Fanfiction ► The Forbidden Reports (reposted)

[rayndmacc]

everything got deleted... and I hate it... >_< I'm already too lazy to edit out some parts that are supposed to be for the FanFiction.Net version of this fic, you'll have to deal with it. It's not my fault that I have to repost everything again, okay?

A/N: It’s my first Kingdom Hearts fic. Though comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome, please be gentle.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or anything else related to it.

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The Forbidden Reports
Report Introduction: Watching
By: Pan
------------------------------

I was afraid to open my eyes for I might witness the darkness beyond my own darkness. I was afraid to see the people staring at me- their mere presence made me cringe in terror. I was afraid to take a breath and to take a step because I was afraid to fall and to find no one to catch me. I was afraid to feel the pain. I was afraid to loose the comfort of my darkness. And, yes, I was afraid of both the darkness and the light.

Rain was pouring down the happy bustling Traverse Town, creating that unusual mix of warmth and cold. I tried to take in the peaceful atmosphere of this town before I go on my quest to find him. After all, this was where it began. This was where he found new friends- friends Kairi and I will never be. This was where I saw him happy with them. This was where I lost him. And who knows? Maybe this will also be where I’ll loose myself... again...

I lowered my head and started playing with my black cloak. I tried to ignore the feeling that people were giving me strange looks. The moogles didn’t seem to mind me being there anyways. Perhaps they thought I was a poor blind teen who lost his mind because of extreme hunger. I cannot blame them. I do believe I looked quite pitiful- especially in the eyes of the light.

A few distance from where I was, I felt someone was watching me. I supposed he or she was one of those who helped him in his journey- a friend he gained while Kairi and I were not there for him. I chose to ignore the person. I wasn’t guilty of anything anyways. It wasn’t like I was going to blow up the town. As long as my conscience is clean, I can’t be harmed.

A cold breeze caressed my cheek, oddly directing my attention to the dark sky. One sky... one destiny...

I decided it was time to go. Pulling the hood of my cloak over my head, I opened my eyes only to find darkness. My blindfold has kept me light-deprived for the last two years of my pathetic excuse of life yet every time I open my eyes, the obscurity that greets my eyes still surprises me in a very unpleasant manner. I find it funny, really, for the very reason I covered my eyes was because I fear the light but I have yet to get used to the darkness for it, too, I dread.

The figure that was watching must’ve been alerted when I stood up from my seat under the shed and walked past the people giving me odd stares. It’s time to go.

“Now where do I start looking for Sora?”

::::::::::

“Der, Twilight Town,”

Sora stretched his arms, letting out a yawn. He sat beside Goofy who was piloting the gummi ship.

“Hm...,” said Sora, “Twilight Town... I wonder what we’ll find there...”

“Maybe a few new friends?” suggested Goofy.

“Hehe,” Sora smiled. “Yeah, I guess so. Maybe we could take a well-earned break there. Playing with Pooh and his friends drained the energy in me.”

“Really?” Goofy asked innocently, intrigued. “I never knew playing with a slow yellow bear can be so tiring.”

“You bet it can,” said Sora. “It’s a bit frustrating to get him out of the whole he’s stuck in.”

Two years can really change a person. Sora has grown a bit taller and has dumped his happy wardrobe of two years ago for more mature black clothing. He has become wiser, learning new things and meeting different people in his travels. Although he was going through the stage of teenage angst, he still retained his carefree nature. Basically, he was still the Sora everyone knew.

Goofy didn’t change much. So did Donald who was unusually quiet.

Wait. Quiet?

“Donald?” Sora called out to the other room where Donald was supposed to be.

Not receiving a response, Sora got up and walked towards the room when Donald stormed in. He seemed to have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.

“Those dreams again, Donald?” Goofy asked casually.

“Dreams?” asked Sora curiously. “What dreams?”

“Nothing,” snapped Donald. He crossly approached Goofy and said, “Your shift’s done. You can go sleep. I’ll pilot.”

“Uh, Donald, I think you need to cool off first,” said Sora, thinking it won’t be a good idea to let Donald pilot the gummi ship while he’s not in a good mood. “I’ll pilot the ship until you feel better.”

“No, thank you,” said Donald. “Now get off the pilot’s seat, Goofy.”

“Der, if you say so...,” said Goofy, letting the duck take over.

Sora made a mental note to give Goofy a good whack when they arrive in Twilight Town. With Donald in charge, Goofy and Sora held on tightly for dear life. He recklessly barrel rolled and sped up, down and around everything in sight. Sora called to him several times, hoping to get him to stop the wild rollercoaster ride but to no avail. Donald stayed deaf of Sora’s voice.

“Wwwwhhhhaattt’sss wwwrrrrrooonnngggg wwwiitthhh hhiiimmm??!!” Sora asked Goofy through the horrifying speed Donald was taking them.

“Jjjuuusssttt, ddderrrr, eexxxpppreesssiiinngg hhhiiisss eemmootttiooonnsss,” Goofy replied calmly yet with difficulty (Donald didn’t care to slow down). “Mmmaaaayyybbbeeee hhhhheeeee hhhaaadddd annooottthheerr ooonnne oooff ttthhoossse dddrreeeaaammsss. Thhhooossse dddrrreeeaammsss mmmakkke hhiiimmm rrreeaaalllyyy mmmaaaddd…”

“Dddreeaammsss?”

“Dddeerrr, yyyeeaahhh-,”

Their gummi ship made a crash landing in the empty shipyard of Twilight Town. The impact was so great that Goofy and Sora were thrown face flat on the window. Ignoring the damage he caused, Donald stomped off the ship. He stopped halfway to the shipyard gate and turned when he realized Goofy and Sora weren’t following behind him.

“Hurry up!” Donald shouted. “We have no time to waste!” With that, he continued out the shipyard.

Sora and Goofy scrambled out the ship. The boy clad in black looked at Goofy with a puzzled face.

“No time to waste?” Sora asked. “Exactly what are we going to do here anyways?”

Watching them walk out the shipyard was a figure hidden in the shadows of the tall buildings of Twilight Town.

--------------------------------------to be continued-------------------------------------
A/N: Though comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome, please be gentle.

 

[rayndmacc]

Thank you to the only one who reviewed. No one might be reading this fic but I’m still continuing this. It’s the least of my problems anyways.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or anything else related to it.

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The Forbidden Reports
Report 0.1: A World Without You
By: Pan
--------------------------------

Kairi ran her hands on her blue skirt as she sat by Destiny Island’s shore. Two years of stillness- two years without children’s laughter- has made the once-cheery island dull in spite of its breathtaking beauty. For two years it had remained quiet because gone were the happy footsteps of Riku and Sora racing, the bouncing sound of Wakka’s favorite ball and the laughter of Selphie as she watched Tidus hit himself with his wooden sword.

For the last two years, Kairi allowed her hair to grow a bit longer as she gained a bit of height. She also outgrew her purple skirt and white tank top, choosing to sport a blue checkered skirt and white sleeveless shirt. She also trained herself in the art of self defense, eventually getting good at it. Kairi was doing well in her studies too. And maybe... yes, maybe... if he was there, he would have been very happy for her.

A gentle breeze hushed Kairi’s thoughts as she peered through a few strands of her hair that covered her eyes. A few steps away from her, there was a bottle floating on the water. She got up to pick up the bottle which appeared to have something in it.

“Maybe there was a shipwreck or something...,” Kairi thought, noticing the paper inside the bottle. “I wonder who it’s from...”

Kairi took out the paper and unfolded it. The paper appeared to be a part of a bigger piece and a small note was noticeably written carefully in a neat handwriting that was distorted a little by water.

“When I first laid eyes on his tiny figure, I was overjoyed. His innocence was expressed through his turquoise eyes he unquestionably inherited from his mother. It was clear that his silver hair he inherited from me while he got his mother's light skin. His soft laughter was music to my ears and his little smile was my light. Such purity should not be lost to the Darkness.

This brings me to my worries.

I must find the answers to my questions. One day, the Darkness may take him and swallow his heart.

A world without you, my son... I cannot loose you.”

::::::::::

When Riku entered Cid’s shop, everyone shifted to their fighting stance, tugging a small amused smile on the blindfolded teen’s face. Well, they cannot be blamed. He was a pawn of darkness and anyone or anything that has something to do with darkness wasn’t welcome in Traverse Town.

“Uh...,” Riku started nervously yet still amused by the paranoid action of everyone present, “Hi?”

“What do you want?” Cid asked harshly. He obviously didn’t trust Riku.

“I want to refill my stocks,” Riku innocently replied. “I’m kinda running out of potions and stuff.”

“And what makes you think I’m going to sell potions to a... thing like you?!” shouted Cid.

Riku ignored the insult. Okay, so now I am a ‘thing’..., he thought. At least being ‘something’ is better than being ‘nothing’.
“I just need to refill my stocks,” repeated Riku, effectively hiding his annoyance. “It’s not like I will kill all of you with that.”

“How can we be sure you’re not planning anything?” said Yuffie.

“Your friend outside has been following me and watching everything I do ever since I set foot on this world,” said Riku, jerking his thumb towards the door. “Maybe you can ask him if I’ve been planting bombs or doing anything suspicious.”

Leon then went in the shop.

“How did you know I was following you?” he asked Riku.

“Let’s just say he trained me well,” Riku answered teasingly.

“Anyone who has a connection with him isn’t welcomed here!” Yuffie said.

“He told me to ask help from you,” Riku pouted immaturely, finally loosing his composure, “so I’m here to ask for a little help. I shouldn’t have listened to him because I knew you guys will never help me. But I still came here because I thought his words are to be trusted.” He turned to the door and walked away childishly muttering under his breath, “So much for being the almighty King Mickey...”

Leon blocked Riku’s way when he heard “King Mickey”. This triggered Riku to shot Leon a frustrated face. If they weren’t going to sell him potions, it would be help if they’ll just let him be. He already severed his ties with the darkness. There’s nothing for them to fear. What else do they want from him?

“What did you say?” Leon demanded, ignoring Riku’s obvious annoyance.

“I said, ‘So much for being the almighty King Mickey’,” Riku replied flatly. “Now the least you can do, if you aren’t going to sell me anything, is to leave me alone. I’m leaving so you can sleep well tonight.”

Riku tried to go around Leon but the older man refused to let him go.

“What’s your connection with the King?” said Leon.

“What got you so interested?” said Riku, his patience slowly diminishing. “I thought anyone who has a connection with him isn’t welcome here.”

“We thought you were talking about Ansem,” defended Yuffie.

Riku ran his hand through his silver hair as he rolled his turquoise eyes. Why do I even bother?

“Oh, right,” said Riku sarcastically, turning to Cid and the others. “Was I supposed to laugh? Sorry but my laughing button seemed to have some defect. Seriously, what did I expect, for you guys to give me all the help I need? I knew better but I still followed his stupid orders.”

Leon relaxed a bit, perhaps sensing that Riku’s not an enemy but Cloud, Aeris, Cid and Yuffie were still on guard.

“Not all what you think is true,” Riku continued when no one spoke up, “Not everything is what it seems. Not all who were in the darkness liked it. That’s why I try hard to ignore everyone who stare at me, whisper behind my back, and say ‘Oh, that’s Malificent’s darling angel’. I am the tree. I am the real thing. What you see is only my shadow. What you think of me is not who I am.” He then turned to the door.

“I thank you for calling me a ‘thing’ though,” he said as walked out. “At least I was ‘something’ to you.”

Riku tugged the door hard to slam it but Leon grabbed the doorknob to stop Riku from leaving. The silver-haired teen let go of the door and stormed away from the shop, ignoring Cid’s “Wait, kid!”. Yuffie ran after him and when she grabbed his shoulder, he shrugged it off.

“Just leave me alone, okay?” said Riku, continuing to stomp his way. “You’re not any help and I’m not any good to you. We’re even so just let me go.”

“Let’s talk, kid,” said Yuffie. “What’s your connection with the king?”

“Oh, we just closed the door to Kingdom Hearts,” Riku answered with genuine sarcasm but he still didn’t stop walking. “And for a while we’ve been together. He just told me to look for Sora. It’s nothing really big.”

“Look, kid, we can help you,”

Riku rolled his eyes. Yeah right, he thought.

“I can’t blame you all,” said Riku, cooling off. “It’s hard to trust anyone these days. But sometimes I wonder who else to trust if we continue protecting ourselves from betrayal? Who is there to count on if we are all afraid to risk anything?”

