kingxlink
King Grandpa
That Night On Promise Hill
A Kingdom Hearts fanfiction, featuring an original cast in newly created and classic Disney worlds
( A/N: This was the product of about two years worth of work, on and off. It's not a complete story per se, as a lot of context is missing, but I think it's still a fun read. Please let me know what you think if you read through it/if you want answers to any questions!
More chapters will be posted shortly! )
C/W: Character death, mentions of decomposition, cursing
( A/N: This was the product of about two years worth of work, on and off. It's not a complete story per se, as a lot of context is missing, but I think it's still a fun read. Please let me know what you think if you read through it/if you want answers to any questions!
More chapters will be posted shortly! )C/W: Character death, mentions of decomposition, cursing
Chapter 1 || The Beginning
Screams were still echoing off the cliff walls. They had been so sharp, the squealing voices of the heartless filled with more terror than Edge thought was possible. Did they feel anything as they burned out of existence? Did they feel anything, seeing the unnatural fire tear through the rocky landscape, carving rifts in the stone with the force of his pain?It was hard to think about, but it was harder to look at the spot where she lay. The way she’d screamed when that last strike took her down.
The way she screamed his name.
“Tyle!”
The kitsune was still in a rage, flinging himself at straggling heartless trying to flee. When there were none left, he kept going, the fire consuming his body without harming it, but making for a terrifying sight. He was a brilliant light in the canyon, trying to burn itself out.
“Tyle, you have to stop!” Edge was screaming at him, racing alongside the burning boy, trying to catch his arm but wincing away from the heat before he ever got close enough. The fire returned his sentiments with something like a growl crossed with another anguished cry, its pace slowing.
“There’s nothing left!” He shouted again, and the fire started to slow. Little bursts of it trailed away from him, floating on an unnatural breeze before they died. As Edge watched, the flames receded into his friend’s skin, crawling across every inch of him before disappearing entirely.
Tyle looked tired – beyond tired. Edge had never seen him use so much magic at once. His long, pointed ears drooped slightly and his tail dragged flatly through the dirt. He didn’t say anything, barely even looked at Edge. His eyes had already found her, lying silently a few yards away.
He walked towards her slowly, almost cautiously. It still felt as if she’d sit up at any moment, smiling or growling. It was hard to predict her behaviors, but Tyle had always been good at calming her and brightening her otherwise gloomy disposition. Tyle had always made her smile, her eyes closing in that long blink of affection – a behavior she shared with her catlike ancestors.
Edge remembered the long conversations she appeared to have with the strays around Twilight Town. She never said a word, or at least, not one Edge or Tyle could understand. Every bit of communication was in tiny mews, growls, or purrs. Neko argued later that their language was one of the body, of blinks and subtle twitches of ears and tails. Neither of her friends understood a word of it, but they trusted her.
They trusted her more than anything.
That was why this was so hard to believe.
No heartless could have taken her down, not her, the girl who had survived on the streets with nothing but the clothes on her back. She’d had no magic, then, nothing but her wits, fangs, and claws. And she’d survived.
How could anything have taken her down?
“Neko?” Tyle’s voice was soft, trembling with unspoken anxieties. Neko still hadn’t moved. Edge was struggling to believe she never would.
“It’s…it’s okay, Neko, it’s over now.” He kept talking to her, desperately, as he fell to his knees beside her limp form. Edge felt like he was hearing the kitsune’s voice from far away, snatched from his mouth by winds that weren’t there. He watched as Tyle touched his friend’s shoulder, shook her arm, and choked back a sob when it fell lifelessly from his grasp.
“I-I’m sorry there was so much fire, but it’s okay now, it’s safe…” He whimpered as he touched her arm again, shaking her more vigorously. She remained still. Tyle waited another moment, tears starting to roll down his cheeks as he whispered her name.
“Neko?”
Edge took a few steps closer, swallowing hard. He couldn’t stop himself from searching her for any sign of life, the slightest puff of a breath, a twitch of her tail. But there was nothing, no movement. The only sound he could hear was Tyle, starting to sob brokenly.
“Wake up, please…” He shook her again, a little harder. There was still no response. “Why won’t you wake up?”
