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1
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2 Prism Hearts
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rlm@0
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3 Chapter 6
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rlm@0
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4 The Wanderer of Time
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5 by Amazoness Duo
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6 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
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7
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8
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9 Kairi sat on the small bed in the room she had found herself in,
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10 listening halfheartedly to the waves crashing outside the open
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11 window. The large cloth drapes that hung in front of them to block
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12 out the tropical sun swung lazily about in the breeze. It was
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13 tranquil here, almost like the Destiny Islands. Her thoughts, on the
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14 other hand, were anything but calm.
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15
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16 So she could find Riku. If she could find the Door to the Light, she
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17 could unlock it and save him. She and Sora were both looking for it,
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18 so they might stumble upon each other along the way. But to unlock
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19 the door, she had to seal off the Keyholes in the hearts of those who
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20 were after her. It was a daunting task. Could she even do it? She had
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21 barely sealed the Keyhole in Kefka’s heart before being controlled by
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22 the Slave Crown. She shivered at the thought of having to do that
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23 again. And again. Until all the Keyholes were sealed.
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24
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25 But what choice did she have? Giving up would mean never seeing Riku
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26 again. How could she give up on him? He would never have given up on
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27 her. He tried till the very end to save her. Now it was her turn to
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28 save him. She had to do her best to find him. No matter what the
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29 challenges. Now if only she could find out where to go next.
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30
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31 Kairi sighed, drawing her legs up underneath herself. It wasn’t just
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32 one world she had to navigate, but many. All linked together by the
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33 darkness. When Sora had sealed away the Heartless, the worlds had
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34 been separated. It was the darkness that eroded the barriers between
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35 the worlds. It seemed ironic that her chance to find her friends had
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36 been granted by the return of the darkness. That the only way to
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37 travel from world to world was to travel across the expanses of
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38 shadow that each world gave off. Yet here she was, fighting against
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39 the darkness yet using it to move about to do so.
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40
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41 She paused in her thoughts for a moment. Was she really fighting
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42 against the darkness? Yuffie was. She knew that. But what about
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43 herself? All she wanted was to find Riku and Sora again. The rest was
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44 all secondary to her. She would save Riku even if she had to open
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45 the Door to the Darkness.
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46
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47 Petting the kitten absentmindedly, she sighed. Some Keyblade
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48 Mistress she made. But it was true. Her priority was to find her
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49 friends, the boys who meant so much to her. That’s why she had
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50 started this journey, after all, not to seal off the Heartless. She
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51 could figure out what to do after she could throw herself into the
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52 arms of the boys she loved. She winced at the thought. She couldn’t
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53 even decide between them. Both of them were too important to her.
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54
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55 Frowning, Kairi scratched at the kitten’s chin. It looked back at
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56 her with its strange green eyes. “At least you don’t care if I can’t
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57 decide. What do you think I should do, Jessie?”
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58
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59 The kitten looked back at the princess and meowed, it’s tail
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60 swishing lightly back and forth.
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61
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62 Kairi giggled and nodded. “Good idea. There’s nothing I can do yet.
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63 So I’ll just keep looking for them for now. Everything else can wait.”
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64
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65 The kitten stared at the girl for a moment. Meowing, it shook its
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66 head. This was really getting frustrating. It meowed again,
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67 insistently, but the princess’s thoughts were on other things at the
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68 moment. She couldn’t understand anyway. Maybe Yuffie would, somehow.
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69 There had to be some way to get across to these people. ‘Jessie’ lay
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70 there for a moment, trying to think. Nothing was getting done this
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71 way. It had to do something. Otherwise... The kitten shuddered. It
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72 meowed louder, but that just got Kairi to pet further. Sighing
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73 inwardly, the kitten stood up. Desperate times called for desperate
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74 measures.
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75
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76 “Owww!!” Kairi pulled back, holding her hand. Pain shot through one
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77 of her fingers and for a moment she couldn’t tell what had happened.
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78 It was just a sharp and immediate pain. The first thought that came
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79 to mind was that she had pricked herself, that she would fall asleep
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80 until her prince could come and awaken her with a kiss. She wouldn’t
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81 be at all surprised with how strange things had been lately. But what
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82 could she have pricked herself on? Looking down at her hand, she saw
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83 bright crimson welling up. It slowly began to clarify in her mind,
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84 the mists lifting. She’d been bitten. “Jessie?” she said
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85 questioningly, looking down at the odd kitten. It leapt off the bed,
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86 scurrying out the door. What had gotten into her? With a mix of
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87 anxiety and concern, Kairi chased after the kitten. “Jessie, wait!
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88 You’ll get lost!” She had no idea what was out here or even where she
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89 was. She didn’t want to lose her only constant companion. Even if it
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90 had bitten her. Had something frightened Jessie? Or maybe... Maybe
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91 she’d been trying to get her attention. But for what?
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92
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93 Running through the small house, Kairi nearly ran into a woman in a
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94 bandana. The woman caught her by the shoulders as she began to
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95 stumble backwards. “Oh, you startled me. Are you all right? You must
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96 have gotten the rest you needed. You’ve been sleeping for days.”
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97
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98 Kairi finally regained her balance. Recovering from her shock, a
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99 hand over her heart, she nodded. “Yeah, I’m much better now. I just
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100 woke up a little while ago.” ‘I think,’ she added to herself. ‘It’s
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101 hard to tell where I am and when I’m awake anymore.’
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102
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103 “Good. When you and your friends washed up on shore, we were all
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104 worried. Your friends woke up shortly, but you wouldn’t rise. You
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105 needed someplace to stay, so I was glad to offer my son’s room.
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106 You’ve been sleeping there ever since. I’ve been keeping an eye on
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107 you. I didn’t know if you’d ever wake up. I’m glad that you did.”
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108 Marge smiled softly, in her motherly way.
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109
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110 The look warmed Kairi’s heart, something about it very familiar.
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111 ‘Mom,’ she thought, her heart starting to ache as dim memories
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112 taunted her, flitting away as she tried to grasp them. ‘I miss you,
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113 mom.’ Forcing herself back to the present before her memories, or
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114 lack thereof, could drag her back down into despair, she smiled at
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115 the woman. “Thank you for taking care of me, ma’am.” Her thanks were
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116 heartfelt. It was so nice to know that someone had cared enough to
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117 take care of her while she had been unconscious. “I’ll have to thank
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118 your son, too, before I leave for letting me use his room.”
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119
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120 Marge’s smile didn’t fade, but it did gain a sad quality to it. “My
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121 son, Serge, died at sea ten years ago. That’s why I wanted to do all
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122 I could for you. I couldn’t let another sweet young soul be taken by
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123 the sea.”
