musefic | Kingdom Hearts fic: Potentials

In chapter 11: Things have changed.

Excerpt from the cached version of a now-deleted blog post from blogger “dustinastorm”.

So, there was an interesting thread on a discussion board the other day about why anyone would choose to be a supervillain. Really, it started with the question “why would anyone decide to commit a crime when you know there’s a Superhero on patrol?” Some discussion later brought it around to Supervillains at least have an excuse because they could potentially win a fight against a Superhero. And then the discussion turned to why anyone would choose to be a Supervillain.

Okay, but why would they?

There are a few theories. One is just that people with superpowers can decide to be criminals the same way people without powers do. Honestly, that’s the one that rings the most true for me. Some people are just going to take the shitty way out, y’know? If you can phase through walls, or hypnotize people into doing what you want, maybe robbing a bank seems like a really easy way to make a living.

Another theory is that it was inevitable as soon as we started having Superheroes. Most people who like this theory refer to it as filling a vacuum, and reaching equilibrium. That merely by having Superheroes, there have to be Supervillains, because… honestly I don’t know. This one doesn’t make much sense to me. If it was inevitable just because some bad people got powers just like some good people did, then I’d get it, but that’s just rehashing theory one.

Theory three is maybe even more out there, and yet it makes more sense to me than theory two. And that comes around to the age-old stoner-faux-philosophy debate of “like, who decides who’s a villain, man?” But really… how much of our definition of Hero vs. Villain is in the branding? At least a few people have pointed out that we don’t really have many “freelance” Heroes anymore. Honestly, the old Defenders of the Light, before it was the kind of corporate entity it is now, were almost the closest thing we had.

There’s sort of a sliding scale from good to bad that goes: Hero - Antihero - Vigilante - Villain.

Heroes, and even the sort-of antiheroes like Corridor, are almost always part of one of the big organizations. The biggest one regionally is the Defenders of the Light, of course, but then there’s the more widespread “League of Princesses” that encompasses a large number of heroines over the entire country.

Vigilantes, like the former and founding members of the Defenders of the Light, are independent, but are regarded as being barely above outright villainy… despite the fact they are pretty much completely retired, and were genuinely heroes for years.

So why is it that when Heroes leave an organization they seem automatically to be shuffled out of the Hero box, regardless of whether their actual actions have changed?

And back to that question for everyone who took a class on moral relativism: Who defines villainy?

When Kairi woke up, still in the apartment, Sora hadn’t replied. That was unlike him, though there were plenty of potential explanations. Maybe something had compromised his phone, or he’d felt it was unsafe to reply. Maybe he’d just overslept. Maybe the phone had fallen behind his dresser and he forgot to fish it out. She hoped he wasn’t upset that she’d wanted to be alone the previous night. She should have stayed with him.

She’d apologize when they met up to patrol. And she’d make sure to be a better girlfriend. They were both reeling over things with Riku; it wasn’t fair for her to leave him alone, too. Plus, he needed to know what Riku had said to her, even if it still didn’t make sense.

She couldn’t dwell on it right now. Compartmentalize.

Kairi changed into a clean uniform, applied her standard makeup, and settled her mask into place.

Radiance hadn’t been looking forward to this particular team-up. She was with Keyblade, like just about every day, but their third party member was Nymph. Radiance didn’t really want to put up with stinging comments all afternoon, not when she already felt on the edge of breaking down.

Though she was probably being uncharitable. The two of them had never gotten along—and she well knew that the media and their merchandising efforts were largely to blame for that—but Nymph was a good Hero. They didn’t have to be best friends to patrol together.

She made her exit carefully out the back of the building, following a path they’d verified was free of surveillance cameras.

No one was there. She’d double checked the location they were set to patrol from, and their start time, and neither Keyblade nor Nymph was there.

She tapped her earphone. “Hey, Keyblade? Nymph? Come in. Where are you?”

The silent pressure of dead air. Not static, or the nothing of no connection, just silence being transmitted.

