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date	Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500
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-:dbe144217c71
+:fc00894c1d4a
+Prism Hearts
+Chapter 12
+Angelus Errare: Where Angels Lose Their Way
+by Amazoness Duo
+amazonessduo@hotmail.com
+She was out there. Somewhere. Being chased by the Heartless and
+whoever else wanted what lay inside of her heart. Lost out in a world
+slowly being consumed by darkness. Torn between reality and nightmare
+and whatever was in between. And the one man he had counted on to
+protect her was now incredibly far away, unable to keep the darkness
+at bay for her. Wherever she was, he knew she was in danger. He could
+feel it resonating throughout his soul, a cosmic cord that had been
+struck, hitting him like nails on a chalkboard. He could tell himself
+that it was only his own worry, but he didn't believe that. There was
+a connection between them, something that being worlds away wasn't
+going to sever. After all, she was the only reason he lingered in
+this world of the living.
+The concern he felt was reaching a crescendo, crashing around him
+like an angry sea. It was maddening. He was powerless to save her,
+trapped behind the door at the center of all the universes, Kingdom
+Hearts. Riku pounded on the inside of the door, frustration eating
+him alive. He'd heard Kairi on the other side of those large doors
+not so long ago. So close yet so far. If only he'd been able to get
+through them to her... He hated leaving her alone. Sora was supposed
+to be with her. But where was the other boy?
+Leaning against the door, Riku crossed his arms and sighed. He was
+trapped here. He couldn't go to Kairi's rescue. Not this time. He
+wanted to believe that Sora would reach her in time, but Sora felt so
+very far away. Well, Riku wasn't exactly trapped. There was one other
+place he could go. "But I can't do that. Not yet. Not until I see her
+again." When he had lost his body to Ansem, he had technically died.
+With no body, he was only a soul. He could leave this plane, could
+escape to the afterlife. Farplane. Lifestream. Whatever one wished to
+call it. He could feel it calling to him, but he pushed it off with
+force of will. He couldn't go yet. Even if that left him locked
+behind a door at the center of all creation. "Kairi..." he whispered.
+Again, that feeling of cold dread sent shards of ice through his
+blood. She needed him and he couldn't go to her. "Sora... Hurry...
+She needs you." But somehow, he had the horrible feeling that Sora
+was lost himself at the moment. Neither of them could save her.
+Neither of them could reach her. It was up to Kairi. Or Fate. "Hold
+on, Kairi. Please hold on. You don't need to be meeting me in the
+afterlife. Not yet."
+Locked away at the heart of all that was, a silver haired boy closed
+his eyes and prayed to whoever would listen to him to let the girl he
+loved be all right.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+"Yuna!"
+Yuna pulled away from the kiss she had been entagled in with Rikku,
+the world slamming back down around her. Her cheeks flushed a dark
+red as her flustered heart spun dizzily. She tried to step away from
+the catgirl, but Rikku was only pulled closer. She could feel tiny
+pinpricks against her hips. It took her a moment to realize it was
+the blonde girl's claws through her skirt. They were still snagged on
+the fabric. Blushing more, Yuna quickly cast her gaze for the source
+of the voice.
+Rikku blinked confusedly, still staring up at the pretty brunette.
+The voice had vaguely reached her ears, but she was too lost in a
+world alone with Yuna to case. "Mew?" The curious cat sound she made
+didn't register to her as anything strange. It was as close to a
+question as she could muster at the moment. Holding onto Yuna, the
+catgirl nuzzled her neck, purring happily as she reached up to kiss
+the other girl again. She paused when she saw the horrified look on
+Yuna's face. That look on the brunette's beautiful face broke the
+spell Rikku had been under, sending her tumbling back to the earth
+from the heavens she had been dwelling in. "Yunie, what's wrong?"
+"Tidus!" Yuna pulled away from Rikku, running forward on the beach.
+The previously comfortable wet sand against her feet now felt
+difficult and unpredictable, impeding her effort to reach the blonde
+boy.
+Tidus was still smiling. He'd finally found Yuna on the other side
+of the island and she seemed to be talking to Rikku about something.
