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     1.2 +++ b/old/stories/prismhearts-02.txt	Fri Feb 19 20:53:12 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,803 @@
     1.4 +Prism Hearts 
     1.5 +Chapter 2
     1.6 +Prelude
     1.7 +by Amazoness Duo
     1.8 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
     1.9 +
    1.10 +
    1.11 +It was raining. That was the first thing that Kairi noticed. Cold
    1.12 +raindrops had plastered her clothes to her body, making her shiver.
    1.13 +Hugging her cold body tightly, she slowly sat up. Where was she? It
    1.14 +rained often enough on the Destiny Islands, but it was always a warm,
    1.15 +gentle rain. Nothing like the freezing, harsh storm that fell down
    1.16 +around her. 
    1.17 +
    1.18 +Slowly getting to her feet, Kairi began to stumble out of the alley
    1.19 +she found herself in. Huge buildings rose up around her, impervious
    1.20 +to the unending rain. Where was she? This wasn’t anything like home.
    1.21 +It looked like some impersonal big city. It was late and the streets
    1.22 +were empty, leaving her all alone. “Hello?” she asked meekly. There
    1.23 +was no reply but the howl of the wind.
    1.24 +
    1.25 +Shaking her head, Kairi got her wet bangs out of her eyes. The
    1.26 +buildings around her had an almost menacing look, as if they would
    1.27 +reach out and grab for her themselves. Whether that was because of
    1.28 +the darkness and the storm or if they were always like that, she
    1.29 +couldn’t tell. She shivered again, trying to ignore it. “Riku? Sora?”
    1.30 +she called out again, louder this time.
    1.31 +
    1.32 +Wet, cold, and alone, the brunette began to venture out into this
    1.33 +new world she found herself in. There had to be someone who could
    1.34 +tell her where she was. Or at least some place for her to get out of
    1.35 +the pouring rain. Every little sound had her looking over her
    1.36 +shoulder, glancing around. She didn’t like this place. She missed her
    1.37 +island home already. But she had to keep looking. Riku and Sora were
    1.38 +out there somewhere. Maybe someone here would know where they were. 
    1.39 +
    1.40 +Clank.
    1.41 +
    1.42 +Kairi whipped around quickly. It seemed to come from an alleyway
    1.43 +nearby. She could feel her whole body shaking. She didn’t know if she
    1.44 +was more frightened or excited by the sound. It was something in the
    1.45 +darkness. It could be anything. On the other hand, it was the first
    1.46 +sound that could be human contact she had since showing up in this
    1.47 +weird city. So despite her worries, she ventured forward. Perhaps
    1.48 +whoever it was could tell her where she was. Or where to get dry, at
    1.49 +any rate. 
    1.50 +
    1.51 +The entrance to the alleyway opened up like the maw of some huge
    1.52 +monster ready to swallow her up. But she had to find out who it was.
    1.53 +Otherwise she’d still be all alone out here. Steeling herself, the
    1.54 +young princess ran into the alley. 
    1.55 +
    1.56 +It was dark and wet in the alley, but the huge walls managed to
    1.57 +prevent some of the downpour from getting in. It was a small respite
    1.58 +from the storm. She sighed, holding herself tightly to try and keep
    1.59 +in some semblance of warmth. “Hello?” she called out, trying to keep
    1.60 +her nervousness from showing through. She heard another rattle and
    1.61 +paused. Maybe she should go back. She glanced to the entrance again.
    1.62 +No, she resolved. She couldn’t do that. If she gave up on this tiny
    1.63 +thing, then how would she ever find her friends? Stepping closer, she
    1.64 +raised her voice. “Hello?”
    1.65 +
    1.66 +Something tiny peeked out of a small box that it had been hiding in.
    1.67 +“Meow,” it answered, looking up at her. 
    1.68 +
    1.69 +“Awww! How cute!” Kairi kneeled down, picking up the little kitten.
    1.70 +It must have been making the noise as it struggled to find a way to
    1.71 +escape the rain. It was gray with little black patches on its fur. It
    1.72 +had the strangest green eyes that Kairi had ever seen. She couldn’t
    1.73 +remember if she’d ever owned a kitten or not, but she knew that it
    1.74 +was adorable. “Are you lost, too?” she asked. The kitten mewed in
    1.75 +response, seeming to agree. Kairi smiled brightly, nuzzling the
    1.76 +kitten’s nose. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. I may not be able to
    1.77 +help my friends yet, but I’ll do my best to help you, at least.” This
    1.78 +seemed to please the kitten, as it began to meow happily. 
    1.79 +
    1.80 +“That still doesn’t help us figure out where we are, though, does
    1.81 +it?” Kairi looked around the alley. It was minor protection, but she
    1.82 +couldn’t imagine spending the night in it. It was too creepy. There
    1.83 +had to be some place that was open, someone who would tell them where
    1.84 +they were. She held the wet kitten to her chest, running back out
    1.85 +into the rain. She tried to hunch over as she ran to protect the
    1.86 +kitten from the relentless pour. The little kitten curled up in a
    1.87 +ball against her, closing its eyes tightly.
    1.88 +
    1.89 +Stopping in the middle of the street, the brunette started searching
    1.90 +for her next target. Anything that looked open and inviting. There
    1.91 +had to be somewhere she could go to escape the storm. She couldn’t
    1.92 +just be lost out here. But at least she wasn’t alone anymore. She had
    1.93 +this kitten at any rate. And she held onto it like a life preserver
    1.94 +on a wild and reckless sea, her only friend at the moment. Because it
    1.95 +needed her. 
    1.96 +
    1.97 +Something bright caught her eye, drawing her attention away from the
    1.98 +ground level. Up on top of one of the buildings. On the building was
    1.99 +a large screen, presumably for public announcements or advertisements
   1.100 +or something. On that large screen was Kairi. She could only stare
   1.101 +for a long moment, frozen in place. The image kept cycling, herself
   1.102 +standing on the beach, static filtering across the screen. She would
   1.103 +smile and walk forward and then it would skip back to the beginning,
   1.104 +starting all over. “What?” She couldn’t tell if she’d actually spoken
   1.105 +the word or just thought it. Why would she be showing on some sort of
   1.106 +huge monitor? How could anyone know she was here? She glanced around
   1.107 +worriedly. This was all wrong. This place wasn’t right at all. 
