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"Always By Your Side"


Castle Oblivion.

The place where the Organization lives and works. The place where each floor is made from a person’s memories. Of course, not all of those memories are true. Some are lies, made-up memories, if you will. Those people that enter Castle Oblivion, however, do not know that. After all, the castle is the place were in order to find something dear, one must forget first. At times, for some people that price is very high indeed.

Castle Oblivion...your living hell.

You’ve been here for who knows how long. You’re a magician, moderately strong, and an average battle strategist at the age of sixteen. You’re relatively normal with your short __(color)__ hair and your bright __(color)__ eyes. You’re not tall, nor are you short; you’re merely average. In almost every way, in fact, you’re just like everyone else. Almost every way. You came to Castle Oblivion in search of something. Or, to be more specific, someone. He was the closest person to your heart; the one who understood you, could calm your sometimes violent temper, who was always there for you, no matter what. But now...you couldn’t even remember his name. That was Castle Oblivion’s fault. Every floor you climbed, every time you got closer to the top level, you lost one more memory. You couldn’t recall the color of your love’s hair, or his eyes. You couldn’t remember his smile, or his face, or anything about him. All you could remember was his laugh–light, and carefree, but deep and beautiful at the same time–and the fact that you did indeed love someone.

But who was he? That question drove you near insanity, sometimes. You wanted to know! You longed to remember him. That was part of the reason you continued forward. At times, you wanted nothing more than to give up, and let the Organization take you. But then you would hear his laugh, echoing in the recesses of your mind, and you would go forward once again: for him, and for yourself.

You had met some of the members of the Organization a few times. Larxene, Vexen, and Axel. Axel amused you, for some strange reason, and if he hadn’t been part of the Organization and Castle Oblivion, you might have been able to get along well with him. Larxene was okay. You didn’t really pay much attention to her, and she did the same for you. As for Vexen, well...you would dearly love to strangle him. He infuriated you. You had a small temper...okay, okay, so you had a REALLY bad temper. You were easily riled, unfortunately, and when you got really mad....things were usually destroyed. And Vexen always seemed to get on your last nerve and beyond. You had fought all three before, and while you usually won the battle, they always managed to get away. You had yet to meet Marluxia, or any of the other members, and you didn’t particularly want to. Unless, of course, it was to destroy them once and for all.

Of course, there were others here in Castle Oblivion besides members of the Organization......

“Hey, __(name)__!”

You paused at the voice. A small smile flitted across your face. You had met Silver a few days ago, way back when you were on the second floor. He had yet to give you his real name, so you just called him Silver, due to his platinum hair. Unlike the others, he was actually strangely kind to you. Seriously. A perfect stranger, and yet he showed you nothing but the utmost politeness and friendliness. It was almost like he knew you, but you had no recollection of him at all.

“Yo,” you replied, turning to face him

He was cute, you had to admit that. With his silverish hair that hung in layers to his shoulders, his toned muscles, and his beautiful cyan eyes, it was hard not to think that. If only he wouldn’t wear that yellow shirt of his. The blue pants were fine, if a tad poofy, but yellow just wasn’t his color (lol). Sometimes, you had rather strange thoughts.

His gaze was tender as he looked at you. His eyes flickered over your form, form the black hat you wore to the big, black, kick-a** boots., Then he seemed to realize what he was doing. He blinked, then looked away quickly, to a point somewhere over your shoulder. A faint pink blush tinged his cheeks, making you smirk. Despite the bad-boy appearance, he could be so amusingly innocent at times.

“So,” he finally said after a long pause. “Twelfth floor, huh?”

“Yup.” You stuck your hands into the pockets of your black pants, still watching Silver.

“Only one more after this.”

You nodded solemnly, frowning a bit. At the end, would you finally remember him? The man you loved? Would you face Marluxia at last, or Axel, or one of the others? For some reason, these thoughts scared you. You didn’t want to face these people alone. That was unlike you. You were independent, too fiery for your own good. You didn’t know when to take advice, and you hated to do so. You did not like to rely on other people, and have always done everything on your own. But now, at the end, it was suddenly different. You wanted someone by your side, ready to catch you should you fall. For the first time since you came to Castle Oblivion, you wished for someone that would never leave your side, no matter what.

