A/N: Yeah, its yet another oneshot for Kristen Verne's KH universe. Probably gonna be the last one I make (I still need to continue Moonlit Knights). Anyway, Kris has recently started a rewrite of her original Final Stand story, now called Kingdom Heart 3 Re:Final Stand, and I'm writing this one as a sort of tie-in to it, as its based on a short discussion we had. This one basically takes place during the time of Sora's year long slumber to recover his memories.
Men in Black Coats
Welcome to Traverse Town. A safe haven for those who have lost their way. Can't go back to your home world? You're welcome to stay here for as long as you need to. That was what the welcoming sign said as Sasuke Kazekiri entered the town. After reading it, he thought that their maybe a possibility he'd find his missing friends here. But first, he needed a drink.
He walked into a bar, sat down, and ordered a bourbon on the rocks. Now Sasuke was not an excessive drinker. He never drank enough to where the alcohol would impede his judgement. He knew that such a thing was bad idea for a swordsman like himself. In fact, he didn't really drink that often, only whenever his journey starts taking its toll and the past starts catching up to him. His nine to ten year long training journey has proven very fruitful, and amount of people he had helped along the way made him very proud of himself. But every now and then, he found himself greatly missing the good old days. The days of receiving encouragement from his mother, Momo, hanging out with his best friends, Kairi, Lea, and Isa, and training under his master, Kaname Mae. Once the past reenters his thoughts, it can be hard to take his mind off it. Between his mother and surrogate father being dead and his friends being missing, not to mention the fact that as far as he knew the traitor, Xehanort, was out there somewhere, it can all be daunting. A slow glass or two of bourbon (or sake depending on where he's at) usually helped ease some of the stress.
"There you go, sir," the old bartender said as he set a glass of bourbon down in front of the swordsman.
"Thanks," Sasuke replied as he took a sip.
"We don't get too many strangers in this town anymore," the bartender said while wiping the table. "What brings you to a town like this?"
"Honestly, just passing through. I have been traveling for so long. But after hearing how this place is a refuge for wanderers from the outside world, I thought I'd take a look around, see if I find anyone I might know."
"Well your likelihood of finding anyone from another world has actually gotten rather small as of late. A lot people had disappeared from this world after that strange phenomenon in the sky not too long ago."
Sasuke perked up a bit after hearing that. "You wouldn't happen to be referring to when the stars arose from the horizon, would you?"
"The very same. You see for nine years I had been noticing the stars in the sky had been blinking out one by one. And new faces continued to pop up in town, all having their worlds taken by those Heartless creatures. But just a few months ago we watched what looked like a meteor shower, except it was rising up instead of falling down. And before I knew it the stars that had blinked out were back, and the folks that had taking refuge here had vanished. I presume they had returned to their home worlds."
"I see." The black-haired swordsman took another sip.
"But I did hear the some folks actually chose to stay here, whether because they had grown too accustom to the life in this town to leave now or they still felt they didn't have anywhere to go, for one reason or another. So chances are you still might find someone. But I wouldn't get my hopes up."
Sasuke sighed. "It's fine. It'll be worth a look anyhow. It's good to know that some of the damage done by the Heartless is being undone."
"Indeed. We've hardly ever had to deal with them anymore. I do have to say though, I kinda miss some of the refugees, especially one that I've talked to a lot over the years. That grumpy old Cid Highwind."
Sasuke's eye widened upon hearing that name. "Cid Highwind, you say?"
The bartender stopped cleaning for a moment. "You know him?"
"Well, not personally. He was a famous engineer back on my home world. He was here?"
The man put his hand on his chin. "Engineer sure does sound like him. He had arrived in this town along with a trio of kids. A teenaged girl named Aerith, a small girl named Yuffie, and a teenaged boy with a weapon that looked like a cross between a sword and a gun. Yuffie kept calling him Squall, but for some reason he insisted on being called Leon."
The swordsman did recognize those names, especially the last one. "Squall Leonhart. He was a fellow guard-in-training that I use to spar with."
The bartender could help but chuckle. "You don't say."
"Yeah. Last I saw him, he was helping to evacuate as many citizen of our home town as possible. Glad I'm not the only one who got out alive."
