrance. Nothing came. “Only that whoever always repairs this bridge does a bad job and it always falls apart.” She joked.

Selphie sighed, disappointed that her plan didn’t work. “So, you don’t remember anything? You, Sora, and Riku always used to have races back here. You would stand right by the doorway and countdown for the guys to race. Then they would have to run and touch the star on the other side of the island and come back here. It was how they solved their problems.”

“They had problems? Aren’t they best friends?”

“Yes, but they used to be huge rivals...and best friends. But now, there’s no more competition. They really are best friends.”

A memory flashed in Kairi’s eyes. She saw two boys sword fighting on a beach. But they were too far away for Kairi to make out clearly. The memory vanished as quickly as it appeared. The red head was disappointed. She had hoped to get more than that back. She told her friend about her recollection and her disappointment.

“Don’t be disappointed! At least you actually did remember something. You have to start somewhere, right? I’m sure if we get a bunch of small memories and connect them, you’ll remember everything!” Kairi smiled at the teen’s upbeat response. She was lucky to have such a good friend. After standing there for a minute, Selphie spoke again. “Let’s go home.” It was 3:45 PM.

******
That’s the end of chapter 13. Sorry it was a little shorter than usual, but it was the best place I could cut off the story before...it happens. What is “it”? Stay tuned to find out!

 

hee hee, dont worry ill stay tuned ^_^

that was awesome, now i actually do want kairi and riku together.
If your going to give back kairi's memories.. that wont happen :(

keep it up! I like regular updates ;)

p.s id rep you but i have to spread some more round first :)

 

Chapter 14: The Storm

Sora​

Sora woke up to his dog licking his face. “Get off, Sammy.†He muttered as he pushed the golden retriever away. The boy yawned and looked at the clock. 3:15!? He must have fallen asleep. He jumped out of bed and began to get ready for the rest of the day. The boy didn’t bother taking a shower; he just put gel in his hair, got dressed, and was out the door. Maybe he could still make it to the island on time. Then he remembered something. “Crap...†he mumbled as he turned around and went back inside. Sora had forgotten to eat something. And poor Sammy was starving. “Here you go, boy.†The keyblade wielder poured a cup of dog food into the food bowl. He grabbed a poptart and ate it on his way to the island.

Did Sora feel any better than earlier? No. But he had to at least fool Riku. It wouldn’t be easy. So he practiced smiling as he walked, only when he was sure that nobody would see him. Of course he knew that he didn’t have to be extremely cheerful, but he did have to seem like he wasn’t depressed. As he climbed into his boat, he desperately hoped that Riku wouldn’t see through his charade.

After the short paddling to the boat, he saw that Riku was already there, waiting for him. As Sora climbed out of the boat, he shot a small smile at Riku. Riku smiled back. “You’re late.â€

Sora looked at his watch. 3:45. “Sorry, I forgot to feed Sammy.â€

“Well then...†Riku was cut off by a crack of lightning. The bright yellow streak shot down from the heavens and hit the calm ocean a few miles away. Both boys looked to the sky. When had it become so cloudy and stormy? Neither of them had noticed it before. A pure black cloud hovered in the sky above, moving over the sun. Both boys stared in awe as the cloud almost completely blocked out the sunlight. Neither could see 10 feet in front of them with the great darkness surrounding them. Screaming erupted from the other side of the island. It almost sounded like...Kairi? Sora and Riku began to slowly walk in the direction of the scream when a great wind nearly swept them off their feet. The keyblade appeared in his right hand for some reason as he stood firm, not willing himself to fall from the force of the wind. Sora immediately knew why the keyblade had materialized. Danger was very close by.

Kairi​

Kairi and Selphie had been walking through the doorway when a sudden darkness surrounded them. Both girls screamed out in surprise. “What’s going on?†Kairi thought aloud right before a strong gust of wind pushed the girls backwards. Kairi grabbed onto a door post to keep from sliding any further back as she lay on the ground, Selphie doing the same thing to her left. As soon as the wind began to die down, Kairi rose to her feet and went back through the door, taking Selphie with her. Maybe it’s safer on this side of the island...she thought. The red head closed the door behind her and breathed heavily as she stared into the sky. The wind had stopped. A streak of lightning lit the island, revealing that the girls had company. Tons of shadow-like creatures were rising from the ground. They seemed so familiar to Kairi.

She gasped when she realized why they were familiar. Those eyes! Those were the same creepy, huge, yellow eyes that had stared at her when she tried to fall asleep last night. She turned and saw Selphie with her mouth agape, staring at the creatures. And they were coming closer. Both girls grabbed for each other and hugged tightly as they screamed at the top of their lungs.

Sora​

Sora looked to Riku when the wind stopped blowing. But Riku wasn’t looking at him. He was staring at the ground, anger etched across his face. A bolt of lightning shot off in the distance, lighting up the scene. Now Sora knew what his friend was looking at. Heartless. Tons of shadows rising from the ground. Way to Dawn had appeared in Riku’s fist. Without a second thought, both boys charged into the crowd of shadows to fight.

Another explosion of screaming sounded off in the distance. Kairi! Sora finished off his final heartless with ease. He ran ahead of Riku towards the other side of the island. As he slammed through the wooden door, he saw Kairi and Selphie running down the beach, the heartless close behind. They disappeared into the dark distance. In anger, he summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion. The keyblade wielder leapt into the air and crashed down on the shadows with an explosion of light. He looked around. The heartless had him surrounded. Sora heard a thud behind him as Riku knocked out the heartless from behind him. Sora nodded his thanks as he swung at the ones in front of him. They crawled out of the way, dodging the attack. “I don’t have time for this!†He yelled out in frustration. “FIRE!†The heartless disappeared under the fiery attack. The boy ran as fast as he could to catch up to the girls, slashing at anything or anyone who was in his way. “Kairi! Selphie! Where are you?â€

“Over here!†Kairi cried over the noise of battle. “Hurry!â€

Sora followed the sound of her voice and found her and Selphie trapped at the top of the hill. Sora slashed through the heartless as he made his way up the hill. When he made it to the girls, he saw that both were only shaken. Kairi especially. She had no idea what these things were, while Selphie heard all about them from Sora and Riku last year. And Kairi had told her about them too. How ironic that she couldn’t remember the creatures that had stolen her heart. “Use this.†He said, handing her Oathkeeper. Kairi stared at the keyblade in her hand. Did it bring back any memories? But he knew that now was not the time to talk. At that moment, they were surrounded by soldier heartless. He knew that he could easily take all of them, but not while protecting the girls. Sora slashed through the two that were in front of him, opening a path. “Run!†He yelled at the girls. “Don’t stop running. Go find Riku, he’ll help you.†A heartless scratched at Sora’s back, making him wince. The girls looked hesitant. “Don’t worry about me. Go!†Kairi nodded as she grabbed Selphie’s arm with her free hand and began running down the beach. They disappeared in the night-like blackness.

The boy turned around and with one swift slash, the heartless was gone. “Thunder!†He yelled out. The rest of them vanished in a puff of smoke. He looked around to see if there were anymore. None that he could see. The sky exploded with a huge clap of thunder and bright flashes of lightning. Something huge was rising up along the shoreline. It had a large heart-shaped hole in its stomach. Darkside. “Perfect...†Sora muttered under his breath. With a loud battle cry, he launched himself at his foe, while desperately hoping that Selphie and Kairi had gotten out of harm’s way.

Riku​

During the fighting, Riku had somehow gotten separated from Sora. He still couldn’t see more than 10 feet in front of him, thanks to the clouded sky. But he knew that his friend could take care of himself. He was more worried about the girls. But he didn’t have to worry for too long, because as the last of the heartless disappeared under his blows, Kairi and Selphie came into view, Kairi carrying Oathkeeper. The girls stopped running when they reached Riku, both breathing heavily. “Are you guys alright?â€

“We’re fine.†Selphie answered once she caught her breath. “I think most of the heartless are gone.â€

“Heartless?†Kairi questioned.

