annotate stories/prismhearts.txt @ 0:ed1308d04df2 moonlitnights

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author rlm
date Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:24:59 -0500
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rlm@0 1 Author’s note: This is a story I wrote after finishing Squaresoft’s
rlm@0 2 beautiful game, Kingdom Hearts. This may or may not become a series,
rlm@0 3 so please, please tell me what you think. ^-^ This is only a one shot
rlm@0 4 right now, but if I get a positive enough response or if I just feel
rlm@0 5 crazy enough to actually write a series about this, I just might do
rlm@0 6 it. This is shortly after the end of the game. So you might not want
rlm@0 7 to read if you don’t like spoilers. ^^;;
rlm@0 8
rlm@0 9
rlm@0 10 Prism Hearts
rlm@0 11 by Amazoness Duo
rlm@0 12 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
rlm@0 13
rlm@0 14
rlm@0 15
rlm@0 16 ‘Thinking of you, wherever you are.
rlm@0 17
rlm@0 18 We pray for our sorrows to end,
rlm@0 19 And hope that our hearts will blend.
rlm@0 20 Now I will step forward to realize this wish.
rlm@0 21
rlm@0 22 And who knows:
rlm@0 23 Starting a new journey may not be so hard.
rlm@0 24 Or maybe it has already begun.
rlm@0 25
rlm@0 26 There are many worlds,
rlm@0 27 But they share the same sky;
rlm@0 28 One sky, one destiny.’
rlm@0 29
rlm@0 30
rlm@0 31 Sitting on the end of a small pier, Kairi looked off into the
rlm@0 32 sunset. The beautiful colors that descended to the earth looked like
rlm@0 33 a painter’s most vivid dream. The sea reflected them, shifting
rlm@0 34 recklessly as if it was jealous of the attention the sky was
rlm@0 35 garnering for itself. But it wasn’t the sky that Kairi was interested
rlm@0 36 in. She was trying to look past it, for something brighter than even
rlm@0 37 the most beautiful sunset. She had done this often recently, so much
rlm@0 38 so that the others on the island had finally stopped questioning her
rlm@0 39 about it. They may think she was crazy or just daydreaming, but she
rlm@0 40 was busy searching. All she needed was the tiniest hint. And the
rlm@0 41 skies would stare back, teasing her with half-glimpses and images in
rlm@0 42 the cotton candy clouds. But she would not let that deter her. She
rlm@0 43 would keep searching forever if she had to.
rlm@0 44
rlm@0 45 “I’ll be waiting for you. If you come here, you’ll find me. I
rlm@0 46 promise,” she whispered, her voice carried off by the wind to
rlm@0 47 destinations unknown. “Even if your ears can’t hear me, I know your
rlm@0 48 heart can.” Her hand rested on her chest, feeling the beat of her own
rlm@0 49 heart. When she closed her eyes, she could almost feel their rhythm,
rlm@0 50 all beating in unison. It didn’t matter how far apart they were.
rlm@0 51 Their hearts would always be one.
rlm@0 52
rlm@0 53 When she blinked her eyes open, he was there. Just as if he had
rlm@0 54 never left. His silver hair moved about in the light breeze. His eyes
rlm@0 55 were shining and determined. He was reaching out for her, just as he
rlm@0 56 always did. He was always reaching out for her, as if he could pull
rlm@0 57 her along with him, to some place far away. Her hand left her chest,
rlm@0 58 reaching out slowly for him. But before she could take his hand, he
rlm@0 59 was gone. With a weak sigh, her hand fell into her lap. So close, yet
rlm@0 60 always so far. It was like he was perpetually just out of reach. If
rlm@0 61 she could just reach a little further, they could be together again.
rlm@0 62 She knew Riku was far away, but she swore she could feel him
rlm@0 63 sometimes, as if he were right behind her. That’s why she kept
rlm@0 64 looking. Because she knew eventually they would be together again.
