Author's Note: *sigh* 'Tis a shame I can't get the HTML to work. Not to
mention the title and "by." aren't separated by line breaks. Blast it all!
Anyway, thanks go out to chibilinnet, Vix the Webmistress, and Alex Warlorn
for reviewing the story so far. You guys are great!
Short chapter on the way.
Disclaimer: If you were looking for this, you have some web sites to visit. You know, the ones that say they actually own Kingdom Hearts? Other stuff too. So I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I said it! *sob*
Anthem's Report: Chapter 4
By Deus Magi
Kairi did not leave Ansem's mind, even as he tried to focus on the strange creatures before him. He kept thinking about the keychain she had carried; oddly, he felt a strange, magical aura about it. It was the same aura around Aerith, yet weaker. Or at least different. When he did manage to free the girl's presence from his thoughts, they were immediately commandeered by the creatures - the Heartless.
Sadly, he laid two specimens before one of the Heartless: two birds, one alive, one dead. The Heartless's antennae twitched, and the living bird became quite like the second specimen. The Heartless appeared unsatisfied, however, raising two hungry, glowing eyes up at Ansem. The creature had already been threatened by a well-placed blizzaga spell, so it knew better than to make a second assault. Ansem looked at the form of the bird, slowly fading into non-existence. Would it become a Heartless.like the rest of them? The birds, the cats, even the humans.
Yes, humans. Ansem never did escape his guilt. He knew it would benefit everyone in the long run. Mostly everyone at any rate. It wasn't like they were dead or anything.
Ansem spent the rest of the day below the castle. No one knew where he was, not even Squall. Aerith, who had been seen inside the library with an unauthorized girl, flipping through various books, refused to answer any questions. She appeared rather dejected at any mention of the castle master as a matter of fact. It had become almost standard routine for the girl to stand up and shoo people away.
The Heartless, realizing its entrée had doubled as desert, molded into the floor and receded into the shadows. Ansem sighed. He turned, but not before he caught a peculiar sight: from the empty place the living bird had been, a shadow faded into being and split into the three separate parts, all with the twitching antennae and yellow eyes of the first. All six twisted around to him.
He took a bound for the lift activation mechanism and was quickly lifted into the sky, toward the castle. He watched the shadows frantically scratch at the smooth, wet walls of the underground cave. Ansem was assured in the thought they probably wouldn't make it to the castle any time soon.
On his way to the Lift Stop, he scribbled down several notes on the multiplying of the Heartless. How astonishing, he thought. This will certainly grab Aerith's attention. Ansem pulled himself to his feet and tore off toward the library, only to find it empty.
Except for an old woman.
Curious, yet anxious, Ansem ignored the woman, raced up the staircase and exited on the second floor. He spent hours searching for Aerith, but to no avail. Ansem knew she must be avoiding him. He leaned against a statue of a lion's head in the Entrance Hall. All he heard was the refreshing sound of the small waterfall below.
"How feeble," he said to himself, "these human emotions. The Heartless may just feed off of that weakness."
"The Heartless appear in groups, and are multiplying rapidly. I've provided them both living and nonliving samples. They've responded only to the living. They seem to multiply after absorbing something from the living creatures. Their prey vanishes without a trace.
"I believe the Heartless are taking hearts. They are born from those who've lost their hearts, and thrive on hearts seized from others. The hearts taken by the heartless become Heartless themselves.
"Though I lack proof, I am confident in this hypothesis. I must also study their behavioral principles.
"Though they lack emotions, they do seem to have some intelligence. How to communicate with them?
"It's just occurred to me: Could they be the darkness in people's hearts?"
Short chapter on the way.
Disclaimer: If you were looking for this, you have some web sites to visit. You know, the ones that say they actually own Kingdom Hearts? Other stuff too. So I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I said it! *sob*
Anthem's Report: Chapter 4
By Deus Magi
Kairi did not leave Ansem's mind, even as he tried to focus on the strange creatures before him. He kept thinking about the keychain she had carried; oddly, he felt a strange, magical aura about it. It was the same aura around Aerith, yet weaker. Or at least different. When he did manage to free the girl's presence from his thoughts, they were immediately commandeered by the creatures - the Heartless.
Sadly, he laid two specimens before one of the Heartless: two birds, one alive, one dead. The Heartless's antennae twitched, and the living bird became quite like the second specimen. The Heartless appeared unsatisfied, however, raising two hungry, glowing eyes up at Ansem. The creature had already been threatened by a well-placed blizzaga spell, so it knew better than to make a second assault. Ansem looked at the form of the bird, slowly fading into non-existence. Would it become a Heartless.like the rest of them? The birds, the cats, even the humans.
Yes, humans. Ansem never did escape his guilt. He knew it would benefit everyone in the long run. Mostly everyone at any rate. It wasn't like they were dead or anything.
Ansem spent the rest of the day below the castle. No one knew where he was, not even Squall. Aerith, who had been seen inside the library with an unauthorized girl, flipping through various books, refused to answer any questions. She appeared rather dejected at any mention of the castle master as a matter of fact. It had become almost standard routine for the girl to stand up and shoo people away.
The Heartless, realizing its entrée had doubled as desert, molded into the floor and receded into the shadows. Ansem sighed. He turned, but not before he caught a peculiar sight: from the empty place the living bird had been, a shadow faded into being and split into the three separate parts, all with the twitching antennae and yellow eyes of the first. All six twisted around to him.
He took a bound for the lift activation mechanism and was quickly lifted into the sky, toward the castle. He watched the shadows frantically scratch at the smooth, wet walls of the underground cave. Ansem was assured in the thought they probably wouldn't make it to the castle any time soon.
On his way to the Lift Stop, he scribbled down several notes on the multiplying of the Heartless. How astonishing, he thought. This will certainly grab Aerith's attention. Ansem pulled himself to his feet and tore off toward the library, only to find it empty.
Except for an old woman.
Curious, yet anxious, Ansem ignored the woman, raced up the staircase and exited on the second floor. He spent hours searching for Aerith, but to no avail. Ansem knew she must be avoiding him. He leaned against a statue of a lion's head in the Entrance Hall. All he heard was the refreshing sound of the small waterfall below.
"How feeble," he said to himself, "these human emotions. The Heartless may just feed off of that weakness."
"The Heartless appear in groups, and are multiplying rapidly. I've provided them both living and nonliving samples. They've responded only to the living. They seem to multiply after absorbing something from the living creatures. Their prey vanishes without a trace.
"I believe the Heartless are taking hearts. They are born from those who've lost their hearts, and thrive on hearts seized from others. The hearts taken by the heartless become Heartless themselves.
"Though I lack proof, I am confident in this hypothesis. I must also study their behavioral principles.
"Though they lack emotions, they do seem to have some intelligence. How to communicate with them?
"It's just occurred to me: Could they be the darkness in people's hearts?"