“I’ll tell you later.†The girl turned back to Riku. “Any idea why they attacked the island? I thought that since the keyhole was sealed, this world would be safe.â€

“I have a few ideas, but I’ll worry about that. Now, where’s Sora?â€

“He’s back there.†Kairi pointed in the direction they had come from. “He was fighting some of the creatures. And he gave me this.†She held up the keyblade. “What should I do with it now?â€

“Keep it to defend yourself. Will you girls be alright if I go help Sora?†Both girls nodded. Riku turned away, and then hesitated. What if something bad happened? He shook it off, running to help his best friend. A flash of lightning momentarily illuminated the island. Riku was running through the water as quickly as he could, towards the sounds of fighting. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

And his gut feeling was right. There in front of him, along the sandy beach, Darkside stood in the ocean, fighting Sora. “Sora!†He yelled out as he ran into battle to aid his friend.

Sora​

“Riku?!†Sora said, stunned to see his friend had joined the battle. Caught off guard, Darkside’s sweeping arm sent Sora flying away from the ocean, high into the air and towards the starred tree. Riku was horrified to see his limp body fly helplessly through the air. He ran towards Sora, who had fallen back to the ground. The boy sat up, rubbing his head. “What are you doing here? I thought you would be helping the girls.â€

Riku smirked. “You need my help more than they do.†He helped Sora to his feet. “The rest of the heartless are gone. Only one more to get rid of. You up to it?â€

Sora smirked, ready for the fight. “Let’s do it.†He picked up Oblivion and charged at Darkside, Riku close behind. Darkside swung his fist along the ground again. But this time, Sora was ready. He leapt into the air as he lunged for Darkside’s face. The keyblade found a place in the monster’s skull. The creature yelled out in pain as his other hand flew aimlessly, trying to knock Sora away from him. The keyblade wielder was prepared for the attack. He was already on the ground, keyblade magically back in hand. The boy enclosed the keyblade in both hands as he took a final lunge at his hand. He missed. Sora jumped back and held up the keyblade to brace himself for the crushing force of the monster’s hand, which was about to come crashing down on him.

Right before the moment of impact, Riku appeared in front of Sora, blocking the fist with his dark shield. As soon as the shield dissolved, Riku leapt at his head, striking him with a strong blow. “Sora, let’s do it.†Sora nodded, knowing exactly what Riku was talking about. After their experiences last year, the boys had been fooling around with their limit breaks. They had created a new one: Light Destruction.

“Light Destruction!†The teenagers yelled as both held their keyblades high in the air. White bolts of lightning rained from the sky, hitting the tips of their keyblades. Both weapons became pure white, creating their own glow. “Let’s go!†Sora snarled as he jumped forward. He and Riku both leapt into the air, holding their weapons with both hands, high above their heads. In a symmetrical manner, they brought down their blades as a blinding white light shot from the tips, strait at Darkside. The line of light started off thin, then widened into two beams so big that Darkside was completely enveloped in light. The monster raised its arms to shield itself from the light. Sora and Riku spun around once in the air as shards of materialized light stabbed the heartless all over. Once imbedded in the monster, each shard blast apart in a horrific explosion.

The boys landed to the ground, keyblades back to normal; the sky crystal clear. Darkside’s screams pierced the air as he faded away, clearly defeated. Once he was gone, Sora inspected the battle scene. The winds from earlier had knocked off the coconuts from all the trees, and most of their leaves. But everything else looked fine. The teen breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was safe again, but why had the heartless come in the first place? He turned to Riku.

Riku turned back to Sora, anger apparent in his eyes. “Sora, did you honestly think you could fool me into thinking you’re not depressed?â€

Sora was stunned. Where was this coming from? “I...â€

“Well, I’m not that big of an idiot. So you’ve got to stop treating me like one. You want to know why the heartless were here, right? It’s because they’re attracted to the darkness in people’s hrts.â€

What? No...it can’t be...

“It’s your fault they came here, Sora.†Riku jabbed his finger into Sora’s chest before walking away and leaving Sora alone in his sorrow.

*****
The end of Chapter 14. This one was REALLY easy to write, surprisingly. I’m normally not good with long paragraphs. Oh well, maybe I’m still not good and this chapter is horrible. Leave comments!

 

No, this chapter isn't horrible lol

aww poor sora thats a bit OOC for riku... accusing him like that without any justice.
tee hee keep it up :D

UPDATE - I just re-read chapter 9 and i noticed a sneaky reference to FFX lol
it suits it though and fits

Dw I won't point it out ;) XD

 

Chapter 15: Rediscovering an Old Friend

Sora/ Roxas/ Riku​

Sora stood alone on the beach in disbelief. “No...It can’t be my fault. I don’t have a dark heart.â€

You have been kind of depressed lately, man. A voice in Sora’s head put in.

“But I haven’t been dark! There’s no way I could have caused this...right?†Roxas was silent. “Oh come on, not you too! I refuse to believe that I caused this.â€

But what if you were the cause? Then you’ll just be putting everyone in danger again if you don’t be less morbid again.

“I DIDN’T CAUSE THIS! And I’m not that bad. There’s no way I’m that bad!†Sora screamed, his heart rate elevating. “Now leave me alone!†He ran down the beach towards and through the island door. As he continued his dash towards his boat, he saw Kairi and Selphie staring at him. But he didn’t care. He hopped into his boat and paddled home. Even though Roxas had stopped talking, Sora heard his voice echoing through his head.

You’ll just be putting everyone in danger
Putting everyone in danger
Everyone in danger
Everyone.

The keyblade wielder tied his boat to a post and sprinted for home. Without paying any attention to his surroundings, he somehow found himself in his bedroom. As soon as he realized that he was home, Sora fell into bed and buried his face in his pillow. He didn’t notice that Roxas had taken form and was standing beside him. “You know that Riku is right.†He gently told Sora.

“Shut up.â€

“Acting this way is only going to hurt Kairi.â€

“I said ‘Shut up’!†Sora rose from his spot on the bed, eyes fiery with anger at the sound of Kairi’s name. Roxas had gone too far this time. Sora shoved his other into the bedroom wall and held his shoulders flat against the wall. “Now leave me alone.â€

Roxas was stunned, but quickly got a hold of himself. He slipped out of Sora’s grip, and before Sora knew what had happened, he was being held shoved face first into the wall. Roxas began to speak in a hard, firm voice. “No, you shut up. You needed to hear that. Riku only said it because he cares. He knew that you needed a wake up call, and he was trying to give it to you. Don’t you even see how much he cares about you?†The phone began to ring. “That’s probably him right now.†He gave Sora one last shove before releasing him. “Now go answer it,†Roxas commanded as Sora rubbed his wrists, a disorientated expression on his face. Sora shook his head, tears flowing down his face. Roxas had finally gotten through to him, or at least that’s what he hoped. “Then I’ll answer it.â€

Sora grabbed his arm as Roxas went to answer the phone. “Don’t. I’ll listen to it from the answering machine.†Roxas wasn’t sure if he should trust Sora, but then he saw that something had changed about his other. Something good. Roxas nodded and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

The answering machine played the usual message. “Hey, you’ve reached me...Sora. Leave a message after the beep.†Beep

“Sora? It’s Riku. Look, I know you’re there. And hopefully you’re listening. About what I said earlier...I’m not apologizing for saying it. Because it IS true, whether you want to admit it or not. But I don’t blame you for being mad at me, ok? I only said that because I was hoping it would snap you out of your moodiness and get you back to normal. It kind of failed, didn’t it? I just hope that I reached you...somehow.†His voice became even gentler. “I miss my friend.†Riku cleared his throat and then continued on. “I’m on my way to your house right now. I’ll be there in five minutes. We need to talk in person. See ya then.†Beep.

