Saving Kairi

Background:
After returning home from their 2nd quest, Sora, Kairi, and Riku are enjoying a normal life. No violence, no heartless, no nobodies. Life has returned to normal. It is now 1 year after they returned to their homes.

Story:
We start the story with Kairi preparing for a brand new day. She, Riku, and Sora were going to go out to the island today to hang out. Kairi quickly brushed her hair and hurried out of the house. Today was going to be a great day.

“Hey!†Kairi called to Sora and Riku as she saw the two of them standing by their boats waiting for her. “What’s---†Kairi stopped mid sentence when she saw their facial expressions. Sora looked concerned, while Riku looked troubled. Riku shook his head, telling Kairi that he didn’t want to talk about it. He got into his boat and paddled towards the island. Before Kairi could ask what was wrong, Sora climbed into his boat and also started towards the island. Kairi shrugged and got into her boat and began paddling.

“Great,†she thought to herself, “it’s a beautiful day, but my two best friends are upset. I don’t even know why! Maybe I should stay out of it...no, I think I’ll talk to them.†Kairi continued to paddle to the island. Maybe she could still make today great.

When she arrived at the island, something didn’t feel right. There was hardly anyone around. Normally people were at the shore by that time, having fun. Laughing and enjoying life. But today it was dead silent. Then she noticed someone sitting by a picnic table. She walked over to find out where everyone was. When she got closer, she felt someone grab her arm and pull her away.

“This way, Kairi,†Sora said, sounding upset. Kairi followed his lead. As she was pulled away, she heard the person cough weakly.

“I guess Sora didn’t want me to get a cold.†Kairi thought to herself. “That’s thoughtful of him, but I can take care of myself.â€

Kairi looked up and saw another person who looked ill. Kairi smiled weakly at him as Sora pulled her past. The person sneezed multiple times and walked away.

“Wow,†Kairi thought, “a lot of people are sick. There has been something going around. Good thing it isn’t serious.â€

Riku was waiting for them by the tree where they always talked. Kairi guessed that her friends were not upset with each other, but it must have been something else. But things still felt tense. Just as Kairi was about to speak, Sora beat her to it.

“Is the tournament still being held, Riku?†Sora asked his friend.

“I don’t know,†Riku replied, “who would compete?â€

Sora nodded sadly and they sat in silence for a minute.
“Why wouldn’t anyone compete?†Kairi asked her friends. “There’s Tidus, Wakka, you two, Selphie, and I was even going to enter. Plus there are a bunch of new kids that sounded interested.â€

Sora and Riku didn’t respond. What did she say wrong? It was a good question. Was this part of what was making her friends upset?

“What’s with you guys?†Kairi asked after a long silence. “It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the water is perfect, and the weather is perfect! Why are you guys so serious? Did I miss something?â€

Riku and Sora were silent once again. Kairi was growing frustrated. “If you guys aren’t going to talk to me then I’ll go find someone that will.â€

No response. On that note, Kairi hopped off of the tree and started to walk away. She turned around and saw that her friends were not following her. Kairi walked back to the shore where her boat was and paddled home. While rowing, she looked back one more time. They hadn’t moved at all.

******
Kairi laid in her bed that night thinking about what a waste today was. After returning home she went strait to bed, thinking of what could possibly make her friends act so odd. It wasn’t like them to hide things from her. And ever since then she has felt sick to her stomach.

“It must be stress,†Kairi said to herself. “I hate being left out of things! Tomorrow I’m going to find out what’s wrong, and I’m not taking no for an answer.â€

Kairi fell into a fitful sleep. When she awoke the next morning, she had a strange sense that she had a nightmare. But she couldn’t remember any of it. Then she remembered her rage at Sora and Riku for not telling her that something was wrong. It couldn’t be more clear. Kairi quickly got dressed and brushed her hair. She didn’t bother eating breakfast, since she wasn’t hungry.

Kairi decided to check the island first. When she went to get her boat, she saw that Sora and Riku’s boats were gone. “So they must be at the island,†Kairi thought. She hopped into her boat and paddled out. It was another beautiful day.

As she approached the island she began to feel sick to her stomach again. “Ugh!†Kairi thought to herself, “Maybe I should have eaten breakfast. Oh well, I’ll worry about that later.â€

She noticed that Sora and Riku were sitting on the tree. “Perfect. Now I can confront them,†Kairi thought.

When she reached the tree, neither of the boys acknowledged her. “WHAT IS GOING ON?†Kairi asked angrily. “It’s not like you guys to keep secrets from me. I want to know what’s happening, and I want to know now.â€

“Kairi,†Sora began before he was interrupted by Kairi.

“Oh, now you’re talking to me!†Kairi said crossly. She felt herself growing madder. She was ready to burst. “Why are you guys acting so weird?â€

“I don’t know how to tell you this, Kairi...†Riku trailed off.

Kairi tried to regain her patience. But she couldn’t. “Well, telling me WHAT it is would help. Just tell me straight forward. Whatever it is, I can take it! You guys don’t have to baby me! I’m not some girl you need to protect. I can protect myself!â€

Something was definitely wrong. Kairi had been angry with them before, but nothing like this. It was like she couldn’t control her emotions. She suddenly felt very light headed. She stumbled a bit, then leaned against the tree as if nothing had happened. Sora and Riku didn’t seem to notice.

Kairi didn’t start feeling any better. She felt dizzy and out of place. She fought to stand up. Since when was it so hard to stand up to her friends? Her stress had never been this bad before.

“Kairi? Kairi!†Sora said, waving in front of her face. “Are you alright? You don’t look so good.â€

“I’m fine!†Kairi replied angrily. But she wasnâ fine.

“KAIRI!†Sora yelled as he saw Kairi fall to the ground in front of him. She had passed out. She looked ghastly pale. He cried as he held her in his arms.

“Not her too,†he said miserably to Riku. “This can’t be happening.â€

-----------------------
End of Chapter 1. Please leave comments, this is my first story, so be nice please =)

 

You've got the grounds for an interesting story, but one comment I would make is that whenever you have a character thinking something, use Italic font instead of quoting it, that way we know that they are thoughts and the character isn't talking aloud.

A few spelling errors that i was able to notice but other than that, you've got a good length, and the start of a conflict.

Keep it going.

 

Thanks for all the uplifting responses guys. Here's the next chapter:

Chapter 2

Kairi woke up with a start. She groaned as she tried to sit up. How did she get in her room? Why was she asleep in the first place?

She looked around her room and saw that Sora was sitting next to her, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was staring at the floor as if deep in thought. “Sora?†She asked weakly.

Sora looked up. “Kairi!†He looked very relieved that she was awake. But he also looked very worried.

“Sora...what’s...going...on?†She asked slowly, as if it was hard for her to speak. She didn’t really want to know the truth. Something must be terribly wrong with her. How could all this happen? Why...

“Kairi, you’re sick.†Sora blurted, interrupting Kairi’s thoughts, “I should have told you. I should have protected you. Somehow, someway...anything so that this wouldn’t be happening.â€

“What do you mean?†Kairi asked, attempting to sit up again. Why was everything so hard to do?

“There’s a disease that’s spreading among the worlds. It’s a disease that traps people inside of their own nightmares.â€

“But...Sora...â€Kairi began, “I couldn’t possibly have that. I only fainted.â€

“That’s one of the first symptoms, Kairi.â€

“Glad to see you’re awake,†a voice came from the door. It was Riku. He was carrying a bowl of steaming soup.

“Hey,†Kairi greeted her friend softly.

Riku grabbed a chair and sat down, putting the soup on Kairi’s end table. Riku turned to Sora. “How bad is it?â€

“Well, it can’t be good.†Sora responded, distress apparent in his voice. “She was out for hours. She’s obviously sick.â€

“Is this disease serious?†Kairi asked, struggling to put out each word. She already knew the answer. Sora wouldn’t be acting this way unless it was serious.

“If it gets too serious...then....â€Sora stumbled over his words. He looked like he was going to break down and sob. “I’m sorry,†he whispered. He abruptly stood up and ran out the door. This was too intense. He couldn’t handle it. He should have stopped it somehow. It should have been him lying sick in bed, not Kairi. Why did it have to be Kairi? She didn’t deserve this at all. He continued to run. To where, he didn’t know. He just had to find a way to get away.

He heard somebody call his name. He didn’t care. If he stopped running, then he would have to acknowledge that Kairi really was sick.

So he ran. He ran from his fears. He ran from his heartache. He ran from what was most dear to him. He ran until he couldn’t anymore. He finally came to a stop on the other side of the island, by the calming ocean waves. The sun was setting. It was beautiful. It was just like the night before he, Kairi, and Riku planned to sail to other worlds, over one year ago. He and Kairi sat together and talked about their excitement. They wouldn’t have good times like that anymore. That realization crushed his heart. He broke down and began to sob quietly. He was more alone than ever before.

****

Sora didn’t know how long he had sat there. The sun was completely gone from view. The night sky overhead was completely dark, the stars hiding behind the clouds. It felt like an eternity. He sat in fetal position and cried. He cried for the bleak future. For his dying friend. For himself.

He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. He didn’t bother looking up. He knew who it was. He heard Riku sigh sadly as he sat next to his best friend.

Sora thought he should say something. To tell Riku he was alright. But that would have been a lie. Kairi was dying. He would never be alright again.

They sat there in silence. The waves crashed softly against the shore. It was strangely soothing, knowing that he wasn’t completely alone.

****

“Sora!†a voice called to Sora as he sat on the darkened beach with his friend. Who would be calling him? He listened more closely. He didn’t hear anything. He must have imagined it.

“Sora!†the voice called again. Sora finally turned around, and saw what he least expected. Kairi was running towards him.

He was stunned. What was Kairi doing out of bed? Sora turned his gaze to Riku. He looked just as astonished as Sora did. She was running? She’s sick! How can she be running. She was already a few feet away when Sora began to ask Kairi what she was doing out of bed, but was cut off by Kairi.

“Are you OK Sora? I was so worried when you ran out like that!†Kairi said when she finally came close to her friends.

“You should be in bed Kairi.†Riku said gently.

“Why?†Kairi replied, pushing aside Riku’s concern. She turned back to Sora. “Oh Sora, don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’m not dying that easily.†She smirked, hoping Sora would at least smile or even chuckle. He did neither.

“This isn’t funny Kairi!†He burst out. “You could die! It’s a terrible disease, and now you’ve got it!†Kairi sobered.

They sat in silence for a while. Nobody dared to say anything. There was nothing to say.

“Like I said Sora,†Kairi said softly, “I’m not going down without a fight.â€

“But...†Sora trailed off, not knowing what he could possibly say.

“I’m not going anywhere.†Kairi repeated. She said it as if she believed it. Sora nodded, uncertain. He didn’t completely believe it, but hope would keep him going. Hope had kept him going for so long before...