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124
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125 “I’m... I’m so sorry...” Kairi stammered, at a loss for words. After
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126 this woman had helped her, had given her a place to stay, she felt
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127 terrible at the helplessness that consumed her. She couldn’t repay
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128 this woman in the least, had only been able to bring up an old wound.
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129 Hadn’t Sora been able to help people as he travelled from world to
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130 world? So far she seemed to cause trouble wherever she went. Like she
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131 was some kind of cosmic jinx, a harbinger of horrible things to come.
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132 Her arrival signified something terrible to come. At least it felt
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133 like that.
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134
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135 The mother shook her head, dismissing Kairi’s apology. “It’s
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136 nothing, dear. You didn’t know. And I’m sure he’d be happy to know
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137 his room was getting some use. Perhaps his spirit is what pulled you
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138 to shore.” She smiled at the thought. “Now run along before your
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139 kitten gets into trouble. You wouldn’t want her picking a fight with
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140 Poshul.”
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141
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142 “Yeah, you’re right,” Kairi said, snapping out of her bout of self-
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143 pity. Giggling slightly, she nodded. “Can’t let her get too far
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144 away.” She hurried to the door, turning to wave over her shoulder at
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145 the doorway. “Thanks for everything, ma’am!” The woman smiled and
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146 waved back as she dashed out the door.
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147
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148 ‘Mom was like that. Someone you could talk to. Someone who always
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149 had a comforting thing to say. And her hands felt so nice when she’d
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150 rub my back when I was crying, or when she’d wipe the tears from my
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151 eyes. I fell asleep crying on her lap so often.’ Kairi shook her head
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152 at the unbidden thoughts. They felt like her own, but they couldn’t
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153 be real. She didn’t know her mother. She couldn’t remember anything
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154 before showing up on the Destiny Islands.
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155
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156 ‘Just keep telling yourself that,’ she heard deep in her thoughts.
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157 Her fists clenched as she walked through the small fishing village.
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158 She couldn’t tell if it was good or not that she was getting these
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159 thoughts of her mother. She certainly didn’t like the picture they
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160 were painting of her. Some depressed, lonely, dependent girl. She
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161 wasn’t like that at all. But at the same time, she had to admit that
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162 she missed her mother terribly. At least Sora and Riku had parents on
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163 the island. She had been an orphan, raised by the people living
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164 there. But that wasn’t the same. The thought that she actually had a
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165 mother, had known her, was both exciting and terrifying.
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166
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167 ‘What was your home like?’ Sora had asked.
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168
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169 ‘I don’t remember. I can’t remember anything before I got here,’ she
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170 had answered.
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171
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172 ‘I want to go see it with you someday,’ he said.
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173
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174 She had smiled at him. ‘I’d like that.’
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175
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176 But now... She had wanted to find out who she was. She had wanted to
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177 find out where her home was. But the closer she got to figuring that
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178 out, the more she wondered if maybe she didn’t want the answers after
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179 all. Maybe she had forgotten on purpose. She had been happy on the
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180 Destiny Islands. Hadn't that been enough? But now, to regain that
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181 happiness, to save her friends, she may have to open a Pandora’s Box
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182 that could destroy that happiness forever. She didn’t know what she
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183 was supposed to do.
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184
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185 “Meow!”
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186
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187 Kairi blinked her eyes open quickly, spotting the insistent kitten.
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188 It meowed at her again before scurrying off. “Wait! Jessie!” The
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189 princess took off after the kitten. Whatever it was thinking, it sure
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190 was insistent. At least the chase took her mind off of things.
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191 Running out of the village, Kairi focussed on the kitten bounding
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192 along in front of her.
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193
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194 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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195
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196 “So how did you end up with that bossy little housewife?” Yuffie
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197 asked, kicking some sand in front of herself. Relm was currently
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198 hanging onto her, arms encircling the ninja’s waist. Yuffie had tried
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199 valiantly to get Relm back, but it never lasted for more than a few
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200 seconds. She’d finally gotten tired of fighting the artist off and
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201 was currently just tolerating it. This didn’t mean she’d given up, of
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202 course. Just that she didn’t feel like fighting at the moment. Yeah,
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203 that was it.
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204
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205 “Shut yer mouth.” Kid didn’t look amused. She was currently
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206 searching the area for tiny lizards to make a necklace for the above
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207 stated bossy housewife. It was more work than it should have been.
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208 She was starting to think that it would be easier to just steal a
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209 necklace. Or maybe Yuffie’s chatter was just scaring the Komodo
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210 Dragons off. In either case, she needed to get another scale or two
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211 to finish off that necklace or she’d be sleeping on the couch. Again.
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212 Luckily, Leena's grandma had such bad eyesight that she actually
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213 thought Kid was a boy. Not that Kid was happy with the idea, but
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214 Leena said it was easier that way. And who was she to argue?
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215
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216 Sighing, Kid shrugged. “It just kinda happened. I came back to my
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217 homeworld ‘cause we’ve got a relic here called the Frozen Flame. I
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218 came to El Nido looking for it. I figured if I could get my hands on
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219 it, the Heartless wouldn’t be a problem anymore. Anyway, so I started
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220 off lookin’ in Arni and I met up with Leena she wound up insistin’
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221 that she go along. To keep me outta trouble. I argued, but that girl
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222 has a way of getting her way. We looked all over for the blasted
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223 thing, a few other people joining us along the way. Along with this
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224 crazy harlequin. We finally tracked it down to the Sea of Eden where
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225 it was locked away by Fate. We tried to bust in, but it wouldn’t
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226 work. We were tryin’ to find another plan when we found out the
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227 harlequin had gone missin’. Turned out she was working with the
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228 Dragon Gods. She wound up summoning the six of them and they totaled
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229 the place. We barely got outta there before it went up. Seems she was
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230 usin’ us to distract Fate long enough for the Dragon Gods to get
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231 together.” Kid sighed, lookin around in a hole for the smaller
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232 dragons. “So no Frozen Flame after all. Otherwise we coulda stopped
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233 the Heartless by now.”
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234
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235 Yuffie laughed, shaking her head. “Don’t worry about the Heartless.
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236 World saving should be left to the professionals. I’ll handle them. I
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237 even have the Keyblade Mistress on my party, so we’re set.”
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238
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239 “I know you’ll be able to stop them, Yuffie,” Relm added perkily,
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240 her head snugly against Yuffie’s shoulder. “And I’ll follow wherever
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241 you go.”
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242
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243 Kid grinned, raising an eyebrow. “You were sayin’ something about my
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244 choice in girlfriends?”
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245
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246 “Oh, shut up.” Yuffie’s eyes narrowed. She was tempted to extricate
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247 herself from the artist and wipe the smirk off of Kid’s face, but it
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248 was much more trouble than it was worth.
