"See ya!" Sora called out, blasting the Large Body with a Fira spell, clearing the Third District of the Heartless.
"Confounded Heartless!" Donald cried next to him, adjusting his hat, which went askew in the battle, "You'd think when we locked the Keyhole to this place, they'd give up already!"
"No such luck," Goofy said, "Y'think maybe Leon and the others'll know anything about it?"
Sora nodded. "It's worth a shot. I wanted to see him anyway." With that, he let go of the Keyblade, which dissolved in midair, and walked towards the upper part of the Third District.
It was a quick walk to Cid's house, which, despite being small, was the base of Leon and the other protectors of Traverse Town.
"I hope they're here," Donald remarked, "I'd hate to have to swim in the sewers again to get to them…"
Goofy nodded emphatically. "We smelled bad after that."
Donald said, proudly, "Well, YOU did. Water rolls off a duck's back, but NOTHING smells worse than wet dog…"
Goofy looked miffed at that statement, before Sora remarked, "Well Donald, I don't know about you, but I got a good whiff of you after that, and you didn't smell like a garden. A compost heap, maybe…"
Goofy laughed aloud at that, more so at Donald's fuming face than Sora's comment.
Sora knocked on the door, and opened it. Luckily for them, Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie were indeed in, meaning they wouldn't require another swim in the sewers.
Leon nodded imperceptibly. "Sora. Nice to see you."
Aerith offered them all drinks, which the newcomers graciously accepted, then asked, "What brings you here?"
Sora scratched the back of his head. "Well, basically, we want to know why the Heartless keep showing up."
Donald nodded. "Yeah. Shouldn't they all stop being here once Sora sealed the Keyhole?"
Leon closed his eyes. "It's not that simple. Locking the Keyhole keeps the Heartless from taking the world over… but you're like a magnet to them. Wherever the Keyblade goes, the Heartless follow. Even sealing the Keyholes won't stop that…"
Sora looked crestfallen. "Oh… sorry. I didn't know. I've been endangering this town then…"
Aerith put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Heartless come here no matter what. They appear even when you're not here. It's not your fault."
Yuffie grinned and said, "Yup, you're just making it worse!"
Aerith gave a stern look to the ninja girl, who just laughed.
Goofy scratched his head. "Gawrsh, y'all know a lot about the Heartless and the Keyblade. How come?"
Leon looked at the dog, then said, simply, "Nanaki."
Sora blinked. "What's a Nanaki?"
Yuffie stood up. "That's right, you never met him!"
Leon nodded. "Nanaki's an old sage that lives here in Traverse Town. He told us all about the legends of the Keyblade."
Goofy looked puzzled. "But how does HE know them?"
"Because he lived through them!" Yuffie said, "Nanaki's as old as dirt, but he's really cool, and he tells a good story. C'mon, I'll take you to him!"
Sora found himself being grabbed by the ninja girl and dragged out of the house, Donald and Goofy tailing him. Whoever this Nanaki was, Yuffie definitely liked his company.
The four of them went to the first district, up to a house that neighbored Gepetto's, covered in locks. Yuffie knocked on the door and said, "It's Yuffie!"
Almost instantly, the sound of every lock clicking open was heard.
Yuffie walked in casually, with her charges in tow.
The house was small, and they could hear a fire crackling in a nearby room. The group wandered in after Yuffie, and found the house's resident.
Sitting in the next room was a large red beast that looked something like a lion and something like a wolf. A feather headdress decorated his spiked mane and golden bracelets decorated his legs. He was covered in tattoos, and his face showed that one of his eyes was gone, a crossed scar where it should be. Most amazing of all, they realized that the fire they heard in the vestibule was coming from the creature's tail.
Upon seeing the visitors, the beast got up and asked, "Kaze, is that you!" in disbelief, approaching Sora and sniffing him intently, before saying, "No, you aren't Kaze. Similar, but not the same."
Yuffie nodded. "He's really the same, Nanaki. Sora here is a Keybearer."
Nanaki blinked, or winked, rather. "Is that so? Are you from the Destiny Islands?"
Sora was taken aback. "How did you know?"
Nanaki smiled. "You and he must be kin. And these other two are?"
"Donald Duck," Donald extended his hand.
"I'm Goofy," Goofy waved, "We're servants of King Mickey."
Nanaki brightened. "King Mickey? Ah, Walt's descendant. So, it all comes full circle."
Sora blinked. "What do you mean?"
