moonlitnights: old/stories/prismhearts-08.txt comparison

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author	rlm
date	Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500
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-:dbe144217c71
+:fc00894c1d4a
+Prism Hearts
+Chapter 8
+One Winged Angel
+by Amazoness Duo
+amazonessduo@hotmail.com
+I’ll be here...
+I’ll be waiting... here…
+Why?
+For what?
+I’ll be waiting... for you...
+If you come here...
+You’ll find me...
+I promise.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+The hills stretched on for an eternity. Or so it seemed, at least.
+Sora’s legs ached. It felt as if he had been marching on endlessly
+for his entire life. The one thing that kept him going was the image
+of Kairi and Riku, reaching out to him. He had to find Riku. He
+couldn’t go back home to Kairi alone. They would see her again
+together. He was sure of it. All he had to do was find that Doorway
+to the Light and free Riku. That idiot. If he hadn’t sacrificed
+himself to stop the Heartless, he wouldn’t be stuck behind that
+doorway now. But if it hadn’t been for Riku’s sacrifice, the
+Heartless would’ve consumed everything. Sora just couldn’t leave him
+there. Riku was his best friend. It wasn’t right to go on without
+him. He, Kairi, and Riku completed a puzzle. They needed each other.
+All three of them were essential parts to that. If he went back to
+Kairi alone, something would be missing.
+Donald and Goofy followed close behind. Goofy was rather optimistic
+about things, sure that over every hill would be the Doorway they
+sought. Donald was his normal, highly irritable self. Sora sighed as
+the duck grumbled about something for the thousandth time that day.
+Still, even with Donald’s bitching, he wouldn’t want to do this on
+his own. They were his friends. He wanted them by his side.
+“Can we even open the door?” Donald asked at last. “It took your
+Keyblade and King Mickey’s to close the Doorway to the Darkness. But
+if King Mickey is stuck on the other side of it...”
+Sora shook his head. “We’ll find a way. Remember what King Mickey
+said. There will always be a door to the light.” He sighed.
+Donald narrowed his eyes. “We have to find it first.”
+Sighing, Sora nodded. He didn’t even know where to begin. And they
+had been searching for so long... Just what were they looking for
+anyway? Where would the Doorway to all of Light itself be? It didn’t
+seem like it would just be lying around in some corner. If only...
+But Sora’s thoughts were cut short. He glimpsed something on the next
+hill. Someone, waiting. Silver hair fluttering in the wind.
+“Riku?” His eyes widened. But Riku was trapped behind the Doorway.
+How could he be here? But the how of things barely mattered. Sora
+broke into a run. “Riku!” He ran as quickly as he could, exhilarated
+to see his best friend once more. They would be going home to Kairi
+together after all.
+“What is it?” Goofy asked as he and Donald struggled to keep up with
+the Keyblade Master.
+Donald shrugged. “He finally cracked,” came his reply.
+“Riku!” Sora yelled, laughing. It was just like the older boy to do
+this. He always managed to pull off the impossible, pulling ahead of
+Sora and the others. It made sense that somehow he had found a way
+out. If anyone could, it was Riku. His journey was finally nearing
+its end. They could finally go home. Heaven. It would be just like
+heaven.
+But as he neared the silver haired figure, he began to slow. The
+figure was taller, with longer hair. He was wearing all black. A
+single, dark wing was behind his right shoulder. “You’re not Riku...”
+The man watched him curiously for a long moment before replying.
+“One who knows nothing can understand nothing.”
+“Ansem?!” Sora took a step back, caught off guard. This man didn’t
+look like Ansem, the man who had been used by the Heartless to open
+the Doorway to the Darkness, but Sora had heard those same words from
+Ansem before their battle.
+“Oh? So you have met his majesty after all. It’s been so long since
+anyone has seen him that I thought it may have merely been a rumor,”
+the man said conversationally, standing tall against the wind that
+buffeted the hilltop.
+“Ansem’s... He’s dead,” Sora said reluctantly. He knew that Ansem
+had once been a respected and loved king. Most people didn’t know of
+his fall from grace, his consumption by the Heartless. He didn’t want
+to hurt anyone who cared for their king with the details.
+The man nodded as if this were expected. “Her highness felt it. She
+knew he was dead. That’s why she knew she had to act.” He stepped
+closer, eyeing Sora, inspecting him. “You’re Sora? You’re the boy the
+princess sent me to find?”
