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author	rlm
date	Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500
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-:dbe144217c71
+:fc00894c1d4a
+Prism Hearts
+Chapter 2
+Prelude
+by Amazoness Duo
+amazonessduo@hotmail.com
+It was raining. That was the first thing that Kairi noticed. Cold
+raindrops had plastered her clothes to her body, making her shiver.
+Hugging her cold body tightly, she slowly sat up. Where was she? It
+rained often enough on the Destiny Islands, but it was always a warm,
+gentle rain. Nothing like the freezing, harsh storm that fell down
+around her.
+Slowly getting to her feet, Kairi began to stumble out of the alley
+she found herself in. Huge buildings rose up around her, impervious
+to the unending rain. Where was she? This wasn’t anything like home.
+It looked like some impersonal big city. It was late and the streets
+were empty, leaving her all alone. “Hello?” she asked meekly. There
+was no reply but the howl of the wind.
+Shaking her head, Kairi got her wet bangs out of her eyes. The
+buildings around her had an almost menacing look, as if they would
+reach out and grab for her themselves. Whether that was because of
+the darkness and the storm or if they were always like that, she
+couldn’t tell. She shivered again, trying to ignore it. “Riku? Sora?”
+she called out again, louder this time.
+Wet, cold, and alone, the brunette began to venture out into this
+new world she found herself in. There had to be someone who could
+tell her where she was. Or at least some place for her to get out of
+the pouring rain. Every little sound had her looking over her
+shoulder, glancing around. She didn’t like this place. She missed her
+island home already. But she had to keep looking. Riku and Sora were
+out there somewhere. Maybe someone here would know where they were.
+Clank.
+Kairi whipped around quickly. It seemed to come from an alleyway
+nearby. She could feel her whole body shaking. She didn’t know if she
+was more frightened or excited by the sound. It was something in the
+darkness. It could be anything. On the other hand, it was the first
+sound that could be human contact she had since showing up in this
+weird city. So despite her worries, she ventured forward. Perhaps
+whoever it was could tell her where she was. Or where to get dry, at
+any rate.
+The entrance to the alleyway opened up like the maw of some huge
+monster ready to swallow her up. But she had to find out who it was.
+Otherwise she’d still be all alone out here. Steeling herself, the
+young princess ran into the alley.
+It was dark and wet in the alley, but the huge walls managed to
+prevent some of the downpour from getting in. It was a small respite
+from the storm. She sighed, holding herself tightly to try and keep
+in some semblance of warmth. “Hello?” she called out, trying to keep
+her nervousness from showing through. She heard another rattle and
+paused. Maybe she should go back. She glanced to the entrance again.
+No, she resolved. She couldn’t do that. If she gave up on this tiny
+thing, then how would she ever find her friends? Stepping closer, she
+raised her voice. “Hello?”
+Something tiny peeked out of a small box that it had been hiding in.
+“Meow,” it answered, looking up at her.
+“Awww! How cute!” Kairi kneeled down, picking up the little kitten.
+It must have been making the noise as it struggled to find a way to
+escape the rain. It was gray with little black patches on its fur. It
+had the strangest green eyes that Kairi had ever seen. She couldn’t
+remember if she’d ever owned a kitten or not, but she knew that it
+was adorable. “Are you lost, too?” she asked. The kitten mewed in
+response, seeming to agree. Kairi smiled brightly, nuzzling the
+kitten’s nose. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. I may not be able to
+help my friends yet, but I’ll do my best to help you, at least.” This
+seemed to please the kitten, as it began to meow happily.
+“That still doesn’t help us figure out where we are, though, does
+it?” Kairi looked around the alley. It was minor protection, but she
+couldn’t imagine spending the night in it. It was too creepy. There
+had to be some place that was open, someone who would tell them where
+they were. She held the wet kitten to her chest, running back out
+into the rain. She tried to hunch over as she ran to protect the
+kitten from the relentless pour. The little kitten curled up in a
+ball against her, closing its eyes tightly.
+Stopping in the middle of the street, the brunette started searching
+for her next target. Anything that looked open and inviting. There
+had to be somewhere she could go to escape the storm. She couldn’t
+just be lost out here. But at least she wasn’t alone anymore. She had
+this kitten at any rate. And she held onto it like a life preserver
+on a wild and reckless sea, her only friend at the moment. Because it
+needed her.
+Something bright caught her eye, drawing her attention away from the
+ground level. Up on top of one of the buildings. On the building was
+a large screen, presumably for public announcements or advertisements
+or something. On that large screen was Kairi. She could only stare
+for a long moment, frozen in place. The image kept cycling, herself
+standing on the beach, static filtering across the screen. She would
+smile and walk forward and then it would skip back to the beginning,
+starting all over. “What?” She couldn’t tell if she’d actually spoken
+the word or just thought it. Why would she be showing on some sort of
+huge monitor? How could anyone know she was here? She glanced around
+worriedly. This was all wrong. This place wasn’t right at all.