Edge had to turn away, unable to watch as his friend put both hands on the little catgirl’s shoulders, shaking her almost violently. He didn’t have the heart to stop it. He didn’t look back until the boy started to beg her, whimpering in a way that made Edge’s heart ache.
“Just open your eyes…” He slid down, laying his thin body alongside hers, clutching her pale hand in both of his. “I-I don’t like this joke, Neko, please…”
Edge took in a sharp, shuddering breath, kneeling beside both of his friends. The only friends he had. He put a hand on Tyle’s shoulder, feeling how cold the kitsune’s skin had gotten. Was this from the amount of magic he’d used, or…
“Tyle, we have to go.” It took every ounce of willpower he had to keep his voice even, to keep his thoughts straight. There was no helping her. They couldn’t even bury her, not here in the rocks. The only option was to leave her…leave her body behind, as much as that disgusted him. There was no choice.
Tyle shrugged his hand off, remaining silent and immobile. Edge put his hand back, but only for a second. Tyle’s skin had started to warm again, briefly flashing so hot that it burned his friend’s fingers.
“I won’t leave her.” His whisper was barely audible. Edge stared at the boy’s back, holding his hand close to his chest, away from the kitsune’s too-hot body. “She wouldn’t have left us, so I won’t leave her.”
It was the closest he’d come to admitting the truth. To accepting it. Edge nodded slowly, settling in to sit beside the two of them. He drew his knees up to his chest and put his head down, preparing himself to wait. He’d stay there as long as it took, but…he had no idea how long that would be.
Hours passed without counting. Sunset came and went, but Edge and Tyle remained beside their silent friend without moving, without speaking. Edge remembered stories from home in that silence, stories of old couples passing on, one after the other, dying of actual heartbreak. Did…did things like that really happen? Could it happen even when…when the couple wasn’t old? Even if they were young, healthy?
Edge watched Tyle for a few moments, watching the gentle movement of his turned back, focusing on the soft sounds of his breathing. He was still here. Edge wasn’t alone, not totally.
He had to fight the little voice whispering ‘not yet.’
Tyle, on the other hand, was remembering a very different time.
They’d been sitting together, high up in a tree. Neko had climbed it without any trouble, and Tyle was only just behind her, remembering a time when she’d had to show him the steps to take, the places he could hold safely. She’d taught him so many things, all while keeping them safe, keeping them fed. He had no idea how she’d managed it, but she always had. She was amazing, especially right then, tucked into his side as the branches swayed gently around him. He remembered her taking his hand, whispering almost…frantically.
She was so scared. Neko didn’t admit to much, certainly not to anything that made her seem weak, but there was no denying it.
“What if we lost each other, Tyle?”
The fireflies danced close to their tangled bodies, flickering between the leaves. Tyle had to think about an answer, had to find something more tangible than ‘we won’t.’ It was…it was possible. There had been a few close calls already, for both of them, and even Edge – Edge, who was stronger than both of them combined. Her fear was more than called for.
“What if…what if we don’t have forever?”
At the time, he’d pulled her closer, felt her whole body shudder as she wrapped her arms around him, as he did the same. She was so warm, then, vibrant and alive, but now…
“Well, even if we’re apart…” Maybe they didn’t have forever. Maybe they didn’t even have tomorrow, but he knew, somewhere deep inside, that she didn’t have to be scared. He’d been so confident then, so sure. “…as long as it’s together, we’ll be okay.”
He started to cry again, lying there with her cold body on even colder ground. He thought he’d run out of tears, but how could he, when her body no longer curled into him, when her hand didn’t clutch at his, desperate for the affection that had always been denied her.
Even after he’d tried to reassure her, she’d whispered one more thing.
“If there’s ever a tomorrow when we aren’t together, there’s something you must remember…” She’d taken an uneasy, shuddering breath, trying to steady herself. He hated when she felt this afraid, but he would’ve given anything to hear that sound now. “I’ll always be with you.”
How could she know it was all a lie? It wasn’t her fault. She didn’t know this would happen, didn’t know he’d feel so cold, so empty, so lifeless. So lost, and so like her.
