Voice of Destiny
"Normal Talking"
Thoughts/Sound Effects
"Flashback dialogue/Japanese/Emphasis of words"
"Demon speak"
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Key Through the Heart
A fanfiction by Andrew J. Talon
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Kingdom Hearts, or any of the characters or properties mentioned in this story. The story's mine, the concept is mine, but everything else is not mine. And I'm certainly not writing this for profit.
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Uzumaki Naruto, age twelve, leapt through the trees of the forest at breakneck speeds, a heavy scroll bouncing along with him every branch of the way. His eyes were wide and his teeth gritted in agitation.
"You are the nine-tailed fox! The demon who killed Iruka's parents!"
No… It's not true! It's not true!
"No Naruto, don't listen to him! It's forbidden!"
Forbidden? Why? Why? Is this why everyone hates me? Because I'm the demon?
As much as Naruto tried to deny it, Mizuki's declaration made sense. His whisker marks, the hatred of the villagers, the social isolation…
For God's sake, his birthday was on the same day the Kyuubi was supposedly killed! Naruto felt tears at the corners of his eyes, as he stopped, clutching a tree branch under him as he panted.
I'm a demon… The demon that killed Iruka-sensei's parents… That killed…
Naruto gulped, and continued breathing shakily. He looked up and saw through a gap in the foliage, into a clearing. Two figures fought in the dappled moonlight.
Iruka-sensei!
Naruto leapt forward, watching the two fight, and as they came into better focus he could hear more of their conversation.
"-on't you get it, Naruto's just like me!" Mizuki laughed.
"He wants the scroll for his own vengeance and power! That's how demons are! He'll use it to destroy everything!"
Naruto growled at this, as Iruka, leaning against a tree, glared back before responding.
"You're right," Iruka got out, breathing hard. Naruto felt ice fall into the pit of his stomach, and he shook in grief and anger.
So that's it… Iruka-sensei… He LIED to me, like every other person in this village! He thinks I'm a demon! He-!
"That is how demons are, but Naruto is not the fox! He's nothing like a demon! He works hard, puts his everything into succeeding. And yes, he sometimes fails, and yes, everyone jumps on him, but he gets right back up and keeps trying. He never returns hatred with hatred, he never gives up, and every time he puts his whole heart into it! That is what separates him from the Kyuubi! He's nothing like it!"
Mizuki tensed, looking as though he'd try to kill Iruka right there… But instead he began laughing mockingly.
"Nothing like the demon? Ha! I bet you right now, he's running away with that scroll full of secrets for his own use! The power within it… How could the Kyuubi resist?"
Naruto gripped the tree branch more tightly, teeth bared in a snarl.
That bastard… I'll show him…!
Naruto made to form the seal for Kage Bunshin… But paused. He cursed mentally.
Damnit, I could barely make ONE clone with this jutsu! How is one more me going to help here? I need something stronger! I need something to stop him! But what…?
Naruto quickly pulled the scroll out again, sudden inspiration as he opened it. At the very bottom of the scroll was a jutsu he couldn't begin to make heads or tails of, but it required only his signature in blood to work it. He'd ignored it before because he needed to learn how to make Bunshins to pass the Academy Exam. It mentioned something about a 'dive', a 'trial to gain strength' from… It was better than nothing, Naruto decided, biting his thumb and quickly signing his name, pumping chakra into it as the instructions dictated.
The letters of his name signed in blood began to glow bright white, and Naruto cried out as they flashed, blinding him. He blinked a few times… Before feeling like he was falling, falling in an endless black void…
Splash!
Water was all around him, and Naruto waved his arms and kicked his feet as he kept sinking. His desperate flailing caused him to cast off his goggles, ignored as he tried to right himself but he just kept descending, deeper and deeper…
After what felt like ages to his burning lungs, Naruto felt the top of his head hit solid ground. Suddenly he collapsed, the feeling of being surrounded by water vanishing, and he breathed deeply of air once more.
"What… The hell…?" Naruto muttered, rolling over onto his stomach and pushing himself up to a sitting position.
Frowning at the darkness that seemed to cover everything but himself, the blond reached out a fist and tapped the surface he'd landed on. The sound echoed, like he'd hit a huge glass pane of some sort. Naruto stood up, eyes closed in a characteristic thoughtful expression for him.
"Hey! Is anyone there? Hello?" Naruto called out.
His voice echoed, which seemed to tell Naruto that he might be in some kind of cave…
But how did I get here? What kind of jutsu is this anyway?
