Kindred Hearts
A "Kingdom Hearts" Fan Fiction by B.D.Taylor
The Siege
It was a pleasant, spring day and the world was calm. Everyone in the little town that surrounded a small park was going about their days in a sense of calm. Yes, everything in this little town was at a sense of peace. Everyone, that is, but a boy in the park. A boy by the name of David.
"Okay," David said quietly trying to gather himself. "Keep it together." David was desperately trying to calm himself, to no apparent effect. David was a slender boy of fifteen years with black hair that he kept short. He had dressed himself out today with his favorite T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. The park was where he was to meet with an old friend of his. There was just one problem.
So what if Maria's a girl, He thought. Just talk to her like you would to Scott. She's been your friend for five years for crying out loud. David sat below an oak tree. The problem with that theory was that Maria was a girl and it felt different than when talking to Scott. "Gaaah," he yelled leaning against the tree. Why did I get myself into this?
Little did David know is that he was not the only one with that question on his mind. Why did I get myself into this, thought a girl who was hiding behind an oak tree opposite of David's tree. If you haven't guessed, the girl behind the tree is Maria. Why did I ask him to meet me here? She thought. Maria was a fifteen year old girl with medium length brown hair. She was dressed in her traditional ensemble of a grey T-shirt and a pair of jeans.
She decided to see how David was doing while he was waiting for her. "Gaaah!" he yelled leaning against the oak tree. Maria ducked back behind her tree. Great, she thought, now he's getting impatient about waiting for me. Although I have, sorta, kept him waiting. "Arrrgh," she growled leaning against the tree.
If you haven't guessed yet, the two of them (David and Maria) are in the same boat.
Maria made up her mind. She would walk over, say hi, have a conversation. No problem, right? She left the safety of her tree and began to walk casually over to David. David saw her and immediately rose up and walked over to her.
"Hey, Maria. How's it goin," he asked casually. However his mind went through a constant stream of one thought, KeepittogetherKeepittogetherKeepittogether.
"Oh, I'm just fine. How about you, David." Maria replied, a similar thought buzzing through her head.
The two of them were so distracted that they didn't notice a rustling in the bushes nearby. The rustling was Scott, he was watching his best friend David through the bushes. Scott was fifteen and he had brown hair that draped his forehead and he wore khakis with a tan shirt. David had told him not to come earlier at school, but out of curiosity, Scott just had to come. Next to Scott was Maria's best friend, Cathy, a fifteen year old girl with long brown hair. Cathy wore her favorite skirt and a red blouse. She got a similar message from Maria and met with Scott as they followed their friends. Cathy and Scott were not the best of friends, but they did want to see what was going on here. Scott grew bored when David just stuck to pleasantries when talking so he wanted to ask Cathy a few questions about Maria.
When he turned to look at her she was staring straight up. It was then that Scott realized that it had gotten darker pretty quickly. He got a better look at Cathy and saw that fear practically covered her face. Scott was confused so he looked up as well. Scott's eyes bulged and in his shock he stood up, revealing his position.
Maria and David saw Scott practically jump up from the bushes, staring upwards.
"Hey what's Scott doing here?" Maria asked. David took more interest into what Scott was looking at. When Maria turned to face David his head was turned upward with his mouth hanging open. Maria slowly turned her head upward and saw what had garnered so much attention.
The sky was full of black "holes". These holes seemed to tear open the skies and empty into pure blackness. Slowly large masses of dark metal floated from the holes in the skies. The masses looked like some kind of space vessels from a Sci-Fi movie only somehow more menacing. Maybe it was because they were real.
From the ship came hundreds of small, rocket-like, drop-ships. They poured from the large ships and floated into the town.
Cathy and Scott ran towards David and Maria.
"Maria, what's going on?" Cathy asked shakily. Maria just shook her head. Suddenly, her knees weakened as she heard a terrifying sound.
Screaming
It was coming from the town. It was as if a blanket of calm had been thrown off to reveal pure chaos.