So alone.
He heard Edge talking again, as if from a distance. Shadows fogged his mind, creeping tendrils reaching for all the deepest, darkest parts of him. He had to find her. She couldn’t leave, not like this. He knew she never would’ve, if she could’ve stopped it.
“She’s gone, Tyle…”
He was shaking, clutching her limp hand even tighter.
“I know.” He barely whispered it. “That’s why I’m going to her to bring her home.”
And before Edge could utter so much as a word in reply, Tyle’s body started to fade. With a sound something like a ‘pop’, he was gone entirely. A small shadow appeared in his place, a tiny thing with grasping claws and bright yellow eyes.
Edge stared at the little beast in absolute horror.
“T-Tyle?” He swallowed once, hard. This couldn’t be happening. How could he…how could he have lost both of them? His two best friends, gone, just like that?
The heartless turned its head, blinking at him once. It didn’t seem concerned about his presence, instead regarding him with a sort of curiosity.
“No…guys, no, please…!” Edge took a shuddering breath, his eyes wide and desperate as he stared at the creature that had once been his friend. “W-what do I do? What am I supposed to do? Please, you can’t…you can’t…”
His words seemed to disintegrate as they left his mouth. This wasn’t real, this couldn’t possibly be real!
But the heartless sat down next to Neko’s body, turning away from him. It wasn’t bothered in the slightest, only showing interest in her. Edge took another breath, feeling like he was barely able to get the air into his lungs. It felt like the entire world was collapsing on top of him.
He started to sob, fat tears rolling down his cheeks as he took in air like a fish out of water. Each gasp rocked his whole body. He hugged himself tightly as the tears kept falling, screaming pathetic nonsense into the silent canyon. How could this be happening? How could they both be gone?
He sat like that, outright ugly crying for hours. The moon shone high overhead by the time he came to a hiccupping stop. The heartless hadn’t moved. It seemed…lost, somehow.
“W-well…if this is the way you are now, we can…we can still travel together, right?” Edge knew he was losing it, knew this idea was insane. To travel with a heartless was to ignore everything this journey had taught him. They were supposed to be the enemy, thoughtless and cruel. But this once seemed…docile.
It turned to look at him again, as unconcerned as ever.
As Edge slowly dragged himself to his feet, gently lifting the creature up onto his shoulders, he cursed how desperate he was to not be alone. He couldn’t take it, not now, not after everything they’d been through. If this little monster was his only friend, so be it. He’d take that over nothing.
It let him pick it up, setting its little clawed hands on his head, almost…getting comfortable with its new arrangement. It still didn’t seem to care where it was or where it was going. Wherever seemed fine.
Edge took only one last look at Neko’s body before he set off, knowing he had to go somewhere, anywhere but here. He couldn’t help her now. Maybe…maybe if he got lucky, he’d find something to help Tyle. Maybe he’d find where the boy had come from, that city he had started to remember. Maybe he’d find the friends the little kitsune had talked about, though Edge doubted he’d even recognize them from what little he knew. But it was better than nothing.
And it was much better than sitting there, waiting for Neko to wake up.
Edge followed the doors his keyblade opened without thought, traveling through worlds without stopping for more than a night. He’d only been on the road for a few days before he realized he seemed to be heading towards something, though he couldn’t say what that something was.
Once, maybe twice, he’d seen a pair that seemed familiar. Someone tall, and dark, with a faint glow around their face, walking alongside a little cloud of pink hair. Both of them had a slump to their shoulders, a sort of pain in the way they walked, but he tried not to think about it. He had enough pain on his own.
He was still avoiding thinking about the two strangers until they were right in front of him, walking on a cobblestoned street that reminded Edge of his hometown. Tyle was still sitting up on his shoulders, antenna laid flat in a way that Edge had learned meant he was calm, perhaps even uninterested in the surroundings. The two had been traveling like this since dawn that morning, without any real aim or destination.
They just…walked.
But Edge had just recognized that haze of pink hair, somewhere ahead of them, when Tyle perked up. Before Edge could so much as ask the little creature what he was looking at, it had leapt from his shoulders, racing across the path. Edge chased after the heartless, more on instinct than anything else, seeing two faces turn as the little shadow grew close.
