Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Kingdom Hearts: Castle of Darkness, Heart of Light ❯ Start of a New Journey ( Chapter 4 )

“Aerith, are you sure about this?”

 

Aerith turned around to see Leon leaning against her door frame. She didn't even hear him come and was wondered how long he had been there. Aerith smoothed her skirts and looked at Leon. She had a long light pink skirt with a short sleeved top of the same shade, only it was padded for some armor. Tifa and Yuffie had it made for her a while back, since she always was in the center of battle. It would give her some protection at least. She also wore sturdy black boots that went half way up her shins. Looking at Leon, she could see worry creased on his face and she smiled. “Don't worry, Leon,” she told him, “I'll be fine, as long as you're there to protect me. And not just you, but Tifa, Yuffie and the others as well.”

 

Leon sighed and straightened himself up. Walking over to her, he said, “I hope so, because I want nothing to happen to you while we're there.”

 

“Oh,” Aerith said, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with Leon coming closer to her by the moment. He was handsome, even with the scar that went diagonally between his eyes. In fact, Aerith thought that it made him even more strikingly handsome. He stopped in front of Aerith and she had to look up to meet his gaze. She swallowed slightly, feeling very small in front of him. “You want nothing to happen to me?” she asked.

 

“Well,” Leon said, “no one wants anything to happen to you, or to anyone else, but I especially don't want anything to happen to you. You mean a lot to me.”

 

Aerith eyes widened slightly. This was, she believed, the first time that Leon had let out the fact that he cared for her more deeply than anyone else; that he loved her. She felt her palms go sweaty and she clenched them into fists, her nails biting the soft skin of the front of her hands. She had never felt this way since Zack and she never thought that she would feel this way for another man. She didn't even feel this way when she had that crush on Cloud for that short period of time. Leon made her feel different, special in a way. Whenever he was around, Aerith felt safe and protected and she also felt a warm tingly sensation in her stomach. She looked away from him, feeling heat rush to her face and she turned back to the pack she was readying for the trip. She heard Leon shift his weight behind her and Aerith felt guilty for turning around so quickly. She bit her lip uneasily, wondering what he was going to do. If he left, she would feel horrible for pushing him away and if he did something else, well, she didn't know how she would react to that. But Leon saying that made Aerith want to tell him how she felt, how she was also afraid for him, that he won't be coming back with her this time. She had so much to say to him, but she didn't know how.

 

Leon sighed, a hint of sadness and anger in his tone. “I shouldn't have said anything,” she heard him mutter and he turned and headed towards the door.

 

Aerith spun around, tears beginning to form in her eyes and she couldn't control them. She knew that it was now or never. If she missed this chance, she had a feeling that she wouldn't get another. “Leon,” she called out softly. Leon stopped and turned around, looking at her with what Aerith thought was sadness and hurt. “I'm sorry,” she told him, the tears beginning to fall, “I just- I didn't know what to say and- and…” She trailed off as her voice broke. Her vision blurred as the tears forced their way out. Before she knew it, Leon was there, holding her close to him and Aerith had her face pressed against his chest, crying her heart out. He continued to hold her, tightly and giving her comfort until she got control of herself. She looked up at him and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I'm sorry,” she said again, smiling slightly, “I'm acting like a child.”

 

Leon shook his head and said, “Don't worry about it.” He brushed his fingers against her cheek, wiping away the tears. “Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?”

 

“I'm scared,” she told him, “I'm scared that someone won't be coming back with us. But most of all, I'm scared that you won't be coming back with me this time.”

 

Leon looked down at her for a moment before smiling at her. “I'll be coming back with you. After all, I can't really die when I have to protect you, don't I?”

 

Aerith laughed, feeling a bit better. Leon laughed with her and then he cupped her face with both of his hands, lowering his face close to hers. “You won't lose me,” he said softly, “And I refuse to lose you as well. Be damned to anyone who tries to take you from me.”

