Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any other notable references in the story, except my original characters. Any resemblance of these characters to other characters is purely coincidential.
Ex pura tenebris, tenebris cor anima,
Ex pura tenebris, tenebris cor anima,
Vanitas,
Vanitas,
Summum ira, ira et odium,
Summum ira, ira et odium,
Vanitas,
Vanitas,
Iratus, Terribile, Furens Cor.
Ex pura tenebris, tenebris cor anima,
Ex pura tenebris, tenebris cor anima,
Vanitas,
Vanitas,
Veni, mi fili. Veni, mi fili
Hic veni, da mihi mortem iterum
Veni, mi fili. Veni, mi fili
Hic veni, da mihi...
Ex tenebris cor, tenebris anima,
Summum ira, ira et odium,
Iratus, Terribile, Furens Cor
Quod vir iterum veniet
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
(Qui mortem et doloris)
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
(Messorem incarnatus)
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
(Non dicere eius nomen)
Mi fili, veni, veni, veni, mi fili
(Vel veniat occidere nos omnes)
Vanitas.
Vanitas.
VANITAS
It was repetitive noise; never-ending and constant. The inhabitants, although they were so used to it, enjoyed it all the same. Young children were some of the select few that would often listen to the lullaby of the sea, others being greatly aged men and women who would listen to the same song in a nostalgic manner; the crash of the cerulean blue ocean water onto the pearly white sand of the beach.
The entirety of Destiny Islands was forever encased in this noise, especially the little play island that Riku, Kairi and all their friends played on. They still play on it from time to time, and it was on this day that all of the group, for some unexplained reason, decided to meet there. Though, a meeting wasn't really the correct term, due to the fact no one contacted the other in preperation for this event, and very important people were missing from the usual gang.
Riku was leaning against the bent Paopu tree on the miniature island attached to their play island. With his arms crossed, he watched with his aquamarine eyes at the never ending sea as the high noon sun hovered directly above the island. The gentle breeze that accompanied any beautiful beach blew on his shoulder length silver hair, making it curl to the right ever so slightly. His attire hasn't changed drastically over the five years of uneventful normality. He still wore a white and yellow vest, but under it he had a simple T-shirt the color of beach sand. He had a pair of navy blue denim jeans with a black belt, and his feet were covered by the simplest of white sneakers.
Kairi sat, with one leg over the other, on the same Paopu tree, only a about a foot from Riku. Her crimson locks moved with more finesse than Riku's in the wind, making her even more beautiful that she seemed angelic. Her blue eyes, with a slight tinge of violet, stared in the same direction as Riku, but with a more concerned look, though her content smile masked it from her friends. Her attire changed significantly from what she wore when she was only fifteen. She still had a skirt that went down to her middle thighs, colored an array of blues to match the incoming waves of the ocean, but now it was seperate from her top. Her top consisted of a tank top of the same ocean blue, with a black hoodie attached to the back of the shoulder straps, her more developed body lifting the bottom of her shirt, exposing her midrift. She wore a pair blue of arm-warmers on each forearm, though they were mostly just for looks. She still wore her teardrop shaped necklace. It was the one thing she always wore no matter what.
Selphie and Wakka were there too, but they mainly stood there not too far from the tree. Selphie, in her simple yellow dress that cut off short, was humming a tune as a way of making up for the lack of talking that was going on. Wakka merely stood alongside her, his attire no different from more than five years ago, yellow immensely baggy pants and an equally yellow tanktop, holding his blitzball behind his head.
Another boy and girl were there to. The boy had golden blond hair, stylized into spikes that bent to one side, but not because of the wind. He also had a pair of blue eyes that shone brightly, but couldn't match the cerulean orbs of the boy from which he was created. A simple black sleeveless shirt was worn under his tan jacket, which had short sleeves and black checker marks going around the shoulder. A pair of black knee-high shorts, that went perfectly with his attire, were also worn. His necklace, the very symbol of a Nobody, hung loosely around his neck. Roxas, the former Nobody of Sora, who had now earned a heart of his own, but that's a story for later.
