A/N Hello everyone and happy new year! And…well—this is kinda awkward. I know I have a lot of other stories that I need to update, but I needed to get this one off my chest. Never thought I'd go back to writing Kingdom Hearts fanfiction again (let alone actually writing an SI OC fic for it) but like…it was bound to happen eventually. I mean, for one thing, it was the Kingdom Hearts series that I first started writing fanfiction for—but that's all in the past, this is the present. And we have disclaimer to get out of the way!
Disclaimer for the entire story: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or anything related to the franchise! I am in no way Tetsuya Nomura or Disney, nor will I ever be!
I can dream though…or just write fanfiction, because it's honestly quite fun. So yeah, let's get this story started, shall we?
…
…
Something is wrong…
There's a strange sensation she feels—as though she's falling headfirst. She is not sure at what exact speed, but it doesn't feel bad for her, so it isn't that fast. It feels cold and when she opens her eyes ever so slightly, she sees faint rays of light coming from above…and bubbles (bubbles?). It's a rather bewildering sight, but oddly comforting in some way. She doesn't mind if it's all she stares at for a while…but she can't, because her eyes feel so heavy. So she closes them.
So very, very wrong…
She feels tired and wants nothing more than to sleep. But she can't—something is keeping her awake. Soon, she begins to feel a pull and so she opens her eyes once more. She sees bubbles again, going upwards. She sees even more when she exhales—as though she is underwater. The more she thinks about it, the more she wonders if she is underwater.
Then how can I breathe?
How can she see with such clarity? It's strange and rather confusing…but she finds that she isn't afraid. There is something calming about her current circumstances. She closes her eyes again, because it is so tiring to keep them open. That's when she begins to hear a voice.
"Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light."
It's such a calm and gentle voice, so full of warmth that it makes her feel safe instead of alarmed. It tells her a story of light…and darkness. There is something familiar about it, but what?
I don't know, I don't know, I don't know…
It frustrates her…but she doesn't feel that way for long as she continues to listen to the story she is being told.
"Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you."
It sounds so clichéd…but she doesn't mind. Why should she, when she feels so secure? Even long after, when the voice finally stops speaking to her, the story having reached its end, she still feels a strong sense of security as she continues falling downwards. Falling, falling, falling…how long, she doesn't know. She just knows that she's falling deeper and deeper into the depths of a watery abyss. When she opens her eyes again, it's because her center of gravity has changed. Slowly, her body turns until she is a standing position. It is at that exact moment when she finally makes contact with something. She lands on a solid surface, standing on somewhat wobbly legs.
It takes her a few seconds to regain her sense of balance. Her head is spinning with thoughts, her vision blurring for a brief moment. All it takes is a simple step and the ground beneath her suddenly lights up. She covers her face to shield her eyes from the harsh light. It almost hurts, but soon, her eyes adjust and what she sees next leaves her absolutely speechless.
Pieces of ground beneath her break off to reveal a much brighter surface that had been underneath—consisting of a colorful stained glass floor. The pieces fly into the air in a manner that seems much more animate than it should be. It takes her a few seconds to realize why when she notices that they're birds. White-feathered doves scatter all around her as the floor beneath her continues to light up. She watches them fly off into the distance, leaving only behind white feathers that slowly drift downwards.
She continues watching them until they completely disappear into the darkness. Her heart is racing, her body shaking with excitement. The sight of birds has always made her feel uncontrollable happiness.
That's right…
A smile forms on her lips as she catches a feather in her hand. It's completely white with an almost ethereal glow to it. It's also very soft…
"This is where your journey begins."
She drops the feather in shock when a voice suddenly speaks to her. Unlike the previous voice, there is not much warmth…but at the same time, it holds no animosity. It is still just as serene as the previous voice.
"Banisher of darkness, gatherer of light—what is your name?"
She blinks a few times and takes a moment to process the question she has just been asked. It should be an easy question to answer and yet…she finds her mind going blank. Whatever it is that she thought she knew is just gone.
Wh-Wha…?
Her heart starts to race, her stomach churning unpleasantly. This isn't right…
Wrong, wrong, wrong…!
