When Darkness Turns to Light

A Tale of Two Hiki's

Recappy From the Last Chappy: Then he tried excluding Riku from the image. Like a match was lit to the corner of each photo, memories were consumed by flame. Every face was charred.

"Come on, Sora!" Donald called from the doorway with Goofy. "We have to go find Hiki now!"

"Gawrsh, she seemed pretty upset."

The brunette looked their way and nodded; he dismissed the Keyblade. "Let's go find her."

Could it be true that his and Riku's friendship was reduced to ashes?

Chapter Twenty-nine: A Tale of Two Hiki's

The tears would not stop coming. Crouched in some arbitrary chamber within the labyrinthine Monstro, Hikari continued to feel them run down her face no matter how she tried to cease their descent. She held her arms so tightly in an attempt to displace this feeling she was sure to leave marks, and her face was as red as a tomato due to her effort in trying to contain herself.

The involuntary sounds she made when she held in too much echoed against the walls and drew Sora, Donald, and Goofy to her location. She was in the far back of the chamber facing the wall with her forehead almost touching it. They approached her slowly; quietly they looked at one another, asking what they should do.

Donald and Goofy looked at Sora in the end, wordlessly volunteering him for the job. He scratched the back of his head. "Um. . . ." Hesitantly, he reached for her shoulder.

As if she had eyes in the back of her skull, cat-like reflexes were awoken as she reeled away from his touch, tumbling out of the crouch onto her bottom. She had her back to the wall and glared at him heatedly. "Don't touch me! Don't . . . mm-mm!"

Sora retracted his hand and took his foot out of his mouth, embarrassed and rather confused. He tried not to let her rejection-so soon after Riku's-get to him, but his tone was certainly not of his norm. "What's the matter with you?"

She bit her lip to cease its quiver and averted her eyes to the ceiling. "I don't know, I . . . I don't understand. I haven't cried . . . in three years. I shouldn't have any of these feelings." Once more she regarded him with nigh resentment. "It's all your fault. Since I met you, my emotions have been returning-and there's no reason for them to be back like this!"

He regarded her quizzically. "Huh? What're you talking about? I don't get it."

She responded with more rage. "I lost my heart three years ago! I'm supposed to be heartless-but ever since I met you, for some reason it doesn't seem to be so true!"More morosely, she added, "I don't . . . understand it either. . . ." And Riku . . . why does he keep affecting me?

All three of the boys were stunned, gawking at her with their jaws to the floor. It was Donald who recovered first-shaking away the expression-and scowled, appearing puzzled if not incredulous. "What do you mean 'heartless'?"

The kunoichi inhaled deeply and wiped her eyes yet again; they were red, and most likely soon to be swollen if she did not find a way toward cessation of tears. Composing herself, she sniveled and gave her answer a bit more calmly, drawing strength from the First Hokage necklace which she pressed against her collarbone.

"Three years ago, my brother stole my heart. He's a jinchuuriki, remember? Well, when darkness ate up my world, it was too much for him and he lost control. The Nine-Tailed Fox basically took over. The Nine-Tails' cloak covered him, and he wasn't himself. He took my heart, but my body didn't disappear." She wiped her eyes again; since she could see more clearly now, and her eyes felt almost dry, it seemed like perhaps for the last time. "That's the real reason why I have to find my brother . . . so I can have it back!"