"That young man, and later the others had been a big help in keeping this town as safe as possible from the Heartless. We owe them a lot. It's a shame they left to go take back their home and restore it to its former glory. I really liked having them around. They left not long before the stars returned and I haven't heard from them since. I hope they succeeded in taking back their home."
"If Squall improved since last we sparred, then I'm sure they have."
"You come from same world as them, right? You could probably go back home if you're able to."
Sasuke sighed. "I don't think I'm ready to go back yet. Besides, I wouldn't feel right going back knowing that the man behind the Heartless attack may still be at large."
"You mean Ansem?"
Sasuke looked at the bartender perplexed. "Ansem?"
"That's who your talking about right? The one Leon recently found out was the one who lead the Heartless to attack their home?"
"THAT IS NOT TRUE!" Sasuke blurted out, slamming his fist onto the table, startling the bartender. "I don't where he got that from, but that is false information! I know exactly who's responsible. I confronted him myself during the attack. And it wasn't Ansem the Wise."
The bartender was a little intimidated. "S-sorry! I... didn't mean..."
The young man took a deep breath and calmed down before waving it off. "It's fine. As far as I'm aware nobody knew of Xehanort's treachery. But still, how could they think that their kind and just ruler would do such a thing?"
"I had heard that they got this information from a kid. One whom may not even know this Ansem well at all."
Sasuke couldn't help but grumble. "Either this kid was lying or was tricked." He then finished his drink, put his money on the table, and stood up. "I need answers." Turned to leave but then looked back to bartender. "By the way, have you seen any suspicious looking strangers wearing long black coats?"
The bartender grabbed his chin in thought. "Now that you mention it, I did see someone like that wandering the streets earlier today."
"Perfect. Thank you." The swordsman then headed out. If anyone could give him the answers he sought, it'd be them.
Sasuke searched around the town. Until he finally spotted a figure in a black coat turning a corner. Wasting no time, he decide to follow them. He soon came to the Fountain Plaza.
"Hey you!" the swordsman shouted. "In the black coat! Hold up!"
The figure turned to Sasuke. His face shouded in the hood.
"By your outfit, I take it you're working with Xigbar!" Sasuke then unsheathed his Moon Cutter at pointed it at the figure. "You are gonna tell me where he is... now!"
The figure said nothing. The ronin saw the figure move his hand into his hood an seemed to be lifting... something that he couldn't see. Sasuke took the moment of silence to analyze the figure with his sixth sense. His aura didn't feel the same as Xigbar or any of the other Nobodies he encountered. He did however sense that his darkness was stronger than his light, although a fragment of that darkness felt off to him. Sasuke was wary of this figure.
Growing impatient, the swordsman said, "Look I'm not in the mood for games. I need to know who's been defiling Ansem the Wise's good name and why. So I'm not gonna ask again. Where is Xigbar?"
The figure remained silent, but seemed to go into a thinking pose.
"Fine. If you won't tell me..." Sasuke readied his sword for battle. "I'll force it out of you!"
The figure then held out his hand as dark mist surrounded it. When the mist cleared the figure held a sword shaped like a demonic wing.
The two stood there for a few seconds, until the figure leapt to attack. The two clashed swords several time before Sasuke leapt back and charged energy into his sword. "Sonic Wave!" He shouted as he unleashed an energy wave from his sword.
The figure dodged the attack and charged dark energy into his hand. "Dark Firaga!" he finally spoke as he shot out several dark fireballs.
The ronin leapt into the air, dodging the fireballs, before pulling out a White Fang(1) and send a barrage of lightning bolts crashing down.
The figure dodges a couple of the bolts before raising his hand and shouted, "Dark Shield!" and casting an energy shield in front of his palm to block the rest.
Sasuke then charged energy into his sword again, "Breakthrough!" and thrusted it into the shield. Slowly the shield started to crack, prompting the figure to jump up just before the barrier shattered.
The figure then charged darkness into his sword. "Dark Break!" He then thrusted his sword as he came down.
