Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. But if I did I would be Japanese.
Academy Heartless
Chapter 1
Sora scratched his head absently. He waited -- riding on the train that would be dropping him off at his new school.
His new magic school.
Sora sighed. He was a fighter! He had been the KeyBLADE master, after all. But someone apparantly decided that the magic he had been able to harness and use far outshone his martial skills. Not that magic was a bad thing. It was as fun to beat heartless over the head with as anything -- but magic seemed to always involve study. Sora grimaced. He liked to think of himself as a "Man of Action". When he said that to Riku, all he got was a chuckle and ruffled hair with the words "You still can't beat me at a game of blitzball. You aren't a man yet."
Sora blew his bangs out of his hair with a huff. That's what he got for being good at everything. He leaned back with a self-pitying sigh.
At least he wouldn't be far from home. The door on the island that previously lead to the darkness inbetween the worlds now led to a train station on the upper west side of Radiant Garden. Go figure. It must have been something King Mickey had rigged. They just didn't seem to think that the hero of the worlds should be left alone, Sora thought, leaning back on his arms against the slight rocking of the train wall. Well, not to forget Donald and Goofy, of course. They were heroes too.
But -- school! Pshh. It wasn't the summons he thought he would be getting when that letter from King Mickey had arrived. He was used to swimming with mermaids and running with lions!
Sora was certain he would be bored to tears.
The train whistled and slowed, signaling its arrival at the station. Sora grabbed his bag. It didn't have much in it -- besides the regular pencil and paper type stuff, and lunch. He wasn't sure what he needed. The classes had actually started a few weeks ago and Sora had missed all the orientation that involved. It had taken that long to figure out how to connect his world quickly and easily with the others. Apparantly school-age kids weren't allowed their own gummi ships.
Sora had generously agreed to forgo the entire semester and start next spring... but the King said it wouldn't be a problem and Sora should be able to catch up easily considering his previous experience.
He grumbled as he got off the train. He guessed it was just as well. Riku was working at the docks during the day most of the time, and Kairi... Sora paused. Kairi just seemed really distracted lately. He asked her about it -- if she was sick or anything. She got kinda annoyed and said he wouldn't understand. That it "was a girl thing".
Shaking his head Sora walked out onto the street. Women! Who can understand 'em?
Stopping a man on the street, Sora asked if he knew the way to the new magician's school. He did. Everybody did, apparantly. A lot of the structures in Radiant Garden were new, but none nearly as impressive as Ansem Memorial Academy.
As he neared it, he could see why. The building was far taller than any of the others around it. It was topped with a big clock tower with hands that seemed made of gold. He noticed that they glinted in the sun as he made his way towards the campus.
Coming to a stop near the campus entrance, Sora realized he had no idea where to go. Hmm. Maybe there was something in the packet that his mom gave him a few days ago. Opening his bag, he pulled out the large brown envelope. It had arrived with the note from King Mickey saying that the door was ready to be used. He hadn't opened it -- even though his mom had pestered him to. He figured the first day of school couldn't be that complicated. And he'd be home tonight. But... the campus was so big. Maybe the classes here were more involved than he gave it all credit for. Sora started unwinding the seal of the envelope. Maybe there was a map inside?
Peering inside Sora noticed several sheets of paper and a small sealed package. He was curious, but decided to save that for later. He needed a map right now. Dropping the envelope back into his bag he shifted through the papers. One was a map, another a class schedule. And the third... Sora groaned. The third was a list of supplies he would need for school. He scanned it. Yep. It was full of stuff that implied studying. Books and books and... more books. And a magic baton. Sora paused thoughtfully. Well -- magic batons could be cool. Though he had never used one before with his magic. He wondered how that would work.
Glancing even further down the list he noticed a few listing for things like dried frog toes and spider eggs. Yeah. That could definatly be cool! Maybe he could even trick Kairi into helping him collect his supplies. If she was in a better mood tonight than lately.
Again slinging his bag over his shoulder he followed the map and found the main building. It was decorated with huge colums. Almost like being back at the Coliseum, he thought as he let his gaze drift upward. Inside was no less impressive. He guessed if you were going to build an Ansem Memorial school you couldn't really be cheap about it.
Sora climbed a few flights of stairs up to wear it said the Administrator's Office was. It was in big, official letters on the map so he figured that was as good a place to start as any.
Going down the hallway, he saw large double doors slightly higher than the rest in the hall. Made of rich mahogany wood they seemed shiny enough to see yourself in. Or brush your teeth in. Or make faces in...
Sora coughed, leaning away from the doors. He was lucky the windows were tinted and no one could see him acting so ridiculous on his first day here. He had to make a good impression or it could mean trouble later.
Taking a breath, Sora stood back and prepared himself to go in. The doors seemed so much more imposing than they had a moment ago. All tall and... dark. And "Administrator's Office" was printed in large silver lettering on the window. Sora looked down at his map again and glanced up at the door. Yeah, he couldn't have missed this office if he wanted to.
Pushing the door opening softly, Sora peered inside. He was a little relieved to see only a desk in the middle of the room with the pretty lady who seemed to be organizing stacks of papers. At the sound of the release of breath he didn't realize he'd been holding the pretty lady looked up, and smiled warmly. Sora could feel himself blushing.
"Well come in... you must be Sora. We've been expecting you."
Sora walked in nervously, fumbling with his bag.
"Umm... Hi.", he seemed to croak out. Oh crap. He hated it when that happened.
"I'm sorry the Administrator is not here right now, Sora." The lady smiled warmly again. "But I have you're schedule here and you can go ahead and attend a few of your classes this afternoon and he can find you later on."
Sora stepped forward and took the note she was leaning over to hand him. He gulped. "Er... I don't have any of my supplies."
The lady furrowed her brow for a moment. "Well -- that's alright. We'll just have to take care of those later today as well." She smiled.
He was already nervous. This wasn't helping. He had to get out of here, quick.
"Umm... ok thankyouverymuch" Sora blurted as he stumbled backwards a little towards the door.
"Oh... and Sora?"
Sora peered up. "...Yes?"
"If you need anything at all today just let me know. My name is Scarlet."
Sora burst out the door, and ran down the hall just a little. Until he realized how that must have looked. He groaned inwardly. He must have looked really stupid. He should just relax. It was just a pretty girl... a pretty...um, woman, Sora thought with another gulp.
He gathered his thoughts for a moment. He had to figure out where he was supposed to be. Reaching down, he unfolded the schedule that Scarlet had given him. Four classes were listed. The first of them this morning, "Introduction to Magic", he'd already missed. Oh well. He'd already been introducted to magic a long time ago. By the butt-end of a gunblade if he remembered correctly. The second class was still in progress though. He could make the last half of "Magician's Herbs 101". Joy.
The class was in another building, which he hurried to. Luckily it wasn't far away -- considering the size of the campus he might have missed class number two as well trying to get to it. Hmmm...
No! Got to get to class! Sora told himself pluckily. What Would King Mickey Do? He practically whistled to himself on the way over to the new building. He would probabaly give a cryptic and/or inspirational message and dissapear for a few weeks. Sora didn't think he could do that. Well, and get away with it.
Walking up to the classroom door he noticed that, compared to the Big Doors, it was far less imposing. Class seemed a rather cheerful prospect at the moment, actually.
He tried the handle. Locked.
Urgh. Disciplinary Measures. He might be stuck out here waiting for an hour anyways...
The door started to open. Sora plastered his biggest smile on his face.
Good impression, good impression, good impression...
"Hi! I'm... Ahhh!"
"Well, Well -- look who we've got here!"
Sora stared open mouthed at the figure standing in the doorway before him. Long red hair. Painted tear-drop eye. No long black robe. No Circles of Death. But the identity was unmistakable.
"Axel!"
"Haha! Good to see that you remember." He chuckled again. "You sure took your sweet time getting here."
"B...But you're dead!" Sora managed to splutter out. What was going on?
"Sure," He replied non-chalantly, leaning up against the doorframe "Why else would I be here?"
Sora just gawked at him. The bizarre but lone thought that sprang to his mind was that maybe he was in the wrong building...
"Oh. I guess they haven't said anything to you yet. Amateurs." Axel leaned towards him a little. Sora unconciously backed up.
"I am dead."
Sora stared blankly. That wasn't helpful.
"Well, you see, Sora" Axel put his arm around him, a little too tightly. Sora struggled to get away. "Ansem still had all our memories stored along with the rest of his notes and data. Since we were his apprentices, it was decided that our knowledge would be suited best to teaching up-and-coming magic users. So here we are -- only memory constructs though. We can't go off this campus. Just here to teach."
Sora was trying to digest this.
"I guess you could call us a Nobody's Nobody!" Axel laughed heartily as his joke, then gave Sora an exasperated look when he didn't join in.
"Aw, just get inside", He said as he slapped Sora hard on the back. "You're disrupting class."
Moving towards the door, Sora stared straight ahead, unable to really focus. This was so weird...
Axel caught his arm as he passed and leaned forward to whisper in his ear.
"Oh -- and Sora. Don't worry about the other teachers. I'm sure none of them hold it against you that you killed them."
A strange sort of panic set in below the shock. The other teachers? That he killed?
Aware of many eyes on him, Sora didn't have the heart at the moment to study any of the faces around him. He slowly made his way towards an empty seat, and took it, staring blearily at the smiling dead man before him at the front of the class.
This was going to be a long day.