 

“Leon…” Aerith began, but she was cut off as he kissed her. The tingly sensation came back in her stomach, except that it was more like fireworks. His kiss was soft but passionate and Aerith could do nothing but kiss him back. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her close to him. It seemed to last forever and Aerith didn't want it to stop, but after a while, Leon pulled slowly away. Aerith slowly opened her eyes and looked up into his own, dark eyes. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

 

“Feel better?” he asked her and Aerith laughed again, pushing him away from her playfully. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back into an embrace and held her tightly. “Don't worry, Aerith. Everything will turn out alright.”

 

“I hope so,” Aerith said, resting her head on his shoulder. They stood like that for a while before she regretfully pulled away. “I have to finish getting ready and I have a feeling you do too.”

 

“Yeah,” Leon said. He tilted her head up and kissed her briefly before saying, “When all of this is done…”

 

Aerith smiled and nodded. Leon gave her another smile before walking out, telling her to wait there for him. Aerith watched him go and then returned to her packing. Putting in a few more extra herbs that she may need, Aerith closed up the bag and threw it over her shoulder. Then she sat on the edge of her bed and waited for Leon to come for her. She sighed softly and said a prayer to herself, hoping that Leon was right and everything would turn out fine in the end.

 

~*~

 

“Well, what happened between you and Riku?”

 

“Stick it, Cloud,” Keirii snapped at her brother, glaring at him through the mirror she stood in front of. Cloud had a teasing glint in his eyes and a smirk that she would have never seen the first year she had known him. Whenever he could, he always found a way to tease her. And I probably deserve it too, she thought, since I always pick on him. But what he was going on about now wasn't something Keirii really wanted to be nagged about, especially now. “Aren't you supposed to be brooding somewhere?”

 

“Hey,” Cloud said, crossing his arms over his chest, “that's not a very nice thing to say. I'm just curious.”

 

“Your face says other wise.”

 

“Alright, I shouldn't make fun of you, but I know something happened, so, what Yuffie would say, spill it.”

 

“Never say that again… you sound so weird saying it.” Keirii finished twisting her hair into a braid and she tied the end off with an elastic hair tie. She threw it back over her shoulder so it hung down along the center of her back. She spun around and looked at him, folding her arms across her chest and leaning to the right slightly, putting most of her weight on her right leg. “Nothing happened,” she said.

 

“Your face says other wise,” he said, mimicking her.

 

Keirii huffed and glared at him again. “Nothing happened!” she exclaimed, “Maybe something was about to happen, but nothing did, so there. Happy now?”

 

Cloud frowned and shook his head. “No, not really.”

 

“Arg!” Keirii growled and she stomped over to her bed where she had rested her jacket. She put on her jacket, leaving it unzipped like she usually did, and then sat on the bed. She heard Cloud walk over and she looked up at him. His face was serious now, the teasing glint in his eyes gone.

 

“Do you like him?” he asked her.

 

Keirii shrugged and said, “I don't know… I think so… wait! Why am I discussing this with you? Tifa, Yuffie and Aerith are one thing…”

 

Cloud laughed and sat down on the bed next to her. He leaned back against his elbows and gave her another rare smirk. “'Cause I'm your brother and we can talk about this stuff. Besides…” his face fell slightly and he looked away. “Who knows if we'll be able to talk like this again?”

 

“Okay, when I said that if you're suppose to be brooding, I didn't mean for you to take it seriously,” Keirii said, laying back and folding her arms under her head. She turned her head and looked at him. “Everything will be all right, I promise.”

 

Cloud looked over at her, doubt in his eyes. “Will it? We have no idea what we're up against. And I could put all of you in danger.”

 

“We're always in danger, doofus,” Keirii said, rolling her eyes, “and either having or not having you around won't change that. That's part of the job.”

 

Cloud raised his eyebrows slightly and said, “This is being considered a job now?”

 

“It's an expression,” Keirii said with a shrug. “But don't worry Cloud. Remember what we talked about that night? I'm there for you, to help you when you need it.”

