Authors Note: Kay, so HI everybody! First of all, I wanted to apologize for not updating in so long. Second, I just wanted to say thank you for reading this, and for sticking around this far into the story. I could use some constructive criticism from you guys, any advice or ideas are welcome, as well as telling me if I should continue to do different POVs or not. ALSO I'm going to warn you all that this chapter will be slightly longer(I hope) and I'm going to attempt another POV, but I won't label it because I don't want to give it away. After this I WILL label POV, no worries! And SORRY in advance for any ooc -ness, I haven't finished KH: CoM or 358/2 days yet, but I'm working on it so I'm doing my best with it. So yeah... Enjoy!
You know, if I owned Kingdom Hearts, there would be a movie solely about the Organization. Then a couple sequels/prequels about Ventus/Terra/Aqua's and Sora/Riku/Kairi's stories. But first, the Organization! Disclaimed, in case you didn't catch that.
'Ugh... man, my head is pounding!' I thought, reaching for my head. 'Wait a second... but that means...'
"I've got a pulse!" I sat bolt upright, wherever I was, shouting out my surprise. That was a bad idea, because now my head hurt way worse. As I held my head in my hands, I started laughing. "I got a pulse! AHAHAHAHA! Wait... so that means...
I'VE GOT A HEART!"
I lay back down in pure awe, staring at the clear blue sky above me. This was amazing! I just laid there, listening to my blood pounding in my ears as I ran my hands through my red hair. This could take some getting used too...
I didn't get much time to enjoy my new heart, because off in the distance I heard screaming. Now, normally, I wouldn't have cared if someone was screaming for help, though I admit I might be mildly curious. But now, I got this hard knot in my chest, and it didn't go away. I felt bad for whoever was screaming, like I should try and do something about it. But I'd never had this feeling before. Was this what guilt felt like?
I didn't like it, so I decided I needed to do something about it. I stood up, wobbling a bit from my still aching head, then took off in the direction of the screaming.
~Korin's POV
Kicking and screaming didn't help my case at all. The soldier that had captured me had bound my wrists together in front of me so I couldn't fight back, and held my forearm in his vice grip. The sounds of the fighting in front of me got louder, so I stopped struggling. Suddenly, something hot and red, that looked a lot like fire, shot past me, nearly missing my head. It skimmed me, but hit my captor square in the chest. He let go of me as he stumbled backwards, and I took this opportunity to stomp on his foot and elbow him in the stomach. While he was doubled over I slammed my clasped hands onto the back of his neck, trying to hurt him but hopefully not kill him.
Turning back to the fighting, I caught more glimpses of flames. Something inside me told me I needed to get in there, so I took off into the mess or burly, and lanky, soldiers, pushing and fighting the whole time. Upon reaching the middle of the mob, I found myself back to back with my unexpected saviour. I still hadn't gotten a clear look at his face, but I would worry about that later. Right now I was just letting my instincts take over, trying to avoid getting beaten or burnt to a crisp. I had just lifted my hands above my head, about to slam them into a nearby attacker, when a fireball whizzed past, burning through the rope and freeing me.
"Much better." I said, more to myself than anyone else as I rubbed my wrists. Jumping back into a battle ready stance, I was caught off guard by a soldier, who's gloved fist was aimed at my stomach and closing fast. I prepared for impact, closing my eyes and holding my arms in front of me, just picturing the fist hurtling towards me. Then I realized that... nothing had happened. I opened my eyes and looked up to see that the soldier's hand was being held back, by some mysterious force. Suddenly, the force dissipated, and his hand was freed. As he massaged his hand, my curiosity got the better of me. I lifted my own hand, and focused solely on the soldier's other hand. It rose to match mine, so I decided to have some fun. I swung my arm around, his doing the same, and giving him a good smack or three before turning my attention back to the real fight. Unsure of the new ability, I began experimenting with it, and slowly pushing the limits. I lifted a sword here, relocated a fireball there, and already the odds were much more in my, er, our favor. After taking a well placed kick to the back and falling on my face, though, I figured I should really stop messing around. Lucky for me, my attacker thought so too, and as he lifted his boot to stomp on my head, I waved my hand over me and created a strange, slightly violet tinted barrier between his foot and my face, angering him greatly. I pushed, and the barrier grew and surged, sending him flying.