“I can’t do it alone,†Kairi said, interrupting Sora’s thoughts. “I need your help, both of you. Be strong, and I’ll be strong. Be there for me, and I’ll be there for you. Sora, never lose hope. If you do, so will I. Got it?â€

Sora nodded sadly. “I’m sorry Kairi. I should have been strong. This must be harder for than it is for me. I should have--â€

“You have nothing to apologize for, Sora. I would have done the same thing. Now we need to focus on the future.†Kairi turned to Riku. “Tell me more about the disease.â€

Riku looked down, compiling his thoughts; trying to find a way to word the truth without making it sound so devastating. It was an impossible task. He sighed. “First, you start feeling like you’re sick with a cold. Then you start to faint and pass out suddenly. But you always wake up. But soon....you become comatose, never waking up; trapped inside of your own dreams. And they aren’t good dreams, they’re nightmares. There’s no way to break its hold on you. The dreams are so realistic and terrifying. And it’s never ending.â€

Kairi stared out at the ocean. “That serious, huh?†She said, sounding a little less optimistic than she had a few minutes ago. “Is there any cure?â€

Riku shook his head sorrowfully.

Kairi nodded. “OK.†She said. She stood up. Hefriends looked up at her. “It’s late. Let’s go home.â€

Sora rose from his spot on the sandy shore. Riku stood as well. Together, they walked home. Nobody spoke, but they all knew what they were each thinking about.

------------------------
End of Chapter 2. Hope you enjoyed =). Please leave more comments, I love reading them.

p.s.- I also put more time into revising this chapter, so it’s probably better than the first.

 

Wow... That was totally awesome!!!!! I can't wait to read more. You're a great author. :D Keep writing more, I want to know what happens next.

 

Chapter 3

The next morning, Sora woke up slowly. He felt numb. Then the memories of the night before hit him. Kairi. Disease. Comatose. No cure. Each memory was like a painful snapshot. He shook his head, trying to shake away the awful memories. He rolled onto his other side and looked at his clock. 10:05. Maybe Riku was awake. And he should check on Kairi too. He hoped that she was OK.

He jumped out of bed, changed his clothes, and put some gel in his hair. As he went through the kitchen, he hesitated. Should he grab something to eat? He decided not to. He was too worried to eat. Each minute away from Kairi was making him more and more anxious. But he didn’t want Kairi to know that he was worrying. He had to be strong, for her.

He speed walked towards Kairi’s house. When he finally got there, he went straight in and peeked into Kairi’s room. She was still asleep. Sora breathed a sigh of relief. But then he realized that she could be having a nightmare. He looked at her face. She did look paler than usual. Panicked, he grabbed her shoulders.

“Kairi?” Sora said. “Kairi? Kairi!” Sora said, getting louder each time. He finally saw her show a reaction. She opened her eyes a crack.

“Sora? What are you doing in my bedroom?” She asked, still half asleep.

“Oh...I...um, was just making sure everything was ok. You look kind of pale.” Sora said, his voice showing his concern.

Kairi let out a faint laugh. “There you go again, Sora. I told you, don’t worry about me. I’m going to be alright. Understand?”

There was a knock at Kairi’s door. “Can I come in?” a voice asked from outside the door.

“Come on in, Riku,” Kairi answered.

Riku came in hesitantly. Kairi laughed. “Relax, Riku. I’m fine. Sora already woke me up to check on me.”

Sora put his hands behind his head. “Sorry,” he apologized.

“Apology accepted.” Kairi replied. “Now, what are we going to do today, since we’re all awake now?”

Sora and Riku looked at each other. They both shrugged. They didn’t even think about how to spend their day.

“I know what we should do,” Kairi said. “We should hang out on the island. That is, unless you two have a better idea?”

Sora and Riku both shrugged again. Kairi giggled. “OK then, that’s what we’ll do. Now, if you two will excuse me, I have to get dressed.”

The boys quickly evacuated the room. When Kairi was sure that they weren’t listening in on her, she sighed heavily. She felt horrible already. But she couldn’t let them know it. She began to notice that she started having nightmares every night. She knew that she was getting worse.

But she also knew that she had to be strong. If she wasn’t, then the guys would be sorrowful as well. Kairi hurriedly got dressed and ran a brush through her hair, fearing that the guys were already worried about her taking so long. She rushed out the door to find the guys sitting on the swing on her porch outside the house. They looked relaxed. She was relived.

“You guys ready?” Kairi asked, trying to hide her sickness. The guys nodded and off they went. When they arrived at the shore, each would take their own boat out to the island. Sora and Riku looked at each other nervously. They didn’t know what they would do if anything happened to Kairi when she was in her boat. Kairi pretended not to notice their worry. She got into her boat and began to paddle. Riku and Sora quickly got into their boats and kept a close pace with her.

Great, Kairi thought, it feels like I have two over zealous body guards.
But Kairi knew that they only did it because they cared. When they reached the island, they all headed straight for their tree. Sora sat further up, then Kairi, then Riku sitting closest to the base. It’s always been this way, and I hope it will stay this way forever, Kairi thought hopefully to herself.

They all sat in their spots in the stillness of morning for a little while.

“Well,” Kairi finally said, “isn’t this fun? You guys woke me up for this?”

Riku smiled faintly. Sora didn’t do anything.

“So...what now?” Kairi asked curiously. “We’ve only been here for 15 minutes and I’m already bored. You guys want to have a race or something?”

Riku shook his head. “It’s too hot out to do anything, Kairi.”

“Riku, you big baby!” Kairi exclaimed, “That never stopped you before!”

They sat in silence again. Kairi started to feel worse. Oh no, she thought. The world began to spin, her vision blur. She felt herself pale. Her stomach flip-flop on her insides. She felt nauseous.

“Kairi?” She heard a voice say. She couldn’t tell who. She felt herself slide off the tree and onto the ground. And that was the last thing she remembered.

Sora and Riku looked eat each other miserably and nodded. Riku leaned down and tenderly lifted Kairi up off the ground. Together, they took Kairi back home.

****
Later that night, Kairi awoke in her own bed. She immediately knew what had happened. She weakly sat up in her bed and looked around her dark room. She could scarcely see that Sora and Riku were sitting in chairs on the other side of the room, but she knew that they were there. Kairi saw that they had both fallen asleep. Kairi began to cry gently. It wasn’t fair for them to have to worry about her.

Kairi quietly rose from her bed, careful to not disturb her friends. She grabbed some extra blankets from the closet and covered Sora and Riku with one each.

Kairi still didn’t feel good at all. She felt herself becoming lightheaded again. She hurriedly laid back down in bed. She was really hot. At least the boys wouldn’t know that she passed out twice in one day, she thought to herself. She felt herself drift into unconsciousness yet again.

*****
The next morning Riku was the first to awake. The sun was shinning in through the window. It looked like another beautiful day.

Huh? He thought, how did I get covered with a blanket? He shrugged it off and went to check on Kairi. She wasn’t lying under her blankets anymore. Maybe she was just sleeping normally now? Riku desperately hoped so. Kairi turned in her sleep, now facing Riku. Riku sighed. What a relief. She was still with them.

But what next? He felt so helpless. Kairi looked so innocent and child-like in her sleep. She was defenseless against the disease, and they all knew it.

Kairi opened her eye a crack. Then she slowly opened them both and saw Riku watching her. “Hey,” she said softly.

Riku nodded, acknowledging that he heard her greeting. Kairi sat up in bed. She looked across the room, seeing that Sora was still asleep. She nodded to Riku and they walked out to her porch and sat on the swing. They sat in silence. There was nothing either of them could have said to comfort each other.

*****
When Sora woke up, he immediately looked to Kairi’s bed. It was empty. He anxiously jumped out of his seat, not even noticing the blanket that had been on top of him. Riku was gone too. Sora walked to the window and looked outside. He saw Riku and Kairi on the swing. Phew, she’s alright, the boy thought to himself.

He walked down to the swing and sat down on the other side, leaving Kairi in the middle. Neither Riku nor Kairi said anything to their friend. They sat in the quietness of a brand new day.

*********
Over the next week, Kairi’s health began to plummet. The Saturday after they sat together on the swing, Sora was sitting by Kairi’s bedside, holding her frail hand. She looked more pale and fragile than ever before.

Riku entered the room. “Sora,” he said softly, “she’s not waking up this time.”

“I know.” Sora looked distressed, knowing that this was all really happening to his friend.

Riku pulled up a chair and sat next to his best friend. “Sora, let’s go.”

Sora looked at his friend, numbed. “Go where?”

“To Hollow Bastion, of course.” Riku answered. “We’re going to find a cure for this. I know we are. Let’s talk to Leon and the others and see if they can help us.” Riku knew that Sora’s friends from Hollow Bastion would do everything to try and help.

Sora looked at his friend, horrified. “We can’t just leave Kairi here! We need to watch over her.”

“She can come with,” Riku replied gently, “the others can watch over her while we find a cure. They may even be able to help us find the cure.”

Sora nodded sadly. “I suppose you’re right.”

Riku put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You should go get packed, I’ve already packed all of my medicine that may be able to help. Do you still have yours from your past journeys?”

Sora nodded blankly. He rose and trudged homeward. 15 minutes later he returned to Kairi’s house with his bag and saw that Riku was standing against the wall, staring at Kairi. Riku turned his gaze to Sora when he returned. Sora didn’t notice that Riku already had apparently brought his bag with him earlier. Riku swung his bag over his shoulder and went to Kairi’s bedside. He gingerly lifted her into his arms. The three friends left.

As they walked on the beach, Sora started to wonder how they would get to Hollow Bastion. He asked Riku his question.

“We still have that gummi ship that the King gave us after our journey last year, remember?” Riku answered.

“Oh, yeah.” Sora said, remembering back to last year. Soon after they had returned, they received a bottled letter from King Mickey himself.

“Sora! Riku!” Kairi called as she came running to her two friends, who had been standing at the tree, speaking to each other. She was holding something in her hands.

“Hey, what’s up?” Sora asked Kairi when she had come to a stop in front of them.

“Look!” She said excitedly, holding a bottle in front of Sora.

Sora looked and saw a piece of paper inside. He looked more closely and saw the seal of King Mickey on it.

“From the King?” Sora asked, quickly grabbing the bottle and taking the cork off the top. He tipped the bottle and the letter fell out. Sora quickly unrolled it and began to read it. Kairi and Riku both read it at the same time, over Sora’s shoulders. It read as follows:

“Dear Sora, Riku, and Kairi:

I can’t thank you all enough for all of your hard work! You all have strong, brave hearts, and I’m so proud of all of you. With that being said, I would like to offer you guys a gift. It’s your very own gummi ship! Chip and Dale have been working very hard on it since we have been home. It’s almost done, and it will be sent sometime tomorrow. Use it with freedom and care.

Your friend,

Mickey”

“Wow!” Sora said. “That was nice of him!”

The next day, the gummi ship arrived as promised. It was very compact, and equipped with great weaponry. It was very cozy and comfortable on the inside. Riku, Sora and Kairi were very grateful to the king for the unexpected gift.

They had decided to not use the ship until they absolutely need it. They didn’t want to risk that anything would happen to it, so they kept it hidden near the secret place, which nobody knew about.

And today was the day when they needed it most. When they arrived at the gummi ship they quickly went in and laid Kairi down delicately on the available bed. Riku took the front passenger seat Sora sat in the driver’s seat.

Sora turned around and took one last look at the sleeping Kairi. “You’ll be alright soon.” Sora said to his lifeless friend. He turned and faced forward again.