Was this what she felt was wrong? It seems likely, considering how anxious she now feels.
"Can you remember?"
"No," she wants to say, but doesn't. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She holds it for a few seconds and then exhales. She thinks for a moment, wracking her brain for a memory—anything—to help her give an answer to the voice. It takes her a while, but soon she comes across something. She is not too certain, but it seems familiar enough for her to consider it. A minute passes and she finally has her answer.
"N-Noa," she says, indecisively at first before repeating herself again, with much more certainty. She notices something off with her voice, but thinks nothing much of it. "It's Noa."
It's not her real name…she knows that it isn't. But it's all she can remember and having something is better than being nameless—even if it is just a placeholder…
"Is that so?"
She thinks for a moment…and then nods her head. "Yes."
"Very well…"
Noa almost shrieks when a large, rectangular object manifests itself in front of her. It stands at a height far taller than she is and is covered by a large, white sheet.
"Look deep inside your heart and when you are ready, pull off the sheet."
Noa looks at the sheet-covered object before her…just what is it? Curiosity tells her to pull off the sheet, but logic says she should do as she's told. She thinks about it, despite how confused she is.
Am I ready?
She has no idea.
What am I supposed to be ready for?
She also has no idea.
Should I?
…
…
Noa bites her lip and grabs at the sheet. In a swift motion, she pulls off the sheet and quickly finds herself staring into a pair of chocolate brown eyes belonging to a chubby girl with dark, brown hair and tan skin. This time, she does scream—because she had not been prepared for that.
The sounds of her scream echo eerily, making her feel even more perturbed than she already is. Her heart is pounding hard within her chest that she can almost hear it. It is then, that she notices that there is something about the girl. Every movement she makes matches hers…so she reaches out. It is only when her hand touches the cool, smooth surface of glass that she realizes she is looking into a mirror.
That's her reflection.
Is it really?
There is something off about her reflection, but she can't figure out what it is just yet.
Clothes?
She is wearing a lemon chiffon romper with short, amber-colored sleeves and a rose-red belt around her hips. Hanging from the belt, is a pouch of the same color and on her hands, she wears fingerless cream-colored gloves. A decorative green jewel dangles from the yellow hood that she has around her neck.
Where did I…?
She doesn't remember ever buying such an outfit…did she buy it?
I don't know…
When did she change?
I don't know, I don't know!
Has her hair always been this long?
I don't…
Noa bites her lip when she grabs a lock of her somewhat curly hair. It's far too long than she's used too—yeah, she remembers that.
My hair is supposed to be short…
She even remembers cutting it herself, feeling so fed up with its previous longer length. It wasn't even that long to begin with. It's been years since her hair had fallen past her waist. But this—this is even longer than that! Why is it that her hair is so long?
Why why why why whywhywhy?!"
She doesn't know…she just doesn't know…
"Is this how you see yourself?"
Noa purses her lips as she continues to stare at her reflection. There is still something so wrong with what she sees. So very, very wrong…the hair, the clothes, and something else—but what?
Hold on…
It takes her a couple of minutes, but soon she notices that she is missing a scar on her left knee. She remembers how she got that scar—she got it when the vinyl carpet protector fell out of her hands spikes-first and scraped her left knee. She remembers the pain, too, as well as the annoyance she felt because she had to put her vacuuming on hold to clean and bandage the wound.
What happened to it?
She still doesn't know…but this time, it isn't because she can't remember. It's strange and almost disturbing. But what ends up disturbing her the most is when she realizes how young she looks.
How old am I?
She looks she's thirteen at most…but that's not right.
I'm not thirteen!
She is supposed to be much older than that—she remembers that quite clearly through the hazy memories that she has of herself drinking wine coolers. She had bought them legally, too…
Is that why her voice sounded so off?
Y-Yeah…
The dark circles she had under her eyes are gone, making her look far less exhausted than she should be. She knows she should be exhausted—her sleeping schedule is still so screwed up from college.
That's right!
She's supposed to be in college!
