The Gummi Ship soared through space, the crew of the vessel partially separated, just like last time. Donald and Goofy were in the cockpit while Sora took GLaDOS to his room. The mage still insisted that the cockpit was no place for Sora, which the teen disliked. But he wasn't in the mood for an argument, and simply took the A.I. back with him. After all, it was hardly a secret that she and Donald didn't get along, so he gave them a break from each other.
"If you want to get me away from that idiot, you can just put me in a box somewhere." GLaDOS insisted, watching as Sora trained. Was leaned against the wall on his bed, so she hardly had anywhere else to look…
Back on Destiny Islands, Sora swung his wooden sword about to train himself. But with the heavier Keyblade, he realized he could do some more efficient training between world visits! And he knew he had to train more if their adventure was going to be a success. Lucien had been so overwhelmingly powerful that if those Dragonkin hadn't arrived, there was no telling how the group would've won!
"That'd be pretty boring, wouldn't it?" Sora asked as he swung his weapon in a horizontal arc. "And we can just talk like this, isn't that better?" Did she really hate being with him that much?
"You overestimate my desire to talk with any of you." GLaDOS informed Sora. "I am merely here to chronicle what happens, not make friends with you or the mage."
Sora noticed that GLaDOS never actually referred to any of them by name. It was always a descriptor or an insult of some sort, usually when aimed at Donald. It was almost a bit sad, in a way. Didn't he want to make new friends? "Doesn't mean we can't be friendly…" Sora said with a small huff as he continued to train with his Keyblade.
"Doesn't mean we need to be." The A.I. responded, little patience in her tone.
Trying to brush off the rude response, the teen kept swinging his weapon as he let his mind wander. They weren't any closer to finding Kairi, Riku, or even King Mickey. It was a real shame the Oracle couldn't help at all. All they really got from it was that Riku was found by a blonde man…but that could be anyone in any world. It could be Cid, sure, but what were the chances? At the very least, the Oracle confirmed they were okay out there, but the teen had already convinced himself as such.
Sora also thought about how desperate Cloud was to get something he desired. So much so he allowed Sliske to corrupt him and convince him to assassinate someone. And while Sora would do many, many things to help find his friends, killing someone innocent wasn't on that list! He would find his friends the right way, following his heart and helping anyone he met along the way.
He just hoped he could get stronger before they faced someone like Lucien again. It was lucky that the Dragonkin appeared, but what if they come across someone as strong but no one swoops in to take care of things? At least he grew a bit, able to use several spells to help out in battle. Maybe he could learn some new techniques with his Keyblade too. That stabbing, sliding move that Cloud used sure seemed like it could be helpful in a fight…
Hours passed, and Sora eventually stopped his training, eating a snack before taking a nap as time went by. GLaDOS just remained quiet, put into Sora's pocket as he slept. When he awoke, he stretched a bit and looked out the window, spotting a world nearby! It was a pretty grim looking one, all the landmasses looking worse for wear with little visible greenery. But…one thing he noticed was that they were flying right by it!
Quickly dashing up to the cockpit, Sora yelled out. "Hey! We're passing right by a world! Kairi and Riku could be down there!"
Donald and Goofy let out startled noises as the teen butted in so suddenly and so loudly. The mage huffed, shaking his head. "No way the King would be in such a dump!" He haughtily explained. "So we're going right by it!"
"I'm not sure anyone would be down there…" Goofy added, sounding more unsure rather than rude like Donald. "I think the King would just go somewhere else…"
"Actually…" GLaDOS started, prompting Sora to take her out of his pocket. "With your ship's sensors, I do detect life. Human life. There is also another Keyhole on this planet, it's located at-"
"Who asked you?!" Donald snapped, swiping GLaDOS away from Sora. "We're not going, and that's final!"
Sora glared at Donald, his hands clenching into fists. "Hey, that's not fair! Your King might not be down there, but my friends might be! We've got to check it out first!"
Donald just sped up, shaking his head at Sora's demand. "No! It'd be a waste of time! Why bother?!" The mage said with a tone of finality.
Having had enough of Donald's nasty attitude, the brunette lunged for the controls, wrestling them out of the mage's hands. "We're landing!" He yelled out, grunting as the duck tried to take the controls back, which made the ship start to move erratically. "We'll just check it out really quick, okay?!"
"Stop it! You don't know what you're doing!" Donald screamed, the two of them taking turns grabbing and snatching the controls as they fought for dominance of the ship's course.
Goofy stood up but didn't actually participate in the struggle. "Come on, fellers! This isn't helping! Donald, maybe we should just check real quick just to make sure!"
However, the knight's words were ignored as the scuffle continued, the teen and mage starting to more wrestle with each other than with the controls. Eventually, however, things went from bad to worse. Somehow, one of the two hit the button that worked the teleportation. In an instant, the quartet vanished from the ship and down to the desolate world below…
Sora was falling, yelling out as the ship teleported above the ground! He had no time to take in his surroundings, only able t see he was falling towards a ruined building of sorts. The teen slammed into the roof, which gave way and let him fall two stories to the ground floor. This impact left him dazed, but by some miracle he wasn't seriously hurt!
Slowly, he managed to get up and looked to see where he was. The building he was in had seen better days for sure. Actually…it seemed totally abandoned! There had been no upkeep in years, with dust and sand everywhere. There was no furniture, and the walls and ceiling had cracks in it, the latter having holes and cracks aside from where Sora fell through. The teen also quickly noticed just how hot it was, and not the pleasant sort of heat like on Destiny Islands. It was a biting, dry heat that felt sticky and made Sora break into a sweat within moments.
After this, Sora then noticed that Donald and Goofy weren't with him! He looked around more but didn't see them anywhere. "Uh…guy?! You here?!" The brunette called, but he got no answer. For a second, he actually felt pretty scared, dropped into an unknown, dead looking world and wound up all by himself. If he didn't find Donald and Goofy, he would be totally stranded!
Before Sora had much time to think, a Heartless suddenly spawned in the room with him, assuredly drawn to the Keyblade, just as Leon said they would be. There was only one creature of darkness, but it was nearly twice Sora's size and looked pretty intimidating! It was a Gold Hammer Frame, essentially a massive hammer on legs, looking like it could crush him flat with a single blow!
