Fire Emblem Hearts
Chapter 7
A Guiding Key
"Sire, the troops are ready. We have prepared the strongest group we could. I ensured that they were nothing short of the best. Speedy, strong, magically adept and willing to do anything for our country." a man said, standing before a throne.
Sitting upon it, shielded partially in shadows was a tall man. He wore a long striped shirt, and matching baggy pantaloons with armored boots. His chest was covered by pieces of protective armor, with beautiful markings and engravings on it. He wore a pair of armored braces, and sleeveless gloves. He was wearing a long beige cape, which fell all around him, in his hand he was holding a Levin Sword, which was slightly sparking with electrical magic.
"Are sure they are indeed the best?" the man asked gruffly.
"Of course sire, they're the bloodthirstiest bandits and swellswords in Plegia. We even managed to hire some rogue kitsune and wolfskin as well." he replied shakily. The crimson haired man remained silent, tapping his blade against his palm.
"And you are sure the Duchess has made it back to her home in Themis?"
"Yes sire, we've been tracking her and her family for a few days. It seems the Shepherds are moving toward Ragna Ferox. They are away from Ylisstol. This is the perfect time to attack Themis. If we capture the Duchess, we'll have our means to start this war."
"Then get to it, do not let a single one of her kin survive. Spare her parents, I want to see their faces when they see their eldest and only daughter be decapitated by my blade."
"Yes sire, please excuse me!" the man said with a bow, hurrying out of the room.
"The fool, he was quaking in his boots. If only I didn't need a squad leader, I would have killed him where he stood. Gar har har har!"
"My king, I would advise you to not kill your commanders and generals. At least not yet. Plegia's army is vastly more prepared for war than Ylisse's. However if the reports are true, then we'll have to face Feroxi soldiers as well." a female voice said, causing the king to glance to his right.
This came from a beautiful woman, standing beside the throne. She had lightly tanned skin, with a few violet markings. She was dressed in a very revealing black dress, with violet coattails, matching stockings and boots. She was flipping through the pages of a violet tome, a tome of Dark Magic.
"Bah, not even the Feroxi soldiers can stand against the might of Plegia. We have heart and a good reason to destroy Ylisse. This is the first step toward our revenge. Besides, we don't just have men on our side," the man said, glancing to the corner of the room.
"I assure you, milord. The power of the Heartless shall be with you. Those that have strong unwavering hearts, and feed on darkness have the power to control them. The Ylissians will not stand a chance." a voice said, stepping out of the shadows.
The voice belonged to a black clad woman, dressed from head to toe in a raven black cloak. She had a small frame, which was accented by her rather tight fitting coat. Her gloves hands were clutching something, a yellow and blue knife, it seemed.
"You know, I don't yet understand why you are helping us. You just come out of the darkness and start offering your assistance? What do you have to gain?" the dark mage asked, earning a laugh from the cloaked woman.
"Lady Aversa, I have plenty to gain, more than you even understand. Tell me, have either of you heard about the keyblade?"
xxx
"Hyrrah!"
A loud clang filled the air as the blades clashed fiercely. The kitsune growled as he pushed back with all of his strength, hoping to make his opponent misstep. He dashed forward, aiming a piercing attack, only for his opponent to guard against it, angling his blade slightly to deflect it. Chrom smirked slightly as he regained his stance, holding Falchion downward, preparing for a guarding attack.
"Come on Kazuki, you have yet to land a single blow on me," the prince taunted, earning a smirk from the kitsune.
"Get real! Look at which one of us is winning!"
Chrom's lip twitched slightly as he moved forward. He jumped up into the air, angling Falchion downward. Kazuki instinctively moved back, in time to avoid being impaled by the divine blade. He spun on his heel, using the momentum for a heavy strike, clashing once more with Chrom. He angled his keyblade, aiming a kick to his leg making the prince stumble forward. Using his superior speed, Kazuki delivered a strike to Chrom's back, causing him to fall to his knees. The man hissed in pain, as he used his sword for support. He looked up, seeing the tip of Divewing near his cheek.
"Checkmate." Kazuki said, giving the boy a toothy grin, flashing his fangs slightly.
"I don't think so," the prince cheekily replied, throwing a handful of dirt in the kitsune's face. He stumbled backed sputtering, giving Chrom the chance he needed. By the time Kazuki reacted, he felt Falchion's blade at his throat.
"Fuck...alright you got me, I yield," he said, dropping Divewing. It broke apart, disappearing from sight. Chrom pulled his blade back, slipping it into his sheathe.
