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Fanfiction ► Kingdom Hearts i: Graceful Vengeance



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Evello

The Radiant Hero
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Here's my second story, KHi (don't worry, I'm still writing KHD). This story is different from my other in that it takes place entirely in existing worlds with existing characters. That's right, no OC's. Now the point of the KHi series is that I will change one, and only one, event from the series, and the the story will show the result of that change. Because of that, some of the early scenes will actually be extended versions of scenes from the games. Sorry. So if you don't know anything about KH:Days and KH:CoM, I wouldn't suggest reading this story.

Oh, and I accept any and all criticism. And I mean ALL criticism. Anything you can do to help me make this story better is much appreciated. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own KH, its characters, or its worlds. I also do not own some of the dialogue of this story.

Kingdom Hearts i:
Graceful Vengeance

Day 21 – Prologue: Memories


Roxas shook his spiky blond hair away from his eyes as he glanced over at his friend, Axel, and took the first bite of his blue sea-salt ice cream. Axel lifted his head off his raised knee, leaving small indented lines in his skin where the seams of his black robes had pressed against his chin.

The two were perched at the top of a tall clock tower above the train station in Twilight Town, with their feet dangling over a ledge. Right below them was a large clock, which had just struck six. In the distance, the sun was setting beyond the horizon in a blaze of gold and red.

“Hey, Axel,” Roxas asked, “Why don't you have ice cream with the other members of the Organization? You're always up here with me.”

Axel chuckled and answered lazily, “Well, who did I tell you people share ice cream with?”

“What do you mean?” Roxas asked, not sure what to answer, “You said friends share ice cream.”

“Exactly. And I don't have ice cream with the rest of the Organization, so what does that mean?”

“...You're not... friends?” Roxas answered slowly, trying to judge by Axel's reaction if he was right or not.

“Bingo,” Axel said, pointing his ice cream at Roxas, “I'm just not friends with them. Got it memorized?”

“But...” Roxas began, taking a moment to think of the proper wording, “who did you have ice cream with before I joined?”

“I didn't. Well, not in the Organization, anyway.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I just mean that, a long time ago, I had a friend like you, Roxas. Well not exactly like you, but he and I were close. I still remember having ice cream with him during summer vacations.”

“What's a summer vacation?”

“It's... well... it's kinda... you sure do have a lot of questions, don't you?”

“Well yeah, it's not like I can remember anything from before the Organization.”

“True, it's just... heh, you kinda remind me of me. Well, when I was a kid anyway. During summer vacation, the other kids and I didn’t have any schoolwork to do, so we got to play and do whatever we wanted all the time.”

“What’s schoolwork?”

“It’s…” Axel started, scratching his head under his spiky red hair, “Well it’s… missions. It’s like orders you have to do. And during summer, we didn’t have any, so we could have ice cream whenever we wanted.”

“Oh…It must be nice to have memories,” Roxas muttered.

“Yeah, but you have them too.” Axel thought for a moment and then asked, “What did you do yesterday?”

“I went on a mission with Marluxia and then had ice cream with you.”

“See!” Axel said, waving his half-eaten ice cream through the air, “You do have memories. Memories are what define something. Everyone has memories. Otherwise they'd be...”

“A zombie,” Roxas said solemnly, remembering what Axel had taught him about movies.

“Yeah, a zombie,” Axel laughed, biting off the last of his ice cream and beginning to chew on the remains of his ice cream stick.

Roxas took the last bite of his ice cream, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Not knowing what to do with the stick, he let it slip from his hand and watched as it slowly dropped to the ground below.

“Hey, Axel,” Roxas asked slowly, “If someone lost all their memories, would they still be the same person?”

“...I'm not sure I get where you're coming from...”

“You said memories define something. But I didn't have any memories when I joined the Organization. Do you think... that I was someone else before I was me, and I just don't remember it?”

“Well of course you were someone else, you didn't just appear like this. You just lost your memories.”

“But if someone loses their memories, do they become someone else? Was I Roxas before I lost my memories, and did still I think like me? Did I act like me? Who was I?”

