moonlitnights: old/stories/prismhearts-09.txt comparison

comparison old/stories/prismhearts-09.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights

[svn r3] moved all the bad stuff to 'old'

author	rlm
date	Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500
parents
children

comparison

equal deleted inserted replaced

-:dbe144217c71
+:fc00894c1d4a
+Prism Hearts
+Chapter 9
+Eyes on Me
+by Amazoness Duo
+amazonessduo@hotmail.com
+‘I’ve been having these weird thoughts lately...
+Like... is any of this for real... or not?’
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+“Sora...” The world seemed out of place around them, distorted and
+far off. As if they were from another time and place, simply
+juxtaposed in this strange nightmare landscape. But it hardly seemed
+to matter for the two young friends, reunited at long last. “I never
+thought I’d see you again.”
+The boy in question, the wanderer of time who had sealed away the
+Doorway to the Darkness, could only stand in the princess’s embrace,
+too taken aback to do much of anything. When he had sealed away the
+Heartless, he had thought that the barriers between the worlds was
+returned, that they were separated by an infinite distance. But here
+she was, waiting for him in this strange place. “Kairi...” He
+swallowed back the lump in his throat and managed to smile. “I told
+you I’d always be with you.”
+The brunette laughed, burying her head against his shoulder, holding
+him as tightly as she could. He felt so real in her grasp. She could
+smell him and hear him and feel him against her. “Oh, Sora... Don’t
+ever leave me again. You don’t know how much I need you.” She closed
+her eyes, but opened them immediately, almost afraid he would
+disappear if she did. She couldn’t risk that.
+Nodding, Sora pulled the smaller girl closer to him. “I won’t,
+Kairi. I promise. I won’t let anything take me away from you. Not
+now.” He wanted to take away whatever was bothering Kairi. He had
+missed her terribly, but she seemed almost desperate to have him
+near. He felt awful for having left her alone in the first place,
+even if it hadn’t exactly been his choice.
+She sighed, shaking her head against him. “I wish I could believe
+that. But it isn’t that simple. Nothing is that simple. But... For as
+long as I can, I’ll keep you with me, Sora.”
+“Kairi, please don’t talk like that. Nothing will take me away.
+You’ll see,” Sora reassured his friend. But she didn’t seem entirely
+convinced. He didn’t know what else he could do but prove it to her.
+And that would take a while. Glancing about the strange landscape
+that surrounded them, his mind turned to another pressing subject.
+“Where are we? What is this place? And what was that guy talking
+about when he ambushed me? He said something about a princess.”
+Disentangling herself from Sora, the brunette stepped back. She
+curtsied in her long, lavender dress. “I’m Princess Hikari of the
+kingdom of Hollow Bastion.” She grinned as she stood up straight once
+more. “Silly. I can’t believe you forgot I was a princess. You must
+have a short term memory, Sora.” She giggled as she winked at the boy.
+Sora ran a hand behind his head, laughing nervously. “Well, I know
+you were one of the seven princesses, but I never really found out
+where you were from so I didn’t make the connection.” He blinks as
+another connection was made in his mind. “Wait, your name’s Hikari?
+But I always thought you were just Kairi.”
+Hikari shook her head, tucking some stray hair behind her ear. “They
+found me on the beach half conscious. I was muttering a few things
+when they got me into bed. They asked my name, but I wasn’t being
+very coherent.” She closed her eyes, trying to remember a time that
+seemed so long ago. “Hi.. Kari... Kari...” she intoned quietly,
+trying to recreate the night she’d been found on the Destiny Islands.
+She blinked her eyes open, looking again to Sora. “They thought I was
+saying Kairi. I didn’t remember anything when I woke up so I thought
+that had to be my name.”
+“I don’t know which will take longer to get used to. You being a
+princess or you being Hikari.” Sora crossed his arms, mulling this
+all over in his head. It was a much bigger revelation than he had
+first thought. That meant she was Ansem’s daughter. No wonder she was
+so intertwined with everything.