The young women holding his hand was also a former Nobody, but she too had earned a heart, thanks to the Keybearer. She was fairly different from her original person, Kairi. For instance, Namine had pure golden hair that fell to one side down to rest on her shoulder instead of Kairi's alluring crimson hair, she was a little shorter and her blue eyes lacked a tinge of violet. She only wore what she always wore, a dress of the purest white and necessary undergarments.
"You know," Riku finally spoke up, "even with all of us here now, there's still a spot missing."
"You mean two spots, ya?" Waka asked.
"Yeah, are you forgetting about Tidus, Riku? He's your friend too." Selphie said, now happy that there was a conversation.
"I know, but you know that Sora and I are like brothers. Tidus is just a friend who thought he could beat me just cause he learned a new move. And he did that, every...single...day. " Riku replied, not taking his gaze of the horizon. He smirked. "And you only brought him because you still have a bit of a crush on him."
"I still miss both of them" Kairi spoke up before Selphie could make a comeback. "How did Tidus just disappear like that? I know he left a note, but how did he get off the world? He's not very savvy with space travel."
"Who knows, stranger things have happened." Riku replied. "Maybe a Keyblade chose him and he had to go after Sora."
"All he did was mention Sora in his note. And if it was about the Keyblades, shouldn't have we known about it? We're both Keybladers Riku." Kairi stated.
"But Sora probably didn't want you to go if he completely cut us off from knowing anything about him." Selphie stated.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't go after him. I mean he would've torn through the worlds to help us." Riku stated back.
"Maybe... we're helping him by staying out of his way." Kairi said rather sadly.
It went back to being quiet, as all six of them thought back on the day Sora left once again, five years ago.
Sunset.
The time when the light would fade to darkness, and the inhabitants of the island fled to the light that remained in their homes.
Although that was the norm, Sora wasn't exactly the normal one. Instead he sat on the bent over Paopu tree, the one he, his best friend Riku, and his more-than-best-friend Kairi, always hung out at, but this time he was alone.
He stared out towards the horizon, his sky blue eyes unwavering against the blinding light of the sun. What is the sun anyways? Sora thought ti himself. He knew the stars were other worlds, but what was the sun? Was it just a orb of pure light that no one knows how it got there?
"Sora!"
His thoughts were interrupted as he turned his head to see his best friend making his way towards him. "Riku."
Riku made his way to stand at the base of the tree, not taking his gaze of the ocean. He spoke without turning to him, "You're minds made up?"
Sora paused a bit. "Yeah" he breathed, rubbing his hand along the note and bottle he was holding, with the seal of the King facing him. No more words were passed, a silence of understanding enveloping them both. But even in that silence, neither of them heard the small shuffling of feet aproaching them.
"Sora."
He and Riku both turned to Kairi, who was standing an equal distance from the both of them. Sora didn't react at first, he just stared at her, as she stared at him. No matter what, Kairi's appearance always flustered him. Her enticing red hair, her blue-violet eyes, her always gentle smile, and the way her body was just so-
"Kairi" Sora said while hopping down form his perch. But he stopped there, unknowing how to continue to tell her goodbye once again. She responded though with short exhale in an accepting manner, the smile not leaving her lips. This brightened Sora up a bit, enough for him to smile back and make his way towards her.
"It's just...they really need me," he did his best to try keep the situation sound simple and easy. "I am who I am, because of them."
Kairi's smile only grew. She nodded in approval, a small chuckle escaping her mouth. In the background, Riku chuckled to himself, only at the thought that this spaz-of-a-kid won the heart of the purest kind. After her chuckle, Kairi took Sora's hand and placed something in; her Oathkeeper. "See you soon."
Sora stared at it for few seconds, closing his eyes as nostalgia flooding his senses.
"You don't have to give this to me." Sora said, but Kairi shook her head.
"It's just something to give you a reason to come back if you ever doubt yourself" she chuckled, yet still sounded serious. "Besides, I don't want you to forget about me."
"I could never forget about you" Sora quickly responded.