Then why do I look like a middle-schooler?
This is so wrong!
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!
She feels sick and nauseous as she continues to look at her reflection. This is supposed to be her…but it's not. That is not her body!
It's not, it's not, it's not!
It might not feel any different, but she knows it's not hers!
Notnotnotnotnot!
She wants to cry, her eyes feeling the familiar sting of tears. She sniffs as she wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. She tries not to cry and forces a smile…but ends up feeling even sicker to her stomach when she notices that her one of her front teeth is missing a chip. It's the tiniest of chips, but she has always seen it whenever she brushes her teeth every day.
What else is missing?!
She opens her mouth to see two straight rows of pearly white teeth. They're absolutely flawless, devoid of the silver-colored fillings she is supposed to have. Her wisdom teeth aren't poking out, but she is somewhat fine with that. Otherwise, this is still so very wrong.
"If you are uncomfortable with what you see, you are free to change your appearance as you see fit."
Noa has no idea what to say to that. She doubts she'll be able to change everything without modifying her body, which is something she'd rather avoid. She guesses that she'll just have to get used to it…
Yeah…
She doesn't react much when the mirror disappears into a bright light. After everything, it's the least of the strangest things that she has seen so far. If anything, it makes her feel somewhat better now that she can't see her reflection.
"For now…which Union does your heart belong to?"
Noa's brows furrow. There is a sense of déjà vu that she feels from the question that is asked. It only grows stronger when she looks down to investigate the strange glow beneath her. It's coming from the stained glass floor that she's standing on.
"Whoa…" Her eyes light up in awe, her discomfort and nausea promptly forgotten.
With so much happening in such a short amount of time, she never did have a chance to look closely at the stained glass floor. It's circular in shape, with a prominent ethereal glow that seems to be the only source of light around. She sees shades of blue and violet decorated with white stars. She stands upon a peculiar design of an emblem of some sort in the center of the floor. It is silver in color and possesses the shape of a heart with wings—one of feather and another resembling a batwing. It is encircled by five peculiar circles that are completely blank.
The floor is divided into five different sections, one for each blank circle. The sections vary in color, possessing different hues of a specific color. One is of red, another is of violet, a third is of brown, a fourth is of pink, and the last is of green. Without any warning, one of the circles—the one in the red section—flashes brightly.
"Ah!" Noa covers her face in her attempts to shield her eyes from the harsh light. She would have appreciated a warning beforehand…
"Is it the Union Unicornis that your heart belongs to?"
Uni…Unicornis?
Noa uncovers her face once the light had died down. When she looks at the circle, she finds that it is no longer blank—it now possesses the image of a majestic white unicorn with gold eyes and silver hair. It has a horn too large to remain within completely within the circle. It is on a red background, decorated with elegant gold lines.
"Wow…" is all Noa can say with stars in her eyes.
Another circle lights up after the first one, the direction in which it occurs is that of a clockwise motion. The section it comes from is the one possessing a violet color.
"Or is it the Union Anguis that your heart belongs to?"
When the light wanes, the circle now possesses the image of a dusky blue cobra with a white underside. Its tongue is flicked out, blue eyes staring outwards like the unicorn before it. The cobra is on a dull purple background decorated with silver lines.
Anguis…
There is something familiar about this… Noa doesn't know what it is, but she feels that she recognizes what she has seen so far. It might take her some time to figure out why—if she's fortunate enough. In the meantime, her attention turns to the next circle that flashes brightly. This time, it is the circle from the brown section that reminds Noa so much of earth—how it appears when it is dry and cracked.
What appears in place of what was blank is the picture of a yellow leopard with black spots and green eyes. It, too, has its gaze staring outwards and like the unicorn and the cobra, it also has lines decorating the background it's on—which is dusky gray in coloration. Yellow lines are drawn around the leopard in a manner that makes it appear as though it has a mane like that of a lion's.
"Maybe the Union Leopardos?"
With each circle that is revealed, the feeling of familiarity grows stronger within Noa. She considers the name Leopardos, finding herself smiling at it because the name sounds so self-explanatory, like Unicornis.
