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author Robert McIntyre <rlm@mit.edu>
date Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:42:35 -0400
parents fc00894c1d4a
children
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3 Prism Hearts
4 Chapter 7
5 Melodies of Life
6 by Amazoness Duo
7 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
10 “Why did you come with me?”
12 “Hey, that’s Ipsen’s line.”
14 “Ipsen? Who’s that?”
16 “Ipsen is a character from a play. But he’s a real life adventurer.
17 I think the play is based on his adventures. It kind of goes like
18 this: Ipsen and his good friend, Colin, worked at a tavern in Treno.
19 One day, Ipsen got a letter. The letter was so wet from rain that
20 most of the writing was illegible. The only part he could read said
21 “Come back home”. Nowadays, we have airships and stuff, but back
22 then, it was really hard to travel. He didn’t know why he had to go
23 back, but he had some time off, gathered his things, and set out on a
24 journey home. He walked a thousand leagues through the mist.
25 Sometimes he was attacked by vicious monsters, but he made it because
26 his friend, Colin, was by his side. And then, after much time on the
27 road, he had to ask Colin something. ‘Why did you come with me?’”
29 “And? What was Colin’s answer?”
31 “Only because I wanted to go with you.”
33 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
35 I am surrounded by darkness. It’s all around me, dark and thick and
36 cold. I can feel it reaching out to caress me, its knifelike touch
37 raking across my skin, trying to comfort me. It’s the only constant.
38 The endless darkness; a deep and ancient sea that stretches out into
39 eternity. It calls to me, echoing throughout me. It wants me here.
40 I... belong here. Amidst the darkness. My home for so long. The world
41 I had known for most of my life. One of darkness and pain. It’s
42 familiar, a feeling that resonates within me. Isn’t this how I’ve
43 always been? Before the Destiny Islands, before I managed to escape.
44 But now it’s found me again. And it will never let go. The darkness
45 has me in its grasp. I won’t be able to escape a second time. I am
46 home now.
48 No...
50 No! I don’t belong here! I don’t belong to the darkness! I’m not
51 like that!
53 I shake my head. It feels as if a spell has been broken. There’s
54 still the endless night, but there’s something else. It’s still
55 pulling on me, but I’m not letting myself get pulled helplessly
56 anymore. I can move again. I feel like I’m waking up from some
57 nightmare. I won’t let this drag me down. I have to get out of here,
58 away from the darkness. Away from all this.
60 ‘Running away again?’ a voice says, echoing all around me. I turn
61 around and around, searching for the voice, but I still can’t see
62 anything. It’s taunting me again, playing with my fears, trying to
63 break whatever confidence I manage to pull to myself. I ball my
64 fists, still searching. I won’t let it break me. Not now. I’ll find a
65 way out of here. Somehow.
67 I can still feel it reaching for me, the darkness reaching for
68 something inside of me. What scares me is that feeling of familiarity
69 that burns within me while I’m here. Like I’ve been here before. Like
70 I’ve felt this all before. But that can’t be; I’ve never been inside
71 of the darkness before. This place... Pieces begin to take shape. My
72 clothes are changing. They’re darker, more gothic. People begin to
73 surround me. Cold, dark. Heartless. These people are also familiar
74 somehow. Like I can almost remember them. How they never cared. How I
75 was always alone even when the halls were crowded.
77 ‘Welcome home, Kairi,’ the voice whispers in my ear again.
79 I stare in horror as more of the world starts to take shape before
80 me. It all feels so real, as if I can step out into it. A world
81 created entirely of darkness. A world built upon pain and suffering.
82 Where loneliness was my only constant companion. A world where the
83 bright crimson of blood was my only escape from the endless darkness
84 that had imprisoned me. Names begin to tease my mind, of people and
85 places that I can’t know, shouldn’t know. This isn’t my world. I’m
86 not from here. I can’t be.
88 I search frantically for an exit. Any exit. I don’t care what the
89 voice says. I want to get away from here. I need to get away before
90 it becomes any more real. Before it chains me to it again. I won’t
91 let it take me back. I won’t ever go back. I refuse. I turned my back
92 on that life when I slit my wrists, breaking my bonds. But like an
93 angry dragon deprived of its treasure, it’s hunting me, yearning to
94 drag me back in its clutches, crushed and bloody.
96 My heart pounds in my chest, my body shaking. I’m gasping for
97 breath, an eerie chill sending frosty crystals flowing through me. I
98 shudder. I can’t let this happen. Desperation is stabbing into me, a
99 thousand needles, all incredibly intent. I have to get away. Now!