Nanaki shook his head. "Where are my manners, sit down, please!" when the travelers did so, the red beast sat up, "My name is Nanaki, the Thirteenth Guardian of Cosmo Canyon. I am, as of this July, 428 years old."
Sora, Donald and Goofy all were taken aback.
"Don't look at me like that. My species is very long lived. In any case, I was 48 years old, sixteen by your species' standards, when I was taken along for the journey of my life with my dearest friends, rest their souls. One was named Walter, Crown Prince of Disney Castle. The other was Kaze, the first wielder of the Keyblade…"
Kingdom Hearts: Origins
Written by Ryan Griffin
Kingdom Hearts and all elements within are the properties of Square-Enix and Disney. All characters from the Final Fantasy series are the properties of Square-Enix. Kaze, Hino, Koori, and Prince Walt are my own creations and may not be used without my permission.
The dream occurred every single night. Kaze wasn't one to believe in omens and the like, but he knew that this dream was telling him something.
It never felt like the dreams that he was falling, or that he was going through the day and was suddenly naked, or that he was driving and his limbs failed him as he crashed into a tree… these dreams were odder.
It always began in the same place, the clock tower that stood over the city. It was the dead of night, with no stars or moon, only the pale orange light reflected from streetlamps. A blizzard rumbled in, silent at first, that by the time that he realized it was getting colder, a wall of snow was rushing him at thirty miles per hour. He struggled and clawed his way, trying to walk against the wind and biting cold, when, all of a sudden, the snow cleared, for only a second. He looked at the clearing, the streetlights reflecting off of snowflakes, bathing the area in an ethereal glow.
At both ends of the clearing, he saw two girls. On the eastern end of the clock tower was a person he knew for as long as he could remember, his best friend. Her long auburn hair cascaded down to the small of her back, and her brown eyes looked at him pleadingly. She was wearing a cream colored long sleeved dress, highlighted with red trim. She wore white pants underneath, tucked into shin high silver boots. The ensemble covered her completely, yet looked rather mobile.
At the western end was another girl he knew. She was dressed in an odd, dark violet uniform, with some odd, navy blue merging of a poncho and a cloak covering her shoulders. The wind swept her shoulder-length blond hair and her blue eyes pierced into Kaze's brain. She stood, a veneer of indifference about her, yet her mouth seemed to fade into a relieved smile at times.
The first girl, called Hino, and the second, called Koori, looked towards Kaze, both seeming to ask him to join them.
Kaze took a step forward, and crunched into snow. He took another step, and fell deeper in. The square seemed to bury itself deeper and deeper with each step they took. Kaze tried in fear to reach them, but suddenly, the blizzard realized it was alive once more and blew into Kaze's face with force enough to nearly send him flying. He struggled against the wind and ever growing snowdrifts, and, at last, he came upon one of his friends. The snow blinded him, obscured who it was that he was about to reach, and as he reached forward to grab her hand, she melted into the blizzard.
Kaze wailed in frustration as the snow piled around him, seeming to encase him in ice. His mind then flashed into images.
A thunderstorm cut through a vast land.
A red beast howled at the moon.
Waterfalls rushed and cascaded into a desert canyon.
Two anthropoid animals faced each other in a duel.
A crown was thrown upwards in a lopsided castle.
Fire overtook a forest.
Storms battered an ocean.
A golden city rusted and died.
And, lastly, a mountaintop exploded, revealing a winged demon. Its face glowed red with unearthly fire, and he laughed as he looked to the sky above him.
One by one, the stars were extinguished.
The demon looked at Kaze, and began to laugh as its gigantic claws reached to cover him.
Kaze awoke to the sounds of church bells.
"It's getting darker…" Kaze said as he looked out the skyscraper that housed his schoolroom.
He checked his wristwatch. He wanted to get out of there. He wanted to get home. He looked into the black, clouded sky. He checked the time, five o' clock PM. Sunset occurred at one in the afternoon. Just last week, sunset had been at three in the afternoon. The days were getting shorter and shorter, and even the light of the stars, the light of the moon, was a distant memory.
He looked to the streets, and here he saw light, but none of it good. The flames flicked and danced around the skyline in a way that both enticed and disturbed him. He checked the streets below. No crowds, of course, beyond several people running for their lives.
A breeze rattled through the window panes, chilling the room to the point that Kaze nearly leapt out of it. He went down the hall to a nearby vending machine, specifically, towards the person standing in front of it.
