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2 Prism Hearts
3 Chapter 9
4 Eyes on Me
5 by Amazoness Duo
6 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
9 ‘I’ve been having these weird thoughts lately...
10 Like... is any of this for real... or not?’
12 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
14 “Sora...” The world seemed out of place around them, distorted and
15 far off. As if they were from another time and place, simply
16 juxtaposed in this strange nightmare landscape. But it hardly seemed
17 to matter for the two young friends, reunited at long last. “I never
18 thought I’d see you again.”
20 The boy in question, the wanderer of time who had sealed away the
21 Doorway to the Darkness, could only stand in the princess’s embrace,
22 too taken aback to do much of anything. When he had sealed away the
23 Heartless, he had thought that the barriers between the worlds was
24 returned, that they were separated by an infinite distance. But here
25 she was, waiting for him in this strange place. “Kairi...” He
26 swallowed back the lump in his throat and managed to smile. “I told
27 you I’d always be with you.”
29 The brunette laughed, burying her head against his shoulder, holding
30 him as tightly as she could. He felt so real in her grasp. She could
31 smell him and hear him and feel him against her. “Oh, Sora... Don’t
32 ever leave me again. You don’t know how much I need you.” She closed
33 her eyes, but opened them immediately, almost afraid he would
34 disappear if she did. She couldn’t risk that.
36 Nodding, Sora pulled the smaller girl closer to him. “I won’t,
37 Kairi. I promise. I won’t let anything take me away from you. Not
38 now.” He wanted to take away whatever was bothering Kairi. He had
39 missed her terribly, but she seemed almost desperate to have him
40 near. He felt awful for having left her alone in the first place,
41 even if it hadn’t exactly been his choice.
43 She sighed, shaking her head against him. “I wish I could believe
44 that. But it isn’t that simple. Nothing is that simple. But... For as
45 long as I can, I’ll keep you with me, Sora.”
47 “Kairi, please don’t talk like that. Nothing will take me away.
48 You’ll see,” Sora reassured his friend. But she didn’t seem entirely
49 convinced. He didn’t know what else he could do but prove it to her.
50 And that would take a while. Glancing about the strange landscape
51 that surrounded them, his mind turned to another pressing subject.
52 “Where are we? What is this place? And what was that guy talking
53 about when he ambushed me? He said something about a princess.”
55 Disentangling herself from Sora, the brunette stepped back. She
56 curtsied in her long, lavender dress. “I’m Princess Hikari of the
57 kingdom of Hollow Bastion.” She grinned as she stood up straight once
58 more. “Silly. I can’t believe you forgot I was a princess. You must
59 have a short term memory, Sora.” She giggled as she winked at the boy.
61 Sora ran a hand behind his head, laughing nervously. “Well, I know
62 you were one of the seven princesses, but I never really found out
63 where you were from so I didn’t make the connection.” He blinks as
64 another connection was made in his mind. “Wait, your name’s Hikari?
65 But I always thought you were just Kairi.”
67 Hikari shook her head, tucking some stray hair behind her ear. “They
68 found me on the beach half conscious. I was muttering a few things
69 when they got me into bed. They asked my name, but I wasn’t being
70 very coherent.” She closed her eyes, trying to remember a time that
71 seemed so long ago. “Hi.. Kari... Kari...” she intoned quietly,
72 trying to recreate the night she’d been found on the Destiny Islands.
73 She blinked her eyes open, looking again to Sora. “They thought I was
74 saying Kairi. I didn’t remember anything when I woke up so I thought
75 that had to be my name.”
77 “I don’t know which will take longer to get used to. You being a
78 princess or you being Hikari.” Sora crossed his arms, mulling this
79 all over in his head. It was a much bigger revelation than he had
80 first thought. That meant she was Ansem’s daughter. No wonder she was
81 so intertwined with everything.
83 “And as for where we are, it’s sort of difficult to explain.” Hikari
84 gazed around at the stars blinking around them, some streaking across
85 the heavens. They were standing out in the center of the universe,
86 everything swirling around them. Every footstep sent ripples through
87 space. “Basically, we’re near the birthplace of the stars. Where all
88 light begins and ends.”
