The Long Way Home
Plot summary: Sora's once again called into action to defend the worlds from darkness. However, as he continues to journey, his efforts to thwart his foes prove futile. When a mysterious prophecy comes into play and the Heartless are genetically restructured to resist the Keyblade of Light, Sora is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice: his light. With the Keyblade Master gone, can his friends pick up the torch and finish what he started? The story takes place immediately after KHII (like Mickey's note-in-a-bottle immediately).
Notes: This story alternates main characters between Sora, Roxas, Riku, and Kairi. It will always be told from the third-person omniscient perspective.
There are no pairings per se, aside from canon pairings that are mildly depicted should you look for them. I'm trying to mimic the game's portrayal of relationships (i.e. Sora and Kairi love each other but refrain from outright expressing this verbally.) This story remains true to Kingdom Hearts in that it depicts strong ties of friendship. There is more friendship here than romance.
I'm trying to make this story as canon as possible. Sure, a few things might slip here and there, but no one said I was perfect.
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership over Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or Final Fantasy. Characters and locations are copyrighted property and trademarks of Square Enix and Disney.
Chapter 1: Lurking in Darkness
Darkness loomed over the once lively town. The street lamps flickered on one by one, only to be snuffed out in similar succession. A great wind blew in, picking up and knocking around abandoned shopping bags, newspapers, and cups of coffee. It raged through the streets, moaning and wailing against the securely shut doors of shops and homes.
A lone kitten with ginger fur peeked out from a darkened alleyway. Instinctively sensing cold, merciless eyes upon its being, it cautiously roamed out onto the sidewalk. Daring out into the open, the kitten pawed at a wooden door with a sign reading "INN" suspended above it, familiarly scratching away at a hollowed dent. No one answered the door.
A thick mass of darkness swarmed around the tiny feline and sent cold, cheerless shivers down its spine. Piercing yellow orbs formed within the black matter, gradually breaking away to group into pairs. Three pairs of yellow eyes inset within massive bulges of darkness fell upon the kitten. The darkness melted into six shadow-like creatures with razor-sharp claws. The kitten mewed in terror, feeling its heart beating rapidly.
It was trapped.
Heart-hungry claws rose to the air ready to strike at the prime morsel before them. A flash of swooping darkness forced the feline's eyes shut in petrifying fear. The darkness bulged only to thin out when a burst of light pierced its way through the ring of six shadows.
"Strike Raid!" hollered a voice in the distance. The shadows were repeatedly bombarded with a giant key of silver and gold dissipated within seconds. Bright red, heart-shaped flashes escaped into the air immediately after the shadows vanished. Like a boomerang, the key had come and gone.
The kitten gazed out into the street in anxious anticipation when a gentle hand came to rest on its head. "It's okay, little guy. The Heartless are gone now." The kitten pushed its furry head into the caring hand belonging to a young man with bright blue eyes and spiky brown hair.
"I wouldn't bet on that!" howled a hurried voice from behind the young man. "Sora, we've got problems!"
Sora turned around, the giant key gripped tightly in his right hand. He watched somewhat amused as a white and brown terrier crossbreed sporting a pair of shades on his snout and a red bandana tied securely around his neck flew down the street. He was fleeing from a trio of shadows several times larger than the ones previously encountered.
"What's the matter, Dodger? You've dealt with Heartless before!" shouted Sora with a grin. "They're just Large Bodies. Bite 'em from behind!"
"Yeah, but these guys look like they've eaten all the Heartless I've ever fought in my life!" cried Dodger. "They're fat, man! They're trying to squish me between their blubber! Help a buddy out, would ya?"
"And here you were preaching to me about street smarts and not worrying!" chuckled Sora. "How did that go again…? 'Why should I worry? Why should I care?' Guess it doesn't apply anymore?"
"Grr! Okay, okay. Enough! Just whack these guys!" barked the canine. He hurdled himself away from a lunging Large Body, his shades slipping off in the process. The Heartless slammed itself into a large, brick building, leaving behind an enormous recess in its wake. "I could've been squashed by that! C'mon, Sora!"
The kitten looked up at Sora with worrying eyes. Sora smiled and winked at his feline friend. Petting the kitten one more time, Sora took a fighting stance. Bending both his knees, he pushed himself off the ground and lunged himself towards the stumbling Large Bodies. Sliding underneath the overweight shadows, the Key Bearer pivoted around his foot and swung the key in a horizontal slash across the backs of all three Large Bodies. Each collapsed onto their bloated stomachs and disintegrated, leaving behind another mass of hearts to escape into the sky.
Dodger paraded circles around Sora, jumping for joy. "Ha, ha! Good work, kid! Those gluttons were no match for your Keyblade," he barked happily.
Sora smirked. "So what did you do to merit being chased by three overweight Heartless? You weren't hanging around the restaurant district again, were you?"
"What can I say, kid? Digging around town for info all day makes a dog hungry. Had to recharge my batteries," replied Dodger while casually scratching behind his ear with his paw. "Speaking of which, I've found out something really interesting on my tour around town."