rlm@0 65
rlm@0 66 A laugh reached her ears from the beach. It was laced with memories
rlm@0 67 and feelings. “Sora!” She whirled about on the pier, her back aching
rlm@0 68 from twisting so suddenly. Her hands lay on the deck as she gazed for
rlm@0 69 the source of the boy’s laughter. Her heart sank when she saw that it
rlm@0 70 was only Tidus, laughing at something Wakka had done. Shoulders
rlm@0 71 slumped, the young girl turned back to the empty sea. The vast
rlm@0 72 expanses that surrounded her encaged her as surely as any prison.
rlm@0 73
rlm@0 74 It was ironic that this had all began as an attempt to escape with
rlm@0 75 her best friends from this island, to taste the freedom and the
rlm@0 76 excitement of other worlds, to see all the beauty they had to offer.
rlm@0 77 And now she was trapped on that same island, her friends somewhere
rlm@0 78 far off. They were now distant stars to her, lost somewhere in the
rlm@0 79 heavens. She would sit up at night, peering into the moonlit sky,
rlm@0 80 striving for any glimpse of the two boys that held her heart up.
rlm@0 81 Sometimes she would mistake a falling star for one of them, hoping
rlm@0 82 they were returning to her. But her hopes were always dashed when she
rlm@0 83 didn’t find them running to her on their beach.
rlm@0 84
rlm@0 85 Her memories were still clouded, distant things that seemed to come
rlm@0 86 from another lifetime. She knew that she was a princess, but of where
rlm@0 87 she wasn’t certain. But those memories didn’t matter to her. The
rlm@0 88 memories that she cherished, that she held onto with all the strength
rlm@0 89 in her heart were of her days with Riku and Sora on the island, of
rlm@0 90 all of their moments together. Those were things she would never
rlm@0 91 allow herself to forget, no matter how painful they could be or how
rlm@0 92 lonely they might make her feel. They were her treasures, her little
rlm@0 93 gems that she would sneak looks at whenever she could.
rlm@0 94
rlm@0 95 The pier creaked behind Kairi, but she didn’t turn around
rlm@0 96 immediately. For the first few days she had turned at every sound,
rlm@0 97 every whisper that came her way, hoping that she would see the two
rlm@0 98 boys again. But now she wouldn’t let herself be distracted about such
rlm@0 99 things. She was trying to focus past all of the surface noise and
rlm@0 100 images, to see where the two were out there.
rlm@0 101
rlm@0 102 “Kairi?” A voice asked tentatively. Selphie waited for a moment, not
rlm@0 103 quite expecting an answer. With how out of it Kairi had been lately,
rlm@0 104 she wouldn’t be at all surprised. But she could understand. Love did
rlm@0 105 that sort of thing to you. Especially when your love was very far
rlm@0 106 away.
rlm@0 107
rlm@0 108 Kairi slowly turned, her legs still slowly kicking away from the
rlm@0 109 deck. She spotted Selphie waiting behind her. With Selphie was a
rlm@0 110 blonde girl with glasses and a long pink dress. The blonde girl
rlm@0 111 looked about a year or so older than Selphie. She could vaguely
rlm@0 112 recall seeing her before on the main island of the Destiny Islands
rlm@0 113 when she had been visiting with Sora and his parents. “Oh, hi,
rlm@0 114 Selphie,” Kairi said, a little sheepishly. She placed a hand behind
rlm@0 115 her head. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
rlm@0 116
rlm@0 117 Selphie giggled, her hands behind her back. “Yeah, but you’re always
rlm@0 118 like that lately. Thinking about someone special?” She grinned wider.
rlm@0 119 Selphie loved romance. And watching it unfold on the Destiny Islands
rlm@0 120 was her favorite past time. And she’d been wondering for quite some
rlm@0 121 time what would become of the love triangle between Kairi, Riku, and
rlm@0 122 Sora.
rlm@0 123
rlm@0 124 Kairi sighed, looking back at the ocean waves beneath her feet.
rlm@0 125 “Something like that.”
rlm@0 126
rlm@0 127 “Oh, this is Quisty. You probably haven’t seen her much. She spends
rlm@0 128 too much of her time studying. I practically had to drag her out
rlm@0 129 here,” Selphie stated with mock exasperation. She perked up
rlm@0 130 immediately, dropping the façade. “But it’s nice and romantic at
rlm@0 131 sunset on the beach and she needed a break from all those books.”
