Twilight Town

The whirring of machines and the humming of electric lights buzzed above Kuro as he sat in the lab and watched DiZ while he worked. Sitting on the edge of a wide heavy computer counter alongside the older man as he silently worked. The repeated and precise keystrokes were the ambience provided by the bandaged man who stared directly into the computer screen as symbols and numerals passed across at lightning speed. Kuro's eyes darted to Dusk when he heard the sound of a box tipping over. Dusk, who was pattering around the room and examining everything that was at their eye level, had found a box of busted old scrap. Namely, discarded computer parts and loose wires and male adapters. Dusk's paws grabbing hold of a longer strand of wire and whipping it around the room playfully. Their whipping got a little too close for comfort to Kuro who pulled his legs out of the way as Dusk swung.

DiZ, the crimson bandaged man, led Kuro and Dusk deeper into the mansion following the revelation of Kuro's heritage. Showing them into his study and then into a hidden floor beneath that led the three of them further down into his secret lab, the base of his operations and the room Kuro found himself currently bored in at the moment. DiZ continued his typing, orange eyes focused on the screen as he worked diligently. For or what end? Kuro hadn't a single idea.

Kuro thought of Xion, the Nobody that he had considered his friend. She had no heart, and yet was corporeal. Which meant she probably had a Heartless running around, or maybe the darkness in her original heart wasn't as vast or as powerful as Kuro's original heart. He wasn't certain. He couldn't imagine someone as nice as Xion coming from a dark place.

Kuro, as told by DiZ, was a Heartless similar to the one that he called the Seeker of Darkness and this is the shape that the darkness in the heart has formed for him. Which meant that someone somewhere, lost their heart and they were powerful enough to make him take form. The revelation didn't come so much as a shock as it was an explanation. Just a process to explain the situation to him. So, Kuro is a Heartless. These things happen.

A thing that happened which begged the question to be answered, however a very question had appeared that Kuro wondered to himself as he took his eyes off the ceiling and focused on his hands. The white freshly wrapped hands contrast brightly against his tan skin. He imagined the power they - He? - must have had to make such a human Heartless. And if there was a Heartless…

"DiZ, I have a question. Since I am a Heartless, I should have a Nobody floating around out there in the worlds right now, should I not?" Kuro inquired, taking his hands and folding them together. Leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. Eyes in squint as he pondered what the other was doing right now, if they were like him or nothing at all. "Something of a brother? Did I get it right?"

"There is no reason to suspect you don't, however if we were to find this Nobody we can expect them to be of superior sort. Considering the strength of the heart it took to pull you from the pitch and transform you into your current form." DiZ explained, turning his eyes towards Kuro as his fingers continued to type in their quick fashion. His fingers clicking the keys at such a speed it almost made Kuro nauseous to watch for too long. Kuro turned his eyes back to his hands, flexing them tightly. Feeling the pressure in his hands as he pulled them into fists. Giving a right straight and holding it, letting out a harsh breath through his nose. "Is there nothing from your previous life that you could pull to indicate who you might have been? Anything at all?"

"Nothing that I couldn't tell you that gives me a name." Kuro shrugged, his horizon shaded eyes piercing through the dark and meeting DiZ's own shade of orange. "I remember… sand. Lots of sand."

"Sand?" DiZ inquired with an irritated tone, raising a hand and combing over his bandaged chin in thought. His eyes slowly drew to a close as he continued to think. He checked off a few worlds that held no sand, which wasn't many. The star map had many planets with sand on them. "Many places have sand. Anything else?"

"In my dreams, I sometimes can feel the warmth of the sun on my back, and the feeling of sand in my hands." Kuro smirked, his eyes closed for a moment as he continued. " I remember swimming in the warm waters, fishing and building things with my hands. I hear her laughter. I see her smile."

"Whose smile can you remember?" DiZ asked, wondering what exactly kind of life Kuro previously had. One with sand, sun and smiles. A rather pleasant upbringing that his previous life left. A life of a happier person, DiZ suspected. "Can you remember a name? Or anything like that?"

"I couldn't tell you her name. But she had these beautiful blue eyes. I think… I had a…" Kuro's eyes widened. The voice. "I heard a voice actually. In this life. It was shortly after I awoke for the first time."

"A voice you say?" DiZ's interest grew, his eyes growing wide as he swiveled in his chair and turned towards the young man. Kuro's hands moved to rest on his knees as he nodded to confirm what DiZ had said. "What did the voice say? You need to be precise and honest. What can you recall this voice saying?"

"It said that I needed to leave this dying place… The place where I awoke to find Dusk and fight that Beast. That I needed to be careful because my birth… complicated things for people. Then the voice sort of disappeared after a while." Kuro explained, trying to recall if the voice had ever tried to reach out to him again once he became more awake and more alive. He shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense though. What did I do to have such a worry be placed on me? I can't even teleport and I was previously world bound until I was found by accident, who's scared of me?"