A twinkle was seen by Riku, but somehow heard by everyone. Up near the corner of the world of Destiny Islands, something burst through the clouds. Sora instantly could tell that it was a Gummi Ship, the same exact one he traveled the worlds with Donald and Goofy. Said talking-animals were cruising down at a fast speed, their velocity directed towards the current position of Sora. The ship decelerated as it came next to the tiny island the trio was standing on. Itdidn't land, just merely hovered as the hatches opened and Donald and Goofy stepped out onto the ramp, which was level to the elevated ground.
"A'howdy there Sora!" Goofy greeted. "Howya been doin'?"
"Just fine Goofy!" Sora said as they exchanged a quick hug. Donald on the other hand was already tapping his foot.
Sora nodded and turned back to Kairi. She was rubbing her eye, though no tears were showing. She was probably rubbing it to make sure he didn't see them, Sora thought to himself. He put a hand on her shoulder and was about to give her some reassuring words, had she not rushed forward and embraced him in a surprisingly strong hug. It took a moment for Sora's mind to register what she just did, before returning the hug a little more gently. He would have loved just to stay like that and never let her go, but Donald and Goofy yelled something at him, something about hurrying up. He detached himself from Kairi, but she still had her hands fisted in his sleeves and gave him an imploring look. Sora only gave her his signature grin, before leaning in and whispering something in her ear.
She instantly smiled and her grip lightened up but still didn't let go. Sora's smile retreated into only a smirk, even though he felt extremely guilty for leaving her again. At least this time was she wasn't alone. Sora told a lot of his friends and family how Kairi felt that year he and Riku were gone. He didn't want her to constantly worry about them
Sora pulled away from Kairi, or rather he was yanked off...by the hair. "Come on! You can't keep the King and Master Yen Sid waiting. It's already been too long." Donald squawked.
Sora nodded, after mumbling an 'ow ow ow ow' before the figure released him.
"Sora!"
Sora grunted as Tidus, Wakka and Selphie all chorused Sora's name as they tackled him. Wakka wrapped him in a strong one armed hug saying "Thinkin' you can go without saying goodbye to your other friends, yeah? Forget it man!" Tidus merely clasped his hand in a firm handshake, "Think you can bring back souveniers this time?". Selphie gave him an enthusiastic hug from behind, "Just make sure you remember all of us at least."
Sora was chuckling as he acknowledged their requests, then he made his way up the ramp along with Riku. As Riku stepped in to the hatchway, Sora stopped there and gave everyone a mockery salute, causing them to smile. But again, Sora was yanked by Donald. Seconds after that, the ship's engine came to life and accelerated itself out of this world, without a moment of farewell.
And once again, Kairi was separated from Sora and Riku.
Had she known that that was the last time she would see Sora, she would of have said something important to him.
Riku on the other hand, was with him quite a while before he disappeared.
"You both performed exceptionally, saving the sleeping worlds, and hindering Master Xehanorts plans for quite some time, while uncovering some truths." Master Yen Sid said to Sora and Riku. Their Mark of Mastery was complete and Yen Sid is about to make an announcement.
"However...Sora. You delved too deep into your dreams and were caught in the darkest part of your nightmares." he stated with no emotion.
Sora lowered his head in solemn acknowledgement.
"If it weren't for Riku, you would have very well slept forever. Riku knew not to delve too deep, no matter how tempting it was. That is why he passed and you have not, Sora."
Riku's eyes widened. He passed, but Sora didn't. He beat him at something yet again, would he be mad? He turned to Sora and was very surpised at Sora's smile.
"Great job Riku! You're now a Keyblade Master." Sora said while slinging an arm around Riku's neck. Riku was a bit confused, but Sora kept talking. "Guess I didn't pass huh? Ah well, guess theirs next time?"
Riku was now confused and amazed. Sora failed the mark of mastery and yet still was his happy go-lucky self. Riku knew that if he himself failed, he would get angry with himself and constantly doubt himself. That was one of the reasons he was jealous of his friend.
"Well Sora," Yen Sid interrupted both their thoughts, though he never even left his chair, "I can not let you re-take the exam, due to the fact that the seven sleeping worlds have been restored. However, I could offer you an alternative. And if you are to succeed in this endeavor, I will gladly promote you to the title of Master." he said in his monotonous voice.
