Disclaimer: I do not own any of this and any of this belongs to the original creators.
WORLD OF HEARTS
LINKED AS ONE
Act 2
Chapter 6
Promise of Tomorrow
Rei felt a disturbance just now. It was coming from outside. She headed outside and noticed what looked like a black orb just floating about outside the dorms.
'W-When did this orb just appear?'Rei thought. "Guys, you may want to see this!"
Homura went outside with Madoka, Gohan, Yoh, Maka, and Tokoyami. They all looked at the black orb. It was about the size of a boulder.
"Now where did this huge sphere come from?" Gohan asked. "I've never seen anything like this."
"Just... what is this thing?" Madoka asked. She looked at Rei. "Hino-senpai, how long has this been here?"
Rei looked at Madoka. "I guess from the moment I felt a surge in negative energy." She looked at the sphere as some of the others started coming out.
"Whoa! That thing's huge!" Luffy said as he stretched his arms out to emphasize how big the sphere was.
"Well, that wasn't there before," Baki said. "How did it get there?"
"That idiot..." Maka turned to see Megumi come out, looking tired and annoyed.
"Do you know what's going on?" Maka asked. "I can sense Kizuna is in there along with Yujo, they seem to be alright."
"It's a Domain Expansion," Megumi said, looking at the orb.
"Wait, you mean he perfected his domain expansion?" Nobara asked. "Man, he managed to do it."
"Huh... so that's what it looks like on the outside..." Yuji said.
Those words caught Homura's attention. "Domain Expansion?"
"It's a barrier technique that is the pinnacle of jujutsu," Megumi said. "It's essentially a sorcerer's personalized pocket dimension. Once you're caught inside of it, getting out is damn near impossible."
"So it's like a cage..." Edward said. "How does it work?"
"It requires a lot of cursed energy to form and maintain the domain," Megumi said. "The barrier is just the first part. The artificial environment is constructed in the user's image after the barrier is formed."
"So it's a pocket dimension protected by a barrier that is then shaped by the user's inner thoughts..." Sarada said. "But why would he go so far as to use something like that?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Bakugo spoke up. "He wants a rematch."
"Talking from experience?" Shoto asked.
"Got something to say, Icy-Hot?" Bakugo growled.
Yang looked at Bakugo and rubbed her chin. "Wait, you mean he wants to fight Kizuna again? After the walloping he took?"
"He's always had a competitive streak," Nobara said. "But this? This is something else."
"Hmm..." Maka began to ponder.'Just what would motivate him to take such measures? No... could it be?'
Kizuna was trying to wrap his head around all of this. He had his keyblade ready. He didn't like the smug look Yujo was giving him. Yujo pointed his keyblade at Kizuna.
"I'm sure you've noticed by now that I wanted to fight you again," Yujo said. "You see, I have always wanted to be strong. In this world, it's kill or be killed. I learned that from the streets."
Yujo walks towards Kizuna, keeping his eyes locked on him. Sora sighed as he looked at Yujo.
"Man, I never thought you'd be put in this situation..." Sora said, looking at Kizuna. "You know, it's probably good that you're the only one who can see me."
"Not now, Sora..." Kizuna whispered under his breath. "So how does that involve me, Yujo?"
Yujo scoffs. "Because you don't deserve to be Sora's reincarnation. I put all the effort, all the training, all the blood, sweat, and tears to get to where I am." He stares into Kizuna's soul. "You? You didn't have to do anything to get power. You were just 'born' with it. Sora's reincarnation should be a man of proven strength, not some person who just happened to win the lottery on the day of his/her birth."
Yujo's legs were enveloped in shadows. His legs were like those of a grasshopper. He launched himself straight towards Kizuna with breakneck speed. Yujo's arm was wrapped in shadows and a snake formed. He throws a punch, sending the snake at Kizuna. Kizuna sidesteps the attack.
Suddenly, his body was tossed up. He looked down to see a bison cloaked in shadow. Then he felt a snake biting his throat. Kizuna felt his body getting slammed into the ground. He saw Yujo smiling, as though he was enjoying this.