"Well, as a Heartless of your stature, perhaps there is a threat of your possible power that warrants the fear." DiZ offered, leaning back in his seat as he focused on Kuro. The right side of his face illuminated by the passing yellows and flickering blue lights of the screen whereas the left side of his profile was pulled into the darkness of the room, blending so well that the silhouette of his cheeks and temple had become a single brush stroke of shadow. Indistinguishable from the darkness of the room. The orange eyes of the elderly man burning in the dark. "The only other… Being of your similar make-up is Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. Who, need I remind you, commanded literal armies of Heartless and damned many worlds into the darkness over his ruinous reign. The monster was a cataclysmic event unto himself, and then another one spawns out of the dark? It would be worrisome to anyone who had been paying attention. Particularly those in the Organization, who I assume would be the ones who are worried about your birth."

"I do recall meeting a red haired man named Axel who sent me to Traverse Town. Black coat." Kuro murmured, raising his hand to rub his chin thoughtfully. Recalling the cocky grin and those tattoo checks under his eyes. "He mentioned I made someone named Xemnas anxious. They said I was dangerous."

"So, it seems the Organization already has made contact with you. And you're alive? And the one named Axel let you free?" DiZ inquired, fingers tapping together in thought as he nulled over the information that was given. DiZ turned back to the screen, getting lost in his personal thoughts. "Curious."

Kuro nodded in acknowledgement, his eyes once more returning to his hands. He could only imagine the power that the Seeker must have felt to be able to command hordes of Heartless and being able to destroy literal worlds. How corruptible and devastating that creature must've been. Kuro's eyes drifted up, staring into the illuminated stairwell just ahead of him. The light pouring down the stairs as water courses over cliff sides. The image of devastated worlds made him think of his friends back in Traverse Town. He imagined Jessie, Barret and Rinoa waiting patiently for him to return with the ability to travel through to different worlds through the inky dark corridors. So they can retrieve their companions and plan their next attack on Shinra. The whole purpose of his being here in the first place. Kuro cleared his voice.

"So, you told me you would train me? How to use the darkness, just as you have?" Kuro reminded the older man, who nodded in return. He stood up from his spot, arms folded behind his back as he approached the stairwell and stared up into the light. His eyes squinted as if the very shine of it was too blinding for him. "How did you do it?"

"I had to spend a decade in the dark before I had access to such power. However, given your heritage, I imagine it shan't take you long to understand the basics." DiZ said with a deep rumble, those eyes of his going plain as he quickly recalled the time spent in the dark. Alone, with nothing but his journals and his rage to keep him sane and mentally sound.

"Let's hope so." Kuro smirked, flexing his hand out to try and summon the portal to no avail. The strain of his fingers and the pressure in his palm making his arm tremble under the strain. A sight most curious to DiZ as he watched. "Damn it…"

"I must ask you, Kuro? How can you not summon your own corridors for your own sake? Or command a host? An army of Heartless under your belt?" DiZ inquired before glancing over at Dusk with an impassive stare and a shake of the head. "This charade of a companion isn't one expects when they hear of Heartless."

"That wasn't very friendly. Rude." Dusk uttered to themselves, taking the cord and tossing it aside as they walked over to Kuro, who nodded in agreement to Dusk's words. Kuro turned his attention back to DiZ with a focused stare.

"I don't know how to do it." Kuro shrugged, before recalling a piece of information that had eluded him until just now. The kind that made his head throb in an old pain. "Shortly after my birth, I met the Seeker. This… Ansem, you spoke of. He had silver hair like me. And orange eyes as well. And it wasn't like he was giving out lessons on how to control the darkness when he attacked me."

DiZ's eyes grew void, what little form his mouth held to resemble an expression of anything other than a frown had been pulled into a fierce scowl. The turn in the older man's eyes startled Kuro, who could feel an aura of seething rage radiating off of him like heat off of a power fire.

"What happened in this meeting?" DiZ asked pointedly, his voice stern and powerful. Kuro met his stare and let his hand rise to rest along his skull. The phantom irritation of images of a different life, of a different time echoing in his head like the flashes of a dying lantern. "Tell me what you saw or heard. Now."

"Well, he approached me, and we both sort of - froze. And it was like I could… read his mind? See his past? It's kind of a blur." Kuro grimaced, letting out a short growl as he could feel the pain slowly itching away behind his forehead. Hammering through bone to try and escape out of his mind. "I just felt these memories pass before my eyes as if they were my own. I saw someone die, they were being killed by… by Ansem? By me? The rage felt pointed, and precise. Then there was this happiness, this joy to do this awful thing. To feel such a thrill to kill him. It was in a room like this, a lab or something. Then I saw this-this hand pressing against the skull of a kid with silver hair and huge shoes. I could feel their screaming in my palm as I-I took them over? It made him-me- feel good. Feel grand and feel dangerous. Then I could feel my body ache when I felt this angry woman in this suit of armor painted in silver and blue strike me vicious with a Keyblade. She sounded like she was… crying. Like it hurt her to do that to me. When it was all done, I even tried to run away from Ansem and shot a fireball at him. Out of the palm of my hand. And I couldn't do that again. I have to use a staff to use any magic. Even then, it's not great."

