The Human Heartless

[Thelonepickle]

This is a new fanfic I'm just starting. I hope you guys like it!



Ketso woke up, yawned, and changed into his regular outfit. He brushed his teeth and washed his face, ran a comb through his spikey blonde hair and ran downstairs. The other kids in the orphanage looked up and back down when they saw who it was. Just Ketso. Ketso frowned and ate his breakfast in silence. He sat away from the other kids. He was older than most of them. A fourteen year old in a home for a bunch of little kids. Something sticky smacked him in the head. He rubbed his neck and turned around on the bench he was sitting on. A sticky, rolled up pancake.

Three guys in black clothes snickered. They were about fifteen. The idiots walked over to him.

"I don't have time for your stupid jokes, okay?" Ketso said. He started to get up, bringing his tray to the trash. The pack of wolves' leader, Kade, slammed the tray into Ketso's face.

"That's fine, Ketso. We can make your beating short." Kade and his goones dragged Ketso outside. He thrashed to break away, but he couldn't escape the boys. They stood him up, holding his arms behind him and his head back. Kade drew his fist back when suddenly an angel's voice called out to them.

"Cut it out you stupid idiots!" Well, more or less an angel. Kairi and Selphie ran up. Kairi spoke again, red in the face from running so fast.

"Do you guys want Sora and Riku on your tails? 'Cause I can have them out here in a milisecond!"

The boys stared at Kairi, the colour draining from their faces. You didn't mess with Kairi. Because if you messed with Kairi, you messed with Sora and Riku, too. And Sora and Riku were the two best fighters on this island.

Selphie glared. "You heard her! Get!" She said, clobbering Kade in the head with her Nunchuku. The boys ran off.

"You alright, Ketso?" Kairi asked. There was concern in her eyes.

"I'm fine." Ketso said, quietly. "You don't hafta worry about me, Kairi. You either, Selph."

Ketso avoided their concerned gazes. He looked at the clock hanging over the entrance of the orphanage. He was ten minutes late to meet his friends. He bolted away after mumbling a 'thanks again' to the girls. Kairi shook her head after him.

"Why do you do that, Kairi? Why are we always so nice to that boy?" Selphie asked.

"Shut up, Selphie! He's different and he gets picked on for it. We should help the kid." Kairi said, elbowing her friend.


Ketso tip-toed up the stairs quietly. He opened the door to the Paopu Island, praying that the squeaky door of the Sea-side shack wouldn't creak. It looked like he'd gotten up here without a sound. He was going to sneak up on his friends.

Friends. Ketso loved having friends. Ever since he was little, Ketso remembered being excluded or cast away from the crowd. But two people had seen him when he was invisible. Jord and Kora, his two best friends. Oh, sure, Selphie and Kairi were nice to him, but he was sure it was just pity. Riku couldn't care less, or at least that's how he acted. Sora was nice to everyone on the island, so he didn't count.

Jord and Kora were sitting on the twisted tree that held all the paopu. Ketso squinted as he saw Jord giving Kora something. He seemed nervous, rubbing the back of his neck and blushing. Ketso looked harder. Kora flipped her black hair and swung her legs. She took what Jord was giving her.

It was a paopu. Half eaten, too. Ketso's eyes widened. Kora finished the fruit. She scooted closer to Jord, and he put his arm around her. They just stared out into the ocean. Ketso knew it was love.

He slipped quietly into the sea-side shack, and when the coast was clear, he just ran. He didn't even know where he was running to, until he realized that his feet were carrying him to the Secret Place. He stood just outside the entrance, hidden from sight by the waterfall. Ketso had never been there before. He was never invited. Nobody would look for him there. It could be his refuge, his haven. However, if he was caught, the other kids would hate him even more. The secret place was like a club; you had to be picked to go in first.

Ketso summoned up his nerve and half-crawled into the secret place. Once inside, he wandered down the winding path, running his fingers across the wall. Kids had drawn things on the rocks, funny pictures. He sat down, stretching his legs out and ran a hand through his hair.

"They promised they'd always include me. They said they'd never leave me out."

