Ja ne minna-san! Oops...I mean...Hello everybody! This is the first story that I've ever planned out, so let's cross our fingers and perform a hope jutsu...Wow, completely wrong category.
Axel: ...What are you talking about?
Tobi: Ummm, Naruto.
Axel: Well, this is Kingdom Hearts—got it memorized?
Tobi: Oh please, this is no time for you to be acting in character.....got it memorized?
Axel:................Get to the story already.
Tobi: Fine.
Sorry about that. He's officially invaded my room(no seriously, there are posters everywhere), so expect to hear more from him.
What?...Oh! The story! Here you go!
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It was a cool fall day, a day where the sun stood in frozen beauty over the world, basking everything in its cold warmth. Below the sun were the clouds, hanging like beads of sweat hang when they are about ready to drop off of someone's forehead. And even further below those was a steady wind providing a sheet of discomfort to those standing still. And yet still further down was a figure with deep brunette hair lying under a tree, casually chewing on a piece of grass.
The figure just happened to by a kid in the fifteen-year-old region. He wore baggy clothes that would sway when he walked, and most of what he wore was black. The end of a key rested in a necklace that rested on his chest. Next to this mysterious teen lay a sword shaped like a key, a sword that forged his reputation. His name was Sora, and without a doubt, he was the best mercenary one could hire.
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Sora looked once again at the crumpled-up piece of paper, the message on it barely readable:
Town attacked by gigantic heartless.
Authorities have failed to apprehend
this criminal. Townspeople will give
500 munny reward to whoever
eliminates the heartless.
" Man, I can't believe this reward." Sora turned the blade of grass he was holding in his mouth, " I don't get why anyone would expect people to save them for that." His dark mood lightened. " But, that does mean I'll be able to see old man Sid again!" He picked himself up off of the grass and picked up his sword, swinging it deftly into its holder on his back. He took a minute to stretch his muscles, and then headed towards the village.
As he walked, Sora started to formulate a plan of attack in his mind. If it was a big heartless, the only thing he needed to do was strike a big blow, right? But then again, if his attack was too crazy, he could further destroy the village. He needed to come up with a good plan.
The ground below him eventually started to turn into cobblestones, and pretty soon he started to see houses appearing in the distance. Faint light shone from the houses, as if they all had they're eyes upon him. Strange....why would people have their homes lit up when it's still daytime, he thought. He continued to walk down into the town, and was met with a bustling marketplace. Shops and vendors were strewn about the edges the street, as if they had been shoved aside by some powerful force. Suddenly, he realized he was hungry.
He walked along through the vendors. Apples: 2 munny! a sign read. Behind the table was a lady wrapped in a bright red shawl. She stared at him, and held her hand out to him invitingly as he passed; he merely shook his head. He walked a bit more, encircling the entire marketplace. Seeing nothing else that he wanted, he returned back to the apple vendor. Set beneath a large tent was a long table stacked with heaps of ripe fruit. As he walked up, he could hear a conversation going on. Not wanting to disrupt anything, he leaned against the side of the tent.
"I tell you, I only heard it this morning." This wasn't the voice of the seller. Sora peered around the tent, and saw that the voice belonged to a man of his mid forties. He had on plain clothes, and every so often, he would reach up and pull his hair over to the side, obviously self conscious of his balding head.
"Tell me, what is the latest news." This was the woman's voice. It seemed to be velvet, sliding over Sora's ear like the sun slides over the clouds .
"Well, you and I both know that information comes with a price." Sora could imagine him leaning over the table.
"You're right." He heard a clunk. " Now, tell me what I want to know."
"First, how much've you got?" His tone was greedy. Sora realized the man was a rat.
"That's 50 munny in there. Now spill your guts yourself so I don't have to."
"Alright. Apparently the recent--" he spat out the word 'heartless' "attacks have gotten the attention of the King--"
"The King?!" Sora noticed that more than a few people turned their heads to see what was going on.
