Fanfiction ► Destiny's Fate -
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Just thought i'd let you guys know really quick about my artwork:
I'm drawing Anna's keyblade
The pic of Melanie has been canceled
I'm still working on the pic of Anna
The pics of ppl will NOT have facial features (eyes, mouth, nose, etc.) cause i can't draw that stuff small or else it's a disaster
I will have the pics up, though - i promise!
I'm drawing Anna's keyblade
The pic of Melanie has been canceled
I'm still working on the pic of Anna
The pics of ppl will NOT have facial features (eyes, mouth, nose, etc.) cause i can't draw that stuff small or else it's a disaster
I will have the pics up, though - i promise!
Lol, well tell us when you get them up, ok?
I will!
(25 character rule)
(25 character rule)
Nice chapters!! And I can't wait to see Anna's friends in a real fight^^
Glad you liked the chappies, Lectori!
Sorry my updates take so long - having a 5-day-a-week job doens't leave much time for this!
Anyway, here's the new chappie! Enjoy!
Chapter 70
Anna stood there, on the beach. She didn’t know where she was, and now she was alone. She opened a portal to where she had just been before she walked onto the beach. She walked through it quickly, and stepped back into Refuge of War. “Dane?” She looked around. All she saw was blood staining the grass around her. “Oh no. No, no, no, no. Dane?! Dane!” She called out to him, but she knew he couldn’t hear her. He wasn’t there; he was gone.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Dane behind her, with a portal closing behind him. “Dane! Oh my gosh, I thought you were gone. Are you okay?” Anna exclaimed. “Yea, I’m fine.” He said. She didn’t believe him much, though. His voice sounded weak, he had blood smears all over him, and he had some bruises on his arms. He looked pretty weak overall, at the moment. “Anna, if I…” Dane struggled to finish. “Let me open a portal, and I’ll take you to the hospital in Twilight Town.” Anna said as she held out her arm to her side almost instinctively. A portal started to form, but it closed when Dane took her arm and gently pushed it down. Anna could feel the blood on his palm.
“Dane, look at you, you can barely stand. You need some help.” She persisted. “I’m past getting help. It wouldn’t do any good.” He said quietly. His knees suddenly gave out on him, and he collapsed. “Dane!” Anna fell to her knees and helped him lay on his back. “Anna, if I…said I was sorry…could you, ever forgive me?” He said in between short breaths. “I already forgave you. You already said you were sorry, anyway.” She said as she checked him over to make sure he didn’t have any punctures in him. She stopped when she found one; a stab in his chest. She almost couldn’t see it because of his dark clothing, and because he was covered in blood.
“Oh my gosh, Dane, I don’t care what you say, I’m taking you to the hospital.” She stood up and did curaga on him as many times as she could before she ran out of magic. “Anna, I meant I’m, sorry for leaving, you here alone. Tell Riku, I’m sorry for, everything I, did.” He breathed out weakly. “But you’re here, Dane; you didn’t leave me – no, Dane, you are not going to die. I’m getting you to a hospital.” She held out her arm, but Dane gently pushed it down, again. “Dane, you, you can’t…” Anna felt hot tears welling up in her eyes. “Let me try to help you, please.” Anna whispered as a tear rolled down her face.
“I don’t want you to. You’ve helped me enough.” He said with a weak smile. “Dane, no.” Anna couldn’t say anymore. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at him. She felt a warm hand cup the side of her face. “I’m so sorry.” Dane whispered. Anna grabbed his hand on her face and held it, trying not to cry. She opened her eyes and saw his staff appear in his other hand, which was on the ground beside him.
“I couldn’t seem to do anything good with this. I first left Earth two years ago. Maleficent found me first, and she made me her apprentice. She kept me a secret, so no one would know about me. While exploring other worlds, I ran into Xemnas at the World that Never Was. He made me his apprentice, also. Neither of my masters knew about the other, so I didn’t tell them. When I thought Sora had actually killed Maleficent, I started making plans to kill him. Then when Xemnas died by Sora, I made it my goal in life to kill those closest to him, so he would know how I felt, and then kill him. Both of my masters told me it should be my sole objective to eliminate them, anyway.
“I went to Traverse Town and started in the healing school, for my own benefit for when I would go to kill Sora and his friends. I almost killed them, but I didn’t. I stopped myself, because of you. Since I knew you, and I considered you to be a friend, I didn’t want to kill you. I liked you, but when I saw Riku…I wanted to kill him.
“But you showed me that I was wrong; that I was wrong about everything. You showed me that I could change, and I did. I did change, for you. I just wanted you to like me, and I wanted to stop doing all the wrong things that I had been doing. When I saw how much you and Riku cared for each other, though – when you mentioned him, I could see it in your eyes. Yesterday, when we talked, I realized that I was a horrible person, trying to separate you two so I could have you. I just want you to forgive me, Anna. I don’t even deserve it, though.”
Anna was crying now. Dane wiped the tears off her face. “I already forgave you, Dane.” She said quietly. “Say it again.” He insisted. “I forgive you.” She whispered. A smile formed on Dane’s face, and he closed his eyes. “Dane! Don’t leave me here!” She exclaimed. “I’m not going anywhere, yet.” He said. He held his staff up to her, wanting her to take it. “I couldn’t do any good with it. It just appeared in my hands the first time I had to fight when I got here. It was given to me so I could use it to fight against the evil. Instead, I just gave into all of it.” He paused.
“I want you to redeem it. Use it for what it’s meant for.” He placed it in her hands, since she couldn’t bring herself to take him from it. It turned a whitish-silver when she held it. Dane smiled again. “That’s what it’s supposed to look like.” He wiped more tears from her face. “Anna, promise me something.” Anna nodded, waiting for him to finish. “Promise me you’ll redeem it; that you’ll redeem its cause.” Anna swallowed hard. “I’ll redeem it; I promise.” She whispered. “Anna, why are people so scared of dying?” Dane asked quietly. His voice sounded clearer now, and he looked stronger. Anna knew why. “I don’t know, Dane.” She looked up at the sky, as if she was looking for Heaven.
She felt more tears burning in her eyes, and they started pouring out and down her face. “Don’t cry for me; I don’t deserve to be cried over. Going to Heaven can’t be that sad, can it? I heard once, that death is a beautiful tragedy. Now I know what that means.” Dane said as a new smile formed on his face. “You know what it means, right?” Dane asked Anna, looking over at her. “Yea, I do.” She whispered. Dane wiped more tears from her face, and cupped the back of her head. He pulled her closer to his head, and whispered, “Tell Riku to never take love for granted.”
He let Anna pull back, and saw that she smiled a little. She felt like crying, but she found that she could smile. She smiled for Dane, so he wouldn’t leave her having to watch her cry. “Goodnight, Anna.” He whispered. “Goodnight, Dane.” She whispered. Dane smiled and slowly closed his eyes, the last thing he saw being Anna’s blue eyes, flowing blonde hair, and soft smile. The last thing he felt was the grass beneath him, the warm breeze blowing gently, the blood slowly leaking from his wound, and a warm, delicate hand – Anna’s hand – holding his hand loosely. He couldn’t think of a better way to leave than this. “Goodnight, friend.” He whispered, using his last breath.
Anna closed her eyes. “Goodnight, friend.” She whispered back, although he didn’t hear it. She opened her eyes and saw his emotionless face, with eyes closed. He was gone.
I always wondered what it was going to be like when I died. I always imagined my death as being the end. Death is not the end – it’s just a new beginning. It’s better than I thought it would be. I couldn’t feel any more pain. I only felt…happiness. I felt whole again. I looked down, and saw Anna. She was walking away, holding my staff. She was going to redeem it. She was going to redeem my cause – I knew she would.
Sorry my updates take so long - having a 5-day-a-week job doens't leave much time for this!
Anyway, here's the new chappie! Enjoy!
Chapter 70
Anna stood there, on the beach. She didn’t know where she was, and now she was alone. She opened a portal to where she had just been before she walked onto the beach. She walked through it quickly, and stepped back into Refuge of War. “Dane?” She looked around. All she saw was blood staining the grass around her. “Oh no. No, no, no, no. Dane?! Dane!” She called out to him, but she knew he couldn’t hear her. He wasn’t there; he was gone.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Dane behind her, with a portal closing behind him. “Dane! Oh my gosh, I thought you were gone. Are you okay?” Anna exclaimed. “Yea, I’m fine.” He said. She didn’t believe him much, though. His voice sounded weak, he had blood smears all over him, and he had some bruises on his arms. He looked pretty weak overall, at the moment. “Anna, if I…” Dane struggled to finish. “Let me open a portal, and I’ll take you to the hospital in Twilight Town.” Anna said as she held out her arm to her side almost instinctively. A portal started to form, but it closed when Dane took her arm and gently pushed it down. Anna could feel the blood on his palm.
“Dane, look at you, you can barely stand. You need some help.” She persisted. “I’m past getting help. It wouldn’t do any good.” He said quietly. His knees suddenly gave out on him, and he collapsed. “Dane!” Anna fell to her knees and helped him lay on his back. “Anna, if I…said I was sorry…could you, ever forgive me?” He said in between short breaths. “I already forgave you. You already said you were sorry, anyway.” She said as she checked him over to make sure he didn’t have any punctures in him. She stopped when she found one; a stab in his chest. She almost couldn’t see it because of his dark clothing, and because he was covered in blood.
“Oh my gosh, Dane, I don’t care what you say, I’m taking you to the hospital.” She stood up and did curaga on him as many times as she could before she ran out of magic. “Anna, I meant I’m, sorry for leaving, you here alone. Tell Riku, I’m sorry for, everything I, did.” He breathed out weakly. “But you’re here, Dane; you didn’t leave me – no, Dane, you are not going to die. I’m getting you to a hospital.” She held out her arm, but Dane gently pushed it down, again. “Dane, you, you can’t…” Anna felt hot tears welling up in her eyes. “Let me try to help you, please.” Anna whispered as a tear rolled down her face.
