Sorry for the long pause in between. I had been working on so much fan art including two shipping weeks. Holy crap. Lots of art.

But I got another editor (technically two). One is the famous and most fabulous and spectacular RevengeRevisted. She has been a big help with helping write Vanitas and future ideas and themes to the Kingdom Hearts story that could be implemented in this story.

The other one shall be addressed for now as Mod B.

Thank you so much for everyone who has supported me thus far. I really appreciate all the likes and comments. They do help.
as always enjoy the story.

A Fragment of a Fragment

By True-InTha-Blue

Chapter 6

Traverse Town
x

Vanitas saw he had company in the dive.

He was still sitting on the main pillar— blue in hue with a sleeping Sora design etched in the glass. Next to the image were two large circles, one of Riku and one of Kairi... Kairi's was now slightly bigger.

The rest of the details were unimportant.

The light that illuminated the glass was bright, but not enough to be blinding. Further down, the thorns inched forth bit by bit.

Across from Vanitas lay the actual Sora, clutching a keyblade.

An honest, real, keyblade.
Right there.

Blue eyes opened.

"You really are something else," Vanitas mused quietly from behind his mask.

This seemed to jolt the other boy awake. Sora's mind was a flurry of thoughts and a blur of emotions. He was on his feet with the blade ready to attack.

How cute.

"W-who are you?" Sora asked before his face became a snarl. "W-where am I?! WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS?!"

Vanitas merely tilted his head. "So... this time you can see me. I wonder..." Without moving his head, he looked at the weapon.

"ANSWER MY QUESTIONS!" Sora felt off and wasn't liking this guy, not how he looked nor how he could feel his hidden eyes on the weapon.

Those hidden eyes rolled in their sockets. Looks like Ventus' weakness had infected his host more than Vanitas had thought. "Your 'friends'…?" He nearly sneered at the term. "I don't know. I truly don't. As for who I am, and where you are?" Vanitas stood up. He was taller than Sora and stronger-looking, too. "Well... let's see if you can come here a second time. Then I'll tell you," he teased. Vanitas wanted to be sure his host could come back. Very sure. Oh, how long had it been since he'd gotten to mess with someone?

To talk to someone?

To feel like someone?

Vanitas killed those weak thoughts before they could be acknowledged.

Sora was not going to be deterred by this stranger. His face was red from worry and budding anger, his eyes narrowed. He'd faced a giant for crying out loud; he could take this person, weird black-and-red jumpsuit or not.

"Oh, don't give me that look. I just want to make sure it's not a fluke. If you come again, then, maybe we can actually work something out..." The stranger casually walked towards the boy, getting a good chance to see his future vessel's face. So much like Ventus... But then again... VERY much like him. "You've got to sort some stuff out on your own."

The boy had already exceeded expectations. A keyblade? Transported to a different world? Confronted and already using darkness?

Oh, things were about to get interesting!

"How would I get back here again?" Sora asked, still glaring at his own reflection on the stranger's mask. "You haven't explained anything!" The boy tightened his grip on the blade's hilt.

Vanitas chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. This place will always be with you. It is only a matter of if you really want to know how to get back. Real question is, how much do you want to come back?"

And with that, intentional or unintentional, the scene before Sora blurred, and he saw...

A yellow dog.

"What... a dream..." he sighed, and decided his time was best spent sleeping some more.

A harsh press to his chest by the dog protested otherwise. "This isn't a dream!" Then what was the dream? The guy in the mask? The black creature? What? Who?

Where were his friends?!

He scrambled up quickly, ignoring the strange-looking dog.

"Where am I?" The sky was night, and brick buildings with slate roofs were all that was to be seen. He was in an alleyway.

Everything was... different. Very different. More different than it should be.

The dog was also different.

It almost seemed like it knew... Sora didn't know why... but he asked the dog if it knew where his friends were.

The dog raised an ear and ran off.

"Jerk," Sora muttered, seeing that he was left alone. He had to find his friends, wherever they were.

He had to find them.

He didn't want to think about the reality that had only recently transcribed.

Just outside the alleyway, there was a large plaza with several restaurants on the side, complete with bright lamps, warm orange windows with web-like motifs, brick and plaster buildings with high vaulted roofs, and ornate wrought black iron fencing decorating the buildings. The material was used very different from any way Sora had seen before.

Very different.

"Th-this..." Sora began trying to mentally catch up with all that had just happened. "This has to be another world." He wanted to be excited— happy and joyous for finally seeing something beyond what he had ever dreamed of before.

But not like this... Not like this!

There was an ache that hadn't been there before.

Sora fled through the nearest door he saw— a double door with diamond windows.