Without having a chance to cast and magic, the Heartless ran at Sora, stopping only to swing its entire body down on him, which the teen barely dodged. This blow caused a massive crack and the floor and seemed to shake the entire building! Despite its somewhat clunky appearance, the Gold Hammer Frame got up in an instant, rushing Sora again. The teen swiped at it with his Keyblade, but the blow barely made it flinch as it swung down on him again. With no time to dodge, he tried to block the attack with his Keyblade…and while he remained on his feet, he felt like his arms were going to snap from the pressure! If he couldn't even damage a Heartless with the Keyblade, he was way too weak to take on one this strong!
The Gold Hammer Frame pressed down harder, causing Sora's legs to shake, his chest tightening as he tried to stand his ground! Just barely, he managed to Dodge Roll away as the Heartless slammed into the floor again. While it was down, Sora tried stabbing it with his weapon, but it didn't seem to do any damage. Instead, the Heartless swung its body, nailing Sora in the chest and sent him flying into a wall. With the wind knocked out of him, he didn't have the energy to stand as the Heartless approached! Yet, just as it was about to reach him, the door to the outside was knocked off its hinges!
"And what's going on in here?" A deep, menacing voice called. Standing in the doorway as a tall, muscular man who didn't seem at all intimidated by the Gold Hammer Frame. He had brown hair with remarkably thick eyebrows and donned in a leather shirt and pants along with shoulder guards. His expression was cold and serious, again showing zero fear in regards to the Heartless. "Another one of you? Never seen one like this." He stated, almost casually, as he approached.
Unable to get to his feet properly, Sora called from the floor. "Hey! It's dangerous! Run away!" The guy seemed strong, sure, but this was a Heartless, not something that just anyone could take out! And that was disregarding how abnormally strong the Gold Hammer Frame was compared to other Heartless Sora had fought.
The man didn't reply, and indeed barely seemed to register Sora said anything. Either way, he got the Gold Hammer Frame's attention who marched towards the stranger, who stopped in his tracks. Swiftly, the Heartless swung at the man just as it did with Sora, except it stopped midway! No, that wasn't right…! It had happened so fast that the teen took a second to register it.
In the split second that it took for the Gold Hammer Frame to swing, the man raised a hand up to stop the blow and did so with ease! The Heartless had struck the man's palm, but it was clearly trying to carry out its attack more properly, yet the stranger was holding it back effortlessly! He didn't even break a sweat, just standing there like the Gold Hammer Frame wasn't even there! "That's it? All that flashiness is just for show, huh?" With his free hand, the man punched the Heartless right at the flat of the hammer, sending it flying to the opposite side of the room! Again, the man seemed to put no real effort into this, the punch seeming rather halfhearted.
"No way…" Sora murmured, jaw practically dropping at the scene. Just how strong was this guy? He just needed his bare hands to make a joke out of that Heartless!
At once, the Heartless leapt up and charged the man, leaping in the air as it came down on its new opponent once more. Taking a deep breath, the man glared up at the Gold Hammer Frame. When it came into range, he unleashed an onslaught of swift, powerful strikes as he belted out a "AHTATATATATA!" as all the blows hit the Heartless in a flurry of blows. Within a few seconds, the Gold Hammer Frame took all it could and was destroyed into a dark mist.
It was only at this point that Sora gathered the strength to stand up, in awe of what he had just seen. "That was…how did you do that?" The teen sputtered out, wincing a bit from the pain as he ached all over. "You came just in time!"
The man took another breath as the short battle ended, approaching Sora. "You're not hurt too bad are you? What are you doing here alone anyway? This city's abandoned." His expression remained serious, but it was still noticeably softer than when he was staring down the enemy.
"What? No, I'm fine. But what about all that stuff you just did? That was incredible!" Sora gushed before realizing something. "And…if this city's abandoned, then why are you here?"
"I'm just passing through, that's all. Is it really just you?" The man asked, glancing about but of course seeing no one else.
Well, that was a stroke of good luck! "Actually, I got separated from my friends, have you seen them? The loud one's name is Dona-" Sora stopped, looking behind the stranger as he saw Kairi standing there smiling at him. Unlike when he saw her in Merlon's home, she didn't say anything this time, and he quickly realized she still wasn't real. After a moment, she walked behind the man and simply vanished. "…I mean…their names are Riku and Kairi. You seen them?"
As grateful as he was to Donald and Goofy, Sora was still pretty mad at the former for his attitude on the ship. Though, to be honest, he was tired of Donald's attitude in general. The teen wasn't happy about the Heartless or their missing friends and all that either, but Donald was just so…unpleasant. Constantly. Sora could only take so much! Maybe it was best if he tried to find a way to go on by himself from this point. And sure, he'd feel bad for Goofy, he actually liked him, but if Donald wasn't willing to even land on a world potentially holding their friends…Sora felt he had no other choice.
The man raised a brow at Sora's drastic change in direction, but didn't comment on it and just shook his head. "I haven't. You're sure they're around here?"
Trying not to seem too disappointed, Sora gave a solemn nod, dismissing his Keyblade at last. "I'm not sure, actually. I was hoping they were…" He couldn't help himself and let out a sigh.
After a pause, the man jerked his head to the exit. "Bat and I are on our way to another city. You can come with us; your friends could be there."
Bat? What kind of name was that? Either way, Sora felt a sense of relief and gratitude at the offer. "Thanks! My name's Sora, by the way. What's yours?"
"Name's Kenshiro." The man introduced, not seeming one for more words than necessary. "Bat should be close by, come on." Without waiting for confirmation, the man turned and walked out the door, Sora following close behind.
Donald and Goofy sat on the concrete slab in the shade, wondering what to do next. They found themselves in a large, ruined city, one that was clearly long since abandoned. Most of the buildings were in pieces or half-buried in the sandy, dusty ground. There was almost no vegetation save for some pathetic, dried up weeds in the cracked earth. The sky was cloudless, and the sun was harsh, prompting the two to seek some shelter on some concrete nestled under a leaning and half-buried building.