The next thing I knew, the leader of the group, the one with the silver and black hair and the scar, called out to his troops.
"Fall back! Retreat! If we can't get her back alive Master Narxis will make sure WE're not alive!" And with that, they began to leave. Some ran, others, well, couldn't really run because they were unconscious, hopefully...
Since I assumed I was safe, I stood up, brushing myself off a bit. I heard something like shuffling feet behind me, and when I turned around, not only did I see the back of a straggling soldier flailing his arms out wildly, but also a falling, and flailing, red haired mass. I had no time to react, because the next thing I knew we were both on the ground, and his surprisingly light weight nearly crushing me. Curse me small, frail figure...
I was then pulled from my silent musings when I looked into the face of the fallen person. That face... so familiar...
WAIT! The picture! The glass window, the trio, the red head! He had the same flaming red hair, the same angled face, even the intoxicating toxic green eyes, except now, they held a hint of a teal blue along the edges. That, and his tear drop markings were gone. But I didn't really care. I was too absorbed in his face, even with the shocked expression on it.
We stared into each other's eyes for a moment, both of us shocked but not daring to move. That is, until I heard the snapping of small support staffs and the crashing of glass jars, which brought me back to reality. And he came with me.
~Axel's POV
For some reason, I hated to look away from her midnight blue eyes. I'd never seen a deeper, more amazing shade of blue in my whole strange, partially non-existent life. But as soon as she turned her head back towards the burning wreckage, I snapped back into focus. Awkwardly, we both stood up, and she took off almost instantly towards the burning tent as I brushed off my dirty, slightly burnt white v-neck shirt. I hadn't really realized what I was wearing until now. The simple white shirt was paired with a pair of plain, baggy black pants and some red and white shoes. Not too bad, seeing as I usually wore black anyways, this was a welcome change.
"NO! NANA!" Now I knew what concern felt like too. And I had a feeling this was going to be a long day.
~Korin's POV
"NO! NANA! No! No..." She wasn't dead. She couldn't be. Not yet! No, I wouldn't allow it. How could I let this happen? Why?
I was so absorbed in my thoughts I hadn't realized I was sobbing, and there were a few stray tears streaking my face. I also didn't realize, or maybe I just didn't care, that my random red headed hero had followed me, and was now crouching beside me as I held Nana's face in my hands. He placed a solemn hand on my shoulder, as an attempt at being comforting. But nothing could have comforted me then. Nothing.
Suddenly, her short, ragged breaths sharpened, and she opened her eyes slightly. I was so surprised I screamed out her name again, igniting new hope. She smiled at me, then turned slightly, and smiled some more. I followed her gaze to see she was staring at the young man beside me. He and Nana stared at each other for a moment before he looked away, off into the distance. Then Nana turned back to me, and began to speak, her voice soft but fleeting.
"Well done, my child. Well done." Her frail hand lifted, and I held it in mine immediately. I thought she was just talking about the fighting she may or may not have just witnessed. That is, until she spoke again. "He'll make an excellent Knight."
"Wha- Nana!" I half yelled, half whispered. Thankfully, whoever he was he didn't seem to know what she was talking about, because he had stood up and walked away for a moment, giving us some space and privacy.
"Now, child, before I go..." She spoke in between ragged breaths, her voice starting to falter. "I need to show you something. Do you have the gem?"
I made a random guess she was talking about the glittering green thing I had grabbed earlier. When I had grabbed the it and the bear, I had shoved them into a small grey knapsack, which I had put on my back. I took it off now, pulling out the gem. It was attached to a thick black ribbon of some sort. I handed it to her, but I didn't let go. I didn't have the chance.