“I don’t want you to. You’ve helped me enough.” He said with a weak smile. “Dane, no.” Anna couldn’t say anymore. She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at him. She felt a warm hand cup the side of her face. “I’m so sorry.” Dane whispered. Anna grabbed his hand on her face and held it, trying not to cry. She opened her eyes and saw his staff appear in his other hand, which was on the ground beside him.
“I couldn’t seem to do anything good with this. I first left Earth two years ago. Maleficent found me first, and she made me her apprentice. She kept me a secret, so no one would know about me. While exploring other worlds, I ran into Xemnas at the World that Never Was. He made me his apprentice, also. Neither of my masters knew about the other, so I didn’t tell them. When I thought Sora had actually killed Maleficent, I started making plans to kill him. Then when Xemnas died by Sora, I made it my goal in life to kill those closest to him, so he would know how I felt, and then kill him. Both of my masters told me it should be my sole objective to eliminate them, anyway.
“I went to Traverse Town and started in the healing school, for my own benefit for when I would go to kill Sora and his friends. I almost killed them, but I didn’t. I stopped myself, because of you. Since I knew you, and I considered you to be a friend, I didn’t want to kill you. I liked you, but when I saw Riku…I wanted to kill him.
“But you showed me that I was wrong; that I was wrong about everything. You showed me that I could change, and I did. I did change, for you. I just wanted you to like me, and I wanted to stop doing all the wrong things that I had been doing. When I saw how much you and Riku cared for each other, though – when you mentioned him, I could see it in your eyes. Yesterday, when we talked, I realized that I was a horrible person, trying to separate you two so I could have you. I just want you to forgive me, Anna. I don’t even deserve it, though.”
Anna was crying now. Dane wiped the tears off her face. “I already forgave you, Dane.” She said quietly. “Say it again.” He insisted. “I forgive you.” She whispered. A smile formed on Dane’s face, and he closed his eyes. “Dane! Don’t leave me here!” She exclaimed. “I’m not going anywhere, yet.” He said. He held his staff up to her, wanting her to take it. “I couldn’t do any good with it. It just appeared in my hands the first time I had to fight when I got here. It was given to me so I could use it to fight against the evil. Instead, I just gave into all of it.” He paused.
“I want you to redeem it. Use it for what it’s meant for.” He placed it in her hands, since she couldn’t bring herself to take him from it. It turned a whitish-silver when she held it. Dane smiled again. “That’s what it’s supposed to look like.” He wiped more tears from her face. “Anna, promise me something.” Anna nodded, waiting for him to finish. “Promise me you’ll redeem it; that you’ll redeem its cause.” Anna swallowed hard. “I’ll redeem it; I promise.” She whispered. “Anna, why are people so scared of dying?” Dane asked quietly. His voice sounded clearer now, and he looked stronger. Anna knew why. “I don’t know, Dane.” She looked up at the sky, as if she was looking for Heaven.
She felt more tears burning in her eyes, and they started pouring out and down her face. “Don’t cry for me; I don’t deserve to be cried over. Going to Heaven can’t be that sad, can it? I heard once, that death is a beautiful tragedy. Now I know what that means.” Dane said as a new smile formed on his face. “You know what it means, right?” Dane asked Anna, looking over at her. “Yea, I do.” She whispered. Dane wiped more tears from her face, and cupped the back of her head. He pulled her closer to his head, and whispered, “Tell Riku to never take love for granted.”
He let Anna pull back, and saw that she smiled a little. She felt like crying, but she found that she could smile. She smiled for Dane, so he wouldn’t leave her having to watch her cry. “Goodnight, Anna.” He whispered. “Goodnight, Dane.” She whispered. Dane smiled and slowly closed his eyes, the last thing he saw being Anna’s blue eyes, flowing blonde hair, and soft smile. The last thing he felt was the grass beneath him, the warm breeze blowing gently, the blood slowly leaking from his wound, and a warm, delicate hand – Anna’s hand – holding his hand loosely. He couldn’t think of a better way to leave than this. “Goodnight, friend.” He whispered, using his last breath.
Anna closed her eyes. “Goodnight, friend.” She whispered back, although he didn’t hear it. She opened her eyes and saw his emotionless face, with eyes closed. He was gone.
I always wondered what it was going to be like when I died. I always imagined my death as being the end. Death is not the end – it’s just a new beginning. It’s better than I thought it would be. I couldn’t feel any more pain. I only felt…happiness. I felt whole again. I looked down, and saw Anna. She was walking away, holding my staff. She was going to redeem it. She was going to redeem my cause – I knew she would.
T
trazin
Guest
wow that was extremely sad it did seem like crisis core
I've never played Crisis Core, but i've seen the ending of it, & i guess it is similar. I didn't copy or plan that, though!
Sorry i've been gone for so long, but my summer is pretty hectic. Really. So, now that i finally have the time, here's a new chappie!!! Enjoy!
Chapter 71
“So, did you guys find anything?” “Nope.” “Sora, you guys were out all day; you had to have found something.” “Bethany and Emily found weapons. That’s it.” Sora answered. He was sitting across from Kairi, who was lying on her side in her hospital bed. Riku was sitting in a chair beside Sora’s. Sora and Riku had got back from Earth moments ago, and it was nine forty-two.
“No signs of Anna or Dane? At all?” Kairi asked, persistently thinking that they had to have found at least some sort of clue to their whereabouts. “We didn’t find anything; seriously.” Riku replied, looking at the white tile floor. “You’ll find her.” Kiari reassured Riku. He didn’t move, but Sora and Kairi weren’t surprised. He had never been one to show his feelings openly unless he really wanted to, which was almost never, so he really never showed his emotions when he was in a negative mood.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Kairi asked Sora, surprised he hadn’t mentioned hunger yet. “No; we ate supper on Earth not too long ago. Bethany and Emily paid for us, since we don’t have their kind of munny.” “They don’t have munny at all, Sora. They have a different kind of currency.” Riku said, looking up at him.
“Is Earth really that big; that you couldn’t find anything concerning Anna or Dane?” Kairi asked again. “Okay, picture this: take all the worlds we know of besides Earth, put them all together, do that process twice, and then put the two mega-sized worlds together. That would be how big Earth is.” Sora said, acing like he was crushing all the worlds into one with his hands. Kairi’s eyes went wide. “That big?!” She exclaimed. “Yep.” Sora smiled. “That’s huge.” Kairi muttered to herself.
“When do they let you out of the hospital?” Riku asked Kairi, changing the conversation. “I think they said tomorrow.” She answered happily; this meant she could go to Earth with them. “How much of Earth have you covered so far?” She asked. “About…one quadrillionth.” Sora grinned. Riku saw Kairi’s disbelief, and even though she had a good reason to not belief Sora, he knew Sora was right. “He’s right.” Riku thought out loud. “Oh my gosh, how are we supposed to find them on a world that big?!” Kairi sighed. “We look.” Sora answered her question, even though she wasn’t really asking anyone. “You’re a genius, Sora.” She rolled her eyes, although she was smiling. “I know.” He smiled; he couldn’t help smiling when she smiled.
“I’ll take the chair tonight.” Riku mentioned when Sora yawned, making Kairi yawn. “Why is yawning contagious?” Sora asked another question none of them knew the answer to, and he knew that. “Cause – that’s why.” Kairi said sarcastically. “Sarcasm from Kairi! I can’t believe it!” Sora faked a gasp and acted like he was shocked. “Stop it!” Kairi laughed.
“What time are you leaving to go back to Earth tomorrow?” Kairi asked Riku after she had stopped laughing. “Same time as I did today.” He answered. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to leave in the morning, but I should be able to leave by the afternoon.” Kairi said as she flipped over on her back and yawned again, making Sora yawn. Riku had never found yawning to be contagious to him; he just never had to yawn when other people yawned.
“I’m going to sleep; I’m too tired to stay up late tonight.” Kairi said as she crawled under the covers of her bed. “Night, Kai.” Sora said. “Night, Sora.” She replied softly, already drifting off into sleep. “Night, Kairi.” Riku said quickly, before she fell asleep. “Night, Riku.” She replied even softer than before, close to a whisper. After a minute or so, she was asleep. Sora turned off the light and turned on the lamp farthest away from Kairi, in effort to not wake her up. Riku watched him silently.
“I’m going to bed, too. I’m worn out. Night, Riku.” “Night, Sora.” After a few minutes or so, Sora was asleep. Riku was left sitting in the chair, silently. He was worn out, but not as much as Sora was. He was tied, be he couldn’t go to sleep. He had too much on his mind. Where was he supposed to find Anna? What if Dane decided he didn’t like her after all? Would he try to kill her? If she were alone, somehow, would she be okay? He knew she could take care of herself, but he would’ve felt better if he could’ve been there with her, to protect her.
Something caught Riku’s attention; the doorknob on the door from the hallway to the room was turning, and it was about to open. He stood up and walked up to it quickly, so Kairi and Sora wouldn’t wake up. He didn’t know if it was just a nurse, or if it was someone else, but he felt nervous. The door opened, and a very familiar blonde-haired, blue-eyed, teenage girl silently stepped in the room. She stopped when she saw Riku, and Riku did the same when he saw her.
Sorry i've been gone for so long, but my summer is pretty hectic. Really. So, now that i finally have the time, here's a new chappie!!! Enjoy!
Chapter 71
“So, did you guys find anything?” “Nope.” “Sora, you guys were out all day; you had to have found something.” “Bethany and Emily found weapons. That’s it.” Sora answered. He was sitting across from Kairi, who was lying on her side in her hospital bed. Riku was sitting in a chair beside Sora’s. Sora and Riku had got back from Earth moments ago, and it was nine forty-two.
