Work Text
I've been having these weird thoughts lately...
Someone — a girl, to be specific —was floating in the water, the ocean tide rocking her back and forth. It pushes her back to the shore while also pulling her further out to sea, indecisive about her fate.Her wet clothes, the distant shore, and the droplets obscuring her vision. She didn't seem to care about these things; she was too focused on the meteor shower up above her.Something odd began to occur -- the sun began to rise at a pace faster than normal. The sky fills with shades of orange and pink. peach and magenta, amber and rose.Before long, it was a bright blue and the sun was shining high in the sky. Yet, the (h/c) remained unfazed, as though this was nothing abnormal; an everyday occurrence. She closed her eyes and let herself drift out to sea.The shore began receding as a massive wave began forming, casting a shadow over her. This was something that made her uneasy. Her eyes snapped open and the relaxed expression left her face.A gloved hand smoothed over her forehead, pushing any hair pressed against her face away. Aquamarine eyes and straight silver hair— a familiar face, it seems. He says something but she can't hear his voice. She would ask him to repeat but she can't find her own, so she shakes her head. He copies her motion, stands her up by his side, and points somewhere out of her field of vision.The shore is where he points and on it stands someone else familiar to the (h/c). Spiky brown hair and radiant blue eyes— a stunning color to say the least. The male beside her extends his hand to the other. The brunet chases, rushing toward them and the impending wave.The crash sends her flipping and twirling through the water. It jumbles her sense of what's up and what's down, what's left and what's right. The salt stings her eyes, making her vision blurry. But through her constant turning, she could make out the two males — could they be her friends? She tried to reach for them, but the current sends her rushing away from them.She could only hope she was being sent to the shore.
...like is any of this for real...
Lady luck seemed to be in her favor, as she's pushed up onto the beach, coughing up water and gasping for breath. Her fingers dig into the wet sand, she pulled herself further onto the sand. Once satisfied with her distance from the shore, she flips herself onto her back and lets out a deep sigh.A splash of water and a series of gasps infiltrated her hearing, but she was too exhausted to sit up and see what it was. Someone stands over her; it was the brown-haired boy from before. He says something but, same as before, nothing comes out of his mouth. The (h/c) only heard the crashing of waves and the shaking palm leaves. He extended his gloved hand to her and a grin spread across his face.The girl feels a sudden rush of energy -- it's the adrenaline finally kicking in.He turns around and stares at the twilight sky; stars are falling into the sea and someone is falling with them. The (e/c) eyed girl holds a hand to her mouth in shock.She begins to fall back as the ground beneath her vanishes. She reached her hand out to his, but their fingertips just barely touched. It was like some weird out of body experience as she fell through the sky.It felt never ending as she plummeted to the ocean floor but oddly peaceful at the same time. Her lungs weren't aching from the lack of air and there was no immense pressure on her chest despite the amount of water weighing on her.Eventually, she reaches the bottom, flipping to land on her feet. The surface was hard unlike the soft sand you'd expect at the bottom of the ocean. She took a hesitant step forward.Light shot up from the floor in the form of white doves, revealing a stained glass mural beneath her and an intricately designed door with a large lock on it. She didn't even think to examine the mural as she felt a weight make itself known in her left/right hand.She glanced down to see a key-esque weapon of sorts. She did what any person would do when given a key when standing in front of a locked door.She unlocked it.
...or not?
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[Name] sat on the beach watching the line where heaven touched earth. Her wide eyes witnessed the resounding glowing collision. Sparks lit the sky and blood poured, as the glory of paradise descended further behind the seam of the destiny islands. [Name] felt small as she glanced over her shoulder and saw her shadow slowly shrinking towards her bottom. She looked back to the line, only a few bright streaks remained to signal heaven's passing. The sun had set.Voices called her name out in the distance.A boy with bright ocean eyes and spiky brown hair waved at [Name] by the docks, standing next to another boy with silver hair and aquamarine eyes looking at her with his arms crossed. She stood up, dusting sand off of her legs before plodding over to them, not quite ready to turn in for the night. She had promised them, though, that they could head home after watching the sunset from beginning to end."Hurry up, [Nickname]. We don't have all night." The silver haired boy urged with fake annoyance."Oh, hush, Riku. I'm walking as fast as I can here." She grumbled.His eyes lingered on her for a moment, "You know, you've been acting real weird lately. What's up with that?""Yeah," Sora piped in. "Are you okay?"She'd been acting weird? [Name] hadn't noticed anything different with her behavior, but Sora and Riku did know her better than she knew herself a majority of the time."What do you mean? I thought I wasn't acting any different than I usually do."The two boys shared eye contact for a second."Well," Sora started. "You've been wanting to watch the sunset everyday. Usually you want to hurry up and go to bed the second it starts to go down.""And you've been walking all over the island back and forth non-stop" Riku added.I shifted my weight onto my other foot in thought, "I guess I've had a feeling lately. Not necessarily a bad one but it's not exactly a good one either. I dunno. Let's just go home, guys. I'm tired."~~~[Name] didn't understand why she couldn't sleep. She'd fluffed her pillow to perfection, the temperature was just right, and even her favorite nightlight was on— though she'd never tell Riku and Sora about that— but no matter how hard she'd tried she couldn't get to sleep. Her eyes were wide open like the entrance to a tunnel just staring at the ceiling. Out of frustration, she flipped her duvet off her body and walked out of her room and out the front door, being careful as to not wake her parents.She had walked down to the beach in the uncomfortable heat— despite the sun having gone down— that left a sheen of sweat on her body and sat under a grove of palm trees for a few minutes before a feeling of uneasiness crept in. It was oddly silent out. There wasn't a single cricket chirping away or owl going 'Hoo'. Something darkened in the sky and caught the [color] eyed girls attention. She looked upwards and observed the starlit sky losing its light.What looked like black clouds were swirling in the sky and thunder boomed through the air like the prelude to a great song, impetuous rumbling permeating the air every bit as much as the sudden rain. At first it was a crack, violent to the ears, but after came a rolling sound that dissipated into the surrounding hills. Even under the foliage, rain poured down on the teenager, soaking her to the bone. Raindrops felt like rock shards against her skin, painfully beating into her flesh."What the hell is going on?" She muttered.[Name] pushed herself off of the tree she was sitting against, stumbling over the loose terrain beneath her feet. She tripped over a rock jutting out of the ground and fell onto the wet sand in front of her. The mixture of rain and sweat stuck her hair to her face as she looked up at the sky seeing the ominous black clouds getting bigger and bigger through strands of wet hair. The wind picked up, howling, crying, warning, baying like a wolf into the night. A crack of lightning lit up the sky and within seconds another rolling boom of thunder reverberated overhead."[Name]!" A voice called out from behind her."Sora?" When she turned around to face the boy, she took a step forward, only to be flung back by an invisible force, darkness completely surrounding her.The last thing she remembers after that is a warm, bright light enveloping her.~~~
So much to do... So little time...
Don't be afraid...
[Name]'s bright [color] eyes gazed at the sky in wonder. Hues of pink and orange mixed together like an oil painting peeked through dark blue clouds; reflecting onto the water beneath her feet. Choir-like singing filled her ears, a calm settling within her. She felt truly at peace wherever she was. Something in the distance caught her eye, sitting on a white platform hovering 10 feet above the water.
The door is still shut.
Now step forward.
Can you do it?