“I don't know… I bet Vexen would say that when you lose your memories, you're a blank slate, and you're a new person. But I think...I think no matter what happens, you'll still be you deep down inside.”

Roxas smiled a bit and shoved Axel, “Then I guess I better start trying to remember my old life.”

“Nah, you're fine just how you are, Roxas.”

“Thanks, Axel. I don't know what I'd do without you.”

Axel looked up at the sunset with Roxas and slowly let go of his ice cream stick, letting it fall to the ground near Roxas'.




Day 25 – The Tie that Binds


Lexaeus grimaced and proceeded through the flowing shadows of the corridor of darkness to the highest room in Castle Oblivion. As he emerged into the room, he glanced about his surroundings, curious to observe any recent changes. The room was made solely of white marble, and was completely bare besides a small chair and a large, glowing orb on a pedestal. The only inhabitant of the room was a tall man wearing a black Organization coat. The man was much shorter than Lexaeus, and much thinner as well. He had curly pink hair, and evaluated Lexaeus with cold indifference as he entered the room.

“Marluxia, why have you summoned me?”

“I'm curious,” Marluxia answered in his smooth deep voice. “What have you and Zexion been up to in the basements lately? Vexen has visited us up here several times for his little project, and yet we haven't heard a peep out of either of you two since we arrived.”

“Our business is no concern of yours,” Lexaeus growled.

Marluxia let out a quick laugh, “The Superior has appointed me lord of the castle, so all of your business is my concern. I wouldn't want anyone to think you are... plotting.”

“Cut the act, Marluxia, what is it you want?”

“What I want is proof. I want proof of what you're doing and when you're doing it. I want logs, projects, and experiments. I want you to plead for me not to convict you of treason against the Organization. You're trying to foil my, and thus the Organzization's, plans.”

Had Marluxia not been serious, Lexaeus might have chuckled at his order, but the cold look in the pink-haired man's eyes made Lexaeus' stomach drop. Or it would have, if he had a heart.

“I assure you, Marluxia-”

“I don't want assurance, Number V, I want proof. Bring me proof of the legitimacy of your recent work or I'll send word to the Superior of your treasonous behavior.”

Lexaeus let out a low growl and nodded. He stepped back into the corridor of darkness and disappeared down to the basement to find some of their recent experiments.

******

Riku gasped and jerked forward, confused and slightly drowsy. He glanced around without sitting up and saw that he was surrounded by only gray clouds as far as the eye could see. He was still wearing the yellow shirt and blue pants that he had left his home with.

“Where am I...” he wondered aloud.

A deep voice answered, though Riku couldn't recognize it through his half-clouded mind. “Stay asleep.”

Riku leaped to his feet and cried, “Who's there?!”

The voice replied smoothly, “You should remain asleep. Here, between light and dark.”

“Between...what?” Riku asked, puzzled. Suddenly, Riku realized what was happening, and yelled out, “The king! Where's the king?! Together we closed the door to darkness. After that-”

“You came drifting here by yourself,” the voice finished. “You did not have the strength to overcome the darkness. Or... maybe you were close to it.”

“Hmph,” Riku growled, “Like I'm some kind of demon.”

The voice laughed and ordered, “Turn from the light. Shut your eyes. Here blanketed by the darkness, sleep is safety. Sleep is eternal. But...”

A bright light burst in front of Riku's face, blinding him. The light faded, and a small blue card hovered before Riku's eyes. The card slowly floated around him, bobbing up and down.

“What's this?” Riku asked.

“It is a door to the truth,” the voice answered mysteriously. “Take it and your sleep ends, as you take the first step towards the truth. But know this: the truth will bring you pain. Will you still go? There is no return to the security of sleep.”

The card floated again in front of Riku, stopping two feet from his head. Riku thought for a moment and then reached out, snatching the card up.

“This seemed like a boring place to take a nap anyway.”

The voice laughed, “That was very well said, Riku.”

