-1In the beginning....
My name is Kieran Clare. Well, it was until I left my home Traverse Town, since then I've been known as Tyro. Dunno why I changed my name, I guess it might stop my parents looking for me. Its better that they don't know where I am, so they remain safe. I don't have much to worry about in terms of safety either. I made a one of these key chain things in the shop one day. Theodore's Emporium is the shop in question, and Theodore is a total berk to know. Out of his beloved shop, he is a total self-obsessed airhead and would snigger behind your back but in his beloved shop he's the most helpful, considerate and happy person you could meet. Total transformation. Anyway, Theodore's key chain was around his neck and in the shape of the shops logo, a T and an I.
"Where did you get that?" I asked, pointing to the pendant.
"The synthesis room for 100 munny" he answered. I had saved up for weeks, carrying and fetching for people and gotten together 230 munny so I could afford a key chain. They had become very popular due to the stories about Sora, Donald and Goofy fighting the Heartless and the Nobodies. He has inspired some of the local men to defend Travers Town from the Heartless and the Nobodies. Some people wear a key chain to express their admiration for their hero and I wanted to join that following. I entered the dark synthesis room, cluttered with machines. A moogle came up to me and I paid it the 100 munny to create a key chain. The moogle then walked to a large machine in the corner of the dark room, grabbed a glove connected to the machine by wires at each finger tip and rushed over to me again.
"Ok, put that on, Kupo!" said the moogle in the usual moogle high pitched voice like a chipmunk. It suited the small fur covered person in front of me. The moogle handed the glove to me and I put it on. The moogle then ran over to the machine in the corner and a he punched in some kind of code on a keypad on the front of the machine, pulled a leaver and a stream of light blue energy surged through the wires and engulfed my hand. My hand tingled a bit but I was calm, there was no need to panic. The synthesis was perfectly safe. The glove was to collect information about the individual to be used in synthesising a personal keychain. After about thirty seconds of the tingling, a symbol appeared on the back of the glove in a layer of sparks, the symbol was the emblem that generally accompanies my nickname Tyro . The tingling stopped as a large flash blinded me and lit up the whole room. This was the part where my key chain would appear in my hand. Instead, a handle materialised in my hand. This struck me as kinda odd. Then the blue sparks created a black square around the handle and then continued to create a metal pole out one of the sides of the square shape with two red fins on both sides, like they were supporting the pole in the middle. The pole stopped after a bit and the sparks put a rectangle of the strange metal the thing was made of at the on one of the sides of the pole, very near the end so it kinda looked like a giant key. Oh dear! Opposite the rectangle that now had a large "T" carved in it, another "T" shape was placed that had spikes on the ends of the top part and on the tip. There's a picture if it helps. It was pretty obvious that I now held a keyblade in a form based on my emblem. There was a sudden realization as to what had actually happened. It felt amazing that I had been chosen to receive a keyblade. Then I felt really weird. Like I had lost all connection with reality;it was now just a swirl of colours and shapes. How random is that? But things started going down hill as I came to, I found out that most of Twilight Town had been evacuated, including my family, due to a large heartless attack on the street that I lived in. When I went to the street there was little left standing. Oh, my house was now just a pile of rubble. Normally, I would have just got on the nearest transport to the evacuation point but I had been given the power to get even. I summoned my keyblade. I'd made up my mind; I'm going to join the Traverse Town guard.
Kieran read over the message he had just written. It was mostly true but he didn't want people knowing his family were pronounced dead when no-one could find only thing really taxing his mind was what had happened in Theo's shop? Why did he pass out? He decided to think no more about it and get dressed. Brushing his fringe out of his face, he crossed the small hotel room and opened a chest of there he pulled out a white T-shirt with black hems and put it on. Next was a pair of jeans with a belt already in place, which he put on.
Then he got out some socks followed by a black shirt which he put on over his T-shirt un-buttoned. He then put on a pair of black, chunky shoes that were on the floor beside the chest of draws. Just as he finished tying his lases, there was a clanking of metal outside, coming from the window of the room. The Traverse Town guard was taking positions in the street below. Kieran made his way out of the hotel and into the street below. The were lining up outside the gate at the far right to the hotel he was staying at. Clearly they were waiting for an attack. Then something appeared. Out of a black aura came a hooded figure. It looked as though this stranger was wearing a sort of black hoodie, black trousers and black boots. The stranger wanted to remain a stranger. Then, the stranger pulled out a kanata form its hip and waved it like a baton, creating a trail of black as it moved. Everyone was mesmerised by the swords dance. To finish, the stranger thrust the sword to the sky, summoning an army of heartless behind the stranger. Immediately the Guard drew their weapons. Eight men and there Capitan, a large man with a ginger moustache. Kieran also summoned his weapon with a flash of light. He ran straight towards the heartless and didn't stop. He hacked his way through the sea of black. This caught some attention for not only the Guard but from the stranger that had summoned them.
"Capitan! Should we attack or should we wait here?" said one of the men at the gate.
"No." The Capitan said. "We shall wait here and provide assistance if needed."
"Aye sir!" said the Guard together, a little relieved. Kieran how ever was doing well at combating the creatures the surrounded him. A couple of scratches but nothing too major. Kieran couldn't help thinking that this was too easy. Yes, the heartless attacked but they just were swept out of the way. The stranger kept watching intently, it seemed to be studying Kieran at work. Kieran managed to destroy two more Heartless before the stranger pulled out its sword again and waved it in the air. The few remaining heartless faded into nothing leaving Kieran trying to catch his breath for a few moments. He looked over to the stranger and stood up, pointing his Keyblade at the stranger.
"Right...now you.." he trailed off as the stranger ran straight towards him and then jumped straight over him, it then carried on running.
"Oh no you don't!" Kieran muttered under his breath and chased after the stranger away from the gate and the guard. The stranger turned a corner, Kieran followed but the stranger had disappeared.
"What? Where did he go? It's a dead end!" Kieran said. He decided to go ask the Guard for help but they had gone too. Obviously gone back to their head quarters. So Kieran has no choice but to go back in to the hotel.
When he got back to his room, he decided that it would be best to just do nothing for today. He'd just earned a lazy day by saving the town. So he just sat around watching films on his laptop.
