Lesson One
"The Heart"
The heart; what is the heart? Is it the force the guides humans to their dreams? It could be a weapon. Maybe it is a figment of the imagination. Is it destiny's sign of existence? Or the power to defy destiny?
These are questions that have plagued the Worlds since the beginning. Countless men tried to find the answer; however, all they found was destruction. Heartless, those who were consumed by darkness; Blinded, those who were consumed by light; Nobodies, the empty shells left behind by the Consumed; Unversed, the culmination of man's negative emotions... the more man sought to understand the heart, the more of these beings were brought into the Worlds.
However, man also discovered a way to combat these beings. The Heart Gears are weapons forged from the essence of one's heart. People with strong hearts can summon these powerful weapons and use them to combat the forces that seek to destroy all. These people are known as Wielders. Due to the unpredictable nature of the heart, these weapons can take many forms - ranging from a great sword to a small ring.
Of course, left alone, Wielders would be lost on their path; baffled by the power they were given. For that reason, the World Order Academy of Heart Wielders was founded. The Academy's locale is between light and darkness, a twilight realm of sorts, maintaining the delicate balance that keeps the world from falling into chaos. In its halls, thousands of great Wielders have been trained to defend the world and those who cannot defend themselves.
This Academy was having a staff meeting before the doors opened and students returned from their winter vacation as a new school year began. Truthfully it was chat session on the incoming students and their thoughts on the new school year.
"You should be busy this year, Eraqus," an elderly man with stern look and a long grey beard said.
The man he spoke to laughed, dark eyes glittering. "There are three new Keyblade Wielders this year. Perhaps they'll come to you this year instead of me, Yen Sid."
"His Majesty, King Mickey, was my last apprentice. As headmaster, my duty lies in administrating the affairs of this school. Not in training its students," Yen Sid replied with smile.
"Forget all that. We got Hunters - three!" A middle aged man with blond hair and goggles sat towards the end of the long wooden table. He was the head of the IT department, Cid Highwind. "Whoever down in admissions came up with that needs a pole shoved so far up their ass…"
"Yeesh, Cid, I know you don't like them but, if you don't calm down you'll have a heart attack." Dr. Agrima Jhevari, an Indian woman with a single black braid over her left shoulder, sat across the table from him. "Besides. They made sure to give them the three hardest teachers in this school."
"They are a troublesome family," Yen Sid agreed. "But, they are all talented. Any other interesting students?"
"We've got six locals coming this year," Cid said with an unsure look. "All trouble makers."
Eraqus laughed at Cid's frustration. "You complain like this every year yet, the students seem to get kick out of it. Perhaps you could try getting to know them better."
"I'll get to know 'em better when someone doesn't crash one of the damn Gummi Ships each year."
"Like you didn't in your days here. So who do you think will be winning the tournament this year?" Dr. Jhevari asked. "I'd put my money on Simone or the Hunters."
"You know we shouldn't be playing favorites," Eraqus warned.
"I'm not playing favorites. I'm out to make a little extra cash." The doctor scoffed.
"The point of this tournament is to see which of first years have the most potential," Yen Sid said gravely. "Not for your escapades, Dr. Jhevari. At any rate the orientation begins in two hours. Is any business left to be taken care of?"
"Actually, yes," Eraqus said solemnly. "Recently Maleficent's movements have become more and more aggressive. It seems that she's gathered a group of strong followers. And we still have yet to locate the missing Xehanort and his apprentice Ventus."
"Have there been any leads?"
"None," Cid said. "We've looked under every stone and in every cranny. Nothin'."
"I see." Yen Sid looked out the window of the meeting room and heaved a deep breath. He could only hope that the former instructor and the boy were safe. The same could be said for everyone in the room. The staff member Xehanort had disappeared about six months before with Ventus.
"At any rate, I'm going to go spy on the students," Jhevari said standing up. "See how much trouble they can really cause."
She exited the room with hands in her lab coat pockets. "I suppose should rehearse my speech a few more times," Yen Sid said.
"Yeah, I'll make sure the equipment's ready," Cid said exiting as well.
"I have some things I need to prepare as well." Eraqus left.
Yen Sid stroked his beard as he thought about the situation. He was concerned about everything: Maleficent, Xehanort, and the students. He stared into the colorful, cloudy abyss that surrounded the land mass that made up area the faculty quarters was situated on. The swirling colors had a bit of a calming effect on him but, he could tell they were in for a long school year.
