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Fanfiction ► Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (ORIGINAL) [Rewrite is currently at prologue part 1]



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Aqualung

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((This is a story by me about what happens after Kingdom Hearts II. It focuses on Sora, Kairi, and Aqua as the main characters.

DISCLAIMER AND SPOILER WARNING: This fanfic does contain several major BBS and Days spoilers.

All Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square-Enix, referenced characters and other related material belong to their original owners. This fan-created story is the only thing I own.

Recently, I have posted part of a chapter that has some very dark things happening due to one of the villains' actions. My idea was to have this fanfic start off mild but with the characters becoming really emotional, a major death occurring early on, and such things to hint at the fact that some parts in the future would be like that. However, I should have said at the start that this story would have some moments like that, and I'm sorry for not doing so. I seem to be forgetting a lot of important things like that because of how hectic my life has been recently, but I am correcting my mistake of not informing now so that I can continue to develop this story with the audience knowing what to rarely expect. This entire story is not intended to have mature moments throughout, but there are a few such as Chapter 3 Part 2.5 that are intended to be that way.

Please read, then review and/or critique, if you have the desire and time to do so. I am open to any constructive criticism, whether it's a good or bad review!


Also, just to clarify on the spoilers, if it isn't marked as a spoiler for a recent game, then it's a possible spoiler for this fanfic. Read all spoilers at your own risk.

Any of my posts here that aren't labeled as part of the fanfic are my notes and discussions as this story's author. At the bottom of each story post is a link to the next part if it's not directly below the post, in an effort to make the topic more organized))

PROLOGUE

It was a beautiful day on Destiny Islands. The sun was setting, with the waves reflecting its light. A young man sat on a palm tree that was bent over to form a makeshift bench, looking to the horizon. The ocean wind blew through his spiky brown hair, and slightly ruffled his zippered black clothing. Just then, another young man came across the boardwalk as the wind blew back his long, silvery hair. He moved beside the bent-over tree, and looked at the other person sitting on it.

The land mass they were on was a plateau that rose out of the water. Many boards surrounded its lower circumference, almost as if to indicate it was man-made, and a ladder going down onto a reef that made up its foundation was on the side opposite from the boardwalk leading to the mini-island.

"Sora," said the silver-haired man to his friend who sat on the tree.

"Riku," Sora said enthusiastically, wondering what brought his friend over. He enjoyed all the conversations he and Riku had started with each other since they got back to Destiny Islands.

"Have you decided?" questioned Riku.

"Yeah." Sora was holding in his hands a bottle with no cap, and a scroll with a seal that looked like a black, faceless mouse with two ears.

A young woman named Kairi, who was a dear friend of Sora's, had recently found the message in a bottle he was now holding that told of people who desperately needed his help. The letter had mentioned they were all connected to him, and that the only one who could heal their sadness was Sora.

The letter was written by an individual known as King Mickey. Sora remembered him being short, with large, black mouse ears and short-sleeved clothing. He remembered King Mickey carrying a golden Keyblade, a weapon that looked like a giant key with a square handguard and a shaft with teeth on the very end of it that almost made it look like an axe. Sora himself had his own version of the weapon, but it was silver. They were respectively called the Kingdom Key-D and the Kingdom Key.

Just then, the young woman known as Kairi came across the same boardwalk Riku travelled across to reach Sora. "Sora!" she greeted, a cheerful look on her face.

As he turned around, Sora couldn't help but admire Kairi's beauty. She had medium-length brown hair that touched her shoulders, and wore a pink zip-up vest that had shoulder straps, with the top of her white undershirt showing as it was partially unzipped from the top. She wore a black leather belt with a pouch attached to it that was the same material, and her shoes were purple and had black laces and soles.

"Kairi, I…" Sora had begun to regret leaving the islands again. He feared Kairi would get hurt if she was to go on a journey with him, and he didn't want Riku to risk the same. Sora decided that it would be best if Kairi stayed on Destiny Islands, with Riku to protect her should any of Sora's enemies attempt to bring them harm. "There are still people who are sad out there. They're all waiting so… I've gotta reconnect everything back together again."

Kairi smiled, but there was a faint look of sadness in her eyes. She didn't want Sora to leave her and Riku again; they had just been reunited after such a long period of separation. If he was going on another journey, she wanted herself and Riku to come along. But Kairi knew Sora wouldn't have that, so she just smiled and did her best to encourage him. "Hurry back, and have a safe trip…" Kairi handed Sora her lucky charm, but felt that it would be a long time before she saw him again. She would do anything to help Sora… anything...

---

"Are we really gonna leave Kairi and Riku behind like this?" called a voice from within Sora.

He suddenly found himself standing on a large circular tower, the top of which was a platform made of a stained glass mural. Sora recognized it as a Station of Awakening, and the mural depicted two sides divided down the diameter of the platform. On the left side, Sora's face was depicted looking outward, with Destiny Islands in the background.

A young man that looked somewhat like Sora, except for wearing a black cloak and having blonde hair that spiked up in front more to give a windswept look, was depicted on the right side looking outward. His background consisting of a city of many beige buildings and a monorail that could be seen in the distance. Sora had recognized the young man as Roxas, and his side as Twilight Town.

In both backgrounds, the sun was setting; the sky in Sora's side of the portrait was a beautiful red, while the sky in Roxas's background shined a bright gold in color. Four circular mini-portraits were around the edge of the mural, but they were of people who were important to each side. On Sora's side were portraits of both Riku and Kairi.

The other side featured portraits of a girl who looked like Kairi but with blonde hair and wearing a white nightgown, and a man who had long, red spiky hair and wore a cloak that looked similar to the one Roxas wore in his portrait. They were recognized as Naminé and Axel, whom Sora and Roxas both knew.

On the very center of the mural around the divide, there were also four portraits: the first was a young man who looked quite similar to Roxas. The second was of a young woman who bore a great resemblance to Kairi, but with black hair. The fourth depicted a blue-haired woman, and the final portrait was a man with dark brown, spiky hair; both of them, and the young man who looked like Roxas, were wearing a shoulder-pad that looked like armor.

"You said that you and Kairi would always be together. Why would you separate like this? She has a Keyblade now, so you and Riku can teach her how to fight! Would you rather worry yourself all the time about whether or not something might happen to them?" Roxas's angry eyes narrowed as he finished. He knew that as long as he and Sora were with Kairi and Riku, he could protect Naminé, who still dwelled inside Kairi.

"I've made up my mind Roxas. She'll be safe on the islands with Riku protecting her," he firmly stated.

"DAMMIT SORA, DON'T YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT KAIRI? AT LEAST I CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO NAMINÉ!" he yelled out in rage.

"Roxas, I care about Kairi as much as you care about her! And I KNOW that this is best for both of them. So leave it alone already, we'll see them again!"

He pushed Sora onto the ground. Roxas glared at him as he tried to get up, then said "I can't BELIEVE you just said that… and how can you even be so sure?!"

Sora got back up, then yelled out, "Because it's happened before Roxas! I felt just like you do now, so angry at myself for leaving Kairi alone to be kidnapped by the Organization. I HATED them for taking her from me!"

"… You know that was only because I was part of you, and your anger came from me."

"Really Roxas? Did you really know Naminé was with Kairi then?"

Roxas fell silent. He was at a loss on how to convince Sora to bring Kairi (and thus bringing Naminé) along. If it was up to him, Kairi would be coming with them, no question about it. He knew that both she and Naminé would have wanted that.

Roxas looked in his eyes and could tell that he was adamant about leaving Kairi on Destiny Islands. He decided that at least Riku would be with Naminé, but Roxas wished that it could be him as well. "Fine then, I won't try to change your mind anymore. Riku just better make sure she's alright…"

Sora then looked around at the mural. "What is this place? I've been to one of these types of things before, but this mural looks... really different for some reason." he said to change the subject as they were finished arguing their previous matter.

"You know what, I really don't know…" Roxas was just as curious as Sora was. He had never seen three of the faces depicted in the center before, and the only one Rooxas had seen made him feel like he was staring into a mirror. Why did that young man look like him, but with different clothes?!

"Your guess is as good as mine. Those four people in the center though… who are they?" Roxas couldn't shake their portraits from his head.

Sora was also having his own questions about the mural. Were they the ones he was supposed to save? If so, why would Roxas be one of them?

"This will be your most dangerous journey yet…" A voice echoed from the station. Sora and Roxas both turned about.

"That voice…" Sora reminisced.

"Yeah, I heard it too…" muttered Roxas.

"Throughout your journey, you will need each other… you must rescue the ones who are suffering, but be careful that you yourselves do not suffer…" The voice was gone.

"What's that supposed to mean…?" remarked Sora. "'You will need each other,' and 'Be careful that you yourselves do not suffer?' Is it trying to tell us the future…?... WHOA!" Just then, the platform started to shake and a pedestal appeared before the two boys.

"The power you need will be great. But it will CHANGE you. Now, take this power… and prepare to open the door." On the pedestal were not one, but two Keyblades. They were both the same as the Kingdom Key that Sora wielded. Sora and Roxas hesitantly reached forward.

Wait a minute," said Sora, "the voice said this power would CHANGE us… what do you think it meant?"

"I don't know, but it said 'The power you need…' If we really do need this power, I don't think we have a choice." Roxas concluded.

"But how exactly will it change us? Will it be a bad thing…?" Sora remembered Kairi's words from just before the invasion that once destroyed the islands had happened. "Sora, don't ever change…" they echoed through his head.

"You will gain several new great powers, but at the cost of some you have grown familiar with… these sleeping powers were put into you from the outside world. The decision to use them is yours to make, but without these you will never reach your full potential…"

Sora and Roxas both decided that whatever the power was, they'd need it for the journey, and each of them took a key. As they did, both of them began to glow with light, and a great surge of power rose up from under them! It was as if a great gust of wind was blowing from underneath, and the hair on their head was standing up and flowing from the great force that was rising, though their feet were still planted firmly on the ground. Just then, Sora and Roxas were surrounded in light, and had to close their eyes because of the brightness.

---

Sora was back on the islands. Strangely, not a moment had passed. Kairi had just given him her charm, and Riku stood observing.

Just then, a giant space ship had appeared. It had a cockpit that was shaped like a glass bubble, with two white fins on each side that were designed to improve aero-dynamics. From each side had emerged two wings, and a four-sided, cylindrical nose appeared, with a pyramid point forming at the end. Underneath it were two attachments: one was a laser gun that had a square-shaped barrel, and the other was a cylinder that had apparently housed the engine. At the rear of both attachments were exhaust ports that had flames coming out of them.