“Dispatch?”

She waited. Nothing.

Radiance frowned, and the little flutter of nerves over Sora not replying to her texts upgraded itself to full on panic.

She tried the radio again, and when that remained silent, she tried to call both of them from her official Defenders of the Light-sanctioned cell phone. No answer from Keyblade or from Nymph. Or from Fire Dancer or Nocturne when she tried them.

Her stomach sank even further somehow when she recalled the impersonal message from Dispatch the day before: “No backup available.”

She had to go to Sora’s apartment, but she couldn’t go as Radiance. There was no easy route that took her to her official residence and then to his, and now that she was genuinely worried about it, she hated to take so much time. But she couldn’t potentially compromise Sora’s identity. She’d just have to be as quick as she could.

Not quick enough.

She went up the stairs to her small, stand-alone apartment, behind her parents’ house. The door swung open as soon as she touched the knob. Even if she’d somehow been stupid enough to leave it unlocked, there was no way it wouldn’t be latched. Even her parents didn’t have a key, and anyway, they were on a trip for the next week.

She settled into a more ready stance and paused, listening. No sounds from inside, though a quick glance revealed the door had swung open because the area in the frame around the lock had been smashed in.

A quick horizontal slash with her hand sent clusters of sparks ahead of her, flickering over her room, lighting up the scattered papers, overturned chair, stripped bedding…

It looked like a simple burglary, maybe. She didn’t keep anything with much monetary value, but this was a slightly easier target than her parents’ house, with its alarm system and visibility from the road. But you considered something to be a mundane break-in before, didn’t you? When you saw Naminé?

But maybe that was another point in favor of it being a coincidental break-in. Naminé had just appeared in her room. These were enemies that could open passageways through space if they wanted to get in somewhere; there was no reason for them to break in a door.

Unless it’s not supposed to look like they did it. …Or maybe you’ve taken over Riku’s role as the paranoid one.

Another cursory look over the room didn’t reveal anything else obvious about the culprits, and she couldn’t afford to spend too much time on it right now.

She picked up some clothing that had been tossed to the floor, and hoped she wasn’t destroying evidence by putting it on. She thought about leaving her costume there, but reconsidered, rolling it as tightly as possible and putting it in her bag.

A quick swipe of a makeup removing cloth, and then a very cursory job of the softer makeup she used when she wasn’t in costume was a work of a couple minutes. It was a couple minutes she still didn’t want to spend, but she had to keep up the divide between Radiance and Kairi.

If it had been a burglary, there was at least a slight possibility that her identity had been compromised, assuming the would-be thieves had seen her spare costumes. Kairi could probably go on the local news and play up the tee-hee local politician’s pretty daughter role, acting baffled that someone would make such a big deal over her Halloween costume. Wouldn’t remove all suspicion, considering it was already more than a fringe-theory that Kairi Uchida was the one behind Radiance’s mask.

But if that became necessary, she’d worry about it later. She had to get to Sora.

At least Kairi had a car, cutting the interminable journey from her apartment to Sora’s down to fifteen minutes in traffic. She parked in one of the guest spots, and ran across the lot and up the stairs to his door.

It didn’t swing in when she knocked on it, and she felt a breath of relief. She knocked again, more forcefully. “Sora?”

Reaching for the handle, just to try it, the brief flare of relief faded as the knob turned.

If it looked like her apartment had been tossed, it looked like someone had tried to destroy Sora’s.

His furniture was overturned, and in some cases smashed. Textbooks, clothing, and bedding were strewn around the room, along with every other personal item he had. A broken terra cotta pot sat in the middle of a small sea of potting soil and torn leaves. DVD and video game cases had avalanched onto the floor from a knocked over shelf. Plates and glasses were scattered in the small kitchen, most broken.

“Sora!”

She hadn’t expected an answer, and she didn’t get one.

