In World's End

by S.P.D. Gold Ranger

When Keyblade Master Meter goes missing, apprentice keyblade wielders Maylin, Haruka, and Mina set out into the worlds to find her and stop the mysterious Unversed. Three friends, two lovers, one destiny. Everything will link back to the beginning...

The ten-year-old Haruka Rose was used to being alone.

After she had received the mysterious, key-shaped weapon at her ninth years, things had gone downhill for the young girl.

Her parents had split up (though this was mostly dad's fault), people at school ignored her... pretty much the usual.

Haruka was used to being all alone.

So she was very surprised when a nine-year-old Chinese girl walked up to her.

"Hi. My name's Maylin Rae. Would you like to be my friend?"

Haruka looked a little surprised, turning away from Maylin.

"Everyone ignores you, don't they?" Maylin wondered. Haruka was surprised that Maylin knew about this.

"They're just jerks, all of them," Maylin noted, patting Haruka on the shoulder.

"You could be one, too, for all I know. If you knew my secret, you wouldn't want to be close to me," Haruka responded.

"Don't worry. I'll keep your secret if you show me," Maylin stated, Haruka somehow sensing the kindness and sincerity in Maylin's voice.

"Just promise me you won't freak out," Haruka responded, getting to her feet and materializing her weapon, which she had since named Sweet Crest.

Maylin didn't really seem too surprised. "What? Is that all you're worried about? I've got one of those, too!"

Before Haruka could reply, Maylin materialized her own key-shaped weapon.

"Say hello to Chinese Spirit," Maylin stated.

"WHOA," Haruka stated breathlessly.

"It's pretty cool, isn't it?" Maylin stated quite proudly, only to have Haruka embrace her.

"Maylin... thank you."

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(As day turns to night, new secrets are revealed underneath the moonlight.)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:
W.I.T.C.H.: In World's End
Story Created: September 25th, 2010

Summary: We take a journey five years into the past, and learn just how Maylin and Haruka became the Guardians of Candracar. A tale of friendship, combat, betrayal and love awaits as our two young heroes face an evil greater than the Heartless, Nobodies, and Organization XIII put together... Three friends, two lovers, one destiny. Everything will link back to the beginning...

Author's Note: Yeah, this story is LONG overdue. I know. ALSO, just as a warning, there's going to be shoujo-ai in this story (which I think is a first for me) because it's something I've always wanted to try. One more also: this is going to be the Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep of this series, so it's obviously going to be a prequel. Timeline placement begins mainly five years before "K is for Keyblade". Quick note: the Maylin, Haruka, and Mina that are the main characters of this story are not the same ones from Key to Her Heart, for reasons I can't spoil until the very end.

Disclaimer: Just so you know, W.I.T.C.H. and Kingdom Hearts belong to Disney and Square Enix, and NOT ME. NOT ME, OKAY? I also do not own any game, movie, show, or anime franchises used in this story. However, Maylin, Haruka, and Nick (although he won't appear all that much in this story) ARE my characters, and thus belong to me. Let's just get on with the show, okay?

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Chapter 1: Dive to the Depths of the Heart! The Tale of an Unlikely Trio!

Seven years ago, the city of Heatherfield...

"Little girl, get back here!"

A six-year-old girl ran down the street, laughing like she didn't have a care in the world.

On her child-like "rampage", she eventually bumped into someone with shoulder-length brown hair.

"Oh... sorry, mister," the girl apologized. The mysterious person simply waved a hand, signifying he was okay.

"Irma Lair, get back over here! Your mother's worried about you!"

"Coming, dad!"

The young Irma raced back to her father.

The figure looked back towards the six-year-old cutie, shaking his head.

"This world... is just too small."

That night, a hooded figure can be seen in the town square carrying a young girl shrouded in a white cloak.

The figure walked to the fountain, gently placing the girl on a nearby bench.

"There, you see? An empty world, like a prison. I imagine you'll be right at home."

The girl, who has pink hair and red eyes, opens her eyes slightly, her eyes dull and lifeless.

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"Hey, where am I?"

"Who's there?"

A light, blindingly bright in the distance.

The girl fell down before eventually landing gracefully on a clear white platform, clad in nothing but her lingerie.

Opening her still-dull eyes, she looked around, wondering what was going on.

I'm a brand new heart.

Looking up, she continued to search for the source of this mysterious voice.

"But... but this is... why are you in MY heart?" she asked, in a slightly dull voice, as though she were exhausted.

The light brought me. I saw it shining in the distance... and I followed it here.

