Re-entering the War (Open)

[deshitana5]

The sun was shining bright upon Destiny Island as the familiar breeze wafted across the area bring in the smell of the sea. Above, the seagulls sang and cloud’s passed lazily by. There was laughter on the island. The laughter of children that had been friends for a long time. They played together, shared secrets with each other, and simply enjoyed sitting in silence enjoying the other’s company. Those children were happy and at peace. Smiles came easily to them and worries did not bother them. It was a happy moment, full of warmth and safety. A moment that should never be lost or tainted, but it was.

Black splotches began to cover that peaceful scene and the laughter became silence as the peaceful island’s skies became dark and stormy. A cold wind was blowing and instead of children filling the island, the place was filled with shadow like creatures hungrily looking for Hearts to sink into the Darkness they had brought with them. Within the Darkness were three Lights. One Light fought against the Darkness, while another became one with the fighter. The other Light glowed, but was being smothered by Darkness. The one being smothered did not resist, it let itself be snuffed out and fall into a world where golden eyed shadows were common place and malice was one’s best friend. Malice came in many forms and sought to eat the Light lead a stray.

First there was the fairy in all black, wingless with horns upon her head. Her magic was powerful and her words sweet, hard to resist or disobey. She took the Light she found and cracked it open so that the Darkness that surrounded it could slowly sink in. The Light did not resist and soon it was black. The tainted Light obeyed the Darkness and bent to its will and when all hope was lost, it turned to the ultimate form of Darkness for help. A bodiless being with amber eyes and a will so strong it could crush anything that was not prepared for it. The being turned into a snake and the snake consumed the tainted Light, locking it in the Darkness. The small Light tried to find a way out, but the Darkness was a maze and the journey was hard. The Light was flickering, threatening to fade and fear sunk in. It was hopeless. The Light was never going to get out. There was no reason to resist. The Light prepared to fade, but then another Light came and stayed by the weaker Light’s side. Together, the two Light’s fought against the Darkness until the weak Light was free once more, but very afraid to shine.

The one with amber eyes came to torment the fearful Light, wanting it to submit to the Dark again, but the small Light fought and when the small Light could not fight anymore, another Light would come to give it strength. The cycle repeated until finally that Light was not afraid anymore and with renewed strength could face the amber eyed beast and beat it back with its own power over the Light and Dark. Consume the Darkness and bring everything back to the Light. That was this Light’s purpose. It was this purpose that made it solid and real. Allowed it to fight on even when everything was black and hope was lost. It could fight because it had been to Darkness and back again. It understood clearly the balance between the Light and Dark. It was no longer afraid. An acceptance of the Dark had been made, but that did not mean it would bow to it. No. This Light wasn’t against the Darkness within the world, just the people that used it to harm others. The Light had chosen the hard path and traveled on the road between the two forces that clashed together, but from the journey had learned so much and in turn could be calm within the chaos and wise.

The Light had fought by the side of its friends for a long while, always fighting against the golden and amber eyed pieces of a Heart so tainted by the Darkness that it could no longer escape. Consumed by obsession and want that Heart existed in many forms and no matter how many times the pieces were shattered, a new one would take its place. Over and over again, the battle went until it had finally reached its peak and now awaited the fall. The Darkness was ready, but the Lights that had held it off for so long were not ready to fight back once more. A test was given. The two Lights were placed in a dream world where only one was the dreamer and the other the dream. The pieces of the black Heart were there to stop their progress and shed light on the new threat that was the Organization rebuilt. 13 of Dark, 7 of Light, X-blade, war, Hearts….Xehanort.

**

It took some effort for the young man resting on the bed to finally pull himself out of the heavy sleep he had been in. As aquamarine eyes opened sleepily and looked around, the boy’s mind raced to bring him up to speed on things. The last things he remembered was taking the Mark of Mastery Test and finding along the way the various versions of Xehanort. He remembered Sora being placed into a deep sleep and having to dive into his Heart to set him free from the Nightmare within. He had passed the test and became a Keyblade Master while Sora went on another journey to train himself when he did not pass. At the request of Yen Sid, he had brought Kairi to the Mysterious Tower to train alongside the newest keyblader Lea. They were preparing them for the war that was slowly looming into view. The one against Xehanort and his pieces….the war that would make or break all worlds.

The training had been going well, but then without warning people vanished and the tower became empty. It was so quiet it reminded him of the dream version of it where Mickey slept trapped in a nightmare. It was…an unnerving feeling that reached far back into his past and tapped the place where his fall had begun. Hollow Bastion…a place of true emptiness and loneliness.

Not the physical kind that places like Oblivion and The World That Never was represented. No, this one was an invisible one that was brought on by pushing the ones you cared for away and plunging blindly into the Dark. A painful scary emptiness that almost felt like it was impossible to escape once it had sunk its teeth in, but he had been saved. Sora, Mickey, and the others…they came for him and reminded him wasn’t alone and the strength that realization gave him pulled him from that hell and back into the Light.

So while the Mysterious Tower had reminded him of that pain back then, he reminded himself that this time it was not his fault that his friends were gone. Something had changed within the worlds and scattered them all to the worlds again. He’d find them again. His Heart knew this, so he wasn’t worried there, but he still had a tiny problem present. Despite his mind remembering this event or that event, he couldn’t remember how he had gotten here or understand why fragmented memories of meetings with people like Naminé flooded his mind. He hadn’t seen the blonde Nobody since she had went back to Kairi a few years back, so why….why did it seem he had been walking about in this time frame in some other life? Had he dreamed it all up or were the fragments something important he was forgetting?

The sleepy expression on the boy’s face became a slight frown as he thought about that for a moment before throwing the ideas out. No….while he could indeed create things in his head, he wasn’t creative enough to create what the fragments showed him. He guessed the fragments really were something he had forgotten after all, but why this forgotten data concerned Naminé bothered him. Did that mean Kairi was in trouble? He shook his head mentally and pushed that train of thoughts away quickly.

Kairi would be alright. She had the keyblade to protect her until he or Sora could find her again, so for now he could push the fragments and worry to the back of his mind. Maybe he’d figure those broken memories out later. For now, he wanted to know where he was. With some effort, Riku managed to sit himself up, making the young man wonder just how long he had been asleep. Shaking off the last tendrils of sleep, his eyes scanned the small room he was in. It was set up for one person with the only furniture being a bed, a small side table, and a chair next to it. On the walls hung nice pictures that were slowly fading with time. To his left, was a window and beyond the window darkness.

As Riku took in these small details, he felt his mind slowly begin to connect the dots. This place was familiar. So then Riku, name this place,[/color], he thought to himself forcing himself to concentrate. Where was he? Think, think, think, th—?

Aquamarine eyes widened slightly as the name of the place came to mind. Jolted to full awareness by the realization, Riku got out of the bed he was in and after some searching managed to find his shoes. Slipping the shoes on, Riku headed out of the small room and into the halls of the inn. He could hear people talking and smell the signs of life here, but instead of going towards the sounds, he went away from them, heading out of the inn via a back exit instead. He traveled along the familiar ally until he finally came out into the large open area of the Third District. He paused taking in the scenery recognizing this place as a world that officially awake instead of a dream. It was odd how he had to double check at times, but after spending a long period of time within dreams, sometimes the two blurred together. Thankfully, there were key differences to set similar worlds apart, starting with the residence that inhabited the place.

In any case, the young man observed the scenery taking note of the sounds around him. People were moving about and the smells of food were coming from the First District where the café rested. The area he was in was quiet and he could not sense the Heartless moving about. This world—Traverse Town—was at peace. This was all well, but why was he here? How did he get here? His eyes turned to the heavens always painted with the deep hues of night and dotted with stars. As he lifted his head slightly to watch the stars, his long hair fell back over his shoulders and away from his eyes giving him a clear view of the skies. He watched as stars blinked in and out of view, the larger ones being worlds shifting between Light and Dark as the overarching war went on. As he was watching the stars, he felt himself tense and grit his teeth as he watched a familiar star brink out.

Darkness had the island again. Well, that explained why he could not return there quite yet, but what of the Mysterious Tower? How had he been booted from there? He continued to observe the stars as he thought and then without warning the answer came to him in the form of a recent memory. He was back in Yen Sid’s office. The door had opened on its own accord and as he stepped in strange shadows he had never seen before came up. While he was able to slice through the red eyed fiends, there was one that had managed to catch him off guard and knock him back into a pool of Darkness. He tried to get out of it, but the black substance pulled him down as his world went black and coldness took him. The only thing that protected him in that place where he fought to keep himself was his Light and now…he was here.

