Author’s note: This is a story I wrote after finishing Squaresoft’s beautiful game, Kingdom Hearts. This may or may not become a series, so please, please tell me what you think. ^-^ This is only a one shot right now, but if I get a positive enough response or if I just feel crazy enough to actually write a series about this, I just might do it. This is shortly after the end of the game. So you might not want to read if you don’t like spoilers. ^^;; Prism Hearts by Amazoness Duo amazonessduo@hotmail.com ‘Thinking of you, wherever you are. We pray for our sorrows to end, And hope that our hearts will blend. Now I will step forward to realize this wish. And who knows: Starting a new journey may not be so hard. Or maybe it has already begun. There are many worlds, But they share the same sky; One sky, one destiny.’ Sitting on the end of a small pier, Kairi looked off into the sunset. The beautiful colors that descended to the earth looked like a painter’s most vivid dream. The sea reflected them, shifting recklessly as if it was jealous of the attention the sky was garnering for itself. But it wasn’t the sky that Kairi was interested in. She was trying to look past it, for something brighter than even the most beautiful sunset. She had done this often recently, so much so that the others on the island had finally stopped questioning her about it. They may think she was crazy or just daydreaming, but she was busy searching. All she needed was the tiniest hint. And the skies would stare back, teasing her with half-glimpses and images in the cotton candy clouds. But she would not let that deter her. She would keep searching forever if she had to. “I’ll be waiting for you. If you come here, you’ll find me. I promise,” she whispered, her voice carried off by the wind to destinations unknown. “Even if your ears can’t hear me, I know your heart can.” Her hand rested on her chest, feeling the beat of her own heart. When she closed her eyes, she could almost feel their rhythm, all beating in unison. It didn’t matter how far apart they were. Their hearts would always be one. When she blinked her eyes open, he was there. Just as if he had never left. His silver hair moved about in the light breeze. His eyes were shining and determined. He was reaching out for her, just as he always did. He was always reaching out for her, as if he could pull her along with him, to some place far away. Her hand left her chest, reaching out slowly for him. But before she could take his hand, he was gone. With a weak sigh, her hand fell into her lap. So close, yet always so far. It was like he was perpetually just out of reach. If she could just reach a little further, they could be together again. She knew Riku was far away, but she swore she could feel him sometimes, as if he were right behind her. That’s why she kept looking. Because she knew eventually they would be together again. A laugh reached her ears from the beach. It was laced with memories and feelings. “Sora!” She whirled about on the pier, her back aching from twisting so suddenly. Her hands lay on the deck as she gazed for the source of the boy’s laughter. Her heart sank when she saw that it was only Tidus, laughing at something Wakka had done. Shoulders slumped, the young girl turned back to the empty sea. The vast expanses that surrounded her encaged her as surely as any prison. It was ironic that this had all began as an attempt to escape with her best friends from this island, to taste the freedom and the excitement of other worlds, to see all the beauty they had to offer. And now she was trapped on that same island, her friends somewhere far off. They were now distant stars to her, lost somewhere in the heavens. She would sit up at night, peering into the moonlit sky, striving for any glimpse of the two boys that held her heart up. Sometimes she would mistake a falling star for one of them, hoping they were returning to her. But her hopes were always dashed when she didn’t find them running to her on their beach. Her memories were still clouded, distant things that seemed to come from another lifetime. She knew that she was a princess, but of where she wasn’t certain. But those memories didn’t matter to her. The memories that she cherished, that she held onto with all the strength in her heart were of her days with Riku and Sora on the island, of all of their moments together. Those were things she would never allow herself to forget, no matter how painful they could be or how lonely they might make her feel. They were her treasures, her little gems that she would sneak looks at whenever she could. The pier creaked behind Kairi, but she didn’t turn around immediately. For the first few days she had turned at every sound, every whisper that came her way, hoping that she would see the two boys again. But now she wouldn’t let herself be distracted about such things. She was trying to focus past all of the surface noise and images, to see where the two were out there. “Kairi?” A voice asked tentatively. Selphie waited for a moment, not quite expecting an answer. With how out of it Kairi had been lately, she wouldn’t be at all surprised. But she could understand. Love did that sort of thing to you. Especially when your love was very far away. Kairi slowly turned, her legs still slowly kicking away from the deck. She spotted Selphie waiting behind her. With Selphie was a blonde girl with glasses and a long pink dress. The blonde girl looked about a year or so older than Selphie. She could vaguely recall seeing her before on the main island of the Destiny Islands when she had been visiting with Sora and his parents. “Oh, hi, Selphie,” Kairi said, a little sheepishly. She placed a hand behind her head. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention.” Selphie giggled, her hands behind her back. “Yeah, but you’re always like that lately. Thinking about someone special?” She grinned wider. Selphie loved romance. And watching it unfold on the Destiny Islands was her favorite past time. And she’d been wondering for quite some time what would become of the love triangle between Kairi, Riku, and Sora. Kairi sighed, looking back at the ocean waves beneath her feet. “Something like that.” “Oh, this is Quisty. You probably haven’t seen her much. She spends too much of her time studying. I practically had to drag her out here,” Selphie stated with mock exasperation. She perked up immediately, dropping the façade. “But it’s nice and romantic at sunset on the beach and she needed a break from all those books.” Quistis sweatdropped, not quite sure what to say. She had indeed been studying when Selphie had taken it upon herself to get her to relax and had dragged her off to the island. Of course, she knew Selphie too well to believe her pretenses about relaxing. Selphie wanted a moonlit stroll on the beach or to sit and watch the sunset together or something. And how could she have possibly said no to that? Kairi giggled softly, looking at the two. It sounded like this ‘Quisty’ was the exact opposite of Selphie. Studious and mature, the slightly older girl didn’t seem anything like the spunky and childish brunette. But her smile slipped slightly as she saw them holding hands. She missed Riku and Sora. She wanted to watch the sunset with them again. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, smiling warmly at the two other girls. “That sounds like fun. The sunset’s gorgeous tonight. It’s perfect to watch with someone.” Selphie bit her lip, watching Kairi for a moment. “You really miss them, don’t you? I’m sure they’ll come back soon. They must miss you a lot, too. They’re probably both on their way right now. You’ll see them before you know it.” She smiled brightly. There was always hope. No matter how dark things were, there was always some light tucked away in the shadows. Staring back at the pink and orange sky, Kairi nodded, smiling softly herself. “I know. I can feel them. They’ll come back to me. Someday. Besides, Sora promised me that he’d bring my lucky charm back. And Riku risked everything to get my heart back. I know he wouldn’t give up on me no matter what.” Tilting her head to the side, Selphie tried to see what Kairi was looking at. It was almost like she was looking through the sunset to something behind it. Finally giving up, Selphie looked at Kairi again. “Remember what I said about Paopu fruits? How they intertwine your destiny forever with someone when you share it? I can get you one if you want. Then you can share it with one of them when they get back.” She squeezed Quistis’s hand, feeling a giddy thrill run through her. “I finally found someone to share one with. It’s wonderfully romantic. You should really try it.” She could tell Quistis was blushing, but that just made her want to melt against the taller girl. “I will,” Kairi promised. She leant back on her hands, staring straight up at the sky. “But I’d have to share it with both of them. So the three of us will never be apart again. So we’ll always be together.” Her blue eyes closed as she imagined them all sitting together, sharing the star shaped fruit. Selphie sweatdropped, looking down at the lost princess. “But which of them do you love? Which one do you want to be with forever?” Blinking, Kairi slowly focused on the sky above. That thought puzzled her. It seemed so simple, yet the answer eluded her. It felt like a trick question. She rolled it over in her mind. But she couldn’t imagine one without the other. It felt wrong, incomplete. “Both of them,” she said at last, her voice barely above a whisper. "I love both of them. I want to be with them forever.” And she was satisfied with that answer. It was what her heart desired, what she wanted more than anything else. That was why they were all still together, why their hearts were all one, even if they were far apart. ~~~~~~~~~~ “Everything has been restored. Our world’s back to normal,” Aerith said, relief filling her soul. For so long they had been cast out into the universe, their home world a mere shell of it’s former self, consumed by the Heartless. Now all of those hopes and dreams that had grown inside of them were realized, brought back as if they had never been gone at all. But what cost had been paid to return their home to them? “Do you think they’re all right?” Yuffie asked after a moment’s pause. She had been thinking the same thing. They had bound together in order to stop the Heartless, but in the end they could only pray the Keyblade Master could stop the outpouring of darkness. She felt as if she should have been there herself. This was her home, after all. She should have been fighting for it. No one else should have to sacrifice themselves for her happiness. Leon shrugged, his arms crossed. “Who knows? I don’t suppose we’ll ever find out. The worlds are separated again so we can’t know what’s become of them.” Though he couldn’t voice it, he felt the same way Yuffie did. He had spent so long mourning the loss of his home world, blaming himself for not being able to save it. He had even changed his name to distance himself from the pain. He had been willing to do anything to fix his mistake. And a boy had done that for him. He had to hope the Keyblade Master was all right somewhere out there. “Hey, guess who I found wandering outside? Looks like he got lost. Aerith, you