“Let’s go.” He said, blasting off their gummi ship in the direction of Hollow Bastion.

---------------------
End of Chapter 3, the longest chapter yet! Please leave feedback. Hope you enjoyed it; this one was hard to write since I was having a major writer’s block. Let me know what you think.

 

Yeah! I liked it a lot!!! :D It was really great. It makes me wonder what's going to happen to Kairi. *sniff* Poor Kairi...

 

Chapter 4

Sora​

“How much further until we reach Hollow Bastion, Sora?†Riku asked his friend.

“It shouldn’t be long now.†Sora said. Thus far, the flight had been pretty smooth. As if on cue, a sudden hit rocked the ship.

“What was that!?!†Riku yelled over the explosive noise level.

“HEARTLESS!†Sora yelled back. “Hold on!†Sora initiated the ship’s thrusters. They didn’t have any time for delays. Sora was determined to get Kairi to Hollow Bastion as quickly as possible.

“There are too many of them! I’m going to have to unleash the light ray!†Sora said, clearly annoyed that the diversion.

“Is that safe?†Riku asked his friend, unsure.

“We don’t have a choice.†Sora said simply. He initiated the ship’s largest weapon. The great beam of light immediately cleared the area of all heartless vessels. The boys both sighed with relief. But just when they were sure that the weapon had worked without doing any damage to the ship, a large bang echoed from the back of the ship.

“We’re going down!†Sora called to his friend. “Brace yourself!†Riku quickly buckled his seatbelt and braced for impact.

The ship started going up in flames as the entered the atmosphere of the nearest world. There was no way to break their fall. Sora realized that this would cause serious damage to its ships and passengers. Then he remembered their third passenger.

Kairi! He thought desperately. She would never survive the crash, since she was not tied safely into a seat. He hurriedly undid his own seat belt and ran back to Kairi’s bed.

“Sora!†Riku called to his friend. Sora was unfazed. He had to save Kairi. As the ship fell faster and faster towards the unknown world, Sora knew that he had to work rapidly. He picked up Kairi and strapped her into a seat. As he rushed back to his own seat, the ship hit the ground, knocking Sora off of his feet. The next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground of the ship, badly injured. He felt himself drift into unconsciousness.

Riku​

“Sora!†He had called to his best friend when he had undone his seatbelt straps for some reason. Then he realized what Sora was doing. There was nothing he could do to help his friend now. All he could do was sit and watch.

Sora worked with more determination than Riku had ever seen before. He quickly strapped Kairi into a seat and began running towards his own.

Riku thought that his friend would make it back to his seat in time. He was wrong. Riku quickly turned forward in his seat right before the moment of impact. He felt his body battering his seat. Then, as sudden as the crash was, the ship came to a stop.

Riku quickly unbuckled himself and ran to check on his friend. “Sora!†He said, panic showing through his voice .Sora looked horrible. His right arm looked broken, his left ankle sprained, and the left hand wrist fractured. Sora didn’t respond. “SORA!†He shouted at his unconscious friend again.

Riku heard a large bang come from outside the ship. He ran outside to check it out. More heartless. He pulled out Way to the Dawn and charged into the enemy lines. He had to defend Sora and Kairi at all costs.

There must have been over 500 heartless out there. How could he defeat all of them and keep his friends safe? But he didn’t have time to come up with any other plan. He swung his weapon in various different strokes, destroying many heartless. He turned back to the ship. NO! The heartless were already trying to get inside. And Riku had distanced himself from the ship. As Riku started to run back, the army of heartless blocked his way. There was no way he would be able to get to the ship and save his friends, even if he destroyed every heartless in his path.

Just when he thought that all hope was lost, he saw a mysterious man appear out of nowhere and destroyed most of the heartless that were in front of the ship. He noticed that the man had a scar on his face.

“Heeyaa!!!†Riku heard a female voice scream. She crashed on the remaining heartless from above. She wore a black outfit, with her stomach exposed. Her boots went up to her knees. But Riku didn’t have enough time to take in any details on the other stranger. Riku slashed his way through the heartless, towards the other two. The man with what appeared to be a gunblade was destroying heartless while running towards Riku. The female guarded the ship.

“Who are you!?†Riku yelled as he slashed through more heartless.

“I’m Leon!†The stranger called back. “Who are you?â€

“Riku!†He answered, cutting down another heartless.

“Riku...â€Leon said thoughtfully. When he realized who he was, he asked “Where’s Sora?â€

“He’s on the ship. He got knocked out due to the force of impact. Kairi’s out of action too.†Riku said as he continued to slash through all opposing enemies.

“Yuffie!†Leon called to his companion. “We gotta get Sora and Kairi out of there.â€

“How?†Yuffie called back, making several more heartless disappear. “There are too many of them for us to take them to Merlin’s safely.â€

“Cut through as many as you can. Riku, you and I will carry Sora and Kairi to Merlin’s house as soon as we’re sure Yuffie can get rid of the rest of the heartless.†Leon said, stating the plan. He started swinging at the heartless as he ran towards the most populated section.

“Great!†Riku replied, “but you’ll have to lead the way. I have no idea where this place is.â€

They continued to cut down any heartless in their path. “Now, Riku!†Leon called when there were fewer heartless left. Riku dashed towards the ship. He quickly unbuckled Kairi. Leon lifted Sora off the ground gingerly. Leon nodded to Riku and off they ran towards Merlin’s. Yuffie fought off the remaining heartless.

Once they made it to Merlin’s, Leon kicked the door open and ran inside. “My goodness, what happened?†an old, mystical man said when he saw Sora, Kairi, and Riku.

“Merlin, we have a problem.†Leon explained the situation to the wizard.

“Well, don’t worry. We can keep them safe here for now.†Merlin said, as another bed appeared against the wall to the right of the door. Leon laid Sora onto the bed. Riku carried Kairi to Merlin’s bed.

Then Riku looked to the door and saw Yuffie come inside with another girl. “I finally found Aerith. She was with Cid in Ansem’s computer room.â€

Aerith held medicine in her hand. “Oh!†Riku said, “I forgot about all of the medicine on the ship!â€

“Don’t worry,†came the soft, gentle voice of Aerith. “I already recovered what I could. That’s what I’m carrying.â€

She laid the medicines on Merlin’s table. “I can probably mix a lot of your potions and wake up Sora, but he won’t be completely healed.†She told Riku. She started speaking in a more quiet voice. “As for your other friend...she’s not injured, is she?â€

Riku shook his head sadly. “She has the disease.â€

Aerith nodded her head. “It is as I thought.â€

“Please,†Riku said, “is there anything we can do for her?â€

“We’ll talk about that later. Right now, I need to focus my attention on Sora.â€

“Riku!†Leon called for Riku. “Let’s talk.†Riku nodded and followed Leon out the door. They walked towards the Bailey. When they had sat down on what looked like a window sill, Leon spoke. “Tell me what happened.â€

So Riku explained the whole situation. About Kairi, about Sora, about their plan to find a cure for Kairi’s disease.

“We’ll help in any way we can.†Leon said with confidence. “We’d better head back towards Merlin’s before anyone worries.

They walked back to Merlin’s. When the house was in sight, more heartless appeared. They quickly fought through them, but more appeared. This could take a while, Riku thought to himself.

Sora​

Sora woke up in a comfortable bed, greatly sore, in a place that seemed slightly familiar. As he tried to sit up, he groaned in pain.

“Try not to move Sora. You took quite a beating.†A soft voice said from besides the cot he was lying on. He turned his gaze to see who had spoken.

“Aerith!†Sora said, surprised. He tried to sit up again, but moaned in pain and fell back down. “What happened? Where am I?â€

“Your ship crashed, and you were knocked unconscious. So we brought you back here, to Merlin’s house. We were all really worried about you.â€

“‘We?’†Sora said.

“Leon, Riku, and the others.†Aerith replied.

“Riku...†Sora said, thinking back to the crash. “RIKU!!†Sora said, nearly jumping out of his bed. “Is he alright?!?â€

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?†Aerith said after calming Sora. She rose from her chair and went to the door. As she opened it, the sounds of battle rushed into the house. Sora heard Riku and Leon fighting some kind of foe. She sighed, “Heartless are everywhere!†She uttered a spell that Sora couldn’t understand. He felt the building shake as the spell was unleashed. The outside world became still. Sora got the impression that all of the heartless were destroyed. “Leon, Riku! He’s finally awake.†She called in her ever gentle voice. Sora was shocked that she was actually tough. But he didn’t have much time to think about this, since Riku and Leon came running inside.

“Thank goodness you’re alright!†Riku said, releasing a sigh of relief. He took a seat by Sora’s bed. “After the beating you took out there, I thought....†He let his voice trail off.

“What happened?†Sora asked Riku, his head throbbing with pain.

Riku reclined in his seat, recalling the events of earlier that day. He told Sora what he missed, leaving out how worried he and Leon were.

“Wow,†Sora said when Riku was finished talking. He smacked himself in the head. “I’m such an idiot! How could I have left you alone against all of those heartless? I should have buckled Kairi up sooner, and none of this would have happened. I should have--â€

“Stop beating yourself up.†Riku said, interrupting his friend. “It’s over now. We need to focus on the future.â€

Sora chuckled softly, surprising everyone. “It would help if I could actually move.â€

Aerith turned to Sora, “you got seriously hurt out there, so no matter how many potions I give you, you won’t heal right away. Riku was right when he judged you injuries. You have a broken arm, fractured wrist, and sprained ankle.â€

“So, what do I do?†Sora asked, interrupting Aerith.

“Well...†Aerith looked unsure. “I would say that you should stay here and recover for a few weeks.â€

“WHAT!?!†Sora said, sitting up in his bed, fighting to not let his face show the pain he felt. “I can’t do that! I have to help Kairi!â€

“Sora, you need to lie back down!†Riku sad with great authority. After seeing how serious his friend was, Sora slowly lied back down.

Aerith continued, “I’m going to make you a super remedy. It’ll get you back on your feet, but you shouldn’t fight for a while. Just use magic to defend yourself when necessary. Your ankle should return to normal, your wrist should just be tender, but your right arm will still be very bruised. Just give me a little bit of time, and I’ll have it ready by the end of the day. Right now, you should just rest.â€

Sora nodded. He still felt exhausted from the events from earlier that day. He felt himself drift into fitful slumber.
*****
The end. Hope you enjoyed =).

 

The action was fantastic! I was totally focused on the story the whole time. I hope you post the next chapter soon, or I might get a heart attack from all this excitement! jk.

 

Chapter 5

Sora​

When Sora woke up, he noticed that his pain was not nearly as severe as it was earlier that day. He sat up with ease. He shifted so he could try and stand up. Although he was very stiff, he didn’t feel too much pain. Then he felt himself loose balance and grabbed for a nearby chair. He yelped in surprise as pain shot through his right arm. He forgot about ever losing his balance as he grabbed his arm, hoping to make the pain subside.

Huh? Sora thought once the pain began to lessen in his arm. Where is everyone? As he looked around the house, there was no sign of anyone. The only person left besides Sora was Kairi.

Sora decided to find out where Riku and the others went. He opened the door slowly, in case there were any heartless. When he was sure the coast was clear, he headed towards the marketplace.

