Hello, KingdomKat here for a lil' intro! Whether you're a newcomer and have just discovered this story or an old fan rereading through the chapter, welcome and thank you for giving A Tale of Two Hearts a view!
Just as a quick disclaimer: this story is a novelization of the Kingdom Hearts series! Of course, despite it being a novelization, it'll be a little bit different than the game. One of those main differences being the addition of my OC, Akira! Elements of the story have been changed to suit this character, but I think you'll like it.
As stated in the summary, this story will eventually be Sora/OC. So if that's not something you mind (or it's something you're actively looking for), I hope you enjoy this fanfiction!
(Even if you're a new reader I'd still love your feedback and reviews for each chapter, no matter how long ago they were posted! So don't be afraid to tell me your thoughts, I appreciate every review/PM!)
((I went back and rewrote the beginning of the chapter! I wasn't really happy with it and I wanted to introduce Akira sooner, so I just redid the whole thing! Minor adjustments were made in later chapters to accommodate this, but nothing big!))
Prologue: Awakening
"If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing to do is wake up."
—J.M. Power
Swish, swish, swish…
The sounds of the waves caressing the shore before receding back towards the ocean reached her ears, causing a soft smile to tug at her lips.
Her eyes fluttered open slowly, meeting the brilliant night sky unfettered by any outside light sources. The stars were never more prominent then they were right now, reflecting off the deep blue waters. Warm sand crunched between her fingers, the winds threaded through her hair, carrying with it the salty sweet scent of the sea.
Swish, swish, swish…
Here, she was truly at peace.
"Ǎ̤͖͑͒̑͌k͕̞͇̝̀ͯ̒̃ͪi͙̼͙̥̘̣̬ͮr̰̩̞̊a͓̲.̲͈̠̊͂͐̊͊̀̂"
Through half lidded eyes she glanced about her surroundings, swearing she could've heard someone calling her name. Upon seeing nothing, she let the ocean coax her back to a dreamy state of mind.
"A̰͈̥̳ͅk͍̪͈͚͖͔i͏͙̫͎ŗ̲̗̤̗͕̹̭a͎͖̝̦̙!̲͙̻͕̕…Akira!"
The static faded from the voice, finally letting her hear it in full. Her head turned to the right, viewing the person currently running down the stretch of shore. A smile stretched widely at the sight of him, and she rose eagerly to her feet. As she did so the night sky shifted, fading into a pink blur of dawn before the sun rose high in the sky—all in the span of a few seconds.
When he finally reached her side, he doubled over his knees as he struggled to regain his breath. When his eyes rose to meet hers, she truly couldn't distinguish their color from the deep blue of the ocean. He smiled widely as his cheeks flushed, and his hand reached up to find the usual perch on the back of his neck.
Before he could explain what had him in such a hurry to get her attention, there was a whisper at her shoulder. She turned slightly, looking behind her from the corner of her eye. Nothing but empty beach…and yet the edges of the landscape seemed distorted. The longer she stared, the smaller the beach seemed to get. A strange blackness was encroaching, crawling towards her at a slow but steady pace. As soon as she realized this, the sun dimmed, as if a cloud was passing overhead. Yet the sky was completely blue the last time she'd looked up.
Turning to her companion with a question on her lips, she received a start to see he'd disappeared. Her heart began to race as she whirled around, desperately trying to find any sign of him. But there was nothing—only the darkness. It looked as if it swallowed the entire sky and every last grain of sand, and before she knew it she was surrounded on all sides by a colorless void.
She couldn't even tell which way was up—something that made her stomach clench nervously. She squeezed her eyes shut to combat the rising feeling of nausea, grateful for the small amount of relief it brought. But with her eyes shut, her mind began to jumble together, making it impossible to form a coherent thought. Almost…as if this was a dream? But that couldn't be. Everything felt so real…
"Don't be afraid."
She jumped as a voice echoed around the vast void. It was unlike anything she ever heard before. It wasn't human, and yet...it was? Thousands of voices talking in unison, speaking within her mind and all around her. As loud as thunder and yet as quiet as a whisper on the wind.