The Corridor of Darkness created by those strange red eyed creatures. That’s what brought me here, his mind told him as everything was made clear. Corridors….at one point he had been able to use them freely, but that was back when he was still part of the Darkness. Back then they had put a strain on him, but not as heavily because he was had become a fragment of the Dark, but now that the Darkness no longer had a claim on him, Corridors were more dangerous than ever to him and so he had found a different method of traveling. He had hoped never to deal with a Corridor again, but that creature…that strange creature that had eyes that looked furious had knocked into one and so the struggle not to sink into the Darkness had worn him out and kept him sleeping out until now. Yes. It all made sense now.

As the piece fell into place Riku nodded inwardly to himself as his mind switched from understanding to next steps. To get out of Traverse Town, he needed to find the hidden pathway to exit, but with his current way of travel stuck in another world, he’d have to rely on his Light to guide him through these passage ways. It would be a bit draining to travel this way, but for now it would have to do until he could get back to the Mysterious Tower.

The good thing about the situation was that he had been pulled into the safety of Traverse Town, a town that remained a safe haven no matter how much Darkness flooded it. It was the place for the lost and while he was by no means lost, he figured that since his home was currently in Darkness’s clutches, the town had pulled him here.

He was familiar with the town and knew it like the back of his hand thanks to having visited the place many times within his travels. The last time he had come here had been through a dream, it was nice to be within the real one once more. it would be nice to walk about the town to check up on things and see what was new here before leaving. Not because it was necessary to do, but simply because he wanted to do it. Maybe exploring could help him learn of an even safer way to travel. Who knew. Traverse Town was always full of surprises.

With his mind set on something to do, the white haired Keyblade Master turned his blue green eyes away from the sky as he focused on what was in front of him once more. His long bangs fell back into his face as he began to walk. He’d start his exploration in this district before moving on to the other parts of the town.

[rhyme]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][style=height: 20px][/style][style=width: 300px; height: 320px; background-image: url(http://colourlovers.com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/patterns/1462/1462099.png); border-radius: 50px; border: 1px dashed E98976][style=margin-top: -22px; font-size: 22px; font-family: georgia; text-align: center; color: E98976]just smile and nod

[/i][/style][style=float: left; background-color: FFFFFF; width: 260px; height: 160px; opacity: 0.6; margin-top: 20px; border-radius: 20 20 0 0; margin-left: 20px][style=padding: 10px; height: 140px; overflow: auto; opacity: 1.0; color: 000000; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; text-align: justify]"Thank you very much," Rhyme thanked the lady behind the counter, who just smiled and nodded in return. Rhyme turned away from her and began to walk in the opposite direct; towards the door. As she opened the door, it gave a large creak and the sound of bells jingled. The sound echoed throughout the dark area. A breeze drifted past her, and it ruffled her short, yellow hair. Rhyme used her right hand to swiftly move it out of her eyes just as the door closed behind her. She stood there for a moment, not feeling the need to do anything. For somebody who was lost, she was surprisingly calm. When there's a will, there's a way, she thought optimistically.

"So," she thought aloud. "What have I just learned?" Well, the first and most important thing is that she was currently in a place called Traverse Town. A town that was quaint and calm, and a place where it is always night. You can see the stars really well from here, she thought happily. Traverse Town was divided into five major districts, and then branched off into several minor districts. Rhyme was currently located at the 1st District. She just came out of a restaurant that was located in the 1st District. The 2nd and 3rd Districts were ovverrun by strange creatures that were mostly as dark as night with yellow eyes, but some people have noted seeing different kinds of these creatures. She would have to avoid those. She didn't have much information on the 4th and 5th Districts, so right now, she was stuck in the 1st District. The safe haven. That was a good thing.

Rhyme began to wander in a direction she chose randomly. She didn't know how she was to get back home. Nobody in there has heard of Asia before. It was strange. Asia was a continent. Why didn't they know about it? Rhyme pondered this for a few minutes, and was coming up blank. She sighed and shook her head. Was there absolutely no person who has ever heard of an airport? It was no use.

Rhyme thought back to when she first arrived. She had woken up in a room with a pretty green ceiling. When she sat up, she was extremely dizzy, and her eyes clouded over. She flopped back down onto the bed, and a kind-looking woman walked in with a tray holding a cup of tea. She was a very kind lady, and she looked like she was in her mid-thirties. She told her that she had spotted her sleeping in the alley, and went to get her husband, who carried her to their humble home. She had slept soundly for two days straight, and they were beginning to wonder if she would ever wake up. No wonder they looked so surprised and relieved when she woke up. She couldn't remember anything before that. Obviously she could remember things like her name, how to do basic math, and all the things she was taught. She just didn't remember anything recent. She knew who she was. She knew she had a kind brother whose name she couldn't recall at the moment. It really frustrated her to not know what was going on, so she had told the couple that she was going to walk around to see if she remembered anything. They let her go, but only if she promised to be careful. She promised, and they watched her go with a smile on her face. At least she had a place to go to for food and rest. It would act as a temporary home for her.

As she exited the house, she spotted an eerie-looking man with white, shoulder-length hair. She noted his physical features as he walked past him. There are a lot of different people living at Traverse Town, huh, was what she had thought then. It was true. She met many different kinds of people, and even a few that weren't human. They were called Moogles; white, fluffy, and extremely cute in Rhyme's eyes.

Rhyme was thinking deeply about what she should do when she bumped into somebody. She fell backwards on her rear end, and looked up. It was the man from before! "Oh! I'm sorry, I wasn't looking," she apologized sheepishly.[/style][/style][style=float: left; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 10px; height: 100px; width: 100px; background-image: url(http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/80699212/4541811); -webkit-border-radius: 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px; border-radius: 0 0 0 50][/style][style=float: right; width: 150px; height: 100px; background-color: FFFFFF; opacity: 0.6; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 10px; border-radius: 0 0 20 0][style=padding: 10px; opacity: 1.0; color: 000000; font-size: 9px; font-family: verdana; height: 130px; overflow: auto]tagged: Riku
words: I don't know.
notes: Here's the post that I promised, Riku. It's pretty small compared to yours, and I apologize about that.[/style][/style][/style][/td][/tr][/table][style=font-size: 8px]made by KING of PRE & OTE[/style][/center]

[deshitana5]

(No need to apologize, the post was fine.)

Riku had finished exploring the district he was in, happy to find that most of that district had not changed since he had been to it some years back. As he continued exploring taking familiar paths, he found himself slightly lost as the path he took that used to lead into the First District suddenly lead into a different part of town. A part that he was sure wasn’t there before and yet…he knew it. This place was the Fourth District from the sleeping version of this town. As he walked, his pace slowed as he took in the place feeling uncertain for a moment. This place…was real right? The keyblader walked along the wall slowly, thinking as he unconsciously placed one hand against the wall. He let his hand slide against the wall feeling the rough texture. It felt real…but then again most dreams did, but he definitely was not asleep. He was as he was before the Mark of Mastery Test just with a slight change in clothing....and the slight limp thanks to the wound inflicted upon him by Xemnas was back…so this had to be reality. Maybe these places appeared in the real world when Traverse Town was awakened after he and Sora had found the keyholes. Then again….the people here could’ve built this district up while he was gone. It had been a while since he had come here last, so they'd definitely have the time to do so. Hmmm…only one way to find out.

Using the mental map he had of the layout of the sleeping version of the place, Riku traveled around the district the same way he would’ve done in the World of Sleep. Each path, both hidden or not, was exactly the same. To top it off, as he wandered about he eventually found the Fifth District too also the same as its sleeping versions. These places….they had to have been unveiled when the world was awakened otherwise….

The keyblader’s thoughts halted as he saw a shadow dashing by. He narrowed his eyes at the familiar form before finishing his thought.

“Otherwise this place would be filled with Nightmares instead of the Heartless,” he said out loud to himself before summoning his keyblade and heading after the shadow that had tried to escape. About five minutes later, Riku had cleared out the Heartless in the area and after making sure no more were hiding, he dismissed his keyblade as he relaxed. He felt a bit sore from where one Heartless had managed to hit the old slowly healing wound on his back, but other than that, he was fine and knew now that this place was real. There was no need to doubt that anymore.

Sure once more, Riku continued his walk around the town getting rid of any Heartless that decided to test their luck. After about 30 minutes of casual wandering, the aquamarine eyed young man eventually found his way to the First District, a place where he could relax since the Heartless for whatever reason stayed away from the area most of the time. As he stepped out into the brightly lit area, the sounds of people and smells of food filled his senses putting the young man at ease once more.

