Kingdom Hearts III: The Revival (Working Title)

draik88 · Mar 11, 2007

Chapter 5 was amazing!

I feel sorry for Kairi though, she's either passing out or being knocked out, I hope we get to find out what's really plaguing her soon!

Can't wait for your next chapter, keep it up!

Roxas · Mar 11, 2007

One thing that bothers me, despite the story being excellent, is that at points characters don't stay true to their video game counter parts. Actions, things they say; they're just not things that the actual characters would do. But it doesn't matter, as it has consistent writing and a polished (albeit quirky at times ^_^) plot.

Soushirei · Mar 11, 2007

One can never really know how any of the characters may change in the span of three years. I never wanted them to be the same as how they were in KH1/KH2. I've purposely changed many of the characters in the way they perceive, say, and act on things.

We can only assess what is 'real' or 'in character' if Square was so nice as to give us that information first hand in a KH game that continued Sora's journey three years later.

All I'm merely doing is taking a cast of characters whom I've grown rather fond of and taking liberties with them as a writer. While it's not written on paper or said in the fic, my idea of a seventeen year old Sora, a seventeen year old Kairi, an eighteen year old Riku; individuals that have come to terms with the experiences they have had over the past 2-3 years, is expressed in the actions and words that they say within my fic. To a certain degree, their 'new' characteristics are engraved in my head and I can hear and see them interact in my mind.

Kairi was a character who never really got to say all the things she might've wanted to say, but in KH2 she definitely showed that she had strong opinions and held strong beliefs about certain things--and to a point, she is fearless. Taking that intepretation and adding on two years--I've tried to make a Kairi that I felt best represented who I feel she would be today.

Sora is no different. Here we have a young boy who--despite the game's 'censoring'--has experienced fear, danger and death in a way we couldn't even begin to imagine. To be perfectly honest, *I* found it rather unrealistic that Sora could experience something like a Darkside and still be incredibly sane and giddy about his adventures to come. Shadow Sora, plagues of all sorts of Heartless; the game really made it look like a game. But in my opinion, if Sora were really like an average fourteen year old, he would have to have had some psychological scars from some of his adventures. Of course I'm not saying he'd go insane, but I am saying that a life like that would eventually create a person who's 'seen so much' and 'experienced so much' to the point where they just can't be the same happy-go-lucky individual that they might've once been. I've tried to convey this in my interpretation of Sora's seventeen-year-old self.

As such, taking three years into account, with all characters developing physically and mentally, letting the cold, harsh memories sink in, lots of things I felt had to change about their personalities.

I don't feel any of the characters have strayed away from the characters they were in the KH games. Instead, I feel as if I've developed them further, added certain quirks to their personalities that we didn't see in the past KH games. Of course, I'm not saying this is how they would be, but I am saying this is my best interpretation of what I feel should be what each character might've turned out to be these three years later.

So Roxas, I'm not saying it shouldn't bother you, because I can't control what others feel about my writing, but I do want to stress that I feel it's a little unfair to say "they don't stay true to their video game counter parts" or "not do things that the actual characters would do". We don't know what three years can really do to a person. Maybe they might not have 'said such things or done such things' it in KH1, maybe not in KH2, but certainly in three years time--and in the case of Sora, Riku and Kairi--how one sees and acts at the age of 14/15, can drastically change at the age of 17/18. The cognitive development and perception of the two ages are very very different.

Basically, you can look at it as if they've almost grown from children to adults, and as such, they're bound to act far differently than they did before.

DarknessKingdom · Mar 12, 2007

ロクサス said: ↑

One can never really know how any of the characters may change in the span of three years. I never wanted them to be the same as how they were in KH1/KH2. I've purposely changed many of the characters in the way they perceive, say, and act on things.

We can only assess what is 'real' or 'in character' if Square was so nice as to give us that information first hand in a KH game that continued Sora's journey three years later.

All I'm merely doing is taking a cast of characters whom I've grown rather fond of and taking liberties with them as a writer. While it's not written on paper or said in the fic, my idea of a seventeen year old Sora, a seventeen year old Kairi, an eighteen year old Riku; individuals that have come to terms with the experiences they have had over the past 3-4 years, is expressed in the actions and words that they say within my fic. To a certain degree, their 'new' characteristics are engraved in my head and I can hear and see them interact in my mind.

Kairi was a character who never really got to say all the things she might've wanted to say, but in KH2 she definitely showed that she had strong opinions and held strong beliefs about certain things--and to a point, she is fearless. Taking that intepretation and adding on three years--I've tried to make a Kairi that I felt best represented who I feel she would be today.

Sora is no different. Here we have a young boy who--despite the game's 'censoring'--has experienced fear, danger and death in a way we couldn't even begin to imagine. To be perfectly honest, *I* found it rather unrealistic that Sora could experience something like a Darkside and still be incredibly sane and giddy about his adventures to come. Shadow Sora, plagues of all sorts of Heartless; the game really made it look like a game. But in my opinion, if Sora were really like an average fourteen year old, he would have to have had some psychological scars from some of his adventures. Of course I'm not saying he'd go insane, but I am saying that a life like that would eventually create a person who's 'seen so much' and 'experienced so much' to the point where they just can't be the same happy-go-lucky individual that they might've once been. I've tried to convey this in my interpretation of Sora's seventeen-year-old self.

As such, taking three years into account, with all characters developing physically and mentally, letting the cold, harsh memories sink in, lots of things I felt had to change about their personalities.

I don't feel any of the characters have strayed away from the characters they were in the KH games. Instead, I feel as if I've developed them further, added certain quirks to their personalities that we didn't see in the past KH games. Of course, I'm not saying this is how they would be, but I am saying this is my best interpretation of what I feel should be what each character might've turned out to be these three years later.

So Roxas, I'm not saying it shouldn't bother you, because I can't control what others feel about my writing, but I do want to stress that I feel it's a little unfair to say "they don't stay true to their video game counter parts" or "not do things that the actual characters would do". We don't know what three years can really do to a person. Maybe they might not have 'said such things or done such things' it in KH1, maybe not in KH2, but certainly in three years time--and in the case of Sora, Riku and Kairi--how one sees and acts at the age of 14/15, can drastically change at the age of 17/18. The cognitive development and perception of the two ages are very very different.

Basically, you can look at it as if they've almost grown from children to adults, and as such, they're bound to act far differently than they did before.
Click to expand...

You make a damn good point. Sora and Riku do go through alot in KH1/2 so I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't changed. I would find it extremely strange if Sora just came out always grinning after going through a great deal of violence, lies, and secrets.

I eagerly await the next chapter.

Soushirei · Mar 13, 2007

-- Chapter Six --

“Sephiroth!” Cloud yelled as he spotted the malevolent one-winged angel standing a few paces in front of him.

The silver-haired warrior shot Cloud a menacing grin as he pointed the tip of his Masamune toward the center of blonde fighter’s face. “I understand that you’ve been looking for me.”

“Yeah,” Cloud held his stance firmly. “Once I get rid of you, the darkness will go away!”

“Can you do it?” Sephiroth taunted. “That darkness comes from your own dark memories. Do you think you can erase your past?”

Cloud cringed in annoyance. “Shut up!”

“Face it—you turn your back on the present and live in the past,” Sephiroth continued his verbal onslaught. “Because the light of the present is too much.”

Cloud’s anger rose as he swung his Buster Sword back once, before returning to his original stance. “You don’t know me!”

Cloud could hear Tifa’s voice calling him some distance back as he tried to concentrate himself on the insidious enemy that stood before him.

“I know,” Sephiroth’s lips elusively began to curve. “Because… I am you.”

“Cloud!” Tifa called out worriedly as she shook him.

Cloud launched up from his laying position, nearly colliding his head with Tifa’s as he gasped for air. He frantically examined his surroundings, trying to grasp the reality that had now invaded his senses; his hair was soaked; sweat pouring down from his forehead and the sides of his face. While he did eventually realize he was still in the safe house of Merlin’s Study, it was only after he locked gazes with Tifa and Denzel who sat by his bedside that he finally gained a sense of security.

Cloud looked down solemnly. “Sorry, was I being too loud?”

Tifa’s eyes narrowed; his inquiry of whether or not he was disturbing them wasn’t even the point.

“Are you okay, Cloud?” Denzel asked sheepishly.

Cloud paused for a moment, slowing regaining his bearings as he placed a hand on Denzel’s head, rubbing it affectionately in response. He looked up at Tifa. “Sorry if I worried you.”

“Denzel’s the one who called me. I’ve only been here for about a minute,” Tifa replied.

“I see…” Cloud looked back down at Denzel, who continued to stare intensely at him with utmost concern.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tifa bent her knees slightly, leaning over with an endearing expression on her face.

“It’s nothing,” Cloud placed a hand through his damp, sweaty locks, trying to cope with the massive headache that had begun shortly after he awoke. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Tifa’s eyes softened in disappointment. She was fairly certain that Cloud knew his act of reassurance was not the least bit believable, but yet her beloved childhood friend continued to spout the rubbish that there was nothing troubling him.

“Where’re the others? What time is it?” Cloud mumbled.

“It’s a little past noon,” Tifa twisted her wrist to examine her watch. “Sora and the others have been downstairs since this morning discussing plans with Glenn.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You kept waking up last night, I wasn’t going to wake you up early,” Tifa explained.

“Wake me up next time. I can’t miss these meetings,” Cloud got up from his bed, heading toward the closet to grab some fresh clothes.

“Cloud?” Denzel called out softly.

“What is it, Denzel?” Cloud replied, continuing his search for some clean clothes.

“Was it about Sephiroth again?” came Denzel’s question.

Cloud paused slightly, sighing indignantly at Denzel’s sharp intuition. Denzel had become incredibly skilled at the guessing game, better than Cloud would have liked. While he couldn’t blame Denzel—who was still going through the period of his life when one didn’t notice the impact of being blunt—it had become somewhat annoying that he would demonstrate his exceptional interpersonal skills when Tifa was around. He was more concerned about what she would think.

“Denzel, we should go get something to eat,” Tifa spoke as she took a hold on one of Denzel’s hands.

“Oh… okay,” Denzel murmured, upset that Cloud seemed to not want to answer his question as he silently followed behind Tifa.

Tifa stopped for a brief moment at the entrance of the room, slightly turning her head just over her shoulder. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Cloud didn’t answer as he heard the door close shut as his two companions took their leave.

Darkness. Cloud had thought about what Riku had told him the night before and slowly found himself arriving at another crossroad; it was probably the same one Riku had come by toward the end of his first journey, the journey behind Kingdom Hearts. It was the crossroad that forced a person to make the decision about the darkness that lay within. For those like Sora and Kairi, the choice to make was obvious. Those destined to walk the path of the Keyblade as well as those who treaded the path of light; delegates of purity; they would walk the path that the sun shone brightest on and never look back. However, for those like Riku—and now himself—a third path would be opened. It would be the path one would have to carve for himself; the middle-path; the Road to Dawn, or so Riku called it. It was not so much the concept that Cloud had trouble understanding as much as it was the pressure to make the decision. It was obvious to him now that he could choose neither the path of light nor the path of darkness. Riku’s recognition of Cloud’s dilemma had proved that the only road he could walk now was the same middle-path Riku had done before. But Cloud wasn’t sure if he could handle such a journey. He had spent the last few years trying to rid himself of all the dark memories of his regretful past, but now it seemed he would have to relive and accept them as a part of his being, and Cloud wasn’t particularly fond of accepting that harsh reality.

Cloud’s deep self-reflection had made him unaware that he had presented himself to the others as he entered the main social room of Merlin’s Study. Yuffie had even called his name several times to catch his attention but he was too mentally pre-occupied to notice.

Glenn was in mid-sentence when he spotted Cloud entering the room, but didn’t stop to greet him as he turned his attention back to the group. “My greatest guess is that Nemas is hiding this weapon at the End of the World.”

“…The End of the World?” Sora looked over to Riku, who nodded back, understanding.

Nemas’ weapon had to be created somewhere secluded, in a place where it would be hard for anyone to detect or discover its whereabouts. The End of the World would be a particularly feasible place to conduct such a project without being noticed. However, irony had hit itself hard in the mind of Sora as he recalled the world that Glenn said they had to find. It was almost like returning back to the past, except this time the adventure brought with it much higher stakes and much higher risks. Ignorance and childish arrogance had enabled Sora to effortlessly walk the Keyblade path that had been set before him three years previous, but this time would definitely be different. After finally rediscovering the feeling of peace and stability, as well as the desire to live a normal life again, Sora could not as easily trod forward the way he did when he was younger. He had grown up; he discovered the things in his life that he wanted to preserve. He had also discovered the things he wanted most—and a person that his position as the Key Bearer would not allow him to have. Sora’s thoughts on the manner were cut short as he heard Riku spark up another conversation.

“And just how would we get there? The gateways to that world closed a long time ago,” Riku crossed his arms.

“There are orbs,” Glenn answered.

The Radiant Garden Restoration Committee blinked in confusion at Glenn’s answer.

“Orbs?” Sora asked.

“Yes, orbs,” Glenn nodded. “They are anomalies that lie in the various corridors of time and space, so they do not physically exist in this world or the next. They control specific gateways between dimensions and create roads that can be traveled on.”

“And just how many orbs would we need to find?”

“Two of them. Also, it is not the orbs specifically that we need to get to the End of the World,” Glenn corrected. “We need the orbs to acquire a different artifact. And it is that different artifact that will allows us to travel to our destination.”

“And how do you know about this artifact?” Leon inquired.

“I know about it because it originates from my world,” Glenn looked over at the suspecting brunette. “It’s a powerful item that was said to have cast off an alien organism called Lavos that crashed into my home planet many eons ago. Its power was immeasurable.”

“Was?” Sora wondered.

“That’s a long story.”

“What’s the artifact called?” Yuffie asked curiously.

“The Frozen Flame.”

“The Frozen Flame? That’s gotta be the lamest name I’ve ever—” Cid started.

“With it, I’m sure we can gain access to the End of the World,” Glenn finished.

“Sure, but, where do we find these Orbs?” Sora scratched his head.

Glenn averted his gaze from Sora as he carelessly tried to hide his expression.

“What is it?” Sora asked again.

“The Orbs are pure in nature; they harness large amounts of the purest light in the universe—multiverse I should say,” Glenn trailed on. “Naturally… an individual with an astounding affinity for noticing such a quality of light would be able to detect the Orbs if they were near by.”

Riku and Cloud looked at each other for a moment, their eyes waning in disappointment before looking back at Sora, expectedly.

“So what’re you saying is…” Sora thought, scratching his chin.

“A Princess of Heart, Sora,” Leon answered. “He’s talking about Kairi.”

Sora’s eager expression turned into one of doubt and unrelenting misery; he had a pretty clear idea where this conversation was headed. It hadn’t been the first time Kairi’s position as Princess of Heart had placed her in the limelight. Needless to say, these instances were not things Sora wished her to be in; he had enough experiences to know just where those roads led her. He had hoped she would never be placed in harm’s way again for the sake of the worlds—as selfish as it was, but Sora could secretly accept such arrogant wishes if it meant Kairi’s safety.

“No,” Sora spoke. The words just spilled out.

Glenn locked gazes with Sora for a moment, some concern lingering in his eyes.

“No what?” Leon inquired.

“There are plenty of other Princesses of Heart out there, why does Kairi have to be the one to do it?” Sora argued.

“Sora… what’re you saying?” Riku spoke worriedly. He wasn’t sure what intentions lay in his comrade’s words. This was incredibly unlike him, the blue-haired youth thought.

“Come on, Riku,” Sora’s eyes wandered around the room. “You would like it too if Kairi was out of harm’s way, wouldn’t you?”

“Well yeah, but…” Riku started.

“She’s always been placed in such bad situations, so couldn’t we for once take a different course of action when we can?” Sora retorted.

“So you’re saying let’s place another Princess of Heart at risk, as long as it’s not Kairi?” Yuffie frowned. “Listen to what you’re saying, Sora.”

Sora looked down. The passion that had been pouring out of him for the past while had probably blinded him from the crude implication he was making about what the correct course of action to take was. Yuffie was right, he thought. He didn’t really think about it that way, not until she had mentioned it from a different perspective. Of course he didn’t want to place anyone else in harm’s way if he could, but why did it always seem to be Kairi who would be dragged into the fray when she had already been through so much anyway? It seemed cruel, and with the recent fainting episodes that Kairi had been suffering from, the sudden imposition that she take on the role of the Orb locator had really set Sora off.

“Well, I still don’t like it,” Sora muttered, unpleased. “I still don’t think she should push herself. She’s already going through so much.”

“Well that’s not really your choice to make, is it, Sora?” Riku gave a sympathetic look at his friend.

