*Dives and hides from the fans looking for her* I"M SORRY! I haven't updated any of my fics in a while, and I'm afraid that they are all on hiatus for the time being. I hope to finish them someday, but I just can't find the energy for it. But yes, I'm alive! And obsessed with Kingdom Hearts. Part of the reason for my long absence was because I got obsessed with Professor Layton and have been active in the livejournal community for that fandom. Anyway, I'm on a new regimen for writing, which I'm going to try with this fic.
For my inevitably new readers, thank you in advance for reading, and I hope you enjoy one of my many crossovers!
There are small spoilers for KH: Birth by Sleep but nothing major. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
"Look at this dear."
"Hm?" Isa turned to face his mother, who was taking out a photo album from one of the many boxes. Cleaning out the attic wasn't his idea of a fun afternoon. He would much rather be with Lea and whatever crazy idea he had today. But Isa's mother had insisted he help, and he was never one to disappoint her. He walked over to examine the album as she opened it.
"Its here somewhere, ah," she stopped on one page and pointed to a picture, "This was your father about when he was your age." Isa examined the picture closely. You could easily see the family resemblance. His father was also accompanied in the picture by several others.
"Who are the others he's with?" Isa asked.
"Close friends of his. He's still in contact with most of them. Although a few of them I don't thing I've ever even seen around town," she chuckled, "He claims that they had a big adventure at one point in another world."
"Another world?" He regarded his mother curiously.
"Yes. I always took the story in stride. After all, imagination can run wild at that age."
"Yeah, but if he was my age back then, isn't seventeen just a bit too old to play games like that?" Isa pointed out.
"Oh, I don't know dear," his mother replied, "You and Lea seem to be up to that kind of thing all the time. Like the time when you somehow got it into your heads to try to enter the castle."
Isa cringed involuntarily. He and Lea had attempted to enter the castle that towered over the town a bit ago. They had wound up getting literally thrown out by the guards.
"But you know," she continued, "I do sometimes wonder." She reached her hand in between the pages of the album and pulled out another photograph. "I never really explained this. Your father always insists that it's a picture of another world, but...well who knows."
He examined the picture closely. There appeared to be some sort of...monster? He couldn't tell, the lighting in the photo was bad. They definitely didn't seem to be anywhere near town. And there were many subtle hints in the picture itself that there was no way it could be faked.
"I'm honestly sure what to make of this," Isa finally admitted.
"Dear, I've been married with your father for years and I'M not sure what to make of it!" She chuckled and put the picture back in the album. She then shut the album and put it to one side, where it was quickly forgotten.
Isa turned back to the task of cleaning the attic, soon forgetting all about the picture in his other thoughts, such as when they would be done, and if he would maybe get to spend an hour or two with Lea if they worked quickly enough.
Isa wouldn't think about the strange picture again until several years later.
n/n/n/n/
I have no idea what we're supposed to do from here.
"Anyone here!" Roxas called. The jungle was thick with vegetation, filled with strange plants he had never seen before. He had lost his black coat at some point, leaving him with the outfit he had worn on the first day of his existance. A white jacket with black trim over a black shirt, black and grey jeans, and a four point charm that he wore around his neck. Losing his Organization coat was the least of his worries though.
Right behind him was a large, red, reptillian creature about his size. It had a white front with a strange symbol, and paws that ended in three long claws. Roxas wasn't paying attention to it at the moment. He had other things on his mind.
"Axel! Demyx! Zexion!" He called. No answer. He tried again. "Saix? Xigbar? Anyone!" Nothing. Roxas frowned as something welled up in him. Loneliness. He had always found it strange he could feel that way when he supposedly didn't have a heart to feel with.
The creature nudged him with its snout from behind. "I'm tired," it said.
Roxas sighed. They had been at this for a while. "Let's take a break," he finally said.
n/n/n/n/
Roxas sat on a log as while his companion relaxed nearby. In his hands was a strange device he now properly examined. It seemed to be electronic, with a screen that was currently blank. He had no idea what it was for, and his newfound companion wasn't much help on that count either. He looked at the creature who had curled up on the ground, with its snout tucked under its tail.