"Do you remember?"
The girl's brows drew together in confusion at that question. What a vague and odd thing to ask. She certainly didn't think she was forgetting anything, but if she forgot then obviously she wouldn't be able to remember.
As she continued down this confusing chain of thoughts, the air around her radiated amusement.
"I can see you do not. But that comes as no surprise."
The girl didn't have much time to register this comment. All her attention was drawn towards a light flickering to life underneath her. Similar lights started to rise from the dark, connecting together like a strange sort of constellation. She watched in awe, a small amazed smile on her face, before a sudden gust of wind made her flinch back.
There was flapping, a lot of it; the beating of feathered wings broke the awful silence, and suddenly she felt at peace. She slowly lowered her arms, watching as thousands of doves burst from below her and flew up into the back nothing.
A feather dropped from one and drifted languidly downwards, landing gently on the ground just before her. It was then she realized she was standing on something corporeal: a beautiful stained-glass circle made entirely of a blue hue. A large heart took up most of the center, an image that stirred a strange feeling of nostalgia within her.
"I have come to warn you of the impending danger, drawing closer with each second. You must be prepared. You must remember."
The girl frowned at the Voice, once again confused by its intentions. What danger? There was nothing even remotely dangerous in her life—practically nothing out of the ordinary happened in her island town.
"Power sleeps within you. It is time it awakens."
Suddenly the ground below her started to rumble and she heard the unpleasant sound of stone grating against the glass. Turning in a small circle, she watched as three pedestals rose around the image of the heart, equally spaced from one another. Hovering above each of the pedestals was a sword, staff, and a shield.
"Give the power a form. Let it manifest itself once more."
She hesitated despite the curious pull she had towards the objects. Was this some sort of test? The Voice did not speak again, so she stepped cautiously towards the first pedestal. On it was a mighty sword, which instantly peaked her interest. She reached out a hand and grabbed its handle, lifting it up.
The weight was neither too heavy nor too light, almost as if it was made with her in mind. She felt courageous and strong holding it, like the sword was granting these things to her. Or maybe it was drawing them out of her. But behind this feeling of strength was a warning: with power comes destruction.
She carefully placed the sword back before visiting the other two pedestals. When she held the shield she immediately felt lighter on the inside. But with this came a fierce new feeling of protectiveness, almost drowning her with the desire to defend till death. When she grasped the staff, she felt an ancient and powerful aura surrounding her, whispering the secrets of magic. It was equally mystifying and terrifying.
Once that was done, she looked at each of the pedestals in turn before returning to the one displaying the sword. Again, she pulled the sword from its perch in the air and examined it, feeling confident this was the one she should choose.
"Is this the form your power seeks?"
She gave a small nod. The sword suddenly cracked within her grasp before bursting into light, which was absorbed into her right palm. She traced over her palm lightly, only slightly disappointed that she didn't feel any different. A fleeting thought of this being the weirdest dream she'd ever had entered her mind, and she couldn't help but giggle in agreement.
Her mirth quickly came to an end, however, when the platforms collapsed back into the glass without warning. The shock wave threw her forward onto the hard glass unceremoniously. She raised herself up, wincing slightly, before her eyes widened in dawning horror. Where the pedestals had fallen, cracks were quickly spreading along the surface of the glass. Fear gripped her heart, but before she could act the entire circle shattered, sending her back into the abyss.
She spun in mid-air, her blonde hair floating around her as she did slow flips in her downward spiral. Her stomach grumbled in protest to this motion, a sentiment she seconded, and her arms flew out to try and stop the spinning. Luckily this tactic worked, and as she balanced herself she saw another circle of light quickly approaching underneath.
Her feet touched down lightly as she landed without a sound, like the air was setting her down gently. Although the circle seemed to be made of the same stained-glass, a different image stood in the center. A beautiful golden castle placed perfectly between two mountains. Twin chains emerged from the castle to wrap around the mountains, securing it in place. As she was admiring its beauty, the sword that had mysteriously burst into light reappeared in her hand.
"You have the power to fight. Use it to protect yourself and others."
She didn't need to be told twice.
