Yes, I know, I'm so retarded. Like I actually expect people to read this... please. No one ever reads the newbie stories. ^^ But I like to post anyway. Well, I must be double retarded, making my first post be my first chapter, but I'm way to obsessed with fan fiction. So, if anyone really bothers, I'd like some constructive criticism. I do intend to write professionally someday.
Oh, yeah, the story. It's really a romance story. The main theme is about struggling with duty, destiny, and love. The three just don't seem to always agree. It is actually a Riku centered fic, though it will not seem that way at first. I'm sorry the beginnning's so rushed... I have a bit of an impatient streak and want to dive right into the juicy stuff, so, bear with me until then. ^^
Sora trudged down the road, his heart heavy. There was nothing that could lift his spirits right now. He felt the worst feeling of defeat ever. It wasn’t fair. Two years, and he still hadn’t found Riku. What was Kairi thinking? Had she forgotten him? Had she moved on already? The brown-haired boy’s spikes fell as he glanced at the tightly clutched charm in his hand.
“Whether you remember me or not, I will come back for you,” he whispered. He closed his blue eyes. “A promise is a promise.”
He glanced around. It was strange to be so alone. The streets were crowded with people, all heading for the town square. Usually he was with a friend or two, but now, he had to finish his journey alone. His closest traveling companions, Donald and Goofy, had said good-bye a few months ago after a short visit to Disney Castle. The King had returned and he no longer saw a need for them to search for Riku with Sora. Sora had asked where Riku was. The King was the last person to see Riku after all, but King Mickey did not know. The two had become separated in the darkness of Kingdom Hearts.
Sora sighed and leaned against a brick wall. He’d spent nearly a week in this town, resting up. Traveling wore you out after a while. So far, he had seen no sign of Riku. The setting sun gave the town an orange glow. What town, Sora hadn’t bothered to find out. But it was so familiar. It was the familiarity of it that kept him here. It resonated with his heart somehow. He had stayed, hoping it was the pull of his friendship with Riku. A week was starting to drown the hope, but it was all Sora had left, so he stayed.
Deciding to see what all the people were so excited about in the town square, he followed the crowd. It seemed that the whole town and at least two others were all gathered together in front of the big clock tower. The place reminded Sora a bit of Traverse Town, but there were several big differences. For instance, this world was in much more of a country-like setting where as Traverse Town was more like a small city.
From his position in the back, Sora could barely see what was happening. Vaguely, he made out four people sitting on the roof of the tower. They seemed to be each holding something up to the setting sun. Whatever it was, it sparkled in the fading sunlight.
As the boy glanced at the person sitting on the far right side of the roof, he felt a tug. Not like a tug on the sleeve of his vest or shirt, but a tug at his heart. Something was drawing him to that fourth person.
“Riku?” he whispered. Politely, he asked one of the men standing around him what exactly was going on and why this was so important.
The man grinned. “Traveler, eh? Well, you’re pretty lucky to be here. Every year, four kids are selected to hold the stones that protect our city. Sometimes the same four, sometimes not. But either way, on this day every year at sunset, the gems are removed from their stand, which is somewhat of a trophy. I’ve never actually seen it close up, but that’s a good way to describe it. Usually, the four kids are close friends. About every ten years or so the kids are complete strangers to one another. This year the kids were three best friends who grew up together. One’s a replacement since the original disappeared. Some o’ the folks around town were afraid the ceremony wouldn’t go through or that it won’t work since it’s not the original four.”
“Do they all live in the city?” Sora asked. Maybe Riku was the replacement…
“Of course! We’re not just gonna pick random travelers off the street, mind you. No, the kids are always bonded in someway. The stones select them, usually. If it’s the right kid, the right stone will glow. Kids from all over come and try and get picked. A lot get turned down, but they all come back the next year.”
“Who is it this year?”
“Well, from left to right, if memory serves, that the far one is Sean, then I’m pretty sure that the second one in is the replacement, Mat. Then it’s Lila and finally, on the far end, Jase.”