"Yeah," she responded. "That was my light. But my heart is fractured."

Now, we can see that the platform is missing a substantial chunk of itself.

"And now... the little I have left is slipping away."

Then you should join your heart with mine.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the platform begins to glow brightly, and the missing chunk begins to fill in, eventually completing the platform.

Now our hearts have touched. Now nothing else will slip away. And one day... you'll be strong enough to win back the part that already did.

"Right... thanks," she stated, smiling now.

It's time to wake up now. All we need to do now is...

The girl and the voice said the last words together.

"Open the door."

The platform shined, and in a swirl of white feathers, revealed a mosaic of the girl standing in front of six other teenagers.

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Back in Heatherfield, the hooded figure begins to walk away, but before he can, the girl raises her hand. A key-shaped weapon materialized in her hand.

"A keyblade?" the figure wondered.

The key shined with a golden light before shooting a beam into the sky. As this happened, sparkles of light began to rain down all over the city.

The girl's eyes slowly opened, revealing that the sparkle of life had returned to them.

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Two years later, the Land of Departure...

"Argh, I'm SO BORED!"

Fourteen-year-old Mina Vandom flopped down hard onto her bed, a flustered expression on her face. Flipping a lock of her shoulder-length pink hair out of her eyes, she looked out of her window into the night sky of The Land of Departure, the place she'd learned to call home after recovering her fractured heart two years prior.

"Those stupid things don't pose a challenge anymore," Mina groaned. "Master Eraqus really needs to get some new training materials..."

Mina stood up and focused for a second, willing her Energybreaker keyblade into her right hand. It was definitely a keyblade that matched her fighting style. The handle was a pink heart, the hilt was a crystal ball, the blade was composed of many small crystal balls, and the lock was a red sparkle. A tiny diary hung from the keychain.

"I really wanted to give this bad boy the workout it deserved," Mina noted to herself. "But Maylin and Haruka have already trashed those things so much that when I go to take one swipe at them, they fall like a deck of cards. Seriously, Haruka's the strong one, so it's probably her fault..."

Mina's self-tirade was interrupted when a sparkle in the night sky caught her attention. She quickly raced to the window to check it out. Sparkles of light were soaring through the sky.

"A meteor shower!" Mina exclaimed. Realizing that she needed to bolt, she quickly hopped out of bed, grabbed Energybreaker, and ran towards the staircase.

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After rushing down the steps and stopping at the lobby outside, Mina looked up into the sky.

"Drat... I can't see much from here..." Mina noticed. "Let's try the summit."

Mina rushed down the nearby hill, eventually stopping at the rotating rings that she usually used for combo practice.

"Eh, I've got time to spare."

Wasting no time, Mina rushed up and pulled a full three-strike combo on the nearest ring, sending it flying.

Mina quickly rushed over to a set of four rotating rings, bringing Energybreaker into battle stance. She held it very differently than her two friends did, holding the keyblade backwards.

"What? You want a piece of me, too?"

The rings shifted slightly in the night breeze, as if to mock Mina.

Mina quickly retaliated by leaping into the air and swiftly landing, bringing Energybreaker crashing down onto the nearest ring and making all four spin around.

Mina continued to hack away at the rings until she grew bored, suddenly realizing something.

"Wait. What the heck am I messing around here for? I'm gonna miss the meteor shower!"

With that, Mina rushed down the nearby hill towards the arena where she usually trained with her friends and Master Eraqus.

Thankfully, she was just in time, as the meteor shower had just started.

"Sugoi..." Mina gasped as she laid down on her back to watch the shooting stars.

"Why does this feel so... familiar?"

After a while of watching the stars, Mina fell asleep, quite content out in the night breeze.

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Mina had barely opened her eyes when she noticed someone staring at her. It was a girl about a year older than her, with black hair tied into two long ponytails, brown eyes, and a bright, sunny smile on her face.

"JEEZ!" Mina exclaimed when she noticed she was being watched, shooting straight up into a sitting position. The second girl just laughed.

"Give me a break, Maylin," Mina groaned.

"Mina-chan, you hopeless sleepyhead," Maylin chided. "You know you should have at least brought a blanket."

"But... did I dream that place up? It really felt like I'd been there before... looking at the stars..." Mina wondered.

Suddenly, Mina felt a hand on her head, mussing up her hair.

"Except you've always lived here with us," Maylin responded.

"Yeah, I know," Mina giggled.

The two of them walked to the nearby cliff and sat down on the edge, gazing up into the sky.

"Hey, Maylin? Y'ever wonder what stars are? Where light comes from?"

Maylin thought for a second. "Well, they say..."

"...that every star up there is another world."

Both of them turned around at this new voice. Another girl had just arrived. The third member of the trio had shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes, and was smiling brighter than Maylin, if that was possible.

"Took you long enough, Haruka," Mina stated.

"Yep, hard to believe there are so many worlds out there besides our own," Haruka continued, walking up to the others. "The light is their hearts, and it's shining down on us like a million lanterns."

"What does THAT mean?" Mina asked.

"In other words, they're just like you, Mina," Haruka responded.

"Wha? I don't get it..."

"You'll find out someday, I'm sure."

"I wanna know NOW!"

"You're too young to know now."

"Quit treating me like a kid!"

Maylin couldn't help but laugh at this exchange.

"Hey. Mei-chan, what are you laughing at?" Haruka wondered.

"I can't help it," Maylin responded. "You two would make the weirdest sisters."

Everyone present began to laugh at that.

Suddenly, Maylin realized something "Oh, yeah! Haruka-chan, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow," Maylin noted. She pulled something out of her pocket.

"I made us good luck charms," Maylin stated, tossing one to Haruka and one to Mina.

"I get one, too?" Mina wondered.

"Of course, one for each of us."

The trio held their charms towards each other, forming a circle with the star-shaped charms.

"Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit," Maylin explained. "And the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other. Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best I could with what I had."

Maylin groaned a bit. "Oy, sometimes you are such a girl."

Haruka, true to her character, didn't take that too well. "Hey, what do you mean sometimes?"

"So this isn't a real good luck charm?" Mina wondered.

"Maybe not right now," Maylin giggled. "But I did work a little magic on it."

"Really? What?"

Maylin smiled at her friends, holding up her charm.

"An unbreakable connection."

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"Well, tomorrow's the exam," Haruka stated. "Anybody wanna spar?"

Mina nodded, summoning Energybreaker. "I'll take you on!"

Haruka nodded, holding out her right hand and willing her Hearthealer keyblade into her grip. The handle was a purple heart adorned by a pair of angel wings, the blade was a long chain of pink hearts, the lock was a gold crown with heart-shaped jewels, and a star similar to the Wayfinders hung from the keychain.

"Here I come, Haruka!"

Mina rushed forward, lashing out with a horizontal strike that was rather easily blocked.

Every strike that Mina attempted was easily blocked by Haruka. This seemed to irritate the pink-haired teenager.

"Quit going easy on me, Haruka! You're not gonna win unless you stay on the offensive!" Mina chided.

"Well, since you asked for it!"

Haruka wasted no time in charging forward, unleashing a vertical slash that Mina blocked and quickly countered with a rising uppercut attack.

Haruka just smirked.

Just as Mina returned to her fighting stance, Haruka leapt into the air, doing a spiral before slamming Hearthealer onto the ground, creating a tremor that rocketed straight for Mina and sent her sprawling to the ground.

"You wanted me to go all out, right?" Haruka giggled.

"Well, that works fine if you're fighting one on one," Maylin cut in, stepping onto the battlefield. "But you gotta know how to handle a crowd, too. Let me show you how it's done!"

Maylin flicked her right hand to her side, summoning her Wizardweaver keyblade. Definitely a keyblade that fit Maylin's style, the handle was a circle of flames, the hilt was a crystal snowflake, the blade was a zig-zagging thunderbolt, and the lock was something that resembled an ocean wave. A green flower hung from the keychain.

"Bring it on, Fantasia wannabe!" Haruka teased. She loved trying to get a rise out of Maylin.

Maylin readied Wizardweaver and focused for a few seconds. After she flashed with a yellow light, she began swinging her keyblade wildly, each swing sending a lightning bolt rocketing straight for Haruka.

After about fifteen lightning bolts had been tossed, Maylin decided to forgo the Shotlock and get up close and personal.

But the instant Maylin was about to strike at Haruka, time froze for the magic user. "Wha... what the...?"

"Yeah, RIGHT!" Haruka giggled, her keyblade glowing with a bright silver light.

Haruka disappeared before Maylin could blink, appearing out of nowhere to rush straight at Maylin and deliver a powerful strike as she passed. Haruka repeated this about fifteen times before finishing with a stylish swordplant that created shockwaves that rippled under Maylin and knocked her right to the ground.

"HEY!" Maylin exclaimed. "No fair using Sonic Shadow on me! You KNOW my eyes aren't that fast!"

Haruka couldn't help but laugh. That was what her personal Shotlock, Sonic Shadow, was designed to do: make Haruka become one with the shadows so she could rush her enemies at blinding speeds.

"You were the one who used Volt Chaser on me," Haruka noted. "You know that Shotlock annoys me."

Before Maylin could even retort to this, though, they heard a battle cry from Mina.

The instant they turned around to look at the pink-haired girl...

"Too slow, guys!"

Mina slammed her glowing keyblade onto the ground. Not even a second later, a beam of light shot down from the sky and landed in between Haruka and Maylin.

The magic-user wasn't convinced. "What was THAT?"

As if something had been waiting for Maylin to say that, the beam split into hundreds that rocketed away from the original beam, each one striking Haruka and Maylin and throwing them to the ground.

"Gotcha," Mina giggled.

"And once again, we get owned by Shine Pillar," Maylin groaned. "Have I ever mentioned how much that Shotlock annoys me?"

"You get used to it," Haruka replied, dusting herself off before helping Maylin up and casting a Curaga spell on the both of them.

"Trust me, you guys are ready," Mina giggled. "You're both gonna clean up at the exam tomorrow!"

"I hope it's that easy," Haruka noted. "It usually never is."

"It's just like the Master said," Maylin answered. "Power is born within the heart. When the time is right, you just need to look inside yourself... and you'll find it there."

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"Well, I'm gonna head back, guys," Mina stated. "I am sleepy..."

And after saying goodnight to her friends, Mina ran back to her room.

"Should we tell her about us?" Maylin asked.

"Nah," Haruka responded, draping her right arm around Maylin's shoulders. "She'll figure it out on her own. She's smart."

"She's had a rough life," Maylin noted. "I was so worried about her when she first came here."

"It kinda reminded me of why I came here..." Haruka noted, her smile giving way.

It was easy for Maylin to understand what Haruka was talking about. "Your family, right?"

Haruka nodded. "I never told this to anyone but Master Eraqus... but my family didn't die in a car accident. They... they were killed by a keyblade wielder..."

This shocked Maylin. "A keyblade wielder? Why?"

"I didn't know until Master Eraqus explained it to me... but the one who murdered my family with the keyblade... he had fallen to the darkness..."

Haruka could only watch as the man, obscured by the shadows, delivered a deathblow to her beloved mother. She had only been trying to protect her daughter, and now she had paid for it with her life.

Haruka's father hadn't fared much better; he had bravely charged the figure, only to meet a swift end by the key-shaped weapon the figure was holding.

As Haruka fell to her knees in shock, the figure turned to her, and she was so sure that she was next.

"You're not even worth killing, little girl. So take my advice and stay out of grown-up affairs."

The figure disappeared, leaving Haruka to scream loudly.

"Oh, that sucks," Maylin gasped.

"This was right after I discovered I could wield a keyblade," Haruka sighed, resting Hearthealer on her shoulder. "Since that incident, I've known that darkness rests in every heart, no matter who you are. But I've always believed that the power of the keyblade shouldn't be used for evil purposes. That's why I came to the Land of Departure. I've made it my lifelong mission to find the bastard that killed my parents and destroy him. I won't be able to rest easy knowing that he's still on the loose."

"At least you didn't tell anyone that you could use the keyblade," Maylin replied. "People shunned me my whole life just because I could wield a keyblade. They let one of the wrong legends of it go to their heads..."

"Oh, yeah," Haruka remembered. "They say that one legend says a keyblade wielder saved the world, and another says that he wrought chaos and ruin upon it."

"Just because they don't understand the power that the keyblade holds, they think they have the incentive to judge based on their fears?" Maylin screamed. "That's so STUPID!"

Just as Maylin was about to go critical mass, Haruka put her hands on Maylin's shoulders and pulled the magic user towards her so that their lips collided.

They held the kiss for about fifteen seconds before parting.

"Let's get back," Haruka stated. "Master Eraqus wants us up bright and early, and you know more than anyone that I'm not really a morning person."

Maylin just giggled as the two walked back to their rooms, hand in hand.

"That would be the last night we ever spent underneath the same stars..."

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The next morning, Haruka, Mina, and Maylin stood in front of the thrones where a middle-aged man, Master Eraqus, stood at attention with his keyblade at his side. On one of the thrones sat a middle-aged woman with yellow eyes and long, flowing brown hair. Maylin and Haruka stood closer to the throne than Mina, who appeared to be simply observing.

