"Tall palm trees... White sands... " Akya looked around. She noticed that it was an island. "I think this is... It's gotta be... The Destiny Islands..." Akya suddenly ran to the ocean. "Where are we in the timeline?" She looked back at the other three, who shrugged.
"I've never paid much attention to the game." Matthew admitted. "But I think you can find a way to find out if you ask someone."
"What? You mean talk to Kairi, or Wakka?" Akya looked like she was going to have a breakdown. "I can see how that'll turn out. "Hi, I'm a fangirl from across the 4th wall... I don't know how it happened or why, but one of your people crossed over into my world, and now I'm lost in yours without a clue of what's going on." Just that alone will cause some riot." Akya fell to her knees to cry.
"It looks like you're going to get your chance..." Avedae pointed to a group of kids running towards them.
"What was that all about?" Riku asked, he was the first one to get there.
"Was that Demyx? Didn't I beat that guy a few months ago?" Sora bumped into Riku, a look of worry on his face. Kairi was still running, holding a letter in her hands.
"Er... Hey! Um... Uh..." Akya smiled, trying not to look so upset about her situation. She was saved by Tygir, who gracefully stepped in front of her.
"My name is Tygir, this is Avedae, and that is Matthew. We serve Akya who is resting behind me." He said, adopting the idea Matthew had had earlier and gesturing to those he mentioned.
"Was that Demyx we saw?" Sora repeated his question.
"If it was, do you think we would know who you are talking about?" Avedae said, averting the question.
"Uh... No." Sora said embarrassed.
"Even if he wasn't, he still was using the darkness and wearing a lot of black. This means that he's most likely an enemy." Riku said, looking seriously at Sora.
Kairi had caught up already, and was waving the letter in her hand. "We can't forget about this!"
"That's right... I had only read the first two lines... Would you hand it back, Kairi?" Sora asked.
"Wh...What's it about?" akya asked, knowing already who it's from. It had the King's stamp on the back.
Sora held the letter in front of him, and started reading. Akya felt like she was in school, anticipating her turn to read at the front.
""Guys, things aren't looking good in Radiant Gardens. Merlin sent word to me that he needs the help of a keyblade wielder and I've my own kingdom to tend to here. I'll let him explain things to you there. I'm sending Donald and Goofy to your islands in a gummy ship large enough to carry anyone who might wish to go. I'm sorry that I have to break you away from your home so soon again but this is urgent.
Signed, The King""
Sora looked around with a worried expression while Akya whispered "Here we go..." She smiled a smile only a fangirl knows, and realized that unlike any other fangirl, she would be in the heat of things. She also realized that instead of getting a "Continue?" sign, she will now actually lose her life. On the plus side, she didn't have to deal with moments of silence where the characters are talking in the sub-cutscenes.
"If we could... could we..." Akya began. Tygir and Matthew looked at her and sighed.
"Akya, you can't."Matthew said.
"You need a weapon, and the only ones with weapons are us. Avedae can use her elven magic, I have my strength and speed and Matthew has his swords." Tygir nodded to the other two.
"I do too have a weapon!" Akya whined. She really wanted to go with Sora, and wasn't going to let these people stop her.
Avedae walked up to the girl. "Akya... Don't you think for a second that we'll try and stop you. We'll find you a weapon."
"Only problem is... where are we going to get a weapon light enough for her to wield? I'm sure these kids don't have a knife other than kitchen utensils on this island, and anything like a sword or lance is too heavy... even though she has practiced the moves in her spare time..." Matthew muttered. His last statement made Akya blush.
"I understand who you are... but I still don't know why your here..." She said, looking away.
"Well, this is all great, but who said that you're coming with us?" Riku said, crossing his arms.
"Riku, we don't know who these people are. We saw them following that Demyx-look-alike guy through the portal, so they've gotta come with us. Besides, it looks like they really want to." Sora said, sticking up for the newcomers.
"It's too dangerous. Remember how we almost didn't come home? Do you want them to be put in the same situation?"
"But they're already in the same situation! This isn't their home!" Sora was in front of Riku, pleading with his eyes, and Riku looked away.
"Fine... They'll come." He finally agreed. He looked at the three guardians of Akya. "You three... You said you had weapons? You're going to have to use them a lot if you come with us. No slacking off."
Tygir looked at Akya almost fondly. "What about it? Still determined to join this group?"
