Kingdom Hearts: Heart of Heaven
Chapter Fifteen: Honesty
Day 5- Before Noon
Kim smiled at herself through the mirror as she brushed her hair. She still had this small bit of giddiness in her stomach at the thought of her earlier accomplishment. After half a year being forced to run from the heartless, she was finally able to move forward. Able to fight back.
She wanted to celebrate a bit and when Ethan was making suggestions to what he could make for lunch, she opted for one that- that reminded her of home.
She could smell the sauce being cooked in the kitchen now. Ethan said one of his favorite dishes he used to cook for himself was a Taco Salad and even though meat was a bit scarce in this part of the town, she felt like spoiling herself a bit and decided let Ethan use the small amount she had to make his dish.
She set down her hairbrush and opened her jewelry box and pulled out two earrings. AS she clipped them on, her thoughts wandered to the man in the kitchen that helped her, and… well, she was glad they worked things out between them.
But she still had that bit of niggling doubt in her mind. What exactly did Ethan do to help her? Kim swears that if it was another 'Heart' thing she was going to have a stern talk with him… but she doubted it. He seemed earnest in his apology, and she didn't think he'd do so again…
Though if it wasn't a Heart thing, then what?...
Well, she was going to have to ask him at lunch. He did promise to be completely honest with her and even though they got off on a rocky start, everyone deserves second chances.
Kim finishes the last touches on her makeup and smiles again, double-checking how the new lipstick looks on her. Satisfied with her work, she turns to grab a few of the possible clothes she was going to wear, she freezes as something catches her eye.
A bit of off-colored skin just barely cresting up her neck. Grabbing a mirror, she holds it at an angle to get just the right reflection between the two mirrors to get a good look at her back.
She freezes at the two changes that have been made to the skin on her back. The first was the big white scar that encompassed her upper back. She had seen electrical scars before on others but this was not the typical bright red she'd seen before.
No this was a jagged deep white compared to the veiny red of the ones she's seen before. Was the difference due to the magical nature of the lightning Shego used to incapacitate her?
A few seconds passed before she set down the mirror. Kim always knew that her job was dangerous. That she could seriously get hurt while out on mission… and that came with the chance of serious scarring like this one.
Kim let out a sigh, she would just have to get used to it. She turned to look at the different dresses and shirts that she had laid out on the bed.
And as Kim picked through the different clothes she wanted to wear, trying to find one that would cover up most of the scar for her ease of mind, her thoughts lingered on the second change. The one that Ethan definitely had a hand in.
The new tattoo that was right laid across her shoulder blades. A depiction of a sunset over a turbulent ocean.
"So, that's how he did it" she mumbled to herself as she grabbed a green sweater and pulled it over her arms. Was it a magical tattoo? Was that how he gave her the strength to hurt the heartless?... She wasn't really a fan of tattoos, but considering the strength it granted her, she would let it go just this once.
And if it was one of those things that were powered by souls? Then she was going to get him to remove it, right after she gave him a piece of her mind!
She gave one last look in the mirror and checked over everything. Her clothes were good, no sign of the scar, and her makeup? She gave herself a quick smile to see if it all came together.
Perfect, this will knock Ethan's socks right off.
N-not that she was trying to impress him! It was just nice to dress up every once in a while. To make herself look as good as she felt. This isn't a date or anything, not that she would be against dating him but this is just lunch. A chance to get to know each other a little better. Nothing romantic at all…
She hung her head when her mind, oh so helpfully, provided the memory of Ethan's muscles when she hugged him. Stupid traitorous brain. Lifting her head back up to the mirror, she looked herself in the eyes. "Alright Kim, you got this. It's just lunch with a friend. Nothing to worry about.
She nods to herself as she walks up to the door and pausing for a moment, she takes a deep breath before opening it. "I'm done changing Ethan." She says as she closes the door behind her.
"I'm almost done Kim" he replies from the corner of the room where she put all of the kitchen appliances. "Just gotta stir it a bit more then it will be done." He says as he turns back to look at her.
Then his gaze lingers for a few moments longer. Taking in the clothes she picked out and she couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed, nervously brushing her hair back as some part of her wondered if he liked the outfit. They weren't the fancier dresses that she had, but she thought one of her nicer attires wouldn't go amiss.
Then Ethan seemed to recompose himself as he turned back to the oven. "Y-yeah, so… You can take a seat Kim, I will be there in just a second." He managed to say and Kim couldn't help but smirk So he did like it.
And as she walked over to the table they set up earlier, she sat down, letting her mind wander as Ethan finished the last touches on his meal.
It has been half a year since that fateful day. The one day she failed to save the world and found herself here, in a world completely different from her own. A world that forced her to go from international hero to an ordinary girl, unable to help with anything but the smallest of tasks.
Still, she kept herself busy from day to day and Mary was kind enough to provide her this small three-room apartment. Her bedroom, the bathroom, and the main room she was currently sitting in.
It was the biggest room of her home, but she did have to convert one corner of it into a kitchen so there wasn't as much space as she liked. Still, there was enough room for everything she needed and enough space to get in her daily exercises to keep herself in peak condition.
Though, now that almost everything is settled with Ethan, she looks forward to sparring with him again.
Then Kim hears the stove turn off and turns towards Ethan as he splits the sauce between the two plates of salad. Then he picks them up and turning towards her, he walks up to the table with a nervous smile and sets a plate in front of her. The aroma of the food reminding her of her usual hangout back home in Middleton… even if that memory came with a small pang of loss in her chest.
"I hope you enjoy it" Ethan says with a hesitant smile as he takes his own seat across from her and she gives him a reassuring one back before taking a fork and taking a bite.
Slowly chewing it and savoring the taste, she looks up at him and sees his worry, yet hopeful expression, obviously worried about what she thought of it.
"It tastes great, Ethan" she says honestly, holding back a giggle on seeing his relieved expression. "Reminds me a lot of home honestly." She says as she takes another bite of the homecooked meal.
And for a few minutes the two of them just ate in silence, enjoying the meal that her guest had made… And, well, she invited him over to get to know him better and… maybe it was best if she started first.
After all, it was kind of a taboo here to ask about the homes we lost, nobody wanted to be reminded of the life they couldn't get back.
And Ford's theory still stuck in her mind. The fact that his home world might've been terrible. After all, what sort of place used souls to power everything? So, it was best if she took the first step. If his home was as bad as she thought it was then he wouldn't be the one to do so.
"So…" she started, feeling her stomach twist up a bit but pushed through. "I know we haven't gotten to the best start but… but I was hoping we could use this chance as a fresh start. Get to know each other a little better. If that is okay with you?"
Ethan looks across to her, and she can feel a bit of doubt creep up in the back of her mind. Was this a little too much to ask on a first… not date?
But Ethan smiles in return "I would like that Kim" he says and she felt a little bit of relief. Okay, okay perfect. Now the next part… baby steps Kim, just start with something small.
"My full name is Kimberly Ann Possible but I just prefer Kim… I am nineteen years old and-" Breath in, Kim, then take the plunge. "I grew up in the suburbs of Middleton, Colorado." Good, good keep going. "My mom's name was Ann Possible and my dad was James Possible. I also had two tweeb little brothers named Jim and Tim Possible."
She stops for a moment and twirls the fork in between her fingers as. "My mom was a neurosurgeon and my dad was a rocket scientist. And my twin younger brothers invented so many devices and skipped so many grades that they entered high school at age of eleven and I…"
She took a moment to really process her emotions, to put the pieces together of how she felt growing up. "And I was never smart like them. I did well enough but I didn't skip grades or revolutionize entire fields of study. I was just me. I loved them of course but… I suppose I was jealous of them." She chuckles a bit, "Maybe that is why I went as hard as I did growing up."
"Sorry, guess I ranted a bit there" she stated, feeling a bit embarrassed but Ethan just shakes his head.
"No, no. It's okay." He states, giving her a smile as he takes a moment to think "I grew up in the small town of Castine, in the state of Maine" Maine? As in, United States Maine?... Is he from my world? " I had an older mother named Addyson and a father named Sean, and two siblings. My older sister Avery and James, my younger brother."