As if in slow motion, he watched rage come over the pink-haired elf’s face. His expression became a mask of hatred so intense that Edge felt it burn, even at a distance, and terror took his steps from a run to an outright sprint. The taller one seemed no more friendly towards the little monster running at them, and Edge knew he had seconds before his one and only friend was taken from him.
Again.
“DON’T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HIM!” He was screaming, now, unable to recognize his own voice, warped by a fear that cut him down to his core. Almost as soon as Tyle had stopped, antenna alert and watching the pair ahead of him, Edge was sliding in front of him, dropping to his knees to cover the heartless from harm. There was still screaming behind him, an agonized wail of rage and hate and pain, but he didn’t dare look.
“Vex, wait!”
And then there was another voice, coupled with the sounds of a struggle. Edge didn’t dare look up at first, remaining curled around his friend like a protective shield. He heard the two arguing, saying things that…that made no sense.
“Wait, no—nononono, oh Gods, Vex, it’s…it’s Quinn, that’s Quinn!”
The scream came again, the rage lessened, but the pain growing stronger. Edge clutched Tyle to his chest, felt tiny claws digging into his shirt, gripping him just as tightly. When he looked back, he watched as the taller one grabbed their friend, forcibly holding him back with a strength Edge couldn’t imagine. The two were struggling with one another, fighting for dominance and arguing in breathless half-screams.
“It’s Quinn!”
Tyle poked his head up a little higher, peeking over Edge’s shoulder to look at the two of them. He didn’t seem scared, at least. The two strangers were slowing, now, as the pink-haired boy seemed to…come back to himself, to something like sanity. Edge swallowed hard, knowing that if it weren’t for that dark, horned person, he’d have been killed. Killed over a heartless.
Both of them were staring at him now, holding the little creature they seemed to think was ‘Quinn.’ Edge stared back for a moment, unsure of what to say, but Tyle decided the situation for them. He pushed his way out of Edge’s arms, leaving little claw marks on his way, and walking right up to the two strangers.
Edge heard the tiefling bite back a sob.
“Oh Gods, not again…angel, please…” Both the tiefling and the elf knelt down on the cobblestones, each touching one side of the heartless’ face. Its little antenna laid flat again, a clear sign that it felt safe and relaxed, despite how close to death it had just come.
Edge didn’t feel so safe, but he still watched as the two wrapped the little heartless up in a hug, one that would’ve been bone-crushingly tight, were Tyle still…Tyle. Slowly, Edge started to realize this must’ve been the two friends Tyle had talked about. Perhaps…they were what Edge had been traveling towards, without ever knowing.
“Who…who is Quinn?” Edge’s words were slow to come, and the response came even slower. He didn’t factor into the strangers’ awareness, he…he didn’t matter.
“This is Quinn.” The pink-haired elf still had an edge to his voice, something like a snarl. In a strange way, it reminded Edge of Neko, of the soft growls that tinged her speech when she became frustrated. He choked down a quiet sob of his own. It still hurt. God, it still hurt.
“Who are you?” The tiefling’s voice was softer, as was their gaze when they finally turned to look at Edge. Neither of the strangers had let Tyle go.
“I’m…I’m Edge. That’s my friend, Tyle, he never…never called himself Quinn…” Edge swallowed again, nervously running a hand through his hair. “Neko…never called him Quinn…”
Tyle hadn’t remembered where he’d come from for so long, for most of the time Edge had known him. Hell, he’d only started sharing what he remembered a scarce few weeks ago. Would he…would he have even known his own name?
“Neko?” The elf scowled as he said it, but Edge saw more confusion than anger. They wouldn’t know her, either, they never…they never got to meet her…
Edge turned his head away, blinking away the immediate tears that welled up at the thought of her never meeting Tyle’s friends. She’d been excited at the prospect, like a small kitten, and Edge remembered all too well the way she’d bounced around, eagerly encouraging Tyle to tell her more of his home, his friends, the home she would eventually have too.
He’d wanted so badly to share it with her.
The tiefling was kinder when they spoke, allowing Edge a moment to collect himself.
“I’m Gray, this is Vex. Is…is Neko a friend of yours and Quinn’s?”
Edge shuddered. “She…was. Something happened, and she…she…” He couldn’t get the words out at first, feeling his tongue trip over the very idea. “…she died.”
Both Gray and Vex looked down at the heartless in their arms, content in their embrace.
“…is that when he…?” Vex was unable to finish the sentence, but Edge nodded anyway.
“I think he loved her.” Before the words were even out, Edge felt tears rolling down his cheeks. He didn’t dare look at the other two, unable to see the pain that must’ve come over them. This was their friend, their friend who’d found someone for himself, someone he truly cared about, and she…she was gone.
“Where…where did she die? What happened?” Gray choked a little on the words, but still remained the most composed. Edge envied them. “Did you…did you leave her there?”
“I had to. We…we had to.” Edge cursed under his breath, hating the weakness in his voice. “It was…it was in Radiant Garden, at the cliffs, and I couldn’t…I couldn’t take both of them, I didn’t…I didn’t know what else to do…”
He bit back another sob, angrily swiping tears away from his face. He had to be better than this, more…put together, somehow. She deserved more from him than this. Another moment passed before Gray spoke again, as if they were trying to allow him space to breathe. He hardly wanted it. It wasn’t worth it without his friends.
“…perhaps we should go back. All of us.”
Edge turned to stare at him, mouth open in a little ‘o’. Before he could ask any questions—like ‘are you crazy?’ – Gray continued.
“We can give her a proper memorial service. Like she deserves.”
Edge didn’t need much in the way of convincing. He would’ve done anything to give her more than just a ‘goodbye’ and his tears. They stayed at an inn for a couple of nights, pulling themselves back together and giving both groups time to catch the other up on everything they’d seen, everything they’d done. The three of them even worked together to keep Tyle— Quinn –from being seen, finding they worked surprisingly well as a team.
If only they still had Neko. Everything would’ve been perfect if all of them had made it here, alive, to be with each other.
She would’ve loved them.
On the third day after their meeting, they set out for Radiant Garden. Gray seemed a little troubled on the way there, but as they weren’t sharing, Edge found it best not to pry. He wasn’t sure Vex even noticed, occupied as he was by the heartless now riding atop his shoulders, digging little claws in without ever meaning to. Edge imagined that made the trip a little uncomfortable, but…he’d gotten used to it already, and Vex didn’t seem upset in the least.
They arrived at the cliffs by mid-afternoon. The sun was a little low by now, its burning gaze mitigated by the sheer rock faces around them. Edge, both terrified and eager of seeing Neko again, skated on ahead of his new companions, leading the way.
Would she still look like herself? It was a disturbing thing to consider, but…it had been just over a week. The burning sun here would’ve given Edge himself a wicked tan had he stayed long enough, but Neko’s body…
He shuddered, deciding it was better not to think about it. He’d just have to deal with it when the time came.
Soon, the group came upon scorch marks, evidence of Tyle’s rampage through the canyon. Both Vex and Gray looked a little uncomfortable, now faced with the physical manifestation of their friend’s pain. Edge couldn’t imagine what they were thinking, what they must’ve been feeling, seeing nothing but the aftermath of the worst day of his life. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
They only had to travel a few more minutes before Edge found claw marks in the dirt, marks he recognized as Neko’s. It was strange, though…surely they wouldn’t look this fresh after all these days had passed?
Edge shook his head, telling himself to stop working up false hopes. She was gone. He’d seen her collapse, he’d seen…too much.
Then they found the blood.
It was dark on the rocks, staining them deeply. Edge had a hard time looking at it, and even his new friends shied away from the sight.
Tyle didn’t seem bothered, instead hopping off of Vex’s shoulders and wandering away in the dust, soon sitting beside the place Edge knew Neko had fallen. Of course he’d sit there, of course he’d want to be next to her—wait.
Edge took a few more steps that way, blinking rapidly in disbelief. Despite the blood stains, despite the claw marks and burned rocks and all the evidence of their battle, there…there was no body. Neko wasn’t there.
