Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Shaman King, Yu-gi-oh, or any of the anime, video games, or their characters or aspects that are featured in this fanfic. I use Yu-gi-oh! dub names, but not necessarily attacks. In an unintended, ironic way, I use Shaman King Japanese names, but dubbed attacks. Thank you for reading this fic; I hope you will be patient for my schedule to allow updates. Enjoy!
Italics are stressed words, techniques, object names, thoughts, or ethereal voices. Bold text is writing or highly stressed words. Underlined text is used only in incredibly stressed words or dialogue with more than one voice speaking.
00000
Light slowly filled his eyes, the soft sounds of the seas assuring him he was home. His normally peace-filled mind was still troubled by the dream he had just experienced: A strange series of platforms... his friends asking him questions about life... a voice that called to him, telling him not to worry (as if he needed help there), and a towering shadow that dragged him into darkness...
He was pulled out of his daze by a sharp choking sensation around his neck, and a curt girl's voice. "Your break ended five minutes ago, Yoh!"
Though not normally bearing a hairstyle filled with sand or the long chain of beads cutting off his air, Yoh Asakura was more or less used to it. His hair was arranged in a strange, unkempt series of brown angles, and a pair of orange headphones covered his ears. A white, unbuttoned shirt revealed his bare chest, while a pair of green pants led to sandal-covered feet. His eyes were brown and, though now wide with the sudden shock, normally portrayed a sleepy, serene look.
Getting to his feet quickly after the noose was lifted, he took several deep breaths before grinning sheepishly. "Sorry I overslept again, Anna. Manta was supposed to wake me up, though... ."
The girl who sighed at this response was slightly shorter than Yoh, but the serious look in her dark eyes made her seem more imposing. She wore a one-piece black dress, with a smaller necklace around her neck, and a long, red bandana over her short blonde hair.
"He's cleaning our house, like he has been since an hour before your break" Anna explained, sounding annoyed "and we're still short on supplies for the boat, so get back to gathering."
Yoh nodded, still looking confused, which caught his trainer's eye.
"Something wrong?"
"I just... had a weird dream. Something about keys, doors, and light... but it felt really real!"
"If that's your best excuse for slacking off, you really need more sleep" another annoyed voice declared. Yoh turned to see a teenager around his height, wearing a sleeveless red shirt and black jeans. His hair was a dark purple, and even more unnatural in its back, which was a perfect, singular diagonal spike into the air. His expression matched his voice, but his yellow eyes showed more of a humorous light than usual.
"The same could be said about both of you, Ren." Anna countered. "The two of you fight as much as you complain about my training."
The more serious boy glared at her, then turned to Yoh again. "I've finished my half of the raft, and half of your girlfriend's part-" he dodged the chain of beads from the mentioned girl before continuing"-so if you can just find a few logs, a rope, and a cloth, we can call it a day."
Yoh grinned again, his worry decreasing. "Thanks, Ren. We meet at the small island at sunset, right?"
The two nodded and dashed back to their assigned search locations. Anna merely shook her head, hidinga grin under her frown. "Building a raft to go to other worlds... insane."
XX0XX
Ryumasa the Ryuhaitou presents...
Spirit of the Heart.
00X00
It was a few hours later when the three sat atop the small island adjacent to the shore, two of them exhausted from collecting and putting together a raft for three. Ren was sitting on the edge, his legs dangling over the water several feet below, while Yoh and Anna were sitting on the bent tree beside him.
"Anna?" Ren suddenly said, the orange light of the sinking sun mixing with his amber eyesWould you mind if I asked something?"
"Is it in any way related to another week off?" she asked from her spot on the tree, lazily leaning on Yoh. From a young age, the two had been engaged by their parents, though Yoh didn't seem to care that much, and she was comfortable using it as means of control. She had been training Yoh and Ren to fight for years, a daily hobby that started when they were children, though none of them remembered why.
"This was hardly a week off from your hellish training... but no. I wanted to know why you even agreed to this. It's hardly logical enough for me, let alone you, to agree to it, and I was sure you would refuse."
"Yeah!" Yoh remarked, interested as well. "I was confused enough when Ren thought of building a raft, but why did you agree to go with us?"
She sat straight up again, glaring at the two of them. "Because you two would either kill yourselves or each other trying to do anything without me. Isn't that reason enough?"
Ren grunted, turning back to the sun. "Perhaps..."
"How about you, Ren?" Yoh inquired curiously. "Why did you even think of it? The phrase to see other worlds wasn't very informing."
"Well... look around."
The sharper eyed one stood up, and his rival and trainer soon followed, as the two boys' eyes trailed over their surroundings. "What do you see that's different from usual?"
"Uh... nothing."
"Exactly" Ren agreed, frowning. "The same old island... same houses, same beaches, same everything! Fourteen years on this world, and nothing's happened that hasn't happened a thousand times before! I know there are greater things out there... greater experiences... greater challenges... and more freedom."
