Dear Readers,
Welcome, to the second installment of the World Tree Series: Kingdom Hearts: Darker Dream Distance.
As the title states, this is a rewrite of Kingdom Hearts: 3D, and unlike the previous story, it will be 25 chapters long, and will lead up to the next adventure in the 3rd installment. If you are coming from the FF search engine, may I recommend you start with #1 in the series. Otherwise, you may be a bit lost, seeing as this is a series, and the stories carry over into one another.
In Kingdom Hearts: Cypher it is mentioned at the end of the final chapter that Sora, and Riku were being considered for the Mark of Mastery, and because of that, Master Yen Sid needed to consider what to do if he decided to go forth with the plan of the duo gaining their Mastery Marks. This is the follow-up to that final thought in ch.16 of Cypher.
If you have any questions:please PM me. It makes it easier for me to respond to you, and it also is easier, if the question is extensive, to tell it apart from the actual review.
Disclaimer:I do not own any part of Kingdom Hearts, or its counterparts. I do not hold claim to characters, music, designs, themes, events, or Keyblades. All of those belong to Disney Interactive Studios, Tetsuya Nomura, and Square Enix.
Claimer:Any OCs, Keyblades of my creation, worlds that do not appear in Disney (which I doubt there will be any except one entirely), belong to me. If you wish to use them, please just ask.
Without further ado, let's begin this adventure, shall we?
Chapter 1: Average Day
{Disney Castle: 7:45am}
A loud crash was heard through the lower part of the castle that had King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy racing towards the training room as Kairi came flying out of the room, while commotion was heard from within. The red-haired girl looked at the trio, wide-eyed, as they peered into the room, where Sora was currently tangled up in a series of ropes hanging from one part of the area, and Riku was in the same predicament on the opposite side. The two were upside down, or in Sora's case, caught like an animal in a net trap, and struggling to get free. Donald and Goofy gave the two teenagers a long look of confusion before laughing, as Kairi stared owlishly at the duo. King Mickey raised an eyebrow as the two of them looked in their direction: Riku swinging back and forth a bit as a bat would from its perch, and Sora tilting his head back to look at them.
"Should I even ask what happened?" King Mickey questioned.
"Let's just say it involved a broom, a mop, and a series of loose strings…" Kairi shook her head.
"That's putting it mildly, Sora! The two of you were trapped because of something you did," she stated.
"Not true! I did nothing, and neither did Riku!" Donald, and Goofy shared a knowing look.
"Uhuh….so….the mop and broom just decided to tie you two up for the hell of it?" questioned Kairi.
"We did nothing wrong! I just asked how long it would take for them to be done in here, because I didn't want to end up being thrown out the window again!" King Mickey stared, bemused, at the chestnut-haired fifteen-year-old.
"You learned your lesson that time. The question is: what did you do to make them angry this time?" he inquired.
"Riku! Back me up here! I did nothing this time, I swear!" Riku grumbled with an unamused expression on his face.
"Leave me out of this! I'm in enough of a tangled mess as it is because of you," he stated.
"You're just as guilty as I am, you stupid troll." The four on the ground watched Riku swing a bit and glare at the chestnut-haired boy.
"Say it again, you yipping Chihuahua, I freaking dare you!" Sky-blue eyes narrowed.
"Damn troll…"
"THAT'S IT! I'M KICKING YOUR ASS, SORA!" Riku began to wriggle, and Sora groaned in defeat.
"Yea, good luck with that," he stated as he looked at the other.
"I will get loose! Watch me! And once I do, you're in for hell!" Sora looked at the silver-haired teen.
"Been there, done that….Hades is actually kind of funny….ya know….for a God of the underworld…" cyan eyes narrowed.
"You're dead!" Sora sighed as he held his hand up, and summoned his Keyblade, before looking at the floor below him.
"Yea, yea. Riku, you've been stating that to me since I was seven; it hasn't changed since then. Let's face it: you can't kill me – I'm your best friend, you silver-haired twit," he stated as he pulled himself up on the single rope that was holding up the mess of other ones.
"Sora! You damn skylark!" the other rolled his eyes.
"That old nickname is getting tiring, okay?" Sora gripped hold of the rope, and the others watched him in curiosity.
"What are you planning to do?" asked Goofy.
"I'm cutting myself down? What's it look like?" the others looked the boy over momentarily.
"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Sora paused, before turning back to them and holding his fingers a few inches apart.
"Little bit…" muttered Riku.
