Chapter 1
Sunrise, Destiny of the Light
"This is it; I can feel it calling to me,"
"Over there? Well, how are we going to get across then? Not like we can sprout wings or something,"
The man held his hand up into the air and skimmed his fingers along the wispy clouds over their heads to make his point. The drop off the rooftop was enough to kill anybody.
"Don't worry, I can do it. As long as the wind's right,"
"What you got a hang glider or something?" the man asked pulling back his hood and fixing his red hair back into its original state, shooting from the back of his head in long pointed spikes,
The boy shook his head, "No, it's something else,"
before the man could complain he was already making a run for the edge of the building, "Roxas! Wait!" he called to the boy but his friend was already free falling off of the roof top, looking down at the street stories below him. He spread his arms out as he dropped, eyeing his target from under his hood, marking a balcony near the top of the structure across from him. The terror of the shear drop didn't even faze him, he had a mission and he planned to follow it.
The air around him began to bend and he slowed down, his drop turning to a slow glide. He turned his body and the wind followed him landing him slowly onto the balcony with silent steps.
He turned back to the man at the top of the building across the street, barely a spec in the distance. The man called something to him but his words were lost before they could reach him.
He looked out of the star lit balcony and through a pair of sliding doors pulling his black hood off of his spiky blonde hair and rested it against the back of his head. He put his hand on the door of the sliding glass but it was firmly locked. Without a word he backed off from the door and held his hand to it. The starlight began to bend, wrapping around his hand and forming a defined metal structure around is grasp, a sword. The weapon in its self was a sign of light in the darkness. The Keyblade could mend a broken universe but the weapon he held had been used for a much different purpose. Its deadly edge played off the moonlight in a brilliant metal glare shimmering up the long blade up to the teeth near at its tip. He turned the huge key in his hand and it made contact with the lock sending a glistening ray of light through its tumblers. The door clicked open and he smiled with a faint sense of success looking back at his weapon. It vanished under his will as soon as it came, fading from reality in a flash of light. He laid his hands on the door and pulled it open letting the warm air inside of the building escaped into the cold night.
There were no lights in her room. A bedroom perched into the sky far into the thin air. She was not special though, everyone on the world lived like this.
When they could go no farther, when life had reached the edge of their world they could no longer go forwards, only up. The huge buildings dotted the world and these sky scrapers were the foundation of these human's civilization.
Roe turned in her sleep under her covers as visions passed in front of her eyes. She was falling through a thick darkness, almost like water. She slowly sunk in the shadow as light broke her vision.
Three lights glared at her through the water but she couldn't manage to focus her eyes on them without her vision scattering.
The lights faded from her sight and the dark water underneath of her fall lit a brilliant white light, a platform appearing under her feet separating her from the void. She turned down to it but no sooner then she laid her eyes upon the brilliant glass a crack formed in the platform turning her blood to ice.
She sped up, the water no longer slowed her and she fell from the sky like a stone. She tried to slow her decent but her arm's didn't work. She looked back up at the lights above her crying to them for help but they couldn't answer. She looked at the ground for one more moment as the shadow tore the platform open under her feet, there was nothing. She was lost in the fall, nothing except blackness around her, a cold chill rippling through the water snapped her back as she was dragged down into the cold void. There was a form, a creature in the darkness in front of her, "Yes, this one will do," it spoke glaring at her through the void. Its orange eyes lit from far away but she could still see them, "A fitting scarifies to her god,"
Roe almost screamed as she shot out of her bed. It was night still and the only light reaching her was the brilliant glare from the stars. She wiped beads of cold sweat away from her eyes and tried to slow down her breathing. Her black hair lying matted against the back of her head as she pulled her covers back over her tight.
There was a cold presence in the room and she turned to her balcony door. The glass sliding door lay wide open and thin cold air whistled through the opening chilling her to the bone even through the thick cover. She braved the chill and stepped out onto the balcony letting the starlight shown down on her. There was no moon in the sky but the darkness was illuminated with a million different stars. She smiled up to the lights in the sky and walked back inside closing her window.
"I must have left it open," she assured herself getting back into her bed when she heard a rustling, "Is, someone their?" she asked into the shadow. There was a shape moving through the darkness and she got out of her bed. She didn't take any regard to the shadowy figure when she first woke, dismissing it in the still, daze of awakening but now the threat was real, and her heart beat faster, "What are you doing here!"
The form realized he was seen and tried to make a break for it but she lunged at him before he could make any distance knocking him to the ground. His dark hood fell off his head revealing his face he had to only be her age, staring into her with brilliant blue eyes.
Without a word he regained his balance and pushed her backwards as the he made lunge for the door, "Stop," She called grabbing onto his foot sending his to the ground face first. She got in his path before he could get back onto his feet holding out her arms to block the door from him, "Who are you?'
The darkness robbed her of her breath as the first light sunk through the shadows,
"Take a look at this tiny place," she heard an echo from somewhere far off, somehow reaching her through the water, "To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison, surrounded by water," She looked through the shadows to identify the voice but there was nothing except the cold darkness, "And so, this boy sought out to escape his prison," The darkness lit up as square shapes appeared around her. Huge screens like the kinds on a TV depicting places she had never seen before, "He sought a way to cross over into other worlds," thousands of impossible sights shown around her, stone buildings atop brilliant golden sands, graveyards stretching as far as the eye could see, a forest with trees as high at the buildings she grew up in and thousands more images playing scenes that seemed impossible. Gods, fairies, Demons, all creatures from the human imagination fighting against one boy. The same boy was depicted on all of the screens, a collogue of his life lying right in front of her, "And he opened his heart to darkness," all of the monitors changed displaying a larger image, a man standing on the edge of a broken shore. Water once lapped against the sands but now it only harbored an endless abyss. She was looking through someone's eyes, not her own, they were the boy's,
"Sora," she spoke remembering the name of the child she never met,
"Don't bother. Your voice can no longer reach him where he is. His heart belongs again to darkness," the man held out his hand and Imri gazed into his orange eyes, "All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end. The heart is no different, darkness sprouts within it, it grows, consumes it, such is its nature. In the end every heart returns to the darkness whence it came!" she could feel the man's orange eyes staring into her even though she knew these were not truly her memories, "You see, darkness is the heart's, true essence,"
"That's not true!" she heard herself call out as Sora's memories coursed through her. She was playing the part of the child facing head on against an endless darkness, "The heart may be weak, and sometimes, it might even give in, but deep down, there is a light that never goes out!"
As if mocking the boy's words the screens went black leaving her in the endless waters. Her feet finally found something solid on the ground under her to stand on as the water circled and twisted around her in a shadowy maelstrom,
"Imri," she heard someone call to her in the darkness,
"Who's there?" she spoke in a silent voice, the water catching the sound from her mouth as it left her lips. There was no answer but the darkness began to clear. Draining away from her until she was standing on top of a roof suspended into the sky,
"Are you coming?" the voice asked again and she looked at the darkness to see her friend holding her hand out to her,
"Roe!" she called, waving,
"What took you so long," the girl complained looking down off the building. A grey void lay where the streets normally ran and she looked down at it with wide eyes,
"Are you ready to go?" Roe asked with a smile as Imri lifted her eyes from the abyss looking into hers,
"But, what if we fall?" Imri tilted her head, "What will happen?"