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249
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250 “Anyway, Leena and I kinda happened along the way. Can’t say when,
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251 exactly. Except that we did spend a hell of a night at the Termina
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252 inn.” The thief shook her head, dispersing pleasant memories. “It
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253 just seemed before I knew it, she had me hooked. So now I’m stuck in
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254 a tiny fishing village because she’s happiest there. I didn’t see
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255 that comin’. Me in some little village on some island somewhere. But
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256 it’s starting to be home. And it’s nice to finally have one.”
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257
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258 Yuffie nodded thoughtfully. “I guess that makes sense. Yeah, I
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259 didn’t imagine that either. I guess I never thought of you as
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260 settling down. It’s gonna be hard to break the news to the rest of
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261 the Radical Dreamers.” And it was strange for her to see the other
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262 thief there, living such an ordinary life. But Kid seemed happier
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263 than she’d ever seen her. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. She shook
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264 her head. Not too bad for Kid, maybe. But she wasn’t about to settle
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265 down anytime soon. Nope, still too much to do. Nothing was going to
|
|
rlm@0
|
266 hold her down.
|
|
rlm@0
|
267
|
|
rlm@0
|
268 “So how did you wind up with this cute little artist, Yuffie? I
|
|
rlm@0
|
269 thought you weren’t lookin’ for anybody,” Kid teased.
|
|
rlm@0
|
270
|
|
rlm@0
|
271 “I’m not with her...”
|
|
rlm@0
|
272
|
|
rlm@0
|
273 “I nursed her back to health and it was just Fate. We were meant to
|
|
rlm@0
|
274 be.”
|
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rlm@0
|
275
|
|
rlm@0
|
276 Yuffie and Relm both spoke at the same time, their sentences
|
|
rlm@0
|
277 tumbling together.
|
|
rlm@0
|
278
|
|
rlm@0
|
279 Kid laughed, her hands on her hips. “Well, I’m sure glad I’m not the
|
|
rlm@0
|
280 only one ditching the Radical Dreamers for my girlfriend. It makes it
|
|
rlm@0
|
281 a hell of a lot easier that way.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
282
|
|
rlm@0
|
283 “She’s not my girlfriend. She’s.. Oww!” Yuffie’s eyes went from
|
|
rlm@0
|
284 narrowed to widened in a split second. She looked down to an
|
|
rlm@0
|
285 innocently smiling Relm. Her stomach felt as if it had been pinched
|
|
rlm@0
|
286 rather harshly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
287
|
|
rlm@0
|
288 “Oh, Kid, you’re embarrassing Yuffie!” Relm chided, still smiling.
|
|
rlm@0
|
289 If Yuffie wasn’t going to go along willingly, then she’d just have to
|
|
rlm@0
|
290 take matters into her own hands. Literally, if necessary. It was
|
|
rlm@0
|
291 Fate. It had to be. And she wasn’t going to let her ninja get away
|
|
rlm@0
|
292 just because she had a case of cold feet.
|
|
rlm@0
|
293
|
|
rlm@0
|
294 “Alright, I’ll lay off for a bit, then.” Kid winked at the fuming
|
|
rlm@0
|
295 ninja. Something finally caught her eye, drawing away her attention
|
|
rlm@0
|
296 from the ‘lovebirds’. “Ah! There the little devil is.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
297
|
|
rlm@0
|
298 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
rlm@0
|
299
|
|
rlm@0
|
300 Kairi ran along the beach, staying away from the water. She had
|
|
rlm@0
|
301 enough water to last her a good long while. She had lost track of the
|
|
rlm@0
|
302 kitten, so she was relying on the little footprints in the sand. They
|
|
rlm@0
|
303 were leading further along the beach. She had to be around somewhere.
|
|
rlm@0
|
304 “There you are!” Kairi pulled to a stop near the tiny kitten,
|
|
rlm@0
|
305 catching her breath. “You shouldn’t have run away like that. You
|
|
rlm@0
|
306 don’t know if it’s safe here. You might have...” She trailed off,
|
|
rlm@0
|
307 that thought half finished. Kneeling in the sand, she looked down at
|
|
rlm@0
|
308 the kitten. It was hard at work pawing away some sand. Scrawled in
|
|
rlm@0
|
309 the sand, she could read ‘I’m Rik...’ from what the kitten had
|
|
rlm@0
|
310 already written. “Riku?” she asked, her heart caught in her chest.
|
|
rlm@0
|
311
|
|
rlm@0
|
312 The kitten’s ears perked up. It’s efforts to dig forgotten, it
|
|
rlm@0
|
313 turned around quickly, nodding excitedly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
314
|
|
rlm@0
|
315 “You’re Riku?” The ground underneath her seemed to drop away,
|
|
rlm@0
|
316 leaving her tumbling. “You’ve been here all this time? I... Riku!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
317 She lunged forward, holding onto the kitten as tightly as she could.
|
|
rlm@0
|
318 The surprised kittens claws pressed into her exposed flesh, but she
|
|
rlm@0
|
319 was too ecstatic to care about such trivial things. “I’ve been
|
|
rlm@0
|
320 looking for so long. I was scared I wouldn’t find you. But I wouldn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
321 give up. I couldn’t. Not after all you did to save my heart.” A laugh
|
|
rlm@0
|
322 behind her made her whirl about, kitten still in her arms.
|
|
rlm@0
|
323
|
|
rlm@0
|
324 “Izn’t zat adorable? You two make such a cute couple!” Sitting on a
|
|
rlm@0
|
325 rocky outcropping, a harlequin grinned at the scene before her. “But
|
|
rlm@0
|
326 it is improper for me to watch without an introduction from moi,
|
|
rlm@0
|
327 izn’t it? I am Harle.” Hopping down, she walked over to the princess,
|
|
rlm@0
|
328 bowing low. “And you, mon petit, are Kairi. It iz a pleasure to meet
|
|
rlm@0
|
329 you. You are prettier than ze oceans themselves.” Taking Kairi’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
330 hand, she kissed it, her hand lingering for a moment before pulling
|
|
rlm@0
|
331 away.
|
|
rlm@0
|
332
|
|
rlm@0
|
333 “Who are you?” Kairi asked at last, completely confused by the
|
|
rlm@0
|
334 newcomer. But the voice did sound familiar... It finally clicked.
|
|
rlm@0
|
335 “You’re from my dream! Or was that a dream? You were there when I was
|
|
rlm@0
|
336 lying on the beach. And in bed. Both.” She shook her head. This was
|
|
rlm@0
|
337 getting even more confusing.
|
|
rlm@0
|
338
|
|
rlm@0
|
339 The harlequin laughed, nodding. “Exactement. I was watching over
|
|
rlm@0
|
340 you, yes. Someone has to. You aren’t doing such a good job of it
|
|
rlm@0
|
341 yourself. So I have appointed myself to keep an eye on Mademoiselle
|
|
rlm@0
|
342 Kairi.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
343
|
|
rlm@0
|
344 Kairi frowned, holding the kitten closer. The kitten watched the
|
|
rlm@0
|
345 harlequin cautiously. “Does everyone always have to talk in riddles?
