Prologue

A BBQ and Storytime

For the past thirty years, the continent of Eurasia was struck by a massive spatial quake that leveled everything in its wake, including 150 million people that lived in that part of the world, leaving behind a young woman called a spirit. In the years before the rise of Master Xehanort, before the death of Master Eraqus, before the birth of Sora Lucis Caelum, the Spirit of Origin was discovered by a young boy named Shinji Takamiya, and given the name Mio. Through the time she spent with him, Shinji and Mio formed a strong bond with each other, and Mana agreed to be her friend, until Deus Ex Machina Industries, headed by Isaac Westcott, killed Shinji, and broke Mio's morality. Not wanting the boy she loved to disappear into the afterlife of Kingdom Hearts, Mio saved him with a kiss, and thus preserved his consciousness within her being until he was reborn, and left on the doorstep of the Itsuka family, where Kotori welcomed him, but saved his life after a terrible catastrophe that nearly ended his life again, thanks to another spirit whom Origami had come to hate and view with contempt, driving her hatred of all spirits, unaware that there was another pulling at that spirit's strings, only to be dependant on Shido, who was unaware of why she knew him so well. His adventures were the prelude of his greatest mission yet. To find and meet the spirits, make them feel at ease with him, and then seal their powers after they agreed to let him do so with a kiss. But although Kurumi Tokisaki, the most dangerous and vicious spirit of them all, tried and failed to devour Shido, she formed a strong rivalry with Sora, while he succeed in ensuring that his friend would save the many spirits he met, such as Tohka Yatogami, codenamed Princess, Yoshino Himekawa, codenamed Hermit, Kotori Itsuka, Shido's adopted sister, codenamed Efreet, Kaguya and Yuzuru Yamai, codenamed Berserk, and Miku Izayoi, codenamed Diva. Shido was now thrust into the mantle of savior by Ratatoskr, a secret organization whose sole purpose was to save spirits, rather than destroy them, like the Anti Spirit Team, or capture and turn them into inverted versions of themselves, like DEM Industries, which Mana Takamiya, Shido's biological sister, who now became Riku's girlfriend, chose to leave, after learning the terrible truth about what they were planning with the Niflheim Empire, which was now waging a brutal war against the Radiant Garden Regenesis Organization. Now, Sora, Shido, and all their friends and family are happily having a BBQ picnic in Tengu City, where the Chosen Child of Destiny has agreed that they've earned themselves a good long break. Among them are the Keyblade Wielders of Light, the Sailor Guardians, the Puella Magi Holy Quartet, as well as many others who have agreed to join their side, after meeting people they both love and cherish. Read for yourself the stories that Sora tells his friends of the many adventures he's been on. The legends and stories that he will tell Shido and his family, of the times that he traveled to new and different worlds, as well as went through many hardships, making him the mercenary Keyblade Master. These are his Picnic Stories in Tengu Park! Away from their friends, Tohka and Mana were training with each other, as energy sword and Sandalphon clashed furiously with each other, but both combatants were easily surprised by their growth.

"Great block, Tohka," she said.

"Thanks, Mana," replied the purplette.

"By the light of Tarvos. Your girlfriend's actually helping Tohka out with her training, Riku," said Hotaru.

"She's the best, Hotaru," smiled Riku, as they watched the clash grow with intensity.

"Still, are you sure you'd like me to give you a hand, Tohka?" she asked her.

"Oh, you know better than to ask me that, Hotaru. I deserve to have some training. But the way we're sparring is a little slow," remarked Tohka.

"Then how about we crank it up a little more, if it's okay with you, Sora?" asked Shido.

"I agree, Shido. I think Tohka deserves a bit more of a fair challenge," replied Sora.

Tohka and Mana stopped, and turned to face them.

"Well, okay, Tohka. You heard Sora and Shido. Let's increase the intensity of your training to a higher level. I'll just set my power reserves to a higher level and… OFF WE GO!" smirked the bluette, and she lunged at Tohka, who did the same.

"Okay, now this is better! HYA! But still… RAH! Not good enough… ZOYA! To… HA! Beat me!" grinned Tohka, until she managed to knock Mana's weapon out of her hand, and watched it land behind her.

"And done," said Xion.

"Yeah, very well done, Tohka," agreed Kotori, who sat at the table.

