Mercurial > moonlitnights
comparison old/stories/prismhearts-14.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights
[svn r3] moved all the bad stuff to 'old'
author | rlm |
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date | Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500 |
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1 Prism Hearts | |
2 | |
3 Chapter 14 | |
4 Fly Me to the Moon | |
5 by Amazoness Duo | |
6 | |
7 amazonessduo@hotmail.com | |
8 | |
9 | |
10 | |
11 | |
12 | |
13 “Is this the End of the World?” Sora asked. He stood on a small rock | |
14 in the midst of a stream. The water was plummeting over a jagged edge | |
15 into nothingness. And this was inside the upside down palace he had | |
16 found Hikari in. It was as if this was an amalgamation of so many | |
17 things, yet all of them incomplete. Everything was missing something. | |
18 Everything was just a little warped, a little wrong. Like a dream | |
19 that you couldn't quite tell was a dream. | |
20 | |
21 “Hmm?” Hikari sat near the edge of the stream, her bare feet in the | |
22 cool water. She looked gorgeous in the black dress she wore. She wore | |
23 a collar around her throat and two black ribbons around her wrists. | |
24 She smiled at Sora, kicking some water at him. “I guess you could say | |
25 that. This is at the end of the universes. This is where everything | |
26 ends. Where Kingdom Hearts is locked away.” | |
27 | |
28 Sora grinned as he tried to dodge Hikari's light splashing. It was | |
29 so nice to be with her again. He took another glance around. Some | |
30 leaves that had been falling off the trees hung in midair, as if they | |
31 had decided not to fall to the ground after all. “But this looks so | |
32 different from the End of the World that Donald, Goofy and I went | |
33 through before.” | |
34 | |
35 The water splished and splashed as Hikari walked over to Sora, | |
36 wrapping her arms around him from behind. Her hands rested on his | |
37 heart, feeling the flutter of it against her fingertips. It was | |
38 almost an ironic feeling. She smiled despite herself, resting her | |
39 head against his back. His smell, his clothes rustling against her | |
40 touch, his heartbeat under her palms, it was all so very real. | |
41 “That's because you were at a different End of the World, Sora. You | |
42 sealed away the Doorway to the Darkness. This place leads to the | |
43 Doorway to the Light.” | |
44 | |
45 Sora shook his head, his heart pounding against Hikari's hands. He | |
46 tried to focus on the question to keep from getting too distracted. | |
47 Kairi... He had missed her so much. He had almost felt lost before he | |
48 had found her. Even in this faraway place, as long as he could be | |
49 with her... Riku. No, he wasn't done yet. He had to find Riku. It | |
50 wasn't complete without him. But he was halfway there now. Together, | |
51 they'd find him. Focusing back on his question he tried to ignore the | |
52 way her soft, smaller body felt pressed against his back. “But if | |
53 both the Doorway to the Darkness and the Doorway to the Light are | |
54 Kingdom Hearts, shouldn't it be the same place?” | |
55 | |
56 Hikari giggled against his back, letting her hands wander. “Yes and | |
57 no. You sure are full of questions, aren't you Sora?” Leaning up on | |
58 her tiptoes, she kissed the back of his neck. She grinned as she felt | |
59 him tense up, knowing he must be blushing. This was more fun than she | |
60 thought. She was becoming happier and happier that she had had | |
61 Sephiroth bring Sora to her. Real or not, she still loved him. | |
62 Pretending that she didn't realize his embarrassment, she continued. | |
63 “They're the same place, but they're also different. Do you notice | |
64 how when you go someplace and come back, it's longer on the way there | |
65 than the way back? It's like that. The End of the World you went to | |
66 led to the Doorway to the Darkness. Which is Kingdom Hearts. This End | |
67 of the World leads to the Doorway to the Light. Which is also Kingdom | |
68 Hearts. Much like we all have darkness and light inside of us, so | |
69 does Kindgom Hearts, the heart of everything. So it all depends on | |
70 where you're going. Once you know the secrets, there's very little | |
71 you can't do, Sora. Everything is as far away or as close as you want | |
72 it to be.” | |
73 | |
74 Sora shook his head trying to make sense out of too many things at | |
75 once. “I don't understand.” | |
76 | |
77 “That's exactly the problem. You're trying too hard to understand. | |
78 This isn't two plus two equals four. This is two plus two equals | |
79 whatever you want it to be.” Her hands rested on his shoulders. How | |
80 could she explain it? A fairytale her grandmother had told her came | |
81 to mind. “A long time ago, Darkness began to spread throughout the | |
82 worlds. No matter what people did, they couldn't stop it until | |
83 everything was consumed by shadows. But out of the darkness, their | |
84 came light. The worlds were reborn from the hearts of the children. | |
85 If the worlds were reborn from these special hearts, then wouldn't it | |
86 be different depending on which heart? That's why each world is so | |
87 different. But this place lies on the outskirts of all the worlds, | |
88 where everything is and isn't. This place is a little bit of | |
89 everything. Or it's just what you want it to be. Or it's just what | |
90 you don't want it to be. It's at the very edge of reality, of life, | |
91 of everything. That's why it's the End of the World.” | |