He felt like he was falling. Kieran was now asleep and dreaming. But he didn't recognise the dream. He was falling, he could feel the air rushing around him. He could not feel his mattress beneath him. He was falling. The sudden realisation jerked him awake but he was still falling.
He couldn't see anything. That is to say, all he could see was an abyss of darkness. He looked up only to discover that he was heading straight towards a large stain glass window bellow him. It had his emblem on it. He couldn't help but think it looked cool. He flipped in the air so he could land on his feet. When he touched down on the window, he looked around. Where the heck am I? he thought. Scanning the area around him, he came to the conclusion that he was alone.
"Hello?" Kieran jumped as someone spoke from behind him. He turned to see a figure in a white cloak. He could have sworn that there was nothing there before.
"Hi" was the best he could come up with.
"Did I startle you?" the figure said. It was clearly a she.
"I don't think that's important right now. I need you to tell me where I am."
"So do I." said the girl in the cloak.
"What? I'm asking you!"
"And I'm saying I don't know."
"Fine" said Kieran admitting defeat. He looked around again but found nothing. So admitting total surrender, he sat on the floor.
"Would you like to hear a poem?" the girl asked.
"Why not. Its my dream." The girl was puzzled by what he meant.
"Dream?"
"Yeah. I'm asleep, aren't I?" Kieran could tell that the girl was puzzled and didn't know where they were. Kieran decided to stop asking about where he was.
"Lets hear the poem then" Kieran said. The girl, showing her excitement through her cloak, moved in front of Kieran.
"Hearts may blend but do people consider
a boy of such anger he could burn to a cinder
a girl of great peace, there's none kinder.
And born from one heart, one soul, one hero.
A boy that must run after one creature
But he must find the teacher
Or the darkness will conquer
and the world it will swallow, devour, engulf.
This boy must fend off the darkness
With all the friends he can harness
Nether shadow or shell, they are his light and darkness.
They will fight, protect and save.
A Boy in Three Parts." Feeling thoroughly impressed with herself, she gave a small bow.
"Wow. Did you make that up yourself?"
"I......" she trailed off as she tried to recall where the poem came from. Kieran just left her to it.
"I.....don't know" She concluded.
"Know any way of getting out of here?" Kieran asked.
"No..." she said.
"Great! So, I'm stuck here!" Kieran was getting a bit annoyed with the lack of help this girl was giving.
"Fight with you hope and concur your anger."
"What's that? Another poem?" Kieran said.
"Its just something I've heard before." she answered.
This was hopeless, Kieran thought. She has no idea of anything! I just wish I could leave this place. He woke up.
He propped himself up in his bed. What was that? He looked to his window and the light shimmering through it. Where was that place? Who was that girl? What was that poem about? He came to the obvious conclusion that the dream was not a normal dream he should ignore. The moogles that live near by should be able to help with what's happening to him. After all they are weapons experts, they should know about the Keyblade or at least more than he does. So after a shower, a hurried breakfast and then getting dressed, he left the hotel.
Walking through the once busy streets of Traverse Town reminded Kieran of the street markets and the parades that went through these streets. H e quickened his pace, he didn't trust the silence.
"How's it going Key-boy?" said Theo as Kieran entered the shop. Kieran couldn't help but think oh no. His heart sank every time he entered this place. Theo was at the counter, in front of various bottles, jars and necklaces. He wore a blue apron and a white shirt as well as a nasty grin.
"Shut up." Kieran said. He was tired of saying this.
"All right! Calm down! Don't chop my head off!" Kieran hated those who tried to be funny all the time but even worse was those who wouldn't take a hint.
"I'm here to see the moogles." Kieran said, vowing to ignore Theo unless it was important.
"Their out back." Theo replied, gesturing to the doorway had walked through before, so he entered.
"Hello again, Kupo!" said a moogle beside the door. In fact it was the same one from before, Kieran recognised the hat it wore.
"Come with me, Kupo." The moogle in the blue hat grabbed Kieran's and led him through a door on the other side of the lab where all this started. The room on the other side of the door, was red and lined with bookshelves filled with books of countless titles. Sitting in a red bean bag at the other end of the small room was a old, gray moogle in another blue pointed hat.
"We have been expecting you, we new you would come, Kupo." the old moogle said, gesturing to the two other moogles sitting either side of him; they were wearing similar hats only different colours.
"I need some help. I've had a really strange dream." Kieran said.
"What kind of strange dream, Kupo?" The elder moogle asked.
"Errrr....there was a girl in a cloak, a stain-glass window in the middle of nowhere and some poetry." Kieran said. "It all felt so real."
"My experience is limited but you may be having premonitions, Kupo."
"Premonitions?"
"That is what I said, yes, Kupo."
"I'm predicting the future?"
"Its the only suggestion I can give you, Kupo." Kieran possessed this. This starting to get weird. He said good bye to the moogles and went back to the hotel, still thinking about what the moogle had said.
He was falling. The air making his clothes flap around as it passed around them. He was asleep and dreaming that weird dream again. He landed on the stain glass window. He looked around. Nothing.
"Kieran!" Kieran jumped rather than turned to face who had said that. It was the girl.
"Hi! How have you been? Anything interesting?" She said.
"Fine. Look. I need to ask you a few questions." He replied. This was his chance to find out more than he was getting at the moment.
"Ok." the girl replied.
"Why am I here?"He asked.
"Err...Why are you here?" she said pointing to the window on "here". "I have no idea." She's still not being helpful Kieran thought.
"But I can tell you where you are." She said. "This is the Station Of Solitude."
"And that's where?" Kieran asked.
"I told you, I don't know." At least she knows more than last time Kieran thought.
"OK then. Why are you here?"
"I don't really know but...well..." she trailed of. Looking somewhere else other than at Kieran.
"What? What is it?" Kieran was interested now that the girl was talking.
"You'll think I was mad if I told you." She said.
"Oh come on!" Kieran pleaded but she still didn't want to tell. "Please." She gave in.
"OK but you have to promise not to laugh or think I'm mad."
"All right."
"You wont think I'm mad?"
"Will you tell me already!" She hesitated for a few moments.
"Remember that "fight with your hope" thing I said last time you were here."
"Yeah." She hesitated again just when she was about to say what she wanted to say.
"I'm your Hope." Kieran heard this but it didn't quite register.
"Sorry?"
"Oh I shouldn't have told you." she sounded ashamed. She sat on the floor and shied away from him.