+The princess? What was going on? Sora nodded slowly. “I’m Sora. Who
+are you?” He had an uneasy feeling about all of this. This man had
+known what had happened to Ansem. Even Leon and Aerith hadn’t known
+for sure what had happened to him. And who was this princess?
+“Sephiroth, SOLDIER 1st Class,” the man explained, his eyes glowing
+a brilliant green. “Princess Hikari’s personal bodyguard. I’ve been
+protecting the princess since she was but a tiny child. King Ansem
+personally assigned me to watch over his daughter.”
+Well... That certainly didn’t explain anything. Sora simply blinked.
+Was this a good thing or a bad thing? Ansem had been consumed by the
+Heartless, but Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith had all been from that
+planet, too, and they’d been heroes. So was he a friend or an enemy?
+And who was this Princess Hikari? Sora hadn’t known Ansem had even
+had a daughter.
+“So you’re her nanny?” Donald asked, not liking being ignored in all
+of this. He crossed his arms, waiting at Sora’s right.
+Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed. “I like to think of it as something a bit
+more than that. I would do anything for her highness. I would die for
+her.”
+‘This guy does remind me a lot of Riku, after all. Riku would’ve
+done anything for Kairi, too. Even surround himself with darkness,’
+Sora thought to himself. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
+“That’s great and all. But we’re a little too busy to be making
+visits right now. Maybe after we find Riku. Tell her we said thanks!”
+“And that we appreciate the offer!” Goofy added, grinning. “We’d
+love to go later.”
+Donald simply rolled his eyes. All three turned to continue their
+search.
+Sephiroth gripped the hilt of his sword, his single wing unfurling.
+“If that’s the case, then I’m afraid I’m going to have to do this by
+force. You will see her highness. She demands it.”
+“We’ve got more important things to worry about right now that some
+bratty princess,” Sora retorted. “If that’s how you want to play,
+fine. Don’t blame me for your headache when you wake up on the
+grass.” He willed the Keyblade into his hand, getting into a fighting
+position. Donald and Goofy readied themselves at his sides.
+The silver haired SOLDIER grinned. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” With
+that, he lunged forward, his impossibly long sword arcing through the
+air.
+Sora blocked the blow with his Keyblade, but he felt the power of
+the strike reverberating through his entire body. Two legendary
+weapons, the dreaded Masamune and the fated Keyblade, clashed again
+and again. Sora swiped forward, trying to catch the princess’s
+bodyguard, but he leapt into the air, his wing somehow keeping him
+aloft for a moment before he descended with a flurry of blows that
+sent Sora reeling. He tried desperately to ward them off, but they
+came one after the other, wearing him down. He quickly summoned his
+magic, casting a barrier of wind to protect him from the deadly
+blade.
+“Fire!” Donald shouted, launching a ball of fire at the SOLDIER. But
+Sephiroth was fast. The flame missed its target, dissipating into the
+distance. Before Donald could prepare another spell, Sephiroth swept
+past him. The mage’s staff fell to the floor seconds before its owner
+collapsed next to it.
+“Donald!” Sora cried. Enraged by his friend’s injury, Sora leapt at
+his attacker, intent on ending this now. He didn’t care who this man
+was. He had stopped Ansem. He wouldn’t let some princess’s bodyguard
+hurt his friends.  “Ars Arcanum!” Using the attack he had learned,
+Sora launched into a series of quick jabs at the silver haired man.
+To his shock, Sephiroth dodged and parried every blow.
+Sephiroth laughed as he saw the surprise on the younger boy’s face.
+“Been taking some lessons from Cloud, have you? Now it’s my turn.”
+With blinding speed, he was nearly against Sora. With a flick of his
+wrist, he sent the Keyblade hurtling through the air, finally
+clattering to the grass much too far away for Sora to reach in time.
+“What was that about me waking up on the grass?” the SOLDIER asked,
+pulling up the Masamune.
+Sora could only stare at the older man. How had this happened? In
+all of his battles, he had never lost this badly. Even when Leon had
+attacked him in Traverse Town and when he’d fought Cloud at the
+Coliseum. He hadn’t won either battle, but it had taken him longer to
+lose, at any rate. But somehow he had always won when it mattered.