After it had landed and the cockpit opened, a sharp pain went through everyone's head. "AAAAGH!!" It felt as though a knife was being stuck through Sora's head on all sides. He could barely turn to look, but he got a glimpse of Riku and Kairi, noticing that they too were gripping their heads and clenching their teeth in agony. Suddenly, it had stopped, and they felt slightly light-headed, as if a great load had been taken off their shoulders. They couldn't explain what had happened, but the pain they had just felt was intense.

"I have a feeling something really bad just happened…" exclaimed Sora. Kairi's expression suddenly turned to a frown… if it really was going to be dangerous, she wanted to come along.

From out of the open cockpit of the gummi ship fell two individuals. One was wearing a blue hat that looked like a teardrop-shaped pillow, and was a humanoid duck. The other wore a hat that looked like a light-brown chef's hat with a collar at the bottom, and had long, droopy ears with a beige snout having a black nose that gave him the look of a humanoid dog. Both of them were a bit dizzy just like Sora, Riku, and Kairi had been, apparently still recovering from the head-splitting pain. Sora recognized them as Donald and Goofy.

"Are you both okay?" Sora rushed forward to help them up.

"Yeah. Something doesn't feel right…" exclaimed Donald.

"Gawrsh, I think our first stop should be Yen Sid's tower. Ya know, if anything happened, I think he'd have an idea." Goofy suggested.

Sora nodded in response to Goofy's idea. "Yeah, I think we'll go there first… well…" He looked behind at Kairi, then silently said to himself, "No matter where I am, you'll always be with me." Sora then turned around to face her and Riku. "See you soon!" He hopped into the cockpit of the gummi ship and closed it, then began to take off.

Kairi wanted to say something, but couldn't. Her urge to join Sora and not lose him again grew too strong. "SORA, DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!!! SOMETHING BAD MIGHT HAPPEN TO YOU!!" screamed Kairi as she ran forward, jumping onto the nose of the gummi ship.

"Kairi, what are you doing?!" Riku said as he ran forward to try and get Kairi off the Gummi ship. He was struggling with her, and a look of shock was on Sora's face at what Kairi was doing.

"NO!! NOOO!! I'M GOING WITH SORA!! I'M NOT STAYING!!" Tears were streaming down her eyes. Kairi had a feeling deep down that it would be the last time she would ever see Sora. After the pain she experienced in her head, the young woman had felt as if the journey he was about to embark on would be one of no return. The last thing she wanted was to be left behind, never again to hear Sora's voice, or to feel the soft touch of his arms around her!

"LET ME IN SORA, LET ME GO WITH YOU!! HOW CAN YOU LEAVE ME LIKE THIS, DON'T YOU EVEN CARE THAT WE MIGHT NEVER SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN!?!" Kairi screamed out as she began banging on the glass window of the Gummi ship.

Sora had reactively flinched back in his seat as Kairi started banging on the windows, and his jaw dropped as he began to freak out at Kairi's hysteria. He didn't want her to come along, but knew that she wouldn't want that. Sora however, had no idea that her desire to be with him was THIS much! It wasn't even like Kairi to behave like this!

He knew that he wouldn't be able to get Kairi off the Gummi Ship by landing and trying to get her off on the ground, but Sora was so high in the air now that Riku had gone from trying to pull Kairi off the Gummi ship to holding on for dear life.

"Sora, you have to get us off safely somehow!" Riku yelled.

"A..alright!" He tried to think, but the high amount of stress created by the chaotic situation sure wasn't helping!

After regaining control of his emotions, he piloted the ship to a low point over the ocean, and quickly turned it around the ship's roll axis. Riku jumped off into the ocean, and Kairi began to lose her grip, then fell into the water.

As Riku and Kairi were swimming back, the latter crying in sorrow as she swam, Sora opened the cockpit and yelled out to the former, "Riku, promise me you'll both be safe!"

"Don't worry Sora, we will!"

---

Naminé was watching the gummi ship about to take off from Kairi's perspective. She telepathically spoke out to Roxas from within Kairi, "Roxas… before you go, there's something you have to know. Ansem the Wise instructed me to seal away your memories. I did it willingly because I knew that not only was it the only way to bring back Sora, but also because those memories caused you great pain... they were memories of losing her. But Roxas, it was wrong for me to take those away from you." She had lifted her hand and pointed at Sora. "Your memories of her were in Sora all along... now they'll start to come back. Soon enough Roxas, you'll see her again." She paused, then said "When Xion wakes up, you'll need her help Sora… please accept it when the time comes."

Back at the Station of Awakening within Sora, Roxas had began to feel memories coming back to him. Flashes went by as he saw himself at various locations in Twilight Town and other worlds with the same young woman with black hair who had a portrait on Roxas's side of the mural. "… Xion..? Is that… who she is?"

Back in Destiny Islands, the Gummi ship had warped away… Sora's journey had just begun!

((Chapter 1 (Part 1/3) directly below))
 
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Aqualung

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness

CHAPTER 1 (Part 1/3): Sora and the Mysterious Tower

"Did I really do the right thing, leaving Kairi and Riku behind like that?" Sora felt very guilty about his decision, especially after seeing Kairi act like she just did. What drove her to act that way?

"I'm sure Kairi will be fine, Sora. At least she has Riku to keep her company!" assured Donald. "Right now, we need to head for Yen Sid's tower and find out what's going on!"

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sure he's ahead of us on what's going on, so he'll most likely give us the update we need for a head start on our journey. The sooner I finish this, the better."

---

"I can't believe he's gone again…" Kairi was almost depressed now.

"Sora came back to us last time Kairi, and he's gotten much stronger since I first met him. We'll see him again soon! You just have to believe in him." Riku was doing his best to cheer up Kairi, though deep down he was somewhat worried for Sora too. What exactly was that head-splitting pain supposed to be about?

"Aren't you the least bit worried too Riku? He's OUR best friend!"

"Of course I'm a bit worried Kairi… but you know how Sora is. And besides, he did say he was going to help 'free them from their suffering…' maybe those people will help him on his journey?" He was a bit curious about them too.

"I don't know Riku, I really have a bad feeling about all this." Kairi still couldn't shake her doubt. She would go after Sora herself, and even help him on his journey if she could!

"Hey Kairi…"

"What is it Riku?"

"I think we should talk more about the journey we all just got back from!" Riku thought maybe this would cheer Kairi up a bit, to know more about what Sora went through, and that he wasn't the only one who did amazing things while Riku was searching for him and Kairi was comatose or on the islands.

Kairi was puzzled why Riku would want to talk about that at a time like this, but she did have a great deal of curiosity. "Okay, that sounds great."

Both of them went to the same bent-over palm tree that Sora sat on. Riku began telling about the beginnings of Sora's journey, and of his own.

---

"Sora…"

There was a beach, with several strange looking black rocks with what looked like shimmering blue veins going through them. The sun, which looked more like a white-hot glowing moon but without craters or spots, was setting out on the horizon behind what looked like giant coral structures made of the same material as the rocks on the beach. A woman with short blue hair sat next to a man dressed in a black coat. Both of them were looking out at the horizon.

She could barely remember how long it was since arriving in the Realm of Darkness. The constant strain of depression about the air was slowly but surely getting to her. All that kept the woman going was the thought of at least seeing her friends again. She would do anything to have them back…

"Master Aqua, I suspect that by now he is on another journey." The cloaked man tried to reassure her, but he too was falling victim to the hopelessness.

"Ansem... is he the only one who can restore order?" Aqua pondered, knowing that if escape was somehow possible, she would at least try to do something about the situations that have arisen. She would find Ven's heart herself to restore him, and then find a way to remove Master Xehanort's influence from Terra even if those were the last things she did, with Sora's help or without.

"Do you remember me mentioning that Sora had my research inside of him?" Ansem decided that he would tell Aqua what it was exactly. For if Sora were to somehow fail, there must be another to take his place. Even though Aqua did not physically have the data, Ansem did not want to take any chances. So he would also tell her how to recover that data from Sora, just in case.

---

Yen Sid's tower was coming into view from the gummi ship's cockpit. Sora, Donald, and Goofy had arrived. But something didn't feel quite right…

That feeling was proven, for as the gummi ship landed, several heartless, and even some nobodies, appeared around it.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy both looked at their leader, ready to fight.

"Yeah!" Sora popped the cockpit and drew the Kingdom Key… and another one! "What…?!" Sora looked bewildered. How could he have two Keyblades if he wasn't in any of his forms? And then he remembered the Station of Awakening. "But it will CHANGE you…" the voice had said. Is this what it meant?

Donald and Goofy were just as surprised as Sora was. "You're wielding… two Keyblades… and you're not in a form?!" questioned Donald.

"Well, this just means those heartless and nobodies are done for!" Sora flung himself at the nearest Shadow, swinging his Keyblades with the heartless bursting into darkness as the last hit in his combo landed.

"Sora, look out!" Donald shot a blizzard spell at a Dusk that had appeared behind Sora. As it burst, Sora then saw another Shadow in the distance.

"Deep freeze!" Sora pointed his Keyblade at the Shadow. But nothing happened. "HUH?!"

"Sora, you forgot how to use Blizzard?" Donald was puzzled.

"N..no! Just hang on!" Sora didn't know what was happening. He had two Keyblades without any forms, and then all of a sudden discovered that he couldn't shoot Blizzard shots. Is this how his new power had changed him? And then it dawned on Sora. Maybe he needed to use his forms now!

"Give me strength!" Sora yelled. But again, nothing happened. Not his forms too?!

"Uh-oh…" Goofy was starting to look worried. "SORA, LOOK OUT!" He threw his shield, and it hit several Shadows that appeared around Sora while he was struggling to figure out what was going on.

Sora decided that for now, he'd just have to use his Keyblades to fight off the enemies, and then figure out what was going on. Yen Sid did give Sora's form-changing ability to him… maybe he could figure out what happened. "Sorry guys, let's do this!"

Despite the fact that Sora had no magic or forms, he and his companions managed to fight off the remaining heartless and nobodies. Sora, however, was just getting used to using two Keyblades outside of his forms, and had suffered several wounds as a result.

"I'm out of mana, so I can't use Cure yet…" Donald wondered why Sora was suddenly slightly less than competent in combat.

"Did something happen between when you returned to Destiny Islands and now?" Goofy had questioned.

"We better get to Yen Sid. He might be able to figure something out. After all, he did give me my Valor Form… which for some reason I can't use now, but yet I'm wielding two Keyblades…"

"This is really strange…" remarked Donald.

"I need to heal somehow…" Sora pointed both of his Keyblades in the air, then yelled, "Heal!" Suddenly, a swirling wind with glowing leaves appeared around Sora, but his wounds weren't recovering.

"Uh, Sora… I think you just used Aero…"

"But… how did I use that when Cure should've happened?" Sora was even more curious now.