Sora tightened his grip on the Keyblade and the rope, before holding on tight as he sliced the rope in two, and the rest of the netting fell to the ground. Sora looked to the others as he swung from the fairly long rope, and Riku closed his eyes as he focused his Keyblade, and it formed, cutting him loose, and allowing him to drop to the ground relatively unscathed. It was as he got out of his series of ropes that the sound of a snap was heard, and Sora let out a startled yelp and the rope holding him up broke. Cyan eyes stared in shock as the boy tried to right himself before hitting the ground, but couldn't. Riku raced forward and slid to his knees across the glossy wooden floors, before landing right under the boy, who fell atop him. The two tumbled back, and Sora smacked his head on top of the floor as they finally made it back to the ground. King Mickey, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy raced forward to them as Riku sat up, and Sora cringed in pain as his head throbbed. Riku, and Donald were fast to check and make sure the boy hadn't received any severe damage, and were thankful to find that he hadn't busted his head open on the impact. Sora sat up slowly as Donald checked his neck and looked at his pupils, before sighing in relief.
"You should be happy you have a thick skull," said the Duck.
"Yea, my mom always did mention I was a hard head." Kairi laughed a little as she looked to him.
"Sora, that was reckless," she stated.
"I know, but I didn't see any of you coming to help us…" the four of them looked a bit guilty at that.
"I suppose if we find you in another situation like that, we'll ask questions after you've been saved," stated King Mickey with a laugh. Sora smiled a bit, and Riku frowned.
"You scared the hell out of me! What were you thinking by…." The brunette rolled his eyes.
"Riku? Thanks, you saved me," the fifteen-year-old said as he gave his friend a bright smile.
Cyan eyes stared wide at the chestnut-haired teen. The boy honestly had become a bit of a quandary to him. Ever since they had gotten Sora out of that strange laboratory ran by some scientist named DiZ, they had noticed a few changes in the boy's personality. Naturally, Kairi was concerned by the things she saw, as was he, but it never struck him as something to be fearful of. Sora was growing up, and naturally would become a bit different in order to survive, but despite all those details, Riku still couldn't place what was happening. Since coming to the castle three months ago, the trio had begun to feel as if something was off. Being in a new place could do that to just about anyone, but, if they were to be honest with themselves, these sensations weren't akin to something as simple as that. Riku glanced to Sora, who was assuring the others he was fine, and frowned.
"Something completely life-changing is about to happen…I just know it…"
Riku never professed to be psychic, but he was beginning to feel as if that was a possibility. Since reunited with Sora, the silver-haired teenager was able to pick up on things differently than normal. However, it all seemed to center, or direct, back to his childhood friend. Cyan eyes glanced to the chestnut-haired teenager next to Kairi, and he smiled: he was honestly reacting a bit too much on the subject. Sora was like his little brother – they were a year, apart after all – and he tended to be over protective of him and Kairi sometimes. Part of him knew it was because the blue-eyed boy had gotten himself into more than one hair-raising, narrow escape situation, one after another, and he didn't like seeing Sora harmed: especially after what happed when they were fourteen and fifteen. The boy glanced to him and walked forward before socking him in the arm. Riku jumped in surprise because of the sudden impact.
"Dammit! You hit hard, for a Chihuahua!" Sora gave him a deadpan glare.
"Funny. I bet you were up all night, working on that one…" Riku glared.
"I won't make fun of your height. I wouldn't stoop that low," he said. Sky-blue narrowed.
"You are depriving some poor village of its idiot." Donald and Goofy took a step back as Sora kept a firm glare on the silver-haired teen. King Mickey felt his eyes grow wide.
"You are the eighth, long-forgotten dwarf that no one knows about," Riku stated. As Sora gave him a sharp glare, Kairi felt a tug on her jean leg, and looked to King Mickey, who was given a glance as she crouched down, and let him whisper in her ear.
"Does this happen often?" he questioned.
"Well…typically it's singularly worded, but when it does come out as full blown insults…it can be kind of…"
"Zombies eat brains... you're safe." Sora put his hands behind his head as Riku took in a deep breath.
"….Interesting," Kairi muttered.
"This is highly unlike Sora…" Donald huffed as he looked at the two teenagers.
"They're just like brothers, but they also can get into an insult-throwing contest like none other. It never gets too severe, though, and I think it's because they know when to not cross the line," she stated.
"It would be nice if we could manage to get on the same level, but I'll never get that low and you'll never get this high." Sky-blue darkened to cerulean at that, and Riku knew he needed to tread lightly.
"I'm sorry, dear, but in order for you to insult me, I must first value your opinion. Nice try, though."
"Sora…." Kairi mumbled as a faint smirk reached the boy's lips, and Riku glared.