“That’s right, it’s mine,” a female voice called from the floor above them.

The group at the bottom of the stairs turned their heads to see the rejuvenated princess (noted by the hard stare she had on her face) slowly descending down the steps. She seemed to be directing her cold expression at Sora, who had then turned his face away in embarrassment that she had overheard his outburst. She seemed angry, evidently unhappy with the idea of having decisions made for her; she never really did appreciate having other people tell her what to do—her dream about her father helped confirm this belief.

“Sora, can I talk to you for a moment?” Kairi’s voice was firm and commanding.

Sora continued to avert his gaze from her eyes, feeling somewhat ashamed. He slowly nodded in agreement before placing his hands in his pockets. He waited for her to begin walking to an area of her choice for the conversation with the intention of following after her, but no such movement came. Kairi remained still and kept her intense stare on the young Key Bearer.

Glenn gave a defeated smile as he stood up from his chair. “We’ll be outside.”

It didn’t take long for the rest of the group to understand the gravity of the situation. Some like Cid took longer than the others to really grasp the concept that Kairi wanted some privacy, retorting incoherently as he was being dragged away by a certain Yuffie and Leon. Cloud and Tifa simply nodded in agreement with Glenn as they escorted themselves along with Denzel outside the Study. Glenn was the last to depart as he stopped by the door, turning his head to face the pair who stood feet apart from one another, their stances cold as stone. He paused for a moment, glancing out of the corner of his eye before slowly sliding the door behind him.

Sora shyly lifted his eyes to grab a peek of Kairi’s expression, which he had expected to be filled with rage and resentment for his irrational behaviour. He didn’t feel he was out of line when he was discussing the matter in her absence, but now that he had her standing before him with a detesting atmosphere radiating off her, he had lost most of his confidence.

However, when Sora’s gaze finally met with hers, he saw that her expression was not one filled with ill intent at all. Instead, the young girl seemed… distressed, a little disappointment flourished as well. He was taken aback by such an unforeseen expression that he couldn’t find the words to speak much on the matter, or inquire something as simple as what she wanted to talk to him about.

“… How’re you feeling?” Sora asked.

“Sora,” Kairi started.

Sora dropped his head, looking off to the side uncomfortably. “I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t come here to ask for an apology…” Kairi looked down as well, feeling somewhat guilty. She wasn’t used to lecturing Sora, not to mention being angry with him.

Sora looked up. “What is it, then?”

“I just… want to ask you to do one thing for me,” Kairi gathered up her composure to make sure she would deliver her message clearly.

Sora looked on in peculiar interest, not sure what to expect.

“I need you to trust me,” Kairi stated plainly.

“Of course I trust you, Kairi,” Sora replied.

“I know that I haven’t been as helpful as I want to be, and I’m aware that for the past three years all that I’ve ever managed to do is be a victim and be captured over and over again,” Kairi continued.

“Kairi—”

“And now that an opportunity comes along where I can finally do something other than run away, why do you wish me to stand on the sidelines?”

“That, I…” Sora scratched his head nervously. “I just… I just thought that...”

“Sora,” Kairi chuckled. “I know you want me to be safe, but do you really think I would be happy not doing anything? I would’ve thought you knew me better than that.”

Sora sighed in defeat.

“I need you to trust me, okay?” Kairi smiled. “I know what I’m doing.”

Sora removed his hands from his pockets. “Are you sure about this?”

Kairi nodded. “Yep, just leave it to me.”

“Alright, Kairi,” Sora managed a smile as he turned his attention toward the door. “The others are waiting for us, so we better get going.”

Kairi nodded agreeably, quickly following Sora as they both headed toward the front door.

* * *

“Lord Nemas, construction of the Ferrington Chamber is complete,” a messenger soldier announced as he entered the assembly hall.

“Excellent work,” Nemas nodded before waving his hand, gesturing the soldier’s departure. “Tell the production team that they are relieved of their services on the project.”

The messenger soldier nodded reluctantly. “But Sire, what about the activation catalyst? We still haven’t located it yet.”

“You need not worry about that,” Nemas shook his head. “It’s being taken cared of.”

“Yes, my Lord,” the soldier bowed before taking his leave.

Nemas watched as the messenger walked toward the exit before his attention was aroused by the sound of several pairs of feet approaching from another direction.

“You’re quite the performer, Nemas,” Marluxia rolled his eyes. “Are you having some difficulty locating this precious ‘activation catalyst’ of yours? I hear it’s an artifact.”

“You need not worry about the likes of that matter either, Marluxia,” Nemas answered.

“Hmph,” Marluxia mumbled. “I hear that artifact can only be located using special Orbs anyway.”

“It seems someone has been reading my homework,” Nemas looked over at Marluxia, a lethal stare on his face. “I didn’t revive you so you could educate yourself on my research. Do not deviate away from your purpose.”

“You can’t blame him, Nemas,” Larxene shrugged as she walked out of the darkness. “Marluxia never did like the idea of being someone’s bodyguard, although he has a hard enough time protecting himself from certain demise.”

“Speak for yourself, wench, you died before I did,” Marluxia growled.

“Sticks and stones, friend,” Larxene chuckled. “In any case, where’s that other subordinate of yours, jet black hair, huge sword? He was kinda cute.”

“Planning to pay a certain someone a visit, I presume. He seemed very intent on doing so after the story I told him,” Nemas answered.

“And just how much of this story was true?” Larxene asked coyly.

“Why, all of it of course,” Nemas added.

“Liar,” Larxene laughed.

“Sticks and stone, Larxene.”

* * *

After agreeing on a time of departure that was set for after dinner, the people of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, along with its guests, Sora, Riku and Kairi, decided to tie up any loose ends before setting off on their journeys. Glenn had made it perfectly clear that the duration of the mission on finding the Orbs could not be determined, and no one could ever know how long it would take to reach the End of the World. With that understanding, it was not hard to gain the unanimous vote to take the afternoon off to prepare themselves for the trials that lay ahead of them.

Perhaps it was the anticipation of embarking on a mission that may cost them their lives that made it so easy to appreciate the smaller things that would’ve otherwise been ignored. The breeze of the autumn air, the rustling of the trees, the orange haze that stained the evening sky as the sun disappeared over the horizon; all instances were rewarded with warm smiles and heart-felt expressions as the group of valiant warriors—who would remain unknown to the majority of the multiverse—went their separate ways to indulge in an afternoon of tranquility, possibly the last one they would have for a very long time. Leon and Yuffie were the first of the group to part as they headed back to their headquarters located not too far from the Bailey. Paperwork, they said, that was long overdue due to recent events, and announcing that they would be writing signatures all throughout the afternoon had earned them many laughs in return. The decision to engage in physical labour as a way to relax had indeed merited the magnitude of the quest that lay ahead of them, as well as emphasize the irony of how the definition of peace and relaxation changed drastically over the years for warriors such as themselves. Sora, Riku and Kairi could understand this the most.

Sora was spending some time on the roof of Merlin’s Study, lying drowsily against the shingles, both feet propped up to the knee as he used the soles of his shoes to keep himself from slipping down the slope of the roof. The idea of dozing off had become very appealing to Sora as the breeze of the wind began to slowly coax his consciousness into a state of slumber. A moment more would’ve made it a success until a certain Tifa Lockheart, who had made her way onto the roof, called on the young brunette’s attention.

“Something wrong, Tifa?” Sora asked.

“Not really,” Tifa shook her head. “Have you seen Cloud? I saw him talking with Riku earlier but those two seemed to have disappeared somewhere. Denzel’s getting worried.”

Sora looked up for a moment, contemplating Tifa’s explanation when he recalled the conversation he and Riku had earlier the day before.

“I haven’t seen either of them, but don’t worry about Cloud,” Sora responded, yawning lethargically.

“Why? Do you know where they went?”

“Riku and Cloud just have some things to discuss, Cloud’ll probably tell you when he gets back,” Sora explained.

“I see,” Tifa turned to take her leave, until stopping short. “Oh! I forgot to tell you.”

Sora looked up at Tifa curiously.

“Kairi’s been looking for you, she might be around the Bailey,” Tifa started. “You should keep her company. Since Riku’s out with Cloud, she would probably like to spend her afternoon with a friend.”

Sora looked away for a moment. It’s more complicated than that, he thought to himself.

“Good idea,” he agreed. Loser.

While at the time he seemed more eager to catch up on some long hours of missed sleep, Sora found himself appreciating Tifa’s suggestion for him to spend some time with Kairi. His cowardice had enabled him to make an effort to approach her only after someone other than he offered up the suggestion. One had to admit that he and Kairi didn’t exactly end on the right foot the last time they talked. They met an understanding, yes, that much was true, but the awkwardness surrounding the entire affair hadn’t completely phased off yet, at least on Sora’s part. He had been walking for some time before he reached the Bailey, taking a moment to catch a glimpse of the view from one of the vantage points that Leon had showed him the first time he visited the area—although the sight to be seen back then wasn’t as pretty as it was now.

Radiant Garden had definitely been showing vast improvements over the past two years, Sora thought. Plant life had replaced most of the cold blue stone that painted the majority of the landscape covering places in and around the Castle. Sora remembered Leon telling him once that Radiant Garden had gotten its name from the mystifying pastures that grew across the land. In the canyon below where Sora had fought off a thousand Heartless, there said to have been a two-sided waterfall that eventually drained into the sewers of the Castle, a place Sora remembered fondly when he battled alongside Beast during his very first visit to the previously named Hollow Bastion—Sora even remembered the wooden sword Riku had tauntingly offered him as a keepsake.

Many memories were made over the past few years in Sora’s mind, along with the many hopes and dreams that were passed onto him, meetings and reunions of souls that were never meant to cross paths. Sora had often forgot about the privilege he had been granted as the Key Bearer, that is, to meet some of the greatest people he would have otherwise never have known, and see places that he only thought existed in fairy-tale books. Sora had stepped out of the physical bounds of his homeland reality and became a part of one much bigger; he became part of a cause so much greater than anyone could possibly imagine. And because of this, Sora had become a ‘someone’ in the hearts of so many people.

“Thinking again, are we?” a cheerful female voice called from behind him.

Sora plastered a smug look on his face, knowing exactly whom it was standing behind him. “I heard you’ve been looking for me.”

Kairi nodded as she walked forward, taking a place at his side as she looked out over the horizon. “I have. Where’s Riku?”

“He and Cloud are having some ‘one-on-one’ time. No one knows where they are,” Sora turned his head to catch a glance of Kairi’s form. She was dressed in something much more casual than her usual wardrobe, a pair of grey sweatpants and a navy blue t-shirt that hugged her frame very nicely. She also tied her crimson locks into a nice ponytail that fell just above the top of her back.

“Haha, is that so? That’s so like Riku, taking off without saying a word,” Kairi chuckled. “At least you didn’t go anywhere.”

Sora gave her a peculiar look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kairi laughed. “Oh wait, that’s right, you were gone a year.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Sora retorted.

“I’m just kidding, Sora,” Kairi nudged him gently in the rib.

Sora scowled at Kairi’s teases as he turned his body toward her. “So what did you want to talk me about?”

Kairi’s demeanor changed suddenly as she rendered herself silent for a moment, fiddling with her fingers as if to cope some minor anxiety.

“Kairi?”

“I just… wanted to talk to someone,” Kairi replied.

Sora could see a change in Kairi’s disposition; he didn’t mean to put her on the spot. “Something wrong?”

“Not really…” Kairi placed a hand on the back of her neck, keeping her gaze toward the scenery. She could feel Sora’s eyes focused on her, however.

“Are you nervous?” Sora inquired softly, taking his best guess on what might’ve been troubling her.

“Of course not!” Kairi scoffed heartily, her light chuckle subsiding. “Well… maybe a little…”

Sora smiled inwardly, turning his vision back to the scenery. He found some happiness in Kairi’s openness to seek his counsel about her problems. Perhaps he had been wrong about his doubts regarding whether or not she thought of him as a good confidant. She seemed quite receptive of his inquiries, as well as responding truthfully—at least he believed she was. When Sora pondered it further, he realized it had been a very long time since the two of them talked about anything personal about one another. It was probably due to this fact that Kairi seemed to be slightly uncomfortable with the conversation.

“I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do,” Kairi sighed. “I know Glenn said I’ll get the hang of it right away, but sometimes I worry he has too much faith in me. I’m not like the other Princesses.”

“Yeah, you’re different from them,” Sora agreed.

“You’re not helping…” Kairi muttered.

“That’s why you’re my favourite Princess!” Sora announced cheerfully, showcasing his teeth from behind his lips.

“Well you’re ‘favourite’ Princess is in over her head,” Kairi slouched over the railing of the lookout they were standing by, staring off into the distance.

“You’ll be fine, Kairi,” Sora reassured her, his tone more coaxing.

“I envy you sometimes, Sora,” Kairi turned her head to face him again, a defeated smile lingering across her lips. “You’re always ready to take that step forward, regardless of the danger or the number of people who count on you,” Kairi explained. “You’re the Key Bearer, the pressure much be suffocating, yet you have time to worry about others.” She shot him a particular stare.

Sora laughed. “You give me too much credit, you know.”

Kairi shook her head. “I knew you’d say that.”

“Readiness is a horizon, Kairi,” Sora explained. “No matter how hopefully you chase it, it remains a fleeting concept. Willingness, on the other hand, is always within your grasp. All it requires you to do is to step forward.”

Kairi narrowed her eyes, pausing for a moment as she waited for Sora to lock gazes with her. “And what cereal box did you read that from?”

“W-What? That was all me!” Sora growled. “I put a lot of thought into that!”

“So you rehearsed it then,” Kairi teased. “I wonder how long you’ve been waiting to use it.”

“I didn’t rehearse it either!”

Kairi laughed. She absolutely loved getting him all worked up. He was such a child, yet so wise at the same time. She knew he probably did come up with that little theory by himself; he had more than enough experiences to learn about a lot of things that she couldn’t even begin to fathom. But despite whatever wisdom and knowledge he was forced to learn and accept throughout his journeys, he still managed to remain the candid Sora that she remembered and cherished, and she thanked him silently for that.

“Thanks, Sora,” Kairi smiled, her expression the most genuine he had seen since he had met up with her. “I feel a lot better now.”

Sora blinked, being somewhat confused by her contrasting emotions. “No problem, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“Don’t tease me again, I can’t take it,” Sora whined.

Kairi let out another laugh; it was like a drug, she just couldn’t stop.
Sora shook his head. “So do you want to head back?”

“Sure, what were you up to before now?” Kairi inquired.

“I was on the roof of Merlin’s Study.”

“That sounds fun, let’s go there,” Kairi started walking. “What were you doing up there?”

“Napping.”

Kairi stopped walking.

“What?” Sora asked.

“Napping?” Kairi blinked.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“On the roof?” Kairi raised an eyebrow.

“Stop it.”
Click to expand...

Many would consider this a filler, and you know, it probably is. The Orb hunt would've taken place immediately after Glenn gave his debriefing, but I felt uncomfortable starting the Orb hunt halfway through a chapter so I decided to settle with some character reflection. Sora and co. have been doing nothing but research lately, so I supposed they needed a break too. ;p

Chapter Seven is long, so look forward to it... I hope. Thanks, everyone!

DarknessKingdom · Mar 13, 2007

Nice chapter as always. You added another Kairi x Sora scene too!

Cloud seems to be acting strange but he is Cloud *smirks*. Will Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo play a cameo by any chance?

Soushirei · Mar 13, 2007

D: Unfortunately not. I tried to see if I could somehow fit them into the story, but the ideas that came to me seemed to be too elaborate (since Cloud's problem isn't supposed to be a big part of the story), and anything less wouldn't do that particular trio of characters any justice. So in the end, I decided to completely omit anything related to Advent Children except Denzel.

DarknessKingdom · Mar 13, 2007

Hmmm, ah well. I was thinking if they did, the three twins could be working for Nemas under the condition he ressurrects Sephiroth when Nemas succeeds his master plan, or something.

*waits for next chapter*

Soushirei · Mar 13, 2007

Hmm. Somehow I felt compelled to release Chapter Seven. It's the longest Chapter so far. Oh noes.

Maybe because it's long, and I feel some readers are getting bored. My hiatus begins after I post Chapter Ten, so I might as well get these going along.

-- Chapter Seven --

Despite the anticipation that was surely brewing within each of the members gathered together in search of the Orbs, none among them would’ve expected the quest to be so difficult to complete; it was a severe test of patience and perseverance for many, more specifically a certain Cid Highwind, who, despite having the distraction of taking his newest airship on her maiden voyage, had an extremely difficult time keeping words to himself.

