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Kingdom Hearts: Dark Dawn	By : RotSeele Category: Kingdom Hearts > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 3168 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Forty-Three - Edge/Midgar

Kaoru ducked under the claymore’s blade and struck for the man’s knees with Guardian. For a big man, he was surprisingly nimble, and he leaped clear of Kaoru’s strike before it could even connect. Haiku came on then, her morning star whistling as the spiked ball came in for Kaoru’s head. He jerked back and brought Guardian up to deflect the blow as best he could. He felt the impact all the way up to his shoulders and retreated, trying to put some space between himself and his enemies.
Haiku and her companion definitely weren’t slouches when it came to fighting. Kaoru knew he could keep up against one of them, but against both of them he was working hard just to be able to respond offensively while keeping himself alive defensively. Whenever that claymore came in for his head or body, Kaoru knew that morning star was coming for his back. It was a complex dance that he was fighting to keep the rhythm of, striking when he could and trying to stay one step ahead of his two enemies. They hadn’t yet hit him, but it wouldn’t be long before one or both of them did. Kaoru didn’t have the reach that Haiku and her friend did, which meant he had to get in close to be able to do damage, but that also put him closer to being killed. These two weren’t like Ennio, who used others to do his dirty work. These two fought their own battles and they weren’t slouches, either. It was clear to Kaoru that he was outclassed. The battles he’d been in before had given him some good experience, but he’d won either on sheer luck or because he hadn’t been alone.
But now he was alone. Now he had no luck left to spare because he was using it all just trying to stay alive.
He checked his speed to avoid being brained by the morning star’s spiked ball and whirled around to bring Guardian up to stop the claymore from cutting him in half. The man leered down at him with a manic grin, his black eyes glinting with glee. He bore down on Kaoru with all his weight, making sparks appear between the Keyblade and the claymore.
“Not bad, kid!” the man crowed. “I wonder how long you can keep it up!”
Kaoru didn’t bother to answer. He shifted his weight and allowed Guardian to slide down the claymore’s blade so he could shove himself away. He was too small to overpower the man, so he tried to use the man’s own strength against him. He broke away and went for the man’s knees again, switching his target when the man responded with a sideways block to stop Guardian from smashing into the fragile bone. Instead, Guardian hit the man’s left forearm, earning a sharp howl from the man and a flinching retreat. Kaoru didn’t follow through; he retreated, ducking under Haiku’s attack and twisting away before she could swing that morning star at his back again.
Kaoru’s observations had allowed him to learn that the man favored his left side to lead with his attacks. It was his dominant side. Kaoru had been striking for the man’s legs on purpose, knowing that if he kept aiming for that spot, his intentions would become predictable. If his opponent believed he was constantly striking for one area, then he would respond to protect that area, which would allow Kaoru to attack somewhere else. So he’d feinted, and when he’d gotten the opportunity, he took his shot.
“He broke my damn arm!” howled the man. He’d stabbed the claymore into the ground and was clutching his arm, which hung now at an awkward angle. Haiku was standing beside him, her lips turned down in a severe frown.
“I told you not to underestimate him.” Haiku replied, no sympathy in her voice at all. She hefted her morning star and set it against her shoulder. “Can you still fight?”
The man grasped the claymore with his right hand and pulled it out of the ground. His left arm he kept pressed against his chest as if to protect it, his teeth bared in a savage snarl. His ebony eyes locked onto Kaoru and the young Keyblade wielder knew the man wasn’t going to let him get close enough to break another bone. “I can still fight. No complaining if I kill the brat first.”
Haiku shrugged and let her morning star fall from her shoulder. “I won’t complain. But remember who you’re aiming at.”
The black-eyed man turned that manic grin on her, then charged Kaoru. He was barely able to get Guardian between himself and the claymore’s edge, but he managed it somehow. He was still flung into the air a good ten feet before crashing down on his side and rolling, all the air driven out of his lungs. He gasped sharply, then shoved himself upright to avoid the strike that would have cleaved him in two if he had been any slower. Still, the claymore’s edge kicked up a wave of dirt and earth that pummeled Kaoru as it came down, forcing him to cover his head while he retreated. The wave of earth also cut off his line of sight, so he was unprepared for the morning star howling in for his head. He got his armored arm up between the ball and his head which saved his skull from gaining a few extra holes, but the force of the blow to his arm slammed his own armor back into his face and sent him to the ground, reeling and seeing stars.