Alert, but calm Riku walked amongst the familiar bumping into both new and old faces. Those that knew him had trouble recognizing him at first, but after getting around the long and the fact that he wasn’t a kid any more, the reactions to him were mixed. Some townsfolk were glad to see him again while others were cautious. He couldn’t blame them….after all, he had caused the people here trouble when he followed the Dark blindly. It stung a bit, the negative reactions, but Riku didn’t let this slight pain show as he kept his head up and his personality relaxed and friendly. He could take the harsh glares and whispers along with the smiles. In the end, things would eventually be okay again.

He kept walking, pausing only when the shop owner of the café waved him down, needing help with something that had gone wrong in the shop. As he headed over to help the plump lady with her dilemma, he didn’t notice the young girl walking in the streets looking about that was remarkably similar to someone he had met in the Sleeping Worlds. It wasn’t until after his small task was done and he was leaving that the shop that the pair met. As the shop owner thanked him for his help, he nodded at her telling her it was no problem at all before turning into the streets. The woman wanted to give him a reward for his work, but he didn’t want it. The smile and thanks was enough payment. The café owner didn’t understand his refusal at first, but something of a glimmer of respect and appreciation had resulted from the refusal. She watched him leave with an approving eye before retreating back into her shop.

Riku, on the other hand, prepared to do a bit more exploring before settling down to do the real work of finding the secret pathway of the world and leaving. While this world had its share of Heartless, right now it was at peace, so there was no need to linger longer than necessary. There were other worlds out there that needed protecting and somewhere out there were his friends.

As he had been thinking this, he had unconsciously stopped near the staircase that led up to the second level where Cid’s shop used to be. He was standing there lost in thought until something jarred him out his memories quite literally. He felt something collide with him forcing him to take a step back to keep from winding up on the ground. As he came back to reality, he heard he voice, recognizing it immediately, but not believing his ears until he looked down and saw the person on the ground before him.

“Rhyme?” he asked before he could stop himself. Confusion and surprise were on his face as he recognized the young girl again. He thought that after the worlds had been awaken she would've gone home, but no she was here still. Odd.

Riku stood confused for only a second and then remembering his manners, he shook his head to clear it before he stepped forward slightly and he held out his hand to the downed girl with a slight smile on his face. "No worries," he said in response to her apology and then in concerned said,

"You going to be okay?”

After the words were spoken, the white haired keyblader fell silent as his mind began to race. He began to wonder why Rhyme was still here and had not returned to her own world now that Traverse Town was awake. On that note, where were Beat and the others? Why was she alone again? Questions. Questions. Questions.

Despite this strange turn of events, it never crossed his mind that maybe now that Rhyme was awake, she would not know him anymore.

[rhyme]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][style=height: 20px][/style][style=width: 300px; height: 320px; background-image: url(http://colourlovers.com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/patterns/1462/1462099.png); border-radius: 50px; border: 1px dashed E98976][style=margin-top: -22px; font-size: 22px; font-family: georgia; text-align: center; color: E98976]just smile and nod

[/i][/style][style=float: left; background-color: FFFFFF; width: 260px; height: 160px; opacity: 0.6; margin-top: 20px; border-radius: 20 20 0 0; margin-left: 20px][style=padding: 10px; height: 140px; overflow: auto; opacity: 1.0; color: 000000; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; text-align: justify]“Rhyme?”

She looked up at the sound of her name being called, wondering who said it. She hadn’t recalled meeting anybody here that she knew. When she looked up, she realized that it was the white-haired man who said her name. Does he know me from somewhere? wondered Rhyme. She didn’t remember meeting him, and she was beginning to wonder what kind of place she was really in. She wouldn’t be able to pretend that she knew the person, because then she would accidentally stumble on a topic that would require her to answer information about the man. Since she didn’t exactly know him, she wanted to avoid an awkward situation like that. She also didn’t want to get on the man’s bad side. She didn’t catch what the man had said, as her thoughts were rather jumbled up, but she did hear him say:

“You going to be okay?”

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” she smiled, laughing it off. She immediately got off of the ground and stood up straight, trying to make herself seem a little taller. She dusted herself off, and turned to the white-haired man properly. She didn’t know how to tell him that she didn’t know him. She had no memories of her episode in the sleeping world, so she wasn’t able to make out his name. However, from somewhere deep inside her memories, a name appeared.

“Riku,” she breathed, almost immediately after the thought occurred to her. What? “I mean, um, sorry. I just… blurted something out on my own. Forget it.” She laughed it off, shaking her head slightly. She bit her lip, anxious. What did that word mean? Was it a name?

Perhaps it was the key to unlocking her memories! Maybe then she would remember everything that was happening to her. She looked at the man curiously. Seeing him had somehow made her think of such a word. She knew it wasn’t something that she had made up on the spot. It was probably something that was archived in the very depths of her memories. And seeing this man had unlocked this archive.

“Perhaps we’ve met before?” she looked at the white-haired man, eyes wide. “How do you know my name? I don’t think I’ve met you before… or have we?” It would explain why this man knew her name. Soon, she was in her own world, speculations and theories bouncing off of one another, contradicting each other, and theories were being made up alongside one another. It was one of those moments where you’re in deep concentration, trying to come up with a solution to a problem. The only problem is that you don’t understand the problem. Rhyme had all the information, like where she was and who she was. But then these unknown variables, like the white-haired man, showed up and made her life more confusing. So much for solving the mystery. First she had to establish what exactly she wanted to do.

I want to go home. I want to see my brother, whose name I still can’t remember. I want to see my friends, whose names I also don’t remember… So, she basically didn’t remember much. That was the problem. Now, how was she going to fix that? She looked back at the white-haired man. Yes, he was most likely the key to unlocking her memories.
[/style][/style][style=float: left; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 10px; height: 100px; width: 100px; background-image: url(http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/80699212/4541811); -webkit-border-radius: 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px; border-radius: 0 0 0 50][/style][style=float: right; width: 150px; height: 100px; background-color: FFFFFF; opacity: 0.6; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 10px; border-radius: 0 0 20 0][style=padding: 10px; opacity: 1.0; color: 000000; font-size: 9px; font-family: verdana; height: 130px; overflow: auto]music xxx
words 559
notes Ugh. Don't worry, Riku, I'll try to come on more often. I promise![/style][/style][/style][/td][/tr][/table][style=font-size: 8px]made by KING of PRE & OTE[/style][/center]

[deshitana5]

(No worries. Take your time. I can wait. =) )


The young girl on the ground before him looked up as he said her name confirming that she was indeed there, but there was something off about her. She seemed to be confused about something, but what the young keyblade master could not tell. Maybe she was just as shock to see him again too or maybe something else was on her mind. It was hard to tell and while Riku wanted to ask her what was wrong, he didn’t have time to do so as the girl only brought more confusion to him.

For starters, she didn’t seem to hear what he had said or even acknowledge his smile or offered hand, perhaps she was too lost in thought to worry about the small gestures. No problem.... however, when he asked if she was okay, her response was a bit harder to overlook. As she told him not to worry about her and then got up to her feet on her own, Riku found himself narrowing his eyes slightly in confusion. This reaction…it was almost like she didn’t know him; however, before he could worry too much about it, she spoke his name causing relief to flood him.

Oh good, she does remember…Wait a minute![/color]

His relief turned back into confusion as the girl quickly apologized for blurting out his name. Now why would she do that? Riku watched her confused for a moment, trying to understand what was happening. On one hand, she did know his name, but on the other hand she didn’t realize the word was indeed his name. Instead, she thought it was just something random, but why? What was going on here? Hmm...

Riku reflected on his journey and his last encounter with the girl, seeking understanding of the situation now that was only become weirder as time went on.

The last time he had met Rhyme…she was with her brother Beat, happy and full of memories. So how was it now, she did not have those memories? Did waking up Traverse Town take her memories too? He pondered his bit of curiosity for a bit more not noticing Rhyme’s nervousness. After a moment of silence, where both parties were lost in their own thoughts, Riku’s calm gaze returned back to Rhyme as she asked her questions. In response, Riku looked down at the ground, considering how to handle this.

While there was a possibility that she did indeed forget everything when she had woken up, it seemed her Heart and memories would not let her forget completely. She knew his name even if she did make the connection yet. It was a start and maybe with time, he could help her remember everything else. He just had to find a way to unlock those memories. Right.

With his mind set on a goal, he answered back keeping his eyes on the ground for the time being.

