PART TWO - See into the Heart
Was it always. like this? I can't remember, so many things forgotten.
Can you hear me?
Darkness, all around me. I can't see anymore, my heart is lost.
Sora, come quick.
Or is it? I feel. something within me. Something invincible.
Wait, I think he's waking up.
The light. I'm beginning to see. There are. shapes moving above me, looking down on me. I feel. wet.
'Are you alright?' said one of the shapes, a teenage boy. Another stood near him, slightly shorter. and a girl behind them all.
'I. Where am I?' I said, trying to get up. I found I could not.
'That doesn't matter' said the girl, pushing in front of the two boys. 'Does anywhere hurt?'
I felt. nothing through the darkness, alone. Except, there was something, something in my heart. It was something so simple, yet so powerful. The face of the one who named me.
'Leon.' I said, slowly passing out. The last thing I saw on that beach was a spiky, brown haired teenage boy lean down over me, his face full of concern. And then I fell asleep, dreaming of a dark obsidian square, slowly filling with light.
-------
Don't forget. He is the one who will open the door.
Zell awoke slowly to find himself in darkness. He looked all around, but could not see a glimmer of light.
'No. Not again.' he whimpered, trying to get up. Yet he could not move, despite his consistent efforts to get up or even to roll off the bed. However, within a few moments a lamp flicked on nearby, revealing a small bedroom. A boy sat at a desk opposite him, writing something. He did not seem to have heard Zell's whimpers. He almost decided to speak, to let the boy know he was awake, but he decided to have a little look around the room first.
On the walls opposite him were a collection of badly-drawn cartoons and strange posters. Some showed the boy fighting monsters in a distant land, while others showed a load of bodies drenched in fake blood. Yet the majority of pictures showed the boy playing with a girl and a boy, running off to distant lands and places. Where though, wondered Zell, trying to get up but failing. Where could he go?
To the Kingdom. To the door.
'Where is it though?' asked Zell, his voice growing louder. 'What is on the other side?'
'I didn't hear you wake up' came a voice from near the bed. The boy was walking towards him, his white hair shaking gently.
'No. I just got up now.'
'Bad dream?' asked the boy, losing interest quickly.
'Something like that. Anyway, where is this place?'
'What? You don't come from here?' His face lit up with attention.
'No. I. Don't know where I come from.'
The boy laughed, and stepped back a little. 'You're just like her. Holding back.'
'Just like who?' asked Zell, again trying to move.
'Just a girl I know. Anyway, I'm Riku.' The boy held out a hand for Zell to shake, but he did nothing.
'Sorry. I can't move. I'm Zell, by the way.'
'Nice to meet you,' he said, walking to his desk. There was silence for a little while, and then Riku turned his head slightly in Zell's direction. 'Are you sure you don't remember. Anything? Anything at all?'
'No. Sorry to disappoint you.'
But Zell knew he was lying. Of course he could not remember where he had come from, who he really was. But he did remember a few details, however vague they seemed. There was the warrior, Leon. He named him, taught him how to fight. There was. a witch. She tried to kill them all and kidnap Zell, but he had Seen through her. And Aerith, the woman in the pink dress. She told him of.
'The Heartless,' said Zell, finally getting up. The boy spun round, and almost hit Zell in his excitement.
'What did you say?' said Riku, shaking Zell.
'Nothing. It doesn't mean nothing.'
'No. You said it. You named them. What are they?'
'I really didn't mean a thing by -'
'I see them. In my dreams at night, the witch shows me them. I know she doesn't care for me, nor do they. But they're my only way out, you understand? I need. to get out!'
'What's going on?' came a voice from the doorway. Both of the boys turned to see a girl, the girl from the beech, glaring at the two of them.
'Calm down Riku. He's only just got better.' Riku was almost strangling Zell in his excitement. He looked a little embarrassed, and then let go of him.
'Sorry. it was just something he said.' Riku scratched his neck, and then shrugged his shoulders.
'Well, anyway. I just came by to tell you that Sora got some more stuff for the raft. We're going to go to the island tomorrow and get some more supplies. You wanna come?'
'Sure. How about Zell here? Can he?' Riku looked at first happy, but Zell could see a brief flicker of something else, something darker.
'I don't know. He's only just got here.'
'Oh come on,' said Zell, standing up. 'I'm better now. I'll help, I promise. Anyway, I haven't met this Sora yet. Is he a friend of yours?'
'He was on the beach,' said the girl, sighing. 'I'm Kairi by the way. Anyway, I'll see you both tomorrow.'
And with that Kairi left. Riku turned and watched Zell carefully for a little while, examining his expression. Zell only stared back.
'Well, goodnight' said Riku, leaving the room and Zell to darkness. However, Zell was not scared anymore. He was excited, though. The boy from the beach.
The one who will open the door.
-------
'Wait, slow down!' said Zell, trying desperately to keep up with the man before him.
'Can't keep up with an old man like me?' the man laughed, destroying a swarm of shadows with his long blade. 'Hurry up. You may not be a boy anymore, but you can still go faster than that.'
'I can't' whimpered Zell, turning his head. Behind him he could see the warrior, running after them.
'We can't let him have it, Sora. Its more important than my life, your life, or even Leon's life. He died to save it from my blade, yet it must be destroyed. Don't you see that?'
Zell shook his head, cutting down some shadows with his Keyblade. 'What do you mean Leon died? I don't remember you telling me that.'
'It's not important! I told you!' The man ran forward up to a boulder and leapt over it with ease.
