A Lost Clone meets a New Friend.
Replica Kairi didn’t want to admit it but she was beginning to get tired of this damn forest. So far, she had been walking for nearly 10/20 minutes in search for an exit but there wasn’t any at all! It was frustrating her to the point that she was planning to summon Soul Eater and cut her way through the trees and leave by force if necessary.
Letting a groan of annoyance, she just continued on her way. “Trees, trees, trees! Goddamn trees! Ugh, there has to be a way out of this forest! I just know there is!” She yelled in anger before stopping and taking deep breaths to calm down.
One, two, three…
Taking another batch of deep breaths, she was able to calm down and eliminate the frustrations inside of her mind. Then she continued on her way in search of an exit from this damn forest. Sooner if possible…
Though she didn’t admit, the dark section of this forest was starting to give her the creeps. Weird noises coming from the bushes, the cold wind continuing to blow into her body and everything else to be honest. Actually, scratch that – this whole forest was giving her the creeps.
Scratching the back of her head with her gloved hand, she had to wonder why she was sent to this forest instead of the darkness. Did someone revived her in order to control her like how Marluxia and cronies almost did? Maybe it was Roxas or the real Kairi? No, scratch that – the boy with whom she was in ‘love’ wouldn’t have done this and she doubted that her real persona would have a spell or ability powerful enough to revive and send her away.
Whoever send her here was going to pay – big time. He/she would feel the wrath of the copied Soul Eater and perish… provided that she would find the culprit or get out of this creepy place.
Another thing that really bothered her was Kairi – the real Kairi. Why? What was so special about her that she had to remain in the Realm of Light instead of ending in the darkness?
Overcoming her fear of the dark with the help of Roxas? Defeating Ansem and helping Riku close the door in the End of the World? So many possibilities yet there weren’t any answers to the questions in her mind.
Until she stopped walking and placed her gloved hand on her chest. Maybe… It was the real Kairi’s heart. Was that what made her a special case and if so why?
A special heart, perhaps? Something that held both light/darkness together – a twilight? She had no clue…
“A heart with both light and darkness… I wonder if I have one even if it’s a replicated one.” The clone inquired to herself before sighing and shaking her head.
Having a heart with both light and darkness… pfft! What a joke! She wasn’t a real person nor did she have her own identity! She was a simple clone! Nothing more and nothing else.
Dismissing that thought she continued on her way to escape from this forest and learn where in the seventh princes of heart she was exactly. She failed to notice the yellow eyes watching her nor did she notice the figure with the black coat hiding and observing her presence. “Now, Replica Kairi… it’s time to see if you were worth saving from falling into the darkness.” He commented and couldn’t help but chuckle a bit.
The yellow eyes began to move slowly as a couple of growls were overheard much to the black coat’s amusement.
(Later…)
Relief – that’s what was inside her head right now. She had finally made her way out of the darkness section of the forest and found herself in a light one. Luckily, it didn’t affect her nor did it make her heart experience pain since she was still clad in her Dark Mode. While she didn’t enjoy wearing the suit a lot, it was the only way she could remain alive without the light and darkness inside of her clashing and attempting to kill her.
Speaking of that, she was in an area where there was light… why wasn’t it affecting her at all? Some Kind of resistance or a huge amount of darkness in this area? There may be more possibilities but she didn't have a clue on what they were unfortunately. Oh, well… that wasn’t important right now. She was out of the dark and into the light. A relief – even if it was a small one.
Now to continue on her main quest which was to find out what world she was on and determine her next course of action. She took a few steps only to accidentally step on something that felt like liquid. Looking down, she realized it was a mud puddle which had dirtied her boots sadly and made her groan in annoyance.
“Ugh… damn mud.” She commented as she jumped on dry soil and tried searching for some grass to remove the mud. Out of all the patches she could have stepped on, it was a mud puddle. This day wasn’t going out well so far and honestly, she was beginning to think it would get so much worse.
“Come on, there’s got to be a patch of grass to get rid this mud on my boot!” She told herself while looking for that patch.
Nothing unfortunately – just bushes, trees, yellow eyes watching her and more mud- Wait, yellow eyes…? Heartless!?
Forgetting about the mud, she conjured Soul Eater and got into a fighting position. How the hell were the Heartless here? Were they memory-based like in Castle Oblivion? She would soon find out and eliminate them before they caused serious damage.
