Seek the Stars
folder
Kingdom Hearts › AU - Alternate Universe
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
30
Views:
1,420
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Kingdom Hearts › AU - Alternate Universe
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
30
Views:
1,420
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Kingdom Hearts or profit from this fanfiction.
XII
XII
Kaoru heaved a sigh as he waited for his cohorts to show up. It was bad enough he was going to break the rules by doing what he would be doing; he didn’t need the added anxiety of being the only one to show up at the meeting place. Unable to keep his doings a secret though, the leader had found out and so Kaoru had told him. The Leader had just looked at him for a long while.
“Do what you think is best.” The Leader had said.
He knew markers weren’t what Naminé was after. Even after all this time, she still didn’t realize Kaoru could read her far better than anyone else. She had given him memories and had broken him. Kaoru was her knight eternal – she never would realize that. So he kept his mouth shut and waited, arms folded across his chest as he bowed his head. He knew his limits. He knew what he was capable of. But it still frightened him, no matter what happened, and he was terribly unsure if he could keep control this time.
“So, you’re first?”
Kaoru looked up at Kairi. “It seems like it.”
Kairi rocked back on her heels and clasped her hands behind her back. “You really do look like him, you know.”
Kaoru hid his wince. “I was made to.”
“Do you regret it?” Kairi asked. “Being like him, I mean.”
Kaoru stared at the Princess for a moment. He looked away after a moment and sighed. “If it weren’t for the Leader, I wouldn’t be here. Do I regret being like Riku? Sometimes. It’s hard to be an individual when you were born to be someone’s replacement.” He took a breath. “But if I wasn’t, I would never have the life I do now. So it’s like a double-edged sword.”
Kairi hummed. “If it’s any consolation, you’re happier than he seems to be.”
“That’s not much consolation.”
Kairi seemed about to say something more when Roxas and Naminé ran up, with Tenkuu huff-puffing behind them. Kaoru pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning against and moved to stand in the middle of the semi-circle the others formed.
“We stay on the path, no matter what.” Kaoru said. “We run. I don’t know how long I can hold the portal, so we have to be fast.”
Kairi glanced to Naminé. The Sunrise Princess just nodded. Kairi took a deep breath. They’d be okay. They would be just fine. Kairi watched as the air before Kaoru began to shiver and shake, splitting open to reveal the Dark Corridor that would take them to Twilight Town. Roxas went through first, Oathkeeper and Oblivion in hand as a precaution, followed by the girls, Tenkuu and then Kaoru. The portal closed behind them, locking them inside the Corridor.
All was silent, the only sounds being their breath and fluttering heartbeats, and Kairi was positive something out there in the dark was watching them. She shivered.
“Run.” Kaoru whispered, his voice loud even in the silence.
They ran.
The girls were kept in the middle of the three Keyblade Masters, if only because both Kairi and Naminé were capable of casting offensive and defensive spells far more quickly than the boys. Not that Kairi minded being in the middle, as it only kept those flashing Keyblades away from her head. The path never seemed to end, but soon enough a door appeared before them and Kaoru quickly moved to the front of the group to place his hands on it.
Kairi paused, so sure she heard something. Slowly she turned and nearly screamed at the sight of the creation. It wasn’t fully an Enigma but it was damn close. A long tongue (she hoped it was a tongue) dragged behind the body, making an acidic hissing noise as it inched forward. Her panic caused Naminé to turn and Naminé simply froze.
“Kaoru!” Roxas yelled. “Hurry up! Corridor Stalker!”
Kaoru let out a long string of curses and shoved at the door. It inched open and Kaoru shoved harder until the tumblers clicked and it swung on its own power. “Go!”
Naminé and Kaoru were though first, then Tenkuu and Roxas. They landed hard on cobblestone and rolled, the boys coming back to their feet as Kairi and Naminé knelt where they had stopped. Kaoru hadn’t come though. Roxas was about to go back in when Kaoru stumbled through, bleeding fiercely from his left forearm. He collapsed as the portal vanished and snarled at anyone who came near him. His eyes were wild, Kairi saw, like a Heartless.
“Shit,” Roxas breathed, “he’s lost control.”
“What?” Even to her ears, Kairi’s voice sounded stunned.
“Kaoru is what the Nobodies of Organization XIII hoped to attain.” Roxas said. “Power with the use of a heart. Kaoru has bits and pieces of hearts to form his own, which makes him almost Heartless. Since he’s neither whole nor half, if he uses too much Dark power, he can lose control.”
Kairi shuddered. “That’s what happened on Spira.”
“Exactly.”
“But he came back under control.” Tenkuu protested. “He could now!”
Roxas looked at the darker Keyblade Master and then at Kaoru who lay still, still snarling softly, as his eyes rested on them. Then Naminé moved, slowly walking over to Kaoru. Roxas looked about to protest, but settled for helping Kairi to her feet.
Naminé was speaking softly to Kaoru, slowly and gently casting Cura on the wound on his arm. Those wild eyes were wholly focused on Naminé, and Kairi watched in amazement as Kaoru came back to himself. Only then did the other three approach. Kairi knelt and hugged Kaoru, laughing.
“You had us all worried!” she said as she pulled back. Kaoru blinked and blushed.
“I’m sorry.”
Roxas grinned. “Yeah, do that again, and Kairi will kick your ass.”
“Damn straight.” Kairi replied with an affirmative nod.
Kaoru’s eyes darkened for a split-second and then he shook his head. “Let’s just do what we came here to do.”
He got to his feet and rubbed the healing scar on his forearm, looking at Naminé appreciatively. The Sunrise Princess just smiled back and cocked her head, and the group left the alleyway, moving out into the marketplace of Twilight Town.
Kaoru heaved a sigh as he waited for his cohorts to show up. It was bad enough he was going to break the rules by doing what he would be doing; he didn’t need the added anxiety of being the only one to show up at the meeting place. Unable to keep his doings a secret though, the leader had found out and so Kaoru had told him. The Leader had just looked at him for a long while.
“Do what you think is best.” The Leader had said.
He knew markers weren’t what Naminé was after. Even after all this time, she still didn’t realize Kaoru could read her far better than anyone else. She had given him memories and had broken him. Kaoru was her knight eternal – she never would realize that. So he kept his mouth shut and waited, arms folded across his chest as he bowed his head. He knew his limits. He knew what he was capable of. But it still frightened him, no matter what happened, and he was terribly unsure if he could keep control this time.
“So, you’re first?”
Kaoru looked up at Kairi. “It seems like it.”
Kairi rocked back on her heels and clasped her hands behind her back. “You really do look like him, you know.”
Kaoru hid his wince. “I was made to.”
“Do you regret it?” Kairi asked. “Being like him, I mean.”
Kaoru stared at the Princess for a moment. He looked away after a moment and sighed. “If it weren’t for the Leader, I wouldn’t be here. Do I regret being like Riku? Sometimes. It’s hard to be an individual when you were born to be someone’s replacement.” He took a breath. “But if I wasn’t, I would never have the life I do now. So it’s like a double-edged sword.”
Kairi hummed. “If it’s any consolation, you’re happier than he seems to be.”
“That’s not much consolation.”
Kairi seemed about to say something more when Roxas and Naminé ran up, with Tenkuu huff-puffing behind them. Kaoru pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning against and moved to stand in the middle of the semi-circle the others formed.
“We stay on the path, no matter what.” Kaoru said. “We run. I don’t know how long I can hold the portal, so we have to be fast.”
Kairi glanced to Naminé. The Sunrise Princess just nodded. Kairi took a deep breath. They’d be okay. They would be just fine. Kairi watched as the air before Kaoru began to shiver and shake, splitting open to reveal the Dark Corridor that would take them to Twilight Town. Roxas went through first, Oathkeeper and Oblivion in hand as a precaution, followed by the girls, Tenkuu and then Kaoru. The portal closed behind them, locking them inside the Corridor.
All was silent, the only sounds being their breath and fluttering heartbeats, and Kairi was positive something out there in the dark was watching them. She shivered.
“Run.” Kaoru whispered, his voice loud even in the silence.
They ran.
The girls were kept in the middle of the three Keyblade Masters, if only because both Kairi and Naminé were capable of casting offensive and defensive spells far more quickly than the boys. Not that Kairi minded being in the middle, as it only kept those flashing Keyblades away from her head. The path never seemed to end, but soon enough a door appeared before them and Kaoru quickly moved to the front of the group to place his hands on it.
Kairi paused, so sure she heard something. Slowly she turned and nearly screamed at the sight of the creation. It wasn’t fully an Enigma but it was damn close. A long tongue (she hoped it was a tongue) dragged behind the body, making an acidic hissing noise as it inched forward. Her panic caused Naminé to turn and Naminé simply froze.
“Kaoru!” Roxas yelled. “Hurry up! Corridor Stalker!”
Kaoru let out a long string of curses and shoved at the door. It inched open and Kaoru shoved harder until the tumblers clicked and it swung on its own power. “Go!”
Naminé and Kaoru were though first, then Tenkuu and Roxas. They landed hard on cobblestone and rolled, the boys coming back to their feet as Kairi and Naminé knelt where they had stopped. Kaoru hadn’t come though. Roxas was about to go back in when Kaoru stumbled through, bleeding fiercely from his left forearm. He collapsed as the portal vanished and snarled at anyone who came near him. His eyes were wild, Kairi saw, like a Heartless.
“Shit,” Roxas breathed, “he’s lost control.”
“What?” Even to her ears, Kairi’s voice sounded stunned.
“Kaoru is what the Nobodies of Organization XIII hoped to attain.” Roxas said. “Power with the use of a heart. Kaoru has bits and pieces of hearts to form his own, which makes him almost Heartless. Since he’s neither whole nor half, if he uses too much Dark power, he can lose control.”
Kairi shuddered. “That’s what happened on Spira.”
“Exactly.”
“But he came back under control.” Tenkuu protested. “He could now!”
Roxas looked at the darker Keyblade Master and then at Kaoru who lay still, still snarling softly, as his eyes rested on them. Then Naminé moved, slowly walking over to Kaoru. Roxas looked about to protest, but settled for helping Kairi to her feet.
Naminé was speaking softly to Kaoru, slowly and gently casting Cura on the wound on his arm. Those wild eyes were wholly focused on Naminé, and Kairi watched in amazement as Kaoru came back to himself. Only then did the other three approach. Kairi knelt and hugged Kaoru, laughing.
“You had us all worried!” she said as she pulled back. Kaoru blinked and blushed.
“I’m sorry.”
Roxas grinned. “Yeah, do that again, and Kairi will kick your ass.”
“Damn straight.” Kairi replied with an affirmative nod.
Kaoru’s eyes darkened for a split-second and then he shook his head. “Let’s just do what we came here to do.”
He got to his feet and rubbed the healing scar on his forearm, looking at Naminé appreciatively. The Sunrise Princess just smiled back and cocked her head, and the group left the alleyway, moving out into the marketplace of Twilight Town.