Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ A Fragmented Tale ❯ Connected in Heart and Soul ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: cursed l0ve
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters therein. Although, I do own Aleron- she’s mine! ^-^

Read and Review please! Arigato!

Non Anime: Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.25.2006 | Updated On: 12.31.2006 | Pages: 8 | Words: 11.6K | Visits: 340 | Status: Completed

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters therein. Although, I do own Aleron- she's mine! ^-^
A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Everyone has his or her excuses of being busy, and it's true… Anyway, here it is! I'll try to keep updating and finishing the story for you! I only have 3 reviews!!! Please keep reviewing!
Swordstuff- Yeah, well Riku is actually the hero of this story. Sora might be the greatest in the game, but the way I look at him, he seems a lil pathetic and since it's just a story I decided to make him what he LOOKS like to me. Although, in this chapter, I'm getting Riku to make him realize that he should act like the hero he is supposed to be. Lol yeah Riku is the best ^-^ and since he has no one, I made a character for him so poof there's Aleron. I haven't finished COM so that's why I didn't know… thanks for telling me! Souleater, got it. I changed it for you! I left The Way to Dawn cause it's his keyblade in KH2 after he joins with Sora again. I even changed the name to Aleron it sounds more knight-ish. ^-^ I don't really like how I did this story though… I'm gonna try to finish it since some ppl like it. Hey, just wondering… what was Riku's special keyblade called? The one he used in Hollow Bastion in KH1? I've been trying to find the name for it, would you happen to know?
 
Kiwi711- thanks for reviewing! Glad you like it! ^-^ I'll try to keep updating in less time as possible o.O
Everyone- I changed the name to Aleron AND the chapter titles… Go back to read the story again if you wish. And tell me, should I change my story title? A Fragmented Tale… it doesn't sound like it's fragmented though… review and tell me please! Thanks!
 
A Fragmented Tale by cursed l0ve
 
Chapter Eight: Connected in Heart and Soul
 
The winds raged, firing pieces of orange sand at them. The village was forced to surrender behind closed doors. The chasers and the others were stuck inside the blue hut. Riku was in a mood, so they made sure to keep a good distance away from him.
They were stuck listening to his yelling. He wanted to get out of there and find her. Sora and Matty tried to calm him down, but all they did was make him even more frustrated. Who knew how long they would be stuck there? It has been three days. Three days since Kerri took Aleron again. Three days since Kairi was taken. Three days since the sandstorm began. They'd have to dig their way out once it calmed.
"Riku, please..." Enya rolled her eyes as she pleaded. "Yelling and pacing around won't bring them back! We can go find her once it's settled down!"
The said boy shot her a glare and crossed his arms across his chest,” By the time it's done, we might have already lost Aleron and Kairi!"
The two had a heated glaring match. Ryo took a deep breath and stepped in-between them to separate the two. Sora was holding his head in-between his knees, while sitting on the couch. He was worried about Kairi, but he'd lost her once before, and he'd find her again. Matty was slumped down in the corner of the room, staring down at the floorboards.
"I've had enough! Riku shut up and sit down! Enya, go sit elsewhere!" Ryo roared, shocking everyone in the room. Riku growled, but hurriedly crossed the room to sit beside Sora. The spiky-haired boy glanced at him from the corner of his eyes, a bit afraid.
Enya grabbed a chair from the other room and sat on it backwards, crossing her arms on the top of it. Ryo watched them quietly before continuing.
"I assume you'll calm down, Riku?" he asked, looking at the silver-haired boy. Riku scoffed and looked away. "Good. Alright, We leave tonight. The storm's settling down."
"Finally!" Riku hissed.
Ryo sighed and went to look behind the curtains, to assume how much sand they'd have to dig through to get out. "Damn, this was no ordinary sandstorm. It must have been Kerri's doing."
"What? You must be kidding me," Enya said, surprised. She stood from her seat and walked over to the window. Her fiery eyes widened. "Damn, you're right."
"No biggie, I'll use aero to blast out the sand," Sora spoke up.
Enya looked over at him, "But Sora, how are you going to do that without your keyblade?"
Sora gave her a puzzled look, "Aw, man!" He bent down in his seat and grasped his hair. "Why did we have to lose our keyblades!?"
"I can use my Souleater. It casts magic," Riku said, bored.
The brunette sighed, "Okay, Riku."
The silver haired boy spoke again, "But of course, I wish I still had the Way to Dawn..."
"Well, seems like the storm has decided to stop, so we might as well get going," Ryo announced, leaning against the door.
Matty took this moment to rise from his position on the floor and walk over to where his Chaser leader stood. Enya stood with her arms crossed, and Sora rose. Riku glanced at the group, and then stood up.
"Armors on, and let's go!" Matty reminded them.
Ten minutes later, everyone stood by the front door dressed in his or her armors. Riku had his Souleater out and ready. Ryo gave him a nod before stepping away, opening the door. Sand poured into the room, but Riku was swift. He called the wind and the sand swirled and blasted out of the way, cleaning the village of sand.
"Whoa, that worked pretty good!" Matty shouted unbelieving.
Riku shrugged, "Yeah, now let's go get Aleron back!" He stepped out into the streets, only to get overwhelmed by applause and compliments from the people. He plastered a smile and thanked them as he went by. The rest of the group followed behind, wearing sheepish grins. Riku was acting weird, they thought silently.
"Seems like Riku's been getting mood swings," Enya whispered into Matty's ear. He smirked and nodded in return.
"I noticed."
"I wonder why..." she raised an eyebrow. He grinned.
 