+The shadows seemed to move around her, swarming. It looked like they
+were surrounding her. She took a few steps backwards, but found that
+they were behind her as well. Slowly, creatures began to rise from
+the shadows, watching her. The Heartless! Her eyes widened as she saw
+them all around her. There was no escape. Her search for Riku and
+Sora was over before it had begun. She had failed the both of them.
+Footsteps behind her barely registered in her mind. Hadn’t the
+Heartless been stopped with Sora had locked the final door? They
+shouldn’t be here. But there they were, staring at her hungrily. The
+kitten poked its head out, hissing at the shadowy intruders. The
+continued to advance on her, ignoring the kitten’s warnings.
+The footsteps were finally right next to the young princess,
+managing to capture her attention at last. She couldn’t stop the
+feeling that it was something just as bad or worse than the living
+shadows that were almost upon her. She could barely make him out in
+the darkness. He was wearing a dark jacket with a hood that obscured
+his face. He seemed to be wearing a blindfold as well, yet he seemed
+to know exactly where the Heartless were. He didn’t turn to Kairi,
+but instead kept a blind watch over the shadows.
+“You can use the Keyblade, Kairi,” he said at last, seemingly
+unworried about the advancing Heartless.
+Kairi shook her head quickly, still holding onto the kitten. “No, I
+can’t! I can’t fight! I’m not like Riku and Sora!” She would do
+anything she could to have her friends back, to protect them. But she
+wasn’t a fighter like they were. She just didn’t have that kind of
+skill.
+“You have to, Kairi. You’re the only one who can stop the spreading
+darkness. If you don’t, it will envelop everything,” he said
+urgently. He finally turned to her. “Kairi, you are the light within
+the darkness. No one else can reach its heart.”
+“But...” Kairi stammered, unsure. How could she be important to all
+of this? She was only one of the seven princesses needed to open the
+final keyhole. And that was already sealed. So why was she the only
+one who could stop it?
+“The Keyblade you wield is different from Sora’s. It’s the same as
+the one Riku had. It can unlock people’s hearts. Remember, Kairi,
+within every heart is a light that will never fade away. Even in the
+darkest heart. You need to unlock that light,” he continued. The
+cloaked figure turned away at last, the Heartless nearly upon them.
+Reaching into his large jacket, he pulled out two blades that looked
+like long, curved wings. “Run.”
+“I.. But who..” She began. But the Heartless were already leaping
+forward towards them.
+“Run!” he called out, hurrying into the fray.
+So Kairi ran. The rain fell heavily around her, as if it were trying
+to stop her itself. She could hear the boy fighting with the
+Heartless behind her, but she couldn’t look back. She just had to run
+as far as she could, to try to get away from all of this. She wanted
+to find her friends again. She didn’t know how she could save
+everything. That didn’t make sense to her. Her priority was still
+simple. To find Riku and Sora. Wherever they were. After that she
+would figure out whatever this thing about stopping the heart of
+darkness was. Besides, if she had Riku and Sora with her, she knew
+she could handle it. But right now, she was still all alone.
+Suddenly, Kairi’s feet were no longer touching the floor. The world
+spun around her as she fell in the air. For a moment, she thought
+that maybe the world was shifting around her, that she was going
+someplace else. But the wet street greeted her eagerly as she fell
+back to the earth. She lay there for a long moment, disoriented. But
+by the time she had regained her senses, it was too late. A rather
+large Heartless was upon her. She felt it grab her hand, yanking her
+off her feet. It looked at her with unseeing eyes, slowly reaching
+out. Her heart pounded in her chest. Was this how it was all going to
+end? Hunted down by the Heartless before she could ever find her
+friends? A lot of good she had done them. They would get back to the
+Destiny Islands one day and she wouldn’t be there waiting for them.
+And they’d never know what had happened to her. She shuddered at the
+thought.
+‘This isn’t real. None of it is. Just open your eyes. You’re safe
+and sound back home. This is only a dream,’ a voice said deep inside
+of Kairi.
+‘This doesn’t feel like a dream,’ Kairi thought frantically as the
+Heartless continued reaching out for her. In desparation, she closed
+her eyes. "Go away. Please go away,” she whispered, her eyes shut
+tightly. She gasped, her eyes opening as she felt it’s cold hand
+reach into her chest, hunting for her heart. And it was gone. All of
+it. The Heartless, the city, the rain. It was all gone.
+Kairi bolted upright in the bed she found herself lying on. She was
+in a slightly cluttered room. All across the bed were small little
+plush dolls. Each looked like they were made with love and care,
+attention spent on minor details. Around the room were drawing upon
+drawing, some taped to the walls, some pinned to them, and other
+lying almost to the point of overflowing on the desk in the corner.
+“Where am I?” Kairi asked to no one in particular, glancing about
+the strange room.