"What do you mean by "My hope"?" She looked up at him.
"Just what I mean."
"Which is?" She stood up.
"I'm your good side." This registered better with Kieran.
"Right...OK."
"Its true!" she said.
"I know"
"You do?"
"Sure. I keep coming here in my dreams for some reason. Maybe its to meet you."
"I glad you understand." There conversation has halted by a horrible scream! It echoed through the void. Kieran and the girl searched for the source of the scream. Kieran woke up and proped himself up in his bed.
"Come on out, Key bearer! You can't hide forever!" Said the hooded stranger, the voice was clearly feminine but sounded as though she was enjoying this. She held a screaming girl hostage with her sword. The hostage was wearing a bandanna, an apron and a pendant around her neck. The hooded girl looked around for the boy to appear. She grew impatient.
"I'm counting to ten, and when I reach ten I'm going to cut this girls throat unless you come down and face me. Ten!"
After hurriedly getting dressed, Kieran ran to the window and studied the situation. The hooded girl turned to face him. She had his attention.
"Nine!" I can't get down there fast enough to save her, Kieran thought. What do I do know?
"Jump" said a voice from Kieran's head. Great! I'm going mad too. Kieran thought.
"No. Its me." Kieran recognised the voice as the girl from the station of serenity. "Jump out of the window!" I'll fall.
"Seven!"
"No you wont! I'll help you." How?
"Just jump!"
"Six!" But I'll fall!
"No you wont! Jump!"
"Five!"
"Jump! Please!"
"Four!" Kieran leaned out the window of his second floor, hesitated just before jumping.
"Three!" He jumped. He expected to feel the hard street below smash him into tiny pieces. It didn't. He just floated down to the ground. Kieran was confused as to what actually happened. He looked up into the night sky with all the stars and the only light come from the nearest lamppost. It felt good to be out in the night air.
"I told you I'd help." The girls voice said.
"Impressive key bearer. But lets see how far we can push that luck." She threw the girl to the floor, the sobbing mass lay still. The hooded girl drew her sword and jumped straight up into the air, spinning and creating a spiral with her katana. A troop of heartless soldiers appeared in front of Kieran. He summoned his weapon. The jerked about in a sort of spasmodic dance. It was a strange sight to behold with its black claws, its tiny suit of armour and its depth-less
eyes. Kieran made the first move and knocked a soldier through the air and crashed into a wall. One of the heartless jumped at Kieran but he slashed it across its torso and it burst into black smoke. Kieran then smashed a soldier to the ground and two others behind it. This was easy, he thought.
"This isn't working. I''d better use something stronger." said the hooded girl, she had been watching the fight from a safe place. She pulled out her katana held it in the air and four black shapes appeared in the air in front of her.
Kieran was about to finish off the last soldier when a scream came from behind him, he turned around. It was the girl in the bandanna. She was looking in great fear at something in the night sky above. Why didn't she leave when she could? She seemed to frightened to move. Then, wham! Kieran was knocked to the floor by something coming from behind him. He turned to look at what hit him. It was clearly another heartless but it was spherical with a gaping mouth and a pair of black horns on his head. The heartless was able to fly, it did a strange dance in mid-air and shot forward. Kieran knocked it off-course and it few off in another direction out of sight. Others of these heartless balls where surrounding the girl in the bandanna. She curled up and stayed on the floor as the Heartless floated above. Kieran dashed towards the heartless and slashed one from behind. It burst into smoke. The others ignored the girl and turned to face him. Kieran swung his keyblade at them but they just danced out of the way. It was like swatting flies. One of them darted around Kieran's fruitless attacks and went straight for his stomach. He keeled over and fell to his knee's. The girl had been watching this. Her face was wet from tears. She crawled over to Kieran recovering from the blow.
"I wont let you hurt him!" she cried. But the heartless paid no attention. One darted toward the helpless girl at that same time it suddenly felt a lot warmer. The heartless ball was burnt into submission before it hit anything. A ring of fire erupted from the ground below them, frying the heartless.
"What the heck! That's unfair! Where did they get fire magic from?" She tensed up as the anger surged through her. "These kids want to play then I'll have to up my game."
The flames died down leaving a ring of burnt cobbles around them. Kieran stood up.
"What was that?" he said, turning to the girl.
"I don't know" she said fascinated by the pendant around her neck.
"Really?" Kieran was unhappy to be left out of all the facts again because he could feel that there was something he wasn't being told. "Well, thanks." The girl stood up and smiled at him.
"Thank you for helping me!" And she ran off into the distance, outside of the lamp light.
"I hope your not forgetting me!" said a voice from above Kieran. He looked up. The was the hooded girl standing on the roof of the building opposite him, only her silhouette visible against the night sky.
"Why don't you come down!" Kieran shouted. This girl was getting on his nerves.
"Why don't you follow me!" The girl shouted back and ran out of sight. She was running across the roof tops. How am I supposed to follow her? Kieran searched for a way onto the roofs.
"I have a way" said Kieran's better side. "Just jump." Kieran decided to trust her this time. He jumped but didn't come down. He kept going at an alarming rate. Straight up to the roof. He landed with knee's bent and adrenalin pumping.
"Don't do that again." He muttered under his breath. He saw the hooded girl running some way in front of him. He followed.
The girl looked behind her to see Kieran running after her. How did he manage that? She thought. She could see a church in front of her, a large stain glass window on the side of the building.
Kieran was catching up but rapidly running out of roof. There was a loud smash of glass. A hole in the churches stain-glass window had been made. The girl must have jumped through. Kieran couldn't think why. It was abandoned and set for demolition soon. Why would she want to go in there?
Kieran few through the hole and landed in a crouch. He caught his breath. Kieran was impressed with what his Hope could allow him to do.
"I'm glad you arrived. What do you think you can achieve by coming here?" The voice was eched across the large room of dust, cobwebs wood and old furniture. Kieran stood up and searched for the source of the voice.
"Show yourself."
"Your all alike. Never ask politely. All ways think its going all your way. let me tell you about the last boy to be given the same weapon as you." The hooded girl walked out from behind a screen on the level higher up than he was. She turned to face him and pulled down her hood to reveal not a girl's but a boy's face. The face had its eyes covered by a gray fringe he looked older than Kieran but he wasn't sure.