"Too bad it'll have to wait. It's still pretty dark out so I'm sure there are a few Heartless left," said Sora as he glanced around the ghostly streets. A haunting darkness still lingered and the Key Bearer was determined to find its source. "We have to stop them before someone gets hurt."
"As long as you handle the fat ones, I think I'll come along and give you a spare paw," Dodger declared, earning a pat on his reddish-brown head by the young man.
"Thanks, Dodger. I could use some help now that I've been separated from Donald and Goofy…" he said with a sad smile. He winced slightly as the events from three days ago threatened to replay in his mind.
"First Riku and Kairi, now Donald and Goofy…" thought Sora to himself. "Why do these things keep happening? Can't we just get one peaceful moment home without having to chase after Heartless?" He sighed. "I'll save them. No matter what, I will save them."
"Hey, cheer up, kid. With my street smarts and your Keyblade, everything'll get better in no time," encouraged Dodger. He licked Sora sloppily on the cheek. Sora smiled at the dog.
"I'll help, too!" enthusiastically chimed in an approaching voice. Sora looked up and saw the ginger kitten he had rescued earlier making its way towards Dodger and himself, dragging along a pair of black sunglasses in his mouth.
"Everything okay, Oliver?" called out Sora. The kitten nodded its head and reached his destination. He dropped the sunglasses at Dodger's paws and then looked up at the dog in anticipation.
"Heh, thanks kid," said Dodger as he flipped the shades back onto his snout. He then ruffled Oliver's fur with his paw.
"So how about it, Sora? Can I come too?" Oliver asked eagerly.
"I don't know… The Heartless can be pretty dangerous," Sora said thoughtfully placing his finger to his chin. "Maybe you should go to the Inn and wait."
Oliver pounced on Sora's head and playfully pawed at his spiky locks. "Come on, Sora! I don't have to fight the Heartless! I can toss you potions when you need them, " he offered.
"Okay, okay," Sora chuckled. "We'll all go together, then." He happily stroked Oliver's fur and took another glance around town. "Hmm… I wonder where the rest of the Heartless are hiding?"
"I'll tell you in a second," said Dodger. He bent his head downwards and began sniffing the ground.
Sora took this opportunity to stretch his arms above his head. "Let me know when you've got a trail," he replied, still stretching out his limbs.
"I have a trail for you…" seethed a haunting voice. Everyone froze. Dodger's ears sprang up instantly and growled menacingly as the darkness thickened.
"Who said that?" questioned Sora cautiously. He futilely squinted his eyes in an attempt to see in the deepened dark. "Show yourself!" Sora gripped the Keyblade tightly in both hands and bent his knees into a fighting stance.
"I have a trail for you…" repeated the eerily cold voice. The temperature dropped and the darkness continued to swallow the town until everything was pitch black.
His surroundings no longer visible, Sora swung the Keyblade high above his head. "Fire!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. A burst of light protruded from the tip of the Keyblade and surrounded the Keyblade Master with a ring of fire, illuminating a portion of the surrounding area in the process. Sora took in his surroundings but failed to locate the origin of the voice. Aside from the intensified darkness, nothing appeared strange or out of place.
Dodger continued to growl, standing dutifully next to Sora. The Keyblade Master glanced down at his companion. "Hey, do you think you can sniff him out, Dodger?"
"Grr… I hear him…" growled the mongrel between clenched teeth. "He's getting closer." Sora nodded and fixed his gaze forward while straining his ears listening intently for the progression of footsteps. Heavy, measured clacks sounded off in the distance. They were faint at first, but as they drew nearer, Sora noted a second sound accompanying them—the clinking of a chain.
Again, the voice called out, "I have a trail for you…" this time joined by low, raspy breathing. The steady clacks of footsteps grew louder and a tall, shadow danced into visibility by the flickering flame-emitted light. Sora noticed it's heavily spiked gauntlets first. Gripped tightly by them was a large, silver chain of which the excess dropped to the figure's side and supplied a steady clinking. At the end of the chain, firmly resting in the figure's right hand was spiked metal sphere.
The shadowed enigma progressed ever closer into the light revealing its complete form. Sora instinctively sought out his opponent's eyes first, but failed to meet his gaze as the as it was shrouded behind a black hood much like that of Organization XIII's standard-issued black coat. The menacing opponent was not wearing a simple leather coat, however. He was heavily clad in black armor from the neck down.
"With that armor there, I doubt I can damage this guy," thought Sora. He tightened the grip around his Keyblade. "But if I strike at his head, that should be his weak point! Wonder why he didn't think to wear a helmet or something?"
The clacks of the enemy's boots halted. He stood mere feet from Sora and intensified his breathing. Still gripping the chain, he lifted his left arm and extended his index finger at Sora. "I have a trail for you…" he breathed.
"I heard you the first three times!" Sora shot somewhat annoyed. He cautiously eyed his opponent, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.
The armored man gripped his left hand into a fist still suspending it in air. "A trail…" The chain clinked. "…of…destruction!" He swung his right armor in a clock-wise motion and flung the ball at the Keyblade Master.