 

Cloud looked away for a moment and when Keirii thought that she was going to have to beat him out of his mood, he turned to look back at her and nodded. “You're right.”

 

“Course I am,” Keirii said. Then she grinned wickedly and said, “So going back to that other topic, what about you and Tifa, huh? Sora told me what went between you two when I left.”

 

Cloud jolted and shook his head. “I- I don't really know… I want to be with Tifa, but… I don't want her to get hurt. And now with Sephiroth back…”

 

“Do you really think that she cares, Cloud?” Keirii asked, “She can take care of herself. And if you're still worried about the darkness inside of you, don't worry about it. You'll find your light soon enough and if you have Tifa beside you, it'll make things easier. The two of you obviously like each other, so go for it. Stop pushing her away.”

 

“I just…” Cloud said softly and Keirii sat up. Nudging him, she said, “Start by beating back that darkness by letting some light into your heart. Love is the best light of all.” Then she grinned at him and said, “But the two of you are getting your own quarters when you get together.”

 

Cloud went red this time and he shot up, swiping at her. Keirii jumped away, laughing. Cloud looked at her and he chuckled slightly. Standing up, he said, “And what about you, huh? You going to tell Riku how you feel about him?”

 

Keirii bit her lip and turned away from her brother. What could she tell Riku? She wasn't sure if her feelings for him were real or not. No, they are. What happened on the bridge this morning proved it. But how can I tell him? Keirii sighed and shook her head. “I don't really know how,” she said.

 

“Well, I can't tell you how,” Cloud said, walking over to her and turning her around to face him. “You'll have to find that out by yourself.”

 

Keirii grinned and said, “Gee, thanks for the help.”

 

Cloud smiled and said, “You're welcome. But, seriously, don't make the same mistakes I did and still am. Tell him as soon as you can.”

 

Keirii nodded and hugged him briefly. This is what she missed back home. She didn't have anyone to talk to about these types of things. Her father never cared for her feelings and her blood brother just treated her as a little sister. But she could talk to Cloud about anything, knowing that he was always there to listen. And she was always there to listen to him, if only he opened up more. Hopefully after all of this, she thought to herself, he will. Pulling away, she said, “Come on, let's get going.”

 

~*~

 

“Are you scared, Sora?” Kairi asked from where she sat on the bed in the room Leon had given them.

 

Sora looked up from cleaning the Keyblade Fenrir, the blade he would be using in this battle, and blinked slightly at the question. Kairi was always open with him, so he thought that it would be just as well to be the same towards her. “Just a little,” he told her, “I always get a little scared when I'm about to head into a battle like this.”

 

Kairi nodded and looked down at where her hands rested on her lap. “I'm scared,” she said.

 

Sora released the magic that he used to call out his blade and allowed it to disappear. He stood up and walked over to Kairi and sat down beside her. Kairi leaned against him and Sora wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He could smell her natural scent under the perfume she wore and he breathed in both scents of her, taking in the moment. He was more scared of losing Kairi again than of dying in battle. He knew that there was always that chance, every time he went against the heartless and when he had gone against Organization XIII, of him being killed, so he was use to that fact now. But he would rather have death than to lose Kairi forever. So that's why he was determined to protect Kairi through this. He knew that she was tough and also had the power of the Keyblade to fight with, but that didn't make her immortal anymore than it made him. Sora kissed the top of her forehead gently and then rested his head on top of hers. “I know,” he said, “but everything will be alright. It always is, at the end.”

 

Kairi nodded and said, “I know, but it doesn't stop me for feeling a little afraid.” She wrapped her arms tightly around Sora and looked up at him, her deep blue eyes bright. “I love you, Sora.”

 

Sora smiled at her and he lowered his head and kissed her, deeply and passionately. He pulled her body closer to his, feeling Kairi's body heat rising slightly. Ending the kiss after a while, and without opening his eyes, he said, “I love you, too, Kairi.”

 

There was a soft knock on the door and Sora opened his eyes quickly and looked up. Riku looked around the door and nodded to the both of them. “Time to go, you guys,” he said.