"I'm afraid that you won't be able to escape my attacks so easily," Yujo said. "It's like I said: you're in my world now. My cursed technique is embedded inside this domain that we're in. Not only that, it's guaranteed to hit no matter how many times you try to dodge."
"You mean—?!"
"That's right, as long as this domain continues to exist, there's nothing you can do to evade the attacks that my cursed technique uses, and it also amplifies my technique, allowing me to conjure anything from the shadows," Yujo said with confidence. "Sure, it seems like cheating to you, but that's just how it is. You should never expect your opponents to fight you on equal footing."
Kizuna cuts the snake off of him and gets back up. Kizuna casts Fire, firing off a fireball from the tip of his keyblade. Yujo creates an ice crystal and sends it flying toward the fireball. The two come into contact, and the impact and temperature of the two projectiles create a burst of steam. Yujo bursts through the steam and lands a punch on Kizuna's face. A flash of black lightning occurs as the punch lands. Kizuna is sent flying.
BLACK FLASH
Kizuna rolled onto the floor. He quickly stands back up. He saw a shadowy bison jump from out of the ground. Kizuna blocks the attack and repels it. He sees Yujo charge right at him. Kizuna dodges as Yujo swings his keyblade down. Kizuna balls his hand into a fist as fire forms around his fist.
Magic Martial Arts: Flame Form 01
"Jet Stream!"
Jet Stream
Kizuna throws the punch and hits Yujo in the liver with a burst of flames coming out from the impact. He smacks Yujo in the face with his keyblade. His body glowed a light blue. Yujo was spinning as Kizuna himself was spinning like a top.
"That's it! Use Flowmotion! Just like we practiced!" Sora shouts from where he is.
'Flowmotion Style...'Kizuna said in his head.
Flowmotion Style
He collides with Yujo and hits him with an upward swing of his keyblade.
'Rising Tornado...'
Rising Tornado
Kizuna jumps up and thrusts his keyblade as he kicks against the air.
'Sonic Blade!'
Sonic Blade
The attack lands, hitting Yujo right in the stomach. Kizuna lands on the ground, sliding before coming to a stop.
Flowmotion Style: Rising Tornado Sonic Blade
He felt a sudden jab in his gut. He saw a bear claw jabbing right into his stomach from the hall's floor. The boy lurches as he coughs. Kizuna fell to his knees as the arm dissipated. Kizuna clutched his stomach with his free hand. He could feel Yujo's keyblade at his neck.
"You should never leave your guard down, especially in enemy territory," Yujo said.
Kizuna's clothes flashed red. He changed to his Courage Form and hit Yujo with an elbow jab. Kizuna gets up and swings his keyblade at Yujo as he twists his body towards him. A red aura engulfs the blade just moments before making an impact. Yujo was knocked back from the hit, staggering from the blow.
'Now I got him!'Kizuna thought. "Formchange! King Fist!"
His keyblade turned into a metal fist that covered his right arm. A red aura engulfs his fist.
"King Meteor Strike!" Kizuna yells as he throws the punch.
"Too soft!"
Yujo counters the punch with one of his own. His hand turned into the fist of a gorilla. The punches cross each other. Both punches land a hit on their targets, both of them releasing a burst of energy. The two were knocked away from each other due to the impact.
Just then, the sound of glass shattering caught both of their attention. Kizuna and Yujo looked up to see Tifa punching her way through. She lands on the ground and puts her cowboy hat on. She got up and looked at the two boys, cracking her fists.
"Alright boys, I think you've had enough fun," Tifa speaks up.
"M-Ms Lockhart?" Kizuna asked.
"Tch," Yujo scoffed. "I should have expected as much from the legendary Tifa Lockhart. A student of the Zangan-style martial arts and a high-ranking member of LOGOS and recognized by the Hero Association as an A-Class hero. For you to break through my domains' barrier with your bare hands. You're stronger than Yuji, and it took him a while to break through a barrier."
"So you did your homework," Tifa said as she tapped her foot. "Zangan taught me much of his martial arts techniques, and I came up with some techniques of my own."
She looked at him with an iron stare as she took a step forward. As soon as she took one step forward, Yujo and Kizuna felt an ominous aura coming from her. Her eyes lit up along with a fiery green aura surrounding her body. A pair of gauntlets cover her hands. Her body glowed with a green light before she suddenly vanished from view.