'Why are you being so heartless Cloud? I remember you fighting me twenty years ago, in Olympus. You weren't so cocky then.'
'Very funny, Sora. Hurry up. Cids ready with the airship, all we have to do is get there in ti-'
The old man never finished his sentence. In a flash of darkness, he was killed in his stride by a bolt of energy from the One Winged Angel that pursued them.
'Cloud!' screamed Zell, turning to face the man. 'N-'
------
'NO!' screamed Zell, jumping out of his bed. It was morning. He sighed with relief and went to the window, where he could see the boy from last night, Riku, down on the path below the house, talking to another boy. He got dressed quickly, hoping to catch them before they left.
It was not that he liked Riku, nor was it that he wanted to help them make their raft. To be honest, something about Riku frightened Zell, something about his heart. It wasn't what he had said the night before that made him think this. it was just what he saw in Riku. He saw. nothing.
He finished getting changed and ran down the stairs, slamming the door on his way out. The two boys were outside, chatting quietly as Zell walked up to them.
'Oh, Sora, I almost forgot. This is Zell,' said Riku, smiling at the new arrival. Again, Zell didn't like this smile at all. It seemed far too eager, far too powerful.
'The boy from the beach?' said Sora, swinging round to get a good look at Zell. He smiled as well, but not at all like Riku. He saw into his heart immediately, but did not see what he expected to see. He saw a girl.
'Yeah, hi,' said Zell, scratching his neck. Sora nodded and grinned again.
'So, where you from?' he asked, looking interested. But his interest was only a fraction of what Riku's was. Zell said nothing. 'You know, where you grew up?'
But Zell wasn't thinking about what Sora was saying, nor was he thinking about the emptiness in Riku's heart. Something wasn't right, something was happening in another world, another place. Something important.
'I. er.' Zell began to sweat. Sora and Riku both moved their heads closer, trying to hear what he was saying. His heart began to beat louder, his skin growing hotter. A thousand screams echoed around his mind, causing him to shout in pain. And then he heard a voice in the back of his heart. A slow, calm, powerful voice.
You. are from the Great Heart, the prodigy, the one who will open the -
'Door,' said Zell. And then he disappeared.
-------
'What. is this place?' asked Zell, walking down the cave tunnel. He had awoken there just a few minutes earlier to find his clothes soaking wet and dusty, just beside a pile of sharp rocks. He did not know how he had gotten there, but it had not been the first time something like that had happened. He was beginning to see a pattern. Arriving at Riku's island, escaping the strange man from the square. it had all been in darkness. And as Leon had told him, there is darkness in every heart.
He soon arrived at the end of the track, at a large stone wall, adorned with markings and symbols. A glowing blue sphere was set into the middle. As he edged forward to pick it up from its place, he heard footsteps from the way he had arrived. Zell quickly ran to the side, and hid in a crack in the rockwall.
Nothing happened for a while, but he was sure people would come. And they did. First came a large man, or what he thought might be a man - it looked more like some kind of cat-human, with blue fir and sharp teeth. Next came a woman and a man, standing side by side. One of them held a doll in her hand, of a strange yellow bird. The man held a blue ball.
Finally, there came a young woman. Unlike the others, she carried no weapon, nor did she have anything unusual about her. She wore a white top and blue dress, and held a long staff in her hand, one like a dancer might have. Inside her, Zell saw a bird, a swan, beautiful to look at but dangerous if backed into a corner. He could see no darkness in that heart. It belonged also with another, he could tell, as when a man came soon behind her, the swan within her raised its wings.
'Yuna, it's time' said the man with the ball, calling her towards the door. The man who was loved by her went forward, and tried to take the sphere from the door. Nothing happened.
'Stand back,' said Yuna, raising her staff. A bolt of white energy came forward, and hit the sphere. Again, nothing happened. Finally, the woman with the doll said a few words, and the whole cavern shook. The door did not move, but the rocks concealing Zell did as he fell out from his hiding place. The blue warrior ran forward and grabbed him, causing the group to turn to meet his gaze.
He just smiled nervously and said 'Er, hi guys.'
-------
'Would you mind letting me down now?' asked Zell, beginning to sweat. The warrior threw him down, and walked away down the passage.
'My name's Wakka' said the man with the ball, spinning it round. 'Nice to meet you. Don't mind Kimhari over there, he's just learnt the fiend's way of fighting.'
'I'm Zell,' said the boy, walking over to the door. He turned round to see the group staring at him, trying to figure him out. He too was trying to figure things out, but not in the same way. Cloud, the man in his dream, needed help, otherwise something terrible would happen. Something that could not happen at all costs. He had something, something that the heartless needed to win their war, but which they could not get. yet one man could. The one winged angel.
Wakka through him the ball and Zell caught it, holding it between his hands. 'What's a fiend?'
Their expressions changed quickly to a mixture of disbelief and wonder. The woman in the black dress stepped forward, and spoke.
'You don't know what fiends are?' she asked, and he nodded. 'Then you really are clueless. Maybe even more so than Tidus over here.'
Tidus got up from the corner, and smiled. 'I resent that, Lulu. Anyway, fiends are just your average monsters, stuff like that. Got it?' Zell nodded. 'Good. So, where are you from? Can't be from where these guys are, as if you don't know what fiends are then you definitely won't know who Si- '
'That's enough Tidus. Let him tell us about himself.' said Lulu, who sat back against the rocks. Tidus nodded reluctantly and did the same.
