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- Jun 22, 2005
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This is really good. i can't wait for the next chapter.
Fanfiction ► Love in Darkness
- Thread starter angel princess
- Start date
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T
Thea_keyblade
Guest
YAY! Good sotry so far!
Oooh! Four replies! ^^ Wow....
Alright, this next chapter... Riku gets a bit philisophocal. And it's kinda interesting.... Oh yeah, there's a bit of a fight... hehehehe...
Rocky gravel dug into Riku’s cheek. Slowly, he opened his eyes and sat up. He was in the midst of a barren world. A few scraggly trees were scattered here and there, but otherwise there was no sign of life. Only Kyla sprawled beside him. Gently, he shook her. “Kyla?”
She groaned and sat up. “What happened? And where are we?”
Riku looked around again. “I’m not sure. But wherever it is, it can’t be good.” He stood up and closed his eyes. Kyla was sure she saw his nose twitch a bit. “The darkness is strong here,” he said, opening his eyes again. “You’d better be careful.”
“What about you?”
“I am darkness,” he replied softly.
Kyla stood up and walked towards him, her eyes on the ground. “No one can be completely darkness. Besides the Princess of Darkness, that is.”
“I’m the next thing too it.”
“You saved my life. A heart as dark as you make yours seem would never save the Princess of Light.”
“What if I had my own reasons?”
“And that’s why you attempted to save me a second time? You’re not as dark as you make yourself out to be.”
“I am forced to be darkness, just as you’re forced to be light.”
“So you’re the Prince of Darkness then?”
Riku’s response was silent.
“Then why protect me instead of finding your princess?”
“I—I don’t know. Why trust me if I’m the Prince of Darkness?”
“I didn’t say I trusted you, but you’ve saved me twice now. I don’t know how I cannot.”
“Once. I’d hardly call this saving you.”
“Well, it’s close enough. Do you know who your princess is?”
“Yes.”
“Is there a reason you’ve chosen to protect me over her?”
“She can take care of herself. She’s rather good at hiding her identity.”
“But why seek the Princess of Light instead of the Princess of the In-between?”
“Because there’s no scent to the In-between. The darkness in her heart is so balanced with the light it cancels into nothing. The Princess of Light is easy to trace.”
“So, it’s only because you could trace me easier?”
“Is that the answer you wanted?”
“Why do you want to know the answer I wanted to hear?”
“Well, you seem disappointed. Were you expecting something different?”
“I—I guess not. But I still don’t understand. If you are a master of darkness, why support the light?”
“I’m not a master of darkness, merely a slave to destiny. No different than you.”
“What do you mean? You’re forced to serve evil, I’m born to serve good.”
“It’s interesting how you put it. I’m forced, but you’re not? You were born pure. You were born with a destiny just as I was. You’re forced to stay pure, no matter what. Any darkness and it hurts, am I right? You’re a slave to light just as I am a slave to darkness.”
“I never really thought about it like that,” Kyla said slowly. “I suppose it makes sense.”
“Besides, who ever said darkness was evil and light was good? The universe is to be balanced, not pure. Why have both ‘good and evil?’ If the universe can’t survive on just light, what makes light so much better than darkness?”
“So are you saying that the darkness is better than light?”
“I’m saying they both need each other. Without one, the other falls. The same goes for the in-between. If that’s not there, neither light nor darkness will stand.”
Kyla’s eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. This had never occurred to her. She’d always been taught that the light was right and the darkness wrong. Now she was confused. Was there right and wrong? She couldn’t tell anymore.
Stars twinkled above the two. The pale glow of moonlight bathed the rocky sea. Riku sighed and sat down. “Who knows how long it’ll be before Sora and your brother find us. You may as well get some sleep.”
“But what about you?”
“I’ll be fine for a while. You need rest.”
Kyla laid down and managed to get somewhat comfortable on the rocky ground. It wasn’t long after she closed her eyes that she drifted into unconsciousness.
Sora walked into the Accessory Shop. Cid turned around as the four teenagers walked in.
“Hey, Cid,” Sora called, “long time, no see!”
“Hey, kid. Who’re your new friends?”
“Jase, Twi-ty, and Shawna,” Sora answered, introducing each one in turn. “We need a cockpit that can seat at least nine.”
“Nine?!” Jase exclaimed. “I thought we only needed six!”
“I figured that we’d pick up Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey.”
“Why? What do we need them for? We’re trying to find Kyla!”
“We could use some help.”
“We don’t need help! We need to find Kyla!”
“Who knows how strong the darkness’ll be by then! I doubt we could do it on our own!”
“We don’t need them!”
“Would you rather all of us be caught by the darkness? Who knows where she is? She could be in a world so dark that we wouldn’t be able to get out! Besides, she has Riku with her.”
“So you’re saying you expect Riku to hold out against the darkness when we need three more people to help?!”
“Riku’s Riku. He’ll be fine for a while without us.”
“Riku would be there to help us! If Riku can hold out for a while, why couldn’t we just save Kyla with him?”
Sora opened his mouth and the closed it. Jase had a point. “Why don’t you want them to come anyway?”
“The less people the easier it is to keep track of them all! I’m having a hard enough time keeping track of Kyla! If you’re going to bring in more people, you realize that we’ll all have to stick together. How do you think that’s going to work?”
“I’m sure Donald, Mickey, and Goofy can take care of themselves—“
“Then why bother?!”
“Why not?!”
“Because we have to find Kyla. I don’t think you’re getting that! If we don’t find Kyla, the entire universe is at stake! How many times do I have to say it?!”
“She’s just your sister!”
“No she’s not! If she were just my sister, I wouldn’t have minded so much getting your friends first as long as we did it quickly. But she’s not just my sister. I have to protect her and take care of her. It’s my duty to make sure she doesn’t fall into the darkness, just like it’s your duty to seal the keyholes!”
“So if you’re supposed to protect her, why aren’t you doing your job?”
“If I had my way, I’d get a separate ship and find her myself! All you’ve been doing is keeping me from finding her!”
“Well if that’s what you want, fine! I’ll get Donald, Goofy, and Mickey while you go by yourself to save Kyla. Would that make you happy?”
“As long as this argument didn’t get her killed!”
Sora bit his tongue to hold in the strong urge to argue back. The fight wasn’t going to go anywhere. They’d best leave it at what it was.
After purchasing enough gummi blocks to get Jase to build a ship and getting Sora a larger cockpit, they started to say good-byes.
Jase walked towards his newly built ship when Shawna stopped him.
“Wait!”
Jase turned back around.
“Can I go with you?”
Jase glanced at Sora who shrugged.
“Sure, if you want.”
“Twi-ty, you wanna come too?”
The Elvin-cat girl raised her shoulders up and down, saying she didn’t care, so Shawna grabbed her wrist and pulled her into Jase’s ship.
Sora clenched his mouth shut. Friendship was what held him together and gave him strength. He’d spent several months alone and it had gotten him nowhere. Until he met new friends. He could tell that his gummi ship ride was not going to be any fun.
Jase hopped into the pilot’s seat while Shawna and Twi-ty sat in the back. Two extra seats were behind them. Shawna pressed her face against the glass window as Jase took off as Twi-ty closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
Alright, this next chapter... Riku gets a bit philisophocal. And it's kinda interesting.... Oh yeah, there's a bit of a fight... hehehehe...
Rocky gravel dug into Riku’s cheek. Slowly, he opened his eyes and sat up. He was in the midst of a barren world. A few scraggly trees were scattered here and there, but otherwise there was no sign of life. Only Kyla sprawled beside him. Gently, he shook her. “Kyla?”
She groaned and sat up. “What happened? And where are we?”
Riku looked around again. “I’m not sure. But wherever it is, it can’t be good.” He stood up and closed his eyes. Kyla was sure she saw his nose twitch a bit. “The darkness is strong here,” he said, opening his eyes again. “You’d better be careful.”
“What about you?”
“I am darkness,” he replied softly.
Kyla stood up and walked towards him, her eyes on the ground. “No one can be completely darkness. Besides the Princess of Darkness, that is.”
“I’m the next thing too it.”
“You saved my life. A heart as dark as you make yours seem would never save the Princess of Light.”
“What if I had my own reasons?”
“And that’s why you attempted to save me a second time? You’re not as dark as you make yourself out to be.”
“I am forced to be darkness, just as you’re forced to be light.”
“So you’re the Prince of Darkness then?”
Riku’s response was silent.
“Then why protect me instead of finding your princess?”
“I—I don’t know. Why trust me if I’m the Prince of Darkness?”
“I didn’t say I trusted you, but you’ve saved me twice now. I don’t know how I cannot.”
“Once. I’d hardly call this saving you.”
“Well, it’s close enough. Do you know who your princess is?”
“Yes.”
“Is there a reason you’ve chosen to protect me over her?”
“She can take care of herself. She’s rather good at hiding her identity.”
“But why seek the Princess of Light instead of the Princess of the In-between?”
“Because there’s no scent to the In-between. The darkness in her heart is so balanced with the light it cancels into nothing. The Princess of Light is easy to trace.”
“So, it’s only because you could trace me easier?”
“Is that the answer you wanted?”
“Why do you want to know the answer I wanted to hear?”
“Well, you seem disappointed. Were you expecting something different?”
“I—I guess not. But I still don’t understand. If you are a master of darkness, why support the light?”
“I’m not a master of darkness, merely a slave to destiny. No different than you.”
“What do you mean? You’re forced to serve evil, I’m born to serve good.”
“It’s interesting how you put it. I’m forced, but you’re not? You were born pure. You were born with a destiny just as I was. You’re forced to stay pure, no matter what. Any darkness and it hurts, am I right? You’re a slave to light just as I am a slave to darkness.”
“I never really thought about it like that,” Kyla said slowly. “I suppose it makes sense.”
“Besides, who ever said darkness was evil and light was good? The universe is to be balanced, not pure. Why have both ‘good and evil?’ If the universe can’t survive on just light, what makes light so much better than darkness?”
“So are you saying that the darkness is better than light?”
“I’m saying they both need each other. Without one, the other falls. The same goes for the in-between. If that’s not there, neither light nor darkness will stand.”
Kyla’s eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. This had never occurred to her. She’d always been taught that the light was right and the darkness wrong. Now she was confused. Was there right and wrong? She couldn’t tell anymore.
Stars twinkled above the two. The pale glow of moonlight bathed the rocky sea. Riku sighed and sat down. “Who knows how long it’ll be before Sora and your brother find us. You may as well get some sleep.”
“But what about you?”
“I’ll be fine for a while. You need rest.”
Kyla laid down and managed to get somewhat comfortable on the rocky ground. It wasn’t long after she closed her eyes that she drifted into unconsciousness.
Sora walked into the Accessory Shop. Cid turned around as the four teenagers walked in.
“Hey, Cid,” Sora called, “long time, no see!”
“Hey, kid. Who’re your new friends?”
“Jase, Twi-ty, and Shawna,” Sora answered, introducing each one in turn. “We need a cockpit that can seat at least nine.”
“Nine?!” Jase exclaimed. “I thought we only needed six!”
“I figured that we’d pick up Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey.”
“Why? What do we need them for? We’re trying to find Kyla!”
“We could use some help.”
“We don’t need help! We need to find Kyla!”
“Who knows how strong the darkness’ll be by then! I doubt we could do it on our own!”
“We don’t need them!”
“Would you rather all of us be caught by the darkness? Who knows where she is? She could be in a world so dark that we wouldn’t be able to get out! Besides, she has Riku with her.”
“So you’re saying you expect Riku to hold out against the darkness when we need three more people to help?!”
“Riku’s Riku. He’ll be fine for a while without us.”
“Riku would be there to help us! If Riku can hold out for a while, why couldn’t we just save Kyla with him?”
Sora opened his mouth and the closed it. Jase had a point. “Why don’t you want them to come anyway?”
“The less people the easier it is to keep track of them all! I’m having a hard enough time keeping track of Kyla! If you’re going to bring in more people, you realize that we’ll all have to stick together. How do you think that’s going to work?”
“I’m sure Donald, Mickey, and Goofy can take care of themselves—“
“Then why bother?!”
“Why not?!”
“Because we have to find Kyla. I don’t think you’re getting that! If we don’t find Kyla, the entire universe is at stake! How many times do I have to say it?!”
“She’s just your sister!”
“No she’s not! If she were just my sister, I wouldn’t have minded so much getting your friends first as long as we did it quickly. But she’s not just my sister. I have to protect her and take care of her. It’s my duty to make sure she doesn’t fall into the darkness, just like it’s your duty to seal the keyholes!”
“So if you’re supposed to protect her, why aren’t you doing your job?”
“If I had my way, I’d get a separate ship and find her myself! All you’ve been doing is keeping me from finding her!”
“Well if that’s what you want, fine! I’ll get Donald, Goofy, and Mickey while you go by yourself to save Kyla. Would that make you happy?”
“As long as this argument didn’t get her killed!”
Sora bit his tongue to hold in the strong urge to argue back. The fight wasn’t going to go anywhere. They’d best leave it at what it was.
After purchasing enough gummi blocks to get Jase to build a ship and getting Sora a larger cockpit, they started to say good-byes.
Jase walked towards his newly built ship when Shawna stopped him.
“Wait!”
Jase turned back around.
