Kingdom Hearts II Vol 1

by Tomoco Kanemaki

  “Gee, thanks for looking out for us.” Sora stuck out his tongue. “But we can take care of ourselves just fine!”

  “That’s good to hear. Axel is one thing, but it would just break our hearts if anything were to happen to you.”

  “Break your hearts? What hearts?” Donald blurted out.

  The members of the organization were Nobodies. Which meant they had no hearts.

  “True, we don’t have hearts. But we remember what it was like. That’s what makes us special among Nobodies.” Saïx slowly pushed back his hood, showing his blue hair and the cool expression on his handsome face—and his X-shaped scar.

  “What’s that mean?” asked Sora.

  “It means we know the many ways that hearts can be wounded,” Saïx replied, and a dark rift in the air opened up behind him. “Sora, you just keep on fighting the Heartless.”

  Sora ignored him to lean close to Donald and whisper, “Let’s jump in after him.”

  “What for?” Donald whispered back.

  “Just an idea! Maybe he’ll lead us to Organization XIII’s world!”

  “Don’t be reckless,” Saïx chided. “Do you want to end up like Riku?”

  Sora raised his head at that. Riku? This guy knew Riku? “Hey—wait!”

  Saïx retreated and vanished into the darkness.

  “Hold up!” Sora rushed after him, but the portal dissipated in front of his face.

  He frowned. “What did he mean, end up like Riku…?”

  “Hey, you!” someone else interjected.

  “Quack?” Donald turned to find the kids who had been on the ground were now upright and glaring at them.

  Sora didn’t notice, lost in thought. “End up like Riku”? What happened to him?

  “I think you better get out of here,” one of the boys said viciously. “You’ve caused enough trouble.”

  “Fine! We were just leaving!” Donald retorted while Sora was preoccupied. “C’mon, guys.”

  A bit worried, he patted Sora on the back, urging him to move.

  “Hey, hold on a minute!” the boy said.

  “What do you want now?!” Donald huffed—but started and gawked at the thing in Seifer’s hands.

  It was a big trophy set with four different-colored crystals that sparkled in the evening light.

  “This goes to the strongest guy in Twilight Town. You should take it.”

  Sora finally came back to earth and pointed at himself in surprise. “Me…?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Thanks, but…I don’t really want it.”

  Ignoring him, Seifer ran up to Goofy and shoved the trophy into his hands.

  “Whoa!” Goofy yelped, not expecting it to be so heavy, and then peered anxiously at Sora.

  Apparently satisfied at handing it off, Seifer left the sandlot with the rest of his gang—Vivi and the other two who had been laid out in the dirt, Fuu and Rai.

  “What do we do with this thing…?” Sora stared blankly at the trophy.

  “Oh, hey! Sora!” a different voice called, and the trio turned toward the source to find Pence.

  “Pence? What is it?”

  “Do you know a girl named Kairi?”

  Hearing that, the three jumped in unison.

  “K-Kairi?!” Sora exclaimed. “I sure do!”

  “Then you better come to the station! C’mon—we’ve got something important to tell you!” Pence ran off, and the trio rushed to follow him.

  “Kairi…Riku…”

  Hearing Sora mumble his friends’ names, Donald and Goofy had the same concern.

  “Isn’t it kinda funny that we’re hearin’ about both of them all of a sudden?” Goofy said quietly to Donald, running with the trophy under his arm.

  Donald nodded. “I wonder if the organization knows about Kairi, too.”

  That man from the organization had mentioned Riku, and now Pence was talking about Kairi.

  What exactly was going on in this sleepy town?

  After a short trip through the corridors, they emerged on the beach outside Twilight Town.

  “Let me go!” Kairi wrenched herself away, but when Axel let go of her arm, she tumbled to the sandy ground.

  “You okay there?”

  “Don’t touch me!”

  A bit chagrined, Axel scratched his head. “Well, look…I, uh—what?! You’re still following me?! Oof!”

  Just as he began an attempt to explain himself, Pluto pounced from behind and knocked him face-first into the sand.

  “Did you come to help me…?” Kairi asked. The dog wagged his tail at her from on top of Axel.

