A/N: Man, fight scenes are hard to write. The first two fights are pretty much filler, while the third fight is the main event.
I also decided to start using surnames for this fic. Just don't expect me to give one to every character.
By the way, those of you who have read the KH stories of Kristen Verne(and if you haven't then I HIGHLY recommend them), you may be interested in a couple of works I've recently done for her KH Universe. One is a oneshot story I wrote for her birthday, A Warrior's Last Stand, which stars one of her OC's, Kaname Mae, and is also the debut of my personal OC for her Universe, Sasuke Kazekiri. I also just started a spinoff story starring Sasuke, Moonlit Knights. If you're interested, please check them out.
Fate
KAI: Fate has a funny way of showing us things.
Ten months since joining the recruits.
It's been two months since Grandma Elise passed away. It's been hard for both Kai and Kairi. They spent first two weeks mourning their loss. Thankfully, Ansem and Ienzo were there to help them through it. The siblings were able to get comfortable living in the castle. Ansem had been so supportive of them, that by the end of the month, little Kairi had started calling him 'Uncle Ansem', which touched the wise ruler. After those two weeks, Kai decided that he needed to get back to training with the recruits, and Kairi decided to start hanging out with her friends again. Both received their respective social groups' deepest condolences.
Things in the Recruits are going smoothly. Squall is catching up to Cloud and Lightning. Tifa and Zidane are getting faster and catching up to Bartz in terms of strength. Lea had learn how to use fire magic, and is trying out the Spellblade Art, like Kai, to set his chakrams on fire. Isa's starting to wield his longsword effortlessly, and is thinking about getting heavier blade. And Zack, being the oldest of the recruits, had just got a promoted to official Castle Guard. Ryu's been getting exceptionally strong lately, not to mention he's been much more aggressive in their sparring sessions.
Kai was working hard to refine the kinks in his Limit Break, Sonic Wave. His Spellblade Art was going very smoothly, as he's begun working on wind magic, Windcutter, as well as experimenting with his other techniques, Flametongue, Icebrand, and Thunderblade. However, something had been gnawing in his mind lately. He remembered his encounter with Keyblade Master Aqua, and what she said to him:
'In your hand, take this Key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be.'
The young swordsman knew that having a Keyblade would grant him power beyond anything anyone could achieve. With that kind of power, he could take down any enemy that threatened him and his sister, especially Xehanort. Kai believed that becoming stronger and stronger was all it took to acquire a Keyblade. It's been nine months since then. He spent all this time training and training. He wanted that weapon so badly. He was praised by the Laguna as the most gifted trainee in the Recruits. Kai had begun to take pride in how strong he had gotten.
But despite all the hard work he's done, no Keyblade had shown itself. This fact was beginning to frustrate the ever impatient boy. He's been constantly asking himself: Why hasn't it come? Am I STILL not strong enough? How much stronger must I become to get it? How long must this take? I need this power to protect my sister, is that too much to ask? Needless to say, because of this, Kai has not been in a good mood lately. Still regardless of why, Kai was determined to obtained that power, one way or another.
Others have noticed his somewhat foul mood. Most thought he just simply hadn't gotten over his grandmother's death. Kairi had worried about her brother, as she had never seen Kai so bitter before. Others like Ansem, Merlin, Laguna, and especially Lightning had begun to worry that Kai's desire to get stronger was starting to become an obsession. Ryu was enjoying Kai's frustration, but was miffed that it didn't affect his progress in a negative way.
Today, the Guard was holding a Tournament for the Recruits in the Town Square. These recruit tournaments are held once a year for the purpose of evaluating the strength and skill of each recruit, and possibly early promotion into official guard, though that rarely happens. For the Preliminaries, each recruit went through an obstacle course, where they run through while dodging traps and projectiles, and attacking targets. They are scored based on their performance, how fast they got through, how many targets they hit, how many times they got hit, and bonus points for style. And the four with highest scores were accepted into the Finals, and this years four were Lightning, Ryu, Cloud, and Kai.
Many people gathered at the Town Square to watch the Finals. Attendees included Kairi and her friends, the Guards, the Recruits, Lord Ansem and his apprentices, Merlin and his students, and citizens hungry for entertainment. While the competitors and the referee, Laguna, stood in the central circle, while the spectators stood on the upper platform.
The first match was between Lightning and Ryu. Both competitors stood in the center of the arena, staring at each other. Soon Laguna said, "Alright! The first match of the Recruit Tournament between Claire 'Lightning' Farron and Ryu Kurai is about to begin! The rules are simple: Fight until one is either unable to continue or put into a position that would've meant death in a real fight. Weapons and magic are allowed, but no potions or ethers during the match. Fight fairly, no low blows; and any outside interference with disqualify the fighter to whom the intervention was for. And finally, killing is strictly prohibited. Are you two ready?"
