Destati
by fatalfeline
Chapter 1: One Stormy Night Long Ago
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but I do own a few characters that appear in this story.
A storm clouded the night, allowing only a few shafts of moonlight to shine through in ragged patches. The rain fell hard, drops catching the moonlight to glint silver-white. The water attacked the normally peaceful neighborhood. However, all was not peaceful this evening; even the birds could tell that something was amiss.
A wide road cut between the rows of quaint houses. On the side of this road stood a small figure, a little girl the age of four, being soaked to the bone. She was just a silhouette, no more than a shadow, but you could see some of her features with the occasional flash of lightning.
Through the raging weather came the sounds of people walking across the pavement. A small group of men appeared, dressed in long black cloaks. A hood covered each of their faces. The one in the lead had a slightly tattered red cloth hidden beneath his hood, a shred of which was showing, that fluttered in the icy winds.
"Master, do you think it wise to travel the streets in this time of night in this kind of weather?" asked a hooded man beside the leader.
"Even, we have guards with us. We are perfectly safe," he assured the younger man.
Even shook his head and said, "But you've only just become the king. And if anything happened to you, your sister would banish us all!" The surrounding men nodded in fearful agreement.
"Do not question my-" The man was cut off by what he saw before him.
Right in front of him stood the small child, now saturated with cold water and fear, holding tightly onto a soaked teddy bear. She was looking down, causing her long raven-black hair to conceal her eyes.
"Are you all right?" he instantly said, dropping to his knees in front of her.
"Master!" protested Even. His outburst was ignored.
"Are you all right?" he repeated, more concerned at her lack of response. This time he set a gloved hand on her tiny shoulder. Her head snapped up, revealing large, empty hazel eyes. She blinked several times as if coming out of a trance. Suddenly, she leaned forward and clenched onto him tightly.
"Please help!" she begged, pointing to a small house to one side of the street. "Mommy won't wake up!" She started sobbing, salty tears mixing with the water already covering her face. The leader turned to face Even.
"Go inside," he ordered urgently. Even and several of the men hastily entered the house the girl indicated. He slowly pushed the clinging girl away from himself. In the rain the girl seemed pathetic and desperate for help. He hesitated several times but eventually he removed the hood from his face his hood and drew the red cloth out of his coat. It was a very long, broad scarf. He started wrapping it loosely around the shivering child, and she looked up to see his face for the first time.
He was in his late twenties, although his deep voice made him sound older. Bright yellow eyes were eternally held in a look of command, wisdom, and regality, and his slightly pointed ears clearly showed status. He also had light blonde hair that came down to his shoulders. Once the girl was covered up enough that she wouldn't freeze, he stood straight and hurriedly pulled his hood back over his head.
They waited for a while, the girl never flinching at the occasional booms of thunder. She occasionally sobbed, but otherwise had resumed her trancelike state. She was careful to be close to the man.
"What's your name, mister?" she asked out of nowhere. Before he could answer, Even and the others returned. When Even glanced in the girl's direction, he was gripped by sudden shock. He motioned at the cloth around the girl, stunned into silence.
"Don't question my judgment. Report," the leader said sternly. Even whispered the report to him, hoping to hide the news from the girl's ears. She made no effort to eavesdrop, but was able to distinguish a few words. She hardly understood any of them, especially "murdered" and "investigation". The man nodded glumly when Even had finished.
"You are going to come with us, child," he said to her, holding out a gloved hand. She stood there for a moment, staring at her house mournfully, before she grabbed his hand with her small one. They walked away from the neighborhood and into town. They passed by all of the closed shops until they walked up the stairs through the Bailey and to the front gates of the castle. The grand structure was one of Radiant Garden's greatest wonders. The gates opened silently, and they entered the castle itself. The entrance hall was warm, the velvety crimson carpeting a welcome respite to the girl's bare feet.
"This is my home," the man explained to her as he unzipped his cloak and handed it to a white-clad servant. Another servant came to take the now-soaked scarf off of the little girl. A maid arrived to get the girl cleaned up when the man remembered something.
"Oh, I have forgotten my manners. My name is Ansem," he said, bowing deeply.
She grinned at him, her hazel eyes sparkling with renewed hope. "I'm Okari."
