Summary: In a world destroyed by the Heartless, Sora enlists in the military to fight the every growing enemy. Between the mental and physical battles, Sora struggles to survive. As secrets are unearthed, Sora realizes he's in serious trouble. RikuXSora AxelXRoxas M for later chapters.
Author's Note: This is actually of a story I wrote in 2014 called Innocence. I decided to go a different direction and start over so I can write it better. Hope you like it!
Chapter One
Beads of sweat formed on Sora's face. His blue eyes glanced around for a sign of anything. He knew a Heartless was resting in the shadows nearby.
With a quick pivot, Sora threw his Keyblade as hard as he could. A thud echoed through the air. Smiling, Sora walked over to it as the lights turned on in the building. He had managed to hit the fake Heartless in the center of its forehead.
A brunette girl ran up beside him with a pout.
"No fair! How'd you know it was there?"
Sora shrugged with a smirk. Kairi had been trying to beat him for weeks. He wasn't about to let his girlfriend outfight him.
Kairi rolled her eyes as he gave her a light kiss.
"Are you ready for the exam?" Sora asked as he put the Keyblade in its sheath. He was always amazed at how it magically seemed to disappear into the small sheath. The many classes he had been through told him the science behind it, but he still never understood it.
Kairi nodded as she punched her boyfriend in the arm.
"Of course I'm ready. I do just want to beat you, though!"
"That's not going to happen."
Kairi scoffed. She and Sora had been in the top of the class since they both enlisted three years ago.
She stopped and stared at the ground with a frown.
"Sora, when we pass you know they're not going to put us on the same squad."
"So? We'll still get a chance to hang out on our down time."
"What if one of us is on the front lines? The Heartless are still growing in numbers. So many have left while so few have returned."
Sora embraced his girlfriend. She wasn't wrong. It was getting more dangerous. The death count was rising.
"We'll be fine, Kairi. We're the top two in our class. We'll make it," he whispered, hoping he was telling the truth.
No one slept on the night before the exam. Those who failed would have to start over again or drop out. Sora wasn't worried about whether he would pass or not. Kairi's words replayed in his ears. The chances of the top two Keyblade Wielders being put on the same squad was incredibly slim. He tried to not think about it as he finally fell asleep.
Sora woke up to everyone shuffling around, preparing for the exam. Many were practicing with each other and quizzing each other. These were the trainees that managed to pass their written exam a few days prior. Most people could pass the written. It was the practical that worried everyone.
"Good luck," Kairi said as she kissed Sora.
"You too," he said before getting into formation. A trainee next to him was shaking as he repeated the basics of Forms and stances. The instructor, Master Eraqus, began to divide everyone into balanced teams.
"Alright, everyone! This will be your team during the entire exam. Though we will be grading you individually, we will also be grading you on your ability to work as a team. You have thirty minutes to get your squad prepared!" Master Eraqus yelled.
Sora turned to his group of five.
"We're going to need a leader, center, right wing, left wing, and rear. You, what are you best at?" Sora asked as he went around the circle.
"C-Center," one stuttered.
Sora turned to the next and listened to the rest of the team.
"Right."
"Right, but I can try left I guess."
"Leader," said the last one with a cocky attitude. Sora had been in a few classes with this kid and knew he was strong, but his endurance and stances weren't the best. Still, the best way to get through this was without causing any arguments.
"Alright, looks like I'll take the rear. Leader, you're in charge," Sora said. No one liked the rear. It was the position with the worst survival outcomes.
The team talked about the strongest formations suited for everyone.
Thirty minutes flew by and the horn blew. Master Eraqus got on the tall platform.
"Only one on the team can get high rankings! This person will be getting a higher starting rank than the rest of you" he yelled.
Sora turned to his group. He could see the disgusting smirk on the blue-headed leader.
"Walk to your testing building and wait on instructions. Dismissed!"
This isn't good, Sora thought as they approached their designated door. No one knew they would be promoting one of each team.
A large man walked over and handed them small flags to wrap around their waist.
"If you lose all the flags, you are considered 'dead'. You will not be able to continue your team. While it is possible to still pass, it is rare. I need your names and the positions you will be assuming."
"Isa. Lead, Sir."
"Fuu. Left Wing, Sir."
"Neku. Right Wing, Sir."
"Shiki. Center, Sir."
"Sora. Rear, Sir."
The proctor wrote everything down and opened the door.
"Good luck," he stated as he shut the door behind the team.
