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Erase-Rewrite-Rewind, Incomplete, PG...ish
Title: Erase-Rewind-Rewrite

Author: Rubyfruit (rubyfruit_pixie)

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Genre: It covers far too many.

Rating: Mostly PG

Disclaimer: I owneth not Kingdom Hearts. ^^~

Warnings: Angst, drama, confusion, yaoi, yuri, implied het, insane people, and weirdness.



Oblivion was supposed to be a quiet place of contemplation for those not quite evil enough for the Underworld, and couldn't quite make it back to their respective worlds. This was where Vincent was forced to stay for an as-yet undetermined amount of time until his crimes were atoned for. Years and years passed, and the residents lived in relative quiet, with the occasional fortunate one or two obtaining passes that allowed them to return home. This was the way Vincent has lived since his sentence started.

That was before they showed up. Everything was so peaceful, so calm...until those twelve showed up. They caused so much trouble that they were kicked out of the Underworld. Nonetheless, the Inter-Realm Council decided to send them to Oblivion instead, which meant that Vincent was given the task of watching over these seemingly normal Nobodies.

Unfortunately, "normal" was nearly shattered forever when the Organization came to Oblivion. Gone was the climate of quiet contemplation, and in its place...utter chaos.

Today was different. Today was unusually quiet, a fact that didn't sit well with the rather angry blonde sitting in an unoccupied chair.

"You got what you wanted," Quistis said. It was eerily quiet in Oblivion. She hated the quiet. Quistis had her fill of quiet for one lifetime.

Vincent shrugged, and Quistis asked, "So. Where'd they go?"

Vincent grinned. The Organization was gone, so this should be a happy time. Quistis, however, killed any chance of a celebration.

"That bunch of escaped mental patients?" Vincent asked, "They went back to wherever they came from."

Quistis glared at him. How the hell did he accomplish this? What the hell has he done?!

"Aren't you the selfish one?" Quistis asked bitterly. She didn't bother with the tea that sat in front of her. She missed the excitement, the craziness, and Vincent's misery. This new, smiling Vincent was, for lack of better wording, downright fucking creepy.

He was actually smiling. The horror.

"My sentence has gotten a little easier," Vincent said, "That whole blasted Organization is gone! Gone forever! Isn't it wonderful?"

Quistis just watched as the formerly grim Gatekeeper danced like a lunatic. It was all she could do. This place was no fun anymore. She uttered one last sentence before she left the maniacal person.

"You have no idea what you've just done."

Vincent was alone again, in the place he once dreaded occupying. Two of his troubles gone in one fell swoop. His job got that much easier.

-------------------------------

Namine wandered the empty halls of the Castle That Never Was, wondering how she got back here. Maybe Roxas was here as well, maybe not. It didn't really matter how she got there, the most important part was...

She was free. It wasn't that she didn't like Kairi, or being part of her. There was something about her that drew all sorts of people to her, good or bad. Namine simply wanted to be more than a fragment. This, really, was all the Organization wanted. Did that really make them "evil"? She came to a startling realization long before Kairi did.

Sora was wrong. And he was merely parroting the words of whoever said them, be it the figurehead King or the oft-reticent Leon, or whoever else fed the Keybearer such lies and propaganda. And Xemnas, for all his maniacal ranting, was actually on to something.

She didn't expect them to come back, not this soon. Maybe they didn't know...

One of them would.

She followed the voices down the hallway, the voices of bewildered, grateful Nobodies, glad to be home, if one could this cavernous place a home. Namine, trying to play Master of Stealth, sat just outside of the once-abandoned meeting room.

As usual, none of them could act on a united front. How sad.

Larxene was saying something. Namine didn't catch all of it. Apparently, she was a little late. Something about new beginnings, the Fates smiling on their mission, all with such flowery language that it didn't sound like Larxene at all.

Then, she heard something that would've made her heart stop if she had one.

"Therefore, in the best interests of the Organization, I've decided to take the position of Superior..."

If Namine felt it, then surely, the rest of them had to. She didn't need a heart to know that this was horribly, horribly wrong, yet so wonderfully refreshing about this whole scene being played out barely two feet away from where Namine sat.

Namine felt that sinking feeling where her heart should be. 'Dammit, Kairi,' she thought, 'Not now...'

------------

Meanwhile, in a place far, far removed from politics and upheaval, a lone girl stood by the ocean, mourning someone, unable to remember who it was.

