Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Hikari ❯ Chapter I: Night of Destiny ( Chapter 1 )

Hikari

Chapter I: Night of Destiny

Saturday, July 29, 2006

 

“Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all…”

 

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About one year ago…

 

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Gently sloshing waves, soaking into the sand, the wind caressing the water… Ever so softly… Ari inhaled deeply through her nose, closing her eyes, and nestled further into the blanket on the bottom of her boat. Her hands were tucked snugly behind her head, her feet crossed, and nothing was going to disturb her. It was a perfect, relaxing day. Even the sounds of the other children fighting didn't seem to bother her, for once.

 

A gull cried out somewhere overhead, and Ari's boat knocked gently into another. Some people were uncomfortable with the ocean, but, like most people from Destiny Islands, Ari found it the most soothing, comforting thing in the world. Thus, sleeping in her boat was not unusual. She tilted her head back a little bit, trying to will that dream to come back. It was so…

 

If you give it form…

 

Strange… That voice…

 

It will give you strength…

 

So familiar. Something so familiar… It was like she had known that voice her whole life—

 

Don't be afraid—

 

So little time—

 

The door is still shut—

 

So much to do—

 

The darkness seemed to grip Ari, a great emptiness sweeping over her… It was impossible to describe, this feeling, this absence, in her being… And yet, there was this overwhelming sense of… of…

 

It will give you strength—

 

Don't be afraid—

 

Can you do it?

 

So much to do—

 

Don't be afraid…

 

Something came down onto her unprotected stomach, and Ari flinched at the unexpected touch, startled out of her daydream, half a scream escaping her throat. Wide eyed and hyperventilating, Ari tried to ignore her pounding heart. How come that scared me so bad? Ari jerked up, sitting with her hands propped behind her. At the foot of her boat was a blitz ball—

 

Wakka. Ari nearly cursed, except she caught herself, remembering that it was a poor habit to allow to continue. As Ari glanced over the dock, she saw him run up, looking sheepish. Then, she really did swear, nudging his ball out of the boat for good measure, just to get to him. “I was sleeping over here,” she said, managing to look rather indignant.

 

Wakka seemed as if he had been about to apologize, but then gave her a dirty look, kneeling on the deck to fish his ball out of the water. Ari laid back and closed her eyes as he did so, or at least pretending to close her eyes. She kept careful watch on him out of one cracked lid, and as he turned to leave, she sat up stealthily, cupping her hand in the water. One sweep of the arm doused him in cold water. Just like his blitz ball had been too light to do more than surprise Ari, the water didn't soak him so much as annoy him. Turning to glare at the other teenager, he rolled his eyes in disgust, to which Ari returned a sarcastically cheery smile. Finally, he walked off, shaking his head.

 

Ari laid back in the boat once more, now staring at the sky. Why did he have to interrupt me? Even in her thoughts, she sounded more affronted then she had right to be, as if he had done it deliberately. I can never figure out what that dream is about… She had had it, over and over… especially lately. Even now, she couldn't remember the words that had been said, only that feeling…

 

Ari sat up, feeling confused, and thus, frustrated. How was it? She knew what it felt like, she knew she did… but she couldn't even think of words to describe it. Making a noise of frustration, she looked around for something or someone to vent on, but nobody was nearby— Tidus and Wakka had taken their game elsewhere. Clambering out of her boat, Ari paused on the deck as the wind tickled her face and played with her hair, which was tied back with a teal-colored bandana. Her under shirt was a teal tank top, only coming down to the middle of her stomach, revealing a good deal of her midriff. Her over shirt was grey, with a black collar, and a black stripe across the middle, and the ends of the slightly-more-than-elbow-length sleeves were black as well. It was hanging open— even with the cool breeze blowing, Ari didn't want to be stifled too much by weighty, clingy clothing. She wore loose, black capri-pants, and brown sandals that were just a shade too big.

 

She stood there, just enjoying the breeze for a few precious moments, before she heard someone yelling her name. Spinning around, she saw her brother and their friends running up. As usual, Sora and Riku were fighting one another, pushing each other and laughing, trying to act cool and lording it over the other one. Given that Riku was older and taller, he always seemed to win these arguments.

 

Ari hopped down off of the dock, crossing towards her friends, kicking a sandal load of grit over the two boys. “Would you two calm down for five seconds?” They liked to act imperious, but it never seemed to trump Ari. Riku chuckled as Sora stuck out his tongue at her.

 

“I've got to try that sometime,” a softer voice said, before giggling. Ari smiled openly at Kairi, walking around the two boys to hang out with her best friend, laughing with her. Not that Ari expected that Kairi would ever do something like kick sand over people for the heck of it— she was never mean or shallow. She amazed Ari sometimes with just how pleasant she could be. No matter how the rest of them acted like typical teenagers, she seemed to be able to act her age, only with ten times the maturity, impossible as it sounded. It kind've made Ari ashamed at times.

 

But for now, Ari was in a good mood again. She had gotten a kick out of being bratty towards the guys, and she knew they would laugh too. They were all friends— stuff like that didn't matter. “Anything interesting happening?”

 

Kairi shook her head. “Nah… just gathering material to build the raft.” With that, she raised one eyebrow, smiling at Ari. Ari felt something inside her sink.

 

“Oh, eh… sorry bout that,” Ari said, making the effort not to degrade herself by acting like a suck up. She shrugged nonchalantly. “I guess I just fell asleep.” Then her face took on a new light. “Until Wakka woke me up by smacking me with his blitz ball.”

 

Kairi's eyes widened in appreciation of the annoyance, and Ari felt good. Things were going just like they always had. She had her friends, friends with whom she could act stupid or arrogant or just like a normal teenager, and know that they would be there to support her or forgive her or keep her from acting just too idiotic. Especially Kairi… it was great to have a best friend like Kairi… She always listened, always seemed to understand. Always seemed to be there.

 

As they walked back towards the small dock, everything in her small universe was right.

 

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“So, are we gonna finish this thing? Or what?” Ari demanded the next morning, an impish grin on her face. They had docked their boats on the lee side of the island, where their “raft” was. It was looking pretty good— it only really needed a mast, now.

 

Both boys looked over at her, surprised at just how much of a hypocrite she was being. Riku nudged her in the shoulder. “If you're so eager,” he said in a teasing voice, “where were you yesterday?”

 

“Napping, I bet,” Sora threw in, as he tied one end of a rope they had found to one of the wooden logs.

 

“Hey, Sora, weren't you sleeping too?” Kairi asked, giggling.