“Can I go with you?”
Jase glanced at Sora who shrugged.
“Sure, if you want.”
“Twi-ty, you wanna come too?”
The Elvin-cat girl raised her shoulders up and down, saying she didn’t care, so Shawna grabbed her wrist and pulled her into Jase’s ship.
Sora clenched his mouth shut. Friendship was what held him together and gave him strength. He’d spent several months alone and it had gotten him nowhere. Until he met new friends. He could tell that his gummi ship ride was not going to be any fun.
Jase hopped into the pilot’s seat while Shawna and Twi-ty sat in the back. Two extra seats were behind them. Shawna pressed her face against the glass window as Jase took off as Twi-ty closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
T
Thea_keyblade
Guest
I always thought that light and darkness can be good and evil.
Great story! I like your views too!
T
Thea_keyblade
Guest
Can't wait for next chapter!
I love your concept of light and dark! That's definitely something to ponder a while. Can't wait for the next chapter!
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2005
- Messages
- 1,497
- Age
- 35
Going strong, going strong. And yeah, I have that view on light and darkness too.
Elven-ca girl? (pokes her) interesting....wait, cats aren't evil
lol
Elven-ca girl? (pokes her) interesting....wait, cats aren't evil
lol
T
Thea_keyblade
Guest
Well, I hope Sora gets reunited wiht Donald and Goofy!(I think the three musketeers movie should of replaced Micky wiht Sora xp)
Thanks guys! And I know cats aren't evil... but I like cat people and elves... I thought it'd be more believable to make the cats evil than the elves. Besides... my cat is strangely devious... and she always has that, "feeble humans" look to her...
Alright! Prepare for a romantic moment! It's so sweet...
A darkness surrounded Kyla. She glanced around her, seeing nothing but the blackness. A step forward on cold black floor sent the fragile ground crashing beneath her. Her eyes darted everywhere, and her hands groped for anything to keep her from falling. Pieces of descending glass struck her as she fell into the abyss. Blood dripped upwards in the air. One particularly large piece fell into her chest. There was no pain at all, just a feeling of release. Light emitted from the fresh wound and consumed Kyla’s entire being. Her tear streaked face sobbed.
“I don’t want this anymore... I can’t take it...”
Somewhere in the darkness she heard a voice calling her. Kyla’s eyes slowly opened and she could make out someone’s silhouette in the darkness. Her first instinct was to cry for her brother’s help, but she realized it wasn’t her brother calling her.
“Who...”
The voice faded away as the light vanished, along with the figure. Darkness was all that was left. Darkness and fading memories...
Kyla slowly came back to the real world. She sat up and looked around. The stars of the night sky had faded away. A cool breeze drifted across the dead land. Kyla wrapped her arms around her shoulders and hugged herself tight.
“It was just a dream...” she whispered to herself. “No one’s going to save you.”
As she looked back up she realized Riku was no longer next to her. Glancing around, she found he had walked off several yards behind her. He seemed to be staring at nothing.
Kyla stood up and walked towards him. “Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing new.”
“Something’s been bothering you?”
“It’s alright. I’ll be fine.”
“How long has it bothered you?”
“A while now.”
“That doesn’t help.” Kyla smiled softly, amused.
“It doesn’t matter.” Riku never took his gaze off the horizon. Kyla could tell he was in his own world.
“Why won’t you tell me?”
“Because it’s my problem that has nothing to do with you.”
“But I care...” Kyla let her voice trail off as she looked back at the ground.
Riku sighed. “I’ve been trying to forget, alright? Happy memories are the best things in life. And that’s all I need.”
“Talking helps to ease the pain.”
“You really want to know, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Kyla admitted quietly.
“Well, then get comfortable. It ain’t short and happy.
“It started two years ago. Sora, Kairi, and I were best friends. We had our own island we played on and everything. But it wasn’t enough. Kairi was from another world and we wanted to know where and how. The islands weren’t enough for us. We had to have an adventure.” Riku clenched his fists. Kyla sensed his body tense. “And an adventure was what we got. The night the Heartless came, it destroyed our home, our lives, our parents, everything. The three of us were separated. Sora was spared by the keyblade and managed to reach Traverse Town; Kairi’s heart was stolen; I ended up in Hollow Bastion. That was where I met Maleficent. She said she’d help me find Sora and Kairi again. Actually, she told me Sora was no longer my friend and I could find Kairi through her. Now I know she had only used me to try and destroy Sora. Unfortunately, I never figured it out until it was too late. I opened my heart to darkness in an effort to steal the keyblade from Sora. I couldn’t help it. I wanted more. I needed more. The darkness was so filling... yet there was never enough.” Riku paused, the memories fresh in his mind as if it happened yesterday, yet so faint as if they were only a dream.
Kyla slipped her hand into his and comfortingly squeezed it to get him to continue.
“I was forced into Kingdom Hearts. There was nothing but darkness as far as I could find. There was light, you could tell, but when you reach Kingdom Hearts through darkness, you don’t find the light so easily. Somehow King Mickey managed to get us out. But it wasn’t soon enough. The darkness ate at my heart and destroyed almost all of it. There’s nothing left of me. I can’t feel any emotion. I shouldn’t be able to.”
Kyla leaned her head on his shoulder. “You have to be able to feel something,” she whispered. “You’re the Prince of Darkness, not of the In-between.”
“Then all I should feel is hate and anger. Not—“
Riku cut himself short.
“Not what?”
“I shouldn’t care for anyone, or about anything.”
“What do you mean?”
Riku stared down at Kyla. She wasn’t really all that tall. An inch or two above his shoulder was all. He sighed. “It’s too difficult to explain.”
“Just try.”
There was a long pause of silence before Riku moved Kyla so that she was no longer leaning on him and turned so he was facing her. “Kyla... I’m not sure how to say it, but... it’s just... I don’t even know you and I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Kyla’s blue eyes grew wide as she stared into his ice-colored ones. They were not but inches apart...
He leaned forward and so did she. Slowly, their eyes closed and their lips brushed against each other. But before you could call it a kiss, Kyla pulled away.
“No. I can’t.” She frantically shook her head. “I can’t.”
Riku looked away. “I know. Light and darkness...”
“No. It’s not that. It’s... something else. I’m sorry, but I just can’t. I don’t want—I just don’t—can’t— feel the same way.” Kyla bit her tongue sharply. The words felt like poison. “I’m sorry...”
Riku didn’t answer. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to say anything at all. They both figured a silence was best and remained where they were until a gummi ship appeared in the sky.
Jase hopped out of the cockpit and ran to Kyla. “Are you alright? What happened? Is there anything wrong?”
Kyla wiped away a tear. “I’m fine,” she whispered.
Her brother hugged her. “You had me so worried, what with the darkness.”
Shawna walked over to Riku and looked him up and down. “You can’t keep doing this.”
“Why not?” he shot back, their argument barely above a whisper. “It’s not like you need me.”
“I could always use you...”
“You’re not going to use me for anything.”
“We’ll see.” Shawna smirked while Riku clenched his fists together and gritted his teeth in an effort to control his anger.
Twi-ty had stepped out of the cockpit and leaned against the side of it, arms folded across her chest and an apathetic expression on her face.
Sora landed the gummi ship and ran into the castle. “Donald? Goofy? King Mickey?” he called. No one responded. He ran from room to room, repeating their names, and no one answered.
Finally he reached the library. There was a note taped to the desk with his name on it. As he picked up the envelope, he recognized the King’s seal on the back. Sliding his finger under it, he pulled out the paper and read it quickly.
“Sora,
“I thought you might end up here. At least I hope this is you readin’ this. At any rate, we know the Heartless are back and we know why. We’ve gone to stop them so you won’t have to. You can focus on findin’ Riku while we worry about everythin’ else. Again, I’m real sorry I lost him. You’ll find your friends, don’t worry about a thing. You’re a keyblade master. What can’t you do?
“The King”
Sora sighed. “A keyblade master. And they won’t even say why the Heartless are back! Brilliant, absolutely great!” Sora thoughts began to wander. Why were the Heartless back? He’d stopped them by sealing Kingdom Hearts... maybe it was Kingdom Hearts that had brought them back. Forgetting about Jase for the moment, Sora hopped into the cockpit and steered the gummi ship towards Kingdom Hearts.
Alright! Prepare for a romantic moment! It's so sweet...
A darkness surrounded Kyla. She glanced around her, seeing nothing but the blackness. A step forward on cold black floor sent the fragile ground crashing beneath her. Her eyes darted everywhere, and her hands groped for anything to keep her from falling. Pieces of descending glass struck her as she fell into the abyss. Blood dripped upwards in the air. One particularly large piece fell into her chest. There was no pain at all, just a feeling of release. Light emitted from the fresh wound and consumed Kyla’s entire being. Her tear streaked face sobbed.
“I don’t want this anymore... I can’t take it...”
Somewhere in the darkness she heard a voice calling her. Kyla’s eyes slowly opened and she could make out someone’s silhouette in the darkness. Her first instinct was to cry for her brother’s help, but she realized it wasn’t her brother calling her.
“Who...”
The voice faded away as the light vanished, along with the figure. Darkness was all that was left. Darkness and fading memories...
Kyla slowly came back to the real world. She sat up and looked around. The stars of the night sky had faded away. A cool breeze drifted across the dead land. Kyla wrapped her arms around her shoulders and hugged herself tight.
“It was just a dream...” she whispered to herself. “No one’s going to save you.”
As she looked back up she realized Riku was no longer next to her. Glancing around, she found he had walked off several yards behind her. He seemed to be staring at nothing.
Kyla stood up and walked towards him. “Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing new.”
“Something’s been bothering you?”
“It’s alright. I’ll be fine.”
“How long has it bothered you?”
“A while now.”
“That doesn’t help.” Kyla smiled softly, amused.
“It doesn’t matter.” Riku never took his gaze off the horizon. Kyla could tell he was in his own world.
“Why won’t you tell me?”
“Because it’s my problem that has nothing to do with you.”
“But I care...” Kyla let her voice trail off as she looked back at the ground.
Riku sighed. “I’ve been trying to forget, alright? Happy memories are the best things in life. And that’s all I need.”
“Talking helps to ease the pain.”
“You really want to know, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Kyla admitted quietly.
“Well, then get comfortable. It ain’t short and happy.
“It started two years ago. Sora, Kairi, and I were best friends. We had our own island we played on and everything. But it wasn’t enough. Kairi was from another world and we wanted to know where and how. The islands weren’t enough for us. We had to have an adventure.” Riku clenched his fists. Kyla sensed his body tense. “And an adventure was what we got. The night the Heartless came, it destroyed our home, our lives, our parents, everything. The three of us were separated. Sora was spared by the keyblade and managed to reach Traverse Town; Kairi’s heart was stolen; I ended up in Hollow Bastion. That was where I met Maleficent. She said she’d help me find Sora and Kairi again. Actually, she told me Sora was no longer my friend and I could find Kairi through her. Now I know she had only used me to try and destroy Sora. Unfortunately, I never figured it out until it was too late. I opened my heart to darkness in an effort to steal the keyblade from Sora. I couldn’t help it. I wanted more. I needed more. The darkness was so filling... yet there was never enough.” Riku paused, the memories fresh in his mind as if it happened yesterday, yet so faint as if they were only a dream.
Kyla slipped her hand into his and comfortingly squeezed it to get him to continue.
“I was forced into Kingdom Hearts. There was nothing but darkness as far as I could find. There was light, you could tell, but when you reach Kingdom Hearts through darkness, you don’t find the light so easily. Somehow King Mickey managed to get us out. But it wasn’t soon enough. The darkness ate at my heart and destroyed almost all of it. There’s nothing left of me. I can’t feel any emotion. I shouldn’t be able to.”
Kyla leaned her head on his shoulder. “You have to be able to feel something,” she whispered. “You’re the Prince of Darkness, not of the In-between.”
“Then all I should feel is hate and anger. Not—“
Riku cut himself short.
“Not what?”
“I shouldn’t care for anyone, or about anything.”
“What do you mean?”
Riku stared down at Kyla. She wasn’t really all that tall. An inch or two above his shoulder was all. He sighed. “It’s too difficult to explain.”
“Just try.”
There was a long pause of silence before Riku moved Kyla so that she was no longer leaning on him and turned so he was facing her. “Kyla... I’m not sure how to say it, but... it’s just... I don’t even know you and I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Kyla’s blue eyes grew wide as she stared into his ice-colored ones. They were not but inches apart...
He leaned forward and so did she. Slowly, their eyes closed and their lips brushed against each other. But before you could call it a kiss, Kyla pulled away.
“No. I can’t.” She frantically shook her head. “I can’t.”
Riku looked away. “I know. Light and darkness...”
“No. It’s not that. It’s... something else. I’m sorry, but I just can’t. I don’t want—I just don’t—can’t— feel the same way.” Kyla bit her tongue sharply. The words felt like poison. “I’m sorry...”
Riku didn’t answer. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to say anything at all. They both figured a silence was best and remained where they were until a gummi ship appeared in the sky.
Jase hopped out of the cockpit and ran to Kyla. “Are you alright? What happened? Is there anything wrong?”
Kyla wiped away a tear. “I’m fine,” she whispered.
Her brother hugged her. “You had me so worried, what with the darkness.”
