Welp, this plot bunny has been haunting me for years. Finally, it got fed up and sunk it's teeth in my fat ass, making me scream like a little girl. ...Damned thing probably has rabies. I'm not 100% sure where this story is going. *pelted with bricks* Ouch. That hurt, darn it! *shakes fist* …Anyway, I hope you read and enjoy this. And please, please, please, take a minute of your time to review. It encourages me to write, and lets me know how people like this. It would benefit all~ :3 Also, forgive any sucky-ness that may occur. I iz n00b. XD Also, I have no idea who to pair with Sora right now. D:
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, Sora wouldn't be a midget, Zack would be in all KH games, and Leon would be called Squall. Seeing as these things aren't happening, then no, I don't own crap.
I gave this fic an overall rating of T. Not all chapters are graphic and would give children nightmares. But there will be language and some strong violence. But no lemons. Trust me, that's a good thing, because if I did and you ever heard the word lemon again, you'd either laugh, cry, or sit in a corner in a fetal position and rock back and forth, begging for it all to end. D: BUT there will be some crude humor. Although maybe I'll change the rating to M.
And now…. TALLYHO!!!!! *poses* D
Squall: ………….. *facepalm*
~|Prologue|~
I can tell
I can tell how much you hate this
And deep down inside
You know it's killing me
I can call
Wish you well
And try to change this
But nothing I can say
Would change anything
Where were my senses?
I left them all behind
Why did I turn away?
Away
I wish I could save you
I wish I could say to you
I'm not going nowhere
I wish I could say to you
It's gonna be alright
It's gonna be alright
~Kelly Clarkson "Save You"
"Keyblade Master…"
Sora opened his eyes and gasped. He was floating in darkness. There was no light, no floor, walls, or ceiling. Just darkness.
"Keyblade Master…"
Sora looked, twisting his neck and body in midair, desperately trying to find the source of the voice. "Who are you?" His voice echoed all around, doing nothing to ease the boy.
The voice chuckled, its echo mixing in with Sora's fading one. "Do you not recognize me? I knew you were a bit thick, but to forget all about me? I'm a bit disappointed."
His brow furrowed, Sora clenched his fists and leaned forward as though the voice was coming from in front of him, even though he had no idea where it was. "Who are you?!" he repeated.
"But don't be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all. So don't forget: you are the one who will open the door."
Sora's eyes widened as the memories flooded back to him. "Wait. You're that voice from before! From my dream a year ago!" He unclenched his fists and straightened. "But I don't understand. Why are you talking to me now? Everything is safe now!" He looked down. "…Right?"
He was met with silence.
Sora opened his eyes, the cerulean orbs meeting his ceiling. His chest rose and fell quickly, a sign that he was breathing hard. Heart pounding, he swallowed and sat up before he looked over at the alarm clock on his bedside table, letting out a soft groan when 4: 38 A.M. flashed at him. His gave it his fiercest glare, which would have scared a little kitten at best. Sighing, he raked a hand through his hair, blinking when he felt the soaked strands. He really didn't understand this. His dream wasn't scary, per se. A bit odd, but not scary. Yet here he sat, shaking like a pathetic leaf. He sighed again. Maybe he was a wuss.
Knowing that he wouldn't fall asleep again, he decided to get up and walked into the bathroom. Stripping off his sleep shorts and oversized t-shirt, he turned the shower on and slipped in, closing his eyes in obvious enjoyment as the hot water poured on him.
This had become routine. Not but a few days after Xemnas was defeated and Sora and Riku returned to Destiny Islands, strange dreams had haunted him. He tossed and turned in his sleep before waking up with a jolt, sometimes a scream tearing from his lips. He'd always awake at some ungodly hour, and he'd never remember what the dream had been about, except the one he just had now. This had been going on every night, and he had been home for five months now. He didn't know why, and he didn't tell his friends when they asked if anything was wrong, seeing how tired, distant, and un-Sora-like he seemed sometimes. He didn't want to worry them over nothing, especially since they seemed so happy. They were together again.
Kairi appeared to hop all over the place, her purple-blue eyes seeming to shine with joy as she'd run up between him and Riku and clasp one of their hands in her own. Sometimes she would just hug them out of the blue without an explanation, although the two boys knew that she was so relieved they were safe and home. Riku wasn't nearly as palpable as the redhead, but the contentment in his eyes spoke volumes. Sometimes those aqua-colored eyes of his would dim with guilt and regret, but then Sora and Kairi would give him a warm, reassuring smile, and the light would return.
