Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories The Novel (light novel) Page 19

  If she says so, we can believe her. The relief that washed over them was almost palpable.

  But Jiminy hopped up high. “Oh—wait! You said you had to undo the links of the memories you made…”

  “So? What about it?” Donald peered at his tiny worried face.

  “Well, that means…”

  “C’mon, Jiminy, you can spit it out,” Sora teased him.

  “He’s right,” Naminé said quietly. “You won’t be able to remember anything about what happened here.”

  “So—we’ll forget you?!”

  “I’m sorry. It’s the only way.” She turned away, as if she didn’t want them to see her face anymore, and took a few steps. “You have a choice, Sora. You can lose your memories of this castle and reclaim your old ones…or keep your memories here and give up the precious memories you lost.”

  “Do I have to…to choose?”

  “Yes.”

  He couldn’t see her face.

  Still…there was only one answer. He’d already decided. “Make me like I was.”

  Naminé spun on her heels and gave him a smile.

  But anyone could tell it wasn’t a real smile.

  “Okay. I know! Nobody wants to keep a bunch of memories that aren’t real, right? You want to remember all of the people who are really important to you. That’s what anyone would choose…” Her voice trailed off. They could barely catch her last words.

  But we have to get our memories back… No matter what it takes.

  EPILOGUE

  XIII

  I am her shadow…her darkness.

  I will never be able to reach her.

  But, Sora… Right now, in this moment, you and I are friends, aren’t we?

  No one wants false memories…

  If this is what it comes to—no… I’m glad I met you, Sora.

  So I’m not going to regret anything.

  I wonder if we’ll meet again. I’m pretty sure we will.

  IN THE CORNER OF THE GREAT HALL, THERE WAS A little staircase.

  “Does this go to the thirteenth floor?” asked Sora.

  “Yes,” Naminé’s tiny voice replied, and she went up the stairs.

  They went through more white rooms and finally came to a bigger door. When Naminé stood before it, the door opened without a sound.

  “What is this place…?”

  “A secret room.” Naminé turned and smiled at them.

  The room was filled with strange devices shaped like huge flower buds. Donald walked closer to one. “So…if we sleep in these things, our memories will come back?”

  “It’s going to take a little time. But I’ll take care of you.”

  “Gawrsh…when we wake up, we won’t remember who you are anymore.” Goofy slumped over sadly.

  “How are we gonna know to thank you, then?” said Donald, poking the pod.

  “No need to worry about that!” Jiminy Cricket exclaimed, sticking his head out of Sora’s pocket with a grin. “I’ll just make a big note in my journal. And it’ll say, ‘Thank Naminé.’”

  “That sure makes me feel better!” Donald smiled, too, and Naminé finally joined in.

  But will that really work? Sora worried. Didn’t something happen to Jiminy’s journal when we came into the castle?

  He shook his head, shaking the thoughts away. Naminé would make sure it was all right.

  “Well, then… G’night, Naminé!” Goofy waved to her.

  She nodded in return. “Good night, Goofy.”

  Donald and Goofy each settled themselves into a pod.

  “You too, Sora!” Donald scolded.

  “Okay, okay…” Sora went to the big flower bud thing in the middle of the room.

  “All of this may have started with a lie,” said Naminé, “but…I really am glad that I got to meet you, Sora.”

  He turned, smiling at her. “Yeah. Me, too.”

  It was still hard to believe that his memories with Naminé could be lies. But his feelings now were real.

  “When I finally found you, and when I remembered your name…I was so happy,” he told her. “The way I felt wasn’t a lie.”

  She smiled back. “Good-bye.”

  “No, not good-bye!” He took a step closer to her. Determination came into his voice. “When I wake up, I’ll find you. And then there won’t be any lies. We’re gonna be friends for real. Promise me, Naminé.”

  She shook her head. “You’re going to forget making that promise.”

  That’s why this is good-bye, Naminé thought. When you wake up, Sora, you’ll have forgotten all about me.

  “But even if the chain of memories comes apart, the links will still be there, right?” Sora insisted. “So the memory of our promise will always be inside me somewhere. I just know it.”

  She wanted to believe him.

  If anyone could remember her, Sora would—that much, she could believe.

  “Okay…you’re right. It’s a promise.”

  “Yeah!” Sora held out his pinkie finger to her. She linked it with her own.

  “Promise, Sora?”

  “I promise.”

  Then he stepped into the pod. It felt warm inside…comforting. He was getting a little sleepy…

  “Hey, Sora.”

  “Hm?” His sight was going hazy.

  “Some of your memories’ links are deep in the shadows of your heart, and I won’t be able to find all of them. But don’t worry… You made another promise to someone you could never replace.”

  Naminé’s voice felt like a lullaby. Gentle…like the sound of the waves on the island.

  “She is your light. The light within the darkness. Remember her and all the memories lost in the shadows of your heart will come back.”

  “Another promise…” Behind his closed eyes, he could see a faint light.

  “Look at the good luck charm. I changed its shape when I changed your memory—but when you thought of her just once, it went back to the way it was.”

