Prism Hearts 

 Chapter 8

 One Winged Angel

 by Amazoness Duo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 I’ll be here...

 I’ll be waiting... here…

 Why?

 For what?

 I’ll be waiting... for you...

 If you come here...

 You’ll find me...

 I promise.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 The hills stretched on for an eternity. Or so it seemed, at least.

 Sora’s legs ached. It felt as if he had been marching on endlessly

 for his entire life. The one thing that kept him going was the image

 of Kairi and Riku, reaching out to him. He had to find Riku. He

 couldn’t go back home to Kairi alone. They would see her again

 together. He was sure of it. All he had to do was find that Doorway

 to the Light and free Riku. That idiot. If he hadn’t sacrificed

 himself to stop the Heartless, he wouldn’t be stuck behind that

 doorway now. But if it hadn’t been for Riku’s sacrifice, the

 Heartless would’ve consumed everything. Sora just couldn’t leave him

 there. Riku was his best friend. It wasn’t right to go on without

 him. He, Kairi, and Riku completed a puzzle. They needed each other.

 All three of them were essential parts to that. If he went back to

 Kairi alone, something would be missing. 

 

 Donald and Goofy followed close behind. Goofy was rather optimistic

 about things, sure that over every hill would be the Doorway they

 sought. Donald was his normal, highly irritable self. Sora sighed as

 the duck grumbled about something for the thousandth time that day.

 Still, even with Donald’s bitching, he wouldn’t want to do this on

 his own. They were his friends. He wanted them by his side. 

 

 “Can we even open the door?” Donald asked at last. “It took your

 Keyblade and King Mickey’s to close the Doorway to the Darkness. But

 if King Mickey is stuck on the other side of it...” 

 

 Sora shook his head. “We’ll find a way. Remember what King Mickey

 said. There will always be a door to the light.” He sighed.

 

 Donald narrowed his eyes. “We have to find it first.”

 

 Sighing, Sora nodded. He didn’t even know where to begin. And they

 had been searching for so long... Just what were they looking for

 anyway? Where would the Doorway to all of Light itself be? It didn’t

 seem like it would just be lying around in some corner. If only...

 But Sora’s thoughts were cut short. He glimpsed something on the next

 hill. Someone, waiting. Silver hair fluttering in the wind. 

 

 “Riku?” His eyes widened. But Riku was trapped behind the Doorway.

 How could he be here? But the how of things barely mattered. Sora

 broke into a run. “Riku!” He ran as quickly as he could, exhilarated

 to see his best friend once more. They would be going home to Kairi

 together after all.

 

 “What is it?” Goofy asked as he and Donald struggled to keep up with

 the Keyblade Master.

 

 Donald shrugged. “He finally cracked,” came his reply.

 

 “Riku!” Sora yelled, laughing. It was just like the older boy to do

 this. He always managed to pull off the impossible, pulling ahead of

 Sora and the others. It made sense that somehow he had found a way

 out. If anyone could, it was Riku. His journey was finally nearing

 its end. They could finally go home. Heaven. It would be just like

 heaven. 

 

 But as he neared the silver haired figure, he began to slow. The

 figure was taller, with longer hair. He was wearing all black. A

 single, dark wing was behind his right shoulder. “You’re not Riku...” 

 

 The man watched him curiously for a long moment before replying.

 “One who knows nothing can understand nothing.”

 

 “Ansem?!” Sora took a step back, caught off guard. This man didn’t

 look like Ansem, the man who had been used by the Heartless to open

 the Doorway to the Darkness, but Sora had heard those same words from

 Ansem before their battle.

 

 “Oh? So you have met his majesty after all. It’s been so long since

 anyone has seen him that I thought it may have merely been a rumor,”

 the man said conversationally, standing tall against the wind that

 buffeted the hilltop. 

 

 “Ansem’s... He’s dead,” Sora said reluctantly. He knew that Ansem

 had once been a respected and loved king. Most people didn’t know of

 his fall from grace, his consumption by the Heartless. He didn’t want

 to hurt anyone who cared for their king with the details. 

 

 The man nodded as if this were expected. “Her highness felt it. She

 knew he was dead. That’s why she knew she had to act.” He stepped

 closer, eyeing Sora, inspecting him. “You’re Sora? You’re the boy the

 princess sent me to find?”