Scott slowly turned to David, "Are-are they… you know…" He said shakily, "Heartless?" All David could do was nod his head slowly.
David then set to work amid the cries of the town. He found a sturdy, fallen, oak branch and he stripped it of its leaves and small branches. He then took up a more commanding personality, like he was just changing masks. Maria could have sworn he was a different person.
"Come on, guys, we have to get to the shelter." He yelled and ran to the park shelter. The group followed him. As they followed, David stayed a few feet behind, constantly checking his surroundings. His tree branch held in front of him like a sword. Scott led Maria and Cathy to the shelter.
The Shelter was a small wooden building with a roof, concrete floor, wooden tables, and a large fireplace. Scott was leading them there to hide in the empty fireplace. It was only used in the fall and the winter so luckily they could hide in it now.
Scott and David had found out that you could hide a bunch of people in a corner of the fireplace. They had used it as a "secret hideout" when they were little kids. Now it would serve another purpose: They needed to survive.
Scott found the nook and ushered Cathy and Maria in. Maria went in immediately, but it took some coaxing to get Cathy to enter the soot covered walls while wearing her favorite skirt. Scott entered last and signaled to David to follow.
David quickly took a few steps towards the fireplace when he froze. He saw an unnatural black shadow flow in front of him. The shadow rose up until it gained a four-dimensional form. Its body was covered in the deep black of darkness. Its body was slight and slender. Its two hands and feet were clawed. Its head was round with black antennae. Most notable was its eyes. They were big, yellow and unblinking. They seemed to look straight into David's soul through David's own eyes. It was a Heartless, more specifically, a Shadow.
David shot Scott a look that told Scott an awful truth:
It's only seen me. I'm gonna distract it. Stay hidden.
David shot off the shelter floor and the Shadow followed. Maria almost followed him, but Scott held her back with all his might and Cathy covered her mouth. When Maria finally freed herself she froze on the edge of the shelter. Scott and Cathy also froze on the edge of the concrete floor. What the three saw would etch itself into their minds forever.
On a building in the city, two figures in black cloaks lined with silver, looked out over they town as the Heartless ravaged it. One figure was like a giant compared to his short companion. The short one walked back and forth on top impatiently. He then spoke in his childish voice.
"Have we filled our quota yet?" He asked arrogantly, his face invisible beneath his dark hood.
His giant of a companion replied to him in a throaty, deep voice, "It will take time. Be patient. Find something to watch while you wait."
The small figure crossed his arms and sat on the building's edge. "Whatever," he said, "You see one Heartless raid, you've seen 'em all." Suddenly something caught his eye.
Well, well, well, he thought, some kid is actually trying to fight the Heartless. The small figure's gaze fell on the park in the center of town.
David yelled as he swung his wooden weapon around. He grew discouraged when he found that it merely went through the Heartless. They hardly noticed the branch. The wood flowed through them like water.
David continued to run, but more and more Shadows surrounded him. Eventually, he was backed into a virtual corner, Shadows surrounded him. Their claws extending towards him and their beady, yellow eyes staring coldly. David then felt pure dread in the pit of his stomach as the Shadows backed off a little. David slowly turned and dropped his staff at the sight.
It was a new kind of Heartless. It was humanoid in form and covered in armor and a flowing black cloak. It's armor was lined with dark reds, blues and purples, but its gauntlets were pure black and its eyes yellow and beady like its minions. On its chest was the symbol of the Heartless: A black heart lined with red and stitched together with red thread.
Slowly, David turned to face the shelter. He saw his friends standing staring at him, but most of his attention was on Maria. She had something in her eyes that calmed him somewhat. He slowly allowed a small smile to creep across his face and a tear to fall from his cheek.
The black gauntlet of the Heartless rushed out from its cloak and grabbed David's head. David gave one final scream as he was enveloped in darkness, pure darkness.
In an instant, the shadows disappeared…
and so had David.