Zell wasn't sure if he could trust these people. Their hearts, they were all strong, but he had only just met them. Then again, he was sure that they were important, or at least they would be soon. He was on another world, and judging by their reaction to his coming they didn't know about the other worlds, the other realms and kingdoms. He would tell the truth, he was sure, but only a little of it.
'It all began with my amnesia. I couldn't remember who I was, where I came from or who my family were. I was lost. And then, someone found me. Someone helped me. His name was Leon.'
Zell talked for a long time about his adventures, filling in the gaps with made-up fables and adventures, making it believable. As he was talking, however, the door drew his attention. Something was behind it, something important. He could feel its energy drawing him, almost calling him. and he was sure he was not alone. The heartless would not be far, as they were on all worlds. Trying to steal the hearts of worlds, trying to.
Consumate the great heart, protégé of darkness.
'How can I?' asked Zell. The group looked confused all of a sudden, and he realised that he had not talked for a while. 'Well, that's my story. Anyway, what's with the door?'
Yuna got up, and walked towards it. 'I am. on a pilgrimage. Your amnesia, I am sure that you got it from Sin, the great devourer of Spira. I am a summoner, and so my duty is to battle Sin and make a Calm world, at least for a little while. Behind that door lies an aeon, or so the locals believe. One of great power, one that will not relent to conventional approach. We don't know how to get there.'
'There are also these weird fiends that keep attacking us, ya? You remember, those little dark creatures,' said Wakka. Yuna nodded.
'Recently, the fiends of this world have been multiplying at great rates, and people have been going missing. We think it might be to do with Sin, but then again these new fiends, not even our aeons can defeat them.'
'Are you not telling us something Zell?' asked Tidus, staring intently at the boy. 'You look like you know more about this than you're letting on. What are those fiends? Where do they come from?'
'They are. heartless,' said Zell, deciding to give in. He could trust them, he was sure of it. 'Shadows, dark spirits who have lost their hearts. I think. that they're after what is behind that door.'
'The aeon?' asked Lulu. Zell shook his head, looking down.
'No, the heart of your world.'
-------- 'So these things. they want to destroy the world?' asked Lulu, getting up. Zell nodded. 'Well how can we stop them if we can't hurt them?'
'I don't know. there is a weapon that can stop them, a boy with the power. but he won't make it here in time. It can be done though, I am sure of it. Though if this Sin creature is as big as you say it is, and as powerful, they'll go for it first.'
'That's a good thing, right? Having Sin gone?' asked Tidus.
'No. What is left of Sin, the darkness in its heart, will become a heartless. Which will not be a good thing.'
'So what should we do then, Yuna? If he doesn't know how to defeat them, what can we do?' asked Wakka, spinning his ball around.
Yuna called them all to leave the cave, so she could talk to them outside. She was the leader here, Zell knew, so she would be the one to make their decision.
'Guardians, I thank you for your help as friends and as protectors on our journey to defeat Sin. However, now there is a greater enemy, one that could mean the end of not only this world, but of all worlds. And this we must defeat. If our hearts our strong, and our courage is great, I really think we can beat this thing, I really think that we can all trust ourselves to pull this through and save the wor-'
And those were the last words Yuna ever spoke. Through her chest came the edge of a long blade, which was quickly withdrawn from behind. Yuna was dead. She fell to the ground with a thud, revealing a hooded man behind them, holding a long blade. He withdrew his disguise, revealing the one winged angel.
'YUNA!' screamed Tidus, and he would have run forward if his companions had not held him back. They were all shocked and upset, as was Zell, but they retained their minds. And their hearts.
Zell was the only one to step forward, not flinching as he stared the warrior in the face. Memories came from the back of his mind, thoughts that were not his but memories of someone else, a long time ago.
'Sephiroth,' said Zell, drawing the sword that had been given to him by Leon. It was dwarfed by the blade of his enemy, but Sephiroth did not laugh.
'That is I,' he said, stepping backwards. 'You. are the protégé' There was not a trace of emotion within him. The man had no heart, quite literally. He was beyond that.
'I am Zell,' he said, holding his sword up high. Sephiroth laughed mechanically, and raised his sword as well.
'So it is true that one like us may gain a heart,' he said, looking intently at Zell. 'Or perhaps not. We will see soon enough. Shall we?'
'Of course,' said Zell, and he ran forward to cross blades with his enemy. Yet he knew they were not fighting with swords. They were fighting with darkness.
------
There is darkness in every heart. I know this now, after my years of study. The heartless prey upon it, and thus are they complete. Yet kingdom hearts is not darkness, as I had once thought. This boy, this supposed abomination, is the proof. Born of darkness, he became complete and his heart grew with the light of those he loved. Kingdom hearts is light. But it is too late for I, Ansem, keeper of darkness, who am beyond such things. I must merely watch and hope he prevails, that he saves us all. Because he has that power.
I watch him now, not as an observor but as a supporter. He fights bravely against the one-winged angel, he blocks his moves and tries to attack him. Yet it is too much. Pinned to the ground, Sephiroth nearly kills him but at the last moment he rolls away with the realisation he will not win. He runs over to Tidus, the one made of dreams, and whispers something in the man's ear. He then turns round and faces Sephiroth again, this time with renewed vigour. Something is different, yet he cannot win. He is pinned to the ground once more, and as Sephiroth's sword comes pounding down the boy disappears not in a cloud of darkness, but a cloud of light.