Fuming silently, the mage glared off ahead of himself, looking at nothing in particular as Goofy sat back-to-back with him. "So, uh, what do we do, Donald? Look for Sora?" He was getting pretty worried about their friend, not having expected things to go so sour. "I sure hope he's okay…"
Scoffing, Donald shook his head. "Who needs him?! We can find the King without him!" He declared, momentarily forgetting his instructions to stay with the Keyblade. The annoyance he felt at Sora simply clouded his judgement. It was because of him that they were in this dead world!
"Way to go you two. Or rather, Loud Mouth and Clown Shoes. You really messed things up." GLaDOS commented. "You're lucky I attached myself to the teleporter at the last second, so you three aren't that far-"
"Oh, shut up!" Donald scolded, slapping his pocket that was holding GLaDOS. He of course knew she couldn't feel pain, but it was still cathartic.
"Uh, are you two okay?" A young man's voice called, startling the pair as they looked to see a person who was standing a few yards away. He seemed confused, but also cautious, ready to spring away at a moment's notice. "You know no one lives here anymore, right?" The person talking was a young boy, in his early teens at the latest. He sported messy red hair, it being so unkempt that it even covered one of his eyes. Over his mess of a hairdo he had a pair of goggles, and the clothes he wore looked beaten-up and thrown together from whatever he could find. A jacket that was too big for him, a shirt with tears in it, and he looked like he hadn't showered in weeks. Apparently, he hadn't heard GLaDOS' voice, only seeming to acknowledge the magician and knight.
Donald and Goofy were initially surprised by the kid showing up, but quickly shook it off. "If no one lives here, then what are you doing here?" Donald asked, giving the boy a suspicious look. Honestly, he was just surprised that people even lived in this world at all.
The kid scoffed, offering a cocky grin to the duo. "I'm here with my student, actually. He's strong enough to beat you up with one finger, so don't try anything!" For whatever reason, he seemed paranoid about the two he just met…
"We don't want any trouble like that!" Goofy assured, shaking his head. "We're just a bit lost, that's all! Hey, have you seen a boy with spiky brown hair?" Maybe this kid had seen Sora?
"That's more like it! But uh, can't help you there. It's just Ken and me here as far as I know. You can ask him for help, he kind of seems obsessed with helping people." The youth said with a casual shrug.
The two outsiders reckoned they had nowhere else to turn and gave the stranger a nod. "Alright, take us to him!" Donald said as he and Goofy got off from the concrete slab.
Sora and Kenshiro walked through the empty streets of a destroyed city. The intense heat from the sun was already making Sora feel drained. Even though he was an islander, the way the sun just slammed down on everything wasn't something he was used to! He was so curious as to what happened to the city, especially since he saw only desert and ash when he saw past one of its buildings. Was the whole world like this? Sora would just ask, but of course that'd compromise his position as an outsider…
Instead, he asked about something else. "How did you get so strong anyway? You took down that Heartless like it was nothing!" The teen asked, still a bit in awe about how Kenshiro manhandled the Golden Hammer Frame with zero effort.
"Heartless? Is that what you call them?" The man asked, looking down at Sora as they went. "Those creatures have been showing up all over. What do you know about them?"
Oh. Yeah. Sora just kept calling Heartless by their names so casually! "I know they're born from the darkness in people's hearts." There was also their possible connections to the Keyholes, but no need to bring that up, not yet.
This seemed to surprise Kenshiro little, though he seemed to emote very little in the short time Sora knew him. "Demons from the evil in a dying world. Almost as bad as the scum I've come across on a daily basis." The man mused, speaking casually about such unusual things.
A dying world? So, the entire world was like this city! That was one question answered, at least. "So, how did you fight like that anyway?" The teen pressed. "And do you just travel alone?"
"That's the Hokuto Shinken, an ancient martial art more than two thousand years old." Kenshiro explained. "I'm the sole heir to its secrets, and I use it to clean up this world bit by bit. I usually travel alone, but a boy named Bat has-"
"Hey! Ken!" A boy's voice called, interrupting the man's sentence. Sora and Kenshiro turned to see a boy with red hair and raggedy clothes with Donald and Goofy in front of him!
Without thinking, Sora rushed to the pair, momentarily forgetting his anger and annoyance toward Donald. "Donald! Goofy! You're okay!"
"Sora! Are we glad to see ya!" Goofy exclaimed, relief evident on his face. He was sure Sora had to be in the same world, but who knew how close by he'd be?
Donald even felt happy to see the teen, also forgetting how annoyed he was with him because of that fight. He dumped them onto this world, after all! The duck wanted to go past it!
When Sora and Donald reached each other, they both paused. Quickly, they remembered their minor grudges and huffed, looking away from each other as Goofy glanced between them with a sigh.
"Another straggler? What are you people doing in an abandoned place like this?" Bats asked, hands behind his head. "I guess we both picked up some strays, huh Ken?"
"It seems so." Kenshiro agreed as he caught up to Sora. "Donald and Goofy…so you're the loud one, right?" He asked, looking to the mage and apparently having caught on to what Sora nearly said before.
"What?! Is that how you described me?!" Donald yelled loudly, turning back to Sora. "You palooka! What's the big idea?!"
Sora scoffed, turning towards Donald. "Well, it's true! You are the loud one! And the angry one. And the bossy one…"
Goofy looked between the two. "Now, now, fellers. No need for that!" He insisted, turning to Kenshiro. "They just had a bit of a disagreement. Thanks for helpin' our Sora Mr. Kenshiro!"
"It's nothing. I stumbled across him anyway. Also told me about a Riku and Kairi he's looking for. Already said he could come with me to the next town, and you guys can too." Kenshiro said, already starting off towards the city's limits.
"Hey, did he mention King Mickey too?" Donald asked, purposefully shouldering Sora as he walked by him and getting a glare from the teen.
Bat scoffed, staying in the back of the group as the rest went in front of him. "A king? Not a lot of good guys are calling themselves that these days. Never heard of a Mickey."
"I haven't either. You don't seem like bad people, so I'll assume this King Mickey is good too." Kenshiro concluded.