+They were hugging and whispering, he thought. Running to them, he'd
+called out to Yuna. He wanted to ask her if she wanted to go with him
+to the festival that night. She would be fun to go with and he did
+like her. And Selphie was right, she was an excellent dancer. For
+some reason, Yuna had blushed when he'd called her name. They must
+have been talking about something private. When she finally caught
+sight of him, he grinned and waved. "Yuna!" He ran across the beach,
+his sandles mashing against the wet sand. He was nearly out of breath
+but he didn't care. They were having the festival that night. He'd
+get to go with Yuna and they'd all have fun. They could forget about
+holes that led to nowhere and friends disappearing and...
+"Tidus!!" Yuna screamed, reaching out for him. Strong arms wrapped
+around her waist, yanking her back. The wind was knocked out of her
+as she was dragged back. Someone's voice yelled to her, but it was
+drowned out by the roar of the water. Water poared around her like a
+spring storm, but it all came from the sea around them, soaking her
+in salt water. She struggled to get free, but Rikku's claws held
+tight in her dress, pulling her further back even under the
+relentless shower. She cried out unintelligibly straining.
+Something immense broke throught the water's surface, sending water
+spraying everywhere as waves crashed against the beach. The creature,
+some cross between a whale, coral, and a nightmare, raised up above
+the beach, casting the already cloudy day into shadow. Water and sand
+were actually getting sucked upwards, high into the air in some sort
+of vortex above the creature. It watched them, even though it had no
+eyes. But in particular, it seemed to be watching Yuna.
+For a moment, Yuna was disoriented. A huge wave had crashed around
+her and Rikku, sending them tumbling. She couldn't tell if she was
+still on the beach or in the ocean. She spat out seawater, hunched
+over. The wind tore at her drenched clothes, making her shiver and
+the wet cloth slapped against her. She scanned frantically for any
+sign of Rikku or Tidus. She finally caught sight of the blonde boy.
+He was floating in the water in front of the monster. "Tidus!!" she
+cried out, slowly getting to her feet. The boy stirred, starting to
+move in the water. She had to get him away from it. "Rikku?" She
+couldn't tell where the catgirl was. Deep in her heart, she knew this
+creature. It sang to her, a horrible, brutal lullaby. It dizzied her
+senses, leaving her barely able to concentrate. She struggled to
+reach Tidus in time, stumbling through the knee deep water. Tripping
+on a rock in the water, her heart lurched as well as her body as she
+crashed painfully into the waves. She was running out of time. It
+wouldn't pause forever. She had to drag him away from it. She had to
+find Rikku and run. They all needed to get away. Far, far away.
+Gazing through the water that burned her eyes, Yuna could barely
+make out the vague blur that she hoped was Tidus. "Tidus!" She tried
+to get out around a mouthful of water. She pushed herself forward the
+last few steps. The boy began to get up on his own. Good. Now she
+wouldn't have to drag him. They could run. Before she could search
+for Rikku, she could tell that something was wrong. No, he wasn't
+getting up on his own. The water was moving him. Pulling him up. Up
+into the air. "No!" Yuna ran forward, slowed by the surging waves.
+"Tidus!" She screamed. She reached for his limp hand, her fingers
+brushing against him. Her heart nearly collapsed when she realized it
+was too late. His wet fingers slipped past hers as the water and sand
+and leaves were sucked up into the air. And she was about to follow.
+Her feet were no longer touching the ground. The water around her was
+starting to get pulled after her. She was going to be devoured.
+This... Thing was going to devour Tidus and then her. It was like a
+monster from fairy tales her father had told her. But this one was
+hideously real.
+Yuna stopped in midair. A wet paw clung tightly to her skirt,
+yanking her away from the funnel of water and debris getting sucked
+into the vortex up above. The hand nearly lost it's grip again and
+again, but it kept grasping at her, finally pulling her away. The
+water around them was still trying to lift into the sky, but not as
+strongly as the tornado of objects being pulled into the air where
+Yuna had just been. Rikku held onto Yuna's hand tightly, the claws
+cutting into her skin as the wind whipped at them, trying to drag
+them after Tidus. 'I'll protect you. I won't let anything happen to
+you. I won't let it hurt you,' Rikku's mind raced. She didn't know
+what this was, but she knew she couldn't let it have Yuna. She'd
+promised to protect the girl. She'd do anything to protect her.