“Jase?” repeated Sora.
“Yeah, you know him?”
“I… I don’t think I do…. You mentioned the stones protect your city. What from?”
“From the Heartless. Half the town will tell you that’s a myth and that it really just helps us get along well and businesses prosper. But the other half knows the truth. There ain’t no better way to protect this town than from the Heartless. Not that I’ve ever met one, but I’m sure if I did I’d send its dark rear-end into next Tuesday!”
Sora glanced back up at the clock tower. The sun had set and three of the four gems glowed a pale white.
There were murmurs of confusion from the crowd. Mat’s gem wasn’t glowing. Still, the four kids carried on like it was not a problem and stood up. Sora continued to stare at the outlined figure of Jase. What was their connection? Somehow their destiny’s intertwined, he could sense that much, but how Sora was clueless. The “trophy” must have been passed back down the line because the three glowing gems were arranged in a pattern.
Figuring that was the end of the display, Sora walked towards the inn he was staying in. His heart seemed to sink as he turned his back to the clock tower. Shaking it off, he trudged back into the inn. It was still empty except for the person at the front desk. Heading into the dining area, Sora took a seat at a small table. Within a few minutes, the inn was as crowded as it had been before and the talk was all on the ceremony.
Sora glanced up as a boy with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes walked in. He scanned the dining area as if searching for someone. His eyes rested on Sora. They locked gazes for a moment.
Walking quickly, the boy headed towards Sora.
Sora remained seated and the two stared at each other, as if each were evaluating the other.
The blonde boy’s attire was pretty much a white. His pants were actually a very light khaki, but it was hard to tell the difference. He wore a black and white checkered wrist band and a black shirt. Over the shirt was a white vest with a red lined hood.
Sora’s costume contrasted greatly with a black vest, shorts, and shirt that were off-set with red and blue pouches for pockets. Yellow stripes cut through his black shorts and a silver crown dangled from his neck.
“Have we met?” Sora asked.
The other boy shook his head. “Doubt it. I’m Jase.”
Sora’s eyes nearly popped out. “Sora. You wanna sit?”
The boy nodded and took a seat across from Sora.
“You were in the ceremony, weren’t you?” Sora asked.
“Yeah. And you were watching. Tell me you felt it too.”
“Felt what?” Sora asked suspiciously.
“We’re connected. We have to be. Didn’t you feel the tug?”
Slowly, Sora moved his head up and down. “Two complete strangers and we’re connected. It’s only chance I happened to still be in this town.”
Jase shook his head in disagreement. “Nothing happens by chance. Why were you here?”
“I’m searching for a friend. Look, there’s gotta be something that connects us. I know a quieter place to talk.” Sora stood up and led Jase into a back alley. “What exactly happened when you were up there?”
“While I was looking across the crowd, I stopped on someone. I couldn’t make them out in the darkness. But it’s the same tug I’m feeling now. Something’s drawing us together.”
“Same thing here, ‘cept a guy told me who you were. So, we’re connected somehow, I get that, but why us?”
Jase shrugged. “We look alike.”
Before Sora could reply, a shadowy creature arose from the darkness of the night. Without thinking, Sora pulled out a silver and gold keyblade and hacked the small creature to pieces.
“Is that--?!” Jase exclaimed.
“Keyblade? Yeah, why?” Sora spun it around to show-off his skill.
Jase put his hand out and summoned a white one to his hand. Sora’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“But—you can’t have that!”
“Why not? I’ve had it for a few years now.”
Sora shook his head. “But, that’s mine!”
“What?! Yours is silver and gold. Mine’s white with blue and yellow.”
Quickly, Sora removed the silver Mickey Mouse shaped keychain and replaced it with a white flower identical to the one Jase had on his keyblade.
“You can change yours?!”
“Can’t you?”
Jase shook his head. “Mine’s the way it is. But where’d you get a charm like that?”
“It’s from back home,” Sora said softly. “Kairi gave it to me. It’s her lucky charm.”
Jase nodded understandingly.