(End Prologue 1)





Kairi stood by the ocean, having traded her tiny pink dress for something more modest--and black, as though she was in mourning. Sora left again--those people in the black coats returned, with no explanation as to why or even how it was possible.

They said he was told to come alone. Called out, they said he was. Riku was taking this news worse than she was, yet Riku was still connected to the world around him.

Kairi "disappeared" into that place in her head again. Wakka and Tidus watched her standing there, from sunrise to sunset, neither boy wanting to interrupt her silent vigil.

Today, Selphie came to her, saying, "Sora's not coming back. Why are you still here?"

"I'm mourning someone's death," Kairi answered, "And I don't know whose death I should be mourning..."

"Don't talk like that!" Selphie exclaimed, "Sora's not dead..."

Kairi said, "...I'm not mourning Sora. I'm mourning someone. I just don't know who it is that I'm supposed to mourn. Sora's coming back...I think that it might be..."

Selphie was utterly confused, but she stood with Kairi anyway. She always stood by Kairi, physically or mentally. Anything for a friend...anything for the one that Selphie loved more than these islands.

It was a pathetic, one-sided love. Selphie loved Kairi, yet Kairi was meant for Sora. It was destiny. A princess absolutely had to be with a prince. Fate, however, never said that the prince had to be male. Especially if the prince was a total flake like Sora. But, Kairi probably loved Sora, Riku loved Sora, and soon, Sora would love Riku as well.

So Kairi would be all alone again. A princess made defenseless and open to all the evils in the worlds.

But Kairi wouldn't be alone. Selphie would be Kairi's prince. She had to be. No one else was going to give a damn about this fragile redhead beside her. Sora was probably dead, and Riku could barely tolerate Kairi's presence anymore. He actually blamed her for the imbalance of Light and Darkness.

That day, Selphie decided that if Riku so much as touched a hair on Kairi's head, he was going to die.

----------------

It was a miracle that everyone took it as well as they did. Actually, it wasn't a miracle as the so-called benevolent deities rarely smile on what she just did. Nonetheless, she took advantage of the whole lot while they were disoriented enough to go along with whatever she said.

Not even Marluxia bothered to voice his discontent. It was strange that her former co-conspirator was the most enthusiastic of all of them. Rather pathetic, actually. She'd have to dispose of him as quickly and discreetly as possible should the need arise.

Before that, she had to take care of one small matter.

"I know you're there..."

Namine was sitting in the hallway. Larxene knew she was sitting there the entire time, or at least long enough to hear the great news.

"...They'll snap out of it," Namine said as she walked into the mostly-empty meeting room, "They'll all get settled in, and them they'll express their discontent with you declaring yourself Superior. What do you plan on doing then?"

Larxene answered, "Kill the malcontents. Just one will do the job of setting an example."

Namine sighed. It was always the violent way with Larxene. Then again, it had its place.

"Unless..." Namine said, "I can help. You can have the Organization without shedding a drop of blood. I can simply alter their memories..."

So, Namine came, willingly, and offered her services.

Perfect.

Larxene said, "Fine. Go to it, and if you do a good job, perhaps I'll give you a studio..."

Namine's eyes lit up, A studio! A job like this would be easier than playing around with Sora's mind. A simple erasing of memories, Namine could do.

"I--I'll do my best," Namine said, running off to complete her task.

As Larxene sat there in that empty room, she started planning. The best way to end the Keybearer is not through physical pain, but through the manipulation of his emotions. The emotions of someone with such goodness and light in them were so easily toyed with, too.

Namine's Other...she held the key to the Keybearer's heart. And Larxene would take the princess away.

Oh, there was much to do during an unchallenged takeover that she was too excited to go to sleep that night, as if one could tell the difference between night and day in this place.

----------------

Kairi lie there in bed, staring at the ceiling, muttering a tiny plea for Sora's safe return.

"...Come home safely," she said, "Come home whole..."

She repeated this little prayer night after night. At least she lived alone, no one called her crazy then.

Sora was coming home. She could feel it.

---------

(End)





That was so long ago, I can't remember...

Sora was home, after two weeks that felt more like two years. The island town was overjoyed, and it seemed as though Kairi and Riku were in a competition to see who was happiest to see Sora back, safe and sound. The great hero had returned. the threat was gone! The prince returned on his shining white horse to be with his princess and live happily ever after.