“I think we have, but not in this world,” he began softly choosing his world carefully before falling silent for a second. After the time had passed, he looked at Rhyme locking his eyes on her. “I know this is going to sound silly, but I met a girl and her brother in a dream once and that girl looked exactly like you. Her name was also Rhyme, so when I saw you I thought that maybe you and that girl from the dream were the same person. Sorry about that,” he said with a light chuckle and then focusing once more became calm and serious again.

“…That word you just said a moment ago, Riku. That’s my name. How did you know it?” he asked, her turning her own question against her. He wasn’t trying to be cruel by doing this, but he thought that maybe if she could pick through her memories a bit she’d remember something and in turn be able to recover; however, if she couldn’t remember anything then that was fine too. Maybe her answer would help him be able to help her out more. Or maybe the answer would lead them both into more confusion. He guess he’d have to wait to find out the answer.

[rhyme]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][style=height: 20px][/style][style=width: 300px; height: 320px; background-image: url(http://colourlovers.com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/patterns/1462/1462099.png); border-radius: 50px; border: 1px dashed E98976][style=margin-top: -22px; font-size: 22px; font-family: georgia; text-align: center; color: E98976]just smile and nod

[/i][/style][style=float: left; background-color: FFFFFF; width: 260px; height: 160px; opacity: 0.6; margin-top: 20px; border-radius: 20 20 0 0; margin-left: 20px][style=padding: 10px; height: 140px; overflow: auto; opacity: 1.0; color: 000000; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; text-align: justify]Rhyme looked at the man thoughtfully, unable to know what to think. He was saying that they’ve both met in different worlds. As far as Rhyme was concerned, only one world existed. Well, you could count different planets as different worlds, but Rhyme was thinking about the whole of space. Now, there was a man telling her that there was something beyond space. Unfathomable as it was, Rhyme felt the urge to believe the man. To think that he was telling the truth. To trust him. Like… how old friends trusted each other.

Rhyme suddenly shook her head slightly, dismissing the thought. Had she really met the man? If she had, then she was being extremely rude for forgetting his identity. She gave him a sheepish smile, and looked down at the ground, her hands clasped together behind her back. Then the man began to talk about how he had a dream, and that in that dream, there was a girl who looked exactly like her, and she was also named Rhyme. The coincidence would’ve been too much, and she could now understand why this man had thought that she was the person from his dreams. He also mentioned something about her brother, which furthered her suspicions.

“Do you… know my brother?” she asked, albeit a bit skeptically, but weighing her options at the same time. This man could very well be telling the truth, and that there was a world outside of hers. It was always like that, in story books and fairy tales. There were stories of different worlds, with aliens. Frankly, she didn’t believe in all of it, being the down-to-earth person she was, but she liked to think of them as real. More than once were exploring different world’s part of her fantasies. However, now there was someone telling her that these stories and tall tales could actually be true? She was about to think of the man a bit odd, but then again, she had been in the Game. Something like the Game would’ve been unimaginable while she was alive, but it turned out to be very real when she had died. And she had also reincarnated, another myth she thought was untrue. So the possibility that he was telling her the truth was getting higher and higher.

She was surprised to hear that the word she had blurted out was the man’s name. His name was Riku. Suddenly, it didn’t seem very insane at all, and she was beginning to believe it more and more. “So… you’re name is Riku,” she thought aloud, looking at him earnestly, the skeptical look gone. “I’m starting to believe you more and more. Although I’m sorry to say that I still don’t remember meeting you. Sorry about that.” She frowned, her lips a tight line. “Well, that doesn’t matter. I’m sure I’ll get my memories back soon enough,” she smiled. Here came Ms. Optimistic.

She brought her hand to her chin, a thoughtful look in her eye. “I’m not sure… the name just kind of… popped into my head,” she made a motion that she thought represented the idea quite well: a little wave of her hand. “It came to me when I saw you.” Maybe she had met the man before. She just couldn’t remember. The whole idea of not remembering was extremely frustrating. It was déjà vu.[/style][/style][style=float: left; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 10px; height: 100px; width: 100px; background-image: url(http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/80699212/4541811); -webkit-border-radius: 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px; border-radius: 0 0 0 50][/style][style=float: right; width: 150px; height: 100px; background-color: FFFFFF; opacity: 0.6; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 10px; border-radius: 0 0 20 0][style=padding: 10px; opacity: 1.0; color: 000000; font-size: 9px; font-family: verdana; height: 130px; overflow: auto]music xxx
words 561
notes I'm a bit late (well, I was late already). Sunday instead of Saturday. Gomen.[/style][/style][/style][/td][/tr][/table][style=font-size: 8px]made by KING of PRE & OTE[/style][/center]

[deshitana5]

Riku watched how Rhyme reacted to what he said. First came the thoughtful look and that moment where she seemed to be believing his words and then she was shaking her head, smiling, and looking away. Perhaps he had lost her with his words. He knew that if the situation had been reversed he’d most certainly think she was off her rocker. Meeting in another world...a dream where someone just happened to look like him and have a friend similar to Sora? Please, as if he’d buy that, especially if Traverse Town was all he had known. He would’ve dismissed the speaker easily and probably ignore what they were saying after that. The subject matter was indeed confusing and hard to follow, but Riku knew it to be true.

That dream…it wasn’t like a normal dream where things disappeared and were forgotten once you were awake. No. The connection made there were with real people and beings that existed on a different time frame within the dream, but still existed in reality. The connection made between Hearts, even in a dream, they were still real. Surely, that bond wasn’t broken when one woke up, right?

He glanced at Rhyme as he thought this. She did not remember him and yet somewhere within she wanted to believe him, but could not when logic got in the way. Still, regardless of how rough the trip would be from here on out, Riku prayed that what he was doing now was the right thing. He didn’t want to confuse the girl…and he knew he was breaking the rules of keeping other worlds a secret from the residence of other worlds; however, Rhyme was a special case. Everyone in Traverse Town was indeed from another world, but what made Riku want to help Rhyme more than anything was the fact that she was his friend.

He couldn’t…wouldn’t leave her lost and alone. It just wasn’t his way. She needed help and so he was going to do his best to help her out. Even if he couldn’t restore her memory in the end, at least he would’ve tried. Memory or not, they could still be friends, right?

Heh. Sora must’ve been rubbing off on him if he was getting that optimistic already. Regardless, the thought helped him become even calmer as his resolve to help Rhyme strengthened. He wouldn’t toss all his hope in one basket, but at least now he had a little hope for a positive outcome. As he squared away things mentally, he focused on Rhyme once more as she spoke.

Her question was about her brother and he could sense her doubt; however, he did not let that phase him as he crossed his arms and bowed his head slightly as he thought carefully. After a moment, he nodded.

“I want to say I do,” he began calmly before pausing to think a bit more and then deciding to be honest with her, he came out of his thoughts, unfolded his arm and slipped one thumb into a pocket on his pants as he shifted his weight to his left leg and let the other arm hang loosely at his side. He tilted his head slightly as he continued to watch Rhyme’s actions as he spoke his next words.

“The dream Rhyme had a brother named Beat. Does that name ring any bells?” he asked her, seeing if any memory or some form of recognition came to her. He gave her time to answer watching as she seemed to go from skeptical to wanting to believe once more. He wasn’t sure what was going on in her head, but he was hoping that whatever it was, it was helping her memory rather than making her more confused.

Whatever the case was, Riku’s observation of the girl was put to an end as he spoke to her regarding the word she had blurted out. He saw the shock on her face as he told her the word was his name. The girl stayed shocked for only a moment and then she was speaking. As she spoke he nodded confirming the thought she spoke out and then felt relief wash over him as she at least confirmed that she was starting to believe him even if she couldn’t remember. He listened to the rest of her words and could not help, but smile back at her in turn.

“Yeah. I’m sure you will get your memory back," he said, giving her a gentle smile and then hearing her answer to his question, he nodded at her the smile remaining.

“Well then that is some good news. If you were able to remember my name just by seeing me then perhaps there are other things that could cause more of your memories to unlock,” he said and then paused folding his arms once more as he brought one hand to his chin and bowed his head, thinking. Then coming up with an idea, his aquamarine eyes went back to Rhyme as he spoke.

“Hey, maybe if we work together we can find the pieces your memory that is lost. What do you think?” he asked as he tilted his head once more at her.