“No signs of Anna or Dane? At all?” Kairi asked, persistently thinking that they had to have found at least some sort of clue to their whereabouts. “We didn’t find anything; seriously.” Riku replied, looking at the white tile floor. “You’ll find her.” Kiari reassured Riku. He didn’t move, but Sora and Kairi weren’t surprised. He had never been one to show his feelings openly unless he really wanted to, which was almost never, so he really never showed his emotions when he was in a negative mood.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Kairi asked Sora, surprised he hadn’t mentioned hunger yet. “No; we ate supper on Earth not too long ago. Bethany and Emily paid for us, since we don’t have their kind of munny.” “They don’t have munny at all, Sora. They have a different kind of currency.” Riku said, looking up at him.
“Is Earth really that big; that you couldn’t find anything concerning Anna or Dane?” Kairi asked again. “Okay, picture this: take all the worlds we know of besides Earth, put them all together, do that process twice, and then put the two mega-sized worlds together. That would be how big Earth is.” Sora said, acing like he was crushing all the worlds into one with his hands. Kairi’s eyes went wide. “That big?!” She exclaimed. “Yep.” Sora smiled. “That’s huge.” Kairi muttered to herself.
“When do they let you out of the hospital?” Riku asked Kairi, changing the conversation. “I think they said tomorrow.” She answered happily; this meant she could go to Earth with them. “How much of Earth have you covered so far?” She asked. “About…one quadrillionth.” Sora grinned. Riku saw Kairi’s disbelief, and even though she had a good reason to not belief Sora, he knew Sora was right. “He’s right.” Riku thought out loud. “Oh my gosh, how are we supposed to find them on a world that big?!” Kairi sighed. “We look.” Sora answered her question, even though she wasn’t really asking anyone. “You’re a genius, Sora.” She rolled her eyes, although she was smiling. “I know.” He smiled; he couldn’t help smiling when she smiled.
“I’ll take the chair tonight.” Riku mentioned when Sora yawned, making Kairi yawn. “Why is yawning contagious?” Sora asked another question none of them knew the answer to, and he knew that. “Cause – that’s why.” Kairi said sarcastically. “Sarcasm from Kairi! I can’t believe it!” Sora faked a gasp and acted like he was shocked. “Stop it!” Kairi laughed.
“What time are you leaving to go back to Earth tomorrow?” Kairi asked Riku after she had stopped laughing. “Same time as I did today.” He answered. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to leave in the morning, but I should be able to leave by the afternoon.” Kairi said as she flipped over on her back and yawned again, making Sora yawn. Riku had never found yawning to be contagious to him; he just never had to yawn when other people yawned.
“I’m going to sleep; I’m too tired to stay up late tonight.” Kairi said as she crawled under the covers of her bed. “Night, Kai.” Sora said. “Night, Sora.” She replied softly, already drifting off into sleep. “Night, Kairi.” Riku said quickly, before she fell asleep. “Night, Riku.” She replied even softer than before, close to a whisper. After a minute or so, she was asleep. Sora turned off the light and turned on the lamp farthest away from Kairi, in effort to not wake her up. Riku watched him silently.
“I’m going to bed, too. I’m worn out. Night, Riku.” “Night, Sora.” After a few minutes or so, Sora was asleep. Riku was left sitting in the chair, silently. He was worn out, but not as much as Sora was. He was tied, be he couldn’t go to sleep. He had too much on his mind. Where was he supposed to find Anna? What if Dane decided he didn’t like her after all? Would he try to kill her? If she were alone, somehow, would she be okay? He knew she could take care of herself, but he would’ve felt better if he could’ve been there with her, to protect her.
Something caught Riku’s attention; the doorknob on the door from the hallway to the room was turning, and it was about to open. He stood up and walked up to it quickly, so Kairi and Sora wouldn’t wake up. He didn’t know if it was just a nurse, or if it was someone else, but he felt nervous. The door opened, and a very familiar blonde-haired, blue-eyed, teenage girl silently stepped in the room. She stopped when she saw Riku, and Riku did the same when he saw her.
A CLIFFY!
Great chappie. I've been waiting FOREVER! Lol, I don't want to rush you or anything.
Well, I guess waiting is good. It helps me love the chapter more than I already do
Not that I don't love your fanfic already.
Maybe I should shut up now.
Great chapter!
Great chappie. I've been waiting FOREVER! Lol, I don't want to rush you or anything.
Well, I guess waiting is good. It helps me love the chapter more than I already do
Not that I don't love your fanfic already.
Maybe I should shut up now.
Great chapter!
lol you don't have to shut up. glad you like the chappie, though!
I'm back & i have a new chappie w/ me!
Here it is! Enjoy!
Chapter 72
“Anna, are you okay?” He asked, and walked closer to her. She only looked down. Riku saw a tear fall from her face. “What’s wrong, Anna?” He asked quietly. Anna sniffed quietly and looked up at him. “Dane died.” She answered, trying to hold back the tears. Riku was confused; why should she be crying over an enemy’s death? “He changed, Riku. Before he died, he changed.” She sniffed. “Come out here.” He motioned her back out the door, and followed her out. The room next to them was empty, so Riku led her inside it and shut the door behind him. “He changed? For the better, or did he get worse?” He asked as he sat down across from Anna. “For the better. He said he was sorry, and he messed up really bad, and stuff like that. He was really, really sorry. He really meant it, Riku.” She sniffed more and wiped tears out of her eyes.
Riku couldn’t believe what he was hearing. But since it was coming from Anna, he knew it had to be true. “I’m sorry, Anna. I’m sorry he’s gone.” Riku said. Anna suddenly started crying out loud, and she held her face in her hands. Riku sat down right beside her on the bed she was sitting on and wrapped his arms around her. He held her protectively, sympathetically, and happily; he was sorry for her, but he was happy she was there again. “It’s going to be okay.” Riku whispered in her ear.
She nodded slightly, and kept on crying. She leaned herself up against his chest and curled her arms in. Riku stroked her hair as she cried. He tried to comfort her, but he knew he couldn’t keep the pain of her friend’s death from her. He felt a tear roll down his cheek. He realized he had tears burning in his eyes. Seeing Anna hurt like this, it made hurt him, too. He quickly suppressed his tears, feeling like he shouldn’t cry - like he needed to be strong, for Anna.
After a while, Anna’s crying turned into sniffing and tear wiping, and then it stopped all together. Riku was still stroking her hair, holding her. He could barely feel her warm, soft breath on his arm as she leaned against him; her eyes closed. She listened to his steady heartbeat, and she suddenly felt really calm. She felt so safe there, in his arms; like nothing bad was ever going to happen to her because Riku wasn’t going to let it happen.
“Anna?” Riku talked quietly. “Yea?” “You okay now?” “Yea.” She answered softly. Riku expected her to get up or something, but she didn’t. She stayed there, with his arms holding her tightly. He didn’t really want her to leave, but he was surprised that she didn’t. Riku smiled and began stroking her hair again, since he had stopped when he asked her if she was okay. “I tried to get here as quickly as I could, but I needed to be alone for a little while, and then-” Riku cut her off before she could finish. “You don’t have to explain any of that right now. It can wait.” Riku said, knowing she didn’t really want to explain everything at the moment.
“Anna?” “Yea?” “Look at me for a second.” Anna scooted back enough to sit up straight and looked at Riku. She immediately captivated him: her beautiful eyes, her gentle smile, and the barely noticeable blush that was showing up across her cheeks. Even though you could easily tell she had been crying hard, Riku still thought she was absolutely beautiful. For a moment, he couldn’t breath. He tried to say something, but no words came out. Anna didn’t seem to notice. He swallowed in an attempt to make his vocal chords work, which to his surprise, actually worked. Still looking in her eyes, he suddenly noticed something different; they weren’t as bright as normal. He saw a new emotion flooding into her eyes, and that emotion was fear.
“What’s wrong? Don’t lie, either.” He finally said. He knew her well enough to know when something was wrong, even though she was good enough at hiding her emotions that no one would notice – except for Riku. Masking her feelings never seemed to work on him. It relieved her in a way to know that there was someone that her emotional masks didn’t work on; she was happy that he could tell when something was wrong.
“I’m just, scared. I don’t even know who killed Dane; he never mentioned it, and I didn’t think to ask. Whoever killed him was after me, too. I got through the portal before he did, and then he died. I’ve had Shadow trying to kill me, but he never actually killed anyone I know. Whoever this is, they’ve killed someone I know, and they’re after me, too. It scares me, that this person’s this serious about killing me. What if he’s after all of us? I mean, he killed Dane, so it’s pretty likely that he’s after all of us, instead of just me.” Anna said, relieved she could let her emotions out to someone who would understand.
Riku took all of what she said in, and thought about it for a minute. Anna looked down at her hands silently. She was scared, but she was still blushing a little. She didn’t understand how someone could feel two emotions like the ones she was feeling at the same time. Sometimes she confused even herself.
Riku knew she was scared. The thing was, she had a right to be scared. They all did. Riku and Anna didn’t even know who this new killer was, who all he was after, or where he was. They pretty much knew nothing. The one thing Riku did know was that he was going to protect Anna with his life. He gently lifted her chin up with his finger so that she was looking at him. Her blush deepened, but only slightly. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. I’m not going to let you get hurt. I promise; I’m going to keep you safe, okay?” He said softly. He was going to keep his new promise, even if it cost him his life.
Anna blushed some more, and the fear vanished from her expression. A tiny smile formed on her mouth. “Okay.” She said, almost in a whisper. Riku pulled her in again and held her in his arms. She put her arms around him and hugged him back. “You better get some sleep. We’re going back to Earth tomorrow.” Riku said after a few moments. Anna pulled back and nodded. “I’ll get Sora up so you can sleep in Kairi’s room. Me and him will share this one.” Riku said as he stood up. Anna stood up after him and walked with him to the door, and then into the other room.
