The Power of Memories Saga:

Part 1: Discoveries

Obligatory disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, any of the game's characters, worlds, weapons, etc. Some of the characters (the main ones especially) are OCs, and therefore my own creative property. Story takes place many years post games. IT IS NOT CANON IN ANY WAY.

Possible triggers: Mentions of cutting, eating disorders, abuse, suicide attempts, general depression and anxiety. Likely is not an accurate description of the first three due to researching being one of my triggers.

Anyway, that's out the way, so I hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading.

Beware of the heartless that make your heart beat quickly.

They're just using your heart because theirs won't start.

~Unknown

Act I: Escape

Akio stared at the stars in the sky, bright and glimmering as ever in the moonlight, wondering about the stories that were shared with him by his parents years ago. Were they true? Or were they just fairy tales they had created to keep him happy and hopeful? These stories of their heroic feats throughout their adolescence, perhaps intended to inspire him to believe he could do anything with his life that he desired. And yet, his aunt and uncle always held him back from a normal life; they forbade him from sparring with the other teens, even from making friends at all. It was like they were afraid to lose their power over him.

Well he was through with that crap. He wrapped his hoodie more tightly around himself and crossed his arms in an attempt to stay warm. His parents were dead, but that didn't mean he belonged on a leash. He stood up and gazed out over the dark waters of the sea from the cold dock outside of town. He had walked there hours ago when his legal guardians surprisingly allowed him to leave to go to the library. He was good at hiding; and running. He had to be. He was too suppressed; everyone hated him. Literally: nobody had spoken to him unless they absolutely had to for more than a year and a half, including his own 'family', because he had just blocked them out for once, exploding on them when they attempted to punish him for his silence. He was done with it all. That was all.

Long ago he had been told by his parents, Sora and Kairi, that they were Keyblade Masters, whatever that meant. But they were gone now; nobody knew what had happened to them. They just disappeared without a trace when he was very young. His first clear memory was one of them hugging him in turn, waving with smiles on their faces as they left him behind. He had cried so much, felt so abandoned; it was as if he knew even then that they were never coming home.

He sighed as he climbed into his boat. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he was going to start by going where he hoped to find some trace; the small, abandoned islet far from shore. His parents and their friend Riku had once played their when they were children. They had taken him once before they left. He hadn't been there since; he didn't know for sure why he was going there, why he thought it would make some difference. Yet, it felt right. It seemed like it was something that must happen. Akio's journey began here, on the ocean, rowing in a direction that he wasn't sure was correct, but never fearing what would come. Where was the point in being afraid? Nothing could be worse than what he had now; a 'family' that had almost imprisoned him for his entire life; teacher and peers that were just as abusive; failing grades, lousy health, depression, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, even the fact that he had stopped eating. All of it was just as bad as anything else he could think of encountering. He wasn't going back to that. No. It was time for a change; and this was his first step.

The gentle waves and the light breeze

Make it very difficult to hate.

No matter how much pain

No matter how many lies;

Nor how many times

All that matters is this:

I'm still me.

And I always will be.

Akio landed his boat by the deteriorating dock; it was a wonder that it still stood after so many years of storms without repair. Still, he remembered it all very clearly. The trees were far more overgrown now; the wild seemed to be taking over. Akio didn't want to disturb the serenity; all he wanted was to get away from everything. He sighed, thinking that he would more than likely end up back home before the next night. While no one would look for him here, he would need nutrition to survive in the hot sun without shade or air conditioning. He wondered if coconuts still grew on the other side of this island, and if he could live off of them for a while. He shook his head, rubbing his arms for more warmth. If it came down to it, he might give it a try. For now, he just walked down the beach, trying to pick up any memory that he might possibly be able to glean from the grains of sand and the time that had passed on this little island in the middle of nowhere. The falling down shack; he remembered going in it with his father; he remembered that they had used it to escape the rain. I guess I have shelter at least… even if it looks like it might collapse. He wasn't going to take anything for granted. He was done being a pessimist, at least for now.