It had been several days since they had departed from Radiant Garden in search of the mysterious Orbs, but Kairi hadn’t been able to hone in on a location for any of them. It wasn’t a surprise that with each passing hour without success, Kairi’s confidence in her abilities to locate the Orbs continued to drop tremendously. Glenn had made it sound so simple, Kairi thought. The lime silver-haired warrior had told her that the only thing she needed to do was to wish for it, and that her desire to discover them would lead her in the right direction—and eventually, she would feel the aura of a nearby Orb. However, no such sensation had ever been felt within the Princess of Heart who had been giving the task her all since day one of departure. If it hadn’t been for Sora and Riku’s support, who had both been continually trying to make her feel better about the situation and cheering her on, she most likely would’ve given up on it already.

“Hey! Glenn! Are you sure you haven’t missed anything out in those instructions of yours? It’s been four days and I’ve gotten sick of navigating through this foggy interspatial void!” Cid yelled as he aimlessly hit the sides of his steering wheel.

Glenn smiled. “I’m positive. Just leave it to Kairi.”

Kairi frowned, unhappy with Glenn’s connotation. “I’m trying as hard as I can!”

“I know it’s frustrating, but you have to calm yourself, Kairi,” Glenn commented. “You’re all tensed up; relax a bit.”

It was easier said than done for the young Princess as she felt the pressure surrounding her mission suffocating her concentration. The atmosphere was like a time bomb approaching its mortally lethal terminus. Cid would periodically tap his foot as he slouched over the steering wheel, heaving deep breaths as if to release some of the stress caused by his impatience. Yuffie’s natural giddiness had prevented her from having a negative attitude about the situation, but after the first two days, she did begin to have a hard time standing still. Often, she would fiddle with a kunai or a shuriken from her weapon pouch while kicking her feet back and forth as she sat. Her inability to keep still and silent had produced a very grumpy Leon as Yuffie’s distractions prevented him from catching any decent amount of sleep… whether it were evening or otherwise.

Cloud had been the quietest one of the group since they departed, which came as no surprise to any of the others, although his external disposition had not done justice to the great deal of thoughts that had been going through his mind for the past few days. Tifa had stayed behind to take care of Denzel, a decision that gave Cloud much more space to ponder the conflicts within him that had to be resolved.

“Anything, Kairi?” Riku asked as he took a seat beside her on one of the lounge couches situated across the flight deck. Sora was fast asleep on the other side of the young female.

Kairi shook her head sadly. “I don’t think I’m doing it right.”

Glenn chuckled. “You’re so stiff, just relax your muscles. You’re not going to be able to sense them if you stress your mind like that.”

Kairi took a deep breath. “I don’t even know what they look like.”

“That won’t matter, you don’t have to visualize them in your head,” Glenn explained. “The feeling of wanting to find them will be enough.”

Kairi bit her bottom lip gently. “Alright, I’ll try.”

“Just remember why you’re searching for them, why you want to find them,” Glenn added. “Once you know these answers, solidify them and never let the reasons escape you. Engrave them in your heart, and make the passion behind them your motivation.”

Kairi closed her eyes slowly, letting Glenn’s advice sink deep into her subconscious as she allowed her mind to wander. For the moment, she didn’t care about the importance of the Orbs or the graveness of their mission. Instead, she pondered about the inquiries Glenn had placed before her. Why did she want to find the Orbs? Kairi peered one eye open as she glanced beside her, watching Sora’s sleeping form as his chest slowly rose and fell. She smiled warmly as she closed her eyes once again. That’s right, she thought. At the moment, Sora lay far from her grasp; she saw the tall ladder before her that separated her from him, a ladder that reached so far up into the heavens that made Sora appear to be nothing more but a distant star above her. She wanted to shorten the distance between them, to climb further up that ladder and become closer to the boy whom she had been silently chasing after for the past few years. She knew that if she could find the Orbs she would be able to bring herself that much closer to the top, where she knew Sora was waiting for her.

And then it hit her.

It was faint at first, and Kairi was having an extremely hard time keeping it in focus as her eyes sharpened. It was literally like trying to catch an object that was flying away from range with one’s mind and will alone, but Kairi persisted as she dove deeper to uncover the cloudy aura that was trying to bury itself in the depths of space. She would not allow herself to lose in her endeavor, not after coming so far and having developed such an adamant resolve. She would grab the chance with her own hand and grip it as tightly as she could.

“Found it!” Kairi exclaimed.

Glenn smiled.

“Really?!” Riku’s voice cracked.

“Well it’s about time!” Cid bellowed.

“Oh hush up, Cid,” Yuffie hissed.

The commotion had woken the young Key Bearer as he rubbed the slumber away from his eyes. After regaining his vision he had noticed everyone’s attention was drawn to Kairi, who had a little bit of sweat trickling down the side of her temple, her breathing turning to small-interval pants.

“Kairi! Are you okay?” Sora asked.

Kairi turned to him, smiling. “I sensed an Orb, just now!”

Sora breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, is that so?”

“Well come up here and tell me where to go!” Cid yelled enthusiastically, chuckling with overwhelming happiness now that there would now be an actual destination.
Kairi nodded before scurrying over to Cid’s side, scanning through the void ahead of them as she tried to hone in on the signal. Her pupils busily went from side to side, evidently fighting to keep track of the Orb that was desperately trying to escape her senses. A black, circular shadow appeared in the distance as Cid continued his ship forward, gaining some speculative glances from the others as they turned to Kairi for enlightenment.

Kairi paused for a moment before nodding confidently. “Yes, that’s it. It’s coming from over there.”

Leon wasted no time as he hurried off to the database computer situated beside Cid and entered the coordinates of the planet ahead of them. A few keystrokes later an enlargement of the darkened planet came up on the interface as the group analyzed the image that appeared before them.

“Hey Sora, isn’t that….”

Sora’s face brightened, a large smile across his face. “It’s Halloween Town!”

* * *

It was almost assumed that the entire congregation aboard Cid’s newest Sierra would be departing to search for the Orb, however this was quickly countered by Glenn as he convinced that all except Sora, Kairi and Riku stay on the Sierra for the safety of the ship as well as not to overwhelm the inhabitants of the planet. For Cid, this proposition seemed preposterous as he fought for his right to fresh air; being cooped up in the Sierra for over four days wasn’t exactly the greatest incentive to follow an order to remain indoors. However, after a few minutes of stretching outside the ship, the unearthly strangeness of Halloween Town had definitely pushed Cid out of his comfort zone as he quickly changed his mind, volunteering to watch ‘his precious ship’ from the ‘despicable atmosphere out there’. After that, it wasn’t difficult to convince the others; Leon and Yuffie decided to stay to keep Cid company, as the older veteran seemed too spooked to be left alone even if he were inside the ship. Cloud simply nodded nonchalantly, agreeing that Sora, Riku and Kairi were more than capable of obtaining the Orb on their own, unscathed.

“We’ll be back soon,” Sora gave a casual salute.

“If you’re not back in two hours, we’re coming in after you three,” Leon explained.

“You got it,” Riku agreed.

Kairi smiled graciously toward the Radiant Garden Committee, then turning to join Sora and Riku as they walked off the airship together.

The three teenagers walked side-by-side in silence as they followed Sora’s lead through the outskirts of the eerily mystifying Halloween Town. The silence between them had definitely spawned some degree of awkwardness; the three of them had never actually traveled together like this before. It was rather ironic that it had taken them this long to finally be able to do so with the last few years being spent just trying to find one another again. And now that they were given the opportunity to finally fulfill the childhood dream they all shared, their hearts were filled with mixed feelings of excitement and disbelief. It didn’t matter much to either of them that their mission involved the multiverse’s future at stake, a reckoning that had been the culprit of their fortunate journey—although the definition of fortune had indeed become one of selfishness in this case. Each of them preferred to dote on the idea of being finally able to journey as a unit, to explore any and all unknown lands together without anyone’s intervention.

The second most prominent idea that stood out in their minds—the most within Kairi’s—was the sudden change in wardrobe that had transformed their bodies after they were a certain distance away from the Sierra. For Sora, his charcoaled vest, pointed soles and one-eyed pumpkin mask were all familiarities, striking him more in nostalgia than it did surprise. Kairi reacted otherwise as she excitingly fondled the black pointy hat that she felt resting on her head. She initially felt a sudden weight pushing down against her scalp, but it wasn’t until Riku pointed his finger at the top of her head, smiling amusingly, before she took enough interest to confirm what it was. Her attire was also complete with a burgundy-coloured skirt with a large black buckle at the waist. Riku, on the other hand, didn’t receive the same treatment on the headgear. Instead, he found his body cloaked entirely with a dark almond-coloured cape, complete with a hood with strings of nylon hanging from either side of his neck.

“Of course, I get all the stiff, boring clothes,” Riku grumbled.

“It suits your personality,” Sora teased.

Kairi chuckled at Sora’s comment. The stimulating environment she found herself in didn’t urge her to discipline her two young male friends the way she usually did. Instead, she was more welcoming of such commentary in these times of fairy tale. She felt they all deserved some freedom to express any thoughts that passed through their minds at any given moment. Kairi felt this was the only way to fully appreciate the reality that had been paved before them.

“So where are we headed?” Riku asked.

“I thought we should pay Jack Skellington a visit and ask if he knows anything about the Orbs,” Sora explained.

“Jack?” Kairi inquired.

“He was at Donald’s wedding,” Sora started. “Tall, lanky guy, talked a lot about the décor,” Sora used hand gestures to try to support his description.

Kairi was silent, trying to recall the guests at the wedding reception that she talked to or remembered seeing.

“He looks like a skeleton, Kairi,” Riku rephrased. “If there was someone who freaked you out that day, it was definitely him.”

Kairi let out another chuckle at Riku’s demeanor; it would seem Riku was the most relaxed out of the three of them.

“Hey, Jack’s not that bad,” Sora refuted.

Kairi nodded hopefully, letting out a nervous chuckle. The name “Jack Skellington” was a familiar one, and Kairi wondered if she really did see him before. Chances were she had if the aforementioned individual was present during the pre-reception party the day before the wedding. Riku rolled his eyes as the three of them stopped at an array of gates of what seemed to be the entrance to Halloween Town.

“This way, the town square is just across there,” Sora pointed north as he began walking again, Riku and Kairi following close behind.

--

It wasn’t hard to spot the Pumpkin King Jack closing in on their position with his hands flailing the way they were. His giant height and his blizzard-white face also made him an easy target on the eyes. Sora could only presume it was Kairi’s shrieks that lured the Halloween King toward them after she reacted to the fountain guillotines that surrounded them and the unnatural green gases that seeped out of the sewers.

“Sora! What a pleasant surprise!” Jack Skellington greeted, his face illuminated with excitement and joy. “How have you been? Oh, I see you’ve brought some friends!”

“Yeah…” Sora scratched his head awkwardly; he never did get used to Jack’s overbearing presence.

“Well, don’t be a stranger! Are you going to introduce me to them?”

Sora jerked a few times, evidently flustered as his eyes darted back and forth between Riku, Kairi and Jack. He let out a timid chuckle. “Kairi, this is—”

“Oh! It’s you!” Kairi pointed a dignified finger at the much taller man. “The guy who kept complaining about the wedding colours!”

“Kairi!” Riku scowled.

“What?” Jack blinked.

That’s what I was saying before… Sora shook his head, although he didn’t expect Kairi to actually voice such a correlation while in the presence of the Pumpkin King himself.

“I-I’m sorry! I just,” Kairi bowed her head respectfully. “I wasn’t—”

“Don’t you agree though!” Jack interrupted. “Those colours were completely distasteful!”

Riku and Sora both let out sighs of defeat; Jack was never really interested in the thoughts of others, or at least made a spectacle of them in such a way that promoted his own self-proclaimed brilliance. Sora remembered well Jack’s enthusiastic monologue about Sally’s opinion of Christmas gifts, and the magnificent outburst shortly after about the feelings he was having after putting on a certain Santa Claus suit she made for him.

“Actually, Jack,” Sora tried to cut in. “We’re here to discuss an important matter.”

“Oh? What sort of matter?” Jack Skellington. “Halloween isn’t looking scary enough this year? Is that it?”

“No… that’s not it,” Sora chuckled. “You see—”

“Not enough pranks and scary looking props?”

“Jack, we actually—”

“Oh I know!”

“Jack!” Sora interrupted, raising his fists as well as his shoulders.

Jack ceased his onslaught of questions as he tilted his head downward, blinking curiously at Sora.

Sora quickly dropped his arms, looking away for a moment in embarrassment. “We… we need to ask you a question.”

“Oh, why didn’t you just say so!” Jack clapped his hands excitedly. “What is it that you need?”

Sora took a deep breath, looking over at Riku and Kairi as the three of them exchanged mutual glances of relief. Sora turned his attention back to Jack, who now looked very interested in what sort of inquiry the Key Bearer had for him.

“Have you seen or heard anything about any kind of Orb?” Sora asked.

“Orb? Is it big?” Jack pondered.

Sora placed his arms behind his head, smiling innocently. “Aheh, we don’t know exactly how it looks like.”

“Orbs huh… no, I don’t think I’ve seen any of those lying around Halloween Town,” Jack noted. “And I’m pretty sure I’ve been all around Town over the past few days, you know, to find new ideas for next year’s Halloween!”

Sora nodded graciously, looking over at Riku and Kairi, who were both signaling to him that they thought it’d be best to find alternative means of locating the Orb. It seemed like a hopeless cause to continue speaking to Jack about the matter any further.

“Have you tried talking to Sandy Claws about it?” Jack inquired suddenly.

Sora’s eyes brightened almost immediately, an expression of joy radiating off his face.

“Sandy Claws?” Riku raised an eyebrow.

“He means Santa Claus,” Sora corrected. “And no, we haven’t talked to him yet. But that’s a great idea, Jack!”

“I haven’t been over to Candy Cane Lane since the last time you were here, so maybe this Orb you’re looking for might be over there,” Jack scratched his chin, looking aimlessly at the ceiling.

“Yeah, we’ll give it a shot. Thanks, Jack!” Sora nodded enthusiastically before turning toward the exit. Riku and Kairi exchanged expressions of confusion, both being taken aback by Sora’s sudden change in attitude. Sora seemed much more spirited the moment the topic of ‘Santas Claus’ arose in the conversation. The young Key Bearer’s anxiousness to meet Father Christmas grew more telling as Riku and Kairi found themselves being dragged outside the main square with little effort by the adamant resolve that surged in the grips of his hands.

Sora ignored Jack’s inquiry as to whether or not the brunette remembered how to get to Candy Cane Lane as he continued pulling his two friends back toward the outskirts from which they came. Of course he remembered where the entrance was; how could he forget? How many people can say that they’ve met Santa Claus? Besides—Sora glanced furtively at Riku—there was nothing more intriguing running through Sora’s mind at that moment than the image of Riku’s face once the blue-haired hero saw the man he had spent the last several years trying to prove didn’t exist. The chance to see such a facial expression was priceless.

It didn’t take long for the trio to reach the forest clearing that Sora was looking for—such determination and haste had made it almost a record-breaking time.
“Um, Sora,” Riku looked around the vicinity. “I’m not quite sure what a forest clearing and Santa Claus have in common.”

Sora shook his head in amusement, pointing toward a particular tree that had a picture of a Christmas evergreen painted on the bark. “That.”

Kairi looked on perplexingly as she wasn’t quite sure what to believe. Sora surely had every justification to be telling the truth given the experiences of his many adventures, but at the same time, it was very difficult for anyone to understand or even fathom how a painted tree trunk would get them to the North Pole.

Confusion turned to doubt and suspicion as Sora stepped forward to touch the painted Christmas tree, pulling it forward. The outline of the picture moved with Sora’s hand as it turned and hung off to the side of the tree; the picture was actually a door.

Riku leered at Sora for moment before slowly advancing toward the tree door, peering at the depths that lay beyond it. The darkness seemed endless, and slowly, the entire situation started to look utterly ridiculous—Sora’s ******ed expression of happiness added to the hilarity.

“You can’t be serious,” Riku glared at his comrade. “You’re telling me to jump into this thing?”

“Why not? Isn’t it intriguing?” Sora looked over at Kairi. “See for yourself.”

Kairi cautiously took several steps forward, slowly inching toward the door. She held her arms up to respond to any quick motions from either Sora or Riku. She did have many bad experiences in the past that involved several instances of ‘surprise-pushes’ from either of them. Selphie could vouch for Kairi’s story, and a time like this definitely warranted that every precaution be taken; Riku was right! It did look like an endless abyss of darkness.

“What’s with you two?” Sora looked puzzled. “Hop on in!”

“Give us a moment!” Riku and Kairi retorted.

“Something wrong?”

“Well, pardon me, but any smart person wouldn’t just hop into an eerie looking tree with a seemingly endless drop without thinking about it first!” Riku scoffed.