Turning the knob which gave a squeak, the water stopped and Sora hurriedly grabbed a towel and dried off. He hated the cold, and the longer he was wet, the colder he'd get. Once done, he wrapped the towel around his waist and headed back to his room. Tossing his towel on his bed, he stood in front of his floor-length mirror and frowned. Sure, he had a nice tan, and everyone told him he had the most beautiful eyes they had ever seen and that he was so cute. But sheesh! He didn't want to have a cute face and pretty eyes! And he sure as hell didn't want to grow up and look effeminate for the rest of his life. He wanted muscles, dammit! Instead he had these skinny, scrawny stick arms and legs. Why was that? He had fought his butt off for who knows how long. And why was he so damned short? He was fifteen years old and only 5'6"! How was that fair? His father had tried to reassure him that he himself had been short at Sora's age, but then suddenly grew 8 inches when he was seventeen. Of course, Mr. Hikaru had been soused at the time and shared this information with his son right after dancing naked on the kitchen table to 80s rock, and right before passing out and hitting his head on the rim of the porcelain throne, only to be poked at by his son and dragged by the feet to the couch by his wife.
Sora put his hands on his hips as his eyes trailed down his reflection, frown becoming deeper at the sight of his girly waist. His eyes stopped at it. At least it wasn't small. Of course, he didn't know if it was big, either. It wasn't a habit of his to look at his male classmates' crotches in the school showers. That would be beyond awkward and disconcerting. And it wasn't like he could walk up to some random guy on the street and say, "Hello, good sir! Would you kindly whip out your cock so I can compare its size to mine?" Sora might really want to be assured he wasn't lacking in that department, but he also really didn't want to end up in the hospital with every bone in his body broken. So he settled with blissful ignorance.
Throwing one last disgusted look at the mirror, he took out a pair of underwear from a drawer and slipped them on before opening the closet, pausing to look at his clothes. He used to wear very, very bright apparel, reminiscent of a clown who got barfed on by a kid who'd eaten a pack of crayons. Now, he clad in black with small bits of red and yellow. When the fairies had made it for him, he didn't put much thought into it, nor while he traveled across the worlds and defeated Organization 13 with the help of his friends. But now as he gazed at the outfit, he felt the metaphorical sensation of being slapped in the face. Or maybe being hit over the head by a two by four.
He shook his head. So what if he wore mostly black? Did he really have nothing better to do than scrutinize himself in front of a mirror and ponder the meaning behind the color of his clothes? Sighing, he jerked on his clothes and sat on the bed, taking a glance on the clock which now said 5:54. He knew his shower had only lasted ten minutes. So did he really spend over a hour thinking? He, Sora? The naïve, grinning, hyperactive Keyblade Master who never before bothered to think? Why was he doing that now, anyway? He had never been the thoughtful type, always going in head-first and keyblade in hand without a real plan in mind. Now here he was, sighing and frowning and analyzing. What had happened to him?
Something was coming, that's what. Something was coming, and it was very bad. It kept him awake and gave him nightmares, it sent chills down his spine, it made food feel dry and like ash in his mouth, it made knots of dread fill his stomach. But why was he getting these feelings? Organization 13 was gone, and soon after they had returned home, King Mickey had sent a letter, asking them for help to fight Maleficent. It only took a couple of days to plan a strategy and defeat her. So Maleficent was no more. What trouble could there be?
Shaking his head, Sora got up and walked out of his room, making sure not to step on the creaky parts of the floor as he walked down the hall. He didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment, let alone curious and concerned parents. Closing the front door gently, he made his way quickly down the couple of steps before reaching the cobblestone street. It was still rather early so Sora didn't see anyone about, something the keyblade-wielding teenager was relieved about. That was very unlike Sora. But he was tired, and he knew dark circles were under his eyes. Maybe if he got to the small island, he could take a rest and not appear so wiped out. He didn't want to worry his friends more than they already were.
Sora pushed his small boat into the water before climbing in and sitting down. Taking the oars, he used the wooden paddles to move the boat towards his destination. A determined look took over his face. He was the Keyblade Master. He was supposed to protect his friends and the worlds from evil. He was supposed to be a hero and fight alongside his childhood friend and keep his princess safe. There was no room for uncertainty or weakness.
Finally he reached the dock, but it seemed that his luck had run out. Who knew that he could find a time when her voice made him wince?
"Sora!"
