Asdfghjkl YES, I have started a new KH fanfic! :] I ended up playing through Birth By Sleep and got inspired. Then I looked up certain characters on the kh wikia, and decided to create this fanfic! :]
Beware of the possibilities of people being slightly OOC during this. But don't worry; I did do my research before starting this fic.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. However, I do own Nina.
01: Familiar Stranger
"Whoa! Give me a break Aqua…"
"Ven, you hopeless sleepyhead! You know you should've at least brought a blanket."
"But…did I dream that place up? I really felt like I'd been there before, looking up at the stars…"
As Nina quietly approached her friends, she smiled when Aqua ruffled his hair. "'Cept you've always lived here with us." She said with a smile.
"Yeah…I know." Ven said as he and Aqua walked to the edge and sat, with their legs hanging off.
Nina watched her friends from a distance, deciding to wait before attacking.
"Hey Aqua?" Ven asked. "Hm?" She asked. "You ever wonder what stars are? Where light comes from?" Ven asked, as he gazed off at the sky. Aqua looked forward as well. "Hmm…Well, they say-"
"That every star up there is another world."
"Terra!" Aqua said. "Yep, hard to believe there are so many worlds out there besides our own." Terra said with a smile.
Nina saw her moment and jumped. "Aaahhhhh!" She yelled, landing on top of Terra, knocking him onto the ground. "Ow! Hey Nina, that's not fair!" He said from underneath his friend.
Nina smiled and moved some of her dirty blonde hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "I got you this time Terra~!" She said happily, not moving from on top of Terra's back.
Terra stuck his tongue out and Ven, Aqua and Nina laughed. "Okay, I give. You win this round." Terra said grumpily. Nina grinned and Ven helped her off of their friends' back. "Terra, you're such a baby!" Nina said with a snort as Terra stood and brushed himself off. "Hah! You're one to talk Nina. Just the other day, weren't you the one crying because Aqua had squished a spider?" Terra asked with a raised eyebrow and Nina's face reddened.
"H-Hey! You'd be crying too if another life was taken that fast!" Nina said defensively, placing her hands on her hips. Terra snorted, and then smirked. "Not if it was something as small as a spider." He said, leaning towards Nina.
Nina stuck her tongue out at Terra and Aqua and Ven started laughing. "What are you guys laughing at?!" Nina asked defensively, standing straight with her hands still on her hips. "It's like you guys are siblings." Ven said with a playful smirk on his face.
Nina blushed as Terra laughed and she threw her arms dramatically around Ven's neck.
"Ventus~ why are you so mean~?" She asked with a pout. Ven's face flashed red as Nina hung onto him, and Terra and Aqua burst out with more laughter.
Aqua, Terra, Ven and Nina were sitting on the edge of the big balcony, and Aqua suddenly stood. "Oh yeah! Terra, you and I have our mark of Mastery exams tomorrow." She said, searching through her pockets. She pulled out four star-shaped objects and smiled. "I made us good luck charms; here." She said.
They stood and Aqua tossed the brown one at Terra, the green one at Ven, and the reddish one at Nina. "I get one too?" Ven asked with excitement in his voice. "Of course! One for each of us." Aqua said, as the four of them held them out. "Yeah." Ven said happily. "Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit, and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other." Aqua turned to us.
"Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had." Aqua finished with a smile. Nina smiled and Terra sighed, shaking his head. "Oy, sometimes you are such a girl." He said. "Hey. What do you mean sometimes?" Aqua asked. Nina saw Ven looking down and he slowly looked up. "So this isn't a real good luck charm?" He asked sadly. "Ven…" Nina started, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Well, that's yet to be seen. But I did work a little magic on it." Aqua said. "Really? Like what?" Ven asked. Aqua smiled and raised her charm in the air. "An unbreakable connection."
After sitting outside for a while Terra and Aqua stood. "Hey, we're gonna head back." Terra said. "Okay, I'm going to stay here a little bit longer." Nina said with a wave. "I'll stay with Nina." Ven said, waving to Terra and Aqua as they nodded and started walking away.
Nina pulled her knees close and set her chin on them as a slight wind blew. "Are you okay Nina?" Ven asked. Nina stared straight ahead. "Ven, have you ever gotten the feeling that something's going to happen?" She asked, looking at Ven.
