A late afternoon sun shone on a small town's main street bustling with activity. It was that special day in the week when outside stalls were open, letting merchants sell their wares to the public without any trouble.
But as the light slowly dimmed and visibility became worse by the second, people slowly left so the merchants could pack and move on to the next town. A mother with a son was still on a shopping spree however, not allowing the sellers to leave.
The mother was using the merchants' impatient attitude to her benefit. Haggling her way to the best prices, she bought all the necessary things she headed out for except for a single last stall.
She bolted to the shop, her young son trailing behind her until he spotted a pretty-looking ball on the ground that stumbled its way towards him. He immediately switched his attention to it and went to pick it up, but the ball moved on its own thanks to the wind, blowing it away from the young boy.
Instead of letting the ball go and keeping close to his mother, he chased after the toy, leading him outside of the main street and into a dark alleyway. The ball disappeared, making him grow stiff at the sight, scared of going any further.
He heard the ball bounce inside the dark, and he was so captivated by it that he wanted to go inside. His will to get the toy was unwavering and with a gulp, he stepped inside.
He kept his ears perked up, hoping to hear the ball to guide him, but soon, there was no sound coming from any direction. The boy's determination suddenly vanished as he switched his gaze from side to side, hoping to find his way out of the alleyway, but his exit just wasn't there.
Panic began to fill his senses, and he was ready to cry if it wasn't for the ball bouncing off the floor once, but only once. The boy thought that a ball should bounce more than a single time, but he had no idea why it didn't.
That was until he spotted an outline inside the darkness, and soon heard steps as well. The outline got bigger and bigger before he could fully see who it was, or as much as he could.
A black coat with silver embroidery, and a hoodie fully hid his face. They towered over the young boy easily, but what caught the boy's attention was the ball inside the person's hand.
It was the same as the one he found on the streets.
The person lowered their head to take a look at the boy, humming in the process.
"Is this yours?" The person asked, their voice nigh indistinguishable.
"Um…" The boy hesitated for a second, before shaking his head, "No."
"Yet you chased after it into the darkness. Why?" The figure asked with quite the demanding tone, making the boy tense up.
"...Because I like how it looks," The boy said, but the person wasn't satisfied with his answer.
"Do you know what could have happened if you would venture too far?" They said ominously, "You could be trapped inside the darkness forever. Would you want that?"
"No..." The boy said, barely above a whisper and backing away slightly. The figure picked up on that before easing a little while bending down to the boy.
"Sorry for being so forward. I tend to value data over what the heart desires," The figure said before looking at the ball in his hand and offering it to the boy. "You seem eager to hold this ball I found. Do you want it?"
The boy grew even more reluctant, but was resolute enough to replay a shaky, "Yeah."
There wasn't even the smallest hint of a smile on his barely visible face, "Very well then, take good care of it as if it was your own heart. That will always keep the darkness away."
"The darkness?" The boy parroted while taking the ball from the figure's hand, "It's kind of scary, but it can't hurt me, right?"
The figure remained silent before turning back into the dark alley.
"Perhaps," Was all they said before turning back, "but for now, keep that ball close."
And then they disappeared, like they were never there to begin with.
The boy clutched the ball tightly, before looking around again, and this time, he was able to spot his way out of the dark alley. He bolted to the light of the sun, appearing again inside the same main-street.
He spotted his mother still haggling with the merchant, and immediately hugged his mother's leg, much to her surprise.
"You want something, sweetheart?" She asked in a soothing voice, but the boy shook his head.
"No, I just want to be with you," He said, tears welling up in his eyes while mumbling, "I was scared."
{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}
The ring of a bell snapped the boy from his sleep, waking up slowly before realizing he slept through another boring subject. Since he already had good enough grades to pass, he chose to take naps instead of paying attention.
With the class ending sooner than he expected, which he was quite happy about, he left the class to finally go home with his bag full of books he will probably never use in the future. Even though he napped his way out of a class, this day felt like it went on forever in the boy's mind.