Lightning nodded as she pull out her gunblade from it's holster and morphed it into blade mode, and Ryu smirked as he unsheathed his cutlasses.
"Begin!"
The fight opened with the to combatants charge at each other, clashing swords left and right. Soon, Lightning leapt back, morphed her weapon to gun mode and started firing stun shots. Ryu dodged the projectiles and retaliated with fire spells. The girl avoided the flames and casted a blizzard spell. The spell hit its mark, causing the boy to stagger and covering his shoulder in frost. Ryu then charged at her with an angry shout. Lightning morphed her weapon back to blade mode to defend against his slashing onslaught. Ryu was really pushed her back in his assault. Soon they locked blades before he kicked Lightning in the gut, causing her to stagger back, then he swung his sword hard enough to knock her gunblade out of her hands. Lightning fell on her knees and Ryu positioned his cutlasses at near her neck in a scissor-like fashion, causing her to freeze.
"The winner of the first match is Ryu!" Laguna shouted as the crowd applauded.
Ryu smirked. "Sorry, Lightning. Looks like you got struck." he said smugly as he sheathed his swords and walked to the sidelines. Kai was shooting glares at him.
Lightning punched the ground in frustration before grabbing her gunblade and walked to the sidelines, away from Ryu.
Next match, Kai and Cloud now stood in the arena.
"Okay!" shouted Laguna. "Second match between Kai Hikaru and Cloud Strife is about to get underway! Are you ready?" Both competitors nodded as they unsheathed their swords. "Begin!"
The two started clashing. After a while, Kai activated Flametongue and attacked. Cloud leapt away started throwing fire spells. The younger recruit blocked each fireball with his flaming sword. The older recruit then leapt up with his longsword in the air coming down. Kai blocked the attack and they locked blades. Cloud's superior strength began pushing the younger swordsman backwards. Thinking fast, Kai dispelled Flametongue and in its place activated Thunderblade. The electricity traveled through Cloud's longsword and shocked him. With Cloud's pressure reduced, Kai was able to shove him back and swing his sword hard enough to disarm him and knock him on his butt. Kai then stood over him while pointing his katana point black at Clouds chest.
"Nicely done!" shouted Laguna. "The winner of the second match is Kai!" The crowd applauded once more.
Kai then sheathed his sword and held his hand out to Cloud. "Not bad," he said.
Cloud took his hand and was pulled up. "You really are something, kid," he said. He then picked his longsword and walked to the sidelines.
After a short potion break, now the final match was between Kai and Ryu, the two most bitter rivals in the Recruits.
"You won't win this time, you little brat," said an grumpy Ryu as he drew both of his cutlasses. "This time you're going down!"
Typically, Kai didn't respond. Only glared as he drew Muramasa from its sheath.
"Alright," said Laguna, "The Final match of the Recruit Tournament between Ryu Kurai and Kai Hikaru is about to begin! Just keep it clean, fellas, and may the best recruit win!"
"I intend to!" replied Ryu.
Ignoring that comment, Laguna shouted, "Ready! Begin!"
In that moment, the two charged at each other and began clashing swords left and right. After several clashes, Ryu leapt back and casted a few Fire spells from his fingers. Kai dodged them and then activated Thunderblade as he dashed at his opponent. The older recruit dodged and kept his distance, knowing that trying to block an electrically charged sword was a bad idea. He then started casting three thunder spells. The younger recruit dodged the first two spells, but then surprised everyone as he raised his Thunderblade up to the sky, which then caught the spell like a lightning rod. This resulted in the increased intensity of his Thunderblade. Kai then leap up and impaled his supercharged sword into the ground, creating a shockwave that scattered throughout the battle field. This shockwave zapped Ryu onto one knee, and Kai's Thunderblade dispelled.
Ryu's body was a little jittery, but he quickly and shakily got back up and dashed at his opponent with an angry shout. He started to ferociously swing his cutlasses at Kai, who was struggling to dodge and block. As soon as the two lock blades, Kai activated his new Windcutter and pushed back so hard that Ryu had staggered. Now with Kai on the offensive, the sword clashing continue. With the wind increasing Muramasa's cutting power, Ryu's cutlasses were slowly wearing out with each hit. Then with one strong swing, Kai's katana managed to break Ryu's left cutlass in two, also the sharp wind from the Windcutter managed to nick him in the left cheek, causing a horizontal cut that bled a little. Furious, Ryu kicked Kai hard in the gut, knocking him on his back a few feet away. Kai quickly recovered by backflipping as soon as his back hit the ground, but was now holding his stomach in pain.