It's funny…
The next circle that lights up is the one from the pink section.
"Or the Union Vulpes?"
On a pink and gold background, decorated with elegant white lines, is a yellow fox with green eyes. Its coloration matches that of the leopard from the Leopardos Union—just minus the spots. To Noa, it is by far the prettiest-looking of the bunch she has seen so far. It's aesthetically pleasing to the eye and Noa wouldn't mind staring at it over an hour or two.
The last circle that lights up is from the remaining section—the one with varying shades of green. What is revealed is yet another animal on a teal-colored background decorated with pale yellow lines. It is a brown bear with red eyes.
"Or is it quite possible that your heart belongs to the Union Ursus?"
"I…" Noa knows that the voice is expecting an answer from her, but she doesn't know what to do now.
"When you have made your decision, walk over to it to confirm it."
So that's what she needs to do…but which of the five animals does is she going to choose?
I don't know…
And why is there something so familiar about all of this? The déjà vu feels stronger than ever.
I don't know I don't know…
"Look deep within your heart if you are still uncertain. Close your eyes and let your heart guide you."
Noa looks all around her, considering the voice's advice. A minute passes before she decides to do as she was told. She closes her eyes and inhales deeply. She has no idea how it is that her heart is going to guide her, but she might as well just try.
Waiting, waiting, waiting…she waits for a sign that might point her in the right direction. She is still uncertain about it…and decides to stop being so uncertain. That is when she hears something—the sound of a fox barking. Its bark is very faint and can be barely heard amongst the roaring of a bear and the yowling of a leopard. She also hears the quiet hissing of a snake and the loud neighing of a horse—which is what stands out the most.
A horse?
No…it's not a horse.
A unicorn…
Noa opens her eyes and looks down at the picture of the unicorn. Something about it calls out to her, its neighing still fresh in her mind. She stares at it for a little while longer before taking a step forward. One step after another, she keeps going until she is standing on top of the unicorn. The floor beneath her begins to glow, as if accepting her confirmation.
"So it is the Union Unicornis that your heart belongs to…"
Noa looks down at her feet for a moment and then nods her head. She still doesn't know what had just happened—but she decides not to think too much about it. It feels right, so that is what should matter the most…right?
Wrong.
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a patch of darkness appear on the floor like a splotch of black ink that had been spilled onto a piece of paper. It's moving towards her, as though it's very much alive. Her first reaction is to back away from it as fast as she can, though she quickly finds out that there's not much use in doing so, with the way more and more splotches of ink-black darkness appears on the floors, all of which are headed towards her.
Soon, she is surrounded and the entire floor is covered in darkness. She stands on the darkness-covered floor for a few seconds and shrieks when something reaches out and tugs on her feet. Something is trying to pull her down.
No no no no no!
Her heart pounds with such an intensity that she feels as though it just might burst. Beads of sweat trickle down her face as she tries her hardest to fight back. She kicks at whatever tugs at her, but to no avail—its grip is especially tight.
Nononononono!
Let me go, let me go, let me go!
She finds that she can't bring herself to form a coherent sentence to ask for help. All that comes out of her mouth when she opens it is a garbled mess of words. Tears prick her eyes when the darkness jumps out from below and engulfs her. Darkness is all she can see now—such terrifying darkness, devoid of any light. Inky-black tendrils grab at her from everywhere.
Cold, cold, cold!
It feels so cold.
Scared, scared, scared!
The tendrils curl tightly around her limbs, some of them reaching out to touch her face. She shudders and continues to despite how futile her attempts appear. She is on the verge of hyperventilating. She is just so scared.
Helphelphelphelp!
Why isn't anyone helping her?! Someone—anyone!
Help me!
Out of nowhere, help manages to come to her in the form of a bright light that repels the darkness all around her. She is far too frazzled to notice the key-like sword she now holds in her hand…that is, until the voice speaks to her yet again.
"The Keyblade holds the power of light—the power to drive away the darkness."
