Redemption Frägment

Chapter Seventeen: What’s in a Name

“My name isn’t Ansem. My name is Kikazune.”

Riku, Sora, and Kairi glanced at each other, then back at the boy they knew as Ansem. He didn’t say anything after that, just let them watch him. Finally, Kairi set her hands on her hips and let out a sigh.

“It looks like you have some explaining to do.” She said softly.

Kikazune stepped forward, seemingly flowing with the darkness around them, giving a tight smile. “I guess so. But not here. Let’s get out of the Corridor.”

The younger three seemed to be in complete agreement, falling into step behind the elder as he led them back the way they came. There was no green light to lead them back, but they were able to see, making sure they kept close to Kikazune so they wouldn’t get lost. The Corridor finally opened, depositing the four of them into an alleyway of a city none of them knew, but still Kikazune led them further into the city. Lights blared everywhere, cars whizzing by at speeds that should kill the drivers, people shouting and yelling, laughing, oblivious to their new arrivals. Kikazune led the teenagers up to what looked to be an old townhouse, letting them all inside.

“Nice place,” Sora said softly, moving into the den.

“It’s not mine,” Kikazune replied with a smile. “The one who owns it thinks I’m dead.”

Riku cocked his head at the elder. “I’m guessing that’s part of what you have to explain.”

“Yeah. So get comfortable.”

As the teenagers settled on the couch, Kikazune moved to the windows to draw the curtains, immersing the quartet in a semi-darkness. He didn’t move for a long while, waiting. Finally, he turned to look at the Princess and Keyblade Masters, moving to perch on the armrest of a high-backed chair.

“It must be… close to twenty years… maybe more… but twenty years ago, I and my friends were known as the Keyblade Knights. There was Terra, Ventus, Aqua, and myself. There was our master as well, a man named Xehanort. He went insane, and we swore we’d take him down. However, he took me instead.”

“How did he get his hands on you?” Kairi leaned forward, frowning.

Kikazune shrugged. “I’m not sure. I remember becoming a disembodied heart as he made my body his puppet. He took my name from me. Burned every relationship I had. When I died, I must have fragmented. Ansem was a fragment and it took over Riku. When Riku expelled it, it had to go somewhere else.”

“So the fragment that inhabited my body must have found you, the heart.” Riku said. “Because even if the body is destroyed, the heart can live on.”

“And because you’ve been given a new body, a new shell for the heart, you’re able to be what you once were?” Sora asked, leaning forward, chin on his folded hands.

“Right. And that entity, the one who sent me on this quest, must have known that.”

“Emma vanished a while ago,” Riku got to his feet, and began to pace, head canting when he stopped before Kikazune, frowning. “Emma was that thing’s spy on you.”

“Right. Which leads me to believe that the entity knows what I am.”

Kairi frowned, looking from Sora to Riku and back again, before she looked toward Kikazune. “So what’s that mean?”

“I’m not sure, exactly, but something is calling me. The body, maybe. My original one. If that’s so, then –”

“Then that’s where the entity will be. It’ll be waiting for us to go get your body back,” Sora said a little heatedly.

“Right.” Kikazune sighed. “But I don’t have a choice. I have to do this.”

“Because there’s a chance that the Master Xehanort who used you might be able to get a hold of the body again?”

“Not just that, but he would be able to use me against you.” Kikazune shook his head. “For now, we need to rest up, get our supplies together.”

“What about the other Knights?” Kairi asked, rising. “Won’t they be able to help?”

Kikazune frowned and simply shrugged. “Maybe. I wouldn’t know where to find them.”

“Leave that to me,” Kairi smiled. “I’ll think of something.”

The boys just watched her for a few moments, before they nodded. Kikazune rose from his perch and disappeared into the interior of the house, followed shortly by Sora and Riku. Kairi, alone, moved to the window and looked out onto the darkening streets. She set her jaw and clapped her hands together once. She had some work to do.


Sora edged around the bed, moving closer to Riku, wrapping his arms around the taller boy’s waist. He rested his forehead against Riku’s shoulder and sighed. Riku sighed softly, leaning back into the brunette’s hold.

“What’s wrong, Sora?” Riku asked softly.

“I have a bad feeling about what’s to come.”

Riku turned in his hold, smiling at the smaller brunette. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get through this, just like we’ve gotten through everything else.”

“But Ansem – Kikazune – acts like he’s going to the end.”

Riku shrugged, pulling back from Sora’s embrace to stroke the brunette’s cheek. “Maybe it is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Kikazune’s been living this life for a long time. Maybe it’s time for this life to end so he can start a new one.”

Sora gave a little smile, head tilting. “And if that happened, if he did start a new life?”

“Then he’d be Kikazune. He’d be what he’s been. Our friend.”

The brunette couldn’t help but grin then, hugging the taller silver tight. Riku simply sighed and wrapped his arms around Sora, hugging him back. Gently, Riku slid his hand from Sora’s back to his shoulder, then to his chin, tilting the younger’s head back. Then he pressed their lips together, giving the smaller brunette a gentle kiss. Perhaps Riku had underestimated his smaller partner, for Sora took control of that kiss and dominated it, forcing the taller boy to submit or get his lips and tongue bitten. Riku fought for control just as Sora did, but the smaller of the two won, simply having more determination than Riku. Sora edged them closer to the bed and gave a little shove, grinning when Riku bounced a little on the bed. Sora grinned and crawled onto the bed, covering Riku with his body, kissing his neck slowly enough that he could feel the heat coming off Riku’s skin.

“I’ve missed you.” Sora said in between kisses. “You can’t begin to imagine how long I’ve wanted to do this to you.”

Riku’s laugh rumbled against Sora’s lips. “I’m sure I have an idea.”

“Really? Maybe I should stop then.”

“Stop and I’ll kill you.”

Sora laughed then, continuing to press kisses to Riku’s skin, up his throat to his jaw, then to his lips, capturing his mouth. The kiss was short lived, however, because a knock sounded at the door, and Sora and Riku only had a short moment to pull apart and right their clothes before Kairi opened the bedroom door and peeked in.

“Sora, Riku, we need to go.”

Sora blinked and looked to Riku, then back to Kairi. “Why?”

Kairi looked pensive and sighed. “I screwed up. We have to go now, before they show up and hurt Kikazune.”

“Who’s 'they'?”

“The Knights.”

“Who are the Knights?” Riku asked.

“They were once my friends.” Kikazune said softly from behind Kairi. “Now they intend to kill me.”

“Which is why we have to go.” Kairi reiterated, pointing down the stairs.

Sora frowned. “But if you’re got your name back, can’t you tell them you’ve changed?”

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” Kikazune said. “It would be futile. Besides, if you helped me against them, they would destroy you, too.”

That decided Riku. He grabbed a protesting Sora, and the four were soon out of the city, heading for the Crossroads, and hopefully, the end of the journey.