The inside was prepared to simulate the nearby forests. The lighting was dim and a lot of ambience could be heard.
Without warning, Isa ran off into the dense trees. The others quickly followed, gaining formation and went into Valor Form. Sora could feel his strength increase dramatically. Though slower, it was the stronger of the two forms. Isa came to a quick stop and prepared his Keyblade. The others did the same. A fake Shadow, the easiest Heartless to defeat, jumped at Sora. Just as Sora was about to kill it, Isa jumped in front of him and finished the job.
"Dude, watch out! I could have hurt you!" Sora said as he withdrew his Keyblade. A real death of a student would mean immediate expulsion.
"I got this," Isa said as he went back to leading the small group to find a leader Heartless. As they progressed, the more Heartless they encountered. Isa had taken care of most of them. As he killed a Soldier Heartless, both of the flags connected to Shiki's belt were yanked off.
Sora immediately destroyed the fake Heartless that had done the job. Unfortunately, it was too late for Shiki.
"Shiki, you are disqualified. Please leave the building."
The girl felt the tears on her face as she started walking back to the entrance.
"Good luck guys," she muttered.
The group of four continued. Another one down. Neku walked away, disappointment covered his face.
Only three left.
"Isa, don't you think we need to reform ourselves into a three man position?"
Isa shrugged and looked at Sora and Fuu.
"Fuu, take right rear. Sora take left rear."
Sora bit his lip as he moved to the left. Isa hadn't even tried to protect the others. He was just trying to make himself look the best.
They finally arrived at an opening. A large black blob was waiting for them. Fuu readied herself.
"Darkball," she whispered.
Isa was already gone.
"Isa! Wait!" Sora yelled and took off after him. Fuu ran beside Sora as they tried to catch up to their leader. Isa jumped, but didn't think the Darkball would disappear. It reappeared behind him and a wave of panic fell over Isa. Sora jumped between them and blocked the attack.
"Back off, Sora! I got this. Just stay out of the way!"
Isa ran from behind him and swung at the black blob. It disappeared again and reappeared behind Fuu. She turned around just in time to see both of her flags get taken off.
"Shit!" Sora yelled in frustration.
Isa ran at the distracted blob and missed again. Sora was growing tired of his only remaining group member.
"Isa. We can't fight it head on. We need it to get distracted!"
"Fine. You distract him!"
Sora grit his teeth, but did as he was told. Someone had to do it. Just as he thought he had the Heartless distracted, Isa ran up beside Sora, knocking him towards the blob.
One flag disappeared.
"What the fuck was that?" Sora yelled. Isa paid no mind to him as he leaped and slashed into the Darkball. It disappeared. Sora reverted out of his Valor Form, feeling the energy leave his body.
The lights turned on as the proctor walked towards them with a frown. A captain walked beside him. His aquamarine eyes pierced the examinees.
"While I congratulate you both on passing, you failed to keep your entire team alive," the proctor stated. He turned to Isa and gave him a small ribbon.
"You will be the one to gain a rank today since you still have your two flags."
Sora could feel the rage burn in him, but said nothing. The captain remained silent, but kept watching the two new soldiers.
"You are free to leave. Squadrons will be assigned tonight after chow. Dismissed."
Isa proudly walked to the exit. Sora followed behind, ready to throw his Keyblade through his body. Just before he left, he turned around to see the narrow aquamarine eyes still watching him. A shiver shot down his spine as he closed the door behind him.
xXxXx
Kairi ran up to Sora after she was done. A red ribbon hung from her chest.
"I wasn't the leader, but I sure kicked some ass!" she exclaimed, showing her ribbon with pride.
Sora cut his eyes away from it.
Just shove that thorn deeper into my side, Kairi.
"Where's yours?"
Sora slammed his fist down on the small table.
"Isa took all the credit. Thanks to him, only two of us made it…me and him."
Kairi frowned, but felt the rush of already being promoted.
"It's okay, Sora. Maybe we'll be on the same squad."
"Yeah," he said softly.
xXxXx
Chow passed in an instant. Everyone lined up to see their assigned squads. They found Kairi's first. She had been assigned to a supporting squad in the training grounds. When they found Sora's, Kairi gasped.
"Sora-Captain Riku's Squad."
Fear shot through Sora instantly. Everyone knew Riku's squad was the front lines. He cringed. A rumor had been passed earlier that day. Riku was the only one that came back alive from the last mission.
Kairi hugged her boyfriend.
"Look, you guys still have to train together before going out there. I'm sure you'll figure it out," she said in a hopeful tone.
