Mercurial > moonlitnights
comparison old/stories/prismhearts-04.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights
[svn r3] moved all the bad stuff to 'old'
| author | rlm |
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| date | Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500 |
| parents | |
| children |
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| 1:dbe144217c71 | 2:fc00894c1d4a |
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| 1 Prism Hearts | |
| 2 Chapter 4 | |
| 3 PlanitB Remix | |
| 4 by Amazoness Duo | |
| 5 amazonessduo@hotmail.com | |
| 6 | |
| 7 | |
| 8 Where had all the Heartless gone? That was the first thing that | |
| 9 entered Yuffie’s mind when she first regained consciousness. The dark | |
| 10 shadows were nowhere to be seen. She at first thought that they had | |
| 11 been swallowed by light. All around her was an endless flow of white. | |
| 12 Nothing like the black shadows that had been trying to bust down the | |
| 13 door to reach her. Not that there was a door anymore either, though. | |
| 14 The endless expanse of white stretched out all around her. It took a | |
| 15 moment for her to realize it was snow. “Snow?” The ninja blinked. It | |
| 16 didn’t snow in Traverse Town. At least not that she knew of. And | |
| 17 definitely not enough to blanket it like this. Which meant... “Where | |
| 18 the hell am I?” | |
| 19 | |
| 20 The ninja/thief took a moment to run things over in her head. On the | |
| 21 upside of things, at least she wasn’t about to get her heart devoured | |
| 22 by Heartless. On the downside, she was lost out in some snowy | |
| 23 wilderness in an outfit that certainly wasn’t made for it. Shivering, | |
| 24 she for once wished she’d worn something a tad more conservative. The | |
| 25 only warmth she received was from her scarf, but that was more for | |
| 26 show than anything else. She would need to find a town and fast or | |
| 27 she’d freeze to death. What a way for the great Yuffie to die, cold | |
| 28 and alone in some arctic wasteland. She shuddered, holding herself to | |
| 29 try to retain some body heat. | |
| 30 | |
| 31 How had she ended up there in the first place? Shouldn’t the | |
| 32 Heartless have broken in and grabbed her? Not that she wasn’t | |
| 33 grateful, but she would like to know what threw her to some far off | |
| 34 world. The girl. It had to be her. She was the Keyblade Mistress. So | |
| 35 she had links to other worlds. She must have sent them here to | |
| 36 escape. It was nice, but Yuffie would definitely have to ask her to | |
| 37 choose a warmer place the next time they needed to run. But whatever | |
| 38 the case, it seemed that Kairi was much more powerful than Sora had | |
| 39 been as the Keyblade Master. He could lock worlds, but Kairi seemed | |
| 40 to be able to traverse between them without the need of a Gummi Ship. | |
| 41 Pretty impressive. Maybe it had been a good idea to let her tag along | |
| 42 after all. Speaking of which... | |
| 43 | |
| 44 “Kairi?” Yuffie turned around, looking for the younger girl. But no | |
| 45 one was near her. She thought that Kairi might have walked off, but | |
| 46 there were no footprints, either. “Kairi?!” She looked around, | |
| 47 searching for any sign of the princess. She had to be around | |
| 48 somewhere, right? But she wouldn’t last long alone in that cold. | |
| 49 Yuffie had to find her quickly. But where? “C’mon, think,” she | |
| 50 berated herself. “She’s gotta be around here somewhere. She can’t be | |
| 51 far off.” Finally, taking a wild guess, the ninja stumbled off into | |
| 52 the falling snow. | |
| 53 | |
| 54 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
| 55 | |
| 56 She had been walking for what felt like hours. Her body felt like a | |
| 57 solid chunk of ice. It hurt to move, to breathe, to think. Her body | |
| 58 felt numb. Walking was becoming extremely difficult. She nearly lost | |
| 59 her balance a number of times, but thankfully regained it. She knew | |
| 60 that if she fell in the snow, she would never get up again. “Kairi!” | |
| 61 she yelled, but her cries barely made it to her own ears. ‘I never | |
| 62 should have gotten her involved. She’s just a little girl. She’s | |
| 63 going to get killed because of me. You should have gone back for Leon | |
| 64 and Aerith instead of thinking you could do it all on your own with | |
| 65 one girl and the Keyblade,’ she thought darkly. She blinked. ‘That | |
| 66 doesn’t sound like me. This cold must be getting to me. I’ll find her | |
| 67 and I’ll drag her off to some town. We’ll get nice and toasty there | |
| 68 and then I can get back to becoming the richest, most famous ninja | |
| 69 ever.’ She laughed weakly, trying to hold onto some glimmer of hope. | |
| 70 ‘Just please, please let me find her before it’s too late.’ | |
| 71 | |
| 72 The snow seemed to roll on for an eternity before her, disappearing | |
| 73 into the distance. Her weakening legs kept pushing her forward, | |
| 74 though she was stumbling more and more often as the cold sapped her | |
| 75 strength. She tried to keep thinking, but even that was becoming a | |
| 76 chore. She just wanted to collapse, to lie down for a minute. But | |
| 77 that would be a death sentence. | |
| 78 | |
| 79 She had stopped wiping the snow away from her clothes. She just | |
| 80 didn’t have the strength anymore. It was almost too much to just keep | |
| 81 going. She wobbled, nearly dropping. ‘Just a bit further,’ she kept | |
| 82 telling herself. ‘And she’ll be right there, right next to the | |
| 83 entrance of some big town.’ Her vision blurred, her eyes having | |
| 84 trouble focusing. But she couldn’t give up yet. There was still too | |
| 85 much she had to do, too much to find, too much to have. There was too | |
| 86 much to experience in life. And it would all be gone if she failed. | |
| 87 If she didn’t find the girl, the Heartless would sweep across all the | |
| 88 remaining worlds. And you couldn’t very well steal from anyone if | |
| 89 there wasn’t anyone to steal from. | |
| 90 | |
| 91 “You’re probably eating this up, Leon,” Yuffie said, her voice | |
| 92 carried off by the wind. “Couldn’t do it on your own, Yuffie, you’d | |
| 93 say. It was hopeless. But I’m not done yet. You just watch me. I’m | |
| 94 gonna find that girl and I’m gonna drag her to some stupid town. And | |
| 95 they’ll have a nice big fire and lots of food and big fur coats...” | |
| 96 She trailed off, her thoughts becoming less and less coherent. | |
| 97 “Actually, Leon’d probably just say ‘...’ or something. But that’s | |
| 98 what he’d mean. The big depressing guy.” She moved a foot forward, | |
| 99 struggling to move another step forward. “I really wish he and Aerith | |
| 100 were here right now.” Another step. “But then they’d probably get mad | |
| 101 at me for stealing anything. And then I’d... Tell them I was only... | |