It took a few minutes to check all of the larger piles and falls of wreckage, but at least she could be satisfied that there was no body. No blood either, though she’d be willing to bet the next quarter’s merchandising revenue that some of the damage had been from the keyblade. It had a particular way of smashing through things, in between what you’d expect from a sword and a club. But which keyblade?

There was no ransom note, or other explanation.

Kairi bit down on her lip and tasted blood. There was no way it was a coincidence that both her apartment and Sora’s had been broken into overnight. But there was only one other person who knew where Sora lived, who knew his identity as Keyblade. Her jaw hardened.

So Riku really wasn’t on their side anymore.

Kairi wasn’t familiar with walking into a police station as a civilian. She’d filled out reports in the field, and occasionally had come to the station as Radiance in order to ID a suspect or give additional information when needed. Truthfully, she’d rather not even be here like this now, but there had still been no answer on her radio or cell. It would have been difficult to get help from the Defenders of the Light without compromising Sora’s identity anyway, so the mundane police were her best option.

The Heroes and the police had a sometimes tense relationship. Historically, the Defenders of the Light had been a group formed partially in response to the corruption within law enforcement. That was nearly two decades in the past, and things had improved since then, but the divide was still there. The more modern Defenders of the Light hadn’t really helped, refusing to broadly share surveillance data and such, but at least they were all comfortably on the same side.

Or at least that had always been Kairi’s impression.

The carefully bland expression on the officer’s face when Kairi approached the desk wasn’t encouraging. She thought she’d met the man before, maybe in passing or handing someone she’d apprehended over, but she couldn’t remember his name.

Her first inclination was to turn on the charm, to give a win-them-over bright smile, because that was what Radiance was supposed to do. But Kairi was still fighting back panic that wanted to erupt as either a scream or a sob, and she did not have the energy for a public performance. If she tried to flash a grin, it would probably be a grimace at best.

So instead she gave a tight smile of acknowledgement, and sat in the chair across from the officer’s desk. “I need to report a break-in. Two, actually. And a missing person's report.”

His lip twitched, like he was suppressing a sneer. With painful slowness, he opened his notebook and selected a pen from the cup at the edge of the desk. He stared at her a moment before making an impatient ‘well, get on with it’ gesture with the hand holding the pen.

Her own expression cooled even more, and she fell into the dry, detached tone she used for reports. “My personal residence as well as a friend’s apartment.” She rattled off the addresses, but the officer didn’t write them down. “The friend whose apartment was broken into, Sora Irino, may be missing. I haven’t heard from him since yesterday, he missed an appointment today, and there were signs of a struggle in his home.”

The officer’s pen still hadn’t moved, and the blank look on his face had shifted from carefully neutral to some mix of bored and antagonistic.

“Excuse me,” Kairi said, struggling to keep her voice level. “But is this information somehow unimportant?”

“Just not sure why you’re coming to us with this is all.”

“Break-ins and missing persons are part of your job.” She didn’t even try to stifle her incredulity.

He gave a sharp exhale, almost a snort.

She barely knew how to respond. “My name is Kairi Uchida, codename Radiance. This identity is on file with the city—”

“I know who you are.”

That was likely. Like she’d said, her Heroic and civilian identities were on file with the city and local authorities, even if they weren’t publicly linked. That had been one of the shows of good faith from the Defenders of the Light, sharing known Heroic identities. And even if someone hadn’t memorized all the Heroes’ identities, the fact she was also the mayor’s daughter probably made hers stand out.

“I don’t know why you’re here,” he continued.

“This is your job,” she repeated.

The officer sighed, and tapped the pen against the notebook. “If someone found out your identity, and decided to do something about it, frankly you brought it on yourself. And the same is probably true for your ‘friend.’”

Kairi jerked back in the chair. The light she’d been suppressing flickered forward, reacting even though she was momentarily unable to.

The man’s eyes narrowed. “Is that a threat?”

With some effort, she dampened the shimmers of light, though they were still visible. “What is your name?”