 
"Kee, she won't wake, what are we going to do?" Donovan asked, staring down at the sleeping girl.
Donovan had dressed up as a healer. He wore a dark beige shawl over his head and managed to actually look and act like a lady. He even had to adjust his vocal level to sound like one. He actually fooled the girls. He smirked.
Kerri hid among the villagers, waiting for the boys to approach. When they did, she appeared in front of them, creating a diversion to give Donovan time to avoid suspicions and snatch the girl. It worked wonderfully. They even got the other one.
Now, they were back in the World that Never Was. Once they'd arrived, Kerri went to talk to Maleficent, leaving Donovan to take care of the girls. He brought them to the dungeons, locking Aleron up in one of the cells. He placed Kairi in the other. The problem was, the Key wasn't waking up. It had been three days, and Aleron wasn't even moving. Something was wrong.
Donovan went to talk to Kerri, and he dragged the woman down to the dungeons with him to prove his point. Kerri stared down at the sleeping girl with her piercing burgundy eyes. She snapped her glance over to Donovan's rose colored ones. He flinched.
"She hasn't woken up? Have you checked her? There was a reason the others took her to the Healer's. She was probably injured and you didn't check her?!" she yelled, raising her voice even louder. Donovan had to turn the other way. "You fucking idiot! Now I have to do all the work to fix her or the beast will never awaken!"
"I'm sorry, Kee! I was only thinking of taking her, not fixing her," Donovan pleaded.
Kerri scoffed, "Yeah sure, you don't even FEEL sorry. We don't have emotion, remember?"
"Whatever, we gotta fix her, right? So, lets bring her to Maleficent and see what she can do. I mean, she's a witch, right? So, she should have healing powers, dark or not."
"For an idiot, you might just be as clever."
"That's me," he smiled slyly.
 