Heart Gears
Sora, Riku, and Kairi, a group of students from the world Destiny Islands, looked at the stores in Twilight Town, where one of the entrances to the Academy was located. The ground was laid with golden tinted bricks as well the rest of the town. The path to the main gate of the Academy was only a few paces away.
Sora, with his incredibly spiky brown hair, was more interested in the other students than the stores. The same could be said for Riku, the aqua-eyed silverette. For his whole life he had been looking forward to the day he could get off his island World and that day had come and gone. Kairi, of both their redheaded friend, was the only one in the trio genuinely interested in the accessory shop they had stopped by.
Twilight Town was a relatively small place. In fact almost half of its populace was connected to school in some way ranging from simple tech support to a major faculty member. Students of World Order Academy always arrived at least three days before classes began. This gave them time to learn the lay of the land and mingle with others. They also were assigned their rooms and roommates. Sora was not too happy with his but that was something he would have to deal with later.
Of course there were a few in Twilight Town who didn't like the thought of the Academy students being there. Seifer Almasy was a prime example. Despite the fact that he was enrolled as a first year student himself the outsiders still didn't appeal to him or his posse of Fuujin and Raijin. The three of them were ganging up another student across the road.
Riku nudged Sora and pointed to situation. They wasted no time getting across the street to help the poor victim. "Hey, leave him alone," Riku said, shoving Seifer away harshly.
Seifer shoved back and sneered. "Just teaching this loser whose town he's in and whose school he's going to." He looked back over at blond haired boy with orange eyes. His sleeves were much longer than his arms.
"And is that supposed to be you?" Sora asked.
"Damn straight it is. You're looking at the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee."
"Yeah, Seifer and us are gonna win the tournament next month and make of you look like punks, y'know," the big bodied Raijin said.
"Easy victory," Fuujin followed up, her only visible eye gleaming.
"And just where do you think you're going?" The blond made a failed attempt to flee as Seifer put his body in the way.
"Leave him alone." Riku stepped in front of Seifer, jaw tightened.
"Fine then, you'll get what he had coming!" Seifer pulled back his fist for a punch. Riku quickly prepared to block a punch that never came. Seifer had a confused look on his face and turned around to see Kairi grabbing his arm.
"We don't want to get in trouble before class even starts, do we?" Seifer's face turned bright red as he looked at the red-head.
He tugged his arm out of her grip and turned. "I'll let you off easy today. Fuujin, Raijin, let's go." He turned and stalked away.
"You owe these three big time, y'know?" Raijin said to the blond who only rolled his eyes.
"Lucky," Fuujin added as she followed Seifer to wherever he was headed.
"Are you okay?" Kairi asked with voice of concern.
"Uh, yeah, thanks," the boy said. "I'm Duffie Barret if you were wondering."
"I'm Kairi Umihana," she replied smiling. "This Sora and Riku." She signaled them to reply.
"Hey," Riku said passively.
"Nice to meet ya," Sora grinned with his teeth showing. "Who were those guys anyway?"
"Beats me. Apparently they're locals who think they own the place," Duffie said. "I think you're better off just avoiding them."
"Somehow, I doubt it'll be that simple," Riku pointed out. "Say, where are you from?"
"Nautilus, Cocoon." Duffie replied. "It's called the 'City of Dreams' because of how much of the entertainment business sets up shop there. But, when you live there all your life and see how it works from the inside, it's not that big a deal."
"Wow, I've heard that it was amazing place, but to have lived there all your life you must have never been bored," Kairi said enthusiastically. "We're from Destiny Islands. It's pretty small compared to Cocoon but the weather's nice almost all year round."
"Yeah, minus the occasional storm and stuff you've got the beach every day," Sora added. Riku had grown disinterested in the conversation. The group wandered through the plaza talking about the school. Duffie had no plans on entering the first year tournament but Sora and the other two did. "You'd better cheer for us a month from now."
"Yeah, we're gonna clean up," Riku said high fiving Sora and Kairi.
"Better you than Seifer," Duffie said. "Anyway, I've got somewhere to be. See ya and thanks again."
"Alright, bye." Sora waved as Duffie left to where ever. "Well then, anything else you guys wanna do? We've got over an hour before orientation starts."
"Actually I wanna see if I can find my roommate," Kairi said. "She said she'd be hanging out with a friend right about now but, I haven't her seen since this morning. I wonder where she is."