When he came within 20 feet to the entrance, nobodies appeared out of nowhere. Out of instinct, his keyblade appeared in his hand. But how was he supposed to fight them off with his arm injured? He knew there was no way he could win. As much as he hated running, he knew that he had no other option. He was glad to see that the town’s security system still worked, but was it enough?

“THUNDER!†He screamed quickly, catching the dusks off guard. Several were struck, while others backed away in surprise. He saw a break in their line and ran through towards the marketplace.

But the nobodies weren’t going to let him through that easily. They quickly reformed their line and surrounded Sora this time. “Fire!†He yelled. The nobodies that had been encircling him went flying. He made a desperate dash towards the marketplace. He was going to make it.

Or maybe not. Before Sora could slow his run, another dusk had appeared right in front of him. The dusk smoothly moved out of Sora path, while tripping Sora and making him fall off his feet at the same time. He looked up as he saw the nobodies surrounding him, ready to attack. He made one last desperate attempt to protect himself as he saw the nobodies move in to attack. “REFLECT!†He shouted as a shield momentarily appeared around him. No good. He was out of magic and out of luck. He held up his keyblade and braced for the incoming pain.

Riku​

Riku was in the market place when he noticed that the town’s security system started going off. He looked around for his foes, but he didn’t see anything. Maybe they’re in the main part of town, Riku thought to himself. I’d better check it out.

As he came close to the Market Place exit, he finally saw the nobodies. They looked like they were surrounding something, or someone. As he ran to get a closer look, he saw that it was Sora. Sora!?! “DARK SHIELD!†He yelled, protecting Sora from an oncoming attack. Without hesitation, he had out his weapon and ran into the group of nobodies. He swung his weapon, sending the dusks flying. After he had defeated all of them, he looked to Sora. Sora didn’t look injured, just...upset.

“Sora, you got to quit scaring me like this!†Riku said, half jokingly, half serious. He reached down and took hold of Sora’s good arm and helped him to his feet.

“Sorry, Riku.†Sora said apologetically. He almost looked as if he was blushing “I didn’t expect to get attacked.â€

“You alright?†Riku asked, attempting to not sound worried.

“I’m fine. I just...I hate being this defenseless!†Sora said, sounding flustered. “I this feeling of uselessness and powerlessness. And I hate depending on others!†Sora crosses his arms against his chest, flinching with the pain of his right arm.

Riku shrugged. He didn’t know what to say. If he was in Sora’s position, he would feel the same way. “Everyone is helpless at some point, Sora. Don’t you remember after we fought Xemnas? How you had to help me walk. So consider ourselves even now. You helped me and now I’ll help you.â€

Sora looked a little less depressed and offered a small smile. “How long was I asleep at Merlin’s?â€

“Maybe 3 hours.†Riku replied after thinking about it. “We didn’t expect you to wake up so soon. So I went to the marketplace to stock up on items that we’ll need on our trip. I also bought each of us some stronger armor.â€

“So....†Sora said, “Leon and the others don’t know what the cure is? For Kairi?â€

Riku shook his head sadly. “No, but they’re still going to help. Aerith and Merlin and going to look through all of their medical books and look for anything that may be useful. Yuffie and Leon are going to search this world for any items and protect everyone, like they always do. Cid already repaired the gummi ship, and he’s also going to look through Ansem’s computer with Tron’s help to see if Ansem knew anything about the disease.â€

Sora nodded. “Sounds good. We should probably talk to Leon before we take off. He always has something helpful to say.â€

“I have no idea where he is though.†Riku said.

“Maybe he’s in the Bailey?†Sora suggested. “Let’s go check it out.†The two friends walked towards the bailey in silence. It was very bizarre that no heartless nor nobodies bothered them as they strolled.

Of course, they only attack me when I’m alone. That’s just great. Sora thought sarcastically. Although Sora was very upset about what happened earlier, he decided to put the event behind him. Worrying about his dignity wasn’t going to help Kairi. He had to put aside his own feelings and take care of Kairi. How could he live without her....?

When they arrived at the bailey, Leon wasn’t there. Then they headed towards the next logical place: Ansem’s computer room. When they arrived at the long path, Sora looked around and saw that his skateboard was still there, along with 3 others. Someone must have thought ahead to leave a quick mode of transportation to Ansem’s room. He nodded to Riku and they rode towards their destination.

Sora​

Sora loved feeling the wind in his face. It brought back memories of an older time...when he rode Aladdin’s magic carpet. What a rush! What excitement! What relief. When he was speeding so quickly, it felt as if there were no problems in life. He knew otherwise.

As he and Riku skated through the halls of Ansem’s building, Sora was shocked that no heartless or nobodies appeared. Again, he thought, of course they only attack me when I’m alone. That bothered him beyond belief.

When they arrived at the main office-like room, it was empty. They walked back towards the computer, and there were Cid and Leon. Cid was sitting in a chair by the computer, staring intently at the screen. Leon was standing behind him, watching over his shoulder. The room looked the exact same as it had last year, Sora mused.

“Hey guys, what’s going on?†Sora asked Leon and Cid as they worked on the computer.

“Cid and Tron are searching Ansem’s computer to see if holds the answer to your problem.†Leon answered, not looking away from the screen.

Sora began to find hope again. Ansem was extremely wise. He had to have known something about the disease. “How long do you think it’ll take to search the computer?â€

“Well,†Cid said in his laid back accent, “even with me and Tron working together, it may take a while.†Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sora’s face drop. “Cheer up kid. I’m sure we won’t need to search the whole system for information. And now that Tron has access to everything, it won’t take near as long as it could have a year ago.â€

Sora lifted his head and smiled lightly. Leon looked towards Sora and Riku and saw the expression on their faces. The uncertainty, pain, and yet he could still see their never dying hope. Leon motioned for them to follow him to what was once a heartless manufactory. When they had stopped walking, Leon leaned against the wall. “So,†he said, “what’s up?â€

“Where do you think we should start looking for the cure?†Sora asked straightforwardly. “There are so many worlds out there...I don’t know where to start.â€

Leon thought about it. “Why don’t you guys go see the king? I’m sure that he’ll help you guys out. And so will Donald and Goofy.â€

“I never even thought of that,†Riku said, shaking his head. “Good idea.â€

Everyone stood in silence for a few moments when Leon broke the silence. “When do you guys plan on leaving?â€

Both of them turned to Sora, expecting him to make the decision. Sora was staring at the ground, so he didn’t notice their gazes following him. “As soon as possible.†He answered as he looked back up. “We need to help Kairi. It must be torturous for her...†he bit his lip as his sentence trailed off.

“Let’s see you guys off then.†Leon said as he walked back upstairs. Sora and Riku followed without hesitation.

******
When they reached the gummi ship (which was located in the barren wasteland where Sora fought 1,000 heartless), Sora was amazed at how great it looked. It didn’t look like it had been destroyed in a crash. Cid did a great job repairing it. When Sora and Riku went inside the ship, Leon followed them in. “Cid installed some new features.†Leon began as the other two walked around the ship inspecting the advanced technology. “He put in a warp gummi, so you guys don’t have to fly through the heartless again. But if you ever do want to fly to some uncharted world, then you can use your new weapons and defense system.â€

“Everything looks great, Leon!†Sora said, looking excited. “Tell Cid thanks for us.â€

Leon nodded and waved goodbye. Before he walked out the door, he turned back to Sora and Riku. “Don’t worry; we’ll take good care of Kairi.†Sora’s relieved expression was priceless. Leon would neveforget it.

“Thanks, Leon. For everything.†Sora said as Leon exited the ship. Sora was sad to see his friend go, but he knew that Leon couldn’t come with. This was Sora and Riku’s journey. Sora shook his head, chasing away the gloomy thoughts.

“Next stop: Disney Castle.â€
--------------------------------------------------
The end. Sorry about the wait. Massive writers block. Plus I kind of forced myself to slow down and not become obsessed with writing...so...yeah.

 

Yeah! A quest, a quest! Hee hee, first one to comment on your chapter! This story gets better and better as it goes!

 

Zomg this story is awesome! Its really sad though.. *sniff* poor kairi...

i think u shud say some more about the disease. Like, whats it called (u can get merlin to say hes identified it or sumin) and how its spread (how come nobody has caught it off kairi?)

dont worry about the writers block, it happens to all writers, you eventually get over it and inspiration will strike you out of nowhere.

You've portrayed the characters really well though, and the story is keeping me gripped! :)

 

Thanks! I'm going to get into the disease more in the upcoming chapters, I just wanted to put it in at the right moment, and that moment will be chapter 6 =)

 

Chapter 6: The Nightmares

Kairi​

Kairi sat in a fetal position. She had no idea where she was or how long she had been sitting there. She was surrounded in pitch black darkness and silence. Out of nowhere, a sound rushed to Kairi’s ears. It was faint, but it was loud and clear as it broke through the silence. It sounded like footsteps. “Who’s there?†Kairi asked as she rose to her feet, still unable to see anything. Kairi continued to listen, but she didn’t hear the footsteps anymore. As she went to slowly sit back down again, a bright light came out of nowhere and blinded Kairi. “Agh!†She cried as she hid her face behind her hands. As quickly as it had appeared, the light had vanished. Kairi opened her eyes and moved her hands away from her face. “Huh?!?†She said when she saw what was occurring in front of her.

The sky was dark; the land was like white, hilly clouds or snow covered hills. “Kairi!†She heard a young boy call. He was running across the hills towards a red-haired girl who seemed to be standing on a land made of sand.

“It can’t be,†Kairi whispered to herself. But it was, and she knew it. She was watching one of the most torturous events in her life, somehow floating above the actual scene. As she tried to turn herself away, she found that she couldn’t. She couldn’t even cover her eyes or ears. She bit her lip as she tried to hold back the tears as the scene unfolded below.

“Sora!†14 year old Kairi said as she started walking towards young Sora. Before she could walk off of the sand, she suddenly felt a great crash. “Ah!†She cried as she lost her balance and fell forward. But Sora was right there. He grabbed her hand as she fell.

“Kairi!†He said as the ground she stood on began to move, still not letting go of her hand. “Remember what you said before? I’m always with you too. I’ll come back to you,†he said as Kairi’s mass of land was almost out of reach. “I promise!â€

“I know you will!†Young Kairi said as she let go of his hand. She continued to reach for Sora, even though he was long gone. Sora did the same.

Older Kairi cried, unable to hold back her emotion. That had to be the worst memory of her life! And now she had to watch it and feel the emotion all over again. She hugged herself as her sobs shook her body, her tears falling in a storm, soaking her shirt.

Sora​

“Hey Sora?†Riku asked Sora before they blast off in their new and improved ship. “Do you hear Roxas in your head? Ever?â€

“Sometimes he shows up in my dreams and daydreams,†Sora answered, not expecting that random question from Riku. “Why do you ask?â€

“Well...I was thinking that if you see Roxas in your sleep, maybe Namine is with Kairi right now.†Riku answered, sounding hopeful.