Tidus then runs over to him, screaming with tears. Sephiroth dodges his blows easily, and then kills him, throwing him into the air. Kimhari runs from behind too, pulling him down to the ground will Wakka leaps atop him, trying to defeat him. Yet he pulls away with ease and vanquishes Kimhari with a blast of fire, then turning it round on Wakka. The only one left is Lulu, who has fallen to the ground with tears. She can do nothing. He walks up slowly, laughing, and stabs her through the heart. The fate of that world is now sealed, and so I leave to try and find the one who will open the...
-------
'Where am I?' asked Zell, looking around. They were in complete darkness, broken only by the shape of the chairs they sat on, a table in between.
'The world in-between' said Ansem, rising from his chair. 'Yet that is not important. Do you remember fighting the Heartless angel?'
'Sephiroth?'
'Yes, he was that person once. Do you remember meeting the Leonhart, and falling into darkness?'
'Yes.'
'Do you remember the obsidian statue?'
'What's that?'
Ansem bowed his head, and sat back down. He sighed. 'It is as I expected then. This will not be easy to tell you. Are you ready?'
Zell looked confused, and got up. 'You're. a heartless aren't you? You're darkness. How can I trust you?'
'It is indeed true that you can See. This confirms my thoughts. Do not worry, for the moment I will not and cannot hurt you. But that will change.'
'Why do you want to help me? How did I get here?'
'So many questions, yet they are not important. I will answer them none the less, as time does not matter here. You are in the world-in-between, as I said before. You must know to understand, as knowledge is the key to understanding.'
Zell nodded.
'Good. This may be hard for you to understand, but the past three worlds that you have visited were not in the sequence of normal time. You have passed beyond that. For instance, the gap between Traverse Town and the Destiny Islands was a total of five years, while the third world, Spira, was one thousand years into the future. You follow this?'
Zell nodded again, clearly unperturbed.
'You also have the ability to See hearts. Only a few possess this skill, most often the darkest beings imaginable, such as myself. You, on the other hand, are an exception. However, one thing you have not yet done is look into your own heart. There lies understanding of the true situation. Yet first, will you allow me to tell you more?'
'Of course.'
'I cannot tell you who you are, or where you came from, although I know. You must find out those things for yourself. What I will tell you is about the Obsidian Square. This you will remember in time soon enough, but keep in your mind - the statue must not be allowed to exist. It is wrong. However, its essence is tied to your own, so destroying it will mean your death. This in turn means that you are the only one who can do it.'
'What statue? What do you mean essence?'
'You will see soon enough. Remember also, although it is not part of your story, you have one other task remaining. Find the talisman and return it to the kingdom. Sephiroth must not get it.'
'Why are you helping me? Who are you? I've got so many questions running around my head, its driving me insane.'
'I am Ansem, keeper of Darkness. Yet not for now. If you are successful, I will continue to be so, yet it is a necessary sacrifice. In turn I will forget what has happened here. Go now, look into your own heart and see your true meaning.'
Zell put his head down, and saw into himself. Nothing happened at first, and then pain ran down his spine. He fell to the ground, and into a deep sleep.
Left on the ground nearby him, where Ansem had sat, were a pile of old bones.
-----
Sleeper, open your eyes. Awake.
There was once a town of great prosperity and good will, a safe haven against the heartless. There, people from all world gathered to make a stand against the Darkness, and in their efforts they were championed by the Keybearer. He came to them as if waking from a dream, his own world of islands. In a small alley he was welcomed by a slobbering dog and a few dustbins, while all around people ignored him, and thus did he die, killed by the blade of his enemy. The hopes of entire worlds rest upon a young boy of around ten, who, on one late evening woke up among some dustbins down a small alleyway, not far from where a certain fourteen year old boy would wake up four years later. And his name?
Riku.
-------
'No,' said Zell, watching himself wake up to see the old man from up above. 'I. can't be him. I. can't be.'
The scene before him went away quickly, fading in a cloud of darkness. Zell flew with it, gliding high into the sky, with innumerable worlds passing below. Each taken by the heartless, each about to return to the great heart, the greatest world, the.
'Kingdom Hearts,' said Zell. He saw it below him now, a huge door in the midst of nothingness. There, he could feel the great white energy, the goodness within. and the despair. The misery. The Darkness.
Ansem was below him, fighting the keybearer and his companions. If he was Riku, why couldn't he remember any of this? Why didn't he know who Sora was?
Because you aren't him. Look deeper. Dive into the heart.
Zell flew past the battle, past the great door of all worlds. He was within the kingdom, the heart. Heartless swarmed all around him, resting among the walls of the heart. He saw other shapes as well, in the distance. A red lion, hurt and wounded. A small boy in a wizards hat and blue clothing. They were all here, trapped. They shouldn't be, he could feel it. Yet some of the others, this was their home. a great King struggled against the door, fighting off heartless with his blade. He had no body, he was merely a heart. As was Riku, who aided him below.
And then the door opened, and the cave shook with light, obliterating the heartless within. Yet the darkness was not gone. No sooner had Riku bordered near the door had several darkside emerged, trying to escape. There was something somewhere, the source of all the heartless. Yet not of the darkness.
Riku struggled to close the door, as did the keybearer on the other side. But it was no use. The darkside continued along towards the door, almost alongside Mickey. The king fought valiantly with his keyblade, but fell beneath the darkness, his heart vanquished for the meantime. As did Riku, who had not a single chance. With a final effort, Sora and his companions ran forward, but the heartless brushed him to one side, almost killing him. As they were about to deliver the final blow, Zell spoke.
'No.'
The darkside turned round, and then retreated back into the kingdom in a cloud of darkness, taking the keybearer away to another world with his friends.