"You want me to what? Heal her?" Maleficent hissed. "Who are you to think of ordering me around? I am in charge here, I tell you what to do. You don't go the other way around!"
"Well, our plan won't work unless she is fixed," Kerri said simply, shrugging.
The witch glared dangerously. "Don't play with me. I shall do so, but on one condition." She smirked, flashing her glowing eyes.
"Yes, your mistress. What condition will that be?"
"I will not tell you, but you will like it. So, where is the girl?" the witch said in monotone.
"Here," Donovan spoke up, approaching the dais.
He carried Aleron in his arms. The witch's eyes widened.
"Well, well... She reminds me of someone, I do not remember who," Maleficent said, trying to think. "Anyway, so I heard you have that brat of a princess, too?" Donovan nodded. "Very good, you two may leave."
Kerri and Donovan bowed and exited the room. Aleron was left on the floor, just below the steps of the dais. Maleficent stood and approached the girl. Her scepter glowed green as she carefully crouched down.
"Mm. So, you're Aleron. How interesting... You remind me of someone long ago, if I could just remember who it was. No matter, now... to fix you," the witch spoke softly. She touched Aleron's forehead with the scepter. It cast a greenish glow all over Aleron's body. A bluish light glowed where the scratch was, mending the wound and leaving a faint scar in its wake.
The witch removed her scepter and Aleron's eyes snapped open. The green was still surrounding her. Her eyes were the brightest blue, glowing eerily. Aleron stared up at the ceiling, still unmoving. Maleficent frowned. Something was wrong.
"Kerri! Donovan! Return at once!" she roared.
The doors opened and the two Nobodies entered, bowing before the witch. Kerri looked up.
"Yes, your mistress?" Kerri stole a glance at the illuminated figure on the floor. She raised an eyebrow. "What's going on here?"
Donovan was staring at the girl in confusion.
"Just what I was wondering! She is healed, and yet she is still somewhat closed off," Maleficent spoke.
"Mm. I don't know what it is, but it seems to me that someone or something is trying to protect her. The question is who or what?" Kerri said, mindlessly twisting her purple hair.
"Well, go find out at this instant! I want the mission carried out and over with!" the witch hissed loudly.
Kerri snapped up to glare dangerously at the witch. She said nothing, but disappeared in a black dust of smoke. Donovan followed after.
"Damn you, stupid girl! You're merely ruining our plans! Pretty soon, I'll have my way with you!" Maleficent growled, before turning around to return to her throne.
 
Riku stopped suddenly. He had his eyes closed and his right hand over his heart. He looked puzzled. The others looked at him in bewilderment.
"What is it Riku?" Sora asked him, patting him on the shoulder.
"I felt something. It was strange. I think it had something to do with Aleron."
"Aleron?"
"Yes."
"What was it then?" Enya asked.
Riku opened his eyes and looked ahead at the vast horizon of the desert, "I don't know. Something tapped into her. I could feel someone trying to pry into her."
Enya and Matty looked at each other. Enya turned to look at the silver-haired boy, "You two must have been connected then."
Riku turned a perpeculious face towards her direction, "How is that?"
Enya shrugged, "I dunno." She studied him through her black view screen. "The way you're saying, it seems like you two were connected at some point. Obviously."
Riku raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ryo. The leader gave him a nod. Riku sighed before turning back to the direction they were going.
"Well, we gotta go find her. Merlin said something about the Nobodies trying to unlock something. They have unlocked the graveyard. So, which means, they'll be going to the spot where Aleron would most likely waken the great beast. Where would that be?" Riku said quietly, but just as loud enough for them to hear him.
"The Keyblade Graveyard is farther North. We are going in the right direction. The beast will be there as well. There is a rock there they have to bound Aleron on to unleash it. And the power of the Dark Keyblade," Matty spoke up. At the last sentence, everyone turned towards Sora.
"Hey! Cut it out! I refuse to touch that keyblade! I only want my Kingdom Key back!" Sora yelled, scrunching his eyebrows and crossing his arms.
"Okay! Relax, Sora!" Riku yelled at him. He smashed his leather-covered fist on top of Sora's helmet.
"Ouch! Riku that hurt!" Sora jumped back, and then crouched down, hiding his head in-between his legs, holding it.
"Whatever, you better keep your word. We're still going to keep a watch on you, so don't do anything funny!" Riku said, continuing to walk.
Sora glared at him, his red clashing with Riku's yellow as the moving boy looked back over his shoulder, creating orange.
"Come on, Sora!" he waved the brunette over. The others followed behind the two best friends.
"Damn, Kairi... where are you?" the former hero said softly.
 