Yuffie paused for a while. “Wow, that’s deep, kid.”

“Stop calling me ‘kid’,” Riku snapped, keeping some distance.

“Well, I trust you now,” said Yuffie, catching up with Riku. “And I’m sorry about what I said back there. I’ll give you my potions and if you need more, I’ll persuade Cid to sell you some. And if it’s the king’s order, I’ll help you find Sora. I’ll tell you if I see him around.”

The silver-haired teen stopped and turned to Yuffie. Though he cannot see her, he knew she was sincere.

“Don’t tell me you don’t trust me, kid,” teased Yuffie.

“I have a name,” said Riku.

Yuffie held out her hand. “I’m Yuffie.”

“My name’s Riku,” said Riku, hesitantly taking Yuffie’s hand.

“Glad to meet you,” said Yuffie. “We’re not exactly a friendly welcoming committee but thanks for understanding.” She turned and gestured Riku to follow her back to the shop. “Come on. I bet they’re waiting for us.”

“You guys are strange,” said Riku. “First you refuse to help me. Now you’re telling me they’re waiting for us.”

“Any friend of the king is our friend too,”

“Oh, so if I didn’t tell you I knew the king, you won’t help me?”

“Yeah, sorry, it’s hard to trust anyone Sora knows,” said Yuffie. “Well, you see... There have been a couple of customers in Cid’s shop who claimed they where friends with Sora. It was obvious they just wanted to get a discount...”

“Then how could you be so sure I’m telling you the truth?” asked Riku curiously.

Yuffie shrugged. “Why, are you planning to kill us all?”

“No,”

“Well then let’s go,”

::::::::::

“Come back here!” a blonde teen in black and white called after a white creature running away from him. “Why can’t you just stay put for once?”

The blonde continued to run after the strange white creature along the streets of Twilight Town. But he eventually lost track of the creature when it disappeared into a wall. He stops after he lost the creature.

“I wish Dusks can stay still for me one time,” the blonde sighed in frustration.
--------------------------------------to be continued-------------------------------------
A/N: Though comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome, please be gentle. Yes, the white creatures are called “Dusk” according to KingdomHearts2.net.

 

[rayndmacc]

Thanks Yume Hikari.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or anything else related to it- not even the song.

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The Forbidden Reports
Report 0.2: Just Like Our Hearts
By: Pan
-------------------------------

“Gawrsh, Donald,”

Donald Duck slammed his mug of root beer on their table, getting the attention of everyone in the bar.

“I’m trying to get it off my mind so keep quiet!” Donald quacked at Goofy.

“If you need to get it off your chest,” Sora said, “you can always tell us.”

Goofy looked at Donald worriedly. They both dreamt of the same thing and he understood what his friend felt but he knew that if he showed his own frustration, he was just going to ruin Sora’s happy disposition.

“The best thing you can do for me now,” said Donald crossly, “is to shut up and keep anything silver out of my sight.”

“Anything silver?” asked Sora curiously, looking at Goofy for answers.

Goofy just shrugged. “Okay Donald.”

Sora leaned to Goofy as Donald quietly stared at his root bear mug like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

“What’s with silver that he doesn’t like?” he whispered to Goofy.

“It reminds him of something in the dream,” Goofy replied.

“Oh...,” said Sora as he retreated to his own space and proceeded to finishing his juice.

Actually, it reminds him of that silver-headed baby, thought Goofy, drinking his own glass of orange juice. Poor kid... Wonder where he is now...

Unknown to Sora, Goofy and Donald, just outside the bar they were in, the blonde kid and two Dusks were on a wild chase.

“Stop it, you two!!!” the blonde kid screamed.
::::::::::
Kairi looked up the dark night sky just in time to see a star blink out. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief and once again looked up. Another star disappeared.

“This...,” she whispered, “...can’t be...”

A toddler of about two years appeared a few steps away from Kairi. His small figure hid under the black curtain of the night and his silver hair gently obeyed the wind. Kairi cannot tell any more of the child’s feature than his short silver hair and fair skin which was possibly pale if not only for the darkness.

“It’s your turn to fight,”

Though the child’s whisper was far from audible, Kairi felt the words. She slowly walked towards the child who stepped backwards- farther away from her.

“What do you mean?” Kairi asked.

“Take part in the war,” the child ignored Kairi’s desperate question. “Lend a hand to the light. It’s your turn to fight.”

“Wait,” said Kairi, “what war?”

“...kimi to yu...,”

The child began to sing slowly yet as he faded to the darkness, his voice went with him.

“...hikari ga watashi wo mitsukeru...”

“Wait!” Kairi called, reaching out her hand.

“…mayonakani...”

When the child was already gone, Kairi found herself ankle-deep in the waters of Destiny Island. She looked around hoping to find the child but to no avail.

“That song...,” said Kairi, “…I’ve heard that... somewhere...”

“It’s your turn to fight,” the child’s voice echoed from nowhere.

::::::::::

“Hey, kid, where did you learn that song?”

Cid took notice of the song Riku was humming in his seat. It was a song Cid would rather not remember for it brought back memories of an infant in the arms of a weeping woman. He could still hear the cries of the infant while the mother sang the song quietly, tears rolling down her cheeks. The song rang in his ears like a deafening scream though the mother’s voice was barely a whisper. For him, the memory was a nightmare- a recurring dream that was trying to rip off his sanity.

“My mother used to sing it to me,” answered Riku, wonder why Cid got suddenly interested. “I’ve known it ever since I was little.”

“Where’s your mother?” asked Cid.

“She’s back home,” said Riku. “Well... I think and I hope.”

“Where’s your father?”

“Um... I don’t know. I’ve never met him and my mother never talked about him,”

“How old were you when you arrived at Destiny Islands?” Cid’s heart picked up speed and was already pounding hard.

“I’ve been there with my mom ever since I could remember,” said Riku. “Why’d you wanna know?”

Cid shook his head and said, “Nothing. I just want to know more about you.” Seeing Riku scowl, Cid quickly added, “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just want to know more about you. That’s all.”

Keeping his scowl, Riku looked down to his feet and started humming again while Cid resumed to packing the teen’s things.

As time passed by, Cid became overprotective of Riku. At first, he found it irritating because he thought the old man didn’t trust him but late on, he felt it was more than lack of trust- it was like Cid owes Riku his life.

Leon and Cloud went in the shop carrying boxes of gummi ship parts they weren’t able to make use of. Cid asked them to build a gummi ship for Riku to use in looking for Sora.

“We asked some people if they saw Sora lately,” said Cloud, setting the boxes on the floor. “One guy from Halloweentown said he last saw them there.”

“I think one of you should come with this kid,” Cid told Leon and Cloud. “You know, just in case he gets into any trouble.”

“That isn’t necessary,” said Riku. “I can take care of myself.”

“Oh but you needed our help,”

“I only wanted to buy some potions,”

“It’s still the same, kid,”

Riku pouted and crossed his arms. Cid ignored the childish reaction and asked Leon to take Riku’s things to the gummi ship.

“Cloud, go with Riku,” Cid said.

“No,” Riku protested.

“Don’t be hard-headed, kid,” snapped Cid. “Cloud’s going with you whether you like it or not.”

“If he doesn’t want me to go, I won’t,” said Cloud, gaining a smile from Riku. “There’s no point in forcing him.”

“Hmp,”

“I can take care of myself, gramps,” Riku told Cid, his hands on his hips. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Don’t call me gramps, kid,”

“Don’t call me kid, gramps,”

Cloud rolled his eyes at Cid and Riku’s immature argument. He didn’t doubt it one second: Riku was really Sora’s friend- they’re both awfully stubborn. But he did wonder about Cid’s strange actions since they took Riku in that day. Cloud has never seen the man so concerned of anyone before. Even with Sora, Cid wasn’t too protective that’s why it really puzzled him when the old man asked him to come with Riku.

“You let Sora on his own,” Cloud told Cid, “so why can’t you let Riku?”

“Technically, Sora wasn’t on his own,” said Cid. “He has Donald and Goofy.”

Riku looked away. The thought of Sora having new friends did hurt. Sora, Kairi and he used to be the best of friends. They used to be always together. But then they were torn apart... all because of his surrender to the dark...

Cid noticed Riku’s sudden silence so he approached the teen and gave him a pat at the back.

“You know, kid?” said Cid. “All Sora thought about the whole time was finding you and that Kairi girl.”

::::::::::

“Where did they disappear to now?” the blond kid panted, dropping on his knees in the middle of the almost-empty sidewalk. “Do I have to go chasing Dusks for the rest of my life?”

He then noticed a slightly-crumpled piece of paper on the ground which seemed to have been ripped off a bigger piece. Curiosity killed the cat so he picked it up and read it.

“He mimics the sounds he hears and the actions he sees. He reacts to the smallest of things just like when his little cousin pinched his cheeks lightly- he cried. He could feel the pain of my people... He cries when one of them comes to me for help. It is like he is the mirror of the world I rule. He is indeed gifted.

An infant is fragile. Just like our hearts.”

--------------------------------------to be continued-------------------------------------
A/N: Though comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome, please be gentle.

 

[rayndmacc]

Thanks to those who reviewed. I know this story isn’t making any sense but I’m continuing anyway...

Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or anything else related to it- not even the song.

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The Forbidden Reports
Report 0.3: Genuine Purity
By: Pan
-------------------------------

In a certain street in Twilight Town, a blonde kid holding a piece of paper stood. He was alone yet he didn’t seem to notice for he was preoccupied by the paper he was holding.

“Interesting paper...,” thought the kid, putting the paper in his pocket. “Maybe I could look for more of these... At least it’s more worthwhile than chasing Dusks.”

The kid was a bit skinny and he wore black and white. He had light skin, had blonde hair and had beautiful azure eyes that would keep one entranced. His clear face mirrored the serenity of the sky. His senses were sensitive too and he had excellent reflexes so when he felt someone- or something- coming up behind him, he swiftly swung the keyblades that materialized to his hands and turned to point them to whatever it was. To his surprise, he found himself staring at a pair of shocked forget-me-not eyes owned by a kid his age who was with the strangest of companions- a duck and a dog- and who looked...

...just like him...

::::::::::

Kairi stood in silence by the shore of the island she and her friends once played in. She just stared at the horizon, hoping to see her friends on a raft, waving at her. Dropping Sora’s wooden sword on the sand, she unhurriedly walked to the water. Kairi took off her footwear and let her feet sink in the sand underwater. She took in the pleasure of cold warmth.

Everything’s so ironic..., thought Kairi. The water is so cold yet I feel the warmth of contentment... It’s so peaceful yet worlds are falling apart...

She turned when she heard a stealthy sound and saw a Heartless slowly taking steps toward her. She backed away, bumping on another one. She looked around and found herself surrounded by an army of Heartless.

“Kairi, think fast!” she mentally screamed at herself. Then she noticed Sora’s wooden sword on the ground.

Well, I never knew it would be useful, Kairi thought, quickly picking it up and swinging it around, getting rid of some Heartless. Learning self defense does come handy...

The Heartless slowly closed in on her, avoiding (some, in vain) the wooden sword Kairi was swinging around like a professional.

“I can’t go on like this...,” Kairi told herself. “I have to find a way out or something...”

Kairi...

The child’s voice rang in her ears from nowhere.

It’s your turn to fight...

It was when Kairi realized, “The secret place!”

She made her way to the secret place, slashing Heartless out of the way with Sora’s wooden sword. Kairi had been using it to write a large message on the sand before the Heartless arrived. Now she hoped more than ever that her friends will be able to read it.

Please come back!!!

When Kairi reached the secret place, she found the door glowing. The Heartless all withdrew at the sight of this. They cringed nastily at it.

Kairi felt that the door was calling her. She got scared but if she turned back, she would have to fight a possibly unending battle against the Heartless.

This time, I’ll fight, Kairi told herself firmly.

Kairi walked towards the door. She reached out and the moment her hand touched it, a blinding light swallowed Destiny Islands.

::::::::::

A beautiful woman wearing a black lacey dress looked back at the castle. Her jet black hair framed her pale face, her lips were rosebud red, her eyes were turquoise and her skin was like porcelain. In her arms was a silver-haired child whose eyes were like hers. She was scared- not for herself but for the child.

“This is, der, for your own safety, ma’am,” the captain of the royal knights told her as he pleaded her not to look back.

