Athena (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
everlastingsoul) wrote2007-08-31 01:35 am
everlastingsoul) wrote2007-08-31 01:35 am
Entry tags:
Kingdom Hearts fanfic before sleep
I'd appreciate insights on characterization -- especially with Sora and Kairi, since I've never touched either of them before. I already know my Axel's a mess. *sighs*
Title: Untitled for now
Series: Kingdom Hearts
Warnings: Alternate universe, though how is all left to plot; requires knowledge of KH, KH:CoM, and KH2 to understand?
Summary: It’s hard to tell what’s right or wrong. Is everything I know a lie? And if it is, do I want to know the truth?
(Prologue) An incident leaves a city in confusion. One member of the king's elite fights between rage and despair as he comes to grips what's happened.
Prologue:
Those That Vanish
I’ve been having these weird thoughts lately.
Like is this for real or not?
A scattered dream that’s like a far-off memory.
A far-off memory that’s like a scattered dream.
I want to line the pieces up—yours and mine.
It’s hard to tell what’s right or wrong.
Is everything I know a lie?
And if it is, do I want to know the truth?
All I know is—
- - - - -
The castle was eerily quiet. His steps echoed as he sprinted down the corridor, looking around wildly for any signs of life. Survivors had begun stumbling out of the building, screaming for help and completely belligerent when questioned. No one had seen the king leave. No one had seen the general, either.
How could this happen? They were supposed to be prepared for attacks, and yet the fortitude of the castle had been completely compromised. No one could understand it, or the flood of darkness that followed. He had ran past some of the others trying to calm down the citizenry, and they had shouted at him to help.
He had ignored them. His mind was elsewhere.
His feet led him to the throne room, where he knew only the most prominent members of the Order would be. A strategy meeting had been scheduled, and he had urged his best friend to introduce his fiancée to the king—the prospects of vacation and help with footing the wedding bill were pretty nice, he had told the younger man. He felt like kicking himself now, knowing he had placed those close to him in danger.
The double doors to the throne room were shut, and he threw all of his weight into breaking them open; they gave way easily, groaning ominously as the redhead ran in. Like the rest of the castle, the large room was unnerving in its silence, but he immediately noticed the other presence in the room. Willing his weapons away, he ran to the dais, looking upon his king with dread. The older man had his head cradled in his hands, not visibly acknowledging the new arrival.
“King Ansem—”
The older man shook his head slowly, cutting him off without saying a word.
“Where are they? Where are the others?!” He had never been one to completely respect the boundaries of rank, and it showed in the way he grabbed the monarch’s shoulders and began to shake him.
“Unhand His Majesty, Number VIII. Your duty is to protect him, not manhandle him.”
Number VIII released the king to turn on his heels, glaring down the dais at the man who was slowly climbing it. Aggravated by the other’s sudden appearance, he stormed down the steps, sidestepping the curve of the other man’s scythe. He could hear Number XI at the top of the stairs asking their king questions, but he was too frustrated to pay closer attention.
“I’m going to look for them,” he declared loudly, more for himself than for the other two. He gave the throne room one last look before heading back the way he had entered.
“You won’t find them.”
Silence reigned as he stopped walking, his hands curling into fists at either side. He slowly turned, frowning against the question on his lips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Ansem stood at the top of the dais, his gaze steady as he met the younger man’s eyes. “They vanished—taken by that intense light. You won’t find them here, Axel.”
Axel swept an arm out in denial, shaking his head. “Don’t you dare say that. You can’t be so sure. You can’t.”
The redhead stormed out, leaving the two other men on top of the elevated platform. Tapping one gloved finger on the shaft of his scythe, Number XI of the Order, Marluxia, traded looks with the king. “He won’t give up.”
The king pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing raggedly. “It doesn’t make what I said any less true.”
- - - - -
—I don’t want to forget you.
Island Life - A conversation
Sora opened his eyes to endless blue.
Stretching, the teenager briefly sat up on the sand before flopping onto his back again. He started when his view of the sky was blocked by a shadow, and he thrust himself back up into a sitting position before flipping onto his knees.
Kairi giggled at her friend’s reaction.
“Give me a break, Kairi.” Sora tried his best to fight off a grin; this was hardly the first time she had caught him napping on the job.
“Sora, you lazy bum.” Kairi reached a hand out to tousle the boy’s spiky brown hair. “I thought we were going to build that raft today?”
Making a face at the reminder, Sora climbed to his feet and brushed sand off of his shorts. “I didn’t get enough sleep last night; I had another weird dream.”
Kairi’s lips quirked into a grin. “That’s a terrible excuse.”
“It’s not an excuse!” protested the teenager, his shoulders sagging dramatically. “Dreams have something to do with memories, right? Wouldn’t it be great if my dreams helped me remember?”