He cast a scalding glare at Anna, who yawned, used to it.
"I don't believe our possible suicide or murder attempts are your greatest concern for this journey. Everyone knows you weren't born here on the island, even though this island is all we know to exist!"
The teenage girl suddenly walked past him, startling the two. "It's getting late. Both of you get some rest; we still have to get food ready tomorrow!"
Dumbstruck, Yoh was the first to respond. "Was she mad?"
"...maybe. It seems impossible that she'd be angered by something like that, though..."Ren shrugged. Wordlessly, he grabbed a fruit from the tree, and started the walk to his house. Yoh glanced at the other star-shaped fruits on the tree with slight confusion, then quickly followed Anna's route.
00000
Later that night, or, in this case, day, several worlds away, a tall figure walked through the halls of a pristine castle. He had strictly controlled brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and wore a long, white duster over a red shirt, the former of which was laced with silver, dragon-shaped patterns. In his right hand was a long, grey staff, which ended in the shape of a hat that was purple and pink-striped. He didn't seem to notice the line of purple-robed skeletons walking by him, carrying buckets of water.
He stopped at door so massive it nearly hit the ceiling, and tapped six times on the large handle. A small section near him opened, revealing the actual door, and he walked in, taking in the empty throne room.
"I've got the reports as you instructed, sir." He began, looking down as his pulled a stack of papers from his coat, his voice echoing in the room. "Mahado has the new Gummi design up and running, the Skull Servants are all working as ordered, and-"
He looked up, and his eyes widened as he saw the throne accompanied by a small creature, made mostly of brown fur, whose two green eyes were closed in content as it cooed from the cushy seat.
"Kuriboh?" He shouted, waking the creature up, which flew to him quickly. "Where's King Y-"
A letter fell onto his head as the furball zoomed away, bonking into the huge door a few times before dizzily leaving through the correct spot. Opening it quickly, his eyes widened further and further as he read.
A few minutes later, a blonde-haired young man was sleeping in a nearby garden, surrounded by expertly made designs of varying creatures as well as one of the castle. He was wearing a full suit of armor, which was partly why he opened his golden-brown eyes, as he heard a hat-shaped staff clanging against his helmet.
"Wha...I ...Kaiba?" He yawned, stretching before relaxing again. "It's too early ta' argue right now..."
"You can get up before I electrify your tin-covered, steel-plated skull, if you want."
Instantly on his feet, the knight snarled at the mage. "Sheesh, what's your problem?"
"It's OUR problem, Joey." Kaiba explained, handing him the note. "Read this and meet me at the Gummi station in an hour, and DON'T tell ANYONE!"
Joey blinked. "Uh, okay... we goin' somewhere?"
Kaiba was silent for a few seconds, and Joey stepped back as his eyes shone furiously." Yes, you could say that. If sneaking out before Queen Tea or Ishizu sees us counts as preparing for a vacation!"
"Really?" A new voice asked, familiar and stopping Kaiba in his tracks. Turning to see the two he had just mentioned, he cast a weak lightning spell on the knight behind him.
XXXXX
Yoh stretched, still waking up as he stepped into a small cove the next day. Ren was already there, carefully examining a large amount of mushrooms.
"We have the ship ready to leave at a moment's notice. Well, once we find food, anyway." Ren explained to his friend, standing up, a suspicious smirk on his face. "All we need now is a name. I suggest we name it the Tao, since I came up with the idea."
Yoh snorted. "Yeah, great idea. That way we can blame it on your family if the boat just falls apart at sea."
Snarling at his rival, Ren countered. "Well, what would you name it?"
" ... Harusame." He answered after a few seconds.
"Yoh, that's what you named that fish we caught before it got away. And the bird we healed before it flew into a tree. And the sand castle before the tidal wave. And-"
"Or, we could decide the usual way." Yoh interrupted, causing both of them to grin confidently. Anna sighed from her reclining spot against the side wall. "Fine, I'll be the judge of your little race."
"First one to the star on the ledge and back wins, as usual." Ren reminded.
"Right! And to make it more interesting, how about the winner becomes captain!" Yoh suggested.
"I'M the captain. "Anna said as she neared her position, destroying that thought.
As the two lined up, Yoh slightly disappointed, Ren smirked again. "Actually, I have something better in mind... how about the winner uses this with Anna?"
Yoh blinked as Ren revealed the fruit he had taken yesterday." Uh... what's that?"
"A Paopu fruit. Any couple that shares one become eternally connected to each other." He whispered.
"WHAT?"
"On your marks," Anna started, not hearing Ren's statement," Get set..."
Before he forgot, Yoh got into position, still startled but determined not to lose focus. "GO!"
Anna watched the two of them race, her trained eye noting their improvements. She sighed as Yoh nearly fell from the cliff with the star, but blinked in surprise as he grabbed the edge, flipped onto the platform, and briefly touched the star before leaping over a startled Ren. The two continued trying to cut each other off the entire way as they leapt from treetop to treetop, and Yoh finally managed to get ahead just in time to finish the race.