[rhyme]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][style=height: 20px][/style][style=width: 300px; height: 320px; background-image: url(http://colourlovers.com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/patterns/1462/1462099.png); border-radius: 50px; border: 1px dashed E98976][style=margin-top: -22px; font-size: 22px; font-family: georgia; text-align: center; color: E98976]just smile and nod

[/i][/style][style=float: left; background-color: FFFFFF; width: 260px; height: 160px; opacity: 0.6; margin-top: 20px; border-radius: 20 20 0 0; margin-left: 20px][style=padding: 10px; height: 140px; overflow: auto; opacity: 1.0; color: 000000; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; text-align: justify]Rhyme knew that logic was denying the fact that this man’s words were the truth, and she couldn’t help that. Even though she looked at the situation from countless perspectives, and had made quick, but intelligent, theories in her head, the whole thing was impossible. However, those few pieces of evidence telling her that it could be true kept her going. The thing was… she wanted to believe Riku. She wanted to believe that they knew each other from a dream world, that they’d been friends, and that he knew about her brother. She felt his words tug at heart strings, and she felt that even if she didn’t remember those times that they had experienced together, the bonds were still locked away somewhere, deep inside her heart. She made a point to bring her hand to her chest, over her heart, and clenched tightly, almost as if she were yearning for the memories to come back and relieve her. They didn’t come back despite her need for them, but she knew that she would get them back eventually.

Probably…

When Riku spoke again, it was him saying that he probably did know her brother. At this, she lifted her face to look at him, erasing any negative thoughts that might’ve been in her head and giving Riku her full attention, like a child looking up at a teacher when she clapped her hands. She anticipated his next words with bated breath. What was her brother like? Was he cool? Tough? Was he awkward, yet loving? There was also the possibility of her brother being a complete jerk, and maybe she didn’t want her memories of him, but she denied this possibility. It was very unlikely, and even if it were true, he couldn’t be that bad. It was hard for Rhyme to hate people.

When Riku uttered the word Beat, she felt her heart literally stop. The word was so familiar to her, it was painful. It was then when she was absolutely positive that Riku was telling the truth, and that if she wanted to know more about her brother, it would be wise to stick with him. Overflowing with newfound excitement and a reliable source for her memories, she took a step forward. Her smile, without any trace of shadows, shone together with her beaming eyes, filled with curiosity. “I feel… like… like I know him now,” she whispered excitedly. She only knew his name, but she was overflowing with emotions that were supposedly supplied by her invisible memories. “Hey, Riku?” her voice lifted, the soft question that would’ve barely been able to be heard unless you were standing right next to her. “What… what was my brother like?”

She realized that she was prying, and she forced herself to pull back and give Riku some room, chuckling lightly. “It most certainly does ring some bells. Although I still don’t have any memories.” She looked up at Riku. “Not that that’s a bad thing,” she said quickly, not wanting to make Riku feel guilty. She gestured to her chest. “When you said his name, it was almost as if I was feeling my memories. It’s nice.” She wanted to know more about her brother, but she was afraid that she would come off as an annoyance, so she calmed down and took a deep breath.

When Riku offered to work together with Rhyme, she jumped at the opportunity. “Sure, I’ll go!” she smiled cheerfully, her countenance like a flower basking in the sun. “What kind of job is it?”[/style][/style][style=float: left; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 10px; height: 100px; width: 100px; background-image: url(http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/80699212/4541811); -webkit-border-radius: 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px; border-radius: 0 0 0 50][/style][style=float: right; width: 150px; height: 100px; background-color: FFFFFF; opacity: 0.6; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 10px; border-radius: 0 0 20 0][style=padding: 10px; opacity: 1.0; color: 000000; font-size: 9px; font-family: verdana; height: 130px; overflow: auto]muse So-so.
words 592
notes My muse was't as big for Rhyme as it was for Rosa, but it'll have to do.[/style][/style][/style][/td][/tr][/table][style=font-size: 8px]made by KING of PRE & OTE[/style][/center]

[deshitana5]

((It was still great though. ^^ So then, memory hunting we go then.))

This job was harder than one would think. Watching someone you knew for a fact you knew struggle with memory lost was agitating and heartbreaking all at once. On the one hand, logic didn’t understand why the one with the lost memory couldn’t just remember everything after being given information. It didn’t want to accept the fact that the friend would not trust or believe oneself anymore. Logic left one with denial, saying this could not be so, but…the Heart understood it all. It was the Heart that accepted the hard truth of the matter and pushed logic in corner. It was the Heart, that made one compassionate and forgiving instead of harsh on the one that had forgotten. The Heart was the one thing that held onto hope and gave one strength to push through a tough situation at the side of another. Sure, seeing Rhyme like this hurt, but Riku was sure she was hurting even more and the toll on her was probably heavier than the one on him.

While she didn’t say it out loud, he could see it. The internal struggle. She wanted to believe him and trust him and yet logic would not allow her to do so fully. He watched as the emotions played through her and took note of her hand raising to her chest and clenching tightly the area where the Heart was. She wanted to trust and remember, even if it was hard on her and it was this action that gave Riku hope. He would work together with her and stay until they had collected all the pieces together. He knew that the war might call him away and he didn’t exactly have a way to take her with him, but that was okay. He wouldn’t be separated from her forever for his Heart would always guide him back and besides even if his ride was stuck at the Mysterious Tower, he could always get another one if she chose to travel with him. No problem there. So, regardless of what happened or how this all panned out, he would continue to be there for her until the end. It was a promise he would not break.

When Riku began answering her question regarding her brother, it took all his strength not to falter as she looked up at him and gave him her full attention, her want to know and remember shinning brightly within her eyes. He told her of the dream again and watched how she reacted to the information. After a moment, he felt himself relax even more. She seemed throw away her doubts as excitement and hope filled her up. She took a step forward and said that she felt like she knew Beat. The statement brought another wave of relief and joy to the young keyblade master and while he wasn’t about to celebrate as enthusiastically as his friend Sora would, he did give the girl a smile of encouragement as he nodded.

“Good. We are making some progress then,” he said and then his smile faded slightly as he tilted his head at Rhyme and listened to what she had to say, her question was low and almost hard to hear, but he heard it and smiled once more as he reflected back on his friend.

“Beat. He’s a cool guy that acts tough and likes to talk as if he is unbeatable; however, under it all, he is really caring and would do anything for his friends,” he told her with a chuckle and then his facial expression and his tones softened slightly as his eyes locked on her. “And he would lay his life down for his little sister. Of all things, she was the most precious to him.”

He finished as his mind wandered back to when he had met Rhyme and Beat before that magic flinging Nightmare. Beat had tried to act tough while Rhyme “ruined” his reputation” with the truth. It was entertaining argument that got a good laugh from everyone. Too bad that Nightmare had ruined the moment and it was also too bad that Rhyme could not remember that little incident now.

This was indeed a bitter sweet reunion, but Riku did not lose hope. She would remember. After all, she had already remembered some things right?

Riku came out of his thoughts as Ryhme stepped back and chuckled before speaking. He nodded at her comment about Beat’s name ringing bells, but still not remembering anything. Hmm…this was going to take a while, but that was okay. He had time to spare and even if he didn’t he would make time to spare for his friends.

When she tried to make up for the comment, saying the memories not coming back was not a bad thing, Riku smiled slightly understanding what she was trying to do. He appreciated her concern for his feelings, but at the moment he was more concerned about her. He wanted to tell her to not to worry. That things would be okay, but with her next set of words he found that that wasn’t necessary. She already knew that truth.

Riku watched as she gestured towards her Heart, saying that mentioning her brother’s name had indeed tugged at something within. There was definitely a chance to get her memories back. They’d just have to keep working at it is all.

“Well there you have it. A sign that with time and work it will all come back,” he told her reassuringly and then fell silent for a moment as he thought on the next course of action. It was in that silence that he came up with the idea of working together to find her memories and made his offer to Rhyme.

She took it eagerly enough as her cheerfulness and hope flourished. Good. He needed her to stay strong through this ordeal. When she asked what kind of job it was they were doing, it took Riku a moment to translate the words to something along the lines of: what is that we have to do now? He thought for a second before looking around the town and then answering.

"I guess you can call it a hunt. We can move around the town and see if something here sparks your memory. Let's go to where your Heart pulls you. Where is it telling you to go, Rhyme?" Riku said as he watched her once more and waited for a response. If her Heart gave her a location that would be great, but if it didn't he could guide her around and see if maybe some of the newer places that had been unveiled when the dream ended could help spark up memories.