101 ‘Kairi...’
103 No... Leave me alone. I don’t know you!
105 ‘Kairi, dear...’
107 Please, just go away! I clutch my head, crumbling to my knees. I
108 don’t belong here! Don’t you see that?! I never did fit in. I never
109 belonged. I couldn’t survive in the darkness. It was too much for me.
110 It left me broken. Why couldn’t you see that? I had to leave it. I
111 had to get away.
113 “Kairi,” she says, her hand on my shoulder.
115 I scream. That world shatters around me, breaking like a dropped
116 china doll. I fall, plunging through a world of splintered glass. I
117 don’t know where I’m going or where I am. But I can’t help feeling
118 some faint relief to get away from that nightmare. Even if I’m only
119 trading it in for another.
121 I am surrounded by darkness. It’s all around me, dark and thick and
122 cold. I can feel it reaching out to caress me, it’s knifelike touch
123 raking across my skin, trying to comfort me. It’s the only constant.
124 The endless darkness, like a deep and ancient sea that stretches out
125 into eternity. It calls to me, echoing throughout me. It wants me
126 here. But I will not stay here. I’m getting out of here. I won’t let
127 the darkness consume me. I have too much I still need to do. Sora and
128 Riku need me. I won’t play the helpless princess this time. This
129 time, I’ll protect you. Both of you. I promise.
131 Even in the darkness, there is light. I just have to find it.
132 There... So far away, so faint it could almost be my imagination. But
133 it’s there. Because I believe it’s really there. I have faith that
134 the light is waiting for me. Because I know what the light in my life
135 is. Riku and Sora. They are my light. And I carry them with me
136 wherever I go. So no matter the darkness that surrounds me, there
137 will always be light in my heart.
139 I run to the light. And run. And run. It seems so far away. My
140 muscles ache and burn, the darkness clawing at me as I run, trying to
141 drag me back. But I won’t let anything keep me away from them. I’m
142 going to save them. No matter what it takes. The light... It’s so
143 beautiful. So warm. It caresses me as I finally reach it. And for
144 just a split second, he holds me. It’s all too brief, but I burn it
145 into my mind, etching every half-remembered feeling into my soul. One
146 day I’ll have that forever. It won’t be snatched away from me. I’ll
147 hold onto him until the sun falls from the sky and even longer.
149 One day...
151 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
154 Light... Bright and jarring. It cascades around me harshly, bathing
155 everything in its judgmental glow. As if accusing me. ‘You, girl from
156 the darkness, you are not welcome here,’ I can almost hear it say. My
157 eyes ache and shut instinctively tighter, trying to drown out the
158 brilliant glow that surrounds me. ‘Just go away...’ I beg. But it
159 ignores me, seeming to focus even more on me.
161 We always cherish light. It is beautiful. It is right. It is good.
162 But we never stop to think that if anything were held to the light,
163 that it would wither and burn under its touch. Without a filter, the
164 light is too blinding, too strong. The blazing light and the cold
165 darkness are both ends of the extreme. One isn’t simply salvation
166 while the other is ruin. Both can destroy you. Both can protect you.
167 The darkness can be just as beautiful, can’t it?
169 Perhaps there are more similarities than I’d ever realized...
171 But now, the light is making me ache and burn. I curl up, trying to
172 shut it out. I fall short in its harsh view. I am not of the light,
173 it tells me. I don’t belong here. It will wash me away in its light
174 until I’m nothing more than the hint of a shadow.
176 This is wrong. Of course I’m from the light. I wanted to escape the
177 darkness, didn’t I? This should be welcome. This should be freedom.
178 So why am I so afraid of it? Why isn’t it welcoming me with open
179 arms? Why am I being turned away? What’s wrong with me? Tears start
180 to burn at my eyes as I shut them tighter. ‘Please,’ I call out.
181 ‘Help me...’ Isn’t the light supposed to save you? Isn’t it what
182 dreams and hope are built from.
184 ‘No...’ Comes its response, reverberating through me. ‘Nothing can
185 save you. You are too entangled by the darkness. You are darkness.’
187 ‘No! Please, don’t send me away! I need help! I’m all alone...’
189 But the light ignores me. It doesn’t wish to have me so close
190 anymore, dirtying its gorgeous rays. So it simply casts me out.
192 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
194 I lie there for a long time, trying to make sense out of things. I
195 don’t care enough to open my eyes and find out where I am. That’s
196 secondary. I’ll figure it out later. I hope. It doesn’t matter where
197 I am, anyway. It’s not like I’ve had a well-designed plan through all
198 of this.
200 The darkness longs for me. The light rejects me. I feel a cold chill
201 pass over my body at that thought. The light that can save me won’t
202 let me near. The darkness is even now creeping after me, trying to
203 plunge me back into its depths. It’s hunting for me. And I have
204 nowhere to run to. No sanctuary that can protect me.
206 I shudder on the cold floor. I’m all alone.
208 No... ‘Remember what you said, Kairi? I’m always with you, too,’
209 Sora had said right before he had been dragged away from me to
210 someplace far off. Yes. I am not alone. I place a hand over my heart.
211 My boys are right there with me. No matter where they are. I’m not
212 alone. If the light turned its back on me, then I Don’t need it. All
213 I need are Riku and Sora. If I can’t believe in the light, then I’ll
214 believe in them. I will find them. I will save them. And they will be
215 my shelter from the storm that threatens to consume me. As long as I
216 have them, I’ll never let the darkness swallow me.
218 “Ohhhh...” someone groans beside me. “I’m starting to think
219 travelling by Gummi Ship from world to world isn’t half bad. Sure, I
220 got motion sick from it. But I didn’t wake up wondering where the
221 hell I was.”
223 “One of these days you’re going to wake up naked in a hotel room
224 thinking that and I’ll prove to you that it can be a good thing,”
225 another voice pipes in.
227 “Relm, watch your hands,” the first voice warns.
229 “Oops... Sorry,” comes the gleeful response. Relm doesn’t sound
230 sorry in the least.
232 Well, at least I know Yuffie and Relm are both still with me. I
233 don’t have to go on alone after all. I slowly open my eyes, the world
234 a blur around me. How long was I out this time? Where will I find
235 myself now? My head swims, still reeling from my sudden brushes with
236 both the light and the darkness. My heart wavers. I still don’t know
237 where I stand. Grandma used to tell me there was always light. But if
238 the light wouldn’t accept me...
240 Now is not the time to be thinking about these things. First things
241 first. I need to find out where I am. Somehow. “Where are we?” I ask
242 after a moment, flipping some hair from my eyes.
244 “Maybe you can ask them,” Relm suggests, pointing behind me.
246 The concerned look in her eyes tells me I probably won’t want to ask
247 whoever it is. Yuffie just watches on with a ‘why does this sort of
248 thing always happen to me?’ look plastered on her face. I slowly
249 turn, hesitant to find out. Sure enough, I doubt these people are
250 interested in telling me directions to find my lost boys. There are
251 at least seven women in the hallway, all wearing armor and bearing
252 swords and shields. The one in the lead holds a rather hefty sword
253 and sports an eye patch, presumably a testament to the many battles
254 she had been through. I swallow nervously. “You wouldn’t happen to
255 know where I could find a silver haired boy, would you?” I try a
256 smile, but it’s lost on the soldiers.
258 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
260 Yep. I’m officially hating this by now. I lie on my cold, hard bunk
261 in the dungeon, my hands behind my head. If I had more materia, those
262 knights wouldn’t have stood a chance against me. Of course, Beatrix,
263 as I’d learned was her name after the fact (my jailer won’t shut up
264 about her), soundly trounced me while Kairi and Relm sat there
265 worthlessly and squealed like little girls when the knights grabbed
266 them. So one could say the odds weren’t exactly stacked in my favor.
268 I roll on my side and hit the wall with my fist. I’m supposed to be
269 a legendary hero. The greatest ninja that ever lived. Some hero I’m
270 turning out to be. I can’t even save Relm from a couple stupid
271 knights. And Kairi, I hastily add. Not like I have any vested
272 interest in Relm. Of course not. I laugh aloud. What a silly thought.
273 That little pervert isn’t getting to me. I mean, sure she’s awfully
274 sweet and she has this way of riling me up, and her eyes have this
275 way of taking over your soul...
277 I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Whatever the case, it
278 doesn’t matter. I couldn’t come to her rescue even if I wanted to.
279 Which I don’t. I’m stuck in the dungeon, alone, weaponless. At this
280 rate, the universe will be swallowed by Heartless before I can ever
281 get Kairi to the Doorway to the Light. But at least I’m trying! Not
282 like Leon and Aerith. Both staying home to cuddle with their love
283 bunnies while I work my ass off trying to get the Keyblade Mistress
284 to fix everything. And I’m not out here just because I don’t have
285 someone! I wouldn’t be doing the exact some thing as them if I had
286 someone to wake up with and cling tightly to and... Of course not!
