Fanfiction ► KH: Salvation of Hope Ch.3

[KingdomKey]

Salvation of Hope

Chapter 1. Change​

A great light filled the void between all worlds, alerting those present, something has gone terribly wrong. One person in particular, sat back in his chair, stroking his beard in deep thought. Beyond his crescent moon window, he could see the light, symbolizing two of their most trusted, and powerful keyblade wielders have fallen. Closing his eyes, he could feel the coil of danger waiting to spring into action.

"The worlds will once again be in peril. If she does not choose to aid them, all hope will be lost."

"What of the Princesses of Heart?" Inquired a squeaky voice.

Yen Sid's eyes fell upon his former student, King Mickey Mouse, with his two companions at his side, Donald Duck and Goofy. It wasn't hard for, the former keyblade master to see the grief etched onto their faces at the loss of their former friends. A loss they wished not to repeat again for, a second time. All the more reason for them to make haste, and begin eradicating the darkness threatening to take over the worlds, now that there was no one to protect them.

"That I can not say. They're no longer in any danger for, their power is gone."

"Gone?!" Donald yelped in dismay.

Goofy shared a confused look with Donald. "A-hyuck, gone? Is that even possible?"

"Kairi cannot be both, keyblade wielder and princess of heart. The power inside of her was left in dormant, until she chose to accept, or awaken the power of the Keyblade. Thus, making the seven princesses of heart lose their power for being unbalanced, when she accepted it. Making the power be placed anew, among individuals we have not yet seen. Leaving the former princesses of heart protected, and new ones in danger."

King Mickey threw his arms open in protest, displaying his palms facing forward. "If this is true...is there no way to return her power as a princess of heart?"

Yen Sid inhaled deeply. "That I do not know. What happens now, is hidden from me. All we can do, is let the pieces fall where they may."

"What of Namine and Xehanort?"

All eyes flashed across the room, where a fiery red head happened to be leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest, and having come in silently during the meeting. The reactions were immediate. Donald summoned his staff as did Goofy with his shield, ready to attack, when King Mickey, threw up his arms in a protective stance, and crouched down defensively in front of Axel, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Stop!"

"Fellas. he isn't responsible for, what happened to our pals Sora and Riku."

"His Majesty is right. Put down your weapons." Yen Sid demanded.

The air in the room felt rather stuffy to the great wizard Yen Sid, as he looked upon the occupants inside of the room. After a brief moment of silence, did Yen Sid clear his throat, and lean forward over his desk, addressing everyone within the room. "The matter of Xehanort is a long one. I will not go into tedious details concerning him. Whereas the girl, is a whole other matter entirely, one that truly baffles me."

"C'mon old man, I need better answers than that," Axel said stubbornly, "For a nobody to exist without her coherent part, is going to endanger her further, and raise tons of questions. Making her much more vulnerable to the bad guys. And somebody around here, has to deal with the icky job of taking them all down."

"Axel. I can only give you an educated guess, and I could be complete off on my assumptions," Yen Sid began, "Namine could of potential absorbed Kairi's princess of heart power, allowing her to exist once more, without the need of a heart, and grew one of her own. Which means, she would of replaced Kairi's role as one of the seven, and will require protection at all costs. The other plausible theory, is that she came into being, when Kairi's heart began to waver, and the power of the keyblade was the push she needed to break free."

"How will we know, if Namine is one of the seven princesses of heart?" Mickey asked.

"We don't."

"Then what are we supposed to do?!" Axel demanded.

"Easy Axel, I'm sure Master Yen Sid will tell us." King Mickey reassured him.

"Aid Kairi in her search of the new seven princesses of heart. Keep a look out for old organization thirteen members, and stay on your toes. There's no telling what Xehanort will do now. Be forewarned, he will do anything in his power to obtain the x-blade, and submerged the worlds in total darkness. Protect the girls at all costs." Yen Sid said calmly.

"When do we start?" Axel asked sarcastically.

"Today." Yen Sid smiled slyly.

"You must find one of the tortured souls Sora was looking for. I suggest you begin your search in the Realm of Darkness. There you will possibly find an old acquaintance of mine, and she will teach Kairi how to wield the keyblade."

"And what if Kairi refuses?"

"She won't have a choice in the matter. Not for much longer I fear. And getting to the Realm of Darkness is no easy feat. Not even I can access it without trouble."

King Mickey's eyes widen, looking positively shocked. "Why Gosh, Master Yen Sid, you don't mean to say, Aqua is still in there?"

Destiny Island​

The island hadn't changed at all, since the last time she was here. The sky was still the deepest shade of blue she had ever seen, and the sound of waves crashing against the shore, rang softly into her ears as she stood there. Looking out at the sea, roaring with life, as the waves crashed against the boats at the dock; making them rock in place. The jointed island to her left, held so many memories of her time here on the island. Where she would sit on the curved paopu fruit tree, dreaming of exploring new worlds, and going on so many new adventures, with her two best friends. But, no matter how many times she visited the island, she couldn't hear their voices anymore, or the laughter that used to be here.

"Kairi? What brings you to the island? I thought you weren't coming back."

"I keep thinking they'll show up, if I'm here, waiting for them like always." Kairi replied honestly.

"Oh Kairi."

The genuine concern and surprise, Kairi detected in Selphie voice, was something she had grown used to over the past week and a half. At first, it had hurt too much for her to even come here, after witnessing her best friends deaths first hand. Until the bleakness of her house became too much for her to withstand any longer, and needed a change of scenery. Soon it became obvious, when her friends began to quiet down around her presence, carefully walking on egg shells around her, and avoiding all topics of Sora and Riku. Which made things worse, rather than better.

