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kingdom hearts: ETERNAL FATE
12.18.07, 14:59:58
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ImageShack - Hosting :: efcoverua6.jpg
kingdom hearts: ~ETERNAL FATE~
Fate is...everlasting... devastating... powerful... binding... ETERNAL...
KINGDOM HEARTS: ETERNAL FATE
a kingdom hearts fanfiction by cait and courtney
When your fate catches up... you have no choice but to live on...
story by cait and courtney
writing by cait
rating:PG for mild language and some crude humor
Novel Length WIP 8 chapters of _____
Pairings (don't be put off by this please)
OFC/OMC, OFC/Riku, Sora/Kairi, OFC/Ansem
Prologue Lyrics:
After Dark by Asian Kung-Fu Generation
from the anime BLEACH
WARNINGS:
Yaoi: none
Mary Sue:moderate
**Cross posted on DeviantART and Kingdom Hearts Ultimania Forums. (Chitiliti and shonenchicklets, usernames respectivley)
PROLOGUE
A boy stands on the edge of a clock tower, surrounded by darkness.
He takes a step, and then another, falling falling
senaka no kage ga nobi kiru sono aima ni nigeru
hagare ochita hana ni mo kidzukazu ni tobou
machikado amai nioi ryuusen tooku mukou kara
dokoka de kiita you na nakigoe
He falls until he breaks through glass, pure crystal shards flying everywhere and suddenly he is surrounded by light.He is in a pure and innocent place, surrounded by the hearts of thousands, floating upwards into the invading darkness, towards their final resting place.
Falling against the current of a thousand hearts is a blood red rose, losing petals as it collides. The boy reaches up to touch the flower, rose petals swirling around him. And suddenly he is gone with a flash of light
yokaze ga hakobu awai kibou nosete
doko made yukeru ka
sore wo kobamu you ni sekai wa yurete
subete wo ubau sa
yume nara sameta dakedo bokura wa
mada nani mo shite inai
susume
.He is falling, spinning, surrounded by thousands of rose petals, the one rose still clasped to his chest.Through the light again, and suddenly there is a young girl in his place, bursting out of the light with a trail of petals...But as the girl's eyes fly open, you can see past the innocence into a past of pain. In her eyes, we see another girl, fighting off hordes of monsters, her own demons coming back to her by the thousands.
mahiru no taida wo tachikiru you na suburi de ukabu
umareochita kumo made miorosu you ni tobou
machikado chi no nioi yuusen tooku mukou kara
dokoka de kiita you na nakigoe
We see another boy trying to help her, trying to grasp her hand from above and pull her out of the pit, but she strikes him with her weapon and falls back down, the darkness pulling her to the point of no return.The scene switches to another boy, staring at glass figurines. With one hand, he swipes all the glass off the shelf and it falls to the ground, the shards reflecting the face of a girl from his past.
dorodoro nagareru fukaku akai
tsuki ga arawarete furareru sai
detarame na hibi wo tachichikiritai
nani kuwanu kao de owaranu you ni
The glass dissolves, leaving the boy alone. His hand goes to his chest, and he looks up, and closes his eyes. His surroundings dissolve and suddenly is in the same white place, hearts raining down upon him and the girl from the glass, who reaches up and touches his face, dissolving into him.
The boy fades, the boy from the beginning taking his place. He opens his eyes and is looking upon a girl from his past, a different girl. He reaches to touch her face, only for her to fade away. He cries out something and falls to the ground. The view flies upward, to the girl swallowed by the darkness.
yokaze ga hakobu awai kibou nosete
doko made yukeru ka
sore wo kobamu you ni sekai wa yurete
subete wo ubau sa
yume nara sameta dakedo bokura wa
mada nani mo shite inai
susume
She closes her eyes and smiles, stepping off the ivisible ledge on which she stands, surrounded by white blossoms.
The whole world turns upside down and flashed to a scene of the first boy standing on a beach. Around his feet...red rose petals. He looks out to the ocean, the breeze blowing his hair, and smiles.
~-|Chapter One|-~~-|A Family Emergency|-~
Karen Kano loved candy. She had a sweet tooth the size of Texas and used it often. And today was the grand re-opening of the Candy Store down in the Tram Common. It was a very good day for Karen. Candy Stores were her idea of heaven.
It was summer and most of the students at Twilight Town School were gone for the summer. Except Karen, her best friend and roommate Emi, and a few other boarding students who couldn't make it home.
The alarm clock went off at 7 am sharp. Karen sat up in bed, having already been awake for an hour, and hit the "off" button on the clock. Emi sat up, too, but all she did was shove a pillow over her poofy black hair and fall back down.
Karen hopped out of bed, so excited she couldn't stand still, and smiled. She was a natural optimist, the exact opposite of Emi. Emi slid back under the blankets, muttering something about alarm clock homocide.
Karen, on the other hand, strolled into the bathroom they shared with the two girls next door. The other girls were gone for the summer, so Emi and Karen got the bathroom to themselves. Karen's cosmetics and other things were lined neatly on the shelf, where as Emi's were strewn all over the place. Karen grabbed a wash rag and her tooth brush and went about brushing and washing up. She thought while she groomed herself. It was May...barely summer. Emi's seventeenth birthday was in July. One more year, she would say, until I can get out of this place and travel the world. Karen decided Emi was indeed a very independent, if a little pessemistic and selfish. But she really was a good person.
Emi shuffled into the bathroom. Her wild, bushy black hair stuck up all over her head like a rain cloud. She was tall and athletic looking with strong arms. At six foot two, she was actually quite big for a sixteen year old girl. She was exactly a foot and two inches taller than Karen.
Karen was small and slender with a dancer's long arms and leg. She had short, lightly razored brown hair and clear dark blue eyes. She combed her hair and and then helped Emi's brush her's. The brush got stuck in her hair a few times, but they managed it.
"What are your plans for today?" asked Karen, as she pulled on her black shirt and purple skirt. Emi pulled a green and purple tank top over her head. "Well, I have mandatory band practice. Amd then I figured I might bring my quads down the common and play for a while to add to my beach fund."
Karen chuckled gently. It wasn't anything Emi had said, it was just her voice. Her accent was slightly different than everyone elses'. Maybe that was because, like Karen, she wasn't from Twilight Town originally. She had a very sophisticated, airy voice. She enunciated very crisply, it was almost British sounding. She'd arrived in Twilight Town at age two and just never lost her accent. And, on this early
summer morning, it was funny to Karen.
"Let me guess," Emi said, slipping her feet into some shoes. "You are going to the candy store?" "Right," said Karen, grinning. "Do you want me to get something for you?" Emi nodded. "Yes. Some Starbursts, please." "Okie dokie, have fun at band practice," said Karen, grabbing her munny purse and bouncing out the door. Emi grimaced and mumbled "Whatever."
While Karen went on her merry little way to the candy store, Emi trudged to the Sandlot. She dragged her quad case big enough to hold a small child in, and frowned. She was part of the Twilight Town City Marching Band and Orchestra. That was the bright idea of the city's Arts and Music Council. What a load of crap, she thought.
She used to only play drums for fun...but then she got arrested for beating up the accessory shop owner. She was sentenced to one year of anger management therapy and counseling. Her therapist suggested she join the orchestra... actually, she forced Emi to join, but whatever.
The therapist also insisted Emi visit the beach. Emi had cringed at this idea. She was afraid of water. She couldn't swim. "But," the therapist insisted. "That is exactly why you must visit the ocean. I think that some repressed fears may be what is causing your anger."
Emi had laughed at that comment, but her therapist insisted. So here she was on her way to practice for the big Struggle Tournament preformance. She actually wanted to sign up to fight. She allowed herself a small, secret smile. Hayer would probably compete this year. Maybe if he saw her fight, he would give her the time of day. Emi didn't really care that Hayner was younger and short than she was. She thought he was cute and funny. Emi never smiled for long. She frowned. Too bad he was wrapped around Olette's little finger.
She was still frowning as she walked into the Sandlot. And then she sneered. Other than the pathetic excuse for a marching band, Seifer and his "disciplinary comittee" were there. Emi didn't like Seifer. She never had in the ten years she'd known him. But he was very fond of her. She tried to ignore him as she unpacked her quads. But he was drawn her like a moth to a candleflame. "Hey," he said, looming over her crouched back.
She ignored him. When she stood, the quads hung from her strong shoulders, she was just as tall as he was. She gave him her ugliest grimace. He didn't give up. He was almost a year older than her, and they were the same size (which turned a lot of guys off) but he was still attracted to her for some strange reason. "I was hoping you'd be here, Emi," he said. Emi just glared. "Bummer you're stuck preforming with
this lamer band. You would make a great cheerleader during the Struggle."
It took every ounce of Emi's almost non-existent self-control not to haul off and punch his smug face. She clenched her jaw and hissed "I am not a cheerleader." Seifer made a tisking noise and shook his head. "Too bad. You would've looked great in one of those little pleated skirts."
Emi's bright green eyes widened in anger. She clenched her fists and arm muscles and then whirled, counting to ten and deep breathing, just like her therapist told her. She threw herself into a warm-up, drowinig out anything Seifer might have said after that. She tipped her head back, feeling the sun warm her face and her hair tumble from her shoulders down to the backs of her knees. She had contemplated cutting it, but everytime she did, a little voice in her head said "Never cut your hair." So she didn't. And now it was waist long. It would have been longer...except once, last year, she got gum in it and Karen had to chop it off to her shoulder blades.
She stayed that way until the director called everyone to attention. While she fell into formation with the rest of the drummers, she noticed Seifer, Rai and Fuu all standing beside the big chalkboard. Seifer had his arms crossed. When he saw Emi, he lifted one hand, waving at her with two fingers.
She was sorely tempted to give him the finger, but she restrained her self.
The director had a very important announcement to make before they started. After a protesting screech of feedback from the ancient megaphone, the directore called "Attention!" We're at attention, thought Emi, rolling her eyes. The director continued his annoucement. "We've moved from three months of practice to...three weeks," he called out. Emi's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. There were loud protests from everyone, but Emi's shrill voice as loudest as she shrieked "WHAT!? WHY?!"
The director calmed everyone down before continuing. "Due to a conflict in scheduling, the city board has pushed the date of the Struggle three months," he said. Emi threw her drumsticks to the ground, screaming, losing control of her anger. She was a VERY good drummer. And she knew that the rest of the drummers, no, the rest of the BAND sucked. She was angry because now they weren't going to have enough time to practice and get better and THEY were going to ruin this for her. Her first big preformance.
"Let's not waste time now, people," said the director. Everyone settled down enough to play. Emi stooped to pick up her stick. Might as well make the best of this sucky day.
While Emi was at band practice, Karen was heading to the candy store. She grinned as she walked along, greeting everyone she saw. She was known around down as "that happy girl with the purple coat".
Even though Karen was relentlessly happy, she had a small rebellious streak. She'd been with Emi when she snuck out and got a tatoo. No fake ID or forgery needed... the tatooist didn't even care or seem to notice that Emi was hardly sixteen and Karen, younger than that. Sh'd gotten her three ear piercings from the same guy.
She hadn't been there the night Emi was arrested, though. She'd been in her room, obeying curfew and studying.
There was already a crowd in the common. Mostly small children and their exaspertated parents. Karen was happy to see Hayner, Pence and Olette there. She ran over to meet them.
"Hi, you guys," she called, waving. Olette smiled and waved back, yelling "Karen!" Hayner grabbed and shook Karen's slim hand and another jaunty wave came from Pence. Out of this particular group of friends, Karen realated to Pence the most...she didn't know why.
"I wonder if the store carries sea salt ice cream," said Pence. Karen grinned and laughed her tinkly laugh. "Emi will be really happy. She adores ice cream." "Speaking of Emi," mentioned Hayer, looking around warily. "She's not with you?" "Nope," said Karen. "Band practice, for the Struggle."
"They moved the Struggle up a few months. It's in only three weeks now, can you believe it?" remarked Olette. Karen tilted her head . "Really? Are you guys competing this year?" she asked. Olette grinned and looked over at Hayner. Pence punched him lightly on the arm. "I am," Hayner said, proudly. Karen smiled gently. "Great. Good luck. I heard Setzer's been training like crazy since he got defeated last year."
Suddenly, there were cheers and shrieks of joy. Not to mention sighs of relief from the parents. The store had opened it's doors. Karen smiled, thinking about the candy. She hoped there would be taffy, her favorite.
Twenty minutes later, Karen finally got to go inside. It was like walking into heaven. It was warm, just like a candy store was supposed to be. The warmth felt good even after the summer heat. She breathed deeply and sighed. She picked up a box of salt water taffy and some Starbursts. More candy to add to the stash under the floor boards in their room.
She left, taking one last deep breath, savoring the smell of the shop. She decided to hurry back before the sweets melted.
Back in the Sandlot, the band was taking a break. The tuba player had passed out in the heat. They still had several hours of practice in front of them. Emi was sitting on a bench. Her quads were laying on the ground. She was attempting to gather her hair and push it through a rubber band. If she succeeded, she would have to cut the rubber band out later, but she had to get it up off her neck.
She felt someone take her hair out of her hands and gather it up, pulling it off her shoulders. She snapped her head around, growling. Seifer was holding her hair. "What are you doing?" demanded Emi. Seifer smirked. "Nothing. Just trying to help you out,: he said, using her shoulders as a brace to hop over the bench and sit next to her.
Emi stood as he sat, putting her hands on her skinny hips. "Look, Seifer, what the heck do you want? I've told you once if I've you a million times, I'm not going on a date with you."
Seifer stood up and grasped Emi's shoulders. Emi growled and sneered at him, but he started talking anyway. "I'm not going to give up. I'm going to be persistent. I'm going to have you, Emiline DesCoteaux."
Emi's jaw dropped. How the heck did he know her full name? With a cry of indignation, Emi brought her hand back and then snapped it forward, slapping Seifer across the face. He stumbled a little, and Emi turned and ran. So what if she missed the rest of band practice? The worst they could do was kick her out, which she wasn't opposed to.
She did kind of wish she'd grabbed her drums before fleeing. Hopefully some kind soul would see the ID tag and bring them back to her. She really hoped Seifer didn't take the liberty to.
She sped into the Tram Common, searching for Karen. She wasn't there, so Emi started off towards the school. She saw Karen as she ran. She skidded to a stop and grabbed Karen by the shoulders, dragging her backwards into an alleyway. Karen screamed and swung her money purse around, thinking she was being mugged. The purse narrowly avoided Emi's face and Karen whirled around, blushing. "Sorry," she muttered. "Help me," hissed Emi, looking around. Karen groaned, wondering what kind of trouble Emi had gotten herself into this time. "What happened?" she asked.
Emi bit her top lip. "I slapped Seifer and ran away," she sighed. "I left my drums in the Sandlot and I don't want to go back and get them. I might get myself arrested again. Can you go get them?"
Karen gave a pert nod. "Yup," she said, shoving the bag of candy into her friend's arms. "Go back home and put this in the stash. I'll be there soon." Emi was gone in a heart beat, the only thing left to remind anybody she'd been there was the sound of her rapid footsteps. Karen walked back to the Sandlot to retrieve Emi's drums. She thought as she walked. Why didn't Emi just humor Seifer? Just one date would be enought if Emi played her cards right...but then again, Emi sucked at poker. Besides, Seifer wasn't THAT bad...it wasn't as if Rai were asking for a date.
When Karen got to the Sandlot, practice had resumed. Karen ran against the wall, behind the band so she wouldn't get caught.She saw Emi's precious quads still laying in the dirt.
Unfortunately, Seifer was standing guard. Karen groaned and walked over. Seifer looked angry, and there was a red hand print across his cheek. He confronted her. "Hey," he said, angrily. Karen tried to ignore him as he walked over. She started putting the quads up. The case was on wheels and was sitting next to the bench. It has huge, and Karen hoped she could make it up Market Street with it.
She stood up, and looked squarely into Seifer's face. Well, as squarely as she could when she could only see his chest when she looked straight ahead. "Tell your friend," he hissed. "That I'm not giving up." Karen sneered and said, loudly so he could hear her over the band, "She's interested in someone else, Seifer. Forget it."
Now it was Seifer's turn to sneer. "Then I guess I'll have to elimanate the competetion." He pushed past Karen and waved for Rai and Fuu to follow him. The bad was so loud. Karen called after him "Why are so facsinated by her anyway?
Seifer was only a few paces away. He turned and walked rapidly towards her. He got in her face so quickly it was frightening. "Emi has a certain charm that I find very attractive," he hissed into Karen's ear. "No other girl around here has that rebellious streak."
And then he was gone. Karen ran back to the dorms, dragging the quads behind her.