Panting heavily, Yoh glanced at his friend, who was frowning. "There wasn't any need to act so rashly; I was only joking."
Yoh facefaulted, before Anna stepped up to him. "Ren lost, so he can gather most of the things we need. Unfortunately, these mushrooms he found are poisonous. If you can get yourself up, grab some from the old cave."
A few minutes later, the brown-haired boy trudged toward the mentioned cave, still nursing his slightly hurt pride. However, his mood lifted as he entered the cool, stony room, looking around at the many carved shapes and symbols.
He pocketed a large number of fresh-looking mushrooms, and was about to leave, before he noticed one carving in particular... an old one, of two childish faces, one grinning sheepishly with wildly spiked hair, the other with closed eyes and a bandana. Blushing as he remembered the day it had been carved, he picked up a small stone, and over the course of a few moments, added an arm holding a star-shaped fruit to his own caricature.
"Well, at least Anna never comes in here... so she won't see and then kill-"
"We're connected now."
Yoh's head turned, along with the rest of him, to view a startling shape; someone around his height, completely covered in a dark robe, was standing near the strange door that was seemingly carved into the wall.
"Wha...what?"
"We're tied together, your world, my world, and others..." The mysterious one continued, and Yoh shivered as he realized how eerily similar the stranger's voice was to his. "Soon all will be shrouded in flames of darkness..."
"Who are you?" Yoh asked, slightly angered at the lack of manners and frightening attitude of the stranger. "Where did you come-" His eyes widened as he looked at the door. "From in there? It opened?"
"...so, you don't know what's behind that door?" Asked the shadowed one. His unseen head shook, and a chuckle came from the hood. "You're worse off than I imagined. Even less knowledgeable than I thought ..."
With an uncharacteristic growl, Yoh retorted, "Hey! Just because I don't know a lot of things, doesn't mean it'll always be that way! I'll learn a lot as soon as I see other places!"
A tense silence came before the unknown face replied. "I highly doubt that. They didn't learn when they saw the unusual... but maybe I'm wrong..."
Yoh looked to the door and back again, but in that split second, the mysterious man had vanished.
"You're so small..."
Hours later, he and Anna were back at the same spot as yesterday. After a long couple of moments of just being there, Yoh still confused over what had happened that day and over his own earlier thoughts, Anna stated," Ren's different, isn't he?"
"Huh? Well, yeah, I guess... he speaks a lot less, he smiles more, he's actually told a few jokes since he thought up this raft idea.."
Anna stood, walking to the edge of the small isle and staring at the sunset. "I've thought about it since yesterday... and I've decided he was partially right. I do want to see if I have a home out there..."
Yoh smiled, copying her movements and standing beside her. "And I'll be there to meet your real parents with you! Of course, that might mean they'll want to speed up the engagement... maybe I should just stay behind when that day comes."
"Or, we could just take the raft and go...right now, alone!"
Yoh froze in place, stiff as a board against his prearranged fiance. She glared at him, though he didn't see the faint blush on her cheeks. "I'm joking, idiot. Besides, we'll need Ren if we ever have any trouble ."
She walked past him, for some reason looking angry, and Yoh slowly turned his head back to watch her go. He rubbed his still throbbing head, more confused than ever, and followed her, again, to their home.
00000
The royal library was roughly the size of the throne room, but looked smaller due to the massive lines of books on every wall and shelf. In the center of it all, however, in the empty space, stood Kaiba, Joey, and two others. Queen Tea was slightly shorter than Joey with neck-length brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a regal fuchsia dress. To her side was Ishizu, Kaiba's height and tanned, with blue-tinged black hair and an Egyptian style dress.
At the moment though, all four were concentrated on the details of a single letter...
Dear Seto, or, if you still insist, High Mage General Kaiba;
More and more worlds are being destroyed each day. I'm sure you've noticed how few the stars have become since that day when he left, and you and I both know something needs to be done. There's something called a 'key'; the key to saving us from destruction. I need you and Joey to go to Traverse Town and try to find the person with this key. Ask for a man named Regal Bryant; he can help. I'll be back as soon as I can! Sincerely, Y.
(P.S. Apologize to Tea for me.)
Seto Kaiba sighed as Ishizu finished reading the note aloud. "Well, any idea what it means?"
"Nothing. My powers have decreased since then, Kaiba, as you know. The future is too clouded for me to tell... " Ishizu answered.
Queen Tea smiled sadly. "I'm sure the King knows what to do.. he always does. We just have to have faith in him."
"But what about that key thingy?" Joey asked. "Shouldn't we try and find it.?"
"Exactly what I was going to command you to do." Tea agreed. "And, to chronicle your travels..." She struck harshly at her neck, then flung a tiny, flat thing into Kaiba's hand, which inflated to reveal what looked like a flea in peasant's clothing, with a humanoid beard.