"Oh, yeah! He's a real swell guy! And uh, how did you become Bat's student, Kenshiro?" Goofy asked, disappointed but not all too surprised to learn their King was elsewhere.
Donald rolled his eyes. "I knew the King wouldn't be here…" He murmured, ignoring the fact that two people hardly meant much. King Mickey could be in a hundred other places in this world, but the mage doubted it!
"Hey! That was just a joke! It really was, Ken!" Bat insisted, but Kenshiro didn't seem to care as he kept walking up ahead. "You guys didn't really buy that, did you? Ken's the strongest guy there is!"
Donald doubted that too, but didn't speak it. "That's nice and all, but we've got to get going!" He said, confident King Mickey was far, far away from this world.
"No way! We have to at least look around a bit! Our friends could all be in the next city for all we know!" Sora argued. "You two can go wherever you want, but I'm sticking with Kenshiro and Bat!"
"Come on, Donald, let's just stick around a bit." Goofy insisted, really wishing the two would stop bickering. "We're already here, so we might as well try!" He still doubted any of them would be in a place like this…but it wasn't like Riku or Kairi would've had any choice. If they weren't in Traverse Town, they could've easily been flung to any world, including this one.
The mage huffed, crossing his arms. "Two on one, huh? Fine! We'll look around a bit…" He was caring less and less about Sora's opinions, but he'd at least listen to Goofy…even though the knight wasn't known for his wisdom.
"Jeez, you sure you three are friends?" Bat asked with a laugh, not seeming to be taking the fight seriously. "Gotta make a few buddies if you wanna survive out here!"
"Aw, we're friends. Just in a bit of a disagreement, that's all!" Goofy assured, hoping things would cool down after some time. Granted, it would be pretty hard to cool down in the nasty heat the world gave off. It seemed to grow worse as the group left the city limits. Ahead of them was just sand and dust, essentially a desert. "Uh, hey Kenshiro, how long before we reach that other city you were talkin' about?"
Kenshiro didn't even turn to look back at Goofy as he answered. "Early tomorrow. We'll find somewhere to camp." He insisted, sounding sure.
The outsider trio had to hold back sighs of disappointment. That long?! The sun was about directly above their heads, so it was somewhere around noon. Knowing an afternoon and evening of walking was ahead of them made the three already feel exhausted.
"Say, Sora, is that guy okay?" Goofy whispered to the brunette, feeling he might as well ask some questions or chat to pass the time. The knight only asked because Kenshiro seemed kind of curt and standoffish.
"Oh, yeah, don't worry about him. He's really tough and saved me from this really strong Heartless." Sora whispered back with an assuring nod. Hopefully not all the Heartless in this world were that strong…but if Kenshiro could take care of that one, they should be fine…
Almost as if on cue, a number of Heartless spawned in front of the group. No less than a dozen Soldiers and even a Large Body appeared, charging at the quintet. As Sora, Donald, and Goofy readied their weapons, Bat piped up. "Hey, don't bother! Ken's got this!" The young man insisted.
The outsider trio decided to trust Bat, especially Sora, and watched what happened. As the Heartless grew near, Kenshiro sprang like he was somehow expecting this to occur. When the Soldiers leapt at the large man, dealing out swift yet immensely powerful punches and kicks which destroyed the Heartless in a single blow each! Even when the Large Body charged forward, Kenshiro reeled back his arm and gave a good solid punch, hitting the large Heartless in its stomach. Rather than the blow bouncing off as the outsider trio expected, it sent the Large Body flying, the Heartless evaporating on impact with the ground.
"See? I told you he was really strong!" Sora said to Goofy. Managing to take Heartless out with his bare hands was just something else! It was amazing!
"Ken's probably the strongest guy here in the wastes! There's a reason everyone knows about The Man with the Seven Scars." Bat boasted, Kenshiro himself paying little mind to his companion's bragging.
"Well, we never actually heard of him! Is he really the strongest?" Donald asked, his anger towards Sora momentarily fading in his curiosity.
Bat scoffed as if Donald just asked something very stupid. "You never heard of him? He uses Hokuto Shinken, so he can use pressure points to make people explode!"
"That sounds made up! He didn't do that to the Heartless!" Donald pointed out, looking over to Kenshiro. "Is this kid just making stuff up?"
"It's more complicated than that, but Bat isn't making it up." Kenshiro clarified. "These creatures, the Heartless that Sora called them, aren't human. If they have pressure points at all, I haven't found them. Not that I need them anyway."
That was for sure. Kenshiro was clearly freakishly strong and Sora had to wonder if there was a Heartless he couldn't defeat with his bare hands. "Never heard of anything like that before. The martials arts I…heard about are a lot simpler…" He was about to say he saw them in movies or on T.V. but he had no idea if those things even existed this world, especially anymore. With how destroyed things were, he had to wonder if electricity in general even existed. The teen also wondered about that 'Seven Scars' thing Bat mentioned. He hadn't seen any scars on Kenshiro…
"Man, how haven't you heard of these sorts of things? People talk about them all the time!" Bat asked, shaking his head almost like he was disappointed in the trio.
"We're just from very far away. It took us a long time to get this far." Sora quickly lied, wishing he could just tell everyone what was really going on. At least with Zamansis they were allowed to come clean.
That seemed to satisfy Bat, and after that conversation mostly died down. The walk was grueling enough without having long conversations, and the outside trio was absolutely exhausted as time went on. The heat was all but unbearable, and there never seemed to be any clouds to provide even the most minimal of shade. One of the only saving graces was that it wasn't windy, the breeze assuredly being a nasty hot one rather than a pleasant cool one. It also meant no sand blowing in their faces. Sora especially felt his lips chapping from the dry heat…practically in real time! It was almost to the point that they just opened up and started to bleed!
Of course, the sun eventually set, and the searing heat was replaced by a welcomed coolness. By that point, the quintet had found a rock formation to camp at, Kenshiro starting a fire as the five rested their weary bodies. At the very least, the image of a city was relatively close by, but they were all too tired to make the end of the trip. Kenshiro and Bat had little in the ways of food, mostly just bread, but it was shared among the group.