“Why would I give you that information? Going to come after me once my shift is over?”

“I’m going to report you for completely inappropriate behavior.” It sounded weak even to her. Threatening to tattle.

“Ha!” The bark of laughter had no real humor in it. “And who would take that report seriously? I think I’ve been more than civil. We aren’t in the business of helping villains.”

Her skin prickled cold and she began to shed sparks in distress. “What?” was the only word she could force through numb lips.

“I may not have anything I can arrest you for right now, Radiance. But maybe you should go before I really try to dig for something.”

And Kairi did one of the things she’d most tried to avoid in her life as a costumed Hero. She fled.

Kairi fled the police station, but she had nowhere to run to. Her “official” apartment was clearly unsafe, and if Riku had betrayed Sora’s location, their unofficial apartment was equally compromised. She didn’t even dare go get any of her things right now.

Another attempt to reach anyone from the Defenders of the Light met with the same lack of response. And insult on top of injury, her phone started giving her a low battery warning.

She needed a computer, and unable to access her own, she drove to the city library.

It was impossible not to think about the strange maybe-remembered library from the dimension they’d been pulled into. There wasn’t much overtly similar beyond containing books. The public library was bigger and well-lit, built along clean lines and not set up like a maze. Kairi went straight to a computer, and logged onto the guest account.

The first site she tried to go to, one of the news and op-ed sites devoted to the Defenders of the Light, spit back a 404 error. So did one of her favorites of the large Hero-focused sites. And while the forum site she sometimes lurked on was there, the board devoted to the Defenders of the Light was gone.

She tried to ignore the insistent prickle creeping up her spine, telling her that everything was even worse than she’d thought. She did a general search for Hero-related news.

The first headline and summary sent that prickle into overdrive, adding a hollow feeling that made her want to throw up.

“Traitors to the Light near Defeat!

The Organization seems poised to finally defeat the city’s vigilantes-turned-supervillains. Current reports state that almost all of the Villains have been apprehended and taken to a secure location within the Organization’s stronghold.”

And from the previous day:

“Organization Heroes Win Decisive Victory

Heavy fighting in the streets this afternoon, as Organization members Saix, Xaldin, and Demyx clashed with Supervillains Thorn, Nymph, and Fire Dancer. Fortunately, our Heroes were victorious, and the three Villains were taken into custody.”

Kairi felt the blood draining from her face. Thorn, Nymph, and Fire Dancer were the other team on patrol the day before. “No backup available.” Had whatever this was already started then?

Scrolling just a bit farther down the page:

“Xehanort Makes Statement About Organization”

She hurriedly clicked. Disappointingly, it was just a short quote and a photo that looked like it had been taken at a press conference. The kind of blinding rage that made her want to punch something quickly replaced that disappointment.

“Xehanort, once a member of the disgraced villain group Defenders of the Light, has been reluctant to speak openly about that history. But today, he finally gave a statement confirming his new role as director of the Organization.

“‘It’s regrettable what the group I poured my heart and soul into for so much of my life has now become. I’d hoped to salvage it, to direct and refine its potential into a team that we could all believe in. But I merely slowed its demise. As painful as that is, I’m proud to have found a team that can genuinely live up to the potential I’ve always seen. The Organization will be the Heroes we’ve always known should be protecting us, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to direct this new team.’”

Kairi was halfway out of her chair, ready to go find something to hit—hopefully Xehanort, but any member of the Organization would do—when it occurred to her that there was one more thing she should search. She was almost afraid to, but she modified her search to include Corridor by name. Her fingers clenched on the mouse as she clicked the first result:

“Ex-Vigilante Corridor Joins Organization: ‘I was ready to be a Hero again.’”

It was a video, one of those awful morning talk-show segments, listed as having aired that morning. Kairi searched and found the headphones for the computer station. She put on the cheap over-ear phones and hit play.