Leaving the school behind, and packing everything unnecessary inside his locker, he marched outside where he spotted his usual crew of two friends. They were ranting about something the boy couldn't pick up on, and he grew a little curious and decided to join the debate.
"—old you that it would release eventually! It only took…" One of them started counting on his fingertips, before showing a number that didn't match his answer. "Fourteen years!"
"I'm just happy they took their time with it. I have to hope it's any good," The other one said with a sigh, "Besides, you don't have a console to play it on, right?"
"I don't need it when I have my friend that will lend me one," He said while crossing his arms before turning to the boy in question. While surprised at first, his expression immediately formed a smirk, "And speak of the devil. Hey, Adrian."
"Hey," Adrian said with a small hint of a smile.
"Come on now, lighten up a little. You know what game has been released today, we have to go to the game shop and nab it!" His friend urged, excited at the prospect of playing something new, but Adrian didn't match his enthusiasm.
"Not today, I'm too tired to go anywhere," He said.
"But you always say that. Come on, we'll just go in and out of the game shop. It'll be like a twenty-minute adventure!" The friend argued, but Adrian shook his head.
"No, I have something else to do today. You can buy it yourself, and then I'll pay half for it. What do you say?" He offered and his friend wasn't satisfied at all.
"But I need your console to play it!" He shouted.
"Well, people say that patience is a virtue," Adrian said while the other friend laughed.
"Easy for you to say when you're the one who owns it!" His friend complained, and Adrian gave him a small smirk.
"Then get a part-time job. You'd be surprised how much you can earn from selling a few wares," Adrian said, the other friend humming in agreement, "But like I said, I'm going to take a long and pleasant nap at home. See you tomorrow."
And he left the group to their charges sooner than expected while waving at them with his back turned, walking towards the beach with the sun setting at the perfect time. It looked like it was sinking into the sea, illuminating a pleasant and warm orange light.
He went down the road to the beach while taking off his shoes, letting the sand caress his bare feet. They slowly sank inside, scratching every single part of his skin while Adrian pleasantly hummed a tune before moving closer to the sea, gazing at the sun.
With one more step, the water washed over his feet, earning a small yelp of a surprise because of how cold it was. It didn't stop him from reaching down with his hand to cup a small amount of water to cool himself down however.
With a content sigh, he dug inside his pockets to find a similar-looking ball he found when he was just a little kid. It was barely bigger than his palm and already saw a lot of use with how worn it was.
The memory still plagued his mind whenever he took hold of the ball. It was puzzling, and there wasn't any explanation of what happened back then. Adrian liked to dwell on it from time to time about what he saw was just his imagination or something else.
He snorted at the thought.
"I'm probably just blowing things out of proportion," He said, tearing his gaze away from the ball and looking upon the small waves that reached the shore. The color was deep blue, almost black with how the sun couldn't penetrate even the shallow waters.
He took a step back and sat down, even if the sand could easily creep up inside his black jeans and a white button-up shirt. The wind toyed with his short blond, almost golden-colored hair while he played with the ball, throwing it lightly into the air while skillfully catching afterwards.
He kept gazing at the sun while it slowly sank inside the sea, and soon enough, the glowing orb disappeared into the depths with only a few rays of light still visible on the horizon.
Taking that as his cue to leave, Adrian stood up from his spot while dusting himself off before moving along. His home was near the beach, giving him more time to spend listening to the calm waves.
Each step crunched in the sand with little effort, and soon Adrian spotted the stairs leading back inside the road near his house. It wasn't visible yet, but it would be soon enough.
After taking his first step, he turned back one more time to gaze at the salty waters, somehow hoping that something interesting would happen. Maybe that weird cloaked person could show up again, but Adrian had a hard time believing his own memories at times.
With a disappointed sigh, he turned back and began going up the stairs to spend some time alone in his room.