rlm@0 132
rlm@0 133 Quistis sweatdropped, not quite sure what to say. She had indeed
rlm@0 134 been studying when Selphie had taken it upon herself to get her to
rlm@0 135 relax and had dragged her off to the island. Of course, she knew
rlm@0 136 Selphie too well to believe her pretenses about relaxing. Selphie
rlm@0 137 wanted a moonlit stroll on the beach or to sit and watch the sunset
rlm@0 138 together or something. And how could she have possibly said no to
rlm@0 139 that?
rlm@0 140
rlm@0 141 Kairi giggled softly, looking at the two. It sounded like this
rlm@0 142 ‘Quisty’ was the exact opposite of Selphie. Studious and mature, the
rlm@0 143 slightly older girl didn’t seem anything like the spunky and childish
rlm@0 144 brunette. But her smile slipped slightly as she saw them holding
rlm@0 145 hands. She missed Riku and Sora. She wanted to watch the sunset with
rlm@0 146 them again. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, smiling warmly
rlm@0 147 at the two other girls. “That sounds like fun. The sunset’s gorgeous
rlm@0 148 tonight. It’s perfect to watch with someone.”
rlm@0 149
rlm@0 150 Selphie bit her lip, watching Kairi for a moment. “You really miss
rlm@0 151 them, don’t you? I’m sure they’ll come back soon. They must miss you
rlm@0 152 a lot, too. They’re probably both on their way right now. You’ll see
rlm@0 153 them before you know it.” She smiled brightly. There was always hope.
rlm@0 154 No matter how dark things were, there was always some light tucked
rlm@0 155 away in the shadows.
rlm@0 156
rlm@0 157 Staring back at the pink and orange sky, Kairi nodded, smiling
rlm@0 158 softly herself. “I know. I can feel them. They’ll come back to me.
rlm@0 159 Someday. Besides, Sora promised me that he’d bring my lucky charm
rlm@0 160 back. And Riku risked everything to get my heart back. I know he
rlm@0 161 wouldn’t give up on me no matter what.”
rlm@0 162
rlm@0 163 Tilting her head to the side, Selphie tried to see what Kairi was
rlm@0 164 looking at. It was almost like she was looking through the sunset to
rlm@0 165 something behind it. Finally giving up, Selphie looked at Kairi
rlm@0 166 again. “Remember what I said about Paopu fruits? How they intertwine
rlm@0 167 your destiny forever with someone when you share it? I can get you
rlm@0 168 one if you want. Then you can share it with one of them when they get
rlm@0 169 back.” She squeezed Quistis’s hand, feeling a giddy thrill run
rlm@0 170 through her. “I finally found someone to share one with. It’s
rlm@0 171 wonderfully romantic. You should really try it.” She could tell
rlm@0 172 Quistis was blushing, but that just made her want to melt against the
rlm@0 173 taller girl.
rlm@0 174
rlm@0 175 “I will,” Kairi promised. She leant back on her hands, staring
rlm@0 176 straight up at the sky. “But I’d have to share it with both of them.
rlm@0 177 So the three of us will never be apart again. So we’ll always be
rlm@0 178 together.” Her blue eyes closed as she imagined them all sitting
rlm@0 179 together, sharing the star shaped fruit.
rlm@0 180
rlm@0 181 Selphie sweatdropped, looking down at the lost princess. “But which
rlm@0 182 of them do you love? Which one do you want to be with forever?”
rlm@0 183
rlm@0 184 Blinking, Kairi slowly focused on the sky above. That thought
rlm@0 185 puzzled her. It seemed so simple, yet the answer eluded her. It felt
rlm@0 186 like a trick question. She rolled it over in her mind. But she
rlm@0 187 couldn’t imagine one without the other. It felt wrong, incomplete.
rlm@0 188 “Both of them,” she said at last, her voice barely above a whisper.
rlm@0 189 "I love both of them. I want to be with them forever.” And she was
rlm@0 190 satisfied with that answer. It was what her heart desired, what she
rlm@0 191 wanted more than anything else. That was why they were all still
rlm@0 192 together, why their hearts were all one, even if they were far apart.