|
|
rlm@0
|
346 I never get any straight answers.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
347
|
|
rlm@0
|
348 “It iz much, much more fun speaking in riddles.” Harle laughed,
|
|
rlm@0
|
349 walking around the Keyblade Mistress. “Things are not as one
|
|
rlm@0
|
350 dimensional as you think. It is not about realitie and dreams. It iz
|
|
rlm@0
|
351 about your Fate. What iz real, what iz not, this does not matter.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
352
|
|
rlm@0
|
353 “Yes it does! If it’s not real, then why should I bother?!” Kairi
|
|
rlm@0
|
354 nearly screamed in frustration. If all of this was just some dream,
|
|
rlm@0
|
355 then why try at all? What good would it do if she would just wake up
|
|
rlm@0
|
356 sooner or later to find herself in that horrid room?
|
|
rlm@0
|
357
|
|
rlm@0
|
358 The harlequin’s smile disappeared. She watched Kairi carefully for a
|
|
rlm@0
|
359 long moment. “Why do you live? Why do you die? Will you change ze
|
|
rlm@0
|
360 world? Or will you change yourself? These questions are more
|
|
rlm@0
|
361 important than ‘what is real or not’, no? What is realitie anyway but
|
|
rlm@0
|
362 what people tell you iz real. What you see, feel, hear, zat iz real.
|
|
rlm@0
|
363 You see, feel, and hear all zis. So it iz real. You see, feel, and
|
|
rlm@0
|
364 hear there. So zat iz real. It does not matter which iz more real. It
|
|
rlm@0
|
365 only matters how much you are willing to give, how much you are
|
|
rlm@0
|
366 willing to believe. What will you fight for, Kairi? Ziz realitie?
|
|
rlm@0
|
367 Your friends? Ze Light? Or Ze Darkness? Which will you have faith in?
|
|
rlm@0
|
368 Which will you side with in ze end?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
369
|
|
rlm@0
|
370 Kairi couldn’t answer. Her world felt like it was spinning. The
|
|
rlm@0
|
371 harlequin’s words tumbled through her head in a rush. She felt
|
|
rlm@0
|
372 compelled to make a decision, but she knew she had none yet. But it
|
|
rlm@0
|
373 was true. This was no less real than her ‘room’. And vice versa.
|
|
rlm@0
|
374 Which made it even more difficult to determine which was real. And,
|
|
rlm@0
|
375 like Harle had said, did it really matter? She couldn’t answer that.
|
|
rlm@0
|
376 Not yet. “I just want to get my friends back,” she answered after a
|
|
rlm@0
|
377 long pause.
|
|
rlm@0
|
378
|
|
rlm@0
|
379 “You are not ready yet to decide? It can wait for now. You should
|
|
rlm@0
|
380 think out your decision anyway, to make sure it’s what iz truly in
|
|
rlm@0
|
381 your heart. If you do not follow you’re heart, you are nothing more
|
|
rlm@0
|
382 than a lie.” Harle shrugged. Leaning forward, she scratched under the
|
|
rlm@0
|
383 kitten’s chin. “But if you want to return your friend to normal, you
|
|
rlm@0
|
384 only need ze Dragon’s Tear. It can bring back zeir normal form.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
385
|
|
rlm@0
|
386 Pushing off her concerns for the moment, Kairi stepped forward. “It
|
|
rlm@0
|
387 can? Where is it?! I need it for Riku.” She had been happy just to
|
|
rlm@0
|
388 know he was close again. That he had been so close to her this whole
|
|
rlm@0
|
389 time, giving her strength. If he could actually be right next to her
|
|
rlm@0
|
390 again... She had to find it. She had to return Riku back to his old
|
|
rlm@0
|
391 self. And she would hug him so tightly and never ever let him go
|
|
rlm@0
|
392 again.
|
|
rlm@0
|
393
|
|
rlm@0
|
394 “Ze thief has it. She stole it while we were in Viper Manor. It has
|
|
rlm@0
|
395 no value to her, though. She was merely searching for the Frozen
|
|
rlm@0
|
396 Flame. Perhaps she will let you use it, no?” The harlequin suggested.
|
|
rlm@0
|
397 “Though she can be quite nasty, so I wouldn’t trust her with it for
|
|
rlm@0
|
398 long.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
399
|
|
rlm@0
|
400 “The thief?” Kairi asked, blinking. The only thief she knew of was
|
|
rlm@0
|
401 Yuffie. And she hadn’t seen Yuffie since she had awoken. Some noise
|
|
rlm@0
|
402 from behind caught her attention. She turned around just in time to
|
|
rlm@0
|
403 see three girls make their way onto the beach.
|
|
rlm@0
|
404
|
|
rlm@0
|
405 “Kairi!” Yuffie called out, a note of relief in her voice. She had
|
|
rlm@0
|
406 started to worry that the Keyblade Mistress would never wake up.
|
|
rlm@0
|
407 Without her, there wasn’t much hope of stopping the Heartless. Of
|
|
rlm@0
|
408 course, she’d never let her worries show. She was the greatest ninja
|
|
rlm@0
|
409 ever, after all. It was bad form to let anyone know she was worried
|
|
rlm@0
|
410 about things.
|
|
rlm@0
|
411
|
|
rlm@0
|
412 “What the bloody hell is she doin’ here?” Kid, on the other hand,
|
|
rlm@0
|
413 didn’t like the scene before her at all. There was the princess, but
|
|
rlm@0
|
414 she was with Harle, a servant of the Dragon Gods. And the last she
|
|
rlm@0
|
415 had seen of Harle had been when the harlequin had destroyed their
|
|
rlm@0
|
416 only chance to retrieve the Frozen Flame. She unsheathed her knife.
|
|
rlm@0
|
417 “Get away from her, Kairi! She’s a bloody demon.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
418
|
|
rlm@0
|
419 “So speaks ze dirty dog. I should have known I couldn’t expect a
|
|
rlm@0
|
420 warm reception from you. And I am not a demon.” Her eyes narrowed as
|
|
rlm@0
|
421 she strolled towards the thief, her hands on her hips.