"Kee, what exactly are we supposed to be doing?" Donovan spoke up.
"Mm, just checking up on the brats. That witch knows nothing. Aleron has been healed, so all we need to do is prepare her, and then we'll go to the center of the Keyblade Graveyard and get Aleron to perform the ritual. We need Sora to wield the Dark Blade. So, how do you suppose we manipulate him?" Kerri answered, walking around her room.
"What was Maleficent's condition? Maybe it has something to do with that?"
"With what?"
"Sora."
"Maybe... but we don't know what exactly the condition was. And Maleficent isn't the mastermind, so what does she know? I have been planning this for Xehanort since the beginning of this!"
"Xehanort? What the hell are you talking about?" Kerri shot him an icy glare.
"Don't you know? Oh my god, I've told you a million times! What is wrong with you?" Kerri hissed, standing dangerously close with her face in his.
Donovan stared at her, noticing how close they were. He glanced down and then up at her again. He smirked. "What is wrong with me? Why don't you tell me what is wrong with me?"
Kerri growled low, "You are an idiot! Do I have to tell you everything all the time? No!" She turned around so fast and disappeared in a black smoke. Donovan snickered and sat on a chair quietly.
"Mm, I wonder what we shall do with that princess of heart?" he said to no one in particular.
 
Aleron wandered around the desert. It was endless. Where was she going? Why couldn't she remember anything? She knew who she was, she knew she was in a desert, but what was she doing there?
Sighing, she stepped over a sand dune and she saw a group of people traveling ahead of her. She raised an eyebrow. Maybe they could help her. She looked down at herself. She had a soiled white tank top and soft, padded, white shorts that hugged her thighs. She wore worn out brown boots. Her hair reached about three inches below her shoulders. The front was highlighted blonde. Her skin was tanned from the hot, desert sun. Where she got her clothing from, she didn't remember.
She rushed down the sand dune, almost slipping forward and flipping down to the bottom. Luckily, she caught herself before she did so. She continued down until the land was even, and ran as fast as she could towards the group.
A few feet behind, she shouted for them to wait up. They kept on. Only one of them stopped and turned around. She raised her eyebrows. Why weren't they listening to her? Didn't they hear her? Why did that armored person only acknowledge her?
 
They had gone a good distance away from the village. There were no more attacks from the beasts. They decided it must have been Kerri's doing. Two days have passed. They had camped twice during the nights. It was almost noon, and they were nearing someplace.
Ryo was leading this time. Enya and Matty got into heated arguments once in a while, but then they ended up walking pretty close together. Sora was walking beside Matty. Riku was behind them. At some point during the day, he caught up with Ryo to ask him how much longer it would take to get to the graveyard. About another day, he said. That was when Riku thought he heard someone.
Riku thought he could be hallucinating. He thought he heard Aleron calling them to wait up. There was no way she could be there with them, unless... maybe she'd escaped. No. That couldn't be. He stopped walking and turned around. There was no one there. He furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.
"What's it, Riku?" Sora asked.
"I thought I heard her back over there, but there's no one there," he sighed.
"What are you talking about? I didn't hear anyone calling for us," the brunette said, confused.
"I must be hallucinating then," Riku said as he turned around to keep walking. He looked over his shoulder to find no one still there. He sighed and turned his head back to the direction they were heading towards.
 
"HEY! WAIT UP! CAN'T YOU HEAR ME?" Aleron shouted, walking right behind Enya.
 