[rhyme]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][style=height: 20px][/style][style=width: 300px; height: 320px; background-image: url(http://colourlovers.com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/patterns/1462/1462099.png); border-radius: 50px; border: 1px dashed E98976][style=margin-top: -22px; font-size: 22px; font-family: georgia; text-align: center; color: E98976]just smile and nod

[/i][/style][style=float: left; background-color: FFFFFF; width: 260px; height: 160px; opacity: 0.6; margin-top: 20px; border-radius: 20 20 0 0; margin-left: 20px][style=padding: 10px; height: 140px; overflow: auto; opacity: 1.0; color: 000000; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; text-align: justify]“Yeah,” she agreed in response to Riku’s statement, slowly bobbing her head up and down in a nodding motion. She was feeling much calmer now that she had a pillar of support, whose name was Riku. She was still listening expectantly for Riku’s answer to her question, but the mere fact that there was somebody who was able to supply Rhyme with information on her missing memories was extremely reassuring. The atmosphere around her seemed to brighten as a large smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and though she was seemingly idle on the exterior, on the inside she felt like she was shaking with excitement. She’d only lost her memories for so long, and now she was getting them back.

Her look of delight grew as Riku described her long lost brother, Beat. Even though she didn’t remember him, she seemed to actually know him. Beat seemed like the caring person who worked hard to hide his good points. This almost didn’t come as a surprise to her. It was much more like a review, like the brief lesson on what had happened so far in a show. She was particularly happy to hear the last of Riku’s description; Beat treasured his sister more than anything. This sister was Rhyme, and the thought of being that precious to somebody seemed to make her shine with a mix of pride and happiness.

She merely nodded her head in response to another one of Riku’s statements, hanging on to the fact that she’d be able to recover her memories. Hopefully soon, seeing as a little fateful reunion with somebody who actually knew her had occurred, and she had become reliant on Riku for information. She’d hound him with questions, hungry for answers and little bits and pieces of her memories, but she was afraid that she’d seem like too much of a bother, so she stayed put at a considerable distance away, looking as happy as one possibly could. She would have to be patient with him, because patience was a virtue, and slow and steady always won the race. Slowly but surely, she’d get her memories back, and she’d be able to know more about her past, and all about the friends she made, especially Beat and Riku.

So… they were going to do a little memory hunt. That was fine with her, since that was at the top of her mental priority list. She listened carefully to Riku’s words, but she didn’t answer him. Instead, she gave him a curt nod that told him that she had understood what he said, and turned away from him. Scouting the area, blue hues carefully peered through the darkness of Traverse Town. She was looking for a place that she felt her heart tugged at. She guessed that what Riku was attempting to say was to try and go to a place where she felt she’d been before. That would prove to be difficult, but she accepted the challenge.

The young girl tacitly advanced forwards, keeping herself going forward at a steady pace, and she didn’t look back to see if Riku was following. Rhyme assumed that he would already be silently following her. To be honest, there was a place that she felt she’d been before, a familiar place. It was like her body knew where this place was, but her mind wasn’t able to follow. She let her body lead the way, following her instincts. Her (rather large) shoes brought her down the quiet, cobblestone streets, the sounds of her footsteps echoing throughout. In terms of appearance, Rhyme thought that it was very Victorian-like, and she found herself admiring the intricate, yet somewhat simple designs of the buildings that littered the place that was known as Traverse Town. Occasionally, she would stop to life her head so that her face was to the stars. She really liked the view.

Rhyme stopped walking, and after a number of alleyways and turns, she decided that this was the place that she felt most connection to, even if there wasn’t even much of a connection at all. “This is the place,” she said to herself. The place that she had stopped at was in fact the Fountain Plaza, the place where she was supposed to help Beat defeat the Spellican. Of course, Rhyme didn’t remember this place, but she felt like she’d been here before.

“Hey… Riku?” she asked him, not turning around to check if he was still there. If he wasn’t then she’d look like a person who was talking to herself, but at the moment it didn’t matter. “Does this place hold any significance in my memories? Do you know?”[/style][/style][style=float: left; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 10px; height: 100px; width: 100px; background-image: url(http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/80699212/4541811); -webkit-border-radius: 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px; border-radius: 0 0 0 50][/style][style=float: right; width: 150px; height: 100px; background-color: FFFFFF; opacity: 0.6; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 10px; border-radius: 0 0 20 0][style=padding: 10px; opacity: 1.0; color: 000000; font-size: 9px; font-family: verdana; height: 130px; overflow: auto]muse So-so.
words 782
notes \ o /[/style][/style][/style][/td][/tr][/table][style=font-size: 8px]made by KING of PRE & OTE[/style][/center]

[deshitana5]

((The muse was tired today, but she demanded I still wrote, so I obeyed and the post is what it is.)

It was hard not to get excited and hopeful for Rhyme and her memory recovery. Within a few moments of talking the girl went from cautious to trusting, frustrated to hopeful. Right now, she was beaming with barely contained hope as she listened to what Riku had to say. It was good to see her with her spirits up and willing to take on the challenges ahead of them. Her strength just as he had recalled it from the dream back when she had Beat by her side. It was good to see that strength again and in turn gave him the strength needed to remain a strong pillar for her in this difficult time.

Things only got better as he began to describe Beat. He watched as that delight in Rhyme blossomed even more. She was practically beaming with joy and pride by the end of the description, truly glad that someone cared so much for her and considered her precious. A slight smile rested on Riku’s lips as he saw this. It kind of hurt to see the joy and pride within her when her eyes said she could not remember. It was bitter sweet watching how much she wanted to believe all this was true even when her mind refused to show her why it was so. The Heart was stirring the memories that remained hidden within the fog inside of her. While it was a painful thing to see, it was also something that made Riku happy too. At least the Heart was remembering something and if the Heart was remembering, then with time the mind would too. They just had to hang in there and keep on going.

Heh. The optimistic thoughts reminded him of his friend Sora again. Unlike himself, Sora had many friends scattered throughout the world and each friend relied on him in some way. When they were in trouble, Sora was there for them, making it seem so easy to pull them from danger or trouble. Riku, on the other hand, was still learning the skill and slowly, but surely making new friends. He had been traveling mostly alone for so long that being placed in his best friend’s shoes was kind of overwhelming to deal with. Unlike Sora, he knew what it was like to be alone and lost in the worlds. He had traveled that path once before and in turn that path made him realize many things in life that only a hard knock such as that could teach someone.

That loneliness and the regret it left within someone…it helped him understand those struggling with something whether it be Darkness or something like memories. That lonliness and pain…he remembered it well and in turn did what he could to guide someone stuck on the path of loneliness away from it. Steer them from that depression and Darkness and push them back to Light where someone was always waiting for them, even if the one being saved couldn't see it. It was this solid truth that drove him to keep fighting for others and help Rhyme now, even if he didn’t think he was the best candidate for the job and that Sora could do this better than he. The Light had put him here and given him this task to do, so he would rise to the challenge and see it through to the end.

Strengthened once more, his mind came back to the situation at hand as he gave Rhyme some encouragement to which she nodded and seemed willing to hold on to the hope of getting her memory back. After a moment more of talking, Riku suggested the memory hunt to which Rhyme agreed to eagerly enough. He watched as she first looked around the area before choosing a path and heading in that direction with a steady and determined pace. Riku trailed behind her watching as the scene changed from the old familiar Traverse Town back to the newly revealed sections of the town. He kept walking, taking in the changes with eyes that saw, but did not see. He knew where they were going without even looking hard. How many times had he traveled this path in the Sleeping World? Moving down these paths in search of friends or to stop Nightmares from causing chaos in the area? While he understood the whole thing was a set up…a dream within a dream, it did not change the fact that those events had left a mark within his Hearts.

Even now, the memories were flowing as he moved down the path, his eyes marking off particular paths of the now revealed section of the town. It was déjà vu to the extreme and walking down this path with Rhyme only made those memories grow stronger and solidify, challenging once more his perception of reality and dreams.

Lost in thought, Riku continued to follow Rhyme through the familiar twists in turns of the section until finally she came to a rest before the grand fountain of Fountain Plaza. As she stood there before the fountain, Riku stopped in the exact spot he had been standing in when he had come to the plaza to help fight against the Nightmare called Spellican. Without his permission, his eyes wandered to the empty spot where Beat would’ve been. The absence of the hothead and loud mouth teen a confirmation that the situation before him was definitely real and not a dream.

Ryhme’s words pulled him further out of memory lane as she asked him her questions not turning to face him as she did so. When she was done, he answered her honestly.