+“And as for where we are, it’s sort of difficult to explain.” Hikari
+gazed around at the stars blinking around them, some streaking across
+the heavens. They were standing out in the center of the universe,
+everything swirling around them. Every footstep sent ripples through
+space. “Basically, we’re near the birthplace of the stars. Where all
+light begins and ends.”
+“The Doorway to the Light!” Sora’s eyes went wide as it began to
+click. That had been exactly what he had spent all this time
+searching for.
+The princess nodded, an arm behind her back, watching Sora’s
+reaction. “Exactly. Where light is born and sent out into the
+universe. The very heart of the universe. All those many worlds
+aren’t so different after all. They all share the same heart, after
+all.”
+“Kingdom Hearts,” Sora replied quietly, remembering his battle with
+Ansem at the heart of the universe. “Kingdom Hearts is light...” He
+shook his head. “Ansem told me that the Heartless were seeking out
+the Heart of the universe just as they sought out people’s hearts and
+the hearts of every world. He said that the Heartless were born
+there.”
+Turning, Hikari looked out into the universe that stretched out
+before her. “All of our hearts are born there. And in every heart,
+there is darkness. So darkness is born there as well. The Heartless
+are the hearts that the darkness has consumed entirely, eclipsing the
+last pinprick of light. Yes, the Heartless seek out the Heart of the
+universe. It’s their birthplace. They’re drawn to it the same way
+they’re drawn to people’s hearts, but on a much larger scale.”
+Sora rolled this over in his mind. He really didn’t like the sound
+of all that. That the Heartless would be born where everyone’s heart
+was, that the Heart of the universe could hold such darkness. “That’s
+what I saw behind the Doorway to the Darkness. I saw the Heartless
+all about, taking root there. But now I’ve sealed away the Doorway to
+the Darkness. When I open the Doorway to the Light, the Heart of the
+universe should be fine, shouldn’t it?” he asked anxiously. It had to
+be. He’d fought too hard to let the Heartless consume the birthplace
+of all hearts.
+“Both the Doorway to the Darkness and the Doorway to the Light lead
+to the Heart of the universe, Kingdom Hearts,” Princess Hikari
+explained. Closing her eyes and stretching out her hands, she spun
+under the starlight. “You’ve sealed away the darkness. Now when you
+unleash the light, it will spill out across the worlds. The darkness
+is locked away now behind that door. It’s trapped there. Now it’s up
+to you to unleash the light and heal the worlds. To heal the Heart of
+the universe by letting its light go free.”
+Sora clenched his fists determinedly. “I’ll do it. I’ll unseal the
+doorway and set Riku free. I’ll prove to Ansem that Kingdom Hearts is
+light. I’ll let its light fill everyone.” He trailed off feeling a
+bit sheepish. He needed to keep from mentioning Ansem. He was
+Hikari’s father after all. Even if he had been consumed by the
+Heartless, Hikari must still care for him.
+As if she had been reading the boy’s thoughts, Hikari turned a soft
+smile to Sora. “It’s all right, Sora. I know what my father did. I
+read his notes. I know what he was trying to do. And I know you had
+to stop him. He let the Heartless use him. He stole Riku’s body. He’s
+why Riku’s locked behind the Doorway now. I love my father. But I
+understand what happened.” Before Sora could reply, she began to walk
+out into space. “The Doorway to the Light is this way.”
+Sora blinked. “I.. uhh... Thanks, Kairi. Err... Hikari,” he
+corrected himself, hurrying to follow her. At least he hadn’t made a
+complete fool of himself, in that case. He winced a bit as he rubbed
+the back of his head. “Did your friend really have to hit us so hard?”
+This time it was Hikari’s turn to look apologetic. She laughed
+nervously. “Oh, that. Sorry about that. Sephiroth was the finest
+SOLDIER from our kingdom. My father had him personally protect me.