Sora slammed his palms on the table and exclaimed with enthusiasm, "Name it!"
Master Yen Sid nodded but turned his gaze to Riku. "You will not be helping him, for he is to venture on his own, and I have a separate assignment for you." Riku nodded. "If you could please leave me and Sora alone, so I may discuss the details." Master Yen Sid said to Riku, but Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and even Lea who was there knew that he wanted everyone to leave.
"Say Axel" Sora inquired,"What made you come here to help us anyways?"
Lea sighed at his nobody name, "What? A friend can't help a friend? We are friends right?"
Sora smiled.
"And hey, I know you guys are gonna be fighting a big battle coming up, so I think I would like to help out and-Huh?", during the conversation, Lea held out his hand as gesture to emphasize his words, but in his hand something materialized. The handle mimicked his chakrams, but a blade jutted out from one end in a flurry of dancing flames. A Keyblade.
"WHAT?" everyone chorused.
...
...
Riku, King Mickey, Donald and Goofy, were waiting out on the steps of Master Yen Sid's tower. It hadn't been that long, since they'd been ushered out. Lea left for Radiant Garden already. Each of the them was wondering what could Sora's next test could be? The main door opened as Sora strolled out. Immediately all four of them stood up, each intending to ask questions. But Sora held his hand up, "Sorry, Yen Sid said no one can know or travel with me, except for... well not telling."
Donald and Goffy groaned as Mickey and Riku merely shook their heads. Riku remembered that Mr. Yen Sid wanted to tell him something also, but wantedto see where Sora would go.
"Could'ya at least tell us where you'll be going and how long you'd be gone?" Goofy questioned.
"I can give you a hint." Sora said as he strolled onto the grass. He withdrew his Keyblade and pointed to the sky. Energy gathered at the tip and surrounded the teeth, before that energy beamed into the sky before colliding with a Keyhole. The keyhole disappeared and what looked like a portal opened up.
"The Realm of Sleep?" Riku asked as he stared at it, "But I thought all the worlds were restored?" Sora merely murmured an "uh-huh".
Sora turned to the gang and gave him his signature grin along with a thumbs up. Goofy chuckled at this. Even as Donald groaned and shook his head, he smiled too. Mickey laughed and nodded along with Riku. Before anyone knew Sora was gone, sucked into the portal to the realm of sleep which quickly closed after him.
And that was the last anyone of Sora's friends saw him.
Everyone stopped their remembrance when a distant rumbling sound was heard. At first they all just stood in place, heads constantly turning to find the source of the growing roaring sound. Wakka first noticed that the noise was coming from a ship, and not just any ship, an airship. Once he saw it, he pointed it out, alerting the others.
"Who could that be?" Riku asked no one in particular.
The ship was a gleaming silver, reflecting the afternoon sun back into the clouds. Multiple rotors were seen decorating the top of the aircraft like flying buttresses, spinning in such a violent manner that anything caught in it would be cleanly cut. Engines were bursting blue flames from the rear, propelling the airship faster than rotors ever could. The overall design of the ship was that their was a large front section with no visible look out points, two aft sections with wings for maneuverability, and an underside command bridge. On the front side, a young woman in a bikini was painted in great detail. What Riku also noticed was that the ship was getting closer...fast.
"Could it be...?"
Kairi hopped down from her perch and ran down to the main beach of the play island. Riku and the others followed swiftly. Riku was faster than anyone there and made it to the beach first, just in time for the ship to get within a couple dozen meters of the island before changing direction to act as a brake, also causing water and wind to rise up in a spraying mist.
The ship's engines died down, though the propellers continued to rotate in order to keep the ship aloft. As Kairi and the others caught up to Riku, multiple figures were seen jumping out of the ship's command deck. The island inhabitants thought the jumpers were crazy, until parachutes were seen exploding out the backs of each of them. A total of five figures were seen, including the one that was obviously not human, judging by its four legs and how it howled as it descended.