D
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Yujo looked around before looking down...
B
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W
... only to see that she was down on her knees.
Within a split second, she extends her legs away from the ground, lifting her entire weight into the air as her body jumps like a gazelle. Her fist springs up with her arm, hitting him squarely on the chin.
LIMIT BREAK
DOLPHIN BLOW
Kizuna could have sworn he saw a dolphin rise from the ground, or maybe he was just imagining it. He watched as Yujo went into a backflip. The entire space crumbles apart to reveal the night sky, as clear as the entire day was.
His classmates were there, looking in awe.
Yujo landed on his stomach. He didn't seem to be moving.
"Kizuna!" Madoka ran over to Kizuna. "Are you ok?"
Kizuna got up and looked at Madoka. "Yeah, I'm fine. This is just a scratch..."
Madoka's hand glowed pink and she put her hand over his abdomen. Kizuna felt a pang of pain for a split second before he felt his abdomen warm up.
"It's healing magic," Madoka said. "You'll be fine."
Kizuna looked at Tifa. She sighed and walked over to Kizuna. She dragged Yujo along with her.
"You two have a lot of nerve to do this kind of thing at night," Tifa said. "I was just about to leave so I could run the Seventh Heaven, only to find this commotion going on. What do you have to say to yourselves?"
"Uh..." Kizuna looked in Sora's direction, the projection shaking his head. Kizuna looked back at Tifa. "We thought we should finish where we left off?"
Tifa wasn't having any of it, pouting and looking at him with disappointment. "When he wakes up, the both of you are cleaning up after the party is over." Tifa walks away. "Be thankful that I am not getting your parents involved on the first day."
Kizuna sighed. Sora sighed as well.
"Tifa is a lot more strict than I thought she was..." Sora said. "Well, at least it can't get any worse than that..."
"And if that living room isn't spotless by the time I come back, the two of you are going to be punished together!" Tifa yells.
'Nice going Sora... you jinxed it.'Kizuna thought, glaring at Sora.
He looked back at Madoka, who was smiling. He smiled back at her and got up.
"So uh... do we still party or what?" Luffy asked.
"Luffy, I think you ate most of the food that we had for that party..." Ussop pointed out.
"And Gohan ate as much as a hippo does, and that's not even an exaggeration..." Sanji said. "I'm surprised he isn't feeling nauseous. It's like he has a second stomach."
Gohan was scratching the back of his head. It was probably the Saiyan half that allowed him to eat so much.
"Of course, we're gonna still party!" Okuyasu and Kuwabara said in unison.
"Yeah, I still haven't gotten laid yet!" Panty said. Stocking bonked her over the head with a wooden bat. "OW! What the hell, Stocking?! Where did you even get a wooden bat from?"
"Go to horny jail," Stocking said.
"Over my dead body," Panty retorts.
Yujo got up, he was feeling disoriented. Yuji was there to get him back on his feet.
"Yujo, you have got to stop picking fights with people just because they happen to be strong," Yuji said. "Your ego is not worth it."
"S-Shut up..." Yujo shook up.
"Come on, Kizu-chan, we're not done celebrating our first day at school," Madoka said.
Kizuna and the whole class went back inside the dormitory. Kizuna watched as his classmates were partying. He felt like he met some more friends to be around. He watched as some of his friends were hanging out with each other. Mami and Satsuki were drinking tea together. Baki and Kirishima were arm wrestling, the latter using his quirk to make his hand rigid as he was giving all the strength he had into his arm. Chopper and Ami were talking about their interests in medicine and medical science. Maka was keeping Ruby at an arm's length away from Soul.
"Oh come on, I just want to hold him while he's in weapon form!" Ruby bemoaned.
"Ruby, just because Soul is a weapon, that doesn't make him a toy to swing around," Maka said, holding up a blue book in her free hand. "Do not make Maka Chop you..."
"So you ate a finger and got possessed by some asshole of a sorcerer," Yusuke said. "And now, because the guy can't be killed until all 20 of his fingers are gathered together, they decided to wait until you have all 20 fingers so they can gut you like a trout."
