Chapter VI: Hearts of Darkness.


Destiny Islands.


Boy, today just dragged on forever! I could really go for a swim.

Today was hot and windy a perfect day for enjoying the water. Kairi had worn her bikini under her school uniform the past few days for just such an occasion.

She ran to the beach as fast as her legs could carry her, and hastily removed her skirt and blouse.

"What the-?"

In the distance, the waves receded and revealed a person with long, blue hair in a tattered black cloak. This person appeared to be sitting a foot above the water somehow. Strangely, his hair didn't seem to blow in the wind.

I've never seen him before... Or could he be a her? As the mysterious figure was facing away from her, and was a fair ways away besides, it made it difficult to determine their gender.

Her curiosity ultimately got the best of her, and she went in for a closer look.

Gotta be quiet...

"Is there something you need?"

Eep! He, it was definitely a 'he', had good ears.

"I, um... I'm sorry. I was just curious."

"About me?"

"Um... yeah. Sort of."

He turned around, finally giving her a look at his face, so to speak. The man wore a silver mask that revealed only his eyes and mouth.

Red eyes... they're so... sad.

"What do you wish to know?"

"Well... how are you doing that?" Kairi wondered.

"Have you heard of telekinesis?"

"Like in the comic books?"

"I suppose."

"So you can move anything?"

He waved his fingers and the waters in front of him took the shape of a dragon.

Moving his hand around, the dragon, as if on puppet strings, flew out of the water and performed a majestic dance for the Princess of Heart, twirling and looping with elegance and grace, and finally swirling around her before diving back into the sea.

"Wow! That was amazing." Kairi clapped at the performance, causing the man to chuckle.

She does not fear me in the slightest. This girl truly does have a Heart of pure Light.

"It was but a small display. But I'm flattered that you liked it."

He's so modest! What a gentleman. Kairi giggled.

"Anyways, it would appear you were about to go for a swim."

Kairi suddenly became aware of much skin she was showing the stranger and started to blush in embarrassment.

"I don't want to overstep my bounds, but do you often swim alone? I'd think someone would stay and keep watch."

"I'll be fine. I've been swimming here since I was a kid. But you can stay and watch me if you want!" she said cheerily.

"Well, I do like to watch." he remarked.

Oh, right... that sounded kinda weird. Kairi thought bashfully.

She cleared her throat. "I mean... I don't mind you sticking around. It's not often I get to chat with someone from another world."

"Well, it's not often I get to chat with a Princess of Heart." he replied, smiling behind his mask.

"How do you know that? Are you a friend of Sora's?" she asked.

"Perhaps, if things had been different, we would be." he said wistfully. "But it doesn't matter what might have been. All that matters now is what will be."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Hearts of Darkness and their destiny." The stranger explained.

"I don't understand..."

"The shards of the χ-blade. You're aware that your Heart, and the Hearts of the other Princesses came from the seven shards of Light, yes?"

"Um, yeah. Master Yen Sid told me. He said that's why our Hearts are made of pure Light." Kairi answered.

"But there were twenty fragments in total. Did he tell you what happened to the thirteen shards of Darkness?" the man asked her.

"He... didn't know. I'm not sure anyone does."

"The shards of Darkness became Hearts of pure Darkness, pure in turn, creating the 'Princes of Heart', you could say."

"Princes of Heart..." Kairi found this all so fascinating. She didn't think it was possible for a Heart to be made of Darkness, but it was a miraculous world they lived in.

The man continued "Though unlike the Princesses, these 'princes' are hardly fair. You see, these beings by their very nature are abominations. Granted, some appear more human than others, but all are monsters at heart."

"That's so sad." Kairi said softly.

"You pity them?" The man was a bit taken aback. He expected her to be horrified and disgusted by the thought of such beings.

"Well, no one asks to be born what they are, right?"

"No, I suppose not." he concurred.

They waited in silence for a while.

"So, how do you know so much about them?" Kairi asked out of curiosity.

"I did some research and made some fascinating discoveries."

"Oh? Like what?"

"I've learned that much like you Princesses, who are strongest when your seven arts act as one, our true strength can only be attained when we combine the might of our Hearts. Unlike you, however, our Hearts must actually become one. Such is their destiny."

"You mean you're one of them!?" Kairi was shocked. This man was polite, even kind of charming. He was the last person she'd have thought to be a monster.

"Allow me to introduce myself... I am Earl Tyrant. The Crown Prince of Heart, and the Dark Mage, founder and ruler of Vanda. I ask your forgiveness..."

