I'M NOT DEAD! Well, I'm practically dead from how much my school overworks me, like 10 homeworks per week, I actually still have a few to make, so I barely had time to work on this chapter and I had to force myself to work on it for several days. But don't you all worry, I have every intention to finish this fanfic regardless of how long it takes me to update.
Oh, and I'm glad I managed to post this chapter in time to celebrate Sora's arrival in Super Smash Bros.!
Anyways, let's get to the story now!
Kanbo and Kitsune were walking in the corridors of the Beaming Castle.
Kanbo was now wearing a black turtleneck, with a blue double breasted high neck coat. A black belt where his sheathed katana was on, and black pants with long brown boots. His long white hair was also tied in a ponytail.
Kitsune wore something more casual, he had a white tank top with a red sleeveless jacket, black fingerless gloves, and black jeans and red sneakers. He also had white sports tape around his arms and legs.
The Human-Fox hybrid was reading a piece of paper given to them by the Queen. In it, it had the location of the Seven Princesses of Heart, with the kidnapped ones being classified as being in unknown locations.
"So, what's our first move? The kidnapped Princesses could be anywhere, so no point looking for them now, I suggest we first go to the worlds of the Princesses we know are safe and offer them protection." Kitsune suggested to his white-haired partner.
Kanbo continued walking, "First of all, I must contact my troops and tell them of my absence, so they'll be ready for whatever threats might come."
Kitsune nodded, "Good idea, I should probably find someone else for gatekeeping duties while I'm out, thankfully, I know just the person!" The Fox Hybrid smirked before vanishing in a flash of lightning.
Kanbo smiled slightly, "Same old Kitsune." He said to himself as he continued walking through the corridor before he arrived in the training field of his troops.
"Jadus!" Kanbo called out.
A man turned around to face Kanbo. He had shoulder length blond hair and a goatee, wearing a red high-neck shirt with a black leather trench coat.
"Kanbo!" The man known as Jadus cheerfully said, "How's it going, captain?" He asked the white haired man.
"I ask you to keep what I'm about to tell you as a secret between us." Kanbo replied, his tone as serious as ever.
Noticing things seemed dire, Jadus turned serious as well, "Alright, what is it?" He whispered, approaching Kanbo so no one would hear what they're talking about.
Kanbo grabbed Jadus shoulder, and they walked a few distances away from the other soldiers.
"King Shuryo has vanished." Kanbo whispered.
"What? How?" Jadus asked, his eyes widened in shock.
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you the reason, but Kitsune and I have been entrusted by the queen a mission in relation to that. I give you the leadership of the King's Guard during the period I'm away." Kanbo carefully instructed Jadus.
Jadus nodded, "And what about Suguru? Isn't he your apprentice? You've been training him for this moment, haven't you?" He asked his captain.
Kanbo looked the distance, "I have, but he's also been entrusted to a mission by the king, so you're the one here I trust the most to lead the guard while I'm out."
Jadus tapped Kanbo's back, "Thank you, I won't disappoint your trust, captain."
Kanbo nodded, "I know you won't. I must be going now." He said before he walked away.
Kitsune landed in a tree trunk, he looked around himself and saw nothing but an empty forest, but he knew something was up. He looked to his side and saw a string, the Fox Hybrid simply smirked as he used one of his claws to cut the string, which resulted in log tied by a string to swing at him from behind, which he casually dodged by just stepping to the side. Several arrows were then shot at him, but he used his amazing speed to catch all of them.
"Nice try, Tsuta!" Kitsune smirked as he dropped the arrows.
A girl then dropped on the same tree trunk he was in. She was a young girl with long brown hair tied in a braid that reached her hips, she was wearing a black Kunoichi outfit.
"Very funny, what're you even doing here, Kitsune?" Tsuta asked him in an annoyed tone while folding her arms.
Kitsuna turned serious, "You know how to keep a secret?" He asked her.
Tsuta knew Kitsune isn't the serious type, so seeing him like that made her know this was a big deal, so she dropped the sassy act and looked at him with a serious face, "I can, what's wrong?"
Kitsune folded his arms, "King Shuryo has gone off in a special mission." Tsuta's eyes widened as she took a step back in shock, "I know, but unfortunately, we don't know the full details yet, but Kanbo and I have been given a mission from the queen, so we'll need to leave for some time."
"I see, well, good luck, but I don't get it, why're you telling me this?" Tsuta asked him.