"Which is why I'm going to make the most of my life while I still can," Yuji said.
Kizuna looked at Madoka as she was smiling and giggling. "Madoka?"
Madoka pointed and Kizuna looked in the direction she was pointing. He saw Edward running after Boruto.
"Look! I said I was sorry, alright?!" Boruto said as he was running from Edward.
"I don't care if you're sorry or that you're the son of the Hokage!" Edward yelled. "You're gonna wish you hadn't called me a microscopic speck that doesn't drink milk!"
"I only offered you a glass of milk!"
"Huh... so I guess Edward doesn't like milk..." Kizuna said.
Madoka looked up at Kizuna with a smile. "You know, I'm glad that I chose to come here."
"R-Really?" Kizuna asked.
She nods. "For one thing, I got to see you again," Madoka said. "And on the other thing, it feels like we're all on an adventure. I used to feel like Mitakihara City was my world, but coming to Tokyo and meeting you, Yo-kun, Izu-kun, and Ruby-san made me realize that the world is way bigger than I thought it was, and... well, I want to see the rest of the world."
Kizuna looked at Madoka. He saw her raise her pinkie finger.
"Kizuna, I want you to promise something to me," Madoka said. "Promise me that you'll be with me when we travel across the world."
Kizuna looked at Madoka. He felt his skip a beat. He started to have butterflies in his stomach. He saw Sora's projection, giving him a thumbs up.
His hand shakes as he balls his hand into a fist and stretches his pinkie out. He moves his finger over to Madoka's, his hand still shaking. His face turns red.
He felt an impact on the back of his head.
"OH GREAT! NOW LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO, BLONDIE!"
"ME?! YOU STARTED IT AFTER YOU GOT MY HAIR WET YOU WALKING PRIMEAPE!"
"DID YOU JUST CALL ME A FUCKING POKEMON?!"
"NO, YOU'RE A FUCKING CHIHUAHUA MIXED WITH A POMERANIAN!"
Kizuna scratches the back of his head. "Y-Yeah... I promise..."
Madoka sighs as she looks at him. "You know, you could have just said yes." She hooks her pinkie around his. She saw him blush.
"Get a room, you two," Sayaka said.
Much Later...
Kizuna and Yujo were stuck cleaning the living room after the party was over.
"I can't believe I'm stuck having to clean this place up because of you," Kizuna said. "I just wanted to chill out, but n~nooo, you just had to start a fight with me. Is it your pride as a keyblade warrior, or did I do something wrong to you?"
Yujo was silent. Kizuna didn't like the silent treatment.
"The strong silent type, huh?" Kizuna said. "You know, I don't get it. How come someone like you managed to get a keyblade?"
"It was a gift from my master," Yujo said.
"Oh, your master..." Kizuna stopped and looked at Yujo. "... gave you a keyblade?"
Yujo looked at Kizuna. "Yes, my keyblade was once my master's keyblade."
Kizuna locked eyes with Yujo. "Who... what was your master like?"
"Strong," Yujo said. "Strong enough to be recognized as a keyblade master."
As he looked at Yujo, he could tell that his classmate's tone had shifted. That competitive and arrogant spirit changed into a more quiet and serene soul. The calmness in his eyes, his steady breathing, and the way his eyes dim in the moonlight signified how subtle the change was. Kizuna was seeing a different side of Yujo. He wasn't so self-centered or competitive now.
"My master knew more about the darkness than I did before I was in his tutelage," Yujo said. "He was the one who convinced me to walk down the path I am on now."
"The path you walk on now?" Kizuna looked confused.
Yujo nodded. "The path I used to walk on was a... darker path. One that I try not to think about."
Ten years ago...
24th Ward, Tokyo
Yujo looked down upon a ghoul with a menacing smile. The ghoul had a broken arm, was covered in bruises, and had blood coming out his mouth. Yujo grabbed the ghoul by the hair. Yujo's eyes had a red sclera, almost as though they were filled with blood. He looked at the ghoul with an intense feeling of bloodlust.
"What was it that you said?" Yujo asked. "Oh, I remember. "You'd make a tasty snack to eat" right? And to think that I'd find someone stronger than me."