"There once was a boy who lived on an island with his two friends. To the heart seeking freedom there island home was a prison, surrounded by water. And so this boy sought to escape from his prison, he sought a way to cross over into other worlds, and he opened his heart to darkness." The voice of this figure was totally different to what he had just heard from the hooded girl. It was confident and strong. Kieran grew impatient. What was this about? The boy walked and disappeared behind the screen he had come from. When he emerged again his face was someone who Kieran recognised.
"Sora?!" Kieran said in disbelief.
"The boy who had wanted to leave his home so much he felt that the darkness was the only way, ended up destroying his home. In the process, his friend, who saw him travel though darkness, refused his hand in partnership, resisted the darkness, earned him the weapon that would change his life." Once Sora was finished he lifted his hood so it covered his face then pulled it down again to reveal a girl. He copper-brown hair cascaded down her back and her soft features looked back at Kieran. If that was Sora then this must be Kairi and the other one must be Riku, Kieran though.
"The other friend of this boy, a girl, lost her heart. Not to the heartless but to the boy with the key. She disappeared only to be found again and fought over by the two boys. While both had a key only one had the strength to win. The boy with the key was thrown to another world, from then on he made friends, saved worlds and fought unimaginable enemies. But..." Kairi jumped over the barrier in front of her and landed in a cloud of dust from the carpet she landed on. Walking up to Kieran and coming to a stop in front of him, she continued the story.
"Do you know what he learned on his journey? Nothing! But he defeated the mother of all heartless and became a legend here! Then he walks straight into a trap and the Organisations claws. Some hero." She laughed at this thought. "Now! What to do with you?" She jumped back from Kieran. Kieran raised his weapon.
"I don't know who you are but I bet your behind the resent heartless attacks." Kieran said.
"And what if I am?" She pulled out her sword and raised it into the air. The glistening metal of the katana turned to a life-less black. A heartless appeared behind her. It was huge, with long muscled arms. Its mouth was taped with two belts. It had to elongated, jagged horns on its head like a demonic jester. But this thing looked like it wanted to tear you limb from limb not dance around and tell jokes.
"This is a guardian heartless. If you can beat this then I will accept that you are an equal to Sora." she said. She clicked her fingers, the guardian flew up in to the air. Kieran readied himself. This is it! He thought. Crunch-time! The guardian flew down and threw a punch at Kieran but he had started running out of the way moments before. The guardian swung its arms at him, creating a hoop of dark energy that flew across the room and caught Kieran, knocking him into a cupboard that crumbled under his weight.
"You can always give up!" mocked Kairi. The guardian came nearer. Kieran was angry after being used for target practice. If this thing wants a fight, he thought, I'm gonna give him one! Kieran ran straight for the heartless, catching it off guard, plunging the keyblade into the chest of the creature. It recoiled from the attack but Kieran held onto the handle of the keyblade, still embedded in the chest of the guardian. Kieran pushed against the heartless with his feet, jumping off of the guardian and pulling out his weapon in the process. The guardian was recovering from the attack so Kieran pressed on his attack. Slashing and hacking away at the heartless while he had the chance. Kairi decided to put a stop Kieran. She rose into the air and delivered a kick to Kieran's upper back. He fell to the floor. Realising its chance had come, the guardian grabbed Kieran, picked him up and held him in its grasp . Kieran couldn't release himself from the heartless grip.
"One day, key bearers will learn that they cannot fight the darkness. It will win out in the end. Every time." Kairi said. Kieran scowled at her.
"How does it feel to be beaten? To have it proven to you that you can't win. Your not strong enough to fight the organisation." She said. Kieran felt his anger boil inside him.
"Wouldn't hurt to try!" Kieran found himself saying slyly. Was that him?
"You forget your place easily, don't you!" She said.
"I know my place!" something was taking over. Something dark, some thing made entirely of rage. Something wasn't right. At that moment, a black thorn entwined itself around the neck of the guardian, pulling it to the ground. It released Kieran to wrestle with the thorn around its neck. Kieran was holding something in his left hand, to his horror, it was the other end of the black thorn. Its thorns were larger than any thorn Kieran had seen. He watched in pleasure as the guardian tried to free itself from the thorn. Kieran decided to finish it off with his keyblade. He launched him self in to the air and came down to puncture the guardian. It burst in to the same black smoke as the other heartless. His keyblade was left in the floor so Kieran could see that it was entwined with thorns. He laughed with malice and power. This felt amazing. He could do as he liked. No-one will stop him. He turned to the now concerned Kairi who had pulled her hood up again. She had her weapon out and looked as though she was ready for a fight.
"My place is the one who will cut your throat!" Kieran said. He summoned more thorns that shot straight for Kairi. I one move she span with her sword arm out stretched, cutting the thorns and disappearing in into darkness.
"Your not getting away that easily!" Kieran said.
Outside the church was the platoon of the Traverse town guard with the portly, moustached captain from before. They had been sent to investigate the noises coming from the abandoned building. There was a smash as the wall of the church spire was broken out of by Kieran. He landed on the roof below and then jumped to the ground. His landing cracking the pavement below him.
Capitan! In the sky look!" said a soldier, pointing to a figure floating in mid-air with a hood, carrying a katana. The figure started making shapes with the blade.
Kieran could feel his anger boil over! He raised his keyblade.
"No! I wont let you do this." said a voice in his head. Kieran suddenly felt uneasy.
"He's mine!" said another voice. Gruff and full of rage. The queasiness got worse.
The captain had ordered that some marksmen would shoot the girl down. They lined up and crouched, loading there guns. The hooded figure stopped and turned to face the guard.
"Good luck gentlemen." She cried and disappeared into darkness. The captain felt uneasy about this seemingly friendly greeting. There was the loud clunk of a large mass of metal as it hit the ground. Then the second. The captain realised what was coming. The Guard Armour had been summoned. He hadn't long to live.
Clang, a torso came to meet the feet and was followed by the head. After a shuffle about, the Armour launched a fist at the marksmen shooting at it, scattering them in all manner of directions. Kieran could see this unfold from where he stood. He needed to save those soldiers! He rose into the air and flew straight at the Armour's torso, slashing it with his keyblade. The Armour turned around to fight him but left its gauntlets attacking the soldiers. Kieran pointed his keyblade at the Armour. a large pearl of light formed at the tip.
