- Chapter 35 -
Not So Safe
The next day, goodbyes and embraces were shared as Sora and the others departed Radiant Garden for their missions. Zephyr, for his part, returned to Daybreak Town to update his superiors on the situation. After the Highwind departed, the parents dispersed around the town. Isaac and Talitha found themselves talking to Sasuke.
"So you said before that Kairi's birth father was like a father to you." Isaac said. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but is there a story behind that?"
"Actually, there is." Sasuke replied. "My own father died before I was even born, so Master Kaname was really the closest thing to a father I've ever known."
Isaac winced at that. "Oh... I'm sorry."
Sasuke waved a hand, dismissing it.
"It's okay." he assured. "I may not have known him personally, but I learned so about him through others. My father, Yamato Kazekiri, was once a street urchin after his parents were killed by the Insurgos. He was lost, alone, and without a purpose in this life. Until one day he ended up saving Ansem's brother Hachirou, and his wife Mariko, who was pregnant with Lady Rimi at the time, from a couple of Insurgos."
"Kairi's birth mother!" Talitha exclaimed.
"That's right." Sasuke nodded. "And Hachirou rewarded him by giving him a place in the royal guard, and when Rimi was born they made him her godfather, which in turn gave him what he had been missing in his life...a family." He managed a smile. "As you can imagine, my father owed Hachirou everything so much so that even after he and his wife passed away, he made a vow to protect his brother and daughter with his life."
He drew his sword, showing it to them. "He forged this sword, Moon Cutter, as a symbol of that vow. He worked hard to get as strong as he could for people he loved."
"Sounds like he was a good man." Isaac remarked.
"He was." Sasuke confirmed. "He was a great godfather to Rimi, and a good husband to my mother, Momo. He defended this city from monsters and the Insurgos numerous times. And in time, he would become known as Radiant Garden's greatest hero, as well as teacher to Kaname Mae."
"Your father trained Kairi's?" Talitha questioned.
"Yes." Sasuke replied. "He took him on as an apprentice after arresting his abusive father. He taught him everything he knew, and was a much better father to him than Orochi. He was also supportive of his and Rimi's growing relationship. Soon, Dad became captain of the guard after the previous one got fired for smacking the princess over a petty disagreement." He shook his head in disdain. "Wish he'd gotten it sooner. I heard Minoru, the previous captain, was a complete jerk to both my dad and Master Kaname."
He looked down in sadness. "It's too bad my father's new position couldn't last more than a couple years."
"What happened?" Isaac asked.
"The Insurgos invaded the castle, and my father confronted their founding commander, Muramasa Mitsurugi." Sasuke explained. "You see, he founded the rebellion seeking revenge against Hanako for disgracing his brother's death, and leaving himself in the wastelands for dead just for demanding respect. Unlike his subordinates, he didn't actually believe Lord Ansem and Lady Rimi were evil like the former queen, but he just saw them as means to make Hanako suffer by insuring her 'precious bloodline' never sees the light of day again. But my father stood tall against him. Muramasa was the strongest opponent he ever fought, and although Yamato succeeded in striking him down, the battle left him exhausted. And yet he still insisted on staying to fight the remained invaders despite that. Unfortunately, he was killed using himself as a human shield to protect Lord Ansem from Orochi's sword. (1)"
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Talitha said sympathetically.
"I'll admit, growing up not knowing my father was hard for me. " Sasuke confessed. "I was so insecure about myself that I was too shy to make any friends. It didn't help that people automatically put me on a pedestal for being the son of a hero, and as a result most believed I was out of their league. Not to mention there were those that would bully me for it. I spent so many years all alone until the day I defended Kairi from a bully, and met her father, Kaname. He decided to take me as his apprentice just like my father took him. I would later learn that my mother had actually made him my godfather. Master Kaname taught me so much; how to be a swordsman, as well as how to be a man. He was strong, kind, charismatic, and was well known for his sharp instincts and his will to protect others. And the more I learned from him, the more I understood my father. So you can see why I saw him as a father figure."
"Kaname certainly sounds like an honorable man." Isaac said. "And I can see how his relationship with Yamato affected you."
"Yeah, not to mention Kairi was like a little sister." Sasuke answered. "She introduced me to Lea and Isa, and we all became inseparable. My life had never felt more full than with them. And when we found out that my mother was slowly dying, Master Kaname told me he would take me into his house." He clenched his fist in anger. "If only Xehanort hadn't screwed everything up."
