Not So Standard Disclaimer: And for his special debut chapter, the OMPU brings you: Unmei!

Unmei: 'ELLO! JT doesn't own Kingdom Hearts. Ya know that already. Don't sue, or I'll sick the flamers on you. MUAHAHAHA!

Rating: PG-13 for language, violence, gore, and future romance

Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance

Summary: Her planet was the first to go. And she was killed in the process. Now she must become a guardian to the only one who can save them to redeem herself. (My take on who the "All-knowing voice" is.)

AN: Yay! It is finished! Chapter 5 of our ongoing adventure! Read. Enjoy.

Review Corner:

Rurouni Saiyan: YAY, SPECUATING! I love it when my reviewers speculate. Hmmm…well, I'm not gonna tell you who the "helper" was. That would ruin the story! Thanks for the Japanese tip…I've been stuck with Japanese-English dictionaries, you'll have to forgive me.

Jigoku Hikari: Though we may never see you again, I will still put you up here. Farewell Imouto-chan!

… Whaddya mean ya only read the summary?! Kami-sama, don't review unless ya take the time ta read the fic. Geez. Oh and four words: my fic, my rules. XP

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.:Guardian of Keys:.

Chapter 5: Unmei

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The sound of seagulls and ocean wind greeted him as he slipped back into the conscious world. The boy blinked his sapphire eyes groggily. Above him was the beautiful blue sky that he had grown up under.

Slowly he lifted his tired body into a sitting position. Before him, the vast ocean he'd known all his life stretched to the horizon, and the white sand beneath him was warm and soft.

How'd he get on the beach? He didn't remember coming down there. That place…was it just a dream? A great yawn left his mouth, and he flopped back onto the sand.

He blinked, instead of sky there was a pair of indigo eyes staring back at him.

"Whoa!" He jolted back into a sitting position, now fully awake. The intruder gave a soft, melodious laugh as he turned around. The teenage girl in front of him was smiling impishly, her vibrant red hair framing her face. "Aw, gimme a break Kairi," he said sheepishly.

Kairi smiled wide, a slight laugh in her voice as she spoke. "Sora, you lazy bum. I knew you'd be snoozing down here!"

"No, this huge black THING swallowed me up!" He blurted, shaking his head, "I couldn't breathe, I couldn't-" Sora gave a small yelp as Kairi promptly whacked him upside the head.

"Are you still dreaming?"

"It wasn't a dream! Or…was it?" He sighed. "I don't know. What was that place…? So bizarre…"

The redheaded teen scoffed as she walked past her friend. "Yeah, sure."

It was then, Sora decided, that he needed to change the subject, a very familiar one. "Say Kairi," he began, "what was your hometown like? Y'know, where you grew up?"

Kairi didn't look at him, but kept her eyes trained on the horizon. "I told you before. I don't remember."

"Nothing at all…?"

"…Nothing."

Sora paused for a moment, unsure of how to continue. Kairi's past had always been a bit of a touchy subject. "Would you ever wanna go back?"

"Well…" the girl hesitated. "I'm happy here."

"…Really…?" Sora's brow rose skeptically, but he tried not to let too much sarcasm into his voice.

"But y'know, I wouldn't mind going to see it." Sora nodded enthusiastically at this, a wide grin splitting his features. "I'd like to it too," and then as an afterthought he added, "Along with any other worlds out there. I wanna see 'em all!" Yes, that was his dream. Something that most people thought he was crazy for. And was it really all that strange? To have a great adventure; to see what no one else had? For fourteen years he had been condemned to the two islands, and rarely more than that. He had only been to any of the other islands when he was younger.

And he knew that, somewhere out there, there was more than endless ocean and a few islands. There had to be more to the world than that. It would be a terribly boring place if it were.

Kairi turned back to face him, her indigo eyes bright. "So what're we waiting for?"

"Hey." Both boy and girl turned at the new voice, their faces lighting in recognition. The boy before them was taller than Sora, but had the same lean build. Exotic silver hair fell to his broad shoulders, long bangs falling into his bright sea-green eyes. He wore a tight, yellow sleeveless shirt with black trim, two black buckles running in an "X" across his chest, and baggy lack pants. His shoes, like Sora's, were a few sizes too big. In his arms the boy held a fat log. "You guys forgettin' about me?"

A small smile lit his boyishly handsome face as he shook his head. "Looks like I'm the only one workin' on the raft." He walked towards them, throwing the thick log to Sora as he passed. The earthen-haired boy let out a huff as he collapsed under it, taken off guard. His counterpart continued walking until he was a foot away from Kairi. He leaned forward with a fake condescending glare. "And you're just as lazy as he is," the boy remarked, nodding to the teen on the ground.

Sora pushed the heavy piece of wood off with a huff and a grin. Yep, Just another day on Destiny Islands.

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Meanwhile, in a secluded grove on an island not so far away, a certain raven-haired hanyou was having a similar awakening. The first thing she became aware of was the warmth. The void that she'd called home for the past nine years was dark, dank, and unbelievably cold. Of course, when you're dead temperature didn't matter, but it was still noticeable.

Where the hell was she?

JT forced her eyes open, and immediately regretted it. Holy, the sun was directly above her. Thousands of invisible daggers pierced her skull, and she thought for a moment the sheer brilliance of it had scrambled her brain. She clenched her eyes shut in pain.

"Ah, wakin' up now, eh? Well, it's about time. Good thing I don' have to worry about age." JT cracked open one eye as a shadow fell over her. She hissed. It still hurt, a lot. "Yeah, I bet tha' hurts like a bitch, huh? After nine whole years in th' Void 'n all." The figure above her laughed. "'Ang on, I'll fix ya right up." Long, thin fingers brushed her long bangs out of her face and began to make small, soothing circles against her temples.

Her eyes drooped lazily as the pain in her head slowly faded. Her vision darkened a bit and cleared. The blurry figure above her was slowly coming back into focus.

A swift tap on her forehead snapped her from her trance. Her vision became crystal clear with an abrupt jolt. The grinning face above her pulled back a little so she could see him better. "'Ello there. An' who might you be?"

JT moved to sit up, and the man moved farther away from her. The ghostly hanyou glared up at the strange looking man. He was like nothing she had ever seen before. His eyes seemed to change colors with the waxing and waning sunlight. They changed from bright orange, to a dark red, to a golden yellow – and she swore even violet at one point – in a matter of seconds! The man's hair was a violent shade of red-orange, and was so unruly that it stuck up in odd places. His outfit was simple: a blood red, tight-fitting short-sleeved shirt and baggy white pants. He wore a pair of simple white Chinese slippers, (AN: Saying "Chinese slippers" bugs me…does any one know the PROPER name for them?) which left the violet star tattoo on his ankle bare to the world. The only jewelry he wore were the four earrings – one black stud, two silver hoops, and a silver star.

The man's amusement seemed to grow as she glared at him, for he laughed loudly. "Well now, 'Dousha said ya were a feisty one, but I wasn't expectin' this. Th' name's Unmei by the way." The man, Unmei, held out his hand to her.

When she was still glaring up at him a few moments later he said, "It's not very polite to ignore someone who's tryin' ta help." Truth be told, she wasn't trying to make it a point to be rude. It was more that she wanted to ask so many questions. Where was she? How could this Unmei see her? "Dousha"? Did he mean Shidousha? Was he a member of Kingdom Hearts?

Unmei blinked, his grin faltering slightly. Then his expression turned thoughtful. "You're Destiny Islands; spirits are able to see other spirits; yeah I mean Shidousha; and of course I'm a member of Kingdom Hearts."

She looked at him strangely.

The other spirit pointed to his temple, an all too familiar gesture. "It's all part of the job, girly."

The fact that he was imitating her conversation with the boy was annoying, but…JT felt her eye twitch. "Girly?!" she hissed.

"Cha. What else am I supposed t' call ya?"

"My name maybe," she muttered, finally taking his hand. Unmei pulled her to her feet, keeping a firm hold on her arm when the hanyou stumbled a little.

"Rule number one: I don't go digging in a persons' past without permission, only the thoughts that skim the surface."

JT stood straighter once she regained her bearings, (It had been nearly a decade since she had "stood" after all.) back straight and chin held high in her perfect soldier form. She gave his hand a small shake. "Jigoku Tenshi. My friends call me JT…at least they would if I had any left."

"Well I'll be the first in a long while then," he said, smiling.

"Ha. Keep telling yourself that." With that, the woman abruptly turned on heel, and left the bewildered spirit behind.

Four steps, and she ran into something. JT looked up. There stood Unmei, his amused grin – that annoyed her to no end – plastered across his face. She brushed past him with a snort.

Six more steps, and he was there again. She growled. "Will you stop that?!"

"No." He then laughed at her expression. "You really are new at this aren't you?"

"Nani?"

He blinked his multicolored eyes. "…eh?"

"Nani?"

"WILL YOU STOP SPEAKING GIBBERISH?!"

"IT'S MY NATIVE LANGUAGE YOU PRICK!"

"…native language…? You Wutainese?"

"…hai…"

"…?"

She sighed, and slapped her forehead. "…yes." Unmei looked thoughtful. He walked circles around her, taking in every aspect of the woman – much to her annoyance. Finally, he stopped in front of the hanyou.

"Hmm…you look it. 'Dousha and Katsu speak it sometimes. But y'see, here we speak English. So none of that Wutainese gibberish."

JT growled and bit the inside of her cheek to keep the scathing retort from forming. Who was he to tell her what to do? Planet spirit or no.

"Let's just say I'm your personal trainer."

Damn. How could she forget about his little mind reading ability? All the same she whirled around to face him. "What?"

"My job – aside from my normal duties as Planet spirit – is to teach you the basics of being a Guardian of the Keyblade Master. What to do, how to contact your charge, basic magic… that sort of thing." He gave the hanyou a half pleading, half commanding glance – which she had thought to be impossible. The spirit was full of contradictions, ne?

"I don't… have a choice, do I?"

"Nope! It's either this, or you get sent back to the Void."

JT sighed in defeat. She really did not want to go back, now that she was finally free. "What do I have to do?" she asked gloomily.

Unmei's expression brightened considerably despite her tone. Quite frankly, it was scary how fast this guy switched gears. "I'm so glad you asked!" he said brightly. "Follow me!" That said, the spirit latched onto her bandaged wrist and began to drag her into the air. A surprised yelp wrenched itself from her throat as her feet left the ground.

Taking advantage of her unguarded moment, the redhead zoomed across the sky. The land – island, she corrected herself – was far below them, and she could see a few more islands of in the distance. As far as the eyes could see stretched an ocean of the deepest teal. 'And ocean Planet?' She turned from the outstanding view, to the spirit currently dragging her across the sky. "Hey you… Unmei!"

"Hm?"

"Is there any large bodies of land here? Like a mainland perhaps?"

"Nope! Just a few islands like this. It is Destiny Islands after all. The one we're going to has been sort of taken over by the children. There are no adults on the island, and the children come and go as they please."

It was then she remembered how young her charge was. An island of children huh…? What did they do all day…? Play pretend… or whatever it was little children do? It wasn't as if she'd know. Her childhood was nearly nonexistent.

JT briefly saw the grin spreading across Unmei's face.

"You're reading my mind again, aren't you?"

"Heh. Maybe…"

"Well stop," she spat, mentally cursing herself for being disrespectful to someone clearly stronger than her – but it was really too late to stop now. "Here, I'll make you a deal. I'll be cooperative, you quit reading my mind. It's unnerving. All right?"

The spirit skidded to an abrupt halt, making her crash into him. He looked over his shoulder at her with a smirk. She decided she didn't quite like that grin. "Deal." And off they went again.

'Oh, Holy…what have I gotten myself into?'

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Her body collided with the glistening sand – or rather, nearly went through it. In fact, most of her body did go through the sand. JT grumbled irritably as she extracted her upper body from the land beneath her. "Was that really necessary?!"

Unmei merely grinned down at her. Kami-sama that guy was annoying. 'Iie…calm down. You do have a deal to keep.' Regaining her composure she stood, all the while glaring at the spirit. Then, deciding that glaring would get her nowhere, JT scanned their surroundings. It was a small bay of some sort, the emerald sea stretching out before them. On both sides were smooth moss covered rocks sloping into the cliff behind them. At the base of the cliff was a small grove of tree reaching towards the sky. Overall, it was quite an experience. "So… where are we?"

The man made a gesture to the cliffs. "'The Island of the Children. They're on the other side of the island right now. That will give us time to train."

The warrior scoffed. "Training? For what? I know how to fight."

Unmei shook his head. "Using your fists will amount to nothing at this point. You need to use the powers of the magi to fight."

"You're kidding…right?"

"No. You're a spirit-" he paused for a moment, his hand rising to his chin. "…no, I take that back: you're worse off than a spirit. Proper spirits can show themselves to mortals at will. You, however, must earn that power."

"Wait," JT said, a tone of outrage and confusion apparent, "how am I supposed to protect the gak…kid-" she caught herself that time "-if I'm worse off that a spirit?!"

"Well that's where the training comes in."

"…Shimatta…" (Damnit…) JT couldn't stop herself from cursing in her native language.

"I thought I said no Wutainese."

"Unmei is Wutainese for 'Destiny'! How could you have that name and not know Wutainese?!" Great. Now it was a shouting match.

"FYI: Unmei isn't my given name. It's just what I'm known as in Kingdom Hearts."

She tried to keep the next question from leaving her lips, but the curiosity was too great. "What is your real name then?"

The soft grin turned into a full-fledged smirk. She had walked tight into his trap. Damn. "There are only three others who know it, and I only tell my name to those I trust with my life."

Now that was strange. Hiding a past she could understand, but a name? That didn't make sense…

"Actually, it makes perfect sense," said Unmei, startling her. "Giving your true name to someone gives them a bit of power over you. It's only slight, but a little can go a long way. Didn't you know that?" She almost cringed, thinking of how many people on Makai had known her name. "There's much you don't know about the universe it seems. Oh well, you'll learn one way or another."

"…You…" JT lowered her head, hiding her eyes beneath her long bangs. The corner of her mouth twitched.

"Hmm…?"

"You…" Her head rose slightly, making it appear as if her eyes were glowing in the shadow of her hair. An almost malicious smirk spread across her face. "You read my mind again."

"Heh heh…" Cold sweat dripped down the back of his neck. (Or at least it would have if he had a body.) The spirit cleared his throat. "Now," he began a bit hastily, "there are four basic rules you have to remember about being a guardian. Rule number one: protect the Keyblade Master at all costs – that's self-explanatory. Rule number two: for every Planet you visit on your journey, remember to have him seal the Keyhole. Rule number three: you must assist the other Great Spirits in keeping the Heartless at bay – and before you start with your 'I don't need help' line, get used to it. You are going to need it. And rule number four: get to the Door before it opens! Any questions?"

"Many."

"We'll get to that later. First though, I have to teach you how to protect your charge." He motioned for her to come closer, which JT reluctantly obeyed. She stood, not even a foot between them. Then he leaned forward, so close their noses were almost touching, and stared at her. His eyes were constantly flashing between colors, before finally settling on a hauntingly beautiful lilac.

What the hell was he doing? That stare… it was as if he were looking straight into her very core. Was he…?

Suddenly, the spirit pulled back, an almost unreadable expression on his face. "Have you practiced magic at any time during you life?"

"A little…" Magic wasn't exactly her strong suit. She had learned some basic spells, but the only advanced enchantment she knew was a healing spell.

"Good," he said, "then I don't need to go over the basics of energy summoning with you. Though, it'll be a bit different then summoning in a physical form. For now," he raised a hand into the air, a soft red light appearing in his palm, "we'll start with a basic elemental spell." JT jumped back as the light erupted into a dazzling flame around the spirit's hand.

And then something strange happened.

Unmei's eyes switched from their haunting lilac to a wild blood red. This made her uneasy, to say the least. It was a well-known fact that blood red eyes were rare – even among youkai. They usually meant a youkai was extremely powerful… or extremely insane… but hey, didn't power and insanity go hand-in-hand? But she digressed. It was as if Unmei's entire aura had changed from his reckless and amused state, to something darker…something she definitely didn't like.

Her fears were confirmed when a strange smile spread across his face. It wasn't right… it was barely bordering on sanity. "Isn't beautiful, young one?" His voice utterly shocked her. It was not the youthful voice she'd been introduced to. It was a low and evil hiss. The grin turned wicked and insane, which did not assure her. "How the flames dance with bloody light? Burning all that crosses its path?" He eagerly brought the flame closer to her face, as if to let her admire the beauty of it. She took a step back and the grin faltered a bit. "It is beautiful, isn't it? Don't you agree with me, young one? Come, tell me you agree!"

"Er…Unmei…?" she asked, unsure of what to think of this new predicament.

The spirit's wicked joy vanished at the mention of his name. His bloody eyes narrowed into slits and he bared his teeth at her. "Don't call me that," he hissed dangerously at her. "How dare you call me by that name. You will be punished young one." His hand of flame rose slowly, preparing to strike her.

"UNMEI!" JT yelled, trying not to let any of the fear she felt show in her face, or her voice.

Unmei blinked, his multicolored eyes returning once more. He shook his head vigorously and the flames slowly dissipated from his hand.

"What the HELL was that?!" she exclaimed once his attention had returned to her.

"Er…well…" the red-haired spirit grinned nervously. "Y'see it's a bit difficult to explain…"

JT shook her head, tangling a hand in her bangs. "Y'know, on second thought, I don't wanna know. Just don't try to kill me…again."

Unmei laughed, relieved. "Can do." He clapped his hands together, a smirk coming to his face. "Now, whaddya say we get started on out training, ne?"

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Nearly an hour later, JT collapsed – as best she could – onto the sand. Kami-sama, Unmei hadn't been kidding when he said summoning was more difficult when she didn't have a body. She was utterly exhausted, and she was only casting a basic fire spell! How was she supposed to protect anyone if she couldn't even re-master a simple spell?!

"It'll get easier as time goes on," Unmei grinned sheepishly as she glared at him. "I know, I know. Lay off the mind reading. Why don't you take a break? Go out and explore the island a bit. And more importantly, go find the Keyblade Master!"

"Yeah sure," the hanyou muttered under her breath as she propelled herself into the air. Anything to get away from there. She flew clean over the ledge that separated the bay from the rest of the island. The land beyond was mostly white sand, with lush tropical trees sprouting up near the cliff. In the center of the area was a huge, hollowed out tree. There were wooden planks all around the tree – as well as the tree next to it – creating a makeshift tree house of sorts. There was also a beautiful waterfall pooling in an alcove of rock to the far left. Not far from the shore was an outcropping of rock high about the water, a sturdy wooden bridge running back to the main island. It was pretty peaceful she decided.

All in all, she could see three children, none of which were her charge. One sitting on the wharf, one leaning against the ledge on the outskirts of the beach, and the final one on the platform to her right. It took her a moment to recognize them as the children that had been in the void's illusion. That had probably given the boy a scare…

The ghostly warrior descended, skimming just about the emerald ocean. Now where wa that kid?

Clack… clack clack… thud!

'Hmm…wonder what that is…' JT halted near the outcropping of rock, listening to the steady sounds. They were fluid, rhythmic, and if she listened close enough she could discern two sounds and not just one. As she drifted higher, JT attempted to put movement with the sounds. 'It almost sounds like…' she drifted over the top of the cliff, '… a swordfight?!'

And there they were. The two boys were locked in a beautiful dance of swords – wooden swords albeit, but swords nonetheless. The boy, the chosen Keyblade Master, was putting up quite a fight. It was no wonder the boy had chosen a sword as his preferred weapon, he was a decent sword fighter! Decent, yes, but outclassed in this case, JT realized with a grimace. He was clumsy, stumbling about, swinging his sword as if it were a fly swatter. His opponent on the other hand moved with grace and accuracy. But the other boy's fighting style wasn't what caught her attention – he was good, extremely good, but… 'Kami-sama, the boy looks just like…like Sephiroth!' Same lean build, same silver hair – though shorter and styled differently – same haunting eyes…

And yet, as she studied him, she began to take back her words. The kid's hair was a bit more of a dull silver, rather than Sephiroth's molten silver tresses. The eyes, too, were different. The boy's eyes were blue-green, and paled in comparison to the feral electric-jade green eyes of Sephiroth. And…

She blinked. 'And why am I thinking about this?!' The warrior shook her raven-haired head, effectively wiping the – for lack of better word – treacherous thought from her mind. JT smirked then, something cynical rising within her. Had Sephiroth escaped and – by some miracle – started a family? Well, technically, he would've had to do so before he died, considering the boy's appearance.

Or maybe it was just some freak coincidence. Either way it didn't really matter to her. Just a bit of an amusing thought. Sephiroth, a father, HA! Yes, that surely was an amusing thought.

Her charge landed a strike across the other boy's chest, throwing him backwards onto the sand. And then with a great leap the boy was on his feet again, at it was her charge who was sprawled across the sand. The silver-haired teen strolled up to his opponent, and rested the edge of the wooden sword against his throat. "You lose, Sora."

"Aw…its 0 to 1 now…" Her charge – Sora – lifted himself off the ground, a sort of disappointed expression on his face. A competition? Is this what they did all day? She couldn't keep the smirk from her lips. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

"Yeah, it kinda grows on you." JT turned, glaring at the tall spirit next to her.

"How do you keep doing that?!"

"You learn after a few millennia. So!" Unmei gestured back to the island. "You like what you see?"

"It's… nice," she replied hesitantly. "It's peaceful here…Those kids, do they always fight like that?"

"Oh yes! Sparring is one of the main entertainments on the island. That one there," he pointed to the silver-haired boy, "is Riku. He's the best fighter on the island. There's no one that can beat him."

"Hn." Interesting…

"Don't get any ideas. There's no way you could take on a corporal form in order to fight him at this point. That's advanced magic. Speaking of which," he turned to her with that reckless grin of his. "Time's up. Back to training."

She sighed. "Already?"

"Sorry JT, but no one ever said being a guardian was going to be a walk in the park."

End Chapter 5.

AN: Ah, yes. Another chapter complete. Be happy. Its past midnight here, I'm running mostly on caffeine, and I have a migraine. ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER! Ugh…I need an aspirin…