Just then, a Shadow appeared behind Sora, and lunged outward to scratch him.

"LOOK OUT!" Goofy had rushed forward but it was too late. The Shadow had swung at Sora, but something even stranger happened.

The blustery barrier surrounding Sora had flashed, and Sora suffered only a trivial wound from the weak Shadow. Then, Sora was bathed in warm light, and many of the wounds he formerly had were gone.

"Did that barrier… just heal you after you got attacked?!" Donald had never seen such a spell before. It was as if Aero and Cure had somehow merged together…

"Okay, now this is getting REALLY weird… oh well, at least I know I can heal, AND reduce the damage I take… but that kinda took a bit out of me." After the combat and using his new spell, Sora even had to take a breather for several seconds.

"We need to go see Yen Sid right away, and you need to tell him everything that happened!" Donald urged.

Soon, after going up a spiral of stairs, they were confronted with more Shadows. Several of them were decently far away. "I had to use two Keyblades for that… healing spell… hmm…" Sora pointed his Keyblades in the air again. "Deep freeze!"

This time, something actually happened. Sora's two Keyblades became frozen in glowing ice, and several snowflakes were swirling around them. "So I have to use two Keyblades for magic… and they're not even the same spells I'm used to!"

Sora didn't complain, and he rushed forward to slash away the two Shadows directly in front of him. As he attacked them, a hunk of ice shot off one of his blades and hit one of the Shadows that stood further away. All three bursted as a result.

"I wonder what would happen if… Fire!" Sora held up his Keyblades again, and they went from being encircled in ice to lighting on fire. "The same thing?" Sora swung at several more Shadows, but as he hit them, small waves of fire burst forward hitting some Dusks that were behind them.

More Shadows had appeared around the center of the room. "This is getting ridiculous, we need to get to Yen Sid right away!" remarked Donald.

"Thunder!" Sora held up his Keyblades again, but nothing happened. "What?!" How come Thunder didn't work? Was there something else he had to do? Some other magic word, or movement with his Keyblades? Sora didn't have time to think, and wondered what a better spell would be for heartless clustered together…

"Gather!" Sora pointed both of his Keyblades over the heartless group, and a swirl of storm clouds charged with electricity appeared that shot bolts of thunder outward. As the heartless were hit by them, they got knocked upward into the swirling mass of clouds, becoming electrified until they burst.

"So wait… I used some weird combination of Aero and Cure earlier, now I can use a combination of Magnet and Thunder? And earlier, when I used Fire and Blizzard, they didn't shoot any projectiles or create storms around me, but instead enchanted my keyblades and have different effects whenever I attacked with them. What other spells do I have now?" Sora pondered while he was catching his breath.

"I suspect it's only those, actually." Just then, in the center of the room, Yen Sid had appeared.

Sora started his first string of questions. "Master Yen Sid! What's going on? First, there was this really bad pain in everyone's head, then I had an awakening and could wield two Keyblades without using my forms, and now I've got new spells, and…"

"I will explain everything when we get to my study. Right now, nowhere else in the tower is safe." Yen Sid clapped his two hands together, then everyone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

((Chapter 1 (Part 2/3) directly below))
 
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Aqualung

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness

CHAPTER 1 (Part 2/3): The Seekers of Darkness

"… So then I said to Sora, 'We'll all be together again soon. Don't worry. Just leave everything to me…'" Riku had started telling Kairi of his first meeting with Sora in Traverse Town since their departure from the islands.

"Leave it to you, huh? Hee hee…" Kairi was snickering.

"I haven't seen you laugh that way in such a long time, Kairi."

"Mm-hmm!" She remembered when they all started building the raft. It had been so long ago since they separated for the first time. Why did Kairi have the feeling that this current separation would last as long as the other one? There had to be a way she could go after Sora…

"Hey Riku…"

"Hmm?"

"How did you travel between worlds like you did without succumbing to the darkness? I thought prolonged use of the Corridors of Darkness would slowly corrupt your being until darkness took over your heart completely?" Kairi became really curious as to how Riku used them.

"Well… before I got one of Organization XIII's cloaks, I only used them when I absolutely needed to. Most of the time I got transported by… Maleficent and her forces…" Riku cringed at the notion that at one point he was directly working for one of the greatest enemies of the Realm of Light.

"Riku, it's okay… that's all in the past now." Kairi put her arm around Riku's back to comfort him. "So, please continue."

"Anyway, part of being resistant to their effects is by having a strong heart." Riku explained.

"(A strong heart…)" Kairi silently thought to herself. She definitely had that. Somehow though, she wasn't sure that was all she needed. But since she was a Princess of Heart…

"Hey Riku, you know that one time when darkness started pouring out of Hollow Bastion?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering… how come the Princesses of Heart who stayed were able to hold it back?"

Sora had told Riku about the occurrence during one of their conversations after arriving back to the islands. "That's because the Princesses of Heart could manipulate the darkness. Even though they didn't any of it in their hearts, they could control the darkness in order to keep it at bay."

If Kairi was a Princess of Heart, and she could manipulate the darkness outside of it, she wondered… could she somehow use dark powers? If she could create Corridors of Darkness, and go through them while finding a way to avoid their negative effects, she could find Sora herself!

"Anyway, to use Corridors of Darkness without any possibility of side effects, I had to wear a cloak that I obtained from Ansem the Wise, which was stolen from Organization XIII."

"So that's why you wore one of those…"

"Yeah, but it's gone now. I don't think we'll need to use Corridors of Darkness, since we were going to stay here anyway, right?"

"(You might not, but I need to, in order to find Sora and help him!)" thought Kairi to herself.

"Yeah, that's right!" Kairi was just putting on a cheerful facade to keep Riku from reading her true motives. "But anyway, I'd love to hear more about your journey!"

Riku had finished explaining everything about how he used the power of darkness, what his feelings were about the powers he used, and how he became the person he is now. Just then, Kairi heard a voice from within her.

---

"I want to help Sora, and Roxas too!"

Kairi found herself on a Station of Awakening. It had Kairi and Naminé's face on a division, each facing outward from its diameter. The portraits of King Mickey, Selphie, and Pluto were on the outer edge, while Sora and Aqua were near the center of the circle, all on Kairi's side. And on Namine's side were the portraits of Axel, Ansem the Wise, and Riku. In the middle of the portrait were Xion and Roxas. However, this station had one final portrait… and it was completely blacked out. No face was to be seen; just a dark emptiness.

"Is this… my heart?" Kairi wondered.

"It is a depiction of it, but yes." Naminé answered. "I brought you here to see something."

Kairi had wondered what all the pictures on the awakening were. She had never even seen one of the faces… namely that of Xion's. And why were one of the portraits… blank? Naminé had brought Kairi right over to see it.

"This is something that came from Sora's heart, when I was first created." Naminé explained. "It's not in your heart, but it's alongside it. It's actually… a part of me."

"A part… of you? Wait, is this… darkness?" Kairi was unsure, but it seemed like it. Looking at the blank portrait gave her an ominous feeling… but also a feeling of curiosity.

"Yes… but it's very strong, and I've never even seen what it is. It was the reason I was able to use Corridors of Darkness to save you from Organization XIII's stronghold." Naminé further explained. "I can actually allow your heart to use the same power over darkness that I had, but in order to do that… you have to obtain darkness from someone else."

Kairi knew what she had to do, but the question was… did Riku have enough darkness for her to use? And what would happen to him? She didn't want to hurt one of her best friends! "What's going to happen to Riku if I take darkness from his heart?"

"… from Riku…? You want to use… that darkness?" Naminé was unsure about Kairi's plan.

"Wasn't Xehanort's Heartless removed when Ansem the Wise's device exploded?" Kairi assured Naminé.

"I don't know…"

"Naminé, you helped me out of one of the worst situations I have ever been in. You're one of my best friends for that! If something were to happen, we'd both stop whatever dark thing tried to take over… and besides, I'm a Princess of Heart! It shouldn't be a problem for BOTH of us, right?"

"That's what I'm not sure about… you're a Princess of Heart, so you haven't had darkness in you before. Even this darkness that I had from Sora is still outside your heart. If we try to intentionally put darkness in your heart, I don't know what's going to happen…"

Kairi was willing to try anything. Sora and Riku both took such risks for her, it was time she repaid the favor. "Naminé, lets do this."

---

"Sora, I would like to know more about this Awakening of yours." Yen Sid inquired.

Sora explained everything to him, about the faces on the portraits, Roxas, and the "new power" he received.

"I see. So this new power of yours has taken away your drive forms and your former magic, in exchange for greater mastery of the Keyblade arts and a form of magic that I have never seen…"

"Never seen?! But… I thought you knew about this…?" Sora look puzzled.

"I said 'I suspected' that was the extent of your new magic. I never assumed to know anything. However…" Yen Sid continued, "There is something you should know about what it is you're up against."

Sora stood at attention, ready to listen to what Yen Sid had learned.

"Xehanort, the apprentice of Ansem the Wise, has been reborn."

"WHAT?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy had looked puzzled. Then they remembered: Xehanort had a heartless and a nobody, both of which they vanquished. But how would he have returned?

"I had Mickey spying on him for some time now. He recently returned to me with this letter. He said to read it, then give it to you…"

He handed it to Sora, who promptly opened it.

"Everyone,

What I am about to reveal to you is something terrible. Xehanort, the former apprentice of Ansem the Wise, has returned. He has begun killing heartless and nobodies, but for what reason I was unsure of until further investigating.

When a person's heartless is destroyed, the heart disappears into darkness. If that same person's nobody is then vanquished, the body also returns to the darkness. It is here that the heart is reunited with the body, and then normally it is reborn into the Realm of Light; our realm.

This might sound like a good thing. However, it is because of Xehanort that this situation has become the complete opposite of just that. Instead of passing into the Realm of Light, the Reborn, as he calls them, are being gathered by him into Kingdom Hearts. Not Xemnas's replica of Kingdom Hearts that was dealt with either; this is the real deal!

These Reborn are directly controlled by Xehanort, and are being held inside Kingdom Hearts. Only a select few have been allowed by Xehanort to enter the Realm of Light; these are the Reborn of the members of Organization XIII. They have begun calling themselves the Council of XXV, with Xehanort acting as their leader. The Reborn have control over not only heartless, but also nobodies… just like Organization XIII before them, but on a greater level of power. Reborn that are created in Kingdom Hearts also have the same powers of their original heartless and nobodies, sometimes combining or using the powers of BOTH. Entire worlds have begun to fall under attack, in an effort by Xehanort to create more Reborn with the slaughter of Heartless and Nobodies at the hands of their denizens.