rlm@0 193
rlm@0 194 ~~~~~~~~~~
rlm@0 195
rlm@0 196 “Everything has been restored. Our world’s back to normal,” Aerith
rlm@0 197 said, relief filling her soul. For so long they had been cast out
rlm@0 198 into the universe, their home world a mere shell of it’s former self,
rlm@0 199 consumed by the Heartless. Now all of those hopes and dreams that had
rlm@0 200 grown inside of them were realized, brought back as if they had never
rlm@0 201 been gone at all. But what cost had been paid to return their home to
rlm@0 202 them?
rlm@0 203
rlm@0 204 “Do you think they’re all right?” Yuffie asked after a moment’s
rlm@0 205 pause. She had been thinking the same thing. They had bound together
rlm@0 206 in order to stop the Heartless, but in the end they could only pray
rlm@0 207 the Keyblade Master could stop the outpouring of darkness. She felt
rlm@0 208 as if she should have been there herself. This was her home, after
rlm@0 209 all. She should have been fighting for it. No one else should have to
rlm@0 210 sacrifice themselves for her happiness.
rlm@0 211
rlm@0 212 Leon shrugged, his arms crossed. “Who knows? I don’t suppose we’ll
rlm@0 213 ever find out. The worlds are separated again so we can’t know what’s
rlm@0 214 become of them.” Though he couldn’t voice it, he felt the same way
rlm@0 215 Yuffie did. He had spent so long mourning the loss of his home world,
rlm@0 216 blaming himself for not being able to save it. He had even changed
rlm@0 217 his name to distance himself from the pain. He had been willing to do
rlm@0 218 anything to fix his mistake. And a boy had done that for him. He had
rlm@0 219 to hope the Keyblade Master was all right somewhere out there.
rlm@0 220
rlm@0 221 “Hey, guess who I found wandering outside? Looks like he got lost.
rlm@0 222 Aerith, you seem to have a thing for lost puppies. Maybe you can
rlm@0 223 handle him.” Cid grinned as the brunette turned her attention his
rlm@0 224 way. He motioned behind him at a cloaked figure.
rlm@0 225
rlm@0 226 “Cloud!” Aerith called out happily, hurrying to the blond man. Now
rlm@0 227 her home felt complete again. Now she truly felt like she was home.
rlm@0 228 Her eyes sparkled with diamond tears of joy.
rlm@0 229
rlm@0 230 “Aerith...” Cloud could only stare for a long moment. He felt so
rlm@0 231 exhausted after his long and lonely journey. He wanted nothing more
rlm@0 232 than to collapse at Aerith’s feet. Or better yet, in her arms. But he
rlm@0 233 could only stare, his heart thawing now that he had finally found
rlm@0 234 what he had spent so long searching for. “I never stopped looking for
rlm@0 235 you.”
rlm@0 236
rlm@0 237 Aerith smiled brightly, taking the cloaked man’s hand. “I know,
rlm@0 238 Cloud. I knew you’d find me one day. I’ve always had faith in you.
rlm@0 239 That’s why I was never worried. Because I knew one day I’d see you
rlm@0 240 again. I was just worried you wouldn’t have the same hope. You can be
rlm@0 241 so dark sometimes.”
rlm@0 242
rlm@0 243 Cloud’s emerald eyes shone as he held Aerith’s hand tightly,
rlm@0 244 reveling at just the simple fact of being able to hold it again. “It
rlm@0 245 was hard sometimes. But I knew I had to keep looking. I couldn’t
rlm@0 246 afford to give up. I knew you didn’t die with the planet. And I would
rlm@0 247 do anything to see you again.”
rlm@0 248
rlm@0 249 Leon watched on, his arms still crossed. This was reminding him too
rlm@0 250 much of something he would prefer to forget. He hadn’t been able to
rlm@0 251 save her. He had given up hope of ever seeing her again. But this
rlm@0 252 man, this Cloud had kept searching even when it had been more than
rlm@0 253 likely that Aerith had died along with almost everyone else on Hollow
rlm@0 254 Bastion. He felt a cold wind blow across his soul at the thought. He
rlm@0 255 had been such a naïve child, believing he could protect the woman he
rlm@0 256 loved from something like the Heartless. He had been unsuccessful.