"Submit" Shouted a voice. A great pain built up in his chest. He felt like his heart was being ripped in two. He fell to the ground trying to make sense of what was happening. The Armour decided to stomp on Kieran in this weakened state. It lifted its foot and moved it over Kieran.
"No!" Kieran shouted standing up and engulfing the foot of the heartless in thorns.
"No! You can't win!"
"No one can stop me!"
The pain was unbearable. Kieran dropped to his knee's, clutching his chest. What's going on! He thought. He felt like he was having a heart attack. He couldn't call for help. He couldn't move. Just be engulfed in pain.
He was falling. His shirt flapping in the wind as he plummeted. What's going on? was all that circled Kieran's head. He landed once again on the stain-glass window. There was a mirror in the centre of the window. He walked over to it. He could see his own curious expression in it. It was on a vertical pivot so it could spin round. He span it. It made half a rotation before it stoped on its own. The reflection was wearing a black uniform that looked very smart. It buttoned up with large gold buttons with white gloves. Kieran looked down at himself. He was wearing his black shirt, white T-shirt and jeans. He looked back at the mirror. It was defiantly him. Why did that Kieran have different clothes on? He span the mirror again. It went back to him again. This was too weird for him. Then he was sucked into the mirror, pulled into the endless void on the other side. Flying through the air and then landed on his feet after a long skid. He turned and saw the hooded girl. He followed her along a path that cut through a field of grass. She pulled out her katana and summoned heartless as she ran on. Likewise, Kieran hacked them down. The carried on running and ran out of the field of grass into the scene he left when he came here. It was like running from one painting to another. The Traverse Town Guard were fighting the Guard Armour but it was a losing battle. Kieran followed the stranger down a dark corridor into pick black before meeting a scene of a heated battle. Two people also with keyblades fought, one in a black cloak, fighting ferociously. The other Kieran recognised as his hope, she danced out of the way of the black cloak's attacks. He ran through the battle and down a flight of stairs at full pelt after the hooded girl, knocking any heartless out of his way. And back to that stain-glass window. It was filled with mirrors. Each and everyone of the mirrors Kieran could see himself in a new pair of clothes. He searched for the hooded girl. She was no-where to be seen. He kept turning and turning, the many Kieran's mimicking him their glass prisons. The there was the figure in the black cloak. It landed, cracking the glass beneath it. Brandishing the weapon in its hand, it walked forward. Kieran raised his weapon in defence. The black cloak kept walking towards him. Kieran stood still, his keyblade held high. The cloaked figure made a fist and plunged it into Kieran's chest. The pain was intense. Kieran fell to the ground. He felt cold, lifeless, numb. Black tendrils wrapped around his legs. Kieran raised his hand with all his strength. He couldn't speak, he could barely move. Turning onto his front, he could see his hope fighting the black cloaked figure. The tendrils engulfed more and more. Kieran knew this was it. We was to die now and here. But one part of his brain stopped him. This can't be happening, it objected. This only a dream, right? As the darkness engulfed him. He felt his legs fall into an abyss below. As more was eaten by the black, more of him fell until he fell though the hole the darkness created. Falling through a vacuum of dark. Kieran had no-idea for how long he fell for, only when he came to he was on another window, surrounded by mirrors. Kieran picked himself up. So did the countless Kieran's around him. He walked to the one in front of him. It was in the centre of the window. He span it. It halted to reveal Kieran in a big sleeved shirt and a black waistcoat. He spun the mirror again. This one came as a great shock. There was nothing there. At least, at his eye level. Kieran looked down the mirror. He saw a small orangey-yellow fox, about half his height with two tails twitching and absent-mindedly moving behind the fox. Its long hair going down its neck and its fringe obstructing its vision slightly. It was wearing a miniature version of the same shirt Kieran was wearing. Kieran checked it was a reflection by raising his hand. It raised a gloved hand in the same way, staring back with the same bemused and curious stare.
"Kieran!" came a familiar voice.
"Hope!" Kieran called back. "Come have a look at this!" beckoning her over.
"That's not my name!" she said.
"What? What is it then?" She pulled back her hood letting a cascade of dark brown hair fall down her back. Her fringe slightly obstructing her sight in the same way Kieran's did. Her soft features beamed back at him as he watched her.
"My name is Karren." She said.
"Oh no you don't! That's so weird!" Kieran walked over to Karren with a new found fascination for her. "That's so close to my name it's funny. Though your are very close to me in appearance too. Your like a kind of clone."
"More like I'm you from another dimension." Karren said.
"I see. So why are you here anyway?"
"Still have no idea. But I need to tell you something. Your in big trouble!"
"Really?"
"Yes. A boy in a black cloak is after you. I've managed to fight him into a retreat but I don't know how long he will stay there."
"You fight really well."
"You've never seen me fight."
"No! I have." Karren felt she was getting side tracked.
"We need to move." she concluded and turned around stepping into the mirror behind her. Kieran followed. On the other side of the mirror was a battleground. The stain-glass window that was an intricate patten of colour, was smashed, cracked and broken through in places.
"What happened here?"
"This is where I fought him. Come on, he's beyond that door." She said, gesturing to the door at the other end of the window. It was a continuation of the pattern on the floor. They moved towards it.
"Stop!" came a voice. They both halted. A figure in a red cloak walked forwards. The figure was tall and thin with a velvety soft, females voice.
"What is it with cloaks?" Kieran whispered to Karren.
"I'm sorry to do this but its for your survival." She pulled out a pendant from a pocket and held it in her hand. "There's no need to be frightened."
"Why would I be...." He couldn't finish his sentence. The woman in the red cloak plunged her hand into his chest. The pain was intense. He felt numb as every last once of strength left him. The woman retracted her hand. Kieran collapsed on the floor, watching the woman run off and disappear. Karren knelt beside him.
"Are you OK?" she said, panicking. But Kieran still felt numb and lifeless. But his chest was some what warmer.
"Kieran!" She yelled, shaking him. Kieran picked himself off the floor. He felt strength returning to his body. He could stand again.
"How was that? Do you know them? And what was that about your survival?" Karren said.
"I have no idea. Definitely not. And I haven't a clue." Kieran answered. He felt a lot better.