92 | |
93 “I remember hearing that before. Your grandmother told it to you, | |
94 right? But it was just a fairytale, wasn't it?” Sora turned to face | |
95 Hikari, the petite girl looking up at him. | |
96 | |
97 “Every fairytale has some basis in truth. But truth is subjective. | |
98 It changes depending on what eyes you view it with. In one version of | |
99 that story, everything was destroyed by the darkness. Then it was | |
100 reborn from the hearts of some special young girls.” | |
101 | |
102 Sora's eyes went wide as pieces began to fall into place. “The | |
103 Princesses of Heart? Did they rebuild everything? Is that why all of | |
104 them were needed to get to Kingdom Hearts?” | |
105 | |
106 Hikari seemed to ignore him, continuing on. “And in another version, | |
107 the lives of these specific girls were shrouded in darkness. So they | |
108 escaped from the darkness and rebuilt their lives here, crafting out | |
109 their own little worlds to get some light. Both versions are true in | |
110 their own way. It all depends.” | |
111 | |
112 “But how can they both be true?” Sora looked down into Hikari's | |
113 lavender eyes, watching how they sparkled. Even after all he had | |
114 seen, he couldn't wrap his mind around it. | |
115 | |
116 “All of these different worlds. All of them separate, but all of | |
117 them connected. Just because one is true doesn't make another false. | |
118 One isn't mutually exclusive to another. Darkness and Light. Love and | |
119 Hate. Even seemingly contradictory things can be so wrapped together | |
120 that you can't tell the difference,” Hikari explained, gazing up at | |
121 the taller boy. So cute. So loyal. Like a beloved puppy dog. Although | |
122 his loyalty wasn't the same as Sephiroth's or Riku's. They would both | |
123 do whatever was necessary for her. This boy followed his heart. He | |
124 couldn't go against it, couldn't go to the extents that his friend | |
125 would. But he was all she had right now. And she did love him, as | |
126 foolish as that was. And until the end came, at least she could be | |
127 with him. 'I hate you for not being real. For not existing outside of | |
128 this dream. But I love you all the same.' Leaning up on her tiptoes, | |
129 she kissed him. He nearly took a step off of the rock they stood on, | |
130 but she clung to him with desperate fervor, with the need of someone | |
131 who knew they were dying, running out of time. He slowly held onto | |
132 her, kissing back. 'Love me, Sora. Please. Before I lose you.' | |
133 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
134 | |
135 | |
136 | |
137 “Kairi,” a voice said softly. | |
138 | |
139 | |
140 | |
141 It was warm and loving, soft and silky like flower petals on your | |
142 skin. Memories that she couldn't quite recall were spun around that | |
143 voice. It was comforting. Something that she could identify with | |
144 hundreds of different emotions. Most of all, it made her feel safe. | |
145 After all her travelling, that voice made her feel at peace. 'Mom!' | |
146 Kairi's eyes shot open as the realization finally sunk in. That was | |
147 the voice. She felt ashamed that she had nearly forgotten it, that | |
148 she had every allowed herself to forget who it belonged to. The first | |
149 thing she saw was her room. That immediately worried her. Plushies | |
150 filled her bed just as before. Her heart began to race. 'Not here. | |
151 Please, not here. Not this place again,' she thought desperately. A | |
152 cold feeling seemed to pump through her veins as she kicked the | |
153 blanket off. Why did she always have to end up in this place? It was | |
154 a prison, neither here nor there. But something was different. Not | |
155 wrong, but different. Her eyes finally travelled to the locked door | |
156 only to find that it was no longer locked. A beautiful older woman | |
157 stood in the doorway, smiling at her. “Mom!” The word sprang unbidden | |
158 to her lips. It was her mother. She knew it. Springing to her feet, | |
159 she dashed towards her mother and the open door. Her heart cried out | |
160 as she waited for her mother to disappear just as Riku had so many | |
161 times, for the door to come crashing shut. But neither happened. She | |
162 found herself nestled in her mother's embrace, clinging as tightly as | |
163 she could manage. | |
164 | |
165 “It's okay, Kairi. Everything is just fine. Don't worry, honey,” | |
166 Kairi's mother reassured, stroking her hair. “You must have had a | |
167 nightmare. It's gone now.” | |
168 | |
169 “Mom...” Kairi blinked tearfully as she buried her head against her | |
170 mother's shoulder. Everything had been so confusing. But now she was | |
171 here. With her mother. It really must've been a dream after all. She | |
172 wasn't alone searching for something at the end of the universe | |
173 through countless numbers of worlds. She was safe and sound at home. | |
174 Home. This place that she'd been so frightened of, that had been a | |
175 prison to her, now felt remarkably familiar in the way only a place | |
176 you have lived your life in can be. The subtle reassurances of smells | |
177 and sights and sounds all mixed with her mother's embrace all helped | |
178 soothe her weary and battered soul. Her mother slowly pulled away to | |
179 look into her eyes, stroking her cheek gently. She felt childish | |
180 because of it but she was happy for it nonetheless. She looked into | |
181 those eyes, remembering how they had seen her through so much. All | |