Inside were wooden floors, fancy sleek couches, and a table with glass cases containing various shiny and pretty-looking trinkets. A large glowing crystal sat at the end of the counter.

Behind the counter was a man who looked both young and old, with bright blond hair and a gruff demeanor Sora had only seen on fishermen who fought sharks and tidal waves.

"Hey there." The old man turned around. "How can I— Aw, it's only a kid." He saw a sturdy-looking boy slam his back into the door, looking perturbed and worried.

'Oh boy... looks like he just lost his.' The old man felt pity for the kid. It was always scary to know your world had just been lost.

The first step was to just make the kid comfortable by easing him into it. Not confirming it, just letting the kid figure out the situation himself while offering a steady hand.

The kid did not seem to like the tone of voice the old man had for him. "It's not 'kid'! It's Sora," he growled, finding that having someone to lash out at helped keep the previous terribleness at bay.

"Okay, okay, simmer down," the old man pacified firmly. He bit the twig in his mouth and considered his next words. "So, what's got ya all riled up? Lost or something?" He had to make sure the kid remembered what had happened, at least.

The kid seemed to bite back another argument. "We— No... Maybe. What is this place?" He wanted a direct answer. Could someone give him a direct answer?

Cid figured that the kid knew he was indeed in a different place. "Well, this here place is called Traverse Town."

"Traverse Town," Sora repeated. "Look... I know this sounds crazy, but... I was from an Island, and this big... black thing... just—" He looked frustrated at his lack of ability to describe what happened and that he was unable to do anything about it. "Did something... I think… I am from another world."

The old man sighed. Looks like the kid did know he was in a different place, at least. As for his friends, well, he would not take too kindly to the more-than-likely truth.

"Is this another world, gramps?" Sora asked, trying to keep his voice strong.

'Gramps' huffed. "Don't call me gramps. The name's Cid!" he corrected. "Anyway..." He cleared his throat. "Well, this sure ain't your island."

Sora sighed, a bitter feeling welling up. "Guess I need to start looking for Riku and Kairi." They had to be safe. They had to be.

He would make sure they would be.

Then for some reason Sora found himself sitting on one of the lobby couches while Cid had gone around the counter to wait for the boy to get himself together so he could talk to him.

The older man waited with a patience that contrasted with his gruff demeanor. As he did, he sized up the kid. Usually he wasn't the one to deal with new lost ones, but it wasn't uncommon for folks to wind up in the first district; usually the longer-residing citizens pointed newcomers towards his shop.

"Oh boy. Hang on." He went behind the counter and opened a trap door that lead to the basement.

In Cid's absence, a thousand and one thoughts muddled in Sora's head like whirlpool— churning and spitting out random 'what ifs', 'hows', and 'whys'. But any question that was on the cusp of forming was swept away and died in his throat before he could even voice them. What was he to do?

What did he know?

The old man came up again holding two steaming cups of tea.

"'Ere," he said, handing Sora his own cup. Sora opened his mouth but was interrupted. "No more words until you finish your Gosh Darn tea. Ya look tired."

The older man was right; Sora did feel tired. It was nighttime, right?

There was a husky and bitter flavor to the tea that lead to an earthy sweet aftertaste. A touch of honey seemed to balance out the more mature flavors.

It did make the boy feel better.

"Old man..."

"Cid, kid. Cid."

"Right... Cid... I don't know what happened. The last thing I remember is I was fighting some things... and my friends and I were on the islands... and then they went away and now I am here. Do you think they got somewhere?"

"Ah... I'm sure they're fine," Cid said, noticing the boy needed some cheer. Whether or not his friends did get away was unknown to the old man. He sure did pray that maybe this kid would be lucky and find them. However, from all the years he had seen folks in this kid's situation, the odds were against him. "Talk to some folks 'round here. Friendly folk. Just don't wander off too far from the first district. Here." Cid handed the boy a small bag. "We've got a currency here that works anywhere. It's called Munny. Use it to get something to eat; looks like you need a meal. I'll try to keep a lookout for ya pals." It was best for the kid to get some closure.

Sora gave a slight 'thank you' and nodded. He probably needed some fresh air to clear his mind. He walked out of the store, not realizing that the old man had taken a phone out.

"Hey Squall," Cid began when Sora was outside. "Yeah, yeah, I don't care what you call yourself. 'Nother kid just showed up, doesn't look too spectacular but you may want to keep an eye on him. Seems like the adventurous type... Hmmm? A key? Don't know whatcha talking about... Oh yeah, the mouse guy. Did he give any specifics? No? Then why are ya telling me this? ...Just make sure the kid doesn't get in trouble where the heartless spawn up."