"Keep down. Do you want anyone else to hear this information?"
"No, you're right again. Please continue."
"Like I was saying, the King's gotten interested. So interested that I hear he's sending his cousin to our town."
"The King's cousin, coming here?" Their voices were barely more than whispers now. Sora had to strain to hear what they were saying.
"Yes, and even more important..." the bag clunked again.
"...Even more important, I heard that he left the royal palace two weeks ago."
"But....it only takes a week and a half to get here from there...Oh! Then he's here?"
"Yes, but no one knows where in here he is. I've said too much for the munny you're offering me. Have a nice day." Sora glanced again just in time to catch the man leaving while stuffing a bag in his shirt. So the King's cousin is here huh? No one knew much about him, except for the fact that he rarely strayed far from the King.
"Hello," ejected the woman, having noticed him this time. " Is there anything I can do for you?" She batted her eyes almost...seductively.
"Don't you think you're in a little too much danger to be pulling something like that?"
"I don't see...Oh, you mean the heartless. Oh deary, he only comes out at night. Would you care for an apple?"
"Sure; I'll take three." He paid for the apples, and then exited back onto the street. So, it only comes out at night? I guess I have some time then: time to go visit Sid!
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Sid's shop was exactly how he remembered it. Two windows on either side of the door shone brilliantly out into the daylight. Even Sid has candles burning. He knocked on the door twice, and then waited. He didn't have to wait long. The burgundy-colored door swung inwards, and a man stepped out. He was wearing a white apron, and had his arms crossed over his chest. He looked about ready to kill someone until he noticed Sora.
"Sora! You're back."
"Well, I guess you could say th--" He was being squeezed to death. No, he wouldn't have to worry about the heartless killing him, he had Sid to worry about. He pushed Sid off of him.
"Hey! Could you at least control yourself for a few seconds?" Sora inquired.
"Sure." His face clouded up. Sora didn't like to see him like this, so he instantly thought of something that would cheer him up.
"So, have you built anything new since I've been gone?" It worked. Sid's face lit up.
"Yes! I built this...You know what, you'd better come inside. He opened the door and Sora walked through it into a seemingly small house that actually had a lot of room.
Sid's house was, well, what you'd expect of a mechanic's house. Strewn bits of junk and odd pieces of metal lay scattered everywhere. Rusty parts sat on the walls; many of them featuring tags that read "Fix by Monday" or "re-hinge the brake valve to lower tank"--the tags just made less and less sense as Sora read them. Situated below the parts were screwdrivers and wrenches, some half covered in grease.
"Well," Sora sighed, "I guess nothing's changed here."
"You're damn right nothing's changed! I work hard to make my livin', unlike some people I know--" He stopped when he felt cool steel against his throat.
"Shut up. You don't know just how hard I work." Sora face froze, and then he regained his composure. He took the blade away from Sid's throat. "Sorry.." he half mumbled.
"It's Kairi, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Sora went to sat down, but then noticed the chair he was about to sit in was filled to the brim with junk. Sid, noticing this, picked up the chair and turned it upside-down. He put it back right-side up on the ground, motioning for Sora to sit.
"I understand completely." Sid said as he took his on chair, not caring when the metal he sat on crunched. "It isn't easy to have your only sibling desert you."
"And you'd know, right?" Sora teased.
"Hey! I'm just saying...Anyway, what's the real reason your here?" Sora eyes narrowed.
"Right. So, You know there's a heartless in this town; I was wondering if you knew any details about it." Was that it? Yeah, that was what he wanted to know.
"Hmph. Doesn't surprise me you little bugger. After the reward are ya?"
"You knew." It wasn't a question.
"Please. Anyone who knows you well enough could tell that's why you're here. So," Sid paused and scratched his goatee, "details about the heartless huh? Well, the main thing I know about it is that it's big and doesn't like light--" That explained the candles in the windows. "--And well, the only other thing I know about it is that it looks like a suit of armor."