You closed your eyes briefly, taking a deep breath and calming yourself. When you opened them again, you saw Silver watching you worriedly. To dispel that look on his face, you smiled. “Hey, I’m fine,” you snorted. You paused, biting your lips. “Are you coming with me?” you finally dared to ask.

Silver had come with you sometimes, helping you through the battles on some floors. Then, at other times, he would leave you completely. With your thoughts now on this, you realized that you liked the times spent with him better than anything else. And now, so close to the end, you wanted nothing more than for him to come with you.

Apparently noting your anxiety, Silver smiled. “Yeah.”

That single word put hope back into your heart. Giving him a broad grin, you walked assuredly up to the door. You held up one of the cards Axel had given you. There was a brief flash of light, and the next thing you know, you were...

...on a beach?

“What the hell?” you muttered, glancing around with narrowed eyes. ‘At least there don’t appear to be any Heartless nearby,’ you thought, relieved at getting a break in fighting [1]. That didn’t help explain where you were, though.

At your side, Silver sighed softly. In relief or resignation, you did not know. “So, you’re finally here,” he murmured.

You glanced sharply at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” you demanded. Your temper was rising, dangerously so.

He refused to look at you. “Do you remember?”

Your hands clenched and unclenched. “Of course I don’t! This is Castle Oblivion, in case you’ve forgotten!”

A sharp bark of a laugh. The sound made you pause, blinking in confusion. There was something familiar about that sound....

“Come now, __(name)__,” he urged. His voice was harsh, which was unlike him. It was almost as if he was angry–dare you say sad?–at your forgetting. But why in the world would he care? “Think. Think real hard, and maybe you’ll remember Destiny Islands.”

You blinked, shaking your head slowly. Your anger was seeping away, leaving you feeling drained. You weaved a little on your feet, but managed to remain standing. “Destiny...Islands?” The name was horribly familiar, but why? You couldn’t recall it exactly.

Silver’s shoulders were shaking. His hands were tight fists at his sides, and you could tell that he was doing everything in his power not to hit you or shake you. “Yes, damn it! Destiny Islands!” He turned suddenly, eyes blazing. He didn’t take a step towards you, for which you were thankful. “__(name)__! Don’t you remember anything?!”

His eyes...his beautiful eyes...

Was he crying?

“Please, __(name)__! Don’t you remember me?!”

Your world was spinning out of control. His voice was loud in your ears...except it wasn’t as deep as normal...and while it reverberated in your mind, his lips were pressed firmly together. Your knees were terribly weak. You were only vaguely aware of them finally giving out, of you hitting the soft white-yellow sand with a muffled thump. Blackness was creeping at the edges of your vision. The fact that Silver was cradling you in his arms, holding you tightly to his chest, didn’t register.