"Greetings and salutations." It said in a nasally voice. "My name is Myoga."
Seto didn't complain; it meant a load less paperwork when and if they returned. He looked to each of the three others in the room, receiving nods from the two ladies, and a fierce salute from Joey. Sighing again, the mage grabbed him by the arm. "You're coming along, too, mutt."
XXXXX
It was quiet in the room Yoh slept in, the usual lack of sounds from Anna's room making him nervous, for some reason. His eyes went to the old toys he had, of ships and sailors, to the photos of his life's fondest memories...
A clap of thunder went by, though he wasn't shocked. Storms were common during this season, and the worst they could do would be to take the- He leapt out of bed, and rushed outside. "The raft! I have to- what!"
Far above him, a swirling black sphere hung in the air, causing ripples in the sky around it. Somehow sickened, Yoh looked around to see what had happened. And then, with a flash, he remembered a dream he had dreamt of the other day...
Small creatures were coming out of the ground; forming from shadows that slithered up to him. Each one was up to his knee while kneeling, roughly the height of his friend Manta, and made of pure darkness, aside from two large, glowing yellow eyes. He remembered eyes that matched those shade, and looked to see a familiar face on the small isle. With fluid movements from years of training, he grabbed his wooden sword from the pier, and batted it at the creatures, though it seemed to do nothing to them, merely passing through.
Somehow, he made it to the bridge leading to the small piece of land, and found Ren there, his Kwan Dao in hand, staring into the sky. "It's here Yoh... we're going."
"What are you talking about, Ren?" Yoh shouted over the wind. "We have to go! We need to find Anna, and-"
"She's coming with us! Didn't you hear her?" Ren screamed back, causing Yoh to step aside in shock. The look in his friend's eyes was manic, possessed. "I realize now that we may never return here... you may never see your parents, nor will I see my sister or anyone else here again.. but we have to go! And I'm NOT afraid of some swirling pool of nothing!"
Yoh grimaced as he stepped toward his friend, somehow not perturbed by the blackness forming around them both, he reached out to his friend, who in turn stretched out his own hand... total darkness formed around them, blocking all sight. Yoh gasped as he felt something strange in his friend's palm, and in the shock pulled back-
A blast of pure, white light erupted around him; Ren was gone, along with his wooden blade...but the latter of which was not his concern, especially now... now that he looked down, and saw what had appeared in that dark moment.
It appeared to be a sword... a sword shaped like a key. A golden, rounded hilt like a key's bottom side curved around his hand, and the long, silver blade ended in two rounded edges. And somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice called...
Keyblade...
Without meaning too, he whirled his body around and swiped the weapon into one of the creatures that had formed behind him. Instantly it erupted in violet light and vanished, leaving no stain on the ground or blade. Though the meaning behind it was lost on Yoh, he realized that this weapon could harm the creatures. He looked over the area again, and realized, while cutting approaching beasts, that the area of the cave now had a sterling silver door in front of it. He leapt from the platform to the beach, destroying more shadows as he went, and as he approached the door, it opened of it's own accord.
He stopped, looking behind him. The creatures had paused, ceasing their advance towards the young boy, and seemed to be watching him, waiting for him to do something. Knowing if they followed he could easily take them in the narrow cave, he dashed on. Very shortly, he saw a half-greeting sight; Anna.
However, as the young girl turned to her fiance, he saw her face; it was dreary, sad, weak... with a slow, low voice, she muttered his name.. and the door in front of her opened, letting a terrible gust of wind out of it. On instinct, he stretched his arms to catch her... only to see her vanish in his arms. He lost his balance, and the wind shot him straight out of the cave, landing him in.. the cove?
He blanched; all there WAS was the cove. The world around him, ocean, beach, and everything except the small are he was on, was GONE. A familiar sound of something large rising from the ground came to him, and once more turned around to see a horrifying sight.
The monster from his dream... the BIG one. Easily four times his height, with massive arms and tentacle- like hair, with a large, heart-shaped hole through its chest. Before, he had been holding a sword, silver and heavy... but now...
He braced his Keyblade firmly, and leapt against the beast just as one of those titanic fists barreled toward him. His mouth moved, shouting something out, he couldn't hear himself...and then he felt his blade connect. He had leapt straight into the beast's face, and the blade had slashed it in two.
He felt himself falling upward...another strange sensation his dream had contained...he was lifting into the sphere, hearing the endless rush of a dying world...
Then, nothing.
00000
"Heh, I gotta' hand it to ya', Kaiba; these duds look pretty cool."
"Hmph."
"I still don't see why Kuriboh came with us, but it's nice to know its worried about Yuge, too!"
"Hmph."
"You got any idea where dis' Regal guy is?"
"I'm tired of clearing my throat, so, to answer, NO!" Seto shouted loudly.