Was it always. like this? I can't remember, so many things forgotten.
Can you hear me?
Darkness, all around me. I can't see anymore, my heart is lost.
Sora, come quick.
Or is it? I feel. something within me. Something invincible.
Wait, I think he's waking up.
The light. I'm beginning to see. There are. shapes moving above me, looking down on me. I feel. wet.
'Are you alright?' said one of the shapes, a teenage boy. Another stood near him, slightly shorter. and a girl behind them all.
'I. Where am I?' I said, trying to get up. I found I could not.
'That doesn't matter' said the girl, pushing in front of the two boys. 'Does anywhere hurt?'
I felt. nothing through the darkness, alone. Except, there was something, something in my heart. It was something so simple, yet so powerful. The face of the one who named me.
'Leon.' I said, slowly passing out. The last thing I saw on that beach was a spiky, brown haired teenage boy lean down over me, his face full of concern. And then I fell asleep, dreaming of a dark obsidian square, slowly filling with light.
-------
Don't forget. He is the one who will open the door.
Zell awoke slowly to find himself in darkness. He looked all around, but could not see a glimmer of light.
'No. Not again.' he whimpered, trying to get up. Yet he could not move, despite his consistent efforts to get up or even to roll off the bed. However, within a few moments a lamp flicked on nearby, revealing a small bedroom. A boy sat at a desk opposite him, writing something. He did not seem to have heard Zell's whimpers. He almost decided to speak, to let the boy know he was awake, but he decided to have a little look around the room first.
On the walls opposite him were a collection of badly-drawn cartoons and strange posters. Some showed the boy fighting monsters in a distant land, while others showed a load of bodies drenched in fake blood. Yet the majority of pictures showed the boy playing with a girl and a boy, running off to distant lands and places. Where though, wondered Zell, trying to get up but failing. Where could he go?
To the Kingdom. To the door.
'Where is it though?' asked Zell, his voice growing louder. 'What is on the other side?'
'I didn't hear you wake up' came a voice from near the bed. The boy was walking towards him, his white hair shaking gently.
'No. I just got up now.'
'Bad dream?' asked the boy, losing interest quickly.
'Something like that. Anyway, where is this place?'
'What? You don't come from here?' His face lit up with attention.
'No. I. Don't know where I come from.'
The boy laughed, and stepped back a little. 'You're just like her. Holding back.'
'Just like who?' asked Zell, again trying to move.
'Just a girl I know. Anyway, I'm Riku.' The boy held out a hand for Zell to shake, but he did nothing.
'Sorry. I can't move. I'm Zell, by the way.'
'Nice to meet you,' he said, walking to his desk. There was silence for a little while, and then Riku turned his head slightly in Zell's direction. 'Are you sure you don't remember. Anything? Anything at all?'
'No. Sorry to disappoint you.'
But Zell knew he was lying. Of course he could not remember where he had come from, who he really was. But he did remember a few details, however vague they seemed. There was the warrior, Leon. He named him, taught him how to fight. There was. a witch. She tried to kill them all and kidnap Zell, but he had Seen through her. And Aerith, the woman in the pink dress. She told him of.
'The Heartless,' said Zell, finally getting up. The boy spun round, and almost hit Zell in his excitement.
'What did you say?' said Riku, shaking Zell.
'Nothing. It doesn't mean nothing.'
'No. You said it. You named them. What are they?'
'I really didn't mean a thing by -'
'I see them. In my dreams at night, the witch shows me them. I know she doesn't care for me, nor do they. But they're my only way out, you understand? I need. to get out!'
'What's going on?' came a voice from the doorway. Both of the boys turned to see a girl, the girl from the beech, glaring at the two of them.
'Calm down Riku. He's only just got better.' Riku was almost strangling Zell in his excitement. He looked a little embarrassed, and then let go of him.
'Sorry. it was just something he said.' Riku scratched his neck, and then shrugged his shoulders.
'Well, anyway. I just came by to tell you that Sora got some more stuff for the raft. We're going to go to the island tomorrow and get some more supplies. You wanna come?'
'Sure. How about Zell here? Can he?' Riku looked at first happy, but Zell could see a brief flicker of something else, something darker.
'I don't know. He's only just got here.'
'Oh come on,' said Zell, standing up. 'I'm better now. I'll help, I promise. Anyway, I haven't met this Sora yet. Is he a friend of yours?'
'He was on the beach,' said the girl, sighing. 'I'm Kairi by the way. Anyway, I'll see you both tomorrow.'
And with that Kairi left. Riku turned and watched Zell carefully for a little while, examining his expression. Zell only stared back.
'Well, goodnight' said Riku, leaving the room and Zell to darkness. However, Zell was not scared anymore. He was excited, though. The boy from the beach.
The one who will open the door.
-------
'Wait, slow down!' said Zell, trying desperately to keep up with the man before him.
'Can't keep up with an old man like me?' the man laughed, destroying a swarm of shadows with his long blade. 'Hurry up. You may not be a boy anymore, but you can still go faster than that.'
'I can't' whimpered Zell, turning his head. Behind him he could see the warrior, running after them.
'We can't let him have it, Sora. Its more important than my life, your life, or even Leon's life. He died to save it from my blade, yet it must be destroyed. Don't you see that?'
Zell shook his head, cutting down some shadows with his Keyblade. 'What do you mean Leon died? I don't remember you telling me that.'
'It's not important! I told you!' The man ran forward up to a boulder and leapt over it with ease.