Roxas reentered the room while Sora was still staring off into the distance. The Twilight Town teen couldn’t read Sora’s expression, but he knew that Sora wasn’t the same person he was five minutes ago.

“You were right, Roxas.†Roxas was surprised to hear Sora speak. He looked his other in the eye before Sora continued. “You were right and I was wrong. And now you and Riku are worried about me and we’ve got a new problem on our hands. I thought this was supposed to be all about Kairi. I guess I really didn’t expect her amnesia to affect me so much.â€

“She is a part of your heart. That’s probably why it’s affecting you so much. Maybe you’re feeling the same emotions she is.†Pause. “Or the other way around.â€

Sora gave Roxas a hard stare. “If that’s true, then I’ve been making her miserable. Oh man!†He punched his pillow in frustration. “I wish I would have known.â€

“Yeah, and I wish I would have known that I’m not a real person.†Roxas didn’t sound too angry, but Sora wasn’t sure what to think of his nobody’s random input. Luckily, he didn’t have to, since Roxas kept the topic on Sora. “But now you do know. The only way to fix a problem is to admit you have one. And the only way you can really live is without regrets.â€

Sora nodded. “I do have a problem.†At that moment, Riku came into the room, making the room fall into silence. As soon as Riku saw Sora, he knew that something was different. For a minute, he tried to stare Sora in the eye, but the teenager wouldn’t return his gaze. Sora knew that Riku wanted him to look back at him, but he was too ashamed to let his friend see him in his present state. He said the only words he could think of at the time. “I’m sorry.â€

Riku and Roxas looked to each other, unsure. Neither of them ever thought that they would ever have this talk with Sora...and now neither of them knew what to say. So they figured that it would be best for Sora to talk first and then give them ideas. Unfortunately for them, Sora was having an even harder time thinking of things to say than they were. How could he possibly explain why he was depressed when he didn’t completely understand it himself? Maybe this wasn’t all about Kairi after all. Maybe it was more about his past experiences. He had taken Riku’s betrayal pretty hard, but not nearly as badly as he took the news of Kairi’s disease. Why was that?

Roxas finally spoke the question that they all were thinking. “Now what do we do?â€

Sora looked up from the ground. “I don’t know if I remember how to be the same boy as before.â€

Riku was pleased that Sora had finally looked up at him and Roxas, but Sora had brought up a good point. “You don’t have to be the same boy. You have to be somebody stronger than before. Remember...â€

“Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.†Yeah, yeah, he’d heard this a ton of times before. But it had never meant too much to him personally, since he always thought he was pretty strong and nothing would ever stop him. Sora could almost laugh at the absurdity. How could he have been so stupid? So ignorant? So innocent?

“Right.†Riku said, referring to the old proverb. “Now say it like you mean it.â€

Sora sighed. “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.â€

“Do you believe that it’s true? Because it doesn’t really sound like it.â€

“I do believe it...sort of. I mean, the past few years were tough, but I guess things DID turn out O.K.â€

“So why wouldn’t they turn out alright this time?†Roxas put in. “Kairi’s amnesia is only temporary. And now nobody else has to worry about the disease now, since I’m sure someone from Radiant Garden will go around to the different worlds and give out the remedy.â€

Sora nodded, agreeing with his statement. Maybe things would turn out ok. Deep down, maybe he already knew that things would be alright. He felt hope surging into his throat. It would be alright. Now he knew it. And this time, he would be sure to never forget it.

*****
That’s the end of Chapter 15. I DO NOT LIKE THIS CHAPTER AT ALL. It was very hard to write, and I’m sure it shows. I just wanted to get this one over with so that I can move on with the story. Sorry if it was a disappointment, but at least Sora will hopefully be more upbeat again now =).

 

What? No. It wasn't a dissapointment. Although it was slightly shorter than usual.

you always display the characters emotions perfectly.

 

Nice chapter so far. Like I said before, you really know how to stick with the characters' personalities.

UPDATE:
Wow! I thought the story would end at one point. You really surprised me. Nice job! ^^

 

Sorry guys, no new chapter yet. It is maybe halfway done and has been on a standstill for days now. I'm going to be working on it during this week, so maybe it'll be posted by the end of this week.

I'm slowing down on writing this story for a few reasons. Some are personal, and some have to do with my own frustrations with the story. I feel as if my chapters have not been very good lately, so I'm going to be putting more effort into each and every one, which means that it's going to take a lot more time. So from now on, I'm going to be not updating as much. Sorry to all my fans who liked the regular updates, but you'll still get new chapters. I'll try and post new chapters every 3 weeks. I can't guarentee that they'll always take 3 weeks or less. That's just my goal, and I'll try very hard to get one in every 2 weeks.

So I just thought I'd give you guys that update. I would also like to get a little bit more imput from you guys. So I have a few questions for my regular readers.​

1. Which chapter did you like the best? Why?
2. Who is your favorite character in this fanfic? Who have I done the best on writing about?
3. What is the worst chapter? Why? How can I improve?
4. Which character do you want to see more of?
A. Riku
B. Sora
C. Kairi
D. Selphie
E. Other Destiny Island Character (Which one?)
F. None, you're doing just fine with everyone.
5. Has my writing improved since the begining of this fanfic? How?

Thank you for your patience, and please answer some of the questions when you get a chance. I would really appreciate it. I want this fanfic to keep you interested, which means that I have to be a good writer. Your constructive feedback would help me greatly.

Have a good day =)

~Kairi_girl​

 

3 weeks!! *cries* but I understand. I sorta feel the same about my fic... I need to take more time on each chapter so that they remain a good standard.

Now for those questions.

1. Which chapter did you like the best? Why?
Hmm, I'd have to say the chapter where Kairi first wakes up and they realise she has amnesia. Because it was an unexpected suprise and a good add-on.
2. Who is your favorite character in this fanfic? Who have I done the best on writing about?
I have to say Riku (plz forgive me Sora!). You've really portrayed him well and Ive been anticipating something happening between him and Kairi for ages
3. What is the worst chapter? Why? How can I improve?
I don't really have a worse character. But the way you have shown Sora.. sort of annoys me a bit. He seems so useless inthis fic and I want some romance between him and Kairi. ( I want romance between everyone lol)
4. Which character do you want to see more of?
A. Riku
B. Sora
C. Kairi
D. Selphie
E. Other Destiny Island Character (Which one?)
F. None, you're doing just fine with everyone.
A. Riku because of what I said above. And he's just awesome.
5. Has my writing improved since the begining of this fanfic? How?
Hmm... the style of your writing has changed quite a bit as your confidence in the story has increased but the quality of the storyline has remained quite steady. Grammar has improved immensely, though.

Hi Friendly_Heartless! Long time, no speak!

 

Chapter 16: Stranded

Kairi​

June 26, 2008. 9:54 P.M.

I decided to keep a journal while I still have amnesia, so that I can record some of my recollections. And I guess I’ll record some of the stuff that’s going on right now too. Yesterday, I went on the internet and looked up some stuff on amnesia. Would you believe that sometimes after you recover your memories you can’t remember that you ever had amnesia? I’d never heard that before! So I’m recording everything in here.

Today was my first day back home. First, Selphie and I talked about my life, which I still can’t remember much about. That’s the one thing I’m not going to record in detail, since I should remember all that soon enough. On our way back home, a storm suddenly hit the island. And then the heartless showed up and attacked everyone (I didn’t know what they were until Selphie told me about them). But luckily, Sora and Riku saved us. They had these weird weapons that were unlike anything I have ever seen before. Their strength was astounding. They were both so brave. I have to remember to thank them for saving us later.

I only remembered one thing today, and I’m not even sure what it means. I saw two young boys fighting on a beach. Selphie thinks that it was Sora and Riku. I was disappointed that I didn’t remember more, but Selphie cheered me up.

Tomorrow is a new day.

Sora​

Not much else was said between Sora, Riku, and Roxas. Sora promised to be happy, Roxas said he would make sure of it, and Riku joked around and said he would make sure Roxas watched over Sora. Sora smirked at the memory. He was lucky to have such good friends.