Yeah, that time Riku was sure Aleron was with them. He jumped as he turned around to catch a sight of her. He still could not see anyone there. Now he was confused.
"Riku, she is not here! Stop it and keep walking!" Sora yelled, grabbing both of Riku's shoulders and trying to turn him in the right direction.
"No Sora! I heard her again, it sounds like she's behind Enya or something," he hissed, glancing behind the said girl and Matty.
Sora looked at the spot that his best friend mentioned and then sighed, "Okay Riku, that's it. Everyone, let's take a break so Riku can cool himself off."
"Alright, Riku, the heat must have gotten to your brain," Ryo said, dropping down into the sand.
 
 
Aleron was confused. The armored person called Riku knew where she was, he had heard her. The problem was he couldn't see her. Why was he the only one that noticed her? Everyone else didn't believe him. They knew her? Why couldn't she remember them?
She approached to the one they called 'Riku' and sat down beside him. She saw him freeze in his spot and move his glance to her general area.
Everyone else was staring at him, believing he was out of it. They were getting freaked out from the way Riku was acting at the moment.
She had the urge to do something and it was telling her to sing, so sing she did.
"How can you see... into my eyes like open doors? Leading you down into my core, where I've become so numb... without a soul... my spirit sleeping somewhere cold, until you find it there... and lead it back, home..." she began softly.
She watched as Riku's eyes widened and look down at the sand in front of him. She reached her arm out to him, touching him on his shoulder. He suddenly fell back on the sand with his eyes closed. Everyone was screaming. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, there was only the two of them, surrounded by darkness.
"Wake me up inside, wake me up inside... Call my name and save me from the dark, bid my blood to run... before I come undone... Save me from the nothing I've become..." she kept on singing, never stopping.
 
Riku woke, finding himself in darkness. He was afraid. He knew Aleron was with them, but she wasn't really there at all. He guessed he was inside her mind. She was singing; he liked it when she sang. He brought her into his focus, and removed his helmet. He found her studying his ocean orbs. It was really her. "Aleron," he said.
 
"Now that I know what I'm without, you can't just leave me... Breathe into me and make me real... Bring me to life," she kept on.
She was watching Riku, watching as the scene around them changed, and they were in the forest again. Riku seemed surprised, she smiled softly. So, he knew her name. What was it about him?
She was even more surprised when he began singing with her.
"Wake me up."
"Wake me up inside, wake me up inside..."
"I can't wake up."
"Call my name and save me from the dark."
"Bid my blood to run, before I come undone..."
"Save me."
"Save me from the nothing I've become... Bring me to life..." She watched him trying to take her hands in his, but it only went through. He furrowed his eyebrows in disbelief.
"Frozen inside..." she kept on, studying him carefully. The scene changed again, and they were in her backyard near the makeshift pond. He looked around in curiosity before gluing his stare on her again. "Without your touch... Without your love... Darling, only you are the life among the dead..."
Aleron didn't know why she was singing. Or why he was singing with her. Where were they? She had many questions running though her head. She wanted to remember everything again.
"All this time I can't believe I couldn't see. Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me. I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems, got to open my eyes to everything. Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul. Don't let me die here, there must be something more..." Riku kept on, just singing the song out as if he knew it from heart. It came to him. He never heard it before.
"Bring me to life..." they said together. They were in darkness again.
Aleron finished the song, "Wake me up inside, wake me up inside... Call my name and save me from the dark... Bid my blood to run, before I come undone, save me from the nothing I've become... Bring me to life..."
She carried the last note until her breath died. There was a flash and Riku was gone. She was alone again.
 
Riku snapped up. "What the HELL?" he shouted angrily. He glared at everyone.
"What happened? You just blacked out," Sora asked, worriedly.
Riku was breathing heavily. The heat and the experience was tired him out. He kept quiet, but stood up, brushing sand off his armor, and picked up his helmet. They watched as he walked off, continuing the direction they were heading off to.
"What the fuck happened?" Enya hissed.
"I have no idea!" Sora yelled.
"Leave him alone," Ryo spoke sternly. "Let's just go... We've got two girls to save."
 