+The two girls reached the beach, soaked and out of breath, aching
+and afraid. Behind them, the steady roar began to die down. Splashes
+could be heard as objects that hadn't reached the vortex plummeted to
+the sea below. Yuna turned slowly, dreading what she would see. Where
+the creature had stood was now only chaos. Debris floating
+haphazardly in the ocean. And Tidus was gone. Gone. "No..." she
+whispered, as if denying that it had happened would bring him back,
+would deny the very event itself. "No!" She stumbled forward, wanting
+to search for him, but she knew it was pointless. She collapsed to
+her knees in the wet sand. That creature... It was her nightmare. The
+thing that haunted her dreams. She knew it. Her personal boogeyman.
+It had many forms, but it was always the same. And now it was real.
+It had come out of her nightmares and it had found her. And it had
+taken away one of those closest to her. And she knew it would be back
+for more. She burst into tears. They had always told her that her
+father had merely drowned at sea, but she could never believe that.
+She'd had a dream about that creature taking her father away the
+night before he'd died. She'd seen it. She'd been unable to stop it.
+Now it had taken Tidus away. "Tidus... I'm so sorry..." She had
+failed once more to protect those she cared about. Her father hadn't
+listened, had told her it was only a nightmare and had sailed off to
+his death. Tidus had been so close. So very close. She'd nearly had
+his hand. "I'm so sorry..." she repeated between sobs.
+Wet, furry arms wrapped around Yuna, pulling her close. The crying
+girl curled up weakly in Rikku's arms, shaking. "Yunie..."
+Swallowing, Rikku buried her face against the brunette's soggy hair.
+What was that thing? In all of her travels, she'd never met anything
+so terrifying. It had seemed so focussed on Yuna. How could she
+protect Yuna from that demon? She had to try. Somehow. She'd
+promised. She wouldn't let it take her. No matter what.
+"Sin..." Yuna whispered, resting limply in Rikku's arms. She
+shuddered violently, breaking into a fresh batch of sobs.
+"What? Yunie, what's sin?" Rikku asked worriedly, pulling Yuna closer.
+"That... that was Sin..." Yuna whispered. "Sin's come to punish
+us..." She knew it. Knew it like she knew how to breathe and how to
+laugh. It was ingrained in her. That was Sin. It was a nightmare. And
+it had come for the Destiny Islands.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Hikari nibbled on her lower lip, waiting anxiously for the bell to
+ring. She shuffled the beautiful, multicolored papers on her lap,
+watching the clock in the classroom tick inexorably towards
+dismissal. Her heart pounded excitedly in her chest as she waited.
+Taking a pencil, she began to scribble on the top sheet. She smiled
+as a familiar figure began to take shape on the page before her. It
+happened without thinking, as if he wanted to see her. It was silly,
+she knew, but she couldn't help it. Riku slowly came into being on
+the paper in front of her in the form of a hastily drawn picture.
+Sighing inwardly, she smiled. He was so cute. But he was probably so
+lonely there by himself. By now completely phasing out whatever the
+teacher was saying, Hikari drew in Sora next to the other boy. And,
+after a moment's thought, herself between the two boys. There. That
+was better. By now, drawing the boys was second nature. She'd drawn
+hundreds of pictures of them and their island. They were her best
+friends. Even if they weren't real.
+The bell finally rang, cutting into Hikari's distant thoughts. The
+girl quickly got up, nearly dropping her lapful of colored papers. A
+boy behind her laughed as she struggled to keep a grasp on the
+handful of them. Finally pulling them into a hug, she hurried to pass
+them out. They were invitations to her thirteenth birthday party. Her
+mother had made each of them by hand the night before. Her mother's
+art still amazed her. The older woman could draw such beautiful
+things. It was she who had spent hours upon hours teaching Hikari to
+draw. And now the younger girl spent as much time as she could
+drawing her dreams, that far off world she loved so very much. It
+seemed to come to life in the drawings.