Emi was playing her snare now. Karen could hear it from down the hall. She fished the key out of her jacket and opened the door. She loved their room. They had lived in it for nearly twelve years. There were two twin beds, with a window in between them. Two desks, two sets of drawers, two footlockers at the foot of the beds, and two bedside tables. There were also two closets, and the room was split evenly down the middle.
But that's where the similarites ended. Emi's side was the left side. Her unmade bed had a green and purple quilt and butterfly shaped pillow. Her desk was messy, covered in sheet music and various drummer things, including her five pairs of drumsticks. Her closet was also a wreck. Her snare and quads were usually stored in there. Her drumset was set up in the corner.
Karen's side was neat and tidy. A lavender down comforter was spread neatly acorss the bed. The desk was clean, her homework and books in all the right spots. All of her clothes were clean, ironed and folded.
Emi was sitting on the bed, attacking her snare drum. She had an ugly grimace on her face. Karen waved over at her and walked over to put the quads in the closet. She was almost crushed by all the stuff that fell out of it. Emi stopped playing adruptly, the sticks falling to the floor, and hopped up to hug her friend.
"Thanks. You didn't run into any trouble with Seifer, did you." she asked, breaking the hug. Karen sighed, going over to collapse in her desk chair. She tipped her head back and groaned. "Actually," she said. "I collided right smack into it. Seifer finds your rebellion attractive. I told him you were interested in someone else." She cringed and continued. "And then he said he would have to get rid of the competetion."
Emi roared in anger. "Oh my gosh...YOU TOLD HIM THAT? KAREN, DARN IT!" She started pacing. She could feel her pulse quickening. "Settle down, you can handle this. I didn't tell him who exactly you were interested in. There IS a way around this, you know," reassured Karen.
Emi whirled, sucking in a breath through clenched teeth. "TELL ME A WAY AROUND THIS, THEN, GENIUS! Seifer and his gang are going to beat the CRAP out of every guy in town, and it's YOUR fault." Karen's complexion reddened. Just settle down, thought Karen. It's just Emi being Emi. "The way out is obvious," said Karen, spining around in her chair. "Go on a date with Seier."
Emi roared again. "No way! NO WAY!!" she screamed. "That would only make my problem WORSE." Karen smiled evilily. "You didn't let me finish. You go on a date with Seifer...and totally bomb it. He'll never want to go on a date with you again." Emi setttled down a little. She sat on her bed. "That might work. Might," she
sighed. "Darn it... I don't want to go on a dare with him. But...I don't want Hayner beaten to a bloody pulpm either. She fell backwards on to the bed.
They hung out in their room for the rest of the morning and into the early afteroon. Emi practiced her quads, trying to justify missing practice. She would have to hope the director didn't see what happened. And she would have to come up with good excuse, too. She asked Karen for a good excuse. "You could say you had cramps," said Karen, taking a bite out some taffy. Emi shook her head. "No good. I used that one last week.
She laughed bitterly. "Oh, what I wouldn't give to blame it on a family emergency. Too bad everyone in town knows I'm a freaking 'ward of the state' or whatever crap they told me." "Hush, Emi. You'll get yourself all worked up again. Besides, it's lunch time. Your favorite...noodles!"
Unfortunately for them, the headmaster also decided to have lunch. He ambushed them as they entered the cafeteria. "Miss DesCoteaux...Miss DesCoteaux!" he called in his annoying, too-shrill-for-a-man voice. Emi rolled her eyes and turned around. "I got call from your therapist, Miss DesCoteaux. She got a call from your band director. Apparently, you missed most of band practice today. Is this true?" he asked.
Emi gave that same bitter laugh she was always did when she did what she was about to do. "I had a family emergency," she said, hanging her head. The headmaster sighed heavily. "Don't give me that, Emi," he moaned. He wagged his finger at him. "I know what you are trying to do. You're trying to make me feel guilty. Well, that's not going to work. One more slip-up, Miss DesCoteaux, and you will be stuck in your dorm for the rest of the week."
Emi didn't bother to tell him that she would love nothing more than to stay in her room all week. At least then she didn't have to go to practice. They ate their noodles in silence. Emi was in one of those moods. She was angry at the world.
This was one of the places Karen very much related with Emi. They were both wards of the state. Emi had come to Twilight Town at age two. They found her on the steps of the school, alone. She had been finishing the remains of a ice cream. She had only one memory of her past life.
Karen had come along four years later. They also found her on the steps of the stairs, very sick and hardly breathing. She had a very weak heart. Clasped in her little five-year old hands was a a typed note with very specific directions for her care. Emi was actually the one that found her. And, after Karen spent two years in the hospital recovering, they became the best of friends. Inseperable. Karen had only one memory of her past life, as well. Unfortunately, Emi took abandonment a lot worse than Karen did.
It was May. It was summer. And the Struggle was three weeks away.
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Last edited by shonenchicklets; 01.07.08 at 20:46:36..
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wow thats a story, both characters are really detailed and believable. Just read through it carefully again, you'll find some small typos like "amd" instead of and.
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Yes, I know of these typos. Just to lazy to fix them. Thanks for the tip tough.
And thanks for the nice comment. When you work two years on the plot, you get stuff like this. So let it be a lesson, little fanfiction newbies... work hard! Don't just start writing! The secret to a good fic is a) obsesssion (it's good to know EVERYTHING about something before you start writint) b) hard work c) planning.
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~-|chapter two|-~~-|circles in the sand|-~
Sora loved summer. It was his favorite time of year. The ocean was the perfect temperature, and he loved the hot sand on his feet. He loved the waves and the ocean and the sky and the sun. And he also loved his friends. Here they all were on the beach, fresh out of school. Next year, Sora and Kairi would be juniors. Riku would be a senior. But, thankfully, thought Sora, selfishly. He's not going to go away to college so we still have another summer to hang out!
Sora sprawled out on the sand, deciding to take a nap. But just as he was dozing off, Kairi ran up. "Sora," she called, with a wave. Sora sat up. "Kairi," he said, smiling. "What's up?' Kairi grinned. "You know what's coming up in three weeks?"
"Sure," Sora said. "The Summer Seasons Dance. Why?" "Well, you're going, aren't you? Because Riku says he's not going and I don't want to be there alone," said Kairi. She looked at Sora expectantly. Sora laughed. "I shoulda figured. Riku's not really into the 'party scene." Kairi plopped down into the sand next to him.
"So, you're going?" asked Kairi, her voice heavy with implication. Sora looked at her and laughed again. "Yes, I am, but I don't see why it matters. You won't really be alone. Selphie's going, right? And Tidus and Wakka?"
Kairi blushed and there was a small awkward silence. "Oh, I get it," said Sora after a while. "Kairi, you wouldn't want to be my date to this thing, would you?" Kairi grinned, relieved. "Yes," she said. She grinned and hugged him and pecked him on the cheek. Then, she hopped up and ran off. Sora presumed it was so she could go call Selphie and the rest of her girlfriends. "See you later," she called over her shoulder. Sora gave a small wave and then let himself fall backwards. He closed his eyes and tucked his hands behind his head, letting the sun warm his face.
Then, he wrinkled his nose, annoyed. Somebody else was calling his name, now. He opened his eyes and turned his head and saw Riku walking up the beach, barefoot. Sora sat up and waved. He shook his head back and forth and sand snowed down. Riku walked up and sat down next to him, looking out onto the ocean. He looked thoughtful. Sora knew that look. "What's up?" he asked. Riku tilted his head and shrugged. "Nothing, I've just been thinking. Do you remember everything that happened last year?"
"Well, sure," said Sora. "I woke up after sleeping for a year. Then, me and Donald and Goofy had to track down Organization XII and stop them from taking over Kingdom Hearts. We found you before that, and I cried like a little girl. Then, we beat the crap out of Xemnas and came home through the Door to Light. Why, did you forget?"
"No, of course not," said Riku, with a chuckle. "But, yeah, the Door to Light. That's what I was thinking about. We locked the Door to Darkness, right?" "Well, yeah," said Sora, trying to find the point. Riku absently drew circles in the sand. "But," he said. "We didn't even close the Door to Light, did we? I wonder, is that okay?"
Sora thought for a moment, and watched the waves. "Well, I don't know," he finally admitted. "But, I'm sure it's fine. And if not, we can cross that bridge when we come to it. Don't worry about it. Instead, why don't you worry about who you're taking to the Summer Seasons Dance, huh?"
Riku smirked and looked away, slightly embarrased. Sora punched him lightly on the arms. "Come on, man! You know the tradition. Guys are offcially allowed--" "Yeah, I know," groaned Riku. Sora had given him this lecture three times this week alread. "Guys are offcially allowed to bring girls as dates to the Seasons Celebrations at age sixteen. I know, I know. You must be pretty excited. This is your first Celebration since your birthday."
"Too bad Kairi's not sixteen until July," pouted Sora. "Yeah, because Destiny Islands needs another student driver on the road, Mr. I-hit-another-palmetto-again," chuckled Riku. Sora pouted. "I still want to know why a palmetto was in the middle of the road." "Maybe you should be wondering why you were on the sidewalk and not the road. You can fly a gummi ship but you can't drive a car. Just give up, Sora."
"How about you give up trying to change the subject?" said Sora, trying to change the subject. Riku persevered. "So, you asked her?" "Yeah," said Sora. "So, yeah, I guess were going to the dance together. As dates. That's just so weird." Riku got up to leave, but not with out one more smart-aleck comment. "I'll be sure to lock up all the paupo fruit on the entire island."
Sora laughed bitterly and then said "She said you weren't going." He stood up and Riku shrugged. "I dunno," he sighed. "There's just too many people there. It's really uncomfortable." " You didn't ask anyone at all? Oh, come on Riku, you chicken-wuss," groaned Sora, shaking his friend's shoulder. Riku shrugeed him off. "I just haven't found anyone worth asking," he said, walking away. Sora sighed and shook his head, running after him.
That night, Riku was feeling a little stir crazy. So he decided to go to the island. Despite Sora telling him not to, he still worried. Had they left loose end? What was going to happen now anyway? Was this crazy world just going to let them live peacefully on the island for the rest of their lives?
He sighed, planting his hands on the dock and hauling him self up. He crouched for a moment. Then, he stood, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. He just wished someone could answer his questions. He looked out over the black ocean. The moon was full tonight and it reflected on the choppy water.
He'd only been home for a year, but already he sort of...missed...going on adventures, travelling to other worlds. Maybe he was always going to be like this. Maybe he would always feel closed in and claustraphobic.
A small breeze kicked up, blowing his silver hair off his shoulders. That's what got them into this whole mess in the first place. That dumb, insaitable curiosity. He wished he could stop, wished there was a cure for claustraphobia.
Riku shook his head, trying to think of something else. His thoughts turned to what Sora had said earlier that afternoon. Riku would've liked to bring some special girl to that Summer Seasons Dance. Riku smiled. Ah, the Seasons Dance. Seasons celebration actually, but the young people of the island called it a dance. The celebration was a island tradition, celebratiing the turn of the seasons, a new start. One each for summer, fall, winter and spring. Everyone on the islands turned up, young and old.
When a young man turned sixteen, he could ask the girl of his choice to be his date. It was sort of a big deal. And Riku still hadn't found anyone to ask to go with him on that special night.
Maybe, one day, when Riku got old enough, he would travel the world by himself, the right way. Maybe then he find the right girl for him.
He walked down the beach, holding his shoes in his hands, letting the waves wash up against his bare feet. He felt like swimming, so he shed his coat and shirt, folding them up neatly on the sand. Then, he waded out, relishing the feeling of pushing against the current.
He just started swimming. Back and forth, diving and surfacing. He did this several times, going down as far as he could and letting his hands touch the sand at the bottom. He surfaced once more, breaking through the dark shimmering water, gasping for breath. He treaded water for a moment and something bobbed against his chest. He blinked, salt water dripping from his lashes and burning his eyes. He grabbed the mystery object and examined it. It was a bottle. There was a piece of paper inside.
Was it meant for him? He didn't know, but he wanted to find out. There went his dumb, insatiable curiosity. He swam back to shore with the bottle. When he stumbled onto dry ground, he pulled the cork out of the bottle. He couldn't read it here in the moonlight, but he saw the King's Seal and knew it was for him. But he actually wasn't sure if he wanted to read it. But, he knew he needed too. He put on his shirt and jacket and shoes and dashed back to his little row boat.
He rowed back home and ran up the streets, back to his house. He entered quietly, trying not to wake his mother. He sped up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and into his room, pulling the bottle out of his jacket pocket as he ran. He pushed the door closed and unfurled the letter. He read it quickly.
Riku--
I need your help again. The Door to Light is open and the darkness from the other side is pouring in. I'm sorry to ask you this, but you must close the door and stop the darkness, again, Riku. Somebody can help you. I can' tell you much. A long time ago, I was honored to meet two scientists named Brixey and Jordana Kano. They were mutual friends of Ansem the Wise, and they studied the links between worlds. I was studying Ansem's work and found remnants of the Kanos' research. Like I said, I can't tell you much, but the Kanos had a daughter named Karen, who was very sick when she was young. Her parents put her life in Ansem's hands. She now lives in the Twilight Town computer. She is very important to the world, Riku. The only way to find the Door to Light is through her. You MUST find Karen. You know what to do Riku.
Don't be afraid of the darkness.
--
Riku's mouth dropped open. He knew it. He knew it. His head was spinning now. He read the letter again and again. Then, he looked at the window. You know what you have to do. He did. But he really didn't want to. He was now totally skittish and hyper. He sat on the bed and then hopped back up. He paced. He wrung his hands. Then, he grabbed the phone and punched in Sora's number. It took a few tries before he got it right.
Sora answered on the third ring, sounding tired and irratitated. "Sora, you need to get over here now," hissed Riku into the mouthpiece. "What? Why? Come on, Riku, my parents are sleeping," said Sora, in a whisper. "Just get over here. Sneak out, you do it all the time. I...I got a letter, from the King."
There was silence on the other line, until Sora grunted. "On my way," he said. Riku could only guess Sora was pulling on his shoes and opening the window. There was a click as Sora hung up. Riku tried to put the phone gently down on the cradle, but ended up slamming it. He ran downstairs to meet Sora at the door so they wouldn't wake his mother. Sora came running down the drive, throwing gravel everywhere. Riku slipped bewteen the door and the jamb, closing it quietly so the screen wouldn't slam.
Sora skidded to a stop as Riku stormed past him, handing off the note like a runner's baton. Sora turned to follow Riku and asked "Where are you going?" "The island." Sora ran to follow him.
On the island, Sora read the letter by monlight, even though it would probably help ruin his eyesight. "Whoa," he said, dropping the letter. It fluttered down and landed on the sand. "You know what we have to do, Sora," said Riku, quietly. He sounded agonized, like he'd been punched in the gut. Sora tapped his chin and thought. When Riku didn't hear an answer, he whirled. "We have to open the door, Sora. Again," he said, clenching his fists.
Sora shook his head. "No! If we do that, darkness will take over again! We'll lose the island. We have to think of another way," he yelled. Riku shook his head. Sora looked at him strangely, and he glared up at the sky.
"If we don't do it, Sora, we can't get to Twilight Town. Unless you have a gummi ship hidden in those poofy pants of yours, we have to. If not, one by one of thos stars will go out," ranted Riku. Sora shook his head again, agonizing what to do. "But," whined Sora. "We'll have to close the Door to Darkness again. I'll lose you... and it will start all over again. Don't you see?"
Riku sighed. "It's the only way. King Mickey told me I know what to do, and this is it. The only way." Sora sighed as well. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "Can Kairi come with us?" he asked. Riku looked skeptical. "I... I don't think that's a good idea."
Sora's jaw dropped. "But...when we open the door...she... she'll..." yelled Sora, unable to get the words out.
Riku moaned, reaching over to shake Sora's shoulders. "I hate this. I really, really hate this. It's your call, Sora. Either she stays or comes. If she stays, you know she'll return with the island. But if she comes with us... what if something happens to her? We could lose her forever."
Sora kept his arms crossed, standing his ground. "How long do I have to say goodbye?" "Take as long as you need. I'm not going to rush you," answered Riku. Sora dashed back to his boat. "I bringing her here," he called over his shoulder.
It felt right that they would all be together when it happened. He didn't want Kairi to be alone in her room when the storm started. He would make sure she was safe (well, as safe as she coud be) in the secret place. A comforting place, so they could be surrounded by memories as their home fell apart. Again. It was also nice to think she would be the last thing he saw before they were swept away to another world.
While Sora was off retrieving Kairi, Riku paced around the secret place. He stopped and looked at all the pictures they had drawn on the walls. It was so much different this time around. Riku started pacing again and then stopped and looked at the giant wooden door in front of him. It was going to be harder this time. He knew what he was getting into. And it was going to be so difficult to look at Kairi and open that door.