DiZ's eyes glanced away from the moment, seeing Dusk shake a broken computer case and listen to the remaining wires and adapters jingle around inside. The fact this Heartless wasn't trying to eat anything, or search for the hearts readily available in this world was a mystery. In the presence of the Heartless, hearts are a delectable and sought after prize. But 'Dusk' couldn't care less to satiate their hunger in DiZ's eyes. Dusk was curious as a toddler was in a new world, and responded to Kuro as DiZ would see the two of them share a discussion. Granted, one sided as he heard Kuro's responses. Plus, Dusk generally seemed harmless. DiZ then turned back to Kuro, with his eyes reflecting a realization. Pacing around the room slightly to continue working out the thought in his mind.

If Heartless did fall in line with the stronger force, they would follow their orders diligently. Ansem wanted them to be destroyers, already taking their proclivity towards violence and directed it like a weapon. But what if Ansem didn't want to hurt anything? Or anyone? Would the Heartless still fall in line? Maybe not every Heartless could be heeled, but what if it was one? Maybe just one would still listen to the command regardless of the commander? DiZ's eyes rested on Kuro before he spoke again.

"I had theorized that Heartless manifested this form of communication like insects to focus on singular goals. Then use it to divide orders and labor with the intention to be more effective in their endeavors. Instead of using it to be builders, it was to be destroyers." DiZ turned his attention back to Kuro, Dusk's own golden eyes going wide as they turned to Kuro as well with a stare of knowing.

"The Hive Mind." Dusk muttered under their breath, dropping the computer case in shock as DiZ slowly approached Kuro. His eyes met Kuro's as he closed the distance. Taking note of Kuro's confused look and stare as he moved. "He's talking about the Hive Mind, Kuro."

"What if Ansem had tried to bring you to heel at that moment? Like he would with any of the other Heartless? I do subscribe to my theory that stronger Heartless would often try to command the weaker willed ones. Like troops falling in line under a commander." DiZ stopped a foot away from Kuro, his arms folding behind his back as he cocked his head to the side. Reading the younger man's features as he pondered. The way Kuro's curiosity made his eyes grow and his nose twitch slightly reflected an apprentice of his from what felt like a lifetime ago. DiZ couldn't believe how much Kuro resembled him. Kuro's silver hair had swept back into a flat slick back style due to the weight, his tan skin a dark complexion that made his hair look even brighter and shinier. His cheeks began to show a similar shade with stubble along his face and those orange eyes of his were full of curiosity and wonderment. "He could have tried to use the Hive to pull you in, and you instead reflected back on him. Instead of him trying to pull you in, you tried to pull him in. To the disastrous results, you felt. Albeit, unintentionally you did so. That could be a possibility."

"I don't get it. Why are there just two of us? Well, one of us now. Where the hell are the rest of the walking talking Heartless?" Kuro shrugged, crossing one arm over the other as he cocked his head to the side and huffed in annoyance. "Why aren't there more?"

"I have only a single theory. It's currently unproven but a good starting point." DiZ offered, glancing at the computer screen and letting out a short sigh. Those eyes of his scanning over the information that floated across the screen. "If someone of substantial power were to lose their life, they leave behind a body without a heart and a heart without a body. Two sides of a coin divided. A Nobody and a Heartless, respectively. However, one exception is this Ansem. Whose original form willingly gave their heart to the darkness and created a Nobody of great power and a Heartless of notable form. So, I am inclined to believe that a heart must be exceptional in order to create a powerful enough Heartless for it to retain a sense of humanity. No matter how cruel that shadow ends up being. Or perhaps the subject would be willing to surrender to the darkness and the heart chose a form most reflective with the choice. Ansem gave his heart willingly, thus it's more human appearance. Those that didn't, those that were slain, were forced into form. However, it is just this poor theory that I am able to surmise from the now faded existence of the Seeker of Darkness."

"Who would give themselves willingly to the dark? Who would do that?" Kuro asked, shaking his head at the idea of anyone doing such a thing. To give up their lives and create something like Ansem, something like him. "Give up your life for a power you can't even have? Who would do that?"

"Desperation, perhaps. Ambition, more than likely. Whoever decided that giving into the dark would need to be beneficial, must've accounted for some sort of outcome. Thus the creation of a Nobody and of you." DiZ nodded slowly, before letting out a slow breath and then giving a proper laugh to nothing in particular. One that startled Kuro and made Dusk dive under the computer and stay under out of fear. DiZ chuckled heartily into the dark, before shaking his head in thought. "That is enough talk for today. Before I need to leave to attend another business of mine, Kuro? Would you be so kind as to do me a favor before we depart? Not an order or a mission, just a favor for me? Your new friend?"