+“You’re home,” a girl replied, startling the brunette. The voice
+came from behind the door in the room, as if the person was leaning
+against it. “See? It was all just a bad dream. You could have woken
+up from it whenever you wanted to. But it doesn’t matter. You’re home
+now.”
+“I’m home?” the princess asked, looking about the room. Her eyes
+settled on a small picture frame that lie near the bed on a stand
+with the lamp. It was a picture of herself. She didn’t look
+particularly happy in the picture, her blue eyes distant. She was
+wearing all dark clothes, a hand against her cheek. She shook her
+head quickly. That couldn’t be her. She looked so sad in the picture,
+so alone.
+“Where are the Destiny Islands? Why am I here?” she demanded,
+staring at the door.
+“The Destiny Islands are in your head. You made them up. You’re here
+because you finally opened your eyes. You’ve stopped daydreaming.
+This is real life, Kairi. Or as close as you’ll allow yourself to get
+to it,” the voice answered.
+Kairi paled at the thought. She shook her head violently. “No!
+They’re not in my head. They’re real. I’ve spent the past few years
+living there with Riku and Sora.”
+The girl on the other side of the door laughed. “Oh, you mean the ‘I
+woke up on the Islands without any memory and met my wonderful
+friends’ thing? Why do you think you had no memory? Because you
+didn’t want to remember. It wasn’t amnesia, Kairi. It was you
+choosing to forget. And did you ever notice how everything was
+absolutely perfect on the Destiny Islands? You had your two cute
+friends who happened to compete at everything. Especially you. Wow,
+sounds a little like a girl’s romantic daydream, doesn’t it?”
+“No, it’s not like that,” Kairi said. She wasn’t liking where this
+was going at all. This room, it felt so familiar. The voice on the
+other side sounded like she had heard it somewhere before. It all
+felt like pieces to some puzzle. If she only allowed them to fit
+together, it would all make sense. But she couldn’t allow this to
+make sense. That would be acknowledging that everything that had
+happened with Sora and Riku wasn’t real. And she couldn’t do that.
+“Take a look around your room, Kairi. You were absolutely obsessed
+about this Island you made up. About a place where you had friends.
+Where there were people who liked you. Where you weren’t so lonely.
+It’s all you’ve been thinking about for years now. You came up with
+everything about it. The people who lived there, what it all looked
+like, how they all acted. It was the most important thing in your
+life. Because it let you escape the pain. So eventually you escaped
+to it altogether, pretending that it was real,” the voice explained.
+Kairi began to look around the room. True enough, the pictures were
+all of the Destiny Islands. They were all in her art style. She could
+see Riku and Sora, Selphie and the others, all in her pictures. There
+was even a picture of them all building a raft together. One of the
+pictures was of Riku, with several different drawings of him, all
+slightly different as if she had been trying to figure out just
+exactly how he should look. Another picture was an entire overview of
+what the Islands looked like, with little notes in her handwriting
+saying who lived where and what certain things were. It looked like
+she had created the islands in her drawings. But she had lived there.
+She had been there with Riku and Sora. It wasn’t just a dream. It
+couldn’t have been. She hadn’t made it all up. She hadn’t.
+The brunette hugged the kitten tighter to her chest for comfort. But
+the feeling was different. It was soft and plush. Looking down, she
+saw it was one of the dolls. But not just a normal doll. It was a
+doll of Sora. She held it up, her mouth opening, but nothing coming
+out. She turned around, glancing at other dolls. There was Riku. And
+over there in the small yellow dress was Yuffie. And Quistis. And
+Tidus. And Wakka. And many, many more. She had dolls of all of them,
+spread all about her bed. She grabbed for them, holding as many as
+she could in her arms. These people, these important people in her
+heart, they were all dolls lying across her bed.
+“You made those dolls in your spare time. And you had a lot of it.
+You spent almost all your time in your room. Mom got so scared that
+something was wrong with you. You’d always disappear back here,
+making your dolls of the characters you wanted to meet, or drawing
+those pictures of the Islands you made up. Always lost in your own
+fantasies, always trying to escape the real world.”
+Kairi was confused. What if this was right? What if she really had
+just been dreaming it all, making it all up? Maybe she really was
+just a lonely, lost little girl. But there was still a glimmer of
+hope. She held onto it tightly, trying to keep from doubting her
+friends’ existence. “But we traveled beyond the Destiny Islands. I
+was with Sora in his heart while he sealed the Keyholes in all the
+different worlds.”
+“You mean those Disney worlds? The ones you’ve watched over and over
+and over again? Of course you’d pretend to visit those places, too.
+You have every Disney video ever made. When you aren’t making up
+things for your islands, you’re watching those videos. Because they
+always end with happily ever after, with the prince Saving the
+princess. They’re just another way you escape,” The voice responded.
