The second trip through the desert was far more pleasant than the first. While the sun still beat down on the travelers, the breeze from driving through the dead, sandy terrain helped balance things out. Letting their legs get some rest was of course a huge bonus as well. Really, the only problem was that there wasn't any food or water in the vehicle, so the outsider trio remained quiet to save their strength. The three especially fantasized about the enchanted kitchen on the Gummi Ship which could produce any food desired!
Sora, on top of food, thought about Riku and Kairi. He never asked the citizens of the city about his friends, but he at least assumed they weren't there. After all, Riku wasn't the type that'd just sit around and watch those bandits do whatever they wanted. Even Kairi would have tried to do something despite her never really practicing with wooden sword. Still, the people there might have at least seen his friends and knew where they went off to…if they were even in this world to begin with. The teen really tried not to think about how tiny the chances were that Riku and Kairi were in any given world, especially them being in the same world together!
He looked over at Kenshiro, who somehow managed to find a replacement for his self-torn clothes while Sora wasn't looking. The exact same outfit, even! As much as Sora was impressed by the man's strength, his methods and ethics were…questionable at best. He understood the logic that some people were beyond redemption…but was it really every single man that Kenshiro had killed back there? But Sora supposed someone living in this world would know best.
With the roar of the engine, conversation was a bit tough, so no one spoke much during the ride. As silly as it might have sounded, it even started to get a bit boring for Sora. Seeing new worlds was something he wanted a lot, yes, but this one was very dead and flat. Most of it was just ugly desert everywhere one looked. No chatting and nothing to look at made for a very dull ride that seemed to go by at a snail's pace.
In fact, the quintet didn't see anything new until late afternoon where a city started to peek over the horizon. Unlike the last two, this one was in far better shape as most of its buildings were damaged, yet actually standing upright. It had to be Southern Cross! A foreboding sensation went through the men's bodies as they saw it, the very location itself seeming to generate a nasty darkness.
And speaking of darkness, the sun dipped down below the horizon just as the five arrived, Kenshiro parking their vehicle a short five minute walk away. "Bat, you should stay out here at least." The man instructed, glaring at Southern Cross. Despite it being a large and reasonably intact city, there was no sound of nightlife. No citizens about or anything of the sort that the five could see…
"No way! I'm with you to the end!" Bat remarked with a cocky grin. "I've come with you this far, you think I'll just wait behind now?"
"Hey, this is a populated city, right? Where is everyone?" Sora asked, trying to adjust his eyes to the dark and see if he could spot anyone.
Bat sighed, shaking his head. "Southern Cross is a city of slaves! The only people with any freedom are the bandits and goons like you guys fought off. Everyone else is just treated like cattle! I guess the assholes with any power are off getting drunk somewhere or-" His words were interrupted as a pained cry echoed through the air, putting the five on alert.
"Hey, that's someone in trouble! We've got to see!" Sora exclaimed, getting his Keyblade ready and charging towards the source of the sound. With little choice, the other four followed him as they entered the city proper. At first, they didn't run into anyone or anything of much interest. Within a few minutes, though, they came across a sort of pit in the street where some building used to stand but was totally gone save for a concrete-floored basement.
In said basement was a tall man with a mohawk and leather armor armed with massive clawed weapons. On his forehead was a Club symbol with a 'K' above it, just like Spade and Diamond, though this new thug wasn't quite as tall or as buff as they were. Splayed out before this man was a presumably hapless victim, or what was left of him, being taken away by two thugs. "That was a great show, Club sir!" One of the two thugs praised with a nasty snicker.
The boss, Club, cackled in a pleased, sadistic manner. "Bring out the next one! I'm going to go all night!" He cried, shouting out to an invisible audience.
"See? The slaves here aren't even treated like people!" Bat harshly whispered. "I'm not surprised they just get killed for sport!"
Spade, Diamond, and now Club. This guy was surely one of the higher ups like the first two! Sora remembered how swiftly he was knocked onto the ground before and still felt embarrassed over it. "I'll take care of this…just let me fight him alone!" The teen declared.
"Wak?! What are you talking about?!" Donald demanded, bringing forth his staff and using it to point down at Club. "You're not strong enough to take him on alone!"
Goofy nodded along with his friend. "Yeah! If we're gonna fight him, all of us should go do it together!" What was Sora thinking?
He just wanted to prove himself! Sora desperately wanted to go and find his friends and help people against the Heartless, but how could he do that if he didn't get any stronger?! "I have to prove myself! Kenshiro, you don't mind if I try, do you?" The teen asked, looking to the older man.
Kenshiro had been glaring daggers at Club before turning to Sora. "If you want to try alone, I won't stop you. It's unfortunate, but everyone needs to learn to be strong in this world, so if this will help you with that, I support it."
"Donald, Goofy, just let me try! If I'm having trouble, you can just jump in!" Sora all but pleaded. Really, nothing was stopping him from just jumping down anyway, but he just wanted their vocal support. He wanted them to believe it was something he could actually do!
The two friends shared a glance, as if they were silently debating amongst themselves on how to approach this. After a tense moment, they both sighed, and Donald gave a nod. "Alright, but at the first sign that you're losing, we're helping you!" The magician clarified, wondering just what was going on in Sora's head! Was he just trying to show off?
Sora breathed in relief as he gave a nod at Donald's condition. "Okay! I'll take care of him, you'll see!" This Club guy was way smaller than Spade or Diamond, so surely it wouldn't be too bad!
Club, not noticing his small audience, shouted out after his two thugs, who had yet to return. "Hurry up! I want to play with someone else!" The manic bandit demanded.
Glaring at Club, Sora leapt from up above and landed in front of the deranged man, pointing his Keyblade at him. "Fine! I'll fight you!" Better him than some poor slave that wouldn't stand any sort of a chance.