"So, why are ya just wandering around? Don't ya have homes Bat, Kenshiro?" Goofy asked, looking between the two.
"A home? Who needs one? I get by just fine!" Bat insisted, clearly thinking highly of himself and his skills out in the wasteland. "I had a place but I ditched it!"
Kenshiro was a lot less boisterous as he shook his head. "I'm using my abilities to help right the wrongs of our world…and there's someone I'm looking for."
Someone he was looking for? He hadn't mentioned that when Sora asked! "You lost a friend too?" The teen pressed, feeling bad for Kenshiro and able to relate to him.
"A special person to me. I don't know where she is, but if I keep going, I'm bound to find her." Kenshiro somewhat vaguely explained. There was a melancholy tone to his voice, the situation clearly not as simple as separated friends.
"Well, if ya need help, we'll lend a hand! We can help fight off the Heartless too! We're sort of pros!" Goofy declared, giving Kenshiro a friendly look.
Donald grumbled, talking low so no one could hear. "He loves to volunteer us for stuff…" Despite his attitude, the magician knew they couldn't leave without offering a helping hand. Even with the grumpy nature he displayed, Donald did want to help people…even if it was a pain at times.
Kenshiro gave a small grin, nodding at Goofy. "I appreciate that. If you three can really fight, I won't turn you away."
"It's a deal! So, uh, do you have any idea of where to look first? Like at all?" Even if Kenshiro didn't know where his friend was, surely he had at least a hint of what to do first…right?
"In a way. I know who she'd be with, but I don't know where he would be." Kenshiro replied, once more in a rather vague manner.
That made the outsider trio feel uneasy. "Wait, so was she kidnapped? It sounds like this other guy is keeping her from you…" Sora pointed out with a heavy frown.
"She was taken before my eyes, but I'm not going to let that happen again." Kenshiro said, voice quiet and steady, yet bleeding out an intense, sad anger.
"Well now we've gotta find her! Don't worry Kenshiro, we'll help ya however we can!" Goofy exclaimed with confidence. He had no idea it was so serious! Poor guy really went through a lot…
"You guys are really going to stick out your necks for a stranger? What's in it for you?" Bat asked, almost seeming suspicious.
Sora stared at Bat for a second, a confused expression on his face. "Well, we're friends, right? What other reason do we need?" At least he thought they were friends. They were travelling together, after all. Of course, the same could be said for Donald and Sora wasn't so sure about that friendship.
Bat rolled his eyes. "Man, you sound just like Ken. But hey, whatever, no skin off my back if you wanna tag along!"
Shrugging off Bat's comments, Sora focused on the more mature of the pair. "I know how you feel, Kenshiro. My friends…well…let's just say I couldn't do anything to stop us from getting separated." He wasn't sure how to describe how Riku and Kairi disappeared without giving too much away.
Kenshiro nodded at this, like he somehow expected that response. "I had a feeling something like that happened to you." The solemn man replied. "You have a great sadness in your heart. I can see it in your eyes."
For a second, Sora was caught off guard so strongly that all he could do was stare at Kenshiro. The man that he just met seemed to just…see right through him. The teen wasn't entirely aware of just how much of this burdening sadness inside of him that his friends or family could see. Were they blissfully ignorant? Did they have a small idea? Or did they know exactly what was wrong with him and were just pretending not too notice? Either way, he felt like Kenshiro just peered into the deepest reaches of his heart…and it really unnerved Sora…
"Well, of course I'm a bit sad! I miss my friends!" Sora lightly argued, trying to wave off Kenshiro's comment and minimalize it. "Anyone would be sad over that!"
The man paused, as if studying Sora further and contemplating how he answered. After a second, he seemed to reach the conclusion he desired and nodded. "That's true, yes. It's unfortunate, but that's how our world is now."
Sora had to stop himself from sighing in relief, glad that was over! He did notice Kenshiro said 'now' so whatever happened in this world was relatively recent. With all the destroyed buildings in mind, maybe it was a war? Or some huge natural disaster? Again, he had to keep up the guise that he was from this world, so he couldn't just ask.
"Don't worry you two! We'll all find who we're lookin' for and things'll turn out alright!" Goofy exclaimed, his optimism knowing no bounds.
"We'll just have to see what tomorrow brings." Kenshiro said simply, leaning against the rock and closing his eyes. "We're leaving at the break of dawn, so get some sleep." At that, Bat grumbled something but lied on the sand, facing away from the flames.
Sadly, there were no sleeping bags or anything, so everyone had to sleep on the ground. Sora took naps in the sand all the time, but a full night's sleep was something else. Still, he mirrored Bat's actions and turned from the fire as he shut his eyes. Even with how uncomfortable the ground was to sleep on, the teen's exhaustion overwhelmed him and he was fast asleep in minutes.
What seemed like only a moment later, Sora was shaken awake. The first thing he noticed was the sunlight hitting him and the warmth it brought. It wasn't high in the sky, so the intensity wasn't so bad. The second thing he noticed was that Goofy was talking to him. In fact, he was half-yelling…
"Sora! Hey! There's somethin' wrong! Wake up!" The knight called, shaking Sora again before the teen slowly sat up with a yawn.
"Gooy? What is it…? What's wrong? Heartless?" As Sora realized they could be under attack, his eyes snapped open as he looked around…but there were no Heartless. What he did see was Kenshiro rushing to the city, Bat not far behind him.
"There's something going on in the city! Get off your butt!" Donald scolded, his wand already at the ready.
Goofy nodded, helping Sora to his feet. "Yeah, Kenshiro rushed off! You hear that, don't you?" He asked, pointing at the city.
For a second, Sora had no idea what Goofy was talking about…but then he heard it. The sound was faint, but as the teen strained his ears, he heard what was unmistakably distant screaming. "A Heartless attack?! Come on, we have to help!" The brunette yelled out, summoning his Keyblade as he shook his tiredness off and ran after Kenshiro and Bat. Donald, rolling his eyes, and Goofy followed the teen as the Royal Knight summoned his shield.
Thankfully, even running, the desert wasn't nearly as intense to trek in the early morning. The sun was only just peeking over the horizon, so it hadn't gotten a chance to be so unbearably warm and gross yet. The quintet ran as fast as they could, the city and the screams coming from it inching ever closer.