| 102 borrowing it..” Her foot refused to move, sending her collapsing face | |
| 103 first into the snow. Her aching muscles didn’t feel like cooperating | |
| 104 as she lay there, her whole body to exhausted. She would be blanketed | |
| 105 by the snow and no one would ever find her. | |
| 106 | |
| 107 “Meow!” | |
| 108 | |
| 109 Yuffie lay there, her whole body feeling ice cold. She hoped this | |
| 110 dying thing was quick. She was too weary to last all that long. | |
| 111 ‘There better be a lot of shiny things in the Lifestream,’ she | |
| 112 thought angrily. ‘If I’m gonna die, I might as well have something to | |
| 113 occupy my time after I’m dead.’ | |
| 114 | |
| 115 “Meow!!” | |
| 116 | |
| 117 It was closer now, right in front of her. The ninja struggled to | |
| 118 open her eyes. She stared hazily at the kitten that had been with | |
| 119 Kairi. It was nuzzling her nose, trying to keep her conscious. “Go | |
| 120 away,” she said weakly, her eyes narrowing. “Can’t you see I’m busy?” | |
| 121 | |
| 122 The kitten licked her cheek, pawing at her. “Meow!” it cried | |
| 123 anxiously. Yuffie refused to move. After a moments pause, it swiped | |
| 124 at her, sinking it’s claws into the ninja girl. It looked at her | |
| 125 apologetically as she swore. Droplets of blood dripped down her cheek | |
| 126 into the snow. | |
| 127 | |
| 128 “You stupid little...” Yuffie glared at the kitten. But the sharp | |
| 129 pain was something. It gave her a focus besides the overwhelming | |
| 130 numbness. The kitten hopped off, heading over a hill. Yuffie weakly | |
| 131 got back to her knees. It was trying to get her to follow it. “This | |
| 132 better just be a little further!” She was cold and tired and | |
| 133 exhausted. But the kitten was beckoning her. She stumbled up the | |
| 134 slope, almost sliding back down. It took everything she had to make | |
| 135 it to the top. Gazing down, she saw the kitten. It was sitting beside | |
| 136 Kairi, the princess half covered in snow. It looked at her with | |
| 137 desperate green eyes, pleading for help. “You found her... I take it | |
| 138 back. I’ll help. Just give me a minute...” Taking a step forward, | |
| 139 Yuffie’s legs finally gave up. Stumbling down the hill, end over end, | |
| 140 she came to a rest next to Kairi. Her vision spun around her, her | |
| 141 thoughts breaking apart. The last thing she could see was the kitten | |
| 142 before the darkness devoured the white world around her. | |
| 143 | |
| 144 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
| 145 | |
| 146 | |
| 147 Yuffie slowly came to some time later, her entire body aching. | |
| 148 Everything in her mind felt blurry, far off. She was having trouble | |
| 149 thinking clearly. She moaned weakly, rolling onto her side. It was | |
| 150 with some surprise that she found a heavy blanket over herself. She | |
| 151 blinked weary eyes, trying to force them into submission. Everything | |
| 152 was still a blur, but it wasn’t a cold, white blur anymore. So she | |
| 153 wasn’t lost out in the snow anymore. That was a good thing. She | |
| 154 hoped. | |
| 155 | |
| 156 “So you’re finally awake, huh?” a voice said from somewhere in front | |
| 157 of Yuffie. | |
| 158 | |
| 159 Struggling to find the speaker, Yuffie finally managed to spot a | |
| 160 furry creature watching her from the other side of the room. The | |
| 161 furry creature looked a little shorter than herself, but that didn’t | |
| 162 make it any less ferocious, she decided. ‘It’s gonna eat us. It took | |
| 163 us here out of the cold so it could have a nice warm snack,’ she | |
| 164 thought in her delirious state of mind. The dizzy ninja forced | |
| 165 herself to her feet. Upon standing, she found it to have been a bad | |
| 166 idea all the way around. The world spun around her like a top spun by | |
| 167 a careless child. The ground seemed to lurch underneath her. Her | |
| 168 still weak muscles gave out and she fell forward. The furry monster | |
| 169 caught her, sinking under the ninja’s weight, holding onto her. | |
| 170 | |
| 171 “You need to rest! I don’t know how long you were out there, but you | |
| 172 were both half frozen when we found you,” the voice stated, laying | |
| 173 Yuffie back down gently and pulling the blanket back up around her. | |
| 174 | |
| 175 Yuffie moaned again, her head swimming. “Both of us? Kairi’s here?” | |
| 176 Yuffie tried to spot the princess, but her head ached with the | |
| 177 effort. | |
| 178 | |
| 179 The creature nodded. “If Kairi is the other girl who was collapsed | |
| 180 in the snow, then yeah. Oh, and a kitten. It was curled up on you, | |
| 181 trying to keep you warm. It was hard to drag you all back here.” The | |
| 182 monster reached back, grabbing around the fur that shrouded its. | |
| 183 Yuffie wondered what horrible visage the monster was hiding beneath | |
| 184 it. Slowly pulling the fur back, it fell to the monsters back. | |
| 185 Shaking its head, the ‘monster’ smiled cutely. It was a girl a little | |
| 186 younger than Yuffie, probably fifteen or so. The fur was just a big | |
| 187 coat that she was wearing which the ninja had mistaken for something | |
| 188 else in her deluded state. Her hair was held up in a red and gold | |
| 189 embroidered bandana, blonde wisps poking out here and there. | |
| 190 | |
| 191 “You’re not a monster?” Yuffie asked dumbly. | |
| 192 | |
| 193 The girl giggled, shaking her head. “Not since last I checked. Which | |
| 194 could have been a while. No, I’m just a simple artist. My name’s Relm | |
| 195 Arrowny. And this is Interceptor.” She motioned towards what Yuffie | |
| 196 had thought was some monster skin rug. It got up, nuzzling Relm’s | |
| 197 side. “I couldn’t have gotten you all here without him.” | |
| 198 | |
| 199 Yuffie slowly sat up, waving the girl off when she tried to come | |
| 200 over and make her lie down again. “Yuffie Kisaragi. I’m the greatest | |
| 201 female ninja ever,” she stated decisively. | |
| 202 | |
| 203 “A ninja?” The blonde girl clapped her hands together delightedly. | |
| 204 “That’s great! My father was a ninja. He left Interceptor to protect | |
| 205 me when he died. I was just a little girl at the time, so | |
| 206 Interceptor’s been with me while I grew up. But I’ve always loved | |
| 207 ninjas because of that. I was hoping I’d meet one someday.” She | |
| 208 looked over at the dog, still smiling brightly. “Isn’t that great, | |
| 209 Interceptor?” | |
| 210 | |
| 211 The dog barked it’s agreement, fixing Yuffie with a steely gaze, as | |
| 212 if to beware her of hurting his charge. Yuffie gazed back, dismissing | |
| 213 the dog’s warning. She smiled herself, glad that the girl recognized | |
| 214 someone of her obvious talents. “Well, it takes a lot of talent and a | |
| 215 lot of will. Only a small handful can truly make it as a ninja. Your | |
| 216 father must have been quite a man.” Yuffie stretched back, letting | |
