The Queen Of Hearts (Kingdom Hearts Story)

The Strength of the Heart

Akira gasps and jumps up from her resting position. She looks around in confusion, trying to take in her surroundings. She remembers how she and Sora fell off the platform. Was she not consumed by the darkness?

As she tries to make sense of everything she realizes that her breathing had become irregular and her throat felt dry. She gently placed her hand over neck and gulped down the saliva forming in her mouth. She then moves and places her hand over her heart.

She closes her eyes and steadies her breathing until it reaches a normal pace. She opens her eyes and looks around herself. If she managed to get out of that mess, then it was possible that Sora did too. She looks around at her new and unfamiliar surroundings. The mood was just as tense as it was on the prior platform.

This platform was a mix of blue and purple. There was yet another girl on it. This girl had brown hair pinned into a bun, a blue headband holding it up. She wore and held the tips of her extravagant blue ball gown. Akira continued her search, attempting to determine whether she was alone or not.

There was no head of spiky brown hair to be found anywhere. There was no voice to speak to her and guide her in the right direction. Her search has come to nothing. She sighs in disappointment and lies down on her back once again.

A harsh wind suddenly blows against her face. She attempts to ignore it but the gust only becomes stronger. The air around her shifts, as though making room for another being. Her eyes snap open and widen as she hears a sharp whistle.

She looked in the direction that she heard the noise. A shadowy figure stands before her and she gapes at it in shock. It raises its arm and conjures a dark corridor behind her. She turned around just for a moment and by then the figure had departed.

Before she can process what she is doing, she gets onto her feet and approaches the corridor. It felt as though she didn't have control of her own movements. Once in front of the corridor, she hesitantly sticks her arm inside.

She hisses in pain, feeling a slight stinging sensation along her lower arm. After some time she grew accustomed to the feeling. She sticks in one limb at a time, following through with the same process. As she reaches the final portion of her body, she lets the corridor encase her.

The corridor closes behind her and she is trapped in the dark void. She floats delicately and looks around for any sign of light. A putrid scent wafts through her nose. As she coughs, a large portion of darkness is swept into her lungs.

She quickly closes her mouth as a large weight is suddenly placed on her chest. It was getting difficult to breathe. She felt as though she was in the deepest depths of the ocean. Akira was never very fond of the ocean. Despite learning to swim on the islands, she avoided the water a lot. But this time around, she has a motive to swim.

She holds her breath and delves deeper into the pit. She looks around for any sign of life. A light caught her eye and she turned to see a figure lifelessly floating. She narrows her eyes to get a better look and sees that it is her friend Sora.

"Sora!" she exclaimed, yelling to hopefully get the boy's attention.

It was useless as the darkness silenced her voice. Once again some entered her system. Her throat and chest burned slightly. She decided to avoid trying to speak any longer.

She approached Sora's unconscious form and attempted to lift him into her arms. This was not the simple task she assumed it would be. Instead of Sora simply entering her arms, she was shocked. Akira felt powerless and had no idea what to do.

She had no weapon like Sora. There was no exit for them to go through and she was unable to reach Sora. She was completely trapped. As she looked at Sora, she felt relaxed. It merely seemed as though he was resting. In a way, it made her feel like giving in. Slowly her eyes began to shut.