Redemption Frägment
folder
Kingdom Hearts › AU - Alternate Universe
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
24
Views:
1,157
Reviews:
3
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Kingdom Hearts › AU - Alternate Universe
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
24
Views:
1,157
Reviews:
3
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter Nineteen: Freedom Fight
Chapter Nineteen: Freedom Fight
Terra crested the hill just as Kairi smashed the crystal orb and cursed. He hurried down to the teenagers and grabbed hold of Sora just before the howl reached their ears. Aqua and Ven weren’t far behind, and soon the six were standing in the center of the storm, watching it build around them. Kairi was oblivious, her eyes tightly closed, her knuckles white as she clasped her hands tighter. She almost seemed to glow and the Knights and Masters instinctively called their Keyblades to hand to defend her.
Terra’s gaze jerked up when he heard Kikazune’s voice and shivered. He closed his eyes. -I’m sorry, brother, for doubting you.-
-Kikazune!- Sora yelled. -Don’t die!-
-Don’t give up! Not after what we’ve gone through!- Riku cried.
Ven grabbed hold of Terra’s elbow and swore. -Kikazune, if you survive I’m going to kick your ass!-
-Kikazune! Forgive us!- Aqua cried. -Please come home!-
If Kikazune heard them, he made no indication in the fury of the storm around them. Terra clutched tighter to Sora and swore viciously. The message had been misunderstood, and now Terra was going to lose his brother again, this time to something beyond his power. He hoped Kikazune would take from his strength and come back to them.
Except in his heart, Terra knew he would never see Kikazune again.
The Master howled in pain as the half-formed memories broke free of the bonds he had placed them in and swirled around his apprentice. This wasn’t supposed to be happening! The heart wasn’t supposed to absorb the memories as a corporeal being! He was supposed to be disembodied so he could be molded in an image of the Master’s choosing. Ansem pointed a gnarled finger at Kikazune and barked out a spell.
A Keyblade whipped up and deflected the spell. It crashed into a swirling wall of a sorcerer’s storm and ignited the black clouds briefly.
“This is Redemption.” Kikazune said softly. “She’s born of my heart and my hope. She has been growing since my birth into this world in this body, waiting for this moment.”
Ansem snarled and raised his hands. Before him a white cat appeared, and Kikazune recognized it as Emma. “Keyblade or not, you are my apprentice! I commanded you once! I will again!”
Kikazune shook his head and focused on Emma. She knew how he fought because she had traveled with him for so long. So Kikazune had to switch his battle style, and immediately thought of the exact person to copy. He broke forward as Emma lunged, her form doubling in size until she was as big as a lion. He dove beneath her, twisting his Keyblade so the sharp end would draw a deep furrow down her middle. Emma howled and missed her landing, crashing hard against the wall of the sorcerer’s storm. Kikazune twisted around and tried to remember how Ven fought. Emma wasn’t down long, and despite the wound she seemed more formidable. She lunged at Kikazune and the young man barely had enough time to get his blade up to deflect her teeth.
Her paws sent him skidding and he fetched up hard against the sorcerer’s storm. He pulled away before it could sap his strength and dove at Emma again, Redemption leading. They fell into a dance of parrying and counterattacking, and Kikazune kept switching combat styles, trying to remember how everyone fought so he could find an advantage over the Memoria Custos.
Redemption howled in a downward arc and slammed into Emma’s neck. The sharp end of the Keyblade cut into flesh and bone and Kikazune leaped back from Emma as her body began to tremble.
“What the hell?” Kikazune breathed, staring at the luminescent goo that dripped from his Redemption Keyblade. His eyes snapped to the Memoria Custos as she let out an anguished howl, her body bubbling as that goo began to expand. The ground beneath Kikazune’s feet rumbled and overhead, black tendrils shot out of the sorcerer’s storm, straight for Emma.
The Master Ansem let out a howl of rage and launched a spell at Kikazune who barely managed to block the blow. It still knocked him off his feet and Kikazune lay dazed for a while as he watched Emma be consumed by the storm. Ansem was on him suddenly, frail hands around Kikazune’s neck. “Stupid boy!” he snarled. “Stupid, stupid boy! Now you have no container!”
Kikazune choked, gasping for air and squirming beneath Ansem, trying to pull his hands off his throat. Ansem only seemed to squeeze harder for all of Kikazune’s efforts and Kikazune knew that soon he would black out. He couldn’t give up. Not now. His fingers reached for Redemption’s hilt. He brushed it, willed the Keyblade to come to his hand.
-Please!- Kikazune reached with all his might.
-Don’t die!-
-Forgive us!-
-Kikazune, brother, survive.-
Kikazune bared his teeth and demanded Redemption to obey him. The Keyblade’s hilt touched his fingers and Kikazune got a grip on the blade in time to slam the hard edge into his attacker’s head.
Ansem howled and let go of Kikazune’s throat long enough for the younger man to get air into his lungs. Redemption swung again and the hilt connected with bone and Kikazune was free of the old man’s weight. Coughing, he rolled away and slowly got to his feet, staring at the man he once called master.
Ansem stared back, insanity in his eyes. “You can’t!” he snarled. “You’re mine! The balance, you can’t upset the balance!”
“What balance?” Kikazune asked, voice flat. “You ruined the balance when you forced me to serve you.”
Ansem’s face twisted and he pointed at Kikazune. The young man was gone before the fire spell consumed the place he had been and he reappeared beside Ansem, stabbing Redemption’s point in the man’s coat sleeves, pinning his arms.
“I’m done being a puppet.” Kikazune snarled. “You destroyed my hope and my life. Did you really believe I’d join you now that I can fight you?”
Ansem glared up at Kikazune. “Think of the power you could wield!”
“No. That power should never be used. I nearly destroyed a boy the way you destroyed me. I won’t become you!”
Redemption twitched in Ansem’s sleeves and Kikazune pulled out the blade. “But death wouldn’t solve anything. You’d find another victim and he’d be just like me.” Kikazune dispelled Redemption and grabbed Ansem by his shoulders. He dragged the old man to the center of the sorcerer’s storm, where the tendrils were still feeding off of Emma. Kikazune held out his arm toward one until the tendril latched onto him like a leech. Its twin latched onto Ansem.
“How long can you feed this creation?” Kikazune asked. “How long do you think you can survive?”
Ansem stared at his former apprentice and at the leeching tendril curling around Kikazune’s arm. “I wonder how long you’ll last.”
Kikazune simply smiled and closed his eyes.
-Kairi, you can let go now.-
Kikazune thought he heard a scream of denial and the sorcerer’s storm whipped into a hurricane. Kikazune felt the leeching tendril reach his heart and then felt nothing at all.
Terra crested the hill just as Kairi smashed the crystal orb and cursed. He hurried down to the teenagers and grabbed hold of Sora just before the howl reached their ears. Aqua and Ven weren’t far behind, and soon the six were standing in the center of the storm, watching it build around them. Kairi was oblivious, her eyes tightly closed, her knuckles white as she clasped her hands tighter. She almost seemed to glow and the Knights and Masters instinctively called their Keyblades to hand to defend her.
Terra’s gaze jerked up when he heard Kikazune’s voice and shivered. He closed his eyes. -I’m sorry, brother, for doubting you.-
-Kikazune!- Sora yelled. -Don’t die!-
-Don’t give up! Not after what we’ve gone through!- Riku cried.
Ven grabbed hold of Terra’s elbow and swore. -Kikazune, if you survive I’m going to kick your ass!-
-Kikazune! Forgive us!- Aqua cried. -Please come home!-
If Kikazune heard them, he made no indication in the fury of the storm around them. Terra clutched tighter to Sora and swore viciously. The message had been misunderstood, and now Terra was going to lose his brother again, this time to something beyond his power. He hoped Kikazune would take from his strength and come back to them.
Except in his heart, Terra knew he would never see Kikazune again.
The Master howled in pain as the half-formed memories broke free of the bonds he had placed them in and swirled around his apprentice. This wasn’t supposed to be happening! The heart wasn’t supposed to absorb the memories as a corporeal being! He was supposed to be disembodied so he could be molded in an image of the Master’s choosing. Ansem pointed a gnarled finger at Kikazune and barked out a spell.
A Keyblade whipped up and deflected the spell. It crashed into a swirling wall of a sorcerer’s storm and ignited the black clouds briefly.
“This is Redemption.” Kikazune said softly. “She’s born of my heart and my hope. She has been growing since my birth into this world in this body, waiting for this moment.”
Ansem snarled and raised his hands. Before him a white cat appeared, and Kikazune recognized it as Emma. “Keyblade or not, you are my apprentice! I commanded you once! I will again!”
Kikazune shook his head and focused on Emma. She knew how he fought because she had traveled with him for so long. So Kikazune had to switch his battle style, and immediately thought of the exact person to copy. He broke forward as Emma lunged, her form doubling in size until she was as big as a lion. He dove beneath her, twisting his Keyblade so the sharp end would draw a deep furrow down her middle. Emma howled and missed her landing, crashing hard against the wall of the sorcerer’s storm. Kikazune twisted around and tried to remember how Ven fought. Emma wasn’t down long, and despite the wound she seemed more formidable. She lunged at Kikazune and the young man barely had enough time to get his blade up to deflect her teeth.
Her paws sent him skidding and he fetched up hard against the sorcerer’s storm. He pulled away before it could sap his strength and dove at Emma again, Redemption leading. They fell into a dance of parrying and counterattacking, and Kikazune kept switching combat styles, trying to remember how everyone fought so he could find an advantage over the Memoria Custos.
Redemption howled in a downward arc and slammed into Emma’s neck. The sharp end of the Keyblade cut into flesh and bone and Kikazune leaped back from Emma as her body began to tremble.
“What the hell?” Kikazune breathed, staring at the luminescent goo that dripped from his Redemption Keyblade. His eyes snapped to the Memoria Custos as she let out an anguished howl, her body bubbling as that goo began to expand. The ground beneath Kikazune’s feet rumbled and overhead, black tendrils shot out of the sorcerer’s storm, straight for Emma.
The Master Ansem let out a howl of rage and launched a spell at Kikazune who barely managed to block the blow. It still knocked him off his feet and Kikazune lay dazed for a while as he watched Emma be consumed by the storm. Ansem was on him suddenly, frail hands around Kikazune’s neck. “Stupid boy!” he snarled. “Stupid, stupid boy! Now you have no container!”
Kikazune choked, gasping for air and squirming beneath Ansem, trying to pull his hands off his throat. Ansem only seemed to squeeze harder for all of Kikazune’s efforts and Kikazune knew that soon he would black out. He couldn’t give up. Not now. His fingers reached for Redemption’s hilt. He brushed it, willed the Keyblade to come to his hand.
-Please!- Kikazune reached with all his might.
-Don’t die!-
-Forgive us!-
-Kikazune, brother, survive.-
Kikazune bared his teeth and demanded Redemption to obey him. The Keyblade’s hilt touched his fingers and Kikazune got a grip on the blade in time to slam the hard edge into his attacker’s head.
Ansem howled and let go of Kikazune’s throat long enough for the younger man to get air into his lungs. Redemption swung again and the hilt connected with bone and Kikazune was free of the old man’s weight. Coughing, he rolled away and slowly got to his feet, staring at the man he once called master.
Ansem stared back, insanity in his eyes. “You can’t!” he snarled. “You’re mine! The balance, you can’t upset the balance!”
“What balance?” Kikazune asked, voice flat. “You ruined the balance when you forced me to serve you.”
Ansem’s face twisted and he pointed at Kikazune. The young man was gone before the fire spell consumed the place he had been and he reappeared beside Ansem, stabbing Redemption’s point in the man’s coat sleeves, pinning his arms.
“I’m done being a puppet.” Kikazune snarled. “You destroyed my hope and my life. Did you really believe I’d join you now that I can fight you?”
Ansem glared up at Kikazune. “Think of the power you could wield!”
“No. That power should never be used. I nearly destroyed a boy the way you destroyed me. I won’t become you!”
Redemption twitched in Ansem’s sleeves and Kikazune pulled out the blade. “But death wouldn’t solve anything. You’d find another victim and he’d be just like me.” Kikazune dispelled Redemption and grabbed Ansem by his shoulders. He dragged the old man to the center of the sorcerer’s storm, where the tendrils were still feeding off of Emma. Kikazune held out his arm toward one until the tendril latched onto him like a leech. Its twin latched onto Ansem.
“How long can you feed this creation?” Kikazune asked. “How long do you think you can survive?”
Ansem stared at his former apprentice and at the leeching tendril curling around Kikazune’s arm. “I wonder how long you’ll last.”
Kikazune simply smiled and closed his eyes.
-Kairi, you can let go now.-
Kikazune thought he heard a scream of denial and the sorcerer’s storm whipped into a hurricane. Kikazune felt the leeching tendril reach his heart and then felt nothing at all.