| 217 her muscles relax. She was slowly warming up. Her mind felt like it | |
| 218 was starting to thaw, to let herself think clearly again. “Though I’m | |
| 219 used to it running in the family. My dad was a ninja. And so was my | |
| 220 mom. But you’re an artist?” | |
| 221 | |
| 222 Relm shrugged, petting Interceptor absentmindedly. “I guess it’s not | |
| 223 really my thing. Besides, I love art too much to give up on it. I | |
| 224 probably wouldn’t make a very good ninja anyway.” Her eyes lit up | |
| 225 again, watching Yuffie intently. “But I’ve always hoped one day a | |
| 226 dashing ninja would show up in my life.” | |
| 227 | |
| 228 Yuffie laughed nervously. “That’s great. I’m glad to help.” She was | |
| 229 a little unnerved by the way the other girl was looking at her. The | |
| 230 blanket slowly slipped down her shoulder, letting the warmth of the | |
| 231 fire melt into the skin. She blinked as she slowly looked down. That | |
| 232 felt a little different than the way one’s clothes would heat up when | |
| 233 next to a fire. Sure enough, something was missing from the picture | |
| 234 she saw. She yanked the blanket closed tightly, her cheeks darkening. | |
| 235 “Where are my clothes?” she demanded. | |
| 236 | |
| 237 “Drying. You were out in the snow for who knows how long. It was | |
| 238 soaked through. I can’t have you catching pneumonia after rescuing | |
| 239 you, you know,” Relm explained. “Don’t worry, Interceptor didn’t | |
| 240 look. I had him start on supper.” | |
| 241 | |
| 242 Yuffie blinked. How the hell did a dog make dinner? She would ask, | |
| 243 but something else caught her eye. She had been attracted by the | |
| 244 light of the fire only to find that there was no fire. In the center | |
| 245 of the room was a painting of a fire up on an easel. It flickered and | |
| 246 glowed just like the real thing. Even stranger, it was giving off the | |
| 247 same heat of a real fire, warming the small room. Yuffie only stared | |
| 248 for a long moment before her eyes finally ached from gazing into the | |
| 249 flame. | |
| 250 | |
| 251 “If you stare into the flame for too long, it stares back into you. | |
| 252 Be careful,” Relm warned. | |
| 253 | |
| 254 “How did you...?” Yuffie began, shaking her head. | |
| 255 | |
| 256 The artist grinned, walking over and shifting the painting to warm | |
| 257 the two rescued girls more. “Do you like it? I painted it. I told you | |
| 258 that my talent seems to lie more with art. I try to bring things to | |
| 259 life in my paintings.” | |
| 260 | |
| 261 “That’s an understatement.” Yuffie watched the girl, still holding | |
| 262 the blanket close. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.” The | |
| 263 girl blushed under her praise. She looked around, trying to spot | |
| 264 Kairi. “Kairi?” | |
| 265 | |
| 266 “I’m here. I’ve just been thinking,” Kairi’s voice came from behind | |
| 267 Yuffie. | |
| 268 | |
| 269 The ninja turned, spotting Kairi lying on the floor, curled up in a | |
| 270 blanket. She was holding onto the kitten. The kitten still seemed to | |
| 271 be asleep. It had been exhausted, lasting a little longer than the | |
| 272 two girls. Yuffie sighed in relief. “You’re all right.” | |
| 273 | |
| 274 Kairi didn’t answer. She certainly didn’t feel all right. Her mind | |
| 275 was still on that room she kept returning to and the voice behind the | |
| 276 door. She was set adrift in a sea of confusion, everything seeming to | |
| 277 conflict with everything else. She just wanted to make it go away. | |
| 278 | |
| 279 The kitten’s ears perked up at Yuffie’s voice. The kitten blinked | |
| 280 it’s green eyes open, watching the ninja. It stood up to hurry to the | |
| 281 ninja. Looking up, it saw the distant look in Kairi’s eyes. The | |
| 282 kitten meowed, nuzzling the downtrodden girl, but it didn’t seem to | |
| 283 help. Curling up against Kairi, the kitten tried it’s best to help, | |
| 284 licking her cheek. | |
| 285 | |
| 286 Kairi smiled softly, scratching under the kitten’s chin. “Thanks, | |
| 287 Jessie. I needed that.” | |
| 288 | |
| 289 “I’m going to go try and get some potions from the shop. You could | |
| 290 probably both use it. So just try to rest up while I’m gone.” Relm | |
| 291 pulled the hood back over her head. “Don’t wear yourselves out. I’ll | |
| 292 be right back.” She waved at the two before disappearing out the door. | |
| 293 | |
| 294 “Weird girl,” Yuffie thought out loud. | |
| 295 | |
| 296 “Oh, don’t say that,” Kairi admonished the ninja. “She saved us | |
| 297 both. If it weren’t for her, we’d both be frozen solid by now.” | |
| 298 | |
| 299 “I never said it was a bad thing that she’s weird.” Yuffie shrugged, | |
| 300 placing her hands behind her head as she stared up at the roof. | |
| 301 | |
| 302 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
| 303 | |
| 304 “Isn’t this great, Interceptor? It’s just like when mom met dad!” | |
| 305 Relm giggled, hopping giddily down to the snowy street from the | |
| 306 partially raised curb. “He was injured when mom found him and she | |
| 307 nursed him back to health, falling in love with the mysterious ninja | |
| 308 while he healed. It must be Fate! I came across an injured ninja and | |
| 309 now I’m nursing her back to health.” | |
| 310 | |
| 311 The dog followed along faithfully, not quite sure what he thought | |
| 312 about the situation. But nevertheless, he thought it best not to rain | |
| 313 on his charge’s parade. He simply barked agreement. | |
| 314 | |
| 315 Relm hurried across the snowy street. “And she’s so cute, too! And | |
| 316 did you hear what she said? The greatest female ninja ever. How | |
| 317 cool!” She sighed dreamily, titling her head to the side. “Do you | |
| 318 believe in love at first sight, Interceptor?” | |
| 319 | |
| 320 The dog barked noncommittally, following the perky artist. What | |
| 321 would his old master think about all this? Monsters and thieves the | |
| 322 dog could protect Relm from. But love? This was uncharted territory | |
| 323 for the faithful guardian. | |
| 324 | |
| 325 “Now I just need to nurse her back to health and we’ll fall in love | |
| 326 and live happily ever after. Just like mom and dad. But without the | |
| 327 whole mutually dying part.” Relm looked over when Interceptor barked. | |
| 328 “What about her friend? Well, she’ll have to find her own ninja. This | |
| 329 one’s mine.” She crossed her arms, turning the corner to the shop. | |
| 330 And froze dead in her tracks. Down the street, something was heading | |
| 331 into town. Three somethings, to be exact. The lurched forward like | |
| 332 huge, lumbering beasts. A person sat atop each one. Two were imperial | |
| 333 soldiers and the other was a green haired woman in a red dress. | |
| 334 “Imperial soldiers!” Bolting back around the corner, Relm and | |
| 335 Interceptor raced back to the house as the first gunshots were fired | |
