Kingdom Hearts; The Heartless Keeper

Chapter XXVI; Puppet

Yuki cautiously walked through the forest of Twilight Town, looking around her slowly. She could tell she was being watched. She had been being watched by someone since she began her mission to clear the Heartless from the forest, but she didn't know who or what it was watching her.

Yuki had finished the mission for the day. There weren't many Heartless in the forest surprisingly. Only a few that seemed to be stragglers. Something else had already gotten rid of the Heartless. And that was what was worrying Yuki. If something was clearing out the little Heartless it wasn't likely to be very tolerant of the elites.

Yuki was almost out of the forest when she heard a sudden rush of air. She turned around, barely in time to block a blow from a strange weapon in the hands of a silver-haired boy wearing a blindfold. Yuki jumped back trying to make it to the town, but the boy jumped behind her. Yuki turned to face him, blocking his strike as it came down. She jumped back again going deeper into the forest.

The boy had paused giving Yuki time to study him. He looked to be a little taller than her, with silver hair that was passing his shoulders. His weapon was a sword, Yuki decided. Though the design was strange. It resembled the wing of a demon with a clear blue eye in the hilt. The boys face held no emotion. But that might have been because she couldn't see his eyes. He was wearing the same cloak the Nobodies did. He must have been the imposter that had been causing so much trouble.

"Why are you attacking me?" Yuki asked, holding her keyblades at the ready. "I haven't done anything." She insisted. The boy didn't reply and just shot forward to hit her once again. Yuki blocked his blow and swung at his side with her other keyblade. The boy jumped back to avoid the blow. Yuki jumped back as well, putting more distance between her and the boy.

"All Heartless need to be cleared out of this area." The boy suddenly said. Yuki looked at him in shock. She hadn't expected him to answer her question. Before Yuki could reply to his reasoning the boy attacked again. He moved so fast he was a blur. Yuki decided to take up the defensive side, only blocking his hits and attacking to get him away from her. She slowly backed up, inching ever closer to the mansion at the other end of the forest.

"You know, if you weren't attacking me I would have left and there would be no Heartless here." Yuki said through gritted teeth as the boy tried to strike her once more.

"I was asked to ensure you didn't leave." The boy said. Yuki frowned pushing the boy back with her keyblade. She had heard his voice somewhere before. But she couldn't place where.

Before Yuki could ask who asked him to ensure she didn't leave the boy kicked her in the chest, sending her into the clearing in front of the manor. Yuki skidded on the ground, coughing as she tried to regain her breath.

"Well, done. Go handle the puppet now." A voice said. Yuki froze in fear. She definitely knew this voice. It was the man that had been with Naminé in Castle Oblivion. So that meant the boy was the one Aryum had spoken to, the intruder on the lower levels.

"Her name is Xion." The boy said. Yuki watched him open a dark corridor and vanish into it. Behind her, the man gave a short laugh.

"Her name is of no importance. She is just an annoyance." He said. Yuki grit her teeth together and tightened her grip on her keyblade. She swung her arm back trying to hit the man. She heard movement that told her he had dodged. Yuki forced herself to her feet and turned to face the man.

"Don't talk about my friends like that." Yuki hissed, glaring at the man. He wore primarily red, white, and black, though there were accents of other colors. His robes were black with white and yellow designs. He had a red cape and a red scarf wrapped around his face leaving only one eye visible. That eye was a golden yellow.