"You did well friend. Frederick and Stahl have been teaching you well. Despite you starting a few days ago, I see you've greatly improved. You no longer winded, and your blade has more direction. However never underestimate your opponent. Just because you fight fair doesn't mean your opponent will,"
"That's a valuable lesson, the last thing I want is to taste dirt," he deadpanned, brushing his cloak off. He made sure his hair didn't have any dirt in it as well. He didn't know why, but he had become a bit of a neat freak as of late.
"Ha! I told ya you'd get schooled. You should have let Ol' Teach show you how it's done!" Vaike boasted, a grin on his face. Kazuki rolled his eyes, walking past him.
"Somehow, I doubt you would teach me anything worthwhile. In fact, the only thing you could teach me is something I already know. How to get your ass kicked by Chrom 101, with Vaike as the professor."
"Oh ha ha, very funny." the axeslinger spat in annoyance. The red head cavalier, Sully, started laughing. She clutched her stomach, pointing at the man.
"He sure schooled you!"
"Aw...come on Sully, don't you laugh too!"
Kazuki sighed as he left the makeshift training ground. Day six of their match had yielded nothing but boredom. Aside from one Risen encounter, it had been a rather peaceful journey. They were almost halfway to the Feroxi border now. In fact, they were nearing a major crossroads. One that lead to one of Ylisse's coastal towns, a road that lead to the mountains, one that lead southeast toward Themis and the main road to Ragna Ferox. He didn't know why it was, but he was yearning for something interesting to happen.
He couldn't exactly complain about the calmness. He didn't want to be fighting Heartless constantly. Though he wished to have the experience against them, he didn't want to risk himself against them. There was also something else he couldn't shake off. The feeling that something bad was about to happen. He could feel it in his heart. He found himself near the other end of their encampment, staring towards the far off mountains.
"Ylisse is a beautiful nation. I've seen so many things already, that village we passed was filled with kind people. It reminds me a lot of home." he thought, smiling. His smile dropped, ears flattening a bit. "Still, was Japan even my home? Was Earth even real? I still feel like that world was nothing more than a dream. I really hope that isn't the case...I wanna go back there someday."
"Ah, hello Kazuki. How fares your day?"
The kitsune turned to the source of the voice, Virion. The Shepherd's only archer. He had seen the man practicing earlier, and he had to admit, he was good with a bow. Every single target was a bullseye.
He was a handsome man, with silver gray hair, and fair colored skin. Despite wearing normal clothes, he had the attitude of a noble. That same aura that he got from Maribelle when he spent time with her. He briefly wondered is Virion was a noble in Ylisse. However, if he was then Chrom and Lissa would have likely said something. He shook it off, giving the man a smile.
"I'm doing well Virion. Just enjoying nature, I wasn't as active in my old home, if I care to admit. I did walk regularly, but being part of an army has changed me slightly," he replied.
"Exercise is good for the body, it keeps you fresh and limber. Especially as a foot soldier. You need to have good stamina to keep up with your opponents. Otherwise, you'll end up with a sword through your chest," Virion replied, earning a nod from the boy.
"Mhmm...couldn't agree more. Say I have a question, what inspired you to become an archer? Why not grab a sword and start swinging?"
"You wish to know a bit of my past eh? Well to answer your question, I'm not exactly the most...agile of men. I could very well pick up a sword if I needed too. However, my keen eyesight is something I am proud of. I wished to use it to aid those that needed help, thus I picked up a bow."
"Hmm...well, even if you don't swing a sword, you still need good arm strength for a full draw. You and that silver bow of yours are quite good on the field. If it wasn't for you covering me and Chrom, that Risen would have gotten the best of us." Kazuki said, earning a laugh from the man.
"Glad I could be of service then. As to your statement, yes you do need to have the arm strength for a full draw. The Silver bow I use has a 60 pound draw, anything hit with my arrow will die in seconds." Virion said, almost smugly as he ran his hand through his hair.
"Yes, anything but a heavily armored knight. What would you do if you had a wall of shield bearing knights before you. How would you deal with them?"
"You...do raise a valid point. However that's where you come in, swordsmen, and spearmen will clear the walls away. Allowing the archers to take down the less heavily armored soldiers."
"That's true...working in tandem with the archers is tantamount to victory. So long as the armored knights are dealt with, the swordsmen can clean house and the archers can rain down hell on them. Hmm...perhaps I can use that myself," the orange haired lad mumbled, tapping his chin in thought.
"Would you perhaps be interested in picking up a bow?"
"Pardon?"
"You have the makings. A kitsune like you would make a fine archer, with your sense of hearing and your keen eye sight, you'd be quite the archer! In fact, I believe you would be one of the best. I could teach you if you'd like."
"Virion...are you sure about that? I mean...I dunno, I've never held a bow before." Kazuki said, causing the man to laugh.