Naruto took a cautious step forward, and when his foot still landed on solid… Whatever, he took another.
"The hell?!" Naruto shouted, as his foot was pushed back by birds emerging as one from the darkness, like they'd been so tightly packed beneath his feet that they had felt like solid, unfeathery ground.
As more and more birds took flight, a yellow light grew, and Naruto abruptly realized that the surface he was standing on was illuminated. More birds flew off, the light grew brighter, and Naruto could make out the image on the platform.
Some… Girl in a weird dress… What's with those guys in the circles? Their noses are huge, Naruto thought, walking a little less cautiously around the yellow-tinged platform. He walked up to the edge of it, and looked down, the black abyss all he could see. Rummaging around in his pocket, he triumphantly produced a coin and dropped it. He tilted his head, trying to hear it hit the ground…
"I don't think I want to jump off," he decided, after waiting a good five minutes to hear something. He backed off from the edge, and looked around the platform again.
"Some jutsu this is," Naruto muttered, "Iruka-sensei might already be dead now, and it's all because I couldn't do anything! Damnit!"
Do not worry. Time does not pass here, a toneless voice spoke.
Naruto blinked, and looked around.
"Um… Hello? Who are you?"
I am what Is and what Will Be.
"… That's… Not helpful at all!" Naruto shouted irritably.
"Hey, whoever you are… Do you know how I can get back to the forest? I need to help my sensei!"
You can only leave here if you pass the trial.
"Look, I don't have time for this!"
You can only help your sensei if you pass the trial, the voice repeated.
Naruto groaned.
"Allright… Fine… Let's just get this done as quickly as possible! I need to help Iruka-sensei!"
A sword, a shield, and a staff all appeared in front of Naruto, hovering in mid-air.
There are three paths to choose from. Do you choose the path of strength, the warrior?
Here, a light shining on the sword seemed to increase just enough to indicate it.
The path of defense, the guardian?
The shield was illuminated.
Or the path of wisdom, the mystic?
The staff was illuminated, and Naruto grimaced.
"Do I have to choose?"
Do you surrender only at the first test?
"What?! Naruto Uzumaki never surrenders, stupid Voice! Um…"
Naruto tried to pick. Truthfully, his first instinct had been to go for the sword-It might help stop Mizuki, right? But Iruka needed protection. So maybe the shield… The staff though, it seemed to radiate some kind of power, something Naruto couldn't name…
"Um… Er…"
Damnit, just choose one, Naruto thought to himself. The shield was nearest, so Naruto grabbed it. The sword and staff vanished, leaving Naruto alone with his choice of weapon.
You have chosen the path of service and self-sacrifice.
"Yeah, great, can we move on?" Naruto shouted.
As though offended, the platform beneath him shattered, leaving Naruto to fall into the abyss.
"WAAAAAAAHHHHHH-!"
THUD!
"Ow…"
Naruto grimaced and rubbed the back of his head, before pulling himself up into a sitting position. This platform's drawing was of another woman in a weird dress, blue-tinged where the previous one had been yellow. Naruto looked at the edges, and noted the cartoonish-style mice in little circles.
"This is probably the weirdest dream I've ever had," Naruto complained, getting up to his feet.
Now is not the time for complaint. This is the second test.
Little black puddles appeared on the platform, oozing for him. Naruto stepped back a little, as they began to rise up and take shape.
"The hell are these things?" Naruto shouted.
These are expressions of darkness, which lie within all things The things now looked like little men with large bug-like yellow eyes and antenna. Jerkily they moved for him, tiny clawed fingers reaching out for Naruto. Out of instinct Naruto pulled a kunai from his leg pouch and threw it at one of the things, but it passed right through it.
"What the-?"
Normal weapons will not work against the darkness… The power to stop them must come from within…
Naruto grimaced as he dodged a few of the shadow creatures, leaping high over their heads with his ninja skills. However, more and more began to emerge, and Naruto soon found himself with nowhere to jump to. He looked down at the shield… And looked back at the hordes of creatures, the voice's words replaying in his mind.
Within, right? Okay, let's see if this does anything! With that, Naruto focused chakra into the shield… Immediately it changed shaped and with a burst of light, the blond ninja found himself holding the staff he'd seen floating on the previous platform. One of the creatures leapt for him out of the swarm, and with a swing of the blue rod it was rendered dust.
"Now that's more like it!" Naruto shouted, leaping forward and slashing through the swarm.