"You won't," her friend assured her taking a step off the top of the building, her feet hitting an invisible force. The darkness under her feet supporting her weight, she took another few steps away from the side of the building,
"He won't let us fall, if you accept him," she decided turning back to her friend holding out her hand to her, "He needs us to come back,"
"Who is he?"
"A lost soul cursed forever to brood in the shadow, we need to help him. So he can take his revenge upon creation, destroy the cosmos that did him wrong,"
"Why would we want to help him if he is going to do that!"
"Because he needs us," Roe said with a sigh, "We can't let him stay in the night, open your heart to darkness, and he can return,"
"Why do you want me to, Roe? You're a good person, why would you want to destroy everything!"
"Just accept evil, accept the shadow," her friends eyes began to change glowing with an orange light, "I have. It won't hurt you, only make you stronger,"
"I don't want to be strong, I want to be a good person!" she argued and her friend laughed,
"Weakling, you need the darkness," he friend words changed the moment they left her mouth, her voice not her own, but that of a man. The same voice as the man she saw in the memories.
"You're not Roe," she spoke as her friends eyes flashed in an orange glare "You're name is, Ansem,"
"I do not believe we have met, no matter," shadow began to wrap around Roe and her form changed, bright orange eyes shown under pitch black skin. Broken wings emerged out of her back, tangled strands of darkness waving and holding her in still, her dark clothing hardened into metal forming a shell of black and grey armor around her body.
A weapon began to craft it's self out of shadow. A black staff formed in her grip as darkness at the tip of the weapon cut out a brilliant blade from shadow. She held the scythe in one hand pointing it towards her and she could feel the darkness closing in around her,
"No!" she called out into the shadow, "I, won't!"
the creature laughed. She walked up to the creature formed from her friend, without fear, staring the darkness heads on. In the distance she could see the first glimmers of morning reach the tower cutting through the dark void around her.
"The darkness will go away once the sun rises!"
"You foolish girl," the creature hissed as the sun began to perch on the horizon, "As the sun rises, you're shadow will only grow," the sun came up from the horizon in a flash cutting through the starry sky. In an implosion of shadow the creature disappeared but a new darkness formed. A circle of shadow formed on the ground under her feet and barbed strands of darkness shot from it latching onto her consuming her into shadow,
"Imri," a bodiless voice spoke to her as the darkness entangled her feet. She could see the man in her head but what she saw of him was only a face concealed by red bandages forming a mask around him. But even in the guise, she felt as if she could trust the man completely, "Do not be afraid," he spoke and she could feel the warm light of the sun shining over her, the darkness fading away under the heavenly light, "It has chosen you. You're heart, it is you're strongest weapon," the light of the sun gathered in her hand and she felt its warmth surge through her body. Protection, harmony, peace, it all echoed through her body as the sun lit the sky. The radiance created a form in her hand, a metal blade forged from the hopes and warmth of the sun, "Yes, Imri, the seventh key," it said as she looked at the metal weapon that had formed in her hand.
It was a long steel key with bright yellow hilt, but at the same time it was more. This was the light; this was the sun, the energy of such a radiant light concentrated into a single blade, one with the power to cut through any darkness. The steel glowed a radiant light that was almost blinding but she kept her eyes open looking at the bright weapon,
"Seventh key?" she asked again,
"Soon, Imri. As he will open the door to the light you have your own path to follow,"
"Who is 'he'?" she called out into the sunrise looking away from her weapon,
"The one who you remember, I have given you you're first glimpse into the truth, it is your choice to continue to look,"
"What do you want me to do?"
"Live, Imri. Live and I will see you're true light," the form began to disappear from her mind, "Wait, who are you! Why are you protecting me?"
"Darkness in Zero," he spoke again as he faded from her leaving her alone to basking in the light of the brilliant sun.
She stood over the void looking at a beaten and battered form in the shadows in front of her,
"It is futile," the man clutched his arm succumbing to his wounds, his orange eyes looked deep into hers. She shook her head but something inside her let go, letting whatever it was in the darkness control her. A masked puppeteer reenacting a scene eras past,
"The Keyblade alone, cannot seal the door to darkness," the man turned away from her and she could see the white frame of a door illuminate on the edge of the void the man smiled looking at the door, "Kingdom Hearts!" he ordered through the void gazing into the doors luminous, "Fill me, with the power of darkness!" the door began to open under his command and she could see the darkness spilling from the luminous door. Tendrils of shadow lapping out from the cracks and spilling into the void, "Supreme darkness!" the man called again staring at the power of the 'Kingdom Hearts'.
"You're wrong," she could feel a voice speak through her as the artificial memories took hold of her, "I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts is light!"
"As much as I would hate to ruin this-, lavish attempt you are making, DiZ-," another voice spoke through the memories as time froze around her, "Kuromimi, open your eyes," he spoke and the scene in front of her shattered. Instead of looking into the door there was nothing except blackness,
"Where am I?" She started looking at the void around her. It was only her and the dark shape standing in a room made entirely of shadow, "Where was I?"
"In a memory not your own. Never the less, the damage is done, his memory is yours now," she looked at him skeptically and he shook his head, "You can take solace in the fact that the man you saw was beaten, driven away back to the darkness,"
"I'm dreaming? Aren't I?" she guessed with a nod, "Yea, that explains it all right,"
"Not a simple dream, Kuromimi. You are asleep, in your own awakening," a brilliant light erupted from the ground. White shapes moved flapping their feathered wings and taking to the sky scattering the darkness. Doves, there were at least twenty of the birds emerging out of the darkness at her feet, parting to reveal a huge platform underneath her feet,
"How do you know my name?" she asked but the man ignored her,
"I dreamed of this day for myself at a time," The shadows wrapping around the figure parted revealing a man dressed entirely in black, a veil of shadow covered his entire face still shrouding his identity from her even in the radiant light of the platform, She asked again pinching herself in an attempt to wake but it proved pointless,
"Powers beyond your understanding are at play here,"
"Who are you? If this is my dream, why are you here?"
"I am merely an observer, here to watch you make your choice," The platform began to glow fiercely and three stone pedestals rose in a triangle around her,
"Between the darkness, the light," he started as two orbs appeared on two of the pedestals, One black, one white, "Or something else," a final orb appeared behind her, this one glowed in a grey dull light, a light void of warmth or radiance,
"Why do I have to choose?"
"You may chose not to accept your gift, but, you will perish a regular mortal with eyes covered to the truth of your existence should you choose not to remove you're blindfold," a tear in reality appeared in front of her,
"Kuromimi! Get to work the store isn't going to clean itself!" a haggard voice split through the darkness,
"Choose," the figure insisted as her dream began to cave in on its self. She reached for the light but when she grabbed for it her hand phased through it like it wasn't there,
"Interesting. It appears someone has already chosen for you," the light and dark orbs disappeared and the grey orb began to shine with a fierce yet calming light,
"Kuromimi!" the voice called into her dream again ripping the false reality apart.