The brisk night air was chill and snapped his brain to focus. It lacked the saltiness of the ocean and the sweetness of fruit trees.

Sora did not go that far, actually. He went back to the alleyway he'd woken up in. He felt himself sink to his knees, trying to figure out what just happened.

Riku had disappeared; Sora had thought he'd found Kairi, but then she disappeared too... The strange key... thing... and those black creatures...

It wasn't a dream, right?

If it wasn't, then... how did he end up here?

Where was he?

Were those black creatures even real?

That old guy, Cid, didn't seem to know what he was talking about. The old man was nice but didn't give Sora much information. Seemed like the guy was just trying to comfort Sora by telling him what he wanted to hear like any other adult would to kids.

But, the reality was clear to the boy. He was on his own and lost.

No Islands.

No ocean.

No one familiar.

But no matter what, he had to find his friends.

Without them... without them...

The night sky seemed devoid of many stars.

With that, Sora figured it was best to now navigate this place or see if anyone had seen his friends.

There were people who looked both similar and different from him.

One such very different... person... was what Sora swore looked like a stuffed animal, straight out of Kairi's bedroom.

Only it was walking.

And talking.

It was a little white creature that introduced itself as a moogle when it caught Sora staring at it. It greeted him with a tired voice that told him that it was used to being stared at. All its sentences ended in 'Kupo'. It made it very clear to not touch the little red thing it called a pom pom that dangled from an antennae from its head.

It wasn't just the little guy either. A horse wearing a tweed vest walked by on two legs, followed by a rabbit in shorts. A robot made of colorful blocky parts was reading a book. There was a small fairy conversing with a woman who had large cat ears and a tail.

What looked like a cartoon drawing come to life came rushing down, a staff in its nub of a hand which was smaller than its large blocky head. He was muttering that he was late for his dentist appointment.

Everything was both strange and fantastical, straight out of storybooks and any video game. Some people had larger eyes than him, different proportions even, though not overly grotesque or warped.

There was nothing to prepare Sora for a sight such as this. He needed to sit down.

A growl emitted from his stomach. And something to eat.

There was a little cafe that had ever-burning candles. A drink and a small bite to eat was desperately needed.

And even with his belly full, there was still an empty feeling. The waitress, a lady in a white shirt and green dress, seemed to know his situation.

"Lost, hun?" she asked gently, giving him a warm cup of tea. "It's a mighty fine shock, isn't it? Take your time. Everyone here has too; mine was several years ago, and that other young boy just arrived a few days ago. We'll lend you an ear if you need to vent." Another gentle smile. "First meal is on the house, or at least until you get back on your feet."

Sora did not know what she was trying to say but he had something else to ask her. "Have you seen a boy slightly older than me with silver hair? Or a girl with red hair?"

The lady shook her head. "Sorry, hun. But they may turn up."

So, this was a world of lost people? Sora looked at the boy who had lost his world days ago. The kid looked about his age but far, far more depressed.

The boy must have overheard Sora's conversation. "You're looking for your friends. They may not show up. My home was attacked by shadows..." He muttered and fidgeted ever so slightly. "I got separated from Mom and Dad, and finally came here... I can't find them." The other boy withdrew into himself and simply stared off into the distance. "I don't know what to do...

Sora stood up, having made up his mind. He felt bad for the kid, he really did, but there was no way HE was going to allow himself to mope or become complacent. That was not his style.

He did need to get to know this place, though.

There was no point in getting lost.

Traverse Town was divided into three districts, but even the first district had stores stacked upon stores, and alleyways and stairs that twisted and turned but all ended up back at the plaza. There were stores that sold food, clothing, houses, lumber, and even weapons. Even weird ones like staves that Sora didn't think would be too effective in a fight.

He also heard another group talking about someone trying to find a spell book. Sora wanted to be surprised that magic existed, but with a suddenly appearing key sword thing and what those black creatures did, it was kind of hard to.

There was a man in a blue vest guarding a large pair of doors, above which was the label Second District.

"It's a bit dangerous in the second district right now. It's best to find the motel in the first district," the resident told Sora when he walked up.

This wouldn't do.

He was determined to find out what was so 'dangerous' about the second district.

What could be used as a distraction? All he had was a magically appearing key sword thing, and no way to really know the town. An alleyway near the doors seemed to contain a lot of empty crates.

The boy snuck over there stealthily so no one would see him going in.

He needed to take out a lot of pent-up aggression right now, and it was too bad for the boxes for being here. With a smirk and a cracking of his knuckles, Sora went to work.