 

 The princess? What was going on? Sora nodded slowly. “I’m Sora. Who

 are you?” He had an uneasy feeling about all of this. This man had

 known what had happened to Ansem. Even Leon and Aerith hadn’t known

 for sure what had happened to him. And who was this princess?

 

 “Sephiroth, SOLDIER 1st Class,” the man explained, his eyes glowing

 a brilliant green. “Princess Hikari’s personal bodyguard. I’ve been

 protecting the princess since she was but a tiny child. King Ansem

 personally assigned me to watch over his daughter.”

 

 Well... That certainly didn’t explain anything. Sora simply blinked.

 Was this a good thing or a bad thing? Ansem had been consumed by the

 Heartless, but Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith had all been from that

 planet, too, and they’d been heroes. So was he a friend or an enemy?

 And who was this Princess Hikari? Sora hadn’t known Ansem had even

 had a daughter.

 

 “So you’re her nanny?” Donald asked, not liking being ignored in all

 of this. He crossed his arms, waiting at Sora’s right.

 

 Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed. “I like to think of it as something a bit

 more than that. I would do anything for her highness. I would die for

 her.”

 

 ‘This guy does remind me a lot of Riku, after all. Riku would’ve

 done anything for Kairi, too. Even surround himself with darkness,’

 Sora thought to himself. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

 “That’s great and all. But we’re a little too busy to be making

 visits right now. Maybe after we find Riku. Tell her we said thanks!” 

 

 “And that we appreciate the offer!” Goofy added, grinning. “We’d

 love to go later.”

 

 Donald simply rolled his eyes. All three turned to continue their

 search. 

 

 Sephiroth gripped the hilt of his sword, his single wing unfurling.

 “If that’s the case, then I’m afraid I’m going to have to do this by

 force. You will see her highness. She demands it.”

 

 “We’ve got more important things to worry about right now that some

 bratty princess,” Sora retorted. “If that’s how you want to play,

 fine. Don’t blame me for your headache when you wake up on the

 grass.” He willed the Keyblade into his hand, getting into a fighting

 position. Donald and Goofy readied themselves at his sides. 

 

 The silver haired SOLDIER grinned. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” With

 that, he lunged forward, his impossibly long sword arcing through the

 air. 

 

 Sora blocked the blow with his Keyblade, but he felt the power of

 the strike reverberating through his entire body. Two legendary

 weapons, the dreaded Masamune and the fated Keyblade, clashed again

 and again. Sora swiped forward, trying to catch the princess’s

 bodyguard, but he leapt into the air, his wing somehow keeping him

 aloft for a moment before he descended with a flurry of blows that

 sent Sora reeling. He tried desperately to ward them off, but they

 came one after the other, wearing him down. He quickly summoned his

 magic, casting a barrier of wind to protect him from the deadly

 blade. 

 

 “Fire!” Donald shouted, launching a ball of fire at the SOLDIER. But

 Sephiroth was fast. The flame missed its target, dissipating into the

 distance. Before Donald could prepare another spell, Sephiroth swept

 past him. The mage’s staff fell to the floor seconds before its owner

 collapsed next to it. 

 

 “Donald!” Sora cried. Enraged by his friend’s injury, Sora leapt at

 his attacker, intent on ending this now. He didn’t care who this man

 was. He had stopped Ansem. He wouldn’t let some princess’s bodyguard

 hurt his friends.  “Ars Arcanum!” Using the attack he had learned,

 Sora launched into a series of quick jabs at the silver haired man.

 To his shock, Sephiroth dodged and parried every blow. 

 

 Sephiroth laughed as he saw the surprise on the younger boy’s face.

 “Been taking some lessons from Cloud, have you? Now it’s my turn.”

 With blinding speed, he was nearly against Sora. With a flick of his

 wrist, he sent the Keyblade hurtling through the air, finally

 clattering to the grass much too far away for Sora to reach in time.

 “What was that about me waking up on the grass?” the SOLDIER asked,

 pulling up the Masamune. 

 

 Sora could only stare at the older man. How had this happened? In

 all of his battles, he had never lost this badly. Even when Leon had

 attacked him in Traverse Town and when he’d fought Cloud at the

 Coliseum. He hadn’t won either battle, but it had taken him longer to

 lose, at any rate. But somehow he had always won when it mattered.

 He’d stopped Ansem. How could one of Ansem’s soldiers defeat him?