"Well, that's actually very useful information Sid." He ignored the guffawed 'really' he heard. At the moment, Sora was lost in his mind, going through the information again. It liked the darkness for some reason. It could be hiding something, he thought, but what could a gigantic heartless possibly hide? He was so focused on that, that he barely noticed when Sid got up to go make dinner.
The second thing on his mind was the little detail of it wearing armor. The armor most likely would be impenetrable. Sure, it could wear down with time, but he wanted to end the fight as soon as possible. So...He would have to strike in-between the links in the armor, going for the exposed material beneath.
A tray of food invading his lap shook him from his thoughts. He almost stood up, but then realized that that would most likely make a bigger mess than what was already on the floor. Controlling that urge, he was able to keep both himself and the floor(mostly) clean. That's when he looked at what he was about to eat.
"Sid, what is this?" He dipped his spoon into a pile of sludge and held it out for Sid to see..
"Like it? It's my very own creation! I figured, what with Kairi gone--" he ignored Sora's grimace. "--I'd have to come up with something of my own, am I right?"
"Are you kidding? The only reason you eat this stuff is 'cause she's not here to cook for you." He let the spoon fall, and it made no sound as it was swallowed by the goop.
"Come on, eat it for my sake; and besides, you're gonna need your strength so I want to see you eat your whole bowl." The mention of food reminded Sora of the apples he had bought earlier. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the small bag.
"What are those?" Sid said.
"I bought some apples earlier today, I thought you might like one.
"You kidding me? Hand that bag over this instant. A small game ensued of Sid chasing Sora around his house, which Sora won eventually.
"Hah! You're gonna have to age backwards if you wanna take these from me." he taunted.
"Can I just have one?"
"Sure, all you had to had to do was ask."
"But I did ask earlier..."
"Nope. You demanded. That won't get you anywhere."
"Oh yeah, let's hear you say that again."
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Sora walked along the cobblestone street quietly, listening intently to his surroundings. His time with Sid had been fun. He had been chased again, but, like always, he won those too. He had fallen asleep a few hours after dusk. Only fifteen minutes ago had Sid woken him up, telling him that he'd have to leave if he was going to catch the heartless. He couldn't tell how long he had slept, but apparently it was long enough to have him feeling faintly buzzed for the upcoming match he knew was imminent.
He had eventually eaten some of the goop, and much to his surprise, it wasn't actually as bad as he had imagined. Though, he still needed two of the three apples to wash the taste out of his mouth.
The street was getting darker. He looked behind him and saw that the nearest street light was twenty yards behind him. Any minute now...And the heartless will appear. At least that's what should have happened. Instead, the brick wall on his left exploded, leaving a good sized hole in the wall. He was just about to check it out, but then two figures flew through it. The heartless he recognized instantly; the boy in the heartless' mouth he couldn't recognize at all. Blood was funning down the armor he'd been told about, which just happened to be glinting in the faint light.
"Drop the kid. If you don't, I'll destroy you." The words weren't really necessary, seeing as he was going to destroy it anyway. It turned an armored head toward him. Making sure that he could see, it swallowed the boy whole.
"You disgusting freak. Now I'll have to kill you."
It lunged for him, and he simply turned to the side, letting the attack breeze past him. So far the heartless wasn't the smartest thing in the world. He pulled out his keyblade.
The heartless turned around, anger apparent in its body. Sora took a step forward, and in turn, the heartless took a step back—right into the light of a street lamp. Sora then knew it wasn't something wearing armor, the heartless was the armor itself. Crap. This was going to be a little tougher than he'd imagined. He blocked another strike while he thought. How am I supposed to hit something that doesn't have a body?
Another blow shattered his thoughts. This time was different though. There was an additional swing coming from his right. He wouldn't be able to dodge it. He cried out in pain as metal claws dug into his side. This isn't good. I think he punctured one or two of my organs. Sora fell down onto his knees, the blood loss getting to him.