|
|
rlm@0
|
422
|
|
rlm@0
|
423 “Slave girl to the Dragon Gods, demon, I don’t see much of a
|
|
rlm@0
|
424 difference,” Kid shot back, still clutching her dagger. “You ain’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
425 getting rid of the Keyblade Mistress. You may have stopped us from
|
|
rlm@0
|
426 getting the Frozen Flame, but I ain’t about to let ya kill our last
|
|
rlm@0
|
427 hope.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
428
|
|
rlm@0
|
429 Harle broke out into spiels of laughter. “You have got it all wrong.
|
|
rlm@0
|
430 I have come to give Mademoiselle Kairi my blessing. The blessing of
|
|
rlm@0
|
431 all the Dragon Gods. They have a vested interest in her journey,
|
|
rlm@0
|
432 after all.” Stepping back to Kairi, she leaned forward, kissing the
|
|
rlm@0
|
433 princess on both cheeks before letting her go. She giggled at the
|
|
rlm@0
|
434 startled look on Kairi’s face and the faint blush on her cheeks. “And
|
|
rlm@0
|
435 so cute, too! I will enjoy this job much more than my last.” Winking
|
|
rlm@0
|
436 at Kairi, she turned back to Kid. “And how dare you call me zis slave
|
|
rlm@0
|
437 girl! Bahamut is no one’s slave girl!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
438
|
|
rlm@0
|
439 “Bahamut?” Yuffie asked, blinking. “What does the king of all
|
|
rlm@0
|
440 dragons have to do with this?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
441
|
|
rlm@0
|
442 Another giggle before the harlequin curtsied greeted Yuffie’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
443 statement. “Because Bahamut is standing right before you. I am
|
|
rlm@0
|
444 Bahamut, ze Dragon God. It iz a pleazure to make your acquaintance.
|
|
rlm@0
|
445 At least one of you has some respect.” She gave Kid another dirty
|
|
rlm@0
|
446 look. “Zis iz merely my human form. I thought it would be easier to
|
|
rlm@0
|
447 travel around El Nido zis way. I am slightly more noticeable as a
|
|
rlm@0
|
448 dragon.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
449
|
|
rlm@0
|
450 Kid blinked in surprise. She suddenly had the thought that attacking
|
|
rlm@0
|
451 Harle would be a very affective form of suicide. She had thought the
|
|
rlm@0
|
452 jester was merely working for the Dragon Gods, not that she was the
|
|
rlm@0
|
453 head of them. “But.. why would you do all of this yourself? Why not
|
|
rlm@0
|
454 send someone else?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
455
|
|
rlm@0
|
456 Harle shook her head, dismissing the thought. “If you want something
|
|
rlm@0
|
457 done, as they say, you must do it yourself. Besides, I could not let
|
|
rlm@0
|
458 you get a hold of the Frozen Flame. It is a splinter of Lavos, the
|
|
rlm@0
|
459 world devourer. It would only bring about more darkness, even if you
|
|
rlm@0
|
460 did use it to stop the Heartless. Ze universe has a delicate balance
|
|
rlm@0
|
461 that you humans are always so set on ruining.” She sighed, rolling
|
|
rlm@0
|
462 her eyes. “If it is not ze balance of man and nature, it iz zat
|
|
rlm@0
|
463 between light and dark. Will you never learn?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
464
|
|
rlm@0
|
465 “I didn’t come here to get you preachin’ to me. You stopped us from
|
|
rlm@0
|
466 getting the Frozen Flame, isn’t that enough?” Kid was starting to get
|
|
rlm@0
|
467 irritated by all of this. As if it wasn’t bad that the harlequin had
|
|
rlm@0
|
468 ruined her chances to get a sacred relic, now she was back to taunt
|
|
rlm@0
|
469 her about things.
|
|
rlm@0
|
470
|
|
rlm@0
|
471 “On ze contrary, I am here to help.” Harle grinned at the look of
|
|
rlm@0
|
472 surprise on Kid’s face. “Sometimes you humans aren’t completely
|
|
rlm@0
|
473 worthless after all. And I have to admit I have a weakness for main
|
|
rlm@0
|
474 characters. They are just too sexzy.” She sighed, looking back to an
|
|
rlm@0
|
475 embarrassed Kairi. “And since that means Kairi, I will offer my
|
|
rlm@0
|
476 services to her.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
477
|
|
rlm@0
|
478 “Not that you’d take no for an answer, I’m guessing,” Yuffie said,
|
|
rlm@0
|
479 sighing. This was getting more and more complicated all the time. Why
|
|
rlm@0
|
480 wasn’t she happy about the Dragon God joining their party? Because
|
|
rlm@0
|
481 somehow she doubted that whatever they were after was the same thing.
|
|
rlm@0
|
482
|
|
rlm@0
|
483 “Of course not! You catch on quickly. I’m getting to like you
|
|
rlm@0
|
484 already. Much better than ze other thief.” Harle smiled.
|
|
rlm@0
|
485
|
|
rlm@0
|
486 Relm squeezed her arms around Yuffie’s waist tighter, possessively.
|
|
rlm@0
|
487 “Yuffie’s already spoken for her.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
488
|
|
rlm@0
|
489 Yuffie sweatdropped and was about to argue but stopped herself. Did
|
|
rlm@0
|
490 she really wanna be available around Harle? She decided to drop it
|
|
rlm@0
|
491 this time. Sighing in defeat, she could feel the younger artist still
|
|
rlm@0
|
492 pressed tightly against her side.
|
|
rlm@0
|
493
|
|
rlm@0
|
494 Laughing, Harle shook her head. “Don’t worry, she iz not my concern.
|
|
rlm@0
|
495 I’d much rather follow Mademoiselle Kairi. Perhaps I can change her
|
|
rlm@0
|
496 mind about finding those silly boys.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
497
|
|
rlm@0
|
498 Looking up, Kairi turned to Kid. Harle’s words had reminded her of
|
|
rlm@0
|
499 something important. She hurried over, holding the kitten tightly to
|
|
rlm@0
|
500 her heart. “Kid, I need the Dragon’s Tear. It’s the only way I can
|
|
rlm@0
|
501 change Riku back to normal.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
502
|
|
rlm@0
|
503 “Rikku?” Yuffie asked curiously. “Change Rikku back? Back from what?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
504
|
|
rlm@0
|
505 “The cat,” Kairi explained, holding the kitten up. It meowed, moving
|
|
rlm@0
|
506 slightly in her grasp. “It’s Riku. I just found out.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
507
|
|
rlm@0
|
508 Yuffie stepped forward, looking at the kitten cautiously. She poked
|
|
rlm@0
|
509 and prodded it for a bit, taking a good look.
|
|
rlm@0
|
510
|
|
rlm@0
|
511 “Aww... Give the poor kitten a break, Yuffie. She doesn’t need you
|
|
rlm@0
|
512 poking at her,” Relm protested. “I know Interceptor wouldn’t have
|
|
rlm@0
|
513 liked it. They’re just like people.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
514
|
|
rlm@0
|
515 “This one is a person,” Yuffie said at last, not quite hearing Relm.
|
|
rlm@0
|
516 She gazed into the kitten’s eyes for a long moment, those green
|
|
rlm@0
|
517 swirls instantly recognizable. Suddenly it made a whole lot more
|
|
rlm@0
|
518 sense why the kitten hadn’t left her alone.