"Nonsense, we can take care of that right now. Come with me, I'll show you how to use one," Virion said, leading the young man towards the target practice. There was only one other archer, a foot-soldier for the Ylissian army.
"We need more archers, perhaps Ragna Ferox has some we could borrow. I can already think of strategies involving...oh gods, I'm turning into Robin!" he exclaimed, slapping his cheeks. He shook those thoughts off, stopping in front of the targets. Virion picked up Steel Bow, testing the string before handing it to the kitsune.
"Try that one out, pull the string back as far as you can. Do this a few times, so you can get used to the weight of the string." the man advised, earning an nod from the boy.
After a few minutes, Virion started giving him some pointers. He mostly showed him how to keep his arm balanced while he was drawing back. Thanks to his training with the keyblade, Kazuki didn't have much trouble with it. Finally, when the archer felt he was ready, he handed the boy an arrow.
"Just like I showed you, set the arrow and pull it back. Remember, aim down when you draw back, we wouldn't want someone to get hurt would we?"
"No we would not." Kazuki replied, notching the arrow. He drew it back as he rose his bow, taking aim at the stationary target. He had his pointer finger out stretched, keeping the arrow in place.
"You're doing well so far, now when you feel comfortable, release the arrow. Allow it to fly stray and true! Those kitsune eyes of yours should have no trouble with this," the man boasted, earning a small look of hope from the boy.
"Yeah, let's hope so. I've never done this so I doubt I'll even hit the damn thing." he thought, taking a deep breath. He opened his eyes, focusing on the crimson dot at the center of the target. Slowly exhaling, Kazuki released the arrow, the bow snapping loudly as it send the projectile flying. A low thump filled his ears a second later. Rather than the target, the kitsune noticed his arrow was now resting in the trunk of a tree. Not just that, he had skewered a bird with it. He turned to Virion, giving him a grin.
"How was that?"
Virion could only open and close his mouth, no sound escaping him. Despite the boy missing the target, he had killed a bird with his shot. He sighed, simply shaking his head as he placed a hand on his forehead.
"We have a lot of work to do."
"So it would seem...you aren't gonna eat the bird right? Because I call dibs on it,"
xxx
"Hah...they just keep...coming," Sabishii mumbled, swinging at another Shadow. She had been fighting for awhile now, taking down the shadowy creatures that seemed to spring up around her.
No matter how many she defeated, more kept coming. She ran forward, unleashing another ground combo on a few shadows. She sent them flying back, delivering several quick but precise strikes, before backing away. It was almost on instinct, like she had been trained before. She knew her mind didn't remember it, but her body clearly did. She hadn't taken too many hits, always avoiding them at the last second. She would quickly counter, throw some strikes and back away. It was a style that had saved her from being gutted by the Armored Knights. However, despite how speedy she was with her new weapon, she was beginning to tire out. It didn't help that she already felt lethargic, she felt like she would pass out any moment.
An Armored Knight took his chance, jumping straight at her with his sword raised. She quickly deflected, using a counter-guard to break its own guard. She hastily finished it, but this left her open, allowing one of the Wyverns to slam into her. She cried in pain, slamming into a boulder. Her body slid to the ground, sprawled on the sand, keyblade having flown out of her grasp. She tried to breathe, but her lungs couldn't take in oxygen. Her mind had gone blank, all she could do was stare at the approaching heartless.
Suddenly, a bright flash of light blocked her view. It was blinding, causing her to shield her face with her hand. She heard a loud clang echoing through the area, along with the hiss of the wyvern.
"Get back!" a voice cried.
Sabishii's vision cleared, her eyes focusing on a familiar looking keyblade, which seemed to be glowing slightly. The sounds of battle filled her ears, as two others had quickly taken out some of the heartless.
"Akira, they're bringing reinforcements!"
"It's fine Ann, we'll deal with it. You watch her and make sure she isn't badly injured. Noire, let's handle this!" the boy said, earning a nod from the girl beside him.
"Access!"
"Leanbox, lend me your Wisdom!"
In another flash of light, the two transformed. Light exploded from their bodies, sending the shadows feeling back. Sabishii could only watch as the two teamed up, slicing and dicing every creature that seemed to be gearing for them. She felt someone shaking her shoulder and looked up, eyes widening when she saw a familiar face.
"A-Ann?"
"Hey Sabishii, it's been awhile hasn't it? Are you alright?" she said softly. She clutched her head, her entire body being on fire. She sat up slightly, trying to ignore the ongoing fight.
"I was...slammed into this rock," she replied. Ann nodded, holding her keyblade into the air, using a wave of healing magic to take care of her injuries. She felt her pain melting away, now being able to breathe normally.
"That should take care of things. Now lets see if we can take care of these pesky enemies," the blonde said, holding her hand out. Sabishii took it and helped herself up, taking her Divine Rose into her hand.