The yellow eyes that were watching her from the bushes disappeared as growls were overheard. It confused the clone – Heartless don’t growl. Not any Heartless that she had met, of course. The bushes began to twitch as someone or something came out of it.
Replica Kairi was at a loss for words. It wasn’t Heartless that came out… it was wolves made of wood?
“Wooden wolves? That’s… pretty weird.” She commented.
Wooden wolves? That’s what growled at her? A pack of sticks combined together and shaped likes wolves? She expected Heartless or other types of animals… not wood.
Dismissing Soul Eater, she shook her head and was about to leave only one of the wolves to jump in the air and preparing to attack. She sensed it, did a backflip and re-summoned her sword. “Not very friendly, are you?” The clone questioned as the wolves growled at her yet again.
The sight of this made her grin – finally, something to relieve her frustration due to this god-awful day. Flickering her hair, she looked at the wolves before provoking them with her pinky finger. “Come at me, wolfies.” She mocked and prepared for a fight.
One of the wolves charged forward and attempted to bite her only to get slashed in half thanks to the terrifying strength of her weapon. It exploded into small twigs much to the clone’s surprise. That’s her opponent? A bunch of wooden wolves that are weak? Wow, so disappointing… she expected a strong Heartless or something like a ‘Nobody’ but all she got was a weak pack of wolves made from wood.
Now her mood was back to being a ruined one. She was really hoping for something to fix up her frustrations yet it was- Oh, shit! Another one nearly got her yet she jumped back in time, charged forward and immediately destroyed the second wolf.
The third one as expected jumped to attack via the air only for her to block its attack with Soul Eater and knock it back. Charging forward, she slashed it in half and it exploded as small twigs fell to the ground.
Okay, she took it back… the wolves were somewhat proper opponents even if they were weak and weren’t like the Heartless sadly. Aggressive as well…
Dismissing Soul Eater, she looked around the area where the battle took place and then the twigs. What an easy battle… which didn’t fix her mood unfortunately. This day wasn’t going so well.
She sighed before looking down to see if the mud mess was still on her boot. To her relief, it wasn’t. That was something even if it was only minor and left a small brown mark afterwards. With any luck, she could find a clear water patch and remove it. First though – finding a way out. Her primary goal.
Passing over the twigs and moving forward, she failed to notice the remaining pieces of the wooden wolves twitching and gathering together to form a gigantic wolf that began to growl at Replica Kairi and startling her.
Turning around, she gasped in shock when she saw the final twigs connecting together to enlarge the wolf. It growled at her and she couldn’t help but gulp. “Oh, dear…” She commented before stepping back, turning around and starting to run away.
Sadly, the wooden wolf quickly got in front of her and glared at her. She had no choice but to summon her weapon and fight the beast to escape.
The wolf began by trying to chomp her only for her to perform another backflip and land some feet away from the beast. Unfortunately, she couldn’t rest due to her opponent charging forward which was a dumb move on its part. It allowed her to dodge sideways and slash a part of wooden body.
The beast growled in anger and pain before overlooking at the bodysuited clone with pure rage. Turning around, it jumped in the air yet it didn’t land on her at all since she moved back a bit.
Delivering a couple of slashes to its body, she noticed that some of the twigs had dispersed onto the ground which was a good sign. As she was about to do more damage to the wolf, it unfortunately swatted her away which its wooden tail. She crashed into a nearby tree which hurt a little bit but not enough for her to gain a wound or an open cut.
Getting up quickly, she felt a little disoriented yet she shook her head and got up just in time to see the wolf charging at her. Luckily, she dodged out of the way as it crashed into the tree and more twigs were dispersed onto the greenish landscape. The wolf groaned a bit and felt disoriented which allowed her to prepare for cutting it in half.
She jumped in the air and came down just as the wolf regained his orientation. He was about to attack only for her to slash the main part of his body and cut it in half. It moaned before it twitched and exploded into a million twigs.
Replica Kairi landed gently onto the ground and breathed slowly. She then got onto one knee and released tiring breaths. Okay, she takes it back – that wolf was definitely something. Granted, it wasn’t a Heartless but it was something.
Wherever she landed, it was clear that there was more to this world than meets the eye. Something inside told her that she needed to be careful… for her sake.