Kuro squinted his eyes, giving DiZ a curious stare as he listened. Wondering what the favor could be. A favor for his new friend.

"What would you have me do?" Kuro asked, waiting for the favor that DiZ was requesting of him.

DiZ reached into one of his three pouches along his waist and tossed Kuro a small soft red colored coin purse, with a draw string and a symbol of a fleur-de-lis on the front of it. Kuro squeezed the bag, feeling the shape of marbles jumbling around in the bag as he did so. DiZ laughed once again, this time in a low and measured cadence.

"How about you go get us some ice cream? As a kind gesture to a long and fruitful partnership?"

Kuro tossed the pouch of munny given to him by DiZ up into the air as he meandered through the streets of Twilight Town proper. A short gust of air out of his mouth was blown as he tried his damndest to whistle with no notable result thus far.

Of all the things that Kuro had imagined in that fleeting moment DiZ would have asked him to do, going to the market to pick up some Sea-Salt Ice Cream was at the bottom of his list.

Not that Kuro complained, the fact he could explore a city without threat of it eventually losing power and having to resort to eating dog food was a highlight of any afternoon. Especially one city such as this.

Following the instructions and entering through a massive hole in the wall due to some construction accident, Kuro found himself in the marketplace of Twilight Town.

The sandstone colored buildings with red shingles, the brick walkways and slopes that lead to different levels made for a labyrinth that Kuro wouldn't mind getting lost in sometime soon. With the vibrant glow of the setting sun, it painted the town in a picture perfect sunset shade of orange. Blanketing it in a beautiful candescent hue.

The murmurs of people walking about caught his attention, so much so that he had struggled to hear the sound of trolley bells ringing as they warned him to get off the tracks as it approached. A quick side step and the trolley passed him. The passengers offered a friendly wave to Kuro which he returned with a wave of his own. The town itself was such a sight for sore eyes and a pleasure for pained ears. The sounds of civilization, the laughter of people, the warmth of community. It felt like a home, a real home.

Kuro felt the pouch land back into his hand with another toss, his thumb brushing over the sewn image of a fleur-de-lis as he walked along. His eyes wondered what DiZ was doing with a sewn pouch full of munny. And where he found the time to thread a needle and thread together to do so with all the work he told Kuro he was doing. Kuro laughed at the idea of him being so bad at sewing, that is why his face is all bandaged. From the horrid attempts to do so before.

"Hey! There it is! Excuse me!" Her voice cut through like thunder, making Kuro stop in his spot and turn towards the sound of the young woman's voice. Her orange colored tank top adorned with white wide petal flowers across her right side and over her hip, her tan colored shorts and sneakers snapped over to him in a quick sprint, her verdant eyes wide and full of life. "You found it! Thank you!"

"Found what?" Kuro asked, cocking his head to the side as he stared down at the girl, who he realized stood a full head shorter than he did. His eyes followed her sightlines and rested on the pouch in his hand. She reached for it, and he retracted his hand as a result. Her brow furrowed as he met her gaze with his own.

"Olette! Maybe he's the one who stole it!" Another voice piped up as they approached, a black haired boy wearing a headband and a shirt that read, 'Dog Street' across the front. He huffed as his sprint came to a close, his hands resting on his knees as he stood besides the girl. Who rolled her eyes at the sight of her friend's run winding him. "Maybe - woah momma- maybe he is the one that stole it."

"I didn't steal anything." Kuro stated with a caustic tone, flashing the bag to the girl before pulling it back to his side. "I'm not a thief. I was told to… go get some ice cream and the old man gave me this coin purse."

"But, I'm so sure that's mine-" The girl muttered, before biting her lip nervously and looking up at Kuro. Her eyes met his focused and fiery glare. The sight of those flaming eyes began to shine in the light of the persistent setting sun. She gulped, glancing over at her friend and letting out an awkward giggle. The glare from this stranger was intimidating, and those eyes held power. "Boy, this is weird. I'm sorry for this confusion. My name is Olette, and this is Pence. I lost my coin purse a few weeks ago and I just thought that…"

She gestures to the bag and then gives a weak shrug and an even weaker grin. Her eyes squinted as she let out a soft breath through her teeth. All the while her companion is still trying to catch his breath and slow the hammering of his young heart in his chest.

Kuro, glancing at the bag and back to Olette, pockets the bag and lets out a sigh in response. A miscommunication as he shrugged his shoulders at her story.

"Sorry, I don't know where your purse is. I do know it's not this one. This came directly from the original owner." Kuro said with a soft rumble, glancing to the side to begin to leave before he heard her groan in frustration at the situation. He turned back, seeing her cross her arms and shake her head. Her disappointment made Kuro feel a twinge in his chest. She huffed under her breath, which Kuro felt sympathy for. Kuro rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand, letting out a harsh sigh as he thought about how he could help her out. Grinding his teeth for a moment before speaking again. "Look, Olette. If I see a similar bag, I'll be sure to find you and give it to you when I can. Ok?"