How had all this happened? Well...
n/n/n/n/
Some time earlier...
A loud sound rocked the Castle That Never Was.
Roxas poked his head from under the covers of his bed groggily. "Now what?" It wasn't the first time his night's sleep had been interrupted. Just the other night, Demyx had kept half the castle up with one of his late night songs. Larxene had nearly choked him to death. It was one of those things you expected when living with twelve other people with widely different personalities. There was inevitably some chaos.
Another loud sound pretty much confirmed to him that he probably wasn't going to go back to sleep anytime soon. He yawned the slowly got out of bed. He took a few moments to put on his black coat at least before going out. When he stepped out the door of his room, he saw that a few other doors were already open, suggesting that he wasn't the only one who had decided to investigate. He walked down the hallways slowly. He still felt tired but he wanted to find out who was up this late and keeping everyone up.
"Evening Roxas." Roxas turned to see a familiar face, with green eyes and spikey red hair. Like him, this person also wore a black coat.
"Hey Axel." Roxas nodded in acknowledgment to his friend as he walked up with him. "Any idea what's going on?"
"I think it might be Vexen and one of his mad scientist experiments, but as for what he's doing up so late," Axel yawned loudly, "I don't have a clue."
"Huh." The pair continued down the hallway. It was easy to find where the noise was coming from. A small crowd had formed near the entrance to the computer room. Roxas and Axel joined them just as one of them started talking.
"Vexen," It was Larxene who was talking. Although she sounded calm, there was restrained anger in her voice. "It's the middle of the night. Most people are asleep, in the middle of the night!"
"Don't talk to me that way!" Vexen shot back, "You're only number twelve! I'm your senior be far."
Roxas heard Larxene mutter under her breath, "In a few moments here its not going to matter what number either of us are."
"Besides," Vexen continued, "It wasn't my fault. The computer has been acting up. Its making quite a racket."
"Vexen," Xaldin cut in, "The whole castle is awake because of you."
"Give it a rest," Xigbar added, "You can deal with your experiments in the morning."
Vexen opened his mouth as if to complain, before shutting it. Roxas guessed that it was because Xaldin and Xigbar were technically higher ranked then him. Vexen humphed and turned to head back into the computer room. Roxas guessed that that was the end of that.
"Well, if we're done here, I'm going back to bed," Axel announced. "See you all in the morning." He turned and walked away.
"See you in the morning Axel," Roxas called after him. He yawned and decided it was time for him to go to back to sleep. He turned and walked away from the rest. He was so tired...
n/n/n/n/
Roxas woke up again, this time with a strange sensation. He couldn't quite decribe it. He quietly got out of bed. Sensing it was probably close to morning, he got dressed properly this time. He always wore the same outfit underneath his Organization coat. It was the same thing he had worn we he was first "born" and he still wore it. He took a moment to finger the four point charm he always wore before throwing on his black coat.
Roxas once again walked down the hallway. No doors were open this time. No sign of any one stirring. He supposed that he was the only one up. He continued walking. Something told him to stop when he reached the doorway to the computer room. He stared at the doorway for a few moments. Technically, he wasn't allowed inside. But the strange sensation pulled at him so he walked inside.
The first thing he heard was crackling. The screens of the computer were sparking! Roxas approached carefully. Something on the screen seemed to be...moving? Roxas got closer. Suddenly, a series of strange symbols cascaded across the screen and the screen itself seemed to glow and spark even more. He found himself hypnotized by the whole thing.
Roxas wasn't sure how long he was there. It didn't seem that long to him, but it must have been a lot longer then he initially thought because the door to the room flew open and there was a harsh "What are you doing in here!" He was suddenly aware that the whole of the Organization was present, each of the thirteen members there for a different reason.
Roxas didn't respond. He couldn't. The screen had finally stoped sparking and the symbols vanished. There was a moment of calm. Roxas sensed one of his comrades, either Vexen or Saix likely, take a step towards him. Then a single sentence appeared on the central computer screen.
It is time.