The next morning, the first thing Sora did when he woke up was look out the window. It was a beautiful day, which matched his new personality. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the ocean waves gently crashed against the shore, and Kairi was walking down the waterline. Kairi! Sora suddenly had a bright idea on how to get her to remember him. But first, he needed to take a shower.

Ten minutes later, Sora was clean and ready to go. As he stared into the bathroom mirror, he showed off his pearly whites to his reflection. Yesterday was tough; he never thought that he would be happy again. But here he was, smiling to himself in the mirror. The transformation was so great that maybe it would help Kairi remember him for who he was. The boy walked to the window and looked out. Kairi was out of site, but he figured that she was probably at the island, since she was heading that direction. He ran out the door and towards the island.

As he reached the spot where his boat was tied, Sora saw another boat halfway to the island. Whoever was inside had bright red hair. Kairi. Man, she rows slowly, Sora thought to himself. He shrugged and got in his boat to follow her. Within a few minutes, both boats reached the island at the same time. Both teens climbed out of their boats and stood on the wooden deck, looking at each other.

“Hi Kairi.†Sora greeted his old friend warmly. “How are you today?â€

Kairi​

Kairi smiled. She had thought that somebody was following her while she paddled out to the islet, but she wasn’t sure until now. Of course, she didn’t want to turn around while she was rowing only to see that nobody was there. That would mean that she was crazy and forgetful. “I’m fine. How are you...?†She trailed off, momentarily forgetting his name.

“I’m good. Have you remembered anything?†He asked excitedly, apparently not noticing her slipup.

“No, not yet.†Kairi decided not to waste his time and tell him about the sword fighting memory. “But Selphie said that she’d help me out with it again today.â€

“Do you have time for something really quick?â€

Kairi shrugged. “Sure, I guess. I owe you after yesterday, right? Before I forget, I want to thank you for saving me and Selphie.†Her cheeks turned a little pink. “You were really brave.â€

“No problem.†Sora said, waving it off. “I’ve done a lot of fighting. It’s no big deal.â€

“Well, it was to me. Who knows what would have happened if you weren’t there...†she trailed off, unsure of what to say next. They stood in silence for a minute, both looking a little shy. “You said you wanted to show me something?â€

“Oh, yeah.†Sora said, looking more excited again as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a familiar looking object. “Do you remember what this is?â€

Did she? Of course she did! “It’s my lucky charm.†She said, amazed that this boy had it. Why would she have given it away? “My grandmother gave it to me when I was just a little girl. I’ve always carried it with me, so that in a way, it felt like my Grammy was still with me.â€

Sora nodded. “You gave this to me a little over two years ago. When I first became keyblade master, I had to travel the worlds. When you and I met up in the middle of my journey, you gave me this and made me promise that I would bring it back.â€

A promise? Kairi was confused. And what was a keyblade master? She shook off the questions and brought her thoughts back to her lucky charm. I must have really trusted Sora if I gave him my charm. Or I was crazy.

“Does it remind you of anything, Kairi?†Sora asked, cutting through her thoughts. He looked very hopeful. But Kairi shook her head. The charm hadn’t brought back a single memory, at least not about Sora. Sora’s smile disappeared as he looked down to his feet. “I see...†The boy quickly looked back up, with what looked almost like a forced smile. “Oh well, you’ll remember soon enough.â€

“Thanks, Sora. You’re a good friend.†She looked him in the eye. “You’re so patient and rational about all this. It’s really comforting.†Sora got a strange look on his face. “Did I say something wrong?â€

“Oh, no. I just...was thinking of something.†He said awkwardly.

“Oh. Ok then...†Kairi said, sensing his discomfort. Luckily, the moment didn’t last too long. “I better go find Selphie. See ya later!†Sora smiled shyly and waved as the redhead walked towards the door to the islet where the big papou tree sat. Before walking through the door to the shack, Kairi turned around and saw Riku arriving on his little boat. Her heart leapt. He looked so cute with his silver hair blowing in the faint ocean breeze. And his arms looked so muscular! Riku is so hot!

Kairi, didn’t Selphie say that you like Sora? Not Riku? Namine pointed out.

Kairi ignored Namine and took one last look before entering the shack. Riku was talking to Sora, looking relaxed and very adorable. She quickly climbed the stairs with a new hop in her step. As she walked across the bridge, she looked towards where Riku had been, but he was gone. Disappointed, she walked to the big tree and sat on it. But her sadness was quickly forgotten when she looked out to the sparkling ocean. Seagulls flying above, the sun shining down, even dolphins could be seen leaping in the ocean. She laughed when two of them criss-crossed each other in midair. They looked like they were in love. Or best friends.

“Hey, Kairi.†A voice brought Kairi back to reality, making her jump. She turned around and saw Riku grinning as he walked around the tree and sat to Kairi’s right. Her heart began beating rapidly. She couldn’t wipe away her shy smile. She felt herself blushing. “I guess I’m good at sneaking up on people, aren’t I?†Kairi laughed loudly at his joke.

“What’s up?†Kairi asked once she stopped laughing.

“I got a text from Selphie this morning. She said that she had forgotten that her family was going on a vacation this week, so she wouldn’t be able to hang out today. So she asked me if I could help you get your memories back.†He paused. “That okay with you?â€

Was it okay? WAS IT OKAY!?! It was a dream come true! Kairi smiled and nodded cheerfully. “Let’s do it.â€

“Sora told me that he showed you the charm, but it didn’t bring back any memories.†Riku stated. Kairi had already forgotten about that, but she nodded as if she had been thinking about it for a while. “I have a theory about your amnesia. I think that trying to get you to remember stuff by forcing you will only make it harder for you to recover. So I think we should forget about it and just have fun today. Your memories will come back when they come back, you know?â€

Kairi nodded, surprised. Riku made sense. He was cute and smart. And it would be nice to take a break. All the hard work and thought gave her headaches before. “Makes sense to me.†She said happily. Now she got to spend a whole day with Riku! She felt a new kind of joy spreading through her body. “So, what do you want to do then?â€

Riku looked over at her and smiled kindly. “Want to ride the dolphins?†Kairi’s grin gave her away. Riku jumped off the tree and held out a hand for Kairi. What a gentleman! She blushed slightly as she slid her hand into his and jumped off the tree. He gently released her hand and started climbing down the ladder to the waterline. She followed behind him, hoping that he wasn’t looking up her skirt as she climbed down. He wasn’t. Riku was looking out to the ocean, letting out an ear piercing whistle. Kairi laughed when she saw the two dolphins from before swim up to the sandbar. Riku walked into the water first and gently pet one of the dolphins on the nose. It chirped with delight. The other one turned to Kairi and waved its nose, almost as if telling her to get on. Smiling brightly, the redhead ran into the water and grabbed onto the dorsal fin. With one last chirp, the dolphins were off, heading left, away from any other islands.

Kairi grabbed on tighter as her dolphin sped up, waves crashing into her face. She lowered herself on the dolphin, using her free hand to pet its strange skin. The dolphin suddenly dived into the ocean. Kairi quickly gasped for one last breath as the dolphin pulled her under. The graceful animal went down about five feet. Kairi opened her eyes and nearly let out a gasp. It was so beautiful down there! The sun made streaks as it shone through the clear water. The colorful coral looked as if it created its very own light. She looked to her right and saw that Riku and his dolphin were nowhere to be seen. The redhead tapped on the dolphin, trying to let it know that she needed air. As if understanding, the dolphin made a quick dart to the surface, where Kairi gasped for breath. She wrapped her arms around the creature and hugged it tightly. She rested her head on its back, relaxing. The gentle animal let out a little chirp and slowly drifted through the water.