"We'd better carry on then." She said and walked to the stain-glass door. She pushed the door open and peeked through the crack of the door. She gestured for Kieran to follow as they entered the room beyond the door. I was another stain-glass window Tyro symbol only instead of red, white and black, it was black, white, black. The light in the room was being strangled by the vines of thorns across the surface of the window. They searched for traces of someone being here. There were none. A shadow made its way in front of Kieran and Karren. The shadow stood up.
"We have problems!" Karren pointed out. She summoned her weapon. Also a keyblade but one with a feather theme. She raised her white weapon and readied to lunge at the black thing in front of her. Kieran followed suit and summoned his keyblade. As hundreds of shadows formed into shaped all around them.
"This is it." Kieran said.
"Crunch time!" they said together. Karren was the first to strike the black target in front of her. It was quickly despatched. Kieran did the same. It continued like this; hacking at the population of heartless. It didn't change their situation but then again, stopping wouldn't help.
"This is tiring!" Kieran said between breaths then knocked a heartless away like a golf ball.
"Enough!" Bellowed someone. Someone angry. A figure in a black hood floated down From the dark abyss above them. The heartless scattered. It was Kieran and Karren confronting this clearly aggressive person.
"Why don't you leave me and him alone!" Karren shouted, it was more of an order than a suggestion. Kieran thought his good side didn't get steamed. Maybe she only did when it was a good reason.
"You pitiful girl. Don't you realise that he will cease to be! He will be ripped apart and we will disappear with him. Not me though! If I can get at his heart I can live on."
"But you'll kill me and Kieran!" protested Karren. She wasn't as intimidating as this boy in black, sounding like a lamb protesting against a weary, hungry wolf.
"And why should I care what happens to you? In fact..." He summoned his weapon. "I think I'll eliminate you two from the equation all together." His keyblade was black, made of thorns and vines. They worked there way up the length of the blade, cross crossing into a lattice of black. He held it at his side.
"Concur your anger....think you know what it means?" He said. A light bulb came on in Karren's mind.
"Fight with your hope! Its instructions! We have to beat him." He smiled, amazed at her little eureka moment.
"We have to beat him? Why?"
"No idea." The boy in black threw his hand forward, jets of black, thorned vines shot towards them. They jumped out of the way. Kieran ran straight for the black hooded boy.
"No!" Karren had fought the black hooded boy before. She knew rushing him would not work. Kieran cut the thorns as they came at him, they didn't stop so he had to keep cutting, but this gave Karren a chance for an attack. She ran and swung her keyblade. It hit metal with a clang. The boy had defended against the attack and was now fending off two attackers. With tremendous skill, he grabbed the thorn he was shooting at Kieran, used it was a whip, wrapped it around Karren's middle then performed a side kick to Kieran gut. Kieran flew back and landed on the floor. Karren was tugging at the thorns but their grip couldn't be fought against.
"I really expected more you know." The one in the black cloak said. He continued to wrap Karren up in the spiky vines. She struggled helplessly and fell to the floor. Her mouth was covered to her constant shouting was muffled. Kieran still to the hint. He used his weapon to return to his feet. Before Kieran new he was in a fight, he had defended against two blows to the legs and smacked the hooded boy round the face. His anger rising, the boy swung back, one low swing, Kieran jumped over the sword, then to a middle slash. Kieran wasn't quick enough and the blow connected, he screamed in agony, none the less he took his turn to attack. Just as quickly as the boy he lunged then swiped at the stomach. The boy jumped back. Kieran ran towards him, made some high attacks the span round for an attack to the stomach again. This time the move paid off as the boy clutched his middle. Kieran kept attacking. He kneed the boy in the shoulder, defended against retaliation from the boy and threw a hook at the boy's head. It knocked him of balance. Kieran finished him of by shunting into him, the boy fell to the ground. His weapon scraped along the window's surface as it slid out of reach.
"Now will you stop it?" Kieran said triumphantly. He was panting, adrenalin-fuelled and impressed with his skills.
"I think you should know that I don't quit!" he said back slyly. He raised his hands and shot two vines at Kieran's arms, raising him up off the floor. Kieran dangles helplessly in the air. Help less and defenceless. The boy picked up Kieran's dropped weapon, he crossed the blades across Kieran's neck. He came very close to Kieran's face.
"I hope you liked that little trick I did earlier. This isn't a great way of returning the favour." He said.
"That was you? That was your anger?"
"And yours." He threw away Kieran's weapon. "Soon to be mine!" The boy plunged his hand into Kieran's chest. The pain came again. Screaming in agony, he felt his chest get hot. Not just warm, but hot! It spread to his arms, his face his legs. Giving him strength, giving him power.
This borrowed heat welled up in his lungs. It made Kieran cough. The boy still had his hand in Kieran's chest. He quickly retracted it in pain: it had caught alight. The boy waved it around, got down on the floor and rolled over the flame. It put them out. The vines that held Kieran in the air crumbled as they turned to ash dropping Kieran to the floor. His breathing was slow and steady but his breath was like a volcano had erupted in Kieran's lungs. He could see the glare from the heat as he breathed in and out. The boy stood up.
"How is that possible!" the boy said, he didn't seem to take defeat well. Kieran looked over to Karren laying on the floor. She hinted and made muffled sounds indicating to set her free. Kieran walked over to Karren. The new heat he radiated turned the thorns to powder releasing Karren. In a panic, the boy raised his weapon.
"Your heart is mine!" he shouted.
"Then take it from me!" Kieran said. At this, Kieran's mind split in two. One half was saying that we're defenceless and this boy is going to cut us to pieces. The other side was trying to reassure the the first side that they were fine because they had been given some sort of power, they could use it as a weapon. It seemed to be heat. Karren ran to the side of the boy, who turned to fight her, coming in with a uppercut, which Karren defended against. Kieran's cough worsened as the heat built but he had to reach his weapon that the boy in black had thrown away. Running the thought acured to him that the heated breath was a sign. Like a dragon. He stopped and blew. His breath ignited before his lips into a jet of flame. Kieran recoiled from the flame in total surprise. He was a dragon! All he needed was to grow wings, he thought.
The boy in black, once again, fought Karren in a fight to the death.
"You need to stop this." Karren said while repeatedly attacking the boys defence.