"K-Keyblade…?" Noa furrows her brow, her eyes widening when she notices the key-like sword in her right hand. The guard it possesses is of a deep indigo blue, with a dark blue handle and gold rainguard. The "blade" is a light blue metal bar with a spike and star of the same color at the end of it. Attached to the hilt by a silver chain, is a gold star. "Wh-What?"
This—something about this—seems so familiar. It seems so very familiar, but Noa cannot figure out why. She recognizes something about it—she knows she's seen this before, but where?! She holds it up to get a better look at it in the light and almost regrets it when it suddenly flashes brightly.
"Augh!" The light is starting to get on her nerves, with how harsh it can be on her eyes. She doesn't complain much, since it's what has been keeping her safe. When the light wanes, she finds herself taking a step back in fright when she sees a young man standing before her.
He appears to be in his early to mid-twenties, with light skin and long, silvery blue hair. He wears a white hooded cloak over long-sleeved shirt and a sash of the same color—each with gold embroidery—and a light blue robe. He stands at a height far taller than Noa and what stands out the most about him is the fact that he wears a white and gold unicorn mask that obscures most of his face.
He looks in her direction, his mask's eyes staring right at her. It's unnerving and when he takes a step towards her, she finds that she can't feel her legs. Her body is still trembling from the fright the darkness had given her and the young man isn't helping with her current mood.
"Please don't hurt me!" she wants to tell him, but she can't find her voice. She bites her lip when his hand reaches towards her face. She closes her eyes shut and prepares for the worst.
It never comes. Instead, she feels a light tap to her forehead and hears a calm and steady voice tell her, "This will protect you."
A bright light flashes before her eyes and before she knows it, she finds herself in a new location. Her eyes take a moment to adjust to the lighting—finally, she is no longer in the dark. She can hear running water and looks around, taking in her new surroundings as she did. She is standing on steps made out of stones. There are houses all around—but it is completely empty. She inhales deeply and then exhales before moving forward.
She walks up the steps and soon finds the source of the sound she had heard—it's a fountain at the center of the area. Her eyes light up in awe as an intense desire to run up to the fountain wells up inside of her. She almost does it…but then inky-black patch of darkness gets in her way. She almost jumps over it, but stops herself when a weird humanoid creature manifests from the darkness. It has yellow beady eyes, with a round, spherical head with twisted antennae. It had two hands, each possessing three-clawed fingers. Its body is completely black in coloration and its movements were anything but ordinary, with the way it twitched and moved its head in unnatural angles.
What the—!
Tears prick the corners of her eyes when the creature suddenly lunges at her. It tries to swipe at her, but she makes use of the key-like sword that she holds in her hand. The voice called it a Keyblade…
A Keyblade has the power to drive away the darkness…
Whatever it really is, it's all Noa has to defend herself. She swings it like a baseball bat, because it's what comes most naturally to her. Her stomach churns when she sees that, despite its blunt blade, the Keyblade manages to slice the creature in two. The two halves disappear quickly into puffs of darkness, leaving behind star-like particles of light. It reminds her of the stars on the stained glass floor… She blinks a few times and reaches out to touch them. The particles of light disappear instantly under her touch and, for a few seconds, her body glows.
What the…?
She has no idea what had just happened, but doesn't think too much on it. She's not alone, after all, because more of those strange creatures begin to pop up. Her body is trembling and tears continue to well up in her eyes. She is completely terrified, but she can't let it get to her—not when she needs to keep fighting.
She swings left and right as soon as those creatures get close to her. She manages to take down a couple of them, but not all. She cries out in pain when one of the creatures manages to successfully swipe at her arm, sharp claws raking across her skin. She clenches her teeth and forcefully brings the Keyblade down on the creature's head.
The creature disappears in a puff of smoke, like the others before it, leaving behind star-like particles of light. All it takes is for her close proximity for the particles of light to disappear…but Noa doesn't really care about that. She is far too concerned with the pain in her right arm. She holds her hand over it as tightly as possible, but soon realizes that she doesn't feel any blood. When she removes her hand, she finds that the creature's attack had not left a visible wound. She can still feel the pain, however…
What even—wait!