The man offered her his right hand. "For I also ask that you come with me."

"No way!" Kairi jumped back and immediately summoned her Keyblade.

"The Light burns brightly in you, Princess, but you are not a Master yet!"

She simply got into position and prepared to attack.

"We were thinking of killing Riku, you know."

The Keybearer's breath caught in her throat, and she halted in her tracks.

"Shin, in particular, expressed a desire to tear him limb from limb and I'm fairly certain he was being literal."

"You stay away from my friends, you... you bastard!" she warned him.

"Come quietly, and I promise you, I will be lenient with him." He crossed his Heart with his left hand for emphasis and once again offered her his other.

"Why should I believe you?" The Princess asked, still brandishing her Keyblade.

The Prince of Heart now raised his left hand, and the waters around them began to form in it's image.

"Incredible, isn't it? The power to control matter with a mere gesture... Only a true master of Darkness could use it to this extent!"

He wouldn't...

The hand of water drew more and more water into it, swiftly growing until it dwarfed her island in size.

"I could drown this entire world with a wave of my hand. Just as I could break that boy's neck with a snap of my fingers..."

"Please don't." She begged him, her voice barely a whisper.

Kairi hated this. She hated feeling so powerless. But knowing people's lives were at stake, what choice did she have?

"Will you come with me, then?"

"...yes." She dispersed her Keyblade and stood next to him, but did not take his hand.

Tyrant summoned a Corridor of Darkness, and they proceeded inside the vortex together.


Emerging from the Corridor, Kairi found herself in what appeared to be some kind of castle. The Earl was currently leading her to her room.

"Welcome to Gaudium, my humble home. While you're here, consider yourself my guest. If there's anything you desire, you need only ask."

"How about my freedom?" the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

The Earl burst out laughing. "Oh, Kairi, you are a joy."

He sighed and continued. "While that's a luxury I'm afraid I can't grant you at the moment, there are many I can. We have the best restaurants, a spa, nearly every form of entertainment you could imagine, and the ultimate shopping mall. Of course, for you, everything's free of charge."

Lucky me... I'm staying in a gilded cage this time. Still...

Kairi resented being the man's prisoner, but if he was offering a soft bed instead of a cold cell, she'd take it. Begrudgingly, but she'd take it.

"Oh, that reminds me... you have new clothes waiting for you in your room. I have no doubt they'll be a perfect fit."

Did... did he take my measurements? The redhead thought, embarrassed.

"My apologies, but I took the liberty of having Weebo, that is, Gaudium's Artificial Intelligence perform a Body scan on you. I assure you, I had her keep the results to herself."

That made Kairi feel a little better, but she still didn't like that he did that without her permission.

"Ah... here we are."

He summoned a key card and inserted it into a slot on the door.

*Beep* The master of the fortress opened the door and held it for her, handing her the key as she walked past him.

Kairi turned to shut the door, but he raised his finger in protest. "One more thing."

"You're free to spend your time as you like for now, but I expect you to join me for Dinner at seven."

Expect to be disappointed, douche bag. Kairi thought angrily.

The man's ruby eyes narrowed, almost as if he'd heard her inner words.

"I shall await you in the dining hall. Weebo will escort you there. Dress nicely and don't be late."

With that, Earl Tyrant disappeared inside another Corridor of Darkness, leaving the girl alone with her thoughts.

Asshole. She shut the door in a huff.

Well, I might as well get dressed... oh, wow. Now that she had a good look at the room, she found herself gaping in amazement.

Being the daughter of the mayor back home, she was used to living a comfortable life, but she'd never known luxury like this. This room alone was almost the size of her house.

This might not be so bad... as far as being a prisoner goes, anyway.

Downstairs, in the Dining Hall, the Earl Tyrant was having a light appetizer of Spicy edamame along with an ice cold lager.

"Now that the Princess is safe, we shall resume the entertainment of the day."

"As you command, Master." Weebo began playing the recording from where she had left it.


The battle with the Firebird was proving quite difficult for the Warriors of Darkness. It's power to regenerate was beyond anything they'd seen before.

"Fuck..." That latest blast had hit Shin dead-on. His clothes had been almost completely burned off, and about half of his upper body was missing skin.

If he felt pain like a normal person, he'd be in agony right now.

"Oh, Shin, you dummy... you know I could've shielded myself from that." Charybdis knelt by his side and used her strongest Cure magic on him.

"Sorry, gorgeous... guess I just wasn't thinkin'." Shin chuckled.

"Can you still fight, my brother?" Culex asked.