One thing that I haven't discovered yet is exactly WHY almost all Reborn are being kept inside Kingdom Hearts. So far, no Reborn other than the members of the Council of XXV have been sighted in the worlds. I intend to find out, but first I am headed to Destiny Islands to deliver this information to Sora and Riku. If they reach you before I reach them, please give Sora and Riku this copy of the letter.

Whatever it is that Xehanort is planning to use the Reborn inside Kingdom Hearts for, it cannot be any good, and he must be stopped! Mickey out!

-The King"


---

As Kairi's consciousness drifted back to Destiny Islands, she found that not a thing had changed, as if time had stood still while at her Station of Awakening. But she knew what had to be done.

"Hey Riku, thank you so much for telling me about all this! It was really interesting to hear about your journey!"

"Oh, no problem Kairi! It's too bad that with all the time we passed, Sora hasn't come back yet."

"That's okay, because I'm going to go find him now!" Kairi smirked.

"… wait, what…?... GAAHH!!!" Riku's body had stiffened, and he had begun floating into the air. He then saw something that caused his eyes to widen in horror. Darkness was seeping out of his body, and Kairi stood pointing at him. What was happening?!

"Kairi, what's going on…?! What are you doing?!" The darkness began moving from him, slowly toward her. And then what was happening had occurred to him.

"I need your darkness Riku… I'm going to use it to find Sora, and help him!" Kairi's eyes were closed completely… she couldn't bear to look at Riku while she did this, and was trusting that Naminé knew what she was doing with access to Kairi's powers as a Princess of Heart.

"NO!! Kairi, you don't know what you're doing! I don't know what's going to happen to you if that darkness enters! Princesses never brought the darkness into their hearts before! They just kept it back!" She wasn't listening at all. "STOP IT KAI... AGH!!" Just then, he heard another voice.

"Why Princess, I never thought I'd see the day that YOU of all people… would willingly accept the darkness into your heart! You're even making it easy for me, despite the fact that you have a heart of pure light! What a… delightful surprise!"

To Riku's complete horror, it was a voice he hadn't heard for such a long time. A voice he thought faded into nothingness, never to be seen again. Why was Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, still within him?! And now Kairi was about to bring him into her heart?! How was that even possible?

Riku could only wonder, why was Kairi acting like this?! First she ran after Sora's gummi ship, grabbed onto its nose, and wouldn't let go until Sora had to shake her off the ship into the ocean. Now, with that same wild emotion and desire to help Sora, she was bringing Riku's own darkness into herself!

"Don't worry Riku…" Naminé had appeared in front of Kairi, pointing at Riku in the same pose she was.

"Naminé…? This is your doing…? You made Kairi do this?"

"No! Kairi chose this herself! And I want to help our friends as much as she does…!"

Riku couldn't point, but he motioned with his head toward Ansem the Seeker. "THAT isn't going to help ANY of us!!"

"I have everything under control Riku… I won't let him take her! You have to trust me…!"

"Naminé, if our friendship ever meant anything to you, then you will stop this… RIGHT NOW!"

"Riku..."

"NAMINÉ!!"

"… I'm sorry, Riku…! But I have to do this! You'll thank me for it one day, when we're all back on the island!"

Ansem the Seeker was almost to Kairi. Riku struggled to break free of Naminé's grip, but to no avail. Then, after Naminé faded away, the darkness had finally entered her heart. Riku could only watch in horror as it did. Kairi collapsed, and her friend was free again. He was nearly petrified stiff at what happened. Riku went forward to try and wake up Kairi, but there was no response. He picked her up in his arms, then screamed out with all his desperation.

"H…h… help! Someone, ANYONE!! PLEASE… HELP!!!"

((Chapter 1 (Part 3/3)))
 
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Chaosmax

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Man that was a lot of reading but it was definetly worth it. Lately I've been seeing numerous fanfics trying to have a KH3 kind of story and so far this is one of the best ones yet (I hate to admit it but this is way better than my fanfics). Keep up the good work^_^
 
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Aqualung

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

((Thank you! Here's the final part of the first chapter. It's a doozy, because it's really long! =\ But I did my best to make it good. Next chapter is on the way!))

CHAPTER 1 (Part 3/3): Formerly a Princess, Soon to be a Hero?

"So… Xehanort has come back, and is currently trying to create Reborn by summoning Heartless and Nobodies to be slain. The Reborn themselves are in Kingdom Hearts, but no one knows why they are being kept there. The members of Organization XIII have come back as their original selves, but they're Reborn now, so they've formed a new organization called the Council of XXV… why are they called the Council of XXV and not XIII?" Sora pondered while trying to clarify what he just read.

"No one knows. However, Mickey reported that there were only twelve known members. Roxas, as you know, is your Nobody and a part of you. And you are the original being of him." Yen Sid explained.

"Yeah, I'm not a Reborn. Which means they're short by one original member. Still though, XXV?" Sora was puzzled.

"I have a theory: they call themselves that because 13 (XIII) plus 12, the number of members in this council, equals 25 (XXV)." Yen Sid told Sora.

"That makes sense. So anyway, I have to stop Xehanort somehow from completing whatever his plans are for all these Reborn that are in Kingdom Hearts." Sora wanted to make sure.

"Yes. Mickey made sure that he knew at least what Xehanort was doing, so that you would know fully what you're getting into. The Council of XXV have been attacking worlds with Heartless and Nobodies in order to create these Reborn that Xehanort is now keeping inside Kingdom Hearts. Another one of several other things we are not sure of, is whether or not he is able to open it." Yen Sid further explained.

"I'm sure it would be disastrous if he were to open Kingdom Hearts… he'd have access to the heart of all worlds! But how come the Reborn are being kept there, and things aren't already happening? How is he able to bring the Reborn into Kingdom Hearts if he can't open it?" Sora was now even more confused.

"All of this is something you must find out Sora. Are you up to the task?" Yen Sid awaited Sora's response.

Sora turned to Donald and Goofy. All three were eager for another adventure together. "You bet we are!"

---

"… What am I going to do… Kairi, why did you do this to yourself…?" Riku began to despair as he held his friend in his arms.

Just then, a gummi ship had appeared in the sky. Riku brought Kairi over, and as the cockpit opened, King Mickey jumped out with a letter in his hand.

"Mickey!! You have to help!" Riku explained very clearly what happened between him and Kairi on Destiny Islands, and what Kairi did to get her in this current state.

"We have to take her to Yen Sid right away! Hop in!" Mickey didn't delay a second. After Riku got in with Kairi, he set a course for Yen Sid's tower, then took off immediately. The King had originally intended to give Riku the letter, but the emergency demanded that would have to wait.

---

Kairi woke up in her Station of Awakening. "… Did I really do it?" She turned around to see what the mural looked like. She was greeted with the site of Naminé and… Xehanort's Heartless.

"You let me in this heart Naminé. I had planned to use Riku as my puppet, but several things… complicated that. First, there was that stupid blindfold of his that prevented me from coming out, except for a few circumstances! And later on, in the Realm of In Between, that machine of Ansem's had sealed me away! I've waited long enough, now let me control this one!"

He wasn't gone? Only sealed away? Kairi had closed her eyes while Naminé extracted Riku's darkness into her, so she wouldn't have seen what happened. But why would Naminé bring Xehanort's Heartless into Kairi if she knew it still existed? In any case, however, he was no longer in Riku. She had perhaps done for her friend one of the biggest favors she could ever have given!

"Naminé, what's going on?" asked Kairi.

Disregarding Kairi's question for now, Naminé countered at Xehanort's Heartless. "There's no way I'm going to let you use her as your puppet! Remember, it was me you needed to get in here in the first place!"

"Why don't we ask the Princess herself? You needed me for something, did you not?" Xehanort's Heartless turned as he questioned Kairi.

"… I want to help my friends. I'm tired of being in the way of them. You gave Riku something that enabled him to go on a journey to help Sora. I want… what you gave him!"

"Ahhh… you want to wield the power of darkness? You ARE a Princess of Heart though. That might… complicate things a bit."

"Yet here you are." Kairi grinned.

"Indeed… very well then. With your…" he looked at Naminé, "… friend here assisting me, I should be able to put darkness in your heart. But… you, Princess, must embrace it just like everyone else. I will give you time to decide while I wait further up ahead…"

Another Station of Awakening had been next to Kairi's since just after Xehanort's Heartless entered her heart, and he teleported to the top of it. Stairs made of stained glass had appeared, leading up to it.

Kairi looked at Naminé, and she nodded. No matter what happened, she wouldn't let Xehanort's Heartless use her to bring harm to her friends like Riku had briefly allowed him to. Kairi had walked up to the top of the stairs, up to the Station of Awakening to confront Xehanort's Heartless with her decision.

The Station of Awakening that had just appeared had an ominous purple shade to it. Three figures were depicted in large portraits, almost as if forming a trinity. The first was of Xehanort's Heartless, with his guardian behind him. The next one was of Xemnas, who Kairi also saw firsthand when she was in the Realm of In Between.

Finally, there was a third portrait of a man Kairi had never seen before, but bore resemblance to both Xehanort's Heartless and Xemnas. His hair, skin, and eyes were of the same color as the other two, but on his shoulder was a black pad with golden plating. The man looked younger than both of the other two, and had a dark-gray, short-sleeved bodysuit that showed off his burly physique, with two red straps forming an "X" across the front. His face formed an evil grin in the portrait, and it made Kairi somewhat uneasy.

"That quick? I'm surprised, Princess. Then again, the fact that I'm even here is testament to your resolve to help your friends, no matter what the cost. Very well then, come… open your heart!"

Xehanort's Heartless began brimming with the power of darkness, then both he and Naminé pointed at Kairi. She felt pain in her heart, and began seeing visions of Sora and Riku fighting Xehanort's Heartless, but Naminé was in those visions. She was staring at Kairi the whole time.

Kairi then saw the door to the heart of Hollow Bastion, brimming with darkness, and she was standing directly in front of it. The other princesses of heart were gathered around, trying to hold back the darkness, but they paid no attention to Kairi. "I have to accept the darkness… I have to accept it right into my heart, with Naminé's help." She walked straight into the door, with Naminé appearing to Kairi's side, holding her hand.

She was then back at her Station of Awakening. Xehanort's Heartless and Naminé had materialized in front of her, but the former looked at the latter with an angry look on his face.

"You tricked me! I almost had her as my puppet, but then you stole the darkness I had placed in her heart and forced me out!" Xehanort's Heartless angrily accused Naminé.

"Like I said, there was no way I was going to let you control her!" Naminé confirmed his accusations.

"… Ha ha ha ha!" His laugh was chilling. "We'll just have to see who controls this body then... COME GUARDIAN!"

