First off, let me say a few things. This takes place between Chain of Memories and KH2, which is why no one remembers Sora. While I'm trying to stay faithful to the basic story of AC, a few KH changes are inevitably in order. Although I hope to update frequently, writer's block must be taken into account. Finally, please R'n'R; I really want to make this one memorable.
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Prologue: Infection
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In the farthest reaches of space, a single Gummi Ship hovered near a small world that seemed to be nothing more than a husk; an emptied out shadow of what it had been. Ironic, considering such husks had originally formed it.
"Tseng! It's over here!" A woman's voice exclaimed over the communications system.
"Paydirt. The President was right about Ansem confiscating it."
"Amazing its still here after the worlds were restored, though. It shoud've been wiped out with all the Heartless that were here..."
"Who cares how it survived?" The pilot of the ship asked, boredom evident in his tone. "Let's just pack it up and get back to H.B., yo."
Gunshots erupted in the background, and Reno, suddenly alert, zoomed toward what had once been dubbed The End of the World. A few seconds later, it zoomed away... leaving two passengers behind, and one very ominous piece of cargo.
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"Hearts... the source of life within all of us, the things that make us what we are. Years ago, when this world went by a different name, a wise king named Ansem studied the heart, and how to protect it from the darkness within. It wasn't well-known at the time, but a company known as Shinra was also studying the heart, and found a way to use its power. A small number of people went through a process of opening their hearts, and amplifying the escaping energy onto their bodies. All were given increased strength, many received strange changes to their bodies, like wings or claws... when completed, this technique was named the SOLDIER Process.
"There was one SOLDIER who rose above them all; a man named Sephiroth. But he was much more than a SOLDIER... in time, he would come to learn that he was created in a horrifying experiment. When he learned this, he began to hate Shinra, and the hearts of others... one could argue that he slowly began to hate the entire world. The day that Ansem went mad... the day the Heartless attacked... Sephiroth destroyed almost as much of the town as they did, and may have killed everyone if not stopped. Weakened from an unexpected attack, his heart was forced from his body by the Heartless... but before it was devoured, it flew into the open heart of the one who killed him; a young man named Cloud, who had been unable to cope with the SOLDIER Process's effects.
"We were separated in the confusion as a small and very brave king helped us escape our world, and ended up in different worlds. At some point, Sephiroth embodied himself as the darkness in Cloud's heart, and began traveling across worlds as if searching for something. Cloud desperately tried to find him, blaming himself for the destruction he found in his rival's wake. With the help of... someone...someone very important, but none of us can remember why... Cloud finally defeated him again. When Kingdom Hearts was sealed, and the worlds restored, I finally met him again. Sephiroth's heart seemed to have vanished in the darkness between the worlds, not willing to become a Heartless, yet unable to form a new body.
"Several months have passed. Hollow Bastion is slowly being rebuilt, despite the Heartless's efforts. Cloud left, trying to find a way around the seals between worlds, searching for someone he met in his earlier journeys. I met one of his close friends from childhood, though she's planning to leave in search of him soon. A penitent Shinra is funding reconstruction and supporting the needy. It finally seemed as if we were bringing things back to normal...
"...unfortunately, things change. A strange new type of creature has started to appear; one like the Heartless, but stronger, emptier... and something even more horrible has come up..."
It was early in the morning at Hollow Bastion, but many were already up and about. In the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee's HQ (more commonly known as the home of a wizard named Merlin) Aerith was sitting beside a bed, a little girl named Marlene worriedly standing by her side. As the young boy sleeping near them named Denzel turned, a dirtied bandage slipped off his head, revealing a large, moldy bruise on his forehead.
"It's a strange illness known as the Star Scar Syndrome, or Geostigma. Many of those who were restored along with the worlds became infected when they arrived, and it somehow spread to others, though the way how is unconfirmed. What we do know is that its victims' bodies, when they die, become Heartless... that alone, without the pain it causes, makes it horrifying. Only the efficient new safety mechanisms, called Claymores, save the infected from being 'neutralized' to prevent the spread... the majority of the sick are children."
"Does it...look any better?" Denzel's voice suddenly asked, snapping Aerith out of her drowsy stupor. Before she could reply, he fell asleep again, and she gave a sad smile as Marlene restored his wrappings.
"It... it may sound strange, but I have this strong feeling that I can save these children. Please... if anyone's listening, tell me how! Marlene, Denzel, and nearly all of the other children were born in Traverse Town, so they have no idea what our world was like before the Heartless... so, please... let them see it restored!"
"Hey, Aerith!" Cid's gruff voice came from the other side of the house. "One of those crazy P.R. guys from Shinra's on the line; he keeps annoying me to let you speak with him!"
The former flower girl nodded, and gracefully stood, moving towards the computer screen.
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In the vastness of space, with Hollow Bastion looking like a small sphere in the distance, a Gummi Ship floated in place. It was designed to look like a motorcycle, with its spiky-headed driver holding a large sword in his hand. The driver in question was checking his messages over a prototype inter-world phone. Aerith's voice delivered the last remaining one. "Reno called. He says he has a job for you, so I guess you don' have an excuse to stay away! How about dropping by before you leave, this time? We're really worried about you, Cloud."
Cloud sighed, before wincing as his left arm felt a surge of pain. Shaking it off, he solemnly looked toward the world, before activating the Fenrir Gummi Ship's engines, and zooming towards it.
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Kingdom Hearts: Advent Children.
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Three small Gummi Ships floated nearby, each designed to resemble oversized motorcycles. The driver of the center one turned opened a communications relay. "There it is. That's where our big brother lives."
"Do you think he'll be glad to meet us, Kadaj?" A slightly feminine voice asked from one of the sides. The leader chuckled slightly. "Nope. Not a chance."
"Don't cry, Yazoo!" The third ship's driver said immediately, as if he'd waited for the moment. The leader sighed, as if this were a common thing, before the second pilot's mournful reply came. "But we've got to find him... he's gotMother... and the way to restore our heart,remember?"
Kadaj glanced back at the world, with its still dark surface etched into his mind. "Well... maybe, maybe not. We can't really tell."
"Don't cry, Loz." Yazoo said humorably as a muffled whimper was heard. Far below them, a new ship suddenly caught the trio's attention.
"There he is." Kadaj smirked, and with a wave of his hand summoned a small squadron of Heartless ships. Loz and Yazoo both zoomed on ahead, with the Heartless following soon afterward.
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Chapter originally posted: May 21, 2006
Next Chapter: Attack.