"Your virginity is showing. Dwarf," he stated. The boy's cheeks went blood red, and he shot him a glare.
"That's a bit much, don't you think?" Riku laughed.
"You'll understand when you're older," he stated. Sora growled low in his throat.
"I'm a year younger than you are, Riku! Don't start that crap with me!" King Mickey felt his cheeks grow a little warm, as the others in the room looked to Riku.
"Well, you were asleep for a year. Hell, you missed out on puberty still, though!" sky-blue went dark.
"If you haven't noticed, I'm almost as tall as you now, and my voice has changed somewhat, Riku. Just because I didn't reach the same height as you did doesn't make you the better person," Sora snarled. Riku eyed the boy.
"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you. Come on Sora, it's a joke!" sky-blue eyes narrowed.
"Really? Why take jabs like that, then, huh? You know, I didn't want to miss being home for a year, and you seem to forget that I had my mind fucked with for a year, Riku! Do you think I wouldn't trade that over being with my friends? With my family?" sky-blue locked onto cyan, and the others winced faintly.
Sora's eyes displayed an array of emotions. The sense of unease was nothing compared to what they were used to. Yes, Sora had always had very expressive eyes, but, they were also very careful not to show too much emotion. Kairi bit her lip as she tried to reason what to do as Sora sighed and shook his head before walking away. Riku felt a sting in his chest at the action as his eyes trailed after the brunette. Seeing him walk away as he did felt unnerving to some extent, and it frightened him more than he thought it should have. Sora was never this disconnected with others, and the idea of him becoming this way scared him.
"Riku, you need to apologize," stated Kairi.
"I would, but I….don't know how to apologize for something like that…" King Mickey glanced the other over.
"Riku? Do you realize how painful these events are to Sora?" he questioned. The silver-haired teen took in a deep breath.
"Yea, I get it would be. His heart is really gentle, and kind. When I was consumed by the darkness….my heart went to Sora because it was forced from my body, and Kairi's was there, too. When Sora released the hearts within him…his voice started calling me…." Kairi smiled.
"What did he say?" she asked.
"He said….Hey, I know you can hear me, Riku! Don't you dare give up! You're family, and I can't think of my life without either of you, okay? So…you better fight back! You stupid troll! His voice, for some reason, made my heart lighten, and I was freed…then, I was able to help him, and the rest of you, defeat Ansem." King Mickey nodded.
"Sora has a special ability. He can touch hearts in a very unusual way….because Sora isn't a normal Keyblade wielder, he can not only touch hearts, and see what they feel, but he can also heal them. He still has a few inside him now," he stated.
"Wait…." Kairi, and Riku stared wide-eyed at the King.
"HE WHAT?!" the mouse King flinched slightly at the echo of their yell.
"Yes, now, can I explain this without being deafened?" King Mickey asked.
"Sorry…" the two of them fell silent, and he sighed.
"That's better, but, let me show you something. Follow me," King Mickey stated as he walked out of the training room.
"This will be interesting." Riku, and Kairi thought as they were lead out of the hallway.
{Castle constellation map Room: 9:02am}
King Mickey had lead them into a long hallway, several floors up from the training hall, and into a giant, dark room with an orb at the center of it. King Mickey walked up to it, and stepped up on the small ladder before touching the top of the sphere, which lit up in a series of cracks. Riku and Kairi looked around them as the orb split open at the top, and the walls around them lit up like stars. The two stared in amazement as a heart-shaped moon appeared at the center of the room, above the sphere, and Kairi felt her eyes grow wide in the starlit room. Riku felt his heart race a bit faster as he looked along the wall and pinpointed the Destiny Islands, which was a little island logo with palm trees and its name printed in oceanic blue across the logo. Kairi smiled as she saw both it and Radiant Garden appear, while the group looked around them.
"Where are we?" asked Kairi.
"This is the Constellation Map. It is a very large, and very old, map that makes up all the worlds, separated, and shows how to get there. This map is also a way to track Keyblade wielders who are, or were, in the worlds." Riku frowned.
"Were?" he asked.
"Yes, this map also shows the location of a Keyblade when it's wielder has died." The duo felt sorrow engulf them.
"So….how many Keyblade wielders have died?" questioned the Princess of Heart. King Mickey gave her a soft look.
"Thousands, and it was because of a very old battle: The Keyblade War." The two looked at the King in confusion.
"A Keyblade….War?" they asked.
"Yes, let me show you something…" as the King looked to the sphere, Riku paused.
"Shouldn't Sora be here?" he questioned.