"Ok. Thanks." Olette smiles in response, her eyes meeting his own with a welcoming glow. The shine they held was not unlike the innocence he once saw in Kairi's eyes, over a month ago. "We usually hang out in the alley, just up the way. Behind a lock gate and some curtains. Can't miss it!"

"I'll be on the lookout for your spot, then." Kuro reflects her smile and punctuates his intent with a nod. Olette giggles, eyes glancing over at Pence before she takes off running. She waves goodbye amidst her sprint. "Bye, Olette."

"Bye! Let's go, Pence! Hayner is waiting for us at the Usual Spot! He's going to be ticked off if you make me late again!" Olette shouts, sprinting up the street. The broad boy claps his hands together, gathering as much strength as he can before breaking into a painful looking jog as he chases after her. "Pick up your feet!"

"I'm coming!" Pence hollered after her, his pace decreased significantly as his feet met the incline of the walkway before him. Kuro could hear her laughter echo from just up ahead.

Kuro shakes his head with a warm smile as he watches him go, walking up to the candy stand in the MarketPlace and glancing over at their menu. Coffee, toffee, sour gummy snacks and soda pop. However, he was on a mission. As he expected, Sea Salt Ice Cream was on the menu as well. A bar of soft blue on a stick, the image advertised as its most sold item.

"I'll take two of those Sea Salts, please." Kuro takes out the pouch and opens it, spilling the munny onto the table and letting the cashier count it up. The pinging of the currency sounded as though he spilled a bag of marbles. With the initial cracking against the counter and then the rolling that followed. As Kuro pulls the bag back to pocket it, and that's when he sees an inscription of something inside. Just underneath the lip of the bag, hidden in the dark.

He pulls the bag inside out, seeing the name, The red outside revealing a tan colored inner material. And there it was. The name 'Olette' sewn perfectly into the inside of the pouch with a small heart trailing behind it in red thread.

Kuro growls lowly to himself, shutting his eyes with a disappointed sigh at the end. It was her bag, and he just told her it wasn't. It was an honest mistake, but still. She sounded so sure, he should have listened. He stares up at the cashier, as they bend down and reach into the freezer. He recalled Olette and her friend, then someone named Hayner waiting for them at their usual spot. "Actually… one, two, three- Can you make it five?"

"Hungry today, sir?" The cashier asked, Kuro's eyes open and he gives a defeated nod in response. Kuro rested his elbows on the counter, a hand moving to rub his forehead as he watched the man pull out three more bars of ice cream.

"Very." Kuro answered, clenching his jaw as he tried to scramble for a proper apology to go with a bar of Sea Salt Ice Cream.

Pocketing two of the bars and keeping the other three in his hand, Kuro tracked the pair's steps up a series of inclines and walkways, passing by smaller shops and billboards advertising summer jobs. Eventually finding their Usual Spot.

This spot was an offshoot of the alley, once barred by a steel gate with a few curtains strawn about to preserve privacy. Kuro approached the curtain, stopped short of the curve of the fabric, braced himself to awkwardly meet some strangers to return her coin purse with an apology. With his courage checked, he marched through.

The stacks of boxes set along the walls reminded him immediately of home. Well, not home. But the cottage that he resided in back in Traverse Town. Kuro swiftly reminded himself that he didn't have a home. The dartboard off to the left was stuck with several darts, only four of the blue painted missiles finding marks on the outermost rim of the board. The couch situated off in the corner was ragged and tearing apart.

With the upholstery pulled either from time, weather or from fidgety teenagers. It was situated in the corner and was occupied by Olette, her cheeks held in her hands as she stared sorrowfully into the floor. The two boxes set off to her right and directly in front of Kuro were occupied by the one he remembered called Pence and a third teenager who he assumed was Hayner. Who sat on a large water heater, a broken large water was cozy and felt warm, with natural sunlight trailing in through the open slats above. Giving the room a pleasant glow.

This Hayner was thinner than Pence, with blonde spiked hair and a sharp chin. Wearing a short tan vest and camo shorts reminded Kuro of Barret for a moment, the ever ready soldier. His shirt was black with a rough sketch of a skull and crossbones along the bottom. Hayner's eyes narrowed, as he jumped off of the box and approached Kuro. The taller boy met Kuro's eyes, meeting at eye level with him.

"Hey, pal. This is our spot, what do you want?" Hayner's voice came out to be short and attempted a gruff persona. His arms folding over one another as he crooked his head to the side. "Well?"

"That's the guy who we thought stole Olette's pouch!" Pence stated, his hands pulling out of his pockets as he let his arms cross over one another. Nodding his chin towards the two older boys as he let out a soft smile. "It looks just like hers, look at it."