 

Sora tried to look nonplussed, by shrugging it off, but Ari quickly ruined his composure by splashing water all over him. Crying out indignantly, he splashed her back, and laughing, Ari returned it once more. Their water battle soon got Kairi and Riku soaked as well, and all four were quickly engaged in a match of who could get the others the wettest.

 

It seemed to be quieting down, until Ari slipped and fell back first into the surf, only to reemerge soaking wet, and all three of her friends began to burst out laughing at seeing her a dripping mess. Looking coy, she tackled Riku, grabbing his arm and pulling him down into the water. He managed to pull free though, stumbling back into Sora, who pushed him fervently, and then dove in after him. The battle started up again rather quickly, and it was at least half an hour longer before all four of them dragged themselves out of the surf, still laughing and completely soaked, to sit on the sand.

 

“Oh, man, I'd forgotten how much fun that was,” Sora said, laying back spread eagle on the sand. Ari was sitting against a tree next to him— on her other side was Riku, then Kairi.

 

“I'd forgotten how good the girls look in wet shirts,” Riku said nonchalantly, laying back on the sand, only to get showered with sand from both sides. Laughing, and trying to flinch away, he scooted around to stand next to Sora, who was snickering at the three of them.

 

“Well, you know, he has a point,” Sora said, giving them a nice little fake smile; Ari grabbed a coconut that was lying nearby, chucking it at him lightly, and he caught it, sticking his tongue out at her. “Two, actually.” Before Ari could assault him further, Kairi tossed a handful of sand at him, and while Riku was standing and well able to dodge, Sora was soon spitting violently.

 

“Come on Sora, do we have to gang up on you?” Kairi asked, sounding serious. She wasn't one for unneeded violence, but that wasn't to say she had never smacked them a few times. She simply waited until she had a good reason— with Sora and Riku, that reason never seemed to take too long to make itself apparent.

 

“Weren't we building a raft an hour ago?” Sora suddenly asked as a way to evade the question. He stood off, trying to brush some of the sand off. It didn't want to cooperate, sticking to his wet clothes and hair.

 

“Eh, Sora, you'll never get the sand off like that,” Riku said, pulling himself up too. He also was covered in sand, more so than Sora.

 

Sora glanced up at him. “Then how do you think I should get it— hey!” Riku had playfully shoved him into the surf, before wading in after him. The girls chuckled back on the shore, crossing over to the raft the dry way.

 

When they actually concentrated on finishing their work, instead of goofing off, it went quickly, and soon the mast was up and ready to go. Crossing back over to the unsheltered side of the island, they sat and had their lunches, staring out across the ocean from the walkway going up the side of the tree house.

 

Riku was the first to speak. “I bet we'll be ready to go in just a few days… Then we can find other worlds!”

 

Ari leaned forward, her bare feet dangling over the edge. “I wonder how far away they are…”

 

“We'll never know until we try,” Riku insisted. It had always been Riku's idea to leave Destiny Islands, but the others had quickly agreed that it would make a wonderful adventure. After all, who wanted to stay here, where they had school and chores and boring stuff, when they could go to other worlds?

 

“I just hope we can come back sometimes… You know, to visit?” Kairi said. “It'll be nice to see other places, but if anything goes wrong, we can always come home, right?”

 

“Of course we can,” Sora said, leaning back against the tree. “But I bet you won't want to!” he added mischievously. Kairi gave him a questioning look. He pretended to swoon with his hand on his forehead. “You'll probably see some handsome prince charming and try to run off with him!”

 

“Oh be quiet, Sora,” Kairi said, shoving him gently. “I would never run off from you guys.”

 

“Glad to hear that,” Ari said sardonically, grinning. She then stuffed the last of her peanut butter sandwich in her mouth, licking her fingers. “Hey, we just have to get the supplies for our trip, right?”

 

“Yeah… why?” Kairi asked, intrigued.

 

Ari pretended to be disinterested, just shrugging. “Oh, nothing, I guess…”

 

“Alright, Ari,” Riku said, turning to face her. “You've got our attention. What are you thinking?”

 

She shrugged again, trying not to crack a smile as Sora got flustered. “Oh come on, spit it out already,” he demanded. He was too easy to mess with.

 

“Okay, okay,” she said, holding up her hands in a mock-placating gesture. “Why don't we gather all of the supplies today— we could leave tonight!” She sat forward, looking eager. “I mean, why not leave as soon as possible?”

 

Riku seemed to have been electrified, he was sitting up so straight and attentively. His eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment as he thought about it.

 

Kairi got animated almost immediately, leaning on her best friend to look over at Riku and Sora. “I bet we could find a lot of the stuff we need here on this play island,” she said, trying to keep her voice from getting shrill with excitement.

 

Sora grinned like an idiot, just like the rest of them. “Well, it looks like it's settled, then— we've got the rest of the afternoon, right? Let's start right now!” he shouted, springing to his feet.

 

At that moment, one of the planks of wood began to give, And Sora slipped, his eyes going wide in fear as he tripped forward—

 

Three sets of hands had grabbed at him, having sprung right up after him. Ari and Riku each had one of his arms, and yanked him back. Sora breathed a little sigh of relief, until he realized that he had fallen back against Kairi. He gave a sharp little intake of breath, looking at her for a moment.

 

Riku gave a low whistle, and Ari said, “Look, someone's having a moment!” and Sora quickly pushed himself away, blushing furiously. Kairi didn't seem as abashed by it, just a little awkward. Ari helped her up, proffering one hand. “So, with a little less enthusiasm, are we ready to get ready?” she asked, trying to make a joke out of the whole thing. Sora chuckled uneasily.

 

“Sure,” he said, pulling himself up. However, as the four went down the pathway, none of them seemed particularly lighthearted, and it wasn't just because of the danger Sora could have been in, had his friends not been there.

 

The mood was dissolved, though, as Kairi gave out assignments. Riku would get fruit and vegetables, while Sora would get fish and fresh water. Kairi and Ari would go back to the big island— Kairi would be getting dry goods that they would need, and Ari would go get their rucksacks. Each of them had been preparing for this day for weeks, and already had a backpack prepared.

 

Walking around to the other side of the island, Sora and Riku suddenly got into a debate over the name of the raft. They quickly whirled on the girls, demanding to know what they thought the name should be, but they were met with little more than disinterested shrugs. “Why don't you two compete to figure it out?” Ari suggested as they headed towards the raft and their little boats.