 

 “Sora!” Goofy rushed headlong at the SOLDIER 1st Class, trying to

 force him away from the younger boy. Sephiroth managed to sidestep

 past Goofy’s charge. Before Goofy could turn around to guard with his

 shield, Sephiroth cast a spell, sending small comets pelting into the

 knight. Goofy collapsed onto the grass.

 

 “Goofy! How could you?” Sora growled, his fists clenched. Impotent

 rage burnt within him. This man had decimated his party when their

 battle was finally supposed to be over. How could he snatch their

 hard won victories away from them? 

 

 Sephiroth turned, his long silver hair sweeping about in the wind.

 “That was some nice practice. I’ve been cooped up for far too long.

 But I’m ending this now. I mustn’t keep Princess Hikari waiting.”

 Raising a hand in the air, he summoned all of the magic at his

 disposal, the sky turning black with his power. “Sin Harvest!”

 

 The world was torn apart around Sora. And everything became dark as

 he lost his grasp on consciousness, spiraling into the abyss.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 

 “Are you feeling any better?” Yuna asked softly, sitting on the edge

 of her bed. Her blankets were wrapped around the still damp catgirl

 Selphie had helped her carry in from the beach. The catgirl had just

 recently regained consciousness. She’d been half-drowned when Yuna

 had found her on the beach.

 

 Rikku nodded weakly, her head still swimming. “Yeah, I’m better.

 Nothing can keep me down for long.” She smiled, her fangs showing. A

 small giggle flowed from her. “I’m starting to sound like Yuffie. Kid

 would be horrified.”

 

 Returning the smile, Yuna watched the catgirl in her bed. She had no

 idea what Rikku was talking about, but if she was feeling better,

 that was the important thing. She was so curious about this girl who

 had washed up. Yuna had spent her entire life on the Destiny Islands;

 the only outsider she had ever met was Kairi, and Kairi hadn’t

 remembered anything from the outside. This girl was so different,

 even her body was not completely human. Yuna wanted to know

 everything, curious in the way little girls would be over what

 happened next in a fairy tale. Everything about her seemed magical. 

 Little mysteries surround the strange girl.  Where had she come from?

 What was she?  Who was she?  “Are you a Ronso?” Yuna asked after a

 moment’s thought. 

 

 “A whatso?” she asked in return, blinking her big, jade, spiral eyes. 

 

 “A Ronso. They’re catlike people. I think they have horns. My father

 met them a long time ago,” Yuna explained. Though if she had to

 clarify, the girl probably wasn’t one.

 

 The catgirl shook her head, her dusty blonde braids swishing past

 her bare shoulders. “Nope. Never heard of them. I’m Rikku Kisaragi!

 Member of the acting troupe, Radical Dreamers, and a mysterious

 thief! Though I’m not so good at the mysterious thief part.” The

 catgirl groused, sitting up, her paws on her ankles. The blanket fell

 about her lap, leaving only her fur to cover herself. She quickly

 pulled the blanket back up, self-conscious regardless of her fur. “I

 kinda angered a white mage because I didn’t get out of her hotel

 before she got back. She wasn’t very happy with me, so she changed me

 into a kitten. She wouldn’t even listen to my side of the story! Just

 ‘Bam! You’re a cat!’”

 

 “What was your side of the story?” Yuna inquired, tilting her head

 to the side.

 

 “Umm... well...” Rikku laughed nervously, scratching the back of her

 head. “I might have had a good reason if she’d bothered to ask. I

 didn’t have a good reason, though, but how was she supposed to know

 that? She could’ve at least given me a chance to apologize. Do you

 know how horrifying it is to find yourself in a puddle of clothes on

 all fours with an angry white mage towering over you?” She shook her

 head, her ears twitching. She still had nightmares about that. 

 

 “Oh, I’m sorry. That must have been terrible,” Yuna said

 apologetically. She reached forward hesitantly, squeezing one of

 Rikku’s paws reassuringly. 

 

 Rikku smiled brightly. This shy, quiet girl was so sweet. Much

 better than the crazy, nunchuku wielding one. She rubbed her head,

 wincing at the thought. But at least this one seemed worried about

 her. But that look in her eyes, one blue and one green, was so sad,

 as if she truly empathized with Rikku’s predicament. “But I’m all

 right now. My sister used the Dragon Tear of Hate on me and it at

 least made me halfway human. I heard if we can get the Dragon Tear of

 Love, I can change myself back the rest of the way. So it’s not too

 bad. And Yuffie said I make a cute catgirl, so maybe it’s not too

 completely evil,” Rikku shrugged.