"Do you want to play volleyball with me? Wakka and Tidus keep pestering me to ask you, and we could really use another player." Selphie smiled, peering at Kairi sideways, and stepping into her line of sight.

"We miss you, Kairi."

Kairi opened her mouth, ready to refuse, when she remembered how lonely she had been. Instead, she put in as much effort as possible into making her smile look real. "Sure thing, Selphie. Let's go cream those boys, and show them who's boss!"

"Great!" Selphie beamed, taking hold of Kairi's wrist in her hand, and began dragging her to where, Wakka and Tidus were waiting.

Allowing herself to be dragged away from her spot, Kairi stared up at the sky, willing the stars to appear hidden from her view. Expect there weren't any. All of the worlds were going out one by one, because she refused to do anything, except let her grief consume her. Much to Namine's dismay, who kept trying to talk reason into her head, and push her into seeing the great wizard Yen Sid.

"Great. Just what I needed Namine. Another reminder of Sora and Riku! As if I didn't feel guilty enough as it is!" Was what she had said, prior to blowing up in Namine's face. After that, Kairi didn't see any signs of Namine again from then on. A part of her was too stubborn and angry to listen. Now, she didn't know how to face her own nobody again, and apologize for, the cruel things she had said to her.

"What's this?"

Kairi broke out of her own thoughts, looking at the object Selphie was pointing at with her forefinger. There on the ground, was the crumple piece of paper jammed back into its jar, and with the telltale signs of being from another world. The very bottle Kairi had received that night from his Majesty, and threw into the sea with all her might, refusing to do what he asked of her. Here it was again, mocking her with the familiar stamp of a mouse on the bottle; making her want to scream, and blame them for the trouble they had brought down upon them all.

"Just throw it back into the ocean." Kairi deadpanned, refusing to look at it for a third time, and hastily walked past it.

Selphie automatically dropped the bottle back onto the sand, and quickly stood up, hurrying after her. Completely taken aback by the sudden change of Kairi's attitude, and shouted after her. "Wait up, Kairi!"

Hidden in the Shadows

​

There on the curved paopu fruit tree, sat hidden from view, was Namine in her white dress. Her hands and arms tightening around a notebook pressing against her chest as if to prevent the pain from reaching her, as she bowed her head down in rejection. A gloved hand reached out, patting her gently on the shoulder; trying to comfort her in the only way they knew how to. Which was enough to make her look up from her tears, moved by the gesture to see a familiar pyro donned in a black organization thirteen coat with a serious expression on his face.

"She can't keep running forever." Axel stated.

"I know." Namine whispered.

"Kairi doesn't understand how much dangerous the situation has become. The longer she chooses to ignore it, the sooner this world will be plunged into darkness too."

"And there's only so much time left, before old friends decide to pay a visit." Axel added bitterly, unable to sit still and moved around restlessly.

"What did Yen Sid have to say about my existence?" Namine questioned, staring into his lean back.

The stiffening in his shoulders made Namine's stomach tighten in knots and chest tighten, making it harder to breath, without her feeling a sense of dread and anxiety weighing her down. Trying to speak, Namine swallowed the hard lump lodged in her throat, and opened her mouth. "Axel, what's wron-".

"Namine," Axel said sharply, cutting off further questioning.

"All you need to concentrate on, is what makes you happy. Forget the life of being a nobody, and a witch. You're your own person. And you have me looking after you, and I won't let anything hurt you again."

Namine stared at him in bewilderment, which he returned with a full fledged smile. "Got it Memorized?"

TBC

This may be edited later with additional stuff. First Kingdom Hearts story, I've ever written in so very long, and I will fix all grammar mistakes later on. Please Read and Review. C:​

 

[Mason Stark]

Ahh, this is amazing! I love the concept of Sora and Riku being gone and Kairi having to step up in their place. I hope that she does come to her senses and goes to see Yen Sid. (Also, yay Axel!! C: So awesome to see him~) I cannot wait to read more of this! It's fantastic so far!

 

[Noel]

I always thought of Kairi uve' doing the complete opposite if Sora and Riku were gone. This 'I want to live a normal life again' vibe I'm getting is definitely getting me excited for your next bit!

 

[Gram]

Oh~ It's a reboot of the kairi story! 8D It's great, I still love the idea of Kairi having to cope with a world lacking Sora and Riku. Can't wait to see more. ouo

 

[spirit-of-light]

Good to see you back and writing again KK. I hope Kairi can step up and fill Sora and Riku's shoes. But I have a ton of questions. How did Sora and Riku die (I assume by Xehanort)? Is Roxas still alive? What about Ven? And what will happen to the old princesses of heart?

 

[KingdomKey]

Chapter 2. Forgotten Memories


​

The sand felt hot beneath the soles of her bare feet, making Kairi shift her weight from one foot to the other in attempts to cool them off. Enjoying the sensation of sand squishing up between her toes as she stood there on the opposite side of the net, waiting for the blitz ball to be served. The blaring of the sun made it harder for her to see, but Kairi welcomed the distraction, needing something to take her mind off of things, and make her feel normal again.

"You ready for this, Kairi?" Selphie asked, twisting around with a smile on her face.

"You know it!" Kairi replied, clasping her hands together, and getting into a defensive position.

"No turning back now, ya?" Wakka grinned, tossing the ball up into the air, and leaping up, smacking it with a fist.

"Get ready!" Tidus said cheerfully. "We're not going to take it easy on you guys! Just cause you're girls!"

"Like we need it." Selphie replied cheekily, jumping up and blocking the ball. "Wait till later, when we've beaten you!"