“Wait a second! Aren’t those gem things supposed to protect the city from Heartless?”
“Yup.”
“So, then what are the Heartless doing here?”
“That thing was a Heartless?!”
Sora quickly dashed into the street. “C’mon, there’s a ton more!”
The city was filled with shadowy creatures. Jase and Sora hacked at them relentlessly. Sora led the way back to the clock tower. The darkness was stronger here.
“We’ve gotta get help!” Jase cried.
“There’s no time!” Sora shouted back, pointing to the sky. Clouds had begun to roll in and a large black and red orb hung in the atmosphere.
“What is that?!”
Sora ran into the clock tower without answering. He ran towards a door he thought led to the basement. Opening it proved him wrong. An empty space met his eyes.
Jase came running in, out of breath. “That door’s supposed to be locked!”
“We’re too late. C’mon, we’ve gotta get out of here!” Sora grabbed Jase’s wrist and pulled him back towards the inn. Just before they reached it, Sora turned and dragged them into a gummi garage. It didn’t take long for Sora to locate his ship. Shoving Jase into the cockpit and then climbing in himself, he quickly flew it out of the garage and into the sky.
“Where are we going?! What’s happening?” exclaimed Jase.
“No time to explain. We’ve gotta get somewhere else fast.”
“My parent’s are gonna kill me!”
“You’re probably not gonna see them again for a very long time.”
“What?! Are you crazy?! That’s my home! I can’t just leave my friends behind!”
“You’re going to have to. Your home’s about to be destroyed.”
“What?!”
“The same thing happened to mine. Once the Heartless get in, they search for the heart of the world. When they find it, they destroy it, destroying the world. That orb in the sky was the heart of the world. And the door was the entrance to it.”
“So, I’ll never see home again?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Sora replied. “There’s a possibility to restore it, but I’m not exactly sure how I did it the first time.”
“So we’re just gonna wander around space for now?”
“No, I know a place we can go for a while. Then we’ll figure out what to do from there.” Sora piloted the ship towards a city that looked similar to the one they had just come from.
“Where are we?” Jase asked. “Is this your home?”
“Closest thing to it,” Sora sighed. He landed the ship.
Oh, yeah, the story. It's really a romance story. The main theme is about struggling with duty, destiny, and love. The three just don't seem to always agree. It is actually a Riku centered fic, though it will not seem that way at first. I'm sorry the beginnning's so rushed... I have a bit of an impatient streak and want to dive right into the juicy stuff, so, bear with me until then. ^^
Sora trudged down the road, his heart heavy. There was nothing that could lift his spirits right now. He felt the worst feeling of defeat ever. It wasn’t fair. Two years, and he still hadn’t found Riku. What was Kairi thinking? Had she forgotten him? Had she moved on already? The brown-haired boy’s spikes fell as he glanced at the tightly clutched charm in his hand.
“Whether you remember me or not, I will come back for you,” he whispered. He closed his blue eyes. “A promise is a promise.”
He glanced around. It was strange to be so alone. The streets were crowded with people, all heading for the town square. Usually he was with a friend or two, but now, he had to finish his journey alone. His closest traveling companions, Donald and Goofy, had said good-bye a few months ago after a short visit to Disney Castle. The King had returned and he no longer saw a need for them to search for Riku with Sora. Sora had asked where Riku was. The King was the last person to see Riku after all, but King Mickey did not know. The two had become separated in the darkness of Kingdom Hearts.
Sora sighed and leaned against a brick wall. He’d spent nearly a week in this town, resting up. Traveling wore you out after a while. So far, he had seen no sign of Riku. The setting sun gave the town an orange glow. What town, Sora hadn’t bothered to find out. But it was so familiar. It was the familiarity of it that kept him here. It resonated with his heart somehow. He had stayed, hoping it was the pull of his friendship with Riku. A week was starting to drown the hope, but it was all Sora had left, so he stayed.