“Well, I did,” Sora crossed his arms.

“I said ‘smart person’,” Riku replied icily.

“Well you two can stay up here and think about it if you want, I’m going to go see Santa!” Sora gave a subtle wave before hopping fearlessly into the abyss.

Riku and Kairi stood silent for a moment, hearing to Sora’s cries and shouts of excitement slowly recede as it echoed through the tree’s interior.

“Riku, do you believe in Santa?” Kairi asked awkwardly.

“… This is ridiculous,” Riku groaned, succumbing to his own insecurities as he hesitantly stuck a foot through the door.

--

The workshop expanded greatly since the last time Sora visited, and there seemed to be many more elves working around the factory than the number the Keyblade master remembered. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least, knowing that the worlds he had visited were changing and adapting along with him. It solidified the idea that none of his encounters over the past few years were not mere fantasies or figments of his imagination, but real, thriving realities that had grew and evolved just has he did. Knowing that one was partly responsible for the development and flourishing of countless worlds produced a feeling no one else in the room could feel except the young Key Bearer.

Although the three travelers from Destiny Islands didn’t announce their arrival at the Toy Factory, it didn’t take very long for Santa Claus to notice their presence as he placed down a nutcracker doll he was inspecting, inaudibly signaling the elf worker to continue on. The spaciously engrossed Kris Kringle sluggishly made his way across the factory as he raised a hand to wave at his visitors, panting in short-breaths. Sora waved back, enthused.

“He should slow down,” Riku raised an eyebrow. “It’d be bad if he keeled over.”

“Riku! That’s not nice!” Kairi covered her mouth.

“Then why’re you laughing,” Riku poked her side teasingly.

“Let me guess, you must be Riku,” the red-suited senior inquired. “I must say, after meeting you in person, I can understand now why you kept telling Sora that I didn’t exist.”

Riku’s eyes widened in surprise; this old man knew his name, not to mention he also possessed knowledge of an event that he was certain only he and Sora knew about! Sora stood behind Santa, holding his sides to hold back his laughter.

“I... uhh…” Riku’s eyes darted back and forth frantically, trying to avoid all contact with Santa Claus’ gaze. He eventually turned his attention to Sora, glaring indelicately. For some reason, Riku knew this encounter was somehow part of Sora’s itinerary for the visit, and he vowed he would get even someday.

Santa Claus let out a hearty laugh. “I’m not here to lambaste you, young Riku.”
Sora took this as his cue as he took his place back beside Riku and Kairi. “Right, we have something to ask you.”

“Oh? What might that be?”

“We’re looking for a kind of Orb and we were wondering if you had seen anything like that around here lately,” Sora explained.

“An Orb, you say,” Santa scratched his beard.

“Yes, we really need to find it,” Kairi cut in, becoming slightly anxious herself.

“I’m really sorry, but I haven’t seen anything like that around my factory,” Santa shook his head.

“Oh… is that so,” Sora smiled weakly. “Sorry to bother you then, Santa.”

“Is there anything strange that’s happened here recently?” Riku asked.

Sora glanced over at Riku, pondering the question for a moment before turning his attention back to Santa; he had an idea about what Riku’s intention was.

“Strange…” Santa trailed off briefly. “Oh! There is one thing.”

The three waited eagerly for enlightenment.

There was a certain path to the east that Santa Claus usually took with his reindeer every Christmas Eve when he was delivering presents to the children. However, a few days ago an atrocious snowstorm started up and made visibility and any means of traveling through that particular route impossible. Because it was still a long way until Christmas, Santa hadn’t given the incident much thought since he assumed the blizzard would have passed long before he’d have to ride through there again. But it was true that having blizzards of that intensity occurring in this part of the North Pole was a rarity.

“So I would think that would qualify as a ‘strange occurrence’, don’t you think?” Santa concluded.

“It’s worth checking out,” Sora turned to his two comrades.

Riku and Kairi both nodded in agreement.

“This way, please,” Santa gestured as he started walking. “The reindeer are kept in a stable just north of this factory.”

“Reindeer?” Riku asked.

“Did you have something else in mind?”

“… Nevermind,” Riku sighed; it was probably better to just believe everything he was told at this point.

* * *

“What the hell is taking those three so long!” Cid growled impatiently.

“It’s only been an hour, Cid,” Leon replied. “I would expect that the Orb would take time to find. It did take Kairi four days to just sense one, did it not?”

“That’s because of Glenn’s crappy instructions if you ask me,” Cid shrugged.

“I’m right here,” Glenn turned his head to face the frustrated airship pilot.

“Yes, and that’s precisely why I said it,” Cid hissed.

“They say emotions take over when the brain can no longer think reasonably,” Glenn shook his head. “Although I wonder if “reason” is even in your vocabulary, Captain Cid.”

“What did you say!?” Cid scowled.

“Settle down you two!” Yuffie hopped to her feet. “I’m sure Kairi’s ability to locate the Orbs will get a lot better from now on!”

“It had better! I’m not intending to pilot around this space void for another four days just wasting my time,” Cid grumbled.

“If piloting an airship is too much for you, I wouldn’t mind taking over for the rest of the trip,” Glenn grinned.

“You’re standing on thin ice, pal,” Cid hissed threateningly.

The room’s ominous atmosphere skipped a beat as Cloud Strife—who had minding his own business thus far—sprung up from his seat.

“This is ridiculous. I’m going outside,” the blonde-haired warrior decided.

“But C-Cloud!” Yuffie whined. “Where’re you going to go?”

“Away from this senseless racket, I can’t think straight,” Cloud groaned before leaving the central control room towards the docking platform.

“Nice going, Cid,” Yuffie complained, sulking down into her seat.

“What’s he got to think about?” Cid muttered, slightly embarrassed.

“I think I’ll head out too,” Glenn stood up.

“Sora and the others might be back soon,” Leon shot Glenn a hard stare.

“It will only be for a bit. I’ll be back before those three arrive,” Glenn waved his hand nonchalantly. “I’ve never been to this world before, so I thought I’d give it a look.”

Leon paused for a few moments, not losing eye contact with Glenn as the two kept their gazes fixed on one another. Leon eventually surrendered the issue, looking back at the Highwind pilot who was fiddling with a monkey wrench in one hand.

“Do as you wish,” came Leon’s final reply.

Cloud wasn’t quite sure why he hadn’t been able to keep his mind off his troubling thoughts; they had been gnawing at his conscience since that nightmare of Sephiroth that had woken him up in cold sweat. It was pathetic, he thought. Just what was it about his problem that he was refusing to see? Did he feel enough of the guilt? The regret? No, those couldn’t be it. If it were something so simple, there was no possible way he would have been forced to endure these emotional scars as long as he was. It had to be something else.

He did know that the answer to the entire problem lay in what it was that Riku was trying to tell him. You can’t get rid of what you are, Cloud. Yes, that was what Riku had told him. Cloud shook his head furiously. How could that be the answer! It was disturbingly close to what Sephiroth was trying to tell him when they were reunited on the outskirts of Radiant Garden those two years ago. He couldn’t understand; he refused to believe that his answer was the same desire as Sephiroth’s. There was absolutely no way he could acknowledge that Sephiroth and him were the same! He was far above the evil that Sephiroth spawned from. He was far greater, far better, far more pure and unrelenting in his desire for peace and justice, unlike the calamity that Sephiroth wished upon the world.

“Well isn’t this a sorry sight,” a voice spoke softly from one of the trees.

Cloud stood up instinctively, clutching the hilt of his Buster Sword with his right hand. Although his vision could not see the individual whom the voice belonged to, Cloud’s gaze locked onto the visitor’s position unfailingly.

“Yes, it’s those eyes,” the voice grew more pronounced as the being took form. “Feral and wild, like a beast.”

Cloud’s eyes seemed to react to the stranger’s provocation as they sharpened further, his pupils retracting responsively.

The mysterious visitor finally took his last step into the light as his form finished materializing. It was a sight that Cloud knew all too well; the man’s attire was unquestionably familiar, but there was something about his voice as well that had a mystifying affinity with Cloud’s instinct, as if he had heard it from somewhere, from a time long ago that the sorrow-stricken soldier could not recall.

“Organization XIII,” Cloud finally spoke. “I didn’t know your kind was still around.”
“Nobodies have been around as long as death’s been in existence,” the man took a step forward toward Cloud.

Cloud gripped his Buster Sword more firmly as he dug his feet deeper into the soil to ground his footing. “I’d advise you to keep your distance, Nobody. I’m not in a particularly good mood today.”

“I know you’re not,” the man smirked. “It must be difficult, to bear with the words Sephiroth left you.”

“What was that, Nobody?” Cloud unsheathed his blade, pointing it at his opponent.

“You know what your problem is Cloud? It’s not doubt or disbelief,” the man took another step forward. “It’s fear.”

“What do you know? You think you have the right to lecture me?”

“You’re afraid that the fallacies you have defined about the things people say about you will end up being the truest testaments about your existence.”

“Shut up!”

“You’re afraid that the solution you had come up with, and the path you chose to reach that solution would end up driving you further and further away from the ultimate objective you wanted to achieve in the first place.”

“I said shut up!”

“And all that hard work, the pain, the tears, all of it would have meant absolutely nothing,” the man was finally a foot away from the now mentally disturbed Cloud Strife.

“Who the hell are you,” Cloud gritted his teeth, partly in annoyance, but also partly in fear of the man’s incredible insight. He was dangerously accurate in his assumptions, if that was the correct word to use.

“See for yourself,” said the cloaked stranger as he brought his hands to his head, pulling down the hood of his jacket.

And then, Cloud’s heart stopped.

* * *

“Sora! Stay on your side of the sleigh! You’re crushing me!” Kairi complained as she struggled to combat Sora’s weight with her arms.

“It’s not my fault Riku can’t steer a reindeer sleigh properly!”

“OH and just HOW many people do you think can do this!?” Riku barked, trying not to lose control of the sleigh.

“WHO was the one who volunteered for this job!” Sora yelled as he tried to grab the sides of the sleigh. “If I remember correctly, I believe you said “Oh pleeease, Santa, let me driveeee, I’m reaaally good at it!””

“Are you insane???” Riku bellowed. “Who would volunteer for this kind of job! Least of all, me!”

“Oh don’t give me any excuses!” Sora backfired.

“Sora! Could you at least TRY not to crash into me!?” Kairi started hitting him lightly with her fists in retaliation.

“Riku! Drive better!”

“Stop talking to me!!”

“Sora! For goodness—”

“—I’m trying as HARD as I can to—”

“—Hit me one more time, Kairi, and I swear—”

“—CRASH into ME one more time, I DARE you—”

“—I can’t drive if the two of you are—”

“—RIKU DRIVE BETTER—!”

“—STOP TALKING TO ME I SAID!!”

Such conversations had done well to fill up the better part of half an hour as the trio struggled to make it across the North Pole, alive that is. Santa did say there would be some difficulty in driving the sleigh if the person riding at the front had no experience with using reins. However, seeing as none of them had ever used reins before, the process of elimination—which ended up being a finger-pointing contest—declared Riku the recipient of such a privilege. Sora and Riku had a conversation en-route to the stable, which involved Riku’s sarcastic remark of being ‘unimaginably professional’ at such a task. Regrettably for Riku, such a comment became Sora’s sole justification for appointing Riku the job—even if Riku hardly meant it seriously. Kairi, on the contrary, selected Riku because as far as she was concerned, when it came to choosing someone to get behind the wheel of any sort of vehicle that could potentially result in death, anyone was a better choice than Sora, indefinitely.

Riku suddenly pulled on the reins, urging the reindeer to stop their monstrous dash, as he looked further ahead. His eyes saw nothing but an opaque layer of white blocking visibility of what lay beyond. This was what Santa was referring to, he thought.

“I think this is it,” Riku spoke, his voice regaining its composure.

“Thank goodness…” Sora slouched over in his seat, breathing coarsely.

“Kairi, anything?” Riku turned around, looking to approve his suspicions.

Kairi slowly stood up, holding her arms out to keep her balance as she rose. Her brows furrowed, mouth pursed as she glared into the distance as if to combat the cloak of the blizzard that howled to keep its secrets hidden away from detection. But no amount of strength the blizzard had could avail itself over Kairi’s determination to make her deduction. Like a mirage glimmering over the horizon, her eyes saw what seemed to be a shimmering white light creeping through the ribbons of snow.

“It’s there, I’m sure of it,” Kairi nodded confidently.

“Well that’s good to know,” Riku leaned back in his pilot seat. “Now the only problem is how to get beyond this blizzard.”

“What the—” Sora exclaimed.

Against his will, the Kingdom Key had manifested itself in Sora’s right hand nearly knocking Kairi in the face with the tip of the blade. Kairi shot an unappreciative glare at Sora for a moment, unsure if he had intentionally done so to get her back for the abundant number of hits she gave him earlier.

“What is it?” Riku asked.

“Not sure,” Sora shook his head. “But this isn’t the first time this has happened.”

“Oh?”

“So I’ll just do what I always do when this happens,” Sora chuckled as he got to his feet, staring off into the distance. Gripping the Kingdom Key securely, he lifted the tip of the blade forward, pointing it at the snowy blizzard swirling ahead of them.
At first, nothing seemed to be happening—to which Riku brandished a grin of mockery, about to tease the Key Bearer until a bright light began to shine from the tip of Sora’s weapon. A chiming sound emanated from the light source before a line of blinding light the size of a small laser shot out the front of his blade and traveled toward the heart of the blizzard. A loud howling erupted from the distance, followed by a violent gust of wind that blew against the sleigh, almost causing it to capsize. The current ceased after that, along with the stormy blizzard’s presence.

“Well, isn’t that better,” Sora laughed as he thrust his arm to the side, de-summoning his Keyblade.

“Yes, now that you put your Keyblade away,” Kairi elbowed Sora’s leg.

“Har har, very funny.”

The blizzard was definitely a strange occurrence. That’s what the three Destiny Island travelers concluded as they headed further east through the blizzard’s path. They could see a snowy establishment camouflaged in the distance, an elaborate fortress made of snow and ice that lay ahead, forsaken by the rest of civilization. Sora, Riku and Kairi couldn’t confirm if the ice temple had always been there, but Kairi was definitely sure the Orb they were seeking lay inside it.

“We should hurry,” Sora noted. “We don’t know if that blizzard will act up again.”

Riku agreed; the situation seemed to be turning more suspicious by the second. Subtly, Riku tried to provoke the reindeer to pick up the pace with the reins as he gently shook the bands within his grip, silently praying for cooperation from his enchanted four-legged mammals.

The landing of the sleigh was miraculously smooth as Riku stationed the sleigh and the reindeer a few meters away from the temple entrance. Although the blizzard had opened a clearing in the skies, the glistening sun stayed hidden behind the nimbus clouds that taunted the safe ground below. The air was stagnant and the ice smelled stale and rotted; it was the smell of the far and unknown that lay before them as the trio of teenagers took their first steps into the bewildering shrine that seemed to call them to its core where the Orb was resting in wait for them.

The temple consisted of only one room, but it had the most elaborate ceiling for a structure that was built solely by ice. There seemed to be scriptures inscribed along the dome-shaped roof, in a language that was not of any recognizable language. Such engravings, however, made it seem like voices were echoing in the room whenever the wind brushed against the walls of the perimeter, hauntingly directing all attention to the Orb that lay in the center. Cascaded with blends of silver and icy blue, the Orb floated a few inches above a single pillar that was standing a few feet above the floor.

… Sora…

The Key Bearer shifted his head back and forth around the room. The meaningless words that the ceiling was showering above them made it hard for him to conclude if it was really his name he was hearing.

… Kairi … Sora …

“Kairi, do you hear that?” Sora called out to his female companion—who was inching closer and closer to the Orb, dragging her feet as if she were possessed.

… There—no time… Sora… Kairi…

“Kairi?” Sora called out to her again. “Riku, do you hear that? The voices?”

“What are you talking about?” Riku blinked, putting a hand on his hips. “Just get the Orb and let’s get out of here.”

Sora looked at the ground for a moment, evidently perplexed and slightly uncomfortable with the entire situation. However, Riku was probably right; their main priority was to retrieve the Orb, nothing else mattered. “Kairi! Get that Orb and let’s get out of here.”

Kairi delivered no response as she reached for the Orb, her eyes seeming to illuminate with the Orb’s light. Her hand was slow and steady to advance.

“Kairi!” Sora raised his voice.

Kairi blinked as Sora’s words reached her, her expression returning to normal. “What is it?”

“Hurry up and get the Orb, Riku’s getting creeped out by this place.”

“Speak for yourself, mister I-hear-voices,” Riku rolled his eyes, crossing his arms defiantly.