“This place was was the place I first met you. You and your brother were here facing off a powerful creature called Spellican, a Nightmare within the dream world,” he began and then fell silent for a moment before a light chuckle escaped him a short moment later. “I remember coming here ready for battle and your brother being relieved to see me; however, Beat being Beat tried so hard not to show that he needed help, but you were there to bring him back to reality. He said you were ruining his reputation, but you didn’t think that was the case. Your argument was amusing and in the end we all had a good laugh at the situation,” he paused again, thinking back on the memory fondly. “It was a priceless moment. One that the mind may forget, but not the Heart. Any of this making sense to you?” he asked wondering how much of the past she’d remember or if his words would only confuse her and make memory hunting harder. He hoped at least something was being jogged with the words though.

[rhyme]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][style=height: 20px][/style][style=width: 300px; height: 320px; background-image: url(http://colourlovers.com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/patterns/1462/1462099.png); border-radius: 50px; border: 1px dashed E98976][style=margin-top: -22px; font-size: 22px; font-family: georgia; text-align: center; color: E98976]just smile and nod

[/i][/style][style=float: left; background-color: FFFFFF; width: 260px; height: 160px; opacity: 0.6; margin-top: 20px; border-radius: 20 20 0 0; margin-left: 20px][style=padding: 10px; height: 140px; overflow: auto; opacity: 1.0; color: 000000; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; text-align: justify]Rhyme listened to Riku’s words, wearing a thoughtful expression on her youthful visage, turning slightly in the white haired boy’s direction, but not quite facing him. The tone of his voice, the magic of his words… it seemed to draw Rhyme in, and whenever he paused to take his breath, she found herself urging him to speak, like a cat rubbing its head against your leg when it wanted to be petted or fed. She had her hands laced behind her back, most of her body facing the fountain in its entire splendor. Navy blue hues were trained on Riku’s figure, absorbing every word that was spoken, blonde hair sweeping over the young femme’s face. She was quiet now; both wanting to hear more from Riku and trying to dig up buried memories. She knew they were in there somewhere.

She turned away from him with a bitter sweet smile on her face, with one corner of her lips being tugged upwards and the other going down. She was suddenly swept away by a wave of sadness and nostalgia. Rhyme wasn’t remembering anything, the logic of the whole situation denying everything that came out of the white haired man, but her body was accepting him whole heartedly. Her body remembered, but she herself wasn’t capable of it. “Yes…” she spoke quietly, her voice faint. “That seems just about right.” As she said this, she lifted her head to face the twinkling stars above, seeking comfort in their gentle light.

She chuckled quietly as she listened to the man’s words, feeling both blithe and weighed down. She wanted to say something along the lines of, “That sounds just like him,” or, “Ha-ha, Beat…” But she couldn’t. She wasn’t able to force those words out of her mouth, because she didn’t remember experiencing them before. The whole ordeal was more than just frustrating: Rhyme felt herself becoming extremely vexed, though she took care to not let this appear on the exterior. She didn’t want to worry Riku.

Instead, she bounced to face Riku, gave him a jovial grin, and then turned around and began to advance in the fountain’s direction. The ground itself was like a work of art; the tiles mainly purple and yellow, but arranged in such a way that would strike somebody as beautiful. It matched perfectly with the grand splendor of the fountain, spouting water that came down gracefully and without much noise. She reached the golden basin, and ran her fingers alongside it. It was cool and solid against hand, and a bit moist from the water that came sprinkling down, touching her face lightly when she looked up to admire the view of the flying water, coming down into the fountain from a variety of directions, and barely making a splash as it came in contact with the water-filled basin. The lights coming from the golden tower stationed at the middle of the fountain only added to the dynamic effect. Despite the little puddles of water, she gingerly sat on top of the fountain, her khaki shorts managing to stay dry.

Her eyes widened, and she felt a tinge of shock as she felt a strange sensation, linked to the feeling of nostalgia she had when she first entered the Fountain Plaza. It was more than déjà vu… it was almost as if she were obtaining a small fragment of her memories.

There!

Her eyes widened in shock as a brief image flashed before her eyes, the sight of her, Riku, and another man… The stranger was wearing a black skull cap, matching her own, a white tank top, baggy khakis that reached his ankles, and a pair of shoes that looked one size too big for his feet, sporting intricate black and red patterns. He was wearing numerous metal accessories around his neck and wrists. He possessed a fine muscular build, a square jaw, and an intimidating pair of navy blue hues, set in an expression that could only be described as vexation. He looked… incredibly familiar.

The scene contained one more creature, a creature that obviously wasn’t human. The three of them, Rhyme, Riku, and the stranger, were all standing in front of the creature. Rhyme’s countenance was a jolly one, as was Riku’s, but the stranger’s flustered expression explained to Rhyme that they were laughing at him. However… it looked like a happy scene. It was a heart-warming scene that left Rhyme wanting to replace the Rhyme in the memory with the Rhyme that was looking at it.

The scene vanished before her eyes, leaving Rhyme stunned. She sat there, a shocked expression plastered on her face as she tried to figure out what it was that she had just saw.

Was it perhaps… a memory?[/style][/style][style=float: left; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 10px; height: 100px; width: 100px; background-image: url(http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/80699212/4541811); -webkit-border-radius: 50px; -moz-border-radius: 50px; border-radius: 0 0 0 50][/style][style=float: right; width: 150px; height: 100px; background-color: FFFFFF; opacity: 0.6; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 10px; border-radius: 0 0 20 0][style=padding: 10px; opacity: 1.0; color: 000000; font-size: 9px; font-family: verdana; height: 130px; overflow: auto]muse Yippee!
words 793
notes I apologize for the wait![/style][/style][/style][/td][/tr][/table][style=font-size: 8px]made by KING of PRE & OTE[/style][/center]

[deshitana5]

(Sorry it took me a month to come back and complete this. I am just glad it is here.)

One of the most nail biting things to bear witness to was a drawn out wait for something to happen. Whether it was waiting for a battle to start or waiting for a long lost friend to finally show up at a specific meeting place, the wait was always hard to sit out. The excitement, tension, worry, fear…and what ifs. They all came crashing down in a crushing hand that threatened to take the very air out of the lungs causing the Heart to race with anxiety and expectation as the possibilities--good and bad--floated through the mind as the body waited to see if any would come to light.

It was an uncomfortable feeling, but one the white haired Keyblade Master was used to experiencing in his life. The feeling used to be something that came only once in a while, but after his fall into Darkness and the threat of Ansem lingering always around the corner after he had been saved, the feeling was always around. It came in the form of doubt and the fear of failing again. Falling back into the Dark. The fear made him doubt his abilities and second guess what he was doing even if he knew it was the right thing to do at the time.

Like now for example. While he had decided to help Rhyme with finding the memories that she had lost and even managed to at least stay strong on the outside for her, inside the ordeal was tearing him up. He knew that it would take time for Rhyme to gain her memories back, but the more time that passed with little results, the more he began to wonder if he was the right person for the job at hand. What if…what if he couldn’t help her? What if Sora was the only one that could connect to people in that special way that helped them remember no matter how long it had been? What if he wasn’t strong enough…and failed? What if….? The questions that brought only more anxiety within came, but Riku did his best not to let it show as he instead focused on Rhyme. He needed to stay strong for her. He just had to…even if he didn’t feel strong himself.

As he told her about her brother and the significance of the area they were in. She listened well and seemed eager for him to continue on, so he did until he finally came to an end of what he had to say. His aquamarine eyes watched the girl carefully as he listened to the splish-splash of the water from the fountain. While Rhyme didn’t show her eternal struggle outwardly, Riku felt it. The feeling was a small tug that only grew into a constant tight grip on his Heart at the bittersweet smile that appeared on her face at the words he spoke. Her quiet words only intensified the suffocating feeling.

He could sense that she wanted to believe him, but at the same time her mind would not allow it. It was tough watching her struggle, even if her actions tried to hide. The simple movements, the chuckle, even the grin she gave him before turning away to head towards the fountain. All of it was to hide the true frustration that rested underneath.

Rhyme…[/color] he thought sadly as his aquamarine eyes drifted from the girl to the surrounding area, seeing but not truly registering the artful detail of the place as his mind drifted elsewhere. Rhyme was struggling and yet there was nothing he could say or do to cheer her up, give her anymore encouragement than he had. It wasn’t like he could magically get her memories back right then and there, so they would have to wait no matter how trying it was on either of them. And yet despite it all, Rhyme still managed to smile and at least pretend she was okay. The action sort of reminded him of Sora.

Smiling to hide the true pain and to keep others from worrying…. he thought reflecting on the sort of strength it took to do that. Sora and Rhyme…they really were something; however, Riku’s reflecting time ended as his attention came back to Rhyme as she sat down on the damp surface of the fountain’s edge. At first the action was normal, harmless, but then Rhyme was tensing up and becoming frozen as her eyes widen and a shocked look appeared on her face.

