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KH: the Lost Masters, ch. 4

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Traverse Town

Sho’s eyes fluttered open, and this time he was able to sit up.  “Wha…?  Where am I?” he wondered, looking around.  He didn’t recognize his surroundings at all, and there wasn’t anybody outside for him to ask, not even that strange girl who had healed him.  He was all alone.

His heartbeat speeding up, the boy stood up and instinctively called out.  “Hello?  Mom?  Dad?”  Rushing down the street, he tried again.  “Sis?  Uncle Riku?”  Getting desperate, Sho shouted out the names of his friends.  “Hope?  Vanille?  Anybody?!”  But no matter whose name he called, no one answered.

Glancing around, Sho took in his surroundings while still searching for anyone he knew.  The town itself seemed pretty quaint and calm, and the stars could clearly be seen in the night sky. C’mon Sho, think!  Which world could this be?  Dad probably described it to you at some point…

But before he could think about it any further, he heard a scream come from his right.  Sho looked to see a young woman running from several armored Heartless called Soldiers.  Before Sho could do anything, one of them launched its claws at the woman, striking her and sending her to the ground.  The boy’s eyes widened in fear when he noticed that the Soldier was now holding the woman’s heart, and within seconds she was consumed by the darkness, becoming a Soldier Heartless.  

It was then that they noticed the young Keybearer, and immediately ran toward him.  Gulping, Sho muttered, “I’ve got no choice, I have to fight them!”  Lucky for him, Starlight appeared in his hand and he rushed at the Heartless.

Swinging his Keyblade, Sho managed to hit one of the Soldiers but then had to dodge a swipe from another one.  Taking that one down, he then slashed at another but the remaining Heartless continued to attack him.  “Where’s Sis when you need her?” Sho said as he avoided a Soldier’s kick, really wishing Mizuki was there to help.

Suddenly, a Soldier was cut clean in half and it disappeared to reveal a fierce young woman wielding a sword.  “Behind you!” she warned, and Sho turned just in time to block a kick.  

Working together, Sho and the swordswoman defeated all but one Heartless that was approaching them.  But before it could get too close, the woman’s sword transformed into a rifle and she destroyed the Heartless with one shot between the eyes.

Relieved that he was out of danger for now, Sho recalled his Keyblade before turning to the young woman.  She had wavy pink hair and aqua eyes which were now staring at the young Keybearer.  “Um, thank y-”

“So you’re the reason the Heartless were acting up,” the woman interrupted, turning her gun back into a sword as she spoke.  “I don’t know if you’re aware, but that weapon you hold not only destroys them, but draws them to you.”

Uh-oh, what’s she doing? Sho wondered, nervously and slowly backing up as the woman approached him.  His back suddenly hit a wall, and he held up his hands in surrender.  “Whoa, wait a minute!”  Without saying another word, the woman lashed out and Sho suddenly felt a sharp blow to the head before everything went black.

She managed to slowly lower him to the ground before sheathing her gunblade. She heard footsteps behind her and a voice saying, “Now was that really necessary, Lightning?”  The woman known as Lightning glanced back to see a man with short brown hair and a slightly amused smile on his face; Balthier.  “You could’ve at least given the boy fair warning.”

“I did what I had to,” Lightning answered simply.  “Now help me get him back to the shelter.”

Shrugging, Balthier replied, “Yes ma’am” before kneeling down to help move Sho.

Meanwhile…

“Ahh, solid ground!” P.J. exclaimed with a sigh of relief.

“Sheesh dude, don’t be so dramatic,” Max said as he exited the Gummi Ship Mark II after his friend.

“Well I wasn’t the one flying the ship like a maniac,” the larger boy commented.

“Hey, I got us through the meteor shower, didn’t I?” Max countered.

“Yeah, with a few barrel rolls too many,” P.J. grumbled.  Then he noticed that Max was carrying something: a round shield with the symbol of Disney Castle adorning it.  “Dude, is that your dad’s shield?”

“Huh?  Oh, yeah,” the young knight answered, holding it up.  “He made me take it, says it’ll be like he’s still with me.”  Rolling his eyes, he continued, “Even after I’ve gotten my knighthood, he’s still treating me like a kid.”  Despite being Captain of the Guard, Goofy was never a fan of weapons, preferring to use his shield for both offense and defense.  As a result, Max only learned how to fight using a shield, much to his chagrin.

“I’d still use it, if it’s your only option,” P.J. told his friend.  

Sighing, Max consented to the young magician’s logic.  “Fine.  But as soon as I find another shield, I’m getting it.”  And with that, the two set off into town.

…And promptly got lost.  “Man!  There’s nobody around.  How are we supposed to find the Masters if we can’t even get around this place?” Max asked in frustration.