+When my father disappeared, Sephiroth helped me escape Hollow Bastion
+before it was overrun by the Heartless. He can be a little intense
+sometimes, but he does a wonderful job getting things done. You’re
+here, aren’t you?” She turned to him, giggling. “So I’m sorry you got
+hurt, but I’m glad he got you here. I missed you.” She reached out,
+her fingers taking his. She was so glad to see him again. It felt
+like a lifetime had passed since they had last been together. But now
+they’d see this through to the end together.
+“I missed you, too,” Sora replied, squeezing her soft fingers. It
+almost seemed worth going through the pain just to see her again. At
+least they were together now. And soon enough, Riku would be there to
+join them. Then they’d be complete again. The three of them.
+And then they came upon it. Sora could only gaze in amazement. The
+princess watched him rather than the sight before them, finding it
+much more interesting. There, in the center of the swirling universe
+about them, was the Doorway to the Light. The huge, ornate doors
+loomed in space, waiting.
+Sora ran up to them, placing his hand on the doorway. “This is it.
+This is what I’ve been waiting for since the very beginning. I was
+supposed to unlock this door. Everything else was just leading up to
+this. One of the first voices I heard said that I’d need to do this,
+but that I wasn’t ready to unlock it. Now I can. King Mickey told me
+that I was the one who would open the Doorway to the Light.” He shook
+his head, still in shock that his journey had finally brought him
+there. It felt as if he’d been travelling for years, that it had
+begun an eternity ago. Blue eyes closed as he pressed his palm
+further against the door. Riku had to be there behind it, waiting.
+Taking a step back, he summoned his Keyblade. Concentrating, he
+lowered it, a beam of light bursting forth into the door’s keyhole.
+He turned the Keyblade, bracing himself for the onslaught of light.
+But nothing happened. “What?” He blinked, letting his Keyblade slowly
+fall forward in his hands.
+Hikari stepped up to Sora’s side. “You can’t open it yet. And you
+can’t open it alone.”
+Slowly nodding in realization, Sora turned his attention to the
+princess. “Like with the Doorway to the Darkness. I couldn’t lock it
+myself. I needed King Mickey to lock it from the inside while I
+locked it from the outside.”
+“Exactly. You need Riku to unlock it from the inside with his
+Keyblade. The two of you need to unlock it at the same time for it to
+open.” Hikari shook her head before Sora could ask a question. “Not
+yet. Neither of you can unlock it yet. Even if he could hear you, it
+wouldn’t help. The Doorway to the Light can’t be opened until the
+chains on it are unlocked.” Reaching forward, she touched the door
+with her fingertips. The door lit up brightly, exposing dark, ominous
+chains draped about it. Several locks on the chains kept them tightly
+against the door. One lock was open while the others maintained their
+hold. “The Keyholes to those locks are in certain hearts. Only those
+hearts can unlock the chains. Then you and Riku can open the Doorway
+to the light.”
+Sora took a step back, looking up at the huge doors and their
+imposing shackles. “How do we go about unlocking the chains?”
+The princess offered a small smile, brushing some hair from her dark
+blue eyes. “Don’t worry, Sora. I’m working on it right now.”
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Kairi’s fingers trailed along the stone wall of the castle as she
+made her way deeper down the hallway. She had left her room behind in
+search of her friends. She had to find Yuffie and Relm. They were the
+only ones she had left. She couldn’t risk losing them, too. They had
+to be somewhere in the large palace. Now if only she could keep from
+getting lost...
+Her mind was still reeling from what she had heard from the two
+strange girls in her room. Nothing ever seemed to make sense anymore.
+It was as if life delighted in teasing her with different views of
+reality. Reality itself was becoming a distorted concept. What
+constituted ‘real’? She shook her head swiftly, banishing the
+thought. She didn’t need to start thinking about that now. She needed
+to stay focused. Find her friends. Find the Keyholes. Save Riku.