"Get a room, you two, ya." Wakka said, winking at Kairi.

"Who asked you, Wakka?" Tidus exclaimed, tossing the ball in the air, and back flipping, knocking the ball over the net with a kick of his foot. "My heart is reserved for a really special lady."

"Like you have a special lady." Wakka teased. "Too busy, lookin in the mirror."

All four of them broke out into laughter, chatting away like they normally would. Kairi realized she felt at home with Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka. Even if, her bonds with them weren't nearly as strong, because she knew them through Sora and Riku. As the laughter ceased away, Kairi noticed Tidus head was hung down low as Wakka shook him playfully by the shoulder; hiding the expression on his face. That is, until Tidus caught her looking at him, and simply shook his head at her concern.

"Incoming!" Selphie cheered, with one hand shielding her eyes, as she looked up at the sky, and pointed her index finger at the forgotten blitz ball.

"Got it!" Dashing forward through the sand, Kairi thrust her forearms out, and caught the blitz ball on the end of her wrist; knocking it back up into the air. Selphie took that as her cue, leaping up into the air, and smacking the ball over the net. "Oh no, you don't!" Tidus retorted, leaping out across the sand, desperate to catch it, but missed by a mere two inches, and got a face full of sand.

"What did I tell ya?" Selphie squealed, high fiving Kairi. "We got them, eh, Kairi!"

Kairi smiled in amusement, watching Selphie parade around Tidus and Wakka, savoring their first victory in a volleyball match against the boys. When something black, caught the corner of her eye, making her squint past the three of them, and see a figure, with familiar spikey hair go through a door. Its not possible. All of the normalcy she had felt moments ago, was erased by the spike of anxiety building up into her chest, causing her to tremble where she stood. With robotic movements, did Kairi rub the back of her hand against her eyes, willing it to be a hallucination, and looked again. Nothing. Nothing was there.

"What's not possible, Kairi?"

Kairi winced. Not realizing she had spoken aloud, and quickly tried to make something believable up. "I just thought I saw...I saw a paopu fruit lying around. Yeah, that's it. Must be a sign that somebody here wants to share it." All three of her friends looked at each other, silently conversing between themselves, and looked at her again. A sinking feeling welled up in the pit of her stomach, when Kairi saw Wakka rub the back of his head, looking confused, and avoiding her gaze. Selphie's smile falter, but quickly recovered, and nudged Tidus playfully with her elbow into his stomach.

"Maybe, Tidus here, secretly wants to share it with Wakka." Tidus glared at Selphie, rubbing his stomach with one hand, and reaching out with the other to grab a hold of the happy go lucky girl. Only Selphie danced away from his grasp, laughing at his misfortune. Childishly, placing her hand against her cheek, and using a finger to drag her eye down; while sticking her tongue out. "You know, you love him, Tidus." Selphie teased.

Tidus rounded on her by chasing her into the water. "Take it back, Selphie!"

"Make me!" Selphie replied, watching him trip on a slippery rock and fall into the sparkling water with a splash.

The sun was beginning to set around them, casting the island in a reddish and orange glow. Reminding the four of them, they'd be needing to leave soon, before it got to late for them to return to the main island; unable to see in the dark, and the water unstable for, them to cross with their boats. As the breeze picked up, Kairi kept her strands of long red hair out of her face with a free hand, smiling gratefully at Selphie for, taking the attention off of her. They might not be Sora and Riku, but they're still my friends.

"Time to head back, ya?" Wakka stated, picking up the ball and tucking it under one arm.

Having been lost in her own thoughts, Kairi felt something grasp her arm, and bring back to reality. Realizing Tidus had grabbed hold of her by the elbow. "I need a minute with Kairi. You two go on ahead." Kairi's blue eyes widen, as she was pulled away from the docks by a determined Tidus. As they drew away from the docks, Kairi could hear Selphie squealing excitedly in the background, exclaiming Tidus, was going to confess his undying love to her. Wakka wincing, telling her to quiet down, and get in the boat.

"Where are you taking me, Tidus?" Kairi questioned, the further away they got.

Tidus ignored her, finding a suitable place to talk, where they couldn't be heard. Then he let go of her, and tucked his hands into his pant pockets; not facing her quite yet. "I'm beginning to remember things, things about me and Wakka."

"Selphie was joking, Tidus. She didn't really mean it-" Kairi began, reaching out with her hand to reassure him with a pat on the shoulder.

"I know!" Tidus whirled around, slapping her hand away. "This isn't why I dragged you out here!"

Kairi clutched her smacked hand to the chest, feeling instantly hurt, and felt tears pricking at her eyes. "You didn't have to be rude about it." As the words left her lips, Kairi twisted around, no longer caring about his problems; already having enough on her plate. Only a hand clasping her shoulder kept her leaving. Frustration welled up inside of Kairi, from struggling against the hand holding her in place, knowing she should of ran off, when she had the chance.

"Please hear me out, Kairi." Tidus pleaded. "I need someone to talk to. Selphie wouldn't understand, and Wakka, thinks I'm delusional."

Kairi summoned all of the venom she could into her voice. "Make it quick."

"You saw something earlier, didn't you, Kairi?"

"If this is what its about, I don't want to hear it from you, Tidus." Kairi retorted, pulling away from his grasp.

"Wait, I'm not done," Tidus said hurriedly, "My memories have been coming back. I started to see a girl, I used to care for and love. At first, I thought I was dreaming until I realized she wasn't a dream. I think her name was Yuna. Somehow, we got separated, and I know she's out there, looking for me. And I need your help, because I know something is wrong."