 

The two boys stopped and stared at each other, seeming to exchange a few private words. In the end, Sora looked a bit frazzled, but no one really noticed, save Ari. She sat on a wooden crate and watched as Kairi gave the signal for them to start. The two boys dashed off— Riku ran straight on, while Sora climbed the tower, leaping at the wooden hanger that dangled from the wire line. Riku appeared to be in front until Sora came zipping along. He swung perilously from the wire as it slammed to a stop, before dropping to the wooden platform below, and leaping to the sand pile that led up the side of the cliff face.

 

Riku was several steps behind, grunting in frustration as he pumped his legs to try to catch up. Sora leapt from the sand pile to a rock outcropping, then on to the next outcropping. It was on this one that he slipped, skinning his knee and just barely catching himself before he slipped down off of the rocks. Scrabbling to get back up, he tossed Riku a murderous glance as the teen jumped past him.

 

Ari watched Sora swing himself back up, leaping after Riku to the tree with the big wooden star hung on it. Riku was jumping across the flat tree tops, while Sora dropped to the sand and began to run all out. Ari yawned, knowing that Riku would probably win— Sora wasn't getting very good purchase in the sand. However, as Riku leapt nimbly to the big rock in the center of the beach, Sora climbed up on it and ran down the dock towards Kairi and the finish. Riku was just a step behind.

 

Ari's head swiveled and she was a little disappointed to see Sora win— barely. But she knew Riku would act as if it were nothing, so she decided that for once she would act decent and not make a big deal out of it.

 

“All right then, since I win, it's called Excalibur,” Sora said, a little louder than necessary, and Riku gave him a mocking look.

 

“Whatever. Falcon would have been better anyways,” he said as a final jab with a shrug of his shoulders.

 

“You two done, then?” Ari asked, rising from her crate. “I'd like to get out of here before sunset— so we can at least have a direction to go in,” she pointed out.

 

Sora scoffed a bit, tucking his hands behind his head and walking along side Ari, while Riku trailed behind and Kairi went ahead. “It's not like we can't navigate with the stars…”

 

“And if there are clouds?” Ari said, stepping front of Sora, striking a pose with her hands on her hips, leaning forward slightly.

 

“Then we're screwed,” Riku called ahead, soft enough that Kairi wouldn't hear him and throw something at him. Ari scuffed her shoe through the sand, sending a small shower over his feet, but halfheartedly.

 

“So, everyone agree that we'll meet back here before sunset?” Kairi asked as they all came to a stop up at the raft. There were no objections, so the two girls hopped into one boat, rowing together, watching the play island dwindle as they approached their home island.

 

The two eased up on the oars as they neared the beach and let the surf take them in. Ari took the moment to look back at the coastline.

 

Emptiness—

 

The door is still shut—

 

So much to do—

 

The sky erupted in a meteor shower—

 

—dive to the heart—

 

Ari gasped as she sunk through the water, though she seemed to not be moving. It was like the world was moving around her, and she heard Kairi gasp in alarm as she fell unconscious. But it was like she kept falling, through her body, through the boat, through the ocean, into the world, like none of it was really there; somehow real but also somehow… empty, transparent. Then there was nothing but darkness, everywhere, darkness…

 

And then—

 

A flurry of feathers and the darkness disappeared into a wave of beautiful, shimmering birds, doves… but something was different about them, like they weren't entirely there either— they were somehow transparent, like the rest of the world. Ari looked around.

 

“Where am I?” she asked, her voice absorbed by the vast emptiness surrounding her, her tone betraying her shock and even a little fear. It wasn't as if it were dark or light— it was just blank, a giant void that hurt to look at. Everywhere except directly beneath her.

 

Ari glanced down, to see a massive platform of stained glass beneath her and gasped. A beautiful image of a woman— who seemed so familiar…

 

Ari turned, and something seemed strange about the movement. It was as if it happened slowly and all at once, and Ari got the distinct feeling that time didn't quite apply here. Nervous, she began to back up, looking for a way out of this place—

 

And stumbled back across a ledge.

 

Fear instantly gripped Ari's heart, and she screamed, tumbling backwards off of the platform she was on. She fell straight into that void, that great emptiness, the sound being absorbed and muffled and drawn in, but then she felt something else… Sweeping around her, wrapping all around her. It felt warm, reassuring, and it gently set her down on a platform that seemed to uncover itself just seconds before Ari's feet touched it. As she made contact with the floor, the force vanished; Ari turned to find it, but of course, there was nothing.

 

“So much to do, so little time…”

 

“Who's there?” Ari demanded, her voice bordering on shrill. But all the same, she recognized that voice instantly— the familiar one from her dreams. “Where are you?” she asked, slightly more calm.

 

“Take your time… Don't be afraid. The door is still shut.”

 

The words seemed to echo through Ari, penetrating her skull and working their way into the very fiber of her being, and she felt herself standing a little straighter. Three trapezoidal stones seemed to appear, or rather, reappear. It was as if they had been there, in plain sight, this whole time— Ari had simply not noticed them… or had been unable to notice them.

 

“Now, step forward. Can you do it?”

 

Most of what the voice said made no sense, but Ari saw little choice in the matter. She felt she had to listen to the disembodied voice. Slowly, trembling a bit, she stepped forward, sticking both hands in her pockets to keep them from shaking so hard. It felt so cold, but she knew she wasn't shaking from that. Adrenaline, that's all it is, adrenaline… Yet no part of her thought this was a dream. Despite how completely impossible it all seemed, she knew…

 

It was real.

 

The force seemed to reappear, swirling around her, and Ari felt warmed again, from the inside out. Gingerly, she pulled her hands out of her pockets, waiting for something to happen. Nervously, she ran her hands over the teal bandana holding her hair back.

 

“If you give it form, it will give you strength.”

 

Each of the trapezoids bore an item, only now noticed by Ari. This place was so strange… She looked out into the void, but quickly focused on something closer because it hurt her eyes, and wondered… Could there be something out there too? Just unnoticed, like this? she thought, bringing her eyes to rest on the nearest trapezoid. It was as tall as she was.

 

Leaping, she grabbed the ledge, before pushing off the stone with one sandaled foot to somersault and land directly on top. Once again, she seemed to pass through whatever was there, but this time— was it possible that she had felt it? It hadn't been physical, she knew that much… This place was so weird…

 

“Choose well.”