The Keyblade Master grinned in his goofy way at Kairi as he climbed out of his boat. "Hey, Kai! Riku! What are you guys doing here so early?"
The redheaded girl giggled. "It's not that early! It's nearly 10!"
'Okay. I've spent roughly four hours just thinking this morning. …I'm beginning to freak myself out.' Sora scratched the back of his neck, grin still there. "Heh, didn't get up as early as I thought, huh?" He looked over Kairi's shoulder at Riku, his stomach dropping when he gathered from his best friend's aqua eyes that he was on to him, and would sooner or later today commence the interrogation. This didn't come as a surprise to Sora; Riku had always been the most observant of the trio. But that didn't mean that Sora didn't hope that Riku would have a stupid moment and not notice anything. …Sora didn't like it when his hopes were dashed.
The brunet returned his attention to his female companion. "So ready to have some fun?"
It was actually a great day. Sora loved being with Riku and Kairi. It made him remember the old days, when they were children. Nothing ever seemed complicated back then. He often remembered that Riku would play the villain, he'd play the hero, and Kairi would play the princess whom Sora rescued. Riku probably wanted to play the hero, but he was content with being the villain, probably because before Kairi had come to the islands Sora made him be the princess. According to Sora, it was because Riku had longer hair.
Now looking between his friends, he could tell they were happy and satisfied. It made him slightly sad. He could help but feel like a gap was slowly starting to come between him and them. It was so strange. Just months ago as they were fighting Organization 13, all Sora wanted was to find Riku and go home. Once that had happened, he had felt a great happiness, but that all too soon turned into an emptiness and restlessness that filled him. He no longer felt like he belonged here, like he was some spirit haunting where he had dwelled when he was still living. Maybe because he had changed and Destiny Islands hadn't, or maybe it was the opposite. Sora had shaken it off at the time, thinking that Riku probably felt the same and the feeling of not belonging would pass. But Riku didn't seemed bothered at all, and that feeling refused to go away.
When the letter arrived and Sora, Kairi, and Riku made their way to Radiant Garden to fight Maleficent, Pete, and her hordes of Heartless, he felt whole, alive. And once it was over, that deadness crept back in. He couldn't bring himself to tell anyone, he was far too ashamed. He was the Keyblade Master, he was supposed to bring harmony and stand for peace. How could he when he felt so good when he was fighting? The words that King Triton had told him when he came to Atlantica constantly rang in his head. "The key bearer shatters peace and brings ruin." That couldn't be true, it just couldn't! And yet Sora had to think that there was some truth to those words.
Eventually, they walked up the stairs of the little hut and across the bridge to the islet with the crooked palm tree. Around sunset, Kairi waved goodbye and left for home. Sora waved back from his seat, which was the crooked papou tree, his cerulean eyes locked on her retreating form, very aware of how beautiful the girl was, and how the setting sun made her red hair shine. He used to have a huge crush on her, spawned the very moment he first laid eyes on her. He used to spend every moment being very close to her, would touch her hand, arm, or hair as often as he could get by with it, and would try his hardest to be the one she paid the most attention to, getting upset if he thought she was spending too much time with another boy. But now he wasn't clamoring for her attention, but watching from afar, admiring her looks, mind, and especially her pure heart. Now he didn't mind at all if Wakka made her laugh or Tidus said something that made her blush. Now he wasn't sure whether he loved her, or if it was just platonic affection.
"You're out of it again."
Sora blinked and looked down at Riku, who was leaning against the tree and looking up at him. The silver-haired boy continued. "You haven't been yourself lately. Actually, for a while now."
"What do you mean?" Sora asked. "I've totally been myself. Who else could I be?" Maybe if he just played dumb…
Riku frowned, narrowing his eyes. "Sora, don't try to act like nothing's wrong. You're not going to get out of talking about this."
Sora leapt off the tree and looked up at Riku. Oh, how he wished he was taller. "I'm not trying to get out of it- Wait. Is that strand of hair grey?!" Sora pointed to his friend's silver mane with wide eyes. Riku immediately looked for a very brief second before he sent a glare Sora's way when the brunet laughed. "That wasn't funny at all."
"Yeah, it was!" Sora chuckled. "You should have seen the look on your face! You're such a girl!"
"I am not!"
"Well, you definitely look like one, princess."
"Have you looked in a mirror lately, cutie?"
Sora crossed his arms. Why the hell did he have to look so damned girly?!
"And don't think you made me forget," Riku said sternly, crossing his arms as well.