+He’d stopped Ansem. How could one of Ansem’s soldiers defeat him?
+“Sora!” Goofy rushed headlong at the SOLDIER 1st Class, trying to
+force him away from the younger boy. Sephiroth managed to sidestep
+past Goofy’s charge. Before Goofy could turn around to guard with his
+shield, Sephiroth cast a spell, sending small comets pelting into the
+knight. Goofy collapsed onto the grass.
+“Goofy! How could you?” Sora growled, his fists clenched. Impotent
+rage burnt within him. This man had decimated his party when their
+battle was finally supposed to be over. How could he snatch their
+hard won victories away from them?
+Sephiroth turned, his long silver hair sweeping about in the wind.
+“That was some nice practice. I’ve been cooped up for far too long.
+But I’m ending this now. I mustn’t keep Princess Hikari waiting.”
+Raising a hand in the air, he summoned all of the magic at his
+disposal, the sky turning black with his power. “Sin Harvest!”
+The world was torn apart around Sora. And everything became dark as
+he lost his grasp on consciousness, spiraling into the abyss.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+“Are you feeling any better?” Yuna asked softly, sitting on the edge
+of her bed. Her blankets were wrapped around the still damp catgirl
+Selphie had helped her carry in from the beach. The catgirl had just
+recently regained consciousness. She’d been half-drowned when Yuna
+had found her on the beach.
+Rikku nodded weakly, her head still swimming. “Yeah, I’m better.
+Nothing can keep me down for long.” She smiled, her fangs showing. A
+small giggle flowed from her. “I’m starting to sound like Yuffie. Kid
+would be horrified.”
+Returning the smile, Yuna watched the catgirl in her bed. She had no
+idea what Rikku was talking about, but if she was feeling better,
+that was the important thing. She was so curious about this girl who
+had washed up. Yuna had spent her entire life on the Destiny Islands;
+the only outsider she had ever met was Kairi, and Kairi hadn’t
+remembered anything from the outside. This girl was so different,
+even her body was not completely human. Yuna wanted to know
+everything, curious in the way little girls would be over what
+happened next in a fairy tale. Everything about her seemed magical.
+Little mysteries surround the strange girl.  Where had she come from?
+What was she?  Who was she?  “Are you a Ronso?” Yuna asked after a
+moment’s thought.
+“A whatso?” she asked in return, blinking her big, jade, spiral eyes.
+“A Ronso. They’re catlike people. I think they have horns. My father
+met them a long time ago,” Yuna explained. Though if she had to
+clarify, the girl probably wasn’t one.
+The catgirl shook her head, her dusty blonde braids swishing past
+her bare shoulders. “Nope. Never heard of them. I’m Rikku Kisaragi!
+Member of the acting troupe, Radical Dreamers, and a mysterious
+thief! Though I’m not so good at the mysterious thief part.” The
+catgirl groused, sitting up, her paws on her ankles. The blanket fell
+about her lap, leaving only her fur to cover herself. She quickly
+pulled the blanket back up, self-conscious regardless of her fur. “I
+kinda angered a white mage because I didn’t get out of her hotel
+before she got back. She wasn’t very happy with me, so she changed me
+into a kitten. She wouldn’t even listen to my side of the story! Just
+‘Bam! You’re a cat!’”
+“What was your side of the story?” Yuna inquired, tilting her head
+to the side.
+“Umm... well...” Rikku laughed nervously, scratching the back of her
+head. “I might have had a good reason if she’d bothered to ask. I
+didn’t have a good reason, though, but how was she supposed to know
+that? She could’ve at least given me a chance to apologize. Do you
+know how horrifying it is to find yourself in a puddle of clothes on
+all fours with an angry white mage towering over you?” She shook her
+head, her ears twitching. She still had nightmares about that.
+“Oh, I’m sorry. That must have been terrible,” Yuna said
+apologetically. She reached forward hesitantly, squeezing one of
+Rikku’s paws reassuringly.
+Rikku smiled brightly. This shy, quiet girl was so sweet. Much
+better than the crazy, nunchuku wielding one. She rubbed her head,
+wincing at the thought. But at least this one seemed worried about
+her. But that look in her eyes, one blue and one green, was so sad,
+as if she truly empathized with Rikku’s predicament. “But I’m all
+right now. My sister used the Dragon Tear of Hate on me and it at
+least made me halfway human. I heard if we can get the Dragon Tear of
+Love, I can change myself back the rest of the way. So it’s not too
+bad. And Yuffie said I make a cute catgirl, so maybe it’s not too
+completely evil,” Rikku shrugged.