"Did you find it?" Olette asked, her green eyes darting to Kuro with a hopeful look in her stare. Kuro turned his attention back to Hayner, handing off the three ice cream bars to his left hand and reaching into his pocket. Pulling out the coin purse, he tossed it over towards Olette with a flick of his wrist. Her hands scrambled to catch it before it found itself in her lap. Kuro turned his attention back to Hayner. Kuro then offered him an ice cream bar, which Hayner hesitantly took. A squinted eye focused on the stranger as he walked past Olette.

"I guess the old man grabbed the wrong bag one day. I should have been more thoughtful and checked it out." Kuro mumbled, handing off an ice cream to Pence, who swiped it out of his hand and took a huge bite out of the top of it. A muffled, 'thank you' through a mouthful of Sea Salt and a growing smile. Kuro approached Olette last, giving her a soft smile as he handed her the ice cream. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you it wasn't yours."

Olette's eyes shifted from the bar to the captured horizon in his eyes. The shine of their gaze would have melted the ice cream if he focused too hard. The mercy he beckoned for reflected in the warm glow of his stare. Olette offered a smile in return, taking the ice cream and giving it a tentative lick.

"It's no big deal. You didn't know." She mumbled with a nervous smile, as Kuro began to take a few steps towards the entrance of the spot, his eyes focused on the three of them as he did so. "Thanks for the ice cream, you didn't have to."

"Well, I hope you all enjoy it." Kuro offered, giving a head nod of acknowledgement before turning heel and walking to the curtains. Pence hops from his spot, another mouthful of ice cream in his mouth. "See you around-"

"Hey! Why don't you stay? You just bought us ice cream! Stay for a bit? We can play darts and talk about the legends around town and-" Pence listed in quick succession, his mouth covered in now melting ice cream and a bright smile. Hayner knocked Pence's arm in annoyance, interrupting the broader boy who let out a gasp in shock and rubbed his bruised arm. Olette turned pensively towards Kuro, her lips shifting out of an anxious smile to an expectant one. Even shifting out of the middle spot of the couch off to the right, patting the couch beside her with her free hand. Inviting him to sit down with her and the rest of the group.

"Grab a seat! School started back up and we need to enjoy all the time we have left." Olette said with a warm glow to her cheeks. Her eyes darted to the spot as she crossed one leg over the other. Her smile got smaller and mousier as she stared at him.

Kuro glanced around, tempted to sit down and get to know this town. Get to know it's people. However, he wasn't supposed to be making friends right now. He is on a mission. He needed to return to Barret with an important skill.

Kuro, even if he felt the pull to join them, shook his head before letting out a disappointed sigh. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out the remaining two bars of ice cream. Giving them a punctuated shake.

"I got to make a delivery to the old man." Kuro said with a weak grin, before smacking his lips in contemplative thought before offering a broader smile. "Next time, though?"

"Sure! We will be here! Bye, stranger!" Olette said, her eyes aglow in excitement as Hayner finishes his last bite of ice cream and lets the stick hang off of his lips like a loose cigarette. His eyes narrow as he glances over Kuro. He bites down on the stick, flicking the small piece of wood up with a wide mouth grin. The stick nearly tapped his nose.

"Bring chocolate next time." He teases through bared teeth, Olette reaching over and smacking him on the knee. Making him grimace and rub his stinging skin. Kuro chuckled, giving him a nod before walking out behind the curtain.

"I'll be sure to remember. Hayner, Pence, Olette? Nice to meet you." Kuro mumbled as he walked away, stepping out into the city streets and walked along back towards the Mansion. Olette, Pence and Hayner watch him go, enjoying what remained of their ice cream before the boys return to their small talk of who would win between Seltzer and Seifer in the upcoming struggle tournament.

Olette, however, pulled her coin purse into her hand and thumbed over the sewn on fleur-de-lis. Her summer project held up really even, surviving a theft over several weeks ago. But her gaze rested on the curtains, wondering when she would see those orange eyes again.

"Peculiar." DiZ mumbled as he slowly pulled the brim of the hat across Dusk's forehead, those golden eyes of the Shadow Heartless focused entirely on the bandaged man. Waiting patiently for Kuro to return to ask him to tell DiZ to stop staring at him so sternly when Kuro isn't looking. The two heard a pair of shoes knocking against the floor towards them.

Their eyes shooting to the stairwell, the silhouette of the figure marching down the stairs was clothed in bright lights. Blocking out all features until they had reached the bottom of the stairwell, when it revealed that Kuro had indeed returned. Kuro handed off DiZ his ice cream, before unwrapping his own and beginning to take a bite.

On contact, the ice cream burned and shocked his teeth, before the bite sunk all the way through the frozen dairy and broke off a piece of the baby blue colored treat. It was sweet, tasting like an easy vanilla before the salt came in as a sharp contrast. Kuro gave a smile, taking another bite before turning towards DiZ.

