Come, Guardian: Pavor Nocturnus
Ok, I know I told some people this was abandoned, but… Something kept bringing me back. This story does have potential and with another announcement of KH3, I thought I'll try my hand at it again and make it what it deserves to be.
BeastofTruth does not own Kingdom Hearts or Naruto.
BeastofTruth does not own any music used.
Fear was born because of the night and from the night darkness was born.
Fear had always ruled over this world, ranging from the fear of death to the other fears the night had birthed. However, in this world of fear, darkness had no claim. It held no power of the denizens or the powers with this world. For this world was protected by ancient laws and forces that protected the world from such forces, both external and internal. So the darkness could never enter nor could it be born there. However, this also meant that those that lived on the world could never leave their world or receive visitors from other worlds. This never bothered any that lived there, as they had never thought of the possibility of other worlds or place. It was because of these rules that darkness never entered the world.
If anything, darkness is patient. For years, it waited for the chance to enter this protected and hidden world. When the chance came, it surged forward and entered the world.
The chance came one fateful night, on October 10th.
The Kyuubi, one of the nine Bijuu of destruction, attacked one of the hidden shinobi villages, the Konoha. Carving out a path of destruction in its wake, the Kyuubi rampaged through the village, as the village's shinobi forces fought in vain to try to force it back. The village's leader, the Forth Hokage, Minato Namikaze eventually entered the fray, carrying with him a new born babe and a risky plan. He was going to seal away the Kyuubi into the child. To do this he summoned the God of death, the Shinigami.
This was the opportunity the darkness was waiting for. The Shinigami existed outside of the rules set in place in all existence. So when he was summoned, the barrier around the world opened a tiny hole to let him through to the exact point of the summoning.
So the darkness hitched a ride.
When it entered the world, the darkness latched onto the first person it could.
That person happened to be a new born babe. The one that the Forth Hokage took with him.
Within a few minutes this child had the Kyuubi sealed within him but more importantly, he became a Nexus of Darkness on the world. With his birth, the rules of the world changed.
On the night of October 10th, Konoha faced the Kyuubi and survived.
On the night of October 11th, a new horror emerged….
Iruka Umino couldn't sleep. That was what he told himself as he walked the destroyed streets of his home. Night was just starting to fall, but one could still see the wreckage. Homes and buildings that were now twisted mockeries compared to one's memory of them. Iruka was a child about ten or eleven, with a tanned completion and dark eyes. He had black hair that he kept in a ponytail and wore simple brown pants and a white shirt that had mesh armor underneath it.
Iruka was many things, almost all of them kind, but right now he was in a state of great sorrow. He could have saved his parents, protected them. He was in his second year of the Academy, he could have done something. They were among the ninja that died holding off the Kyuubi. He tried to help but his father got another ninja to remove Iruka from the field. Then, when the fighting was over, he got the news.
He knew that he should be proud of them. That's all the village talked about all day. About how everyone should both morn and be proud of those lost in the battle. That's all he heard, but he couldn't believe it. His parents, the ones he loved the most at this point in his live, had been killed. He cried for hours and even then he still held the deep ach of loss inside him and a small part of him, so small he hadn't even realized its existence yet, wanted to rage. Wanted something to take this pain out on and his sadness only fanned these flames of hatred.
As Iruka wondered the broken streets of Konoha, searching for an answer to easily appear, he noticed movement in one of the crushed houses.
"They had already had checked this area for survivors. Had they missed one?"
One of his best qualities coming forward, he quickly rushed towards where he had seen the movement and called out like he was taught to in the Academy.
"Survivor, assist!"
They were taught that yelling those words during a state of disaster, that no matter what time or where you are in the village, the patrolling ninja of the area will hear you. They were told that there's a jutsu that releases a flare, but they had to learn that when they became full Genin.
When he made his to the house, he noticed there where openings to the crushed house, and that whoever was in there had made no calls for assistance. They were most likely crushed under some debris and was in a state of shock, thus couldn't move much and was unable to make noise from the trauma. Iruka was most likely going to start digging the person out.
"Don't worry, help is on the way! I'll start digging you out!"
Before he could even enter the destroyed home, the movement stopped and all he saw in the darkness was two glowing yellow eyes.
(Play "Kingdom Hearts- Night Of Fate")
Before he could respond, the eyes rushed towards him. He was thrown back as he felt his face slashed by the attacker. Somehow, he instinctively followed the teachings of the academy instructors and followed the force of the slash, which probably saved his life. The attack caused him to roll a couple of feet on the brink road. As the rolling slowed, he took notice of his injury as fast as he could. He felt the pain on only one area, so that meant that he most of dodged most of whatever claws this attacker had. He also had trouble breathing through his nose, so that must be the damaged area. Also, the attacker had claws, not a popular shinobi weapon from what he could remember from his classes, so it must be some type of animal that he spooked, which would also explain the yellow eyes. When the rolling stopped, he immediately dodged, like he was taught to do when against the wild animals of Fire country. He was both proved correct as he watched a black blur wiz past him as it lunged. It must be some type of animal, as no shinobi would give a full body lunge in this situation. As Iruka quickly got up and turned to face his attacker, to get another slash at his back from a new source. The back of his shirt was sliced open but his mesh armor protected him. He quickly jumped forward to avoid a follow up.