+With a soft smile, the brunette nodded. “She was right. You do make
+a very cute catgirl.  So you shouldn’t be worried about it if you
+have to stay that way. But I hope you can find the Dragon Tear of
+Love soon, then. Just don’t feel too bad in the meantime.” She shook
+her head quickly. She shouldn’t be saying things like that. That
+wasn’t what Rikku would want to hear, certainly. “If I can help at
+all, please let me know.”
+But Rikku wasn’t listening to the last bit. She was still playing
+Yuna’s earlier words over in her head. “You think this is okay?” she
+asked, still surprised. She hadn’t thought about it that way. She’d
+been thinking about it as a curse, as something horrible she had to
+endure until she could get rid of it. It hadn’t once crossed her mind
+about staying this way. This strange, not-quite-human way. Her body
+was different now, but as the other girl had pointed out, was that
+really a bad thing?
+“I’m sorry,” Yuna apologized, bowing her head low. She hadn’t meant
+to upset the catgirl. She’d just stated her opinion. She needed to be
+more careful about that. She didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.
+Especially this new girl. She wanted to get to know her. To be
+friends. There was something about her….  But they’d never be friends
+if she said stupid things like that. How would she like it if she was
+stuck in a cursed body? Warm paws took her hands, the pads near the
+thumbs and fingers pressed against her skin. She lifted her face
+slightly until she was looking into the catgirl’s spiral eyes again.
+Rikku was smiling happily. Yuna’s cheeks flushed lightly, but she
+returned the smile. So the catgirl wasn’t upset with her after all.
+“Don’t be sorry. I’m really glad you’d think so. Maybe I’ve been
+going about this the wrong way. Maybe... maybe it’s not so bad,”
+Rikku ventured. She giggled, baring her fangs again. “As long as you
+don’t call me Kitty, that is.”
+Yuna nodded swiftly, her chestnut hair swishing about her face.
+“Whatever you want... Rikku…” This girl was so vibrant, so full of
+life. Watching her had a way of lifting up Yuna’s spirits.
+Rikku brought her hands to her chest to keep a hold of the blanket.
+“And you’re Yunie, right? I thought I heard the other girl say your
+name while you were dragging me along the beach.” Though she’d only
+been semi-conscious for that. They’d dragged her quite a ways. No
+wonder her body ached.
+“Umm... Yuna, actually...” The brunette corrected quietly, tucking
+some hair behind one of her ears.
+“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Yunie!” Rikku said
+enthusiastically. “It’s so nice to have someone to talk to after all
+of this time meowing at people.” Both girls giggled.
+“I’m glad. It was nice to meet you, too, Rikku.” Yuna smiled
+genuinely, her hands on her lap. “I think the Islands needed some new
+life to them. Someone to brighten things up.”
+Rikku nodded determinedly. “I’ll try my hardest! I don’t know how
+long I’m stuck here anyway. So I might as well try to keep things
+interesting while I can.”
+“That’s one way of putting it. You’ve definitely made things more
+interesting. For me, at least,” Yuna admitted, tucking her legs up
+underneath herself. She knew the other girl wasn’t really a catgirl
+or anything of the sort, but she still couldn’t help but feel as if
+she’d brought a stray cat home. Something that was all her own, that
+she would take care of and love and nurture. Like her very own pet.
+She tried to push the thought away, but it was lodged stubbornly in
+her brain. She sighed. She’d eventually get over it. When Rikku wound
+up leaving. That thought was far too depressing; people had been
+leaving all her life, and she still wasn’t capable of dealing with
+it. She still cried herself to sleep over her father’s death, years
+ago. That’s why she had tried not to think about Kairi leaving or
+Riku and Sora’s disappearances. She couldn’t handle goodbyes. And
+just thinking about not have the catgirl around frightened her more
+than she could explain away.
+“Oh, would it be all right if I asked for some clothes?” Rikku
+voiced sheepishly. “I’ve been running around without anything for way
+too long now. I feel like a nudist. My clothes are probably still on
+the floor of that damn hotel room.” She sighed. “Oh well. They were
+just hand me downs of Yuffie’s, anyway.”
