Chapter 11: Peaches to Plums

I think Karen may be the Keyhole to the Door to Light.

Emi read those words over and over again, unable to believe.

She flipped the pages. Naturally, knowing her luck, those were the last words in the journal.

She cursed loudly, knowing Karen wasn't around to stop her and slammed the book shut.

She picked up the book and threw it across the room, throwing herself up out of the chair as she did it.

The door to the house opened, and Emi jerked her face towards the door. She was getting very angry. She hadn't had an outburst like this in a few years. Usually Karen was there to stop it before it go too bad.

Emi felt the familiar burn of blood in her face, her heart thumping in her chest. Her jaw began to ache because it was clamped so tightly shut. Her fingernails dug into her palm, nearly breaking the skin. Her chest felt as if were shrinking from the pent up screams.

Sora, Karen, Riku and the others walked in and witnessed Emi totally lose it. With an animal like snarl she knocked over the things on the table next to her, with a single swipe of her arm. She screamed, and whirled, moving with a punch. She cried out in anger and pain as her fist collided with the wall. The punch dented the wood.

"Emi!" yelled Karen, shocked. Emi whirled again, dropping her injured hand. She narrowed her eyes at the group, and the swung her foot around, connecting with the small table and breaking one of the legs. The table fell, further adding to the mess.

She shot across the room, pulling down everything she got get her hands on.

Karen started running for her.

"Guys, help me!" she said, grabbing Emi's wrist.

Emi easily flung her hand away, very nearly slapping Karen as she did.

Riku was the first to run over to help. Emi twisted away from him, trying to get away.

She swung at him, almost punching his face but Riku grabbed both her wrists and held her.

"What do I do now?" he asked Karen.

"Just wait. This happens sometimes. Just wait, she'll calm down," Karen said, wrapping her fingers around Emi's arm.

Emi struggled against Riku's grasp. She threw her head back and pulled and when he still didn't let go, she stopped struggling as much and looked him in the eye. She was sweating now, and she seemed a little calmer. "Let... let me go," she said. Riku dropped her wrists and Emi stepped back.

Karen pulled on her arm. "What happened?" she asked.

Emi pointed at the journal lying on the floor.

"Everything," she panted. "...everything is... in there."

Karen dropped Emi's arm and walked over to the journal.

"What was THAT all about?" asked Yuffie.

Aerith has gasped and ran over to clean up the mess, followed by Merlin who was complaining about Emi destroying his delicate equipment. Leon looked set to kill and Cid, too.

"Emi can tell you what "that was all about". Tell 'em, Emi," said Karen as she walked.

Emi blushed a deep red and turned her face away.

"No... it's so embarrasing," she said.

"You know you have to though," said Karen, bending to pick up the journal. "It will help you cope with it."

Emi sighed and crossed her arms, hanging her head.

"Okay. Ever since I was little I had these attack things. Sort of like seizures almost. I'll just get so mad and have to just... hit and destroy stuff. When I was younger, they had to basically restrain me because I threw really bad tantrums. As I got older, I would get in trouble for getting into fights, beating people up. After I beat up a store owner about a year ago,I got arrested and now I have... had to go to anger management and therapy, plus I had to be in the city band for community service," she explained.

Everyone looked at her. They didn't doubt it.

Emi stiffened when Karen turned back around to face her, holding the journal open.

"I'm.. I'm sorry," Emi choked. She pushed Riku out of the way and ran to the door.

Riku reached out to grab her arm but she twisted away.

She flew out the door, slamming it behind her.

Karen looked up from reading the first few pages of the journal and said "It's true. She just totally gives in to anger. And she's really strong too, so when she gets mad... she just totally loses it and could hurt some one. When we were younger, I used to have to hold her down, with help from some of the other boys in our class, until a teacher could come."

"That's scary, for a little kid to have to deal with," said Sora.

"Yeah, it was. She was doing really good for a while. She hasn't had a spell like that since she was thirteen and she's almost seventeen now," added Karen, sitting down and continuing to read the book.

Sora and Riku sat down on the little bed.

Aerith had finished cleaning up, and with the help of Merlin, Yuffie and Leon they were trying to fix the broken equipment and table. Cid was at the security computer, checking up on things.

"Oh," said Karen. "This is so sad. Emi's mom died right after Emi was born. And it says here that Ansem... sent her away. Inside the computer... but it says here that it was an exact replica of this place, not Twilight Town, so it still doesn't make much sense."