 

Sora nodded and he stood up. Taking Kairi's hand, he helped her to her feet and, not letting go of her hand, they walked out, following Riku. They walked through the hallway of the castle, none of them saying anything. A ways down the hall, they met up with Keirii and Cloud. Keirii had her long hair in a braid and she wore the same clothing that he first saw her in. Cloud had his sword, First Tsurugi, in the unique sheath on his back and wore the one shoulder guard with the metal wolf's head on his left shoulder. He didn't have the long sleeve over his left arm like he did the last time Sora saw him. Sora realized as he walked alongside Cloud that the blonde warrior wasn't as tall as he remembered. Voicing his thoughts to Cloud, the older man laughed and ruffled Sora's hair. “Well, you did grow at least a foot since the last time I saw you,” Cloud said. Sora looked over at Riku, who walked alongside Keirii. Unfortunately, Sora was still shorter than his best friend; Riku was about as tall as Cloud, if not taller. Keirii was an inch or two shorter than Sora, the same height as Kairi. Sora realized as he walked with his friends that he wasn't a kid anymore, not like he was the first few years he had been with the group, minus Keirii. It felt weird, since the last time he had fought alongside his friends, he had been a fifteen year old. A lot has changed, he thought to himself, but it doesn't matter. I'm just as strong, if not stronger, as I was back then. Everything will be fine.

 

“Welcome aboard, troops,” Cid said as they entered the Gummi Ship chamber underneath the castle. He stood at the bottom of the ramp of the ships entrance. Sora looked up at the large ship with awe. Cid's ship was almost five times the size of the ship he, Donald and Goofy had used. They walked in and through the passageway to the cockpit. The cockpit was large; it had the control panel at the front with two seats for the pilots and a dozen passenger seats behind them that were in sets of two with enough space to move around. The cockpit was circular and had a cooling device in the back near the entrance for drinks and food. The window at the front was took up the whole front and wrapped around the sides about halfway, so the pilot had a good view of what was around him. The other passageways led to other parts of the ship; the storage, engine room and to the several extra gunning stations that had seats that moved in every direction and a window that surrounded the gun base so the person firing could see where the attacking ships were. Sora couldn't help but look around the ship, checking everything out. He met up with Chip and Dale, the two chipmunk mechanics that were responsible for the maintenance of the smaller Gummi Ship he had used. After a good fifteen minutes of checking everything out, Sora returned to the cockpit.

 

Everyone was there now and getting strapped in. Sora took a seat beside Kairi and strapped in. Riku sat beside Keirii, who was sitting behind Cloud. Sora noticed that Cloud gave Keirii a glance over his shoulder and Keirii kicked the back of his seat. When Tifa took a seat beside Cloud, Keirii kicked his seat again, hard enough to lurch him forward slightly. Sora laughed and Keirii looked at him with a grin. Cloud glared at the both of them before turning to the front. Everyone got settled, Mickey taking one of the seats at the control panel. Cid came into the cockpit, hitting the button that slide the door shut. He walked to the front and took the other seat at the control panel. He strapped in and looked behind at everyone and grinned. “Everyone ready?” he asked. When everyone nodded, Cid turned around and gave a nod to Mickey. “Ready when you are, your Majesty.”

 

Mickey nodded and he started the ship. It came to life with a deep groan and Mickey and Cid took the controls. The wall of the chamber in front of them opened up to the outside and Cid steered the ship out and then up. Sora felt the pressure on his chest as the ship shot up into the sky and out of the world's atmosphere. In less than three minutes, they were in space. “Alright,” Mickey said, “Set the coordinates, Cid, and punch it into warp drive.”

 

“You got it,” Cid said. He hit a few buttons on the controls and then everything outside seemed to become a warp of colors and light as the ship jumped into warp speed. Sora took a deep breath and relaxed. The ride was going to be long, but he wanted all the relaxation he could get before everything began to get hairy.

 

~*~

 

“Why is flight travel soooo boring?” Yuffie complained.