She gave an experimental swipe of the sword, delighting at the sound it made cutting through the air. She practiced jabbing and dancing back out of the reach of the enemy, recalling all the sword fights she had throughout the years with her friends. So maybe she wasn't a professional, but self-taught was better than nothing. As she gave a final slash, the hairs on the back of her neck rose.
Something was watching her.
She whirled around to see a strange dark ooze emerging from the glass. The weird substance pulled itself together, making odd splattering sounds as it did so. It formed the shape of a creature, about the size of a large house cat, which was hunched over staring at her with beady yellow eyes. Its antennae twitched and its clawed hands opened and closed rapidly.
"There will be times you have to fight. Keep your light burning strong."
As the Voice spoke, several other shadow-like creatures formed, each spasmodically moving its hands and feet to lope their way over to her. The first shadow that had emerged crouched before springing at her, its claws aiming for her heart. She instinctively swung the sword in retaliation, slicing the creature in half. It burst into the goop that had formed it before that too dissipated. The remaining creatures stood still and watched before sinking back into the ground. She nodded in satisfaction before the Voice echoed in her head loudly, making her vision blur.
"Behind you!"
She stumbled forward in a panicked hurry, feeling the snag of something sharp on the back of her shirt. She pulled away and turned to see a shadow had managed to slip past her defenses to attack while her back was turned. The sound of squelching altered her to more shadows forming; perhaps they'd been encouraged by the successful sneak attack.
The one that had clawed her came for her again, but she parried the blow by holding the sword vertically, then swung it in an outward arc. The sword passed clean through the creature's middle and separated it into two parts, which melted away. The other shadows required several good cuts before they too turned back into the black muck and vaporized.
There was only one twitching creature left, but as she moved the sword back for the attack, it melted into the ground. Instead of simply disappearing, however, the puddle began to ooze outward rapidly. She back-pedaled to the edge of the circle, but the darkness followed.
Tendrils emerged from the pool, grasping her legs and pulling her into the pit. As she was plunged in, she couldn't help but gasp from the frigid nature of the tar-like substance. The attempts to pull her legs out were futile, so she flailed and rocked her body in a frenzy to escape. But the darkness wrapped around her throat and covered her face, effectively cutting off her breathing.
She struggled weakly, lack of oxygen making her head light and her movements slow, but still she flailed. In fact, she was so busy swinging her arms around, it took her a few seconds to realize the pressure around her throat was gone. Her eyes flew open and she drew in a ragged breath, coughing and rolling to her knees. As she did so, she saw she was on yet another stained-glass circle.
This one pictured a scene she was quite familiar with. A small islet with a single crooked tree hanging from its edge, star-shaped fruit hidden within its branches. The ocean surrounding it was tinged with orange from the setting sun.
"Now do you see how woefully underprepared you are for this trial?"
Her lips twitched in a scowl as she unconsciously touched her neck. Yes, she might've lost, but she still didn't much appreciate the dismissive tone.
"I see."
As the Voice faded away, the girl could feel the draining cold radiating from behind her, and she slowly turned to face it. When she did, she was greeted with the sight of her shadow strangely elongated; it seemed to be the source of the cold. She leapt back in shock as her shadow suddenly lurched on its own, arching its back and dripping the substance that had formed those creatures. It placed its hands on the glass as an anchor to pull the rest of itself into a real 3D shape. And as it did that, it grew. The black sludge contorted her shadow's features until it no longer bore any resemblance to her.
"The darkness is ruthless. It will use anything you hold dear against you. It will twist you and your loved ones to its will."
Tentacles sprouted from the creature's head, wrapping around its neck and face and lazily moving around in the air. By now it had grown to the size of a building, and its massive arms were now tipped with deadly clawed hands. Most of its middle section was gone, taken up by a hole in the shape of a heart
"But don't be afraid. And don't forget…"
Two glowing yellow eyes locked onto the girl, and terror instantly flooded her system. She bolted for an escape, only barely stopping herself from tumbling down into the eternal abyss below. In her fear, she'd forgotten she was on a hovering platform—there was no way out. She was going to have to fight it.