+Blinking, Yuna tried to comprehend what Rikku had said. Why would
+the catgirl need clothes? Cats didn’t wear clothes. They had fur.
+Ohhhhh... She shook her head. Of course she’d want clothes. She
+wasn’t used to being a catgirl. Fur or not, she was used to wearing
+something. “Yes, I’ll get you something. You’re a little younger than
+me, but you should be able to fit into one of my outfits.”
+“Thanks, Yunie!” Rikku grinned and pounced catlike on the
+unsuspecting brunette, hugging her in gratitude. “That would help a
+lot!”
+“You.. You’re welcome..” Yuna responded, blushing faintly again. She
+swallowed, embarrassed. She slowly began to rub Rikku’s back using
+the arm that wasn’t pinned to her side. The catgirl’s fur felt
+wonderfully soft to her touch, her fingers gliding over it. She
+rubbed a bit more, enjoying the feel of the fur underneath her
+fingers and the growing thrum in her ears. It took her a moment to
+realize that Rikku was purring loudly against her. Her eyes widened
+in surprise, her flush darkening, but she couldn't get herself to
+stop.  The catgirl was so cute and enthusiastic, Yuna couldn’t help
+but pet her, as if she had found a larger-than-life kitten.
+Rikku was so glad Yuna couldn’t see her face as she hugged the other
+girl. She was so embarrassed. She knew she wasn’t a cat. She was a
+normal, human girl. But her body didn’t seem to agree with her. She
+couldn’t stop herself from purring as Yuna’s gentle fingers slid up
+and down her back. Her body betrayed her, her chest thrumming with
+her purring. ‘Will you make up your mind? Am I a cat or not? I’m
+not!’ Rikku thought in frustration. But her body still wasn’t
+listening. Her tail swished happily from side to side. She sighed,
+giving in. It did feel nice, to have someone to hug after she’d been
+unable to do much of anything as a whole cat. She rested her head on
+Yuna’s shoulder, closing her emerald eyes and purring louder. ‘Well,
+maybe just this once...’
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+“Okay, I’m going to use my... Shiva card. Yes, that should do
+nicely.” Quistis smiled as she placed they detailed card down on the
+floor of her room, right beside one of a strange flying serpent.
+A blond boy sighed, rolling his eyes. “If it didn’t take you ten
+minutes to decide each turn, then we would be able to play a lot more
+of this, Quistis,” he chided, slapping down a card with a cactuar on
+it.
+“You’re just too impatient, Seifer,” Quistis countered, gazing at
+her cards again. “Hmm...” She let her fingers browse across the
+cards, trying to select the perfect one. She wasn’t playing just this
+turn, but where the next turn might lead.
+Selphie watched the two playing Triple Triad on the floor of
+Quistis’s room. They were upside down, as if they were sitting on the
+roof, gravity in reverse. The cards were set down on the roof before
+the brunette. At least, that’s how it appeared to Selphie. She was
+slumped on Quistis’s bed, her sandals left somewhere near the door,
+her head hanging off the edge of the bed so that everything was
+upside down for her. Her legs were wrapped around Quistis’s pillow.
+She’d much rather they be wrapped around her blonde girlfriend, but
+Quistis was caught up in that boring card game. Here she was lying on
+her girlfriend’s bed, innocent and vulnerable, and all Quistis could
+think about was what card went next. Selphie pouted. She should be on
+the bed with her, kissing her. Anything but playing cards.
+“There!” Quistis smiled as she set down the next card. Unless Seifer
+had some unexpected cards or a rather healthy dose of luck on his
+side, she was pretty much guaranteed victory. And to the contrary of
+Selphie’s thinking, Quistis was having a very difficult time ignoring
+the fact that Selphie was lying so cutely on her bed. And that she
+would love to take the place of that pillow, to let her hands travel
+across Selphie’s stomach, exploring her skin and the cloth of her
+dress, kissing her everywhere she could... Quistis blinked quickly,
+trying to force out the images. She adjusted her glasses, hoping she
+didn’t look as flustered as she felt. It was so difficult being the
+mature, responsible one sometimes. She sighed inwardly. Yes, Selphie
+would need a good spanking after Seifer was gone. If he ever left.
+He’d been there for well over an hour now. Seifer was her friend, but
+he either couldn’t take a hint or he enjoyed making her suffer.