Sora turned away and walked off to his bed. He knew he would need his sleep for the upcoming morning.
xXxXx
Before the sun emerged for the day, Sora was already waiting at his squad's area. Kairi told him good luck and ran off towards the building she would be training.
A few minutes passed as Isa walked up to him.
"Looks like we'll be on the same squad," Isa muttered as he fiddled with his new insignias.
Another guy and girl walked up before the captain made his appearance. Sora cringed as Riku's familiar eyes glared at the entire team. He stood in silence as he analyzed everyone. Sora couldn't help but stare. He noticed how young Riku looked.
He's not more than a couple years older…
"You," Riku said as he pointed towards Isa, "Do not think you are better than anyone here. If something happens, you will be at fault."
Isa pursed his lips while Sora tried to conceal a grin. He was already feeling happy he didn't get the title.
Riku pulled out a training Keyblade and rushed at the largest male in the group. The soldier froze as Riku held it to his throat.
"Do not ever let your guard down. What's your name?"
"Dilan, Sir," he said with a raised brow.
He turned to the girl.
"Olette, Sir."
"Sora, Sir," he said as Riku turned to him.
Isa repeated his name. Riku withdrew his blade and looked over the entire group.
"This squad is well known for diving into the front lines. Battle practice starts today. There is no telling when they will make us leave, but when they do you all will be prepared," the captain stated as he casually changed into Valor Form. He stopped the group from grabbing training Blades.
"You will need to be familiar with your Keyblades. You will be sparring with those against me.
The rest of the group followed. Energy flowed through Sora's body. He grabbed his Keyblade, ready to go.
Hours passed as the new soldiers failed against Riku.
"Forget all the stances they taught you. Find what is natural for you and you will control your Keyblade better."
Sora relaxed the formal stance and inhaled slowly. He could already feel something different with his Keyblade. As Riku rushed him, he managed to throw a counterattack.
As Riku jumped out of the way in time he chuckled.
"That's it. Never take your eyes off your opponents. Keep your ears open and instincts aware."
Lunch time quickly came. The new soldiers were exhausted. They had never had be in their Form for so long.
"You will not be eating lunch today. The Heartless will not stop attacking just because your belly is empty. There are many times we barely get to eat one meal. Into Wisdom Form," he commanded as he changed into the speeding hover form. His feet left the ground and he charged Olette.
Sora had already changed into Wisdom Form and jumped in front of Olette to block the attack. He knew Olette wasn't strong enough to hold her Forms as long yet.
"Nice reaction, Sora," Riku observed as he threw the Keyblade at an unsuspecting Isa. Dilan threw his Blade and deflected Riku's Blade. Both Keyblades flew back to their owners.
"Good aim, Dilan. Isa...Olette...if you take this long to change on the battlefield, you will die fast."
The squad continued to spar. As dinner time approached, everyone dropped to their knees while Riku put away the training Keyblade. "Isa, what name does your Keyblade have?"
Isa looked down at his blue and silver Keyblade. It was large for a Keyblade. "Leviathan."
Riku turned to Dilan.
Dilan held up his larger Keyblade. Black and red covered it with a gold trim. "Darkgnaw."
Olette blushed. Hers was the thinnest, but allowed her to shoot more magic than the others. "Sign of Innocence."
Sora gripped his black medium-sized Keyblade. "Oblivion." He paused for a second. "What about yours, Sir?"
Riku unsheathed his real Keyblade to reveal a demonic-winged Blade with one light wing as the tooth of the Blade. "Way to the Dawn." He put the Keyblade away with a long stretch.
"You are all dismissed," he said before walking away.
Everyone dragged themselves to the food hall and grabbed a plate of food. Sora saw Kairi sitting with her new squad members and decided to join her.
"Sora! You're disgusting looking. What the hell have you been doing?" Kairi asked.
Sora had already managed to shove half the tray of food in his mouth. "I've been training all day. Captain Riku didn't exactly sugar coat anything except his Keyblade."
Kairi scoffed and continued eating.
"That sucks. We walked around and learned how to patrol the area. Tomorrow we are going to learn the best way to communicate."
Throbbing and stiffness already began to spread through Sora's body.
"That's nice..." he said quietly. Nothing had prepared him for the required endurance. He kissed Kairi goodbye as he left her and her new friends in the food hall. Sora bee-lined to his new quarters that he would be sharing with his squad. He opened the door that had seen better days. Dirt covered the ground with a pile of travel bedding rested by the showers.