+Happy ending. That simple. She couldn’t afford to let herself get
+lost in all this.
+There was something almost familiar about the palace. It felt like
+she’d been there before. Not this palace itself, but another palace.
+From some time long ago. Closing her eyes, the sound of maids and
+soldiers and minor dignitaries scurrying about felt normal. As if she
+had heard this hundreds of times before. A tinge of homesickness
+snaked around her heart. Homesickness for a home she couldn’t
+remember, for a father that she didn’t know.
+“Kairi?! Kairi, wake up!!”
+Kairi whirled about at the voice calling out to her, her heart
+pounding at its panicked insistence. But no one was there. Her head
+turned swiftly, searching for whoever had screamed her name. As she
+began to look past her search for a person, she began to see that the
+hallway behind her was no longer there. The stone of the palace had
+been replaced with the smooth walls of her by now familiar room. She
+turned on her heel to escape down the hallway, but found herself
+tripping before she could run. She fell face first on her bed,
+surrounded by an army of plush dolls. It was too late. The palace had
+left, stranding her once more in this eerily familiar room. She
+pounded a fist into the bed in frustration. How could she ever find
+anything if she was always getting tossed about between these strange
+places?
+“And then I’ll be a real boy?”
+Slowly pulling her head up, the princess listened intently. She’d
+heard a voice. Someone else was there. For once, she wasn’t alone in
+this horrible place filled with memories that couldn’t possibly be
+her own. Whoever it was, at least she wouldn’t have to be alone here,
+left with her own twisted thoughts. But her joy was quickly shot down
+as her eyes fell upon the television in the room.
+“Yes, Pinochio. A real boy.”
+The Disney movie played out on the screen before her, taunting her.
+“And what do I have to do to be real?” she asked quietly. She hugged
+an armful of dolls to her chest, characters from all across her
+travels. They were all real. They had to be. She had been with Yuffie
+and Relm just a few short hours ago. They weren’t just these bits of
+fluff and cloth. They were still waiting for her in the Alexandria
+Palace in a world so close and yet so far away.
+“Kairi, please get up...” a strained voice begged her from the other
+side of the room. Near her door. Her heart froze. Not again. Not
+whoever was waiting on the other side of her locked door. But this
+sounded different. The person sounded like they were about to break
+down sobbing. And they sounded closer. On the inside of the room.
+This didn’t ease Kairi’s concerns. She slowly rolled over to face the
+door, her heart beating madly in her chest. This meant someone was
+inside with her. The thought that had been so comforting moments
+before now only served to horrify her.
+But no one was there. The brunette blinked, still clutching onto her
+dolls. She’d heard someone right there. Yet she saw straight to the
+door. She sat up slowly, searching the room for the source of the
+voice. Nothing but her assortment of pictures, Disney and Square
+trinkets. The image of a girl desperately trying to escape her own
+life. It made her sick to look at. Thankfully, something caught her
+eye. She let the dolls fall back onto the bed as she got up to
+inspect it.
+Something dark was lying on the floor near the door. It looked like
+a shadow, but there didn’t seem to be anything casting it. A shadow
+without an owner. There it lay, as if the shadow had died while
+searching for whoever it belonged to. It lay near the door, as if
+someone had died and had stained the very ground with their shadow
+rather than their blood. A flicker of movement nearly sent her
+stumbling backwards. At first, she thought the shadow had come back
+to life, searching for a new owner. But as she watched, she could see
+it was a separate shadow, of someone taller than the first. It seemed
+to be shaking. Maybe it was frightened. Or angry. Or sad. Kairi took
+a step closer. She began to make out the shape of a woman from the
+shadow. A woman kneeling. It slowly reached out to the other shadow,
+moving it gently. With no response from the first shadow, it moved
+forward, cradling the other shadow in its arms.
+“Kairi, please don’t die... Please, please don’t die...” the voice
+choked out, right where the woman would be if she were more than a
+shadow.