+Written in her mother's careful hand on each and every paper was:
+'Please come, one and all, to the beautiful Princess Hikari's 13th
+birthday this Friday. Whether by carriage or chocobo or airship, all
+are welcome for this wondrous celebration. Dinner will be served so
+all visiting dignitaries' parents shouldn't worry about them coming
+home hungry. Please call Princess Hikari's chief adviser (her mother)
+if you have any questions.'
+As Hikari passed out the last of the invitations, she felt
+excitement mixed with pride and anticipation. The invitations were
+beautiful. Her mother had spent so much time on them, surprising
+Hikari early in the morning with the bundle. She had said she wanted
+Hikari to have a birthday fit for a princess. That was so sweet.
+Hikari had been delighted with the beautiful pictures that adorned
+the invitations. Her mother had drawn them. It was like an invitation
+to Wonderland, wondrous and amazing. No one else had invitations like
+that, usually little more than explanations on paper of what party
+and where. No one else had a mother like she had, pretty and fun and
+loving. Her mind raced with thoughts of her birthday, of games and
+the pretty dress her mother had bought her for it and....
+"Princess Hikari?" One of the girls asked, grinning. "Since when was
+Hikari a princess?"
+Hikari's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "It's... Mom meant..."
+"So we're supposed to get off of school friday and go to 'her
+highness's' little play date?" A boy asked.
+"What types of games will they be playing? Spin the bottle?"
+Another boy laughed. "With who? The other four-year-olds Hikari
+invites? You'll be lucky if they play pin the tail on the donkey. The
+'Princess' likes to keep things simple."
+Hikari's eyes burned brightly with tears as she listened to them
+laugh and joke. Each time she heard someone call her 'princess', it
+felt like a slap to the face. Not like when her mother said it. When
+she said it, Hikari felt like a real princess. But now....  She
+sniffled painfully, hoisting up her backpack as she left the room.
+"Hey, Princess, I don't think I can make it. I'm gonna be visiting
+the man on the moon that day. Very busy," a girl said mock seriously.
+Her friends burst into laughter.
+Hikari couldn't speak. She could barely keep from crying. She'd
+thought the invitations were wonderful. She loved the idea of a
+magically princess themed birthday party. But now she felt stupid for
+wanting such a thing. Stupid and childish.
+Another boy crumpled up the invitation, drawn brilliantly on a sky
+blue paper. He dropped it in a trash can as he passed, not bothering
+with a glance back. It was simply so much trash to him. Nothing more,
+nothing less. Her mother's work, the pretty invitation she had spent
+all night on, now left unceremoniously with the rest of the garbage.
+Hikari felt sick. She shook lightly, her vision blurred. She didn't
+even know where she was going. She wanted to collapse and cry. But
+then they'd be right. She would just be a dumb little girl. Tears
+fell silently down her cheeks as she cursed herself inwardly. She was
+just a dumb little girl. A little girl who wanted her mother, who
+wanted to be a princess. Who wanted everyone to like her. Her breath
+caught in her throat, wet and stinging. She pushed open the bathroom
+door and stumbled on leaden feet into a stall. Collapsing, she cried
+through most of the next period.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Kairi stirred weakly in her bonds. Where was she? Oh, how she was
+beginning to loathe that question. Kuja... Blinking awake, Kairi
+glanced around the gothic looking room. The nightmare she had just
+had only made her present state that much more miserable. Her soul
+was still clouded with pain half-remembered, worried about an
+uncertain Fate that hung before her.
+"So the sleeper awakens." Kuja's soft voice seemed to come from
+everywhere at once. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew he was
+smirking now. "Or perhaps that's not entirely true. You haven't woken
+up just yet. Not from this dream. But that suits my needs just fine.
+I'll shape this dream however I see fit with the power you'll grant
+me, Kairi." Finally stepping into view, the lithe catboy was indeed
+smirking. He traced Kairi's cheek with his fingertips. "It will hurt.
+But then it will all be over. And I'll create a new world from your
+ashes."
+Kairi struggled as she felt his hand trailing down her neck, moving
+over her collarbone. But she was helpless. "I won't give up. I won't
+let you change this world. I'm going to save it." She had to believe
+in those words. She had to. For Sora. For Riku. For all of her
+friends who were counting on her to stop the Heartless.