The afternoon sun was at the perfect angle to almost blind the gang's view of the parachuters, making it impossible to fully notice the people distinct differences. Even Kairi, the girl with a pure heart of light, had to avert her eyes as soon as she laid her eyes upon the orb of light. But soon enough, the first person landed at the borderline between beach and sea. Before Kairi and the others could get a descriptive view of the person, said person's parachute cascaded over themself.
"Oh! How come everytime I land, this damn thing just has to-" the high-pitched woman voice was cut off by a gagging sound.
A short dose of nostalgia hit Kairi at the sound of the voice. She could have sworn she heard this voice a long time ago, somewhere along the time she was torn from this world. It was a voice that cheered her up after Sora saved her heart and left her in the hands of four people that would protect her, this voice belonged to one of those people, but she couldn't rememberr their names. The person under the parachute, after flailing a bit, finally got the tarp off of her. It was her face that finally made Kairi remember.
"Yuffie?"
The ninja focused her attention on the source of the voice and smiled instantly. "Kairi! It's been so long. My you've grown. How have you been on this paradise you call home?" Her voice trailed off in Kairi's hearing as she looked at the other figures that landed.
One was a fairly large, fairly dark-skinned man. His robotic right arm was easily noticable. His attire was simple and somewhat wierd; a fishnet shirt, a white vest, simple green pants, and thick combat boots. After landing, he didn't immediately take off his parachute, he rather focused on the little girl that was strapped to his front with multiple belts. He set the little girl down on her feet, who was immensely short and was probably just old enough to not be called a toddler. She looked very cute with a single braid of brown hair, tied by a red ribbon. She had no recollection of either of these people, but was assured that since they were here with Yuffie, they were most likely her friends.
Landed a second after those two, was the non-human figure. Having no problem shrugging the parachute off, the fairly large red wolf-looking creature spent a moment studying his surroundings. Its tail, which glowed at the end, was swishing back and forth, mimicking the sways of the tide. It had a fair sized red mane on its shoulders, and had a variety of beads and piercings along his ears. On its back, riding the beast like a horse, was small cat which was wearing a crown and cape. The crwon and cape didn't really classify the cat as weird, but the fact that he wasn't a quadruped but acted bipedal.
Next came the familiar form of Cid. Although Kairi didn't engage in a sufficient amount of conversation with him, she did remember him as well enough as Yuffie, Aerith and Leon. Though what he was wearing was different now; a blue shirt, green pants and a jacket tied around his waist, but he still wore his goggles. Easily sliding out of his parachute, Cid instantly turned to the islanders and said "She's a beaut. My Shera the latest model." he gestured to the hovering craft. "I'll give ya the grand tour afterwards."
"After what?" Roxas spoke up, his first words of the day.
Before Cid could reply after his snort, the last figure landed in between him and the group. This person also had a passenger attached to them, a young boy, though the parachuter was a young women. She had long black hair, a very curved body, and wore an attire of black leather, and her appearance fit the descriptions that Sora gave one person when he told his story of his adventures, and that person would be Tifa. Though, Sora never mentioned the short curly-haired boy.
Yuffie stepped in, "Why when Sora gets here of course!"
All the islanders either gasped or widened their eyes. "You know he's coming?" Kairi asked.
For a moment, the entire group that came aboard the Shera looked confused. "You mean he's not here?", the little girl asked.
"No...I haven't seen him in five years" Riku responded.
"Five years?" Tifa asked. "We saw him about a year ago." Suddenly everyone was now even more interested.
"He was with you guys?" Roxas asked.
"Only about a week, to help with some trouble." Yuffie stated.
"Typical Sora, always helping his friends." Kairi smiled.
"Since you haven't seen him, I take it things have been safe around here?" Tifa wondered.
"Don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing, yeah?" Wakka spoke in his special accent, which the two little kids laughed at.
"Not to sound rude, but weren't there more of you? Like where's Leon and Aerith and...what's that guys name that Sora admired...?" Kairi began to ask, glancing up at the ship to search for any late jumpers. When she looked back down, she noticed the solemn expressions now on everyone's face. "Uh...did something happen?"