   1.108 +
   1.109 +The shadows seemed to move around her, swarming. It looked like they
   1.110 +were surrounding her. She took a few steps backwards, but found that
   1.111 +they were behind her as well. Slowly, creatures began to rise from
   1.112 +the shadows, watching her. The Heartless! Her eyes widened as she saw
   1.113 +them all around her. There was no escape. Her search for Riku and
   1.114 +Sora was over before it had begun. She had failed the both of them.
   1.115 +Footsteps behind her barely registered in her mind. Hadn’t the
   1.116 +Heartless been stopped with Sora had locked the final door? They
   1.117 +shouldn’t be here. But there they were, staring at her hungrily. The
   1.118 +kitten poked its head out, hissing at the shadowy intruders. The
   1.119 +continued to advance on her, ignoring the kitten’s warnings. 
   1.120 +
   1.121 +The footsteps were finally right next to the young princess,
   1.122 +managing to capture her attention at last. She couldn’t stop the
   1.123 +feeling that it was something just as bad or worse than the living
   1.124 +shadows that were almost upon her. She could barely make him out in
   1.125 +the darkness. He was wearing a dark jacket with a hood that obscured
   1.126 +his face. He seemed to be wearing a blindfold as well, yet he seemed
   1.127 +to know exactly where the Heartless were. He didn’t turn to Kairi,
   1.128 +but instead kept a blind watch over the shadows. 
   1.129 +
   1.130 +“You can use the Keyblade, Kairi,” he said at last, seemingly
   1.131 +unworried about the advancing Heartless. 
   1.132 +
   1.133 +Kairi shook her head quickly, still holding onto the kitten. “No, I
   1.134 +can’t! I can’t fight! I’m not like Riku and Sora!” She would do
   1.135 +anything she could to have her friends back, to protect them. But she
   1.136 +wasn’t a fighter like they were. She just didn’t have that kind of
   1.137 +skill. 
   1.138 +
   1.139 +“You have to, Kairi. You’re the only one who can stop the spreading
   1.140 +darkness. If you don’t, it will envelop everything,” he said
   1.141 +urgently. He finally turned to her. “Kairi, you are the light within
   1.142 +the darkness. No one else can reach its heart.”
   1.143 +
   1.144 +“But...” Kairi stammered, unsure. How could she be important to all
   1.145 +of this? She was only one of the seven princesses needed to open the
   1.146 +final keyhole. And that was already sealed. So why was she the only
   1.147 +one who could stop it? 
   1.148 +
   1.149 +“The Keyblade you wield is different from Sora’s. It’s the same as
   1.150 +the one Riku had. It can unlock people’s hearts. Remember, Kairi,
   1.151 +within every heart is a light that will never fade away. Even in the
   1.152 +darkest heart. You need to unlock that light,” he continued. The
   1.153 +cloaked figure turned away at last, the Heartless nearly upon them.
   1.154 +Reaching into his large jacket, he pulled out two blades that looked
   1.155 +like long, curved wings. “Run.”
   1.156 +
   1.157 +“I.. But who..” She began. But the Heartless were already leaping
   1.158 +forward towards them. 
   1.159 +
   1.160 +“Run!” he called out, hurrying into the fray. 
   1.161 +
   1.162 +So Kairi ran. The rain fell heavily around her, as if it were trying
   1.163 +to stop her itself. She could hear the boy fighting with the
   1.164 +Heartless behind her, but she couldn’t look back. She just had to run
   1.165 +as far as she could, to try to get away from all of this. She wanted
   1.166 +to find her friends again. She didn’t know how she could save
   1.167 +everything. That didn’t make sense to her. Her priority was still
   1.168 +simple. To find Riku and Sora. Wherever they were. After that she
   1.169 +would figure out whatever this thing about stopping the heart of
   1.170 +darkness was. Besides, if she had Riku and Sora with her, she knew
   1.171 +she could handle it. But right now, she was still all alone.
   1.172 +
   1.173 +Suddenly, Kairi’s feet were no longer touching the floor. The world
   1.174 +spun around her as she fell in the air. For a moment, she thought
   1.175 +that maybe the world was shifting around her, that she was going
   1.176 +someplace else. But the wet street greeted her eagerly as she fell
   1.177 +back to the earth. She lay there for a long moment, disoriented. But
   1.178 +by the time she had regained her senses, it was too late. A rather
   1.179 +large Heartless was upon her. She felt it grab her hand, yanking her
   1.180 +off her feet. It looked at her with unseeing eyes, slowly reaching
   1.181 +out. Her heart pounded in her chest. Was this how it was all going to
   1.182 +end? Hunted down by the Heartless before she could ever find her
   1.183 +friends? A lot of good she had done them. They would get back to the
   1.184 +Destiny Islands one day and she wouldn’t be there waiting for them.
   1.185 +And they’d never know what had happened to her. She shuddered at the
   1.186 +thought. 
   1.187 +
   1.188 +‘This isn’t real. None of it is. Just open your eyes. You’re safe
   1.189 +and sound back home. This is only a dream,’ a voice said deep inside
   1.190 +of Kairi. 
   1.191 +
   1.192 +‘This doesn’t feel like a dream,’ Kairi thought frantically as the
   1.193 +Heartless continued reaching out for her. In desparation, she closed
   1.194 +her eyes. "Go away. Please go away,” she whispered, her eyes shut
   1.195 +tightly. She gasped, her eyes opening as she felt it’s cold hand
   1.196 +reach into her chest, hunting for her heart. And it was gone. All of
   1.197 +it. The Heartless, the city, the rain. It was all gone.
   1.198 +
   1.199 +Kairi bolted upright in the bed she found herself lying on. She was
   1.200 +in a slightly cluttered room. All across the bed were small little
   1.201 +plush dolls. Each looked like they were made with love and care,
   1.202 +attention spent on minor details. Around the room were drawing upon
   1.203 +drawing, some taped to the walls, some pinned to them, and other
   1.204 +lying almost to the point of overflowing on the desk in the corner. 