"Because I'm the gatekeeper of the castle, so we'll need someone else to do the job while I'm away, and I trust you with it."
Tsuta blushed and looked away for some time, "M-M-Me?! What about Nakami? Aren't you always with that idiot?!"
Kitsune sighed, "I know you two don't get along, but now's not the time for petty grudges. Anyways, Nakami is also out in a mission by the king, so please do that for me, we can't leave the castle unguarded."
Tsuta sighed, "You're right, I'm sorry. Okay, I'll keep the castle guarded while you're out, leave it to me!" She confidently said as she pumped her fist.
Kitsune smirked, "I knew I could!" He said as he ruffled her hair, making Tsuta giggle, "Okay, see you later!" He said before teleporting in a flash of lightning.
Kanbo was standing in the hangar in front of their Gummi Ship, Kitsune then teleported to his side.
"So, you took care of that issue?" Kitsune asked his older friend.
"Yes, you?" Kanbo asked.
Kitsune gave him a thumbs up, "So, what do we do next? Go save the Princesses?"
Kanbo shook his head no, "Not yet, first, we must find some back-up."
Kitsune scoffed, "You kidding? You forgot how much ass we kicked together back in the day? Man, I'm getting nostalgic now…Me, you, Shuryo, those were the days, just three bros adventuring together…"
"You are correct in that regard, but the Princesses of Heart being kidnapped is far too much of a threat for us to take lightly. We might need some back-up for this, and it's best to be prepared. Not to mention if we bring more, it will allow us to split up and cover the worlds at a faster pace." Kanbo told him.
Kitsune thought about it before turning serious, "Yeah, I see where you're coming from with that. Any idea who we ask for help?"
"I know a place, and I believe you know it too." Was all Kanbo replied with as he entered the Gummi Ship.
The hybrid was confused for some seconds before his eyes widened and his jaw dropped, then he smirked and pumped his fist, "Oh sweet! It's been some time since we've been there!", he then jumped inside the Gummi Ship next to Kanbo.
Sora, Suguru and Nakami had no luck in chasing Kerchak, the Gorilla could move at a pace that the three of them couldn't hope to match. The three of them were going as fast as they could, jumping over tree branches and even swinging at vines to gain some distance, but Kerchak not only gained some good distance from them while they were busy back then fighting Heartless, but he's been in this jungle his whole life, so he clearly had the edge over them when it came to traversing through it.
"We're never gonna catch up to him at this rate!" Sora groaned, but then his eyes widened as he remembered something, "Suguru! Quick, shoot an arrow at one of the trees!"
Suguru raised an eyebrow at first until he realized Sora's plan. He nodded and pulled out a Thunder arrow and shot it at one of the trees, it moved at lightning-fast speeds, allowing it to move fast enough to close the distance between Kerchak and them and then go even further ahead as it hit one of the trees, making a large branch fall down, blocking the path ahead and making the Silverback Gorilla stop in its tracks.
"Nakami, your turn!" Sora told the girl. Nakami nodded and leaped upwards with enough strength to cause a small gust of wind. Nakami was now right behind Kerchak.
The girl pulled out a rope from her pocket, and she used her speed and agility to tie it around Kerchak's legs and then pull him down at the ground, him slamming into it full force. The Gorilla growled and roared at that, but before he could break free, Nakami also tied the rope around it's hands. She hated doing that to an animal, but knew it'd be necessary for Jane and her father's research, she'd let Kerchak go soon enough.
Sora and Suguru eventually reached their friend and the Gorilla. "Great plan, never would've expected that from you." Suguru told Sora.
Sora smirked as he placed his hands behind his head, "I have my moments. Y'know, sometimes I forget that Nakami is a Ninja." He said, Suguru nodded.
"I told you I'm not a Ninja!" Nakami yelled, making the two flinch, "I just know Ninjutsu!"
"Isn't that the same as being a Ninja though?" Suguru asked with an eyebrow raise.
"What?! No! How often do you see me being stealthy and silent?! You can't be a Ninja without being these things!" She argued back.
"Different types of Ninjas I guess." Suguru shrugged.
"That's not a thing…" Nakami groaned.
Sora awkwardly chuckled as the two continued their argument, but then he noticed Kerchak kept shaking, and the ropes started getting torn apart.
"Uh…Guys?" Sora tried to call them, but the two continued arguing, "Guys?" He said, slightly louder, still nothing, "GUYS!" He yelled, now getting their attention.
