Forward Notes: This story was written as a prologue to help my friends better understand my idea for another story. However I could continue this story very easily, if people want me too. This is set after Chain of Memories but before the end of Kingdom Hearts 2. It is based on my own theories and ideas, so if it seems a bit off, that's why.
Guardian of Heart: Prologue
"The heartless are multiplying faster than we could have ever expected. At this rate it will take longer for us to confront Ansem."
Sora turned to his comrades. Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith all stood in the room he occupied. Leon was in his usual spot against the wall, Yuffie sat in her chair, and Aerith on the railing of the balcony. What was supposed to become a small mission had turned into a two year quest, and a continuing one at that. At every turn they confronted Ansem, he would appear to be somewhere else; thus the endless assaults of mirages continued. No matter where they turned, Ansem was somewhere else to sneer at them, make jests, and mock them.
"The Keyblade is becoming a useless weapon." Leon addressed. He folded his arms across his chest in the manner in which he always did, staring at the wall opposite to him. "The stronger new breeds of the Heartless are slowly becoming immune to its power; generation by generation."
"And yet what other weapon do we contain to fight back at them, Leon?" Aerith questioned, standing and returning to the room in which they all stood in. "All of our weapons – they are slowly becoming obsolete as well."
"Basically Leon is saying that eventually we will be powerless against the Heartless." Yuffie muttered under her breath. "And he is right. Every new generation – every new spawn – of heartless learn on where the previous failed. They aren't dumb, that is for sure."
"The newer generations cause more and more worlds to fall, and less people to fight against them." Leon closed his eyes, running his finger over the scar that had been cut into him years before. "There must be an answer out there in one of the worlds."
"Unless the answer had already been destroyed when the heartless took over; it is possible that Ansem knew this and it was one of the first worlds that he laid waste to." Areith contemplated. "There maybe some clues scattered across."
"You mean, as in the report that Ansem compiled and was lost?" Yuffie asked. "Sora has collected most of that report, and there are no clues in it."
"That is because that was studying what the heartless where and how they are made, not how to defeat them." Sora spoke for the first time, coming over and laying the Keyblade onto the table top. He turned to them. All the key chains that he had collected over the years within various worlds had been proven worthless, one by one; even the key chain that Kairi had made for him – the Oath keeper- had proven that eventually the Heartless could outsmart it.
"Where are your companions, Sora?" Leon asked, looking at the young man through the corner of his eyes. Sora glanced at him in return.
"They returned to their world to check in on the Queen and her Lady in Waiting." Sora answered. "Why?"
"I may have an answer to our dilemma." Leon replied. He shifted his glance to Aerith, saying an unsaid sentence. Aerith nodded, and looked to Sora. Sora's gaze switched between the two before resting on Aerith, asking her a question.
"There was a legend written in the many books of Hollow Bastion, Sora." Aerith explained. "As you know Kingdom Hearts it the world in which all hearts are born, and return to when the life of a person is ended. After you defeated Ansem for the first time and the door was closed by yourself and the King, no one truly knows if the land that lies beyond that door was Kingdom Hearts, or if the Kingdom itself moved."
"You are the bearer of the Keyblade. It chose you to protect it, to guard it, and to use its powers to save worlds from being corrupted." Leon continued. "That Keyblade also will open the true door to the kingdom of hearts when the time is right. But that time may not come until the heartless have been brought to a fair number."
"But there are several doors." Yuffie spoke, seeing where Leon and Aerith's tale was headed. "No one is sure where the true door is that leads to Kingdom Hearts, so the door that you closed with the King maybe just one of several doors that lead to Kingdom Hearts."
"What do you mean several doors?" Sora asked. "Are you saying that there is more than one door that leads to Kingdom Hearts?"
"No one is certain what Kingdom Hearts truly looks like." Leon spoke. "It is rumored to be very in depth, having layers upon layers, sanctions upon sanctions. If that is true then there are several doors to Kingdom Hearts…and, the true door is the door that will lead to the center of the kingdom. That is what Ansem is after, that one door that will lead him to the center of the light."
"In a tale that was written in one of the books, there are guardians of the doors that lead to the layers of the kingdom." Aerith explained, sitting down again in a small chair beside Yuffie. "They are guarded by sets of the most purist beings, the ones that are the pure light with no darkness within their hearts – these are the ones that keep the darkness out of the kingdom. It was written that it was these beings that made the Keyblades – keys that would unlock the doors or lock the doors to the world's hearts. The Keyblades would choose hearts beyond the realm of the kingdom that would bear and protect them. Like knights that protect the kingdom."
"What about the Princesses of Heart then?" Sora asked. "They were needed to open the 'final door' that lead to where Kingdom Hearts was, wasn't it?"
"The Princesses of Heart are like another security measure." Yuffie explained. "Just like the Keyblades. The Princesses are females that have pure hearts born into the worlds. It's kind of like the guardians being born into humans; but in doing that they have the risk of their hearts being removed or corrupted, just like a normal person. The Princesses of Heart only opened the door that was in Hollow Bastion."