+An icy chill began to crawl under Kairi’s skin. She took a slow,
+awkward step forward. “M..mom...?” She asked without quite realizing
+it. That shadow she had seen, unmoving on the floor, that had been
+her? But... No! “Mom..?” She asked again, trying to get the woman’s
+attention. “I’m not dead... I’m not. I won’t die, mom. I’m right
+here.” She laughed weakly, trying to sound sure of herself. But it
+sounded broken even in her own ears. She could hear sobbing in her
+empty room. It echoed eerily throughout the room, filling the
+princess with a horrible dread. That couldn’t be here. She was right
+here. The world suddenly tilted on its axis and for a split second
+she saw her mother. A pretty, slender woman, holding tightly onto
+her. She was motionless, pale and bloodstained. Then they were gone,
+nothing but shadows and an insistent sobbing. “Mom! I’m right here!”
+Kairi cried out, hugging herself tightly. “Please... please look at
+me... mom... I’m.. I’m here...” Her world blurred in a burning haze
+of tears. She opened her moth to once again beg her mother to see
+her, but nothing came out but a pained sob. She closed her eyes
+tightly, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. There was no one there to
+hear her. She was all alone. Her mother couldn’t hear her. It was
+only a shadow. But was it a shadow of things to come? Or what had
+already passed? Or simply a nightmare?
+The sobbing silenced abruptly. Kairi blinked her tear soaked eyes
+open only to find the two shadows were gone. Her own shadow was the
+only one she could see and it appeared to be anchored securely to
+herself. She shuddered, still holding herself.
+“Don’t cry, Kairi,” a voice said soothingly. This time, it was from
+behind the door.
+Kairi wanted to argue with the mysterious voice, to say that she was
+fine, but it was different this time. Soft, yet strong. Pained. For
+her. The whispered words encircled her head like a wreath as she
+tried to figure out who had said them. Taking a hesitant step towards
+the door, her heart spun about, familiar feelings bubbling up. But
+why? “Riku!!” Her eyes went wide as she ran the rest of the way to
+the door, nearly colliding with it. Her hands stopped her as she
+reached it, slowing her body enough so that she merely slumped
+against it. “Riku, is that you?” Her ear pressed tightly against the
+door, straining to hear any sign of the silver haired boy. She held
+her breath, afraid that it would obscure the sound of his footsteps.
+She waited desperately for an answer, horrified that it might have
+been her imagination.
+A soft chuckle. “Yep, it’s me. You can’t get rid of me that easily,
+Kairi.”
+“Riku!!” Kairi laughed joyously at her friend’s voice. He was here.
+She’d found him. It was really him this time. She could feel it. And
+all that stood between them was this one door. Though it might as
+well have been a world apart since she couldn’t get it open. But she
+couldn’t let that get to her. Not now. Not with him so close. Her
+palms pressed tightly against the door, almost trying to go straight
+through it, to will it away. But it stood it’s ground, firm against
+her. Thousands of thoughts swirled about in her mind in a tornado.
+She didn’t even know where to begin. Her feelings, her thoughts, her
+journey. They suddenly seemed unimportant. “I knew I’d find you,” she
+whispered.
+“Thank you, Kairi,” Riku replied, his own hand against the door,
+those few inches of wood the only thing separating them. “I knew you
+wouldn’t give up. You’re stronger than me and Sora.”
+Kairi shook her head, slumping it against the cold frame of the
+door. “No, I’m not. I don’t even know what’s real anymore. You and
+Sora would be doing a much better job than me. You wouldn’t be
+doubting everything so much. You wouldn’t be so scared. You wouldn’t
+keep getting captured.” Her eyes closed tightly. Here she was talking
+to Riku on the other side of a locked door in her bedroom. How was
+she supposed to know what was real and what was illusion?