 

 With a soft smile, the brunette nodded. “She was right. You do make

 a very cute catgirl.  So you shouldn’t be worried about it if you

 have to stay that way. But I hope you can find the Dragon Tear of

 Love soon, then. Just don’t feel too bad in the meantime.” She shook

 her head quickly. She shouldn’t be saying things like that. That

 wasn’t what Rikku would want to hear, certainly. “If I can help at

 all, please let me know.”

 

 But Rikku wasn’t listening to the last bit. She was still playing

 Yuna’s earlier words over in her head. “You think this is okay?” she

 asked, still surprised. She hadn’t thought about it that way. She’d

 been thinking about it as a curse, as something horrible she had to

 endure until she could get rid of it. It hadn’t once crossed her mind

 about staying this way. This strange, not-quite-human way. Her body

 was different now, but as the other girl had pointed out, was that

 really a bad thing?

 

 “I’m sorry,” Yuna apologized, bowing her head low. She hadn’t meant

 to upset the catgirl. She’d just stated her opinion. She needed to be

 more careful about that. She didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.

 Especially this new girl. She wanted to get to know her. To be

 friends. There was something about her….  But they’d never be friends

 if she said stupid things like that. How would she like it if she was

 stuck in a cursed body? Warm paws took her hands, the pads near the

 thumbs and fingers pressed against her skin. She lifted her face

 slightly until she was looking into the catgirl’s spiral eyes again.

 Rikku was smiling happily. Yuna’s cheeks flushed lightly, but she

 returned the smile. So the catgirl wasn’t upset with her after all.

 

 “Don’t be sorry. I’m really glad you’d think so. Maybe I’ve been

 going about this the wrong way. Maybe... maybe it’s not so bad,”

 Rikku ventured. She giggled, baring her fangs again. “As long as you

 don’t call me Kitty, that is.”

 

 Yuna nodded swiftly, her chestnut hair swishing about her face.

 “Whatever you want... Rikku…” This girl was so vibrant, so full of

 life. Watching her had a way of lifting up Yuna’s spirits. 

 

 Rikku brought her hands to her chest to keep a hold of the blanket.

 “And you’re Yunie, right? I thought I heard the other girl say your

 name while you were dragging me along the beach.” Though she’d only

 been semi-conscious for that. They’d dragged her quite a ways. No

 wonder her body ached.

 

 “Umm... Yuna, actually...” The brunette corrected quietly, tucking

 some hair behind one of her ears. 

 

 “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Yunie!” Rikku said

 enthusiastically. “It’s so nice to have someone to talk to after all

 of this time meowing at people.” Both girls giggled.

 

 “I’m glad. It was nice to meet you, too, Rikku.” Yuna smiled

 genuinely, her hands on her lap. “I think the Islands needed some new

 life to them. Someone to brighten things up.”

 

 Rikku nodded determinedly. “I’ll try my hardest! I don’t know how

 long I’m stuck here anyway. So I might as well try to keep things

 interesting while I can.”

 

 “That’s one way of putting it. You’ve definitely made things more

 interesting. For me, at least,” Yuna admitted, tucking her legs up

 underneath herself. She knew the other girl wasn’t really a catgirl

 or anything of the sort, but she still couldn’t help but feel as if

 she’d brought a stray cat home. Something that was all her own, that

 she would take care of and love and nurture. Like her very own pet.

 She tried to push the thought away, but it was lodged stubbornly in

 her brain. She sighed. She’d eventually get over it. When Rikku wound

 up leaving. That thought was far too depressing; people had been

 leaving all her life, and she still wasn’t capable of dealing with

 it. She still cried herself to sleep over her father’s death, years

 ago. That’s why she had tried not to think about Kairi leaving or

 Riku and Sora’s disappearances. She couldn’t handle goodbyes. And

 just thinking about not have the catgirl around frightened her more

 than she could explain away.

 

 “Oh, would it be all right if I asked for some clothes?” Rikku

 voiced sheepishly. “I’ve been running around without anything for way

 too long now. I feel like a nudist. My clothes are probably still on

 the floor of that damn hotel room.” She sighed. “Oh well. They were

 just hand me downs of Yuffie’s, anyway.”