Slowly, the young girl walked towards it with uncertainty, her slow footsteps echoing in the watery landscape. A set of white stairs faded into existence when she got closer to the platform. She hesitantly walked up; sitting there was a beautiful blue and gold chest with fuchsia lining it in all its glory and practically begging [Name] to open it. She crouched in front of it and slowly pushed the top up, flinching when it fully opened, a bright light enveloping her vision before quickly dying out. She opened her eyes and peered into the chest, spotting the most beautiful (although odd) weapon she'd ever seen. She picked it up and it seemed to fit almost perfectly in her hand. Gold vines with roses extended from the grip and curled around the periwinkle guard that faded into lilac as it reached the blue tinted blade. The weapon had wings at the hilt, spread out as if they were about to take flight and the blade itself seemed to resemble two blades intertwining that fused at the point."What kind of weapon is this?" She wondered, standing up from her crouched position. A single word seemed to echo in the air.Keyblade.The teenager hummed, "A keyblade? I guess it does look like a key in some weird way."Are you ready to learn of your true self?"My true self? Who am I besides who I am now?"Another bright light followed by a series of feelings and flashes of memories that couldn't possibly be her own.She felt curiosity, loss, happiness, loneliness, friendship, grief, courage, fear, betrayal, pain, coldness, warmth, familiarity, confusion, and a sadness so strong she couldn't stop the tears streaming from her eyes. She saw darkness, light, animal masks, keyblades, horrifying creatures, anthropomorphic animals, forests, mines, castles, deserts, princesses, princes, fountains, waterways, friendly faces, silver hair and blue eyes, black hair and gold eyes, a battlefield, a heart shaped moon, and one last bright light.When it was over, [Name] found herself in a grassy meadow dotted by petite dandelions. Their fluffy spheres dispersing themselves in the wind. A purple and cream colored clock tower sat off in the distance, surrounded by houses and buildings with the same color scheme. The sky's a deep blue, fading into a stunning orange and a few stars sat up high in the sky with the occasional purple-pink cloud bouncing across the heavens.[Name] was wistfully staring at the sky when she heard a voice behind her."So, what brings you up here this fine morning, [Name]?"The girl turned around and grinned, "———-! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be working with the other —————-?""What? Are you not happy to see me? And I thought we were friends." They sat down beside her.She playfully slapped their shoulder, "Of course we're friends and I'm always excited to see you— even more now that we don't get to see each other as often.""Relax, I'm kidding. To make up for not being able to hang out as much, I brought some ice cream!" They handed [Name] a sea-salt ice cream.They munched peacefully on the sweet— yet salty — treats before the [color] haired girl spoke up."Do you think we'll always be like this?" They hummed, "Well, I doubt we can be like this forever. But isn't that what growing up is all about? What's important isn't how often we see each other, but how often we think about each other, right?" "'Guess it's a good thing the first thing I think about when I get out of bed is 'Hm I wonder if ———- is still sleeping like the lazy bum they are or if they even went to sleep to begin with?'" [Name] giggled."First thing I think is 'I wonder if that boneheaded little girl is out there slacking off at the beach when she should be working?'" They lightly shoved her shoulder.They went back into a peaceful silence as they finished off their ice cream."Hate to leave now but this 'boneheaded little girl' has work to do." The girl stood up and brushed off any grass on her clothes."Yeah, yeah, this 'lazy bum' is getting bored of you anyways." They waved her off with feigned annoyance.[Name] laughed, "I'll see you later, ———-. If you've got time, how about we meet up at the fountain later?""I think I can clear up my schedule just a bit for you... only a bit, though." They grinned.[Name] gave them one last smile before summoning their keyblade and running off.
We may never meet again, and you may not remember me, but I could never forget you, [Name].
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"We found her out in the alleyway; She was floating in one of the pools of water. The heartless were closing in on her because of the Keyblade so we took it off her person and brought her here." [Name] heard a deep voice speaking."Yeah! Now I just need to find Riku," A voice— one [Name] recognized —said before she felt a hand nudging her. "C'mon, [Name]! Wake up!"[Color] eyes fluttered open and a yawn escaped the young girls mouth as she sat up and stretched her arms. She turned her head at whoever was nudging her and lo and behold! It was someone she recognized. The one and only—"Sora!" She leaped forward and wrapped her arms around the brown haired boy's torso. "You wouldn't believe the dream I had! I was in this weird place where there was only water— you could walk on it— and the sky and then I saw a staircase and it led me to this odd looking chest! I found this weird weapon inside called a keyblade and..."Sora pulled a way and pointed her attention to the wall. There stood her keyblade along with one that... actually looked like a key."Oh," She gasped softly. "I guess it wasn't a dream. Well, I mean it had to be but maybe it was some kind of spiritual awakening of some sort."The teenaged boy chuckled, "Well, I'm just glad you're safe, [Name]. I was really scared after you fell into that weird portal back at the islands."[Name] tilted her head, "Back at the islands? What's that supposed to mean? And where's Riku?""Well after you vanished, I went over to our island to try and salvage the raft and when I got there, Riku's boat was already at the dock," Sora furrowed his brows when he mentioned Riku. "I found him near the paopu tree and he was saying stuff about how he wasn't afraid of the darkness before he vanished too. Then the island started crumbling away and getting sucked up into this big red ball in the sky and I went along with it.""So, our island..?" The girl seemed afraid to say it."It's gone.""And our friends? Our families?"That deep voice from earlier spoke up, "They're most likely scattered across the galaxy at other hub worlds like this one.""Who are you?" [Name] peeked behind Sora. There stood a guy with long shaggy brown hair, dark blue eye, a diagonal scar across his nose, and it seemed like a permanent frown was etched into his face. He was also dress in way too much leather to be comfortable and Wow, who needs that many belts?"Name's Leon and that's—" He pointed across the room and made to introduce whoever before being interrupted."The Great Ninja Yuffie!" A girl with short black hair dressed in what [Name] assumed was ninja attire— How's she supposed to know? She's never seen a ninja — bounced over to her.The [color] haired girl leaned back as Yuffie leaned closer to her, "Nice to meet the both of you. I'm [Name] but you could've probably guessed that from Sora yelling it in my ear.""I didn't yell in your ear, [Nickname]!" Sora defended himself."Hmm, you kinda did," The teenaged girl pursed her lips before a grin broke out across her face. "I'm messing with you, Sora."Sora narrowed his eyes before pulling her into a headlock and rubbing his knuckles into her head making the girl shriek."Ow- You and Riku- ow ow- promised to not- ow- do this to me anymore! You're messing up my hair!" [Name] wrapped her arms around his torso and began to push against him to try and get him to stop. Sora stopped once his best friend started to show discomfort at his relentless noogie-ing. She stood back up and waved her fist as him before trying to pull him into a headlock unsuccessfully, making the spiky haired boy run across the room, making her run around and chase him.Leon sighed at their actions, "Keyblades entrusted to the two of them? Things must be a lot worse than we thought.""You said it, Squall." Yuffie agreed."That's Leon." He narrowed his eyes at her."Say uncle!" [Name] had eventually pulled Sora into a tight headlock and was yelling in his face."No!""Yes!""Never!""Say it!""Break it up, you two." Leon forcefully made [Name] let Sora out of her chokehold and put his hands against their chests. All hell broke loose when Sora stuck his tongue out at the teenaged girl and she tried to leap over Leon's arm to get to him. The older male lifted her up and held her back as she tried to reach the boy."When I get out of this hold I'm gonna noogie you so hard you'll cry, Sora!" The [color] haired girl threatened."Bet you won't!" He shouted."Bet I will!" She shouted back.Leon grit his teeth as the girl started to try and aggressively wiggle out of his grip, "Has she always been this aggressive?"Sora nodded his head, "Yep.""I'll show you aggressive!" [Name] then tried to pull the long haired man into a chokehold despite him being behind her— It wasn't very successful as it just made his grip around her waist even tighter."Lemme go!" She resumed her wiggling."I'll let you go when you calm down!""I'll calm down when you let me go!"Leon considered her offer, "Promise?""Scout's honor." She turned her head to look up at his face."Alright." He set her down and walked back over to his spot next to the door.What was Yuffie doing this entire time? Leaning back on the bed and enjoying the show.