"I thought you were going to keep me company," He heard somebody say, making him snap back to the beach, revealing… the same person he saw all those years ago. He still couldn't see through his hoodie, but he was too stunned to think about what was under it.
For him, there was always this nagging feeling that he was just imagining things back as a kid, but now he was gazing at a person with the same cloak that looked eerily familiar. Not because he didn't remember, but more in lines of already seeing it more than once.
"Are you just going to stand there?" The figure said in a voice of a man that emanated zero emotions, already making Adrian tense up.
The man was standing with his arms loosely hanging and his back turned, yet he looked like he was waiting for something. He turned to face Adrian who took an involuntary step back. For some reason, he felt this wasn't the same person he met as a kid.
"Who are you?" Adrian said, trying his best to hide his fears.
"That is of little importance," The figure dismissed before outstretching his hand, "You however, are somebody that is going with me. My time here is short."
"Why should I care about you having little time," Adrian said defiantly, "And if you think I'm going with you anywhere then you're wrong."
There wasn't even a hint of annoyance coming from the figure, "You have no say in the matter. Come, and I'll make sure no harm will come to you."
Screw whatever he saw as a kid back then, he was dealing with an emotionless creep right now. Without even saying anything to him, Adrian turned the other way and began a quick stride up the stairs.
"Resistance is futile, and only delays the inevitable," The figure said, and disappeared without any indication in a blur before reappearing right in front of Adrian. He jumped in surprise, backing away, but was too slow to dodge the hand that went to grab his head while he dropped his bag.
Muffled screams reached the figure's ears, and soon, much to Adrian's horror, a black mist began to emanate from the figure before settling down behind them, forming a dark oval portal. Terrified by what Adrian was seeing, he began flailing around to get the man to loosen his grip, but he struggled in vain.
"There will be a new place for you to call home," Was all he said before throwing Adrian inside the dark portal, disappearing inside. The figure then suddenly buckled lightly, grasping their head as if they had a headache.
"This place… I shouldn't visit it again," The figure said before following inside the portal as quickly as possible. The black oval soon dissipated, leaving nothing behind.
{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}
Steps echoed in the white castle halls as a single person kept his stride. Not a single ray of light could pierce inside, yet the place was illuminated nonetheless. Weirdly disjointed figures stood guard like emotionless statues while the person in question aimed for a single room that was almost indistinguishable from the walls.
The person in question, Xaldin, was a man cladded in a similar black cloak, with ajet-black long braided hair tied in a single ponytail. His most distinguishing feature was his menacing elongated eyebrows that made him look like he had a permanent frown.
Once he extended a hand, a line separated the doors before they opened on their own, revealing another room painted in white. The place was empty until a single dark portal opened in front of Xaldin and he wasn't surprised at all as he already expected one to appear.
From the portal emerged Adrian, landing on the cold white floor with a dull thud, passed out due to the stress the portal exerted. The figure behind him stepped out soon after him with a slight limp which was noticed by Xaldin.
He looked down at the boy who seemed to be barely an adult, his chest rhythmically rising and falling.
"I thought you were going to bring more than one," Xaldin said in a leveled tone, switching back to the figure.
"The world he comes from was rejecting me. I should feel… " The figure trailed off looking at his hand for a second, "Fortunate that it didn't crush me, but this body doesn't know how to."
"We are Nobodies after all. Emotion is something we all lack," Xaldin looked back at the boy, "What do you want me to do with him?"
"People from his world are known to be extremely knowledgeable. Some even say they know the future," The figure said while slowly walking out of the room, "Accommodate him for now. While he isn't integral to our plans, he can potentially make things much more simple."
"Simple how, Xemnas? All I see is an unknown variable that could easily bite us when we aren't looking," He pointed out, but still not a single emotion seeped through his voice.
"Ever the tactician, I see. Don't worry, I am sure you will keep him in check," Xemnas reassured, "I need to gather the rest of the Organization, after some respite. His world isn't kind to travelers like me."