Shawna walked over to Riku and looked him up and down. “You can’t keep doing this.”
“Why not?” he shot back, their argument barely above a whisper. “It’s not like you need me.”
“I could always use you...”
“You’re not going to use me for anything.”
“We’ll see.” Shawna smirked while Riku clenched his fists together and gritted his teeth in an effort to control his anger.
Twi-ty had stepped out of the cockpit and leaned against the side of it, arms folded across her chest and an apathetic expression on her face.
Sora landed the gummi ship and ran into the castle. “Donald? Goofy? King Mickey?” he called. No one responded. He ran from room to room, repeating their names, and no one answered.
Finally he reached the library. There was a note taped to the desk with his name on it. As he picked up the envelope, he recognized the King’s seal on the back. Sliding his finger under it, he pulled out the paper and read it quickly.
“Sora,
“I thought you might end up here. At least I hope this is you readin’ this. At any rate, we know the Heartless are back and we know why. We’ve gone to stop them so you won’t have to. You can focus on findin’ Riku while we worry about everythin’ else. Again, I’m real sorry I lost him. You’ll find your friends, don’t worry about a thing. You’re a keyblade master. What can’t you do?
“The King”
Sora sighed. “A keyblade master. And they won’t even say why the Heartless are back! Brilliant, absolutely great!” Sora thoughts began to wander. Why were the Heartless back? He’d stopped them by sealing Kingdom Hearts... maybe it was Kingdom Hearts that had brought them back. Forgetting about Jase for the moment, Sora hopped into the cockpit and steered the gummi ship towards Kingdom Hearts.
- Joined
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Aww how sweet. Little mushy for my tastes, though.
T
Thea_keyblade
Guest
Poor Riku! Good chapter though!*I like romantic stuff *
*sigh* that was so sweet! sad romantic stuff is great to read. i love it!! can't wait for more!!
I know it was mushy... that gets really hard to avoid when you're diving immediately into a relationship that had no beginning ground, besides Riku saving her life in HB, but still... I promise that the next romantic scene, which isn't for a few more chapters, won't be as mushy... For now, we meet up with friends again...
Jase started the gummi ship engine, then he realized he didn’t know where he was going. He had no way to find Sora again.
“Where’re we going?” he asked the four sitting behind him.
Twi-ty shrugged. “You’re the pilot.”
“Wherever my friends are!” Shawna exclaimed.
Kyla remained silent and Jase glanced to Riku.
“As long as it’s away from here. The darkness is too strong, if you understand.”
Jase nodded, knowing the boy meant it was taking a toll on Kyla’s pure heart.
Kyla glanced at Riku. He’s still cares... She looked away to hide the tears that slid down her cheeks.
Shawna looked from Kyla to Riku and back again. It was obvious he had feelings for her. This could be quite fun.
Jase took no notice of what was happening behind him. He was trying to figure out how to use a navigation gummi, and it even though Riku was attempting to help, he still couldn’t get it.
“We could just fly around—“
“And possible run into Heartless,” Riku answered.
“Well where do you suggest we go?”
“Traverse Town seems a likely spot.”
“Alright, can you tell me how to get there?”
“Where did you come from?”
“Traverse Town.”
“And you can’t reset the coordinates from the previous launch?”
“Umm... I only speak English.”
Riku rolled his eyes. “Here,” he reached over and pressed a few buttons, “I’ll even put it on auto-pilot.”
Within seconds, the gummi ship engine fired up and the five were off.
Kyla kept her face to the window. She couldn’t think about anything. She couldn’t let herself think about anything. Every time she thought, she thought about how torn up she was inside. Or Riku. She’d never had a happy life, which was rather strange, considering she was the Princess of Light. You’d think the Princess of Light would be cheerful and happy, more like Shawna. Kyla wished she was like that. Instead she was shy, quiet, and easily moved to tears. Jase had always said that being sensitive comes with being pure. Kyla believed him, for a while. She was starting to believe it was because she wasn’t strong enough. And if she couldn’t deal with it now, how could she when the time came to carry out her duties as Princess of Light?
Riku stared at the ground. He hated himself. It wasn’t his fault that destiny had chosen him, but it was his fault for letting destiny choose him. If he had never turned on Sora two years ago, he probably would be back at Destiny Islands right now, hanging with Sora and Kairi. Sure, he might be a little jealous of Sora and Kairi’s relationship, but maybe Kairi would be his girlfriend instead of Sora’s. He erased that thought. Sora loved Kairi more than he ever would, and now ever could. He didn’t understand why he was falling for Kyla. He hardly knew her, and he shouldn’t even be able to feel love. He was the Prince of Darkness, and Kingdom Hearts had eaten most of his heart away. He mentally kicked himself for even thinking Kyla would feel the same way. Sighing, he reached into his pocket and retied his blindfold around his eyes. The darkness always had always been a sort of comfort and now he knew why. It was because he was darkness. Not so much as his Princess, but the next thing to it. His heart was probably darker than Ansem’s had been, and that was definitely saying something.
Jase leaned back and put his feet on the dashboard. His mind wandered to the keyblades. His made him the Prince of Light, Riku’s the Prince of Darkness, and was Sora the Prince of the Present? He wasn’t quite sure if there was a Prince of the Present. He thought the title sounded cool, what with the alliterations, but if there was a Prince of the Present, there had to be a Princess. And that certainly complicated matters. His thoughts strayed to his other keyblade. It looked like Sora’s, but backwards. Did it have something to do with the Present World? After a moment of thought, he assumed it must be the In-between key. But why did he have it? What was it Riku said about re-routing lost keyblades? He always knew that he was the Prince of Light, since that was the first keyblade he discovered, and the one that connected him to his sister. The In-between key had no tug to it, except to its true master. Jase slapped a hand to his forehead. Why hadn’t he just followed the tug? Surely there’d be a world wherever the true wielder was. Muttering to himself about his stupidity, Jase turned off the auto pilot and sharply turned the ship around.
Shawna yelped in surprise and tumbled to the floor. Twi-ty merely grunted softly as her chair dumped her on the tile. Kyla rubbed her forehead, having bumped it on the window.
“What are you doing?” Riku asked Jase as he got up off the ground.
“Following my keyblade.”
Kyla looked at him strangely. “But I’m—“
“I’ve got another,” her brother answered.
“Well could we get a warning next time?” Twi-ty muttered.
Jase turned on the high-powered engine. The average one was fine when you weren’t in any real hurry, not that he was, but Jase wasn’t particularly patient when he had a mission to complete.
The world that confronted them was rather small, and had a purple glow to it. There didn’t seem to be a place to land.
Kyla glanced worriedly at Jase. She didn’t like this place. She could feel the darkness pressing on her. “Jase...”
“It’s alright Kyla. You’ll be okay.” Being the unskillful pilot he was, Jase managed to skillfully steer the ship into the large mass of purple light by a stroke of luck.
The paling light engulfed the small ship. The girls shielded their eyes while Jase squinted to try and find a place to land. He finally saw a small strip of white that looked like clouds. He would’ve skipped over it if he hadn’t seen two other gummi ships resting on it and four figures—or the extremely large door. It was now he realized he wasn’t sure how to land. So he cut the engine and glided down. He actually did a really good job for not knowing what to do. Besides the sparks and scraping of the gummi ship belly against the surface, he stopped it perfectly. The ship he taxied next to was Sora’s.
Jase quickly hopped out of the gummi ship and ran to the group of four. Sora and Jase looked excited to see each other, and then remembered their disagreement. Jase’s pace slowed. “Sora,” he greeted, not very warmly.
“Jase,” Sora answered back, in the same tone.
Kyla, Riku, Shawna, and Twi-ty came out of the gummi ship, in that order and walked up to the two boys and three strange looking creatures.
The first resembled a mouse; he was dressed in a black cloak like Riku’s that even seemed to have places for his large round ears in the hood.
The second looked like a duck. It had webbed feet, white feathers, and a beak. He wore the blue outfit of a mage.
The last was like a dog, on two legs, and pretty tall. An inch or two taller than Riku, at least. He wore green and carried a shield with a mouse head on it. A knight who hated to fight... how ironic.
Sora introduced the duck as Donald, Goofy as the dog, and the mouse as King Mickey.
Shawna eyed the strangers as if sizing them up. Twi-ty’s stare was as plain and unemotional as it always had been; Kyla moved a little closer to her brother. Strangers always unnerved her, and these were strange strangers. Very strange.
Jase gave her a comforting squeeze. They looked friendly enough. And when the gold and silver keyblade formed in his hand, he immediately realized that one of the three must be the true wielder. He released it, and it appeared in the mouse’s hand.
“Thank you, Jase.”
Jase just shrugged his shoulders, “No problem.”
“Now what are we doing here?” Sora asked, unaware of the exchange that had just happened.
“Kingdom Hearts’s seal must have been broken,” answered King Mickey. “We thought there might be a way to seal it without keyblades, but we apparently need at least one, and mine was lost to the darkness.”
“Well, you kind of told me not to come.”
“You seemed real concerned about Riku,” Goofy told him. “We thought you might not want to come with us.”
Goofy was right, Sora admitted to himself. He probably would have complained if they asked him to come with. He really only came because it seemed like they didn’t want him to.
“Well, is the seal broken?” Jase queried, impatience in his voice.
“No,” Donald replied crossly. “We came all the way out here for nothing. No answers at all.”
Sora muttered something under his breath and Donald hit him with a lightning bolt. “Watch your language!”
Sora muttered something else, much less coherent, about ducks and magic. But Donald didn’t say anything this time.
“So... where to?” Shawna interrupted. “I’ve still gotta find my friends.”
Riku bit his tongue sharply. If he wasn’t wearing his blindfold, he would have been glaring at her.
“Why don’t we just revisit unsealed worlds?” Sora suggested. “I know where those keyholes are, which makes it a heck a lot easier.”
King Mickey nodded.
“Sounds like a good idea,” agreed Jase.
Twi-ty shrugged, Shawna answered “yes” quite eagerly, Donald muttered what sounded like an okay, Goofy grinned and said yes, Kyla, slowly and slightly, nodded, and Riku didn’t answer, but no one noticed much since everyone else had agreed.
Sora had still gotten a gummi ship that could seat ten, but everyone climbed into their original gummi ships so the vehicles did not have to be left behind. Though, Jase really just didn’t want to be in the same ship as Sora.
Jase started the gummi ship engine, then he realized he didn’t know where he was going. He had no way to find Sora again.
“Where’re we going?” he asked the four sitting behind him.
Twi-ty shrugged. “You’re the pilot.”
“Wherever my friends are!” Shawna exclaimed.
Kyla remained silent and Jase glanced to Riku.
“As long as it’s away from here. The darkness is too strong, if you understand.”
Jase nodded, knowing the boy meant it was taking a toll on Kyla’s pure heart.
Kyla glanced at Riku. He’s still cares... She looked away to hide the tears that slid down her cheeks.
Shawna looked from Kyla to Riku and back again. It was obvious he had feelings for her. This could be quite fun.
Jase took no notice of what was happening behind him. He was trying to figure out how to use a navigation gummi, and it even though Riku was attempting to help, he still couldn’t get it.
“We could just fly around—“
“And possible run into Heartless,” Riku answered.
“Well where do you suggest we go?”
“Traverse Town seems a likely spot.”
“Alright, can you tell me how to get there?”
“Where did you come from?”
“Traverse Town.”
“And you can’t reset the coordinates from the previous launch?”
“Umm... I only speak English.”
Riku rolled his eyes. “Here,” he reached over and pressed a few buttons, “I’ll even put it on auto-pilot.”
Within seconds, the gummi ship engine fired up and the five were off.
Kyla kept her face to the window. She couldn’t think about anything. She couldn’t let herself think about anything. Every time she thought, she thought about how torn up she was inside. Or Riku. She’d never had a happy life, which was rather strange, considering she was the Princess of Light. You’d think the Princess of Light would be cheerful and happy, more like Shawna. Kyla wished she was like that. Instead she was shy, quiet, and easily moved to tears. Jase had always said that being sensitive comes with being pure. Kyla believed him, for a while. She was starting to believe it was because she wasn’t strong enough. And if she couldn’t deal with it now, how could she when the time came to carry out her duties as Princess of Light?
Riku stared at the ground. He hated himself. It wasn’t his fault that destiny had chosen him, but it was his fault for letting destiny choose him. If he had never turned on Sora two years ago, he probably would be back at Destiny Islands right now, hanging with Sora and Kairi. Sure, he might be a little jealous of Sora and Kairi’s relationship, but maybe Kairi would be his girlfriend instead of Sora’s. He erased that thought. Sora loved Kairi more than he ever would, and now ever could. He didn’t understand why he was falling for Kyla. He hardly knew her, and he shouldn’t even be able to feel love. He was the Prince of Darkness, and Kingdom Hearts had eaten most of his heart away. He mentally kicked himself for even thinking Kyla would feel the same way. Sighing, he reached into his pocket and retied his blindfold around his eyes. The darkness always had always been a sort of comfort and now he knew why. It was because he was darkness. Not so much as his Princess, but the next thing to it. His heart was probably darker than Ansem’s had been, and that was definitely saying something.