"What?!" Suguru and Nakami asked, turning their attention to him.
"The rope!" Sora pointed at the rope being torn, but by then it was too late, as Kerchak broke free and knocked the three away and dashed forward.
Suguru hit the ground in anger, "Damn it!" he yelled, "We tried everything we had! We can't slow him down in anyway without injuring him!"
"We're not doing that!" Sora was quick to say. While he also wanted to slow down Kerchak, he wasn't an enemy, they had no reason to injury him.
"I don't wanna do it either, but how else can we slow him down?!" Suguru argued back.
Sora looked down and groaned, "We'll find a way! We have to! C'mon!" He said with determination as he run off to continue to chase the Gorilla, Nakami was quick to follow him.
Suguru groaned, but followed Sora anyways, he knew that now they had no time to waste in arguments.
Yuna shoots the last Heartless near her and sighs. The brunette stands up and looks around herself, she sees Rikku and Paine but no more Heartless around them.
"You think that was all of them or are there more of them hidden?" Rikku asked.
"Unlikely, Heartless aren't strategic, they're mindless monsters." Paine was quick to shoot down the idea.
Yuna nodded, "Let's go, we need to reunite with Sora, Suguru and Nakami." She told the other two. They nodded at their leader and the three ran off to where the other trio were.
"You think we'll catch up with them? They got a pretty big head start there!" Rikku asked as she ran.
"We won't catch up with them by standing still, so let's just go for now." Yuna replied to her friend, also running as she did so.
Sora, Suguru and Nakami continued chasing Kerchak, but as the chase continued, the three got a weird feeling through their veins.
"I don't know what it is, but I'm starting to get a bad feeling from this place in the Jungle…!" Sora groaned mentally but didn't slow down. The same went for Suguru and Nakami.
Suddenly, Kerchak was knocked down and trapped by a bunch of Powerwild Heartless, who held down the struggling Gorilla and pinned him down to the ground.
Sora, Suguru and Nakami gasped at the sight, but before they could react, the same happened to them, only it was regular Shadows pinning them down.
"Argh! What gives?! Where did these freaks came from?!" Sora shouted as he struggled on the ground.
"Dammit! I can't move!" Nakami groaned, the Heartless holding her down on the ground.
Suguru growled, but then his eyes widened as he looked around. The sight was a crushing one, several Gorillas were being held down by Powerwilds, and others were trapped in cage.
"Guys!" Suguru yelled, getting Sora and Nakami's attention and drawing their sight to the trapped Gorillas.
Sora and Nakami gasped in shock. "What's going on here?!" Sora yelled in a mix of frustration, anger and confusion.
(Cue Villains Of A Sort – Kingdom Hearts)
They heard steps coming their way, making the three turn their attention to them. They widened their eyes as they saw Clayton, but that wasn't all.
His appearance was the same, but it felt so different. An aura of darkness came from his body as several Heartless followed him from behind. There were also several men walking alongside him, not bothered by the heart stealing monsters close to them, but what stood out the most was that these men were holding Jane and Archimedes, both unconscious.
Clayton darkly chuckled at seeing the three on the ground, "It seems that now I don't need to worry about you three being an inconvenience."
"Clayton, you traitor!" Sora yelled, he tried to lunge at him but couldn't move due to the Heartless holding him down.
"Where's Tarzan?! What did you do to him, you bastard?!" Suguru growled.
Clayton smirked, "See for yourself." He said as he and his men stepped aside, showing the three the ape man's location. He was being restrained by Powerwild Heartless just like the other Gorillas, but that wasn't the most shocking thing about Tarzan's predicament.
Tarzan's body was full of injuries, cuts, slices, and bleeding. The Powerwilds dropped his unconscious body on the ground, Sora, Suguru and Nakami stared at his body shocked beyond words, not knowing what to say.
Kerchak stared at Tarzan's body with widened eyes and his jaw dropped. He let out a furious roar at Clayton and tried everything in his power to free himself, but the Powerwilds proved stronger and kept him restrained.
"Tarzan! Clayton, how could you?! We trusted you!" Nakami angrily asked the hunter.
Clayton chuckled as he approached him, "That was your first mistake, brats. I must say, he's a tough one, but I made sure that he won't be standing up after what we did to him." The hunter boasted as he used his shotgun to lift Tarzan's chin. "How does it feel? Knowing you brought me here? Knowing all of this is your fault? It must hurt, huh?" He taunted to the unconscious Tarzan, the smug smirk in his face still present.
