Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction / Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts ❯ Weird Thoughts ( Chapter 1 )

Welcome to Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts, also known as Gemini Star's great big mega-crossover. Hope you enjoy its second posting here on MediaMiner. I know the people at FanFiction.Net have.

Digimon Frontier crossover with Kingdom Hearts, staring (mostly) Kouji. This is written without completely finishing the original game and completely disregarding Chain of Memories, so a few facts here and there might be off. You probably won't see much of Tomoki or Junpei, as is my style. Possible signs of Takumi…Or maybe Kouzumi, or something of the shonen-ai category. I haven't really decided yet. Any suggestions?

Important Note On Timeline: After the season ended for Frontier, obviously. However, Kingdom Hearts is a TWT…Timeline? What Timeline?…Basically, it's after the first game is over, but instead of wandering aimlessly to Castle Oblivion and into Chain of Memories, Sora, Goofy and Donald returned to Castle Disney when the worlds became separated…

Lots of thanks to the lovely and clever SayoranLover, who graciously agreed to beta and give me basic opinions on this fic! Without her, there'd be a lot more typos, folks, but just remember: Semicolons are EVIL!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts.

 

Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts

Prologue: Weird Thoughts

 

…How long has it been? Since it all happened?

 

…I'm still…Looking for you…

 

All of you…

 

…

 

 

It had been three years since they'd returned from the Digital World, and life was back to normal. By `normal' we, of course, mean `much better'.

 

Kouji sighed, leaning back against the grass with a sigh, gazing lazily up at the sunlight filtering through the lush, green leaves of the tree to reach his face. His hands slipped behind his head, tightening the blue bandana before spreading flat to create a pillow of sorts. He closed his eyes and felt himself start to slip away…

 

“Hey, Kouji! This is no time for a nap, buddy!”

 

The blue eyes snapped open to glare, annoyed, into familiar auburn brown. Takuya Kanbara was grinning down at him, leaning over from behind so that he looked like he was upside down. His goggles reflected the sunlight dancing onto Kouji's blue jacket.

 

“I wasn't sleeping.” he snapped as a retort, sitting up.

 

“Looked like it to me.” Takuya grinned, straightening and starting to bounce his soccer ball on his knees. “So what were you doing?”

 

“Thinking. You should try it some time.”

 

“Hey…!”

 

“Cut it out, you two.” Izumi interrupted, coming over to the pair with her hands on her hips. Her blonde hair had been left purposefully uncut the past two years, and was now tied down her back in a long braid. A few bangs remained to shelter blue-green eyes from the sun, and while her general fashion sense of knee-length skirts and tummy-showing shirts hadn't worn off, she had grown to fill out where a eleven-year-old's body couldn't.

 

She leaned down to offer Kouji a hand, but he didn't take it and pulled himself up. “Fine, be that way.” she huffed, hands on her hips again. She motioned to the picnic table down the hill. “Food's all set up, and you'd better hurry before Junpei gets it all.”

 

Takuya grinned, giving his soccer ball a kick to roll it down ahead of him. “Hey Kouji…” he turned to the other boy sneakily. “Race ya down!”

 

Kouji smirked. “You're on, Takuya.”

 

“You boys…” Izumi sighed as they both glanced at her. “All right then…On your mark…Get set…GO!”

 

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

 

Sora paused a moment on the cobbled path in the courtyard of the Disney Palace, looking up at the dark night sky. He searched through his memory, mentally reviewing each of the worlds he'd visited in his long travels, before they were all sealed about a year ago…Traverse Town, Wonderland, Agrabah, Halloween Town, Neverland…

 

He smiled as his eyes allotted on the star that was his own home world, Destiny Islands. Kairi…his sweetest friend, secret crush and constant inspiration…was waiting for him there. He'd find a way back to see her again soon…

 

One of the stars flickered. Sora's eyes snapped to it, watching the small point of light flicker in and out, in and…

 

“Sora!”