Sora's sudden appearance startled Club, who looked up at where the teen came from, spotting the rest of the group. Grinning, he looked back to his opponent. "Oh? Intruders? You really want to fight me by yourself, pipsqueak?!" Even as he spoke, he brandished his claws, making it clear that even if Sora tried to take it back, Club would show no mercy.
Getting into his fighting position, Sora nodded. "I'll take you on! Come on!" He was pumping himself up, preparing himself for a tough fight, but one he felt he had to do alone!
Club belted out a manic laughter and wasted no further time. He lunged at Sora, slashing down at the teen with one of his claws, a blow that the smaller opponent managed to block. Sora grunted out in effort, Club's immense size not being just for show, as he was pretty strong! Still, no matter how hard the bandit pushed, the Keyblade held strong, thus far not getting so much as a nick or a dent through the adventure! Whatever it was made of it was plenty sturdy!
Legs shaking a bit, Sora let out a cry as he swung the Keyblade in a parry, managing to knock Club's hand away before swinging at his opponent's torso. Before the blow could connect, the massive man raised a leg and kicked Sora in the stomach, knocking him clear off his feet. Unlike before with Diamond, the teen managed to roll with the landing and ended up back on his feet!
This was lucky, as Club was already running at Sora before he had even recovered. Clearly, he was going to offer zero mercy or breathing room! Thinking quickly, Sora beamed the Keyblade at his opponent, managing to do so in a way that the weapon stayed stiff and straight as it flew through the air. Apparently not expecting this, Club was only able to let out a startled noise as the head of the Keyblade slammed into his face. Despite its name, the weapon wasn't exactly sharp, so all that happened was Club's nose was flattened and bloody as the Keyblade fell to the ground.
"What the hell even is this thing?!" Club demanded, momentarily stunned from the impact as he glared down at the Keyblade. "You just threw away your only weapon you stupid brat!" Quickly forgetting his rage and smirking, he bent down to pick the Keyblade up…and that's just what Sora was planning on!
Rushing at Club, Sora extended his hand and summoned the Keyblade back to him, catching the man off guard. With a loud cry and using his opponent's surprise to his advantage, the teen slammed the Keyblade into Club's side, knocking the wind out of him. Not letting up, Sora continued with a quick combo and slashed across his opponent's torso multiple times. Unlike the more experienced Keyblade wielders of the past, Sora wielded his Keyblade more like a metal club, and this lack of proper use made it hard for him to truly use it as a blade. So despite the slashing attacks, Club didn't actually bleed from the blows, just getting bruised instead.
With one last cry, Sora jammed the Keyblade forward, slamming its blunt tip into Club's stomach and sent him onto his back. Taking a few steps back, Sora panted as he awaited his opponent to get back up…which didn't happen. Club let out a few groans but didn't stir. Grinning, the teen looked up to his friends. "Hey! I think I won!"
"Oh boy! Ya did it, Sora!" Goofy called as the four climbed down to meet up with Sora. "Ya took him down all alone!"
"And you didn't even use magic! Er…I guess it was impressive…" Donald corrected, quickly remembering he was supposed to still be mad at Sora.
Kenshiro gave Sora a small, approving grin. "I had a feeling you'd come out on top. You're stronger than you think you are. That's true for just about everyone, especially those with righteous hearts and a reason to fight!"
"You even took down one of the higher-ups too! You're not bad…!" Bat praised, but with that sort of snarky, not-so-serious tone.
At that moment, the two goons that took away Club's victim came back out, wide-eyed at the sight. "C-Club?!" One of them exclaimed. "Oh no, this isn't good!" Without waiting for the quintet to retaliate at all, the two turned tail and sprinted away.
"Hey! We can't let them get away, right?!" Bat yelled out, looking to Kenshiro. "They'll tell everyone!"
Kenshiro shook his head. "Let them. I don't care. I'll take down anyone that stands between me and my goal!" And his voice was filled with a deadly confidence!
With everyone's back turned to him, Club slowly and quietly got up, glaring daggers at the five. Standing upright entirely, he lunged at them with his weapons at the ready. "You brat! I'll slice you and your friends to shreds!" He shrieked, causing the five to all turn around.
Moving faster than anyone else, Kenshiro stepped forward and, before anyone could blink, placed a hand on Club's forehead. He didn't seem to be putting forth any effort, yet the taller man stopped in his track. "That's enough of that. Tell me where Shin is!"
Staying still, Club barked out an ugly laugh. "You know KING's name? Then you must know how deadly he is! Of course he's in the tallest tower, but that won't matter when I kill you!"
Nodding calmly, Kenshiro removed his finger, yet Club remained in place. "Right. Come on, let's go." He ushered the other four to move, the outsider trio hesitant for a moment, but doing what Kenshiro said and turned their back on Club.
At this, the bandit sneered at Kenshiro. "Turning your back on me a second time?! You're dumber than I thought!" He cried out, taking a step forward and ready to swing his claw!
Kenshiro turned to look over his shoulder, shooting Club an icy glare. "Too bad. You are already dead." He stated, turning back to face forward. The quintet didn't see what happened next, but Club let out a shriek of agony before a bursting sound rang out and the sound of a body hitting the floor soon followed…
"You satisfied now, Sora?" Donald asked with a roll of the eyes. "Why did you want to fight that guy so bad?"
"I didn't want to, I just felt like I needed to." Sora confessed as he rubbed the back of his neck. He felt he had to prove himself, and this was just the first chance to do it! And it wasn't like Club didn't need to be taken down anyway. Though the teen wondered if he could actually go through with killing someone like that, a person that was devoid of any humanity and saw other people as playthings like Club did. Obviously his methods wouldn't be as brutal as Kenshiro's! He was fully willing to kill Lucien, for instance, feeling it had to be done to stop Gielinor from being destroyed. It was just Lucien's immense strength that prevented Sora from doing so.