"Now why should I do a thing like that?" wham, the boy recoiled from the blow Kieran gave to his side. Quickly the faced each other. The boy lunged at Kieran, Kieran breathed fire at his face. Leaping away in panic he stood in front of Karren, who kicked him in the same side Kieran had hit him. He stumbled in agony to face them both, still not backing down. Kieran and Karren swung the keyblades at his head, he just managed to block the attack. Kieran kick to his gut while Karren stood to the side of him and kicked him in the face with a very high round house. He stumbled over. Karren pointed her weapon to his neck.
"Do you surrender?" Her voice was triumphant but not big headed.
"Fine. Looks like I'm done for anyway." Karren lowered her weapon. The was a crash beside her. It was Kieran, he'd fallen to the floor. Her legs turned to jelly. Her eyes felt heavy. Her arms felt like lead. Is this what death is like? She thought. What's going on? She fell to the ground too.
"Great! Beaten by wimps!" said the boy in black before blacking out.
When Kieran awoke, he was still in the station, but he could see other windows in the distance. The forms of Karren and the boy in the black cloak had gone. He didn't know where, all he could remember was excruciating agony. He got to his feet. Alone again, he thought. There were stain-glass bridges connecting each platform. Kieran saw there was something on the one closest to Kieran, it was rather small and wore a coat. Kieran crossed the bridge. There were five small animals playing on the disk of glass. On was a cat. Very big for you average cat. It stood up right, more human than feline. Its fur was red, contrary to this, its hair was blond and speperated at the fringe into two parts that strched outwards and dangled infront of his face. His scruffy coat, fingertip-less gloves and shoes were visable as he seemed interested in something that wasn't there. Another animal ran past him, gray hair and fur and wearing a black coat over her matching skirt and her red and black top. She should have been making a sound with the heavy black boots she wore, but the was nothing but silence here. The gray gil was being chased by a rabbit around the same height. She was yellow with ginger hair to complement the rest of her, in which was a hair band. She wore a red and black skirt with matching stockings. The two of them ran on.
There was someone telling then something is total silence. This girl had brown fur with red hair. Her black trousers were held up but a utility belt.
"You don't be long here." said a girl to his left. She was only as high as his waist. She wore a blue coat over a black and red T-shirt. Her fur was gray too but she had black hair with a pair of red goggles in. Her pointed ears poked out of her hair.
"This is my dream. How did you get in?" she quizzed Kieran. He was clueless and was more interested in why a gray fox was talking to him. Her large gray tail flickered with frustration.
"Will you answer me?"
"I don't know." Kieran said. At least it was truthful, he couldn't manage helpful.
"Oh." she trailed off. Kieran decided to get some answers out of her. She could tell him why this is happening to him.
"Where are we then?"
"Your in my dream. What is your name?" Kieran wanted to answer with his real name then stopped himself.
"Tyro."
"Huh....that's a nice name. I'm Rae."
"Hi." Kieran waved at Rae.
"I'm not sure what to say. I'm not used to having my dreams invaded."
"I'm not used to entering them. Who are this lot?" he said, gesturing to the animals around them oblivious to the conversation.
"They are my friends, kinda. This is only a dream but still." Kieran felt her was getting no-where with this.
"Well its nice to have met you, Tyro. Its probably best if you left."
"But how do I...................
Kieran woke up. Sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"I wish these dreams would stop." he mumbled to himself.
"Hey! He's awake!"
"Karren?" Kieran looked around. He was in the hotel room, still in the clothes he was in in the night before. Morning sunlight flooded in through the window. Karren's face was level with his. It wasn't right.
"What are you doing here."
"You ask too many questions." Said someone behind them. It was a boy leaning in a chair with his boots on the table. The leg armour and chest plate he wore glinted in the light. He wore a long leather coat that fell to the floor. His face was obstructed by his deep purple fringe on one side.
"He has a right to. He has no idea of what's going on" Karren argued. She turned back to Kieran. "I borrowed a few clothes. I hope you don't mind." She was wearing a white T-shirt underneath one of Kieran's white school shirts. She wore it unbuttoned too. The was also two cloaks (white and black) lying on the floor next to the chest of draws.
"That's fine." Kieran answered then pointed to the boy in the seat. "But who's this."
"Don't you recognise me? You earned my swordsman ship when you turned into a human dragon. Your good kid but I'm better. That's why I'm still here. I am Klaus and you need me. Any problems?" Kieran knew he had gotten more info than he needed.
"Fight with your hope and concur your anger. If I'm from your hope then he's......" Karren trailed off to let Kieran full in the blanks.
"He's my anger?"
"Makes sense, doesn't it?" said the purple haired hot-head.
"Right, now that that's cleared up. I think we need to see the moogle's in Theodore's shop." Karren said.
"Ah, Keyboy! Brought a couple of friends too?" Theo said as the three of the entered the shop.
"We need to see the moogles again." Kieran told him.
"And what if their not in?"
"Get lost Theo!"
"Its really urgent we see them." Karren said politely.
"You don't want to spend too long with Keyboy and the emo over there. Why don't you help me in here for a while?" Theo tried his hardest to appear charming. Karren wasn't impressed. Klaus walked up to the shop-keeping youth and grabbed him by the collar. Judging by the in-your-face approach of this action, Klaus wasn't impressed with being called an emo.
"I'm going to say this once. Tell them we're here or I'll cut your head off." Klaus said, forcefully and meaningfully. To illustrate his point he summoned his keyblade of thorns and released Theo, who ran through the doorway to the moogles. He came back saying they had been expecting them. As they walked through to the moogles' room, Klaus said to Kieran "See? You need me."
"Hello again Kieran, Kupo!" said the little, wizened moogle in the centre. "But who the other two are is more important at the moment."
"I'm Karren and that's Klaus." said Karren.
"That is not what I'm talking about." said the elder moogle. "Let me explain. You, Kieran have been split into three parts. There's yourself of course, whom the other two have been created from. How you have survived the process is a mystery."
The next to speak was the moogle next to him in his blue pointy hat: he had an enormous book opened up in front of him.
"Then there's the good side. Has the good aspects of the person's personality, Kupo!" he said.
"There is also the negative side, Kupo!" Said the moogle on the other side of the elder moogle.
"All the bad habits and aggressiveness of the person, Kupo! They are summed up in another human being, Kupo! There have been a few documentations of this phenomenon as you can see, Kupo!" This moogle was obviously very intellectual. "If you hadn't been split you would have been destroyed, Kupo!"
"so your very lucky to be alive Kieran, kupo!" said the elder moogle trying a smile to lift the slightly morbid statement.