| 336 by the town’s guards. Visions of a town in flames returned unbidden | |
| 337 to the young artist. ‘Relm, run!!’ her grandfather had commanded her | |
| 338 before turning to meet the Imperial onslaught. Crystal tears fell as | |
| 339 she ran. She couldn’t let that happen again. | |
| 340 | |
| 341 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
| 342 | |
| 343 Yuffie sighed, pulling her small green top back on. It seemed like | |
| 344 it had dried quite some time ago. Sitting on a small stool that Relm | |
| 345 used for painting, she pulled her stockings back on. “I still can’t | |
| 346 believe she can draw that well. My drawings look like stick figures.” | |
| 347 | |
| 348 Kairi giggled, her back to Yuffie as she pulled on her own clothes. | |
| 349 “You’re a ninja, right? So why do you care if you can’t draw?” | |
| 350 Pulling on her white blouse over her black one, she turned to Yuffie. | |
| 351 “And it doesn’t matter if you can’t draw. It’s what you draw. And | |
| 352 what it means to you. I think even stick figures can be beautiful if | |
| 353 your hearts behind it.” Her eyes were distant, her mind elsewhere. | |
| 354 She remembered the secret place on their island, just a small cave | |
| 355 hidden away on it. But inside, she, Riku, and Sora had drawn so many | |
| 356 pictures. One she hadn’t seen until Sora had disappeared was one of | |
| 357 her sharing a Paopu fruit with him. It hadn’t been the best drawing, | |
| 358 but it was gorgeous to her because of what it meant. | |
| 359 | |
| 360 The ninja shook her head, unconvinced. “Stick figures aren’t my idea | |
| 361 of ‘beautiful’. Those,” she said, indicating the stacks of paintings | |
| 362 in the corner, “are beautiful.” | |
| 363 | |
| 364 “Just try drawing again sometime, Yuffie. If it’s something | |
| 365 important to you, then it will be gorgeous no matter how badly you | |
| 366 draw,” Kairi prompted, smiling. It would be nice to see what was | |
| 367 important to the ninja. | |
| 368 | |
| 369 Yuffie tilted her head to the side thoughtfully, imagining what | |
| 370 she’d draw. She could see it in her mind, a stick figure of herself | |
| 371 surrounded by treasure and materia. She shook her head, dismissing | |
| 372 the thought. “I think I’ll leave the drawing up to Relm and stick | |
| 373 with what I’m good at.” | |
| 374 | |
| 375 “And what would that be?” Kairi asked curiously, buckling her belt. | |
| 376 | |
| 377 “Too much,” Yuffie said, grinning. The two laughed, relaxed for the | |
| 378 first time since they had seen the Heartless show up back in Traverse | |
| 379 Town. But that all fell away to the distant sounds of gunshots. And | |
| 380 something louder, more explosive. Yuffie glanced to the door. “What | |
| 381 was that?” | |
| 382 | |
| 383 Kairi picked up the kitten, walking towards the door. She nearly | |
| 384 fell backwards when the door whipped open in front of her. | |
| 385 | |
| 386 “Imperial soldiers! They’re riding Magitek Armor! We need to get out | |
| 387 of here!” Relm said, panting. Her face was pale, frightened. Memories | |
| 388 of another Imperial raid were still branded on her soul. The thought | |
| 389 of another one almost paralyzed her. | |
| 390 | |
| 391 Yuffie picked up her overly large shuriken, standing up. “Imperial | |
| 392 soldiers?” | |
| 393 | |
| 394 Kairi bit her lip. She was the Keyblade Mistress. She probably | |
| 395 wasn’t supposed to interfere, but she couldn’t help but think that | |
| 396 there had to be something she could do to help on this world. She | |
| 397 couldn’t just ignore it. What good was stopping the Heartless if | |
| 398 people were getting hurt by other people anyway? She looked up at the | |
| 399 ninja and the painter. “Maybe we can stop them. Sora helped a lot of | |
| 400 people with the Keyblade. Maybe I can, too. I can’t fight like him, | |
| 401 but there has to be some way we can help. You saved us, Relm. We | |
| 402 can’t let them tear apart your city.” | |
| 403 | |
| 404 Relm shook her head swiftly. “No time. We’ve gotta run. They’ll burn | |
| 405 this place to the ground. There’s nothing we can do about it.” The | |
| 406 artist was nearly shaking. Her knees felt weak. ‘Relm!’ she heard her | |
| 407 grandfather call out in her mind, seeing him amidst the flames. She | |
| 408 was having trouble distinguishing between the past and the present. | |
| 409 All she knew was the fear of being a little girl and having her only | |
| 410 family taken away, her town gutted by flame. She barely felt Yuffie’s | |
| 411 hands on her shoulders, the ninja’s eyes gazing into her own. But | |
| 412 they gave her something in the present to anchor on to. She slowly | |
| 413 pulled herself back to the here and now. | |
| 414 | |
| 415 “Relm, we need your help. If you don’t think we can stop them, then | |
| 416 let’s just get the hell out of here. We can’t do anything if we’re | |
| 417 all dead. We’ll figure something out when we’re far away from here,” | |
| 418 Yuffie promised, squeezing the younger girl’s shoulders. Relm nodded | |
| 419 slowly. “Good. Then let’s get out of here as fast as we can.” | |
| 420 | |
| 421 “But Yuffie..!” Kairi complained, holding her Keyblade. It didn’t | |
| 422 seem fair that this girl had found them and yet they could do nothing | |
| 423 for her in return. “We have to try, don’t we?” | |
| 424 | |
| 425 “Sometimes you’ve got to live and come back with a little more | |
| 426 firepower, princess,” Yuffie explained. “Come on.” She opened the | |
| 427 door, dashing out into the lightly falling snow, dragging Relm behind | |
| 428 her. | |
| 429 | |
| 430 Kairi followed, still holding the kitten. She didn’t feel good about | |
| 431 this choice, but if she didn’t have Yuffie’s help then she didn’t | |
| 432 know what good she could do on her own. | |
| 433 | |
| 434 “This way!” Relm tugged on Yuffie’s hand, pulling her towards a back | |
| 435 alley. The snow crunched underneath their feet as they ran towards | |
| 436 it. Relm didn’t want to leave Narche behind. It had been a good | |
| 437 refuge. And it had been a beautiful place to paint, the snow making | |
| 438 for wonderful paintings. But she had seen what the Imperial Army | |
| 439 could do. Staying was suicide. They neared the alley, hand in hand. | |
| 440 “There are mines all around here. We’ll disappear into one of them | |
| 441 and find another way out away from town,” Relm explained. But before | |
| 442 they could reach the alley, something bright streaked in front of | |
| 443 Relm, slamming into the ground in front of them. The shock wave sent | |
| 444 her flying back. She hit into the snow hard, Yuffie landing on her | |
| 445 feet next to her. “Magic...” she said warily. | |
| 446 | |
| 447 Yuffie turned to face the looming metal monsters heading towards | |
| 448 them. “I guess we’ll have to fight them after all. We’ll get to do | |
| 449 you good deed, Kairi,” Yuffie cast a quick glance to Kairi before | |