  The light glimmered and turned into the good luck charm. Beyond that glow stood Naminé. He murmured her name—but Naminé was already fading into mist, and someone else was standing there.

  Who is that? I can’t remember…

  All of his friends… And Riku.

  There, standing in the middle… It was the red-haired girl.

  Someone special to him.

  “Kairi!”

  The moment he said that name, she smiled.

  And all the rest of his friends… Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cid… And Riku. They all smiled.

  “My friends…”

  “See? Your memories are coming back.”

  He turned around. Naminé was there, barely, shrouded in mist.

  “Naminé?!”

  “Don’t worry. You might forget about me…but we made a promise. So I can come back.” She held up her little finger that she’d joined with his.

  “A promise is a promise.”

  “That’s right. One day, the promise we made will become the light that brings us together. Till then, I’ll be in your heart…”

  “I know. Forgotten, but not lost.”

  He wouldn’t lose his memories of Naminé.

  No matter what, those feelings…those pieces of memory would stay with him.

  Promises would turn into light. The pieces would call to one another and link together into a chain.

  That’s how I know…I won’t forget.

  The light softly surrounded him.

  And Naminé watched Sora fall asleep.

  —The End – Sora’s Story—

  Memories fading.

  Memories reborn.

  And a dream—

  A dream of you in a world without you.

  RIKU’S STORY

  REVERSE/REBIRTH

  I was dreaming.

  Kairi giggled. Sora was mad for some reason.

  And me…I was falling over laughing between the two of them.

  We could hear the sound of the wav
es.

  It was that place we knew so well—Destiny Island.

  The place I left behind. Our island, our home.

  Sora called my name. “Riku!”

  Kairi did, too. “Riku!”

  Someone called to me—“Riku!”

  And I slowly opened my eyes.

  PROLOGUE

  STARTING IN DARKNESS

  IT WAS AN IN-BETWEEN PLACE, NOT DARK, BUT NOT filled with light, either. Riku got up and quietly shook his head. Fog seemed to cover his mind.

  “Where…am I…?”

  He felt a faint light surrounding him. Or—it wasn’t quite light, but something more hazy. This was a strange place.

  “Stay asleep.”

  The low voice suddenly echoed over him.

  Riku jumped to his feet. “Who’s there?!”

  “You should remain asleep. Here in the place between light and darkness.”

  “Between light and darkness…?” Riku repeated in a mumble, and then his eyes closed again.

  He’d never heard of anything like this place. Light or darkness—that was what he knew. But neither?

  “Wait—where’s the king?!” Riku shouted.

  Since he closed the Door of Darkness with the king, he’d been wandering through this dim place. But together—he was sure they’d been together.

  Then what…? Did I do something?

  “The king is far away,” said the voice. “You should leave the fight against the darkness to him and sleep. Right now, the light of awakening will be too bright for you. It will only hurt you. Turn from the light and close your eyes.”

  “You’re talking like I’m some kind of creature of the darkness.”

  But it was true that he’d turned away from the light.

  No—not from the light exactly. From Sora.

  Because Sora shone too brightly…

  And then, he became the hero of light, and I gave myself over to the darkness.

  But I’m not just a creature of the dark.

  “Do you want to know the truth?” the voice asked him.

  Truth? …What could that even mean? Was there really any such thing as truth?

  “Stay here, blanketed by the darkness, and sleep will protect you…forever.”

  Riku stared out at the void and said nothing. That’s not my style…!

  The moment he thought that, the air trembled, and the voice seemed to be laughing.

  “So, you do want to know the truth. In that case…”

  Out of the empty air, a single card fluttered to Riku’s feet.

  “What’s this…?”

  “It is a door to the truth. Take it, and your sleep will end as you take the first step toward the truth. But know this: The truth will bring you pain. Will you still go?”

  Riku picked up the card, his mouth curving in a wry smile. “This seems like a boring place to take a nap, anyway.”

  “There will be no return to the safety of sleep.”

  “That’s fine with me.”

  “…Well said, Riku,” the voice replied, sounding amused again. The world began to tilt and spin, and everything changed.

  CHAPTER 1

  RECOLLECT

  HE STOOD IN A MARBLE HALL, STARK AND COLD. Carved of stone, lifeless flowers embellished the walls—like gravestones, Riku thought.

  All he held was a single card.

  “A door to the truth, huh…?” In the empty hall, Riku stared at the card, which showed a picture of a castle.

  His footfalls on the marble floor made high chilly echoes—the only sound he could hear. He stopped at the bottom of a staircase. At the top, he could see a door.

  What was waiting for him beyond it?

  He climbed the stairs.

  “The truth will bring you pain.”

  Even if it is painful, Riku thought, it’ll only be the punishment for what I did.

  The card began to glow, and the door slowly opened to let him in.

  Beyond the door was a place Riku knew. Thorny rose decorations here and there. The memories they brought up in him were not pleasant.

  This was Hollow Bastion—the enormous castle where the witch Maleficent lived. And he had been here, too, during the time when he’d given himself over to the darkness.

