A/N: AS WRITTEN AS A SCATTERBRAIN...I suck at continuity. And a straight timeline. This thing had so many cuts and versions to it that I just compensated and just gave you people a really chopped up version with all the parts you need. This is why scatterbrains make the worse stories; everything lacks continuity and lots of things don't make sense...
Disclaimer (as I didn't do one for the prologue): I don't own the worlds, characters, ideas of Kingdom Hearts. Tempest and Christopher are my children and they are mine.
Now for some (ONE.[I'm not mad, I swear. I usually never get any reviews this early on so, thank you])
Court818: I think my profile pic is an accurate representation of Tempest, though it's a little outdated (really outdated). Maybe when I get around drawing a Cover you'll see his updated design. Maybe even show off some of the other ocs I made for this. =:3
(Watching NicoB swear and play KH2 at 2 am in the morning is not healthy, but I still do it. I need to get a life. I also apologize in advance if this chapter sucks and hard to follow. *Has problems like most creative people*) ~Storm
Chapter 1
A Time Long Gone
You've been here before, dear friend. A pure white platform glowed brilliantly, blinding the little drake Armonian with its light.
A fractured mind, A shattered heart. The light peeled off the circular platform and transforming into flower petals in midair, fluttering above Tempest. With the cover now gone, it revealed its true nature as a stained glass floor. It was simple, just several pieces of blue, green and red glass that made no picture.
You've been here before.
You chose the shield and forfeited the wand. A shield lay in the center of the platform, with its red edges and black centre. Hesitantly, Tempest walked over and scooped it up, examining it thoroughly.
You never had enough time. Tempest broke his gaze from the mirror-like shield to look up at the pitch black sky. Before he could shout out, everything was swallowed by the surrounding darkness, the light of the platform shutting off like a bulb.
"Gah!" Tempest bolted up from his spot on the ground, looking out at the barren wasteland of The Keyblade Graveyard. Getting up, he spotted a figure sitting on an outcropping of rock sitting there with their hood up. As Tempest approached them, they spoke, revealing their gender and face.
"What are you terrified of?" The white-furred she-wolf asked, ice blue eyes shining below the navy blue jacket hood.
"Being different. But appears I already am." Tempest said as some unknown force prodded him to.
"Is it really a bad thing? Being different than everyone else?" She looked out unto the horizon, fading before Tempest could argue.
He huffed before following a narrow path to a cliff ledge, where a cloth headband wearing black panther Armonian stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
"What do you seek in this life?" He asked, looking down at the drake, warm blue eyes watching him. Tempest looked down, avoiding his gaze.
Answer. You don't have the time.
"Fine!" He spat, looking the panther square in the eyes, "I seek my place in this world, to find where I belong."
"Don't you already have a place?" The black panther questioned before fading like the wolf. A cavern door materialized in the rock side, beckoning Tempest to enter.
It leads to a torch-lit hallway, a human wearing a white cloak like thing blocking the narrow path. Dark brown hair and twin scars cover of his face, his expression neutral as he watched Tempest.
"What do you treasure most, young one?" The man asked. Tempest looked down to see the old diary laying on the dirt. He picked it up before replying to the man standing in front of him,
"My possessions and my valuables," Tempest said grimly. Friends and fame never meant anything to him, as he never had any people who cared about his existence, it was always 'KILL THE DEMON' or something along those lines.
"What happened to you?" The weary man said, looking worried before fading.
'Who was he?' Tempest asked himself before entering into a dark room.
Peculiar. You have changed. He growled, turning around only to see more darkness. He spun around, gritting his teeth as he tried to find the source.
Little drake, you fear your apparent abnormality, you seek new horizons and value your material items. The floor gave way to another platform, this time a heart was depicted in the middle of a mosaic of glass shards.
A peculiar being. Made of shatter pieces and shared parts… Maybe they are rubbing off on you… Tempest was thrown off the platform by an unseen force, plummeting into the abyss below, screaming.
_|-w-|_
Four years since he found Chris. Three years since he had that nightmare. Two since the unexpected summoning of the Keyblade right into his hand. And less than one year since Chris started slipping.
"Are you sure your fine?" Tempest asked as Chris phased through the piano keys. Grimacing, Chris made a fist.
"I can't exactly lie to you anymore, can I?" He chuckled, releasing it to look at Tempest, "Yeah, I am slipping. Guess it was time too."