Akya nodded, shaking her head vigorously.
"Then yeah. We're coming with you." Tygir smiled. They all introduced themselves, and the three native to the island took off to prepare for their new journey and to tell their parents where they'd be. Last time, Sora wasn't able to do that so he was grounded the moment he came home.
"We'll figure out a weapon for you when we get to the first stop. In the meantime, you just sit back and watch what's going on. You'll have to pay close attention and keep your wits around you. No slacking includes you." Avedae stated, going across some important details as they waited for the return of the keyblade wielders.
As they waited, a large gummi ship came from the skies. The driver at the front wasn't visible until they almost hit the water. Sora, Kairi and Riku were already on their way over to the island they play on.
"Donald!" Sora called, waving a hand. "Goofy! You're here!" He ran from the docks as soon as the boat stopped and grabbed both of his friends hands, excitedly greeting them.
Kairi and Riku followed after them, Riku carrying suitcases, one for Kairi (And Akya, but the princess of heart wasn't going to say anything at that moment) and one for the boys. Kairi hugged both Donald and Goofy.
"It's been a few weeks." She said beaming. "How big is the gummi ship?"
"Well, the king said we'd have a princess on our ship so we grabbed the one normally used for vacation purposes." Goofy said. He pointed at the ship, which was 4 times the size of a normal gummy ship. Kairi blushed when he said "princess." She was excited though, to go on an adventure with Sora.
Sora looked back at the 4 who he just met. "These people also are coming along, so it actually might be a little cramped."
Donald put up a fuss but eventually gave in. Goofy already figured that he'd give in so while Donald was yelling, he showed Akya and her people around the gummi.
"And this is the control panel to fly the ship." He pointed out.
"You mean... This is where the captain would sit? Beam me up, Scotty, I think I'm gonna love it here!" Matthew sat in the chair, and twirled around. Donald came in and looked at Matthew
"Wak! Get out of there, those are dangerous buttons!" He shouted. He pushed Matthew from the seat, and into the hallway. "Only a trained Gummi-pilot can touch those."
"Donald's right... I got us into a bit of trouble just because I pressed that purple button right there." Sora had come in from outside, and had sidled to the right of Matthew.
"Sooo... All right then." Matthew sighed. It isn't a big deal. I'll just have to find something else to do.
Akya sat in the back of the ship with Kairi. She didn't know what to say, except weird things about her favorite colours or music group. Of course, Kairi had no idea what she was talking about but she tried to be nice and pretend that she understood.
"Daniel Bowson is my favorite rockstar! He's got a mullet, and plays songs that mean SO much. That's why I like him... Er, I mean the mullet isn't why I like him but the meanings of the songs is. I just like the mullet because it's supposed to be out of style or whatnot, but I find it intriguing and... You have... no... idea what I'm talking about, do you?" Akya laughed nervously.
"Sorry, no. There's no one I know by that name. Still, it sounds like you like things with meanings. Are you a scientist?" Kairi asked, smiling politely.
"Um... no." Akya laughed, realizing she still wore her uniform. "I'm a waitress at a fancy-styled restaurant. At least... I was..."
"So what brought you to our island? Let me guess... That guy either tried to take something from you, or he tried to kidnap you." Kairi remembered about that one guy who had the really red hair. It gave her chills just thinking about his name. Axel... Ugh...
"Kinda... He said something about having to go with him, and... um... He pretty much destroyed my house. I was chasing him down because I don't have that kind of money."
"Yeah, munny is hard to come by." Kairi agreed. She found that once she broke Akya out of her shell, even if it was just a crack, she was actually enjoyable.
"So you followed after the guy who wanted to kidnap you in the first place? You aren't very smart." Riku said from the doorway.
"Riku, don't be so insulting!" Kairi said. Riku ignored her.
"After all, if whatever group he works for wants you, what if he was heading towards his base camp? You're lucky that he wasn't very smart either. What a wimp if he can't face a weakling like you." Riku turned his head away, finding the three guards Akya had were glaring at him. He found that was unnerving.
"Riku!" Kairi shouted angrily.
"Riku! Could you come to the front? And you three too? There's something I gotta show you." Sora came running, pulling on Riku's hand.
"Woah, slow down Sora... What's going on?" Riku pulled his hand away. "Is there something attacking us?"
Sora shook his head. "It's not that."
