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1 Prism Hearts
2 Chapter 15 Primal Eyes
3 by Amazoness Duo
4 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
5
6 'And if I don't make it, Know that I've loved you all along...'
7
8 Dear diary,I know it's been a while since I've written, but we've
9 been so busy with the island festival and the weird stuff going on.
10 But we can't let that stuff keep us down. I'm sure Kairi, Sora, Riku,
11 and Tidus will all show up just fine like Kairi did the last time. We
12 just have to keep waiting.
13
14 On the good side of things, the festival went really well! Booyaka!
15 Yuna's dancing lessons paid off. It was great to dance with Quisty
16 like that all night long. She looked sooooo pretty! She was wearing
17 this beautiful pink dress and with her cute glasses perched on her
18 nose and the moonlight and... I feel faint just thinking about it. It
19 was the perfect remedy for all the freaky stuff happening. I could
20 tell Quisty was still preoccupied for a bit, but by the end of the
21 night I got her mind off of it. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying
22 themselves. Irvine kept trying to get me to dance with him all night,
23 but I didn't want to let go of Quisty for an instant. I didn't want
24 someone else snatching her for a dance while I was off. I guess Lulu
25 finally did ask Wakka because I saw them dancing a little later on.
26 Seifer was on the dock, staring off at the stars, so I guess he
27 didn't feel like dancing. Poor Seifer. It's fun! Maybe he could use
28 some lessons from Yuna, too. Speaking of Yuna, even she was dancing
29 later on. She was with that catgirl I almost accidentally drowned
30 when she first showed up. I'm sorry, Rikku! I thought you were a
31 fiend. My mistake! But she's made Yuna smile a whole lot, so I'm
32 really glad she came. Even if she's a kitty, I think Yuna likes her.
33 Maybe I should give her a paopu fruit for a present. They could eat
34 it together at the sunset or something. I bet that would make Yuna
35 happy! I know it made me happy to do that with Quisty. Now we'll be
36 able to be together forever. Poor Kairi. I hope she can eventually
37 share it with the one she loves. If she can ever decide. Well,
38 there's no rule against sharing it with two people. At least, I don't
39 think so. Maybe I'll ask Quisty later. She knows all sorts of things.
40
41 Yuna's on the beach now. I guess she decided to come out and watch
42 the ocean, too. It's a kind of blue gray instead of the pretty blue
43 green it usually is. And the storm clouds make it all look a little
44 menacing. I'm almost a little afraid of it. The ocean's always been
45 our friend, but now it seems so cold and distant. But Yuna doesn't
46 seem to mind. She walked right into the water. I had my feet in
47 earlier, but it was too cold to keep them there. I wonder if she's
48 tired or something. I called to her a few times, but she doesn't seem
49 to hear me. Maybe she just doesn't feel like talking right now.
50 Ohhhh... She must be practicing her dancing. She's twirling around in
51 the water now. I couldn't do that in cold water like that. But she
52 doesn't seem to mind. It's almost like the water's responding to her,
53 swishing around her. Actually, it looks like the water's getting
54 darker near her. Not right around her. But kinda further off. It's
55 like a shadow is moving across the water. Or in the
56 water...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
57 Breaking off her diary entry, Selphie stood up on the dock. Her
58 heart pounded in her stomach. It wasn't a shadow on the water. It was
59 under the water. And it was heading towards the Destiny Islands.
60 “Yuna!! Get out of the water!” But Yuna didn't hear her. She kept
61 dancing, the water now whirling about her as if by magic. Green eyes
62 went from the girl in the water to the approaching shape. The shape
63 broke off. Selphie breathed a momentary sigh of relief. Her respite
64 was shortlived. The shape was heading towards the main island where
65 the village was, where the elders were. Her parents... Her heart
66 dropped into her stomach, covered in ice.
67
68 Selphie didn't have the strength to do anything but stare for a long
69 moment as she saw the huge tidal wave ripping towards the island she
70 was on. Blurs of blackish gray things tore out of the water, flying
71 in an erratic path towards the different islands. They missiles
72 looked like the scales of some ancient and hideous beast. Several
73 slammed into the beach around her, sending up plumes of sand. Another
74 zipped past overhead, and for a moment Selphie thought it was going
75 to hit her. It missed by a head or two and crashed into the dock
76 behind her. Wood splintered and cracked and she was thrown to the
77 wooden planks beneath her.Dizzy and still in shock from the
78 suddenness of her world plunging into madness, Selphie wiped at the
79 water that dripped down her forehead. Wincing at the pain that shot
80 through her head, she pulled her hand away, momentarily puzzled by
81 the blood on her fingers. She had hit the planks harder than she
82 thought. A chittering behind her quickly drew her attention from the
83 blood dribbling down her face. Turning about, the brunette almost
84 fell again. She couldn't focus and the sudden motion made her feel
85 sick. What she saw made her freeze where she stood, bare feet pressed
86 against water soaked wood. The missile/scale thing she saw earlier
87 had been some sort of beast. It crawled out of the wrecked portion of
88 the pier where it had landed, chittering crazily as it watched her.
89 It had a strange not quite heart symbol on it, black with a red X
90 through it. Like the Heartless that had already destroyed their
91 island once before. But this wasn't a tiny shadow creature. It was an
92 angry monster. Selphie was only dimly aware of the nunchuks at her
93 side. She was too weak to fight it. She was going to die. The Destiny
94 Islands were being torn asunder. In those seconds before it could
95 strike, her mind clung to the things that were important to her. Her
96 friends, the islands, her parents, Quistis. For one brief moment, she
97 wasn't there. She was back on the beach the night before, dancing
98 with the girl she loved. 'Quisty, we'll be together forever, won't
99 we?' 'I never want to grow up,' she had told Sora. And it was true.
100 She wanted to stay here, playing, loving, forever. Now the dream was
101 cruelly falling apart. The creature rushed forward, claw raised to
102 cut her in half. Before Selphie could precede the Destiny Islands to
103 the Graveyard of Dreams, the tidal wave finally crashed into her. The
104 world spun end over end and darkness claimed her. Somewhere in the
105 darkness, she could hear Yuna singing.
106
107 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
108
109 The beach was totalled. Trees were ripped up from the ground and
110 lay scattered across the island. The houses and huts they had built
111 were shattered like an angry child's playthings. The pier was broken
112 and lay like so much debris thrown about the beach. The tranquil
113 serenity of the Destiny Islands had been replaced with a malevolent
114 chaos, a hateful, destructive force. It was as if a jealous angel
115 banished to hell had come back to make paradise bleed. This was the
116 scene Rikku found herself looking at, staring out across the
117 devestated island. And in the midst of it all, Yuna danced. The waves
118 broke before hitting her, passing harmlessly around the blue and
119 green eyed brunette. Despite the horror that lay around her, Yuna
120 didn't seem to notice at all, dancing early in the waves. Shadows
121 pulsed and coalesced around her. “Yuna!” she called, but she got no
122 answer. The girl continued dancing, singing softly. Had she cracked?
123 Was she welcoming the madness that had already claimed Tidus and some
124 of her other friends? The only sound outside of the crashing of the
125 waves was the sound of Rikku's paws crunching against the sand as she
126 ran to Yuna. She had been taking a catnap and had awakened to
127 something crashing into the island. In the confusion, she had tried
128 to find Yuna. She had to make sure she was okay. Now she'd found the
129 other girl, and her heart thundered, forcing her to go faster than
130 she ever had as a human. Reaching Yuna, the thief nearly pounced on
131 her. “Yuna!!” But Yuna continued to ignore her, dancing and singing
132 as the waves and ground shook around them.
133
134 The shockwave almost threw Rikku back into the crashing waves. Her
135 ears perked at the sound. Something big had just happened. Her spiral
136 green eyes searched for the source of something that huge. Missiles?
137 Some type of giant cannon? There. Her eyes stopped on the onrushing
138 tidal wave. It was coming from the main island where the village was
139 located. It was gone. Where there had been an island, there was now
140 nothing more than jagged rocks and a swelling wave. And the barest
141 hint of an ugly, giant creature that disappeared beneath the water
142 just as quickly as she had seen it. Gone. It was completely gone. And
143 with the way the water surged, it was heading straight towards them.
144
145 “Yuna!!” But the girl continued to ignore Rikku. The former Radical
146 Dreamer clutched Yuna's dress, yanking her forward. If they didn't
147 get moving, the huge wave heading towards the beach would slam into
148 them. And after that, the creature would be there. Rikku didn't know
149 if they could escape the beast a second time, but she had to try.
150 First things first. They had to get away from that wave. Rikku
151 slapped Yuna as hard as she could. Guilt blossomed in her gut as she
152 did, but she had to get through to her somehow. Dragging Yuna away
153 wouldn't get them far enough from the wave. Yuna slumped in her grasp
154 after the slap. She would have fallen into the water if Rikku hadn't
155 been holding onto her.
156
157 Slowly, green and blue eyes blinked, looking up at the catgirl.
158 “Rikku?” the quiet girl asked dreamily. Her vision slowly focussed on
159 Rikku. She looked scared and tense. Yuna smiled her, trying to calm
160 her. She reached forward, stroking the thief's furry cheek. “Don't be
161 afraid, Rikku. It's almost over.”Rikku stared in shock for a second,
162 but shook it off. If she froze, they were both dead. She bodily
163 dragged Yuna towards the shore. “We need to move, Yunie. Something
164 very bad is coming this way. We need to run. Fast.” Turning from the
165 other girl, ignoring the wet fur that stuck to her legs, Rikku began
166 to run towards the beach. Yuna's sudden halt nearly yanked her back.
167 The thief whirled around, her heart pounding like an alarm. They were
168 running out of time. They needed to get away. The fact that there was
169 no place to run to didn't matter so much as moving. Now. “Rikku, it's
170 okay. No one will ever hurt anymore. No one will ever leave us again.
171 We'll all be together. Forever.” Yuna smiled brighter this time,
172 opening her arms to show what she meant. “Your sister won't leave you
173 again. We won't have to mourn our parents. We'll never have to leave
174 each other.” The human girl wrapped her arms around Rikku. “I don't
175 want you to leave, Rikku. We can always be together now. Always.”
176 Leaning forward, she kissed the stunned Rikku softly, holding onto
177 her. 'Move. If you don't move, you'll die. She'll die. It will be
178 over. Move. Move now!!' Rikku's mind screamed at her. The direness of
179 the situation helped push off the hipnotic spell that Yuna's lips
180 cast on her. Clutching Yuna hard enough that her claws dug into her
181 shoulders, spiral green eyes stared deep into Yuna's blue and green
182 eyes. “Yuna, I promised I'd protect you no matter what. And I'm going
183 to do that. We have to run. I'm not going to leave you. Just please,
184 run. Run!!” Rikku pleaded, fear and frustration mixing inside of her.
185 Slowly, achingly slowly, Yuna nodded. She seemed a little surprised,
186 almost afraid of the mix of emotions inside of Rikku. She meekly
187 followed along as Rikku ran, her heart thundering as she knew they
188 probably wouldn't make it.
189
190 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
191
192 “Selphie! You're alive!” Quistis pulled the half-conscious brunette
193 tightly against herself. She knew she should let her rest, but she
194 was too relieved to see that her green eyed girl was alive. Her
195 glasses slipped down her nose as she clung to Selphie. How close had
196 she been to losing her? The girl had nearly been buried under planks
197 from the destroyed pier and had almost drowned from being pinned
198 under while the tidal wave had swept over her. “Oh, Selphie...”
199
200 Using all of her strength to push herself back to consciousness,
201 Selphie hung limply in Quistis's arms. Burying her head weakly
202 against the blonde's shoulder, Selphie closed her eyes. She was
203 alive. With Quistis. Maybe... Maybe things would be okay. No. No
204 maybes. She had to believe it. There could be no other option other
205 than things being okay. “Quisty,” she whispered. Blinking tear
206 streaked eyes, Quistis held Selphie close. Her eyes narrowed as she
207 tried to focus on the blurry figure moving towards them. It looked
208 like the figure was moving on top of the water, walking as if on
209 land. Pushing her glasses up, she saw that she was right. A boy in a
210 black raincoat was walking on the water, right up to the beach.
211 Standing up with Selphie, she gripped her whip, keeping a weary eye
212 on him. After all that had happened, she wasn't about to trust
213 anything. “Who are you?” she called out. Selphie steadied herself
214 against the blonde, turning to see who Quistis was talking to.The
215 hooded boy didn't deign her question worth an answer. Instead, he
216 turned to look out to see. “She'll be here soon. It's almost done. I
217 wonder what she'll choose.” Turning to the two girls, he addressed
218 them. “Sin is coming. You can't stop it. Get away from the
219 beach.”Shaking her head as much as her weak body would allow, Selphie
220 refused. “Those scale creatures are on the island.”The boy nodded.
221 “But you can fight them. And you can try to live until she gets here.
222 She's the only one who can stop this.” He turned to face the oncoming
223 waves. “Hurry.”Without another word, Quistis and Selphie tried to get
224 as far from the beach as they could.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
225
226 Running. Running and running. Selphie's bare feet hurt from all the
227 running. She nearly slipped on a slippery rock as they ran near a
228 small waterfall. But even after all the running, she knew that they
229 were on a relatively small island. There was only so much room to
230 run. Only so much room to hide before it found them, caught up with
231 them. They couldn't run forever. What would they do when it finally
232 did catch them? How could they stop this nightmare? She just wanted
233 to wake up, safe and sound in Quistis's arms, the blonde asleep with
234 a book slumped on her chest. “My diary!” Selphie's green eyes
235 widened. It had been on the pier. Now it was probably lost forever.
236 Her shoulders slumped. She had the sinking feeling that she could
237 very easily lose everything. “If...” Quistis cut herself off, biting
238 her lip before continuing. “When we get out of this, I'll get you a
239 new diary. And we'll make plenty of happy memories for you to write
240 in it,” she promised. Selphie new that Quistis was trying to make her
241 feel better, that she was just as scared as she was, but that made it
242 even sweeter. She smiled faintly, gazing at the blonde girl. “Thanks,
243 Quisty. I'll make sure...” Before Selphie could continue, one of the
244 Heartless Sinscales crashed down in front of them. It chittered its
245 bloodthirsty cry, looking between the two girls. As it got ready to
246 pounce forward, Quistis took a step forward, her whip lashing out at
247 it. The creature shrieked as the whip hit it again and again. It was
248 soon joined by Selphie's nunchuks, cracking against the creature.
249 Lunging forward, it's claws tried to tear into Selphie. The brunette
250 hopped back, just missing getting slashed by the razor sharp claws.
251 The beast got ready to lunge again, but Quistis's whip wrapped around
252 it's leg, yanking it back. Selphie took the opportunity to hit it as
253 hard as she could. Finally, the Heartless fell at their feet.
254
255 Turning to Quistis, Selphie opened her mouth, but Quistis's eyes
256 widened. Selphie could swear she saw the reflection of the beast in
257 Quistis's eyes, but she couldn't move. It was too fast. But so was
258 Quistis. The blonde shoved herself in front of Selphie at the same
259 time as the creature came swiping forward. It's claw crashed into
260 Quistis's side, sending her rolling into the water. Selphie was dimly
261 aware that she had screamed. Her green eyes followed Quistis's
262 crumpled form slumped on the ground. In her panic, Selphie couldn't
263 even tell if the other girl was breathing. The beast. She had to
264 protect Quistis. She couldn't let it hurt the girl she loved. But
265 wasn't she already too late for that? Quashing the thought, panic and
266 fear and loathing and sadness welled in her heart, flooding it. The
267 brunette ran to the crumpled girl ready to fight off the creature as
268 best she could. The Heartless chittered madly, turning to the two of
269 them again. It almost seemed to be laughing. It wanted their hearts.
270 It would feast upon them, devour them whole. How delicious. It
271 advanced on the stupid girl standing her ground and the injured girl
272 who wouldn't even fight back. “Selphie...” Quistis said weakly. It
273 took an extreme effort to focus through the pain. It enveloped her
274 side like a hot iron, burning deeply into her mind. She clutched her
275 side tightly, feeling the blood pool and drip around her fingertips.
276 'Get up!' her mind screamed at her. She had to draw the creature away
277 so Selphie could run. “Run, Selphie. Go... Get out of here.”
278
279 “No! I'm not leaving you, Quisty.” Tears streamed down Selphie's
280 cheeks, but she never took her eyes away from the Heartless that had
281 tried to kill her girlfriend. “We ate a paopu fruit together. We'll
282 stay together forever. We promised. I'm not leaving you. Ever.”
283 Selphie jumped forward, her nunchuk cracking against the amorpheous
284 face of the creature. It chittered in pain or anger and got ready to
285 pounce upon the girl and tear her apart. The girl continued to hit it
286 in a rage. The girl was already hurt and her anger was blinding her.
287 In just a moment, it would be able to...But Selphie wasn't the only
288 one blinded by the situation. Selphie watched as the Heartless fell
289 in two halves. So focussed had it been on its prey that it hadn't
290 seen the trenchcoated boy behind it. “Seifer!” Selphie cried out,
291 shocked to see the blond boy. She quickly turned her attention back
292 to Quistis, running to the other girl. Her heart pounded in a frenzy
293 as she saw the blood dripping down her side. The cut seemed to be
294 pretty deep in the girl's side. She needed some healing magic quick.
295 “We need to get you to Yuna. She can help.” If they hurried. But she
296 couldn't bring herself to say that part. Quistis couldn't die. She
297 wouldn't let her. Selphie swallowed the burning pain in her throat.
298 If Seifer was alive, Yuna could be alive, too. She'd been right on
299 the beach. Maybe she was somewhere on the island. If they could find
300 her, they could save Quistis. “You don't really expect your loyal
301 fans to desert you, do you, Miss Trepe?” Seifer asked, grinning. Even
302 if the situation were dire, he still liked teasing Quistis. He saw it
303 as bad form to give that up, even in the heat of battle. You had to
304 stay true to the bitter end, after all.
305
306 Quistis laughed softly as Selphie helped her up. She tried to stand
307 on her own, not wanting to worry Selphie too much, but she found that
308 she couldn't stand on her own. That bothered her greatly. She tried
309 not to let it show. “I never knew you were a loyal fan, Seifer.”
310
311 “Surely you jest, Miss Trepe. Who isn't?” Winking, Seifer walked
312 over to the two girls. He could see how bad the injury was, but the
313 look Quistis gave him let him know not to say anything about it.
314 Giving a nearly imperceptible nod, her turned to look around the
315 clearing. Quistis was a strong girl. Probably the strongest he knew,
316 despite all the worries and self-doubts she carried. Selphie was a
317 lucky girl. And he'd be damned if he'd let Quistis die now. “The main
318 island is gone. Whatever hit it seems to be headed here. But for some
319 reason, it hasn't destroyed this island yet. It's like those fiends
320 are searching for something.” He let that sink in for a minute. He
321 knew what it meant. Their parents were all dead. Their homes were
322 destroyed. And the only reason they were alive was because of
323 something hidden on the island they were on. Quistis went numb at
324 Seifer's words. Destroyed? It was all gone. Even if they could stop
325 all this, how much could they salvage? Would their islands survive
326 the strain? They had already lost so much. “Mom... Dad...?” Selphie
327 felt her knees go weak. Only the knowledge that she couldn't drop
328 Quistis kept her standing up straight. It felt like yet another blade
329 had punctured her heart. Quistis was hurt, maybe dying her family was
330 dead her home was being crushed. Everything she held dear was a tiny
331 piece of sand, falling through her fingers no matter how hard she
332 tried to hold on. She swallowed painfully, fighting back tears. She
333 swallowed again and again, trying to keep the tears at bay.
334
335 “We need to regroup. We have a better chance together than alone.
336 Quistis, you always were a good leader. You can help them figure out
337 what to do. Remember, we don't have much time. When they find what
338 they're looking for, they'll destory this island, too.” Seifer turned
339 his back to them, hefting up his blade. “'Them'? Seifer, you're
340 coming, too, right?” Quistis asked. She already knew the answer, but
341 she prayed that she was wrong. Hadn't enough people been hurt
342 already? Hadn't they already lost enough? Why did there need to be
343 anymore sacrifices? She watched him hopefully, clinging to the tiny
344 shred of hope that he'd merely said it wrong. His stature never
345 wavered. He looked just as cocky and sure of himself as ever, despite
346 the fact that they may never see him again.“I never was the group
347 type. You know that, Quistis. I just manage to cause problems.
348 Besides, there are three of those creatures lurking in the bushes
349 behind us. I figured I'd try to hone my skills on them. If I'm ever
350 going to be a Sorceress's Knight, I have to be the best.” Shooting a
351 look over his shoulder the blond boy grinned. Turning back, he pulled
352 up the blade and got ready.“.... Thank you, Seifer,” Quistis said at
353 last, watching the boy wave them off nonchalantly. He was buying them
354 time. She doubted even he could fight three of those things. But she
355 and Selphie were both injured. He was sacrificing himself for them.
356 She didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay and fight, but there was
357 nothing they could do. “Anytime, Quistis. Now get going. You need to
358 get that scratch patched up. You keep her safe, Selphie,” Seifer
359 said, not turning to face them, still watching the movement in the
360 shadows.Selphie nodded. “I will. Be careful Seifer. Come back as soon
361 as you can.” Could he really take on all three of them? Did he have a
362 plan? He had to. Right? Now wasn't the time to think about it.
363 Quistis was bleeding badly. They had to find Yuna. Her white magic
364 could fix Quistis. Selphie held onto the blonde girl and hurried as
365 quickly as she could. The bushes rustled behind her. Seifer's blade
366 slashed through the air behind them. Quistis winced in pain. Selphie
367 pushed herself to go faster, praying she wouldn't be too late.
368
369 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
370
371 Rikku shivered, her fur still wet, as she and Yuna crawled into a
372 hidden cave. There were drawings on the walls, making the cave look
373 like a hiding place for children. At the end of the cave was a
374 strange door. Rikku tried the knob, but it was locked. Why would
375 there be a door in a cave? Where did it lead to?Yuna recognized the
376 drawings. They were of Sora, Kairi, and Riku. This must be the
377 'Special Place' that Sora and Riku had spoken of. How strange that
378 she'd end up in the place that was so important to her three lost
379 friends. But it had felt like she had been called there. When Rikku
380 had asked where they could go to get away, she had immediately
381 answered here. Now that she was closer, it felt like the strange door
382 at the end of the cave was calling directly to her, reverberating off
383 the walls. 'Open the door and let everything end...' she could almost
384 hear. “Yunie!” Rikku called for the third time. Her other three calls
385 had illicited no response. Yuna seemed to be deep in thought. The
386 normally quiet, shy girl seemed even more introspective. But now was
387 definitely not the time. “Yuna!” Walking over, Rikku placed her hands
388 on Yuna's shoulders, finally getting her attention. What was wrong
389 with the brunette? It was like Yuna wasn't seeing the same horrible
390 things that she was. They had barely escaped the tidal wave and that
391 thing... Sin had risen out of the water just moments later. At least
392 they had a momentary respite from the chaos outside.
393
394 Turning to face the catgirl, Yuna giggled softly, her hand going to
395 her mouth. The thief was a bedraggled mess. Her fur clung to her and
396 her ears kept twitching to try and get dry. “You're so cute, Rikku.”
397 She said softly, wrapping her arms around the catgirl's shoulders.
398 She gazed deeply into those spiral green eyes, feeling as if she were
399 falling into them. “I don't know if I'd have the strength to go
400 through all of this without you, Rikku. I'd be too scared. But with
401 you by my side, it's all right. I'm not afraid to die if I'm with
402 you.” Leaning forward to kiss Rikku, she was perplexed when Rikku
403 moved her head to the side. She kissed the wet, furry cheek anyway.
404 “Yunie, what are you talking about? What's going on?” Rikku was
405 starting to get seriously worried about the girl holding onto her.
406 Yuna had an almost manic gleam in her blue and green eyes. “We aren't
407 going to die. I'll protect you, Yunie. Always. I swear.” She looked
408 back into those slightly frightening eyes, trying to make Yuna see
409 the truth in her words.“Rikku...” Yuna stroked the thief's cheek,
410 resting against her. Rikku's heart was thundering against her. The
411 poor kitty. “There's nothing to be scared of. I know that now. There
412 will never be anything to be afraid of again. I finally understand. I
413 wasn't afraid of death. I was afraid of life. Of being left behind.
414 Of watching those I loved die. Of being left alone. Of being hurt and
415 broken. Of watching people suffer. I always wanted to give people
416 hope, but what good can hope do if you can't stave off death? As long
417 as there is life, there will be suffering and torment. Our only peace
418 is in death. My father died. But I'm the one who suffered. The living
419 suffer. Not the dead.” Reality came crashing down around Rikku's
420 head. The world around her was falling apart. The girl she loved was
421 verging on suicidal. And she had no idea how to save any of it. Her
422 strength drained as powerlessness bled her dry. “I would have been
423 too afraid to do this on my own. Without you, I would have been too
424 afraid of death. But if I can be with you, I'll have no fear.” Yuna
425 took Rikku's paw, kissing it softly. “I love you. We'll always be
426 together. Life won't be able to keep us apart.”“No...” Rikku argued
427 softly, shaking her head. “No!” She held Yuna's shoulders as tightly
428 as she could, scratching deep into the brunette, but Yuna didn't even
429 seem to notice. Tiny splotches of red grew under Rikku's claws.
430 “Yunie, we can still get out of here. There has to be a way. I'll
431 save you. Somehow.” Yuna smiled again, her lips brushing against
432 Rikku's. “You don't understand. Sin is coming. All I have to do is
433 open the doorway. Then Sin will destroy all life. All suffering. All
434 pain. We'll all be together.” Tears spilt down her cheeks as she
435 gazed at Rikku. “It's finally over.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
436
437 “Fire!” Flames licked at one of Sin's many Heartless creatures as a
438 girl in black raised her hand. A blitzball slammed into it, knocking
439 it over. “Thunder!” the girl cried out again. Lightening struck the
440 beast. It jerked spasmodically until it finally stopped, fading back
441 into harmless shadows. “They just keep coming, Lu,” the boy said,
442 breathing hard. Her looked around worriedly, waiting for more of the
443 strange beasts to jump out at them.“Then we must keep fighting them,”
444 Lulu responded calmly. Turning towards the path leading up to them,
445 her braids swishing behind her, she spotted Selphie supporting a very
446 pale Quistis. Blood soaked the side of the blonde's dress. Whatever
447 hope she had held onto dwindled rapidly. How could they possibly
448 survive this? How many were already dead?“Lulu! Wakka!” Selphie
449 called excitedly. There were people still out there. That relief
450 spread through her quickly. Good. Now if they could only find a place
451 to get to that they could protect. And of course, get Quistis healed
452 as swiftly as possible. Her eyes scanned about for Yuna, but she
453 couldn't find the other girl. “Where's Yuna? Where's everyone
454 else?”“Just me an' Lu as far as I know. Haven't seen anybody else
455 till you showed up. Good thing ya did. We couldn't hold out much
456 longer on our... Owww!” He looked over at Lulu. The black haired girl
457 scowled at him. She'd pinched him very sharply. What was that all
458 about? Didn't they have enough to deal with without her doing things
459 like that? Her eyes were moving around oddly. He raised an eyebrow.
460 Lulu sighed deliberately and leaned closer. “They're injured, Wakka.
461 Quistis is probably dying. We're going to have to protect them. So
462 don't say stupid things like that.”Wakka nodded, understanding. That
463 meant that they'd have to keep an eye on the two injured girls. Which
464 meant... They were worse off than they were before. His hopes
465 thoroughly shattered, he felt his shoulders slump. It didn't seem
466 like any of them were getting out of this. “No Yuna?” Selphie asked
467 again, her green eyes wide in disbelief. She had come all this way to
468 find a healer to save Quistis. But Yuna wasn't here. Lulu was a mage,
469 but she only knew black magic, nothing that could save Quistis. They
470 had travelled all that way for nothing? Quistis had become very quiet
471 just a few minutes ago. The blonde was breathing irregularly, slumped
472 heavily against Selphie's side. She needed help. And there was
473 nothing Selphie could do. Tears threatened to wash away whatever
474 grasp she still held on her sanity. She was going to lose Quistis...
475 “So you children are still fighting?” a voice asked from the trail
476 above them. They all turned to the voice. It was impossible for
477 anyone to have gotten ahead of them, though. Someone would need to
478 fly to be able to get to the path above them without going right
479 through them. Elder Seymour smiled as he approached them. “Elder
480 Seymour!” Wakka said excitedly.“Elder Seymour, we're very glad to see
481 you,” Lulu confessed. The elder simply smiled, looking about at them
482 all. He walked to Selphie, watching her green eyes light up at his
483 presence. There was hope again.“Seymour! You're alive!” If Seymour
484 was alive, then Quistis was saved. Seymour was a powerful mage, the
485 most powerful on the Destiny Islands. He could heal Quistis. Selphie
486 dragged the semi-conscious girl over to the elder, the thought that
487 the girl she loved wouldn't die after all soothing her body and soul.
488 “Quisty is hurt. You have to heal her.” She laid the blonde out on
489 the ground, being very careful not to hurt her anymore than she had
490 been. Reaching out, she gently stroked the other girl's cheek.
491
492 Quistis smiled weakly, looking up at Selphie with unfocussed eyes.
493 It took all of her strength to keep from passing out. But she knew
494 that if she did, she'd never wake up.
495
496 “Hmm...” Seymour surveyed the injured girl, kneeling down and
497 checking her wounds. Quistis hissed in pain as he touched the wound.
498 He got up, looking down at the girl. “It's a very serious wound.
499 She's lost a lot of blood.” Selphie nodded, holding onto Quistis's
500 hand. “So you can heal her, right, Elder Seymour?”The man nodded.
501 “Yes, I could. But I'm not going to.” He paused for a moment, letting
502 that sink in. Selphie looked up slowly, looking lost and confused. He
503 smiled down at her. “Why?” Selphie asked quietly, obviously in shock
504 over his answer.“Because very shortly, you'll all be dead anyway.
505 Healing her would only prolong it. Sin will destroy this island. And
506 after that, Sin will destory all life. Healing her would be cruel. It
507 would only keep her alive in order that she may die,” Seymour
508 explained. “No...” Selphie shook her head. “It... No, it isn't like
509 that. We can still try. We can stop it. We have to. You have to save
510 Quisty! Please!” Tears burst down her cheeks, spilling down her chin.
511 “You have to!” Clutching the blonde's hand, Selphie held it tightly
512 to her heart. “I'm afraid I have to do no such thing. But I will help
513 you. I am the last surviving elder of the Destiny Islands, so you are
514 all my children. I will send you along with her on her journey. Then
515 you won't have to part for even the short time it takes for you to
516 join her after she dies.” He smiled at the girls, raising his hand as
517 he summoned his magic. Wakka and Lulu got in front of Selphie, both
518 ready to fight him. He simply laughed. “You sweet, innocent children.
519 Soon you will never know the pain of life. Goodbye.” Summoning all of
520 the magic at his disposal, he got ready to hurry along the four of
521 them to death's sweet embrace.
522
523 A gunshot fired out. Pain erupted in Seymour's side. He stumbled
524 forward. Yes, life was pain. All life. Which is why it had to be...
525 Another shot. And another. The world swayed around him as he turned
526 to face his attackers. Four men and one woman in black suits were all
527 holding guns, pointing at him. Several other people were with them as
528 well. He could see one of the island children with them, Kairi, the
529 girl who had washed up on the Destiny Islands shore years ago. But
530 this couldn't be happening. This.. This was not how it was supposed
531 to work out. He tried to summon his magic, but it was weak in the
532 pain-wracked state he found himself. Kairi ran up to him, shoving the
533 Keyblade into his chest. She turned it swiftly, unlocking his heart.
534 He stumbled back, clutching his heart. Inside, he could feel the
535 darkness moving about. The darkness he had allowed Sephiroth to place
536 inside of him. Because it would give him power. The power to realize
537 his dream. To bring an end to life. He grinned as he realized that
538 would happen soon enough.“Something's wrong...” Kairi took several
539 steps back. “If he's the one who called Sin here, then he has to be
540 the Keyhole. But this isn't like any other Keyhole I've unlocked.
541 There's supposed to be light.” The princess had the feeling that
542 something had gone terribly wrong. “That's because I'm not the
543 Keyhole, Kairi.” Seymour laughed softly, his body changing,
544 transformed by the darkness that had grown in his heart. “But
545 Sephiroth did give me the power to find out who was. And it turns out
546 we had the same goals all along. It all ends here. We will bring this
547 world to an end. We will destroy the vicious cycle of life and death.
548 We will give peace to all.” By now he looked only vaguely human,
549 floating in the air like some strange ancient being. “Princess! Get
550 back!” The Turks immediately surrounded the Princess, protecting her
551 from the being that had once been Seymour. They began firing at him
552 as he summoned his magic. Elena led Kairi back to the others before
553 returning to face Seymour. Cloud looked at Squall. The two nodded at
554 each other before running after the Turks, swords brandished. Aerith
555 and Rinoa herded Selphie, Quistis, Lulu, and Wakka away from the
556 battle.
557
558 Kairi turned to her friends, feeling bittersweet about their
559 reunion. Because of her, they were hurting, dying. Because she had
560 left the door open for the Heartless to come upon this world. Her
561 beautiful Destiny Islands were crumbling. She had to unlock the
562 Keyhole before it was too late.
563
564 “Please! You have to help Quisty!” Selphie pleaded, tears streaming
565 down her cheeks. “She's dying...”
566
567 'Dear God, what have I done?' Kairi watched in horror as Selphie
568 held tightly onto a limp Quistis. He inability to entirely give up
569 her past life had caused so much pain. Riku was dead. Sora was lost.
570 The Destiny Islands were being torn apart. Her friends were
571 suffering. All because of her. Her fingers tightened around the
572 Keyblade. This had to end. “It will be okay,” Aerith said soothingly
573 to Selphie. Smiling, the flower girl brushed some of Selphie's tears
574 away before placing her hands over Quistis. White blue light flashed
575 around the blonde girl, spreading through her. Quistis blinked
576 weakly, gazing up.
577
578 Selphie broke down, holding onto Quistis as tightly as she could.
579 “Quisty!!” She cried against the blonde girl, her trembling fingers
580 clenching onto the torn fabric of Quistis's dress.
581
582 Quistis held her as well as she could. Her entire body felt so weak.
583 But the pain was gone. She was alive. Somehow. She closed her eyes,
584 feeling Selphie's arms around her. “That isn't like you, Kairi,” a
585 voice said behind her. Kairi turned to see Riku leaning against a
586 tree, his arms crossed. His head was lowered and his eyes were
587 closed. “You can't keep blaming yourself. You have to follow your
588 heart. Wherever that leads you. Sometimes that doesn't turn out the
589 way you want it to. But what matters is that you try. That you follow
590 it through to the end.” He looked up, opening his eyes. “Yes, bad
591 things happened. Yes, people are getting hurt. But you're trying to
592 stop that. There's no blame there, Kairi. Yes, this starts with you.
593 But you aren't at fault for that.”
594
595 Kairi nodded slightly, feeling a little better. “Yeah... You're
596 right. Thanks, Riku.” She smiled up at him, blinking her tear filled
597 eyes. She knew he was far away. But he was still right there with
598 her. “Just like I couldn't blame you for anything that happened when
599 you were working with the Heartless. Because you were just following
600 your heart. Trying to save me.”Riku smiled, walking up to Kairi. He
601 brushed her cheek with the back of his gloved hand. “Just follow your
602 heart, Kairi. Always follow your heart.” Closing her eyes, Kairi
603 could almost feel his gloved fingers on his cheek. Slowly, the
604 feeling faded away. Opening her eyes took a long time. She knew he
605 wouldn't be there when she looked again. Sure enough, he was gone.
606 But that was all right. She placed her hand on her cheek where his
607 hand had rested. He was right. She couldn't keep blaming herself. She
608 had to go and stop it.
609
610 “If you're looking for the Keyhole, I know where she is,” a voice
611 said near the trees.Kairi spotted the cloaked, blindfolded boy
612 seemingly watching her. Nodding, she gripped her Keyblade and
613 followed him. Fighting against Seymour wouldn't stop Sin from
614 destroying everything. And she couldn't help those fighting him as it
615 is. But she could stop Sin before it was too late. A hand grabbed
616 Kairi's shoulder before she could fade away from the group and follow
617 the boy. “I'm going with you. You might need help. If anything
618 happens, I can handle it.” Yuffie winked at her.
619
620 “I'm going, too, then,” Relm added, stepping up behind
621 Yuffie.Smiling, Kairi nodded. “Thanks, you two. I appreciate it.”
622 Looking back at the boy, she began to follow him. There wasn't much
623 time left.
624
625 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
626
627 The cloaked boy led the way to Riku and Sora's secret place. Even
628 amidst the chaos, it had escaped unscathed. Memories flooded back to
629 Kairi as she looked around the cave. She smiled faintly at the
630 pictures Sora and Riku had drawn on the walls, some of them of her.
631 There. Near the strange doorway at the end of the cave that shouldn't
632 be there. Yuna stood there along with Rikku.
633
634 “Rikku!” Surprise took Yuffie off guard as she saw her younger
635 sister at the back of the cave. So she was alive after all. Yuffie
636 had thought she'd run off when Rikku had been changed into a kitten.
637 And then when they'd found out she was the kitten on Opassa beach,
638 they'd been scattered to different worlds. “You're okay!” Yuffie
639 hadn't realized just how worried she'd been about her sister's fate
640 until now. She ran to the catgirl, trying to make sure she was okay.
641 She'd always been there to protect the younger girl before. Now she
642 was worried about what might have happened while she'd been away.
643 “Yuffie!” Rikku clutched onto the ninja girl, her heart lifting. Her
644 big sister was here. Everything would be fine now. They'd fix
645 whatever was going on. Yuna would be just fine and they'd be able to
646 go see all the many worlds out there together. Relm stayed back at
647 the sisterly reunion. It was nice to see Yuffie as obviously happy as
648 she was right now. The ninja usually hid behind her sarcasm and
649 bravado. Seeing this was beautiful to the artist.Kairi looked at Yuna
650 and then back at the hooded boy. The boy nodded. Kairi shook her
651 head, her heart slipping. “No. I can't.” Up till now, she hadn't
652 known any of the Keyholes. Kuja and Kefka had tried to hurt her.
653 Ultimecia had tried to trap her in a dreamworld. This was her friend.
654 How could she unlock the Keyhole in her heart if it meant she would
655 die? Yuna was one of the sweetest girls she knew, always trying to
656 help the other islanders. Could such a quiet, helpful girl really be
657 the Keyhole? The reason that Sin was here? Taking a step forward,
658 Kairi's mind spun as it tried to find an answer. She had to unlock
659 the Keyhole. But she couldn't hurt Yuna. “Yuna, you have to stop
660 this. You can't destory the Destiny Islands.”Shaking her head, Yuna
661 watched Kairi approach. “I have to. I can't stop now. Kairi, don't
662 you miss them? Riku and Sora? You've gone through so much pain and
663 hardship. Don't you understand? I can end that. Right now. I can save
664 everyone.” Her eyes lit up beautifully. “I can stop all of the
665 suffering. Once and for all. We can all be together with the ones we
666 love.”
667
668 “Even if we're far apart, we're always together. They're still with
669 me even now.” Kairi shook her head. “I know everyone suffers. But I
670 think there's more than that. It isn't all pain. It isn't all
671 suffering. There are beautiful moments, too. No matter how bad things
672 are, there are still shining lights here and there if you know where
673 to find them.” 'Like my mother. Even if I was lonely in my other
674 life, I still had my mother.'
675
676 Swallowing, Yuna fought back the tears that glistened in her eyes.
677 “I know that. But everything you hold dear is eventually taken from
678 you. Everyone you love will one day die. Everything that matters will
679 wither.” “But that's life. Life is pain. But life is love. Life is
680 fleeting. But it's darness and light. Together. And if it hurts,
681 we'll appreciate the things we love even more when we can be with
682 them again when it's over,” Kairi pleaded. 'Don't make me face you,
683 Yuna. I don't want to hurt anyone else. Please.'Yuna shook her head,
684 closing her eyes tightly. “You of all people should understand,
685 Kairi. You understood about giving up your life so that you could be
686 free. You escaped. I'm just trying to give everyone that
687 freedom.”“But that's the problem! I couldn't completely give up on my
688 life, no matter how much I tried. That's why the Heartless are here.
689 That's why I'm still stuck between worlds. Some people aren't ready
690 to give up their lives yet. Some people have more they want to do
691 before they move on,” Kairi explained, almost to Yuna. Rikku stood
692 with Yuffie, watching the two of them. The hooded boy was behind her
693 while Relm waited near the entrance to the cave. “What about the
694 people who weren't asked if they were ready?! What about the people
695 who had so much more to do but never got to? What about those of us
696 forced to live who never wanted to face that pain and suffering in
697 everyone's heart?” Shaking, Yuna's tears fell down to her feet. Pain
698 and loss and confusion cut at her heart like a rabid beast. “Yunie,
699 please. We can work this out. I'll be with you. No matter what. I'll
700 be there with you. We can handle whatever pain there is. I promise.”
701 Rikku pulled away from Yuffie, stepping towards Yuna. “I love you.
702 I'll always be with you.” Yuffie watched, her surprise growing. Her
703 little sister had fallen in love while she was gone? With this girl
704 who was trying to end everything? Now what was she supposed to
705 do?“I'm sorry, Rikku. I have to. I was the one who called Sin all
706 along. I just didn't understand. But Sin came to end all of this pain
707 and suffering. I have to save everyone. I don't want anyone to ever
708 hurt again. If we keep living, I might lose you. One of us might die.
709 Any number of things could happen. But it won't get the chance. I
710 love you, too. I won't let anything take you away from me. I won't
711 let this world hurt either of us. Any of us. Ever again.” The cave
712 shook as Sin crashed along the island, its inhuman howl reaching them
713 even in the depths of the cave. “Life will end. We'll finally be
714 free.” She smiled as she reached the door behind her, pulling it
715 open. Darkness spilled out from beyond the doorway. “With the doorway
716 open, Sin can read all the worlds. It can break the chains of life.”
717 The caves shook harder, sending most of them sprawling. Sin was
718 coming.“No!!” Kairi cried out. They were running out of time. Sin now
719 had what it wanted. A way out. A way to get to everything. A way to
720 kill all existence. Kairi lunged forward right as Yuna turned. The
721 Keyblade plunged deep into her chest. For the time being, Kairi had
722 to force her doubts away. But that was made nearly impossible by the
723 way Yuna looked back at her, serene. The blue and green eyed girl was
724 happy, unafraid of what was to come. 'You of all people should
725 understand, Kairi,' her voice whispered in the princess's head. Kairi
726 hesitated. There wasn't time. “I'm so sorry...” she got out before
727 turning the Keyblade. The shaking stopped immediately. Light flooded
728 the cave as the Keyhole was unlocked.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
729
730 She was everywhere and she was nowhere. Who was she? Kairi. Or was
731 it Hikari? A princess. Or was she an island girl? Or maybe a lonely
732 student living with her mother? She was all of these things. And she
733 was none of these things. There was brilliant light. And there was
734 endless darkness. They swirled and mixed and carressed in an endless
735 dance.
736
737 “You have unlocked the light in the heart of Suffering,” the
738 everpresent voice said. It sounded so very familiar. She couldn't
739 quite place it or where it was coming from.
740 “Life is filled with so much pain. The one's you love are taken from
741 you so very quickly. In death, there is freedom. There is an end to
742 pain. I only wanted to end everyone's suffering. I wanted to save
743 everyone. I wanted that pain that always lives in your heart to
744 finally disappear forever. I wanted to be with my father again.
745 And... I fell in love with Rikku. But I was so scared that I would
746 lose her just like I lost my father. But now, I guess I'll finally
747 escape the pain of life. Now I'm finally free. I'll wait for Rikku as
748 long as it takes. I'll finally see my father again. Thank you, Kairi.
749 I hope you find what you're looking for.”Kairi would have closed her
750 eyes if she had eyes to close in this world of light and darkness.
751 She would have swallowed back the pain in her heart if she could only
752 swallow. But the emotions, the pain and the sorrow, were acutely
753 real. “I hope so, too. I'm sorry, Yuna. I'm so sorry.”
754 As Yuna's heart departed to join the Lifestream, the Farplane, Kairi
755 was left behind by the light, like an unwanted child. It disappeared,
756 leaving her feeling cold and out of place in the small, dark cave.
757 “Where's Yunie?” Rikku asked, horrified to see only Kairi return
758 from the light. “What happened to Yunie?” She glanced at the other
759 faces, finally stopping on her sister's. Yuffie couldn't meet her
760 gaze. Cold realization crept through her, nearly stopping her heart.
761 “So... Yunie... Yunie is...” She couldn't get herself to say it.
762 Tears splashed down her cheeks, her body going cold. Yuna was gone.
763 She had failed to protect her. All her promises had been for naught.
764 “Why!? Why did she have to die? I met her, I promised I'd keep her
765 safe always, and she had to die for that?” Her body shook, her vision
766 blurring as tears fell faster than she could blink them away. Her
767 eyes locked on Kairi. “You killed her! She wanted to save everyone
768 and you killed her! She only wanted to make everyone happy!”
769
770 Kairi looked away from Rikku, ashamed. Yuffie said nothing. What
771 could she possibly say to help her sister? The girl she loved was
772 dead now. And there was nothing she could do. Rikku's heart
773 shattered. She didn't even have a body to hold. It was as if Yuna had
774 never been. She would never get to see that smile again. She would
775 never be able to hear her giggle, to feel her lips. It was all gone,
776 as quickly as the wind. And that girl, the girl who had helped her as
777 a kitten, she was the cause of it. If it weren't for her, she'd be
778 with Yuna now. By a cruel twist of fate, Rikku had shown up first on
779 the island and had fallen in love with the beautiful brunette. But
780 almost as if she were a harbinger of fate, the girl she had travelled
781 with, the Keyblade Mistress had followed her. Kairi had shown up and
782 taked away Rikku's most precious treasure. She had taken away
783 everything. Firey rage and ice cold sorrow tore at her mangled heart,
784 shredding it into bloody pieces. 'I'll protect you, Yunie. I'll
785 always be with you,' she had promised. And she had failed. All
786 because of her.
787
788 Rikku ran forward, moving with tremendous speed. Her fist raised
789 into the air, the razor sharp blades on her glove glinting in the dim
790 light. Kairi stared in shock, her lavender eyes wide as she realized
791 she was going to die. Yuffie could only watch, too stunned by the
792 suddenness of it all to leap to anyone's aid. Kairi would die. Rikku
793 may have failed to save Yuna, but she would take revenge for her
794 death.
795
796 And with a flash of steel, it was done. Kairi shook, her heart
797 pounding in her chest. Her vision still burned with images of bared
798 fangs, a glint of blades, and hatefilled eyes. She had broken Rikku,
799 stolen the one thing most important to her. And in return, she was to
800 forfeit her life. But that hadn't happened. At least, she didn't
801 think so. So what had happened. She looked around, finally spotting
802 Rikku on the floor in front of her. Blood lay in a pool around her.
803 The catgirl was dead. The cloaked boy had jumped in the way, stabbing
804 Rikku before she could reach Kairi. And now she was dead. Kairi's
805 knees gave out and she stumbled back, away from the body. “Rikku!!”
806 Yuffie screamed, running to Rikku's side. But it was too late.
807 Turning the catgirl over, Rikku looked blankly up at the roof with
808 dim green eyes. The light in them was gone. She didn't move an inch.
809 “Rikku...” It hardly seemed fair. How could her little sister die
810 like that? How could she have let this happen? How could her sister
811 die in her quest for Kingdom Hearts? But she was. The girl she had
812 practically raised since they were both little. The girl who had
813 always looked up to her. And now she was gone. Yuffie cradled her
814 body, crying against the blood soaked fur. Darkness and light
815 continued their dance, as another casualty lay senselessly on the
816 floor. In a way, Kairi had been responsible for both deaths. And yet,
817 was there another way? You didn't get second chances. You couldn't go
818 back and redo things until you did them right. Things merely fell as
819 they may in front of you. And because of her, both girls were now
820 dead. Yuffie held onto Rikku, torn and crying. Relm could only try to
821 offer what support she could. A hand rested on her shoulder. She
822 turned to see Sora looking at her sympathetically.
823
824 “It'll be okay, Kairi. Somehow,” he said, squeezing her shoulder. He
825 faded as she got to her feet.
826 “You're running out of time. You have to hurry,” the cloaked boy
827 said, pointing towards the doorway leading into darkness.
828
829 Kairi nodded. She had come this far. She couldn't give up now. She
830 owed it to the people who had died, to those who still wanted to
831 live. Taking one last look at Yuffie and Relm, she started for the
832 door. She had hurt enough people. She didn't want anyone else to get
833 hurt because of her. This was her fight. She would finish it on her
834 own.
835