Riku frowned at the look as he took a few steps forward, concerned for the girl. She didn’t seem to notice him or his actions, her eyes and mind elsewhere. He took another step forward before stopping a respectful distance away from her.

“Rhyme? What is it?” he asked worried and hopeful all at once. On one hand, he was hoping the stunned state meant a memory had come back, but on the other it could mean trouble, so until he got a confirmation of some sort, he would not be able to relax. He only prayed it was the former of the two outcomes.

[rhyme]

(I'm extremely sorry for the short and late reply. I'll make it up to you, my Rhyme muse is a little slow.)

What does the term “fair” mean?

When one really stopped to think about it, it was hard to put an actual definition on the table. Did it mean doing the right thing? Perhaps it meant doing the thing the benefitted everybody. Was it some sort of term used for compromising? No… Rhyme wasn’t looking for an adjective, like just, or equitable. Actually, in her case, it was more accurate to ask:

Is life fair?

Right now, with the way Rhyme was feeling, with the pent up frustrating welling up and squeezing her chest, if you’d asked her at that particular moment, she probably would’ve hesitated. Normally, she’d say something along the lines of, “It’s life! You just gotta go with the flow!” or perhaps, “Well, it depends on how you look at it: optimistic people will see things optimistically, right?” It was in her nature. However, if you asked her now, she would’ve hesitated, before continuing on to tell you that… life wasn’t fair. No, it wasn’t.

She felt her character crumbling beneath her. Why couldn’t she just think positively, saying something like, “Well, it’ll be all right; I’ll find my memories someday!” The young child had reason to believe that what she’d seen just now was in fact a fragment of her evasive memory. It should’ve struck her like a revelation. However, all she could feel was an overwhelming sadness. She was drowning in a pity pool. She couldn’t force herself to plaster a genuine smile on her face, like she usually did. All she herself could do now was tearing to shreds on the inside.

If somebody else were feeling what she was feeling, she was certain that they’d say that life wasn’t fair, either.

She waited, allowing time to pass, tuning Riku out for a few moments. She was grasping at straws now—waiting for any sign of what she’d experience to come back to her. Maybe if she waited, more memories would come back. Sadly, though, they wouldn’t.

“Oh,” she said, obviously not paying attention. She turned to face Riku, who seemed to be worrying about her. She was glad that she had somebody as reliable as Riku there beside her. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s nothing at all.” She got up, brushed her pants. “Is there… anywhere else we might go? Or, we could stay here. I think I’d like to know about… what happened to me. How did you meet me, Riku? What were you doing? What was I doing?” She stopped herself, feeling that she was bombarding him with unnecessary questions. An apology was written on her face.

[deshitana5]

(Late? Absolutely not and the post is fine. I am glad you decided to post after such a long wait. ^^)

Riku had asked his question, but did not get an answer right away. Instead, he was left to wonder what was going through the girl’s head as he watched the expression on her face go from shocked and frozen to one of sadness. The change made the young man want to question her more to help her get the feelings that were no doubt building inside of her out. He wanted to help, but something inside told him to be silent, so he did as he let Rhyme battle out whatever mental battle was going on inside of her. Being silent and waiting was a hard thing to do for Riku as he preferred to take action rather than sit back and wait; however, the keybearer understood that time and patience were the key things here.

This was something that Rhyme had to do mostly herself. All he could do was aid her along the way in whatever way he could. Be a support pillar to keep her from falling and drowning in the abyss of despair. An abyss that he knew all too well. After all he had been there.

His situation was nowhere similar to memory loss and yet in a way Riku could relate to what Rhyme was going through. She was lost in a darkness where she could not find the friends and family she knew should be there. She swam through it, trying to grasp those small traces of people there only to have them slip through her fingers. The process was agitating no doubt, but she was determined to push forward, even if she kept falling down.

Rhyme had the strength to pick herself back up and keep going and while this could hold her up until the end, Riku knew from experience that it was much better fighting the battle with someone at your side. That someone didn’t have to do much. They just had to be there and stay strong when the one struggling could not be and stay always within reach to save the one struggling from drowning.

Mickey had been his anchor when he was lost in Darkness and his friends kept him focus on what was important in life and while he was sure that Rhyme had others that could help her way better than him, right now he was her anchor in her raging sea…the Light to help her within her Darkness. Right.

Riku remained lost in thought for a moment with his arms folded and his head bowed slightly as he gathered himself once more. Once refocused, he looked back at Rhyme who had apparently tuned him out or something in her concentration. She still hadn’t answer him, but the keybearer didn’t mind. He let her have all the time she needed to think and concentrate. He could wait.

And wait he did, but not long. A few minutes after he had pulled himself to reality, Rhyme came out of her own thoughts and spoke. Her first set of words confirmed that she indeed had not been paying attention to him, but the keybearer did not mind as he understood the circumstance surrounding the ignore.

To her next set of words, the young man simply nodded, not bothering to pry into things that would only cause more frustration for the young girl. As she got off the fountain and dusted her pants off, he listened carefully to her next set of words, thinking for a moment before answering.

“There are some other sections of town that we can explore,” Riku said after a moment as his mind focused on the newer parts of town that had been revealed since the Mark of Mastery Test. They could go around those parts and see if anything else jogged her memory. He didn’t think any of the older sections of town would be much of help, so maybe it would be best to avoid them for now and stay with things that were more likely to jog her memory. As he thought, he let the rest of what the girl said sink in and in turn refocused his aquamarine eyes on her.

“Sure, we can stay here as long as you want,” he told her with a slight smile that quickly faded as he focused on the last bit of what she said. She wanted to know what happened to her, huh? Well, he wanted to know the same thing. What could’ve happened to Rhyme to make her lose her memories? He was quite certain that the Rhyme in the Sleeping Worlds and the one here were the same…and yet not the same. It was confusing to try and figure out, so the white haired keyblader shutdown his thinking process and focused instead on answering Rhyme’s questions. Now where to start? He pondered this for a bit and then finally with a sigh and a shake of his he just decided to start from the beginning.

“This place was located in the dream world I was telling you about. A piece of the world that was fast asleep. When this part of the world was sleep, I and a friend of mine was placed here to help stop the creatures known as Nightmares from running rampant. There were two versions of this world that existed at the same time. I existed on one side and my friend on the other. We couldn’t cross over into each other’s worlds, but we could affect the other side at times with our actions and in a way see each other when our paths lined up. The only ones that could bend these rules were Joshua, the Nightmares, and you. Joshua said that the reason you and him could travel between the two worlds was because your memories were the key to this travel. Although how and why this was I do not know,” he began and then paused a bit as he moved from his spot walking to the left a bit before stopping again and continuing.

“There was a powerful Nightmare causing trouble on the other side and it decided to uses its own portals to come over here to try to escape from the beating it was getting from my friend. Joshua relayed the message to me, so I was trying to stop the creature over here. I was following its trail down that path,” Riku gestured with a point and nod to a shaded passage way that led into the area. “When I came into the area and found you and Beat had already cornered the creature. As for the rest of the story, it played out as I have told you beforehand. The moment of peace was only ruined by the creature’s anger,” Riku paused to take a breath and finish thinking out his final thoughts. Once he had a grasp on what he wanted to say, he spoke once more.

“I was surprised that you two were actually attempting to fight the Nightmare on your own. I asked Beat where his dream eater was, but he told me he didn’t need it anymore because he had his partner—you,” he paused for a brief moment letting out a small sigh. Well, that was out, but he hoped that he didn’t just make the situation worse for the girl. He didn’t want to confuse and yet, he couldn’t afford to cut corners either. It was tough, but he hoped she could handle it.

After a moment more of silence, Riku bowed his head slightly as his expression slightly less intense and serious as he placed himself in Rhyme’s shoes for a bit, letting the understanding within his Heart talk instead of himself.

“I know it is a lot to take in and it may even sound like crazy talk, but,” Riku said after a moment, his tones more gentler than before. He looked up at her, his aquamarine eyes locking with hers. “It is the truth.” he finished hiding nothing from the girl about what he knew about her or at least a version of her. He did not care if this was breaking some rules. She was connected to the story, so for her he make an exception and share what he knew with her. No strings attached.

For in his mind, as long as it helped her, it did not matter what was right or wrong according to the rules laid down by whoever. What was important was that he knew that helping Rhyme was right by his Heart and if his Heart said it what he was doing was right then he needed no other reason to continue on the path he was on.