She stood up slowly and dismissed Soul Eater before continuing on her way in search-
Her walking came to a halt when she heard rustling from a nearby bush. Groaning in frustration, she turned around and resummoned Soul Eater. “Okay, you damn wolves! Knock it off! I’m getting tired of you!” She admitted with an angry look on her face.
“Eeep!” A scared squeal occurred as the bush began to rustle again. The frustrations on the bodysuited girl disappeared and were replaced by a surprised one.
Eeep? That sounded like a squeal… coming from a human or one of the inhabitants! So there was life in this world as well!
“U-ummm… P-please don’t hurt me… I… I o-only wanted to come out so I can i-investigate the sounds. I d-didn’t know someone else was in the Everfree Forest.” The source of the ‘Eeep’ said – it sounded… female.
The Everfree Forest, huh? Interesting name…
“Where am I exactly and who are you?” Replica Kairi inquired as the female source came out from the bush.
It was a young girl with long pink hair and teal eyes. Her attire consisted of a light-yellow t-shirt with pink butterfly decorations, a pair of pink shorts with a chain to hold them and yellow sandals with pink soles. Her accessories consisted of a pink butterfly hair clip and some bracelets.
Needless to say, the clone was at a loss for this… this radiance of light… this beauty. This girl… she was… she was… Replica Kairi shook her head and got back onto the topic at hand.
“Who are you and why were you watching me?” She demanded the answer which startled the girl. She began to shake in fear and it made the clone slap herself in annoyance for that.
Of course, how could she forget? She’s still a creature of the darkness and a carbon fake. No wonder the girl got afraid. Nevertheless, she needed some answers.
Dismissing Soul Eater, she tried again – this time with a little more gentleness. “I… apologize for my rude words. Could we try again please?” She questioned.
The girl stopped shaking yet looked down but nodded nevertheless. “I’m… Fluttershy…” She whispered her name quietly yet the replica didn’t understand it.
“What? Could you repeat that please?” She asked.
“F-fluttershy.” She answered a bit clearer this time.
Fluttershy… what a cute name for a cute girl.
“Right… Fluttershy. Could you tell me where I am – besides this forest?” The clone asked.
Fluttershy was stroking her hair but spoke. “You’re in Equestria – outside this forest lies Ponyville. My home.” She answered.
Ponyville? Equestria? But… Fluttershy was human! Shouldn’t she be a pony or a horse? What kind of world did she find herself in!?
Actually, never mind that… at least she had a name for this world. She won’t die ignorant at all then.
“I see… Do you know where the exit to this forest is? I wish to get out and be on my way.” She asked.
Her question confused Fluttershy a bit. “On your way? Do you have somewhere you wish to be? Maybe I could help you.” She questioned.
That question made Replica Kairi resist the urge to roll her eyes – help her? A fake, a clone of a real person? Yeah, right!
Shaking her head, she looked at Fluttershy and answered. “No thank you… I don’t need help. You shouldn't waste your time trying to help a fake like me.”
Her answer shocked Fluttershy. “How can you say that!? Why would ever call yourself a ‘fake’!? You aren’t anything like that!” She replied.
Replica Kairi began to laugh before it turned into complete sadness. “Because I am! Because I’m not a real person! I’m a clone! A replica! A copy! I was never real!” She admitted.
Fluttershy was horrified upon hearing that and immediately felt sympathy for this ‘clone’ or ‘replica’. “No! You’re not a fake or a clone! You’re real! Nothing more, nothing else! You aren’t a fake – you are your own person!” She declared but her answer made Replica Kairi laugh again.
“Oh, that’s rich! Yeah, feel sympathy for the poor ‘fake’! And then use her as your puppet! Oh, yes! You are so right – I’m so ‘real’! Stop pretending! I told you that I’m not my own person!” She declared.
Fluttershy was shocked once more but then it turned to confusion due to hearing ‘use her as your puppet’. Did something bad happen to this poor thing? “You were used?” She asked.
Replica Kairi nodded in frustration and began to go into a rant. “Yes, I was! They created me to replace my original persona, rewrite my memories, twists my feelings into something comedic, used me to battle Riku, tried to destroy me, broke my memories… everything! I hate it! Everything! I thought that if I could gain some strength, I would be different from the real Kairi! Yet everything remains the same… I’m nothing more than a carbon copy! So, yes! That’s what I am – a copy, a fake, a replica!” She finished with a relieved look due to wanting to release everything about her life outside.