All the screens suddenly glowed with a great intensity. Roxas just stood there, frozen, until the light engulfed him, blinded him. He felt himself being pulled, being taken somewhere, he didn't know where and then there was darkness...
Back in the computer room, all that was left of the large group was a single black coat.
n/n/n/n/
Roxas woke up slowly. The first thing he noticed was that something was standing over him. And it wasn't human.
"Yah!" He quickly sat up and scrambled backwards. It was a strange looking creature...some sort of Heartless maybe? It looked at him oddly, cocking its head.
"Are you okay?" It asked. It sounded worried.
"Um..." Roxas paused, looked at it. The monster's tail was swishing gently side to side. "I'm fine."
The monster promptly buried its snout into his chest. "I'm glad!"
Roxas just sat there for a moment, unsure of what to do. He gently pushed the creature away. He slowly stood up. "Where am I?" He asked outloud.
"You're in the Digital World," the creature explained, "And I'm your partner, Guimon!"
"Guimon? That...your name?"
"That's right. I'm a Digimon."
n/n/n/n/
Present
That was how he had gotten to this place. Soon after, he had encountered Guilmon, a strange creature, a Digimon he called himself. Guilmon claimed to be his 'partner.' Roxas had also discovered the strange white device, a 'Digivice' according to Guilmon, that had suddenly appeared on his person. This world, the "Digital World," was a world that existed in the real of computers and electronics. All this left him with a litany of questions.
For example, did this world just exist in the computer in the castle? Or had the computer merely served as a portal to this world, like a dark corridor? More importantly, what was up with the monsters? What exactly was the Digivice?
Roxas sighed and put the Digivice away. He looked at Guilmon, who was now peacefully napping. Not wanting to disturb the monster's rest, he got up and walked into the jungle. He just wanted to look around.
The jungle seemed peaceful. He heard the sound of insects buzzing around. At a few points, he thought he saw a bird flit from one tree to another. He smiled. It seemed like a nice place. Perhaps it was another quiet world, where not much happened, like Twilight Town. He was just relaxing when he heard a sound. A strange sound. Frowning, he turned in the direction.
Something burst out of the brush, knocking him off his feet. He got on his knees and looked up. A monster! A big one! It was flying high in the sky, turning around for another pass. It looked a lot like a bird. It let out an unearthly screech and extended it talons at it came it for a dive.
Roxas wasted no time. He ran. He heard the bird fly past behind him, the strong wind blowing at his back. The bird would be coming back around in just a moments. Roxas quickly thought of his Keyblade. The familiar weapon appeared in his hand in a flash of light. He positioned himself as the bird came around again. He took a swipe of his Keyblade at the bird came at him expecting it to stop in pain.
Nothing. The bird didn't even flinch. Roxas felt himself thrown back by the wind the bird generated, missing its huge talons by a narrow margin before it lifted off again.
This was bad. If his Keyblade didn't affect it...He braced himself as the bird came at him again-
"Pyro Sphere!"
The bird suddenly stopped in midair as a mysterious attack slammed into, creating smoke and temporarily obscuring it. Roxas turned in the direction of where the attack had come from.
"Guilmon!"
Roxas was suprised to see the Digimon emerge from the bush. The first thing he noticed was that its eyes were different. Its pupils had dilated and it was growling.
The bird-Digimon screeched and dived. Something formed at Guilmon's mouth. "Pyro Sphere!" A large fireball slammed into the bird. The bird stopped in mid-air and Roxas suddenly felt a feeling of dread form in the pit of his stomach.
The bird creature yelled, "Black Saber!" It gave one strong flap of its wings. Materializing from the wings was a set of black fireballs. The fireballs came straight for the pair on the ground. Roxas quickly held up an arm to shield himself from the oncoming fireballs which fell all around them. Strangely enough, the jungle didn't seem to catch fire.
Guilmon stepped forward and let out another low growl. It opened its mouth and launched another fireball. It was right on target, but the bird hardly seemed affected. Instead, it called out, "Nitro Arrow!" A green arrow materialized and shot straight for Guilmon. Roxas merely stood there as the arrow slammed into the hapless Digimon. The blow caused the Digimon to fall to the ground.