Her eyes opened on a small room and she had to shake her head to get her bearings,
"I think these fumes are starting to mess with my brain," she pulled the covers off herself and pressed her feet against the cold wood floors, "At least it's over now," She stepped the two feet it took to get to her closet and undressed herself, throwing on her work cloth,
"Kuromimi! Get in here!" the voice called again,
"I'm getting dressed mom!" she yelled back,
"Well hurry up, you were supposed to be awake hours ago!"
"Give me a break! You had me up all night cleaning,"
"You make me sound like some sort of witch child!" he mom yelled back at her. Once she was dressed in her ragged jeans and stained shirt she walked up to the small cage to the side of her bed,
"How are you doing today?" She asked tearing small piece of lettuce off of the vegetable she kept next to her bed and dropped it in the cage for her Guiney pig. It was old and probably didn't suite a human but the little creature didn't mind and gnawed on the thing happily.
She pulled back the curtains separating her room from the rest of her house and walked down stairs. Her house was only two rooms perched on top of her mom's pharmacy but it was enough so that she and the old woman could sleep in their own beds. Her mother was working in the back of the store, standing over a huge iron pot mixing some sort of chemicals together,
"Kuromimi! I need you to clean up the storage room! Something exploded and there's glass everywhere!" She sighed,
"This early?"
"Stop complaining! Just get a broom,"
"You want me to clean a chemical spill at seven in the morning, with a broom?" Kuromimi asked tilting her head,
"Yea sure, whatever blew will clean the floor. Just get the glass out of these!" the old woman ranted, not willing to pull her hands away from her stirring, turning her head to an old broom perched besides the door to the storeroom. She pulled the trash can lid off of their metal garbage can to serve as her dust pan and stepped into the room with a white skull painted on the door.
She closed the door behind her and flipped on the lights which gave out as soon as they had started leaving her in the darkness. She sighed opening the door again letting the light flood back into the room lighting up the shelves adorn with thousands of vials, each holding inside something that could either cure or kill you.
Anyone could see where the rat poison blew. The vials around it didn't seem damaged but there was glass on the floor and the shelf. She brushed the visible glass into a trashcan lid which didn't take her very long, "Alright it's done," she announced walking out of the storage holding the lid of glass in one hand and the broom in the other,
"Good, good, put it in the dumpster, now," she ordered and Kuromimi made an attempt to look her in the eye but she was too caught up in her mixing.
"Mom, wasn't there something we were going to talk about?" she asked tilting her head away from the toxic glass,
"What? Talk about something?"
"Don't you remember?" she asked her again and the old women shrugged continuing the stirring,
"About buying a TV?" she asked again and her mom finally nodded,
"I do remember something about that," She muttered staring down into the vat of chemicals,
"I've only been pestering you for months now, its ok,"
"So what about it?"
"Buying one!"
"We can't afford that!" Her mom complained,
"Sometimes Kuromimi you have to take what you have in life for granted, and-,"
"I already got the money for it!" she interrupted her, "And the money you would normally pay me would go to a satellite dish! We've talked about this!" her mom didn't look at her, "And we could totally share it! Like you get it one night and I get it the next," the woman shook her head,
"I'll think about it, child. But it's not going to happen if you don't get rid of that glass!" she sighed looking down into the pan of glass,
"Uh, didn't the city say something about-?"
"I don't care what some 'city officials' say I'm running a business here! Kuromimi Neko, if you want to be successful in life you have to put this stuff first, not TVs! Hard work!"
"Then how come it never worked for you?" she shot back stepping towards the door "And you wonder why dad left," She muttered under her breath as she stepped into the street before her mom had time to answer.
The streets were cold and the new sun shown over the city in a golden light. Her mother's shop was on the bad side of town though; most of the buildings were decrepit and run down. There were no sky scrapers here like there was across town, only shacks and ghettos some of which not even able to support the rats scurrying around the sewers. The streets were equally deserted; beggars didn't even try to scavenge money in this part of town. Most of them had high tailed it to the safer center of town. She walked over to the trashcan in the alley behind her mom's shop when she heard a noise, like far off music and at that, nothing she had ever heard before. Long echoing cords played in an almost hypnotic fashion,
"Thank you! Thank you!" a boyish voice called from the other end of the alley behind her mom's shop. A crowd was gathered in the middle of the street gazing towards the source of the noise, "Now for this next song, the melodious nocturne would like to dedicate this song to the lovely Xion!" the voice announced and long cords of sitar music began to play. Kuromimi wormed her way through the cloud to see two forms in the center of the mass, both dressed in shady black trench coats.
One of the figures was a boy; he looked about eighteen with mullet like hair that rose above his head about two inches. The other was a girl looking like she really didn't want to be there right now, her short black hair hanging low over her ear as she looked down at the ground with lost eyes sitting to the side of the musician. He stopped mid cord turning to her,
"Xion! Come on this is dedicated to you! Can't you like, dance or something? Set the mood?" he asked but she only sighed "Fine," he decided turning back to his crowd and getting back to playing,
"Who are they?" Kuromimi turned to a random member of the audience just hoping that he would recognize her and to her relief he did. One of her mom's customers that she tried desperately not to get acquainted with, but against her best efforts the man still knew her by name,
"Oh, hey Kuromimi! Is the dish soap ready?" he asked turning away from the music,
"Um, no, who are those two?" the man sighed as if he was desperately seeking his dish soap but then decided to tell her,
"These two showed up a few hours ago claiming that they were looking for something. The blonde haired boy refused to give his name, but was fine with giving out his girlfriends," the man turned back to the musician.
The boy's sitar stood out the most about him and it was probably because the instrument was bright blue. The top of the thing had three points coming out of either direction like it could be used as a weapon,
"So, you just decided to listen?" She asked him again,
"Why not?"
"He is a weirdo! Doesn't two people in trench coats looking for something just spell bad news!" The boy stopped his playing and looked at her. As the music ended the small crowd broke as if released by his spell,
"Hey! Can't a starving artist get some peace! That was just plain rude! Tell her Xion," he finished as the last of the crowd parted,
"Demyx-," the girl started,
"Don't say my name we are trying to be covert here!" he argued,
"So you are up to something!" Kuromimi started raising her finger in the air. The group of half a dozen had all but left, minus her, leaving her on the empty street as the neighbors got back to their lives.
""Did I say something? I didn't say anything!" he argued,
"-can we get back to the mission so we can go home?" the girl finished getting to her feet,
"There is no mission!" Demyx ran over and putting his hand over his partner's mouth,
"Just, friendly, traveling, musicians,"
"You two are nuts! I'm reporting you to the police!"
"What? No no no no, don't do that! I'm trying to be your friend here!" the boy ran over to her and put his arm around her shoulder but she shook him off glaring at him,
"Tell me what you're doing then,"
"Can't. But what if I played you a song," he begged but she shook her head,
"No, I'm definitely reporting you,"
"Ok, fine, you force my hand. Xion, let's run,"
The black haired girl turned to him, "What? You're not going to do anything? Just leave?" she said breaking free of her self-induced trance,
"Strategic retreat," he corrected her leaning against his sitar,
"Ignore him he's crazy. I'm Xion,"
"Xion?"