 
Bright blue orbs blinked open, and caught the bright whiteness of the floor. They blinked again and glanced upwards, seeing silver bars.
It was a prison. She was lying in a room surrounded by a barrier. And it was the same one she'd been in a few months ago.
"Oh no..." she whispered, sitting up slowly. She took in everything as she stood up and walked over to the bars. She reached out her arms, gripping the cold, metal with her delicate hands. "Not again..."
"So, you've finally awaken, Princess," came a voice. It was familiar. "Remember me?"
Kairi gasped and backed away as a flash of green engulfed the corridor and a witch stood before her outside of her confinement.
"Maleficent," she said.
"Very good," the mistress smirked.
"Why am I here? What do you want with me?"
"Well, this was never a part of the original plan, but..." the witch started, before cackling. "It is a good thing Donovan grabbed you. We will have you to tempt Sora."
"Sora?" Kairi repeated the name, confused. "What's Sora got to do with this?"
Maleficent raised an eyebrow, "Don't tell me you have forgotten the legend?"
The legend, Kairi remembered. Sora's manipulation. They wanted to use her to make the little hero take the dark blade.
"No..." Kairi droned out.
Seeing the look on Kairi's face was enough to let Maleficent know that the princess knew. The witch cackled and disappeared in a flash of green light again.
Kairi stared at the blank wall across from the corridor before dropping to her knees. "Sora." She had to get to Sora. "But how?" she whispered.
She furrowed her perfectly shaped burgundy brows and clenched her fists. She would try to escape. Too bad Namine couldn't come bust her out like the last time. She stood up and paced, trying to think of a way.
"I wish I could send a message telepathic!" she mumbled.
Kairi remembered, once a few times, when she hid her heart inside Sora's, she was able to send him messages. It was hidden messages, and he hadn't realized it until later on that she had been trying to talk to him. Having their hearts joined together created a special link. She wished that somehow their hearts were still connected.
"Maybe... I can try?" she whispered.
 
 
"I think I'm gonna go crazy! I can't stand this anymore!" Sora shouted out loud. Riku turned at his heels and glared at his whining best friend.
"And you think I'm not going crazy? Well, news flash! You're not the only one! We gotta find Aleron, and soon!" he hissed at Sora.
"I can't believe I let Kairi get kidnapped again, I promised myself that I wouldn't let that happen!" he sighed, dragging his boots across the sand.
Riku glanced towards the sky, putting his hands on his hips. He closed his eyes for a moment and then sighed. He looked down at Sora, and approached him. Riku placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and looked at him in the eye.
"Sora, I'm sorry if I haven't been a good friend lately. I know what you're going through, both of the people we care about were taken. I promise I'll be better to you and please return that favor for me. Where is the Sora I knew?" Riku explained sadly.
"Where is the hero everybody looked up to? You used to stand so strong, fighting for what you believed in. Where is the man that defeated me? You once said you wished you were me, when I wished I was you. We stood by each other at the end, and we will do that now. Let's fight again. Once together, we cannot be defeated."
Sora stared at his best friend with a surprised look. Slowly, he smiled, and then patted the hand that was on his shoulder.
"Riku, thank you. I'm sorry, I haven't been myself lately. I'll try my best to be that hero," Sora announced. "I've got something that you can't imitate..."
Riku grinned, "Yeah, I've got something that you can't imitate, too..."
"Having you for a friend," they said in unison.
A minute later, Sora felt a pang at his heart. He suddenly fell to his knees, clutching at it. Riku dropped down in front of him, confused at the action.
"What happened? What's wrong?" the silver-haired boy asked.
Sora panted, "It's Kairi... I think she's trying to tell me something, but I don't know."
The Chasers stood, surrounding the two boys. Enya crossed her arms, tapping her boot. Matty took off his helmet, and held it in his left. He was brushing his copper-colored hair back. Ryo, also without helmet, kneeled down to speak to Sora.
"We're almost there. The girls are most likely to be at the spot, so once we get there, the better," Ryo said.
"No, something isn't good. I think something's wrong with Aleron. And I think Kairi's warning me. But the question is, for what?" Sora seethed, rubbing his temples. He was getting a headache.
Ryo looked up at Riku, who was now standing. The said boy looked back and shrugged.
"Very well, let Sora figure out what Kairi's message is. We will continue as soon as it's done," Ryo announced.
"We can't just keep taking breaks! We have a mission and we have to stick with it! It'll be too late before we get there! They've had Aleron for a few days now, who knows if they're doing the ritual now? Once the beast is awaken, who will be there in time to defeat it?" Enya yelled furiously.
Matty jumped at the tone in the girl's voice. Ryo stood up a bit startled. Riku gave her a cold glare. Sora looked up at her angrily.
"Enya, if Kairi's trying to contact him, then it is important. What if we continue on and end up getting caught in their trap?" Matty tried to explain.
The fiery girl made a sound and slumped down on the sand. Ryo rolled his eyes, and focused back on Sora.
"Just take a bit of time to try to reach Kairi. Once you've figured it out, then we'll be on our way," Ryo said, patting Sora on the back.
"Okay," the brunette said, nodding.
"Don't worry, Sora," Riku spoke. "Maybe I'll take this time to see if I can reach Aleron again. She came to me the last time. I'm pretty sure that wasn't an illusion."
"Yeah, Riku," Sora said, smiling. "Sorry I didn't believe you."
"It's okay," he said, pushing Sora lightly.
"Let's figure this out!" Sora yelled, before closing his eyes to clarify the contact.
 