"You guys need a hand?" the raven haired girl asked, taking a fighting stance. Akira spared a glance at his fellow keyblade wielder, but said nothing.
"Sure, back us up while we take care of the big stuff. Stick together, we can't afford to lose here," Akira replied, zooming forward. He raised his keyblade, firing balls of concentrated magic at the heartless.
"Noire, watch out!" Ann cried out, causing the goddess to whirl around, in time to block a hit from an incoming wyvern. The blonde girl raced forward, slashing its head clean off.
"Thanks Ann, but I totally had that!"
"Pfft, my ass...the way I see it, that would have stolen your heart, that's the last thing you need,"
Sabishii could only stare in awe as the three teamed up, lowering the horde of heartless that had sprung up. She had been dealing with some of the pesky Soldiers, and even a Morning Star that showed up. But Akira and the others were taking them down with ease. She got her head back in the game, helping out with some of the medium sized heartless.
"Aerora!" she cried, blasting the Morning Star back with a swirling ball of air magic. She raced forward, jumping into the air, driving the tip of her blade down into its head. It burst into darkness, releasing its captive heart. She rolled onto her feet, finishing off the Soldiers with small blasts of Blizzard magic.
"Looks like we're clear," Akira said, lowering his keyblade slightly. Noire panted a bit, turning to face the young man.
"Seems like it, still...this is a bit odd. That gate opened out of nowhere and brought us here."
"Can we get back home?" Ann asked, confusion laced in her voice. Akira however said nothing, as he turned to Sabishii who had remained silent. He stood before her, tilting his head a bit.
"Been awhile since I've seen ya, Wolf Ears."
"Huh? What the hell are you talking about? I don't have wolf ears!" the girl cried back. The boy cringed a bit, placing a gloved hand against his forehead.
"Sorry...I guess my mind is still a bit muddled. I wasn't expecting to see you though. I felt this sharp pain in my chest, my keyblade opened a gate on its own."
"I guess...I must have subconsciously asked for help. I was overwhelmed by those things. I'm so scared and confused...what's going on? Why do I feel so tired? Akira...what happened to you?" she asked, holding back her tears.
"Akira...you never explained, who is this?" Noire asked, floating next to the keyblade wielder. He frowned, tightening his grip on his keyblade.
"Noire, meet Shiina...my ex-girlfriend," he replied. Noire remained silent, a pensive look on her face. Finally after a few moments, she spoke.
"So...you're the one who broke Akira's heart? The one who cheated on him for six months without him knowing?"
"I'm sorry, why are you asking me that? That is a private matter...I agree that I fucked up, but I apologized. I should have just broken up with him beforehand. It was all heat of the moment."
"Heat of the moment? That's absolute bullshit! I would understand a brief stint. Six months is not heat of the moment! I'm shocked and appalled that you did that to him. Not only that, you have the audacity to ask him for help?"
"Noire don't...let's just forget about that shit okay? That's in the ancient past," Akira said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Hah...you know it's funny...he says that I cheated on him and that his heart was broken. But he did the same thing to me for just as long."
"What? How come I never heard of this?" Ann said, clearly confused. Akira dismissed his keyblade, folding his arms across his chest.
"Because I don't remember that."
"What do you mean you don't remember? You were prancing around Daybreak Town with her. You made it seem like you just saved the damsel, but you just used that to get back at me. The moment you realized I was cheating on you, you did the same with Strelitzia!" Sabishii cried out.
"Who?"
"Oh come on...you're telling me that you don't remember her? She was Master Ava's apprentice for Christsakes! Best friends with Kazuki!" she screamed. She suddenly cried in pain, clutching her head tightly as she fell to her knees.
"Sabishii! What's wrong, are you okay?" Ann cried, kneeling down next to the girl.
"Those names...I don't even...Strelitzia is...Master Ava...I don't know who these people are!"
"Akira...could it be she's like you? Seeing weird memories from a past you don't remember? Histoire said you had an ancient keyblade legacy hidden in your heart. That's why Shooting Starlight reawakened," Noire said, earning a frown from the boy.
"I'm not exactly sure...but if Sabishii is here, then that means Kazuki must be here as well. We're gonna have to be careful, the Realm of Darkness is quite dangerous. All of us have strong lights, but you Noire have the strongest light among us. You are a goddess after all,"
"That's good too know...you really think your friend is here, in this place?" she asked firmly.
"I do...let's just search the immediate area. We'll go as soon as Sabishii can walk." he said. He walked off, heading toward the shoreline. Noire remained silent as she glanced at Sabishii.
"I don't like you, you best stay away from my boyfriend. Or else the heartless will be the last thing you'll have to worry about." she said, walking toward the shoreline where her boyfriend stood. Sabishii frowned, glancing at Ann.
