A/N: This came to me via a friend who loves both Kingdom Hearts and Glee. Actually he likes Kingdom Hearts and I like Glee, but it's a mutual like. His OC and mine appear in a pretty big role. Been wanting to do something like this for a while, so enjoy. This one's for Michael.
"Ven, wake up!" Ventus opened his eyes and stared blearily back at his two best friends, Aqua and Terra. He yawned and stretched, his lithe frame working out the kinks in his back, courtesy of falling asleep by the training fields again. "Aqua, Terra, what're you guys doing here?"
Terra offered his hand, which the younger boy took gratefully, dusting himself off. He had a habit of dozing off up here, surrounded by gorgeous mountain peaks, and at night, by millions of bright stars. "Master Eraqus told us to find you. He wants us to meet him in the Main Hall as quickly as possible."
Aqua chimed in, "And we knew you had to be around here somewhere!" She ruffled Ven's hair, a sign of affection that she rarely showed to anyone outside of their trio. "It sounded important too." She looked back down the winding trail that would lead them back to the castle. "We should probably get going."
Ven nodded and followed Terra and Aqua back to the castle, wondering what in the worlds could be so important that the Master wanted all three of them present for.
XXX
The three Keyblade wielders walked into the Main Hall and immediately bowed in respect to the man standing at the front, who was steadfastly ignoring them, and talking to a portal behind his chair. "Master Eraqus, you wanted to see us?" Aqua asked, always the polite one. She claimed to be the manners of the group, what with both of the boys' tendencies to hit things first and apologize later.
Their Master was an older man, with streaks of gray running through his black hair, but he was far from feeble. He still regularly defeated his pupils in sparring matches, proving his strength and agility. A frown marred his usually thoughtful face as he waved at the portal, muttering under his breath. He seemed slightly surprised when he noticed his students, clearing his throat and ushering them to sit down in some chairs that he conjured.
"Ah, yes, thank you for coming." He gestured to the portal behind him. "I wanted you all here because we are about to welcome some very important guests to our Hall. They will be helping us with a quite important matter before they leave." The portal started to glow, and the three apprentice's eyes glowed with excitement. It was a rare thing to get visitors from other worlds, so they relished every chance they got to meet new people.
The first person to step out had spiky brown hair not unlike Ven's, though it was markedly different. Wearing a set of clothes that matched perfectly and a huge grin, the boy shot a thumbs-up to the trio. "Hi, I'm Sora. I heard that we were gonna be working together, and I'm really excited." He glanced at Aqua and winked at her, causing the blue-haired girl to blush profusely.
"Sora, don't scare them off with your overly charming attitude, it doesn't make for a very good first impression," sighed another voice. The portal flashed again and another boy, this time with shaggy silver hair and piercing light blue eyes made his way through. "Name's Riku, and while I'm happy to be teammates with you, don't expect me to be cheerful about it. Sora's got more than enough happiness for the both of us." He offered a hand to Terra, recognizing him as the leader of their group and a small smile graced his features when the tall brunette reciprocated, shaking his hand in return.
All Aqua could think about at the moment was if there was another girl on this new team. She was tired of being the only girl around, and desperately wanted another female to talk to. Not that she minded Terra and Ven, after all, they were like brothers to her and she loved them, but there were some things that she wanted a girl to talk to about. Her wish was granted as the last figure stepped through the portal and a melodious voice scolded the two newcomers.
"Riku, Sora, could you possibly be a bit more…I don't know, idiotic? Neither of those approaches would make a very good first impression." A girl with red-brown hair and an annoyed expression walked up next to her teammates, as she lightly whacked them both upside the head.
"Geez, Kairi, ya didn't have to hit us," Sora groaned, rubbing the back of his head. He at least had the decency to look rebuffed as he looked sheepishly at his shoes. Riku simply sighed, the glancing blow not affecting him in the least.
The other team's girl, Kairi, strolled straight up to Aqua and shyly offered her hand. "I know we just met and I don't even know your name yet, but can I just say that I'm so glad to meet another girl?" Aqua grinned and shook hands, giddy with excitement.
"I'm sorry, where are our manners?" she gasped, covering her mouth with a hand. "My name is Aqua." She pointed to the boys. "And this is Terra," the tall brunette nodded in greeting, "And Ventus."