The guard heard an astounding amount of crunching and cracking and breaking noises coming from a nearby alleyway. He feared the worst that the monsters had gotten in the first district and somehow bypassed the alarm.

He ran in to see much wooden structure and empty boxes had been destroyed. He did not see the young boy from earlier sneaking away by the steep shadows of the walls and crept through the doors.

Sora had always been good at sneaking, in contrast to how boisterous he normally was. It was a habit he'd developed since he was young to skip classes, get away from trouble, and be the ultimate master of hide-and-seek.

The second district was an even larger plaza with fountains, cathedrals with stained glass, even more high-class shops, and shops for machine-making.

That wasn't the important part.

What was, was the person who had just fell in front of him, his body half deteriorating in some black substance. And then, when Sora thought he could not be any more surprised, a pinkish, grey, and blackish heart floated right out of the man's chest as the rest of the inky stuff consumed his body. The heart floated to a black vortex and as the body disappeared, something else appeared from the vortex.

It was humanoid, with an odd jumpsuit and floppy shoes, blood red claws, and a goofy looking helmet that looked like an open mouth.

And those yellow eyes...

'They were here!' Sora thought with anger. The thing disappeared, replaced by the exact same insectoid ones he'd fought back on the island.

They did something to him! Sent him here... or something... Even if that fight with the giant had been a dream, he knew these things were no good.

He wanted to go home. He wanted to find his friends! They had to be alright!

They had to be.

He felt something different about him too. A small tugging sensation, as though asking to be pulled upon.

He did, somehow— somewhere inside of him, and that same key-like sword appeared in his hand.

It was just as odd as before. Sharp but blunt, engraved but smooth. Seemingly made from solid metal but was light enough to wield easily in Sora's hand.

...

Sora may not know where this thing came from or what it really was. He may not know what was fully going on or what was going to happen. But he knew two things.

One, was that this blade could hurt those shadow creatures.

And two, he would use it to take out as many as he could.

The key sword was instantly in his hand, a perfect fit.

"You'll pay!" he snarled before swinging it down. It cut through the creatures like butter; they kept appearing and Sora did not care.

A tall man in leather watched in silence from a place the boy would not spot.

These creatures were simple in their attacks but kept on coming so Sora could not stop— not for one second.

He liked being able to cut these things down. He knew they were at fault; he knew it.

Eventually, they stopped appearing. Sora felt his arms ache and throb from how much he had been swinging.

He wanted to figure out what was going on, but it seemed like the only thing he could do was lash out.

He was good at fighting. Or at least, it was what he liked to do. Whenever he was mad at something, he would try to go after some bullies or spar with someone to calm himself down. Normally whenever he tried, people always told him to stop. And he did because he cared about those who told him to stop, because he didn't want to disappoint them. But Sora would be left feeling like he'd disappointed everyone, and would still feel very angry.

Those who told him to stop were not here anymore. They weren't anywhere...

And all along these paths and stairs did these monsters appear to be cut down whenever Sora had the urge. They scratched along his skin, red lines painted along his arms; yet the boy could not find it in him to care. If his friends were somewhere here...

The boy in red went further into town. To the hotel, the gizmo shop, and the alleyways to clear out any of those creatures he saw.

A lot of lights were on, but doors were tightly shut. There was no one he could ask if anyone had seen Riku and Kairi.

By the time he came back to the first district entrance, Sora was covered in bruises and scratches. Even the odd blade felt heavier. There were fewer people in the plaza now, but Cid's shop seemed to be open. He would ask the old guy again if he had seen his friends.

Cid was less than enthused upon seeing Sora's condition. "GEEZ KID!" he said, jumping over the counter. "What happened to ya? You look like ya got ganged up on by dogs."

"Yeah, didn't realize there were dogs in the neighborhood," the boy muttered, not meeting the older man's concerned gaze.

"Here!" Cid said, gruffly shoving something into Sora's hands.

"What's this?" he asked, holding a kind of plasticky blue sealed flask with a green swirling liquid.

"A potion. Moogles know how to make 'em. Just 'bout the most useful thing out there. Drink it, and it'll take care of all those aches and pains... Well... most of them, at least. You're still gonna need some rest and relaxation. Wait outside, I'm gonna get my friend to take you in for tonight."

Cid shooed him off outside. Sora chugged the potion. It tasted like some sort of chicken soup with a bit more bitterness, but it did indeed make him feel better. Not completely, and he was still tired, but most of the pain had faded.

The plaza was empty now.

"They'll come at you out of nowhere," said a voice from behind his left. Turning around, Sora saw a tall man in leather and belts, with brown hair, a scarred face, and one massive Gun... No, wait, it was a Blade.

No, it was gun...