seem to have a thing for lost puppies. Maybe you can handle him.” Cid grinned as the brunette turned her attention his way. He motioned behind him at a cloaked figure. “Cloud!” Aerith called out happily, hurrying to the blond man. Now her home felt complete again. Now she truly felt like she was home. Her eyes sparkled with diamond tears of joy. “Aerith...” Cloud could only stare for a long moment. He felt so exhausted after his long and lonely journey. He wanted nothing more than to collapse at Aerith’s feet. Or better yet, in her arms. But he could only stare, his heart thawing now that he had finally found what he had spent so long searching for. “I never stopped looking for you.” Aerith smiled brightly, taking the cloaked man’s hand. “I know, Cloud. I knew you’d find me one day. I’ve always had faith in you. That’s why I was never worried. Because I knew one day I’d see you again. I was just worried you wouldn’t have the same hope. You can be so dark sometimes.” Cloud’s emerald eyes shone as he held Aerith’s hand tightly, reveling at just the simple fact of being able to hold it again. “It was hard sometimes. But I knew I had to keep looking. I couldn’t afford to give up. I knew you didn’t die with the planet. And I would do anything to see you again.” Leon watched on, his arms still crossed. This was reminding him too much of something he would prefer to forget. He hadn’t been able to save her. He had given up hope of ever seeing her again. But this man, this Cloud had kept searching even when it had been more than likely that Aerith had died along with almost everyone else on Hollow Bastion. He felt a cold wind blow across his soul at the thought. He had been such a naïve child, believing he could protect the woman he loved from something like the Heartless. He had been unsuccessful. That was part of why he had changed his name. If he was someone else, he wouldn’t have to think about losing her. Because Squall had lost Rinoa, not Leon. Sitting on the table in the library, Yuffie watched with mild interest at Cloud and Aerith’s reunion. They really were back home. With all of their friends. It was slowly sinking in. The world’s greatest ninja was back home with all of her family and friends. No more wandering and fighting. Leon sighed, turning his back on the goings on. He wasn’t a part of any of this. He felt awkward, like an outsider. But he had always felt that way. He wasn’t good with people. Until she came along... He banished the thought, walking away from his teammates. He walked deeper into the library. He just wanted to be alone right now. “Aren’t you even going to say hello?” Leon froze. All of his cold mental reserve shattered like brittle glass. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. It couldn’t be... He slowly turned to face the voice, his heart still frozen in midbeat. His eyes fell upon a girl in blue leaning against a bookshelf. He felt dizzy and lost all over again, as if the floor had been yanked out from under him. Rinoa smiled at him, brushing back some dark hair as she advanced on Leon. “You look different. But it doesn’t seem like you’ve changed at all otherwise.” “...” Rinoa giggled, finally reaching the moody gunblade expert. “I love you, too, Squall,” she replied. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders as she stood up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. Leon slowly found himself regaining control as she kissed him, as if his soul was reawakening because of her. He closed his eyes tightly, holding onto Rinoa. All that he had thought he had gotten rid of had only been hidden away. Forgotten, but not entirely gone. And she was the key to unlocking it all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sora collapsed onto his back, staring up at the cerulean skies above him. He yawned, stretching out on the soft grass. His entire body was sore. It felt like they had been travelling forever. He just wanted to lie down for a moment. But lying there, his weariness tore at him. He didn’t want to get back up. He just wanted to lie there. ‘Sora, you lazy bum,’ he could hear Kairi say. ‘I know you’re stronger than that, Sora,’ Riku’s voice called out in his mind. Nodding resolutely, he struggled back into a sitting position. There was still too much work to do. He couldn’t go slacking off now. He couldn’t let down Kairi and Riku. “We’re never going to find that door,” Donald said exasperatedly, slumping next to Sora. His legs ached. He was a lot shorter than Goofy and Sora, so he had to work harder to keep up. On top of that, he had to get back to Daisy soon. Or she’d kill him. He gulped at the thought, resting against his staff. “We’ve gotta find the door. We will find it. It’s the only way we can find Riku and your king.” Sora looked up at the clouds, seeing his friends in them, calling to him. That managed to reenergize his spirits. They were out there. And they would be together again one day. If there was one thing his journey had taught him, it was to believe in the power of one’s heart. And there was a red thread connecting his heart to Riku and Kairi’s. As long as he believed that they would be together, they eventually would. He just had to keep believing. “Hey, Sora,” Goofy began. “You finally got that friend of yours, Kairi, back, right? So why aren’t you trying to find a way back to your island?” “Because I’m not going back without Riku. I have to find him. We’re going back to Kairi together. I can’t leave him. And I can’t leave you guys to find your king alone. We’re in this together,” Sora explained. He could see Riku and Kairi smiling at him in the clouds. “And even if I can’t be with