Kairi nodded as she turned his attention back to her front, reaching again for the Orb with both hands.

“Glad to see you three are doing well,” an ominous voice of striking familiarity rang through the echoing room.

Riku, Sora and Kairi gasped in surprise as they turned their attention to the corridor from which they came, laying their sights on their intruding visitor.

“You!” Sora and Riku snarled. “You’re one of Nemas’ henchmen!”

“Please, ‘henchmen’ is such a lament term,” the crimson-cloaked stranger shrugged, shaking his head. “My name is General Meta, however, I wouldn’t care too much if you wanted to drop the status formality. Meta is fine.”

“Whatever,” Sora scoffed. “What’s your business with us?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing about that shiny looking object over there,” Meta pointed. “You sure went out of your way to get your hands on it.”

“Let me guess, you want to get your hands on it too?” Riku let out a laugh. “Were you following us secretly from behind as well? You know, the entire waiting-for-them-to do-all-the-hard-work-first before coming in at the end to reap the rewards?”

“Actually, I was!” Meta pointed a finger aimlessly in the air in agreement. “You need to work on your sleigh-riding skills, fella’.”

Riku growled offensively at the General’s comment.

“Well, sorry to break it to you, General,” Sora grinned. “But this Orb is ours.”

“Such confidence,” Meta took a step forward, both hands behind his back.

Sora and Riku both bent their knees, readying their stance as they simultaneously summoned their patented weapons, the Kingdom Key and the Way to Dawn.

General Meta brought his hands in front of him, tugging the top of his head covering down slightly in response as he looked on from inside the depths of his hood.

“Not summoning your weapon?” Riku taunted.

Meta examined his hands, contemplating as to what plan of action to take. After a moment, he placed one hand behind his back, holding the other in front of him. “I’ve decided one hand will do.”

Sora grinded his teeth, absolutely disgusted by Meta’s jovial disposition. He could almost feel his Keyblade making contact with the insidious man’s ribs in his mind. He was about to step forward to start his assault when Riku cut off his advance with his own.

“Leave it to me,” Riku charged the General head-on, his form bent low for a faster dash.

Meta waited a few seconds for Riku to advance closer to his position, all the while grinning at his young blue-haired assailant as if to beckon him over. Riku gladly took the bait as he picked up his sprint, yelling loudly as if to power his attack.

It happened in an instant, and Sora wasn’t sure how and when it happened, but Meta had somehow disappeared from sight after the blink of an eye, and then reappeared right behind Riku, delivering a prominent chop to the back of his neck. Riku was immediately incapacitated as the momentum from his sprint sent him sliding across the floor of the shrine.

“Riku!” Kairi yelled.

Sora brought the Kingdom Key to his side. “You *******!”

Meta slowly brought his head up to get a glimpse of Sora’s anger-driven expression before executing the same split-second finishing technique on the legendary Keyblade Master. However, because it was Meta who initiated the preemptive strike, Sora had no time to even build a sprinting momentum, thus instead falling powerlessly to his knees, plummeting indelicately into the ground with a resounding thud.

Kairi looked on in horror as the two most important people in her life fell victim to the effortless assault of their unexpected company. While she knew if she were the same person from two years ago, she would have dashed out of the shrine long ago with her tail between her legs and desperately try to ride the sleigh all the way back to the Factory. But she would not run away this time. She wouldn’t run anymore. She didn’t have any idea what to do with this extremely powerful adversary slowly advancing toward her, but with her two best friends lying unconsciously before her, and seeing the person who had rendered them in such a state, she would not lose face. She would not cry, or stumble. She owed it to herself, the one who wished to stand face to face with Sora as an equal, and to everyone else she cared about, to at least stand valiantly in the face of the danger that stood before her. That was her resolve.

Meta stopped in his own tracks as he felt uncertainty slowly beginning to radiate around the vicinity. What is this pressure I feel… Meta looked around for a moment, before turning his attention back to the Princess of Heart. His eyes widened at the vision that lay before him. He saw a glimmering aura leaking out of her body as white bands of ethereal sparkle and light wrapped around her limbs and torso. Her fists were clenched, and most of all, her eyes were delivering him the most piercing stare he had ever seen.

Meta’s eyes softened as his expression turned to a smile.

“Is there something funny?” Kairi asked sternly.

Meta shook his head, suppressing his excitement. “That Orb, you want it right?”

“And if I do?”

Meta turned his back to her, signifying his surrender as he raised a hand up nonchalantly. “Take it then.”

Kairi’s thundering resolve suddenly receded back to nothingness as she blinked, surprised. “What…?”

“I said take it,” Meta finally let out a laugh. “You deserve it.”

And with that, the crimson-cloaked General made his departure through a ghastly black mist that crept and enveloped him until he disappeared from sight.

Kairi immediately ran over to her fallen knights who were still lying unconscious on the icy, cold floor. She made several attempts to wake them from their deep slumber, but all proved futile after a few minutes when Kairi’s hands and voice got tired from all the shaking and yelling. She sat them against the nearest wall of the shrine before turning her attention back to the Orb that was still waiting patiently on its pillar. There was something very otherwordly, yet beautiful about the Orb that never failed to draw Kairi’s attention to it.

Take it…

Kairi tilted her head curiously at the Orb. Yes, Meta did say that. It was hers for the taking. Why not? They need it to get to the End of the World. That’s why they’re on this journey. Yes, the right thing to do was clear.

The Princess of Heart took the Orb into her own two hands.

And then there were voices. They spoke about things she thought she understood, but knew that she didn’t. They were of events and things that she knew were utmost familiar, yet, she knew that couldn’t be true. The voices grew louder; images ran through her mind as well, indescribable at first, then slowly becoming overwhelmingly vivid. The voices continued, but Kairi’s mind could no longer handle the invasion. The Orb slipped out of her hands as she lost her grip on its spherical shape, her knees growing weak from fatigue.

And then the young Princess fell, never hitting the ground for a very long time.
Click to expand...

There we have it. Orb #1 down, although Kairi, Riku and Sora are all presently unconscious inside an icy temple. They should die by hypothermia and frostbite by the morning.

DarknessKingdom · Mar 14, 2007

What a cliffhanger!

...you let Sora and Riku get pwned...*glares*

What a bad time for Kairi's condition to flare up. Was it because of the orb or something else?

Great chapter...though I would like a bit more action and less one hand pwnage.

Ratchet · Mar 15, 2007

Another great chapter, and this time ending with a cliffhanger. The story just gets better and better.

Soushirei · Mar 17, 2007

Approaching the end mark for the first arc. I noticed some of you stopped commenting, but oh well, you win some, you lose.

-- Chapter Eight --

“You’re a really hard guy to get in touch with, you know, even if we share the same body and mind. Man, talk about irony.”

“… Huh?” Sora rubbed his eyes, trying to confirm if the figure before him wasn’t an optical illusion made to fool his senses.

The former Organization XIII member winced playfully. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten who I am too.”

~~

“Of course I didn’t, Naminé!” Kairi exclaimed. “I’ve been receiving frequent visits from you lately… there’s no way I’d forget…”

Naminé smiled warmly. “I was just being silly, Kairi.”

Kairi mumbled incoherently in recoil to Naminé’s prank. It was bad enough that these visits were just getting more and more confusing as they continued to happen, but to have Naminé make matters worse by incessantly poking fun at her bewildered state was reaching the point of being unbearable.

“What’s wrong? Not happy to see me?” Naminé stuck out her tongue.

--

“Glenn!” Yuffie yelled in surprise.

“I found them unconscious a far ways off from Santa’s factory,” Glenn explained. “Help me put them down.”

“This isn’t good, all three of them are ice cold,” Leon noted as he took one of Kairi’s hands into his own, rubbing it vigorously.

“I’ll go heat some water,” Cloud stated before excusing himself from the main control room.

“Hold his head up, Yuffie.”

“Did they find the Orb?”

“It’s right here.”

--

“No no, that’s not it,” Sora relaxed his expression as he observed his surroundings briefly. “… Where are we?”

“Have another look around,” Roxas crossed his arms, tapping his foot as a hint.

Sora turned his attention toward the floor, taking in the image below. He had seen this before, this stain-glass image. Kairi and Riku’s faces were there too, Sora thought. It didn’t take long for it to finally sink in.

“Oh! You and I had a duel here once,” Sora looked back up at Roxas to approve his deduction.

“Correct!” Roxas lifted a finger, before letting out an amused chuckle. “Still sharp as ever I see.”

~~

“Naminé, what’s going on? Where’s Sora? Riku? What’s happened?” Kairi balled her fists anxiously as she bombarded her alter ego eagerly with questions.

“You were at an ice temple if I remember correctly,” Naminé tapped her chin, pondering her answer.

Kairi relaxed her fists as Naminé’s deduction began to fill in the blocks of confusion in her mind. “That’s right… we were getting an Orb.”

“And Sora got expertly subdued by General Meta if my—I mean, our memory serves us correctly,” Naminé covered her mouth to hide her chuckling.

--

“Merlin, isn’t there something you can do?” Riku complained.

“My magic is designed to remedy most harmful ailments, my lad,” Merlin replied. “But these two aren’t sick or ill at all! They’re both just in a very deep sleep.”

“They’ve been out for a week! How can you consider that anything normal!” Riku backfired.

“Riku,” Leon interrupted, trying to calm down the frustrated eighteen-year-old.

“I’m really sorry, lad, but you’ll just have to wait it out,” Merlin shook his head. “They’re both in absolutely no danger.”

--

“Why did I know that was going to come up,” Sora groaned in recoil.

“Haha, don’t worry, I’m not here to lecture you on that,” Roxas placed his hands on his hips.

“And what sort of business does my other self have with me?” Sora mimicked Roxas’ actions as he also placed his hands on his hips.

“Important business,” Roxas’ face became stern. “Business that involves this Orb hunting of yours.”

“Oh really,” Sora placed his hands behind his head. “Do you know where the other one is?”

~~

“Kairi,” Naminé’s voice resonated with certain seriousness. “You’re walking down a dangerous path right now.”

“What do you mean?” Kairi inquired anxiously.

“Ever since you’ve gotten in close contact with that Orb, I can feel the bond between us strengthening at an alarming rate,” Naminé explained.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” asked the Princess of Heart.

“No, it isn’t, Kairi,” Naminé argued. “If this keeps up, you might not be you anymore!”

“What… what are you saying?” Kairi’s voice quivered nervously.

--

“Well… that’s one down,” Cid shook his head before lightly punching the foot hanging loosely from the edge of the Sora’s bed. “Only one lazy-*** teenager left to go!”

“Leave him alone, Cid!” Yuffie whined as she hit the older man displeasingly.

“What! He can’t feel it anyway!” Cid scoffed.

“Riku… how long was I out?” Kairi asked weakly.

“Nearly two weeks,” Riku replied.

“What happened at the Ice Temple, Princess?” Cloud inquired.

--

“I’m saying if this keeps up, I’m going to eventually take control of your body, and probably your mind too, whether I’d like to or not,” Roxas stated.

“Well, can’t you stop it somehow!?” Sora beckoned.

“I’ve tried everything I could,” Roxas shook his head solemnly. “It seems to be irreversible, and the process is only going to quicken when you find that other Orb.”

“I can’t do anything about that,” Sora apologized. “We need to find it in order to find Nemas.”

“Don’t you find it just a little strange that my existence is being forcefully summoned by an object that is supposed to do nothing but lead you to the End of the World?” Roxas questioned.

“What’re you getting at, Roxas?” Sora asked.

“What do I and the End of the World have in common?” Roxas elaborated. “I can’t help but feel there is something else that’s missing. This entire thing is very peculiar, don’t you think?”

“You know, Roxas, to be honest, I haven’t really given it that much thought,” Sora stated blatantly.

“Sora.”

The Key Bearer sighed submissively. “I understand what you’re saying, but how do you want me to proceed from here on then?”

“Carefully,” Roxas concluded.

Sora silently nodded, accepting Roxas’ advice. While Sora had only met Roxas once before, there was solid trust between them. Obviously a large amount of that trust was based on the idea that they were inherently the same person, but despite that, Sora had much respect for his alter ego’s insights. Many of Roxas’ thoughts and feelings had merged with Sora’s being after they first became whole. Sora couldn’t understand them at first—only being able to recall Roxas’ name—but the emotions that sometimes came out, like the time when Sora cried before leaving Twilight Town, slowly began to make much more sense as time went on. And eventually, they became so familiar that Sora naturally began to acknowledge them as his own, even if he didn’t know where they came from. So in that sense, Sora felt like he understood Roxas completely, even if they were still exclusively Roxas’ own experiences.

“Just one more thing, Roxas,” Sora asked as he came back to his senses.

“What’s that?” Roxas replied.

“How do I get out of here?”

The Key Bearer’s other self laughed. “Just close your eyes.”

* * *

The ambience of the morning breeze, along with the melody of the chirping larks pervaded the tranquil quarters of the Radiant Garden bedroom. The smell of rosewood was quite familiar to the senses of the young warrior that stirred about under his quilted bed sheets. He stared aimlessly at the ceiling, his mind somewhat at a loss for time. The Key Bearer remembered a certain conversation with his other half very vividly as if it happened a moment ago, yet his stiffened frame made him feel like it had been ages since he had moved a limb or blinked an eye. Such contradictions begged the answer of just which of the two was correct.

“Good morning,” came an endearing tone.

Sora slowly turned his attention to the voice that had called out to him. His vision was slow to react, having failed to immediately bring itself into focus as Sora changed his point of view, but the same could not be said about the smile that crept on Sora’s lips after his eyesight had cleared up.

“That’s my line,” Sora mumbled, a lethargic smile on his face.

“’Usually’ you mean,” Kairi corrected.

“Oh yes, it’s quite a popular phrase to say to a frequent fainter like you, Princess,” Sora commented dryly.

Kairi glared furtively. “I think I liked you more when you were unconscious. You had better manners.”

Sora chuckled weakly; Kairi seemed to have developed quite a mouth in such a short period of time—Sora would quickly take back that thought; he simply could not ignore the physical demeanor of his body. Sora was finding it very difficult to clutch his fists, and already felt fatigued from the little amount of talking he did since he woke up. There was something degenerating about himself that he couldn’t quite understand, although he had an accurate suspicion what it might’ve been.

“Kairi, what day is it?”

Kairi looked up for a moment, brushing a finger across her lips as she thought. “It’s been a little over a month since our visit to the Ice Temple.”

He gathered as much, although he wasn’t expecting such a profound period of time to have passed since then. It was no wonder he was having such a difficult time with his physical movements. Turning his head abruptly would probably give him quite a head-rush if he tried, Sora thought.

The Key Bearer sighed. “A month, huh.”

“We’ve been busy around here, so time hasn’t been wasted,” Kairi reassured him.

And she was quite correct as Sora soon found out. Leon and Yuffie had spent most of their time in Ansem’s old study, asking Tron to decipher some new encrypted files they found deep within the DTD. Most of it contained endless amounts of computer data that didn’t mean much to anyone who didn’t know the parameters it was coding for, but there was one document that they thought pertained to the ‘weapon’ Glenn had told them about upon their first meeting. Glenn offered to journey back to his lab to analyze the document using his own tools and hadn’t come back since then. That was about a week ago. Kairi also mentioned that Riku had been spending a lot of his time in the company of Cloud and Tifa, and quickly becoming a big brother figure in Denzel’s life—or so Tifa had said. But Tifa would soon have to invest a lot of effort consoling Denzel about Riku’s inability to spend more time with him due to the affairs he seemed to have with Cloud. The two spoke often, but Kairi never made it her business to be nosy so the matters between those two remained a mystery.

“Donald and Goofy came to visit too, about two weeks ago,” Kairi added.

Donald was an emotional wreck, sobbing and hollering over Sora’s unconscious form as if he had passed away. Goofy tried to calm the emotionally crushed magician but it eventually deemed useless as any attempt to deter the quacker from his screaming only made the situation worse. Cid volunteered to ‘remove the annoying parasite’ from the vicinity, but fortunately, even the hot-headed engineer proved no match for the unbreakable bear-hug grip of Squall Leonhart, according to Yuffie. “That’s Leon”, came the next response. Donald’s wailing soon dulled in annoyance to the ears of those who were present, and many—most predominantly Riku—came to the conclusion that some of Donald’s crying was an outlet for the frustration he must’ve been having with his marriage. Maybe Donald came to Radiant Garden to have some fun with his old pals, to cool off a bit from his sacrificial commitments to his wife, but seeing as the Key Bearer was incapacitated upon the web-footed mage’s arrival—only raw emotion could express the sad, disappointing reality of Donald’s predicament. As for Goofy, a soft pat on the head and a nostalgic salute was all he had to offer his slumbering comrade before he and Donald left for their departure. They both promised the King they’d only be gone for an afternoon.