That man from earlier—what was it that he said to her?
"Th-This will pr-protect you," Noa repeats in a shaky voice as she touches her forehead. She wants to cry…she really wants to cry. She's so scared that she has no idea what to do. Just what is going on?
There is something she finds vaguely familiar—but what it is, she doesn't know. All she can do is take a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself before taking another step forward towards the fountain. She reaches in the fountain to play with the water a bit, feeling an immense burst of happiness from it.
I'm okay…I'm…okay…
She feels okay right now. How long—she doesn't know, but she also doesn't care. She's okay, and that's all that matters. Because now, she can keep moving forward—she has to, anyways. Something—she doesn't know what—is telling her to go in a certain direction. She takes in another deep breath and slowly breathes out as she walks towards another set of stone steps leading upwards.
She never liked stairs in any sort of form, but there isn't any other way she has to get to where she needs to go. Nor does she have much of a choice to begin with, because as soon as she takes her first step upwards, those strange creatures appear again—right behind her.
Shit!
She starts to run, because the last thing she wants is to fight them on these steps. It's such a safety hazard, never mind the fact that her life is already at stake with the fact that these creature exist. She's already hit rock bottom, so she doesn't want to sink any further than that—
Oh, what's that?
Noa finds herself momentarily distracted by an orange and white chest that she almost passes. Logic tells her to fucking run, while her curiosity tells her to look what's inside. It is curiosity that wins this round, so Noa decides to takes her chances with the creatures…as soon as she is off of these steps.
She'll come back for the treasure chest, so she keeps running forward until she reaches the top of the steps. There isn't exactly much space for her to fight with to begin with, but it is better than fighting on top on the steps. So she grips her Keyblade's handle tightly and prepares herself for the creatures moving towards her.
There is something really awkward about the way she handles her Keyblade. The way its weight almost disrupts her sense of balance with each swing she takes. It takes a lot of effort for her not to fall over—that's the last thing she needs. She still hasn't figured out how to actually fight with it—all she's really doing is treating it like a really weird baseball bat instead of the sword it's probably supposed to be. Though, for a sword, it does have a rather blunt blade…that still manages to slice things in half.
How the hell does that even work?
She doesn't know and she honestly doesn't want to know. She's better off letting things be as they are. She nods her head once in satisfaction when she sees the black puffs of smoke that notes the destruction of the creatures. She's glad they're dead—one of the little fuckers slashed her arm again. And yet, there's still no visible wound—just pain.
It still hurts a lot, but at least it isn't bleeding. But she is starting to sweat.
Gross…Okay, let's get back to that chest.
Noa wants to know what's inside now. So she runs down the steps and stops when she reaches the chest. A wide smile crosses her face when she kneels down to open the chest…or tries to, because it doesn't budge.
"C'mon!" she exclaims, resisting a huge urge to hit the chest. She's not sure if her hands or feet will appreciate the force, because hell if she knows how strong and sturdy the chest is… Wait a second… "I have a Keyblade."
With a weapon that has "key" in its name…it should be able to unlock the chest, right?
Well, I got nothing to lose…
Except her life, but screw it, she's trying to be optimistic. Noa stands up and goes about trying to look for a keyhole of any sort on the chest. Well…she sees a keyhole, but she doubts she'll be able to use her Keyblade for it.
So much for that…
She sighs and shakes her head. Well, she tried…it's better than doing nothing, she guesses. She shrugs and decides not to let it bother her, so she turns and starts to go on her way…and promptly finds herself in another battle with an even bigger group of those strange creatures—there's more than four this time around (why are there so many?!).
Goddammit!
At this point, Noa is no longer scared of these creatures…well, not as much as she was initially. She is more annoyed with them, with the way they just keep coming out of freaking nowhere. They're not so sturdy enough to survive more than a couple of hits from her Keyblade (they never survive more than three hits—she's been counting her swings). However, they are just strong enough to actually hurt her with just one attack—their claws are very sharp and though it doesn't leave a wound, it still does hurt a whole lot. It takes her a lot longer to obliterate all the creatures this time around, with so much of her time and effort being spent on trying to maintain her balance. She manages—though just barely, when the actual strain of the physical activity finally hits her.