"Akira is dating a goddess?"
"It's a long story,"
xxx
"Kazuki, are you okay? You've been strangely silent since your lesson with Virion. He didn't go too hard on you, did he?" Robin asked, causing the kitsune to look up from the ground. He shook his head, a blank look on his face.
"It isn't that, have you ever had a feeling like something bad was gonna happen?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's like...there's something telling me that something bad is about to happen. I don't know when, and I don't know what will happen. I just feel it, in my heart." he said, placing a hand over his chest.
"Hmm...well if you believe something bad is going to happen, then perhaps we should discuss it with Chrom. The last thing we need is to get ambushed by bandits," Robin replied. The boy hastily rose his arm, grabbing her wrist before she could walk away.
"No don't! I don't want to worry him...it's just a gut feeling of mine. It might even be wrong!"
"Your voice tells me otherwise, your heart is telling you right? There was this phrase I heard from the Exalt. May your heart be your guiding key. Right now, your heart is trying to tell you something. We should talk to the Commander." the tactician said, giving him a firm look. He sighed, deciding to do as she said. The two started walking faster, catching up with Frederick, Chrom and Sumia who were leading their army.
"I hope you like it Chrom, it took me awhile to pick all of those flowers!" Sumia said cheerfully, handing the man a flower bracelet.
"Thank you Sumia, I appreciate it. Are these periwinkles?"
"Yep! I picked them because you like lavender, and they smell really nice." she replied. Frederick said nothing as he kept his steeled glare ahead, though he did have a small smirk on his face.
"Chrom, could we speak for a moment?" Robin said, attracting the man's attention.
"Is something the matter? Do you wanna change the route again?"
"No that isn't it, Kazuki has something he'd like to tell you." she said, gesturing to the kitsune.
"What? You're putting me on the spot? I thought you were gonna say it!"
"Kazuki, its your heart that's the issue, just tell him. He isn't going to judge you or anything. Have faith in your commander." Robin said firmly. Kazuki sighed, frowning slightly as he faced the man. He also noticed Frederick was glaring at him. He cleared his throat, making eye contact with the prince.
"I don't know how to describe it, but I have a feeling something bad is going to happen. I can feel in my heart, its ebbing at me. At first it was just a small feeling, but now it's practically screaming at me to turn back."
"Your heart is telling you this? I find that hard to believe."
"I do too Frederick. But remember, the heart is something we can't exactly explain. Were fighting dark manifestations of the hearts darkness, after all. If Kazuki is having this feeling, then perhaps we should heed it," Chrom replied, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword.
"It may be a bit weird but...I believe what Kazuki is saying. When we were fighting the heartless in Alryne, I felt different. Those creatures just felt so menacing, I could feel my heart being grasped by that darkness. I can't describe it, but his light made me feel safe." Sumia said, giving the boy a smile.
"Hmm...I suppose you two are correct...we can't begin to fathom what is currently going on. If you feel something guiding you down another path, then you should heed it. We may not know each other well, and I still have a hard time trusting you, but you should at least follow your heart." Frederick said firmly. Kazuki let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He felt relief washing over him, the smile returning to his face.
"Thanks Frederick, I think you are right...I should let my heart guide me towards the danger. If it's related to the darkness, even better." he said.
As if by fate, Kazuki's Divewing keyblade appeared before him. The boy was taken by surprise as the weapon floated before his very eyes. Everyone had jumped slightly from surprise, but now just looked at. Robin eyed it closely, noticing the area it was pointing. She took a hold of the weapon, briefly wondering if it would disappear, and to her surprise it didn't. When she tried to move it in another direction, it forced her arm back to the spot it had previously been.
"Kazuki, it seems to me like your keyblade is pointing you towards your destination. This weapon is connected to your heart, its your guiding key."
"Fascinating...every time I see this weapon, I am astounded by it. I'm surprised Robin can actually hold it," Chrom added, his gaze focused on the blade. Kazuki followed the same path with his eyes, seeing nothing but rolling hills and mountains in the distance.
"Um...what's in that direction?"
"Well, if you follow the path straight, you'll be heading back South. Hmm...there are plenty of towns and villages in that direction, so I'm not exactly certain where its pointing you." the prince replied, earning a frown from the boy.
"Guess I'll just have to follow the path eh? Well, if my key is guiding me, I may as well go see who needs help. I'll just meet ya back in Ylisstol, since it's a place all of us will have to return too." Kazuki said, taking his weapon back from Robin.
"I'll be right back, I have to get something real quick." the tactician said, earning a shrug from the boy.
"Aw, Kazuki is leaving, already?" Lissa cried. The boy gave her a smile, ruffling her hair.