"I think I get ya. Ya wanted to just see if ya got stronger, right? Ya don't gotta go it alone, though! Donald and I are with ya all the way!" Goofy explained in a kindhearted manner. Of course he'd help Sora out in any way he could! The two were buddies, after all!
"Yeah, I guess so." Donald grumbled, remembering to be mad at Sora. At this point, even the magician was aware he was just being stubborn at this point. It was still awful they ended up being forced into this world, but it was still an accident that Sora teleported them in like that.
"Goofy's right. It's perfectly fine to rely on your friends. That's what they're there for." Kenshiro agreed as the group went up some stairs and back to ground level. They headed further into Southern Cross, off towards a building that towered over all the others.
Bat scoffed. "Well what about you? You're a freakish one man army, Ken!" He insisted with a roll of the eyes. "Doesn't mean much when you never need help!"
Sora sort of felt annoyed at Bat's constant attitude, but he guessed living in a world like this would make most people cynical. "I bet Ken wouldn't mind if we helped him in a fight though, right?" The brunette asked, adopting Bat's nickname towards the man.
"That's correct. It's why I'm letting you all tag along. I can do this on my own, but I won't stop my friends from helping." The man clarified, quite confident in his boast…not that such bravado wasn't deserved. No one amongst the group had any doubt Kenshiro could take the city on all by himself if he felt like it!
Such a thing was proven as the quintet made their way forward. The two goons that got away spread the word as Bat had worried about, as numerous other bandits zeroed in on the group's location and attacked! They were all normal sized, not like the titanic Diamond, Spade, or Club. Though they were backed up by Heartless, though it seemed these weaker underlings could only order about the lesser ones like Shadows and Soldiers. This meant that taking these reinforcements out made for quick work. Kenshiro tended to focus on the bandits themselves while leaving the Heartless to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Bat, of course, stayed out of the way whenever things got dangerous. The other four did fine and Kenshiro got through unscathed as the outsider trio only got small scratches and bruises from some cheap shots the Heartless dished out.
Before too long, a string of corpses went from Club's private arena to the tallest building in Southern Cross. It loomed over the surrounding area, as if suppressing those that were enslaved there just by its mere presence, as though it were watching for signs of rebellion. On top of that, it seemed to emanate a sort of odd power, perhaps Shin's darkness being so great that it could be felt on the outside.
As the group reached the front doors, they saw that two men with metallic helmets were keeping guard, both armed with massive knives. One of them saw the group approached and glared at them. "I don't know who you are, but none may enter!" He said, brandishing his weapon.
The second guard followed suit as Kenshiro walked a bit faster and quickly closed the gap between him and the two men. "Hey! That's close enough! Get lost or we'll cut off your-" His words were cut off as Kenshiro grabbed both their heads and slammed them into each other, doing so quickly enough that the other four barely saw it happen.
Surely dead, the two guards went limp and Kenshiro simply let them drop. "Come on. I can feel Shin's presence. It's unnatural…" The man remarked, taking the lead into the building as the others followed.
Inside, the tower was cold and empty, darkness seeming to radiate from the very concrete that made up the building. As the quintet went up the various flights of stairs, they encountered no guards, and no Heartless appeared. Granted, they had no idea if there were usually guards inside the tower or not, but the near-silence was eerie. Still, everyone but Bat was ready for a fight, it just seemed like one wasn't going to come!
After what felt like hours, the group reached the top and there they finally saw another person! The room they entered had little to see, mainly some pillars, a stone staircase leading to a throne with a door leading elsewhere behind it. In that throne was a menacing looking man draped in a cloak fit for a king. Long blonde hair curtained either side of his face as he smirked down at the group, not intimidated in the slightest. "So, Kenshiro, you finally arrived. It's been a while…" Like the building around him, it seemed like darkness itself came from his body, the unusual power felt outside the tower stronger than ever.
In fact, it felt just like Dimple's basement and the ritual site…
Almost instantly, Kenshiro's entire demeanor changed. His body tensed, as though he were about to sprint at the man and had to hold himself back. A deep, hateful glare came across the martial artist's usual stoic face. "Shin…! I've come back from Hell just for you!" His voice was heavy and full of a homicidal rage, one unlike any he spoke in before.
"What? Just to die? If that's really what you want." Shin boasted, not at all bothered by Kenshiro's demeanor. His gaze shifted to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. By this point, Bat had ducked away, hiding behind the very stairs the group come up. "You even have some friends. Not that it will matter."
Sora's eyes widened as he quickly realized something about the man, and it was his hair! The Oracle mentioned a man with blonde hair, and Shin's prominence in this part of this world made the teen wonder…! "Hey! Have you seen someone named Riku?! Or Kairi?!" The Oracle didn't say Kairi was with the same man as Riku, but he had to at least try!
Shin scoffed, as if Sora was an obnoxious pest that was completely beneath him. "Never heard those names in my life. As for you, Kenshiro. Before you face me, I want to see what you can do! Heart! Come out here!"
Behind one of the pillars, a massive man emerged! Unlike Diamond, Spade, or Club, this man wasn't as muscular. In fact, he was very fat, lacking any hair aside from a wispy mustache. Like the other three card-themed men, Heart had a tattoo of, naturally, a heart with a 'K' above it on his forehead.
The blob of a man chuckled as he glared down at Kenshiro. "You're Kenshiro, right? You use Hokuto Shinken or whatever it's called, huh? That's useless against me!"