When the five arrived, they paused to see what was unfolding before them.
Unlike the other city, this one was populated. The buildings were in relatively better shape, with unprofessional repairs being done to many of them. It was these citizens where the screaming was coming from! All around, they were running about or trying to fight off the invaders that took two forms. The first were, as Sora guessed, Heartless. There were two new types of them, Powerwilds and Bouncywilds. The former type was running about, leaping at people and scratching at them in a wild frenzy. The latter type used large slingshots to fire rocks and other trash on the ground at fleeing citizens, hitting them in the head usually.
The second form of invader was shocking for the outsider trio. Running amok along with the Heartless were humans, regular people that just reveled in the chaos and destruction! Though some weren't quite so regular, inexplicably being eight, nine, even ten feet tall! They were all wearing leather armor to some degree, and most had dyed hair in mohawks with seemingly random facepaint on. These people were pillaging, randomly destroying property, and even just assaulting people with their bare hands or weapons like bats or knives!
Without a moment's hesitation, Kenshiro rushed in, going to a group of three men that were cornering a mother and her infant son. The martial artist slammed his fist onto the side of one of the goon's heads, sending him flying several meters back where he simply laid where he landed, apparently knocked out cold!
One of the other two men, one with a green mohawk, turned to Kenshiro. "Hey! Who the hell are you?!" He demanded, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "Do you know who our boss is?!"
Without flinching, and with that same stoic look on his face, Kenshiro grabbed the man's arm. "No. And I don't care." He said simply, and with that he twisted his hand to the side and a sickening SNAP rang out as the mohawked man's arm was broken! Without hesitation, Kenshiro punched the man in the face, sending him to the ground as he roundhouse kicked the third bandit, causing him to fly into the side of a nearby house.
"He really is strong! You were right, Sora!" Goofy exclaimed in light awe. Pretty brutal, yes, but those raiders were up to no good! "Now come on, let's help!"
Sora, Donald, and Goofy charged forward into the fight while Bat remained behind and hid in an alleyway. The outsider trio focused more on the Heartless while Kenshiro took down the humans. The Powerwilds charged at Sora and Goofy, who used their melee weapons to drive off the monkey-like Heartless and take them down. Donald used his magic on the Bouncywilds, able to keep his distance and making it easier to dodge their projectile attacks. He even used a new spell that Sora hadn't seen thus far.
The magician aimed his staff at a Bouncywild who was using its tail to hang from a streetlamp. A large black and purple orb appeared above the Heartless and descended upon it. When it struck the Bouncywild, it seemed to struggle to carry its own weight, barely keeping itself hanging. After a moment, it gave in and slammed down into the ground, far faster and harder than it should have. There it remained laying, unable to get up as its body was minutely flattened by the Gravity spell that Donald used on it. At this point, the mage put it out of its misery with a Thunder spell.
Kenshiro showed that whether it was Heartless or humans, he was merciless in battle. His strikes were swift and powerful, knocking out his foes and breaking their bones. Soon, though, something terrifying started to happen. Kenshiro started to strike some of his foes with just his fingers, causing them to stop in their tracks. Then their heads and faces started to swell and contort and before the outsider trio's eyes…well…
Lots of rupturing sounds rang out in the street.
Goofy, ever looking for Sora, rushed to the teen and slapped a hand over is eyes. Of course, the knight was too slow, and the brunette already saw a small taste of what Hokuto Shinken could do. Bat wasn't lying, it really could make people explode! Thankfully, the Heartless were nearly wiped out, so Donald handled the rest of the cleanup while Kenshiro eliminated the remaining bandits. This allowed Goofy to keep a hand slapped over Sora's eyes rather than fight.
The teen stood there stunned, simply allowing Goofy to cover his eyes without struggle. Sora wasn't stupid, he knew not everything was smiles and rainbows even in his own world. People died and blood was shed…but witnessing it firsthand in such a gruesome way shook him to his core! Even with Goofy covering his eyes, Sora could hear the screams of the men Kenshiro killed as their heads deformed and…
Sora shuddered.
Before too long, the sound of fighting stopped, and Goofy lifted his hand from Sora's eyes. The Heartless were all gone and the humans were…dealt with. Kenshiro approached the trio, seeming unphased about what he just did. "You're all okay? Those were some strange moves you used there, Donald." The man noted.
"I was using strange moves?!" The magician asked, flabbergasted. "Bat was right! You do make people explode! Some warning would be nice!" He and Goofy could handle that, sure, but Sora was another story. Yes, he was still mad at the kid, but that didn't mean he should have to see heads bursting!
"Those scum have done more horrid things to people who couldn't fight back. Trust me, I know their kind." Kenshiro responded as the woman he saved approached him. Off on the sides of the road, other citizens looked on in awe, horror, and gratitude.
The woman looked up to Kenshiro, relief on her face. "Oh, thank you! Those men and those creatures…they just came out of nowhere! But please, they weren't the only ones! Their leaders-"
"What's going on over here?!" A loud shout from down the road rang out, cutting the woman off. She and the other citizens of the city backed away, and they all quickly ducked into the nearby buildings.
The quartet turned to the source of the shout and saw two massive men standing there. They were easily ten feet tall and extremely muscular and had on leather armor. One of the men had a leather strap covering his right eye, with a tattoo of a 'K' above a playing card spade on his forehead. The second man had long purple hair and warpaint over his mouth like a smile as well as a similar tattoo as the first man. It was a 'K' above a playing card diamond above his left eye. It was the man with the spade that had yelled, and both the men walked to the quartet, scowls on their faces.
"What did you do?! You did do this, right?! Can you believe this, Spade?" The diamond-tattooed man sneered. "There had to be some other help…"
"Couldn't be these four scrawny morsels! One's just a kid, Diamond!" The man with the leather strap, Spade, declared. "Who helped you four?! If you tell us, we might just make your deaths quick!"
Sora brandished his Keyblade, glaring at the massive men. They were big, but he had dealt with bigger! That Heartless he fought before Destiny Islands was swallowed along with Dimple. He wasn't scared! "We can take you on! Come on!"