|
|
rlm@0
|
519
|
|
rlm@0
|
520 Kairi nodded her agreement. “So we need the Dragon’s Tear to get rid
|
|
rlm@0
|
521 of this curse. Or whatever it is. I just want Riku back to normal.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
522 The thought that her quest could end there was so relieving. Well,
|
|
rlm@0
|
523 she would still have to find Sora, but with Riku helping her, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
524 knew they could find him sooner or later. And then everything would
|
|
rlm@0
|
525 be just fine again. She didn’t care about the Heartless. She just
|
|
rlm@0
|
526 wanted to be with her friends again.
|
|
rlm@0
|
527
|
|
rlm@0
|
528 “I don’t see why I ‘ave to give ya the Dragon’s Tear. I mean, it
|
|
rlm@0
|
529 doesn’t do anythin’ and I did steal it fair. Might even get a fair
|
|
rlm@0
|
530 price off of it on the mainland and buy a place for me an’ Leena,”
|
|
rlm@0
|
531 Kid was saying, not wanting to relinquish her precious treasure.
|
|
rlm@0
|
532
|
|
rlm@0
|
533 “Oh, just give it to them, Kid. I don’t want to move into some place
|
|
rlm@0
|
534 you buy with dirty money anyway. I want you to get a real job,” a
|
|
rlm@0
|
535 redhead said, almost appearing out of nowhere. She walked over, her
|
|
rlm@0
|
536 hands on her hips, standing next to the thief. “I don’t care about
|
|
rlm@0
|
537 that anyway. I just want to know if you got the scales for my
|
|
rlm@0
|
538 necklace.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
539
|
|
rlm@0
|
540 Kid nodded quickly, holding up a bag. “Yep, got ‘em all here. An’
|
|
rlm@0
|
541 they’ll make a gorgeous necklace, Leena. You’ll look absolutely
|
|
rlm@0
|
542 darlin’ in them.” She smiled brightly, hoping she could still salvage
|
|
rlm@0
|
543 this situation. ‘Crap! She did say she’d meet me on the beach, didn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
544 she? If I hadn’t been so sidetracked here by the damn clown...’
|
|
rlm@0
|
545
|
|
rlm@0
|
546 “Oh, Kid!” Leena hugged the thief tightly, her legs lifting into the
|
|
rlm@0
|
547 air as she did, nearly sending herself and Kid sprawling to the sand.
|
|
rlm@0
|
548 “I knew you’d get them for me.” Her feet finally landed back on the
|
|
rlm@0
|
549 sand, her arms around Kid’s shoulders. She kissed Kid softly on the
|
|
rlm@0
|
550 lips before stepping back, her hands still on Kid’s shoulders. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
551 smiled, pleased with her girlfriend. “Now give them the Dragon’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
552 Tear,” she reminded the blonde.
|
|
rlm@0
|
553
|
|
rlm@0
|
554 Kid sighed inwardly and rifled through her satchel. There went all
|
|
rlm@0
|
555 the money she had been counting on the relic raking in. But if she
|
|
rlm@0
|
556 wanted Leena to stay in the good mood she was in, she might as well
|
|
rlm@0
|
557 hand it over. It wasn’t like she could say no to the bossy young
|
|
rlm@0
|
558 housewife-to-be anyway.On top of that, Yuffie was giving her a rather
|
|
rlm@0
|
559 intent stare. Apparently the ninja wanted her to hand it over as
|
|
rlm@0
|
560 well. “’Ere it is. Knock yourselves out.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
561
|
|
rlm@0
|
562 Yuffie and Kairi both grabbed for it at the same time. Yuffie
|
|
rlm@0
|
563 finally took the thing after Kairi hesitated, setting it in the sand.
|
|
rlm@0
|
564 “Okay, now how does this thing work anyway?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
565
|
|
rlm@0
|
566 Kairi was busy petting the kitten, holding it close. “Poor Riku.
|
|
rlm@0
|
567 Don’t worry. We’ll have you back to normal in just a moment. I
|
|
rlm@0
|
568 promise.” She kissed the kitten’s forehead. Riku had done so much for
|
|
rlm@0
|
569 her. Now she could finally repay him. She’d lost her heart and he had
|
|
rlm@0
|
570 tried his hardest to save it. Now she could help him regain his body.
|
|
rlm@0
|
571
|
|
rlm@0
|
572 “Just let the kitten gaze into ze Dragon’s Tear. I would say to take
|
|
rlm@0
|
573 it to Fort Dragonia, but zat is largely ceremonial. Gazing into it
|
|
rlm@0
|
574 should be enough. Ze Dragon’s Tear will help wash away your friend’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
575 new body, returning it to itz original form.
|
|
rlm@0
|
576
|
|
rlm@0
|
577 “We can have it back when yer done, right?” Kid asked curiously.
|
|
rlm@0
|
578 Leena sighed next to her, crossing her arms. “Not that it’s important
|
|
rlm@0
|
579 or anythin’.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
580
|
|
rlm@0
|
581 “I don’t care what you do with it after Riku’s back.” Kairi finally
|
|
rlm@0
|
582 set the kitten down on the sand, stepping back. She wished there was
|
|
rlm@0
|
583 more she could do, but for now all she could do was watch. This was
|
|
rlm@0
|
584 like when Sora had been turned into a Heartless. She had helped him
|
|
rlm@0
|
585 find himself. She could only pray she could do the same for Riku. He
|
|
rlm@0
|
586 was a cute kitten, granted, but she wanted him back to his old self.
|
|
rlm@0
|
587
|
|
rlm@0
|
588 “Whatever. Like Rikku hasn’t been stuck like this long enough. Not
|
|
rlm@0
|
589 that I can’t imagine who’s fault that could be,” Yuffie said
|
|
rlm@0
|
590 sarcastically. Kneeling, her hands on her knees, she stared at the
|
|
rlm@0
|
591 kitten with an eyebrow raised. The kitten looked back up at her
|
|
rlm@0
|
592 sheepishly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
593
|
|
rlm@0
|
594 The kitten turned on the sand, looking at the glowing blue crystal
|
|
rlm@0
|
595 before it. It had an inner light like a sun underneath the ocean, a
|
|
rlm@0
|
596 brilliant blue that seemed to sparkle. The kitten took another step
|
|
rlm@0
|
597 forward, staring into the Dragon’s Tear. The world almost seemed to
|
|
rlm@0
|
598 blur, as if it had been looking at it for too long. The kitten
|
|
rlm@0
|
599 blinked, but the world still felt distorted. The Dragon’s Tear was
|
|
rlm@0
|
600 glowing brighter now. Then it happened. It started staring right back
|
|
rlm@0
|
601 at the kitten. The kitten yelped in surprise, but it was too late. It
|
|
rlm@0
|
602 was already caught in the relic’s gaze. The world rippled as if a
|
|
rlm@0
|
603 rain drop had fallen upon a puddle, distorting and pulsing out away
|
|
rlm@0
|
604 from the kitten. And then it was over.