He takes a breath, trying to dig up more memories "My family was fairly average. My dad was a factory worker, and my mom stayed at home to take care of us. And growing up… My parents paid more attention to my siblings. I was always the odd one out, the weird one who preferred reading books and playing games compared to my more active siblings who demanded more attention from my parents."
A moment passes in silence before Kim breaks it with a sigh. "Yeah, I get that." She says with a commiserating expression. "My brothers were always creating some sort of trouble. Demanding all the attention from mom and dad who had to clean up their messes. Though I think they were secretly proud of them, considering the sheer lengths they went to achieve some of the crazy things they caused." Seriously, how the hell did they manage to make her cheerleading clothes fly about like that?
Ethan smile reflects her own. "My brother once broke his arm making a stupid play during a soccer match. God, he tried to pass it off as just a sprain but was eventually pulled from rest of the game. But not before scoring a couple more times. My parents gave him an earful for not stopping sooner and possibly making his injury worse but couldn't hide how proud of them were of him for his tenacity."
They both chuckled a bit at their respective crazy families. They both continued talking like that for a bit, with small pauses to continue eating their food before it got too cold.
They focused on the smaller stuff. Kim reminisced on her friend Monique who had a passion for fashion and would always lend an ear to her troubles. Ethan talked about his friend Tony who was a military kid with a secret nerdy side that only came out when the two were together.
It… well it hurt to talk about her old life, to remember all that she lost. But in a weird way, it also helped a bit too. Like removing a thorn that got stuck in her side. It hurt to talk about, but her heart also felt a little lighter after do so.
"-And I did not expect my first job to be a rescue mission." She said before she took a sip of her drink, her salad long since gone at this point. "I mean, I made my website just add a bit more to my allowance. I was expecting babysitting or maybe mowing a yard or two. But rescuing a Billionaire from his own security laser grid? What are the chances of that happening?"
"Hmm." He nods considerably as he takes a sip from his tea. "The probably would be crazy low. Almost 'Impossible' wouldn't you say?" he says with a straight face that only broke into smirk when she glared at him for the frankly terrible pun.
"Ha ha. Like I haven't heard that one before" she said with no heat in her tone as the two chuckled for a moment before lapsing back into silence. A moment passes as Ethan just stares at his plate, his fork idly pushing a piece of lettuce back and forth.
And she could see his hand ever so slightly shake as he remains lost in thought.
… They were avoiding the elephant in the room, weren't they? Pretending that this was just a normal lunch, avoiding the topics that needed to be addressed so that they wouldn't risk this relationship.
And she did like Ethan. He was brave, hardworking, and friendly. He cared about people, about saving lives and even when he tricked her, he did it because he wanted to help her, as misguided as that attempt was…
"Ethan." She starts, feeling her gut twist as he looks up at her, some part of her rebelling at the topic she was about to poke. The back of her mind telling her to shut up and not risk this newfound power by questioning it, begging her to stay ignorant and just accept it as it is.
But she did not become Kim Possible by ignoring evil when it showed it's face.
"Things aren't adding up Ethan." She starts as she sets aside her fork, turning the entirety of her focus on him. "You are from my world, or one similar to it but…"
She waves to him and the glow in his chest that could still be seen if one looks close enough. "But my world only had 'Mystic Monkey Powers' for magic." She could see the question start to form in his head. "Don't ask." she states as a memory of a certain amulet surfaces.
"But your orb? Your fire? Your Heart powers? The Tattoo?" Ethan winces a little but she keeps pushing forward. "We had none of that. I don't think your world did either, but you just keep pulling new powers out of nowhere, And I Don't Know What To Think!"
She stops and puts a hand on her forehead, "Just, Ethan… What is going on?"
The room becomes eerily silent after that. Kim didn't mean to yell at the end but she was afraid to stop talking or else she would never address it, and it just... came out like that.
Then Ethan takes a deep shuttering breath.
"Do you want to be a hero?" Ethan nearly mutters as Kim looks at him with a single eyebrow raised in confusion.
"I was nineteen when it all fell apart." He stated slowly, his eyes firmly on the table as he spoke. "I wanted to live out on my own. To get a feeling of what it would be like to be independent. Maybe I just wanted some space from my family or maybe it was an attempt to prove myself capable to them. I don't really recall anymore."
"So, I rented out a building owned by my grandparents. They gave me a discount and all they wanted in return was for me to visit them every now and again."
"Then I got a job and supported myself while also attending a junior college to eventually get my degree. It was hard, but my parents already spent a lot of money sending my sister to college and I didn't want to be more of a burden on them. And for a while, everything was going well."
He gripped his fork tighter. "Then my boss showed his true colors. He refused to hire more people we needed, and more and more work was put on me to the point it started to interfere with my studies but I kept going. Trying to push through it."
"I vented to my grandmother on my next visit. I told her about my horrible boss, about all the work he shoved on me and the frankly illegal amount of unpaid overtime work he kept pushing me to do. And do you know what she said?"
"She said that 'It was his right to do so.' That he was allowed to push me around, just because he was my boss." He grits his teeth.
"I got mad, I told her that being in charge doesn't give anyone the right to treat others like trash." He pauses, taking a breath. "…Then she demanded an apology, for speaking to her like that."
"It was so sudden, I couldn't speak because I was just so confused. I didn't know what she was talking about. Then a few seconds later. She kicked me out of the house."
Then Ethan chuckles as Kim's stomach begins to twist tighter, she doesn't like where this story is going. This was starting to sound like one of the villain backstories she learned about in her long career.
"After that… My family began to distance themselves from me. Nobody wanted to speak to me. My rent began to rise, and I couldn't get an explanation at all for what was going on. Then someone knocked on my door and my grandmother was there. Demanding that we end this 'Ignoring each other crap'"
"I felt a sharp pang of anger, but kept it in, kept silent knowing what happened last time it got better of me…. She didn't like that."
"She kicked me out of my home. Said she wanted nothing to do with me…. So, there I was, alone in the dark, with what few of my belongings I had left, trying to sleep in my small car with no future ahead of me."
Then his fork bent as his hands crushed it. "Then SHE appeared, knocking on my car door. She asked me if I wanted to prove my family wrong. If I want to be like the characters in the stories I grew up reading. All I needed to do was fight evil in a location of her choosing for three years… Do you want to be a Hero?"
He then turned his head upward to look up to the ceiling, still unable to bring himself to look at her. "That was the last time I ever saw my world"
Ethan… Ethan wasn't taken by the heartless?
"Out there, among the many, many worlds between the stars. Exists a corporation called 'The Company' the end game of capitalism. Where everything is treated as a product to be bought, sold, traded and taken."
Oh… oh my god.
"I unknowingly joined them. Became an Agent of their universal industry that hurts so many. But don't think it was because they thought I had potential. No, my recruiter held up her deal, I was flung into the Blood War, to fight against a tide of demons that want to end everything. Three years I had to fight as a foot soldier. I had to bleed, to kill friend and foe alike to not die like a good little foot soldier they made me into. And I… I…"
He took a deep shuddering breath. "And I found myself here. With nothing but my phone, some credits, and a 'Job Well Done~' message. My powers? I bought them. I bought them with the blood money they gave me. I- I'm nobody Kim. I'm not a hero. I'm not this wonderful person you think I am. I'm not even supposed to be here."
"I am just a blood-soaked idiot who just wants to survive."
He goes silent as Kim … processes all of that. The idea of multiple worlds wasn't new to her. Everyone here in Traverse Town was forced to accept that truth after their worlds fell. But the Company? The fact that out there somewhere out there was a multi-world evil organization on a level she has never seen the likes of before?
It scared her.
She was used to villains. Hell, she was used to villainous organizations. Back home, there was an industry called Hench Co. whose entire market was selling to criminals everything they needed to succeed in their every endeavor. Whether that was people, doomsday devices, or even just a freaking tank, they would sell it to make themselves a buck.
And she could imagine that if Hench Co. ever gained the ability to cross worlds? They would be exactly like he just described the Company. Spreading their business model everywhere uncaring of the misery they spread just so they can increase their profits that bit more…
"Do you have proof?" she asks. Just to make sure this wasn't just some story, some fantasy a man made up to believe that his world isn't truly gone. That he could return if he can only find it.
Ethan nodded, still not looking at her as he held up his hand, and in a puff of fire and sulfur, a phone appeared in his palm. He taps the screen a few times before setting it in the middle of the table.
All while keeping his vision down. Still not willing to look at her.
Reaching over, she grabbed the phone that he summoned out of nowhere and looked at the screen. There was a single message that was sent five days ago. The day that Luz said she found Ethan.
She slowly sets down the phone as she rubs the side of her temple. Okay, so that lines up at least and it answers some questions. Like how he got his powers… Catalogue purchased powers. That's a new one.
But it opens up so many more questions.
They want him to be entertaining? What does that mean? Are they recording him right now? No, no that'd be crazy. They'd probably want to probe him for his memories to sell later. that sounds more like some crazy villain would do. And these 'Agents'-
Kim looked up towards Ethan as he sat there, staring at his own hands as they cupped one another…
Ethan said that the Company was the end game of capitalism. That everything was a product to them. If she had to guess these Agents were more like collectors, each assigned to gather 'products' to sell on the galactic black market.
They're kidnappers. Slavers. Sent out to rip people from their homes, their families. Tear people from their lives to serve whoever they want. For money. For power. They are the worst of scum. And Ethan. And Ethan WAS…
…
One of their victims.
Some part of her wanted to think that he was lying. That he was trying to slip into her good graces so that he could stab her in the back. To sell her to his superiors for a quick buck… but if he was, why tell her all this? Why didn't he just lie? He could just make up something more believable than this.
And… and she's seen that look before. Many, many times, when Ron was afraid. When her old boyfriend wanted to run, to scream, to do anything other than face his fears. Then he did it anyway, even while their body shook with fear, because it was the right thing to do.
The man that was sitting there, was expecting her to yell at him, to leave him, to be insulted by the fact that he was forced to fight in their war for years. Just because he made one bad choice. A choice that he thinks he will go to hell for.
But that is not the man she sees now. Ethan jumped in the middle of the darkness to try to save a single man's heart. He volunteered so much of his time, helping the men that were repairing their defenses against the monsters that hide in the shadows. He fought a horde of heartless to get what he needed to fulfill his promise to her.
He leaped in to save her from Shego before she could turn her into a monster… and probably spent whatever meager amount of money the Company gave him to give her the ability to fight again.
Those were not the actions of an Agent of an evil corporation looking to make as much money as they can.
Kim got up from her chair as she saw Ethan freeze up at her movement. She slowly walks around the table, carefully watching Ethan as he gripped his cupped hands tighter. So tightly she was afraid he was going to break his hand.
These are not the actions of a villain trying to get her to let down her guard.
Then Kim reached out and cradled his hands with her own as he finally looked up and locked eyes with her as she gave him a soft smile.
These were the actions of a hero. One who, time and time again, tried to save people no matter how afraid he was.
"Ethan," she said as she slowly pulled him out of his seat. "What happened to you? Wasn't your fault." She said as she felt his hand tremble. "You… you're not an idiot for wanting to help people. You're not a villain for trying to survive in a place no one wanted you to."
Kim's smile grew a bit as she stepped closer to him, pulling his hands closer to her chest. "You are my hero, Ethan. For saving me, for trying so hard to help me when no one else could."
"And… and if you are from my world. Then I'm sorry I couldn't save you too."
Ethan's trembling grew as she gripped his hand tighter. Slowly she pulled him into her embrace, letting his shaking arms wrap around her as she did the same.
And many may think that she was making a mistake. That she shouldn't risk getting so close to a man associated with such monsters.
But as Kim held him, as his entire body shook with emotion, she couldn't bring herself to agree. Ethan needed her,
And she will help him find his way again.
