Chapter Two
Kae tossed and turned in her sleep, dreaming of things that used to be. The Islands in all their splendour. Her mother... her father. How she missed them so. They were the only ones that understood her at all and now? They were dead... both of them. And she'd seen it happen...
14 years ago
She gasped as the door closed on her, but not completely. She could still see if she leaned against the wall and her small, blue eyes widened as the creatures went after her parents. A gasp escaped her lips as they went after her father first, her mother striking them away. Her efforts did no good, however, they easily pinned her against the wall farthest from him. He called out for her, but one of the creatures leapt on top of him, silencing the cry. He growled at the creature, then gasped as it brung it's claws down into his chest. Kae heard him struggle, his blood splattering on the walls surrounding the closet. Her eyes widened, her pupils becoming smaller as he fell limp, the creature ripping out his heart...
" Hey! Time to wake up!"
Kae gasped and opened her eyes, finding Tobi standing over her again. She frowned, pushing him away,
" What is it now?"
Tobi smirked, shoving her clothes at her,
" We're leaving."
Kae raised an eyebrow, glancing down at her clothes then back at him,
" Where are we--? Hey, you fixed them..."
Tobi shrugged,
" Got bored and couldn't sleep. So I figured, eh, what the heck. She's gotta wear something tomorrow, doesn't she?"
He turned before exiting the door, his tail twitching behind him,
" And about your other question? To someone who knows a lot about how this world works."
Kae frowned, blinking in confusion,
" 'This world?'"
Tobi smirked at her before shutting the door, his golden eyes gleaming brightly.
As soon as they stepped up to the porch of the house, Kae frowned,
" This isn't Destiny Islands..."
Tobi laughed, glancing back at her,
" Nothing gets past you, huh?"
Kae frowned,
" So what exactly are we doing here?"
Tobi pressed an ear against the door of a nearby, shabby house after knocking, listening closely for any movement beyond the door,
" I've known this guy for a long time. Maybe he knows something about why your world was destroyed so suddenly..."
Kae straightened,
" Destroyed?"
Tobi nodded, knocking again,
" Yep."
There was still no answer and he frowned, grabbing hold of the doorknob. Locked. Sitting down on his tail as if it were a stool, Tobi frowned and rubbed his chin in thought,
" Hmmm... I know!"
He jumped up and grasped his tail firmly, inserting it into the lock and shifted it around a bit, waiting for the click. Kae frowned at him, raising an eyebrow as she folded her arms across her chest,
" Isn't this called breaking and entering?"
Tobi smiled as he took the knob and turned it, pushing the door open a crack,
" No. I didn't break anything, so technically, it's just 'and entering'. And besides, he loves me..."
Kae rolled her eyes and snorted,
" I'm sure."
The two of them stepped inside, Tobi glancing around the dark living space. There was a couch and a recliner in the living room, a long hallway extending to the left of them. The hall led to the kitchen, wear a small TV sat idle. The oven looked as though it hadn't been touched in years, the sink as well. Around the corner was a fitness-type room. Punching bags and a few weapons adorned it's wall space. Kae raised an eyebrow, stepping about cautiously,
" Are you sure anyone lives here? This place looks abandoned."
Tobi nodded,
" Oh yeah, he's here alright. Just hiding..."
Kae frowned,
" Hiding?"
He nodded again, his hair falling infront of his eyes as he stepped around the corner into another hall. There were three doors in this hall and he opened each one cautiously,
" Yep, he likes to do this whenever I come here."
" How does he know when you're coming?"
Tobi glanced back at her and smiled,
" He senses my presence."
Kae blinked,
" Okay, are we talking about a man or a Heartless?"
Tobi squinted, staring at the area behind her. There was a shadowy figure lurking there, ready to attack them. He smirked, a sharp tooth showing in his smile,
" Man..."
Pushing her out of the way, he leapt at the figure, who turned sharply to meet him. Kae gasped as Tobi disappeared in a blur of blue smoke, the man calmly glancing behind him. Tobi had reappeared there and was met with a steel rod in the stomach. The man did a backflip over the boy and twirled the rod around, holding it at his side as he acquired a fighting stance. He waved Tobi on with his free hand and smirked as the boy charged, again leaping into the air. Leaping over Tobi a second time, he landed nearer the floor and did a round-house kick across the carpet. Tobi jumped just in time, attaching himself to the ceiling for a split second before charging. The man kicked back, pressing himself against a nearby wall. Tobi landed in front of him and threw a punch, surprised when his fist met the wall. The man had ducked a split second before impact and was now smirking as he rammed the rod into Tobi's stomach a second time. The boy grunted and fell to his knees, gasping for air as he doubled over. The man leapt over him and landed easily, placing his rod back into it's sheath,
" You're getting better, I see. Have you been practicing?"
Tobi shot a glare at him and scowled,
" No fair... you said you wouldn't use your weapon this time!"
The man chuckled and smirked at him, shrugging,
" So I lied. Sue me."
He strode over and lent a hand to the boy, who gladly took it. Tobi brushed himself off and headed back over to Kae, who was simply staring at them in awe. He raised an eyebrow at this and frowned,
" What?"
The auburn-haired girl blinked and shook her head, clearing her throat,
" Nothing! It's nothing..."
This made Tobi smile and he put an arm around her shoulders, leading her toward the man he'd just fought,
" Kae, I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine. This is Riku."