FicWad

Linking the Chain

By Pata Hikari

Based off Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories By Disney and SquareEnix.

Chapter 2: Forgetting to Remember

"What?" Sora stared at Leon, "What do you mean Leon? We fought the Heartless together! We're friends! You helped me out a lot!"

Leon shook his head, "I've never seen you before in my life. I'm sorry, Sora, I just don't know you."

"Hey!" Donald jumped up, "You just called him Sora! You do know him!"

"What are you talking about Donald? I don't know any of-" Leon stopped, "Wait... how do I know you people's names?"

"Well, Squall, maybe Aerith was on to something after all."

A girl walked into the area. She was about Sora's age, slightly taller then him, with black hair that dropped around her side. She was wearing a green tube top with yellow shorts and a scarf.

Leon gave the girl a glare, "The name is Leon."

"Yuffie!" Sora smiled, "Are you acting weird too?"

"Hey Sora." Yuffie waved, giving Sora a little wink. "Donald! Goofy! How's it going?"

"You remember us?" Goofy asked hopefully.

"Nope!" Yuffie grinned widely, "Never seen the three of you before in my life." She laughed, "Yet for some reason I know your names." She shrugged, "Oh well, it saves us the trouble of introductions."

Sora sighed, "But /I/ remember you people..." He looked at them, "What are all of you doing in Castle Oblivion anyway?"

"Castle Oblivion?" Leon stared at Sora, "This is Traverse Town."

"Never heard of any Castle Oblivion." Yuffie walked up to Sora. "Where'd you come from anyway?"

Sora sighed, "You know what, never mind. Can we see Aerith?"

"You know her too?" Yuffie asked.

"Yes..." Sora sighed.

"OK!" Yuffie grabbed Sora's hand, "I'll lead the way! She's at her room in the Second District." She began dragging Sora away.

Donald looked at Leon. "You /sure/ you don't remember?"

Leon folded his arms, "I'm sorry. I really have no memory of anything but your names." He walked off, "Yuffie! Don't rip his arm off!" He called.

Donald looked at the stone ground. "Hmm..." He folded his arms. "Strange..."

"What is it Donald?" Goofy looked over his old friend.

"Oh, I'm just thinking." Donald shook his head, "Come on, let's go see Aerith."

~-------------------------------------~

The Second District was two sidewalks lined with shops. A dip in the middle of the district had a fountain on one end and the entrance to a strange building called the Gizmo Shop on the other.

Yuffie was still pulling Sora by the arm. Leon was walking slowly in step behind them.

"So what else do you remember us doing?" Yuffie looked back, grinning at Sora.

"Well, I remember you dragging me around like this..." Sora grinned sheepishly.

"Good to hear." Yuffie laughed, "At least we're doing what you remember." She looked ahead. Suddenly stopping in her tracks.

"Oh..." Sora looked ahead. Over a dozen black cards had suddenly appeared. The circled around them. Bursting into flashes of darkness.

"Heartless..." Leon hissed, bitterness and hatred in his voice.

"You remember these?" Yuffie whispered. Sora nodded, reaching into his pocket.

"Let's do this..." Sora held up his Keyblade card.

"Right!" Yuffie pulled out a card, Leon did too.

"Huh?" Sora looked at the two, "Where'd you get those...?" The two cards flashed in their hands.

A large sword with a hilt shaped like a revolving pistol appeared in Leon's hand. Leon clutched the Gunblade in his hands, grinning viscously.

Yuffie held up her giant shuriken, the Conformer, spinning it around in her hand.

Sora stared at the two. Why do they have those too? He summoned the Keyblade, holding it up in a defensive position.

Shadow Heartless circled around some larger ones. More human like, with shoes and gloves and an open knights helmets, Solider Heartless. Hovering about them were small ones, almost looking like red bells with cloaks on. A yellow pointed hat was placed on them, their yellow eyes poking out, Red Rhapsody Heartless.

"Take this!" Leon shouted, smashing the Gunblade downwards on a Shadow.

A Solider leapt at Sora, he held out the Keyblade, catching the Heartless. He then spun the Keyblade, flinging the Solider into a Red Rhapsody .