rlm@0 257 That was part of why he had changed his name. If he was someone else,
rlm@0 258 he wouldn’t have to think about losing her. Because Squall had lost
rlm@0 259 Rinoa, not Leon.
rlm@0 260
rlm@0 261 Sitting on the table in the library, Yuffie watched with mild
rlm@0 262 interest at Cloud and Aerith’s reunion. They really were back home.
rlm@0 263 With all of their friends. It was slowly sinking in. The world’s
rlm@0 264 greatest ninja was back home with all of her family and friends. No
rlm@0 265 more wandering and fighting.
rlm@0 266
rlm@0 267 Leon sighed, turning his back on the goings on. He wasn’t a part of
rlm@0 268 any of this. He felt awkward, like an outsider. But he had always
rlm@0 269 felt that way. He wasn’t good with people. Until she came along... He
rlm@0 270 banished the thought, walking away from his teammates. He walked
rlm@0 271 deeper into the library. He just wanted to be alone right now.
rlm@0 272
rlm@0 273 “Aren’t you even going to say hello?”
rlm@0 274
rlm@0 275 Leon froze. All of his cold mental reserve shattered like brittle
rlm@0 276 glass. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. It couldn’t be... He
rlm@0 277 slowly turned to face the voice, his heart still frozen in midbeat.
rlm@0 278 His eyes fell upon a girl in blue leaning against a bookshelf. He
rlm@0 279 felt dizzy and lost all over again, as if the floor had been yanked
rlm@0 280 out from under him.
rlm@0 281
rlm@0 282 Rinoa smiled at him, brushing back some dark hair as she advanced on
rlm@0 283 Leon. “You look different. But it doesn’t seem like you’ve changed at
rlm@0 284 all otherwise.”
rlm@0 285
rlm@0 286 “...”
rlm@0 287
rlm@0 288 Rinoa giggled, finally reaching the moody gunblade expert. “I love
rlm@0 289 you, too, Squall,” she replied. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders
rlm@0 290 as she stood up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.
rlm@0 291
rlm@0 292 Leon slowly found himself regaining control as she kissed him, as if
rlm@0 293 his soul was reawakening because of her. He closed his eyes tightly,
rlm@0 294 holding onto Rinoa. All that he had thought he had gotten rid of had
rlm@0 295 only been hidden away. Forgotten, but not entirely gone. And she was
rlm@0 296 the key to unlocking it all.
rlm@0 297
rlm@0 298 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
rlm@0 299
rlm@0 300 Sora collapsed onto his back, staring up at the cerulean skies above
rlm@0 301 him. He yawned, stretching out on the soft grass. His entire body was
rlm@0 302 sore. It felt like they had been travelling forever. He just wanted
rlm@0 303 to lie down for a moment. But lying there, his weariness tore at him.
rlm@0 304 He didn’t want to get back up. He just wanted to lie there.
rlm@0 305
rlm@0 306 ‘Sora, you lazy bum,’ he could hear Kairi say.
rlm@0 307
rlm@0 308 ‘I know you’re stronger than that, Sora,’ Riku’s voice called out in
rlm@0 309 his mind.
rlm@0 310
rlm@0 311 Nodding resolutely, he struggled back into a sitting position. There
rlm@0 312 was still too much work to do. He couldn’t go slacking off now. He
rlm@0 313 couldn’t let down Kairi and Riku.
rlm@0 314
rlm@0 315 “We’re never going to find that door,” Donald said exasperatedly,
rlm@0 316 slumping next to Sora. His legs ached. He was a lot shorter than
rlm@0 317 Goofy and Sora, so he had to work harder to keep up. On top of that,
rlm@0 318 he had to get back to Daisy soon. Or she’d kill him. He gulped at the
rlm@0 319 thought, resting against his staff.