“We won’t have any other chance,” a man said. “We have to go now.”

The woman was accompanied by an army of unlikely beings lead by King Mickey. Their mission was to take the child away safely even if they have to risk their lives and it proved to be not just child’s play. The opposing king’s army was as powerful as King Mickey’s- a war would be inevitable if the two forces met.

“If... I die...,” the woman began but the king interrupted.

“You are not going to die,” the king said with assurance. “You and the baby will be safe.”

“Let’s go,” quacked the court magician impatiently. “We can’t risk them catching up with us!”

The woman nodded and they moved on. They had to hurry- time was running out.

::::::::::

“Riku,”

Riku snapped back to reality.

His mind wandered off while walking with Leon that night. There were so many questions in his mind but he found no answer to any of them. Cid seemed to know something but he kept steering away when Riku tried to bring the subject up.

“There’s something that Cid wanted me to give you,” Leon said in the most serious manner. “He said I have to make you promise that you’ll never lose it.”

“What is it?” Riku asked curiously.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know,” said Leon with a shrug. “Just promise that you’ll take care of it.”

“I promise,”

Leon took out a small black box from his pocket. It was the size of his palm and had silver butterflies delicately engraved on it. Riku took it from Leon.

“What’s inside?” asked Riku, carefully examining the box.

“Why don’t you open it?” Leon replied.

Riku tried to open the box in any way he could think of but he didn’t even come close.

“It won’t open...,”

“Cid said you have to ask it to open,”

Riku raised an eyebrow.

“What, I’m supposed to say ‘Please open’?” said Riku sarcastically.

To their astonishment, the box slowly opened. The song Riku hummed a while back played slowly and gently as the box opened, revealing a piece of paper that looked like it was ripped off from a book. The paper was cushioned on black velvet and was carefully folded in half.

“Cid was right,” said Leon. “The music box is for you.”

“You said you didn’t know what it is,” said Riku. “And how can you say it really is for me?”

“Cid said that if you managed to open it, you are who he was looking for,” Leon said, walking ahead of a still-confused Riku. “Neither of us knew what is inside the box because none of us was able to open it.”

Riku took the paper and put the box in his cloak pocket, following behind Leon. He examine it as cautiously as he examined the box.

“You’re going to Halloweentown, right?” said Leon.

“Yeah, why?” said Riku.

“I’ll go with you,”

“Look, I told Cid I don’t want any companions,”

“No, he didn’t ask me to,”

“Then why do you wanna come with me?”

“You were able to open that thing,”

“So what if I was able to open it?”

“It only means you’re special,” Leon said. “And I can’t let someone like you just go joyriding alone. People- or monsters- will be after you.”

“And so what if they’ll be after me?” said Riku childishly. He was annoyed by the feeling that Leon is treating him like a kid.

“You’re alone, in case you have forgotten,” said Leon. “Sora would never have survived if he was alone.”

“I’m not Sora,” Riku pouted.

Leon ignored Riku’s last remark and continued walking. Silence sat between them for a while.

“Am I supposed to read this?” Riku finally broke the ice.

“It depends on you. It’s yours,”

Riku unfolded the paper. Something about the penmanship of whoever wrote the short note on the paper made his heart skip a beat. He felt warmth and happiness flood inside him. He didn’t know why. He just felt it.

“His eyes of turquoise that mimic his mother’s...

Is it of genuine purity or is it to deceive the people?

Or is he just special?

My son puzzles me as much as Heartless do.

One thing I’m sure of, though, is that he is not just like any other children. He seems to be more perceptive. Perhaps, he’ll make a great king someday. I am pleased.

And yet, I am bother by his uniqueness...

He whose eyes mirror the bright sky, like land looking up at the sky...

I shall call him Riku.”

--------------------------------------to be continued-------------------------------------
A/N: Though comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome, please be gentle.

 

[rayndmacc]

Thanks to those who reviewed.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or anything else related to it- not even the song.

------------------------
The Forbidden Reports
Report 0.4: Gift or Curse
By: Pan
------------------------

Leon quietly piloted the gummiship while Riku, too dumbfounded to even realize where he was, sat beside him. Leon never dared ask what was written on the paper his companion held so tightly because he was afraid that Riku would go berserk. Though he cannot read the teen’s eyes through the blindfold, he can very well tell the uneasiness by the uncomfortable fidgeting so he let Riku cool off for a while.

“Where did the box come from?” Riku broke the silence. Annoyance, anger, sadness and curiosity lingered in his voice.

“I don’t know,” said Leon. “I asked Cid the same thing but he told me he didn’t know either.”

Riku fell silent again.

“Don’t worry yourself with that,” Leon said. “There are other things to worry about.”

“Yeah, well, I guess so,” Riku said. He then got up. “I’ll fix you some snacks then I can pilot so you’ll get some rest.”

“No, you rest,” said Leon. “If I let you pilot with a tired mind, we won’t get to Halloweentown in one piece. I can take care of myself. I’ll eat when I’m hungry. Autopilot is not there for nothing.”

“Everything’s my fault,”

Leon sighed heavily. He almost forgot that he’d be dealing with teenage angst if he was to accompany Riku. Oh how he wondered what made him insist on coming with the blindfolded kid.

“Nothing is your fault,” he said, slightly irritated. “You didn’t want any of it to happen.”

Riku clenched his fist that held the paper.

“What is this ‘he’ll make a great king someday’ thing?!” Riku screamed. “Who wrote this? Is this about me? If so, who am I, really? Wh-whoever wrote this... does he... is he?” He trailed off, dropping on his knees. “I haven’t solved my problems yet and now there’s one more thing to bother me... Stupid blindfold... It’s supposed to keep me from seeing the things I don’t want to see.”

“I told you,” said Leon, “Don’t worry your life away just because of whatever’s written on that paper. You can think about that later when we find Sora and the others. Why were you able to read it in the first place?”

“I was trained to not depend on my eyes to see,” Riku said, leaning against the wall and stretching his legs before him. “I’m not completely sightless. In fact, I can see dark misty silhouettes of some sort.”

“I’m impressed,”

“You should be,”

“Don’t you miss the colors?”

“Sometimes...,”

Riku took out the box from his pocket and placed the piece of paper in it as carefully as it must’ve been placed before. He kept it open for a while so he could listen to the song.

“When I finally find what I’m looking for, I will take this blindfold off,” he said with determination.

“Let’s get you to bed,” Leon said, activating the Autopilot and helping Riku up. “You need rest.”

----------

“Kairi!”

“Kairi, are you okay?”

“Kairi, wake up!”

Familiar voices flooded her ears when she opened her eyes. She was sitting in an empty white space- too white it was almost blinding. So Kairi squinted as familiar figures formed around her.

“W-where am I?” Kairi asked as she slowly opened her eyes.

“Um, you’re here with us?” as voice of a girl replied.

Kairi blinked when she found Selphie’s face an inch away from her.

“Are you okay, Kairi?” another familiar voice asked.

“Selphie? Tidus?” said Kairi. She looked behind Selphie and found Tidus and Wakka. “Wakka? Are you guys real or am I just dreaming?”

“We’re a hundred percent real,” Tidus said proudly with his thumbs up.

“You’ve been asleep for so long,” said Wakka, “we were really worried.”

“I’m fine now,” said Kairi happily, “there’s no need to worry.”

Kairi was so overjoyed. She was reunited with her friends! For two years, she has been waiting for that moment. Those days of sadness and longing has come to an end. Finally she felt safe.

Wakka has grown an inch or two. He still had his favorite ball and was still the big brother figure Kairi knew. Tidus has grown taller too and has probably become better in handling his trusty stick. Selphie was slightly shorter than Wakka and Tidus but she seemed to have become better in battle too. All of them have changed in the outside but Kairi knew that they were still the same in the inside.

Kairi gave Selphie the tightest hug she could muster.

“K-kairi!!!” Selphie gasped. “I can’t breathe!”

“Oh, sorry!” said Kairi, letting go of Selphie. “It’s just that I’m so happy to see you guys again!”

“We’re glad to see you too,” said Wakka.

“Well, um...,” Kairi looked around. “Where are we?”

Just as Kairi finished her question, round stained glass- platform lit up underneath them and the rest of the white space turned pitch black.

“Cool,” said Tidus. “For ages we’ve been living in a completely white, absolutely empty space. This is a nice change.”

“So you mean you guys have been at the other side of the door all along?” said Kairi.

“We don’t know,” said Wakka. “One day we just woke up and found ourselves here.”

“Look at this platform thingy, guys!” squealed Selphie, looking at the platform they were on. “It’s so beautiful!”

Kairi stood up and examined the platform. Selphie was right- it was very beautiful.

It was a portrait of a beautiful lady wearing a lacey dress as black as her hair and she was holding a bouquet of roses as blood red as her lips. Her skinned looked like chinaware, probably because the platform was stained glass. Flowers of different kinds and colors surrounded the lady and silver butterflies occupied the remaining space in the portrait. She was the goddess of beauty and eternal damnation of all men, in Kairi’s opinion, for she seemed so flawless and everything about her attracted too much attention. But what really interested Kairi were the lady’s eyes because they were a pair of turquoise orbs that resemble the ones owned by someone she will never forget.

“Riku,” said Wakka. “It’s Riku’s mom.”

“Oh, now why didn’t I recognize her?” said Selphie.

“Maybe because she’s paler there?” suggested Tidus.

“And she didn’t have her usual happy smile,” added Wakka.

True. She wasn’t smiling. In fact, she didn’t have any expression at all. She didn’t have her usual cheery air in the portrait. It was no wonder they didn’t recognize her before.

“But why would her portrait be on a stained glass platform?” asked Kairi. “And why in a place like this?”

“Maybe because she was a queen or something,” said Selphie. “And maybe she once ruled a world and we are somewhere in her castle.”

“That’s a pretty good theory,” said Wakka, “only it’s too farfetched.”

“I don’t think so,” said Tidus. “I overheard our parents once. They were talking about Riku’s mom. They said that she just came from no-one-knows-where with a baby- obviously Riku- and that when their house was being built, a dog and a duck often came to supervise at night.”

“A dog and a duck?” Kairi asked, becoming more interested in their conversation.

“Yeah, why?”

“Sora...,”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” said Selphie. “Where are they? I mean Sora and Riku?”

“Sora’s with a duck and a dog,” said Kairi. “And Riku... he’s somewhere....”

“Does that mean you don’t know?” asked Wakka.

Kairi fell on her knees and started to cry.

“I... I’m confused!” Kairi screamed. “I found this letter... and then a kid showed up... he told me to fight... then the Heartless attacked the island... I was so scared... I touched the door and now I’m here! I found you guys but found no answer to my questions... and now... this...”

Selphie, Wakka and Tidus closed in and trapped Kairi in a big group hug. They knew they can’t give her answers but they believed that they can give her comfort.

“Don’t worry Kairi,” said Selphie. “We’ll go through this together.”

Tidus pulled out of the hug and searched his pocket with his hand.

“You said you found a letter of some sort,” he said, pulling out a paper from his pocket. “When we got here, we found one too. It’s not exactly a letter. It’s just a piece of note addressed to no one in particular.” He gave the paper to Kairi.

The paper was just like the one she found at Destiny Island only it didn’t have smudges. Instead, it was half-burnt at the edges. The penmanship was delicate (exactly like the one she found) and perhaps it would’ve looked better if the paper wasn’t crumpled, torn and burned.

Kairi read the note aloud.

“I must protect my son from the Heartless... I cannot let them take his heart.

Yet his uniqueness, his intelligence bothers me. He seems to have the ability to communicate with them. Is this a gift or a curse? What connection does he have with them? Should I fear this or should I help hone his skill?

I fear that someday, he will be taken away. I cannot let that day come.”

----------

Riku sat up and stretched his arms.

That was probably the best sleep I ever had in years, he thought as he got off his sleeping bag.

Leon was still piloting when Riku went in the cockpit holding a bottle of milk. A plate of cookies sat on the seat beside him.

“How was your sleep?” asked Leon.

“I feel better now,” Riku answered. “Are we there yet?”

“There it is. Can you see Halloweentown?”

“All I see is a dark spot on a black plane and a misty gray cloudy thingy outstretched at it,” said Riku. “I’m guessing you’re pointing at it.”

“I don’t know what to think of you,”

“Just think that I’m the best,”

Leon shook his head in surrender. Riku was indeed still a kid ever if he didn’t want to accept it.