A burly, shadowy figure had appeared behind Xehanort's Heartless. It had a gray 'X' motif on its face, and yellow glowing eyes. It's whiskered face made a grimace, it's teeth clenched as if it were in pain.

Just then, the center portrait of the mural began to brim with darkness. Naminé's plan had succeeded, and now it was time for Kairi to use her new powers. Naminé had entered Kairi again, but this time darkness enveloped her as she entered.

"What is this…?!" Xehanort's Heartless was surprised at the turn of events.

Standing before him was Kairi, but her entire body was completely black with darkness, like a shadow. Her eyes were glowing yellow, and the only feature that truly stood out besides those was the keyblade in her right hand, Destiny Place, which stuck out like a sore thumb. Her left hand also had claws that were razor sharp.

"… I'm done with being pushed around, and I'm more than done with being completely helpless. Now… it's time for me to set things right!"

---

Yen Sid looked outward from his tower as Sora, Donald, and Goofy had started a discussion on what Sora could do with his new powers. As he was gazing into the stars, his eyes suddenly widened. A star had appeared out of nowhere. Had a new world been born? Upon reading the stars further, Yen Sid could indeed confirm this.

"A new world has been born… but why?" Yen Sid could only come up with a few possible explanations, and one of them he dreaded to think about.

"Something wrong, Master Yen Sid?" Donald questioned.

"Sora, on your journey you must be careful to control your new powers. We do not yet know what you're now capable of, but as long as you believe in yourself, the journey will only strengthen you. Remember this."

Sora nodded diligently. "Will do." Sora's gummi ship then appeared outside the balcony window, just like it had the last time he visited Yen Sid's tower.

"Before you go, I want you to have this. It is a device that will allow you to utilize the powers of those you meet on your journey, called a Dimension Link." From his desk drawer, he took out a keychain that looked like a medal, but there was no picture on it.

"Put that on one of your Keyblades…" As Sora took the keychain, it instantly attached to the one in his left hand. "… then shake hands with your companions."

Sora shook hands with Donald, then a picture of him appeared on the medal. "Woah!" Suddenly, Sora felt a surge of magical energy within him. "I wonder… Cure!" Sora pointed his Keyblades into the air, but this time, instead of the barrier effect it had produced earlier, a light had instantly surrounded Sora that was the spell he had known earlier.

"Wow! You can use my exact same magic now!" Donald exclaimed.

"I wonder what would happen if I performed a D-Link with Goofy?" Sora imagined himself spinning around in a tornado-like fashion with both of his keyblades. He probably shouldn't do that here, but he agreed with himself that it would be very useful in the future.

"Well, at least now we know things that you can do for sure, hyuk!" Goofy remarked.

"Yeah, this'll be a great help on my journey. Thanks Master Yen Sid!"

"A group of three heroes once used that same power on their journey. They are the ones you must also save. Whether or not they will assist you, I'm not entirely sure I can say so for all of them. However, one of…" He paused. Maybe it was better if Sora didn't know about that one until he came around to him…

"Master?" Sora, Donald, and Goofy were puzzled.

"… Never mind. You must go now, I have detained you long enough."

The trio went off to their gummi ship, then continued on their journey, armed with knowledge of their quest and new abilities.

---

Kairi's comatose body was on a bed in the Sick Bay of Mickey's Gummi ship. Riku had been holding her hand the entire time, wondering if he was ultimately to blame for what had happened to her. He wanted her to be able to help him and Sora, since he knew that was one of the only things she wanted.

In the Realm of In Between, he had given her a Keyblade. But at the Destiny Islands, he told Kairi everything she needed to know, combined with knowledge she already had, in order for her to put herself in this predicament; Riku had no idea Kairi would actually do something like that. Had she completely changed since they came back?

"Riku…" King Mickey entered the room, the Gummi ship now on auto-pilot. "Remember that one time when I said the light would never give up on you?"

He remembered back in Castle Oblivion. The King had encouraged Riku through all the times he had begun to doubt himself, keeping him from being completely taken over by Xehanort's Heartless. "Yeah… you also said that if he completely took over me, you'd be there to get me back. Mickey… we both have to be here for Kairi. If that monster somehow takes over, we gotta bring her back."

"Indeed! What I wanna know, however… is just how was she able to put darkness in her heart? I understand Naminé had something to do with it, but were her powers really THAT great?" Mickey was very confused, and Riku empathized with that confusion. He himself didn't fully understand what was going on. They could only hope that Yen Sid would be able to figure something out…

Just then, darkness started to flow out of Kairi. "Wha… what's happening…?!" Riku was beginning to worry again.

"Riku, even though darkness is flowing from her right now, we gotta remember… Kairi's still in there. The light'll never give up on her! 'Cause remember, even in the deepest darkness, there's always a light! She'll pull through… we just gotta believe in her!" Mickey's words were always an encouragement to Riku, even in the worst of situations.

"You're absolutely right. We gotta be strong… for Kairi!"

The darkness, however, had now enveloped Kairi almost completely. She had turned black with darkness, but this time her eyes opened. They were glowing yellow, and her Keyblade appeared in her right hand. A flash appeared on the tip, and a giant keyhole opened directly in front of the gummi ship. Kairi's arm fell limp again, but her eyes were still open.

"Kairi!" Both Riku and Mickey yelled out in desperation. He had seen this before, when she was in a comatose state. Only this time, she had her Keyblade out, and… she had become what looked like an Anti Heartless to their eyes.

"Riku, if Xehanort's Heartless was indeed possessing her, I doubt she'd turn into…" he looked at Kairi, "… whatever she is now! She would look similar to how you looked whenever he was taking over."

"But Mickey… I've seen this happen before, except it was when she had no darkness in her heart. Kairi was in a coma-like state because her heart was gone. She didn't turn into a heartless because she didn't have any darkness in her heart to make one. But now… what if she's a HEARTLESS?" Riku hoped beyond all hope that such an occurrence wasn't the case, that this was something like Sora's Anti Form or his own Dark Mode he had used long ago. He thought the former was more likely, because she bore no insignia or suit that resembled such, but then again she didn't have Sora's form-changing ability!

"We can't jump to conclusions right away Riku. If she was a heartless, don't ya think she'd be up right now attacking us?" Mickey corrected him.

"You're right." He still had to believe that Kairi would come through.

Yen Sid's tower was soon coming into view. The fact that Kairi's Keyblade had brought them there was at least an indication that there was still a chance for her. They would be able to get help… or at least they hoped.

---

"My… word...! What has happened to her?" Yen Sid was in shock.

Riku explained everything that happened, both on Destiny Islands, and on their emergency trip to his tower.

"So, Kairi accepted the darkness into her heart…" Yen Sid's eyes closed, a very serious expression on his face emerged as he gazed out into the stars from his balcony.

"Yes Master, but she didn't do it by herself. She IS a Princess of Heart, after all!" Mickey explained.

"Was a Princess…" Yen Sid corrected.

"Beg your pardon, Master?" Mickey was confused. Was Kairi no longer a Princess of Heart after what she had done?

"Mickey, look out into the stars, and tell me what you see…"

The former pupil obeyed, and went out to the balcony. He noticed a star that was somehow different from the rest. It's glimmer was faint, and it's light was exceedingly bright. "It can't be… a new world?!"

"It is… a new world has been born, along with a new Princess of Heart!" Yen Sid explained.

"WHAT?!" Riku and Mickey were both dumbstruck.

"Allow me to explain fully…" Yen Sid went over to his bookshelf and picked out a large, leather-bound tapestry. It's pages had many cobwebs, and dust adorned its surface. He turned to a page roughly in the middle of it.

"The Tapestry of Worlds!" Mickey shouted.

"Where was it… ah, yes! Page 583, section VII: 'Princesses of Heart are born without darkness in their hearts. However, despite the fact that their hearts are pure and unstained, they are still beings with free will; they can accept the darkness from another being into their hearts, should they manipulate both the darkness and their own hearts as such.' Section VIII…"

"(That's why Kairi did that to me… she wanted my darkness in her heart! Naminé even helped her to accomplish that goal by manipulating Kairi's own heart.)" Riku silently reviewed and contemplated the events that had occurred.

Master Yen Sid continued, "'Should a Princess's heart gain another's darkness as their own, they shall no longer be pure of heart. However, there must always be seven Princesses of Heart to maintain the balance of the worlds. To fill the gap left behind by the former Princess, a new world and a new Princess of Heart shall be born.'" He closed the book. "This confirms my theory. A Princess of Heart, Riku's dear friend Kairi in this case, has become an ordinary being. Because of this, what I have seen in the stars was true; a new world, and a new Princess, have come into existence."

"So that's the explanation for all this..." Mickey took in all the information that was new to him. In all his apprenticeship, he was never allowed to touch the Tapestry of Worlds, and he was too busy as both a Keyblade wielder and as the King to bother with reading it after completing his training. He couldn't deny that he was still curious about the contents of that book, however, and today he got his first glimpse of its pages.

"What will happen now? I don't care if she isn't a Princess anymore, I just want her to be alright!" Riku cried out in anguish.

"Riku, your grief is not without merit. However, you must believe in your friend. If your bond, and the bonds of others connected to her, are strong enough… she will pull through." Yen Sid encouraged him.

---

Kairi lunged out Keyblade-first at Xehanort's Heartless. He reacted by summoning his guardian to block the attack. It then countered by punching Kairi backward, but when Kairi landed, she had dived into the floor of the Station. There was now a shadow of her on the ground as an indicator of where she was.

"Impossible…!" Xehanort's Heartless carefully watched it, his guardian ready to block. But it then moved right under him, and Kairi had emerged to deliver a powerful blow with her Keyblade, which struck him. "GAAH!" He screamed out, then teleported away. As he re-appeared, his Guardian threw three energy blades at Kairi as Xehanort's Heartless laughed at her.

"Have some of this!" Kairi's clawed hand glowed blue, and she shot several Dark Firaga shots to deflect the projectiles. Kairi then shot a powerful ball of Dark Firaga energy to finish the combo, which was again blocked by the Guardian. She had known that Dark Firaga was one of the powers Riku had used, but how did she learn it so quickly? She had used the spell out of instinct rather than knowledge, in order to react to those projectiles. Now she knew though, so she could use it in more ways than just defensively.

"(That thing keeps blocking anything that hits him from the front! But it couldn't block my attack from below… there's gotta be something else I can do though, because he'll catch on to that eventually!)" Kairi was quickly planning other ways to hit Xehanort's Heartless while trying to avoid his attacks. On numerous occasions, the Guardian had sent shockwaves of energy forward at her, in response to which Kairi faced sideways and began dashing on three of her four limbs (her clawed hand and both feet while she held her keyblade behind her back) at a speed faster than normal. She couldn't turn well, and she had to slow down by braking with her feet in order to stop running, but it was a maneuver that allowed her to dodge in addition to going into the floor like a shadow.

"It is time… we finished this, PRINCESS!" the Guardian this time went into the ground, and Xehanort's Heartless started glowing.

Maybe this time, Kairi could hit him! She fired several more of the minor Dark Firaga shots, but they went right through Xehanort's Heartless. "What…?!"

"Ha ha ha… what do you hope to accomplish?" Xehanort's Heartless said in a mocking way.

Suddenly, a portal had appeared underneath Kairi's feet. She looked down but it was too late. The Guardian grabbed her, flew up, then began flying downward. It slammed her into the mural, and she was flung backward by the impact. As she was flying, she saw the glowing aura begin to fade from Xehanort, so she figured now would be the best time to attack. "Burn!" She shot more Dark Firaga projectiles, followed by the finisher while his aura was still up.

"…What?!" Just as his guardian was about to return to him, Xehanort's Heartless was pushed backward by the multiple shots, then the finisher hit him.

Both Kairi and Xehanort's Heartless were catching their breath. "You learn quite fast, Princess!" He was amused by the fierce display of the fighting skills she had just began learning. "Think of what you could do with ALL my darkness!"

"Sorry, but I think I'm more than happy with what I've got!" She boldly countered. Kairi was gripping her arm in pain, for the blow inflicted by the Guardian was quite fierce. She had to heal somehow!

"Kairi, there's more to your power than you think! Just listen to me!" Naminé had yelled out to Kairi from within.

She had closed her eyes, then both her Keyblade and clawed hand started to glow white. "What is this?" Kairi was bewildered.

"…It can't be!?" In response to the surprise, his Guardian had immediately moved in front of Xehanort's Heartless to prepare for the attack.

Kairi impulsively yelled, "I'll take that!" and then it happened. Xehanort's Heartless screamed out in pain as several green orbs had flown out from him to Kairi, and her wound was healed, though not fully. "What did I just do…?" She didn't complain, for she now had a way to get around the Guardian, and even heal herself.

Xehanort's Heartless was panting, trying to catch his breath after having his energy sucked from him by the Drain spell. He needed to use his Guardian to its fullest ability!

"SUBMIT!" The Guardian lunged out at Kairi to grab her.

Kairi's mind raced to how Riku fought. Didn't he use some kind of barrier to protect himself? She tried to conjure it, but to no avail. The Guardian had grabbed her again, but this time instead of slamming her, it simply turned into an orb and floated around her. What was going on?

The Guardian was no longer with Xehanort's Heartless, so Kairi tried rushing in to attack. Just as her Keyblade was about to hit him, the Guardian appeared from behind and grabbed her arms. She couldn't move! A swirling cage of darkness then appeared around Xehanort's Heartless, and he started moving toward Kairi. "(Think, think! How do I get this off me?)" She despearately struggled to break free.

Just then, the darkness surrounding Xehanort's Heartless connected, and it began swiping across her like harsh winds. As the barrier dropped, Kairi impulsively began swinging her Keyblade, hitting Xehanort's Heartless several times. "(What did I just do?)" It seemed that whenever multiple hits connected to Kairi, she could react by countering. She couldn't produce a Dark Shield, but she could break out of combos!

Kairi was badly hurt by the onslaught, however. She needed to use Drain again, but she needed it to be stronger! Then it occurred: what if she could finish with Drain? She had to try it. After countering, Kairi noticed that the Guardian was still absent. It was her chance to end this.

She swung her Keyblade, then scratched with her clawed hand after the initial attack. Suddenly after it connected, she impulsively propelled herself backwards with a kick to Xehanort's Heartless to give herself some range. Did her movements somehow react to how she was thinking? Were these instincts of hers part of the dark powers Naminé had given her?

Kairi had to act quickly before the Guardian returned, so she fired several minor Dark Firaga shots. The Guardian came back to block the last shot just as it arrived, but the other ones had softened Xehanort's Heartless just enough, and it couldn't block what was coming next.

"It's OVER!" Kairi's hands were already glowing white when the last shot was blocked, and she had hit Xehanort's Heartless with her Drain finisher. Several very large health orbs had flown out of him to Kairi, who was completely healed by them, and he was suddenly covered in a flash of light.

"Very well then Princess… go ahead and use the power of darkness to save your friends, but remember… you will never reach your full potential until you give into it completely!" Xehanort's Heartless then faded away.

"I can't believe it… !" Kairi was exhausted from her first major battle, but she had won! And it was no small feat either. This was the same monster that Sora and Riku had fought so hard against in their respective journeys. She had prevailed and gained incredible new powers, all thanks to Naminé's help. Kairi would never forget her for this. She began to faint, however, and a pool of darkness appeared underneath to take her. Kairi was struggling to not give in, even though she herself was heavily steeped in darkness already as part of her new powers. Just before she disappeared, a light had erupted from where the darkness vanished.

Meanwhile, the blank portrait that was on Kairi's Station of Awakening had begun to clear up. Though it was heavily enshrouded in darkness, it faintly depicted a young man who looked just like Sora… but with black hair and amber eyes.

---

Riku looked at his friend, desperate for her to return. Her yellow eyes were glowing, her Keyblade still in hand. Just then, it vanished, and she stood up.

"Kairi! You're back!!" Riku ran forward to immediately hug Kairi. She returned the embrace, then looked toward Mickey and Yen Sid, who both had a look of surprise on their face.

"She's alright!" Mickey jumped for joy, even though he himself couldn't believe it. There stood Kairi, steeped in the darkness, yet she was acting like a perfectly normal person and not showing any signs of intent to harm them.

"Kairi… I commend you for conquering your inner darkness, but… there is something you must know." Yen Sid explained to her.

"… Alright, but who are you?" Kairi's voice sounded… different to everyone. It was the same voice she had, but it had an echoing, slightly lower-pitched rasp to it.

"… I am Master Yen Sid. The one who trained the King, and your friend Sora." he explained.

"Oh, you're him! Well it's very nice to meet you!" She answered.

Riku was almost taken aback by the voice in which both her question and response were presented.

"Kairi, you are no longer a Princess of Heart. Because you have accepted darkness, you are now an ordinary being, just like your friend Riku. However, that does not mean that your heart isn't exceedingly strong. I assume you have conquered the one known as Xehanort's Heartless, and that you are, indeed, still you?"

"Xehanort's Heartless is no more. I vanquished him with powers that Naminé helped me obtain from Riku's darkness, and now here I am!" Kairi boldy exclaimed.

Riku couldn't believe what he just heard, especially coming from her. Kairi defeated him? And for good?! His jaw gaped in response, but he could tell she was saying the truth. Though her darkness was heavily apparent, and Riku could sense this because part of it was his own darkness, he had not sensed the presence of the one who tormented him for so long.

Just then, Kairi put her Keyblade away and turned to Riku, running towards him. She hugged him (with quite a grip too), and gently told him, "You don't ever have to worry about him again Riku, I made sure he's gone!"

Riku was on the verge of tears. Kairi had taken Xehanort's Heartless out of his heart, then vanquished him for good. She really was doing it because she cared about him… his faith in Kairi was rewarded!

"Now that you are back with us Kairi, I think Mickey has something to give you" A serious tone was in Yen Sid's voice, and he looked at Mickey with a smile.

Mickey held out his letter. "… Master! Are you sure?" Mickey had wondered.

"Yes Mickey, Kairi has proven herself more than capable by destroying the remnants of Xehanort's Heartless that was threatening to return and bring more harm to the worlds. One Xehanort going around is enough..." Yen Sid had stated, but Kairi and Riku looked at him with puzzled expressions on his face at the mention of those last words.

However, he continued, "And beside, I must assure the safety of the new world that has appeared. A Keyblade master must be sent there. I have come across many who had great darkness in their hearts, but they fell victim to it, much to my dismay. Riku's friend, however, not only conquered her deepest darkness, but also vanquished a terrible threat to the Realm of Light. Kairi, you have earned my trust… now, will you accept this mission?"

Kairi's eyes widened. She could not believe what was happening.

Riku looked at her. "You know, I think it's time both of us headed on a journey, don't you?"

"Hey fellas, don't be forgettin' about me already!" Mickey ran to both of them. "It's all for one and one for all, right everyone?"

"Yeah!" She was ecstatic. Kairi's was in a league of her own now, about to go with allies on her first adventure!

"Kairi, your darkness is now a part of you, and you must constantly battle it. It did not end with Xehanort's Heartless; throughout your journey, no… maybe even beyond that, you must control your darkness and not let it take you. It is a heavy burden to those that use it as their power; you will be tempted many times to give in. But I have faith in you Kairi… faith that you will do great things not only for yourself, but for everyone around. You must remember Kairi… the light never gave up on Riku, and it will never give up on you either. You were even one of its greatest sources before accepting your new powers." Yen Sid smiled. "Now, you have the chance to be one of its greatest champions."

Yen Sid also walked over, and gave Kairi a Dimension Link of her own. "I gave one of these to Sora…"

Kairi's eyes widened again. "Where is he now?"

"The young man left just recently. I suspect that the two of you will see each other again."

Suddenly, Kairi's joy slightly turned to sadness. "… I don't want him to see me like this…"

Riku noticed more-or-less the same phrase he once uttered to King Mickey. "Hey Kairi, even though you don't have exactly the same power I had… I can teach you more about how to control it." He knew exactly the feeling she had, but he knew that Sora wouldn't reject her… especially not with Riku AND Mickey by her side, and knowing that all it took was Kairi's help for Sora to accept him in a state that was similar to, if not worse than, what she currently experienced. Plus, if his hunch was correct, she wouldn't have to stay that way all the time.

He explained the mechanics of the Dark Mode he once wielded to his friend, and how he was able to revert back to normal. "… I'm gonna give that a try… right now!" Kairi focused in the same manner that Riku had done.

"(Don't worry Kairi… we don't have to stay this way all the time!)" Naminé's voice had assured her, and Kairi reverted back to normal, now with Destiny Place in her hand. Riku had wondered why it vanished before she got up in her Anti Form.

"I'll be damned… it's almost just like how my Dark Mode was!" Riku exclaimed.

Kairi knew that it was really Naminé who gave her access to the dark powers, but it was indeed similar in a way.

Mickey then gave Kairi his letter. The King knew what it was all about; after all, it was he who had obtained the crucial information in that letter, and intended to travel with Kairi and Riku to find out what he still didn't have the answer to.

After Kairi read the letter and clarified on what had to be done (Her Voice had also returned to normal when she reverted from her Anti Form), Yen Sid continued to explain to Kairi about the D-Links and how to use them. She shook hands with Riku, then tried out Dark Shield. Surprised that he still had those powers, Kairi assured him. "Don't worry… they're not his powers anymore. They're yours and mine." She shook hands with King Mickey, and tested out Cure along with Pearl, making the projectile only fly around above her and being sure not to hit anyone with the spell before it faded.

Finally, Kairi had opened a Corridor of Darkness to the first world she was to visit as a Keyblade master with a purpose. The former Princess knew that she, Riku, and the King had nothing to worry about from using them to travel the worlds. Yen Sid wished them the best of luck on their journey, and the newly-formed trio were off… Kairi's journey had begun! But it was only the beginning for her and Sora, and there was another Keyblade master who's journey had yet to begin...

((Chapter 2 (Part 1/3)))
 
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Memory Master

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

WOW! This is amazing! I love it!
 

Chaosmax

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Nice job and great detail as well I can't wait for more.
 

Xeon{Myroku}

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Well done is all I have to say. Even though this is all a fanfic I thought I was actually reading the ideas of and storyboard of what will happen in KH3. Of course I doubt Kiari would go to such lengths like that in the game. Intresting on how Sora obtained newer abilities that is like a combination of his magic and his forms. Able to use two keyblades and use greater standards of magic and now combine his abilities with with friends. Like the idea that Kiari is the main leader in this new team. Of course she leads a bunch of Keybearers while Sora just leads the Kings Royal Magician and Captain of the Gaurds.

And I wonder who the new Keybearer might be. If I was a English professor I give this fanfic a grade "A".
 

Allister Rose

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

it's pretty good, though you add in alot of battle cries that sora does
 

Luap

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Well I be damned. That was awesome.
It moved right into the story a little to fast though. In KH things tend to be mysterious for a while, but you explain everything right away. Thats my only problem with it.

Keep up the great work!
 

Aqualung

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Well done is all I have to say. Even though this is all a fanfic I thought I was actually reading the ideas of and storyboard of what will happen in KH3. ... ... ... If I was a English professor I give this fanfic a grade "A".

Wow, thank you! My goal is to make the story really feel as if you were watching cutscenes from a Kingdom Hearts game, and could really imagine the battles that were going on (especially in the case of Kairi vs. Xehanort's Heartless just now) or how the story developed.

Of course I doubt Kairi would go to such lengths like that in the game.

There is actually a specific reason why she goes to such lengths to try and go with Sora in the beginning, and then to pursue him on her own journey. You may have already figured it out, or you might not have. In any case, when the story calls for it I will add a clear explanation (I already had the reason figured out since before I wrote the prologue, and left one or two very subtle hints in the story so far) that will be delivered by one of the characters involved. I would kindly ask that readers please do not try to spoil anything that might happen in the future chapters for others by posting your speculations on events in the fanfic here; rather, keep them to yourselves, and if it turns out you were right then you can gloat / brag / whatever. ;) Of course, if you feel like you HAVE to post them now, please use the spoiler tags and be specific with what they are about.

Intresting on how Sora obtained newer abilities that is like a combination of his magic and his forms. Able to use two keyblades and use greater standards of magic and now combine his abilities with with friends.

It's not necessarily a "greater" standard of magic more than it is a different one; Yen Sid himself even explained that he had never seen the type of magic Sora had just learned, but that doesn't mean they're the best damn things since sliced bread. :) The spells he is currently using are either directly synchronized with his keyblades (in the case of Fire and Blizzard), or are combinations of spells that work in a unique way (Such as Aero + Cure and Magnet + Thunder).

Sora is going to have to learn to utilize the new powers he obtained on his quest. And trust me, this fanfic states that the journey he is on now is really going to be his most difficult journey yet. Why do you think I'd give Kairi the kind of power she has when fighting Xehanort's Heartless? :) (Especially considering the most she's ever tackled before were a few shadows, although we don't really know what happened when she got blocked off from fighting Xemnas at the end of KH2; for all we know, maybe she and Mickey were busy fighting off Nobodies on their own? For the purposes of this fanfic though, I'll just assume that she and Mickey had to sit out on any combat that occurred during that encounter because of how much of an ego boost it would have been for Kairi, which would run contrary to the way she felt in this fanfic before fighting XH. Her character development that's supposed to be happening in this story is what I believe to be one of the major reasons it's so interesting :D) Sora is going to need all the help he can get, whether it's from his new powers, D-Links, Donald and Goofy, or maybe even Kairi should they ever cross paths on their respective journeys.

I actually have names for the spells he is using, but I'll name them in future chapters (possibly even as early as the first part of Chapter 2). The thing about these spells is that Sora has gained an (almost) completely new set of basic powers; he no longer needs his drive forms to wield two keyblades, and every spell he has is either changed or combined with each other in some way. The voice he heard in his Station of Awakening with Roxas sure wasn't kidding; the new power really did change him! He has effectively discovered new types of magic, even though a few of them are similar to abilities or effects that have been seen before in the actual Kingdom Hearts games.

Spoiler Spoiler Show


Like the idea that Kairi is the main leader in this new team. Of course she leads a bunch of Keybearers while Sora just leads the Kings Royal Magician and Captain of the Guards.

Several things that should be kept in mind are that:

1. Donald and Goofy by this point are certainly no slouches. They've been on a total of three (KH1, CoM, KH2) journeys with Sora, fighting all kinds of Heartless and Nobodies.

2. Sora can now directly channel their abilities through him thanks to D-Links. Imagine Goofy's Spin or Goofy Turbo moves from his D-Link in BBS, but with Sora's two Keyblades involved. (One would be a whirlwind, the other would be him drilling into the enemy with both Keyblades. Ouch!)

Sora's usage of Donald's magic had greatly improved since KH1. Both of them using magic together like they did in the Chain of Memories manga even caused the death of an Organization XIII member (Larxene). It's not like Sora has outright forgotten how to use that magic; just that now he has to use it through a D-Link with Donald. It also provides Sora with a much needed level of familiarity with his former powers, something to fall back on incase he doesn't do so hot with his new abilities in whatever situation puts him in that kind of trouble.[/Spoiler]

3. The fact that Kairi has both Riku and Mickey on her team is sort of offset by the fact that she is still somewhat green at combat with her new powers. Yes, she DID defeat XH in combat, but not only was Naminé somewhat assisting her, she also had enhanced combat intuition and instincts as part of her powers.

XH did remark that she was a fast learner, but it was only because of that aspect of her "Anti Mode." She wouldn't have figured out how to use the certain characteristics of Riku's Dark Mode and Sora's Anti Form that she had, along with those unique to her Anti Mode (Specifically her version of the Drain spell and her ability to break out of combos), were it not for that.

Not to mention, there were several key flaws in some of her powers exhibited that I more or less have or haven't mentioned yet in the story of the fanfic up to this point. She can use the Drain spell she has about as often as Sora can use his new Aero + Cure spell, and at the end of her bout with XH she had begun to faint after using it as a finisher, after which the obligatory darkness pool in Awakenings took her in. Also, when she was running to the sides to avoid XH's Guardian's shockwave attacks, she had difficulty turning and had to brake in order to stop due to forward momentum. It's not like Sora's Anti Form where he could run and turn willy-nilly and stop on a dime; Kairi can move that fast, but it has limits. In fact, I'd say it's almost exactly like Lion Sora's Dash ability. She can't Dodge Roll or anything like that to avoid attacks, and her ability to meld with the floor like a Shadow only lasts for a short time; the reason she was able to land her first blow underneath XH before she had to resurface was because she got there just in time.

Granted, Kairi does seem like she has a kickass team going here, but Sora, Donald, and Goofy are certainly NOT to be taken lightly. In fact, before Kairi and Sora got their new powers, SDG were more adept at combat than KRM (Kairi hadn't even joined as part of the latter until TWTNW!). Now the scales have been evened a bit. Both of the teams have the potential to be greater than each other, which makes them about equal.

And I wonder who the new Keybearer might be.

I never said it would be a new Keybearer now, did I?

s1demteeth

Just to be clear, I think since it's blatantly obvious now (both from the intro before the prologue, and the last sentence of Chapter 1, along with AtW's conversations), I'm going to go ahead and spoil this part: it's Aqua.

Well I be damned. That was awesome.
It moved right into the story a little to fast though. In KH things tend to be mysterious for a while, but you explain everything right away. Thats my only problem with it.

I still haven't explained everything yet. ;) And believe me, this is a pretty long fanfic. There's a LOT of things which haven't yet happened, and many points which will either be explained as they appear or need explaining later in the story.
 
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Chaosmax

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Great explanation but I do have a question. Is the XH within Kairi the real one or a portion of his powers? Meaning since apprentice XH returned because of both his heartless and nobody were destroyed does he only have part of of his pwoers since Ansem seeker of Darkness is within Kairi?
 

Aqualung

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Great explanation but I do have a question. Is the XH within Kairi the real one or a portion of his powers? Meaning since apprentice XH returned because of both his heartless and nobody were destroyed does he only have part of of his pwoers since Ansem seeker of Darkness is within Kairi?

Spoiler Spoiler Show
 
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Aqualung

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

CHAPTER 2 (Part 1/3): The Mysterious Council of XXV

It had all happened so quick. Sora felt as if he was back at the islands yesterday, and then all of a sudden was whisked away on another journey. Would he ever be able to live a normal life? Was he bound to a quest to stop the Heartless, Nobodies, and now the Reborn, that would last until his time was over?

It seemed like there was no end in sight; darkness was in every heart, and Sora felt it was futile to think that it would ever go away. There could be no light without darkness, and no darkness without light. He would have to accept that he was a Keyblade master, and that his journey was never done…

"Hey Sora, you know how you were using all that magic back at the tower?" Donald asked.

"Oh… yeah, what's up Donald?"

"Well, not even Master Yen Sid had seen those spells you were using before!"

Yen Sid had told Sora before he left that the magical abilities he now used had never been recorded in any of his tapestries. He had remembered the many books on magic that were written, and stored in his library.

"He did say that I was 'discovering new magic…' Hey, does that mean I can name it?" Sora pondered.

"I don't see why not! Whaddya wanna call them?" Goofy asked.

"Alright… the one that was a mix of Aero and Cure, hmmm…" He thought for a while. "I know, Vigilance!"

"And the one with the storm clouds?"

"Hmm…" An idea for a name came up. "Shockstorm!"

"How about those two elemental enchantments of yours?" Questioned Donald.

It was at least something to take Sora's mind off the depressing realization that his journeys may never end. Besides, what could be cooler than coming up with names for his very own spells? "Flametongue and Icebrand!"

"Great! I wrote those down for ya. If we ever come across more of them new spells of yours, we can just make more names for 'em! Hyuk!" Goofy then wondered, "Maybe we can even have Yen Sid record 'em in his books!"

---

"Aqua, now you know what must be done should Sora fail in his quest." Ansem had finished explaining to her.

"I just hope that never happens…" Aqua knew that Ansem's research data would be needed to bring back Ventus and Terra. Her Keyblade could contain it, so if it had to be passed on to her, she could now be the Key that connected everything.

"There is something else I must explain to you. As you and I have both seen and known, there are beings called Heartless that materialize when a person's heart is taken by darkness. However, when these are born, another being is also created…"

Aqua pondered. Something else happened when a Heartless was created? She decided to listen to Ansem's explanation.

"When a Heartless is created, only the heart and its darkness are used in its creation. The body and soul are left behind, and in many cases it is cast into the darkness. However, when a being has a strong will, its body and soul gain a mind of their own. These… are called Nobodies." He explained further to Aqua more information about the Nobodies, and of a group called Organization XIII that had controlled them, but were defeated by Sora. Ansem had also related the story of how he learned that not all Nobodies were evil, a fact that the former ruler of Radiant Garden had refused to accept for such a long time, resulting in the suffering of two Nobodies that he would never forget.

"I see…" Aqua was taking in all that he had to tell.

"Now, there is one more thing I must inform you of, Master Aqua…" it was the first time he had addressed her formally since she told him of her status as a Keyblade master.

"… Yes?" She was curious.

"I too, am now a Nobody."

---

"Radiant Garden is coming up on the world radar!" Chip and Dale had announced their reading. They were sent to Yen Sid's tower ahead of King Mickey to prepare for the Keyblade master's eventual return.

Sora remembered the Restoration Committee and everyone that was there. "Hey guys, I think we should at least check up on them."

"Well, we did just recently get back from the Realm of In-Between, and it hasn't been that long between then and now…" Donald remarked.

"You heard what Yen-Sid told us, ALL the worlds were under attack by Heartless and Nobodies. We should at least check it out. Who knows, a new path might open!" Sora reassured Donald. He wanted to at least see some familiar faces before going right into the action again, and besides: there were shops at Radiant Garden, well stocked with many things they could buy for the journey.

"Sora does have a point." Goofy agreed.

"Yeah, I guess we should check it out. There doesn't seem to be any other worlds on our radar. Alright, landing!" Donald wanted to drive for a bit the first time they left Yen Sid's tower, but he knew Sora would be driving again once they departed from Radiant Garden.

"Actually," Sora had remembered long ago when Merlin expanded his knowledge about magic. "We should tell Merlin about my new powers!"

"Great idea Sora! After all, Yen Sid has many of his books, and both of them were colleagues. If he still has something we can use to train with, you can even learn how to use those spells better!"

"Yeah! Alright, next stop, Merlin's House!"

As Sora, Donald, and Goofy had entered Merlin's House, the Restoration Committee had all greeted them. "Welcome back everyone!" Leon had exclaimed. "Merlin has some important business in another world that he's attending to right now, but said he'd be back soon."

"There's been some strange crap happening lately… " Cid started rattling off, "First, we all had this damn headache. Mine was three times as bad as the withdrawals I had when I quit smoking! And on top of all this stuff with the Heartless and Nobodies, there's these clowns wearing armor-plated clothes goin' around callin' themselves the 'Council of XXV,' or somethin' stupid like that."

Cid had continued explaining, "And just yesterday, we went to tear down some old walls in Hollow Bastion, but then our tools started floating up and attackin' us! Cloud and Leon had to swing the damn things away, then we all ran like hell outta there because furniture started comin'! It's like the stinkin' place got haunted!"

"Haunted…?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked rather puzzled, then Sora turned aside to his two companions.

"Gawrsh, do ya think it's got somethin' to do with them Reborn?" Goofy suggested.

"No, unless maybe Council XXV's behind it. All the other Reborn are trapped in Kingdom Hearts, remember?" Sora corrected, but he did wonder if it was the Council's doing. Using weird tactics like that when they didn't even appear to the Committee wasn't like Organization XIII at all, unless the Heartless versions of themselves did stuff like that…

"You thought it was us throwing old, tacky furniture, and that we 'haunted' that wreck of a castle…?! Don't make me laugh!"

"Who do you think we are, ghosts?"

"'WooOOooooOOOooohh…!' Ha ha ha ha ha!!"

Voices had shouted from outside.

"…Those voices! It's them!" Sora nodded at Donald, Goofy, then all three drew their weapons.

"Woah there boy! Ya got TWO Keyblades now?!" Cid gasped as Sora whipped out both.

"Yeah, but we got bigger things to worry about!" The trio headed outside.

---

How could that be? Aqua learned that Organization XIII were Nobodies who looked like humans from what he explained, but Ansem the Wise never said he belonged to such a group. "How did you become a Nobody?"

"When my machine that I used to encode Xemnas's artificial Kingdom Hearts had exploded, the darkness in my heart had grown out of control. Something happened that I had never expected… my heart was consumed by that great darkness, becoming a Heartless, and this shell that now sits before you is the byproduct of my misfortune. I became the very thing that I once hated for such a long, long time. What irony…" Ansem's voice had remained monotonous the entire time he was talking to Aqua. It never changed, even since their first conversation when they met.

"Normally, I would have entered the Realm of Light… but my device had sent me, now a Nobody, to the Realm of Darkness. I was devoid of all emotion. I could not feel the darkness, not only because of my current state but also because this cloak…" He clutched the right sleeve with his left hand, "… was now a part of me. Normally, before I had become what I am now, I was able to freely move between realms with a Corridor of Darkness."

"But all the dark powers this shell could have used, had been transferred to my Heartless by the machine. I am a new breed of Nobody, perhaps the only one of my kind. Light and darkness… had all but completely abandoned me. Just before my device was destroyed, when I realized the consequences of what I had done in my blind thirst for revenge, the last thing I felt was a terrible guilt." Ansem had finished reflecting on the most recent years of his life.

"Which is why you must not give in to the darkness, Master Aqua… I have no feelings; I am but an empty shell that cannot pass through the Door to Light, nor through a Corridor of Darkness. But you still possess a body with a heart, as well as a Keyblade. Should Sora come to rescue us, it is you who will be able to leave, while I am doomed to linger here for as long as I and the Realm of Darkness exist. It is up to you and Sora now to set things right…"

---

"Show yourselves!" Sora shouted out, but the only response he got were several Dusks, Shadows, and Soldier heartless of the ground and air variety appearing. Sora started by casting Shockstorm to catch some clustered Air Soldiers that had some distance away from them. That would keep them busy while he cleaned up the Soldiers. Donald and Goofy would handle the Shadows and Dusks while he did that.

Sora swung his Keyblades around, cutting down numerous Soldiers while his Shockstorm spell (for brief moments at a time, anyway), Donald, and Goofy kept all the other enemies busy. One of the Soldiers had flew into the air and was swirling toward Sora. He didn't jump out of the way, but he reacted by throwing one of his Keyblades at it. It began charging with energy, and ripped right through the Soldier and hit a Dusk that had escaped from Donald and Goofy. Both had burst into their respective energies.

"Huh? Strike Raid?" At least one special ability Sora was familiar with had remained his since obtaining his new powers. But why only one Keyblade, and not both? He didn't have time to think about stuff like that. Sora would have to avoid being caught off guard by his surprise discoveries, and learn stuff as it came to him.

Finally, the trio dispatched the Heartless and Nobodies in the plaza, and then the voices that mocked them earlier had made an appearance. There were three of them, covered in lightweight metallic body armor, wearing white coats worn underneath that covered the areas of their upper bodies that the armor did not protect.

They wore skirts of the same material as their coat that covered the back of their legs, and they were also wearing armor of the same material they wore on their body on their legs underneath the skirt. One of the few distinctions were masks that they wore: also made of their armor material, each of them were of different designs that concealed at least part of their faces, though how much depended on the design. The rest of their head however, was visible.

On the left, a slender man had spiked, silvery hair. The bangs covered the right part of the mask, but the mask he was wearing was shaped like a book that had golden eyes. It covered almost his entire face, and the covers even extended past the edges of his cheeks a bit.

The man in the middle was wearing a mask that looked like a vortex. Part of his face was visible between each swirl, and his hair was long, black, and ponytailed in back. The tornado motif grew wider as it sprouted upward from underneath his chin. Two angry-looking eyes were on each side of the vortex to allow sight.

On the right stood a slim woman, with the body armor she wore reflecting her physique. Her mask was the same as the type worn to ballrooms, but it was attached to a headband that had a blank metal plate covering the front of it. Lightning bolts protruded from the bottoms of the eyes, with her nose and lips visible. Her hair was short, blonde, and slicked back except for two bangs that pointed up and then curved backward in almost a 90 degree angle to form antennae shapes.

"He truly is… interesting, isn't he? Every time we see him, there's just some CRAZY surprises he has to show off, like a toddler with new toys!" The man with the book-like mask remarked, causing all three of them to laugh.

"Shut up! Why are you gathering Reborn into Kingdom Hearts? They were originally people with feelings! And now your leader is controlling them for some reason? I don't get you crackpots and your organizations!"

"Listen sweetie, we aren't Nobodies anymore… we have HEARTS now!" The woman had put both her hands over her chest, as if pointing to where the heart would biologically be located.

"We can feel what it is we're doing! All the mayhem we cause, and the emotions of those affected... we can actually feel it! Isn't it grand?" The one with the ponytails remarked.

"Indeed, and it's even more grand to completely disregard the silly regret and doubts we can have as well!" The woman snapped back, causing more laughter among the three.

"You idiots, Xehanort is just using you! You all have hearts now, yet you're acting just as heartless as when you didn't have any!" Donald yelled.

"We're going to change all worlds. Xehanort will bring the worlds to--OW!" The Council member to his right had backhanded him. "Dammit Ienzo, what was that for?!"

"Don't gloat about the Superior's plan in front of THEM Dilan, you incompetent lug!" The man with the book-shaped mask interrupted as he reprimanded him for almost letting lose their leader's plans to Sora.

Ienzo then turned his attention to the woman. "Arlene, we must depart for our respective missions. In the meantime, commence your assault on Hollow Bastion!" With that said, they had both vanished through separate Corridors of Darkness.

"Well Sora, you heard the man… it's a party at the 'haunted' castle, and your invited!" Arlene laughed maniacally, then snapped her fingers before going through her own dark pathway.

"Change… the worlds? THAT can't be good…" Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked very disturbed at the new info.

"We'll review what just happened later! Right now, we gotta protect Hollow Bastion!" Donald reminded Sora.

The trio agreed, then headed off to defend the castle.

((Chapter 2 (Part 2/3)))
 
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Chaosmax

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Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Great job, it just gets better and better.
 
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