+The brunette’s shoulders slumped, her last shred of hope crushed
+into stardust. She could remember them now. She could remember late
+at night, watching the movies over and over again, crying herself to
+sleep as the credits rolled, asking herself why she couldn’t be
+Cinderella, why she couldn’t have her happily ever after. She could
+remember sitting alone in her room, drawing the islands the way she
+wanted them to be. Making the dolls of all the friends she would meet
+along the way. Playing those games over and over again, all set in a
+far off fantasy world that she could never hope to be. Selphie was
+from one of them, wasn’t she? And so was Tidus and Wakka. And
+Quistis. Even the heroes that Sora had met, Cloud, Squall, Aerith,
+and Yuffie. They were all from the games she had played. Was it all
+nothing more than her imagination, her own personal paradise she
+would escape to? Even the worlds she had visited outside of her
+island had come from these things. Was none of it real?
+Standing up, the princess (was that even real?) headed for the door.
+She needed to know the truth. She needed to understand what was going
+on. Her heart felt bruised and battered, knocked around inside of
+her. Sora and Riku had to be real. They had to! She couldn’t admit to
+herself that it was all a lie, all part of some escapist fantasy. She
+paused before the door. She knew the other girl was out there, still
+leaning against the door, waiting for her. She had the answers. She
+knew what was going on. But did she even want to hear them? But deep
+down, she had to know. Reaching out slowly, she felt her hand clasp
+around the cold doorknob. Her hand gripped it tightly, though she was
+almost afraid that it would burn her or yank out of her grasp. She
+swallowed, trying to pool her resolve. She closed her eyes tightly.
+Whatever lay beyond that door would forever change her life. The
+doorknob slowly turned beneath her fingers...
+And caught. The door was locked. It wouldn’t open. She tried again,
+with the same failure. It refused to open for her. “Why won’t it
+open?” she asked in frustration, trying one last time.
+“Because you don’t want it to. You can’t accept it. The door to the
+real world won’t open until you’re willing to accept reality. It
+won’t open until you’re ready. And you aren’t ready yet,” the voice
+said softly. “You’re still trapped between fantasy and reality. This
+is your real bedroom, but it’s still in a dream. You can’t leave the
+dream until you’re ready for what’s out here. The real world can be
+cold and lonely, Kairi. Trust me. I know. It cultivates darkness. It
+spreads like wildfire through people’s hearts. Everyone is lonely.
+Everyone suffers. No one can blame you for wanting to escape it all.
+No one can blame you for what you did.”
+Kairi’s wrists began to burn painfully at the other girl’s words.
+She looked down only to find blood seeping through the wristbands she
+wore. She looked up again, panicking. She was bleeding. Her wrists
+had been slashed. “Help me!” she cried, slumping against the door.
+“Please help me...” Tears spilt down her cheeks as she slid down the
+door to her knees.
+“No one can help you, Kairi. You’re the one who slit your wrists.
+You’re the one who couldn’t stand to live in this world anymore.
+You’re the one who gave it up for your fantasies. But now reality is
+seeping into your fantasies. That is the Heartless. The cold,
+heartless reality that doesn’t care either way for you. And you can’t
+stop reality from finding a way in.”
+Kairi sobbed, curling up into a ball on the floor. She was feeling
+so weak and dizzy as the blood seeped from her body. She could dimly
+remember the cold feel of sharp metal against her flesh, the
+determined thought that she would finally be free of her loneliness
+and pain. She could remember trying to kill herself. And now it all
+felt as if it was catching up to her. “Riku.. Sora..” she called out
+weakly, her vision dimming. She was dying, she realized. Everything
+was fading away. Perhaps she really hadn’t been on her island after
+all. She had merely imagined it all in those seconds after she had
+cut her wrists open. All those years had only been frantic seconds.
+Whereas other people saw their lives flashing before their eyes,
+Kairi only wanted to see her fantasies, nothing from her real life
+deigning itself worthy to show up before the end. And now cold
+reality was taking over in those last precious seconds of life. It
+chilled her soul. She was so scared. All alone, bleeding to death on
+the carpet. And the boys she relied on the most weren’t even real.
+“How will mom feel when she finds you dead in your room? How am I
+supposed to feel? Damn it, Kairi! Why did you have to do that?” the
+voice on the other side of the door asked, sounding both angry and
+close to tears. “You have such a strong spirit. Why couldn’t you just
+hold out a little longer?”
+But it was too late. Kairi was too numb to even speak. She simply
+lay there. She could see someone’s feet on the other end of the door,
+but even that was fading fast. ‘I’m sorry,’ she tried to say. But
+nothing came out. And everything turned to black.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+‘Dear diary,
+It’s me, Selphie, again. But you probably already knew that. I’m
+writing this on the pier. Yeah, I know Kairi’s usually sitting here,
+worrying about Riku and Sora, but she’s gone now. No one knows where.