After a few moments, Kairi lifted her self off the dolphin and looked around. She still couldn’t see Riku. “Riku?†She called. The dolphin had taken her pretty far away from the island. It was just a speck on the horizon now. Riku and I probably just got separated somewhere along the line, it’s no big deal, Kairi thought to herself. She shivered. The water was already getting a little bit cooler. She turned her gaze downward and looked at her dolphin. “Let’s go back.†She told it, patting it on the nose. The dolphin quickly turned away from the island and began swimming faster. “No, no, no.†Kairi said to the dolphin. “Not this way. Go back. Go back to the island please.â€

The dolphin paid no attention to her. Kairi began to panic, wondering what she should do. Should she let go of the dolphin and start swimming back to the island? Or should she hold on and hope that someone will see her and save her? She wasn’t stupid. She knew that she would never make it back if she let go of the dolphin. She wouldn’t be able to swim that far. She only had one option: Hold onto the dolphin and hope for the best.

As they continued on, Kairi remembered that she wasn’t alone. Namine was with her. Namine, what should I do? We’re stuck out in the middle of the ocean on a crazy dolphin!

Namine didn’t respond. Namine? NAMINE? Nothing. Kairi became truly afraid at that moment. She was alone. In the middle of the ocean. The sky was turning dark, and a cold breeze was hitting against her freezing skin. She felt tears slide down her face as she despaired. She was going to die out here. Alone. With amnesia. How would the others react to her death? Would they even know that she was dead? Or would they find her body in a few weeks at the bottom of the ocean?

Oddly enough, Kairi dozed off while holding onto the speeding dolphin. After holding on to the dolphin for quite a while, Kairi saw something ahead of her. Huh? What’s that? It was...land! A little island. She could see palm trees growing there. Kairi began to feel hope again. If there were trees, then there were probably coconuts growing on them. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast that morning, but she had just begun to notice her hunger. As the dolphin arrived close to the island, Kairi jumped off the animal and began half running half swimming towards the island. Once on land, the red head looked out to the sea and saw the dolphin swimming away. “No!†She cried as the animal swam back towards home. The animal paid no attention to her. She collapsed on the beach. “Sure, now it swims back.†She muttered to herself.

Kairi gasped when she saw another fin rapidly following the dolphin. That didn’t look like another dolphin. It was a shark. Of course! The dolphin must have swum away from home so that it could keep her away from the shark. Kairi let out a sharp cried as the shark caught up the dolphin. The ferocious hunter pounced, sending the dolphin under the surface with a great splash. “No!†She cried out. Blood rose to the surface of the water. She began to sob uncontrollably. The dolphin had given its life so that Kairi had a chance to live. She had to live, for her friend, who had given its life for her. Even if it was just a dolphin, it had sensed danger and saved her life. And for that, she would be eternally grateful.

The red head looked up to the sky. It was now completely dark. Only the moon and stars illuminated the small island now. How did time pass so quickly? Kairi turned her gaze to the island. It was very small, maybe 30 feet around its circular form. It was barren except for the three palm trees that grew up from the sand. Kairi walked towards one and began climbing. Once she came close to the top, she gripped her legs tighter and reached for a coconut with her free hand. Surprising herself, she actually managed to knock it down. She dropped herself from the tree and reached down for the coconut. Now what? Kairi thought to herself. “Oh, I’d better make a fire.â€

With what though? There are only palm trees here. I need a bunch of twigs. Her eyes frantically searched the island. Huh? She ran to the other side of the island. Twigs! And logs! How could she have not noticed them before? Oh well, they were there! The girl decided not to question her luck as she grabbed all the wood that she could carry and dropped them by the coconut. She set them in a small area and found two twigs that could start a fire. She rapidly rubbed them together, but she only got sparks. She threw down the twigs in frustration. She was surprised when she heard herself pray. “God, if you ever were watching out for me, now would be a good time to show it.†Kairi took a deep breath and tried again. She let out a loud burst of laughter when the wood caught on fire. She threw the twigs in and huddled herself by the fire. Her clothing was still soaked and the cold night air was really starting to get to her. Shivering, she moved a little closer to the fire. Then she remembered her hunger. Kairi reached for the coconut and broke it open on a log that she hadn’t thrown in the fire. She chipped off a little piece of bark from the log and used it as a spoon.

Normally she hated coconuts, but she was way too hunger to care. She could be eating a worm right now and it would make no difference to her. She quickly ate all the coconut and immediately felt better. She looked at her water proof watch. 10:03. She wondered how long she had been stuck on the island. She shrugged it off. She would find out if she ever got off the island. Where was Riku? Was he trying to find her? Or was he in trouble? Kairi put her hands up to her mouth, terrified of her last thought. What if there was more than one shark? What if Riku was...no, she wouldn’t believe that. She just wouldn’t.

Kairi shivered as she scooted even closer to the fire. Any closer and she would burst into flames. There was only one thing to do now: Stay warm and wait for someone to find her. The girl laid herself down on her side and immediately fell into a deep slumber.

*****

That’s the end of chapter 16! I hope you enjoyed it. I really didn’t expect it to take the turn it did, with Kairi being stranded, it just kind of happened. But it was exciting anyway, and it turned out great! For those of you who didn’t read the other post, I suggest that you do, it’s full of info concerning the future of this fanfic. Thanks to the person who answered my questions that I posted before this chapter. If more people could also answer, that would be great =).

 

Oh Em Gee.

That was totally awesome!!! My fav chapter so far!!! I love the whole KairiXRiku thing!!

Aww why did you have to kill off the dolphin? Dolphins are my favourite animal *cries*
Where has Riku gone? Sora has just GOT to save Kairi or.. or... it just won't be right!

Then again, I want Kairi to get with Riku lol.

This fic just gets better and better, ma copine.

:cheers: :D

Oh, and i brought by rockband to celebrate the new update, hope you don't mind that they make a bit of noise. :rockband:

 

Chapter 17: Childhood

Kairi​

“Kairi?†A voice in the darkness of Kairi’s dream called out to her. Namine’s form was walking towards her.

“Namine?†Kairi walked towards her friend. At first she was relieved to see that her other was alright, but then she became angry that Namine had abandoned her earlier that day. “Where were you earlier? Do you have any idea what kind of trouble we’re in right now?â€

“I do now.†She grimaced. “Sorry about that. I was digging through your heart, trying to recover some of your memories. So I didn’t realize that you needed me.â€

“My memories? Did you find anything?â€

“I think I did. I’ll leave you alone to watch them. In the mean time, I’m going outside to explore and see if there’s any sign of anyone else.†In a flash of bright white light, Namine disappeared and the memories enveloped Kairi’s vision.

*****
It feels like I’m watching a home video! Kairi thought to herself as the first clip rolled. I can see everything from a different perspective then I ever did when I was little.

“My goodness, isn’t she beautiful?†A gorgeous woman looked down on her toddler as she ran around the house. She had long, straight, orange hair. She was dressed in a black skirt and a sparkly pink top. “Pretty soon, she’ll be all grown up.â€

“You got that right, Saria.†A tall, muscular man put his hand on his wife’s shoulder. He had a very kind and gentle face. “Our little Kairi is going to be the most beautiful princess in Hollow Bastion.â€

That’s me! That means that those must be...my parents?

*****
“Merry Christmas, Kairi.†Her mother said as she passed 6 year old Kairi a boxed gift. “Look at what Santa brought for you this year!â€

“Oh, goodie!†The girl grabbed for the beautifully wrapped gift. She tore through the paper and gasped as she pulled out the gift. “It’s a princess crown!†Kairi immediately put it on her head. “It’s so pretty!†It went perfectly with her yellow skirt and white sparkly top.

While she was busy playing with the crown, her parents turned to each other and chuckled softly. “Let’s get a picture, so we’ll always remember the good times.†Her father said as he grabbed a camera. “Smile!†Kairi smiled widely, revealing that her two front teeth were missing.
*****
The next scene was Kairi’s living room. The 7 year old entered the room, where her mother sat on the couch, waiting.