 

Now that Ari bothered to stop and look around, she saw that all three items were weapons. The one floating in midair next to her was a sword, and as she looked at it, she knew its name was Dream Blade. She glanced at the other two, and though they seemed to exist right at the edge of visibility, she knew their names too. Dream Rod. Dream Shield. She looked down at the sword again. If you give it form…

 

Her hand reached out and took the sword by its hilt, lifting it up to examine it. The power of the warrior…

 

Invincible courage—

 

A sword of terrible destruction—

 

Is this the power you seek? a voice seemed to ask from within. Instinctively, Ari nodded, and amazingly, the sword disappeared. She looked around, but it seemed to be the only thing that was gone— it wasn't as if it had melted back into the void— she could feel it, it was no longer there. Where exactly it was, she couldn't tell… but it was somewhere. Somewhere far away, yet at the same time very near.

 

“Now what will you give up in exchange?” The voice called out from everywhere and no where once again. Ari looked out from the column she was standing on, towards the shield and the rod.

 

The power of the guardian—

 

The power of the mystic—

 

She leapt from the trapezoidal pillar and somehow landed neatly on the ground— it didn't even hurt her legs. Unerringly, she walked straight towards the shield. She found that she was able to repeat the flip she had executed to get up on the other platform, and landed atop the shield's pillar with deft ease. She had but to touch it and it disappeared. It wasn't like the sword— she couldn't feel it at all. The staff disappeared too, and suddenly, the three pillars started to collapse, with Ari still standing on the shield pillar. Stumbling, she fell forward off of it as it disappeared.

 

Without warning, the floor gave way beneath her, and Ari was falling once more, her clothing all flipping around in the nonexistent wind, pulling at her bandana and her pants legs and her loose over shirt. But this time, she did not scream, feeling that same force within her— the same force that the sword and staff had come from, and the same place they went to. Far below her, a speck of light formed, and as she descended, it grew larger and larger, until it was a giant glass circle, this time, the image of a woman in blue, surrounded by purple. Her feet touched the floor softly, and she looked around once more.

 

This time, the void seemed to be gone— she had fallen further in. There was darkness, but it wasn't the normal kind. It was true darkness, pressing in, vying to get in and destroy the light, as much a living force as that which coursed through any human's veins. Only the circle of glass, somehow emanating a pulsing, living force of light, repelled it.

 

“You gained the power to fight. Use this power to protect yourself and others…”

 

That warm power stirred again, and Ari felt something in her hands— two somethings, but one disappeared into the other. When she looked down, the Dream Blade was there. It seemed to pulse in her hands. Ready, eager to fight. Ari was halfway scared, half ready to toss it away, but something within bade her hold on to the sword. She wasn't going to throw it away. She couldn't.

 

“There will be times you have to fight…”

 

Darkness seemed to appear on the pillar. It separated into several little patches of it, each with two yellow eyes. They began to solidify, rising up off of the earth, their antennae waving, their bulging, unblinking eyes leering at her. Ari backed away, terrified.

 

“Keep your light burning strong…”

 

Ari glanced behind her, to see nothingness stretch out below her— she was standing on the very edge of the column. Turning back towards the shadows, one screeched, before leaping at her.

 

Something within took control, and she leapt forward to meet it, her sword cleaving it straight in two. It disappeared in a burst of darkness and smoke. Then, surprised by her own initiative, Ari looked around, gaping. The others hissed, and sunk into the floor again. The darkness disappeared for only a moment, before it showed up again, this time more massive, and at least ten of them were facing her.

 

Knowing she must fight or die, Ari whimpered a little, adjusting her grip on the sword. She took a deep breath, eyes closed, before rushing to meet the charge of one of them, slicing at it. It didn't disappear like the other one had, until she attacked it two more times. By then, some of the others had snuck around behind her and leapt at her.

 

Ari shrieked in pain as several claws sunk into her back, stumbling forward, barely bringing her sword up in time to defend against one that tried to attack her face.

 

“Behind you!”

 

Ari spun and slashed out wildly with the sword, catching two in their middles, making them both disappear, and making the two that had been clinging at her and trying to get caught in her hair fall off. Running away from the other six, she stumbled through a green mist that seemed to be forming over the ground, and felt some of the pain go away. Bewildered, she stopped and looked down, seeing the mist seem to flow into her— before motion caught her eye and she snapped her head back up.

 

Ari dashed around again to avoid another attack, and cried out in pain as one caught her retreating legs, clinging to one and sinking small fangs into it. Tears streaming down her face, she stabbed it, and it disappeared, but she could see the bloody streaks through the torn cloth of her pant legs.

 

Turning to the rest of them, she realized that there were five more— she had only defeated half. But she could only see two. She walked backwards through that green mist, and could feel the wounds on her leg healing again. Then the two leapt at her, and she dashed forward, attacking one while it was in midair, then spinning around, catching it and the other. The first disappeared, and she followed through with a stab to the head for the second. Apparently, a third had reappeared as she had been attacking the other two, had been caught by a stray sword swing, and it rolled to its feet, sinking into the ground and going beneath Ari's feet to reform behind her. But this time she watched it, and screaming, stabbed at it until it died and disappeared like the others.

 

Then only the other two remained, plainly visible as much of the green mist faded away. Ari dashed forward, to meet one that slashed out at her arms. Gritting her teeth and letting the tears continue to flow freely, she kept attacking it until it disappeared, before spinning in a slash towards the other one. She stood like that, ready to attack, until she realized that it had disappeared. Panting, and nerve wracked, she just stood there for a few moments.

 

Then—

 

Once, she had felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness. But now, she felt an incredible presence, unlike any other she had ever felt. Turning behind her, she saw a massive door. Forgetting the bloody battle that had just taken place, she walked up to it, the sword held limply in one hand. Reaching up, she touched it, and felt something pulse out from it.

 

“Hold on; the door won't open just yet. The day you will open the door is both far off and very near.” The door disappeared; Ari felt as if she had been shown to it merely so she would know it when she next saw it— in that way, she felt a bit helpless about what was going to happen. She couldn't do anything, she just had to wait and see.

 

She turned around, to see a circle of green and white energy, glowing. It was just like everything else, real, but insubstantial. She stepped into it, and felt herself become fully rejuvenated. Something… was strange about it. Here, more than ever, she could feel… something. Something she didn't quite know yet. A strange presence, but it was just so familiar, like she had known it her whole life. But that was ridiculous… wasn't it?

 

She spun around once more. The door had disappeared. But beyond where it had been, a shining staircase, seemingly made of nothing but fragile glass. Ari made no hesitation in leaping straight on it, correct in assuming that it would hold.

 

As she made it to the end of the shining staircase, she paused, looking at the circle of stained glass beneath her. Something wasn't quite right… She didn't even notice the staircase disappear into the void, she was so concentrated on finding what was wrong with this platform. Then something caught her attention right below her.

