Chapter One: The Chaser's Lament

Russo lay lazily on his bed, chewing his gum like a horse. His blue eyes flickered tiredly as if straining to stay awake. His summer had been so unbelievably boring ever since he got the Keyblade. Strangely enough, when he obtained the Keyblade the rainy day in June he had suspected to be taking down Heartless non-stop.

But alas, Twilight Town had been totally safe of Heartless for months now. He was a Chaser, a knight like being who was made to fight against Heartless, and he had NOTHING to fight! Some Chaser he was…

His girlfriend, Rinoa, was also quite angry at him. Why? Because his mother grounded him, so he couldn't leave the house. Why was he grounded? He was fired from his job selling Sea Salt Ice Cream down at Tram Common? Why you ask? Russo thought it would be a good idea to spice everything up by casting a Fire Spell on the ice cream so he could make milkshakes. Unfortunately he nearly burnt a house on fire in the process.

His fatherthought that it was probably a good idea to ground him and give him the Disturbia treatment. While he was inside of the house all day he was given no luxuries. He couldn't play PS3 nor could he go on the computer. All he could do was watch educational television-and who actually WANTS to watch that? Russo said in anger.

So now all he wanted to do was sit in his room and listen too music. And unfortunately, he couldn't do that either as his Mp3 suddenly ran out of batteries. Russo pulled out his Mp3 and glared at it.

"Rats." He said exasperatedly in his drawling voice. He looked out the window, as the sun exuded a yellowish light. He grimaced. "Man, oh man this sucks!" he said angrily as he gave his garbage bin a kick. He sat on his bed and held out his hand, summoning his Keyblade.

It was red and black, with fire art wrapped around the blade and at the tip, was an image of a cloud of fire. It had a dark blue handle and an orange arm guard. And as a keychain, it had a small orange sword.

"I haven't been able to use you once this whole frikkin summer." He grumbled bitterly.

You can only open the door if you prove you're worthy of the key.

Russo stood up suddenly and looked around, clenching his Keyblade tightly. "Who said that?" he asked nervously.

Go outside and you can prove you're worth.

Russo looked around again more vigorously this time and this time stared at his Keyblade. The voice was in his head but at the same time seemed to be coming from the Keyblade.

Russo smiled. "Who am I too go against divine intervention?" he whispered snidely. He opened his window and put out his foot on the roof. Next he stepped onto the roof, putting his whole body through the window. Now with careful balance, he walked toward the long bar at the side of his house, and held onto it sliding down the side of the house and not so gracefully hitting the floor.

He pulled up his jeans and grunted in pain. "Stupid pole…" he said annoyed. Now what, he wondered. He peered down each direction vaguely.

Over there.

He obliged to the voice and began to jog the left direction taking him into an alleyway.

As he ran two hooded black figures stood on a building, observing what had been going on. There faces were obscured by the darkness of their hoods.

"So is that the one with my old Keyblade?" the shorter and more muscular looking of the two asked in a raspy, almost bloodthirsty voice. The taller, sleeker one nodded and in a calm voice, replied:

"Yes, he is the one. We have the chance to apprehend him and time is going…we should act quickly."

"No problem I've been waiting for a fight…"

Russo came to a stop in Tram Common. That's funny, he thought. Nobody's here. He was right the normally bustling plaza was now totally empty and an ominous breeze swept slowly across the town.

And before he knew it he had been ambushed, quickly and unexpectedly. They jumped on him and he hit the floor and he felt punching in his back. Strained slightly, he cast a Fira spell on his foes and the leapt away in pain. He stood up and rubbed his back, gripping the Keyblade limply.

But his grip became tighter as he grinned and looked at his abductors. There were four or five humanoid creatures wearing white jumpsuits standing in front of him.

"Nobodies…" he whispered happily. He looked at his Keyblade. "Thanks for the tip." He said to it joyfully as he sprinted toward one and slashed at it. It evaporated in white smoke. He slashed another. One leapt at him and he killed it to.

After a while all of the Nobodies were gone. He breathed heavily. More Nobodies had appeared after he had killed the first five, and he hadn't fought that much in a while.