"Yeah... in fact, I think I got an idea. Char, you can trap that thing in a barrier, right?"

"Yes, but it won't hold for too long."

"Doesn't need to. We just need long enough to finish it. Here's the plan, guys..." Shin explained his strategy and the warriors emerged from the barrier, ready to defeat their foe for good.

"Eat this!" The dark monk pulled the trigger on his lance, and a barrage of Soul energy-coated bullets came out of the built-in Gatling gun in it's hilt, hitting the Firebird right in it's flaming beak.

"How do you like me now, motherfucker?" he taunted and shot a few more volleys at it.

That got it's attention. The Firebird screeched and lunged at the giant in a rage, prepared to smother him with a flaming tackle.

This is it... Propelled by twin bursts of Soul energy from his feet, the crimson lancer flew into the air and jammed his weapon into the creature's mouth.

He then snapped his fingers and released all the pent-up energy within his lance, causing a massive explosion that took the beast's head off, and it fell to the ground.

Finally, Shin grabbed the lance in mid-air and hurled it down, piercing the creature's Body. Incubus' power to rapidly drain the energy of the Soul from whatever it touched would prove detrimental to the Firebird's incredible healing power.

"Culex! Char! Now!"

Culex sent a rain of swords down upon the Beast, pinning it to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, Charybdis summoned her strongest barrier, tossing the crystal she'd been saving into the barrier right before she sealed it.

Now, the two warriors focused their power through their magical weapons, and a flash-flood of water magic erupted inside the barrier. Immediately afterwards Ice magic burst out of the crystal, freezing the water solid.

Shin hit his pauldron and took one last drink of power, charging it in his fist before crashing down onto the barrier with an earth-shattering punch.

The barrier, and the ice within shattered, revealing the Firebird to be alive, but just barely. It was a fraction of it's former size, emaciated and struggling to breathe.

"You did well, Shin. Perhaps you'd like to be the one to finish it?"

"I, uh..." The creature looked at him, and tried to unleash it's flaming breath, but could only weakly cough up a puff of smoke. Seeing no option for victory, it tried to change to it's lava form to escape it's foes, but it could only wriggle around in futility.

*Sniff* Hot tears started to roll down the giant's cheeks.

"Shin... Are... are you crying?" Charybdis asked, concerned.

"I just... I can't. I can't even stand to watch. I'm sorry, man." Turning away, he took off his shades and wiped his cheeks.

Culex was a tad perplexed. He knew Shin had a soft spot for animals but they all knew this was simply evil in the form of an animal. Then again, knowing and feeling were two different things. Shin couldn't simply tell his Heart not to feel pity for the creature.

Culex sighed. "...I understand. I shall handle this. You two return to Vanda and get some rest."

"Come on, big boy. Let's go home and have a drink." She patted the giant on the back and summoned a Corridor of Darkness.

"Y-yeah..."

The witch and the monk returned to their headquarters via the Corridor, leaving Culex alone with his prey.

"Fear not, pitiable creature. You will soon know peace."

The black swordsman drew the Masamune, infused with pure Dark energy. He then drove the blade through the Firebird's black Heart.

The creature, drained of all it's strength as Sephiroth had been, disappeared in a burst of purple smoke.

Hm?

A green fairy-like creature peeked out from behind a tree. She'd been hiding ever since the Firebird started wreaking havoc.

"Why, hello there."

The sprite took a few steps back, startled.

"Fear not, fair lady. I mean you no harm." Culex knelt down and offered her a bean he'd found in another world.

She tip-toed towards the Dark Knight, and looked at the bean curiously.

"Go on." He motioned for her to take it.

After a brief hesitation, she happily took his gift, and held her new treasure tightly against her chest.

"I am glad you like it."

The sprite began to search for something she could give the man in return. Then, she remembered she'd seen the half-elf from before do something her friend seemed to like.

Without warning, she happily bounced over to Culex and kissed him on the side of his helmet.

"Th-thank you." Culex stammered, blushing behind his mask.

The spring sprite simply smiled at him and returned to the forest without a word.

She does not talk much, it would seem. Still, that was quite a pleasant encounter.

The Dark Knight's comlink flashed. He was getting a transmission from his allies. From what the hologram showed, they appeared to be in the kitchen.

"Y..." he cleared his throat. "Yes?"

"Hey, ironclad! Great news! It's vacation time!" Shin gave him a thumbs-up.

"But... Did we not have one more mission to complete? After all, that mission in Halloween Town was a failure, correct?" The Dark Knight asked.