|
|
rlm@0
|
605
|
|
rlm@0
|
606 The catgirl lay there in the sand, slowly regaining consciousness.
|
|
rlm@0
|
607 She was naked except for the sandy blonde fur that covered her body.
|
|
rlm@0
|
608 She slowly got to her knees, her paws pushing against the sand. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
609 head was still swimming from the reality altering abilities of the
|
|
rlm@0
|
610 Dragon’s Tear. “Owww...” she winced, rubbing at her temples. Being
|
|
rlm@0
|
611 reborn was an experience she never wanted to go through again. For a
|
|
rlm@0
|
612 third time? She didn’t want to think about it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
613
|
|
rlm@0
|
614 “What the hell did it do to Riku?!?” Kairi asked, very nearly ready
|
|
rlm@0
|
615 to faint. She had been expecting to see him returned to his cute,
|
|
rlm@0
|
616 silver haired self. What she saw was a cross between a human and a
|
|
rlm@0
|
617 cat. And a girl at that. If this was her Riku, something had gone
|
|
rlm@0
|
618 pretty freakishly wrong with the Dragon’s Tear.
|
|
rlm@0
|
619
|
|
rlm@0
|
620 “Yeah, why is she still part cat? I thought you said that thing was
|
|
rlm@0
|
621 supposed to fix her,” Yuffie said angrily. Kneeling down, she helped
|
|
rlm@0
|
622 the catgirl back to her feet.
|
|
rlm@0
|
623
|
|
rlm@0
|
624 “I will answer both of your questions as best as I am able.” Harle
|
|
rlm@0
|
625 bowed low before continuing. “You see, Mademoiselle Kairi, zis iz
|
|
rlm@0
|
626 indeed Rikku. But not your Rikku. She is a member of ze Radical
|
|
rlm@0
|
627 Dreamers. Am I right?” She looked up, raising an eyebrow
|
|
rlm@0
|
628 questioningly at Yuffie and Kid.
|
|
rlm@0
|
629
|
|
rlm@0
|
630 “Yeah, it’s Rikku, all right. I’d recognize those eyes anywhere. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
631 disappeared a while back when we showed up in Traverse Town. We
|
|
rlm@0
|
632 didn’t know what happened to her,” Yuffie explained, holding the
|
|
rlm@0
|
633 dazed catgirl even as Relm held sole possession of her other arm.
|
|
rlm@0
|
634
|
|
rlm@0
|
635 “Yuffie!” Rikku shouted happily, coming back to her sense. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
636 grasped onto Yuffie from her other side, effectively squishing the
|
|
rlm@0
|
637 poor ninja between over-enthusiastic catgirl and love-starved artist.
|
|
rlm@0
|
638 “I was waiting for you to figure out it was me! What took you so
|
|
rlm@0
|
639 long?! I kept trying to get your attention, but you wouldn’t listen
|
|
rlm@0
|
640 to me!” the catgirl whined.
|
|
rlm@0
|
641
|
|
rlm@0
|
642 “I had other things on my mind. How was I supposed to know that the
|
|
rlm@0
|
643 goofy little cat was you?” Yuffie asked defensively. “Besides, we
|
|
rlm@0
|
644 found out it was you. That’s what matters. And you’re back to normal.
|
|
rlm@0
|
645 Kinda.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
646
|
|
rlm@0
|
647 “Yuffie! You didn’t tell me you already had a girlfriend...” Relm
|
|
rlm@0
|
648 was devastated. Yuffie was supposed to be her ninja, the girl she had
|
|
rlm@0
|
649 nursed back to health, who she would marry and spend the rest of her
|
|
rlm@0
|
650 life with. And now she found this other girl that Yuffie had known
|
|
rlm@0
|
651 longer who had absolutely no problem holding onto the ninja just as
|
|
rlm@0
|
652 unabashedly as she was. How could Yuffie do that to her? She'd looked
|
|
rlm@0
|
653 through all of Yuffie’s things when she had stripped her unconscious
|
|
rlm@0
|
654 form and placed some heavy blankets on her back at the cabin in
|
|
rlm@0
|
655 Narshe. She hadn’t seen anything indicating another woman in her
|
|
rlm@0
|
656 life. It was supposed to be Fate!
|
|
rlm@0
|
657
|
|
rlm@0
|
658 “She’s not my girlfriend!” Yuffie said quickly. She would have
|
|
rlm@0
|
659 shaken her hands to emphasize the point, but her hands were currently
|
|
rlm@0
|
660 pinned to her sides by the two girls on either side of her. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
661 sighed inwardly. That was really beginning to sound like her catch
|
|
rlm@0
|
662 phrase. Fate had decided to play some cosmic prank on her. She could
|
|
rlm@0
|
663 just hear the Goddess of Fate laughing at this turn of events. “This
|
|
rlm@0
|
664 is Rikku. She’s my little sister.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
665
|
|
rlm@0
|
666 “Yeah, and big sisters are supposed to look out for their little
|
|
rlm@0
|
667 sisters and not let them get changed into cats!” Rikku stuck her
|
|
rlm@0
|
668 scratchy tongue out at the older thief, her tail moving about in
|
|
rlm@0
|
669 frustration.
|
|
rlm@0
|
670
|
|
rlm@0
|
671 “Ohhhh...” Relm sighed in relief. “I’m sorry I doubted you, honey.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
672 Holding onto Yuffie’s arm tighter, the blonde artist leaned into
|
|
rlm@0
|
673 Yuffie’s side.
|
|
rlm@0
|
674
|
|
rlm@0
|
675 “Don’t call me that!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
676
|
|
rlm@0
|
677 Meanwhile, Kairi was still watching Harle intently. “So that wasn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
678 my Riku, after all?” The harlequin nodded. She sighed, closing her
|
|
rlm@0
|
679 eyes. So close and yet so far. Another false lead. Once again, Riku
|
|
rlm@0
|
680 had been snatched out of her grasp. When she found him, she’d chain
|
|
rlm@0
|
681 him up and throw away the key so he’d never get taken away again. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
682 nodded resolutely. She had to get him back. Soon. ‘I’ll always be
|
|
rlm@0
|
683 thinking of you, wherever you are,’ she thought, hoping it would
|
|
rlm@0
|
684 reach him.