His chakra-augmented agility, while poor by his peer's standards, easily let him finish off the creatures.
"Ha! That wasn't' so hard!"
Your heart is strong. Few have made it past this test.
Naruto considered the staff.
"So, why the staff? Why not the sword?"
When you choose a path to take, you also give up another. Your conscious choice was of the guardian, while your unconscious chose the mystic. To have these, you gave up the power of the warrior.
Naruto frowned.
"Wait… Isn't the path of the mystic, er… Wisdom?"
Yes.
Naruto was prone to brag, true, but even he was aware of how much he'd failed. And what he missed, forgot, and had no idea about. Usually he'd brush it off with a loud exclamation, but here…
"Why wisdom though? I mean…" The blond grimaced.
"My grades make me… Last in my class."
True wisdom is not measured by tests or grades. Within you lies the desire to learn, to understand, and to grow. It has sought an outlet for so long… And here it is, before you. Naruto swung the staff around a little, and smiled at how easily wielding it came.
Maybe I'm not such a deadlast after all. I'd like to see Shikamaru try to get through this, ha!
However, within you lies darkness as well as light, the voice went on.
Naruto blinked and looked up, as though trying to pinpoint where it was coming from.
"You… You mean… The Kyuubi?"
Not only the demon, but darkness found in all beings-Hate, sorrow, greed, fear, ignorance, anger, pride. Having these is part of existence, but there are those who let the darkness inside them overwhelm the light. Those creatures you slew were such examples. Naruto gulped, eyeing the spotless mosaic underneath his feet.
"You mean… Those things…?"
Do not mourn them, the voice said, almost comfortingly. They were not true beings any longer, but manifestations of people's darkness. They became so steeped in their own darkness that it took on a will of it's own-To find more hearts and corrupt them as their own were.
Naruto felt the grip on his staff tighten.
"Like… Mizuki?"
The one you speak of has let his darkness overwhelm him, though his transformation is far more subtle. The worst monsters are those who do not appear as such. And not all beasts are filled with darkness within.
Naruto nodded marginally.
"Okay… What's next?"
The last test… The platform, instead of shattering, seemed to produce mini-platforms in a long set of stairs leading up. Naruto shrugged, and hopped along, taking the steps two at a time. This platform, he immediately noticed, was… Different.
A tall, blonde woman, long hair curling down past her shoulders, stood surrounded by black thorny vines. In three little circles above her, three odd-looking women in matching tall, pointed-hats tied under their chins held expressions of worry. In the background, a menacing woman with horns stood, a single hand raised. Naruto gulped, and saw a doorway on the other side. It shone brightly, and Naruto was forced to shield his eyes.
"What… What do I do?"
The closer to light you walk, the longer your shadow… But don't be afraid. Don't stop walking.
"And… If I do? Stop walking, I mean?" Naruto asked, his voice wavering only a little.
Then the darkness will consume not only you, but everything you hold dear.
Naruto took a deep breath, and began walking forward, the staff swinging slightly in his left hand. As he neared the center of the platform, he paused as the feeling of a presence growing behind him. The blond turned and gaped, stepping back, as his own shadow grew.
The form it took was familiar to Naruto. He'd never known how or why, until now, why his nightmares had sometimes held the image of a gigantic fox with nine tails. But here, his shadow took the form of the great demon, glowing red eyes and whiskers leering at him from the darkness.
Terror filled Naruto's chest, icy cold and paralyzing. He shook as the raw killing intent of this being washed over him, mocking him, and he fell to his bottom, shivering.
"How… How… Hello? Voice? Hello? Hell-GAH!"
Naruto rolled just in time as a massive tail slammed down where he had sat moments before. He rolled up to a standing position, struggling to fight the suffocating terror.
"Why do you try?" The shadow asked, it's glowing red mouth curling in to a sneer.
"Why do you continue? Your life has no meaning… Your dreams are nonsense. You are weak and foolish and can barely stand before me. So why?"
Images of Naruto's mistreatments, his failures, the mocking laughter of his peers, the derisive snorts of villagers, the sad faces of the Hokage, Iruka-sensei…
Iruka-sensei…
"Naruto is not the fox! He's nothing like a demon! He works hard, puts his everything into succeeding. And yes, he sometimes fails, and yes, everyone jumps on him, but he gets right back up and keeps trying. He never returns hatred with hatred, he never gives up, and every time he puts his whole heart into it! That is what separates him from the Kyuubi! He's nothing like it!"
Naruto shook, and grit his teeth, looking up at the menace towering above him.