| 450 pulling up her shuriken. She didn’t like the look of the strange | |
| 451 machines or their riders, but there was nowhere for them to run. And | |
| 452 with her party consisted of a girl with a key who couldn’t fight and | |
| 453 a painter. Things weren’t particularly looking up. | |
| 454 | |
| 455 The three metal giants finally came to a stop in front of the three | |
| 456 girls and their pets, dwarfing them. One of the men on other side of | |
| 457 the green haired woman spoke up. “By Imperial decree, give us the Key | |
| 458 bearer. She will return with us.” | |
| 459 | |
| 460 “Or we’ll wipe out the town. She’s coming with us either way, so...” | |
| 461 the other man said, shrugging. | |
| 462 | |
| 463 The first man leant over, whispering to his friend. But with the | |
| 464 distance between them, he had to whisper loud enough for the girls to | |
| 465 hear him. “That sounds pretty spooky, Biggs. I’d sure agree to those | |
| 466 highly reasonable demands if someone told me that.” | |
| 467 | |
| 468 “Oh, definitely. I’d probably thank them for the offer in the first | |
| 469 place. I mean, that or losing the whole town.” Biggs pretended to | |
| 470 weigh the issue in his hands. “No contest, you know, Wedge.” | |
| 471 | |
| 472 “Don’t I know it! And with this powerful lady with us, too. She | |
| 473 wiped out 30 Magitek soldiers in under three minutes. Just think what | |
| 474 that kind of firepower could do to a town. I sure am glad she has a | |
| 475 Slave Crown on her head, keeping all conscious thought from her so | |
| 476 that she’s on our side,” Wedge said, nodding. | |
| 477 | |
| 478 “Excuse me? Are you two possibly done?!” Yuffie shouted, exasperated. | |
| 479 | |
| 480 Biggs shrugged. “Hey, it was all for your benefit. Just trying to | |
| 481 give you a grasp on the situation. I’m sorry for being helpful.” He | |
| 482 crossed his arms. | |
| 483 | |
| 484 “Yeah, if you wanted us to just take the girl, you could’ve said as | |
| 485 much. It just means more work I’ve got to do.” Wedge sighed. “Well, | |
| 486 more work she has to do, at any rate.” He looked over at the green | |
| 487 haired woman. “Okay, go ahead and kill them,” he said casually. | |
| 488 | |
| 489 “What?!” Yuffie stepped back, pulling up her large shuriken. | |
| 490 | |
| 491 The green haired woman grabbed the controls, her Magitek Armor | |
| 492 moving forward, charging up for its attack. Under the mind control of | |
| 493 her Slave Crown, she could do nothing but follow orders. Even if it | |
| 494 meant killing innocents. Energy lit up the front of her armor, it | |
| 495 gathering to wipe out the ninja that dare confront her. | |
| 496 | |
| 497 “Wait! I’ll give myself up! Just don’t hurt them!” Kairi cried out, | |
| 498 waving her arms in the air. She couldn’t let them get hurt. It was | |
| 499 her fault that these people were even here. If they hurt anyone, she | |
| 500 wouldn’t be able to forgive herself. She had to give herself up. Even | |
| 501 if it meant the end of her quest. ‘I’m sorry, Riku, Sora. But I can’t | |
| 502 let anyone get hurt because of me.’ She stepped forward. But the | |
| 503 woman took no notice, still intent on Yuffie. “No!!” Kairi screamed | |
| 504 as the magical blast shot out towards the ninja. Kairi felt it zip | |
| 505 past, its energy enough to send her sprawling to the floor. | |
| 506 | |
| 507 Yuffie’s eyes widened as the bolt shot towards her, far too large to | |
| 508 dodge. She could only stare at the bluish white magic as it headed | |
| 509 towards her. Was this the end? After all she had been through, to get | |
| 510 killed by some magical mechanical beast? She refused to believe that. | |
| 511 She couldn’t die now. | |
| 512 | |
| 513 Relm tried to get to Yuffie, to push her out of the way, but she | |
| 514 couldn’t reach her in time. She had hurt her ankle in the fall and | |
| 515 pain jolted through her when she tried to get to her feet. She could | |
| 516 only watch in horror. She had saved the ninja girl only to watch her | |
| 517 die at the hands of the Imperial Army. Must they take everything from | |
| 518 her? Her heart stopped in her chest. | |
| 519 | |
| 520 The magic pulled up right before hitting Yuffie, plowing into | |
| 521 something else. The three girls looked to see a woman dressed in | |
| 522 yellow, a cape billowing behind her, a sword upraised. The magic | |
| 523 swirled around the blade before disappearing. | |
| 524 | |
| 525 The ninja nearly collapsed in relief, her heart pounding heavily in | |
| 526 her chest. That one had been just a little too close. She watched the | |
| 527 older woman hurry past her, her sword held in front of her. “Need any | |
| 528 help?” she asked, watching the huge machines awaiting the woman. It | |
| 529 didn’t look like a very fair fight. | |
| 530 | |
| 531 “Get Relm out of here. And the girl with the Key. You can’t let | |
| 532 Kefka get his hands on it. If he does, he’ll destroy everything,” the | |
| 533 blonde woman stated without looking back. | |
| 534 | |
| 535 “Celes!” Relm called out. “Don’t!” She saw Strago standing before | |
| 536 her again, urging her to run before heading off to face his own death | |
| 537 at the hands of the Imperial soldiers. Celes had been lost herself, a | |
| 538 former Magitek Knight who had been imprisoned. A thief had helped her | |
| 539 escape and she had been wandering ever since. She had found the young | |
| 540 and lost Relm and taken her to the mining city of Narche. They had | |
| 541 thought themselves safe from the Empire there, but apparently that | |
| 542 peace wasn’t to last. And now Relm was faced with the same situation | |
| 543 she had years ago when her grandfather had died. “Come with us, | |
| 544 Celes!” | |
| 545 | |
| 546 The blonde woman shook her head, raising her sword again. “I can’t, | |
| 547 Relm. I have to stop them. Run. Somewhere far away. Somewhere where | |
| 548 there is no Empire. Where you can be free. Paint a picture of that | |
| 549 beautiful place for me, Relm. I’ll look over your shoulder while you | |
| 550 paint it, I promise.” | |
| 551 | |
| 552 “But..!!” Relm began. Interceptor bit at her coat, dragging her | |
| 553 back. “Celes!” she called out again, she could barely get herself to | |
| 554 move. Tears brimmed at her eyes. She couldn’t leave behind someone | |
| 555 again. “I’ll help you!” she pleaded, trying to reach Celes. | |
| 556 Interceptor pulled harder, dragging her back in the snow. Yuffie | |
| 557 finally grabbed a hold of her, yanking her along. “Celes!!” | |
| 558 | |
| 559 Kairi followed, but her heart was low in her chest. ‘You always run | |
| 560 away, Kairi,’ she could practically hear the voice taunting. And it | |
| 561 was true. How often did she run away, unable to fight her own | |
| 562 battles? How often did she run away from her problems? And now she | |
| 563 was again. Because a woman was willing to sacrifice herself to cover | |
