Kingdom Hearts
Chapter 1
I've been having these weird thoughts lately, like is any of this for real or not?
Sora closes his eyes, barely registering the water around him. He suddenly fell and a bright flash startled him and Sora found himself on the beach. He blinked in surprise. "What the..?" He stopped when he noticed Riku standing in the water, his back to Sora and his shoulder length silver-like hair flowing in the wind.
"Riku?!" He yelled. Riku turned around and looked to Sora, a gentle smile on his face. He didn't respond, however, he extended his hand forth, beckoning Sora forward. Sora looked at him curiously and walked toward him slowly. "Riku!" Sora yelled, "We don't have time for this!"
Riku didn't respond, the palm of his hand still out, as if he wanted Sora to take it. Sora rolled his eyes and walked forward again, stepping into the water. Or at least he would have had the water not receded away from him, as if running away. Sora stared on in shock as the water flowed backward about forty feet and rose up into a tidal wave behind Riku.
Riku smiled, his green eyes glinting and seemed not to notice or even care about the wave behind him. "Riku!" He yelled and ran forward, "Get out of there!" But Riku kept perfect calm his gaze set on Sora, his silver hair flowing behind him as if sensing the tidal wave. The distance between Sora and Riku closed quickly.
Twenty feet....fifteen feet....ten feet.....five feet.....there! His hand shot towards Riku's palm, but the tidal wave, about thirty feet high now, crashed on top of them. The cold hit Sora like a thousand needles but he ignored it as he was under twenty feet of water in an instant. He fought the water which was trying to take him deeper.
The air had been pushed from his lungs when the tidal wave hit and his lungs were on fire. His struggled against the underwater current and came face to face with Riku. The gentle calm his eyes held froze Sora on the spot. Riku was not fighting at all, and indeed seemed to be standing in the water as you would on solid ground. Riku extended his hand again, palm out, beckoning Sora to grab it.
Wasting no time Sora swam forward, his hand reaching out to Riku's palm. Just as he was about to grasp it, Sora felt some unknown force push him back. He was swept away and Riku disappeared from his sight in an instant. He yelled out in alarm just before a bright flash blinded him. He struggled for a few moments and found himself closer to the surface than he thought.
He swam up and finally broke the surface, gasping in air. He took a few moments to let the fire in his lungs die away before he started swimming towards the shore. "What am I going to tell Kairi?" He briefly wondered, not even thing Riku was alive. He saw a young girl waving at the shore, her striking short red hair revealing her to be Kairi. He swam forward and it become more shallow so he could stand.
When the water was only ankle deep, he stopped and bent down, exhausted and wondering, and hoping, that Riku is alive. He walked up to the shore, oddly noticing that his clothes were completely dry. He didn't get the time to contemplate on it as Kairi walked up to him, giggling slightly. "Kairi?" He gasped out, "Riku....he's..." He didn't get to finish as Kairi's eyes grew puzzled and she stared behind him.
"Kairi?" Sora asked and turned around slowly and looked in the direction Kairi was looking. Kairi was peering into the sky and Sora looked up to see someone falling. His heart quickened. "Riku?" He asked silently but the person came into view and Sora jumped back in shock. It was him. It was Sora. Kairi gasped and put her hand up to her mouth. Sora then felt a blast of wind and somehow was falling from the sky head first.
His eyes fluttered open just before he hit the water, with Kairi screaming and reaching for him. He was surprised not to feel the blast of cold hit him again, instead he felt as if he fell through a bubble. There was indeed water around him but he fell as if he was still in the air. He fell for what seemed like an eternity, his mind racing, wondering what was happening.
Darkness had long engulfed the area around him, making visibility no more than three or four feet. He sighed, still finding that he could breathe and said aloud, "Am I dead?" He then felt something, as if his descent was slowing down. It was way to subtle to be sure. He struggled to right himself and suddenly he stopped moving in mid fall. He felt solid ground underneath him, and he took an awkward step forward.
The "ground" seemed to come to life then as hundreds of birds formed from the darkness and swirled majestically around him moving in turns and twists and disappearing from sight. The floor glowed now, the glass paneling showed brightly in several different colors that he could see are painted in the likeness of a woman. He looked around again. "Where am I?"
So much to do, so little time...
Sora jumped in surprise. "Who's there?" He asked, his brown locks dancing slightly as he looked around in fright.
Take your time. Don't be afraid.
Sora stood right where he was, his face screwed up in confusion. The disembodied voice seemed to come from all directions. It was calm and gentle, portraying no outward malice.
The door is still shut. Now, step forward. Can you do it?
He thought he could. He moved forward slowly, cautiously. "Where are you?" Sora asked, "What do you want?" The air around him grew warm and comforting, almost welcoming. He came to the center of the glass. Without warning three stone pillars rose six feet from the glass and with a flash of light each pillar held an item.
