Hearts in Chains

Chapter One: Sora's Heart

"Number 7672! Your match is up!" I heard a voice reverberate through the holding area. I slowly peeled my eyelids open as I blinked a few times, allowing my eyes to accommodate to the light the holder brought with him from the door he opened. I slowly rose to my feet, using the wall I was leaning against as proper support. It was time already…I was to dance with death once more, play to the beat of the Grim Reaper. I bit my lower lip as I took a few hesitant steps forward before I felt a hand upon my back.

I already knew who it was, but I still craned my neck back to meet the cerulean orbs of my best friend. My keeper. My brother. Roxas. Well, he was not truly my brother, though we certainly shared the appearance. Our eyes were the exact same hue and our hair was styled in an obnoxious spiked up fashion. His however had more of a sense of style and was a lighter shade of brown. Mine, on the other end spiked any direction it felt (I tried to change this but it never worked out for me. Or the hats I used.) and was more a chocolate brown.

"Don't die, you got this." The words were brief; we didn't have time to get deep and reminiscent. However blunt and brief they may be, they still kick started my heart. It reminded me of an additional purpose to stay alive and beat the Grim Reaper one more time. "I will…"

"7672, get your ass moving before I drag you out by those spiky hairs of yours!" I knew the threat was an empty one, but I went forward without complaint and stepped through the threshold that led to the tunnel that filtered to the pit. Where the Reaper waited.

This Coliseum…It was practically my only home now. Not a home I wanted, but a home I was forced into and a home that I had no chance of escaping unless I continued to win. My original home was filled with a loving mother, a working father, and a protective twin-brother.

My mother was named Aerith, she had the gentlest shamrock-colored eyes and flowing chestnut locks…She was compassionate for everyone and the sweetest woman I knew existed. Just like how a boy should imagine his mom. My father was named Zack, and he had jet-black locks that are probably the cause of my spiky hair because his were similarly styled, although the color came from my mom.

My twin-brother was named Vanitas. As his title suggest, he was my twin. We looked practically identical except his eyes were a shade of bright orange and his hair color took more after my fathers and was pitch black. While we bickered like siblings do, we always loved each other immensely and looked out for one another. We had an unspoken policy that sort of went along the lines that we could mess with each other to no end, but the moment someone tried to do it then we had each others back. We were a slightly dysfunctional, but a loving and happy family.

That was stripped from me three years ago. When ta nameless country ran by a group known as the Organization began to invade Destiny Islands, and our island was at the forefront of it all. I watched first hand as my mother was burned alive and my father fought valiantly to try buy my brother and I time. And it was time we used well…

We managed to distance ourselves from the rout of our village; however there was one major problem. We were stuck on an island that was now occupied and swimming wasn't exactly an option. Even if it was, it wasn't one we had a chance to consider. During the escape, my brother was grievously wounded…The wound opened the gateway for infection and he would soon succumb to it. He told me many things before he carried on to the next World…He knew I couldn't survive in the wilderness by myself. It wasn't possible. He also knew his time was limited and that he would soon be gone so he presented another option…He was always so resourceful and clever. He knew how to work with what he had.

Anyways, he told me to wait for things to cool down (Quite literally, half the island was covered in fire.). He forced me to leave before he died, he didn't want to me to see him pass away…Truthfully, neither did I.

So, I did and returned, only to be met by the occupying Organization. This was anticipated, only now they wouldn't kill me, they would take me as a slave. That is just what they did. Moreover, it was custom for prisoners of war to be sent to the Coliseum as a means of entertainment. At the time, I was only 14 so they let me wait a year before being allowed to participate.

So fucking generous…

Now, I am 17. I survived for two years and along that time, I met up with Roxas who was a prisoner of war from Twilight Town. We found out how much we had in common besides our looks. Our pasts were quite similar except his town was frozen and shattered. I am sure there was more to it than that but it was an unspoken rule of the Coliseum to not dig deeper into other people's past than they want you too. Anyways, that is the short and the long of my past and it is what led to the present.

With each footstep I took, I could hear the roar of the crowd grow louder and louder and shake the ground. My opponent had apparently already made his debut. "So, want to give me any hints to what I am facing? The crowd seemed more hyped up than usual, Phil." Following by my side was a man shorter than I in stature and weighed more than me at the same time. He had a round face with a button nose in the center of it below his eyes that were set in a constant glare.

"What'd I tell ya about calling me that? I don't have to give you a sword you know!" I snickered at the threat. "But then what would be the fun? You'd get fired for giving the crowd a lackluster match." My retort was followed with a 'tsk' as a blade was shoved into my hands. This wasn't some ordinary blade either. It was a Keyblade to be specific. Though the thing looked about effective as a butter knife did cutting steak, it was useful against certain opponents. Heartless.

So that's my opponent eh? This would be a cakewalk then. Those guys were about as intelligent as a goldfish- HOLY SHIT IT'S HUGE.

Without realizing, I had walked out from the tunnel and into the pit. Standing in front of me- no fuck it. TOWERING over me was a giant mass of darkness, with two shining yellow orbs that were presumably eyes. And that was all it had in terms of features. Other than that, it was just one gigantic mass of shadows with a heart-shaped hole directly in the center of the chest. "Good luck…" Phil whispered before kicking me forward and more into the pit as the crowd erupted in cheers.

"And here we have the underdog, Sora! He currently holds the longest active winning streak within the Coliseum and is known to have defeated some of the greatest foes! But, can he overcome Darkside!" The crowd erupted suddenly, many boos filling the air and a few cheers scattered throughout. What a great show of confidence…

I however ignored the cheering and booing, only looking up to the colossal heartless who loomed over me, standing perfectly still. "What have they been feeding you…?" I asked dryly. Sarcasm was a coping mechanism of mine, it helped me laugh at the situation a bit no matter how dire. I developed it during my time in the Coliseum, I had to do something to make me laugh. Problem with it was that sometimes I received very dangerous and negative response.

This was one of those times.

A huge fist came crashing down at me, which I barely avoid. This was insane, how in the name of God was I supposed to take this down!? Chop away at his ankles until he falls over like a tree? I frowned a bit and slid into a defensive stance from my new position. "I think we could just talk this out now- No need for hostility." This fist retracted from its stop in the ground and came flying down again.

Negotiation wasn't an option apparently.

I was prepared and easily moved back to evade. There was an aftershock following it than temporarily knocked me off balance and sent me onto my rear. Boos now filled the arena, apparently my struggle with death wasn't amusing enough, assholes. However, I had more pressing matters. Darkside began to manifest much smaller crawling ones that were inching towards me. I slowly climbed back to my feet and sighed under my breath. Here we go, time to out dance death.

And dance I did, I moved through the pit with ease and moved with the exactly proper amount of strength and agility. This was not my first time and I knew the drill, while the giant heartless in front of me may have thrown a wrench into things it was something I could overcome. That is what these past two years had been anyways; me overcoming whatever obstacle comes my way and I would be damned if I was stopped here.

The keyblade tore through the crawlers without much resistance, watching as they began to lose form and tangibility and fade into nothingness. As I sliced through one of the final ones that came from my right, I spun off the heel of my foot and propelled myself forward. "I've got you know!" I shouted to the towering heartless, though it didn't react. As it tried to retract its fist upon the ground, I lunged onto its knuckled and pulled myself onto it.

It wasn't until I was now standing on unstable shadowy ground that I realized just how bad this was. It slowly raised its arm up and the distance between the ground and I grew wider and wider. Shit.

It then slung its arm to the side, planning to send me flying. Good thing quick thinking is in the familial genes. I stabbed the keyblade into Darkside's hand and dug it deep in and held tight. No matter how hard it swung, I stayed firm using as much strength as I could. "Fuck- Come on aren't you tired!" I shouted after the third time around. Jeez, I was about to get motion sickness.

Slowly but surely, the arm came to stop and gave me a reprieve from the constant movement. However, it wasn't long before its other hand was crossing its body and coming straight for me. I felt a bead of sweat roll down my brow as I suddenly jerked my keyblade out from the fist of the heartless. "Time to go!"

I took off sprinting up the arm, hoping to evade the hand that would surely crush every bone in my body and then some. Not like I could jump down. In a matter of moments I was on the shoulder and going towards the neck. Wasn't there a saying that went something like 'You cut off the head of the snake and the body dies'?

Welp, as unlikely as it was that I'll behead this giant beast, I can still do enough to topple it. I began to swing my keyblade wildly upon the neck of the heartless. After two swings, the heartless began to squirm uncomfortable and moved to sweep me off his shoulder. If I were using just a regular sword, it would not have felt a thing, but thanks to the handy dandy keyblade it was inflicting some real damage. I didn't understand the concept fully, but keyblades were made with some type of pureness that could inflict massive harm to the shadows of heartless.

I am not a scientist alright?

Regardless, I couldn't just let it sweep me away and I wasn't exactly chalk full of spots to maneuver to. So, right as the hand cupped to come grasp me I let off a barrage of strikes to repel it, and it did just that. Slowly but surely as I pressed against it and swung for all my worth, it began to move back. I reeled back and then jumped forward to deliver the last blow.

I pushed off from his shoulder and into the air, holding the keyblade behind my head with both hands and then bringing it over in one arching-swing that struck the very palm of the shadowy colossal, digging deep into it. I gathered my breath for a moment and made my next move, I jerked my keyblade out and with both feet planted firmly, pushed off the pitch black surface and back flipped with the shoulder in mind for my landing space.

I heard a collective array of gasps from the crowd and even some cheers. Truth be told however, that may have been the most terrifying thing I have done in my life. Watching the ground below me pass as I moved to the unstable shoulder of my enemy wasn't exactly a breeze.

I wanted to rest for a moment to give myself time to recover but I could already see the other hand moving to grasp at me. I was not looking to do a repeat of my previous stunt. So I fired away with swing after furious swing at the neck, soon feeling the heartless shake more and more. Before the hand could even reach me, I felt my body descend.

The heartless fell to its knees, a howl escaping from….you know I am not quite sure. As I said, it only had a set of eyes. Then, its head bent and looked to the ground. I stared at the now exposed nape of the neck that was ripe for assault. I had only one chance…

I took it. I leaped from the shoulder area between the neck and shoulder blade and onto the top area of the head before its hand could grasp me. I saw it now. The chance was right there and it was mine! Right below me laid the beginning of the back of the neck and then down lower the back. I spared a look to the crowd and could see quite a few people screaming at me, wishing for my demise. I was about to cost some people a lot of munny.

I raised a certain finger to those in the crowd before I went back to what I was doing and leaped. Once in mid-air, I turned my body so that I now faced the neck. Right as I began to fall and draw near it I jolted my blade out and let it tear deep into the shadowy abyss of what I guess you could call skin. I continued to fall, though slower now as my keyblade tore through the shadows like hot butter as I went all the way down its back.

Once I finally landed, I braced myself for the impact which was not as bad as I expected, I watched the heartless topple over completely, falling face first into the sand. There was now silence, and air of disbelief hanging over the crowd. I turned off my heel and looked up to the crowd, putting both my arms out, palms facing them.

What now, punks?

However, as I did and was met by boos and cheers I locked eyes with someone in the front row. She had cranberry tresses that cascaded down her shoulders elegantly and her eyes were much like me, two shining sapphires beaming at me. Her face was…flawless to be honest. There was not a single blemish or scar upon her smooth, milky skin. However, all of that was meaningless compared to the expression she wore.

The corner of her think pink lips were upturned in a grin. It wasn't a normal one either…It honestly unnerved me. It was as if she were staring into my soul and had found something she liked; which was all fine by me. But that smile was somewhat more terrifying than the Darkside.

I apologize if the exposition is a bit clunky, the reason behind that is I want to flesh it out more later on in the story without it seeming forced in the exposition. I just wanted to give a brief idea of what Sora's backstory was.

Please leave a comment about what you thought so far.