182 those times she had come home crying. Whenever she was so very | |
183 lonely. When she had hurt herself. She had always been there for her. | |
184 Just like now. | |
185 | |
186 “Are you all right, Kairi?” her mother asked gently. | |
187 | |
188 Kairi nodded, blinking her tears away. “I'm just fine, mom. I missed | |
189 you so much.” She bit her lip after the last part. What a stupid | |
190 thing to say. She hadn't really been gone. But it sure felt like it. | |
191 Laughing, Kairi's mother shook her head. “I missed you, too, honey. | |
192 Glad to have you awake again.” She kissed her forehead before | |
193 stepping back. “You should get dressed. Breakfast is almost ready.” | |
194 Nodding, Kairi pulled her hands to her heart. Something jostled | |
195 against her hands. “I'll be down in a few minutes.” She watched her | |
196 mother head back towards the kitchen, leaving her alone in her room | |
197 to try to figure things out. Her hand clasped the necklace she wore, | |
198 feeling it's grooves. The Keyblade. Then... She gazed down at the | |
199 tiny key in her hand. But if the Keyblade were still with her, then | |
200 how could it have just been a dream? It had to have been real. A | |
201 sudden terror and hope gripped her at the same time. If it was a | |
202 dream, then Riku and Sora had just been in her head. All of her | |
203 friends had been part of her dream. But if the Keyblade was still | |
204 with her, it couldn't have been a dream. | |
205 | |
206 She had to know. If it was a dream, then she had just lost both the | |
207 boys she loved more than anything. If it wasn't, then how could she | |
208 be home? Her mouth suddenly went dry as she came up with a way to | |
209 find out. She licked her suddenly dry lips, staring at the open | |
210 doorway for a long moment. This could plunge her back into the prison | |
211 her room had so often been. But it might be her only way to find out | |
212 if it was a dream or not. Part of herself begged her not to try it, | |
213 to run downstairs to be with her mother again. But she couldn't. She | |
214 couldn't just leave it alone, let it die. They had to be real. She'd | |
215 come too far to give up on them now. Steeling herself, she closed her | |
216 door. Nothing. But that didn't prove anything. That door had been | |
217 locked so many times. And there was often a voice on the other side | |
218 of it. That strangely familiar voice. And Riku was trapped behind it. | |
219 “Riku?” she called out at last. “Riku, are you there?” Her heart | |
220 thundered as she waited for his reply. 'Please. He has to be there. | |
221 He has to. It can't just be a dream. I love him.' “Riku?” she begged. | |
222 “What is it, Kairi?” | |
223 | |
224 Kairi stared wide eyed at the door. Her mind couldn't comprehend it | |
225 for a moment. His voice had come from behind her. She spun about to | |
226 face him. And there he was, smiling the smile she'd grown to love, | |
227 the salty ocean air sending his silver hair fluttering in the wind. | |
228 Salty ocean air? Her shoes crunched on the sand as she stepped | |
229 towards him. She was back on the beach, back on the Destiny Islands. | |
230 She was home. This... This was home, too. “Riku...” She gripped his | |
231 shirt, her hands nearly shaking. Real. He was real. She hugged him | |
232 fiercely. “Riku! Don't you ever leave me again!” Her voice was mixed | |
233 with anger and fear and joy and love. He was real. He was in her | |
234 arms. She didn't care about the how and why at the moment, only on | |
235 what was. | |
236 | |
237 “Hey! What did Riku do?” Sora asked, his hands behind his head. His | |
238 face was a combination of jealousy and surprise. | |
239 Kairi laughed, letting one arm go to drag Sora into a big group hug. | |
240 The boys didn't hug, instead both standing in her grasp. Silly boys. | |
241 Riku's gloved hand rested on her back while Sora merely stood there a | |
242 bit embarrassedly. “You're both here. It's been so long since we've | |
243 all been together like this.” | |
244 | |
245 Sora looked at her curiously. “What do you mean? Here on the beach? | |
246 It's only been since this morning.” | |
247 | |
248 “Speaking of that, have either of you gotten any work done on the | |
249 raft or do I have to do all the work by myself?” Riku asked, raising | |
250 a silver eyebrow. | |
251 | |
252 Kairi shook her head quickly. “No! I mean... Let's not do that. | |
253 Let's just stay here. The three of us. Always.” | |
254 | |
255 This seemed to perplex Riku. “You don't want to go travelling? To | |
256 see all the worlds out there? To see what lies beyond our Islands? I | |
257 was sure you did, Kairi.” | |
258 | |
259 Shaking her head, Kairi held her boys closer. “I think I've had | |
260 enough travelling for a very long time.” She leaned closer, dropping | |
261 her voice to a conspiratorial hush. “But I do think I could travel | |
262 over to the dock before either of you can.” Giggling, she pushed away | |
263 from the two boys and began running towards the dock. She could hear | |
264 them both running behind her. The sound of laughter filled the | |
265 crystal blue skies above. | |
266 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
267 | |
268 | |
269 | |
270 Kairi stumbled over her mattress and nearly landed face first on the | |
271 floor of her bedroom. What had been sand mere moments before was now | |
272 carpet, the ocean now her blanket on the floor. She was back in her | |
273 room, she knew. But how and why? What was going on? She was used to | |
274 travelling back and forth, but not so suddenly. | |