"Shut up!" Sora yelled, getting Clayton's attention as he turned to look at the boy. "You bastard traitor…We thought you were our friend, and you stabbed us in the back like this…" The spiky haired boy angrily said.
Suguru and Nakami stared at Sora in amazement, they never heard Sora sounding so angry.
Clayton smirked at that, "It's not my fault you dumbasses were such a pain. I mean, study Gorillas? Beautiful creatures? Gimme a break already! These animals are just useful to make money by selling them, and that's the truth. Then this other guy gave me this power and it all just became too easy."
"You rotten…!" Sora groaned.
"Save it, brat!" Clayton shouted before kicking Sora in the gut, knocking him to the ground as he held his stomach in pain.
"SORA!" Nakami shouted in worry. Suguru widened his eyes and growled at Clayton.
Clayton approached Tarzan, "Aside from this one, you were the biggest pain in the ass by far." He told Sora as he loaded his shotgun and pointed it at Tarzan's head. "Once I'm done with him, you're next."
That was when Kerchak had enough. In one giant burst of rage, he freed himself from the Powerwilds restraining him and furiously ran at Clayton, a giant roar coming from him.
Clayton simply stared at the rage-filled Gorilla with a disinterested look. When Kerchak threw a punch at him, Clayton grabbed the punch as if it was nothing. Shocking both Kerchak and the others.
"Know your place, you damn ANIMAL!" Clayton yelled as he backhanded Kerchak, knocking him on the ground before more Powerwilds appeared to restrain him.
"DAMN YOU!" Suguru yelled, he tried freeing himself, but the Shadows held him tight.
Clayton smirked as he prepared to shoot Tarzan in the head.
(Villains Of A Sort stops playing)
Sora stood in the ground, holding his stomach in pain from Clayton's kick.
"Dammit…Is there nothing I can do?!" Sora thought to himself.
"Have you forgotten what I told you?"
(Cue Dearly Dreams – Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep)
Sora widened his eyes. It was Kairi's voice again. He suddenly found himself standing in an empty black space, Kairi standing in front of him.
"Kairi…"
"It's like I told you before, you never gave up back in the Islands, and you didn't give up when it was being destroyed, and you also didn't give up when fighting these Heartless. So why are you giving up now?" She asked him.
Sora looked down, upset, "I feel like there's nothing left I can do."
"You still have to try. As long as you can still fight, there's something you can do, and I know you still have fighting spirit within you."
"How do you know that?" Sora asked.
"Because if you had given up, then I wouldn't have been able to talk to you."
Sora took a few steps back and looked at his own hands.
"Are you just going to watch as they kill them all?" Kairi asked, her voice now sounded more serious.
Sora's eyes widened. He remembered Clayton standing over Tarzan's bruised body and pointing a shotgun at his head. This memory made the young boy grit his teeth in anger.
"Because that's what'll happen if you don't do anything. Are you saying the Keyblade was wrong in choosing you? Because you can't save your friends?"
Sora clenches his fists. She was right, he could still fight, it didn't matter how hopeless the situation was, he refused to let it end like he were some coward who just laid down and let others die, that's not how it ends, he will continue fighting, fighting for his friends and for everyone. It was his duty as a Keyblade Wielder.
"It wasn't." Was his response.
Kairi smiled at that, "Very well."
(Dearly Dreams stops playing)
Sora found himself again on the ground in Deep Jungle, holding his stomach in pain, but this time, he slowly stood up.
"That's enough!" Sora yelled as loud as he could, this got everyone's attention. Suguru, Nakami, Clayton and his men, all turned their gaze to him.
"What was that…?" Clayton asked. He raised his shotgun and pointed it at Sora, "If you want to die that much, then fine, I'll kill you first!"
He snapped his fingers, summoning several Powerwilds, Clayton then pointed forward at Sora, causing them to dash at the boy and surround him.
(Cue Sora – Kingdom Hearts II)
Sora wasn't the slightest bit intimidated, instead he simply summoned his Keyblade. Suddenly, a bright red aura surrounded him.
Suguru and Nakami's eyes widened at that. The aura started to grow stronger and stronger.
"I will…I will….I WILL STOP YOU!" Sora yelled as he raised his Keyblade upwards. His red aura exploding, killing the Powerwilds around him. Then two red orbs came from Sora's Keyblade, which then merged, creating a large shining orb in the sky, Sora leaped at the orb and sliced it, creating a huge explosion of light, causing Suguru, Nakami and Clayton and his men to cover their eyes.