+“Kairi... Just because you can’t fight doesn’t make you weak. Sora
+and I can fight, but there’s always someone better. You have
+something much stronger than any weapon he or I could hold. You make
+people want to protect you, to fight for you. Your heart lights up
+the darkness the way no Keyblade could. And why does it matter if you
+doubt? If you’re scared? You’re still here, aren’t you? Despite your
+doubts, despite your fears, you kept coming. You never gave up, even
+when all hope seemed lost. I think that makes you stronger to have
+faced it and pushed forward instead of not seeing it at all. You’re
+very strong, Kairi. I only wish I could be there with you. I don’t
+want you to have to do this on your own. I want to catch you when you
+fall. I want to be right there behind you.” He sighed, looking down.
+He felt so helpless, trapped. It wouldn’t matter so much if he knew
+Kairi was safe, but knowing she was out there searching and that
+there was nothing he could do to help...
+Shaking her head, Kairi smiled faintly. “I’m not alone. No matter
+where I am, I’m never alone. I have two girls travelling with me
+right now. Yuffie and Relm. They’re my friends. They’ve helped me so
+much. And even when I’m away from them, I know you and Sora are with
+me.” A hand pulled away from the door, resting on her heart. “No
+matter how far apart we are, we’re always together. That’s what kept
+me going.” She swallowed, blinking back tears. “Because I know you’re
+there with me every step of the way. If I listen very closely and I
+close my eyes, I can hear your footsteps echoing with mine.”
+“Kairi...” Riku spread his fingers against the door, trying to hold
+the princess’s hand in his own. “I can feel you with me, too.” She
+was right there. So close... He had done everything he could to save
+her. Now he would give anything to be by her side again. “I want to
+see you one last time. I can’t go until I’ve seen you once more.”
+Blinking her still blurry eyes open, Kairi strained to see through
+the door to the boy on the other side. “What do you man? I’ll set you
+free, Riku. I promise. Then we’ll be together forever. Just like we
+always planned. You, me, and Sora.” Why did it sound like Riku
+wouldn’t be there for it? He’d have to be. She was going to save him.
+A long silence lingered in the air before Riku finally responded. “I
+lost my body. Ansem had it, remember? When Sora defeated him, he died
+with my body. My heart fought off the darkness, but I couldn’t bring
+my body with me. The Farplane, the Lifestream, whatever you want to
+call where hearts go, it’s calling me. But I refuse to go yet. Not
+until I see you one last time.” He hadn’t wanted to tell her. He
+could handle it as long as he knew she was all right. And she would
+be, once she met up with Sora. He would protect Kairi for Riku. But
+he couldn’t lie to Kairi. He never could.
+“You’ll...” Kairi looked dumbly at the door, the revelation sending
+cracks through her heart. “No! You can’t go!” She slumped against the
+door, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. She had come this far
+only to find out that Riku had lost his body? That he’d disappear
+soon? The light at the end of her tunnel was suddenly eclipsed. She
+was cast once more into darkness. All they had done... Was it all for
+nothing? Yes, she could set fee the light behind the door, but that
+wasn’t what she was fighting for. She was fighting for Riku, to have
+him close again. But now...
+“It’s all right, Kairi. I’ll be fine. I knew the risks when I joined
+Maleficent. But I didn’t care. I would do anything to save your
+heart. As long as you’re safe, it doesn’t matter what happens to me.”
+Riku smiled softly, his fingertips against the door. Yes, that was
+the important thing. Kairi had her heart back. Even if some
+sacrifices had to be made, that was all that mattered.
+“No...” Kairi shook her head, slowly looking up. She had come too
+far to give up. She couldn’t quit on Riku. She wouldn’t let this stop
+her. “I won’t let you go. I’m going to save you, Riku. Somehow. I
+promised. And I will. You aren’t the only one who’d do anything. I’ll
+do anything to save your heart. I owe that much to you. And... I
+don’t want to be without you. I won’t give up. This time it’s my turn
+to fight for you. I’ll find a way to open this door. And I’ll find a
+way to protect your heart.” Closing her eyes, she kissed the door
+softly. “Just wait for me, Riku.”
