Sora rounded another corner of the strange dark town he found himself in. The weird shadow creatures seemed a lot fewer around here, maybe there were more people he could ask about Riku and Kairi around here. Once he found them everything could go back to normal. He repeated this to himself everytime he swung the giant key that came to him when he called.
Riku would've know what to do. Why did he have to go and disappear like that? They should've went to Kairi together. There were so many monsters, what if they were hurt somewhere?
"Watch out, kid!" A pillar of fire cut through the air near his head, interrupting his thoughts.
He spun around just in time to see a ghostly pink heart float into the air. Turning back to the source of the fire, he saw a tall man with bright red hair step out of the shadows. The man seemed rather irritated at the sight of him, dangling the strange sword he carried over his shoulder by the hand guard. "Jeez, you can't just go running into danger like that. Do you even know what the heartless would do to you?"
"Heartless? Is that what those things were?"
The man stammered over his words for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose to collect himself. "... Listen, kid. You're better off staying closer to everyone else. It's dangerous out here. Get it memorized, alright?"
Sora frowned, "Well that just means I can't leave! I'm looking for my friends, Riku and Kairi. We got separated when those things attacked our world."
His eyes widened in surprise before softening in understanding. For a moment he seemed almost remorseful. The man turned his head to avoid Sora's intense glare. "I don't know what to tell ya kid… not everyone who's world is consumed ends up here."
Out of the corner of his eye, Sora noticed a pool of shadow forming behind the man. He looked around and noticed more forming all around them. "You're better off waiting closer to the first district, that's normally where people show up."
"Look out!" The key from earlier reformed in his hands as he readied himself for a fight.
A heartless lunged at the man, who didn't even turn to look as he snapped his fingers. Fire consumed the heartless leaving behind a ghostly pink heart. The man did seem to notice the key in his hands. His whole demeanor shifted, suddenly very careful. "Stay behind me kid. I'll explain everything once we're inside."
"I'm not a kid, My name's Sora." He stuck out his tongue at the man. One of the heartless charged at him and received a key to the face for its effort.
The man chuckled. "Well, Sora, the name's Lea, Got it memorized? I look forward to working with you." He summoned a blade that looked like it was made of solid flame. A few heartless seemed to cower away, while others seemed invigorated at the sight. The creatures attacked, claws slashing the empty air where Lea had just been. Fire trailed after his attacks, magic warming the air where he was.
Sora struggled against the heartless, they seemed suddenly much stronger than they had been earlier. Every attack Sora used against them didn't seem to faze them in the slightest. Lea stayed close to Sora, seemingly very defensive. The man's fire weaved through the air with expert precision, not even brushing Sora as it burned through the heartless.
After a while, the heartless cleared and Sora felt his exhaustion catch up with him all at once. He swayed on his feet. "What… where… are they all coming from?"
"The heartless consume the hearts of others and destroy worlds. Their name is a little on the nose if you ask me?" Lea tapped his nose for emphasis. "But enough about that. You said you were looking for your friends, right? Well, waiting around won't help much, will it? Tell you what, I need that key of yours for something very important, I can help you look for your friends if you help me with my mission."
"Really!?!" Sora's exhaustion was temporarily forgotten.
Lea nodded. "It's pretty dangerous though, are you sure you can handle it?"
"Yeah! They'd do the same for me! I can't just abandon them with these things running around." He spun around. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!" He exhaustion returned full force, causing him to stumble.
Lea caught him before he hit the ground. "Easy there… you're not going to save anyone like this. Take it easy!"
"I'm… fine." he yawned, eyes heavy. "Can't waste any time."
He collapsed, snoring softly with his face against the ground.
Lea carried the teen through the doors to the hotel handing him off to the royal guard. "Take care of this for me, I have something I need to make sure of."
"Gawrsh, you found him already?" Goofy held the child very carefully, not bothered at all by the abruptness of the action.
He waved his words off. "He made himself obvious, just make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."
"Can do!" the royal guard saluted him as he left.
Lea wandered through the city streets, destroying heartless as he went. He couldn't help the bitter taste in his mouth at the sight of them. Even knowing they had once been people couldn't wash away his hatred for them. Ten years of training had made him powerful enough that most of the heartless fled from him. There were still quite a few whose hunger drove them to attack anyway. He repaid them by releasing them from the darkness.
Using the other's keyblade felt… odd. The weight was strange and the squared off corners of the guard knocked into his wrist when he swung it. Definitely a two handed weapon. With a flourish, he cut down another heartless and sounded the bell.
He found the world's keyhole, Flame Liberator calling out in his heart to seal it. But he pushed it down. Raising the unfamiliar Kingdom Key, he tried to close the door through it. The key resisted and pushed back against his heart.
Frowning, he pressed his power harder against the key's influence. The key refused to yield to his command. Eventually the key grew tired of polite resistance and exploded with power, shoving him backwards away from the keyhole.
"Alright, I can take a hint." He summoned Flame liberator and sealed the keyhole himself. "You can't work with me on this for just a little? You're useless if that kid gets himself killed in that place."
The Kingdom Key, predictably didn't respond.
"I feel like you know something about this kid that I don't… He felt familiar though. Can't really place where from though." Lea looked up at the sky. Stars twinkled above serene and untouched. He knew where he had to go, he just wasn't certain he was ready to go back just yet. "Isa… I can't shake the feeling that he's the key to bringing you home… and maybe Ven too."
The key felt warm in his hand, as if it was agreeing with him. He dismissed the blade. Lea felt a warm presence linger around his heart before the key returned to its chosen.
He dangled his own keyblade by the guard over his shoulder. "... guess it's time to pay a visit home."
He turned to return to the hotel, heartless dispersing now that the keyhole was sealed. It felt odd to have his keyblade out while there was nothing to fight but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being followed. Once inside the hotel he found Goofy and Donald sitting with the boy- Sora.
"There you are!" Donald squawked. "We thought you tried to find the door on your own."
"What? Now why would I go and do something like that? It's not like the door will take any old key and the one it will take is pretty attached to Sora." He crossed his arms. "It'd be way faster though."
Sora stirred in his sleep, mumbling under his breath. Lea walked up to his bedside and knelt. "Rise and shine, kiddo. We've got a lot of ground to cover."
"Wha- Riku?"
"Riku? The name's Lea, Got it memorized?"
Sora blinked in confusion before recalling their earlier meeting. Recognition was soon replaced with disappointment as he remembered the situation. He sat up slowly, hardly acknowledging Donald and Goofy. "... oh."
"You're looking pretty torn up." Lea felt a pang of sympathy for the kid. He'd had to go through the same thing when his own world fell to darkness. It was… lonely. "Can't say I blame you. But there's still hope for your friends…"
"Really?" A bit of hope slipped into his voice.
"Strong hearts like yours are drawn to each other, meaning they'll probably be able to find you as long as they're still whole." Lea placed a hand over his own heart, reaching for his own weak connection with Isa. Only frigid darkness replied to his call, unintentionally bringing a wistful expression to his face. "We have a long journey ahead of us, we're bound to run into them eventually." For better or for worse.
He perked up a bit at that. "You said you needed my help. What do you need me to do?"
Lea pulled up a chair and propped his legs up on the bed. "Your keyblade- that is the thing you summon to fight off heartless- is one of a unique pair. It chose you to wield it and use it to shut the Door to Darkness. Someone is attempting to pry it open and if they succeed it will unleash more heartless into the worlds than can possibly be defeated. I also have a keyblade but mine doesn't have the ability to close this door."
Sora sat and processed this. It seemed like most of it went over his head. But the gravity of the situation was clear enough. Not that it mattered, Lea would have time to explain things as they traveled. "So, if the heartless get through the door, they'll destroy even more worlds right?"
"Hit the nail on the head there, Chief."
"Sounds bad." A new voice chimed in.
Everyone jolted at the intrusion, Lea fell out of his seat from shock. A young woman sat next to Sora on the hotel bed, very intently listening to the conversation. "Don't mind me, I'm just bringing Sora some supplies we put together for his journey." She reached over and pinched the young boys face. Sora seemed befuddled but accepted the show of affection. "Leon didn't want to bother you since he thought Lea'd be able to explain better what's going on. Didya tell 'im bout the king yet? Hey kid, have you ever seen a Gummiship before? Lemme see your keyblade! I've never seen one before."
Lea sighed, only half listening to what the girl was saying. A vague sense of dread washed over him momentarily as the heartless trapped in this sealed world revolted against their imprisonment. Flame Liberator called out to him in warning. He snapped to attention as a few soldier heartless appeared nearby. "Watch out!"
Sora jumped to his feet, effortlessly calling forth his keyblade. It was impressive how easily it came when the boy called for it. Lea had struggled for months to form a proper bond with his keyblade. Sora was a natural.
The older wielder only hoped that his natural talent would be enough to keep him alive against whatever- or whoever- they would encounter.