+"You really don't have a choice anymore, Kairi. You may be the
+dreamer, but with the Prism Heart, I'll recast it into my dream. I'll
+never die. All the things that haunt me will disperse into
+nothingness. It will be beautiful." Kuja sighed deliciously. "It's
+only too bad you won't be there to see it." His hand now rested
+directly over Kairi's heart. He could practically taste the fear and
+uncertainty that washed over her. He gazed into her eyes, ready to
+watch the light fade from them as she died. With a swift motion of
+his hand, he shoved his fingers into her chest.
+Pain screamed through Kairi's head, bright and searing pain that
+instantly killed any thoughts that were swarming through her head.
+The scream felt endless and tore through her mind and soul. Yet her
+lips only trembled, unable to make anything but the tiniest sounds.
+She could feel his hand pushing deeper inside of her, clutching at
+her heart, could feel him grabbing it tenderly, ready to draw it out
+of her. She'd come so far. She had promised she'd save Riku. But now
+she would die in a far off world as someone used her heart to
+recreate this reality. And all she could do was wish for the pain to
+end.
+'Thinking of you, wherever you are.
+We pray for our sorrows to end,
+And hope that our hearts will blend.
+Now I will step forward to realize this wish.'
+No. She had promised. This wouldn't end here. Her fingernails dug
+into her palms as she tried to concentrate. She wouldn't die here.
+She couldn't die here. Her journey wasn't over. She needed to save
+Riku. Had to find Sora. 'I won't give up. I'm with you. Wherever you
+are.' Whether the thought was her own or soemone else's, she couldn't
+quite be sure. The pain grew, numbing her senses in an overload as
+she felt her heart slipping further and further away from her.
+'Mom...' Her mother was a beautiful woman, her best friend. 'Dad...'
+Her father had been an ingenious monarch who had fallen victim to his
+own curiosity. Both were from different worlds. But both felt so
+real. 'I can't give up one and not the other. I can't choose. I
+can't...' Everything around her began to fade as she felt her heart
+giving up it's hold. 'I'm sorry...' she thought dimly as everything
+plunged into blackness around her.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+"Kuja!" Garnet stood at the last of the steps, watching in horror as
+pulled a shimmering, crystalline heart from Kairi. The chestnut
+haired girl slumped in her bonds, her eyes dull and glassy. Simply a
+body. They were too late.
+"Kairi!!" Relm ran past the silver haired catboy to the chained up
+Keyblade Mistress's side. If she'd been with her instead of playing
+her stupid games with Yuffie... Celes had sacrificed herself so they
+could escape. But now... Without Kairi, how could they hope to stop
+the Heartless? "Kairi... Kairi, please wake up..." Relm held onto
+Kairi's shoulders, but the other girl couldn't hear her.
+"I'm afraid you're too late. I already have what I was looking for.
+Go ahead and take her body if you want. I have no further use for
+it." He shrugged, grinning wildly as he held his prize. The Prism
+Heart. "This world will soon be born anew. Do as you like until
+then." Not even Sephiroth or Princess Hikari could stop him now. He
+was the master of reality itself. Now his perceptions, his dreams
+would all resonate throughout all the existed.
+"How could you do this?" Garnet asked, disbelief making her dizzy.
+How could this have happened? How could anyone do that? She stepped
+forward in a haze, barely feeling Eiko clinging to her side.
+"He's doing this at my behest," a voice said from further up the
+steps. Queen Brahne walked down the steps, followed closely by Harle.
+"The kingdom is in danger. I'll do whatever it takes to protect it.
+And if a few peasant girls' lives are needed to stop the Heartless,
+I'll gladly sacrifice them."
+Garnet turned, the world tipping on its side. Her mother had known
+what Kuja was doing? She had let him do these horrible things? They
+would have done this to Eiko. "No! You can't sacrifice others! You
+can't use them like toys!"
+"I'm the Queen of Alexandria. I will do whatever I see fit. And you
+will not speak back to me again, Princess." Brahne's eyes grew cold
+and distant, not at all the mother Garnet had once known.
+Laughter broke out through the torture chamber, drawing everyone's
+attention. "I'm afraid you have it all wrong, Queen Brahne. I don't
+care what happens with the Heartless. I think you're confused about
+just who was using who. You gave me the resources I needed to find
+the girl with the Prism Heart. Your pathetic Alexandria won't even
+exist in the world I create."