Sora and Ventus seemed to have hit it off already and were laughing together. "You can call me Ven," he said proudly.
Kairi giggled. "I think you probably know our names by now, but I'm Kairi. Pleased to meet you. My teammates are Sora and Riku."
Master Eraqus, who everyone thought had left the room, cleared his throat again. The room fell silent as he conjured three more chairs and motioned for the others to sit.
"Now, I hope everyone is acquainted with each other. We have a very important matter to discuss, and very little time to explain before you have to leave." Sora, Riku and Kairi looked expectantly at the Master while Terra, Aqua and Ven just looked confused.
"I don't know exactly how much Mickey has told you three, so I'll start with the basics. The Heartless and Unversed are starting to return and they have done so magnificently. They seem to be teaming up, something I would've thought impossible even days ago. Masters Mickey, Yen Sid and I have decided to bring you six together to combat this new threat. Sora, Riku and Kairi have experience fighting the Heartless and all of their forms, as do you three with the Unversed," he said, gesturing to his students.
"But this time, they seem to be gaining power far more rapidly than they did before." An older voice rumbled as a tall man with a long, gray beard materialized in front of them. He seemed to exude a powerful aura, and the six teens immediately stood up and bowed.
"Master Yen Sid," they murmured in unison.
"As I was saying, their power is growing exponentially and you are going to need a lot of help if you plan on stopping them." Waving a hand, a virtual map of the worlds popped into existence. "We have detected twelve pure hearts that have the power of the Keyblade, though it is currently dormant within their souls. It is your job to locate them before the Heartless and Unversed do and bring them safely back here to train them."
"Master, where can we find them?" asked Terra, examining the map. "There are a lot of worlds out there and they could be anywhere."
Master Eraqus interrupted, "That, unfortunately, was the easiest part. They are all located in this world," he pointed to one on the far edge of the map, nearly intertwined with several other large parallel dimensions. "You must go to Lima, Ohio and befriend these other teenagers. Protect them with all of your powers until you can make it back here."
Something suddenly dawned on Riku's face and he glared at both Masters. "Wait, does this mean what I think it means? Please tell me that we don't have to—" Eraqus and Yen Sid nodded. "Son of a—"
"Don't even say it," growled Kairi, and she slapped a hand over his mouth, muffling his language. Riku wriggled his way out from under the girl's hand.
"But I don't want to go back!" he whined. "Wasn't the first time through bad enough?"
Ventus tugged on Aqua's shirt. "What's he complaining about?"
Aqua shook her head. "I have no idea. But it couldn't have been anything good, judging by the way he's whining."
Yen Sid silenced them all with a gaze. "Yes, Riku. You and your teammates, along with Ventus, Terra and Aqua are going to enroll in McKinley High School. You start tomorrow." And with that he disappeared, the portal that sent the three to the Hall dissipating with a hiss and a bright flash.
By now, all six of the teens were on their feet, arguing with Master Eraqus about the unfairness of it all. The older man sighed and massaged his temples. He felt a headache coming on and a massive one at that. He knew that they wouldn't take the news very well. Despite their overall loyalty and teamwork, high school wasn't a place where any of them had felt comfortable at, and he hoped that this wouldn't bring them to mutiny.
"Now, my students, I know that this wasn't exactly what you were expecting when we informed you about the mission, but believe me when I say that it is of the utmost importance. Before I dismiss you to make your preparations, please consider that though you didn't have the best times in high school, these people are going to have to leave all of their friends and family to join our fight, so try not to be too…unfriendly." The six of them seemed to have calmed down by now, though Eraqus assumed that it was just resignation to the task ahead. They would go to McKinley High, no doubt about that, but whether or not they would be able to put past memories behind them was another issue entirely. They resumed chatting to each other within a few seconds, all thoughts of an argument forgotten, and he decided that it was time to dismiss them from the Hall.
He walked to the other side of the room and ushered his students through the tall oak-paneled doors. Sora was telling Ven about his best memories of high school, while Aqua and Kairi were giggling with each other, recounting stories about crushes and fashion, something he never thought he'd hear Aqua talking about.
Terra and Riku merely stalked outside, following their teammates, no doubt brooding about their upcoming mission. Eraqus knew from experience with Terra and information from Yen Sid about Riku, that both boys had an alpha personality and were quite protective over the others, something that could prove to be a problem between them or be their saving grace.