The small, cloaked figure instantly resumed his bored composure as the child disappeared.
The giant in the cloak shook suddenly and looked towards the small-cloaked figure.
"Our quota has been met." He said with his deep voice. The small figure stood and pulled back his hood to reveal his face.
He looked like a child with fair features and dark-grey hair. Most notable was his smile, a big toothy smile that seemed out of place. It was pure joy. The child whistled and a new "hole" appeared in the sky. Out of it came three silver-grey ships with blue linings. From those ships came hundreds of drop-ships and fighters. The fighters cleared out five of the Heartless ships and the drop-ships shipped out soldiers clad in silver-grey armor. Blades came out of the arms of their armor and the blades glinted like silver moonlight.
One drop-ship set down ten troops next to the child in the cloak. The child looked at the fight between his troops and the Heartless and his smile spread broader.
Anticipation.
The child held out his arm and a spear made of the same substance as his soldier's blades appeared. He clutched his spear and leapt forward off the building. He landed with a low thud and stood erect, his soldiers behind him.
"Aright, boys," he said beginning his charge towards the Heartless, "Time to cull the heard!" His spear slew a Heartless Shadow and it dissolved. A red crystal appeared where the Shadow was slain, but it quickly disappeared.
Maria fell to her knees after she saw David disappear. The pain of hitting her knees against concrete could not cut through her sadness. She was on the verge of tears. Cathy knelt to comfort her friend. The Heartless that took David had left. Obviously, something had drawn them away.
Scott stared in disbelief. His best friend had been swallowed by darkness because he had to save them. Scott couldn't move, he was frozen; body and mind.
Maria composed herself and became angry. She rose up and gripped Scott by the collar and shoved him against a pole that kept the shelter's roof up.
"You obviously know what's going on here," She said, her face low, her voice dripping with anger. "So…" she said slowly raising her head, "What's going on!?! What just happened to David!?!" She yelled at him. Scott could see tears forming in her hazel eyes.
Something caught Scott's eye that kept him silent. He stared just past her, wide-eyed, and she followed his gaze.
A Shadow had run into the park and it was looking around hurriedly. Maria's eyes grew as wide as Scott's. It ran towards them, but it was not alone.
Two grey soldiers jumped above the trees and onto the little Shadow. One of the soldiers quickly dispatched it with its sword arm. The Shadow dissipated and the red crystal within it floated then blinked out.
"Nobodies?" Scott whispered in disbelief. The group backed away as the two soldiers noticed the three and walked towards them.
A black figure appeared behind the soldiers and Cathy heard the sound of a blade cutting through air.
Suddenly, the two soldiers stopped and fell into halves. The halves were hollow, Maria noticed, but the halves also disintegrated before they hit the ground. Then the three saw their "Savior".
It was another type of Heartless. It was humanoid and it was covered in a black muscle-like suit with dark red lining. From its wrists to its elbows it had armor that was lined with dark blue. From its knees down was the same type of armor. Its chest bore the Heartless symbol. Its head and face was covered with a dark black helmet and the Symbol made up its mask.
In its hand was a sword that had a small, short chain hanging off it with a Heartless symbol on the end. Its blade was dark black with two red lined knives jutting out the opposite side of the blade. It looked kind of like a key.
"A Keyblade…" Whispered Scott. He quickly closed his mouth, but the Heartless had already heard him.
As it turned to them, eight grey soldiers dropped down from the roof and surrounded the Heartless. In just a second, he had sliced them all. They all just disintegrated beneath his feet.
The Heartless stopped when it heard clapping. It looked up to see the form of a child in a black cloak with silver lining, clapping.
"Very nice," the kid said stopping his applause. "It's been a while since I had a challenge."
The child quickly stood up and a spear appeared in his hands. He then through the spear at the Heartless.
The Heartless almost dodged it completely. It tore off a portion of its mask. The Heartless gripped at it's mask and tore it off along with its helmet.
Maria gasped.
It was David.
David was the Heartless.
End of Part 1