+"Kuja... I'll have you executed," Brahne growled. She wasn't about
+to let him betray her. She'd have Harle finish the rest of it. Her
+harlequin knew enough about magic and relics to use the Prism Heart
+to make Alexandria the most powerful nation in existence.
+More laughter erupted from the silver haired man. "You don't know
+who you're speaking to, Brahne. I'm a god now. I will never die.
+Certainly not at your capricious whims. My life... No, all lives are
+mine to do with as a please." He held out the shining crystal heart
+in his hand. "Starting with yours." Before Brahne could even move,
+the world shifted around them. The Queen stood where she was, frozen.
+She was made completely of polished marble. "A statue fitting of a
+queen. They can put you in the center of your palace and worship you
+until the palace falls in on itself. But I don't feel like waiting
+that long." With another wave on his hand, the statue shattered, the
+head rolling amidst the scattered pieces.
+"Mother!" Garnet fell beside what had been her mother, her heart
+seized in her chest. She was gone. Even if she had been killing
+innocent girls, she was still her mother. And now she was gone. In an
+instant. Tears dripped to the broken marble beneath her. "Mother..."
+"Garnet..." Eiko held onto the taller girl from behind, keeping a
+wary eye on Kuja. They needed to get out of there quickly. There was
+no telling what he'd do next. "Garnet, we have to go. Please." But
+Garnet wasn't listening. And Eiko couldn't leave without her. Though
+she was starting to worry none of them would be leaving.
+"You bastard! Give Kairi her heart back!" Relm ran up to Kuja,
+slamming her small fists into his chest. "Bring her back!!!" Tears
+burnt at her eyes. So many useless sacrifices. They couldn't be in
+vain. They just couldn't.
+Bringing his hand up, Kuja slapped the bandanna wearing girl
+viciously. Staggering back, Relm was disoriented. Kuja grabbed her
+neck, lifting her until her toes were scrabbling at the floor.
+"Useless little artist. I would have let you stay around to give me
+something to look at, but you hardly seem worth the effort. Don't
+worry. I'll let you join Kairi. If you don't want to be part of my
+world, I'll let you be part of hers. The world of the dead."
+Squeezing tightly, he felt her throat constricting under his hand.
+How long until the light faded from her eyes as well?
+Relm struggled to keep her feet on the floor, but they were feeling
+further and further away. Her lungs burned and her vision began to
+get spotty. She wanted to scream, but nothing could come out without
+the air she desperately needed. Her hands fell limply to her sides.
+She could almost hear Celes at the edge of her mind. But what was she
+saying? She'd know soon enough. At least... At least she'd be joining
+Celes and Interceptor. That was some comfort.
+"Leave her alone, you asshole!" Kuja let out a gasp of pain. A
+splume of red filled Relm's vision before she fell to the floor, air
+rushing back to her aching lungs. Kuja clutched his slashed arm, the
+Prism Heart floating next to him. Yuffie sat crouched in front of
+Relm, her giant shuriken bloodied. 'Yuffie!' Relm thought, fighting
+to clear her thoughts. 'She... she saved me...' She could only gaze
+at Yuffie's back, her heart burning anew for the ninja girl in front
+of her.
+Kuja grinned, running his hand over the wound on his right arm. The
+arm was instantly better. "You fool. You should have ran. Or did you
+want to die with the artist? That can be arranged."
+"I don't plan on dying for a good long time. And neither is she as
+long as I have any say in it." Pulling up her shuriken in front of
+her, Yuffie grinned herself. "I can't say the same for you." Her aura
+lit up, blazing in a beautiful array of colors. The shuriken began to
+spin in front of her as she focussed. If he could heal himself, she
+had to end this with one hit before he had a chance to. This had to
+be everything she had inside of herself. For Relm. She couldn't let
+him hurt the younger girl. She couldn't live with herself if she did.
+And she could live with herself doing quite a bit, so that was saying
+something. "All Creation!!" She called out, energy lashing out
+blindingly. It slammed into Kuja, illuminating the entire room.