She held out her hand, the sword materializing in it as she called it forth. The creature watched this happen, holding out a hand much like she did. What appeared there wasn't a weapon, however, but a massive ball of dark energy. It slammed its hand down onto the glass, the dark energy swirling and forming the small shadows she had to face earlier.
They rose into life with claws swinging for her, and she had to dodge in between their strikes to leap and stab her sword into the giant creature's hand. It made no noise, but drew its hand back immediately, causing the swirling darkness to disappear. The sword was still stuck in the goop of her once-shadow's hand, but she willed it to come back to her. It shattered into light, which zoomed towards her and reformed within her grasp.
She smiled without knowing she did, feeling comforted by the weight of the weapon in her hand. The creature seemed to glare down at her before it swiped a hand across the glass, its talons dragging to create sparks off the surface. She jumped back just in time, stumbling to regain her balance before running after the hand, earning a few more deep slices.
Suddenly the creature dropped to its knees, and she paused in her assault. She waited as it remained unmoving, cautious to believe she had beaten it. Her cautions turned out to be correct, as the gaping hole in its chest began to glow. It shot out quick moving balls of dark energy, which locked onto her like heat-seeking missiles. The sword seemed to move on its own accord then, pulling her hand up to deflect the dark energy back at the creature. Each reflected attack exploded against the creature, causing it to lurch backwards.
The massive shadow started to stir and raise from its kneeling position, so she jumped back, her sword at the ready. She was extremely confident in herself now—that was until the sword vanished from her hand. She looked at her now empty fist in horror before having to fall to the side to avoid being crushed by the hand grabbing at her.
"—But don't be afraid."
She remained laying down, her tired muscles finally giving out from the final blow of losing the sword. As the circle underneath her grew cold, she realized with a bolt of terror that a dark portal had opened under her. Black tendrils oozing the dark matter wrapped around her legs and worked their way up her body, trapping her arms to her side. Her weakened struggles were no match for the strength of the void.
"You hold the mightiest weapon of all."
She felt anger at the Voice then, the frustration and fear at having no weapon to defend herself making the sentence seem mocking. Her face contorted in the effort to get her body to move—to fight back, but it was too late.
"And don't forget:"
She cast one last terror-filled look up at the monster before the black wrapped around her face, dragging her entire body into the frigid black. And yet, she could still hear the Voice echoing in her head.
"You must not let the darkness win again."
KH
When my eyes fluttered open, it took me a second to adjust to my surroundings; the light felt too bright, the ground beneath me too warm. Blinking several times to clear my vision, I became aware of two things. One, I was lying on the shore of Destiny Islands, specifically our play island. Two, one of my best friends was currently fixing me with an annoyed yet amused stare.
Kairi, her blue eyes narrowed and her bobbed auburn hair tousled by the wind, waved a hand in front of my face. "Hello, earth to Akira! Anyone in there?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a groan as I became aware of the aching in my head. "Ugh, Kairi…my head hurts."
"I'm not surprised," Kairi snorted out a laugh. "You weren't waking up so I had to shake you." She plopped down beside of me, tossing me a lopsided grin. "You're just lucky you woke up before I dumped a bucket of water on your head!"
I rolled my eyes, making sure she could see, before hoisting myself into a sitting position, my arms draped over my legs. The sound of the crashing waves nearby brought the strange sensation of déjà vu crawling into my heart. Small snippets of my dream started floating up from my subconscious, making a shiver run down my spine.
"I just had the weirdest dream," I murmured.
"Oh yeah?" She turned to view me, her eyes scanning my face. "What about?"
My face scrunched up as I struggled to find the right words. "I…I'm not exactly sure," I eventually said, letting out a nervous laugh. "I don't think it had that great of an ending though."
My reminiscing was interrupted when Kairi suddenly ruffled my hair playfully. I huffed before pulling my now ruined hair into a short ponytail, watching as Kairi stood and spread her arms wide. "Well you're awake now, on the sunny sandy beaches of Destiny Islands, where you and Sora were supposed to be looking for suitable trees to cut down for the last logs of the raft."