"We'll the town isn't that big." Riku looked around the mass of people. "What does she look like?"
"Really long black hair, really dark blue eyes, dresses in all black."
"That shouldn't too hard to find," Sora said optimistically.
Heart Gears
Sora was proven wrong. About an hour had passed since they begun looking and Kairi's roommate was nowhere to be found. Kairi realized that she probably should have gotten the girl's phone number and planned to do so the next time they saw each other.
What she did not realize was that her roommate had found her and her friends. She sat on the roof of one of the many brick buildings that made up Twilight Town. Next to her stood a black boy with dreadlocks and pair of black cordless head phones over his ears. His dark green seemed to glow even in the sunlight. He wore jeans and red button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. "So that's your roommate?" he asked looking down at trio. "She doesn't look like much."
"That's true, Jake, but she's Keyblade Wielder. Her friends are as well." The girl, named Shizuko Kuroha, had a quiet, toneless voice. It matched her blank facial expression perfectly.
"Well, it's hard to tell, considering how many people are in such a close space." Jake removed the phones and put them around his neck. "I'll admit, though, they have some of the loudest songs of us first years. They'll be fun to screw with, huh?"
"Yes, but, are they really all people say they simply because they're Keyblade Wielders?" Shizuko balled up her right hand, gazing at the golden ring adorning it. "Accessory Wielders like me are often underestimated and they will probably be overestimated."
"Don't worry. As soon as soon we find our third member, it's all a matter of time. Evetually we'll face them and find out if they're all the hype they're." Jake's serious look and tone dropped as considered the time. He put his head phones back on and said, "But, for now we have an orientation to attend and a teacher to meet. Let's go."
He and Shizuko jumped across the roofs of Twilight Town heading towards their destination, the Academy.
Heart Gears
When Sora, Riku, and Kairi walked into the auditorium they found what they had expected: a bunch of excited teenagers talking about anything. The first thing Kairi looked for was her roommate. She found her and Jake leaning against a wall looking at the crowd of students. "Hey, Shizuko," Kairi said.
"Kairi, Sora, Riku." Shizuko greeted passively. All three of them could feel the coldness in the greeting.
"I was gonna introduce you but it looks like you know who they are."
"That's because we were spyin' on you about ten minutes ago." Jake's words earned him an elbow to the gut. "I mean we were spyin' on everyone, we just happened to find you guys ten minutes..." Shizuko looked at him. "I'll stop talking."
"And you are?" Riku asked.
"Jacob Marshall, but call me Jake." He pulled off his phones and looked at Riku. "I look forward to fighting you in a month but for now let's just try to get along."
"Yeah…" Riku shook the extended hand and felt something on contact. He was not sure what it was but, it felt he had been read like a book. When the hand was released, Riku couldn't help but to examine it. "So, what class are you guys in?"
"Sir Auron, same as you," he responded. "He was a real super Wielder with my mom back in the day. Now he's here teaching people like us. We got lucky if ya ask me."
"I guess," Riku replied. "We'd better find some seats. The orientation's about to start."
"You guys can sit with us," Kairi invited. "We're going to the same place anyway."
They quickly enough found some seats among the crowd of overexcited teens. The shushes from the faculty took some time to take effect. The students were more interested in the fact that they were attending the Academy than the person running it. Finally the voices got quieter. Yen Sid, in his blue robes and star-and-moon adorned hat, stepped up to the microphone. Behind him stood many department heads.
"Good afternoon, students." Most of them quickly realized his voice matched his stern face quite well. "It is my duty, privilege, and most of all pleasure to welcome you the 512th class to the World Order Academy of Heart Gear Wielders. The fact that you are here says something about each of you. Each of are extraordinarily gifted youths able to wield a Heart Gear. It is my own as well the faculty and staff here at the Academy's duty to teach you how to defend both the Worlds and peace that countless others have protected before you. Each of you has something unique and amazing to bring to the table and, it is here that we will cultivate it."
"Penis!" The offending student was quickly struck with a sudden lightning bolt.
What an idiot… Riku thought shaking his head. He actually chuckled a little bit.
"However, with peace comes limitation. Remember, when you are in the field you not only represent yourself but, also this Academy as well as your fellow students. As such you will conduct yourselves accordingly. I should not have to go into detail about what I mean by 'accordingly.' Feel free to go into town whenever you are not required to be elsewhere. On the days of Sunday through Thursday the curfew is ten P.M. and on Fridays and Saturdays midnight. Breaking curfew without justifiable cause will result in the suspension of that privilege."