“Mom, I’m home from school.†Kairi said as she dropped her backpack next to the door. She looked over at her mother’s serious face. “Mom? What’s wrong?â€

“Honey, we have to talk.†Saria gently showed Kairi to the couch. Kairi slowly lowered herself on the couch beside her mother. The woman looked down at her feet, refusing to look the little girl in the eye. “You know how Daddy works for the government, right sweetie?†Little Kairi nodded. Saria took a deep breath. “Well, last night, he left for a very important job. A very important, dangerous job. It seems that there was a threat to Ansem, and daddy had to go protect him. I’m so, so sorry hon, but Daddy won’t be coming home again.†She burst into tears. Kairi looked shocked. “They tried everything they could to save him, but he was hurt to badly. He’s gone.†Saria said through her sobs.

“No more Daddy? I don’t understand...why Daddy? Why did he have to go? Why couldn’t it have been somebody else’s dad? Not my dad! No!†7 year old Kairi screamed, running up to her bedroom and slamming the door. Watching the movie-like memory, Kairi could hear her younger self screaming into a pillow as tears slid down both of their cheeks.
*****
Suddenly, Kairi saw that her younger self and her mother were running through the streets of Hollow Bastion, shadow-like creatures chasing them. “Kairi, get behind me!†Saria screamed as she pulled out her sword in front of her. Kairi hid behind her mother, while wearing a very familiar outfit. It was a short, purple skirt and a white top. Her mother was wearing black pants and a purple tank top. “Leave us alone!†She swung at the shadows, which immediately disappeared in a puff of dark smoke. “Run!†She grabbed onto 8 year old Kairi’s arm and pulled her towards the castle.

Running as quickly as they could, they dashed through the castle’s large door only to find that there were heartless already there. Before the protective mother could even fight, they all suddenly disappeared. “It doesn’t have to be this way.†A deep voice said out of nowhere. A man with long, straight, silver hair walked through the entrance doors. He pointed at Kairi. “Just give me the girl, and everything will be fine. She will not be hurt.â€

Saria protectively pushed Kairi behind her as she drew her sword. “I will never give you Kairi. Even if you are ruler of this world, ‘Ansem’, you will still never get my daughter. You and I both know who you really are. I know that you had my husband killed last year. I have no idea what you’re up to, but leave my daughter out of your wicked plans.â€

“Give me the girl.†The man walked forward and reached for Kairi. Kairi backed against the wall, eyes wide with terror.

“Over my dead body!†Saria screamed as she swung at Ansem. Ansem easily dodged the oncoming sword.

“Alright, I’m flexible.†He said with an evil smirk. He balled his right hand into a fist. Darkness began to form in his hand. He yelled as he through the dark ball at Saria.

“Mommy!†Kairi screamed as her mother deflected the attack with her sword.

“RUN!†Saria lunged at Ansem, who again eluded her attack. He appeared behind her as he grabbed her by the neck, strangling her. “Xehanort.†She gasped for her last breath as her body collapsed.

“MOM!†Kairi was shaking uncontrollably. Xehanort looked at her, his eyes emotionless. Kairi gasped and ran up the stairs and into another room. The place looked like a library. She ran through the shelves and saw someone sitting a chair underneath the stairwell. It was...Grandma? No, her Grammy had died two years ago.

“Where am I?†Kairi asked as she ran up to the lady.

“Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. The people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people’s hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared. 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.â€

“But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That’s why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will return. So listen, child. 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 its power and push the darkness away. Do you understand, Kairi?â€

“Kairi!?†A male voice called out of nowhere. The girl looked around, unsure of where the voice came from. After a minute of looking, she gave up. She looked back to the chair. It was empty.

“Grammy?†Kairi put her arm on the chair arm. It was cold. It must have been her imagination. Or the memories of her grandmother made Kairi remember her in her time of need. She heard a door slam and footsteps approached her. She backed up against a wall as Xehanort approached her. The man wordlessly walked up to the terrified girl and grabbed onto her arm. “Let go of me!†The girl screamed as she tried to break away. “What have you done to my mom?†She demanded.

“Your mother will never get in my way again.†The villain said as he dragged her out of the library. Her mother’s body lay on the ground, but it was fading away. Kairi began to sob and desperately tried harder to get loose. No matter how hard she struggled, Kairi couldn’t break free. “Stop squirming.†He ordered as he grabbed her wrist tighter and pulled her harder. She let out a grunt as his grasp hurt her wrist. She began to walk faster. After they had walked for some time, they appeared at a beach. Ansem turned around and grabbed Kairi by her shoulders. He looked her in the eye. “Listen to me now. You are going to be my guinea pig. I’m sending you to another world. And you’re going to forget everything about this old life. Everyone. Everything.†Ansem said in a hypnotic voice. “Understand?†The girl nodded blankly. “Good. Let’s go.†Kairi turned around and began walking forward. Xehanort grabbed onto a rock and hit the redhead in the back of the head, knocking the 8 year old out. The entire scene disappeared.
*****
No more memories appeared to Kairi, who had been shocked and appalled by what she had just seen. She sat alone in the darkness of her own mind for a while until Namine reappeared. She had a very solemn expression on her face. “You saw all the memories?†Kairi nodded emotionless. “I saw them all earlier.†She sat down besides her friend. “Pretty shocking, isn’t it?†Kairi nodded again.

“I can’t believe what he did to my mother.†Kairi finally said. “How could anyone ever be so merciless?â€

“That was a heartless.†Namine told her. “Do you remember what Selphie told you about them?â€

Kairi looked her friend in the eye. “That explains the cruelty. No emotions, no pity, no mercy. He killed my mother and father. He used me.†She paused. “What ever happened to him?â€

“Sora killed him about two years ago.†Kairi’s eyes widened in shock. “It was part of his destiny.â€

“What’s my destiny?†Kairi asked her other.

“I don’t know.†Namine gently put her hand around her friend’s shoulders. Kairi leaned into her friend and suddenly began to sob. For her mother and father, and for herself.

Sora​

“Where did you last see her?†Sora anxiously asked Riku. The two boys were on a boat three person boat, paddling out to sea.

“Our dolphins were heading to the left of this island. One minute she was there, the next she wasn’t. That’s all I know.â€

“It could take ages to find her!†Sora exclaimed, frustrated. “We don’t even know if she’s alright. What if she’s freezing out there? What if she doesn’t make it through the night?†His eyes widened with worry. “What if she’s already dead?â€

“Do you really believe that?†Riku asked, his voice unreadable.

“No. I don’t.†Sora looked up at his friend with a small smile. But then his face sobered again. “But we still need to find her, fast.â€

Riku nodded in agreement. He and Sora began to row faster. Time was of the essence.

Kairi​

Kairi woke up in her normal body after being held by Namine for quite a while. The girl slowly rose to her feet and looked out to sea. It was still very dark out. She looked at her watch. 3:34 AM. She sighed as she felt the hopelessness.

“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 its power and push the darkness away.†Kairi jumped at the voice and turned around. An elderly woman stood on the other side of the beach.

“Grammy?†Kairi asked as she slowly approached the woman. “Is that you?â€

“Do you understand, Kairi?â€

“I’ve missed you so much, Gram!†Kairi cried as she ran to embrace the woman, who was undoubtedly real.

“Do you understand, Kairi?†She asked again.

Kairi pulled herself away and looked her Grandmother in the eye. Kairi’s eyes shone with new-found hope. “Yes, I do understand now.â€

The woman nodded. “Never forget.†She gently tapped her old, wrinkled finger against Kairi’s chest. Her grandmother back away slowly as she faded away.

Kairi brought up her hands and rest her chin on her hands, warmness running through her body. She looked up as tears slide down her face. The girl noticed a sudden white glow on the island. Was it Namine? No. Kairi’s heart was glowing! Her arms went back down to her sides as Kairi looked into the sky. Her heart making a beacon of light that shone through the darkness of night. Shocked, she stood perfectly still and forgot to breath. After a few moments, the light began to disappear and Kairi returned to her normal state. Feeling weak all of a sudden, Kairi plopped down on the beach and looked out to sea.