"Because… So long as one person believes in me… One person cares about me… I'll do anything, and everything I can to protect that person!"
Naruto snarled, gripping the staff in both hands.
"You can knock me down like all the rest! You can insult me, attack me, mock me, beat me into a pulp! But I will never, ever, give up! You can't scare me into quitting! You'll have to kill me first!"
Naruto charged, leaping to avoid a tail, before twisting in mid-air to avoid another. As though receiving cues he spun out of the way of another swinging tail and landed on another, leap up and thrusting his staff right at the Shadow Fox's wide eyes.
"YAH!" Naruto bellowed, striking the demon across the nose, before spinning like a top to land another blow before falling back. Naruto grabbed onto one of the shadow's waving tails and swung himself back up. The fox fell back as Naruto continued raining blows on its head, it's tails moving too slowly to intercept the orange-clad ninja.
"INSECT!" The beast roared, falling back off the platform entirely into the shadows from one last strike in the snout. Naruto fell back, landing in a sprawled heap on the edge of the woman's dress. He shook his head of any dizziness… Before the whole platform began to tilt.
"Oh shit!" Naruto yelled, and pulled out a kunai with which to try and slow his descent, but it scraped uselessly against the hard material. Naruto barely got a grip on the edge of the disk with one hand, his staff clutched tightly in the other.
"Damn… damn…" he muttered, sweating beading on his forehead. He felt a gust of wind blow down on him, and he dared to trace the sensation's path.
A vast, glowing vortex had appeared far below him, being produced by the Shadow Fox's gaping jaws. Naruto's grip loosened, little by little, as he kicked his legs in an attempt to gain some footing-
"SHIT!" Naruto cursed, slipping off the platform entirely and falling for the vortex. The dark demon's red eyes narrowed in victory, which Naruto noticed and returned with a glare. Answering another strange, unconscious cue, he pulled back the arm holding his staff, as though winding up to pitch a baseball, and hurled his weapon into the maelstrom.
KABOOM! Naruto's vision was stolen, but he felt himself falling again, only this time to land on a hard, familiar surface. His fingers tightened around the staff, and he got up. The Shadow Fox lay before him, it's head on the platform in front of him, it's tails limp. Wearily it looked up at Naruto.
"You… How…?"
Naruto screamed a battle cry, and rushed the shadow, leaping straight for its head. He took his staff and rammed it right between the monster's eyes. It roared in agony, light erupting from it's head and quickly spreading, dissolving, eroding the monster away, until nothing remained.
The triumphant blond fell back from his leap, flipping backwards… Landing face first on the platform.
"OW! SON OF A-!"
The blond cursed, pushing himself up by his arms and holding his tender nose. Noticing his shadow, again, before him, he poked it once with the staff. Naruto breathed a deep sigh of relief as it did nothing, and clumsily got to his feet.
You have succeeded.
"Yeah, no thanks to you," Naruto muttered.
That was a foe only you could have defeated, the voice said. I had no place in it.
"So… Can I save Iruka-sensei now?" The blond demon-container asked.
Yes, but be warned. This power is yours, and can never be given back. If you keep this trial's lessons in your heart, if you stay true to yourself and the light within, you will do great things with it.
Naruto paused at the threshold of the door of light. He took a deep breath.
"And if I fall into darkness…?"
The light increased in intensity, filling his vision and mind, as the voice's last words reached him.
You know the answer already… Keybearer…
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Iruka struggled to get back up, but the wounds in his legs and back bled heavily. He felt dizzy, and his vision was slightly clouding. Mizuki's grin was all too clear though.
"Well, goodbye Iruka. Don't worry, you'll be seeing your demon student soon enough," the silver-haired man, once his friend, laughed mockingly. With a burst of chakra the giant shuriken in his hand began to spin like a buzzsaw, and Mizuki rushed forward. Iruka grit his teeth, determinedly staring his death in the face as a true shinobi.
Naruto… I'm sorry…
As though summoned from his thoughts, the orange clad boy in question appeared in front of him. His eyes widened, his voice tried to yell out a warning…
A flash of light and Mizuki was flying back. Over Naruto's shoulder Iruka could see the anger and shock in the traitor's face.
"YOU!"
Naruto snarled, gripping his weapon in both hands. A moment passed where he looked over the weapon.
Keybearer, huh… Well, least the title fits, Naruto thought wryly. Despite its almost ridiculous appearance, Naruto could feel the raw power the weapon emitted, a power that seemed to echo in his chest.