"Good exercise." He said grinning broadly, placing his Keyblade on his shoulder.

"Tired already?" a calm voice said from behind him. "Teenagers aren't very active nowadays, eh?" the voice added. Russo whizzed around and saw a figure wearing a black cloak, a black hood and black boots. His face was shrouded in darkness.

"Who're you?" Russo questioned loudly, but he already knew the answer. He was a member of the Order, an outlaw group of Nobody and Heartless users with the purpose of controlling and creating a Kingdom Hearts. The figure surprisingly, threw off it's hood and it's face was revealed.

He had yellow eyes and tan skin with a large x mark on his forehead and nose. He had long blue hair and despite looking very calm and collected, Russo could tell that he held back a fierceness behind his yellow eyes.

"I am number eight in the Order, Saix." He said quietly. Russo's blue eyes swelled wide. Saix was extremely powerful. He needed to do a surprise attack quickly. He sprinted toward Saix swinging back his Keyblade and was ready to strike.

But as soon as he thought that he had struck, he flew backward a few feet violently landing on his back. As he tried to rise he felt a sword wound on his chest. Blood emanated from his sweater. He looked upwards and saw that Saix had not struck him, but another hooded figure holding a sword wrapped in cloth had.

The man straightened up and looked around. He pulled off his hood and looked deathly at Russo. What struck Russo as odd was the fact the man looked just like Russo, just older and more dangerous looking.

"Who are you?" Russo asked this new Order member. The man grinned.

"Name's Onyx." He than placed his blade the same way Russo had done before.

"What are you doing here?" Russo asked holding his wound.

Onyx began to speak but Saix glared at him. Onyx laughed.

"Come on Saix, it don't matter what he knows…he won't be needing it where he's going…" he said. "Well little boy, we need you're Keyblade. It was mine originally and I…need it back…" he said threateningly.

"What?"

"That's right." Saix nodded. "Onyx, number nine in the Order, is a Nobody. He is your Nobody. Being a Chaser you were born a Heartless, and given back your heart." Russo looked at him vaguely.

"But I was born fir-"

"Yes but however, I owned the Keyblade first." Onyx cut through him. "I was a Nobody while you were still a Heartless. I got you're Keyblade first. Now, hand it over…"

Russo glanced at them. "Well…" he muttered. "As you said, I'm a Chaser. I'm going to chase you both down, till…" he whispered the last words. "I die."

Saix seemed to hear all of this and laughed darkly. "Ah you Chasers are all the same…" he turned to Onyx. "Do you want to take bring him down?" Onyx nodded and brandished his large blade at Russo.

"I'm gonna enjoy this." Russo slowly began to rise again, feeling the pain in his stomach as he rose and with much cricking and cracking from his back, stood (however hunched). "Ah, so you're going to stand and fight me, eh? I'm glad I'm such a noble person's Nobody." Russo brandished his own blade and ran as fast as he could at Onyx.

Quickly, Onyx parried the attack. Almost as quickly Russo struck again. Onyx parried again. Strike, parry, strike, parry. Russo was annoyed as his energy was being drained every second and Onyx wasn't tired at all.

"Come now, Onyx you're being cruel." Saix said dispassionately. "Just finish it." Onyx looked at him and seemed bored.

"Fine." He muttered as Russo saw his chance, Onyx's blade was slacking. Quickly Russo jumped and struck at Onyx's head. The reaction was quick Onyx's blade dropped and he hit the floor swiftly. Russo seemed glad and tried to grab Onyx's blade. But unfortunately Onyx grabbed his sword jumped into the air and swung violently.

Russo felt life flash before him as he saw his heart evaporating from his body and he hit the floor, dead. Onyx bent down and grabbed the Keyblade, and it did not teleport back into Russo's dead fingers.

"Heheheh…excellent." Onyx muttered. "Let's go." He said looking at Saix. Saix nodded at him but first he walked toward Russo's dead body. He knelt down and closed the boy's corpses eyes. Saix rose and began to walk.

As Saix walked through an alley he saw a frail looking girl staring at him, tears falling down her cheeks. He stared at her but ignored it. There was no need for more pain in that girl's life…