"I won't be long, I just have to take care of something real quick. It's what my heart is telling me to do."
"We have our own mission, I'm certain it won't be long until we meet again. Do be careful on your journey, you are part of the Shepherds now. Everyone who serves under House Ylisse is a precious friend," Chrom said, holding his hand out. Kazuki clasped it with his own, giving it a firm shake.
"I'll be back before you know it Chief! I'll just take care of whatever needs to be taken care of. Then I'll run to Ylisstol as fast as I can, who knows? Maybe I'll beat you there first."
"If you do, make sure you prepare tea beforehand, Emm knows which kinds I like," the man said jokingly. Robin returned a moment later, holding a rolled up chart in her hand, along with the boy's backpack.
"Here, I've gone ahead and marked the locations between here and the Plegian border. Only three major cities are on the way there, the town of Belrose, Gardenia Town and Themis. I'm certain your objective lies within one of those three places."
"Hey, Maribelle is the duchess of Themis! If you do end up there, would you mind dropping in? Maybe let her know that I'm fine. You know how she tends to worry about me." Lissa said, earning a nod from Kazuki who gratefully accepted the map.
"I will, don't you fret Lissa. I'll make sure Maribelle doesn't sprout more gray hairs because of you. I'm actually looking forward to seeing her again, I'm done with the lesson plan she drafted for me."
"You sure that's the only reason you wanna see her again?" Robin said, giving the boy a smirk. He glared back at her, keeping his jaw firm.
"Yes."
"Milord, we should continue our march. Any more delays and we won't be able to make it by our allotted time." Frederick said, causing the prince to turn around.
"You are right, let us march! The Feroxi border isn't far from here, with our pace we'll make it in a few days time. Let's go Shepherds!" the man said, urging his troops on. Robin stayed for a brief moment, giving the boy a smile.
"I'll see you soon Kazuki. Something tells me you'll be following your heart after all."
"Yeah, I always do. Keep them safe will ya. Oh and one more thing before you leave." the boy said, earning a look of confusion from the tactician. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small golden chain, the charm of which was embedded with a glittering blue rock.
"May your heart be your guiding key,"
Robin's brows furrowed slightly as she took a hold of the chain. She gave him a smile and a nod, running toward the front of the march.
xxx
"Ugh...I should have asked for a horse," Kazuki mumbled as he walked down the dirt path.
He didn't know how many days it had been, but he had been steadily walking south. It had been a bit weird traveling on his own. He had grown used to traveling with a convoy of soldiers, but now he was a man alone with his thoughts. Due to him being away from other humans, he had been training his instincts a bit, or rather following them. Robin had given him some extra rations for him to take, but he had barely used any of them. He had been hunting small game in the woods. He started learning more about his new body, how he could sprint for several hundred feet without getting winded. How he could walk through the woods without a torch, and still see clearly. And how his ears twitched at the slightest sound.
His senses had saved him from various Heartless attacks. Most of them had appeared at night. He figured they were following their instincts, trying to steal his heart. Of course his keyblade was at the ready and he took care of them just as fast as they had appeared. He didn't know why it was, but he felt that only smallfry were trying to get at him. Shadows, Soldiers and even a few Darkdeer. He always wondered if there was a Risen nearby, but he hadn't spotted a single one.
He had passed by the Belrose village four days prior. He had looked around briefly, and had asked some of the townspeople if they needed help. While they had a bit of a Bad Dog problem, he had taken care of the little pests. He also made sure the Black Orbs had been taken care of, so another Demon Tide wasn't sprung on them. Gardenia Town had been the one he had just departed from. The town was squeaky clean, some had heard of the Risen and the Heartless but hadn't seen hide or hair of them. Now he was on the way to Themis, the home of fellow Shepard, Maribelle.
It had been a quiet, boring journey. But as he continued onward, the nagging feeling in his heart kept growing. It was as if some dark force was making a move. It was worrying him, it was borderline scaring him. He didn't think he would be that in tuned with the darkness. He could sense the depths of it, whenever large gatherings of heartless were around. But this felt like a combative force, as if something was planning for an invasion. He didn't know why he felt this, but it was very sickening. What kept him from a full-blown panic attack was his lesson plan.
Yes, despite him having to fight the darkness of people's hearts, and various other things, he still kept up with his studies. He was never good at school, if he had to admit. However since he was in a new world, a world he didn't understand entirely, so he had to kept up with it. His writing had greatly improved, and he was able to correctly write in sentences, at least according to Lissa. Now that he was a bit familiar with the language, he was sure he'd be able to read some of the books Ylisse was famous for. He had heard Robin talking about Wyvern Wars, a book that Sumia had given to her. It was a bit odd to see the serious tactician reading a novel of all things, but it was a nice change of pace for her. He didn't know her that well, but he at least hoped to use books as a way to bond with his friend.