"We came as soon as we got the message." said a large hooded man.
"Thanks! I can use all the help I can get." said the hooded figure from earlier in this chapter.
"It is nice to receive a mission rather than waiting around. I'm happy to do my part." Said a distant females voice despite being right next to who she was talking to. Her mind was somewhere else.
"Everyone know what we're up against?" the one of the hooded figures said.
"Yes." said the other two.
"Then we strike just as the Key barer arrives home."
The larger stranger pounded his hand into the other one.
"This is gonna be like shooting fish in a barrel." His very deep voice collapsing into a chuckle that only he shared. They had a plan that couldn't fail.
"So I suppose that makes me your sister." Karren said as they made there way into the area outside the hotel.
"Makes sense." Kieran said. He had a sister. Just that she had been lost too. Klaus had remained silent throughout the walk. He may have been annoyed by the subject of the talks Kieran and Karren were having. It could have been that he just couldn't be bothered.
"So if your like me but from another universe, does that mean that there are like certain differences and similarities between us." Klaus rolled his eyes and shook his head. This was pointless.
"So like I have this name I use when I'm on the computer-" Kieran started
"Tyro?" Karren interrupted.
"Yeah. Well It would be something else for you, right?"
"Mmm. I like Tyra." She said nodding in approval. Klaus scoffed.
"That's it. You change one letter to make a new name. Creativity on a major scale!" He said mockingly.
"Well, what would your name be?" Kieran asked.
"Tyrell." Kieran thought it was a good name.
"Yeah, well......" Karren drifted off, deflated and defeated.
There was a large crash of breaking pavement from behind them. Klaus had drawn his weapon already. The ground had been crushed by a very large man in a black sleaveless hoodie. His muscular arms made circles as the man limbered up in the shadows where the street lights could not reach. Kieran and Karren now feared the worse, also drawing there keyblades. The man came forwards, his face hidden by his hood. He bent low with his arms ready to catch and grab. He instantly notice something wrong with his opposition.
"There's three of 'em! You said there'd only be one kid to crush." the man shouted to the roofs, his deep voice travelling a long way. A second hooded figure came forward.
"Then we carry on as we planned." the hooded one was a girl too but she had a cloak that draped over her feet and her hands. It looked to big for her as it swamped her small frame.
Klaus wasn't happy with being stopped.
"Who the heck are you?" He said. Disgust oozed from every syllable.
"Your worse nightmare!" said the low voice of the muscled man as he charged straight for Klaus. He stopped the fist thrown at him and kicked the muscled man in the gut. I was like kicking a wash board of steel. Klaus back away, allowing the fist to swing to its owner's side.
"No, I really mean it! Who are you and, give me a straight answer this time."
"The man flexed his muscles as though to intimidate Klaus. He began to run. Like a bull to a red rag, the hooded body-builder slammed into Klaus that, not only knocked him quite a way but dented his chest-plate too.
Kieran swiped at the girl in the over-sized cloak first but it passed through her, like trying to cut smoke. They both attacked as she came nearer and nearer. The girl simply walked between them and plunged her hands into both of there chests. They nearly collapsed with the agony.
"Now be good and do as you are told for the organisation. You don't really need your heart." her voice was distant like a possessed child in a horror movie. Calm, quiet but forceful. As quickly as she had put them in, she retracted her hands faster. One was alight, the other was missing but was being reconstructed by the surrounding black smoke. She ran away. Away from the battle and into the darkness. She wasn't used to fighting, fire spooked her somewhat. Especially when there wasn't supposed to be any. Namely the chests of teenage boys. They turned round and saw Klaus get rammed by the body-builder. They ran over to help him.
The body-builder laughed to himself.
"This is gonna be fun. First I'll rip ya' limb from limb." he said walking around the recovering Klaus on the floor. "Then I'll make ya a li'll heartless and a nobody. Then you'll learn some respect." He raised his arm over his head. Just as he was about to crush Klaus' chest-plate, Karren ran in between them. The body-builder stopped.
"Excuse me, girly. Bu' I gotta crush the scum of the floor. Move aside." he said, as sweet as cyanide but he is a hulking brute. Karren didn't budge. She just stared into his eyes despite the hood he wore concealing them. He went to sweep her out of the way when something prodded him in the back.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." said Kieran. The body-builder turned and clubed Kieran in the chest. Even the fact that he hit Kieran's keyblade, that he had brought up to defend himself, Kieran still flew into a wall. A voice came from beside him.
"Your more trouble that your worth." The cold metal of the figures katana came to rest underneath his chin. "But if you hold still, both of our problems will end." He instantly rose to his feet and raised his keyblade to the girl in the black hoodie. He tried to cut her across her stomach but she stopped him. The started to exchange swipes and cuts. They didn't make much damage on each other though. Kieran felt power flow through him as he continued to defend himself from the attacks of the hoddie with the katana.
"I suggest you leave us alone." Karren said as she raised her keyblade to the body-builders throat. He smiled. This girl couldn't get angry if her life depended on it. Klaus got up and raised his weapon behind her. The body-builder backed away. He bent low, readied himself then charged. Karren gracefully leaped over the man and ran off his back landing behind him. Klaus had built a thick wall of thorns in front of him. The black lattice bent as it was struck by the hooded juggernaut. The body-builder was trapped in the thorns. Legs kicking, trying to break free. Klaus ignored him and went to Kieran's aid.
Not that he needed it.
Kieran swung and brought his free hand round to catch the hooded girl round the face. She stumbled, clutching her face. Klaus and Karren appeared to her side, closing in. Panicking she stepped back, holding the katana in front of her. Where did the other two come from? She though. If it wasn't for them this would have worked and the guard armour wouldn't been stopped. She continued to back away. Her back hit a wall. The three keyblades came nearer. She brought up a portal beneath her. The darkness engulfed her, saving her from the weapons.
"She's running!" Klaus said. He plunged his keyblade into the portal just as it closed.
"Quickly! Open it up!" he ordered. They forced there keyblade into the gap and hooked the side of the dark portal with the blade part of there weapons. With all there strength, the portal stretched. Tyrell dived inside and into the swirling purple and black. Kieran and Karren followed taking the keyblades with them. He was falling through darkness all over again. What separated it from the dream was Karren falling beside him and Klaus falling below. Then they hit ground.