He wrapped his hoodie tighter around him; the night was growing colder. He looked down at his pale, thin hands; "How can someone be so pale living on this beautiful island? Surely he must get some sun!" a 'concerned' girl once had said. Well, no. He didn't get any sunlight. He sighed. He was rarely allowed out of the house beyond going to and from school, where he was usually escorted. It was no wonder people didn't like him; he was living with the richest family on the islands. People believed that he was waited on hand and foot; but no. He did his best to stay out of sight. When he used to rebel, it only resulted in beatings from his uncle; "We're not losing you too!" he would yell as Akio curled up in a ball, holding sobs within his childhood body and soul. He couldn't show weakness. He had only recently regained his courage; and he had been storing it for this day. He had his chance now; he was going to take it.

He clenched his hands and walked over to the small waterfall spring beside the shack. It seemed so magical; it didn't seem natural; it looked just like a fountain. He glanced to the left. "A cave?" Akio asked himself. "No," he sighed. "The Secret Place." The opening was very small. He had to duck to enter, even with his small frame. His crimson hair fell in his face, blocking his vision as he entered the room that was darker than the night; there were no stars or the moon to light the tunnel. He brushed it out of his face. The cave seemed to become brighter as he traveled deeper, which seemed quite bizarre. Still, he reached the center of the room; there was large door at the end; very strange. However, he was here for a different reason; he was here to see the drawings etched on the walls by children of the past, his parents' generation. So many memories surrounded him. He scanned the walls, trying to find a specific sketch; the only one that was important to him. He glanced at each of the odd scribblings, depicting many things that he had never seen before. He sighed in relief as he found the one he was looking for, his eyes locking on the stone wall. He crouched on his knees on the cold floor and touched the drawing; his mom and dad, sharing a paupu fruit. He smiled for a moment. They had been so happy. He wondered what that must have been like. "Why did you have to go away?" he asked quietly, knowing very well that he would get no answers.

Akio awoke stiff from sleeping on the cave floor. He felt safe there; it was like nothing could hurt him. He could tell from the lighting that it was not yet morning, but he got up and walked out of the cave. He yawned and stretched before he saw it; glowing yellow eyes in pools of darkness, slowing rising up into strange, alien-esque creatures. "What the—" he asked. "What's going on?" He backed up, finding himself cornered. "I have to get out of here!" He darted between the creatures, but there were just too many of them; they even covered his boat, his only escape route. "I'm going to die, aren't I?" he asked, resigned to his fate. He had no intention to die today, but he had no weapon, nor did he even know how to fight if he had one. "Damn it!" he screamed up at the sky. "Why the hell can't you just give me a break?"

He stood still, surrounded by the creatures of darkness; they were climbing him, overwhelming him. But he did not fight. Sure, he was scared; he was terrified. He had always hated the darkness. "Mommy, Daddy, why did you have to go away and leave me with nothing?" He didn't even care that he sounded like a weak child when he called them that; that was how he had known them… that was who they were and always would be. He took a deep breath, crossing his arms instinctively to try to protect his heart. "Why?" he shuddered as he grew colder than ever before.

With a sudden wave of heat there was a bright light, blasting the creatures back. He felt a weight in his hand. He looked down, his body shaking as though he had been in icy waters. "Is this a… Keyblade?" he stared that the sword in his hand, the odd shape, the strong metal firm against his tight grip.

He knew the theory behind how to fight; he rushed forward, swinging the sword at the creatures. He seemed to be doing pretty well, all things considered. A fourteen year old boy beating the crud out of a bunch of alien creatures from the shadows with a giant key; he would have thought it was hilarious if he hadn't been running on pure adrenaline. Somehow, he managed to fight them off to the point he had space to run; he didn't know where he could go, but he had to run. "The Secret Place!" he said as he headed towards the cave.

There was a door where the cave entrance had been, a double door intricately decorated with carvings of swirls; it was like nothing he had ever seen before. The creatures were catching up; he had no choice but to step through. He opened the door and rushed into the light that came from within.

And found that he was standing on a platform of stained glass.

Down and down

Deep and dark

I know not where

I will depart.

I do not know

What now my come;

It shall grow,

This guiding light.

I will win

My final fight.

((Author's note: Please bear with me. Akio seems very stereotypical the first few chapters. It's because he is; there's nothing unique about him that he knows about yet. But I promise he becomes a very interesting character, at least to write.))