A hand was raised.
"Losing track of time is not justifiable cause."
The hand went down and laughter filled the auditorium. It quickly died down allowing Yen Sid to continue. His speech went one for good thirty giving Riku a decent nap. Not many people actually listened to what was said.
"Now it is time for you to meet your instructors for this year. Please exit an orderly fashion and proceed to your classrooms." While he requested "orderly fashion" what he received was a mad rush to the doors.
Heart Gears
Sir Auron's classroom was in a lecture hall style. The room had five levels up that had ten desks each. Two exits were on either side at the ground floor or top level. The wooden teacher desk was in front of a large touch screen board with "Sir Auron" written it. There was at least eight meters of space on all sides but the back of the desk.
They found Duffie and discovered he was in their class as well. Much to Sora's disappointment, his roommate was in the class as well. Felix Hunter shared Sora's trait of having brown spiky hair but his was long and fell halfway down his back. His eyes were a somewhat dark shade of pink and his muscles well built. On wrists were arm black braces that had spikes on them and went a third the way up his forearms. But none of that caught as much attention as the crow that rested on his head.
"What's up, dumbass? Caw!" the bird said looking at Sora. It and Felix were crouching on a desk one level above them.
"You need to teach that bird some manners," Kairi said.
"Yeah, I don't see that happenin' anytime soon, Ginger." Felix said with a smug grin on his face. "But back to the question. What's up, dumbass? Ya look like you're not happy to see us."
"That's 'cause he isn't happy to see you, dumbass." An orange haired girl with a short haircut spoke in a sharp Latin accent. Her stocky build was effusive by her short stature. She was leaning back in the chair next to Felix with booted feet resting on the desk. A shotgun rested in her lap. "Me llamo Isabel Sanchez, putas colas."
"I can see why you don't like the guy." Riku commented facing Felix and his bird. His eyes traced over to Isabel's shotgun when he said "I'm going to assume you're entering the tournament as well."
"And you're damn right about that." Felix brandished a smile. "Seems like a fun time don't ya think. Me Izzy'll clean nice and easy."
"Wait, don't you need three people to enter?" Sora asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Felix realized his goof up. "Shut up! I'm workin' on it. We got a month."
"Alright brats, settle down!" Sir Auron walked in wearing a dark red haori with his left arm tucked in. His grey and black haired was tied back by a golden ribbon. Sunglasses covered his eyes and a scar ran down the right side of his face closing the eye. A large gray collar hid his mouth and chin and a long, thick one bladed sword was grasped in his right hand over his shoulder.
"I am Sir Auron. From this point until the end of this school year I will be your teacher. Feel free to call me 'Sir,' 'Sir Auron,' or 'Auron' but that's it. Don't call me 'Sir Aun,' 'Rock Aun,' or 'the Aun Meister.' Is that clear?" Felix decided to sit down when the question was asked. Anyone could tell Auron was no push over. "There are four very simple rules to follow in my classroom."
"Penis!"
The boys and a few girls including Isabel chuckled.
Auron responded by chucking his sword at the boy, planting it in the wall mere inches away from his head.
"Scratch that, five rules." The sword disappeared and reappeared in the teacher's hand. Everyone stared in awe and fear at the Auron's ability.
"Rule one: If I see, hear, or see even a vestige of a penis or any related organs you will be writing, 'Genitals are not and never will be remotely funny' five thousand times. Rule two: Shut up when I am talking. Rule three: Follow the instructions that I or any faculty member gives you. And the fourth most important rule is: Ask stupid questions."
Everyone looked at Auron in confusion. The man who had just a moment ago threatened someone's life over a word was telling them to ask stupid questions? He smiled. "Let me explain. By stupid questions I don't mean 'What time is it?' or 'Can I go to the bathroom?' I mean questions that should have an obvious answer; questions about things everyone else understands but, you don't. It's those questions that will save your life out in the field. Which leads us to rule five: never make fun of a person asking stupid questions."
The classroom looked at the man with attentive eyes. Riku in particular found himself locking eyes with him. Auron stared at the group before saying. "Hoshi, Kuroha, Hunter - down here, now!" The three and their companions went wide eyed as their names were called. "You don't want to break the rules before class even begins, do you?"
Sora Hoshi, Shizuko Kuroha, and Felix Hunter walked down the stairs and faced Auron. A look of hesitation was in Sora's face. Felix had slight grin on his face and, Shizuko's still remained blank. Light murmurs could be heard among the other students as they watched. "I want you three to use your Heart Gears and to come at me with everything you've got," Auron said blatantly. They stood there taken back by his words. "Well, you heard me, didn't you?"
Felix stepped up and popped his knuckles. "Alright, try not to get hurt!"
He charged with his fists up. He planted his foot in the ground and let his momentum go through his fist. Auron nimbly dodged the blow and began his assessment. Felix Hunter: reckless, impulsive, will think about his goals but won't think about how to achieve them. Seems to have a highly compact muscle mass like his siblings. Dangerous.
Sora summoned his Heart Gear, the Keyblade. It was shaped like a classic silver key with a golden handle. A mouse charm hung as a keychain. He jumped up and brought his weapon down from the air before it collided with Auron's. Sora Hoshi: brave almost to the point of being reckless. Strong will, ready to fight for what he believes in and the ones he cares about. The archetypical hero. Needs supervision. Auron shirked off the attack sending Sora into the ground and avoided a kick from Felix. Felix's leg flew into and destroyed Auron's desk.
Shizuko finally joined, throwing quick jabs. She then threw a six o'clock kick aimed at the teachers chin. Auron jumped back causing Felix to crash into Shizuko while going for a sleeper hold. Shizuko Kuroha: calm, calculating, murderous. Looks at everything from an objective stance. Waits for her opponent to leave an opening. She has a thorough lack of concern for people in general. Lives up to her family's reputation.
The three continued to attack only find themselves crashing into one another. "They don't stand a chance," Riku said, and looked at the somewhat comical sparring session.
"Of course they don't," Isabel said having hopped down into Sora's seat. "That bastard wouldn't be a teacher here if he could be beaten by us."
"She's right," Jake added. "Not to mention the all important fact that they're attacking as individuals rather than as a team." At that moment Felix found himself on the receiving end of one of Shizuko's kicks. He was launched into the air and landed on top of Sora who had been making a futile attempt to match Auron's sword.
"Damn…" Felix said as he stood up off of Sora rubbing his jaw. "That was for earlier wasn't it? Why is there iron in those boots?"
"I believe we've seen enough," Auron addressed the laughing students. "I don't see what's so funny. Even with their utter lack of coordination, they could still defeat almost everyone in this classroom at once. That's why I picked them out." The laughter stopped for the most part. "The first year at this Academy will be spent finding your strong suits and building a strong foundation on them. Your Heart Gear is a projection of your heart - meaning that if you can master it your power will much easier to harness."
Auron sat on the chair that was next to the splintered remains of his desk. "Most teachers are rambling on about how much fun the year's going to be. It will be fun but, that fun can only be obtained through hard work. Many of you will go on to be politicians, businessmen, and I'm sure there are some that will return home and join the World's military. However, there are also a few of you who will join the World Order." He stood back and looked at his students.
"You're dismissed but, remember one thing. This is it. This is your story. It all begins here."
Heart Gears
A boy with steel blue hair sat in silence at a table on the fourth level of the library. His hair fell in front of the right side of his face hiding it from view. A black book was in front of him opened with eyes locked in place. Then the elevator opened. He turned to see who it was only to see her again. She was a classmate of his who caught people's attention with her brown skin and long white hair. Of course, another factor was her large bust size but, Ienzo, as the boy was called, was a bit more mature about it than the other males in the class of Basch fon Ronsenberg. Though he had to admit it was an impressive sight.
Simone Boneau, the girl, had caught Ienzo's eye solely for than fact that she had displayed an incredibly high intellect unlike the other boys who had caught sight of her chest.
"Hey," Simone said with a smile revealing her teeth. "You're Ienzo, right?"
"Simone…" he said without looking up. "A full chain scythe Wielder that has become the girl to get in our class. What brings you here?"
"Well, you know, where else to get a little peace and quiet but the library? The selection here is amazing. I'm sure you've already realized it but, the collection here is far beyond most in the universe. They have works here that were supposedly lost centuries ago. Homer and Paul. Hell, they even have some of Oscar Wilde's manuscripts. Did you know that this library is even bigger than the one they have at the World Order HQ? That's pretty ironic considering the Head Quarters makes the campus look small."
It was new but pointless knowledge as far as Ienzo was concerned.
"As matter of fact the Gummi hanger in the HQ makes this place small but, there's the fact that it houses war class Gummi ships. Speaking of which, our current head of IT, Cid Highwind, used to work there as an engineer. They say he could make some the best ships in the history of the World Order." Truthfully Ienzo had tuned her out some time ago. He found his book to be much more interesting than the pretty girl standing in front of him rambling. "Hey, are you even listening?"
"To be honest, no," he said flatly. "Your rambling is actually pretty annoying. May I please ask you to be quiet or focus on one topic?"
"With that attitude, you'll never make any friends. Let alone get a girlfriend," Simone retorted.
Ienzo smiled. "I don't have time for things like that. As a student of this Academy, I doubt you do either. I mean, you are single. And rumor it has you've lived at the Academy all your life"
"Those have nothing to do with each other," Simone said taking a seat at the table. "The reason I don't have a boyfriend is because I'm not looking for one right now. Most boys our age are immature perverts."
"In other words, you're afraid they'll only want you for your chest." Ienzo dropped his book when he felt a sharp in his shin. "I'm just saying that's what every other guy in the class looked at."
"Don't remind me." She turned away.
"So basically you're intelligent, self-conscious girl who uses scythes, how nice."
"You wanna say that again?" She threatened with fire escaping with her breath.
"How in the world did you pass the entrance exams with such a short temper?"
"Like you're one to talk. The only time I've seen you outside the library was for orientation. How the hell can you practice when you never get outside?"
"Because unlike the rest of you all I need is a sharpened mind to fight."
"Is that so?" Simone said smiling. "Care to explain?"
"If must know…" Ienzo said in an annoyed tone. "My magic is illusion based. I don't need to attack my opponents directly since they're usually lost in whatever fantasy I decide to send them to. Is that a good enough answer?"
"Okay then, you're gonna be on my team for the tournament next month."
"The tournament…? Why should I help you?"
"Because I'm sure otherwise you'll be cooped up in here for the next four years." She pointed that out in a mocking tone.
Ienzo thought about it for moment and made a decision. "Fine then but, our alliance ends with the tournament. After that it'll be like we never knew each other. Also, I get a say in the third member. If I'm doing this might as well play to win. Is that clear?"
"Fair enough. I've already got someone you're gonna like."
Heart Gears
"Alright, loser, no one's gonna bail you out this time." Seifer had his Heart Gear the Hyperion in his hand and pointed at Duffie. It was a type of weapon known as the gunblade. There was a long blade sharpened on both ends. One side curved out came back in straight then hooked before restoring its original width. The handle was a black pistol connected to the blade.
Raijin and Fuujin were standing behind him making sure a teacher didn't come along and spoil their fun. "I'm not gonna hurt ya too bad, just enough to get the message across to you and everyone else in this school."
"Really now, maybe I'll deliver it while you're in the infirmary."
Seifer turned around and saw Sora, Riku and Jake standing on the sidewalk leading to the courtyard they were in. Sora and Riku had summoned their HG's before their arrival. In Riku's hand was a Keyblade. The blade was a long bat wing with an angle wing for the teeth. He held high with one hand with the point facing forward.
"You two again and some idiot who showed up without his HG. I'll take care of you, after I kick his ass."
"Just try it," Jake said smiling.
"Why don't you just make me!" Seifer turned and brought the Hyperion down from his right only to have Duffie's right arm stop it. "What the hell!" Seifer stepped back as he looked at Duffie who had a completely different look on his face than weak little boy he had pinned down a second ago. Then, he saw something in the corner of his eye. He looked at the lamp post and saw Duffie leaning against it the base of it. "Then who's this!"
"What an annoying person you are. Shouldn't it be obvious?" The apparently fake Duffie said. His body began to melt into metallic liquid. "I changed places with the real Duffie while you had your attention on those three." His voice was distorted as his body came apart in a formless mass of silver. When it solidified Shizuko was standing in his place. She held up her right hand and showed her ring. "My Heart Gear is the Doppelganger's Ring. As long it doesn't exceed my original mass, I can take on any form whatsoever."
"So now you're ganging up on me." Seifer's arrogance returned. "Whatever, guess the entire school's gonna know the three of us."
"Please, don't stick us in the same crowd as you." Riku lowered Way to Dawn. "We actually have some concern for the rules. Right, Kairi?"
Kairi came up behind him with a man's wrist in her grasp. He had brown hair that stuck up at the top. On his right hand was a simple black wrist band. On the other was a piece of armor that went from his wrist to his shoulder. "Right," Kairi said huffing and puffing.
"The rules say we're allowed to have formal duels as long as there's a faculty member supervising." Riku explained. "I'm pretty sure Terra fits the bill."
"I do," Terra said walking in between the two groups and looked at the lamp post. "Aren't you a lucky one?" He watched as Shizuko crossed the courtyard while Duffie chuckled to himself. "Now then, who will be fighting?"
"Me," Riku said stepping forward.
"I'll handle this guy you two just sit back and wait." Seifer walked forward leaving Fuujin and Raijin behind.
"Alright then, are you both ready?" Terra looked at both of them as they nodded. "Go!" He stepped back as their swords clashed. They pushed off each other and attacked again. This time Seifer pulled the trigger on the handle. A charge of energy surged through his weapon transferring over to Riku. The silver haired boy backed off and let the gunblade fall to the ground damaging the cobblestone path. A deep depression was where the weapon had landed.
Riku saw the damage and moved back to avoid an upward slash. He thrust his Keyblade forward forcing Seifer to sidestep. He then kicked Seifer and moved back, choosing to create some distance. Riku gathered some magic into his hands, converted it into a fireball, and threw it. Seifer counterattacked with some of his own fire cancelling out Riku's. Seifer immediately thrust his gunblade at his opponent's shoulder and pulled the trigger. Riku avoided being stabbed but a heavy cut was inflicted on his left shoulder. Sora and Kairi showed a look of concern as blood began to soak his shirt.
Riku raised his sword again. Seifer sneered and charged at him ready to end the fight with a single blow. Riku ducked and put his free hand against Seifer's chest. "Bye." Riku unleashed a fireball at pointblank range sending Seifer flying. His grip on the Hyperion released when he hit the ground grunting in pain. He clutched his chest feeling the burns as Riku stood over him with the Keyblade in hand smiling with victory.
"I'd say Riku wins," Terra said smiling. "But you'll both need to go to the infirmary." That was fairly obvious considering Riku's deep cut and Seifer's burn.
"We're not about take that, y,know!" Raijun shouted. A wooden pole appeared in his hands. It had sections, each descending in size from the outsides to the center piece.
"Simple." Fujin summoned her single, blue chakram with bladed edges.
Both of them lunged at Duffie making they finished the job Seifer had began. Duffie's eyes were rolled at the attack and fist was balled. Before he took his own action a bolt of lightning struck the ground in between them. Terra shook his head at the spectacle.
"Well, well aren't we all rough and tough." Said a male as vision returned to those in the courtyard. Standing on the charred pavement stood a tall seventeen year old student. His long brown hair was kept from blocking his pink eyes with a blue bandanna. On his shoulder was a black koala.
Fujin and Raijin stopped dead in their tracks looking the student whose body sparked with electricity. "So come on. Hit me." He taunted with a smile. Neither of them moved. Seifer ducked his head. Everyone else looked in wonder as what was going on except who simply rolled his eyes. "Don't be a puss. I smell a puss. Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!" He held out his hand causing both to duck down. "Shouldn't've been a puss."
A bolt a lightning shot from his and arced over their heads. Thunder followed as the bolt hit something in the town. The flames from the explosion that was created were instantly visible as well as loud, angry, "Damn it, Weston!"
"Oops, missed." Weston said mockingly. "Later." He vanished in a flash. Raijin and Fujin quickly collected Seifer and ran off.
"Who the hell was that?" Jake asked looking at the blaze.
"Weston." Terra said with annoyance his voice. "Take my advice: avoid him at all costs. His strength is real but he's insane. Hey, Riku we'd better let Dr. Jhevari take a look at that shoulder."
"Uh, right." Riku said gazing out the flames himself.
Riku walked away with Terra. Kairi followed them.
"Damn it, I'm hungry," Jake complained. "We were supposed to be getting something to eat right now but, no, you had to save blond kid." Jake looked down and raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, how the hell did you get into this Academy and be so weak?"
"Well excuse me for…huh." Duffie found himself lifted in the air and made eye level with Jake.
"That means you've gotta have some secret skill you ain't shown yet." Jake's devious smile scared Duffie. "Shizuko, we found our third member." Jake tucked Duffie under with his arm screaming to be released. Three left down the path they had arrived on to get some food.
"I'm all alone," Sora said with a down trodden expression as he looked at the setting sun.