My mouth opened as I immediately jumped to my own defense. However, it snapped shut when I remembered she was right. Sora and I did say we were going to find and cut down some more trees, but as soon as we were out of earshot he suggested we take a nap instead. Staying up all night marathoning movies on top of working all day left me exhausted, so a nap on the warm beach was something I couldn't turn down.
"Alright, you got me. I fell asleep on the job. Am I in trouble boss?"
She placed her hands on her hips, looming over me. "When Riku finds out you've been slacking? Oh yeah."
I puffed out a laugh. "That big softie isn't gonna do anything. Speaking of Sora though, where is he?" I glanced around, almost positive he was right beside of me when we first sat down under the trees.
Kairi pointed past me to a little bit further down the expanse of beach, where said boy was sound asleep and drooling. I sighed at the distance he managed to put between us—he truly was the most restless sleeper.
"Guess we should wake him up," Kairi strolled over to him, casting a mischievous glance back at me. "You said you two marathoned horror movies last night, right?"
I watched as she crouched over him and put two and two together. "Aw, Kai no that's so cruel!" My protest, however, was not very persuasive considering I was barely holding back my laughter.
Kairi's grin remained as she stood straight above Sora, she knew full well I wasn't going to stop her. She slapped his face lightly and cleared her throat to rouse him before getting into position. Sora stirred then groggily sat up, clearly still caught in the midst of his nap. Staring out at the ocean for a few seconds, he blinked in a tired manner and yawned widely before laying back down—only to be greeted by Kairi leaning over him, eyes crossed and fingers pulling her lips back.
"Woah!" Sora jolted up, barely leaving her any time to move her head out of the way. Grabbing at his chest, he sent a dirty look her way. "What, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
I clapped my hand over my mouth to stop the snort of amusement from escaping. Kairi, however, burst into a fit of giggles, causing Sora to sulk even more. "Gimme a break, Kairi."
At this point I couldn't keep holding back my laughter and let loose, causing both of them to turn towards me. Through watery eyes, I saw Sora giving me an incredulous look.
"You were in on this? You traitor, you're supposed to defend me!" he cried, waving his arms around.
Kairi simply tsked and wagged a finger at him. "Sora, lazy bums who fall asleep and leave all the work to their friends don't get to claim defense!"
"What—no!" He rolled onto his knees and looked up at her with wide eyes. "I wasn't sleeping—I was, uh, testing out the sand. To y'know see which spot is the most perfect for take off!" Kairi looked over at me and I rolled my eyes. Sora, who was always coming up with the most elaborate excuses, continued to protest, oblivious to the exchanged glances. "I mean we need the day we set out to be perfect so we have to—"
He broke off in the middle of his sentence as Kairi knocked him upside the head lightly.
"Ow!" He rubbed the back of his head and looked up into her unimpressed face.
"How's that sand then?" I called over to him mockingly.
"Are you the sand master now? I mean, it kind of looks like you're turning into a sand monster," Kairi added with a giggle.
Sora looked down at himself before scowling and shaking around, sending the sand flying. Kairi cried out as she was pelted by the high-flying pebbles, jumping back to avoid the barrage. Unfortunately, as she jumped she kicked an arc of sand right into Sora's face. He looked over to me as if for confirmation that just happened before turning a playful glare onto Kairi.
"That was an accident, I swear," she said, holding her hands up defensively.
"Oh, I know. But this won't be," he growled before throwing a fistful of sand at us both. We cried out in protest before immediately returning fire. After a short-lived sand fight, we all got debris in our eyes and had to sit down, rubbing our faces and laughing every so often.
"Say, Kairi," Sora began, looking towards her with a small smile.
"Hm?"
"You think your hometown was a beach too?"
Kairi snorted a laugh out at his question, turning to give him a glare as he smiled widely.
"When are you gonna let her be Sora?" I pushed him lightly, causing him to laugh.
"Yeah, Sora!" she joined in. "Like I've said over and over again, I don't remember."
"Nothing at all?" he pushed, as if she was keeping the secret of her heritage away from everyone on purpose.
"Nothing," she quipped back.
