Kingdom Hearts

Ch. 46

Traverse Town

Gizmo Shop

Sora makes his way out the catacombs only to come across a latter leading back to the surface of the city. He climbed up to the top of the gutter moving the sewer plate above him. He climbed out the gutter to find himself in the First District. "Huh, everything is connected I guess," he said to himself.

He ran off past Cid's shop to the Second Districts entrance. He burst opened the door to see the bell tower right at the end of the road. A road leading from the door to the Gizmo Shop stretched around the square with a fountain right below the door Sora came into. Sora ran down the path leading to the bell tower. He quickly ran up to the tower only to be greeted by hordes of heartless. They appeared right across the path leading to the Gizmo Shop. They consisted of shadows, soldiers, and nocturnes. The Red nocturnes shot their fire magic at Sora. He quickly jumped off the path landing in the central square of the district.

Sora pointed his keyblade at heartless sounding, "Fire." Flames burst around Sora's keyblade before a frantic fire ball shot at the heartless destroying a soldier and two nocturnes. The heartless made their way into the square going after Sora. The young keyblade wielder stepped back only to walk into something. He looked up only to come face to face with a Heavy Heartless. Around him were three-heavy heartless with a green nocturne floating overhead.

They all lifted their fists preparing to crush Sora. He evades them with his dodge rolling skill to maneuver around one of heartless, striking it's back. The heartless flopped over falling on its face. The other two heartless bumped their stomachs before charging at him. Using his dodge roll he avoided both heartless attacks. Looking over he saw the green nocturne fly around the heavy heartless he hurt. Green magic sprinkled around the heartless healing the enemy of all its injuries. "Healing magic? What a pain," said Sora.

The heavy heartless got back facing Sora. He giggled talking back to the monster, "You think you can defeat me. I don't care if I must fight 1000 of you I will protect this world no matter what. For my friends, for my family. I will save everyone. No matter what it takes." Sora rushed at the heartless. He jumped up the air stomping his shoes right on the heartless face launching himself at the green nocturne. With one strike, he destroyed the cleric heartless.

The heavy heartless retaliated by charging at Sora. The boy just smiled not moving an inch till the heartless was a few feet in front of him. Before the heartless could run over Sora. He jumped right in the air completely missing the heartless. The heavy heartless ran straight into a wall smashing into solid stone. Sora fell to the ground before turning to the heartless's back sounding, "Key Barrage." Assaulting the monsters vulnerable back with countless strikes of his keyblade.

The heavy heartless keeled over disappearing back to the dark void it came from. The two-other heartless were still alive preparing to crush him. One hopped into the air. It was soon right above Sora.

Sora looked to the ground seeing the shadow cast above him. He stepped to the side effortlessly avoiding the attack. The heavy slammed its body on the pavement with little avail. Sora took his keyblade and hit the heartless's head with it. The heavy heartless was destroyed. The final one charged at Sora like the first one. Sora again didn't move. He took up his keyblade holding each end with a hand.

He stomped his feet on the ground making a steady stance. The heartless slammed into Sora's weapon. Using all the strength he had the young boy halted the enemy's progression. Sora screamed loudly with one final thrust pushing back the heartless's entire body. The heartless fell on its back hard. Sora jumped atop the monster's thick gut pointing the keyblade at its face. He then thrusted the keyblade into the heartless's face destroying it. The enemies were defeated.

Sora wiped off some sweat when he heard some twitching. He turned to see the heartless from before stagnant in their place. One stepped back from the keyblade wielder. "No there is no escape for you," he said with a soft and grim voice. Sora took his keyblade charging at them destroying everyone he saw. There dark bodies evaporated as their hearts floated up into the sky.

Sora looked around to see if any heartless remained. When he knew he was alone. He sent his keyblade away. He walked over to a city bench jumping on it giving him a boost up to the path leading to the bell tower. He walked to the side of the building to find a door leading inside.

He entered into a strange room with much more colorful and elaborate equipment then anything he's ever seen before. The room consisted of moving contraptions and gears. But no one was here. Sora questioned why such a placed existed. But he had a job to do so he put it off for another time. He exited the shop through the door way on the other side of the room. Sora found a latter to climb where he easily scaled it. He made his way to the top to find the bell hanging atop the building.