Deciding to see what all the people were so excited about in the town square, he followed the crowd. It seemed that the whole town and at least two others were all gathered together in front of the big clock tower. The place reminded Sora a bit of Traverse Town, but there were several big differences. For instance, this world was in much more of a country-like setting where as Traverse Town was more like a small city.
From his position in the back, Sora could barely see what was happening. Vaguely, he made out four people sitting on the roof of the tower. They seemed to be each holding something up to the setting sun. Whatever it was, it sparkled in the fading sunlight.
As the boy glanced at the person sitting on the far right side of the roof, he felt a tug. Not like a tug on the sleeve of his vest or shirt, but a tug at his heart. Something was drawing him to that fourth person.
“Riku?” he whispered. Politely, he asked one of the men standing around him what exactly was going on and why this was so important.
The man grinned. “Traveler, eh? Well, you’re pretty lucky to be here. Every year, four kids are selected to hold the stones that protect our city. Sometimes the same four, sometimes not. But either way, on this day every year at sunset, the gems are removed from their stand, which is somewhat of a trophy. I’ve never actually seen it close up, but that’s a good way to describe it. Usually, the four kids are close friends. About every ten years or so the kids are complete strangers to one another. This year the kids were three best friends who grew up together. One’s a replacement since the original disappeared. Some o’ the folks around town were afraid the ceremony wouldn’t go through or that it won’t work since it’s not the original four.”
“Do they all live in the city?” Sora asked. Maybe Riku was the replacement…
“Of course! We’re not just gonna pick random travelers off the street, mind you. No, the kids are always bonded in someway. The stones select them, usually. If it’s the right kid, the right stone will glow. Kids from all over come and try and get picked. A lot get turned down, but they all come back the next year.”
“Who is it this year?”
“Well, from left to right, if memory serves, that the far one is Sean, then I’m pretty sure that the second one in is the replacement, Mat. Then it’s Lila and finally, on the far end, Jase.”
“Jase?” repeated Sora.
“Yeah, you know him?”
“I… I don’t think I do…. You mentioned the stones protect your city. What from?”
“From the Heartless. Half the town will tell you that’s a myth and that it really just helps us get along well and businesses prosper. But the other half knows the truth. There ain’t no better way to protect this town than from the Heartless. Not that I’ve ever met one, but I’m sure if I did I’d send its dark rear-end into next Tuesday!”
Sora glanced back up at the clock tower. The sun had set and three of the four gems glowed a pale white.
There were murmurs of confusion from the crowd. Mat’s gem wasn’t glowing. Still, the four kids carried on like it was not a problem and stood up. Sora continued to stare at the outlined figure of Jase. What was their connection? Somehow their destiny’s intertwined, he could sense that much, but how Sora was clueless. The “trophy” must have been passed back down the line because the three glowing gems were arranged in a pattern.
Figuring that was the end of the display, Sora walked towards the inn he was staying in. His heart seemed to sink as he turned his back to the clock tower. Shaking it off, he trudged back into the inn. It was still empty except for the person at the front desk. Heading into the dining area, Sora took a seat at a small table. Within a few minutes, the inn was as crowded as it had been before and the talk was all on the ceremony.
Sora glanced up as a boy with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes walked in. He scanned the dining area as if searching for someone. His eyes rested on Sora. They locked gazes for a moment.
Walking quickly, the boy headed towards Sora.
Sora remained seated and the two stared at each other, as if each were evaluating the other.
The blonde boy’s attire was pretty much a white. His pants were actually a very light khaki, but it was hard to tell the difference. He wore a black and white checkered wrist band and a black shirt. Over the shirt was a white vest with a red lined hood.
Sora’s costume contrasted greatly with a black vest, shorts, and shirt that were off-set with red and blue pouches for pockets. Yellow stripes cut through his black shorts and a silver crown dangled from his neck.
“Have we met?” Sora asked.
The other boy shook his head. “Doubt it. I’m Jase.”
Sora’s eyes nearly popped out. “Sora. You wanna sit?”
The boy nodded and took a seat across from Sora.
“You were in the ceremony, weren’t you?” Sora asked.