(Sora stops playing)
Once the light vanished, Suguru and Nakami opened their eyes and looked around, amazed by what they saw, the Heartless around the area all perished, including the Shadows restraining them and the Powerwilds restraining Kerchak and the other Gorillas.
"That power…" The two of them said.
Sora was breathing heavily as he still held his Keyblade, the attack took a lot out of him. He stared at his Keyblade in wonder, "How did I do that?" The boy thought to himself.
Clayton growled in anger, "ENOUGH! You think you've won because you killed some of my Heartless?! Well, I got bad news for you shitty brats!" He said as he snapped his fingers, summoning even more Powerwilds than before.
Suguru and Nakami gasped before pulling out their weapons and gathering around Sora.
"You think you can fight?" Nakami asked him.
"Yes." Sora groaned. The attack took a lot out of him, but he still had energy left to fight.
"Even still, there's too many of them." Suguru groaned.
Clayton chuckled, "Now, what do you think the three of you can do against all of them? You're all alone on this."
"They're not alone!"
(Cue YRP, Fight! No-3 – Final Fantasy X-2)
Surprising everyone, several of the Powerwilds surrounding them were shot down and vaporized in black smoke. The three widened their eyes in shock as Clayton turned around with a face that was a mix of shock and anger.
"WHAT?!" The hunter asked before two flashes, one yellow and the other black arrived in the area and cut through several more Powerwilds. The two flashes then were revealed to be Rikku and Paine, who landed in front of Sora, Suguru and Nakami.
"Looks like we arrived just in time." Paine said as she held her sword ready for combat.
"You can thank us later! Let's kick some Heartless butt now!" Rikku winked at the three.
Yuna arrived on the scene and placed her hand on Sora's shoulder, a warm smile on her face, "Sorry we got here late!"
Sora smirked at her, "Better late than never!" he replied with a thumbs up.
"You pieces of shit….!" They heard Clayton growling as he stood up, an aura of darkness around him, "I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" He screamed, making the aura explode as several Heartless appeared around him.
Sora, Suguru, Nakami, Yuna, Rikku and Paine all entered their combat stances as they circled around each other, surrounded by Heartless.
"There's too many of them! It's pointless to fight, let's try to save as many Gorillas as we can and get out of here!" Yuna shouted, everyone nodded at her.
"Leave Tarzan, Jane and Archimedes to us!" Sora said, Suguru and Nakami nodding alongside him as the three ran off to save them.
Suguru and Nakami dashed at Clayton's men, who were the ones holding Jane and Archimedes. The two youngsters looked at each other and nodded. Nakami then stabbed her katana in the ground as Suguru shot an ice arrow in it, this created a trail of ice that continued until it reached the feet of Clayton's men, making them unable to move.
"H-Hey! What the hell?!" One of them shouted.
"The hell did you brats did?!" Another angrily asked Suguru and Nakami
Suguru smirked and turned to Nakami, "I get Archimedes, you get Jane."
Nakami nodded and the two ran towards their friends and picked them up before running off. Clayton's men tried going after them, but their frozen feet made them unable to do so.
Sora was running towards Tarzan, but he was stopped in his tracks by Clayton shooting the ground ahead of him. The brunet keybearer turned his attention to the hunter, who was smirking sadistically at him.
"That was a warning shot. Next one I won't miss." He threatened the boy, already loading his shotgun for the next shot.
Sora groaned and was ready to fight him, but Yuna stepped in between them, pointing her guns at Clayton.
"There'll be no warning shot with me!" The brunette girl threatened, glaring at Clayton. She then turned her head to Sora, "Go get Tarzan! We need to get outta here!"
Sora nodded, "Thank you, Yuna!", he then ran off to get his friend.
Yuna smiled at Sora before glaring back at Clayton.
"I don't give a shit about who you are, I won't let anyone ruin my plans when I am so close to achieving them!" Clayton shouted.
"Sorry, but I have no intention in letting you hurt these Gorillas, or my friends!" She yelled back before she shot him, but Clayton dodged the bullet and pointed his shotgun at her before also shooting her. Yuna ducked to avoid the bullet and shot him more.
Sora leaped in the air and brought his Keyblade down at the Powerwilds restraining Tarzan, killing them in a puff of black smoke, releasing the Ape Man in the process.