 

Her shadow, directly beneath her. It seemed to stretch out in front of her, as if a light was moving behind her— but the only light was shining straight up from the platform.

 

“The closer you get to the light…”

 

The shadow rose up just like the others had, but this one was humongous! As Ari stared at it, she dropped the sword, just gaping at the monstrosity that had come from her own shadow, and began to backpedal, terrified once more. Even as she stared at it, she mouthed the word, Darkside, unable to make any sound come out.

 

“…the greater your shadow becomes…”

 

Ari found herself once more slipping near the edge, and leaned forward just in time to catch herself. But staring up at Darkside, she froze in terror once again, the darkness beneath it spreading in a black and purple wave, threatening to engulf her.

 

“But don't be afraid…”

 

Ari tried to run along the perimeter of the platform, tried to spot the sword—

 

“—Don't forget—”

 

Ari stumbled, looking down before screaming in horror at the darkness that was pulling at her, grasping her, yanking her in. She tried to fight it—

 

“—Don't be afraid—”

 

—But it wouldn't give. She sought for that power that had resided around her before—

 

“—You hold the mightiest weapon of all—”

 

—But there was nothing. She… she couldn't make it come! She couldn't feel it! Ari was jerked violently downward, listing now to her left, and knee deep in the darkness that was creeping up her legs—

 

“—So don't forget—”

 

—Ari screamed again as it closed over her torso, grabbing at her arms. She could feel the shadowy giant looming over her, could feel the energy accumulating around it— the air was electric—

 

“—You are the one—”

 

—It completely surrounded her—

 

“—Who will open the door—”

 

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Ari writhed on the bottom of the boat, eyes wide, before jerking up, gasping sharply. Kairi had flinched away to the other side of the boat, and was staring at her in panic. “A-Ari!” she managed to gasp. “W-what happened?”

 

The teenage girl sat in the boat, hyperventilating, staring at the wooden bottom. What did just happen? she wondered frantically. Mind racing, she tucked her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, trying to make sense of it all. It was so real… it wasn't a dream! “I… I dunno…” she whispered.

 

“Mm… Maybe you should go rest… o-or something,” Kairi went on, regaining a bit of control in her voice. “I could get the packs…”

 

Ari glanced up, trying to ignore her pounding heart. “Eh? No, no…” she trailed off, glancing down again. “I'm fine now,” she said with more strength, standing up. The boat had drifted onto the beach— apparently her whole ordeal had taken less then a few seconds. “I'll be fine,” she amended as she began to feel the blood rush from her head, and shook it to try to clear the dizziness away. All it did was make her head hurt.

 

“Are you sure?” Kairi said, standing up alongside her. “I really think you should rest for a little while— I don't mind getting the packs,” she added, trying to sound helpful.

 

The last thing Ari wanted, however, was to fall asleep again— every time she seemed to lose consciousness, she disappeared into that place, that void… She gave Kairi what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “Don't worry about me, I'm tough.” Kairi gave her a grim look— she didn't believe her, but she wasn't going to argue with her. If Ari said she would be okay, then she was more likely to end up fine just from sheer stubbornness.

 

“Alright, but, take it easy. You don't want anything to happen to you when we start our journey,” she said in a quiet, serious voice.

 

Then, Kairi started across the beach towards the town, and Ari stared after her, a bit perplexed. They had always taken the voyage seriously, but had approached the subject in a light, cheery manner. It was something they were doing for fun, adventure— they had never thought much beyond what they were going to eat and having a couple extra changes of clothes. They had never really thought about the what ifs, the things that could go wrong. Ari furrowed her brow— after that dream, Kairi's attitude towards their journey seemed to take on whole new levels of complexity.

 

But, like any good teenager, she shrugged it off, deciding, uneasily, to think about it later. She had to get the backpacks and meet Kairi back at the boat. She trudged through the sand, getting more than usual caught in her sandals, but doing little about it. It itched a bit, but after being raised here, it didn't really disturb her.

 

It was easy to get hers, Sora's and Riku's— their parents knew each other, and she was given pretty much free access. The mayor was a bit more protective of Kairi, and therefore, wouldn't let Ari in without his adopted daughter— she knew from past experience. Instead, she went and put the three other packs in her boat, before sneaking over to Kairi's house.

 

Ari climbed up a paopu tree that was right outside of Kairi's window, and lifted the pane of glass— unlocked, as usual. Ari was the only one who snuck in to Kairi's room, sometimes at night when one of them got scared. Kairi would put a candle in her window if she wanted Ari to come over, or sometimes she would climb out and go to Ari's house, Ari doing the same with the candle. Carefully, now, she slipped through the open window and let it close again, glancing around the room.

 

Halfway neat, half thrown in place. Ari smiled at Kairi's attempts to be clean— she certainly wasn't bad as, say, Sora, but neatness had never been Kairi's forte. Strange, for someone always so organized in everything else… Well, Kairi had an amazing mind and could keep track of some really awesome things, so Ari assumed Kairi could find everything in the mess. It didn't take long, though, to find the purple bag with a drawstring at the top. Pulling the strap over her shoulder, she walked over to the door, hearing voices murmuring on the other side.

 

They sounded like they were downstairs… they were talking about Kairi. Ari smiled guiltily. The mayor would be so worried when Kairi disappeared… Ari felt, in a way, bad… But how could it be bad, or wrong? They couldn't be expected to stay forever on this little island when the whole world waited out there, could they? Ari glanced through Kairi's window, towards the ocean, and wondered what laid beyond.

 

The episode on the beach had not only made her curious… it kind've scared her. Especially after her dream… the dream that wasn't one. There could be dangers out there. The whole idea of it obsessed her, and she slipped over to Kairi's closet, pushing aside shoes and coats that had fallen off the hangers to find— a harpoon.

 

It wasn't really dangerous, and not one of the big, multiple pronged ones that their parents used. It was just one that the kids used to fish sometimes. It was a long wooden pole, with a metal shaft and single pronged head, which stuck out like half an arrow head. She carefully folded the rope that went with it, and detached the shaft head, sticking it gingerly in the top of Kairi's bag. It wasn't all that sharp, but she couldn't be too cautious with it.

 

The trip back down the tree was a bit more perilous, but Ari realized that getting the harpoons was a good idea. Tucking the bag and wooden pole beneath a bush, she quickly diverted and got Sora's, Riku's, and her own, trying to hurry back to the beach— taking bags was never suspicious, with all the time that they spent on the play island. Taking harpoons might attract someone's attention.