They landed safely in Halloweentown. Jack warmly welcomed Leon as he got off the ship but his smile slightly faded when he saw Riku.

“He’s on our side,” Leon told Jack as Riku stood outside the ship with his milk. “King Mickey sent him.”

“Well then, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about,” said Jack with a smile. “A friend of the king is a friend of ours.”

“So far, you’re the only one who said that,” Riku said in light surprise.

“It’s not really easy to trust people these days,” Jack frowned. “Even people close to you are hard to trust.”

“Jack, we need to talk,” said Leon. “Just the two of us.”

“Okay. About what?”

“Riku, stay here,”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” said Riku sarcastically, leaning on the ship. “You go on.”

Riku watched Leon and Jack walk away. He guessed it had something to do with him.

-----------

“W-who are you?”

It was the first thing that came out from his mouth. His keyblades dematerialized as suddenly as it appeared. This boy can’t be of any harm- can he?

“Well, who are you?” asked Sora pouting, his hands on his hips.

“I asked first!” the blonde kid said, annoyed by Sora’s stubbornness.

“I’m Sora,”

“My name’s Ten,”

“Sora and Ten?” Goofy said innocently. “You look, der, alike and your names mean the same thing.”

“Why do you look like me?” Sora said.

“I was meaning to ask you the same question,” said Ten when a Dusk swiftly passed by them.

Ten went on to run after the Dusk, saying, “Got to go!”

“Hey, what’s that?” said Sora, deciding to follow Ten.

“Wait, Sora!” Donald quacked after Sora.

Goofy and Donald didn’t have a choice but to follow the two teenagers through the streets of Twilight Town.

--------------------------------------to be continued-------------------------------------
A/N: Though comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome, please be gentle.

 

[rayndmacc]

Thanks to those who reviewed.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or anything else related to it- not even the song. I don’t own Ripley’s either.

-----------------------
The Forbidden Reports
Report 0.5: Connection
By: Pan
-----------------------

Sora, Goofy and Donald watched in awe as Ten skillfully battled a group of Dusks. They had never seen anyone as graceful as Ten- everything looked so natural yet so choreographed. One swing of the keyblades and Dusks already vanished, temporarily leaving their sign in the air.

Ten gracefully landed from a finishing high jump. He turned to the trio who all gaped at him like he was some amazing Ripley’s Believe it or Not exhibit.
“Why did you follow me?” asked Ten.

“Um... we wanted to know what those white creatures were?” Sora answered uncertainly.

“Actually, we wanted to see the paper you were holding a while ago,” said Goofy.

“Oh, that?” said Ten, reaching for the paper in his pocket. He pulled it out and handed it to Sora. “You followed me for that? Why’d you wanna see it?”

“We thought, maybe,” Sora said taking the paper, “it’s one of the pieces we’re looking for.”

As Sora and Donald read the short note on the paper, Goofy curiously asked Ten about the Dusks.

“There used to be a lot of Heartless here,” Ten told Goofy. “But after the Dusks- the white creatures- came, they started to move to the deserted side of the town and come out only at night when Dusks are rarely seen. It was like... they fear the Dusks... So now I’m stuck with defending Twilight from all of them.”

“How come you have two keyblades?” Goofy asked innocently.

Ten tilted his head to the side and stared at Goofy. He tightened his grip on his keyblades as his eyes narrowed.

“You know about keyblades?” Ten replied.

“Der, yeah,” Goofy answered casually. “Sora has one.”

Ten turned to Sora who looked up from the paper and met his gaze. They stared at each other long enough that if stares could burn they would’ve been already toasted.

“Somebody owns one of these keyblades,” said Ten in a serious tone- very different from the carefree Sora-like voice he had a while ago. “It is my mission to find him- or her- and make sure that the rightful owner gets it. If you have one, then you must be a Chosen.”

----------

“The Chosen of the Darkness?”

Jack bent to Leon’s height and studied the poker face, looking for a sign that says he heard wrong.

“How could you be so sure?” said Jack, still not believing what Leon told him.

“He was able to open the box,” Leon seriously said. “And you know that his son is the only one who can open it.”

“And his son is...,” Jack trailed away.

There was a long silence that followed until Jack fell on his knees.

“But Sora is the keyblade master!” he wailed.

“Master and weilder,” said Leon, “I think there is a difference. But we may never know which one is which. All we can say for now is that Riku may be the Chosen of the Darkness.”

“If he is, and Sora is the Chosen of the Light,” said Jack, still on his knees, “then who is of the InBetween?”

Leon shrugged in Jack’s dismay.

“Does he know about this?” asked Jack.

“No,” replied Leon. “I told him I didn’t know anything about the box.”

“If he finds out you lied...,”

“I will take whatever punishment,”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,”

Leon looked away from Jack. He didn’t need anyone to know. He didn’t want anyone to know.

“Rinoa? That’s a nice name,”

It was not Riku’s voice from a short distance that caught Leon’s attention. It was the name he said and the soft hauntingly familiar voice that replied, “Thank you”. It was the gentle laughter that was partially drowned by Riku’s own laugh.

Jack noticed that Leon’s eyes trailed to the direction of the gummiship.

“Anything wrong, Leon?”

Leon ignored Jack and slowly walked back to the gummiship. He cannot admit it to himself but he was afraid of what he may see- or perhaps, not see. He was afraid... maybe what he thought it was... was just a thought.

Riku spotted Leon a few steps away from him, the gummiship and a black-haired woman in blue. He cheerfully waved at him- something that caught Leon off guard because Riku was acting angsty just a while ago.

“Hey Leon!” Riku called.

The black-haired lady turned to see Leon and both stared at each other for what seemed like forever.

“You... two know each other?” asked Riku.

“Rinoa?” was all Leon could say.

“Squall?” Rinoa replied.

Riku stared at Leon and Rinoa.

“Uh... Riku?”

Leon and Rinoa didn’t move nor speak so Riku shrugged and decided to leave them alone and look for Jack.

Maybe there is something called “magic”, Riku thought as he walked away.
“Riku!” the blindfolded-kid heard Jack’s voice call him so he stopped and turned.

Jack made his presence known by lightly tapping Riku’s shoulder though he knew it wasn’t necessary. He was amazed by the fact that Riku seemed to see through the blindfold even if it was quite thick of a cloth. He actually, at one point, doubted that Riku cannot see but quickly forgot it when he and Leon had a talk.

“Is that for me?” Riku asked, referring to the box Jack held with his left had.

He was surprised but Jack avoided stuttering as he answered.

“Yes, I think it is,”

“You think?”

“The other box was for you... Maybe this one’s not any different,”

“I won’t take it,”

“W-why not?”

“Well, you said it may not any different from the other box,” said Riku stubbornly, turning and starting to walk away. “The other one wasn’t a good joke.”

“Neither was it a joke,” Jack said sternly.

Jack walked ahead Riku (his long legs didn’t require him to run) and blocked his way. The silver-haired ignored him and failed to hear his last comment so he repeated it.

“Whatever was written in that report, it was no joke,” said Jack with conviction. He held the box in front of Riku. “And you HAVE to read the report inside this box!”

“Why should I?” Riku retorted.

“Because the pieces of this report hold the answers to your questions!” said Jack. “Whether you like what you find out or not, you cannot ignore the fact that you have been caught up in the history of this terrible war even before you were born.

May you be the Chosen- the master, the wielder or the guardian- it doesn’t matter now. What matters is you have something to do with this and that you will take part in the opening of the door to the light. Sora is your friend, that’s why you’re here looking for him. But you will never find him if you can’t find yourself.”

Riku narrowed his eyes. Though Jack cannot see it, he knew he was able to push a button...

“I’m not making sense here, huh?” Jack said after sighing deeply.

...or perhaps otherwise.

“Just give it a try,” said Jack. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll be able to find something you’ll be glad you found.”

Riku took the box from Jack and scrutinized it for a while.

It’s just like the first one..., Riku thought before saying, “Open.”

The box shot open (...but this one’s a bit rough, Riku thought) and gained a “Whoa!” from Jack.

“We tried blowing it up but it stayed shut until now,” said Jack in amazement.

Riku took the paper and started reading it.

“Whoa... you can read that?!”

“On the night he was born, stars were blinking out of the dark night sky. Silver butterflies appeared, seemingly rejoicing his birth.

But what of the stars? I do not know.

I took a Heartless near him once and they, in my judgment, started to communicate. But of what their conservation was about, I do not know.

My son stretched out his tiny hand and touched the Heartless...

...and the Heartless disintegrated.

That night, more stars started to blink out.”

----------

Kairi, Wakka, Selphie and Tidus examined the stained glass platform for any sign of a secret door. They knew it was a bit impossible but they decided to find a way to get out of the dark place and look for Sora and Riku. They felt that the boys had something to do with whatever was happening especially since Riku’s mother was the lady in the portrait.

Kairi slowly traced the silver butterflies with her fingers and hummed the song that the child sang. There was something in the butterflies that reminded her of the song...

“Hey, Kairi,” said Tidus. “Isn’t that the lullaby Riku’s mother used to sing to him?”

“Huh?” Kairi supposed out of deep thought.

“That song,”

“Oh... uh...,”

“You know,” said Selphie, “I really like that song. And when I think of it, I remember the sweet voice of Riku’s mother... It’s been a long time since I heard it.”

“Yeah, me too,” said Wakka. “I think it goes like this...”

Wakka started to sing the first few lines then Selphie joined him. Tidus sat and closed his eyes as he hummed the song.

“Wait!” Kairi shouted in somewhere in the middle of the song. “That line! The kid sang that line to me!”

Kimi to iu hikari ga...

“Doesn’t it mean, ‘the light known as you’?” said Selphie.

...watashi wo mitsukeru...

“‘finds me in the middle of the night’,” Tidus continued.

...mayonakani...

“What do you think did the kid mean?” asked Kairi.

“Here’s the door...”

Everyone turned and saw the child. He had turquoise eyes, silver hair and fair skin. He wore all black and he was surrounded with silver butterflies. Behind him was a great wooden door that made Kairi feel like it was calling her.

“Is he the kid?” Wakka asked.

Kairi nodded in reply, running out of words.

“You’re getting closer,” said the child.

“Riku!” Tidus called, running to him.

But the child vanished when Tidus was a few steps away from him. The butterflies, however, stayed.

“Is... is he really... Riku?” said Tidus.

“We’re getting closer,” said Kairi. “He said we’re getting closer. He gave us the door. I think we should enter it.”

“Well, I guess we have no other choice,” Selphie shrugged.

The four of them walked to the door. As they entered one by one, with Kairi leading the way, the silver butterflies accompanied them like they were guardians.

“The light known as you...,” the child whispered as he watched Kairi and the others from a distance, “...will take part in this war...”

--------------------------------------to be continued-------------------------------------
A/N: Though comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome, please be gentle.

 

[rayndmacc]

Thanks to those who reviewed. Fixed Report 0.3 booboo... BHK’s eyes are blue.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or anything else related to it.

----------------------------
The Forbidden Reports
Report 0.6: In The Presence
By: Pan
----------------------------

“These butterflies are freaking me out,” Selphie whined as they continued to walk.

“Well, it looks like they’re guiding us or something,” said Kairi, following one exceptional butterfly that seemed to be bigger than the rest.

“Are we there yet?” Selphie continued to complain.

A faint light appeared before them. They all hurried towards it... and found themselves in the middle of a bustling town.

“Uh...,” said Wakka, “exactly where are we?”

“Excuse me, what’s this place?” Tidus asked a Moogle.

“This is Traverse Town, kupo,” the Moogle answered.

“Aaaaawwwww!!!!!” squealed Selphie. She ran up to the Moogle and hugged it tight. “It’s so cute!”

“Hey, Selphie, I think the thing can’t breathe!” said Tidus, trying to make Selphie let go of the poor Moogle.

As Tidus and Wakka did their best to free the Moogle from Selphie’s tight grasp, Kairi took a look at the place. Though everyone was preoccupied, the place was generally quiet and peaceful.

Kairi started to miss her friends Sora and Riku again when she saw a group of kids running around the street across them. They used to be so carefree like them... but now, it seemed like all the worries in the world are on their shoulders. She didn’t know where to start looking for Riku and Sora or if she’ll ever find them again...

“Riku!”

Kairi snapped back to reality when he heard Selphie, Wakka and Tidus shout Riku’s name. She turned around and saw the silver-haired child being stared at to death by her friends.