 
"I'm getting him!" Kairi shouted quietly. She was getting excited. For the past hour, she had been trying to find her special link towards Sora. It had been unused for a quite long time. Because of that, it took a while to get it connected.
She closed her eyes and focused her mind with her heart again. This time she felt Sora's warmth blending with hers. She smiled, happy to be able to reach him.
She deepened the link, and soon they both were in the same plane. They could see each other.
"Sora!" she shouted. He looked at where she was running, and ran towards her.
"Kairi! I didn't think we would be able to do this again!" he said, surprised.
"Yeah, I'm glad I thought of this. They're gonna do something to make you take that Dark blade! And I heard from Donovan that something's wrong with Aleron!" Kairi said panically.
Sora's eyes widened, "What? Wait, something's wrong with Aleron?"
"Yes! Maleficent healed her, and she's awake, but she isn't moving. And they get weird vibes from her. I don't know what's wrong with her, but it seems that somebody put a spell on her to prevent them from using her as the Key."
"Uh oh, Riku isn't gonna like this. He's trying to do the same thing as us. She talked to him earlier."
"Oh, mm. Hey, you know what this reminds me of?"
"No?"
"I think Aleron is half whole."
Sora's face twisted, "You mean... she's asleep? Like her heart's taken?"
"No, I think she still has her heart, but it's something else. I think it's her soul," Kairi shook her head, explaining.
"Her soul?" Sora repeated. Kairi nodded. "How are we supposed to find her soul?"
"I don't think it is lost, though. It could be with in your group for all we know. You mentioned she talked with Riku earlier?"
"Um, yes. Yes, she did."
"When?"
"A few hours ago," Sora said slowly.
Kairi thought for a minute before asking, "What was it like?"
"Well, I got confused when Riku kept looking behind us. Then he said he thought he heard her. When I looked, I didn't see her. He couldn't see her either, but he kept hearing her. And then he sat down, and all of a sudden he froze and seemed to be looking at someone that's supposed to be beside him, and then he fainted. Soon afterwards, Riku woke up angry and walked on," Sora explained.
Kairi smiled, "Well, she has to be within the group then. Maybe it's the same theory with our hearts. Her soul might be in Riku's."
Sora brighten up, "Maybe!"
"So, we don't have to worry about that beast for a while. They cannot do anything with half of Aleron," Kairi said, reaching for Sora's hands. She held them in hers. Sora looked down at their intertwined hands.
"You mentioned something about me and the Dark blade... What is it?" Sora spoke carefully.
"Well-"
Kairi suddenly flickered, and then disappeared. The link was lost. Sora sprang up from the sand and rubbed the back of his head.
"Damn it!" he shouted, punching the sand beside him. Ryo and Matty quickly rushed to him. Enya snapped up, with a look that was confused and burned with anger.
"What happened?" Matty asked.
"Kairi was about to tell me about the Dark blade and then we got disconnected! Somebody must've found out she was talking to me and tried to prevent her from telling me!" Sora yelled angrily.