Blade... thing?

"And they'll keep on coming at you," the man continued, pointing at Sora, "As long as you continue to wield the Keyblade."

Well this was a welcome greeting. Sora backed away; this guy was dangerous.

"But why? Why would it choose a kid like you?" The stranger seemed to be talking to himself at this point.

That got the boy's temper pumping. "The heck is that supposed to mean?! You don't know a thing about me!" Sora didn't care about the key thing per se, but he just hated people talking down to him.

"Never mind." The man didn't seem interested. "Now, let's see that Keyblade."

Sora got a wicked idea. "Fine..." he said with a huff and a scowl. He held out the keyblade for the stranger to take. "It's just causing me trouble..."

Leon had expected a fight, but at least this kid seemed smart enough to take the easy route.

Meant less of a hassle for the man in leather.

Just as the man was about to take the blade, a surprise punch to the face sent him back.

Sora smirked. "If you want to see it so bad... how about I introduce it to you personally?" He charged at the stranger with the key in hand.

The stranger raised his gunblade to block the attack. He had... underestimated this punk. "Have it your way," he said before pushing Sora back several feet.

When the stranger threw a freaking fireball at his face, Sora knew he was probably outmatched. He proceeded to run to the main plaza— an open-spaced area where he could dodge more easily.

It was all Sora could do to either parry or avoid the stranger's massive sword. The man was stronger than him and they both knew it.

But then, a slightly familiar voice echoed in his mind.

["He underest... you, tha- why he- taki-... time. This ca- be -advantage."]

The voice wasn't clear and Sora took a slice on his arm when he paused to decipher it, but he got the gist in the end.

Sora fled to one of the alleyways he had checked out earlier, another cluttered one full of stacks of boxes, barrels, and supplies. He ducked into the corner and hid within the shadows.

"It doesn't matter how far you run," the stranger called out. "It's either them or me. The choice should be obvious."

He was right underneath the large stack of crates which Sora had hid behind. The stranger could not see him.

The man found himself behind caught off-guard by boxes falling on him. He dodged most of them but one managed to hit his head.

Regaining focus, a flash of silver sent a sharp pain through his shoulder.

"Y'know... I really hate it when people make choices for me," Sora taunted. He ran towards the cafe, hoping his next trick would work as planned.

The man seemed to have run out of patience as he was now running after Sora. The boy heard that fireball charging sound and had to act fast. He grabbed one of the magical candles near the cafe and desperately hoped this would work. He hurled it just before the man threw the fireball.

They collided into a large burst of flames and just in case that hadn't taken care of the guy, Sora charged in with the key and rammed the stranger right in the chest. It knocked the man down.

Sora tumbled down as well, truly feeling like he'd hit a cement wall. He tried getting up and saw the man on his knees.

"That's... what... you... get... when..." Sora could not finish his sentence as his world went black.

The man got up, feeling sore but far from the worst he'd ever been. This kid was a lot of trouble.

"Aw, you're slippin', Leon," a voice from behind him teased. Yuffie stood there smirking. She must have seen the whole thing.

"I went easy on him." This was true; it hadn't required his full power to wear this kid out when the boy was already on his last fumes.

But it will be a cold day indeed before Leon would ever admit how many times he'd been caught off-guard.

Yuffie already seemed to know this as told by her smile, but said nothing.

"Looks like things are worse than we thought. A lot worse," Leon said, looking over the boy's unconscious form. The kid's swordplay was sloppy, and he was going to need a lot more strength to be whatever that mouse king required.

"THE HECK, LEON?!" an old, gruff voice came from the accessory shop. It was Cid, looking both perplexed and angry. "The heck did ya do to that kid?!" Despite his age, Cid was still nimble when he ran down the stairs towards the collapsed boy. "Did ya have to beat him up? I just gave him a potion, earlier. I was gonna call you so he could rest at your place!"

"This kid is the Keyblade Master and he was already getting himself in trouble by fighting the heartless in the second district. He needed to be taught a lesson," Leon said, not at all phased by the older man's glare.

"Oh, and you think attacking the kid is going to make him want to listen to you? Got a real good plan there, Squall; real good." Cid turned to Yuffie. "Help this kid to the hotel room. He's going to need something more comfortable than his shack," he said, pointing at Leon.

End of Chapter 6

Fights gotta be more interesting than swiping each other with swords.

FF characters and other characters, in general, are gonna have a lot more investment into this story including some more original moments.

Its a story, not a game.

Also for why I am writing keyblade boy so aggro... well, he's in a strange place with nothing but monsters.

Some people may go blank in the emotion department. Some people may cry.

Some people put on a smile.

Some people get angry.