He heard rustling and looked over his shoulder. Kairi was pushing away some vines, and Sora was right behind her. Kairi looked as though she had been crying. "Are you ready to do this?" asked Riku to Sora. "Heck no," he answered. Riku took a deep breath and turned around. Kairi smiled sheepishly and held out her arms for a hug. Riku took advantage of the free hug.
When they seperated, Riku felt a little better. But not much. Kairi turned to Sora. "Do you have to go?" she asked. Sora nodded sadly. "Why?" she asked. Sora smiled gently. "I'm the Keyblade master. What else am
I supposed to do? It's my job."
He looked at Riku. "She's not coming," he told him "You were right. She is actually safer here." Riku wasn't sure how to feel about that. He turned back to the door. Sora turned to face the door as well, but Kairi ran to hug him from behind. Riku placed his hands on the door and closed his eyes.
Sora felt horrible when he felt Kairi's hands on his stomach, clenching two handfuls of his shirt. She buried her nose in his back and began to cry again. He felt like a totally bad monster. A giant heartless.... Heartless.
The door was glowing now, but it was a strange glow. Some how lacking light. It was disturbing. Sora grabbed Kairi's hands, holding tightly. She let go of his shirt and they intertwined their fingers. Sora turned around, situating his and Kairi's arms. For a moment, they looked as if they were dancing. Then, he dropped her hands and took her face into his hands, studying it. Trying to burn one last image into his mind.
Then, it happened. There was a strong gust of wind that pushed Sora into Kairi's arms. The door had been blasted open by some force on the other side. Riku yelled something to Sora, but he didn't hear it. He stepped backwards from Kairi and once again took her face into his hands. He could feel Riku tugging on the hood at his back, but he had to do this.
He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, but only briefly, then Riku hauled him backwards. Or, at least, he thought it was Riku. They both dissapeared into the darkness beyond the door. Kairi could do nothing but stand there. She set her jaw and clenched her fists at her side.
Tears welled up in her clear blue eyes. She blinked and they rolled down her round cheeks. Nothing to do now but wait for them to return. And watch as her island fell apart at her feet.
It was some comfort to replay Sora's kiss in her mind, over and over again. An endless loop, like a stuck CD.
Outside, it began to thunder.
It was May. It was summer.
And the Summer Seasons Celebration was three weeks away.
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Author's Notes: Woot, finally, some Sora and Riku and Kairi!
Stay tuned for the next chapter, to be posted... after I get comments on this one!
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Oh what the heck? I'm posting the rest of what I have. It's a lot, so if you really like this story and don't have time to read it all, please book mark the page and come back. Comments are HIGLY appreciated, and are sometimes even rewarded by comments on YOUR stories.
~-|chapter three|-~~-|cross over|-~
Unfortunately for Emiline Soleil DesCoteaux, she didn't have a cute bone in her body. It wasn't like she had a cute face, and God knows she NEVER acted cute. She left that sort of thing to Karen. Which is exactly why Emi was skipping band AGAIN. To get cuteness lessons from Karen. But, before she could start her lessons, she had to actually ask Seifer out. One a date. How gross.
She paced around their room, gripping her drumsticks. The sticks bounced up and down in the air as she beat an invisible drum. Or Seifer's big, smug, head, as she imagined. "So...not...cool," she muttered. Karen, from the bathrrom, yelled "Either you do it, or Hayner gets his face punched in." Emi collapsed into a bean bag chair on Karen's side of the room. Just the thought of Hayner's bloodied face made her sick. Then again, so did the thought of her and Seifer reenacting the spaghetti scene from "The Lady and the Tramp".
She groaned and slipped her feet into a pair of foam flip flops. She stood up wearily and yelled "All right, all right, I'm going." "That's what you said the last five times," called Karen, with a chuckle. Emi laughed sarcastically and stalked out the door, slamming it. Karen busied herself in the bathroom, getting stuff together. Every bit of make up she owned was spread out on the counter. She had a cute outfit picked out for Emi and the flat iron was plugged up and warming. Not that Karen thought it could actually help Emi's seriously poofy hair.
How was Karen so sure all of this would be needed tonight? Karen had watched Seifer... there was no way he was going to turn down a date with Emi. And there was no way he was going to wait another day. So... she would have to be quick with Emi's torture.
Emi made her way to the Sandlot. It was twilight. Huh, thought Emi. It's twilight in Twilight Town. How ironic. It had finally cooled off a little. She hoped sweating like a pig was a big turn off for Seifer. Which she doubted. Can pigs even sweat? she thought.
Emi peeked around the corner into the Sandlot. There he was, looking all...ticked off. Emi had to admit, being able to stay angry THAT long was sort of endearing. Ew, no, she thought, shaking her head. Against her better judgement, she stepped out into the open. Seifer's head snapped towards her, like he had some sort of homing beacon inside his head. Emi started sneering, but she remembered just in time to force her thin lips into a sour smile.
She walked up to him, taking long strides. He walked up to meet her in the middle. Rai and Fuu had obviously been told to stay back, because they weren't attached to Seifer at the hip, as usual. "Hi, Seifer," she said, averting her stare and trying to sound sweet. Seifer chuckled. "What are you doing here," he asked. Emi almost gagged. Seifer was so close to cooing. "Did you come to apologize?"
"Uh, yeah," mumbled Emi. Okay, she thought, better make this realistic. "Actually, yeah. I'm really sorry , Seifer. But, you know how it is..." She ducked her head and looked up at him under her eyelashes. She was going for a shy schoolgirl feel here. And Seifer ate it up. The look on his face was begging for more. All right, she thought. Maybe this won't be so bad. He'll be crushed when I rip his heart out. It's not everyday you got to torture Seifer.
Emi held her forearm and poked at the ground with her foot. "I was just...um...so nervous. Being around you makes me that way," she said, forcing out the sweetness. "I'm always so terrible to you. But really, you know it's just because I really like you, Seifer-kun." Seifer smiled. Emi was in hysterics on the inside, but maintained a calm, shy composure. "Why did you turn me down if you like me so much?" asked Seifer. Emi pretended to get weepy, putting a finger to her eye. "Oh, Seifer, I'm sorry, I really am. It's just that I was so afraid I would mess things up."
She sort of got carried awasy. She put both her hands to her face and made crying noises. Seifer said, trying to be consoling, "Oh, you didn't mess anything up at all. All you need to do to redeem yourself is agree to go on one little date with me. After one date, I'm sure you won't want anyone else."
Emi looked up like she was unbelieving and relieved. "Really? That's all?" she exclaimed. She had to force her self, but she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She could strangle him SO easy, but she didn't. She knew he was smiling smugly as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. "I would love to go on one, little date with you," she said, pulling away from him. "Tonight? I...don't think I can wait another day."
"Sure, tonight," said Seifer, reluctant to let her go. When he finally did let her go, he said "Meet me at the Tram Common at eight. Beside the Synthesis Workshop." Emi nodded, batting her eyes for good measure. By the way Seifer's eyes lit up, she was guessing it looked realistic and NOT like she was trying to get something out of her eye. Maybe she was TOO good at being cute. Seifer suddenly stroked the side of her face. Emi stiffened, her breath catching in her throat. With a nervous laugh, she ran. As she sped off back to her dorm, she swore she heard Seifer say "See, Rai? I told you she'd come around."
Karen was waiting at the door when Emi burst in. She looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel in her forehead. She stormed past Karen and flung herself onto her bed. "That was the most embarrasing, mortifying, humilating thing EVER," she yelled, muffled by the pillow. Karen giggled and sat on her own bed. "I'll take it it worked then, huh?" she asked. Emi sat up, pulling strands of black hair out of her mouth. "Yeah, it worked," she spat. "It worked a little TOO well. I really laid it on thick, I'm afraid."
"So you and Seifer are going out on a date?" Karen asked. Emi groaned. "Yeah. Do you think you can work a miracle in three hours?" Karen laughed "Tonight? Geez, Emi, you're really good at this." "Dang it, Karen. Quit mocking me and make me up and teach me the way of the Care Bear." "Rightio," said Karen, hopping up and grabbing her best friend's wrist. Emi was forcibly hauled into the bathroom and forced into a small stool in front of the mirror. Her knees came almost up to her chin.
Karen got to work with a bottle of detangler, a comb, and the flat iron. It took nearly an hour and forty five minutes, but finally, Emi's hair was slightly less poofy and a little more shiny than usual. And Emi had an hour and forty-five minutes worth of Care Bear lessons. Everything from body language to the proper use of giggling. Karen insisted she practiced, but Emi felt like a total idiot.
After forcing Emi into a pleated khaki skirt and poofy sleeved lavender blouse, it was back to the bathroom. Emi NEVER wore make-up. Not even lip gloss. Or perfume. Just Chapstick. But, she had to admit when
Karen was done with her, she looked good. Karen looked at her smugly. "I would like to see Hayner reject you now," she muttered. Emi fingered the hair tumbling down her shoulders. It was held back from her dark complexioned face with some butterfly hair clippies. She checked the time, brushed her teeth, checked the time, sprayed on some perfume that smelled like Care Bears and ponies and lollipops in summer, checked the time and shoved some things into a handbag. Her cell phone, chapstick, munny, a manga (which she always carried with her anyways) and her drumsticks (which she also always carried with her).
She tried to sneak past Karen in flip-flops but Karen dragged her back inside and forced her feet into some strappy, high heeled sandals. With a hug for good luck, Emi was on her way. One of the straggling boarding students was lounging in the hallway. He looked up at her through his bangs and his jaw dropped. Emi stuck out her tongue and kept walking.
The Tram Common was bustling at evening. Emi walked across, her long legs feeling bare in the skirt. She hung around the Synthesis Shop, leaning against the wall. She felt a hand settle gently on her upper arm. Her head snapped up and she found herself looking into Seifer's eyes. She averted her gaze, genuinely blushing. His eyes WERE nice.... Emi stood up straight, holding her amrs close to her like she was cold. Seifer looked at her, unbelieving. It was like all of his wildest dreams were coming true.
"You look really nice tonight," he said, taking her hand. Emi resisted all urges to snatch her hand away, snatch that stupid toboggan of his head and smack him with it until he was lying on the ground in a fetal position, begging for mercy. Instead, she did what Karen told her to do. She acted cute. She giggled and turned her head away. She looked back shyly, expecting to see a look of disgust on his face.
She didn't. All she saw was happiness. Which was stange to see on Seiger's face. Emi's heart sank. She didn't think she was going to have to hurt him. And, why wasn't being cute working? If Seifer found Emi's rebellious attitude attractive, why didn't the cuteness turn him off? Maybe, she thought. Maybe I just need to give it more time.
Seifer tugged on her hand and started walking. This date was going to be very simple. Just walk around and look at the shops. Emi was totally out of her element. Seifer kept looking at her strangely. And he kept a tight hold on her hand, very tight.
They walked around for an hour while Seifer talked about stuff Emi couldn't have honestly given a crap about. She was SO glad when her cell phone rang, the polyphonic ringtone barely audible over the clamor of voices in the Tram Common. She jerked her hand out of Seifer's and excused her self. She got out of ear shot and answered. It was Karen. "How's it going?" she asked. Emi bit her lip. "Not good. I'm being as cute as I can, but he seems to like that just as much as the, uh, real me."
Karen thought for a moment while Emi looked over her shoulder nervoudly. Seifer was leaning against a wall, his gaze turned downwards. He looked a little ticked. "Okay. The only thing I can think of is....well, you'd yell at me if I told you," said Karen. She sounded like she was eating something. Emi sighed. "I promise I won't yell. I'm desperate, just tell me."
So Karen told her and Emi broke her promise. "NO! I'M NOT DOING THAT. THERE HAS GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY!" she screamed. People stared with raised eyebrows. Karen winced. Emi had sceamed so loud the speaker on the phone distorted. "Look," said Karen. "Unless you can think of something better, you basically have two choices. Either my way, or you run away. Which isn't really a chouse, because you know Seifer will follow you. He'll want answers. But you need to hurry up and make a decision. It's past curfew."
Emi bit her lip. "Crap," she said and hung up. This was going to kill her, absolutely kill her. She turned on her heel and stalked back towards Seifer, shoving her phone in her purse as she went. She switched from totally ticked off to totally weepy. "Oh, Seifer," she sobbed, running to him. She covered her face. "I'm so sorry but... this isn't working. I can't be with you. You're just too good for me."
Seifer looked utterly confused. Emi draped herself across his shoulders, resting her nose on his chest. "But," she she said, her voice high and breathy. "I would...like to leave you with at least one good memory of me."
Seifer was trying to look non-chalant, but Emi could feel his hearts racing under her face. Emi internally kicked herself, hard, and then grabbed Seifer by the back of his head. She squeezed her eyes shut and crushed her lips against his. Seifer's eyes widened. Three seconds later, Emi ripped her face away from his and FLEW.
When she turned the corner, she stopped and spat on the ground. She wiped the back of her hand against he rmouth. "Ugh. Gross, gross, gross," she whined, jumping around. Then, she began to run.
~Thirty Minutes Earlier~
Sora was experiencing some serious deja vu. His eyes fluttered open and he found himself sitting on the ground. His legs were sprawled out in front of him. He was leaning against a wall, and when he looked around, Riku was no where to be seen. Now all he needed was a strangely yellow dog to come and lick his face.
It took him a moment to realize where he was. He looked up and and saw a sign glowing through the brown spikes of his hair. There were two arrows on the sign, one pointing to the left and one to the right. Sora looked to the left and saw a huge "3" painted on the wall in red paint. No Riku. He looked to the right. A little ways down, there was a giant blue "2", but not Riku.
He knew where he was now. The Underground Concourse, in Twilight Town. Wow, they sure were lucky! Well, they were if Riku made it. Sora stood up and looked around. "Riku!" he called. And then suddenly, there he was, walking down some stairs underneath the huge two. "Do you know where we are?" he asked as he walked over.
Sora nodded. "Yeah. Twilight Town. We can look for that Karen girl later. I want to go visit Hayner and the others again. Besides, we need Pence's help with the computer," he explained. Riku shrugged. "Okay. I'm following you. I don't know anything about this place." Sora laughed and motioned for Riku to follow him.
They walked out of the Underground Concourse and right into the Back Alley. Sora smiled as they walked up to the chain length fence that seperated Hayner, Pence, and Olette's hideout from the rest of the alley. He could hear voices as he bushed back the sheet. Those voice belonged to Pence, Hayner and Olette, and they stopped when they saw Sora.
"Whoa," said Pence."When'd you get here?" Sora shrugged "Maybe... five minutes ago?" Hayner hopped up and held up his hand for a high-five. Sora slapped Hayner's hand, and waved to Olette, who was sitting on the lumpy couch. She was staring at Riku. Sora realized they had never met Riku before. "Oh. This is my best friend, Riku," he said, pointing at his silver-haired friend. Hayner remembered. "Oh yeah," he murmured. "The one you were looking for."
"The very one," said Riku with a small smile. Sora said "I have a question for you guys." "Ask away," said Hayner. Pence and Olette nodded complacently. Sora crossed his arms. "Any chance you guys would want to come with us to the old mansion? We need Pence's help with the computer there. We're sort of on a mission."
"Sure," said Hayner, shrugging. "What's your buisness with the computer?" "We need to get into the virtual Twilight Town. We're looking for someone," answered Sora.
So they all headed out. It was maybe a fifteen minute walk to the Old Mansion. The gate was closed and locked. Sora frowned. "What should we do?" asked Olette. Riku was already working on what he thought was a solution. He grabbed the gate and scrambled up, straddling the top of the gate for a few seconds before throwing himself off. "Show off," muttered Sora, as Riku backflipped in mid-air and landed gracefully on the balls of his feet, in a crouch.
Sora rolled his eyes and shrugged at his amazed friends. "He likes to show off," he told them. He turned to the gate and laughed in Riku's face. "You know I could've just used my Keyblade, right?" Riku looked a little pouty as he stood up and crossed his arms. Sora stepped back and held out his Keyblade, unlocking the gate with a beam of light from the blade's tip.
The gate swung open and they all walked through. Sora punched Riku lightly on the arm. Riku punched him a little harder. They got into a little tussle, but Hayner, Pence and Olette kept walking. Riku pinned Sora to the ground with his foot. After pushing down so that Sora was gasping for breath and begging for mercy, Riku smiled, laughing a little, looking down at his friend flailing around on the ground. When was he going to learn?