~~~After [Name] had calmed down and was no longer trying to punish Sora, Yuffie and Leon began to explain things to the two of them."Those creatures— The Heartless— that attacked the two of you are after your Keyblades. But it's your heart that they really want, because you wield them." Yuffie said."The Keyblade..." The two islanders said at the same time, looking to their weapons leaning against the wall."Yeah, we had to get them away from you to shake off those creatures," The ninja turned away from them. "It turns out that's how they were tracking you.""It was the only way to conceal your hearts from them, but it won't work for long," Leon crossed his arms. "Still hard to believe that you two kids were chosen by the Keyblade."The man picked up the two Keyblades and observed them before a light surrounded the both of them and popped back up in the teens' hands, "Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers.""Why don't you start making sense? What's going on here?" Sora spoke up."Okay, you know there are many other worlds out there besides your island and this town, right?" Yuffie asked."Yeah, I guess." [Name] answered."They've been secret because they've been separated." The black haired girl continued."Until now," Leon added. "When the Heartless came, everything changed.""The heartless?" Sora asked."Those creatures that attacked you, you remember?" Yuffie tilted her head."Those without hearts." The older male continued."The darkness in people's hearts— That's what attracts them.""And there's darkness in every heart."Yuffie sat down on the bed next to [Name] and looked at her, "Hey, have you heard of someone named Ansem?""Ansem?" [Name] raised a brow. "Nope, never heard of 'em. Who are they?""He was studying the Heartless. He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report." Leon answered."Can we see it?""Unfortunately not. Its pages are scattered across many worlds.""Scattered?" The islanders exclaimed."We should go find them!" [Name] stood up with a determined look on her face."How do you suppose you'll do that?" Leon raised a brow."Uh... um... I didn't really think that through." The [brown] haired girl smiled sheepishly."You'd need a vessel to get to other worlds but I assume the key can do something to get its wielder across the galaxy." The man shrugged his shoulders."So this is the key?" Sora raised his keyblade."Exactly!" Yuffie nodded."The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade. That's why they'll keep coming after you no matter what." The shaggy haired man leaned back against the wall.[Name] looked at the weapon in her hand and sighed, "Well, I didn't ask for this.""The Keyblade chooses its master and it chose you." Yuffie responded.Leon waved his hand at the teen, "So tough luck."Suddenly, what [Name] assumed was a heartless spawned in the middle of the room. She didn't even think about it when she lifted up her Keyblade and shot it with a blast of ice. The teenager didn't even have time to question what she had just done when Leon sent orders her way."Yuffie, go! And you go with her, [Name]," Leon barked. "Sora, let's go!"[Name] followed Yuffie into another room where a girl with brown hair and green eyes was waiting, who also began to follow Yuffie. They were led out into a hallway and out another door to the outside where a bunch of shops were. Heartless formed in front of the trio and [Name] immediately sprung into action, slashing through them relentlessly."C'mon, you two!" She called to the two girls and ran towards a giant door which was surprisingly light as she swung it open and held it with little to no effort. She followed in after Yuffie and the other girl and sighed in relief when she saw no heartless form as soon as she walked into the area before just kind of... willing her keyblade away."Hello, I'm Aerith." The brunette walked up to her with a kind smile on her face."I'm [Name]." [Name] grinned.Suddenly, the teen winced as she noticed a slash on her bicep, "I didn't even notice that one of them got me.""Here, allow me." Aerith stepped forward and put a hand over the cut before her hand lit up with a white light. When she pulled her hand away, the cut was gone.[Name]'s eyes widened, "Woah, that's so cool! Can you teach me how to do that?"The brunette nodded her head, "Of course. I can take you to the waterway later and we can practice.""Y'know, back on the island, I only had one friend that was a girl. It was mostly just me, Riku, and Sora hanging out, but I did appreciate the girl time I could have with her. And now I have two more friends that are girls," [Name] spoke happily. "Oh, uh, I probably should've asked first if you wanted to be friends."Yuffie lightly punched her shoulder, "You don't need to ask; We already are. It's kinda hard not be friends with a girl who almost pulled Squall into a chokehold.""Yeah," Aerith agreed. "You didn't even think twice about protecting the two of us from the Heartless. How could we not want to be friends with someone so selfless?"[Name]'s face lit up at the news, "Well, I'm glad I'm friends with the great ninja Yuffie and the amazing healer Aerith."~~~Eventually, Leon came back and [Name] decided it was a good time to ask where they were and she found out they were in the First District of Traverse Town."So how many other districts are there, exactly?" She asked the group."Technically, there are four more but the Fountain Plaza is big enough to be considered its own district." Leon answered."The First District is small and there's not much to it besides the Item Shop, Accessory Shop, the Item Workshop, and the café." Aerith went on to describe the first district.Yuffie continued, "The Second District— the one we just came from— has the Inn, a shop that sells suits and dress, one that sells shoes, and another that sells exclusively hats. There's also the Gizmo Shop but we're not exactly sure what its purpose is.""In the Third District— the smallest one— there's our HQ, the entrance to Merlin's house— underground it lies the waterway— and a small fountain." Leon went into detail about the Third District.[Name] furrowed her brows, "Merlin? Who's that?""He's a powerful Wizard. He'd be the best to teach you all the offensive spells and I'd be best for the defensive spells." Aerith answered."Cool. Now, what about the other 2 or 3?""The Fourth District is just one big shopping area with a couple of restaurants. Beyond that is the Fountain Plaza and it's really just a place with a giant fountain. There isn't that much there besides the fountain and the post office. The Fifth District is mostly taken up by a three story greenhouse but there's some housing there too." Leon finished up telling [Name] about Traverse Town."What kind of shops are in the Fourth District because I'm gonna need some better clothes to fight in." The teen pointed at her outfit."There's definitely a few clothes shops along with some grocery stores, another accessory shop, and a pet store." Yuffie added."Did you say a pet store?" [Name] asked excitedly.Leon groaned, "Why would you tell her that?"The [color] eyed girl turned to the man, "Leon, please! I really wanna see all the animals! We have to go to the fourth district anyways so I can get new clothes! Please!""No." He answered simply."Why not?" She huffed."Because I said so.""That's not a good enough reason!" [Name] narrowed her eyes."It is if you're an adult." Leon narrowed his eyes back.As the two continued to argue, Yuffie leaned over to Aerith and whispered into her ear, "I don't think I've met anybody more stubborn than Squall."Aerith giggled, "They kind of act like siblings, don't you think?""Didn't Squall have a sister? I don't exactly remember that time that well, but I swear he did." Yuffie turned to look at Aerith."Yes. A half-sister," Aerith caught on to what Yuffie was trying to say. "You don't think—""Leon, you're just being mean!" [Name] yelled."Well, you're just being a brat!" Leon yelled back.Yuffie and Aerith continued to watch as [Name] and Leon argued and were about to step in when the younger girl tried to put the man in a chokehold only for Leon to pick her up and sling her over his shoulder."Say, where do you think Sora is?" The islander thought out loud from Leon's shoulder, having calmed down after a few minutes.Before anyone could answer, a loud crash was heard from what [Name] assumed was the Third District."I'd wager he's in the Third District." Yuffie said.Leon began walking over to the entrance of said district, "C'mon. Let's go see what's happened.""Hey, aren't you gonna put me down?" [Name] slammed a fist against the mans back.She could hear the smirk on his lips as he spoke, "Not a chance, [Name]."~~~"So, you were looking for me?" Sora pointed at himself as he spoke to the anthropomorphic dog and duck to which they responded with a nod."They, too, having been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade." Leon spoke up."Hey, why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel!" The dog asked Sora.Sora looked down at his feet, "I wonder if I could find Riku.""Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friend." The man clad in leather told the blue eyed boy."Well, what about [Name]? She has a keyblade. She should come too." The blue eyed teenager shifted his attention to said girl, who was no longer slung over Leon's shoulder.[Name] smiled at her best friend, "Sora, they said they were looking for a key, not a keyblade that looks like a weird sword."The dog turned to face her, "Two keyblades are better than one! You should come with us too!""Thanks, but I think I'll stay here as damage control for now. Check back in at some point and maybe I'll consider your offer then. Go with them, Sora" The teenaged girl chuckled.Sora looked crestfallen at the revelation but decided to go with them anyways."But you can't come along looking like that. Understand? No frowning. No sad face, okay?" The duck spoke to Sora."Yeah, you gotta look funny, like us!" The dog added."This boat runs on happy faces!" The duck continued."Happy?" The spiky haired boy spoke.Suddenly, Sora bent over for a second and when he got back up he had an extremely wide smile on his face, making everybody laugh."That's one funny face!" The dog laughed.Sora's mood seemed to lighten, "Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys.""Donald Duck!" The duck held out his hand."Name's Goofy!" The dog put his hand on top of Donald's."I'm Sora." Sora put his hand on top of Goofy's."All for one, one for all."Sora was hesitant to leave [Name], but the girl insisted that he go and in the end, he did.~~~Three days had passed while [Name] acted as damage control for Traverse Town. She'd long since gotten her new outfit and despite how much she begged and pleaded, Leon still wouldn't let her go see all the little animals waiting to get adopted while they were shopping. Eventually, she went to visit Merlin and he taught her a lot of spells and was surprised when he saw how naturally the higher level spells came to her.Aerith teaching [Name] was a lot different than training with Merlin— which was her casting spells at flying furniture. The brunette would have her practice healing herself but also Leon and Yuffie after they would come back from fighting off another hoard of heartless. At one point, Aerith told the islander to try casting a healing spell from her keyblade and, boy, did that make things a lot easier.Currently, [Name] was sitting in the fountain plaza, thinking about how weird it was that every magic spell cast and every attack at a heartless felt natural— felt familiar. Did this have something to do with that dream? Learning about her true self? She closed her eyes in thought for a moment.