“You’re right, Riku!†Sora said, sounding relieved. “At least Kairi isn’t alone....I hope.†Sora turned away from Riku and looked towards the sky. “Namine, please be with her.â€

Kairi​

Kairi sat on solid ground again as she held herself and sobbed until the tears stopped coming. The memory had disappeared, but Kairi was too upset to notice. Tears could not express the pain that she felt inside. Letting Sora go was perhaps the most awful memory she had that involved him. And then when she got home and saw the picture on the wall... “No,†the girl whispered to herself, “I won’t let myself think about that.†She felt her head spin as the ground started disappearing below her and a memory was forming in front of her eyes. Kairi blocked her eyes from the depressing memory and felt her eyes watering again.

“Kairi?†a gentle voice called out as the scene below Kairi disappeared. Kairi opened her eyes a crack and looked around. The ground reappeared below her and all was dark again, except for something white in the distance. There was a bright white light in her sight. But it wasn’t like the light Kairi saw earlier. This one brought hope.

“Who-who’s there-re?†Kairi called, her voice shaky from all of her crying. Kairi rose to her feet and looked towards the glow.

“I’m here Kairi.†The voice said as the light stopped moving a few feet in front of Kairi. “It’s me, Namine.†The light faded so that Kairi could actually see Namine and not just the luminosity that she created.

“Namine?!†Kairi said, sounding shell-shocked. “How can you be here with me in my nightmare?â€

Namine shrugged. “Let’s not question it.†She paused, looking at her other with great concern. Before Namine could say anything else, she saw Kairi run towards her and into her arms open. Kairi collapsed into Namine’s embrace, sobbing bitterly. Namine embraced her and hugged her tightly. “It’s ok.†She whispered. “I’m here. I’m here.â€

Kairi shook uncontrollably in her friend’s arms. Even though she was trapped in a nightmare, sobbing hysterically, the embrace of her friend was strangely soothing.

Sora​

Sora put the key in the ignition of their gummi ship. No more stalling...it was time to make a difference. As he turned the key, the engine came to life. He selected his destination on the screen in front of him. The ship quickly warped to the world of Disney Castle.

The ship warped just outside the world. On the computer menu, it had a selection of parking areas available in the world. “Let’s see...†Sora said as he looked over his options. What better place to keep a gummi ship than in the gummi hangar? Sora pushed the button on the touch screen. The gummi ship immediately transported itself to the destination. Riku and Sora stared at each other in awe. They had never seen technology this advanced before. When the ship came to a stop, Sora pulled out the keys and stuck them in one of his pockets. He and Riku quickly jumped out of the ship and landed on the platform below.

“Sora!†a squeaky voice called. “Howdy, Sora!†another squeaky voice said. Sora looked to his feet and saw his old friends, Chip and Dale.

“Hey guys.†Sora said, attempting to sound friendly even though he was in a hurry to find the King. “Do you guys know where I can find the King?â€

“Oh oh oh! We know where he is!†the energized chipmunks answered at the same time. “He’s in the Courtyard with the queen.â€

“Thanks guys, bye!†Sora said as he and Riku ran off, leaving no chance for the chipmunks to stall them. They’re nice, Sora thought as they continued towards the courtyard, but their voices can get a bit annoying. And besides, I need to only worry about Kairi right now.

As they exited the hangar, Riku pointed in the direction of one of the bushes. The King was sitting with Queen Minnie on a blanket, having lunch. Neither of them saw their anxious guests.

Riku started walking towards the couple, with Sora hot in his tracks. As they neared the blanket, the King finally noticed his friends. “Hey guys, what are you doing here?†The King asked when they had come to a stop by the blanket. Minnie quietly excused herself and walked towards the main part of the castle. Things haven’t changed a bit, Sora thought to himself.

“We need your help, your Majesty.†Sora heard Riku say. “Kairi’s sick. We’re searching the worlds for a cure.â€

“Gosh...†the King said sounding very concerned. “What does she have?â€

“The nightmare disease.†Sora said, wrinkling his nose. “I hate that name! Does it have a name that sounds less horrible?†Sora didn’t know why he even asked that question, but now he wanted an answer.

“Welp...the disease never really got a name. I believe that Ansem once called it ‘drecomitious.’ But I don’t think it has an official name.†The King responded, thinking back to his memories of Ansem the Wise. He chuckled. “I doubt that anyone knows that name anyway.

“So Ansem did know something about the disease?†Sora asked. “Did he figure out a cure?â€

Mickey hesitated. Sora saw the answer in the King’s eyes: there was no cure. But Sora wasn’t ready to lose hope. Not yet. “Ok. Do you know anything else about this ‘drecomitious’?â€

Mickey rose to his feet off of the picnic blanket. “Fellas, come with me to the library.†Out of the corner of his eye, Sora saw Riku nod his head as all three began their walk to the library. As they walked through the long hall in silence, Sora began to wonder exactly what the King knew.

Maybe he knew how the disease started. Or possible cures! And how did Ansem find out about this disease anyway? Did he make it while doing his research? That would be like him. Sora shook his head, chasing away his nasty thoughts. Ansem may have accidently unleashed the heartless and created chaos on all the worlds, but he had a good heart. Or at least that’s what he believed.

“Whoa!†Sora said as he stopped in his tracks when Pluto cut them off. “Pluto!!†Sora scolded. Hopefully nobody would know how badly he had just been scared. He grabbed his arm and folded it across his chest so that Pluto would not bump it. Though he hadn’t strained it at all, the arm was still in constant pain. Every once in a while, his wrist would start to burn with pain, but Sora knew that he was lucky. He couldn’t stop imagining what could have happened when the ship crashed. He could have been killed.

“Here we are.†He heard the King say when they entered through the library doors. The King walked towards a ladder that was set in front of the outrageously large book shelf. “I know it’s here somewhere.†The King said to no one in particular. He climbed the ladder and started scanning the binding of books, looking for one specific book. Sora was about to ask if he needed help when the King spoke again. “I found it!†He proclaimed as he climbed down the ladder with the book in hand. The book looked as if it had been read through many, many times.

“Ansem the Wise sent me this book soon after we first met. This may be able to help you guys out.†The King explained as he carried the hefty book towards a table. As he took a seat, he motioned for Sora and Riku to do the same. “Let’s read the first entry:

“My dear friend,

Although we have just met, I feel as if I have known you for quite some time. In this letter, I am going to confide in you some of the results that my research has created.

Yes, you already know that my research has caused the spread of heartless to countless worlds and destroyed many precious lives. But I have found something new recently while looking for a solution to end the heartless. My friend, we are in deep trouble. No, not right now. This will affect the future generations.

It started when one of my young, new apprentices named Elika fainted at work two weeks ago. As I studied her illness, I slowly began to realize that this was a new disease, one that no world has ever seen before. Soon she went into a coma. As I continue to study her, I saw her slip further into a coma. I also discovered that she was trapped in her own nightmares. No matter how hard I’ve tried, I have not found a cure.

I will continue to research and try to save her life. She is very dear to me...she is like my daughter.

Stay in touch,

Ansem the Wise.â€

“That’s the end of that letter.†The King said as he closed the book. “Only in one other letter does he go into more detail with his discoveries on the disease. I would show it to you, but I have lost that page.†Sora’s face dropped. “But don’t worry, I memorized it. He basically stated that there are people in different worlds who hold the remedies of the disease.â€

“So, we have to go to all the different worlds? That’ll take ages!†Riku said, frustrated.

Mickey shook his head as he turned to look Riku directly in the eye. “I have no idea what worlds Ansem was referring to, but I’m sure he only meant to go to the worlds that we knew about. Like all the worlds that you visited last year, Sora.â€

“Then we should go.†Sora said as he rose from his seat. “Is there anything else that we should know?â€

The King shook his head. “There’s nothing that I can think of at the moment. But this may help you.†The King reached into his pocket and pulled out a fragile-looking bottle. “I’ve had this for as long as I can remember. I have no idea what it does, but maybe you can use it. Here you go.†The King placed the bottle into Sora’s outstretched hand.

“Thanks, Your Majesty.†Sora said with genuine thankfulness as he gently put the bottle in his pocket. “Sorry to rush out like this, but we have to help Kairi.â€

“I understand.†The King said as he and Riku rose to their feet. “You two have to get going. Come back if you ever need more advice or anything.â€

“Will do.†Riku said as the three began to walk towards the ship. “But where should we start?â€

“Twilight Town.†Sora said surely, surprising Riku. “I don’t know why; I just know that we need to go there.â€

Riku nodded. “Twilight Town it is.†The three comrades walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the castle courtyard, Sora finally remembered what he had wanted to ask the King since they first saw each other again.

“Where are Donald and Goofy?â€

“They’re out exploring the worlds.†The King answered. He started laughing. “And here I thought they would want to stay away from adventure for a while. But I guess that they wanted to make sure that the heartless weren’t overtaking any more worlds.†When Sora opened his mouth to ask a question, Mickey cut him off. “They wanted you guys to be able to live normal lives for a while, so they didn’t invite you to join them on their journey. You guys should keep an eye out for ‘em while you’re traveling. I’m sure they would help gather more remedies for Kairi.â€

Sora nodded. They were almost to the ship. I hope this isn’t going to be an awkward goodbye, he thought to himself. When inside the hangar, there was no sign of Chip or Dale. Sora didn’t give it a second thought. Just as he and Riku started walking up the ramp into the ship, Sora heard high pitched screams. “Sora! Wait!†Sora turned around and saw the two hyper chipmunks running towards him.

“What’s up, guys?†Sora asked, trying not to sound impatient.

“We have somethinyour journey!†Chip said as Dale handed up a bag of medicines. “Before we were gummi ship engineers, we were world travelers. We collected all this stuff. You need it more than we do.â€

“Wow, thanks guys!†Sora said, clearly surprised. “I appreciate it.â€

“Now, get goin’!†Dale exclaimed. “You two have a long journey ahead.â€

Sora nodded as he and Riku entered the ship. As Chip, Dale, and King Mickey stood waving, Riku waved back. Sora took his seat and quickly warped to Twilight Town, leaving the world in hope to save his friend.

*****

End of Chapter 6, hope I didn’t make you cry too much with the part with Kairi. This was one of my favorite chapters to write, so I think it’s pretty good =). Leave comments!

 

Aw.... I loved it! Can't wait until they find a cure!!! Great work! I liked how you sticked with the characters personalities. It was fantastic! Best chapter yet. :D

 

Chapter 7: Rediscovery

Kairi​

“Namine,†Kairi whispered while still in Namine’s embrace, “I’m scared.â€

“It’ll be alright.†Namine whispered back. “I’m not going to leave you alone. Just stay with me.â€

Kairi nodded into her friend’s shoulder. Silence and darkness surrounded them. The only light that could be seen was the white brightness that encircled Namine. The two stood that way for a long time. Namine only released Kairi when a thunderous noise was heard in the distance. “What was that?†Namine began to ask when the ground beneath them began to quake. Namine took a few steps toward the noise only to discover that danger was heading their way.

“Run!†Namine screamed as she grabbed Kairi’s arm and ran away from the source of the shaking. Both terrified girls ran as fast as they could. Kairi looked behind her and saw the dark floor splitting in half. An earthquake!? She picked up her speed as she continued to run.