Riku helped Sora up as Hayner yelled "Come on, let's hurry. Mom wants me back before dinner!" They walked into the mansion and up the stairs into the library. It was still strange to see the huge hole in the floor, filled with technology and metal, next to the plush interior of the library. They bounded down the stairs. They reached the computer back and Pence sat down, cracking his fingers like a concert pianist. He began to type, searching for the program that allowed them to acsess to the virtual Twilight Town. It didn't
take him long, maybe two minutes.
"I....can't remember the password," he muttered. He swirled in his chair to face Sora. "Sora?" he asked. Sora nodded. "It's 'sea salt ice cream'. Easy..." he said. Over to the side, Riku's eyes flashed peculilary. Nobody noticed. Pence typed in the password and the beam of light appeared. Pence swirled around again and suddenly everyone ws staring at Sora and Riku.
Riku looked a little surprised. After a few good-byes and a reassurance that they would be back soon, Sora touched the beam and dissapeared. Riku looked back at them and shrugged. He touched the beam too, and dissapeared into the virtual Twilight Town.
When Riku opened his eyes, he was looking at Sora. They seemed to be in the same place. The only difference was the smashed computers and the absence of their friends. "Let's go," Sora said cheefully. And they walked up the stairs and left.
Walking down Station Heights at evening was lovely. Sora and Riku stuck together, looking around for anyone they thought might be Karen. Nobody really jumped out at them. "Maybe we should ask someone," mentioned Riku.
But then they noticed a commotion down at the bottom of the hill, at the entrance to the Sandlot. There was a girl dancing about and putting her hand to her nouth. She looked pretty disgusted, and now she was running right towards them!
She meant to go between them. Riku and Sora tried to step out of her way, parting like the Red Sea. But the girl made the mistake of trying to push Riku out of the way by his shoulder. She would have made it had she not lost one of her high-heeled sandals. She sailed forward and landed on her face, dragging Riku down with her. He landed on her back.
Sora laughed at them and helped Riku up. Riku, in turn, helped the dark haired girl up. And, boy, was she TALL. As tall as Riku on bare feet, but the heels made her even taller. Her jet hair was poofy and windswept.
"Sorry," she apologized. Her accent sounded different, but somehow familiar. Riku noticed but Sora didn't seem to. Riku looked puzzled as he stooped down to pick up her missing shoe. Sora tapped his chin. "Hey, we're looking for someone. Do you think you can help us?" he asked. The girl slipped back into her shoes. "Maybe. It's the least I can do after almost breaking your friend's neck," she said, rubbing her nose. "Who are you people, anyway?"
"I'm Sora and the one you almost killed is Riku," said Sora. She kept rubbing her nose. "I'm Emi. Now, who are you looking for?" Riku's eyes glinted in the same way they did back in the computer room. Her voice....
"A girl named Karen Kano," answered Sora. Emi's sour expression turned into a smile. She burst into loud, rowdy, gasping laughter. Riku and Sora looked at each other doubtfully. She laughed for a while and finally settled down. She wiped a tear from her eye and said "Man, you guys are lucky! I just happen to be Karen's best friend. Do you want me to call her?"
Sora and Riku nodded vigirously. Emi dug around in her purse and pulled out a little purple cell phone. She pushed a few buttons and put it to her ear, looking at the two boys expectantly.
"Hey," she said. "There are two cute boys looking for you. What should I do?'" Sora and Riku blushed a little. The conversation continued a little while and then Emi nodded and said "Okay. See you in a sec." She terminated the call and looked at Sora and Riku...
"Right then. Follow me," she said, and started walking.
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-Chapter Four- No Kidding
When Karen Kano's cell phone rang for the second time that night, she smirked. What was wrong with Emi now? She was probably calling to complain about kissing Seifer. It couldn't have been that bad, thought Karen as she grasped her little black cell phone in her hand. "Hey," she answered. "Hey," said Emi. "There are two cute boys looking for you. What do you want me to do?"
Karen bit her lip. "Uh, I don't know. It's past curfew. Strange boys. You can't bring home," she said, twisting one of the long strands of hair that framed her face around her finger. "Okay. Let's meet in the courtyard by the fountain. And don't worry. If these yahoos try anything, I have my drumsticks."
There was a small silence and Karen giggled, imagining Emi giving those poor boys her death glare, which was about as efficient as that torture device thing on Star Wars. "I swear, I'll beat the crap out of them," she added, for good measure. "Ooookay, Emi. See you in a second," "Right. See you in a sec," said Emi. Karen hung up and finished her piece of taffy.
She got out her swirly chair and slipped into her boots. She shoved her phone in the pocket of her skirt and ran a comb through her hair. "What are two cute boys looking for me for?" she asked herself. She shrugged at her own question, giggled, and decided not to ask anymore questions. She walked to the door and locked it. Then she walked to the window.
She and Emi were trained professionals when it came to climbing out of windows. They were only on the second floor. All she had to do was slide over to the drain pipe and slide down. No sweat, unless your clothes got hung on the rusty bolts, which seemed to happen to Emi a lot.
When Karen hit the ground, she smiled. Another sneak out success. She took off running in the direction of the school's courtyard.
The school was a large, square brick building. It had the ugliest bright yellow shutters around the window and decorative brick patterns on the corner. The roof was also yellow. They went a little overboard with the school spirit. In the back of the school, there was the courtyard. It was a garden with a little stone pathway, a fountain, and a flag pole. Emi lead Sora and RIku through the small, dark garden. "Enh," she huffed. "She should be around her somewhere."
She leaned back and cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed "KAREN!" "Shoot, Emi, I'm right here," said a voice from behind the fountain. Sora's heart suddenly felt...weird. That voice! He knew right then and there this was the girl they were looking for. A small girl in a purple skirt and jacket stepped around the fountain and walked over to them. Sora knew, he just knew that this was her. This was the hard part.... convincing her that she was.
"Karen, this is Sora and Riku," said Emi, pointing to the two boys standing next to her. Karen waved at them. But she looked a little worried, her brow furrowed the tiniest bit. "Hi, Karen," said Sora, walking up to her. "I'm really sorry to bother you, but I really need to ask you some questions."
"What are you...like, police?' asked Karen warily, taking a step back from Sora. She looked over at Emi, who had an eyebrow raised. "What did you do?" Karen asked her. "We're not police." said Riku. "Aren't we a little young, anyways?" Karen and Emi sighed with relief. "We just need to ask you some questions about your parents research," said Sora happily. "Tell us what you know. Better yet, are they around? We were told to find you, but doesn't it make more sense to ask them?" He laughed. The laugh quickly turned into a nervous titter when he noticed Emi glaring at him and Karen... Karen looked like she'd been punched in the face. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were confused.
Karen's started feeling sick when Sora asked about her parents. Emi stiffened, thinking this was some sort of practical joke. Karen finally stammered out. "My parent's....research? Maybe you've got the wrong Karen. It's a really popular name, you know."
Sora shook his head. "Karen Kano, right? Daughter of Brixey and Jordana. They were scientists. Don't you remember? The King said you were sick when you were little." Karen hung her head, looking away, tears welling up in her clear blue eyes. "I was sick but... my parents... I don't have any. I'm a ward of the state."
She put her hand to her forehead. Emi stepped in front of her, her arms straight down beside her. She'd whipped out her drumsticks and the were clenched tightly in her hands. Her purse had been dropped to the ground, and she'd kicked her shoes off. Preparing for a fight. Her bright green eyes were ugly with anger.
"No, her parents are around, you jerks. Is this some sort of joke? Because if it is, it's not funny," she hissed. Riku was suprised, Sora equally surprised. Emi was so...protective of Karen. "It's no joke," assured Sora. "And it's no mix-up. Why would I lie about something like this? Look."
He searched his pockets for the letter, but found nothing. He looked at Riku, who shrugged and shook his head. Emi growled. Sora looked at her apologetically. "We had a letter that explained ever--" he tried to say. But he was interuppted by Emi screaming "Leave, you jerks!"
Riku put a hand on Sora's shoulder and pulled. As they walked away, they heard Emi turn to Karen and ask "Are you okay?" But then Karen did something surprising. She pushed Emi away and screamed "Wait!"
Sora stopped and turned around. In front of him, Riku did the same. Karen stood in front of a surprised Emi, her eyes pleading. "Please," she begged. "You can tell me stuff about my family?" "Well, no," admitted Sora. Karen wilted and Emi sneered. "But," he added quickly. "We can take you to a place where we could find something."
Karen thought, quirking her lips and putting her hand to her forehead. "You aren't just messing with me are you?" she asked. "No, never," said Sora. "I couldn't lie about something this important." Karen looked over at Emi expectantly. "Nooo," said Emi, shaking her hands and head. "No way." She was surprised Karen would even ask, even though she hadn't said a word. They were friends like that... capable of comunicating without the use of words. That was one of the tests of true friendship.
They were interuppted by footsteps coming from around the corner. "Aw, crap," said Emi, grabbing Karen's sleeve. After a small pull, they took off running, and Sora went after them. Riku huffed and rolled his eyes, running after his compulsive, brunette friend.
Emi and Karen ran fast, really fast. They reached a drain pipe and Karen nimbly scaled it, flinging herself into a second-floor window. Emi was about to start climbing when Sora turned the corner. "Go away," she hissed as Riku caught up. She turned her back to them to climb, looking up and squinting against the light from their room. Karen waved her off from the window. "Let them up, Emi. What if the headmistress finds them outside our window?"
Emi ground her teeth and muttered "Fine." She scaled the pipe. Sora followed and Riku took up the back.
They all tumbled into Karen and Emi's room. Karen dashed over to the light switch and flicked it off. Emi scrambled to her bed, climbing in and pulling the covers over her head. She stepped on Riku's fingers on the way there. Riku sat up on his knees, squeezing his eyes shut and holding his crushed hand to his chest. "Holy crap," he hissed in pain. "Shut up," said Emi and Karen, simultaneously.
Karen insisted from her bed that they go hide in the closet. So they did. Riku held his injured hand as they ran. Sora and Riku huddled together in Karen's closet. They were orginally going to hide in Emi's closet because it was closer, but they'd been turned out by the drums. From inside the closet, they heard bedsprings and floorboards squeak. Emi muttered. "Crap. Seifer," and she walked to the window. She didn't even bother being cute anymore. "Go away, Seifer," she yelled. But from the sound of it, he didn't obey her. A very bad choice on his part.
Seifer stood below the window. Emi planted her hands on the window sill and leaned out. "I've been thinking about you ever since you ran off," he yelled. "I think about you all the time!" "Darn it, Seifer, yamete! Cut it out," Emi yelled back. "Don't make me spit on you."
"Come on," called Seifer, hitting his knees. Emi rolled her eyes. This was turning into some sort of warped Romeo and Juliet. "Please. We can make this work! I need you!" "No, you don't," Emi yelled. "You just got a taste of me and now you're coming back for more. Go. Away." She slammed the window shut, the pane protesting. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly.
Karen sat up in her bed and gave a small giggle. "'You just got a taste of me and now you're coming back for more'? What sort of.... what?" she asked, laughing. Emi laughed sarcastically and walked over to the closet. She opened it and stepped backwards as the two boys tumbled out. Sora looked up and her and Emi leaned down. "When are you leaving?" she asked.
They all sat on Karen's bed and talked. Sora had to explain everything. Their two years of adventures, hearts and keyholes and doors and darkness and light... all with Riku's help of course. Emi was her usual cynical self. She sat with her back poker staight against the headboard, arms crossed.
But Karen ate it up. She listened to Sora's stories with wide eyes, an eager smile spreading across her face. "And, this is all true?" she asked. Sora nodded. "Can I see...oh, what was it? A key...blade? Can I see it?" "Uh, sure," said Sora. He hopped off the bed and ran off into the middle of the room.
In a huge, melodramtic show that made both Riku and Emi roll their eyes, Sora summoned his Kingdom Key keyblade. It appeared in his hands in a sparkle of light. Karen's heart raced. Even Emi sat up, surprised. But for Karen, it was different. Her fingers tingled peculiarly, excited.
"Wow," she breathed. She slid off the bed slowly and Sora put his arm down, smiling. Karen walked over and Sora held his hand out, offering her the giant key. Karen ran her hand across the silver shaft of the Keyblade, her eyes shining. Sora offered it to her again, and this time she took it, holding it front of her. For a split second, the keyblade changed. Only Karen and Sora seemed to notice, though. The keyblade turned all silver and the shaped morphed. There were streaks of blue in it, but then it went back to Sora and turned to it's original self.
Karen looked wide-eyed at Emi, over her shoulder, smiling. Emi's green eyes were wide, too, unable to believe what had just taken place. "He," she stammered. "He just pulled that out of thin air!" Karen stuck her tongue out at her friend. "He's not lying," she said, as a-matter-of-factly.
Karen looked back at Sora. "So...you'll really take me to find my parents?" Sora frowned. "I can't garauntee we'll find them, but we should defienitly find something about them." Karen nodded. "Okay. It's better then nothing... and who knows? Maybe we will find them. But... I do have one question? How do we get there?"
Sora frowned again and shrugged. He walked her to the bed, the keyblade dissolving in his hand. "I don't know, actually. But, there is one more, teeny-tiny thing I sort of...forgot about," he said, wincing. He looked at Riku, sitting on the foot of the bed, and back at Karen, who had crawled acorss the bed to sit against her friend. Her head rested on Emi's shoulder. Sora didn't know how to tell them without totally shocking them.
He was already pushing it with all this other stuff. But they would have to find out sooner or later.
Emi looked at him intensely, but with a different intensity than Karen. She had the clearest, bluest eyes... Sora realized he'd only seen eyes like that on four other people. Kairi, Namine, himself and...Roxas. "How can I explain this and you'll believe me?" he asked, putting his hands on the bed and leaning over. Riku twisted around and looked straight into Emi's eyes.
"You're lving inside a computer," he said, bluntly.
Suddenly, he found himself on the floor, laying on his stomach. He was pinned to the floor by the back of his head, his nose pushed into the floor. "What...sort...of...crap...is...that?" hissed Emi, who was sitting on his back. She was sort of heavy. Sora whirled towards them and Karen crawled to the edge of his bed. "
"I'm not lying," insisted Riku, his voice muffled by the rug. "I'll show you...if..you get off...me," he added, gasping for breath. Emi got off of him, but hovered, looking down at him with her hands planted firmly on her hips. Sora turned to Karen and pleaded. "Please. You have to believe us. The King told us you were very, very important to the world...s. Worlds."
Karen swallowed. "Me?" she said. "Important... worlds? There are...more than one?" Her voice grew higher until she was almost squeaking. Sora nodded vigourously. "I'll take you to them, if you don't believe me! So many, many worlds, and they're all so different from this one! Riku and I are from a different world, and the King and Donald and Goofy are from another and..."
"There are so many plans to make. Loose ends to tie. School, classes... Karen! You have dance lessons and I have band and...therapy! And...the headmistress!" ranted Emi. Well, admitted Emi to herself. I wouldn't mind being rid of all those things...and Seifer... but...but... "We'll take care of it," said Riku. He was crouching on one knee. Emi pursed her lips at him, huffing. Karen shook her head but said "Yes. We shouldn't worry about it." "Please," pleaded Sora.
Karen looked up. She said, quite adruptly, "Okay, I'll do it. I'll come with you." Emi's jaw dropped. "What?" she said in disbelief. "W-why?" Karen smiled gently, speaking to her friend but looking at a relieved, grinning Sora. "Because these fine young men need my help," she said,
Emi slapped her foreheas a total of five times, regretting already what she was about to say. "I can't let you go, not alone. And, Seifer... I'll be glad to be rid of him. So, I guess... I'm coming too. I'm not asking. I AM going."
She collapsed into the bean bag chair for the second time that night, holding her head, unable to believe all this. Sora looked at Riku. Riku nodded and walked to the window, flinging it open. Sora turned to the two girls. "So, you two get some rest and we'll be back in a while. Then, we can all go to the real Twlight Town.
Karen sat on her bed, swinging her long dancer's legs. "The real Twilight Town... that is SO weird." Riku climbed out of the window and with a jaunty wave, Sora followed.
The two girls talked as they got ready for bed. Emi was in her favorite pajams, plaid flannel pants and a tank top. She lay on her bed on her stomach, her hands tucked under her sharp chin. Karen was in the bathroom, unneedingly washing her perfect face with a wash cloth. Emi played with the hoop earring in the upper part of her ear, pushing the little green bead around.
"So," she said with a yawn. "You really think you'll find some stuff about your folks. Lucky, lucky you. You really trust them?" Karen folded the cloth and hung it over the faucet. As she straightened her tooth brush in the cup and walked to her bed, she reassured her friend. "Sora has... and air of honesty around him. I really don't think he would lie about something like this."
She climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. "I'm glad you decided to come with us, Emi." Emi rolled her eyes, but laughed and smiled. She flicked off the lamp and they lay in the dark. "I couldn't let you go alone. You and two hot boys? Pfft... couldn't let you have all the fun."
Sora and Riku were sitting on the roof of the school. "So, what do you think?" asked Sora. "I think this is weird. But Karen seems nice she reminds me of... Anyway, that Emi girl is a bit violent though." Sora laughed and Riku shook his hurting hand. "I like them," said Sora, leaning back. Like Riku, Karen reminded him of somebody. She reminded him of Kairi. He looked up into the night sky and noticed there were no stars.
"Huh," he said, a little chuckle. He looked at Riku. "Get some rest. We're gonna need it," he said. Riku turned on his side. "Can't believe I'm sleeping on a roof," he mumbled and closed his eye.
Sora waited until Riku's breathing was slow and steady before he closed his eyes. "Kairi," he breathed, and then fell asleep.
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Chapter 5: Memory Lapse
PART I: Breakthrough
He'd met when they when they were both in college. She was beautiful, smart, funny...and very intelligent. It was love at first sight. And now, here he was. Married to the love of his life, Jordana, and standing in the middle of the study in his home. Their son,Koji,was playing on the floor. Their daughter, Karen, was doing addition worksheets at the desk.
There was a knock on the door. The two children squealed with delight. "Mommy," they shriekedas a lovely blond walked into the room. They hopped up and clung to their mother, Jordana. She smiled broadly, and patted her children's hair. She looked up at her husband and said "All right kiddos, time for bed."
The two children groaned but ran off to brush their teeth. Jordana walked over to her husband, who took her into his arms, kissing her on the forehead. She laughed and rested her head on his chest. "Okay, let's get to work, Brixey," she said, pulling away and walking over to the desk. She didn't wear a labcoat, unusual for work time.
Brixey was wearing his lab coat, and he pulled out a pair of eyeglasses, putting them on. He sat down at another desk in front of a computer, pulling out a keyboard on a rolling shelf. He felt Jordana's hands on his shoulders and he smiled, looking up at her. "Looks like...we're pulling another all nighter," she murmured, playing with a lock of his chocolate brown hair. "We're so close to a break through, Jordana... I can feel it. I can almost...taste it."
Jordana laughed. "You haven't been licking those computer screens again, have you, Brixey? Silly man," she said, tussling his hair. Brixey chuckled loud and hard. But then they were all work. Brixey clicked away at his keyboard, his long pianist's fingers giving life to the long mathematic equations on the screen.
Jordana walked over to a white lumpy ...thing in the corner of the room. It was a machine covered by a sheet. She ripped the sheet off, folding it neatly and putting it on the desk. She smiled, put her hands on her hips and looked at her life's work. Her most perfect, important achievement... besides her two darling children of course. She pulled a rubber hand from her wrist and wrapped it around her blond hair, keeping it away from her face so she could work.
She grabbed a screw driver from the desk and started working, biting her lip as she tightened things, moved things, loosened things. Nearly twenty years of work had propelled them this far. All they needed was a few safety precautions and...well, Brixey was the math genius. His job was to find the right formula to make the progam to make Jordana's machine work. He was the brain of this team. So was Jordana, but her speciality was mechanics. She was the brain, the beauty and the brawn.
~
She wasn't supposed to die on him like this. He refused to believe she was actually lying there in that bed, her death bed, burning with the fever that was killing her slowly, painfully. She was supposed to be all smiles on this, the happiest day of her life, and it disturbed him deeply to her face contorted in pain. The birth of their first child, a precious daughter. This was supposed to a supremely joyful occasion. But now, sitting here, holding his small, precious, oh, so fragile child in his arms... she seemed so...helpess. Defenseless. It made him sad to see anything this helpless.
The door cracked open, and the man looked to the side. He was jumpy, afraid that at any moment Death would walk through that door and leave again, with his wife and child. But, it was just a nurse, coming to tend to the sick woman in the bed. She looked at the man in the chair next to the bed and asked "Would you like me to take her, Master?" "No! No... the child stays with me. Saila's time is near. I think she should be with her daughter in her final moments"
The nurse frowned. "All right. If that's what you want, Master."
~
Brixey and Jordana would never forget the night, the exact moment all of their work came together. The breakthrough they'd been praying for for nearly twenty years. It happened in the evening. Brixey's startingly blue eyes were glued to the computer screen, his fingers a blur on the keyboard. His eyes burned but he didn't blink. All he needed was that one variable...
He stopped, feeling defeated. He blinked, pulling his glasses off and wiping them with his sweater. He was cold, so he went to go turn up the heat. Jordana walked in, her blond hair slightly mussed. Her cheecks were flushed, and she was smiling. Brixey was frowning and staring at the thermostat, mesmerized by the numbers.
After watching numbers for hours, they didn't even seem like numbers anymore. They were more like ancient runes, or some alien language that defied translation. Jordana slid her arms around his neck. "Still working," she sighed. She yawned. "What are you staring at? Is the thermostat broken?"
Suddenly, inside Brixey's head, a miracle occured. All of the numbers and letters and symbols finally came together. His eyes widened behind the glass panes of his glasses. He threw Jordana's arms off and flew back to the desk. He didn't even bother sitting. He just kicked the chair out of the way and hit his knees. He didn't breathe, didn't blink.
Jordana was by his side in an instant, her brown eyes wide with wonder. "Brixey," she said, her voice shaking with excitement. "What's happening?" Brixey didn't answer. He stood up, grabbing the wires that would connect the computer to Jordana's machine. He shoved them at Jordana and said "Hook it up."
Jordana snatched the wires from her husband and ran to the machine. Brixey turned back to the computer, his finger hovering over the "enter" button. Jordana turned to him and nodded. Brixey took a deep breath and...pressed...the...button.
"Sending data," he breathed. Jordana checked the machine's display screen. "Data...received? Oh my... oh my gosh. Data received!" she squeaked. The machine, with a few electric sparks, buzzed to life. The portal they would step through glowed red. They couldn't move, breathe or speak. Was their work, finally complete? Brixey took off his glasses. Jordana reached out and touched the metal hardware of the portal. She recoiled, exclaiming "It's hot! Oh my gosh, Brixey, it's hot! The metal is hot, oh my word, oh my... I can't wait to try!"
She shucked her lab coat, throwing it on the desk. She was about to step through but Brixey grabbed her shoulder. "The children," he said. Jordana frowned."I'm sorry," she apologized. "How could I forget Karen and Koji" "It's fine, my love. I'm excited, too." "Let's go wake them," already going out of the door.
Brixey grined and followed her out and up the stairs. They walked to their children's room. Karen's door had a pink sign bearing her name. Koji's was in blue. Brixey went to Karen and Jordana went to Koji. Brixey opened the door to Karen's room. The room was lit softly by a nightlight. Stuffed animals and dolls littered the floor. Lying on the bed was his daughter, fast asleep. Her walked over, stroking his daughter's brown hair. She looked so much like him. Same heart shaped face, blue eyes, hair. Same willowly frame, long fingers. She was a beautiful child.
She woke up, her long eyelashes fluttering open. "Daddy," she murmured."Wake up, care bear," said Brixey, lifting his daughter up. She rubbed her eyes and asked "What's happening?" Brixey held his daughter to his chest so that her head lolled against his shoulder."Mommy and I did it, care bear. We're going to another world."
~
Two years later, on the anniversery of his wife's death and three days after his daughter's second birthday, the man sat at his desk, scribbling rapidly in a leather bound journal. His toddler daughter sat on the ground in front of his desk, banging on a pot with a spoon. She looked up at him and asked "Daddy?"
The man looked down at her. She had her mothers eyes. "Yes?"he replied. The girl shook her head and continued to bang on her pot. The man smiled wistfully, sadness creeping into his eyes. She reminded him so much of her mother, Saila. And that was exactly why she must be sent away.
Well, he argued with himself, maybe that's not the only reason why. What he was doing... he looked around his study, at the evidence work. What he was doing was dangerous. He wasn't going to loose another loved one. He slammed the journal shut. The lock clicked.
~
"Don't worry, my brave boy," assured Jordana into her son's hair."Marny's here to take care of you. And Daddy and I will be back soon." Koji was bawling and wouldn't let go of his mother. It was the next morning, the morning after the breakthrough. Jordana and Brixey were going to step through that portal and into another world any minute now.
Karen watched her parents while she clung to her nursemaid, Marny's, skirt. Her eyes were sad, tinged with a tiny bit of anger. Brixey glanced over and saw his daughter cowering behind the overweight caretaker. He walked over, kneeling to her level. She bit her lip and stepped over, further hiding herself from her father. Brixey frowned and reached out for a hug, but Karen twisted away from his touch."Oh, care bear. We're coming back, I swear." No answer, just staring. She was a bit too old, but she stuck her thumb in her mouth. Nervous tic. "I'll tell you what," said Brixey, still crouching and resting his hands on his knees. "I'll bring you a present back, okay?"
Karen looked at him warily but nodded. Brixey nodded as well and one again held out his arms for a hug. This time, Karen ran into his arms. Brixey held his only daughter tightly, kissing her hair. When he let her go, she instantly went back to Marny. Jordana finally managed to wrench away from Koji and Brixey went over to her. They stood by the machine and looked at each other. Jordana smiled gently. "It's now or never," she said.
Brixey nodded once aand walked to the computer. Koji ran crying to his sister, who held his hand. Jordana hovered by the machine. She looked once more at her children and murmured, so that no one heard her, "For them. So they won't be crushed by this world...like I was..." Then, she looked at her husband. "Commence data feed."
"Commencing data feed," said Brixey, tapping on the keyboard."Sending data." Jordana closed her eyes, long lashed resting on her cheeks. Then, she turned her head, opening her eyes and taking a deep breath. The machine's screen flashed from the blue standby to the opertating green screen. "Receiving data," she said, shakily. There was a teeny bell chime. Jordana grinned. "Data retrievel sucessful. Commence cross-over stage two."
Brixey walked over as Jordana tapped the screen. The portal glowed red, and Jordana checked a digital thermomater on the screen."Temperature rising. Ten degrees farenheit to stage three." They watched the thermomater rise, the number flicking on the screen. When it reached the proper temperature, Brixey said "Commence crossover stage three."
Jordana grabbed Brixey's hand and they looked to their children. Brixey winked at his daughter and they stepped through the portal.
~
You can imagine Squall Leonheart's(aka Leon) surprise when two people literally popped out of thin air right in front of him. A man with spiky borwn hair and glasses, wearig a green turtle neck and stark white lab coat, looked around, stunned. There was a woman standing next to him, clinging to him. She had long blond hair and pretty green hairs. She also wore a lab coat and was equally stunned. They noticed Squall then.
The man said "Uh...where are we? What is this place?" Leon answered slowly and warily. "Radiant...Garden." "Radiant Garden," repeated the woman, awed. "That sounds lovely." "Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you here?" asked Squall, crossing his arms defensively. The people were very polite and reasonable about the whole thing.
"Oh. My name is Dr. Brixey Kano, and this is my wife, Jordana. We're from a place called Traverse Town," explained the man. He tried to explain how they got there, but Leon stopped him, putting up a hand. "Come with me," he said. Ansem needed to meet these people, for sure.
Ansem the Wise welcomed Brixey and Jordana with open arms, eager to get to know these people from another world. They sat in Ansem's study, talking while taking notes. There were hot beverages, coffee and tea, but nobody touched them. The three scientists scrabbled pages upon pages of nots on yellow legal pads.
"So, Mrs. Kano, tell me more about this...teleportation device of yours," asked Ansem, his pen poised over the paper. Jordana coughed gently, smiled proudly and said "Actually, I'm Dr. Kano, as well.My machine isn't really a teleportation device... it's more like a...well, I don't really know how to explain.Would you like to see the blue prints? Maybe that would help clear things up."
Ansem nodded, and while she dug around in her bag for the prints, she explained "It has a sort of...defense mechanism. It's programmed to pull us back to our world in one week, but it can be reprogrammed once we go back. Brixey can do that, he's the only one who can." She found the plans and slid them over the desk to Ansem. "Keep them. They're just copies." She grasped Brixey's hand while Ansem studied.
"These are...astounding," said Ansem, breathlessly. "I have to admit, we're surpised this worked," said Brixey. "So am I," added Ansem with a chuckle. He put down the papers. "But we have plenty of time to talk about science. Please...I'm curious. Tell me about yourself."
Brixey and Jordana both smiled. "Well," Brixey started, "We live in the third district or Traverse Town. We have two children. A daughter, Karen, who's six. And Koji, our son. He's four." Tears formed in Jordana's eyes as she remembered departing from her home and leaving her children. She reached for the untouched coffe and sipped from the mug, she she spit it out discreetly. Cold coffee, disgusting.
"What about you? Do you have any family?" asked Brixey. Ansem smiled sadly and said "My people are my family, Dr. Kano." Brixey regretted asking, sensing something deeper. He aplogized, but Ansem waved him away. He stood. "I'll have my staff find a place for you to stay.We can talk more tomorrow. I'm exhausted, all though I can't say the same you."
Brixey and Jordana stood and Jordana said "Now that you mention it, I am really tired." Ansem lead them out.
Later that night, very late, Ansem sat alone in his study. He held his face in his hand. Sitting on the desk, next to his elbow, was a box. A safe box. He was staring down onto three photo graphs lying under him. He sighed, picked up the photos and placed them back in the box. He shut the box and locked it with an ornate key, putting the key in his pocket. He put the box in the lowest, smallest draw of his desk, rose and walked out of the room.
For the next five days, Ansem, Brixey and Jordana studied. They prodded, examined, took notes, and took tons of photographs. Brixey and Jordana explored Radiant Garden, absolutely overwhelmed. They never dreamed that they would get this far.
The seventh day came. With their bags packed fill of notes and diagrams and photographs and other forms of documentation, they returned to their entrance point at the front of town. Ansem escorted them, giving them each a handshake as they began to dissolve into data.
"All right, kiddos, Mom and Dad are coming back today," said Marny, flattening Koji's messy hair and straightening Karen's skirt. "Do you think Mommy and Daddy brought back presents?" Koji asked his sister. Karen shrugged, but remembered what her father promised.Wouldn't want to make Koji jealous.
Suddenly Jordana's machine began to glow. Karen's heart soared. "Daddy," she telled,running to the machine as her parents stumbled out. Brixey dropped his bag and picked up his daughter, hugging her tightly. "Hey there, care bear. Did you miss me?" "Of course I did, silly Daddy," she answered, pulling on his hair. The both smiled.
That night, Brixey was tucking Karen into bed. She was absolutely filled to bursting with a question. She blurted it out, having waited all day. "Whadya bring me?" Brixey laughed. He dug into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a strip of black leather. Hanging off the leather was a small, marbled blue, heart shaped charm. "What is it?"asked Karen, taking the strip. There was a clasp on the end."It's a necklace," answered her father. He helped her clasp it on. "Be careful with this, Karen.This is very special, only big girls get to wear such nice things."
He nuzzled her nose and she grinned."It's really pretty Daddy...little girls have to wear cheap plastic jewelry, right?" Brixey laughed hard.
~
Things were going good for the Kano family. A few months later was Karen's seventh birthday. So, they had a party. Several of Karen's classmates and friends came over to the Kano's large home. But Karen mostly ignored the other children when her best friend showed up. He walked up and tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around and squealed.
"Castle, you're here finally," she said, hugging the boy in front of her. Castle and Karen were inseperable. Castle was also seven, and he had purple hair and very...mature crimson eyes. He carried a wrapped box. "I couldn't find anything at the store you like, it was all cheap,plastic stuff," he said, his eyes gleaming with glee. "I brought you something else."
Karen reached for the box, but Castle snatched it back with a grin, putting it with the other gifts. Karen pouted, but with in a few seconds, she was better and playing "Pin the Pom Pom on the Moogle" with the other kids, laughing and carrying on. And after they were all hyped up on sugar, it was time to open presents. Karen went for Castle's first, but he snatched it away again, sticking out his tongue. "Mine last," he insisted.
There were hair clips, a doll, a new skirt, a pair of pointe shoes. She squealed with delight when she opened the point shoes, from her parents, but then Castle's present was handed to her.
With an eager smile, she ripped the paper. There was a box, and she opened the box, digging through packing material until her hands brushed against something cool and smooth. She lifted out a glass figurine, a glass butterfly. The wings were thinly blown and frosted. It sat upon a glittering leaf, sipping from and exquisitely made flower. Karen gasped.