288 “And she’s much, much more talented than Sir Steiner. Why, Lady
289 Beatrix was our pride and joy at the last tournament. The Knights of
290 Pluto didn’t even want to challenge her. It was really very funny.
291 They were all...” The guard drones on. She had explained earlier than
292 she doesn’t mind guard duty. I think I can see why. She takes a
293 sadistic pleasure in slowly killing the prisoners.
295 I pull my pillow around my head, trying to drown out her incessant
296 ranting about Lady Beatrix. I’m still pissed that Beatrix stopped me
297 in the hallway. I could’ve at least gotten through her and then been
298 taken down by the guards. Or they could’ve all ganged up on me or
299 something. It’s embarrassing that it only took Beatrix. Now Relm’s
300 images of me are probably shattered and I’ll never be her hero again.
301 Not that I care, mind you. Nope. Not in the least.
303 I wonder where they took Relm and Kairi. We were split up after our
304 clash in that hallway. Oddly enough, It seemed like they had been
305 expecting us. Everywhere else we had been, we always seemed to wind
306 up there by accident. But this time, they were ready. They seemed to
307 want Kairi for something. So she’ll be safe for a bit, at least. If
308 they need her, they can’t harm her. But what about Relm? She isn’t in
309 the dungeon. Where would they have taken her? I hope she’s all
310 right... I won’t forgive myself if she got hurt because of me.
312 And where is Rikku? I remember the wave crashing around us. She was
313 holding onto one of my arms and Relm was holding onto the other. I
314 tried to hold onto both of them, but I was getting thrown about and I
315 couldn’t keep my grip. My heart skips a beat at the thought of her
316 being lost someplace in this infinity. But she has to be out there.
317 She probably just didn’t get stuck in the same place we did. Yeah.
318 That has to be it. I hope.
320 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
322 I watch Yuffie in her cell for a while. Oh, my poor girl. Her ego’s
323 wounded. I’m just thrilled she’d fight for me, win or lose. But she
324 doesn’t see it that way. She’s got to be the best. But usually she’s
325 better about turning things around and pretending she’s gotten away
326 with what she wanted to. Snatching semi-victories from the jaws of
327 defeat. But she still looks cute, even languishing on her prison bed.
328 The guard unlocks the door for me and I slip quietly into Yuffie’s
329 cell, not wanting to disturb her dark thoughts. Not yet, at least.
331 I wonder what you’re thinking, my beautiful ninja. Are any of your
332 thoughts about me? Is there any room in that guarded heart of yours
333 for me? I sure hope so. I’ll keep trying until I can find out for
334 sure.
336 Leaning forward, I nuzzle the crook of her neck, delighting at the
337 feel of her soft skin against my nose and lips. She flinches
338 instinctively, but it’s too late. There’s nowhere to escape for now.
339 She must really be out of it if I could catch her by surprise like
340 this. I nuzzle deeper as she curls up on the small bed, trying to
341 escape me but only succeeding in pressing against the wall. I giggle
342 as I slowly pull away, watching the mortified look on her face. Her
343 cheeks are a cherry red, her eyes as wide as twin moons.
345 “Relm,” she gets out weakly.
347 “Didja miss me?” I ask, grinning as I lean over her curled up form.
348 The great and mighty Yuffie, slayer of monsters and master thief. And
349 here she is cowering before me, with nowhere to hide. Weird how a
350 young artist from another world could do that to her. Not that I
351 mind. The irony makes it all taste even more delicious.
353 Slowly she manages to piece together her sarcastic, independent
354 exterior. Her eyes narrow and she places a hand on my forehead,
355 pushing me back so she can sit up. I try to push back, but she’s too
356 much stronger than me. I sigh and step back, crossing my arms. “Oh,
357 right. I hate having the use of my right arm. It’s much better when
358 you’re hanging off of it,” she replies sarcastically.
360 I pout. “Well, I was going to get you out, but if you don’t want
361 to...” I sigh, turning my back to her. It takes a second for that to
362 seep in for her.
364 “Get me out? What are you talking about?”
366 I turn around to face her again, smiling brightly. Oh, I can’t stay
367 mad at her for long. Even if she can be selfish and arrogant and...
368 Ahem. Okay, maybe I can stay a little frustrated with her, but that’s
369 different. “I’m her majesty’s royal artist. One of the knights found
370 a picture I had and they decided the queen should see this ‘wee
371 girl’s’ abilities for herself. She made me do a portrait, which I had
372 to make up a lot for because she isn’t very easy to look at for long,
373 and she liked it so much that she decided to give me a job instead of
374 throwing me in here.”
376 “You convinced them with a picture?” she asks, blinking. Then she
377 considers. “Well, you are really good. That fire you drew seemed real
378 enough. So I guess that makes sense.”
380 I narrow my eyebrows. “They wouldn’t have found the picture at all
381 if they’d been keeping their hands to themselves. But then, in a
382 place with a band of female knights, you have to wonder.” I wait
383 anxiously for her jealous reply. She wouldn’t want anyone touching
384 me. Or harassing me. Or anything like that. Not when she can do all
385 of that herself. Right...?
387 Yuffie grins. “Must be your kinda place then, huh?”
389 I can only stare at her. I’m trembling. How could she say that to
390 me? Does she really think of me like that? I only want her to know
391 how much I like her. I wouldn’t do that with anyone. I just want her
392 to know... I don’t know how else to do it. I’ve never been in love
393 before. This is all so new to me. I can’t even see her anymore. I
394 only see a haze as tears fill my vision. I yank the picture they’d
395 found on me, one I’d drawn the night I met Yuffie. I crumple it up in
396 my hands, tearing and ripping. I want to destroy something beautiful.
397 Something that meant so much to me. Unable to get out any words, I
398 make a muffled sob as I toss the pieces at her, turning and running
399 as fast as I can away from her. I don’t care where I go as long as
400 it’s away. Far, far away. I sob weakly as I force myself to run. When
401 you get hurt, when your heart bleeds, that’s what tears are. I hate
402 you, Yuffie. I hate you. Because obviously I’m nothing more than a
403 stupid little perverse kid to you. And I hate myself for not being
404 good enough, worthy enough of you. So I run. And I cry.
406 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
408 I blink, watching Relm burst into tears and run off. The prison door
409 slams shut behind her, the guard more watchful than I thought. Not
410 that I’d be able to escape right now even if she wasn’t paying
411 attention; my mind’s on other things.
413 I kneel down, sifting my fingers through the ripped and crumpled
414 picture on the floor. How she could destroy something she’d spent so
415 much time creating is beyond me. Whatever I did, I must have hurt her
416 immeasurably to get that kind of reaction. To see her shred something
417 that she had given life to. Slowly the image begins to take shape
418 under my fingers, the angry rips and tears defiling the beautiful
419 image. Me. She had drawn me. A portrait that’s more gorgeous than I
420 could ever pray to truly be myself. That’s what the guards had seen,
421 what had prompted the queen to keep her out of the dungeon. It’s
422 lovely. Or it was. Before I disgraced it. Before I signed its death
423 sentence and left it to die in its creator’s usually gentle hands.
425 She drew me. She wanted me to be the subject of her amazing talent.
426 She looked at me with those shining eyes, filled with love and
427 adoration. And all I could do was slap her in the face because I’m
428 too much of a bitch to accept it all gratefully. I didn’t realize how
429 much it would hurt her. I didn’t mean to...
431 What have I done? “Fuck...” I mutter, hunching over, my short hair
432 drooping as my head nearly touches the floor. Good one, Yuffie.
433 She’ll never let you save her now. Now it looks like you’re the one
434 who needs saving.
436 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
438 Kairi sighed. She looked out a large window, the only escape from
439 the room she was stuck in. But to escape this prison, she would need
440 angel’s wings. She slumped against the windowsill, watching the doves
441 come and go as they pleased. If only it was that easy for her. The
442 room was beautifully furnished. But it was still a cage to her. She
443 wanted to soar free. To escape all of this.
445 The young princess fidgeted uneasily. She had been separated from
446 her friends and placed in these chambers. Two maids had ‘helped’ her
447 change into an elegant pale lavender dress and then left her there.
448 She wasn’t used to dresses. They were too confining. She liked to
449 have room to run and be free. ‘Mom always wanted me to wear dresses.
450 But they weren’t my style. I only wore the one’s she’d buy me a few
451 times and that was only to appease her,’ she thought. The memories
452 had come to her unbidden. But there was something else, as well.
453 Someone older, shaking his head in disgust. ‘The princess is a
454 tomboy,’ he had said. And then someone laughing. Her... father? But
455 she hadn’t had a father, had she? Not in that place where her room
456 existed. But somewhere else, she had been raised by her father
457 instead of her mother. ‘She takes after her father,’ he had said,
458 smiling. He had a warm smile. Everyone had loved him dearly.