"They lied." Said a voice in Ketso's head.

"They didn't even tell me. Is this what it feels like when your heart breaks? This pain?" Ketso asked nobody.

"No," said the voice. Ketso realized that it wasn't just in his head. He got up.

"Who are you? And what is this, then?!"

The voice chuckled. "This pain you feel..." The voice said, softly. Then it got deeper and louder. "Is what happens when your heart DIES."

Ketso braced for an attack. "No! What are you talking about?! A heart doesn't just DIE!"

A figure in a dark cloak appeared out of nowhere.
"Oh really?" The figure plunged its hand into Ketso's chest, grabbed something and pulled its hand back out. It held out a dark black heart, somewhat shriveled and very dead looking. It was cracked in half.

"Then what do you call this?" It asked, laughing.

"My heart! What did you do?!" Ketso said, falling backwards out of surprise. He braced himself for the landing, closing his eyes. He opened them when he realized that he wasn't falling onto the dusty ground. He looked around. He was falling in nothing!

"The darkness surrounds you!" That same voice bellowed. Ketso shook his head and stretched his hands out, grasping nothing. All he could see was darkness. There was nothing there.

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like, is any of this for real?" Ketso asked, confused. "Or not?" Ketso became even more confused; he could've sworn he had heard another boy saying the exact same thing. Ketso finally landed on all fours. He looked up to see what had caught him. A huge glass platform with some princess on it. Three pedestals rose up from the ground.

"Which is the power you seek?" That voice called. A sword, staff, and shield appeared on the pedestals. Ketso paid no attention.

"Wait!" he called angrily. "Who are you?! I want answers!"

The voice said nothing. Ketso glared. He walked to the nearest thing, the sword. Just to see what it meant. He felt a strange force repelling him. He turned away from it, trying the shield and staff. Again, he could never reach them. He walked back to the middle of the room, shaking his head.

"I don't think any of these things are for me. Again, I don't belong!" Ketso half yelled. What was wrong with him? The voice laughed.

"You're absolutely right, Heartless." The glass shattered beneath Ketso's feet.

"What?! Don't call me that!" Ketso called, falling down into more darkness. 'Well,' Ketso thought. 'He can call me whatever he wants. He has my heart. I am heartless!' He realized, his eyes widening as he fell.

[Cloud_Unchained]

Great beginning TLP! But about the orphanage... Doesn't Sora have parents?

[Thelonepickle]

None of the four originals just mentioned in this fic are living in the orphanage, but Kairi and Selphie visit sometimes to check on their "girlfriends". And when Kairi's around, Riku and Sora are bound to be close, showing off for her.

Maybe I should mention that...

[Cloud_Unchained]

That clears it up better... Much better.

[Thelonepickle]

Thanks! When I get some more replies, I'll post more.

[Krazy]

Me: HEY!! You posted it!!! YAY TLP!!! ^_^

Sora, Kaze, Aozora:*playing Poker* >_>

Me:....*whispers* When does you-know-who come in? <_< >_> *is done* Update soon!! ^_^

[Sterling_Silver]

post more!!! post more!!!

plzzz!!! your fanfic rocks hard dude!!!

AWESOOMEE!!!

[PurestOfHeart]

Awesome fan fic, TLP! Post more, please, more!

[Thelonepickle]

Awesome! You guys like it?! Okay! Here's chapter 2...

Ketso woke up, shaking. Well, actually, he was being shaken.

"You punk! Who said you could be here?!" Kade's friend Zack was yelling. Ketso stared at him, annoyed.

"Don't touch me." He said, simply. Zack laughed, striking Ketso across the face with the back of his hand. Ketso glared with a look of supreme malice. He grabbed Zack's arm, binding it in his grip. Zack winced, his face contorted in pain.

"I SAID, 'Don't touch me.'" Ketso said, his voice louder and lined with anger. He let go of Zack's arm, sending the boy stumbling backwards. Ketso stood up, brushing himself off. He noticed the black heart insignia on the left side of his shirt. Over his missing heart. He walked out, leaving Zack to tend to his own wounds.