 

 Blinking, Yuna tried to comprehend what Rikku had said. Why would

 the catgirl need clothes? Cats didn’t wear clothes. They had fur.

 Ohhhhh... She shook her head. Of course she’d want clothes. She

 wasn’t used to being a catgirl. Fur or not, she was used to wearing

 something. “Yes, I’ll get you something. You’re a little younger than

 me, but you should be able to fit into one of my outfits.”

 

 “Thanks, Yunie!” Rikku grinned and pounced catlike on the

 unsuspecting brunette, hugging her in gratitude. “That would help a

 lot!”

 

 “You.. You’re welcome..” Yuna responded, blushing faintly again. She

 swallowed, embarrassed. She slowly began to rub Rikku’s back using

 the arm that wasn’t pinned to her side. The catgirl’s fur felt

 wonderfully soft to her touch, her fingers gliding over it. She

 rubbed a bit more, enjoying the feel of the fur underneath her

 fingers and the growing thrum in her ears. It took her a moment to

 realize that Rikku was purring loudly against her. Her eyes widened

 in surprise, her flush darkening, but she couldn't get herself to

 stop.  The catgirl was so cute and enthusiastic, Yuna couldn’t help

 but pet her, as if she had found a larger-than-life kitten.

 

 Rikku was so glad Yuna couldn’t see her face as she hugged the other

 girl. She was so embarrassed. She knew she wasn’t a cat. She was a

 normal, human girl. But her body didn’t seem to agree with her. She

 couldn’t stop herself from purring as Yuna’s gentle fingers slid up

 and down her back. Her body betrayed her, her chest thrumming with

 her purring. ‘Will you make up your mind? Am I a cat or not? I’m

 not!’ Rikku thought in frustration. But her body still wasn’t

 listening. Her tail swished happily from side to side. She sighed,

 giving in. It did feel nice, to have someone to hug after she’d been

 unable to do much of anything as a whole cat. She rested her head on

 Yuna’s shoulder, closing her emerald eyes and purring louder. ‘Well,

 maybe just this once...’

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

 

 “Okay, I’m going to use my... Shiva card. Yes, that should do

 nicely.” Quistis smiled as she placed they detailed card down on the

 floor of her room, right beside one of a strange flying serpent. 

 

 A blond boy sighed, rolling his eyes. “If it didn’t take you ten

 minutes to decide each turn, then we would be able to play a lot more

 of this, Quistis,” he chided, slapping down a card with a cactuar on

 it. 

 

 “You’re just too impatient, Seifer,” Quistis countered, gazing at

 her cards again. “Hmm...” She let her fingers browse across the

 cards, trying to select the perfect one. She wasn’t playing just this

 turn, but where the next turn might lead. 

 

 Selphie watched the two playing Triple Triad on the floor of

 Quistis’s room. They were upside down, as if they were sitting on the

 roof, gravity in reverse. The cards were set down on the roof before

 the brunette. At least, that’s how it appeared to Selphie. She was

 slumped on Quistis’s bed, her sandals left somewhere near the door,

 her head hanging off the edge of the bed so that everything was

 upside down for her. Her legs were wrapped around Quistis’s pillow.

 She’d much rather they be wrapped around her blonde girlfriend, but

 Quistis was caught up in that boring card game. Here she was lying on

 her girlfriend’s bed, innocent and vulnerable, and all Quistis could

 think about was what card went next. Selphie pouted. She should be on

 the bed with her, kissing her. Anything but playing cards. 

 

 “There!” Quistis smiled as she set down the next card. Unless Seifer

 had some unexpected cards or a rather healthy dose of luck on his

 side, she was pretty much guaranteed victory. And to the contrary of

 Selphie’s thinking, Quistis was having a very difficult time ignoring

 the fact that Selphie was lying so cutely on her bed. And that she

 would love to take the place of that pillow, to let her hands travel

 across Selphie’s stomach, exploring her skin and the cloth of her

 dress, kissing her everywhere she could... Quistis blinked quickly,

 trying to force out the images. She adjusted her glasses, hoping she

 didn’t look as flustered as she felt. It was so difficult being the

 mature, responsible one sometimes. She sighed inwardly. Yes, Selphie

 would need a good spanking after Seifer was gone. If he ever left.