+Pushing herself, she tried to force out every ounce of energery she
+had inside of herself into the attack.  Yuffie stumbled onto one
+knee, the shuriken fell to the floor, clinging next to her. Her body
+felt drained, nothing left to push forward with. Slumping forward
+onto the cold stone floor, she passed out.
+"Yuffie... Yuffie!" Relm crawled over to the ninja, checking to make
+sure she was alive. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt
+Yuffie's weak heartbeat under her hand. She was alive. Yuffie had
+saved her. She clutched onto the fallen ninja, burying her face into
+Yuffie's hair. "Yuffie..."
+"That... hurt..." Kuja stumbled forward. "I'm going to keep you
+alive for that, you little bitch. And you'll pray for the day that
+I'll kill you. That would have killed me. But the Prism Heart filters
+all reality. Even your pathetic attacks. I told you. I can't die." He
+walked towards them clenching his fist.
+"No. You will ruin everyzing. I will not allow it. Zis is not ze way
+things should be." Harle crossed her arms, watching Kuja turn to face
+her. "Zat girl is ze dreamer. You are not. You will plunge everyzing
+into chaos. You do not have ze will to be a god. She is integral to
+zis world. I won't let you make it all fall apart. Not now." Dragon
+wings unfurled behind her, her face elongating. Her fingers became
+deadly claws. A tail appeared behind her. Her harlequin costume tore
+apart as she grew, shifting into something not in the least human.
+Her voice changed into a deep roar as the dragon stood before Kuja.
+"I am Bahamut, the Dragon God. I won't let your madness spread
+throughout reality like a virus." The dragon's mouth opened, light
+spraying forth as he showered Kuja with Megaflare. And then nothing.
+The world spun around the Dragon God. Harle watched as Kuja stepped
+out of the dissipating explosion. She stepped back, realizing she was
+naked and no longer a dragon. This was much more trouble than she had
+expected.
+"So you're Bahamut. I thought there was something strange about you.
+But the legendary Dragon God isn't very frightening when you're
+sealed away inside that body. I think I'll keep you around just to
+show you what power I have. You can be there by my side as I unleash
+my 'madness' upon reality. And what better servant than Bahamut?"
+Kuja laughed. This was turning out perfectly. Everything was his to
+command. Nothing could stand against him. All would be as he wished
+it to be.
+"I told you not to harm Kairi."
+Kuja spun around at the sound of Sephiroth's voice. Could this day
+be any better? He had thought he'd have to go to Sephiroth and tear
+apart Princess Hikari's upside down palace right in front of his
+eyes. But now his former boss had come to him. This would be
+immensely satisfying. No one controlled him anymore. Everything was
+his. "I changed my mind. You gave me power, yes. The power of the
+Heartless. But I want more than that. The power of a god. The power
+to stop life and death. Letting you have her wouldn't have been any
+fun."
+Sephiroth narrowed his eyebrows, stepping forward. A young girl, a
+mirror image of Kairi wearing a gorgeous midnight black dress,
+stepped from behind him.
+"So you brought Princess Hikari with you? Thank you so much,
+Sephiroth. You're making this so much easier. Now I can get you both
+out of the way before creating my beautiful dream."
+"Kairi still has further to travel. You're complicating things,
+Kuja. You weren't supposed to harm her for a reason. You're fears and
+insecurities are making you erratic. I knew I shouldn't have trusted
+you." Princess Hikari stepped over to Kairi, lifting her chin and
+gazing into lifeless eyes.
+"It's a little too late for that, your highness. Maybe if you beg,
+I'll let you exist in my world. As something suitably ironic. Like a
+prostitute or a homeless girl. Yes, those both sound interesting. And
+you, Sephiroth, I'm just going to kill you. I'm sick of taking orders
+from you." Kuja watched the two of them, his thoughts spinning
+delightfully. So many possibilities. He raised his hand. He frowned.