She's out of shape—she knows that. That's something that she isn't surprised about, since she remembers that part about herself. It sucks…it really sucks, because that's the last thing she needs right now, but there's not a damn thing she can do about on such a short notice. After she is done taking out the last of the creatures, she finds herself needing a moment to rest. She falls flat on her butt, panting heavily as beads of sweat trickle down the sides of her face and back. She has no idea how long she'll be able to put up with this.
But I'm alive…
There is something reassuring about the way her heart is pounding so hard within her chest. She's terrified, yeah…but that's just a sign that she's alive—she's alive and she'll do whatever to keep it that way.
"Pretty scary stuff, huh? But you get an A for effort." a voice suddenly speaks out, causing Noa to jump slightly in shock. She looks around for the source and finds that it's coming from a pudgy cat-like creature that resembles a Scottish Fold. It has blue stitching for eyes and a closer look reveals that it's a living plush toy of some sort, with a soft pink nose and light gray fur with dark gray stripes. It wears a simple cape and carries a pink pouch around its neck. The pouch possesses a star-shaped emblem that reminds her of the particles of light that come out of the creatures she destroys. The cat-like creature stares at her, taking a moment to fidget with its pouch before saying, "You look a little confused."
A little?
That is a complete understatement.
"Here's what's going on," the cat-like creature continues. "Your pursuit of light made you the perfect candidate for a Keyblade wielder."
"A wielder?" Noa looks at the Keyblade in her hand. Since when was she pursuing light, too? "What the hell is going on?"
"It's confusing—I know, but the darkness is spreading." There is something ominous about the way the cat-like creature says that. "And it's up to you to use the weapon to get rid of it, collect light, and in turn, save the world."
Well, that escalated!
Who the hell decided to entrust her with saving the world? She can barely even remember who the hell she is…amongst other things.
"The monsters you just defeated belong to the darkness and they are called Heartless," the cat-like creature continues their explanation without missing a beat. They know a lot more than what Noa does, so she decides to just listen to what the creature has to say. "These Heartless scour the world searching for hearts, spreading darkness as they go. The Keyblade is an effective weapon against them."
That explains why it was so easy for her to take them down with only a few swings of her Keyblade. It still is a lot of hard work, though…she's not used to fighting like this, with an actual weapon. Of course, there's a first time for everything and today just seems to be a day full of firsts for her.
"I hope this is all sinking in…" The cat-like creature notices how lost Noa looks. It really is a lot to take in…but they have a job to do. "Anyway, I was assigned by a certain someone to watch over a new Keyblade wielder—you!"
"Me?" Noa tilts her head to the side.
"Yes, you…I'm Chirithy, by the way," the cat-like creature introduces themselves. "I'll be supporting you the whole way, teaching you everything you need to know and more. Nice to meet ya!"
A light blush tinges Noa's cheeks as she stares at the cat-like creature named Chirithy. They're just so adorable! And there is something she finds familiar about their name…but she doesn't think much about it as her attention quickly shifts over to the stubby hand Chirithy extends towards her to shake. She reaches out and takes it into her hand, her eyes sparkling in joy when her fingertips come in contact with soft fur. She feels warmth coming from Chirithy that catches her by surprise at first. Of course, that's probably just a sign that they are just as much alive as she is—living plush or not.
"Right now, that Keyblade is just like you—it has room to grow," Chirithy takes their hand out of Noa's and then hops over to her Keyblade. They tap on it a few times and in a bright light, a hard-covered book manifests into their hands. It has a plain appearance, with no particular design to it apart from being indigo in coloration. "To unleash its true power, you'll need to use 'fragments'—special Medals that you can set in your Keyblade from here."
"Medals…" she simply says as she takes the book from Chirithy's hands. She flips through the book, looking at the pages. Inside, she sees indentations on the pages encircling a star and right next to it, is a picture of the Keyblade she currently has. She sees white text written above the Keyblade that she reads out loud. "Starlight…"
Is that the name of the Keyblade?