+She disappeared not too long ago. We’ve been looking all over for
+her, on all the Destiny Islands, but no one knows where she’s gone
+off to. It’s like she up and vanished. Or maybe she grew wings and
+flew off somewhere. No one really knows. Wherever she is, I hope
+she’s happy. Maybe she’s even found Sora and Riku by now! Booyaka!
+(No one’s using that yet! Quisty just looks embarrassed when I tell
+her we should be spreading that word.)
+I’m trying to be hopeful about the whole thing, but everything’s
+been weird since Kairi left. The seas all rough and angry now. And
+the skies are growing darker. It’s like a big storm is approaching.
+But it feels a lot worse than that, like something else is coming. I
+can’t get it off my mind. The ocean doesn’t look friendly anymore.
+The skies don’t look beautiful and free. It’s all like some dark and
+twisted version of itself. I don’t like it at all.
+Oh, Quisty and I shared a Paopu fruit!! It was just as romantic as I
+imagined it would be! We sat there on the island and watched the
+sunset together. I finally managed to work up the courage to open the
+fruit. Quistis blushed in that cute, mature way she always has and
+took the piece I offered her. Then she took a piece and fed it to me!
+I could’ve died right then. It was sooooo sweet! And not just the
+fruit. Having her feed it to me like that was so romantic. I spent
+the rest of the night with my head on her shoulder, holding onto her
+with everything I had. My mom was so mad when I got home! She said
+she was worried when I didn’t get home last night. I’ve got loads of
+extra chores, but I don’t care. It was worth it to spend the night
+with my Quisty. I guess our hearts are forever intertwined now,
+right? Great! Wherever I go, I know it’ll be with her.
+Still, I can’t help worrying about Kairi. And what’s happening to
+the Destiny Islands. I know that Quisty will help me through it,
+whatever it is, but I still don’t like whatever’s happening. I wonder
+if...’
+A hand rested on Selphie’s bare shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly,
+shaking Selphie from her diary based thoughts. Selphie looked up and
+smiled at the blonde girl standing beside her. She had been sitting
+at the dock for a while, taking up Kairi’s usual position. She hadn’t
+even noticed that Quistis had come to the island. But she was
+suddenly very glad the slightly older girl had. All of this looking
+at the ocean and thinking about Kairi was starting to worry her. And
+she was usually the happy, upbeat one. At least when Quistis was
+around she could concentrate on trying to lift the blonde girl’s
+spirits instead. She placed her hand over Quistis’s, still looking
+out to sea.
+“I realized something must be wrong when you didn’t show up to come
+drag me from my studies today. I don’t think you’ve ever been late to
+distract me yet,” Quistis explained. She smiled faintly as she sat
+down next to the other girl on the edge of the pier.
+“It’s that time already?” Selphie asked, blinking. “Darn!” She stood
+up quickly, as if to go back and get Quistis. But of course, Quistis
+was already there. She shook her head, holding her diary to her
+chest. “I completely forgot the time. I meant to go get you before
+you got lost in all those books. But then I thought I’d sit down for
+a minute. Then I thought I’d get some of my diary done. And then...
+Well, I guess you know what happened then because you’re here.”
+The blonde girl giggled, pushing her glasses back up her nose. “Yes,
+I am, Selphie. I was just worried about you. When you didn’t show up,
+I thought maybe something had gone wrong. Kairi disappeared, so I
+thought maybe you’d been next. I’m just glad it wasn’t anything.”
+With the strange weather and the other girl’s disappearance, Quistis
+had been extremely worried for the past day. She couldn’t tell if
+that was the extent of things or if they would spread. And the
+thought of one day finding Selphie missing was horrifying. So when
+Selphie hadn’t been there, she had panicked and headed out to the
+smallest of the islands where Selphie and her friends liked to play
+as quickly as she could. She was relieved to find her spunky
+girlfriend alive and well. And still planning on interrupting her
+studies as always. Maybe things hadn’t changed that much after all.
+Selphie sat down again. After just a moment’s hesitation, she rested
+her head on Quistis’s shoulder, sighing happily and hugging her
+diary. “Nope, I’m still here. You can’t get rid of me that easily.
+I’ll always be following you around. Forever.”
+Quistis smiled warmly, letting her fingers sift through Selphie’s
+brunette hair. Selphie always managed to make her forget all about
+her worries. “I love you, Selphie,” she whispered softly, still
+playing with the younger girl’s hair.
+Blushing faintly, Selphie turned to look up at Quistis. Green eyes
+met the blonde’s blue eyes. “I love you, too, Quisty,” she said, her
+eyes sparkling brightly. She closed her eyes as Quistis leaned in,
+kissing her. Sighing happily, she melted against the older girl.
+There would be time to worry later on. Much later on.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Kairi awoke to find herself in yet another alleyway. But at least it
+wasn’t raining this time. The kitten was licking at her face, trying
+to wake her up. She slowly got to her feet, her head still swimming.