90 “The Doorway to the Light!” Sora’s eyes went wide as it began to
91 click. That had been exactly what he had spent all this time
92 searching for.
94 The princess nodded, an arm behind her back, watching Sora’s
95 reaction. “Exactly. Where light is born and sent out into the
96 universe. The very heart of the universe. All those many worlds
97 aren’t so different after all. They all share the same heart, after
98 all.”
100 “Kingdom Hearts,” Sora replied quietly, remembering his battle with
101 Ansem at the heart of the universe. “Kingdom Hearts is light...” He
102 shook his head. “Ansem told me that the Heartless were seeking out
103 the Heart of the universe just as they sought out people’s hearts and
104 the hearts of every world. He said that the Heartless were born
105 there.”
107 Turning, Hikari looked out into the universe that stretched out
108 before her. “All of our hearts are born there. And in every heart,
109 there is darkness. So darkness is born there as well. The Heartless
110 are the hearts that the darkness has consumed entirely, eclipsing the
111 last pinprick of light. Yes, the Heartless seek out the Heart of the
112 universe. It’s their birthplace. They’re drawn to it the same way
113 they’re drawn to people’s hearts, but on a much larger scale.”
115 Sora rolled this over in his mind. He really didn’t like the sound
116 of all that. That the Heartless would be born where everyone’s heart
117 was, that the Heart of the universe could hold such darkness. “That’s
118 what I saw behind the Doorway to the Darkness. I saw the Heartless
119 all about, taking root there. But now I’ve sealed away the Doorway to
120 the Darkness. When I open the Doorway to the Light, the Heart of the
121 universe should be fine, shouldn’t it?” he asked anxiously. It had to
122 be. He’d fought too hard to let the Heartless consume the birthplace
123 of all hearts.
125 “Both the Doorway to the Darkness and the Doorway to the Light lead
126 to the Heart of the universe, Kingdom Hearts,” Princess Hikari
127 explained. Closing her eyes and stretching out her hands, she spun
128 under the starlight. “You’ve sealed away the darkness. Now when you
129 unleash the light, it will spill out across the worlds. The darkness
130 is locked away now behind that door. It’s trapped there. Now it’s up
131 to you to unleash the light and heal the worlds. To heal the Heart of
132 the universe by letting its light go free.”
134 Sora clenched his fists determinedly. “I’ll do it. I’ll unseal the
135 doorway and set Riku free. I’ll prove to Ansem that Kingdom Hearts is
136 light. I’ll let its light fill everyone.” He trailed off feeling a
137 bit sheepish. He needed to keep from mentioning Ansem. He was
138 Hikari’s father after all. Even if he had been consumed by the
139 Heartless, Hikari must still care for him.
141 As if she had been reading the boy’s thoughts, Hikari turned a soft
142 smile to Sora. “It’s all right, Sora. I know what my father did. I
143 read his notes. I know what he was trying to do. And I know you had
144 to stop him. He let the Heartless use him. He stole Riku’s body. He’s
145 why Riku’s locked behind the Doorway now. I love my father. But I
146 understand what happened.” Before Sora could reply, she began to walk
147 out into space. “The Doorway to the Light is this way.”
149 Sora blinked. “I.. uhh... Thanks, Kairi. Err... Hikari,” he
150 corrected himself, hurrying to follow her. At least he hadn’t made a
151 complete fool of himself, in that case. He winced a bit as he rubbed
152 the back of his head. “Did your friend really have to hit us so hard?”
154 This time it was Hikari’s turn to look apologetic. She laughed
155 nervously. “Oh, that. Sorry about that. Sephiroth was the finest
156 SOLDIER from our kingdom. My father had him personally protect me.
157 When my father disappeared, Sephiroth helped me escape Hollow Bastion
158 before it was overrun by the Heartless. He can be a little intense
159 sometimes, but he does a wonderful job getting things done. You’re
160 here, aren’t you?” She turned to him, giggling. “So I’m sorry you got
161 hurt, but I’m glad he got you here. I missed you.” She reached out,
162 her fingers taking his. She was so glad to see him again. It felt
163 like a lifetime had passed since they had last been together. But now
164 they’d see this through to the end together.