460 Holding her head, Kairi tried to sort through the contradictory
461 memories. Was she a princess who had lost her memories? Or was she a
462 girl so desperate to escape her own life that she had drowned in
463 fantasy? It was like two separate lives were trying to piece
464 themselves together inside of her. It was taking its toll on the
465 brunette. She was starting to have a hard time telling which way was
466 up.
468 “Why do you care so much about what’s ‘real’?” a voice asked.
470 Kairi whirled about. A young blonde girl stood before her. She had a
471 bandage over one of her eyes and she wore a hospital gown.
473 “What is Real, anyway?” another voice asked, coming from the bed.
474 The girl on the bed looked exactly the same as the other girl, though
475 she wasn’t wearing the bandage. “Is Real what everyone tells you is
476 real?”
478 “Or is Real what you believe in your heart to be true?” the other
479 girl continued.
481 “Who are you?” Kairi asked, looking back and forth between the two
482 young girls.
484 “She’s Maya,” the one with the bandage said, pointing to the girl on
485 the bed.
487 “And this is Aya,” the one on the bed said, hurrying up to her
488 sister’s side. Both girls giggled and bowed to Kairi.
490 “We’re Eve,” they said in unison.
492 “Oh...” Kairi responded, not understanding in the slightest. She
493 shook her head, looking out the window. “I don’t know what’s real
494 anymore.”
496 “Is Real what everyone around you decides is real?” Maya asked, her
497 head tilted to the right.
499 “Or is Real what you decide is real?” Aya asked, her head tilted to
500 the left.
502 “You both sound like Harle.” Kairi closed her eyes, trying to focus.
503 This was all confusing her more and more.
505 “Eventually you’ll need to make a decision,” Maya explained.
506 “Whether you’ll accept reality or remake it altogether.”
508 “Whether you will live or die. Awaken or dream. Love or hate. After
509 all, these things are all two sides of the same coin. You cannot have
510 one without the other,” Aya adds, resting back to back with her
511 sister.
513 “But can’t you choose the light? Can’t you have one without the
514 other? Must it always be both? Love and hate, life and death, light
515 and dark?” Kairi asks, nearly pleading.
517 Maya shakes her head. “These things are all interconnected. They
518 aren’t all completely different notions. They’re all dependent on
519 each other. Each of these ‘opposites’ is entwined in a lover’s
520 embrace that you couldn’t hope to untangle. Without one, the other is
521 meaningless.”
523 “After all,” Aya continues, “how can you really, truly love if you
524 don’t know what it’s like to be hated? For you to live, someone must
525 die. For you to awaken, you must have been dreaming.”
527 “Without darkness, there is no light,” the twins say in harmony.
529 Kairi opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She was speechless.
530 The twins’ words spun around her, leaving her dizzy.
532 “Everyone’s waiting for your answer, Kairi,” Maya said softly.
534 “Don’t disappoint everyone. The show’s just about to begin,” Aya
535 added.
537 A knock at the door drove Kairi out of her stupor. She bolted
538 upright. “Coming!” she called. She turned back to the girls to ask
539 them something, but they were already gone. “Where did they go?” she
540 asked, blinking. The only way out of the room was the window. And
541 unless they grew wings, that wouldn’t be a very good choice.
543 “There you are. You must be another one of the girls that Kuja had
544 brought to the palace. I assure you, I’ll try my hardest to make sure
545 your stay is a pleasant one,” a woman with dark hair said as she
546 entered the room, followed by a much younger girl with purple hair
547 and a horn on her forehead. “I’m Princess Garnet Til Alexandros the
548 17th. This is Eiko Carol. We wanted to check in on you. We’re
549 terribly sorry for the inconvenience.”
551 “We thought it would be better if you saw us first instead of being
552 traumatized by Kuja inspecting you,” the younger girl explained. She
553 spat the name with disgust. Apparently she didn’t think very highly
554 of him.
556 “Why am I here? What’s going on? I really need to get going. My
557 friends need me. I have to find them,” Kairi said. She wanted to make
558 them understand somehow. Her words couldn’t convey the urgency in her
559 heart. She couldn’t afford to get sidetracked. Not now. Not with Riku
560 and Sora so close.
562 “You’ll be able to leave as soon as Kuja has finished. In the
563 meantime, we’ll make you as comfortable as we can,” the princess
564 explained politely. She was genuinely apologetic, feeling personally
565 responsible for the delay in Kairi’s journey, whatever it may be.