+Where was she now? It didn’t look like the big, menacing city she had
+been in before. She picked up the kitten and stepped out of the
+alley, rubbing her head. She tried to block out the memories of being
+in her room, of the voice behind the door. Of course this was all
+real. This had always been real. It was the way of things. But still,
+she couldn’t help but have a tiny doubt inside of herself. Maybe the
+voice had been telling the truth. Maybe..
+But she couldn’t allow that. She couldn’t let any of it not be real.
+It was all too important to her. Riku, Sora, their islands, their
+friends. She wouldn’t let it all be some delusion. She would fight
+for them, fight to protect them all.
+Slowly, Kairi looked down to her wrists. Her wristbands looked fine,
+bloodless. But she couldn’t help but wonder. She reached out one
+hand, pulling one of them back inch by inch. She had always worn
+them, never questioning them. But now she wondered why. Maybe it was
+because they were covering something. As it inched up, she stared in
+shock. A long scar ran along her wrist, right where she would have
+cut. She yanked the cloth down quickly, covering the scar. Shaking
+now, she tried desperately to ignore it. It wasn’t there. It was just
+her overactive imagination. She needed to focus on something else.
+Like where she was. That was the important thing at the moment.
+Looking up and down the street, she couldn’t see anyone. It was
+still late and no one seemed to be about. But there was a place with
+a light on. It still seemed to be open. She sighed in relief, heading
+for it. The place seemed to be named Fate. She paused before the
+door, reading it again. An interesting name, at any rate. With all
+the weird places she had ended up, she was curious as to whether that
+was simply a name or this place’s true purpose. Whatever the case,
+she entered into the building, holding the kitten in one arm.
+Inside, she could see that it was a bar, or a club or something of
+the sort. It had interesting music playing and there was even a car
+inside for patrons to sit in. It didn’t seem to be very busy at the
+moment, though. A large, frightening looking man with metallic horns
+on his head and a leather jacket was leaning against the wall.
+Another man with tattoos all over his body was leaning back in a
+chair. Sitting at a table, a man with spiky hair was frowning while a
+girl in a big yellow raincoat was talking to him cheerfully. At the
+bar sat a blonde man with a red and blue jacket. And behind the bar,
+cleaning out glasses, was the bar hostess, a woman with very long,
+dark hair.
+“Oh, Sion! You look so cute with puppy ears? Doesn’t he, Kou? Like a
+great, big puppy dog!” Dominique squealed happily. She was forcing
+fake puppy ears onto Sion’s head. The spiky haired man simply sighed,
+offering up no resistance.
+Kou laughed, watching in wry amusement. “Sure does, Dominique. I bet
+he’d make an even better bouncer wearing those things all the time.”
+“You really think so?” Dominique asked thoughtfully. She grinned,
+nodding. “I think you should always wear them, Sion!”
+The woman behind the bar smiled, waving Kairi over. “Hello, little
+girl. Can I help you? My name’s Tifa. I own this bar. We don’t really
+get a lot of young girls showing up. Well, besides Dominique.” She
+looked over at the blonde girl accosting her bouncer and sighed,
+shaking her head. “Anyway, what can I do for you?”
+Kairi hugged the kitten, heading over to the bar. This woman seemed
+nice. And after all the Heartless earlier and being alone except for
+the spooky voice behind her door, she felt glad to be around people
+again. “I was hoping you could tell me where I am.” She looked down
+as soon as she asked the question. She realized how idiotic it
+sounded. How could she not know where she was? But still, she had to
+know.
+“You’re in Traverse Town,” Tifa said simply, setting a cup full of
+milk down. She winked at the younger girl. “I have to have some non-
+alchoholic beverages around with how often Dominique’s here.”
+Smiling gratefully, Kairi took a long sip of the cold milk. It felt
+comforting somehow. And it was so nice to finally know where she was.
+She had spent some time in Traverse Town back when Sora had been
+patching things up at the End of the World. Now she didn’t feel quite
+so lost anymore. And maybe Sora would even end up checking back
+there. Things didn’t feel as hopeless as they had.
+“Tifa.. Why don’t we have any hotdogs left? I’m so hungry!” The
+blond man in the red and blue jacket asked, holding his stomach.
+Tifa sighed, wiping up the counter. “Because you ate them all, Zell.
+I’m not going to make anymore if you always wind up eating them
+before I can sell any.”
+“But.. But Tifa!” Zell argued futilely. The barmaid just refused to
+acknowledge him, still going about her work.
+Kairi looked around at the group in the bar and then back to Tifa.
+“Aren’t these an awful lot of bouncers for one bar?”
+Tifa shrugged, pausing in her work. “Not really. With the Heartless
+around, it’s just not safe these days. So by keeping so many bouncers
+around, people can relax when they’re at Fate. They can come here and
+forget their worries. And people like to have a place to escape from
+everything, you know?”