+Riku looked ahead at the door, taken by surprise. He hadn’t expected
+that. A small smile played across his lips. “And you said you weren’t
+strong. I’ll be here, Kairi. Waiting for you. I’ll wait as long as it
+takes.” His hopelessness started to melt away at Kairi’s words. He
+had faith in her. And just knowing she would fight for him meant
+everything to him.
+Kairi’s fingers brushed the doorknob, her heart trying to unwind
+itself from fears and anxieties holding it back. She may not have
+another chance to say it. No, she couldn’t think like that. But
+still... Who knew when she’d get to see him again? “Riku... I love...”
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Wandering aimlessly through the courtyard, Eiko’s heart felt heavy.
+Why wouldn’t the princess notice her? Garnet was too concerned with
+other things. She only saw her as a little girl. It was certainly
+frustrating. She crossed her arms, kicking a rock in her path.
+Princess Garnet was the only good part of being kidnapped by that
+Kuja guy and dragged to the Alexandria Palace. The princess had made
+the distant palace feel a little less lonely. She’d been the first
+real person that Eiko felt she could trust. She had grown up with
+moogles for company in a deserted city of summoners, the last of her
+kind. She hadn't realized how alone she had felt until meeting the
+beautiful Princess Garnet. She felt safe with her. Warm. Dizzy.
+Sighing, the purple haired summoner held her hands over her heart.
+All she had to do was deliver the letter in her hands and Garnet
+would finally know of her feelings. Butterflies fluttered about
+chaotically in her stomach. She was nervous about letting Garnet know
+but she couldn't sit by any longer. It was driving her insane. She
+had to tell the princess. Even if it was through a stupid love
+letter. Sighing, she tried to quash her nervousness, feeling the
+letter underneath her fingers. Yes, she had to do this. She'd just
+find a nice place to put it and then run as far as she could and send
+Mog to find out how she'd reacted. Cowardly, perhaps, but she was too
+embarrassed to be more straightforward about it. Besides, she thought
+she'd made it painfully obvious how she felt about Garnet so far and
+the princess hadn't shown an inkling of recognition. Steeling
+herself, she nodded and continued through the garden. The guards
+didn't see her as a threat and the princess let her come and go from
+her quarters as she pleased, so it wouldn't be a problem getting
+there to leave the letter on Garnet's pillow.
+An all too familiar sound reached Eiko halfway through the garden.
+She slowed to a halt, listening intently. Someone was crying. Hearing
+the sound was odd. She'd never heard someone else cry before. It
+brought up the same lost and lonely feelings within her that she
+associated with it. Searching around the garden, she began to search
+out its source. She didn't know what she could do about it, but she
+didn't feel right just ignoring it. The moogles she'd lived with had
+always been there for her when she'd been crying. The sound seemed to
+be coming from behind some bushes. Pushing past the bushes, Eiko
+stepped out on the other side to find a blonde girl hugging her legs,
+her head on her knees. It was then that Eiko remembered she didn't
+have any experience with this sort of thing. "Um.. Hi..." she stated
+dumbly. She inwardly berated herself, quickly trying to come up with
+something just a bit more comforting. "Are you okay?"
+It took Relm a moment to acknowledge the summoner's presence. Her
+head slowly lifted from her knees, blinking at the wet tears that
+coursed down her cheeks. A younger lavender haired girl stood before
+her, an odd horn on her forehead. She was about to tell the girl to
+leave her alone, but the uncomfortable, worried look in the
+summoner's eyes shut her up. She was already feeling too crappy to
+hurt a little girl's feelings. Shaking her head slowly, Relm rested
+her chin on her knees again. "Not really." Sniffling, she wiped at
+her eyes with her palms. After she had left Yuffie, she had run as
+far as she could. By now she was completely lost. Which only made her
+feel more helpless and confused about everything. 'Yuffie...' the
+artist thought, a fresh wave of pain cascading through her. Her eyes
+closed warily, feeling fresh tears gathering.