Sora walked up to the rope connected to the bell. He pulls on the rope ringing the bell. The mural in the fountain below changes and the empty fountain fills with flames. Sora rings it again and the mural changes once more, the fire dissipating and the lights above the fountain blink on. When the bell tolls the third time, the lights shut off and water spurts out of the fountain, the mural changing finally to butterflies surrounding a flower, which then reveals a large Keyhole.

Sora jumps down to the square and approaches the fountain when the Guard Armor drops from the sky. "What another one!" he said frustrated. Sora begins attacking the torso of the Heartless. It's arms and legs shifted around while Sora tried to hit its body. But the arms and legs keep getting in the way. Sora remember the first time they fought. He had Donald and Goofy to go after the hands and feet. But they're gone now. Sora knew he had to finish this by himself. Sora concluded it would be best to strike its body first instead of the limbs. If the heartless can hold him off it will be able to enter the keyhole destroying this world and taking everyone with it.

Sora continued to avoid the heartless's attack striking the body whenever he could. It spins its arms wildly and with a few more hits, it crashes to the ground, motionless. Sora pauses, watching as the armor twitches. It reforms its body and falls forward, its arms digging into the ground. Its torso and legs flip over, and the toes of its hammer-like feet curve inwards, forming hands. Its helmet opens and its yellow eyes stare blankly at him. It lunges forward and meets the blade in Sora's hands.

The Opposite Armor continues to tackle him, floating in midair. The Heartless soon splits itself in half, the helmet and arms going after Sora, the helmet swirls around between the arms, almost taunting him, before its body reforms. It moves to tackle the boy again, but mid-tackle, Sora strikes, knocking its parts everywhere. Nearly defenseless, Sora destroy its appendages, leaving just the torso and helmet. It turns its torso sideways, staring at him with its glowing eyes.

A ball of energy shoots out from inside it, and it targets Sora, who dodges it. Another ball of energy shoots out, but Sora wasn't fast enough. The blast hit Sora at full force. He grunted in pain while being thrown from where he was standing all the way to the bell tower smashing into the wall bloody and bruised. He fell to the ground trying to recover. He looked up breathing heavily at the monster. The heartless looked at him for a few moments but then turned away from him. The monster began to move towards the keyhole.

"No, no. Not again. You can't," he moaned. Sora with every bit of strength he had. Got back on his feet. "I won't let you," he called for his keyblade again.

"I made a promise and I'm going to keep it. Squall, Cid, Yuffie, Merlin, Aerith. This may not be your home but it's all you've got. I won't let you go through that again."

Unknowing to Sora a mysterious figure in a brown cloak watched over the young boy witnessing the whole fight. His face was concealed, and he carried a spear in hand. He watched Sora casting the fire spell. He shot his magic at the monster but the heartless did not phase. It continued closing in on the keyhole. "No!" shouted Sora.

But the impact he took really hurt his legs and he couldn't run as fast as he usually does. The Opposite Armor's head spun finally getting close enough to the fountain. Its body began to revert to darkness. Parts of it began making its way into the keyhole. The beasts head raised to the sky shaking violently.

Then from the rooftops the draped man jumped off the building landing on the heartless's shoulders. He then took his spear and thrusted it into the beast's dark void of a head.

It reverted to its original heartless form ceasing from entering the keyhole. Sora knew this was his chance. He took his keyblade sounding, "Key Thrust." A strong force exited from the keyblade. The force smashed into the heartless's torso sending it flying into the air. The cloaked man took his spear and jumped to the ground safely. Its head became detached from its body as it fell to the ground. The Opposite Armor smashed into the pavement with its helmet head. The heartless's body began to fade as a heart exited its body flying into the air. Sora walks over to the shining Keyhole, and locks it. The Keyhole shimmers and breaks off, disintegrating into pieces, leaving only the butterfly mural visible.

Sora laughs a bit as blood fell down his forehead. He turned around to see the shrouded man standing behind him. "Hey thank you. I couldn't have done it without you," he said to the man.

"Sora," said the man in broken English.

"Huh, you know who I am?" he said scratching his head.

"Wait," he looked at the figures spear noticing a certain familiarity to it. It was made of a long stick with a stone for the sharp end.

"Sora," the mysterious figure said again. The man removed his shroud revealing to Sora his identity. Sora had no words to express his feelings. He remained shocked with his eyes wide open. Under the old cloak was a man only dressed in a loincloth. He had a long chin and brown hair. His eyes were brown and his hair were fitted with dreadlocks.

"Tarzan!" was the only words Sora could muster. The ape man of Deep Jungle has made his way to Traverse Town.