Kairi right now, I’ll always be with her. The same with Riku. But I want us to all be together again. So I’m going to make sure it happens. No matter how long it takes.” “Gawrsh. Poor Kairi has to wait all this time while we’re off lookin’ for that door.” Goofy shook his head sadly. Donald glared at Goofy, crossing his arms. “Poor Kairi? I wouldn’t mind trading places with her. Let her find that stupid door.” Sora laughed. “But you’ll keep looking with us anyway, right, Donald? Remember, only smiles on this trip.” The duck looked over to protest but found himself staring at the oddly grinning faces of both Goofy and Sora. Sighing, the mage gave up. “All right, all right! Only smiles.” Sora stretched as he finally stood up. “Good. Then lets get going. We have to go find Riku and the king. We can’t waste any time. They’re probably waiting for us right now.” With renewed enthusiasm, he began walking again. He had no idea where the door to the light would be, but it hardly mattered. He’d keep looking until he found Riku. Donald sighed and slowly got to his feet. “Hey! Wait up!” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Walking along the beach, Kairi was lost in thought. The island felt so empty without Sora and Riku by her side. She found herself closing her eyes more and more and wishing that they would be there when she opened them. But they never were. So she wandered the island, visiting all of the places that were important to her two best friends, that held special memories for her. It was all she could think to do. It wasn’t as good as having them there with her, but it let her relive those moments they had together. Even if she did wind up crying because of it quite a bit. She felt so alone without the two of them. “Come back to me,” she whispered. Something in the air caught her eye, drawing her gaze to the heavens. Something was plummeting through the sky, falling like some shooting star. It took her a moment to realize it was human shaped and plunging towards the waves nearby. It finally crashed into the aquamarine ocean, sending water splashing everywhere. Kairi ran to the water, swimming as quickly as she could towards the figure. Her mind raced with thoughts, all jumbling upon each other in their confusion. Riku? Sora? Were they hurt? Was it them? How had they fallen from the sky? Could she really drag them all the way back to the beach? Searching under the gently rolling waves, Kairi finally spotted a prone figure in the water. She pushed forward, grabbing hold as tightly as she could. Pulling herself up, she gasped greedily for air, holding the figure close as she made her way back to land. Her heart was playing a staccato beat inside of her chest as she struggled wet and weak along the sand. She finally collapsed with the fallen person, her curiosity and anxiety nearly maddening. Rolling on her side while she tried to catch her breath, she found herself staring back into blue eyes. Sitting up as quickly as she was able, Kairi found herself staring at herself lying on the sand. “What?” The sight gave her no relief. It only served to raise more questions, confusing her further. This didn’t feel like a dream. But how? This didn’t make any sense. She could only stare at herself for a long moment, waiting to see if the other her would do anything. Where had it come from? Why was it her? What was going on? It took Kairi a bit before she noticed a difference in the other her. There was something strange sticking out of her chest. Still on her knees, she slowly reached toward the strange object. Her hand jerked back when she saw the chest rise and fall. She finally worked up the courage to reach out again, taking hold of what she now realized was a handle. But for what? The girl that looked so much like her didn’t seem to be stabbed or anything. But the handle still seemed to lead to something. “It will be okay, Kairi. I’ll always be with you. There’s nothing to be afraid of. You just have to reach out and take my hand.” Kairi looked up in shock at the familiar voice. She could see Riku looking down at her, holding his hand out for her. “Riku... I...” She reached forward, trying to take his hand, to pull him close. But his hand was gone before she could grab hold of it. “Riku...” She looked back down at herself, her other hand still on the protruding handle. “Find them,” her other self whispered. “They need you. They can’t do it alone.” Kairi slowly found herself nodding. “We should be together. We need each other.” She couldn’t just wait on her island forever. ‘This time, I’ll protect both of you,’ she thought to herself. The her on the sand smiled. Taking a firmer grip on the handle, Kairi pulled it out of the other version of herself. In a storm of sparkles, the other her was gone, and Kairi was holding a large key. “Open the door,” a voice whispered in her head. Who was it? She couldn’t quite tell. Looking up, she could see a lone door standing on the beach, apparently leading to nowhere. It had a large keyhole on it. It almost seemed to beckon her. Kairi slowly stood up. If she stayed here, her friends might be in danger. She knew they could handle anything if they were all together again. Sora and Riku were both lost out there. Maybe she could find them. She would find them. Wherever they were. Stepping forward, the young princess used the large, unwieldy key to unlock the door awaiting her. As the door slowly opened, she knew there would be no turning back. This was it. But her choice was simple. She had to find them. Anything could have happened to them out there, lost on any one of countless worlds. Without a glance back, Kairi plunged through the door.