Fan Fiction / Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction / Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Thir13en Ghosts ❯ Let The Battles Commcence ( Chapter 1 )

An Extract From The Diary Of Ansem

…

He is growing restless.

I haven't the slightest idea of what is circling around his mind, or what he is plotting. But whatever the 4th Ghost is up to now, I predict that he is growing more impatient by the days. When I visited his cell this morning, I was aroused to find him more awake than usual, as if perhaps he had been expecting my visit. He looked at me curiously, gazing into my tired eyes. Then I had a terrible feeling that he knew why I was keeping him and the others in this God forsaken basement.

This afternoon was no different. For when I returned, he spoke out to me, saying that I was intending to keep them longer in their cells for further experimenting. How he could have known this is beyond me, but I began to fear the worst; Pinhead was becoming too intelligent among his surroundings. And if this would carry on any longer, it may be possible for him to find a way to escape, but even worst, free the other ghosts.

It had taken me several painful years to catch these twelve spirits, and I am in no way willing to release them out of my laboratory, no matter how much threat they may pose. I only pray that no one would ever uncover what I have been researching in these depths for the past few years. And if that is so, I will NEVER hand over them to anyone. They are too precious to be taken into idle hands…

I don't know how much longer I can keep them…they all possess the powers of darkness within their hearts…yet, they also possess such unique powers…extraordinary powers…

…

Thir13en Ghosts

By Charles Xavier

…

Chapter One: Let The Battles Commence

…

"Cloud!" A female voice shouted out. "Cloud, wake up!"

Cloud lifted his eyes, to find an anxious looking Aerith shaking his shoulder.

"Wake the hell up!" Cid shoved Aerith aside, grabbed the tired man's shoulders and lifted him up onto his feet. "This ain't no dream, kiddo! There's something you and I need to sort out here!"

"Hmmm?" Cloud moaned, gaining his full consciousness. "Cid…Aerith…why are you two in my room so late at night?"

"Your room?" Cid frowned. "Take a good look around us! Does this place look like your room to you?"

Cloud spun his head round, to learn that Cid was telling the truth; they weren't in his room, they were somewhere else. They happened to be standing in a place that felt sinister, claustrophobic, and not forgetting, chilly. There was hardly any light emitting anywhere, there were no walls, and the room seemed as if it was stretching out forever. But what frightened the three of them most, especially for Aerith, were the endless numbers of dangling chains hanging down from the ceiling. Cloud knew that this wasn't home: it was some twisted realm he couldn't describe.

"Where are we?" Aerith muttered, holding onto Cloud.

"Cid, would you mind telling us what's going on here?" Cloud asked him.

"Hey, I ain't got a clue!" He shrugged at him. "One minute I was just dozing away on my Highwind, the next minute I opened my eyes…I ended up here with Aerith waking me up!"

"Wait!" Aerith interrupted, placing her finger to her lips. "Did you hear something over there? It sounded like somebody's voice."

"Huh?" Cid was beginning to hear not a voice…but voices. There were voices echoing in the room, and it gave everyone a disturbing feeling. They all sounded like voices they knew. Cloud was the first one able to pick up where the noises were coming from.

"They're coming from over there!"

Cloud pointed to the direction, and with no time to waste, he led the way as Aerith and Cid followed behind him. Though when they reached their destination, they regretted what they discovered: there hung the princesses of hearts, held by chains that were wrapped around their delicate bodies, almost mummifying them. Even though they did not look harmed, their faces were pale and they were completely sucked out of their energy. All they could do was continuously cry out for help, perhaps escape from this horrifying nightmare.

"What is this place?" Aerith felt nauseous just by looking at how scared the princesses were. Why, they were so freaked out that they paid no attention to the three visitors standing by them. "What happened to all of them?"

Her question could not be answered, though, as a young girl's voice whispered in her ear from her back.

"Quick…you must get out of here!" She turned around and was scared out of her wits when she came face to face with Princess Kairi; her voice sounded weak, her legs and body were concealed within heaps of heavy chains, and only her arms and head were her only parts left revealed. Aerith stepped forward and gently touched her cold stricken cheeks…she grew so frightened that she had to hold her tears back.

"Don't worry, dear princess." Aerith knelt down and tried all she could to release the chains off of Kairi. "We'll get you out here as soon as we can."

"No." Kairi replied. "You have to get out of this place…or else he'll find you!"

"What's going on here?"

Cloud and Cid came to the rescue.

"Cloud, we have to get the princesses out of here!" Aerith cried in great distress. "I don't know what's going on, but I have a strong feeling that we're not meant to be here!"

"He'll find you! You have to get out of here before it's too late!" Kairi shouted to them.

"Who's gonna find us?" Cid demanded an answer. "Who's the lousy wisecrack keeping you all locked up here?"

Just then, a loud crash of metallic door shutting was heard in the distance.

"He's here!" Kairi murmured trembling. "He's here! Get out now while you still…mmmmmphphphph!!!!!!!!"