“R-Riku?” said Kairi.

The child turned to her and smiled. He ran up to her and stretched his arm towards her.

“Nice to meet shoo!” the child said happily.

“N-nice to meet you too,” said Kairi, taking the child’s hand and shaking it. “Riku? What happened to you?”

The child looked at Kairi puzzled. He then shook his head and said, “Nothing happened to Wiku.”

Kairi bent down to the child’s height.

“Where’s Sora?” she asked. “What happened to him?”

The child’s eyes welled up. He covered his ears with his hands and shook his head wildly.

“Sowa not hewe!” the child cried. “Sowa away! Wiku not know!”

Kairi, Selphie, Wakka and Tidus panicked. The Riku they knew was quite prone to tantrums even when they got older. And Riku’s tantrums were not just tantrums... they were those that would make you think it’s the end of the world.

“Riku, it’s okay!” Tidus said. “Kairi was just asking! You didn’t need to know where Sora is!”

“Wiku not know!!!” the child continued to scream.

“Kairi... what are we going to do?” Selphie said.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” said a feminine voice.

They all turned and found a smiling girl in pink and a man with blonde spiky hair standing behind them.

“He’ll be fine,” the girl said, bending to the child’s height and stretching her arms toward him. “Come, Riku.”

The child ran to the girl and wrapped his arms around her neck. She lifted him and stood up.

“I’ll just put him to bed,” said she and walked away.

A long silence followed. Selphie, Wakka and Tidus watched the girl walk away with the child apparently called Riku while the man had a staring contest with Kairi.

The man turned after what seemed like eternity. He told the kids to follow him.

“What happened to Riku?” asked Wakka. “Why’d he become little?”

“And where’s Sora?” Selphie added.

“What’s with the silver butterflies too?” said Tidus.

The man stopped abruptly.

“What silver butterflies?” he asked- a tinge of panic and worry in his voice.

It was then that the four kids realize that the silver butterflies were... gone...

“Uh... they were with us,” said Selphie. “But they disappeared.”

“If you see another one, tell me as soon as possible,” said the man. He then resumed walking.

“You didn’t answer us yet, mister,” said Tidus.

“Where’s Sora?” asked Kairi impatiently. “Is he okay?”

“And what happed to Riku?” said Wakka.

“Riku left for Halloweentown a week ago,” said the man. “Leon is with him. He called yesterday and said Riku’s fine. However, we don’t have any communication with Sora after his last visit. He’d probably be fine as well, though.”

There was an odd silence.

“What do you mean Riku left a week ago?” said Wakka, scratching his head in confusion. “I mean, we just saw him.”

“Cid gave him a gummi ship so he could go looking for Sora,”

“What’s a gummi ship? And the-,”

“That Riku is just a dream,”

Lost for words, Tidus, Wakka, Kairi and Selphie fell silent. More and more questions started to form in their minds but they cannot decide which one to ask first. Everything was too strange to believe- even the fact that they were still alive seemed unbelievable.

“Excuse me...,” said Kairi.

“It’s Cloud,” replied the blonde man.

“Oh, um, Cloud,” Kairi continued. “What do you mean by Riku being a dream?”

“I was afraid you’ll ask...,” said Cloud, not really answering the question.

No one spoke until they reached Cid’s shop. Awed by the things inside the shop, Wakka and Tidus kept asking Cid what the gadgets were for.

“They’re for me to sell!” Cid irritably answered.

“Don’t be too grumpy, gramps!” said Tidus.

“Don’t call me gramps!”

“Excuse me,” said Kairi, banging her palm on the table. “I’m sorry but I want answers! Why are we in this place?! What do you mean by Riku being a dream? What’s with the silver butterflies? What’s happening?!!!!”

Everyone present gaped at Kairi. Her sudden outburst surprised them.

“Look, kid,” said Cid, “you can always ask nicely.”

“Sorry,” Kairi said nervously.

“It’s okay,” Cid waved the awkward situation. “Riku was like that too... Come to think of it... His behaviour was our fault. We thought he was an enemy. That kid has bad temper.”

Noticing the confused look on the kids, Cid proceeded to explain what he could.

“I assume you already met the little guy,” he went on. His cheery voice suddenly became serious. “I must admit he was really creepy when he popped out of nowhere. He... well, let’s just say he’s not supposed to be here. And it was a few days after the real Riku left.

“That kid, as Cloud might’ve told you, is just a dream summoned from the past by an unknown force. He was summoned for a reason and as soon as he fulfils his mission, he will fade and return to where all hearts came from- well, all summoned dreams do. But as to what his mission is, I have no idea.”

Cid sat himself comfortably on a chair and took a sip from his cup of coffee.

“I think it has something to do with...,” Cid trailed away.

Kairi gave Cid a look that tried to urge the man to continue but Cid kept quiet.

“How about the silver butterflies, gramps?” asked Tidus.

“Don’t call me gramps!” retorted Cid but he abruptly paused and his face reflected sheer fear. “What silver butterflies?”

“Those silver butterflies that surrounded Riku back in that dark room... when he led us to the door that took us here,” Selphie explained. “Those silver butterflies on that stained glass platform of Riku’s mom.”

“Oh no...,”

A crying of a child in a distance was heard in the shop. It was shortly joined by amazed comments such as “Whoa!” and “They’re so beautiful!”. Curiosity killed the cat so Cloud, Cid, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie and Kairi hurried outside. To their surprise, a swarm of silver butterflies filled the night sky of Traverse Town.

The girl in pink appeared with a wailing Riku in her arms.

“He won’t stop crying!” the girl worriedly said, trying to comfort Riku who kept screaming and covering his ears.

Cid sighed heavily and said, “I feared this day would come.” He turned to the kids saying, “Take a gummi ship with Cloud and follow Riku and Leon in Halloweentown. Aerith and I will take charge here.”

“They come! They come!” screamed Riku.

“Go! Find them!” Cid ordered Cloud to take the kids with him.

----------

“Goofy said they’ll be staying in Twilight Town for a while,” Jack informed Riku, Leon and Rinoa as the trio boarded the gummi ship. “You might be able to meet them there.”

“Thanks,” said Riku.

Riku immediately occupied the pilot’s seat while Leon showed Rinoa around. The black-haired beauty decided to come with Leon and Riku some time ago. Though Leon didn’t oppose the idea, he still felt that he should ask Riku if she could come since it was the blindfold teen’s journey and not his. He knew Rinoa meant a lot to Leon so Riku agreed- besides, he found her more entertaining (though annoying) than his guy companion. She promised not to be a burden so he thought it would hurt to have her in their team.

“So what do you think?” Riku asked Rinoa.

“It’s great!” said Rinoa enthusiastically. “And you’ve got an abundant supply of milk, I see. You still are a kid.”

Riku pouted replying, “I’m not a kid!”

Rinoa laughed softly at Riku’s childish reaction.

“Guys, I know it’s odd but...,”said Riku, “...I have a strange feeling...”

“Maybe you need to drink your milk,” Leon teased yet keeping an expressionless face.

“Stop it with the milk joke!” said Riku crossly. “I’m serious! I really have a strange feeling! I think we need to stop by Traverse Town...”

“This is your journey, not mine,” said Leon. “I’m only here to guard you.”

“And this fair lady here, I suppose?”

“I guess there’s nothing wrong with assuring Cid that you’re fine,”

“Changing topic, eh? Ah well... What’s wrong with Cid anyway? First he didn’t want to help me. Now he wants me guarded,”

“I’m confused,” Rinoa said, sitting beside the silver-haired kid.

“Don’t worry,” Riku innocently assured her, “Everybody else is.”

----------

Ten made himself comfortable in the gummiship’s corner. Sora, Goofy and Donald asked him to come with them and offered to help him find the other “Chosen”- the rightful owner of Oblivion. He thought it was a nice change, getting aaway from the horrible Dusk-hunting in Twilight Town and he had never been in other worlds before... He found the thought of travelling very exciting.

“Hey, Sora!” Ten called. “Can I see that piece of paper?”

Ten had been really curious as to what the other part (of what they have grown to call “The Report”) says. Donald said he thinks a guy named Ansem wrote it but if what the trio said about the dude was true- if he really was evil- Ten wondered why he didn’t seem like some darkness-loving freak in The Reports. In fact, Ten thought the author sounded like a loving family man.

Sora handed his piece of The Report to Ten who eagerly took it and started reading.

“The Heartless take the hearts of all living creatures they come across yet there is one thing that bothers me greatly...

They have never aimed for my son’s heart.

The Heartless are always tame in the presence of my son. It was as if they hail him their master... their prince... the almighty of all...

It surprises me that a tiny creature like him can have the army of darkness under his command. Astonishing yet alarming, his authority over the Heartless is. Will it be of use to my research? Or will it be a threat to my son’s fate?”

--------------------------------------to be continued-------------------------------------
A/N: Though comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome, please be gentle.

 

[rayndmacc]

Thanks to those who reviewed.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or anything else related to it.

-------------------------------------------
The Forbidden Reports
Report 0.7: Fondness of the Light
By: Pan
-------------------------------------------

Ten glanced out the window as the gummiship slowly descended in front of a bustling market. He marvelled at the place’s beauty for he had never seen such a lively community before. Twilight Town was a busy town but people were usually preoccupied with their own business- and this world... was slightly different.

“Here we are,” Donald said.

“Gawrsh, I never knew worlds can grow,” said Goofy.

Donald took out his staff and hit Goofy hard with it.

“Don’t you notice anything strange?!” Donald quacked. “Ancient Greece is back!”

“Really, Donald?” Goofy replied, confused. “I thought Ancient Greece was destroyed years ago?”

“Then why’s Ancient Greece back?” Sora asked.

“And they don’t seem like their world was destroyed,” commented Ten.

“Hmmm... Why don’t we find out?” Sora suggested. “Come on, guys! Let’s find Hercules and Phil!”

Sora grabbed Ten and began searching for the Coliseum. Ten tried to break free from Sora’s tight grasp but found himself crashing head-on on a big pole.

“Ten!” Sora helped Ten to get up. “Are you okay?”

“Do I look okay to you, Sora?” replied Ten, nursing his aching head.

“Hey, kid!” a voice called to them. “If you wanna kill yourself, don’t do it here!”

Sora turned and saw Phil. He childishly ran to him, leaving Ten outbalanced and dropping hard on the ground. Luckily, Donald and Goofy was there to assist Ten.

“That really hurt...,” said Ten.

“Phil!!!!” Sora excitedly exclaimed. “I’m so happy to see you again!!!”

“Same here, Sora,” said Phil. Noticing Ten, he asked, “Who’s that new friend of yours?”

“Oh, his name’s Ten,” said Sora cheerfully. “He’s from Twilight Town.”

“Twilight Town, eh?” said Phil, walking up to the still-dazed Ten and scrutinizing him. “You look a lot like Sora…”

“I think I’m aware of that,” said Ten.

“Why’s he with you, kid?” Phil asked Sora.

“He’s looking for something... or someone,” replied Sora.

“Who’re ya lookin’ for?” Phil asked Ten.

“Don’t be so hard on the kid, Phil!” said a cheery voice from behind.

“Hercules!” Sora greeted, taking Hercules’ hand and shaking it. “Great to see you again!”

“I’m equally delighted!” Hercules said. He turned to Ten and said, “Don’t mind Phil. He’s been like that since Ancient Greece became whole again.”

“You can’t blame me,” retorted Phil. “It’s hard to trust anyone these days.”

“Anyways, it’s nice for you guys to drop by,” said Hercules. “I heard your new friend is looking for someone. Maybe we can help.”

“Um... you see...,” Sora tried to start explaining but found it rather difficult.

“Ten wields two keyblades,” said Goofy. “He’s looking for the true owner of one of the keyblades he has.”

Phil’s eyes widened, most probably in sheer shock, and his jaw dropped. He fell silent for a few moments before leaning towards Ten.

“Hey, kid,” he whispered seriously. “Is, by any chance, the other keyblade the Oblivion?”

Ten tried to nod slowly- his head still hurt a lot.

“Then you must be a Chosen,”

“I think it’s quite obvious,” Ten muttered under his breath.

“What’s that, kid?”

Ten shook his head slowly.

“In-Between, I suppose?”

Ten nodded and groaned. Phil’s making me hurt myself, he thought.

“Phil, I think Ten needs rest,” Hercules said. “Guys, follow me.”

