Kingdom Hearts: Dark Dawn

Two - Paradise City

Tae’s shrill scream broke Kaoru out of his stillness. He dodged left just before the Heartless Shadow would’ve landed on his face and started trying to chew its way to his heart. The Shadow hit the ground, bounced, cocked its head at him, and then focused on Tae. Its butter yellow eyes glowed bright for a second and it coiled itself up to leap again. Tae cried out as the creature launched itself toward her, turning to try and dodge it. Hiromu stepped between her and the Heartless, arms raised as if he could block it, maybe even knock it away.

Kaoru jumped toward them and swung his right hand, hoping that maybe the sneak attack from behind would keep Hiromu from being bitten.

Bright, blinding light erupted around his closed fist and shattered the Heartless Shadow into mere motes. Kaoru instinctively turned left, stabbing behind him with the light. Two more Shadows burst into motes. He spun, putting himself between more of the Heartless and his friends.

Heartless are here! Kaoru thought frantically, hearing more screams as more Heartless attacked. Why? Why are there Heartless here? There hadn’t been any Heartless in Paradise City since that day ten years ago, and even then, no one had really believed Kaoru that the abandoned park had been destroyed by the giant Heartless and two young men wielding Keyblades. But if Sora and Riku had come here, wouldn’t they have protected Paradise City when they left? Wouldn’t they have locked the city and kept Heartless from coming in? Could they do that? Something tickled his memory, something that he could barely remember. Something about that monster ten years ago. Kaoru could almost remember it-

“K-Kaoru?”

Gone. The memory was gone.

He turned to look at Tae, trying to figure out why her voice was so shaky. She was afraid, he could see that, but she wasn’t pointing at more Heartless. She was pointing at his right hand. He looked down.

One day, you’ll stand with me and Riku and another friend of ours as a Master. One day, you’ll have the strength to move forward and fight. We won’t see each other for a long time, so I’ll tell you this: when you find yourself feeling lost and alone, the Keyblade will always lead you to where you’re meant to go.

Sora’s voice from a lifetime ago.

A Keyblade. His Keyblade.

It didn’t look like Sora’s or Riku’s. Kaoru’s was a pearl-white shot through with turquoise lines. The blade was as long as his arm from shoulder to fingertip and was shaped like a pipe. The tip was tapered, with three prongs, like an actual key, and the hilt had a half guard that covered his wrist and protected his fingers. It was light in his hand, an extension of himself.

Born of your heart, it is your light and desire to protect others. Its name is Guardian.

Suddenly, Kaoru wasn’t afraid anymore. His heart calmed; the anxiety was still there, but it was different. He felt as though he had a heightened sense of his surroundings, as if he could move according to instinct rather than panic. Guardian gave him strength, and he knew exactly how to use it, even though he had never really fought before.

“Hiromu,” Kaoru said softly. Around them, people were running in panic, screaming about the Heartless. Some were lucky and managed to escape the Shadows; others fell, victims of the Heartless or simply in the way of people consumed by panic. “Take Tae somewhere safe.”

“Right.” Hiromu pulled on Tae’s wrist. “Let’s go!”

“No!” Tae snapped, yanking her wrist from his grip. “I’m staying! Kaoru has a Keyblade! He can protect us!” She met Kaoru’s gaze unflinchingly. “I believed you then, and I believe you now. I’m not running away. I may not be able to fight like Riku and Sora, but I’m not gonna leave you alone.”

“Tae, you aren’t safe here. Neither is Hiromu.” Kaoru protested.

“Neither are you! You told me how Sora got hurt, and he was a Keyblade Master. You just got your Keyblade!”

“What difference-“

“I’m staying.” Tae growled. Kaoru looked into her eyes and realized there would be no convincing Tae otherwise. Even Hiromu, who before had looked ready to bolt, was now determined to stand his ground.

“Fine.” Kaoru said at last. “But you stay close, and you do what I tell you.”