The black-eyed man yanked his claymore out of the ground and stalked toward Kaoru, his steps swift and hard. Using one hand, Kaoru pulled himself backwards, but he wasn’t fast enough to avoid the incoming swing. His head was ringing and he was seeing stars, which wasn’t good at all. His arm also hurt something fierce and he feared the bone was broken. He met the man’s eyes and fought to concentrate enough through the pain to get a Holy Shield around himself, hoping that the glimmering shield of light would be enough to protect him.
The black-eyed man lifted his claymore with only his right hand and swung it above his head. Then, with a leering grin, let the weapon begin a downswing that would sever Kaoru’s upper half from his lower half.
Thunder barked, loud and sonorous.
Kaoru saw sparks ignite on the claymore’s blade and the weapon suddenly went wide. Unable to compensate for the sudden change in momentum, the black-eyed man spun to one side and almost lost his grip on his weapon. Kaoru used the moment to scramble backwards as fast as his ringing head and his one arm would allow, wincing each time thunder spoke.
A man in dressed in black and a tattered red cloak stepped past him, his arm raised as he pulled the trigger of a massive three-barreled handgun. Long black hair flowed down his back and crimson eyes were narrowed as he fired at Haiku and her companion. When he was ten feet in front of Kaoru, he stopped moving, but he didn’t stop firing.
Cool, soothing healing magic flowed through Kaoru’s body then and he felt a part of himself relax. His friends were here. The ringing in his ears faded and the pain in his head and arm vanished. As he got to his feet, he felt an hand hook under his arm and pull him along. He knew it was Kai without looking. The two didn’t retreat far, just a few more feet away from where Kaoru had managed to crawl. Rinally joined them then and she threw her arms around Kaoru in a tight hug.
Then she stepped back and slugged him in the chest. “That was for leaving me behind!”
Kaoru winced at the blow. “I said I was sorry.”
“I don’t care! Look how beat up you are! You’re bleeding!” Rinally gently hovered her hand over Kaoru’s temple, a green glow appearing against her palm. Kaoru realized that he must have cut himself when his armor had crashed back into his head. “We figured out that you figured something out, but you can’t just run into these things alone.”
Kaoru gave her an apologetic smile. “I’ll explain later. Right now, we have to stop those two.”
Kai grunted softly. “Vincent seems to be doing a good job.”
Kaoru turned to look at the black-haired man wielding the gun. Vincent was definitely holding his own against Haiku and her companion, having the advantage of a ranged weapon and the speed to go with it. Every time Haiku or the black-eyed man tried to get close, the gun barked and dirt kicked up where they had been standing. Vincent never moved too far from Kaoru, Kai, and Rinally, acting as the living shield between them and danger. Even when Vincent had to stop and reload his weapon, it was a practiced hand that loaded the bullets into the chambers and snapped it back up to continue firing.
“He’s one of Tifa’s friends.” Rinally explained. She drew her hand back and clutched her staff. “There. All better.”
Kaoru rotated his armored shoulder and flexed his elbow and hand. He trusted Rinally’s word for his condition. He smiled at her. “I broke the big guy’s left arm. He can only wield his sword one-handed. The lady, her name is Haiku. She’s got a morning star. She’s pretty fast, too.”
Kai lifted Sanctuary and rested it on his shoulder. “Sounds like she’s my type. Anything else I need to know?”
Kaoru shook his head. “I didn’t learn anything else about them. Just try to keep them out of the church. I don’t know what they were doing in there, but that’s where they came out of.”
“Got it.” Kai started forward, darkness swirling up and around him to leave him clad in his Black Knight armor. Without a word, he pushed off, racing for Haiku. Vincent disengaged as Kai ran in, presumably to keep from hitting Kai with bullets, but he changed direction, pointing his gun back toward Rinally and Kaoru.
“Down.” Vincent ordered, his deep voice making them obey before he had even finished the word. Kaoru and Rinally covered their ears as the gun spat out lead and fire. They watched as the leaping monster was blasted back by Vincent’s bullets. It hit the ground and twitched for a whole minute before stilling. “Go.”
Kaoru rose. “Can you handle them?”
Vincent smirked and this time those crimson eyes actually warmed slightly. “I’ve handled worse. Just go. Help your friend.”
Kaoru nodded and summoned Guardian to his hand. He looked at Rin, who clutched her staff and nodded, her lips in a thin, determined line.
Together they rushed back to the battlefield. Kaoru caught glimpses of Kai dueling with both Haiku and her companion, holding his own but only just, just like Kaoru had. But now the tide of battle was turning in their favor. It was now going to be three on two, or really, one on one and two on one. As Kai turned to attack Haiku, Rinally unleashed a series of fireballs at the black-eyed man, driving him away from Kai. Rin stopped short then, leaving Kaoru to engage the man himself.
Guardian and the claymore crashed together in deafening sound and blinding sparks, but Kaoru didn’t yield this time. The man cursed and snarled, bearing down on Kaoru with all of his weight. Kaoru slid to the left, twisting his body to the side to allow the claymore to hit the ground rather than him, and he drove Guardian into the man’s middle, striking twice in quick succession. The man grunted and stumbled backwards a few steps, but Kaoru’s assault didn’t seem to do anything but anger him. Those all-black eyes narrowed even more and his lips pulled back from his teeth in a vicious snarl. The man’s broad shoulders flexed and bulged as he seemed to gain more mass, and Kaoru saw veins pulsing in the man’s neck. His only warning that an attack was coming was a twitch in the man’s jaw.
The claymore came howling in faster than Kaoru thought it could, and he was saved by his Holy Shield and Rinally’s Barrier spell. Kaoru hit the ground and bounced because of the two spells, managing somehow to angle himself back to his feet. He saw the man turn his attention to Rinally and begin stalking toward her. Kaoru didn’t bother to yell for her to run; he simply charged at the man’s back and went into a flurry of attacks that, surprisingly, the man was able to parry. It brought the man’s attention back to Kaoru rather than Rin, and they entered into a vicious dance that Kaoru did his best to survive. That claymore flashed faster and harder than it had before, and despite the fact the man wasn’t wielding his weapon with his dominant hand, he was still able to move it in myriad ways to either block or parry Kaoru’s Keyblade. It took all of Kaoru’s concentration to keep from being slashed or cut by the edge of the claymore. Guardian slipped and slid against the claymore, sending sparks into the air as the two weapons vied against one another for the advantage.
They closed at one point, their weapons crossed between them as the man struggled to overpower Kaoru and as Kaoru fought to keep his balance from being upset. The man grinned down at Kaoru and chuckled darkly. “I can’t wait to cut you up, boy. Then I’ll start on your pretty little friend.”
Kaoru didn’t bother to respond verbally. He released Guardian’s hilt with his armored hand and punched the man in the nose. The man’s head snapped back and he stumbled away from Kaoru, giving the blonde a moment to breathe. It was a short moment, only because the man came back with a vicious backhanded swing that Kaoru barely blocked enough to slip out of the way of the backswing. Out of the corner of his eye, Kaoru saw Rinally turning to give her attention to Kai. He didn’t dare take more attention than that away from his opponent, trusting Kai to be able to take care of himself and trusting Rinally to keep him safe. He also heard gunfire in the distance, which meant that Vincent was still doing his part to keep the monsters at bay and keep them from attacking Kaoru, Kai, and Rinally from behind.
The black-eyed man let out a terrible bellow and charged Kaoru with wild abandon, forcing Kaoru to retreat. He swung Guardian only to deflect the claymore but had no time to launch a counterattack of his own. The man had gone completely berserk and was swinging the claymore without much care of where it went or who it hit. He missed Kaoru more often than not, and each time Kaoru deflected the claymore, the man seemed to become more incensed. His strength seemed to increase tenfold with his berserker state, and Kaoru was doing all he could to retaliate and keep that claymore from hurting him or killing him. He couldn’t find any advantage he could use to get close to his opponent to deliver any kind of strike, nor could he break away long enough to use Cascade or any other move. He ducked and dodged and rolled and parried, always looking for an opening he could take advantage of to try and put his enemy down.
Perhaps he should have seen it coming, or perhaps his inexperience with combat against another person made him blind to it, but when the man faltered in his step and stumbled backwards slightly, Kaoru took the opportunity to begin his assault. He charged forward, drawing Guardian back in order to make his first strike as powerful as possible in hopes that it would be his last and he could put his opponent down. The retaliatory attack was slow for all the swiftness of the claymore as it whipped toward Kaoru’s feet. He jumped high, twisting his body so he could put power behind his attack. A second later, Kaoru realized he’d been baited into attacking when he saw the manic grin spread across his enemy’s face, and he realized that in opening himself up for an offensive attack, he’d left himself without any defense. The claymore that had swung so slowly at his ankles switched directions and was now speeding toward his spine.
He’d been tricked and he’d fallen for it. Kaoru tried to twist his body enough to get Guardian between himself and the claymore, but the best he could do was reverse his grip on the Keyblade and grasp it with both hands to pull it close to his side. He tucked his legs up, brought his elbows in, and ducked his chin against his chest to try and brace himself against the impact that was coming.
And it came hard.
The edge of the claymore crashed against Guardian’s blade, which sent a ripple of pain through Kaoru’s entire side. For a second, Kaoru felt as if time had stopped and he was floating in midair, an immovable object to the claymore’s unstoppable force. Then, suddenly, he was flying through the air. His back crashed against something solid and he exploded through the wall of the church. He hit a pillar with his right shoulder and spun halfway around before he hit the floor, skidded, and splashed into a pool of crystalline water. Kaoru gasped for air but only sucked in water. He choked on it and slowly sank to the bottom of the pool, unable to find the strength to even try to stand.
Don’t give up.
Kaoru cracked his eyes open, staring up through glittering blue water at a ghostly image above him. He could barely make it out as human-shaped, but he couldn’t tell if it was his imagination or if his enemy was standing over him, ready to deliver the final blow.
Don’t stop fighting. You’re more powerful than you know.
Bubbles trailed up from his mouth as he tried to reply, distorting the image of the person above him. For a second, Kaoru thought it was Tae, which couldn’t be, because she was with Hiromu somewhere, more a puppet than a person, but somewhere in his heart, he knew that wasn’t who this person was.
The Light chose you as its champion for a reason, you know.
Not Tae, but another woman. Someone who radiated light and purity in a way Kaoru innately recognized. Someone who was here but not. The woman smiled and reached her hand down toward him.
Your Keyblade is you, and you are your Keyblade. You are Guardian. Embrace your true power, Kaoru, and fight.
Kaoru reached for the woman’s hand, his fingers stretching out toward hers.
Your friends need you now.
Kai. Rin. They were still out there fighting, not knowing what happened to him except for what they had seen. If they faltered, they were going to die. If they tried to come after him, they were going to die. If they gave up fighting, they were going to die. It was just like Halloween Town, when he’d fought Hiromu and almost died. Kai had kept him from being mortally wounded and Rinally had saved his life with her magic. They had stood by him even in his weakest moments. He couldn’t leave them behind. He couldn’t let them die.
He couldn’t let them fight alone.
He loved his friends. They were his power. They were his strength.
Kaoru wondered if Kai had had the same thoughts when he’d seen Kaoru blasted out the wall in Oogie Boogie’s mansion and had awakened his Black Knight mode.
As if that sole thought was the answer the ghost woman had been waiting for, she smiled brilliantly at him and gripped Kaoru’s hand tightly. Kaoru closed his eyes against the bright light that suddenly flared above him and felt warmth suffuse his body. His aches and pains vanished with the warmth. His body seemed to rejuvenate as power rushed through him. His exhaustion faded away to a mere memory. Kaoru gripped Guardian tightly and pulled the Keyblade close to him, resting the hilt against his heart.
Then he opened his eyes.
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Kingdom Hearts: Dark Dawn