"What makes you think, something is wrong? Or that I can help you, Tidus?" Kairi asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Because, you thought you saw someone just moments ago." Tidus said firmly. "Who was it, Kairi? What did you see?"

"You were the closest to Sora and Riku. You know something big is going to happen to our world, and I can see it in your eyes, even when you try to deny it. You have the power to change it, and I know that you do."

Hastily, Kairi shook her head. "It was trick of the light, I didn't see anything at all. And that's all you need to know." Then without warning, Kairi bolted for the docks, no longer wanting to know more. Her heart racing, pounding loudly inside of her ears as she ran away, hearing his words repeat themselves inside of her mind, on an endless loop she wanted to shut off. Only allowing herself to feel, a brief moment of sympathy for Tidus, who was left standing there, starring off after her; looking crestfallen.

On the way back to the main island inside of her boat, Kairi kept chanting to herself, "I'm not Sora."

Inside Her House

​

Kairi flopped down onto her bed, the moment she got home, burying her face into a pillow. Doing everything she could, to drown out the world around her, and forget what Tidus had said. Only it wasn't working. With a huff, she propped herself up into a sitting position, and proceeded to punch her pillow with reckless abandon. Knowing the truth, was staring her right in the face, and refusing to let her be.

Who was it? What did you see?

"I thought I saw Sora." Kairi responded angrily. "He's gone. He'll never come back! Just a figment of my imagination now."

You're like me, Kairi. You see people, who aren't there.

"I'm nothing like you!" Kairi threw her pillow across the room, hearing it smack against the wall, and land with a thud. Burying her face into the palms of her hands, she started to sob. "It isn't fair. Can't I just have one day to myself? I didn't ask for any of this. I wanted to forget, pretend nothing happened. Is that really so much to ask for?"