+Kairi shuddered at the word escape. It reminded her too much of the
+voices accusations that all of this was only an escape for her, not
+real.
+“You should see Tifa fight! It’s not like she needs us bouncers
+anyway. But she can’t be serving drinks and fighting the Heartless at
+the same time. That’s the only reason she needs us,” Kou stated,
+grinning.
+Tifa laughed, holding her arm out behind the bar. “Everyone at the
+bar Fate can make your stay a safe experience. So if you ever need
+help, little girl, just head back here. We’ll be more than happy to
+help you.” She smiled sweetly.
+“My name’s Kairi,” Kairi said. She nodded. “And thank you. Thank you
+very much! You’ve already helped a lot!”
+Tifa grinned. “Anytime. It’s what we’re here for. So why is a cute
+little girl like you all alone in a place like Traverse Town? Let me
+guess, lost your world, huh? It seems like everyone who escapes from
+that ends up here.” Sighing, she shook her head. It was always such a
+shame to see people end up there all alone, losing their families and
+friends. That’s why she had started Fate, as a place where people
+could forget their pain.
+“Actually, I’m looking for my friends. My world’s still there. I
+think. I’m trying to find Riku and Sora. They’re lost out there
+somewhere and I have to find them,” Kairi explained. She was almost
+hopeful that they had some news, that perhaps some word had reached
+this bar.
+Tifa shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve heard of either of them.
+I’ll be sure to keep listening for anyone who brings up their names,
+though. Lots of people from all over come in through here. Just keep
+checking in and I’m sure we’ll get some information sooner or later,”
+she promised.
+“So the Heartless are back? And people are travelling to different
+worlds again? I thought that no one could travel because the barriers
+between the worlds were restored when the final keyhole was locked,”
+Kairi asked, confused. It didn’t make sense that the Heartless were
+back. Hadn’t Sora solved all that?
+“Well, the barriers seemed to be in place for a while. The worlds
+had been restored and everything seemed to be in place. But before
+the barriers had even fully set in, they disappeared. And then the
+Heartless began to appear again. They’ve already overrun a number of
+worlds, swallowing them. People are using Traverse Town as a refuge.
+So we’re doing our best to help the people here,” Tifa explained,
+resting her hands on the counter.
+“Oh,” Kairi said simply, letting it all sink in. “Something must
+have gone wrong,” she reasoned. “Riku and Sora must not have been
+able to stop it after all. So it’s still out there.” That thought
+frightened her. Now she really needed to find Sora and Riku. If they
+hadn’t succeeded after all, then they might be in danger. Finishing
+her milk, she stood up. “Thank you!” She called out, waving as she
+headed for the door.
+“Don’t mention it! Be strong, Kairi!” Tifa called after her, waving
+back.
+Kairi nodded, smiling as she exited the bar. With her newfound gem
+of hope, she stepped out into the street. Now where to begin her
+search? Someone had to have some idea of where her friends were, or
+at least where to begin. She began walking along Dog Street, the
+street that Fate was on, lost in her own thoughts.
+Before she got too far, a hand snaked out and clamped over her
+mouth. Another hand grabbed her wrist, yanking her into another
+alleyway. Kairi was really beginning to hate alleyways. A small
+dagger pushed against her throat, cutting off any thoughts of
+struggling in her mind. “So what about this one? Anythin’ valuable?”
+a strange accent said behind her. Kairi froze, her heart pounding in
+her chest. She was being mugged. She just seemed to keep finding
+herself in trouble. Were they just going to rob her? She had nothing
+of worth. Would they kill her when they were done? An icy chill ran
+through her heart.
+“She’s sure cute, at any rate,” A blond man said, grinning. He had a
+long tail moving behind him.
+“And young. Get your mind out of the gutter, Zidane. We’ve got a
+show to do in twenty minutes,” a girl stated.
+“Zidane’s just stating the obvious,” another man said in Zidane’s
+defense.
+“Oye. Can we just see if she’s got anything worth takin’ and leave?”
+the accent said in her ear again.
+“Any materia?” the girl’s voice asked hopefully. She stepped forward
+in the dim light of the alleyway, ready to search Kairi. The girl
+blinked in surprise. “Wait, I know her. Kairi? Is that you?”
+“Yuffie?” Kairi asked hopefully, still not moving an inch. She had
+only met Yuffie for a brief time after Sora had saved her from Hollow
+Bastion. Yuffie, Leon, and Aerith had taken care of her while she
+waited for Sora to return. The ninja girl was arrogant and sarcastic,
+but she liked her anyway. And any familiar face was good at the
+moment.