"Let's meet tomorrow at Fountain Square. How about noon?"
"Sure thing!"
"Sorry, [Name]..."
Waiting by a fountain all day for someone that won't come despite them promising, it filled [Name] with disappointment.
"Have you been here all day?"
[Name] opened her eyes and before her stood Leon, "What was that?""I said, have you been here all day?" He asked— He looked a little worried, [Name] noted."Yeah, sorry. I should've said something before I left. I just had this feeling that I was supposed to wait for someone here. But, there is no-one here besides the two of us." The girl got up to follow the man back to the Second District.Leon pat her head, "Come on, let's head back. If someone was supposed to meet you, I'm sure something important came up and they couldn't make it."
"But they promised."
"A friend always keeps their promise. Maybe they had an emergency. You should give them the benefit of the doubt. Don't be sad. When you're sad it makes me sad too. After all, we're friends right?"
"Yeah, of course."
"What was that, [Name]?" Leon looked at the shorter female.She looked up at him, "I said, yeah, of course.""Are you okay? You seem sad," He stared at her a moment longer. "It's okay if you are.""I'm fine, I've just been feeling a little gray is all. My heart just feels a little lonely, I guess. ""Yeah, well, it sounds like you're sad." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and lightly ruffled her hair.She laughed lightly before humming, "I think I just miss Sora and Riku. I've never been apart from either of them for this long and I feel a little lost without them to guide me.""You know, I have a little sister. I feel lost without her. I have no idea where she is in the universe and I wonder if she ever feels a little lost without me, too. Honestly, though? I doubt she remembers me." It always seemed like Leon had a hard time talking about how he feels to [Name] but here he was, talking to her about this."Well, she's definitely missing out. Come on, I'll race you home!" [Name] stepped in front of him and turned to face him.He smirked, "Home?"
"Yeah— Home."
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"Hey, [Name]? Where are you?" A wavy silver haired boy nudges the female gently and taps her temple lightly with his index and middle finger. "You've gone somewhere I can't reach you, it seems." He chuckled. His friend had been distracted during missions today and she had this far away look on her eyes for the past week— what could be bothering her? He had to admit, he had been quite tempted to push her in the fountain they were sitting at, but decided against it, seeing as it definitely wouldn't help the situation.[Name] shifted to face him, a distressed look plastered across her face— Uh-oh. She sucked in a deep breath of air and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, "It's just...it's hard to explain, you know? I have this feeling, you could call it, that something really bad is going to happen. I don't know what or when or how... but I can feel it." The [H/C] haired teen looked down at her lap and clenched her hands— she could feel tears stinging at her eyes. "I don't..." She let out a shaky sigh. "I don't want to lose you or any of my friends. Without friends, I'd be nothing— useless and weak...and alone."Her friend chuckled dryly and looked down at his own lap as well, "Wow, no wonder you've been so distracted lately. That's one heavy burden to carry on your own and these feelings of yours are never far off base, too" He shook his head and hopped off the fountain, tugging [Name]'s hand to stand her up. "I wanted to give you something before I left today." His blue eyes stared into her [E/C] ones.[Name] tilted her head to the side, "You're leaving? Already? But we always watch the sunset together!"The male nodded, "Yeah, I wish I could stay longer but this new job is a lot more demanding than I'd thought. I'm sorry.""S'okay," She looked down sadly. "I understand." [E/C] eyes flitted up as she heard him rummaging through the tan pouch around his waist."Ah-hah! Found you!" He pulled out a necklace with a single silver bead on it and dangled it in front of the girl's face. "I visited a new world the other day and saw this in a shop. It made me think of you so I bought it and it was only 50 jewels! How great is that?"A grin broke out onto [Name]'s face as she slowly slipped it own of her friends grasp,"You bought this for me?""Yeah," The silver haired boy nodded and looked away sheepishly. "Do...you like it?""Like it? I love it! Thank you— you really didn't have to waste your money on me." The teen cradled it in her hands.The male laughed and shook his head, "I wanted to cheer you up and presents make everyone happy." [Name] hummed in agreement."Well it definitely worked," She unclasped it and put it on, moving it around so it was perfectly centered. "You sure know how to make a girl feel special." [Name] looked up as she saw the street lamps start to turn on. The [H/C] haired teen rolled her bottom lip between her teeth, "You should probably start heading back to the tower now. You don't want the others riding on you about being late because of me...again."Her friend shifted from one leg to the other and nodded, "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll see you soon?" [Name] nodded and began walking off in the direction of her apartment."Hey, [Name]!" The male called.She stopped in place and turned her head to the side, "Yeah?""I'm..." He shook his head before looking back up at her with a smile on his face. "Don't ever forget; Wherever you go, I'm always with you."[Name] turned around fully to face him, a soft smile on her face, "I'm always with you, too."The two friends finally parted ways and when [Name] got back home, she sat in her room and watched the setting sun with a smile on her face and her hand clutching the necklace where it rested over her heart."May my heart be my guiding key."~~~The blazing sun shone down harshly on [Name], flushing her skin as she defeated heartless after heartless. With each slide of her foot against the grainy surface beneath her feet, more and more grains of sand stuck themself to her sweaty skin. Because of the dry air, all of her water spells were just as powerful as a cheap water gun— if not less. Just her luck, most of the enemies were fire elementals. This was just not her day.After the last heartless dispersed into nothingness and a pink heart ascended into the sky, [Name] flopped down onto her bottom, wanting nothing more than to never move again. Out of pure desperation, the teen iced up her hand and pressed her palm to her forehead; She practically wailed as nothing more than a wet hand touched her sweaty face.Just a few hours ago, she was relaxing in her comfy bed, taking a day off from training when Sora had burst through the door to her room, begging her to go with him, Donald, and Goofy. At first she resisted, claiming that she didn't want to leave what she was familiar with but the spiky haired brunette persisted relentlessly. Eventually, it was Leon who convinced [Name] to go, stating that she would never improve if she didn't put herself out there. After her nerves had finally settled, the [H/C] haired girl was actually excited to see what other worlds were out there.Then they arrived on Agrabah and [Name] decided she would rather spend a day in hell than have to be in that damned desert for more than five minutes."C'mon, [Name]. I know it's kinda insufferable here but we've got a job to do." Sora hauled the girl back up onto her feet by putting her arms under her shoulders. "Look on the bright side— we're not in the actual desert! Just some kind of village or something."Despite [Name] feeling like nothing more than a puddle of goo, she still had the energy to be a bit of a wiseass. "It's actually called a bazaar. It's just a big market— See how there's a bunch of stalls with fruit and other goods? It'd be a village if there were also some houses or living complexes in the area."Sora rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah...whatever." Goofy and Donald snickered from behind the two teens at the short interaction.On the hunt for any clues about what exactly should be done here, the quartet came to a dead end— nothing but a pile of boxes with some princess looking lady hiding behind them. [Name] blinked in shock before turning her head to look at the caramel colored woman. The woman stood up and stepped out from her hiding spot, "Who's there?""Who are you?" Goofy tilted his head at the elegantly dressed female— well, as elegantly dressed for a desert as you can be.She bowed her head slightly, "I'm Jasmine. My father is the sultan of Agrabah, but he had been disposed by Jafar— who now controls this city.""I thought you looked like a princess. Explains how well-dressed you are." [Name] clasped her hands together, honestly surprised that her thoughts were actually correct for once. "And who's this Jafar guy?"Jasmine looked at the teen with a shocked look on her face, "You haven't heard of him?""Sorry, we're not from around here." Sora stepped in, trying to keep them from looking suspicious. The princess nodded in understanding."He's the royal vizier. He's gained evil powers and seized Agrabah. He's desperately looking for something— something he calls the Keyhole. Jafar caught me trying to escape, but he helped me." Jasmine explained.