For a moment no one spoke, but Tifa stepped forward. "His name is Cloud, and he and Leon have been missing for weeks. And Aerith..." she trailed off, before starting back up, "Well she's just gone."
Kairi now felt bad bringing up some memories that were obviously painful, "Sorry."
"It's alright" Yuffie already perked up, "At least Leon and Cloud are only missing, and we thought they just went to help Sora. So if we find Sora we find them." she stated matter-of-factly.
"If only we knew where he was." Riku spoke plainly. Uncomfortable silence followed for about a minute.
"Well the least we can do now is introduce ourselves and yourselves, we're all Sora's friends here." Yuffie perked up again. "I've already told everyone about you guys, Riku, Kairi. But I don't know the rest of you, but we'll go first, I'm the great ninja Yuffie."
"The name's Barrett", the big guy spoke up, "and this here's my daughter Marlene" he gestured to the little girl, who waved and said "Hi!"
"I'm Cid, and don't any of you call me gramps." Cid huffed.
"Tifa, and this here's Denzel." Tifa introduced, and Denzel merely waved.
"I be Cait Sith, and this here beastie is who we call Red XIII.", the cat spoke up in a heavy Scottish accent. Riku and Roxas were the only ones not surprised by a talking cat, they've seen better.
"Well since you know Riku and Kairi already, guess I'll go first on our side. I'm Selphie."
"The name's Wakka man!" Wakka spoke, his accent even heavier.
"I'm Roxas, and this is Namine" Roxas gestured to himself and Namine. The residents of Radiant Garden though gave him a weird look, as if they were studying him. "You're probably thinking how I look a lot like Sora. Well, that's because we are technically related." Everyone nodded in understanding, even though more questions were to be asked.
"Do you guys live on this island?" Yuffie asked, pointing to the ground.
"Oh no." Kairi answered. "This is just our little play island, we call it 'Manini'.
"Manini?" Yuffie asked again. She was full of questions, then again who wasn't?
"It means 'small' in our native language. We call it that because the mainland, named 'Hawaii', is much bigger." Selphie explained.
"The mainland?", an uncertain amount of people questioned.
"Yeah right behind you." Wakka pointed, causing everyone to look in the direction.
"Woah. Didn't know spiky junior lived in such paradise." Barrett said.
"There are more islands, and all of them know the heroic journey Sora and Riku went on." Selphie explained further.
"So, is there anyone else that we ha-?" *SPLASH*
Yuffie's next question was cutoff because of a loud splash occurring not too far from the shore. The object was about human size, judging by the large ripples that cascaded from its origin. The object began to move, perhaps it was a human. Then it burst through the surface of the water, taking a sharp intake of breath. Now, standing in the water, breathing heavily, wearing a yellow jacket with one arm covered in a blue and red gauntlet, pants that were ripped at knee height on one leg, a sapphire crystal held in his left hand, while the other held a blade of the same shade, blonde hair and blue...
...was Tidus.
The islanders gasped, while the newcomers simply stared at the young man who was stumbling their way.
"Hey guys! I'm back!" Tidus yelled despite appearing winded.
"Tidus Man!" Wakka proclaimed, wrapping an arm around his friends head. "How did ya get back from wherever you disappeared too?"
"Well, I was-"
"Where did you go off to!" Selphie interrupted.
"I had to go off and-"
"Were you with Sora?" Kairi interrupted this time.
"Actually I was with-"
"Have you seen Cloud, or Leon?", Tifa's turn.
"WILL YOU ALL GIVE ME A CHANCE TO EXPLAIN!" Tidus just right out exploded, causing everyone to take a step back, even Wakka who let him go.
"Thanks, now to answer your questions-" he was cut off again, but instead by someone else. While Tidus came here landing in the water, another person came walking from a topaz tunnel of light. This person also had a crystal in hand, but his other hand hefted a mighty Buster Sword. Dressed in the uniform of Soldier and his golden spikes hardly moving in the wind, Cloud looked up when Tifa was the first to yell his name. "Tifa?"
