Kingdom Hearts Fan-Fiction

         The breeze felt cool against my skin, and I could feel the hairs of my arm stand at end from the brisk air. The sun was blinding as I opened my eyes.
         Had I fallen asleep? How long had I been out?
         Those, among others, were the questions that ran through my mind as I sat up beneath the lone tree behind me. The sand was warm beneath my hands and feet, despite the cool air. Beside me was a star-shaped fruit. I picked it up and turned it over in my hands. It was smooth to the touch, and was a brilliant golden-yellow; on one of the points sprouted two delicate green leaves. What a strange fruit.
         I heard footsteps coming from behind me, and a voice soon followed.
         "You weren't thinking of sharing that with me, were you?" The voice yelled out.
         "I..no, no I wasn't. Who are you?" I stood up, dropping the weird fruit to the ground.
         The girl laughed. It was a cute laugh, too. Not just the way it sounded, but the way she looked. Her smile sent chills down my spine.
         "C'mon, quit being weird," she said through her giggles, "Let's go back, the gang's waiting for us."
         "The gang? Who's waiting?" That was the first time I really started to notice the surrounding area. We were on a beach, and behind us the ocean's gentle waves were slapping gently against the land. I could see a fire behind her, blazing against the contrasting dusk sky. There was a hut not far off. Most of the area seemed to be sprouting with trees and other plants. Maybe there was more of that star-fruit around. Why did she ask if I was going to share it with her? What was this place?
         Her smile faded a little. "Hey..Dan, what's the matter? Are you okay?" Dan? Was that me?
         "Um...I'm sorry, but...do I know you?" I could see her eyes get wide. Wow, she's really concerned. Who was she? How does she know me?
         She reached out and touched my arm, and I got goosebumps immediately. Her skin was soft; really soft. And warm. "Dan? Oh my god. Dan, what happened?"
         "I..I don't know. I mean, I'm not sure." I looked behind me and motioned toward the spot underneath the tree. "I just...woke up here. Right here, at this tree. And..I don't remember how I got there, or how I got here, or..you, or anything. What's going on here?"
         "Hey, guys!" another voice called out, this time it was a guy. "What's taking so long? Come on! Fire's a'sparkin!"
         The girl looked hesitant. "Uhm, Siri. I think you might want to come here, something's wrong!" she yelled back to the guy, Siri.
         Siri ran over to us, sand being kicked up behind him with each stride, "What's up?"
         She explained to him how she had found me, and what I told her. He looked me up and down then paced around the tree. Coming to the conclusion that there was nothing that we could do at the time, we decided to just explain to the rest of the 'gang' the situation, and try to continue the rest of the night, and however long it took after that, normally.
         We sat around the sparking fire, watching the flames of life sprout, tangle, and eat the dry wood and grass on the ground between all of us. Just a group of friends; well, a group of friends, and me, who used to be, or still is, apparently, their friend.
         They sang campfire songs and passed around marshmallows and sticks, and shared both funny and scary stories. One kid, Shiro, told a story about a boy who, not long ago, on the very island we sat at, awoke to a very dark, ominous platform, and, at the end of the long walkway, upon walking through a door, he was confronted by a giant black beast of a thing called a Heartless. Its name was Darkside.
         I don't know why, but the tale gave me chills. The boy's name was Sora. Sora. The name sent chills down my body, and raised the goose bumps on my arm. Who was Sora?
         The girl who found me underneath the tree, her name is Joeel, kept subtly moving closer to me, and stealing short glances in my direction. Were we close? Did she like me? Why can't I remember these things? Why did I begin to feel a bit sad as the last rays of the sun sank down below the horizon, leaving only the light licks of the fire, and the glowing embers beneath, lighting our night?
         After the fire was relinquished, everybody said their goodbyes and drifted off to each of their homes, while Siri, Joeel and I retreated back to the hut I had seen out by the tree I awoke under. Walking in, the first thing I noticed were crayon drawings hanging all over the walls, depicting various scenes of friends together. One in particular caught my attention. It showed a young boy with spiky, brown hair, holding a sword, which was strangely shaped like a key, in his hand. He stood next to two colorful creatures; respectfully resembling a duck and a dog. Weird. I felt like I knew them. I wondered who they were.
         Siri poured Joeel and I glasses of water, and we each sat down at the roughly shaped wooden table in the center of the room. After reaffirming that I knew and remembered nothing, followed up with some deep nods and thoughts, Siri bid us each a goodnight, and wished me good luck with the memory.
         "He already misses you," Joeel whispered as the door closed behind him, "We all do."
         I could hear her voice begin to quiver and I reached out to touch her arm. What else could I do?
         At my touch, she broke. She collapsed against me, sobbing into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly. "It's okay, Joeel. It's okay."
         She didn't stop. It wasn't okay. "What happened? Why are you like this?" she spluttered between heaves.
         I shook my head. "I don't know, and I'm really sorry. If I could fix this, I would."
         After a few silent, painfully awkward moments, Joeel apologized and wished me a goodnight, then left the hut , leaving me alone in a place I didn't know, in a body I didn't know.