"YAY!" cried Tohka, who jumped for joy.

"Brava! Brava! Darling!" called Rarity.

"Still, a true hero should always know when to watch their back," said Yuna.

"Now that you mentioned it, Yuna, I'm starting to agree with you on this one," replied Rebecca.

"Well, just be careful about getting your ego severely bruised, even when you're up against a dangerous enemy," warned Kaguya.

"Adage: Tohka must be cautious about her own courage, so that it doesn't corrupt her judgment," added Yuzuru.

"I'm afraid Kaguya and Yuzuru are right about that, Tohka. All Warriors of Light need more than just bravery. Overconfidence is the greatest weakness of every person in existence. Find true balance within yourself, and both light and darkness will keep your heart strong," agreed Terra.

"I suppose you're right about that, Terra. Still, even if Mana had set her energy blade to a really high level, I think Sandalphon would be severed into two halves, just like Blake's old sword, Gambol Shroud MK I, and I'd already be a goner," replied Tohka.

"Well, you did manage to do a good job in disarming her, without severing any limbs. I should probably get to work giving her equipment a finer tune up," said Cid.

"Captain Highwind, I believe that's enough sparring for today for the Warriors of Light. Remember, training with other people is a privilege, not a right. I believe it's best if we leave our friends alone for a while, so that they can continue their picnic in peace. For now, the Empire has left Tengu City for another part of this world, which gives us a bit of time to relax for a while," said Reeve.

He then turned to Mana, just as Shelke appeared before her.

"Mana Takamiya," she said.

"What is this?" wondered Mana.

"Your comlink. I retrieved it after your clash with Kurumi. I've modified it slightly. Just dial #MAN to contact my personal terminal directly from aboard the Shera. While performing a synaptic net dive into any network systems in Tengu City, I'll be able to hack into the battle networks of both the AST, DEM, and the Empire. I may also be able to help guide deep behind enemy lines, for missions provided from the Special Operations Command branch of the RGRO. Don't take it the wrong way. By monitoring your movements, Doctor Crescents data fragments have now been restored, and I now have new data from the revived Jenova Project that Sephiroth's son, Aiden, is working on. I'm simply providing a service of my own accord," explained the Ex-Tsviet.

"Thanks, Shelke. I appreciate it, even though you didn't have to go through all this trouble, but you, Kotori, and Reeve were right about the Empire turning me into this freak who's about to die after being infused with both magic and Jenova's blood," she replied.

"I, anyway, my resources here are limited. Do not expect too much," finished Shelke.

"Good. We're counting on you, Mana," said Vincent.

"N-no way. I don't think I've ever had anyone willing to count on me for anything, even after I chose to defect and join forces with you, after admitting my crush about Riku to you," admitted Mana.

"Well then, can I count on you to keep an eye on the Warriors of Light while we're away on official business?" asked Reeve.

Mana was even more surprised.

"We have already witnessed your strength and skill once. War is coming, and we have to be ready for anything. Your assistance would be a great help," he explained.

"My assistance?" questioned the ex-wizard.

"Exactly," replied the commissioner.

"Commissioner!" called one of the soldiers.

"Ah, excuse me. Vincent, I will see you again after the meeting. And Mana, remember, we're counting on you," Reeve said quickly.

Now Mana was much more shocked than before, but also happy, as she watched Reeve rush off, while Vincent stalled for a moment, then followed after him.

"Fighting for…" she said quietly.

"Mana, you are no longer alone, even after you left the Empire to join forces with us in helping save Tohka from Westcott's grip, just before we learned that Sephiroth had gained both his apprentices for a short while, until we freed them from the darkness. Now you have a purpose, a mission, to ensure that no harm comes to us, no matter what we are. You are a Warrior of Light, rather than a Warrior of Darkness," assured Riku.

"Y-you're right, Riku. I've been so wrapped up in my own personal turmoil, I'd almost forgotten what it was like to be part of a family again, until I saw you with Shido and the others. My crush with you has grown stronger, and it's made me embrace the fact that I can still be loved by anyone. But my bond with Sora has also given him a new form of strength, thanks to that chain of light that links our hearts together. Even still, I feel like a great weight's been lifted off my shoulders, after I chose to leave them, and have been accepted by you and your family, Riku," she admitted, though blushed a little.