 

Once in the relative privacy and safety of the boat once more, Ari sat down, waiting for Kairi. In the meantime, she reassembled Kairi's spear, setting it down carefully in the floor of the boat, and wrapping a blanket around the heads to keep them from bumping into anyone's legs.

 

Kairi wasn't long in coming, and she only glanced at the spear shafts long enough to give an approving smile and nod for Ari's foresight. She had a large sack with her also, presumably filled with dried goods. With the two of them rowing, it didn't take long to get back to the island, and all the while, Ari kept her eyes determinedly on the prow of the boat, letting Kairi steer and just following her lead.

 

When they got back, the boys weren't quite done, so Ari sat on top of the tower on the lee side of the island, while Kairi sat on the raft, making a necklace out of thallasa shells. Finally, as the boys finished finding supplies, they seemed ready to set out when—

 

“Look!” Ari yelled from on the tower, standing up and clenching a hand to her head to keep the wind from tearing her bandana off. She was pointing straight out over the water, where a dark wall of clouds was forming.

 

The four teens stood and stared at it, looking defeated. There was no way they could set sail into that— it looked like it would bypass the island, but if they tried to sail out, they would easily get caught in the ripping current and dragged into the storm. Deflated, frustrated, Ari grabbed the wooden hanger and slid halfway down the wire, before letting go, landing roughly in a roll in the sand.

 

“No!” Riku said, denying it through clenched teeth. He punched one fist in his other hand, but there was nothing he could do. Sora looked just as crestfallen, and Kairi bit her lip, trying not to appear too upset.

 

“Well, guys, we'll just have to wait it out… as soon as it passes by the island, we'll be ready, at least,” she admitted hesitantly, not totally willing to admit to the delay.

 

Sora glanced over at the sky. “It's getting late… we should call it a day.”

 

Ari looked over at the setting sun with her friends. “You guys go on… I'm gonna stick around and watch over the raft tonight… I bet the storm'll be gone by morning,” she said half defiantly, half hopefully.

 

The others started to form protests, but let them die on their lips, seeing the set look of determination on Ari's face. The guys hopped into their boats, and Kairi followed, before turning back to put her hand on Ari's shoulder. The girl stared into her eyes.

 

“Please be careful. Come in if it gets bad— we can always build another raft, you know,” she said softly as the boys cast away their lines. The two locked gazes for a little while longer, before Ari nodded.

 

“I promise,” she vowed, giving Kairi a reassuring nod, before moving towards her own boat. “I'll even sleep in the tree house tonight,” she added in a teasing manner, just to make them feel better about it. She took her boat over to the other side of the island, where she would be staying, just so she would have a proper place to tie it up— the little dock.

 

It wasn't long before the sun was down and Ari was all alone. But she couldn't fall asleep, instead, wandering on the shore of the island, out near the small copse of land with all the trees on it… Where Riku liked to fight. Her bare feet sank into the sand, and she closed her eyes, spreading her arms in the wind. She felt too alive, her presence too big for the indoors tonight. So much was on her mind, everything just clashing around inside of her. She wanted to let it all out, because she knew she had too many pent up thoughts to get to sleep otherwise.

 

Over the course of time, she was lounging against the wooden wall, staring out across the blue blackish ocean, thinking of other worlds.

 

Suppose that void, that empty place… suppose that's a world out there? The thought made her shudder. She would never, never want to go back there ever again. She didn't want to see anymore of the darkness and those bug like creatures. Never.

 

With that disturbing, chilling thought on mind, she slipped off into uneasy sleep on the shore.

 

Fat rain drops and the rising tide were what woke Ari an hour or so later— she scrambled away from the wetness that had already soaked up to mid calf, only to be bombarded with more from above. Staring straight up, more rain splashed all over her face, until it was a steady, consistent stream of it, all pouring down on her and soaking her through to the bone. She knew she should go inside the tree house, but it felt good, refreshing, until thunder cracked high overhead, the lightning flashing simultaneously. Reluctantly, Ari began to start towards the path towards the tree house, until she felt something pinging off the back of her hair and bandana, then her back, and her arms. Turning around, she immediately threw her arms up into her face. Hail.

 

Then her eyes snapped wide open. The raft!! she practically screamed inside her head, doubling back towards the side of the island, bursting through the doorway that led to the other side, and racing towards the raft. She could only imagine what kind of damage the hail and lightning could do to the vessel they had worked so hard on— even though all the supplies had been stored in the tree house, they had left two of the harpoons tied to the mast, which was floating out in the cove, held only by a rope tying it to a nearby tree. It was a perfect lightning rod, and even if it wasn't struck, the hail…

 

The first thing Ari did was grab both harpoons, flinging them with their metal heads away from the boat and back into the sand. Then, she yanked on the rope, trying to pull the boat in, but the current refused to give, and she didn't have a good enough position to get much movement from the raft. So, already barefoot and wet, she dove headfirst into the water, under the raft, and resurfacing on the other side into the rainstorm, gasping for a fresh lungful of air.

 

Ari immediately had to grab onto the raft to avoid having her legs swept out from under her, and struggled with the torrent trying to suck her out into the ocean. With difficulty, she got her feet well under her, pushing down into the sand and practically burying them there. Screaming with the effort, she shoved as hard as she could, and she felt the raft hit the sand. She continued to push forward, trying to walk with it, trying to get the raft out of the water and onto land where it couldn't be swept away. She could only get it a few feet on the shore, however, and eventually was just clinging to the raft as the water rose. It was already up past her waist, but the raft still wouldn't move farther up onto the shore.

 

Somewhere from deep within, she suddenly remembered her promise to Kairi, and what Kairi had told her. Her sole concern instantly became to get back to the solid ground and out of the water, which was still yanking at her, trying to pull her to her death. Ari managed to grab a rope on top of the raft, and started to heave herself up, but slipped. Suddenly, she had no footing beneath her, and the water slammed her backwards. About twelve feet out from the raft, she slammed to a halt, caught only by the rope in her hands. Frantically, she tried to pull herself in, but her arms were already screaming in fatigue, and she kept getting sucked under. As she felt her lungs burning for lack of air, someone's hand locked around her elbow and started pulling her up and towards the raft.

 

Ari cried out in relief as her head broke the surface, just inches from the raft. A shadowy figure climbed up on it, their hand never leaving her arm, and began to haul her up after them. Ari just lay there for a moment, panting, regardless of the pounding waves tilting the raft, regardless of the hail still smacking into her body. She could have lain there forever, had the other person not pulled her up, shouting, “Come on!”