"Pack hunters!? What are they?"
As he landed on the ground again, he quickly did a replacement jutsu. Which proved to be smart on his part, as another black blur did a spinning kick into the newly appeared log.
Iruka quickly looked at his attackers as they look confused at the disappearance of their prey.
They were unlike anything he had seen before. They had pitch black bodies and two round glowing eyes. They looked around four feet tall, but they were in crouch, looking ready to pounce on anything. Their pitch black bodies had no mouth to speak of, had two long antennae at the back of their heads that were falling behind their bodies and crooked, and their body was lined in faint blue like veins. Their hands had five claw like fingers and their feet were long and had no digits, resembling more boots than feet (Neoshadows).
They looked like something out of his nightmares and Iruka wanted nothing more than to run, but something told him that was not the answer. As he stood terrified and watched as more of those evil yellow eyes appeared in the darkness, something inside him told him that this was not meant to be. That this was not what was meant for him.
Suddenly, from deep within him, the answer came.
He had come out on this walk to understand his grief, to understand why his parents had sent him away, why his parents had fought against such a monster of pure destruction. In his fear, as he felt blood flow down the lower half of his face, the answer came and he understood. The answer was not long or meaningful, it was only a single word, but to him it was the most powerful word in existence. Tears ran down his face, sting the slash across the middle of his face, and mixed with blood. He did not care though, he quickly grabbed a broken piece of wood and surged forward at the confused group of attackers. As he drew closer, he heard the answer one more time throughout his entire being.
"Protect!"
He understood. He swung the makeshift weapon at the head of one of the attackers, hitting it and forcing it away. The others quickly jumped back to regroup and attack, as Iruka yelled out.
"Unknowns, engage!"
Whoever had been sent to help with his assist call most of been close, as a rock wall had quickly been forced up by a jutsu to protect Iruka and a ninja was beside him already going through the hand seals to launch a flare jutsu. He quickly spoke to Iruka in a gruff voice.
"Good job kid, now quickly what can you tell me about them?"
Iruka quickly realized that was an order, not a question. He responded as well as he could in the situation.
"They work in packs I counted at least seven, use claws as main weapons but also attack in flying kicks, very animalistic in attack patterns."
The figure listened as he launched the flare and then grunted as the flare lit up the sky in red, the color used for enemy warnings.
"Not much to work of, but enough to lay a starting plan. Thanks kid, now retreat. I'll cover."
As much as Iruka did not want to be forced off the battlefield again, his new conviction over powered his previous stances on the matter. The ninja dropped the wall and used a few earth jutsu to distract or hopefully injure a few of the unknown creatures. The jutsus seemed a lot more effective than the stick as the creature now seemed to try and dodge them. With the pack of the unknowns now focusing on the ninja, Iruka quickly ran away.
As he ran deeper into the heart of the village, he saw more red flares launched into the sky and screams of villagers and shinobi alike fill the night. He managed to dodge as the creatures seemed to grow in number. As he got to the center of the village, all he saw were the battle between the creatures and the shinobi.
Iruka looked to the sky in search of hope. All he saw was the dark clouds of energy form around the Hokage tower.
After that, the history of the beings has been noted. The unknown beings grew in number and species as they hunted both man and beast. They spread like a poison throughout the Elemental nations, growing in power and shape. Their purpose was eventually found.
They hunted the hearts of all living things. They hunted not the physical heart, but the metaphorical heart. The essence of what made a person a person. Because of this fact and their ruthlessness in their actions, they were given a name that is recognized in every part of the world.
Heartless.
As for the Nexus, the Avatar of Darkness, his history and the history of those he had interacted with has been hidden. Hidden so deep, many don't even remember his existence or how he caused the Heartless to be. His history of his existence is known to only few. His history would never have been known if it was not for girl who defied the fate set for her…
A little girl named Tenten.
She smelled the salty sea air before she felt the gentle caress of the breeze against her skin. Her eyes slowly flickered open and saw the sun in the middle of the blue sky, offering it's warmth to all. Young Tenten look at the sky in confusion. Only about eight years old, she had brown hair and brown eyes. Normally her hair would be up in buns, but she let her hair down to go to sleep. So the question was, why wasn't she in her bed?
She started to push herself up, and felt incredibly soft sand beneath her hands. As she rose she quickly went over herself. She was still wearing her plain white pajamas. She was still wondering where she was until she took in her surroundings.
"Oh, I have to be dreaming."
It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. The clear oceanic waves gently crashed into the soft sandy beach. Green tropical trees and other greenery held their place both on and off the beach. Wooden buildings and treehouses were built among the greenery on the main part of the island. She also saw a beautiful waterfall that cascaded into an incredibly clear spring.