Without even saying goodbye, Xemnas disappeared behind the doors, leaving Xaldin behind. He looked down at the sleeping form of Adrian before picking him up like a potato sack.
As he walked down the hallway with not a single soul in sight, he got a good look at Adrian, who didn't stir at all, only his rhythmic breathing indicated he was still alive. Xaldin wondered what plans Xemnas had with this teenager, but without anything to go by, it would be just meaningless speculation.
Navigating through the castle was always a trap for newcomers. It was the equivalent to a maze, and very few ways actually got you where you wanted to be, but not to Xaldin. Skillfully finding his way, he reached the same-looking doors where he waited for Xemnas.
Once they opened however, they revealed a room with furnishing that had different shades of white. Xaldin looked around for a second before spotting a bed, and without much grace, he dropped Adrian on the white sheets, letting him finally rest.
Xaldin kept his gaze at the sleeping teenager, trying to find anything that would make him so knowledgeable, but spotted nothing. He chose to search through his clothing, finding empty pockets before he grabbed a ball from one of them.
It was fairly squishy, and overused, fit to be thrown away in Xaldin's eyes. He did so, throwing the ball against the white wall before searching through everything one last time. Again, he found nothing, making him question why this teenager had so little belongings.
With the shake of his head, he deemed it no longer necessary to search for anything conspicuous and decided to leave the room, locking the doors with the swipe of his hand. A set of blue spears appeared behind Xaldin before they pierced the ground, blocking the doors from opening. He was about to leave if he didn't hear a set of footsteps behind him.
"Now what did that ground do to you?" He heard, making him turn to face…
"Xigbar," Was all Xaldin said.
"That's me alright. Was hoping for a warmer welcome, but who am I kidding, expecting something like that from us is impossible," Xigbar said, also wearing the same cloak as Xaldin. With an eyepatch over his right eye, and a scar on his left cheek, Xigbar looked like a schemer ready to pounce on any prey but his black long hair with white highlights made him look surprisingly old.
"What do you need from me? I have some urgent business to attend to," Xaldin said, almost a hint of annoyance palpable.
"Nothing, just wanted to know what the old coot's catch was this time. A new member?" Xigbar guessed, brushing the rest of his bangs away from his face before tieing them up into a single ponytail in one swift motion.
"I am not sure myself. The boy inside is more of a victim than anything," Xaldin said while slowly walking away.
"You aren't even going to introduce him to me?" Xigbar said with a slight smirk in place, almost sounding hurt.
"He is asleep. The dark portal was too much for him," Answered Xaldin before walking down the hallway, "I don't even know his name anyway."
Xigbar raised an eyebrow while he gazed at the retreating form of Xaldin before he disappeared into the hallway. He looked back at the doors blocked by the spears with a contemplating frown before leaving soon as well.
{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}
Back inside the room, Adrian suddenly stirred, groaning tiredly while rubbing his eyes. He shifted slightly in the white bed, wanting to get more sleep before his mind caught up with him on what happened to him.
He suddenly shot up, his eyes blinded for a fraction of a second by the white room before looking around frantically to find where he was. His urge slowly changed into bewilderment once he registered that… he was in a bed, a comfortable one at that.
Once he stood up and looked around one more time, the storm that was Adrian's thought process could have been boiled down into a single sentence.
"Where the hell am I!?"
AN: Welcome to the story of Adrian. Somebody un/fortunate enough to be thrown into the world of Kingdom Hearts. What will happen next is a complete mystery, even to me. This is just here because I kind of needed something new so I'll not just focus on one or two fandoms.
Kingdom Hearts will be a tough series to write for, but I'll try my best to never forget about this story.
Anyway, thanks to UDTimburrhog for beta-reading, and if you want to join a discord server filled with fanfic writers and readers, come! We have smores cookies!
Link: gg/9XG3U7a
God's speed.