A/N: Okayy…time for some notes:
The first three chapters didn't have much to do with Parasite Heartless, did they? But that was because they were introducing the characters, building suspense, blah blah…
The fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters are where Parasite Heartless actually begin to be introduced, so I guess that's when the story actually starts getting interesting.
It looks like there's going to be ten chapters total…Sora, Riku, Kairi, Namine, etc might make appearances later (chapter seven and up maybe?), and we'll try to give them large roles even though they aren't the main characters here..The reason they don't make many appearances yet is that this story supposed to take place in the time of Chain of Memories. I don't think Akane and Kitsuko are going to Castle Oblivion in this story. Maybe in another story…But in this one, they will also be going to…Nah, I won't give you a spoiler. But you can probably guess.
I need some reviews. I use constructive reviews to make the later chapters better. If you don't like something about the story, tell me and I could make it better! Duh…And if you do like the story, great! Now on with the story!
5 – Two Tails
Kieon wondered if Kitsuko was alright. After all, she was wandering around in Hollow Bastion, a place that could practically be called 'the castle of heartless'. She continued to look through the book for anything useful to their search for the answers to Akane's and Kitsuko's pasts.
"'Ansem, the seeker of darkness'...?"Akane repeated aloud what Kieon had read earlier. She thought she'd heard this name before.."So... what does it say about Ansem? The name sounds familiar.. Is he famous or something?"
Kieon flipped through the book quickly, skimming the pages. "Darkness born out of people's hearts, that forms the Heartless...The core of people's hearts is the Heartless, the Darkness...Another experiment...A girl who possesses both light and darkness...something about a boy...I don't understand most of it, but it looks like during some of the more recently written pages, he talks of a girl he saw with two wings - one white and the other black. What could all this mean?"
"I'm not sure.." Akane replied, "The girl he saw sounds something like Kitsuko.."
Aiko said, "Maybe he was talking about her, and that's what she doesn't remember," Aiko guessed.
Kieon nodded at her comment, although she looked surprised. When Kitsuko's wings appeared, they were dragon-like and glowed blue. All that she knew who had a white and a black wing was her guardian, the chimera…"Could it really be Kitsuko? If so, then she might really be in danger...But what could we do if she becomes demon-like again?"
"At this point there's about no way of knowing if it really is Kitsuko, even if it is, and she is in danger.. I'm not sure what we would do, but it seems a bit likely, because of past incidents.. What exactly should we do? Theres about no way we can keep her from being demon like… Is there?" Aiko replied.
Kieon though about it for a moment. "Her guardian has a white and a black wing. Could they be one in the same somehow? As for her demon form...Well, I'm honestly not sure how to stop her. When she was fighting in Traverse Town, she became both angered and intimidated by her opponent, which caused her to both become more and less demon-like. That doesn't help us at all, then. Do you think you have a way to deprive her of demonic energy?" she asked Aiko.
"How could they be one in the same? I don't know of a way to deprive her of demonic energy.." Aiko replied shortly this time.
"Now that I think of it.. what exactly does it say about 'A girl who possesses both light and darkness'?" Akane asked.
Kieon looked through the book again, and looked for the right page...A page was torn... " 'I have observed a girl today who seems to be a chimera. A product of the Heartless perhaps? She acts as neither a hero or a villan. She also seems confused, it appears as though she can be easily manipulated...' What do you think it means...?"
"I'm not sure..." Akane said. "That sounds a bit like Akane.." Aiko said. "I'm fairly sure that something happened with a heartless.." Aiko added.
"I still don't remember what happened though.. Anything could have happened.." Akane added.
Kieon looked depressed. "It looks like we're all confused and don't know what to do next...There was a time when I was not with Kitsuko, and when I returned to her, I learned that she had suffered from an immense fight in which she 'changed her form'. I heard about it from someone, but they didn't have any details. While I was not with Kitsuko, I was researching Heartless, and discovered that they could indeed affect people in certain ways, such as giving them powers. But I didn't have time to complete my research. Maybe...Akane gained some powers from Heartless?"