"You've lost so much family, haven't you?" Talitha asked, not unkindly.
Sasuke nodded, sniffing back a tear.
"Yeah." he replied. "Kairi is the closest thing to family I have left. I spent so many years looking for her, but never found her. There were times when I didn't know what I was doing with my life. It was only my master's teachings that kept me moving forward. I can't tell you what a relief it was when I finally found out she was alive and well, even if she didn't remember me, and I really can't thank you two enough for taking care of her all these years."
"It was our pleasure." Isaac told him. "Although we may not like the circumstances, we're happy to have Kairi as our daughter."
"She's brought so much joy to our lives." Talitha added. "She's always been so kind and sweet."
Sasuke chuckled at that. "I bet she has. She's always been such a bright and sunny girl."
Before the conversation could continue, a guard ran up to them.
"Captain!" he exclaimed. "A boy in a black coat has been spotted in town?"
Sasuke perked up at that.
"Black coat..." he scowled, taking up his sword before turning to the Mizus. "Sorry to cut this short, but duty calls."
Isaac and Talitha nodded in understanding before Sasuke dashed off.
Levi and Marion were walking around town, having bought a cup of tea from a nearby shop.
"This place is beautiful." Marion remarked.
"Sure is." Levi agreed.
As they passed by an alleyway, Levi saw something out the corner of his eye and stopped. He backed up, seeing a boy with spiky hair, his back to them.
"Sora?" he asked.
Marion stiffened, realizing something wasn't right. "Sora left this morning..."
The figure held out his hand. A bright fiery glow surrounded it, before the Void Gear Keyblade appeared in his hand.
"Levi!" Marion screamed. "That's not our son!"
The figure whirled around and leaped at them. Levi acted fast, pulling Marion to the side.
"You surprise me, Levi Kumo." the figure remarked, turning to them. Levi looked him up and down.
"Sora mentioned you last night." he recalled. "Vanitas. Xehanort's apprentice... and our son's evil twin."
"I'm the piece of Ventus that was taken away." Vanitas explained. "And Sora was the piece he needed to be whole again. So... why shouldn't he and I look exactly the same?"
"What do you want?" Marion demanded.
"I was just checking up on Riku's sister." Vanitas replied. "I didn't expect to find the two of you here, but since you're here..."
He grinned evilly. "Come with me. I'm sure the Master will be pleased to see you."
"Do you honestly think we'll come with you?" Levi questioned.
"If you have half a brain, you will." Vanitas retorted. "Do you know what I can do to you?"
"We can imagine." Marion admitted. "But we're still not going with you."
"So be it." Vanitas brandished his Keyblade menacingly. "I'm sure seeing your dead bodies will mess up that goody-two-shoes dork but good."
Levi tensed. "You can try!"
Vanitas jumped at him, but again, Levi pushed Marion aside and side-stepped the attack.
"What the..." Vanitas let out. "How are you doing this?!"
"Would you believe me if I said that I played sports in high school and that's it?" Levi asked. "I may not be much of a fighter, but I'm no sitting duck!"
Vanitas smirked, turning his eyes to Marion. "And what about her?"
He raised his Keyblade, charging a Dark Firaga ball before shooting it directly at Marion.
"NO!" Levi shouted.
Before it could hit her, however, it suddenly dispersed. Everyone gaped to see Sasuke standing before Marion, blade in hand.
"Get out of here!" he ordered the Kumos. "Now!"
Levi immediately grabbed Marion's arm and dragged her out of the alley, leaving Sasuke and Vanitas to face off.
"Hey, I was just getting to the good part." Vanitas griped. "Why you gotta ruin my fun?"
"For starters, there's the fact that you were trying to murder the Kumos while wearing their son's face." Sasuke said in discontent. "Every time I think you and the rest of Xehanort's men can't possibly sink any lower, you do."
"You think I wanted to look like him?" Vanitas shot back. "It just happened this way. But it matters not. Sora and Ventus define me. The three of us are brothers that, combined, make a greater whole."
Hearing that, Sasuke lowered his sword slightly.
"If that's true, why not come to our side?" he asked. "If you're part of Sora and Ven, why do you stand with darkness?"