[Name] raised a brow, "Who helped you, Jasmine?""We were hiding nearby," The princess gestured in the opposite direction. "But he left a while ago to take care of something. Oh, I hope Aladdin's alright.""Aladdin? Where might I find this street rat?"Everyone snapped their heads up to an elevated platform that led to another area of the city. Up there was a tall bony man dressed in extravagant clothing carrying a gold, ruby eyed, cobra headed staff in his thin fingers. He donned a faint mustache and twisted goatee upon his ugly, sinister face. [Name] would wager that he was some kind of closet pervert with a thing for younger women. She shivered at the disturbing thought."Jasmine, allow me to find you more suitable company, my dear princess," His voice was laced with hidden intentions, his lustful eyes trailing Jasmines body, [Name] resisted screwing up her face in disgust as he spoke; This guy was definitely a creep! "These little rats won't do, you see."Oh, this must be Jafar."Takes one to know one!""Jasmine, run!"Just as Sora had said, the princess fled the scene. Everyone settled into their battle positions, ready to attack the Royal Vizier if needed. "Ah, the boy who holds the key." Jafar rolled his eyes, completed uninterested in the four. He walked away unimpressed, summoning a group of heartless as he left.[Name] groaned in frustration, "Are you kidding me?! I'm so tired of fighting in this damned heat! I feel like I'm gonna die!" She swiftly slashed through heartless left and right, pouring all of her hatred for this world into her fighting; She had to admit that she felt a little less angry with the defeat of each heartless. Once it was all over, she hunched over and took a moment to catch her breath— Agrabah sure made her feel out of shape. "So," The teen girl stood back up and straight and faced her party members. "Think we should go find this Aladdin guy Jasmine told us about?" The three males shared a look with each other before nodding in agreement with her.The four ventured further into the city until they came across a living complex of some sorts. "Now this is a village, Sora." [Name] snickered, making fun of her best friend. The brunette silently slapped her shoulder before entering the building, making her laugh even harder.They heard pounding from the top floor and ventured up to see what it was. The [H/C] haired girl cautiously opened the door and saw no one in the room— the banging had also stopped. [Name] gestured for the other three to follow her into the room to investigate. She turned in her place in the middle of the room, taking it in before her eyes landed on a carpet of sorts stuck under a box. "How odd," Her lips curled downwards. "Should probably move that box."When she couldn't get it to move herself, she beckoned Sora over to her, "Help me, will you?""Sure." He set down whatever book he was looking through and practically pushed it off the rug by himself. [Name] blinked and looked at his arms and then to hers."What the hell...What the hell!!" She pointed at the carpet. "I swear that thing just moved on its own!" Once the teenager pointed in out, the carpet short up and flew around her in a circle and then again with Sora. It soared out the open window before coming back a few minutes later and moved it's upper left corner in a 'follow me!' type gesture. [Name] let out a whine, "I hate this so much!"Sora lightly nudged her shoulder with his own, "C'mon, we should go. It might lead us to Aladdin and you're the one who said we should look for him." The keyblade wielder grumble some explicative before following the carpet by going as far to jump out the window because who care's what happens anymore? She either survives and finds Aladdin or she doesn't have to be in this shitty dessert anymore. It's a win-win situation...for her.She lived.~~~"I hate this dessert, I hate this stupid lion's dungeon or whatever, and I hate you for bringing me here." [Name] grumbled as she stepped out of whatever sewer was in this place for what felt like the millionth time. Sora insisted that it wasn't a sewer while Aladdin asked what a sewer was. She kind of wanted to throw herself into a pit of darkness at this point in the journey. The teen wrung her soaking hair and flicked the leftover water in Sora's general direction. "Once we save all the worlds, I'm kicking your a—""Hey, look! A way out!" Sora rushed up a flight of stairs, eager to escape her wrath."Bubble blowing baby...." The [H/C] haired girl muttered as she followed behind him, desperately trying to ignore the feeling of her wet socks. She could've sworn she heard Aladdin, Donald, and Goofy laugh but when she turned her head they all had straight faces. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion at them before rushing to catch up to her friend.As [Name] kept pace with Sora, she began thinking about Riku. Where was he? What was he up to? Was he thinking about her too? Was he okay? She could've sworn she'd seen him before she left Traverse Town with Sora but who knows how many people have silver hair? Though, she had to admit, it's not a very common hair color. "Sora, have you seen Riku at all since the island?" [Name] spoke up.Sora nodded, "Yeah, I saw him in Traverse Town before meeting up with you. He didn't stay for long and he kind of just...vanished. If Donald and Goofy hadn't seen him too, I would've thought he wasn't really there to begin with.""I hope he's okay," The girl pursed her lips. "We've never been apart for this long. I miss him.""Me too. But I know we'll see him again soon!" Sora gave [Name] one of his infamous grins. Said girl chuckled before looking down at her feet with a small smile on her face. She gripped her necklace and thought of her silver haired friend.May your heart be your guiding key, Riku.~~~Riku explored Agrabah while waiting for his cue to capture Jasmine, doing his best to keep the sun off of his fair skin. "[Name] would hate it here," The silverette kicked up a pile of sand. "I can imagine her cranky attitude now, the brat." He sighed as he thought about how much he missed her; He'd seen her in Traverse Town but didn't get a chance to confront her as she was always with someone. What did he have to do to get a moment alone with the person he adores most? Riku blushes when he realized what he'd thought. The person he adores most?He hummed in thought— The 16 year old did enjoy being in her presence, he did think about her a lot, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't think she was absolutely gorgeous. What he'd do to see her smile at that very moment. "Maybe I do adore her....""Adore who?"Riku whirled around, coming face to face with that green skinned witch. "None if your business, Maleficent," He grumbled. "What do you want?""Don't you think it's time you took Princess Jasmine? Surely you mustn't have forgot why you're doing this." The witch smirked.The teen rolled his eyes, "As if. I haven't forgotten my purpose." He walked past Maleficent and summoned a portal of darkness. He turned his head to the side, "I'll see you back at Hollow Bastion with the princess."