He started to scream, frantically running around the canyon without a thought for his companions or what they must’ve been thinking. He could only think of Neko, one of his best friends, alone and scared and hurt. He screamed her name until his throat hurt, barely noticing when Vex and Gray tried to assist, searching with less fervor and more…thought.
And while they searched, Tyle didn’t move. He stayed where he was, sitting on the dirt floor and staring at the place her body had been.
Eventually, Edge had to give up the search. He didn’t know what had happened, but Neko clearly wasn’t here anymore. But…but where could she have gone? Where would she go, without anyone to tell her what had happened, or where her friends were?
Slowly, he returned to the little heartless, sitting down beside him. Vex and Gray came soon after, quiet, unsure of what the plan should be now. There was no body. There was no real sign that Neko was alive, either, but neither wanted to break that to Edge…
…or to Quinn.
It took the group a few minutes to realize that their creature-friend was staring at something more than just the stain where Neko had laid. Glinting softly in the sunlight was a small orange crystal, dusted with dirt and blood. Edge leaned closer to it, picking it up gingerly and turning it over in his hand.
“What is that?” Vex was the first to ask, one eyebrow raised as he looked over.
“…is it Neko’s?” Gray asked soon after, when Edge didn’t respond.
Edge wasn’t quite sure how to answer. It definitely looked like one of the crystals Neko always had on her little chain belt, things she described as souvenirs from her home island. According to her, they weren’t anything special, just a little gemstone that the local caves were full of.
But…this one was broken, clearly split on one side. If he thought about it, Edge supposed he could imagine the full piece, and it was definitely one of Neko’s…but what was it doing here, alone in the dirt?
He flinched when Tyle’s little claws grabbed at his hands, snatching the crystal away from him and clutching it close to his chest. It took Edge a few moments of stunned silence to even realize what had happened, but…it answered Gray’s question, at least.
“What is that?” Vex asked again, sounding a little more annoyed for the lack of an answer.
Edge took a breath, biting his lip as he watched the little heartless cradle this one piece of Neko they’d found.
“…Neko…had this belt. There were little crystals on it, from…from her home.” He explained. “There were three of them, I think, and that…that’s definitely one of them, but it’s broken now.”
Gray nodded as they listened, working through possibilities in their mind. They sensed magic in that little crystal piece, and…something like a heart, calling out for help, wrapped in endless turmoil. It wasn’t familiar to them, though, not like Quinn, or even Vex. Could it have been Neko’s?
They didn’t dare share the idea, unwilling to give their new friend any false hope. Perhaps something had taken Neko’s body, but perhaps…
“Is there a town near here?” They asked, their face a mask of calm to hide the sinking feeling in their gut. Something wasn’t quite right here. They just didn’t know what. “If she…if she was moved, wouldn’t it be to the nearest town?”
Edge was quiet for a few moments, considering the idea. If Neko was alive, not moved, alive, she’d…she’d look for them right? She’d absolutely try to find Tyle and Edge, no matter what it took, as they would for her. And the nearest town would be the best place to start a search, to see if…if they’d come through…
He nodded, once, meeting Gray’s glowing eyes. “There is. She’d definitely look for us there, I know she would.”
Neither Gray nor Vex had the heart to tell Edge that they likely wouldn’t be looking for his friend, only…only her body. Still, the next plan of action had been decided, and they were all more than ready to go.
Edge tried to take the crystal back from Tyle before they set out, planning on carrying it with him, but was clawed each time he tried to pull it away. The group stopped for a few minutes to allow Edge to pull a bit of string from his pocket, and Tyle allowed him to take the crystal so long as he sat down and stayed close. It took a few minutes of silent concentration, but before long the broken crystal hung from their heartless friend’s neck. He seemed content with the arrangement, finally allowing himself to be lifted back onto Vex’s shoulders so the four of them could continue on their way to town.
No matter how far-fetched it seemed, Edge couldn’t shake the idea that Neko was alive. He didn’t know how, and he didn’t know where, but she was out there, and he was determined to find her.
Maybe…if she could be saved, maybe Tyle could be too.