I should have known.
Sora scrubbed the caked-on dirt. He got out of the cold shower and grabbed one of the thin sheets. Olette, Isa, and Dilan soon followed and did the same. They would have complained if they weren't so exhausted. Forms sucked energy at an extreme rate and none of them had been able to hold their Forms the entire time. As Sora's head hit the ground, he wandered around in dreamland.
xXxXx
"Have a good day!" Kairi exclaimed before rushing away.
Sora frowned as she ran off to her waiting squad. He had gotten no "good morning", "I love you", nor kiss. With a limp, he started toward the training area. He was still exhausted from the day before. Everyone was. Olette could barely stand and Dilan had to help her.
When he got to the meeting spot, Riku was already waiting. Sora had never noticed how toned the male was. Riku looked up, eyes looking straight into Sora's blue ones. Sora had not noticed it the last few times, but he could feel the sense of loss from the gaze.
Riku has lost many friends and teammates. Everyone that survives the front lines do.
The captain pulled out a training Keyblade again and started the training immediately. The same training went on for weeks. The group could slowly feel the endurance build as fast as the muscle had.
The third week of training came to an end. The group left to eat their dinner. They had gotten used to not eating as much. Sora waited for Kairi. They had agreed to meet up so they could grab their food together. Kairi waved a hello and they left to get food together. As they sat down, Dilan came running up to Sora with a paper in his hand.
"Sora...we leave tomorrow. First squad." Dilan said with a look of fear.
Sora turned to his girlfriend who returned a horrified look. His hands began to shake until he decided he was going to be unable to finish his meal. He waited for Kairi to finish. Kairi walked out of the building with Sora, finally breaking the silence.
"It'll be okay, Sora. You'll be okay. You've got this, right?" she asked with hopes for confirmation.
He couldn't look at her. "I...I don't know. Riku is the best of the best and we've been doing a lot of training, but we've never had to kill the real thing..."
The two bid their farewells. Kairi kissed him with a look of pain on her eyes. A squad member of hers, Seifer, called to her. She left to go to her sleeping quarters. Sora knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep for a while so he decided to pace. The panic slowly started to settle in his chest, but was interrupted when he could hear yelling from the commander's building. He got closer and realized it was Riku's voice.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SQUAD ONE? THEY'RE JUST KIDS! WE'VE ONLY BEEN TRAINING FOR ONE WEEK."
The commander's voice sounded cool and indifferent.
"Captain, watch your tone when speaking to your commanding officer. You have the most experience and we need you out there. There is nothing to discuss. Dismissed."
Riku slammed the door as he stormed away from it. He caught sight of Sora and stopped.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked.
Sora looked down at his boots and replied, "Yes Sir. I can't sleep right now."
Riku let out a sign and walked up to Sora. He put his hand on the brunet's shoulder.
"Of course not. No one can before being sent on their first mission. Unfortunately, the lack of sleep is what really kills us. Try not to stay up too late," Riku said softly as he walked Sora back to the sleeping quarters.
"Captain, are you ever afraid?"
The captain chuckled. "Everyone is, Sora. I'll let you in on a secret. I'm more afraid of losing my team than my life."
Sora stopped and looked at his captain. The moonlight shone in his silver hair and made his aquamarine eyes seem to glow. Riku continued.
"I do not fear death anymore. It's something you have to learn to accept. All my friends are already dead, Sora. The only people I have left are those on my squad and I will do whatever it takes to keep them alive."
"But...your last squad. What happened?"
Riku stopped and looked away. Sora could feel he hit a forbidden subject. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"I...failed as a Captain," he said through grit teeth. "I will not fail again," he stated.
Sora felt the determination in his captain's voice.
"I know you won't," Sora encouraged as he walked into the small building.
Riku stood outside. He gave a faint smile at the kind words before walking away.
"Thank you. I needed that," he whispered to himself.
xXxXx
The next morning came too fast. None of the team had gotten proper sleep. Sora paced in the early morning while waiting for Kairi. As he turned down a narrow path between buildings, Sora froze. There was Kairi making out with the squad mate from the night before. Kairi pushed Seifer off her as she realized Sora standing in front of them.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" he yelled at her.
Seifer gave a smirk and stepped in front of Sora.
"She finally knew that she deserved a smarter guy that can be there for her and not dying on the battlefield."
Sora clenched his fist and charged at Seifer. He shoved the male against the wall ready to knock his face into next year. Dilan grabbed Sora's arm.
