Okay...I had a nice break because I had next to no sleep for forty-eight hours straight...But now, at least, I am in good enough condition to continue my The Third Key fanfiction. I am truly sorry for the wait and I'm also sorry to the readers of Puppets of the Darkness. Given a little more free time I can update that too, but at the moment it's kind of scary just how little free time I have (it really is). I barely have time to do my homework, let alone come on my precious one, Compie (the computer). But enough about me and about that...Time for fanfiction!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Or the BHK (whatever his real name is)...or...Riku...-sniff-...But I do own this little bit of dirty chewed chewing gum tacked to the sole of a shoe...BUT SOMEHOW IT'S NOT THE SAME!
Oh yes, before I forget to mention it, I shall also be replying to reviews at the end of this chapter. Why I told you this I just don't know...Ah well. On with the fic!
Dream
"...A dream whithin a dream..."--Death poem of a Japanese warlord.
The rain pelted down, forming dirty puddles on an already dirty sidewalk. The streets were empty, the people with any common sense having fled the storm.
One person walked down the sidewalk, splashing puddles only enough to form ripples and small splashes through them. The heavy rain rolled down the black hood, down the black cloak and finally finding its place among its brethren. A particularly large puddle sent dirty water running down the sleek black boots, yet leaving no trace of ever having been there.
Lightning struck, loud and powerful, sending ripples through the water. The stranger ignored it and continued walking.
The shadows were thicker now, almost solid. They seemed to have been following him for some time but they were, after all, only shadows. The stranger seemed to have noticed this too, since he had paused.
He must have been expecting what happened next. The shadows became denser and from them, it seemed, emerged a small black creature--the shadow itself. It was shorter than the stranger, but built powerfully. Things which could be defined as antennae jutted out at the back of the creature's head. Fingers lengthened into claws. But the eyes were the most captivating thing, glowing brightly in the gloom.
Hundreds of these creatures emerged from the shadows. There was a brief second when nothing moved. And then they struck as one. But the stranger was ready. He parried a strike with a strange blade that had seemingly come from nowhere. Strange because at first glance it didn't seem to be a blade of any kind. It looked more like a key.
He parried all of their strikes with not one, but two of the 'keyblades'. Parry, strike. Parry, strike. Simple moves made complex striking down more and more of the creatures. It looked almost like a dance, beautiful yet deadly. However, if he made one small mistake then the punishment was death.
For every creature hacked down, another five seemed to take its place. It looked like the stranger would be overwhelmed, but he didn't seem to be showing any panic at all. Just the same moves. Parry, strike. Parry, strike.
Something or someone watched this from the rooftop of one particularly large building, covered in monitors. He wore the same attire as the one fighting below, but his hood was down. The rain ran smoothly down the spiky silvery blue hair, dripping off the ends. However, where the stranger's features were hidden by shadow, his were hidden by a black strip of cloth covering his eyes. A blindfold.
His hands were raised to the clouds above. He must have been doing something, since suddenly the clouds split in a perfect circle. Comets were revealed, streaking across the sky. Thestranger, still fighting below, was suddenly surrounded by a heart with an arrow on the end pointing down that repelled the creatures. An arrow of blue fire that burned strong despitethe rain still pelting down.
The stranger must have been waiting for this, since he did not tryto strike the heart symbol. Instead, he faced the flames, keyblades still clutched in his hands.
"Where's Sora?"
The world dissolved into shadow before a reply could be heard.
I woke up, for a few brief seconds blissfully unaware about what was going on. And then everything came back to me, giving me an almost instant headache. The dream...it seemed so vivid and real, but how could it have been? It was, after all, only a dream. There were only a few pieces to the puzzle, and I was completely blind to the bigger picture. Well, almost. There was still one clue that seemed to keep appearing whatever happened. Sora. Who was he? I tried to remember, hoping, however vainly that I would suddenly remember him and everything would make sense. However, this only gave me more of a headache.
Where was I? The buildings were an almost yellow tan colour, varying little from eachother. The shape was rather simmilar too, but there was at least some variation here. The one thing that struck me was the the tower. It was enormous, stretching far above everything else. From my angle on the ground it looked almost as if it was touching the sky. There were clocks below the roof that I couldn't read and a clock above that. However, the thing that struck me most was the two bells emerging from either side, each suspended by a large curled piece of something with another smaller bell on the end.
"Are you lost?" a young girl asked, making me jump slightly. Snapping out of my trance, I looked at her. She looked about the same age as me with dark brown hair and large blue eyes. She wore a orange dress with some white flowers on one shoulder. She was smiling slightly.
"Are you lost?" she repeated patiently. "I haven't seen you around here before. What's your name?" She was so curious when she spoke, every word she spoke showing this.
Then I realised. I didn't have a name, or at least had forgotten. The girl was aware that I still hadn't said anything, but she seemed to be getting slightly impatient.
"You don't have a name?" she asked. I nodded slowly. It might have not been completely true, but it was still the truest thing I could have said or done. She seemed to be thinking, a slight frown etched onto her delicate features. "I know!" she said suddenly, breaking out into a warm smile. "Your name can be Aori." Then she nodded, as if satisfied with her decision.
Then she frowned again. "By the way, what are you wearing? It's too hot to be wearing things like that!" I looked down at what I was wearing. A long black cloak with a hood and a pair of black boots. Just like the stranger from my dream.
But what does it all mean?
Dream: End.
Right, so as promised I shall now reply to the reviews. Oh yes. And I shall also apologise to those who didn't want to read a version of Another Side, Another Story. But it had to be done to advance the plot. But I must admit that it could have been worse. Anyway! On with the review replies!
Blu Rose: Don't we all want to know more about our dear little enigma, the BHK? I know I do...good to know I'm not the only one! That was definately one of the reasons that I started this fanfic. As for updating soon? When I've had some more sleep the updates shall come again!
whatever: Thankies! It's good to know that people like the story. If they didn't, then there wouldn't be much point in writing this, save for satisfying my own desire to see this through...A paranoia theory about the BHK brought to life! At least, that's how I view it...
Shiozora: No offense taken :) Don't worry, our dear BHK will become his own character soon enough. But to advance the plot, which seems to just be getting more complicated every time I think about it, I had to do it like this. Hope you like the latest chapter...
icewolf9: Dark and twisted are some of the best fanfics! Good to know you liked it, though...I do hope I finish this before the release of KH2 though.
Thank you, oh kind and wonderful reviewers! It is always good to know someone out there is reading this, apart from obsessed little meh. Once again, I am sorry that this took so long to make, but I was a little preoccupied. I'll try not to let it happen next time though. Don't forget to review this time! If you don't then I'll...hm...do something drastic. Yeah, that's what I'll do...eh heh, eh heh...heh...
Oh yes, before I forget, I'll explain the BHK's name. 'Sora' means 'sky', and the BHK is a part of Sora (in a way...). I couldn't use Cloud since that's already taken (damn...). Aori means wind (a gust of wind to be precise). Maybe not the most fitting name, but hell, it was all I could come up with. What can you do?
Remember to review. Until next time!