"Earl Tyrant himself said we'd earned it. Don't be such a spoilsport, let's party!" Charybdis raised her glass of champagne in the air and cheered.

"Well, all right. If the Earl says so, then who am I to argue?"

Culex had to admit, he'd been looking forward to some R&R. Even he liked to take a break once in a while.

"That's more like it! Oh, that's right. The Earl said we'd be having a guest stay with us for a while, but he didn't say who." Char informed him.

"I see. I shall join you momentarily." Culex ended the transmission and took one last look at the world.

This is true order. No... true harmony. That which can only be achieved in a world free of both chaos and suffering. Harmony... that is what the World needs.

Culex summoned a Corridor and returned to Vanda, greatly anticipating a feast with his comrades.

I can hardly wait. I have not had Shin's cooking in far too long.


In the main dining hall of Vanda, the Dark Mage had just finished watching the battle between his chosen warriors and The Firebird.

"That was quite a show... I must say, that was quite a clever strategy on Shin's part."

"Yes, my lord."

"However... do you feel I should be concerned, about him, Weebo?"

"I fail to understand what you need be concerned with, my lord. His strength, fighting skills, and sex appeal are all at extraordinary levels."

Sex appeal? Now where did that come from? The Earl wondered in amusement.

"I refer to his tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve." Tyrant explained.

"I feel Shin will do what you require of him, my lord." The A.I. responded.

"Incidentally, is he here now?"

"Yes, he said since your grace has been away so often and Miss Hikaru was likely homesick, he wanted you both to enjoy a home-cooked meal."

That soft-hearted fool... Earl Tyrant thought with a smile.


Back in her room, Kairi had just finished taking a shower and was currently sitting on the bed, drying her hair.

"Pardon the interruption..." An invisible voice rang out, leading Kairi to scream.

"My apologies for frightening you."

"W-who..." The young woman stammered.

"I am Weebo. The Master Control Program of Vanda. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hikaru."

"Um... yeah... nice to meet you, Weebo. Um... what's up?" Kairi felt a little awkward. She'd never spoken to a machine before.

"I feel I should tell you it is currently six-thirty. Have you decided on a dress for dinner?" The A.I. asked.

"No, I... I'm not going to dinner."

"Surely you must be hungry." Weebo noted.

"Not hungry enough to eat with the bastard who threatened my home and kidnapped me!" she retorted angrlly.

"I understand your feelings, Miss Hikaru, but I would not advise testing the Earl's temper."

"Just tell him I've lost my appetite." Kairi turned her head away defiantly.

"Very well, Miss Hikaru. I shall inform him of your wishes."

"Thanks. Oh, and 'Kairi's' fine."

"Very well, Miss Kairi."


Not much later...

"...would you please repeat that, my dear?"

"A-as I said, your excellency, the girl has said she's lost her appetite."

"Oh, is that what she said? Did she cross her arms or perhaps stamp her foot when she told you this?" The masked man asked dryly.

"No, my lord, she turned her head away."

"Honestly? What is she, seven years old?" The Earl muttered in disbelief.

"Fifteen, my lord."

"Precisely!" he hissed. "She's a young woman, not a child, and I will not stand for her petulance! She will come down to dinner, if I must drag her down here myself."

The Earl rose from his seat to do just that.

"May I make a suggestion, my lord?"

He sighed and sat back down. "What is it?"

"The girl has been through quite a few traumatic events, and this isn't the first time she's been a... mandatory guest, so to speak. Would it hurt to give her one night to adjust?"

The masked man thought for a moment.

"No, I suppose not. But... has she eaten anything at all?"

"No, my lord. It doesn't seem as though she intends to. She has had some water, however." Weebo responded.

"...I will give her this one night. Give Shin the unfortunate news. Now, come morning, she will eat, one way or another. Here's what you will tell her..."

The Earl gave his instructions to Weebo and left for his chambers.

"What of your dinner, my lord?"

"I've lost my appetite." he growled.


This version of Earl Tyrant, as anyone familiar with Final Fantasy: Unlimited will have guessed is not the same character from the series, but an original character using his name.

Looks-wise, I envisioned him as sort of a human Unversed, much like how Ansem and Vanitas, with their dark skin/black hair and yellow eyes could be seen as human Heartless, which Ansem actually is and Vanitas is very similar to.

Also, I apologize for making Kairi a damsel in distress again, but for one thing, I think the scenario I put her in works a lot better than grabbing her by the wrist, and for another... well, you'll have to keep reading.