“Get up, Sora. Anna’s sleeping in this bed. You’re sleeping next door. Sora, get up.” Riku shook Sora hard enough to wake him up. “Wha- Anna? She’s not here, Riku.” Sora mumbled as he rolled on his side. Riku resisted the urge to push Sora off the bed. “She is now, Sora. Get up or I’m pushing you off the bed. I’m serious.” Riku was getting impatient. Anna smiled, standing behind Riku. “Can’t she sleep in the other room?” Sora mumbled. “No, I’m sleeping in there, too. And I’m not going to make her share a room with you. Get up already.” Sora didn’t move. Riku pinched his arm and Sora jerked. “What was that for?! You didn’t say you were gonna do that. And why is it so bad to share a room with me?!” Sora said as he rubbed his eyes and then his arm. “If I pushed you off the bed, you’d make too much noise and wake Kairi up. And it’s bad to share a room with you because you talk in your sleep all the time.” Sora groaned and got up. “Night, Anna.” He said as he walked past her. “Night, Sora.” She replied. Sora trudged out the door and let it shut behind him.
“See you in the morning.” Anna quietly said when she sat down on her bed; she didn’t want to wake Kairi up, so she talked almost in a whisper. “Yea.” Riku sat beside her and gently took one of her hands. Anna’s blush returned within seconds. “Don’t worry. In the end, everything will be okay. I promise.” He said with a smile. Anna smiled back at him. “You’ll have to get my permission before you start copyrighting my quotes.” She said. “Can I have permission, then?” He asked. Anna pretended like she was thinking it over, and then said, “I guess so.” “Good.” Riku paused before finishing. “I just want you to know that I’m going to keep you safe. I’m not going to let anything happen to you; I promise.”
Anna’s blush intensified again. “I know. Promise me something else, too.” “Yea?” Anna looked as though she couldn’t find the words to speak. She found the words a few seconds later, though. “Promise me that if something happens to me, you’ll move on.” She said as seriously as she could. Riku looked shocked. “Anna, what…I should be the one saying that. Why…” He didn’t know what to say next. “Promise me, Riku. Please.” She pleaded. “I promise.” He said sincerely, although he didn’t know why she wanted him to promise so badly. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to her, anyway.
“I just want to know that you could move on if something happened to me. That’s all. And in case you ask, I’ll move on if something happens to you, too.” She said in a less serious tone. Riku smiled. “I was going to ask, actually. I could move on, Anna. I couldn’t forget about you, though. I’ll never forget you.” “I won’t forget you either.” Anna said in reply. “Is that a promise?” Riku asked as he smiled. “It is if yours was.” She said. “Then it’s a promise.” He smiled more. He squeezed her hand, and she was afraid she was blushing so much her face looked like a cherry. She intently gazed into his eyes, as he did to her.
Riku leaned closer to her and kissed her on her cheek softly. When he pulled back, Anna looked at him with sparkling, shy eyes and a shy smile. “Night, Anna.” He said as he stood up. “Night, Riku.” She managed to say quietly. Riku smiled and walked silently out the door, shutting it behind him.
Here it is! Enjoy!
Chapter 72
“Anna, are you okay?” He asked, and walked closer to her. She only looked down. Riku saw a tear fall from her face. “What’s wrong, Anna?” He asked quietly. Anna sniffed quietly and looked up at him. “Dane died.” She answered, trying to hold back the tears. Riku was confused; why should she be crying over an enemy’s death? “He changed, Riku. Before he died, he changed.” She sniffed. “Come out here.” He motioned her back out the door, and followed her out. The room next to them was empty, so Riku led her inside it and shut the door behind him. “He changed? For the better, or did he get worse?” He asked as he sat down across from Anna. “For the better. He said he was sorry, and he messed up really bad, and stuff like that. He was really, really sorry. He really meant it, Riku.” She sniffed more and wiped tears out of her eyes.
Riku couldn’t believe what he was hearing. But since it was coming from Anna, he knew it had to be true. “I’m sorry, Anna. I’m sorry he’s gone.” Riku said. Anna suddenly started crying out loud, and she held her face in her hands. Riku sat down right beside her on the bed she was sitting on and wrapped his arms around her. He held her protectively, sympathetically, and happily; he was sorry for her, but he was happy she was there again. “It’s going to be okay.” Riku whispered in her ear.
She nodded slightly, and kept on crying. She leaned herself up against his chest and curled her arms in. Riku stroked her hair as she cried. He tried to comfort her, but he knew he couldn’t keep the pain of her friend’s death from her. He felt a tear roll down his cheek. He realized he had tears burning in his eyes. Seeing Anna hurt like this, it made hurt him, too. He quickly suppressed his tears, feeling like he shouldn’t cry - like he needed to be strong, for Anna.
After a while, Anna’s crying turned into sniffing and tear wiping, and then it stopped all together. Riku was still stroking her hair, holding her. He could barely feel her warm, soft breath on his arm as she leaned against him; her eyes closed. She listened to his steady heartbeat, and she suddenly felt really calm. She felt so safe there, in his arms; like nothing bad was ever going to happen to her because Riku wasn’t going to let it happen.
“Anna?” Riku talked quietly. “Yea?” “You okay now?” “Yea.” She answered softly. Riku expected her to get up or something, but she didn’t. She stayed there, with his arms holding her tightly. He didn’t really want her to leave, but he was surprised that she didn’t. Riku smiled and began stroking her hair again, since he had stopped when he asked her if she was okay. “I tried to get here as quickly as I could, but I needed to be alone for a little while, and then-” Riku cut her off before she could finish. “You don’t have to explain any of that right now. It can wait.” Riku said, knowing she didn’t really want to explain everything at the moment.
“Anna?” “Yea?” “Look at me for a second.” Anna scooted back enough to sit up straight and looked at Riku. She immediately captivated him: her beautiful eyes, her gentle smile, and the barely noticeable blush that was showing up across her cheeks. Even though you could easily tell she had been crying hard, Riku still thought she was absolutely beautiful. For a moment, he couldn’t breath. He tried to say something, but no words came out. Anna didn’t seem to notice. He swallowed in an attempt to make his vocal chords work, which to his surprise, actually worked. Still looking in her eyes, he suddenly noticed something different; they weren’t as bright as normal. He saw a new emotion flooding into her eyes, and that emotion was fear.
“What’s wrong? Don’t lie, either.” He finally said. He knew her well enough to know when something was wrong, even though she was good enough at hiding her emotions that no one would notice – except for Riku. Masking her feelings never seemed to work on him. It relieved her in a way to know that there was someone that her emotional masks didn’t work on; she was happy that he could tell when something was wrong.
“I’m just, scared. I don’t even know who killed Dane; he never mentioned it, and I didn’t think to ask. Whoever killed him was after me, too. I got through the portal before he did, and then he died. I’ve had Shadow trying to kill me, but he never actually killed anyone I know. Whoever this is, they’ve killed someone I know, and they’re after me, too. It scares me, that this person’s this serious about killing me. What if he’s after all of us? I mean, he killed Dane, so it’s pretty likely that he’s after all of us, instead of just me.” Anna said, relieved she could let her emotions out to someone who would understand.
Riku took all of what she said in, and thought about it for a minute. Anna looked down at her hands silently. She was scared, but she was still blushing a little. She didn’t understand how someone could feel two emotions like the ones she was feeling at the same time. Sometimes she confused even herself.
Riku knew she was scared. The thing was, she had a right to be scared. They all did. Riku and Anna didn’t even know who this new killer was, who all he was after, or where he was. They pretty much knew nothing. The one thing Riku did know was that he was going to protect Anna with his life. He gently lifted her chin up with his finger so that she was looking at him. Her blush deepened, but only slightly. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. I’m not going to let you get hurt. I promise; I’m going to keep you safe, okay?” He said softly. He was going to keep his new promise, even if it cost him his life.
Anna blushed some more, and the fear vanished from her expression. A tiny smile formed on her mouth. “Okay.” She said, almost in a whisper. Riku pulled her in again and held her in his arms. She put her arms around him and hugged him back. “You better get some sleep. We’re going back to Earth tomorrow.” Riku said after a few moments. Anna pulled back and nodded. “I’ll get Sora up so you can sleep in Kairi’s room. Me and him will share this one.” Riku said as he stood up. Anna stood up after him and walked with him to the door, and then into the other room.
“Get up, Sora. Anna’s sleeping in this bed. You’re sleeping next door. Sora, get up.” Riku shook Sora hard enough to wake him up. “Wha- Anna? She’s not here, Riku.” Sora mumbled as he rolled on his side. Riku resisted the urge to push Sora off the bed. “She is now, Sora. Get up or I’m pushing you off the bed. I’m serious.” Riku was getting impatient. Anna smiled, standing behind Riku. “Can’t she sleep in the other room?” Sora mumbled. “No, I’m sleeping in there, too. And I’m not going to make her share a room with you. Get up already.” Sora didn’t move. Riku pinched his arm and Sora jerked. “What was that for?! You didn’t say you were gonna do that. And why is it so bad to share a room with me?!” Sora said as he rubbed his eyes and then his arm. “If I pushed you off the bed, you’d make too much noise and wake Kairi up. And it’s bad to share a room with you because you talk in your sleep all the time.” Sora groaned and got up. “Night, Anna.” He said as he walked past her. “Night, Sora.” She replied. Sora trudged out the door and let it shut behind him.
“See you in the morning.” Anna quietly said when she sat down on her bed; she didn’t want to wake Kairi up, so she talked almost in a whisper. “Yea.” Riku sat beside her and gently took one of her hands. Anna’s blush returned within seconds. “Don’t worry. In the end, everything will be okay. I promise.” He said with a smile. Anna smiled back at him. “You’ll have to get my permission before you start copyrighting my quotes.” She said. “Can I have permission, then?” He asked. Anna pretended like she was thinking it over, and then said, “I guess so.” “Good.” Riku paused before finishing. “I just want you to know that I’m going to keep you safe. I’m not going to let anything happen to you; I promise.”