Riku followed after him, leading the other 3 into who knows what.
"Do you remember seeing that?" Sora pointed to the world in front of them obviously talking to Riku.
"That looks like... Neverland... that clock tower... But that part's obviously Hollow Bastion."
"I hear it's now being called Radiant Garden because of the restoration committee." Goofy said.
"What's going on here?" Riku said, crossing his arms.
Everyone got off and walked to Cid's place. Akya was last. She was always last in line, since she liked to view what went on around her. Nearby though was Avedae. "First Demyx comes to my house... then worlds collide with each other... what's next? A mix between heartless and nobodies?" Akya whispered. She could see big ben looming over the castle.
"Technically... if I recall rightly, A heartless is what... the heart of the body?" Avedae asked, leaning in.
"Well... yeah... er... I think. But that's not what I meant. It's just... something seems odd that I would be mixed in with all this. I'm not any different than any other girl I know."
"Yet you were picked out of all the other girls for this. That makes you different." Avedae moved in and hugged Akya tightly. "Things'll be just fine."
"Sora, m'boy... Welcome back." Merlin said, then he looked at the newcomers. "Leading an army, already?" He smiled.
"Ah, this?" He pointed behind him with his thumb. "We had a visitor on our island, and wait...? Already?" Sora looked at Merlin, with a confused smile.
"Come in, come in... I'll explain everything." While everyone started walking in, Akya looked around. She was nudged inside by Avedae but her attention couldn't stay on what was happening at that moment. She was still thinking about the sudden change from where she was before, a normal life at a home she rented, to following characters she only dreamed about following knowing that she'd never be able to in real life.
When she got inside, She found her eyes adapting to the change in lighting.
"Hey!" Yuffie said, smiling. "You're back!"
"Finally. You were supposed to be here a day ago." Cid muttered, from the computer.
"Sorry... We didn't get the message until today." Sora said, a little ashamed.
"Oh, don't mind ol' sourface there. Sit, sit sit sit... We have a lot to go over. It's been weeks, after all!" Yuffie gestured to the floor and everyone, glancing at each other, sat down in a circle. Akya sat next to Matthew and Tygir while Avedae knelt behind her. Akya wasn't used to so much attention given to her and the arrangement didn't go unnoticed.
"Oooh, who are these people?" yuffie asked, smiling. They were introduced, and Riku said "But Akya needs to find a weapon so she doesn't just get in the way."
"Then we'll find her a weapon later. Anyway, things are getting hot, hot, hot!"
"3 days ago, we noticed the approach of a star. As it got closer, we realized that it was Neverland. We're not sure how or why but things have been like this all over the worlds." A voice said, from the back.
"O-M-F-G... Leon!" Akya shouted without thinking. she wished she didn't.
"Do... Do I know you?" Leon asked, looking at Akya with a wary eye. By this time, Matthew had planted a face into his palm.
"Um... I... Uh... No. Sorry, I saw you... one day... and..." She realized, not for the first time, that she was a terrible liar.
"Ok. This has gone on long enough. You 4, come with me. Sora, fill me in when I get back." Riku said, grabbing Akya by the wrist. It hurt.
"I... I'm sorry..." She cried out, tugging her wrist away. Riku led her outside where he could ask her without Sora's interference.
"You work for them, don't you?" He asked, trapping her. Tygir made a motion like he was about to ready a punch for Riku, but Avedae held him back and muttered something into his ear. Tygir's eyes widened as his mouth made an O shape. Akya pulled her eyes away from them to look at Riku's angry face.
"No! It's just... where I come from..." She trembled, wanting to get away more than anything.
"Where you come from what?" Riku said. Suddenly a sharp pain hit him upside the head.
"Need a hand? Who is that creep, anyway... your ex?" A woman with black hair asked.
"No... but thank you. Um. My name is Akya." She said, trying to figure out if she should run or not. She looked around, and noticed that just as suddenly as they had appeared, her "retainers" were gone. She swallowed her fear as she tried to fake a smile.
"Well, let's go, Akya. I'm Tifa, by the way." The woman led Akya to a small house where a small girl with a red ribbon in her hair helped out with what needed to be done; at the moment, she was tending to watering the plants outside. "Make yourself at home." Tifa sat down, looking out the window.