Shin grinned at Heart's boasting. "He's right. If you fight him, you'll see just how weak Hokuto Shinken and realize it isn't as perfect as you think it is! Now fight him, Kenshiro! If you can't beat Heart, you have no chance against me!"
"Who? This pig? You're kidding me, right?" Kenshiro asked, pointing up at Heart. "This shouldn't take more than a few seconds!"
Heart snarled at Kenshiro, glaring at the smaller man with an intense hatred. "You punk! You think it's that easy?! Go ahead! Hit me! I won't dodge or anything!" Hi anger was replaced by a smug confidence as he lifted his arms, giving Kenshiro an easy hit.
"This sounds like a trick! Be careful!" Donald exclaimed, his staff at the ready just in case. He was tempted to cast a spell at Shin, but who knew how strong the guy was? It could be pretty bad news if both him and Heart attacked at the same time…
Kenshiro paid little mind to Donald's warning, letting out a battle cry as he punched Heart right in the stomach! As the larger man promised, he made no attempts to dodge, block, or counterattack…yet it didn't matter. Kenshiro hit Heart just fine, but his fist and even part f his arm sank into his opponent's bodyfat! "What?!" Was all Kenshiro could exclaim before Heart let out a grunt and the smaller man's limb was shot out of his opponent's stomach.
While Kenshiro was momentarily stunned from the surprise ability, Heart raised a meaty hand and swung it down at his foe. While Kenshiro managed to lift an arm to block, it helped little as the impact sent him to the floor anyway! "Ha! What was that?! It barely tickled!"
The outsider trio was stunned, this being the first time they saw Kenshiro take any sort of damage! Instantly, they sprang into action without even thinking! Sora and Goofy charged at Heart, the teen stabbing as the knight swung his shield at the large man's torso. Donald stayed back as usual, casting a Fire spell at Heart, aiming for his big bald head!
Like with Kenshiro, Sora and Goofy's attacks did nothing. The Keyblade and Goofy's shield sank into Heart's fat while the unusual man swatted at Donald's Fire spell, rendering it useless as it sputtered out from the impact. Smirking, Heart grunted again as Sora and Goofy were launched away from Heart, joining Kenshiro on the ground.
Shin let out a sadistic laugh, eyeing the quartet as they failed to even harm Heart. "You see, this man as a rather unique body." The blonde man explained. "The softness makes it so any attacks stop before they can reach anything vital. So that means Hokuto Shinken is completely useless on him!" His cockiness melted away into anger as he glared at Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "And who said you three could help?! This is all between me and that pitiful excuse of a martial artist down there!" He pointed Kenshiro out, his expression twisted with malice and obsession.
Getting to his feet, Sora glared right back at Shin. "Ken's our friend! We'll help him whether you like it or not!" As if he was really going to just listen to this horrible man!
That didn't amuse Shin at all, who drew a knife from his pocket. "Kenshiro is far weaker than me. I made that clear when the two of us last met. As for you three? You're just insects! How dare you stand between me and the man I truly wish to face?!"
With that, Shin threw his knife…but not at Sora. Nor did he throw it at Donald, Goofy, or even Kenshiro. Instead, the knife grazed by Heart's face, very lightly cutting his cheek. The massive man let out a startled gasp, bringing a fat hand to his face and looking at his now bloodstained palm. "Oh…?! It hurts! It hurts!" He bellowed out, practically hyperventilating as his eyes nearly bulged out of his head! "Blood?! It's my blood! It hurts! It huuurts!" He screamed out, starting to swing his arms wildly!
Shin let out an amused chuckle, calming down from his rage. "Heart here has a condition as unique as his body. Whenever he sees his own blood, he loses all control! He won't stop rampaging until all of you are stains on the floor!"
Indeed, Heart didn't even seem aware of what was going on anymore, his face showing just how much of a maddened frenzy he was in! "It hurts! It hurts!" The man kept screaming, his gaze zeroing in on Kenshiro, who was closest. "I'm going to crush you to paste!" Heart roared, charging at the martial artist.
Glaring up at the charging man, Kenshiro let out a battle cry as he gathered his strength! Once more, his shirt tore open as his muscles seemed to bulge as he rapidly attacked Heart! This time, his blows were shallow and aimed more carefully. Rather than striking straight forward, the attacks sort of shifted to the side. And, in a sight that was disturbing, unreal, and actually pretty impressive, Kenshiro used these strikes to push the fat away! Each blow moved the blubber to the side, his fists moving so fast they a sort of crater started to form in Heart's stomach.
Once the crater of flesh opened wide enough, Kenshiro let out a sharp cry as he thrust his fist forward, hitting deep into Heart as struck at a pressure point, the attack leaving no actual wound. "It's over! Now you'll just pop like a balloon!" The martial artist announced. Even as he spoke, blood started to leak out of where he struck, even as the fat settled back into place.
His face scrunched up in pain, Heart glared down at Kenshiro. "Wh-What?! What did you…?!" He grunted as a wound opened up at his chest, and then another at his shoulder. In desperation, Heart charged at Kenshiro, who moved out of the way. The massive man stumbled past him, past Bat, and then started to fall down the stairs. Just as he fell out of sight, Heart screamed as a fleshy explosion rang out, the sound of blood splashing onto the staircase…
Shin didn't seem upset by this at all. In fact, he was simply amused. "This isn't the same Kenshiro that I left the seven scars on." He murmured to himself, darkness seeping off of him as his obsession grew.
"That was some quick thinkin'!" Goofy praised, trying to ignore how gruesome Heart's end was. "Ya thought of it so fast, too!"