rlm@0 320
rlm@0 321 “We’ve gotta find the door. We will find it. It’s the only way we
rlm@0 322 can find Riku and your king.” Sora looked up at the clouds, seeing
rlm@0 323 his friends in them, calling to him. That managed to reenergize his
rlm@0 324 spirits. They were out there. And they would be together again one
rlm@0 325 day. If there was one thing his journey had taught him, it was to
rlm@0 326 believe in the power of one’s heart. And there was a red thread
rlm@0 327 connecting his heart to Riku and Kairi’s. As long as he believed that
rlm@0 328 they would be together, they eventually would. He just had to keep
rlm@0 329 believing.
rlm@0 330
rlm@0 331 “Hey, Sora,” Goofy began. “You finally got that friend of yours,
rlm@0 332 Kairi, back, right? So why aren’t you trying to find a way back to
rlm@0 333 your island?”
rlm@0 334
rlm@0 335 “Because I’m not going back without Riku. I have to find him. We’re
rlm@0 336 going back to Kairi together. I can’t leave him. And I can’t leave
rlm@0 337 you guys to find your king alone. We’re in this together,” Sora
rlm@0 338 explained. He could see Riku and Kairi smiling at him in the clouds.
rlm@0 339 “And even if I can’t be with Kairi right now, I’ll always be with
rlm@0 340 her. The same with Riku. But I want us to all be together again. So
rlm@0 341 I’m going to make sure it happens. No matter how long it takes.”
rlm@0 342
rlm@0 343 “Gawrsh. Poor Kairi has to wait all this time while we’re off
rlm@0 344 lookin’ for that door.” Goofy shook his head sadly.
rlm@0 345
rlm@0 346 Donald glared at Goofy, crossing his arms. “Poor Kairi? I wouldn’t
rlm@0 347 mind trading places with her. Let her find that stupid door.”
rlm@0 348
rlm@0 349 Sora laughed. “But you’ll keep looking with us anyway, right,
rlm@0 350 Donald? Remember, only smiles on this trip.”
rlm@0 351
rlm@0 352 The duck looked over to protest but found himself staring at the
rlm@0 353 oddly grinning faces of both Goofy and Sora. Sighing, the mage gave
rlm@0 354 up. “All right, all right! Only smiles.”
rlm@0 355
rlm@0 356 Sora stretched as he finally stood up. “Good. Then lets get going.
rlm@0 357 We have to go find Riku and the king. We can’t waste any time.
rlm@0 358 They’re probably waiting for us right now.” With renewed enthusiasm,
rlm@0 359 he began walking again. He had no idea where the door to the light
rlm@0 360 would be, but it hardly mattered. He’d keep looking until he found
rlm@0 361 Riku.
rlm@0 362
rlm@0 363 Donald sighed and slowly got to his feet. “Hey! Wait up!”
rlm@0 364
rlm@0 365 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
rlm@0 366
rlm@0 367 Walking along the beach, Kairi was lost in thought. The island felt
rlm@0 368 so empty without Sora and Riku by her side. She found herself closing
rlm@0 369 her eyes more and more and wishing that they would be there when she
rlm@0 370 opened them. But they never were. So she wandered the island,
rlm@0 371 visiting all of the places that were important to her two best
rlm@0 372 friends, that held special memories for her. It was all she could
rlm@0 373 think to do. It wasn’t as good as having them there with her, but it
rlm@0 374 let her relive those moments they had together. Even if she did wind
rlm@0 375 up crying because of it quite a bit. She felt so alone without the
rlm@0 376 two of them. “Come back to me,” she whispered.
rlm@0 377
rlm@0 378 Something in the air caught her eye, drawing her gaze to the
rlm@0 379 heavens. Something was plummeting through the sky, falling like some
rlm@0 380 shooting star. It took her a moment to realize it was human shaped
rlm@0 381 and plunging towards the waves nearby. It finally crashed into the
rlm@0 382 aquamarine ocean, sending water splashing everywhere. Kairi ran to
rlm@0 383 the water, swimming as quickly as she could towards the figure. Her
rlm@0 384 mind raced with thoughts, all jumbling upon each other in their
rlm@0 385 confusion. Riku? Sora? Were they hurt? Was it them? How had they
rlm@0 386 fallen from the sky? Could she really drag them all the way back to
rlm@0 387 the beach?