 

So much for relaxation… Sora thought to himself as Yuffie complained. He turned and looked at Yuffie, who sat in the back, arms crossed over her chest haughtily. They had only been flying for a half hour, yet the ninja was already saying that she was bored, like she had been traveling for hours.

 

“It would have been nice to have some music,” Keirii said, stretching her arms over her head with a yawn. She stood up and went over to the cooling device to get a drink. “Cid, you could have at least put in a music player or something.”

 

“Quit yer complaining,” Cid said, looking at her over his shoulder.

 

“I ain't complaining, just stating something.”

 

“Well, I could sing if you all want…” Donald started to say but everyone coursed “NO!” before he could finish.

 

“And why not?” Donald retorted angrily.

 

“Sorry, buddy,” Mickey said, looking at Donald, “but you're not the best singer.”

 

Donald huffed and slouched into his chair. Keirii sighed and sat back into her chair, stretching her legs out as much as she could. Sora noticed that Riku sat quietly, his chin resting on the heel of his palm, elbow propped on the arm of his chair. He stared out the window at the swirling colors as the ship continued to speed through space. Keirii poked him and Riku turned to look at her. She smiled at him and started up a conversation. Watching as the two of them talked, Sora sighed and shook his head. He knew that something was starting up between them, and he hoped that Riku didn't screw it up. Sora wanted his friend to be happy.

 

Cloud and Leon were standing a few feet away, talking amongst themselves. Leon looked over at Sora and tilted his head, gesturing that he wanted Sora to join them. Kairi was busy talking with Aerith, who sat in front of her, so Sora got up and went over. Leon had turned back to Cloud and as Sora joined them, he heard the last part of what Leon said. “…hopefully take him out before he tries anything drastic.”

 

“What's going on?” Sora asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“We're discussing battle strategy,” Leon said, looking at Sora. “We were thinking of dividing into groups of three at the most, taking out as many heartless as we can. Plus with us being scattered, neither Sather nor Sephiroth can try anything too big.”

 

“That's sounds pretty good,” Sora said. He looked at Cloud, who gave him a nod.

 

“Sephiroth will definitely come after me,” Cloud told Sora, “so I thought of going alone, but Leon stomped that idea down.”

 

“I told him that it would be too dangerous, in case Sather tries to gain control over him,” Leon told Sora.

 

“So I decided to go with Keirii and maybe Riku, if you don't plan to stick with him,” Cloud said.

 

Sora nodded and said, “You would have to ask Riku about that, but I don't care.”

 

Cloud nodded and said, “I figured since he wields a Keyblade as well, and we don't know for definite that Sather is coming after you, that the more spread out the Keyblade wielders are from each other, the better, so Sather can't try to take you all out at once.”

 

“Plus you want to keep Keirii and Riku together to keep that spark between them alive,” Sora said with a grin.

 

Cloud chuckled and said, “Something like that, but also,” he paused and his expression turned serious. “I know that Riku will protect her back with everything he has if something happens to me.”

 

Sora nodded solemnly. Cloud knew just as much as Sora did that there was that chance that he may be killed during battle. Despite Cloud's skill, strength and power, he was just as mortal as the rest of them. Sora looked around as he heard Riku walking over. The silver haired teen stood beside Sora and said, “I heard my name mentioned.” Sora nodded and explained the situation to Riku. Riku listened, his arms also crossed across his chest and his head lowered slightly. When Sora finished, Riku looked up at Cloud and nodded. “I'll go with you guys, and I will have Keirii's back if… anything happens.”

 

Cloud nodded and then there was a loud bang that rocked the ship. Sora held his arms out to steady himself as Cid and Mickey gained control back over the ship. “Pull out of warp speed!” Cid exclaimed, pulling a lever down as Mickey hit a button, slowing the ship down to normal speed. Looking out the window, Sora saw that they were surrounded by small, darkly colored ships. “Damn it,” Cid cursed, “they're heartless!”

 

“We're under attack,” Leon said, heading towards the corridor, Cloud right behind him.