"Hino, we have to get out of here…" Kaze said. The girl perked up and looked at him with large brown eyes.
"Kaze, you know what's out there…" Hino responded, handing Kaze a chocolate bar. Kaze unwrapped it and ate as he talked.
"What's out there is going to be in here any second now…" Kaze paused to swallow, "Those people are nuts. It's all breaking down. I've seen cops and firefighters taking place in the lootings and sackings… we're in the middle of it all and there's no one around to help us…"
"Kaze, we can be safe here… you trust me, don't you?" Hino pushed a lock of hair out of the way and looked at him, slightly pouting. Kaze had to grin in spite of himself.
"Hino, don't think you can pull the puppy dog look. We've been friends for who knows how long… I'm immune…" Kaze looked at her, as she intensified the pout, "I swear I'm immune!" Hino simply continued to stare, and Kaze said, dejectedly, "Ah, who am I kidding?"
Hino grinned, "I knew you'd see it my way…"
"You don't give much of a choice… I still say we should get out of here, though. But, I'm not gonna leave this place if you're not." Kaze took the last bite of his chocolate bar and threw the wrapper in a trash can.
Hino smiled sweetly, and said, "I'm glad you…" she trailed off as she strained her ears, motioning to Kaze to keep silent. Both soon could hear footsteps, soft at first, but growing, getting nearer.
The two of them tensed as the footsteps felt as though they were on top of them. Both of them coiled up, ready to strike as the owner of those footsteps appeared in the hallway.
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" All three screamed at the top of their lungs. Only afterwards did they realize who the newcomer was.
"Koori…" Kaze said, breathing hard, "You gave us quite a shock there."
Koori walked over and swatted Kaze upside the head, "You idiots! You nearly gave me a heart attack! What are you doing here, anyway?"
"We could ask you the same question!" Hino responded, moving in front of Kaze protectively.
"Not all of us joined in the mob rule when twilight happened at half past twelve," Koori said as flatly as possible, "I've been trying to avoid any problems…"
"Coincidence, so have we…" Kaze said, rubbing his head, "Though I think we should get out of here before someone realizes they haven't looted THIS building…"
"Brilliant idea, save for the hordes of looters between here and anywhere else…" Koori said sarcastically, "Come on, use that brain of yours. Lord knows you haven't been straining it…"
"That's enough!" Hino said, "Kaze, I stand corrected, maybe we should leave…"
Kaze said, "Wait! Koori does bring up a good point. We don't want to be run down by torch wielding maniacs. So, the question becomes, how DO we get out of here…"
Koori bit her lip.
"What do you know?" Kaze asked.
"I didn't say anything…" Koori said.
Kaze simply folded his arms.
"If you think you're going to intimidate me, you're wrong," Koori said.
"I doubt I'd intimidate you. I weigh so little that I'm sure you could easily thrash me until your arms got tired if you felt like it. But, you seem to know something. And if you did know a way out, you'd probably be home by now if there weren't something wrong with it. You need help, and right now, we're officially it…"
Koori looked at them oddly, especially Hino.
Kaze sighed, and stepped out of the way, "Look, I don't know what's going on, but the three of us used to be friends. Good friends. I don't know why the two of you got so hostile, but we need each other right now. Any one of us does anything alone here, we might get ourselves killed…"
Koori sighed, then said, "There's a tunnel that leads through here and some of the other schools. It goes straight into our neighborhood. I'm pretty sure no one's down there, but I didn't want to risk it alone. Happy?"
Hino nodded, and Kaze said, "Ecstatic. We should get going… Lord knows this isn't going to be fun…"
Kaze began to walk away. Hino and Koori just stared at each other for a little while, as if sizing each other up.
Kaze walked back, "I just realized I have no idea where this tunnel is… What's going on?"
"Nothing," the two of them said in unison, as they looked at each other, and then away. Koori led the way. Hino motioned for Kaze to follow them.
Kaze chuckled to himself, "Maybe they're fighting over me…" Kaze laughed at the thought as he whispered it out, "Nah, I'm no prize…"
"So, my question is, how did you find this place?" Kaze asked.
"Well, I was searching the building, seeing if there was a bomb shelter or something. Knowing the attacks going on, I was sure someone thought to build one. I found this instead…" Koori said, "The map was pretty clear, but I didn't want to go in too far…"
"I wouldn't either," Kaze said simply.
"Well, at least we've got a big strong man to protect us…" Hino said giggling. Kaze also barked out a laugh.