~~~"You four go take care of Jafar while I guard the princess!" [Name] crouched down next to an unconscious Jasmine. The males gave an affirmative before rushing off to the newly formed genie. [Name] rested her hands on Jasmine's arm and began trying to heal her, but her attempts were futile— she just wouldn't wake up. The teen sighed, "All I can do now is hope she wakes up soon." Suddenly a dark portal formed in front of the two, making [Name] stand up in a defensive position, ready to attack any heartless foolish enough to face her but what she saw emerge from the portal made her relax, willing her keyblade away."Riku?""[Name]?"The keyblade wielded laughed with glee and embraced the older teen into a tight hug, "Oh my gosh, where have you been?! I've missed you so much!" The [H/C] haired girl nuzzled into the crook of his neck, trying her best to memorize the feeling of being with him again. Strong arms wrapped around her waist as Riku picked her up and spun her around before placing her back down, a bright smile on his face. He separated a short distance from her and examined her condition. Her hair and clothes were damp, her body was slightly flushed, and there were a few scratches all over but she still had that heart-melting grin on her face. "What are you doing here of all places? This world is like an inferno!" [Name] chuckled.The happy look on Riku's face disappeared as he remembered his task; capturing Jasmine. "I uh," He stepped around his friend and crouched down next to the princess. "I have a job to do." [Name] furrowed her brows in confusion."A job? What do you mean?"The 16 year old sighed before hoisting Jasmine up into his arms and turned to face the other teen, "I'm sorry, [Name]. I hope you can forgive me." He immediately rushed back into the portal, not wanting to see her look of disappointment. Realizing what just happened, [Name] rushed off after him— What the hell is he thinking? She followed him into the portal and was immediately swallowed by the darkness.~~~"So Jasmine is no longer in Agrabah." Aladdin looked down at his lap solemnly."And [Name] is most likely with her." Sora added. He knew how Aladdin felt— Sora had just gotten [Name] back and they were already separated again.Aladdin stood up from his seat, "Sora, let's go find them."The brunette looked down a shook his head, "I'm sorry. I can't take you with me.""Why not?" The male argued."We sure wish we could but there's a law about this sort of thing." Goofy shook his head.Donald nodded in agreement, "We'd be meddling and get in lots of trouble if we took you with us. I'm sorry.""Aladdin," Sora brightened up. "we'll find Jasmine! I promise!"~~~I'm definitely not that proud of this chapter but I've been wanting to get it out for months. I'm sorry for the long wait and thank you for being patient with me! Hopefully I'll get chapter 4 out soon (though I have to admit, I don't have much of an idea for it)
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“So, like, why does Yuffie call you Squall?” [Name] looked around Leon’s room. There were a few framed pictures on the wall. Mostly of him and the rest of the Traverse Gang, but some of them had a guy with spiky blond hair. His RBF was just as bad as Leon’s, if not more. [Name] wondered if she would sucker punch him with her fist or her friendship if they ever met.
Leon was actually trying to take a nap but, just like a little sibling, [Name] came in to pester him. He sighed, “Because that’s my name.”
“But you said your name is Leon?” She furrowed her brows. “Now I’m even more confused.”
“Squall Leonhart,” The man pinched the bridge of his nose. “My full name is Squall Leonhart.”
[Name]’s face heated up with embarrassment at the obvious revelation, “Oh. I guess that clears that up.” She went back to viewing pictures and stopped at one that appeared to be a family picture, but it was torn on the bottom left corner, removing someone from it. All that could be seen was the top of their [h/c] head.
There was a [e/c]-eyed woman with long [h/c] hair held back by a yellow headband wearing a white knitted turtleneck sweater and blue jeans. Next to her was a man with shoulder length dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and green eyes, wearing a baby-blue button up, khaki slacks, and dog tags. In front of the man was a young man, about 15-or-so, with short, unruly brown hair and light blue eyes wearing a simply t-shirt and jeans.
“Woah, Leon,” she looked closer at the picture, specifically the teenager. “is— is this you?” There was no obvious scar on his face and he looked, well, genuinely happy. It was hard to tell at first. Grief can do a lot to a man, [Name] guessed, both mentally and physically.
Leon came to the conclusion that getting a nap in would be next to impossible while in [Name]’s presence unless she was napping herself. He held back his groan of annoyance and stood up to see what she was talking about. Plucking the frame off the wall, he held it in front of him
The man moved back over to his bed and sat down with the picture if his hands, staring longingly at it. “Yeah. That’s me, my dad, and my mom. Well, step-mom, but I never knew my real mother so she filled that spot.”
[Name] followed behind him and pointed at the empty corner, “Who was there?”
“My sister,” He looked away from the picture and at the teen girl. “I didn’t tear her out if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“I know.” She nodded.
“What about you?” Leon sat the picture down on his nightstand. “You got any family?”
[Name] plopped down beside him and leaned back on her hands, “Dunno.”
Ever since [Name] had left Traverse Town with Sora, things had been exceedingly slow. Few heartless remained after Sora had closed the keyhole and it was quiet without [Name]’s shenanigans. Leon sat in the secret waterway, admiring the mural on the far wall while mindlessly wiping down his gun blade. He supposed it was a good thing; the heartless were less of a nuisance and [Name], well, she finally got to go on that adventure she wanted and see what the galaxy had to offer.
“Jeez Louise, Squall. If you keep wiping it down there won’t be much of a blade left to wipe.”
Leon paused his ministrations at Yuffie’s outburst. “That’s Leon.”
The ninja rolled her eyes at his short response, “You’re as bad as Cloud. Moody, broody, attitude-y, I tell ya.”
“Well, at least I don’t wrap bandages around my sword,” Leon snorted. “What the hell’s that supposed to even do?”
Aerith descended into the secret waterway with a tray of her sickeningly sweet iced tea, a smile on her face, “Use brings about wear, tear, and rust. And that’s a real waste.”
“Huh?” Yuffie snatched a glass of the sugary drink while Leon sat back with a look of disgust on his face.
“Some time back, I asked Cloud why he never used his sword. That’s what he said,” Despite the man’s obvious distaste for her tea, Aerith sat a glass next to Leon anyways. Already finished with her drink, Yuffie swapped her empty glass for his while Aerith wasn’t looking.
“So, you’re telling me,” She sipped on the tea. “He wraps cloth bandages around it, thinking it will protect it from casual wear and tear?”
Aerith shook her head, “Nope. He knows it doesn’t help anything but it makes him feel better.”
As the two ladies continued their talk about Cloud’s questionable methods, Leon tried to remember the last time he saw the blond. It’d been more than a few years since he’d seen him and even longer since they talked. The man couldn’t recall ever really interacting with him after the Heartless destroyed their world. Then again, his memory wasn’t exactly the best and Cloud’s was even worse (that he knew for a fact).
He wondered if [Name] would’ve liked Cloud and vice-versa. Before Hollow Bastion, Cloud was a pretty open-minded and loyal guy, shy and awkward on occasion, and quick to banter. He and [Name] were a lot a like personality-wise, Leon decided. But after everything, he was, as Yuffie said, “moody, broody, attitude-y”.
He wanted to ask for Aerith’s and Yuffie’s thoughts on the matter but he didn’t think he wanted to talk about [Name] at the moment. He’d been conflicted about her departure. He had been the one who told her to leave, but a small part of him had hoped she would be her usual stubborn self and do the exact opposite of what he told her to do. The one time she listens to him and he wishes she hadn’t.