 

Sora blinked slightly. The star was back to normal, shining and twinkling against the darkness.

 

“Sora!” Donald repeated, in his usual nasally, quack-like duck voice. He swiped his Mage's Staff impatiently. “Come on! We need to get moving!”

 

Goofy, the Royal Guard of Disney Kingdom, wandered up next to Sora, looking up at the sky. “Gawrsh, what'cha lookin' at?”

 

Sora shook his head. “Nothing. Just the stars.”

 

He sighed, then turned back to his friends with a wide grin, gripping the Keyblade in one hand. “Come on, guys. Let's get going!”

 

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

 

The picnic lasted, as usual, long until the sun was set. They often tried to stretch things like this out as long as possible…since they all went to different schools, these weekend get-togethers were very important to them. Especially to the twins.

 

The stars were starting to come out as the group started their way home. The only one of them who didn't live on a nice, round-about route from the park was Kouichi, and he was spending the night at his father's so Kouji could help him get ready for the Tanabata festival, which was to be held the following day.

 

After dropping off first Junpei, then Tomoki, the remaining four found themselves on an old observation point near the top of a high hill, looking down at the lit city streets and the park they had left. People were already setting up stands and potted bamboos for the next day, colorful lanterns lit to help them see.

 

Izumi held in an eager squeal. “I can't wait!” She sighed dreamily. “Tanabata is so romantic! Don`t you guys think so?”

 

Kouji stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, I guess.”

 

Takuya shrugged. Kouichi gave a half-hearted nod, looking a bit preoccupied. Izumi pouted at them. “You boys have no feelings.” she huffed, leaning against the guardrail. “It's the whole point of the festival! Don't you know the legend?”

 

“How could we not?” Takuya sighed. “The Lit. teachers have pounded it in enough.”

 

“The festival of romance and the stars…” Izumi sighed, making the boys wonder if she had heard them. “The one night when lovers Shokujo and Kengyu are allowed to cross the Milky Way to see each other…How can you not think that's romantic?”

 

“Romantic or not…” Kouji glanced at his watch. “If we don't get home soon, there won't be any festival for us.”

 

“Okay, I get it.” Izumi grinned, pushing off the rail to lead the way. “Let's go, boys.”

 

Takuya grinned wirily and hurried to catch up with her. Kouji shook his head with a good-natured sigh, stuck his hands in his pockets and followed.

 

Kouichi paused a moment, looking up at the stars. You couldn't see many of them, because of the city lights, but there was still a few scattered constellations…the pale outline of the Big Dipper…a very, very soft Milky Way…

 

“Festival of the Stars…”

 

Kouji turned back. “Something wrong, Kouichi?”

 

The elder twin shook his head, like he was trying to get water out of his ears, and smiled at his brother. “Oh…nothing,” he sighed, and hurried to catch up.

 

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

 

Kouji's house sat on the corner of the street. When they reached it, each bid their separate farewells as Izumi headed down one road and Takuya went the other. Kouichi and Kouji entered the house and started to get ready for bed.

 

When Kouji came out of the shower, he was a bit surprised to find that Kouichi wasn't waiting for his turn. Combing out his wet hair, he wandered into his room and was even more surprised to find that Kouichi wasn't there either. He was about to panic when he noticed that the window was open, and he could see the top of someone's head sticking up just passed the sill.

 

His brother was sitting on the roof, staring up at the stars that barely dotted the clear night sky. Kouji sighed, leaning on the windowsill to look down at him.

 

“Kouichi.” he muttered, a bit concerned. “What're you doing?”

 

“…Just thinking.” his brother mumbled, almost incoherent.

 

“On the roof?”

 

“I wanted…to see the stars.” Kouichi took a deep breath of cold night air through his nose. There was a moment of silence before he would speak again. “Kouji…did you ever think that there might be other worlds out there? Like the Digital World?”

 

Kouji cocked his head at him curiously, but his brother didn't notice. He was too busy with his fantasies, eyes closed and dream-like. “I think that…there are different worlds out there. Ones we could get to, if we wanted to. And I want to, Kouji…I want to see those worlds.”

 

Kouji frowned at his brother. In the moonlight, Kouichi seemed almost…pale. And thin. Like he hadn't been eating well. His clothes were too big…they always were, their mother bought a size too large to let him grow into them and make them last longer…but even they seemed limp, thin, and raggedy.

 

“Kouichi…” he whispered, concerned. “Are you…feeling okay?”

 

Kouichi laughed a bit, turning back to him. “Of course. Why wouldn't I be?”

 

Kouji sighed, shaking his head. He was being silly…they had other things to think about. “Okay, you, get in here,” he said, pulling at his brother's arm. “Satome'll have a fit if you don't get yourself cleaned up for dinner.”

 

Kouichi smiled, climbing back into the room, but he paused a moment to gaze back up one more time. “Hey, Kouji?”

 

“Yeah?” his brother turned back to look at him.

 

“If we ever do find a way to get to those other worlds…” Kouichi smiled at him. “We'll go together, right?”

 

Kouji sighed, smiling at his brother's fantasies. “Whatever you say, bro. Whatever you say.”

 

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

 

Sora frowned, staring at the page in his hands with uncertainty. Then he glanced over at Jiminy. “Are you sure this is part of Ansem's report?”

 

“Definitely. It matches the handwriting of the other parts.” the cricket produced his notebook, opening to the section on Ansem's report to compare. Sora had to admit, they had to have been written by the same hand, but this one was…weird.

 

“But I thought we had all the report.” Goofy stated, semi-confused.

 

Sora was a bit annoyed as well. They had discovered a small cave on the outskirts of the Disney Kingdom, and had been asked by Queen Minnie to check it out. Under it all, there had been nothing but a series of ruins that ran amongst and between themselves in a huge maze. And when they reached the end, they found…this.

 

“When one door is locked, another will open…

When one battle is over, another begins…

The Key is not enough anymore.

There are other pieces to this puzzle.

 

I have heard of these things before. A legend was passed through the generations of our world. Ten `items', each representing a different element, were said to be scattered amongst other worlds. They were supposed to react only if one's heart was strong enough to wield them…much like the Keyblade.

 

I would love to see one of these items…they could hold another key to the identity of the Heartless.”

 

“What's it mean?” Goofy wondered out loud.

 

“Who knows?” Donald quacked, waving his wing…hand…nonchalantly. “There's nothing else here. What a waste of time.”

 

“But if the `items' are like the Keyblade, maybe they could help us find the `Way to the Light' the King was talkin' `bout.” Goofy objected.

 

Sora contemplated the writings for a moment. “…Like the Keyblade…” he mumbled slightly, then turned back to the others. “Come on. Let's head back to the castle. Maybe someone there knows something about this.”

 

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

 

When Kouji woke in the middle of the night, he wasn't sure what was wrong that had stirred him so. He rolled over to try and get some sleep, then realized he was the only one in the room.

 

“Kouichi?” He gasped, sitting up. His brother's futon lay empty next to his bed, the covers pushed down as though the person sleeping there had scrambled out quickly. Kouji scanned the room, but it was empty. His brother was gone.

 

A crash of thunder drew his attention to the window, which was open and blowing the curtains wildly. Kouji climbed out of bed, pulling his jacket on, to stick his head out the window.

 

The sky was covered by dark clouds, swirling and churning in on each other. Every now and then, they'd be illuminated by a blast of lighting…blood red lightening.

 

“This isn't…normal.” he whispered shakily. A flash of movement suddenly caught his eye. A boy with dark hair, wearing a tattered green jacket, was running down the street in the direction of the park. “Kouichi!”

 

Ten seconds later he'd pulled on his jeans, jacket and shoes and was running after his brother. For some reason, probably the feeling of dread that was building in his stomach, he'd snatched up his wooden Kendo blade as he left the house.

 

He was not, however, watching where he was going, and nearly ran down someone perfectly human that just happened to be in his way, knocking them both to the ground.

 

“Hey!” A familiar voice shouted. “Watch where you're…Kouji?”

 

“Takuya.” Kouji sighed, climbing to his feet. “What are you doing out here?”

 

“I should be asking you the same thing!”

 

“I asked first.”

 

Takuya sighed through his teeth. “You're not going to believe me…”

 

“With all this?” Kouji pointed to the sky. “Try me, and make it quick.”

 

Takuya sighed again. “I saw…Izumi. Out my window.”

 

Kouji cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

 

“My window's on the first floor. She was standing outside, just staring at me.” Takuya looked very disturbed. “But when I opened it to see what she wanted, she just…disappeared. Like the wind blew her away.”

 

Kouji let out a bit of a hiss. Takuya glanced at him. “What about you? What're you doing out here?”

 

“Kouichi left the house.” he said shortly. “Takuya, something's wrong. Kouichi was acting weird tonight, and Izumi showing up at your house, and this storm…None of this is natural.”

 

“So what're supposed to do?”

 

Before Kouji could answer, there was a strange noise from behind them. The two boys snapped around, in opposite directions, as several strange creatures seemed to rise out of the very ground to surround them.

 

They were like huge, black bugs with beady little yellow eyes. They leaned over, almost on all fours, bouncing as they moved in jerky lunges. They didn`t seem to make any noise, but you could almost hear a sort of cicada-like chirping between them.

 

“Wh-What are these things?” Takuya exclaimed, backing up against Kouji in a defensive stance. “Digimon?”

 

“No way. They're something else.” Kouji bristled. “And they're in the way!”

 

He lunged, swiping with his Kendo blade. It thumped harmlessly off the creatures, which simple sank into the ground popped up elsewhere. One leapt up behind him and took a swipe at his back, leaving three short, deep, bleeding gashes.

 

“Kouji!” Takuya called, kicking one of the things with even less effectiveness.

 

Kouji hissed with the pain of his wounds, spinning around. “We can't fight them! Make a run for it!” he called to his friend. “We have to find Izumi and Kouichi! Make sure they're safe, and don't get yourself killed!”

 

With one last nod between the two friends, they split off after their own targets.

 

Kouji ran longer than he'd ever thought he'd be able to, still clutching his Kendo blade. He couldn't stop, couldn't look back, or those things would catch him. He knew where Kouichi was going: he was heading for the park…they always went there.

 

As he rounded the hilltop road, he discovered Kouichi standing at the observation point, staring up into the swirling, red mass that was the night sky. There were none of the…creatures…here. They were the only two in sight.

 

“Kouichi.” Kouji sighed, lowering his weapon to slack at his side. “There you are.”

 

His brother didn't respond, so he took a few steps closer. “Kouichi…come on. We have to get somewhere safe. Something's wrong…This is dangerous.”

 

Still no response. His brother stared up at the red-lined clouds as though he'd been hypnotized by their swirling shapes. Kouji, still quite a bit away, was now very worried. “Kouichi, please say something!”

 

For a moment, the only answer was the wind. Then Kouichi's mouth opened, very slightly, and he whispered. “You said…we'd go together, right?”

 

Kouji frowned. “What are you talking about?”

 

“The other worlds…They're…waiting…” Kouichi wasn't looking at him. Instead, he began walking intently forward, gazing up at the center of the swirling clouds, high above the park. “We can…go there…”

 

Kouji suddenly realized his brother was heading over the guardrail…right off the edge of the cliff. “Kouichi, stop!” He shouted, lunging forward to try and catch him. “You'll kill yourself!”

 

“He said…he'll take us.” Kouichi whispered again. “To those other worlds…”

 

Kouji suddenly saw something hovering off the edge of the cliff: a figure he hadn't seen against the darkness around them. It was a tall man, dressed completely in black, a long robe with a hood pulled over his head. He was simply standing there, in midair, his hand outstretched…Kouichi was reaching for his hand, only inches from his grasp.

 

A voice came from the hood. “The worlds of darkness…await…”

 

“No, Kouichi!” Kouji lunged with his wooden tool, only to be deflected by some kind of field. He staggered back, then tried lunging again as he shouted. “Don't listen to him! He's not…He's lying!”

 

“But…I want to go…” Kouichi mumbled, stepping over the guardrail.

 

Kouji lunged again and again, only to be thrown back by the field each time. “Kouichi, listen to me! Come back!”

 

“It's too late.” the hooded figure hissed as he gripped Kouichi's hand, pulling him away from the overhang and into the air. The other black-gloved hand rose to stroke the boy's cheek in an almost seductive manner. “This boy's heart and soul already belong to the darkness. It's time he joined us, where he belongs.”

 

Kouichi's eyes were clouded over strangely, leaning forward to accept the man's corrupted invitation. Kouji lunged again, calling his brother's name and striking the shield. The two hovering figures began to lift upwards, into the swirling mass that was now taking up the paper lanterns and small pieces of debris from the park like a tornado.

 

“Kouichi! No, Kouichi!” Kouji shouted, plunging in once more. This time he refused to let himself be thrown away, driving forward through the sparks that flashed around him. “Let go of him!! Kouichi!”

 

Kouichi turned back slightly. “Kouji…”

 

Kouji pushed further in, sparks flying around him. His eyes were focused on his brother, who was gazing blankly back at him as though confused. Still pressing forward, he raised the wooden blade and brought it down one more time to strike with blaze of light…

 

And suddenly, the wood in his hands morphed and changed into a hilt of silver metal. The long wooden body faded away to be replaced with a long thin beam of white-hot light…

 

Kouji dropped to his knees as the force field suddenly gave way. His head snapped up where the two figures had been, but neither the hooded man nor his brother were anywhere to be found.

 

“Kouichi!” He shouted into the wind, which was steadily picking up ferocity. “Come back! Kouichi!”

 

The wind raged around him, starting to rip trees out of the earth and up into the swirling crowds. Kouji gripped the guardrail, not noticing the world crumbling around him, not noticing the wind, not even noticing the strange weapon that had somehow come into his possession. He just kept staring up at the swirling, red and black mass, shouting his brother's name.

 

The wind soon became too much for him. He was lifted off his feet, into the air, high, high up in the air towards the swirling mass…

 

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

 

“Gawrsh, look!” Goofy pointed into the sky as the three-man team exited the ruins.

 

“What is it?” Donald quacked, annoyed.

 

“That star!” Goofy exclaimed. “It's goin' out!”

 

For a moment, the star in question flickered in and out, before suddenly blinking out of existence all together. The three stared up in silence, before Goofy spoke again. “Gawrsh, you think it could be the…the Heartless?”

 

“But how?” Donald whispered, then shouted wildly. “That can't be! We locked the keyhole! The Heartless are gone!”

 

Sora gripped the Keyblade. “Then another door must be open…into the darkness” he whispered, not sure if he should be excited or afraid. He snapped his head to look at his friends. “Back to the castle, guys, now! We've got to talk to the Queen!”

 

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

 

Somewhere in the cobbled streets surrounding a bright white-stone palace, there lay a young boy. Held limply in his hand was a blade that seamed to be made of pure light, glowing quietly in the back alley as though hoping to catch the attention of a good Samaritan. He shifted painfully, not awake yet, and a single word escaped his lips.

 

“Kouichi…”

 

…

 

 

I've been having these weird thoughts lately…Like, is any of this for real…?

 

Or not?

 

TBC…

Just to keep things straight, I estimate that, as with other alternate-world stories, the worlds of Kingdom Hearts each run on their own time when not connected. So the ages play out something like this:

Kouji, Kouichi, Izumi, Takuya - 14

Junpei - 15

Tomoki - 11

Sora, Kairi - 15

Riku - 16