"I'll never be like Sora or Riku. They would of done anything...anything at all, to reunite you together with your precious Yuna. I hate you, I hate all of you for, taking Sora and Riku away from me. Always having to save the world, and leave me behind. Because, they were too kind hearted. I want my friends back." After an hour of sobbing, did Kairi finally fall asleep, unable to stay awake, and keep herself from dreaming of things, she rather forget. Unbeknownst to her, outside of her bedroom door, stood Namine, slowly lowering her hand down to her side. Having heard, every last word.

~~~

​

There was something wrong with the sun, Kairi thought as she stepped onto the shores of Destiny Island. Both Sora and Riku were facing her, smiling at her. "We'll be back, before you know it." Sora exclaimed, holding her luck charm for her to see. "And he has back up, should something be a missed." Riku added, patting Sora on the shoulder. Kairi tried her best to smile, but couldn't shake the feeling away, as she watched them enter a corridor of light and disappear.

It was as if, the world shifted, when Kairi found herself standing on a grassy plane, four individual roads before laid out her, and she, was standing at its center. A few feet away, stood Riku holding his ground against a cloaked individual with Way to Dawn held high in his hand, matching blow to blow with the opposing figure's keyblade, trying to keep the blade from taking his heart. There was smears of dirt on his body, clothes torn in places, and debris every where. To her horror, Kairi could hear him asking her, "Why are you here? Kairi...RUN!" Only to see him crumple before his eyes, a keyblade sticking through his chest. "I'm sorry, Kairi."

In that moment, Kairi could see herself screaming out his name, watching him smile, when Way to Dawn and the Kingdom Key flew in midair, circulating around him and the cloaked individual. Two beams of light flew from their tips, colliding in the center, and erupting in an explosion. Sora was nowhere to be seen. As the smoke cleared, Kairi could see Riku lying across a rock, starting to glow. "No...don't go...stay with me, Riku!" Instead, Riku mustered what strength he had left, lifting his hand up onto the rock, and slowly, unclenching his fingers, which held Sora's crowned necklace.

Tears streamed down her face, when Kairi saw the pained look in Riku's aquamarine eyes. Knowing Sora was slain by the same individual, Riku tried to take down with all of his fury; only to fail. "Hurry, take it." As the words left his lips, parts of him were beginning to disappear into the air. "Take care of her, Namine." Were his final parting words. The rain continued to pour around her, mixing in with her tears, as she knelt where he laid, and picked up the necklace from where it rested.

"We can't stay here, Kairi! We have to go back! Its not safe!" a voice said, trying to reach through to her. Kairi felt numb to the bone, wanting to wake up from this nightmare, and see, their smiling faces again. That Sora and Riku were still here. How all of this was really a lie. A joke. The ground opened up, making Kairi's world fall apart, and be consumed by darkness. Inside the darkness, lingered a blue haired individual, someone Kairi couldn't remember, but felt the name on the tip of her tongue.

The sensation of hitting the ground with a thump startled her, finding herself on a colorful platform, and seeing a mirror directly in front of her. "You could of saved them, Kairi. Stopped them from leaving. Anything at all." Herself mocked from within the mirror. "Instead, you watched them walk straight into their deaths. Didn't have a single kind word to say to Riku. Now he'll never know, you never blamed him for Sora dying." Kairi threw her fist into the mirror, watching it shatter, and pain spike through her clenched fist. "You didn't even see, who killed them. You're worthless."

"A waste of space." The shadow continued. "Can't even do one thing right. Too afraid to admit it."

"Shut up! I don't have to listen to this!" Kairi screamed back. "I'll show you, you're wrong!"

"Defeat me, and then, we'll talk." The shadow was an exact replica of Kairi, its golden eyes were mocking her, judging her, and waiting patiently for, her to stand up. "Or you'll lose, what you have left. Then where you will be?" The shadow pointed its forefinger at her hand. "If you don't fight, and use what they left you. Then what good are you?"

Kairi stumbled to her feet, biting back the pain she felt in her hand, and flung her arm out, summoning the Kingdom Key to her hand. "I'm done with this dream!" Racing forward, Kairi slashed horizontally with the Kingdom Key, missing the shadow entirely. "Tch, can't even touch me." Enraged by this, Kairi slashed out wildly, each blow missing its target. "I must of been mistaken, thinking you had what it takes to wield the keyblade, and take back, what you've lost."

The shadow took the Kingdom Key right out of her hand. "Too bad, this is the end for you." Then the shadow leapt forward, Kairi threw her hands up to defend herself, and felt something hit her chest... The Kingdom Key impaled her through the ribs, whipping her head up, she saw the shadow leering right at her with a cruel smile on its face.

Kairi instantly woke up as she hit the floor on all fours, beads of sweat dripped down the sides of her face. Wearily, Kairi pulled her shirt up, seeing her skin was intact, and nothing was there. With slow, calculated movements, Kairi crawled across the floor on her hands and knees, grabbing the pillow from where she had thrown it, and held it tightly to her chest. Moonlight shown down through her window, bathing Kairi in its light from where she rested, with her back against the door, knees drawn up the chest, and her face buried into the pillow. In her outstretched hand, dangling from her fingertips was none other then the crowned necklace that belonged to Sora.

On the Island

​

"Kai..Kairi." Namine coughed, suspended in the air with vines wrapped around her throat. Her hands clawing at the vines, trying to loosen them, but felt her arms be yanked away; ceasing her attempts at escape.

"Looks like, she isn't going to come to your rescue," mocked a female voice. "Remind you of someone? Oh that's right, what was his name again? The Keyblade Hero. Wasn't much of a hero, if you ask me."

"Larxene," chided a male voice, "Try not to break her, will you? She could still be of use to us."

"Won't you, Namine?" Namine closed her blue eyes, ignoring the gloved hand caressing her cheek. Not going to give them the satisfaction of seeing her weaken at the sight of them, or what they do to her. Praying with all her might, Axel would find her, and stop them from taking her, or harming Kairi.

TBC ​

Oh~ It's a reboot of the kairi story! 8D It's great, I still love the idea of Kairi having to cope with a world lacking Sora and Riku. Can't wait to see more. ouo

Each chapter will hint at something important. You'll definitely see more chapter of this over time. I should mention, I will go back to editing each one, if I feel something wasn't done right, or I left something out. With that said, thank you for, reading the first chapter. I hope you come back for more.

Good to see you back and writing again KK. I hope Kairi can step up and fill Sora and Riku's shoes. But I have a ton of questions. How did Sora and Riku die (I assume by Xehanort)? Is Roxas still alive? What about Ven? And what will happen to the old princesses of heart?

By all means, fire away with your questions. ;D