"Considering worthless here can't wrestle anyone without breaking a few bones, I think we'd be safer with a mouse protecting us…" Koori grumbled.
"Well, if all else fails, you could use my corpse as a bludgeon…" Kaze laughed, then said, "Man, I hope this'll be over soon. I hate having to spend time in school…"
"This coming from the guy who sleeps through half his classes?"
"Hey! He gets decent grades."
Koori scoffed, "Kaze seems to be brilliant at times, just never applies himself. Hell, I can see you two in several years… You'll be married to the smartest stockboy in this whole one-horse town…"
Hino simply fumed at that, and began arguing so loudly and incoherently that Kaze felt he had to back away. He took out a flashlight and finally got a look at their surroundings. After realizing their friend was neither paying attention nor staying in one place, Hino and Koori joined him.
The tunnel was maintained much better than they had expected. The walls and floor, while not sparkling, were free from any mold or slime. Lamps were strung along the sides.
"Someone's been taking care of this place," Hino said.
"They're probably scared of the riots and wanted a clean place to hide," Koori responded.
"I can appreciate the effort…" Kaze said, as he pointed his flashlight around, "That's odd…"
"What?" Koori asked incredulously.
"Normally, in a place like this, you'd see some type of vermin. Rats, roaches, stuff like that. Not that I wish any of those things were HERE, mind you, but the fact that there aren't any is a bit unnerving…"
"So someone set out a couple of traps. You're over thinking this," Koori snapped.
"Maybe I am…" Kaze said as they lapsed into silence.
"Does anyone know where this leads?" Hino asked.
"The map said it was a straight run to the residential section," Koori surmised, "It'll lead past the rioters at any rate."
"It keeps heading down, though…" Kaze said, "It may take a while…"
"Waiting to get home and sleep?" Koori said sarcastically, "Lord knows you do enough of that in class."
"Funny," Kaze said without sincerity or scorn, "I just want us all to be somewhere SAFE."
"I'm not sure there will be any place like that very soon…" Koori said.
The three of them stopped at that, before Hino said, "I'm scared, everyone's become so, so MEAN lately. No one seems to care if anyone else lives or dies… or even what would happen to them…"
"War, famine, death, pestilence… All four horsemen and their brothers are starting to come out…" Kaze sighed, "Very soon, I think something really bad is going to happen…"
Koori shook her head, "As if something bad hasn't already happened…"
"I mean…" Kaze struggled to find the right words, "I've been having dreams lately. BAD dreams. And the world doesn't seem to be discouraging them. Things are just going to get worse…" He looked at them both, "And I want to make sure the two of you are safe."
Hino smiled warmly, but Koori scoffed, "As if we need YOU to protect us. You're just a wiry little thing. If something came for us, you'd be no use."
"That's not what I meant. I meant that the two of you are the only people who care about me, who care about ANYTHING it seems. My parents seem like they're already dead, alternating between working late and drugging themselves into stupors. Everyone just seems like they're either totally listless or just angry at everything. You two are the only other people who seem to have some life in you… I'm rambling aren't I?"
"You are," Koori responded, with a lot less venom.
"Well, what I'm trying to say is the world's become really bad, and it's just going to get worse, and when it seems like there's only three people who care… one of those people gets really concerned about the other two…"
Koori sighed, "You are perhaps the lamest flirt I've ever met," she grinned as she saw Kaze flush, Hino giggling at the sight, "But you have a point."
"Let's make a promise," Hino said, "No matter what happens, each one of us will do all they can to protect the other two…"
"Deal," Kaze said.
Koori rolled her eyes, "Sure."
And, with that, the lights stopped working.
"Great," Koori said, "Someone must have cut a power line."
"No worries," Kaze said, "I've still got my…" there was a bit of fumbling, "That's strange…"
"What?" Koori asked exasperatedly.
"My flashlight's not working either. And I've got brand-new batteries in this thing."
"Perfect," Koori said, "Alone in a dark tunnel and clueless here can't get our only light source working."
"We should keep moving anyway," Hino said, "We shouldn't stay in one place, in case someone else comes down here…"
"Stick together, though…" Kaze said, "We don't want to take any risks of getting lost…"
With that, Hino snaked his right arm around her left while Koori took a firm grasp of his left wrist. Kaze continued forward, hoping against hope nothing bad would happen.
All of a sudden, the three of them stopped. "Do you feel that?" Kaze asked.