Sora sighed. He wasn't going to let this go, was he? "Riku, I'm fine."
The other boy shook his head. "No, you're not. You're distant. You don't laugh or smile like you did before. You sit and just stare off into the sky. You're distant. You don't talk with me or Kairi or anyone anymore."
"What do you mean? I talk a lot!"
"No, you don't. You say things, but they don't mean anything. You don't really talk to us. Not like you used to." The last sentence held a hint of sadness, and Sora felt a twinge of guilt. Riku let his arms drop to his side, and his next words were slightly pleading. "Sora, please. I'm your best friend. I know I haven't always been a good one in the past," his aqua eyes dimmed for a second, "but I want to know that you're okay."
Sora sighed. "It's just that-"
"Sora! Riku!"
Both boys turned to see a distressed Kairi standing on the bridge. They ran towards her and as they neared, she pointed to the beach. Upon the sand was a large black area of darkness. An opening formed, making a hole, and a huge black claw grasped onto the edge. A moment later, using it's claw to hoist itself onto the ground was a Heartless. It was huge, the black creature hunched over like a beast. It's claws were over a foot long, it's teeth razor sharp. Letting out a deafening roar, saliva flying from it's mouth, it raised it's claw at the bridge. Quick as lightning, the claw stretched and pierced the wood, the trio just barely managing to jump off before the bridge splintered into bits. The group of friends stood up quickly and Sora and Riku summoned their keyblades, getting into fighting stances.
Sora gazed at the Heartless, a feeling of anticipation blooming within him. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins at an incredible rate, his blood was pounding in his ears, his heart gave excited thumps against his chest like the drums of war. His eyes were gleaming and filled with a ferocious light.
Sora was alive once more.
He rushed into battle, Riku not far behind. They dodged the Heartless's attacks, diving it and striking at the black flesh. They swung their keyblades, moved aside when it's stretching claw reached for them, used potions when getting wounded. Everything was moving almost too fast for Kairi to see. She saw the Heartless, and flashes of silver and brown which were Riku and Sora's hair. Finally, the Heartless seemed to be on it's last legs. Sora had his back to the black hole from where the enemy had appeared, the Heartless was in front of him, with Riku behind it. Together, they were assailing it from both sides.
Sora readied himself. Just one more blow from his keyblade and it would be over. A wonderful feeling of triumph filled him. Sora's cerulean eyes locked onto the Heartless's glowing yellow ones. This Heartless had probably brought pain to so many people. It was evil. A killing machine. It fought without mercy, not caring as long as his opponent was beaten, like- 'Like me.' The feeling of triumph left him, leaving in its place a cold nothingness. All the sounds seemed far away, and the only thing that was real was the numbness. Nothing seemed to matter but him and this creature of darkness as a realization hit the key bearer. Was he really anything different? Was he really any different from a…monster? Was he any better? He always thought that he had done the right thing by following his heart. But what if his heart had been wrong? 'Riku... Kairi... I'm sorry...' His eyes widened only a fraction as he felt an intense pain in his chest, and heard unintelligible screams in the background. Slowly, he looked down, seeing that the Heartless's claw was currently plunged into his chest. Blood spilled down onto the darkness he was standing on, spreading out an alarming ways and dripping down into the dark hole within the pool of darkness.
While Kairi screamed Sora's name, Riku ran forward and jumped high in the air, keybade raised high. He thrust his sword up to the hilt in the creature's back, tearing down it as it shrieked. Once he was close to the ground, he leapt away. The Heartless fell to it's knees and began to fade away.
Without the claw to plug the wound and hold him up, blood poured freely from the Keyblade Master's front and back. Everything suddenly seemed to slow down as Sora fell backwards. Riku yelled his name as he ran forward, determined to catch Sora in time. His hand missed the other boy's by mere inches, and Riku watched with horror as Sora fell into the darkness. A moment later, the hole disappeared and the pool of darkness was gone.
Tears cascaded down Kairi's face as she wept at the loss of her friend, a pain gnashing at her heart. Riku stood, staring down at the ground completely stunned. All strength leaving him, he dropped to his knees and kneeled over, hands gripping the sand which ran out between his fingers.
"SORA!"
Well, there's the prologue. I hope it didn't suck. XD
And by the way, who do you think Sora should be paired with? Kairi? Riku? Some other KH or Final Fantasy character? I would take all into consideration. Please say in a review.
And speaking of reviews, please leave one. That would make my week~