Sora took the journal from Karen and continued reading.

"Wow," he said. "Karen, listen to this."

He read out loud to the group.

"Today, something very peculiar happened. Two scientists from another world simply appeared quite literally on my doorstep. Their names are Brixey and Jordana Kano and they were studying the links between worlds. They have built a miraculous machine that can transport you to another world. It differs from my own research on the subject. Tomorrow, I will help them study this orld so that they can bring back data to their own world, a place called Traverse Town. They leave in less than a week, howwever. Not much time at all.

Quite unusual indeed..."

"My parents!" cried Karen, bouncing a little. "They were here. They knew Ansem? That's so weird."

"Karen, do you remember this machine Ansem mentioned?" asked Riku, urgently.

Karen thought for a moment. "No, I don't. Nothing."

"I think I know why," said Sora, quietly.

He handed Karen the journal and pointed with one finger to the last entry in the journal.

Karen read it slowly.

It's only been about six months or so since the last time the Kano's appeared at my door. Time has begun to flow so randomly, I can hardly tell as it passes.

The Kano's are in trouble. They have brought their oldest daughter, Karen, to me. She is deathly ill with some unknown disease and no one on their world could understand it. This is all too supernatural as it coincides with some theroies I have been developing on the Keyhole of the Door to Light, and all keyholes.

I think Karen may be the Keyhole to the Door to Light.

In order to fully examine her, I'm going to put her in the same virtual world as my own Emi. I'm hoping that, with this action, Karen's heart will stop trying to defend itself. My theory of why Karen is so ill is that her heart, which contains the keyhole to the Door to Light, is defending itself against all of the darkness in her world.

I fear I may be the cause of some of that darkness,or at least the surge of darkness that put her in the position she's in now. I am asking the Kanos' permission today and after that I will break Karen down into data, place her in the virtual world, alter her memories to avoid complications, and observe her. Hopefully, in a data-based, neutral, false world that Karen will be well again.

The only problem is... what happens when I try and return the girl to her parents? Will the darkness begin attacking her heart once again? Or maybe, in a sterile enviroment, her heart will strengthen and she will be able to fend off these shadows without becoming ill.

"That's... that's all. That's the last page," said Karen, her voice wavering.

She fanned the pages, trying to find something else, those few missing pieces.

She was starting to feel that same hate the Emi did, that contempt of herself for not even knowing her own past.

The desire to want to know know, so bad you could taste it.

And it tasted metallic, of blood, as Karen bit down hard on her tongue to keep from crying in front of all these people.

Sora took the journal she was frantically searching through out of her hands and said "Just stop. We'll figure it all out, somehow. There's still the box and the computer file."

Karen nodded slowly and looked around. "Emi's not back. Someone should go look for her."

"I will," said Riku.

Karen made to protest, but Sora held her back with a hand to the shoulder.

"Stay here with us. You just need to...rest," he said quietly, and nodded at Riku. Riku turned and hurried out of the door.

Sora lead Karen to a chair and made her sit. "This is a lot to take in, okay?" said Sora, kneeling in front of her. He looked up at her as she hung her head, with a gentle smile. Karen smiled sheepishly, but there was nothing of that smile in her eyes.

Sora stood up and patted Karen's shoulder. "Just rest a bit for now. Let's get that box open."

~

Riku stopped outside Merlin's house and looked around. No sign of Emi anywhere.

He took off for the Bailey.

~

Sora picked up the box from where he'd thrown it on the table.

He turned it over in his hands, studying it.

He tossed it to Leon. "What do you think?" he asked.

Leon looked at it. "The lock looks very simple. Possibly we could pick it... hey, Cid?"

"On it," Cid called, pulling a wallet of lock picks out of his pocket and chucking them at Yuffie.

Leon handed the box to the young kunoichi, who plopped onto the floor and started going at it with the picks.

"I'll have this piece of crap open in no time," Yuffie crowed, wrestiling with the picks.

Sora laughed, Leon chuckled and Karen sat quietly. Waiting. Waiting to see just how many more pieces of this puzzle they needed to finish it.

At this point, she just wanted to go home.

She was half-way regretting even coming because of the pain it was causing herself, and Emi.

And she hated making everyone work so hard JUST for her.

~

Riku flew up the steps and called her name loudly.