The two girls mumbled assent. A stern breeze filled the chamber. The three of them remained quiet, straining their ears to catch the slightest sound. Nothing, not even a rustling of the wind, emitted from the chamber.
"What happened?" Hino asked.
"I don't think anyone came down here…" Kaze said.
"Well, I just wish something would make SENSE of all this…" Koori grumbled.
Kaze took a precautionary step forward. Puzzled, he took another, tapping the ground with his foot, "That's odd."
"What?"
"It feels like glass under here…"
"Don't be ridiculous," Koori said, "It can't…" she then took a step herself, then said, "Huh… that IS odd."
Hino herself stepped forward, and that's when it began.
Around the three of them, a light began to shimmer from below. When the bright glow finished spreading, the three of them were revealed to be standing on a stained-glass surface. The floor was circular, the predominant color was a bright yellow, and the edge was trimmed with golden crowns. The center revealed three odd swords crossed together. The lowest was a black blade, replete with wicked curves, the hilt resembling bat wings, and an odd attachment near the tip of the blade, trapezoidal. The next blade was white and silver, the hilt carved as white feathered wings, and the attachment at the end resembling a rising sun. The blade on the top was much simpler, a golden hexagonal hilt, a small silver blade, ending with an attachment that looked like the teeth of a simple key.
Koori slowly let go of Kaze's wrist as she walked to the edge of the glass floor, startled to find nothing beyond it. Kaze slowly let go of Hino's hand and began to test the floor himself. He and Koori finally met up with Hino in the middle.
"There's no floor beyond the glass… How do we get out of here?" Koori said.
"How did we even get here?" Kaze asked.
Before they could continue that line of thought, suddenly, three pedestals arose from the floor. With a flash of light three objects appeared above them; a sword, a shield, and a staff.
Kaze slowly approached a pedestal, the one with the staff above it. He cautiously grasped it, as if to see if it were real. Once he realized it was, he slowly took it, tested the weight, and then began to twirl it in one hand. He realized the feel was rather comfortable, and as he looked at the other weapons, he felt confident that of all of them, this was the best fit for him. No sooner had he thought this than the staff disappeared in a spark of light.
Koori, in turn, began to walk towards the sword, gripping it firmly, testing its weight, surprised to see that it was rather light. She took a practice swing, and grinned slightly before the sword, too, vanished.
Hino approached the shield, wary of the fact that this was left for her, but as she held it in her hands, she began to smile, holding it in front of her, and even taking a cautionary punch. She ran her fingers along the edge, pleased, as the shield, too, disappeared.
Immediately upon the disappearance of the shield, the pedestals dissolved in shadows, and the glass floor began to crack and shatter. The three of them were sent plummeting into the dark depths.
The three of them landed roughly, yet unharmed, on another surface. This one featured a predominantly red surface, ringed by odd markings and featuring, in the middle, an odd beast, four legged, resembling both a wolf and a lion, with a ridged mane along its back and an odd Mohawk along the top of its head, adorned with white and blue feathers. The creature's body was marred by scars and tattoos, the most recognizable being a large "XIII" along its left front shoulder. The creature's yellow eye, even in the glass image, sparkled with intelligence.
Kaze stepped forward, and then jumped back as he looked at the floor. Swimming beneath his shoes were creatures that looked like somewhat human. Rising from the ground like shadows made real, they seemed to be made of ink, with two hollow yellow eyes on their faces. They leered forward, hunched over, their claw like hands twitching in anticipation, two antennae quirking forward and back as if they could not be controlled.
Immediately, the three of them began to tense up, and, suddenly, a light began to glow in their hands, forming the weapons they had chosen.
Koori didn't even hesitate, rushing forward and slashing the creatures, placing all her power behind each swing. Kaze could only stand blinking, before one of the shadow creatures pounced towards him. Kaze winced, waiting for an impact that never came, as Hino stood over him, the shadow bouncing off the shield and onto the glass floor. Kaze, upon seeing this, gathered up his courage and rushed forward. Jumping high, he swung at a shadow upon his descent, smashing it with his staff and causing it to dissolve into thick black smoke. He then turned to another creature, letting it rush him, before he dove out of the way and smacked the thing over the side of the stained glass floor. Kaze continued to fight, dancing around the creature's strikes and smacking them with his staff.
Finally, the shadows no longer swam from the floor. With a low hum, stairway shimmered into existence.
"What the hell is going on here?" Koori asked.
"Not sure… but we have to keep moving…" Kaze said, and he began to step forward.