"W-What the hell are you?" The ghoul asked. "A-Are you even human?!"
Yujo laughed maniacally. He enjoyed seeing the fear in the ghoul's eyes. "Human? Me? No..."
A shadowy scorpion tail impales the ghoul and lifts him into the air. Yujo was enjoying every second of it. "... you could just call me the devil." He whistles and a giant wolf appears behind him. The wolf had multiple eyes. The wolf unhinges its jaw to reveal two rows of sharp teeth. "Fenrir, I caught you some fresh meat. Do enjoy your meal."
"I was ruthless, merciless. My mother died while I was five. I never got to meet my father. For me, survival of the fittest was the only thing I've ever known. I didn't care much about the consequences of my actions. I believed that I was strong and that I could do anything without fearing the consequences."
"W-Who or what are you talking to?" The ghoul asked.
"Anyone who stood in my way to power was nothing more than an insignificant ant."
Yujo laughed as the wolf went up to the ghoul. The ghoul screamed as the wolf began to devour the ghoul on the spot.
At School
Yujo looked at the other delinquents, who were bruised and battered, some of them had blood coming out of their mouths. Yujo looked at them with his fist clenched. There was one delinquent who was lying on the ground, beaten to a pulp. He instilled the fear of God in them.
"I always get into fights at school, most of which end with me beating the life out of anyone who picked a fight with me. The teachers and even some of the students at my old school were too scared to intervene whenever I'm involved with a fight."
Shibuya
Yujo was laughing as he ripped apart a cursed spirit with a scythe-like blade cloaked in shadow covering his forearm. He sliced another spirit with another blade that covered his right forearm. He cuts through other cursed spirits.
"Cursed spirits feared me for my brutality, my callousness, my thirst for blood. I was like a predator on the prowl for prey to hunt, a shark caught in a feeding frenzy from the smell of blood in the water, a bloodhound with its teeth bared. I could not stop. I felt invincible like I was a god. I could not be touched. I could not be killed and no one..."
Shinjuku
Yujo was standing in an underground ring. He looked down upon his opponent, who was down on the mat with blood coming out of the man's mouth, lying completely motionless. Yujo was smiling wickedly.
"... could defeat me."
Roppongi
Yujo stood face to face with two men. One wore sunglasses, and the other had a bandana over his eyes. They were both dressed in black uniforms and had silver hair.
"But that all changed when I met those two sorcerers."
"So... this is the curse user who's been causing all this trouble..." The man with the bandana said, turning to his shade-wearing compatriot. "What's the call, little bro? Wanna take him on together?"
The man with the shades walked forward and a keyblade materialized in his hand. "I'll straighten him out myself."
Yujo grinned and whistled. The giant wolf appeared by his side.
"A shikigami? So you can manipulate cursed spirits," The man said.
The man removes his glasses, revealing a pair of shimmering, emerald-green eyes.
"I didn't know it yet, but from the moment I saw his eyes... my fate was sealed."
Yujo looked at the man dead in the eyes. He could sense the man's strength. He looked at the keyblade. The keyblade looked like a collection of bat wings folding around each other. He can see the cursed energy coating the blade. Yujo pets Fenrir.
"See that, Fenrir? He's strong, and he's got a keyblade..." Yujo said, smiling. Cursed energy covered his hand. "Time to eat our prey..."
Yujo charged towards the keyblade wielder. Fenrir howled and charged toward the keyblade wielder alongside Yujo. Yujo was grinning as his hands were covered in shadows. Raptor claws formed.
SHADOW CLAW
Yujo tried to grab the man with his claws. The man took a swing at Yujo. The boy caught the keyblade. "Now you're mine!" Yujo yelled as he swung his free arm at the man.
"Black Flash."
Yujo was suddenly knocked back. He coughed and hacked as he was flying. He looked at the man and saw that the man's free hand was balled into a fist. Yujo tried to put together what happened in that very instant.
"He hit me with a Black Flash-infused one-inch punch. He took the force of my attack and reflected it back at me, only it was made more powerful with cursed energy. That was the first time I ever got hit with an attack."