The host started her introduction. “Corridor is a figure with a complicated past. A Hero from his early teens, he then had a brief stint as part of a team of Villains, a time period he has always maintained that he deeply regrets. At the time, his return to the side of good was facilitated by two long-term friends, Keyblade and Radiance, both members of Corridor’s previous Hero team.”

She paused for dramatic effect before continuing, “Unfortunately, it couldn’t last. The so-called ‘Defenders of the Light’ started down the same dark path as the original founders of the organization, sliding into vigilantism and extreme methods. And Corridor says that he just couldn’t be a part of it anymore.”

The camera panned over, and there he was, sitting in the guest chair, dressed in an Organization coat and a simple black mask.

“Corridor, thank you for coming on and speaking with us today.”

“Thank you for having me.”

“Now, I’m sure this couldn’t have been an easy decision for you to make. Was there something that finally pushed you into it?”

“It wasn’t easy. But, well, I was ready to be a Hero again. I saw the things the Defenders had been doing, the way they’d hurt people I cared about, and I just had to get out.”

“Perhaps we should address the elephant in the room: a video was leaked of you and the vigilante Keyblade attacking members of the Organization, and apparently killing two of them. This shocking video horrified everyone when it came to light.” She shifted her focus from Corridor to the camera. “We’ll play a clip of it for any of our viewers who haven’t seen it, but be advised that it may be disturbing.”

And there it was. A merciless clip of the fight they’d been so thankful hadn’t been on film. Apparently it had been. There was no sound, but the video clearly showed Corridor striking Zexion, the shadows bleeding out of his head, his body dissolving to nothing. And the keyblade colliding with Vexen, him vanishing in that dry-ice type fog.

The video cut back to the studio.

Corridor looked down, a specific expression of sincere sorrow that Kairi knew was practiced, because she’d taken the same damn lessons. “That was far from my proudest moment,” he said gravely. “At the time, it felt like a life-or-death scenario; I had to defend my teammates, and that was all I intended to do. While I don’t regret my loyalty to my team, I do regret that I had been misled into believing we should fight the Organization.”

“And the Organization has still welcomed you to their side, despite what happened?”

“They’ve been very understanding. They are the good guys.”

Kairi thought she really might throw up.

“Going back to what you said about loyalty,” the host asked, leaning forward, giving the illusion of this being personal instead of very much for public consumption, “Your ex-teammates, Keyblade and Radiance. You’ve been close for a long time, just over a decade. There’ve even been rumors about romantic entanglements. While I won’t ask you to address those rumors, I do want to ask: how hard was it to leave them behind, and is there anything you’d like to say to them?”

Kairi blinked back the sting of tears. It had been more than a decade. Closer to two since they’d become friends, but only a decade since all three of them had been codified Heroes.

“Leaving them behind is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I care about them, and I love them both so much.”

It almost hurt more to finally hear that public admission now, when it was held at a distance, tinged with regret.

“But Keyblade, Radiance…” he was addressing them now, or was at least pretending to. Kairi wondered how genuine that was.

“What the Defenders of the Light have become isn’t right. I know that both of you started out as Heroes, and have only been doing what you think is best for the city, and for the world. But please, I beg you to look at what’s been happening, the people the Defenders of the Light have hurt. It’s become self-serving, not for the good of everyone, not anymore. So if either of you are watching this, I implore you… turn yourselves in. The Organization welcomed me, and I know they’ll help you, too. I don’t want to see either of you hurt.” His voice dripped tormented sincerity.

Kairi frowned. Corridor’s hand was moving. It looked like a mindless fidget, but Corridor never fidgeted.

She slid the slider on the video back, to the part where he said “—if either of you are watching this, I implore you…” and then focused on his left hand, just in frame. The first two fingers were straight but relaxed, the last two partially curled. And he tapped the extended fingers sideways into his knee. Two taps, a pause, two more taps. It repeated all the way through the rest of his statement.

The signal they used for “Run.”

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Kingdom Hearts fic: Potentials - Chapter 11

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