  “Get off me already!” Axel shouted as he tried to stand, but this left him open to a slobbery attack from the front. “Ugh! Quit it…!”

  Eventually Axel noticed Kairi watching this exchange with mild astonishment and finally shoved Pluto away. Sand covered his black cloak, red hair, and face.

  Pluto seemed to lose interest in him and tackled Kairi to lick her instead. “Aw, cut it out!” she giggled.

  Axel sighed and tried to brush the sand from his…all over, then stretched his shoulders.

  Kairi looked up at him then. “Aren’t you…a bad guy?”

  “I’m not,” Axel replied, completely serious. “But not really a good guy, either.”

  “This doggy likes you, though,” she pointed out.

  Axel dropped his gaze, and indeed, Pluto was right there with his tail whipping back and forth.

  “Just because dogs like someone doesn’t mean they’re a good person, y’know. Got it memorized?”

  “I don’t know what you’re trying to say.”

  “Well…me neither.”

  He’d dragged Kairi along with him, but he wasn’t sure how to explain why. At a loss, he cocked his head. “Uh, I mean… Don’t you want to see Sora?”

  “Yes!” she replied firmly.

  “That might be a problem,” said another voice.

  They both started, and Saïx emerged from a rent in the space behind Kairi.

  “Kairi—!” Axel tried to reach her first, but Saïx snatched her up a fraction of a second earlier.

  “Let go—!” Kairi began to scream. It all happened in an instant, and Pluto barked ferociously at Saïx.

  “Kairi!” Axel shouted again as the girl struggled against Saïx’s hold. He readied his chakrams to hurl at Saïx when a powerful shock wave hit him.

  “Traitors like you deserve to lose everything,” Saïx said.

  Axel grunted and collapsed to his knees in pain from the direct hit. After only one strike, he felt his consciousness fading. His vision was going black. He couldn’t even tell whether he saw Saïx disappear with Kairi into the dark portal or whether that was only his own eyes closing.

  Is this how I get turned into a Dusk…?

  Hayner and Olette huddled together in the station plaza, deep in conversation.

  Then Olette noticed Sora and his friends. “Sora…!”

  “So you did come back, huh?” Hayner said.

  “Pence was just telling us about Kairi… How do you guys know her?” Sora asked.

  Hayner and his two friends looked at one another, then down at the reddish stone pavement.

  “C’mon, tell me!”

  Pence spoke up first. “Kairi came here to Twilight Town.”

  Goofy was so astounded he nearly dropped the trophy.

  “And?” Sora nearly pleaded.

  “She said she was looking for you,” Olette replied.

  “Tell me where she is!” He pressed closer.

  The other trio exchanged another glance.

  “This guy in a black cloak came and took her away with him…,” Hayner explained glumly. “Sorry.”

  Sora hung his head.

  “We’re really sorry,” repeated Hayner. He bit his lip, genuinely regretful.

  That made Sora look up. “It’s not your fault,” he told them brightly. “C’mon, cheer up!”

  “But…” Olette stared at the ground, apparently rea
dy to burst into tears.

  “Yeah, guess I’ve got no room to talk…” Seeing her so upset, Sora mirrored her posture.

  Why would the organization take Kairi? And how did they know who Riku was?

  There were too many things he didn’t understand. It was so frustrating.

  “Sora…?” Goofy leaned over, peering anxiously into his brooding face.

  “I gotta help Kairi!” Sora burst out.

  “A-hyuck?!” Alarmed, this time Goofy actually dropped the trophy, which in turn startled Donald.

  “Wak!”

  The four crystals in the trophy fell from their settings and rolled away over the paving stones—blue, red, green, and yellow. Sora, Hayner, Pence, and Olette each picked one up.

  “This is…,” Sora murmured absently, holding up the blue crystal.

  “What is it, Sora?”

  “Nothing, it’s just…” He held the crystal up to the light of the setting sun. It shone, refracting the red beams.

  Behind him, Goofy took out the blue crystal from the purse that King Mickey had given them.

  Hayner, Pence, and Olette all held their crystals up, too. Five crystals sparkled, two of them blue.

  “More treasures for us to share.”

  Sora spun around, feeling as if he’d heard Hayner’s voice somewhere far away. But the Twilight Town kids were quiet, gazing at their crystals in the last of the sunlight.

  “Promise?”

  Right—he had promised Kairi that he’d find her again.

  No…wait. Who had he made that promise to? To split the prize between the four of them… Four?

  “Sora!”

  “Sora?”

  Donald and Goofy were both watching him with worry.

  “Huh? What…?” Sora looked around, not quite sure what was going on.

  What just happened to me?

  He was holding a crystal in his hand. Just a pretty little stone he’d never seen before… As he examined it more closely, it began to shine.

  Donald backed away. “Quack!”

  The light from the crystal formed a big keyhole in the air, and Sora thrust the Keyblade toward it. A beam from the weapon met the keyhole, and a lock opened with a click.

  “What is that?” Pence stared wide-eyed at the glow dissipating in the air.

  “A new road is open,” Sora said, inspecting the blue crystal again. “And Kairi and Riku are somewhere along it.”

  “Then you’d better hurry.” Olette smiled at him.

  “You’ll be back again, right?” Hayner said.

  “You bet!” Sora gave them a grin and faced the setting sun once more.

  Somehow, this town was always full of mysteries… But he knew he wanted to come back. It was a special place, different from Hollow Bastion or Destiny Islands.

  “I’ll see you guys later!” Sora waved to Hayner and his friends.

  They squinted at the boy backlit by the dazzling sunset.

  But it wasn’t just Twilight Town itself that was special—Hayner and Pence and Olette were, too. They were different somehow from any other friends Sora knew.

  Was it because he’d been sleeping here? Or something else…?

  Sora clutched the crystal tightly. One more treasure to share.

  CHAPTER 5

  UNDER ONE SKY…

  AS THEY CONTINUED ON THEIR JOURNEY IN THE GUMMI SHIP, Sora let out a deep sigh. Donald and Goofy looked at each other. Perched on a seat in the cabin, Sora was hugging his knees miserably.

  “Sora?” Donald peered into his face.

  He didn’t respond.

  “Sora!” Donald yelled, louder this time, and he finally raised his head, startled.

  “C’mon, keep your chin up!” Donald tried to sound reassuring.

  “But the king, and Riku—and now I’ve lost Kairi again, too…,” Sora mumbled, not encouraged at all.

  Donald hopped up and down. “Don’t be sad!”

  “Yeah! You’re the key that connects everything, y’know,” Goofy added, coming to stand beside him.

  Sora only fell deeper into misery, hiding his face in his knees again. “Because it’s all my fault.”

  “Aw, I didn’t mean that,” Goofy said, putting his hand on Sora’s hunched shoulder. “Just do what makes sense to ya, and we’re sure to find ’em.”

  “That’s right!” Donald agreed.

  “…Yeah. Thanks, guys.”

  Sora mumbled with no indication he’d actually cheered up. Concerned, Donald and Goofy exchanged glances again.

  “I got it! Say, Sora, why don’t we go see Leon and the gang?” Goofy suggested.

  “Yeah, I wanna see them, too!” Donald hopped, as if literally jumping on the idea.

  “But…” Sora hesitated. “We have to find Riku and…”

  “Maybe Leon will be able to tell us something by now,” Goofy said.

  “Okay… Yeah, maybe.” Sora released his knees, and a hint of a smile came to his face. “Let’s go!”

  As if in response, the Gummi Ship accelerated toward Hollow Bastion.

  Pete paced aimlessly around a room deep in the bowels of the Hollow Bastion castle.

  “What in the world are you doing?”

  “I’m tryin’ to help you, Maleficent…” Pete wriggled, fidgeting.

  “Hmm. For all your talk, you’re hardly much help at all,” Maleficent murmured. “That boy, on the other hand…”

  “What boy?” Pete had to ask.

  “None of your concern.” Maleficent’s reply was clipped and cold as she remembered the boy she used to talk to in this room. She’d given him power, a room of his own, and the girl, and still the boy had deserted her.

  True, Maleficent had been using him… But the fact that he’d left her without the slightest hesitation was a tiny thorn in her heart.

  Her slender eyebrows drew downward as she faced Pete again. “Nevertheless—explain to me what is happening.”

  “Well, see, there’s this Organization XIII that keeps gettin’ in the way.”

  “Let those fools play their little game,” she said scornfully.

  Pete tried to explain. “But—”

  With a piercing glare, Maleficent cut him off. “What? Have you nothing but excuses for me?”

  “That runt with the Keyblade! He’s been a real pain, too…”

  “Sora and his little lackeys?”

  Pete confirmed, nodding forcefully a few times.

  “I see… Very well. I suppose you’d best tell me what’s happened during my absence, Pete.”

  He wasted no time launching into the story of what Sora and his friends had been up to.

  All six of the men in black cloaks were together for the first time in a while.

  Xemnas quietly opened the discussion. “So, the princess…”

  Kairi, one of the princesses, had fallen into the organization’s clutches. Their goal was not to open the door to darkness, but the more pieces under their control, the better.

  “Did you take care of Axel?” Xigbar asked.

  “Most likely,” Saïx replied. Technically, he hadn’t seen Axel’s end. But it was hard to imagine that he had survived.

  “Are you certain he’s gone?” Xaldin demanded. “He’ll be back to cause more trouble if you didn’t eliminate him.”

  Xemnas put a stop to the interrogation. “Leave Axel for the time being.”

  “What about the Keyblade wielder?” Saïx asked Demyx, hoping to turn the conversation away from himself.

  Demyx only scratched his head helplessly and mumbled like a child getting scolded. “Well, I… Um…”

  “You failed?” Saïx pressed, while Demyx struggled to find the words.

  “I told you—I’m not cut out for that kinda work…”

  “Well, you’ll have a chance to make up for it later,” Xigbar said, sounding as if he could barely contain his glee at the prospect.

  “The circumstances are changing every moment,” Xemnas told them calmly. “We must move forward with our wo
rk in earnest.”

  The other members watched him closely.

  He could hear the sound of the waves…

  “Axel!”

  Did I turn into a Dusk…?

  “Axel!”

  Someone was calling his name. He opened his eyes. “…Nami…né?”

  “Oh, thank goodness!”

  Naminé sat on the sand, cradling his head. The late afternoon sun was blinding, Axel thought, as he took in his surroundings from the ground. This appeared to be the beach outside Twilight Town. Noticing a man in a black cloak standing beside Naminé, he immediately sat up.

  “Don’t move yet.” It was Riku’s voice. Reassured, Axel let himself lie back down—then realized that it was Naminé’s lap he was resting on and sat up again.

  “Axel?” she said, anxiously tilting her head.

  “Oh… I, uh…” He tried to come up with an excuse for sitting up when he should rest, but his vision swam, and he had to simply put his head back down. He just couldn’t move yet. Using her lap as a pillow, he accepted her kindness with gratitude—and a hint of embarrassment.

  “You’re not as tough as you seem.” Riku laughed softly.

  Axel scowled and closed his eyes. “Not everyone in the organization is as strong as Roxas,” he mumbled.

  Naminé placed a small hand on Axel’s forehead, and he couldn’t bring himself to brush away the cool, soothing touch.

  “That other one, Saïx… He’s pretty strong,” Riku remarked.

  Axel’s eyes flew open. “You met him?”

  “Yeah.” Riku looked out at the horizon. “He took Kairi.”

  Axel closed his eyes again. Every time he opened them, the lowering sun was bright enough to sting. “I know.”

  Riku didn’t move, still focused on the line between sky and sea.

  “I’m sorry,” Axel said, leaving his eyes closed.

  Then Riku turned to him. “You should thank Naminé. She’s the one who saved you from disappearing.”

  At that, Axel made the effort of lifting his eyelids again. Naminé was silently watching him.

  In the past, he had used her for her powers. He’d never imagined those same powers would save him.

  “Sorry… Er, I mean, thank you.”

  He had to close his eyes again against the sound of those words leaving him.