 He’d been there for well over an hour now. Seifer was her friend, but

 he either couldn’t take a hint or he enjoyed making her suffer.

 

 “I’m kind of envious of Riku, Sora, and Kairi,” Seifer said at last,

 placing down a chocobo card from his hand. “They finally did realize

 their beautiful dream of escaping these islands, of going to explore

 other worlds. Think of the possibilities. The excitement. I’m sure

 it’s more interesting than a card game.”

 

 “Don’t say that!” Selphie admonished from the bed, rolling onto her

 stomach. “Who knows where they are? What’s wrong with staying here?”

 

 Seifer grinned at Selphie’s outbust, looking up at the girl on

 Quistis’s bed. “I’m surprised you wouldn’t want to go yourself,

 Selphie. The Destiny Islands barely seem to hold in all that energy

 you have. It’s amazing you haven’t gotten bored yet.”

 

 “But they could be lost anywhere! They could be scared and miserable

 and so far away from home.” A chill passed through Selphie at the

 thought. “Yeah, it would be fun to travel, but I don’t see what’s

 wrong with staying home, either. It’s fun here. All my friends are

 here. My Quisty’s here. I’m perfectly happy at home.” 

 

 Pushing her glasses up, Quistis nodded. “I agree with Selphie.

 Leaving would only make sense if you weren’t satisfied with where you

 are. If there’s something missing in your life. And my life feels

 complete here.” She looked back over her shoulder, smiling at

 Selphie. Yes, there wasn’t anything she needed. The cute brunette

 returned her smile, her legs kicking up behind her.

 

 Seifer laughed in response. “Of course you’d agree with Selphie. It

 isn’t wise to disagree with one’s girlfriend. Especially one as hyper

 as her.” The blond boy sat back, his hands supporting him as he

 stared up at the roof. “Me, I understand why they’d want to leave.

 This place can feel like a prison sometimes. Water everywhere,

 flowing endlessly around us. This place is a paradise, but it’s

 sheltered. I think you need the good with the bad. It’s a gilded

 cage. You can’t experience everything if you’re cooped up here. You

 can treat a prisoner like a king, give him everything he could ever

 want. But if all he wants is freedom, he’s still a prisoner. Life can

 be as plush as you could want. But if you can’t realize your

 beautiful dreams, I still say something’s missing.”

 

 Quistis sighed. Not this again. The last thing she needed was for

 Seifer to get strange ideas in Selphie’s head. Thankfully, Selphie

 hadn’t liked Riku and Sora’s idea to leave the island in the first

 place. “And what’s your beautiful dream, Seifer?”

 

 A grin passed across his face as Seifer turned his gaze to Quistis.

 “To be the Sorceress’s Knight, of course. To protect my sorceress

 with my life. To grant her every whim. To give her my all.”

 

 Resting her chin in her hands, Selphie raised a curious eyebrow.

 “Why can’t you do that here? No dragons to slay?” Her bare feet

 continued kicking in the air behind her in a slow rhythm. 

 

 “Hah.” The blond boy waved off the notion. “It’s nothing like that.

 You’re thinking of it too literally. Maybe I wouldn’t mind so much if

 I could find my sorceress. Then I could be her knight here on the

 Destiny Islands. But you never know what’s waiting for you out there.

 All those worlds, each with new sights and experiences around every

 corner. Must be exciting, wherever they are.”

 

 Selphie blinked thoughtfully. “I wonder what my beautiful dream is...”

 

 Quistis turned, her legs still tucked demurely underneath her.

 “Don’t worry about it, Selphie. You have plenty of beautiful dreams.

 And you have the energy to make them all come true, I’m certain.”

 

 The brunette smiled brightly, her previous concerns forgotten.

 “Thanks, Quisty! You’re right! I won’t give up on any of my beautiful

 dreams!” she said excitedly.

 

 “But you don’t know what they are yet...” Seifer replied,

 sweatdropping. 

 

 Quisits turned an icy glare on her friend. “Shush, you.”

 

 “Right...” Seifer shook his head. “I’m just saying that wherever

 they are, they’re probably doing more than playing cards.”

 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 “Unnhhh...” Sora moaned, rolling onto his side. His entire body

 ached, every fiber of his being calling out as fire burned through

 him. His muscles didn’t want to respond at first and he found himself

 cringing as he tried to move. What had happened? He could barely

 think through the haze of pain that was erecting a palace in his

 head. The clatter and noise of their hard work droned out all

 conscious thought. But Sora was nothing if not persistent. He forced

 himself to his knees only to regret the decision. The world seemed to

 curve around him, taunting him. 