  How had he ended up back here? Had something brought him here while he slept?

  The last time he’d lost consciousness, it had been here. The last memory he had before that was standing up to Ansem, trying to protect Kairi.

  And then he’d been walking alone through the darkness. Along the way, he met up with King Mickey…but now he was alone again.

  If there was any truth to be found, maybe he would find it here in this castle.

  “This is the world of your memories,” the voice rang out.

  Riku looked up. It was the same low voice as before—whoever had given him that card. “My memories?”

  “The things you remember from your time at Maleficent’s castle came into contact with the card, and that card created this world. You’ve seen everything here before, haven’t you?”

  It was true. This place was just like he remembered—just like it was then.

  This was where I let Maleficent trick me into bringing her Kairi. Where I stayed by Kairi’s side while she slept. Kairi never moved or spoke, just like a doll. But I stayed with her…and I felt happy, just a little bit. Because I had her all to myself.

  But…

  Riku shouted up at the empty air. “So what am I supposed to do now? Am I going to learn something here? Meet someone?”

  “You would meet the people in your memories…ordinarily.”

  “What does that mean?”

  The voice didn’t answer.

  “Hey! I’m asking you a question!” But the moment he said that, darkness welled up around him. “…What’s going on?!”

  What appeared were the creatures he once had been able to control—the Heartless. A lot of them. And they were all heading straight for him.

  Reflexively, he fell into a fighting stance, and with a black glow, something took form in his hands. It was a dark sword shaped like a demon’s wing. Soul Eater.

  “So this is my sword?” He swung it and a Heartless vanished where it stood.

  He thought he’d turned away from the darkness…but this demon-wing sword suited him, as if it had been his all along.

  That was an unpleasant thought. Still, he ran into the fray of Heartless and lashed out with Soul Eater. It took them out in swaths and they disappeared.

  Riku ran up the stairs and more Heartless came. He attacked again. “…What’s going on here, anyway?”

  This was the first time he’d actually fought against the Heartless. They used to fight on his side, almost as if they were his friends.

  But now they were his enemies—and if that was true, then Maleficent was his enemy, too, and Hook, and all the rest. Those who used the power of the darkness were all his enemies.

  Then, on his side…he had Sora and Kairi…and the king. And all of Sora’s friends.

  Although he wasn’t sure they would think of him as their ally…

  “Out of the way!” he yelled, swinging Soul Eater and running up the stairs to the room he knew was there.

  If he remembered things properly…

  “It must be nice being back in your old room,” said the voice before Riku could even look around. “Full of memories for you, isn’t it?”

  An unpleasant voice and unpleasant memories. Riku glowered. “Sorry, but these memories I could do without,” he retorted. “Maleficent gave me this room.”

  Right…this little room that Maleficent had made up just for me. I stayed here in this castle, except when I went to Captain Hook’s ship to get Kairi. And when I was here I spent most of that time in this room.

  Swinging a sword…reading books…and what else? Thinking about things that upset him. He’d been angry at something.

  He’d believed it was his fault that Kairi was in that state…but he told himself that
it wasn’t a mistake to have gone to other worlds and gently touched her face as she slept.

  “And you lived here, tempted by the power of the darkness she offered. You cast away your home, your friends, everything… But at least she gave you a nice little room.”

  “Be quiet!” Riku snapped and ran out of the room.

  He dashed through the halls, blasting aside Heartless as he went, and up more stairs until at last he reached a tiny door and yanked it open.

  Outside was the sky that surrounded Hollow Bastion, dim as if before the dawn. No land or water to be seen—only the endless sky.

  Riku had been free to wander the castle, and sometimes, he’d come up here to the highest tower. It was his secret place, where no one else came to bother him, not even Maleficent.

  “Everything is just how I remember it…,” he murmured and sat down.

  I cast away everything. It’s true—I did when I left our island.

  Here in this tower, he’d told himself that over and over.

  And then it came—the night of the storm. I wanted to see other worlds so badly that I gave in to the darkness.

  It didn’t matter how. As long as I got to see those other worlds—as long as I could escape that place.

  So I left behind our island…and Sora and Kairi.

  “…I’ve been so stupid.”

  He couldn’t really get rid of them, though.

  No—I did. I abandoned Sora and Kairi, but they didn’t abandon me.

  They didn’t give up.

  That’s why I wanted to help Kairi.

  Sora’s innocent grin got so annoying—I would have done anything to save her before he did.

  The wind riffled Riku’s bangs.

  I wonder if I’ll really meet anyone from my memories in this castle…

  The one I want to see…is Sora.

  Even more than Kairi, more than anyone else. I want to see Sora.

  I want to tell him I’m sorry.

  Riku stood up and reached for the door. I can’t run away. When I see Sora, I want to be able to look him in the eye…

  He went back down into the castle.

  Wherever he went, he met nothing but Heartless. No matter where he wandered, he didn’t find Sora. Or anyone else. There seemed to be no one in the castle at all.