"We aren't doing anything. We are just looking for something then we'll be off. You'll never, ever, see us again,"
"But, that guy said-," she started but Demyx interrupted her,
"This is why I prefer my retreat alternative, its much more-," the boy started but then froze looking at something down the street from them, "Um, Xion, we should really go now, and I mean. Run!"
"Human, get down!" she heard a voice call from the direction Demyx was looking as a projectile impacted against his instrument,
"Dang it I just fixed that!" he complained looking at the metal shrapnel lodged into the frame of his blue sitar,
"Demyx! He found us we have to leave,"
"That what I was telling you!" the boy finished shielding himself with the frame of his sitar,
"Just try it!" the voice called again as another projectile hit The ground near Kuromimi's feet. She almost fell off balance as the thing sent bits of cement into the air but when she looked at the impact sight there was nothing but a coin lodged halfway into the concrete. She looked toward the direction that the projectile had come from to see a form with another coin in hand ready to throw,
"Go back to your castle," he called at the two,
"Whatever you say!" Demyx agreed backing away from him, "We'll go! Sure!" he called out again,
"Hold on, it's just you?" Xion looked him in the eyes and a brilliant surge of light shot from her hand. Huge metal key formed in front of her.
"Demyx, we can take him,"
"Uh-,"
"You want to fight, fine, I'm good with that," the boy managed a smile. He had dark brown hair and was only dressed in a dull grey t-shirt and black pants,
"Xion, are you crazy? That's the guy the boss said to avoid!" Demyx reminded her,
"You're Raeni?" Xion asked tilting her head but the boy ignored her,
"What are you still doing here! You have a heart! Get out before these creeps take that away from you!" the boy, 'Raeni', warned steadying his coin. Kuromimi nodded running back to the alley to avoid the cross fire,
"Keyblade or not," Raeni looked Xion down but she stood firm, "I'm going to make you monsters fade away,"
He was no stranger to the creatures that lurk where you least expect them. No stranger to the people you see out of the corner of your eye that just seem, wrong. He fought the darkness on every turn as he traveled from world to world, a mercenary fighting against the shadows cast by peoples' hearts. He held his metal weapon in front of him pointing it to the Keyblade wielder,
"Fire!" the girl chanted pointing her Keyblade at him and immediately it's power and the words of Xion's spell were channeled to its tip, manifesting themselves as a glowing orb of heat. As soon as this idea, this concept turned into energy by the thought of the girl, was exposed to the air the fire began to swell and grow. It expanded until it was the size of a basketball before it shot from her weapon like a bullet from a gun speeding through the air towards him,
"Magic? Fine, but I've got some tricks up my sleeve to," he flipped the coin in his hand into the air, "Heads," he called as the coin landed on his arm. He smiled as he vanished, the fireball coming up with nothing, exploding at the spot where he stood, "Miss me?" he asked reappearing behind Xion but Demyx came to her assistance slamming him with the base of his Sitar, knocking him aside,
"Xion, we have to go, now!" Demyx argued and she nodded forming a dark corridor around herself, "Mistex will sure be happy to hear about this," Raeni got to his feet, running at him but he already formed a dark corridor around himself vanishing before he could fight back,
"I thought I had you!" he cried out throwing the coin in his hand to the ground, "Darn it,"
"Is it, safe?" he heard a girl's voice call to him and he turned to the alley way,
"Oh, you. You stuck around? Do you not like your heart or something? Vamoose, you don't need to be involved with this stuff,"
"Two people that can shoot fire balls appear in black coats behind my house and you want me to just ignore it?" she argued,
"It's safer," he admitted, "Enough people are hurt like this as it is, we don't need any one else falling because of the Nobodies,"
"Nobodies? So now you're saying no one was here?"
"Just forget I said anything. I waited to attack for a reason; those two were completely content with using those people as human shields. They're bad guys!" he looked into her eyes but she didn't answer, "Look, uh, what's your name?"
"Kuromimi,"
"Man that's a mouthful, can I just call you, Mimi?"
"Um sure?" she guessed and he nodded,
"Mimi, I need you to stay safe, something is going to go down today, those people are just going to keep coming, they are going to make sure everyone in this city is dead by sunset,"
"How?"
"Again, can't explain, if I do my job right, nothing will happen, but if I die, you need to hide. Get to the safest place, a basement, a bomb shelter, something! Take as many people as you can!" she tilted her head and he sighed, "Right, a crazy madman preaching about the end of the world, I'm sure you get that allot around here, but I'm not lying,"
"I would believe you, Raeni, but it goes against every shred of common sense I have," he sighed,
"Ok, look I have-," he reached into the pouch on his belt pulling out a few golden coins, "Fourteen hundred munny, take it and buy whatever rations you need,"
"One thousand four hundred dollars!"
"These are worth allot less where I come from," he assured her,
"Are you sure I can, keep this? You don't want it back or anything?"
"It's all yours, get enough food and water to last you a few weeks, in case it takes you a while to find an uncontaminated water source after it happens," She nodded even though she didn't understand a word he said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got the end of the world to prevent, have a good Thursday," he gave her a small wave flipping a coin, "Tails," he called as the coin hit his arm and after inspecting it he smiled, "Good luck," he said with smile, vanishing before she could thank him.
"One thousand dollars," she assured herself looking at the golden coins in her hand, "One, thousand? Thank you madmen! Yes! This is the best day ever!"
Roe walked to school down the streets of the city taking a detour down the same path she walked last night. Somehow, she had managed to overpower the intruder and chase him up to the alleyway in front of her. He had just vanished the last time and now she was sure it was nothing but an empty alley and she turned away from it with a sigh,
"He called him, Axel?" she remembered, the images of the man still fresh in her mind after her brief time asleep. There was another man, and he seemed to be on the boy's side. He was the reason they were able to disappear but how he did it was a mystery. The escape wasn't the bewildering part though; it was the fact that the kid hadn't even taken anything even after the trouble it would have taken to get into her bedroom completely unnoticed by her parents. It was like he was looking for something,
"How did he even get inside?" she asked herself facing towards the alleyway. Their door was locked in more than one way and it would have been impossible for him to get up to the room unless he had wings,
"Heya Roe!" A voice called behind her and she turned. The blonde haired girl walked up to her and she turned away from the alleyway to greet her,
"Imri," Roe said with a nod, "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you! You said we would walk to school together," Roe tilted her head looking at the girl. She wore a pair of dulled jeans and a T-shirt with the word 'epicness' written with sharpie onto the pink fabric,
"Um," Roe started looking at her shirt, "Why did you-?"
"I was bored," she hung her head and Roe nodded, "So what'cha doing here?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you,"
"Come on! Tell!" She argued but Roe only shook her head,
"I can't,"
"What if I tell you all about the dream I had last night?"