“Kairi!†Shaking off the feeble feeling, she rose to her feet and looked out to sea. Was she hallucinating? No! There was a boat out in the distance, and it was coming towards the island! “Are you there?†The voice called.

“I’m here!†She screamed at the top of her lungs. “I’m over here.â€

“Go to where the light was. She’s still alive.†The voice said to someone. “Keep us going straight ahead.â€

Kairi impatiently stood on the beach, wide eyed as the boat approached. There on the vessel were Riku and Sora. “Riku! Sora!†Kairi cried out in joy when their ship came to a stop by the water line.

“Kairi!†Both boys shouted, jumping off the small boat and running towards her. Kairi ran towards them and into their open arms. They held her tightly, warming her heart. Kairi finally let herself breakdown and began sobbing, so happy and safe. She was surprised to feel their wet tears dropping in her hair.

When they all finally let go of each other, Sora spoke again. “I’m so glad you’re alright, Kairi. We were so worried.†Kairi felt tears spring to her eyes again as tears also returned to Sora’s. She had great friends.

“The dolphin brought me here, to keep me safe. There was a shark...and after I was safe here....it...it killed the dolphin.†She began to cry again. The boys looked shocked. “You didn’t know there was a shark, Riku?â€

“No.†Riku said, still stunned. “I just noticed you disappeared at one point, and then after searching on my own for a little while, I got Sora and we’ve been up all night on this boat. I had no idea that you were actually in life or death danger.†He paused, his eyes quivering. “I was more worried about you freezing out here in the night.†He looked down and saw the remains of the fire, which had burnt out a while ago. “How do you know so much about survival stuff anyway?â€

“I learned all about this stuff two years ago. I didn’t want to be helpless.†She said, a memory flashing in her eyes.

“You alright, Kairi?†Sora asked, sounding concerned.

“Oh, I’m fine. I just was remembering something...â€

“Do you remember what it was?†Kairi shook her head. Sora didn’t look too disappointed. “Oh well, let’s get you home.†He lightly patted Kairi on the back and began walking towards the boat.

Kairi hesitated. “What about sharks? They could easily take down this boat.â€

“They won’t attack twice in one day. We’ll be fine, I’m sure of it.â€

“You’re right, it’ll be fine.†Kairi looked as if she was having a hard time speaking. “I’m just a little shell-shocked, that’s all. I just really, really want to go home now.†She got teary eyed again.

Sora nodded, understanding. “Yeah, let’s go home.â€

The three teens boarded the ship. Riku took the oars while Sora and Kairi sat side by side on one of the seats. For a while, they sat in silence. “Sora, can I ask you something?†Kairi said softly.

“Sure, Kairi, anything.â€

“Have I ever told you anything about my parents?â€

Sora shook his head. “No. One day, you just appeared on this island. You couldn’t remember anything. The only thing you remembered was your name. That was a long time ago. Why do you ask?â€

“Because, while I was alone on that island, Namine showed me some memories that she found in my heart. They were about my mother and father. And my childhood.â€

“Really?†Sora leaned forward, thinking. “You never could remember your past before. Except for one story by your grandmother.†He paused.

“That was one of the things that I remembered. The memory of her story made my heart glow. It was kind of weird. And then the other stuff I remembered...†she bit her lip, tryikeep from crying.

“Do you want to talk about it?†Sora asked gently.

Kairi shook her head. “I still need to let it sink in. It wasn’t pretty.†Sora looked worried. “I’ll tell you about it someday. I promise.†The boat approached the mainland. She sighed. “I just really need sleep now.†When the boat stopped, she climbed out and began walking home. Then she remembered something. She ran back to the boys. “Thanks for saving me.†Kairi gave each of them a light kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight.†She walked towards home again, feeling exhausted and miserable.
*****
That’s the end of Chapter 17. What’d you think? I figured that since nobody really knew anything about Kairi’s childhood, I would dedicate a chapter to figuring out what happened. I’m posting this chapter so quickly because I’m going away for a little more than a week and I didn’t want to keep you guys waiting. Chapter 18 won’t be up for a while. Sorry ‘bout that.

PS- OWS, you rock! I <3 you (in a friendly way) xD.

 

Lol I <3 you too (in a friendly way lmao)

Good chapter, you got all the facts straight about Kairi's childhood. Now it seems I can't get the image of Riku, Sora and kairi hugging on a drak beach out of my head. Which is kinda wierd..

I laughed that she almost forgot to say thankyou for rescuing her.

Have a good holiday, :D cya!

 

Interesting... sorry to say it's too morbid for me. btw, healing potions ALWAYS heal everything (see Re:CoM cutscene where Larxene fades from non-existance), so it's a little odd that anything still hurts. I can understand exhaughtion and sweat, but... anyhow, it's good, none the less.

 

Chapter 18: Secrets Revealed

Sora​

Sora woke up the morning, very confused. He felt so sad for some reason. He shook it off and jumped out of bed. He picked up his cell phone off his night stand and looked to see if Kairi had returned his call. She hadn’t. He became even more worried about her. What was so horrible that she couldn’t tell him? He shook his head. Maybe he was over reacting. Maybe she was just really stressed after she was stranded on that island for who-knows-how-long. That was probably it. But she had said it was something about her parents. If it was bad, then Sora could see why she would be so upset. Maybe he should call her again. He flipped open the phone and speed dialed Kairi’s cell. After several rings, the voicemail came on. Sora didn’t bother leaving a message. He quickly shut the phone and set it back on the end table.

“Roxas?†Sora called to his inner being. In a flash of bright, white, light, Roxas appeared next to him.

“Yeah?â€

“Do you think Kairi is alright?â€

Roxas inhaled deeply. “I really don’t know, man. She seemed really shaken up yesterday.â€

“What can we do to make her feel better?â€

Roxas shrugged. “She has no idea who we are. There’s not really anything we can do.â€

“I refuse to accept that.†Sora said, determination shining in his eyes. “She needs a friend by her side. And since Selphie isn’t around, I guess that just leaves me or Riku. And I want to be there for her.â€

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea...†Roxas got out before he was interrupted.

“Why would it not work? She must be feeling a little close to me, since she promised to tell me what was bothering her. How much trouble could a visit from a caring friend cause?†Sora paused. “Thanks for the advice Roxas. I’m going to go see Kairi.â€

Roxas looked at Sora blankly, knowing that everything he said had been ignored. He disappeared back inside of Sora.

He would just visit her, Sora decided. He slipped into his normal outfit and put on his big shoes. As he was about to walk out the door, he saw a note taped to it. It read:

Sora: Don’t forget to do your chores! Your mom and I will be back after our day-trip late, and we would like you to clean the whole house. Be sure to dust, vacuum, and all that. And please...don’t forget to feed the dog! The poor thing almost starved last time you went away without feeding him.

Love,
Dad

Sora let out a snort. Of course he had to clean the house. Oh well, it couldn’t take that long, could it? He got straight to work. Kairi would have to wait.

Kairi​

Kairi awoke the next morning with a huge headache. She grabbed her head as she slowly forced herself to sit up in her bed. Why did her head hurt so badly? What had happened? In a flash, the memories reappeared to her. Her grandmother. Her Father. Her Mother. Xehanort. Each memory felt like a painful kick in the stomach. She inhaled deeply, sadness returning to her heart. A tear gently slid down her cheek. She wished that she could forget, but she knew that these memories would never leave her. But...what if I get back my memory and then I forget everything that’s happened the past few days? Then would I forget about my family? No, Kairi knew that even when she did get her memories back, she would remember this. It was too traumatic to ever forget.

Did she really want to forget though? Her mother and father and grandmother...they all loved her. How could she go on without those few good memories now? Kairi suddenly grabbed for her cell phone and saw that she had two missed calls. Both were from Sora. She didn’t bother listening to voicemail. She knew that he was worried about her, especially after yesterday’s events. And she had promised to tell him about what had happened. She wasn’t ready for that yet. She reached for her journal and began writing.