"Isn't it obvious, Kazekiri?" Vanitas questioned. "Because I am darkness. Besides, I do stand by your side. I am the shadow Ventus and Sora cast. How much closer could I be?"
"But that doesn't mean you have to stand against us." Sasuke insisted. "So what if you were born of the dark? You're here. You have free will. You should be free to choose. Not just light, or darkness. You are who you choose to be."
"Don't you see?" Vanitas asked. "I did choose and accept who I am. And what I am... is darkness."
Sasuke looked over him, clearly skeptical.
"Do you really believe what you're saying?" he asked.
A brief flicker of doubt crossed Vanitas' face, before it passed and the dark boy scowled in rage.
"Of course I do!" he snapped. "Now shut up and get out of my way. I've got two Kumos to kill."
He began to walk past Sasuke, only for the young guard captain to place a hand on his chest and shove him back. Vanitas sighed in annoyance.
"Seriously?" he asked. "You couldn't even defeat my Unversed without Terra saving your worthless but tall those years ago, Sasuke. You really think you can take me?"
"That was then, this is now." Sasuke retorted. "I'm not a kid anymore, Vanitas. And if you want to hurt Sora's family, you'll have to go through me."
Vanitas smirked. "Challenge accepted."
The two clashed furiously, sparks flying off their blades as they did. Eventually, Sasuke managed to overpower Vanitas, knocking his Keyblade out of his hands before pinning him to the wall.
"Last chance. Give up and come to our side." Sasuke said calmly. "Like I said before, what you were born into, your past... it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you choose to be now."
"You're right." Vanitas agreed. "And I choose this!"
He kicked Sasuke in the chest, knocking him back. Sasuke hit the ground, wincing in pain, before pulling himself up just in time to see Vanitas escape into a dark corridor. After a minute, he got to his feet and went to the outside of the alleyway where Levi and Marion were waiting.
"You two alright?" he asked.
"Thanks to you." Levi said, rubbing the back of his head. "Guess we should've been more careful."
"Not your fault." Sasuke assured.
"Is he gone?" Marion questioned.
"For now." Sasuke replied. "But we better get you back to the castle for now."
"Good idea." Marion agreed, the two following Sasuke back.
At the World That Never Was, Xehanort and some of his other vessels were seated in their chairs in Where Nothing Gathers when Vanitas emerged from a dark corridor, appearing in the seat once occupied by Roxas.
"Master, I have some news I think you wanna hear." he reported. "I went to Radiant Garden and ran into Sora's parents."
Xehanort raised an eyebrow. "Did you now?"
"They must have relocated there after the incident with Riku's sister." Vanitas theorized.
"We can probably assume Riku and Kairi's family have been relocated there as well." Ansem mused.
"Well, that definitely makes it harder for us to use them to our advantage." Braig remarked.
"Perhaps there is another way." Xehanort thought, turning to his younger self. "We need to speak on this matter."
"Indeed." Young Xehanort agreed.
The two vanished, leaving the others alone.
"Would you believe that Sora's old man managed to dodge me for a minute?" Vanitas asked.
"Impressive." Xemnas admitted.
"Sora's father played sports as a teenager, and works as a lifeguard." Ansem pointed out. "It stands to reason he would have some athletic ability."
"That's what he said too." Vanitas remarked. "His wife, now she was a sitting duck. Would've caused some damage if Sasuke Kazekiri hadn't shown up and beaten me back."
Braig shook his head in disdain. "Kazekiri, meddling again."
"He needs to get out of the way." Vanitas spat.
"Constantly going on about his pitiful loyalist ideals and following the same path that got his old man and Kaname killed." Braig remarked. "When is that little squire gonna learn that nice guys finish last?"
"Probably when you kill him." Vanitas suggested.
"Been trying for eleven years." Braig replied. "But I'll get him one day."
Vanitas nodded in agreement, before looking down at his hand. Despite himself, Sasuke's words echoed in his mind.
He doesn't know what he's talking about. he thought to himself adamantly. I made my choice to side with darkness, and I'm sticking to it.
Author's Note:
(1): See YamiChaos27's fic Moons of Fate for details.
The opening scene with Sasuke was suggested to me by YamiChaos27. I liked it, and decided to use it.
Next chapter, we go back to Sora and co. on their next adventure.
Please R&R. Until next time!