A sword, a shield, and a staff glowed into existence. Sora looked at all three, wondering what to do next. He felt at ease, despite the odd circumstances. His mind looked at all of this rationally. He had surmised that this is a dream. The last thing he remembered was being on the beach at Destiny Island. So a dream would be perfectly logical.
If you give it form... It will give you strength. Choose well.
"Choose?" Sora asked aloud. "What's going on here?" But the voice again offered no answers, staying dead quiet and making Sora nervous. He squared his shoulders and stepped towards the sword. It glowed briefly as he neared and he wasted no time in grabbing the hilt. The hilt in itself seemed to be made of gold but was only colored that way. The sword extended forth four about three feet and ended in a deadly tip.
The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?
The sword felt good in his hand, as if it belonged only in his grasp. He admired the sword for a few moments. Sora knew better than to say anything to the voice because it never listened. "Yes." He replied anyway.
Your path is set.
The sword vanished from his hand. He sighed slightly, and looked around the room, his gaze falling upon the staff and then the shield. He stood there for a few more seconds, looking around curiously.
Now, what will you give up in exchange?
"Give up in exchange?" He asked aloud. But again, no response. He walked towards the shield, taking both sides into his hands and inspecting it. It's red all over, a strange face on the front with two round ears near the top of the head and a small round face. He never really liked shields.
The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. You give up this power?
Sora thought for a few seconds. "Kindness to aid friends." He echoed the voices earlier words. He really loved his friends. If he gave this up would he lose the ability to protect them? He was surprising himself. Not too long ago he had come to the conclusion that this is a dream. But now he somehow sensed it is much more. "Yes I do." He replied and the shield vanished.
You've chosen the power of the warrior. You've given up the power of the guardian. Is this the form you choose?
Sora thought it through carefully and nodded his head. "Yes it is." A few moments passed and the pillars crashed down and vanished. His eyes went wide and he jumped back half a step. "What now?" He asked aloud, his blue eyes glowing in frustration. He could he a small cracking sound behind him and he turned to see the glass breaking from all sides. "What the...?!" He yelled just as the glass gave out underneath and he started falling into darkness once again.
He floated gently for a little while until he could see a new glass paneling in front of him. From this height it was painted to resemble another woman. He raised a brow in confusion, wondering the significance and his feet touched the ground again. He walked forward again, wondering what new test was being prepared for him. His hand glowed and the sword appeared in his grasp.
You gained the power to fight.
Sora smiled and swung the sword experimentally. It cleaved through the air well and he felt a surge of power just having it in his hand. It is slightly overbalanced with just one hand so he grasped it with two. He swung the blade in a slow arch testing it's balance now and finding it to be perfect.
All right! You've got it. Use this power to protect yourself and others.
Sora smiled to himself. His smile was short lived though as several small shadow-like creatures appeared. They were no bigger than Sora's foot. They had small antenna's on their head, their eyes glowed eagerly. They looked quite diminutive. The only thing on them that looked threatening are the two hands with the fingers replaced with vicious looking claws.
There will be times you have to fight. Keep your light burning strong.
Sora backed up slightly. Sure he knew how to fight. He and Riku fight with wooden swords all the time. But those fights were usually for fun. This looked quite real. He looked behind him and noticed his had nowhere else to go, only darkness. He turned around just as the first one leaped at him. He had no choice. He swung forward and cleaved the creature down the middle in mid flight.
The two halves plunged past him and into the darkness. The other creatures screeched slightly and melted into the floor. Sora looked around cautiously and strayed away from the edge of the glass. His eyes portrayed him as slightly frightened, and slightly awed. This was the first monster he had ever killed. His smiled in triumph and didn't even notice a single creature sneak up behind him.
Behind you!
Sora didn't allow himself to think, he turned around and swung his sword without even knowing where the creature was exactly. His blade cut home and buried itself inside the creatures back. It screeched in agony and disappeared. "They look like shadows." Sora commented, looking around him for anymore. He thought that an appropriate name for them. He took another step forward.
Or would have but he felt his feet rooted to the ground. Sora looked down in shock to see a dark purple void grasping at his ankles, pulling him down like quicksand. Sora struggled, moving his feet around violently and swiping his blade at the void. But it was no use, and he was pulled into the swirling void. Sora struggled, his eyes closed and felt the pull of the void lessen.
He opened his eyes and found himself staring up into darkness but the hard glass underneath him told him he wasn't falling. He stood up slowly, the blade still resting comfortably in his hand. The glass is multicolored, shining brightly and making him cover his eyes for a few moments until he became used to it. He removed his hand from his eyes and noticed a door. "This might be my way out." Sora thought silently.