"Finally honest with me," Tempest breathed, letting the Keyblade in his have to touch the ground. A dull blue-grey shaft with an offset handle, the fangless serpent's maw open under the shaft while a frill stood as the teeth of the 'key'.
"I now wonder who's the parent and who's the child," Chris muttered while staring at his fading hands. With a sudden jerk, he snapped his finger, seemingly summoning forth a semi-transparent pale blue Heartlesses. Tempest quickly reacted, swiftly striking the approaching spectral Shadows. He's somewhat pissed now after Chris pulled a surprise attack on him.
"Looks like I'm still teaching~" Chris smiled, going back to playing random melodies on the piano. Tempest growled. He seemed to be doing that a lot recently, getting angry at the Keyblade Master for no apparent reason. He clubbed a spectral Shadow, watching it fly over the wall that surrounded the shaded area. Venting. It was a nice feeling.
.
.
.
Soon the blistering sun was swallowed by the horizon, leaving the stars to shine brightly against the deep purple of space. Tempest sat down on the ground, spotting constellations in the sky and connecting them with imaginary strings.
Chris was sitting cross-legged in front of his makeshift grave, watching the glitter and glint of a red jewelled necklace as it hung from his old Keyblade. Most days he would reminisce about his old life, something that he never readily shared with Tempest. All Tempest really knew was that he lost everything he loved, his home, his friends and his father figure.
Tempest looked away, and instead opening up the old diary. Even if there were two pages, there were more mysteries in it then a master author can shove in a novel. He went back to the poem, having several sticky notes pasted around it.
'Master'= Keyblade Master.
'Greatest'= A person
'Twin Stone Walls'= Two cliffs? A hole? Manmade? A ravine?
'Six'= 6 people/things/Armonians?
"What's this?" Tempest slammed the shell of the book closed before turning around, glaring. Chris was standing over him, bending over to see.
"What the hell!" Tempest shouted, leaning away from Chris.
"Sorry," He apologized, cupping a hand on the back of his neck, "Thought that thing looked familiar, so I came to take a peek."
"What's so familiar about an old, dusty book?" Tempest huffed, relaxing a bit, "I found this thing in a ditch four years ago and all it has is cryptic bullcrap and a note."
"A note?" Chris quizzed, sitting down to take a closer look. Tempest flipped a page, revealing the note. Chris' curious expression turned sour, the light of the moon making it look grim.
"Damn, self-sacrificing tendencies." He mumbled, surprising Tempest as he had never seen his teacher so upset, "I guess she blames herself…"
"Who?" Tempest blurted out subconsciously as he scribbled something else on an empty sticky.
"An old friend of mine."
'Of course, he doesn't give me a straight answer.' Tempest mentally facepalmed, dropping his pen mid-sentence, 'That wouldn't be mysterious enough.'
"She was the enchanter. Always giving us trinkets and totems." Chris put a hand on his chin, a distant look in his eyes. He held up the transparent necklace that was a mirror match for the one that hung on the makeshift grave.
"She gave this on the eve before of our homeworld's demise." The little pendant spun around on the cord, the serpentine dragon that curled around a ruby gem looking scraped and dented.
"I'm honestly surprised that it survived, what, 12 years?" He chuckled.
"Even that cord?" Tempest asked, looking genuinely interested.
"Yup, even the cord," Chris said, dropping it back onto his chest.
"That's the first time in four years that you said anything about your past." Tempest noted, "First time since that you had a seizure after that time I asked."
"Aren't you blunt, note taker?" Chris drawled, "Kinda like Eraqus."
"Oh, hell," Tempest huffed, already knowing who that was, "I am not like that babysitter that you keep telling me about!"
"Sure you aren't," Chris said, flopping down on the ground and putting his arms behind his head.
"Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that empty head of your's."
"Hey! Now that hurt!"
"See if I care!"
"Well, I can see you do care!"
"Uh, Chris. You can't really do anything with a stick…"
"Watch me! Thundaga!"
*CRACK*
"HOLY-"
_|-w-|_
Tempest's body still stung from the thunder spell Chris casted last night. After that, he immediately returned back to Twilight Town to escape the torrent of spells Chris casted spontaneously afterwards. The amount of bloody mana he has is insane. Tempest can only cast a lousy Fire that basically kills itself mid-flight.