Jase leaned back and put his feet on the dashboard. His mind wandered to the keyblades. His made him the Prince of Light, Riku’s the Prince of Darkness, and was Sora the Prince of the Present? He wasn’t quite sure if there was a Prince of the Present. He thought the title sounded cool, what with the alliterations, but if there was a Prince of the Present, there had to be a Princess. And that certainly complicated matters. His thoughts strayed to his other keyblade. It looked like Sora’s, but backwards. Did it have something to do with the Present World? After a moment of thought, he assumed it must be the In-between key. But why did he have it? What was it Riku said about re-routing lost keyblades? He always knew that he was the Prince of Light, since that was the first keyblade he discovered, and the one that connected him to his sister. The In-between key had no tug to it, except to its true master. Jase slapped a hand to his forehead. Why hadn’t he just followed the tug? Surely there’d be a world wherever the true wielder was. Muttering to himself about his stupidity, Jase turned off the auto pilot and sharply turned the ship around.
Shawna yelped in surprise and tumbled to the floor. Twi-ty merely grunted softly as her chair dumped her on the tile. Kyla rubbed her forehead, having bumped it on the window.
“What are you doing?” Riku asked Jase as he got up off the ground.
“Following my keyblade.”
Kyla looked at him strangely. “But I’m—“
“I’ve got another,” her brother answered.
“Well could we get a warning next time?” Twi-ty muttered.
Jase turned on the high-powered engine. The average one was fine when you weren’t in any real hurry, not that he was, but Jase wasn’t particularly patient when he had a mission to complete.
The world that confronted them was rather small, and had a purple glow to it. There didn’t seem to be a place to land.
Kyla glanced worriedly at Jase. She didn’t like this place. She could feel the darkness pressing on her. “Jase...”
“It’s alright Kyla. You’ll be okay.” Being the unskillful pilot he was, Jase managed to skillfully steer the ship into the large mass of purple light by a stroke of luck.
The paling light engulfed the small ship. The girls shielded their eyes while Jase squinted to try and find a place to land. He finally saw a small strip of white that looked like clouds. He would’ve skipped over it if he hadn’t seen two other gummi ships resting on it and four figures—or the extremely large door. It was now he realized he wasn’t sure how to land. So he cut the engine and glided down. He actually did a really good job for not knowing what to do. Besides the sparks and scraping of the gummi ship belly against the surface, he stopped it perfectly. The ship he taxied next to was Sora’s.
Jase quickly hopped out of the gummi ship and ran to the group of four. Sora and Jase looked excited to see each other, and then remembered their disagreement. Jase’s pace slowed. “Sora,” he greeted, not very warmly.
“Jase,” Sora answered back, in the same tone.
Kyla, Riku, Shawna, and Twi-ty came out of the gummi ship, in that order and walked up to the two boys and three strange looking creatures.
The first resembled a mouse; he was dressed in a black cloak like Riku’s that even seemed to have places for his large round ears in the hood.
The second looked like a duck. It had webbed feet, white feathers, and a beak. He wore the blue outfit of a mage.
The last was like a dog, on two legs, and pretty tall. An inch or two taller than Riku, at least. He wore green and carried a shield with a mouse head on it. A knight who hated to fight... how ironic.
Sora introduced the duck as Donald, Goofy as the dog, and the mouse as King Mickey.
Shawna eyed the strangers as if sizing them up. Twi-ty’s stare was as plain and unemotional as it always had been; Kyla moved a little closer to her brother. Strangers always unnerved her, and these were strange strangers. Very strange.
Jase gave her a comforting squeeze. They looked friendly enough. And when the gold and silver keyblade formed in his hand, he immediately realized that one of the three must be the true wielder. He released it, and it appeared in the mouse’s hand.
“Thank you, Jase.”
Jase just shrugged his shoulders, “No problem.”
“Now what are we doing here?” Sora asked, unaware of the exchange that had just happened.
“Kingdom Hearts’s seal must have been broken,” answered King Mickey. “We thought there might be a way to seal it without keyblades, but we apparently need at least one, and mine was lost to the darkness.”
“Well, you kind of told me not to come.”
“You seemed real concerned about Riku,” Goofy told him. “We thought you might not want to come with us.”
Goofy was right, Sora admitted to himself. He probably would have complained if they asked him to come with. He really only came because it seemed like they didn’t want him to.
“Well, is the seal broken?” Jase queried, impatience in his voice.
“No,” Donald replied crossly. “We came all the way out here for nothing. No answers at all.”
Sora muttered something under his breath and Donald hit him with a lightning bolt. “Watch your language!”
Sora muttered something else, much less coherent, about ducks and magic. But Donald didn’t say anything this time.
“So... where to?” Shawna interrupted. “I’ve still gotta find my friends.”
Riku bit his tongue sharply. If he wasn’t wearing his blindfold, he would have been glaring at her.
“Why don’t we just revisit unsealed worlds?” Sora suggested. “I know where those keyholes are, which makes it a heck a lot easier.”
King Mickey nodded.
“Sounds like a good idea,” agreed Jase.
Twi-ty shrugged, Shawna answered “yes” quite eagerly, Donald muttered what sounded like an okay, Goofy grinned and said yes, Kyla, slowly and slightly, nodded, and Riku didn’t answer, but no one noticed much since everyone else had agreed.
Sora had still gotten a gummi ship that could seat ten, but everyone climbed into their original gummi ships so the vehicles did not have to be left behind. Though, Jase really just didn’t want to be in the same ship as Sora.
Wow... not a single comment?! That's okay, this chapter was next to pointless anyway, besides digging into the character's deepest emotions and gave a slight hint to somebody....
So, I guess I'll just post the next chappy, since it doesn't seem that anyone shall comment... *sniff*
Boy, was I off... more romance.... I tried to avoid the mushy stuff, but it got pretty difficult, so I countered it with a CASTLE OBlIVION!!! action scene.... hehehe....The final stop was Traverse Town, to drop off Jase’s gummi ship. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were all riding in Sora’s gummi ship-plus—complete with kitchen, three bedrooms, and ten comfortable, first class-rate seats.
Shawna was, as usual, excited about the upgrade. She ran from room to room, for absolutely no reason, until Riku told her to sit somewhere, stay there, and shut her mouth. She stuck her tongue out at him, but he didn’t see her on account of the blindfold. He also failed to realize she had silently ignored him. She ran from the bedroom, to bedroom, to bedroom, to kitchen, just so he wouldn’t say anything. He was sitting in the darkest corner of the cockpit anyway.
Jase had chosen a seat right next to the doorway to the hallway, which gave way to the bedrooms and the kitchen. He kept a close eye on Riku. Trust wasn’t something that came easily for him, and he took his duty to protect Kyla seriously. Even though he pretended not to, he had seen Kyla’s tears when Riku mentioned the darkness hurting her heart. And he knew that silent tears always meant she was hiding something.
“Who are you?”
The bundled up newborn looked up with silent tears.
“And why in the world do I have to take you home?”
Jase shook his head. It had to do with Riku. If Kyla knew something about him he didn’t, she probably wouldn’t say anything. It wasn’t like her to talk much, even to him. He sighed and his eyelids drooped.
“Isn’t she adorable Mom? Can we keep her?”
“But your sister—“
“I can have a new sister!” The three year old boy looked at his mother with bright blue eyes. “Please?”
“Alright. I guess there’s no saying no to you, is there?”
“But you’re my brother!”
“Namine, I told you! I have a duty to her! If I can’t do this, no one can. I want to take you home, I really do! I’ve missed you for twelve years!”
The blonde lowered in her chair as her brother yelled at her from across the white table that very nearly blended into the room.
“I don’t have a choice in this. I wish I could, but Mom would freak, and it’s hard enough as it is with my duty to Kyla. I’m sorry, but this is the way it has to be.”
The girl stood up, her chair sliding backwards and planted her hands on the table, making the bowl of fruit that served as a center piece jump. “So you care more about some girl you adopted over your own blood?!”
“She’s not just some girl! I have a duty to her and the universe! Would you rather this place be consumed in darkness?”
“It’s not like it isn’t already,” the girl muttered as she lowered into her chair.
“I made this deal for you. If I can’t protect Kyla, I can’t save the world.”
“So you just want to be the hero, is that it?!”
“No, I have to carry out my duty. It’s my job.”
“Fine. If that’s the way it has to be.” She obviously wasn’t happy.
“I’m sorry, Namine. I promise I’ll come back. I promise.” Jase stood up as two men in black cloaks walked up behind him.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of her.” A girl with short blond hair winked at Jase and led Namine away while the boy watched them go with a heavy heart before being led away roughly by the men behind him.
Jase opened his eyes, tears brimming them. He hastily wiped them away. “Sora, where are we going?”
The pilot turned aroundhis chair. “Destiny Islands.”
Riku’s head snapped up.
“I’d like to head over to Castle Oblivion.”
Riku raised his head even more.
“Where?!” cried Donald and Goofy.
“Jase, are you sure what you’d be getting into?” King Mickey asked.
“I know what’s there. I have a promise to keep too.”
“And I’ve got one I need to keep,” Sora answered.
“You’re not the center of the universe!”
“Neither are you!” he shot back.
Jase’s face grew with anger. “Look, we already went to see Kairi, okay? I’ve got to keep my promise.”
“That place is crawling with the Organization! There’s no way we’d be able to make it out, and much less keep our memories! Besides, aren’t they the guys that’re trying to take Kyla?”
“That’s why I was hoping you could leave me there and take Kyla with you. As long as they have something to keep their attention off of Kyla, she should be fine.”
“And that something’s supposed to be you?”
“It could be.”
“You’re not going alone,” Riku spoke up. “No one should ever go in alone.”
“Well none of you seem supportive enough to go with me.”
Riku almost said he would do it. The Organization was something he’d be quite pleased to deal with. But there was more than one reason he kept quiet.
“Look,” Sora said, “Why don’t we stop and see Kairi, then I’ll go with you into Castle Oblivion. Riku can stay on Destiny Islands with the girls. Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey could stay there too.”
“Are you crazy?” Donald cried. “We’re going with you!”
Riku was a bit angered Sora had simply elected him to stay with the girls, but he figured that was the best thing to do. Especially if the girls couldn’t go.
By now the ship had reached Destiny Islands.
“Would you guys mind if Riku and I went alone to find Kairi?” Sora asked.
No one disagreed.
Riku followed close behind Sora, blindfold still covering his eyes.
“Kairi?!” Sora called.
A red-headed girl came running out of a house nearby. “Sora? Riku!” The girl ran over and hugged them both.
Riku carefully slipped out of it.
“Is something wrong, Riku?” she asked.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Why are you wearing a blindfold?”
“I just am, okay?”
“Gosh, you don’t have to be so touchy.” Kairi turned to Sora and squeezed him again. “I guess you want me to go with you, huh?”
“Well, yeah, I do. But not right now. Jase, Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and I are going to Castle Oblivion for something Jase needs to do. Riku’s staying here with Shawna, Kyla, and Twi-ty.”
“Who?”
“I want you to stay here with them.”
“All right... I guess I could.”
“But after that you’re coming with us.”
Kairi nodded. “I guess school could wait....”
Sora squeezed her. “I don’t want to leave you again.”
“It’s okay, just as long as you boys hurry up with whatever it is you have to do.”
Sora rolled his eyes. “Alright fine.” He looked around. “Guess Riku already went back to the gummi ship.”
“Well, let’s go meet these people.”
Riku had already told them what was happening, so the girls started to exit the ship. Shawna wouldn’t get out unless Riku helped her down; Twi-ty refused to let Riku help her out; Kyla didn’t object, but avoided Riku’s gaze when he helped her.
Kairi met each girl, except Kyla whom she already knew, and they all met her. They five watched the boys take off in the gummi ship and Kairi showed the four to the house she was staying in.
Riku stayed near the door, while Kyla went to lie down in Kairi’s room, continuing the excuse of her stomach. Twi-ty sat down in a chair and stared at nothing, while Shawna and Kairi began chatting about something Riku couldn’t make out. Sighing, the boy took his blindfold off. At least the darkness hadn’t touched Destiny Islands.
Sora landed the gummi ship right outside the castle. “So where are we going? This place is huge.”
“I’m not sure,” Jase answered uneasily. “She could be anywhere.”
“Who’s ‘she’?”
“Namine.”
“Girlfriend?”
“Sister.”
Sora slapped a hand to his forehead. That was the second time he’d done that. “Wait... Isn’t Kyla your sister?”
Jase twitched. “No... I lied. Well, not entirely, but sorta. I found Kyla when I was three. We adopted her. Namine was my sister, but she had been kidnapped only a few days after being born. The Organization had thought she might have some connection to the Princess of Light, being my sister and all, but she didn’t. She was just born with the ability to alter memories. I found her two years ago. The Organization had taken Kyla and I had to choose between Kyla or Namine. The only person I could pick was Kyla, considering I had a duty to protect her. But I promised Namine I’d come back for her. I thought I should do it before...” Jase let his voice trail off into the wind. “C’mon, we’re not getting anywhere just standing here.” Jase walked up and opened the door of the castle.
A cold wind blew through and nearly knocked Jase off his feet. “Stay alert,” he said when it had died down. “There’s a lot more darkness here than there should be.”
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey cautiously followed Jase in. The castle was so dark you could barely see your hand in front of your face.