He walked towards the door. He grabbed the handle and pulled. Nothing. Sora pulled away and spit on his hands, rubbing them together and braced himself, taking the handle once again, and pulled with all his might.
Nothing again. He moved away from the door and stared at it for a few moments. "I can't open it..." Sora thought to himself. Suddenly the door flashed and Sora jumped back in surprise. The door opened slowly, light, the brightest and beautiful light he has ever seen, streamed out. He covered his eyes and walked forward. Sora slowly entered the door and with a bright flash he landed on his knees. He shook his head to clear the stars.
He was staring down at a wooden floor and the crashing of waves could be heard. He knew the sound of those waves. He had often stayed up late and woken up early with Kairi and Riku to listen to it and talk. He looked up eagerly to see Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie standing around, looking at him.
Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself.
He bolted up onto his feet. "Hey, guys!" Sora greeted but they didn't respond. He took a step forward. "Eh.....guys?" Sora asked, waving his hand in front of Selphies face. "What's most important to you?" Selphie said suddenly, her face expressionless. Sora scratched the back of his head in confusion and after a few more minutes he caught on. "It's another test." He stated more than asked.
"What's most important to you?" Selphie asked again. Sora lowered his head in concentration. He was reminded of how he and Riku were always in competitions with each other. Both of them showing off in front of Kairi, who they both liked a lot. They are the best rivals on Destiny Island and are constantly at each others throats. All he ever really thought about was besting Riku. "Being number one." Sora replied.
Selphie seemed to think about that and said, "Is being number one such a big deal?" Sora thought it another question and his eyes widened. "Well, not all the time." He answered again. There was silence and he realized he didn't really need to answer that one. He walked to Tidus. "What are you afraid of?" Tidus asked immediately. Sora thought about that one too.
For the longest time he has feared he would die before seeing other worlds or become too old anyway. Sora also thought that he would probably die before he ever told Kairi his feelings for her. He instinctively knew the answer to this one. "Getting old." Sora answered. "Gettin' old? Is that really so scary?" Tidus asked. Sora was about to answer but stopped himself, reminding himself that they don't answer.
Sora turned away and walked towards Wakka. "Hey Wakka." He greeted. "What do you want outta life?" Wakka asked. Sora reflected on that question. He has always wanted to see other worlds. Sora wants to see them all. His heart has always told him that other worlds exist. And he was determined to find them. "To see rare sights." Sora replied. Wakka smiled slightly. "To see rare sights, huh?" Wakka asked.
You're afraid of getting old. You want to see rare sights. You want to be number one. Your adventure begins at dawn. As long as the sun is shining, your journey should be a pleasant one.
Sora nodded and replied. "Sounds good."
The day you will open the door is both far off and very near.
"What door?" Sora asked, forgetting that the voice doesn't answer his questions at all. He then felt something growing inside of him and with another bright flash. When he could see again he found himself standing on a circular floor with another picture on it. He looked around in all directions, seeing nothing to work with. Before there was always something that got his attention. Now all there was is this light on the ground.
He moved toward it, grasping the sword tightly in his right hand. The floor echoes beneath him, making Sora realize that this room was a little different from the others. His senses flared in this room. When he approached the light screeches cut through to his ears and he looked all around himself. Shadows came up from the floor, surrounding him. "Oh god!" Sora yelled. They all attacked at once.
The soared at him from all directions and he slashed his sword left and right in the blink of an eye, killing two instantly. Sora's reflexes surprised him until he realized it was instinct and blind luck. A slash at the back of his leg made him scream out in pain slightly and he whirled around, his sword leading, and slashed it in two. His sword kept going though and killed another and knocked another one back.
A Shadow jumped over his back, coming right at his face and turning in mid flight, his claws raking towards Sora's eyes. Sora would have none of that. He blade came up and intercepted the claws, which surprisingly enough didn't become severed. The blade knocked the claws away and sent the Shadow spinning off over the edge and into the darkness. He spun around to see two more Shadows.
They both ran forward at the same time, claws slashing. Sora avoided on Shadow's claws but didn't avoid the other as it raked across his chest, cutting through the front of his shirt and drawing blood. Sora clenched his teeth at the pain and let out a small yell of pain but did his best to ignore it. Instead he repays the favor by skewering it with his sword. Sora yanked the sword from the dead Shadow.
The other Shadow seemed not to care for its other fallen comrades and advance as if nothing had happened. Sora finished the creature of with little trouble. He stood there afterwards, gasping and trying to catch his breath. "That....was some...battle." Sora muttered. After a few minutes he was feeling better and with a slight limp he walked towards the light on the floor.
