Across the Stars
by Teller of Chronicles
Disclaimer Info- Kingdom Hearts, Chain of Memories, and Kingdom Hearts 2 do not belong to me. Neither do Stargate (SG-1 and Atlantis), Final Fantasy 7, Rurouni Kenshin, or any other copyrighted material in the story.
Chapter 1- Time
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"Have you ever met him?"
"No. Why?"
"The reports from Castle Oblivion have finally been decrypted. They say he looks just like you. I myself can vouch for it, having fought him once at Hollow Bastion before. Are you sure you don't know him?"
"I am not aware of any relation between me and a keyblade wielder. There is no way we could be related."
"No, no. Of course not. Speaking of Castle Oblivion, they're interested in it. They're sending an important member there."
"The Silent Hitokiri's group is tracking him?"
"Them. The great king Mickey is bringing his lapdog there. I'm not sure how he survived his fight with you."
"Likewise, I was sure I got rid of him before destroying our old base."
"Don't worry. I'll take care of them for you. Meanwhile… Roxas."
"Yes, my lord?"
"Bring your fleet to the set location. We're taking Hollow Bastion."
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In Castle Oblivion, a figure in a red cloak stood by a window, staring out over the plains surrounding the building. His eyes stared at the dark skies with shining stars, as his mind wandered to the events of the recent years.
He was pulled from his contemplations by the sound of wind blowing through the citadel he stood in. Turning, he watched as an egg of darkness materialized from thin air, weaving itself into the corner of the room. He continued to watch with indifferent eyes as another figure with fiery hair stepped out of the shadows, this time wearing a black cloak.
The newcomer cast off his hood, allowing his hair to blow in the breeze as he stared at the first figure. He allowed a brief grin to appear, before dropping on bended knee before the first figure, waiting for him to speak.
The man in red sighed before speaking to the man before him.
"Axel, what brings you here? I thought you were with Zexion."
"He's resting right now. I'm here to report that our monitors indicate an increased activity within the room. They're waking up. The five years are drawing to a close now."
"I see. Axel, my friend. You're very tense. What else troubles you?"
"I'm worried that the barrier will fall prematurely sir. We didn't expect such a large build up of forces over the years."
"Don't worry about that, it will hold. I have taken precautions to ensure that it will prevail. In the mean time, we need to make preparations for the arrival of our guests. Please make it urgent. I cannot predict when the Order will land forces to try and capture Sora."
"Understood, I will let Zexion know immediately. Who are we expecting?"
"The king, and his friend."
"Oh, I was thinking someone else. Hey, speaking of the king, do you think he'll recognize you, DiZ? Or should I call you-"
"Don't call me by that name yet! It's been defiled by that creature. If 'creature' is even the correct label for it. Anyways, do not dare call me by that name, Axel. Until I take down the rest of the Order, I cannot redeem the name."
"Heh. I understand. But it's quite ironic really. The King of Radiant Garden originally dived into darkness but now, he's fighting it."
A sigh was heard, and Axel lifted his face in surprise to look at DiZ. He couldn't see DiZ's face, but the indifference in his eyes had cracked, showing a hint of worry.
"Axel, do you think we can stand a chance?"
"Of coure DiZ. I still believe in my king's ability to protect his people."
"Yes, I hope that Mickey will send Riku and Sora away when the Heartless come."
"Now you've lost me."
"Sora and Riku hold the very key to the survival of this universe. Even if Mickey falls to the Heartless, Sora will still get his key, because his heart has grown stronger. It's strong for such a young boy. Anyways, times are going to get rough. I have a feeling that since there's fewer Order members left, they're going to send the lower ranking members to try and beat Sora and Riku first."
"Makes sense. The Superior wouldn't want to risk his life on them. Then one of the first will be Resxeth. That may be a hard battle for them, you know? Sending one of the stealthier ones? Disregard the fact she's really new, she's still an enemy to take seriously."
"I have faith in their abilities. Besides, depending on how quickly Sora and Riku lock the worlds, you and Zexion will have an easier time hiding. Although how you'll explain surviving the fight with me will be interesting. You recall your 'death', right?"
"Yea, don't remind me of that. If I could feel pain, I would still be screaming. Let's go get Zexion now, shall we? It seems like it's time for the party to get started."
Axel rose, and with a quick nod to DiZ, turned back, and walked into the warp, sending him back to where he came from.
DiZ started to walk before he turned back to the field.
"Indeed. It is time for fate to run its course. The past decades have led up to this conflict. For such events to be forced upon such young men… fate is indeed a cruel mistress. Sora, Riku, I will monitor your growth and help you as you need."
With that, he turned and walked out the door of the room, into the shadows of the hallway.
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Sephiroth stared around, and could do nothing but mentally groan, a gloved hand trying to massage away what he hoped was a hallucination. He had been visiting Hollow Bastion for the past year, scouring through the library of Ansem the Wise for information.
Nothing violent about it, and after what he had been through, that seemed like a welcome escape. So off he went, bidding good-bye to his travel mates of five years, and setting off to Hollow Bastion. The year had passed by pretty peacefully, other than the occasional ruffian trying to steal his only possession, his sword.
And then, there was a simple case of Murphy's Law at work. He had been hoping for no fighting during his stay at the bastion, but where was he? The number one dangerous world in that area of the galaxy. Rumors (coincidentally, these rumors were what drew him to the city) had it that the Heartless had originated on that world.
Subconsciously, he knew that he would face some resistance sooner or later. That's why he had brought his trusty nodachi. What he hadn't been expecting was a full-fledged army to come crashing down from the sky all of a sudden, a flying armada punctuating the sudden return of the Heartless.
The reaction from the city was immediate. The residents who had returned after the keyblade master had his merry adventure through the citadel some six years ago immediately started implementing evacuation procedures. Namely, to run and hide wherever they could. Having no defense, they turned to the only armed person in the entire population. Him.
And so, here he was, standing in front of the gate that went around the city. Just him and his sword… versus a couple hundred thousand- no wait, make that nearly a million Heartless of all variations.
Convinced that the dull rumble was from the approaching army and not a pounding headache, Sephiroth slowly checked his equipment and preparing himself mentally. As the Heartless drew nearer, they slowed down, staring at the single silver-haired obstacle before them.
With a sudden roar, Sephiroth lashed out, catching the first row of Heartless by surprise. He danced his way under flying projectiles and blades, his single wing unfurling as he continued to cut a swathe in the sea of black.
And thus began the Battle of Hollow Bastion.
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AN- So. Revised chapter 1. Hope it's better.
Reviews would be great. Flames are welcome, because I won't pay much attention to pointless flame. If it's a critique however, those are more than welcome.
Hopefully this revised version will set the tone better, and of course the time. Well, the overall tone, minus the ending bit with Seph. That, I wrote late at night, so I tried to add in a bit of dry humor. I'm betting that failed.
After revising some things for… later plot points, I realized that I would have to edit these older chapters.
As I said in my profile, I'll probably continue working, albeit a lot slower. I'll try to improve my quality, but I can't guarantee too much, being bad with language.