Kairi has a lot of pressure to deal with. It isn't easy losing your two best friends, and suddenly having the weight of the world on your shoulders. Kairi is strong, but she's also human, and has wants of her own.

*smiles* You're only partially right. Xehanort had a part to do with their deaths. Kairi had only witnessed Riku dying with a last resort, hoping to take down the person who, took down Sora. Only it didn't work, and he ended up dying in the process. You'll see what became of Sora, when the time is right in later chapters.

Roxas and Ventus. They're a special case. I can't go into depth yet, but you'll see them soon.

As for the former princess of hearts, their power is gone. Leaving them vulnerable to villains of their world. One villain in particular is displeased, when discovering this.

I always thought of Kairi uve' doing the complete opposite if Sora and Riku were gone. This 'I want to live a normal life again' vibe I'm getting is definitely getting me excited for your next bit!

I want to portray Kairi as a human being. I could of had her take off on her own adventure, wielding the keyblade, and saving the day. But, I think its important, that we get to see how she feels about all of this instead. Don't worry, she'll come around, and be herself again.

Ahh, this is amazing! I love the concept of Sora and Riku being gone and Kairi having to step up in their place. I hope that she does come to her senses and goes to see Yen Sid. (Also, yay Axel!! C: So awesome to see him~) I cannot wait to read more of this! It's fantastic so far!

Thank you so much! <3 You'll see more of Axel in the following chapters to come. Along with other individuals. For now, I'll try to write this in the best capable form I can. I have a lot set up for the next few chapters, and I'm excited to have them come to life.

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading this! I really appreciate your reviews, and it inspires me to write more. As always, please read and review, whenever you can.

 

[Gram]

Really good chapter, especially the dream part, it was very well written for tugging at her emotions and doubts and such. =O

 

[KingdomKey]

Chapter 3. Confrontation

The streets were pitch black as he hurried along them, tailing a silhouette figure in a dark cloak with their hood up. Each twist and turn was gnawing on his nerves, the farther in he went to chase after this person on a hunch; knowing he was leaving someone behind unprotected. It felt like a clock was ticking away somewhere, looming over him instead of the tall skyscrapers glowing eerily blue, making him break out into a cold sweat. Only the cool air kept his mind clear from all distractions, making it easier to detect the presence of Neoshadows lurking beneath the ground, that were constantly searching for hearts to snatch up in a blink of an eye. They were a threat he had no time to waste on when his objective was straight ahead of him.

To think this place still exists. Boy, was I in for a surprise. I thought for sure it was done for after the battle with Xemnas. Sora and Riku sure did a number on the place. Broken buildings everywhere. Not even a single trace of Kingdom Hearts having ever existed in such a depressing place like this. Was it a coincidence to show up here, or could it really be fate...?

As he followed the cloaked individual, it took all his will power not to sprint after it. Instead, he used his long legs to keep up with its breakneck pace, knowing he was backing it into a corner. A smile broke out on his lips, the moment it halted and nearly turned around, upon realizing its mistake. A dead end. Much more convenient to capture his target, unless it puts up a fight.

"Didn't I tell you, Roxas? I'll always be there to bring you back. You can stop running now."

Closing the remaining gap between himself and Roxas, Axel reached out with his gloved hand, and grasped him firmly by the forearm. "We need you, now more than ever." Then feeling a little embarrassed, he muttered quietly for Roxas to hear, "I need you." Getting no response, Axel tighten his fingers onto the silky material of Roxas old organization coat, and gave it a playful tug. "And I need someone to eat ice cream with." As if it weren't enough, he made a move to ruffle Roxas's hair. "What do you say? Let's go get some, huh, buddy?"

"You should stop while you're ahead, Axel." Roxas replied, smacking his gloved hand away. "I never pegged you as an idiot until now. Falling for a mere ruse."

Axel glared. "I don't give up on my friends. Something you're not capable of understanding."

"You act as if you have friends, Axel."

The image of Roxas fell away in one sweeping motion, revealing Ienzo standing there, wearing a smug look on his face, and donning a white lab cloak. "A pity, you can't tell the difference between what's real and fake."

"What's a pity," Axel began, "is still following orders, without thinking for yourself."

Ienzo smiled, sliding his hand up through his silver locks of hair. "Who says I am? You should be more careful who you're speaking to, Axel. Lower your guard down too much, and someone might just get the drop on you."

Axel's green eyes widen in surprise, throwing his arms out to summon his chakrams into his waiting hands. A motion he did too late, as a pair of hands grasped tightly around the back of his shoulders, and prevented him from moving. Not willing to give up so quickly, he began to struggle against his aggressor, but lost his footing as he was shoved head first into the wall. A searing pain erupted across his forehead, causing his vision to darken as he was hit with a wave of dizziness. Something warm and wet slid down the side of his face, and smelling sickly sweet of iron. As if that wasn't enough, a hand grabbed hold of the back of his hair, entangling itself none to kindly in his fiery red hair, and yanked his head back.

"Its so nice to see you again, Axel. We have so much to catch up on."

"Did you miss us?"

Axel felt his hair being gripped tighter, making him grunt in pain. Completely disoriented as he blindly thrashed out, causing an abrupt round of laughter around him as the hand loosened its hold on his hair.

"So sorry, Axel. Does it hurt?" Inquired a female voice, speaking directly into his ear.

"I know just how to make you feel...ALL BETTER!"

Unable to prepare for the oncoming blow, Axel felt his face smash into the brick wall for a second time that evening. The hands holding him up fell away, leaving him to crumple onto the ground, and land roughly on his side; leaving him at the mercy of his perpetrators. As he slowly tried to draw his arms up into an x formation to defend himself, Axel could barely make out the boot flying into his vision, and grunted in pain as he felt the powerful kick hit his ribs. he was barely able to breathe after having the air knocked right out of his lungs.

"That's quite enough, Larxene." Ienzo stated, watching from where he stood a few feet away. "You got what you wanted."

"I don't remember asking you for your opinion, Ienzo." Larxene sneered, "It'll never be enough for this traitor!"

Axel took that as a warning, catching the next powerful blow of her boot with his arm in the nick of time, and bit back the need to scream in agony. A gasp of displeasure was enough to make him smile in victory. His vision fully returning as he pulled himself up off the ground, fighting back the wave of nausea that threatened to spill his guts out, and leaned up against the wall for support. "I didn't miss you at all, Larxene."

"How mean of you, Axel," Larxene said. "You might just break my heart."