The need for a change in attire to protect the boundaries of the worlds had allowed him to practice some long neglected materialization magic, and he had done well, in his opinion. His duster was shorter, without the silver emblems, and his staff was safely hid within it. Joey's armor was replaced with a green trench coat and white shirt, and his shield-
"Why aren't you hiding that? Normal people don't keep shields on their backs, Wheeler!"
"Normal people don't have "Hmph" as half of their dictionary, either." Joey growled back. His eyes suddenly moved upward, attracted by the change he had sadly grown accustomed to seeing. "There goes another star."
"I'm glad you can control that stupid accent when you're being serious. Now come on; my little brothers and their alternating attachment have some supplies for us."
Solemnly following the sorcerer, Joey blinked again as he noticed one of their group heading toward a back alley. "Hey, Kuriboh-"
"Just let it go, Wheeler. With any luck, a cat will eat it, and it'll have gone full circle."
"...dude, I'm starting to worry about your mind."
"Good, we feel the same towards our allies."
As the two continued to bicker, entering the small item shop, Kuriboh literally bounced between the walls until it came to its target; un unconscious young boy, holding a large key in his hand. It gently tapped him on the face with it's tiny green claw, and earned an involuntary thwack at his discovery's left hand.
Yoh opened his eyes, saw the growling puffball, and muttered, "must be dreaming." Kuriboh chose that exact time to explode, throwing him against the wall and snapping him awake. "ACK!"
He breathed quick, shallow breaths as he calmed down, and watched as the dust and smoke around him re -formed into the same small, furry creature. With a cooing sound that was more like a giggle, it spun around and flew away into the air.
"Okay.. that was strange." Yoh stated, pushing himself to the ground. Wiping dirt off of his grass- colored jeans, walked forward, his eyes taking in the strange surroundings. "Where am I?"
As he exited the alley, and saw for himself the large, central area of the town, his eyes widened. "I'm... in a different world... but where're the others?"
Yoh lifted the unusual weapon in his hand, looking over it once again. "Whatever that voice was, it called this the Keyblade...and what were those shadow things?"
"Heartless. They are called the Heartless."
By this point, Yoh was getting used to meeting mysterious figures, so he calmly turned to face the informing person, who was standing across the small street, on the other side of the house he was next to. However, years of training in senses above those of normal humans shocked him as he sensed the aura around the newcomer. It was thick, tough, fierce; quite like his initial appearance to Yoh.
His shirt was white and pants green, mimicking Yoh, but the shirt varied in the fact that it was half as big as it should have been, stretched tightly against ripped muscle and ending in unusually short sleeves. Below the jeans were his feet, covered in a pair of boots hidden behind large, heavy-looking greaves. His hair was uncontrolled, tangled and reaching below his neck, a dark blue color. Under the same-colored eyebrows were a pair of equally blue eyes, oddly serene looking, even though his face indicated a glare to the young boy.
The strangest thing about this man, however, was obvious even to Yoh's unassuming mind; he was shackled. Two large iron braces, one on each arm, were connected by a single pair of chain links, forcing his large fists into a praying position.
Though strange, it wasn't what startled him. The aura surrounding the man... as stated before, it was thick, but not just in power. There seemed to be two individual auras swimming around him, one, the more noticeable, his own, but the other was... cold. Unemotional, blank. He felt woozy just sensing it, which was evident as he started swaying side to side... with a slightly resentful feeling, he conked out again, his last vision being the chained man approaching.
XXXXX
Again, he groggily opened his eyes, vaguely wondering how long he'd been unconscious, before he snapped awake, a familiar face bringing a grin to his own. Anna smiled as she turned to face him. "Good, you're awake."
Yoh blinked, confusion returning with a vengeance. 'A smile?' Before he could speak again, his fiance continued. "It's that Keyblade you have with you; it's attracting the Heartless. We're safe in here right now, though, so everything's okay."
"Uh, Anna? It's nice to know you're safe, but where's Ren? And why are you so... easy-going all of a sudden?"
A concerned, slightly confused look to match his own appeared on his friend's face, shocking him further. "Er, maybe you're still out of it... my name's Winry, not Anna."
Yoh rubbed his eyes vigorously, and realized he must've imagined it, though the girl in front of him did look slightly like his friend. She had blonde hair (though much longer than Anna's), and kept it in a red bandana. However, the black, dress-like clothing his friend wore switched places with a form-fitting tube top. She had appeared Anna's height because she was kneeling to face Yoh, but as she stood up, he realized she was a head taller than him, give or take a few inches.
"Hey, Regal? He's woken up, I think..."
He followed her gaze to see the man from before, leaning calmly against the wall of the red-themed room they were in. His aura had calmed, which Yoh was thankful for, so he felt no queasiness in the room. "Forgive me for being so aggressive earlier; I should have considered you would sense that. My name is Regal Bryant, from Tethe'alla."
Yoh nodded dumbly as the man with shackles made a surprisingly graceful bow in apologizing. "Yoh Asakura... from Destiny Island... I guess."