For the next few days, Ketso had stayed in his room all day. He had refused all visitors, even his ex-friends, Jord and Kora. He remembered them banging their fists on the door, impatiently.

"C'mon, Ketso! Quit acting like a baby!" Jord had yelled. He was acting like this was Ketso's fault.

"The paopu thing doesn't REALLY mean anything!" Kora had said. Jord looked confused when she said this.

"What?" He had said under his breath.

"I'm just trying to get him to come out!" Kora had muttered through clenched teeth. The two of them looked excited when Ketso stuck his head out of the door. He had dark circles around his eyes, like he hadn't slept in a while.

"The legend of the Paopu is one of the most sacred things in this life. Don't deny its power."

With that, he had slipped back into his room, leaving his former companions shocked. He'd been locked up in his room for a week, and his secret food stash was running low. He sighed. He'd have to go out to get more. He decided that he'd be safe, considering it was night time. It was storming outside anyway. Who'd be out right now?

Ketso changed his clothes, careful not to touch that dark, heart-shaped scar that tattooed his pale skin. It was still sore.

The boy was soaking wet by the time he got to the cafeteria. He glared at the faces around him; the faces that stared at him with wide, wondering eyes. Ketso continued to walk to the pantries, returning the cold stares coming from the older kids. Suddenly, a teen walked into his path. Ketso grabbed their arm without thinking, about to tell the kid off.

"Ketso?"

It was Kairi. Was she visiting her friends again? A feeling of regret and guilt made Ketso's eyes widened. Then he realized that he'd imagined it. He was still glaring. He released Kairi and walked forward, thinking. How could he've been so stupid? He couldn't have emotions; regrets and guilt came from the emotion of love or liking. You couldn't be friendly to someone you didn't like or love. You couldn't like or love without a heart. And that meant you can't be friendly when you don't have a heart.

Ketso was surprised to find himself outdoors with no food in his hands. Had he walked out without the supplies? He turned around, not caring about looking stupid for going back in, and found that the building was gone. Ripped to shreds. The trees around it were snapped and wrenched in pieces, even boulders had smashed into scattered fields of pebbles.

A normal person would've wondered if the people that had been in the orphanage were okay. Ketso just turned and looked at the sky. He wondered if he was better off alone, until he realized that there was a huge portal forming in the air.

"Giving up already?" That cynical voice from before called. The winds howled, strengthening. Soon Ketso was hugging a tree, his feet pointing straight to the portal. Ketso's hands slipped, and he was dragged into the black and purple swirl, which promptly swallowed him. The last thing Ketso remembered before black crept up and took over his vision was a star shape, glowing bright.

'The paopu?' Ketso thought. And then he passed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TLP: Yay! There wasn't really violence, but at least someone fainted, right?!

Ketso: I did not faint! I, I took a nap...

TLP: In the middle of a storm while you're being sucked into a portal?

Ketso: Yes! I took an anihystemene (spelling is terrible!) moments before! It made me drowsy...

TLP: Oh, yeah, I guess your fat, swollen head was hurting your little twig of a neck...

[keybladeking]

nice story it was great!

[Thelonepickle]

When more people comment, I'll update!

Thanks for commenting!

[Katattack]

UPDATE!!!!!!!


Can I be el Numero Uno Fan?! Please?! I have a blade of grass! *holds up blade of grass #63*

[Thelonepickle]

You ARE blade of grass #63. But you can't be my number fan; we're related. You can be my number one fan that's related to me. But otherwise, I hafta see who'll be my fan. I'll be grateful to have five fans! I'm saying fan way too much...

[Winged Mirage]

Hey, this is great. It makes a lot of sense too. An outsider tends to be cold because he doesn't want his feelings hurt anymore, which just makes him more of an outcast. But at that point they really don't care anymore.

Please post more soon!

[Krazy]

Me: Awesomness, TLP!! ^_^

Sora: Yea!! As a reward.....you get.....<_< >_>

Aozora: PICKLE CHIPS!!! YAY!!! *hands TLP Pickle Chips* ^_^

Kaze:...................>_>

Me: MORE!!! NOW!! lol jk XPP