Obtained New Story Arc :)
Yes, I'm ready to take on another big project. For you newcomers, this is my official AkuRokuShi universe, the Reluctant Father. If you don't want to read the other fics in the series, here's the gist of the major differences: 1) Castle Oblivion hasn't happened yet, 2) Xion is a full member of the Organization, with a Round Room seat and a title (see Castle Cleanup for details), 3)Saix is becoming less 'absolute jerk' and more 'deadpan snarker' (same), and 4) the Keybearers have a temper that makes them freaking scary in the rare moments when it comes out (see Noise and chapters 2 and 3 in Sea-Salt Stories for details). I still recommend that you read the other fics, but you know enough to jump in from here.
Anyway, this is the first story I have actually outlined before I started writing it. It is set to be my longest story yet, clocking in at nine chapters of varying length. This can be considered the final part of 'Act I' for the series. Yeah, I outlined the rest of the series, too. :P My goal is a true alternate version of Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days.
OK, that's enough rambling, time for the story. I hope you enjoy. :)
DISCLAIMER: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix. I do not stand to profit from this work in any way. Developers of KH, you guys are awesome. Can I be on the KH3 writing team? I'll come up with something great, promise. :)
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Invader
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Roxas hated Halloween Town.
The domain of the Pumpkin King was a little scary when he first visited, what with all the surprises, but now it was just annoying. The unique Heartless here were the worst non-giant Heartless, what with their energy-sucking capabilities, and Lock, Shock and Barrel constantly harassed him. And of course, the lame attempts for jump scares made him want to cause a little 'collateral damage' to the town.
Of course, Xion was doing that for him already, as an ingrained reaction to perceived sudden peril. Roxas watched with delight and amusement as his friend whacked the robotic head off yet another stupid 'growling zombie' scare. Xion had never been here before, and was actually terrified by the place. This is a terrible time to try a jump scare on an armed, trained fighter. Really, it was very lucky that all the scares today were inanimate objects, or else Barrel would have had a few conversations with her large, metal club known as a Keyblade.
As the 'zombie' collapsed in a heap of sparking wires, Roxas called to her. "Xion, they aren't real. You can calm down."
Xion hit the robot again, just to be certain. "They… seem real. Until I hit them, anyway."
"If you keep doing this, someone will notice. You know how serious Saix is getting about our cover."
"Roxas, you realize that they probably notice our fights with the Heartless, right?"
"…I never thought of that before, actually…"
The blond Keybearer moved on quickly before more embarrassment could ensue. Today was a Shadow Glob mission, and while such missions were usually amazingly easy, this time the things were everywhere, in hard-to-reach spots. It was tedious, boring work. Being with Xion made it better somehow, though, despite her reactions to the so-called 'frights'. Actually, those livened the mood a little bit.
After knocking out the last Shadow Glob, the Keybearers started walking back to the RTC point. They were almost out of the square when Roxas felt an arm push him into a wall hard. He summoned his Keyblade, but heard the word, "Sush!" He realized that it was Xion pinning him, while up against the wall herself.
Roxas put away the Keyblade. "Don't scare me like that. What's going—"
"I said sush!" Xion had quite the whisper-yell, so Roxas shut up as she brought her arm down to slide across the wall more.
She looked around the corner of the building and motioned Roxas to come closer. When he looked, he saw someone. He wasn't quite sure who that someone was just yet. He (or maybe she—it was hard to tell) was dressed in a tattered brown robe, concealing his identity just as well as the Organization uniform. It blew in the wind dramatically, giving the figure the appearance of floating in midair.
"Is that… person real?" Xion whispered.
Roxas was careful to whisper as well. "I think so. I haven't seen him around before."
"Is it a Heartless?"
"No, it's definitely a person."
"Should we follow him?"
Roxas considered this. They had no clue who this person was or what he or she or it wanted, let alone its capabilities. If they were spotted, the confrontation could end badly. Then again, the only way to find out those things was to study him (the default option was easiest, Roxas decided).
"Yeah," he said just as the figure started walking again. "Follow me."
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Vexen was supposed to be doing science today. However, Axel had annoyed him yet again earlier that day, and getting at the Keybearers was the easiest way to hit back. Surely, blackmail footage of Xion tearing up the various pranks around town would be a good way to get them to do what he wanted them to do.
As a shadow started to come around the corner, Vexen reached into his black uniform for the video camera. There was a slightly impressive grabbing scare here, and the replica would surely react with even more violence. Maybe she'd even scream—that'd be useful to get on camera. He let the many possibilities play out in his sadistic mind as the figure came around the corner.
The figure was not Xion. It wasn't Roxas, either. It wasn't even a local. It was the person Vexen would quickly learn to fear.
When the scare was triggered, the figure grabbed the fake arms and tore them from the wall, throwing them onto the ground. His body language, such as it was, hinted at mere annoyance rather than terror. Vexen frowned—things were not going as he planned. That's when the figure spotted him peeking his camera around the corner.
The figure lunged forward, grabbing the camera and breaking it in two on his knee. Before Vexen could react, the figure kicked his legs, knocking him down. The figure came down on him, striking his face with a hard punch and knocking him out. The 'fight' was over in about five seconds.
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Roxas and Xion heard the sounds of combat and ran around the corner, Keyblades drawn. The figure glanced at them and took off, dropping a piece of paper in his midst.
The Keybearers ran over to Vexen. They may have hated him, but they still felt they had a duty to help him. This being a Shadow Glob mission, they had left their potions and elixirs back at the castle. While Xion propped him up on the wall to get ready to carry him, Roxas bent down and picked up the paper.
He was scared by what it said, in blue ink and all-caps:
14 ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THERE—MAJOR COMPLICATION
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Mysterious Sentence! Being mysterious! That's why they call him Mysterious Sentence! :)
Sorry this chapter is so short, I was short on time last night. Chapter 2 will be much longer. That last bit was something I hadn't put in the outline, and it should add good tension for a longer chapter.
This fic deviates from my generally humorous, sitcom-like tone and substitutes it for the adventure of the games while throwing in a little suspense and drama for flavor. This will be an interesting test for me. Don't worry—the funny bits will be as good as ever. :)
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Remember, reviews are always appreciated. Reviewer Question Time: Who do you think the figure is? This will remain open until the big reveal. You don't have to get it right, you just have to have a good, reasoned theory that I enjoy reading. Answer well, and you may win a giftfic!
Thanks for reading, and be sure to tune in for Chapter Two of Invader, a tale well calculated to keep you in SUSPENSE! (Get this reference, and I'll probably give you something. No internet searching allowed. :) )