The card in Riku's hand suddenly burst into a blaze of light, forcing Riku to close his eyes. As the light cleared, he saw that he was now in a large white hall, with a single golden door on the opposite wall. Riku glanced down at the card in his hand, and noticed that it had a picture of the castle Hollow Bastion on it. That was place where he had first been seduced by darkness, and had fought his best friend, Sora. Was the king in Hollow Bastion? And where was Sora? He had last seen his friend when they closed the door to darkness. Riku grinned and inspected the door again.

“A door to the truth, huh...”

******

Zexion inhaled deeply as he caught a stray scent wafting through the musty basement room. At first it was repulsive, making the short, robed man wrinkle his nose in disgust, but then he recognized it and sniffed several more times. There was not just one scent, but two. He knew both, but for a moment he couldn't quite recognize from where. Suddenly, one of the odors disappeared.

Zexion snapped his gloved fingers, and two pulsating portals of darkness opened up. He brushed his long gray bangs aside and then spoke into the swirling clouds of darkness.

“Lexaeus, Vexen, I must speak to you immediately. In the basement.” After he finished, the cloud of darkness fizzled out of existence, and Zexion began pacing the room, waiting for a response.

After a minute, a tall corridor of darkness appeared across the room, and Lexaeus stepped out with his arms folded. He was tall and muscular, with short curly brown hair. Lexaeus stared blankly at Zexion, waiting for Vexen.

Zexion shook his head and asked, “Don't I even warrant a hello, Lexaeus?”

Before Lexaeus could respond, another corridor of darkness appeared, and a tall, thin man with large green eyes and long golden hair stepped out.

“What is going on here, Zexion? I want an explanation,” the man complained.

“Nice to see you too, Vexen,” Zexion replied sarcastically, “It's such a shame. The Organization used to be the rope that bound us together.”

“You're only Number VI!” Vexen cried, “How dare you-”

“Let it go Vexen,” Lexaues interrupted. Vexen stared angrily at Lexaeus for a moment, but then complied and remained silent. Lexaeus turned to Zexion and ordered, “Zexion, tell us. What did you detect?”

“Visitors,” Zexion said slyly, “I picked up two scents in the castle's lowest basement. One of them was Maleficent-”

“Don't be absurd,” Vexen blasted, “The witch is gone. She cannot return from the realm of darkness of her own volition.” Vexen laughed and turned to Lexaeus, expecting a similar reaction, but received only an angry glare.

“If you would let me finish...” Zexion growled, “The scent belonged not to the real Maleficent but to a very convincing double. But I truly cannot say much beyond that since the double is no more. Our other visitor saw to that.”

There was silence for a moment before Lexaeus asked, “And who is it?”

“I do not know for sure...” Zexion continued, “But the scent was very similar to that of the Superior.”

“And yet, not exactly the same, was it?” Vexen asked, rubbing his chin. “This truly piques my curiosity.”

“Now- what to do?” Zexion asked.

The three men stood in silence for a moment before Lexaeus said, “We wait- see what develops.”

“Very well,” Vexen muttered, disappointed, “I shall go see to Axel about my most recent experiment.” Vexen stepped back into a corridor of darkness and disappeared in a rush of air.

“Axel is here?” Lexaeus asked, turning to Zexion.

“Yes, for several days now,” Zexion said. “He mostly prowls around the upper floors, but I caught him rooting through some of our research in one of the basements.”

“I would think the Superior would keep him at the castle to watch over Number XIII.”

“I think Roxas is beginning to develop greatly on his own. In a letter the Superior sent to Vexen, I found that Roxas has recently begun associating with Number XIV.”

“Has he now?”

“I'm beginning to wonder what connection our experiments in the castle have to Roxas and Xion's memory loss.”

“A good question,” Lexaeus muttered. “But what I am more concerned about is what Marluxia's intentions here are. He has ordered that we provide documentation of our recent research.”

“Documentation? For what?”

“I do not know. He says it is to prove that we have not been subverting the Organization.”

“What!” Zexion cried, taking several steps back, “How dare he! He must know there is none more loyal to the Organization than we.”