"You must not have met with anyone before me." Regal noted, staring back down to the floor. "You're currently in Traverse Town, which is a world founded to house those whose worlds have been lost."
"Lost?"
Winry looked down as well, with a sadder expression than her associate. "The Heartless are creatures without hearts of their own.. and they seek out the hearts of worlds. When they reach it... they devour it, and that world is lost."
"Our worlds, and those of many others, and now, it seems, yours, have suffered this fate." Regal continued, noting the oddly calm expression on Yoh's face. Usually giving this explanation brought gasps, large-eyed looks, and long hours of tears. "The Heartless either appear as the pure black creatures you probably saw, or in a variety of different forms and shapes with the emblem of a shattered heart somewhere on their body. The only thing truly known is that they fear this."
Regal lifted the Keyblade, which he had been hiding behind him, and it instantly vanished. Yoh felt it in his hands the next moment, and looked over it's silver sheen once more. "As you can see, it returns automatically to its wielder. The Heartless fear it, and so they come in droves whenever they sense it."
"Okay..." Yoh said slowly. "Then... why aren't they attacking now?"
At that second, two dull, erupting noises sounded in the small room. Without even thinking, both fighters cut through the two Shadows that appeared. "That answered that!"
"Winry! Get Raine and head for the 1st District!" Regal said, suddenly sounding very authoritative, his aura making Yoh flinch again. "Yoh, follow me!"
Most people would've blinked and ignored that command, considering Regal leapt out the window, but Yoh was used to far more insane stunts, and followed, landing next to the blue-haired martial artist and swinging his new blade through a small, red, flying Heartless as he did so.
"Yoh, tell me, are you a shaman?"
Yoh blinked as the blue-eyed fighter continued fighting, even in conversation. "How'd you know?"
Regal smiled as Yoh struck another Heartless. "I'll tell you later. There's someone in the 3rd District you need to meet; someone strong. You can get there by leaving this alley and going through the Gizmo Shop in 2nd District. I'll take care of the small fry around here while you're there."
Yoh grit his teeth as his hand shook; the Keyblade vibrated with a resounding ting after slicing through a lightly - armored creature. "Thanks, but won't they follow me if I leave?"
"Trust me, they won't be able to. Now go!"
The brown-haired teenager nodded once, and dashed forward. His training and instincts helped him as he weaved through waves of small creatures, heading for the large building covered in glowing lights, which was good; his mind was preoccupied by a returning element from his past.
He was a shaman... the memories of Anna's most important lessons shouted back to him... a shaman... a bridge between sides; a link from this world (or, more appropriately now, life) and the next. Like everyone else on Destiny Island, he could see and communicate with ghosts. In fact, he could even unify with them; letting the spirits into his body, invoking a symbiotic partnership. Shaman who did this gained the abilities and strength of the ghost possessing them (moreso if they too were physically strong, the reason for all of Anna's other tortuous tasks,) and the spirits would have a body to touch the physical world with. Their most important tasks were to aid the spirits of the world, healing hearts and solving problems, so they could reach a peaceful afterlife...
There had been a surprising number of spirits on Destiny Island, as Yoh remembered all too clearly. Cuts and scars covered his back and sides from wounds he received from malicious spirits, and many of his friends had near-death experiences of their own in their helpfulness.
'If I have to meet this strong person because I'm a shaman... it means this person is a ghost.' He rationalized. He swiftly stabbed through another flying, beaker-shaped Heartless and span around, kicking the door to the bright building open. Avoiding the distracting gizmos of the aptly named shop, he open on the opposite side, and rushed out. To his right was a large area, most of which was located in a pit-shaped section surrounded by a fence to his right. Passing a nondescript house, he ran down the ramp and into the pit.
Yoh's head turned until his eyes caught his predicted goal; a small tombstone near a wall at the back. He briefly wondered if he should put away his weapon in respect, but the Keyblade solved that by changing into the small keychain at it's hilt, tied to his glove. He walked forward, recognizing the kanji 'maru' from a distance..
With a loud crash, two bodies several inches taller than him fell on his back, mashing him to the ground. "ACK!"
"You could have told me there was a Heartless behind me, mutt!"
"I did, munnybags! You specifically said 'like I'd fall for that', and-"
"Then you should've attacked it!" The first speaker said, throwing the other off and onto the ground and stepping off of a very sore shaman. "Even I would've believed you, then!"
The other, who Yoh's blurry vision could show wore a green trenchcoat, pulled a shield with the shape of a silver eye on it's front off of his back, and braced it in an offensive pose. "Let's save it, Kaiba; that thing brought it's friends!"
Pushing himself up, Yoh saw the owner of the blue duster remove a staff from it's inside pocket. "You'd better hope I run out of magic power, Wheeler!"
"Actually, I'd prefer your HEALTH power-"
"Hi, guys."
The two arguing comrades looked to see the dirt-covered boy they had landed on. "Wanna take on these Heartless together?"