'Why are you being so heartless Cloud? I remember you fighting me twenty years ago, in Olympus. You weren't so cocky then.'
'Very funny, Sora. Hurry up. Cids ready with the airship, all we have to do is get there in ti-'
The old man never finished his sentence. In a flash of darkness, he was killed in his stride by a bolt of energy from the One Winged Angel that pursued them.
'Cloud!' screamed Zell, turning to face the man. 'N-'
------
'NO!' screamed Zell, jumping out of his bed. It was morning. He sighed with relief and went to the window, where he could see the boy from last night, Riku, down on the path below the house, talking to another boy. He got dressed quickly, hoping to catch them before they left.
It was not that he liked Riku, nor was it that he wanted to help them make their raft. To be honest, something about Riku frightened Zell, something about his heart. It wasn't what he had said the night before that made him think this. it was just what he saw in Riku. He saw. nothing.
He finished getting changed and ran down the stairs, slamming the door on his way out. The two boys were outside, chatting quietly as Zell walked up to them.
'Oh, Sora, I almost forgot. This is Zell,' said Riku, smiling at the new arrival. Again, Zell didn't like this smile at all. It seemed far too eager, far too powerful.
'The boy from the beach?' said Sora, swinging round to get a good look at Zell. He smiled as well, but not at all like Riku. He saw into his heart immediately, but did not see what he expected to see. He saw a girl.
'Yeah, hi,' said Zell, scratching his neck. Sora nodded and grinned again.
'So, where you from?' he asked, looking interested. But his interest was only a fraction of what Riku's was. Zell said nothing. 'You know, where you grew up?'
But Zell wasn't thinking about what Sora was saying, nor was he thinking about the emptiness in Riku's heart. Something wasn't right, something was happening in another world, another place. Something important.
'I. er.' Zell began to sweat. Sora and Riku both moved their heads closer, trying to hear what he was saying. His heart began to beat louder, his skin growing hotter. A thousand screams echoed around his mind, causing him to shout in pain. And then he heard a voice in the back of his heart. A slow, calm, powerful voice.
You. are from the Great Heart, the prodigy, the one who will open the -
'Door,' said Zell. And then he disappeared.
-------
'What. is this place?' asked Zell, walking down the cave tunnel. He had awoken there just a few minutes earlier to find his clothes soaking wet and dusty, just beside a pile of sharp rocks. He did not know how he had gotten there, but it had not been the first time something like that had happened. He was beginning to see a pattern. Arriving at Riku's island, escaping the strange man from the square. it had all been in darkness. And as Leon had told him, there is darkness in every heart.
He soon arrived at the end of the track, at a large stone wall, adorned with markings and symbols. A glowing blue sphere was set into the middle. As he edged forward to pick it up from its place, he heard footsteps from the way he had arrived. Zell quickly ran to the side, and hid in a crack in the rockwall.
Nothing happened for a while, but he was sure people would come. And they did. First came a large man, or what he thought might be a man - it looked more like some kind of cat-human, with blue fir and sharp teeth. Next came a woman and a man, standing side by side. One of them held a doll in her hand, of a strange yellow bird. The man held a blue ball.
Finally, there came a young woman. Unlike the others, she carried no weapon, nor did she have anything unusual about her. She wore a white top and blue dress, and held a long staff in her hand, one like a dancer might have. Inside her, Zell saw a bird, a swan, beautiful to look at but dangerous if backed into a corner. He could see no darkness in that heart. It belonged also with another, he could tell, as when a man came soon behind her, the swan within her raised its wings.
'Yuna, it's time' said the man with the ball, calling her towards the door. The man who was loved by her went forward, and tried to take the sphere from the door. Nothing happened.
'Stand back,' said Yuna, raising her staff. A bolt of white energy came forward, and hit the sphere. Again, nothing happened. Finally, the woman with the doll said a few words, and the whole cavern shook. The door did not move, but the rocks concealing Zell did as he fell out from his hiding place. The blue warrior ran forward and grabbed him, causing the group to turn to meet his gaze.
He just smiled nervously and said 'Er, hi guys.'
-------
'Would you mind letting me down now?' asked Zell, beginning to sweat. The warrior threw him down, and walked away down the passage.
'My name's Wakka' said the man with the ball, spinning it round. 'Nice to meet you. Don't mind Kimhari over there, he's just learnt the fiend's way of fighting.'
'I'm Zell,' said the boy, walking over to the door. He turned round to see the group staring at him, trying to figure him out. He too was trying to figure things out, but not in the same way. Cloud, the man in his dream, needed help, otherwise something terrible would happen. Something that could not happen at all costs. He had something, something that the heartless needed to win their war, but which they could not get. yet one man could. The one winged angel.
Wakka through him the ball and Zell caught it, holding it between his hands. 'What's a fiend?'
Their expressions changed quickly to a mixture of disbelief and wonder. The woman in the black dress stepped forward, and spoke.
'You don't know what fiends are?' she asked, and he nodded. 'Then you really are clueless. Maybe even more so than Tidus over here.'
Tidus got up from the corner, and smiled. 'I resent that, Lulu. Anyway, fiends are just your average monsters, stuff like that. Got it?' Zell nodded. 'Good. So, where are you from? Can't be from where these guys are, as if you don't know what fiends are then you definitely won't know who Si- '
'That's enough Tidus. Let him tell us about himself.' said Lulu, who sat back against the rocks. Tidus nodded reluctantly and did the same.