There was a blinding flash of light, and the next thing I knew, I was standing on a beach. There were lush trees and a waterfall behind me, and in front of me a vast, clear ocean spread out under a setting orange sun. Spinning around in my new environment, I heard laughter and the sounds of pounding feet. I turned, and coming off of a dock to my right was a group of kids, all seemingly about my age. One was a boy with shaggy brown hair that spiked off in all directions, wearing a black and white hoodie and black and red shorts. Another was a boy with long silver hair, which mostly covered his eyes, wearing a yellow vest and blue pants. Lastly, there was a girl, with red hair, dark eyes, and a pink dress. Even before I fully registered each of them, I recognized them. They were the ones from the windows, the pictures I'd crashed through. And they were racing across the beach, coming towards me fast! There wasn't much I could do, so I just braced for impact. But they ran right through me, like I was a ghost. They didn't even acknowledge me, much to my relief.
"Pay attention, child." Nana's voice echoed around me, seemingly from nowhere. "These children are the keyblade bearers. They are your friends, and they will help you on your journey. The small boy is Sora. The taller one, Riku. And the girl is Kairi. You must find them," The scenery changed, and I was standing in a large stone castle, one that looked a lot like the one that was up on the hill near Nana's tent. More footsteps echoed in the hallway I stood in. The soldier from earlier was there, as well as a boy with jagged, dark grey-ish blue hair in a black vest and white and blue pants, and a person in a black coat with the hood pulled up. They were conversing, more or less, and were followed by a few others in cloaks, as well as a few strange grey monster like things. But, like before, the people passed right through me and continued on their way. The monsters, on the other hand, sent a chill through me as they passed. "While avoiding them."
"But, Nana, who's them?" I called to her. "And why do I need to avoid them?"
"They are after something, child. Something you have. And they cannot fulfill their evil purpose without it. You cannot let them have it, do you understand?"
"Y-yes Nana."
"Good. Now, if you ever need me, for strength or guidance, you may call upon me any time. I am always with you, in your heart."
She still hadn't answered my other question, but apparently she didn't have time, because suddenly the floor and the walls disintegrated, and I fell for a moment before the bright flash of light returned me to the present.
~Axel's POV
Figuring now was as good a time as any to stop and think a moment, I got up and left the girl and her grandmother alone for a moment. All these thoughts raced through my head, and now that I had a heart, there were emotions attached to those thoughts. There was the odd feeling of recognition, during the short battle, when I could have sworn I'd seen Xigbar, snarky and aloof as ever, in the flesh. But the man I saw couldn't have been Xiggy. Could he? If I was still alive, and I'd become a full being again, who's to say the others weren't as well? That would definitely be big trouble for me! After the stunts I pulled, they were all probably ready to kill me! Especially...
A bright glint of light out of the corner of my eye brought my attention back to the girl and her grandma. I hadn't noticed before, but as the girl stood up, I saw that she was about my age, albeit a bit shorter. Speaking of age, how old was I now? I hadn't really seemed to age as a nobody, but in truth I had. By now I was probably about... 17? Yeah, that seemed right.
The girl. She'd appeared before somewhere. In a dream, I think. I recognized her, but couldn't place her. It was a long shot, but maybe I knew her from somewhere...
"Good bye, Nana..." The girl said in parting. She had begun to walk away from the old woman, picking up a few jars that had rolled from the wreckage. She placed them in her backpack, and turned towards me. "Hey, you coming or not?"
"Wha-why? Er, I mean-" I couldn't figure out why she'd want me of all people to follow her, wherever she was going. I mean, I used to be evil, I killed people (if Nobodies count as people). But what I just said sounded... rude. Some part of me was pretty embarrassed, so it tried to salvage the conversation. "I barely know you."
"Well," She smirked, and my resolve melted. "You saved me. I feel like I owe you something for that. Besides, might need your help again sometime."
"Heh, from what I saw, you're no damsel in distress." I commented, running up beside her.
"And, I gotta feeling those guys aren't just going to leave you alone now that you kicked their butts. Especially that leader guy. He seemed real miffed when you showed up." She continued to walk, one hand in her pocket, the other on the strap of her backpack. "So, if we're going to be spending more time together, we should at least get to know each other." She spun around so she was walking backwards in front of me and stopped. "My name's Korin."
"Well, Korin, its nice to meet you. The name's Axel. Got it memorized?"