"Uh...sure." Joey said, flushing from embarrassment at not noticing. Seto merely 'hmphed', and shot a fireball from the tip of his staff, incinerating a pair of Soldier Heartless.
Yoh leapt from his spot and cut down a Shadow that appeared near the mage, and Joey swung the edge of his shield into another soldier, then followed by bringing the defensive end down hard on the spinning helmet. Seto froze a leaping Shadow, which quickly plummeted onto a duo of it's comrades, and chose to avoid noticing the irony.
In a matter of moments, the fight was finished. Joey, breathing slightly faster, grinned sheepishly at his former landing pad. "Sorry 'bout that. Name's Joey Wheeler, and the magical moron back there is Seto Kaiba."
"And that magical moron noticed five minutes ago that this kid has the Key the King mentioned." Seto countered coldly. Joey's eyes widened, and he looked between the grinning Yoh and his partner. "Whaa! Why didn't you say anything!"
" I needed proof that you don't recognize the obvious without help. Then again, dogs are colorblind, so maybe-"
"Uh, guys?" Yoh interrupted, looking up with a shocked expression. "Big one."
The two taller fighters dodged as a large suit of purple armor landed, it's limbs missing and the Heartless insignia emblazed on its chest. Two yellow eyes peered from the otherwise vacant helmet, and the gauntlets span 360 degrees before its fingers started flexing menacingly.
"Very." Seto agreed. "Fire!"
Obviously intended as a distraction, Kaiba's spell failed in its planned reaction, and the gauntlet it struck suddenly shot out with it's rightside partner to attack the mage head on. Noticing this, Yoh shouted, " it's body can separate! We need to attack individual parts!"
"Yeah, that could work!" Joey responded, leaping to strike the right leg, only to discover the left in his path...or, rather, chest. "Uhf...if we had two more guys...maybe..."
Yoh reevaluated his plan as he put the Keyblade in front of him, struggling not to shake from the force of the main body's spinning attack. He noticed how the limbs attacking his allies were in pairs, not alternating in the least in their distance. "The limbs are connected to their opposites, somehow! If we can lure them to one spot-"
Another round of pain went through his forehead as he learned that the head, having no partner, was exempt from that weakness. He rocketed backward, coming contact into something hard. Wiping the small cut from the strike, he moved to get up again...
'Yoh-dono!' An echoing voice said from behind him. 'You're alive! How did you survive the attack!'
"He didn't hit me that hard..." Yoh said warily, turning to look at the tombstone he had crashed into. " And how do you know my name?"
A gasp was heard from the tomb, then a resigned sigh. 'I...I see. You cannot remember, either. I heard this had happened with X-Laws, but..."
"X-who? Heard from what?" Yoh said, more confused, before noticing the full name on the tomb. "Amidamaru the Fiend, who slew 1000 men before being brought to eternal justice..."
'Hah! They gave me the same tombstone as last time... Yoh-dono, you may not remember my name, but I am still your blade to wield. At the moment, though, I believe Spirit Unity would be better for us to fight with, so would you allow me to help?'
Yoh blinked, re-reading the message on the stone quickly. Then, he grinned. "Sure, why not? Even if you are an insane killer, that's good in a fight!"
'Heh, your memory isn't the same, but you never change, Yoh... Let's do it!'
Yoh turned to face the Guard Armor, so he didn't notice the appearance of the now-visible ghost behind him. However, he somehow felt it wasn't necessary, and thrust his hand out in an open position. "Amidamaru, Spirit Form!"
He saw the white ball of energy form in his hand, taking the shape of his new ally's head, but there was no time to make out other details. He thrust the ball into his chest, and it disappeared into another flash of light. "Unity!"
Back at the battle, Kaiba was firing round after round of fireballs at the dodging hands, finally feeling himself drained of magic. As he prepared for a desperate, physical attack, he noticed the Gauntlets change directory, heading quickly toward Yoh, who stood there, eyes closed, defenseless. Joey noticed, too as the feet did the same, and was about to shout something-
SLASH!
Yoh was in the exact center of the other two, the Keyblade at his side, the Guard Armor behind him. He opened his eyes, revealing their suddenly white, intense appearance, and his two human allies gasped as the arms, legs, and head of the beast shattered into dust.
"How...how did you do that?" Seto gasped.
Yoh grinned, a task that suddenly made him look scary. When he answered, his own voice, plus that of an adult man's, exited his mouth. "My name is Yoh Asakura. I am a shaman, a link to the next world, and currently possessed by a samurai named Amidamaru."
The ghost appeared from Yoh's back in a transparent form, and both of the other two were stunned. He was larger than he was in life, due to his current state, and wore a white set of robes with a steel chestplate, and two large, red shoulder guards. His hair was platinum, with a slight tint of lavender to it, and his eyes were dark, like Yoh's had been a second ago. Both bodies turned, Yoh holding the Keyblade in the same stance that the illusion above him held a sharp katana.
"Celestial Slash!" As both swung their blades horizontally, a red arc of energy shot out, made contact with the wildly spinning torso, and accomplished their goal. With a loud explosion, and a large, swirling heart vanishing into the sky, the Guard Armor was finished.
XXXXX
Somewhere, far away, a council of many strange beings watched the events take place inside a small sphere of energy. Though shadowed in the room's darkness, anyone could see the way they glanced at one another edgily between views of the orb, as if worried they would be attacked. It wouldn't be a surprise; the entire group was comprised of devious and maniacal individuals from across the universe.
"Hmm, impressive." An old man's voice stated from the round table's furthest left point. "To see such strength and control from such a young lad..."
"Hmph. I'm not impressed in the least." A sophisticated young adult's voice said from the only other source of light in the room; his eight crystalline wings. "He wouldn't have destroyed that Heartless so quickly had he not held the Keyblade. And his power came from that ghost, not his own skill."
"Actually, his own strength combined with that of the samurai's made for that beautiful display of power." A male, though oddly feminine, voice said from it's shadow. Ruffling his hair back, the rogue continued, "However, he does present a problem. Perhaps the best way of defeating him is to get him on our side; he'd make a potent Heartless!"
Were words given physical form, his last statement would obviously have had a heart at the end. A disgusted sound came from a gruff, older voice two chairs away, and the shadow displayed was highly egg-shaped. "That Guard Armor couldn't hold a candle to one of my machines. I should take the Egg Carrier and shoot him from space!"
"Now now, that's hardly necessary." A voice much like the haughty one earlier said, though much louder and overdramatic. "Sorry, tubby, but he'd likely be even stronger than me by the time your ship got there! ME! The Dark Ado-"
"Will you shut up already! That's the tenth time since this meeting started you've stated your title! Even geniuses like myself lose patien-"
"Silence." A cold voice said from across the room. The entire council obeyed as the form of a young man, hardly over 20, with long dark hair and a purple, feudal lord-like outfit appeared. Though he seemed like a normal human, and his voice carried the sound of amusement, his molten red eyes pierced through every one of the others, making the rotund one shudder particularly hard.
"It is true that he has great strength, but with it comes a heavy burden." The man said, entering the green-tinged light near the table and further enhancing the feeling of evil in the room. "To bear the Keyblade is to be surrounded by darkness. Will he and his ghost break out of the shadows, and unlock the door? Or will they both become the darkness they struggle against?" Here, he grinned, and any sense of him being human vanished in it's sharp, harsh appearance. He removed from his robe a small, perfectly round jewel, which was black and somehow glowing with such a high amount of darkness within it.
"Either way, we win."
00000
Yoh grinned as he finished his work, and placed what appeared to be a model of tombstone on the table before him. "All set, Amidamaru. One mortuary tablet for traveling!"
"Just like old times." The ghost said fondly, before facing his master. "I do not know why you have no memory of me, Yoh-dono, but I will stand by your side regardless."
"Thanks! And are you two okay?" Yoh added, glancing behind him to see his new, living friends. Kaiba was merely glaring at Amidamaru with a distrustful look; Joey was trembling on top of the sign to Winry's Accessory Shop.
"Sorry. It'll take awhile to get used to being in the presence of a ghost."
"Used to?" Yoh said curiously.
Seto smirked. "We were ordered by our King to find the 'Key' and stick with whoever holds it. Wherever you go, we go. And by that, I mean "wherever I force you to go as we search for our King, we go, and you go.""
Yoh grinned again. "That's fine with me. I need to look for my friends, anyway. I can't sense Anna or Ren in this world, so searching for them with you would be great!"
"Then let's start over." The blue eyed one stated, holding out a hand. "My name is High Mage General Seto Kaiba. I'd prefer it if you called me High Mage, General, High Mage General, or Kaiba; my first name belongs to my family."
"I'm Captain of the Guard: Joey Wheeler! Just call me Joey!" The blonde one said, down from the sign, but darting his eyes between Yoh and Amidamaru as he put forth a shaky hand.
Yoh placed his own palm on theirs, smiling. "I'm Yoh Asakura, shaman and expert slacker!"
The semi-seriousness now fully dead and buried by that statement, Joey grinned and Kaiba groaned. "So much for a grand start to an adventure.. I pity whoever chronicles this."
"Yes, yes, I get the picture." Myoga the Flea grumbled, and jotted down his notes.
00000
Yoh: Hi, I'm Yoh Asakura! As cool as this 'Blue Eyes White Gummi Ship' is, I think Kaiba has some kinda obsession over the thing.. anyway, we wind up in a strange world full of monsters, giant houses, and apple-bearing fuse boxes next time! Huh? The whole world's made of data? I'm confused... but we've got giant bugs to worry about, so explanations have to wait!
Next time on Spirit of the Heart: Digital Dreams and Broken Physics Laws! Yohmon, digivolve toooo... Amidamarumon! Ack, I'm kidding, Kaiba!Chapter posted: February 15, 2005.