Lately though, Kazuki fell off on his lesson plan, only because he had done everything Maribelle had left him. He had revised everything and gone back to redo some of the old lessons she had left him. He believed he was doing everything as well as he could. It was also one of the reasons he looked forward to meeting Maribelle again. If only to get her opinion. She was his teacher after all. He was also rather worried, Lissa had told him Maribelle took time to warm up to people. He had only spent a few short hours with her, most of them being in Alryne. He hadn't gotten to properly know her, so he had nothing to talk to her about. Aside from the lesson plan, there was also his lies...his ears flattened a bit, a frown on his face.
"Dammit, I wish I could tell them about this. But how would I? Hey guys, I just wanted to say I'm from another world. I come from an entirely new universe actually! Nope, I don't need help finding the asylum, I know where it is, get real," he said, to no one in particular.
"You know, talking to yourself is a bad thing. You might end up sharing some juicy secrets with the wrong people!"
Kazuki stopped mid stride, his ears standing straight as he tried to find the source of the voice. He was already prepared to fight, having summoned his keyblade to his hand. The swirling of a dark portal alerted him that he wasn't alone. He slowly turned around, glaring at the cloaked person that walked out of the darkness.
"Don't you cloaked freaks get enough enjoyment from my suffering?" the boy snapped, aiming his blade at the person.
"Suffering? That's a laugh, why would I get enjoyment from your suffering?" the woman asked. Kazuki tilted his head slightly, ears twitching.
"Do I know you? Your voice sounds familiar."
"Trust me, we've never met...or maybe we have. It's a bit odd if I'm being honest with you. There's a sense of familiarity that I get from you," she said, suppressing a giggle. "If only she could see you now...how would your master react?"
"Master? Now you're confusing me. Listen lady, I don't have time for your shit right now. If you're gonna summon a horde of heartless or some shit, then get on with it. If not you can go kick rocks for all I care," Kazuki snapped, tightening his grasp on his keyblade.
"Fine...fine, I do have some business with you. You see, you happen to have attracted...the attention of my benefactor. You could say, we're really interested in you. You seem to be swimming toward the light while harboring a lot of darkness within you. So I have a proposition for you,"
"A proposition? You've got to be joking me right now." the kitsune said, a look of disbelief on his face. The woman shrugged her shoulders slightly.
"It isn't a joke, you've already met one of our own. He seems to have some hidden agenda he's keeping from the old man. But that's none of my beeswax. Our proposition is simple, we want you to join our ranks. All you have to do, is stab yourself in the chest with that key of yours, we'll take care of the rest."
"You can go fuck yourself lady. I may not know much about the keyblade, but I know enough to not do something dumb like that. I know who you are. You must be one of the people controlling the heartless, bringing them to Ylisse. That means, that if I defeat you here and now, the heartless army loses a commander!" he snapped, adopting his battle stand. He moved his fingers slightly, trying not to grip his blade to hard.
"Ugh..yawn. I am not one to fight, especially those that could be potential allies. But the old man said you might be a tough one to convince, being from the ancient past and all. But I think I can give you a bit of motivation,"
"Motivation? Yeah go for it, motivate me to kick your ass!" he cried back, a smug look on his face. The woman simply snapped her fingers. His ears perked up a bit, as he heard a distant scream. A normal person wouldn't have even picked it up, but thanks to his kitsune traits, he had heard it clear as day.
"There's a caravan of merchants about a quarter mile up this path. All of them have been surrounded by heartless. If you join me, then I'll call them off. But if not, I'm sure they'll all fall to the darkness. What's your choice Kazuki? As one of the keyblade's chosen, your heart will give you the answer. Choose wisely," she said, giggling as she disappeared from sight.
Another scream filled his ears, and he quickly sprung forward, running up the path. He didn't know where he was going, or if he was even getting close. But he wasn't going to let anyone else fall to the darkness.
"I need to get to them, I'll never make it in time!" he cried out, gritting his teeth. He suddenly stopped, a bright flash erupting from his keyblade. The weapon rose up by itself, a keyhole forming in mid air. A thin sparkling beam of light shot into it, a swirling portal appearing before him.
"What...what the fuck?" he cried out, confusion on his face as the brilliant portal swirled before him. He didn't know what it was but it was telling him to run into it.