 

Ari stumbled off of the boat, looking up into Riku's familiar face, right before he turned away, guiding her towards the shortcut through the island. Ari only let her eyes stray away from him for a second, but stopped hard, yanking her arm right out of Riku's hold. He turned towards her to find out what was the matter, but immediately saw what had Ari terrified.

 

Several dark creatures with bulging yellow eyes were starting to materialize from the ground. Riku grabbed Ari roughly again, pulling her around. “Stay behind me!” he commanded, pulling his black wooden sword out. Even so, she could see his arms shaking, and knew why.

 

One of the creatures shrieked, leaping at him, and he swatted it away with his sword, but it seemed to have little effect otherwise. The other two attacked as well, and he was forced to fend off a whirlwind flurry of attacks, getting pushed back constantly, seeming to be unable to hurt them. Ari watched in terror, but then her eyes darted to the ground for a moment.

 

As Riku was fending one off, another leapt at his side; instinctively, he ducked, but knew that it was too late to dodge, and clenched his eyes shut.

 

The only sound that met his ears was that of a solid thunk and the creature's dying scream, and he looked up to see it disappearing with a harpoon sticking through its head. As it faded away, the harpoon stuck into the tree it had lodged itself into. He glanced back over at Ari who was stabbing one of the others with the second harpoon. It tried to bite her ankles, but only succeeded in finding death. Riku looked away again to see the third one jumping at his face, and attacked it one more time with his wooden sword, before dropping that and yanking the spear out of the tree. As the third one shook itself, and leapt again, he stabbed, and finally he was rewarded with it's painful cry as it faded in a burst of darkness.

 

“What are those things?” he asked, breathless and a bit shocked.

 

Ari came to stand next to him, her eyes looking a little glassy. “There will be more… and they'll keep coming!” He looked at her, but she still seemed half dazed. Motion beyond Ari caught Riku's eyes, which widened in response. More of the creatures were materializing between them and the shortcut.

 

“Come on, we've got to go the other way,” he insisted, grabbing her hand again, and racing back across the shore towards the door which led to the other side of the island. It didn't take long before she ran of her own volition, and even as they sprinted for their lives, faster than they had ever ran before, more of the creatures started to appear, but neither teen paid them any attention, going straight past them.

 

As Riku darted through the door, Ari slammed it shut behind them, to hear angry hisses and thuds from the other side. “We've got to keep moving, that won't stop them,” she said breathlessly. But there was no reply… “Riku?” she said, worriedly, turning around to face him. “Ri—”

 

Ari gasped, seeing what had been mesmerizing the silvery haired teen. A giant black orb was forming in the sky, the same penetrating darkness as that which had spawned the shadows. Something about it rocked Ari, electrifying her senses— this wasn't just here, it was everywhere, all at once… It was what brought the darkness… Something within the world seemed to be screaming in pain at the hole ripped open in its sky. And even then, it hit Ari, that it had to have come from another world. It must have hit Riku too, because he dropped his harpoon, fighting forgotten.

 

“Ari…” he said quietly… “This is it! This is our chance!” he ran and leapt for the wooden bridge that led to the stand of trees and the small island, determined to get a better view. Ari stared at him incredulously as he pulled himself up, ignoring her.

 

“Riku, what are you—” She noticed more of the shadows forming around her, and tried to leap up and grab the bridge as well. It was just a few inches too high, and cursing, she ran to her right, away from the shadows that followed her maliciously. “Riku, stop!” she yelled, dropping her own harpoon so she could grab the roof of the hut she was next to, and hauled herself up. Then, she spared a moment to look across the bridge at Riku. He was standing there, staring at the darkness. She immediately dashed after him.

 

As she got up close to him, she could hear him murmuring something to himself. “The door… is open…”

 

“Riku?” she said, trying to reach him again. Finally, he seemed to notice her.

 

“”The door is open!” he said again, this time sounding triumphant.

 

“What?” she said, bewildered. “No, Riku,” she said, remembering that voice, “the door's closed.” She didn't know what lied beyond the door, but she didn't really want to know, especially if it led to something like those creatures.

 

But Riku didn't seem to believe her. “The door to this world, Ari, it's been opened! By that!” he said, pointing to the rip in the sky. “We can leave! We can go to the outside world!”

 

“What are you talking about?” Ari pleaded. “Come on, we have to find the others and get away from here!”

 

“They'll come with us!” he shouted, excited. Something was starting to pool around his feet— the same purplish black darkness that had swallowed Ari in her dream.

 

She gasped— “Riku!”

 

He didn't even seem to notice as it started to rise around him. “Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back…” The idea only made him pause for a second. “But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!” he yelled as it started to engulf him. He held out his hand, his eyes pleading with her to come with him.

 

Ari looked back, seeing shadows approaching over the bridge, and spun to face him again, before launching herself forward into the mess of darkness. From far away, she could hear someone screaming their names. She struggled, the darkness growing thicker and more powerful with every second. Just a few inches! she urged herself, straining to reach his hand, to pull him away— or to go with him.

 

“Don't leave me!” For a moment, her fingers touched his, but by then it was too late, and the darkness separated them. Ari was propelled backwards, and she landed roughly, her head slamming into the ground. She cried out in pain, but tried to sit up almost instantly, searching for the silver haired teen.

 

Riku was gone.

 

“No!” she screamed in frustration. But then something urged her to turn around. As she did so, something attacked her, forcing her to stumble back, and she landed on her back again. It jumped again, hissing, claws extended. Ari's eyes went wide, throwing up a hand in front of her face to defend herself.

 

A bright white barrier seemed to explode outwards from her at the last moment, destroying the creature. Ari winced as the bright light hurt her eyes, but could still see from behind her closed eyelids as something, burning white, formed in her hand. When the light faded, Ari felt something solid and heavy in her grasp. The spots faded from her vision, and her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she looked upwards and saw a strange weapon in her hand. It looked almost like a sword, almost like an axe… Actually, it looked like a giant key…

 

Keyblade…

 

…Keyblade…

 

Ari stared in wonder at the thing which had materialized into her hand, but was only given a few moments to do so. It seemed that the creatures had been repelled by the light for a little while, but now that it was gone, they were ready to attack again. Ari scrambled to her feet, slicing at the first one that attacked her. To her surprise, the blade in her hand seemed to pass straight through it with ease— it was obviously a lot stronger than any play sword or spear. The others each only took a few hits before they too disappeared. Still confused and upset over Riku's sudden disappearance, she vented herself on what shadows she could find, until there were none left.