567 “And when is that going to be?” Eiko asked irritably, raising her
568 arms. “He’s always so vague about it and he never answers me when I
569 ask him when I can go home.”
571 Garnet smiled softly and gently cupped the younger girl’s cheek.
572 “Soon, Eiko. I promise. I’ll ask him again for you. I’ll get you
573 home.” She didn’t seem to notice the purple haired girl’s cheeks
574 burning underneath her fingers or the deep gaze that Eiko was giving
575 her. She leant forward, kissing near Eiko’s horn.
577 “Princess Garnet, your mother wishes to see you,” a maid said from
578 the doorway.
580 Garnet nodded. “I’ll be right there.” She turned back to Kairi and
581 bowed. “Again, my apologies for keeping you here. If there’s anything
582 you need, please ask.” Turning, she left the room.
584 Eiko watched her leave. Sighing dreamily, she slowly came back to
585 earth. If only Garnet would pay attention to her!
587 “What’s going on?” Kairi asked again, pleading with the younger
588 girl. She walked over, kneeling to look the purple haired girl in the
589 eyes.
591 Sighing, Eiko let her arms fall to her sides. “You’re being kept
592 here because of some guy named Kuja. He’s got the ear of the Queen,
593 so she’ll do whatever he says. Apparently the kingdom is in big
594 trouble unless he can find the ‘Prism Heart’, whatever that is. He
595 says it resides within a girl with a beautiful heart. They checked
596 Princess Garnet, but it wasn’t her. So he’s been scouring the world
597 for this girl. That’s how I wound up here. Some Alexandrian Knights
598 sought me out because I’m the last of the summoners. Kuja thought
599 that might mean it might be me. But they checked and I don’t have it
600 either. But they still won’t let me go home. None of the girls he’s
601 taken here have gone home yet.” She looked back at the door. “Not
602 that I want to go home yet, anyway. Not without Garnet. But she's too
603 worried about her mother to come with me.” The little girl crossed
604 her arms, frustrated.
606 Kairi closed her eyes. Great. So she was stuck here. A prisoner in a
607 gilded cage. What was she supposed to do now? Riku and Sora needed
608 her. She couldn’t be wasting time while a kingdom searched for some
609 mythical girl. “So.. You really like Princess Garnet, huh?” Kairi
610 asked after a moment.
612 “Yep. You better keep your hands off of her. She’s mine,” Eiko
613 responded, her eyes narrowing.
615 “I.. What? No! Of course not!” That wasn’t exactly how Kairi had
616 meant her question. She could only stammer a response, taken off
617 guard.
619 “Good! Now you know. Anyway, I better go find her. She always gets
620 depressed after she talks with her mother.” As if stating it aloud
621 helped her to remember, Eiko now looked very concerned. “Bye!” She
622 waved over her shoulder before scurrying out the door, the little
623 angel wings pinned to her dress bobbing as she ran.
625 Kairi rested her face in her hands. Something out there didn’t like
626 her. That had to be it. God, Fate, or Whatever seemed to have it in
627 for her. Which was definitely going to make things more difficult.
629 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
631 “You’re moving too quickly, Selphie. You just need to let yourself
632 move slowly, like the ocean waves,” Yuna explained. She demonstrated,
633 closing her eyes and moving beautifully on her toes. She and Selphie
634 were barefoot on the beach, the waves lapping around them. The spunky
635 brunette had come to Yuna requesting that she teach her how to dance.
636 It was too cute to turn away. Not that Yuna was ever good at turning
637 anyone away to begin with. Lulu chastised her about being too easy
638 for other people to manipulate, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted
639 to make people happy. She wanted to help if she could. And besides,
640 if Selphie wanted to dance with the girl she loved, it only seemed
641 right to teach her. It would be romantic to see Quistis and Selphie
642 dancing together under the moonlight. And Yuna could be a tiny part
643 of that because she had helped it come about.
645 “Hmm... Okay. Like this?” Selphie asked, twirling about again. The
646 world spun around her as she twirled about, finally coming to a halt
647 as she nearly stumbled in the ankle deep water.
649 Giggling softly, Yuna covered her mouth. “I think...” she began
650 quietly. “I think that you have just a little too much energy,
651 Selphie.”
653 “What’s wrong with having too much energy?” Selphie asked, pouting.
654 It had always served her well before. But now it was making this all
655 so difficult. She was having a hard time restricting her movements
656 into soft, flowing motions. She was too used to moving about.
