Kingdom Hearts: Dane
In this universe, a person is made up of a brain, a heart, and a body. When they become a heartless, the heart leaves. It becomes living emotion without thought... most times. But Xehanort has proven that it doesn't always happen that way...
Nobodies are brain and body, without emotions... most times. But Xion, Roxas, and Axel proved it doesn't always happen that way...
Author's Note: The setting starts in an unknown time, then goes to after Ansem the Wise "sacrifices" himself. Then, in the lab, it goes to after the second kingdom hearts.
Standing in the dark, I had one thought. "Kill!" Others just like me swarmed around, looking at the new addition to their ranks. I was weak, average at best. Nothing special. I was soon ignored, and the others went about their business of looking for food.
Humans! They were food. Not their flesh, their heart. It was delicious, full of our life substance. We are living emotion, without thought. I knew not, nor cared to know who or where my nobody was. Probably a dusk.
A brief thought swam through my senses, that I used to be bright, smart. I was stunned by it, so much so I fell backwards. I tried to do it again, but quickly forgot what it was that had happened, and soon forgot about the whole incident. No brain, no memory. Just instinct. I was hungry.
A while past. I had feedings, but they were few and far between, and never satisfied. It was months, years, or seconds. I knew not. One day, I was swarming around a young boy, hungry and excited. It was just me around, though there were others a second ago. I was excited, I didn't have to share the meal! A whole heart to myself!
I jumped, preparing a basic slash of my claws, when a large object met me in air, and I felt my torso cut deeply. He walked away as my life essence faded away. Something was flashed across my heart. Another thought! My second in my life. It said to lie still and let the prey get away. And to cover the wound. 'No! Why would I let a meal escape!' But, even though I had reason not to, I followed what the thought had mentioned. 'I wouldn't die for a meal if I were you.' It said.
I healed quickly, as was a property of heartless when our adrenaline isn't pumping, like outside of battle. Slowly, I learned more, and more. Stuff I had noticed, but not had the brain to remember, I remembered. I don't know why, but I had developed thoughts. Soon, my thoughts and my emotions became one. I was faster, and smarter than my fellow heartless, but they didn't notice.
I was still primal, but I waited until the best time to strike. 'His sword is in mid swing, he won't be able to swing it to hit me until after I get a quick strike off, and then I can turn and run before he hits me.' I did not grow stronger, just smarter. To grow stronger, I needed a body, I needed muscles.
One day, I went to attack a man who was wrapped in red and heavily damaged. It was just me and him. I attacked and backed up, continuing this process. I don't know why, but I was good at reading opponents and countering there attack strategies. This man's eyes widened as I continued to hit him strategically. Other of my victims had as well, and they usually focused there attacks on me, to get rid of me. But he just wheeled a large object around.
Suddenly, I felt a pull. I was inside a small, clear container that looked like a vacuum. I looked smaller than usual, or the world had just gotten bigger. The man said "This one appears to strategize. It'll need to be studied.", though I didn't understand him.
He took me to a small dark place he frequently called his "lab". I stayed there, for a long time, this time regular sized and in a small metal box with bars instead of sides.
Every time I tried to break out of the cage, I was shocked, so I soon stopped trying. Everyday, the man in red would talk to me, often making gestures with his hand. He taught me a lot. He had visiters, but they never paid me attention. Well, except one.
"Hey, DiZ, open up." A higher voice said from behind the only door to the room. It was followed by a few bangs.
He turned to me. "It seems we have another visitor. Try and learn as much as you can from this one." He turned to the door. "Come in Xion!"
The door opened to reveal a small figure with a black robe, hooded. The figure had a feminine shape to it, and it's voice confirmed it was a girl. "You wanted to see me, DiZ?"
"Yes. You've changed since what happened to you in the organization. You're more impulsive and angry." He paused. "I wanted to remind you that neither of us are supposed to be alive, so I would appreciate it if you wouldn't flaunt around where you could be discovered. If you're discovered, everyone would likely discover me as well, and I can't have that as of yet."
"Whatever." She said, simply.
At that DiZ, as I was starting to recognize was his name, got angry. "I saved you from the brink of non-existence! You will do as I say!"
I soon stopped paying attention as they yelled at each other for a while. When the yelling stopped, she walked away from him, and stopped in front of me, watching me. Feeling I had a crowd, I turned and snarled at her.
"Why do you keep these things? They're repulsive."
DiZ turned towards us, then smirked. "You forget, these things used to be humans. And this one is different. I've seen it think."
At that, the girl's eyes widened. "Really?" She said, with faint interest. "Mind if I have a spar with it." DiZ looked as if he was about to object, but she cut him off. "Don't worry, I won't kill your toy."
My cage was lifted, and we were taken to a small arena. DiZ stepped up to the bleachers, while Xion, I was starting to get a hang of this "name" thing, stepped in front of my cage. DiZ pressed down on a small object in his hand, and my cage was released.
In a flash, I jumped forward at the girl. She swung at me, deftly, but what I did, she obviously didn't expect. I swung my claws out to hit her blade in mid-air, and then used the force of the collision to jump to the high ceiling. Touching it was all I needed to turn into a shadow on the wall.
I glided on the ceiling to the wall, to the floor. I circled around her, then popped out below her. I got a quick scratch on her face, but she jumped back too fast for me to do any real damage.
She lashed out at me with her giant key. It stung more than I thought possible, coming from a round edge.
I fell to the ground, painfully. She jumped on top of me, and pressed her weapon against my neck. "Training's over." She said simply, then got up and walked away.
I sat up, watching her walk away. I became angry. I was defeated? "NO!" I growled out loud. She turned back, surprised to hear words from her fallen adversary. A glow surrounded me, as I stood. Slowly, I grew. I took a more humanoid shape. My head grew features, then hair. When the glowing ended, I... well, I wasn't a Shadow, that's for sure. I appeared human!
DiZ, who was watching this, said "Impossible!" under his breathe.
I stood up fully, then run towards her. With my lack of claws, I went for a punch. She may have been stunned, but she could still fight. She blocked with the keyblade, then hit me, throwing me back. It held the same sting as before, though I didn't have a heartless body.
I flew to the wall, and landed with a thud. I needed my own weapon. I looked around, and decided on a pipe near the wall. Rolling to the side, I grabbed it, then got in a fighting stance. She charged, to which I deflected her keyblade to the side, then brought the other side around to sweep her off her feet. She fell to the ground, then I jumped on top of her, pressing the pipe on her neck as she had similarly done to me. "Training's over!" I growled.
Both DiZ and Xion feared the worst, I could tell. It was in their eyes. I stood up, and walked away. The cage was now too small, so I just sat beside it, leaning my back against it. This new human form would take a while to get used to.
"You only won because you caught me off guard, Shadow Boy!" She said, storming off mad. I was kinda surprised she took my transformation with such ease, but I guess you would be unsurprised by anything when you wielded a magic, giant key.
I fell asleep there. The weird thing was, I was still hungry for hearts, but I controlled the urge. Heck, she spared me, why shouldn't I spare her?
I had my first dream ever. It was dark, and I could hear laughter. I felt pain hit my body, repeatedly, but it left no lasting damage. It subsided as fast as it started.
Author's Note: This was my first Kingdom Hearts fanfiction. I havn't seen anything like this, and I think it was fairly original. I encourage you to do your own story about a heartless. The next chapter well be about our hero learning what it's like not to be a monster... If he can resist his urges.