"Training. He would say," Tempest grumbled, sitting on a rooftop spectating the ongoing tournament, "As if I hadn't gotten enough of that with your memories that you put me up against. Even the skinny bugs." He facepalmed, "The skinny bugs." those things. He hated the Unversed. Fast and could remain unhittable for a while. They were the essence of annoyance.
Exasperated, he blocked out the noise of the tournament and shoving his previous rant to the back of his head before losing himself to another one. Wondering what life could've been if he had been born a 'normal' child.
_|-w-|_
Entry # 100
Eraqus. Ever since I came back with a kid in a coma, he has been none stop asking me if I was ok. Look, old man, I'm fine! All I do is get dragged off by Xehanort and you throw a fit… I guess you still do have a point. I did vanish without a trace for, what? Five years? Now that I know about that promise you made my father, I don't think I can blame you for being a little overprotective. Even if Terra is an annoying little squirt. Speaking of Terra, I have some training to be taking care of, because who knows where the hell Kage is off doing. Probably noping right on out of here. Saki's probably burnt another forest if I had to guess.
_|-w-|_
"Six years of isolation can do stuff to you." Chris said, holding the torn page in his hand, "Where'd you find this?"
"Donno," Tempest replied, eating a piece of bread, "Appeared in the vent sometimes after a major storm. Probably got stuck in the wall or something."
"Hail?" Chris asked, opening the old diary of his. Tempest shook his head,
"No, just a regular t-thunderstorm." Tempest stuttered. He still hasn't gotten over that incident. Chris shrugged in acceptance before placing the loose page into the journal,
"Mend." He commanded, holding a glowing green clawed finger over the ripped part, watching it reattach itself to the book's spine. Once he finished, he picked up the journal and studied it in amazement.
"I knew she taught me that for a reason." He said, checking the connection to the spine.
"Guess she did," Tempest said flatly, shoving the plastic wrapper into his jacket pocket, "What was Saki like, anyways?"
"Eh?" Chris gapped, turning away. Tempest took the journal from Chris' loosened grip.
"What? Something wrong?"
"Oh, yeah." Chris looked really embarrassed, "She was… Uh, overwhelming… and really hyper."
"How hyper?"
"So, there was a time she jumped out a window, over a chasm, and threw me off a cliff." Chris was visibly shaking, "It was... a...traumatic moment."
"O-oh... " Tempest ran that scenario through his head, wincing at the oddly cheerful expression he gave the silhouette. Before he could tell Chris to stop, he continued on with another incident.
"Then there was that other time she casted Firaga over a forest… Kage, my other friend, just kinda 'noped' out of there. He does that a lot." Chris added, "Then, trying to fix her mistake, she used…"
"Aero?" Tempest asked, hoping that wasn't it.
"...Worse." Chris said, squeezing his eyes shut and holding his hands in a prayer position, "It was an Aeroga. While the forest fire had already reached its max potential…"
"I wonder why she taught you 'Mend' then…"
_|-w-|_
"What made you start telling me about your past?" Tempest asked, dismissing his Keyblade after practicing his aim(if he could miss a point-blank shot, he one hundred percent will). Chris pulled out an old, chipped violin from a compartment in the piano before tossing it to Tempest.
"I guess since I was fading, I might as well leave something behind," He replied, still digging around in the dust compartment, "And you remind me of someone back then."
"Right."
"What?" A violin bow flew through the air. Tempest jumped up and snatched it as it flew, "I had another kiddo before you, ya know. And boy was he speedy thing …"
"One more?" Tempest started to tune it, plucking the strings.
"Well, technically there was three, but I mainly trained with one of them. The other two were either taken care of by Eraqus, Kage or Saki."
"All Keybearers?"
"Yup, though, I don't actually know what happened to them..."
"All of them self-sacrificing?"
"No. At least I don't think so…"
"Well, you are." Tempest pointed out.
"Hey!" Chris turned around, staring at Tempest accusingly, "I didn't try to die! I got dropped off a cliff!"
"And died falling…" Tempest muttered, taking note of that, "How about we get back to working on that 'hand-eye coordination' you keep yapping about?"
"Sure thing!"
