Chapter 2 "Enemies Old and New"

"What else do we need?" Kyrine put down the logs with the other things she and Kiro gathered and looked at them inquisitively.

"Hmm… A whole lotta rope, even way more logs than this, some kind of tough fabric to use as a sail, food…" Kiro read as though the list was endless.

"Ugh…" Kyrine groaned and dropped herself onto the sand. "We've been around the island all day for this stuff, can we do the rest tomorrow? I mean, we aren't in any rush are we?"

"Ehh… I guess you're right." Kiro took a glance up at the dark sky. "It is pretty late anyway." They walked to their small camp called home to get some well-earned rest. Kyrine walked into her room and turned her lamp off. Kiro walked to his desk and pulled out the heart key-chain that Kyrine gave him on his birthday. He looked at it, and thought. We'll be gone soon, Kyrine. Together, a whole new world out there…

"Good night, Kiro" Kyrine called out from her room.

"Oh, uh… Good night." Kiro put the keychain into a drawer.

"I can't wait for the day we finally head off."

"Yea, me neither. Well, until tomorrow, then. Good night."

Kiro and Kyrine were already fast asleep during the very late hours of the night. The night wouldn't stay peaceful for very long, however. A door-like mass of darkness appeared next to Kiro's bed, and two tall hooded figures stepped out.

A deep yawny voice, "This boy is whom the Superior spoke of?" He looked at Kiro pathetically. "Tch. He doesn't look like much of a threat."

"It is said that the cursed blades would pick anyone. Even kids as raggedy as this one…" A more sharp, and feminine voice. She stepped around inside the large tent and looked around her. "I'm surprised Kyrine would ever live very long in such conditions. Does she really like this rather than how it is over at the headquarters?"

"Heh. I doubt she even remembers how it was back then. She was barely old enough to think for herself then." He placed a hand on Kiro's desk. "Ugh. This place is filthy."

"Still, this kid's done a pretty good job at taking care of our little princess." She was in Kyrine's room now. "She looks healthy. Hmm… We may still have use for her. I guess it's a good thing she didn't die in that storm we threw her in."

"Okay, I think we've been talking enough already. Let's get this over with. The hooded man raised his hand up, and it glowed with a cold, dark, aura. Outside, extremely dark clouds gathered, winds started to pick up. "Okay, you hurry and get the girl."

The clouds started to generate lightning now. Thunder roared and echoed across the island. The hooded woman started to pick Kyrine up gently. "Goodness, she's a lot more heavier than she looks…"

"Hmm…? What? What's going on?" Kyrine was up now. She looked around, and then up at the hooded figure carrying her now. "Wha?! Who are you?!"

"Shhh…! Quiet. You'll wake up your friend. You wouldn't want to disturb him in your sleep do you?" Another door-like mass of darkness appeared before them. She stepped towards it while Kyrine struggled to let loose of her grip.

"Urgh! Let go of me! What is this?!" She squirmed around but couldn't get loose. "KIRO!!"

"What?!" Kiro leaped out of his bed. He looked at the man with his hands raised. "What? Who- what are- what are you doing?!" Then turned to see Kyrine being taken into the darkness. "KYRINE!!" He jumped towards them.

"Not so fast…" The man grabbed Kiro. "You're coming with me."

"Agh! Let me go!" Kyrine was gone. The dark portal shrunk and disappeared. "KYRINE! Gah!! Let me go, I said! What do you want?!"

"You don't need to know that. Or at least, you soon won't have the right to know… Heh heh."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He struggled to let loose.

A loud roar of thunder boomed. And a red light flashed for a second through the window. "Hm. See that, kid? It's over. Stop struggling, there's no use. He put his other hand up, raised is head and closed his eyes. "Soon your world will be torn into the void of nothingness. This whole island, and everything else will be erased entirely- AUGH!" He took a hard blow to the stomach and fell.

"I have no idea what the hell you're saying, but whatever, psycho. You're not taking me anywhere!" He opened the drawer and took the heart key-chain, and on his way out of the tent, he pulled one of the support pegs and ripped off the ropes. The tent fell, rolled up with the hooded man stuck inside, and flew across the island along with the wind. Kiro looked at the bundle and smiled. "Heh. Won't be seeing him anytime soon… What?"

He looked up at the sky, and a humongous, glowing orb was in the sky. He then looked more around him, and the sight was all too familiar. The wind was throwing everything on the island up into the air. Trees were uprooted, and houses were torn apart. The only thing unknown was the ominous ball of darkness floating in the sky. It seemed as though it was sucking everything in.

What is this? What's going on? Kiro just fell and sat there, dumbfounded. How could this happen? Where did Kyrine go? Is this the end? He all of a sudden remembered. Remembered that he still had something to do. He can't end this way. Not now. Not yet. He had to fulfill his promise. No. I'll find a way outta this. I promised Kyrine! He held the heart key-chain with Kyrine's name on it. It then started to glow. The light spread everywhere, and blinded his vision. He couldn't see a thing…