Castle collected glass. Shelves and shelves of figurines lined his bedroom walls. They glittered in the sunlight and glowed in the moonlight. When ever went over to play, she'd always enjoyed the butterfly most. And now it was hers. She held it in cupped palms, staring at it. "We'll put this on this shelf in your room so it won't get broken, honey," she said, setting it aside. Karen nodded and looked to Castle. "Thank you," she said. Castle smiled broadly and nodded once.
END PART I
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PART TWO: The Empire Falls
Yes, things were good. Karen fell asleep one night with a smile, watching the moolight reflect on the glass butterfly, not knowing her life was about to change. For the worst. The very worst.
She noticed her chest felt...fluttery when she woke up. She pressed her hand against her chest. She was breathing funny and her chest felt like it was full of cotton. She tried to breathe deeply, and her entire torso flared with pain. She screamed. Brixey was in her room in thirty seconds. "My...chest," wheezed Karen, grasping at her pajama top. Brixey felt sick. "What's wrong?" he asked, kneeling at her bedside. She was crying now, and fell back onto her pillow. "My chest.... it feels..." she gasped, her eyes dull with pain."It feels...too small. My chest feels too small."
Brixey's heart dropped as he took his ill daughter into his arms and ran into the hall way."Jordana! Jordana, there's something wrong with Karen," he screamed to his wife. Jordana emerged from the wash room, her hair wet from a recent shower. Her face was terrifed as Brixey blew past her down the stairs, Karen quivering painfully in his arms.
Brixey called their family doctor. He was no help. He instructed them to take Karen to the hospital. Brixey, feeling illogically angry, slammed the telephone down. Jordana appeared in the kitchen. Karen was shaking in a kitchen chair, barely conscious. She resembled a porcelain doll, tiny, fragile pale and limp.
Brixey looked at his wife and said "Stay here with Koji. I'm taking her to the emergency room." "Wouldn't it be better to call an ambulance?" asked Jordana as Brixey crossed the kitchen and gathered Karen once again into his arms. He didn't answer but was gone before Jordana could ask anymore questions.
In the hospital, a doctor questioned Brixey about his daughter's symptoms. "She said something about her chest. She said it was too small. And she was burning with fever." The doctor frowned. "She doesn't have a fever.But as far as her other symptoms, it sounds like it may be cardio related."
He studied Karen's charts. "I'll call in a cardiologist and run some tests. Wait here, please," he said and then he walked out. Brixey was slightly puzzled, as he looked down at his hands. . He'd felt certain his daughter's skin had been hot with a fever. But if the doctor said there wasn't one, he must be right...right?
~
Ansem the Wise asked his apprentices for silence and no disturbances. He paced his study, pondering a thought that had come to him in the night. He sat at his desk and with one hand supporting his face, be began to write his ideas down.
If all worlds had doors... the Keyblade bearer exsisted to lock keyholes... doors could be locked and unlocked with the right key. And if all worlds had doors, and all worlds had keyholes... certainly so did the doors to Light and Dark. Something inside Ansem nagged him. There was something else, something more, teetering on the edge of his mind.
Surely, thought Ansem, honey-yellow eyes widening in ephiphany. Surely the keyholes to the doors to Light and Dark wouldn't be as simple as the others. Doors so important to the nature and well being of the universe would have complex, large locks. The most complex things in the universe were the human mind...
[i]and the human heart.[\i]
What if the lock itself was a human, or at least contained inside the heart and mind of a human?
If a human controlled the key, a human could control the lock.
~
The cardiologist met with Brixey and Jordana in the waiting room. Jordana had woken Marny the Nurse as soon as Brixey had left, and she rushed to the hospital to be with her daughter and husband. Unfortunately, she wasn't allowed to see her daughter. She had been hurried along to a waiting room in the cardiology wing.
She'd found Brixey alone, sitting on a sofa. The sofa looked out of placce in a hospital, obviously there for those who would be waiting a while. And so the waited, holding each other, until the cardiologist emerged, looking puzzled, carrying scans of some sort. He handed the papers to Jordana who looked at them and said "We're not cardiologists. What does it mean?"
The cardiologist sat. "It means absolutely nothing," he sighed."According to these, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your daughter. Blood work, urine sample... all the tests came back negative." Brixey and Jordana stared, waiting for another explanation. The cardiologist gave them one, a lame one. "Possibly, she had a nightmare and it caused a panic attack." The Kano parents accepted this diagnosis.
But things didn't get any better. .The hospital released Karen, telling Jordana and Brixey that she just needed rest. And if it got worse, a prescription to control the panic attacks. Karen didn't get any better. She was brought to the doctor several times. Different doctors, same result.
There was nothing wrong with Karen,
~
Ansem the wise awoke at the sound of a knock on the door, surrounded by notes. His youngest apprentice, Ienzo, came through the door quietly. "Your assistance is required in the basement lab, Master Ansem." Ansem looked around at all the notes on his desk. Notes on his new theroy. "I'll be down in a moment, Ienzo. I just need to finish up here."
Ienzo was naturally inquistive, although shy. "Notes on what, Master? Something we should know about?" "No," said Ansem warily."Not yet."
~
After six weeks of sleepless nights and unhelpful doctors, Brixey Kano was fed up. Nothing was working and he knew the awful truth. His daughter was dying. He knew he had one last chance. All options, at least in this world, had been exhausted. He called for Jordana. She came into the kitchen, tired eyed. Brixey poured two mugs of coffee, and offfered one to Jordana. She took it.
"There's nothing else," she sighed, leaning over the counter. Brixey rested his thin hand on Jordana's shoulder. "There is one thing we haven't tried," he said quietly. "What?" asked Jordana, sounding sad and wary. Brixey told her, and she stiffened under his hand. "No... who knows what a jump like that would do to her health?"
"It's our only hope. I really think he can help us," urged Brixey. Jordana shook her head back and forth several times before Brixey took her face into his hands and kissed her lips softly. "Trust me, love." And Jordana did.
~
As Brixey and Jordana were ushered into Ansem's study, Ansem himself was putting away his notes.
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i see youve been busy! Just read the last one its great how youre giving a background story to the characters. I always enjoy reading/writing things like that.
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Well, the first four chapters have been around for months. And I finished chapters 5-7 over thanksgiving but they are so massive they take forever to type.
Thanks for the comment. Although I'm afraid that you know my plan and I wasn't being enigmatic enough. ,
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what plan?.....i suppose that defeats the point though if you don't want us to know
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It will all make sense eventually. Like I said, I'm backlogged on chapters, so...I have three more to type and post before I can write new material and reveal my plan..
Let's just say, after these next three chapters, things heat up. There is betrayal, Heartless, an answer to Ansem's theroy and we learn more about Emi's past.
Oh, yeah, and I forgot about Org. XII.
Plus, Sora will probably hit another palmetto. Space palmettos.XD
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Last edited by shonenchicklets; 12.20.07 at 10:52:12..
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oh wow. you just had to mention space palmettosXD.
too many inside jokes.
so here it is, your pride and joy. though i do hope that you hurry and type it soon so i can read it whenever i want.
i forgot what your plan was. oops. and you put Org. XII instead of XIII. silly typos. =]
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Kind of like youthgroup.....
way too many inside jokes.
Naruto's butt tails. xDD
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omg butt tails.
i've been scarred for life.
TOO MANY INSIDE JOKES!
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Lol chapter six is finally done! I edited a LOT out of the first draft and I'm quite happy with the result.
Chapter Six- Breaking and Entering
The early morning light filtered through the open window, shining against the gauzy blue curtains. But, Emi DesCoteaux didn't wake to enjoy the Twilight Town sunrise. Instead, she slept, her sharp face twisted into an ugly grimace. Her thin lips formed a grim slace, her thick black brows pulled down. She lay sprawled on her back, quilt tangled around her slender legs after a night of kicking at nightmare creatures.
Her best friend Karen slept peacefully. It was strange to see these two conflicting personalities between best friends. Emi, angry, pessimistic and cyncical. Karem was pleasant, optimistic and trusting. Her clear blue eyes fluttered open and she smiled.Today was going to be fun.
On the roof, Sora's eyes fluttered open. A small breeze ruffled the brunette's spiky hair. He smiled, remnants of a pleasant dream still floating around in his mind. He sat up and looked around. The sky was a bright pink, orange clouds floating on the horizon. "Wow," he breathed. He combed his fingers though his hair and looked over at Riku, who was still sleeping. His silvery hair was all on his face, even in his widely opened mouth, and his jacket had slipped off one shoulder.
Sora picked up a stick lying on the shingles and poked his friend in the head. He groaned and opened his eyes slowly. "Wakey wakey," said Sora in a sing song voice. Riku spit out his hair while he swatted at Sora. He rolled over, attempting to go back to sleep, but instead he started sliding down the roof. He yelled, throwing his arms out, trying to stop his decsent. His green-blue eyes were no longer half closed with sleep, but wide open in alarm.
He slowed and stopped, clinging to the shingles, breathing hard. Sora scampered down, wobbing a little and trying to keep his balance. "Whoa," he said. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine...but, geez, let's get off this stupid roof," said Riku sitting up, slowly and carefully. Sora chuckled and nodded.
The two boys tumbled into the dorm room window. Karen was already awake, emerging from the bathroom with a mouthful of foam. Sora and Riku looked at her as strangely as she looked at them. Then, they noticed the tooth brush in her hand. "Nice of you to drop in," she said through a mouthful of toothpaste foam. Sora half smiled, half cringed. Karen realized she was dripping tooth paste and rushed back into the washroom to rinse out her mouth.
The boys stood up. As Sora strolled over to the bathroom to ask about today's plan, Riku stared at the still sleeping Emi. Her mouth was now open slightly. She lay on her back, on hand tucked under her head, the other thrown up over it. In the bathroom, Sora and Karen discussed the day's activities, as Karen brushed her hair. "Well, Emi has another all day practice, and I have dance class," babbled Karen, perfecting her hair. "So I figure you guys can do your own thing until then and then we can watch Emi down at the sandlot."
Sora frowned."I thought we were using today to 'tie up loose ends'." "Oh, silly," said Karen in a sing song voice. "We have three weeks to do that." Sora's jaw dropped."Three...three weeks? What do you need three weeks for? The future of the universe is at stake and YOU NEED THREE WEEKS!?" Karen squinted at his reflection in the mirror, and then turned. "The struggle is in three weeks. Don't you guys think you could use the practice? Not to mention I should probably strengthen up too."
Sora thought for a moment. It made sense. But three weeks seemed like an awfully long time. "I guess... what about Emi?" Karen smiled, and Sora was delighted to see she had dimples in her cute, round cheeks... just like Kairi. "Oh, she can defend herself, for sure. But the Struggle is important to her, still.The preformance of her life." Sora smiled then."OKay, fine. Three weeks.. but on one condition," he said, tapping his fingers on the counter. "Name it," replied Karen playfully."We have to practice every single time we get a chance. We can use this time to condition you for fighthing Heartless." "Agreed," said Karen, with a grin. They shook hands.
Back in the bedroom, Riku took a few steps closer to the slumbering Emi. She rolled over in bed, her thick blach hair tumbling over her shoulder.What about her seemed so familiar? Riku stared but it didn't come to him. He looked over at the bedside clock , not paying much attention to the voices in the washroom. Time for Miss DesCoteaux to join the waking.
He circled the twin sized bed until he reached the foot. He leaned over and grabbed Emi's ankles. A black crystal anklet circled her left ankle. Riku smirked. Anklets were pretty common back home, being very beachy. Even his mother wore on occasionally. But he'd never known anyone to sleep in one. It seemed like it might be uncomfortable.
Emi's eyes flickered open just as Riku dug his heels in and heaved, pulling the six foot plus girl onto the floor, he himself tumbling backwards. She screamed until she landed on her back on the floor, with a thump. She sat up straight, her eyes narrowed at Riky, who was lounging on the floor, rubbing his head. Karen and Sora rushed in. "What happened?" they yelled in unison. Emi pointed at Riku and hissed, heavy with contempt, "He dragged me off the bed like some kind of wacked out possesed psychotic moron."
Riku stood up, offering a hand to Emi. She slapped it away and picked herself up. She stormed into the bathroom, jerking clothes from the chest of drawers as she went. Karen looked expectantly at Riku. "Just a joke," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head."Well, Emi's not much of a morning person," said Karen,with a sigh and a small smile.
Something thumped against the bathroom floor. Emi hissed in pain and muttered an expletive. Karen's brow furrowed and she slapped her hand against the door. "Hey!" she yelled to the wood. "No cursing!" "Sorry," came the muffled reply. Emi opened the door, dressed for the day, a sour look on her face. She held a curling iron in her hand. "I tripped over the ware and it fell on my foot. It was hot. I burned my foot. I don't think I can go to practice today," she explained. Karen snatched the iron from her hand and said "Fat chance." Emi walked back into the bedoom.
She picked up a pair of plain drum sticks and shoved them into her back pocket of her cut offs. Then, silently, she grabbed her quads case and left, slamming the door behind her. "Bye," said Karen, quietly, with a weak wave.
Sora accompianed Karen to her dance class a few hours later, unable to think of anything else to do. Riku, wanting to study Emi more to find out why she was familiar, said he was going to the sandlot. At the sandlot, Riku looked for Emi. It only took a few seconds to find her, because out of the three drummers, she was the tallest, and the only girl. He sat on a bench and watched the drill. He watched for an hour until the band took it's first break, a few hours early. The tuba player had succumed to heat stroke again.
Emi seemed to want to avoid him, but after glancing around, she ducked her head and shuffled over to him. Riku smirked. She shucked her drums, setting them gently on into the black velevety case. "Decide to join me?" asked Riku,still smirking.Emi looked at him blankly. "You're the only friendly face. What are you doing here?" she asked, blocking the sun as she stood in front of him, feet set apart and both hands tucked into the back pockets of her faded shorts. "I got bored," said Riku, tapping his fingers against the wooden bench. Emi shifted her weight and walked over to sit next to him.
"You're really good. How long have you been playing?" he asked. Emi cracked the tendons in her neck. "Well, a few months in the band. But I've been playing drums... for like, ever," she replied, planting her hands on her bony knees. Riku nodded slowly. The heat was getting to him. At least at home, there were ways to cool off. The ocean, swimming pools, big, cold juicy hunks of watermelon. They were both looking down at their feet when someone else blocked the light. They looked up and Emi groaned.
"What was all that crap last night, DesCoteaux?" growled Seifer. Emi stood up, backing him up. "All that crap was me telling you to leave me the heck alone!" yelled Emi into his face. Seifer wiped his forearm across his mouth. "But... you kissed me last night. You like me, some place down deep in that cold, little heart of yours."
Emi growled. She could feel her anger rising.It made her hurt, trying to keep herself from lashing out and bruising his smug face. Seifer continued to ramble, on as Emi's anger grew. She squared her shoulders, clenched her fists, and set her jaw. Seifer reached out to grasp her shoulder and shake her, But just as Emi was lifting her hand to punch him, Riku stepped in betwen them.
"Back off," said Riku, putting his hands out in a protective stance. Seifer smirked and said "Oh, now I see. This is why you won't be with me. You've got him." Then, it happened. Emi pushed Riku out of the way, and launched herself at Seifer. Riku lost his footing and fell to the ground, and then sat up and watched as Emi pinned Seifer to the ground.
She sat on his chest and grabbed the collar of his belly-bearing coat. She hauled him up and proceeded to punch his face. Several times.Then, with a sneer, she ripped off his hat and slapped him with it a few times, smacking him square in nose. With every impact, she spoke. "You. Are. Such. A. Jerk. Don't. You. Ever. Come. Near. Me. AGAIN." She stopped and huffed. She pulled Seifer's bruised and bloody face close to her own, so close their lips almost touched. She hissed,only audible to him, "Is that clear?"
The beating had attracted a crowd. Emi stood, pulling Seifer with her. And then she dropped him. She looked over at Riku, who had been pushed back by the rush of people. The band director sped over, pushing people out of his way. "Miss DesCoteaux! What is the meaning of this!?" he screamed. Emi just stood there. Anger had taken her over. Riku stepped in."Self-defense," he claimed. "This creep tried to touch her, tried to start an argument. Emi was provoked."
The band teacher looked at the battered Seifer, who was sitting up shakily. "Is this true?" the band director asked Seifer. Seifer glanced up at glaring Emi and Riku. Emi's pale green eyes dared him to deny it. Seifer looked away and said "Yeah. Yeah, that's true. What are you gonna do about it?" The band director took a deep breath and huffed. "All right, get up, get out of here. I don't want to see you in the Sandlot during band practices from now on, got it?"
Seifer stood up and started to storm out, pausing for only a moment to look over his shoulder angrily at Emi. Emi raised her hand and gave Seifer the finger, but the director slapped it down.