"What the hell were those things?" Hino asked.
"Not sure, but I don't want to stick around and see if they come back…" Kaze said.
"And you want to head forward, possibly into more of them?" Koori asked.
"I don't think you want to stay here any more than I do…" Kaze said.
"Good point…" Koori joined him, and Hino behind her.
Walking up the steps, Kaze wondered exactly what was going on, and specifically wondered how they were all going to get home… he then noticed the next stained glass floor. This one was a royal blue color, with a humanoid mouse in the middle. The mouse wore blue and violet clothes, specifically a deep blue poncho with an orange fleur-de-lis emblazoned. The mouse wore a crown, and held a gigantic blade in one hand and a massive shield in the other.
As Hino stepped off the top step and onto the floor, the stairway disappeared. Koori sighed, as if expecting something like that to happen.
Suddenly, the floor rumbled, and three geysers of shadow erupted from the floor. From each geyser, a shadow creature formed, slightly taller than an average man. One seemed lithe and quick, rail thin, with hands grasping glowing purple orbs. Another was big and blocky, with large thick hands. The last looked neither as quick as the first nor as strong as the second, but the thing had long, sharp claws, like overgrown knives. All three looked to the humans, and seemed to smile.
Claws leapt first, and struck at Kaze with enough force to disembowel a buffalo. Kaze only just managed to leap out of the way. Claws then looked at the girls hungrily.
Kaze responded by hurling the staff at the thing's head. It made a graceful arc, whacked Claws square in the back of the head. The thing growled, and charged at Kaze, who once again ducked out of the way, rolling behind him and striking it in the small of the back with his staff.
Kaze looked back, seeing Koori slashing at Hands, while Hino had begun punching at Orbs with her shield. Confident they could handle those monsters, Kaze focused on the one charging him. He jumped over the running creature and kicked it in the back of the head on his descent.
He inwardly thanked whatever gods decided that he would be a good gymnast.
Claws, enraged, rushed at Kaze once more. Kaze promptly stepped out of the way, allowing the shadow to run off of the floor.
He was quite surprised to see the thing run on the blackness, turn around, and run right back at him. It was only a quick reflex block from the staff that allowed him to keep his intestines inside of him.
Kaze inwardly struggled to think of an effective strategy against the thing and wasn't coming up with anything. As he parried each blow from the clawed monster, he looked at the others. Koori wasn't faring too well, the stocky monster shrugging off blows that would have cut stone, and the other monster was shooting dark energy from its orbs, shooting at Hino, who could only barely block with the shield.
Kaze swore, and then began to think of a plan. He swung at the clawed monster, striking its head, and then promptly ran away. He grinned as the monster followed him, building momentum. Kaze slid out of the way, too quickly for the clawed monster to react. It slammed into the orb monster, which, in turn, slammed into the stocky monster. There was an explosion of dark energy, and the three things sat, dazed, bleeding ichor and sparkling as if electrocuted. Kaze took the opening and began whacking at the clawed monster, until finally; it relented and exploded into smoke. Hino stepped up and began whaling at her monster, as Kaze joined in, hitting the orbed monster until it too vanished. Koori slashed at the bulky monster, joined by her two friends. The creature revived just long enough to become aware of its own destruction.
Kaze spat, "Bastards..." he wiped his brow, "How many more of these guys are they going to throw at us."
Hino took a deep breath, "Not sure…"
"If only we had some idea why this was even happening," Koori hissed.
At that moment, a giant ornate door appeared in the center of the floor.
"Odd…" Hino said.
"Not much odder than what's been happening…" Koori muttered as Hino went to try to open the door.
Hino tried to find a knob or a lever, but found none. She tried pushing on both sides. She shook her head, "It's not gonna budge."
"Step aside," Koori said, and she began to push herself. Unfortunately, the result was the same. No matter what she did, nothing would make the door open.
"Huh… that's REALLY strange…" Kaze said, reaching to touch the door. The moment his hand made contact, the door exploded in bright white light, and the three were forced to cover their eyes.
Kaze blinked as the light subsided. The doorway revealed itself.
"All right, let's go…" Kaze called, and began to step forward, but stopped upon hearing screams.
He turned to see that the entire floor had erupted with shadows, and Koori and Hino were in the middle of it, struggling to free themselves, as if caught in quicksand.