With all this happiness filling the air, why did Selphie feel like she was choking on the glee? In her mind, there was nothing to celeberate about the homecoming of the person who caused Kairi so much pain and misery. In fact, if Sora didn't come back, she'd have a victory party of her own. Unfortunately, Sora was back, and Kairi smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever. That was the only thing that prevented Selphie from killing Sora where he stood. That, and there were too many witnesses. Damn witnesses.

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed, "Where have you been? What happened? How'd you come back alive?"

She wanted to know. had to know. If those people were back, then why didn't they just kill him?

...Maybe they were merciful, but that wasn't very likely, if the stories were true by any means. Sora was here and alive.

"Excuse me," Sora said, "But...who are you?"

Kairi said, "...Sora...it's me. Remember?"

But Sora looked at her with a bemused stare. He'd never seen this girl in his life. The voice sounded familiar...

But he said, "I've never seen you before in my life."

He swore that he could hear Kairi's heart break at that very moment.


------------

"I want to disappear."

Every time Kairi said something like that, a little piece of Selphie's heart felt like it was breaking. Maybe it was because she always thought that Kairi deserved something better than a stagnant, lonely life as a sterile princess waiting for a prince who didn't even acknowledge her existence more often than not.

"Why?" Selphie asked. Kairi ran out of the house when Sora decided that he wanted nothing more to do with her, and Selphie went with her, mostly to keep from sticking Sora's head in the punch bowl. Now, at a safe distance from Sora's victory party, on the beach where Kairi stood for weeks on end, they sat together by the ocean.

Kairi said, "Because I wouldn't be such a burden."

"Don't say that," Selphie said, "I think that Sora's an idiot and a coward. If he wanted you to leave him alone, he could've said so. But no, he decides to pretend that he doesn't know you. A fucking cowardly move, if you ask me."

"I don't think he's kidding," Kairi said, "Maybe...if I simply disappeared, then I wouldn't be a problem."

"No..." Selphie said, "What the--"

"If I disappeared," Kairi said, "No one would really miss me, so it wouldn't really matter, right?"

Selphie said, "No. I'd miss you, and that's all that has to matter at this point. If one person cares if you disappeared one day, and I was the only one who noticed, then that has to count for something!"

"...Thank you," Kairi said, "That's one person on this damn island who'd care."

Selphie said, "...Don't ever leave me."

They stood there, holding hands for a long time after that. It was perfect. Selphie looked at a distant star, and made a silent plea that this moment would last forever.

----------------

"...You know what? I give up."

Why did Quistis decide to visit Larxene today? It started out as a quick "Hi there, congratulations on your hostile takeover, good luck with any future bids for universal conquest" visit, but it quickly became a battle of wills. Fortunately, there was coffee in the World That Never Was, and Quistis needed plenty of it. Between Larxene's cat-who-got-the-cream grin and Namine's creepy, seemingly-dead stare, things couldn't get any weirder today.

"Aww," Larxene said, "And this was supposed to be a happy day. Don't be so gloomy. ...Why are you drinking that?"

Quistis sighed and said, "So that I can deal with your demented plan to--what was it again?"

"Oh...." Larxene said, "Instead of the normal 'Destroy-the-Universe' plot that so many before me have tried, I've decided to focus on one very particular person..."

If she mentioned Sora at all, Quistis would pour her steaming cup of coffee on herself. It would be completely and utterly depressing if Larxene actually fell for the little Keybearer. Too bad he was such a moron that the very mention of his name caused a special kind of headache usually reserved for Vincent when he said something mind-meltingly stupid.

"...I've decided," Larxene said, "That I will make Kairi mine. And I'll do anything to make that possible."

"Oh yes," Quistis said, taking a drink of her rapidly-cooling coffee, "Let's kidnap the Keyblade Master's girlfriend. What a wonderful idea. When you have a Keyblade sticking out of your ass, don't say anything to me."

Larxene said, "Aww, that's not like you. Besides, as far as the Keybearer knows, Kairi does not exist, and never has."

Great. Wonderful. Fabulous. So now, Quistis was dealing with someone who had no clue when it came to the consequences of what constitutes as brain rape.

"Fine, fine," Quistis said, "Good luck with...whatever the hell you're doing, as long as you don't kill too many people."

With that, she disappeared in a cloud of snowflakes, leaving her empty coffee cup behind.

"...I'm so glad she's gone," Namine said, "What now?"

Larxene said, "Don't be rude. It's almost time for phase two!"

Namine sighed and said, "Fine, fine."

So it began, and there was no turning back.

--------------

(End Chapter)


....This is one of those fics that'll get finshed...eventually.