Yujo landed on his back. He got up and watched as Fenrir tried to bite the man's head off. The man suddenly vanished for a split second and delivered an axe kick down on the wolf. The wolf was knocked out.
"Fenrir, my shikigami... my only friend, he was bested with but a kick. No ordinary human could possess that much strength. Perhaps he was as strong as I was."
Yujo roared as he rushed at the man. He throws a punch at the sorcerer. His hand was covered in cursed energy. The energy flashed, turning black and red. A shockwave is released upon impact. Yujo growled as he looked at his opponent, blood rushing through his veins like wildfire.
"But then I felt it, for the first time in my life..."
Yujo's eyes widened as he looked into the sorcerer's eyes.
"... I felt fear."
Yujo felt a punch to the gut and was sent flying. He slammed into a wall. He fell onto his hands and knees. Yujo coughed up blood. He looked up and saw the sorcerer come over to him. The sorcerer looked down on him, making the boy angrier.
"..." The sorcerer said nothing.
"Damn, little bro, I think you—wait, no, there's still some arrogance in him." The other sorcerer said.
"You're not going to stick him in the Infinite Void, are you?" The younger sorcerer asked.
"No... I got a better idea," The older one said.
The older sorcerer puts two hands out.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue..." A blue orb appeared over his left hand.
"But I didn't feel true fear until he flexed his power in front of me."
"Your master or the other guy?"
"Let me finish."
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red..." A red orb appeared on the man's right hand.
The two hands came together and a purple orb formed.
HOLLOW TECHNIQUE
The man pointed his fingers to the sky.
"Hollow Technique..."
P
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"Purple."
He snapped his fingers and the orb went flying, tearing a hole right through the clouds.
HOLLOW PURPLE
The young sorcerer sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Hollow Purple... in the middle of Roppongi of all places..." The younger sorcerer said. "Have you lost your mind?"
"Hey, at least I didn't have to summon a dragon that can shoot a laser beam out of its mouth just to kill that one Heartless that looked like something ripped out of a Godzilla movie when it wasn't even that big." The older brother said. "If it wasn't for the fact that I am the strongest sorcerer in the world, those old men would have gladly given you the axe."
"This coming from the guy who relies on using the one technique that makes him impervious to anything aside from some fancy knife—"
"Just... what are you two? Monsters?" Yujo asked.
"Hmm? You say something?" The older brother asked.
"Monsters... as if there weren't enough of those types already..." The younger brother said. "Yes, and no. We are incredibly strong—"
"And I am the strongest—"
"But we're not monstrous," The younger brother interrupted the older brother. He kneels and hands Yujo the keyblade. "I think you have what it takes."
"Whoa! Riku, hold on a minute—"
"WHAT?!"Kizuna exclaimed."Riku?!"
SLAP!
"Let. Me. Finish."
Yujo looked at the keyblade.
"Satoru... I promised to give you a keyblade, but not this one..." Riku said. "Given the right training and discipline, he might just be the one to succeed me."
"Alright, it's your decision," Satoru said. "But just for the record, you promised me one."
"I... I..." Yujo looked at Riku. He put his hand on the handle. Riku lets go of the handle and steps back as Yujo stands up. Riku raises his hand, and nothing happens. Riku chuckles.
"It seems you have the marks," Riku said. "Now then, let's get you enrolled at Jujutsu Tech. Satoru?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it..."
Present Day
Kizuna looked at Yujo, feeling some form of respect.
"So, I guess it was fate..." Kizuna said.
"Don't let it go to your head," Yujo said. "Still, that reaction of yours begs a question. Did you meet my master?"
"Yeah, like a year ago," Kizuna said.
"..." Yujo looked at Kizuna with wide eyes. "A year ago?"
"Yup," Kizuna said.
The two boys heard the sound of chips being crunched.
They turned to look in the direction of the sound.
It was Ai, chomping away at some chips.
In fact, she was slowly eating her chips while her eyes were darting between the two boys.
"Uh... don't mind me guys," Ai said. "Just... pretend that I wasn't—"
"How long have you been standing there?" Kizuna asked.
"A few minutes..." Ai said.
"In the middle of someone's backstory?" Kizuna asked.
"Pitiful," Yujo said. "To think I'm stuck with you two imbeciles for the next 3 years..."
"HEY!" Kizuna and Ai said.
Kizuna's Room
Kizuna was in his room. He had changed into his pajamas and was ready to jump into bed. Sora's projection materializes in the room, sitting on the bed. Kizuna looked at Sora.
"So that keyblade belonged to Riku," Sora said. "To think he'd pass his keyblade down to someone else."
"Yeah, and to that jerk of all people," Kizuna pouts.
"Hey, I trust Riku's decision," Sora said. "After all, he and I have been friends for years. Sure, sometimes I don't know what he's thinking, but I can understand why he'd hand that keyblade off to Riku."
"Sorry..." Kizuna apologized, remembering the bond that Sora has with Riku. Kizuna went into a drawer and pulled out an idol. The idol depicts a being with two halves, with the top half being restrained by chains, the head with adorning head crests and tusk-like fangs coming out from the mouth, and its arms covered in intricate patterns while the lower half had a horned demon with wrinkled claw hands. Sora looked at the idol and felt a mix of intrigue and ick.
"What is that thing?" Sora asked.
"Huh? Oh, you mean this thing?" Kizuna asked. "My mother gave me this to me before I moved. My grandmother used to live in Spira and handed this to my mother."
"Uh... yeah, I know, I'm talking about-"
"Anima," Kizuna said. "The Eikon of Terror."
"The Eikon of Terror?" Sora asked. "That... sounds creepy."
"Yeah, I can see why you'd find it creepy," Kizuna said. "It's one of the most frightening and tragic of the Eikons."
"Eikons? Plural? More than one?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, many Eikons live in legend," Kizuna said. "According to what my mother told me about the Eikons, she said that they are beings unlike any other being in existence."
Sora became intrigued. "Go on..."
Kizuna recalls what his grandmother had taught him about the Eikons. If he remembers correctly, the Eikons were beings known to take the form of gods or legendary figures that have existed since time immemorial. It is said that these Eikons were equally worshipped as gods and feared as demons. According to the stories his grandmother told him, the Eikons were sealed in crystals made of aether, a crystalized form of spiritual energy. Though they have fallen into some obscurity when compared to most religions, they still prevail in legends and fairytales. The Masters of Logos named themselves after the more powerful Eikons called the Primals.
Bahamut, the Eikon of Light, an astral dragon said to have come down from the heavens themselves. The dragon's light rays are said to pierce the darkness and bring down heavenly destruction.
Odin, the Eikon of Darkness, is a war god named after a god in Norse mythology, riding a stead cloaked in darkness with a blade that can cleave through mountains and split the heavens wide.
Ifrit, the Eikon of Fire, is a fire demon whose flames burn brighter and hotter than the sun, capable of turning a forest into nothing but ash. A monster cloaked in flames that can make the water turn into vapor.
Shiva, the Eikon of Ice, an ice maiden named after the Hindu god of destruction, can freeze water and snuff out flames with but only a single touch. The very air around her brings forth a cold that rivals the Ice Age.
Titan, the Eikon of Earth, is a stone giant capable of hurling enormous mountains with sheer strength, making the very earth shake with every step he takes. His fists can shatter the earth and split the seas, making volcanoes erupt with his very presence.
Garuda, the Eikon of Wind, is a mighty bird whose wings bring on a storm that can ravage the earth itself. It flies with the swiftness of any bird of prey.
Leviathan, the Eikon of Water, a sea serpent said to be the progenitor of the Sea Kings and other sea monsters, controls the waves and can conjure storms that can bring floods to sink continents and islands and bring rain down to end droughts.
Ixion, the Eikon of Thunder, a thunderous unicorn that was cared for by Ramuh, the Eikon of Lightning, can bring forth bolts of lightning that tear the skies, strike the earth, and terrorize the seas.
Alexander, the Eikon of Time, is a moving castle armed with powerful weapons and a body as hard as steel with a furnace that burns forever more. Its eye can gaze far into the future and look back into the past. It could even send itself into the past, present, and future.
Lastly, Magus, the Eikon of Nature, a humanoid insect with the physique of a mother, cares for both plants and animals in nature, capable of controlling vines and other kinds of plants with but a wave of her hand.