Anna’s blush intensified again. “I know. Promise me something else, too.” “Yea?” Anna looked as though she couldn’t find the words to speak. She found the words a few seconds later, though. “Promise me that if something happens to me, you’ll move on.” She said as seriously as she could. Riku looked shocked. “Anna, what…I should be the one saying that. Why…” He didn’t know what to say next. “Promise me, Riku. Please.” She pleaded. “I promise.” He said sincerely, although he didn’t know why she wanted him to promise so badly. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to her, anyway.
“I just want to know that you could move on if something happened to me. That’s all. And in case you ask, I’ll move on if something happens to you, too.” She said in a less serious tone. Riku smiled. “I was going to ask, actually. I could move on, Anna. I couldn’t forget about you, though. I’ll never forget you.” “I won’t forget you either.” Anna said in reply. “Is that a promise?” Riku asked as he smiled. “It is if yours was.” She said. “Then it’s a promise.” He smiled more. He squeezed her hand, and she was afraid she was blushing so much her face looked like a cherry. She intently gazed into his eyes, as he did to her.
Riku leaned closer to her and kissed her on her cheek softly. When he pulled back, Anna looked at him with sparkling, shy eyes and a shy smile. “Night, Anna.” He said as he stood up. “Night, Riku.” She managed to say quietly. Riku smiled and walked silently out the door, shutting it behind him.
You don't have to wait anymore, KH_Fanatic! Glad you liked the chappie! ^_^
Here's the next chappie, guys! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 73
Kairi slowly opened her eyes and squinted. The window let in a lot of light, and it happened to be shining right on Kairi’s head, making it hard to see anything. She rubbed her eyes and sat up; the light wasn’t in her eyes now, and she could see better. The once fuzzy numbers on the clock now were clear; it was seven forty-two. She looked over to the bed Sora was on, but was shocked to find Anna there, still in deep sleep, instead of Sora. “Wonder when she got here.” Kairi thought out loud.
She heard the door handle click, and she quickly looked at the door. It slowly opened, and Riku walked in. “Morning, Kairi.” He said, a little quieter than normal. “Morning, Riku.” She replied, and then yawned. “Not awake yet?” Riku asked, motioning towards Anna, who lay completely still, breathing shallowly. “No; she’s not a morning person, is she?”
“No, not at all. She’s like Sora.” Riku grinned. “In what way is she like Sora?” Kairi asked. Riku grinned a little more. “Well, she’s a deep sleeper; she’s always hungry; she has her blonde moments; she’d never give into darkness; she’d die for her friends; she can get pretty random; she likes to laugh; she likes to fight – her and Sora are pretty similar. However, there are some obvious differences in their personalities: she’s extremely graceful; she has amazing intuition; she’s really sarcastic, but not usually mean about it; she’s really good at understanding things outside of school; and she’s got good looks.” Riku said, grinning.
“Are you trying to say Sora doesn’t have good looks?!” Kairi knew he wasn’t serious, but she was going to make him take it back. “What? I don’t have good looks, Kairi? Thanks a lot!” Sora said as he stood in the doorway. He had walked in right the words “Sora doesn’t have good looks” came out of her mouth. “No, I didn’t say that! He did! I was telling him he was wrong!” Kairi protested. “’Course he’s wrong – I have an overload of good looks.” Sora said with an overconfident voice. “And who told you that? Cause we all know they’re a liar, for sure.” Riku grinned.
“Riku!” Kairi gasped, although she was starting to laugh. “Riku, you’ve got no room to talk about being ugly! You’re the definition of the world ‘ugly’!” Sora said, used to having to make up quick comebacks. “Last time I checked, the word ‘ugly’ means Sora. Well, at least that’s what the dictionary says.” Riku replied coolly. Sora thought hard. “What to say, what to say, umm…um….”
“What? Nothing else you want to say? Fine, we’ll leave it at this: I look amazing and you’re flat-out ugly.” Riku smiled. “That’s not even close to true, Riku! Even Anna would say so! That’s if she was here.” Sora protested. “Huh? What would I do?” Anna muttered. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. She looked at the three of them, confused. “What would I do?” She again asked, still partly asleep.
“When’d you get here? And do you think I’m ugly?” Sora immediately asked her. She looked surprised to be asked a question like that. “ I got here last night. And, um…no; you’re not ugly.” She answered cautiously; she was afraid they were going to use her answer against her somehow as a joke. “Ha! See, she thinks I’m hot!” Sora punched a fist into the air. Anna’s eyes opened wide. “Uh, Sora, I didn’t say that.” She quickly mentioned. “So you do think I’m ugly?” He looked slightly upset. “No, you’re not ugly. It’s, just, weird for me to say you’re hot. That’s just, weird.” She said, nervous Kairi was going to get mad at her. “I just don’t look at you like that; you’re too much like a brother, or a cousin, or something like that.” Anna explained carefully, not wanting to hurt Sora’s feelings or upset Kairi.
“Do you think Riku’s ugly?” Sora asked, feeling triumphant again. “Noooo…why are you asking me these questions?” “I’ll explain after we get done with this. If you don’t think he’s ugly, do you think he’s hot?” Sora asked, smiling slightly. He knew Riku’s face would be totally red if he didn’t know how to keep his emotions concealed. “Uh, that’s kinda an awkward question, Sora…” Anna didn’t want to answer.
“They got into one of their arguments about who’s better looking. Let’s talk about something worthwhile now. When did you get back last night, Anna?” Kairi suddenly changed the subject, knowing Anna’s reluctance to answering the question she’d been asked by Sora. “Uh, pretty late. You two were asleep.” She pointed to Kairi and Sora. “So it was just you and her. Did you confess your love for her, while you had ‘alone’ time?” Sora whispered in Riku’s ear, almost silently. Riku jabbed his elbow into Sora’s ribs, and Sora groaned slightly. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’.” Sora muttered, rubbing his ribs slowly. Riku kept his cool expression, as if he hadn’t done anything.
“So, if you were with Dane? Where is he now?” Kairi asked. “Um, he’s…gone.” Anna answered quietly as she looked down and forced herself not to cry. “Gone? Where is he, then?” Sora asked. “He’s gone, Sora.” Riku whispered, hoping Sora would understand. “I know he’s gone, but where is ‘gone’?” Sora asked. Anna closed her eyes and held her breath. “Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry; he’s happy now; he’s in a better place now; he died happy; he was ready to die; don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry…”
“He’s…dead, Sora.” Riku said quietly. Kairi looked at Riku with eyes filled with shock and horror. Sora’s eyes were filled with shock and confusion. “Why is that bad? He’s our enemy.” Sora questioned Riku, again in his next-to-silent voice. “He changed; that’s what she said. He got on good terms with her before he died, and she said he was sorry about everything and he knew he messed up. They were friends, Sora.” Riku explained, in the same tone of voice. Sora silently nodded in comprehension.
“I’m so sorry, Anna.” Kairi said comfortingly. Anna suppressed her sad emotions, looked up at Kairi, and put on a small smile. “It’s okay; I’ll be fine.” She said. “Are you sure you’re all right?” Sora asked, unsure of whether she meant it or not. “I’ll be fine, really.” She persisted. “Okay, then. What are we doing today?” Sora asked.
“We need to go back to Earth. Emily and Bethany will be waiting for us, and we’ve got a lot to figure out.” Riku answered, leaning against the wall behind him. “They know you guys already?” Anna asked, looking at Kairi, then at Sora. “Not me; just Riku and Sora.” Kairi said. “When do we leave?” Anna asked. She looked up at Riku, and suddenly blushed just barely enough for him to notice. He could see right through her emotional mask, and she knew it. “I said I’ll be fine, and I meant it. I will be fine…eventually.”
“As soon as we can, I guess.” Riku said, looking straight at her. He knew she was still hurting; Dane, her friends on Earth, and her family were a lot for her to handle emotionally. He felt bad for her; she always seemed to have something going wrong in her life. But, then again, they all did. “Then let’s go!” Sora said enthusiastically.
“Not yet, Sora. I have to have the doctor’s permission before I leave.” Kairi said. “Why? You look fine to me.” “You can’t see my blood transfusion, Sora. That’s why I’m still here, because I have someone else’s blood in my body, and they need to make sure it’s not going to shut my body down or something.” She said. “Oh, okay then.” He smiled at his being naïve and rubbed the back of his head. “I knew that.” He muttered.
“Excuse me; it’s time to do your final tests.” They turned around to see a doctor standing in the door. The doctor looked at Riku, Sora, and Kairi like they were intruders. “We’re just visiting.” Sora said quickly. The doctor nodded and went over to Kairi’s bed. “So, how do you feel?” He asked. He was close to being elderly, and he almost sounded like a grandfather. “Fine.” Kairi answered simply. “Had any headaches recently? Any pain?” “No, not that I can think of.” “All right, then. I’ll just have to give you one last shot, and then you’ll be free to get out of here.” He said with a smile.
Kairi smiled; he obviously knew she was ready to leave. However, he smiled disappeared when she saw a nurse roll in a small tray with needles and other things on it. The doctor looked through the needles, and once he found the one he wanted to use, he started assembling all the other pieces together.
“I thought you weren’t afraid of shots anymore.” Sora whispered in her ear. She looked over and saw him leaning down by her. “So did I, until I had to get one when I got here.” She whispered back. “It’s okay, Kairi. It’s not like they’re going to pump toxins into your body.” “I know that; it’s the ‘pumping into my body’ part that doesn’t sound appealing.” Kairi said as she fearfully watched the doctor put the fluid into the now large needle. Sora held her hand that was closest to him. He squeezed it; his way of letting her know she was going to be fine. She smiled at him for a moment and squeezed his hand back.
“I’ll need you to lay your arm out straight and just relax. Try saying the alphabet backwards.” The doctor said as he swabbed the inside of Kairi’s elbow with a wet cotton ball. She cringed as she saw him carry the needle towards her. She turned her head and leaned against Sora’s arm, her eyes tightly closed. She winced as she felt the needle prick into her skin. Z, X, W, V, um…shoot, forget this. Let it be over soon; please let it be over soon.