It was no secret how Kairi came to Destiny Islands. Washed ashore like some discarded lumber from a ship, she was found by our group of friends (then only around the ages of five and six). Since then she had been raised by the mayor of the town and his sweet wife, treated like she wasn't anything other than their own.
She had been pushed and prodded about her home and her original parents for years, but she couldn't remember a thing. Doctors checking for trauma in her brain causing memory loss could find nothing, so eventually the mystery was let go by most people. And notice I said most, not all.
"You think you'd want to go back?" Sora asked. "Y'know, if we end up finding it once we set sail."
Kairi hummed thoughtfully before answering. "Well, I'm happy here."
"Reaaaally," I drawled in mock doubt, raising an eyebrow.
She laughed before nodding her head vehemently. "Yes, really! But you know…I wouldn't mind going to see it." She turned to face the ocean again, so her back was to us. I couldn't see her expression, but her voice sounded wistful.
"I'd like to see it too," Sora spoke up. "Along with any other worlds out there! I wanna see them all!"
"Don't count me out!" I huffed.
"Hey!"
We all jumped at the voice that shouted behind us. As we turned around guiltily, we were greeted with the amused face of a familiar silver haired teen. He was sweating and his cheeks were red, the results of hard labor. A chopped log was slung over his shoulder and held in place with his hand. "Aren't you guys forgetting about me?"
"Aw, Riku we'd never forget about you!" Kairi sent a bright smile his way. "I was just scolding these slackers for taking a nap instead of helping us."
"That's what was taking you two so long?" Riku scoffed and shook his head. "I should've known. But, by the looks of it Kairi, you've been slacking off with them." He gestured to the sand dusting her hair and clothing.
"Uh oh, caught in the act!" I snorted. Riku raised his eyebrows and sent a smirk my way, quickly dissolving my mirth. I knew what was coming but I wasn't ready for it.
"Akira, think fast!" Riku shouted, tossing the log over to me in one fluid motion. I yelped and tried to catch it, but the weight was too much and I was sent toppling over into the shore.
Sora howled in laughter before Riku shot him a look that shut him up fast. "Sora, you can't laugh, you're the laziest one out of the group." Sora shrugged in response to this.
"And now you!" Riku walked over to Kairi, placing his hands on his hips and sighing heavily. "You're becoming just as lazy as those two!" He gestured back to Sora's cheeky grin and me struggling to pick up the log.
She blushed and rubbed the back of her neck, a trait she almost certainly got from Sora. "So you noticed. Okay, okay, we'll finish it together. And this time I mean it!"
"Mhm," Riku hummed, obviously not believing that for one second.
"Fine, I'll cut you a deal. We'll have a race to the other side of the island!" She clasped her hands together, scanning our unimpressed faces. "Winner doesn't have to work on the raft for the rest of the day."
"What?" I cried, dropping the log I had finally managed to hoist over my shoulder. "Are you joking?"
"Those are some high risks, Kai," Riku added with a grin and a look towards Sora. The familiar competitive gleam had already entered their eyes.
Instead of responding, Kairi shouted, "Ready? Go!"
The two boys stared at each other for a second longer before scrambling to get a good perch on the sand. In a flash, they were both up and running, kicking up dirt behind them and shooting playful glares.
"Riku's gonna win and we're gonna struggle for the rest of the day," I stated.
"No, I did this to make sure he doesn't quit!" she protested. "He's been working all day and Sora just woke up from a nap! Riku won't have enough energy to win!"
We both watched as they raced down the stretch of beach, seeming to be neck in neck. However, as they turned the corner of the Seaside Shack, Sora slipped slightly and Riku took the lead. In a flash they had both disappeared from sight.
"Riku's gonna win," Kairi sighed dejectedly.
I snorted out a laugh as she turned and moped towards me, helping me to pick up the log. As we walked to catch back up with the boys, I took the time to stare out at the sparkling ocean and clear blues skies. The forecast for the week was going to be sunny and hot, perfect for building the raft.
The nightmare was pushed to the very back of my mind, basically forgotten in my excitement. It was almost time to set sail.