Eraqus smiled at his pupils. "Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery. Not one but two of the Keyblade's chosen stand here as candidates... but this is neither a competition nor a battle for supremacy. Not a test of wills, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail, or neither. But I am sure our guest, Master Meter, did not travel all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the Mark. I trust you are ready."

Eraqus raised his keyblade, summoning five orbs of pure light. "Then let the examination begin."

Meter smiled wickedly, raising her hand. When she did, the orbs became surrounded with darkness and began to jitter erratically.

"What the...?" Maylin wondered.

One of the orbs went after Mina, but she destroyed it with a quick jumping strike. "Don't worry about me! You two focus on the exam!"

"But you're in danger, Mina-chan! Go wait in your room!" Maylin chided.

"No way!" Mina shot back. "I've been looking forward to this, seeing you two become Masters. No way in heck am I missing it now!"

"She can take care of herself, Mei-chan," Haruka stated. "Mina-chan's been out there training just as hard as us."

"Stay sharp, Mina-chan!"

All three of them charged for the orbs while Eraqus and Meter watched intently.

However, the orbs easily avoided the trio for a good while, all the while multiplying until they almost completely filled the room.

"Okay, guys, this isn't getting us anywhere," Maylin groaned. "Let me try something. GATHER!"

Maylin cast a spell that produced a silver orb in the middle of the room that drew all of the corrupted orbs to it.

"Now, guys! SHOTLOCK THE HELL OUT OF THEM!" Maylin shouted.

Haruka smiled, raising Hearthealer. "Sonic Shadow!"

Haruka glowed brightly before rushing forwards, becoming one with the shadows of the room and slashing at the orbs relentlessly. This destroyed a fair few of them.

"My turn," Maylin beamed, readying Wizardweaver. "Volt Chaser!"

Maylin spun like a beautiful tornado, expelling numerous bolts of crisscrossing lightning that struck and destroyed more orbs.

"And for the kill!" Mina exclaimed, gripping Energybreaker. "Shine Pillar!"

Mina slammed her keyblade into the ground, causing a beam to shoot into the center of the concentration of orbs. A second later, the beam split into many and rocketed away to all sides of the room, destroying the last of the orbs.

Once the chaos had settled, Eraqus smiled at his pupils again. "That was unexpected... but one must keep a still heart even in the most trying of circumstances. It was an excellent test, one I chose to let unfold. Which brings us to your next trial."

Maylin and Haruka faced each other, drawing their keyblades and readying themselves.

"Now, Maylin and Haruka, the two of you will face each other in combat.

Remember, there are no winners, only truths, for when equal powers clash, their nature is revealed. Begin!"

Maylin rushed forward to make the first strike. Just as Haruka was about to drop into a defensive stance, her hand was suddenly enveloped in darkness. Surprised, she quickly suppressed it before reaching out to block Maylin's attack.

On the throne, Meter smiled brightly.

Once the fight was over, Maylin and Haruka stood in front of Eraqus.

"We have deliberated and reached a decision. Maylin, Haruka, you both performed commendably. However, only Maylin has shown the Mark of Mastery," Eraqus stated. Maylin gasped loudly. "Haruka, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check. But, there is always next time. That is all. Maylin, as our newest Keyblade Master, you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instruction."

And with that, Eraqus and Meter walked away.

"Haruka, I'm so sorry," Mina stated, rushing up to her partners.

"Why are YOU apologizing, Mina-chan?" Maylin asked.

Haruka was just staring at her hand. "The darkness... where'd it come from?"

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Out of sight from everyone else, Meter steps into the basement hallway, her eyes gleaming. "What do you make of Minako?"

"She ain't gonna cut it," a boy's voice responded. "Somebody's gotta break that loser in."

Meter just scoffed. "Not here, you won't. I have to keep up appearances."

A boy can now be seen leaning on a nearby wall. His face is covered by a black mask.

"I know that. She just needs a little incentive to leave home."

Back on the main floor, Haruka looks up at her friends.

"Sorry... but I need some time alone."

And Haruka walked off, leaving her two friends very confused and worried.

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Next time:

Chapter 2: The New Journey Takes Shape! Setting Sail For the Mother Ocean!

Haruka's quest is about to begin. When mysterious creatures called the Unversed begin to cause trouble in the worlds, the three keyblade wielders set off on their own paths, ready to fight to the end. Haruka's first stop takes her to Mother Ocean, where she finds someone looking for his daughter. Here, Haruka will realize that not being put astray by darkness isn't so easy...