Sasuke blocked the attack as the two locked blade. Soon, Moon Cutter started glowing red. "Counter Cutter!" The swordsman swipe his sword with great force, blowing his opponent away.
The black coat figure managed to land on his feet, but the force had knocked his hood down, revealing a boy, looking no older than sixteen, with silver hair that reached his upper back. He also wore what looked a black ribbon tied around his eyes like a blindfold. Sasuke guessed that was probably what he was lifting under his hood early, to get a good look at him. It raised the question as to why he was wear it in the first place.
He didn't have time to dwell on that as the boy continued his attack. Sasuke had to admit, he was impressed that this boy was able to fight so well despite wearing a blindfold. Either the blindfold was see-through or his senses were sharp... or perhaps a bit of both. Regardless, he couldn't deny this boy was good, though he could tell from subtle unrefined movements that he was self-taught, never had a proper instructor. Must be quite the prodigy.
Still, the ronin knew he should probably end this quickly. After a series of sword clashing, Sonic Waves, and Dark Firagas, Sasuke took out a Blue fang and jabbed it into his sword, which glowed green and emitted a white mist. "Icebrand!" He clash swords with the boy again, result in the ice magic freezing his opponent's sword and both hand together. He followed up by stabbing the ground next to his feet, freezing them in place, the ice magic wearing off afterwards. The boy was now struggle to get free.
Sasuke then placed his blade near the boy's neck. "Alright, now that I've got you restrained, I demand answers."
"Answer this first," the boy spoke, "What is your connection to Ansem?"
"As the apprentice to the late captain of the Royal Guard, I know his lordship very well. What I want to know is who's dragging his good name through the mud!"
"Ansem himself."
"Don't give me that garbage! Ansem is a kind and just ruler. He put the needs of his people before his own. He would never do such things. You don't him!"
"I don't know him?!" The boy shouted angrily. "Do you have any idea what he did to me? What he made me do to my friends?! Maybe you're the one who doesn't know him! He's the one who made the Heartless! The one who sent them running amok on other worlds!"
"You clearly don't have your facts straight. I know who started all of this! And it wasn't Lord Ansem! It was Xehanort! He betrayed his mentor; the very kingdom that took care of him. Actually scratch that, what he really did was play us all for fools! You wouldn't believe the things Xigbar told me he did, even before he was taken in by his lordship." Sasuke paused as an idea clicked in his head. "Now that think about it, answer this: This Ansem that you've apparently met, what did he look like?"
The boy paused in confusion for a moment before answering. "Long silver hair that had a few spikes in it. He also has eyes had a goldish color. He introduced himself as Ansem Seeker of Darkness."
The former apprentice felt his blood boil as he heard that. He removed his sword from the boys neck and stabbed it into the ground in frustration. "It wasn't enough for Xehanort to betray his mentor, but to claim his name as his own and add in just a disgraceful title! What kind of monster is he?!"
"Well, well. What do we have here?" A monotone voice caught both of their attention. They turned to see another figure wearing a black coat. Sasuke could feel the same vibe as he had with Xibar. "I come here hunting for the imposter who defeated Xion. And who do I find? Riku Tsuchi(2), the so called Hero of Darkness. I suspected it was you."
Sasuke looked at the silver hair boy with slight confusion. "Riku Tsuchi? Imposter?" he whispered to himself.
"And look who else is here. Sasuke Kazekiri, apprentice to the captain of the Royal Guard. I see after all these years, you're still alive and fighting."
Sasuke couldn't help but get a sense of familiarity with this new figure. Now that he thought about it, his voice sounded vaguely familiar. "Who are you?"
Instead of answering outright, the figure removed his hood. What Sasuke saw, shocked him. The sky blue hair, the X-shaped scar between his eyes. It couldn't be.
"I...Isa?"
"That name no longer has any meaning for me. You will refer to me as Saïx."
"What... What happened to you?"
"I lost my heart. I'm a Nobody now. An empty shell of my former self."
"Y-your... just like Xigbar then..." The ronin couldn't believe what he was happening. He finally found one of his three best friends, Isa, only to find out he's become just like Xigbar.