Yes, a lot of time had flown by during Sora’s absence from the group. He felt some disappointment for not being able to greet his two former comrades-in-arms, and felt horrible for missing out on a lot of the things that Kairi said had occurred—although he was certain almost none of them would’ve happened had he woken up hastily like Riku did. They probably would have already obtained the other Orb and began their trek to the End of the World by now, or so he guessed anyway.

“Are you hungry?” Kairi asked.

Sora’s stomach suddenly growled as if to respond to the inquiry of hunger; the young brunette held his gut. “Now that you’ve mentioned it…”

Kairi giggled to herself, apologizing between laughs. “Are you able to get up?”

“Not a problem, let’s head down—” Sora started.

A muffled thud reverberated throughout the room as Sora plummeted into the burgundy-coloured rug below, face imprinted in the fibers.

Kairi quickly got down on her knees, placing one of Sora’s arms over her shoulder as she pushed herself off the ground, lifting him up with her.

“Don’t overdo it now,” Kairi let out another chuckle as she placed her other hand on his waist.

Her giggling quickly faded off into silence as she turned her head to lock gazes with the young man she was holding in her arms. His ocean-blue eyes stared directly into hers, in a manner that she hadn’t seen before. Or maybe she did, but a long time ago when his eyes didn’t have such flare and sophistication burning within them. She soon felt herself being engrossed by everything about Sora, every detail of his face, his hair, his scent; Kairi fought for the right to just drop him where he stood and flee the room before she would do something regrettable, but her unfailing kindness and concern continually reminded her of Sora’s physical condition and prevented any such action from occurring.

As for Sora, he didn’t mean to stare—he didn’t even know what he was doing. It was probably due to his complete lack of inhibitions—thanks to his condition—that his expression seemed to be far more showy and ostentatious than he probably would’ve liked. However, this didn’t mean that Kairi wasn’t having any effect on the young Keyblade Master’s emotions either. This was probably the first time Sora had his arm around Kairi so affectionately, although the situation practically pleaded to state otherwise. Sure, Kairi had hugged him rather tightly during their memorable reunion at The World that Never Was, but in those times of old, the feeling of being reunited with an old friend was but a plethora of pent up emotions. Nostalgia, relief, happiness, excitement; the fraction that might have represented affection and love was definitely overcome by many the former. But as it was now, two friends who had spent the last two years together surely couldn’t use the excuse of ‘being missed’ or ‘relieved that the other is safe’ to justify the closeness their bodies shared at this given moment. The inescapable reality of it gave Sora butterflies in his stomach. How could he get out of this? Only regret lay ahead if some sort of intervention didn’t come soon.

And then Sora’s stomach growled once more.

Success! Sora thought.

Kairi snorted. “Yes, yes, I get it,” she patted Sora’s stomach lightly.

Sora blushed a deep crimson, half in embarrassment and the other from Kairi’s brief contact with his stomach. The Princess of Heart gently led him back to his bedside before turning to exit.

“I’ll bring some food up,” Kairi concluded. “And try to stay sitting up, work on getting some of that balance back.”

Sora nodded in agreement as he watched the young Princess’ figure disappear from behind the closed door. A smile curved the sides of Sora’s lips; to be pampered by Kairi first thing in the morning was more enjoyable than he imagined it would be. Perhaps he would have to fake physical ineptitude more often, he thought, jokingly of course. He knew what really made it enjoyable was the fact that it hardly ever happened. Never, in fact, if Sora recalled correctly. The thrill of experiencing something new—and pleasurable—surely would lose its effect if it happened often, and that was the truth.

The door to the Key Bearer’s resting quarters creaked quietly as a pair of feet entered the room. That was quick, Sora thought, assuming it was Kairi who had returned from her kitchen raid. Sora heard his stomach growl again at the thought.

“Figures that the first thing to come to your mind would be food.”

Sora frowned in response. “You’re not Kairi…”

The blue-haired visitor chuckled. “Kairi’s a close second, I see.”

Sora blushed lightly. “What do you want, Riku!”

“I wanted to check up on how my best friend was doing, is that a crime?” Riku replied.

Sora rolled his eyes. “Cough it up, Riku.”

“Fine,” Riku pouted, sitting down by one of the chairs beside the bed. “Kairi told us she had quite an interesting conversation with Naminé in a dream she had.”

“She did too?” Sora raised his eyebrows with interest.

“Naminé talked to you too?” Riku asked.

“No, but Roxas did,” Sora corrected.

“What did he say to you?”

“We only talked for a short while, but… he said something about how his existence was being forcefully summoned,” Sora explained.

“And that eventually, he would take control of your mind and body if the process continued, right?” Riku finished.

Sora blinked, somewhat shocked. “How did you know that?”

“Kairi said the same thing,” Riku shrugged. “She said Naminé told her.”

“Naminé did?” Sora’s voice trailed off slowly. It seemed each response he received from Riku was only confusing him more and more.

“Yeah, she did,” Kairi answered as she closed the door behind her, announcing her presence. “It seemed important.”

Sora looked down at the floor, unsure what was the right thing to say at that moment. Of course it was important; Naminé and Roxas wouldn’t just show up out of the blue if they had nothing very serious to discuss, although Sora had to question Roxas sometimes on that matter—the blonde-haired Keyblader certainly made quite an effort to poke fun at Sora’s shortcomings whenever he could.

“Did Roxas say anything else? You were out a full two weeks more than Kairi was,” Riku inquired.

“Well, he—” Sora’s voice was interrupted. It seemed Kairi wasted no time to nourish the young brunette’s demanding appetite as she shoved a buttered croissant between his teeth the moment she caught it open.

Sora muffled an appreciative ‘thank you’ before taking hold of the croissant with one of his hands, biting into it. “Roxas seemed rather suspicious about the Orbs, as if they have another purpose that we’re not seeing.”

Riku nodded. “Well, that would make sense. The Orbs’ purpose is to lead us to the End of the World, so I don’t see what that task has to do with Roxas or Naminé.”

“That’s the last thing Roxas said to me,” Sora added, sipping his orange juice.

“It is a little concerning, if what Naminé and Roxas said was true,” Riku crossed his arms. “Have either of you felt a difference in your bodies? Emotions? Thoughts?”

“Nothing at all,” Kairi shook his head. “I feel completely normal.”

Sora nodded in agreement. He also knew that that didn’t mean what Roxas and Naminé said wasn’t happening. “Couldn’t we ask Glenn about it? Perhaps he forgot to mention a detail that might pertain to this.”

“Why would he hide information from us?” Riku asked.

“Maybe he thought it was irrelevant,” Sora shrugged. “Much how we didn’t feel much of a need to tell him that we have alter egos inside of us.”

“Well, Glenn is downstairs with the others, so once you finish up your breakfast, you should head on down,” Kairi suggested as she made a motion to depart.

“I thought Glenn left a week ago.”

“He came back early this morning, we were having breakfast when he arrived in the common room,” Kairi explained. “So hurry up before he finds a reason to leave again,” the young Princess warned in a playful tone before finally taking her leave.

Sora chuckled in response to Kairi’s motherly habits that would sometimes reveal themselves in her actions. They were always especially sincere, and naturally, Sora and Riku would welcome such tendencies with open-arms; it was always nice to be cared for and looked after.

“Fine, so there was one other reason why I came to visit you,” Riku grinned.

Sora raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “What?”

“What did you and Kairi talk about?” the blue-haired Riku asked, almost interrogatively as he rubbed his hands together, conniving intent shining in his eyes.

“Huh? Nothing happened,” Sora started. “Although I did embarrass myself when I tried to stand up and completely plummeted to the floor, and then Kairi—Oh,” Sora’s eyes widened.

“What was that?” Riku leaned in closer.

“Nothing, go away,” Sora scooted further down the bed.

“Oh come on!”

“Did I ever tell you how annoying you are!”

“Soraaaa—”

“Get out of my room.”

* * *

The fifth rainfall of the week came crashing down on the countless skyscrapers of the World That Never Was, but such weather didn’t stop the bustle that carried on within the city’s streets. Nameless Nobodies wandered, many stopping to pick senseless fights with those around them. Most of them were without powers and relied on simple fists and second-hand weaponry to pull them through each day. The conventions of age and honour were non-existent in these unsightly brawls as children and adults alike faced off, with the fear of being inferior and sympathy for the weak being added to the endless list of the lost and forgotten.

The World That Never Was was also a thriving reality, housing a forsaken community that knew neither happiness nor compassion. It had once stood as a desolate wasteland for the highly ambitious Organization XIII, but thanks to the Nobody expertise of the scientist, Nemas, the world had become the greatest sanctuary of suffering and irreversible sorrow, with only the strong and the willed standing at the top of the hierarchy.

Terra and Ozma walked swiftly down the corridors of Nemas’ Castle as they entered the throne room where their Lord was dwelling for the day. Their eyes were filled with anticipation and a hidden desire known only to them as they slowed their approach, finally taking to their knee before bowing their heads.

“Lord Nemas, the time for you to leave is drawing near,” Ozma stated.

“What is our status?” Nemas questioned.

“Things are moving far ahead of schedule,” Terra explained. “I bet ya expected as much though, didn’t ya?”

“That I did, Terra,” Nemas had a smug look on his face. “Deliver Meta a message for me.”

“What shall we tell him, my Lord?”

“Tell him that the Ferrington Chamber is now ready for use, and that I would like to start using it right away,” Nemas told his two subordinates, a grin dominating the intention behind his words.

“It will be done, my Lord,” Ozma nodded submissively before he and Terra took their leave of the chamber, vanishing in darkness.

As if it were routine, Nemas quickly turned his attention toward the individuals that seemed to lurk about in Nemas’ every shadow, although that in itself wasn’t that far off from the truth.

“How much longer do you intend to confine me to this desolate chamber room, Nemas,” Marluxia complained.

“Oh don’t be such a crybaby,” Larxene teased. “I know how hard it must be for you to stay still and not fidget, but you have to try.”

“Would it… just shock you if I told you you’re the reason I can’t stand being here?” Marluxia clenched his teeth in annoyance.

“Settle down, you two,” Nemas raised his hand. “You heard my subordinates; it’s almost time to us to make our next move.”

“That’s what you said last time, and that move happened to be a two year stake out at this ridiculous Castle,” Marluxia retaliated.

“I don’t think I like your tone, Marluxia,” Nemas refuted.

“I don’t think I care very much about what you think, Nemas,” Marluxia backfired. “You could’ve ended this pointless charade a very long time ago had you a little more sense and the nerve to just take out those petty fools from the very beginning!”

“Hold your tongue at once, Marluxia. I will not allow any insolence from you,” Nemas shot a demonic glare at the Graceful Assassin.

“I will not! I refuse to—”

A loud crash reverberated violently throughout the room, almost deafeningly as Marluxia was launched from his standing position, crashing into one of the marbled walls surrounding the entire chamber. His voice croaked in pain as he felt a force pushing against his throat, forcing him upward as he was dragged up the wall. He was finding it more difficult to breathe as time went on, but what frightened Marluxia the most was that he had no idea who was responsible for the deathly vice grip that was slowly killing him. Nemas and Larxene had not moved an inch from where they were, but Nemas did have a devilish glow in his eyes that had been locked on to Marluxia’s figure, as if his eyes alone were the cause of the invisible grip.

Marluxia wheezed in recoil. “W-what… the hell is this!”

Larxene sighed in defeat. “Well now you’ve done it, Marluxia… I knew this would happen.”

Marluxia glared back at Nemas with an utmost resentment for the man’s dirty tricks. Since when did Nemas have that kind of ability! If he had known the mad scientist had such forbidden power, maybe he would’ve been far subtler with his angry outbursts. Evidently the situation was far beyond that point as Nemas held Marluxia tightly within his grasp. Larxene’s expression seemed nonchalant, now that Marluxia spared a moment to glance at her expression. She knew about this, didn’t she, he thought. That unforgivable wench didn’t warn him at all!

What came next was a complete mystery to both Marluxia and Larxene as Nemas quickly vanished from sight before appearing no more than an inch away from Marluxia’s face, his eyes seeming to pierce into Nobody’s soulless container. It was unlike the disappearing trick that Marluxia had seen Nemas’ three crimson subordinates perform before. Nemas’ illusion seemed far quicker, and felt far more intimidating and made Marluxia feel far more helpless. It almost felt like Nemas had always been in front of Marluxia, with the image of him standing several feet away a split second earlier turning into a doubtful memory.

“I’ll tell you once more,” Nemas’ voice took on a dark ghastly tone. “I will not allow any insolence from you. Do I make myself clear?”

Marluxia let out a small growl, trying his best to suppress his anger on the matter. “… Very.”

Nemas immediately released Marluxia from his death grip, the glow in his eyes fading back into nothingness. “Begin preparations for our departure. Time is running short.”

* * *

“Anything I haven’t told you?” Glenn pondered, repeating Sora’s comment.

Sora nodded. “Anything at all, potential side-effects or anything that might happen after coming in close contact with the Orbs?”

Glenn narrowed his eyes. “Why, did something happen?”

“Nothing serious! Just, well… Kairi and I… you see,” Sora trailed off.

“Sora was knocked out for a month, that’s what happened,” Cid interrupted, his tone somewhat agitated.

“Well, you were fine after one day, right, Riku?” Glenn glanced over at the blue-haired warrior.

Riku remained silent.

“Obviously there is something innate about Kairi, and even more so about Sora that the Orb is reacting to,” Glenn replied. “The Orbs themselves aren’t going to unlock the pathway we’re looking for. They are designed to tap into the strength of powerful individuals, such as yourselves, and harness that power for the time when it will require summoning the Frozen Flame. The Frozen Flame is then used as a medium to transform the user’s strength into a singular thought, opening a path that will lead us to the destination that he or she desires for. That is how this process works.”

“You could’ve at least warned us that those who came in contact with the Orb would be subjected to spend a long period time in an unconscious state,” Leon commented.

“Like I mentioned before, Riku was only out for a day,” Glenn repeated. “I did not expect any of them to remain in that state as long as Kairi and Sora did, but if there’s something you’ve been hiding from me that might explain why that might be so, then maybe that information would help answer the problem.”

Sora and Kairi looked down at the floor with dejected expressions. It was just as they thought. The Orbs naturally summon any hidden strength that lies within an individual, and in Kairi and Sora’s case—who both possess abnormally developed Nobodies—it would explain why they were out much longer than Riku was; Roxas and Naminé did seem to be the source of many of their magical abilities—Naminé housing Kairi’s properties of being the Princess of Heart, not to mention a mysterious ability to alter memories, and Roxas housing Sora’s abilities as a Keyblade Master. It was what the both of them believed to be the case.

Glenn took notice of the looks on Kairi and Sora’s faces, shrugging nonchalantly. “It seems you both are now somewhat enlightened as to why you both were incapacitated as long as you were. That’s good enough.”

“You’re not going to ask?” Yuffie blinked her eyes. “Not curious at all?”

“I have a more important matter to discuss with all of you,” Glenn reached inside his Acadian tunic to pull out a file document. “I know where the other Orb is.”

It came as a surprise at first, as no one could fathom just how Glenn managed to locate one of those mysterious Orbs without the assistance of Kairi. At first, many presumed that perhaps Glenn sought help from another Princess of Heart, but that idea was later disregarded after the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee had a closer look at the document Glenn had placed on the table. It was the document from the DTD that he said he would analyze at his lab. The document itself wasn’t anything more than pages upon pages of binary code printed from top to bottom, but there were also endless scribbles of pen that covered each page as well. Some were more detailed than others, but it was obvious that Glenn had spent a lot of time denoting a lot of the key information that seemed to be buried beneath the zeros and ones.

“I’ll keep it simple,” Glenn took a deep breath, reminiscing the first time he had sat down to enlighten the same group of people about some knowledge they needed to know about.

When Nemas first started his study on the Reality Refraction Phenomenon, he had come across many mysterious things that found their histories intertwined very closely with the phenomenon’s principles. The knowledge of many ancient civilizations, and the existence of certain otherworldly artifacts were but a fraction of the many ideas that the passionate scientist had come across. The Orbs that they were now seeking were part of this collection of findings by the young scientist. Nemas went searching for the Orbs with the intention of locating the whereabouts of an ancient civilization said to have founded the Reality Refraction Phenomenon. With the power to perform ‘miracles’ as Tron had put it, the society had warped itself and its entire existence to a far-off dimension so strangely located amid the cosmos that they could not be reached by anyone who used conventional space traveling means. They did this to escape the endless amount of pursuers who were looking to uncover their secrets, to learn the art of the principle and master it the way they had.