"No Don't-!" Roe started but Imri continued on,
"It was so wei-rd; you were, like, evil!"
"Ok, before you go into detail, let explain to you how little I care," Roe interrupted her rambling, raising her finger into the air, "I would rather gouge my eyes out then see you talk about your dreams,"
"Fine," Imri sighed but then after a few seconds a smile lit her face, "I will tell you if you don't tell me while you're here!"
"No!" Roe covered her ears and walked away towards the school,
"This man in my head gave me a huge key! I couldn't see him in person but he was the one who rescued me from you!"
"My hands aren't good enough earmuffs!" Roe called out in annoyance pulling her hands away from her ears, "Ok, fine, a boy broke into my room last night and disappeared into darkness when I came here!"
"A boy in your room?" Imri asked,
"It's not what you are thinking!" Roe yelled at her shaking her head, "I didn't even know who he was!"
"And he disappeared into darkness?"
"Yes, he created a swirly, dark, thing. And jumped down it,"
"Um, are you sure you weren't dreaming?"
"I might have been, I might have not, I have no idea,"
"That's just weird,"
"No, It's strange, weird stuff would be like us being twins or something,"
"But that's not possible! You look nothing like me!" Imri argued and Roe shook her head,
"Let's just get to school, okay Imri, you stand here and talk any longer we are going to be late again," she nodded,
"Ok, fine," she said hanging her head. It wasn't a very long walk to the school but the real question was how long it would take the line at the front desk to clear. They opened the door of the skyscraper and stepped into a strangely empty entrance room,
"Imri, Roe," the receptionist at the front desk greeted them without taking her eyes off the computer, "Need an elevator card?"
"Yea," Roe said walking up to her as she handed them two cards. The word 'late' was imprinted onto both of them in capital letters,
"We are seriously late!" Imri argued but the receptionist didn't speak,
"Right, fine then, let's get to the elevator," Roe said looking at her friend,
"I'm never late!" she continued, "I'm on time every day! Ma'am, please!" she argued to the receptionist but Roe dragged her to elevators before she could make her case.
"Being late isn't that bad Imri," Roe argued pressing the up button next to the elevator door, "I'm late every day,"
"Yea but I'm 'never', is it, like, daylight savings time or something?" Roe shook her head and Imri sighed as the elevator door opened, the two of them walked inside and slipped there cards into open slots in the elevator,
"Welcome, Imri, and, Roe," the computer spoke in its automated voice. Roe silenced the thing with a push of a button and looked up at the ceiling,
"Lockers," Roe ordered and on her command the elevator began to move
"Destination, Third floor, student supplies," the computer reminded them as it brought them up a floor,
"Second floor, detention wing, door opening," the computer sung out and Roe's blood froze over,
"No, no, come on! Not here this is the wrong place wrong time, next floor!" she slammed her finger down on the close door button but the door still swung open against her best efforts,
"Why is this so-?" Imri started but then backed into the corner of the elevator as she saw the form on the other side of the door,
"Ya'll don't want to see me?" the boy said as he held his meaty hand against the side of the door keeping her from closing him out, "Morning study hall just let out, and my two favorite people try to close the door on me?" he walked into the lift and Roe tried her best to keep her cool but that didn't prevent Imri from freaking out,
"Mat," Roe greeted annoyed as Imri dug herself deeper against the corner,
"You two heading up to lockers an' stuff right?"
"Maybe," Imri squeaked pressed as far against the back of the elevator as possible,
"We don't have any money Mat," Roe said with a sigh as the elevator door closed. The blond haired brute was closed in the elevator car with them as they rode up another floor.
He was a kid from the east side only here because his step dad is on the city council and sponsored putting the kid here instead of making him go to any of the run down east side schools. Once he got here he immediately became the fear of all the city dwelling kids that went to the once peaceful building,
"Mat," Roe repeated his name,
"Yes my dear?" he asked turning to her, his sulfurous breath hitting her in the face in a hot, wet, puff. She dared not clench her nose but her eyes watered at the foul sent,
"I told you we don't have any money,"
"What makes you think I want your money, this time," Imri squeezed past him making a break for the on time elevator. Roe tried to do the same but Mat grabbed the neck of her shirt pulling her into the locker room,
"Please remove cards," the elevator whined and Imri's blood froze,
"Um," she started remembering her card was still lodged in the elevator, she was trapped, "Roe! I left my card in there!" she complained running back up to the two,
"Don't you think we have a little bigger problem on our hands?" Roe choked out as Mat threw her to the floor,
"Both of you, empty out you're lockers, now!" he roared,
"We don't have anything!" Roe insisted getting back to her feet,
"You rich kids could do without some of your trash. And if you can't pay up, I'm sure you two can even afford to get false teeth!" he commanded and Imri shivered,
"Sorry, sorry, on it," Imri said quickly running to her locker,
"Just cause your family is as poor as dirt, doesn't mean you get to treat us like trash,"
"I'm just robin hood, stealing from the rich and giving it to myself," he insisted,
"You can't talk me out of not mugging you, now go!" she sighed finding her locker and opening it up with a few turns of the dial,
"Ah so that's where I put it," she said pulling out a red and black snow cap. A fanged skull was imprinted on the front of it. It wasn't cold but she still fit it over her head snuggly,
"What's that!" Mat roared looking at her,
"My hat, you know, the hat,"
"I thought ya'll said you didn't have anything Roe? Hand it over!"
"No, it's my hat," she argued taking the thing off and holding it in both hands,
"Right, fine, I'll take it out on your face then!" he called running at her. Even she couldn't stay calm and scrambled back making sure she had a tight grip on the snow cap,
"Roe!" Imri called looking away from her locker and running up to her against every instinct that she had. When she reached her friend the brute was bearing down on both of them and time began to slow,
"The, Keyblade," a voice spoke in her ear and she could feel her and being pulled out in front of her friend. In a glimmer of light a beautiful key shaped sword appeared in her hand blocking the boy's path,
"A toy sword? It doesn't even look real!" he said continuing to his punch around her weapon`. She could feel the blade moving on its own regard, posed to strike a killing arc when she held it back,
"No!" she called to the weapon and it obeyed her grasp coming up at the boy and making a cut on his arm. He pulled back his fist in pain and looked at his arm,
"What did you do!" he yelled at the two of them covering the bleeding wound with his hand. The damage could have been much worse, the blade was content with just killing him on the spot,
"Imri!" Roe turned to her amazed, "Where did you-?"
"This is the Key!" she said looking at the gleaming weapon, "The one from my dream!"