"Ah, yes. I had heard that you had a few run-ins with him. I had also heard when our home was invaded that you were sent into the darkness to wallow in your despair, and even now our Superior is baffled as to how you escaped, and in such a short no less. I myself am curious: How did you escape from the darkness?"
Sasuke looked down. "Let's just say that someone happened to have been watching me and pulled me out before I could sink too deeply."(3)
"Is that so? Well, no matter." Saïx snapped his fingers. Then both Sasuke and Riku found themselves surrounded by Dusks and Berserkers.
Sasuke growled as he swiped a few Nobodies in one swing. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I have a nuisance to dispose of." Saïx then lifted his hand, and in a burst of bluish-white flames a claymore appeared, held back-handed. "And quite frankly you're in the way."
The Organization member then dash toward Sasuke and struck with his claymore. Sasuke blocked the attack with Moon Cutter. The two locked blade for a moment.
"S-stop it!" Sasuke pled. "I'm your friend, remember?"
"I remember." Saïx said coldly. "That doesn't mean it matters."
"What do mean?"
"I mean I am not the 'friend' you used to know."
"Don't be stupid!" Sasuke then blew his friend back with his Counter Cutter. "So what if you lost your heart!? That shouldn't make you any less Isa."
The Luna Diviner shook his head. "You're a fool for believing that. You see, the heart makes all the difference. It is where our emotions come from; where our feeling are born and kept. Without one you feel nothing. No happiness, no sadness, no sense of empathy. We don't truly exist anymore. Although those of us who have retained our human forms remember what it was like, it does us little good when we can't actually feel."
Sasuke was just too stunned at what he just heard to respond. Taking advantage of the ronin's distraction, Saïx snapped his fingers once again and the Nobodies jumped at him.
It was at this moment that Riku broken out of his icy bindings with the power of darkness. "Dark Aura!" The boy covered himself in darkness and began dashing through the Nobodies while warping all over the place, finishing by stabbing the ground and unleashing dark pillars to finish off the rest. He then stood next to his previous opponent. "Look, I hate to break it to you, but he's right. Whoever your friend was before, he's not anymore."
Sasuke then slammed his sword on the ground. "Why?! Why is this happening?" He then took another look at his former friend and finally noticed something he hadn't until now. His eye's were no longer the green color he remembered them to be, they were the same goldish color as him. The ronin's blood boiled once again. "Xehanort... XEHANORT DID THIS TO YOU, DIDN'T HE!?"
"So what if he did?" Saïx replied as he raised his claymore. "As I said, it matters not anymore. My duty as a member of Organization XIII is clear. Our dream of acquiring Kingdom Hearts will be realized and we can truly finally exist."
Sasuke could feel a strange energy building up in Saïx. It took him a moment to realize that he was gathering energy from the moonlight.
"Moon, shine down!" the Luna Diviner shouted as an intense bluish-white flaming aura bursted out of his body. "Lunar Frenzy!" Along with this aura a few visible changes were noticed: his hair was slightly wilder, his scar was bigger and more prominent, his eye were glowing yellow, and the end of his claymore seemed to expand with energy spikes. This was completely new to Sasuke, as he internally wondered how he got that kind of power. "Be gone!"
With that, the Organization member went on a rampage. He fought very aggressively, his strength was immense, and every time his claymore slammed into the ground it created a shockwave of white flames. Both Sasuke and Riku were having a hard time keeping up with him.
Sasuke soon took out a Red Fang and unleashed a wave of flames while Riku throw several Dark Firagas. However, Saïx didn't even flinch and just kept charging at them.
Sasuke then jabbed the Red Fang onto his sword, imbuing it with fire magic. "Flametongue!" He clashed sword with his opponent, but struggled to hold his ground.
Riku then charged dark energy that created an energy sword in his second hand. "Dark Maelstrom!" He charged at Saïx with a spinning attack.
Saïx responded by kicking Sasuke away and blocking the attack, followed by knock him away.
Sasuke then jabbed a Red, Blue, and White Fang onto Moon Cutter at once, imbuing it with all three elements at giving it a yellow glow. "Trinity Sword!" He then clashed with the Organization member again several times, this time their power more evenly matched. Soon, the ronin leapt up and brought his Trinity Sword down. Saïx jumped out of the way, by when the sword slammed onto the ground it created and explosion of fire, ice, and lightning that blew him away.