Sora squeezed her hand again and smiled. He felt happy; knowing that he was the one she turned to when she felt scared – him, not anyone else. He felt really lucky to be that guy. He felt her squeeze his hand, although she kept squeezing. He watched as the doctor gradually injected the fluid through the needle. Sheesh, this is taking a while. The doctor finally got all the fluid out, and slowly pulled the needle from her arm.
Kairi didn’t move when the needle was out; she apparently hadn’t noticed the doctor pulled it out. “Kairi, the shot’s over.” He whispered. She opened her eyes and loosened the grip on his hand. He wiggled his fingers to get some feeling back into them; she’d gripped his hand so hard that his fingers started to go to sleep. “Sorry.” She said quietly. “I’m fine, Kairi.” He smiled.
“That’s it. Just sign out at the front desk, and you’re free to go.” The doctor said as he gathered everything he had used for her shot. He waved, walked out the door, and shut it behind him. “Finally; I can leave.” Kairi breathed out in relief. She jumped up off the bed happily and grabbed a change of clothes. They were hospital clothes, but she didn’t care too much; she just wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as she could. She walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.
“So, what are we gonna do when we get to Earth?” Sora asked Riku. “Whatever we have to. And we’ve got a lot to do.”
Here's the next chappie, guys! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 73
Kairi slowly opened her eyes and squinted. The window let in a lot of light, and it happened to be shining right on Kairi’s head, making it hard to see anything. She rubbed her eyes and sat up; the light wasn’t in her eyes now, and she could see better. The once fuzzy numbers on the clock now were clear; it was seven forty-two. She looked over to the bed Sora was on, but was shocked to find Anna there, still in deep sleep, instead of Sora. “Wonder when she got here.” Kairi thought out loud.
She heard the door handle click, and she quickly looked at the door. It slowly opened, and Riku walked in. “Morning, Kairi.” He said, a little quieter than normal. “Morning, Riku.” She replied, and then yawned. “Not awake yet?” Riku asked, motioning towards Anna, who lay completely still, breathing shallowly. “No; she’s not a morning person, is she?”
“No, not at all. She’s like Sora.” Riku grinned. “In what way is she like Sora?” Kairi asked. Riku grinned a little more. “Well, she’s a deep sleeper; she’s always hungry; she has her blonde moments; she’d never give into darkness; she’d die for her friends; she can get pretty random; she likes to laugh; she likes to fight – her and Sora are pretty similar. However, there are some obvious differences in their personalities: she’s extremely graceful; she has amazing intuition; she’s really sarcastic, but not usually mean about it; she’s really good at understanding things outside of school; and she’s got good looks.” Riku said, grinning.
“Are you trying to say Sora doesn’t have good looks?!” Kairi knew he wasn’t serious, but she was going to make him take it back. “What? I don’t have good looks, Kairi? Thanks a lot!” Sora said as he stood in the doorway. He had walked in right the words “Sora doesn’t have good looks” came out of her mouth. “No, I didn’t say that! He did! I was telling him he was wrong!” Kairi protested. “’Course he’s wrong – I have an overload of good looks.” Sora said with an overconfident voice. “And who told you that? Cause we all know they’re a liar, for sure.” Riku grinned.
“Riku!” Kairi gasped, although she was starting to laugh. “Riku, you’ve got no room to talk about being ugly! You’re the definition of the world ‘ugly’!” Sora said, used to having to make up quick comebacks. “Last time I checked, the word ‘ugly’ means Sora. Well, at least that’s what the dictionary says.” Riku replied coolly. Sora thought hard. “What to say, what to say, umm…um….”
“What? Nothing else you want to say? Fine, we’ll leave it at this: I look amazing and you’re flat-out ugly.” Riku smiled. “That’s not even close to true, Riku! Even Anna would say so! That’s if she was here.” Sora protested. “Huh? What would I do?” Anna muttered. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. She looked at the three of them, confused. “What would I do?” She again asked, still partly asleep.
“When’d you get here? And do you think I’m ugly?” Sora immediately asked her. She looked surprised to be asked a question like that. “ I got here last night. And, um…no; you’re not ugly.” She answered cautiously; she was afraid they were going to use her answer against her somehow as a joke. “Ha! See, she thinks I’m hot!” Sora punched a fist into the air. Anna’s eyes opened wide. “Uh, Sora, I didn’t say that.” She quickly mentioned. “So you do think I’m ugly?” He looked slightly upset. “No, you’re not ugly. It’s, just, weird for me to say you’re hot. That’s just, weird.” She said, nervous Kairi was going to get mad at her. “I just don’t look at you like that; you’re too much like a brother, or a cousin, or something like that.” Anna explained carefully, not wanting to hurt Sora’s feelings or upset Kairi.
“Do you think Riku’s ugly?” Sora asked, feeling triumphant again. “Noooo…why are you asking me these questions?” “I’ll explain after we get done with this. If you don’t think he’s ugly, do you think he’s hot?” Sora asked, smiling slightly. He knew Riku’s face would be totally red if he didn’t know how to keep his emotions concealed. “Uh, that’s kinda an awkward question, Sora…” Anna didn’t want to answer.
“They got into one of their arguments about who’s better looking. Let’s talk about something worthwhile now. When did you get back last night, Anna?” Kairi suddenly changed the subject, knowing Anna’s reluctance to answering the question she’d been asked by Sora. “Uh, pretty late. You two were asleep.” She pointed to Kairi and Sora. “So it was just you and her. Did you confess your love for her, while you had ‘alone’ time?” Sora whispered in Riku’s ear, almost silently. Riku jabbed his elbow into Sora’s ribs, and Sora groaned slightly. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’.” Sora muttered, rubbing his ribs slowly. Riku kept his cool expression, as if he hadn’t done anything.
“So, if you were with Dane? Where is he now?” Kairi asked. “Um, he’s…gone.” Anna answered quietly as she looked down and forced herself not to cry. “Gone? Where is he, then?” Sora asked. “He’s gone, Sora.” Riku whispered, hoping Sora would understand. “I know he’s gone, but where is ‘gone’?” Sora asked. Anna closed her eyes and held her breath. “Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry; he’s happy now; he’s in a better place now; he died happy; he was ready to die; don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry…”
“He’s…dead, Sora.” Riku said quietly. Kairi looked at Riku with eyes filled with shock and horror. Sora’s eyes were filled with shock and confusion. “Why is that bad? He’s our enemy.” Sora questioned Riku, again in his next-to-silent voice. “He changed; that’s what she said. He got on good terms with her before he died, and she said he was sorry about everything and he knew he messed up. They were friends, Sora.” Riku explained, in the same tone of voice. Sora silently nodded in comprehension.
“I’m so sorry, Anna.” Kairi said comfortingly. Anna suppressed her sad emotions, looked up at Kairi, and put on a small smile. “It’s okay; I’ll be fine.” She said. “Are you sure you’re all right?” Sora asked, unsure of whether she meant it or not. “I’ll be fine, really.” She persisted. “Okay, then. What are we doing today?” Sora asked.
“We need to go back to Earth. Emily and Bethany will be waiting for us, and we’ve got a lot to figure out.” Riku answered, leaning against the wall behind him. “They know you guys already?” Anna asked, looking at Kairi, then at Sora. “Not me; just Riku and Sora.” Kairi said. “When do we leave?” Anna asked. She looked up at Riku, and suddenly blushed just barely enough for him to notice. He could see right through her emotional mask, and she knew it. “I said I’ll be fine, and I meant it. I will be fine…eventually.”
“As soon as we can, I guess.” Riku said, looking straight at her. He knew she was still hurting; Dane, her friends on Earth, and her family were a lot for her to handle emotionally. He felt bad for her; she always seemed to have something going wrong in her life. But, then again, they all did. “Then let’s go!” Sora said enthusiastically.
“Not yet, Sora. I have to have the doctor’s permission before I leave.” Kairi said. “Why? You look fine to me.” “You can’t see my blood transfusion, Sora. That’s why I’m still here, because I have someone else’s blood in my body, and they need to make sure it’s not going to shut my body down or something.” She said. “Oh, okay then.” He smiled at his being naïve and rubbed the back of his head. “I knew that.” He muttered.
“Excuse me; it’s time to do your final tests.” They turned around to see a doctor standing in the door. The doctor looked at Riku, Sora, and Kairi like they were intruders. “We’re just visiting.” Sora said quickly. The doctor nodded and went over to Kairi’s bed. “So, how do you feel?” He asked. He was close to being elderly, and he almost sounded like a grandfather. “Fine.” Kairi answered simply. “Had any headaches recently? Any pain?” “No, not that I can think of.” “All right, then. I’ll just have to give you one last shot, and then you’ll be free to get out of here.” He said with a smile.
Kairi smiled; he obviously knew she was ready to leave. However, he smiled disappeared when she saw a nurse roll in a small tray with needles and other things on it. The doctor looked through the needles, and once he found the one he wanted to use, he started assembling all the other pieces together.
“I thought you weren’t afraid of shots anymore.” Sora whispered in her ear. She looked over and saw him leaning down by her. “So did I, until I had to get one when I got here.” She whispered back. “It’s okay, Kairi. It’s not like they’re going to pump toxins into your body.” “I know that; it’s the ‘pumping into my body’ part that doesn’t sound appealing.” Kairi said as she fearfully watched the doctor put the fluid into the now large needle. Sora held her hand that was closest to him. He squeezed it; his way of letting her know she was going to be fine. She smiled at him for a moment and squeezed his hand back.
“I’ll need you to lay your arm out straight and just relax. Try saying the alphabet backwards.” The doctor said as he swabbed the inside of Kairi’s elbow with a wet cotton ball. She cringed as she saw him carry the needle towards her. She turned her head and leaned against Sora’s arm, her eyes tightly closed. She winced as she felt the needle prick into her skin. Z, X, W, V, um…shoot, forget this. Let it be over soon; please let it be over soon.