Kairi heard a scream. It sounded like....Namine!? Wasn’t she still grabbing onto Kairi’s arm? No, she was gone! Kairi stopped running and turned around only to see Namine’s light fade as it fell deeper into the cracked ground. “NAMINE!!†Kairi screamed as she saw her friend descend into the depths of the broken ground. The light disappeared as the girl fell deeper into the hole. As quickly as it had started, the earthquake ended. The cracked floor closed itself up and Kairi was alone in the darkness again.

Sora​

As Kairi’s dream continued, Sora and Riku arrived in Twilight Town. The two arrived at the mansion when Riku finally asked Sora the question he had on his mind: “Why are we at the mansion anyway?â€

“I don’t really know...†Sora said slowly. “I just feel like we should be here.â€

That answer apparently satisfied Riku, for he didn’t ask any other questions. As they were entering the mansion’s courtyard gates, Sora heard a swishing noise behind him. Then what sounded very much like gunshots. Bullets pierced the mansion courtyard walls. Sora and Riku turned around at the same time to see five samurai nobodies. “Sora, run!†he heard Riku call as Riku ran into the fray.

But Sora didn’t get far before he was cut off by more samurais. His keyblade appeared in his right had, but Sora knew that he still couldn’t fight. “Riku!†He screamed out of desperation as the nobodies moved in.

Riku turned around and quickly ran over to aid his friend. As he leaped over Sora’s circle of foes he struck three of them from behind, making them vanish in a flash. “Run towards town!†Riku yelled to his friend as soon as his dark aura attack cleared a path for Sora. Sora nodded and ran into the woods. Fortunately, no other nobodies appeared in Sora’s path.

The sound of gunfire rang in Sora’s ears as he contined to run to escape further injury. He collapsed to the ground as he felt a bullet fly into his back and pierce his heart. He grunted as he put up his arms to break his fall. His arm rang in pain as he put pressure on it. “SORA!!†a voice screamed as Sora heard someone running to him. Sora’s mind told him to stay conscious despite the extreme pain. Riku was at Sora’s side, lifting his best friend while wrapping his arm around his waist. Sora felt his left arm being gently laid around Sora’s shoulders.

“Come on, Sora.†Riku said as he supported Sora’s walk. Sora felt his whole body throb as Riku practically carried Sora into town. Sora’s kept his head down as he struggled to maintain consciousness. His feet drug as he attempted to support himself. As they passed through the hole in the town wall, Sora soon heard a slightly familiar voice.

“Sora!†A boy called. The boy ran towards Sora, along with what sounded like two other teenagers. “What happened?†he asked Riku.

“He got a bullet in his heart. It was the nobodies. The mansion is swarming with ‘em. Luckily none of them followed us out.â€

“We can take him to the hotel that my family owns.†said the boy who was actually Pence. “It has an open room where he can rest. It’s not very far away. Follow me.†Pence took off in the direction of the town.

Riku followed Pence as quickly as he could while supporting Sora’s weight. “You still with me, Sora?†Riku asked, worried that his friend had lost consciousness.

Sora nodded a little, so small that Sora was surprised Riku even noticed his response. His heart was pounding with extreme pain, so much that the sensational pain made him ignore the ringing pain in his arm and wrist. He felt his eyes closing, but he quickly popped them back open. I must stay conscious, he thought to himself as they continued through the town.

“We’re here.†Sora heard Pence say as a squeaky door opened. “It’s a few floors up, so we’ll have to use the elevator. It’s right here.†Sora heard Pence push a button as the door opened. The throbbing was so extreme that Sora could hardly move. Riku had to basically care Sora, since his legs had locked up.

After what felt like hours; but was really a few minutes; the elevator finally arrived at the room. Pence opened the door and allowed Riku to lay Sora down gingerly onto a bed. Only then did Sora allow himself to fade into painful slumber.

Kairi​

Kairi ran blind through the blackness. “Namine!†She called, trying to hide the fear in her voice. She stood in silence, hoping she would hear her friend respond. All that she heard were...footsteps. She turned towards the sound, still unable to see anything. “Namine?†She asked, although she already knew that it wasn’t her companion. A faint light emitted from above; just enough that Kairi could faintly see the scene around her. The ground was flat and appeared pitch black. It just went on and on, never changing, never ending. The sound of footsteps had ended. Kairi looked around, but nothing, or nobody, was there. She breathed a sigh of relief as she collapsed to the ground. She sat in the silence, staring at the sky, trying to decipher where the light had come from. Maybe it’s Namine, she hoped.

She rose to her feet, deciding to stop at nothing to recover her friend. When she began to walk, she heard a faint noise behind her. She quickly turned around. Nothing. She could have sworn that she’d heard SOMETHING. She quickened her pace. There was noise again. But she couldn’t see anything, even with the light. She began to jog. More noise. She ran. When she turned around this time, she finally saw something. Heartless. And they were chasing her! She ran faster, but the army of shadows ran after her, keeping up with her frantic dash.

“NAMINE!†She screamed, desperate for anything to get rid of the heartless. She kept running, her breathing heavy, sweat pouring down her face. Eventually she became so tired she collapsed, her body trembling with adrenaline and fear. As the shadows covered her in a tackle, she felt the darkness swallow her. Complete blackness covered her vision. Silence.

Sora​

When Sora awoke, he found himself in a room that looked strangely familiar. As he moved and sat up on the edge of the bed, he felt that his chest had been wrapped in cloth. Someone had already bandaged and treated the wound. He hardly felt any pain at all. He looked down to his arm. The arm below the elbow was in a cast. It went all the way down to his wrist. When did I get this thing?He asked himself.

“You know,†a voice out of nowhere said, startling Sora, “this place looks familiar for a reason.†Sora looked around for the voice when he suddenly saw a bright light and Roxas emerging from his body. “When I lived in Twilight Town, this was my room. Not much has changed, except it’s a lot cleaner.†Roxas said with a laugh.

“Roxas...†Sora said, surprised that his other had appeared to him in real life. “What are you doing here?â€

Roxas shrugged, amused by Sora’s shock. “What? I need an excuse to talk to my friend?â€

“Well...no.†Sora said, searching for the right words to express his confusion. “It’s just...you never appear to me in real life anymore. I’ve only seen you in my dreams every once in a while.â€

“I decided to shake things up a little bit. You should have seen your face...†he said with a smirk. Sora gave a small smile, unable to shake his sorrow over Kairi’s disease. “Hey, come on man.†Roxas said gently. “Being sad is not going to help Kairi. You’ve got to pull it together, Sora.â€

Sora looked down to his feet. “I know you’re right Roxas, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t get over what’s happened. I can’t be happy and cheerful like I was before. I just can’t. And me being defenseless is torture. I just...I feel...useless.â€

Roxas sat down on the bed next to Sora. “There’s nothing I can say to get rid of that feeling. It’s something that you have to do on your own.â€

“And by ‘on your own’ you mean with your help, since you are part of me?†Sora asked, surprised at his own joke.

Roxas laughed. “No, I mean only you, Sora. I can’t help you with this. But I have faith in you. You can do this.â€

“Thanks Roxas.†Sora said, appreciating the pep talk. He suddenly thought of a more serious question. “Roxas, how come I don’t see you anymore?â€

“You don’t really need to see me to know that I’m with you.†Roxas answered, sure of himself. “And from now on, I’m going to being around a lot more. I’ll fight when you need me to.†Roxas rose from his spot on the bed and began walking towards the door. He pulled a note off of the door. “Riku left you a note while you were sleeping. He says that you should meet him at the Usual Spot when you felt up to it. Oh, and he also orders you to wear this sling until your arm gets better.†Roxas held up a blue sling that had been sitting on a desk.

He silently walked over to Sora as he gently put the sling around his neck and gingerly placed his injured arm inside. “You ready?†Roxas asked Sora as he rose to his feet.

“Yeah.†Sora said. “Are you walking with me?â€

“Only if you want me to. But I’m going to disappear once we get close to the others.â€

“Fair enough.†Sora said as he opened the door with his left hand. The two walked in silence, all the way out of the building. Down the stairs, through the lobby, out the door. They didn’t have to say anything. They knew each other perfectly.

As they walked through the town marketplace, it was quiet all around them. The place was completely deserted. Sora continued to walk while looked around for any sign of people being around. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Roxas doing the same.

Where is everyone? Sora thought to himself.

I don’t know, came a reply. It’s never been this empty before.

Roxas knew Sora’s thoughts? That’s kind of weird...

I know. But it’s kind of cool, isn’t it? Roxas replied mentally.

It is. Sora admitted. Hey, we’re almost to the spot. They had been so busy communicating with each other that neither had noticed how far they had come.

“See ya later, pal.†Roxas said as he disappeared into Sora. As Sora walked into the Usual Spot he almost was tackled by Riku as he exited the area.

“I was just coming to check on you.†Riku said once he moved aside and allowed Sora to enter the hangout. “I didn’t even think about another attack on your way here. I’m guessing you didn’t have any trouble with heartless or nobodies.â€

Sora nodded. He turned his attention to his other three friends. “Hey guys. How’s it going?â€

Pence, Olette, and Hayner all answered with variations of “goodâ€. “Riku told us about Kairi.†Olette said sadly. Her face suddenly lifted with a bright smile. “But we did find some items that may help you. Here.†She held out a bottle in each hand. One was filled with a bright red liquid. The other held a small green leaf.

The girl blushed a little. “After last year, I started taking up medicine making. I actually discovered a cure for Kairi’s disease.â€

“YOU DID!?!†Sora said, extremely excited. “What is it? What?â€

Olette beamed. “You have most of the ingredients already. You just need one more. You need some white magic water.â€

“Whatâ€?†Sora asked. “I’ve never heard of that before.â€

“It’s basically curing magic. It can’t be found in this world, but I know where it can be found....†she hesitated.

“Which one is it?†Sora said excitedly. “Wherever it is, we WILL get that water. What world is it?†He paused at looked at the girls’ suddenly unhappy expression. “Olette?â€

“The World That Never Was.†She said in a whisper.

******
End of Chapter 7, I finally posted it! Sorry for those of you who were waiting, I just could not get myself to start on this for some reason 0.o. The next chapter may take a while too, but hopefully I’ll have it up in a week. (HOPEFULLY)

 

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!! THIS IS GETTING SO GOOD!!!! YOU ARE THE BEST WRITER EVER!!!! though I wonder what happened to Namine? hmmm... and Kairi? but this is soooo cool!!!! they finally found a cure Olette ROCKS!!!! YOU ROCK KAIRI_GIRL_92!!!!! can't wait for the next chapter!

 

Chapter 8: Surprises

Sora​

“The World That Never Was...†Sora repeated Olette. “Alright, let’s go, Riku.†He said as he began walking towards the exit. Sora turned around and saw that Riku wasn’t following him. His facial expression was unreadable. “What’s the matter?â€

“That world is huge.†Riku said sadly. “How do we know where to find the water?â€

“Olette things that the rainwater is the kind you need.†Hayner put in. “Doesn’t it rain there a lot?â€

Sora looked to Riku, who answered the question. “I remember it raining there before, sure. I’m also worried about the heartless. Another time I was there were so many that one person alone couldn’t handle them all.â€

Sora was about to say something about Roxas fighting too when he heard a voice in his head. Don’t say anything just yet...something isn’t right here.