"Despite what Shin said, Hokuto Shinken has no weakness. I simply exploited that fact." Kenshiro replied, downplaying his own feat a bit. He then turned towards Shin, pointing up at the blonde man. "Now tell me where Yuria is! I know you have her still!" His face was that of a stoic rage, giving his old rival that would have made the blood of any lesser man run cold.
Shin grimaced, glaring at Kenshiro as if he had personally insulted him. He then looked crestfallen, gesturing to the door behind the throne. "She threw herself from my balcony months ago! You're too late!"
There was a cold, empty pause in the room as the others stared at Shin in disbelief. It was Kenshiro that broke this silence. "What are you talking about?! There's no way that's true! Tell me where she is, or I'll just beat it out of you!"
"This is some kind of a trick, isn't it?!" Sora demanded, brandishing his Keyblade. He was about ready to just charge Shin right at that moment!
"It's no trick! And this doesn't concern you still, you feeble child!" Shin hissed at Sora before turning back to Kenshiro. "Yuria was miserable with you. No matter what I gave her whether it be jewels, the finest dresses, or even Southern Cross itself, she wasn't satisfied! I couldn't win her heart, no matter what I gave her! Seeing herself trapped her forever…she took her own life…"
Once more, there was a nasty pause at Shin's confession, no one sure how to act right away. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Bat all looked at Kenshiro and were shocked as he openly let streams of tears fall down his face. "So, that's truly how it is…this was for nothing…" He said, his voice soft and defeated.
Shin snarled at this as he pointed Kenshiro out. "No! This isn't the new you at all! I took Yuria from you, and it was my fault she died! Are you going to just cry like that?! You sniveling fool, if you had come faster, your precious love would be waiting for you!"
Without a word, Donald pointed his staff at Shin and shot out a volley of three Fire spells, glaring daggers at the blonde man. Shin was quick to act, sidestepping all the attacks and coming out unharmed. The magician let out an enraged quack at this and readied another spell. "You don't get to mock one of our friends like that! I'll kick your butt myself!"
"Don't leave me out of this!" Sora yelled, too enraged to think about how Kenshiro would want to attack Shin. All he could think about was defending his friend who was so clearly emotionally crushed by what happened to Yuria! Without further hesitation, he sprinted up the stairs and charged Shin!
"How many times must I tell you, this isn't your concern?!" Shin screamed in a harsh rage, thrusting his hand at Sora, keeping his palm open and fingers together. Quickly, the teen blocked, Shin's fingers striking the metal, but it didn't seem to actually hurt him! "What?! What is this made of…?!" He growled, apparently expecting to be able to destroy the Keyblade with the martial arts he used.
What his style of martial arts entailed was quickly revealed as he readied his other hand, prompting Sora to dodge out of the way. Shin was mid strike at that point and struck the empty air, slash marks appeared in the stone floor where teen had stood a moment before! Goofy yelped out at this and charged forward as well, Donald right on his tail. The magician cast a Gravity spell on Shin which caused his body to tense as it struck him. It kept the martial artist rooted to the spot as Goofy charged him and slammed his shield into the blonde man's face, causing him to stumble backwards as he fell out of Donald's spell range.
Shin lunged at Goofy who, like Sora, blocked the attack. And once more, Shin's strike wasn't able to actually cut through, much to his annoyance. In its place, he stepped back and roughly kicked at Goofy, who once more blocked, but was knocked flat on his back.
As this happened, Sora was focusing on his next attack. Having watched how Cloud fought, the teen thought one of his moves would come in handy. Taking a deep breath, Sora readied his weapon and pointed it right at Shin, who was still distracted with Donald who was casting Blizzard spells at him. The teen waited until the magician managed to hit Shin in the leg with a spell, freezing it to the floor, and that's when Sora struck!
Letting out a cry, Sora unleashed his Sonic Blade attack, thrusting forward and quickly sliding towards Shin! His attack struck the off guard martial artist on the side, stabbing him with the blunt weapon. The force was enough to force Shin to take several steps to the side, breaking the ice in the process. Not letting up, Sora slid again, stricken Shin a second time, this time in the abdomen. This made the blonde man stagger back, but it also made him more aware of what was going on!
The third strike missed, Shin barely managing to dodge as he readied a counterattack. Yet before he could, Sora slid again, forcing Shin to try and parry, but the force of the strike was too much and made Shin's arm reel back! The martial artist backed away, but Sora quickly closed the gap and struck three more times in such a quick succession, knocking Shin about each time, and not letting the blonde man dodge! After the seventh strike, Sora was a bit spent, panting as he watched Shin take a few steps back, also panting from the onslaught he just received.
"You can't beat the three of us, so what makes you think you can beat Ken?" Sora asked, readying himself for whatever counterattack Shin might throw his way.
But the blonde man didn't do anything, not right away at least. If looks could kill, the glare he gave to Sora would've killed the teen a dozen times over before he hit the ground. "This isn't something you're involved it! Once I kill Kenshiro, I'll swat you away!"
"Why are ya so focused on that? Why do ya wanna fight Kenshiro so much anyway?" Goofy asked, also readied in case Shin tried something.
"You don't understand my obsession!" Shin cried, placing a hand over his heart. "The obsession that filled my heart and fed on my hatred for that man! He had the only woman I ever loved, and after I stole her away, she refused to love me back! I couldn't sway her heart! With Kenshiro here now, I can end my obsession and rid my life of him, but you three keep getting in my way!"
Sora was in disbelief at how petty this man seemed! He just hated Kenshiro that much over unrequited love? The teen wasn't exactly an expert on love himself, but this just seemed so foolish and it really seemed that Shin let his heart grow tainted by darkness. "That's stupid! You can't hate someone for that! And you can't change someone's heart with gifts and treasures!"