A chain suddenly wrapped behind Kairi's head, sealing her mouth shut. Cloud and the others stepped back when they heard someone laugh demonically from behind her. And out of from the shadows, stepped in a cloaked man with an appearance that shocked everyone that set eyes upon him.

"Ah…Cloud Strife…Aerith Gainsborough…and Cid Highwind…I have been expecting all of you." He said in a dominant voice. "It is so nice to have you here along with the other princesses of hearts. Oh, and please, you must excuse Princess Kairi, she is still trying to adapt herself into this new environment. She and the others have yet to taste the pleasures I shall so offer them soon enough."

Kairi burst into tears as she shook hard to get out of the chains that held her still.

"Aw…no tears please. It's a waste of good suffering." The man placed his hand onto Kairi's chin, lifting her face up to show everyone how her upset she looked.

"YOU MONSTER!" Cloud took out his buster sword and pointed at his enemy.

However, a chain went flying out from nowhere and disarmed him by whipping the weapon out of his hands.

"That would prove most unwise, Cloud." The man looked at him sternly. "If you are not going to cooperate, then perhaps it would be best to call off our little bargain, which I had so much arranged for all of you to participate in."

"Bargain…? What the hell are you on about, needle brain?!"

"A competition, Cid, a competition that will decide the outcome for your dear friends, including Princess Kairi. It so happens that a few friends of mine have been longing to challenge their abilities against…your kind."

"Our kind?"

"Your kind, Aerith. We are spirits that hunger for the purest hearts…and these ones certainly are of no exception." He turned his face towards each and every tied up princess surrounding him. None of them found it pleasant when he looked into their eyes, making them feel that they were merely part of a butterfly collection of his. "But we feel that it is not enough…we need more to devour…more to deplete. Thus it has all come down to this: we have ultimately agreed to fight against certain individuals of your kind, and with every bout we win, we will consume the heart of our defeated opponent."

"And if you lose?"

"Then, dear Cloud, your friends will be free to go. But that is not the real point, for you see, this is judged by the balance of whoever wins and whoever loses. If my friends happen to defeat a majority of yours, then I'm afraid that will spell doom for all of your kind. Though if you manage to defeat many of us, then you shall be released…living your lives as you once did."

"Aerith, I'm not sure about this." Cid nudged Aerith. "Should we really pull through this crap?"

"Cid, if we want to save the princesses, we must do what he says."

"I offer you no lies. If most of your friends come out alive, you shall be freed…but if not, we shall tear your souls apart."

"You have your word on that?" Cloud asked him boldly. "And you will release the princesses if we ever win on your bet, yes?"

"You have my word, Cloud." The man bowed his head at him. "A firm handshake with you will seal this deal between us…shall we?"

Unafraid of what might happen…he approached the man and took his hand, shaking it; he didn't want to know the consequences if they were to loose.

"If you touch Princess Kairi, I swear that I will have your head on my sword." Cloud threatened.

"Very well…but now, it is time to play."

…

Yuffie felt a chill on her shoulder, and opened her eyes…no longer was she asleep in her bedroom back in Wutai, but she found herself lying in a large boiler room. Coal was burning in the fires, pipes were leaking smoke but the area was deserted.

"What is this?" She rose onto her feet and rubbed her eyes; this place wasn't a dream, and Yuffie wasn't feeling a hundred percent comfortable about what was going on. For some odd reason she couldn't explain, she felt rather scared; a gust of wind began blowing behind her neck and she happened to hear voices of little children whispering around her. And though there was nobody present, Yuffie was sure that there was somebody with her. "Leon…? Aerith…? Cid…? Cloud…? Is that you?"

She heard something screeching on the metal walls. Yuffie tried all she could to pick up where it was coming from, but the room she was in seemed like a maze to her. It would have been easy to get lost in this dark place.

"Who's there?"

The young girl got no reply. Yuffie dug her hands into her pockets, taking out her shurikens. But her hands were shaking when she listened closer to the voices of children resounding within the empty atmosphere. They were in fact singing:

…

One, two,

Freddy's coming for you.

Three, four,

Better lock your door.

Five, six,

Grab a crucifix.

Seven, eight,

Try to stay awake.

Nine, ten,

Never sleep again.

…

"Show yourself!" Yuffie couldn't stand it any longer, as she was on the brink of losing her mind. "Show yourself you freaking coward!"

A metal claw tapped onto Yuffie's shoulder. She turned round quickly, to encounter the entity that was with her in the room. It delivered her an evil grin and cackled like a madman.

"Welcome to my world, bitch."

Yuffie froze when Freddy Krueger appeared before her.

…

Author's Note: Okay, I guess we're getting somewhere in this fic. Since I've been highly distracted by the release of 'Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories' and 'Kingdom Hearts 2', my time for writing this fic has kind of slowed me down. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing. So please review before you leave! I appreciate them a lot!

Next Chapter: Freddy Vs. Yuffie.

BTW: Any of you want to bet who should win?