Now it was the newcomers to gasp at the man who literally walked onto this world. Cloud checked his surroundings, concluding this was not Radiant Garden. "Where am I?"
"I think I should ask where have you been?" Tifa growled, beginning to get angry. "Why'd you disappear again?"
Cloud took a little step back, "It wasn't my choice. I was summoned." Cloud stated as he made his way towards the groups.
"That's what I was trying to say!" Tidus exclaimed.
"Summoned? By who?" Denzel finally spoke up.
"The gods of Light and Darkness." Cloud and Tidus chorused. Confusion once again grasped the others.
"There are gods of Light and Darkness?" Riku asked.
Tidus nodded, "Yeah, there's Cosmos the Goddess of Harmony and Light, and Chaos, the God of Discord and Darkness, and they summoned people like us to fight and destroy the other."
"People like you?" Yuffie wondered.
"Warriors, duh." Tidus drawled.
"Oh really, so why weren't we called then? We have Keyblades and can fight." Riku asked, gesturing to Roxas and Kairi also.
"Cuz Sora didn't want you guys involved, in fact-"
"Sora?" nearly everyone simultaneously interrupted Tidus, causing him to groan.
"Ugh. Yeah, Sora decided which Warriors would fight for Cosmos, even if Sora didn't actually participate in the battles."
"So if he wasn't there with you, where was he?" Riku inquired.
"I think we better wait till he gets back to explain." Cloud brought up.
"When did'ya last see him?"
"'Bout five minutes ago." Tidus stated plainly.
"WHAT!", Everyone but Cloud and Tidus yelled. "You mean you were just with him?" Kairi yelled.
"Yeah.", emotionless Cloud responded.
"Well? How is he? Where is he if he's not back with you?" Kairi started.
"And where's Leon?" Yuffie added.
"Okay," Tidus sighed, "So in order, Sora's fine. And I don't where he and the others went. And who's Leon?"
"Leon is Squall." Cloud pointed out. "He probably went back home thanks to his crystal."
"So those crystals took you home?" Marlene spoke up. Cloud and Tidus nodded, each holding up their own for a better view.
"So Leon probably went back to Radiant Garden. Tidus' crystal brought him here, but why are you here Cloud?" Tifa questioned. Cloud bowed his head in thought.
"That's simple. Home is where the people who love you are at." Who said that? No one around here said anything. The voice was high pitched an squeaky, and omnipresent by the fact everyone heard him equally. Everyone's heads were turning in confusion, not knowing even where the voice originated. Then a bright light, like a shooting star, struck the ground with shaking force. Sand was thrown in the air, causing everyone to block their eyes as to not be blinded. At his first chance, Riku opened his eyes, and immediately smiled at who now lay there.
"Ow" "Dugh" "Ouchie", Mickey, Donald, and Goofy groaned.
"King Mickey, Donald, Goofy!" Riku rushed to help them up.
"Haha, good to see ya all." the King greeted, putting his Star Shard in his pocket. "Even you guys who aren't from here."
"Whatcha guys doin here anyways?" Goofy scratched his head.
"To be honest, we were looking for Sora." Yuffie stated. The King, Donald, and Goofy widened their eyes and looked at each other.
"We thought he was here too." Donald squawked.
"So you don't know where he is?" Riku asked.
"We haven't seen him in three years." Mickey solemnly replied.
"Well don't worry about him, Tidus and Cloud said they were with him not too long ago." Kairi tried to cheer them up, though she herself hid her own worriness behind a mask of relief. It was enough to make them smile.
"At least he's alright" Goofy ahyuck'd
"Well, I still like to see him mouse to person" Mickey continued.
"You guys should see him now." Tidus sighed.
"Has he...changed?" Kairi sked, her voice wavering a bit.
"A little, but for the better." Tidus said cheerily. "In fact now, you should see his mech-"
"Who's that?" Tidus couldn't get mad at Marlene for interrupting him, no one could get mad at Marlene. What she was referring to was a figure clad in a black cloak, exactly like the ones that Organization XIII wore. Although, it had markings on it; silver outlined every opening on the cloak, a stream of silver also cascaded from the shoulder to the wrists, and unbeknownst to them, a roman numeral one on his back.
