Kingdom Hearts

The Wanderer

Chapter Two

Demon Wing

Cloud floated through a thick darkness in an unconcious state, his cape flapping idly as a result of his movement. A current carried him quickly and swiftly as his eyes slowly opened.

"Where am i? What's happening?" He wondered. For hours he moved with the current. As he floated he became aware of a cold feeling in his heart, almost as if it had been corrupted somehow.

Then he remembered. Shame flooded him as he realized he had given himself to darkness, an act that was forbidden by Ansem's teachings. He had once sworn an oath before Ansem that he

would never allow darkness to flow through him. He was an oath-breaker, an outcast. "The power of darkness flows through you with intense strength." A voice spoke from the blackness

that surrounded him. He tried to turn towards the voice, but found it very hard to do much of anything in a completely weightless setting. "Who's there?! Where am i?!" He demanded.

"I am Zargahn, the overlord of the order of darkness. You are now suspended inside a dark current known as the dark network, a series of currents that can take weilders of darkness

anywhere they wish." The voice spoke again. Cloud considered this. He had read about the dark network before, supposedly only those with darkness in their hearts could travel

throught it.

"So, i really did break my oath." Cloud said. That made him no better than Sephiroth. "NO! I am nothing like Sephiroth!!" He thought to himself. A chuckle, then "Are you so sure? You

have given into the darkness just as he did long ago.

You have traded what you veiwed as being outstandingly important for power, just as Sephiroth did long ago." Cloud winced at the truth in the words, then felt anger at the mocking edge Zagahn's

voice carried. "Do'nt you dare mock me!" Cloud snarled threateningly. "See, even now you let the darkness guide you're very words and peronality. Like a mere puppet." The voice

was intolaroble, Cloud felt white hot rage at this person. "How dare he mock me, how dare he under-estimate my power. I could kill him with ease!" The thought passed through Cloud's head

without his will. Horrified, he shoved the rage down as far as he could. Finally after he managed to calm himself he asked "How do i get out of here?"

"Use you're wing." Zargahn replied, saying each word as if speaking to an unintelligent child. "Wing?" Cloud asked in confusion. He turned to looke behind him, and saw a large demonic wing protruding

from his left shoulder. "What the?!" He asked in alarm managing to spin around. The wing moved with him, proving that it was indeed part of him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING!!??" Cloud shouted in alarm. "It is a physical manifistation of you're darkness, it contains more power than you can possibly imagine. In time you can even learn to

control it, and its power." Came the reply. "I do'nt want it!" Cloud spat feircely, though he could'nt deny feeling a certain attachment to it.

"Why, my foolish young freind, it is part of you. It has always been there. You just could'nt draw it out before. It feeds on its owners darkness, before you were not dark enough for it to thrive."

Cloud forced himself to stay calm, getting angry would not help things. "Alright, how do i leave this place?" Cloud asked impatiently. "All you have to do is imagine a place, visualize it,

will yourself to be at this place, and it will happen." Zargahn explained in his mocking tone. Cloud growled to himself, but did as instructed. The first place that came to mind was radiant garden.

But it had been overrun, and even if it had'nt the others would never take him in now. Not after he had betrayed his oath and their trust.

But it was the only place he knew, try as hard as he liked, he could find nowhere else.

"A little help?" Zargahn's voice mocked.

Cloud nodded relunctantly. "Agrabah." Zargahn said. Then darkness swirled around Cloud and he dropped onto a dune of sand. He sprang to his feet looking around. Far in the distance was a city.

It looked to be somewhat primitive.

Cloud nearly jumped when a voice behind him said "Well well, looks like someone got a little lost." Cloud whirled to see a man in a tattered brown cloke that was wrapped around his shoulders.

"Who are you?" Cloud demanded. "Xeron, though why i bother telling you my name when you're gonna die in a minute anyway is a mystery to me." Xeron said tauntingly wipping out several throwing knives.

One in between each pair of fingers, altogether that made eight throwing knives. "Is that a threat?" Cloud asked as he noted the odd way in which his wing flexed, almost as if it were threatening

Xeron. "Yeah, i think i am. Whacha gonna do about it goldy locks?" Xeron asked turning to face Cloud fully. The wing flared out behind Cloud as he surged forward drawing the Buster sword

brigning it down on Xeron's head with blinding speed. All he hit was air because Xeron had leapt back several feet, and had just thrown two of his knives at Cloud who turned the flat of his blade against

the knives as sand lifted into the air behind them, so fast did they move. The knives clanged off the large sword as Xeron said "Come on, you'll never hit me with such slow attacks." In a taunting sort of voice.

Having taunted Cloud he hurled a third knife right at Cloud, who swat it aside with ease before rushing Xeron who dodged to the side throwing knives at Cloud fast as lightning. Cloud deflected the knives with the

flat of his blade.

"Come on do'nt you know how to attack!?" Xeron asked as he jumped high into the air sending his knives down at the top of Cloud's head. Cloud dashed away from an almost continious barrage of knives.

Cloud whirled turning towards the point Xeron was falling towards, then he dashed forward swinging his sword over his shoulder so fast that Xeron would never be able to dodge in time. He did'nt have to.

Xeron's hand shot up slaming palm first into the flat of the Buster sword causing it to miss Xeron and instead imbed itself in the sand. Cloud glared at Xeron, who'se palm

slammed into his chest sending him flying through the air in a wide ark, though he did manage to land on his feet and keep his sword with him. Xeron looked breifly startled, before he broke into

a fit of laughter.

"Whats so funny?!" Cloud asked menacingly. Xeron managed to stop laughing and said "That is the closest anyone has ever come to hitting me, ever. I like you, i think i'll let you live for now."

Then Xeron vanished in a poof of shadow. For a moment Cloud stared after him, then he turned towards the city and began walking.

"People might not take well to this wing...i wonder." With a good bit of conentration Cloud was able to draw the wing back into his body. Then he resumed his walk.