"So then Ansem only opened one door to Kingdom Hearts, one layer of the kingdom." Sora concluded. "What happened to the guardian of that door, if this tale is true?"
"It is possible that the Princesses of Heart were the guardians of that door." Aerith speculated. "If the door that Ansem opened and you sealed was the first door to Kingdom Hearts, then you would want to make it difficult to open the first door, so there were the seven pieces to open it. But the door is sealed now, so Ansem would try to open other doors to gain access."
"How are we going to stop Ansem from opening other doors? You said so yourselves that the Keyblade and other weapons are becoming ineffective to the Heartless, so now what?" Sora challenged them.
"I have a plan." Leon looked at Sora, standing from his position from the wall. "You travel to a door that leads to Kingdom Hearts and gain aid from the guardian of that door. They are beings made of pure light, and Ansem's heart is trapped within pure darkness. The guardian can use his or her power to purify his heart and send him to the place he desires with no darkness."
"The guardians may or may not give you aid, Sora." Aerith warned. "With the bombardment of the lower sanction of Kingdom Hearts, they may not want to give out the people they need to save it. It is worth a try however, and if they will not give you aid in the shape of a personage, they may give you aid through a new weapon or upgrade to the Keyblade."
"How am I supposed to go about finding this door, or a door?" Sora asked. "We were only able to find the door the first time due to the Princesses, and they didn't even know they were Princesses of Heart until the end."
"I remember that only a few of these doors had been listed." Aerith answered. "The door in Hollow Bastion was one of those, they discovered it years before Ansem had come into power as King. I believe they said that there was a door in another Kingdom. Perhaps where King Mickey comes from there is a door- if so then you'll need to pass through trails to get through that door before reaching the white pearly doors, Sora."
"We will speak with Cid about preparing your Gummi Ship, come on." Yuffie motioned him to follow.
Sora made his way to the depths of the Castle. The large clank and clicking signaled that the doors leading to this place were closed and lock. Sora had fought with many hours with Donald and Goofy over the subject of requesting help from a guardian, both saying that it could be life threatening. Sora replied that the quest he was on was always life threatening, and so this small addition and attempt meant nothing to him. Donald argued that no one knew what would happen during this attempt, and that Sora could die, then there would be no Keyblade bearer. Sora had reminded him that there was always more than one Keyblade bearer – if something happened to him, they would simply need to find the other bearers.
That argument meant nothing now. Sora knew that if he was to convince the guardian of the door to aid him, he would need a clear mind with no doubts. His feet made soft thuds as he walked down the towering staircase, occasionally stepping into water puddles or the moss that was growing within the walls and stones. It was dark; the only light coming from the top of the chamber, reflecting on the metal that Sora's outfit was adorned in. But as the young bearer delved deeper into the chamber, the less the reflection of light was. Sora found it rather symbolic of his current stage on his quest – perhaps there was a reason for it, perhaps not.
After what seemed like hours of stepping down, Sora found no more steps. He walked forward, stretching his arms a few inches to feel around him for there wasn't any light. He continued forward, blindly feeling the walls around him. He felt the softness of the moss, and its wetness, the hardness of the brinks, and the dents in which they were crumbling at. He reached what seemed like a dead in, and fingered around for something that would lead him on the next step.
Sora felt the Keyblade gently pulsing at his side. He grabbed it by its handle, holding it up and looking at where the tip would be. The darkness was everywhere; he could not even see the nose on his face or his bangs. The Keyblade's pulses strengthen until it was shaking his arm, and eventually his whole body. He stretched his hand forward to lean against the wall before him so that the pulses would not knock him over. Yet as he reached for the wall he felt himself falling forward in the darkness.
Sora closed his eyes, trying to summon the magic to fly so that his plummeting would slow to a safe rate. All of his attempts were in vain. He finally just let himself fall, allowing whatever to happen. He would face it head on. Suddenly he stopped; the coldness of the darkness was replaced with the feeling of warmth. He opened his eyes, being temporary blinded from the flood of white that entered into his dilated eyes. He slowly opened them again, the pain lessening as his ocean blue eyes adjusted to the light change. There he stood in what seemed a grand place, marble pillars and floor, golden trimming that outlined the details in the marble. He looked down at his feet, and there was a heart etched into the marble with long beautiful wings. He knelt down and traced the details of the heart with his fingers, trying not to smudge the natural oils on the ethereal marble.
The heart started to glow as his fingers left the heart. A pillar of light in the shape of it extended to the ceiling, and glitter sparkles showed within the light. Sora felt himself being lifted up, glancing down at the heart below him he saw it becoming farther and farther away. He felt himself drop, and land on his feet gently. The light shot out around him, and the glitter and sparkles fell to the ground, disappearing on contact. He now found himself on a circular platform of marble, a golden railing around it. Sora looked around him at the never ending white surrounding.
Bearer of the Keyblade, for what reason do you come unto us in this hour of peril? Spoke a voice that echoed. It was a deep voice – perhaps that of a man of elder.
"I am here to gain your aid in this time." Sora said, but his voice did not echo. Instead it sounded rather small in the vast void of white. "The Heartless will soon be to strong for the weapon that chose me; I require more than I have to defeat Ansem."
The Keyblade is tremendous power for the purpose that you were given. You have brought it upon yourself to destroy Ansem, when that was not the mission that we had given unto you. You are to seal the world's hearts and to defeat the heartless in the way of your mission. The voice of the man rumbled.
He said that they were overcoming the power of the Keyblade; do not mistake our enemy for that of a mere child. Came the voice of an adult woman, strong yet gentle. We all knew that within time someone would be able to over power the Keyblade.
In order to defeat Ansem we must purify his heart. Another voice spoke, this time a younger man with a strong attitude. The Keyblade was not meant for such a task.
And the Keyblade's bearer is meant to do just as the Keyblade was designed and created for. The voice of the older man returned. Sora looked around the void to find the source of the personages that he heard.
But yet this boy is not just a bearer of a Keyblade. Spoke the woman.
The boy before us is the Guardian of one of the Princesses, the keys to unlocking a door to our realm. Therefore he gains the responsibility of protecting the doors and the Princess as well. The power he desires is not for him, but to do the task given unto him. Hear him! Shot the fiery young voice.
Sora felt a chill run up his spine as quiet filled the void. He looked around him, hoping to make eye contact with who he was speaking to. "You're right, I can't complete the task of guarding Kairi and the keyholes on my own. With the Heartless multiplying and the worlds one by one disappearing, it's becoming to large of a task."
Then we shall simply awake another Keyblade bearer. Spoke the elder man.
It will take too long to train yet another Keyblade bearer. The woman informed them. Already have several of our Keyblade bearers fallen, if yet another was to fall then a new bearer must take the place of two, an ungodly task to ask a mortal to bear two Keyblades.
Then what do you suggest we do? The elder man asked.
"Aid me." Sora shouted before any of the others responded. "Grant me a power to purify Ansem's heart, to be able to stop the source of the madness that the Heartless are unleashing."
Granting said power maybe too much for a mortal. Even for one that bears a Keyblade and guards a Princess. Spoke the young man. You are requesting a far greater power than yourself.
What power do you ask of? The woman asked Sora.
Sora turned to where the woman's voice seemed to originate. "A guardian's aid….the aid of a guardian that watches over the doors to the kingdom." There were hushed whispers, more voices than the three that had spoken. "If this is an impossible task than give me something to make the Keyblade stronger!"
In time they will overcome the new strength to the Keyblade as well, there is no point in doing such a thing. Spoke the elder man. The guardians of the doors have no body, they are just hearts. To grant this request of yours would require you to share your body with the said guardian.
There are no true known side effects to what you request of us. Spoke the woman. To share a body with a being of pureness will open you both to threats. The said person maybe corrupted by the darkness of the heart; your body may not be able to handle the power of the said personage.
"I will do what I have to do in order to do this!" Sora shouted over the whispering.
In doing this your existence will depend on one another. Spoke the young man. If one dies the other will die, you two's hearts will be tied, both struggling as a normal mortal does….I am unaware of any such person among us that would risk such a thing.
"You would rather risk the survival of your kingdom?" Sora shouted.
There was a still silence.
If…it is the only way, then it must be done. The elder man's voice came.
Sora looked down in front of him as a small glow appeared. It took the form of a small girl. Her hair was long and flowed past her dress, scattering onto the floor. Its color was a light golden brown, shining in the light. Her eyes were like rusted bronze, shining but dark at the same time. She looked up at Sora, a smile on her face as she floated up to his eye level, and that was when he noticed the two large pearly wings that sprouted from her shoulders outwards.
This is a younger guardian who has agreed to help you in your cause, Bearer. The woman's voice came. Her name is Verdal, or that is the name that the mortals may know her as. Take care of her young Bearer, and she will take care of you.
Sora extended his hand to her. The small girl took his hand gently and smiled, hugging him. Sora watched as she disappeared into him as she hugged him, then a slight pain came to his head. He bent down on his knees, holding his head as the pain built up before releasing a large amount of it through his body, knocking him off his feet. Sora felt himself falling again, but as he fell his body stopped. He blinked and bent head back, seeing nothing keeping him up. Then a feather floated down and he moved his eyes up, seeing Verdal upside down from him. She smiled at him, her wings extended out and around them. Sora lifted his eyebrow in confusion while the little girl laughed.
I like you, Keyblade Bearer, you are entertaining and kind. Tell me, what is the name you go by? Verdal asked.
"My…name is Sora, Verdal." Sora smiled at her, watching as she sat up and motioned for him to do the same. Sora sat up, turning himself around to face her as if he were using the flying spell. Verdal smiled back at him.
Sora…she said, trying the name for the first time. I like that name, it is strong yet gentle, proud and yet humble. You are a very interesting person, Sora, I will enjoy spending time with you.
Sora smiled and nodded. "And I think we'll become good friends as well, Verdal."