"Wait, but what about Anima?" Sora asked.
"Huh? Oh... Anima..." Kizuna said. "Well... like I said, her story is both frightening and tragic."
"Try me," Sora said.
Kizuna took a deep breath. "Anima is... well, a spirit of vengeance brought to life by the death of a mother after she lost her child. She would bring pain and suffering to those who had wronged her before extending that to all who have wronged others. One side of her carries all of her pain, while the other carries her anger and resentment."
Sora was shaking.
"My mother used to tell me stories about her to get me to bed early, though my stepmom didn't like it when my mother would do that because those stories frightened her too," Kizuna scratches the back of the head. "But that wasn't the only thing my mother passed on to me from my grandmother."
"Y-You know-"
Kizuna put his hands together. He takes a deep breath.
"I Ei Yu I
No Bo Me No
Re En Mi Ri
Yo Ju Yo Go
Ha Sa
Te Ka
Na E...
Ku Ta Ma E..."
Sora looked a little more relaxed. "What... was that?"
"The Spiran Song of Prayer," Kizuna said. "Sure, there are some translated versions of the song, but the Spiran Version is by far the best."
"Ok... but what does it mean?" Sora thought.
"It's a prayer to soothe dead souls and hope they can reach the Far Plane, at least, that's what my grandmother told me," Kizuna said. "I sang this song at Mr Fueguchi's funeral."
"So that explains why you were so angry with those Doves..." Sora said. "You just couldn't let any of it slide, both the grave robbing and using his kagune as a weapon to kill. His soul just wouldn't be able to rest if things went that way."
"I'm glad you finally understood why I did what I did," Kizuna said. "Still, I could never have guessed that Anima would appear..."
Flashback
Kizuna looked past the crazed, bug-eyed investigator as an anchor fell from a portal in the sky and went straight into the ground. He saw the chain slowly being pulled up, ignoring Mado as he ranted about how ghoul sympathizers like him are just as bad as ghouls, blaming them for letting ghouls get away with killing people while turning the other way. Kizuna took one step back, seeing the chain slowly rise. Dread built within him, his senses on high alert. His heart was palpitating, and his eyes were so focused on the chain that everything else seemed invisible.
Then he saw it: rising from the ground was the very anchor that plunged from the sky, bringing a head to the surface. Its face was covered in bandages, exposing one eye as if it were the face of a beast. He saw its torso slowly rising from the ground, the picture of a woman strapped around the beast's neck as its skeletal thorax could be seen. Arms crossed, restrained by bandages with chains surrounding the rest of the body. The rib cage and the shoulders were narrow, like those of a skeleton belonging to a woman. The anchor slips away as the rest of its body grinds to a halt in its ascent.
The anchor went into the portal before it closed shortly after the fact.
"What's wrong? Getting cold feet already?" Mado's voice snapped him out of it, gripping the quinque.
Kizuna looked up at the beast as it took a breath of air.
The beast's head snaps downward. It cranks its neck from side to side, bones crunching with every movement.
Kizuna fell back as he looked at it.
"That's right... be scared... because I'll be the very last thing you'll see..." Mado whips the quinque up. "Now die, you little shit!"
An ear-piercing screech erupts from the beast as its eye glows menacingly.
Then there as a flash...
... followed by a scream.
Blood splattered all over Kizuna's face and his clothes. The boy looked with widened eyes as the man screamed as he looked at his now severed arm. The man clenched his left hand where his right arm used to be. The man went into shock, screaming in pain as he fell onto the ground. Kizuna looked at the man's severed arm... or what's left of it. The quinque was still intact and virtually undamaged. Such precise control with such devastating force was considered unheard of, only possible in myths and legends.
He didn't sense anything but pressure from the beast... no... this was no beast.
This was something else. Something that no man or monster is capable of.
This thing...
...is an Eikon.
But not just any Eikon.
This thing had a name, a name his mother would always bring during bedtime to frighten him into going to sleep. A name that makes people shudder in fear of what it represents.
The Eikon of Pain and Terror.
"Anima..."
A/N: Please leave a review so I know what you guys think of the story so far as well as what you think about this chapter.