Not missing a beat, Riku leapt over to the berserker and kicked him in the face before gather more darkness, "Dark Barrage!" and throw a fusillade of dark energy blades at him.
After getting pummeled by the projectiles, Saïx got enraged and unleashed an even great burst of power. He leapt high into the air as he began charging energy into his claymore.
Meanwhile, Sasuke began charge a massive amount of energy into Moon Cutter, causing it to glow a blue light that slightly expanded it. He then leapt up after him.
"Crashing Moon!" Saïx threw his claymore which then transformed into a white flaming meteor.
"Crescent Divider!" Sasuke swung his sword unleashing a giant whitish-blue energy slash.
The two attacks collided with each other. At first it seemed evenly matched, until the Crescent Divider gained a red tint from absorbing the Crashing Moon's power. Soon Sasuke's attack destroyed Saïx's before crashing into Saïx himself. Amazingly, the attack didn't do any fatal damage, but it sure did shut down his Lunar Frenzy, his physical features returning to normal.
Saïx came crashing onto the ground. He struggled to get up until he was on one knee. "You really have gotten strong, Sasuke. Xemnas was right about how much you are like your master, Kaname."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Xemnas?"
"Our Superior. Xemnas is the empty vessel left behind after Xehanort sacrificed his heart to become a Heartless calling himself Ansem."
"So it's true then? Xehanort did steal His Lordship's name."
"Correct." Saïx slowly stood up. "Ansem Seeker of Darkness may already fallen to the Keyblade, but as long as Xemnas lives, Xehanort himself has yet to fully perish."
"Why are you working for him knowing what he did to you?"
"What choice to we have? We Nobodies have have been rejected by both light and darkness. We have no one to be, and yet we still are. And besides that, Xemnas could turn us into Dusks if he wanted to. This is the only way we can get our hearts back. And mark my words, Sasuke, Riku, you both will pay for your defiance." And with that Saïx disappeared in a Corridor of Darkness.
Both swordsman stood there panting for a moment. Riku then turned to see his former attacker's crestfallen expression. "Are you alright?"
Sasuke sighed as he sheath his sword. "I'm fine. I just...never thought I'd see what one of my friends had become. Out of all of my three missing friends, why did the first one find have to turn into an enemy."
"I'm sorry. Unfortunately, your friend is long gone, and there's nothing we can do except put him out of his misery."
"You know, part of me knows you are right, and yet another part believes there is still a chance to bring him back. I just...don't know."
Riku shrugs. "Well I can't blame you for that. If it were one of my friends wouldn't want to give up on them either."
Sasuke then turned to the boy. "By the way, I'm sorry for picking a fight with you. I really thought you were one of them."
"It's okay. I was a little on edge when you mentioned Ansem. I really couldn't tell whether or not you were an enemy."
Sasuke crossed his arms. "If you don't mind me asking, why are dress as one of them."
Riku looked down at his coat. "It's not like I'm actually trying to pose as them. These black coats have a more practical purpose. I don't know what they're made of, but they give the wearer a certain level of protection from the darkness. It's why the Organization wears them, as even Nobodies cannot rule the darkness. Also, I was told that they would mask my scent to a certain degree, making it difficult for them to track me, especially after putting a target on my back."
"I see. And the blindfold?"
"That's...personal."
Sasuke nodded, deciding not to question it further. "Well, at least I found out the deal with all this nonsense about Ansem the Wise committing heinous crimes."
Riku put his hand on his chin. "I got something out of this as well. Information that contradicted what I thought I knew. So, what are you going to do now?"
Sasuke looked at the sky. "I'm not sure. Part of me wants to hunt down Xehanort. Another wants the find the rest of my friends. But...seeing what happened to Isa..." he let out another sigh. "I think I need some time to think. I've been on a long journey anyways, nine to ten year to be exact. I should probably take a break from it."
"That long huh? Yeah, sounds like you need one."
"What about you?"