| 564 their retreat. And so she ran, escaping her problems once more. She | |
| 565 felt so weak. How could Sora and Riku count on her to find them if | |
| 566 she was always running away? | |
| 567 | |
| 568 Celes watched the three mechanical beasts before her. She was | |
| 569 horribly outgunned. But such was life. Sometimes it wasn’t about | |
| 570 winning or losing a battle. It was about a battle worth fighting. And | |
| 571 to protect Relm and her world, this battle was certainly worth | |
| 572 fighting. Even if the outcome was predetermined. She would gladly | |
| 573 give her life for it. Snow fell around her. “It’s so beautiful.” She | |
| 574 whispered. Light started pouring forth from the Magitek Armors before | |
| 575 her. Running forward, she lifted her blade. | |
| 576 | |
| 577 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
| 578 | |
| 579 Yuffie had to drag a struggling Relm down the snowy street, trying | |
| 580 desperately to keep a hold on her. If Relm ran off, she would end up | |
| 581 right in the middle of a battle they couldn’t possibly win. They | |
| 582 needed to get as far away as they could. Thankfully, Interceptor | |
| 583 seemed to be leading the way. She and Kairi followed the dog, running | |
| 584 as quickly as they could in the snow. | |
| 585 | |
| 586 “Yuffie,” Kairi said, pulling to a stop. Yuffie looked at her | |
| 587 quizzically, stopping herself. Relm struggled, but Yuffie kept her | |
| 588 restrained. “We have to go back. We can’t let her fight them alone. | |
| 589 They’ll destroy the city.” | |
| 590 | |
| 591 “There’s nothing we can do, Kairi. I don’t have a death wish. If we | |
| 592 go get back there, the city’s still going to get destroyed. The only | |
| 593 difference is that we’ll be lying there dead, too. You said it | |
| 594 yourself, you can’t fight. What could we possibly hope to do against | |
| 595 those monsters?” Yuffie argued, still holding onto the distraught | |
| 596 painter. | |
| 597 | |
| 598 Kairi looked back towards where they had come from, hearing the | |
| 599 sounds of magic and machines. Her shoulders slumped, her head slowly | |
| 600 nodding. “You’re right.” ‘You always run, Kairi,’ repeated in her | |
| 601 mind over and over again. And she was doing it all over again. Maybe | |
| 602 the voice had been right after all. | |
| 603 | |
| 604 “If it helps any, I certainly don’t intend to let you go anywhere. | |
| 605 And I would have burned the town even if you’d surrendered yourself,” | |
| 606 a voice said behind them. The three girls turned to see a man in a | |
| 607 strange, elaborate outfit. He had red markings on his face. He smiled | |
| 608 slowly. “It looks like I’ve finally found the Keyblade Mistress. | |
| 609 You’ll be coming with me.” | |
| 610 | |
| 611 “The hell she is!” Yuffie let go of Relm, flinging a shuriken at the | |
| 612 man. It whipped through the air before hitting into a protective | |
| 613 barrier in front of him. It bounced off, falling harmlessly to the | |
| 614 floor. | |
| 615 | |
| 616 “You’ve got what you wanted! Call off the attack!” Relm demanded, | |
| 617 hope still lingering that it wasn’t too late to save Celes. | |
| 618 | |
| 619 The man laughed maniacally, shaking his head. “Decimate the town. | |
| 620 Kill all the townsfolk,” he ordered. “Especially the Magitek Knight.” | |
| 621 | |
| 622 “You bastard!” Relm cried out, tears and rage mixing inside of her | |
| 623 as she saw the troops hurrying off to fulfil his order. The man | |
| 624 simply laughed as the tears dripped down her cheeks. | |
| 625 | |
| 626 Interceptor could only watch Relm’s anguish for so long. Growling | |
| 627 angrily, he leapt at the man, intent on ripping his throat out. | |
| 628 Anyone who could cause such grief for his young mistress deserved a | |
| 629 harsh death. But it was not to be so. With a wave of his hand, a | |
| 630 block of ice appeared, slamming into Interceptor. The dog whimpered, | |
| 631 slumping in the snow. | |
| 632 | |
| 633 “Interceptor!” | |
| 634 | |
| 635 Yuffie lunged forward, gripping her large shuriken. She couldn’t let | |
| 636 him take Kairi. Kairi was their only chance to save everyone from the | |
| 637 Heartless. And it was Yuffie’s job to make sure that Kairi made it | |
| 638 through all this. She swept her shuriken at the man’s head, but it | |
| 639 merely rebounded off of his barrier, knocking her hand back. | |
| 640 | |
| 641 Slowly raising his hand, the man grinned. “Leave them all alone! | |
| 642 I’ll go with you!” Kairi yelled. But he ignored her. Concentrating, | |
| 643 he called down lightning, striking all three girls. After a bright | |
| 644 flash of light, they all lay barely breathing in the snow. “Take them | |
| 645 back to the palace,” he told one of his troops. “I have plans for the | |
| 646 Keyblade Mistress.” | |
| 647 | |
| 648 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
| 649 | |
| 650 Kairi slowly came to, her world filled with pain. She moaned, her | |
| 651 head buzzing shrilly. She tried to glance around, to see where she | |
| 652 was, but some hair fell in front of her eyes. She reached forward to | |
| 653 push it away, but something tugged at her hand, jingling as it did. | |
| 654 Looking down quickly, she could see her that her wrists were chained | |
| 655 to the wall. Even that exertion sent new pain spiraling throughout | |
| 656 her body. Her head slumped forward, feeling defeated. How could she | |
| 657 ever hope to find Sora and Riku now? All she had managed to do was | |
| 658 get a town destroyed and get herself kidnapped by someone wanting the | |
| 659 Keyblade. She sniffled, trying to blink back tears. What good had she | |
| 660 done? Sora had helped so many people when he had been searching for | |
| 661 her. All she managed to do was hurt everyone she came across. Now | |
| 662 she’d never see Riku or Sora again. That thought brought a chilling | |
| 663 emptiness inside of her. She needed them. She didn’t know what to do | |
| 664 without them. Those two boys meant everything to her. They were why | |
| 665 she had ventured out in the first place. But she had failed them. | |
| 666 Tears dripped down her chin, falling to her bare legs below. She | |
| 667 couldn’t even wipe her tears away, her hands not reaching far enough | |
| 668 because of the chains. | |
| 669 | |
| 670 “Don’t cry, Kairi,” someone said in the cell. “And don’t give up. It | |
| 671 doesn’t suit you. Where’s that strong, unbreakable will of yours? You | |
| 672 can’t lose it now.” | |
| 673 | |
| 674 That voice... Kairi looked up, her hair falling away from her eyes. | |
| 675 Her tear stained eyes met Riku’s aquamarine orbs. “Riku! Is.. Is that | |
| 676 you?” | |
| 677 | |
| 678 Riku knelt in front of her, smiling faintly. With his gloved hands, | |
| 679 he began to wipe her tears away. “Kairi, as long as you don’t give | |
| 680 up, it won’t ever be over. You can conquer anything. Your heart is | |