A fire sparked ahead. Jase stopped. “I knew there was something strange about that wind...”
“What?” Goofy asked.
“Axel.” The name had barely been mentioned before a burst of fire shot towards them that would instantly burn the group alive. Three blizzaga spells quickly put it out. Jase glanced at Sora, Donald, and King Mickey. Each had a fading frost at the tip of their weapons that were quickly melted by small flames that lit up the room and remained poised on the tips of the keyblades and staff. The now illuminated hallway revealed a room just in front of them that gave way to a majestic staircase, all bathed in white marble. In the middle stood a man cloaked in black. His bright green eyes reflected the dim light and contrasted with fiery red hair. A grin painted his face.
“Where is she?” Jase asked levelly.
“Not here,” the red-head answered, sending bursts of fire at the group. They were saved again by blizzaga.
“C’mon, Axel,” Sora taunted. “It’s not like we haven’t kicked your butt before.”
“But I’m not after you this time, Keyblade Bearer.” He looked straight at Jase and smirked.
Jase summoned Oathkeeper to his right hand and Oblivion to his left. “What?!” he cried. “Oblivion... but—“
As soon as the dark keyblade appeared, the white faded and the room became gray stone.
“That’s what happens when you bring darkness in here. Larxene told you she was in good hands.”
Jase’s eyes narrowed. He hated it when his enemy taunted him.
“Now, where’s your counter?”
“You’re not touching Sora.”
“Are you insane?!” Axel laughed, summoning his wheels of wind and fire to his hand. A circle of fire engulfed the two. “Sora’s not your counter!”
“Then who—“
“The Prince of Light, and you have no idea who your opposite is.”
“Riku...”
“That took you long enough.”
“What do you want with him?!”
“Plenty, but that’s for us to know, not for you.”
“But what about Kyla? Don’t you want her?”
“We’ve got her under control. Surprised he hasn’t said something.”
“Who?”
“I’m not going to say anything else.” Axel leapt at Jase and hit the keyblades crossed in front of the teen. “Except not everything is as it seems.”
Oblivion disappeared from Jase’s hand and Axel cut through to Jase’s left shoulder.
The boy cried out in pain as the fire died down and Axel vanished.
Sora ran to Jase. “Are you okay?!”
Jase had his hand over his shoulder and blood was seeping between his fingers. “I think so.” He stood up.
“Maybe we should get you back—“ Sora started.
“I’m fine! We’re not going anywhere, not until we find Namine. At least I’m not.”
“Then let’s get going.” Sora headed towards the stairs. “Do you need something to stop the bleeding or anything?”
Donald whacked him on the back of the head. “Just use Curaga!”
Sora rubbed his skull where he’d been hit. “Oh... right.”
After a quick healing spell, the five were ready to continue through the castle.
“So what happened in there?” Sora asked Jase.
“I don’t know... Oblivion....”
“Yeah, I saw that. Isn’t Oblivion Riku’s?”
Jase nodded. “I just don’t understand. I’m the Prince of Light, and yet I can still wield the Key of Darkness? I get that lost keyblades come to me, but I gave it back to Riku.”
“What else happened?” Mickey interrupted.
“Axel told me that Riku’s my counter, not you, Sora, and he said ‘not everything is as it seems.’ But we have to find Namine fast, because I think he has a hold on Kyla somehow, and someone in our group knows how.” Jase looked at each of them in turn then shook his head. “But he could have been just trying to psych me out. That and they also want Riku for something. Apparently he takes priority over Kyla.”
“Maybe we should go back and make sure they’re okay...” Goofy suggested.
“Not until we find Namine,” Jase answered. He followed Sora up the stairs.
Night fell over the island. Kyla had not been seen at all, and Shawna went upstairs to check on her. Riku had gotten around to catching up with Kairi, while Twi-ty had remained in her silence.
“Are you okay, Kyla?” Shawna asked.
Kyla lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. “Fine.”
“So... is your stomach better?”
“It still hurts...”
“What’s wrong?”
“I feel guilty...”
“About what?”
“Riku. I made him think I’m not in love with him...”
Shawna squealed. “I knew you two were perfect for each other! But why would he think you don’t love him?”
“Because... I can’t let myself fall in love. I told him I didn’t feel the same way he did... well, I told him I couldn’t feel the same way... and he thinks it’s because of him being the Prince of Darkness...”
“Hey, cheer up. He still likes you. I can tell.”
“That’s the problem! I don’t want him to love me... it makes it worse...”
“Why don’t you just talk to him? C’mon, what’s wrong with love?”
“Nothing, for most people.”
“Well I still say you should talk to him, try to work things out. There’s a pretty moon.... and beautiful stars... and a balcony.” Shawna grinned.
Kyla sighed. “I’d like to get some rest...”
“Okay, but I still say it’s a good idea.” The blonde walked downstairs and sat down next to Kairi and Riku. “Whatcha guys talkin’ about?”
“Nothing,” Kairi answered.
“It sure didn’t look like nothing.”
Riku’s eyes narrowed. He had removed his blindfold, Kairi insisted upon it, and now his sea-green eyes were clearly visible, expressing to Shawna she was not wanted.
Either Shawna didn’t get the message, or she ignored it, but either way she didn’t budge. After a few moments of silence, Riku stood up and walked away into the kitchen.
“He’s supposed to go upstairs,” muttered Shawna.
“Someone’s playing matchmaker,” Kairi teased. “But I see where you’re coming from. They would be cute together.”
“At least someone gets it. Now if only they would.”
“It’ll take time. But I know it’s there.”
“Time is exactly what we don’t have,” she mumbled incoherently. “I’m taking a walk,” she added and headed out the door.
As soon as she was gone, Riku came back in. “She gets so annoying.”
Kairi smiled. “Maybe you should go talk to Kyla.”
“What? Why?”
“Well, apparently Shawna couldn’t convince her to come downstairs, so I thought maybe you could.”
“Why does it matter whether she’s upstairs or down?”
“Because she’s probably lonely.”
“Then she should come downstairs.”
“Just go talk to her.”
“Fine, but I don’t see what good it’ll do.” Riku trudged up the steps and into the room Kyla was in.
She rolled over, so her back was to him. “Shawna told you to come up here, didn’t she?”
“No, Kairi did. She said I need to convince you to come downstairs.” He sat down on the bed next to her.
Kyla hesitated before asking, “Why do you still care about me?”
“What?”
“You still treat me as if our conversation on that barren world had never happened. Why?”
“Because I do care...”
“But why? I told you I don’t—“
“You may not, but I still do. And I can’t help that.”
Kyla stood up and walked to the balcony. She stared up at the stars.
Riku walked up behind her. “I’m sorry if... the way I feel affects the way you do, but as much as I wish I could, I can’t help it. Sure, every time I’m near you, my heart breaks because I know you don’t feel the same. But I don’t want to leave you because I get so worried something might happen to you.”
Kyla looked down at the sandy beach. A tear trickled down her cheek and hit the ground below.
Riku tied his blindfold over his eyes again and turned to leave.
“Don’t go,” she whispered.
He walked over to her. “Did you change your mind?”
“I... I still can’t.... but I just...... I’m sorry.” Kyla burst into tears and buried her face in his chest.
Riku uncomfortably stroked her hair. “It... It’s okay... You don’t have to be sorry...”
“I do love you... I really do,” she mumbled into his chest, muffling the sound, and mixing the words with her sobs, so the words never reach his ears.
So, I guess I'll just post the next chappy, since it doesn't seem that anyone shall comment... *sniff*
Boy, was I off... more romance.... I tried to avoid the mushy stuff, but it got pretty difficult, so I countered it with a CASTLE OBlIVION!!! action scene.... hehehe....The final stop was Traverse Town, to drop off Jase’s gummi ship. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were all riding in Sora’s gummi ship-plus—complete with kitchen, three bedrooms, and ten comfortable, first class-rate seats.
Shawna was, as usual, excited about the upgrade. She ran from room to room, for absolutely no reason, until Riku told her to sit somewhere, stay there, and shut her mouth. She stuck her tongue out at him, but he didn’t see her on account of the blindfold. He also failed to realize she had silently ignored him. She ran from the bedroom, to bedroom, to bedroom, to kitchen, just so he wouldn’t say anything. He was sitting in the darkest corner of the cockpit anyway.
Jase had chosen a seat right next to the doorway to the hallway, which gave way to the bedrooms and the kitchen. He kept a close eye on Riku. Trust wasn’t something that came easily for him, and he took his duty to protect Kyla seriously. Even though he pretended not to, he had seen Kyla’s tears when Riku mentioned the darkness hurting her heart. And he knew that silent tears always meant she was hiding something.
“Who are you?”
The bundled up newborn looked up with silent tears.
“And why in the world do I have to take you home?”
Jase shook his head. It had to do with Riku. If Kyla knew something about him he didn’t, she probably wouldn’t say anything. It wasn’t like her to talk much, even to him. He sighed and his eyelids drooped.
“Isn’t she adorable Mom? Can we keep her?”
“But your sister—“
“I can have a new sister!” The three year old boy looked at his mother with bright blue eyes. “Please?”
“Alright. I guess there’s no saying no to you, is there?”
“But you’re my brother!”
“Namine, I told you! I have a duty to her! If I can’t do this, no one can. I want to take you home, I really do! I’ve missed you for twelve years!”
The blonde lowered in her chair as her brother yelled at her from across the white table that very nearly blended into the room.
“I don’t have a choice in this. I wish I could, but Mom would freak, and it’s hard enough as it is with my duty to Kyla. I’m sorry, but this is the way it has to be.”
The girl stood up, her chair sliding backwards and planted her hands on the table, making the bowl of fruit that served as a center piece jump. “So you care more about some girl you adopted over your own blood?!”
“She’s not just some girl! I have a duty to her and the universe! Would you rather this place be consumed in darkness?”
“It’s not like it isn’t already,” the girl muttered as she lowered into her chair.
“I made this deal for you. If I can’t protect Kyla, I can’t save the world.”
“So you just want to be the hero, is that it?!”
“No, I have to carry out my duty. It’s my job.”
“Fine. If that’s the way it has to be.” She obviously wasn’t happy.
“I’m sorry, Namine. I promise I’ll come back. I promise.” Jase stood up as two men in black cloaks walked up behind him.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of her.” A girl with short blond hair winked at Jase and led Namine away while the boy watched them go with a heavy heart before being led away roughly by the men behind him.
Jase opened his eyes, tears brimming them. He hastily wiped them away. “Sora, where are we going?”
The pilot turned aroundhis chair. “Destiny Islands.”
Riku’s head snapped up.
“I’d like to head over to Castle Oblivion.”
Riku raised his head even more.
“Where?!” cried Donald and Goofy.
“Jase, are you sure what you’d be getting into?” King Mickey asked.
“I know what’s there. I have a promise to keep too.”
“And I’ve got one I need to keep,” Sora answered.
“You’re not the center of the universe!”
“Neither are you!” he shot back.
Jase’s face grew with anger. “Look, we already went to see Kairi, okay? I’ve got to keep my promise.”
“That place is crawling with the Organization! There’s no way we’d be able to make it out, and much less keep our memories! Besides, aren’t they the guys that’re trying to take Kyla?”
“That’s why I was hoping you could leave me there and take Kyla with you. As long as they have something to keep their attention off of Kyla, she should be fine.”
“And that something’s supposed to be you?”
“It could be.”
“You’re not going alone,” Riku spoke up. “No one should ever go in alone.”
“Well none of you seem supportive enough to go with me.”
Riku almost said he would do it. The Organization was something he’d be quite pleased to deal with. But there was more than one reason he kept quiet.
“Look,” Sora said, “Why don’t we stop and see Kairi, then I’ll go with you into Castle Oblivion. Riku can stay on Destiny Islands with the girls. Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey could stay there too.”
“Are you crazy?” Donald cried. “We’re going with you!”
Riku was a bit angered Sora had simply elected him to stay with the girls, but he figured that was the best thing to do. Especially if the girls couldn’t go.
By now the ship had reached Destiny Islands.
“Would you guys mind if Riku and I went alone to find Kairi?” Sora asked.
No one disagreed.
Riku followed close behind Sora, blindfold still covering his eyes.
“Kairi?!” Sora called.
A red-headed girl came running out of a house nearby. “Sora? Riku!” The girl ran over and hugged them both.
Riku carefully slipped out of it.
“Is something wrong, Riku?” she asked.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Why are you wearing a blindfold?”
“I just am, okay?”
“Gosh, you don’t have to be so touchy.” Kairi turned to Sora and squeezed him again. “I guess you want me to go with you, huh?”
“Well, yeah, I do. But not right now. Jase, Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and I are going to Castle Oblivion for something Jase needs to do. Riku’s staying here with Shawna, Kyla, and Twi-ty.”
“Who?”
“I want you to stay here with them.”
“All right... I guess I could.”
“But after that you’re coming with us.”
Kairi nodded. “I guess school could wait....”
Sora squeezed her. “I don’t want to leave you again.”
“It’s okay, just as long as you boys hurry up with whatever it is you have to do.”
Sora rolled his eyes. “Alright fine.” He looked around. “Guess Riku already went back to the gummi ship.”
“Well, let’s go meet these people.”