"This can't be good." Riku said.
The figure was striding atop the water, as if it were a solid surface, at quite a slow pace. Each step made a little splash, just like steeping in a puddle, each step bringing him closer to the shore of the island.
"Cid, could get the kids back on the ship?" Tifa whispered, bringing her leather gloves out of her pocket.
"Could take awhile, and he'd probably be here before I could even get up there, even if he's walking so slow." Cid said as he lit his cigar. Barrett pushed Marlene towards Denzel, who immediately took her hand. "Is there anywhere safe?" he asked.
The Secret Place
Kairi didn't know where the voice came from, or who the voice even belong too, or even if it was a voice. But it was a good idea; it was small and hardly anyone knew about it. Namine did.
"Namine." Kairi turned to her. "You and the kids should go to the secret place." Namine had an unreadable expression for a moment.
Roxas put his hand on her shoulder. "Listen to her Namine. No offense, but you're the only one of us who doesn't have a weapon or know how to fight." Namine looked at him and in most other circumstances she would have bopped him on the head. But instead she nodded and took Denzel's hand and led them towards the cave.
Roxas watched her disappear under into the entrance before turning back towards the mysterious stranger and gasped at where he was now. He was on the sands of the shore, standing there, his head looking in their direction, as if studying them.
"Sora?" Tidus stepped forward. Everyone couldn't believe what Tidus just said. Could this man really be Sora? He was tall, and they could tell he was muscular, Sora was neither.
"It's you isn't it?" Tidus pointed at him, walking even closer. "Why ya wearin' that cloak again?" The hooded man made no response.
Tidus was now right in front of him, and matched him in height. He reached out his hand, "Stop creeping us-"
The instant Tidus' hand connected with the man's shoulder, he grabbed hold of it in a painful grip, and his other hand went flat against his chest, before unleashing a hellish Thundaga spell. Tidus flew back with a cry, the crystal and sword in his hands flying out of his grip. Due to the fact he was in ankle-high water, the Thundaga spell's power was amplified. He crashed onto the shore, rolled a bit, and stopped at the feet of Riku, his limbs sprawled out and smoke coming from his body.
"Tidus!" Riku yelled, rolling him over. He was breathing, but that looked like all he could do. Riku glared back up at the figure, "There's no way in hell you're Sora!"
Again the figure did nothing.
"Now who are you really!" Riku yelled stepping over Tidus and Selphie who was now at his side. The figure did nothing. Riku withdrew his Keyblade, the Way to Dawn, and assumed his battle stance. "I asked you-"
"The Keyblade..."
The figure now spoke, his voice ridiculously deep and omnipresent. Riku froze at those words. Kairi and Roxas, who were about to summon their own Keyblades, were also astonished that he knew of the powerful weapon. He spoke again.
"A truly marvelous weapon."
Everyone present on the island withdrew their weapons now, ready to attack at the mysterious man who was obviously dangerous.
"Were it only in more..."
He held out his right hand.
"...capable hands."
[Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST: Dark Impetus begins to play.]
In a raging thunderstorm, in his hand, a bright blue Keyblade appeared. The handle and teeth were a dull cobalt, while the shaft glowed a bright cyan. The teeth jutted out at even angles, and the shaft was long in length. Behind the teeth was what appeared to be stopwatch, and similar patterns appeared on the hand guards. At the keychain's end was an hourglass of similar coloration. [A/N: The No Name Keyblade from BBS]
"What? It can't be!" Mickey yelled.
"Disappear!" the cloaked figure yelled in a venomous tone.
He brung the Keyblade back and held it up at a near thirty-five degree angle. Now, blue streaks of energy erupted beneath his feet, encircling him like wild tornadoes.
No one knew who this character could be or how he fought. But what they all knew was that they were about to have their hands full.
Author's Note: Please leave a review, positive or negative is your choice, though I prefer positive. Also don't expect updates fast, for I am working on about 3 other projects at the same time, because I am mentally and physically incapable of working on one thing at a time. Sorry. But rest assured this story will be updated.