Ven thought for a second before shaking his head. "Why do you ask?" He asked. "Ven…I think something's going to happen tomorrow." Nina said; looking forward again, off at the stars. "Something…bad?" Ven asked.
Nina nodded slowly. She looked at her Wayfinder, which is sitting beside her in the grass and she placed her finger on the center of it.
"Ven, do you ever feel like…just running away from this world? Like if you were to leave, then you wouldn't have a worry or care at all?" Nina asked, looking at Ven as she rested her cheek on her knees, keeping her finger on her Wayfinder as well.
Ven was silent for a few moments, and then shook his head. "No, I haven't. Why, have you Nina?" Ven asked. Nina nodded, before picking her head up and looking out at the stars in front of them. She wrapped her fingers around her Wayfinder.
"Ven…" She started. "Yes?" Ven asked, looking at his friend. "Please, promise to always be there." Nina said, as a tear fell down her cheek. She felt her chest tighten as Ven pulled her into a hug.
"Don't worry Nina, I will. So will Terra and Aqua. We're best friends, the four of us." Ven said with a smile in his voice. Nina sniffled as she clutched Ven's shirt. "Ven…you dummy."
Nina…Nina…
Nina stirred in her sleep. The voice sounded un-human. Nina responded to the voice. "Yes?" She asked. The voice called out to her again, but this time, it was clearer and sounded like a boys' voice.
Nina.
It's definitely a male voice. "Who are you? How do you know my name…?" Nina asked it.
A figure appeared in front of her. It's wearing a black cloak, except the front of the sleeves are violet and purple, and it has bright, piercing red eyes which sent a shiver down Nina's spine.
Nina.
The voice is definitely coming from this…thing.
Nina was afraid to speak to it, but she still did. She wanted to know what it was, and how it knew her name.
"Who…what, are you?" Nina asked. The person walked toward her and she backed away. "Nina…don't be afraid…" The person said.
Nina felt herself back into a wall and the person stopped, right in front of her, their bodies only a few inches apart. Nina felt no heat from this person in front of her, and she swallowed. It moved its arm and the sleeve fell back, to reveal a hand, wrist and elbow with pale skin. The person gently touched Nina's face, stroking her cheek.
Nina bit her lip. She wanted to scream. "Nina…do not be afraid. Embrace the darkness and stay with me." The person said. Nina froze.
The voice almost sounded…lonely.
Nina shook her head. "I can't." She said. The person stopped, and took his hand away from Nina's face. He stepped back, and watched as Nina peeled herself off of the wall behind her.
"Of course. You, of all people, would choose to live in the light. You would choose to stay with Eraqus, blinded by his lies and to the truth, just like Ventus." The boy said, his voice sounding angry. "Who…are you? What are you talking about?" Nina asked, reaching toward the boy.
He slapped her hand away and cursed. "Damn it. Why can't you just stay naïve? Nina, if you pursue things the way that you do, you will eventually cause yourself to get killed." The boy said. He turned and started to walk away. He stopped when he didn't hear Nina start after him and sighed.
"Nina, you need to tell Ventus your feelings for him. Before it is too late, not only for you, but for him as well. The boy said, before suddenly disappearing. Nina put her hand over her mouth and fell to her knees.
"Why…why did his touch feel…warm…when his skin was so cold?"
Nina watched as Terra and Aqua fought each other for their exam. She couldn't help thinking about her dream from the previous night.
The boy in the cloak appeared before her again, and immediately disappeared. She gasped and fell back onto her butt.
"Nina, are you alright?" Ven asked, showing concern on his face. "I…I'm fine Ven…" Nina said slowly. Ven held his hand towards Nina and she grabbed it, letting Ven pull her up.
Aqua and Terra joined the two at their place along the sidelines, and were obviously concerned for their friend. "Aqua and Terra are done fighting. Master Eraqus is debating with Master Xehanort the results." Ven said. "Oh…I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention." Nina said sheepishly.
"It's alright. Are you sure you're okay Nina?" Aqua asked. Nina nodded. "I'm fine, I promise." She said, as Master Eraqus stepped forward and called Terra and Aqua back to the main floor.
"We have deliberated, and reached a decision. Terra, Aqua, you both performed commendably. However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery." Master Eraqus said. Terra's face fell, and Nina watched Ven's jaw drop.
"Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check. But, there is always next time. That is all. Aqua, as our newest keyblade Master, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instruction." Master Eraqus said as Master Xehanort walked away.
Nina and Ven took off running to Terra and Aqua. "Hey…" Aqua started. "Terra, I'm sorry." Ven said. "Terra…" Nina said, struggling to find words to comfort her friend. "The darkness…where did it come from?" Terra asked.
The four of us stood there in silence for a few minutes, until Terra broke the silence. "Sorry, but I need some time alone." Terra said.
Nina stood with her friends as Terra walked away, unsure of what to do next.
Nina found herself going to different worlds, arriving there just after Ven, Terra, or Aqua had left. She found another world, and stopped there.
A place called Radiant Garden.
She heard a loud noise. Nina turned, hoping to see one of her friends, but instead saw someone else.
A boy, around the same age as Nina and Ventus, and he's wearing a black and red bodysuit, with what almost looked like a skirt flowing out at the waist and a helmet with black glass on the front of it. Nina cautiously walked toward the boy. "Who…are you…?" She asked slowly.
The boy turned to face Nina and stumbled backwards in surprise. "You…" He stated. Nina bit her lip. "I know that voice…" She thought. "Are you…that boy…?" She asked slowly. "Nina?" The boy asked, his voice sounding uneasy.
He stood straight as Nina walked closer to him and he reached out to touch her. "You are…him, aren't you?" Nina asked as the boys' hand gently touched her cheek. "Nina…" The boy stated softly. Nina was about to reach back toward the boy, when she heard a yell.
"Nina! Get away from him!"
The boy yanked his hand away from Nina and jumped away from her.
Nina turned to see Aqua running toward her. "You stay away from her!" Aqua yelled, throwing her keyblade at the boy. He blocked it with his own, materializing it in seconds. "You're the boy that Ventus mentioned!" Aqua stated as her keyblade appeared back in her hand.
The boy turned to face Aqua. "Ah yes, Ventus. Tell me something, has he learned to put up a decent fight yet?" The boy asked. "What do you mean?" Aqua asked. "I'll be asking the questions. And why shouldn't I? After all, between the two of us…I'm the only one who will walk away from here alive." The boy said. "Guess again!" Aqua said. She and the boy jumped at each other and fought.
Nina tried to stop them, but Aqua yelled at her to stay back. Soon enough, the battle was over. The boy was lying on the ground, and Aqua was panting. She cautiously walked over to the boy and reached to remove his mask. "Who are you?"
The boy started laughing and Aqua jumped back in surprise as the boy stood. "Not bad at all. Congratulations. I'll keep you around. Never hurts to have a back up." The boy said, turning around to walk into a portal.
"I'll see you soon as well…Nina." He said, stepping into the portal and disappearing.
"Aqua, are you alright?" Nina asked. "I should be asking you that. Did he hurt you at all? Why did you let him get so close to you?" Aqua asked. "He…seemed familiar…" Nina said quietly. "Nina, you can't trust him. He is the one that is harassing Ven and Terra. He is dangerous." Aqua said, putting her hands on Nina's shoulders and looking at her.
"Aqua, how do you know he is so dangerous? Have you even had any contact with him, other than just now?" Nina asked, getting away from Aqua's hands.
Aqua stayed silent.
"I thought so. Aqua, why do you assume that others are evil if they act a certain way?" Nina asked. "Because the Master taught us that if they use the darkness, they are evil." Aqua said.
"Damn it Aqua! Can't you just think for yourself for once?! Why do you always have to think about what the Master says? We aren't mindless robots you know!" Nina shouted. Aqua was surprised at Nina's outburst, and bit her lip.
"Aqua! Nina!" Ven shouted. Nina turned to see her friend running toward them.
"Aqua, you need to think about what you've been doing. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't give others a chance." Nina said. She turned and summoned her armor, before opening a portal.
"Nina." Aqua called. "What?" Nina snapped.
"Be careful."
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