Riku had already told them what was happening, so the girls started to exit the ship. Shawna wouldn’t get out unless Riku helped her down; Twi-ty refused to let Riku help her out; Kyla didn’t object, but avoided Riku’s gaze when he helped her.
Kairi met each girl, except Kyla whom she already knew, and they all met her. They five watched the boys take off in the gummi ship and Kairi showed the four to the house she was staying in.
Riku stayed near the door, while Kyla went to lie down in Kairi’s room, continuing the excuse of her stomach. Twi-ty sat down in a chair and stared at nothing, while Shawna and Kairi began chatting about something Riku couldn’t make out. Sighing, the boy took his blindfold off. At least the darkness hadn’t touched Destiny Islands.
Sora landed the gummi ship right outside the castle. “So where are we going? This place is huge.”
“I’m not sure,” Jase answered uneasily. “She could be anywhere.”
“Who’s ‘she’?”
“Namine.”
“Girlfriend?”
“Sister.”
Sora slapped a hand to his forehead. That was the second time he’d done that. “Wait... Isn’t Kyla your sister?”
Jase twitched. “No... I lied. Well, not entirely, but sorta. I found Kyla when I was three. We adopted her. Namine was my sister, but she had been kidnapped only a few days after being born. The Organization had thought she might have some connection to the Princess of Light, being my sister and all, but she didn’t. She was just born with the ability to alter memories. I found her two years ago. The Organization had taken Kyla and I had to choose between Kyla or Namine. The only person I could pick was Kyla, considering I had a duty to protect her. But I promised Namine I’d come back for her. I thought I should do it before...” Jase let his voice trail off into the wind. “C’mon, we’re not getting anywhere just standing here.” Jase walked up and opened the door of the castle.
A cold wind blew through and nearly knocked Jase off his feet. “Stay alert,” he said when it had died down. “There’s a lot more darkness here than there should be.”
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey cautiously followed Jase in. The castle was so dark you could barely see your hand in front of your face.
A fire sparked ahead. Jase stopped. “I knew there was something strange about that wind...”
“What?” Goofy asked.
“Axel.” The name had barely been mentioned before a burst of fire shot towards them that would instantly burn the group alive. Three blizzaga spells quickly put it out. Jase glanced at Sora, Donald, and King Mickey. Each had a fading frost at the tip of their weapons that were quickly melted by small flames that lit up the room and remained poised on the tips of the keyblades and staff. The now illuminated hallway revealed a room just in front of them that gave way to a majestic staircase, all bathed in white marble. In the middle stood a man cloaked in black. His bright green eyes reflected the dim light and contrasted with fiery red hair. A grin painted his face.
“Where is she?” Jase asked levelly.
“Not here,” the red-head answered, sending bursts of fire at the group. They were saved again by blizzaga.
“C’mon, Axel,” Sora taunted. “It’s not like we haven’t kicked your butt before.”
“But I’m not after you this time, Keyblade Bearer.” He looked straight at Jase and smirked.
Jase summoned Oathkeeper to his right hand and Oblivion to his left. “What?!” he cried. “Oblivion... but—“
As soon as the dark keyblade appeared, the white faded and the room became gray stone.
“That’s what happens when you bring darkness in here. Larxene told you she was in good hands.”
Jase’s eyes narrowed. He hated it when his enemy taunted him.
“Now, where’s your counter?”
“You’re not touching Sora.”
“Are you insane?!” Axel laughed, summoning his wheels of wind and fire to his hand. A circle of fire engulfed the two. “Sora’s not your counter!”
“Then who—“
“The Prince of Light, and you have no idea who your opposite is.”
“Riku...”
“That took you long enough.”
“What do you want with him?!”
“Plenty, but that’s for us to know, not for you.”
“But what about Kyla? Don’t you want her?”
“We’ve got her under control. Surprised he hasn’t said something.”
“Who?”
“I’m not going to say anything else.” Axel leapt at Jase and hit the keyblades crossed in front of the teen. “Except not everything is as it seems.”
Oblivion disappeared from Jase’s hand and Axel cut through to Jase’s left shoulder.
The boy cried out in pain as the fire died down and Axel vanished.
Sora ran to Jase. “Are you okay?!”
Jase had his hand over his shoulder and blood was seeping between his fingers. “I think so.” He stood up.
“Maybe we should get you back—“ Sora started.
“I’m fine! We’re not going anywhere, not until we find Namine. At least I’m not.”
“Then let’s get going.” Sora headed towards the stairs. “Do you need something to stop the bleeding or anything?”
Donald whacked him on the back of the head. “Just use Curaga!”
Sora rubbed his skull where he’d been hit. “Oh... right.”
After a quick healing spell, the five were ready to continue through the castle.
“So what happened in there?” Sora asked Jase.
“I don’t know... Oblivion....”
“Yeah, I saw that. Isn’t Oblivion Riku’s?”
Jase nodded. “I just don’t understand. I’m the Prince of Light, and yet I can still wield the Key of Darkness? I get that lost keyblades come to me, but I gave it back to Riku.”
“What else happened?” Mickey interrupted.
“Axel told me that Riku’s my counter, not you, Sora, and he said ‘not everything is as it seems.’ But we have to find Namine fast, because I think he has a hold on Kyla somehow, and someone in our group knows how.” Jase looked at each of them in turn then shook his head. “But he could have been just trying to psych me out. That and they also want Riku for something. Apparently he takes priority over Kyla.”
“Maybe we should go back and make sure they’re okay...” Goofy suggested.
“Not until we find Namine,” Jase answered. He followed Sora up the stairs.
Night fell over the island. Kyla had not been seen at all, and Shawna went upstairs to check on her. Riku had gotten around to catching up with Kairi, while Twi-ty had remained in her silence.
“Are you okay, Kyla?” Shawna asked.
Kyla lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. “Fine.”
“So... is your stomach better?”
“It still hurts...”
“What’s wrong?”
“I feel guilty...”
“About what?”
“Riku. I made him think I’m not in love with him...”
Shawna squealed. “I knew you two were perfect for each other! But why would he think you don’t love him?”
“Because... I can’t let myself fall in love. I told him I didn’t feel the same way he did... well, I told him I couldn’t feel the same way... and he thinks it’s because of him being the Prince of Darkness...”
“Hey, cheer up. He still likes you. I can tell.”
“That’s the problem! I don’t want him to love me... it makes it worse...”
“Why don’t you just talk to him? C’mon, what’s wrong with love?”
“Nothing, for most people.”
“Well I still say you should talk to him, try to work things out. There’s a pretty moon.... and beautiful stars... and a balcony.” Shawna grinned.
Kyla sighed. “I’d like to get some rest...”
“Okay, but I still say it’s a good idea.” The blonde walked downstairs and sat down next to Kairi and Riku. “Whatcha guys talkin’ about?”
“Nothing,” Kairi answered.
“It sure didn’t look like nothing.”
Riku’s eyes narrowed. He had removed his blindfold, Kairi insisted upon it, and now his sea-green eyes were clearly visible, expressing to Shawna she was not wanted.
Either Shawna didn’t get the message, or she ignored it, but either way she didn’t budge. After a few moments of silence, Riku stood up and walked away into the kitchen.
“He’s supposed to go upstairs,” muttered Shawna.
“Someone’s playing matchmaker,” Kairi teased. “But I see where you’re coming from. They would be cute together.”
“At least someone gets it. Now if only they would.”
“It’ll take time. But I know it’s there.”
“Time is exactly what we don’t have,” she mumbled incoherently. “I’m taking a walk,” she added and headed out the door.
As soon as she was gone, Riku came back in. “She gets so annoying.”
Kairi smiled. “Maybe you should go talk to Kyla.”
“What? Why?”
“Well, apparently Shawna couldn’t convince her to come downstairs, so I thought maybe you could.”
“Why does it matter whether she’s upstairs or down?”
“Because she’s probably lonely.”
“Then she should come downstairs.”
“Just go talk to her.”
“Fine, but I don’t see what good it’ll do.” Riku trudged up the steps and into the room Kyla was in.
She rolled over, so her back was to him. “Shawna told you to come up here, didn’t she?”
“No, Kairi did. She said I need to convince you to come downstairs.” He sat down on the bed next to her.
Kyla hesitated before asking, “Why do you still care about me?”
“What?”
“You still treat me as if our conversation on that barren world had never happened. Why?”
“Because I do care...”
“But why? I told you I don’t—“
“You may not, but I still do. And I can’t help that.”
Kyla stood up and walked to the balcony. She stared up at the stars.
Riku walked up behind her. “I’m sorry if... the way I feel affects the way you do, but as much as I wish I could, I can’t help it. Sure, every time I’m near you, my heart breaks because I know you don’t feel the same. But I don’t want to leave you because I get so worried something might happen to you.”
Kyla looked down at the sandy beach. A tear trickled down her cheek and hit the ground below.
Riku tied his blindfold over his eyes again and turned to leave.
“Don’t go,” she whispered.
He walked over to her. “Did you change your mind?”
“I... I still can’t.... but I just...... I’m sorry.” Kyla burst into tears and buried her face in his chest.
Riku uncomfortably stroked her hair. “It... It’s okay... You don’t have to be sorry...”
“I do love you... I really do,” she mumbled into his chest, muffling the sound, and mixing the words with her sobs, so the words never reach his ears.
yay!! romance! you're good at writing mushy stuff ^^ that was such a good chapter. can't wait for more!!!!!!
- Joined
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so mushy.....
but good chapter anyway!
but good chapter anyway!
bleh...this chapter was so hard to write.... I'm not exactly happy with it....mushy mushy mushy... hardly any in this chapter. Just the last bit, if you call it mushy.... No, it's not a rip off of Titanic, I hate that movie, and never intend to purposefully quote it!!!!
The hallways were filled with nothing but whiteness, yet everything seemed to gain a sense of darkness as they approached it. Jase shook the thoughts out of his head. He couldn’t be distracted by anything. Not now, when his promise was on the line. He looked behind him to make sure Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey were still following and pushed open another white door. Instead of opening into a spacious room, there was a spiral staircase that continued up farther than the four could see.
Sora groaned. “We have to climb that?! That’s just not fair.”
“You can always stay behind,” Jase answered.
“No way! I didn’t walk this far to quit now!”
With a shrug, Jase started towards the top. After a few minutes they made it the top, with a panting Sora lagging a ways behind.
Jase pushed open the white door into the banquet room he recognized from when he’d left Naminé here before.
The blonde girl sat at a window sill with a sketch pad in hand. She saw her brother enter and looked back down at her sketch book.
“Are you okay?” Jase started as he ran to her side. “You’re not hurt are you? I’m so sorry I took so long. I would’ve come sooner if I could.”
Naminé didn’t respond. She just continued to draw her picture.
Jase sighed and looked at the ground. “I am sorry. C’mon, let’s go, even if you’re mad at me.”
Sora finally came in. “I made it!” He glanced at Naminé. “Hey, I remember you! Vaguely...” He sagged into the nearest chair at the table.
Naminé sighed and put down her pencil and sketch book, drawing her knees closer to her.
Jase moved his eyes up and stared at the picture, slowly placing his hand on it. “Mom...”
The woman in the sketch had long blonde hair that was tied back in a braid and hung to her waist. She was carrying a baby in one arm and, with the other, holding a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes against her dress.
“Naminé, that wasn’t my fault.”
The girl just sighed. “I know. I draw my memories. I draw other people’s memories. Only two years of my life was your fault. Though, I met Sora and Riku through it.” She gave the spiky-haired brunette a smile.
“How could you remember that? You were barely a day old.”
“I remember everything. Each of the eight are supposed to be an only child. I shouldn’t have been. That’s why I was kidnapped by the Organization. That’s why I can change memories. It’s a mutation of being related to the Prince of Light.”
“I’m sorry...”
“It’s alright... I guess. But I can’t leave with you.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because,” she answered simply, getting down from the window seat. “I have to stay here.”
“What’s here? The Organization’s only going to use you!”
“They don’t want me. I’ve got to stay. That way you can save Kyla.”
“But before, you said—“
“I know. But, Diz... he’s working with the Organization, so he says. He wants Kyla, but he’s going to double cross them. He’s not going to restore the world, Jase. He’s going to bring it into darkness.”
“What? No... that would mean... Kyla... I....”
“That’s why you can’t take me with you. I’ve got to stay here just incase. If something were to happen because you were taking care of me... or if it’s because I wasn’t here... Jase, you’ve gotta leave me here. I’ll be okay, as long as you keep Kyla okay.”
“I’ve come back for you, only to have you send me away. It doesn’t seem right.”
“You know Kyla needs you more than I do. Otherwise you wouldn’t have left me.”
Jase smiled. “You really are my sister.”
“We get it from Mom.”
Jase gave the girl a hug.
Sora yawned. “Well, this reunion’s been great. Now, can we get out of here? If Kyla’s in danger, so is Kairi.”
Jase nodded. “Are you sure you won’t come back?”
Naminé raised an eyebrow at him. “I just finished explaining to you why I had to stay. Why would I go with you?”
Jase almost laughed. “Just double checking. I only hope that nothing’s happened at the island.”
“They’re probably fine. I don’t think anyone’s left here for a while. But be careful on your way out.”
“Will do.” Jase gave her a goodbye smile before going out the door.