Yuffie threw the Conformer, it spun in a wide arc, cutting through six Shadows before they ducked flat into the ground.

The cards hit the ground for a moment, but before Sora could grab them, other Heartless picked them up, causing them to reform. "Oh geez!" Yuffie complained, "They always do that!"

~-------------------------------------~

"Oh no!" Goofy pulled out his shield. "They're being swarmed!" Donald and Goofy had been trailing behind Sora, letting him catch up with Leon and Yuffie.

"Yeah, yeah." Donald shook his wand, "They're just Shadows and Soldiers. Besides... /My magic won't work!"/ Donald sighed, "I should have asked Sora how he did that card thing..." He growled, "Work!" He threw out his hand...

And it burst into flame.

"Donald!" Goofy ducked down, "Your hand!"

"It's... not hot." Donald stared at the flame. It reminded him of when he had first been learning magic. Of how he had been so excited to first make a simple light. The fire in his hand shifted, becoming a blue card with a fireball emblazoned on it. "So that's how it works..." Donald laughed, "Never thought that it really was as simple as memory!"

"Well, that's what the hooded guy said..." Goofy shrugged.

~-------------------------------------~
It didn't matter how many Heartless they cut down, the rest of them would gather the fallen cards and resurrect their brethren.

"How do we deal with this?" Sora swung the Keyblade like a baseball bat, knocking a fireball straight back at the Red Rhapsody that had shot it.

/"Fire!"/ Donald shouted, as a plume of flame shot out through the Heartless, clearing a path. He and Goofy rushed through the gap.

"Grab the cards!" Sora shouted, but it was too late. The Heartless Donald had blasted had been revived.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Donald quacked.

"It's the cards..." Sora shook his head, "They can come back to life as long as..."

"There's someone to revive them!" Leon shouted, "Yuffie! Ready?" Yuffie nodded, and both of them withdrew their weapons, causing them to become cards again. Then Leon held his card in the air, it flashed. He moved it to the left, now there were two cards. The card flashed a second time, then Leon moved it up. Creating three cards in a triangle pattern. He pressed against the three cards, causing them to burst into a white flame. The Gunblade appeared in Leon's hands, glowing with a powerful light. /"Lionheart!"/ Leon rushed foreword, slashing through the Heartless at insane speeds.

Yuffie did the same, somehow making three cards from one. Her Conformer appeared, glowing with a powerful light. /"All Creation!"/ She threw the shuriken into the air, a beam of light shot out of it, tearing through the Heartless.

Only one Shadow remained. It looked to the left, then the right. Its antennae drooped when it realized that there was nobody to help it.

Then Goofy jumped on top of it, crushing it with his shield "Victory!" Donald shouted triumphantly.

"..." Sora looked at Leon and Yuffie, "What was that!?"

"You've never seen a slight?" Yuffie asked.

"Humph." Leon said, "If you don't know the basics you're little more then Heartless fodder."

Sora folded his arms, sighing. Great... he's back to treating me like a kid. "Well then, can you tell me how to use these... what did you call them?"

"Slights." Leon rolled his eyes, "I'm guessing you know how to use the basic cards." He held up his Gunblade card. "First you focus your power on the card. The more power you put into one, the more you can make."

"Got it." Sora held up the Keyblade card and focused. The card flashed... and a second one appeared.

"Good! Now do it again."

Sora nodded, closing his eyes for focus. A third card appeared.

"Excellent." Leon said with some pride, "Now you have three of those cards instead of one."

The three cards merged. "Yes!" Sora smiled, "Now I can do those slights now... right?"

"Yes." Leon nodded, "Slights are abilities you use by combining cards. However, using a slight will cause one of the cards to vanish. So try and keep a steady supply."

"Yeah yeah." Yuffie yawned, "Lesson over! Come on, the hotel is this way." Yuffie began walking again.

"Give me a moment..." Sora pulled out the Shadow card he had picked up earlier. To his surprise, it flashed and the twelve other Shadow cards lying around flew into it. "Weird..." Sora walked over and picked up eight Red Rhapsody and ten Solider cards; the same thing happened. "Oh well..."

"Wait for us Yuffie!" Goofy shouted.

~-------------------------------------~

Aerith was a tall young woman. She wore a simple sleeveless pink dress. Her light brown hair dropped down her back in a ponytail. Two bangs hung on the sides of her face. Her gentle green eyes seemed to shine as she saw Yuffie enter the room, Sora and the others coming soon after.

"Hello there," Aerith smiled, she was sitting down on her red bed. "Oh... Sora... wait." She closed her eyes, shaking her head, "How do I know your name?"

"I have no idea. I and Squall know their names too." Yuffie pointed to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "What's even weirder is that they say they've met us before."

"You know us?" Aerith asked.

"Yes Ma'am." Goofy nodded, "You three were a big help."

Sora sighed, "This stinks. So much for what Leon said last time... before I went to the End of the World."

"What did I say?" Leon asked.

Sora shook his head, "You said: 'Even if we never see each other again-'"

"...we'll never forget each other." Leon whispered, his eyes wide.

Donald gasped, "You /do/ remember!"

"Hey!" Yuffie stepped back, "I remember you saying that!"

"Me too..." Aerith stood up, "There's something odd going on here."

"Perhaps you all forgot how to remember?" Goofy said helpfully.

Donald quacked in disagreement, "That's stupid! How could someone forget how to remember?"

"I think I did once..." Goofy scratched his head. "Then again... if I did, would I remember it?"

Donald slapped his forehead. "Just... be quiet."

"Maybe..." Aerith paused, "Just maybe, Sora's remembering for us."

"What's that mean?" Yuffie asked.

"I mean... Sora remembers us, so his heart remembers us. His heart is speaking to ours, causing us to remember him." Aerith blushed, "It sounds silly, I know, but it /might/ work."

"That sounds right..." Sora sighed, "Thanks for the help Aerith. I'm going to go over to Cid's. Maybe he remembers me."

~-------------------------------------~

"I don't get it..." Goofy said, walking behind Sora. "Nobody knows /anything."/

"Except for things they shouldn't know." Donald added, "Like those cards."

"It's strange." Sora muttered, they walked down an alleyway. Stopping in front of the door to the Third District. Sora quickly pushed it open.

The Third District was smaller then the other two. It was made with blueish gray stone. Neon lights shot all over the few buildings. In one corner, there was a fountain with a lighted statue of two dogs.

Standing by a door that led to the exit of the District, there was an older man. He was wearing a white shirt with a thick belt around his waist. He adjusted his blue jeans, turning to look at the group.

"Well, 'ello there! If it ain't Sora!" The man smiled widely. Then he stepped back, "Wait... I've never seen you before." He shrugged, "Well, you sure do look like a Sora. I just call 'em as I see 'em."

Sora forced a smiled, "It's OK Cid. You got my name right."

"Heh, I'm good." Cid chuckled, he pointed to the other two, "And... you two are Donald and Goofy, am I right?"

"That's right." Goofy nodded. Cid smirked.

"Well..." Sora smiled, "How you doing Gramps?"

"Hey! You know I hate it when you call me Gramps!" Cid shouted good-naturedly.

"I thought you didn't know me?" Sora smirked.

"Huh? Weird..." Cid shook his head, "Maybe we met somewhere..." He shrugged, "Well, what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." Sora answered, holding his hands behind his friends.

"I'm flattered." Cid said, "Anyway. I'm waiting for the old clock to ring."

"Why?" Donald asked.

Cid smirked, "I hear there's this tale that says that something big happens when the Clock rings."

The air rang with a sound.

Dong....dong....dong....dong...

"It's ringing!" Goofy whispered.

Dong....dong....dong....dong...

"Let's see what happens..." Cid said excitedly.

Dong....dong....dong....dong...

Cards started to swirl around the Third District. The cards stopped in front of Sora. Spinning around each other in a chaotic dance. "What's going on!?" Sora asked.

The cards spiraled together, becoming one. Black light formed all around it, growing, and changing shape. Five distinct parts. Two massive arms shaped like gauntlets. Two feet shaped like armored boots. A heat shaped like a helmet. All hovering around a massive cylindrical body, with a horrifying symbol on it. A black heart with a red outline. Two lines crossed across the heart to make an "X."

It was not just a shape, it as an emblem that symbolized an evil that could destroy the universe. The symbol of the Heartless.

A Guard Armor Heartless.

"Holy crap!" Cid shouted.

Sora's eyes widened, "Get out of here!" He ordered Cid.

"Hey! You're just a kid!" Cid said, concerned.

"Don't worry about me..." It dawned onto Sora, "Get Leon! I'll hold it back!"

Cid paused, before nodded, "OK. Don' know why, buy I trust ya kid." Cid turned and rushed out of the area.

"All right." Sora narrowed his eyes at the huge Heartless. "You guys know the drill!" He pulled out his card, the Keyblade appearing in his hand. "Lets do this..."

Donald pulled back, pulling out his wand. Goofy held up his shield, ready to defend Donald.

The Guard Armor turned to Donald, one of its gauntlets flying towards him. Goofy jumped in the way, holding back the attack with his shield. He grunted, being pushed back slowly by the still advancing fist.

Donald closed his eyes, with a burst of erratic light, another card appeared. It was blue, with a lightning bolt on it. "Yes!" Donald let go of the card, it hovered in the air as he slammed his wand into it. "Thunder!"

A bolt of lightning fell down from the sky, slamming down on the gauntlet. With a shudder, it fell to the ground. Goofy began stomping on it, placing several dents on it.

~-------------------------------------~

The Guard Armor decided to turn its attention to Sora. It pulled back its battered arm.

Sora's eyes narrowed, he held up the Keyblade. "You're just a memory." He whispered, "I'm not afraid of you."

The Guard Armor seemed offended by this because it charged at Sora, its metallic boots making dents in the ground.

Sora rolled underneath the Heartless, slashing the Keyblade at its left foot. Black smoke poured out of the wound.

"Sora!" Donald shouted, "Give me one of those red Heartless cards!" The Guard Armor glared down at Sora.

"Um.. OK!" Sora pulled out the Red Rhapsody card, it flashed as a second one appeared. "Catch!" He tossed the card to Donald, just as the injured foot of the Guard Armor spun at Sora.

He jumped over the attack, but then the second one slammed into his side, knocking Sora into a wall. "Ow..."

"Hold on!" Donald held up the Red Rhapsody card. It glowed a bright red color, before vanishing. Donald felt the power... and grinned. "Hey! Ugly!"

The Guard Armor turned its head towards Donald. This gave Sora the chance to pull himself out of the wall.

"Eat this!" Donald screamed, /"Fire!"/ He activated the Fire card, though if he hadn't heard Donald say the spells name, Sora would have thought that Donald was casting Firaga.

A massive pillar of flame shot out of the wand, rushing over the Heartless like an inferno. The flames stayed for only a second, but the damage had been done. The injured arm and foot were gone, while the rest of the Guard Armor was burned and scorched all over.

"Gawrsh..." Goofy said quietly.

Now the Guard Armor was angry. Its remaining arm and foot flew off to deal with Donald and Goofy, while the body and head rushed at Sora.

"Whoa!" Goofy ducked the foot's strike.

"Gah!" Donald threw a fireball at the hand, but it flew at him anyway. Giving him a hard punch to the beak.

Sora jumped to the side, dodging the head butt launched at him. How did Donald do that? Sora rolled underneath the spinning Guard Armor, getting a look at the other two struggling against the other two parts. "OK..." Sora pulled out the Shadow card. "Let's see what happens..." He felt its essence enter him.

Suddenly Sora felt stronger, like he was suddenly as strong as Hercules. Sora smiled, feeling the power rush through him. The Guard Armor charged at Sora. He held up the Keyblade...

The Heartless stopped the instant it hit the Keyblade. It shuddered for a moment, before falling to the ground. Sora could feel the strength leaving him. "Let's end this..." Sora took the Keyblade in both hands. Then, with a shout, he thrust it down into the Heartless symbol emblazoned on the Guard Armor. The symbol glowed a bright white for a moment... the arm and foot suddenly fell to the ground, shattering. The head shuddered, falling into the body. A glowing heart floated out of it, bringing forth a massive explosion. Sora closed his eyes, when he opened them, there was no trace of the Guard Armor. All that was there was a black card.

Sora picked it up and casually placed it in his pocket with the rest of them.