"That could be possible, it would explain her wings..and ears, but what scares me is what other powers could she have gained?" Aiko replied. Akane remained silent...
Kieon tried to recall what she had learned..."Yes, people inflicted by the Heartless might change their form, such as Akane gaining her wings and ears. What I can't figure out is why the Heartless would want to change someone instead of just taking their heart as they usually do? Maybe there is a darker result to all of this...Well, if Akane really does have Heartless powers, she should have the symbol of the Heartless somewhere on her."
"That is true, and we haven't found one yet, but, as you said: why are they not killing; and giving powers? That worries me .. maybe another heartless army will be a result of all of this?" Aiko replied, she looked a bit worried.
"That's exactly what I have been thinking. Heartless are born out of darkness in people's hearts; they may be trying to create a new kind of heartless, which are born the other way around: people gaining darkness in their hearts because of the Heartless, therefore becoming a part of darkness themselves. However, if that is the case, then Akane..."
Suddenly a loud noise was heard in the distance, in some other part of the castle. Kieon's fur stood on end. "Kitsuko...!"
"Where did the noise come from?" Aiko asked.
"Even if we knew that, how could we get there before she left there, and how could we help her?" Akane asked, putting her own troubles aside.
Kieon sniffed around, picked up Kitsuko's trail, and frantically began to follow it, although she was worried that she could get lost in the labyrinth-like castle, or worse - be attacked by Heartless. Hoping that Akane and Aiko were following, she led the way through various paths of the castle...However, no Heartless seemed to be around.
Akane and Aiko followed closely behind Kieon, both worried. Akane wondered why there were no heartless, they seemed to be appearing all the time lately, but now there were none..
Kieon looked back at Akane, guessing that...Maybe it was she who was repelling the heartless. Looking forward again, she thought maybe it was something ahead instead that was creating an ominous aura inside the castle. Finally they reached doors, and entered an area. ((It's the place where Sora fought Maleficent in KH1.))
Kitsuko was unconscious on the floor, and on her back was a small white angel wing, and a small black demon wing…Just like the Twilight Chimera's. Further into the hall stood a dark figure, hooded, cloaked, and silent. As Kieon, Akane, and Aiko approached, he disappeared into darkness. Kitsuko's small wings disappeared as well.
Akane and Aiko ran into the room. "What happened!" they asked in unison, but realized Kitsuko was unconscious and stopped.
"Akane, give me the first aid kit!" Aiko said, before she went to Kitsuko.
Akane went through her backpack and got out a white case with a red + on it and handed it to her rabbit friend.
"Thanks" Aiko said as she pushed the case over to Kitsuko, and looked for any wounds, and found no cuts, but a bruise on her head. Aiko put an ice pack on Kitsuko's head and sat on the case.
"Strange, it seems like Kitsuko was hit in the head by that person, but what in the world happened with those wings is what bothers me.. We'll have to be wary of this person.."
Kitsuko was limp and her face was pale. She was hardly breathing. Her physical injury was severe, but Kieon sensed that there was something else wrong. Had the stranger told her something, or done something more to her? Kieon sniffed her body all over as her ears twitched, searching for a sign of answers, but found none.
Suddenly, she looked at Kitsuko's tail...She had two tails! They were faint though, and almost looked like illusions. Kieon poked at them with her paw, but indeed the two black, shiny, white-tipped tails were real.
Akane looked at the tails. "Looks like you missed something Aiko," Akane said as the pointed at the tails. "That's really strange, how did she get an extra tail?" Akane wondered aloud.
Aiko looked at the tails. "Could this possibly be the work of whom ever that was? Or has this happened in the past?" Aiko asked.
Kieon replied, "…It's actually not unusual for foxes to get an extra tail…but it's rare. However…In this case, it may be more of a bad sign than a good one, I'm afraid. I'm not sure exactly what it means, though, but her wings probably have something to do with her guardian. In any case, we'll have to see what happens when she wakes up."
end of chapter five – two tails