----------

“Today I took my son outside of the castle. He was never out so long before because I feared his sensitivity but he seemed to like the light a lot. Perhaps I should take him out often.

Perhaps... this is why the Heartless fear him... Perhaps it is because of his fondness of the light.

I took him with me near the door one day and he would not stop crying. It looked like he was panicking... he was afraid...

I find it interesting that the Heartless tried to comfort him. Though it was to no avail, they appeared to be deeply concerned. And this fact intrigues me.”

Kairi folded the paper before catching up with the rest of the group. She found it lying on the ground when they landed on Halloweentown.

Everything was still confusing and what she just read made it worse.

“What’s Riku got to do with all the stuff happening?” Wakka asked Cloud as they looked for Jack.

“The silver butterflies mark the start of a mission the Chosen of the Darkness should fulfil,” Cloud said. “And it means that there is not much time before greater darkness will flood the worlds. The door to the light should be opened as soon as possible.”

“Why is Riku screaming and all that?” said Selphie, frowning at the thought of little Riku being upset.

“No one knows,” said Cloud. “But Cid thinks it’s because the key has not yet found the Chosen.”

“Key?” Kairi joined in. “But... Sora has the key. Isn’t he the Chosen?”

“Sora is one of the three,”

“So there are two more?”

“Yes, and everyone used to fear that the third key will never find its master,”

“Why?”

“It is because the Chosen of the Darkness allegedly died with Ansem years ago but seeing that Ansem did not ‘die’, hope of the Chosen being alive started to make sense,”

A long silence followed and was broken by Jack’s merry welcome.

“Welcome to Halloweentown, Cloud!” Jack said cheerfully. “And you brought friends!”

“They’re Sora’s friends,” Cloud said, seemingly denying his association with the kids. “We’ve come for Riku and Leon. The silver butterflies finally showed themselves.”

“No!” Jack gasped in terror. “The silver butterflies? But why? How?”

“Maybe because the Dream Riku is in Traverse Town,” said Tidus thoughtfully. “I mean, he’s the one who was affected the greatest.”

“Dream Riku?” said Jack. “He has come back then... Maybe that’s why the worlds are all back again.”

“What do you mean?” Kairi asked.

“Ancient Greece is back,” said Jack. “Phil called some time before.”

“Anyways, where’s Riku?” said Selphie.

“Oh, Riku?” said Jack. “He just went after Sora to Twilight Town. He’s with Leon and that nice lady Rinoa. Leon seemed to be pretty fond of her. They left a few minutes ago.”

“WHAT?!” Selphie screamed. “So we came here for nothing?”

“Maybe not,” said Kairi, pulling out the paper from her pocket. “I found another piece.”

“Can I take a look?” Jack asked.

“Sure,”

Jack gasped after taking a look at the paper.

“Do you have other pieces?” he said.

“Yeah, we have two,” Tidus said.

“Where did you find them?” said Jack. “Riku must see them! You must take the report to Riku!”

Cloud gave Jack a meaningful look.

“Yes, Cloud!” Jack exclaimed more in amusement. “I saw him open it! And he was actually able to read it!”

“Well, I wouldn’t wonder,” said Cloud. “Considering he can move around like he can see.”

“What are you guys talking about?” laughed Wakka. “Of course Riku can see and read. He’s actually the fastest reader in school!”

“You haven’t seen him lately, right?” said Jack. “He’s got a blindfold now and I’m really awed. It’s amazing how he can act like there’s nothing wrong with his vision.”

“What’s wrong with his vision?” asked Tidus, concerned. “Why does he have a blindfold?”

“I don’t know, really,” said Jack. “Come to think of it... I never asked...”

----------

The silver butterflies flew above them. To most of the residents in Traverse Town, the butterflies were beautiful- and so to Rinoa who just stepped out of the gummiship.

“They’re so beautiful!” Rinoa squealed.

“Ironic but they bring bad news,” said Leon, stepping out after Rinoa.

“Huh? Why?”

“Look at Riku,”

Riku was in a corner of the ship, covering his ears, cringing in terror- or panic, Rinoa could not tell- and shaking like he was covered in cold ice.

--------------------------------------to be continued-------------------------------------
A/N: Though comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome, please be gentle.

 

[rayndmacc]

Thanks to those who reviewed.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or anything else related to it.

--------------------------------
The Forbidden Reports
Report 0.8: Simply Deep
By: Pan
-------------------------------

A tall dark figure walked towards Cid kept Aerith and Riku behind him. Cid’s eyes narrowed as the man approached with a vengeful grin. They seemed to know each other- and were not in good terms, based on Cid’s obvious effort to melt the man with his hot glares. The man ignored Cid though, for he looked more interested with little Riku who refused to stop crying.

“We met again,” the man said, his cold voice ringing in the four-walled room and worsening Riku’s screams.

“Just to let you know,” Cid replied harshly, “I’m not too pleased.”

“The feeling is mutual,” said the man.

He stopped a few inches away from Cid.

“Where is he?” the man asked. His eyes were on Riku.

“We took him away for a good reason, Ansem,” said Cid firmly.

“And what good reason is that, may I ask?” retorted the man who Cid called Ansem. “Riku is my son. I will take him back because I have the right.”

“You took him back before but did he like it?!” Cid shouted. “Tell me, Ansem, did he like it? Huh? You made him fear you, loath you, despise the very fact that he had something to do with you! What more if he finds out that he is your filthy flesh and blood? He will hate himself for that, Ansem! He is your son so spare him the pain!”

“You plan to keep the secret forever?”

“No, but I plan to keep him away from you forever,”

----------

“I... r-rememb-ber n-now...,”

Riku cringed further to the corner, shivering like there’s no tomorrow. Yuffie (who was fortunately passing by the shipyard when Leon looked for help) did her best to keep Riku warm by wrapping him with layers of thick blankets from the gummiship’s cupboard. She hugged him tight as Rinoa arrived with a cup of hot chocolate. Their efforts were all in vain... nothing seemed to lessen the cold that Riku felt.

“...m-my m-other... u-used t-to say t-that m-my fa-ather was... a g-great m-man...,” Riku continued. “Sh-she was r-right... M-my f-fath-er w-was... g-great...”

Yuffie fought the urge to retort and say, “Great?! You’re kiddin’, right?”. Riku, though he didn’t want to consider the possibility, told them that he was Ansem’s son... or so it was what he thinks. If this was true, Yuffie thought, she can’t insult Ansem especially because one wouldn’t want to mess with a former ‘pawn of darkness’. And that blindfold of his was really creepy for her.

“M-my... f-father... w-was a g-great... JERK!!!” screamed Riku.

Leon showed little sign of reaction yet his eyes seemed to agree with Riku’s statement while Yuffie and Rinoa were taken aback.

“I know it’s n-not right...,” whispered Riku in an almost inaudible voice, “...b-but I h-hate him-m... s-sooooo much!”

Upon hearing panicked footsteps and distressed sobs, Rinoa peeped outside.

“Hey, there’s this girl heading towards us,” she told her companions. “She’s with a kid.”

Yuffie gasped and abruptly stood up. She opened the ship’s door wide and let Aerith and little Riku in.

Aerith handed Riku to Yuffie and desperately tried to catch her breath.

“Is he-?” Leon, seemingly scandalized, started to ask Yuffie.

“Yes, he’s Riku,” replied Yuffie, not bothering to hear the rest of Leon’s question. She took the younger beside the older.

The older Riku was bewildered yet he figured it was more important to keep himself warm than to ask questions he can ask later.

“Wiku!” the younger Riku called the older and reached for him. Yuffie let go of the younger and went to help Aerith.

“We must go,” Aerith said. “Cid told me to take Riku as far as possible.”

“Perfect timing,” said Rinoa. “Riku was right, then. We were supposed to head for Twilight Town but he insisted we stop by here.”

“We must go now!” Aerith became more desperate.

Leon hurried on the pilot’s chair and started the ship’s engines. A few moments after, they already took off.

“What happened, Aerith?” asked Yuffie. “Why did Cid ask you to leave?”

There was silence. Only little Riku’s sobs were heard. Aerith refused to speak.

“Wiku...,” the younger Riku said, his tiny fists holding tight on the older. “Daddy... back for you...”

“Daddy?” the older Riku repeated. “You mean...” -Riku gulped- “...Ansem?”

Little Riku nodded and, shaking, wrapped his arms around the older Riku’s neck who then carefully took him beneath the layers of blankets. He started to calm down and not long after, stopped trembling.

“Are you afraid?” Riku asked and upon receiving a slow nod from the dream Riku, he added, “Same here. Maybe we should help each other get over that fear. Is it okay?”

Riku felt strange embracing his toddler self. He felt his fear and saw his long lost innocence in the child, making him feel like he wasn’t who he used to be anymore.

“Wait!” said Yuffie, breaking the ice. “This will be confusing. Maybe we should give one of you a nickname.”

“Hmm... why don’t we call the little one...,” Aerith suggested, “Wiku? That’s what he calls himself anyways.” She got up and walked beside the two Rikus. “Is it okay?” She asked the younger.

‘Wiku’ nodded slowly. He didn’t look like he really paid attention and seemed very sleepy, making himself comfortable in Riku’s arms.

“Then Wiku it is!” said Yuffie.

Riku studied Wiku’s fragile figure. The little one was already peacefully sleeping, making Riku wonder how a kid could sleep like that in such a tense situation. He thought that maybe he was just like that when he was at Wiku’s age but... he just forgot...

Come to think of it, I don’t remember ever being a kid, thought Riku. And it’s all because of him...

“Riku,” he heard a female voice and looked up to ‘see’ everyone’s eyes on him (aside from Leon, of course).

“Are you okay now?” Rinoa asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Riku simply replied. It was only then that he realized he didn’t feel cold anymore.

“Ansem...,” Aerith began. “He just... wanted you back. He really cares for you, Riku.”

“If he really does, he wouldn’t want me to get tangled up in this stupid web of light and darkness,” said Riku bitterly.

“Don’t you think, Riku, that he possessed you for some selfish reason,” said Leon loudly, a few rooms away, “like... his love for you? Maybe he knew he will loose you if he let the keyblade choose you. Either way, you’ll still get ‘tangled up’ in the web.”

There was another annoying silence.

“Look in Wiku’s pocket,” Aerith told Riku. “He was clutching it when we first saw him. I think you’ll find it interesting.”

Riku put his hand in Wiku’s pocket and felt a piece of paper.

I knew it, he thought as he took it out.

“The Heartless are deeply connected to the people’s hearts... but they appear to have a connection with my son that is far more than simply ‘deep’.
Even the artificial Heartless that I’ve created are fond of my son. It’s surprising how much control he has over the Heartless.
But it’s strange that somehow, this ‘control’ frightens me. Is there something more than meets the eye?”

“Well?” asked Yuffie.

“Well...,” Riku replied, “...it’s getting hot.”

Riku got out of the layers of blankets and wiped his sweat with the back of his free hand.

“Is it Twilight Town for us?” asked Riku.

“Jack said Sora’s there, right?” answered Leon. “It may not be best to give Sora a bad news but we have no other choice, do we? And who knows... maybe we’ll be able to find something more in that place.”

“Reminds me,” said Aerith. “Your friend Kairi and three other kids came to Traverse Town.”

“Kairi?”

“Yes, Cid sent them with Cloud to Halloweentown after you and Leon,”

Everyone fell silent- no one really knew what to say. Riku didn’t even know what to feel...

“There are three Chosens, Riku,” Leon said after a while. “You are one of them. But it seems that the key hasn’t found you yet. You need that key to fulfill your destiny which the silver butterflies represent... And Ansem doesn’t want you to be ripped away from him just like that. He will, at all cost, stop the key from finding you and you from finding that key. Will you promise not to let him?”

“I promise,”

“So is it Twilight Town or Halloweentown?”

“Twilight Town,”

----------

“So what are we goin’ to do now?” Wakka asked.

“What else?” said Kairi. “We’ll go to Twilight Town. We’ll be able to see Riku and Sora there!”

“Then let’s hurry,” said Cloud. “There’s no time to spare.”

--------------------------------------to be continued-------------------------------------
A/N: Though comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome, please be gentle.

 

[rayndmacc]

Thanks to those who reviewed.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or anything else related to it.

--------------------------------
The Forbidden Reports
Report 0.9: Queer
By: Pan
-------------------------------

“So this must mean that I’m running out of time...,” said Ten.