"It's not worth it man. Don't waste your energy."
Sora let go of Seifer, who had a surprised expression. The strength Sora had accumulated was higher than he thought. Kairi ran up to Sora as tears streamed down her face.
"Sora...I'm sorry...it's just-"
"Fuck off!" he yelled and walked away with Dilan.
He felt awake and ready to kill anything that got in his way. The rest of the squad came up, fear plastered on their face. When Riku showed up he gave them a small speech.
"Well, I'm sorry it had to be so soon. Remember, we are a team and a family. Keep your instincts in check and Keyblade ready at all times. I don't know how long we'll be out there, so be prepared. Head out," he commanded as he picked up his pack and strapped it to his back. The rest did the same as they headed for the large black metal gate.
It slowly opened into the dense woods that could be their grave in the future. Riku lead the team, Keyblade already in hand. Sora shook all over, but felt worse when he could see the tears coming from Olette. Dilan looked calm on the outside, but his walk was rigid. Isa was the only one other than Riku that seemed okay.
The group walked only a mile in before being met their first small group of Heartless. All of them were small Shadows, but that didn't make them feel any better. They instantly assumed Valor Form and killed off the small group. As soon as all the small enemies were slain, they reverted back to normal to conserve their energy. Riku looked around the group.
"Something's not right...Shadows don't travel alone..." he muttered. The captain turned to the group. "Get back into Valor and be at the ready."
The group did as they were told. Fear flew through them as all they could hear were their panicked breaths. The silence was what gave it away. Riku quickly blocked an attack that was thrown their way.
A bright arrow stuck out of Riku's Keyblade. He looked up as he saw the purple and silver creature emerge from the trees.
"A Sniper!?" he exclaimed. Isa stood beside the captain with confusion covering his face.
"I thought Nobodies were extinct!" he yelled as he deflected another light arrow. Even the captain was unsure of how to react. Olette transformed into Wisdom Form and begin to shoot magic at the fast moving Nobody. A few seconds passed before many smaller, silver Nobodies turned up.
"Dusks," Sora whispered. He barely recalled the name from the many history classes he had to endure.
Sora and Dilan did the same as he ran in the opposite direction. Soon everyone was in their Wisdom Form. They knew it would be almost impossible to get close enough to kill the creature.
The entire squad went into a formation to take the Nobodies down.
xXxXx
"He will do," said a black-cloaked male standing in the shadows. His bright red hair peeked through the large hood. He had been eyeing the average-sized brunet since they had passed their border.
Axel turned his attention to the tall blue-haired man with a smirk. His over confidence would serve as the proper distraction needed for Axel to complete his mission.
xXxXx
Isa could feel the adrenaline running through him as he slashed the Nobodies into nothing. He felt invincible as he noticed the rest of the team hesitated at every move.
Sora noticed Isa become more daring and less cautious. A sick smile had plastered his face when he had taken down four dusks.
"Isa, watch out!" Dilan yelled as he shoved his team mate out of the way. A bullet pierced through Dilan's head as a new Sniper emerged. Sora's eyes widened in shock and fear at his team mate's death. Olette screamed.
Sora saw another Dusk sliding towards Isa. Instincts kicked in as he rushed to knock it away. "Sora!" Riku yelled. The brunet turned just in time to see a flaming chakram fly straight at him. All sound seem to disappear as it sliced through his side like butter. Sora dropped to the ground as blood pooled around him. He could see Riku killing the Nobodies as fast as he could to get to the fallen team.
Sora coughed into his hand. When he pulled it away, he could see the blood in his hands.
I'm dying...I'm actually dying...
Screams filled the air. Sora couldn't tell who it belonged to.
His vision got blurry and dim until he couldn't hold himself up anymore. Riku killed the last Dusk and ran to Sora, holding his hand at Sora's waist.
"Come on, Sora. Don't die on me! Don't go to sleep. Stay with me," he encouraged.
Riku watched as Sora's eyes closed.
"Fuck!" he yelled as he watched the life leave his soldier.
End Note: Well, that's the first chapter! Hope you liked it and please leave me a review to let me know what you thought! It really does encourage me to write more when I'm in a rut. Oh! So stupid me forgot Kingdom Hearts Unchained X came out and of course I started to play. It's awesome! If you have an iOS or Android, I would highly recommend giving it a shot! It's free guys! I also wanted to know whether you guys would like shorter chapters and faster updates or longer chapters and slower updates. See you next time!