 

Someone was yelling her name again. She spun to face the beach, and saw Sora running straight towards her. “Sora!” she screamed, jumping off the bridge to run to him. As they closed the distance, however, another patch of darkness seemed to rise up, intervening between the two of them.

 

Ari stared as the monster from her dream, Darkside, appeared, towering over both teens. A whirlwind seemed to surround them, and things were flying everywhere— even chunks of the island were missing. As Ari looked around, the devastation nearly made her cry— the only thing left was a small patch of land— everything else was surrounded by, floating in, darkness. She turned back to Darkside, who seemed to be gathering energy in its chest. She could see Sora on the other side, looking terrified. “Run!” she screamed at him through the steadily increasing gale force winds, but he couldn't hear her. Sora stood, petrified, staring at Darkside, who turned to face him.

 

Something within Ari snapped, and she suddenly knew she had to fight. Dashing forward, she slashed as hard as she could through the creature's leg. It left a glowing wound, but it soon disappeared. The disturbance did not go unnoticed, however, and Darkside turned to face her once more, swatting with its large arm. Crying out, Ari was tossed several meters, skidding to a halt in the sand.

 

She lay there for a second, disoriented, and could see, through the haziness, Sora watching her in helplessness. His wooden sword was held limply at his side. Then her eyes focused on the arms of Darkside, plunged deep within the ground in wells of darkness, pumping it in. Shadows rose from the ground, and some of them turned towards Sora, their fierce eyes honing in on something new to ravage. Screeching, they advanced on him, and he tried to bat them away with his sword, but like Riku's it had no effect. A voice inside Ari's head was screaming at her, and she rose shakily, readying the Keyblade before her. Several of the shadows were darting toward her, but she attacked them furiously, making quick work of them.

 

From the other side of the patch of land, Ari heard Sora cry out as another set of Shadow claws scored across his flesh. She shouted his name, running like hell was after her to reach him. Another leapt up at him, and she sliced it out of midair, knocking the creature away. Enraged, it leapt back at her, and this time, she killed it with her attack, swinging her blade in an arc to knock the others away, and soon, they were all defeated.

 

“Ari!” Sora gasped, looking scared. Ari didn't blame him, she was scared of everything going on too, but he wasn't looking at her— rather, at Darkside, whose arms were plunged even further into the ground.

 

Something pulsed through them, something agonizing, making both teens yell out in the pain that seemed to echo through them. Ari fell to one knee, supporting herself with the Keyblade. The world… the world is crying out in pain! she thought, not understanding it, or even how she knew, but she understood that she had to stop Darkside. That familiar feeling she had felt before, in that dark place, where the door was… It was the world! That circle of glowing green light had been its light… It had been so warm, so comforting— and now, it was screaming, dying, its pain rippling out to those that had called it home.

 

Dashing forward, Ari leapt onto Darkside's arm, trying not to feel repulsed by the dark, cold, insubstantial flesh. She reversed her grip on the Keyblade, and sunk it into the creature's arm as hard as she could. Ari's rage and determination seemed to filter through her, and the light emanating from the Keyblade appeared to grow in intensity. Darkside let out some strange, guttural yell, pulling both arms out of the ground and standing straight.

 

Ari could hear Sora yelling below, but couldn't concentrate on what he was saying, just trying to focus for the moment on hanging on for dear life as Darkside screamed in fury, rising to its full height. Before it could reach over and knock her off, she scrambled up the arm, towards its head. The writhing darkness that seemed to be hair moved, almost making Ari reel backwards and fall off in disgust. But then, the reason for the movement was revealed, as two massive yellow eyes locked onto her. The enormous arm was reaching for her, and Ari did the first thing she could think of— stabbing the Keyblade straight into it's face. It sank through one eye, and Darkside screamed again, this time, its entire body writhing in pain, throwing Ari off. She screamed as she fell, before impacting hard in the sand.

 

Ari groaned, trying not to move— every nerve in her body was on fire, every muscle screaming at her. She could feel Sora's anxious hands on her shoulder, shaking her, urging her to get up. Slowly, she rolled over, pushing herself up on one hand. “Ari!” Sora said in relief, but then a strange sound caught both of their attentions. Both heads whirled around to see—

 

“No!” they yelled at the same time. Darkside's hand was again plunged into the world. This time, it reemerged with a bright, glowing red object in its hand. The pain that they had felt before blasted through them again, this time intensifying tenfold, and both teens doubled over, crying out in distress. The wind seemed to pick up once again, and it was pulling at Ari all over again. She started to slip backwards towards the rip that was forming into a dark orb, until Sora caught her hand.

 

There's nothing left… the world couldn't hold together any longer, and now it's going to be torn apart—

 

He had one hand locked around her wrist, the other clinging to a piece of debris, his feet scraping for purchase in the sand. Ari struggled to get her feet under her, but then the gale rocketed out of control, and they were ripped apart, both to be swept up into the darkness above.

 

Ari screamed bloody murder as she felt it get closer, the seething, living darkness. Then it engulfed her, and she struggled, fighting it away. Her body began to grow numb, and her senses sluggish…

 

An image flashed through her mind, a smiling face, and she felt something stimulate her every nerve. Her desire to escape was born anew, and something to her right began to glow fiercer and fiercer, so hot it was practically on fire. The warmth spread from it into her body, and finally the illumination was great enough that Ari could see that the light was coming from the Keyblade in her right hand. Clenching her eyes and making a sound of exertion, she tried to force the darkness away from her—

 

—A surge of power—

 

Ari was battered on all sides, attacked, violently bruised and beaten but then—

 

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She stirred a bit, groaning… her hand drifted to her forehead. Then she snapped awake, eyes wide open.

 

An unfamiliar place greeted her, lights shining down on her under a night sky. Ari looked around, bewildered. Something was wrong, very wrong… Where was Sora… and Riku… and Kairi? She stood up, walking a few feet to stare across a giant courtyard, in the middle of a city. And gaped.

 

Where am I?

 

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A/N: Contrary to the evidence, I don't typically write chapters this long. You may or may not see this as a good thing.

 

Note, I tried to make all four teenagers act like, well, teenagers. Being one myself for the past *counts on fingers* …few years… I'm pretty sure I got it something close to right. ^_~

 

If you liked it, let your faaaavorite writer know how much you love her by leaving her a review. A nice long juicy one telling her how much you loved her story. ^_^ Or, rather, one detailing any flaws you found in said story. I like to see criticism in the Inbox, yes, because then I can make the story better. Go figure, eh? :D

 

Till next time!