Akya's eyes softened. She of course knew a bit about the story within Final Fantasy VII, at least from the advent children movie and all the little tidbits from reading fanfics. She was determined to watch her mouth, to keep more slip-ups from happening. She had been really excited to be right at the heart of all things, but maybe it's better if she was just a support character after all. She couldn't do much anyway. Yet for some reason "You're going to do great things" kept popping into her head unbidden.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Tifa asked, with affection.
"Well... It's just that I... I've gone through a big change lately, and I feel powerless against it all. I... I just wish that things would make a little more sense." Akya said, looking at her feet.
"Well, Akya... have you tried just sitting on it? What's power to you?" Tifa asked.
"Um... Actually, no... How... How am I supposed to handle these kinds of changes? I mean, I didn't need to have any kind of power growing up. I lived a very relaxing life. It was actually boring. I never expected anything like... Well..." Akya gestured to the open door.
"Just breathe. When things get too hard, fresh air won't kill you."
"You know... You're right. I'm sorry, I've been complaining ever since I got here." Akya felt ashamed.
"It's all right. I did ask you to "complain" as you said." Tifa laughed a little. "Do you have a place to stay?"
"Um... I was going to stay with... people... but I don't think I can now." Akya felt tears at her eyes. The feeling of rejection, something that wasn't new to her. Tifa looked at her, eyes sympathetic.
"Stay with us!" Marlene said from the door. She has a bright smile on her face.
"I don't know... Could I just stay for a while at least? I want to think about everything that's happened." Akya looked down. Tifa nodded and pointed her in the direction of the bathroom.
"It's a great place to think about things, plus it's relaxing." she said.
So Riku is suspicious of me... not that he shouldn't be... after I screwed up by squeeing so loudly. GAH. Akya had drawn a hot bath, filling the tub as full as she could without it overfilling. The steam made her sleepy. "And why was Demyx at my house anyway? Did I even wake up?" THAT'S IT! It's just a dream. Why couldn't I see it before? She pinched herself, happy to feel the pain. Harder and harder she pinched till she drew blood, but she didn't "wake up." Either this wasn't a dream or she must be in a coma. The thought scared her. Wiping the blood she went under the bath water, seeing if maybe that would force her to wake up. When she couldn't hold her breath any longer, she came up for air, gasping. "Oh... my..." Her voice trailed as she realized that it really was real, that it wasn't a dream at all. She got out of the tub, letting it drain and dried off. When she got out, Tifa was cooking, humming gently.
"Did it help any?" Tifa asked without looking. Akya was lost in thought.
"Huh? Oh, yeah... I... I still have a lot to think about, but I think I understand things a little better." Akya's voice was soft.
"Good. Let's eat! Marlene, will you go and get Denzel for me?" Tifa asked. Marlene had been setting the table. She nodded and ran out the door.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Tifa asked, filling the plates with delicious looking foods.
"Can I?" Akya asked without thinking, then she paused after realizing that she really did say that.
"Of course! I'll listen." Tifa sat down, and Akya did the same, deciding that she'd only say the things that was necessary. That would be the things that didn't involve her world knowing everything about Kingdom Hearts. She also left out the confusion she felt about the appearance of Tygir, Matthew and Avedae. That was too difficult to explain and would have to involve somehow the fact that she knew Demyx. When she was done, she waited for Tifa's reaction, anxious because she had 6 pairs of eyes looking at her. Denzel and Marlene had returned in the middle of her story.
"It sounds like things are happening a little fast. So, Riku wasn't being a creep, just suspicious?" Tifa said at last. Akya nodded. "I should probably apologize to him. But then again, you did look like you were in trouble anyway. And you said on your world you have no need to protect yourself? Not even from heartless?"
Akya shook her head. "I didn't mean to follow that guy, but he really made me angry... On my world, there's probably heartless... but I've never seen them, and no one knows about them." She lied, feeling better about this one since no one was there to say she was wrong.
The rest of the meal was ate in silence. Akya found that she really missed the company of Avedae, as well as the others. It was so weird, being inside a game. It didn't even feel like pixels, and everyone looked how they should... but didn't seem at all fake. She didn't realize that a tear rolled down her cheek as she ate until it fell onto her hand.
A/N Longer than the first chapter, and recently finished. I like this part better than the first, but as mentioned before I was doing this based on songs for titles, so I felt that I just had to stop where I stopped before. Anyways... Got any clue to who Daniel Bowson is? Lol... DB...