"Don't talk like you know anything! As for Kenshiro, my hate for him is eternal, the dark emotions stoked in my heart every time Yuria denied me!" Shin cried, not noticing at first as Kenshiro finally made his move and climbed the steps. It was only when the scarred man reached the top that Shin noticed, turning to him with a smirk. "There now, I see you're done crying, Kenshiro! Are you ready to face me now?!"
That he was done crying was a severe understatement as Kenshiro gave Shin a glare that even made Sora, Donald, and Goofy take a step away. "You drove the only woman I loved to her death." The martial artist stated, hatred and fury dripping off his every word. "Shin…I'm going to kill you right here!"
Rather than be intimidated, Shin let out a cruel laugh as he prepared an attack. "Kenshiro, you may have changed since we last met, but it isn't enough! You can't get past my attacks!" With a cry, he shot his hand at his opponent's face…only for Kenshiro to easily grab his wrist, making Shin gasp out in shock. "Wh…What? What is this? How did you…?"
Kenshiro didn't say anything at first, only squeezing Shin's hand as he sound of bones slowly cracking filled the room. "It's just like what happened with you. A dark obsession grew in my heart! The kind you taught me!" He revealed, squeezing at his opponent's wrist harder. "Clearly, my own obsession outgrew yours!"
"You've…really changed more than I expected!" Shin remarked, clearly having anticipated a quick and easy victory over the man he hated so much. "You…! How…dare you?!" He growled, quickly getting over his fear as he threw another blow at Kenshiro with his free hand.
In the blink of an eye, Kenshiro counterattacked, using his own free hand as he punched at Shin's oncoming strike. As the attacks collided, there was a sickening snap as Shin's fingers and hand bones were obliterated, blood shooting out of his now-worthless appendage. Kenshiro carried through the attack, his fist slamming into Shin's face and breaking his nose with a single strike!
Shin let out a cry as Kenshiro let go of his hand, the blonde man staggering back from the blow he was just dealt. Before he could retaliate any further, his opponent rushed him and unleashed a volley of punches so fast it seemed as though Kenshiro sprouted numerous extra arms! Shin wasn't able to dodge, only exclaiming in pain as he was punched too many times to count before Kenshiro delivered one final blow directly in the center of his chest and sent him flying!
Sora, Donald, and Goofy watched as Shin slammed into his worthless throne, the back of it nearly breaking away as the blonde man slumped down in it, too injured to move. "Ken…that was amazing!" Sora couldn't help but praise, looking between his friend and the felled opponent.
Kenshiro wasn't quite so happy, though. Despite achieving victory over his old rival and getting his revenge, he seemed more solemn than anything else. "The battle is over." He declared to the room in general. "There's nothing left you can do, Shin." The man continued to his rival.
The blonde man remained still, apparently too injured to move. That, or he truly realized how pointless it was to bother. "I see…you really used your obsession to beat my own…your darkness conquered mine…" Shin replied, his voice calm, as though he had accepted his fate.
"It was my obsession that made me grow stronger." Kenshiro corrected, that solemn expression still on his face. It was clear that despite what happened with the two in the past, this wasn't the outcome he wanted! "I used my rage, the darkness nestled in my heart, to defeat you."
Sora had to wonder about that, given the two kept repeating it. Kenshiro kept mentioning the darkness in his heart…yet the man himself was so blatantly a force of good! Yes, his methods were violent…but at the end of the day, he seemed to only use his powers on those that were horrid. Was it really possible to use darkness to combat darkness? The teen didn't know so much about light and darkness, but he just associated darkness with terrible things like the Heartless. But maybe darkness to aid the light was actually possible…?
"Is that so? Either way…your heart won in the end." Shin weakly praised, coughing up specks of blood onto his heart. "How much longer do I have?" It seemed in his defeat, Shin's own darkness started to fade as he accepted his inevitable death.
"I punched the shape of your own cross onto you. At this point, you only have one minute." Kenshiro informed, again not sounding happy about it at all.
Shin nodded, trying to sit up, but failing. "In that case, I have to make this quick…! The truth is…I lied." He gave out a raspy gasp but kept going. "Yuria is alive!" Despite how painful it seemed, he raised an arm and pointed towards the door behind the throne. "Out there is a balcony. The door was…locked…so she couldn't show herself…"
"Wait, is that really true?!" Donald exclaimed, looking towards the door. "Why did you say she was dead, then?!" The magician didn't fully buy Shin's story, but…why would he lie?
"I wanted to push Kenshiro." Shin stated simply. "I wanted to beat you…at your strongest. I hated you so much…I wanted to prove how much better than you I was!" His voice started to become strained before bleeding wounds started to open along his torso! "I wanted Yuria's heart…and maybe if I could beat you…I could have it! But you were the stronger man…! Go to her Kenshiro…!" At that, his body spasmed and he coughed up a worrying amount of blood before he simply went limp, eyes staring vacantly into nothingness…
"Did he really mean that?" Goofy wondered, looking over to the door in question. It would have been a pretty cruel trick, but it'd at least have a good outcome!
Kenshiro didn't bother to stop and ponder, walking right over to the door. By this point, Bat came out of hiding and climbed the stairs to join the rest, giving Shin's corpse a dirty look. When the martial artist reached the door, he roped it right off it hinges with ease! Tossing the door to the side, the group saw…an empty balcony.
The balcony was relatively small and simple, with no way for a normal person to escape it except through its only door. All the quintet saw as they gathered at the exit was the nightly view of Southern Cross, a city of bandits that didn't know their leader was defeated. There was no signs that anyone was there at all, and Bat even rushed over to the edge and looked over it, just in case…
"…He was lying…" Sora stated, not really sure what else to say. He was so stunned by the horrid revelation that he felt a bit numb and all he could do was just state the obvious.