rlm@0 388
rlm@0 389 Searching under the gently rolling waves, Kairi finally spotted a
rlm@0 390 prone figure in the water. She pushed forward, grabbing hold as
rlm@0 391 tightly as she could. Pulling herself up, she gasped greedily for
rlm@0 392 air, holding the figure close as she made her way back to land. Her
rlm@0 393 heart was playing a staccato beat inside of her chest as she
rlm@0 394 struggled wet and weak along the sand. She finally collapsed with the
rlm@0 395 fallen person, her curiosity and anxiety nearly maddening. Rolling on
rlm@0 396 her side while she tried to catch her breath, she found herself
rlm@0 397 staring back into blue eyes.
rlm@0 398
rlm@0 399 Sitting up as quickly as she was able, Kairi found herself staring
rlm@0 400 at herself lying on the sand. “What?” The sight gave her no relief.
rlm@0 401 It only served to raise more questions, confusing her further. This
rlm@0 402 didn’t feel like a dream. But how? This didn’t make any sense. She
rlm@0 403 could only stare at herself for a long moment, waiting to see if the
rlm@0 404 other her would do anything. Where had it come from? Why was it her?
rlm@0 405 What was going on?
rlm@0 406
rlm@0 407 It took Kairi a bit before she noticed a difference in the other
rlm@0 408 her. There was something strange sticking out of her chest. Still on
rlm@0 409 her knees, she slowly reached toward the strange object. Her hand
rlm@0 410 jerked back when she saw the chest rise and fall. She finally worked
rlm@0 411 up the courage to reach out again, taking hold of what she now
rlm@0 412 realized was a handle. But for what? The girl that looked so much
rlm@0 413 like her didn’t seem to be stabbed or anything. But the handle still
rlm@0 414 seemed to lead to something.
rlm@0 415
rlm@0 416 “It will be okay, Kairi. I’ll always be with you. There’s nothing to
rlm@0 417 be afraid of. You just have to reach out and take my hand.”
rlm@0 418
rlm@0 419 Kairi looked up in shock at the familiar voice. She could see Riku
rlm@0 420 looking down at her, holding his hand out for her. “Riku... I...” She
rlm@0 421 reached forward, trying to take his hand, to pull him close. But his
rlm@0 422 hand was gone before she could grab hold of it. “Riku...” She looked
rlm@0 423 back down at herself, her other hand still on the protruding handle.
rlm@0 424
rlm@0 425 “Find them,” her other self whispered. “They need you. They can’t do
rlm@0 426 it alone.”
rlm@0 427
rlm@0 428 Kairi slowly found herself nodding. “We should be together. We need
rlm@0 429 each other.” She couldn’t just wait on her island forever. ‘This
rlm@0 430 time, I’ll protect both of you,’ she thought to herself. The her on
rlm@0 431 the sand smiled. Taking a firmer grip on the handle, Kairi pulled it
rlm@0 432 out of the other version of herself. In a storm of sparkles, the
rlm@0 433 other her was gone, and Kairi was holding a large key.
rlm@0 434
rlm@0 435 “Open the door,” a voice whispered in her head. Who was it? She
rlm@0 436 couldn’t quite tell. Looking up, she could see a lone door standing
rlm@0 437 on the beach, apparently leading to nowhere. It had a large keyhole
rlm@0 438 on it. It almost seemed to beckon her. Kairi slowly stood up. If she
rlm@0 439 stayed here, her friends might be in danger. She knew they could
rlm@0 440 handle anything if they were all together again. Sora and Riku were
rlm@0 441 both lost out there. Maybe she could find them. She would find them.
rlm@0 442 Wherever they were.
rlm@0 443
rlm@0 444 Stepping forward, the young princess used the large, unwieldy key to
rlm@0 445 unlock the door awaiting her. As the door slowly opened, she knew
rlm@0 446 there would be no turning back. This was it. But her choice was
rlm@0 447 simple. She had to find them. Anything could have happened to them
rlm@0 448 out there, lost on any one of countless worlds. Without a glance
rlm@0 449 back, Kairi plunged through the door.
rlm@0 450