+He hadn't really expected Sephiroth to show any fear, but it was
+still disappointing. "Die!" The world shifted around Sephiroth,
+becoming razor sharp to cut through the warrior. But nothing
+happened. The SOLDIER unfurled his single, black wing, looking back
+at Kuja. "What the hell?" It wasn't possible. "The Prism Heart
+controls all reality. All of it! Even you, Sephiroth! Die!!!" Again,
+nothing happened. Princess Hikari stepped in front of Kuja, looking
+very displeased. Suddenly, Kuja began to feel the fear and
+desperation that had driven him to this in the first place. He was
+going to die. And he could do nothing to stop it. His plans were
+falling apart in front of him.
+"Kuja, that heart is mine. If Kairi is my shadow, then why would you
+be able to stop me with her heart?" Princess Hikari asked, beckoning
+Sephiroth over. "Prism Hearts isn't simply her. She's only a small
+part of it. Yes, you could shape reality with it. If I allowed it.
+And I most certainly will not." She held her hand out, Kairi's heart
+floating to her. Walking over to Kairi, she gently placed it back
+inside of the other girl. "Now go, Kairi. You need to unlock his
+keyhole. Riku needs you," she whispered in Kairi's ear. "Hurry to
+him." Turning, she motioned for Sephiroth. "We should go. I don't
+want to leave Sora for long."
+Kuja shook his head, watching Sephiroth advance. He could feel the
+power he'd been given by the Heartless dissolving as he called for
+it. It was over. He was going to die. All of his preparations to
+prevent that had been for naught. He shook his head again as
+Sephiroth pulled out the Masamune. "No... No!!!" Raising his hand, he
+cast Ultima. "I'll kill you all!! You'll all die with me!" he
+screamed. Magic shot out, tearing into the palace, destroying
+everything in its path. But it was too late. The pain was sharp and
+brilliant. Looking down, he could see the hilt of Sephiroth's blade.
+The SOLDIER looked into his eyes, their brilliant mako green glow
+looking like that of death itself. Pulling the blade out, Sephiroth
+walked after the Princess, the palace collapsing all around them.
+Only half awake, Kairi stumbled towards Kuja. She could see that he
+was bleeding heavily. Her mind whirled. The Keyhole... Riku...
+Darkness, deep and ancient where she'd been lost while her heart had
+been stolen from her. She lifted the Keyblade in front of her with
+what strength she could muster. The world felt like it was falling
+out from beneath her feet. She had to stop it now. And this was the
+only way. Lunging forward, the pressed the Keyblade into Kuja's
+chest, into the Keyhole that existed in his heart. The roof began to
+fall in around her, the palace getting ready to crush this basement.
+The entire world was about to fall on top of them. Closing her eyes,
+she unlocked his heart. Light spilled out of the dying man, filling
+the room until there was nothing else.
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Kairi found herself once again floating amidst light. It reminded
+her far too much of the darkness she had been surrounding her when
+she'd lost her heart. 'Maybe light and dark aren't so different after
+all.' She couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed. All that
+existed was light. Her body was an anomaly in this world of light.
+She felt that if she stayed her for too long her physical form would
+fade away. She floated in this tranquil sea, searching.
+"You have unlocked the light in the heart of Desperation."  The
+voice that existed everywhere in the light echoed through her.
+"I was supposed to save my world. I was created as a puppet to save
+a long dead planet by letting it repopulate another. But I wasn't
+what they wanted. So they created another to replace me. I was a
+tool, something to be used until it was no longer necessary and then
+thrown away. I was created to die. And there was nothing I could do
+to stop it. I was... afraid. I didn't want to die. So I tried to stop
+it. To do anything to live. And if I couldn't live, then I didn't
+want anyone to live. It wasn't fair. Life and death... Why? My
+desperation filled me until I saw nothing else. But now... I am
+dying. It... It will be all right? Won't it?"
+Kairi smiled softly, nodding in the glow of the light. "It will be
+all right. Death is only the beginning. I... I learned that a long
+time ago. You won't ever have to fear again."
+'I'm making Riku wait for me. He's... He's dead, too. I have to
+hurry to him. He's staying in this world for me. I couldn't stay in
+that other world. I couldn't live there. So I....'  She shook her
+head. No. She couldn't accept the other world where she'd killed
+herself. Not yet. "If you see someone named Riku there, please give
+him my love." As the light faded, Kairi lost herself in the layer
+between worlds.

Mercurial > moonlitnights

comparison old/stories/prismhearts-12.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights