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     1.4 +Prism Hearts 
     1.5 +Chapter 3
     1.6 +Radical Dreamers
     1.7 +by Amazoness Duo
     1.8 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
     1.9 +
    1.10 +
    1.11 +A bundle of clothes got tossed at Kairi shortly after she entered
    1.12 +the dressing room of the band of part time entertainers and full time
    1.13 +thieves, the Radical Dreamers. She stumbled back as the rather large
    1.14 +dress threw her off balance. She held it out, watching it unfurl
    1.15 +before her. The dress was made of enough cloth to make six of the
    1.16 +outfits Kairi was wearing. She looked at it with a bit of
    1.17 +trepidation. “I’m supposed to wear this?”
    1.18 +
    1.19 +“Of course! You’re playing the princess. You have to look regal and
    1.20 +courtly,” Yuffie explained, opening a chest to get a few more props. 
    1.21 +
    1.22 +Glancing back at the dress skeptically, Kairi shook her head. “Isn’t
    1.23 +it a little... big?”
    1.24 +
    1.25 +Yuffie looked back over her shoulder. “No. You’re just not used to
    1.26 +wearing anything like that. You get used to it. If you’re gonna be
    1.27 +playing a princess, you have to look the part. Trust me. I’ve had to
    1.28 +play the princess now and then myself.” It looked like her words
    1.29 +helped soothe some of Kairi’s concern, though truth be told, she
    1.30 +hated playing the part of the princess. She preferred the prince’s
    1.31 +outfit to that nightmarish gown any day. Sure, it looked pretty
    1.32 +enough, but Yuffie was used to actually being able to move her limbs.
    1.33 +She and Zidane had been set to flip for who was going to be the
    1.34 +princess in the day’s play if Kairi hadn’t shown up, so she was more
    1.35 +than a little grateful at the younger girl’s arrival. 
    1.36 +
    1.37 +“But I don’t know any of my lines!” Kairi said nervously, watching
    1.38 +Yuffie pull out some prop swords. She suddenly realized the big
    1.39 +difference between playing pretend and doing a play. You didn’t have
    1.40 +to know what you were doing when you were playing pretend. She felt
    1.41 +nervous, butterflies swirling about in her stomach as she held onto
    1.42 +the large dress.
    1.43 +
    1.44 +“What lines? We’re doing ‘Sleeping Beauty’. You lie there for most
    1.45 +of the play. You’re lucky we’re not doing ‘I Want to be Your Canary’.
    1.46 +The princess in that has most of the best lines,” Yuffie explained,
    1.47 +taking a few experimental swipes with the blade. She’d give that one
    1.48 +to Locke. She preferred a shorter sword herself. Even if it wasn’t
    1.49 +her weapon of choice, it did have a nice stage presence. 
    1.50 +
    1.51 +“Sleeping Beauty?” Kairi repeated, blinking.
    1.52 +
    1.53 +“Yep. Everyone needs a story that ends with a ‘and they lived
    1.54 +happily ever after’ now and then. Especially with how things have
    1.55 +been lately. Which is exactly why we aren’t doing ‘I Want to be Your
    1.56 +Canary’. The ending isn’t the happiest, if you know what I mean.” The
    1.57 +brunette ninja glanced back over her shoulder at the recently dubbed
    1.58 +Keyblade Mistress. “Why? You don’t like ‘Sleeping Beauty’?”
    1.59 +
    1.60 +Kairi shook her head quickly. “No, I love it! It’s one of my
    1.61 +favorites!” She could vaguely remember lying on her bed in her room,
    1.62 +resting on her stomach with her chin in her hands, the lights off and
    1.63 +a video playing. She could remember reciting the lines as the prince
    1.64 +said them, as he made his way to Sleeping Beauty. Could remember her
    1.65 +eyes tearing up, thinking ‘I want my happily ever after’. But that
    1.66 +couldn’t be real. Sleeping Beauty was Princess Aurora. And she had
    1.67 +met her at Hollow Bastion. She was one of the seven Princesses. So
    1.68 +she couldn’t be some movie she had seen. Kairi tried to dismiss the
    1.69 +thought. It wasn’t true. This was all real. That other place, that
    1.70 +home was only an illusion. It had to be.
    1.71 +
    1.72 +“You better get changed. We don’t have much time. The people are
    1.73 +probably already taking their seats.” Yuffie stood up, holding the
    1.74 +pile of swords and belts. “As long as you don’t open your eyes when
    1.75 +your supposed to be sleeping, you’ll do fine.”
    1.76 +
    1.77 +Kairi didn’t feel much better even with the ninja’s ‘helpful’
    1.78 +advice. She turned to ask where to change, but Yuffie had already
    1.79 +left. ‘Just think of it as another part of finding Riku and Sora. The
    1.80 +sooner you get this over with, the sooner you can get back to finding
    1.81 +them.’ Sighing, she began to take off her clothes, setting them on
    1.82 +the chest Yuffie had retrieved some props from just a short time
    1.83 +before. Setting her skirt down, she looked back at the dress. Just
    1.84 +how was she supposed to get that thing on, anyway? It still looked
    1.85 +too big for her. 
    1.86 +
    1.87 +Before Kairi could figure it out, the door swung open again. “Are
    1.88 +you coming or not?” 
    1.89 +
    1.90 +Kairi dropped to her knees, covering herself as best she could, clad
    1.91 +only in her undergarments. Her cheeks burned as Yuffie simply blinked
    1.92 +at her for a moment. “Yuffie!” she cried. The ninja finally looked
    1.93 +away, busying herself with something she apparently saw on the roof.
    1.94 +She felt like she was going to die. This had never happened before on
    1.95 +her island. The boys were always polite enough to knock first. She
    1.96 +wanted to grab her clothes, get dressed, and leave. But she knew she
    1.97 +couldn’t do that. She still had a play to do.
    1.98 +
    1.99 +“You were supposed to follow me, Kairi,” Yuffie said, still staring
   1.100 +up at the roof. “But.. umm.. If you wanna change in here, that’s
   1.101 +fine.” She closed the door swiftly. 
   1.102 +
   1.103 +Her head slumping in embarrassment, Kairi sighed. So that’s why
   1.104 +Yuffie had left. She was supposed to go with her. This probably
   1.105 +wasn’t the dressing room after all. But she was so worked up about
   1.106 +everything that she hadn’t been paying attention. Grabbing the dress,
   1.107 +she tried to get dressed as quickly as she could. When she was
   1.108 +finally finished, she felt a little awkward. It was a little too big
   1.109 +for her after all, but it didn’t seem too noticeable. But she still
   1.110 +wasn’t used to such an extravagant outfit. She turned, trying to get
   1.111 +used to the way it swished about her as she moved.
   1.112 +
   1.113 +“You look like a real princess, Kairi,” a voice said warmly from
   1.114 +somewhere behind her. 
   1.115 +
   1.116 +The brunette whirled about, her eyes wide as she came face to face
   1.117 +with Riku. He was grinning, a hand on one hip. “Riku!” She was
   1.118 +breathless. It had been so long since she had seen him. Tears burnt
   1.119 +at her eyes. She had waited to see him again for so long. 
   1.120 +
   1.121 +“But then, you really are a princess, so it shouldn’t be any big
   1.122 +surprise,” the silver haired boy reasoned. 
   1.123 +
   1.124 +Kairi ran to him, nearly stumbling in the large dress. But she
   1.125 +didn’t care. She just wanted to be near him again. To know that she
   1.126 +wasn’t alone anymore. To know that he was really there. To hold on
   1.127 +and forget all about other worlds and what was real or not. She could
   1.128 +see him so close, smiling at her. Her arms tried desperately to hold
   1.129 +onto him, but she passed straight through, stumbling to her hands and
   1.130 +knees behind him. Her heart plummeted as she sat there, lacking the
   1.131 +strength to even get back up. She hit the floor angrily with her
   1.132 +fist, her vision blurring with tears. “Every time I see you...” she
   1.133 +began weakly, “you aren’t really there. Riku... Please don’t leave
   1.134 +me.” But there was no answer. He was gone, as suddenly as the wind.
   1.135 +She closed her eyes tightly, her small body shaking with bitter sobs.
   1.136 +He was always right there. But he was always a universe away. 
   1.137 +
   1.138 +A knock at the door punched through Kairi’s shroud of depression.
   1.139 +“We’ve gotta hurry, princess! You’re on in less than a minute!”
   1.140 +Yuffie called out.
   1.141 +
   1.142 +Slowly getting to her feet, Kairi sniffled, her body still shaking
   1.143 +lightly. She wiped at her eyes with the sleeves of the gown.
   1.144 +“Coming!” she called out, hoping Yuffie didn’t hear the tremble in
   1.145 +her voice. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, trying to stifle
   1.146 +the tears that were still unshed. “I’ll find you Riku. Wherever you
   1.147 +are,” she whispered. Holding onto some semblance of being fine, Kairi
   1.148 +hurried out the door. 
   1.149 +
   1.150 +Yuffie waited, leaning against the wall. She smiled when Kairi
   1.151 +exited. “See? You do make a good princess.” She stretched, the sword
   1.152 +in her belt hitting the wall. 
   1.153 +
   1.154 +Kairi blinked in surprise, unable to keep from staring at the ninja
   1.155 +girl. “You’re the prince?” 
   1.156 +
   1.157 +“Yep.” Yuffie turned around, holding onto the cuffs of the prince’s
   1.158 +jacket. “What do you think? We take turns with a lot of the parts. It
   1.159 +helps keep us all on our toes. Though I have to admit, I much prefer
   1.160 +being the prince to the princess. No offense. It’s just not my
   1.161 +style.” 
   1.162 +
   1.163 +“I.. uhh.. it’s different,” Kairi said, smiling nervously. This
   1.164 +hadn’t been what she had expected. She thought maybe the catboy would
   1.165 +be the prince. His outfit looked regal enough. Or maybe the man with
   1.166 +the bandana. But she certainly hadn’t been expecting Yuffie. But with
   1.167 +how upside down things had been, she should have seen it coming.
   1.168 +“Curiouser and curiouser,” she said to no one in particular. When
   1.169 +Yuffie looked at her oddly, she just laughed. “Nothing. Let’s go.”
   1.170 +She held out her arm to Ninja Prince Yuffie, who obligingly took it
   1.171 +and led her off to the stage. 
   1.172 +
   1.173 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
   1.174 +
   1.175 +“So she has the Keyblade. I don’t see how that affects anything. The
   1.176 +other was unable to lock away the Heartless even with his Keyblade. I
   1.177 +doubt she will be any more successful,” an effeminate man said,
   1.178 +brushing his hair back over his shoulder.
   1.179 +
   1.180 +“It is a cycle. One we must break. There will always be those
   1.181 +searching for ways to stop the darkness. But it is an inevitable
   1.182 +cycle of loss and suffering. When will they learn to simply succumb
   1.183 +to it? One cannot triumph over darkness. One can only start the cycle
   1.184 +over again. But if darkness reigns, then the cycle can end. Only then
   1.185 +can their be piece,” an oddly tranquil voice added. 
   1.186 +
   1.187 +“Because they refuse to see the futility of their efforts. Despite
   1.188 +what is taken from them, they continue to march onward, believing
   1.189 +that what they do is ‘right’. Perhaps if they truly understood what
   1.190 +they stand to lose, they would not be so willing. That boy, Riku, he
   1.191 +understood. He was willing to side with darkness to get back what he
   1.192 +had lost, the heart of that girl. Sometimes extreme measures must be
   1.193 +taken. Who is worthy of deeming what is ‘good’ and ‘evil’. Such a
   1.194 +fine line exists. It is merely how far you are willing to go. That
   1.195 +boy showed that he was willing to go further than his friend for the
   1.196 +girl. Even to the heart of darkness. Perhaps we can use that,” a
   1.197 +woman mused.
   1.198 +
   1.199 +“What can one little girl possibly hope to achieve? I’ll end her
   1.200 +little nightmare now and send her to a place of eternal nothingness,
   1.201 +a shrine she can spend eternity enjoying. Oh, I’ll be the most
   1.202 +wonderful court artisan she has ever seen, making for her a palace of
   1.203 +emptiness.” The man punctuated his statement with a maddening laugh.
   1.204 +
   1.205 +At last, a silver haired man spoke. “No. Not yet. She has further
   1.206 +she must go. She may yet prove her usefulness to us. Her importance
   1.207 +goes far past being one of the seven princesses. She is the final
   1.208 +piece to this puzzle. She is the key to it all.”
   1.209 +
   1.210 +“But, Sephiroth, don’t you think it much wiser to get rid of her
   1.211 +before she can cause any trouble?” the woman asked.
   1.212 +
   1.213 +“No. She is at the heart of all of this. She isn’t our enemy. She is
   1.214 +more important to our success than any of you know.” With that,
   1.215 +Sephiroth turned away from the others. He had business to attend to. 
   1.216 +
   1.217 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
   1.218 +
   1.219 +‘Dear diary,
   1.220 +I’m starting to get worried. Tidus and Wakka found a hole today on
   1.221 +the island. Not just some deep hole in the ground or anything. An
   1.222 +endless hole. Like it leads to nowhere. Like someone took some
   1.223 +scissors and cut out that part of our island. Wakka dropped his beach
   1.224 +ball down in there and we all waited around for a sound of it hitting
   1.225 +anything at all, but nothing happened. It was like it was just gone.
   1.226 +It’s scary. I shudder just thinking about it, and I’m under a nice
   1.227 +heavy blanket right now. Weird, huh? I usually hate blankets because
   1.228 +they’re too stuffy. But it’s been so cold and windy and rainy outside
   1.229 +that mom brought them out again. 
   1.230 +
   1.231 +The only good thing I can see from all of this is that cold and
   1.232 +rainy is perfect snuggling weather. So I need to head over to
   1.233 +Quisty’s house soon. Maybe we can snuggle up under her covers and
   1.234 +just forget that there’s any scary hole or that Kairi’s missing or
   1.235 +that the weathers getting worse. That’s easy to do in Quisty’s arms
   1.236 +anyway. It feels so warm and safe when I’m with her, like I know
   1.237 +everything’s all right. Even her worrying doesn’t seem to matter. It
   1.238 +just makes me wanna try harder to take away all her worries. It’s
   1.239 +almost like a game. To try to make her smile when something’s on her
   1.240 +mind.
   1.241 +
   1.242 +I didn’t realize how good a study Quisty really was. She can quote
   1.243 +me before I even say anything, like she knows what I’m gonna say
   1.244 +before I say it. I thought it was so cool when she did that! It lets
   1.245 +me know that she’s paying more attention to me than to those silly
   1.246 +books of hers. She said it’s because she knows me really well, so she
   1.247 +knows what I’m thinking a lot of the time. It’s nice to know someone
   1.248 +does because sometimes I don’t even know what I’m thinking about.
   1.249 +There are so many things to think about! It’s hard to sort them all
   1.250 +out sometimes. 
   1.251 +
   1.252 +Oh, on a really sad note, I think they’re gonna cancel the Destiny
   1.253 +Islands Festival! Please say it isn’t so! I always love the festival.
   1.254 +And Quisty and I were gonna dance under the stars, too! I had the
   1.255 +dress I was gonna wear all picked out and everything. But the adults
   1.256 +are all saying that the weather’s bad and that too much has been
   1.257 +going on lately so we shouldn’t have one. But that’s exactly why we
   1.258 +should have one! To cheer everyone up! That way everyone can have
   1.259 +something to enjoy, to let them relax. Well, if they adults aren’t
   1.260 +gonna throw the Island Festival, then maybe we can throw one
   1.261 +ourselves. Yeah, I’m sure Tidus and Wakka would help. If I can drag
   1.262 +them from that underwater ballgame they made up. And maybe Quisty
   1.263 +will help, too. We can make our own little festival! We’ll still
   1.264 +dance under the stars, Quisty! It’s my promise to you! Booyaka!
   1.265 +
   1.266 +Love,
   1.267 +Selphie Tilmitt’
   1.268 +
   1.269 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
   1.270 +
   1.271 +Surprisingly, Kairi found herself able to quote nearly all of her
   1.272 +lines, seeing the scenes unfold before her as she did. Even the
   1.273 +Radical Dreamers seemed impressed, not having expected much from
   1.274 +their stand in. She was a little shocked, but overall proud of
   1.275 +herself, glad to actually contribute to the play rather than just
   1.276 +being another prop. And so she was slightly disappointed when it
   1.277 +finally came time for her to fall into her endless sleep. But even
   1.278 +lying there, she could follow along with the rest of the play, her
   1.279 +mind supplying the lines even as the other performers were saying
   1.280 +them. Kid actually did a good job of getting rid of her accent when
   1.281 +she was performing, giving Kairi trouble following exactly who was
   1.282 +saying what at times. Nonetheless, the play had overall been a fun
   1.283 +experience so far. She almost wished she could go along with the
   1.284 +Radical Dreamers. The thought of performing with them, travelling to
   1.285 +all sorts of different worlds, seeing so many new things, it was all
   1.286 +very appealing to her. But she couldn’t let that tempt her. She had
   1.287 +to find Riku and Sora. Then she would tell them all about her short
   1.288 +stint on stage.
   1.289 +
   1.290 +Despite feeling rather good natured about things, Kairi found
   1.291 +herself getting more and more nervous as the play began to near its
   1.292 +end. She knew far too well what happened at the end of Sleeping
   1.293 +Beauty. This would be her first kiss, even if it was just a stage
   1.294 +kiss. And the thought of it being with Yuffie had her worried. She
   1.295 +still didn’t even know who she wanted her first kiss to be with, Riku
   1.296 +or Sora. But it didn’t look like she’d have to worry about that for
   1.297 +much longer. She almost wanted to rush off the stage, but she lay
   1.298 +there paralyzed, almost as if she really was under some spell. 
   1.299 +
   1.300 +Yuffie did make a good prince, at the very least. So if she let
   1.301 +herself pretend this really was Sleeping Beauty, that she really was
   1.302 +the princess, then it wasn’t too bad. It was only when she remembered
   1.303 +that she was Kairi that she got all nervous about it. She was nearly
   1.304 +counting down the lines as it neared the play’s climax. Locke was
   1.305 +playing Maleficent, which helped the stand in actress disassociate it
   1.306 +with the Maleficent who had used her along with the other seven
   1.307 +princesses to open the final keyhole. If just the thought of the
   1.308 +sorceress didn’t make her want to shudder, the thought of Locke
   1.309 +playing her would almost be funny. 
   1.310 +
   1.311 +And then it was time. Her hands held on her chest squeezed
   1.312 +themselves tighter. She could hear Yuffie’s final exclamation as her
   1.313 +‘prince’ got ready for their kiss. She could feel the butterflies
   1.314 +returning with a vengeance, tickling the inside of her stomach as she
   1.315 +lay there, eyes shut tightly. What should she do? She couldn’t ruin
   1.316 +the whole play, right? And it was just a stage kiss. But.. but...
   1.317 +
   1.318 +The ninja’s lips pressed warmly against her own delicate lips, both
   1.319 +soft and firm at the same time. The young princess blushed furiously
   1.320 +as she felt herself get pulled into a sitting position, Yuffie’s arms
   1.321 +around her. The crowd burst into applause. When Yuffie finally pulled
   1.322 +away, Kairi could only sit and stare, stunned. Wow... Kissing wasn’t
   1.323 +such a bad thing after all. She was already having thoughts of trying
   1.324 +it again with Sora or Riku when she finally found them. She blushed
   1.325 +when she looked up at Yuffie, the other girl looking down at her with
   1.326 +all the princely concern in the world. She really was a good actress.
   1.327 +Kairi had almost forgotten that it was just a play. She smiled up at
   1.328 +the ninja, trying her best to look love struck by her prince. 
   1.329 +
   1.330 +The rest of the play was a blur for Kairi, her mind on other things.
   1.331 +There wasn’t much to say during the play’s closing segments anyway,
   1.332 +so it didn’t matter too much that she was daydreaming throughout it.
   1.333 +She finally found herself backstage, though this time she remembered
   1.334 +to get to the dressing room before changing. 
   1.335 +
   1.336 +Her kitten was still waiting for her, having wandered about
   1.337 +backstage for a while. It seemed to know the layout rather well. “I
   1.338 +guess you have a good sense of direction, don’t you, kitty?” Kairi
   1.339 +laid the dress down, glad to be back in her own clothes again.
   1.340 +Kneeling down, she  scratched behind the kitten’s ears. “I really
   1.341 +need to come up with a name for you. Hmm... Boco sounds better for
   1.342 +Chocobos. And Mog for Moogles. What are good cat names? You don’t
   1.343 +look like a Duchess. But you do have a lot of energy. And you are
   1.344 +kinda bouncy. So how about Tigger?” The kitten lowered its head. It
   1.345 +didn’t seem to like the idea. “Shadow? But that’s not really a girl
   1.346 +cat’s name.” Her face lit up. “Jessie! I’ll name you Jessie.” The
   1.347 +kitten seemed a little surprised by the name, but didn’t otherwise
   1.348 +complain. “Good.” Kairi hugged the kitten. “Jessie it is.”
   1.349 +
   1.350 +“You did a good job there,” Kid said, reverting back to her accent
   1.351 +now that she was out of costume. “Didn’t really think you had it in
   1.352 +you. If you ever need a place to stay, we’d be glad to have ya.”
   1.353 +
   1.354 +“Really?” Kairi grinned. “Thanks! It was a lot of fun. I’d love to
   1.355 +again sometime. If I didn’t have something really important to do
   1.356 +right now, I’d love to go.” It would be great to have Riku and Sora
   1.357 +in the audience, to run into the crowd after the play and see what
   1.358 +they thought. 
   1.359 +
   1.360 +Kid shrugged. “Hey, I understand. Sometimes there’s just somethin’
   1.361 +you’ve gotta do. Ya can’t let anythin’ stop ya. You’ve gotta be
   1.362 +single minded about that sorta thing if you’re ever gonna get what
   1.363 +you’re lookin’ for.”
   1.364 +
   1.365 +“Trying to steal away my princess? Back off, Kid.” Yuffie laughed,
   1.366 +entering the room, clothed in her short green top, khaki shorts,
   1.367 +white stockings, and yellow scarf. 
   1.368 +
   1.369 +“Ya can’t stop a master thief from getting what she’s got her eyes
   1.370 +set on,” Kid replied, grinning. 
   1.371 +
   1.372 +Kairi blushed furiously at their comments. She usually didn’t mind
   1.373 +being the center of attention, but this was just a little strange for
   1.374 +her. She tried to ignore it, focusing on Jessie instead. The kitten
   1.375 +was once again struggling to get out of her arms, most likely to get
   1.376 +over to Yuffie. But she held on tightly, not wanting to have to pull
   1.377 +the kitten away again. Jessie began to meow again, still wrestling
   1.378 +with her.
   1.379 +
   1.380 +“Well, if you two are leavin’, I should probably be headin’ off
   1.381 +myself. I’ve got some things I need to take care of back home.
   1.382 +‘Sides, the Radical Dreamers aren’t much if we’re missin’ two of our
   1.383 +mates. Kind of hard to put on a play with only three people,” Kid
   1.384 +said, her hands behind her head. 
   1.385 +
   1.386 +“When this is all over, we’ll have to all meet up again somewhere.
   1.387 +We can’t have this be our last performance.” Yuffie smiled faintly.
   1.388 +
   1.389 +“I’m not callin’ it quits yet. When we’re all done, we’ll get back
   1.390 +together for a huge reunion performance. Everyone’ll wanna come to
   1.391 +that. We ain’t done yet,” Kid replied, grinning. 
   1.392 +
   1.393 +“You got it!” Yuffie nodded eagerly. “Good luck out there, Kid.”
   1.394 +
   1.395 +“You, too, Yuffie. See ya around, princess.” The thief winked at
   1.396 +Kairi as she headed out the door, bringing another faint blush to her
   1.397 +cheeks. 
   1.398 +
   1.399 +Yuffie sighed, leaning against the wall. “So where to next?”
   1.400 +
   1.401 +Kairi looked up suddenly, feeling a tinge of panic. “I thought you
   1.402 +knew. You were one of the heroes searching for the Keyblade, after
   1.403 +all. You do know, right?” she asked hopefully, eyeing Yuffie. 
   1.404 +
   1.405 +“Of course I do,” Yuffie said nonchalantly. “I’m just trying to
   1.406 +decide which would be the best place. Besides, that was usually
   1.407 +Aerith’s place in things. She was the one who figured everything out.
   1.408 +But don’t worry about it. I’ll figure something out.” She smiled
   1.409 +reassuringly. Kairi didn’t seem to have complete faith in her. 
   1.410 +
   1.411 +A scream from somewhere outside caught their attention. Both girls
   1.412 +turned. Something sounded like it was coming down the hallway. Fast.
   1.413 +Yuffie ran to the door, peering out. Her eyes went wide and she
   1.414 +slammed the door shut, locking it. 
   1.415 +
   1.416 +“What is it?” Kairi asked, immediately regretting the question as
   1.417 +soon as it was out. Her heart pounded in her chest as something heavy
   1.418 +hit the door. She held the kitten closer, though she didn’t know if
   1.419 +it was to comfort Jessie or herself. 
   1.420 +
   1.421 +“Heartless. And lots of them. There’s no way we can fight our way
   1.422 +through all of those.” Yuffie refused to let herself panic. She
   1.423 +wasn’t the panicking type. But there certainly didn’t seem to be any
   1.424 +other options. They were locked in there until the Heartless finally
   1.425 +broke in. She glanced around, but there weren’t any ways out.
   1.426 +Sighing, she pulled out some shurikens. She couldn’t stop them all,
   1.427 +but it didn’t mean she was going to give up. “Get behind me. I’ll
   1.428 +stop as many of them as I can. Run when you get the chance,” she
   1.429 +commanded.
   1.430 +
   1.431 +Kairi shook her head. No. It wasn’t going to end like that. There
   1.432 +was so much more she needed to do. She couldn't get caught by the
   1.433 +Heartless now. She had already lost her heart once. Back then it had
   1.434 +gone into Sora. Now it didn’t have anyplace to go. It would simply be
   1.435 +consumed. And then she would never find Sora and Riku. But there
   1.436 +didn’t seem to be anywhere for them to go. And the Heartless would be
   1.437 +in at any minute. 
   1.438 +
   1.439 +‘Just believe they aren’t there. They can’t hurt you if they aren’t
   1.440 +there. If you’re safe and sound back home, then the Heartless can’t
   1.441 +get to you,’ a voice whispered in her head.
   1.442 +
   1.443 +Kairi bit her lip. She didn’t ever want to go back there. Being
   1.444 +there was so confusing. It scared her, made her question just what
   1.445 +was real. And she couldn’t afford to falter in her beliefs. Not now.
   1.446 +But there was no other choice, was there? The pounding on the door
   1.447 +grew more insistent. Yuffie got into a fighting position. ‘She’s
   1.448 +going to sacrifice herself for you. And then they’re going to get you
   1.449 +anyway. Damn it! Make you your mind already!’ Kairi closed her eyes
   1.450 +tightly. No matter how much she didn’t want to do this, it was their
   1.451 +only chance. “I’m not here. I’m back home. In bed. The Heartless
   1.452 +aren’t here. I’m back home.” The pounding on the door stopped.
   1.453 +
   1.454 +When she opened her eyes again, they were gone. She was no longer
   1.455 +backstage. She was sitting on her bed again, surrounded by her dolls
   1.456 +and pictures. A doll of Yuffie was lying on her lap. Kairi sighed
   1.457 +shakily, holding onto the doll. What happened to everyone else when
   1.458 +she was here? Did she just disappear from where she was? Did
   1.459 +everything else still exist when she was here? Did she even want to
   1.460 +know?  
   1.461 +
   1.462 +Getting off the bed, Kairi walked to the door, pausing before it.
   1.463 +Biting her lip, she slowly reached out for the doorknob, taking a
   1.464 +hold of it. Was the person still there? Would the door open? She had
   1.465 +to find out what was going on. This was all getting far too
   1.466 +confusing. She turned the doorknob slowly. Nothing. It was still
   1.467 +locked for her. Sighing, her hand fell away from the door. 
   1.468 +
   1.469 +Walking around the slightly cluttered room, Kairi kept hugging the
   1.470 +Yuffie doll. It might not be much, but right now it was the only
   1.471 +company she had. And somehow she felt better holding onto her dolls.
   1.472 +They had always been such a comfort for her, these people she had
   1.473 +crafted out of fabric and wishes. She closed her eyes, forcing that
   1.474 +thought away. No, they were real. She hadn’t just made dolls of
   1.475 +people in her imagination. These were all real people somewhere far
   1.476 +away. They were all still out there, waiting for her. But she
   1.477 +couldn’t get back to them if she was stuck in her room. She had to
   1.478 +find a way out. 
   1.479 +
   1.480 +She looked out the window, but it was too dark to see anything
   1.481 +outside. It had to be late, wherever she was. Resting her head
   1.482 +against the cool glass, the princess tried to collect herself. This
   1.483 +place had to be a dream. It couldn’t be real. But why did she keep
   1.484 +coming back here? And why was it so familiar. Her eyes closed as she
   1.485 +strained to remember. A birthday party. She could remember a birthday
   1.486 +party. A recent one. She remembered sitting at the front of the
   1.487 +table, the cake being placed out in front of her. She had just turned
   1.488 +fourteen. She’d gotten a cute sweater for it. And a few Disney DVDs
   1.489 +she had been wanting for the longest time. But who had been there?
   1.490 +She tried harder to remember, trying to see the rest of the table.
   1.491 +She had been there, of course. And... An older woman she could barely
   1.492 +make out. She was smiling so warmly, watching as she blew out the
   1.493 +candles, her hands clasped together as if in prayer. Her mother. It
   1.494 +had to be her mother. Her heart ached at the thought that she
   1.495 +couldn’t even remember her mother except for this small glimpse. What
   1.496 +kind of woman was she like? Did she make her mother proud? What kind
   1.497 +of relationship did they have? Judging from the smile, her mother had
   1.498 +been happy, at least during her birthday. 
   1.499 +
   1.500 +Who else had been there? She could see a shadow sitting next to her,
   1.501 +watching her opening her presents. The shadow flickered in her mind
   1.502 +as she tried harder to remember who it had been. But no matter how
   1.503 +hard she tried, it refused to clarify. Giving up on the shadow for
   1.504 +the moment, she began to focus on who else had been there. Slowly,
   1.505 +she saw the rest of the table, expecting to see Riku and Sora sitting
   1.506 +there, watching her. But it wasn’t so. The table was empty. Her eyes
   1.507 +opened wide. “No one... No one was there?” she asked quietly. But her
   1.508 +birthday parties on the Destiny Islands were always so much fun!
   1.509 +Everyone came and there were presents and cake and games and... It
   1.510 +didn’t make sense. Surely she had friends to invite, games to play.
   1.511 +She was pretty and popular and everyone liked her. So why the hell
   1.512 +would she spend her birthday alone except for her mother and some
   1.513 +shadow of a person she couldn’t remember?
   1.514 +
   1.515 +Her eyes teared up, memories of endless loneliness filling her,
   1.516 +sapping at her heart. The hopelessness and despair felt like
   1.517 +crystalline shards buried within her heart. “But mama, no one will
   1.518 +come. No one likes me. Why would anyone want to come to my party?”
   1.519 +she heard herself saying. Opening her eyes, she saw another room
   1.520 +outside of the window, her mother’s room. There she was, crying on
   1.521 +her mother’s lap. Hateful, lost, bitter tears. And her mother looked
   1.522 +heartbroken as she tried to wipe away her hot tears. 
   1.523 +
   1.524 +Kairi backed away from the window as if it was something alive and
   1.525 +dangerous, staring. “It’s not like that. It isn’t like that at all,”
   1.526 +she said desperately, her voice barely above a whisper. “I do have
   1.527 +friends. I’m not all alone.” 
   1.528 +
   1.529 +“Then where are they now, Kairi? You made up all of your friends.
   1.530 +Except for mom. She’s your best friend. She’s your only friend. How
   1.531 +could you just leave her by killing yourself?”
   1.532 +
   1.533 +Looking up, Kairi could see the shadow of someone on the other side
   1.534 +of the door. The voice was back, whoever it was that happened to be
   1.535 +behind it. “I didn’t,” she argued, her voice shaky. Her wrists were
   1.536 +burning again, fire tearing them apart. But she refused to look at
   1.537 +them. Maybe if she ignored it, it would go away.
   1.538 +
   1.539 +The voice on the other side of the door laughed. “That’s your answer
   1.540 +for everything, isn’t it, Kairi? To ignore it, to pretend. Whenever
   1.541 +you can’t handle something, you just run away. It’s too much for poor
   1.542 +Kairi to handle, so she’ll just run as far as she can and never look
   1.543 +back. That’s why you can’t open the door. Because you can’t face
   1.544 +reality. You couldn’t handle life so you just turned your back on it.
   1.545 +You embraced your fantasies, ignoring everything that might hurt you.
   1.546 +Isn’t that the way it’s always been?”
   1.547 +
   1.548 +“Leave me alone!!!” Kairi screamed, her whole body trembling. Tears
   1.549 +stung her eyes, turning her vision into a liquid nightmare. She could
   1.550 +feel her tears dripping down her chin, falling to the floor below.
   1.551 +She couldn’t stop from crying, the voice finally getting to her. 
   1.552 +
   1.553 +“I told you that you couldn’t handle it, Kairi. I don’t think you’re
   1.554 +ready to open the door yet. Why don’t you run away back to your
   1.555 +fantasies. They’re safe and cozy, aren’t they? Oh, wait. No, reality
   1.556 +is beginning to intrude on them, isn’t it? The heartlessness of the
   1.557 +real world is starting to take its toll, to intrude on your little
   1.558 +wonderland. Go ahead and run away to your dreams, Kairi. Because
   1.559 +pretty soon, there will be nowhere left to run. And you’ll have to
   1.560 +open the door. Because when the Heartless consume all of your
   1.561 +fantasies, real life will be the only place left to turn.”
   1.562 +
   1.563 +Kairi slumped to her knees, sobbing painfully, hugging herself. She
   1.564 +didn’t always run away. She was trying to find Riku and Sora. She
   1.565 +would never give up on them. She wouldn’t run away, no matter how
   1.566 +tough things got. But her voice escaped her, having disappeared in
   1.567 +her haze of tears. She wanted to prove the voice wrong, that she
   1.568 +would never give up. But her tattered heart couldn’t help but wonder
   1.569 +if the voice was right. 
   1.570 +
   1.571 +Lost in a storm of tears, Kairi didn’t see the room grow distant. It
   1.572 +stretched further and further into the background until it had faded
   1.573 +away altogether. Lost in a typhoon of dark thoughts, the princess
   1.574 +didn’t feel herself slowly drifting away to somewhere else. Anywhere
   1.575 +else. Just as long as she was far away from that room. 
   1.576 +
   1.577 + 
   1.578 \ No newline at end of file