166 “I missed you, too,” Sora replied, squeezing her soft fingers. It
167 almost seemed worth going through the pain just to see her again. At
168 least they were together now. And soon enough, Riku would be there to
169 join them. Then they’d be complete again. The three of them.
171 And then they came upon it. Sora could only gaze in amazement. The
172 princess watched him rather than the sight before them, finding it
173 much more interesting. There, in the center of the swirling universe
174 about them, was the Doorway to the Light. The huge, ornate doors
175 loomed in space, waiting.
177 Sora ran up to them, placing his hand on the doorway. “This is it.
178 This is what I’ve been waiting for since the very beginning. I was
179 supposed to unlock this door. Everything else was just leading up to
180 this. One of the first voices I heard said that I’d need to do this,
181 but that I wasn’t ready to unlock it. Now I can. King Mickey told me
182 that I was the one who would open the Doorway to the Light.” He shook
183 his head, still in shock that his journey had finally brought him
184 there. It felt as if he’d been travelling for years, that it had
185 begun an eternity ago. Blue eyes closed as he pressed his palm
186 further against the door. Riku had to be there behind it, waiting.
187 Taking a step back, he summoned his Keyblade. Concentrating, he
188 lowered it, a beam of light bursting forth into the door’s keyhole.
189 He turned the Keyblade, bracing himself for the onslaught of light.
190 But nothing happened. “What?” He blinked, letting his Keyblade slowly
191 fall forward in his hands.
193 Hikari stepped up to Sora’s side. “You can’t open it yet. And you
194 can’t open it alone.”
196 Slowly nodding in realization, Sora turned his attention to the
197 princess. “Like with the Doorway to the Darkness. I couldn’t lock it
198 myself. I needed King Mickey to lock it from the inside while I
199 locked it from the outside.”
201 “Exactly. You need Riku to unlock it from the inside with his
202 Keyblade. The two of you need to unlock it at the same time for it to
203 open.” Hikari shook her head before Sora could ask a question. “Not
204 yet. Neither of you can unlock it yet. Even if he could hear you, it
205 wouldn’t help. The Doorway to the Light can’t be opened until the
206 chains on it are unlocked.” Reaching forward, she touched the door
207 with her fingertips. The door lit up brightly, exposing dark, ominous
208 chains draped about it. Several locks on the chains kept them tightly
209 against the door. One lock was open while the others maintained their
210 hold. “The Keyholes to those locks are in certain hearts. Only those
211 hearts can unlock the chains. Then you and Riku can open the Doorway
212 to the light.”
214 Sora took a step back, looking up at the huge doors and their
215 imposing shackles. “How do we go about unlocking the chains?”
217 The princess offered a small smile, brushing some hair from her dark
218 blue eyes. “Don’t worry, Sora. I’m working on it right now.”
221 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
224 Kairi’s fingers trailed along the stone wall of the castle as she
225 made her way deeper down the hallway. She had left her room behind in
226 search of her friends. She had to find Yuffie and Relm. They were the
227 only ones she had left. She couldn’t risk losing them, too. They had
228 to be somewhere in the large palace. Now if only she could keep from
229 getting lost...
231 Her mind was still reeling from what she had heard from the two
232 strange girls in her room. Nothing ever seemed to make sense anymore.
233 It was as if life delighted in teasing her with different views of
234 reality. Reality itself was becoming a distorted concept. What
235 constituted ‘real’? She shook her head swiftly, banishing the
236 thought. She didn’t need to start thinking about that now. She needed
237 to stay focused. Find her friends. Find the Keyholes. Save Riku.
238 Happy ending. That simple. She couldn’t afford to let herself get
239 lost in all this.
241 There was something almost familiar about the palace. It felt like
242 she’d been there before. Not this palace itself, but another palace.
243 From some time long ago. Closing her eyes, the sound of maids and
244 soldiers and minor dignitaries scurrying about felt normal. As if she
245 had heard this hundreds of times before. A tinge of homesickness
246 snaked around her heart. Homesickness for a home she couldn’t
247 remember, for a father that she didn’t know.
249 “Kairi?! Kairi, wake up!!”
251 Kairi whirled about at the voice calling out to her, her heart
252 pounding at its panicked insistence. But no one was there. Her head
253 turned swiftly, searching for whoever had screamed her name. As she
254 began to look past her search for a person, she began to see that the
255 hallway behind her was no longer there. The stone of the palace had
256 been replaced with the smooth walls of her by now familiar room. She
257 turned on her heel to escape down the hallway, but found herself
258 tripping before she could run. She fell face first on her bed,
259 surrounded by an army of plush dolls. It was too late. The palace had
260 left, stranding her once more in this eerily familiar room. She
261 pounded a fist into the bed in frustration. How could she ever find
262 anything if she was always getting tossed about between these strange
263 places?
265 “And then I’ll be a real boy?”
267 Slowly pulling her head up, the princess listened intently. She’d
268 heard a voice. Someone else was there. For once, she wasn’t alone in
269 this horrible place filled with memories that couldn’t possibly be
270 her own. Whoever it was, at least she wouldn’t have to be alone here,
271 left with her own twisted thoughts. But her joy was quickly shot down
272 as her eyes fell upon the television in the room.
274 “Yes, Pinochio. A real boy.”
276 The Disney movie played out on the screen before her, taunting her.
277 “And what do I have to do to be real?” she asked quietly. She hugged
278 an armful of dolls to her chest, characters from all across her
279 travels. They were all real. They had to be. She had been with Yuffie
280 and Relm just a few short hours ago. They weren’t just these bits of
281 fluff and cloth. They were still waiting for her in the Alexandria
282 Palace in a world so close and yet so far away.
284 “Kairi, please get up...” a strained voice begged her from the other
285 side of the room. Near her door. Her heart froze. Not again. Not
286 whoever was waiting on the other side of her locked door. But this
287 sounded different. The person sounded like they were about to break
288 down sobbing. And they sounded closer. On the inside of the room.
289 This didn’t ease Kairi’s concerns. She slowly rolled over to face the
290 door, her heart beating madly in her chest. This meant someone was
291 inside with her. The thought that had been so comforting moments
292 before now only served to horrify her.
294 But no one was there. The brunette blinked, still clutching onto her
295 dolls. She’d heard someone right there. Yet she saw straight to the
296 door. She sat up slowly, searching the room for the source of the
297 voice. Nothing but her assortment of pictures, Disney and Square
298 trinkets. The image of a girl desperately trying to escape her own
299 life. It made her sick to look at. Thankfully, something caught her
300 eye. She let the dolls fall back onto the bed as she got up to
301 inspect it.
303 Something dark was lying on the floor near the door. It looked like
304 a shadow, but there didn’t seem to be anything casting it. A shadow
305 without an owner. There it lay, as if the shadow had died while
306 searching for whoever it belonged to. It lay near the door, as if
307 someone had died and had stained the very ground with their shadow
308 rather than their blood. A flicker of movement nearly sent her
309 stumbling backwards. At first, she thought the shadow had come back
310 to life, searching for a new owner. But as she watched, she could see
311 it was a separate shadow, of someone taller than the first. It seemed
312 to be shaking. Maybe it was frightened. Or angry. Or sad. Kairi took
313 a step closer. She began to make out the shape of a woman from the
314 shadow. A woman kneeling. It slowly reached out to the other shadow,
315 moving it gently. With no response from the first shadow, it moved
316 forward, cradling the other shadow in its arms.
318 “Kairi, please don’t die... Please, please don’t die...” the voice
319 choked out, right where the woman would be if she were more than a
320 shadow.
322 An icy chill began to crawl under Kairi’s skin. She took a slow,
323 awkward step forward. “M..mom...?” She asked without quite realizing
324 it. That shadow she had seen, unmoving on the floor, that had been
325 her? But... No! “Mom..?” She asked again, trying to get the woman’s
326 attention. “I’m not dead... I’m not. I won’t die, mom. I’m right
327 here.” She laughed weakly, trying to sound sure of herself. But it
328 sounded broken even in her own ears. She could hear sobbing in her
329 empty room. It echoed eerily throughout the room, filling the
330 princess with a horrible dread. That couldn’t be here. She was right
331 here. The world suddenly tilted on its axis and for a split second
332 she saw her mother. A pretty, slender woman, holding tightly onto
333 her. She was motionless, pale and bloodstained. Then they were gone,
334 nothing but shadows and an insistent sobbing. “Mom! I’m right here!”
335 Kairi cried out, hugging herself tightly. “Please... please look at
336 me... mom... I’m.. I’m here...” Her world blurred in a burning haze
337 of tears. She opened her moth to once again beg her mother to see
338 her, but nothing came out but a pained sob. She closed her eyes
339 tightly, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. There was no one there to
340 hear her. She was all alone. Her mother couldn’t hear her. It was
341 only a shadow. But was it a shadow of things to come? Or what had
342 already passed? Or simply a nightmare?
344 The sobbing silenced abruptly. Kairi blinked her tear soaked eyes
345 open only to find the two shadows were gone. Her own shadow was the
346 only one she could see and it appeared to be anchored securely to
347 herself. She shuddered, still holding herself.
349 “Don’t cry, Kairi,” a voice said soothingly. This time, it was from
350 behind the door.
352 Kairi wanted to argue with the mysterious voice, to say that she was
353 fine, but it was different this time. Soft, yet strong. Pained. For
354 her. The whispered words encircled her head like a wreath as she
355 tried to figure out who had said them. Taking a hesitant step towards
356 the door, her heart spun about, familiar feelings bubbling up. But
357 why? “Riku!!” Her eyes went wide as she ran the rest of the way to
358 the door, nearly colliding with it. Her hands stopped her as she
359 reached it, slowing her body enough so that she merely slumped
360 against it. “Riku, is that you?” Her ear pressed tightly against the
361 door, straining to hear any sign of the silver haired boy. She held
362 her breath, afraid that it would obscure the sound of his footsteps.
363 She waited desperately for an answer, horrified that it might have
364 been her imagination.
366 A soft chuckle. “Yep, it’s me. You can’t get rid of me that easily,
367 Kairi.”
370 “Riku!!” Kairi laughed joyously at her friend’s voice. He was here.
371 She’d found him. It was really him this time. She could feel it. And
372 all that stood between them was this one door. Though it might as
373 well have been a world apart since she couldn’t get it open. But she
374 couldn’t let that get to her. Not now. Not with him so close. Her
375 palms pressed tightly against the door, almost trying to go straight
376 through it, to will it away. But it stood it’s ground, firm against
377 her. Thousands of thoughts swirled about in her mind in a tornado.
378 She didn’t even know where to begin. Her feelings, her thoughts, her
379 journey. They suddenly seemed unimportant. “I knew I’d find you,” she
380 whispered.
382 “Thank you, Kairi,” Riku replied, his own hand against the door,
383 those few inches of wood the only thing separating them. “I knew you
384 wouldn’t give up. You’re stronger than me and Sora.”
386 Kairi shook her head, slumping it against the cold frame of the
387 door. “No, I’m not. I don’t even know what’s real anymore. You and
388 Sora would be doing a much better job than me. You wouldn’t be
389 doubting everything so much. You wouldn’t be so scared. You wouldn’t
390 keep getting captured.” Her eyes closed tightly. Here she was talking
391 to Riku on the other side of a locked door in her bedroom. How was
392 she supposed to know what was real and what was illusion?