Phil explained that the clock has started ticking as soon as the worlds started to rebuild. He said that the Chosen of Darkness has probably been awakened seeing that all the worlds and the bridges that connect them are complete. And this leaves Ten with time next to none.

“Then we must hurry!” Sora excitedly told Ten. “We’ll help you find that Chosen!”

“It won’t be easy, Sora,” said Ten. “For starters, I don’t know where to begin.”

“We’re gonna help you, right?” said Sora. “It won’t be that hard anymore. Four heads are definitely better than two!”

“Good luck then,” said Phil. “I won’t tell you to be careful because you know better but... having experience with that kid, I have three words: He’s trouble.”

“That’s only two words,” said Goofy.

“Experience with that kid?” said Donald. “You mean...?”

“Everyone who was there knows that the kid’s a Chosen,” Phil replied with a tinge of spite in his voice. “He’s a pain to take care of.”

“Donald, you know the Chosen too?” Goofy looked at Donald who smacked him with his staff.

“Have you forgotten?” Donald shouted.

“Hey, wait, what do you know?” said Sora. “Is there something you haven’t told me?”

Donald cringed as he faced Sora.

“You see...,” he said, obviously not knowing what to say, “...more than ten years ago, there’s this... baby boy... that... well...”

“Oh, I remember now!” said Goofy. “We took Ansem’s wife and son to a faraway world! The king said it was for the best...”

“So you mean that Ansem’s son is the Chosen I’m looking for?” asked Ten.

“Yep,” said Phil. “And wherever he is, Ansem is sure there to try and take him back. We used to think the kid’s already dead but seeing that the worlds are back, I’m pretty sure the kid’s still alive. Whether or not he knows his purpose, no one knows. All I know is Ansem is probably trying to make the kid join him.”

“And that’s trouble,” said Donald. “We’ve got to find him before he joins Ansem!”

“I suggest you start at Hollow Bastion,” said Phil. “It’s just a hunch but... who knows?”

“Okay then, Hollow Bastion it is!” said Sora, grabbing Ten and heading for their gummiship.

“Wait, kid!” Phil called after Sora and Ten. “There’s something here that might help you.”

Phil gave Sora and Ten a black box no bigger than their palm. It had silver butterflies engraved on it.

“I dunno how you’ll manage to open that box,” Phil said carelessly. “We tried everything we could but it seems that the only one who can open that box is Ansem’s son.”

“Ten, why don’t you try opening it with Oblivion?” Sora suggested.

“Hmm... okay, let’s see,” said Ten.

----------

“I can’t see you anymore! You’re always in your laboratory with that stupid experiment!”
“You said you’re okay with that,”
“I WAS okay with that until you started staying there and coming up only when you need Riku! And you’re getting him involved in your experiment too!”
“It is because he is my heir. He will learn what he should,”
“Don’t make him grow up to be a stuck-up man like what you’ve become,”
“Chidori-,”
“I won’t hear another one of your excuses! It’s the same thing!”
“I promi-,”
“Don’t make any promises you can’t keep, Ansem,”
Ansem looked at his wife straight in the eyes. The tears flowing down her cheeks were like acid stinging his heart. It pains him to see his beloved like this but he still believes in his experiment- he cannot let go of it.
“I don’t want to make you choose, Ansem,” she said. “But I love Riku and I can’t let him get tangled up with your business.”
“I won’t stop my experiment, Chidori,” Ansem said. “I can’t.”
“So you care more for your experiment than you care for me and your son,” she said, disappointed. “I thought you care so much for Riku... Can’t you do it for him if you can’t do it to me?”
“I’m sorry,”
“No need to be...,”
His wife went out the room as he followed her with his eyes. Ansem didn’t know why he let her go...
“Idiot,” he scolded himself.

----------

Kairi stepped out of the gummiship after everyone else. Tidus and Selphie looked around, awed by the beautiful buildings that towered over them.

“Twilight Town at last!” Wakka stretched his arms. “Neat place, ya?”

“Where should we start looking?” Kairi asked Cloud who just shrugged.

“It’s gonna be a bit hard for us to find them,” said Selphie.

“What do you mean ‘bit’?” said Tidus. “This place is HUGE! We won’t be able to find them in time!”

“Are you guys new here?”

They all turned and saw a girl with blonde hair a few centimetres past her shoulder. She wore white and stood as tall as Kairi.

“Uh... yeah,” said Tidus. “We’re looking for someone, actually.”

“Oh,” the girl replied. “I might be able to help you.”

“Thanks a lot,” said Kairi happily. “We really need to find them as soon as possible.”

“No problem,” the girl smiled. “I assume that you are Kairi. Am I correct?”

Kairi stared at her in surprise.

“Yes, my name is Kairi,” she said. “H-how did you know?”

“I happen to know the one you’re probably looking for,” said the girl. “I’m just returning him the favour.”

“Sora?” said Tidus. “You know Sora?”

“Yes,” said the girl. “My name is Naminé.”

“Did you see him?” asked Kairi. “Where is he?”

“I’m sorry,” Naminé said. “But Sora already left with Goofy, Donald and my friend Ten. I don’t know where they went but they’re probably looking for someone too.”

“The Chosen of Darkness?” said Cloud.

“I- I think...,” said Naminé. “Yes, maybe...”

Kairi sighed heavily.

“We came here for nothing...,” she said.

“Don’t loose hope,” Naminé said. “You’ll find him, don’t worry...”

“But there are so many worlds,” said Selphie. “Where do we start?”

At that moment, Cloud’s phone rang.

“Cloud, it’s me, Phil,” said the guy in the other line. “Where are ya?”

“I’m in Twilight Town with Sora’s friends,” Cloud replied.

“Sora’s friends?”

“Yeah...,”

“Well, whatever. Anyways, I called to tell you Sora was here,”

“He was there?”

All eyes were on Cloud.

“Yeah. He’s with the Chosen of In-Between,”

“Is his name Ten?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“It doesn’t matter,”

“Whatever. Anyways, they’re looking for the last kid,”

“You mean Riku?”

“Riku? Who said anything about Riku? I’m talking about Ansem’s son,”

“Riku IS Ansem’s son,”

“What?! Who told you that?”

“I think it’s quite obvious,”

“So where’s Riku now?”

“We don’t know. Jack said he’s supposed to be here... but he doesn’t seem to be anywhere,”

“Well, there’s not much time. Sora went to Hollow Bastion. Better hurry up,”

“Okay,”

Everyone stared at Cloud who raised an eyebrow in return.

“Well?” said Wakka.

“Sora’s in Hollow Bastion,” said Cloud.

“What is he doing there?” asked Kairi.

“I don’t know,”

“You should get going then,” said Naminé. “I bet Sora will be really happy to see you.”

“Thanks,” said Kairi.

“Oh, and please say hi to Ten for me,”

“Sure,”

Naminé watched the gummiship fly away. She wished them to be safe... and for Sora to be able to come back. After all, he hasn’t thanked her yet.

----------

“I had a guest today- a king from another world. He was able to meet my wife and my son... and my son seemed to be quite aware of the fact that our guest is from another world.
The king became fond of Riku after just a few hours of him knowing my son. It looks like a connection between them has been established.
This guest of mine mentioned this “Keyblade” and Riku showed signs of understanding. I find it queer that my son seems to comprehend this “Keyblade” more than I do.
Yes, astounding yet alarming.”

--------------------------------------to be continued-------------------------------------
A/N: Though comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome, please be gentle.

 

[rayndmacc]

Thanks to those who reviewed.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or anything else related to it. The song “You’ll Be Safe Here” is by Rivermaya.

-----------------------------------------
The Forbidden Reports
Report 0.01: Show Me The Light
By: Pan
------------------------------------------

Ansem took his son in his arms and tenderly played with the child’s tiny hand. He thought of how long it has been a long since he last held his dearest Riku then guilt quickly filled him when a small smile wrote itself across the child’s face.

“Someday, Riku...,” he softly whispered, “...you will be the king. You shall inherit my throne... You shall be powerful...”

He gently rocked the baby and said, “No one will ever take you away from me...”

“Ansem,”

Ansem turned and met his wife’s turquoise eyes. They were full of misery unlike before when they were filled with genuine laughter.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Chidori, I love you.”

“I love you too,” his wife replied, tears flowing down her cheeks.

That night, silver butterflies filled the sky as stars started to blink out one by one.

----------
When the light disappears
And when this world’s insincere
You’ll be safe here
----------

Ten took out the Oblivion and pointed it at the box which Sora held. Oblivion emitted a dim light and so did the box. It slowly opened and a song started to play softly. Sora immediately recognized the melody.

“Hey, that’s the song Riku’s mother used to sing to him!” Sora said.

“Riku?” Ten curiously asked.

“You mean Malificent’s little puppet?” said Phil. “How could his mother know that song? Only members of Ansem’s clan know that. It’s some kind of a family heirloom or something...”

“Der, well, what if Riku is a member of Ansem’s clan?” said Goofy.

There was a very awkward silence. All except Ten (who was obviously confused) stared at Goofy. Yes, it was a possibility... But then, Sora thought, it would mean Ansem will claim Riku again... And this he cannot allow.

“I’ll read it, okay?” said Ten, taking the paper from the box. He read it out loud.

“They have taken my son away from me... it wouldn’t matter anymore if I cast away this body and join the darkness. Perhaps, someday, my son will look for me in the depths of the shadows. Perhaps, someday, he will show me the light that he is so fond of.

I shall seek out the Keyblade and get my revenge. I shall find the princesses and take them away from their beloved. I shall ruin their lives like how they ruined mine. They shall feel the pain.

Like what I said, Riku. I will not let them get away with it. They will pay dearly for taking you away from me.[i/]”

“Who’s this Riku?” asked Ten, looking up from the paper.

“H-he’s my friend,” said Sora, shocked from what he heard. “We used to play in this island... Then Malificent took him away from Kairi and me... He let darkness take over him... But he helped us close Kingdom Hearts... He’s supposed to be trapped in there with King Mickey...”

“So Riku is Ansem’s son?” said Goofy.

“Ansem...,” Ten muttered under his breath.

“You sayin’ somethin’?” asked Phil.

“No,” said Ten, quickly snapping back to reality. “So this Riku... He owns the Oblivion...”

“He’s the one we’ll have to find,” said Goofy.

“It’s not going to be easy...,” said Donald. “What if-”

“Nothing’s impossible,” said Ten. “That’s what I learned from my friends back in Twilight Town. And besides, I’ve got this promise to keep.”

“Promise?” said Sora. “Same here! I have a promise to my friend Kairi. How about you?”

“I promised my friend Naminé...,” said Ten, “...that I’ll be back for her.”

“Naminé? Sounds familiar... doesn’t it, guys?”

“Yeah...,” said Donald. “I know I heard that name somewhere... just can’t remember where...”

“I think I wrote that in my journal...,” said Jiminy. “Maybe...”

“Huyuk,” Goofy said. “How ‘bout we’ll go back to Twilight Town after we find Riku?”

“Then you can meet Naminé!” said Ten.

“Well, then, let’s go!” said Sora. “Off to Hollow Bastion!”

----------

“Ah! Twilight Town!”

Yuffie stretched her arms as she got off the ship. Aerith and Rinoa followed behind her.

“You guys wanna go for some root beer or something?” said Yuffie.

“I guess there’s nothing wrong with refreshments,” said Aerith.

The girls went ahead to bar across the shipyard.

“You two going out or what?” said Leon quite irritably.

“Just go ahead,” said Riku. “We’ll be there in a while.”

“Okay, then,”

Leon got out of the ship and followed the girls to the bar.

“I want you to decide,” Riku told Wiku. “Would you want to come with me or stay here in Twilight Town?”

“Don’t wet daddy find Wiku, pweeeeease!!!!” Wiku pleaded.

“Are you that afraid of him?”

Wiku nodded slowly.

“Don’t worry,” said Riku. He lifted the child in his arms and headed to the bar. “You’ll be safe here.”

Wiku fell silent for a moment. He wrapped his arms around Riku’s neck and rested his head on his shoulder.

“You wemembuh?” asked Wiku. “Daddy’s song?”

“The song mom used to sing to me- uh, us?” said Riku. He wondered how some people can talk to themselves like it was normal because he sure felt weird doing it. “The one that goes... kimi to iu hikari ga watashi wo mitsukeru...”

“No,” said Wiku. “Daddy sing Wiku a song. Wemembuh, Wiku? You’ll be safe hewe...?”

