Kingdom Hearts - Stray Heart: Chapter One

Kingdom Hearts - Stray Heart: Chapter One

From the roof, she could overlook the majority of the small town of Kalm. The town itself was geared up towards a celebration of a sort, and the streets were beginning to don their displays of brilliant colour and light. From her view, she could see the townsfolk running to set up various events, hurrying before the sunset opened the holiday; she could even recognise some of her classmates from so far away. She lived on the edge of town, in a narrow house that made up for it's smallness by being one of the tallest in Kalm. From her back, a cold wind was picking up, and the light was beginning to fade. Sighing, she jumped down from a turret and climbed back into the attic.
I suppose I'd better go...
The suggestion moved languidly through her mind, just as she moved languidly down the stairs. She sighed again, not looking forward to the celebration as much as her classmates were. Lately she had been feeling odd, as if she didn't belong here, even though she considered this home. A brief glance in the mirror and a habitual hand to reassure the bandana covering her right eye was secure was all she did before she left the house.
The night was filled with excitement, she could feel it in the cool breeze as she began to make her way down the familiar cobbled streets. It was then that the full impact of the event began to lure her into expectations. It was Halloween; the eve where the dead came out to play. Rarely did anyone in Kalm dress for the occasion and give out candy; the night was filled with bonfires and mingling. The more enthusiastic citizens might partake in dancing and conjurations, but as a whole, what the holiday meant to everyone was unique to the individual, and they celebrated as such. A few would send prayers and light candles for the ones they lost, others may try to find their true love with apple cores. For Rhen, she really didn't know what it meant to her; but the excitement made the shadows move, and instead of dismissing it as a result of her one covered eye, she moved with them.
"Good evening, Madamoiselle. Don't you worry about murderers lurking down dark alleys such as these?" A voice interupted her thoughts as she was walking through one of her shortcuts to the city center.
"Not in as small a place as this, Ryan." She smiled back at the blue-eyed brunette, "Where's Nora and 'Shel?"
"They've gone ahead already, I came back for you. You're late." He gave her a Cheshire grin as he caught up to her.
"How considerate of you, Monsieur," she emphasized the title ridiculously, teasing, "I would have thought you'd want more company than a pessimist."
"Perhaps I'll find more than a pessimist in you, Rhen."
"I think our names are too similar."
Ryan's reply was interupted by a scream that announced their approach to the festivities. Rhen chuckled, remembering the trick part of Trick or Treat.
"Sounds like Tek's up to it again," Ryan said.
"Nah, my money's on Elle, she looked positively evil today."
"I dunno.. Tek looked pretty evil as well..." Ryan had that mischievous grin again, "wanna bet?"
She looked at him suspiciously, "What are the stakes?"
"How 'bout a date with you in a dress?"
Rhen stopped, and looked up at him. They had gone on 'dates' before- just as friends, and Rhen never wore dresses. She thought quickly about the only dress she possessed, and decided that not only did she not possess it anymore, but that she would also burn it once she got back home.
"A dress, eh? Would a skirt do? Hmmm.." She eyed him, quietly contemplating an equivalent exchange for the skirt. "And if I win, a date with you in the dress."
"Deal." He grinned again, making her wonder if he had set this whole thing up to her misfortune.
They fell into silence, leaving Rhen to consider exactly how much Ryan wanted to see her in a dress. A few minutes passed, and ended with them emerging from another dark alley. A few steps out, she suddenly felt a lacking at her side, and turned to find Ryan at the mouth of the alleyway, peering into the darkness in an unnerving, fixated manner.
"What, are the dead rising or something?" She questioned, "Come on, I know a nice girl who'd take you on a date."
He recovered fast and slid back into his easy-going self.
"Heh, maybe. And if you're trying to make me take back that bet you can forget it."
"Oh darn, I've been found out." She stuck her tongue at him before turning and walking on towards the noise and light of the next street.
They found Elle at the edge of the crowd, looking positively livid.
"Hey Elle.. That scream a little while ago..." Rhen trailed off as Elle looked at her, clearly furious.
"Tek beat me to it." She said simply, before turning away to glare at the crowd some more.
"Damn. Looks like you win, Ryan."
Ryan looked positively gleeful. "I'm taking pictures."
Another scream rattled the crowd, and Elle swore before running off in its direction. Ryan was quick to follow, probably expecting Rhen to follow him. But she didn't. Instead, she gave his retreating form a coy smile and turned around, heading off down the festival clad road. She really did want to be alone tonight, yet missing the spectacle of the night was not an option. Despite seeking solitude, she rather liked the presence of a crowd; it made her feel safe and at ease. So, choosing an alley some distance down the street, she sat down, leaning against the wall, bending one leg and stretching the other one. She touched the bandana over her eye again, feeling the night's cool caress coming up the alley, and the tantalizing lure of solitude beckoning her mind ever closer.
"Trying to hide from me, are you?"
She looked up at Ryan, about to reply but put off by the look on his face. He was uneasy, and failing at trying to hide it. He sat down next to her, and she watched him carefully. Sitting down, he wasn't that much taller than she was. She watched the light of the nearby bonfire dance on his hair, bringing out the gold from the rich brown. He looked at her, and she wondered what he saw. The light put both their faces into a roughly sharp refine, probably caught the green in her eye just as it caught the blue in his. He was a good friend, but perhaps he wanted to be more than that?
The thought had been gnawing at her for a while. All the clues added up: he had come back to meet her alone, he worried about her, and he wanted to see her in a dress. She looked away, trying to sum up her feelings for him. Sure, he wasn't that bad looking, but they were good friends. She couldn't see their current status as 'good friends' developing into anything more than that without some major changes, and right now she didn't want to change. She liked who she was: the image of independance. Even though she had a group of friends, she was quite independant. Though was that really who she was?
She sighed, feeling her deep loneliness all at once, and perhaps understanding a bit more of herself.
"Something wrong, Rhen?"
"Funny. I was about to ask you the same question." She gave him a sidelong look, trying to see past his mask of barriers. "What's wrong? You look worried."
"Ah. It's nothing re-" He stumbled into silence, suddenly tense. "Do you see that?"
She looked past him, down the alleyway to a shape that was moving about halfway down.
"It's probably a ca-"
Keyblade...
"It's not."
She watched the shape writh and form, before becoming aware of other shapes around it. Ryan stood up, pulling her up with him. She kept watching it, shocked into silence by the strangeness of the thing. The creatures' yellow eyes glowed, not looking at them, but at the very core of their beings. Suddenly she was afraid.
Do not be afraid.
A scream shook the crowd again, only this time it was followed by more screams. She could feel releases, but people weren't dying- it didn't feel like that. She looked away as more screams distracted her, screams of pure despair and fear and rage.
One of the creatures saw the opening and leapt forward, but Ryan moved in front of her and held it off, forcing it back even as others aided the attack. She couldn't speak- couldn't scream. She moved forward to help Ryan, but more of them came, and forced her back. Darkness formed around her and as she fought to get to Ryan's side, she could only watch as he was overwhelmed and his heart taken.
Then she was pulled back into the darkness, all noise blurring into a calm silence.