"Wow…"
It was one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen in her life up till now. She quickly followed the beach, trying to see more of this incredible place. As she walked further along the beach, she noticed a dock. There was nothing special about the dock that drew her attention, just a normal dock made of planks of wood and some small boats docked there. No, what drew her attention was a small cloaked figure that sat at the end of the dock, staring at the ocean.
The figure's cloak was a dusty brown that covered most of its body with a hood covering its head. The figure sat on the dock with one arm propped against his left leg facing the water. For some reason, Tenten felt both wary and drawn to this figure. Like a wolf amongst a pack of dogs, she felt drawn because the figure did not belong in this place, yet felt a level of danger that she had never felt before. It felt unnatural, which is why she slowly walked towards the figure on the dock. The figure gave no indication of noticing her presence, so she steadily grew closer. The figures hood suddenly shifted a bit, and a male voice spoke out.
"Beautiful, Isn't it? This island.
Tenten was a bit surprised that the figure reacted to her before she said anything. The voice was that of a boy, probably around her age. She was stunned for a second, but quickly gathered herself and answered.
"Yes, it is. What is this place?"
The hooded boy continued to look out into the ocean, as if paying her half-mind.
"I do not know its name, as I too have only seen it in dreams. What I know though, is that this is a place where ones destiny both starts and ends. That is why it was chosen"
The figure then stood up. The figure was only a little bit shorter than Tenten. He continued to look into the sea, as if searching for something.
"It seems to be the curse of us burdened with greatness. We are allowed to dream of such beauty, yet never allowed to see it, like captives in a prison."
The figure gave a small chuckle as Tenten grew a confused face.
"Sorry, this was not how I intended to greet you. I did not mean to come off rude, I was merely lost in thought. Now then…."
The figure turned and faced her. The hooded covered his face in darkness, so she could not see his face. He opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.
"Welcome to the Valley of Reflection. I will be both your host and guide during your visits."
Tenten confused look grew even more prominent as she examined the island around her.
"Valley of Reflection?"
The cloaked boy shook his hooded head in confirmation.
"That's right. This island is nothing dream, a copy of a real place chosen only because the situation declared it so. The Valley of Reflection will show you more of these places to show you that you are meant for so much more than what our world has decided."
Tenten was still confused by his words, but was starting to understand. However, she still had an important question...
"Who are you?"
The figure gave a small huff in amusement before crossing his arms onto his sleeves, hiding them from view.
"That is a difficult question to answer. It was once said that a man is defined by his connections with others, if that is true, than I am both somebody and nobody. I am someone who was erased form history, only surviving as a memory to a certain view. I am someone who was born to rule an army yet never was allowed a kingdom. For those reason, I am both somebody and nobody. Truthfully, I don't even know if I am myself right now or just a part of your dream."
Tenten looked at the figure slightly annoyed, because of both not understanding what he meant and not haven got a good answer.
"That's not an answer."
The figure tilted his hooded head in a quizzical manner.
"Ah, sorry, I suppose you were looking for a name. I have had titles but never a name, so forgive my ignorance. A name has never been given to me, so I guess you can call me by one of my titles. You can call me Seeker, for I seek the truth beyond this world and as your guide, I will help you seek the truth."
"That's not much of a name."
The figure gave a small chuckle.
"No, I suppose not. Now it's time for me to ask the same question. Who are you, miss?
Tenten gave the figure a look, before smiling.
"My name's Tenten, future kunoichi!"
After Tenten declared her name and ambition, the figure stared at her for a while, to the point where Tenten started to feel uncomfortably. Had she said something wrong?
"Are you sure?"
"Huh?"
Tenten gave the figure confused look. The figure started to respond to her in a mocking manner.
"For one given the tools of greatness, you understand so little of what has been given to you."
Tenten looked at the figure angrily, knowing that he was mocking her.
"Hey!"
The figure ignored her, and continued in his mocking tone.
"Well, I suppose that is both my fault and the fault of the powers at work. I cannot blame a child for acting like a child nor you for acting like this."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
The figure gave a small chuckle.
"What indeed. However, our time is growing short."
The figure dropped his mocking tone and looked at Tenten.
"Two paths have opened for you as you stand here at the crossroad. I will assist you, no matter what path you take. However, as long as you think small, you will never amount to anything. A kunoichi, you say? Any fool can be a ninja, you are meant for so much more. If you are so weak that you do not have a purpose, someone will force a purpose on you. I will not allow that to happen. Break the bonds given onto you, be the best that you can be and more."
Tenten wanted to respond, but was unable to as the world started to shake.
"Looks like you're about to wake up. Tell no one of me and have a good first day."
Next thing she know she was slowly waking up in her bed wondering…
"Was that a dream or for real"
A yell echoed up in her room.
"Tenten, wake up or you'll be late for your first day."
Then she remembered and smiled for the important fact….
Today was her first day of the Academy!
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