KINGDOM HEARTS

Two Years Ago

Naminé snuffled as she sat on the cold, hard ground, her fifteen year old body shaking in the chill. Her adoptive mother had finally given into the sickness this morning, leaving her and her younger brother Matt to fend for themselves in the nearly deserted town. Their small town sat on the outskirts of the woods, and there were very few people still living in the area. She and Matt were two of the few left.

There was a crunching noise as she heard someone come up behind her.

"Hey, are you okay?" She looked over her shoulder at the stranger. It was a young man, a year or two older than she. "OK, stupid question," he said, sighing as he ran a hand through the bangs of his mullet. She looked at the hairstyle skeptically. He saw this and made an offended face. "Hey, I know what you're thinking. Don't be hatin' on the mullet!" he said indignantly. She managed a weak giggle. He was dressed strangely as well, wearing black boots, a black cloak, and black pants. He didn't seem to be affected by the cold.

"The name's Demyx," he said, squatting down to her level and holding a hand out. She took it gingerly and shook hands with him.

"Naminé," she replied, her lips quirking into a wry smile. His eyes showed astonishment.

"Naminé….." he breathed quietly. His eyes gained an enthusiastic, almost excited shine to them, and he pumped her arm furiously. "Nice to meet you Naminé!"

And that was how they had first met. After that first encounter, they began to meet daily. Sometimes, she even brought Matt along with her. The two boys bonded immediately. Naminé and Demyx slowly grew closer, becoming the best of friends within the first year. He was the only real friend she had had in years.

But sometimes, Demyx acted a bit strange. He would become jumpy and fidget all the time until dashing off after they were done conversing, yelling that he would see her the next day. And then, the day after, he would be tired and weak. She wondered what he did on those days. They occurred at least once a month.

When Matt passed as well, many tears were shed, all for a lost brother and friend. Soon, Naminé turned 16, then 17, becoming and looking more mature with every month.

Finally, the day came where Demyx told her that he had something important to tell her. They planned to meet up the next day in their usual spot.

Present Time

Naminé's footsteps were soundless as she padded through the snow. She was heading towards the hideout her and her best friend Demyx had found together. He was probably already there seeing as she was always late. As she neared the dilapidated building she heard a strange sound. It was very faint, but she managed to catch it. It sounded like paper crackling as it was crumpled.

The sharp odor of something burning reached her nose. What was going on? She quickened her pace and rounded the corner to the entrance. The faint wisps of smoke hit her face as it drifted out of one of the many broken windows. The smell changed, becoming one of roasting meat.

Naminé pulled on the handle of the door. It took her a couple of seconds to open it far enough for her to squeeze in.

"Dem?" she called hesitantly. There was no reply. She frowned. "Dem, are you here?" she called once more, taking a few steps forward. Still, the only sounds were her own breathing and the mysterious crackling, which had gotten a little louder.

Naminé walked to one of the rooms and stuck her head in. Nothing was inside. She quickly checked the next four storage rooms of the large warehouse. Finally, she came to the last, hidden room. She walked over to the south wall and felt around for a loose brick. When she found it, she slid it to the right, and suddenly a section of bricks pulled apart, revealing the last room.

She walked towards it, noticing that the smoke had come out of nowhere, coiling thickly around her ankles and wafting into her face as she moved forward. The stench of cooking meat became over-powering and she held her nose, only breathing through her mouth. She entered the old storage room, her eyes sweeping across the walls and the floor. Smoke stung her eyes, clung to her hair and clothing, and stung her throat as her line of sight came upon the source. She choked, stumbling back and tripping over her own feet.

Air wasn't coming in anymore and she scrambled to her hands and knees. As her back hit the wall behind her, her voice came back. Naminé let out a choked scream, and coughed. She resumed screaming once again and the sound was bloodcurdling as she covered her eyes.

"Demyx! Demyx! Demy! Why? Oh my god, WHY!" She sobbed into her hands and then felt her stomach flip. She quickly clambered to her feet, sagging against the wall for support for a few seconds before finding the strength to run back out the way she had come. Naminé stumbled out of the store room and ran towards the exit of the warehouse. As she made it outside, she collapsed, falling to her knees and heaving up the meager amount of food she had had that morning. Her stomach kept convulsing even after she was completely empty.

Sweat beaded on her forehead and along her nose as she fought for breath. The stench of bile hit her nostrils and her throat burned. The snow in front of her was stained yellow. She fell back onto her bottom and wrapped her arms around her knees, curling into a ball.

The image of a burning human carcass was forever burned into her mind.

-13_-13_-13_-13_-13_-13

Naminé sat numbly in the cold. Snow continued to fall from the sky, tainted gray by ash.

There was nothing left here. Nothing for her to hold onto and call her own. Everything – everyone – she cared about was gone. Some left before it all got worse. Others simply disappeared. But most, most were dead. Just like Demyx. Or Matthew, her little brother.

She had managed to leave the abandoned warehouse and make her way to the old park. But that had been hours ago. Yet, she still sat underneath the bare oak, watching smoke coil up from far away bombings. Suddenly, the enormity of the situation hit. She had nothing. No one. Everything was gone….

Everything was gone! Naminé felt something in her snap. It was probably her heart breaking – again. Her chest tightened and her eyes began to burn as tears built up. She clambered to her feet. She would not cry out in the open like this. She quickly fled to towards the faint line of trees to the north. As she ran, her chest became even tighter, and the tears started to fall. They splashed down her clothes and onto the ground.

After 20 minutes or so, Naminé ran into a small clearing in the woods and the cabin that resided there. She ran into the small building (more like a room really) and collapsed on her bed. Naminé sobbed into her pillow, letting the last slivers of stress out as she grieved for her lost friend. After about ten minutes, she lifted her head from the cushion, the cold winter air inside the cabin cooling the hot, swollen skin around her eyes.

She took deep shuddering breaths and attempted to loosen her muscles. Slowly, the tight mass that was her shoulders smoothed out as she let out one last shaky breath. With her breathing returning to normal, Naminé felt her body mold itself to her worn mattress. All semblance of thought left her mind as she fell into a deep sleep.