+“I’m kind of envious of Riku, Sora, and Kairi,” Seifer said at last,
+placing down a chocobo card from his hand. “They finally did realize
+their beautiful dream of escaping these islands, of going to explore
+other worlds. Think of the possibilities. The excitement. I’m sure
+it’s more interesting than a card game.”
+“Don’t say that!” Selphie admonished from the bed, rolling onto her
+stomach. “Who knows where they are? What’s wrong with staying here?”
+Seifer grinned at Selphie’s outbust, looking up at the girl on
+Quistis’s bed. “I’m surprised you wouldn’t want to go yourself,
+Selphie. The Destiny Islands barely seem to hold in all that energy
+you have. It’s amazing you haven’t gotten bored yet.”
+“But they could be lost anywhere! They could be scared and miserable
+and so far away from home.” A chill passed through Selphie at the
+thought. “Yeah, it would be fun to travel, but I don’t see what’s
+wrong with staying home, either. It’s fun here. All my friends are
+here. My Quisty’s here. I’m perfectly happy at home.”
+Pushing her glasses up, Quistis nodded. “I agree with Selphie.
+Leaving would only make sense if you weren’t satisfied with where you
+are. If there’s something missing in your life. And my life feels
+complete here.” She looked back over her shoulder, smiling at
+Selphie. Yes, there wasn’t anything she needed. The cute brunette
+returned her smile, her legs kicking up behind her.
+Seifer laughed in response. “Of course you’d agree with Selphie. It
+isn’t wise to disagree with one’s girlfriend. Especially one as hyper
+as her.” The blond boy sat back, his hands supporting him as he
+stared up at the roof. “Me, I understand why they’d want to leave.
+This place can feel like a prison sometimes. Water everywhere,
+flowing endlessly around us. This place is a paradise, but it’s
+sheltered. I think you need the good with the bad. It’s a gilded
+cage. You can’t experience everything if you’re cooped up here. You
+can treat a prisoner like a king, give him everything he could ever
+want. But if all he wants is freedom, he’s still a prisoner. Life can
+be as plush as you could want. But if you can’t realize your
+beautiful dreams, I still say something’s missing.”
+Quistis sighed. Not this again. The last thing she needed was for
+Seifer to get strange ideas in Selphie’s head. Thankfully, Selphie
+hadn’t liked Riku and Sora’s idea to leave the island in the first
+place. “And what’s your beautiful dream, Seifer?”
+A grin passed across his face as Seifer turned his gaze to Quistis.
+“To be the Sorceress’s Knight, of course. To protect my sorceress
+with my life. To grant her every whim. To give her my all.”
+Resting her chin in her hands, Selphie raised a curious eyebrow.
+“Why can’t you do that here? No dragons to slay?” Her bare feet
+continued kicking in the air behind her in a slow rhythm.
+“Hah.” The blond boy waved off the notion. “It’s nothing like that.
+You’re thinking of it too literally. Maybe I wouldn’t mind so much if
+I could find my sorceress. Then I could be her knight here on the
+Destiny Islands. But you never know what’s waiting for you out there.
+All those worlds, each with new sights and experiences around every
+corner. Must be exciting, wherever they are.”
+Selphie blinked thoughtfully. “I wonder what my beautiful dream is...”
+Quistis turned, her legs still tucked demurely underneath her.
+“Don’t worry about it, Selphie. You have plenty of beautiful dreams.
+And you have the energy to make them all come true, I’m certain.”
+The brunette smiled brightly, her previous concerns forgotten.
+“Thanks, Quisty! You’re right! I won’t give up on any of my beautiful
+dreams!” she said excitedly.
+“But you don’t know what they are yet...” Seifer replied,
+sweatdropping.
+Quisits turned an icy glare on her friend. “Shush, you.”
+“Right...” Seifer shook his head. “I’m just saying that wherever
+they are, they’re probably doing more than playing cards.”
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+“Unnhhh...” Sora moaned, rolling onto his side. His entire body
+ached, every fiber of his being calling out as fire burned through
+him. His muscles didn’t want to respond at first and he found himself
+cringing as he tried to move. What had happened? He could barely
+think through the haze of pain that was erecting a palace in his
+head. The clatter and noise of their hard work droned out all
+conscious thought. But Sora was nothing if not persistent. He forced
+himself to his knees only to regret the decision. The world seemed to
+curve around him, taunting him.