But then she pulled out a bouquet of flowers that she had been holding.

"Oh, I was able to buy you something. Flowers to commemorate the time I became part of your family, and the Warriors of Light. Also, I promise all of you that I'll do my best to ensure that you're safe and protected, despite my regrets of being Westcott's pawn. Nuno Harime, the son of Sephiroth and Nui, was able to dispose of Jessica Bailey after I defeated her, which meant only one thing. He's not as merciful as I am, which meant that I couldn't comfort her as she was dying in my arms, until her soul was taken to his father, which he would later absorb and make his own. And that means I hold them in pure contempt for what they've done, until Team KRYYSSTAAL and the Specter Sisters stopped me from going after him, so that I wouldn't make the biggest mistake of stooping to her level," explained Mana.

"Sephiroth… That heartless devil used Tohka and Sora's dark side to try and kill Shido, until he revealed that he was the one who tried to kill me, while his daughters Martini and Boadicea were able to relay their information to him. I won't ever forgive him, after all the things he's done, despite the fact that Vanitas said that I didn't even care about what Westcott was doing, so that he could release them from within their hearts. But when those three sent their attacks right at Shido, and all I could see was nothing. I nearly stooped to their level, after that vicious devil taunted me about my weakness, even after that One-Winged Jerkface used silence on me, thus muting me, as well as making it impossible for me to use Gabriel Rondo on Tohka's dark side. I was scared, I was weak, and above all else, I felt that despite everything, I deserved to die, but Shido refused to let that happen, just like Usagi wouldn't. Since then, I've changed my ways, despite the fact that I prefer to have an all girl fanbase, but after apologizing to all the guys in this city, they agreed that anyone can change, as well as heal the wounds that were inflicted on anyone's heart, after tapping into one of my abilities with Gabriel, Solo," admitted Miku.

"To be honest, letting everyone in this city with a tiny bit of Gabriel's power know that healing and changing can make anyone know that they will be better. I'm actually happy that Kotori agreed to your idea, and now, both you, Minako, and Weiss can be regarded as something even more than just singers. You are and will always be, the Three Sirens of Light," replied Shido.

"The Three Sirens of Light," murmured Weiss.

"Wow, that's actually a good title for us, seeing as I've been working hard to be my own kind of teen idol, thanks to Sora's encouragement. Still, Artemis was pretty happy that he was there to support me, even before the final confrontation with Sailor Galaxia, may her heart rest in peace, thanks to the unthinkable Chaos unleashed to end all the worlds by awakening Omega," said Minako.

"It's true. All of it. Sailor Moon nearly gave up after she blamed herself for how she doomed us all to an even darker fate, but with some encouragement from Sora's guiding lights, her faith was restored, and she succeeded in unlocking his true power by giving him the Silver Crystal to both purge Chaos from within him, and to seal Vanitas back inside of his heart. That was when he attained his Divine Harmony form, and his new Keyblade, Eternal Moonlight, forged from their bond of true friendship," added Ami.

"That's right. I refused to let Chaos Vanitas destroy the real Sora, because I suddenly remembered how Ami told all of us about how he both loved and respected us, including his friends. Also, Sora's guiding lights told me that if I gave up now, then everything would be gone, and it would truly be all my fault. However, I also realized that Sora had been right about how despite the fact that our friends weren't with us in body, which did make us feel lonesome, they had always been in our hearts the entire time. Still, I'm really happy that Sora's my best friend, just like all of you guys are my best friends, as well as my family. My obsession for Mamoru was like a terrible darkness, eating away at my heart, but I overcame it, and have since then embraced everyone, regardless of where or when they've come from. That's when I realized that despite all this fighting, I saw with my own eyes, the one who could truly free Galaxia from her own suffering, was Sora. With his Divine Harmony Form, he defeated Omega Galaxia in a great and final battle, but the price of victory was heavy for him. Sailor Galaxia's death hurt him, but she still became one whole being, free of Chaos and Omega, and her recompleted heart returned to Kingdom Hearts to rest in peace. After that, Sora and I managed to destroy Omega together, but we were both flung into the Final World, but he still maintained hope in the fact that we'd return to our friends, because of Kairi's refusal to let us go, after Galaxia thanked us for saving the worlds from being returned to the Promised Land of all Hearts. It was thanks to his letter, and we were able to come back to everyone, although Sora was still saddened by Galaxia's end, and chose to be a mercenary. However, after his third clash with Sephiroth, he found closure with both my Aunt Nehelenia, and Sailor Galaxia, and was able to forgive himself again, just like he did after he did some soul searching in his sleep," explained Usagi.

"My goodness. I-I had no idea that Sora went through so much after everything during that final confrontation," murmured Rebecca.

"Well, that didn't really compare to how both me and Yumi were once at odds with each other, after Sora and I parted ways for a while, after he set off on his own to do other missions with Master Yen Sid, until we later agreed to join forces with him. Which does remind me, I was thinking about the time when my belief in justice was horribly compromised, and I began to lose faith in myself, believing that without my friends, such beliefs were dead, until Sora snapped me out of my trance," said Asuka.

"That's right. We both remember that horrible experience, until things suddenly started spiraling out of control, after Fubuki nearly went berserk and tried to finish what Grandfather started long ago, by erasing everything she viewed as pure evil. However, in his blindness, he saw that he was wrong. Justice and vengeance are like two sides of a coin. Heads is Justice. Tails is Vengeance. Back when we first met, both Asuka and I were already at our limit, but Grandfather stopped us from killing each other, as he believed that I was his light, and that if I died, he would never truly forgive himself, as well as state that Gessen would wage war on all that he'd deem to be pure evil. A war that nobody would win, resulting in countless innocents being slaughtered for no reason. That's when I changed my ways, and decided that I'd be a better shinobi. One who's justice was in the light of the moon, rather than in total darkness, the power of vengeance," added Yumi.

Everyone was growing curious about it, but Tohka was excited.

"Storytime! Storytime! I love some storytime!" she sang.

"Aw yeah! Ah! This will be awesome!" cheered Ruby.

"I too would like to hear that story, Darling," agreed Weiss.

Everyone else worded their agreement with the Fencing Princess of Atlas, even while Makoto, Shido, and most of their other friends would help with cooking the food for the feast.

"Well, I guess it's a good opportunity to tell you about it," said Sora.

He then gained a serious look in his eyes.

"First and foremost, this story isn't really for the faint of heart, but once I tell you, you need to listen carefully, and allow your imagination to paint the picture of what happened before in your heads. It all started like any normal day for me, despite the fact that the Heartless, creatures who'd always prowl about searching for hearts to enthrall with darkness, so that they could take them to increase their ranks and create new emblem variants, would cause trouble for everyone. See, after completing my mission to Asuka and Yumi's world, before I met the kunoichi of Gessen, it was getting close to December, which meant the coming of the holidays. I decided that I'd take this time to spend it with Asuka, when I traveled back to her world of my own free will. Upon arriving, she was really happy to see me again, and even said that we missed each other, while she was busy with her training, but also went on a couple of adventures with both her friends and rivals. Fortunately, this was the perfect chance for me to try and find some gifts that would actually make everyone I knew happy for them," Sora began.

"Yeah, it was after I met Yumi, her team from Gessen Girls' Academy, and the new Hebijo Elite Five, consisting of Miyabi, Murasaki, Imu, Ryona, and Ryobi. We did have our differences, but at times we still learned more about each other, until I discovered that my new rival was consumed by hatred for creatures called yoma, after her mother was mercilessly slaughtered by one of them, making her view them as cold and ruthless monsters that had to be exterminated with no remorse," added Asuka.

"Oh yeah. Just like when you, Dante, and all of your friends first met Lady, who used to be called Mary Ann Arkham, but cast that name aside after her father sacrificed her mother, Kalina Ann, which she named her rocket launcher after, just before you met Trish, and later on, Patty Lowell, but that was before you had us as part of Team SKYYLAR, until Asuka, Yumi, and Cody joined our ranks," replied Asuna.

"I see. Still, Fluttershy was lucky not to meet Dante, even though he's part demon himself. But enough about that, let's continue with your story, guys," said Cody.

"It'll be just like telling stories around a campfire, even though this is a picnic," added Fluttershy.

And so Sora, Asuka and Yumi, told the Warriors of Light about the time they had to stop a new threat that tried to destroy that world from back then.