+Looking down, Eiko waited for the older girl to continue. Her hands
+behind her, she still clutched her love letter for Garnet. She busied
+herself with looking at her foot, shifting it on the soft grass. She
+was headstrong enough to rush into things, but once she was in the
+middle of them, she easily found herself over her head. People were
+so confusing. Moogles made so much more sense. She knew how to act
+around them. A sad thought entered her mind at that. She was too used
+to being alone. She had lived alone for so long that she was still
+having trouble getting used to people. No matter how much she wanted
+to be around them. Garnet in particular. So she had to try. To give
+it a shot. To show that she could be around people, that she could
+try to understand them. "What's wrong?" Eiko asked at last. Tilting
+her head to the side, she glanced up at Relm expectantly. Not exactly
+the best reply, but it was something.
+Sighing, Relm closed her eyes tightly. It all came out in a rush.
+"It's Yuffie. She doesn't care what I do. I'm just annoying to her.
+She thinks I'm just a crazy bimbo that wants to hang off of her. She
+doesn't care how I feel. She's selfish and only cares about what
+happens to her. But I love her anyway. Even if she can't understand.
+Even if she thinks I'm just..." She swallowed again and again, trying
+to choke back the tears. A muffled sob escaped her as she pressed her
+face against her trembling knees.
+Eiko sat down next to the sobbing artist. That sounded familiar. Too
+familiar. Maybe people weren't so difficult to understand after all.
+Did everyone hurt that badly? It was a scary thought. She reached out
+hesitantly, not sure how to help, how to comfort the blonde girl. Her
+hand nearly touched Relm's shoulder before she slowly pulled it back.
+She didn't know what to do. Sighing softly, Relm's crying surrounded
+her. How often had she done that? She'd promised her grandfather that
+she'd be a big girl, that she could take care of herself, but
+sometimes... "I'm sorry." She shook her head, her lavender hair
+wisping past her eyes. "It isn't fair. Why can't they understand? We
+love them so much that it hurts, but they can't see that. They're so
+lost in their own worlds that they don't even know we're there. That
+we need them so much." She pulled up the letter to Garnet, reading
+her love's name again and again. Why did this happen? Why did it have
+to hurt so much? Wasn't love supposed to end happily like in the
+fairy tales she'd heard as a young child? It was. It had to. Damn it,
+what was the point of being around people and falling in love if all
+it did was hurt you? Letting the letter drop from her fingers, she
+stood up again. She wouldn't just leave a letter on Garnet's bed and
+run away. She would find another way.
+A small, warm hand rested on Relm's shoulder, drawing her out from
+the veil of tears that surrounded her. She blinked weakly and gazed
+through blurry eyes to the lavender haired summoner. The younger girl
+was looking at her with an almost desperate intensity in her eyes.
+She held back her sobs, sniffling quietly.
+"I think... I think we're going through the same thing right now. We
+can't give up. Love isn't supposed to work like this. So that means
+we have to make it work. We can't let it end like this. We have to
+fight for it. It would be too easy to walk away and be alone again.
+But I can't do that anymore. And if this Yuffie can make you cry like
+that, I don't think you want to be alone again either. Let's do it.
+Let's make them realize everything. Let's make it so they can't ever
+deny how much we love them again," Eiko said determinedly.
+Relm was taken aback by the girl's words. For a moment she wondered
+how a girl so young could understand, but she brushed that aside. She
+understood. That was the important thing. The only thing. Reaching
+out, she rested her hand on top of Eiko's, smiling faintly through
+her tears. Her head nodded weakly, a soft giggle slipping from her
+lips. A renewed fire burned within her heart. "Let's."

Mercurial > moonlitnights

comparison old/stories/prismhearts-09.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights