I come to slowly. I must have only been out for a few seconds, because the ground is still shaking. Ben is next to me, and we're under the table. He must have pulled me under it after I conked out.
"What..." I mutter, "the hell.... happened?"
"Haidyn! Oh, thank God you're okay. I didn't know what to do.... The ground was still shaking when you hit you're head. This is the longest earthquake I've ever experienced. You were out for at least 5 minutes. And it's still happening."
I sat up, as carefully as I could, considering the circumstances. "Ben, this is going to sound insane to you, but.... I don't think this is an earthquake."
His eyes widened dramatically. "Then what the hell is it?"
"Uh," I say, and laugh giddily from embarrassment. "I don't think will sound realistic at all, but, I think Organization XIII is doing this."
He laughs hysterically. "Organization XIII?!"
I nod. "Yes, Ben. I'm serious, quit laughing at me! Right before I fell I saw a man in a cloak. It's the same cloak that is trademark Organization XIII members. How weird is that?"
"Weird enough to make me wonder how hard you hit your head." And then the shaking stops, as soon as he finishes his sentence. "See?" He smiles. "Just an earthquake. An unnaturally long earthquake." He sounds less sure now, as he begins to climb out from under the table.
I climb out too. "You don't understand Ben. This is serious."
"Haidyn, you're imagining things! You play that game way too much, and it's affected your brain."
"Not you too!"
"Haidyn..." He starts. But for the second time today, he doesn't get to finish what he was saying to me. A loud crack reverberates through the room. We turn to face the entrance to the library, where the sound came from. But there is no entrance. In its place is a huge, gaping black hole.
"Believe me now?" I smirk at him. But he's too mesmerized by the hole to answer.
And then the man appears. "Beautiful, isn't it?" I look around, and he's standing behind us. I take notice that all the other people that were in the room have disappeared. "The darkness. Ah, a sight to see."
"Who are you?" I say. "And what the hell are you doing at my school?"
"Why, I've come for you, Haidyn. Haven't you realized yet?"
"Uh, no. Or else I wouldn't have asked you..." Man, this guy was dense.
"Haidyn," Ben says slowly. "What's going on?"
"Gosh, what is it with men? You are all so dense! He just said he's here for me. Which is why this is all happening. Duh." I swear, they all need help.
I guess the man decided he didn't want to wait for me any longer. So he came after me himself. I of course, being a girl and all, screamed. That's when Ben took action. The man was inches from me when Ben acquired sudden super-strength and threw him out of reach of me. "Don't touch her!" He shouted. Wow, touchy much? Yeah, I know. I'm way too sarcastic. It's a disease.
So, anyway, the two being men, they start wrestling. "Ben, throw him back in the hole!" I shout, helping as much as I possibly can. Which, for me, is watching from the sidelines because I really wouldn't be much help at all. "Ben, the black hole! It's a portal or something! Throw him in it!" Now wind is starting to blow (yeah, in the library, I was confused too) so hard it felt like a storm was coming. Ben slowly , slowly inches him back toward the hole until he has him right in front of it. He throws him in - but the man doesn't let go. Ben falls in with him.
"BEN! NO!" I almost jump in after him. I would have too, if someone hadn't just grabbed my arm. I turn around frantically, and Holy Crap. Mickey Mouse is standing behind me, making sure I don't fall in. In my shock I forgot about the hole and it closes with a loud crack.
"Ack! No! Come back! Ben! No! This is not possible! This should not be happening..."
"Haidyn. Haidyn! Pay attention to me! We can get him back." Mickey Mouse, or should I say, the King, is dressed in his usual Kingdom Hearts attire... the Organization XIII cloak. "Now, you have to calm down."
"Calm down?!" I fume. "CALM DOWN?! I just experienced an earthquake that caused me to hit my head. I just watched my friend get sucked into the Darkness, which should not exist. And now King-freakin-Mickey is standing in front of me, and he should not exist!!!"
Of course the King just chuckles. "Don't exist...What do you think those games are, Haidyn? Just for fun?" He shakes his head. "No. They are records of history, put into game mode so that no one suspects and so that if a person wishes to they can act out history themselves."
I'm dumbfounded. "You can't be serious, Mickey. I mean, Your Highness.... Mr. Sir, Dude... uh."
"King Mickey will do." He turns around. "Now, we've got to get you out of here. They're after you. You are the second human chosen one, after all."
I nearly choke. "What?!"
"Well, yes. Sora completed his mission. Now it's up to you to finish off the evil for good."
"No. No way. I'm not up for this. All I want is to get Ben back! There's no way he'd make it out there in the Darkness..."
