No More Hearts
Disclaimer: All characters unless otherwise stated are copyright of Square-Enix.
Chapter 1
They say good stories spend a lot of time setting up the world the story takes place in. But I don't really buy that, you know? I think it's cooler to just throw the reader right in the middle of everything and let the action fill in what's going on. But I guess if I have to, I'll just give you some details.
So there's this city, right? Hub City. Stupid name, but it works and no one really gives a shit. The point is, this place is huge. We're talking so fucking big, it's got its own subcities. Yeah, that's right. Seven of them in all. Most people just call 'em sectors. Big, big city.
Now the big picture, the main thing you gotta know about, are the Heartless. They're these monster things that are pretty much made of nightmares and pure evil. You know how it is. They go around stabbing the good people of the city and stealing their Hearts. Not like the ones beating in your chest that pump the blood. No, it's more like your soul. So you're pretty screwed if they getcha. That's where we come in. You see, me and my friends? We're guardians. It doesn't mean much. It's not like an official title or anything. We're not funded by what little government operates this city. It just means we're willing to go out there and kick Heartless ass. So anyone that picks up a gun or a baseball bat and goes around bashing in their nonexistent skulls is pretty much a guardian.
There's also Nobodies, which are what's left over when the Heartless nab a Heart that's particularly magical and special and all that shit. It's complicated and I'm sure you couldn't care less about the details. Which is good, because I really don't feel like explaining them.
What else… What else… Ah, fuck it. You'll probably learn the rest later on. Any more of this and the intro will just drag on. Hell, I might end up just summarizing the entire story and ruining it for everyone. Wouldn't that be a kick in the ass? So what do you say? Let the bloodshed begin!
"No, n- You're not listening to me!"
"Oh, I'm listening just fine. Once again the two of you get to dash off and save the fuckin' day while I'm left here with, what, picking up your homework?"
"… What, uh… What did we get today anyway?"
"You're serious."
"Well, it's worth asking. I mean… You… You did get it, right?"
"Sometimes I just… Fuck. Math."
"You're the best, Kairi."
"What does it matter, anyway? We both know you idiots aren't even gonna do it."
"You're probably right. Guess it was kinda pointless then, huh?"
"…"
"Kairi? You still there?"
"Yeah, yeah. So what are you guys doing now?"
"Riku's fixing the Kingdom. Fuckin' Darkball got a hold of it and bent the frame so now the beam won't appear or whatever."
"What, again? Tell Riku to reinforce that thing. Yours is the only one that does that."
"Yeah, well yours has all those flowers on it to make it nice and sturdy."
"Ugh, don't remind me. Tell him I want a new fucking Beam Key. I'm sick of that girly shit."
"But you are a girl."
"Sora."
"…"
"Well?"
"He says, and I quote, 'They're fucking expensive as shit to build and you should quit your bitching because you're lucky you get that one.'"
"Ha ha, tell him to go suck-" *beep*
Sora stared at his phone's screen. Call Disconnected. "What? Oh come on! Reception's terrible out here." He sighed.
Sora was a young man, at age of 16. Decked out in a red leather jacket, baggy cargo shorts, heavy steel-toed shoes, and a t-shirt with the word "SEPULCHRITUDE" written on it. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of yellow-tinted sunglasses.
"Disconnected again?" Riku asked, not bothering to look up from his work table. Strewn about were bits of wire and metallic plates. Although it was far from complete, what could only be described as a gigantic key lay in front of him. This was a Beam Key, a specialized weapon that utilized high-tech light wave technology to generate a concentrated beam of energy from the base to a receiver on-
You know what? It runs on magic. Let's just leave it at that. There's a little magic device on top of the guard at the handle that shoots sparkly fairy power to this little receiver bit on the bottom of the key's teeth.
"Well, call her back." Riku suggested, still not looking up. "Go upstairs or something. It's a miracle you could get reception down here in the first place. Gah!" That last bit was him brushing up against a loose wire and realizing the power wasn't completely turned off.
Riku was a taller lad, at the age of 17. He wore a silver vest that allowed the intricate skull-with-bat-wings-surrounded-by-barbed-wire tattoo on his left bicep to display itself proudly. His jeans were in tatters, but he took pride in the fact that he did not buy them like that. The boys were currently in Riku's basement, where he performed maintenance on their weapons. A radio sitting on an old end-table in the corner of the room blared some girly J-pop song.
"Heavenly stars above
Just believe what's in your heart
No border between us
I can always feel you inside"
They'd change the station if the radio still had the knob required to do so. Whatever, at least it made Kairi happy.
Sora ambled his way upstairs and walked out the front door. He held his phone above his head, hoping to get a signal. The sun was right above him, but his sunglasses did a good enough job of blocking the light. "I fucking hate technology…" He mumbled. Finally getting a connection, he dialed Kairi's number. It rang, and rang, and rang, and rang. And for the first time in probably three years, he heard Kairi's voice mail message. And the only reason he heard it three years ago is because he was there when she recorded it.
"The hell?" He asked himself. "Kairi not answering her phone?" He theorized that she was probably trying to call him and decided to wait to hear from her. He leaned against the front door and sighed. After a minute of nothing, he walked back inside and headed downstairs. Riku was putting the finishing touches on the Kingdom, screwing in the final plate. He noticed Sora and greeted him by activating the energy beam and grinning.
"Try not to break it this time." He chuckled. He turned off the beam and collapsed the frame into itself. The end result looked like an old-fashioned key if you cut off the shaft and glued the teeth to the bow directly. "So, get a hold of your girlfriend?"
"Nah, went to her voice mail. I'm gonna try again in a little while." He took the Kingdom from Riku and hooked it to the holster on the back of his belt. "Thanks, by the way."
Riku leaned back in his chair. "Hey, that's what I do."
"Seriously, though. Why does this thing keep getting fucked up?" Sora sighed, throwing his arms up in disgust.
Riku stood up and shrugged his shoulders. "It's because it's so plain looking. I mean, take Way to Dawn here." He pulled his own Beam Key off of the holster he had strapped to his back. The Way to Dawn was a much more detailed weapon than Sora's. Its bow was shaped like two wings, angel and demon. The shaft resembled a fin of some kind, while the teeth were designed to look like another angel wing. The beam generator came off of the spine on the lower demon wing and met the receiver on the bottom tip of the teeth.
"Yes, yes, we're all very impressed by your super-deep Beam Key. Oooh, it's Light and Dark." Sora groaned. Riku was the technician. He also had a sizeable ego. There was a reason his weapon looked the best.
"I've got a thick, strong shaft to keep me going for a long time." Riku noted, ignoring his friend's sarcasm. "A true work of art."
Sora rolled his eyes. "On that note, I'm gonna try Kairi again." He dialed in her number and waited. It rang once. Twice. Three- *click*
"Finally! Damn, Kairi. What happened? I can't believe I heard your voice mail. You drop your phone in a sewer or some-" the voice on the other end of the line cut him off. Whoever it was, it was far too deep and sinister to be Sora's girlfriend.
"Hello, Mr. Guardian..."