658 “There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s part of what Quistis likes
659 about you, I’m sure. But it does make it a little harder to dance
660 together if you’re always a step before her,” Yuna warned softly.
662 Selphie bit her lip, thinking it over. She finally smiled and nodded
663 eagerly. “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Yuna! I wouldn’t be able to do
664 this without you. Quisty will be so surprised!” She giggled, hopping
665 from foot to foot.
667 Yuna giggled herself, energized by Selphie’s enthusiasm. She nodded.
668 “All right. I’ll do my best to make sure you’re ready in time for the
669 festival. Just watch me for a moment. You need to be able to move the
670 way you want to, the way your heart wants to. But if you go too
671 quickly, then it isn’t soft and romantic, and you don’t get to savor
672 it.” Closing her eyes, Yuna bowed to her practice partner before
673 beginning to dance, moving lithely in the shallow water. She moved
674 with a dancer’s grace, elegant and beautiful, almost seeming to walk
675 on the water itself as she skitted about. The long sleeves of her
676 half-kimono skimmed over the water as she twirled about, hopping here
677 and there.
679 “Booyaka! Yuna, you’re really, really good! I wanna dance like that
680 with Quisty.” Selphie sighed happily, already imagining the two of
681 them moving with each other along the beach. She watched Yuna
682 intently. ‘I want to be able to do that!’ she thought eagerly,
683 clapping. Yuna twirled and danced along the water, a beautiful sprite
684 on the shore. And then she tripped and plunged face first in the
685 water. Selphie stopped mid-clap, sweatdropping.
687 Getting to her feet dizzily, the soaked girl didn’t look up to face
688 her student at first. How embarrassing! How was she supposed to teach
689 Selphie how to dance when she couldn’t even stay on her feet herself?
690 But her mind started to ignore that as her foot swished around in the
691 water, searching for what she had tripped on. She finally found
692 something soft and yielding under the water, deeper where she was now
693 that the tide was coming in. It must have dragged something with it.
694 Yuna pushed again. What was it? Something pushed back. “Ahhhhhh!!!”
695 Yuna screamed, flailing her arms as she fell back into the water. She
696 gazed in shock as a figure slowly rose from the water.
698 Spluttering, a drenched catgirl emerged from the tide. Her lungs
699 burned. How long had she been underwater? Where was she, anyway? This
700 didn’t look like El Nido. And why had that girl been kicking her?
701 That wasn’t very nice at all. And most importantly of all, where was
702 Yuffie? But before she could answer any of these questions, she had
703 other things to contend with. “Stay away from Yuna!” A brunette girl
704 yelled as she ran towards her. In her semi-conscious state, Rikku
705 could do little to defend herself, let alone to argue. She turned to
706 try and explain, but she could only cough up seawater. And before she
707 could do anything else, something was arcing through the air. It
708 connected with her head in a fireworks display of pain. Collapsing
709 back into unconsciousness, the cat girl slumped into the waves again.
711 “That was a pretty wimpy monster,” Selphie noted disappointedly,
712 holding her nunchuks at her sides as Rikku floated in front of her.
714 “She’s going to drown,” Yuna said worriedly. She pushed forward
715 against the water, dipping her arms under the catgirl, pulling her up
716 so she could breathe. Straining, she dragged Rikku to the shore,
717 slumping next to her on the wet sand. She breathed heavily,
718 exhausted.
720 “Why are you saving that monster?” Selphie asked, blinking in
721 confusion.
723 “She wasn’t going to hurt me. She was too weak to. She just washed
724 up here. I don’t think she’s a Fiend. The poor girl looks too weak to
725 stand, let alone to do anything else. She needs my help,” Yuna
726 explained, slowly catching her breath as she lay next to the catgirl.
728 “Oh..” Selphie nodded thoughtfully. She laughed nervously. “I think
729 I might have something important to do when she wakes up. If she
730 wasn’t going to hurt you, she might wanna hurt me if she remembers me
731 smacking her on the head.”
733 Yuna smiled a bit. “Yeah, you can practice what I’ve taught you.
734 I’ll take her back to my house. I’ll try to help her recover there.”
735 She turned to the catgirl, watching her breath uneasily on the sand.
736 Strange things were happening on the Destiny Islands. Very strange
737 things. But whoever this weird girl was, maybe she could help her.
738 Somehow. She looked like she needed the help. Yuna brushed some of
739 the water from Rikku’s whiskers. Poor kitty. “I’ll help you,” she
740 promised quietly. Rikku’s breathing seemed to steady somewhat, her
741 cat ears perking up. “I promise.”