There were two things Glenn stressed to the Restoration Committee as he continued his explanation, the first being that all the information regarding this ancient civilization could not be taken as fact. It all seemed to be documented and paraphrased from Nemas’ conclusions alone due to a complete lack of references to any scriptures or physical evidence that could prove the society even existed. For all they knew, it could’ve been a complete fabrication by a madman who wished to make himself a god. The second thing was that it was completely unknown as to how Nemas discovered the existence of such a civilization. There were a few vague references to Radiant Garden, but the data seemed mildly corrupted and didn’t possess anything that could confirm what these references entailed.

“So wait, did Nemas find the Orbs?” Sora inquired.

According to the last few pages of the document, Nemas was provided information about the power of the Orbs from a trio he had encountered during one of his worldly visits. They were not ordinary individuals and seemed to be very knowledgeable about certain artifacts that existed in their world. Soon gaining their trust, Nemas and his new found friends journeyed together to locate the Orbs. After they had completed this task, Nemas attempted to make his journey to the world where the Reality Refraction Phenomenon users were hiding in, but he was met with sheer disappointment when he failed to make the trip. The Orbs had been useless, or so it seemed.

“Is this why we have to use that Frozen Flame of yours?” Riku inquired.

“Oh no, I’m pretty sure they had some sort of equivalent of the Frozen Flame at their disposal, just it’s very possible that the society had also made sure to seal any chance of anyone finding them to the best of their ability,” Glenn explained.

“So what did Nemas do afterward?” Kairi asked.

“Well, he killed the group of people who had helped him with the Orb search using a particularly skilled group of Nobodies who followed his orders. You could say they were the first group of Nobodies who could function the way Organization XIII did, although I don’t believe his Nobodies had the forms of humans yet,” Glenn noted.

“And the Orbs?”

“Trashed them,” Glenn said simply. “He opened a portal using the Orbs then tossed them into two different worlds that he specifically chose. He made sure they were worlds he had very good knowledge of, just in case he would have to find them again in the future.”

“And one of them was Halloween Town,” Sora nodded.

“What was the other one?” Riku questioned.

Glenn reached for the document, flipping through the pages. “In a special world that never sees night or day…” Glenn scanned his notes, trying to locate the name.

The Radiant Garden Restoration Committee waited eagerly for his answer.

“Here it is. It’s called Twilight Town.”
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For some reason, this was one of my favourite chapters. Maybe it's because of the narration for most of it (the sum up of the month's happenings when Sora was out) and the beginning is an interesting one. Anyway, thanks DarknessKingdom and Gharanth for commenting. I appreciate it.

draik88 · Mar 17, 2007

These last few chapters have been amazing! Especially Chapter 7! In this latest chapter Roxas sounded a bit like Axel when he began talking to Sora...

“You’re a really hard guy to get in touch with, you know, even if we share the same body and mind. Man, talk about irony.”
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That's just my thoughts though...

Sorry for not commenting before, I didn't really know what to say...

Can't wait for you're next posts!

Soushirei · Mar 17, 2007

draik88 said: ↑

These last few chapters have been amazing! Especially Chapter 7! In this latest chapter Roxas sounded a bit like Axel when he began talking to Sora...

That's just my thoughts though...

Sorry for not commenting before, I didn't really know what to say...

Can't wait for you're next posts!
Click to expand...

Hehe, well Roxas and Axel were best friends for a time, so maybe Axel rubbed off a bit on Roxas =o. Personally, Roxas left quite an impression on me when he made that "Look sharp!" comment to Sora at TWTNW, so I guess maybe to me, I could picture Roxas saying things of that nature every once in a while.

Thanks for replying though. ^^

Shanny-Boo · Mar 17, 2007

Wow.

Like... just...

wow. o.o

This is REALLY good.

All of it is AMAZING.

I am totally incapable of making this comment sound good. xDDD That's how awesome this fanfic is.

Can't wait for more!

DarknessKingdom · Mar 18, 2007

Heh, awesome chapter. I can totally imagine Sora and Roxas' conversation. I've noticed Roxas has picked a bit of Axel's personality.

Were the two worlds you picked at random, 'Halloween Town' and 'Twilight Town'?

I mean, I can see why Twilight Town would be picked up but I can't see Halloween Town having any significant importance.

Soushirei · Mar 20, 2007

DarknessKingdom said: ↑

Were the two worlds you picked at random, 'Halloween Town' and 'Twilight Town'?

I mean, I can see why Twilight Town would be picked up but I can't see Halloween Town having any significant importance.
Click to expand...

It wasn't entirely random; I ciphered through the worlds and decided which ones I could work with and which ones I couldn't. Halloween Town does seem rather insignificant, but it'll make more sense in Chapter Ten, hopefully. XD

Thanks for the continued support! Just two chapters to go until the end of Part One.

--

-- Chapter Nine --

It had to have been planned. At least, that’s what Sora had thought as he paced back and forth outside Merlin’s Study, waiting for a certain Princess of Heart. There was no possible way something like that could’ve happened by coincidence. Well, maybe a fraction of it at the most. Not more than a second had gone by before everything was settled and decided, without either Kairi or Sora having a say in the matter. It was as if the phrase ‘Twilight Town’ was the activation password to put the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee’s secret operation into motion. First, Leon and Yuffie announced that they wouldn’t be participating in the last leg of the search due to matters that had ‘suddenly arisen’, saying their attention was needed more on Radiant Garden than anywhere else at present. Sora had to scoff at the excuse, then quickly nodding his head apologetically to Yuffie after being swiftly clogged on the head by the young kunoichi. Sora had later reasoned that there wasn’t too much to worry about if Leon and Yuffie couldn’t make the trip; he did still have the stout Cloud Strife to accompany him, along with his two best friends, Riku and Kairi, to stick it out with him, not to mention their resident airship pilot, Cid.

That’s when things started turning bizarre.

It was right after Cloud stated that he would be taking a leave of absence from the group altogether. Tifa and Denzel had already made their trip back to their own world on Midgar some few weeks earlier while Sora was still unconscious, and that must’ve provoked a part of Cloud to take some action on the doubts that seemed to loom over him since he had first arrived at Radiant Garden. The ex-SOLDIER stated that he had some ‘business to take care of’, something that he needed to finish before he could come back. Sora didn’t quite understand what this ‘business’ was that Cloud needed to finish, but he did know that Cloud had always been one to keep to himself and that it was probably something important that Sora couldn’t possibly understand. That being said, Sora hadn’t made an effort to talk Cloud into reconsidering a postponement for this ‘business-taking’ of his until after the Orbs were found. Cloud was entitled to making his own decision on the matter; he had sworn no allegiance to Sora or the mission.

Then things got even more bizarre.

“Riku! You’re leaving too!?” both Sora and Kairi exclaimed.

Riku nodded apologetically. “I’m afraid so. Cloud humbly requested my help for a matter that he needs to take care of, and I really couldn’t refuse.”

The three teenagers took a moment to glance at the blonde-haired swordsman who was leaning against the doorframe of Merlin’s Study, his eyes closed and arms crossed.

“I guess it’s because I sort of understand what he’s going through,” Riku added. “And I think he knows that too.”

“Probably,” Sora rolled his eyes. “Cloud doesn’t often ask for help from anyone.”

“I figured that would be the case,” Riku chuckled. “That being said, I won’t be joining you two for the Twilight Town leg of the trip.”

“You better be back before we head to the End of the World,” Sora stated. “I know you want a piece of this Nemas character.”

Riku smiled. “No promises, Sora.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Kairi looked on solemnly.

Riku laughed. “Hey! I’m not going to die or anything. I’ll be back, I just don’t know when.”

Kairi frowned at Riku’s ridiculing; she never really did like it when people laughed at her when she was trying to be serious.

Shortly after that, Riku made his departure as well, along with all the residents of Midgar as they took off on the wings of Cid’s Sierra. Cid apologized for leaving on such short notice, giving an excuse that came as no surprise when it involved the safety of his patented airship. It was quite similar to his excuse for staying on the Sierra when the group had first arrived at Halloween Town. However, instead of ‘protecting his ship’, his intention was more along the lines of ‘not letting any incompetent fool laying a hand on his aircraft’—although in the end, one could see that the reasoning was the same.

And so it was, with none of the Restoration Committee present to aid Sora with the final leg of his trip, the young Key Bearer sat patiently on the front steps of Merlin’s study, elbows on his knees, fingers nonchalantly tapping the sides of his cheeks as his anxiousness slowly turned to boredom; Kairi sure was taking her time getting ready.

Unbeknownst to Sora, it wasn’t so much that she was taking her time; there was just so much to do! Or at least, Kairi seemed to make it so as she scrambled about the stay-room of Merlin’s Study, folding clothes, sweeping the floors; she also made an effort to change her outfit several times, never being satisfied with the one she chose. A part of her deep within admitted that she was mostly responsible for many of the ‘extra’ tasks that needed to be completed, along with the amount of time it was taking to get herself to the bottom of the stairs where she knew Sora was waiting for her. It was her way of dealing with the predicament that she unwillingly found herself in, the one that meant spending the better part of an entire day alone with Sora, something she never thought would ever happen while they were on their mission. She was hoping to make a statement for herself from the escapade, to be useful and to contribute to the cause in a way that no one else could. By doing so, after all was said and done and the three returned to Destiny Islands, Kairi felt she’d finally be ready to face Sora with the confidence she needed to express her feelings for him. That was her plan, and it was surely a good justification to get her mind off of entire dilemma. The Orb hunting had also helped get her mind off the matter as well, but now that the situation changed and resulted in just the two of them searching for the Orbs, the so-called distraction had definitely lost all purpose. Kairi wasn’t ready for the extensive amount of one-on-one time.

And neither was Sora.

Curse you, Riku, Sora thought to himself. The young Key Bearer always thought Riku acted on his own accord and very rarely considered the feelings of others when he was forced to make these so-called ‘noble’ choices of his. Sora scoffed. No, he was certain that the unnecessary teasing Riku had given him earlier provided a majority of his incentive to leave, using the standpoint of ‘helping Cloud’ as his primary motive. Riku was pulling a fast one on him, and Sora definitely didn’t approve of his best friend’s initiative. He didn’t need Riku’s help! Sora felt he could handle his own problems regarding the matter; he saved the multiverse more than once already, he could definitely solve a simple problem about being madly in love with Kairi… right?

The young Key Bearer felt his resolve shatter inside him.

This wasn’t good. He was going to spend almost entire day with her alone, he thought. Despite any reassurances he offered himself, doubt had effortlessly continued to cloud his mind and raise his level of anxiety about the entire ordeal. Sora was definitely starting to lose his mind, and would be completely overrun by his emotions if he didn’t come up with a plan. Sora thought deeply for a moment. It shouldn’t be too bad if he kept the conversations light and centered around the mission, it would definitely deter any uncomfortable situations from coming up. Yes, keep everything platonic, and he’d be just fine.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” said Kairi.

Sora’s heart skipped a beat as his body flinched in surprise.

“Oops, sorry, did I scare you?”

“I didn’t hear you approaching,” Sora commented.

Kairi smiled apologetically before turning to close the door behind her. Strange, she thought. She thought Sora would’ve been alarmed of her presence once she reached for the doorknob, not to mention the sound of the door opening.

“Did you leave the Orb with Merlin?” Sora asked.

“Yep, it’s in good hands,” Kairi nodded. She explained how after a few swift motions of Merlin’s wand-waving, the Orb disappeared in a cloud of smoke and fairy dust, somewhere hopefully in safe keeping.

Sora laughed. “That’s one way to store items.”

Kairi chuckled along for a moment before looking around aimlessly, avoiding eye contact. “So… how’re we getting to Twilight Town?”

Sora shot Kairi a cheesy smile as he took out two pearls from his pocket. It was the same ones they used when they left for Disney Castle, except now the pearls were a little magenta in colour instead of their original Prussian blue.

Kairi looked at Sora curiously.

“While you were getting ready I showed Merlin the pearls, and it turns out he was the one who made them,” Sora explained. “So… he recalibrated them for us, so we can use them to reach Twilight Town.”

Kairi nodded agreeably. She was somewhat relieved as well after hearing the method of transportation they were going to use. She was afraid Sora would end up having to commandeer one of the Gummi ships to get them to Twilight Town, something she silently wished wouldn’t happen—she heard many flight stories from Donald and Goofy about how those particular experiences went: life-threatening at the very least.

“What’s that look for, Kairi?”

“Nothing! Let’s head out, shall we?”

* * *

There was always something endearing about the sunset, or in the case of Twilight Town, the sight could have easily been considered a sunrise as well. They say people can tell the difference between the two, that there’s a certain mood and feel to it, but the sun’s hazy orange rays of Twilight Town could easily elude anyone’s guess of its zenith. It was also very warm and pleasant to the eye; twilight or dawn—whichever it really was—never begged the squint of a waking eye or the thought of sleep. It was an eerie, yet euphoric feeling that washed over Sora and Kairi as they walked down the dimmed streets of the town of Twilight. It was a difficult deduction to make for the pair, whether to be swayed by slumber or to yawn with the expectation of a new morning; both knew that their dilemma would never be answered. Such was the way of Twilight Town, a town that seemed to stand still in the current of time, but developed and changed quicker than anyone’s imagination. Fond memories were formed among the town’s residents within the hearts of both Sora and Kairi, yet, the establishment had always lingered with an aura similar to that of a ghost town, stagnant and regressed.

Sora placed his hands in his pockets, walking a few paces ahead of Kairi as he led the way for both of them. “Do you sense anything, Kairi?”

“Mmm?” Kairi inquired, biting her bottom lip before shaking her head. “Nothing yet, sorry.”

That was probably the eighth time the two of them carried out that particular exchange. Sora told himself before that if he kept the topics of discussion focused on the mission, the entire thing would work out fine. However, his theory would come crashing down violently before his own eyes; the situation was even worse! The degree of awkwardness was becoming extremely unbearable as time went on, even if the total amount of time that had gone by since their arrival was under the fifteen-minute mark. Sora didn’t know how Kairi was feeling about the unnatural silence, but he certainly wasn’t enjoying their current situation, not in the slightest.
Sora was about to finally ask a question that deviated away—be it slightly—from their mission when he was interrupted by an oncoming trio that caught the attention of the two Destiny Island residents.

“Sora! Kairi! Oh my gosh! Is it really you guys?” an enthusiastic Olette called out to them.

Sora sighed in relief; finally, some company.

Kairi waved back excitedly. “Yep! It’s really us!”

Olette gestured the two other familiars, Pence and Hayner, to hurry over as the three of them ran toward the visiting pair. Joy and happiness glimmered in the eyes of the three Twilight Town teenagers, their voices unable to restrain speaking at casual volume as they became what Sora silently called a ‘psychotic weather storm’. Questions befell the Sokairi pair from all around like a descending hailstorm, interchanging gleeful shouts embodying elation through bursts of sound that crashed like thunder. Had it not been for the neighbouring residents of the Town—whom had all requested the noisy group of adolescents keep their voices down—it was highly unlikely that the ongoing onslaught of questioning would’ve ever stopped. Instead, Hayner suggested they continue their discussion in the privacy of their ‘usual spot’, a place both Sora and Kairi had been to at least once before.

Nostalgic it was for the blue-eyed Sora and Kairi as they entered the safe house of the Twilight Town rascals. Everything was as they remembered it: the dimmed, shady lighting that was soft on the eyes, the smell of the old, worn out couch that leaned against the east wall; the pair’s reminiscing reached its completion after Hayner, Pence and Olette took their patented positions around the room, looking on eagerly at the picture perfect pair that sat sheepishly by one another on the couch.

“We knew you’d find her,” Pence crossed his arms, smiling smugly.

“Huh? Oh,” Sora chuckled weakly in embarrassment, taking a second to realize what Pence was referring to. He had forgotten that their last recollection of Kairi was her unexpected capture, and Sora’s determination to find and rescue her. Sora had suddenly felt some guilt for not being able to tell them that he and Kairi were safe.

“I always was curious how the two of you would look like side-by-side,” Olette tilted her head as she closed one eye, framing the pair with her fingers. “Definitely the most attractive looking couple I’ve ever seen.”

“W-what?” Sora spat.

Kairi’s face flushed as she pressed her hands into her lap, looking down.

“I said—” Olette began.

“I know what you said!” Sora’s voice cracked. “Don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions?!”

“You mean you two aren’t dating?” Olette blinked.

Hayner and Pence shook their heads, sighing heavily.

“Olette, I told you not to go assuming things like that,” said Hayner.

“But the way Kairi talked about Sora, and how Sora—” Olette continued.

“But you don’t know that for sure!” Hayner interrupted.

“I never felt like I had to ask!”