Bat sneered at Shin's corpse again, reeling his leg back like he'd kick it before stopping himself. "Bastard lied to us! Why did he do that?!"
"I guess he couldn't let a bit of that darkness go." Sora suggested but was simply guessing. Maybe Shin wasn't as brought to his senses as the group thought as he gave his final words. Was that lie really just a last twist of the knife to get back at a man he hated? "Ken, are you okay?" The teen asked, looking over to the martial artist.
Unlike before, Kenshiro wasn't crying, instead wearing a look of quiet misery. "I should have known. If Yuria was here, surely she would have knocked on the door or let me know she was here. I guess she truly died…"
"I wish I had gotten another hit in on him!" Donald said, doing as Bat did and glaring at Shin's body. "What was wrong with that guy?!"
"Shin wasn't always like this." Kenshiro said, walking over to the dead man. Unlike Bat and Donald, he had an expression of pity on his face. "We were close friends. Rivals. I suppose darkness took over and twisted him, even in his final moments. Knowing what he used to be…I pity him." As he said this, Kenshiro carefully picked up Shin's corpse, carrying it in both his arms.
Bat took a few steps back, as if nervous about what Kenshiro might do. "But uh, what are you doing with his corpse?"
"I'm going to give him a proper burial." Kenshiro stated simply. "Because we used to be friends and we loved the same woman, I can't simply leave him here."
"Well, if you're sure about that…" Sora murmured to himself, not being able to stop himself from being mad at Shin. He did such awful things, so it was tough for the teen to just partially forgive him as Kenshiro did.
While this was going on, Donald, a bit farther off to the side than everyone else, flinched as he heard a voice from his pocket. It was GLaDOS, who was speaking softly. "Hey. Loud Mouth." She whispered.
Grumbling, Donald glanced down at his pocket and whispered back. "What do you want? We're in the middle of something!"
"The Keyhole is in this room." GLaDOS responded simply. "I was trying to tell you earlier, but in the split second before you and Clown Shoes hit the teleportation button, I got us as close to the Keyhole as possible. Another second preparation and we probably would have been right outside this city…"
For a second, Donald was about to scold GLaDOS for not speaking up…but she never got much of a chance and probably didn't want to talk in front of natives to this world. On Gielinor, at least the people there knew of other worlds and oddities they could bring. Of course, Donald wasn't about to give GLaDOS even the faintest of praise for keeping her mouth shut. "Okay, so where is it?"
"It's in this room. You're welcome, Big Mouth." The A.I. replied in a snide tone before going quiet. Even when he was being helpful she had to get a jab in.
Donald grumbled to himself about how annoying GLaDOS was. At least the Keyhole was nearby, so that saved them time! He recalled feeling that odd energy when the group approached the tower, but chalked it up to Shin's darkness. He was so preoccupied by Yuria's absence that he didn't even notice that the energy lingered.
Clearing his throat, Donald approached and spoke up as he saw Kenshiro say he was going to bury Shin. "If that's what you wanna do! We need to stay behind here for a bit and then we have to part ways!"
"Uh, we do?" Goofy asked, scratching the side of his head. "What for? We're gonna head off already?" Did he miss something?
"I'll explain in a minute!" Donald insisted, not wanting to mention the Keyhole in front of Kenshiro or Bat.
Kenshiro didn't seem surprised, giving a small nod. "You need to find your friends. I understand. Everyone has something they're looking for here in the wastes, and I wish you luck."
Sora was wondering what Donald was talking about too, and he just assumed they were going to just teleport back up to the Gummi Ship without finding the Keyhole. "I'm glad we ran into each other, Ken, I'm just sorry about what happened with Yuria…"
"She would have liked you, all three of you." Kenshiro assured with a small, sad smile. "I can't let this distract me, though. There are more people that need my help in this harsh world of ours."
"Always so generous, huh?" Bat said with some sarcasm before glancing at the trio. "Well, it was nice knowing you guys, I guess! Try not to get into too much trouble, huh?"
"We could say the same thing!" Donald retorted with a roll of the eyes.
"You two just stay safe out there, alright? But I guess ya don't really need any help with that, huh Kenshiro?" Goofy asked with a light laugh, trying to keep things positive.
Sora did his best to remain cheerful too, giving a grin at Kenshiro and Bat. "Yeah, glad we could at least help you settle this! I hope we can see each other again soon!" As dead and dreadful as this world was, there were at least some good people in it…
"Just remember you're all stronger than you think you are. I'd warn you about ending up like Shin, but I can't imagine that could ever happen to you three." Kenshiro praised before he and Bat made their way down the small set of stone steps and down the nearby staircase, their footsteps soon fading as they got farther and farther down.
At that point, Sora and Goofy turned to Donald. "So, what's goin' on? Why did ya want us lingerin'?" There was nothing up there as far as he could tell!
"You don't feel that energy?" Donald asked rhetorically. "GLaDOS told me the Keyhole's right in this room! Try to use your Keyblade, Sora!"
It was really here?! Thinking of it, Sora did still feel that unusual energy from before! Following Donald's suggestion, he got the Keyblade ready and focused. Raising the weapon into the air, the end of it glowed as the Keyhole revealed itself in a flash of light! It was in front of the throne the entire time, shining as the glow of the Keyblade intensified. After a moment, there was the sound of something locking a the Keyhole and the light of the Keyblade slowly vanished.
"Well, that was pretty helpful!" Goofy exclaimed with a guffaw. "We ended up right where we needed to be! Seems like that's happened a lot…"
Sora nodded as he dismissed the Keyblade. First they just so happened to end up running into that cult member who took them right to where the first Keyhole was. Then they ran into Zamansis, and in agreeing to help him, they came across the second Keyhole. Now they found the third because they decided to keep going with Kenshiro. Seemed like whenever they made a new friend, they found these Keyholes…not that the trio had any idea what they were for, of course.