For whatever reason, the sight tugged at Roxas's sympathies. "S-stop it!" He quickly ran over to the Digimon, and kneeled down to inspect it. Incredibly, Guilmon lifted his head and growled again. "Stop it!" Roxas snapped at him, "You're outmatched! You'll just get yourself killed!"
Guilmon stopped growling and his eyes returned to normal. He nudged Roxas with his snout. "I have to protect you," it muttered, "You're my partner. Its my..." He collapsed again. Roxas patted his snout.
"Not in this condition." A screech drew Roxas's attention back to the sky. The bird-Digimon was readying another attack. Helpless, Roxas held on to the red Digimon in front of him.
"Black-"
"Tear Shot!" What seemed to be a ball of water slammed into the bird.
Roxas turned to see what was now joining the fight. A white and blue rabbit shaped Digimon emerged, with huge ears and seemed to be no legs. What surprised Roxas the most however, was who was accompanying it.
"Saix!"
The Organization member in question 'hmphed.' "Quite the situation you've gotten us all into Roxas."
To be fair, Roxas was pretty sure the whole problem had started with Vexen, but he wasn't about to contradict Saix in this situation. The other Digimon was looking up at the bird angrily.
"Sabermon!" It yelled. From its voice, Roxas immediately realized that it was a girl. "What are you doing!"
The bird screeched, "Two of them." It hovered warily in the air. Then finally, it flapped away, seemingly muttering to itself. Roxas was confused. What had just happened?
The rabbit-Digimon turned to face them, "Don't worry about Sabermon. He may be vicious, but he tends to turn tail at the sight of more than one opponent."
"Um...Who are you anyway?" Roxas asked as he stood up with Guilmon. The Digimon shook a bit, but Roxas steadied him.
"Me?" The other Digimon smiled, "My name is Lunamon. I'm Saix's partner."
"So she says," Saix replied. He glared at Roxas, "What did you do in that room?"
"I didn't do anything," Roxas said defensively, "It just...happened on its own."
Guilmon nudged him, "Who is this Roxas?"
"Oh him?" Roxas looked at an increasingly irritated Saix, "That's Saix. He's...a comrade of mine."
"You mean he's you're friend?"
"Not quite..." Roxas rubbed the Digimon's snout before turning to Saix, who still held him in a firm gaze. "This is Guilmon." Roxas explained in answer to the unspoken question. "Where's everyone else?"
"I do not know," Saix replied, "It was only sheer luck that I met you here."
"We saw Sabermon attacking someone and we decided to see what it was up too," Lunamon looked at the sky sadly, "Sabermon used to be a Birdramon, one of this area's protectors. But his data got corrupted and now he flies around fighting everyone." She looked back at Roxas and Saix was a happy glint in her eye, "But now that you're here, maybe we can start reversing the data corruption."
"Data corruption?" Roxas asked.
Lunamon nodded, "Throughout the Digital World, something has been causing data to scramble and corrupt. Its been turning a lot of our old friends mean."
Roxas turned over the information in his head as Saix spoke, "What are you talking about? What makes you think we're the ones who will stop the...corruption?"
Lunamon smiled, "Because you're Digidestined. And we're your Digimon partners!"
Next chapter:
Gathering: Lunamon has left Roxas and Saix pretty confused, but they quickly move on to more pressing matters. Such as finding the rest of the Organization. When they do find the rest of the group, Vexen drops a bombshell that reveals the true nature of the Digital World!
Digimon Reasoning (where I explain how I picked each character's Digimon):
Roxas and Guilmon: My original Digimon/KH crossover involved an AU KH universe where the characters lived normal lives. In that story, I had made Roxas and Sora fraternal twins. Sora's partner was Agumon. I needed a Digimon that was similar yet different to Agumon, and Guilmon fit the bill perfectly. I ultimately scrapped the story for various reasons, but I kept Guilmon as Roxas's partner. And before you ask, if Sora did somehow get to the Digital World, his partner would still be Agumon.
Please R&R!