Day 1: Appearance

Gwynn

Gwynn Satsujin had always been shy. That was just the way she was. Shy, lonely, smart. Kind above anything else. But now Gwynn was a little different. She could fight if needs be. She was a little sarcastic at times. She had good friends, and Crayon too.

Oh, and she had Korynn in her heart, a centuries old darkness who gained a personality and who wants to create chaos, using Gwynn. Korynn being there also gave Gwynn usage over darkness, although Gwynn could only create a barrier, portals or beams currently.

Gwynn somehow always forgets to think about that.

But with the changes to her life, she now had secrets. Secrets she will never let slip.

Which was why Gwynn was a little bit shyer, and a little nervous, when she sat in an interrogation room in Quadratum, waiting for the police to question her about her two-year absence from that reality.

She looked around the room she occupied. Standard grey walls, slightly chipped from over the years. The floor was plain black, with white scuff marks from the chair and table being moved. Talking of the chair, it was dark blue and made of plastic, making a person feel like they were sitting in primary school. Gwynn did not mind sitting in it that much, for she was used to sitting in those type of chairs. She was thirteen- no.

After the two-year jump in time, Gwynn corrected herself, I'm fifteen now. Although I still look like a thirteen-year-old…

The table sat in front of Gwynn, square and unremarkable. A glass of water rested on top for Gwynn's comfort. Another chair sat tucked in on the opposite side of the table, which Gwynn assumed was for the police officer who would question Gwynn eventually. She noticed a humming noise and craned her neck up to a corner to see a very old air conditioner, its fan rusty but still working.

Gwynn returned to staring at the blacked-out window. She could see her reflection faintly. She had mostly pink hair that mostly covered her face and reached down to her shoulders. One pure white streak and one pure black streak sat side by side on the right side of her reflection. Her clothes were dirty and battered, the previously fluffy collar of her light pink cardigan having went rough a few battles previous. She wore a dark long blue dress underneath, with white daisies populating it. She glanced back down at her hands, fidgeting with her hands and putting her dark purple boots on and off anxiously.

Gwynn's head shot up when the door opened to the interrogation room. A kind police officer, dark skinned with black puffy hair walked in. She closed the door quietly behind her and set a file down onto the table, before sitting down in the other chair, one leg crossed over the over. Her blue eyes were of reassurance when they met with Gwynn's orange tinted yellow eyes.

"Hi. I'm sure you're pretty nervous. Don't worry. After a few questions, you can return home with your dad. I'm Detective Kachi by the way. Are you ready to begin?"

Gwynn took a few breaths to steady her nerves and banish the thoughts that Kachi would find out about the different reality and Gwynn would be imprisoned. "Y-yeah. I'm ready."

"Alright. This statement is being recorded for evidence of what you say today. Do you have any issues with this?" Kachi settled into her seat.

"No."

"Ok. This is Gwynn Satsujin's statement for the case of her missing whereabouts from 2020 to 2022. Present: Detective Yoi Kachi, Gwynn Satsujin. Time is 14:56 on Wednesday 5th January 2022. Gwynn, can you please describe the details leading up to your disappearance in your own words." Kachi asked.

"Ok. Um, well it was the night of the, um… I believe you call it the Clash now? It was the night where the two boys were fighting on top a rooftop opposite the SoRa D shop. One boy was dressed normally, blacks and greys, and had short grey hair. I think he was carrying a red bow or a red sword? I didn't get a good look. The other boy had really spiky brown hair. At the time I wondered how much hair spray he used for it to defy gravity like that. His clothes were really weird too, and he carried a key thing?" Gwynn tilted her head, trying to remember the name.

"Yes, we call it the Clash, where two individuals battled it out viciously and with style." Kachi clarified.

"Thanks. Well, it was that night, and I had gone out on a walk and had spent time drawing. I couldn't get to sleep. I was walking back, when I saw a crowd. I stopped and watched the… fight," Gwynn hesitated, expression becoming sadder. "I… I saw something, fall off the edge of the roof, and, um, I pushed a guy outta the way. Then, I-I see it come for me, and then, i-it goes to black." Gwynn choked out.