While Riku watched Emi, Sora walked along with Karen to her dance class. Sora asked "So,what kind of dance do you do?" Karen lifted the pointed shoes she was carrying by the ribbon.She was already dressed in a black leotard, and purple tights under a black track suit. Her satiny pink pointes shoes hung around her neck and a dance bag was slung over one shoulder. The bag contained essentials, extra shoes,bottles water, pain relievers, rubber bands and leg warmers.
Sora smiled at her. They reached the dance studio, a little out of the way place in the Tram Common. A little bell jingled when they opened the door. A few of the girls greeted Karen, giggling because of Sora. There was one boy in the class. He looked disdainfully at the spiky haired brunette trailing behind Karen.
Karen skipped into a changing room to finish getting read and Sora sat on a stack of mats against the wall.The other girls stretched and did warm-ups on the barre. The boy leaned against the wall, head down. Karen emerged from the changing room in her clothes and now shoes. The leg warmers hid the laces criss-crossing up her slender legs. She waved to Sora and walked over to the barre to warm up.
The instructor, a tall slender old woman, walked in and all of the dancers rushed to the barre. After about an hour of warm-ups and positions, they started going through their dance recital. Karen and the male dancer were the star dancers of course, but the whole company danced with exquisite skill. Karen was standing at the front of a formation, arms raised above her head. She bent over to the side and lifted her leg out, standing on the very tips of her toes.
The boy dancer leapt over and took her hand delicately, lifting it over her head. She moved in a slow pirouette then, her foot resting against the inside of her leg. Sora sat forward, hands on his knees, enthralled. The dance went on, and at the end, the boy dancer lifted Karen into the air, locking his elbows and gripping her waist gingerly. The directore stopped the practice after going through the recital several times. Karen walked over to Sora, kneeling over her bag and reaching in for her water.
She was smiling proudly and glistening with presperation. Her hair was slightly frazzled, limp and wet from the dance. She plopped down tiredly next to Sora on the mats, taking a long drink of water. She excused her self to go change.While she was gone, several girls made a huge show of taking off their pointe shoes, drinking water and fanning themselves. One of them did a very showy cool-down routine in front of him, bending her body in ways that were subtley supposed to be flirtatious. Sora ignored it. When Karen returned, the girls scattered. Karen exclaimed "Boy, am I hungry! Let's go get Emi and get some lunch!"
Karen and Sora walked up to Riku. The band had resumed practice but Emi wasn't in the drum line. In fact, her quads were in their case and Riku was holding her sticks. "Where's Emi?" asked Karen, glancing from the drums to the sticks to his face. Riku sighed and gestured to the far end of the sand lot. "She got into a fight with Seifer. Rather than kick her out, which isn't really a punishment for her--" "A verbal fight or fist fight?" interrupted Karen. Riku loked at her, raising his eyebrows. "A fist fight. Anyway, the director made her run laps. She's on lap twenty."
Karen snorted, "Run laps... She may not be fast, but that girl has a crap load of stamina. She could go all day if she paced her self right." She sat next to Riku on the bench. Sora sat down too, and Riku was sandwhiched between the two of them. "She's so good at it," continued Karen, lifting an arm to block the sun. "Because other than beating people up, running is pretty much the only athletic thing she can do. She can't swim, hit or catch or throw or kick. She can dodge and run and beat things up. That's pretty much it so while the rest of the girl's gym class plays volley ball or whatever, she runs laps."
Riku and Sora chuckled. Karen waved at Emi, who flat out ignored her. She was too busy thinking of ways to get revenge on the directore with out getting caught.
The day was finally over. Emi was finished with her laps, collapsed on the ground at Sora,Riku and Karen's feet. She rested for about thirty seconds before the director made her get up and get her drums and start playing again. "Fifty freaking laps," she had pnted, hauling the drums to her shoulders.
After practice, they all walked back to the dorms. "This will be tricky," mused Karen, tapping her chin. "Trying to get these boys past Headmaster Hester and to the dorm." Emi frowned but then smiled sneakily. "If all else fails, we can--" "No!" interrupted Karen, slapping a hand for Emi's mouth. She had to stand on tip-toes to do it. "We can can just go up, quietly and hope the headmaster is at lunch. We shive them in the closet or bathroom if we here somethig and Emi, you can think of an excuse to get him out of the room," Karen said, poking Emi's nose.
Emi nodded and Karen put her hand down. They were at the entrance of the school. It was a large brick building in the north part of town. It had yellow shutters (yes, yellow shutters) and a sidewalk leading up to the front entrance. The sidewalk was lined with red flower. In the middle of the sidewalk was a rather ostentastious fountain. The sidewalk split two ways and went around the fountain, which featured a ring of seahorse spouting water out of their mouths.
Emi loathed that ugly fountain. As a sign of her hatred for it, she'd taken a butter knife from the kitchen and carved "THIS FOUNTAIN SUCKS" on the underside of one of the seahorses in the middle of the night. Karen held the flash light. They still hadn't caught her.
They pushed through the huge wooden and stained glass doors into the lobby. No sign of the headmaster. There were two flights of stairs, one leading up to the dorms, the other leading to the classrooms. Downstairs was the library, auditorium and stage, cafeteria, administration offices and break rooms. The cafeteria resembled more of a cathedral sanctuary than a lunch room.
They ran up the deserted stairs, on the lookout for Headmaster Hester. He was no where to be seen, but they were still walking on eggshells as Karen withdrew the key from her pocket and unlocked the door. Emi went immedietly to her bed, curling up into a ball without even taking off her shoes. She fell asleep almost instantly.
The late afternoon soon turned to twilight. Emi woke from her nap and Karen went to go get dinner. "I'm on good terms with the kitchen staff," she explained."I'll just tell them Emi isn't feeling well--" "Which I'm not," moaned Emi from under the covers. "And I'll just have them write me a note.But, I'll only be able to get two dinners,so we'll have to share," Karen continued, and then she was off to the cafeteria, leaving Emi to guard the two boys.
Sora told Emi and Riku The Plan."We'll be using the three weeks to train and get ready for our journey," he explained, twirling around in the swirly chair. Riku's lips quirked. Emi frowned. "But... I can fight," she argued. "I don't need any training. I need to get out of this prison of a town is what I need."
Riku snorted. "You could work on your technique a little, you know." Emi glared at him. "We're leaving right after the Struggle. So I hope you have everything ready by then," said Sora, ignoring the small argument. Emi squinted. "Why are we waiting for the Struggle again?" she asked. Riku chuckled. "Sora wants to show off."
"No, I don't," argued Sora, crossing his arms. "Karen said the band preformance was important to Emi." Riku looked over at Emi. "What a good friend, that Karen. But....it isn't it sort of contridicting? I thought you hated band." Emi pointed at him. "Technically I only hate certain aspects of it. I hate being forced to particapate. I hate the morons in the band who can't play. I hate practicing all day. But I like playing drums and I like showing off and preforming so..."
Riku snorted again, but he smiled again. Emi leaned down from her bed and thwaped him on the back of his head. Sora shook his head and laughed. Karen returned then, with two dinner trays, the excuse note clamped in between her perfect teeth. She put one tray on Emi's bed and handed the other down to Sora. While they ate, Karen asked "So...how exactly do you plan on training me?"
Sora looked worried. "It would be nice if you had a keyblade," he said. "But you don't." "Well, Sora, you learned how to fight with a dinky little wooden sword, just like I did," Riku pointed out, gesturing with a fork. Sora perked up. "Yeah... a wooden sword. Or one of those clubs from the Struggle. But where are we gonna get one of those?"
Emi smiled sneakily again, putting her hand to her mouth. "I know where we can get one," she said, eyes blazing.
Emi had a tendency to blow things out of proportion. She and Riku were in charge of getting wooden swords from the drama department. Emi insisted on herself and Riku wearing all black. Emi had no problem finding black jeans and a black spaghetti-strap tank top. Riku had a bit of a problem, though. He had the black shirt taken care off underneath his jacket, but Emi insisted he change his pants. She shoved a pair of girl's sweat pants into his chest. He held them up, wrinkling his nose. Emi shoved her hands into her back pockets. "They're mine. I have no butt to speak off and we are the same height. Yes, they are clean. Put. Them. On."
Something about the tone of her voice and the sharp gleam in her pale green eyes made him rethink arguing. And after witnessing Emi's wrath inflicted on Seifer... he shuffled into the wash room and changed his pants. After he was properly outfitted, they were off to be delinquents. Emi carried a screw driver and Riku carried a flash light. They stole down the deserted hallways of the boarding school. Riku was a little worried because Emi was too good at this.
They flew down the stairs, sticking to the shadows, and tiptoed down long dark corridors. She stopped in front of a door and said "Yes...we got lucky." "How?" asked Riku, again, slightly worried. Emi smiled, her sharp face shadowed in the yellow light of the flash light. "The hinges are on the outside," she whispered. Riku looked at her confused. "What do the hinges have to do with anything?"
Emi waved the screwdriver at him. "Surprisingly," she explained. "I'm no good at picking locks, I never learned how. So, I'm going to take the door off it's hinges. Saves me the trouble of breaking into the headmaster's office for the master key. Light please." Riku pointed the flashlight at Emi's working hands.
She worked quickly. "Help me," she hissed, letting the door lean into her. Riku helped her let the door down quietly and they leaned it against the adjacent wall. "Let's get this over with before we get caught," Emi said, walking into the room.
Karen has insisted the two deliquents meet her and Sora in the courtyard. She and Sora walked quietly down to the back entrance to the garden, which was located in the cafeteria. It was nightime now, and also a full moon. An eerie light filtered through the yellow and red stained glass windows. They walked almost reverenly through the dining hall. Sora was amazed and the size and architecture of the room. High stone ceilings with exposed beams, the huge stained glass windows. The shining granite floors. Even the tables were pretty, long pieces of dark finished cherry wood, and benches with a dark red velvety cover. "This sure is a fancy school," he remarked quietly.
Karen nodded. "Yeah, it's a private school, so Emi and I are really lucky to be here. It used to be a Catholic school, way back when Emi was first...found. Emi was actually raised by nuns, but you can't tell, the way she acts. It was a private boarding school by the time I arrived, though." "Cool," said Sora, with a smile. They came to the exit and walked out into the cool night air. The air was alive with the sound of crickets and tiny tree frogs. They walked among the the rose bushes, huge maple trees,bird baths and other various garden things.
They sat on a stone bench to wait. The stone was cool under their fingers. A light breeze ruffled the leaves. Karen sighed and smiled. "Hey...Sora?" she asked quietly. "Yeah?" "Promise me something." "Sure.""Promise you won't hurt me." Sora chuckled. "Of course," he said. They both thought, at that time, that the promise referred to the coming training. Neither of them were aware how deep it actually went.
Emi and Riku walked into the drama room, looking around. Emi spotted a basket full of wooden swords and plucked out four, throwing them to Riku. Riku caught them deftly and Emi smiled. "Nice catch, Mister Coordianate. Any more tricks?"
Riku smirked. "Oh, I have a few more up my sleeve. You'll see." "Can you pull blades out of thin air like Sora?" "I can go one step better, I can pull them out of my butt." "Ew," said Emi, slapping her forehead."Boys and their crude humor." "Yeah, whatever," huffed Riku. "You girls.. you're always talking about cute guys." He imitated a girl's voice "'Oh, Lizzy, his butt is like... so cute.'"
Emi smacked his arm and they both chuckled. They stood their for a minute and then Riku said "Hey, let's go. Sora and Karen are waiting for us." He turned to walk out, but Emi stayed where she was. "Hey, Riku?" she asked. Riku stopped and looked over his shoulder. "What?"
"Those pants make your butt look like...so cute," said Emi. Riku wasn't sure if she was joking or not, but he smiled anyway, and started walking again, swinging his hips as he walked. Emi laughed loudly and slammed a hand over her mouth. They put the hinges back on the door and walked to the courtyard.
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...wow.
talk about major editing.
head master hester, woohoo!!! XD
hooray for beta testers. yay.
i especially love the fountain.
butt tails. hee hee.
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lolz yeah. Is this chapter shorter than the others or is it just me?
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FINALLY! THE PROMISED CHAPTER SEVEN! Things heat up!
Chapter Seven: Encounter
-Three Weeks Later-
The weeks of training passed and Karen responded well. She was fast and flexible, good attributes for a warrior. Those weeks, Sora and Riku slept on the roof of the school. They accompianied Karen and Emi to their various activites and every Sunday, they all attended chapel.
Before they knew it, the Struggle had arrived. Emi was gone before anyone else was even awake. She had to be at the Sandlot early for one last practice, and to pick up her uniform. Karen and Sora sparred one last time. When they were done, they couldn't help but smile. They walked to the Sandlot. They could hear the crowd before the could see it, and the tournament hadn't even begun. They walked in, Sora, Riku and Karen. "Okay," said Karen. "You know the deal. We have to go listen to the rules and wait for our match." Sora and Riku nodded.
They got the rules out of the way and went to go stand with the rest of the competitors. Hayner and Seifer were there of course, and the rest of the Disciplinary Commitee. And, Setzer. Karen rolled her eyes at a group of girls crowded around him, giggling.
The announcer had to scream despite the megaphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Twilight Town Marching Band." No one screamed louder than Karen as the upbeat music started and the red and gold clad members marched out.Emi was easy to spot, whaling on her quads.
Sora laughed. "What's with the funny hats?"he yelled over the crowd to Karen. She just laughed. The band members took their spot and the tournament itseld began. It was Fuu versus Vivi first. Fuu had no qualms about beating one of her own and did so, so fast it was blinding. Vivi never had a chance and probably never saw it coming.
Next up was Karen versus Hayner. Karen was unsure of herself as the ref started to stick the orbs on her body. She didn't want to fight Hayner. Sora reassured her with a pat on the back. She smiled at him and picked up one of the blue and yellow clubs. Hayner was waiting for her in the ring.
He chuckled. "Hey, no offense," he called. "But, you are going to be a breeze to beat." Karen chuckled to herself and assumed the battle stance Sora taught her, the same one he used. She didn't say anything, but when the buzzer sounded, she proceeded to prove Hayner wrong.
His first mistake was to rush her. She skipped out of the way, and momentum carried him on, leaving him stumbling and vulnerable. She leapt over, so light on her feet from years of dance lessons, and struck his back. The orbs seemed to explode off him. She gathered them quickly and skipped backwards, heading for the far end of the ring.
Hayner recovered from the blow and started running towards her. He kept his club low and swung up when he got close. Karen raised her own club, supporting it with two hands, and blocked his attack from above. She pushed, sending him flying and stumbling backwards. She brought her club down hard onto his head, sending orbs flying.
The buzzer sounded just as Hayner was swinging sideways for a chest shot. He yelled in frustration and threw his club down. Karen gasped, the blow knocking the breath from her chest. She'd won...she'd won! Sora, Riku and especially Emi screamed. The ref ran up and grabbed Karen's wrist, pulling it up as a sign of victory. Karen and Hayner stepped out of the ring to make room for Riku and Seifer. Hayner shook Karen's hand and walked off. Karen walked over to Sora to watch Riku's match.
Emi grimaced when she saw Riku was up against Seifer. There was a fued just waiting to happen between them. As much as Emi would've like to get in the ring and beat Seifer up (again) she would just have to hope Riku could do it for her. Riku's face was totally passive. He looked to Sora, wondering if he should use his Keyblade. Sora wasn't able to help, and Riku turned to face Seifer.
Seifer's face was still sore from his encounter with Emi. He sneered at Riku, the boy he still thought was keeping him from Emi. He was akready covered in orbs, taking slightly away from his intimadation factor but Riku was still worried. The ref stuck the orbs to his clothes and smacked an orb covered helmet over his fine silver hair. Riku took the club from him gingerly, staring at it. Seifer was still glaring.
Riku almost jumped when the buzzer sounded, the shrill noise bringing him out of his deep thought. Seifer rushed him before he had a chance to move, so his only choice was to block the attack. WIth a flash of light, the club in Riku's hand turned into his Keyblade, The Way to Dawn. Seifer gawked at the blade that was stopping his club. The crowd went wild as Riku pushed Seifer backwards. The fight was fast, Seifer and Riku circling each other. The clang of weapons was hardly audible over the crowd.
It was such a close fight. When the buzzer rang, Riku had only three more orbs than Seiger. Riku put his arm down and stopped immedietly. The Keyblade in his hand flashed and turned into a club again. Seifer wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and bent over, putting his hands on his knees. The club fell from his hands and rolled around in a weak circle.
