KHSimulacrum: Take the Bait

Kingdom Hearts: Rebirth of the Simulacrum Chapter 10: Cast No Shadow is now available! Get yours while it's fresh! Great with milk!

For those of you who are already in the know, you've probably clicked on the link by now and aren't even paying attention to me right now. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this phenomenon, Kingdom Hearts: Rebirth of the Simulacrum is a post KH2 fic by the critically acclaimed author Benecide. It follows the story of Roxas as he goes on a journey in search of the memories his heart cannot find; the best friend whose name and face he can barely remember but who became the closest thing to family he'd ever know; and the answer to the mystery of the enigmatic Simulacrum, individuals whose purpose is cloaked in secrecy. Accompanying him on his travels is the sorceress Rinoa Heartilly (Final Fantasy VIII), who herself is on a quest to recover that which has been lost. Together they are uncovering some hidden truths behind the Light and discovering how it is connected to their own personal missions.

Read the story from the start at http://twilight.nu/simulacrum/archives.php
Read the current chapter at http://twilight.nu/simulacrum/chapters/chapter10.php
Leave comments for the author at http://orderxiii.livejournal.com

"There has to be Heartless here!" Rinoa cried in exasperation. She reached forward and grabbed Roxas's left wrist, shaking his arm angrily to wave around the Oathkeeper. "Come out, Heartless! Keyblade, right here!"

"Hey! What are you-" Roxas stammered in shock, pulling away from her quickly. But even then, the serenity remained undisturbed by the Shadows. The silence stretched on as they glanced at each other quizzically.

"We should try to find a town," Rinoa stated restively, scanning the horizon. "The locals will have to have seen something."

"Well, hopefully," Roxas responded, reluctantly releasing the Keyblades. "If the people here even know what a Heartless is. Plenty of Worlds write them off as just monsters."

"Better than nothing," Rinoa shrugged as they began walking through the placid area. "Hopefully we'll be attacked on the trip over."

"Hopefully?" Roxas repeated flatly "Here we are trying to get attacked. What is wrong with us?!"

The peace of the white-flowered plains was never interrupted.

Kingdom Hearts: Rebirth of the Simulacrum (c) Benecide
Kingdom Hearts franchise (c) Square Enix/Disney

(Yes, I know the picture is highly inaccurate to the story, the anatomy and shading are incorrect, the composition and perspective are off, the scan quality is atrocious, and the myriad of other issues here threatens to alter the moon's gravitational effects on the tides, but the image is now in its sad, final form. Any critiques will not be applied here, but they will be taken into consideration for future projects.)