What do you mean? Sora responded to his other. Everything seems fine to me.

You’re probably right. Roxas said, forgetting his anxiety. Still, don’t say anything about me just yet.

“Then we’d better get going.†Riku was saying. “Thanks for all the help. We’ll stop in again soon.â€

Riku and Sora exited the Usual Spot. “Everything alright?†Riku asked his best friend as they continued their walk. “You seemed a little upset in there.â€

Sora shook his head. “No, I’m fine. Let’s just cure Kairi as quickly as we can.â€

“Agreed.â€

The two headed through town and towards the mansion again, where they had parked the gummi ship. The town was full of life again...kids laughing, shops open, people working hard. Sora breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was still curious to why the town was so empty earlier, it was comforting to see everything back to normal.

As the two continued through the woods, Riku was a bit shaky. He couldn’t stop surveying the area to check for foes. He already felt very guilty for what happened to Sora before. He believed he could have stopped it somehow. Even though he tried everything in his power to help Sora get away, he still couldn’t shake the unpleasant emotion.

When they reached the mansion walls, both teenagers were glad that no enemies had attacked them. As they entered the ship, neither said anything. They sat in their seats and Riku pushed the warp button, since Sora’s right arm was still in the sling.

In a flash, the scenery in front of them changed. The ship landed in an alley, near a portal of blackness. Riku looked towards the sky as a drop of rain fell into his hair. He smiled at Sora as he ran towards Memory Skyscraper. Finally, Sora thought as he ran to catch up with Riku, finally I can finish Kairi’s cure and save her.

As the two ran, neither of them thought of the heartless possibly appearing and hindering them. They were too excited. As they reached the skyscraper both boys stood and stared to the huge building, each recalling their own memories. Riku thought about his fight with Roxas, for which he had deep regret. Sora recalled when Roxas had mysteriously appeared with two keyblades and had fought him.

Both snapped back into the moment when the rain began to pour out of the dark, starless sky. Each pulled out a bottled and began collecting the rain drops. Sora decided that it would be best to stay still and wait for the rain to fall into the bottle. The rain soaking through his clothing brought back sweet memories from his childhood.

“Hey Sora?†a 10 year old girl said. It was a rainy day, and she was hanging out with Sora in his bedroom to stay out of the freezing cold rain. She was trembling for some reason. “I’m afraid of thunder storms. I always have been.†She jumped as she heard thunder boom from outside. She ran to the corner and huddled herself into a fetal position

“Don’t be scared, Kairi.†10 year old Sora said as he walked over to comfort his friend. “I’ll protect you. You have nothing to be scared of.â€

“You can’t control the weather!†She exclaimed. “There’s no way you can protect me from the lightning.â€

“Trust me.†He had said. “Come with me.†He reached out his hand to help Kairi to her feet. She hesitantly rose and followed him out of his bedroom. He held her hand all the way down the stairs. When they reached the porch, Sora released her hand and ran into the downpour. Kairi couldn’t believe that someone was crazy enough to run around in the rain. She laughed as she saw Sora dancing in the rain. It did look like a lot of fun.

Sora noticed her looking like she wanted to join him, so he ran back and held her hand as they walked into the rain. Kairi screamed with surprise as the frigid water hit her bare skin. Sora laughed. Kairi joined in his laughter as they began to dance. Kairi said later that she had never felt so free before.

Sora knew she would never be scared of storms again.

Sora chuckled at the memory. He knew that soon they could create new memories together. It was almost time. He looked to his bottle and saw that it was almost full. He laughed when he looked at himself and saw how soaked he was. He was also very glad that his cast was apparently water-proof. Sora turned to Riku and saw him confused by Sora’s sudden cheerful attitude. Sora shrugged happily.

“Let’s get back to the ship.†Riku said. “I’m freezing my butt off.†Sora laughed, carefree. For the moment.

“Sora, Riku!†A female voice called out of the alley. Both boys were startled by the voice and turned to see who it was. She was running towards them. As she got closer, Sora recognized her. It was...Olette??

“What are you doing here?†Sora asked as Olette as she stopped in front of Sora and Riku. “How did you get here?â€

“I gave you the wrong ingredient before. I was supposed to give you this one.†She said as she showed Sora a bottled filled with a boiling green substance. “And I wanted to give it to you, so you didn’t have to go back to Twilight Town. Now you guys can go cure Kairi right away!â€

“How did you get here?†Riku asked, repeating Sora’s earlier question. He noticed that the rain had suddenly stopped falling.

“Oh, don’t you guys know? Pence fixed up Ansem’s computer so that it would send me here. Isn’t that cool? Now, can I have my red liquid back?â€

“Something’s not right here.†Riku said bluntly. “I sense darkness.â€

“We’re in a world close to the dark, Riku. Of course there’s darkness. Let’s just get the bottle and cure Kairi.†Sora said impatiently as he reached for Olette’s bottle. She quickly snatched it away from Sora’s grasp.

“First, give me mine. Then I’ll give you this.†Olette waved the bottle in front of Sora’s face, almost in a hypnotizing manner.

Riku is right, Sora. Roxas said mentally to Sora. Olette would never act this strange. Don’t give her anything.

“No.†Riku was saying as Sora listened to Roxas. “I don’t believe that you’d really come here when we were planning on going back to Twilight Town.â€

“Are you calling me a liar?†Olette said, shocked and appalled. “And here I thought I was doing something kind by bringing you the right bottle.â€

“Who are you?†Riku asked as he stepped forward to challenge. “Oletteâ€.

“Who am I? Who AM I? You should know by now, Riku!†The girl opened her hand as a scepter appeared in her open grasp. The boys stood with their mouths agape as they saw the figure before them change shape. “It is I, Maleficent!†She forcefully stuck her staff into the ground. A blast of green flames sent both the boys flying in different directions. She smirked as she stood in the middle of the dissipating flames. She pointed her staff at Riku as green flames encircled and attacked his companion.

“Riku!!†Sora cried as he saw his friend being burned by the never ceasing flames. He rose to his feet to fight Maleficent, not caring if his arm was hurt or not. He took the arm out of the sling as his keyblade appeared in his fist. He charged towards the witch, full of anger and seeking revenge for the sake of his friend.

Wait until I kill that witch...Roxas said to Sora mentally.

Not yet. Sora thought, surprising Roxas. It’s better she doesn’t know that you’re here yet.

Kairi​

The terrified girl finally opened her eyes up when she realized that she was no longer being attacked. All around her, silence rang in her ears. No light could be seen...except for a faint white light in the distance. Kairi forced herself to move and check to see if the light was Namine. As she got closer, the light got whiter, forcing Kairi to believe that it was her friend.

“Namine!†She cried as she saw her friend lying on the ground. She kneeled on the ground next to her. “Namine, wake up! Wake up, please!†Kairi shook the lifeless body of Namine, sobs escaping her trembling body. She grabbed her friend and held her in her arms as her tears fell onto Namine’s dress.

Would her friend ever be alright? Was she gone forever? No, Kairi couldn’t accept that. She wouldn’t. There had to be hope. She walked into the darkness with her friend in her arms, as her tears continued to fall like a heavy downpour.

Sora​

The boy charged towards Maleficent, ignoring the pain in his arm. He brought up the keyblade to protect himself and Maleficent used her staff as a sword. She was using all of her power while pushing down on Sora’s keyblade, hoping to break him. Sora wouldn’t give her the pleasure, no matter how much his arm cried out in pain. And rolled out from underneath her staff and slashed her from the rear. She cried out in pain as the keyblade tore through her back.

She whipped around to attack Sora, but he toppled out of the way again as she brought her staff down to hit the boy. “Freeze!†Sora screamed as he remembered an old spell. Maleficent froze in her place, stopped in time. Sora ran to aid Riku. “Riku!†He yelled as he got closer to the still flames. I must have frozen time completely, Sora thought to himself.

He reached into the flames and pulled out Riku, who had been shielding his face with his hand. Sora uttered a mysterious spell that he didn’t even know, and Riku was unfrozen.

“How did you do that?†Riku asked when he saw the still frozen form of Maleficent.

Sora shrugged. “I remembered this old spell. So I used it. I don’t know how long she’ll be like that, so let’s go.†He began walking towards the ship.

“Go where?†Riku asked, making Sora turn around. “Wherever we go, she’ll follow us. We can’t put other people in danger.â€

Sora paused, considering their options. “If we go to the alternate Twilight Town, there won’t be anyone to hurt. We can hang out there until we’re sure that she hasn’t followed us.â€

Riku nodded. “Sounds good. Let’s go.†He and Sora began walking again. As Riku passed within striking distance of the witch, he stared into her eyes, surely recalling unpleasant memories.

Maleficent blinked.

Riku’s eyes widened as he saw that she was not frozen. Before he could call Sora, the witch swung her staff and sent Riku fing in the direction of the castle. He screamed as he flew through the air, when he finally came to a crashing landing by the edge of the Brink of Despair.

Sora turned around and saw the unfrozen enemy send his best friend flying. Without thinking, he made a dash towards the Brink of Despair. The witch sent a blast of green fire his way, pushing him back like a strong ocean wave. He fell to the ground as he saw Maleficent approaching.

“What do you want?!†He screamed at the witch.

“Revenge.â€

******
End of chapter 8. You didn’t expect that, did ya? I didn’t think so ;).

 

Your awesome

Meep! Maleficent scares me.... and this is getting really interesting!!!!! WOOT!!!! Your chapters keep getting better and better.

 

I haven't really read many fanfics, but I love yours! It's actually well written (and spelled properly). It's really suspenseful. Well done.

 

Chapter 9: The Evil Castle

Sora​

Maleficent’s answer rang in Sora’s ears. Revenge. He couldn’t believe that of all times, she was taking her revenge while Kairi was suffering and Sora was injured. Just my luck.

The thought of Kairi gave Sora great motivation. The boy jumped to his feet and stepped back to avoid an oncoming blow from Maleficent’s staff. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep dodging her forever.

He charged towards the witch, keyblade in hand. Maleficent was unprepared for Sora’s fierce motivation. She didn’t show it for long though. Although she winced in pain as Sora’s keyblade took her breath away, she quickly blast fire at the boy as he prepared for another attack. Not expecting the fire, Sora attempted to dodge roll out of the fiery attack. He yelled out in pain as the fire began burning his left foot, which he had been unable to move quickly enough. But Maleficent wasn’t done yet. She was running towards Sora, preparing to stab the boy. He couldn’t move. As he saw the staff come down, he braced himself for extreme pain.

“FIRE!†He heard himself yell as he saw the witch go flying. Surprised at his own use of magic, he rose to his feet to continue the fray. He looked around. Maleficent had disappeared. In a flash, Sora remembered that Riku was sent flying earlier. He ran in the direction of the Brink of Despair. Sora ran as fast as he could with his injured foot limping and burning with pain.

As he came to the area, he saw Riku lying on the ground, Maleficent standing over him preparing for the kill. “NO!!†Sora yelled as he threw the keyblade at the witch. She shrieked as the keyblade knocked her into the never ending fall into the clouds below the castle. The keyblade reappeared in Sora’s open hand with a burst of light. Sora looked towards his friend. “Riku!†He said as he ran to his side. “Riku, wake up!†Sora cried as he grabbed his friend’s shoulders and shook him.