The ref ran up and raised Riku's wrist in victory. Seifer just sneered. The crowd cheered and Riku walked up to Seifer. He stood slowly, taking the hand Riku outstretched gingerly. They shook hands grudgingly. "Thanks for a good fight,
said Riku. Seifer was silent. When they dropped their hands, Riku reared back and punched Seifer square in the nose.Seifer stumbled back, his hands flying to his face. Riku yelled over the crowd "THAT WAS FOR HER!"
He walked off to stand with Sora and Karen, leaving Seifer to sit in the dirt and wipe away the blood pouring from his nose.
Emi, still sitting in the band section, stood up, alarmed. Her jaw dropped when Riku punched Seifer, but she a got a certain satisfaction from it. She felt to shame about being happy to see Seifer in pain. He deserved it for messing with her. She caught Riku's eyes as he walked down and she mouthed "Thanks." He smirked and gave a gentle nod. Emi sat down feeling...relieved. She allowed herself a small smile and leaned back, satisfied.
Sora and Karen rushed up to Riku yelling things like "What did you do that for?!" Riku ignored them and leaned against the wall, eyes low. Sora shook his head and chuckled. "Show off," he muttered. The referee called his name and the brunette looked over and grinned. His turn.
He almost bounced over, ready to unleash the power of the Keyblade all over Rai's backside. He bounded up into the ring and grinned as the ref wrestled the helmet on over his spiky hair. Rai looked absolutely ridiculous covered in little red balls. Sora snickered and took the club offered to him absently. If Riku could use his keyblad, then so could Sora. Rai didn't stand a chance...
...twenty seconds before the buzzer sounded, Sora knocked off and gathered the last of Rai's orbs. He stepped back and grinned, knowing he'd won. The Kingdom Key dissenigrated in a flash with a metallic shing. Rai collapsed comically onto his back and Sora realized something. He spun around and looked at the leader board. After thinking for a moment, he realized...he was fighting Riku next! He frowned at first, but then smiled. Ah, sparring with Riku... that brought back some old, happy memories. He walked away, ignoring the ref that had run up to announce his victory.
~
There was a short break so the competitors could rest. Emi went over to thank Riku for socking Seifer. Sora sat on the ground, deep in though. Everyone figured he was planning his strategy, but Riku knew there was something up. In truth, Sora was thinking of Kairi. Wondering where she was, what she was doing. If she was still alive.... he missed her terribly and it broke his heart to think of her dead.
Emi tapped Riku's shouder and he looked up. She shifted her weight nervously and said "Thanks. For...Seifer." Riku nodded. "You're welcome. He deserved it. Does he always act like that around girls?" Emi shooked her head. "Nope. Just me. Apparently my rebellion is attractive. You don't meet people... like me... around here much, so Seifer singled me out."
"Well, that sucks," remarked Riku. They both chuckled. Riku's eyes flickered up to Emi's funny looking hat. It was red with old accents, including a golden feather. And a chin strap. "I like your hat," he remarked. Emi's lips quirked. "Ha ha," she said sarcastically, leaning against the wall, similar to Riku. She crossed her arms over her chest. Riku straightened up. "No, really. I've always liked to watch marching bands on television. We don't have one at home." He chuckled. "Heck, we don't even have a football team. We have a blitzball team. My friends Wakka and Tidus play."
Emi looked at him intently with fierce green eyes. "I've never heard of blitzball. We don't have a football team either. I'd like to hear more about your home sometime, though," she said. Riku nodded."Okay, yeah. Sure, sometime," he said, smiling. Emi smiled back and said "You know, you aren't so bad.Sorry for tackling you that one time." The band director called Emi back and she walked away. She lifted and jerked her hand in the air in a short wave.
Riku looked down at Sora, sitting on the ground. He was staring up at the sky. "What are you thinking about?" asked Riku, grinning mischiveously. Sora looked up and he looked really... sad. Riku frowed. He crouched down next to his friend and asked "What's the matter?" Sora sighed heavily. "I miss her. I miss her so...so much."
Riku clasped Sora's shoulder. "We'll see her again. Don't worry about it." "I know, I know. It's just that..." Sora sighed again, rubbing his face. "I think... I know... I love her. My heart aches when I can be with her, can't see her." Riku patted Sora's shoulder."I love her too. We'll go back. We'll find her. You can tell her how you feel one day when all of this is over with." Sora nodded. He was still sad, but Riku's words cheered him a little.
~
And then it was time for the semi-finals. It was Karen versus Fuu and Riku versus Sora. Karen's match was up first and she knew Fuu was more likely than not a tougher opponent than Hayner. She was just a tiny bit worried.Sora, standing next to her, gave her a small reassuring smile. "You'll do fine."
Karen took a deep breath, walking up to the ring, taking long confident strides. She held her chin high. Fuu stood on the other side, glaring at her silently. All of her friends had been defeated and she wasn't about to give in. The orbs were stuck on and clubs passed out. Karen's hands shook as she took the blue and yellow weapon. Her heart pounded as the officials cleared the ring. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face, both from the heat and the tension in the air. The air was heavy and humid. Fuu seemed totally calm.
Karen looked over her shoulder at Sora, wondering if she should just quit now. But, Sora was cheering for her. Riku was clapping, and Emi was cheering, too. She couldn't quit! She needed to win, to prove herself stron enough to save the world. Sora was counting on her to help him and Riku. Emi was counting on her to get her out of this sleepy town before her anger tore her apart. And she was counting on herself to find out about her family, the family she never knew. Maybe even find them, her mom and dad.
Something rose up in Karen and everyting and everything seemed to slow down. She didn't hear the buzzer, she could only hear her own breathing and heart beat. She knew it was time to go when Fuu started running towards her. Then, reality exploded back and everything sped up. She spun away from Fuu's first strike, a pent up breath exploding from her. She cried out and skipped backwards, ducking low to avoid another swing. She lashed out, striking Fuu in the knees. Hard. Fuu stumbled sideways, almost losing balance. Karen took advantage of Fuu's stumble.
Strike, strike, strike. Back and forth, circling, striking. Parry, block. Karen was winning, by a lot. She grinned when the buzzer sounded. Fuu crouched, breathless. "No...fair..."she gasped. Karen looked over her shoulder, the spun around, throwing her arms in the air and shrieking with delight.
She ran down the steps, ignoring the ref. She and Sora hopped around, laughing. Riku looked on anc chuckled, shaking his head. Emi stood up and almost smacked her fellow drummers when she flung out her arms. Karen hugged Sora then stood next to him. They watched the ref write her name in the bracket for the final match. Sora looked over and realized her was fighting Riku next. He grinned. Piece of cake.
Riku studied the leader board for himself and immedietly thought back to all those years ago, sparring with Sora on the beach. Funny how stuff like that can change your life, the outcome of certain events, and prepare you for things ahead. Riku thought "What would've happened, had we not gotten that training from sparring each other? Our skills certainly wouldn't be where they are now, not with out the extra push in the beginning."
Karen slapped them both on the back, wishing them luck and pulling Riku out of his deep thoughts. "I'm rooting for both of you," she screamed. The loud, rowdy crowd drowned her out. Riku and Sora walked to the ring together. The shook hands jokingly before taking the clubs offered to them. The ref chastised them. "I don't know what all those flashy lights were, and I don't know how you switched weapons. But, if you do it again, you're disqualified. Got it, boys?"
Both boys nodded, bored with this and fully ready to beat the crap out of each other. The boys went to their sides of the ring. Emi gripped her drum sticks, intrigued. She wasn't sure who to root for. Overly eager Sora or arrogant sarcastic Riku? She decided to just sit back and watched what happened.
When the buzzer rang, Sora hung back for a moment. Riku circled around, his club held low. Sora hopped backwards, swing up with one hand to block Riku's rapid blows. He jumped into it, up and bringing his club down on to Riku's helmet, knocking all the orbs off of it. Riku stumled forward with a small cry, leaving his back vulnerable. As fast as he recovered, Sora didn't have much time. He jumped over Riku's back, gaining a collective "Ooooo!" from the crowd.
Out of the ring, Karen watched, enthralled. Both of them fought with such grace. She wanted so badly to seem them in an actual battle. To see that grave that was earned only through hard work and practice. In the face of danger, it was the test of a true warrior.
Emi watched the fight, her eyes serious and her thin lips set in a straight line. One of the other drummers elbowed her in the ribs and said "You look like you have some money riding on this, huh, DesCoteaux?" Emi gave him a blank stare that actually held quite a bit of meaning. The snare player backed off. Emi returned her attention to the playing field.
She felt something.
She wasn't sure what, but something was [i]there[\i], nagging her. What WAS it? She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the annoying sensation.
Back in the ring, both Sora and Riku were enjoying themselves immensely. Persperation made their hands slippery. Their muscles ached, but it was a good, deep ache. Both had learned to accept that sensation as an affirmation of life, a sign they were still living to fight on.
Perhaps a little melodramatic for such a small event, but it seemed like forever had passed since they last felt the exhilaration of a good fight. Pillow fights with Kairi just weren't the same, didn't give the same buzz as an epic battle against hordes of heart-thirsty Heartless.
They both backed away from each other. Sora dived to one side to avoid a thrusting attack. Riku threw himself into it a little too much and momentum carried him sliding forward. Sora wiped the sweat from his head, wiping his hands on his baggy shorts, Riku blew out and sucked in breath. He smirked,loving every moment. He looked up and saw Emi staring right at him.
She looked so...serious.For the first time, he noticed the sadness in her eyes, the darkness under them from too many sleepless nights, lying awake wondering about the family she'd never know. Her thin lips carried potential for a beautiflu smile, but seemd to perpetually frown. Riku still wondered why she seemed so familiar to him. It was like he'd seen her somewhere, in a photo or crossing a street, a long time ago.
It [i]almost[\i] clicked. Just before Riku remembered, Sora leapt up behind him with a playful cry, blue eyes wild and smiling. Riku lost the remainder of his orbs with five seconds to spare. He fell to his knees, shaking his head and laughing. Sora helped him up and said "You left yourself wide open for that one, Riku."
Riku chuckled. "Yeah, I know," he said, standing up. The ref ran over and announced Sora's victory. Emi clapped but felt disspointed. She'd kinda wanted Riku to win, she decided after the fact. Maybe he wasn't as arrogant and annoying as she thought. But her cynical side stayed closed.
Karen clapped, but felt her nerves get up again. She'd won against Sora a few times, but he was...experienced. This was a real fight, not practice, even if it was just for entertainment. And Sora had the kind of experience you could get from three weeks of sparring with wooden swords.
Sora and Riku stepped down. Another break before the final match. Of course, either Karen or Sora would go on to fight Setzer, but that was purely in fun. Sora gave Karen a high five and said "I'll go easy on you, okay?" Karen grinned and punched him in the arm. "Don't hold back! Unless you don't have anything to give. you chicken wuss."
"Stealing phrases from Seifer, now are we? Such big talk coming from such an itty, bitty girl," said Emi in her distinctivley Emi voice, from behind. Karen spun around and punched Emi lightly in the ribs. "You're just jealous because you know you couldn't get this far if you competed," she retorted. She chuckled and they hugged.
Emi looked at Riku. It was refreshing to be able to look directly into someone's eyes rather than down into them. She smirked. "You should pay more attention. I was watching you. You were wrapped up in something, not paying attention." Riku smirked as well, wondering why she didn't notice he had been staring right at her. "Yeah, I know. Listen, can I ask you a question?" "Um... I guess," said Emi. "Have we...met somewhere before?" asked Riku. Emi looked at him, puzzled. "Uh, no. I've never seen you before in my entire life, before three weeks ago. Why?" Riku laughed nervously. "Oh, no reason. You just seemed familiar, that's all." "All right, whatever," said Emi with an absent shrug.
It was late afternoon now, almost time for the tournament to end. The crowd had settlled down quite a bit, tension in the air as they waited for the final match.
~
Karen felt something.
Something buzzing in her head.
An expectation.
She perked up, looking around. It was like someone had called her name. Sora felt it, too. He placed a hand on Karen's shoulder. "What... what...is that?" she mumurmed.
And then... everything just stopped. The crowd, the noise. Even the air itself seemed to stop. Time had ceased to be.
Karen cried out when she looked down and saw three black creatures. They seemed to spring out of nowhere at her feet, materializing from dark puddles. As more and more of them appeared, Karen became more and more alarmed. She stopped with the short cries and started a long, keening scream.
She felt something in her hand, a kind of energy. Sora and Riku had both withdrawn their Keyblades, so Karen deducted these creatures must be Heartless. The energy in her hand felt stronger, oh so strong. Pulling every bit of strength from her body. She looked down, slowly, at her hand.
In a blinding flash of light, that energy materialized. Karen screamed again, stumbling backwards. She threw her arms out in front of her,as if she were blocking sunlight with her hands. In her hands...she was gripping a sword of some kind or another. As she fell, she saw Sora turn to her, eyes wide. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion.
The Heartless were surrounding her, but the only thing she could even understand was the blade in her hand. It was an iradescent white, marbled and streaked with sky blue. The handle was heart shaped, crafted from what looked like twisted wrought iron, with a rod through the middle for gripping. At the end of the cylindrical, three foot long shaft, sticking out on the side, was a peary blue heart shaped part. There was a keyhole shaped hole through the middle.
"What the..." she breathed, turning the mysterious weapon in her hands. Sora blasted through Shadow after Shadow to get to her. He helped her up, both of them staring at the shiny white hunk of metal in her hands. "What is it?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. Sora grabbed her shoulders. "It's a... Keyblade."
Karen's eyes got even wider.
"Sora!" cried two voices simultaneously.
A few moments earlier, Emi had stood. She's ripped off her feather hat, trying to grasp what the heck was going on. She was holding a drumstick in either hand. Her hands... they felt strange, and heavy. She glanced down at them. So, heavy, a strange draining sensation.
In a flash of numbers, letters, symbols... data... a Keyblade appeared in both of her hands. She screamed, throwing them down. She screamed for Sora then, the flash of data coming again. The two blades reappeared in her calloused hands. Again, she threw them, as hard and far as she could. Before they could even hit the ground, they burst back into her hands.
At the same time, Shadows seemed to flood fluidly around Riku's ankles.Usually, Shadows were no big deal, but they kept coming and coming, no matter how many he defeated. They kept coming until he couldn't even see his feet. He called to Sora, and looked up and saw him with Karen. Saw the Keyblade in her hands. He heard Emi yell for Sora as well, the same time he did. He glanced over.
She was holding a Keyblade, as well... two of them! Oblivion in her left hand and Oathkeeper in the other. Double-wielding. She looked distressed and was trying to rid herself of them. "Help him," screamed Sora to Emi. Emi moved, not really sure to use the abnormally weighty blades in her hand. Not that she knew they were unusally heavy. She ran to Riku, the blades dragging behind her. Sparks erupted from the grinding of metal against the ground. A few Heartless were defeated in the dragging, but not enough to make a dent.
She kicked another Heartless out of the way, and slapped a few aside with her left blade. She and Riku were back to back now, as he turned to survey what was behind him. He spoke to her over his shoulder. "Just pretend they're Seifer. The only way to get rid of them for good is with the blade. Go!"
Riku leapt off , knocking Heartless left and right. Emi shifted her weight, and took a deep breath. She moved, swinging the heavy blades.It wasn't quite as easy as it looked... she was surprised by the number of Heartless left over when she was too tired to continue.
She dropped to one knee, the blades clattering down onto the ground from her hands. They didn't flash black like they had before. In a flurry of data, they returned to drumsticks. She must have fought non-stop for fifteen minutes, putting every ounce of strength she had into it.
"What happened to that amazing stamina?" asked Riku haughtily from behind her.In a flash, all of the Heartless were gone. He helped her up, offering her a hand which she gingerly, hesitantly took. The both looked around. Sora was standing, looking very tired. He waved to them.
Karen finished off the last Heartless. The four of them watched the faint, pink heart float up and away. It was like watching a balloon. Karen looked to Sora, breathing hard. She sunk to her knees, then slumped over, lying on her stomach. Sora's Keyblade, as well as Riku and Emi's, dissapeared as time resumed.
Emi and Riku were standing near the band, at the exit to the Back Alley. Emi looked down and realized... she was still grasping Riku's hand. She snatched her hand away, blushing deeply. Riku's face pinkened just a little, and he shoved his hands into his pockets.
Time was back to normal, and as far as the ref was concerned, the battle had been fought and the tournament was over. He declared Sora the winner, unawares as to the real reason Karen lay unconscious in the ring. Sora declined the fight was Setzer. Emi ran up to help carry Karen back to the dorm room, refusing medical help. "I'll get my quads later," she said, lifting Karen to her shoulder.
Sora looked at her sadly. "No need. You won't need them. We're leaving as soon as it gets dark."
~
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YAY
dude i totally remember the chicken wuss thing from FFVIII
i didn't get to read the last part til now
lol
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