"NO!" Kaze cried out, leaping over and grabbing on to each of their hands. He strained as much as he could, but while they did not sink into the darkness any further, nor did they seem to become free. "Hang on!" he grunted, wondering how long he could keep his grip.
He looked into Koori and Hino's eyes, back and forth, and both seemed to place all their trust in him. The darkness continued to pull, and Kaze was forced to his knees as he felt his strength ebbing. He grunted in pain as he struggled with all his might.
What would you give to save them?
Kaze, at this point not noticing the voice was disembodied, cried out "Anything!"
What if you had to pick one of them?
"I'd rather die! I'd rather die than save one of them at the expense of the other!"
Would you shun the light you love so dearly and become immersed in nothingness?
"ANYTHING! I need to save them!"
Why?
Kaze paused for a minute, straining to keep the ever increasing pull of the shadows at bay, and barely manage to string out something coherent, "Have to… keep… safe. Want keep everything… But… nothing else matters. Nothing else… still good… Nothing else… No one else cares…" Kaze breathed in and screamed…
"NO ONE ELSE HAS A HEART!"
Suddenly, a force seemed to yank him from the scruff of the neck, pulling him into the doorway and ripping himself from his grip on the girls. He cried out impotently as white light flooded his eyes, his brain.
Hearts are the greatest weapon of all.
The strongest heart is the most powerful weapon of all.
The balance must be restored.
We need the strongest weapon of all.
It is your heart.
It is quite surprising, very unexpected...
Unfortunately, we cannot choose.
Your heart must become our weapon.
I hope it is enough…
"HINO! KOORI!" Kaze shouted, sitting upright. Panting, he realized he was in his bed. He looked around, and sure enough, he was in his room, he checked out the window, still dark outside. He checked the clock. Eight in the morning, not a good sign, but commoner as time went on. Kaze jumped out of bed, and ran to the kitchen. He took the phone and began dialing frantically.
"Hey, Kaze, calm down and, whatever you do, stay away from coffee today…"
Kaze hung up the phone. Koori was standing in the hallway, looking disheveled but intact.
"What… Why are you?"
Behind them, a voice giggled, "Have a nightmare, Kaze?" Hino said coquettishly, "You shouldn't take your dreams so seriously."
"It seemed so real…" he slumped into a chair. "Wait, why are you?"
"You passed out when the blackout hit us in the tunnel," Hino said, worriedly, "We wanted to stay here to make sure you were all right."
"Your parents never came home, so we took their beds," Koori said, "I still can't believe they sleep in separate beds, like some sort of sitcom…"
Kaze rubbed his head, "I… passed out?" Kaze shook his head. He recalled the memories in the stained glass place, and it seemed vividly real, even now, not the half recalled memory of a dream, a dream that usually was hazy to begin with.
Worse, his muscles ached, where the monsters landed hits, where he hit the ground too hard… it seemed as if, as he believed, it had all happened five minutes ago, not as if it were a dream.
Kaze looked out into the sky. There were no clouds, but the sun had not even shown the beginnings of wanting to rise, "I think we should be prepared today… I think we're in for the worst day of our lives."
The Magic Kingdom was in an uproar.
Walter Mouse wandered through the marketplace, concealed in a plain brown cloak, listening to the goings-on of the various people around him. All talk was of one subject, though.
"…Only a week for all of them to die…" a bull said to a shopkeeper.
"…I heard the last of them died just an hour ago…" said a worried horse to his wife.
"…The plague came so suddenly, spread so quickly…" a distraught female dog to her friend.
"So... now what's going to happen?" A duckling asked of his playmates.
The last question was on everyone's mind, and though Walt knew more than most, his knowledge did little more than accent his cluelessness.
For years, the Magic Kingdom had been a kingdom where humans ruled. Over time, the animals they lived with, the horses and cows, the dogs and cats, the ducks and birds, the mice, had all risen up alongside them as various clans. And though the clans themselves had their own hierarchies, the humans ruled supreme.
And now, that all changed. Within a week, a deadly disease had spread like a wildfire throughout the land, affecting no one but the humans. Now, all of them were dead. And that lay down heavily on Walt's head.
Walt shook his head as he walked past the marketplace towards his destination. He knew what would happen, the first inklings of it had already started. In the chaos caused by the kingdom suddenly losing its head, the clans would begin fighting. Those who once lived peacefully aside one another would soon be at war, all for the throne of Disney Castle.
And Walt laughed inside. He knew he would be a prime target for an assassin's arrow. And he knew that whatever effort he put in, he would never gain that throne, even if he did survive. The Mouse Clan always got the shaft.