Spade and Diamond looked at each other before breaking out into laughter, which only increased in volume as Donald and Goofy stood by Sora's side. It was Diamond who spoke up, grinning maniacally at the trio. "I'll take the three of you by myself! Spade, you can take that other guy when I'm through with these punks!"
That got a scoff from the other giant bandit. "You want more to kill than me? So damn selfish! But I guess all three of 'em is like fighting one of this guy." He said, jabbing a thumb at Kenshiro, who simply stared back at Spade.
Simply giving his partner in crime a quick, smug look, Diamond looked back to the trio and charged forward. His movements were brutish and without planning, making it clear he had always relied on brute strength to get by. Using this simple fighting style to their advantage, Sora, Donald, and Goofy split up, Diamond stomping down hard on where they were a moment ago.
The massive thug let out a cry as Donald shot a fireball at the back of his head. Yet when Diamond turned to look, Goofy pelted him on the back on the side of his head using his ricocheting shield. And this time when Diamond turned, Sora was already jumping at him, using a willing Goofy's shoulders to leap off of. With a cry, the teen slammed his Keyblade on the side of Diamond's head, then followed it up with two quick slices to complete his air combo. Sora let out a gasp as Diamond wasn't too hurt from the attack, snarling at the brunette before one of his massive fists slammed into the Keyblade wielder's side, sending him off to the side of the road.
Donald and Goofy looked over to Sora in worry, who landed harshly on the ground, but managed to at least get on his hands and knees. Glaring daggers at Diamond, the two standing fighters went in for another combo attack. With an angry quack, Donald cast a strong Thunder spell on Diamond, the electricity running over his body and soon making him drop to one knee. Once the Thunder wore off, Goofy took the chance to slam his shield into Diamond's face, making him grab at his surely broken nose as Donald hit him with a second Thunder spell. This time, the electric shock was too much, and Diamond keeled over, knocked out cold.
"You okay?!" Donald exclaimed, rushing to Sora along with Goofy. Without waiting for a response, the magician cast a Cure spell on the teen, as at that point he still hadn't gotten up.
The blow felt like it broke something, so Sora was a bit paralyzed from the pain. With the Cure, though, all the pain went away, and he stood up with a sigh of relief. "That was a pretty nasty punch, so…uh…thanks. I guess." Midway through, the teen remembered he was supposed to be mad at Donald.
And this reminded the mage that he was supposed to be annoyed with Sora. Huffing, the duck crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, you're no good to us hurt, so…"
Goofy sighed and managed not to roll his eyes. It was clear the two didn't hate each other as they were acting. But he felt like trying to force them to make amends wouldn't do much, so he kept his mouth shut.
Meanwhile, Spade sneered at Diamond's defeated form. "You've gotta be kidding me…" He growled before turning to Kenshiro, who hadn't moved an inch since the fight started. "I'll take care of you, then finish what the weakling couldn't!" As he said this, he jabbed Kenshiro in the chest with one finger, the appendage practically the size of one of Sora's arms. "Or, if you beg, maybe I'll spare your life!" At that, he started to cackle, not noticing that the smaller man grabbed hold of the finger.
Without hesitation, Kenshiro shook his head. "Don't think so!" He declared, snapping his hand to the side and breaking Spade's finger.
This caused Spade to retrace his hand, howling in pain as Kenshiro stood there calmly. After getting his bearings, the massive bandit glared down at the smaller man. "You bastard! You're going to pay for that!" Snarling, Spade lunged at Kenshiro with all his might!
Yelling out in effort, Kenshiro's body swelled until his shirt tore apart! There it was revealed why he had the name of 'The Man with the Seven Scars!' as he had seven circular scars across his chest and stomach! Leaping at Spade, Kenshiro gave an onslaught of blows not unlike the one he performed on the Golden Hammer Frame, belting out a "AHTATATATATA!" as he struck the larger opponent dozens of times within a few seconds.
While swift, each strike was filled with immense power, and Spade was knocked clean off his feet, slamming hard onto the road. All he was able to do was grunt in pain as Kenshiro stomped onto his chest and kept his foot there. "Hey…! I…can't move…!" No matter how much Spade tried, he couldn't so much as clench his hand into a fist!
"That's because I struck your pressure points." Kenshiro calmly explained. "You won't be able to move until I let you. Now tell me who you work for. He's going to pay for sending pieces of filth like you to torment the innocent."
Spade snarled, but it was about all he could do in retaliation. "Bastard…! KING won't let this pass! He'll kill you and everyone you love! He's a master of Nanto Seiken! Ever hear of it?"
At those words, Kenshiro's eyes widened in surprise and he stomped on Spade's chest again, causing him to cry out in pain. "Tell me his real name! Who is KING?!" He demanded harshly. "Tell me and I'll let you go!"
"Really…?! Fine! His name is Shin! He's the lord of Southern Cross, over to the east! Now go on and let me go!" Spade demanded, it clear on his face that the second he was able to move, he would strike.
Kenshiro nodded, seeming a bit shaken by the news. "I see." Was all he said, taking his foot off of Spade and started to walk towards Sora, Donald, and Goofy.
Spade blinked in surprise, still struggling to move. "Hey! You said you'd let me go! Hey! I-I don't feel so good! What did you do?! H-Help me!"
"I am letting you go. Right into the grave!" Kenshiro taunted, not even looking back at Spade as his heard started to swell. Goofy managed to once more cover Sora's eyes just in time before a bursting sound rang out.
Taking a few deep breaths, Sora shoved Goofy's hand away and looked up at Kenshiro when he approached. "He wasn't a threat anymore! You said you'd let him go! What was that?!" As much as he appreciated Kenshiro saving his life earlier, but this was too much!
The man wasn't visibly startled by Sora's outburst. "People like him don't change. If I showed him mercy, he'd use it to try and kill me. I've seen more than enough of people like him to know this." He calmly explained. "This destroyed world of ours tainted the hearts of many men with darkness. Some of them can reform and get back some of their lost light, but many of them are too steeped in darkness to be saved."