Sora and Kairi both looked down at the floor with flushed faces as they fidgeted in their seats, completely uncomfortable at the topic of discussion. Pence tried to console the two about the situation, remarking that Hayner and Olette had been arguing about such matters since Sora had left Twilight Town the last time. Naturally, it wasn’t the only thing the pair would eventually argue about in years to come, but it was definitely one of the topic favourites that would surface whenever the trio would reminisce the past on certain days during their summer vacations. Pence never really cared enough about such romantic gossip and always found it a drag to listen to his two friends bicker endlessly about it whenever they were together. He would often try to change the subject with sea-salt ice cream or the next Struggle Tournament coming up, but all attempts turned out futile at best.

“So… the two of you aren’t… dating?” Olette turned her attention back to the flushed face pair seated quietly on the couch.

“Even if they were, they don’t have to tell you anything!” Hayner scoffed. It seemed Hayner had his own opinions about the privacy of others.

Kairi glanced over at Sora for a moment, catching a rather stern expression on his face. He looked… agitated; annoyed perhaps if Kairi were to make some additional assumptions, but the suspicion itself was an enough justification for the Princess of Heart to consider her guess accurate.

“No,” Kairi spoke softly, but confidently. “Sora and I aren’t dating.”

Silence leaked around the room for a few moments after Kairi provided the group her answer. Sora didn’t voice any objection to Kairi’s statement as he kept his gaze fixated on the floor below him.

“See, Olette,” Hayner sighed. “You should really learn to—”

“Well that’s a damn shame!” Olette pouted in disappointment.

Sora and Kairi both lifted their heads up at Olette, bewildered by her comment.

“Olette!” Hayner and Pence both yelled.

Olette crossed her arms, looking away slowly as if to finally succumb to the requests implored of her by her two closest friends. She would resist her free-spirited nature for now. Besides, she could always bug them later about it, she thought.

“Hey, sorry to change the subject, but,” Sora seemed to regain his composure as his expression returned to normal. “Kairi and I are looking for something and we believe it’s somewhere in your Town.”

“What is this ‘something’?” Hayner tapped his fingers on his knees.

“It’s an ornamental object… glows a bright light… that looks like a sphere,” Kairi made hand gestures to approximate its size.

Hayner, Pence and Olette looked at each other questioningly before confirming that neither one of them had heard of or seen an object that followed Kairi’s description. The three of them were known to explore the unknowns of Twilight Town, so any mysterious object of that nature would not have gone unseen by their expert eyes.
It was that fact that reminded Sora of Riku’s approach on the matter.

“How about any strange happenings?” came Sora’s rephrased inquiry.

“Strange happenings?”

“Anything out of the ordinary,” Sora added. “Strange sounds at night, weird pet behaviours, anything at all.”

Hayner, Pence and Olette exchanged curious glances again; this type of talk was definitely their specialty, so if there were any strange happenings occurring in their Town, they would most certainly have some knowledge about them. At first, the result still seemed to be the same as the three Twilight Town detectives didn’t seem to recall anything unnatural happening in the Town. It took a few minutes, but after some discussion among the trio, there seemed to be one particular incident of interest.

“The Woods,” the three of them said in unison.

“The Woods?” Sora and Kairi repeated.

“The Woods that lead to the Old Mansion, you should remember the place,” Hayner explained.

“I do,” Sora agreed. “What’s wrong with the Woods?”

“We heard from some of the townsfolk’s kids that when they were out playing tag there, they were hearing some whispering voices among the trees.”

“What were the voices saying?” Kairi asked.

“The kids said they didn’t know. I think the truth is maybe they just didn’t know how to interpret what they were hearing, so it was hard to commit it to memory,” Olette said.

“Do you believe them?” Sora inquired.

“Who knows,” Hayner shrugged. “Those kids have been known to make up stories to cause unnecessary commotions, so their credibility is rather low, but I don’t quite identify with the whole ‘boy-who-cried-wolf’ mentality, so I wouldn’t rule it out as a prank.”

“Who knows, it might just be the sound of the leaves rustling,” Pence added. “In any case, that’s the only story we’ve heard lately around Town. Most of the parents and seniors will tell you the entire thing is rubbish, however.”

“I see, thanks guys,” Sora nodded before getting to his feet. “Kairi and I have to get going now.”

“You two going to go check out the Woods?” Hayner asked.

Sora and Kairi nodded.

“I see, be careful then,” Hayner said. “It won’t hurt to be on the safe side, although I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”

Sora nodded once more in agreement before he and Kairi turned to leave the hideout. It would seem their destination was set in stone, although the validity of the location lay in the testimonies of several young children—but Sora wasn’t about to begin doubting the words of the town’s youth. He had experienced too many unbelievable things in his life to start doubting the possibility of a few whispering trees. The Key Bearer let out a small chuckle at his sense of reality and truth; a normal person would call him crazy, he thought.

* * *

“So, this is Midgar,” Riku commented as he let his eyes wander about his surroundings.

Riku had to admit it wasn’t quite what he pictured to be the homeland of the proud Cloud Strife or the elegant Tifa Lockheart. Midgar appeared to be more of a desolate graveyard, covered completely with dried up soil that appeared like hard stone that stretched for miles as far as the eye could see. Sandstorms occurred frequently it seemed as Riku read the first few directions on a sandstorm procedure that he glanced on by a nearby bulletin. However, Riku’s sense of reason didn’t betray his judgment of what he saw as he continued his aimless observations about his surroundings. He knew that this world was also the home of Cid Highwind, the owner and creator of the very technologically advanced Sierra airship—so it would be foolish to believe that Midgar was inherently a world that was still very primitive in its development; Riku could easily discern from the knowledge of the Sierra that Cloud’s world was enduring some post-apocalyptic period, but what the event was that caused such a disaster was still beyond Riku’s understanding.

“Surprised?,” Tifa smiled as she approached the younger youth. “It’s not as flashy as Disney Castle or Radiant Garden, but it’s still home.”

“Cloud! Tifa! Denzel!” a cheery voice called from the stairs of the Seventh Heaven CafÃ©.

Riku turned his head to the attention of the new voice, one he hadn’t heard before. It was a little girl, and she was elated at the sight of her three companions. There was a brief moment when her eyes locked with Riku’s, giving him a somewhat confused stare before shyly running over to welcome Cloud with a hug. Riku didn’t take any offense; a child her age most likely wouldn’t take the initiative to introduce herself and shy away from any opportunity. There was nothing more comfortable than the familiar.

“Is that Denzel’s sister?” Riku turned to look at Tifa, who leaned comfortably against one of the bar stools.

“Oh, no that’s Marlene,” Tifa corrected. “She’s the daughter of one of my close friends. Maybe you’ll meet him if you stick around a while.”

Riku smiled, shaking his head. “I doubt that.”

Tifa’s content smile slowly disappeared as her eyes took on little more seriousness. “Why did you come, Riku?”

Riku leaned against the wall behind him, crossing his arms. “Cloud asked that I come.”

“Is it that serious?” Tifa questioned. “I’d like to know what it is Cloud plans to do.”

“It’s not as bad as you probably think it is,” Riku closed his eyes. “I’m most likely going to be doing nothing.”

“What do you mean? Is Cloud planning to go somewhere and fight?” Tifa guessed. It was the only thing she could think of to justify why Riku was needed. She looked at Riku as extra manpower; the younger warrior did show some prowess as a fighter as she later heard from Kairi during Donald’s pre-reception about Riku’s role in the final battles with Xemnas. For any other reasons besides that, Tifa was at a loss.

Riku took a deep breath. “Cloud will have to tell you himself. I’m pretty sure it’s something only he can explain to you in a way you’ll understand.”

Tifa slowly nodded at Riku’s assumption. If he was right, then it could only mean one thing: it was something about his past, and dealt with his emotions. She had known Cloud since they were children, and she saw him change through his many forms. The cheery Cloud, the silly Cloud, the sad Cloud, the angry Cloud; Tifa knew them all. Cloud had grown distant lately, however, and Tifa did find some comfort in Riku’s acknowledgement that only Cloud could accurately explain his feelings to Tifa. It made Tifa feel that there was still a connection between the two of them that no one else could imitate, and she needed that reassurance in light of how things were now between them. She felt that Cloud was slowly drifting away from her and their family. It was in his eyes, his body language, his reluctance and his never-ending silence. It was his refusal to open himself to the people he cared about and his hesitation to involve them with his troubles that made Tifa nervous about just where Cloud was planning to go from here. Requesting Riku accompany him back to Midgar only made the situation worse for Tifa, feeling that Riku was replacing her as the confidant in Cloud’s life. She admitted it was a little foolish to assume such jealous behaviour—even if it was only slight—but in a time where there were so few people left in her life that she deeply cared for, she allowed herself a little selfishness.

“I wouldn’t be too worried about him, though, Tifa,” Riku said. “Cloud isn’t far away from the answer he’s looking for.”

Tifa sighed. “I just don’t understand why he’s suddenly changed.”

“I guess, people can lose direction sometimes,” Riku explained. “But if that’s the case, going back on track isn’t impossible either.”

“And he’s looking for the way back?” Tifa asked.

“Nope,” Riku chuckled, an amused smile on his face. “He’s standing still right now, and deciding whether or not he should keep walking.”

* * *

“Sora, maybe… we should try a different approach,” Kairi suggested as she collapsed by a tree, exhausted from walking. “We’ve been at this for hours and I’ve just about had it with these trees!”

The plan of action was simple, although one would think locating the source of any whispering trees would use anything but normal means. And that was what the pair originally had come to conclude after Sora asked Kairi to see if she could sense the Orb anywhere around the Woods. Kairi gave the task her very best as she devoted all her concentration to her very special sensing ability. However, this method would eventually find itself useless after Kairi reached her limit, collapsing to the floor with fatigue. They took their first break then, while the both of them brainstormed some alternate means to approach the situation. What they did know was that besides Kairi’s keen sense for pure light and Sora’s Keyblade, they had nothing out of the ordinary at their disposal to use as a means to search. This realization slowly omitted many ideas as they came up until finally, they both reluctantly agreed to one very simple plan. It was an incredibly stressful listening game, or so was the ‘simple plan’ that Sora had suggested they do. Each of them would cover about half of the Wood’s area and very patiently discern what alarmed their ears as they approached each individual tree they came across. Kairi couldn’t help but feel just slightly ******ed for having followed along to such a plan each time she slowly approached a nearby tree, as if she was closing in on her unsuspecting prey. She would perk one side of her head up, trying to listen closely to the tree before her to note any recognizable speech. After a good half hour had gone by, Kairi began to concern herself with the idea that maybe she was the only one participating in such a demented activity, and that Sora was napping somewhere looking normal; she’d be damned if someone caught her running across the Woods by herself placing an ear on the bark of all the trees. She was relieved to find out this would never happen.

Sora chuckled as he joined his exhausted Princess, plummeting down beside her. “Well, it’s peaceful, that’s for sure.”

Kairi raised an eyebrow in disagreement. “Really, you think so?”

“Isn’t it?” Sora blinked.

Kairi was about to comment further until she quickly re-assessed her thoughts on the manner. Despite the ******ation of their searching plan and her aching neck, back and feet, she supposed there were some highlights—however small. Splitting up from Sora for the last few hours definitely helped avoid any further awkward moments from arising like the particularly notable one that occurred because of Olette. Also, being alone and by herself—while conscious for once—was certainly something she never expected she’d find herself wanting. It allowed herself time to reflect on the events that had happened thus far, without anyone’s interruptions or prying, as well as giving her to ability to ponder such things at her own pace.

Kairi shook her head. “At any rate, please don’t make me listen to trees anymore. I don’t think I can do it.”

Sora chuckled at her response. The Key Bearer had somewhat determined how useless his plan was sometime after he and Kairi had gone their separate ways around the Woods. Of course, to keep some of his dignity, Sora put some of the blame on the vague description of what these ‘whispering voices’ were that traveled across the trees. It’s not like they had any instructions as to what to look for, or how to look for the voices, and of course, the answer to the question of whether or not the voices were even real to begin with. Sora took all of these into account before assessing just how much of the time that was wasted was his fault. His pride would soon sentence him to a small portion of it.

Sora and Kairi had a hard time relaxing to rejuvenate their energy with the idea of failure floating above their heads; they had absolutely no idea what to do about the current situation. Should they abandon the alleged whispering voices and move on to a new lead? Or should they continue trying to solve the mystery behind it? Each had its dire consequences if the choice they made ended up being wrong. Time was of the essence, and every day wasted could almost be as life-threatening as death itself; Nemas was on the rise, and finding him as soon as possible was a task that Glenn managed to drill into their minds as the number one priority.

Kairi looked down at the ground below her, biting her bottom lip disappointedly as she fiddled with a piece of grass between her fingers. She truly believed that after she located the first Orb at Halloween Town, the other one would be a complete synch. Evidently, that wasn’t the case as Kairi and her Key Bearer sat idly by the same tree, her gazing at the floor and him at the sky above them. Kairi lifted her head for a moment to steal a glance at Sora’s expression, his eyes scanning the skies with a look of apathy in them. Her face sunk in shame. He looks so bored, Kairi thought before sharply turning her gaze back at the floor. She gripped the grass with slight force, turning her head completely away from Sora to avoid him seeing the angry gesture her expression suggested. Kairi was furious, not at Sora, but at herself. The look of boredom in Sora’s eyes was a painful reminder that Kairi was not yet able to fulfill the duties that was expected of her. The fact that such an expectation involved only the task of locating an object, and nothing that involved life or death or danger—something that Sora managed to do on a daily basis—left an awful thought in Kairi’s mind. It made Kairi want to never look Sora in the eye ever again because of her inadequacy and her inability to transform herself into a person that she wanted to be for him. When it came to her expectations of what she wanted to do in order to bring herself closer to the young Key Bearer, anything less of what she desired would be quick to frustrate her. It pained her in the sense that to everyone else around her, doing what you wished to do and to do what you felt was right seemed like an effortless action. Leon’s, Yuffie’s and Cid’s dedication to revive Radiant Garden, Jack Skellington’s desire to throw the greatest Halloween scares ever, Santa’s devotion to delivering presents to every child in the world, Cloud’s and Tifa’s rock-hard will to protect those they loved, and finally, Sora’s and Riku’s loyalty and courage to fight for what they believe in, all of them seemed to carry out their ideals as if they were instinct, and proved effortlessly that their desires could be fulfilled. Yet, Kairi’s desires and wishes continued to elude her. She wanted to be strong for Sora and Riku, and be there for Sora as he had been for her. But the failure to do so masked itself time and time again in the form of a stolen heart, a Sora that slowly disappeared from sight before her very own eyes, an unfinished chalk portrait painted on a wall of stone, and Organization XIII. It was a feeling only Kairi could understand.

And then, it hit her again.

Kairi’s eyes slowly widened, surprised and perplexed at the same time. “Sora.”

The napping Sora slowly roused from his light sleep. “Hmm?”

“The Orb.”

The special keyword quickly stimulated Sora’s demeanor as he quickly got to his feet, holding out a hand for Kairi. “Where?”

Kairi remained sitting, afraid that she’d lose her concentration if she moved. Her eyes seemed to look beyond the floor below as she felt her mind sharpen its focus. She could hear the rustling of the leaves slowly fade into the distance, the feeling of the wind against her cheeks subsiding, even the sound of Sora’s voice seemed to disappear from her senses as complete silence overtook her surroundings. The only things left were the ringing in her ears and the sound of her heartbeat. Kairi wasn’t sure if she was unconscious or not, being unfamiliar with the perception before her. To be sure, Kairi had to try to invoke an action that could evaluate her present state; she tried talking.

“Hello?” said Kairi.

“Kairi?” came Sora’s reply.

Complete silence engulfed her.

Over here.
Click to expand...

And there you have it.

Chapter Ten is LONG. PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR IT.

draik88 · Mar 20, 2007

When Olette said "Commit it to memory" the first thing that popped into my head was "AXEL!" XD

Back to the chapter though...all I can really say is...WOW! Leaving off on another cliff-hanger-like monent is driving me nuts.

I really can't wait for Chapter 10. You keep saying that things will be revealed in it, it sounds amazing! Keep up the great work!

Soushirei · Mar 20, 2007

XD I had to ctrl+F this page to find that "Commit it to memory" line because I didn't remember writing anything like that. But apparently I did (after I found it)!

Thanks for your support as always, and yeah, Chapter Ten is a doosey... I've repeatedly been editing it and adding to it... removing stuff from it. XD It's just very long. Hopefully you all will enjoy it.

I have a Calc quiz tomorrow so I don't think I'll be able to work on it tonight, but I plan to have it out by Friday. We'll see how it goes.

Ratchet · Mar 20, 2007

I really love the way you write. You have Riku down so well. This really is a fantastic story.

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Kingdom Hearts III: The Revival (Working Title)

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