"Emi!"

No answer as he came to a halt and saw her scurrying down the ruined steps down into the Bailey and making her way towards the restoration site.

She was going to Ansem's study, and he knew it.

"Emi, hey Emi! Wait up, wait for me," he said, racing for her. She turned and looked at him her pale green eyes intense. Burning with a different light than usual. It was that glare that stoped Riku in his tracks. All he could do was watch her run.

~

Emi ran until her legs hurt and she still wasn't there. She finally got to where she wanted to be, the large round pavilion right outside the entrance to the corridors, the Postern. She collapsed against the wall there, her chest heaving. She pressed her nose against the wall and let the pent up sobs escape.

She hadn't cried like in... well, she couldn't remember the last time she had cried so hard, so bitterly.

Her father... abandoned her. Her mother... dead.

Emi wanted to find her father, Ansem, and ask him to explain everything.

She heard footsteps approaching her and sucked in a sob, using the backs of her gloved hands to wipe the tears streaming down her face away. It was Riku, watching her from afar, from where he had stopped about ten feet away. She held back sobs, her body jerking from the hard inhales and exhales.

Riku began to walk towards her again, but Emi hissed "Don't come any closer."

"No, Emi, please. You know I just want to help you out, okay?" said Riku, softly.

Emi sneered. "Back there... when we were in the study... Sora said you spent a lot of time with... with... with him. Where is he? Tell me now."

She was climbing to her feet now, her hands curled into tight fists next to her thighs. Riku didn't want to tell her. "Come on, Emi, let's go back to the house. Karen needs you back there, she's having a hard time."

"STOP TRYING TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT AND TELL ME," screamed Emi, adruptly, flinging her fists.

Riku swallowed. "He's gone... he was trying to collect data from Kingdom Hearts... and there was an explosion. He dissapeared." "Is he dead?" asked Emi, her voice lower and quivering. "I... don't know. I really don't know."

"Riku," moaned Emi, covering her face and stomping a fit as if there was something she wanted to tell him but couldn't. "Is he dead?" she asked again. Riku swallowed again, and held out a hand as if he wanted to comfort her. "...probably, but Emi, Emi, listen to me."

Emi lost it again. She tilted her head back at the sky and screamed, a single keening call that made Riku's heart ache. The scream turned adruptly into a choked sob, and Emi fell to her knees, putting her head on the ground between her knees and covering her ears with her hands.

Riku started to take the few more steps to reach her, but was stopped when he noticed that around Emi was a dark aura. The purplish-black, smoke like substance seemed to come from the ground beneath her. "Oh, god," breathed Riku. "God, no."

Emi raised her eyes. Riku's heart sank when he saw they were no longer pale green, but a deep amber gold.

She stood up, the dark aura swirling around her. She tilted her head, looked at him through new eyes, almost gently. Studying him. But she she blinked, held out an arm and let loose a dark spell that headed straight towards Riku.

Riku cried out and summoned his keyblade, casting a reflect spell before the energy could reach him.

Emi was a totally different being now. She looked at Riku blocking her sudden attack, turned and climbed onto the wall.

Riku's eyes went wide and she dashed to grab her. But he was too slow and she stepped off.

"NO!" he screamed, his hand just brushing against her ankle.

He scrambled to get further over the wall, his eyes searching frantically.

But she was gone. Vanished.

~

It was raining when Riku opened the door to Merlin's house.

It had been down cast all day. Everyone glanced at him, expecting to see Emi standing next to him. They took a double take at the teenage boy standing in the door, water drippng off his hair and eyelashes.

Karen sensed something very wrong, and made to get out of her seat.

Sora grabbed Riku's arm and dragged him inside as Leon closed the door.

"Where's Emi?" asked Karen from the chair.

Riku looked at her sadly.

Yuffie, still fooling with the lock, looked at them.

Cid turned in the stool.

Aerith looked up from comforting Karen with a pat on the shoulder.

Merlin looked over.

Leon stared at Riku.

They all looked at him as he slowly said...

"She's gone."

~

Emi found herself in a very dark, unfamiliar and cold place.

Am I dead?

"No, you are not," said a voice behind her. A man's voice.

Emi felt hands on her shoulders, thumbs brushing against the gentle curves there.

"Hello, princess," whispered the same voice, so close to her ear she could feel his lips moving against her ear.