The redhead sighed, tucking her hands behind her back as she turned heel to walk down the beach. Sora followed after her, knowing they would eventually end up over by the downed trees that had become their hanging out spot. “I don’t know, Sora. There’s already others doing research, and they’ve never mentioned anything about dreams. Besides, you’ve also had dreams of talking bananas and a clam that ate you alive. I don’t think you can say those had another to do with reality.”
“I’m pretty sure I don’t like clams anymore,” Sora muttered as he recalled the dream. Kairi simply patted his shoulder as they continued walking, holding the door open for the boy into a hollowed passage lined with planks to make the spiral ascent easier. “Can you believe we’ve been here for months now? Without any idea what’s going on?”
Four months, to be specific. Kairi smiled wanly as they arrived at the end of the passage, pushing the door open to sunlight and sand again. They continued to their little rendezvous spot—a small island with a ring of trees, one of which had fallen over. “It is hard to believe, sometimes,” she murmured, glancing at her closest friend on the islands. “But it’s peaceful and beautiful here; I couldn’t think of a better place to be.”
“Because you don’t remember anything,” the spiky-haired brunet pointed out and he hopped up on the fallen tree. He turned around swiftly and reached his hand out to Kairi.
“Well, I have a feeling this is the best place to be.” Kairi took the proffered hand and climbed up to sit next to her friend. “So, do you even have time to be lazing around like this?” She grinned at the bewildered look Sora gave her. “If you’re not going to help me build that raft, shouldn’t you go practice with Dilan?”
Sora was silent for a few moments, swinging his feet thoughtfully. “Yeah, I should,” he sighed noncommittally. He had been slacking off lately, and he knew his master would have a few harsh words for him—especially if their eventual practice fights ended with him on the ground in less than a minute. “What are you going to do, then?”
“I think I’ll go find Ienzo and Elaeus and keep them company; they’ve been in the library far too long.”
“Aren’t they taking that new job of theirs too seriously?” Sora wondered, wrinkling his nose at the mention of the library. “They’re just books.”
Kairi shook her head, standing up on the tree and balancing herself on it carefully. She walked over towards the fruits growing at the twisted top of the tree, talking over her shoulder. “Those ruined books are all the history we have. I guess, when you’re an adult, you decide you can’t live in the present as much.” One hand finding purchase, she pulled a fruit down and began to walk back to Sora’s side.
“Ienzo’s not that much older than us,” the other teen commented, watching her intently.
“He sure doesn’t act like it, though,” Kairi replied. She spent a minute wrestling with the fruit’s awkward shape before breaking it into two pieces. “Do you want some?”
“Sure; eating’ll delay the whomping I’m sure Dilan’s gonna give me.”
Kairi just laughed as they shared the star-shaped fruit.
Title: Untitled for now
Series: Kingdom Hearts
Warnings: Alternate universe, though how is all left to plot; requires knowledge of KH, KH:CoM, and KH2 to understand?
Summary: It’s hard to tell what’s right or wrong. Is everything I know a lie? And if it is, do I want to know the truth?
(Prologue) An incident leaves a city in confusion. One member of the king's elite fights between rage and despair as he comes to grips what's happened.
Those That Vanish
I’ve been having these weird thoughts lately.
Like is this for real or not?
A scattered dream that’s like a far-off memory.
A far-off memory that’s like a scattered dream.
I want to line the pieces up—yours and mine.
It’s hard to tell what’s right or wrong.
Is everything I know a lie?
And if it is, do I want to know the truth?
All I know is—
The castle was eerily quiet. His steps echoed as he sprinted down the corridor, looking around wildly for any signs of life. Survivors had begun stumbling out of the building, screaming for help and completely belligerent when questioned. No one had seen the king leave. No one had seen the general, either.
How could this happen? They were supposed to be prepared for attacks, and yet the fortitude of the castle had been completely compromised. No one could understand it, or the flood of darkness that followed. He had ran past some of the others trying to calm down the citizenry, and they had shouted at him to help.
He had ignored them. His mind was elsewhere.
His feet led him to the throne room, where he knew only the most prominent members of the Order would be. A strategy meeting had been scheduled, and he had urged his best friend to introduce his fiancée to the king—the prospects of vacation and help with footing the wedding bill were pretty nice, he had told the younger man. He felt like kicking himself now, knowing he had placed those close to him in danger.
The double doors to the throne room were shut, and he threw all of his weight into breaking them open; they gave way easily, groaning ominously as the redhead ran in. Like the rest of the castle, the large room was unnerving in its silence, but he immediately noticed the other presence in the room. Willing his weapons away, he ran to the dais, looking upon his king with dread. The older man had his head cradled in his hands, not visibly acknowledging the new arrival.
“King Ansem—”
The older man shook his head slowly, cutting him off without saying a word.
“Where are they? Where are the others?!” He had never been one to completely respect the boundaries of rank, and it showed in the way he grabbed the monarch’s shoulders and began to shake him.