Tae nodded sharply. “Fine.”

“I mean it, Tae. I will ask Hiromu to throw you over his shoulder and get you out of here. And he’ll do it, too.”

Hiromu met Tae’s gaze and nodded. “I will.”

Tae turned back to look at Kaoru. There was something lurking there in her eyes, something dangerous. Her fists clenched into tight balls. For a minute, Kaoru could’ve sworn she was glowing with bright, pure white light, devoid of any darkness. His hand tightened around Guardian’s hilt. “We have to find somewhere safe to hide.” Kaoru said at last. “Come on.”

He led the way, Guardian flashing as his body moved in ways he hadn’t known it could. Kaoru had never learned to fight. He had never before - save for that summer day when he was four - had touched a weapon before Guardian. His mother had tried to sign him up for self-defense classes when the bullying at school became too much, but Kaoru hadn’t wanted to go, so she had given up. Eventually, the bullies at school had given up too. And yet, Kaoru simply knew which foot to lead with when dodging the Shadows leaping toward him, how to turn his body to give Guardian the most power when he swung, or when he stabbed behind him to stop a back attack, or when he thrust the Keyblade forward to stop a puddle of darkness from fully forming into a Shadow.

People slowly began to realize that Kaoru was fighting the Heartless. They also began to realize that the Heartless Shadows hesitated slightly before engaging him. They began to follow him, Hiromu, and Tae, which made Kaoru’s job slightly harder because, as the group grew, so did the frequency of Heartless attacks. Kaoru couldn’t be everywhere at once, and he was already growing tired. He desperately wished that Sora and Riku where here, because then everything would be so much easier. Sora and Riku could use magic in addition to their Keyblades. Kaoru wished he could use magic, too.

It’s too late. came Kaoru’s inner voice again, sounding mournful. It’s too late.

Too late? Kaoru asked, desperate. Too late for what?

“Kaoru! Look out!” Hiromu yelled.

He hadn’t been paying attention and had let Guardian drop slightly. The closest Heartless Shadow took it as a sign for weakness, and all of its hesitancy and fear suddenly vanished. It leaped fast, aiming for Kaoru’s face or chest - he couldn’t really tell which, and either place was a dangerous place for a Heartless Shadow to be on a human - and Kaoru knew he couldn’t get Guardian across in time to stop the attack. He forced his tired legs to buckle at the knee instead of lock, making Kaoru drop to the ground. As he did so, he twisted Guardian so the blade collided with the Heartless, destroying it. But he crashed hard on his hands and knees, panting harshly. Guardian shimmered - then vanished.

Tae was beside him instantly, holding onto his shoulders. She was trying to get him to stand, but he was so tired. He wanted to tell her this, but he couldn’t get his voice to work. She was glowing brightly again with that pure, white light. The Heartless Shadows seemed to notice that too, because they became more and more restless, their voices rising in terrible chorus. The people surrounding Kaoru, Tae, and Hiromu stared at Kaoru and the Heartless, and Kaoru thought he heard Hiromu arguing with someone that Kaoru was tired and no, he can’t summon his Keyblade when he’s tired and why don’t you do something, then and he somehow managed to grip Tae’s wrist. She gripped him back, as if her touch alone could give him strength.

“The door’s been opened,” Tae whispered suddenly, her voice sounding strange. Her grip became tighter on Kaoru. “The door’s been opened!”

Kaoru fought to get his exhausted brain to work. “Tae, what are you talking about? What door?” Then it registered what she was saying. The door has been opened. Tae was repeating the same words, her eyes screwing shut as the light she glowed with began to grow brighter and brighter. “Tae? Tae!”

“The door has been opened! The Heartless are devouring the world’s heart!” Tae screamed, or at least Kaoru thought she screamed it. Everything surrounding him was suddenly so loud, he wasn’t sure he could hear anything. He reached for her-

-the world exploded.