"Then do it for Ben, Haidyn. Save Ben by saving the world."
I'm speechless. "Uh, what am I supposed to do?"
"Defeat the Heartless. Defeat what's left of Organization XIII. Find Ben. And lock up the Darkness once and for all."
"I have to do that all by myself?! I mean, at least Sora had Donald and Goofy! I got nobody!"
"You'll have help of course. Sora and Donald and Goofy have agreed to accompany you on your mission."
"Huh uh."
He smiles. "Yes."
"Okay, I guess I'll go along with this... for now. How do I find Sora?"
"Here," he waves his hand and a small, dark portal opens in the ground. "This is a portal to Traverse Town. Sora should be there. Find him. He'll know who you are."
I look down at the black, bottomless pit. "But..." I look back up, but the King is gone. "King Mickey?" I look around, but he is nowhere to be seen. "Welp. Here goes nothing." And I jump in.
***
I've been falling for what seems like hours. There is nothing around me, just blank empty darkness. All I can do is wait.
And finally, I land on the ground. On my feet. I look around, and I'm standing on Ariel's picture, which is floating in the middle of the darkness. Nothing else is here. No Heartless to fight, no monster to defeat, no evil man to kill. Just me... and that Keyblade lying on the ground over there in the middle of the floor. What?!
I approach it, and a light cascades down around me. Which is when I notice that my clothes have changed. Changed themselves, apparently. I'm no longer wearing the jeans and T-shirt that I had on earlier. Now I have short, black shorts on, and a red shirt with a zipper in the front, pulled down slightly to reveal some cleavage (Typical video game, am I right?), at least, what little cleavage I have. On my back is a black canvas backpack, whose straps run over my shoulders, then two more run crisscross across the front of my torso. Around my neck is a locket. But thank God, my feet are not huge. They are normal-sized, and I am wearing red and black tennis-shoes. And on my hands are black, fingerless gloves. "When the hell did this all happen?" I say incredulously. And then a voice interrupts me.
You are the chosen one.
"Uh, yeah, I guess so..." I say aloud, looking around but seeing no one. "Who are you?"
I am nobody of consequence, merely a helping hand.
"A helping hand?"
Yes. I am here to help you choose your fate.
"Oh great. More choice-making."
Around you there are four pedestals, each with an item on top of it. You may choose only one. Each decides a different fate for you.
I walk to the first pedestal that has just magically appeared. On top of it is a hammer. Yeah, a hammer.
The hammer symbolizes strength and determination. Choose it, and your fate will end with strong consequences.
A light illuminates the next pedestal. I move over to it. On top of it is a book.
The book symbolizes intellect and wisdom. Choose it, and your fate will end with a wise decision.
The third pedestal contains a magic wand.
The wand symbolizes faith, magic, and belief. Choose it, and your fate will end if you truly believe.
And finally, the fourth pedestal. I walk over to it slowly, and I feel like there should be music playing. On top of the fourth pedestal is, of all things, a Paopu fruit.
The Paopu fruit symbolizes love, friendship, and loyalty. Choose it, and your fate will end with an act of affection.
The four pedestals seem to stare at me. "Holy shit," I say. "I am so not cut out for this."
I walk to each pedestal, considering it, thinking about possible outcomes. But of course I know which one I am choosing. I proceed to the fourth pedestal and with no second thoughts pick up the Paopu fruit.
You have chosen.
The Keyblade that is still on the ground begins to change. It changes to a blue color, but the key end is black. There is nothing special about it, only that at the end of the chain on the handle, there is a heart, instead of… well, Mickey's head. I pick it up, and the ground disappears beneath me. "Oh, not again!"
This time I only fall for a few seconds, until I land in the main square of District One. As soon as I do, a man runs past me, and I am shocked to see that he is holding Sora's Keyblade!
"Hey!" I shout. He stops abruptly and turns to look at me.
"The Chosen One!" He shouts, which is when I notice the cloak he's wearing.
"Hey," I say again. "Where did you get that? That does not belong to you!" And then he runs at me, Sora's Keyblade held out in front of him, ready for attack. "Again with the running at me?" I sigh. But I don't waste time. I too keep my Keyblade in attack position. Then he's at me. I swing at him a few times, but he dodges easily. But he lets his guard down for a split second to smirk at me. I hit him and he goes down. "Lucky shot," he says. But this time I knock him out with the handle end of my Keyblade. "Holy crap, I'm violent." He lies on the ground, Sora's Keyblade still in his hand. I pick it up. "And Holy crap! I beat him!"
It is at this time that Sora, Donald, and Goofy choose to run in and witness the end result of my first battle. "Gah," I say. "Took you long enough."