"You? A heart?" Axel laughed, "Like that would ever happen."

Ienzo sighed, pinching his nose between his fingers, feeling a headache coming on. "Larxene, I wouldn't keep Marluxia waiting any longer if I were you."

Larxene rolled her eyes in response. "Looks like I'll have to cut this reunion short. Until next time, Axel."

"Keep him busy, Ienzo." Larxene added with a hint of warning in her voice.

Axel stepped forward, feeling the sudden urge to go after the savage nymph, and see what she was up to. Much to his annoyance, Ienzo stepped into his path and prevented him from following after her. The gut feeling growing worse as Larxene disappeared from his line of sight; leaving a sense of dread in her wake. Axel charged forward, hoping the rush was enough to knock Ienzo aside. Instead, he fell straight through another illusion, and caught himself in time before he hit the ground on all fours.

"Sorry, but this is as far as you get to go, Axel." Ienzo said, appearing a few feet away with a stoic emotion on his face.

"Stop messing around, and get out of my way!" Axel retorted angrily, getting back up on his feet.

"Ask more nicely, and I'll think about it." Ienzo smiled, casually flipping through his lexicon.

The area around them vanished into a white void, leaving no exits to be seen. Axel summoned his chakrams into the palms of his hands, gripping them tightly, and setting them ablaze, determined to get out of here. Ienzo merely watched from the sidelines, disappearing from his view. In a matter of seconds, three Ienzos appeared, and surrounded Axel into a triangular formation to block his way.

"What happened to the Ienzo I knew? Afraid of a fifteen year old boy. You were so much easier to dispose of, when I had Replica Riku under my control." Axel mocked, tossing a blazing chakram his way.

Ienzo deflected the chakram away with his lexicon, volleying it back around to Axel's awaiting hand.

"Now why do you have to be like that? I was going to leave our endeavors from Castle Oblivion behind." Ienzo questioned, scattering copies of his lexicons in midair.

Each lexicon shot through the air, knocking into Axel from all directions. Only to be set afire as Axel formed a ring of fire around himself, obliterating them into ashes.

Ienzo huffed in irritation. "This is proving to be tedious." Throwing his arm out, more lexicons took place of the ruined ones.

"Stop jerking me around. If Riku weren't dead, you'd be in hiding." Axel replied, charging through each one with a streak of fire in his wake; growing overly confident, the longer he fought Iezno. A big mistake.

A ring of lexicons suddenly sprang upward from the ground, spiraling too quickly for Axel's eyes to keep track of. In an attempt to stop it, Axel threw one of his chakrams into it, and watched it fall pathetically onto the ground before his feet. Leaping slightly back, Axel drew his arm back then threw his other chakram into the swirling vortex with as much fire as he could muster, only to leave a gapping hole of fire in its place. Sighing in irritation, Axel adjusted his hold on his chakrams, using them the best he could to deflect the books smacking into him from all directions.

"Now, now, Axel. That's no way to talk to your betters." Ienzo taunted. "You've left something behind, didn't you? Oh what could it be?"

"Namine!" Axel said in alarm, growing weary of this constant attack, and unable to defend himself properly with his chakrams.

With quick thinking, Axel wrapped his arms around his chest, containing as much heat as he possible could withstand, and expelled it from his body. The blast of heat was enough to set the vortex on fire, blowing it up instantly on impact. The smoke made it harder for Axel to see anything within two feet of himself as he inhaled deeply, and began coughing his lungs out; trying his best to clear the air with a wave of his hand. Ash coated the ground as he pushed onward from the smoke, rubbing his watery eyes in attempt to see better.

"Well done, Axel. You have brain cells after all." Ienzo said, clapping his hands together.

As the smoke began to clear away, the white void grew abruptly darker, leaving three spotlights in the room for both occupants to see. Upon closer inspection, one of the spot lights happened to be blue, and Ienzo once again, was out of sight. Axel hung his head in defeat, having not expected Ienzo to be this tough of an opponent. The time was ticking away the longer he kept trying to hold off Ienzo's attacks; not even being on the offensive was helping him here.

"Ienzo! Quit playing games!" Axel barked, trying to set the place ablaze to break through this illusion.

None of which was working. Upon realizing this he stopped after the first three tries, and noticed the blue light was moving between the remaining two spot lights within the pitch black room. Finding this odd, Axel braced himself as he counted how many times it switched and moved between the lights. A total of twelve times, making the room feel like it was suffocating him as he watched in suspense, seeing it finally slow down and stop for the thirteenth time.

"Wait until that poor girl hears you've forgotten all about her for a goose chase." Ienzo laughed.

The ground began to rumble beneath his feet, making Axel turn this way and that for the source. By the time he remembered to look up, his green eyes widen at the sight of meteors falling straight towards him. As he moved to dodge away from them, rolling on the ground and getting back up on his feet, he realized it was futile. Meteors began to bombard the pitch black room leaving no room to escape, or way to hide from them. Axel was pushed to his breaking point as he tried to protect himself from each blow, feeling the pressure and heat from each onslaught that rained down on him. The weight of the meteors falling atop of him was enough to bash Axel into the ground when his arms finally gave out from deflecting each one.

"Please...be...safe." Axel silently prayed, thinking of a girl with blonde hair, and blue eyes, too innocent to harm a fly, and was waiting for him to come back home.

He tried to fight back the exhaustion that was beckoning him to go unconscious as his vision began to darken; grimacing in pain as he was struck down with yet another meteor. His backside was bearing most of the blows, leaving Axel to bite back the whimpers of pain, feeling his back was on fire. Unable to get away from each blow that struck the backside of his body, making him grow weaker by the minute. The need to get away was diminishing as he tried to push himself up off the ground with his hands and knees, only to be struck down by a heavier meteor, making him crumple onto the ground.

Then as if Ienzo was getting the last laugh, a meteor bigger than all of the rest set the pitch black room alight as it crashed down, and erupted entirely into flames.​

An Hour Later


​

"Get your filthy hands off of her!" roared out a worn down voice.

"Shut up, Axel." Larxene retorted.

Namine startled, looked up to see Axel looking straight at her, with concern in his green eyes, and mouthing the words, 'are you okay?'. Instead of replying, she looked past his face, seeing he was being held up by the hood of his cloak by Ienzo, looking worse for ware, judging by the bruises visible on his face. There was no obvious signs of a struggle between the two them, when Ienzo dropped him onto the ground carelessly. This caused a great deal of concern to dwell in Namine's, wondering what she was missing, that was obviously starring at her right in the face.