"I thought you said that was a dream?" Roe asked looking back at Mat, "Scram before she hits you again!" Roe warned to the boy but before the words had even left her mouth the kid was already making a break for the elevator. Roe watched the boy leave and then looked at her curiously,
"Where did you even get that?" she asked and the weapon began to shimmer, disappearing as quickly as it came,
"Sorry to interrupt you're nerd fest, but," Mat called form the elevator holding both of their cards in the air, "You're not going anywhere, no one even uses this room till the end of the day. And by then the head master is already going to know you two brought one of your geeky model sword things to school, you'll be out of my hair for good!" Roe made a break for the door but it closed before she could get to it with the sound of rough laughter on the other side,
"Come back darn it! I didn't mean the whole scram thing!" Roe called up at the elevator but not to her surprise, nothing happened,
"Roe don't worry!" Imri said running over to her locker, "I am the ninth grade class president, aren't I? I can get us out of here," She pulled a card out of the pocket, this one gold and with Imri's name engraved with silver letters, "Ta-da! My universal hall pass!" she announced holding the thing in the air and Roe stared at it,
"Why are you allowed to have that! They don't even let me go anywhere near the elevators during class time!"
"Class, president," Imri sounded out with a smile walking over to the other elevator,
"If we are late we can blame Mat?" Imri guessed tilting her head,
"Yea, sure," Roe said with a nod fitting her hat back onto her head,
"Thanks," she said again with a nod and Imri smiled,
"Don't mention it!" she agreed as the elevator door opened.
The boy stood in front of a large building that was his only safe haven in this world. He opened the industrial double doors and walked into a broken room, abandoned and neglected,
"You're late Raeni," a man said walking up to him. His entire face was wrapped in red bandanas held together with a black belt that covered one of his eyes. The one that was shown stared at him ominously as if it knew everything,
"DiZ," Raeni greeted,
"Have you brought the Heartless?" He pulled a coin out of his pocket and showed it to him. The front of the coin showed the face of a Shadow, one of the weakest of the Heartless but enough to easily kill a grown man, "A pureblood, is that all you could find?"
"No, they haven't all appeared yet. I found this one following one of the Nobodies, is this enough for your experiments?"
"It will make due," he said raising an eyebrow, "One of the Keyblade masters, I assume?"
"Xion," he informed him with a shrugged,
"Her and Demyx got away before I could kill either of them,"
"Fortunate for you. Should you have terminated Xion, the true Keyblade master will never wake,"
"And I don't care?" he guessed tilting his head, "You can tell me to avoid her, but that's going to cost you extra,"
DiZ shook his head, turning and walking to a wall, a magic symbol was marked out with yellow pen. DiZ pulled the pen out of his pocket and completed the symbol. The floor melted away in a haze revealing a completely metal room where the floor was. DiZ lead him into the room and showed him into the chamber.
The walls were lined with prisons in the shape of flowers. The bulbs were made of a clear glass with an assortment of the Heartless trapped inside. He put the coin in an open flower and the bulb closed. Raeni snapped his figures and the coin changed back into its original form. The scrawny shadow glared at him scratching at the glass with its razor claws but to no avail. Raeni waved good bye to it and turned to a table in the middle of the room. A devise that looked like a huge laser was perched in the center,
"Now let's see how the Heartless reacts to the devise," DiZ announced picking up the thing in one hand, planting it on the ground pointing it to the Heartless. The machine buzzed and then shot a beam of green light at the creature. Is shuddered for a second and then fell apart, crumbling into black dust,
"Kind of ironic isn't it," Raeni said looking back at the scientist, "That the 'Heartless' have hearts,"
DiZ ignored him setting the laser back on the table, "The devise work's on the small ones, but I will need more test subject's before the Nobodies manage to complete Kingdom Hearts. Even if it can convert a single heart into data, I need more tests to perfect the design,"
"And what makes you so sure that they will actually succeed? Kingdom Hearts has been hot gas for the past two years. It only became big enough to even see a few months ago. Not the 'ultimate power' the organization was going for,"
"The Nobodies are not dumb despite the fact of lacking a heart, currently there are seven who have awakened the power of the Keyblades, two of which don't know how to wield it and another two are fighting on the side of the organization. I have no doubt in time enough hearts will be released to complete it,"
"Well, whatever DiZ, I'll just keep bagging Heartless as long as you keep paying me," Raeni said with a yawn and DiZ sighed
"I wish your loyalties were not so divided Raeni, you would make an excellent assistant,"
"Hey, I work for whoever has the deepest pockets, you're lucky that's you, old man. I learned the hard way that you can't play favorites in my profession," DiZ laughed turning away from his machine back to him
"Yet, you were all too happy to help that girl,"
"How did-?"
Raeni started but DiZ interrupted him, "She is still permanent in your mind, I can see her clearly. Her name is Kuromimi, correct?"
"If the Nobodies open the last keyhole, she is going to die, just Because I don't play favorites doesn't mean I'm heartless,"
"Yes, it would be quite unfortunate, were they to succeed," He said as Raeni started walking out of the lab,
"Yet you seem less interested in this world being torn apart, and more interested in your experiment, why is that?" he asked without turning stepping back onto ground level before the scientist could answer.
DiZ was obviously keeping something hidden from him. Nothing bad could come from giving the Nobodies hearts besides ruining his research; they would probably just leave people alone once they got their hearts anyway. The Heartless were the real enemy and if DiZ succeeded there would be more Heartless everywhere and that would ruin everyone's weekend.
He pulled a coin out of his pocket and flipped it. It began to grow, but not in width, in length. The bronze coin kept extending until it formed a staff spinning through the air. He caught it and held it at his side. He had a visit to pay with the new Keyblade master, if he found her, there was no doubt he would find the Heartless, and possibly, even the Nobodies.
"Pay attention kids, this is very important stuff," their teacher called out to the class hitting the black bored with the tip of her ruler, "Now, who can tell me how to find the midpoint of a line once you know the coordinates of the endpoints,"
"Why would you want to?" Roe guessed and her teacher shook her head,
"Any one smarted then a bench post want to answer that?" the teacher said again and Imri's hand shot up,
"You find the sum of the given coordinates!" she called out proudly before giving the teacher a chance to call out her name.
Roe buried her face in her hand, "Show off,"
"Very good, Imri, you obviously studied," the teacher said again smiling to her, The rest of the kids either didn't care or didn't understand themselves so they ignored her, "This is geometry!" she called to the other kids, "Pay attention! This is one of the most practical forms of math there is!"
"Practical, I'll remember that," Roe whispered to herself ripping a piece of paper out of her sketch book and putting her pencil to it,
"Are there any other questions before the test on Friday," she said again looking through the class,
"Anyone? Roe?" she said eyeing her,
"I'm more of a history person," she said without looking up from her drawing,
"Then why don't you have any questions?" she paused as the intercom system rang through the room,
"Roe, Imri, please report to Dr. Burner's office on floor twenty four. Roe and Imri, please report to the headmaster's office,"
"Saved by the bell," she said under her breath turning the paper face down and leaving the pencil aside
"We didn't do anything wrong!" Imri assured the class, "Really!" she stood up from her desk and Roe nearly had to drag her away from the classroom. She closed the door as they got into the hall and scowled at her,
"Make it any more obvious why don't ya?" she asked with a sigh,
"They believe me! I'm class president,"
"No one cares!" she admitted, "The teachers rigged that so it wouldn't be a popularity contest! They didn't pick you!" she sighed,
"Fine, ok," she turned towards the elevator across from them,
"Now, if it's Mat, just act cool,"
"Okie-doky,"
"You see that's not acting cool," Roe pointed out, "Just add 'sir' to the end of all of your sentences and then you're golden,"
"Like, I didn't do it, sir. And, Mat is lying, sir?"
"Exactly! Mat values his self-dignity to much to humiliate himself by saying that, but it's the only thing at this point that will keep us from getting expelled," she hit the up button on the elevator and it almost immediately arrived opening its doors to them. They stepped inside and Imri stuck her 'universal hall pass' into the side of the machine,
"Welcome, Imri," it spoke and she hit the button for floor twenty four, "Destination floor twenty four, faculty lodge and headmaster's office," it spoke and they began their accent,
"Remember, when you're around the superior you can't say anything against him or he won't even think before he punishes you,"
"Right," Imri said with a nod as the door opened into another hallway. They stepped out of the elevator and the door closed behind them,
"Ok, moment of truth, don't get us in any more trouble," Roe said turning to her and she nodded as they both knocked on the headmaster's door,
"Imri, Roe, come in," the headmaster called. They opened the door and came in to see Mat standing next to the head master staring at them with a wicked smile, "Take a seat," the headmaster said gesturing to two twin chairs in front of his desk. He fixed his comb over as they sat down and pushed his glassed back up on his face. He had been the head master since the two of them were in second grade and over seven years the man seemed to stay his ridiculously old age, "The school had a very strict policy when it comes to weapons," he interlacing his fingers over his desk, "Mat, please tell me what they used to cut your arm with?" he asked and the boy showed them the band aids that wrapped around the wound they had given him. A slight red tint of blood shown through the cloth,
"Imri had a sword, Dr. Burner," the head master shook his head looking away from the boy and back to them,
"Care to explain, Imri?"
"I don't have a sword, sir," she assured him bowing her head, "I am class president, I know the schools policy on weapons and I would never disobey them, sir,"
"She is lying!" Mat said pointing at her but the headmaster interrupted him,
"Allow me to finish," he raised his hand in the air without looking to Mat and the boy closed his mouth, "Roe?" he asked again turning to her,
"I agree with Imri, sir, we didn't have a weapon," the headmaster looked at them with disbelief obvious in his eyes,
"Are you suggesting Mat's wound is self-inflicted, Imri?"
"Um, I don't know, Mat are you emo.? Sir," Imri asked curiously and Roe buried her head in her hand,
"Do I look freaking emo.!" he called back to her but the head master interrupted him again,
"This is a conversation, not a fist fight," he reminded them, "Now, Imri, if you have no weapon, then you would be fine with us searching through your belongings?"
"Fine, go ahead sir," Roe answered for her and Mat smiled,
"Oh, you're going to get it now!" he called to them as the headmaster stood up brushing invisible particles of dust from his shirt,
"Show me to where you were attacked, Mat,"
"Can you deliver it?" Kuromimi asked the man at the counter of the store tilting her head,
"Of course, what address?" the man said not looking up from his register. She handed him a slip of paper form her pocket and he looked at her,
"This is the east side, is this right?" he asked confused. She sighed looking him in the eye. She had to go across town to the good part of town to actually get what she was looking for, nothing along the lines of what she wanted even existed back at home, "Can you afford this?" the man asked again and she pulled the coins out of her pocket handing them to him, "You didn't steal these did you?" he asked again,
"No, no I didn't steal them," she said trying to stop herself from punching the man,
"But how-,"
"Ok, can you deliver it to the address or not?"
"We'll send a truck on it," he said slipping the coins into the register, "Have a nice day,"
"We aren't all poor," she called back but the man ignored her. The sliding doors in front of the store parted and she stepped out, pockets much lighter then she came,
"Dreams might actually come true," she muttered to herself looking at the sun, now high in the sky. Her mom still thought she was still trashing glass, if she knew she had gone across town the woman would have a heart attack,
"Oh, excuse me," she heard a voice say from in front of her and a form appeared in an eruption of darkness. She was a girl dressed entirely in black,
"Xion?" she guessed looking at the outfit but then the form pulled down her hood,
"Xion? No, Mistex, how ya doing Kuromimi?" her blood froze looking into her eye. Her other eye was wrapped with white almost makeshift band aids but even with the injury she only looked her age. Her good eye stared at her, a clam green like a grassy field. Her black hair was pulled back straight behind her head but was still messed up by the hood,
"How do you know my name?" she asked staring at her,
"Well Demyx told me! And Xion! You know then right?"
"The musician? Yea," she said nodding,
"Well I was in their 'group' but they decided to go their own way. I really can't explain this to you, but can you help me out?"
"Help? How?"
"Ok, there's a boy, Raeni, Demyx said he saw you with him, can you tell me about him?"
"Why do you want to know?"
Mistex sighed shaking her head "Look, Kuromimi, believe me, Raeni is a bad person,"
"And why should I trust you over him?"
"Because! Um-," she started but then she raised her finger into the air, "I am trying to protect you from him!"
"From him? He said he was trying to protect me-, from people like you," she finished beginning to walk away but Mistex followed suite,
"Wait, you're not leaving? Help a girl out here! Can you at least tell me what he told you,"
"Something about, the end of the world, I don't know, you two are both crazy!"
"He is decently crazier than I am. I know him!" Mistex argued, "Did he mention any where he was going?"
"He said, you were planning to kill him, is that true?"
"No, not kill him! Just, um," she scratched the back of her head but Kuromimi continued to walk, "Recruit him," she finished catching up, "That might hurt him just a bit, but come on he will still be alive in one sense or another,"
"Recruit him?"
"Again, one of those 'long story' areas I would rather not get into now, but the point is, I need you to tell me everything!"
"There isn't anything left to tell, what I know, you know,"
"Well, thanks!" she said with a smile, looking into her with her one good eye,
"Now can I ask you something?"
"Ok, sure, anything,"
"Why are you here?" the girl shrugged,
"Um, you really want the truth?"
"Yes,"
"Can I just tell you part of the truth?"
"No the whole thing," she stopped walking and looked her in the eye and the girl shuddered,
"I can see you're determination, fierce stuff, that heart of yours. You don't believe a word I'm saying about trying to help, right?" asked said with a nod,
"Ok, fine, you can take it,"
"Take what?"
"Dying, your heart is strong enough, you might actually make it in,"
"Dying? I'm not dying any time soon,"
Mistex shrugged, "Well, I wouldn't be so sure about that," darkness began to erupt from the ground and wrap around the girl, "Don't say I didn't warn ya' though,"
"You still haven't told me why you're here!" she complained as the girl began to sink into darkness, "How am I going to die?"
"Your world. It's killing itself, I don't know how, but it's going to go down tonight, big battle between good and evil-," she started as the darkness consumed her, "And we're the 'evil',"
Mistex appeared in a dark alley that her co-workers said they would meet her in after she was done on recon but they still seemed startled when the dark corridor appeared,
"Just me," Mistex assured the two as she came out, "She didn't know anything interesting, Raeni knows about our plans, nothing much besides that. So, let's kill him,"
"Whoa, this was a 'recon' mission," Demyx argued dissipating his instrument into water vapor, "The superior even said not to-, um," he reached in his pocket and pulled out a cue card, "Do not interfere with the native human population,"
"Raeni isn't 'native'," Mistex argued ,
"The goal of this mission is to get one of our keys to that lock by any means necessary. Roxas was onto something last night, and we got to get you there, Xion," the girl remained silent,
"Roxas wouldn't want people to get hurt,"
"Even if the door stays closed, they have to Xion! But don't worry; the ones with strong hearts will join us! The rest of them who are contaminated with evil will just become weak heartless. If that does happen then they deserved it!"
"It's still not right," she argued,
"Don't pretend like you have a heart! You're too old for that! What? You're like one already,"
"It's not my emotions I'm worried about, it's Roxas'," she turned to her, "He doesn't want to do any of this,"
"Xion, we have to," Mistex said again holding her hand out to her side. Glowing light began to form in her hand bending into prismatic shapes. Crystals of all size and color floated in the shining maelstrom blending together until they had made a brilliant bow out of the mystical crystals, "Let's go get Raeni, ok? Once you're in battle you'll forget, trust me, nothing will matter but the mission,"
she turned to Demyx but then turned back to her, "Unless you happen to be the melodious nocturne, then you just want to run!"
"Hey!" Demyx called back and Xion managed a laugh,
"Ok, now that that's settled, let's go find Raeni, and take him down a few notches, kay?" Demyx and Xion nodded respectfully and Mistex smiled, "Cool, happy hunting,"
The head master stood over her expectantly as she fiddled with the combination of her locker but when she tried to pull it open it remained locked,
"It hates me, sir," Imri admitted with a sigh trying again,
"Sir, don't you have a key or something that opens these?" Roe asked but the headmaster shook his head,
"Can I just pry it open?" Mat guessed and the headmaster shook his head again,
"No we don't need any more broken lockers, thank you," he said without turning,
"Ah I think I-," Imri started pulling on the locker again but the lock held strong, "-Never mind," she finished with a sigh,
"Imri, open the locker or I will suspend you," the headmaster said clutching his temples,
"I'll help her sir," Roe said walking up the her friend,
"What's the combination?" she asked and Imri whispered it in her ear, she nodded putting her hand to the dial and the lock popped open,
"There we go," Roe said pulling the locker and the headmaster examined the contents,
"Pull out you're back pack," he ordered and Imri nodded opening the pink and white bag, the headmaster looked through the whole of it, "Manga is not allowed at school, you know?" he asked looking at her shaking his head,
"Um, sorry, I must have left it in there, sir," she said tilting her head,
"Right, Roe, I'll check you're locker,"
"Sir, we don't have a sword,"
"Then you won't mind checking," he said and she sighed opening her own locker,
"Open you're backpack," he ordered after examining the locker but again he came up blank,
"Tell me where you put it," he ordered, "Where?"
"We didn't even have a sword!" "
Really," he said pulling a video tape out of his pocket,
"This is the security tape from this morning, it says otherwise, now tell me, where you put it?"
"No where! We didn't have one!" Imri argued,
"Enough lying we know you had one, now tell me where you put it," neither of them answered and he looked Imri in the eye, "I had no intent on punishing you but you insist on lying to me. However I will lessen you're punishment if you bring it to me," he decided and she sighed holding her hand out in front of her,
"Imri, what are you doing?"
"Giving it to him," she said and the man raised an eyebrow,
"Where is it?" radiant light began to glow from her hand and in a brilliant flash the Keyblade appeared in front of him,
"This is it," she said hanging her head and the headmaster stared at it,
"Hmm, hand it over," he ordered slightly stunned by the weapon's entrance. She gave it to the man and he held it easily until the blade realized it switched hands. In a flash of light it appeared back in her hand and the headmaster stared at her, "Did I say you could have it back?" he yelled at her confiscating it again but the blade returned to her,
"No, bad sword! Let him take you!" she argued with the weapon but it stayed firmly in her grasp, "It won't work," she said with a sigh looking back at the head master,
"Give me the weapon now, or the two of you are expelled," he threatened and Roe looked at her,
"Well? do it!" she yelled at her friend but she shook her head,
"The Keyblade, it-, it isn't going to let me give it away,"
"Well, I'm very disappointed to hear that," the man said again,
"Clean out your lockers, you have two hours to leave with all of your belongings,"
"Sir, that isn't fair!" Imri called looking into his eyes dissipating her weapon, "I didn't mean to hurt anyone with it!"
"If you didn't mean any harm, you should have handed it over to me,"
"The sword wouldn't let me!"
"Imri, I'm in no mood for games,"
"Hah, you nerds got your butts handed to you on a silver platter!" Mat yelled at them,
"Sir, if you saw the video you knew I only did it in self-defense! He attacked us!"
The headmaster turned back to Mat, "I was about to ask you that as well, do you want to join them?"
"Uh, no," he started,
"Can I talk you out of it? Please!" Roe begged,
"Imri didn't mean anything!" the headmaster looked them both down but then he sighed,
"Imri, we can't lose you to this or we'll be the laughing stock of the entire district. But don't think that means you can do anything you want!" he threatened raising his finger into the air,
"If you so much sneeze out of order, both of you can pack your bags, you understand?" he said in a fierce voice that even Mat obeyed,
"Thank you, sir," Roe said with a bow and Imri followed,
"You three get back to class, and I-," he started but then another bell rang,
"That's lunch!" Imri announced and the head master sighed,
"Go eat," he said dismissing them and the two girls made a break for the elevator,
"Sir, that's not fair I was attacked!"
"Don't make more of an issue out of this," the headmaster warned and the boy sealed his lips as the elevator door closed around the two of them.
The kid's crowded into the cafeteria walking this way and that until they found there tables. Imri and Roe sat together at the edge of the room away from the rest of the crowd,
"Are you sure that you couldn't have just given him the sword? I mean I was already on thin ice! This is bad, I'm sure I'm going to be out of here for good by the end of the week!" Roe argued,
"I can't the Keyblade chose me, It isn't going to let me give it away,"
"It's a weapon! It doesn't 'choose' anything!"
"This isn't a weapon, it's light,"
"Light? Light is over rated,"
"Light, you know, like the goodness in people's hearts? That's what makes this weapon work,"
"That's just ridicules," Roe said with a sigh,
"No it isn't! The Keyblade is proof!"
"So you're calling it a 'Keyblade' now?"
"That's what it wants to be called," Roe looked at her friend and almost buried her face in her food but held back, taking a spoonful of mash potatoes into her mouth,
"I never even saw the Keyblade until my dream last night, the one where you attacked me," Roe ignored her swallowing her food and Imri sighed, "Least you can do it pretend to care,"
"Light, dreams, sounds only slightly insane," she said and Imri glared at her,
"Roe, it's real, you saw the weapon you're self,"
"Maybe I'm crazy two, none of this makes any sense," Roe said hanging her head, "Just give me some time to take the whole 'sword of light' thing in, ok?" she asked and Imri nodded getting back to eating her food.