June 28th, 2:16 P.M.

I woke up today and had a horrible headache, probably from exhaustion from yesterday. Yesterday was supposed to be a great day. Selphie suddenly went away on vacation and Riku and I were going to have a fun day. So he and I rode dolphins for a little while. Then I noticed that he wasn’t with me anymore. So I told my dolphin to go back, but it went the opposite direction. I had to hold on; I was too far away from shore to make it back on my own. A while later, as it was getting dark, the dolphin finally let me off on a piece of land far away from home. I got onto the island then I saw that we had been followed by a shark. So while I was safe on the island, the shark attacked the dolphin and killed it. I was so sad. But my survival instincts kicked in pretty quickly. I found food, made a fire, and eventually fell asleep.

Then Namine showed me some memories that she had found deep inside my heart. They were about my family. My mother Saria was beautiful. And my father was very kind and gentle. I found out that they were both killed by a man named Xehanort. He was a very evil man. I don’t know much about him, but I get the feeling I did before, when I had my memory. When I was 7 years old, he killed my father. At least, that’s what my mother said. When I was 8, my mother and I were running away from the heartless. Xehanort tried to take me away from her, but my mother refused to let me go with that cruel man. So she drew her sword and began to fight him. But she was no match for him. I watched him strangle her. I saw her gasping for air, trying to hold onto life. But she couldn’t. He killed her. I’ll never forget his eyes. Bright yellow, emotionless, heartless. I ran away. My Grandmother was in the Library. At least, I saw her. She told me about the history of the world, and that there will always be a light to guide me. Xehanort reappeared and dragged me away. As we went through the entrance room, I saw my mother’s body lying on the ground fading away into dark nothingness. I tried harder to break free, but it was impossible. In the end, he somehow hypnotized me and then knocked me out. That’s the last thing that I remembered.

I can’t believe what he did to me, to my family. How could anyone do this to me? I was a little girl! What use did he have with me? Why did it have to be me? Why couldn’t he have been killed before? How could any of this happen?

A wet, sloppy tear fell onto the corner of the page. Kairi heard a knock on the front door and slammed her book shut. She stood and wiped away the tear as she looked out the window and saw that it was only the wind, pushing the screen door open and shut. She let out a long breath. She slid and book under her pillow. No one would ever read her book. Nobody would understand the hurt, the uncertainty, the loss of innocence. She laid back down and fell asleep.

Sora​

A few hours later, his chores were done and Sora could finally go see Kairi. He began walking towards her house. Sora knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He knocked again, harder. After waiting another minute, he twisted the door knob and realized that the door was unlocked. He quietly let himself in and walked up the stairs to Kairi’s room. It was open a crack. “Kairi?†Sora called as he opened the door. He held his breath as the door creaked open. There was Kairi, lying on her bed, sound asleep. The boy tiptoed to her bed-side chair and sat down. He didn’t mind waiting to talk to her. Besides, he needed to make sure she was alright.

“Huh?†Sora saw a small book poking out from underneath Kairi’s pillow. He slowly pulled it out. Kairi rolled over in her sleep. The front was titled “My Journalâ€. It wouldn’t hurt to take a peek, Sora thought to himself as he cracked open the book.

Riku​

Riku too woke up late that sunny June morning. The first thing that he did when he woke up was call Selphie. As Kairi’s best friend, she had a right to know what was going on.

“Hey Selphie, it’s Riku.â€

“Riku? How did yesterday go? Let me guess: Kairi got her memories back and everything is back to normal?†Selphie sounded very excited.

“Not exactly.†Riku described yesterday’s events to the spunky teen.

“Oh my gosh, that’s horrible! Is Kairi alright?â€

“I’m not sure. Last night, I overheard her talking to Sora, saying something about remembering some bad things. That on top of being stranded is not a good thing for her. I’m really worried.â€

“You know what? I’m coming home. I don’t care what my parents say, Kairi needs me right now.â€

“I want to disagree, but I think you’re right. She needs one of the friends she remembers by her side. How soon can you get back here?â€

“Let me talk to my parents and explain the situation.†Riku heard her put down the phone and walk away. Riku paced the room, impatient. After what felt like ages, Selphie came back to the phone. “I’ll be back tomorrow. That’s the soonest we can get a plane ticket. I’ll see you then. Watch over Kairi for me.†Selphie hung up. Riku momentarily stopped pacing to set down the phone and then continued his pacing. What could he do in the meantime to help Kairi? Should he go over to her house?

No, he decided. She needed to be alone for a little while. Until she had her best friend at her side.

Kairi​

Kairi rolled over, still half asleep, and opened her eyes a crack. In the dim, dark light, she saw Sora sitting in front of her. He didn’t seem to notice that she was waking up. He was looking down into his lap at some object she couldn’t see clearly. His eyes were very wide. “Sora? What are you doing in my bedroom?†Kairi asked groggily.

“Kairi!†Sora quickly perked up and hid the object behind his back. “I...uh...came here because....well, ok, I....â€

“What’s that behind your back?†Kairi asked, sitting up to help herself wake up. Sora wordlessly pulled the book into plain site. It was her journal. “You took my journal?†Kairi harshly took the book back. “Why did you take my journal?â€

“I...†Sora ran off, his face showing his guilt.

“You wanted to find out about my memories yesterday. Is that it?†Sora’s expression gave him away. “Why in the world would you do that?†Her voice was rising to a scream. “I promised I would tell you someday. Which I shouldn’t even have to do since I don’t even KNOW you! But no, you had been so kind to me that I decided to trust you. And talk to you. And let you know about the pain that the memories brought.†She quieted herself for a moment, waiting for Sora to say something.

“I’m sorry.†Sora whispered, his eyes wide and teary.

“You read all of it, didn’t you?†Kairi looked him in the eye.

“Kairi...â€

“Tell me!†She screamed into his dazed face.

“I did.†He burst out, shocked at Kairi’s outburst.

Kairi nodded, fuming. “Get out.†She pointed to the door.

“I’m sorry.†Sora said, trying to take her hand.

“GET OUT!†She yelled, pulling away from her ‘friend’.

Sora got up and left, looking like a lost puppy dog. After the door shut, Kairi finally let herself breakdown and sobbed into her pillow. Never had she felt such a huge combination of anger, sadness, and loneliness. At least, she couldn’t remember any other times. She screamed into her pillow. The girl felt a tickle on her neck. She pulled away and looked over. Then she saw it was her cat. “Get off.†She picked up the cat and placed her on the floor. Butterscotch crawled up to her again and licked her cheek. Kairi hopped off the bed and slipped on her shoes. She ran outside, the door slamming behind her, nearly running over her precious Butterscotch in the process.

Kairi ran down the beach, tears running down her cheeks. Her heart was beating 100 miles per hour. It felt like Kairi was going to die. Kairi, slow down! Namine’s voice could be heard in her head. This can’t possibly be good for you!

I want to be alone, Namine! Kairi tuned out her other and continued running. After running for what felt like ages, the redhead finally collapsed onto the sand, sobbing uncontrollably. She curled herself into a ball and began to tremble so fiercely that she couldn’t see anything clearly. The only thing that she could think of was how Sora had betrayed her. She had promised him to tell him, and yet he still read her journal to see what was up. Even in her amnesia, she had begun to trust him as a friend. But he had ruined it all.

She would never trust him again.
******


That’s the end of chapter 18. This one was a little bit shorter than last time, but I was having a major writer’s block and had great difficulty writing even this much. But...I do think that it turned into a pretty interesting chapter. Let me know what ya’ll think, OK? Chapter 19 will hopefully be coming pretty soon, even though I’m VERY busy with vacations, school, and other stuff that is coming up soon. I’ll try and keep it so that I post every 2 weeks.