“Oh,” said Riku. “That song... He... used to sing that when he possessed me... I found it quite annoying at times but... so that’s why it felt strangely familiar...”

“Daddy wubs Wiku...,” Wiku said. “But he scawes Wiku so much... Daddy say Wiku will be safe... but daddy not keep Wiku safe...”

“I told you, don’t worry,” said Riku, trying to comfort Wiku. “I will keep you safe.”

Riku stopped in front of the bar and read the sign.

“Seventh Heaven...,” he said. “Hm... wonder if it really feels like heaven in here. What d’ya think?”

Wiku turned his head and looked up the sign.

“Ishokay,” he said innocently.

And the two entered the bar.

----------

“You know, guys,” said Kairi. “Hollow Bastion isn’t really the first place I want to go to...”

“Why, is there something wrong with that place?” asked Selphie.

“Oh, nothing,” said Kairi. “It’s just where Sora fought Riku, became a Heartless, blah blah blah...”

“Sora became a Heartless?!”

“Yeah, kinda,”

“Whoa, was he cool?” asked Tidus.

“Being a Heartless is never cool, Tidus,” said Selphie.

“How can you tell? Have you been one?”

“No, but seeing the Heartless...,”

Selphie and Tidus continued to argue as Wakka and Kairi watched them.

“They’re kinda cute, huh?” said Kairi.

“Well, I got nothin’ against it,” said Wakka.

“You guys maybe wanna keep quiet for a bit if you don’t want me to crash us to an asteroid,” Cloud called.

----------
Put your heart in my hands
You’ll be safe here

recommended music: "You'll Be Safe Here" by Rivermaya

--------------------------------------to be continued-------------------------------------
A/N: Though comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome, please be gentle.

 

[rayndmacc]

Thanks to those who reviewed.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or anything else related to it.

------------------------------------
The Forbidden Reports
Report 0.02: Destroy Destiny
By: Pan
------------------------------------

“Hello? Anybody here?”

Selphie called out to nobody particular as they walked among the shelves of Hollow Bastion’s library. She thought the place was creepy- it was obvious that nobody has been taking care of it... Cobwebs and dust were everywhere.

“I’m here,” a soft voice replied from a near corner.

The reply surprised them. The light footsteps that followed apparently glued them on their spots. Cloud slowly positioned himself in front of the kids and held out his huge sword before him.

“Who’s there?” he asked.

A lady with long brown hair wearing a white and blue dress appeared from the corner. She flashed a worried smiled and bowed in greeting.

“I’m sorry if I frightened you,” she said. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Belle...,” Cloud greeted, putting his sword away yet still staying alert.

“What are you doing here?” asked Belle, with a concerned expression. “Is there something you need?”

“We’re looking for someone,” Kairi said.

“Oh, I don’t think you’ll find anyone here aside from us who live here,” said Belle. “People don’t come here anymore. Heartless are almost everywhere... strangely though... they don’t seem to come near this part of the castle- actually, this part of the library.”

“This part of the library is completely Heartless-free?” asked Selphie.

“Yes,”

“Why do you think is it so?” said Tidus. “Is there something special in this place?”

“I believe it has something to do with the black book over there,” Belle said.

She was pointing at a small black book on the farthest shelf. It wasn’t hard to spot because it was the only book on the shelf and it had a faint silver glow.

“Guys, are you thinking what I think it is?” said Tidus.

“Another one of those creepy report thingies?” said Selphie.

“Let’s take a look,” said Kairi.

Kairi went first, the rest following behind her. There was an eerie feeling... it wasn’t surprising that Heartless never dared to come close. It made them too uncomfortable that even Cloud’s usual neutral disposition was messed up... And since Cloud was the one that makes them feel safer, the evident change in his facial expression greatly troubled them.

As Kairi slowly reached for the black book, a familiar voice from behind said, “Kairi?”

They all turned around... and, yes, gasps followed.

“Sora!”

Kairi threw herself at Sora and gave him the tightest hug she can muster. Tidus, Wakka and Selphie showered Sora with hugs and greetings.

“Where have you been?”

“We were so worried about you!”

“Don’t go missing again, ya?”

“We missed you a lot!”

“Wait, guys!” said Sora. “I can’t breathe!”

It is only when they let go of Sora that they noticed his rather... strange companions- a duck, a dog and a kid of their age who looks like a blond Sora.

“Uh... Sora...,” said Tidus. “Who are they?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Sora told Ten, Donald and Goofy. “I completely forgot about you guys!”

Sora quickly introduced his companions to his childhood friends, to Cloud and to Belle.

“You look like Sora,” Kairi said, circling Ten and scrutinizing him like he was some guinea pig in a laboratory. “Are you twins or something?”

“Uh... no,” Ten simply replied. “I’m just with Sora... because... I’m looking for someone.”

“Huyuk, actually, we’re looking for Riku,” said Goofy. “Have you seen him anywhere?”

“Riku?” said Selphie. “No, we haven’t seen him. We’re looking for him and Sora.”

“The Chosen of the Light and the In Between are both present, I see,” said Cloud. He jerked a thumb towards the black book. “Maybe you two would like to take a look.”

“What is it?” asked Sora.

“Exactly why you’re gonna take a look,”

“Oh...,”

Ten went closer to the book and slowly stretched his hand to reach it but he quickly withdrew his hand, howling in pain.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!” Ten screamed like it was the end of the world. “Itburnsitburnsitburnsitburnsitburnsitburnsitburnsitburnsitburnsitburns!!!!!!”

Donald hurriedly cast Watera to soothe the now-in-panic Ten.

“Let me try,” said Sora carelessly, stretching his hand towards the book... and ended up screaming in pain like Ten did.

“Is it that hot?” said Tidus. He obviously thought Sora and Ten were just over acting so he tried... and... he got burned too.

“It must be a defense spell,” said Donald. “There’s only one person who can touch that book.”

“Can’t you undo the spell?” said Belle.

“No, only the caster can undo the spell,”

“Whatever’s in it must be really important,” said Selphie.

“It is important,” said Cloud. “Remember Dream Riku? He told us about a black book his father used to write on. He wanted us to look for it but Cid knew this place is cursed so he didn’t let any of us to come here. He said it’s probably just a continuation of Ansem’s reports but his eyes gave him away. Cid knew it was more than the reports, I believe.”

“Then does this have anything to do with Riku?” said Ten. “If it does, I am going to know whatever is in that thing- even if it kills me!”

“You’re exaggerating, ya?” said Wakka. “How’re you gonna know what’s in it if you can’t touch it?”

“I WILL find a way,”

“Why’re you so determined to find Riku?”

Ten paused and stared at Wakka.

“Have you ever made a promise?” Ten asked. When Wakka answered with a raised eyebrow, Ten continued, “Well, I have. And if I don’t find this Riku, I’ll be breaking that promise.”

“Ten, you have the Oblivion, right?” said Sora. “Try breaking the spell with it.”

“You’re crazy,” said Donald. “How can you break a defense spell with a keyblade?”

“Well, it worked on the black box thing,”

“Maybe Sora’s right,” said Ten. “I’ll try.”

Ten called for the Oblivion, not really sure of what to do. He pointed it at the black book and a small silver butterfly-shaped keyhole appeared. A beam of light shot from the Oblivion to the keyhole and a soft click was heard.

“It’s a keyhole?” said Goofy.

“No, I don’t think so,” said Sora. “It’s different from the other keyholes. Maybe Ten was able to disable the defense spell.”

“If he was, then that’s a very odd defense spell,” said Donald skeptically. “I’ve never seen a spell like that before.”

“We won’t be able to do anything if we keep on chatting, ya?” said Wakka. He took the book with no sweat.

“And to think that three hands were burned by that stupid book,” Tidus muttered under his breath.

Wakka found himself struggling to open the black book.

“I think it’s stuck,” he said.

“Let me,” said Cloud, taking the book from Wakka. He tried to open it up to the point that veins popped on his muscles. He gave up and handed the book to Ten. “Maybe you can do something about it.”

“You’re kidding, right?” said Ten. “If you can’t open it, neither can I.”

“Maybe Beast can,” said Belle. “We may ask him for help.”

“Der, yeah...,” said Goofy. “Why didn’t we think of that?”

“But how about the Heartless?” said Kairi.

“If this book is the reason why the Heartless never dare come here,” said Belle, “then maybe we can bring it with us. That way, the Heartless won’t come near us.”

“There’s no time to waste,” said Cloud. “Let’s go.”

----------

With Wiku in his arms, Riku went in the bar. It was a busy place and quite a noisy one but Leon and the others were easy to spot for they were at the relatively quiet corner of the bar. He also noticed an unfamiliar face sitting beside Yuffie who was waving at him. He walked up to them and took the empty seat beside Leon.

“The two of you,” said Yuffie, “I want you to meet Tifa here.” She pointed her thumb at the lady beside her. “And Tifa, these are the two Rikus we’ve been telling you about.”

“Just like the books say,” said Tifa, looking straight at Riku’s turquoise eyes. “They say you have your mother’s eyes... And you do.”

“You know Mama?” Wiku asked Tifa, comfortably sitting himself on Riku’s lap.

“No, not exactly,” said Tifa. “I just saw a portrait of her in a room in Hollow Bastion.”

“So you were the one who went in the forbidden room,” said Leon.

“It’s not only me, you know,” said Tifa, giving Rinoa a meaningful look.

“Still, you went in despite the fact that you knew we’re not allowed in there,” Leon replied, ignoring Tifa’s obvious signal.

“If we didn’t go in, we would’ve been dead by now. There was no other way out Hollow Bastion,”

“Tifa, what’s so special about that room?” asked Aerith.

“Nothing, really,” said Tifa. “It’s just an endless white space... then everything turned black and a stained glass platform appeared... And that was a portrait of Ansem’s wife, I’m sure.”

“Then how did you get out?” asked Yuffie.

“Well, a little boy opened the door that lead us here,” Tifa said, trying to remember. “I catch his name or what he looks like because it was kinda dark.”

“Iwash me!” Wiku proudly said. “Wiku open dow!”

“It was you?” said Tifa, surprised. “Thanks, kid.”

“Until now, I’m still wondering why it was such an important room,” said Rinoa. “Is it because it can take people to another world?”

“No,” said Wiku. “Ish Wiku wiv!”

“You live there?” said Riku.

Wiku nodded. “Ish Wiku wiv! Wiku wook aftew Mama.”

“You’re looking after mom?” Riku became more interested in Wiku’s words.

“Daddy shaid Wiku wook aftew Mama,” Wiku cheerfully said, apparently taking pride. “Daddy shaid Wiku good boy and shomeday we aww togethew!”

“I don’t know if it’s because he’s your father or he’s just plain obsessed but he’s really creeping me out, Riku,” said Yuffie.

“His reports are really scary,” said Aerith. “And when I saw him back in Traverse Town, he really looked like he can kill to have you back.”

“Speaking of Ansem’s reports, there’s something I was able to bring from Hollow Bastion,” said Tifa, handing Riku a piece of folded paper. “Actually, Cid gave this to Marlene for safekeeping. He probably thought it’ll be safe with her because no one would think that anyone will entrust something important to her...”

“It’s another report, obviously,” said Leon when he noticed the mix of hesitation and frustration that painted itself across Riku’s face. “Let’s see what it says.”

“The Keyblade... it took me away from you... This destiny they speak of... the hearts of the worlds... All of these took you away from me...

I will take matters to my own hands. One by one, I shall hunt the Keyblade down. I shall make sure of the Keyblade’s downfall. I shall rob the worlds of their hearts just like how they robbed me of you. I shall destroy the destiny that took you away from me.

I have chosen this girl. She may lead me to the key... She may lead me to you... I do not know. But this is a risk I am more than willing to take. After all, she is just an experiment. I shall send her off to other worlds... If she dies, it won’t matter. If she lives and leads me to you, then she will have my gratitude.

One day, together we will be for there will be no more destiny fulfill.”

--------------------------------------to be continued-------------------------------------
A/N: Though comments, suggestions and violent reactions are welcome, please be gentle.

 

[Destiny]

Yaaahhhhh, been waiting forever to read the rest! I reallllly can't WAIT FOR MORE! Pease write more real real soon! OK! ^_^

And if you want the version of this fanfic you had before i can send it to you, i still have it saved on my computer for when i was reading it, havent deleted it yet. I can send it my email if you want.