"A friend of mine is currently in a deep slumber to recover memories that were stolen from him. Right now, I'm just making sure that goes smoothly, and the Organization doesn't interfere."
"I see. Well good luck with that. I should be going now."
"Alright see you around."
As Sasuke walked away, he pull out the Star Shard that he used to travel to other world. Doing so, he inadvertently also pulled out a particular trinket. A charm that had the image of a jagged curved sword on a green background. It was then he decided the best place he should go to rest and reflect on what happened. Yeah, perhaps I should visit her. It's been a long time after all. He thought as his Star Shard glowed, engulfing him in light and turning him into a sparkle that shot into the sky.
As Riku watched Sasuke leave, he began to think about what he just learned. He found himself conflicted as to whether or not this information about Ansem and Xehanort was true. Deciding he needed confirmation from another source, he open up a Corridor of Darkness, hoping to get answers from the one person he can think of. DiZ, you better give me a straight answer this time. With that he entered the portal, which closed behind him.
Later, another man in a black coat was strolling through town. This one had very spiky fire-red hair and purple reverse-teardrop shaped markings under his emerald eyes. He seemed to be looking for something, until he let out a disappointed groan.
"Missed him yet again. Come on, Sasuke. Can't you just stay in one place long enough for me to catch up?"
Once a boy named Lea, Axel was also a Nobody and member of Organization XIII. Lately, however he hasn't cared much for the group. Ever since he heard that Sasuke was alive and well, he's been trying to find him, just so he can see him and perhaps talk to him. But every time he heard a lead to his location, the swordsman seemed to have already left by the time he arrived. It frustrated him every time. He just wished he could talk to an old friend, just once.
Now don't get him wrong, he was more than happy with the new friends he made. Roxas and Xion both made him feel like he had a heart again. However, there were times when he just missed the old days, his old circle of friends. Unfortunately, things between them were complicated now. Isa had changed drastically since becoming Saïx, to the point where he's just unpleasant to talk to. The two of them may have had plans to take over the Organization, but Axel felt that endeavor was pointless now. He knew that Kairi was alive and well, living a happy life on Destiny Islands, but the girl had no memory of her life in Radiant Garden, thus no memory of Lea. As much as he missed his surrogate little sister(4), talking to her as she was now would've been too awkward for his liking. Sasuke seemed like the only person he could talk to, but the former apprentice continues to elude him. It was pretty discouraging, but thankfully his new friends kept his spirits up...for the most part.
Axel sighed in defeat. "Better luck next time, I guess. But seriously, would it kill him to at least return home already? It would make it so much easier for me." He then disappeared in a Corridor of Darkness.
A/N: And that's a wrap. I hope you all liked it, and that the fights didn't seem too rushed.
While discussing with Kris about making Sasuke less of a last minute character for her Final Stand rewrite, I talked to her about the idea of Sasuke meeting Riku during the time of Sora's slumber, which she said she liked. So I decided to make a oneshot about that, which will be referenced in her rewrite.
Sasuke finding out that Ansem's name was being tarnished just kinda wrote itself in, which worked out perfectly as it gave a viable excuse for him and Riku to fight each other. Meanwhile adding an actual Organization member into the mix gave them a good reason to stop fighting, and Saïx just seemed like perfect candidate considering Isa's friendship with Sasuke. And the last bit with Axel felt like it'd make another good tie-in that Kris could work with for her rewrite.
Notes:
(1) To cover his weakness in magic, Sasuke uses a certain rare group of items from the Final Fantasy series: Red Fangs to unleash fire magic, Blue Fangs to unleash ice magic, and White Fangs to unleash lightning magic (it's worth noting that in some games the Blue and White Fangs' elements are switched around). However he uses them sparingly for two reasons, 1) while he can use them to release magic, he can't actually 'control' them except when he uses them to infuse his sword, and 2) he can only use each one of them so many times, and they're hard to come by.
(2) Tsuchi is the surname that Kris gave to Riku.
(3) Who saved Sasuke from sinking into the darkness will be explained in Moonlit Knights.
(4) For those of you who don't know, in Kris's universe, Lea and Kairi were as close as siblings back when they were younger.