394 “Kairi... Just because you can’t fight doesn’t make you weak. Sora
395 and I can fight, but there’s always someone better. You have
396 something much stronger than any weapon he or I could hold. You make
397 people want to protect you, to fight for you. Your heart lights up
398 the darkness the way no Keyblade could. And why does it matter if you
399 doubt? If you’re scared? You’re still here, aren’t you? Despite your
400 doubts, despite your fears, you kept coming. You never gave up, even
401 when all hope seemed lost. I think that makes you stronger to have
402 faced it and pushed forward instead of not seeing it at all. You’re
403 very strong, Kairi. I only wish I could be there with you. I don’t
404 want you to have to do this on your own. I want to catch you when you
405 fall. I want to be right there behind you.” He sighed, looking down.
406 He felt so helpless, trapped. It wouldn’t matter so much if he knew
407 Kairi was safe, but knowing she was out there searching and that
408 there was nothing he could do to help...
410 Shaking her head, Kairi smiled faintly. “I’m not alone. No matter
411 where I am, I’m never alone. I have two girls travelling with me
412 right now. Yuffie and Relm. They’re my friends. They’ve helped me so
413 much. And even when I’m away from them, I know you and Sora are with
414 me.” A hand pulled away from the door, resting on her heart. “No
415 matter how far apart we are, we’re always together. That’s what kept
416 me going.” She swallowed, blinking back tears. “Because I know you’re
417 there with me every step of the way. If I listen very closely and I
418 close my eyes, I can hear your footsteps echoing with mine.”
420 “Kairi...” Riku spread his fingers against the door, trying to hold
421 the princess’s hand in his own. “I can feel you with me, too.” She
422 was right there. So close... He had done everything he could to save
423 her. Now he would give anything to be by her side again. “I want to
424 see you one last time. I can’t go until I’ve seen you once more.”
426 Blinking her still blurry eyes open, Kairi strained to see through
427 the door to the boy on the other side. “What do you man? I’ll set you
428 free, Riku. I promise. Then we’ll be together forever. Just like we
429 always planned. You, me, and Sora.” Why did it sound like Riku
430 wouldn’t be there for it? He’d have to be. She was going to save him.
432 A long silence lingered in the air before Riku finally responded. “I
433 lost my body. Ansem had it, remember? When Sora defeated him, he died
434 with my body. My heart fought off the darkness, but I couldn’t bring
435 my body with me. The Farplane, the Lifestream, whatever you want to
436 call where hearts go, it’s calling me. But I refuse to go yet. Not
437 until I see you one last time.” He hadn’t wanted to tell her. He
438 could handle it as long as he knew she was all right. And she would
439 be, once she met up with Sora. He would protect Kairi for Riku. But
440 he couldn’t lie to Kairi. He never could.
442 “You’ll...” Kairi looked dumbly at the door, the revelation sending
443 cracks through her heart. “No! You can’t go!” She slumped against the
444 door, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. She had come this far
445 only to find out that Riku had lost his body? That he’d disappear
446 soon? The light at the end of her tunnel was suddenly eclipsed. She
447 was cast once more into darkness. All they had done... Was it all for
448 nothing? Yes, she could set fee the light behind the door, but that
449 wasn’t what she was fighting for. She was fighting for Riku, to have
450 him close again. But now...
452 “It’s all right, Kairi. I’ll be fine. I knew the risks when I joined
453 Maleficent. But I didn’t care. I would do anything to save your
454 heart. As long as you’re safe, it doesn’t matter what happens to me.”
455 Riku smiled softly, his fingertips against the door. Yes, that was
456 the important thing. Kairi had her heart back. Even if some
457 sacrifices had to be made, that was all that mattered.
459 “No...” Kairi shook her head, slowly looking up. She had come too
460 far to give up. She couldn’t quit on Riku. She wouldn’t let this stop
461 her. “I won’t let you go. I’m going to save you, Riku. Somehow. I
462 promised. And I will. You aren’t the only one who’d do anything. I’ll
463 do anything to save your heart. I owe that much to you. And... I
464 don’t want to be without you. I won’t give up. This time it’s my turn
465 to fight for you. I’ll find a way to open this door. And I’ll find a
466 way to protect your heart.” Closing her eyes, she kissed the door
467 softly. “Just wait for me, Riku.”