But yet… all it did in the end was make her more depressed and without any purpose whatsoever. “I’m not someone to be pitied… nor do I want any sympathy. I’m just a fake and that’s all I’ll ever be. Please… just point me to the exit and leave me… actually, I’ll find it myself. Sorry to bother you, Fluttershy.” She apologized.
Just as she was about to take a step however, she was stopped by Fluttershy holding her hand very tightly. “Stop. Now.” She demanded in a serious tone.
Replica Kairi didn’t bother listening and instead attempted to pry her hand off Fluttershy’s yet she couldn’t. “Let me go! I don’t want any sympathy!” She once again reminded only for Fluttershy to embrace her into a hug much to the surprise.
The clone tried to pry herself off Fluttershy by force if necessary yet it wasn’t working. “Didn’t you hear me!? I said let me-”
“Enough!” She ordered in a stern motherly tone as Replica Kairi eventually relented and sighed.
Might as well hear out what Fluttershy has to say.
“I’m not letting you out of my sight no matter what.” Fluttershy told her plainly to which Replica Kairi glared at her. “I’ll hurt you if you don’t let me leave.” She warned.
Surprisingly, Fluttershy wasn’t unfazed by her threats. “Go ahead and hurt me… but I won’t care. So long as I can help you, I don’t mind at all.” She told her.
The clone was surprised by her answer. “Did you not hear me at all? I possess a dangerous sword in my arsenal that can injure and cut through any types of opponents! You should be scared!” She told her.
Fluttershy shook her head. “No… I’m not. Do you want to know why? Because right now I want to help you and save you from your pain.” She answered calmly.
The clone in response just laughed. “I don’t need help from anyone! I’m a fa-” She couldn’t finish due to Fluttershy putting a finger on her lips. “No! Not another mention of that word!”
Replica Kairi stared at her in disbelief as Fluttershy continued to speak. “I don’t care if you are a ‘fake’ or ‘clone’. I don’t care if you were used as a ‘puppet’. I don’t care if you don’t deserve ‘sympathy’… what I care is helping you cope with the pain.”
In response to that, the bodysuited girl laughed. “Cope with the pain? How do you expect that to happen, huh?” She asked in disbelief.
“No matter how… I will help you.” She replied in a firm tone which annoyed the clone and caused her to reply in an annoyed tone. “I don’t need sympathy! Especially from you!”
“Clearly you do! You are suffering so much right now… and to be honest – hearing all the things that had happened to you makes me want to do my best… to help you.” Fluttershy told her yet Replica Kairi was in disbelief. “Why? Would you risk helping out a fake like me when I don’t need help?” She questioned.
Fluttershy released her and then held her hand gently while smiling. “Because… I don’t see a ‘fake’ right in front of me. I see a brave girl who fought what she believed in – regardless if she was used or not. You’re not a ‘clone’ or a ‘fake’ – not in my eyes. You are your own person and you have your own identity.” She answered.
Replica Kairi was in disbelief again. “I keep telling you that I’m not-” She couldn’t answer due to Fluttershy looking at her straight in the eye. “Don’t bother with the bad part of your past and treasure the good moments that you had – even if you did have some of your memories broken. Regardless if you were used as a pawn or not, I bet that there were some people who saw you as a different being. Think of them and forget all the bad things that happened.” She advised the clone.
That… was actually good advice. Come to think of it, even with false memories she did have one person/friend that at least cared for her – Roxas. Unlike the rest of the Organization, he cared for her. He… and Riku as well.
All of this made her sigh. “But still… why would you help me? I don’t feel anything since I have a replicated heart. Why would you risk helping me?” She questioned.
Fluttershy smiled gently. “Because I want to… and it’s the right thing to do. I’ll help you out no matter what. My parents always taught me this: Help out anyone at any time as best you can, Fluttershy. It’s the right thing to do… - Right now, you are clearly suffering and I wish to save you from making a very bad mistake. So, please – let me help you.” She extended a hand for the clone to grab.
Replica Kairi was truly at a loss – having just woken up in the darkest part of the Everfree Forest only to battle wooden wolves and then meet a girl that wants to help her. What was her world coming too?
Why would Fluttershy do this… the clone explained that she wasn’t a real person. Just a clone of the original Kairi yet the pink-haired girl didn’t care if that was the case or not. She wanted to help her… to help out a clone that didn’t need any sympathy or care. So, why? Why was she doing this?
And then… she sensed something… something bright inside of Fluttershy… a heart so pure and untouched by the darkness. A pure light… just like Riku and by a small coincidence – Roxas.
Was this why she awoke in Equestria? To discover this pure light and meet it? It had to be a coincidence… maybe there was another reason why she was sent to this world.
But the more she sensed the light in Fluttershy, the more convinced she felt that this was the case. A pure light… to protect and defend from the darkness. Just like… Roxas.
All of sudden, Replica Kairi felt like she wanted to stay here and defend Fluttershy – protect her, save her… just like how she would do with Roxas back at Castle Oblivion.
She had made her decision. “Alright… Fluttershy.” She grasped the pink-haired girl’s hand gently, smiled and replied. “I’ll… accept your help.”
Fluttershy felt relieved upon hearing that and hugged the clone. “Thank you… I promise you that I will help you out no matter what. Even if it kills me, I’ll help you.” She assured her.
For some reason, being hugged by Fluttershy made Replica Kairi feel warm and calm. She returned the hug before letting go. “Alright… I’ll hold you to that.” She told her.
Fluttershy smiled again before confusion appeared on her face. “Ooh, shoot! I never did get your name. I apologize for that.” She admitted.
The clone raised her hand. “It’s fine. Anyways… I remember telling you that I was created as a ‘replica’ and that my borrowed features belonged to a girl called Kairi. They called me the Kairi Replica or Replica Kairi.” She answered with Fluttershy nodding.
“I see… it would be weird of me to call you a ‘replica’ so instead I’ll just call you Kairi. Remember that as of right now, you’re your own person – not a clone.” Fluttershy reminded her as the clone nodded.
“Right.” She replied – it wouldn’t be easy since she was still considered a carbon copy or a fake but she would try her best to forget about that… for Fluttershy’s sake.
“Good… also, I know that I’m not the one to question your fashion choices but is there any way you can remove your weird ‘outfit’? It could attract some very unpleasant questions – especially if we enter town.” Fluttershy told her yet the clone just chuckled sadly.
“I wish that I would… yet this suit is keeping me alive, I’m afraid. My creator built a failsafe for me – if I’m not wearing my Dark Mode, light and darkness will clash inside my replicated heart and in the end, I’ll perish for good.” She answered.
Fluttershy gasped in shock at this revelation – the poor thing. Her shock turned into anger towards the creator of Kairi – if she ever found him, he would be in a deep world of pain. How dare he do this to her?
“I understand… very well, Kairi. I apologize for my question since I can tell that its very hard for you.” Fluttershy apologized once more.
“It’s fine… so, where do we head now?” The clone asked with Fluttershy answering immediately. “My house which is located at the entrance to the Everfree Forest. Some rest and food will do you good, Kairi.”
Rest and food, huh? She honestly didn’t mind that.
“Very well… lead the way.” Kairi told her.
Fluttershy grasped her hand gently and the two soon began walking towards the exit of the forest. Inside her mind though, Replica Kairi was still wondering if this was a good idea or not:
Should she really do this? Accept help from this person whom she had just met? What if this was one of the Organization members? What if this was still Castle Oblivion? What if her memories were broken yet again?
No… impossible. This place was real and the pure light inside Fluttershy’s heart was as real as it could get. She wasn’t fit to be a member of the Organization nor did she seem like the kind of person to join their ranks. So far, she was acting very gentle and caring… like how Roxas was.
Hmmm… maybe… she could help her… maybe she could give her the purpose that she was looking for her in her entire fake existence. It was worth a try.
Something told her that she was going to enjoy being with Fluttershy and accepting her help. Plus, she had just made a new friend…
…A friend. She could really use one right now… maybe there was one already… maybe it was Fluttershy.
As both individuals continued out of the Everfree Forest, they were unaware of the same black coat that was over watching them by leaning on a tree. Though his face was covered by the hood, he was somewhat amused by the outcome.
“Well, guess icy prince Vexen’s little project didn’t seem to be a total failure. I’m gonna have so much fun and study with this. Time to see what you are made of, Replica Kairi.” He declared before teleporting away to an unknown location.