         That night I dreamt of being swallowed alive by the Heartless, Darkside. It engulfed me, drowned me in my own fears. I felt my consciousness slip away into the endless chasm of despair. I awoke that morning to the sound of seagulls that were flying overhead. Sweat caked my hair to my face, and I felt cold all over. What importance did this Darkside have with me? Did it have anything to do with that boy with the key, Sora? I felt colder as I thought about that name. What was going on?
         After I gathered my wits and took a refreshing shower, I took a walk down to the shoreline to clear my head and try to grasp all of what has happened, hoping to connect some dots and shed some light on the circumstance.
         After a few minutes of nothing but the calming sound of leaves rustling in the trees in the distance, and the tide slapping gently against the sand below my feet, I heard feet trudging through the sand behind me.
         It was Joell. She sat down beside me without a word, and we both just stared aimlessly into the rising sun. After a few moments, I dared to utter, "Joell?"
         She looked over at me, and I could see a glint of longing in her gaze. "Yes?" she asked silently.
         "Were we...together? Before, I mean."
         I could see her lips begin to tremble as a small tear glistened in the corner of her eye; she looked away quickly, hoping to mask it. But it was too late. A few seconds had passed before she said, just barely above a whisper, "Yes. Yes we were." She then brought her knees up to her chest, and buried her face into her arms, holding herself together.
         Taking in a deep breath, I wrapped my arms around her and brought her close to me. Feeling her close-ness sent a wave of warmth throughout me, and I held her even tighter. I knew something was there between us. Though I couldn't remember it, I could feel it, and it was powerful. She looked up at me and I felt a twinge of guilt. I wanted to make her happy, I wanted to be with her...but I couldn't remember why, I couldn't remember anything about her, us, or even myself.
         I could see her lower lip begin to quiver again, and I couldn't help myself, I could no longer hold myself back. Gingerly, passionately, I leaned down and kissed her lips.
         Suddenly, a spark of life ignited my core, and a rush of energy flew into me. I was seeing myself, I was seeing my friends, I was seeing my life. All at once, a wall of memories came crashing down on me, flooding my mind with all kinds of emotions and thoughts. I saw Joeel and I; we were holding hands beneath the tree I awoke under- the tree that held the star shaped fruit. They were papou fruits. And that's why she asked me about that fruit I was holding, because when you share a papou fruit with someone, your lives become forever intertwined. I DID want to share one with her, I wanted to so badly.
         Suddenly, the happiness was swept away. The memories began to fade to black, and the heartless, Darkside, occupied my mind once more. This time, the boy, Sora, appeared before him. And the key, the keyblade, burst into life, right into his hands. He brought the keyblade down on the giant heartless's head, and it vanished. Then, I saw myself. No, I didn't see myself. I am myself. I'm walking toward Sora, on the ominous platform. The keyblade disappears from Sora's hand, then, suddenly, it reappears, fitting right into mine. I look down at it, then look back up at Sora, but he's no longer alone. There are two other people, standing right behind him. They each look identical, too.
         Ventus. Roxas. Those were their names.
         Sora smiles at me, and extends his hand.
         "Welcome back", he spoke.


         Then it all vanished, and I was back on the beach, back by the shoreline, my lips attached to Joeel's. I pulled myself away from her, the girl that I love, and looked into her eyes, with a newly rediscovered flame of emotion and consciousness.
         "What? What is it?" she asked.
         "I remember."