+“Let her go, Kid. She’s a friend of mine,” Yuffie explained. The
+knife and hand pulled away from Kairi, letting her free. “Are you
+okay, Kairi? Long time no see. Sorry about the rough treatment. We’re
+the Radical Dreamers. Me, Kid, Zidane, and Locke. We had another
+member, but she’s been missing for a while. We don’t know what
+happened to her. Hopefully nothing bad. Anyway, we’re a group of
+thieves. Well, thieves/performers. We’re in high demand in all sorts
+of different worlds.” The ninja smiled proudly. “We just happen to
+make some extra profits by robbing everyone blind, too. It’s a
+living.”
+Kairi blinked, rubbing her neck. “So you gave up being part of a
+group of heroes to join a group of thieves?”
+“I’m not a thief. I’m a professional treasure hunter,” Locke added
+helpfully.
+“Thieves/performers,” Yuffie corrected, ignoring the man in the
+bandana.
+“And yes. But not just because I felt like ditching Aerith and Leon.
+They’re both with their lovers right now, so I felt kind of out of
+place. On top of that, I noticed that something was wrong when the
+worlds started connecting again. So I figured I’d go check it out
+while Leon and Aerith are playing doctor with Rinoa and Cloud. I just
+happened to hook up with my old friends the Radical Dreamers while I
+was at it.”
+Zidane sighed, looking over his shoulder. “Well, if this whole thing
+was a bust, we really need to get going. The show’s gonna start soon.
+Good luck with your friend, Yuffie. Maybe you can give us a more
+proper introduction next time.” The catboy grinned, winking at Kairi.
+Taking her hand, he placed a kiss on it before turning to leave with
+Locke.
+Kairi blushed faintly at the attention. Yuffie just gave an
+exasperated sigh, as if this wasn’t anything new. “Just ignore him,”
+the ninja said as the two boys left.
+The princess nodded thoughtfully. “I’m glad someone else noticed
+things have been weird lately. I’m looking for Sora and Riku. They
+never came back after sealing the final Keyhole. I have to find
+them.” Meanwhile, Kairi’s kitten had scurried over to Yuffie’s feet,
+rubbing against her stocking and meowing like crazy. Kairi giggled.
+“I guess she really likes you, Yuffie.”
+Yuffie tried to shoo the cat away with her foot, but the kitten
+ignored it, pawing at her leg and looking up at her. “Yeah, I guess
+so. Though I’ve never been much of a cat person.”
+“I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do with the Keyblade. Maybe
+I can give it to Riku or Sora when I find them,” Kairi said, sighing.
+That caught Yuffie’s attention. “The Keyblade? You have the
+Keyblade?” Kairi nodded. The ninja looked at her for a moment,
+weighing her options. “All right, how about this. I’ll let you come
+with me. I need to find out what’s going on anyway, so you might as
+well follow me. And I’m sure we’ll run into your friends along the
+way.”
+“Are you sure you wouldn’t be following me around, Yuffie?” Kairi
+asked with a giggle.
+“Why would the great ninja Yuffie ever have to follow someone?”
+Yuffie asked incredulously. “Anyway, how does that sound?” She held
+her hand out, watching the younger girl.
+“Sounds great,” Kairi said eagerly, taking Yuffie’s hand with both
+of hers. She felt ecstatic to know she wasn’t on her own anymore.
+Yuffie was a ninja. She knew how to handle these things. She could
+help her find Riku and Sora. Things were starting to look up.
+“Great!” Yuffie grinned. She didn’t need Leon or Aerith after all.
+And this time she could help the Keyblade Master.. err.. Mistress to
+stop the Heartless once and for all. “Now would you mind getting your
+kitten away from me?”
+“Oh, sure.” Kairi knelt down, picking up the kitten, embarrassed.
+The kitten struggled to keep it’s claws in Yuffie’s stockings, but
+she finally managed to get it free after a short struggle. The kitten
+meowed again and again, struggling to get free of Kairi. “I’m sorry,
+she’s usually not like this. I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”
+“Must be star struck. Not everyday you get to meet the Radical
+Dreamers,” Kid said, winking.
+“Speaking of which, we need to hurry if we’re going to get there
+before the curtain rises. And we’re still out a cast member.” Yuffie
+crossed her arms, looking at Kairi for a moment. “Would you mind
+filling in? We’ve already booked today, so we need to get this out of
+the way, but after that we’ll start looking for your friends.” ‘And
+treasure,’ she mentally added. With all the worlds they’d be going
+to, she’d probably amass a fortune before finally stopping the
+Heartless. Ahhh.. Fame and money. What could be better?
+Kairi thought it over for a moment. It was the least she could do
+after Yuffie had agreed to help her. And she had played similar games
+with Sora and Riku back on the island. Sure this was a little bigger
+than playing pretend, but it was essentially the same thing, right?
+She nodded. “Okay, I’ll help.”
+“Good. Let’s hurry and get you in a costume before the play starts.”
+Yuffie grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
+Kairi stumbled afterwards, still holding her feisty kitten. She sure
+hoped this wasn’t a mistake.

Mercurial > moonlitnights

comparison old/stories/prismhearts-02.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights