( The prequel takes place twenty-one years before the main story. It focuses around the parents. I suggest that if you haven't read the first four parts of the main story then most of this will spoil some of the events. Also, I apologize for this just kind of starting off out of the blue, but it needed to be written so I wrote it. Enjoy!)
Prologue
All adventures have their beginnings. And all have their ends.
But one does wonder, how did the Darkness fall the first time around? Sora wasn't there to do it, so what did really happen?
Before the final clash with Fate. . .
Before the battle with Kiari. . .
Before Sora. . .
A group of Keyblade Masters were the ones destined to change the world.
This is their story.
Chapter 1
Predicament
"Well, there wasn't anything interesting on this island," Sota stated. "Just another boring forest with boring animals and boring trees."
"What a waste of a day," Sarah sighed. "Well, what do we do now?"
"We have to wait for Bardroy to catch up. Once he's here, we'll head back."
"Sounds good." Sarah stood, fiddling with her fingers. Perhaps the best time to tell him is now. . . Bardroy's not here. . . It's just me and Sota. But how can I tell him. . . "Uh. . . Sota," Sarah began slowly, "I have to tell you something."
"What?"
"Well. . ." Sarah started, "It's just that. . . I uh. . . Well. . ." Sarah fell silent.
"Come on," Sota said, "You can tell me. What is it?"
"Well. . . I. . . I'm~"
Sarah halted when a scream filled the air. Both her and Sota recognized the scream instantly. Sota frantically glanced around the area. "Bardroy? Bardroy!" he hollered.
Down the hill, leading into the forest, the branches of trees rustled and shook until something dark arose from them at an incredible speed. Sarah had to squint to make out what it was. She was surprised to see that it was a girl. Large black wings emerged from her back as well as claws from her fingers and toes. Her black hair blew in the wind which revealed her demonic red eyes. Black horns stuck out of the top of her head. She flew farther off into the forest, her hand clamped tightly around Bardroy's ankle, determined to take him with her.
"Bardroy!" Sota screamed.
"Sota! Help me!" Bardroy cried.
"Who is that?" Sarah questioned.
"I don't know," Sota answered, "But I need to help Bardroy. Sarah, you stay here. I'll be back."
"But Sota," Sarah grabbed his arm, ". . . I don't think that this is a good idea. . . Something doesn't seem right. I don't like it. . . Perhaps. . . Maybe we should just get some help."
"But by the time we get some help, they could already by miles away. . . I have to help him now."
"But~"
"Please Sarah," Sota begged, "Bardroy's my little brother. He's all I got. . . I have to help him. . ."
Sarah hesitantly let go of Sota's arm. When he went to walk away, he stopped, turned around, and then took Sarah's hand. Putting his hand around her waist, he pulled her close, leaned forward, and then kissed her. Sarah kissed him back, her eyes slowly shutting. She ran her hands up and down Sota's arms and then wrapped them around his body in an embrace.
For Sarah, the passionate kiss ended all to quickly when Sota finally pulled away. "Don't worry," Sota began, "I'll be back. I promise." Sota slid his hand down Sarah's arm and then finally let it go. He took a few steps back and then raced off into the dark forest.
Sarah took a deep breath and sighed. Although she couldn't see the flying girl any more, she could still faintly hear Bardroy's screams off in the distance. She sat down at the base of a tree. All she could think about was Sota. I hope he's all right. . . What am I thinking? Of course he'll be all right. He's gotten this far without any help from us. Sota's just. . . He's just perfect. . . Perfect for me at least. . . But the real question is. . . Am I good enough for him? Does he really like. . . loveme? That night. . . It was so magical. . . I still never got to tell him that I'm. . . Well. . . that doesn't matter right now. The first priority right now is Bardroy. Once Sota comes back, I'll tell him. It shouldn't be long now. . .
"Shut up!" the black-winged girl yelled as she dropped Bardroy to the ground and then landed. Bardroy sat up and tried to catch his breath. He scrambled to his feet and attempted to take a run for it but before he had the chance, the girl grabbed him and tried her best to keep him restrained. She wrapped her arms around Bardroy's waist and put her hand over his mouth to prevent him from screaming.
"Elza!" the girl shouted. "Wherever you are, show yourself!"
Bardroy watched a girl from the corner of his eye step out of the forest and approach them. "Really Raven? You can't even catch a child properly," Elza sighed, brushing some of her green hair out of her eyes.
"He won't stop squirming!" Raven shouted.
"Then just knock him out."
"If I knock him out I'm not sure if he'll wake back up. You do it."
"If I do it, he'll be dead by tomorrow," Elza stated.
"Well, we have to do something about him!"
"Bardroy!" a voice called off in the distance.
Bardroy bit Raven's hand and when she uncovered his mouth, he screamed, "Sota! I'm over here!"
"Here comes Sota!" Raven said frantically. "Here! You take him!" She released Bardroy and then gave him a shove towards Elza. Elza wrapped her left arm around Bardroy's waist to keep him in place.
"Raven, go! I can manage from here," she said.
Raven nodded and then ran off into the woods. As soon as she disappeared, Sota came running out of the other end of the forest and into the clearing. When he saw the green-haired woman with his brother, his Keyblade immediately appeared in his hand. Elza lifted Bardroy off of his feet. She slid her right hand over his eyes and then titled his head to the right to expose more of his neck.
"What the hell are you~" Sota began but then fell silent and then watched with widened eyes as Elza's sharp teeth dug into the flesh of Bardroy's neck.
Bardroy's breath hitched. His eyes grew wide in pain as something else began to course through his veins. Elza pulled her fangs out of Bardroy's neck and then uncovered his now glazed eyes. She sat him back on his feet and put her hands on his shoulders to prevent him from slumping to the ground.
"What. . . What did you do to him!?" Sota demanded to know, his Keyblade in his hand ready to strike. "Tell me!" He took a step closer to her.
Elza quickly unsheathed the knife that hung around her waist and pressed it against Bardroy's throat. "Take one more step closer and your brother dies." Sota came to a halt. "Right now, there is a deadly poison running through this boy's veins in which only I have the antidote. I am the only one who can save him now."
Sota clenched his fists. "Give me the antidote!"
"All in good time. But first, we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Elza. I'm working under specific orders. There's someone who would like to see and have a talk with you. If you go without a fight, I will happily give your brother the antidote and send him on his way. . . But as for you, you're going to have to come with me."
"As if I'd ever~" Sota started.
"Think about it Sota. Would you really sacrifice your innocent little brother just to save yourself? If so, I may as well kill him right now." Elza lightly sliced a small cut on Bardroy's neck.
Sota was immediate to answer. "Wait!" Sota sighed and lowered his Keyblade. "You win," he said, his Keyblade disappearing. "Just promise me that you won't hurt Bardroy."
"I promise," Elza said. She turned towards the woods and called, "Raven!" Almost immediately, the black-winged girl swooped down and landed next to her. Elza shoved Bardroy over to Raven and she wrapped her arms around him. Elza leaned forward and whispered something in Raven's ear that Sota couldn't quite catch.
Damn. . . I let Sarah back there alone. . . Oh well. . . I'll come back for her later. . . Sota thought. Even so. . . She's tough enough to take care of herself. I wonder what she wanted to tell me. . .
The full moon loomed over the dark forest. Crickets chirped as if they were singing a lullaby. Sarah looked up into the sky, wondering where Sota could have gone. I hope he's all right. . . Where could he be? Maybe something happened. . . Oh no. . . Bardroy. . . If something happened to that kid I'll never forgive myself. . . I wonder. . .Should I. . ?
Sarah heaved a sigh and then shoved her hand in her pocket. She pulled out her cell phone and then dialed the number for the emergency call.
Chapter 2
Taking Responsibility
"Where could they be?" Sarah asked.
"You know Sota and Bardroy. I'm sure they're fine," Runea stated.
"But it's been so long," Sarah sighed. "I mean, a week is a pretty long time. . . I'm not that worried about Sota, but it's just Bardroy. . . He's a child and anything could have happened to him."
"I thought you didn't like children," Runea joked.
"Runea, I doubt that this is the right time to joke," Sarah said.
"But you're the one who said that you hated children."
"I know, but~"
"Miss Sinclair, Miss Hanson," a man said, charging into the room. "We found Bardroy Davidson."
Sarah immediately stood up. "Where was he?"
"His body was found lying in the woods. Unfortunately, he is in critical condition."
Runea gasped, "Where is he?"
"He was sent to the emergency room. The doctors are giving him immediate attention."
"Can I see him?" Sarah cut in.
"They're working on him now, but you can wait in the hospital lobby."
Sarah picked at her nails as she waited and waited for the doctor to return. She was beginning to grow impatient. Runea gave Sarah a pat on the back. "Don't worry," she reassured her, "Bardroy's tougher than he looks. He'll be fine."
"It's just that. . . I was there. . . I could have prevented this. I don't even know what's wrong with him. Bardroy could be dying right now. . . This is all my fault."
"It's not your fault. . ."
"Did they find Sota yet?" Sarah asked.
Runea shook her head. "I heard that Darren was in the search for him too. He came back not to long ago. . . I never had a chance to talk to him. Do you think that I could maybe go and ask him about some things. . . or do you want me to stay here with you?"
"You go and talk to Darren. I'll stay here," Sarah told her.
Runea smiled. "I'll be back soon."
Finally, the doctor approached Sarah. "Doctor? How is he?" Sarah asked.
The doctor didn't reply but just motioned his head towards the hall he had just come from. Sarah hesitantly followed the doctor until they were standing outside one of the rooms. The door was pulled shut and the observing windows were covered by blinds.
"Well?" Sarah urged.
The doctor heaved a sigh. "It's not good."
Sarah's heart sank.
"It seems as though Bardroy has been poisoned. What the poison is, we don't know, and due to that fact, we don't have the antidote that will cure it."
"There has to be something!" Sarah protested.
The doctor was silent because of Sarah's sudden outburst.
Sarah lowered her head in shame. "I'm sorry. . . I shouldn't have yelled. I don't know the first thing about medicine so I don't know how complicated it can be."
"Anyway, we've figured out what the poison is doing," the doctor stated. "The poison running through Bardroy's system is slowly deteriorating his organs."
Sarah gasped. "What? Is. . . Is that even possible."
"It is. His organs are breaking down even as we speak. We're trying desperately to find an antidote as you can see." The doctor pulled a string on one of the blinds and opened one of the observing windows so Sarah could see what was going on.
When Sarah saw the scene, it felt as if two knives had just planted themselves in her heart. There were probably six doctors and nurses in the room, four of them holding Bardroy down, one watching the heart monitor, and then the other, pumping liquid from a syringe into Bardroy's arm. They all waited for a reaction until they finally got one. Bardroy's eyes flew open and then he began to scream in terror and pain. He kicked and squirmed so much that the nurse watching the heart monitor had to help restrain him. "Please. . . Help me. . ." Bardroy pleaded to the doctor and nurses just before he fell into another series of screams. Tears were rolling down his face.
Sarah put her hand over her mouth and blinked away the newly formed tears that had found themselves into her eyes.
"We've already had five negatives. None of the antidotes we have given him have had a positive reaction," the doctor told her.
"Can't you put him to sleep or something?" Sarah asked, trying to block out Bardroy's screams that echoed in the hallway.
"We already tried but it seems that the pain he's going through is preventing him from staying unconscious."
Sarah put her hand to her head.
"Unfortunately, we need to have a parent signature in order to continue medical attention."
Sarah looked up at the doctor. "A parent signature. . . That won't work, Bardroy's parents are dead."
"If we are unable to get a parent signature, a family member can also sign if it comes to that," the doctor informed her.
"Bardroy has a brother. . . But he's missing right now. . . We don't know where he is. . ." Sarah told him.
"Perhaps you could sign it," the doctor suggested.
"Me?"
"Why not?"
"I'm not blood related to Bardroy at all."
"Then what are you doing here?"
"I'm his friend, that's all," Sarah answered.
"We could have you sign the paper. It would still count."
Sarah bit her lip and yanked the paper out of the doctors hand. She pulled a pen out of the doctor's vest and then signed her name on the signature line. She handed the paper back to the doctor. "There," she said. "I want you to do whatever you can in your power to save Bardroy."
The doctor nodded. "We'll try our best, like always."
"Well?" Sarah asked, rubbing her tired eyes, the doctor approaching her a few hours later. It was really late now, it was past midnight.
"We finally found an antidote that will slow down the deteriorating of the organs but we didn't stop it. As long as Bardroy keeps taking that antidote, he'll be good. . . At least until. . . Well. . . How can I put this?"
"What?"
"Well, even though we did find something that will help with Bardroy's poison, it's not going to stop it. His insides will continue to deteriorate. In the end, only one thing awaits Bardroy."
"You don't mean~"
"I do." The doctor let out a sad sigh. "As much as we want to deny it, the truth is clear. Bardroy is going to die unless we find that antidote."
Sarah lowered her head. "We can't let that happen. . . He's just a kid. . . He's so young. . ."
"Someone's going to have to tell him. . ."
"We can't tell him!" Sarah protested. "He'll freak out! He's only ten years old! How do you think he'll react when he only has. . . only has. . ."
"A year at most," the doctor cut in. "But, there's a seventy-five percent chance that he won't last that long. . . Maybe only eight months."
"That's. . . That's hardly no time at all. . ." Sarah gasped.
"Which is why we need that antidote soon," the doctor said firmly. "Speaking of which, do you even know who poisoned him?"
Sarah shook her head.
"Do you know anything at all?"
"I wasn't there when Bardroy got poisoned nor when Sota disappeared," Sarah replied.
"Due to the disappearance of his brother, someone's going to have to take responsibility for Bardroy. You know, take care of him," the doctor said. "Do you think you're up for the job?"
"Me take care of Bardroy?" Sarah repeated in question. "I don't think that that's a good. . ." Sarah paused, Well, it could be good practice. . . "I suppose that I could try. . . Not that I'll be that good at it. . . But I could do it. . . for Bardroy. . . for Sota. . ."
"I can help to," Runea cut in, running up to them. "I overheard what you were talking about. . . but I'll help care for Bardroy too. I love children. Besides, Bardroy and I are good friends. And my good friend Darren wouldn't mind helping too."
Yeah, Darren could help. . . Help put him to sleep when he won't shut up. One punch to the face with his fist and you're out for a few days. . . Sarah thought. "Can we see Bardroy now?" Sarah questioned.
"Shortly," the doctor replied. "We're just finishing cleaning up the room. Also, something you need to watch out for. Because of the poison coursing through his veins, he's not going to be as strong as usual. Any minor injury, even just a scratch could be fatal now. You need to watch what he's doing at all times. Keep an eye on him. If anything happens, just contact the hospital."
Runea nodded. "Sarah, while it's on my mind, I have to tell Darren not to push Bardroy around like he normally does. You know Darren. . . Always full of energy. After that, I think I'm going to head back to our dorm. Is that all right?"
"Sure," Sarah nodded. "You can head back. I'll be heading back myself after awhile."
"All right." Runea smiled and then walked out of the hospital.
Sarah sighed and stood up. She stretched her sore muscles and that was when something caught her eye. On the bulletin board, there was a poster. A missing poster. She yanked the tack out of the wall and then pulled the poster closer to her so she could read what it said.
Missing girl? Miranda Mason. . ? Who is that? Sarah turned to one of the nurses. "Excuse me, but what's the deal with this poster?"
"Oh, that's Miranda Mason. She was reported missing a few weeks ago. She still hasn't been found. She's a student here. . . But it's been so long. . . We gave up the search for her. It's tragic, isn't it. . . She was only ten."
"It's horrible," Sarah agreed sadly. "What about that one?" Sarah pointed to the other missing poster that hung on the bulletin board.
"That's Adam LeVon," the nurse replied. "I forgot to throw that poster out. He disappeared months ago. He wasn't found either."
"He looks young. . . How old was he?" Sarah questioned.
"He was fourteen. . . He was one of the youngest students to enroll here at this school. So was Miranda."
"Bardroy's only ten too."
"Poor children. It always seems that the bad things happen to them."
"You got that right. Listen, I'm heading home. If anything happens to Bardroy over night, can you please contact me?"
"Will do."
Sarah smiled and then headed out the hospital door and to her own dorm.
Darren lied in bed and looked at the dark ceiling. He glanced to his left and, although it was dark, he could still see quite clearly that Sota and Bardroy weren't there. To his right, Joshua was missing also. The dark room was awfully quiet.
Darren swallowed and then heaved a deep sigh. Bardroy's in real bad condition. I 'ope he gets better. Runea said I can't push him round anymore. . .
Darren once again glanced from left to right and heaved another deep sigh. He finally gathered the courage to stand up and exit his dorm.
There was a knock on Runea's door. She sat up in bed rubbing her tired eyes. Sarah joined her. "Who would be knocking at this hour? It's four in the morning. . ." she yawned.
"I'm not sure," Runea shrugged, slowly getting to her feet and then heading over to the door. Due to the fact that it was mid-morning, Runea completely ignored the fact that she was in a baggy shirt and underwear when she answered the door. She was surprised to see who is was.
"Darren?" Runea questioned.
"Darren?" Sarah repeated. "What are you doing here?"
"I was lonely and my room's so quiet. . ." Darren paused but then admitted, "Yo. . . I scared of the dark, okay? I don't wanna be alone."
"You're afraid of the dark?" Sarah asked in disbelief.
"So. . . I was wonderin' if I could spend the night with ya. . . Well. . . can I sleep with ya?" Darren finished.
Sarah raised an eyebrow while Runea attempted to hide her blush. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sarah began. "Time out. You're telling me that you came here at four o'clock in the morning in your boxers just so you could sleep in our room with Runea?"
Darren nodded, showing that he didn't think that there was anything wrong with what he was doing.
Sarah sighed and then answered for the now confused/unaware Runea, "You can sleep here."
Darren smirked and entered the room without hesitation. Just as he flopped down on Runea's bed, Sarah corrected herself, "No, no, no. You can sleep in Kira's bed. She's not back yet. You're not sleeping with Runea."
Darren grumbled something to himself and then stood up. He collapsed onto Kira's bed in a sprawled out position. In minutes, he was asleep.
"Runea, you can go back to bed now," Sarah reminded Runea, noticing that she was still standing in thought in front of the door. "If you're worried about what Darren said, he phrased it wrong."
"Yes. . . Yes, of course," Runea nodded, trying to reassure herself that Sarah's statement was right and her thought was wrong. She got back in bed and then pulled the covers over her body and fell into a silent sleep.
Sarah shook her head and smiled. Oh Darren. . . You're so. . . different. . .Maybe that's why some girls like you. . .
It was a matter of time before Sarah got comfortable and then drifted off into a deep sleep as well, thinking about one person and one person only.