Which is why, in great secret, he was planning something very experimental. He had teamed up with scientists on his world who were making the first ever vessel to travel through interspace.
If possible, he could find another world, and maybe bring the peace lovers there, to avoid the chaos and brutality sure to follow.
Entering the facility, he shed his plain cloak, revealing a blue and indigo outfit, trimmed with orange. He took his rapier and shield, necessary tools for any unsavory elements on the new worlds he would encounter.
He entered the launch chamber. No one was speaking. No one needed to. Finally, one of them spoke up.
"Your Majesty, all is prepared…" a duck at the control panel said.
Sighing, Walter, Prince of the Mouse Clan walked to the ship, made of the extremely versatile Gummi Blocks. He was going to escape.
He turned to all gathered there, "I'm not sure what I will find out there, and I'm not sure what will happen here in my absence. Right now, our world may soon be at war… If anyone wishes to go with me, they are welcome…"
Walt silently prayed someone would. To go to other worlds was terrifying in and of itself, but to do it alone…
There was a pause, before finally, a dog said, "Prince Walt, we understand the importance of this mission, and your reasons for wanting to leave… but this is our home. We cannot abandon it, especially now…"
"Would you throw away your lives for a power struggle?" Walt said, "We have lived for thousands of years in peace… We might be able to find it elsewhere…"
No one spoke, and finally, Walt turned and boarded the ship, shaking his head all the while.
"What a dump," a small bipedal cat wearing a crown and kerchief said from atop his mount, a five foot tall pink stuffed animal that vaguely resembled a Moogle.
The large black man beside him sighed. Though he wanted to remain optimistic, the creature had a point. Didn't stop him from dismissing it though. "You're just pissed cause you got stuck in that robotic body, Reeve."
"First off, Barrett, my name's Cait Sith," the cat said, "And second of all…" the cat then blew a raspberry at the black man.
"Enough…" a stern voice beside them hushed the fighting, revealing a blonde woman wearing a white outfit replete with a long cape, "We can't exactly be choosy about our new homes. Considering the old one was…" she trailed off.
Barrett stared at his right arm and the machine gun that had replaced his right hand. It was a reminder of the struggle he put up to keep his world from being taken over by Shinra and the Darkness. Now, all he had was this dump of a world that no one had inhabited simply because no one wanted to live there.
"What's wrong, Daddy?" a voice beneath him asked. It was little Marlene, his adopted daughter, who lost her parents, Barrett's best friends, long before losing her world.
Barrett smiled. "Nothing, honey. We'll all be fine, you can trust me on that…" he couldn't afford to be melancholy. He had someone who needed him to be strong. And strong he would be.
Behind this, an odd being pondered their situation. It was a large red beast who was a little like a lion, a little like a wolf, and nothing like either. He was Nanaki, son of Seto, guardian of Cosmo Canyon. He had, alongside Barrett and Rosa, the blond woman, tried to prevent the world from falling. He failed, and that failure resonated in his heart. His parents had sacrificed themselves and, in doing so, prevented Cosmo Canyon from being invaded by the Gi tribe. He would have died to prevent Midgar from falling to the darkness, but his friends dragged him onto their ship, scoured for as many innocents as they could before fleeing.
He had done all he could do. And he failed. And the latter point vast overshadowed the former.
Nanaki sighed, before saying, "We'll forge new lives and a new settlement here. This will be our home, and the home to all who wish it, for the time being. All who lost worlds to the darkness will find solace here, and we shall defend it with our lives, until such time as we and all beings can return to their homes…"
All present seemed uplifted by Nanaki's speech, even if it depressed the red beast to no end.
"So, what're we gonna call this place?" Cait asked.
No one knew exactly who suggested "Traverse Town," but all agreed that it fit.
Author's Notes –
This is the rewritten version, created after playing Kingdom Hearts II and deciding to edit the story, fleshing out certain ideas, abandoning others, replacing some characters, and all that jazz.
"The Keyblade is said to hold phenomenal power. One legend says its wielder saved the world, while another says that he wrought chaos and ruin upon it." – Ansem Report 9
Now, I've heard speculation that this Ansem Report is supposed to be talking about Riku. This makes no sense to me, because if Riku was the one discussed, how could the Keyblade fall into legend? How did Mickey find out about it and tell Ansem? In any case, it seems that we need a different Keybearer for the legend to be fulfilled. And Kaze's our man.