| 681 stronger than mine and Sora’s.” | |
| 682 | |
| 683 Resting her cheek against his gloved hand, Kairi gazed at Riku. She | |
| 684 was afraid he would disappear if she looked away. His touch helped | |
| 685 reassure her, her battered soul clinging to it. “But I can’t do it | |
| 686 alone. I need the two of you, Riku. I’m not strong enough on my own. | |
| 687 You and Sora... You complete me. I’m lost without you.” | |
| 688 | |
| 689 Riku smiled, stroking her cheek gently. “You’ll always have us with | |
| 690 you, Kairi. Remember that. No matter how far apart we are, our hearts | |
| 691 will always be together.” | |
| 692 | |
| 693 “But I need you, Riku.” She whispered, tears brimming at her eyes | |
| 694 again. “I miss you both so much. And I’m so scared. I don’t know | |
| 695 what’s real anymore. I don’t understand. I just want to be with you | |
| 696 and Sora on the Destiny Islands again.” | |
| 697 | |
| 698 “Kairi,” Riku said softly, looking into her eyes. “I want that, too. | |
| 699 But you’re the only one who can make it a reality.” | |
| 700 | |
| 701 Kairi nodded, sniffling. “I’ll do whatever I can, Riku. I’ll find | |
| 702 both of you, wherever you are. We’ll all be together again. Forever. | |
| 703 Because..” She blinked back more tears, watching him. He slowly began | |
| 704 to fade away, the wind blowing away what sparkles of his beautiful | |
| 705 eyes remained. “Because.. I love you..” she whispered, closing her | |
| 706 eyes tightly as a fresh wave of tears hit her. She cried quietly, | |
| 707 chained to the wall in some dungeon. But even feeling lost and | |
| 708 desolate, there was some light in the darkness. She knew that she had | |
| 709 to find her friends. That she wouldn’t allow herself to stop until | |
| 710 they were back together. Even if it took an eternity across countless | |
| 711 worlds. Yes, she was captured. But that seemed insignificant. It | |
| 712 couldn’t stop her from being with Riku and Sora again. Riku was gone | |
| 713 again. But he was out there, somewhere. And as long as she had that | |
| 714 hope, she could keep going. No matter what happened, there was always | |
| 715 hope. | |
| 716 | |
| 717 “Kairi, we’ll get out of this,” Yuffie spoke up. She had only been | |
| 718 awake a short time, but she could see that Kairi had been crying | |
| 719 pretty heavily. Thought she didn’t know how they would, she couldn’t | |
| 720 just let the princess cry so helplessly. From the look of things, | |
| 721 Relm was completely out of it. Her eyes were open, but she didn’t | |
| 722 seem to see anything, as if she were someplace else. Yuffie didn’t | |
| 723 know whether that was a good or bad thing. | |
| 724 | |
| 725 “I know,” Kairi replied. She slowly looked up, her eyes sparkling | |
| 726 with unshed tears. She was smiling softly. “Because we have to. | |
| 727 Because they’re waiting for me.” | |
| 728 | |
| 729 “I’m afraid they’ll have to wait for quite some time. I don’t plan | |
| 730 on giving you up until I’ve squeezed every ounce of usefulness out of | |
| 731 you.” The door slid open, the man from before returning. Yuffie | |
| 732 glared at him hatefully, but it only amused him. He bowed. “Allow me | |
| 733 to introduce myself. I am Kefka.” Standing up, he walked over to | |
| 734 Kairi. He cupped her chin, forcing her head one way and then the | |
| 735 other as if inspecting her. “Not quite what I expected. But I don’t | |
| 736 think Sephiroth was wrong about you. Of course, I was supposed to | |
| 737 bring you to him. But I have other ideas.” | |
| 738 | |
| 739 Kairi yanked her head away, hitting it against the hard wall behind | |
| 740 her. A small flare of pain ignited in her head, forcing her eyes | |
| 741 closed. “What do you want from me?” she asked angrily. | |
| 742 | |
| 743 “You’re the Keyblade Mistress. Only you can wield that Keyblade. So | |
| 744 you’re integral to keeping the multiverse together. Or,” he smiled, | |
| 745 “tearing it apart. I prefer the latter.” | |
| 746 | |
| 747 “Why would I help you? I’d never let the Heartless destroy all of | |
| 748 the beautiful worlds out there.” Kairi stared up at him, wishing she | |
| 749 could sound more intimidating than she felt. | |
| 750 | |
| 751 “You won’t have a choice. I’ll use you and the Keyblade to find a | |
| 752 way to tear everything apart. To create and everlasting monument to | |
| 753 oblivion. A shrine that everyone and no one will be a part of,” Kefka | |
| 754 explained. He clapped his hands, the green haired woman entering. She | |
| 755 held a small crown in her hands, the same as the one on her own head. | |
| 756 “This is Terra. She’s the most powerful magic user I’ve ever found. | |
| 757 She didn’t feel like helping me either, even though her magic is most | |
| 758 beneficial. So I’ve given her a Slave Crown. And all of her magical | |
| 759 potential is at my disposal. I’ll simply do the same with you. I | |
| 760 don’t care about Sephiroth’s plan. He’ll become a part of the | |
| 761 nothingness I will create. And you will help me to achieve that. My | |
| 762 willing servant, the Keyblade Mistress.” | |
| 763 | |
| 764 Kairi shook her head, struggling with the chains. Her heart raced | |
| 765 inside of her. She’d seen what Terra was capable of under the | |
| 766 influence of the Slave Crown. That would put her in a world without | |
| 767 hope, a puppet to be used by this madman. She couldn’t let that | |
| 768 happen. But she was powerless to stop it. | |
| 769 | |
| 770 Kefka grinned, turning to look at Relm. “I’m sure you can appreciate | |
| 771 that. You’re an artist. Think of it as the greatest work of art. | |
| 772 Absolutely nothing. There’s always something. And it only manages to | |
| 773 clutter things up. There’s too much out there. So I will wipe the | |
| 774 board clean. And that will be my masterpiece. I’m sure you’ll | |
| 775 appreciate it. Celes is probably waiting for it right now. Terra did | |
| 776 an excellent job of killing your friend. So don’t worry. You’ll see | |
| 777 her again soon.” | |
| 778 | |
| 779 That finally broke through to Relm. She struggled viciously against | |
| 780 her bonds, trying to get to her feet. Her eyes were stained red from | |
| 781 all of her crying. “You monster! How could you do that to her! I’ll | |
| 782 never forgive you!” Before it had only been a guess. Now it was fact. | |
| 783 Celes was dead. The woman who had taken care of her was dead now. And | |
| 784 she had been completely helpless to stop it. She was always helpless | |
| 785 to do anything, the people around her always dying. She couldn’t | |
| 786 stand it anymore. She was tired of always being the survivor, always | |
| 787 left alone. | |
| 788 | |
| 789 Kefka laughed, turning his attention back to Kairi. “You’ll make an | |
| 790 excellent puppet. You should be thanking me. You no longer have to | |
| 791 suffer as the Keyblade Mistress. I’ll make your decisions for you. It | |