275 | |
276 “Kairi, breakfast!” her mother called from downstairs. | |
277 | |
278 Walking slowly to the door, Kairi stepped over where she remembered | |
279 seeing herself bleeding to death on the floor. Though there was no | |
280 indication of that here, the memory was still frightening. Pausing | |
281 for a moment, she looked and her wristbands, wondering if her scars | |
282 would still be there. Slowl reaching for one of them, she could see | |
283 her hands shaking. No, there wouldn't be, she told herself. There | |
284 couldn't be. She wasn't dead, was she? Opening the door, which she | |
285 half expected to be locked, she headed out her door. | |
286 | |
287 “Kairi.” | |
288 | |
289 Kairi nearly jumped at the voice. How did people continually sneak | |
290 up on her? Was her peripheral vision that bad? She looked back over | |
291 her shoulder from where she was halfway down the hallway. Behind her, | |
292 near her room, stood the blindfolded silver haired boy she had met | |
293 before. He had his hood up this time, but bits of silver peaked out | |
294 from underneath it. What was he doing here? And who was he? He | |
295 couldn't be Riku. Riku was trapped behind Kingdom Hearts. “Who are | |
296 you?” | |
297 | |
298 He didn't acknowledge what she said, 'looking' directly at her | |
299 despite the blindfold. “Kairi, you can't stay here. You're running | |
300 out of time. We're all running out of time. You're the only one who | |
301 can stop her.” | |
302 | |
303 “I... I don't know what your talking about. Stop who? How can I stop | |
304 her? I just want..” Kairi shook her head. “I don't know what I want | |
305 anymore. I want to be with my mother. I want to be with Sora and | |
306 Riku. I want my friends.” | |
307 | |
308 “Kairi? Are you almost ready?” Her mother called from the kitchen. | |
309 “Yeah, just about,” Kairi called back. When she turned to ask the | |
310 boy again, he was gone. She stared for a moment longer before heading | |
311 to the kitchen. What had he been trying to tell her? And why did he | |
312 look so much like Riku? | |
313 | |
314 When Kairi reached the kitchen, her breakfast was already on the | |
315 table. “Oh, mom... It looks delicious.” She kissed her mother's | |
316 cheek. The older woman beamed as she sat down. It had been so long | |
317 since they'd had breakfast together. Or had it? She was still under | |
318 the assumption that she had been on the Destiny Islands for years | |
319 now. But that couldn't be the case if she was here. Whatever the | |
320 case, breakfast was wonderful. | |
321 | |
322 “I was working on that Princess Mint costume for you, Kairi. I | |
323 should have it finished for you by the convention. I'm going to stop | |
324 by the store later for some gold paint so I can make you her rings,” | |
325 her mother explained. | |
326 | |
327 “Mom... Thanks so much.” Kairi felt her throat constricting and her | |
328 eyes blurring. Her mother had always supported her love of | |
329 videogames. The older woman had made so many different costumes for | |
330 her over the years, trying so hard to get them down beautifully for | |
331 her only daughter. It had only been the two of them for so many | |
332 years. They were all the other had. Kairi's mother had driven her all | |
333 over to conventions, sometimes making a costume for herself so she | |
334 wouldn't 'look too much like a goofy parent'. She felt ashamed for | |
335 having torn up her mother's birthday cards after the children at | |
336 school had ridiculed her over it. This world could be so cruel, but | |
337 never her mother. 'I want to be here with you, mom. But I also want | |
338 to be there with Sora and Riku. I.. I can't choose. I can't pick | |
339 which one. I can't give you up. But I can't give them up either.' If | |
340 she was supposed to stop the Heartless by either going back through | |
341 the door and shutting it or staying and forgetting her mother, how | |
342 could she do either of them? But if she didn't, then the Heartless | |
343 would consume everything. But that was only if she believed there | |
344 were Heartless. And those things surely didn't exist here, where | |
345 normalicy ruled. But wasn't her depressing lonely real life where the | |
346 Heartless were born? 'Stop thinking about it,' she commanded. The | |
347 fact that she was home was what mattered. | |
348 | |
349 Picking up the dishes, Kairi brought them to the sink. “I'll clean | |
350 up breakfast.” It was the least she could do. She felt guilty that | |
351 she could have thought about killing herself. How could she? | |
352 Everything was fine, wasn't it? She felt a little funny as she | |
353 admitted that. But it was true, wasn't it? Gloved hands wrapped | |
354 around her thin waist, holding her close to a warm, well built body. | |
355 Her breath caught in her throat as she felt the hands move up, | |
356 caressing her breasts through her shirt. Riku... She didn't know how, | |
357 but she knew. Somehow, she wasn't surprised when she saw they were in | |
358 the secret cave back on the Destiny Islands. She could feel his hands | |
359 mold against her skin, his fingers tracing circles around her | |
360 nipples, the cloth suddenly feeling like very little protection | |
361 against anything at all. | |
362 | |
363 “You don't have to, Kairi. I'll put them back in the picnic basket | |
364 and clean them up later. My mom knew I was having a picnic today | |
365 anyway, so she won't mind,” Riku's voice said behind her. She could | |
366 only nod, her breath still caught in her chest. “And I don't want to | |
367 let go of you just yet,” he whispered in her ear. | |
368 | |
369 His breath was warm against her ear, sending a shiver down her | |
370 spine. Though her thoughts were still a bit fuzzy as to how she had | |
371 gotten here, she didn't want it to end. She turned to face him, | |
372 looking up at the silver haired boy. “Riku... I don't want to, | |
373 either.” Her hands reached up, stroking his cheeks, her eyes gazing | |
374 up into his. How long had she wanted this, if only as nothing more | |
375 than a fantasy? But now... She could feel his hands slide under her | |
376 shirt, could feel his palms press against her breasts. Each move was | |
377 slow and deliberate, sending sparks throughout her. She looked out | |
378 through half lidded eyes as he bent down to nibbled on her neck. The | |
379 ground seemed to reach out for her as she found herself sitting with | |
380 Riku on the picnic blanket, moaning softly from his touch. Her hands | |
381 slid up and down his sides, carressing whatever part of him she could. | |
382 | |
383 “Kairi, I love you,” Riku whispered, leaning forward and kissing her | |
384 softly. And again. And again. Kairi kissed back, yearning for his | |
385 kiss. Her tongue teased his even as he began to pull her shirt up. | |
386 They seperated as he pulled the doubled white and black sleeveless | |
387 shirts over her head. Blushing deeper, she went back to kissing him, | |
388 his hands now stroking her stomach and then her thighs. Her own hands | |
389 moved over the smooth expanse of his back, stopping down at his | |
390 behind as she pulled him closer. “Riku,” she whispered into his ear. | |
391 Nibbling on his ear, she could feel his hands beginning to pull off | |
392 her skirt and underwear. Sitting up, she helped him to get rid of it. | |
393 Gazing back at him, naked except for her choker, necklace, and | |
394 wristbands, she went to work getting rid of his clothes. It wasn't | |
395 fun if she was the only one naked, after all. | |
396 | |
397 Running her hands up and down his bare chest, she slowly began to | |
398 work her way down his stomach, kissing him as she went. Her hands | |
399 hesitated for a moment at the zipper of his pants. Slowly unzipping | |
400 it, he helped her pull them off, leaving him gloriously naked before | |
401 her. He was beautiful. Just as she'd always imagined him. She | |
402 couldn't believe this was happening. She had fantasized about this | |
403 before, and now she was finally with him. It was... wonderful. He | |
404 cupped her cheek, gazing into her eyes. She felt safe with him. She | |
405 knew he'd do anything for her. Taking his hand, she kissed his | |
406 fingers gently, never pulling her eyes away from him. There was | |
407 concern in his eyes, but she simply smiled and nodded. How sweet. He | |
408 didn't want to hurt her. But she wanted to be with him in this | |
409 perfectly romantic way. | |
410 | |
411 Laying down on the blanket, she shifted about, gazing up at the boy | |
412 over her. Reaching out for him, she pulled him down on top of her, | |
413 feeling his body against her own. Every inch of his skin that came | |
414 into contact with hers felt so wonderful, leaving her with a thousand | |
415 different sensations. Her hands buried in his hair as he kissed her | |
416 throat, right above the choker. His hands finally rested on her hips. | |
417 The feeling of him at her entrance nearly made her hold her breath. | |
418 It felt like an eternity as she waited. This was it. She didn't | |
419 regret this at all. She loved him. She had always loved him. They | |
420 kissed as he began to ease his way into her. Her breath was quick and | |
421 rapid, her excitement mixing with her anxiety as she waited for him | |
422 to go deeper inside of her. It took a force of will to get herself | |
423 breathing anywhere near normally again. | |
424 | |
425 Fingernails scratched against Riku's back as she felt him tear past | |
426 her barrier. Tears stung her eyes as she clutched his naked body | |
427 closer to her own. He froze simply holding onto her. Gradually, the | |
428 pain began to dissipate. She slowly began to move against him. He | |
429 took the hint, starting to move inside of her again. It was... | |
430 Delicious. She loved being so close to him, feeling him with her, | |
431 inside of her, around her. Her hands wandered everywhere they could, | |
432 wanting to feel all of him. They moved in unison, their pants and | |
433 moans forming a soft chorus that filled the silence. Her eyes closed | |
434 tightly, her head moving on the blanket. | |
435 | |
436 “Kairi...” Sora's voice moaned above her. | |
437 | |
438 Blinking bleary eyes, Kairi strained to see in the dim cave. Had | |
439 Sora seen them? Sudden guilt blossomed inside of her. How hurt was he | |
440 to see this? But that wasn't it at all. She was looking up at him, | |
441 her hands on his chest. Sora moaned as he continued to push inside of | |
442 her. “Sora?” But... Wasn't Riku? She shifted against him, her body | |
443 burning up. What the hell was going on? Nothing. Nothing, she told | |
444 herself. It was Sora. She'd been here with Sora all along. The panic | |
445 slowly ebbed away. Of course. She loved them both. She must have | |
446 imagined it was Riku as well. | |
447 | |
448 Moaning softly, she let her hands carress up and down his chest and | |
449 stomach as they moved against each other. “Sora...” she whispered, | |
450 closing her eyes once more as one of his hands went to her breast, | |
451 pinching and rubbing her nipple. Shifting against him, the blanket | |
452 underneath her seemed to shift as well. The ground underneath it was | |
453 suddenly much, much softer. His fingers continued to pinch at her | |
454 nipple while he began to speed up his movement inside of her. | |
455 Shifting again, Kairi felt the ground move beneath her again. | |
456 Something rolled against her head. Blinking swiftly, she tried to | |
457 find out what it was. The sooner it was out of the way, the sooner | |
458 she could get back to focusing on Sora. | |
459 | |
460 Staring at the plushie of Yuffie staring back at her, Kairi could | |
461 only blink dumbly. How had it gotten to her? Had it fallen from | |
462 somewhere. She looked up to ask Sora, but she couldn't see him. Her | |
463 heart froze. If he wasn't there, then why could she still feel him? | |
464 Her gaze slowly went down. Her fingers pinched and rubbed at her | |
465 hardened nipple. Her other hand was between her legs, her fingers | |
466 rubbing up inside of herself. Her hands stopped their motions as she | |
467 stared in abject horror. It was her. It hadn't been Sora or Riku. It | |
468 had been her. The hands, everything she had felt, it had all just | |
469 been her. She suddenly felt sick. Pulling her hands away, she curled | |
470 up into a ball on her bed. It felt like she had just woken up from a | |
471 beautiful dream, only to have life remind her she could have none of | |
472 it. “No!!” she cried, digging her fingernails into her skin. “No!!!” | |
473 Why? What the hell was wrong with her? What was real? And what was | |
474 her own mind? | |
475 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
476 | |
477 | |
478 | |
479 Kairi stared at the screen of her tv hours later. She had quickly | |
480 pulled her clothes back on after finding them all in a pile on the | |
481 clothes. Random battle music played in front of her. FF7 had been | |
482 playing on her screen for the past few hours now, lighting up her | |
483 otherwise dark room as she tried desperately to drown out her fears. | |
484 There was only the game in front of her. Nothing else. Only it was | |
485 real. This had been her only solace for so long. She would come home | |
486 from school and do exactly this, pretending the outside world wasn't | |
487 there at all. She couldn't even look at herself in the mirror. It | |
488 only filled her with repulsion. It wasn't that she had a problem with | |
489 doing things to herself. It was that she had honestly believed it was | |
490 Riku or Sora doing thos things to her. And the fact that it wasn't | |
491 scared the hell out of her. That she could have lost herself that | |
492 much frightened her. And so she played. And played. | |
493 | |
494 Reaching out, Kairi grabbed a glass, taking a sip of stale water. | |
495 Going downstairs could resolve that problem with a fresh glass of | |
496 water, but if she did that it would risk thinking again. And thinking | |
497 was not on her agenda at the moment. She was going to put that off as | |
498 long as possible. Her wary, tired eyes blinked in the dark room as | |
499 she read the screen again. She must have misread what Aerith had | |
500 said. FF7 was one of her favorite games. She knew it backwards and | |
501 forwards. Dialogue shouldn't be surprising her this time through. But | |
502 even upon closer inspection, it still felt off. | |
503 | |
504 'She's lost in someone's spell, Cloud. I can't get her back on my | |
505 own,' Aerith said on screen. | |
506 | |
507 “What?” Kairi leaned forward, staring at the screen. Clicking | |
508 forward, Cloud was given a choice. | |
509 | |
510 'There has to be some way that we can wake her up.' | |
511 Or; | |
512 | |
513 'It's up to her. Only she can break the spell. We can't reach her | |
514 there.' | |
515 | |
516 Dropping the controller, the chestnut haired girl stepped away from | |
517 her tv. They weren't... They couldn't be... talking about her? Could | |
518 they? It wasn't possible. But how many other impossible things had | |
519 she seen? For some reason, being home made it all seem outside the | |
520 realm of possibility once more. Things she would've been forced to | |
521 accept in the other world felt so foreign here. | |
522 | |
523 Throwing her door open, Kairi walked to the bathroom. She was | |
524 exhausted and scared. They were preying on her mind. Maybe sleep | |
525 would be a good idea after all. If it could hold the specters at bay, | |
526 then it would be worthwhile. Taking a handful of ice cold water, she | |
527 splashed her face, trying to force her weariness away. Her wet bangs | |
528 clung to her forehead as she looked back up. Her eyes shifted to | |
529 someone behind her. It was him. The cloaked boy again. She whirled | |
530 about to face him, but to her surprise, he wasn't there. | |
531 “Kairi,” he said from the mirror. | |
532 | |
533 Turning to face him, she rested heavily against the sink. She | |
534 suddenly felt very, very weak. It was as if the strength had been | |
535 sapped from her body. It felt like she had lived eons and eons. It | |
536 all felt so hopeless. She wanted to give up. | |
537 | |
538 “You can't give up. The you of this world gave up. But deep in your | |
539 heart, I know how strong you are, Princess. You can handle this. You | |
540 can handle anything. You're stronger than this. You can fight through | |
541 her spells. You can't spend eternity trapped in this spell or you'll | |
542 never set Riku free. You'll never see Sora again. Or your mother. | |
543 You'll only see this illusions of them. They all need you, Kairi. You | |
544 can't let them down.” The boy pressed his hand against the glass. | |
545 “Only you can free yourself of this prison. Only you have the | |
546 strength to come and set them all free.” | |
547 | |
548 Very slowly, Kairi nodded. “I'll fight. For them. I'll set them free.” | |
549 | |
550 The boy smiled faintly. Walking to the bathroom door in the mirror, | |
551 he opened it. “I know you will, Kairi.” With that, he stepped out, | |
552 disappearing. | |
553 | |
554 Clutching the Keyblade necklace in her hand, she stepped out of the | |
555 same door on her own side of the mirror. “So they're still out there. | |
556 This isn't home.” If she was going to save them, she had to escape. | |
557 There would be no one to come to her rescue. She could feel that | |
558 things were... off. It was all real, but it had the same feeling as | |
559 dreams and memories. Part of her still wanted to stay here. It was | |
560 safe, wasn't it? Images of Riku, Sora, her mother, and her friends | |
561 filled her mind. Tidus's name on a gravestone in the Graveyard of | |
562 Dreams. They needed her. She couldn't let them down. | |
563 | |
564 Walking down the empty hallway, Kairi made her way to her mother's | |
565 room. The light was on and she could hear her mother in the other | |
566 room, still sewing the costume for her daughter. For a moment, | |
567 Kairi's will faltered. Could she deny her mother? Even if she was | |
568 only an illusion? She had to. If she had a real mother, then she | |
569 needed her elsewhere, not in this spell. Kairi stepped through the | |
570 door. | |
571 | |
572 “Oh, Kairi, you're awake.” Looking up, the older woman smiled | |
573 gently. “Maybe you could try this on for me. I want to make sure it | |
574 will fit well.” | |
575 | |
576 Taking a deep breath, Kairi closed her eyes. She wanted to speak, | |
577 but her throat closed off painfully. It still felt like her mother, | |
578 or her memories of her mother at the least. | |
579 | |
580 “What's wrong?” A soft chuckle. “You don't think you're getting fat | |
581 do you? Not that again. You're beautiful the way you are, Kairi.” | |
582 That halted Kairi for a moment. 'Do I even look the same in the | |
583 other world? If what Sophie said was right, that I'm what I want to | |
584 be in this world, do I look different, too?' She pushed the thought | |
585 away. There would be time for thoughts like that later. Much later. | |
586 Right now she had to escape this dream. “You aren't my mother, are | |
587 you?” Looking up, her eyes locked on her mother's. The older woman | |
588 was still smiling. | |
589 | |
590 “I can be. If you want me to. Just like Riku and Sora can be here, | |
591 too. With you, Kairi. Think about it. You could all go to conventions | |
592 together and play games and never have to worry again. Never grow | |
593 old. Never be teased again. I'll always love you. They'll always love | |
594 you. No need to bleed to death in your room. Just live. One | |
595 beautiful, everlasting moment,” the woman promised. | |
596 | |
597 Tears dripped down Kairi's cheeks. The princess shook her head. “I | |
598 can't. I just can't. They're all waiting for me. I can't stay here | |
599 and leave them.” | |
600 | |
601 The woman laughed, shaking her head. “So you can't do it now, but | |
602 you could do it when you were only leaving your mother? You sure are | |
603 altruistic when it's for the boys you lust after, aren't you? Your | |
604 mother, on the other hand, will just have to deal with her daughter's | |
605 suicide. No big deal, right?” | |
606 | |
607 “No!! It wasn't like that!” Kairi shouted, her hands clenching | |
608 against her heart. “I wouldn't...” | |
609 | |
610 “But you did! So what's the problem with doing it again? You escaped | |
611 the life with your mother only to find even more pain. But here, | |
612 there is no pain. Only everything you've wanted.” The older woman | |
613 smiled gently at her, standing up. | |
614 | |
615 “She's right, Kairi. We'll always be here with you,” Riku stated, | |
616 standing to her mother's right. They were still in Kairi's mother's | |
617 room, but the floor was now sandy and the ocean was lapping behind | |
618 them. | |
619 | |
620 “We'll never leave your side again,” Sora replied, to her mother's | |
621 left. | |
622 | |
623 Kairi laughed a small, sad laugh, smiling despite herself. “Thanks, | |
624 guys. I love you all for that. But you've never left me.” She pressed | |
625 her palm against her heart. “We'll always be together because our | |
626 hearts are always together. No matter how far apart we are. That's | |
627 why I can't stay. I need to go find you both. The real you. Whatever | |
628 'real' is these days. But it doesn't matter. I need to see you both | |
629 again.” Turning to the woman who was not her mother, she shook her | |
630 head. “I'm sorry. I can't.” | |
631 | |
632 The woman nodded, her facade disappearing. She sighed softly. “I | |
633 know.” | |
634 | |
635 Pulling up her Keyblade, Kairi plunged it into the heart of the | |
636 woman, unlocking it. The illusion around her dissolved into | |
637 nothingness, the light carrying her away. | |
638 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
639 | |
640 She was moving. At least, it felt as if she were moving. The | |
641 brilliant light made if difficult to see motion. The light moved | |
642 around her in a stream, flowing ever forward, twisting and turning. | |
643 Whether she even had a body in this place, she couldn't be certain. | |
644 Everything was light. | |
645 | |
646 “You have unlocked the light in the heart of Longing,” the voice | |
647 that existed in this light said from all around her. Whether it was | |
648 part of the light or part of herself or something entirely different, | |
649 she didn't know. | |
650 | |
651 “I wanted to use your power to bring back the one I love. I wanted | |
652 to live in a beautiful moment forever with him. He was one of Ansem's | |
653 first test subjects and I thought I could bring him back through you. | |
654 Time is our enemy. It robs us of those we love and forever heads | |
655 forward, crushing all in its path. I wanted to stop time, to live out | |
656 one beautiful moment forever. Now.. Now that my body and heart have | |
657 been separated, we'll go our different ways, I guess. But.. Now I can | |
658 be with him. Forever. Thank you.” | |
659 | |
660 “I...” Kairi closed her eyes tightly, if she had them. She could | |
661 feel a tear slip out into the light. “Thank you for letting me see my | |
662 mother. Goodbye.” She could almost feel a gentle carress before the | |
663 light began to fade. | |
664 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
665 | |
666 | |
667 | |
668 “Kairi!!” Relm hugged her as she sat up in bed. “You're okay!” She | |
669 smiled brightly. The artist looked as if she'd been hugely panicked. | |
670 | |
671 “I told you she'd be fine,” Yuffie said nonchalantly. “A few spells | |
672 won't do in our princess, will they?” Grinning, the ninja placed a | |
673 hand on Kairi's shoulder. | |
674 | |
675 “You did manage to fight off Ultimecia's spells. We were all | |
676 worried.” Aerith winked. “Even Yuffie.” | |
677 | |
678 “Was not!” Yuffie retorted, crossing her arms. | |
679 | |
680 Kairi closed her eyes, her head tilted back. She was back. There was | |
681 still a chance. Blinking her eyes open, she looked over at Aerith. “I | |
682 need to get to the Destiny Islands. I'm running out of time. They | |
683 need me.” | |
684 | |
685 Aerith nodded. “Then we better hurry.” Standing up, the flower girl | |
686 led the way out of the room. | |
687 | |
688 Relm slid off the bed to follow. She placed a kiss on Yuffie's cheek | |
689 before hurrying. “We're coming! Wait up!” | |
690 Kairi gave Yuffie a curious glance. | |
691 | |
692 “Don't ask. Just don't ask.” Yuffie blushed faintly and helped Kairi | |
693 to her feet. “Let's get going. Seems like we still have a few things | |
694 to do before we get our nice, well deserved vacation.” | |
695 Kairi giggled, nodding. “A very long vacation.” | |
696 | |
697 The two followed after Aerith. | |
698 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
699 | |
700 | |
701 | |
702 At the large port behind the castle, Squall, Rinoa, and Cloud | |
703 waited. “She's ready!” Aerith called as she stepped up to the rest of | |
704 them. She smiled brightly at them before poking Cloud playfully. | |
705 “Cheer up. It's almost over.” | |
706 “Well... Yeah... But is it wise to bring the princess if we'll be | |
707 dealing with her former private guard? Sephiroth isn't going to leave | |
708 her alone,” Cloud admitted. | |
709 “That's why we're coming, silly. She won't be alone on this,” Aerith | |
710 reasoned. | |
711 | |
712 The rest of the girls finally arrived behind her. | |
713 | |
714 Kairi glanced around at the huge ocean open in front of them. “How | |
715 are we going to get to the Destiny Islands?” | |
716 | |
717 “With the Invincible. It was King Ansem's personal Gummi ship. He | |
718 was preparing it before he left. Cid fixed it up for us.” With that, | |
719 a giant mechanical airship soared into view. The wind whirled about, | |
720 but none seemed to notice as they stared in awe. | |
721 | |
722 The boarding ramp opened, settling on the side of the dock. | |
723 “Everyone on board!” a blonde haired woman dressed in a black | |
724 business suit called. | |
725 | |
726 “Well, well. If it isn't the gorgeous Princess Hikari,” a spikey | |
727 haired brunette man said, wearing a similar buisiness suit, albeit | |
728 untucked. | |
729 | |
730 “What are you doing here?” Cloud asked, crossing his arms. | |
731 “The Turks work directly for the royalty of Hollow Bastion. With | |
732 King Ansem gone and Princess Kairi newly returned to us, we decided | |
733 we'd keep her company to the End of the World and beyond. You know, | |
734 company policy and all that.” Reno winked, eliciting only a sigh from | |
735 Cloud. | |
736 | |
737 Cloud nodded at last. “Is everyone ready for this? It's only going | |
738 to get worse from here on out. If anyone wants to stay, now's the | |
739 time to say it.” | |
740 | |
741 Yuffie shook her head. “I lost my home once. I'm not letting them do | |
742 it again.” | |
743 | |
744 Relm clung to Yuffie's arm, nodding assent. “And I'll go anywhere | |
745 with Yuffie.” Yuffie blushed darkly. | |
746 Aerith laughed. | |
747 | |
748 Kairi shook her head. “Riku and Sora need me. The Destiny Islands | |
749 need me. I have to go.” She smiled, looking at those gathered around | |
750 her. “All of you... Thank you so much.” | |
751 | |
752 “You don't think we'd give up on you now, do you Kairi? You've | |
753 wounded my pride.” Yuffie winked at the princess. | |
754 “Are ya comin' or aincha?” Cid yelled from the ramp. | |
755 “We're coming, Cid,” Squall said brushing his hair back from his eyes. | |
756 “Then let's go,” Rinoa said, smiling at the gunblade bearer. | |
757 | |
758 “To the Destiny Islands,” Kairi said, gazing out to the sea. Destiny | |
759 waited out there. And she would be returning to it, whatever the | |
760 consequences. |