469 Riku looked ahead at the door, taken by surprise. He hadn’t expected
470 that. A small smile played across his lips. “And you said you weren’t
471 strong. I’ll be here, Kairi. Waiting for you. I’ll wait as long as it
472 takes.” His hopelessness started to melt away at Kairi’s words. He
473 had faith in her. And just knowing she would fight for him meant
474 everything to him.
476 Kairi’s fingers brushed the doorknob, her heart trying to unwind
477 itself from fears and anxieties holding it back. She may not have
478 another chance to say it. No, she couldn’t think like that. But
479 still... Who knew when she’d get to see him again? “Riku... I love...”
481 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
483 Wandering aimlessly through the courtyard, Eiko’s heart felt heavy.
484 Why wouldn’t the princess notice her? Garnet was too concerned with
485 other things. She only saw her as a little girl. It was certainly
486 frustrating. She crossed her arms, kicking a rock in her path.
487 Princess Garnet was the only good part of being kidnapped by that
488 Kuja guy and dragged to the Alexandria Palace. The princess had made
489 the distant palace feel a little less lonely. She’d been the first
490 real person that Eiko felt she could trust. She had grown up with
491 moogles for company in a deserted city of summoners, the last of her
492 kind. She hadn't realized how alone she had felt until meeting the
493 beautiful Princess Garnet. She felt safe with her. Warm. Dizzy.
495 Sighing, the purple haired summoner held her hands over her heart.
496 All she had to do was deliver the letter in her hands and Garnet
497 would finally know of her feelings. Butterflies fluttered about
498 chaotically in her stomach. She was nervous about letting Garnet know
499 but she couldn't sit by any longer. It was driving her insane. She
500 had to tell the princess. Even if it was through a stupid love
501 letter. Sighing, she tried to quash her nervousness, feeling the
502 letter underneath her fingers. Yes, she had to do this. She'd just
503 find a nice place to put it and then run as far as she could and send
504 Mog to find out how she'd reacted. Cowardly, perhaps, but she was too
505 embarrassed to be more straightforward about it. Besides, she thought
506 she'd made it painfully obvious how she felt about Garnet so far and
507 the princess hadn't shown an inkling of recognition. Steeling
508 herself, she nodded and continued through the garden. The guards
509 didn't see her as a threat and the princess let her come and go from
510 her quarters as she pleased, so it wouldn't be a problem getting
511 there to leave the letter on Garnet's pillow.
513 An all too familiar sound reached Eiko halfway through the garden.
514 She slowed to a halt, listening intently. Someone was crying. Hearing
515 the sound was odd. She'd never heard someone else cry before. It
516 brought up the same lost and lonely feelings within her that she
517 associated with it. Searching around the garden, she began to search
518 out its source. She didn't know what she could do about it, but she
519 didn't feel right just ignoring it. The moogles she'd lived with had
520 always been there for her when she'd been crying. The sound seemed to
521 be coming from behind some bushes. Pushing past the bushes, Eiko
522 stepped out on the other side to find a blonde girl hugging her legs,
523 her head on her knees. It was then that Eiko remembered she didn't
524 have any experience with this sort of thing. "Um.. Hi..." she stated
525 dumbly. She inwardly berated herself, quickly trying to come up with
526 something just a bit more comforting. "Are you okay?"
528 It took Relm a moment to acknowledge the summoner's presence. Her
529 head slowly lifted from her knees, blinking at the wet tears that
530 coursed down her cheeks. A younger lavender haired girl stood before
531 her, an odd horn on her forehead. She was about to tell the girl to
532 leave her alone, but the uncomfortable, worried look in the
533 summoner's eyes shut her up. She was already feeling too crappy to
534 hurt a little girl's feelings. Shaking her head slowly, Relm rested
535 her chin on her knees again. "Not really." Sniffling, she wiped at
536 her eyes with her palms. After she had left Yuffie, she had run as
537 far as she could. By now she was completely lost. Which only made her
538 feel more helpless and confused about everything. 'Yuffie...' the
539 artist thought, a fresh wave of pain cascading through her. Her eyes
540 closed warily, feeling fresh tears gathering.