| 792 will be so much easier. I’m sure Terra loves it.” | |
| 793 | |
| 794 Terra walked forward, raising the Slave Crown. Kairi struggled | |
| 795 pointlessly. She felt hopeless, trapped. There was no escape. Soon | |
| 796 she would be the cause of even more suffering and anguish throughout | |
| 797 countless worlds. | |
| 798 | |
| 799 ‘See? There is always suffering. There is always darkness. It is a | |
| 800 matter of life. Even in your fantasies you can’t escape it. Just | |
| 801 close your eyes and realize this isn’t real. None of it is. And | |
| 802 you’ll be safe. He can’t do anything to you if you’re back in your | |
| 803 room,’ the voice whispered in Kairi’s thoughts. | |
| 804 | |
| 805 ‘No! I won’t run away again. I’ve already ran too much. I won’t let | |
| 806 it happen again. I’m not running away this time,’ Kairi thought | |
| 807 determinedly, shifting in her chains. A cold pit in her stomach | |
| 808 formed as she wondered what it would be like to wear that thing. | |
| 809 Would she know what was going on? Or would everything just fade away? | |
| 810 | |
| 811 ‘Don’t be so ignorant, Kairi. What good are your fantasies if you’re | |
| 812 enslaved in them? He’ll only use you to fulfil some insane scheme of | |
| 813 his. Come back to me, here. You’ll be safe,’ the voice tempted. | |
| 814 | |
| 815 ‘I’m not going! I can’t run anymore. I’m going to save Riku and | |
| 816 Sora. I’ll protect them. Somehow. I won’t let it end now,’ she | |
| 817 thought back frantically, the crown touching her hair. Her heart | |
| 818 skipped a beat as she kept struggling, the gesture seeming ever more | |
| 819 futile. She leant back as far as she could, trying to keep the crown | |
| 820 away. | |
| 821 | |
| 822 The voice sighed, as if it was dealing with a young and stubborn | |
| 823 child. ‘Fine. Then imagine that your chains are unlocked, that they | |
| 824 aren’t holding you. Believe that they’re open.’ | |
| 825 | |
| 826 Kairi closed her eyes, thinking frantically. She imagined the chains | |
| 827 looser, imagined the locks opening on them. ‘They’re open, they’re | |
| 828 open, they’re..” | |
| 829 She felt them slide open, clattering to the floor. It caught her by | |
| 830 surprise. She hadn’t expected it to work. The crown was pushing back | |
| 831 her hair, about to fall in place. Kairi pushed as hard against the | |
| 832 wall with her feet as she could, moving away from Terra and the | |
| 833 crown. The crown fell to the floor instead of falling into place on | |
| 834 her head. ‘Thank you!’ she called out joyously to the voice in her | |
| 835 head. | |
| 836 | |
| 837 ‘If you’re that thankful, come back home and open the door,’ the | |
| 838 voice pleaded. It sounded sad, desperate, lonely. ‘I need you, Kairi.’ | |
| 839 | |
| 840 ‘I.. I can’t..’ She was taken aback by the hopelessness in the | |
| 841 voice. It was so deep. She hadn’t quite understood. Just who was it | |
| 842 behind that door? And why did it want her to open the door so badly? | |
| 843 But she couldn’t think about that now. The woman had already turned, | |
| 844 and Kefka didn’t look pleased. She got to her feet, but he backed her | |
| 845 into a corner. | |
| 846 | |
| 847 “I don’t know how you did that, but that just means we’ll have to do | |
| 848 this the hard way. I will get that Keyblade. And you will use it for | |
| 849 me.” The woman handed him the Slave Crown. Reaching out, he grabbed a | |
| 850 hold of Kairi’s blouse, yanking her forward. She fell, her feet | |
| 851 pulled out from under her, but he held her tightly with one hand, | |
| 852 pulling up the crown with the other. “We’ll wipe away this universe, | |
| 853 you and I. Whether you want to or not.” | |
| 854 | |
| 855 Kairi kicked at him, but it didn’t do any good. He was too strong, | |
| 856 too powerful for her. And her friends were still locked up. She had | |
| 857 gotten out of her bonds, but that didn’t help her situation at all. | |
| 858 She tried to pull away, but it was no good. She ached, hanging from | |
| 859 his arm, her body straining to get away. He barely seemed to notice. | |
| 860 ‘Please help me..’ she called again. But this time the voice was | |
| 861 silent. There was nothing she could do. | |
| 862 | |
| 863 “Remember, Kairi, within every heart is a light that will never fade | |
| 864 away. Even in the darkest heart. You need to unlock that light,” she | |
| 865 could remember someone saying. It had been the cloaked figure she had | |
| 866 met after she first entered the door. He had been trying to convince | |
| 867 her to use the Keyblade. | |
| 868 | |
| 869 “Within every heart..” Kairi whispered, “there is light.” The Slave | |
| 870 Crown inches above her head, the young princess shoved the Keyblade | |
| 871 into Kefka’s chest. She felt it push into him, not into his body but | |
| 872 into his heart. Kefka froze, his eyes wide, stunned. She felt the key | |
| 873 fit in, as if slipping into a lock. Kefka’s eyes burned in rage as he | |
| 874 struggled to bring the crown onto her head. Kairi quickly turned the | |
| 875 key, hearing it unlock something inside of him. Light began to bathe | |
| 876 the Keyblade, spilling out of Kefka, illuminating the dark room. She | |
| 877 was swallowed by the light. | |
| 878 | |
| 879 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
| 880 | |
| 881 She could feel herself floating. She didn’t know which way was up | |
| 882 and which was down. She simply floated along in a sea of light. She | |
| 883 could see it wash over the darkness, dispersing it. Fear was far away | |
| 884 from her. She simply felt the warmth of the light. It surrounded her, | |
| 885 soothing her lonely soul. | |
| 886 | |
| 887 “You have unlocked the light in the heart of Madness,” she heard | |
| 888 someone say, the voice resonating around her, within her. | |
| 889 | |
| 890 “I was the first Magitek Knight. The experiment. I became the | |
| 891 strongest. But I lost my mind in the process. Was it a fair trade? It | |
| 892 drove me insane. My world became madness. My only goal was to | |
| 893 eliminate everything, to create a monument to oblivion. It was the | |
| 894 only way to quell the madness. To take revenge for my lost sanity. It | |
| 895 was the only refuge I could find. And I wrapped myself up in it, | |
| 896 ready to face the world, to bring it to a crumbling nothingness. But | |
| 897 now.. I see things clearly. The world is not colored by the madness | |
| 898 anymore. I am free.” | |
| 899 | |
| 900 Sights bombarded her as she heard Kefka speak. The first Magitek | |
| 901 Knight experiment that left him warped and twisted. His descent into | |
| 902 madness. His search for blissful oblivion. She watched it all through | |
| 903 his eyes, feeling the tinge of madness that had once spread across | |
| 904 his heart. And then the light accepted her again, embracing her. | |
| 905 | |
| 906 And she was swept along in the light, lost in the stream. | |
| 907 | |
| 908 |