Sora moaned at the thought of walking back down the stairs. He was the last one out the door, with it closing softly behind him.
Naminé sighed and went back to her sketch book and the window sill. She flipped the page and began to draw a girl with reddish-pink hair, blue eyes, and a pure white dress, beaming with light.
Shawna glanced up at the couple on the balcony. A smile crept across her face. The closer they were, the better this would work. She continued down the beach, the water rolling over her bare feet. A sigh escaped her lips as she sat down on a rock and stared out to the horizon. She closed her eyes. Now, was perfect.
Jase stopped when Axel confronted the group in the center of another white room.
“C’mon, we’re just gonna kick your butt,” Sora said, though he looked like he could collapse on the floor at any minute. He’d always hated stairs.
Axel laughed. “Haven’t you noticed? One of you has been taken by the darkness. The room’s already growing dark.”
It hadn’t been Jase’s imagination. The blonde boy’s eyes grew large. “No... Oblivion. It’s not mine! I am the Prince of Light!” Anger flaring in his eyes, Jase charged at Axel, Oathkeeper in his hand.
Axel let Jase come to him. When the boy raised his keyblade to strike, the white became black, and the blade grew jagged. Two wheels of red and white blocked the strike, holding the keyblade inches from Axel’s body.
“C’mon, kid, you’ve gotta have learned by now that you’re its true wielder.”
“No!” Jase pressed harder. “I am not the Prince of Darkness. Riku is. Not. Me.”
Axel just sneered. “You are stubborn.” He pulled back the wheels. “Aren’t you gonna have your friends attack me?”
Jase only glared, not caring where Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey had run off to.
They had moved around the room, slowly, to strike Axel from behind.
Jase thought about his keyblade. He focused all his energy into it. It wasn’t Oblivion. It was Oathkeeper, he knew it. He was the Prince of Light. He was bonded to Kyla, the Princess of Light. There was no way he could be anything else. Pressing against Axel as hard as he could, Jase refused to give up.
“Jase!” called Sora. “’Not everything is as it seems!’”
Jase’s eyes widened. He hadn’t looked up at Sora, but he’d heard him.
Axel grinned. “Did you really need him to tell you that?”
Sora hit Axel from behind. A blizzaga spell, shield, and another keyblade sent the red-haired man into the wall.
Jase walked over to him. With his still Oblivion keyblade, he ran it through Axel. “I am not darkness.”
“Well done,” the man smirked back, pain etched on his face. “Now go finish your job.” With that, Axel was gone. A light from the wound emitted from him and engulfed him. When it faded, there was nothing left.
“Whoa...” Sora commented. “That was like Jafar, but different!”
Donald rolled his eyes and Goofy scratched his head at the comment.
“You just contradicted yourself,” Jase told him. “Now c’mon, we’ve gotta get to Kyla.”
Even after the tears slowed, Kyla left her head on Riku’s chest. She felt something moving up her leg and looked down. A pool of darkness had formed beneath her feet and was tying her down. She screamed.
Riku grabbed her arms as the same thing began to happen to him. “Don’t let go,” he whispered in her ear. “Whatever you do, don’t let go.”
The hallways were filled with nothing but whiteness, yet everything seemed to gain a sense of darkness as they approached it. Jase shook the thoughts out of his head. He couldn’t be distracted by anything. Not now, when his promise was on the line. He looked behind him to make sure Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey were still following and pushed open another white door. Instead of opening into a spacious room, there was a spiral staircase that continued up farther than the four could see.
Sora groaned. “We have to climb that?! That’s just not fair.”
“You can always stay behind,” Jase answered.
“No way! I didn’t walk this far to quit now!”
With a shrug, Jase started towards the top. After a few minutes they made it the top, with a panting Sora lagging a ways behind.
Jase pushed open the white door into the banquet room he recognized from when he’d left Naminé here before.
The blonde girl sat at a window sill with a sketch pad in hand. She saw her brother enter and looked back down at her sketch book.
“Are you okay?” Jase started as he ran to her side. “You’re not hurt are you? I’m so sorry I took so long. I would’ve come sooner if I could.”
Naminé didn’t respond. She just continued to draw her picture.
Jase sighed and looked at the ground. “I am sorry. C’mon, let’s go, even if you’re mad at me.”
Sora finally came in. “I made it!” He glanced at Naminé. “Hey, I remember you! Vaguely...” He sagged into the nearest chair at the table.
Naminé sighed and put down her pencil and sketch book, drawing her knees closer to her.
Jase moved his eyes up and stared at the picture, slowly placing his hand on it. “Mom...”
The woman in the sketch had long blonde hair that was tied back in a braid and hung to her waist. She was carrying a baby in one arm and, with the other, holding a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes against her dress.
“Naminé, that wasn’t my fault.”
The girl just sighed. “I know. I draw my memories. I draw other people’s memories. Only two years of my life was your fault. Though, I met Sora and Riku through it.” She gave the spiky-haired brunette a smile.
“How could you remember that? You were barely a day old.”
“I remember everything. Each of the eight are supposed to be an only child. I shouldn’t have been. That’s why I was kidnapped by the Organization. That’s why I can change memories. It’s a mutation of being related to the Prince of Light.”
“I’m sorry...”
“It’s alright... I guess. But I can’t leave with you.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because,” she answered simply, getting down from the window seat. “I have to stay here.”
“What’s here? The Organization’s only going to use you!”
“They don’t want me. I’ve got to stay. That way you can save Kyla.”
“But before, you said—“
“I know. But, Diz... he’s working with the Organization, so he says. He wants Kyla, but he’s going to double cross them. He’s not going to restore the world, Jase. He’s going to bring it into darkness.”
“What? No... that would mean... Kyla... I....”
“That’s why you can’t take me with you. I’ve got to stay here just incase. If something were to happen because you were taking care of me... or if it’s because I wasn’t here... Jase, you’ve gotta leave me here. I’ll be okay, as long as you keep Kyla okay.”
“I’ve come back for you, only to have you send me away. It doesn’t seem right.”
“You know Kyla needs you more than I do. Otherwise you wouldn’t have left me.”
Jase smiled. “You really are my sister.”
“We get it from Mom.”
Jase gave the girl a hug.
Sora yawned. “Well, this reunion’s been great. Now, can we get out of here? If Kyla’s in danger, so is Kairi.”
Jase nodded. “Are you sure you won’t come back?”
Naminé raised an eyebrow at him. “I just finished explaining to you why I had to stay. Why would I go with you?”
Jase almost laughed. “Just double checking. I only hope that nothing’s happened at the island.”
“They’re probably fine. I don’t think anyone’s left here for a while. But be careful on your way out.”
“Will do.” Jase gave her a goodbye smile before going out the door.
Sora moaned at the thought of walking back down the stairs. He was the last one out the door, with it closing softly behind him.
Naminé sighed and went back to her sketch book and the window sill. She flipped the page and began to draw a girl with reddish-pink hair, blue eyes, and a pure white dress, beaming with light.
Shawna glanced up at the couple on the balcony. A smile crept across her face. The closer they were, the better this would work. She continued down the beach, the water rolling over her bare feet. A sigh escaped her lips as she sat down on a rock and stared out to the horizon. She closed her eyes. Now, was perfect.
Jase stopped when Axel confronted the group in the center of another white room.
“C’mon, we’re just gonna kick your butt,” Sora said, though he looked like he could collapse on the floor at any minute. He’d always hated stairs.
Axel laughed. “Haven’t you noticed? One of you has been taken by the darkness. The room’s already growing dark.”
It hadn’t been Jase’s imagination. The blonde boy’s eyes grew large. “No... Oblivion. It’s not mine! I am the Prince of Light!” Anger flaring in his eyes, Jase charged at Axel, Oathkeeper in his hand.
Axel let Jase come to him. When the boy raised his keyblade to strike, the white became black, and the blade grew jagged. Two wheels of red and white blocked the strike, holding the keyblade inches from Axel’s body.
“C’mon, kid, you’ve gotta have learned by now that you’re its true wielder.”
“No!” Jase pressed harder. “I am not the Prince of Darkness. Riku is. Not. Me.”
Axel just sneered. “You are stubborn.” He pulled back the wheels. “Aren’t you gonna have your friends attack me?”
Jase only glared, not caring where Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey had run off to.
They had moved around the room, slowly, to strike Axel from behind.
Jase thought about his keyblade. He focused all his energy into it. It wasn’t Oblivion. It was Oathkeeper, he knew it. He was the Prince of Light. He was bonded to Kyla, the Princess of Light. There was no way he could be anything else. Pressing against Axel as hard as he could, Jase refused to give up.
“Jase!” called Sora. “’Not everything is as it seems!’”
Jase’s eyes widened. He hadn’t looked up at Sora, but he’d heard him.
Axel grinned. “Did you really need him to tell you that?”
Sora hit Axel from behind. A blizzaga spell, shield, and another keyblade sent the red-haired man into the wall.
Jase walked over to him. With his still Oblivion keyblade, he ran it through Axel. “I am not darkness.”
“Well done,” the man smirked back, pain etched on his face. “Now go finish your job.” With that, Axel was gone. A light from the wound emitted from him and engulfed him. When it faded, there was nothing left.
“Whoa...” Sora commented. “That was like Jafar, but different!”
Donald rolled his eyes and Goofy scratched his head at the comment.
“You just contradicted yourself,” Jase told him. “Now c’mon, we’ve gotta get to Kyla.”
Even after the tears slowed, Kyla left her head on Riku’s chest. She felt something moving up her leg and looked down. A pool of darkness had formed beneath her feet and was tying her down. She screamed.
Riku grabbed her arms as the same thing began to happen to him. “Don’t let go,” he whispered in her ear. “Whatever you do, don’t let go.”
Great chapter!! I don't like the Titanic, either, it's a crappy movie. no mushy!! >_< oh well, if you put too much mush into the story, it ends up being more like a crappy paperback romance novel you can buy from the grocery store. can't wait for more!!
Well... I just happened to find out that CtrlE is centet text, CtrlR is align right, and CtrlT is align left... so, I screwed around a bit... apologies if the sizing/alignment of this chapter is off.... I was having fun... ^^
Okay, so in this chapter, we have a little bit o' mushiness... Riku's gotta be the hero... <_< and then we learn new stuff about Twi-ty, King Mickey, and Shawna... and then there's an important question brought to light... PM me for suggestions on how to solve it, cause at the moment I happen to be clueless... ^^'
Kairi looked up when she heard Kyla’s scream. “What could Riku be doing?” she thought as she darted up the stairs.
Twi-ty looked up and slowly followed.
The wooden door burst open and Kairi ran to the balcony. The pools of darkness beneath the couple were already waist deep.
Twi-ty said nothing as she stood behind Kairi.
“Riku! Kyla!” cried Kairi.
Riku glanced up as Kyla moved closer to him, crying because of the pain.
The same pool of darkness that was pulling the couple under began to form beneath Twi-ty.
“Kairi, grab her!” Riku yelled.
Kairi glanced behind her and the two girls held each other in an aerialists’ grip. The harder Kairi pulled, the harder the darkness pulled back.
Twi-ty felt like her arms were going to fall off Kairi was pulling so hard, but she gritted her teeth and tried to pull away from the darkness as best as she could.
Suddenly, the darkness just seemed to give up. It vanished and the two girls tumbled on top of each other.
“Riku!” Kairi glanced towards her friend and ran to him.
The darkness was already enveloping his mouth and nose. Kyla was already completely engulfed save her eyes.
The boy pulled Kyla as close to him as he could. “Hang on,” he thought. “Just hang on.”
Kairi and Twi-ty jumped at them to try and pull them back, but the darkness covered them and then vanished, the couple with it.
Kairi tensed for a minute before a thought popped into her head. “Shawna!” She ran with Twi-ty down to the beach to find Shawna just getting off of a rock she was sitting on.
“Oh, hi,” was all she said as she approached them.
“Are you okay?” Kairi asked frantically.
“Fine, why?”
“Because the darkness just took Kyla and Riku!”
“Oh, no, that’s terrible! Well, I’m alright.”
Something seemed snap inside Twi-ty. She looked at Shawna. “It was you!”
Shawna stepped back in surprise. “What?”
“All this time I thought you were the Princess of Light, but you’re not! You’re the Princess of Darkness, and you’re the one who created those pools to get Kyla, Riku, and I off this island! Then you would’ve gone yourself!”
Shawna’s eyes were wide, seemingly with fear. “What...? I... I would never...”
Kairi looked at the two. “What are you talking about? Twi-ty, are you actually even talking?”
“Don’t try to worm your way out of this,” threatened Twi-ty. “The Organization’s not going to believe me, but just wait; I’ll make sure that you don’t use Kyla and Riku to turn this universe to darkness.”
“Hah, the Organization already knows about me. In fact, I happen to be working with them.”
“No. You’re going to double cross us!” Now it was Twi-ty’s turn to back up.
Kairi scratched her head in disbelief. What was happening? What on earth were they talking about? The sound of a gummi ship averted the girls’ attention.
Twi-ty turned and ran to the place it landed. As soon as the cockpit opened up, she hopped inside, not letting anyone out. “Someone take me back to Castle Oblivion.”
Sora smacked his head repeatedly against the dash board.