It glowed brightly when he stepped on his and he felt a surge of power shoot through his body, the pain in his leg and chest ebbed away into nothing. He looked down to his chest in surprise to find it completely healed, no blood and no scar. He looked back to his leg, same thing. "Wow..." Sora whispered. He looked to his left and blinked in surprise as a stairway blinked into existence, revealing another area.
The bridge stretched over the darkness. Sora moved forward, half expecting another Shadow attack. His hand grasped the hilt of his sword, the blade resting on his shoulder. Sora walked calmly up the steps. However, he stayed alert. So far this weird place has thrown many things at him. He made it to the top of the stairs, noting the light coming from the sky of endless darkness.
He grasped the blade in both of his hands, walking toward the light cautiously. The last time he walked towards any kind of light he had been attacked. He walked until he was just beneath it.
The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes.
"My shadow?" Sora asked silently and turned around slowly. His shadow is indeed longer. Then suddenly, unexpectedly, the shadow turned again. Sora's eyes widened and he took a step back. He hadn't turned at all. His shadow seemed to form from the floor itself like those creatures, except looking exactly like Sora. It was becoming more substantial, but instead it began changing.
It grew and grew and grew, its face changing to a mask-like feature and it's eyes glowing fiercely. It's hair is black, just like the rest of its body, and moved as if made of living snakes. A hole shaped like a heart dominated the things torso. Its legs are long and powerful and its feet looked roughly like clown shoes. Sora willed his fee to move back, his mouth open in amazement and fear.
But don't be afraid. And don't forget...
Sora took that opportunity to turn tail and run. "Not good!" He kept saying over and over again. The edge of the floor met him very quickly and he stopped dead in his tracks, teetering over the edge almost comically, and regained his balance. Sora gulped and turned around. "Darkside..." Came the voice in his head. He looked around quickly, realizing it to be the voice. "A good name." Sora said.
He grasped his sword and moved it in front of him defensively. He placed his right foot behind him, keeping his left foot ahead. "I'm through with running!" Sora yelled. "If I'm going to die I will die with my wounds in the front and not in my back!" He said. He glared forward. Sora is angry. So much has been happening to him in so little time and he continually got more questions than answers.
The Darkside seemed more than happy to oblige him. It's hand glowed briefly with swirling darkness and it slammed it's huge fist into the floor, somehow melding with it. A swirling purple-black void formed in the floor and he suddenly found himself staring right into the eyes of a Shadow. With a startled yelp he cut forward, taking the creature's head on it's shoulders in one swipe.
More Shadows appeared and he noticed that the hand was summoning them with the void. Before he could move toward the hand Sora was tackled to the ground by two Shadows. The raked at his back several times and Sora screamed in pain and rolled over onto his back burying them beneath him. They didn't like that at all and they struggled to get out from beneath him. Sora took that opportunity and leaped to his feet.
He wasted no time in move around quickly and skewering one in the stomach. It screeched and died. The other tried to leap at Sora again but he was ready for it this time and swung his foot up, catching it under the chin and sending it flying into the darkness. The Darkside's hand rose slowly up from the floor and the void vanished. Sora ran forward and he jumped towards the hand.
He just barely got a handhold on one of it's fingers and he struggled to pull himself up with only one hand. He finally swung up into the Darkside's hand. There is no way he was going to let this hand summon another void. Sora stood up in the hand and quickly raised his sword up above his head, the hilt in the air and the blade down. The hand stopped abruptly and Sora fell onto his back.
He felt growing energy building near him and looked up to see a large ball off dark energy pulse in front of his eyes. "That doesn't look good." Sora muttered. A ball of dark energy shot toward him just as Sora finished the sentence. It caught him full in the chest and Sora found himself tumbling backward, as cold pain shot through every bone in his body. It was so chilling it pained him badly.
He regained enough of his senses to just drop onto the hand to prevent from falling off. The chilling pain shot through his body with every move and his breath came out in gasps. He used his sword to help him stand up and with much difficulty raised his sword the same way as before. Another ball of dark energy hit him in the back but he refused to let that stop him.
He plunged the blade through the hand with all of his might, impaling it all the way through. Several grueling seconds went by and not a sound could be heard. Sora ripped out the sword and fell onto his back. Suddenly he was in the air, falling twenty feet and hitting the ground. He groaned in pain and looked up. The Darkside slowly bent down, moving it's face closer to Sora, as if to inspect him.
Sora feels a familiar grabbing at him and he noticed the dark void underneath him, slowly pulling him under. He reached his hand forward in alarm, the Darkside's face getting closer, almost within arm reach.
But don't be afraid. You hold the mightiest weapon of all.
Sora opened his mouth to scream but any sound he could have made is drowned out as he is once again engulfed in the darkness of the void.