Ryu looked angrily at his broken sword before throwing it away. With his now free hand, he touch cut on his cheek and before looking at his now blood stained glove. He then glared a Kai and shouted, "You think you're hot stuff?! HUH?! Well, you've only gotten lucky so far! As if you could scratch me like this intentionally! You're luck won't last forever!"
Kai narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. This guy was really starting to get under his skin. He activated his Flametongue and dashed at his opponent. They started clashing swords again, with Ryu continuing to taunt him. When they locked blades once again, Ryu attempt to punch him in the face, only for Kai to duck and then elbow trusted him in the stomach, causing him to flinch, followed by an jump kick to the chest, sending him staggering backwards.
Ryu growled. "You think just because you joined sooner than you should've been able to that makes you better than me!? You think just being the youngest Recruit ever accepted brings you glory and fame!? I don't see why everyone bothers with you." He dashed at Kai as he shouted, "There's nothing special about you! You're just a worthless runt who's only getting attention because of his dead father!"
That did it. "Shut. Your. STUPID! TRAP!" Kai shouted as he slammed his flaming sword in the ground right in front of Ryu, creating an explosion that blew him off his feet and his cutlass out of his hand. When the dust quickly settled, everyone flinched at the angry look on the red head's face, even Kairi. "What do you know about me?!" the younger boy said as he approached his opponent. "You've been a thorn in my side since the day I joined! You have done nothing but insult and degrade me! You know NOTHING about me! You're nothing but an arrogant prick who shows no respect to anyone and thinks the world revolves around him! Well, newsflash, IT DOESN'T!"
Those who knew Kai were startled by the fact that such a quiet kid like him was going on an angry rant like this. Few were able to see it, but the ones who could saw a black mist emanating from his body. This faint aura struck a little fear in those who saw it. Ansem and Kairi looked at him with great concern, while Braig and Xehanort looked with interest.
Kai then grabbed Ryu by the collar, pulled him to his face, and pointed his katana at his eye, intimidating him. He then continued, "Do I look like I care what you think? HUH?! Do I look like I give a CRAP what you think!? What do I care about glory or fame? That junk mean NOTHING to me! I didn't sign up to prove I'm better than anyone! I joined the Recruits for one reason, and one reason alone: TO OBTAIN THE POWER TO CRUSH ANYONE WHO THREATENS MY FAMILY ! !" How he worded that last statement made several people fearful.
After a brief pause, Laguna decided he had seen enough. "Alright, Kai! I think he's had enough! The winner of this match and the Recruit Tournament is Kai Hikaru!" Hearing that, the crowd started to cheer, albeit slowly due to the tension in the air.
Kai was breathing heavily after that rant. After a few seconds, he threw Ryu to the ground. "How scum like you got to join the guard, I will never know," he said as he turn his back and sheathed his Muramasa, and started walking away.
Ryu was fuming right now. This 'runt' had just humiliated him in front of a crowd of people for the second time. Not only that, he allowed this 'waste of space' to intimidate him just now. Ryu's blood was boiling like nobody's business. No! I will not have it! He picked up one of his cutlasses and charged at the leaving Kai, preparing to literally stab him in the back. Kai had only managed to hear him coming and turn his head just as the jerks blade was just inches from his back.
...
Only for a stun blast, courtesy of Laguna, to knock Ryu to the ground before the sword could make contact. The crowd grasped in shock after that.
"Ryu!" shouted Laguna, "What's your damage?"
"He doesn't deserve this win," Ryu growled.
"Are you a moron or something?!" shouted Lightning.
"Yeah!" added Zidane. "Kai won fair and square! Quit being such a sore loser!"
"You lost!" Squall grunted in annoyance. "Get over it!"
"Shut up!" shouted Ryu. "I am so sick of him being in the spotlight all the time!" He then found himself grabbed by the arms by Aeleus and Dilan.
"That's no excuse for trying to kill a comrade," Aeleus said firmly.
"I expected better from you, Ryu," Dilan said as they started dragging he away. "But this has gone too far."
Ryu was growled in frustration. "That runt ALWAYS gets special treatment," he grunted. "Why is that?! All because of his father, Suzaku! Tsk! He wasn't so great! He was nothing but a weakling who was killed for letting his guard down!"
Kai was riled up again. "Don't say a word against my father!" he shouted as he stomped toward Ryu, only to be restrained by Laguna. "He was a noble warrior and a great man! You know nothing about him!"
Ryu grinned smugly. "I know that he was weaker than MY father, Zabuza!"
Kai was taken aback by that statement. Zabuza was...Ryu's father? he thought.
"It makes sick that my father was executed just for proving himself stronger than the great Suzaku!"
Dilan gripped the boy's arm tighter as he said, "Ryu! How many times do I have to tell you? Your father was executed for killing a comrade...in cold blood!"