_|-w-|_
Chris, over the years, steadily became what Tempest considered 'trustworthy'. He had long thought that the moving memory would be there forever, standing in his little section of the wasteland playing the old, creaky piano. He thought maybe he could finally have a person to talk to, another person like him. That he found in Christopher, a listening companion and the first person he willingly called 'friend'. There, in the wasteland, he found a place to recharge his near empty tank of motivation, a place to rest and loosen his tangled web of life.
"What was Reverant like?" Tempest asked absentmindedly as the took on a blockade of Large Bodies.
"First of all, Reverant is actually the name of the archipelago of islands, the real name of my home is Hathen. The island of gold and misfortune as sailors from the mainland called it." Chris answered, sitting on a cliff watching the battle ensue, "I guess it really was misfortune as it was swallowed by something as rare as Darkness at that time."
"How was life there?" Tempest grunted after flipping over the bumbling Heartless meat shields.
"It was a quiet place, nobody really visited much." Chris hummed, "And our technology was limited to the iron age. Kage was the apprentice blacksmith at the time, a genius at work the villages called him. "
"Really?" Tempest threw his Keyblade, letting it strike the line of enemies, "How so?"
"Well… he made the Keyblade armours of this generation. Even though he followed a blueprint, most blacksmiths would've just thrown their tools at the nearest wall and scream in a corner for half an hour." Chris pointed at the pauldron stuck in the earth, the brownish plate face and the light grey rimming. The most prominent piece was the circle of grey right in the middle of the brownish plate face.
"Sometimes, if you asked, he wouldn't shut up about his 'Magnum Opus', huh. Kage's a handful when he starts goin'." Chris scratched his head, "Even more so when he's training. If the chief was a kid and my companion, it would be Kage while high on caffeine and sugar."
"What was the... Chief like?...Overbearing?" Tempest huffed, finishing off the spectral Heartless.
"Bingo," Chris confirmed, pointing two finger guns at Tempest and winking, "And my Guardian at the time. Also the father of Saki. Thank god she didn't inherit that trait. That wouldn't have ended very well."
"Right…" Tempest said, sitting down on the dry earth.
"Plus, she never had a thing for leading people. It was more, 'BAM, now you're stuck in a tree!' or 'BAM, I enchanted this piece of crap to calm the waves!' Etc. etc." Chris did what appeared to be an imitation of Saki's voice, overly high and pitchy and it screeched in your ears. Kind of like a cicada or an eagle's cry multiplied by ten then pitched to the max. In essence? Annoying and it kills brain cells.
"Uhh...Ok…?" Tempest honestly didn't know how to respond to whatever the heck Chris was ranting about. He was lost around the first 'BAM'.
"Then there was that one time that…" Tempest just blocked out the noise, deeming it whatever the heck Chris was spewing was nonsense and not worth losing brain cells for. Like a lot of what he said nowadays actually…
'Not sure if I should be concerned or not…' Tempest wondered, watching Chris rant from the side. Then the dragon Armonian absentmindedly kicked the nearby stone wall, immediately hopping around in pain and clutching his foot.
"Damn it!"
'Maybe I should…' Tempest grimaced, watching his idiot mentor make a fool of himself.
_|-w-|_
'I'm tired of waking up in tears, 'Cause I can't put to bed these phobias and fears. I'm new to this grief I can't explain, But I'm no stranger to the heartache and the pain.' ~Owlcity
_|-w-|_
"Hey, do me a favour, will ya?"
"Hum? Sure, whatever."
"After I...Leave, find the rest of these pages, alright?"
"Some lousy pages? Fine. But you aren't leavin' just yet!"
"Ha! Aren't you a brainiac!"
"N-no! Nope, no noogies, for f-!"
"You can't save yourself from me!"
"WHY?!"
_|-w-|_
Take my armour and my time,
And find the world without rhyme
Keep my blade and worthless name
To find the people I have shamed
Wear my pendant with all its pride
And know where all my hardships lie
When all fame and glory fall
Know the time when duty calls
~Found carved into a piano in a wasteland world. Indentations in the nearby dirt suggested someone had read this poem and followed it's cryptic directions. Whoever it is must be destroyed, as they might pose a problem.
A/N: Everything you need to know is in here. I will only answer questions that won't spoil anything and everything I answer will be added before the Chapter starts. Reviews are welcome. Don't torment me, I don't feel like dealing with anything. ~A Tired Storm