Sora supposed that Kenshiro would know more about how the people of his world are. It still just didn't sit right with the teen, not entirely. But maybe he was right, maybe those who had hearts of full of darkness, mostly, couldn't be pulled back into the light. Cloud was a bit astray, but even then he clearly didn't have any personal pleasure in trying to kill Zamansis, he was just desperate to get what he wanted. Sighing, the brunette nodded. "I don't like it, but I can understand your reasoning."
"Still pretty harsh…" Goofy mumbled, glancing over at Diamond, who still hadn't moved. He didn't seem dead, and it made the knight wonder if he'd just start swinging again if he awoke.
"Did that guy say Southern Cross?!" Bat exclaimed, seemingly popping out of nowhere. "I've heard of that place! It's way dangerous!"
Donald scoffed at Bat. "And where were you while we were fighting?" The mage demanded, tapping his foot impatiently at the young man.
Bat shook his head and crossed his arms. "Did I ever say I'd fight? I'm more about cheering people on! Just quietly, that's all. But yeah, Ken, are you really going to Southern Cross?"
"If that's where Shin is, I have to. And this is where we part ways." Kenshiro bluntly stated, not only saying this to Bat, but also to the outsider trio. "It's too dangerous."
"What?! Why?! Who is this Shin person?" Sora demanded, pointing at Diamond. "Is it because I got hit by him? That was a lucky shot! I was fine!" That was a lie, the teen was actually humiliated that he was so affected by a single blow. He was supposed to be strong so he could help his friends!
"It's not because of that." Kenshiro insisted with a shake of the head. "Shin is the one that kidnapped the most precious woman in the world to me. He scarred me with his own hands and took Yuria from me."
If this Shin guy could scar Kenshiro, he had to be insanely strong! Still, that didn't deter Sora. "I don't care. You're my friend, and you'll have to physically stop me from following you, got it?" He didn't agree with some of Kenshiro's methods, but it wasn't like anyone could be perfect anyway…
"Yeah, we said we'd help out!" Goofy insisted, smiling at the scarred man. "We'll give that Shin feller a piece of our mind and reunite ya with Yuria!"
Even Donald shook his head at Kenshiro's words. "You really think we'd just stand by and let someone go try and rescue their friend alone?" The magician could be testy at times, but it wasn't like he had no conscience!
Brat chuckled, beaming at Kenshiro. "And you're stuck with me. I'm going to see how this all turns out! I'm coming too!"
Kenshiro paused, looking between the four before giving a small smile. "I can't change your minds. That much is clear. Come on, then, we'll go east!" He turned to the citizens of the city, who were slowly coming out of the buildings. "There are weapons all around, and the only living bandits are knocked out. Do as you will." He told them, watching as some of them slowly started to pick up the bandits' weapons…
The quintet made their way to the eastern part of the city as its residents got revenge on the bandits and Diamond, a sight that the outsider trio was glad not to witness. If those thugs were able to utilize the Heartless, then their leader was surely able to do the same! Quickly, the five came across a number of desert vehicles owned by the bandits, all the keys still in the ignitions.
Getting into one to accommodate them all, Kenshiro put the vehicle into drive and started off east…
Within a dark room, two blonde men stood. The curtains were drawn tight, so no sunlight could enter with only lit torches on the wall providing any illumination. It was a gorgeous room, one fit for royalty. Dio Brando stood before the other blonde of his inner council, a man with long hair and an almost militaristic outfit with red shoulder guards. Dio grinned at this man, glancing at the door out to the balcony, the shades drawn tight over that as well. "So, Shin, you think this Yuria is one of the Seven?"
Shin, the ruler of Southern Cross, and a master of Nanto Seiken, nodded with a confident smile. "Oh, I know she is. Not a purer heart in all this world…but for the time being, she is mine and mine alone. Especially since she'll draw Kenshiro here!"
"And it's truly that important? If you let thoughts of killing this man cloud your heart, the darkness will take you." Dio informed Shin, seeming rather sure of his words. "If Yuria is one of the Princesses of Heart, she will be taken back to Hollow Bastion sooner or later. Don't think you can keep her forever."
The martial artist shook his head. "I'm aware, but until Kenshiro is gone, I won't give her up to you or anyone else! I'm too strong to let my own heart be my undoing, don't you forget that!"
Unmoved by Shin's harsh tone, Dio let out a light chuckle as he smirked. "If you truly mean that. I'll be watching to see how things unfold. Don't let me down, alright? That brat with the Keyblade is on his way here too, so make sure he's killed as well!"
"I already beat Kenshiro once, so a few more flies to swat are nothing. Don't underestimate me!" Shin assured, watching as Dio silently faded away, vanishing from the world and returning to Hollow Bastion.
Outside, a gorgeous woman in a silk dress made for a queen stood upon the balcony. She was bathed in the sun's rays, the light protecting her from Dio, even if he wanted to take her away that instant. Her hands clasped together in prayer, she looked to the west, somehow aware that that's where her beloved was.
"Oh, Kenshiro…" Was all she murmured to herself…
A/N: So, yes, this is quite a different world, even by this series' standards. Truly the most brutal and bleak of them all. I really did want this contrast, though, not wanting every world to be lighthearted or at least middle of the road. I see no point of a big crossover like this if most or all the worlds visited would fit so perfectly into Kingdom Hearts anyway. I want something totally out there. It can also sort of serve as a reality check for Sora that not all worlds are going to be paradises, the world of Fist of the North Star the most dire one he'll surely ever visit. This also means having to include some gorier bits, which for the sake of not overdoing my clashing of tones and for the sake of the story's rating, I somewhat censored.
And those familiar with Fist of the North Star will notice quickly that things are pretty different with Shin and Yuria's situation. This is entirely intentional and all will be explained regarding it next chapter. It could be seen as sort of a waste to not have Raoh be the world's villain instead...but I figured if I wanted a villain from this world as part of Dio's council, Raoh wouldn't fit. I could never see him working under, or even on equal terms, with someone. I imagine as soon as he heard Dio's plan, he'd try to kill him and take over his position. Not to mention his and Kenshiro's relationship along with their final battle is just way too personal for Sora and company to interfere, so they'd just stand on the sidelines basically the entire time which would be pretty lame.