"May I have my pouch back?" DiZ asked, seeing Kuro let out a short laugh in response as he chewed on the ice cream. DiZ flexed his hands in frustration. "What's so amusing?"

"Did you steal that coin purse, DiZ? Some girl out there in the town was looking for one just like it. It even had her name on the inside. So, did you steal it?" Kuro asked nonchalantly, seeing the older man take a soft lick on the side of the bar. Their lips curled to a warm smile before it was dashed away by the inquiry. DiZ looked unenthused as he turned towards the younger man. The human Heartless.

"I didn't know you were sent to go make new friends. My mistake. Had I known that was your intention, I would have not bothered to offer to buy a treat for you. To ease your mind of all that worry, I will have you know that I didn't steal anything for anyone. I appropriated it. It would be much more useful in my hands than hers." DiZ said with a sure voice, taking another lick before squinting his eyes at Kuro. Leaning back in his chair as he held out his palm to receive the pouch. Kuro shook his head, taking another bite of ice cream. DiZ's jaw clenched, and not from how cold the ice cream was.

"I gave it back to her." Kuro stated factually, before seeing DiZ's eyes go wide and then narrow. The direct disobedience and the frustration. "I also bought her and her friends ice cream as well."

"Now why would you do that, Kuro?" DiZ asked with an inquisitive stare, letting his ice cream be pulled to the side to offer Kuro his undivided attention. Kuro shrugged, glancing up towards the light of the stairs.

"I felt bad." Kuro explained simply. DiZ huffed in amusement.

"Do tell." DiZ said, his free hand rubbing the tips of his fingers together as he listened to the younger man. Kuro took another bite and swallowed it soon after. Feeling the cool treat move in a icy lump down his throat.

"She was looking for it, and when I told her it wasn't hers even if it was, I felt bad for accidentally lying to her." Kuro said with a shake of his head, letting out a soft groan as he took the last bite of the ice cream and took the stick into hand. "Plus, you appropriated her coin purse. So, I had to return it. It's what is right. And I got the ice cream for her and her friends as a way to make amends."

Kuro pressed his thumb forward and snapped it into two pieces, the small fibers of wood barely hanging on to the other half. The sensation of the tension before the snap was exciting, and the cracking sound made Kuro chuckle to himself.

"So, making the portals. I was thinking we could start small. To the end of the room-"

"I have thought about it as well. To be honest, if I taught you the power to use the corridors, what if it opens the door for you to be invaded and attacked by the Organization? What if you open a portal right into their base? That would be most unfortunate. You need to be proficient enough to not be detected by them and to have measured responses, and overall practice with that ability would prove to be dangerous until that skill is honed to mastery." DiZ said with a defensive tone to his voice, his eyes glancing around the area and staring at the computer screen. "I believe it is in the best interest of both of us for you to receive proper training in the magical arts and in marital combat. And luckily for you, I happen to know a rather prolific wizard who would be perfect to be your teacher."

"You're going to send me to a wizard to learn how to fight?" Kuro joked with a wide grin and a shake of the head. He extended out his arm and summoned his blade into his hand. The blue shaded flame bladed sword appeared in a puff of black and purple smoke. He showed off the blade, before swinging it and resting the cheek against his shoulder. "I don't need to be trained. I can learn as I go along. I've been getting along fine by myself so far."

"For the danger ahead, you cannot learn in the midst of combat. That could kill you if practiced incorrectly. I would feel more secure in your ability when you could handle yourself in a real fight with measured skill. With your recent run-ins with the Organization, the last thing I want for you to be is unsafe out there." DiZ spoke intensely with a strict tone as he raised his hand and summoned a dark portal. Kuro gazed into it, then darted his attention back to DiZ. Kuro wanted to argue, but DiZ was the first person to ever want to have an interest in Kuro's safety with the dangers of the world. Kuro clenched his jaw, the feeling of worry that DiZ displayed was a different sensation to feel. Kuro bit his tongue to keep from biting back rudely. He wanted to listen, he wanted to take his words into consideration. And DiZ has had more experience in the world. If he wanted Kuro to be safe, then it would be in his best interest to listen. "The wizard is an old friend of mine, and he will ensure your safety. For my sake, Kuro?"

"Fine." Kuro uttered with a slightly annoyed tone, dismissing his sword and crossing his arms over one another. "Who should I be looking for? And when it's time for me to leave?"

"Use the device I gave you earlier to notify me that you're ready to return." DiZ let his arm fold behind his back, the other still holding the ice cream bar. He nodded his head towards Kuro with a stern glare. "For my safety, I request that you don't tell my old friend that I am alive. It would… complicate things. You understand."

"So, what do I say? What does he look like?" Kuro asked, wondering what a wizard looked like. He's never seen one before.

"He'll know you when he sees you. Just inform him what you require and he'll assist you." DiZ nodded, before turning his attention back to the portal. "When you're proficient in the magical arts, we will begin your combat training. I need time to research a safe place for you to do so."