“I don’t care who it is that flies this ship, but I’ve got to go back there and warn the Organization about Shawna.”
“What about Shawna?” Jase asked, hand ready to summon his keyblade.
“She’s the Princess of Darkness, and she’s going to double cross the Organization. I have to stop her.”
“Working with Diz?”
“Who?”
“The Organization already knows. Naminé’s told them, I’m sure. Where is Shawna right now?”
“She’s over with Kairi—“
Twi-ty hadn’t even finished her sentence before Sora was out of the cockpit and running towards the house on the beach.
Jase quickly followed, worried about Kyla, and Donald and Goofy came next, King Mickey lingering behind with Twi-ty.
“Know anything new?” Twi-ty asked.
“Axel’s dead,” answered King Mickey.
“Hmmm, more mutiny?”
“Jase, but he’ll return with the light, just like the rest of us.”
Twi-ty nodded. “Good, at least he’s not banished to the darkness for eternity like the rest. Any news on Diz?”
“Nothing. The castle was empty enough. It seemed that the Organization cleared out, except for Axel and Naminé.”
The two began to walk towards the rest of the group. Twi-ty felt a little awkward talking to someone two feet shorter than her, but said nothing about it.
“Naminé’s the last one left, and she’s not even a true member.” She shook her head. “So we’ve lost Castle Oblivion.”
“I suppose someone in the Organization will go to protect Naminé or to take her away once they find out Axel’s fate. You know they mean to kill—“
“What must be done, will be done. We have to make sure that the light returns. Even if not every member of the Organization is whole in their motives, we are, and we’re going to keep it that way. We’re sacrificing one for many. I never liked her that much anyway.”
“You sound... different. Not so hollow.”
“I noticed.” Twi-ty grew quiet. “I yelled at Shawna. I suppose it was anger. Is it normal to feel anger? Especially after a whole life of nothing?”
“I’m not sure. I do not think you should. I would understand it coming from me, because I am not completely empty, like you—“
“Oh, thanks.”
There was a moment of silence before King Mickey spoke again. “Axel... laughed.”
“Laughed? I just don’t understand. Is it possible to regain the emotions? And if it is, then shouldn’t we be able to regain ourselves?”
“Perhaps when you are empty, there is room for something to grow. Every heart has a little light, and a little darkness, no matter how buried the two are.”
“But they have no heart!”
“If Sora could regain lost memories, perhaps the heart can be regained over time.”
“I don’t believe that,” Twi-ty muttered.
King Mickey was going to reply, but wisely kept his mouth shut as they reached the shore where the other five were.
Jase had walked off a ways, staring at the ground and horizon angrily and introspectively. Sora was holding Kairi as he was never going to let her go, and Donald and Goofy were looking on, feeling useless.
“Where’d Shawna go?” Twi-ty asked.
“Left,” Kairi responded. “In a dark portal just after you took off.”
Twi-ty bit her tongue. How she wanted to... She sighed. Something just wasn’t right. If she lost the emptiness, would it still work? Shaking her mind clear she walked into the beach house. She needed to sit for a minute.
Riku slowly reached up and removed his blindfold. He quickly recognized the surroundings as the Castle Chapel of Hollow Bastion. He felt Kyla bury her face deeper into his chest, not daring to look up. He held her tighter. There was no way he was letting anyone harm her, even if she wasn’t his Princess. He knew the trip from the island through darkness had stressed her pure heart, and he wasn’t going to let darkness hurt her again. That means you too, doesn’t it? Shaking out his thoughts, Riku walked towards the tall double doors, keeping Kyla beside him. He used the hand that wasn’t around Kyla’s shoulder to push on the door. It was stuck tight. The door he had thought would be in the wall to lead them to the Grand Hall was not, and Riku almost made a portal to take Kyla back, but he decided that the second trip through darkness might crash her fragile heart.
Her tears were running dry, but she still sobbed. Riku guessed she most be afraid. This place was pretty much the headquarters for dark plots, and she was pure. What Riku didn’t understand was why he had come with Kyla. They could have just as easily taken only one. He had a good hunch on who had been weaving those dark ties, and they were one of the most connected people to the darkness, in fact they were the most connected person to the darkness, and it would not have been difficult to weave a flow that pulled Kyla from him.
Shouts reached his ears. He placed a hand over Kyla’s mouth, in an attempt to tell her to be quiet. She stopped sobbing for a moment and looked at him. The voices were coming from the outside of the door. He pressed his ear against it, keeping he now silent Kyla against him.
“... failed.”
“I couldn’t do anything! There was no way I could weave three flows at once! You couldn’t even!”
“But I’m not as in-touch with the darkness as you are.”
“And I’m not as skilled with the darkness as you are!”
The voices were muffled, so Riku could not make out the speakers, but they were definitely familiar. Retying his blindfold, he began to see if he could smell the amount of darkness. “Shoulda known,” he muttered, taking the blindfold off.
Kyla looked at him expectantly.
“There’re only three people with hearts that dark, and one’s dead. Diz and Shawna are behind that door.”
As if in reply to his statement, the door burst open and two annoyed people walked in.
Shawna’s eyes lit up as she saw them. “Good, here’s the bait.”
Okay, so in this chapter, we have a little bit o' mushiness... Riku's gotta be the hero... <_< and then we learn new stuff about Twi-ty, King Mickey, and Shawna... and then there's an important question brought to light... PM me for suggestions on how to solve it, cause at the moment I happen to be clueless... ^^'
Kairi looked up when she heard Kyla’s scream. “What could Riku be doing?” she thought as she darted up the stairs.
Twi-ty looked up and slowly followed.
The wooden door burst open and Kairi ran to the balcony. The pools of darkness beneath the couple were already waist deep.
Twi-ty said nothing as she stood behind Kairi.
“Riku! Kyla!” cried Kairi.
Riku glanced up as Kyla moved closer to him, crying because of the pain.
The same pool of darkness that was pulling the couple under began to form beneath Twi-ty.
“Kairi, grab her!” Riku yelled.
Kairi glanced behind her and the two girls held each other in an aerialists’ grip. The harder Kairi pulled, the harder the darkness pulled back.
Twi-ty felt like her arms were going to fall off Kairi was pulling so hard, but she gritted her teeth and tried to pull away from the darkness as best as she could.
Suddenly, the darkness just seemed to give up. It vanished and the two girls tumbled on top of each other.
“Riku!” Kairi glanced towards her friend and ran to him.
The darkness was already enveloping his mouth and nose. Kyla was already completely engulfed save her eyes.
The boy pulled Kyla as close to him as he could. “Hang on,” he thought. “Just hang on.”
Kairi and Twi-ty jumped at them to try and pull them back, but the darkness covered them and then vanished, the couple with it.
Kairi tensed for a minute before a thought popped into her head. “Shawna!” She ran with Twi-ty down to the beach to find Shawna just getting off of a rock she was sitting on.
“Oh, hi,” was all she said as she approached them.
“Are you okay?” Kairi asked frantically.
“Fine, why?”
“Because the darkness just took Kyla and Riku!”
“Oh, no, that’s terrible! Well, I’m alright.”
Something seemed snap inside Twi-ty. She looked at Shawna. “It was you!”
Shawna stepped back in surprise. “What?”
“All this time I thought you were the Princess of Light, but you’re not! You’re the Princess of Darkness, and you’re the one who created those pools to get Kyla, Riku, and I off this island! Then you would’ve gone yourself!”
Shawna’s eyes were wide, seemingly with fear. “What...? I... I would never...”
Kairi looked at the two. “What are you talking about? Twi-ty, are you actually even talking?”
“Don’t try to worm your way out of this,” threatened Twi-ty. “The Organization’s not going to believe me, but just wait; I’ll make sure that you don’t use Kyla and Riku to turn this universe to darkness.”
“Hah, the Organization already knows about me. In fact, I happen to be working with them.”
“No. You’re going to double cross us!” Now it was Twi-ty’s turn to back up.
Kairi scratched her head in disbelief. What was happening? What on earth were they talking about? The sound of a gummi ship averted the girls’ attention.
Twi-ty turned and ran to the place it landed. As soon as the cockpit opened up, she hopped inside, not letting anyone out. “Someone take me back to Castle Oblivion.”
Sora smacked his head repeatedly against the dash board.
“I don’t care who it is that flies this ship, but I’ve got to go back there and warn the Organization about Shawna.”
“What about Shawna?” Jase asked, hand ready to summon his keyblade.
“She’s the Princess of Darkness, and she’s going to double cross the Organization. I have to stop her.”
“Working with Diz?”
“Who?”
“The Organization already knows. Naminé’s told them, I’m sure. Where is Shawna right now?”
“She’s over with Kairi—“
Twi-ty hadn’t even finished her sentence before Sora was out of the cockpit and running towards the house on the beach.
Jase quickly followed, worried about Kyla, and Donald and Goofy came next, King Mickey lingering behind with Twi-ty.
“Know anything new?” Twi-ty asked.
“Axel’s dead,” answered King Mickey.
“Hmmm, more mutiny?”
“Jase, but he’ll return with the light, just like the rest of us.”
Twi-ty nodded. “Good, at least he’s not banished to the darkness for eternity like the rest. Any news on Diz?”
“Nothing. The castle was empty enough. It seemed that the Organization cleared out, except for Axel and Naminé.”
The two began to walk towards the rest of the group. Twi-ty felt a little awkward talking to someone two feet shorter than her, but said nothing about it.
“Naminé’s the last one left, and she’s not even a true member.” She shook her head. “So we’ve lost Castle Oblivion.”
“I suppose someone in the Organization will go to protect Naminé or to take her away once they find out Axel’s fate. You know they mean to kill—“
“What must be done, will be done. We have to make sure that the light returns. Even if not every member of the Organization is whole in their motives, we are, and we’re going to keep it that way. We’re sacrificing one for many. I never liked her that much anyway.”
“You sound... different. Not so hollow.”
“I noticed.” Twi-ty grew quiet. “I yelled at Shawna. I suppose it was anger. Is it normal to feel anger? Especially after a whole life of nothing?”
“I’m not sure. I do not think you should. I would understand it coming from me, because I am not completely empty, like you—“
“Oh, thanks.”
There was a moment of silence before King Mickey spoke again. “Axel... laughed.”
“Laughed? I just don’t understand. Is it possible to regain the emotions? And if it is, then shouldn’t we be able to regain ourselves?”
“Perhaps when you are empty, there is room for something to grow. Every heart has a little light, and a little darkness, no matter how buried the two are.”
“But they have no heart!”
“If Sora could regain lost memories, perhaps the heart can be regained over time.”
“I don’t believe that,” Twi-ty muttered.
King Mickey was going to reply, but wisely kept his mouth shut as they reached the shore where the other five were.
Jase had walked off a ways, staring at the ground and horizon angrily and introspectively. Sora was holding Kairi as he was never going to let her go, and Donald and Goofy were looking on, feeling useless.
“Where’d Shawna go?” Twi-ty asked.
“Left,” Kairi responded. “In a dark portal just after you took off.”
Twi-ty bit her tongue. How she wanted to... She sighed. Something just wasn’t right. If she lost the emptiness, would it still work? Shaking her mind clear she walked into the beach house. She needed to sit for a minute.
Riku slowly reached up and removed his blindfold. He quickly recognized the surroundings as the Castle Chapel of Hollow Bastion. He felt Kyla bury her face deeper into his chest, not daring to look up. He held her tighter. There was no way he was letting anyone harm her, even if she wasn’t his Princess. He knew the trip from the island through darkness had stressed her pure heart, and he wasn’t going to let darkness hurt her again. That means you too, doesn’t it? Shaking out his thoughts, Riku walked towards the tall double doors, keeping Kyla beside him. He used the hand that wasn’t around Kyla’s shoulder to push on the door. It was stuck tight. The door he had thought would be in the wall to lead them to the Grand Hall was not, and Riku almost made a portal to take Kyla back, but he decided that the second trip through darkness might crash her fragile heart.
Her tears were running dry, but she still sobbed. Riku guessed she most be afraid. This place was pretty much the headquarters for dark plots, and she was pure. What Riku didn’t understand was why he had come with Kyla. They could have just as easily taken only one. He had a good hunch on who had been weaving those dark ties, and they were one of the most connected people to the darkness, in fact they were the most connected person to the darkness, and it would not have been difficult to weave a flow that pulled Kyla from him.
Shouts reached his ears. He placed a hand over Kyla’s mouth, in an attempt to tell her to be quiet. She stopped sobbing for a moment and looked at him. The voices were coming from the outside of the door. He pressed his ear against it, keeping he now silent Kyla against him.
“... failed.”
“I couldn’t do anything! There was no way I could weave three flows at once! You couldn’t even!”
“But I’m not as in-touch with the darkness as you are.”
“And I’m not as skilled with the darkness as you are!”
The voices were muffled, so Riku could not make out the speakers, but they were definitely familiar. Retying his blindfold, he began to see if he could smell the amount of darkness. “Shoulda known,” he muttered, taking the blindfold off.
Kyla looked at him expectantly.
“There’re only three people with hearts that dark, and one’s dead. Diz and Shawna are behind that door.”
As if in reply to his statement, the door burst open and two annoyed people walked in.
Shawna’s eyes lit up as she saw them. “Good, here’s the bait.”
- Status