Riku opened an eye as Sora stopped shaking his friend. “Sora?†He said as he forced himself to sit up off the cold ground. “What happened?â€

“Maleficent sent you flying. You must have been out for like 10 minutes. She was just here...she was about to stab you. But now she’s falling in the clouds down there.†Riku grunted as he rose to his feet. As he brushed the dirt off of himself, it didn’t seem like he was in pain. He was just stiff. Sora was surprised himself that he didn’t feel any jealousy towards Riku, who had suffered a critical blow and was not injured while Sora suffered from his wounds. Sora was just glad that his friend was not injured.

“Let’s get back to the ship.†Riku said as he began walking away from the castle. Sora followed, holding his damaged arm. “How’s your arm?†Riku said when he noticed Sora caressing his arm.

“It’s not too bad, but it’s definitely in pain. Let’s just get away from here before anything else happens.†The boy said, anxious to get out of the dark and dreary world.

As they walked through a dark path, Sora gasped as the air had suddenly become thick with smoke. He turned to Riku, who seemed to have also noticed the change. The smoke was making it impossible to breathe. Sora began to cough and gag, while Riku leaned against the wall and breathed heavily. Smoke poured into Sora’s lungs as he struggled to remain on his feet. The world around him turned into a blur as Sora began to feel extremely lightheaded. He felt himself fall to the ground as the world turned black.

Kairi​

“Namine...†Kairi whimpered as she looked at the lifeless girl that rested in her arms. She gasped as she saw Namine twitch in her sleep. “Namine!!†She screamed as her other opened her eyes. “Thank goodness you’re alright!†Kairi hugged the girl tighter. Namine began to try and move, so Kairi put down her friend and helped her stand on her own feet.

“What...happened?†Namine asked, still not fully awake.

Kairi shrugged. “There was this earthquake and you disappeared and I found you lying someplace.†Namine still looked very confused. “I know, it doesn’t make sense. But I’m just glad that you’re alright! You’re not hurt, are you??â€

“No, I’m not hurt at all...†Namine said when she realized that she wasn’t in pain. “This is bizarre...†She looked into Kairi’s eyes and saw painful sadness. “What did I miss?â€

Kairi told her about the heartless attack and how afraid she had been. And how she had nearly lost hope when she found Namine’s body. Namine looked at Kairi with pity as she opened her arms to embrace her friend. Kairi walked into her arms and sobbed her heart out.

Riku​

Riku opened his eyes slowly as a bright light greeted him. He realized that he was lying on his stomach for some reason. He put out his arms in front of him and gradually rose to his feet. He looked around. He was no longer on the dark street by the Brink of Despair. He was in a jail cell.

He looked around and saw Sora on the other side of the room. He was also rising from the floor, taking in his surroundings. “What happened?†He asked Sora as he walked towards his friend.

“Surprise!†A spine chilling voice said from outside the cell. Both boys turned to face the iron cell door. It was Maleficent, with an evil smirk on her face.

“What do you want?†Riku said, frustrated with the evil witch.

“Didn’t you hear me before? I want revenge, of course. Your friend over there killed me and now he’s going to suffer for coming between me and my Kingdom Hearts!â€

“You’ll never get to Sora while I’m still around.†Riku said angrily through his teeth. He stepped in front of Sora defensively. “Never.â€

“I disagree.†The witch said as she continued her evil smile past Riku and at Sora. She raised her staff and tapped it on the ground. Heartless flooded the jail cell as two huge unfamiliar heartless grabbed Sora’s arms.

“Lemme go!†Sora yelled as he tried to break free from their grasp, kicking as he felt himself being lifted off the ground. It was no use. He looked to Riku for help, but Riku had his own enemies to deal with. If he was going to escape, he had to come up with a plan. And fast.

“SORA!†Riku yelled as two more huge heartless held him down, preventing him from running to his friend. No matter what he did, there was no escape. He watched in horror as he saw Sora disappear into a portal of blackness. The heartless captors in the cell disappeared and all was silent once again.

Sora​

Sora was terrified when he saw Riku disappear in front of him, afraid of what could happen without his friend at his side. At least I still have Roxas...

He surveyed his new location: It was at the top of the castle, with a perfect view of the heart-shaped moon. Sora felt himself being dropped as the heartless released their grip on his arms. He hurriedly rose from the ground, staring at the witch who stood right in front of him.

She waved the heartless away as she stared daggers at Sora. “You ruin everything, boy. Now is your time to pay. This time, I will win.†She yelled as she swung her staff at Sora, who had ducked out of the way. He swung his keyblade at her legs, making her lose her footing. He lunged on top of her. Without wasting a second, Maleficent had her staff sideways to hold back Sora’s thrust. Sora flew backwards as she shoved him off of her.

Sora landed on his feet as he prepared to charge at her again. Instead, he surprised her with a magic attack. “Blizzard!†He yelled as ice shot out of the keyblade’s upper end. He ran at her and slashed at her chest and stomach area, landing multiple hits. Sora jumped back as she recoiled and weakly swung her staff at him. The witch rose to her feet and sent balls of green fire flying towards Sora. “Reflect!†He screamed as Maleficent’s attack was used against her. The evil woman jumped into the air.

“That’s it!†She screamed as she dodged the fire balls. She dropped her staff. All that Sora could do was stare in awe as the witch turned into a dragon. “Your time is up!!†She shouted as the transformation continued. The boy stared at the dragon as she towered above him. “And your meaningless existence with it!†The dragon swept her great tail into Sora’s chest, knocking him off the edge of the building. He held onto the edge with his good hand, holding on for dear life. As he frantically tried to climb back onto the circular area, he gasped as he saw the dragon looking down at him. “Oh dear, look at that. You can’t hold on much longer, can you? Let me end things sooner.†She reached down her claw as her huge, sharpened nails started undoing Sora’s grip.

“No!†Sora yelled as he thrust himself into the air, pushing off the building with his left hand. He floated in the air above Maleficent. He did a death dive as he slashed his keyblade repeatedly into Maleficent’s dragon face. She screamed in pain as she fell backwards. Sora dropped to the ground. He saw a window of opportunity open. “Now, Roxas!!†Sora yelled as a bright light momentarily blinded him. As it disappeared, he saw Roxas appeared in front of him, with his two favorite keyblades in hand. Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

“Come on!†Roxas bellowed as he flew into the air and threw Oblivion into the face of the witch. As his keyblade flew back to him, he dropped to the ground and began to slash his keyblade across the snout of the horrid dragon. The witch could make no retaliating attacks. She shook her head, forcing Roxas to back away. She sucked in air, breathing fire all over the roof building. She knew that if she was going down, they were going with her. Maleficent’s dragon form caught on fire as the entire roof burst into green flames. Roxas turned to see Sora, obviously in pain, grabbing onto his right arm. “RUN!†Roxas yelled as he made a dash for the stairs. Sora ran behind him, still holding onto his arm.

As they ran through Ruin and Creation’s passage, Roxas ran in front of Sora, slashing at any heartless who entered their path. The path always appeared a few steps before Sora and Roxas arrived at that point. Sora’s heart pounded as he paid no attention to Roxas’s fighting. He ran as hard as he could as his whole body throbbed in pain. His arm felt like it was being attacked by fire ants, his foot was hardly keeping up with his running pace. But the boy knew that he would be able to rest later. First, he had to get out of the castle alive. They dashed through the castle as fast as Sora’s legs could carry him. Every once in a while Roxas turned around to see how Sora was holding up. Sora was using all of his energy on staying focused on escaping before the fire killed them. He dared to turn around and see that the fire was rapidly spreading. They had to get to Riku and to the ship as quickly as possible.

Sora saw that they were approaching the jail cell. “Sora? Roxas??†he heard Riku say from behind the prison bars. Sora focused his vision onto Riku as the rest of the world became a blur.

“Hold on!†Sora said as he raised his keyblade in the air with his less damaged arm. The top began to sparkle as a light began to glow around it. A bright beam shot into the air and unlocked the invisible keyhole that had previously kept the cell locked. A clicking noise echoed through the empty building as the cell wall disappeared and Riku hopped out. Without a word the three ran towards the exit, the fire covering their previous path.

Roxas ran in front, protecting the injured Sora from any incoming attacks. Sora followed close behind, sweat pouring down his face and soaking his shirt as he struggled to move forward. Riku brought up the tail, covering Sora from behind. The heartless were no match for the fury of Roxas as he easily fought through the enemies. As they ran down the exit path that they keyblade had created during Sora’s previous visit, the heartless stopped attacking. When they had reached the bottom of the path, all three of the boys stopped their escape and turned to face the castle. The whole structure was burning with the nasty-looking green fire of the now deceased witch. Sora breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that they had barely escaped with their lives. He walked backwards as he leaned against a wall, catching his breath. He felt his weak body slide down the wall as he collapsed with exhaustion.

He panted heavily as he felt the chilling sweat trickle down his face. Sora raised his eyes and saw through his blurring vision that Riku and Roxas were staring at him with concern. While he desperately wanted to end their worry, Sora couldn’t find the strength to show that he was alright. The boy sat against the wall while his arm and foot rang in painful bursts. He moaned, unable to control his reaction to the ache. “Let me look at your injuries.†Sora heard Riku say as a figure kneeled beside him. Riku gently slid Sora’s left shoe off to survey the injury. Then the sock slid off. The cool night air rushed into Sora’s open wound. Sora cried out in surprise. “Oh man...†Riku whispered as he couldn’t tear his eyes off of the site of the cuts. The fire had turned Sora’s foot black and blue with second degree burns. Riku gingerly slid the sock and shoe back onto Sora’s swollen foot. “We’ll have to get Aeris to look at that. How’s your arm doing?â€

Sora looked into Riku’s eyes, finally able to focus on what he was seeing again. “It’s in pain, but I think it’s just because I’ve been using it. I don’t think I’ve done any more damage to it.†Riku nodded, too worried to actually take in what Sora just said.

“Let’s go to Hollow Bastion.†Riku said. Sora felt Riku’s strong, supporting arm around his waist as he helped Sora walk. Roxas walked ahead of them to make sure the coast was clear. Sora hopped on his right leg as he attempted to keep his left foot from dragging on the ground. As they walked past the skyscraper, Sora briefly noticed that the rain had not returned. Nor had the heartless. The walk through the multiple alleys was surprisingly fast. Time did not seem as sluggish as Sora had expected. The boy had expected that his ringing pain would make time slow down, but it was the opposite somehow. But Sora had learned not to complain when something good happened.

As the three boarded the gummi ship, Riku set Sora down in the shotgun seat. When Riku tried to buckle Sora up, Sora waved him away and began to strap himself in. Roxas stood in front of Sora and disappeared in a bright flash of light, back inside Sora. Sora turned his head and saw that Riku had already buckled himself in. He pushed the warp button as the ship disappeared from the dark, dreary world and back to Hollow Bastion.

******
End of Chapter 9. I wasn’t too excited to do this chapter, but I actually think it turned out really well. Let me know what you think =).