Sora put Tarzan's arm on his shoulder and grabbed his back, "I got ya, let's get out of here!"
Rikku cut down the Powerwilds restraining the Gorillas, "Go, go, get outta here!" Rikku told them, causing the Gorillas to run off.
Paine used her sword to slice down the jails the Gorillas were in, "You're free, now go!" She said, the Gorillas escaped the area.
Yuna dodged more of Clayton's shots before hiding behind a rock. "Hurry up! I can't hold him up for much longer!" She yelled before shooting at him from behind the rock.
Sora blocked an attack from a Powerwild, Tarzan still on his back. The young brunet then pushed the Heartless aside and pointed his Keyblade at him. "FIRE!" He yelled, causing a fireball to be shot from the tip of his weapon, burning the Heartless.
Rikku then ran next to him, "Nice shot! Gimme Tarzan, I'll get him outta here!"
Sora nodded and gave the Ape Man to the blond girl, who put his arm on her shoulder as she held his back. Rikku gave Sora a thumbs up and ran off.
(YRP, Fight! No-3 stops)
Sora looked behind him and saw Suguru and Nakami, both carrying Archimedes and Jane respectively, he ran towards them. "We gotta save Kerchak!" Sora told the two of them.
"You crazy?! He'll rip us apart!" Suguru protested.
"We also can't stay in here much longer!" Nakami reminded him.
Sora groaned before looking at Kerchak on the ground, being restrained by the Powerwilds as he struggled to break free. Sora clenched his fists in frustration, before turning to Suguru and Nakami.
"But we can't just leave him here!" He shouted.
Suguru and Nakami's eyes widened as they took a step back. "You heard what Clayton said! He's gonna kill him for trying to attack him! If we leave him here then he'll die, and we can't let that happen!" Sora yelled, burning determination in his voice.
Suguru growled and grabbed Sora by the shirt, "Just how naïve are you?!" He angrily asked as he and Sora glared at each other. "You really think you can save everyone?! You'll just end up dead like this!"
Nakami pushed them away from each other, "Knock it off, now! We don't have time to waste fighting each other, we need to remember who the real enemy is!" She scolded them, but Sora and Suguru kept glaring at each other.
Sora then turned around, "You two leave if you want, I'm saving Kerchak!" He determinedly said before running off to where the Gorilla was.
Suguru and Nakami stood there for a few seconds. "Dammit…" Suguru groaned, "RIKKU! PAINE!" He called the older girls, who leaped in front of the two younger kids.
"Take Jane and Archimedes outta here, please, we gotta help our friend!" Nakami told them as she and Suguru gave the two British folks to them.
Rikku and Paine nodded and held them on their shoulders, "Good luck!" Rikku wished as she Paine ran off.
Suguru and Nakami looked at each other and nodded before both pulling out their weapons and running off to help Sora.
"I'll kill him after we save him!" Suguru groaned.
Sora summoned his Keyblade and sliced three of the Heartless near Kerchak with a single swing. The Silverback Gorilla roared at the young boy, who raised his hands defensively.
"W-Wait! I'm not here to hurt you! I'm here to save you!" Sora tried telling him, but the Gorilla didn't listen and, if he wasn't being restrained by the Heartless, he'd have already smashed Sora in the ground.
Sora groaned, thinking on how he'd make the Silverback listen to him, but his thoughts were interrupted by two Powerwilds lunging at him. He readied the Kingdom Key, but before he could do anything, they were killed by an arrow and 4 shuriken.
Sora's eyes widened and looked behind him, he saw Suguru and Nakami also coming to his aid. He smiled at his two friends. "Guys!"
"C'mon, we got a Gorilla to save!" Nakami said as she and Suguru stood between Sora. The brunet nodded at her and the three entered their combat stances.
(Cue Grand Metropolis – Sonic Heroes)
"I got a plan." Suguru said, getting their attention, "I can shoot my arrows on the Heartless holding down Kerchak without injuring him, but I'll need you two to cover me so I can focus my aim."
Sora and Nakami nodded, "Leave it to us!" Sora said, pointing his thumb at himself.
Suguru then stood in front of them and pulled out his bow and arrow and started shooting at the Powerwilds holding down Kerchak but making sure not to injure the Gorilla himself.
Four Powerwilds leaped at the redhead archer from behind, but Sora and Nakami sliced them before they could get closer, but more of them showed up.