Sora squeezed her hand again and smiled. He felt happy; knowing that he was the one she turned to when she felt scared – him, not anyone else. He felt really lucky to be that guy. He felt her squeeze his hand, although she kept squeezing. He watched as the doctor gradually injected the fluid through the needle. Sheesh, this is taking a while. The doctor finally got all the fluid out, and slowly pulled the needle from her arm.
Kairi didn’t move when the needle was out; she apparently hadn’t noticed the doctor pulled it out. “Kairi, the shot’s over.” He whispered. She opened her eyes and loosened the grip on his hand. He wiggled his fingers to get some feeling back into them; she’d gripped his hand so hard that his fingers started to go to sleep. “Sorry.” She said quietly. “I’m fine, Kairi.” He smiled.
“That’s it. Just sign out at the front desk, and you’re free to go.” The doctor said as he gathered everything he had used for her shot. He waved, walked out the door, and shut it behind him. “Finally; I can leave.” Kairi breathed out in relief. She jumped up off the bed happily and grabbed a change of clothes. They were hospital clothes, but she didn’t care too much; she just wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as she could. She walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.
“So, what are we gonna do when we get to Earth?” Sora asked Riku. “Whatever we have to. And we’ve got a lot to do.”
Glad you guys liked it! ^_^ I'll post the next chappie next time i'm on here. You guys will probably never have to wait for me to write the next update, cause i try to saty at least 3 chappies ahead of the last update on here. Let's see, i just posted chappie 73, but i'm actually in the process of writing chappie 80. Yea. I like to stay ahead. I think this ff's going to be around 100 chappies long. That seems long for me, but i like long ffs.
I'm here again! Mk, here's the next chappie. Enjoy!
Chapter 74
“I’m finally free!” Kairi laughed as they walked out of the hospital. “Yea; I’m sure it was just the worst thing ever; getting to sit around and do nothing. Yea, that sounds horrible.” Riku said sarcastically. “It was! Really; I was bored to death!” She exclaimed. “You’re not dead, though.” Anna mentioned. “That’s a good thing, right?” Sora acted like he was serious. “Sora!” Kairi hit him on the arm and he laughed. “I’m just kidding, Kairi.” “I know, I know.” She rolled her eyes, although she couldn’t help but smile.
Riku stopped and opened a portal. “Time to go.” He said. Anna and Kairi walked through, followed by Sora, and then Riku. They all walked out onto the park Sora and Riku had been at the day before. “There you are!” They all turned around quickly and saw Bethany walking towards them. “Sorry we’re late.” Sora said. “It’s okay; Emily’s late, too. She should be here any minute now, though.” Bethany suddenly reached in her pant pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She flipped it open and instantly said, “Yea?” She listened for a minute, and then said, “Okay”, and then shut her phone. “That was Emily. She said she would be here in a few minutes.”
Bethany then looked at Kairi, as if noticing her for the first time. Sora realized they hadn’t met, and decided to introduce them to each other. “Kairi, this is Bethany; she was one of Anna’s friends. Bethany, this is Kairi; she’s our friend.” “Hi!” Bethany smiled at Kairi. “Nice to meet you!” Kairi smiled back. “Wait, I thought we were looking for Anna. She’s right here.” Bethany suddenly saw that Anna was with them, also.
“She found us, actually. But we aren’t searching for anyone now. We’re just trying to figure out how to save Earth.” Sora said. “Save Earth – sounds like your basic ‘hero’ story.” Bethany mentioned. “Yea, it does.” He replied. They were obviously the talkative two; Riku, Kairi, and Anna were being quiet. Anna, standing a little behind Riku, tapped his shoulder. He turned around, along with Kairi. “So we have any idea what we’re going to do? How are we supposed to fix Earth if we don’t even understand why things are going wrong?” Anna asked Riku quietly. Sora and Bethany were in a conversation about ‘superhero movies’, and couldn’t hear them.
“I don’t really know. We need to get the heartless out of here for good, though. People on Earth can’t handle them at all.” Riku said. “Yea, it’s not all that normal for black monsters to be parading around Earth.” Anna mentioned. “And we need to figure out who’s in control of the heartless, right?” Kairi asked. “Yea; they’re going to tear this world apart if we don’t get them out of here.” Riku replied.
“Thanks for getting here…late!” Bethany exclaimed. Riku, Kairi, and Anna turned around and saw Bethany looking at Emily, who was running up to them. “Well soooorry! I’m terribly sorry I’m not the most ‘on time’ person in the world!” Emily said sarcastically as she walked up beside Bethany. “You mean ‘punctual’?” Anna almost automatically said. “Yea, sure.” Emily said with a smile. Riku turned to Anna and whispered, “I’m going to guess that they learned sarcasm from you?” Anna broke into a smile. “You’re a good guesser.”
“So, are we still looking for Dane? Anna’s here, so Dane’s all that’s left to find, right?” Emily asked. Riku glanced back and saw Anna quickly look at the ground. “No; we’re not looking for anyone right now.” Kairi answered, trying to avoid talking about Dane, for Anna’s sake. “Then you guys found Dane?” Emily asked. “No, not really.” Sora said. “Then why aren’t we looking for him?” Emily persisted. “Um, Bethany, Emily, come over here with me. We need to talk about something for a second.” Kairi said quietly. Bethany and Emily shrugged at each other and followed her to a tree a little further away.
“You okay, Anna?” Sora asked, once the other girls were farther off. “Yea.” She said. She looked up and faked a smile. Normally, Sora would’ve recognized a fake smile, but Anna was a good faker. He didn’t know it, but she could fake emotions so well that she could make someone believe that she was happy-go-lucky when she was actually seriously depressed. She’d faked a smile so many times that now it was almost a reflex to smile when someone asked if she was okay. “You sure?” Sora asked. Anna nodded; her genuine-looking smile still on her face. Sora smiled at her, and then noticed that Kairi was waving for him to come over to her and the other girls. He ran over, leaving Riku and Anna alone. Anna dropped her smile, but didn’t give any signs of being the tinniest bit upset.
“You’re a good faker, you know. Besides me, you’re the only one to fool him like that. Why do you hide what you really feel?” Riku asked quietly. Anna sighed silently and looked at the ground. She didn’t want to answer; she knew he was going to make her answer, though. “I, just…I’m just so used to doing it. I always felt like I, I couldn’t let people know that was ever hurting inside.” Anna answered.
Riku knew how she felt; he understood completely, and he knew he was probably one of the very few people who could actually understand how she was feeling. “Anna, look at me.” He said. She slowly looked up at him, and he saw tears welling up in her eyes. “You don’t have to hide how you feel anymore. You don’t have to be strong all the time, Anna. No one can be strong all the time; no one expects you to always be strong.” He said. Anna was on he verge of crying now. A tear rolled down her cheek, and Riku gently wiped it away. He somewhat unconsciously held his arms out, and she fell into them, crying into his chest with her arms curled in. He wrapped his arms around her as he listened her muffled crying. “You don’t have to be strong all the time, Anna. I’ll be strong for you.” He whispered softly.
“Um, let’s take a walk. Ya know, while we talk.” Sora said quickly. “Why?” Bethany asked. “Cause I feel like walking. Let’s go.” Sora abruptly walked in the opposite direction of Anna and Riku. Emily, Bethany, and Kairi followed. Sora and Kairi fell behind a few steps, and just as Kairi was going to ask him why he suddenly wanted to take a walk, he motioned towards Riku and Anna. Kairi glanced behind her and saw them. She smiled and looked back in front of her.
Riku noticed they were walking away. He saw Sora nod at him with a smile. Riku nodded back and watched Sora turn around and catch up with the others. Riku leaned his head on Anna’s and closed his eyes for a moment. He knew Anna had a lot on her shoulders. She had her home world to save, she had to redeem Dane’s staff, she had to deal with his death, she had to try to figure out who was now trying to kill her and whether or not they were trying to kill anyone else, she had to deal with the fact that none of her family or old friends remembered her, and lastly, she had to deal with the fact that her memories had been messed with, and hadn’t been fixed or restored yet. She definitely had a lot to deal with.
“You don’t have to do it all on your own. You’re not alone in this, Anna. I’m right here; I’ll always be right here.” Riku said softly. Anna kept crying, though she felt a little better now that he had said that. His arms wrapped around her; it made her feel like nothing could ever hurt her.
After a minute or so, her crying toned down into sniffing and occasional tears, and then it stopped altogether. “Everything’s going to be all right. I promise; it will.” Riku said, comfortingly. “Yea; I know.” She said as she wiped the last few tears from her eyes. “We don’t have to figure it all out at the same time. We’ve got a lot to deal with, but we’re not going to get it all done at once. This is going to take a while.” Riku added. Anna nodded and smiled a little. “I didn’t mean to break down like this; I’m sorry.” She said. “Don’t be. It’s okay.” He smiled. “Thanks; for being there for me for all this time.” Anna said; she had a faint blush. “Anytime; it’s my job.” He grinned. “Too bad you don’t get paid – you’d be rich by now.” Anna laughed a tiny bit.
“Wait, where’s everybody else?” Anna noticed the others weren’t there anymore. “They went for a walk. We should probably go and find them. But before we do, I’ve got one last thing to say.” He said as he looked in the direction Sora had led the other girls. “And that would be?” Anna waited for the answer. He looked at her with his calm, caring eyes, and she immediately blushed. “You’ve got killer boots.” He said with a grin. Anna broke out laughing, and her laughter made Riku start to laugh.
Suddenly, Riku became silent. Anna stopped laughing and looked up at him to see him staring at something farther off behind her. “Riku?” She turned around quickly and saw someone walking towards them quickly, but calmly. “He looks…familiar.” Anna said as she strained to see his facial features. She then realized why Riku was staring at him; he had a staff in his hand. It looked identical to the one Dane had given Anna, but it was black. “You know him?” Riku asked her. “I can’t remember. Great – what if I actually do know him, but I can’t remember him? I hate this.” She almost summoned her keyblade, but she remembered that since she was on Earth, she should only get her keyblade out when she absolutely had to.