"Bastard! It doesn't matter what you do to me, I will save that kid." He pushed himself onto his feet. "I will kill you. I'm going to cleanse the world of all heartless. You're not the first, and there's no way I'm gonna let you be the last.." He chocked out the last words, and coughed up blood. There must be something on those claws. This reaction isn't normal. "Besides," he muttered to himself "I need the reward money."
He lifted his keyblade and pointed it at the heartless. It started to shake in his hands, and then shot forth red light. The kid should be protected by the heartless' insides. He waved the blade around and then shouted "Firaga!" A ball of flame raced toward it and sealed it in blistering heat.
"Next," Sora stated. "I'll freeze you." He spun the blade around and yelled "Blizzaga" The metal hissed as it was iced, surprised at the sudden cold. The heartless tried to walk, but found it a hard thing to do. Sora rushed forward and pierced it through the middle, shattering it into a million pieces. Out of the shards of metal came the boy. Sora caught him before he hit the ground, noticing that he was still conscious, but then he dropped the boy gripping his stomach.
"I think he had poison on him." the voice surprised Sora, it was the voice of a teen. He held the teen up for a minute longer, and then dropped him down onto the cool cobblestones, his strength having run out.
"Oh, Roxas! Roxas, are you okay? My God you're bleeding!"
Sora felt the teen stand up next to him.
"No, no, I'm fine; he's the one you should be worried about." Through his half open eye, Sora saw the man look down at him.
"Who is he?" The teen called Roxas turned around and gently asked Sora what his name was. "Sora..." he mumbled out.
"His name's Sora."
"The reason for the concern, master?" Roxas was this guy's master? He had to be middle-aged.
"The reason for my concern, Tidus, is that Sora just saved my life." Sora heard an intake of breathe before he lost consciousness.
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Sora awoke to the sound of a monitor beeping. He struggles to open his eyes, and when he did, he was greeted with the image of a face mere inches from his own.
"You're finally awake." That voice...was it--
"Roxas?"
"Hey! You remembered my name! That's great."
"Where am I?" He looked around, but couldn't see much because of Roxas in front of him.
"You're in my hideout! I brought you here(well, Tidus insisted that you be brought here) after the fight. Oh yeah," he placed a bag gently on Sora's torso, "Here's your reward."
"What?"
"The reward for killing the heartless, remember?"
"Oh...yeah, that's right, I did kill it didn't I?"
"Yeah!" Roxas agreed. "And you saved me while you were at it."
Sora heard a door open.
"Roxas, are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, just a minute."
"Alright." The voice disappeared as the door closed.
"Sora, let me ask you something." He didn't wait for a response. "Would you like to go the royal palace with me?"
It was the last question Sora had expected. He had no idea who Roxas was, or what his purpose was. He thought of Sid. He'd probably wouldn't worry if I suddenly disappeared, I am a mercenary, after all. But then again, royalty doesn't suit me too well. I'd have no idea what I was doing, where I was going, or how I was supposed to act. That last thought made him smile.
"Sure," he croaked out. "I'd be more than happy to go with you."
"You sure?" Roxas' face lit up. "Then that's good, because we're already on the train!"
"What?" Sora nearly sat up, but then dropped back down from the pain.
"I wouldn't do that. There was some really potent poison on that heartless' claws; so it's probably better you don't move until we get there."
"Alright." He had to admit, it was the safest thing to do. "Just one question."
"Go ahead!"
"Why are we going to the royal palace?"
"Oh, that's easy, it's because I'm the king's cousin!"
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Phew! A first chapter! I think I forgot to mention that this whole thing is for LoriMina....but that's okay.
Anyway, I'm off to go spend the rest of my Friday.....reading 'Wuthering Heights'?
Huh......anyway, Tobi-kun is very happy right now!! So please, please review so that his world does not come crashing down like when Deidara died...~sob~