As the doors shut solidly behind them, Eraqus wondered briefly, "What have I gotten myself into?" He stared at a picture of his students defeating a monstrous Unversed outside of the castle. Six months ago they soundly destroyed the Trinity Armor Unversed without so much as breaking a sweat. This time would be different, and even he wasn't certain of his students' abilities. "I blame you for this," he said, glaring petulantly at the Unversed.
The Keyblade wielders outside laid in a circle, near where Ven had been training earlier, heads in the center and feet sprawled all over the place. "What have we gotten ourselves into?" they all muttered.
"We must be crazy to go back to high school," Terra shook his head.
"I loved high school," Sora disagreed. "It was so interesting, with all of the drama and rumors."
"Speak for yourself," retorted Riku, playing with a few blades of grass. "I could've done without high school in general."
"I've never been to high school," Ven pouted. He would have started this year had it not been for all of the training demands. He was just too busy for high school, though Aqua and Terra still taught him on weekends.
"Believe me Ven, you don't want to go to high school," Aqua piped up. She shuddered. "It was horrible."
"But there were a lot of cute boys," Kairi said, poking Aqua in the shoulder as they dissolved into another fit of giggles.
"I guess you're right," Aqua acquiesced. "Well there's no use getting out of it now, we start tomorrow." She looked over towards her new teammates—no, her new friends, and sighed.
"I wonder if their world will be different than ours when it comes to high school," Sora wondered.
"Tch, it better be, I'm not facing that hellhole again without there being some changes," Riku snorted, closing his eyes and letting the warm sun and light wind shine down on him. "This is our last day of freedom, so let's hope we find these new Keyblade Wielders fast. The sooner we find them the sooner we can escape." He summoned his Keyblade and held it straight up in the air. Five others soon followed.
"McKinley High School, here we come!"
Rachel Barbra Berry was not known for her patience. In fact, she was rather annoyed at the minute. Here she was, trying to explain to Principal Figgins about the importance of a drug and alcohol free high school career, when all of a sudden she was booted unceremoniously out of his office. Figgins had claimed that he needed to get ready to meet some new transfer students.
I don't care if he has more important things to do. I will wait right here until he's done. She tapped her foot impatiently, hugging her book bag close to her chest.
The bell signaling the end of first period rung shrilly throughout the halls of McKinley High. Oh no, I can't be late for next period. What if there's a test? All thoughts of barging back into the principal's office flew out of her head as she contemplated just coming back later. She wouldn't mar her near-perfect attendance and work record for this. As she turned on her heel and made to leave, she saw a small pack of teenagers cautiously navigating the swell of students.
They were unlike any of the other students she has seen before. One of the girls had blue hair, and it actually looked natural. She was whispering to another girl with reddish-brown hair. The four boys that were flanking the two girls looked rather protective, and…well, attractive.
Her body wasn't listening to her anymore as it walked out of the office. "Um, excuse me, but are you lost? You seem to be looking for someplace." She could feel herself grow weak as the group of new kids looked at her.
The smallest one with spiky brown hair and a friendly smile spoke up. "Yeah, actually, we're looking for Principal Figgins' office. We just transferred here and we need our schedules and stuff."
"Oh, so you're the new students. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Rachel Berry, star of Glee Club and future EGOT winner."
They all looked slightly confused at this statement, but shrugged it off. "My name is Ven," the youngest boy said. "Me and my…siblings aren't from around here."
"You're all siblings?" Rachel couldn't help but ask. While they all shared certain personality traits that could've identified them as related, she couldn't see anything that pegged them as siblings. They looked nothing alike.
"I know, I know, we look nothing alike, am I right?" this statement came from the boy with silver hair and a permanent scowl on his face. "We're all adopted. I'm Riku." He pointed down the rest of the line. "The tall one's Terra, and the one with weird gravity-defying hair is Sora. You've already met Ven and our sisters are Aqua and Kairi."
"Well, it truly is a pleasure to meet you all, and I hope we can talk later. I should probably get to class…oh! Why don't you six come to glee club after school? It's a great way to get to know some of the others, and I'm sure you'll make some friends."
"Thanks for the offer, Rachel but I think we're going to—" Riku was cut off by a smack to the back of the head.
"Riku, don't be like that. I like Glee Club," admonished Sora. "Don't listen to him, we'll be there after school."
Rachel dug a piece of paper from her bag. "Great. Here's a rough map of the school. We're here right now, and the choir room is right over there, past the principal's office and next to the auditorium. See you later," she said as she walked off. Oh yes, Riku and Terra were definitely attractive. Never before had she been glad that she was single. Even Finn couldn't compare to that boy's striking blue eyes.
"Bye," they all replied with varying degrees of sincerity.
"Well, that was certainly something," remarked Aqua. "We haven't even officially started yet and we've already been invited to join a club."
"I'm not so sure about glee club," Kairi said worryingly. "When I went to high school, they weren't very popular, and its members got bullied a lot."
Ven frowned thoughtfully. "Oh! Why don't we just join more popular clubs first and then stop by Glee Club after school for a minute."
"Great idea, Ven. We'll cement our social status first and then join Glee." Sora gave his new friend a high-five.
"Actually, I just wanted to join their track team." Ven smiled. "But okay, that works too."
Principal Figgins poked his head out of the office. "Ah, you must be the new transfer students. Come inside, please, and we'll get you started." He beckoned them forward.
They all gathered up their things and walked into the office with the Principal. "There was something about that girl," mentioned Terra. "I could feel her light. I think she might be one of the people we're supposed to be looking after."
"I felt it too," said Aqua. "Why don't we get through the day and ask her about it later. Who knows, she might lead us to the others."
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please step into my office," Figgins called from his office.
"Oh, coming!" They all replied. This was shaping up to be a whole new experience for them.
XXX
"Okay, if I am to understand correctly, Terra and Riku are entering as seniors," Principal Figgins had pulled up some folding chairs from one of the classrooms for them to sit on and was perusing the paperwork that Master Eraqus had forged—er, sent to the school. "It goes on to say that Aqua and Kairi will be joining as juniors, Sora as a sophomore and Ventus as a freshman."
They all nodded, though Sora was a little miffed that he would be a sophomore. He was old enough to be a senior, but no, he was back to being a lowerclassman. He wondered for a moment why his mentors would make such a move. Oh, now that he thought about it, there were a few reasons. He chuckled to himself.
Principal Figgins on the other hand was wondering why the new children had such strange names. Ventus, Aqua, Riku, Kairi? Perhaps their parents were hippies. Yes, that would explain the names and why they seemed to be so uncomfortable in their clothes. Probably used to those organic, biodegradable environmentally friendly clothes.
In an effort to blend themselves in, the six teenagers had used some of the money given by their Masters to go shopping. Rather, Aqua, Sora and Kairi took the other boys' measurements and went shopping for them. The end result wasn't bad at all, though a passerby could notice the degree of uncertainty they possessed if they were keeping a close eye on them.
Keeping in style with the clothes they left behind, Ventus merely traded in his shirt for a solid black one size too small and a pair of less noticeable sneakers, opting to keep the pants he was fond of. Kairi said it would make his lithe form look more appealing to the others, but he just felt a little more exposed than he usually would. Who on Earth would willingly wear clothes this tight. He asked Aqua and she just said that if he didn't want to become the school's newest freak he should be willing to show some abs.
Aqua and Kairi looked for all the world like normal preppy high school students, complete with designer outfits and matching bright eyed expressions. Their new clothes made them look like they had walked straight out of a fashion magazine, and it wasn't until the boys were moving the rest of their belongings into the small house they rented that they realized that their clothes had actually come out of a magazine. Out of all of them, Aqua and Kairi seemed to be the two that had easily adjusted to their temporary lifestyle.
Riku had adamantly stated that he wasn't changing anything about his appearance without approving it first. He settled for a new black hoodie that had blue streaks along the front and back that was the exact same shade as his eyes. Even he had to admit it looked good when paired with faded black jeans and a chain wallet. Oh yeah, I can rock the hot skater jock look.
Sora tried to tame his unruly hair, but in the end just gave up and let it return to its normal spiky self. He kept his shorts but traded the yellow bands for white ones and a band t-shirt. He would rock the drummer look and all the ladies would run after him. He had some stiff competition though, if you compared him to Terra.
Terra's clothes had changed the most dramatically. Kairi said that as the oldest and the tallest he should go for the super hot look. Until he got placed on a school team and got a letterman, he would stick with a leather jacket, white button up shirt that didn't go far to reveal his body, and a loose red tie. His jeans were also black, with rips "artistically" placed at the left thigh, knees and right calf.
Principal Figgins cleared his throat and pointed to some of the things on his transfer papers. "It says here, Terra, that you and Riku were football players at your old school?" What? Where did that statement come from? Master Eraqus…
The two boys just nodded, resigned to the fact that they would have to be jocks this time around.
"Aqua, Kairi, you two were volleyball players?"
"Actually, I was the volleyball player. Kairi was a cheerleader." By now, Aqua had caught on to her master's idea and she planned to milk it for all it was worth. If they had a volleyball player, two football players and a cheerleader on their side before the school day ended then they would shoot their way up the twisted social ladder in high school in no time.
Principal Figgins looked over the paperwork again, "Miss Kairi, it doesn't say you were a cheerleader. Would you mind telling me what position you held?"
Catching Aqua's impassioned expression, the brunette sighed wearily and condemned herself to wearing her hair up in a tight ponytail and flaunting herself in those ridiculously short skirts. However, she had heard rumors about this school's coach already, and it didn't sound like a sport that people here would willingly participate in.
"I used to be one of the school's best flyers, but I also doubled as a tumbler when the situation called for it."
Figgins just stared blankly at Kairi. He had absolutely no idea what she had just said, but it sounded professional enough. "Very good. I shall set you up with a meeting with our cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester. It is she who will decide if you make the team."
Aqua cheered internally. It wasn't that big of an accomplishment, fooling the principal. She had a feeling that he would believe almost anything. Of course, it did help that Kairi was indeed a cheerleader back at Destiny High. Out of all of them, she was the only one who had gained popularity and respect the first time around. Volleyball players at Destiny High weren't nearly as popular as they seemed to be here. She heard her name being called and turned her attention back towards their new principal.
"As for you, Aqua, your volleyball career is indeed quite distinguished. You were the team's libero, am I correct?" The blue-haired girl nodded bluntly. She had also brought her team to three consecutive championships, but hell, who was counting?
"Yes, sir. I specialize in back court defense. Together, our team brought home three championships in a row." She figured this fact would assure her a place on the team, and a moment later, she was proved correct.
"Well, then it would be rude not to introduce you to our team. They hold their bi-weekly meetings in about a half-hour, during third period. You can find them in the gym." Score.
Figgins jotted down that particular note on her file, closed it, and stashed it away with those of the rest of the student body. "As for the remaining two gentlemen, unless you have anything else to say, you may go to your classes now. I have arranged your schedules so that at least for the time being, you will always have the same lunch period and classes with at least one other."
Waving his hand as a gesture of dismissal, Sora and Ven backed out of the office and walked together to their first class. "Kairi, give this note to Becky, Sue's secretary of sorts that sits outside her office, and she will meet with you. Riku, Terra, there will be tryouts for the team during lunch, which I suggest you attend. Finally, Aqua, the volleyball team is meeting in a few minutes and they'd probably enthusiastically welcome you."
They all turned to leave, and Principal Figgins cleared his throat one last time. "Oh, and I am not certain how things went at your old school, but things here at McKinley can become quite…animalistic at times. There is a hierarchy here that most students think me oblivious to, and I am happy to keep up this façade, if only to warn newcomers about it."
"What do you mean by that, sir?" Aqua asked.
Figgins merely pointed at where Sora and Ven went a moment ago. "Watch out for those two, especially the taller one with a band shirt. While you four have varsity sports on your side, they have no such protection against bullies."
Riku gazed out at the halls of McKinley. He would protect Sora and Kairi to the very ends of the earth, that he had promised. Though he hadn't made such a promise to his new teammates, he felt a strange sense of protectiveness when it came to them.
Surprisingly though, it was Terra who answered. "If they touch either Ven or Sora, they'll answer to me." The other three quickly agreed.
Principal Figgins looked at the newest students to McKinley High and immediately knew that they would have nothing to fear. Their bonds were, he thought, strong enough to tackle the social ladder of McKinley. He had absolutely nothing to worry about.