   1.205 +
   1.206 +“Where am I?” Kairi asked to no one in particular, glancing about
   1.207 +the strange room. 
   1.208 +
   1.209 +“You’re home,” a girl replied, startling the brunette. The voice
   1.210 +came from behind the door in the room, as if the person was leaning
   1.211 +against it. “See? It was all just a bad dream. You could have woken
   1.212 +up from it whenever you wanted to. But it doesn’t matter. You’re home
   1.213 +now.”
   1.214 +
   1.215 +“I’m home?” the princess asked, looking about the room. Her eyes
   1.216 +settled on a small picture frame that lie near the bed on a stand
   1.217 +with the lamp. It was a picture of herself. She didn’t look
   1.218 +particularly happy in the picture, her blue eyes distant. She was
   1.219 +wearing all dark clothes, a hand against her cheek. She shook her
   1.220 +head quickly. That couldn’t be her. She looked so sad in the picture,
   1.221 +so alone. 
   1.222 +
   1.223 +“Where are the Destiny Islands? Why am I here?” she demanded,
   1.224 +staring at the door.
   1.225 +
   1.226 +“The Destiny Islands are in your head. You made them up. You’re here
   1.227 +because you finally opened your eyes. You’ve stopped daydreaming.
   1.228 +This is real life, Kairi. Or as close as you’ll allow yourself to get
   1.229 +to it,” the voice answered.
   1.230 +
   1.231 +Kairi paled at the thought. She shook her head violently. “No!
   1.232 +They’re not in my head. They’re real. I’ve spent the past few years
   1.233 +living there with Riku and Sora.”
   1.234 +
   1.235 +The girl on the other side of the door laughed. “Oh, you mean the ‘I
   1.236 +woke up on the Islands without any memory and met my wonderful
   1.237 +friends’ thing? Why do you think you had no memory? Because you
   1.238 +didn’t want to remember. It wasn’t amnesia, Kairi. It was you
   1.239 +choosing to forget. And did you ever notice how everything was
   1.240 +absolutely perfect on the Destiny Islands? You had your two cute
   1.241 +friends who happened to compete at everything. Especially you. Wow,
   1.242 +sounds a little like a girl’s romantic daydream, doesn’t it?”
   1.243 +
   1.244 +“No, it’s not like that,” Kairi said. She wasn’t liking where this
   1.245 +was going at all. This room, it felt so familiar. The voice on the
   1.246 +other side sounded like she had heard it somewhere before. It all
   1.247 +felt like pieces to some puzzle. If she only allowed them to fit
   1.248 +together, it would all make sense. But she couldn’t allow this to
   1.249 +make sense. That would be acknowledging that everything that had
   1.250 +happened with Sora and Riku wasn’t real. And she couldn’t do that.
   1.251 +
   1.252 +“Take a look around your room, Kairi. You were absolutely obsessed
   1.253 +about this Island you made up. About a place where you had friends.
   1.254 +Where there were people who liked you. Where you weren’t so lonely.
   1.255 +It’s all you’ve been thinking about for years now. You came up with
   1.256 +everything about it. The people who lived there, what it all looked
   1.257 +like, how they all acted. It was the most important thing in your
   1.258 +life. Because it let you escape the pain. So eventually you escaped
   1.259 +to it altogether, pretending that it was real,” the voice explained.
   1.260 +
   1.261 +Kairi began to look around the room. True enough, the pictures were
   1.262 +all of the Destiny Islands. They were all in her art style. She could
   1.263 +see Riku and Sora, Selphie and the others, all in her pictures. There
   1.264 +was even a picture of them all building a raft together. One of the
   1.265 +pictures was of Riku, with several different drawings of him, all
   1.266 +slightly different as if she had been trying to figure out just
   1.267 +exactly how he should look. Another picture was an entire overview of
   1.268 +what the Islands looked like, with little notes in her handwriting
   1.269 +saying who lived where and what certain things were. It looked like
   1.270 +she had created the islands in her drawings. But she had lived there.
   1.271 +She had been there with Riku and Sora. It wasn’t just a dream. It
   1.272 +couldn’t have been. She hadn’t made it all up. She hadn’t.
   1.273 +
   1.274 +The brunette hugged the kitten tighter to her chest for comfort. But
   1.275 +the feeling was different. It was soft and plush. Looking down, she
   1.276 +saw it was one of the dolls. But not just a normal doll. It was a
   1.277 +doll of Sora. She held it up, her mouth opening, but nothing coming
   1.278 +out. She turned around, glancing at other dolls. There was Riku. And
   1.279 +over there in the small yellow dress was Yuffie. And Quistis. And
   1.280 +Tidus. And Wakka. And many, many more. She had dolls of all of them,
   1.281 +spread all about her bed. She grabbed for them, holding as many as
   1.282 +she could in her arms. These people, these important people in her
   1.283 +heart, they were all dolls lying across her bed. 
   1.284 +
   1.285 +“You made those dolls in your spare time. And you had a lot of it.
   1.286 +You spent almost all your time in your room. Mom got so scared that
   1.287 +something was wrong with you. You’d always disappear back here,
   1.288 +making your dolls of the characters you wanted to meet, or drawing
   1.289 +those pictures of the Islands you made up. Always lost in your own
   1.290 +fantasies, always trying to escape the real world.”
   1.291 +
   1.292 +Kairi was confused. What if this was right? What if she really had
   1.293 +just been dreaming it all, making it all up? Maybe she really was
   1.294 +just a lonely, lost little girl. But there was still a glimmer of
   1.295 +hope. She held onto it tightly, trying to keep from doubting her
   1.296 +friends’ existence. “But we traveled beyond the Destiny Islands. I
   1.297 +was with Sora in his heart while he sealed the Keyholes in all the
   1.298 +different worlds.”
   1.299 +
   1.300 +“You mean those Disney worlds? The ones you’ve watched over and over
   1.301 +and over again? Of course you’d pretend to visit those places, too.
   1.302 +You have every Disney video ever made. When you aren’t making up
   1.303 +things for your islands, you’re watching those videos. Because they
   1.304 +always end with happily ever after, with the prince Saving the
   1.305 +princess. They’re just another way you escape,” The voice responded. 
   1.306 +
   1.307 +The brunette’s shoulders slumped, her last shred of hope crushed
   1.308 +into stardust. She could remember them now. She could remember late
   1.309 +at night, watching the movies over and over again, crying herself to
   1.310 +sleep as the credits rolled, asking herself why she couldn’t be
   1.311 +Cinderella, why she couldn’t have her happily ever after. She could
   1.312 +remember sitting alone in her room, drawing the islands the way she
   1.313 +wanted them to be. Making the dolls of all the friends she would meet
   1.314 +along the way. Playing those games over and over again, all set in a
   1.315 +far off fantasy world that she could never hope to be. Selphie was
   1.316 +from one of them, wasn’t she? And so was Tidus and Wakka. And
   1.317 +Quistis. Even the heroes that Sora had met, Cloud, Squall, Aerith,
   1.318 +and Yuffie. They were all from the games she had played. Was it all
   1.319 +nothing more than her imagination, her own personal paradise she
   1.320 +would escape to? Even the worlds she had visited outside of her
   1.321 +island had come from these things. Was none of it real? 
   1.322 +
   1.323 +Standing up, the princess (was that even real?) headed for the door.
   1.324 +She needed to know the truth. She needed to understand what was going
   1.325 +on. Her heart felt bruised and battered, knocked around inside of
   1.326 +her. Sora and Riku had to be real. They had to! She couldn’t admit to
   1.327 +herself that it was all a lie, all part of some escapist fantasy. She
   1.328 +paused before the door. She knew the other girl was out there, still
   1.329 +leaning against the door, waiting for her. She had the answers. She
   1.330 +knew what was going on. But did she even want to hear them? But deep
   1.331 +down, she had to know. Reaching out slowly, she felt her hand clasp
   1.332 +around the cold doorknob. Her hand gripped it tightly, though she was
   1.333 +almost afraid that it would burn her or yank out of her grasp. She
   1.334 +swallowed, trying to pool her resolve. She closed her eyes tightly.
   1.335 +Whatever lay beyond that door would forever change her life. The
   1.336 +doorknob slowly turned beneath her fingers...
   1.337 +
   1.338 +And caught. The door was locked. It wouldn’t open. She tried again,
   1.339 +with the same failure. It refused to open for her. “Why won’t it
   1.340 +open?” she asked in frustration, trying one last time.
   1.341 +
   1.342 +“Because you don’t want it to. You can’t accept it. The door to the
   1.343 +real world won’t open until you’re willing to accept reality. It
   1.344 +won’t open until you’re ready. And you aren’t ready yet,” the voice
   1.345 +said softly. “You’re still trapped between fantasy and reality. This
   1.346 +is your real bedroom, but it’s still in a dream. You can’t leave the
   1.347 +dream until you’re ready for what’s out here. The real world can be
   1.348 +cold and lonely, Kairi. Trust me. I know. It cultivates darkness. It
   1.349 +spreads like wildfire through people’s hearts. Everyone is lonely.
   1.350 +Everyone suffers. No one can blame you for wanting to escape it all.
   1.351 +No one can blame you for what you did.”
   1.352 +
   1.353 +Kairi’s wrists began to burn painfully at the other girl’s words.
   1.354 +She looked down only to find blood seeping through the wristbands she
   1.355 +wore. She looked up again, panicking. She was bleeding. Her wrists
   1.356 +had been slashed. “Help me!” she cried, slumping against the door.
   1.357 +“Please help me...” Tears spilt down her cheeks as she slid down the
   1.358 +door to her knees. 
   1.359 +
   1.360 +“No one can help you, Kairi. You’re the one who slit your wrists.
   1.361 +You’re the one who couldn’t stand to live in this world anymore.
   1.362 +You’re the one who gave it up for your fantasies. But now reality is
   1.363 +seeping into your fantasies. That is the Heartless. The cold,
   1.364 +heartless reality that doesn’t care either way for you. And you can’t
   1.365 +stop reality from finding a way in.”
   1.366 +
   1.367 +Kairi sobbed, curling up into a ball on the floor. She was feeling
   1.368 +so weak and dizzy as the blood seeped from her body. She could dimly
   1.369 +remember the cold feel of sharp metal against her flesh, the
   1.370 +determined thought that she would finally be free of her loneliness
   1.371 +and pain. She could remember trying to kill herself. And now it all
   1.372 +felt as if it was catching up to her. “Riku.. Sora..” she called out
   1.373 +weakly, her vision dimming. She was dying, she realized. Everything
   1.374 +was fading away. Perhaps she really hadn’t been on her island after
   1.375 +all. She had merely imagined it all in those seconds after she had
   1.376 +cut her wrists open. All those years had only been frantic seconds.
   1.377 +Whereas other people saw their lives flashing before their eyes,
   1.378 +Kairi only wanted to see her fantasies, nothing from her real life
   1.379 +deigning itself worthy to show up before the end. And now cold
   1.380 +reality was taking over in those last precious seconds of life. It
   1.381 +chilled her soul. She was so scared. All alone, bleeding to death on
   1.382 +the carpet. And the boys she relied on the most weren’t even real.
   1.383 +
   1.384 +“How will mom feel when she finds you dead in your room? How am I
   1.385 +supposed to feel? Damn it, Kairi! Why did you have to do that?” the
   1.386 +voice on the other side of the door asked, sounding both angry and
   1.387 +close to tears. “You have such a strong spirit. Why couldn’t you just
   1.388 +hold out a little longer?”
   1.389 +
   1.390 +But it was too late. Kairi was too numb to even speak. She simply
   1.391 +lay there. She could see someone’s feet on the other end of the door,
   1.392 +but even that was fading fast. ‘I’m sorry,’ she tried to say. But
   1.393 +nothing came out. And everything turned to black.
   1.394 +
   1.395 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
   1.396 +
   1.397 +‘Dear diary,
   1.398 +It’s me, Selphie, again. But you probably already knew that. I’m
   1.399 +writing this on the pier. Yeah, I know Kairi’s usually sitting here,
   1.400 +worrying about Riku and Sora, but she’s gone now. No one knows where.
   1.401 +She disappeared not too long ago. We’ve been looking all over for
   1.402 +her, on all the Destiny Islands, but no one knows where she’s gone
   1.403 +off to. It’s like she up and vanished. Or maybe she grew wings and
   1.404 +flew off somewhere. No one really knows. Wherever she is, I hope
   1.405 +she’s happy. Maybe she’s even found Sora and Riku by now! Booyaka!
   1.406 +(No one’s using that yet! Quisty just looks embarrassed when I tell
   1.407 +her we should be spreading that word.)
   1.408 +
   1.409 +I’m trying to be hopeful about the whole thing, but everything’s
   1.410 +been weird since Kairi left. The seas all rough and angry now. And
   1.411 +the skies are growing darker. It’s like a big storm is approaching.
   1.412 +But it feels a lot worse than that, like something else is coming. I
   1.413 +can’t get it off my mind. The ocean doesn’t look friendly anymore.
   1.414 +The skies don’t look beautiful and free. It’s all like some dark and
   1.415 +twisted version of itself. I don’t like it at all. 
   1.416 +
   1.417 +Oh, Quisty and I shared a Paopu fruit!! It was just as romantic as I
   1.418 +imagined it would be! We sat there on the island and watched the
   1.419 +sunset together. I finally managed to work up the courage to open the
   1.420 +fruit. Quistis blushed in that cute, mature way she always has and
   1.421 +took the piece I offered her. Then she took a piece and fed it to me!
   1.422 +I could’ve died right then. It was sooooo sweet! And not just the
   1.423 +fruit. Having her feed it to me like that was so romantic. I spent
   1.424 +the rest of the night with my head on her shoulder, holding onto her
   1.425 +with everything I had. My mom was so mad when I got home! She said
   1.426 +she was worried when I didn’t get home last night. I’ve got loads of
   1.427 +extra chores, but I don’t care. It was worth it to spend the night
   1.428 +with my Quisty. I guess our hearts are forever intertwined now,
   1.429 +right? Great! Wherever I go, I know it’ll be with her.  
   1.430 +
   1.431 +Still, I can’t help worrying about Kairi. And what’s happening to
   1.432 +the Destiny Islands. I know that Quisty will help me through it,
   1.433 +whatever it is, but I still don’t like whatever’s happening. I wonder
   1.434 +if...’
   1.435 +
   1.436 +A hand rested on Selphie’s bare shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly,
   1.437 +shaking Selphie from her diary based thoughts. Selphie looked up and
   1.438 +smiled at the blonde girl standing beside her. She had been sitting
   1.439 +at the dock for a while, taking up Kairi’s usual position. She hadn’t
   1.440 +even noticed that Quistis had come to the island. But she was
   1.441 +suddenly very glad the slightly older girl had. All of this looking
   1.442 +at the ocean and thinking about Kairi was starting to worry her. And
   1.443 +she was usually the happy, upbeat one. At least when Quistis was
   1.444 +around she could concentrate on trying to lift the blonde girl’s
   1.445 +spirits instead. She placed her hand over Quistis’s, still looking
   1.446 +out to sea. 
   1.447 +
   1.448 +“I realized something must be wrong when you didn’t show up to come
   1.449 +drag me from my studies today. I don’t think you’ve ever been late to
   1.450 +distract me yet,” Quistis explained. She smiled faintly as she sat
   1.451 +down next to the other girl on the edge of the pier. 
   1.452 +
   1.453 +“It’s that time already?” Selphie asked, blinking. “Darn!” She stood
   1.454 +up quickly, as if to go back and get Quistis. But of course, Quistis
   1.455 +was already there. She shook her head, holding her diary to her
   1.456 +chest. “I completely forgot the time. I meant to go get you before
   1.457 +you got lost in all those books. But then I thought I’d sit down for
   1.458 +a minute. Then I thought I’d get some of my diary done. And then...
   1.459 +Well, I guess you know what happened then because you’re here.”
   1.460 +
   1.461 +The blonde girl giggled, pushing her glasses back up her nose. “Yes,
   1.462 +I am, Selphie. I was just worried about you. When you didn’t show up,
   1.463 +I thought maybe something had gone wrong. Kairi disappeared, so I
   1.464 +thought maybe you’d been next. I’m just glad it wasn’t anything.”
   1.465 +With the strange weather and the other girl’s disappearance, Quistis
   1.466 +had been extremely worried for the past day. She couldn’t tell if
   1.467 +that was the extent of things or if they would spread. And the
   1.468 +thought of one day finding Selphie missing was horrifying. So when
   1.469 +Selphie hadn’t been there, she had panicked and headed out to the
   1.470 +smallest of the islands where Selphie and her friends liked to play
   1.471 +as quickly as she could. She was relieved to find her spunky
   1.472 +girlfriend alive and well. And still planning on interrupting her
   1.473 +studies as always. Maybe things hadn’t changed that much after all.
   1.474 +
   1.475 +Selphie sat down again. After just a moment’s hesitation, she rested
   1.476 +her head on Quistis’s shoulder, sighing happily and hugging her
   1.477 +diary. “Nope, I’m still here. You can’t get rid of me that easily.
   1.478 +I’ll always be following you around. Forever.”
   1.479 +
   1.480 +Quistis smiled warmly, letting her fingers sift through Selphie’s
   1.481 +brunette hair. Selphie always managed to make her forget all about
   1.482 +her worries. “I love you, Selphie,” she whispered softly, still
   1.483 +playing with the younger girl’s hair. 
   1.484 +
   1.485 +Blushing faintly, Selphie turned to look up at Quistis. Green eyes
   1.486 +met the blonde’s blue eyes. “I love you, too, Quisty,” she said, her
   1.487 +eyes sparkling brightly. She closed her eyes as Quistis leaned in,
   1.488 +kissing her. Sighing happily, she melted against the older girl.
   1.489 +There would be time to worry later on. Much later on. 
   1.490 +
   1.491 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
   1.492 +
   1.493 +Kairi awoke to find herself in yet another alleyway. But at least it
   1.494 +wasn’t raining this time. The kitten was licking at her face, trying
   1.495 +to wake her up. She slowly got to her feet, her head still swimming.
   1.496 +Where was she now? It didn’t look like the big, menacing city she had
   1.497 +been in before. She picked up the kitten and stepped out of the
   1.498 +alley, rubbing her head. She tried to block out the memories of being
   1.499 +in her room, of the voice behind the door. Of course this was all
   1.500 +real. This had always been real. It was the way of things. But still,
   1.501 +she couldn’t help but have a tiny doubt inside of herself. Maybe the
   1.502 +voice had been telling the truth. Maybe..
   1.503 +
   1.504 +But she couldn’t allow that. She couldn’t let any of it not be real.
   1.505 +It was all too important to her. Riku, Sora, their islands, their
   1.506 +friends. She wouldn’t let it all be some delusion. She would fight
   1.507 +for them, fight to protect them all. 
   1.508 +
   1.509 +Slowly, Kairi looked down to her wrists. Her wristbands looked fine,
   1.510 +bloodless. But she couldn’t help but wonder. She reached out one
   1.511 +hand, pulling one of them back inch by inch. She had always worn
   1.512 +them, never questioning them. But now she wondered why. Maybe it was
   1.513 +because they were covering something. As it inched up, she stared in
   1.514 +shock. A long scar ran along her wrist, right where she would have
   1.515 +cut. She yanked the cloth down quickly, covering the scar. Shaking
   1.516 +now, she tried desperately to ignore it. It wasn’t there. It was just
   1.517 +her overactive imagination. She needed to focus on something else.
   1.518 +Like where she was. That was the important thing at the moment. 
   1.519 +
   1.520 +Looking up and down the street, she couldn’t see anyone. It was
   1.521 +still late and no one seemed to be about. But there was a place with
   1.522 +a light on. It still seemed to be open. She sighed in relief, heading
   1.523 +for it. The place seemed to be named Fate. She paused before the
   1.524 +door, reading it again. An interesting name, at any rate. With all
   1.525 +the weird places she had ended up, she was curious as to whether that
   1.526 +was simply a name or this place’s true purpose. Whatever the case,
   1.527 +she entered into the building, holding the kitten in one arm. 
   1.528 +
   1.529 +Inside, she could see that it was a bar, or a club or something of
   1.530 +the sort. It had interesting music playing and there was even a car
   1.531 +inside for patrons to sit in. It didn’t seem to be very busy at the
   1.532 +moment, though. A large, frightening looking man with metallic horns
   1.533 +on his head and a leather jacket was leaning against the wall.
   1.534 +Another man with tattoos all over his body was leaning back in a
   1.535 +chair. Sitting at a table, a man with spiky hair was frowning while a
   1.536 +girl in a big yellow raincoat was talking to him cheerfully. At the
   1.537 +bar sat a blonde man with a red and blue jacket. And behind the bar,
   1.538 +cleaning out glasses, was the bar hostess, a woman with very long,
   1.539 +dark hair. 
   1.540 +
   1.541 +“Oh, Sion! You look so cute with puppy ears? Doesn’t he, Kou? Like a
   1.542 +great, big puppy dog!” Dominique squealed happily. She was forcing
   1.543 +fake puppy ears onto Sion’s head. The spiky haired man simply sighed,
   1.544 +offering up no resistance.
   1.545 +
   1.546 +Kou laughed, watching in wry amusement. “Sure does, Dominique. I bet
   1.547 +he’d make an even better bouncer wearing those things all the time.”
   1.548 +
   1.549 +“You really think so?” Dominique asked thoughtfully. She grinned,
   1.550 +nodding. “I think you should always wear them, Sion!”
   1.551 +
   1.552 +The woman behind the bar smiled, waving Kairi over. “Hello, little
   1.553 +girl. Can I help you? My name’s Tifa. I own this bar. We don’t really
   1.554 +get a lot of young girls showing up. Well, besides Dominique.” She
   1.555 +looked over at the blonde girl accosting her bouncer and sighed,
   1.556 +shaking her head. “Anyway, what can I do for you?”
   1.557 +
   1.558 +Kairi hugged the kitten, heading over to the bar. This woman seemed
   1.559 +nice. And after all the Heartless earlier and being alone except for
   1.560 +the spooky voice behind her door, she felt glad to be around people
   1.561 +again. “I was hoping you could tell me where I am.” She looked down
   1.562 +as soon as she asked the question. She realized how idiotic it
   1.563 +sounded. How could she not know where she was? But still, she had to
   1.564 +know.
   1.565 +
   1.566 +“You’re in Traverse Town,” Tifa said simply, setting a cup full of
   1.567 +milk down. She winked at the younger girl. “I have to have some non-
   1.568 +alchoholic beverages around with how often Dominique’s here.”
   1.569 +
   1.570 +Smiling gratefully, Kairi took a long sip of the cold milk. It felt
   1.571 +comforting somehow. And it was so nice to finally know where she was.
   1.572 +She had spent some time in Traverse Town back when Sora had been
   1.573 +patching things up at the End of the World. Now she didn’t feel quite
   1.574 +so lost anymore. And maybe Sora would even end up checking back
   1.575 +there. Things didn’t feel as hopeless as they had. 
   1.576 +
   1.577 +“Tifa.. Why don’t we have any hotdogs left? I’m so hungry!” The
   1.578 +blond man in the red and blue jacket asked, holding his stomach.
   1.579 +
   1.580 +Tifa sighed, wiping up the counter. “Because you ate them all, Zell.
   1.581 +I’m not going to make anymore if you always wind up eating them
   1.582 +before I can sell any.”
   1.583 +
   1.584 +“But.. But Tifa!” Zell argued futilely. The barmaid just refused to
   1.585 +acknowledge him, still going about her work. 
   1.586 +
   1.587 +Kairi looked around at the group in the bar and then back to Tifa.
   1.588 +“Aren’t these an awful lot of bouncers for one bar?”
   1.589 +
   1.590 +Tifa shrugged, pausing in her work. “Not really. With the Heartless
   1.591 +around, it’s just not safe these days. So by keeping so many bouncers
   1.592 +around, people can relax when they’re at Fate. They can come here and
   1.593 +forget their worries. And people like to have a place to escape from
   1.594 +everything, you know?”
   1.595 +
   1.596 +Kairi shuddered at the word escape. It reminded her too much of the
   1.597 +voices accusations that all of this was only an escape for her, not
   1.598 +real. 
   1.599 +
   1.600 +“You should see Tifa fight! It’s not like she needs us bouncers
   1.601 +anyway. But she can’t be serving drinks and fighting the Heartless at
   1.602 +the same time. That’s the only reason she needs us,” Kou stated,
   1.603 +grinning. 
   1.604 +
   1.605 +Tifa laughed, holding her arm out behind the bar. “Everyone at the
   1.606 +bar Fate can make your stay a safe experience. So if you ever need
   1.607 +help, little girl, just head back here. We’ll be more than happy to
   1.608 +help you.” She smiled sweetly. 
   1.609 +
   1.610 +“My name’s Kairi,” Kairi said. She nodded. “And thank you. Thank you
   1.611 +very much! You’ve already helped a lot!” 
   1.612 +
   1.613 +Tifa grinned. “Anytime. It’s what we’re here for. So why is a cute
   1.614 +little girl like you all alone in a place like Traverse Town? Let me
   1.615 +guess, lost your world, huh? It seems like everyone who escapes from
   1.616 +that ends up here.” Sighing, she shook her head. It was always such a
   1.617 +shame to see people end up there all alone, losing their families and
   1.618 +friends. That’s why she had started Fate, as a place where people
   1.619 +could forget their pain. 
   1.620 +
   1.621 +“Actually, I’m looking for my friends. My world’s still there. I
   1.622 +think. I’m trying to find Riku and Sora. They’re lost out there
   1.623 +somewhere and I have to find them,” Kairi explained. She was almost
   1.624 +hopeful that they had some news, that perhaps some word had reached
   1.625 +this bar. 
   1.626 +
   1.627 +Tifa shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve heard of either of them.
   1.628 +I’ll be sure to keep listening for anyone who brings up their names,
   1.629 +though. Lots of people from all over come in through here. Just keep
   1.630 +checking in and I’m sure we’ll get some information sooner or later,”
   1.631 +she promised. 
   1.632 +
   1.633 +“So the Heartless are back? And people are travelling to different
   1.634 +worlds again? I thought that no one could travel because the barriers
   1.635 +between the worlds were restored when the final keyhole was locked,”
   1.636 +Kairi asked, confused. It didn’t make sense that the Heartless were
   1.637 +back. Hadn’t Sora solved all that?
   1.638 +
   1.639 +“Well, the barriers seemed to be in place for a while. The worlds
   1.640 +had been restored and everything seemed to be in place. But before
   1.641 +the barriers had even fully set in, they disappeared. And then the
   1.642 +Heartless began to appear again. They’ve already overrun a number of
   1.643 +worlds, swallowing them. People are using Traverse Town as a refuge.
   1.644 +So we’re doing our best to help the people here,” Tifa explained,
   1.645 +resting her hands on the counter. 
   1.646 +
   1.647 +“Oh,” Kairi said simply, letting it all sink in. “Something must
   1.648 +have gone wrong,” she reasoned. “Riku and Sora must not have been
   1.649 +able to stop it after all. So it’s still out there.” That thought
   1.650 +frightened her. Now she really needed to find Sora and Riku. If they
   1.651 +hadn’t succeeded after all, then they might be in danger. Finishing
   1.652 +her milk, she stood up. “Thank you!” She called out, waving as she
   1.653 +headed for the door.
   1.654 +
   1.655 +“Don’t mention it! Be strong, Kairi!” Tifa called after her, waving
   1.656 +back. 
   1.657 +
   1.658 +Kairi nodded, smiling as she exited the bar. With her newfound gem
   1.659 +of hope, she stepped out into the street. Now where to begin her
   1.660 +search? Someone had to have some idea of where her friends were, or
   1.661 +at least where to begin. She began walking along Dog Street, the
   1.662 +street that Fate was on, lost in her own thoughts. 
   1.663 +
   1.664 +Before she got too far, a hand snaked out and clamped over her
   1.665 +mouth. Another hand grabbed her wrist, yanking her into another
   1.666 +alleyway. Kairi was really beginning to hate alleyways. A small
   1.667 +dagger pushed against her throat, cutting off any thoughts of
   1.668 +struggling in her mind. “So what about this one? Anythin’ valuable?”
   1.669 +a strange accent said behind her. Kairi froze, her heart pounding in
   1.670 +her chest. She was being mugged. She just seemed to keep finding
   1.671 +herself in trouble. Were they just going to rob her? She had nothing
   1.672 +of worth. Would they kill her when they were done? An icy chill ran
   1.673 +through her heart. 
   1.674 +
   1.675 +“She’s sure cute, at any rate,” A blond man said, grinning. He had a
   1.676 +long tail moving behind him. 
   1.677 +
   1.678 +“And young. Get your mind out of the gutter, Zidane. We’ve got a
   1.679 +show to do in twenty minutes,” a girl stated. 
   1.680 +
   1.681 +“Zidane’s just stating the obvious,” another man said in Zidane’s
   1.682 +defense. 
   1.683 +
   1.684 +“Oye. Can we just see if she’s got anything worth takin’ and leave?”
   1.685 +the accent said in her ear again. 
   1.686 +
   1.687 +“Any materia?” the girl’s voice asked hopefully. She stepped forward
   1.688 +in the dim light of the alleyway, ready to search Kairi. The girl
   1.689 +blinked in surprise. “Wait, I know her. Kairi? Is that you?” 
   1.690 +
   1.691 +“Yuffie?” Kairi asked hopefully, still not moving an inch. She had
   1.692 +only met Yuffie for a brief time after Sora had saved her from Hollow
   1.693 +Bastion. Yuffie, Leon, and Aerith had taken care of her while she
   1.694 +waited for Sora to return. The ninja girl was arrogant and sarcastic,
   1.695 +but she liked her anyway. And any familiar face was good at the
   1.696 +moment. 
   1.697 +
   1.698 +“Let her go, Kid. She’s a friend of mine,” Yuffie explained. The
   1.699 +knife and hand pulled away from Kairi, letting her free. “Are you
   1.700 +okay, Kairi? Long time no see. Sorry about the rough treatment. We’re
   1.701 +the Radical Dreamers. Me, Kid, Zidane, and Locke. We had another
   1.702 +member, but she’s been missing for a while. We don’t know what
   1.703 +happened to her. Hopefully nothing bad. Anyway, we’re a group of
   1.704 +thieves. Well, thieves/performers. We’re in high demand in all sorts
   1.705 +of different worlds.” The ninja smiled proudly. “We just happen to
   1.706 +make some extra profits by robbing everyone blind, too. It’s a
   1.707 +living.”
   1.708 +
   1.709 +Kairi blinked, rubbing her neck. “So you gave up being part of a
   1.710 +group of heroes to join a group of thieves?”
   1.711 +
   1.712 +“I’m not a thief. I’m a professional treasure hunter,” Locke added
   1.713 +helpfully.
   1.714 +
   1.715 +“Thieves/performers,” Yuffie corrected, ignoring the man in the
   1.716 +bandana.
   1.717 +“And yes. But not just because I felt like ditching Aerith and Leon.
   1.718 +They’re both with their lovers right now, so I felt kind of out of
   1.719 +place. On top of that, I noticed that something was wrong when the
   1.720 +worlds started connecting again. So I figured I’d go check it out
   1.721 +while Leon and Aerith are playing doctor with Rinoa and Cloud. I just
   1.722 +happened to hook up with my old friends the Radical Dreamers while I
   1.723 +was at it.”
   1.724 +
   1.725 +Zidane sighed, looking over his shoulder. “Well, if this whole thing
   1.726 +was a bust, we really need to get going. The show’s gonna start soon.
   1.727 +Good luck with your friend, Yuffie. Maybe you can give us a more
   1.728 +proper introduction next time.” The catboy grinned, winking at Kairi.
   1.729 +Taking her hand, he placed a kiss on it before turning to leave with
   1.730 +Locke.
   1.731 +
   1.732 +Kairi blushed faintly at the attention. Yuffie just gave an
   1.733 +exasperated sigh, as if this wasn’t anything new. “Just ignore him,”
   1.734 +the ninja said as the two boys left.
   1.735 +
   1.736 +The princess nodded thoughtfully. “I’m glad someone else noticed
   1.737 +things have been weird lately. I’m looking for Sora and Riku. They
   1.738 +never came back after sealing the final Keyhole. I have to find
   1.739 +them.” Meanwhile, Kairi’s kitten had scurried over to Yuffie’s feet,
   1.740 +rubbing against her stocking and meowing like crazy. Kairi giggled.
   1.741 +“I guess she really likes you, Yuffie.”
   1.742 +
   1.743 +Yuffie tried to shoo the cat away with her foot, but the kitten
   1.744 +ignored it, pawing at her leg and looking up at her. “Yeah, I guess
   1.745 +so. Though I’ve never been much of a cat person.” 
   1.746 +
   1.747 +“I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do with the Keyblade. Maybe
   1.748 +I can give it to Riku or Sora when I find them,” Kairi said, sighing. 
   1.749 +
   1.750 +That caught Yuffie’s attention. “The Keyblade? You have the
   1.751 +Keyblade?” Kairi nodded. The ninja looked at her for a moment,
   1.752 +weighing her options. “All right, how about this. I’ll let you come
   1.753 +with me. I need to find out what’s going on anyway, so you might as
   1.754 +well follow me. And I’m sure we’ll run into your friends along the
   1.755 +way.”
   1.756 +
   1.757 +“Are you sure you wouldn’t be following me around, Yuffie?” Kairi
   1.758 +asked with a giggle. 
   1.759 +
   1.760 +“Why would the great ninja Yuffie ever have to follow someone?”
   1.761 +Yuffie asked incredulously. “Anyway, how does that sound?” She held
   1.762 +her hand out, watching the younger girl.
   1.763 +
   1.764 +“Sounds great,” Kairi said eagerly, taking Yuffie’s hand with both
   1.765 +of hers. She felt ecstatic to know she wasn’t on her own anymore.
   1.766 +Yuffie was a ninja. She knew how to handle these things. She could
   1.767 +help her find Riku and Sora. Things were starting to look up. 
   1.768 +
   1.769 +“Great!” Yuffie grinned. She didn’t need Leon or Aerith after all.
   1.770 +And this time she could help the Keyblade Master.. err.. Mistress to
   1.771 +stop the Heartless once and for all. “Now would you mind getting your
   1.772 +kitten away from me?”
   1.773 +
   1.774 +“Oh, sure.” Kairi knelt down, picking up the kitten, embarrassed.
   1.775 +The kitten struggled to keep it’s claws in Yuffie’s stockings, but
   1.776 +she finally managed to get it free after a short struggle. The kitten
   1.777 +meowed again and again, struggling to get free of Kairi. “I’m sorry,
   1.778 +she’s usually not like this. I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”
   1.779 +
   1.780 +“Must be star struck. Not everyday you get to meet the Radical
   1.781 +Dreamers,” Kid said, winking. 
   1.782 +
   1.783 +“Speaking of which, we need to hurry if we’re going to get there
   1.784 +before the curtain rises. And we’re still out a cast member.” Yuffie
   1.785 +crossed her arms, looking at Kairi for a moment. “Would you mind
   1.786 +filling in? We’ve already booked today, so we need to get this out of
   1.787 +the way, but after that we’ll start looking for your friends.” ‘And
   1.788 +treasure,’ she mentally added. With all the worlds they’d be going
   1.789 +to, she’d probably amass a fortune before finally stopping the
   1.790 +Heartless. Ahhh.. Fame and money. What could be better?
   1.791 +
   1.792 +Kairi thought it over for a moment. It was the least she could do
   1.793 +after Yuffie had agreed to help her. And she had played similar games
   1.794 +with Sora and Riku back on the island. Sure this was a little bigger
   1.795 +than playing pretend, but it was essentially the same thing, right?
   1.796 +She nodded. “Okay, I’ll help.” 
   1.797 +
   1.798 +“Good. Let’s hurry and get you in a costume before the play starts.”
   1.799 +Yuffie grabbed her hand and pulled her along. 
   1.800 +
   1.801 +Kairi stumbled afterwards, still holding her feisty kitten. She sure
   1.802 +hoped this wasn’t a mistake. 
   1.803 +
   1.804 +
   1.805 + 
   1.806 +