Zell wasn't sure if he could trust these people. Their hearts, they were all strong, but he had only just met them. Then again, he was sure that they were important, or at least they would be soon. He was on another world, and judging by their reaction to his coming they didn't know about the other worlds, the other realms and kingdoms. He would tell the truth, he was sure, but only a little of it.
'It all began with my amnesia. I couldn't remember who I was, where I came from or who my family were. I was lost. And then, someone found me. Someone helped me. His name was Leon.'
Zell talked for a long time about his adventures, filling in the gaps with made-up fables and adventures, making it believable. As he was talking, however, the door drew his attention. Something was behind it, something important. He could feel its energy drawing him, almost calling him. and he was sure he was not alone. The heartless would not be far, as they were on all worlds. Trying to steal the hearts of worlds, trying to.
Consumate the great heart, protégé of darkness.
'How can I?' asked Zell. The group looked confused all of a sudden, and he realised that he had not talked for a while. 'Well, that's my story. Anyway, what's with the door?'
Yuna got up, and walked towards it. 'I am. on a pilgrimage. Your amnesia, I am sure that you got it from Sin, the great devourer of Spira. I am a summoner, and so my duty is to battle Sin and make a Calm world, at least for a little while. Behind that door lies an aeon, or so the locals believe. One of great power, one that will not relent to conventional approach. We don't know how to get there.'
'There are also these weird fiends that keep attacking us, ya? You remember, those little dark creatures,' said Wakka. Yuna nodded.
'Recently, the fiends of this world have been multiplying at great rates, and people have been going missing. We think it might be to do with Sin, but then again these new fiends, not even our aeons can defeat them.'
'Are you not telling us something Zell?' asked Tidus, staring intently at the boy. 'You look like you know more about this than you're letting on. What are those fiends? Where do they come from?'
'They are. heartless,' said Zell, deciding to give in. He could trust them, he was sure of it. 'Shadows, dark spirits who have lost their hearts. I think. that they're after what is behind that door.'
'The aeon?' asked Lulu. Zell shook his head, looking down.
'No, the heart of your world.'
-------- 'So these things. they want to destroy the world?' asked Lulu, getting up. Zell nodded. 'Well how can we stop them if we can't hurt them?'
'I don't know. there is a weapon that can stop them, a boy with the power. but he won't make it here in time. It can be done though, I am sure of it. Though if this Sin creature is as big as you say it is, and as powerful, they'll go for it first.'
'That's a good thing, right? Having Sin gone?' asked Tidus.
'No. What is left of Sin, the darkness in its heart, will become a heartless. Which will not be a good thing.'
'So what should we do then, Yuna? If he doesn't know how to defeat them, what can we do?' asked Wakka, spinning his ball around.
Yuna called them all to leave the cave, so she could talk to them outside. She was the leader here, Zell knew, so she would be the one to make their decision.
'Guardians, I thank you for your help as friends and as protectors on our journey to defeat Sin. However, now there is a greater enemy, one that could mean the end of not only this world, but of all worlds. And this we must defeat. If our hearts our strong, and our courage is great, I really think we can beat this thing, I really think that we can all trust ourselves to pull this through and save the wor-'
And those were the last words Yuna ever spoke. Through her chest came the edge of a long blade, which was quickly withdrawn from behind. Yuna was dead. She fell to the ground with a thud, revealing a hooded man behind them, holding a long blade. He withdrew his disguise, revealing the one winged angel.
'YUNA!' screamed Tidus, and he would have run forward if his companions had not held him back. They were all shocked and upset, as was Zell, but they retained their minds. And their hearts.
Zell was the only one to step forward, not flinching as he stared the warrior in the face. Memories came from the back of his mind, thoughts that were not his but memories of someone else, a long time ago.
'Sephiroth,' said Zell, drawing the sword that had been given to him by Leon. It was dwarfed by the blade of his enemy, but Sephiroth did not laugh.
'That is I,' he said, stepping backwards. 'You. are the protégé' There was not a trace of emotion within him. The man had no heart, quite literally. He was beyond that.
'I am Zell,' he said, holding his sword up high. Sephiroth laughed mechanically, and raised his sword as well.
'So it is true that one like us may gain a heart,' he said, looking intently at Zell. 'Or perhaps not. We will see soon enough. Shall we?'
'Of course,' said Zell, and he ran forward to cross blades with his enemy. Yet he knew they were not fighting with swords. They were fighting with darkness.
------
There is darkness in every heart. I know this now, after my years of study. The heartless prey upon it, and thus are they complete. Yet kingdom hearts is not darkness, as I had once thought. This boy, this supposed abomination, is the proof. Born of darkness, he became complete and his heart grew with the light of those he loved. Kingdom hearts is light. But it is too late for I, Ansem, keeper of darkness, who am beyond such things. I must merely watch and hope he prevails, that he saves us all. Because he has that power.
I watch him now, not as an observor but as a supporter. He fights bravely against the one-winged angel, he blocks his moves and tries to attack him. Yet it is too much. Pinned to the ground, Sephiroth nearly kills him but at the last moment he rolls away with the realisation he will not win. He runs over to Tidus, the one made of dreams, and whispers something in the man's ear. He then turns round and faces Sephiroth again, this time with renewed vigour. Something is different, yet he cannot win. He is pinned to the ground once more, and as Sephiroth's sword comes pounding down the boy disappears not in a cloud of darkness, but a cloud of light.