“I know. I’m not too happy about it, either. My memories could be messed up, too. We don’t really know anything for sure, though.” He was still concentrating on the person getting closer and closer to them. “He doesn’t have a black cloak on; that’s a good thing.” Anna mentioned. The guy walking towards them was wearing faded blue jeans, a black shirt with a sports logo on it, silver and white athletic shoes, and a white band around his wrist. “He doesn’t look all that evil...but that doesn’t mean much.” Anna murmured to herself. “Do you think we’ll have to fight him?” She asked. Riku didn’t reply at first.
Suddenly, they saw a deep red orb form on the end of the boy’s staff. Even though he was still farther off, Riku and Anna could see an angry, determined look take over his face. “I guess we will.” Riku muttered.
Chapter 74
“I’m finally free!” Kairi laughed as they walked out of the hospital. “Yea; I’m sure it was just the worst thing ever; getting to sit around and do nothing. Yea, that sounds horrible.” Riku said sarcastically. “It was! Really; I was bored to death!” She exclaimed. “You’re not dead, though.” Anna mentioned. “That’s a good thing, right?” Sora acted like he was serious. “Sora!” Kairi hit him on the arm and he laughed. “I’m just kidding, Kairi.” “I know, I know.” She rolled her eyes, although she couldn’t help but smile.
Riku stopped and opened a portal. “Time to go.” He said. Anna and Kairi walked through, followed by Sora, and then Riku. They all walked out onto the park Sora and Riku had been at the day before. “There you are!” They all turned around quickly and saw Bethany walking towards them. “Sorry we’re late.” Sora said. “It’s okay; Emily’s late, too. She should be here any minute now, though.” Bethany suddenly reached in her pant pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She flipped it open and instantly said, “Yea?” She listened for a minute, and then said, “Okay”, and then shut her phone. “That was Emily. She said she would be here in a few minutes.”
Bethany then looked at Kairi, as if noticing her for the first time. Sora realized they hadn’t met, and decided to introduce them to each other. “Kairi, this is Bethany; she was one of Anna’s friends. Bethany, this is Kairi; she’s our friend.” “Hi!” Bethany smiled at Kairi. “Nice to meet you!” Kairi smiled back. “Wait, I thought we were looking for Anna. She’s right here.” Bethany suddenly saw that Anna was with them, also.
“She found us, actually. But we aren’t searching for anyone now. We’re just trying to figure out how to save Earth.” Sora said. “Save Earth – sounds like your basic ‘hero’ story.” Bethany mentioned. “Yea, it does.” He replied. They were obviously the talkative two; Riku, Kairi, and Anna were being quiet. Anna, standing a little behind Riku, tapped his shoulder. He turned around, along with Kairi. “So we have any idea what we’re going to do? How are we supposed to fix Earth if we don’t even understand why things are going wrong?” Anna asked Riku quietly. Sora and Bethany were in a conversation about ‘superhero movies’, and couldn’t hear them.
“I don’t really know. We need to get the heartless out of here for good, though. People on Earth can’t handle them at all.” Riku said. “Yea, it’s not all that normal for black monsters to be parading around Earth.” Anna mentioned. “And we need to figure out who’s in control of the heartless, right?” Kairi asked. “Yea; they’re going to tear this world apart if we don’t get them out of here.” Riku replied.
“Thanks for getting here…late!” Bethany exclaimed. Riku, Kairi, and Anna turned around and saw Bethany looking at Emily, who was running up to them. “Well soooorry! I’m terribly sorry I’m not the most ‘on time’ person in the world!” Emily said sarcastically as she walked up beside Bethany. “You mean ‘punctual’?” Anna almost automatically said. “Yea, sure.” Emily said with a smile. Riku turned to Anna and whispered, “I’m going to guess that they learned sarcasm from you?” Anna broke into a smile. “You’re a good guesser.”
“So, are we still looking for Dane? Anna’s here, so Dane’s all that’s left to find, right?” Emily asked. Riku glanced back and saw Anna quickly look at the ground. “No; we’re not looking for anyone right now.” Kairi answered, trying to avoid talking about Dane, for Anna’s sake. “Then you guys found Dane?” Emily asked. “No, not really.” Sora said. “Then why aren’t we looking for him?” Emily persisted. “Um, Bethany, Emily, come over here with me. We need to talk about something for a second.” Kairi said quietly. Bethany and Emily shrugged at each other and followed her to a tree a little further away.
“You okay, Anna?” Sora asked, once the other girls were farther off. “Yea.” She said. She looked up and faked a smile. Normally, Sora would’ve recognized a fake smile, but Anna was a good faker. He didn’t know it, but she could fake emotions so well that she could make someone believe that she was happy-go-lucky when she was actually seriously depressed. She’d faked a smile so many times that now it was almost a reflex to smile when someone asked if she was okay. “You sure?” Sora asked. Anna nodded; her genuine-looking smile still on her face. Sora smiled at her, and then noticed that Kairi was waving for him to come over to her and the other girls. He ran over, leaving Riku and Anna alone. Anna dropped her smile, but didn’t give any signs of being the tinniest bit upset.
“You’re a good faker, you know. Besides me, you’re the only one to fool him like that. Why do you hide what you really feel?” Riku asked quietly. Anna sighed silently and looked at the ground. She didn’t want to answer; she knew he was going to make her answer, though. “I, just…I’m just so used to doing it. I always felt like I, I couldn’t let people know that was ever hurting inside.” Anna answered.
Riku knew how she felt; he understood completely, and he knew he was probably one of the very few people who could actually understand how she was feeling. “Anna, look at me.” He said. She slowly looked up at him, and he saw tears welling up in her eyes. “You don’t have to hide how you feel anymore. You don’t have to be strong all the time, Anna. No one can be strong all the time; no one expects you to always be strong.” He said. Anna was on he verge of crying now. A tear rolled down her cheek, and Riku gently wiped it away. He somewhat unconsciously held his arms out, and she fell into them, crying into his chest with her arms curled in. He wrapped his arms around her as he listened her muffled crying. “You don’t have to be strong all the time, Anna. I’ll be strong for you.” He whispered softly.
“Um, let’s take a walk. Ya know, while we talk.” Sora said quickly. “Why?” Bethany asked. “Cause I feel like walking. Let’s go.” Sora abruptly walked in the opposite direction of Anna and Riku. Emily, Bethany, and Kairi followed. Sora and Kairi fell behind a few steps, and just as Kairi was going to ask him why he suddenly wanted to take a walk, he motioned towards Riku and Anna. Kairi glanced behind her and saw them. She smiled and looked back in front of her.
Riku noticed they were walking away. He saw Sora nod at him with a smile. Riku nodded back and watched Sora turn around and catch up with the others. Riku leaned his head on Anna’s and closed his eyes for a moment. He knew Anna had a lot on her shoulders. She had her home world to save, she had to redeem Dane’s staff, she had to deal with his death, she had to try to figure out who was now trying to kill her and whether or not they were trying to kill anyone else, she had to deal with the fact that none of her family or old friends remembered her, and lastly, she had to deal with the fact that her memories had been messed with, and hadn’t been fixed or restored yet. She definitely had a lot to deal with.
“You don’t have to do it all on your own. You’re not alone in this, Anna. I’m right here; I’ll always be right here.” Riku said softly. Anna kept crying, though she felt a little better now that he had said that. His arms wrapped around her; it made her feel like nothing could ever hurt her.
After a minute or so, her crying toned down into sniffing and occasional tears, and then it stopped altogether. “Everything’s going to be all right. I promise; it will.” Riku said, comfortingly. “Yea; I know.” She said as she wiped the last few tears from her eyes. “We don’t have to figure it all out at the same time. We’ve got a lot to deal with, but we’re not going to get it all done at once. This is going to take a while.” Riku added. Anna nodded and smiled a little. “I didn’t mean to break down like this; I’m sorry.” She said. “Don’t be. It’s okay.” He smiled. “Thanks; for being there for me for all this time.” Anna said; she had a faint blush. “Anytime; it’s my job.” He grinned. “Too bad you don’t get paid – you’d be rich by now.” Anna laughed a tiny bit.
“Wait, where’s everybody else?” Anna noticed the others weren’t there anymore. “They went for a walk. We should probably go and find them. But before we do, I’ve got one last thing to say.” He said as he looked in the direction Sora had led the other girls. “And that would be?” Anna waited for the answer. He looked at her with his calm, caring eyes, and she immediately blushed. “You’ve got killer boots.” He said with a grin. Anna broke out laughing, and her laughter made Riku start to laugh.
Suddenly, Riku became silent. Anna stopped laughing and looked up at him to see him staring at something farther off behind her. “Riku?” She turned around quickly and saw someone walking towards them quickly, but calmly. “He looks…familiar.” Anna said as she strained to see his facial features. She then realized why Riku was staring at him; he had a staff in his hand. It looked identical to the one Dane had given Anna, but it was black. “You know him?” Riku asked her. “I can’t remember. Great – what if I actually do know him, but I can’t remember him? I hate this.” She almost summoned her keyblade, but she remembered that since she was on Earth, she should only get her keyblade out when she absolutely had to.
“I know. I’m not too happy about it, either. My memories could be messed up, too. We don’t really know anything for sure, though.” He was still concentrating on the person getting closer and closer to them. “He doesn’t have a black cloak on; that’s a good thing.” Anna mentioned. The guy walking towards them was wearing faded blue jeans, a black shirt with a sports logo on it, silver and white athletic shoes, and a white band around his wrist. “He doesn’t look all that evil...but that doesn’t mean much.” Anna murmured to herself. “Do you think we’ll have to fight him?” She asked. Riku didn’t reply at first.
Suddenly, they saw a deep red orb form on the end of the boy’s staff. Even though he was still farther off, Riku and Anna could see an angry, determined look take over his face. “I guess we will.” Riku muttered.
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