 

 ‘What happened?’ he managed to think at last. Dim, vague images came

 to him, feelings that should go with them but he couldn’t be sure of.

 Anger, shock, sadness, defeat. A man... Riku? No.. Not Riku. Though

 it had felt like it. 

 

 “Owwww...” He clutched his head, trying to force the pain and its

 workers out of it. Suddenly, his head shot up. He winced at the pain

 it caused, but ignored it. “Donald? Goofy?” His eyes darted about

 insistently, but his companions where nowhere to be seen. That’s when

 it first struck him. He certainly wasn’t in the grassy fields he had

 previously been. Where was this? How had he ended up here? Where were

 his friends?

 

 The lone boy slowly managed to get to his feet after a prolonged

 struggle that seemed to play out over an eternity. His body cried in

 protest, but he refused to listen to it. Riku’s words spurred him

 forward. ‘Giving up already, Sora? I thought you were stronger than

 that.’ Riku had faith in him. His rival always pulled out more from

 him than Sora even knew he had. So he’d push through this. What would

 Riku say if he saw him lying helplessly on the floor? With those

 thoughts spinning through his abused head, the brown haired boy tried

 to gauge his surroundings. 

 

 The young Keyblade Master found himself in the middle of a palace

 courtyard. Or was it the middle of a school? The place looked like a

 bizarre amalgamation of the two. Statues of students heading to

 classes that would never happen littered the otherwise empty

 courtyard, frozen forever in place. Palace maids and busy dignitaries

 shared space with the students, looking busy even in their state of

 rest. Lockers were covered in beautiful purple flowers and vines. A

 large fountain stood at the center. It looked like a statue should in

 the midst of it, but it was curiously missing. Strange for a place

 filled with so many statues. But as Sora looked closer, they looked

 less like shadows and more and more like a lifeless photograph. As if

 that sparkle of life had just been extinguished in one horrifying

 second. He shuddered and tried to ignore the creepy feeling. 

 

 Staggering past several of the statues, Sora began to make his way

 forward (or at least in the direction he hoped was forward). Where

 was this place? Halfway between here and there, it felt like some

 freakish riddle. As he entered the large hallway that the courtyard

 led to, it didn’t get any better. There were large, beautiful

 paintings along one wall. To his other side, there was no wall. Just

 a large abyss, leading off into darkness. In his weakened state, he

 tried not to look to that side. He felt too dizzy staring off into

 it. He instead turned his attention back to the paintings. He could

 recognize some of the people in them. Wasn’t that Alice? And in that

 other one, wasn’t that Aladdin and Jasmine? And the Beast in another.

 That looked like Aerith and some of her friends in the one down the

 hall, didn’t it? Wasn’t that Selphie and Quistis and some others?

 What were they doing with Squall in that painting? He shook his head.

 “Weird..” he muttered. His voice sounded tiny, weak in this place. It

 made him feel acutely alone. 

 

 Continuing down the seemingly endless hallway, Sora continued

 glancing at paintings. There was Cinderella, one of the seven

 princesses. And Tidus, Yuna, Wakka, and some others he didn’t

 recognize. Why were these paintings here? Why were they of people he

 knew? What significance did they have to this twisted palace? Looking

 back from a painting, the brown haired boy found some doors before

 him that previously hadn’t been there. A mixture of relief and

 apprehension poured throughout him. At least he was getting

 somewhere. But whoever had brought him here had obviously intended

 that. But why? What did they want? Well, he’d never find out if he

 didn’t push forward. ‘I’m not about to give up, Riku,’ he thought

 determinedly. Stepping forward, he pushed open the large doors. 

 

 “Sora!”

 

 Sora could only blink dumbly for a long moment. “Kairi!?” The

 princess’s face lit up brightly as she ran to him, nearly toppling

 him over as she leapt into his arms, hugging him fiercely. 

 

 Kairi held onto him tightly, almost painfully. “I won’t ever let you

 disappear again, Sora. I won’t let anyone take you away from me. I

 promise.” She buried her head against his shoulder, almost afraid

 that a stray wind would carry him off. No, he was finally there. And

 Princess Hikari would do everything she could to make sure he stayed

 that way.