"Well, " Kuro turned to DiZ with a wicked smirk. Flexing his arms and rolling his head in a circle. He turned his body towards the ever flowing door of darkness. He took his steps, approaching the portal without fear. "Be seeing you soon."

Kuro marched through the dark corridor without hesitation with Dusk jumping up onto Kuro's back and crawling up onto his shoulder. To seek out DiZ's old companion and friend to hone his skills and become a better warrior for the dangers ahead.

Dusk perched on his shoulder held on tightly as the two disappeared into the black. Once they had crossed the threshold, DiZ withdrew his hand and the portal disappeared, leaving him alone in his lab once again.

DiZ stared at the ice cream in his right hand, wondering if the children Kuro had fed on his dime were satisfied with their treat. He surely would make Kuro pay for it eventually. But a Heartless taking other's feelings into consideration? Into account?

DiZ's experiment to see how Kuro would act in a heart enriched environment turned out to be a success. At best, Kuro held no desire to devour the hearts that he came across. At worst, he would be able to leash his darker appetite in lieu of a more straightforward goal at the very least. An outcome that pleased DiZ more than anything. Kuro couldn't just be tamed as he initially envisioned, he could be leashed. He could be pointed, he could be directed. DiZ grinned in the dark. At last, he found his sword to raise against the Organization.

Then came the addressing of the Heartless agenda. Kuro didn't go on a ramage despite the platter of hearts DiZ had offered him on a silver platter. At worst, DiZ would have seen Twilight Town fall to ruin such as Radiant Garden had fallen to many years ago. With the blood and fires, DiZ would have to admit it would be a sight to see when on the attackers side of the invasion. But Kuro didn't kill anyone on his outing. He didn't harvest any hearts that DiZ could see.

A sign that Kuro could infiltrate any world without immediately eating every heart in the vicinity to satiate the hunger of the Heartless held. He can be a discreet dagger, or a boisterous battering ram should the need arise. Both great skills to have should the war with the Organization require a gentle hand or a striking palm.

The desire for destruction wasn't this overwhelming drive that Kuro either didn't feel or didn't act upon. A scenario that DiZ was working to try and understand. Kuro didn't want to harvest hearts like Heartless did, but instead he made small talk and turned a coin purse back to its owner?

"To feel remorse and to attempt to rectify it? Even apologizing for the transgression? Paying to settle the minds and hearts of the wronged party? What kind of Heartless would do that?" DiZ spoke gently aloud to no one but himself, a habit he had learned for years spent alone in the dark. However, at least he had the motor of the computer and the spins of the fan to listen to rather than the echoing silence of the abyss. DiZ leaned back in his seat, eyes fixated on the ceiling as he imagined the countless Heartless he had encountered over the years attempting to feel anything other than hunger or rage. "Heartless don't feel remorse… but humanity? People can understand remorse. People can act with regret. People can pursue to do the right thing, regardless if it's difficult."

DiZ turned his attention to the computer, the shining blue light and gold text mesmerizing as he stared at the reflection of his orange eyes in the dark center of the screen. DiZ took another bite of ice cream, swallowing it quickly as he spoke once again. "If the darkness of this fallen heart can still find the ability to act in kindness, what does that say for the original? Could someone be that good?"

DiZ waited for the silence to answer, which it always did in turn. Without fail. Without skipping a beat. DiZ typed up a storm to bring up a camera feed and found that the image of Kuro was still focused. DiZ stared intently at the image he had captured of Kuro standing in front of the entrance to the mansion, his orange eyes reflecting an image of curiosity and intrigue up towards the looming decrepit mansion. Not unlike the dozens of children who had come to see the haunted mansion in the woods. DiZ shook his head, in disbelief of what he was seeing. A mystified Heartless.

"Kuro, who were you before the dark swallowed you and made you into this? And if you were so good, why did you fall to darkness in the first place? What were you trying to do? Who were you trying to beat?" DiZ's eyes widened as he reached the end of his ice cream and realized he spent too much time in thought to properly enjoy his treat. He examined the stick, seeing the inscription, 'Winner' printed into the wood. A huff of amusement escaping through his nose. DiZ's eyes softened as he wondered about a different possibility. Ansem who released their own heart did so out of ambition and out of power. The being who made their Heartless made him with evil intentions.

Thus, The Seeker of Darkness was driven and created with evil intent. But whoever released their heart and made Kuro, couldn't have done so unwillingly. That much was certain.

There had to be intent, there had to be an explanation for the fall. The flip of the card that leads the card game into the river. DiZ pondered the question, and approached it from a different angle. Flipping the stick in hand to see the darkened moist wood's cheek. The opposite of egocentrism was altruism. Charity, compassion, and love. Instead of cruelty, indifference and hatred. If one were to be released while under those pretenses, would their released heart reflect that as well? If that were the hypothesis, DiZ's question soon rolled into a whisper as he rubbed the stick in his hand. "Who were you trying to save, Kuro?"