“Say please?” a male voice suddenly piped up.  Startled, Max whipped around and came face-to-face with perhaps the tallest man he had ever seen.  He had light blonde hair with a stubble beard and blue eyes, and had a black bandana tied over his forehead.  “I’m guessing this is your first time here,” he commented with a small smile.



“…Oh, he’s waking up.”  Opening his eyes and sitting up with a groan, Sho realized that he was in a bed.  He looked toward the source of the voice and saw what looked like Sora.  “How are you feeling?” he asked the boy.

Rubbing the sore spot on his head, Sho replied, “Ugh, felt better.” He then smiled, happy to see the man before him.  “But I’m so relieved… You made it here too, Dad.”

“Dad?  What are you going on about?” the man asked.  “I’m the leading man of this story, Balthier.”  Then Sho’s vision cleared up, and the man known as Balthier appeared in place of Sora.

Surprised, Sho glanced off to the side.  “Oops!  Sorry, I… thought you were someone else,” he apologized sheepishly.

“Apology accepted,” Balthier said before speaking to someone in another part of the room.  “Something tells me you hit him a bit too hard, Claire.”

The pink-haired woman that Sho encountered earlier walked up to them with an annoyed expression.  “For the last time, it’s Lightning.”

The boy’s eyes widened at the sight of the woman.  “Y-You!  You’re that crazy lady!”

“Crazy…?” Lightning muttered, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Letting out a soft chuckle, Balthier commented, “Well you did knock him out in your first meeting, so you can’t blame him for that.”

Sighing, Lightning leaned against the wall by Sho’s bed.  “I did that so we could get you to safety.  As long as you hold a Keyblade, the Heartless will come after you.”

“We’ve got someone on the outside distracting them, but it probably won’t work for much longer,” Balthier added, his voice smooth and calm despite the circumstances.  “I’d suggest getting any questions you have out of the way, while you can.”



While still facing the tall blonde stranger, Max glanced back at P.J. and spoke softly.  “Hey Peej, think we can trust this guy?”

“Well he’s the first person we’ve found around here, so we might as well ask,” P.J. whispered to Max before addressing the man.  “Excuse us, we’re having trouble getting around this place.  Would you be willing to help?”

The man flashed a grin. “No problem!  Follow me, I’ll show you around.”  Walking ahead of the boys, he glanced back at them.  “Oh yeah, why don’t you tell me your names?  I’m Snow.”

“I’m Max, and this is P.J.,” the knight replied, jerking his thumb at his friend.

“Nice to meet you two,” Snow said.  Inside, P.J. was pretty relieved that they already found someone so friendly.  “So, you guys lost your world too, huh?”

“Wha-!  Whoa no, nothin’ like that!” Max quickly answered.  “We’re looking for someone, that’s all.”

“Ah, gotcha,” the man said as he glanced up at the stars twinkling in the night sky.

“Um… what made you ask that question?” P.J. asked curiously.



“Tell me, have you heard of a world called Traverse Town?” Balthier asked the boy.

Nodding, Sho replied, “Yeah, Dad told me about it.  Many years ago, he ended up there after… after his…” His voice trailed off as the reality of the situation finally hit him; Destiny Islands had been destroyed, and his family nowhere to be found.  “This is it, isn’t it?  This place… it’s Traverse Town.”

Lightning looked out the window, gazing at the stars as she spoke.  “This world is where the ones who were lucky to survive the destruction of their world end up.  Three years ago, I came here with a few others.”

“And I’ve been here… oh about six years, I’d say,” the older man added.

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Sho had to ask.  “So it’s possible… my parents, my sister, Uncle Riku… they could be okay, right?  They might’ve ended up here.”

“Hard to say,” the pink-haired woman said, still not looking Sho in the eye.  “You’re the only one I found.”  This made the boy hang his head in disappointment.



“So your world disappeared, huh?” Max questioned as he and P.J. continued to follow Snow.

“Yep,” he answered with a nod.  “Only a few of us made it here, and even now it’s been tough.  Something’s making the Heartless go crazy… crazier than usual, that is.”

P.J. thought for a minute.  “Do you think it’s possible that a Keyblade Master could be here?”

“You think?” Snow replied, suddenly intrigued by the boy’s theory.  “Why not?  With the stars disappearing again, a Master would have to see what’s going on.”

“That’s who we’re looking for, actually,” Max explained.  “The ki- er, the person who sent us here asked us to search for three of the Masters and help them.”

Snow suddenly reached out and mussed up Max’s hair, much to the young knight’s annoyance.  “Well, good luck with that.  Who knows, maybe there’s one right here in town?”



“Hold on a moment,” Balthier piped up.  “That name you just used…”

Cocking an eyebrow, Sho repeated, “Riku?”

“That’s the one!” the man confirmed.  “Master Riku… he’s a good man.  I challenged him to a duel once; big mistake, that.”

“I thought the leading man never lost?” Lightning commented with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

“I believe I said the leading man never dies,” Balthier corrected, receiving a scoff from his female companion.  Turning back to Sho, he continued, “Anyway… You’re related to him?”

“Heh, no,” the young Keybearer replied.  “He and my parents have been friends since they were kids, so he’s like family to me.”  Sho’s mind drifted back to just before the Islands’ destruction, when Riku fell into the seemingly-bottomless fissure.  “I really hope he’s alright…”

The two adults were silent for a bit, looking on as Sho tried not to cry at his loss.  Finally, Lightning spoke up.  “Your parents… they’re Master Sora and Master Kairi, aren’t they?”  The boy confirmed this with a nod.  “You have a lot to live up to, so if you’re going to search for them, I’d wipe away the tears and toughen up… soon.”

Deep down, that comment irritated Sho and caused his fists to clench.  “Have you ever lost anyone important to you?” he asked suddenly, glaring at Lightning.  She didn’t respond.



Just as Max, P.J. and Snow were nearing Traverse Town’s Second District, a huge Heartless known as a Large Body appeared along with several Soldiers and Winged Soldiers!  “Aw, you gotta be kidding me!” Snow exclaimed as he put up his fists.  “You two!  Make a run for it, I’ll hold them off!”

“With your fists?  Are you crazy?!” P.J. exclaimed, already a little freaked out by the Heartless themselves.

Suddenly Snow’s fists became coated with icy magic!  “Don’t you have a Master to find?” he asked with a grin before turning to face the Heartless, managing to land an ice-powered punch on one of the Soldiers.

“C’mon man, let’s go!” P.J. shouted as he and a reluctant Max took off running, leaving their guide behind.  However, some off the Winged Soldiers took off after them and it wasn’t long before more foot Soldiers appeared, cutting off the boys’ escape.  To top it all off, the Large Body had also followed them and they were surrounded.  “Uh-oh, now what?”

“What else?  We fight,” Max replied, sliding his dad’s shield onto his arm.  Brimming with confidence, the knight glanced back at his friend.  “C’mon Peej, let’s do it to it!”  P.J. nodded, and their first battle with the Heartless began!
EDIT 9/21/14: Thanks to :iconcatgirlslp:, I now have some ideas for new worlds and can therefore continue with the story.  Thanks for your help, hon! :hug:

Many years have passed since Keyblade Masters Sora and Kairi have hung up their blades to start a family.  Now it's their son Sho's turn to wield the coveted weapon.  When the Heartless return, the Islands are destroyed once again and Sho's family becomes MIA.  Ending up in Traverse Town, Sho must team up with the young knight Max, PJ the magician, and a mysterious girl named Aisha in order to reunite with his family and save the multiverse from a powerful new enemy.


P.S. I do not own Kingdom Hearts.  Max and P.J. belong to Disney.  Only Sho belongs to me.

Author’s note: Apologies for not including Lightning, Balthier and Snow in the disclaimer.  Call it a pleasant surprise for the readers! ^^  (Needless to say, all three characters belong to Square Enix.)

Author’s note 2: While Final Fantasy XII isn’t my favorite game in the series (not even close), I was somehow fascinated by the charismatic self-proclaimed leading man Balthier, and therefore I couldn’t resist putting him in here.  Also, not gonna lie but I find his voice kinda sexy…

Author’s note 3: Before anyone asks, yes Snow is using his Froststrike attack from FFXIII.  While in his original appearance he didn’t get that ability until he became a L’Cie (long story), this is Kingdom Hearts and he needs SOMETHING that’ll do damage to the Heartless.

Ch. 3 elisearainai.deviantart.com/ar…
Ch. 5 <da:thumb id="498249510">
Prologue elisearainai.deviantart.com/ar…
© 2014 - 2024 EliseArainai
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CatGirlSLP's avatar

Worlds to be featured huh? well lets see... Some good standard worlds I think could be like The Great Mouse Detective, How to Train Your Dragon, Spirited Away or Howls Moving Castel, The Black Cauldron, Kung Fu Panda, Wreck-It Ralph, and the Pride Lands during the events of Simba's Pride. And if you do plan on using Arendelle you should probably use it after the events of Frozen since I heard it will most likely be featured in KH3. I also like the idea of Mary Poppins being a sub world kinda like how Winnie the Poo or Disney Town was.
And that's all I got so far. still loving this story! please keep it up!