• Re: Rebirth
    By Viktra Dragomir and AnimeXIII

    Kairi woke up in a heavily wooded area. Her heart immediately started pounding. She was very frightened and longed for her home. "Hello?" Her voice cracked and she tried again. "Hello?" She did hear anything and she pulled her knees up against her defensively.

    A passing warrior, hearing the sounds of a cry for help, turns his head towards a dense part of the forest. Clutching his blade, he races to the source of the cry. Is someone hurt? Riku thought...
    He runs faster...

    Kairi heard a sudden rustling in the forest and quickly stood. "Hello?" She held her arms around her. She looked around quickly trying to pin point where the noise was coming from.

    Riku broke through the foliage. In front of him stood a frightened, young woman. "Are you okay Miss?" Riku let go of his blade, and slowly walked up to the terrified woman.

    Kairi took a couple steps back, and watched him closely when he put away his sword. "I-I don't know where I am." Her voice was quiet and feeble. "Who are you?"

    He approached her slowly. "My name is Riku. I was passing by and heard a cry for help." Riku stretched out his hand. "What is your name? Are you hurt?"

    Kairi stared at his hand then looked up at him. "I...don't think so." She rolled her shoulders and her ivory colored wings tumbled down to the forest floor. "My name is Kairi. I feel fine I just don't know where I am."

    Riku recoils at the sight of Kairi's wings, and draws his blade. "Where did you come from? Are you a monster?" He steps forward slightly...

    Fear shot through Kairi and she stumbled back, tripping on a fallen tree limb and fell. "What? No! I-I don't know how I got here! Please don't hurt me I do what ever it is you want!"

    Suddenly, a swarm of monsters appeared out of nowhere! Some were big and ugly, some were human-shaped. Riku sliced through the two nearest monsters with his sword. The next two, he threw into a tree. Without warning, the last few monsters raced towards Kairi! Purely on instinct, Riku flew towards the swarm and dispatched the swarm with a Thunder Blade spell...

    It all happened so fast that Kairi barely had enough time to scream. Riku had acted quickly and defensively, defending the girl he called a monster. She had pulled her wings tight around her and was now a ball of feathers trembling on the ground, frightened.

    Riku sheathed his weapons and knelt next to Kairi. How could I have been so stupid? he thought. If she WERE a monster, then why was she so afraid? And why was she targeted by these creatures? Riku stretched out his hands and placed them around her shoulders. "I'm sorry for calling you a monster. Are you hurt?"

    Kairi moved the tip of her wing and gazed at him for several moments. "No. But I'm sure I would have been if you hadn't been here." She hesitated before sitting up and letting her wings relax. "T-thank you." Her voice was quiet and timid again. She had fallen into a world that she had no idea existed and this man maybe the only one she could trust...

    Riku helped the maiden to her feet. She felt as light as a feather. "If I may ask, then...Why do you have wings? You say you are not a monster, yet you don't look human either. And why were those creatures after you?"

    Kairi smiled, like it was obvious. "I'm an angel. Not the same as the angels that were once human. I was born one." She looked around at the bodies around her. "I don't know why they were after me. I don't even know how I got here." She said, still looking around before glancing up at Riku.

    "An angel? As in one of the celestial beings?" Riku was taken aback. He had heard stories of how angels were the protectors of The Realm of Heaven, and that they helped to keep balance within his own world. But what is an angel doing on Earth? Riku composed himself with an air of curiosity. "Well, you are on Earth, now. You say you don't remember how you came to be in this place?"

    Kairi nodded. "That's correct. I have no recollection of how I got here or even how long I was unconcious." She smiled and began walking past him, just pacing really. "You are correct. I was inline to be one of the lead guardians. But now that I have fallen, thats the only way to describe it, and who knows if I will even get back home." As she spoke her voice got more and more softer as she began to really think of what everything means for her now.

    Riku felt pity and sorrow for the young deity. He wanted to help, he just didn't know how..."It seems that I was in the right place at the right time. If you will accept it, I offer you my sword. I will protect you and help you to return home, however long it may take." Riku knelt at her feet as a servant would to his master.

    Kairi stared at him, her eyes shocked. "I accept your offer as my guardian until I find my way home." She knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder. "You are very honorable. Thank you, but you don't need to kneel." Her eyes glistened and a loud clap of thunder boomed over head and she jumped, knowing it was a showing of her father's emotion at her absence.

    Kairi jumped, and Riku did not not know why. It's only thunder...Why does she seem frightened of the storm? He stood up and turned his head, noticing a shrine in a nearby clearing. "Come. This storm is going to last a while. We should head for that shrine for shelter from the rain."

    Kairi nodded and followed him to the shelter and sat inside, her wings covering herself to keep her warm. She watched Riku closely for a little while. "Why were you so quick to help me? You could have called me a liar just as easily."

    Riku took off his mask and wrapped it around Kairi to keep her warm. "Well, I choose to believe the good in people. In a world where there is so much strife, it is the only thing that can keep me going sometimes." He took a deep breath, and unstrapped his weapons and laid them on the floor. "Also...You kind of remind me of someone I used to know." Riku took a seat opposite of Kairi, and lowered his head.

    Kairi looked at him. "Oh? Someone close to you? What's her name?" Wait...used to? Surely she isn't dead...do I know her? So many questions swirled in her head, she wanted to find out who this man was...

    Riku didn't respond. Instead, pulled a cloth blanket out of his pack and covered up. "We should get some rest. The monsters won't attack a holy place like this. We'll be safe. We have a long road ahead of us tomorrow." With that, he turned to face the wall and went to sleep.

    Kairi watched him for a long while before going over and kneeling beside him. She let her hands hover over his shoulders. He's troubled. I shouldn't have asked such a personal question so soon. She placed a hand softly on his hair. Please forget that I had mentioned anything. She sat there for a long while as the night grew on and she eventually fell asleep and, without thinking about it, curled up close to Riku, one wing laying loosly over him.