She doesn't know…but maybe Chirithy will know.
"Is that the name of this thing?" she asks, looking at the pudgy cat-like creature.
"It is—speaking of names, I told you mine but I haven't heard yours yet." Chirithy stares expectantly at her, waiting patiently for an answer. "You can remember it…right?"
"K-Kinda…" It's still not her name, but… "I'm Noa."
"I see." Chirithy nods their head. "That's a nice name!"
"Thank you—umm…" There's a question she currently has, regarding Chirithy… "Are you male or female?"
Chirithy stares at her for a moment and then nods their head. "Chirithy is Chirithy—what about you?"
"Uhhh…" Noa wasn't expecting that question from Chirithy. It catches her somewhat by surprise, but she finds that she actually has an answer for her newfound friend. "Noa is Noa."
Yeah, that's right—she remembers that, too!
"It seems we're more alike than I initially thought." Chirithy seems amused, quietly chuckling behind their hands. "Interesting!"
"Ahaha, yeah…" Noa finds herself smiling. She feels extremely happy, which is something she appreciates after all the hell she has been through, prior to meeting Chirithy.
"Anyways!" Chirithy decides to change the subject. "What I told you—it's a lot take in, isn't it?"
It kind of is, considering Noa remembers only bits and pieces of what she has been told so far. Her memory has never been the best…
Maybe that's why I have so many blanks…
"That being said, I've noticed you've been struggling." Chirithy nudges her Starlight Keyblade. "You're not used to fighting yet—so why don't you use the Heartless here for some practice?"
Noa frowns at Chirithy. She doesn't like the idea of fighting any more of those creatures—the Heartless. They creep her out…
"C'mon—I'll be right by your side to help you!" Chirithy tries their best to encourage Noa. They have a lot to do today, after all. "It won't be too bad."
"Are you sure?" Every time a Heartless attacks her, it hurts really badly. And she's not sure if she'll be able to fight for very long, because she is so out of shape.
"I'm sure!" Chirithy reassures her. "I'll help you if things become too much…now are you with me?"
Chirithy holds out their hand towards her. She stares at it for a moment…and then smiles as she takes it into hers. She's still uncertain about everything so far. And she is very much confused about everything that she finds familiar (why is this so familiar?). But right now, everything seems as though it'll be okay…
Baby steps…
…
…
…
A/N So I've had this idea in my head for a while, since I first started playing Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ and posted up my progress on tumblr for it (my tumblr is klonoadreams and you can find my KHUX playthrough under Klonoa Plays a Game). Originally, it was just me having fun posting my reactions, but one way or another, it turned into fanfiction and the occasional doodle and then…well…THIS happened.
And so you have Manifest Eccentric, and credit goes to kurobook for helping me with the title and especially the text for the cover of this fic. Like, I cannot thank them enough for the help. And I'm proud to say that this is the first cover in a while that I actually drew myself! That's how Noa looks, by the way…
Speaking of Noa, do keep in mind that she's an SI OC. And right now, she's going through a lot of memory issues. Give her some time, and she'll start to slowly connect the pieces, until then, just keep in mind that, like many of the other SI OCs I have, she's inherited a lot of my traits. For one, she's chubby, has ADHD, and is asexual (and totally not straight). She is also nonbinary and goes by she/her and they/them pronouns. She is currently the first cold-turkey SI OC I have, in the sense that she's not a reincarnation—she's just been shoved into this, so it'll take her some time to get used to everything, especially considering that she's having issues with her memory and is not exactly in her own body. She got aged down like eight years and is so out of shape, so she'll be struggling for a bit.
Moving on from there, I'd live to give a shout out to kurobook, Plouton, UnstableFable, and Evanescentfacade for helping me out with this fic! And I'm pretty sure they all have me to thank, for the reason I dragged them into playing KHUX. Ahahaha, I'm the leader of our party in the Union Unicornis, in case anyone wants to know. But that's enough about me!
I hope you guys enjoyed the story so far. We're just getting started! So until next time, everyone, KD out! XD