All that you noticed was a blazing white sun...and the sound of laughter floating to your ears.

~~~~~Flashback~~~~~

Soft sand under your bare feet. Tiny grains, slipping in between your toes. You wriggled said digits, loving the feel of it. You sighed, leaning back slightly. Above you, the sun shone brightly. You smiled, closing your eyes against the rays. A cold wave lapped at the edges of your feet, just barely tickling the skin. You giggled, opening your eyes and looking at the blue waves edged with white foam. It was beautiful. It was paradise.

It was Destiny Islands, and you were fifteen years old.

It was a wonderful life. Lolling about all day, relaxing and helping with the household chores. Talking, and sometimes fighting, with your friends. A lovely life. And it was made all the better by him...

Even now, as you lay on the beach, you could hear his laughter. He was fighting with his best friend, Sora. He was only a little older than you, perhaps by a month or so, but he could still be so immature at times! Not that he could ever compare to Sora, the munchkin, as you called him. And yet, he was also the one that could soothe your horrible temper. You didn’t know why, exactly, you had such a temper, but it was there. And only he could actually help you with it.

You loved him.

There were no buts about it.

And he loved you.

You confessed to him the other day. You hadn’t really wanted to, but what with Kairi stealing all his attention at times, and you getting more nervous each day, you thought it best to get it out in the open. And what do you know? He said he feels the same way! And Kairi likes Sora, and Sora likes Kairi, and everyone is happy.

It was a dream come true.

It was starting to get dark. The horizon was edged with red and gold, and the sky was settling into a lovely pink-yellow color. The sun was setting, and everyone was going in. You, however, stayed out. You didn’t want to be confined indoors right then. You loved the feeling of the night air on your skin, of it gently caressing you. Your dad (your mom was dead) wouldn’t mind. He had a date tonight with Ms. Jay. She was nice enough, you supposed, but you had a feeling that their relationship wouldn’t last.

Before you could think anymore about your father and Ms. Jay, however, the feeling of something decidedly evil swept over you. Chilled to the bone, you struggled to your feet, cursing the sand that made you lose your footing. Glancing upwards, you froze. The blood turned to ice in your veins, and your stomach balled itself into a taut knot of fear. The sky was dark, darker than normal. And there was something up there, something that definitely wasn’t a star.

“What in the world is that?” you whispered, hardly daring to speak.

A large mass of darkness was above you, near the pier. It crackled, red lines dancing wildly around it. Then, from inside it, strange little black creatures with enormous yellow eyes flew out, hitting the beach and pier. They paused, as if searching for something. Then, as one, they turned and looked at you. Antennae waved erratically, and they shifted from foot to foot. In a peculiar darting pattern, they began to inch closer to you. Some sank into the very ground. So, opening your mouth, you screamed.

“RIKU!!!”

~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~

Your eyes snapped open. You sat up sharply, gasping wildly for air. Cold sweat covered you, and the fear of the darkness, of the Heartless, remained.

“Riku!” you yelled aloud.

Strong hands gripped your shoulders, forcing you to turn around. Your wild eyes searched for a minute before finally landing on his familiar face. At the sight of him, with dried tear tracks on his cheeks, with his eyes shining with happiness and comfort, you nearly stopped breathing. Instead, you took in a great gulp of air, forcing yourself to calm down. When you felt you were sufficiently in control of yourself to speak, you raised your eyes up to his once more.

“Riku...?” you said in a softer voice. It quavered a little, to your annoyance. But you were too caught up in the moment to really care.

He smiled gently. “Yes,” he whispered.

You reached out, placing one trembling hand on his face. It was real. His soft skin was real under your fingers. A few tears began to trickle down your face.

“How could I have forgotten?” you managed to choke out.

The youth reached out and tightly clasped you to him. His body was warm, and wonderfully solid, against yours.

“It’s all right,” he soothed. “It’s the Organization’s fault, not yours.”

You nodded against his shirt, wiping your eyes. You looked up, placing your chin on his chest. “After that night...” you began hesitantly.

Riku’s arms tightened instinctively. “I came after you, of course. I searched for a long while, but I was delayed by Ansem and Sora and the Heartless and just everything put together. And when I finally found you, you were entering Castle Oblivion. So I did the only thing I could.” He smiled gently. “I came in after you.” He paused, cocking his head to one side slightly. “I suppose it’s because of Ansem that I never lost my memories.” He chuckled. “And I’m quite glad that I didn’t. I wanted to tell you sooner, but Marluxia, Larxene, and even Sora–albeit inadvertently–stopped me repeatedly.”

The tears were gone, replaced by immeasurable joy. Unable to restrain yourself, you leaned up and kissed him. His lips were soft, and warm, upon your own. He immediately kissed you back. It was an innocent, sweet kiss, but one that left you breathless all the same. When you had finally managed to regain the use of your lungs, you wrapped your arms around him tightly and sighed in contentment.

“So...”

Although you couldn’t see his face, you knew he was smiling. “So what?” he gently asked, running a hand through your hair.

You smiled, hugging him tighter. “You were always by my side, weren’t you?” You didn’t give him time to answer. Hauling yourself to your feet, you pulled him up also.

“Where are we going?” he asked in confusion.

You couldn’t help but laugh at the look of disappointment on his face. “We’re going to get out of here, and defeat that damn Marluxia!”

He grinned broadly at your determined tone. “And then what?” he teased.

You thought about it for a moment, carefully considering your answer. “We’ll continue forward, on life’s long road,” you stated slowly.

Riku snorted, apparently either disgusted or amused at the sappy-sounding phrase.

You punched him on the arm lightly. “Hey, be nice! It’s true, after all.” A sincere smile lifted the corners of your mouth. “And I won’t ever have to worry about falling again.”

He wrapped his arms around you from behind, holding you close. “And why’s that?” His breath tickled the back of your neck, making you shiver in pleasure.

“Because you’ll always be at my side, ready to catch me should I fall."