|
|
rlm@0
|
685
|
|
rlm@0
|
686 “The reazon she did not turn back completely was because zis iz only
|
|
rlm@0
|
687 ze Tear of Hate. Ze Dragon’s Tear exists in two worlds. In one world,
|
|
rlm@0
|
688 it iz ze Tear of Hate. In ze other world, it iz ze Tear of Love. When
|
|
rlm@0
|
689 they are brought together, ze Dragon’s Tear is complete. Since it was
|
|
rlm@0
|
690 only ze Tear of Hate, it couldn’t completely restore her,” Harle
|
|
rlm@0
|
691 explained. She tried with all of her might not to smile. She found
|
|
rlm@0
|
692 this whole situation amusing.
|
|
rlm@0
|
693
|
|
rlm@0
|
694 “You mean I’m stuck like this?!” Rikku asked, mortified. She mewled
|
|
rlm@0
|
695 sadly and quickly stopped herself. She wasn’t a cat. She wasn’t. No
|
|
rlm@0
|
696 matter how much she looked like one. She sniffled, pawing at her
|
|
rlm@0
|
697 eyes.
|
|
rlm@0
|
698
|
|
rlm@0
|
699 “For ze time being. Unless you want to go look for ze Tear of Love.
|
|
rlm@0
|
700 But we don’t have ze time for that. We have to reach ze Door of Light
|
|
rlm@0
|
701 while we still have time.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
702
|
|
rlm@0
|
703 Yuffie sighed, hugging Rikku with her free arm. “We’ll get you back
|
|
rlm@0
|
704 to normal when this is all over. I promise.” The catgirl looked up at
|
|
rlm@0
|
705 her, her swirling green eyes misty with tears. “Besides, this isn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
706 so bad, is it? I mean, you make a cute catgirl, at least, right?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
707
|
|
rlm@0
|
708 Rikku smiled slowly, looking up at the older ninja. “You really
|
|
rlm@0
|
709 think so, Yuffie?” Her tail was swishing through the air much more
|
|
rlm@0
|
710 happily now.
|
|
rlm@0
|
711
|
|
rlm@0
|
712 Where was Interceptor when she needed him? Her pet dog could keep
|
|
rlm@0
|
713 the catgirl a little away from her love. Relm just held tighter onto
|
|
rlm@0
|
714 her ninja girl. The last thing she needed at the moment was someone
|
|
rlm@0
|
715 else distracting Yuffie from their destiny together.
|
|
rlm@0
|
716
|
|
rlm@0
|
717 “How did you end up like that anyway, Rikku?” Yuffie asked, still
|
|
rlm@0
|
718 shocked that the kitten they’d been dragging around had been her
|
|
rlm@0
|
719 sister the whole time. Rikku mumbled something into her blouse.
|
|
rlm@0
|
720 “What? I couldn’t hear you.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
721
|
|
rlm@0
|
722 Rikku bit her lip and pulled her face back from Yuffie’s blouse. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
723 didn’t want to say it again. She was too embarrassed. “... I wound up
|
|
rlm@0
|
724 stealing some things from some mage’s hotel room. But they got back
|
|
rlm@0
|
725 before I could get out of there. She was really mad and she cast a
|
|
rlm@0
|
726 spell on me. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor with
|
|
rlm@0
|
727 everything around me. She grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and
|
|
rlm@0
|
728 tossed me into the alley out back.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
729
|
|
rlm@0
|
730 Kid nodded thoughtfully. “So that’s where ya went. We went lookin’
|
|
rlm@0
|
731 all over for ya. Yuffie was startin’ to think ya got swallowed up by
|
|
rlm@0
|
732 the Heartless or somethin’.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
733
|
|
rlm@0
|
734 Rikku’s eyes sparkled. “You were worried about me? Oh, Yuffie! I
|
|
rlm@0
|
735 knew you’d come looking for me!” She nearly pounced on the brunette.
|
|
rlm@0
|
736 At such close range, it almost sent all three girls sprawling.
|
|
rlm@0
|
737
|
|
rlm@0
|
738 Kid laughed. “Don’t listen to Yuffie’s lessons on stealin’ things
|
|
rlm@0
|
739 anymore. You’ve seen what trouble that can get ya into. It obviously
|
|
rlm@0
|
740 wasn’t good enough to get away from that mage.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
741
|
|
rlm@0
|
742 “Will you stay out of this? My lessons are just fine, thanks. I’ll
|
|
rlm@0
|
743 teach my little sister the way I want to. You teach your kids, all
|
|
rlm@0
|
744 twenty of them, the way you want to,” Yuffie shot at the blonde.
|
|
rlm@0
|
745
|
|
rlm@0
|
746 “I ain’t havin’ twenty kids.” Kid crossed her arms.
|
|
rlm@0
|
747
|
|
rlm@0
|
748 “Yeah, I was thinking more around six,” Leena said thoughtfully.
|
|
rlm@0
|
749
|
|
rlm@0
|
750 “Six?!” Kid’s eyes widened. Leena had a wistful look on her face.
|
|
rlm@0
|
751 “I’m gonna be runnin’ a bloody orphanage just like Lucca.” She placed
|
|
rlm@0
|
752 her hands behind her head, looking up at the cobalt blue sky. Well,
|
|
rlm@0
|
753 that wouldn’t be so bad. She was sure Lucca would be happy about it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
754
|
|
rlm@0
|
755 “So.. I have to keep looking for him. Wherever he is.” Kairi nodded,
|
|
rlm@0
|
756 trying to work up her resolve. This time she had failed. But she’d
|
|
rlm@0
|
757 keep trying. Just like he did. And eventually, she would find him.
|
|
rlm@0
|
758 And it would be the real him. And she would hold onto him until the
|
|
rlm@0
|
759 sun fell from the heavens.
|
|
rlm@0
|
760
|
|
rlm@0
|
761 “Just remember. Ze closer you get to ze light, ze greater your
|
|
rlm@0
|
762 shadow becomes. You are going to ze source of all light. Be very
|
|
rlm@0
|
763 careful, Mademoiselle Kairi, or you will be blinded. And your shadow
|
|
rlm@0
|
764 will be too much for you to handle,” Harle warned. She turned from
|
|
rlm@0
|
765 the group, looking out toward the ocean.
|
|
rlm@0
|
766
|
|
rlm@0
|
767 Kairi took a step towards the harlequin. There was so much more she
|
|
rlm@0
|
768 wanted to know. And this girl, this Dragon God, seemed to have the
|
|
rlm@0
|
769 answers. Or some of them, at least. So intent was she on Harle, on
|
|
rlm@0
|
770 her still unformed questions, that it wasn’t until the water was past
|
|
rlm@0
|
771 her ankles that she took notice. Looking out to sea, she could see
|
|
rlm@0
|
772 the rough, turbulent waters. The dark, angry waves that were rushing
|
|
rlm@0
|
773 faster and faster towards them, reaching out like giant claws. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
774 thought she screamed, but it could have been merely the crash of the
|
|
rlm@0
|
775 waves. And then the sea snatched them away.
|