He felt himself zooming forward, almost at the speed of light. He could see nothing but stars all around him, as if he was flying through space itself. Another brilliant light filled his eyes as he burst through it. He felt the weight of gravity catch him, and he started to fall. He quickly righted himself as he landed in a roll, trying to avoid snapping his legs. He looked around, confused for a few moments when the sounds of battle caught his ears. He was standing directly in front of the caravan the hooded woman had mentioned. All of them were fighting the heartless, with various types of weapons. The heartless however seemed to duck and weave every hit, landing strong ones themselves. Another, pained scream tore through the air, causing him to nearly jump from his body. It was something he hadn't heard in his entire life. He turned to the source, a young woman clutching her arm, wisps of darkness pouring from the wound. He surged forward, keyblade in hand.
"Leave her alone!" he shouted, running the creature straight through. His blade exploded with light, easily tearing the heartless apart. In that moment, all of the heartless shifted their focus toward him, all of them aiming to attack him.
He smirked as he prepared for the onslaught. He swung his blade in time to parry a sword strike, throwing a counterattack right after. He jumped back, firing an Elblizzard at the Heartless, freezing it in place before slashing it apart. He swung his keyblade around, catching the edge of an axe. He grabbed the edge of his blade, jerking it forward as hard as he could, ripping the axe right out of the Risen's hands. He turned around just as quick, slicing its head clean off its shoulders.
"Alright. So instead of heartless, that bitch summoned Risen. That's just great, I have to hurry and take them down before they hurt more people!" he thought, as he sized up his opponents. He swallowed hard, spotting a couple cavaliers among their ranks, along with more swordsmen and even an archer.
"Excuse me, may I trouble you for a moment?"
The kitsune shifted his gaze to the left slightly, noticing the red haired woman who stood nearby. She was rather beautiful, if he cared to admit. She was wearing light clothing, a long sleeved shirt, with matching red baggy pants and armored boots. She wore a cape around her shoulders, and was holding a sword in a reverse grip. Something that he found rather odd. He was about to reply when one of the Risen surged forward, throwing a slash at him, which he quickly parried. He pushed the creature back, throwing a forward jab through its chest, easily releasing its captive heart.
"I'm a little busy at the moment, can it wait?" he called back.
"I just wanted to know if you were capable of taking these creatures out for me. We've lost a few of our own to them already, all of them faded into light," she replied, earning a frown from the boy. He turned back to the heartless, glaring at the creatures with anger.
"Don't worry, we'll take care of it," Kazuki replied, a look of determination on his face.
A/N: Well, here is another chapter for this story. I do hope you liked it. So, you not only got Sabishii in this chapter, but some very familiar faces from HDN Hearts! And some more details about the trio's past! This is all very exciting! Now, who's the one providing help to the Mad King? I'm sure you already know who it is, but it shall be revealed in due time haha.
The following chapters will deal with the events of Chapter 5, as well as the aftermath and the beginning of the Ylissian/Plegia campaign. I do apologize if it's been a bit slow, I just wanted to flesh the characters out a bit and provide a bit of world building as well as establishing the Darkness and Heartless within this world. Things will start picking up soon, I promise!
With that, I have also finished Kazuki's Skill Set and my god is it a lengthy one. Magic, Physical Skills, Support Magic, Summons, the whole shebang. He's gonna be a truly overpowered Kingdom Hearts character lol. He will be summoning someone very soon in fact, the one that comes from that Summoning Orb the mysterious Hooded Man gave him. So far, he has 9 Summons planned, and they're all gonna be quite interesting so stay tuned for that. I will be keeping that list in every chapter, mostly for myself so I can keep track of what magic/skills/summons and stuff he has. Obviously he will get them over time, not all at once.
Finally, shoutouts to ARSLOTHES, BloodyDemon666, MudkipofDespair, and anyone else that I missed, thanks for reading this stuff you guys, it may be kind of cringe at times, but I do appreciate your support! See you all next time!
xxx
Kazuki's Skills:
[Attack Skills]:
Sparkstrike: 1 hit lightning infused strike.
Strike Raid: 4 hit throwing combo [Judgment]: Strike Raid finishing move. Kazuki repeatedly strikes the target, finishing off the combo with diagonal slash.
{Magic Skills}
Elfire
Elthunder
Elblizzard
Elwind
Elruin (Light Magic)
(Other Skills):
Slapshot
Guard/Parry
Aerial Recovery
Zantetsuken
Counterguard
Guard Break
{Buffs/Debuffs} N/A for now
[Summon Charms]:
Ringblade Orb: Summons a Powerful Ally to the field. Must be mounted to the keyblade for it to work. Contract is necessary for the Ally to be summoned.
[Limit Breaks]:
Pride of the Exalt (Kazuki/Robin/Chrom) Robin begins the attack with a lightning spell. Chrom and Kazuki take turns slashing at the enemy. Robin follows with an Elwind attack. Kazuki ends the combo by taking Falchion, and unleashing a dual combo. He stabs his keyblade through the enemy and slices their head off with Falchion in quick succession.