Tidus then runs over to him, screaming with tears. Sephiroth dodges his blows easily, and then kills him, throwing him into the air. Kimhari runs from behind too, pulling him down to the ground will Wakka leaps atop him, trying to defeat him. Yet he pulls away with ease and vanquishes Kimhari with a blast of fire, then turning it round on Wakka. The only one left is Lulu, who has fallen to the ground with tears. She can do nothing. He walks up slowly, laughing, and stabs her through the heart. The fate of that world is now sealed, and so I leave to try and find the one who will open the...
-------
'Where am I?' asked Zell, looking around. They were in complete darkness, broken only by the shape of the chairs they sat on, a table in between.
'The world in-between' said Ansem, rising from his chair. 'Yet that is not important. Do you remember fighting the Heartless angel?'
'Sephiroth?'
'Yes, he was that person once. Do you remember meeting the Leonhart, and falling into darkness?'
'Yes.'
'Do you remember the obsidian statue?'
'What's that?'
Ansem bowed his head, and sat back down. He sighed. 'It is as I expected then. This will not be easy to tell you. Are you ready?'
Zell looked confused, and got up. 'You're. a heartless aren't you? You're darkness. How can I trust you?'
'It is indeed true that you can See. This confirms my thoughts. Do not worry, for the moment I will not and cannot hurt you. But that will change.'
'Why do you want to help me? How did I get here?'
'So many questions, yet they are not important. I will answer them none the less, as time does not matter here. You are in the world-in-between, as I said before. You must know to understand, as knowledge is the key to understanding.'
Zell nodded.
'Good. This may be hard for you to understand, but the past three worlds that you have visited were not in the sequence of normal time. You have passed beyond that. For instance, the gap between Traverse Town and the Destiny Islands was a total of five years, while the third world, Spira, was one thousand years into the future. You follow this?'
Zell nodded again, clearly unperturbed.
'You also have the ability to See hearts. Only a few possess this skill, most often the darkest beings imaginable, such as myself. You, on the other hand, are an exception. However, one thing you have not yet done is look into your own heart. There lies understanding of the true situation. Yet first, will you allow me to tell you more?'
'Of course.'
'I cannot tell you who you are, or where you came from, although I know. You must find out those things for yourself. What I will tell you is about the Obsidian Square. This you will remember in time soon enough, but keep in your mind - the statue must not be allowed to exist. It is wrong. However, its essence is tied to your own, so destroying it will mean your death. This in turn means that you are the only one who can do it.'
'What statue? What do you mean essence?'
'You will see soon enough. Remember also, although it is not part of your story, you have one other task remaining. Find the talisman and return it to the kingdom. Sephiroth must not get it.'
'Why are you helping me? Who are you? I've got so many questions running around my head, its driving me insane.'
'I am Ansem, keeper of Darkness. Yet not for now. If you are successful, I will continue to be so, yet it is a necessary sacrifice. In turn I will forget what has happened here. Go now, look into your own heart and see your true meaning.'
Zell put his head down, and saw into himself. Nothing happened at first, and then pain ran down his spine. He fell to the ground, and into a deep sleep.
Left on the ground nearby him, where Ansem had sat, were a pile of old bones.
-----
Sleeper, open your eyes. Awake.
There was once a town of great prosperity and good will, a safe haven against the heartless. There, people from all world gathered to make a stand against the Darkness, and in their efforts they were championed by the Keybearer. He came to them as if waking from a dream, his own world of islands. In a small alley he was welcomed by a slobbering dog and a few dustbins, while all around people ignored him, and thus did he die, killed by the blade of his enemy. The hopes of entire worlds rest upon a young boy of around ten, who, on one late evening woke up among some dustbins down a small alleyway, not far from where a certain fourteen year old boy would wake up four years later. And his name?
Riku.
-------
'No,' said Zell, watching himself wake up to see the old man from up above. 'I. can't be him. I. can't be.'
The scene before him went away quickly, fading in a cloud of darkness. Zell flew with it, gliding high into the sky, with innumerable worlds passing below. Each taken by the heartless, each about to return to the great heart, the greatest world, the.
'Kingdom Hearts,' said Zell. He saw it below him now, a huge door in the midst of nothingness. There, he could feel the great white energy, the goodness within. and the despair. The misery. The Darkness.
Ansem was below him, fighting the keybearer and his companions. If he was Riku, why couldn't he remember any of this? Why didn't he know who Sora was?
Because you aren't him. Look deeper. Dive into the heart.
Zell flew past the battle, past the great door of all worlds. He was within the kingdom, the heart. Heartless swarmed all around him, resting among the walls of the heart. He saw other shapes as well, in the distance. A red lion, hurt and wounded. A small boy in a wizards hat and blue clothing. They were all here, trapped. They shouldn't be, he could feel it. Yet some of the others, this was their home. a great King struggled against the door, fighting off heartless with his blade. He had no body, he was merely a heart. As was Riku, who aided him below.
And then the door opened, and the cave shook with light, obliterating the heartless within. Yet the darkness was not gone. No sooner had Riku bordered near the door had several darkside emerged, trying to escape. There was something somewhere, the source of all the heartless. Yet not of the darkness.
Riku struggled to close the door, as did the keybearer on the other side. But it was no use. The darkside continued along towards the door, almost alongside Mickey. The king fought valiantly with his keyblade, but fell beneath the darkness, his heart vanquished for the meantime. As did Riku, who had not a single chance. With a final effort, Sora and his companions ran forward, but the heartless brushed him to one side, almost killing him. As they were about to deliver the final blow, Zell spoke.
'No.'
The darkside turned round, and then retreated back into the kingdom in a cloud of darkness, taking the keybearer away to another world with his friends.