And now, onto the story proper. For those who don't know, this is a reboot of a fanfiction I wrote years ago. It was well-received, but the release of Kingdom Hearts 3 last year inspired me to revisit it. With a little bit of self-control involved and making it a collaborative effort with the writers in the summary. With the intro sequence out of the way, let's get to it!
Chapter 1: Dive Into the Heart
The youth came to, blinking. He looked around, seeing he was wearing blue clothes, a red cape, and had the silver Paopu necklace. Wait...how did he know it was called that? And where was he? He appeared to be in a dark void, standing on a massive, stained glass window. He saw a design that looked like his face, but the rest of the designs were obscured.
Once again, you come here. Heart strong, mind confused, spirit unwavering.
It's time again to prepare to fight.
Select one...
In front of him, a sword, shield, and staff formed. He reached out and took the sword by the hilt.
The sword. The power of indomitable courage and unyielding strength. The power to do great good, but also great evil...
Is this the power you choose?
"Yeah. Yeah, it is." he said. The shield and staff vanished. Not far away, he saw a girl on another stained glass mural.
The girl looked older than the boy by about two years. She had short brown hair with silver streaks, brown eyes she wore a black shirt with white wings on the front of the shirt. On her left arm was a piece of ornate gold and silver armor. She wore a pair of black leggings underneath ripped jeans and, on the belt, was a Keyblade master emblem, and around her neck was a black and white Wayfinder.
She looked confused as well but where she was seemed familiar she looked down at the stained glass similar to the boy's only it was of her face instead.
Once more, the wandering heart comes to prepare.
Your journey is long, but not finished yet.
Select one...
The sword, the shield, and the staff appeared before her.
The girl looked at them, studying each one before picking up the staff and looking at her reflection in the jewel on the tip.
The staff. A tool of great wonders. A weapon of great wisdom, but also great terrors.
Is this what you choose?
"It is." the girl said the shield and sword vanished. The girl looked over at the boy on the opposite glass.
Alliances forged, alliances broken, then made anew...
Their respective murals shattered and they fell. The boy yelled as he fell. The girl, though, tried to stay calm as she looked at the boy and reached out for this complete stranger. The boy felt her hand clasp his. He looked over. He didn't know who he was, but his hand tightened around hers.
They then landed on another mural. This one of a young, red haired girl with a short sword.
You face challenges. Some from the deepest darkness within.
Shadows wriggled from down below. These formed into small creatures with antennae and glowing, yellow eyes.
With flashes of light, the sword appeared in the boy's hand and the staff in the girl's.
Fight!
The girl went at the creatures hitting them with the staff making them disperse into shadows once more
You also face some foes from far beyond, of a will beyond what you know...
A few chunks of rock land, shifting into spindly creatures. They pointed their arms, resembling blasters at the boy. He swung his sword, deflecting the lasers and began attacking the new foes, shattering them into a shower of crystals.
Then the darkness began to swirl, picking up the shards of crystal, catching the boy and girl before slowly drawing them into the darkness.
The boy struggled, trying to get free while the girl also tried getting free.
The two were consumed by darkness.
POHPOHPOHPOHPOHPOH
The boy came to on the beach of a tropical island, surrounded by three figures in multi-colored robes, faces hidden by hoods.
Before you continue, you must tell me of yourself.
The boy walked to a figure in greenish-blue robes.
"What are you so afraid of?" it asked.
"Being left behind." The boy said.
"Is that really so scary?" the figure asked before vanishing.
The second figure wore pink robes and asked, "What do you want out of life?"
"To live up to my potential."
"Huh." The figure said before vanishing.
The last one present wore a black coat and it asked, "What's most important to you?"
"Being a hero."
"Is being a hero such a big deal?" the final figure vanished, leaving the boy alone.
You're afraid of being left behind, you want to live up to your potential, you want to be a hero.
Your adventure begins in midday, it shall have its toils, but endure...
POHPOHPOHPOHPOHPOH
Meanwhile...
The girl stood, finding herself on a grassy mountain, surrounded by flowing water. She saw three figures, two boys and a girl who seemed familiar to her.
The youngest, a boy with blonde hair, asked, "What are you afraid of?"
"Being alone" The girl said as if this person already knew this and it seemed like the right answer
"Is that really so scary?" the boy asked before disappearing.
A tall man with spiky, brown hair walked up to the girl next, "What do you want out of life?"
The girl had to think on that but it came to her
"To find my true place in life" the girl said
"Find your true place in life, eh?" the man asked before fading.
The last of the three walked over, a woman with blue hair. She looked at the girl with an empathetic gaze before asking, "What's most important to you?"
"To protect those I love." the girl said, confidently looking at the woman.
"Protecting those you care about...is that so important?" The woman asked, fading away.
You fear loneliness, you want to find your true place, you want to protect those you love.
Your journey begins in the early morning, you start strong, but will find a rocky path along the way.
Does that sound right?
The boy nodded, "Yeah, it does."
"It does." the girl said.
Your trial is still a ways off...but quickly approaching.
The two were consumed by light before coming back together on the mural of a spiky-haired youth with multiple weapons and several...pieces that seemed mismatched.
Run. Fight until you can fight no longer.
The dark creatures and the ones made of crystal formed, readying their blasters as the Shadows came en masse. The boy charged, deflecting the blasts from the crystal enemies as he smashed them to pieces with his sword. The girl hit the dark creatures with her staff swinging it before tossing it into the air making it spin catching it in her other hand hitting another creature behind her.
One of the crystal creatures aimed a blast at the girl as a Shadow appeared behind the boy.
But you need each other, too.
The boy grabbed the girl by the hand and flung her into the air as he struck at the Shadow with his sword. The girl twirled and swung her staff downward hitting the crystal soldier splitting it down the middle before landing elegantly.
The boy smiled as a staircase of light formed, spiraling upwards. The boy ran up to them, stopping to look at the girl, who was following after him with a smile.
They came to a halt on the next mural, a young man who seemed...vaguely familiar to the boy and seemed to have a large chunk out of the center.
The closer you get to the light...
The darker the shadow grows.
And the evils of the world...
The Shadows and crystal creatures appeared.
Will coalesce.
The Shadows melted as the crystals grabbed onto each other. They merged with each other, the darkness flowing across the mechanical parts as it began to grow. The boy yelled as he began to back away from the slowly rising mass.
The girl also saw the creature. She backed up, her grip on her staff tightening.
But don't be afraid.
And don't forget...
Your hearts will make the strongest light.
The hybrid creature was a mass of whirs and clicks, standing massive. The boy pointed the sword at the massive creature as a light formed at his feet.
The girl pointed her staff at it as light formed around her as well
Lights flew from the tips of their weapon to hit the creature, which shrieked in pain before exploding, consuming both of them in light...
POHPOHPOHPOHPOHPOH
The boy burst out of a container of water, in nothing but a necklace and a pair of shorts. He coughed and spluttered, crawling out. What was that thing? Was it a dream? Where was he?
He looked around, seeing pile clothes, a wall covered in tally marks, and a wall of pictures. He looked it over, seeing that they seemed to be of someone like him and someone in dark clothing. He cocked his head to the size.
"My name…is Sakuzy…" he said, "And I…and I…"
He grit his teeth. He tried to pry something out of his memory.
"And I...don't remember?"
POHPOHPOHPOHPOHPOH
The girl burst out of her own chamber of water, wearing what was effectively a one-piece along with her Wayfinder. She coughed as she crawled out of the container. Her dream plaguing her mind was real and it felt familiar.
"Where am I…?" she asked, looking over the room she was in. It was a small, cozy-looking room of a small cottage. She rubbed her head, "My name…?"
She looked at her Wayfinder as she heard the woman's voice from before…
"Becca" the voice had said.
"Becca…is that my name? I can't remember…" The girl, Becca, said.
POHPOHPOHPOHPOHPOH
Bubbles.
That was the first thing he saw. Bubbles, rising in front of his face. He twitched within the tank, everything still a mess of sound and color. Where.. where was he..? What was all this?
HOLY COW, WHY WAS HE UNDERWATER?!
He suddenly held his breath, flailing his arms out to the side, before, suddenly, his right hand was engulfed in a bright, pale-blue light that flared from his ring finger. The glass SHATTERED into a storm of shards, sending a thick wave of water gushing out, carrying the young man with it. He spluttered and coughed, dripping wet and shaking violently as he took in deep, heavy gasps of sweet, sweet air.
And nearby, he heard...someone singing?
"I'll show ya how…you can dare to be stupid…"
Looking around the room...and apparently unaware of what had just happened was a peculiar man. He wore an all-purple and black ensemble with silvery crescent moon symbols, a katana at his side, and had wild, spiky white hair, wide purple eyes, and a wider smile. He opened a drawer and began flipping through the contents.
"You can squeeze all the Charmin you can when Mr. Wipple's not around. Put your head in the microwave and give yourself a tan…" he sang to himself, tunelessly, as he plucked out a photo, "Whoo, I'm savin' this one for later. But what else to do? I've hidden Blader's leg, and I've forgotten what I'm doing here in the first place."
Blink. Blink.
"Uh, hey?" the young man slowly greeted. He was definitely about sixteen or seventeen; his dark-brown hair, almost black, a mess of spikes and his skin lightly tanned, as if he'd spent a lot of time travelling or out under the sun. He wore only a pair of black pants, stuck against him and dripping wet, as well as a strange, intricately-designed ring on his right hand. Dark violet eyes stared in confusion at the…peculiar individual that was just…quite casually…hiding someone's leg?
"Annnnd lost my train of thought." The man said, shooting the teen a glance, "Hey, wassup? Don't mind me, just doin' the noble game tradition of burgling stuff. Wonder what else the guy put in here?"
He then began looking around while the young man cautiously watched him.
"Alright, look dude," he sighed with a dull tone, "If you're gonna steal random stuff from... whoever keeps half-naked teenage boys in water tanks, did you happen to spot a wardrobe or a chest of drawers or a bag of clothes or anything?"
"Eh, sure. Over there." The man said, nonchalantly pointing to the side with some neatly-folded clothes, "Gotta give the man points. He's an equal opportunity in his fanservice."
"Riiight." He'd ask what 'fanservice' was at a later date. Right now, he'd rather at least be fully clothed.
And then figure out what he was doing here, even.
The man just began looking around, "C'mon, a chest I can just pop open. Jars full of ruppees? I'm asking or SOMETHING, you were wanting to make this authentic to the games!"
"I can see you're busy," he murmured. Fully clothed, he looked down to inspect himself. He was clad in a dark-grey shirt, its sleeve cuffs a dark red, with a sleeveless vest jacket over it; a lighter shade of grey, likewise trimmed with red, with a hood. A pale red cloth was wrapped around the right pant leg and he wore a single, dark brown clove on his hand with the regal-looking ring, various black and white rings on the other hand. Suspended to his waist was a chain with various charms, the most notable of which being a silver crown. "I'mma just go…get some air, I think."
"Yeah, sure, whatevs." The man shrugged as he continued looking through the room. The young man took this opportunity to just go to the door and walk out.