"Honestly, I think he'd be better off not remembering this right now. What I'm about to show you relates directly to the hearts he's sustaining inside him." Riku frowned.
"Sustaining?"
"Yes, and I want you two to understand that what Sora is doing….it's very important whether he recalls it or not," King Mickey stated.
"I'm confused. What does this have to do with Sora?" the mouse King looked them over.
"One of the most important roles Sora has in his life is that he can harbor hearts of others within his body. Sora has several special gifts, but one of his most uncommon, and remarkable ones, is his ability to take in other hearts, and not only keep them safe within him, but heal them," he explained.
"Heal? Wait, Sora can heal other's hearts?" Donald, and Goofy looked surprised by that statement.
"Gwarsh, we didn't know that," Goofy stated.
"Yes, he can. Sora's heart is unnaturally pure for someone his age. Almost like a child's heart; it's remained untainted and intact. Honestly, Kairi, if I could be blunt, that would technically make Sora a Prince of Heart. There aren't really any out there, but every once in a while, we'll run into one or two like that." Kairi stared in surprise.
"What does that have to do with the hearts Sora's harboring, then?" the King sighed in sorrow.
"Because, one of the hearts that Sora is shielding belongs to someone I once knew," he stated.
"Who?" the lights shifted, and the moon vanished, only to be replaced with the image of a young blonde boy with messy blonde hair, dark blue eyes, pale skin, and in an unusual attire.
He wore a pair of black and white pants. His shirt was black in color with a red collar, the jacket over it was black on the left, and white on the right. He wore a wrist band that favored an inverted checkerboard. Lastly, on his left arm, was a set of what appeared to be armor of some kind. He moved around faintly in the projection, smiling in a manner that reminded the two teenagers of Sora greatly. He stretched and blinked before putting his arms at his sides with a smile.
"Who's that?" asked Donald.
"This is Ventus Alveria, a Keyblade Master, and user of the Keyblade Wayward Wind. He was someone who fought in the Keyblade War, alongside a few others, and some you might recognize."
The next series of images appeared: a woman with short blue hair, and beautiful blue eyes. She wore a black bodysuit, a waist corset, thigh-high leggings, ankle boots with armor on them, and had two halves of what looked like parts of a dress on in a pale blue. Her attire was finished off with a white sash that tied at the back, and a pink ribbon that drew an X-shape across her torso and was clasped with a strange heart-shaped emblem, similar to the one the boy wore on his chest. Next to her stood a brunette with brownish-green eyes, and wore earth tones; a dark brown shirt, black pants, and tan over-clothing tied with a dark green sash, with the same heart-shaped emblem that the other two wore. Next to the three of them, stood another three.
They were all young men: one with grayish-toned hair, in dark blue attire with a moon, and a star emblem on the lapel of his attire. His eyes were dark brown, and his skin peachy in complexion. The last two were simple, one dressed in mostly white, and light gray with black hair, and eyes. His skin fair, and his features smooth, and then came the last young man. His skin was tan, his eyes a familiar sickly orange with tints of amber, and white, well-maintained hair. He wore mainly black, and held a familiar-looking Keyblade in his hands. The six of them stood with Keyblades, looking as if they were about to do battle. As she looked on, it left a bitter taste in Kairi's mouth as she considered who they were.
"Wait, one of those men is Xehanort!" declared Riku.
"Yea!" King Mickey sighed.
"Once, he, Master Eraqus Zahir, and Master Yen Sid were quite good friends," he stated.
"What? Then….who are those other two?" King Mickey gave the holograms a small, sad smile.
"This is Terra Collins, another Keyblade Master, and the wielder of Ends of the Earth. Next to him and Ventus is Master Aqua Loriani: wielder of Rainfall, and Stormfall. She was a dual wielder, and very loving," he stated.
"Wait…Aqua Loriani…that name sounds familiar…" Kairi touched her pearl tear-drop pendant.
"Kairi?" asked Riku.
"I met her once….before Radiant Garden was attacked….it ultimately survived, but that was when my dad and my sister moved with me to the Destiny Islands….she put a spell on my pendant, and told me it would send me to someone with a pure heart of light…" King Mickey smiled.
"She must have known you and Sora would need to be by each other's sides," he stated.
"W-What?" the girl's face turned dark pink at the statement.
"Yea, you and Sora do the same thing when you get all flustered!" said Donald.
"He...we're getting off topic here! Your Majesty!" King Mickey laughed.
"Very well, Kairi. Besides that, the six of them were participants in the Keyblade War. Xehanort did something horrible, and changed all of their lives forever. A King was on that battlefield, and he was driven insane by his darkness…he damned his entire world…however, that effect was nothing compared to what happened to Ventus, Aqua, and Terra," King Mickey stated.