“Yeah. And you were watching. Tell me you felt it too.”
“Felt what?” Sora asked suspiciously.
“We’re connected. We have to be. Didn’t you feel the tug?”
Slowly, Sora moved his head up and down. “Two complete strangers and we’re connected. It’s only chance I happened to still be in this town.”
Jase shook his head in disagreement. “Nothing happens by chance. Why were you here?”
“I’m searching for a friend. Look, there’s gotta be something that connects us. I know a quieter place to talk.” Sora stood up and led Jase into a back alley. “What exactly happened when you were up there?”
“While I was looking across the crowd, I stopped on someone. I couldn’t make them out in the darkness. But it’s the same tug I’m feeling now. Something’s drawing us together.”
“Same thing here, ‘cept a guy told me who you were. So, we’re connected somehow, I get that, but why us?”
Jase shrugged. “We look alike.”
Before Sora could reply, a shadowy creature arose from the darkness of the night. Without thinking, Sora pulled out a silver and gold keyblade and hacked the small creature to pieces.
“Is that--?!” Jase exclaimed.
“Keyblade? Yeah, why?” Sora spun it around to show-off his skill.
Jase put his hand out and summoned a white one to his hand. Sora’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“But—you can’t have that!”
“Why not? I’ve had it for a few years now.”
Sora shook his head. “But, that’s mine!”
“What?! Yours is silver and gold. Mine’s white with blue and yellow.”
Quickly, Sora removed the silver Mickey Mouse shaped keychain and replaced it with a white flower identical to the one Jase had on his keyblade.
“You can change yours?!”
“Can’t you?”
Jase shook his head. “Mine’s the way it is. But where’d you get a charm like that?”
“It’s from back home,” Sora said softly. “Kairi gave it to me. It’s her lucky charm.”
Jase nodded understandingly.
“Wait a second! Aren’t those gem things supposed to protect the city from Heartless?”
“Yup.”
“So, then what are the Heartless doing here?”
“That thing was a Heartless?!”
Sora quickly dashed into the street. “C’mon, there’s a ton more!”
The city was filled with shadowy creatures. Jase and Sora hacked at them relentlessly. Sora led the way back to the clock tower. The darkness was stronger here.
“We’ve gotta get help!” Jase cried.
“There’s no time!” Sora shouted back, pointing to the sky. Clouds had begun to roll in and a large black and red orb hung in the atmosphere.
“What is that?!”
Sora ran into the clock tower without answering. He ran towards a door he thought led to the basement. Opening it proved him wrong. An empty space met his eyes.
Jase came running in, out of breath. “That door’s supposed to be locked!”
“We’re too late. C’mon, we’ve gotta get out of here!” Sora grabbed Jase’s wrist and pulled him back towards the inn. Just before they reached it, Sora turned and dragged them into a gummi garage. It didn’t take long for Sora to locate his ship. Shoving Jase into the cockpit and then climbing in himself, he quickly flew it out of the garage and into the sky.
“Where are we going?! What’s happening?” exclaimed Jase.
“No time to explain. We’ve gotta get somewhere else fast.”
“My parent’s are gonna kill me!”
“You’re probably not gonna see them again for a very long time.”
“What?! Are you crazy?! That’s my home! I can’t just leave my friends behind!”
“You’re going to have to. Your home’s about to be destroyed.”
“What?!”
“The same thing happened to mine. Once the Heartless get in, they search for the heart of the world. When they find it, they destroy it, destroying the world. That orb in the sky was the heart of the world. And the door was the entrance to it.”
“So, I’ll never see home again?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Sora replied. “There’s a possibility to restore it, but I’m not exactly sure how I did it the first time.”
“So we’re just gonna wander around space for now?”
“No, I know a place we can go for a while. Then we’ll figure out what to do from there.” Sora piloted the ship towards a city that looked similar to the one they had just come from.
“Where are we?” Jase asked. “Is this your home?”
“Closest thing to it,” Sora sighed. He landed the ship.