“Unhand His Majesty, Number VIII. Your duty is to protect him, not manhandle him.”
Number VIII released the king to turn on his heels, glaring down the dais at the man who was slowly climbing it. Aggravated by the other’s sudden appearance, he stormed down the steps, sidestepping the curve of the other man’s scythe. He could hear Number XI at the top of the stairs asking their king questions, but he was too frustrated to pay closer attention.
“I’m going to look for them,” he declared loudly, more for himself than for the other two. He gave the throne room one last look before heading back the way he had entered.
“You won’t find them.”
Silence reigned as he stopped walking, his hands curling into fists at either side. He slowly turned, frowning against the question on his lips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Ansem stood at the top of the dais, his gaze steady as he met the younger man’s eyes. “They vanished—taken by that intense light. You won’t find them here, Axel.”
Axel swept an arm out in denial, shaking his head. “Don’t you dare say that. You can’t be so sure. You can’t.”
The redhead stormed out, leaving the two other men on top of the elevated platform. Tapping one gloved finger on the shaft of his scythe, Number XI of the Order, Marluxia, traded looks with the king. “He won’t give up.”
The king pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing raggedly. “It doesn’t make what I said any less true.”
—I don’t want to forget you.
Island Life - A conversation
Sora opened his eyes to endless blue.
Stretching, the teenager briefly sat up on the sand before flopping onto his back again. He started when his view of the sky was blocked by a shadow, and he thrust himself back up into a sitting position before flipping onto his knees.
Kairi giggled at her friend’s reaction.
“Give me a break, Kairi.” Sora tried his best to fight off a grin; this was hardly the first time she had caught him napping on the job.
“Sora, you lazy bum.” Kairi reached a hand out to tousle the boy’s spiky brown hair. “I thought we were going to build that raft today?”
Making a face at the reminder, Sora climbed to his feet and brushed sand off of his shorts. “I didn’t get enough sleep last night; I had another weird dream.”
Kairi’s lips quirked into a grin. “That’s a terrible excuse.”
“It’s not an excuse!” protested the teenager, his shoulders sagging dramatically. “Dreams have something to do with memories, right? Wouldn’t it be great if my dreams helped me remember?”
The redhead sighed, tucking her hands behind her back as she turned heel to walk down the beach. Sora followed after her, knowing they would eventually end up over by the downed trees that had become their hanging out spot. “I don’t know, Sora. There’s already others doing research, and they’ve never mentioned anything about dreams. Besides, you’ve also had dreams of talking bananas and a clam that ate you alive. I don’t think you can say those had another to do with reality.”
“I’m pretty sure I don’t like clams anymore,” Sora muttered as he recalled the dream. Kairi simply patted his shoulder as they continued walking, holding the door open for the boy into a hollowed passage lined with planks to make the spiral ascent easier. “Can you believe we’ve been here for months now? Without any idea what’s going on?”
Four months, to be specific. Kairi smiled wanly as they arrived at the end of the passage, pushing the door open to sunlight and sand again. They continued to their little rendezvous spot—a small island with a ring of trees, one of which had fallen over. “It is hard to believe, sometimes,” she murmured, glancing at her closest friend on the islands. “But it’s peaceful and beautiful here; I couldn’t think of a better place to be.”
“Because you don’t remember anything,” the spiky-haired brunet pointed out and he hopped up on the fallen tree. He turned around swiftly and reached his hand out to Kairi.
“Well, I have a feeling this is the best place to be.” Kairi took the proffered hand and climbed up to sit next to her friend. “So, do you even have time to be lazing around like this?” She grinned at the bewildered look Sora gave her. “If you’re not going to help me build that raft, shouldn’t you go practice with Dilan?”
Sora was silent for a few moments, swinging his feet thoughtfully. “Yeah, I should,” he sighed noncommittally. He had been slacking off lately, and he knew his master would have a few harsh words for him—especially if their eventual practice fights ended with him on the ground in less than a minute. “What are you going to do, then?”
“I think I’ll go find Ienzo and Elaeus and keep them company; they’ve been in the library far too long.”
“Aren’t they taking that new job of theirs too seriously?” Sora wondered, wrinkling his nose at the mention of the library. “They’re just books.”
Kairi shook her head, standing up on the tree and balancing herself on it carefully. She walked over towards the fruits growing at the twisted top of the tree, talking over her shoulder. “Those ruined books are all the history we have. I guess, when you’re an adult, you decide you can’t live in the present as much.” One hand finding purchase, she pulled a fruit down and began to walk back to Sora’s side.
“Ienzo’s not that much older than us,” the other teen commented, watching her intently.
“He sure doesn’t act like it, though,” Kairi replied. She spent a minute wrestling with the fruit’s awkward shape before breaking it into two pieces. “Do you want some?”
“Sure; eating’ll delay the whomping I’m sure Dilan’s gonna give me.”
Kairi just laughed as they shared the star-shaped fruit.