+‘What happened?’ he managed to think at last. Dim, vague images came
+to him, feelings that should go with them but he couldn’t be sure of.
+Anger, shock, sadness, defeat. A man... Riku? No.. Not Riku. Though
+it had felt like it.
+“Owwww...” He clutched his head, trying to force the pain and its
+workers out of it. Suddenly, his head shot up. He winced at the pain
+it caused, but ignored it. “Donald? Goofy?” His eyes darted about
+insistently, but his companions where nowhere to be seen. That’s when
+it first struck him. He certainly wasn’t in the grassy fields he had
+previously been. Where was this? How had he ended up here? Where were
+his friends?
+The lone boy slowly managed to get to his feet after a prolonged
+struggle that seemed to play out over an eternity. His body cried in
+protest, but he refused to listen to it. Riku’s words spurred him
+forward. ‘Giving up already, Sora? I thought you were stronger than
+that.’ Riku had faith in him. His rival always pulled out more from
+him than Sora even knew he had. So he’d push through this. What would
+Riku say if he saw him lying helplessly on the floor? With those
+thoughts spinning through his abused head, the brown haired boy tried
+to gauge his surroundings.
+The young Keyblade Master found himself in the middle of a palace
+courtyard. Or was it the middle of a school? The place looked like a
+bizarre amalgamation of the two. Statues of students heading to
+classes that would never happen littered the otherwise empty
+courtyard, frozen forever in place. Palace maids and busy dignitaries
+shared space with the students, looking busy even in their state of
+rest. Lockers were covered in beautiful purple flowers and vines. A
+large fountain stood at the center. It looked like a statue should in
+the midst of it, but it was curiously missing. Strange for a place
+filled with so many statues. But as Sora looked closer, they looked
+less like shadows and more and more like a lifeless photograph. As if
+that sparkle of life had just been extinguished in one horrifying
+second. He shuddered and tried to ignore the creepy feeling.
+Staggering past several of the statues, Sora began to make his way
+forward (or at least in the direction he hoped was forward). Where
+was this place? Halfway between here and there, it felt like some
+freakish riddle. As he entered the large hallway that the courtyard
+led to, it didn’t get any better. There were large, beautiful
+paintings along one wall. To his other side, there was no wall. Just
+a large abyss, leading off into darkness. In his weakened state, he
+tried not to look to that side. He felt too dizzy staring off into
+it. He instead turned his attention back to the paintings. He could
+recognize some of the people in them. Wasn’t that Alice? And in that
+other one, wasn’t that Aladdin and Jasmine? And the Beast in another.
+That looked like Aerith and some of her friends in the one down the
+hall, didn’t it? Wasn’t that Selphie and Quistis and some others?
+What were they doing with Squall in that painting? He shook his head.
+“Weird..” he muttered. His voice sounded tiny, weak in this place. It
+made him feel acutely alone.
+Continuing down the seemingly endless hallway, Sora continued
+glancing at paintings. There was Cinderella, one of the seven
+princesses. And Tidus, Yuna, Wakka, and some others he didn’t
+recognize. Why were these paintings here? Why were they of people he
+knew? What significance did they have to this twisted palace? Looking
+back from a painting, the brown haired boy found some doors before
+him that previously hadn’t been there. A mixture of relief and
+apprehension poured throughout him. At least he was getting
+somewhere. But whoever had brought him here had obviously intended
+that. But why? What did they want? Well, he’d never find out if he
+didn’t push forward. ‘I’m not about to give up, Riku,’ he thought
+determinedly. Stepping forward, he pushed open the large doors.
+“Sora!”
+Sora could only blink dumbly for a long moment. “Kairi!?” The
+princess’s face lit up brightly as she ran to him, nearly toppling
+him over as she leapt into his arms, hugging him fiercely.
+Kairi held onto him tightly, almost painfully. “I won’t ever let you
+disappear again, Sora. I won’t let anyone take you away from me. I
+promise.” She buried her head against his shoulder, almost afraid
+that a stray wind would carry him off. No, he was finally there. And
+Princess Hikari would do everything she could to make sure he stayed
+that way.

Mercurial > moonlitnights

comparison old/stories/prismhearts-08.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights