disclaimer: i do not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Bleach, 7-Ghost, or any other anime or games involved in this story.

Legend of the Guardians

Chapter 3: Real or not

...

As the creature faded they looked behind it to find someone neither had prepared for. He had long silver hair and an impossibly long sword. He was viewed as the best at Soldier and he was known as a hero in Midgar. To them, however he is a executioner sent to either kill them or bring them back alive.

"Sephiroth!?" the duo exclaimed, shocked.

...

Sephiroth merely looked over his opponents before drawing his blade, the Murasame. Jay's eyes started glowing, for he could sense the danger coming from the man and so he knew that, at this point, a fight was unavoidable. He also knew that his blades wouldn't be enough and so called upon his power. "Ifrit..." he said, "lend me your strength." As he finished that sentence a pillar of flame engulfed him. Seeing this Sephiroth attacked Jay hoping to stop him before he could power up, but when he swiped through the flame he found nothing.

He turned around just in time to block Jay's swift strike from behind. He saw that Jay didn't use his blades to attack but claws that were engulfed in flame. There was no emotion on Jay's face and Sephiroth felt a dangerous aura around the boy. Because of this, he forced the boy away and flipped back to the top of a random building to examine his opponent. He wasn't able to get a good evaluation of his opponent, however, before Jay vanished. He turned around and was able to block Jay's blow but the power of the attack forced him though three city blocks worth of buildings, effectively demolishing them.

He stood, unfazed by the attack, and looked to the boy who was floating in midair. Hn, this will be fun, was all he thought as Jay closed the distance between them. Sephiroth brought out Murasame just as Jay swiped with his claw and the collision caused a shock-wave that destroyed two more city blocks. Sephiroth then forced Jay away and sped after him. Jay stopped flying in midair and sped to meet Sephiroth. When they clashed they traded blows at a frightening speed, both are striking relentlessly and viciously to take down their opponent.

Jake watched the battle nervously. he was about to go help Jay when a voice stopped him.

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess." it said. He summoned his blades and turned around just in time to block a yellow fireball. He looked to his attacker only to find two more people he didn't want to see. One had fiery red hair and blue eyes while the other had spiky black hair, blue eyes, and a sword larger than he was.

"We seek it thus and take to the sky." it was the red haired man who had spoken.

"The wondering soul knows no rest."

"loveless: act 1" said the man with the spikes.

"indeed" replied the other man. He then turned to Jake and said, "let your wandering soul rest and return to the place whence you came."

Jake glared at the two. Genesis and Angeal, damn we're in serious trouble if they sent the elites from Soldier after us. At this point a fight is unavoidable. He thought about his options and a means for the two of them to escape but came up empty. He couldn't give up after having come this far. He was left with no alternative, he had to fight to get them out of there. He closed his eyes and called upon his power. Odin, lend me your blade. In that instant a tornado engulfed Jake. He opened his eyes to reveal glowing sky blue and his blades were replaced by Odin's.

"I'd rather die and face god's judgement than go back to that facility." He said with determination. His face became emotionless as the wind died down a bit. He was calm and ready to face his opponents.

"Is that so? If that is your choice." Genesis said with a smirk. He then took his blade from it's scabbard and ran a hand over it, igniting it in red flame.

"Remember, our job is to bring him back alive." Angeal said as he readied his Buster sword.

"Noted." was all Genesis said before launching at Jake. Jake blocked the attack but the force created a small crater. Jake seemed unfazed and, with a flick of the wrist, sent him flying back. Genesis stopped only a few feet away before charging again. This time they traded blows and Genesis delivered an upward swipe that sent Jake flying upward. He jumped in the air and they traded blows once again. Again Genesis sent him flying. When he thought Jake was high enough he launched a volley of fireballs at him. Jake tried to deflect them but there were too many and thus was engulfed in yellow flame.

Genesis smirked, thinking the battle was over, but before he could celebrate the ball of flame exploded outward causing a shock-wave that forced him toward the ground. He looked to the sky only to find a blur and the next thing he knew, he felt excruciating pain in his chest and he was heading to the ground. The impact created a large explosion and a shock-wave that almost knocked Angeal off his feat. When he looked in the smoke he saw a pair of glowing blue eyes. When the smoke cleared he saw Jake standing above Genesis preparing to deal a finishing blow, but before he could strike Angeal intervened by smacking him aside with his sword.

"Are you alright?" he asked, never taking his eyes off Jake, while taking his battle stance.

"Never better." Genesis muttered sarcastically as he stood up and also took his battle stance.

Little did any of them know that the battle was being watched by a man shrouded in darkness. The man snapped his fingers and said, "Let the games begin."

Meanwhile Jay and Sephiroth were at a standstill. They stood 30ft away from each other and were equally exhausted, though Sephiroth didn't show it.

"You fight well." he said.

"As do you" Jay replied, panting.

"You were trained well, but I'm afraid this duel must end. Let us end this childish." Sephiroth stated while getting into a battle stance.

"You read my mind." Jay said with a smirk while getting ready for an attack.

Sephiroth sped towards his target, intending to finish this in one swift move. When they clashed, however, he was greeted with a fury of black feathers. He looked around to find that Jay was nowhere to be seen. He sensed for his presence, only to find that it wasn't there. Jay had vanished without a trace. With that thought in mind he said disappointingly,

"Perhaps we should finish our duel another time." With that he, too, vanished in a furry of feathers.

Angeal and Genesis were preparing to end this as well and so tried to strike Jake together, but they too only met a fury of feathers. He and Genesis looked around to find no trace of their opponent. An illusion?. He looked to Genesis to find him staring back, probably thinking the same thing. In a flash Sephiroth appeared before them.

"Your's too?"Angeal asked. He merely nodded.

"Any ideas?"asked Genesis.

"No, but at the time of their disappearance I sensed another powerful presence nearby." he replied.

"You too, huh?"said Angeal.

"It seems that there is another player in this game of ours, one who desires the gift of the goddess."

"Yes, but who?"

As the three were talking the man shrouded in darkness opened a Dark corridor with a smirk and stepped through, the portal fading behind him.

Jake saw that his opponents were going to strike together and so prepared himself, but when they were about to collide, his opponents and the world around him faded away. He stood there baffled as the world around him blew away like sand in the wind and was soon replaced by a world shrouded in darkness. He looked around him and found Jay a few feet away with the same confused expression on his face. They both had a lot of questions running in there heads but first they had to get their bearings.

They looked around to find that they were on a beach in a world covered in darkness. The only source of light in the world came from the moon high above the margin. There were stones that were shaped like arcs and the two felt an ominous aura coming from this strange world. It was then that they heard a strange sound and they turned around to find a man in a black leather coat that covered his body from head to toe. Behind him, three other figures came through the portal before it vanished. The duo looked to each other before turning to the figures ahead of them. Jake took two steps forward and asked a question that had been on his mind since he saw the men step through the portal.

"Who are you?" At this the first to have come from the portal stepped forward and removed his hood to reveal a smirking elderly man who had a short white beard on his face.

"Greetings, my old friends..."he said, his deep voice cutting through the silence."It's been quite a while since I've seen you." At this Jay's eyes narrowed, his distrust of the man growing by the second.

"Have we met before?"Jake asked.

"Not yet, but we will in the very near future." the man said. When the man said this Jake became even more confused. In the near future? What does he mean? He was going to voice his thoughts but decided against it. It would only confuse him more and he needed answers, not more questions.

"Are you the one that brought us here?" he asked instead.

"Indeed." the man answered.

"Why?" he asked.

"To test you. I want to see how strong you are."the man said with a smirk. The duo summoned their weapons and prepared for battle. Before they could get close, however, the man lifted a hand summoning a wind that held a force so strong it sent them flying through the air. As they flew the world around them faded once again. It was replaced by a cliff-side in a barren wasteland. When the wind calmed down they found themselves on their feet in the strange new world. They checked out their new surroundings before looking to where they last saw the man, only to find the last two to exit the portal standing before them. What shocked them however was the fact that the figures each had a pair of black angel wings and held a scythe. The duo readied themselves and the Reapers came at them with unheard of speed. The test had begun.

The Reapers struck relentlessly and viciously. They were swift and efficient in delivering their blows and soon enough the duo found themselves on the defensive. The Reapers left little to no openings and because of this, they could only land a few blows before going back to blocking their swift strikes. After what seemed like hours of blocking and striking, Jake developed a strategy for defeating their opponents, but he would need Jay's help. He looked over to his friend, only to find him struggling with his opponent as well. It's now or never, he thought. He then forced his opponent away and got some distance between them. A second later he called upon his powers and within seconds his eyes were glowing.

As the Reaper sped toward him he vanished and reappeared next to the Reaper attacking Jay. Without a moments hesitation he kicked it's face, sending it flying to the sky. The Reaper Jake was fighting closed in on him but before it could strike Jay blocked it with Phoenix wing and sent it flying as well. The two nodded to each other before jumping after their opponents. They fought in the air for a few moments before sending their opponents crashing to the ground, creating two large explosions.

The man looked upon the battle with disappointment, for he thought that by now the children would have grasped a piece of their full potential. He needed to make them stronger if he planned to use their full strength for the plan ahead. With that in mind he snapped his fingers and continued to watch the battle unfold.

When the two landed, they looked to the clouds of dust for any sign of their opponents. Seeing nothing they heaved a sigh of relief and looked to the old man to find him smiling. Before they could question this, the earth beneath them shook violently. As they tried to regain their balance, a giant pillar of darkness shot up into the sky. They looked at the pillar in horror as a powerful beast emerged from the pillar bearing dark angel wings and a massive blade, followed closely by an army of Reapers. They knew that even with their powers they would have a difficult time escaping these odds, and so they got into their battle stances.

They merely glanced at each other before sending a barrage of fireballs and orbs of light at the Reapers. The Reapers, however, evaded the barrage and attacked in waves. The duo were left on the defensive, guarding themselves, back to back, against the furious strikes of the Reapers. After a few more strikes Jay got frustrated and so created a pillar of flame that kept growing until it obliterated the Reapers.

The man looked at the battle with disappointment for they were stronger but not at the speed he had previously expected. They were progressing much to slowly, and at the rate they were growing he would have to wait another decade for his plans to continue. Perhaps we should take a different approach. With that he snapped his fingers and disappeared into darkness.

When the last of the Reapers were destroyed the duo looked to where the man was standing only to find a dark portal disappearing. They looked to the Angel of Darkness to find, to their utter shock, that there was not one but two who were staring back with their hoods covering their faces. The angels lifted their hands and darkness started to pool from them. Wisps of darkness made their way around the heroes until the darkness blocked out the rest of the world. The duo kept their guard up as the wisps surrounded them and then faded away to reveal a new world. The were standing before a large building with neon lights. The sky was dark without a single star. As they looked around they found themselves in the middle of the neon lit city.

They looked to the top of the skyscraper and found the angels staring back down at them, as if challenging the duo to join them. Jake and Jay only took a quick glance at each other before running up the side of the building to reach their opponents. Before they could reach the halfway point a dark corridor appeared on the side of the building and the two angels stepped out of it as it faded to darkness. At that moment it was as if gravity had no longer existed and the two stopped 20ft away from them.

They heard a noise and turned around to find the man stepping out of another portal 30ft away from them. Jake took a few steps back until he found himself tripping over something. When he looked to the ground, his face took on the look of pure horror as he looked at the body before him. He looked around to see that the scenery had changed from a world with nothing to a world full of chaos. The sky's were ablaze and the ground was littered with the bodies of men, women and children. He stood up and looked upon the people with sadness and fear.

"Beings of both light and darkness." At his voice the duo looked to him with sadness and anger.

"Released from the darkness and raised by beings of the light. Not only that but you have a powerful weapon that is not yet known to the world. these qualities make you the most powerful beings to ever exist and essential to my plans. However, this power comes with a price as you see before you." at this Jake's face showed pure shock while Jay's held a look of frustration.

"You mean...we did this? Jake asked fearfully.

"What you see before is indeed the future but it is only one of many different realities, you can still save this place or you can choose to destroy it. The choice is yours and yours alone."with that Jake sighed with relief.

"However, are you really willing to protect them? People who wouldn't hesitate to erase your existence?" the man asked.

The question took Jake aback. He would admit that he still has a slight hatred for the people who kept him in that facility, so was he really willing to protect a people who tortured him? He thought about the experiments and the pain he felt. He remembered professor Hojo and his assistants. He remembered the screams of the other kids as they were examined, dissected and torn apart. Most of all he remembered his friends dying before his eyes and his hatred for Hojo.

It was then that he remembered the friends he made in the facility. The fun he had there, the nice staff and even those who helped him escape. He looked to the body before him on the ground and decided. Sure there were those who were dark and deserved to pay, but no one deserved a fate like this, no one deserved to feel pain or anger or sadness. No one deserved to die. He looked to Jay to find him staring back expectantly and determinedly. He then looked to the man with a certain fierceness in his eyes.

"It's true that I still hold a grudge against Shinra and the humans that treated us like monsters..." the man listened intently.

"...however, they also helped us realize our strength and some even watched over us like our parents, and so... we choose to protect them."

The man frowned in disappointment and snapped his fingers. The world around them once again vanished and was replaced by a cliff side overlooking a kingdom. It was radiant and peaceful with gardens spread everywhere. They looked around and saw that they had returned to the past, before the place fell to ruin. They looked back at the man to find him in a pool of darkness.

"I must say, you disappoint me." he said. At this the duo summoned their keyblades and got ready for a fight.

"I'll admit, I was hoping that you would destroy this place so I wouldn't have to." as he said this the darkness left him and entered the angels.

"So your the one who caused so much death and destruction?! WHY?!" Jake screamed angrily.

"It's simple, the people that live here are a hindrance to my plans, so I disposed of them." the man replied simply. He then turned to the angels and commanded, "Destroy it all." They simply nodded in understanding as he left using a portal. It was then that the ground began to shake violently and the duo got into their battle stances as the Angels were engulfed in a giant pillar of darkness. Jake took one last look at the city before glancing at Jay. After seeing his determined expression he turned to the pillar with determination as well. The pillar then fluctuated and from it sprouted thousands upon thousands of Reapers.

The duo looked to each other before Jay smirked and Jake smiled. They may not know if they would survive this battle, but one thing they were sure of is that they were going to protect the Kingdom no matter what. They then looked into the mass of Reapers and sent out a barrage of fireballs and orbs of light while creating a large barrier to protect the kingdom. The Reapers, however, were able to get past the barrage and soon the duo found themselves using their keyblades. After hours of of defeating countless enemies, the duo was overwhelmed and out numbered so they called upon their powers.

As if sensing the use of their powers, the pillar began to shrink and soon became a small portal in the hands of a being that was stronger than the angel. It was three times the size of a Reaper and had four black wings. It carried a scythe the size of a skyscraper and wore the same coat as the Angels. As the duo was occupied with the Reapers the Death God looked upon the battle field before momentarily closing the portal in it's hand and using the darkness to manipulate the feathers of the defeated Reapers.

The feathers then transformed into glowing orbs of darkness and, with a stroke of his hand, they smashed the barrier surrounding the city. Jake saw this and tried to set up another barrier but before he could the orbs of darkness attacked him. He screamed in agony, for when each orb hit the impact caused small explosions of energy. He could nothing but cry out as the orbs tuned into blades and struck him swiftly, viciously, and relentlessly.

"JAKE!?" Jay yelled as he tried to reach for his friend. Before he could reach him, however, he was struck by one of the Angels. As he flew a few feet back He took this chance to look up and see the Angels standing in his way, as if ordering him not to interfere. He growled at them in frustration and anger as he could only hope that he would be able to help his friend in time.

Meanwhile the Reapers have begun their attack on the city and they left nothing untouched. Within minutes the kingdom was ablaze and the duo could only watch helplessly as it was destroyed. As Jake recovered from his devastating punishment, the Death God appeared before him and grasped his neck. It lifted him into the air as he tried desperately to get much needed air into his suffocating lungs, but to no avail. It squeezed until he stopped struggling and, once it was sure he was dead, tossed the body over the edge of the cliff like a rag doll and reopened the portal. Jay could only watch in horror as his friend fell over the edge. He stood there, mortified as the angels delivered a series of blows he couldn't feel anymore. For once in his entire life, he shed his tears for a lost friend.

It was dark, so much darkness, nothing but darkness. He felt nothing, saw nothing, and heard nothing. It was as if he was in a void and empty space, as if the worlds have abandoned him and left him to rot in this place. He should be feeling something. Doing something, but he couldn't remember what it was. He new he should be feeling something from this place, fear, that was it. He should be scared of this place but instead he felt calm, as if there was someone watching over him. With that thought in mind he opened his eyes to find himself curled up in the protective embrace of a young woman who looked no older than 20 or 18.

The image was blurry but he could make out what appeared to be six white angel wings. He looked to her face to find her smiling at him and he couldn't help but smile in return. She started to speak to him and the sound of her voice was starting to make him lose consciousness. Her voice was soft and warm like that of a loving mother and it made him feel relaxed and secure.

"The time has come for you to truly awaken, young one. Go forth and take good care of the others."she said. Before he lost consciousness he heard another voice that was faint and almost nonexistent.

A shattered dream that's like a far off memory, a far off memory that's like a shattered dream.

I want to line the pieces up...

...yours and mine.

Jay did his best to hold back the invasion while also fighting the angels. After a few hours of fighting he was on his knees exhausted. Behind him the city was in ruins and most of the people turned into heartless. He looked upon the bleak world with a sense of hopelessness, knowing that, in the end, they failed. Is this it? he asked himself. The Reapers surrounded him as the Angel prepared to deliver the final blow. Is this the way we die? Does all we've done, how far we've come mean nothing?

As the angel raised it's blade and prepared to strike, time itself seemed to slow to the point of stopping. Jay closed his eyes and as he waited for the end thought with a smirk. I guess, it's finally over. After what seemed like an eternity he heard a voice he knew all too well. "Why don't we look for the answer together? And if anyone gets in our way, we'll take them all on." That's right, we made a promise. We promised that no matter what we would figure out the reason behind our existence.

Jay felt the last of his strength building inside of him. I can't give up now. The power within him started to grow exponentially. We have promise to keep so we can't afford to die here.His body began to glow red. It's because of that promise that I know you aren't dead yet. The Angel brought it's blade down slowly as a large magic circle formed around Jay in an instant. In the circle was the letter X with demon wings. The same symbol formed on the back of his right hand. I can't take on this many alone, so I need you to get up. The blade came closer. I know you can hear me, get up! No response. JAKE, GET UP DAMN IT! As he tried to reach out to his friend, time returned to normal and the blade was ever close to ending Jay's life. Before the blade could deliver the final blow, however, the earth below shook violently causing the Angel to stop it's attack to regain it's balance. It was then that a huge pillar of golden light exploded from the ground a few feet away from the cliff and it created a shock wave that destroyed the Reapers attacking the city.

When Jay saw this he looked to the pillar for any sign of his friend. What he saw, however, was the ghostly form of Shinryu, the strongest of the Aeons. Good, that means you haven't given up yet. Jay knew that seeing the illusion of Shinryu meant that Jake had finally unlocked it's power. He looked to the beings of darkness with new found determination before closing his eyes once again. I wont give up either. At this thought he opened his eyes and the energy that had been slowly building within him exploded from his body in the form of red flames. The flames annihilated the Reapers as a pillar of red light erupted from the magic circle.

Jay stood and looked at the light around him. His question was answered when he saw one of the very beings that raised him for the first five years of his life. He smirked and called out to the creature before him, asking for it's help. "PHOENIX!" The Phoenix screeched determinedly before becoming a beam of light that merged with Jay. The moment they touched Jay's body was engulfed in flames and he could feel it's power merging with his own. He then looked to his back to find that it's wings had sprouted from it. He then turned to his opponents as the pillars dies down to simple flames in the dirt.

"Time for some payback!" was all he said before he attacked one of the Angels with unheard of speed. He struck quickly and relentlessly and within seconds it was sent to the ground causing a giant explosion, forming a crater with a 5 mile radius. The other Angel attacked him but only met the same fate. He only took a moment to celebrate his victory before something large and dark caught his attention. He looked to the Death God to find it holding a dark-ball the size of a large boulder. "Damn, I forgot about him." was all he said before he made for the dark creature. He charged his keyblade full of red energy and struck only to be blocked by a barrier of darkness. "What the...!?" was all he could say before the shock of the impact sent him to the ground creating a small crater.

He stood and looked to the being to find the ball of darkness growing in size. before he could take a step forward, a small orb of darkness was sent towards him. He flew back to avoid the strike and searched fer his attacker only the find the angels he had beaten earlier. Give me a break already! The Death God, seeing no more distractions, threw the ball at he city. Jay saw this and tried to intercept but was stopped by the Angels. Just before it could destroy the city it exploded in midair. The Death God looked on in surprise for from the smoke emerged a figure with two white angel wings and two keyblades. Jay smirked as he saw what happened and could only hope his suspicions were correct.

"Jake." he said with a smirk.