“I would assume he does,” Lexaeus agreed.

“Then why would he...”

“He's frightening us,” Lexaeus answered before Zexion could finish, “He's trying to see if we will follow orders or impede his actions.”

Zexion sighed and nodded in agreement. “We must find what it is Marluxia wants and inform the Superior. We may very well have a traitor on our hands. I'll send for Vexen to return here when he is done with his research.”

“Yes, send for him... but do not tell him of Marluxia's orders. We should keep this between ourselves.”

******

Vexen appeared in a flash next to Zexion. He glared at Lexaeus and Zexion, and then crossed the room, eventually turning to face Lexaeus.

“Well, what have you found?” Vexen asked accusingly.

Zexion grinned and said, “I have identified the scent. It's Riku.”

Vexen almost leaped in surprise. Obviously curious, he asked, “Riku, you say? Has he emerged from the realm of darkness?”

Zexion stepped forward and said, “His existence- it was once doubled in the darkness.”

“Fascinating... That's why you mistook him for the Superior. The dark power given to Riku facilitated his escape from its realm.”

“What I want to know,” Zexion mused, “Is why he appeared here in Castle Oblivion.”

“That's really quite simple,” Vexen said smugly, “His existence resonates with that of another hero.”

Zexion glanced towards Lexaeus, who lowered his arms as Vexen spoke. Zexion whispered to Vexen, “Sora is in the castle?”

“He... arrived earlier. Marluxia is already using Namine's unique powers to meddle with Sora's heart.”

“Without even bothering to consult us,” Zexion muttered.

“It seems he desperately wants the keyblade master for himself-” Vexen continued, “What a foolish plan, indeed. Sora's is not such an interesting existence. The entity that holds true value is Riku, the hero of darkness.”

“What do you plan to do, Vexen?” Lexaeus asked.

“I hope to replicate Riku, creating a superior version of him. It is my hope that this may lead to further discoveries about the powers of darkness and memories.”

“Hm, then don't let us distract you,” Zexion said, obviously sarcastic.

“I won't,” Vexen agreed, oblivious to Zexion's insult. Vexen summoned a corridor of darkness and disappeared from the room.

“So Marluxia is using Sora,” Lexaeus said.

“Yes, I believe we may need to take matters into our own hands. You keep watch over Riku, he might be just what we need to stop Marluxia. I will investigate what is happening to Sora.”

******

Xion looked around in awe as Roxas led her to the top of the clock tower in Twilight Town. From her spot behind the ledge on the front of the tower, she could see for miles around.

“Cool, huh? Now I'll be right back!” Roxas said, pointing for her to sit down. Roxas turned and ran back around the tower without another word.

Xion slowly looked off the tower and climbed onto the ledge. She lowered her feet, and looked down nervously at the large drop below as her short black hair blew in front of her bright, blue eyes. What did Roxas mean earlier when he said she deserved 'a little something extra'? There was a loud clank of glass near the ground, and Roxas sprinted out of the front doors of the train station below. He dashed across the plaza, and briefly looked up towards Xion. She smiled and waved at him as he turned and continued running towards the center of town.

As Roxas disappeared around the corner, Xion shakily held out her hand, trying to imagine that she was again wielding the Roxas' keyblade. Just minutes ago she had summoned the keyblade to help defeat a giant heartless. She could still remember the feeling of the cold steel on her gloved hand, and the power that surged through her as she slashed at the Darkside. Did Roxas feel that way all the time?

She doubted it. If he did, he never showed it. Roxas always seemed quiet around her, even though he never stopped talking when he was with Axel. She wished that he would be that way with her. No one else in the Organization paid any attention to her. In fact, she was pretty sure that Saix and Marluxia purposely avoided her. And Xigbar always teased her. Roxas was the only one who seemed to really understand her.

Of course, Xion thought grimly, she barely even knew herself. She was a Nobody, but, unlike the others, she didn't have any memories. Even the past few days were a blur. All she knew was that she had an urge to take off her hood today. Roxas seemed surprised at her appearance, but nobody else seemed to notice her. Xion looked off into the sun and wondered if Roxas lost his memories the same way she did. That was another thing that she had in common with him.

And now Axel had left for Castle Oblivion. She knew Roxas was depressed about him leaving on such short notice, but she couldn't help but feel a bit happy that she got to spend more time with Roxas as a result.

Xion grinned as she spotted Roxas returning to the plaza at a run from the corner of her eye. He waved at her and then sprinted into the station. Just minutes later, he dashed around the corner of the top of the tower, breathing heavily.

“That was fast,” Xion said, smiling.

Roxas shuffled over and plopped down on the ledge to the right of her, still panting. “Yeah, I just wanted to grab something.”

“How'd you find such a great place?” she asked, gesturing at the clock tower.

Roxas just laughed and pulled two ice cream bars from in his coat. “Heeere ya go.”

Xion grabbed the bar from him and examined it cautiously. What was it?

“Sea-salt ice cream,” Roxas explained. Xion looked blankly back at him, still not understanding what exactly the bars were, though she recognized that ice cream was a food..

“Well? Go on, try it,” he encouraged.

“Okay...” Xion mumbled, taking a small bite out of the ice cream. A strange mix of tastes swam through her mouth as she swallowed the ice cream. “It's sweet. But kinda salty, too.”

“It's really good, right? Me and Axel always meet up here for ice cream after work.” Roxas took a big bite out of his own ice cream and explained, “Sea-salt is Axel's favorite.”

“Sounds like it's yours, too!” Xion laughed.

Roxas looked out at the sunset and chuckled quietly. “Heh, yeah. I don't remember it too well, but Axel said he took me here my very first day with the Organization.” Roxas turned to Xion and continued, waving his ice cream around, “And then he bought me some ice cream again after my first mission. Said it was the 'icing on the cake.'”

“A little something extra?” Xion said, remembering Roxas' comment to her earlier.

“Exactly.”

“You guys must be close,” Xion said, a tinge of jealousy creeping carelessly into her voice..

“Axel's my first friend.”

“Your... friend?” Xion repeated, a bit unfamiliar with the term. After thinking for a second, she figured it probably meant someone who you spent time with and talked to, like Roxas did with Axel. “Roxas, do you think I could be a friend?”

“When Axel gets back, let's ask him. Then all three of us can have ice cream together!” he said excitedly.

“Okay!” Xion agreed with a laugh. Roxas smiled at her and took a huge bite out of his ice cream. Xion grinned back and gobbled up her whole bar in a few seconds.

Almost instantly, a sharp pain shot through her skull, and she gripped her head tightly, moaning.

Roxas laughed and explained, “That's called a brain freeze. I got one a few days ago, and Axel said that it only happens if you eat your ice cream too fast.”

“Oh,” she managed to reply through her clenched teeth.

As Roxas turned back to look at the sun, the pain in her head started to dissipate. She noticed that in her pain she had dropped her ice cream stick on the ledge next to her. She picked up the stick and spotted the word 'WINNER' written on on the wood next to a picture of a crown.

“What do we do with the ice cream sticks after we're done?” Xion asked.

“I dunno,” Roxas replied quietly, not quite giving her his full attention, “I just drop 'em.” As he answered, Roxas let his ice cream stick slowly fall downwards, spiraling in the wind.

Xion watched the stick float off across the plaza and let her own go. It dropped down and fell quickly to the ground below.

No matter what Axel said, she and Roxas were friends.
 
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Azrael

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So this is an AU? Looks about good? What's the POD that you changed?
 

Evello

The Radiant Hero
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So this is an AU? Looks about good? What's the POD that you changed?
The change hasn't occurred yet. Every scene in the last two days is either a word-for-word scene from the game, an extended version of a scene from a game (which means I added some dialogue before or after the dialogue from the game), or a new scene that takes place between scenes in the game. You'll know when something gets changed... it should be in another chapter or so.

I'll just say that the word Graceful in the title and the contents of Day 21 are major foreshadowing. And the title's pink for a reason.
 
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