"Axel, what's going on?" Namine asked, struggling harder to be freed of the vines, to go to him. The vines tightening around her each and every time she moved; making her wince as they bit into her skin.

"Its not as bad as it looks." Axel said reassuringly, laughing off her concern.

"Now that the both of you are here," Marluxia said slowly, watching their attention shift to his direction. "We're here to deliver a message to your keyblade wielder."

"A warning to be precise." He whispered seductively into Namine's ear, enjoying the way she trembled beneath his touch.

"What makes you think, we'll deliver it?" Axel questioned, struggling to get up, upon seeing the look of fear etched on Namine's face, and feeling his limbs proving to be useless, as he pushed his torso up off the ground with shaky arms.

"You never learn, do you, Axel?" Larxene deadpanned, kicking Axel's arms out from under him.

"Axel!" Namine cried out, hating the pained look on his face, seeing him roll on the ground in pain, and wishing all of this was a nightmare. Here she was, proving to be useless again, watching her friends suffer, because she was too weak to help them, or save herself.

"Stop it! Stop hurting him!"

Larxene looked over her shoulder at Marluxia, waiting to hear the command to 'stop'. At the shake of Marluxia's head, Larxene laughed gleefully, and continued to knock Axel around as much as she liked. "So sorry, Namine. Marluxia didn't tell me to stop, and I'm having...way too much...FUN!"

"Don't look away, Namine. This is all of your fault." Marluxia cooed to her, smiling cruelly down at her, as she cried silently in horror each time, Larxene kicked at Axel with the heels of her boots. "If you want it to stop, then you need to listen to us, and do exactly as we say."

"Don't...Don't listen to them." Axel said between clenched teeth, eyes shut tight as he endure the blows to his body.

"Can it, Axel." Larxene hissed darkly, pouncing down on his back, ignoring the cry of agony he made, and holding his face down against the ground. "Don't give the little witch any ideas."

"Shall I tell them?" Ienzo said impatiently, catching the sadistic couple's attention.

"No." Marluxia stated, withdrawing his hands and arms away from Namine. Knowing she's come to him, as soon as she reached her limit; seeking guidance from anyone from around her. "They're ready to listen now."

Larxene peeled her body off of Axel's back, ruffling the back of his hair, and taking her place by Ienzo's side. "Be a good boy, Axel. And maybe next time, it won't hurt nearly as much."

"If you're done speaking to the traitor, Larxene, we'll get straight to the point." Marluxia said, cupping Namine's chin, peering into her tear streaked face.

At the sound of silence greeting his ears, Marluxia smiled, and cleared his throat. "We're here to tell you both, to keep your princess of heart from interfering on other worlds. From taking up the keyblade, and becoming a keyblade master. It would interfere with our plans, and I don't think you'd like to see anymore of your friends get hurt. Right, Namine? You want to protect your friends, don't you?"

"Yes, Marluxia." Namine said softly.

"I doubt that would be much of a problem." Axel said bitterly, knowing Kairi wasn't in any condition to listen to their pleas.

"Then our work here is done."

The moment the three of them were gone, and out of sight, Axel let out the breath he was holding, feeling somewhat relieved to see Namine wasn't hurt. The sound of feet hitting the ground, and rushing to his side, was too much for him to bear emotionally. So he shut his eyes, as she drew closer to him, hearing her gasp softly at the sight of him. Knowing she'd be able to see the full extent of damage that was done to his body, at the hands of Marluxia, Larxene, and Ienzo; confirming they weren't safe from them. He failed her.

Axel inhaled sharply, feeling something soft and delicate. He lifted his head up, and placed it on something warm. Unable to relax quite yet, he held his breath until no threat came, and slowly exhaled, letting his body finally relax. The sound of waves crashing against the shores was enough to lull him to sleep, but something wet kept dripping onto his face, and keeping him awake.

"Is it raining, Namine?" Axel asked softly, earning a half-hearted laugh choking on a sob from her.

"Yes, yes it is." Namine replied, wiping the tears away from her eyes with the backs of her hands.

"You're not a very good liar, Namine." Axel said kindly, opening his green eyes up to stare at Namine's blue ones, peering down at him.

The sun began to rise on Destiny Island, basking the island in its soft, warm glow. Everything on the island began to wake and stir from its slumber, knowing it was a whole new day to begin anew. As the sunlight touched the jointed island that once belonged to Sora, Riku, and Kairi, it fell upon Namine's trembling back from where she sat; hunched over Axel as she cried her heart out, and held Axel closely in her arms.​

TBC​

 

[spirit-of-light]

I feel so bad for Axel, having to have failed protecting Namine. And Namine for having to suffer because of Marluxia and the others. But what could Marluxia be planning? I know he wanted the power of the keyblade, so he could take over the Organization, but what then? And I'm still curious about Roxas' fate. I even got my hopes up when he appeared in the beginning (even if it was just a trick). Then there's the matter of Kairi. I know she has her own wants and desires, but now there's Marluxia and his bunch around, Xehanort, and who knows what other villains are out there. But I'm sure she'll step up and defend her home when the time comes.

 

[KingdomKey]

I feel so bad for Axel, having to have failed protecting Namine. And Namine for having to suffer because of Marluxia and the others. But what could Marluxia be planning? I know he wanted the power of the keyblade, so he could take over the Organization, but what then? And I'm still curious about Roxas' fate. I even got my hopes up when he appeared in the beginning (even if it was just a trick). Then there's the matter of Kairi. I know she has her own wants and desires, but now there's Marluxia and his bunch around, Xehanort, and who knows what other villains are out there. But I'm sure she'll step up and defend her home when the time comes.

Really pulled on your heart strings, huh? Axel knew it was a risk to venture out on a hunch. Had he asked Namine, he knew she would of told him to go. Roxas is important to the both of them, and they're putting their hopes up, hoping there's a small chance of Roxas being out there somewhere.

Marluxia's ambitions have changed since then. The Organization no longer exists, aside from what few members are left. There are a few powerful players in this story. You have just witnessed the first group. Each one has a goal in mind, unaware that they'll have to cross paths sooner or later. Marluxia and the others, got their taste of revenge, since the first time they got back. Now that they've accomplished their first step, they'll move onto the next.

As for what Kairi will do? You'll just have to wait and see.

 

[Roxie1563]

So, looks like things is heating up, huh?

I'm shocked to see a world without Sora and Riku, and that Kairi is the next heroine to save all Worlds. Also, something tells me that Xehanort is still alive and with a grander plan than usual that will force Kairi to get it together and beat that old pompous ass that is old man Xehanort..

Looking forward to the next chapter, Kat! Oh, you're good at heart-tugging story that tugs my feels to a higher level.. ;D

 

[Gram]

;A; Axel </3

Great chapter .