"I just wish I knew what these things were." Sora said in an annoyed tone. It sure felt like they were accomplishing…something…but what that something it was anyone's guess.
"Ya know, maybe Leon and the others'll know!" Goofy suggested. "Maybe we should head back to Traverse Town and ask!"
Donald nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and maybe the King showed up there too! Just going around blindly isn't working out…"
"Riku and Kairi could be there too!" Sora added on, still thinking about how the Oracle mentioned a blonde man. That could very well be Cid and Riku just met up with him some time after Sora left with Donald and Goofy. "Yeah, I agree. Let's go there again next…but do you guys know the way?" How did one keep track of something like that in space?
"The Gummi Ship can go back there on autopilot since we were there before!" Donald explained. "It'll take some time, but it'll be easy!"
Sora felt a bit frustrated at how little they had actually accomplished in their main goals. Finding their friends was just the first step! They still had to find out how the worlds were ending and if there was any way to restore them!
"Before we go, I think there's somethin' ya need to talk about!" Goofy insisted, looking between his two pals. When they gave him a look of confusion, he just cleared his throat loudly.
"About that fight?! Oh, come on…!" Donald groaned. Did they have to do this now? The duck was stubborn and was hoping they could just ignore it. "It wasn't my fault!"
Sora huffed, trying not to get angry again. "I just wanted to find my friend! At least you had that letter from your King, all I have to go on is what the Oracle said!" The teen pointed out.
Donald hadn't quite thought of it that much. Of course, he knew those facts, but hearing them said out loud was something else! Sighing, he crossed his arms as he realized that Sora was just a scared kid getting dragged onto a much rougher adventure than he had initially wanted. "…Yeah…you're right. I'm sorry, okay?" The mage said sincerely.
The brunette was a little surprised that Donald actually apologized! Rubbing the back of his neck, Sora nodded. "I'm sorry too…I shouldn't have tried to take over the ship…"
Goofy let out a "Hyuck!" and pulled the two in close. "Great! All for one, right? Now let's get back to the ship, I'm starvin'!" He was trying to lighten things up further, the news that Yuria had died hitting him, along with Sora and Donald, kind of hard. It was a shame to leave the world on a sad note, but what could they do?
"I'm hungry too!" Donald agreed as he fished out his remote. The three barely had anything to eat since yesterday. "We'll have a feast!"
"And then we'll go to Traverse Town!" Sora agreed, his stomach growling at the mention of food. At that, Donald pressed the teleportation button and the outsiders vanished from the world in a flash of light…
Once more, the group was being watched by a group that wanted their quest to fail. Even with one of their own killed, they didn't seem worried. "And he seemed so sure too. Guy really was all talk! Pathetic!" The short man in the suit remarked with a scoff.
"I doubt you'd have done any better." The man in the black armor pointed out, ignoring the glare he got. "But did he truly not know he was on top of the Keyhole the entire time? It's to convenient…"
"Why would he even hide it? What would he gain from it?" Asked the man with the golden hook. "He even tried to keep the Princess of Heart for himself, the damned fool!"
The witch shook her head and grunted in annoyance. "Couldn't even handle that brat with the key! That Shin was pretty disappointing to me!"
Dio shook his head. "It hardly matters now. It was only one other Keyhole, just a mere three in total. Though it's really quite obvious. Shin's heart was just consumed by too much darkness and he was too weak to handle it! It fed his obsession in so much he wanted to keep his precious Yuria and fulfill his rivalry! He let that blind him rather than helping more to obtain our much loftier goal!"
"I certainly won't fail on my end there." The hooked man promised. "My plan is perfect and can't fail!"
"I'm sure you four won't disappoint me." Dio said, with the tone of voice that made it clear that such failure wouldn't be tolerated. "At the very least, we have our fourth Princess. Just three more…!"
With a gesture, Dio spawned a portal of darkness, out stepping Yuria, alive and well. She was so startled at the unusual sight before her after her kidnapping at the vampire's hands that all she could do was stare in fear…
The Heartless appear in groups, and are multiplying rapidly. I've provided them both living and nonliving samples. They've responded only to the living. They seem to multiply after absorbing something from the living creatures. Their prey vanishes without a trace.
I believe the Heartless are taking hearts. They are born from those who've lost their hearts, and thrive on hearts seized from others. The hearts taken by the Heartless become Heartless themselves.
Though I lack proof, I am confident in this hypothesis. I must also study their behavioral principles. Though they lack emotions, they do seem to have some intelligence. How to communicate with them?
It's just occurred to me: Could they be the darkness in people's hearts?
A/N: A third world done. See, not all of these visits will be as long as the RuneScape one. I did a bit of canon breaking here, aside from just the inclusion of Kingdom Hearts stuff as Fist of the North Star fans will clearly see. Changed Yuria's fate as well as corrupting Shin a bit more than he was in the manga. Still tried to keep in that sort of last minute change of heart or acknowledgement by Kenshiro that so many major villains in the series get. And Southern Cross isn't really the best place for the Keyhole, I know. If anywhere, I'd say the statue of Ōka in Taiseiden would've been the best place, but that wasn't exactly easy to do...
As for fights, once more there was a case of an overpowered character being mere feet away, though I still let the trio get in on some fighting. Shin was sort of tough because his techniques are just so devastating. Any sort of direct hit would be a death sentence, and I'm actually hesitant on making the heroes bleed since it's still Kingdom Hearts. Donald Goofy bleeding is especially an odd thought. I will have a solution performed in the trip to Traverse Town, though, so no worries. I got it figured out.