"Shit, but did you find out about Aleron?" Ryo spoke.
Sora sighed, "Yes. Maleficent healed her, but she isn't moving. Aleron is awake, but she is half whole."
"Half whole? What do you mean by that?" Enya decided to cut in.
"Instead of her heart, her soul is missing. But we think she's with us. Probably within Riku. When Kairi lost her heart, it was within me. So, it seems to be the same for Aleron and Riku."
"Oh, so they can't do anything for the moment?" Enya said.
"Right, we're lucky for now," Sora nodded.
"Alright, but you're still in danger because of that blade. And since we weren't able to find information about it from Kairi, we have to be extra careful," Ryo announced.
"Yeah, I know," Sora groaned.
Ryo and Matty stood up. Enya approached them as the younger hero followed motion. They looked down at Riku.
"Think he reached Aleron?" Matty asked.
"I don't know, but we have to get going," Ryo said, looking from Riku to the road ahead.
Sora kneeled down beside his best friend and looked up, "I'll wake him. Hopefully he doesn't mind."
Riku opened his eyes and found everyone staring down at him. Sora was shaking him, trying to wake him up. He got the message and slowly stood up.
"Didn't work..." Riku announced, before looking at Sora. "Did you talk to Kairi?"
"Yeah."
Sora explained everything to Riku. At the end, he could only look at Sora unbelievably.
"Aleron's soul might be within mine? You mean she's in my body?" Riku said slowly.
"Yeah, like Kairi's heart was in mine."
"...How do we get her out? I mean, you used my Dark Keyblade to get Kairi's heart out... How are we supposed to get Aleron's soul out?" Riku asked slowly.
"Damn, I don't know," Sora said, realizing the problem. "Shit, what's that Dark blade for?"
"No Sora, that's what they want you to do," Matty cut in.
"There has to be another way," Ryo said.
Enya spoke, "What if that's the only way?"
"But then Sora'll have to stab me? How stupid is that?" Riku hissed.
"I told you I don't want that keyblade!" Sora yelled for the last time.
"I know, I know," Ryo said, trying to calm him down.
"Hey, we're supposed to get our keyblades back, but where?" Sora said out loud.
"That's right... My Way to Dawn's one of them. Does that work for souls too? Wait, Could that Dark Blade they were talking about happen to be my old one?!" Riku said.
"Crap! Then what are we going to do?" Sora yelled.
“I dunno, we'll have to find another way then…” Riku shrugged, feeling defeated with the choice of Sora and the Dark Blade.
“We gotta go! Come on, you guys!” Matty yelled.
They all took off towards the direction of the graveyard.
 
 
"Come on, Princess, we have things to do!" Donovan said in a sing-songy voice. He grabbed Kairi's wrist and half-pulled, half-dragged her out of her dungeon cell. He didn't notice the startled look she had plastered on her face. She had just been shaken out of her dream.
"Where are we going?" Kairi yelled, realizing what was happening.
"You'll find out soon," the curly-haired man said, forming a portal, and stepped through it, bringing the prisoner with him.
 
 
 
End of Chapter Eight
 
A/N: READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! I'll try to keep updating as much as I can.