No… Not my chest… My heart…
This is the Keyblade… Your heart's power given form.
Naruto blinked, a bit confused at the Voice popping back up in the "real world."
"N-Naruto!"
Naruto shook his head free of distraction and swung forward, parrying Mizuki's thrown giant shuriken and sending it spinning off into the dark trees. Mizuki himself snarled at Naruto.
"What-What-What the hell is that?!"
Naruto smirked, before forming the ram seal in front of the hilt of the weapon.
"Hope you're watching, Iruka-sensei… This is for graduation," he said calmly, never minding Iruka's gawk. The blond took a deep breath.
"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"
At once the clearing was filled with Narutos, all with Keyblades, and all glaring at an increasingly pale Mizuki. The original raised his weapon up over his head.
"CHARGE!"
And the last thing Mizuki would remember from this night was a flood of ninja in orange, wielding giant keys that they proceeded to hit him with. A lot.
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Iruka could not help staring at the orange-clad blond, giant key-shaped weapon leaning against his shoulder, walking calmly up to him. Behind him, a beaten Mizuki lay, covered in gashes and bruises so numerous he looked more the victim of a stampede of bulls instead of a boy.
A boy with a Jounin-level jutsu at his command.
A boy wielding a weapon that Iruka had only seen mentioned in ancient legends.
"Iruka-sensei? You okay?"
Iruka nodded, popping a soldier pill into his mouth. Using a very basic medical jutsu, he ran a glowing hand over the worse of his injuries. Naruto knelt next to him, giant-key-weapon still laying across his shoulder. He looked at his sensei in concern.
"You got pretty beat up, Iruka-sensei… I'm sorry," Naruto said.
"I tried to find a jutsu to help you with, but…" Iruka smiled at the blond, who looked uncharacteristically melancholy.
"You… Got that… Whatever-it-is… From the scroll?" Iruka asked. Naruto nodded.
"Keyblade. Yeah, and Kage Bunshin too…"
Naruto trailed off, wincing. Iruka shook his head and clapped Naruto on the shoulder, smiling when Naruto's eyes rose to meet his.
"You did very well, Naruto… I'm very, very proud of you…"
Naruto smiled back-Softer and more subdued than what Iruka had remembered out of his student… But it was still Naruto.
"Now then," Iruka went on, getting to his feet and waving off an extended hand from the blond, "close your eyes."
Naruto blinked, and then shrugged as he complied. He felt fabric descend onto his forehead, and the ends of a bandanna be tied around the back of his head. He grinned, and opened his eyes to a beaming Iruka, the rising sun's first rays giving his teacher an ethereal glow.
"You, Naruto, have proven yourself a ninja of Konoha, through and through," he said, paternal pride in his voice. Naruto felt tears begin to gather at the corners of his eyes, but he fought them back, instead moving forward and wrapping his sensei up in a hug, which was returned.
Naruto, however, felt the Keyblade in his grip still, and a frown came onto his face. Iruka, pulling back a little, saw the change in the blond's expression and frowned as well.
"Naruto?"
The boy ninja released the hug entirely, turning a bit at an angle to Iruka and studying the Keyblade.
"Iruka-sensei… I think we need to see the Hokage…"
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Observing the events as they unfolded through his crystal ball, the Hokage smirked wryly as he read Naruto's lips.
That you do, Naruto… That you do…
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Updated 12/13/07: Did some additional editing, as well as removing all mention of "dattebayo". As it's intended to be added onto the end of a sentence to emphasize it and make it sound tougher, for story purposes it has been replaced with a simple emphasis on certain words and, where appropriate, swearing.
Updated 4/10/07: Edited spacing in order to make it easier to tell who is talking, as well as some grammar mistakes.
Update 4/5/07: Due to my beta-reader, I've changed most of the Japanese dialogue in this fic to the English translation. From now on, only honorifics, jutsus, names, and a few catchphrases will be in Japanese.
Just so you guys know, this is still a "flashback" Naruto is having with Kakashi.
I know the Deep Dive thing didn't happen exactly as it did in the first KH game. It's not supposed to. I do hope I did the battle against the Shadow Fox with enough detail to not render it cheesy. As always, please share your thoughts and comments by reviewing-It's the only way I know how the story is going over after all.
Preview for Chapter Three:
"I-I've n-never seen an-anything like it… Wh-what is it, N-N-Naruto-kun?"
"Um… Guess you could call it a family heirloom, heh…"