542 Looking down, Eiko waited for the older girl to continue. Her hands
543 behind her, she still clutched her love letter for Garnet. She busied
544 herself with looking at her foot, shifting it on the soft grass. She
545 was headstrong enough to rush into things, but once she was in the
546 middle of them, she easily found herself over her head. People were
547 so confusing. Moogles made so much more sense. She knew how to act
548 around them. A sad thought entered her mind at that. She was too used
549 to being alone. She had lived alone for so long that she was still
550 having trouble getting used to people. No matter how much she wanted
551 to be around them. Garnet in particular. So she had to try. To give
552 it a shot. To show that she could be around people, that she could
553 try to understand them. "What's wrong?" Eiko asked at last. Tilting
554 her head to the side, she glanced up at Relm expectantly. Not exactly
555 the best reply, but it was something.
557 Sighing, Relm closed her eyes tightly. It all came out in a rush.
558 "It's Yuffie. She doesn't care what I do. I'm just annoying to her.
559 She thinks I'm just a crazy bimbo that wants to hang off of her. She
560 doesn't care how I feel. She's selfish and only cares about what
561 happens to her. But I love her anyway. Even if she can't understand.
562 Even if she thinks I'm just..." She swallowed again and again, trying
563 to choke back the tears. A muffled sob escaped her as she pressed her
564 face against her trembling knees.
566 Eiko sat down next to the sobbing artist. That sounded familiar. Too
567 familiar. Maybe people weren't so difficult to understand after all.
568 Did everyone hurt that badly? It was a scary thought. She reached out
569 hesitantly, not sure how to help, how to comfort the blonde girl. Her
570 hand nearly touched Relm's shoulder before she slowly pulled it back.
571 She didn't know what to do. Sighing softly, Relm's crying surrounded
572 her. How often had she done that? She'd promised her grandfather that
573 she'd be a big girl, that she could take care of herself, but
574 sometimes... "I'm sorry." She shook her head, her lavender hair
575 wisping past her eyes. "It isn't fair. Why can't they understand? We
576 love them so much that it hurts, but they can't see that. They're so
577 lost in their own worlds that they don't even know we're there. That
578 we need them so much." She pulled up the letter to Garnet, reading
579 her love's name again and again. Why did this happen? Why did it have
580 to hurt so much? Wasn't love supposed to end happily like in the
581 fairy tales she'd heard as a young child? It was. It had to. Damn it,
582 what was the point of being around people and falling in love if all
583 it did was hurt you? Letting the letter drop from her fingers, she
584 stood up again. She wouldn't just leave a letter on Garnet's bed and
585 run away. She would find another way.
587 A small, warm hand rested on Relm's shoulder, drawing her out from
588 the veil of tears that surrounded her. She blinked weakly and gazed
589 through blurry eyes to the lavender haired summoner. The younger girl
590 was looking at her with an almost desperate intensity in her eyes.
591 She held back her sobs, sniffling quietly.
593 "I think... I think we're going through the same thing right now. We
594 can't give up. Love isn't supposed to work like this. So that means
595 we have to make it work. We can't let it end like this. We have to
596 fight for it. It would be too easy to walk away and be alone again.
597 But I can't do that anymore. And if this Yuffie can make you cry like
598 that, I don't think you want to be alone again either. Let's do it.
599 Let's make them realize everything. Let's make it so they can't ever
600 deny how much we love them again," Eiko said determinedly.
602 Relm was taken aback by the girl's words. For a moment she wondered
603 how a girl so young could understand, but she brushed that aside. She
604 understood. That was the important thing. The only thing. Reaching
605 out, she rested her hand on top of Eiko's, smiling faintly through
606 her tears. Her head nodded weakly, a soft giggle slipping from her
607 lips. A renewed fire burned within her heart. "Let's."