"Even worse," added Aeleus, "was fact that he did it after losing fair and square in a match. Not to mention taking the coward's route by killing him while his back was turned and his sword sheathed. He was dishonorable, disloyal, and a poor excuse for a soldier!"
"Says you!" shouted Ryu. "All you did was waste a valuable asset! We're soldiers! Only the strong survive! The weak have no place amongst us! And my father was strongest!"
"Enough!" shouted Ansem the Wise as he approached the scene. "I will hear no more of this boy's nonsense! Take him to the dungeons immediately!"
"Yes, My Lord," Dilan and Aeleus said simultaneously.
Braig and Xehanort had been watching the whole scene with great interest.
"Man, who knew that red head could be so scary?" Braig said smugly. "I mean really? A quiet kid like him going on a rant like that? I never would've guessed."
"They say that it's quiet types like him that are the most emotional," stated Xehanort.
"Is that right?"
"Yes. Because of all the feelings he keeps buried inside. His...insecurities drive him to hide his feelings. Those feelings are then bottled up inside his heart. The more he holds them back, the more they build up inside the flask. Some hearts may have bigger bottles than others, but every bottle can only hold so much. And sooner or later those feelings will build up so much that the flask will crack, if not utterly shatter, which in turn can unleash a lot, if not all, of them at once."
Braig whistled. "Something tells me his flask only cracked that time. But what surprised me was the dark aura that was emanating from that runt."
Xehanort smirked. "That can happen when his negative feelings are particularly strong. Anger, hatred, fear, grief, such negativity building up inside the flask can beacon forth the darkness in his heart. Combine that with his lust for power, and that darkness can naturally become that power. And with the right push, the power can make itself known."
"I see." The one eyed ruffian crossed his arms in front of his chest. "So what do you reckon we should do with him?" He wasn't sure whether or not Xehanort recovered from his amnesia, so he doesn't mention the fact that he saw that Kai was there the night Ansem took Xehanort in. Uncertain as to how much he actually saw, he was slightly surprised the kid hadn't tried to rat Xehanort out by now. Must be smart enough to know he can't prove anything. Still Braig did not want to risk Kai ratting and Ansem believing him. Braig had been planning on getting rid of him for some time, but didn't want dirty his own hands by offing the runt himself because, well, subtlety was never one of his strong points. And the kid and his sister now living in the castle only made disposing of him more difficult.
Xehanort rubbed his chin in thought. "If a kid as young as him can unleash the power of darkness all on his own, I'd like to see what his darkness can do. It may help further my research."
Braig then looked at Ryu being dragged away, and soon smirked as an idea popped in his head. "And I think I know just how to draw it out." He chuckled. This plan was perfect in his mind, as it was what you call a Win-Win Game. One outcome means the Kai is out of picture, the other means the runt may actually be useful; either way, Braig wins.
As they were dragging him to the castle, Ryu stared at Kai with contempt. Kai stared back with a shocked look on his face. He just found out that the boy who always put him down was the son of the man who killed his father. He didn't know how to react to that. As he stood there he then realized the irony of what just happened: Ryu had just attempted to kill him the exact same way he was told Zabuza killed Suzaku. It was like he and Ryu were fated to clash like this just like their fathers.
Fate...Just the thought of that word always brought back a memory of something his father once told him before he was killed.
Many people say that our destinies are predetermined. That if we were able to see a small glimpse of our own futures and didn't like what we saw, nothing we tried to do would be able to change it. I have to agree...to a certain extent. I like to think that nothing truly happens by accident. That fate has a plan for each every one of us. And everything that happens is all part of its plan. For example, good people fall down so they can learn to pick themselves back up. We all have a place in this world, and are guided by fate's will, sometimes in very strange ways. Some people will try to claim that they know whose destiny is whose, but in truth, the future is a blank page. No one truly knows what will be written next, and fate may change our courses on a whim.
Kai then began to wonder what fate had in store for him. Was it really fate's will that Ryu tried to stab him in the back like their fathers? Was it fate that he and Kairi were left alone with no parents...so that he can learn to protect her? Is his struggle to obtain power, like the Keyblade, fate's way to drive him to work harder? Who could say?
Kairi had approached him with a worried face. Kai looked at her and smiled as he petted her head, earning a giggle from her.
I guess there's no sense thinking about it, Kai thought. If my destiny is to protect Kairi, then I have no complaints.
KAI: If only I knew then...that fate had other plans for me.
A/N: As you can see things are starting to take a turn for the darker, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Also about the whole fate thing, all I gonna say is to commit it to memory.
I apologize if the fight scenes are a little lack luster, but I'm hoping to put more effort into the next one.
Please Review.