Hollow Bastion. What a dump. When Riku said he wanted to see other worlds, he meant places that weren’t, you know, falling apart and threatening to collapse on top of him. He also planned to be with [Name] and Sora, too, but he didn’t get that either. Beggars can’t be choosers, he supposed.
He wandered amongst the rubble of a crumbling town a ways from the castle, trying to find anything even remotely interesting. It was all just collapsed houses, abandoned stores, and piles of rubble. Riku stopped in the middle of a plaza and sighed. This was definitely a lost cause. He kicked a rock in front of him and watched as it stopped in front of a pair of boots. His eyes flitted to [Name]’s smiling face.
“[Name]? How are you here?” Riku was baffled at her presence before him. How had she followed him from Agrabah? There were so many hoards of heartless just outside the world that a gummi ship never would’ve made it through in one piece. [Name] didn’t speak and just continued to smile at him. Was she mad at him? Riku stepped towards her, “Hey, I’m sorry about before. I know how it all looks but there’s a reason for what I did. I can explain—“
[Name] started walking in Riku’s direction, only to pass right by him, completely ignoring his existence. He turned around just in time to see her disappear behind debris of a destroyed apartment building. “[Name]?” He called, following after her. When he rounded the corner she was already walking behind even more rubble, disappearing from his sight once more. How was she so fast? The chase lasted until he saw her stopped in front of a house. The ceiling was caved in but the wall still remained standing. He watched silently as she crouched in front of a fairly large piece of rubble below a cracked window and looked around it, like she was searching for something.
Riku was quiet as he walked up, not wanting her to run away again. “[Name]? Are you alright?” [Name] tried to push the rock, but it wouldn’t even budge. Her captivating [e/c] eyes looked into his sea foam orbs before focusing her gaze back on the obstacle. Riku sighed, and gestured for her to move over. With barely any effort he managed to slide it away from them and reveal part of a torn up picture. Before he could get a look at it, [Name] snatched it up and held it close to her face, examining it.
She stood up from her crouched position and handed the picture to Riku.
“This—“ He looked between her and the picture. “This is you. How did a picture of you wind up out here?” [Name] remained silent, just looking at him. “[Name]?” He pressed.
“[Name]? Is that the name of the girl you adore so much, child?”
“Maleficent!” Riku looked to the witch with a scowl on his face. “What are you doing here?”
Maleficent stalked towards him, “Why, looking for you of course. I believe I’ve found your little friend.”
“Yeah, I already know about Sora.” The teen scoffed.
“You misunderstand. I’m talking about the girl.” The witch corrected him.
“The girl?” He raised a brow. “But [Name] is right—“ he turned to look at his best friend, only to see empty space and small little particles of light floating about. “—here?” Surely he hadn’t imagined her being there. The picture was in his hand, still. He never would’ve found it on his own. [Name] had been there with him. Maybe she just ran off when Maleficent appeared. Yeah. That’s it.
“Something wrong?” Maleficent walked around him to see where he was looking.
Riku discreetly tucked the picture into his pocket, “No. Every thing’s just peachy.”
“So, [Name]’s like a lifeless puppet now?” Riku stared down at [Name]’s unconscious form resting in the captain’s quarters of Captain Hook’s ship.
“Precisely,” Maleficent purred.
“And her heart was…?” Riku’s eyes stung and there was a knot forming in his throat.
“Taken by the Heartless, no doubt.”
It didn’t make sense to Riku. He’d just seen her walking around, leading him on a wild goose chase after her. He talked with her not too long ago in Agrabah, too. Sure, it was brief and he had no way of knowing what happened between Agrabah and Hollow Bastion but…this wasn’t right. “Tell me,” Riku demanded. “What can I do?”
Maleficent’s evil smirk widened, “There are seven maidens of the purest heart. We call them the princesses of heart.” She moved closer to [Name] and peered down at her vulnerable state. “Gather them together, and a door will open to the heart of all worlds. Within lies untold wisdom. There, you will surely find a way to recover [Name]’s heart.” She explained.
“Now I shall grant you a marvelous gift,” Maleficent exclaimed. “The power to control the Heartless!”
He turned back to [Name] put her picture in her hand, disguising it as a simple holding of the hand. It may have been just a picture, but who knew what Maleficent could do with it. “Guess I’ll fight fire with fire.”
I heard that people are designed to shove all of their sad memories deep down inside in order to protect their hearts. If that’s true…was it really necessary to overwrite the memories of all these people? Memories shouldn’t be forgotten, even the sad ones.
…Maybe that’s easy to say when they don’t belong to me? But while they can be hidden deep inside, the wounds and scars remain. Forgetting doesn’t mean it never happened.
Your memory was overwritten with the rest of them— your sad memories, forgotten. But your heart still bears the scars. If the time comes when you need to remember…I’ll be right be your side to help you. That’s what friends are for.
Isn’t that right, [Name]?
-The war’s already begun.-
“I don’t belong to the Dandelions.”
Which Union do you belong to?
“Vulpes.”
Stand ready.
!
You’re not worthy of the Keyblade.
[Name] felt sick to her stomach— she was sure she could throw up at any second— and her head felt like it was filled with cotton. She couldn’t remember how she got here or where here even was. The last thing she remembered was reuniting with Riku. Everything was blanketed in white— or was it pure light?— and the brightness of it all made her head pound even more. “Ugh,” The [Hair Color] groaned. “what the hell is going on?” [Name] leaned over and rested her hands on her knees, taking deep breaths to hopefully combat her ceaseless nausea.
A black gloved hand appeared before her eyes, “Need some help?” The keyblade wielder nodded her head weakly and put her hand into the strangers. They gently pulled her up and [Name] gasped at the strangely familiar face. Blue eyes, curly silver hair, and fair skin. He stood her up straight and wiped some sand off her shoulders, a smile never leaving his face. When he was pleased with his work, he stepped back and looked her up and down, his eyes landing on her necklace, “Didn’t think the next time I saw you, you’d look so different…not that I thought I’d ever see you again to begin with.” His smile faltered a bit.
[Name] continued to stare at his face, “Do…Do I know you?” She was perplexed by how familiar he looked but she knew she’d never met him up until now. He shook his head slightly.
He reached over and fiddled with the pearl on her necklace, his stunning eyes beginning to fog up. “Yeah,” He hummed. “but that was a long time ago.” His eye flicked up to meet her gaze and he flashed [Name] a toothy grin before pulling back once more. “To be truthful though, I’d be shocked if you did remember me.”
“It’s just…you look so familiar and your name is on the tip of my tongue but I just can’t seem to say it.” [Name] looked down at her feet and clutched her shirt over where her heart is, “And when I first saw you, I felt a deep ache in my chest for some reason— the feeling you get when you’ve spent nights alone, just waiting for that special someone to finally show up but…they never do.” She looked back up at the boy with a distressed look spread across her features, her heart torn between confusion, happiness, and a deep, deep sadness.
“I’m Ephemer of Leopardos,” He held out his hand towards [Name], a sad smile on his face. “Who are you?”
The keyblade wielder hesitantly put her hand in his, “I’m [Name] of….?” She trailed off, unsure of how to finish her introduction.
Ephemer chuckled softly, “Vulpes.”
“Vulpes.” [Name] copied.
They both pulled their hands away and Ephemer shook his head, “Vulpes, eh? Looks like we’re rivals then.” He quickly winked at her, egging her to continue the conversation.
[Name] crossed and uncrossed her arms, “Uh, yeah. I guess we are.”