"FIRE!" Sora and Nakami both yelled, shooting a fireball at the Heartless and vaporizing them before they had the chance to get close to Suguru.
Suguru kept shooting his arrows, trying to focus as much as he could. It wasn't particularly difficult as he had shot smaller targets than a moving Powerwild but keeping his focus in the middle of a fight was a difficult task.
Kerchak was growling from underneath the Heartless. Despite the Gorilla's strength, they easily kept him down, but as more of them were killed by Suguru's arrows, he could move and struggle more. Kerchak didn't understood these humans, at first they were attacking and trying to capture him, now they were saving him?
Suguru eventually managed to kill enough Heartless for Kerchak to move himself, which caused in the Gorilla to stand up and throw the Heartless off him and smashing them as soon as they hit the ground. The Gorilla then turned his attention to the three kids in front of him, they put away their weapons and raised their hands before slowly getting on the ground. Kerchak kept glaring at them for a few seconds before seeing they weren't there to capture him. The Silverback then rant past them to escape the area.
(Grand Metropolis stops)
Sora, Suguru and Nakami sigh relieved, "We did it…" The brunet mentioned.
"This whole 'I gotta save everyone' thing of yours will get you killed one day…" Suguru groaned at him.
"Doesn't matter, let's just get outta here!" Nakami told them as the three stood up and ran off. As they ran, they saw Yuna still fighting Clayton.
Yuna ran around, avoiding Clayton's shots before hiding behind a rock, as soon as she heard the bullets stopping, she moved out and shot a few bullets at him before hiding behind the rock again, but Clayton also dodged her bullets.
Clayton growled, "Get out and fight me!"
"If you insist!"
Clayton's eyes widened at the sound of the voice before he turned to the left. He saw Sora leaping at him and swinging the Keyblade, he knocked Clayton to the side with enough strength to crack a rock. The brunet then turned to Yuna, "Yuna! Let's get outta here! We'll save the other Gorillas as soon as we can!"
Yuna nodded, "Let's go!" She said as she got off from behind the rock and ran off the are of the jungle they were in, Sora following her.
Clayton falls down on the ground, a aura of darkness surrounding his body as he growls furiously. The Heartless approach him.
"Search every single place in this jungle, and don't stop until you find them and bring them to me….I WILL KILL THEM!" The hunter ordered the Heartless before they all scattered around the jungle to search for their targets.
Clayton growled as he breathed heavily from Sora's attack, he then heard a very familiar chuckle from behind him. Clayton turned around and saw Kuruoshi and Kenshi standing there.
"So, liking the new powers?" Kuruoshi asked him.
Clayton smirked, "They are…Serviceable." He said as he stared at his hand, which was surrounded by a darkness aura.
Kuruoshi smirked, "Hey, there's more to that than where it came from. Ya think the darkness I gave you is strong? Wait 'til ya see what my master can do!"
Clayton raised an eyebrow at that, "Interesting proposal, tell me more about this master of yours."
Kuruoshi then started telling Clayton about Kaihaku as Kenshi simply listened to their conversation. The boy couldn't be more uninterested on what they were saying, "I'm gonna head out." He said as he walked off.
Kuruoshi harshly grabbed him by the arm, it hurt but Kenshi kept his stoic face.
"And where are you going?" Kuruoshi asked him.
"Heartless are mindless beasts, they won't get shit done. I'll be looking for Clayton's targets too."
"Kaihaku doesn't want you fighting them yet." Was Kuruoshi's response.
"I'm not gonna fight them, if I find them then I'll report back to you two."
Kenshi and Kuruoshi glared at each other for some seconds. Eventually the older man let the boy go and he went into the jungle to look for them.
Kuruoshi then turned back to Clayton, "Like I was saying, what I gave to you is a mere sneak preview of what the real power of darkness can achieve. If you agree to join us, then my master Kaihaku will awaken even more power of darkness from within you." He explained it to the hunter.
Clayton thought about it for some seconds. His mind dwelled on his recent fight, and even with his newly acquired powers, he was still ultimately defeated, so a way to achieve even more power? He just couldn't say no to that.
"I'm interested." Clayton smirked.
Phew! This chapter took a lot outta me to make, especially with how tight my schedule has been lately, so I hope you all enjoy it! I can't promise how long it'll take for the next chapter, since my schedule isn't gonna be any more open anytime soon, but I'll try my best to post is as soon as I can.
Thank you all for sticking with this fanfic for so long!
May your heart be your guiding key!