"So a whole world was destroyed, but what was done to those three was worse? How?" the mouse King looked down.
"Terra….lost a battle with his darkness….and hasn't been seen since….Aqua….she paid a hefty price of saving Ventus's life, and ended up in the Realm of Darkness…." The others felt horror run through them.
"Oh no…." Kairi felt her eyes burn as tears welled in her eyes.
"So…what happened to Ventus?" asked Riku.
"Ventus….he's been sleeping since the end of the War…locked away somewhere….until Aqua is freed…he will never awaken." The four listening frowned.
"Why?!" they questioned.
"Because only she knows where his body is, and only the five of us know where Ventus's fractured heart is." Riku felt confusion befall him.
"Fractured? How did that happen?" he inquired.
"Xehanort ripped all the darkness in Ventus's heart from his body and added it to his own dark power. It tore the boy's heart in half, and slowly he started to die…." Kairi felt tears fall down her cheeks.
"What a wicked man….no….he's the devil!" she snapped. Riku placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder as she rubbed her eyes.
"What happened to Ventus's heart, then? Did he die?" King Mickey shook his head.
"No, Ventus's heart searched for ages, and then….found its way into the hands of a five-year-old boy who had just moved to a new home. The boy reached out to him, and accepted his heart inside himself, and it has remained there ever since," he stated.
"Then we need to find that boy! Maybe he could find Ventus's body if he has his heart!"
"Maybe he could even help us in our battles!"
"Yea! I'm sure he…" the King shook his head.
"There's no need in looking for the boy holding Ventus's heart," he stated.
"Did….Xehanort….already find him and…" Donald, and Goofy looked down in sorrow.
"Awhw…." King Mickey smiled as he laughed just a bit.
"No, don't cry. Ventus's heart is safe, and sound," he said. Kairi, Riku, Donald, and Goofy looked at the King hopefully.
"Where?" King Mickey looked to the hologram as another one came up of a familiar chestnut-haired teen.
"It's safely within Sora. And so are a few others. Sora was the five-year-old boy that Ventus's heart found shelter within, and he's been carrying it with him ever since," the King stated.
"So….Sora…." Kairi looked at the hologram of her childhood friend as he stood next to Ventus.
"Has been harboring a heart for the better part of ten years that has a great deal of damage done to it. Someone like Sora, with a heart that pure, can do many remarkable things….but…Sora's heart also endures the same agony of the hearts he bears. Sora had eight hearts within him when he sacrificed himself to save you, Kairi, and now, from what I can tell…only three remain…however, that could be wrong," he said.
"This is what you wanted us to know? Why?" King Mickey looked to them.
"I get the feeling that, soon, events will fall into place that will change the course of many fates. All I'm asking as of now from the four of you…..is to help keep Sora from falling apart when he cannot take any more," he stated. Riku frowned.
"What would do that?" the King looked to the two boys standing side-by-side in the image.
"Ventus's heart was torn in half, fractured, and he is only half of who he used to be. However, Ventus tries to protect Sora, if he can. At some point, Ventus's heart can return to his body, and he will join us in ending Xehanort Erebus, but that mantle falls upon Sora's shoulders….those changes, the events that take place….they can tear Sora's heart to pieces if he isn't able to maintain himself in the battle that will come," he said. Kairi and Riku looked down before taking in a deep breath.
"Okay, we'll do all we can to keep him together." The King smiled.
"Thank you…" Kairi looked to the King.
"Besides, what are friends for, if not to hold one another up?"
{….}
Prison gates won't open up for me, on these hands and knees I'm crawlin'
{…..}
Author's Note: Okay, there is the first chapter of Darker Dream Distance. I would also like to note that after the first chapter of these stories, the chapters are only about 10-12 pages long, and will come much faster because of that. So, what did you think?
Yes, I know some events have been changed, and I know it's a little off-storyline, but trust me: you will eventually know why.
Look for the clues: they are everywhere!
Preview:
Despite learning what they did yesterday, Kairi and Riku felt as if nothing had changed. Sora had gotten over the sudden emotional change that he'd had the other day, and now he and Riku were back to their typical antics, and naturally, training. Kairi was still practicing alongside them, and while they figured their lives wouldn't become too hectic, they all knew things didn't go the way one planned: ever.
"Personally, I could live without this…"
"You okay? You look tired, and that's not normal for you,"
"Kairi, I'm not going to leave you, I promise."
Chapter 2: Letter