The male put his hands on his hips, “But today I’m doing my own thing outside of missions, so don’t be too guarded. Hmm… M-“
“Maybe this was somehow fated.” [Name] cut him off. “How about I tell you, as thanks for saving me?” The words just flowed out her mouth seamlessly, as though she were reading a script she’d memorized five times over. [Name] found herself suddenly remembering how she met Ephemer but couldn’t remember anything besides that.
Everything went dark.
“Will I see you again after this?”
“Of course you will. Why wouldn’t you?”
“I don’t know. Just a feeling. Well, goodnight Ephemer.”
“Goodnight, [Name].”
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[Name] watched the sunset on the beach, just like she would back on Destiny Islands. In fact, it looked like she was back on Destiny Islands. She knew that wasn’t the case though. This was something much different. What gave it away was the sun stuck in the sky, never moving. She watched with an unwavering gaze, as the fiery orb of light was stuck at the moment where it sank beneath the horizon, and threads of light lingered in the sky, mingling with he rolling clouds, dyeing the heavens first orange, then red, then dark blue, and even a chalky mauve. The waves crashing against the sand, the wind rushing through palm leaves, and the sound of water rushing from the waterfall — it was all music to her ears. It really did feel like home.
Once again, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were back in Traverse Town, but this time around they were missing someone. Leon was going to be pissed when he found out they lost [Name]. Sora shivered in fear at the thought. Leon could be scary, he figured that out when he first met him/fought him. “Sora!” Donald grabbed Sora’s attention. “Now, just remember what Donald said to ya: no frowning, no sad faces.” Goofy reprimanded the teen. But how could Sora not frown, what with everything that’s gone wrong? “How can you be so cheerful?” queried Sora. “There’s still no sign of your king. Aren’t you worried?” “Aw, phooey!” Donald exclaimed. “The king told us to go out and find the key bearer, and we found you. [Name] too! So as long as we still together, it’ll all work out okay!” Goofy reassured. “But [Name] isn’t here!” Sora wanted to shout. He felt defeated, hopeless, angry, betrayed, and tired. The teen wanted to scream and shout, and maybe even cry some. “Ya just gotta believe in yourself, that’s all.” Goofy continued. “Just believe.” Sora closed his eyes. Goofy made it sound so easy, and maybe it was. But the simplest things sounded challenging, right now. “I believe in you.” He heard [Name]’s voice.
Sora saw a young [Name] run up to her an elderly woman, a bright grin on her rounded features. Where am I? Sora wondered. It looked like a library but not one he’s ever been too. Not that he frequented libraries — that was [Name]’s thing.
“Grandma, could you tell me that story?” [Name] asked the woman.
“Again, dear?” Her grandmother laughed.
“Please?” [Name] pleaded, pulling out her puppy eyes.
Her grandma hummed, “Very well then.” [Name] giggled with glee.
Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people’s hearts. It covered everything and the world disappeared
But small fragments of light survived…in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It’s the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That’s why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open.
And the true light will return.
So, listen, child. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away.
Do you understand, [Name]?
“What’s the matter?” Goofy asked Sora. Sora just shook his head, “Um, nothing. Everything’s fine.”
Leon woke up suddenly, every thought in high definition. He was in a cold sweat and painful memories of Hollow Bastions ran through his head, each going a mile a minute. His hands rubbed at his face and he sighed; what a wonderful start to the day. Now all he wanted to do was stay in bed all day but the sound of voices coming from the living room told him that, without a doubt, he’d slept too long. He’s dressed within a fraction of the time it usually takes and leaves his room, but not without sparing a glance at the picture still lying on his nightstand. As he steps out of his room and into the dining room/kitchen, the air is thick with the rich scent of coffee brewing. Leon breathes in the aroma and already feels just the slightest bit better. He must’ve not slept in as late as he originally thought. He pulled the kettle out of the Coffee Maker and poured himself a steaming mug of the caffeinated liquid, adding just enough milk and sugar to take away the overwhelming bitterness.When he took that first sip, he felt all his worries slip away. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end. “Squall!” Yuffie burst through the kitchen door, disrupting Leon’s small moment of peace that morning.The man groaned irritably and glared at the girl — if looks could kill, Yuffie would have been incinerated. “Can I at least finish my coffee before you start rambling whatever nonsense it is you absolutely have to tell me?”. Leon didn’t even bother correcting her about his name, he was just so tired and all he wanted to do was have one nice, piping hot mug of coffee before getting dragged into some scheme Yuffie was planning. Just one. “Trust me, you’re going to want to hear this, Leon.” Aerith entered behind Yuffie, distress clear in her voice. Leon set his mug down on the kitchen counter and took in a deep breath, easing his boiling blood. “Must be important if it’s got you worried, Aerith.” He ran his fingers through his hair, yet another sigh escaping him. He followed them into the living room where he saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy, but no [Name]. He didn’t even question it at first. Leon assumed she was just in the fourth district gushing over how cute all the pets were. That didn’t explain the nervous look on Sora’s face, nor the tense atmosphere in the room. “I’m guessing [Name] isn’t in the fourth district looking at dogs, is she?” Leon felt a headache coming on when Sora shook his head, prompting him to sit down in a spare chair. He held his face in his hands, “Are you going to tell me what happened or no?” Thus Sora recounted everything that happened between leaving Traverse Town and coming back here, not leaving out a single detail. Leon had his elbows resting on his thighs and his fingers were massaging his temples, “What I’m gathering from all this, Sora, is that you lost an entire person. Why did you let her out of your sight to begin with?” Sora felt a bit irritated with Leon at his remark. “Why did I let her out of my sight? Because [Name] is a strong person who can take care of herself and doesn’t need me or you, or anyone for that matter, to babysit her. That’s why, Leon.” He said. Or at least he would’ve, if Leon wasn’t so damn intimidating. He’d barely survived his fight with Leon when they first met, and sure, Sora has grown in strength and ability since then, but he wasn’t going to risk the chance of being obliterated by the older male. “Way to stick up for me, Sora. Great job, truly amazing.” Sora could hear [Name] now. He could imagine that irritated look in her beautiful [e/c] eyes, her pursed lips and furrowed brows. How she’d have her hands on her hips and her head would be tilted just the slightest bit to the side. For a moment, he thought he had really seen her there in front of him. But the moment he blinked, she was gone. “There’s an upside to all this, really.” The keyblade wielder assured Leon and himself.It was a lie, there was no upside, but he was just hoping to whatever higher power in existence that Leon would believe him. Sora shrunk back as Leon stood up from his seat, towering over the islander. “What’s the upside to [Name] being missing, Sora? Please, tell me.” “Oh, um, well, you see,” Sora laughed nervously. “I thought you’d just…I thought you’d just take my word for it and not actually ask me. I don’t— there’s no actual upside to any of this.” Before Leon could bite Sora’s head off, Donald spoke up, “So, where’s Cid? We have a new navigation gummi for him to install!” “There’s a chance [Name] could be at one of the new worlds we explore, right Sora?” Goofy put a hand on the teen’s shoulder. “Uh, right!” Leon took a moment to breathe and willed his anger away, “You better hope she is, Sora, or so help me—“ “Cid should be at his shop in the first district or somewhere around there.” Aerith interrupted Leon’s threat. “We’ll head there right now! See you guys later!” Sora practically hightailed it out onto the streets of Traverse Town, scared to be in the same room as Leon for even another second. He could always play it off as him being eager to find [Name], if need be.
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I'm sorry to everyone who enjoyed reading this but i haven't really had any interest in writing this story for the past year or so. My interests have shifted elsewhere and at this point in time, I don't see myself continuing this story. Maybe I'll pick it back up in the future but for now, I'm discontinuing this. If you'd like to request any oneshots or scenarios about kingdom hearts, you can visit my tumblrOver there, I write mostly for My Hero Academia at the moment but I'm slowly expanding into other fandoms, so if you could request something, that'd be wonderful and much appreciated :) Thank you for the support of Radiance