"These records show that someone called an ambulance for you. But then, you disappeared when you were inside. Do you know what happened next?" Detective Kachi carefully continued but said it kindly.

Gwynn doubted herself and considered telling Kachi the truth. That she had died and ended up in the Final World. That then she had struggled to get back home ever since. But then her friends flashed into her mind. Crayon, the moody games streamer who always had her hood up; Pencil, the kind mind reader with black hair and red tips; Carla, the ninja supreme who invented and chatted a lot; Kairi, a powerful and gentle keyblade wielder, who helped Gwynn back home; Sky, who, well, just thought highly of himself. And Gwynn's resolve hardened.

"W-well," Gwynn lied, "I woke up in a building. I think, I got kidnapped. I don't know why. They fed me and stuff, and kept me there for two years. I, uh, managed to escape recently and get back here."

"Do you remember anything about the location? Identities of the kidnappers? Numbers?"

"No… I'm sorry, things changed a lot and details are fuzzy." Gwynn crossed her fingers underneath the table. Please believe me.

"I understand. We may have to question you again, but we can move on for now," Kachi looked down at the files on the table before frowning at Gwynn. "Can you tell me about those streaks in your hair? The picture in the file doesn't have them."

Gwynn breathed out a silent sigh of relief before freezing at the mention of her hair. "Dusk," she muttered.

"What was that?" Kachi's eyes seemed to scrutinize Gwynn.

"Oh. Well…" Gwynn fumbled for time.

How could she lie about her hair?

The duo came towards a clearing beside the gentle flow of a river. It sparkled softly while the water was practically clear. The ground was covered in bright green grass and small daisies, and a few ancient trees framed the area. It was dark but almost dawn. Everything had a purply blue tone from the lighting, creating faint shadows in the night and making the area look as beautiful as in a fairy-tale. A cricket chirped in the short grass nearby, but other than that it was quiet save for the trampling of Pencil and Gwynn. Gwynn went closer to the water when Shadow (and the teenager version) Neoshadow heartless popped up behind the two of them.

"Seriously, more heartless?" Pencil complained, "Gwynn, you get behind me and-"

But when Pencil looked around, they saw Gwynn react, squeeze their eyes shut, and take out all the Shadow and Neoshadows with one purply black beam. Gwynn kept her arms frozen in position as her eyes darted to her hands.

"Are you ok?" Pencil ran over, and Gwynn simply nodded, although still startled.

"Alright. Do you want to keep going, or..."

"Give me a minute." Gwynn said quietly.

As Pencil went away, Gwynn looked at her reflection in the water.

Same clothes, same face. Then how am I doing these things?

Not everything's the same.

Huh? And Gwynn noticed that there was a hint of black in a section of her hair. Not noticeable to anyone else but her.

Gwynn was surrounded on all sides, and she couldn't see a way out of it. Gwynn had practiced day-in, day-out, her combat practice and controlling her dark powers. But it still wasn't enough.

Yawn. Are you going to actually fight them or what? You have darkness, use it already!

"Who are... you?"

I'm Korynn. At least, that's what I call myself. I've been helping you along when you are too dumb to do things yourself. Just when I decide to appear and have a nosy at what you are doing, look at you. Urgh.

Gwynn had to quickly shield herself as a few heartless attacked. They jumped back into the surrounding circle. Gwynn glanced round at Korynn.

"I don't know how I can defeat these guys. I'm only a kid, y'know!" and Gwynn started getting annoyed at Korynn.

So? Do I have to spell it out for you? Use. Darkness. Think of your target and. Bam. That's your only hint.

And so, Gwynn did exactly that. She thought of all the pain, all the sadness that Gwynn had tucked away in a corner of her mind. All the anger that Korynn suddenly made her feel. All the sacrifice. All the confusingness of the situation…

All the heartless went down in one swoop. Gwynn limped over to everyone else, with Carla quickly supporting her. Gwynn was clutching her head, as if in pain. But she had no injuries…

"Gwynn! Are you okay, are you hurt, did the heartless-" Pencil barbled.

"I'm ok. Just- need some time alone." Gwynn winced.

"I have a first aid kit. Here, take your hand away from your face." Carla gently removed Gwynn's hand.

Pencil and Carla both gasped, and when Sky tried to get into the huddle to see, Pencil elbowed him away.

"What, I only wanted to see!" Sky harrumphed.

Pencil just glared, but then begrudgingly shimmied over, revealing that Gwynn now had a pitch-black streak running through her hair.

Pencil opened their eyes and landed on top of a stained glass. It had Gwynn on it, and Korynn now, the two holding hands in their sleep. It was blood red, and very ornate on Korynn's side. On Gwynn's, it was purple and a lot simpler. It was one of the more beautiful and complex hearts Pencil had been into. However, the pillar that it stood on was crumbling.

Gwynn?

"Pencil? What are you doing here?" Gwynn's hair didn't have the streak of darkness in it anymore.

I'm saving you. Duh.

"You- you can't. Korynn is taking my heart, I won't survive. Ahh!" Everything had a tint of red as Gwynn clutched her head. Another piece of the stained glass crumbled into oblivion.

Gwynn! Pencil ran over to Gwynn.

"See! There's nothing I can do! I've tried everything!" Gwynn started sobbing. "My heart has become darkness, and Korynn controls it now!"

"That's it!" Kairi clicked her fingers. She walked over to Gwynn and closed her eyes. Kairi started glowing, and eventually Gwynn started glowing too.

At that moment, the light barrier protecting them broke down and Korynn, looking like hell's mutated beast, came full force at Gwynn. Gwynn snapped her eyes open and pulled herself up.

"It's time to end this."

These memories came back to Gwynn as she fumbled for an excuse. Only a few months had passed, and Korynn was now trapped in her heart, but lingering traces were still around.

How can I lie about my hair?

Gwynn closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. Kachi waited patiently for her answer.

"I… I got experimented on, I think. When I was, um, unconscious. I just woke up with my hair like this one day," Gwynn made up. "It's completely natural."

"Ok. I think we should pause the statement there. Thank you so much for this. I know it is tough, but we'll try our best to imprison the people who did this to you. They may be more questions in the future, you understand," Detective Kachi closed the files and stood up. "I'm going to discuss some things with my colleagues, and then I'll come back to say you can leave. Ok?"

"Alright." Gwynn quietly answered.

Kachi closed the door quietly behind her again, and walked into another room, where her three colleagues stood behind the window that Gwynn faced.

"What do you think?" A gruff man addressed Kachi.

"Hm, it's hard to tell."

"It seems very convenient to not remember any of the kidnappers, or the place. And stealing her in an ambulance? Something seems wrong about that." A man in his mid-twenties looked briefly up from his computer.

"Yeah, and statements from the doctors who were treating Gwynn said she was in critical condition. She wouldn't have been able to survive without hospital treatment." A lady handed to Kachi a file, which Kachi skimmed over.

"I know. But that type of emotion? You wouldn't be able to fake that. Gwynn has been through a lot, that much is evident." Kachi pointed out.

"But is the story she told the truth? Or is she hiding something, protecting someone?" The first man frowned.

"Magia, Gwynn is fifteen years old. She is not some criminal. She is an innocent victim to someone's cruel meanderings. We may not know if she is telling the complete truth, or only part of it, but I know one thing for certain. Most kids would be crying their eyes out if something even remotely like this happened. And yet Gwynn doesn't and gives us important information, information we can use. Gwynn Satsujin is an incredibly strong and brave person, even though she does not look it."

Gwynn, at that moment, looked up at the blacked-out window, and even though she could not see the police officers, stared directly to Kachi. In those bored eyes, Kachi could see. She could see the hurt Gwynn went through, the suffering, and Kachi could also see the wisdom and experience in those yellow eyes too. Eyes which would be forever burned into Kachi's memory.